A/N: And...another hard chapter to write, that took me a very long time. I actually might go back and revise the ending, because I'm not sure if it's sad enough. but we'll see.

Much appreciation to my r/r's!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

Chapter 17-The Final Confrontation

"Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it."
-Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess

"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad."

-Aldous Huxley

As I sat on my bed, completely distraught, I felt my heart ache. Pascal, always sympathetic, tried to comfort me, but nothing he did made me feel any better either. I mulled over Eugene's betrayal over and over in my mind until I couldn't think of it anymore. Exhausted, I lay back on my bed, hoping that nothingness of sleep would claim me. It didn't. Instead, I kept seeing Eugene's face behind my eyelids and eventually, I opened them, surprised that shutting my eyes made me feel worse than when they were open. I looked up at the paintings on my ceilings, wishing I could rewind the clock and do everything over again, beginning when Eugene first entered the tower.

As I stared at my paintings, a very odd feeling came over me. The pictures on my ceiling were, of course, not the cause because they were of perfectly normal things-like a girl dreaming in bed. No, that wasn't the strange thing. Do you remember when I saw the mosaic back at the festival? How I felt something akin to déjà vu? Like I should remember something, but I couldn't quite reach it?

Well, that feeling came back as I lay on my bed. And I wondered if there was anything that could possibly unlock the door of my memory. Hmm. The only thing I had was the purple cloth with the golden sun on it. Though it seemed completely silly at the time, I raised it over my head.

Can you believe that it actually worked? Looking back, it seems completely absurd. But as I lay on my bed, with the fabric over my head, I felt the door open slightly and I leaned up on one elbow. Oddly enough, the pictures on my ceiling seemed to turn into the golden suns, the kind that was on my piece of fabric. I stood up, bewildered. Memories were beating at my mind now, demanding to be released. And I let them.

Instantly, images flashed through my mind:

A golden sun hovering above me, and a couple leaning in, that strangely looked like the king and queen

The mosaic at the festival of the king, queen, and their daughter who had the same hair and eye color as me

Me, trying on the tiara, and marveling that it seemed to have been made for me

Eugene's face, saying, "the lost princess was taken away by somebody when she was a very young baby…. they send up your floating lights every year on the princess' birthday, hoping that she'll see them and come back"

Suddenly, everything became clear to me: I have the same color eyes and hair as her. I have the same birthday like her. I felt the lanterns calling me, like her. The tiara fit me, like it would fit her. Because…..it's me.

I am the lost princess.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Completely stunned by my revelation, I cried out, knocking over my bureau in the process. I couldn't help but think, over and over: I am the lost princess, I am the lost princess, I am the lost princess. And finally, I understood that if I was the lost princess, then the woman who brought me up wasn't my true mother at all. In fact, if what Eugene had said was true, then she had been the one who had stolen me away, all those years ago.

And once I realized that, I felt myself becoming very angry at my so-called mother. No, not angry. Beyond angry. I was furious. You know, dear listener, I didn't (and still don't) become mad that easily. So you have to believe me when I say that I had never been more livid in my entire life. Now, I remembered all her warnings about people who would use me for my power, that she just wanted to keep me safe, and all along it had been a lie that she had made up so I would stay in the tower and she could remain young forever. And I recalled all the times I had put up with her so-called teasing, her constant over-protectiveness, her condescending and degrading remarks, because….I had thought that she was my mother. And she wasn't.

"Rapunzel!" I heard her call, her footsteps echoing on the stairs. But I had no interest in responding. "Rapunzel, what's going on up there? Are you all right?"

I stumbled out of my room. "I'm the lost princess," I said softly.

She sighed, clearly annoyed. "Please speak up, Rapunzel. You know how I hate the mumbling."

Yes, I know. And don't worry, I won't do it again. I straightened up, and took a deep breath. "I am the lost princess. Aren't I?" I repeated, very loudly and clearly this time.

Her eyes widened in shock. And by shock, I don't mean Oh-Rapunzel-I-Had-No-Idea-This-Entire-Time. No, I mean Oh-Rapunzel-I-Never-Wanted-You-To-Find-Out-Because-I-Wanted-To-Keep-You-In-This-Tower. Yeah. She knew perfectly well what I meant, and I could tell that she was alarmed. Because how could she keep me under her thumb now?

