Hey, guys, so I wanted to get this out as fast as I could, because I felt really bad not updating so long last time, so I started writing as soon as I posted chapter five. So here you go, it's her birthday! Ta-da! So, this is my longest chapter, coming in with 6,218 words, so please stay with me. I really couldn't split this up, and I needed everything that happened to happen in this chapter, so bare with me. :) I will tell you though, fluff galore! For the most part… Enjoy! Here's chapter six, Turning Nineteen.
Disclaimer: I don't own Eugene… and apparently neither does Disney World… I don't own Tangled either.
Chapter Six
Turning Nineteen
Rapunzel turned over in her bed, her eyes landing on the little green lump that was Pascal. He was sleeping on one of the big pillows on her huge bed. She didn't even take up a third of it, and she thought it was silly, really, but she never told anyone. She was honestly just happy to be somewhere where she was loved. She gently stroked the sleeping chameleon, dragging a finger down the ridges on his back. He stirred slightly and then looked up at her, a slightly sleepy grin on his reptilian face.
"Good morning, Pascal! Did you sleep well?"
The little chameleon whirred in response as Rapunzel swung the covers off of her. She had just begun to contemplate why she was still in her dress from the day before when she heard a light knock on her bedroom door.
"Come in!" she called. The door quietly swung open as Eugene tiptoed in, closing the door behind him. "What are you doing?"
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, my new dream, happy birthday to you." He walked over and sat down on the bed beside her, quietly singing to her.
Rapunzel put a hand to her heart. "Oh, Eugene…" She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you." She pulled back and smiled at him.
"You are very welcome." He pulled her back to him, gently kissing the top of her head.
Rapunzel smiled and looked at the clock on her bedside table. She pulled away, again, a fake look of shock on her face as she lightly poked his stomach, then his chest, and finally his cheek.
"Um… Rapunzel? What are you doing?" He looked down at her, a quizzical smirk on his lips.
"I think something's wrong, you're up before noon!"
He laughed as she wrapped her arms around him, leaning into his side.
"I've got something for you." He grinned as she straightened herself out. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small box simply wrapped in parchment paper. "Here… is present number one."
Rapunzel took the box from him and gingerly shook it. "Wait, number one? You mean there's more?"
Eugene laughed as she began to delicately tear the paper from the box. "Yep. Nineteen in total. One for every year of your life." He smiled as she looked up at him in awe.
"Eugene…" She shook her head at his silliness as she opened the box on her lap. Inside was a golden chain that supported a small, solid gold heart. "Eugene! It's beautiful," she whispered.
He took the necklace and motioned for her to turn around so he could put the necklace on her. "Anytime I can't be with you, you look at this, and remember that I am always with you." He placed a hand over her heart. "In here."
"Eugene…" Rapunzel lifted a hand to cup his cheek. She leaned in and allowed her lips to touch his, ever so gently.
"Wow," he said after she pulled away. "If I'd known you would react this way, I would have gotten you tons more presents."
Rapunzel laughed. "Yeah, yeah." She touched the necklace around her neck before looking up at him. "So, what are we gonna do now?"
"Ah, gift number two." He stood and walked to her bedroom door, pushing it open and leaning out in the hallway to pick something up from outside. He came back inside carrying a silver tray. "Breakfast," he walked back over to her bed and placed the tray on her lap, "in bed. Bon appétit, Blondie. Enjoy." He smiled as she gawked at the tray in front of her. It was piled high with pancakes, bacon, eggs, all of her favorite breakfast foods.
She gave a short laugh. "I don't think I can eat all of this by myself." She grinned up at him. "Help me?"
"Of course, Blondie." He sat down and they began to eat their way through the platter, occasionally feeding each other random morsels.
"That was so good!" Rapunzel licked her lips before wiping her mouth on one of the napkins provided her.
"I couldn't agree more, love." Eugene laughed as he followed suit.
"Good." Rapunzel leaned over and gave him another short, sweet kiss. "There, there's your kiss number two."
"All righty then. How's about you get dressed, and then you can head down and get ready for present number three."
