Rapunzel tried to listen to the excited older woman who was talking to her, but her mind was elsewhere. Eugene had been gone for a long time, and she couldn't help but wonder if he had gotten into trouble somewhere.
"...and Prince Hans said he was going to go after her."
Rapunzel perked up at the mention of Hans' name. "Sorry, what?"
The woman's eyes were wide as she reiterated her story. "Princess Anna's horse returned, only a few minutes ago, but the Princess was nowhere in sight! Prince Hans took a group of men to go search for her on the North Mountain."
The women around her leaned in closer as she told every small, unimportant detail of the story. Rapunzel became wrapped up in her own thoughts, wondering if Hans' departure was a good or bad thing. Good that he wasn't here, perhaps, but bad that he was closer to Elsa.
Rapunzel hated to go against Eugene's wishes of her staying there, but it was getting late. They had already lit the candles inside the castle, and some of the older townspeople had turned in for the night. Besides, Eugene needed to know this piece of news about Hans.
"Excuse me," she said suddenly, interrupting whatever piece of gossip the woman had been sharing. Rapunzel stood up and walked out of the dining hall, the chill from being away from the fire already starting to seep through her cloak.
The inn. That was where Eugene would be. She had to go to the inn...
Determined to face the cold, Rapunzel braced herself for the worst as she walked outside the confines of the castle and over the bridge. Though it was dark out by now, the weather was much the same as this morning; cold and windy, though the fog had cleared away for the most part.
It seemed like an eternity before the inn came in sight. Rapunzel rushed inside, relieved to see a roaring fire going. She sighed and shivered at the warmth as the innkeeper looked at her gravely, his sons nowhere in sight.
"Have you seen Eugene?" she forced out between chattering teeth.
His expression sagged. "No, Princess, but...I found this in your room." He held out a small piece of paper with light and neat handwriting covering it.
The man who occupied this room, known as Flynn Rider, has been arrested for theft against the Crown. He will be taken to the castle prison where he will await his sentence from Prince Hans. Take these coins as recompense for any trouble this may have caused you.
"Eugene!" Rapunzel exclaimed, crumpling the paper in her hands. "He couldn't have. He wouldn't steal anything."
"That's what I thought, ma'am. He seemed kind enough."
She handed the paper back to the innkeeper. "I have to go save him!" And with that, she dashed back outside and into the cold.
"So, this is the dungeon, right?" Rapunzel put on a winning smile, rocking back and forth on her toes in front of the two stone-faced guards.
"It is, ma'am, but we're not to allow anyone through on orders from Prince Hans," the eldest looking one answered, not even meeting her eyes.
"I understand completely. But, you see, my husband's in there, and I kinda need to talk to him. It's our wedding anniversary." Before he could respond, she added on, "And I'm also the Princess of Corona, by the way."
He examined her, as if seeing her purple and yellow dress for the first time. His eyes widened, and he exchanged glances with the guard next to him. "Only for a minute," he said gruffly, moving to the side and opening up the wooden door.
"Thank you! Don't worry, I won't mention it to Prince Hans." She scurried down the cold, stone hallway of the dungeon, peeking through the slits in every door to find Eugene. His cell was toward the middle, where she could hear his coughing.
"Eugene!" she exclaimed, overjoyed to see him unharmed. A smile lit up on his face at the sight of her, and he rushed to the door and grasped the metal bars that barred the tiny hole. His cheeks, nose, and ears were a bright pink, and his hands were red and chapped.
"I told you not to leave the dining room," Eugene said, his smile fading as his expression changed to a worried look. "If Hans finds you-"
"He's gone. Anna hasn't returned, so Hans went after her."
"Oh." His forehead smoothed in relief. "Good. Well, in that case...I'm glad you found me. It's getting a little chilly in here." His face darkened. "On the other hand, if Hans gets close to Elsa..."
"I know," Rapunzel concluded, feeling relief at being able to vent her anxiousness. "We have to do something. If something did happen to Anna...and if Hans got too close to Elsa..."
"Well, I'm ready to hear some ideas, blondie. I'm fresh out of 'em." He rubbed the side of his skull. "Must've been the blow on the head..." He winced, but then winked and smiled at her. Leave it to Eugene to make a joke out of anything at any time.
Still, she reached through the bars, as if to help him somehow. Oh, how she often lamented the loss of her healing hair.
As if reading her thoughts, Eugene grinned. "It's nothing. Just a headache."
Rapunzel sighed. "I wish there was some way to get you out of there..." But just as she said it, a plan began to form in her mind. It might not be the most diplomatic way of doing things, but she doubted she was going to talk Eugene out of prison.