Chapter 20: Reprieve
As always, huge thanks to all the ones who left a lovely comment, this one is dedicated to you guys for all your wonderful reviews, so because I may or may not be merciful, I give you all an interlude before we head towards the long awaited end of this story and the subsequent angst. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Should this be the last thing I see
I want you to know it's enough for me
Cause all that you are
Is all that I'll ever need
~Tenerife Sea
The pale silvery light of the moon drifting through the open window casted deep shadows that crept around the austere room like ghostly spiders in the dark. It seemed that darkness was all there ever was in this wasteland of a place, stifling and infinite and inescapable. Befitting though for his current mood, Eugene thought with a wry curl of his lips as his eyes roamed over the cracks on the ceiling. The light of the lamps had been long since snuffed out, shortly after Rapunzel left, taking with her every ounce of warmth and light with every step she took away from him.
As he lay on his back on the hard mattress, not even bothering to get under the worn covers, the minutes ticked by in an agonisingly slow pace, but Eugene had resigned himself to a sleepless night anyway. The peaceful traces of slumber wouldn't come to numb away his distress for a few hours even if he'd tried to summon them. His tremulous thoughts would plague him even in his dreams, he was sure of it.
He should be used to the feeling by now, after every life altering event he'd been witness to in the past months alone, but somehow his body was still reeling and he could feel the shortness of breath with every gasping intake of air, the shuddering of his limbs, the way his heart seemed intent on escaping its cage inside his ribs for how frantically it beat. No news, however monumental, had left him quite so shaken before, and that was saying much considering it had not been too long since he'd found out he was an actual member of royalty.
It couldn't have a worse timing, truly, but he doubted he would've ever been prepared even if it had taken years. Eugene had never really given much thought to fatherhood, save for the fact he was most certainly sure he would never be fit for such a role. How could he, living the life of a wanted criminal, always on the run, never having a place to call home. Having a family of his own had always seemed an outlandish idea, and not too appealing for one Flynn Rider, not when he'd spent years burying his longing for something akin to love with the cravings of freedom and money and the rush of adrenaline that came with every impossible heist he pulled off successfully. A life of adventure and danger seemed much more interesting.
And even if the completely unwise idea of bringing a child of his own into this world had ever crossed his mind, he would've stomped on the desire with enough force to completely destroy it. Why would he want that, when he'd been through what he'd been through? He had no legitimate name to give to a child of his, no family, no home, no money of his own. Orphans and bastards like him were better left being the lasts of their kin, the world had no place nor kindness for scum like him. He had absolutely no desire to burden a kid with the same fate he'd been dealt as a child himself.
That was precisely why Eugene had always been so careful not to make the same mistake his own reckless parents had. Sure, he'd not precisely abstained himself from the pleasures of the flesh, but he'd taken enough precautions to ensure he wouldn't father a bastard child himself. He refused to do that, be careless enough to burden an innocent life with the same treatment he'd been dealt in his own life. There were enough unwanted children and abandoned orphans for him to bring any more into this cruel world.
And yet here he was.
He wasn't really sure what pained him the most, the fact that he had failed so monumentally and did the exact thing he'd always told himself he would never do, or the fact that Rapunzel had been the one to pay the price for his recklessness. She'd told him she didn't resent the baby, and by the way she spoke he could tell she didn't really regret it. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if she had really considered the full extent of the consequences. Regardless of the fact that she was a royal princess pregnant while out of wedlock — scandalous and damaging as it was on its own — Rapunzel still had her whole life ahead of her. All the dreams of freedom she'd harbored, the wishes she'd had to travel to unknown places and explore the world… she had to know a baby certainly put a damper on her independence. She should've had years to fulfill her dreams first, to travel the world to her heart's content and chase her freedom like a bird chases the wind. She should've had a choice in the matter. And her baby should've had a respectable man for a father.
Instead this is what she got because he couldn't control himself around her.
As for himself, Eugene was certain no amount of dangerous, deadly stunts he'd pulled off over the years had managed to terrify him quite as much as this did. He'd never felt so completely out of his depth. Sure, he'd dealt with children before, more times than he could count considering he grew up in an orphanage. But that wasn't quite the same as raising a child. How could he ever be good enough for this? He wasn't even someone his own kid could look up to in admiration. How could Rapunzel ever be okay with raising her baby with him at her side? He was a criminal, he had no past to be proud of and no steady future to offer.
An insidious, dark and twisted part of him told him she would've been better off passing the baby off as her fiancé's rather than running away. She would've been early enough in her pregnancy to manage it had she tried. Then she wouldn't have lost everything, her throne, her parents, her home… But no sooner had the thought materialised in his head than he felt a painful pang deep within his chest at the mere idea. Eugene would've hated that, and if that made him selfish, well… he'd never really been a model of morality to begin with.
No matter how much his own fear threatened to swallow him whole, Eugene had meant every word he'd told Rapunzel that night. He would stay by her side every step of the way. She wouldn't be alone in this, not like his own mother had been. Eugene refused to be like his father, an unwelcome ghost in his own child's life. No, he would work on himself, be someone his kid could be proud of, someone they could look up to. And he would be a constant presence in that child's life. His baby wouldn't go through what he'd been through, they wouldn't have to wonder if they'd ever been wanted, if they were even deserving of love. Even if Eugene could offer nothing else, he could at least make sure he'd always give his unconditional love and support; the only two things he had ever wished for as a child himself. His baby would never want for love or shelter or protection, of that Eugene would make sure.