"Oh, all right." Rapunzel mocked an exasperated sigh, but smiled as she gently pushed Eugene out of her room so she could clean up. As she pushed the door shut behind her, she leaned up against it, the wood cold against the skin on her back. She let out a happy sigh. "Pascal, today is going to be awesome!" She twirled her way to her closet, pulling out a golden dress. "I just know it." She walked into the bathroom and in no less than ten minutes, waltzed right back out, brush in hand as she began the relatively shorter task of tackling her unruly hair. She smiled into the mirror as she pulled the silver brush through her short brown locks, humming happily as she quickly finished up the job. She gently set the brush down and reached to her bedside table to pick up her crown. She frowned as her hand closed around air. She looked at each side of the room, then narrowed her eyes as she walked to her door, opened it, and stuck one hand out, the other perched on her hip.
Eugene chuckled from the other side of the door and dropped the crown in her hand.
"Thank you." She rolled her eyes, smiled, then walked back in her room and carefully picked up Pascal, placing him on his usual spot on her shoulder before she walked back out into the hallway.
Eugene, who was hiding in the little nook beside her door, moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her, making her jump slightly.
"Eugene!" she squealed, wriggling in his grip. "You scared me!"
"Aw," he pouted. "Let me make it up to you." He took her wrist and fastened something on it.
Rapunzel brought her wrist up to look at it. Eugene had placed an intricate bracelet made out of woven flowers and leaves on her wrist. "Eugene, did you just make this?" She grinned up at him.
"Possibly." He goofily narrowed his eyes at her.
"Well, thank you." She turned and gave him a light peck on the cheek. She moved to walk beside him, lightly leaning on his side as they walked down the steps to the hallway leading to the front door of the castle. Before they could even walk outside, Rapunzel stopped Eugene. "I have to go see my parents first, I can't just run off without telling them what I'm doing."
"Okay, okay!" He held his hands up in mock defeat and allowed Rapunzel to drag him to the dining room to bid her parents a quick good morning and allow them to wish her happy birthday, before she allowed Eugene to pull her from the room.
"Now we can go to town."
"Actually, I wanted to give you presents four and five. Come with me." He took her hand and gently tugged her down the hall. "Huh, that's funny…" He stopped in front of a door with a box in front of it.
"What?" Rapunzel looked at Eugene, slight confusion etched onto her features.
"There's a box here that says 'To Blondie.' Wonder what it could be?" He chuckled as she launched herself down on the floor to look at the box, wasting no time in tearing the wrapping paper off of it.
She gasped. "New paints? But what will I use them on? My walls in my bedroom are completely covered already, and-" she started to ramble, but Eugene cut off her off.
"Aha, that leads me to gift number five." He helped her to her feet and opened up the door to the room they had stopped in front of. The room's floor was covered in parchment paper, and the walls were white and blank. The room was completely empty except for a table and a lone easel in the corner next to a wide window. He led her in and brought her to the table, which held a variety of brushes of different shape and size. "I… figured you could use an art studio, so I convinced them to let you use this room."
"Really?" Rapunzel squealed.
"Yep, you have complete freedom to do whatever your heart desires. In here, at least. Whoa!" he finished in shock as Rapunzel flung her arms around him.
"Have I told you that you are an amazing boyfriend?" She smiled and then kissed one cheek, then the other. "There, now we're all caught up again." She beamed as she turned to stare at the room around her.
Eugene stood for a moment, contently watching her flit about like a butterfly. Then, he remembered everything he had planned for the day. "Okay, Blondie. Are you ready for a day out in Corona?"
Rapunzel laughed quietly. "Is that number six?" she teased.
"Nope, not at all. This is." He picked up a weird-shaped box-like thing that Rapunzel had failed to notice.
"Is this what I think it is?" she asked, taking it from him.
"It's a house for Pascal, yes." He shared a laugh with her. "I made it myself. Now he has somewhere to entertain his lady chameleon friends."
Rapunzel looked at the chameleon on her shoulder. "I don't think he has any of those, huh, Pascal?"
The addressed chameleon turned an embarrassed shade of red as he high-tailed it into the house through one of the little holes in the roof.
The couple shared a laugh again. "Well, I don't think you want to carry that around all day, so how about we take that back up to your room, get the frog out, and head into town."
"Chameleon," she taunted.
