I was originally going to separate this into two chapters, but decided that since I skipped out on yesterday's update, I would give you one long chapter so you wouldn't have to wait for the end. You're welcome :)

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The chapel was beginning to empty. Jonathan, Elinor, and Robert had all gone to make sure that everyone got out alright. Rapunzel sighed and sat down on the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. It was over. She was not getting married. She would just have to go back to her pathetic little life of attending etiquette lessons and hopelessly dreaming about Eugene.

She had hoped against hope that she would be able to see him at the wedding, but he did an excellent job at remaining hidden from her. Levi was fortunate enough to be able to see him as well except that Eugene actually allowed the guard to see him while he just remained hidden from her. She knew he was at the wedding since Radcliffe's ankles had been bound just like she had planned, but she never really saw him. She thought she saw him by Levi at one point, but she was too caught up in the accusations to really look.

Her thoughts lingered back to the last time she actually saw him. By the lake, when he left her. Her hand came up and she touched her lips, remembering the kiss she had not felt. She was sad. No she wasn't sad, she was upset. Why did he have to just leave her like that after kissing her, then not have the decency to show himself to her even though he was in the same room as her?

Then she began to reprimand herself. What was she thinking? He left her so she would continue with her life. She couldn't be with him and she had to move on. She knew that she would probably have a hard time dealing with him leaving for a second time and therefore tried his hardest to remain unknown to her. She sighed, sad again, and rested her chin on her knees. She began to mindlessly hum her healing incantation. She noticed she tended to do that when nervous or upset. She used to twiddle with her long golden hair, but now that it was short, she had picked up a new habit.

She was suddenly aware that someone was sitting next to her. She looked up and was met with the soft blue eyes of Nathaniel. He smiled gently at her. She gave a half smile, still depressed by her thoughts. Nathaniel cleared his throat and looked ahead. "I just wanted to say that uh... that was really brave of you."

Rapunzel couldn't think of a good response so she just replied with, "Thank you."

"I think... one day you'll be a wonderful queen."

Rapunzel allowed herself to be touched by the comment. She looked at him again. "And I think you'll be a wonderful king."

He rolled his eyes slightly and turned his head. "No really!" Rapunzel insisted, "Just because you're quiet does not mean you're weak. I've seen your nobleness, your wisdom, your kindess. You have all the traits for a good king. You've just got to show everybody what you can do."

Nathaniel didn't say anything. Rapunzel smiled and gave him a little nudge. "I think once you get back to a certain someone, your mood will change."

"Get back to who?" a voice came from nearby.

Rapunzel and Nathaniel looked up and saw King Robert standing in front of them. "Father!" Nathaniel exclaimed, standing up, "I-I thought you were outside."

"So I was, but everyone was taken care of," Robert raised an eyebrow, "Who are you going back to?"

Nathaniel looked at Rapunzel. She gave him an encouraging smile. "Well, father, I..." Nathaniel stumbled over his words, put pressed onward, "... there's uh... well..." He gave up. "I promised some friends that I'd go hunting with them when we got back."

Rapunzel wanted to face palm herself. He was so close. "What he means, your highness," Rapunzel said, standing up as well, "Is that there is a girl waiting for him back at Faldonia."

Nathaniel looked at her, horrified at what she had just done. Robert eyed his son carefully. "A girl?" he asked, "A princess? A noblewoman?"

The prince gulped. "Well, no... she's a," he coughed into his fist, "a commoner."

"He's been seeing her for a long time, right Nathaniel?" Rapunzel put in brightly, pretending to be oblivious to Nathaniel's discomfort.

Robert's face did not shift in the slightest. "How long has this been happening?"

"Four years, sir," Nathaniel muttered.

Rapunzel couldn't help herself, but Nathaniel was obviously not going to share anything unless provoked. She would have be the one to do it, she didn't care if he regretted opening his mouth in front of her. "He gave her a promise ring, didn't you?" she said.

She convinced herself that she had not taken it too far even though Nathaniel looked like he wanted to blend into the walls and never reappear. Robert stepped closer to Nathaniel, "You want to marry this girl?"

Nathaniel took a breath and nodded. "I... I love her. She means the world to me. I wanted to tell you for the longest time, but... I was afraid of what you'd think."