With that resolution set in stone, his thoughts came back to Rapunzel. He couldn't really give her back everything she'd had to give up for this, but Eugene refused to be the one to cut her wings, forever grounding her because of his recklessness. She was meant to be free, to roam the earth and enjoy her independence to wherever her spirit may lead her. She deserved to live her dream. He'd had enough adventures to last him a lifetime, so he would set her free, Eugene was resolved to it. Once the time came, as soon as the baby was old enough to not need their mother to survive, Eugene would be the one to stay with the child, let Rapunzel have as many adventures and explore as many cities and exotic places as she desired. Eugene and the baby could wait for her, tucked away somewhere quiet and safe while Rapunzel lived her dream. She would come back eventually and they would wait for her for as long as she may need. They would be a family, the family that he had always longed for, the one he had never really let himself truly hope for.
The thought of that somewhat idyllic future washed over him like a soothing balm for his soul. Eugene found he no longer had any desire to spend his life peacefully alone on an island of his own with enormous piles of money. No, this still fragile and hazy hope, this delicate imaginings of a future with Rapunzel and their baby, this was his new dream. And Eugene would be damned if he didn't do everything in his hands to protect it.
He let the thoughts linger in his head as the shadows around his room slowly dissipated once the milky light of the first hours of the day broke through his window, pale and cool and nothing like the warm sunlight always present back in Corona. Eugene thought of Adira, and her instructions to wait for her return and remain hidden inside his rooms at daytime, lest there be spies of the Dark King hiding behind in shadowy corners. Well, he'd waited long enough, and Eugene found he had no desire to keep waiting in this godforsaken place any longer. With Rapunzel here, he had no use for Adira anymore, and quite frankly, he wasn't sure he was comfortable with the idea of the seasoned warrior meeting Rapunzel. The threat of the Dark King was still ever present in these parts, and Eugene wasn't going to risk waiting to see if the deranged monarch would figure out the secret of the Sundrop. He would take Rapunzel and leave this wasteland of a place, Adira be damned.
Nevertheless, as Eugene procured a fresh set of clothes and set about washing himself with the pitcher of fresh water resting over a brass basin in one of the rickety nightstands, a pestering thought took root in his mind, like slowly growing weeds over a perfectly kept lawn. Edmund, his father, still had no idea about Eugene's existence. One of the reasons Adira had returned was to see over his recovery, to tell him about his long lost son if she had the chance. If Eugene left now, it was likely he would never find out what had happened. Every notion he might have entertained of meeting his father, of being recognized as a prince of the Dark Kingdom, would be lost forever. There was no certainty that Edmund would even want to meet him, let alone legitimize him, but if he did… Eugene would be lying if he said the fleeting thought hadn't crossed his mind while he had still been with Rapunzel. If he was accepted by Edmund, Eugene would have something to give to his child; a legitimate name —an important one at that— a history, a noble background, maybe even a title. But at what cost?
The Dark Kingdom, Erebos, was too much of a withered and barren place to be worth much now, razed by the protruding thorns and decease that the Moonstone caused. And even if it weren't, Eugene had no desire to associate himself or his family with the deluded Dark King. He had seen the glint in the man's eye, the calculating way he'd searched for a weakness in Eugene to exploit. He wouldn't give the man he had the misfortune to call an uncle any reason to see his greatest weakness of all. And he wouldn't bring Rapunzel anywhere near that place, ever. It was too risky, too dangerous. Eugene would be better off forgetting he'd even been in such a place. Edmund had had a lifetime to make amends for his mistakes, he hadn't, that was on him. Now Eugene had to worry about not being the same letdown to his own child. Fitzherbert wasn't the absolute worst name, Eugene supposed. Let the world say what they will, his baby would have a present father and a loving mother, and that was all that really mattered.
With that in mind, now dressed, presentable and set for the day, Eugene opened the door to his room, greeting the world outside in broad daylight for the first time in over a week.
The hallway was dimly lit with the pale light of early morning, and Eugene was grateful for the safe anonymity the shadows provided as he crept downstairs, careful to avoid attracting too much attention to himself. Luckily for him, it seemed the tavern below had lost the rowdy crowd of the nighttime activities, now completely deserted save for a couple of lingering patrons here and there, apparently too exhausted at this early hour to even lift their heads up from their meager meals.
Eugene caught the glimpse of a telltale long, golden braid, tucked away within the deepest corner of the tavern. Rapunzel was seated at one of the tables, back perfectly straight and looking completely out of place in such a dubious place, with her ever vibrant personality and the way she seemed to exude the very essence of sunlight from every pore of her porcelain skin. She had decided to forgo the heavy cloak she'd worn the night before, displaying a simple lavender dress that hung loose around her form, concealing any evidence of her current condition. He could see she was happily chatting away with her reptile friend, who was perched upon the table while munching on some dried fruit.
Eugene's mood definitely took a downturn once he realized that Rapunzel had more company than just Pascal. The brunette young woman that had barged into Rapunzel's room the night before only to deliver a punch across his face out of the blue was sitting beside her on the table. Eugene could feel his cheek throb at the mere sight of her.
Cassandra, if Eugene recalled correctly, rested her chin over her palm, her olive green eyes traveling across the room in disinterest. Said indifference, however, soon morphed into annoyance the moment her gaze focused on him, eyes narrowing and mouth twisting in distaste like she had ingested a particularly sour lemon. Rapunzel instantly noticed her handmaiden's change in mood, and she followed her line of vision to where Eugene was slowly approaching their table.
Rapunzel's eyes widened once they landed on him, then blinked a few times as though she couldn't quite believe her eyes. She seemed utterly surprised to see him, and Eugene couldn't decide if her reaction stung or not. Had she doubted he would keep his word to stay or was she just still surprised that she had actually found him there?
He decided to worry about it later, as he came to stand before their table, lips lifting into a soft smile. "Hey there, Blondie."
