A.N. Okay new chapter. Short chapter, but at least its progress. This was going to be longer, but I wanted to end it where I did. I don't think it's as good as it should be, but I keep getting messages about finishing this story and the guilt has been overwhelming. I'm not interested in giving up on this story, I've just been so busy with pursuing a "real" writing career. My first novel is currently floating around publishers, and I'm working on a few extra things, but I still want to finish this. And it will be finished eventually.

To everyone who's stuck by patiently, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you keep sticking around too for my sake :)

Thank you especially too MissMia, who's words on the matter inspired me to really push forward and continue this story. This chapter is dedicated to you :)

And now to Chapter Sixteen.

Chapter Sixteen:

He had not meant to fall asleep. But lying on the grass, holding Rapunzel close, he had drifted off in his own mindful contentment, certain that he would only rest for a few minutes. But minutes had trespassed to hours, and finally awaking he found himself facing a rising dawn.

"Oh no," he hissed frustrated and gently shook Rapunzel. She was still wrapped in his embrace, and stirred gently under his prodding.

"What's wrong?" she murmured tiredly, seemingly disoriented as she perceived her surroundings. "Where are we?"

Glancing down at her, Eugene's stomach dropped drastically. Her hair was infested with white strands, more than before. He swallowed hard, trying to ignore that as he focused on the problem at hand. "We have to get going. We've overslept."

Rapunzel stood tentatively at Eugene's prodding, leaning on him for support. "I don't…we're at the tower?" Her eyes were glazed as she struggled for her memory. "I completely forgot!" she exclaimed, as her eyes glowed with remembrance. "Why is it a bad thing?" she questioned uncertainly.

To take the time to explain why some people might not be so pleased with their absence seemed more daunting than to just make up some reasonable excuse. "Because we should be leaving now for the Arabela Mountains." It was true. To return to camp would take almost an hour, and who knows what Vincent might think and what he might do to find the missing princess. Things could not be worse.

"I'm sorry," she whispered then, her gaze full of guilt.

"No," he told her. "It's not your fault." It was his. He should have known better than to allow them to rest together. He should have carried her back to camp then. But he had been blinded by his own wants and needs. "But we have to go now. Do you want me to carry you?"

She was about to reply when a sudden whinny noise filled the air.

Turning his head towards the cave, Eugene's heart soared with hope. "Max!" he exclaimed. "I've never been so happy to see you."

The war horse neighed appreciatively as he came to a halt before them. Planting himself onto the ground, he whinnied suggestively.

Without wasting time, Eugene and Rapunzel gratefully took their place on the horse's back before Maximus broke into a gallop away from the tower and back to the waiting camp.

Eugene was restless the entire way, his anxiousness keeping him silent as Maximus ran as fast as he could through the thick undergrowth, his hooves pounding against the dew sodden grass. She could sense his anxiety in the way he clung to her, his fingers nearly digging into her skin as he spurred Maximus on. His body, pressed into hers, trembled too as they went while his breaths came in sharp gasps.

She turned to stare at him after a few moments, her eyes imploring him to relax.

"I'm sorry for this," she mumbled to him.

He sighed heavily as she did. He did not want her to feel guilty. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Then why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not," he lied, forcing a smile to his face. "There's nothing wrong at all. I just want to be sure to be gone as early as possible. But I'm not nervous. I'm fine."

Shrugging, she accepted his falsehood and as her face turned, he let the smile fall back to a frown. He prayed again that Vincent was still asleep and that their return would come unnoticed.

Nearing the campsite, Maximus slower in his pace, his hooves now padding along at a gentle trod, taking great care in not alerting the watching guards to their approach.

Eugene helped Rapunzel to clamber down as they reached the edge of the clearing. He could see Big Nose and his paired guard, Ronald, standing with their backs to them. This was the perfect chance. He could not see Vincent, but his hope was strong that their absence had not yet been noticed.

He urged Rapunzel forward, prompting her towards her tent, while he sidled around the clearing, and stepped purposely upon a branch, to draw the guards' attention in his direction.

"Who goes there?" Big Nose demanded, looking particularly fierce with his hammer raised high.

Eugene stepped out of the forest, with his hands raised. "Sorry guys, just answering nature's call."

Big Nose relaxed and Ronald granted him a tiny smile. The young guard with sandy hair was not as bad as the rest of his comrades. A little more naïve, a little more forgiving, he did not seem to hold any personal vendetta against the reformed thief.

Sighing in relief, Eugene turned his back on the duo only to find himself face to face with Vincent. His heart began to hammer. And I thought too soon.