"Did I mumble, Mother?" I said, with my eyes narrowed. "Or should I even call you that?"

Her face continued to be alarmed, but then she composed herself once more, taking on her previous role of all-knowing mother. "Oh, Rapunzel," she said, as she walked up the stairs. "Do you even hear yourself? Why would you ask a ridiculous question?" She even attempted to hug me.

I didn't ask you anything. And my question was not ridiculous. I pushed her away, still angry. "It was you! It was all you!" I exclaimed.

Now her eyes narrowed. "Everything I did was to protect you," she said, her voice cold as ice.

Protect me? From what? People who would use me for my hair? Like you, yourself? For my whole life? I shoved her in my fury, and walked down the stairs. "I've spent my entire life hiding from people who would use me for my power…"

"Rapunzel!" she cut in, very loudly.

And we're back to the interrupting. You still can't let me finish one sentence of my own. How dare you? My heart began to pound furiously and I turned toward her. "….And I should have been hiding from….you!"

"Where will you go?" she inquired. "He won't be there for you."

My heart dropped down to my feet. It didn't take somebody brilliant to figure out who she meant by he. She was talking about Eugene. And I found that, even though he had broken my heart, I wanted him to be safe. Because I still cared about him. "What did you do to him?" I asked, dread filling my veins.

"That criminal is to be hanged for his crimes," she said.

Hanged? Eugene? My heart felt sick with horror. "No!" I gasped.

She came over close to me. "Now, now," she said comfortingly. "It's all right." No, it's not. "Listen to me. All of this is as it should be." She then tried to pat me on the head.

But I wouldn't let her. I was through with her condescending games, tricks, and most of all her deception. No, this was not as it should be. She tried to make me believe that the world was cruel so I wouldn't leave her tower. When in reality, although the outside world did have its black spots, it was better than staying with her, being fed her lies, just so she could remain young forever. She was dead wrong about the world, and she was dead wrong about me if she thought I was going to cower before her again.

I gripped her wrist before it could touch my hair. "No," I said firmly. "You were wrong about the world, and you were wrong about me. And I will never let you use my hair again." During my speech, she attempted to get away, but I held her tightly. Once I finished, I released her and she fell into one of mirrors, knocking it to the floor. I gave her one final glare, and then I began to walk away from her, wondering what I should do, where I should go. Obviously staying with her wasn't an option.

I heard her mutter something about being the bad guy, but I can't tell you exactly what happened after that. Because suddenly I felt pain in my head and I slumped to the floor. And then everything truly did go black.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"She better liked to see him free and happy, even than to have him near her, because she loved him better than herself."

-Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge

When I regained consciousness, I felt a gag around my mouth, and chains across my wrists. I immediately tried to break free, even though I knew it wasn't likely. Then, she was in my face.

"Now, now," she said contemptuously. "None of that." Instantly, I felt fury course through my veins once more and I glared at her. I can't believe I ever considered her to be my mother! Why, she's horrible!

I realized she was talking to me again. "Now, don't worry, Mother's going to take you…" Suddenly, she stopped, as if she was listening for something. I tried as well, and then I heard what I thought I would never hear again-Eugene's voice.

"Rapunzel!" he called desperately. "Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

Her face twisted itself into a sneer, and she walked over toward the window. Looking out, she said, "It looks like we have a slight problem with my plan."

Eugene? A…problem? Not to me, he wasn't. Not if he was here to rescue me. I attempted to say as much through my gag.

She rolled her eyes. "But don't worry, dear," she said menacingly. "I can take care of him." And she pulled out a dagger from her cloak. Instantly, I knew what her plan was, and my eyes widened in fear. No, no, no, no! I couldn't let her do that to him. I tried to wrestle myself free with renewed energy, but to no avail. I watched in dismay as she draped my hair out the window, and the sounds of Eugene climbing up echoed in the tower. As she hid in the darkness, I felt more than saw, her pleased look. I felt anger adding itself to my fear. She knows how much he means to me, but she doesn't care. She'll kill him anyway. How could she do that to me? Do all our years together mean nothing? The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow. I wished with all my might that I could somehow warn Eugene, tell him not to come up.