Robert didn't blink as he stared his son. Nathaniel fumbled with his hands, waiting for a response. Even Rapunzel was silent. "I guess we've got another wedding to arrange then," Robert finally said.

Rapunzel beamed at Nathaniel who looked completely stunned. "You mean... you're going to let me marry her?"

"If that's what you want. I'm not stopping you. You can marry her as soon as we get back."

Nathaniel finally beamed back at Rapunzel then was unexpectedly pulled into a tight hug by his father. "It's about time you found a girl!" he cried, swinging his son around, "What's she like? Is she pretty? Would I like her? I probably would! Oh happy day!"

Robert pranced off shouting more rejoicings about love and marriage and other stuff that Rapunzel couldn't quite make out. Nathaniel turned back to Rapunzel, a grin still spread across his face. "I ought to smack you for saying all that," he quipped.

"You would hit a lady? I'm surprised at you!" Rapunzel joked back.

Nathaniel chuckled. "Well, my love affairs are settled," he said, becoming a little more serious, "What about you? Didn't you mention a commoner?"

Rapunzel's giddiness suddenly came crashing down around her. Her face dropped. Nathaniel looked concerned, "What's wrong?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "It's nothing. You just go and enjoy your love life... because it's possible for you to be with her!"

With that she made a break for the door, leaving a very confused Nathaniel behind. She ran and ran. She didn't know where she was going. Her tears were trickling down her cheeks as she raced on. The realization had hit. Everything had turned out perfectly for everyone except her. She had to escape. She had to get away from everyone else's happy endings.

She finally found herself in the stables. She found Maximus eating in his stall. "Max!" she cried, tears still flowing. Maximus looked up at her. "Max! I need you to take me away!" Rapunzel said, "Anywhere! I just need to get away!"

Maximus swallowed his mouthful and nodded at her. He seemed to know exactly where he wanted to take her.

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Maximus took Rapunzel through the forest at top speed. Rapunzel hardly noticed where they were as tears blurred her vision. She could not take it anymore. She had hoped that she would have been able to move on with her life after Eugene left, but it the pain had only gotten worse with each day that passed. It was unbearable.

She suddenly noticed that they were riding through a familiar curtain of ivy. She looked up and saw her old tower exactly as she had left it. She wiped her eyes as Maximus came to a stop at the base of it. Her tower, where she had grown up, where she had met Eugene, where Gothel and Eugene died. Her head shot up. She had left Eugene's body up there, still chained to the staircase. She had the sudden urge to go up. If he would not allow her to see him as a Paranormal, then she would go see his body.

She slipped off of Maximus's back and rushed towards the secret passage at the back, gathering up her dress as she did so. She clambered up the stairs and and through the trapdoor. It was dark inside even though it was still in the early afternoon. Her eyes fell upon a pair of brown leather boots protruding from the shadows by the staircase. Eugene!

Rapunzel stepped over to the shadows, closer to the body. She halted when she got a good look at his face. It was beyond pale and everything was sunk in. His skin looked like clay and his skeleton's outline was clearly visible. It hardly looked like Eugene anymore. He was completely gone now. She knelt down beside his body, tears welling up in her eyes again. He had not managed to find a way back into his body. Even if he was still roaming the earth, it would be pointless for him to try anymore. His body was decaying.

She found herself beginning to hum the healing incantation. Her habit of doing that had been becoming much more frequent recently, but now her sorrow was a thousand times worse than it had been in the past and she began to actually say the words. "Flower gleam and glow/ let your power shine/ make the clock reverse/ bring back what once was mine..."

Tears began to fall and her eyes burned from them. She threw herself over Eugene's chest, suddenly not caring that he was a rotting corpse. "Heal what has been hurt/ change the fate's design/ save what has been lost/ bring back what once was mine..."

Rapunzel's tears ran down her cheeks and onto the body. She clutched to Eugene's vest, sobbing into it. What good was her life without him? He had shown her the world, literally. He had taught her how to live and had accepted the pain of their separation, unlike her. He had given up so much so much for her, including his life and she wished he hadn't. She didn't deserve that. She was so incomplete without him, but he was gone.

"What once was mine."