"Nuance," he shot back. They both smiled at the fond memories as they traipsed back up to her bedroom. After some coaxing, Rapunzel had managed to get Pascal to come out of his new house, and had handed the nifty contraption to Eugene to hold as they came to her door. She stooped down to stare at yet another box that had been placed in front of her door.
"Eugene, how on earth did you manage to get all these boxes out here without me seeing them?"
"I do believe that I am not allowed to give away my secrets."
Rapunzel put her face dangerously close to his, allowing her lips to brush gently against his. She proceeded to stick her lower lip out in a pout.
Eugene cleared his throat. "Nope, still won't tell you." He chuckled lightly, trying to brush off how hard it was for him to not submit to her pleading gaze.
Rapunzel scowled at him, then turned her attention back to the box on the ground. She picked it up and continued to look at it as she pushed the door open with her back. She plopped down on the bed and began to open her seventh present. She gasped in awe as she pulled out a carefully sculpted chess set, hand-painted and made out of wood. "Did you make these, too?"
Eugene laughed. "Not this time. I left this one to the professionals."
"Well, thank you anyway. I love it." She kissed him again, this time lingering a little longer than last time. She sighed happily, and moved to pull away, but Eugene turned her back around to face him.
"I don't think I'm through with you yet." He cupped her cheek and kissed her again, slowly deepening it. They were cut short, however, when a short, indignant squeak sounded from Rapunzel's hand, where Pascal still remained. Eugene groaned as Rapunzel pulled her hand up to look at Pascal.
"Sorry, Pascal. I forgot you were still there." She blushed slightly, but Pascal nuzzled her thumb, as if to say it was okay.
"All right, Goldie, let's head out to town, eh?" He stood up and offered a hand to her, which she took as he pulled her to her feet. "You all set?"
Rapunzel placed Pascal back up on her shoulder and nodded. "All set."
"Okay, time to visit some old friends in Corona."
Before she could even question his meaning, he had pulled her back out of the door and was leading her down the stairs to the castle doors. He swiftly opened them, gently pulling her along beside him.
Rapunzel watched, confusion growing as they walked straight past the fountain, the library, and then onto the bridge leading out of the city. "Where are we going?" she asked, confused and excited all at once.
"That is for me to know, and for you to find out." He smirked at her, but continued to drag her along to their unknown destination. After a few more minutes, he pulled her to a stop beside a rather large tree. "Are you ready for gift number eight?"
Rapunzel nodded.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Positive?"
"Eugene."
"All right, all right." He pulled her around to the opposite side of the tree. "I give you, the Snuggly Duckling."
Rapunzel all but squealed in her enthusiasm. "Eugene! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She placed a kiss on his nose, and proceeded to pull him to the front door of the pub. She threw the door open, and was instantly greeted with shouts of joy and welcome as they entered the quaint little pub.
"How's the little lady doing?" Hook Hand clapped a hand on her back, nearly toppling her over from the sheer force.
"Yeah, tell us, how's the royal life?" chimed in Big Nose.
"Oh, it's simply great. I love it." She smiled widely at the thugs surrounding her. "You all should come visit us sometime, I'm sure Mother and Father wouldn't mind one bit."
The thugs gave a hearty chuckle. "Whatever you want, Princess. So what brings you here on this fine day?" Hook Hand took a sip from a tankard that was larger than Rapunzel's head.
"Eugene brought me here as a present because it's my birthday! Ta-da!" Rapunzel spread her arms out and grinned widely.
The thugs all let out wishes of happy birthday and congratulations.
"So, you're what nineteen, now?" asked Big Nose.
"Yep, sure am!" Rapunzel continued, grin still on her face. "And my parents are gonna send the lanterns up again and the kingdom is gonna have a big celebration and it's gonna be so much fun! You all should come!"
"Sure, kid. Wouldn't miss it for the world." Hook Hand offered her a large, toothy grin.
"Yay!" She jumped up and hugged each one of the thugs in turn. "You guys are great!" She turned to smile at Eugene, but he was nowhere to be found. "Eugene?" She got up, searching the room for her beloved. She finally found him sitting on the corner of the stage, cradling something in his arms. "Ooh, what'cha got there?" She sat down on the stage next to him.
