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The dungeon is even darker than the underground passageway. Not a pleasant discovery at all.
"And you thought this was the proper way for your buddy to treat royalty?" Eugene demands of the dragon.
Fortunately for Eugene, Witzig doesn't blow a breath of fiery instant death in his direction. Perhaps because Witzig doesn't have much of a temper. Perhaps because dragon fire is a myth. (Although, really, with all the myths floating around, it would be better to err on the side of caution here.)
The dragon simply frowns in response. "He told me they needed to remain hidden because the thief in Corona was too crafty and cunning. Keeping them in the main castle would have been obvious." He huffs. "Clearly, he overestimated your skills."
Eugene props his hands on his hips in affront. "I'll have you know that I was Corona's most wanted thief!"
"My brother said that the princess knocked you out with one blow from her frying pan," counters Witzig, through a toothy smirk.
"He wasn't expecting for me to be in the tower," Rapunzel rushes in to defend him.
"A thief of such caliber should always be prepared."
Eugene's grip tightens around the handle of the reclaimed frying pan at the sight of Pascal laughing hysterically on his brother's shoulder. The dragon's criticism shouldn't bother him, he knows; after all, he's been Eugene for years now. His thieving days are long gone; Flynn Rider is nothing more than a thing of the past. Except when a king and a queen need rescuing.
Right, except for that.
Still, there's a small part of him (although not all that small, unfortunately) that is offended by the dragon's teasing. Eugene had spent years working on his reputation. He'd been legendary! There is no reason for this simpleton of a dragon to not be overwhelmed with awe while in the presence of as a master thief such as himself.
Or rather, there is no reason Eugene wants to admit to.
He scowls. As far as he is concerned, this conversation is over. In the next hour or so, it'll be clear just who is the master thief in this castle.
Rapunzel leans close and murmurs, apropos. "They do look like brothers, don't they?"
Eugene blinks at Rapunzel. She smiles back. He obligingly turns his attention to the reptiles. He squints. Then he glares. But no matter how long he looks at the pair, outside of their green hue, there is absolutely nothing that shows a family resemblance. "Sorry, not seeing it."
Silence is their constant companion as they continue walking. Mold and mildew cover the walls; the cobblestone floor is cracked and uneven. Rapunzel reaches for his hand as the ground's unevenness makes it nearly impossible to walk.
"This particular passage has not been used in nearly a century," Witzig explains. "I doubt the prince even knows it exists." He stops walking momentarily. "Perhaps, Princess, you would be more comfortable riding on my back than attempting to walk this rough terrain."
Eugene notices the invitation hadn't been extended to him.
Rapunzel lets go off his hand and gleefully climbs onto the dragon's back. Eugene can't say he blames her lack of reluctance; after a journey on a ship filled with the sea's most notorious pirates and a trek through the creepiest forest in existence, what's a ride on a dragon?
"I trust that a thief of your skill can manage the way," Witzig says. Eugene doesn't miss the tinge of sarcasm in his voice.
"What's there to manage?" he retorts as he carefully navigates around a slime-covered rock.
Rapunzel gives him a wave as Witzig once again takes the lead. And here I thought Max had maxed out my daily allowance of annoyance. But it turns out there are previously unplumbed depths to Eugene's irritation.
The path trips him up twice, but thankfully Witzig is too busy showing Rapunzel how skilled he is at wiggling his bat-like ears to notice. Finally, they approach a cross section. A narrow hallway cuts through the tunnel. Eugene glances left and then right, noting with relief a small beam of moonlight streaming down from a small overhead window further down the hall.
Their guide nods to the right. "The prince took them down that way. I'm sorry but I don't know their exact location."
"It's alright," Rapunzel assures him, sliding down off of his back and into Eugene's outstretched arms. "You've done so much for us already."
"My pleasure."
Pascal trills something that, by his tone, Eugene is sure is meant to be witty.
The dragon chuckles. "I'll hold you to that. I'm very interested in the story behind this new name of yours, Pascal." Family reunion now tentatively scheduled, Witzig further offers, "I will stay here and keep an eye out for anyone."
Rapunzel pats the dragon on his massive shoulder before taking Eugene's hand. Wary of the dwindling store of oil in the lamp's base, Eugene moves quickly. He holds the lantern out as they move down the hall, peering into one cold, uninviting cell after another, looking for signs of the king and queen.
Eugene moves silently but Rapunzel evidently doesn't feel that she can rely solely on the dim light of the flame. "Momma? Daddy?" she whispers through the rusty, barred window of each door. Finally, near the end of the hall, next to a staircase that is more rock and dirt than actual carved steps, they hear the sound of movement. Rapunzel pulls Eugene forward and he obligingly lifts the light. Within the depths of the cell, something that is not a stone wall is illuminated. Two somethings. With glittery objects upon their heads.
