Rapunzel stared out the window, pressing her forehead against the window. It was now free of bars, and her door unlocked...but she couldn't bring herself to go outside anymore. It had been another week, and she hadn't seen Eugene. She missed her friend. She yearned for him, but knew he had probably already left the country to stay safe. Or...or maybe he'd been captured.
Pascal poked her hand with his tail.
"Hey, buddy, what's up?" she gave him a small smile, gathering him into the palm of her hand. He clicked his tongue, and she shook her head. "No...I haven't seen him."
He jerked his tail towards her door cheerfully, but she shook her head again, telling him 'no'. Irritated about something, he hopped off, growling under his breath.
She turned her attention back to the outdoors. It was mid-November, and it was raining outside, a chilly breeze snatching at ladies' bonnets and skirts. She'd had no more suitors, nor mention of any more. Was she going to become a disgrace to the country, to her parents? Had she already become one? Sighing, she decided she didn't care at this point. Her breath created a puff of steam on the window, so she watched it dissipate.
A knock sounded at her door, and she turned to look at who it was.
A guard.
"Your Highness, your next suitor awaits you."
She gulped, turning her attention back to her window. "Tell my parents they can send the suitor directly home. I don't care to be assaulted by another suitor."
"But your Highness-"
"Please," she shook her head. "I do not wish to meet him."
"You must," he strode into the room, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Conli," she looked up at the guard pleadingly. "Please...you heard what the last two did. I don't want to do this anymore."
He sighed, holding his gloved hand to her. "Then at least wait in the dining hall while I tell your parents. The Queen has requested tea with you afterwards."
Rapunzel nibbled her lip. She'd requested a lot from her mother, and not one of those requests had been answered, so why should she acknowledge her request, petty as it was? But she decided to remain on her good side while she could, so she took Conli's hand and stood up from her window seat.

Conli led her to the dining hall, and she sat down, fiddling with the tablecloth. What lecture was she in for next? Especially because she'd just turned down
another suitor.
The door opened, and she straightened in her seat, staring straight ahead of her and waiting for her mother to sit across from her.
"Rapunzel!"
That voice. That smooth, deep voice she'd missed. She shot up out of her chair, her mind racing as she turned to see none other than Eugene standing in the doorway. A gasp tore through her, and she knocked down her chair in her wake. The young man strode to meet her, and she grabbed him into a hug. He pulled her as close as he possibly could, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
"H-how did you..?"
"Your parents had a couple of guards track me down. I thought I was in for it, but then they brought me in here. They told me what happened to you with the last suitor, and-are you okay?" he broke off, pulling away to hold her at arm's length.
She gave a tear-choked laugh. "Yes, I'm okay, I-I...I'll tell you later. Why did they bring you back?" she promptly slipped back into his embrace, hugging him with all the strength in her skinny arms.
"You proved us wrong, and we had no right to separate you...let alone hold you captive in the way that we did." the King and Queen appeared at the door, and Rapunzel pulled uneasily from Eugene's arms.
"And dear, I'm so sorry for my behavior. I would be pleased to have you remain in the kingdom and with us, if you choose to." the Queen admitted quietly. "I only wanted what was best for you. I thought that royalty would be far more genteel than a-...well..."

Rapunzel wanted to ask why the Queen had locked her in her room for a week, if she only wanted what was best, but she chose to let it go.
"I accept your apology. But what you're telling me is...?"
"We brought you here to not only accept you back into the castle, Eugene, but to also notify you that if you so choose to ask for our daughter's hand in marriage, we would accept you as our son-in-law and the prince consort of Corona."
Rapunzel whirled to look at Eugene, whose eyes widened. He gaped at her, but she reached to grab him into a hug before either could say anything more. When he let go of her - and he didn't want to let go of her - , she turned to hug her father. Finally, she looked at her mother, her excitement fading slightly as she grew shy. Her mother made the first move, and mother and daughter embraced. The Queen was crying, and her words came in broken sentences: "I'm-so sorry - for how I acted -if I would've-sent you to a-a-country with a cruel-husband, I would - have - never forgiven-myself. I'm-sorry - for what I - did. For everything - I-I-did."
Rapunzel nodded. She didn't tell her it was okay - it had most certainly not been okay, and she wasn't about to lie - but she instead said, "I'm thankful that you finally saw the entire picture. Thank you."
When she pulled away from her mother, she even grabbed Conli into a quick hug. "And thank you for making me leave my bedroom!" she grinned, and he laughed bashfully.