"Your next present." He moved his arms to reveal a light pink guitar, new and waiting to be played.
"Eugene," she whispered. She gingerly took the guitar from her hands and carefully placed her fingers on the strings, strumming when she was happy with her positioning. A light chord came from the instrument, and the few heads that could hear it turned to look at the girl in curiosity. "How do you know so much about what I use to do in my free time before in the… before I came to the castle?"
"I paid attention when we were leaving that stupid tower for the last time. I saw all the stuff you did, the paints, the guitar, the three measly books. That's why I was so glad to get you out of there. You had been forced to be cut off from everyone for so long, I just wanted you to be able to live your life to the fullest." He gave her a faint, strained smile.
Rapunzel lifted her hand to cup the side of his face. "Thank you. For the guitar, for the other presents. For letting me live my life." She leaned in and kissed him, a sweet, short kiss.
"And just think…" He smiled over at her. "We're only half-way through your presents."
Rapunzel laughed and began to strum away on her guitar, quietly humming a wordless song to Eugene, who swayed back and forth to the tune. Soon, the thugs began to cheer her on, and she began to play louder, taking the occasional request, if she happened to know the song.
"Hey, come on." Eugene whispered to her as he held up a basket after she had been playing for an hour or two. "It's far past time for your next present." He motioned to the door, and Rapunzel nodded in understanding.
"Okay, guys, Eugene and I have to get back to Corona. Promise me you'll all be there for the lantern ceremony!"
"Sure thing, kid. Sure thing!" Hook Hand waved her off as she and Eugene ducked out of the door.
"Now what?" Rapunzel asked, taking his hand in one of hers, the guitar held firmly in the other hand.
"Now we have a picnic lunch. Go ahead, pick anywhere you want!" Eugene motioned to the wide space in front of him.
"How about over there?" She pointed to an area with sunbeams shining down on the grass. She pranced over to the little area and flung herself on the forest floor, arms spread wide, as if she wear making a snow angel without the snow factor.
Eugene couldn't help but chuckle at her childlike wonder. That was one of the few things that hadn't changed about her and he was glad she still had that innocent beauty that had won him from the start.
Rapunzel got back up, ran to him, and tugged him over the little clearing, pulling him down to sit on the cool grass. Eugene opened the picnic basket and began to empty it of its contents. He pulled out a small blanket, splayed it on the ground, and then pulled out a slice of cheese, a couple loaves of bread, some strawberries, and two cupcakes. He placed them all on the blanket and then turned to face Rapunzel.
"What would you like to tackle first?" He looked at her expectantly as she scanned each food item thoroughly.
"Hm… I pick…the cheese." She grinned and picked up the wedge of cheese, breaking it in half and giving some to Eugene. They began to eat the cheese in silence, soon followed by the bread.
"Open up," Eugene playfully ordered, holding a few of the strawberries in his hand.
"What?" The confusion was plain on Rapunzel's face.
"Your mouth. Open it." He raised his eyebrows slightly, an amused grin on his face.
Rapunzel looked at him suspiciously, then slowly opened her mouth. She watched Eugene, still confused, as he brought one of the strawberries to her mouth. She sat there for a moment, Eugene still holding the strawberry, which was half inside of her mouth.
Eugene gave an amused chuckle. "And now you bite it, chew it, and swallow," he instructed.
Rapunzel slowly did as she was told, Eugene practically rolling with laughter. "What?" she cried when she was finished. "What is so hilarious, might I ask?"
"I'm… sorry," he managed between bouts of laughter. "You're just so funny when… when your innocent." He continued to laugh, but immediately stopped as Rapunzel playfully shoved him over. "Hey!"
"You, sir, are positively mean!" She gave a slight humph and turned to face away from him, showing him her back.
"Aw, come on! I was kidding! You look beautiful right now." He scooted closer to her, trying to see her face. She continued to face away from him, though mainly to hide her grin at his reaction. "Well, maybe your next gift will help." With a loud clang, he threw the next present to land in front of her.
She turned to look at him, suspicion clear on her face as she picked up the item, which quickly weighed her arm down. She turned to face him again, this time a look of amused recognition on her face as she swung the brand spanking new frying pan dangerously close to his face. He didn't so much as flinch at the near-impact.
