Rapunzel left Maximus at Attilla's cupcake shop as a decoy in case anyone followed her. Hobbling quickly along, she made it to Eugene's house...only to find it empty. Panic surged through her. Surely the King hadn't had him captured!
Whirling on her good heel, she glanced around the crowd, her heart thundering as she prayed he was okay.
There! There he was, meandering through the tightly-knit crowd, a brown paper bag in his hands.
"Eugene!" she yelled, trying to grab his attention.
His eyes widened and his neck stretched so he could peer up over the heads of the people in front of him. Seeing the princess, he pushed through the crowd to jog to her.
"Rapunzel! I was starting to think I'd never see you again! I'll take it as good news, then," he grinned breathlessly, cupping her cheeks in his hands.
Shaking her head, she choked. It was too much. "We have to leave. Now. He-he threatened to hang you and-and another prince is coming and if he catches me with you, he'll have you killed!"
"He who?"
"My father!"
His mind raced, trying to figure out how they could get out of the country unnoticed, without anyone seeing their departure. "No," he shook his head. "We can't, Rapunzel. You have to-gosh, you don't know how much I hate saying this, but you might have to do what your parents want. I'm scared of what they might do to you if you don't. Trust me, if it would mean me getting hanged, I'd help you escape, but you gotta understand that they have connections with every single country in the world, at least to some extent. They'd have search parties. They'd find you, and who knows what would happen then. Ransoms-"
She sobbed. "I can't do this, Eugene. I can't lose you, and I-I..I can't be shipped off like some trophy!"

The young man sighed, glancing around to spot the circle of benches surrounding a fountain, which was a few yards away in the center of the community of houses.
Guiding her over to it, he watched her face, desperately trying to think of something to do for her. "I can't think of any way you can get around it."
"I-I could wear a wig, and you...you could shave your scruff and-and maybe break your nose so it's crooked-"
"Rapunzel, they'd still know. Trust me, I used to thieve."
She sighed, burying her face into her hands. She felt sick. "I'm so sorry, Eugene...this is all my fault-"
"No it's not. C'mere," he pulled her into his arms, rocking gently from side to side. She buried her face into his chest and sobbed. "Hey. Don't cry, sweet girl. Maybe...maybe it's for the best. I'm not worth getting in trouble with your parents, okay? I'm not. Don't worry about me, I'll lay low. I've been doing that for years. And...and-and I'm sure the next prince will be a perfect match for you."
She sniffled, her face still buried in his vest. "But I can't let anything happen to you-"
"Nothing will," he leaned his chin on top of her head, squeezing his eyes shut and willing himself not to cry. When her shoulders shook, he tightened his arms around her.

When her sobs finally subsided, he buried his face into her hair. "Now...Rapunzel, I want you to go back. Fight your parents if you feel it's safe, I won't fault you for it, but don't you dare get yourself in trouble or hurt. Okay? Just...don't get hurt - by your parents or any princes. I wish I could help you, but...your parents are the King and Queen. There's no escaping them."
She shook her head, choking. She couldn't leave. She couldn't leave Corona, she couldn't leave Eugene alone to fend for himself, she...couldn't. "I l-"
"Rapunzel!"
"Don't. Let her-"
Rapunzel jerked away from Eugene, whirling around and shielding him.
"Don't you touch him!" she growled to her parents, who had been watching them from a distance, unbeknownst to either of them.
"Get over here right this instant! Don't you talk to us in that tone." the Queen had had enough of her daughter's strong will. She strode over and grabbed her daughter's arm roughly, pulling her away from the ex-thief.
"Please," she sobbed, "don't hurt him. He didn't do anything. It's all my fault! I'll-I'll do whatever you want, but please..Father! Father, please, don't hurt him!"
The King was more moved by his daughter than his wife was. He nodded to a couple of guards that stood to the side, and he as well as the guards mounted their horses -they'd apparently found Maximus -and rode away. Maximus whinnied, trying to pull back to Rapunzel and Eugene, but the guard gave him a firm slap with his whip, and he jogged off.
Rapunzel stumbled after her mother, struggling to keep up on her injured ankle.
"Get moving, Rapunzel, honestly! You must stop being so childish! Stop fighting me!" she jerked her daughter's arm, and Rapunzel tripped, biting back a gasp of pain.
That was it for Eugene. He strode over to the Queen and touched her elbow. "She can't go any faster, Your Highness. Please," he said quietly, despite the fact that his eyes were flashing with anger. "She has a bum ankle. Don't be rough with her. She doesn't deserve it-"
"Who are you to tell us parenting tips? You're only an orphaned thief!" It was a low blow, but Eugene kept his temper in check. He had to get his point across, and he couldn't be disrespectful and mouth off to the Queen.