Rapunzel's face remained blank for a moment longer, before the ghost of a hesitant smile grazed her lips. "Good morning, Eugene."
"What are you doing here?" A disgruntled voice burst the quiet bubble of tentative hope enveloping them. Eugene reluctantly tore his gaze away from Rapunzel to acknowledge the unwelcome presence of her handmaiden.
"Ah. Good morning to you too, Cassandra." Eugene took extra care to mispronounce the name again, making the brunette bristle in her seat. "I see your manners still need more work."
"I don't remember anyone inviting you to join our table." Cassandra commented snidely.
Eugene opened his mouth, a sharp retort at the tip of his tongue, but before anyone could comment any further, another booming, deep voice joined their conversation.
"Eugene! Finally you decided to grace us with your presence for breakfast!" Lance approached with an overly enthusiastic wave, making Eugene suppress a wince. "I was beginning to think you were either a vampire or a hermit. I don't recall seeing you during the day at all!"
"Yeah, well, like I told you before, I've been busy."
"Ah, and I see you've met the lovely Rapunzel." Lance shot him a toothy grin, deciding to ignore his last statement as he brought his broad hand to Eugene's shoulder blades in an over enthusiastic pat that almost sent Eugene stumbling face first into the table. Eugene couldn't hold back a grimace this time.
"So, you two did know each other?" It was phrased more like a statement than a question, but Lance still looked at the both of them expectantly.
Eugene and Rapunzel blabbered a half-hearted answer.
"Oh, we uhm—"
"Yeah we're…"
"He's uh… we were—"
"They've met before." Cassandra interrupted with a roll of her eyes.
"Wonderful!" Lance's grin widened, clearly not reading the awkward energy surrounding them all. "Did you all plan to meet here then?"
"Not really, nope." Eugene rubbed the back of his head.
"It's just an awfully small world." Cassandra drawled, clearly unamused.
"What a marvelous coincidence!" Lance exclaimed, and Eugene stepped aside to avoid another one of his energetic pats. "We should celebrate this fortuitous reunion, I'll bring the drinks!"
Before any of them could protest, Lance disappeared in a whirlwind behind the bar, grabbing a couple of tankards and filling them to the brim with whatever beverage was stored in the enormous barrels stacked over the far wall. He returned in mere seconds, a brown, foamy liquid spilling over the edges of the tankards as he set one in front of each of them.
Lance had barely set the last drink before Rapunzel when both Eugene and Cassandra jumped forward in a hurry, as though Lance had just put a poisonous beverage on the table. A faint part of Eugene recognized the reaction was probably a bit unnecessary.
"Not for her, I'm afraid." Cassandra put her hand over the top of the tankard, pushing the drink away.
"Not a fan of ale?" Lance asked. "I have some mead in the back, if you'd like it instead."
"Oh no, thank you, Lance. I don't drink." Rapunzel answered with a sweet smile in lieu of explaining anything further.
Lance's brilliant grin dimmed just slightly, perhaps disappointed that Rapunzel would have nothing to toast with in celebration. "Oh, would you like something else?"
Rapunzel considered for a moment. "Well, I guess some tea would be wonderful!"
Lance blinked slowly for a few seconds, pleasant smile frozen in place. Eugene was somewhat certain Lance just didn't have the heart to tell Rapunzel that establishments such as this one weren't nearly fancy enough to serve something as fine as tea. Rapunzel stared at him, wide eyes hopeful and brilliant, and Lance looked like he was about to disappoint the sweetest puppy.
"Why don't you come with me to the kitchen, see if there's anything there that might be to your liking." Lance answered instead, waving Rapunzel over.
Rapunzel's smile widened at the idea, nodding enthusiastically and jumping from her seat before she remembered she actually had company that she would leave behind on the table. She hesitated, glancing back at them with a slight grimace.
"Will you guys be okay if a leave you alone for a moment?"
Eugene waved her off with a nonchalant gesture, sitting on the only empty seat left on the table with an air of casualness he definitely didn't feel. "Go ahead, Blondie. We'll be just fine."
Eugene tried to ignore the withering glare Cassandra shot his way, but when Rapunzel beamed and followed behind Lance's towering form with a certain skip in her step, Eugene thought he could withstand hours upon hours in the undesirable company of Cassandra just to see Rapunzel smile like that again. In fact, he was sure if Rapunzel's dazzling smile was the last thing he ever saw, he would die a happy man indeed.
He watched with what he was sure was a dopey look on his face as Rapunzel and Lance chatted happily while the tall bartender led her towards a door behind the bar. He could feel Cassandra's intense eyes on him, but Eugene couldn't bring himself to care. He could ignore her for a few minutes if she was merciful enough not to talk.
An awkward silence stretched between them, and Eugene glanced down to the table just to have something to occupy himself with that wasn't engaging in any kind of conversation with the disgruntled handmaiden. Pascal kept on munching on his dry fruit, but Eugene realized he had been eyeing him with caution, as if assessing how dangerous of a predator he was dealing with at the moment.
Eugene cleared his throat. "Hello, Pascal."
Was he really talking to the frog? Pascal's eyes narrowed just for a moment, looking him up and down cautiously. He seemed to deem him unthreatening enough, and gave a court nod before he turned his back on Eugene and continued with his snack, completely disregarding Eugene's presence.
Eugene sighed. Okay, so Rapunzel wasn't the only one reluctant to forgive him. He supposed he had it coming. At least this time the frog didn't decide to abuse his ear, so really, Eugene considered this a win.
"Hey, you." Cassandra's cold voice interrupted his train of thought. "A word?"
Eugene's eyes snapped back towards the brunette across the table. He raised an eyebrow. "Why exactly?"
Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Because I asked politely, and you don't really deserve my good manners so I will only ask nicely once."
"Au contraire, you don't have any manners to begin with." Eugene would be lying if he said he didn't thoroughly enjoy the way the handmaiden's eyes blazed with barely restrained fury. He could feel his lips twisting in a self-satisfied smirk.
"Look, it's important." Cassandra muttered through gritted teeth, she looked as if she was physically restraining herself from throttling him. She probably would if given the chance.
Which brought Eugene to address a very important point.
"You know, I usually make it a rule to refrain from engaging in fights with ladies but…" Eugene lifted one shoulder, leaning back in his seat. "You don't really strike me as one so, just a heads up; If you start throwing punches again I will defend myself."
"Good, I'm not a fragile damsel in distress." Cassandra said, but he could distinguish a certain vicious glint in her eyes, like she was daring him to do it just to have an excuse to attack. "I could easily take you with my eyes closed if you even tried."
"Well, if your skills are as good as your dad's… I really doubt it." Eugene replied offhandedly.
He could almost feel her hackles rise at his remark.
"You're making it very tempting to bruise your other cheek."
"You'd have to catch me first."
"Listen, you miserable excuse of a—" Cassandra suddenly cut herself off with a huff, trying to compose herself enough not to raise her voice in aggravation. "I'm really trying very hard to be remotely civil here, just for the sake of Rapunzel."
"Well, sorry to inform you, but you're not making a very good job of it." Eugene knew he was probably being a bit petulant, but he was not interested in the slightest to entertain a conversation with Cassandra after the less than subtle way she'd let him know just how much she disliked him. "I would advice you to start with an apology for the punch."
"I'd like a word with you, in private." She insisted, her eyes shifting to the door through which Rapunzel had disappeared.
"Why? You want no witnesses to the murder?" Eugene arched an eyebrow, throughly unconvinced. "I'm not an idiot, my dear Cassandra. I think I'd rather not be left alone with you anytime soon."
"It's about Rapunzel!" Cassandra threw her hands up in the air in an exasperated gesture. "It's important."
Eugene considered her for a long moment, interest momentarily piqued now that the topic addressed Rapunzel. He thought of Rapunzel's current condition and the fact that Cassandra had been the one to travel with her all this time, and suddenly he could feel a prickle of concern slowly take root in his chest. Well, Cassandra certainly knew how to push his buttons.
"Fine." Eugene muttered reluctantly, gesturing with his hand for her to lead the way.
He let her lead him past the entrance of the tavern and to the still mostly empty cobblestone street outside, the chill of the early morning biting at his skin. Cassandra walked towards a secluded corner around the inn, where it would be hard to spot them, let alone overhear their conversation, and Eugene had the sudden sinking feeling that perhaps she was indeed planning to get rid of him.
Cassandra stopped abruptly, and rounded on him with scrutinizing eyes that spoke of nothing but distrust.
"Okay, spit it out." She almost spat, arms crossing over her chest. "What is it you really want, Rider?"
"Excuse me?"
"Please, I'm not buying this whole noble act of yours." Cassandra scoffed. "You may be able to fool Rapunzel, but you don't fool me." She pointed and accusing finger at him, clearly itching to dig it into his chest in an incriminating poke. "Once a thief, always a thief, so what's in it for you? Huh? Why are you still here?"
Eugene blinked, more than a bit baffled. "I don't—"
"What do you really want from her?" Cassandra interrupted, like an interrogating guard trying to get a confession out of its suspect, intimidating and unrelenting. "If it's status or power or fame, you're quite delusional. Do you really think the Royal Council or her parents would ever let Rapunzel associate with a wanted criminal like yourself? You'll never be anything important back in Corona, nothing more than a thief, so don't even expect it."
It stung like a slap across the face, she might as well have punched him again. Cassandra spoke the very things that made his barely repressed insecurities rise like a devastating tidal wave. But Eugene didn't even have time to speak before she continued, taking a threatening step forward.
"Now if it's money what you're looking for, let me tell you now; Rapunzel doesn't have anything worth much with her for you to exploit. So you won't be getting anything from her."
"I wasn't—!"
"Look you've already done enough damage as it is. It's better for us all if you just disappear the way you came from." Cassandra muttered darkly, reaching into a pocket in her breaches and taking out a heavy-looking pouch. "So, here."
She threw the pouch towards him, its contents tinkling as Eugene caught it with quick reflexes, despite his still bewildered state.
"That'll be enough to last you a while. And honestly it's way much more than what you deserve. That's all that you'll be getting from us." Cassandra spoke with unwavering finality, and suddenly Eugene realized what she was trying to do.
So she was trying to get rid of him, just not in the way he'd half expected.
"You're paying me to leave?" Eugene asked, low and dark, affront evident in his voice.
"You would be smart to take it. We both know the only thing that you truly deserve."
"I am not leaving Rapunzel."
"Rapunzel shouldn't be here!" Cassandra snapped, losing any semblance of cool composure she'd had before. "She should go back to Corona where it's safe, where she belongs. I'll make sure she gets back home safe, and we know the only thing that's waiting for you back in Corona is a fair trial and the hangman's noose if you're lucky."
Eugene tried not to flinch at that. He knew the gallows were the only thing expecting him back there if he were caught, but hearing Cassandra say it so callously made something ugly stir in his chest and travel all the way to his stomach, chilling him to the bone.
Still, Eugene wouldn't let his pride suffer in front of her, so he deflected with the cool indifference of someone not remotely affected by her words.
"Oh, I didn't know Corona was back in the habit of giving a trial at all." Eugene let his lips curl with derision. "Thought they were just sending people left and right straight to the gallows. Nothing fair about that if you ask me."