"So are we good?" he chuckled.
Rapunzel laid the pan on the ground and pounced on him, tackling him to the ground. She sprawled out on top of him, gazing intently into his eyes. After a minute or so, she leaned down and gave him a short, passionate kiss. "We are perfect," she said, grinning. She laughed, and Eugene soon joined in with her. They stayed like that for a while, Eugene laying on his back, Rapunzel on his chest, lightly tracing the lines on one of his palms. "The spirits are telling me that you have a long and happy life ahead of you." She grinned up at him. "With me nearby, of course."
Eugene brushed a strand of chocolate hair from her eyes, before he looked to the blanket beside him, picking up one of the cupcakes. He held it out to her, and this time she leaned forward and bit into it, coming back with a smudge of pink frosting on her nose. He laughed gently. "You've got some icing on your…" Before he could finish, she had leaned forward to nuzzle her nose against his, leaving some of the frosting behind.
"Now you do, too," she giggled.
Eugene smiled, then lifted a hand to shade his eyes as he looked up at the sun to try and get some idea as to the time. "All right, Goldie. Looks like it's about three in the afternoon, so I suggest we head back into town if you want to enjoy the festivities."
Rapunzel eagerly hopped off of him, and held an arm out to pull him up, which he took and lifted himself up. Rapunzel grinned at him as he reached up to gently wipe the frosting from her nose. She blushed in a truly Rapunzel way before she spoke quietly. "I love you, Eugene."
"As I love you." He smiled as he removed the frosting from his nose as well. He busied himself to the task of quickly cleaning up the campsite. When he finished, he held out his hand to Rapunzel, who took it as they began to make their way back to the village. Once they had arrived back in Corona, Eugene informed her that he had to take the basket back to the castle kitchen, and asked her to wait at the fountain, which she, unwillingly, did.
Rapunzel watched him as he jogged off to the castle, smiling as she turned to look up at the tall spires of the castle towers. She sat, contemplating how far she had come in only a year. Her life had truly made a one-eighty, just in the same way as Eugene's had. She was a princess, the only princess of Corona, and, while she had a large weight on her shoulders as the future Queen of Corona, she couldn't help but know that this was where she belonged. She turned to look at the small buildings around her, at the young children and their families as they walked around town for the celebration. Before she knew it, she could see Eugene coming back to her, his trusty satchel in tow.
"I have your next gift," he declared in a sing-song voice. He held out a small paper bag, which Rapunzel took and rested in her lap as she began to pull back the tissue paper. "Now, it's nothing compared to your art, but-" He was cut off as she threw her arms around him, holding the gift in her hand.
"Eugene, it came from you, and that's all that matters." She pulled back and inspected the canvas closer. It was a painting of her, and it was only slightly off this time, one arm a little shorter than the other. "Besides, I think you've improved greatly. Your kiss is well-earned this time," she gushed, giving him his well-deserved reward.
"Well, thank you, Blondie. I only learned from the best." He grinned at her as she began pulling him along the various shops placed along the streets of the village.
She stopped every so often to admire the wares or strike up a conversation with the vendor before moving on to the next cart. Eventually, they made their way to a little booth that had various items of clothing hanging around, and Rapunzel couldn't help but remember the times she had made dresses back at the tower. A slight frown appeared on her face, and she quickly turned so Eugene couldn't see the tears that had begun to well up in her eyes. He did, though, and he quickly pulled her side to an alcove, much like the one they had used to hide from the guards on her first trip to Corona.
"Hey, hey. It's okay," he soothed, pulling her close to him as he dragged a hand down her hair. "Maybe this next gift wasn't such a great idea." He pulled something out of his satchel, and Rapunzel leaned back slightly to see what he held. He had a small sewing kit, almost similar to the one she had had growing up in the tower.
Rapunzel gave him a watery smile. "No, no. It's great, actually. Maybe I can start making dresses again." She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.
"And, since I feel horrible, I'll go ahead and give you number fourteen, too." He held out another small bundle to her, which she took from his warm grip. She unraveled it, and found what looked like a miniature comb inside. She looked up at him, a small grin gracing her features. "I remember you talking about the paints you used to have made from the white shells. So, I found some, and I managed to make you a hair comb out of them. Let me see." He took the comb from her and slid it into her hair. "There. Beautiful. Just like you." He tapped her gently on the nose, earning a childish giggle from her. "You okay?"
