Chapter 7-Surprise
Once Rapunzel knew that she'd have a day off with Eugene, she began counting the minutes down mentally in her head. She didn't mind most of her lessons or anything like that, but she had missed seeing Eugene. The hour or two they had together here and there just wasn't enough for her. She had a feeling it was the same for him, or why else would he have said that she was so busy with her lessons? She knew that behind that, he was saying that he missed her. But naturally, he hadn't said that outright, probably because it'd appear weak or something. Honestly, Eugene thought the strangest things sometimes. If he missed her, why didn't he just say so? If he was miserable, why didn't he just tell her?
But in typical Eugene fashion, he didn't do that. He said something that danced around the truth, but wasn't quite there. He was very good at being evasive, especially when he came to his feelings. She guessed it was a leftover from his Flynn days. Or maybe it was just a male thing. Either way, she had decided that often you had to read between the lines with him- or maybe it was more like you had to try to figure out what he wasn't saying. That usually was more important than what he did.
It was hard, but she was getting better at it all the time. Besides, she loved him. So it was all worth it to her. She did wish that he would simply tell her outright how he felt, and she resolved to get him talking on their day came. She wasn't sure how to do that, but she had some ideas.
Soon their day came, and in the morning after breakfast, they set out to the lake with a picnic lunch. As they walked, Rapunzel gazed at Eugene out of the corner of her eye. He looked okay, even had a slight twinkle in his eye that had been missing in the past few days. She smiled to herself. It was going to be a good day.
"It's good to see you smiling, Rapunzel."
She glanced over at him. He was smiling now too. It warmed her heart. "You too, Eugene."
He grinned again, and he reached out and took her hand. They walked the rest of the way to the lake in silence, but Rapunzel didn't mind at all. All she needed was for Eugene to be happier today and he was.
Right now, that was all that really mattered.
XxXxXxXx
Once they reached the lake, they left their picnic basket and went walking around, just laughing and talking. Eventually though, Rapunzel grew hungry and they headed back and ate their lunch. After they finished, she sighed. "This is so nice, Eugene."
"It is…"
"No lessons, no nobles….," she said, and gave him a smile. "Just you and me."
"Yes…" he agreed. He sprawled out, resting his head in her lap. He smiled up at her. "Do you mind?"
She was quick to assure him. "No, of course not, Eugene." She didn't tell him that it reminded her too much of the tower. But he was alive and nothing was going to happen to him. She was sure of that. They were both quiet, and Rapunzel wondered if now was a good time to really talk to him. He seemed in an okay mood….. "Eugene, how are you? Really?"
His eyes had shut slightly, but now they popped back open. "That's a weird question, Rapunzel," he said. "What makes you ask that?"
"You just…you just haven't seemed completely yourself since we got here," she said.
He raised an eyebrow. "I haven't?"
"No," she insisted. He opened his mouth to protest, and she had a feeling he was about to argue with her. "Eugene, I'm just asking because I love you. I want to see you happy, and I worry that you're not." She bit her lip. "So, please. Be honest with me."
He was silent. She waited patiently for him to say something, barely daring to move. "You're very observant, Rapunzel," he said at last.
"Um…thank you." Was he finally going to tell her the truth? "So, do you want to tell me how you really feel now?"
He sat up and looked at her. "Can't you guess?"
She wasn't sure she wanted to do a guessing game with him. But still, if this was the way to get him to talk, then she'd play."Fine," she said. "You're lonely, you miss me because I'm at my lessons most of the time, you don't like the nobles because they make you feel inferior, and you're bored because you don't have enough to do and that makes you feel useless. And you probably miss the road too, and all that excitement." She watched his eyes widen, and she knew she'd nailed it. She couldn't help but feel a small twinge of satisfaction. "Did I leave anything out?"
"No," he said.
"And I have the impression that if you could leave here, you would," she continued. Flynn probably would have left eons ago.
"Yes….." he admitted slowly.
Hearing that from him affected her more than she thought it would. She guessed of course, but knowing that it was true made her heart ache. She felt awful that he was so miserable here. "So why haven't you?" she said softly.
"Ah, Rapunzel," he said with a slight shake of his head. "You should know the answer to that."
"Which is?"
He looked tenderly at her. "You," he said. "I can't leave you."
"Why not?" she whispered.
He reached out and trailed his fingers on the side of her face. "Because I love you," he said. "I….I need you."
She blinked back sudden tears. She needed him too. She wondered if he knew that, or how much he'd helped her adjust to life here. He noticed, and pulled her close to him. "Besides, I promised you I'd never leave you."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it," she said. She was very happy to hear it, but she looked at him seriously. "But I still want you to be happy."
"I am happy," he said. "If you're here, I'm happy."
She didn't quite believe him, but she still felt better and more reassured than she had this morning. "Are you sure, Eugene?" she asked. "Is there…anything I can do for you?"
He grinned mischievously. "Yeah." Then he leaned in closer and kissed her.
Well, that wasn't quite what she was thinking, but she'd take it.