Cassandra frowned, clearly put out by his critique of an unfair justice system her father had spent years supporting. So she wasn't the only one who knew how to push buttons. Eugene felt a sick sense of satisfaction replacing his previous disquietness.
Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest again, defensive. "They only do that with criminals. What part of that is unfair?"
"Well I know you have a cold and shriveled heart, but hanging people for petty crimes seems a bit extreme in my opinion."
"Kidnapping a princess and knocking her up is most certainly not a petty crime!" Her eyes were ablaze, but Eugene couldn't resist goading her further, make her feel just as unsettled as she'd made him.
"Wasn't talking about myself. We both know the king has sentenced people for much less, people your dear father happily brought to their death."
He could see the cracks in her resolve, the way his words provoked an unexpected reaction, cutting deep within her loyalty to the Crown of Corona. He could read Cassandra easily; righteous and fierce and eager to prove herself. She'd likely never questioned the morals behind the so called justice her father so viciously brought upon any criminal he caught, regardless of whether their crime truly warranted such a cruel sentence or not. Not until now.
Cassandra shook her head like she was trying to get rid of a particularly bothersome fly pestering her, and her eyes narrowed with renewed fury.
"Well, can you blame the king for cracking down on crime after what almost happened to his daughter?" She questioned, and Eugene knew what she meant. Corona very evidently doubled down on the punishments dealt to any criminal caught after the attempted kidnapping of the Crown Princess. After the suspect had never been caught. And Eugene had accomplished what the King and Queen had so meticulously tried to prevent; losing their daughter. Cassandra, ever merciless, continued on, twisting her words like a sharp knife inside his ribs.
"Wouldn't you do everything to protect your child from dangerous people too?" A glint of sadistic satisfaction gleamed in her eyes, "Oh, right! I guess we are about to find out."
He could see she enjoyed the deadly blow, and Eugene could admit her words had hit their target with powerful precision. Because he would. He would do anything to protect Rapunzel and their unborn child. Because even if he'd just found out about it less than 24 hours ago he could feel it in his bones and boiling in his veins; the fierce protectiveness that made him know he would give his own life in a heartbeat to protect that baby.
But the life he'd lead as a criminal was a dangerous one, far too dangerous to have the luxury of having any evident weaknesses. It wasn't one meant to allow space for a family. Cassandra evidently knew this, it was obvious she thought the best thing to do for said baby was to leave them out of Eugene's dangerous life.
And yet, Eugene was willing to try. He had made up his mind the night before, with unwavering conviction. Even if his self-doubt made it dangerously tempting to leave if it meant giving Rapunzel and the baby a chance to a better life, he wouldn't. Rapunzel had given him a second chance, had practically asked him to stay. He wouldn't disappoint her a again.
Eugene felt his own gaze harden as he looked at Cassandra, throwing back the pouch of money she'd given him with renewed force towards her face. She caught it just before it hit her nose.
"You can take your money and shove it up wherever it fits you. I don't want any of it."
Cassandra looked at him like she couldn't believe he was that stubborn. "Look, Rapunzel doesn't deserve this, okay?" She fixed him with a stare that could freeze hell over. "She's been through enough already, all thanks to you!"
"You may not even care because you weren't there to see the damage you left behind." This time she shoved his shoulder as she took a step closer with enough force to almost make him stumble. "You weren't there to see her slowly wither away, or to notice her puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks every morning only to pretend they weren't there because she would insist she was fine. You didn't watch her crumble bit by bit every single day until all there was left was a ghost! You weren't with her the day she found out she was expecting or how much it almost tore her apart, but you know what?" She pushed forward once more, almost cornering him against a wall. "I was there! I was there to watch it all play out, and I am not going to watch her go through that again. Not for a selfish criminal like you."
She finished her tirade with one last shove, like she was physically trying to push him as far away as possible herself. But Eugene let her without putting up any restraint. For the first time since he looked at her fuming from across a dark room with murder in her eyes, Eugene could understand her barely repressed fury like it was his own. He probably would've let her punch him again if she'd tried. Heavens knew he would've done that and worse to whoever had dared to hurt Rapunzel in such a profound way. Cassandra didn't trust him not to leave Rapunzel again. In her eyes he probably was the manipulative, odious criminal ready to take and take and take whatever Rapunzel would be willing to selflessly offer until there was nothing left of her, like a vicious leech sucking her precious life away. Worst of all, Eugene could admit to himself now, he couldn't really blame her.
He took a deep breath, then lifted his hands in a surrendering gesture. "Look, Cassandra, I understand."
That certainly made her pause, surprising her long enough to erase the anger in her features for a moment. Eugene took advantage of her momentary speechlessness to continue.
"I know, I screwed up, bad. And I don't blame you for probably wanting to murder me with your bare hands. But I'm trying to fix my mistakes." He tried to convey as much sincerity in his voice as possible, watching carefully as Cassandra's wrath slowly ebbed to be replaced by skepticism. "I meant what I told Rapunzel last night. I'm staying with her through it all. And whether you like it or not, I'm now a permanent part of Rapunzel's life, because I sure as hell won't be leaving my child."
"So, we can either keep hating each other's guts, or…" Cassandra lifted a dubious eyebrow, but Eugene extended a hand towards her anyway, an evident white flag. "We can try to be civil, you know, for Rapunzel's sake."
Cassandra stared at his offered hand with an expression wavering between doubt and disgust. Then, as if it physically pained her to do so, she shook his hand with a deep sigh.
"Fine. I still hate your guts but just for Rapunzel's sake, I guess I'll try to… tolerate you." Her fingers suddenly tightened around his hand with a surprising vice-like grip. "But I'm watching you, Rider. One mistake and I swear I'll hunt you down."
