Back to the Tower
They took very little with them. Rapunzel had explained to Eugene as quickly as she could, and Eugene knew better than to waste time asking questions. There was not much time to pack, with the news that the Green King was within one mile of the bridge linking Corona with the mainland. They had to travel light, since it would be just the two of them on Max; no guards, nothing to draw attention to the travellers.
Less than half an hour later, Eugene and Rapunzel ducked low to avoid the vines as Maximus galloped through the cave that led to the clearing containing the one place they thought they'd never have to visit again.
Everything was exactly as they had left it, only with a thin covering layer of dust. Eugene hesitated momentarily as he climbed through the trapdoor behind Rapunzel and saw the abandoned long brown hair, the shards of glass, the chains, the bloodstain…
But Rapunzel was instantly in her element. She flung open the shutters on the windows, sent Pascal scurrying up the wall to pull the skylight lever and grabbed a broom. She became a whirling dervish, moving around the tower with practised ease. Eugene had to duck and jump out of the way to avoid being smacked with the broom handle, accidentally of course.
After fifteen minutes the tower was transformed. The floors were swept and mopped. The surfaces had been dusted. The pile of hair had been carefully gathered up and deposited in what had once been Gothel's room. The door was decisively closed on that room, by mutual silent agreement, and would not be reopened again.
Rapunzel had sent Eugene out to fetch a pail of water from the small stream which ran by the base of the tower, while she found and aired a change of bed linen. When he returned, she dug out some dried, but still useable ingredients, and together with a ration of the supplies they had brought with them, she had boiled a simple but tasty broth.
She hummed a catchy little tune to herself as she found one of her homemade candles in a drawer, along with an empty bottle that had once contained acorn wine. Gothel had allowed her to have a small sip of it as a treat on her sixteenth birthday, but it had tasted disgusting and Rapunzel had never asked to try it again. The bottle was the perfect candlestick and she placed it in the centre of the little table with great care. Eugene watched her with a smile that gently slid into a grin as he realised what was happening.
"You're enjoying yourself!" he accused with a laugh. Rapunzel lowered her gaze and blushed. When she looked up again, she met his eyes with a grin as big as his. The truth was she was enjoying herself. The tower had been her home far longer than Corona castle. And, while the last forty-eight hours here had been the worst two days of her life, it was only two days out of eighteen years of relative contentment.
Gothel was absent for most of the time, but she had provided Rapunzel with everything she asked for, except a way out of the tower. Books and paints were expensive, however, and so Gothel had limited her to either one or the other. Since Rapunzel had preferred surrounding herself with bright colours and images, it was a foregone conclusion that she would end up with rather limited reading materials, containing little information about the world outside.
Yes, there had been put downs and slights and her self-esteem had taken some extremely hard knocks, from Gothel's cruel jibes, but she had bounced back each and every time. With the addition of a new picture, or time spent baking or creating, and making the tower as homely as possible, Rapunzel had been happy. She hadn't known any better.
Now she did, and her perfect new life had overlapped with her less than perfect old life and she was determined to make the best of things. She didn't know how long they would be in hiding, how long it would take to defeat the Green King, how long it would be before they could go home. And so, Rapunzel was determined to make the tower as much of a home as possible.
It was only once her frantic activity ceased and they had sat down for their meal that the true gravity of the situation hit her and the tears came.
"What's wrong?" Eugene asked, concerned.
"We're here, and we're safe," Rapunzel wept. Eugene looked at her confused. This would not normally be a sad situation to be in. No matter how long he knew her, no matter how much he loved her, he would never get used to her rapidly shifting moods.
"I don't…" he began.
"We're safe, but nobody else is!" Rapunzel explained, through big gulping sobs. "What about my parents? What about everyone in the kingdom?"
This floored Eugene and he put down his spoon, guiltily. It had never crossed his mind to worry about the people in the kingdom. Of course he was concerned for Rapunzel's parents, but that was as far as his worry went. But true to everything that was good and pure and selfless about Rapunzel, she was still scared for hundreds of people she had never met. She hadn't been able to argue with her mother and father when they insisted she go away for her own protection, and now it was eating her up that she was safe while they were in danger.
"'Punzel," Eugene began, a little hesitantly. She looked up at him, green eyes rimed with red.
"Yes?"
"You can't blame yourself. It's my fault," he said, lowering his gaze. "All of this. But I'll find a way to stop him. I can't let people die for something I've done."
"We can't have it damage your reputation," said Rapunzel after a few seconds. Eugene looked at her. She could have said it sarcastically, or with bitterness and blame for the mess he had landed them in. But she hadn't. She'd said it with the smallest of small smiles, but that was enough for him. She had made a joke and he knew he was forgiven, at least by her. Forgiving himself would be less easy.