XxXxXxXx
Eugene thought that the rest of the day just improved from there. They walked around the lake again holding hands, and he picked her some flowers- which she loved. Then they laughed and talked some more.
It was perfect. But it was the next day now, and they were walking to the orphanage. He was not looking forward to it in the slightest. He didn't want to go back to the orphanage, and he wouldn't have done it if Rapunzel hadn't begged him to, with those big green eyes staring at him, pleading with him to say yes…..
Well, let's just say he couldn't say no to her. Saying no might make her cry, and he couldn't stand to see her cry either. Besides, he knew she was only trying to help him, even if he couldn't see how revisiting his past would help. There were parts of life at the orphanage that had been tolerable, but for the most part it had been lonely and isolating. Some of the worst moments in his life were spent in that place. And now Rapunzel wanted him to go back there?
He sighed. He didn't know how he could do this. Suddenly, he felt her hand take his and squeeze it, like she knew just what he was thinking. She probably did. He wrapped his fingers around hers. He looked at her, and she was smiling. "It's going to be all right, Eugene," she said.
"Right…." Isn't that what she'd said when he was dying in the tower?
They walked the rest of the way there in silence. When they finally reached the door, he just stared at it. In his mind, he could remember coming here after his Mama died…..
"Eugene."
He heard Rapunzel calling him. "Yes?"
"Are you going to knock?" she asked, concerned.
He blinked. "Of course." He raised his hand and knocked on the door. A middle-aged woman opened it and immediately smiled. He noticed how kind and welcoming her eyes were, and he couldn't help but wonder where this woman had been when he'd lived here.
"Well, come on in," she said, gesturing them inside. "You must be Princess Rapunzel."
She nodded and smiled. She gave a little curtsy. Probably something Lottie had told her to do. "Yes. It's a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Everhart. Thank you so much for having us." Her voice was even more gracious than it was normally and she sounded like….a princess. Indeed, Lottie was very good at what she did.
Mrs. Everhart's face lit up in a smile. "Oh, now we are so glad to have you, Princess." She turned to him. "And you must be Eugene. We're so glad you're here!"
"Thank you." He wished he could say the same. Of course, it wasn't Mrs. Everhart's fault that he couldn't stand this place.
"So, Eugene," Mrs. Everhart said. "I was thinking that you could maybe…do something with the children while you're here. Maybe read to them?"
He blinked, and glanced over at Rapunzel. Had she told them that he'd done that before? She smiled encouragingly. "Um…okay," he said. "I guess I could do that."
She beamed. "Wonderful. Well, just follow me, and I'll introduce you."
"Okay," he said. She started walking and he followed her into a room full of young boys and girls. When he looked at them, he could see himself. They had that same guarded expression that he'd worn for many years. It was…very difficult to remember, and all he wanted to do was bolt. He felt Rapunzel take his hand again.
"Boys and girls," said Mrs. Everhart. "We have a very special guest today." She gestured to him and Rapunzel. "This is Princess Rapunzel, and her….um…friend, Eugene Fitzherbert. He's going to read a story to you today." She handed him a book and he glanced at it. He almost laughed. The Tales of Flynnigan Rider.
Rapunzel nudged him with her elbow, probably because he'd been staring at the book for at least a minute. "Um….yes," he said. "This is a great book, one of my favorites. And I'm happy to read it to you."
Happy was a stretch, but oh well. He sat down, and with little more introduction than that, he started to read it to them. He glanced up every once and a while. They were looking at him, enthralled with the story.
He found himself smiling as he finished the chapter. Something about reading to them made him feel…really good.
XxXxXxXxX
Rapunzel watched Eugene read to the children, and she saw how their faces were happy and completely enraptured in the story. He actually looked like he was enjoying himself and she smiled. She knew he would. She studied him, and for a second she could imagine a much younger Eugene doing the same thing. Then her mind fast-forwarded to the future and she could see him telling tales to a little girl with chocolate brown hair and big green eyes….
She blinked. Now wasn't the time to think about that, she chided herself.
"He's very good at that, isn't he?" Mrs. Everhart said, suddenly appearing beside her.
"Yes," she answered. "He is. I knew he would be."
"Well, I think I can safely say that both of your visits will be the highlight of their week," Mrs. Everhart said. "They don't often get visitors like this…." Rapunzel watched as a sad look crossed her face. "Not many people care about orphans, you know."
Rapunzel nodded. She'd gathered that from Eugene's gloomy expression on the way here. "It's a pity," she said. "If I had more time, I'd love to spend afternoons here." She shrugged. "But being a princess is a lot of work…." She trailed off. Some of Lottie's teaching came to her mind and she knew she shouldn't say anything else. Talking about how difficult being a princess surely wasn't proper etiquette. She quickly changed the subject. "So, you need volunteers to play with the kids?"
"Oh, my yes!" she said. "We always do. Do you think your Eugene is still interested?"
She chuckled. She was the one who'd made that up. When she went to the orphanage a week or so ago, she'd told Mrs. Everhart that Eugene was an "alumni" of sorts, and he'd like to help out occasionally. It was no small lie, but she felt like it was true now. "I hope so. Why don't you ask him before we leave?"