"And I wouldn't blame you for it." Eugene replied through gritted teeth, trying to disengage his abused hand from her bruising grip. He succeeded, not without stumbling backwards a bit at the force of his own tugging. He could've sworn he saw Cassandra's lips twitch in amusement.
Eugene turned to head back to the tavern, but he paused and looked over his shoulder one last time. "Oh, and by the way, it's actually Fitzherbert."
"Huh?" Cassandra tilted her head.
"Fitzherbert, not Rider." Eugene replied, fighting back a grimace. "I mean Rapunzel already told you anyway, might as well use my real name."
He didn't wait for her reply before he headed back inside.
In the end they stayed at Lance's inn much longer than they'd expected, only at Rapunzel's insistence —and much to Eugene and Cassandra's chagrin.
Cassandra had been eager to return to Corona as soon as possible, still believing there was a chance to sort things out if Rapunzel would only ask her parents for help. Meanwhile, Eugene was anxious to get as far away as possible from the Dark Kingdom, and being only two day's worth of travel away wasn't nearly far enough in his opinion.
But Rapunzel had been far too tired with the journey she'd just endured in such hurried conditions. She didn't have it in herself to keep traveling with little supplies, only Max as a means of transportation, and no clear destiny in mind. Besides, the inn at which they'd happened to coincide was the only decent one in miles, and while it was humble, old and in some desperate need of reparations here and there, it was comfortable and warm enough to keep the biting chill of the seemingly endless nights around these parts at bay. The company was a plus, Rapunzel liked Lance's energy and easygoing humor, and it certainly helped that the tall innkeeper was determined to make her stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible — an unwavering decision from his part that came after Lance realized she was actually pregnant.
So Rapunzel had been unmoved in her decision to stay which only left Cassandra to sulk and occasionally mutter her displeasure with the whole arrangement. After a while Eugene too had reluctantly relented; he'd been suspiciously compliant of her every request as of late, although it had taken a while for Rapunzel to truly notice his indulgence.
She'd been far too preoccupied at first with watching Cassandra's and Eugene's interactions like a hawk. Rapunzel would've hated a repetition of the events of the first night they'd met. Surprisingly enough, though, by some miracle she couldn't quite comprehend they seemed to have reached some kind of unspoken truce. They weren't friendly by any stretch of the imagination, but their very brief exchanges —if they had them at all— were much less biting than they'd been that first night. Cassandra had lost the spark of wrath in her eyes and had replaced it with some kind of cool scrutinization, and although often annoyed by Eugene's witty remarks, her sarcastic replies were far less scathing than Rapunzel would've expected. Eugene, for his part, was utterly uninterested in her handmaiden, his indifference spoke of his general dislike of her but he was only ever slightly annoyed when Cassandra's quips insinuated a lack of intelligence from his part, far worse if she insulted his looks. Overall, they seemed to be toying at the edge of some weird energy bordering on civility, but still one step away from almost confrontational.
Rapunzel wasn't sure if it relieved her more than it unnerved her, but she wasn't about to ask. Having them almost civil was far better than having them at each other's throats, so Rapunzel let it be.
It was only when that particular concern of hers had been removed that she finally noticed it; the way Eugene seemed to be at her beck and call in a way he'd never truly been before.
It had been subtle at first. She'd asked for tea and Lance had very sympathetically offered her milk and some stale cookies he happened to have lying around in the kitchen as a meager replacement instead. Rapunzel had eagerly taken the offer, happy to notice her appetite had been slowly returning —and with a vengeance it seemed. After, Eugene had disappeared for hours, making Rapunzel's anxiousness climb in a way she didn't care to admit. He'd returned later with a small, inconspicuous wooden box that he'd wordlessly handed to her.
Rapunzel had opened it only to discover three tiny pouches, a heavenly herbal scent wafting from the inside and making her mouth water. She'd realized with a start that he'd brought her the powdered, dry leaves necessary to make the tea she'd craved since she'd left the ship that had brought her here. Three different kinds of tea in fact. She had no idea where he had managed to get them, or if it was mere coincidence that her favorite flavor just so happened to be in there too.
He hadn't said another word as he'd disappeared inside his room before Rapunzel could even thank him.
After that it became almost like second instinct to him; the little gifts here and there, the details no one else seemed to notice that clued him in on exactly what she needed.
She would get weird cravings occasionally at odd hours of the day, varying in flavor from nutmeg cookies to pickles drenched in vinegar. Eugene would get them for her before she'd even finished daydreaming about said food, almost like he could read just from her mood what she'd like in that particular moment, casually handing the snacks to her like one would pass the salt across the table.
On long days when her lower back and hips began to ache, stiff with the added weight she'd been taking on, Rapunzel would return to her room only to find a warm bath had been ordered and drawn for her. She would always look at Cassandra questioningly, and the handmaiden would always return the look with a casual shrug. It hadn't been her who'd arranged it, it never was.
An avalanche of small details accompanied these less subtle gestures. A small sack of dry seeds warmed by the stone oven Lance kept in the kitchen, for her to press gently over her abdomen on the occasions Eugene noticed her wincing slightly with a hand pressed against her lower belly. A cup of warm tea sprinkled with a few drops of lemon, just like she'd begun to take it lately. A fluffier pillow for her to rest behind her back. An offer to walk with her around the wilderness behind the old inn, for Rapunzel to stretch her legs for a bit when her feet became too swollen and sore after a day spent sitting for too long.
And even though Eugene never once commented on it, Rapunzel noticed of course. How could she not? Then she'd deliberately tried not to notice the way her heart fluttered at his tender gestures and warm, stolen glances. If she concentrated too long on it she would be drowned by feelings she was still trying to keep at bay, holding them at arm's length lest they hit her with the intensity of a thousand suns.