She smiled up at him. "Of course I am." She got on her very tiptoes and placed a kiss on his forehead. "I'm with you, aren't I?" She smiled, but got distracted as she heard a handful of instruments begin a bouncy jig from behind her. "Eugene?"
"Ah, gift fifteen came quicker than I expected. May I have this dance?" He bowed and offered her his hand.
Rapunzel couldn't help but giggle. "You never dance. Never, ever, ever…" she trailed off as she took his hand and placed the other on his shoulder. Then he was twirling her round and round, and she was hypnotized, lost in his eyes as they seemed to peer into her soul, a smile curving his lips upward as he swept her off of her feet, holding her above him, and she pressed both of her hands against his shoulder for support, even though she knew he would never drop her. The music stopped and he came to rest, still holding her above him. He gently lowered her, his eyes locked with hers the whole time. Without realizing, they both began to lean in and their lips met, a kiss filled with love and a hunger neither of them had ever felt before.
Cat calls and whistles made them jerk away from each other, each turning a different shade of deep red as they blushed. Rapunzel smiled sheepishly at Eugene before taking his hand and pulling them both away from the interested crowd. When they got far enough way to talk again, Rapunzel began to giggle hysterically. "That was so funny, honestly. I can't believe that that just happened!"
Eugene, on the other hand, had the strangest feeling that he was being watched, and not by the crowd they had just excused themselves from, but someone else. He looked around at all of the buildings around them, the library, the prison. He did a double take when his eyes landed on the prison. From one of the rooms he saw a figure move from the light into the shadows before him. He couldn't bring himself to shake the feeling, the truth, really, that he knew who was staring at him, but for Rapunzel's sake he turned back to her, only to find her staring at him.
"Eugene? Is something wrong?" She placed a hand on the side of his face.
"Huh? Oh, no. It's nothing." He looked at the sky, where the sun was beginning to make its descent to the underside of the earth. "I have another present for you! Come with me!" He quickly changed the subject, pulling her along with him as he began to make his way to one of the town's many docks.
Rapunzel knew that there was something he wasn't telling her, but she was having so much fun, and Eugene had begun to pull her away, so she left the subject alone for the time being, and allowed him to pull her along to one of the docks. She smiled as she recognized the boat from her first time in Corona. "What's this? A trip down memory lane?"
"More or less." He lowered his voice so she couldn't hear his next words. "Hopefully make some new ones…" He held his hand out to her after he stepped into the boat. She took it, placing a kiss on his cheek as she clambered into the boat, sitting down across from him as he began to row out to the center of the little lagoon. When he got to a spot fairly close to their last boat ride, he set the oars down at the bottom of the boat and focused his gaze on Rapunzel, who was staring up at the castle much in the same fashion she had a year before. "You okay?"
"It's amazing," she whispered, her eyes wide in the childlike awe that was so characteristic of her.
"What?" He leaned forward slightly, gazing at her intently.
"I've come so far in one year, it's so hard to imagine all that I've become. All that I've left behind." She gave a small sigh.
"And you're doing a stupendous job. You have been so brave, I don't think I could even compare to you." He took one of her hands in his, using his thumb to gently rub circles into her skin.
Rapunzel gave a small chuckle. "I suppose so." She looked at him, a small smile on her lips.
He studied her for a moment before he said anything. "Come here." He opened his arms wide to her, and she climbed over to him, settling her back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "You are such a strong, courageous, brave young woman, and I am so glad that I know you." He placed a gentle kiss on the center of her head.
Rapunzel gave a small chuckle before returning her gaze to the castle, waiting to catch sight of the first lantern of the evening. She squirmed slightly as she tried to place where exactly the balcony was from their point of view.
"Look," he whispered, pointing to a small point of light slowly rising from the castle. He laughed as Rapunzel launched herself around the bow of the boat with the same eagerness and intensity that she had the first time she saw the lanterns. She turned back to him, positively beaming, before turning back to watch as more and more lanterns began to rise from all over the kingdom.
