A/N: Hello, all! Here's chapter 4, Escorting the Fair Lost Princess. And thank you all for your lovely reviews! Also, I probably won't update for about a week and a half, because I'm going on vacation to South Carolina, and I'm not bringing my laptop :) But I'm not sure, I may update again before the end of this week :) Anyway, on with the story!

Tragically, I don't own Tangled. I don't know what else to say.

"You about ready?" Eugene called to Rapunzel, who was peeking through the vines to get a last look at her tower. Well, her last look for a while, anyway.

Though she heard him, she didn't respond for a moment. She tilted her head from side to side, trying to memorize every angle of her tower in the late morning sun. The two had woken up from their little nap not long before and were about to head off to the kingdom to return her to her family.

When she was satisfied with her last look at the tower, she turned back around to find Eugene standing behind her. Funny, she didn't notice him walk up.

Rapunzel smiled at him and answered his question. "Mhmm."

"We'll come back. I promise." He assured her.

"I know." She smiled, taking a few steps towards him.

She leaned her forehead into his and they playfully rubbed noses.

Eugene kissed her lips softly.

"Now," he said, taking her hand in his, "Are you ready for me to escort you on this adventure, fair princess?"

oOo

"Oh, Eugene, look!" Rapunzel exclaimed excitedly atop Maximus, pointing at the sign up ahead.

The Snuggly Duckling.

Of course.

"Let's go in and tell them thank you!" she continued.

"You don't want to meet your parents as soon as possible?"

"Well, I do, but we have to thank them! You wouldn't even be here without them!" She replied, pushing him out of her way as she swung her legs over Max and jumped down.

She did have a point.

Eugene was just hoping it wasn't his and Rapunzel's turn to bust someone out of prison.

"Alright, Blondie." He agreed, following her to the door, as if he had a choice in the matter.

Funny how last time they came in here he was dragging Rapunzel in. That had been what, two days ago? So many things had changed since then.

"Rider, what's with all these girls all of the sudden? I liked that other one! We only busted you out to save her, what'd you do with her?" Hook Hand asked as they walked in.

"It is me, Hook Hand! Eugene cut my hair!" Rapunzel replied, running up to him and hugging him.

The voice and the eyes were hers, so Hook Hand figured it probably really was her.

"Who's Eugene? And why is it brown now?" Hook Hand asked again, still confused.

Rapunzel giggled.

"Oh, I'll tell all of you in a minute!" she replied, walking further into the pub.

Apparently, the rest of the thugs recognized her at once, because upon seeing Rapunzel, they all cheered and welcomed her.

"Oh, hello, Big Nose! Attila! Hello, Vladimir, is that a new unicorn? It's lovely! Bruiser, that sock is coming along nicely! Did you say it's for your new nephew?" Rapunzel began, greeting all of the thugs.

Eugene couldn't help but laugh as he overheard a conversation between that one cupid short thug and Fang.

"Wasn't her hair different the other day?" Fang whispered to – well, we'll just call him Shorty for now.

"No, she didn't, her hair was just like that!" Shorty answered, quite loudly.

"No, I don't think so, it was real long and blonde yesterday. Rider said she was growing it out." Fang said.

"Nah, it was just like that."

"Well, if Rider was telling the truth - which he usually doesn't – if she was growing it out, why'd she cut it?"

"I dunno." Shorty answered.

From Eugene's perspective, these guys were pretty stupid. He told the truth much more often than these guys made it sound like! And how could they not remember her hair? Was he the only one who wasn't accustomed to ridiculously long hair that glows and heals when sung to?

"Okay, everyone!" Rapunzel began, standing on top of the counter to get everyone's attention. "I'm going to tell the story of how Eugene came to save me, and how my hair got like this!" she announced.

There were a few cheers and a few "Who's Eugene?" 's and a comment or two about wondering what happened to her hair.

Rapunzel sat down on the counter and began her story.

"First, you have to understand something. Remember the other day when I had long blonde hair? ("I told you her hair was different yesterday!") Well, it was magical, and it could glow and heal and keep people young. But a woman who wanted to stay young forever kidnapped me when I was a baby, and she kept me up in a tower and made me think she was my mother, and never let me out."

A few "Aww" 's and sympathetic words were heard as she paused.

"Well, anyway, Eugene showed up in my tower, and I made him take me to see the lights I had been dreaming about, like I told you. After Hook Hand showed us that secret passage, we walked for a while in the tunnel, and then the guards came after us. And we ended up at the dam. Well, long story short, we pretty much destroyed the dam, and got stuck in a cave, with water rushing in, and we couldn't find any way out. That is, until I told Eugene my hair glowed, which he freaked out about, and we used it to find a way out."

Now, Eugene had something to dispute.

"I did not freak out!" Eugene protested indignantly.

Giggles bubbled from Rapunzel's lips.

"Oh, yes, you did. The look on your face was priceless. I couldn't have a conversation with you for at least an hour without you bringing up the fact that my hair glowed."

"It was not an hour!" Eugene disagreed.

"No, I think it was, I think you were just so freaked out that you lost concept of time." Rapunzel replied, smiling.