Because it was easier this way, this unspoken agreement between them, this pace they'd set for themselves, agonizingly sluggish like trying to walk through molasses, slow but safe. The hope was still too fragile, like the flutter of a butterfly's wing, too soft and sweet and delicate and breakable. Rapunzel could tell by the warmth inside her chest and that flicker in Eugene's eyes whenever he looked at her too long that the blazing sparks she'd once thought dead between them were still there. They were embers now, but both of them were far too cautious with their remains; to rekindle them too quickly could cause an inferno, burning too intensely, too devastating and leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.
So they kept a dance as delicate as the gentle waves in Corona's shores. Subtle and weightless like a feather's touch, two parallel lines heading the same way but never touching. It was bittersweet, it was frustrating, it was ideal.
And so the days dragged on, slowly becoming weeks, and in those coming weeks Rapunzel's belly began to grow in an alarmingly quick pace, protruding outside the once fine line of her waist in a tiny but now very noticeable bump. She'd been slightly terrified of it at first. Before, it had been easy to forget occasionally that there was in fact a life growing within her, a tiny defenseless being she now was completely responsible for, one that would rely on her completely. But as her belly grew with the evidence of it, so did her anxiousness and fears. She constantly found herself with a gentle hand rubbing her belly, her mind miles away as she wondered what it would be like when the baby finally came. It terrified her as much as it thrilled her.
Eugene seemed to have a different reaction to it though, one that she was embarrassed to admit pleased her.
The moment Rapunzel had started to show, it was like he could no longer keep his eyes away for long. She'd caught him staring on several occasions at the still small bump like it was a puzzle he needed to solve. The expression on his face was one Rapunzel had been unable to decipher at first, until she realized what it meant with startling clarity. It was a yearning, forlorn look, full of heartache and love and fear all at once. Eugene looked at her belly like it was a precious treasure he longed for desperately, but would never be able to have. Like it was a forbidden thing he didn't deserve.
It was during one of their short walks across the patch of unkept wilderness they treaded on usually as the sun began to set, that Rapunzel finally offered what he'd been unable to ask himself.
They'd been walking in comfortable silence as Rapunzel let her bare feet brush upon the cool soil. The nature around these parts was mostly shrivelled and dismal, consisting of thorny shrubbery, dry grass and towering oaks that blocked the occasional rays of sunlight, but there were patches here and there where the grass refused to die and the weeds were persistent enough to paint the dark dirt green, a splash of color to fight off the eternal gloom of grey that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. Rapunzel liked to walk across these glimpses of greenery that stubbornly clung to life in an otherwise dead landscape.
She knelt down to brush her fingers against a patch of fluffy dandelions, her voice sounding loud in the dead silence. "You know, you can just ask, Eugene."
"Huh?" Eugene murmured, distracted. He blinked as he finally tore his gaze away from her midriff and met her eyes.
Rapunzel didn't think she imagined the faint tint on his high cheekbones. She couldn't recall a time when she'd actually seen him blush either.
"You can touch, if you want to." She shrugged simply, standing with a bit more difficulty and far less grace than she would've mere weeks ago.
She knew she didn't need to specify, saw it in the way Eugene stood straighter, in the way his breath hitched.
He hadn't touched her since the night they'd reunited, not once. At least not in any significant way other than the faintest of touches if their fingers accidentally brushed as he passed her something. Rapunzel didn't know if Eugene was doing it consciously, mindful to give each other space and as much time as they needed to heal their wounds and perhaps one day grow back together, or if this was the result of his hesitance, his worry of her rejecting his touch, perhaps he was still haunted by the memory of her stiffening under his arms and flinching away from his approaches.
She wondered if he believed she hated the mere thought of his skin brushing her own now. Rapunzel couldn't find the words to tell him that she would probably burst into flames and combust into thin air if he dared to try.
"May I?" Eugene eyed her hesitantly, taking a cautious step closer like he was approaching a wild animal he was trying very hard not to scare off. It almost made Rapunzel giggle.
"Go on, I won't bite." She found herself teasing, the hint of her own laughter sounding foreign to her ears.
Eugene seemed to relax at that, the traces of a smile tugging at his lips. He quirked an eyebrow, amused.
"Well, I don't know about that, Blondie." Another step forward and he was now standing close enough to touch, close enough for her to almost feel the heat of his body. "You've been so ravenous lately, one can never be too sure."
She rolled her eyes, but the smile she couldn't fight off surely betrayed her amusement. Rapunzel didn't wait for Eugene to finish working up his nerve, and grabbed his wrist in a delicate but swift movement. Before either of them could hesitate, she placed his large hand over her growing bump, feeling him stiffen for just a second.
Rapunzel watched in silent wonder as a flurry of emotions rushed through his face in fleeting seconds, finally settling on something cautious and contained, but she thought she could detect the spark of excitement in his twinkling eyes. Eugene flexed his fingers experimentally, before he pressed his hand more firmly against her belly. And then, with the gentleness of someone holding something precious, he moved his hand in the softest of caresses.
She thought she could melt at his touch, but the look on his face as his smile grew into something dazzling sure was making a greater effort to kill her.
"Have you felt them move?" Eugene asked tentatively, perhaps wishing he could feel a gentle flutter beneath his hand.
Rapunzel shook her head. "I think it's still too early for that."
As if on cue, her stomach grumbled loudly, like her own body was trying to compensate by giving him a show even if that particular flutter was not the one he'd been hoping for. Eugene barked out a laugh.
"Not too early for dinner, then?"
"Hey, I'm eating for two now, you can't judge!" Rapunzel sniffed in feigned indignation.
