This chapter grew a lot especially with Pascal added in. Still trying to get the hang of the lil fellah.

Flynn Wanted

~6~

Rapunzel is calm after Eugene leaves. She's fine, happy even – he loves her, how can she be unhappy when he's just told her that? She takes a deep breath, smiles as she walks back inside. If he believes she will be fine on her own, she trusts that he is right.

Pascal creeps out of his voyeuristic place against one of her walls, blending out of a painting and clicking until she comes to collect him.

"I'm fine," she tells her pet, and he eyes her thoughtfully. "No really, I am. He's right, I'll be fine without him. Probably." Pascal nods, and gives a few thoughtfully whizzing sounds. "I don't need him," she protests. "I just... just like having him around. He makes me feel safe."

Pascal turns in a circle on her hand and stands up on his back legs, turning a shocking shade of scarlet, then black.

"I know mo... she made me feel safe too," Rapunzel admits. "It's not the same with Eugene." Pascal watches. "It's not." She means it; Gothel made her feel safe by convincing her the world outside was evil and dangerous, that she was the only person Rapunzel could trust. Eugene doesn't do that, he wants her to go outside and live for herself, and if something bad does happen, he'll protect her.

In spite of Pascal's fussing and interrogation, she sleeps well that night, a smile on her face. Her parents both remark on the lift in her mood the next day, as she spends the majority of it singing around the palace and helping servants with their chores. She still rises early out of habit, and enjoys the routine housekeeping that keeps the castle functioning. However, it isn't more than a day later – when the ache of missing Eugene has crept in and poisoned her with melancholy in the slow, tedious evening – that everything comes crashing down.

She's sitting with her parents in their family room, curled by a fire to keep the cold weather away, playing a formidable game of draughts with her mother. The King and Queen were amazed by the numerous talents their daughter revealed upon settling into palace life; in spite of everything that happened, she appeared to have grown up a very accomplished young lady. But soon their calm is disturbed, a stone thrown through the fragile glass of happiness.

"Your Highness!" the Captain of the Guard bellows, barging through the door without warning, which is never a good sign. The King looks up from his armchair, setting his book on his knee to show he's listening. "Flynn Rider has struck again!" the uniformed man rushes, and Rapunzel lets out a shocked cry.

"No," she gasp. "It can't be!"

"Are you sure?" questions the King immediately, looking at the Captain and then over to his daughter.

"Yes, sir," the Captain says sternly. "My men are searching for Rider now, we should have him back in chains before sun-"

"Back?" the King interrupts, and the Captain hesitates. "To whom do you refer to by 'Rider', Captain?" he inquires, and then offers up the suggestion they are all thinking of. "Eugene Fizherbert? Have you further reason to suspect him in this crime?"

The Captain has clearly been caught out – they have jumped to their conclusions – but it isn't the look from the King that worries him the most – it's the glare coming from Rapunzel in the corner. He had no idea the Lost Princess could look so terrifying; had she a frying pan in hand, he would seriously fear for his safety.

"I... I didn't... you see..." the Captain stutters.

"How dare you!" Rapunzel snaps suddenly, and jumps up to stride towards the Captain. "You don't even want to prove Eugene innocent, do you? All you're interested in is-"

"Rapunzel, please," her father interrupts, his voice even and soothing; it tells her to be calm, not to loose her temper, and to trust in him. "Things may easily be righted," he says with a warm sense of assurance. "Where is Eugene now? With an alibi things may be quickly resolved," he explains, but then sees the fear and anxiety in Rapunzel's eyes.

"He's... I... I don't know," his daughter confesses softly, the truth escaping her lips. "He's gone away..."

"Did he not say where?" her mother questions, her tone mixed with concern and disbelief.

"He said... he didn't know," she admits, and wishes that Eugene had stayed longer – just long enough to be here, because she's not stupid and knows how this looks.

"Didn't know?" the Captain inquires sceptically. "How can he not know where he is going?"