"Who am I? The man who brought your daughter home. You're treating her no better than Gothel. And all for what? Thinking outside of the box? If I can be so bold to say this, why are you so eager to have her leave? You just got her back. You have no other heirs to the throne. What will your country become when you and the King pass? You'd have to merge with another country, and there are no countries close enough to really do that. I'm not pointing this out in my favor, but instead, in hers. She's done absolutely nothing to deserve how you're treating her. Don't be so rough with her, and please try to understand her point of view...she's delicate, she can't be mistreated." his throat tightened, making the last sentence thick with emotion. Maybe he should've taken her and ran when she came to him before. Thinking quickly to try to mask his emotions, he cleared his throat, asking them to stay put until he could gather the burlap bag from his house. "She wanted to run away. She's not the type to want to escape at the first hint of a problem, Your Highness. Keep that in mind."

His words stung. Tears were spilling from Rapunzel's eyes like a waterfall. Her hands shook as she took the burlap bag from his hands, and he gave her hand a quick squeeze before letting go - a move undetected by the Queen. As soon as the bag was in Rapunzel's possession, the Queen tugged her away.
As soon as the Queen and the beautiful girl were out of sight, he heaved a heavy sigh. He felt as if he may as well have barbed wire twisting into his heart, and for a few minutes, he contemplated running after them. He could knock the Queen out and take Rapunzel...-no. That would be the dumbest move of his life. Plus, she was injured; she wasn't up for a long journey. One thing he found absolutely true: he didn't know how much his love for her had grown until he was watching them leave. He'd let her go; it was for the best, but...

Back at the castle, the royal doctor tended to the princess's ankle.
"Why're you so down, Princess?" his faint Russian accent tinted his words.
"Eugene. My parents. Everything." she rubbed her forehead, angry at herself for not being able to develop a plausible escape plan.
"Ahh. The royal marriage?" he asked, slowly binding her ankle painfully tight.
"Yes." she said shortly.
"Y'know, your grandfather on your mother's side married a peasant girl," he smiled. "Such a kind lady. Genteel, y'know. His parents were appalled, but they were in love. Nothing could stop 'em."
Rapunzel's mind was racing now. "Then what's so dreadful about my affections for Eugene?"
He shook his head. "No clue, deary. Now, you'll stay off this ankle for a coupla days, okay? Keep it elevated, and you'll be as good as new."
He left, and Rapunzel dug through her burlap bag before settling into bed, a couple of pillows holding her ankle up in the air. Unfolding the Corona flag he'd given her, she stared at it, rubbing the worn fabric in between her fingers. Pascal clicked his tongue sympathetically, curling up on her blanket to sleep.

Soon after, Rapunzel's mother came into the room, sitting down on the edge of her bed.
"How are you feeling, darling?"
"My ankle is fine," Rapunzel answered, looking at the flag instead of at her mother. She ensured that her answer was pointed: she was not okay.
The Queen rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Please tell me you're not still hung up on him, Rapunzel. You must be over this...this funk before the next Prince comes. You must prepare for your departure!"
"Maybe I should be preparing for a departure, but not the one you're planning," she mumbled, almost by accident.
"Rapunzel!" she gasped sharply. "You will not run away with-with that..ruffian!"
"He's not a ruffian." she said quietly. "Don't you have any respect for the man that brought me home, that sacrificed his life for me? Was it all an act, these two years?"
Her mother paused. "He's a commoner," she finally said.
"So was your mother," Rapunzel met her mother's eyes.
The Queen's eyes widened. "Who told you-"
"The royal doctor told me. How can you be so hypocritical, if you're the very creation of a royal and a peasant girl?"
"Stop it, stop it right now," she shook her head, but Rapunzel kept going.
"You know how hypocritical it is! There's no such thing in the law books about the illegality of a royal marrying a commoner!"
"I want what's best for you. Eugene is not the best."
"So a man who slaps me for simply refusing his marriage proposal, one whose country is failing, is better?" she shook her head firmly.

The Queen grabbed for the flag. Rapunzel tightened her grip on it, but she wrenched it away. "He's a thief. He's nothing but an orphaned thief-"
"With more heart than you have-"
"And you're going to stay right here until the prince comes!" the Queen sauntered from the room, her face red with fury. The Corona flag Eugene had given Rapunzel for her eighteenth birthday was clutched in a white-knuckled grip.
"No!" Rapunzel screamed as her mother left the room. "No! He was right! He was right! You're no better than Gothel!" she shrieked, jumping up from her bed and trying to get to the door before her mother could lock it. She heard a click, and she grabbed at the handle, shaking it violently as she screamed for her mother to unlock it.