"Momma? Daddy?" she nearly whines with excitement.
"Rapunzel?" The king's reply coincides with a feminine gasp and then suddenly, the area surrounding the cell door is a very crowded place indeed. The king and queen press close to the bars, squinting in the light as they reach for their daughter.
Overcome with joy and relief and heartache, tears pool in Rapunzel's eyes as she clasps their hands through the rusty bars. "Are you alright?"
Eugene takes in their appearance. Except for the bruise on the king's right cheek, they both seem to be uninjured. Perhaps that dragon had been right, maybe that fool of a prince still thinks he has a chance to marry Rapunzel.
"We are fine." The king gives his daughter a reassuring smile before turning towards Eugene, frowning darkly. "But what do the two of you think you're doing here?"
"Rescuing you!" Rapunzel supplies joyfully.
Eugene tries not to fidget under the king's expressive scowl.
"You should be back at the castle! Safe!" the queen whispers urgently, clearly horrified to see her daughter here, now. "Mister Fitzherbert should have known better than to—"
"Let me come and find you all by myself. And I would have done it, too," Rapunzel defends him.
Truer words were never spoken.
"The guard are on their way," Eugene offers, hoping to placate the king. "They should be here soon. But we need to get you both out of here before Banale gets any bright ideas to up the ante."
The queen whispers to her daughter, her tone fearful, "You shouldn't be here, darling. Prince Banale is determined to have your crown."
"And me," Rapunzel amends. The queen's silence speaks volumes. She reaches up, scraping the sleeve of her dress on the filthy bars and caresses Rapunzel's cheek.
"This is no place for you," her father begins. "Your mother is right. You should not be here—"
"Neither should you," she whispers, tears pooling in her eyes.
Her mother's hand drops. The king leans a bit closer to the bars. "Dearest, you must leave." He touches his crown subconsciously. "There isn't much time, little one. Soon he will realize the truth—"
He stops suddenly, looking at Eugene.
"It's alright, Daddy. Eugene knows about the crowns' power. When Momma was taken, I told him."
The king doesn't look too happy at the idea that she had shared the family secret with Eugene, but doesn't admonish his daughter. He takes off his crown and his wife does the same. He holds them out to Rapunzel between the bars. "Take these back to Corona where they will be safe."
Rapunzel shakes her head. Eugene can't help but to smirk at her father's dumbfounded expression. "We're not going anywhere without you."
"Mr. Fitzherbert..." the queen begins.
Eugene shrugs helplessly. Hey, she's the princess. I have to follow her orders. Instead of standing around being a lantern holder, Eugene crouches down to get a better look at the lock. Iron. Solid. Old. Rusty. The rust poses a problem as the tools he carry with him are made of softer, more flexible metal and it's going to take a lot of force to budge these aged mechanisms.
Before he can get pulled back into the family debate continuing over his head, he feels a tiny tug on his trouser leg. He looks down at Pascal who is nodding in the direction where Witzig is standing. "I hate to leave this stimulating discussion, but I have a dragon who's trying to get my attention."
He hands Rapunzel the lantern and strides back over to the dragon, who is scowling mightily.
"I believe this will help you in your efforts to retrieve the key from the prince." Witzig drops a guard's uniform at Eugene's feet.
Eugene eyes the clothing suspiciously. "You didn't just eat the person who wore this, did you?" He picks the tunic up off the ground, wincing at the strand of dragon drool that clings to the material.
The dragon huffs indignantly. "Of course not! I had my brother help me pick the lock to gain access to the old dungeon armory!"
"It was a joke." Eugene explains. He then faces Pascal. "See? Those thieving skills do come in handy every once in a while, don't they?" He winks. "Well done."
The frog flicks his tongue out, looking very smug and superior. Well, as smug and superior as a six-inch lizard can look.
He grabs the rest of the clothing and heads back to the tunnel entrance. Looking back at Pascal, he orders, "No peeking."
The frog laughs and Eugene smiles. Here in this horrible place, the moment of levity is needful.
Quickly, he changes into the stolen garb. He grabs the helmet, which will do an effective job of masking most of his face, and goes to show off his disguise to the royal family.
"Well, it's no potato sack," he says, approaching the three of them, "but I think it's going to work."
Rapunzel looks at him quickly, before doing a double-take. A smitten smile passes over her lips as she takes in his outfit.
She is giving him the once over!
"Don't tell me you like a man in a uniform," he says dryly. He crosses his arms for good measure.
"You look… very handsome."
He can't hold back the groan that escapes his lips. Great, she does have a thing for uniforms. It figures. This probably means there will be all sorts of offhanded references about joining the elite royal guard now. He holds up a finger. "Don't start getting any ideas, Princess," he says warningly. "Now, if you'd excuse me, I've got a key to steal."