"He couldn't say because it... it was a secret," confesses Rapunzel, but then turns her eyes up on the Captain. "But he didn't do it," she tells him surely. "Whoever 'Flynn Rider' is, it isn't Eugene."

"Can you be sure, Princess?" he asks – respectfully in appearance, but it is clear how little he thinks of her opinions. "You cannot deny it is suspicious. He is unable to give an alibi on the night of the first crime, and then disappears in secrecy just before a second occurs."

"It does seem curious," remarks Rapunzel's mother, and her daughter whirls around to face her, hurt.

"Mother!" she rushes in upset, then realises what she has called her and feels a stab of guilt. "Mom," she restarts more gently. "Not you too?" She stares at her parent, who looks back with disappointment.

"I don't know what to think," the Queen confesses, and looks down to the checkers board uncomfortably.

"Why doesn't anyone believe in Eugene?" Rapunzel demands, fraught and getting moreso as she goes on. "Didn't he bring me back? Didn't he die to free me! What more does he have to DO to prove he's a good person!" She finishes only just below a scream, stopping when she feels a pressure on her shoulder, turning to see her father by her side. He shushes her, the warm comforting weight of his hand enclosing her anger.

"I may not believe wholly in Eugene," he begins cautiously, addressing the whole room, but seeing his daughter's face start to fall, "but," he interjects, "I believe in you, child. If you trust in him and his innocence, so will I."

The King is not a foolish man; he isn't blinded by care for his daughter, he has reasoning for his thoughts. He's seen himself how much Eugene loves her, and unless he has gone clinically insane, doesn't think it likely he would lie to Rapunzel, nor return to crime. A man who wants to marry a princess didn't risk it all on something so stupid as petty crime.

"Father," she gushes, throwing her arms around his wide chest to hug him in thanks; the smell of his robes strange yet nostalgic. He tenderly pats her on the back, and pries her away with a smile, though it fades to his usual stoicism as he faces the Captain again.

"You will come and speak with me in private, Captain," he states. "This is not suitable bedtime material for my family." He holds a directive hand out and guides the guard from the room, overlooking the defiant, betrayed expression he receives from his daughter.

The two men stride purposefully down a hallway until the King is quite sure they are out of earshot – and not being followed by princess or chameleon alike.

"Now, Captain, what evidence have you to support Rider's involvement in this crime?" the King questions once they've come to a stop.

"Rider identified himself at the scene again, and the description given by his victims matches Judge Gable's," answers the Captain proudly, his moustache bristling as he grins.

"The Judge has given an account of his attacker?" echoes the King suspiciously. "He is well enough?"

"Why yes, sir, a couple of days ago," the Captain replies, a little more unsure of himself. "It matches the-"

"Why didn't you inform me?" the King interrupts, and he is not pleased or patient in his tone. "As soon as the Judge was well enough, he was to identify Fitzherbert." As emotionally driven as his daughter's claims may be, the King sees the truth in her accusation – old rivalries have died hard, and it seems his men don't want to prove Eugene innocent; they would rather finish the job they were unable to the first time. He sighs world-wearily. Such things cannot be helped.

"You have failed to adhere to orders, Captain, which cannot be overlooked," he warns with disappointment, but continues before the man can become too disheartened. "However, things may still be fixed. Carry on the search for the criminal behind these crimes, but hold Eugene Fitzherbert isn no more in suspicion than any other individual."

"Understood, Your Highness," the Captain murmurs, the resentment not well-disguised in his tone. "I am glad to report we're already well on our way now," he adds more hopefully. "During the most recent attack some of my men were summoned in time, and we were able to wound Ri... the criminal... before he fled into the forest. They are searching the area now."

"I hope for my daughter's sake that you did not fire upon the wrong man," the King points out; while he doesn't believe Eugene is responsible for the new crimes, he understands the young man could be easily mistaken for the true thief if he were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and would certainly flee and add to his suspicion.