But he did. "Rapunzel," he said, relieved. "I thought I'd never see you again." His eyes widened in horror when he saw my predicament. No, Eugene! Don't worry about me! Just get out of here! I tried to warn him about her plan through my gag, but he didn't understand me. I watched, in complete terror, as she stabbed him with her dagger. Immediately, he slumped to the floor, his hands clutching his side. I screamed in alarm through my gag, trying even harder to free myself. How could he survive that? I glanced over at my "mother", stunned that she had actually followed through with her plan.

She looked dismayed, but I could see right through her act. "Now, look what you've done, Rapunzel." What I had done? I strained against my bonds, determined to liberate myself. My eyes traveled from my mother to Eugene lying on the floor of the tower, groaning in pain. My heart ached for him, and I wished that I do something to help.

She walked over to me and unchained me from the wall. "Oh, don't worry, dear. Our secret will die with him." My heart turned black at the word die-black with fear for Eugene and black with anger at my "mother". No, I screamed internally. No! I fought even harder to reach him.

"And as for us," she continued as she dragged me toward the trapdoor. "We are going where no one will ever find you again." I struggled with all my might against her, straining to reach Eugene. Pascal, ever my loyal friend, tried to stop her, but she brutally kicked him aside. That was a mistake on her part-all it did was make me, fueled by my anger, fight her even more. I wouldn't go with her, not now, not ever. Not when she had lied to me about everything. Not when she had brutally stabbed Eugene.

"Enough, already," she ordered. "Stop-Fighting-Me!"

Somehow, through all my thrashing about, my gag had fallen from my mouth. And I found my voice. "No," I said angrily as I sat on the floor. "I won't stop. For every minute of the rest of my life, I will fight! I will never stop trying to get away from you!"

Her eyes were full of ire and I could tell that she was about to pull me toward the trapdoor again. In that instant, I realized what I had to do: As much as I didn't want to live with her, as much as I had grown to despise her, and as much as I wanted to fight her, I found that I had to go with her. Because I knew, deep down in my heart, that I loved Eugene more than I loved my freedom, more than I loved my own life, more than I loved my own soul. Even though he had betrayed me, I couldn't do the same to him. And I couldn't let him die. Not without trying to heal him first.

"But…." I said, gazing straight into her eyes. "If you let me save him, I will go with you." Her hold on my chains relaxed slightly. She was thinking about what I said.

"No," Eugene groaned in protest. "No, Rapunzel."

As hard as it was, I ignored him. I had already made up my mind. "I'll never run, I'll never try to escape. Just let me heal him and you and I will be together. Forever! Just the way you want. Everything will be the way it was!" I took a deep breath, because I knew what I had to say next. "I…promise." You know that when I make a promise I never break it. Ever. And I wouldn't break this one, even though I knew it would tear my heart in half. "Just like you want. Just let me heal him."

Her hold on my chains completely relaxed and I knew she was going to agree.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once Mother had relented, she quickly released me from my chains, putting one of them on Eugene instead.

"Just in case you get any ideas about following us," she snarled.

I rushed over to his side. "Eu-Eugene!" My poor Eugene. His skin was almost white now, his cries of pain even more frequent. I cradled his head in my hands, trying to somehow ease the pain with my touch. His hand continued to be pressed to his side, but I knew I had to see it if I was going to be able to heal him.

Gently, I moved his hand to reveal the wound. I sharply inhaled. It's even worse than I thought. Beneath his green vest was his white shirt. Almost completely stained with red blood. Part of me wondered if I could even heal it because I had never attempted anything remotely like that kind of wound before. But I had to try. "Oh, I'm so sorry," I said. "Everything's going to be fine though." I hope.

Knowing that time was of the essence, I quickly put some of my hair onto the wound. If I don't do something soon, he'll die anyway. But he pushed my hand away. "No, Rapunzel."

I tried again to put my hair on the wound. "I promise. You just have to trust me."

"No," he protested, shoving my hand aside.