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Eugene kicked at a wall only to have his foot go right through it. Irritated, he pulled it out. How much longer did he have? Surely this deed of saving Corona redeemed him and he would be able to go to heaven rather than hell. He just wanted to know! He was tired of being there with Rapunzel so close, but unattainable.

A group of soldiers came from around the corner. King Jonathan was in the midst of them, speaking with Levi. "So you played a part in uncovering this plot against our kingdom?" the king asked Levi.

"Yes, your majesty," Levi replied.

"You should be rewarded. Promoted maybe?"

Levi gave an obviously toned-down grin at the thought. The king laughed. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

Levi suddenly spotted Eugene leaning against the wall. "Uh excuse me, your majesty, but there's someone I need to speak with," Levi said, backing away from the group.

"Of course, of course," Jonathan said, "We'll talk about your promotion later, my boy."

The king and soldiers walked past Eugene. Levi approached him and cleared his throat. He seemed to be trying to think of something to say.

"So..." Eugene said before Levi could think of anything.

"So?"

"It looks like my time is just about up," Eugene said, displaying his bony white hand to emphasize his point, "I just wanted to say that... you aren't such a bad guy after all."

Levi smirked. "It's been a pleasure to work with you, Fitzherbert. I wish you luck whether you go to heaven or hell. Though, I personally believe you deserve a spot in heaven."

Eugene smiled slightly. He certainly hoped so. He heaved a sigh. "Would you... say goodbye to Rapunzel for me?" he asked, "I would do it myself, but... I don't want her to see me like this."

Levi nodded. "I guess this is goodbye then?"

"Yeah. I'd shake your hand, but, well that wouldn't work out. So goodbye."

No sooner had he said this did everything start to spin. Levi's form was fading away into nothing. Eugene became aware that he was moving, the space still spinning around him. Blurs of color surrounded him. He was being taken somewhere. Heaven, Hell, he wasn't sure still. He would just have to wait and see. His time was up.

The spinning began to slow and the colors became less blurred. Soon everything had stopped altogether. However, Eugene was not somewhere bright and wonderful, nor was he somewhere dark and dreadful. He was standing outside Rapunzel's old tower. Why was he brought there? Was he supposed to just wait where he was? Was he supposed to go inside?

He decided he would go inside. He just wanted to get one last look at his body, even if it was ugly and decaying. He remembered the secret staircase at the back. He walked over to it and began to make his way up the stairs. He felt like he was alive and walking to his execution. It was such a long march upwards.

As soon as he stuck his head out of the trapdoor at the top. Everything around him froze. There was a flash of purple light and the Soul Keeper appeared next to the trap door. "Eugene Fitzherbert," it said.

Eugene climbed all the way inside. "Yes, I'm here. So where am I going?"

"What do you mean?" the Soul Keeper asked.

"Where am I going?" Eugene repeated, "Heaven or hell?"

The Soul Keeper stepped closer to him, or glided closer. Whatever it was, it got it closer to Eugene. "Your past crimes have been redeemed. This would normally ensure you passage to heaven. However..."

Eugene swallowed. He was going to hell, he knew it. "However," the Soul Keeper continued, "You were given the special privilege to find a way to get back inside your body. Most souls that arrive in limbo do not get that option. They just come back and try to right some wrongs and then go to heaven."

The Soul Keeper bobbed the purple orb up and down as it spoke. "Every soul has a specific purpose for coming to Earth. Your's was to serve as a companion to the princess of Corona. However, you failed to fulfill this duty when you were alive and you failed to find a way to get back into your body to get another chance to fulfill it."

Eugene hung his head. That was the whole point of his returning. To reunite himself with his body, not to redeem himself. "So... I'm not going to heaven then?"

"No," the Soul Keeper replied.

Eugene hung his head. He had trued, but failed. He would be stuck with that thought for all eternity.

"You may have failed to find a way to reunite yourself with your body," the Soul Keeper said, "but she didn't."

The Soul Keeper pointed to something in the shadows. Eugene looked and saw his body with Rapunzel sprawled out over it, wedding dress and all, clinging to his body, sobbing. She was frozen like everything else around them.

"Why is she here?" Eugene asked.

"She came here shortly after the wedding, heartbroken."