"Of course we didn't," boasts the Captain. "The Kingdom Guard is a pillar of order and righteousness, Your Highness."

"Indeed, Captain," he agrees with a little reservation. "I hope so." He pauses reverently, and appears to slip off into thought. When he looks up again, the soldier is still there. "Oh," he murmurs forgetfully. "Dismissed."

He returns to the family room and rejoins his wife and child, attempting to pick up where their evening left off as if nothing has happened, but he can easily see how worried Rapunzel is; she fidgets and squirms, then lapses into total motionlessness, staring off into the distance like she might suddenly burst into tears. He decides it's best not to tell her of the full events of the crime; she does not need any more material to add to her endless list of worries.

Instead he assures here everything will be all right, and hopes that a night's sleep will restore her – that things will look better in the morning.

Unfortunately that plan involves actually getting a night's sleep, which Rapunzel does not, laying sleepless in bed, tossing and turning as worries stampede through her mind. She's sure he's trying to catch the Flynn Rider impersonator, but that person is obviously dangerous, not to mention the guards being after him, and she becomes scared for his safety. She thinks of him cold and alone in the forest, no magic or miracles to save him this time, and fear makes her sick and wired at the same time.

She cannot bear to move but can't lie still, and wishes she could have gone with him, but of course he doesn't need any more help looking like a criminal. She feels trapped again, unable to leave her room because she has been told to stay inside – where it is safe, away from the dangers of the real world.

And although Rapunzel is happy and grateful for all the things she has, as she rises from her bed and walks to the window, staring up at the moon with dark-rimmed eyes and wondering if Eugene is watching too – she has that same feeling that kept her in Gothel's tower, a cold stone sitting right in the pit of her stomach.

She wants so many things. She wants to find Eugene, make sure he's safe – she wants to be able to run off in the middle of the night without warning, to do what her heart tells her to do, whenever it tells her to do it. More than anything, she realises she'd like to be completely free again, to leave behind being the Lost Princess, even if it's only for a little while.

She puts her hands on the balcony rail and looks down; then it hits her – really, what's stopping her? Eugene or her parents aren't here to physically hold her back, and if she runs away of her own accord they couldn't hold him responsible. She leans over and looks down, considering the trip to the ground, but freezes, realising the real reason she's hesitating – she's scared.

She's never been alone before, not properly. When she escaped the first time, Eugene was there, but if she goes now it's just her against the world. It makes her terrified – she doesn't know if she can do this by herself. Rapunzel thinks of Eugene and remembers his words to her. She wants desperately to believe him, but when she looks down and sees nothing but black, she doubts.

Doubt is a familiar friend to her; a sick helpless feeling she let rule her life for too long. One she won't be a victim to any more. She can do this – she will do this.

In a fit of energy, she whirls around and runs back inside – charges to her cupboard and pulls out her braided hair, loops it over her shoulder. She pushes through her things and pulls out a long cloak with a hood, pulls it far over her face and checks in the mirror. It'll help if no one recognises her on the way, and thinks to change her clothes too, abandoning royal colours for something plainer. Then she packs a bag with some basic provisions, hoping they'll be enough to keep her going for a night or two.

Her mad bustling wakes Pascal, who watches her for all of a minute before he erupts in a fit of noise, whistling and jumping up and down, turning a rainbow of colours. Rapunzel rushes to collect him, then picks up a pair of scissors and starts shredding one of her petticoats into long strips – for bandages, just in case.

"Yes I'm running away," she answers Pascal. "I decided just now." The chameleon is not impressed. "Eugene might get hurt – what if he's hurt already? I have to find him." Pascal shakes his head. "I know he's probably fine," she admits, "but still. I don't want to stay here any more. Not with all this... this... you know," she sighs despondently. She can't stand the castle's atmosphere any more, the suspicion, the cramped tension, mistrust and unhappiness in the air.

