Chapter 31

After the longest night Eugene has ever experienced, he finds himself alone on the front porch of the lab.

He sits at the top of the tall staircase that leads up to the front door, with his knees apart and his elbows resting on top of them. He gazes out at the fields in front of him, lost in thought.

The winding dirt path trails through the grass and disappears into the trees. There's a soft breeze in the air that rustles the leaves of the nearby foliage. He hears birds chirping in the distance, echoing from within the forest that surrounds the area.

A white palace horse is hitched to a fence post in the distance, grazing along the grass – no doubt Cassandra's stallion, with Corona's emblem embedded in its saddle.

It's quiet and peaceful, despite all the chaos that had occurred only a day ago.

To think they had only arrived here last night, in the middle of a heavy downpour and thunderstorm, fearing that Rapunzel was going to die, or lose her memories forever. They'd arrived on this very doorstep, begging for Varian's help. This place looks different to Eugene now.

Everything had seemed so bleak then. It all feels like a blur - like it happened so long ago, yet it's as if no time has passed at all.

Eugene wasn't sure what to expect by the time morning came. But he almost can't believe that any of this is real. Because now Rapunzel is awake, and she remembers him, and despite how bad things had been, it seems everything ended up okay in the end.

It's almost overwhelming how much of a relief that is.

He finds himself so dazed by it all that he almost doesn't realize when someone steps out of the front door behind him, joining him outside.

The door creaks closed, shutting gently. Footsteps brush along the pavement, approaching Eugene from behind.

"I gotta admit. I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again."

Eugene doesn't turn at the sound of Cassandra's voice. Instead, his lips tug into a faint smirk at the familiar sound of it.

She joins him at the top of the staircase, sheltered by the awning. She sits in a similar manner – slouched and knees wide apart, much like a man.

As she too breathes in the fresh scent of pine, a comfortable silence falls between them.

Here they are once again, on the front porch of Varian's lab. Back where it all started. The last time they were here, they'd decided they were going to set out to find Rapunzel together, though neither of them had been entirely fond of the other's company.

They've come a long way since then.

Somehow, they're thinking the same thing. It's funny, how much can change in such a short amount of time.

But Eugene could say the same thing about Cass – that he wasn't sure whether he'd see her again. Though, he'd be lying to say that he isn't relieved to find her here, and alive at that.

"You came back," he says.

"You sound surprised."

"I mean, I knew you could handle yourself back there," insists Eugene, forcing confidence, "I wasn't worried."

Cassandra almost chuckles at that, suspecting that he's putting on a façade.

If she's honest, a part of her worried for him too. She'd thought him and Rapunzel would be long gone from this place by now, that is, if they had even made it out of the shipwreck. Thankfully, she was able to track them down all the way out here before that could happen.

"Did you find him?" Eugene asks uneasily, gazing outward.

A dire energy settles between them just from the mention of Donovan.

Cassandra inhales deeply, also staring out into the distance. "Yep," she reveals, sounding less than enthused, "He was barely alive when I did."

Eugene's mind reverts to the night before, and all that had happened.

He sees Donovan's bruised and bloody figure beneath him, clear in his memories. He still feels his own fists pounding against it, numb and bleeding. Though Donovan's face had looked like nothing but a red blur to him at the time. It's haunted Eugene ever since they left the ship.

Cass can't get the image of it out of her head either.

It falls silent between them again.

Neither of them have told Rapunzel yet what really went on below that ship. She'll blame herself if she ever learned that Eugene almost killed a man because of her. Cassandra doesn't think it's her place. Eugene, on the other hand… he's not sure he wants to relive that. At least not yet.

"I arrested him," reveals Cass. "My father is sending him back to Corona to stand trial. But if you ask me, they won't let him live after this. He kidnapped the princess. No doubt, the king will do the same thing to him that he tried to do to you."

Somehow, Eugene isn't entirely relieved to hear that. Donovan may be facing the hangman's noose, but he's still alive until then.

"Yeah, well… Let's just hope he doesn't escape too," he says.

Maybe Eugene would be satisfied right now if he had just ended it when he had the chance, made sure Donovan didn't come back. At least then he would be certain.

Lance had told him it was a good thing that Cass found Eugene below deck when she did, but he's still trying to decide whether that's true or not.

Somehow, Cassandra is able to read Eugene's mind so easily.

He was going to kill Donovan back there. There was no hesitation. Cass saw it then – and she sees it in his eyes now.