"Morning, Vincent," he offered.

The Captain of the guards frowned unpleasantly and did not return his greeting. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing," Eugene replied, forcing the lie. Maybe there was still a chance that Vincent did not know.

Vincent's eyebrows narrowed suspiciously, but he said no more on it, only fixing Eugene with a gaze that showed some displeasure at being unable to catch him in the act of doing something wrong. Whatever Vincent was hopeful to find, Eugene was certain that he would not give him the chance to discover anything ever.

"Is the princess still asleep?"

Eugene nodded. "I believe she is."

"She isn't anymore." The voice came from Rapunzel herself, who stepped up from behind them. "I heard voices. Are we leaving?"

Vincent bowed low. "As soon as we are ready." He looked to Eugene. "Wake the others, and tell them to pack up. I want to be out of here before the sun crests."

Eugene grunted a yes, throwing a glance at Rapunzel. She stifled a yawn as she noticed him watching, trying to smile, but he could see the lines under her eyes, had seen the extra white in her hair.

He hurried off to wake the others. They had a long way to go today, and he would see it done.

chaptersixteen

Rapunzel clung to Maximus as they raced through the terrain. It was passed midday and the horses were galloping along at a forced speed. After yesterday's precaution, the guards and Eugene had decided to throw their worries to the wind, wanting to see the mountains by evening. She wanted to see them too, not because she worried for the time slipping away, but because she had never seen mountains in her life.

"Will we make it?"

She could feel Eugene nod against her head. "If we continue at this speed, and don't stop. I was worried the thugs would slow us down, but I don't underestimate their ability to run."

Rapunzel looked to the four men lumbering after them. They were at pace with the horses, managing their speed despite their large sizes. She was glad again to have them near. HookHand had proved a most interesting conversationist this morning, describing the wild expanse of territory that still lay before them and around them, land she was afraid to hope to travel again.

Now, he lagged behind with the rest, talking with Big Nose and Vlad. They laughed and she smiled. She wished that Eugene were not so distraught. He was too worried about her, more than she was about herself. She had faith in him, faith he did not possess himself.

He tightened his hold on her. She shifted slightly, trying to find his gaze. Her neck hurt as she craned it back.

"Eyes forward, soldier," he said softly, placing a gentle hand on the top of her head to guide her stare forward once more.

She sighed heavily. "I'm tired."

"I know."

His tone was heavy, weighed down by a number of emotions she did not want herself to know. He was always trying to be strong, for her. "I promise it'll all…"

"Princess!"

Rapunzel looked to her left as a horse fell into pace beside them. Devon grinned at her, his face alight with boyish charm. He had been silent this morning, but she had seen him, watching her from afar, his gaze calculated. She didn't trust him entirely, though she did think that, if things were different, he might have been a good friend. And perhaps there still was a chance, but she couldn't really think about that, especially with Eugene suddenly cutting off the circulation in her wrist.

"Ow!"

His hold slackened, apology flooding into his voice as he spoke out then. "Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"What has he done?"

"Nothing," Rapunzel replied quickly to Devon before he could launch into a jealous match with Eugene again. She did not need the stress of this on top of everything else. "It's my fault."

Devon nodded, easily falling away from argument. "Is there something I can do to make this journey less difficult on you?"

"Eugene has everything under control," Rapunzel replied. She could also imagine Eugene's smug smile.

"I'm glad to hear it," Devon's voice was slightly noncommittal as he said it, his eyes suddenly guarded. "I'll be glad when this journey is done and we'll have more time to get to know one another."

Rapunzel bit her lip to stop herself from speaking aloud the thoughts in her head. If I make it through this journey. She could almost hear Eugene's thoughts whispering the same to his already clouded mind. Any reply was held back, though, as a whistling sound echoed through the silence.

Faster than she could process, Eugene wrapped himself over her, angling his body so that his chest was pressing into her shoulder, her body perpendicular to his.

A cry escaped his lips and his grip slipped, his body arching over hers.

Her eyes widened in panic as the guards began to yell. Words were shouted, but she could not hear. Her gaze was stuck on Eugene.

His face was lined suddenly with pain, his breaths wracked. She could not see the reason for his sudden distress, but her heart was beating furiously within her chest.

"Eugene?"

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and as her right hand went up, she found it obstructed by a thin piece of wood. An arrow protruded from his shoulder, the tip embedded in his flesh, a bright stain of red beginning to grow around the weapon.