"It's not just for Eugene," she explains to her pet. "It's for me too. I want to go. Why should't I? I'm allowed to, it's my life isn't it?" Pascal is quiet for a moment as he considers her, and then he sighs, nods dolefully. He hops from her arm and crawls over to a stack of blank paper she sketches on, he mimes writing.

"You want me to leave a note?" she asks. "Good idea!" She scribbles a hasty note, nothing special, it simply explains she's running away for a little bit – alone – and not to worry about her, that she loves everyone and will be back soon. She folds it up and hides it under her pillow, and then coaxes Pascal onto a finger and holds him up to her face.

"Now Pascal," she says seriously. "I need you to do a very serious job for me." The lizard bristles and braces himself demonstratively. "When they come looking, you need to make sure mom and dad find that note." He nods confidently. "Okay, good. Then I need you to stay here," she continues, but instantly Pascal squeaks in protest.

"No, you have to stay, Pascal, it's important," she insists. "I need you to keep an eye on things, on the Captain especially, as well as all the other guards. They could get up to anything, so you have to keep them in line for me – can you do that?" Pascal is quietly contemplative, and then finally he nods, rearing up and pounding one paw into the other – as a chameleon, he's a perfect spy.

"Good boy," she thanks energetically, tickling him fondly as she gets to her feet and heads outside.

Slipping the rope off her shoulder, she slings it around the balustrade and gets ready to go, setting Pascal down nearby. She is going, she tells herself, when she clings to the edge and a voice tells her to get both feet back on solid ground right this instant. It doesn't matter that she can't see the ground below, she knows it's there. She just needs a little faith.

"I'm going," she announces, hears Pascal whistle at her. "I am." It occurs to her at that point this is exactly the sort of thing Eugene is always telling her about – living through snap decisions and mistakes; going out to experience the world regardless of the danger. She's afraid, but also a little excited.

"Here I go," she whispers, and then shuts her eyes tight and drops. The braid slides effortlessly through her hands as she descends, then ends a foot or so from the ground.

She pauses, holding herself in the air for a moment, and then plants both feet firmly on the floor and whips a shockwave up the rope to the balcony, pulling the rest of it up and around until the braid comes spiralling down on top of her in perfect circles.

She's done it.

It isn't hard to get from the castle grounds out onto the streets, the princess discovers, and soon finds herself running wildly through the sleeping town, a few figures still going about their business late at night. She knows exactly where she's heading, arrives panting at her destination, heart pounding like a drum. The stables of the Kingdom Guard.

She sneaks inside by slinging her hair over the wall until it anchors on something study, then just walks up and over. It did take a little while to adjust to the way her hair moved as one single braid, but just because it isn't attached to her head doesn't mean she's forgotten how to control it.

Inside the stables she passes by rows of doors, each embellished with its occupant's name, and eventually finds her target at the far end – the finest stable, with a white-painted door and gold lettering: MAXIMUS. It isn't locked.

Quietly, she pulls open the top half of the door.

"Maximus?" she whispers into the hay-strewn space inside. "Max, are you there?" A loud snorting sound and rustling follows, and Rapunzel gasps with relief. Eventually the white horse clatters to the front, and recognising her at once, turns his head to give her a serious look.

"Max," she pleads, "I think Eugene is in trouble. We have to save him!"

The horse looks at her, and then whinnies a loud braying laugh. Rapunzel looks around in alarm at the noise, and then reaches out to clap the horse's mouth shut.

"SHHH!" she hisses. "Please," she begs. "You don't have to do it for him, but at least do it for me. Help me find him." She fixes the stallion with a big-eyed look, and his lower lip starts to tremble; there's no animals on record as able to resist the princess's charms for long. "If you don't come with me, I'll go by myself," she tells him stubbornly, and that breaks his resolve; he hangs his head and nods.

"Oh thank you!" she rushes, throwing her arms around his neck and then suddenly hushing herself. "I mean," she whispers. "Thanks."

This is another longer chapter, maybe it's a treat or maybe your EYES ARE MELTING WITH THE INEPTITUDE. I'm kidding.

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