When she turned away from Conli, she realized Eugene was watching her. She giggled shyly, letting him put his arms around her waist. After being grabbed, slapped, and put into a choke hold by other men, Eugene's strong arms didn't feel suffocating or 'scary', they felt protective; she knew nobody could hurt her as long as she was with him. Realizing this, she looked up at him and grinned, reaching up to press her lips against his. He returned it, and when their lips parted, he gave her a gaze gentle enough to melt her. She leaned up against his chest a moment before pulling away, forcing herself to go sit at the table for tea.

That night, Rapunzel was bone-tired, but she still couldn't sleep. Deciding to head to the library, she slipped on a lightweight robe and padded down the hallway, pausing when she heard a cough coming from Eugene's room. Was he up?
She knocked gently on the door, and a quiet greeting came from within, so she opened the door and slipped inside.
"Hey," he grinned. He was sprawled in bed, reading a book by candlelight.
"Hey yourself," she smiled, making her way over to the bed to peer at the book cover. "What're you reading?"
"Don't laugh, okay?" he flushed. "The Tales of Flynnigan Rider."
She smiled again, easing his self-consciousness. "When you're done with it, I'd like to read it next."
He made a hum of approval, but then looked back at the pages for a moment. "Why're you up?"
"Can't sleep," she shrugged. "What about you?"
"Same," he grinned sheepishly. "I'm just really excited with the prospect of us having a future together."
It was her turn to blush, and she ducked her head. "I'm excited, too."
He set the book down, not bothering to mark his page. "Why don't you tell me what happened with that ruffian-suitor from last week?" he asked, patting the spot beside him. She nodded, crawling up to sit cross-legged beside him.
"Well...I was locked in my room, as you already know. When the suitor came in, he said he just wanted me so he could produce heirs to his throne. I got spooked, and he backed me into the door and then tried to kiss me. I refused his proposal offer, and he got mad. I knew the door was unlocked, finally, and so I insulted him until he slapped me. I headbutted him, and he grabbed me into a choke hold a-a-and was threatening to do all these awful things to me. I got the door handle to open and kicked the door wide, so my parents and his parents saw what was going on. After that, he dropped me...and I think that's when they finally realized what was going on. By they, I mean my parents, of course," she finished, nibbling her upper lip and staring at her hands. "I kind of provoked him, I guess- but manipulation's a dangerous game, right?"

Eugene's eyes had widened, and were flickering with malice towards Raphael. "Manipulation's an awfully dangerous game, and you were walking the line between winning and losing, but it worked out for the best, it seems. Gosh, I'm glad you're okay!" he sat up and pulled her into a gentle hug.
When she pulled out of the embrace, he glanced around to find his book, which he'd lost track of. Holding it up, he offered to let her stay and read with him.
Grinning eagerly, she watched him flop down on his back, so she curled up beside him, propping her head up with the palm of her hand so she could read. At least...until she fell asleep and let her head drift down onto his shoulder with a sudden thump.

When this happened, he chuckled quietly to himself, watching her sleep a few moments before setting the book aside, scooping her carefully into his arms to take her back to her room. The poor girl probably hadn't slept well in awhile.
After he settled her into bed and eased her comforter over her, she turned onto her side, yawning and peeling one eye open. "Wh..." she tried to get a question out, but only succeeded in mumbling incoherently.
Eugene chuckled. "Go back to sleep, gorgeous girl. You fell asleep reading. Good night and sweet dreams."
She flashed a sleepy smile, burrowing under the blanket until only a tuft of brown hair was visible. "Mmm...thank you. Good night. You're my new..dream..," she trailed off to yawn.
His heart swelled, but he couldn't tell if she was trying to say something else other than 'you are my new dream'. He'd take it, though; absolutely no complaining involved. "And you're mine. Now, close those pretty eyes of yours and I'll see you in the morning."
"Mmhmmmh." she curled into a tighter ball and fell asleep.