They finished their meal in silence, and Rapunzel cleared away the dishes. Eugene had offered to help, but she waved him away, explaining that she knew better than he did where things should be put away. When she was finished, Rapunzel decided to show Eugene around her, their, home. He took in every detail of the paintings on the wall, the decorative homemade pots and vases. Here was one girl's entire life, and she was sharing it with him. Rapunzel had even managed to find her old paints. A few drops of water made them serviceable again, and then she held out a paintbrush to Eugene.
He was aware of the momentousness of the occasion, and even more aware that he couldn't draw to save his life. Rapunzel guided his hand as, together and without realising what they were creating, they painted the mound on the island in the middle of the crescent lake. They stepped away and exchanged glances when they realised what they had done.
"I'll find a way to stop the Green King," Eugene promised in a whisper.
"We'll find a way to stop him," Rapunzel replied, taking his hand.
As the sun began to set, Rapunzel suddenly felt an attack of claustrophobia. For eighteen years she had stared out of the tower window, watching and charting the stars – as well as the lanterns Gothel had tried to convince her were stars. Eugene sensed her unease.
"We're not just hiding in this tower," he said, "we're hiding in this entire valley. Come on."
He led her back down the rickety ladder and out into the twilight.
"As long as we don't go beyond the ivy tunnel we're safe," he said.
Feeling the cooling breeze on her cheeks made Rapunzel feel much better. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Just for a minute, for that one brief moment in time, she forgot all about the Green King and just revelled in being there with Eugene.
They climbed back to the tower's main room, where Rapunzel gave a rather unladylike yawn. She blushed, embarrassed at her lack of grace, but if Eugene noticed he didn't mention it. He was rather more concerned with the sleeping arrangements. Using Gothel's room was out of the question, which only left Rapunzel's bed, and Eugene was afraid that would be crossing a boundary too far. Especially if the King and Queen found out.
Rapunzel had no such hang-ups. She took Eugene's hand and led him up to the room. When he turned his back, she stripped to her petticoats and slid beneath the covers. Eugene removed his boots and belt only, before climbing in beside her. They fell asleep in each other's arms, knowing that the next day their search for a way to stop the Green King would begin.
Actually, the first thing that crossed Eugene's mind when he stirred the next morning was food. He carefully extricated himself from the still sleeping princess and went to the little kitchen area. They still had enough provisions for breakfast, but he would need to risk leaving the safety of the valley to meet up with Nigel, or maybe Eric, who would be coming from the castle with enough fresh food for another two days. Not the best arrangement, but it was the only way to ensure the long term concealment of Rapunzel and himself.
For now, he could at least rustle up some eggs, especially given the variety of frying pans at his disposal.
Rapunzel emerged a few moments later, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and a hand through her dishevelled hair.
"Good morning, Princess," said Eugene, serving up breakfast. "Eggs a la Eugene!"
"Mmm," Rapunzel had a mouthful at once. "These are good!"
"Don't sound so surprised," Eugene feigned hurt. "Uh... Rapunzel, I'm... I'm going to have to leave for a little while."
Rapunzel looked at him in a panic, until he held up the empty bag.
"We can't live on fresh air," he pointed out, and she gave a sigh.
"Be careful," she pleaded.
"I'll be taking Max," he said. "I'm sure he'll protect me."
Rapunzel watched from the window as the tiny figure on horseback rode towards the ivy covered tower that was the only way in and out of the valley. She gave a heavy sigh and turned to Pascal, who turned several shades of blue, emulating her mood.
"He'll be fine, Pascal," she said to the little lizard. "I'm sure he'll be fine."
Maybe if I can convince Pascal, I can convince myself, she thought.
To try and take her mind off her worry, Rapunzel unpacked the rest of their belongings. There wasn't much, just a couple of changes of clothes and a hairbrush and...
Something small and slim fell out from a pair of Eugene's trousers on to the bed. Rapunzel looked at it in amazement. It was her mother's book about the Green King. She had only read the short paragraph the Queen had highlighted to her, but maybe now she could learn more.
She had just opened the book at the first chapter when she heard whinnying from outside. Wishing she still had her hair as a faster egress through the tower window, Rapunzel climbed as quickly as she could down the ladder and outside to find Maximus cantering into the clearing in a panicked fashion.
"Easy..." Rapunzel tried calming him, but was herself panicking. "Where's Eugene?"
The horse shook his head and stomped impatiently. Rapunzel knew then that her worst fears were confirmed.
The Green King had taken Eugene.
A/N - This chapter turned out to be a bit of a challenge. Please review and let me know if you liked it.