I realized that I needed to calm him down, because the pain must be driving him half mad. I raised my eyes to his, wishing that his face wasn't quite so contorted with sheer agony. "Come on, just breathe," I said, my voice calm and assuring.

He gazed at me, with anguish in his eyes. "I can't let you do this."

My heart ached for both of us. "And I can't let you die." For all the freedom in the world, there was no chance that I would let my dear Eugene die.

His eyes turned sorrowful. "But if you do this…."

Knowing that he was riling himself up again, I gently placed my hand on his face. "Shh…"

"Then you will die," he finished, through labored breaths. Straight away, I knew what he meant. Physically I might survive, but when I lived with her it would be like a living death for me, emotionally and mentally. But I knew that that it didn't matter. Not now. All that was important was that he lived. "Hey. It's going to be all right."

He smiled feebly. Relieved that he had stopped fighting me, I closed my eyes, ready to sing the incantation. I need all my concentration for this one. But before I could do anything, I heard him weakly say "Rapunzel, wait." I opened my eyes, wondering what he was going to say. He gently caressed my cheek, like he had on the boat, and I (as strange as it sounds) thought he might kiss me: One kiss before we had to leave each other forever.

But that's not what he did. Not at all. Instead of a loving kiss, he reached behind my head and completely cut my hair, straight through, with a shard of glass. And, as if it had taken the last of his energy, he collapsed to the floor.

Astonished, I put my hand to my hair. "Eugene…what?" My head felt seventy feet lighter, but I could actually feel my hair start to shrivel up and turn a dead brown. I held some of it in my hands, staring at it in shock, as the brown began to spread. And I realized that my chance at saving Eugene was gone. My heart began to ache again.

As extreme as my own reaction was, it was nothing compared to my "mother's." As soon as my hair turned brown, she gathered it up, completely horrified. "No! No!" Before my very eyes, she became ancient, with white hair and wrinkled skin. "What have you done? What have you done?" she cried. She ran over to the broken mirror, and to me, she saw herself truly in that moment: an old, decrepit, and hurtful woman. But some cannot see themselves as they really are. She could not, and she pulled her cloak over her head, wailing "No" over and over again.

To be honest, even now I'm still not sure what happened next. Because one minute she was in the tower, and the next she was falling out of it. I have my suspicions that Pascal did something, but I would never know for sure, because he never would tell me. But instinctively, I reached out to her, as if I could somehow bring her back into the tower. Of course, I couldn't, and she tumbled to the ground. She's gone, I realized with deep breaths. She's gone. The woman I believed had been my mother was gone. I think I might have grieved more, but I immediately remembered Eugene and I turned once again to his side.

He was completely white now, and his chest rose and fell with very shallow breaths. I realized that his life had almost bled out of him and he was on the verge of death. But I couldn't just sit there, and do nothing. I cradled his head in my lap. "No, no, no, no, no! Eugene…" I cried. Don't be dead! He coughed, and his eyes opened for an instant. I lovingly stroked his face, as if I could magically bring him back. "No, look at me!" I pleaded. His eyes remained shut. Don't leave me! Don't leave me to love alone! Don't go somewhere that I can't! "Don't go! Stay with me, Eugene," I begged. In desperation, I took one of his lifeless hands and placed it on my hair, even though I knew the magic was gone. "Flower gleam and glow," I sang futilely.

Suddenly, I felt his hand stroke my own. "Rapunzel…"

"Let you power…shine" I choked out, feeling utter grief begin to overwhelm me.

"Hey…" he said, and I knew he was trying to get my attention. But I couldn't. Not until I tried to sing the incantation.

"Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine" I finished desperately.

He gently drew my face toward him with his hand. "Rapunzel…"

A sob rose up in my throat. Would it be the last time I heard him say that? "What?"

"You were my new dream" he whispered, his eyes barely open.

` And as he said that, I felt my already wounded heart break in half. Because I knew he was saying goodbye to me. Tears of grief welled up in my eyes. "And you were mine." His eyes drifted shut, and he breathed one last, final breath. Then, he went completely limp in my arms.

And I knew that it was over.

Eugene- my dear, beloved Eugene -was gone.