She glances down at his hands, and the white bandages that are wrapped around his knuckles. He's clenching his fingers around his opposite fist, tensely fiddling with them in his lap - something that he hasn't been able to stop doing since they got here.

She notices his distant expression as he stares blankly ahead, and the fact that he can't seem to stop dwelling on any of this. Though she doesn't blame him.

"You know, I'm not saying Donovan didn't deserve what you did…" Cass begins, "But you're not a killer."

Lance had said a similar thing to him. He said it wasn't like him, but Eugene is starting to think that maybe people don't know him as well as they think they do.

"I'm not so sure about that anymore," Eugene mumbles, feeling numb.

He'd intended to kill. Isn't that the same thing?

Eugene has never fallen into such dark thoughts before, but that doesn't mean it didn't still happen. Maybe that makes him a bad person. Maybe he isn't so different from a murderer.

The worst part of it all, is that if the opportunity ever did arise again, Eugene would kill Donovan in a heartbeat.

It wouldn't be much different than the king doing it instead. They'd both be killing him for the same reason – to protect Rapunzel. There's no difference.

Eugene isn't sure he'd ever admit to that, though. He doesn't know what to think anymore.

"You did the right thing, letting him live," Cass assures, truly believing that. "You don't want that blood on your hands." She looks over at Eugene sitting next to her. "Trust me. You can't ever come back from something like that."

Not like Cassandra can relate to killing, but guilt isn't a foreign concept to her. She thought she had been ready to do whatever was necessary to remain on the guard, even if that meant killing Eugene. She'd thought about it. She was supposed to do it, but hoped she wouldn't have to. She'd almost turned Rapunzel in too.

As much as she would've told herself it was just business, Cassandra wouldn't have been able to live with herself. Thankfully, she won't have to worry about that guilt ever again. And now Eugene won't have to either.

But he wonders if maybe Cass is right. Maybe she did do him a favour. Would killing Donovan truly have satisfied him? He supposes he'll never know. Maybe it's best things stay that way.

Eugene sighs, forcing the thoughts away, "So… what now? You gonna bring Rapunzel back too?"

Cass pretends to think about that, "Nah, I figured I'd let you two off the hook this time." There's a lighthearted tone beneath her words.

"Then why did you come back?" he asks.

That's the whole reason she went on this adventure with him in the first place, isn't it? To retrieve the missing princess? Not that Eugene ever believed she'd actually bring Rapunzel back. But the guards are still on the hunt for her. He can't imagine they would give up so easily, or allow Cassandra to, for that matter.

"Figured I'd take your advice. I finally told my father the truth about how I felt… and I left," Cass explains. "There's nothing left for me back there, anyway."

She stares down somberly while reflecting on it all. But she must say, it's relieving not being responsible for the entire kingdom anymore.

Well, Eugene can't say he expected to hear that. He remembers the last time they had spoken about it, and how torn Cass had felt about being on the guard. Though he'd never admit it out loud, he's proud of her for leaving.

It seems they both have changed. Just in different ways. Cass for the better, and Eugene… the opposite.

A mischievous glint appears in Cass' eyes, "Besides, I had to come back and make sure Rapunzel was in good hands." She lightly nudges her arm against Eugene's.

He lets out a breathy chuckle at that, finally allowing himself to smile.

Suddenly, he's forgotten all about Donovan, because that makes him think about Rapunzel, and how happy he is that she's finally back.

"She is," Eugene assures.

Cassandra's heart warms in her chest just from hearing that. "Good."

They gaze out at the field again, and the thick forest beyond it, both with faint smiles lingering on their faces.

After a moment, Cassandra pushes herself to her feet, snapping back into reality. "Well. We better go back inside. Lance said he was gonna cook something up for all of us. And I think we all could use a good meal after last night."

She turns away, stepping toward the front door.

"Hey, Cass?" Eugene peers over his shoulder, still sitting on the top of the steps.

She stops, looking back at him.

"I never did thank you… for saving my life back in Corona," he says. "I know it was a long time ago, but I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

She thinks back to that day, when Eugene was nearly executed in the town square two years ago. It's something she hasn't thought about in a long time.

They'd hardly known each other back then. Cassandra can't say she ever expected to be here with him now, after all this time. And she definitely didn't think that they would become friends, or… whatever it is that they are.

But if Cass hadn't rescued him that day, he wouldn't be with Rapunzel as he is now. And they wouldn't have a baby on the way either. Eugene can't thank her enough for that.

As if it's no big deal, Cass shrugs casually and tells him, "Don't mention it."