Eugene took this time to reach into his satchel and pull out two lanterns almost identical to the ones they had launched a year ago. Using a matchstick, he carefully lit the rings in the bottom of each lantern. When he had finished, he cleared his throat to get Rapunzel's attention.
She turned to him, a smile soon breaking over her features. She sat down on the seat in front of him as she waited for him to say something.
"Well, Princess, we're almost out of presents, but here is number seventeen." He handed her a lantern and they both raised them up into the night sky, allowing the wind to take them from their outstretched hands. They brought their hands back down together, joining them as they came to rest on the side of the boat. Rapunzel leaned over and nuzzled her nose against Eugene's before giving a small kiss.
"It's almost exactly like last time." She gave him a crooked smile, which he returned with the same enthusiasm. They sat like that a while, simply gazing out at the lagoon as lanterns dived and swooped all around them, creating a orange glow that caressed the both of them.
Finally, after a few minutes, Eugene broke the silence. "Are you ready for gift eighteen, or not yet?" He watched as she bit her lip, deep in thought. She nodded after a while, so he reached inside his satchel and pulled out a simple, leather-bound book. He handed it to her, and she turned it over and over in her hands.
"The Adventures of Eugene and Rapunzel." She read the title aloud before she opened the book. "'Dedicated to my new dream.' Aw, Eugene! Did you write this?" She grinned up at him, but he only shrugged and motioned for her to keep reading. She flipped between all of the pages. It was a written version of the story of them, how they had met, everything, complete with illustrations. The first page depicted how he had climbed into her tower, and there was a page for everything else, from the time they left the tower, when they first saw the lanterns, even when he had come to her rescue back at the tower. It continued on to how he had brought her back and how they were living a happy life in the castle. The last page depicted their current moment, sitting in the boat on the lagoon, she was sitting on one side of the boat, and Eugene was kneeling on the other side, holding something cupped in his hands. All of the pages after that were blank. "Eugene, why are there all of these blank pages…?" She trailed off as she took a second look at the picture, realization hitting her. She turned to face Eugene, and found that he was on the floor of the boat on one knee, grinning up at her.
"Rapunzel," he began, taking both of her hands in his. "I've known you approximately one year and one day, and I am so glad to have met such a beautiful, wonderful, truly amazing woman such as yourself. You managed to see the real me when I didn't want anyone else to. You turned me from my bad habits, and you made me realize that the only thing I want in life is to make you happy, no matter what it might take." He smiled up at her as he pulled a ring out of his pocket and held it out to her. "So, Rapunzel? Will you marry me?"
Rapunzel put a hand to her heart, finding it hard to get the words to come out as the tears began to well up in her eyes. "Oh, Eugene!" she managed to whisper. "Of course I'll marry you!" She flung herself to kneel on the ground before him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Yes, oui, sí, of course!" She pulled back and gave a small giggle before pressing her lips against his, love pouring out between them.
As the kiss died down, Eugene moved to put his mouth by her ear and he began to sing a quiet, familiar tune. "And at last I see the light, and my dream with you is starting."
"And at last I see the light, and my days of fear are gone," she continued the song as he listened to her, gazing deeply into her eyes before they continued together.
"And it's warm and real and bright, and my voice has somehow lifted. All at once, everything is different, now that I love you." Eugene brought his forehead to rest against hers as they finished their quiet duet. "Now that I love you."
Eugene scooped her into his arms as he moved to sit back down on the bench. He moved to rest his forehead back against hers. "I love you, Rapunzel Fitzherbert."
Rapunzel grinned. "And I love you, Eugene Fitzherbert." She draped her arms around his neck as she sighed, and she couldn't help but think that this was better than how she imagined the last boat ride should have ended.
Aw, yay! He did it! So, I came up with gifts numbers 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19. Kudos to my brother for coming up with gifts numbers 3 and 14, and to my mother for gifts numbers 4, 5, and 6. So, let me know what you think. Sorry it was so long, I just couldn't separate it, and I needed everything that happened to happen, so I hope you stayed with me. Oh, what did you think of my edited "I See the Light?" Drop me a review and let me know.
PS: You guys! 60 reviews! I feel so loved. I'll try to have the next chapter out for you super fast!
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