Her heart sank. She could not tell how deep the wound was, nor how grievously injured he was. She was given no chance to find out either as nine men leapt suddenly from the undergrowth, brandishing swords. They converged on the group without warning.

"Get her out of here, Max."

The words came from Eugene's mouth, short and heavy. He threw himself down on the ground, cringing as he landed. A man was coming at them, but he was blocked as Big Nose came into view, brandishing a large hammer.

"Now, Max."

The horse whinnied knowingly, but before he could move, Rapunzel was reaching for Eugene, grabbing for his hand.

"I'm not leaving you."

"This isn't up for debate, Rapunzel," he told her. His chest heaved while his face fought to hide the extent of his suffering.

She would not go, though. She had fought before and she could do it again. For Eugene. She shifted in place, prepared to slide off, but then Maximus was off at a gallop.

Her hands clung for his mane, holding onto it tightly to stop herself from falling. She glanced back, trying to find Eugene in the mass, but in the throng of fighting men, he was indistinguishable.

chaptersixteen

Eugene reached for the arrow sticking out of his shoulder and, taking a deep breath, pulled it clean out.

He gasped sharply as pain shot through him. His eyesight blurred, his mind going dark for a second. He felt winded, out of breath. The wound he knew was not as bad as it could have been. He would tend to it later, but for now, he had to be prepared.

The guards were fighting well against the brigands. He could see Vincent engaged in a battle with one man, could see Big Nose and HookHand fighting with surprisingly elegant ease.

Some of the men they fought, he realized with sudden dread, he recognized. They were thieves, like he had once been, some men he had worked with on occasions. He did not understand why they had attacked their small party, and he would not waste his time trying to come up with an answer. Win the fight first, ask questions later.

A few feet away from him, one guard fell, blood spewing from his arm as he fell to the ground with a resounding crash. In horror, Eugene recoiled as he looked upon the thief standing over him.

"Hunter," he growled.

"I told you we'd see each other again," Hunter taunted before leaping at him.

Eugene realized too late that he had no weapon that he could use, except the frying pan dangling from his belt. He reached for it, drawing it quick, and raised in just in time to parry Hunter's well-aimed swing.

His former partner hesitated as amusement flitted across his features.

"The mighty fall so far," he commented mockingly, as he swung at Eugene once more.

Eugene defended the attack, realizing that this would not work for much longer. Certainly he had defeated Vincent and his men easy enough at the dam, but this was different. Hunter was ruthless and cunning. He would not be defeated by a frying pan.

Hunter was dancing around him, sensing that his victory would be easy. They were blind to the fighting going on around them.

"I was hoping to kill you properly, Flynn. This is rather pathetic."

"Then give me a sword, and we'll play this out as our big finale."

Hunter laughed raucously. "You'd lose anyway."

"Then why prolong the inevitable?"

Without waiting for a response, Eugene leapt forward, the frying pan aimed for Hunter's head.

The thief barely had time to duck, but he did, and Eugene's attack failed to make any contact.

Eugene turned quickly, but as he did, a shooting pain erupted from the wound in his shoulder. The frying pan in his hand fell to the ground, his arm suddenly burning, useless, by his side. He stumbled forward, coming upon his knees.

A knee connected with his chest, and he went flying back. Winded, he landed on the grass, his head looking up to the sky. He closed his eyes, trying to ease the relentless ache. Was it all to end like this?

He wanted to see Rapunzel again, only once more, if he was about to die. Am I going to die? The thoughts raced in his mind, as Hunter knelt down beside him, drawing a knife and holding it threateningly over Eugene's chest. If Hunter wants, I'm dead. But if I'm to die, why do I feel so empty, so calm?

"I didn't want to kill you, you know. I still don't. I think you know that."

"Then what do you want?" Eugene asked him softly, his vision spotted as the pain reverberated in his head.

"I think you know that too."

Eugene did not have the chance to consider it as a frying pan flew suddenly into Hunter's face. It had been an unexpected attack, and surprise echoed on the thief's face as he fell over.

Rapunzel appeared then, her white-streaked chestnut hair a tangled mess over her anxious face.

"Eugene!"

Her hands cradled his face.

He tried to smile, but the pain was too much.

His vision went black.

A.N. AH! Terrible! :P I'm sorry it's so short, I promise the next chapter will be longer. It just felt right to end it there. And poor Eugene. That guy just can't get a break.

Anyway, let me know what you think about the new (finally) chapter and if I have any readers left at all.

Next chapter promises more answers of the past, and the group finally reaches the mountains, and new dangers they might not have expected.

Also, Lord Devon continues to prove to be a jerk.