The Soul Keeper had said she found a way for him to come back. "What did she do?" Eugene wondered.

"She cried on you," the Soul Keeper said, "She cried while singing her little healing song."

"But she lost that power when I cut her hair."

"No. There's still magic inside her. She didn't cry over you when your first died and even though she has cried since then, she was not singing the incantation at the same time. So she had a last little bit of power to use. I just had to be activated."

Eugene looked back at Rapunzel and his body. "So I can go back inside my body?" he asked slowly, but hopefully.

The Soul Keeper nodded. "You may not believe in soul mates, but that's exactly what you two are. You are incomplete without each other."

The purple orb began to glow brighter. "Don't waste your second chance, Eugene Fitzherbert!" the Soul Keeper called.

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Rapunzel's face was buried in Eugene's vest, not caring that it smelled. Hurt and pain was all that was in her mind, they had taken over her senses. She wanted to be with him so badly. He had been her new dream after the lanterns.

She suddenly thought that the room was getting brighter, but she didn't bother to look since her sorrow was still controlling her senses. It was when she felt the body she was clinging to begin to fill out beneath her when she finally looked up, confused. She was going to look at Eugene, but was distracted by the light that had, indeed, filled the room. It was now retreating back to Eugene's side where his wound was.

Rapunzel looked at the place and, to her surprise, found no trace of the fatal mark that had taken Eugene's life. The only trace that there had been any sort of injury was the dried blood that stained his shirt.

Rapunzel looked at his face. Shocked, she saw that it had been filled back out into its original shape, exactly as she remembered it. Color was returning to his cheeks, his skin no longer pale white and clay-like. His hands and chest were filled back out as well. The biggest shock though was when she felt his chest rise and fall beneath her hand. She gasped and withdrew her hand.

"Rapunzel?"

No, it couldn't be. It was too good to be true. Rapunzel looked back at his face. Eugene's eyes were open and she could clearly see the beautiful hazel color. She didn't know what to do or what to say. Was he really alive? Or was she hallucinating? Had all that mourning driven her mad? He smiled a little at her and pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Eu-Eugene?" Rapunzel asked hesitantly.

He grinned at her. "Yeah. Last I checked, that's me."

Rapunzel could not believe it. She wanted to pounce on him and squeeze him tight, but she couldn't move. She was still in shock. "But... how-?"

Eugene didn't take his eyes from her. "Your tears. They still have the power your hair had," he explained.

"I can't- you're- I mean... I don't..." Rapunzel couldn't pull her thoughts together.

Eugene flexed his fingers, seeming to be oblivious to Rapunzel's blubbering. "I feel sort of stiff," he remarked, "I guess that's not surprising, I've been laying on this floor for over a week, dead."

"You... feel?" Rapunzel asked. The word seemed so foreign to her. He could actually feel? Could she touch him and feel it?

The man sitting beside her smiled. "I can feel," he answered.

He got to his feet and stretched. Then he reached down and took her hands in his, pulling her to her feet. She could feel his hands! The warmth of his skin against hers, it made her remember how he had held her hands during the lantern festival. Warmth washed over her entire body, starting from where her hands touched his. He carefully lifted a hand up to her forehead and pushed some of her tasseled hair out of her eyes.

"Can you feel?" he asked softly.

She could! She could feel him! She just gave a small nod. The next thing she knew, his hand was cupped over the back of her head, slowly pulling her closer to him. She remembered the first time he did that, he never accomplished his goal and left the both in regret. She didn't want that feeling again, so she was going to make it happen before something else came up. She grabbed his vest, yanked him towards her, and quickly pressed her lips against his.

She felt them against her own. She felt him kiss her back. She felt his arms encircle her waist. She felt his warmth as she wrapped her own arms around his neck. He was alive and whole and finally kissing her. It was more wonderful than anything she had imagined. At last they were together and she had a happy ending just like everyone else.

She felt whole again.

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Aw, you guys didn't think I would actually never get those two back together again, did you? I have a hard time with super sad endings (stories must have at least a 'satisfying' ending for me to enjoy them) so I couldn't even think of separating them forever. Epilogue to come.

Reviews will make me sing opera and drive my parents crazy, so review please XP