Before Eugene could respond, Vladimir pounded his fist on a table and bellowed, "Finish the story!"

Rapunzel immediately obeyed and finished filling them in on the rest of her and Eugene's adventure together.

"And guess what?" Rapunzel said, after she had finished. "I'm the Lost Princess!"

Immediately the pub thugs believed her and cheered and congratulated her in response.

"So we're on our way to the kingdom to meet my parents!" she exclaimed excitedly. Cheers went up again as Attila brought out few batches of fresh cupcakes.

After the two had eaten lunch and left, Hook Hand called together a huddle in the middle of the room.

"All right, men. If that pretty little lady is gonna get to her family, Rider's gotta stick around. Now, - "

"She said his name was Eugene." One thug loudly corrected Hook Hand.

"Oh, shush." Hook Hand said. "Anyways, as I was sayin', the guards are gonna be swarming after Rider, since he escaped from bein' hanged and all. So he's gonna need some protection. So I say we go into the kingdom too and keep the guards from findin' him, got it?"

"Got it!" the rest of the thugs chorused.

oOo

"You know Blondie -." Eugene started, back turned to Rapunzel as he untied Maximus' reins.

He was cut off by a shriek. Immediately he whirled around to see a man, looking much like a regular at the Snuggly Duckling – one that wasn't there when Rapunzel got them to sing about their dreams - restraining a frightened Rapunzel, holding a knife to her throat. Eugene's eyes widened in horror at the sight.

"Alright, Rider." the man said. "I've heard there's a reward fer you, eh?"

Eugene swallowed hard. He knew where this was going. And it was his fault. If he hadn't been so stupid as to be a thief, no one would be out to get revenge on him or to catch him to get a reward.

"So why don't I just take ya into the kingdom and return ya for you to be hanged?" the man continued.

Eugene anxiously looked toward the pub. Didn't anyone in there hear Rapunzel or see what was happening?

"No!" Rapunzel suddenly shouted. "I won't let you take him!"

The man grinned evilly and chuckled. "Don't think there's too much ya can do about that, girl."

"Yes, there is!" Rapunzel shot back. "Because I'm the Lost Princess."

No, Eugene thought. Oh, why did she just tell him that? Now that stupid thug would want to get a reward for her too and…oh, this was not good.

And after all those years of thieving and lying to get himself out of trouble, somehow Eugene just couldn't get the words out of his mouth that Rapunzel wasn't the Lost Princess.

The thug chuckled.

"Well, well, then, I s'pose I'll just take both'a ya back to the kingdom, then."

Eugene shot a panicked look at Rapunzel. What were they supposed to do?

Just when Rapunzel thought the man was going to let go of her or at least loosen his grip, he grasped her arms tighter, making it impossible for her to even move.

"If you prove to be too much of a problem, or you'se lying and you ain't the Princess, I'll kill ya right now. Them Royals have gone eighteen years withoutcha, I figure they can go the rest of their lives."

"No! Please, don't hurt her. Just let her go, you can take me! I won't try to get away; I'll let you turn me in! Please, don't hurt her." Eugene pleaded. Oh, he hated the sight of that knife so close to Rapunzel…

The thug chuckled and gripped the knife even closer to Rapunzel's throat, the cold, harsh blade touching her soft skin ever so slightly.

"I ain't gonna miss an opportunity to get a reward like I'm sure they'se offering fer her, if that's what you'se wantin. Why, I could prob'ly git a island wit' that."

Eugene rolled his eyes. Oh, so unoriginal.

His eyes darted around the forest, desperately trying to find an escape. He glanced at Rapunzel and noticed Pascal wasn't in his usual spot on her shoulder. That was strange, but he was too worried to care. What were they going to do?

The thug continued his speech. "Better yet, I could git a island with a castle – "

Before he could finish his thought, a squeal rang out, and before anyone could tell what was happening, a flock of chameleons, led by Pascal, wrapped their tongues around the thug, and Maximus knocked him out with a frying pan.

The guy immediately fell backwards with a loud thud, leaving Pascal and his group standing there, looking very proud.

"Frogs to the rescue!" Eugene exclaimed as the chameleons recoiled their tongues.

Maximus gave him a displeased look.

"Chameleons, Eugene." Rapunzel corrected.

"Right. And horses!" Eugene said, hoping Maximus would stop glaring at him.

Rapunzel picked up her chameleon and began talking to him.

"How did you do that?" she asked incredulously.

Pascal made a few squeaks and arm motions. Rapunzel listened intently while Eugene stood at her side, looking at her strangely.

"He says he saved the chameleons in the Snuggly Duckling from that pot and got them out here, and made up an escape plan with them and Maximus." Rapunzel explained. "Aw, you're such a brave boy, aren't you?"

"Great," Eugene muttered. "Now I'm the only one who can't communicate with every kind of animal."

Rapunzel ignored his comment and embraced him.

"Sorry about that, Punzie." He apologized, holding her close and rubbing circles on her back.

Rapunzel laughed.

"It's no problem. Should I expect you to escort me on an adventure without almost getting killed?"

Eugene laughed.

"Probably not."

A/N: And there you all are! So, review and tell me what you thought!