Chapter 5

The young boy smiled as he held his newly delivered invitation in his hand. This was it, what he was waiting for.

"The King and Queen of Corona request your attendance at a Masked Ball given in honor of Princess Rapunzel."

At first, he couldn't believe his luck. Here he was, a common thief being invited to a masked ball.

Well, he wasn't a professional thief, but a clever one, using disguises every now and then to get what he wanted.

And it did help that he looked a bit like Flynn Rider or was that Eugene Fitzherbert, the little orphan boy he was always mistaken for.

Oh, there were differences but no one could really spot them. It was little things like the eyes and the nose that were somewhat off; maybe that's why all those wanted posters were off from time to time.

Also no one knew that he was sneaking out to meet Rapunzel almost every other night either, not even Rapunzel herself. And it was even better that he'd be wearing a mask.

But no one would notice them the night of the ball which was only two weeks away now.

He didn't really after the Princess so much as getting what he and his family deserved, the crown that was rightfully theirs to begin with, especially by Coronian law. True, it wasn't written anywhere, but he and his family were living on the land when the King and Queen arrived. The magic golden flower belonged to them, not to the Royal family.

He never blamed his ancestor for doing what she did. It was in her best interests to horde the flower and used it for her own purposes. No one thought that she'd ever get punished for what she had done. He hoped against hope that the curse the Gothel family carried didn't extend to him, although he had watched every member of his family fall to tragedy. He was the only one left.

Well, he was the last survivor in the family but no one knew it. His last name wasn't Gothel because his mother married a rather prominent figure in society. He was someone who was rich and famous; namely because a children's book bore his name on the cover.

And that name was Flynnagan Rider.

XXXXX

Eye Patch found the two invitations that Rapunzel had handed Eugene the night before. They had been carelessly thrown into a corner, buried into a pile of Eugene's unwashed clothes. Without a word, he handed them to his brother.

"Well, look what we have here," Sideburns said, clutching the invitations in his hand. He turned to his brother who was smiling brightly. "We're eligible bachelors aren't we?"

Eye Patch returned the smile and nodded his head.

"We're not really after the Princess though, are we?"

Sideburns stopped smiling and stared at him. "You know what we're after, brother and it's not the girl."

"What about Eugene?"

"What about him? He's in love with Rapunzel. We've got other business to take care of."

"Did you ever think that there might be more than one thief out there?" Eye Patch asked. "Did you ever think that we might be caught? Did you ever think…"

Sideburns silenced him and shook his head. "I've got a plan, brother and it involves someone else. The three of us will have everything we've ever wanted and poor little Eugene will never become Prince."

Eye Patch looked at him curiously. "We have all the money we could possibly want right now. Eugene promised to split the whole thing with us when the time came."

Sideburns smiled again. "Just because the little orphan boy wants to go straight, doesn't mean we have to. I've got another scheme in the works and I'm sure that it will work."

Well, at least Sideburns hoped it would work. It was Eugene's plans that worked, never his. Well, this time for sure it would work. He had been reassured by this boy who looked a lot like Eugene, someone called Flynn Rider, if that was his real name. They would take their riches, split them down the middle and become part of royalty in one fell swoop. It was a brilliant plan and it was going to be great. It would put the Stabbington boys in the limelight and they would be the ones living like royalty.

Eye Patch looked back at him, frowning. "Okay, brother, what have you got planned this time?"

XXXXXX

Eugene was happy. That afternoon, he met Rapunzel in their usual spot during the day, by the waterfall. The castle kitchen packed a mean picnic of cold meats, cheeses, bread and wine. Everything went as planned. He was finally going to meet the Princess and wondered if she would remember him or not. He never forgot her big green eyes staring up at him, those cute little freckles across her nose….

He knew why Megan had that resemblance. They were cousins, distant cousins. It ran in the family, she told him. Well, maybe that's was his original goal, somewhere it kind of got misplaced. He was starting to fall in love with her Lady in Waiting. He wasn't exactly sure how that happened, but it had.

Eugene wanted to impress her; no matter who or what she was. Suddenly, the Princess seemed less important to him now. He would straighten himself out, just to impress her. She would be at the ball, she told him and she'd be looking forward to seeing him there. Eugene would declare his love for her there, for everyone in the kingdom to hear.

Eugene smiled as he made his way back to the tower. He was so happy that he even whistled.