"I will," she said. "But right now, I have to attend to some things. You don't mind, do you?"
A princess is always gracious. "Not at all," she assured Mrs. Everhart. "I'll be fine."
Her face relaxed. "Thank you, Princess."
She turned and left Rapunzel by herself, and she sighed a little. Since she figured they'd be here awhile, she pulled out her sketchbook and began to draw a picture.
A picture of Eugene reading to the children.
XxXxXxXx
After a few chapters, Mrs. Everhart came to Eugene and said that was enough for today. The children grumbled a little, but they eventually left. He watched them go, thinking that this really hadn't been as bad as he thought it would be, and when Mrs. Everhart asked him if he'd come back, he quickly said yes. He would be happy to. Then he and Rapunzel said goodbye and they started walking back to the palace. As they did, he thought about his afternoon. Surprisingly enough, he'd enjoyed himself. Rapunzel was right. Why was she always right about everything? He looked at Rapunzel out of the corner of his eye.
She noticed his gaze. "Did you have fun, Eugene?" she asked.
"Yes…," he admitted, preparing himself for the "I told you so" that would follow.
But she didn't say that. Actually, when he thought about it, saying that wasn't like her anyway. He was probably more the kind to gloat than she was. "I'm so glad," she said. "They seemed to all really like you."
"I…liked them," he said. "They loved the book."
She smiled. "Of course they did. You read it very well." She paused. "So you think you'll go back?"
He remembered the sad looks of the orphans, and how the story had made them smile. Besides, if anyone could relate to their circumstances, it was him. Maybe he could help them avoid his mistakes too. "….Yes…," he said slowly. "I will. I think…..they need me there."
"Yes," she said, her voice soft. "I'm sure they do."
He sighed, and he stopped walking to look at her. "Rapunzel," he said. "I know you won't say it, but you were right." Her face didn't change. "I think volunteering there will be a good thing for me. Maybe I won't be so bored…."
She smiled faintly at him. "I just want you to be happy, Eugene. Are you happy?"
"Yes," he answered. "Yes." And even as he said it, he knew it was true.
XxXxXxXx
At dinner that night, all Rapunzel and Eugene could talk about was the orphanage. It was interesting to Lottie, but after a while, she sort of wished they could talk about something else. They were so happy together today. Eugene looked at Rapunzel lovingly, and Rapunzel returned his gazes with a love of her own.
Whenever she watched them, something inside her would begin to hurt. Like now. Her chest ached and she felt ever so lonely. She chided herself. Stop thinking of yourself! She tried to focus on dinner and she watched as Mama and Papa looked over a sketch that Rapunzel had done.
"It's wonderful, dear!" Mama said. "It looks just like Eugene too."
Eugene smiled at Rapunzel. "I think so. She even got my nose right."
Mama passed it on to Lottie. "Take a look, Lottie."
Lottie took it from Mama, and looked at it. Rapunzel had drawn Eugene surrounded by a group of orphans, reading a book. It was beautiful. Rapunzel was incredibly talented, and she should be very proud of herself. But a twinge of….something kept her from saying it.
"Don't you think it's wonderful, Lottie?" Mama asked.
She gave the drawing back to Rapunzel. She fiddled with her fork, her eyes on her plate. "Yes," she said faintly. "It is. Good job, Rapunzel." But deep inside, she felt deeply inferior. She'd never be able to draw like Rapunzel. She had no special talent besides being the most dependable princess.
And what kind of talent was that?
XxXxXxXxXx
Over the next few weeks, Lottie's feelings of annoyance continued to increase about both herself and her sister. She couldn't honestly say that they were totally aimed at Rapunzel, because she was as cute and charming as ever and most of the time her own feelings were not Rapunzel's fault. So she supposed they were more directed at her parents. They often let her sister get away with things that she knew she had been punished for when she was that age. Her rational side said it was because of her upbringing. It still aggravated her sometimes, but she couldn't say anything. Her parents most likely wouldn't understand her feelings, and Rapunzel? She couldn't aim her angry feelings at her. She was just….too sweet and caring. She was certain that she didn't do any of it on purpose and it probably had to do with her life in the tower. She missed Catherine as her maid too, and although her replacement, Susanna, was competent, it just wasn't the same.
Because she couldn't tell her parents or Rapunzel about her feelings, she felt completely stuck. And she found herself sneaking off more and more to see Tom. She didn't necessarily tell him everything, but just having someone outside of her family was more valuable than she thought she could express to anyone.
Besides, he made her feel good about herself. When she was with him, she felt special and interesting, not at all like the boring and dependable princess she was at the palace. And he was….nice to her. He listened to what she said, and always seemed to care.
There was something….rather wonderful about somebody listening to you, and caring about what you said and about how you felt.
The way Tom did.
So she kept sneaking off to see him.
It was one of the few things she did in her life that was actually fun. And in her life, she had to find those and savor them. Otherwise, she'd go completely mad.