Eugene chuckled, rubbing his thumb over her belly in a tender touch so light she almost didn't feel it through the layers of her clothes. He stared at his own hand in wonder, as though he couldn't believe he was actually touching the evidence of their baby safely growing inside Rapunzel, no longer an abstract, incorporeal thought in their minds. His eyes were almost reverent, and Rapunzel's breath caught in her throat.
Then, his open expression clouded all of a sudden, a somber look settling on his face. He let his hand drop at his side, smile long gone as he looked over the horizon, the rocky landscape dark in contrast with the setting sun tainting the sky purple.
It was so stark a contrast with his previous mood it left her reeling.
"We should really get out of here, soon."
"What?"
"Listen Rapunzel, I know that you like the inn and you feel comfortable enough here," Eugene sighed, rubbing his fingers over his forehead. "But this is still not a safe place for us, for you. The sooner we get going the better."
Rapunzel recognized he had been patient enough, but she couldn't understand why he was suddenly so insistent again. There was a hint of something akin to panic hidden in his voice that made her feel slightly uneasy.
"Aren't you supposed to wait for Adira, though?"
"I could care less about Adira, to be honest." Eugene grumbled. "She was supposed to be gone for a few days. It's been a month and still no word from her. I'm done waiting."
"Do you think she might be in trouble?"
"Well, if she is, tough luck then." He shrugged, already walking back the way they'd come from through the thick underbrush.
Rapunzel frowned. "She helped you get out of the Dark Kingdom, Eugene."
"And she helped me stay there for weeks too. I think that was the least she could do." Eugene muttered with little sympathy.
Still, Rapunzel felt like she could not let the subject die without addressing a very important fact, one she was sure Eugene was trying his best to avoid.
"Wasn't she going back to try to talk to your father?" She asked cautiously, watching as Eugene's shoulders immediately tensed at the mention of his father.
"So?" He was careful to keep his voice perfectly neutral. Rapunzel knew better.
"Wouldn't you like to know what he had to say about you?" Rapunzel was aware she was treading on dangerous territory, that he could very well slam the door shut and deny her any glimpse of his vulnerability. Still she couldn't stop herself from asking.
Eugene frowned, his jaw visibly clenching as he tried to formulate an appropriate answer. He settled for a firm 'no' and kept walking, Rapunzel hot on his heels.
"Eugene…"
"Nothing he has to say would be of enough interest for me to be persuaded to go back to that godforsaken place." This time there was a cold edge to his words, one Rapunzel was determined to ignore.
"But what if it's good news? What if he wanted to meet you?" She ventured, trying to keep her voice soft and hopeful.
Eugene let out a derisive snort. "Doubt it. Besides, I have nothing to say to him."
"I think you should give him a chance." She insisted, faintly aware that his posture was stiff as an arrow now. "He is still you father, Eugene."
"No he isn't! He's a perfect stranger!" Eugene finally exploded, losing his mask of indifference to show just how much this really affected him. "I've lived my entire life without him, I don't need him in my life now. He's had the past two decades to make amends, I think it's a little too late to try that now."
"That's not entirely fair, is it?" Rapunzel argued, trying to keep up with his faster pace. "He didn't know that you existed at all."
"Well, if he'd cared enough, he wouldn't have given up on my mother all that easily." And there it was, that bitter inflection in his voice, the one that showed just how deep his resentment ran.
Rapunzel wasn't familiar with the feeling, not entirely, but she could see the damage it was doing inside him. She would hate for him to hurt forever, to let that wound fester and grow into an impenetrable grudge when there was the faintest possibility that it could finally heal after all these years if he would only try.
"What if it were you in his shoes, huh?" She murmured, soft and quiet. "Would it be your fault too?"
That made him stop dead in his tracks, but his tension only seemed to grow tenfold. When he turned back to her, his face was a blank mask once more, but his stare was cold enough to freeze her heart in her chest.
Rapunzel swallowed, but continued nonetheless. "What would have happened if I hadn't come looking for you? If I hadn't told you anything? Would it be your fault then, to not know a child of yours was out there in the world living their life without you in it?"
"That's different."
"How so?"
"Because I was coming back for you!" He snapped back, and his eyes held fire instead of ice now. She wasn't sure this was any better, but she'd ignited that flame and she was now going to watch it flare whether she liked it or not as Eugene vented out his frustration. "I never gave up on trying to find you again, not once. I was going back to Corona, and I would've done whatever it took to get there. Because I did care! And it's because I care that I want us as far away from that place and that goddamn Moonstone as possible!"
Eugene rarely raised his voice even in anger, but it now carried across the deserted field and almost seemed to echo in the trees given how the silence stretched around them for miles. It almost made Rapunzel shrink back. Almost. She held his gaze as he deflated, finally letting out the tension in his shoulders with a deep sigh that echoed in her bones, a thoroughly tired and defeated sound that seemed so out of place coming from him.
He rubbed his forehead, eyes no longer trained on her. "Why are you so insistent on this anyway, Rapunzel?"
She wondered the same thing, truly. All she knew was that his pain was her own, that she cared, but that was too little a word to describe the feelings she still held for him, even after the betrayal and hurt and complete agony he'd caused her with his white lies and misguided intentions. It wasn't nearly enough to describe her devotion, her love. She wasn't ready to give voice to those thoughts either, so she settled for the simplest answer.
"Because whatever it is he could say to you, good or bad, at least then you would have some closure." Rapunzel said, voice a whisper almost drowned by the wind. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt as bad then, not anymore".
In her darkest hours, when she was still unsure if Eugene would reject her, that thought had been the only thing keeping her resolve to find him. Even if it turned out that he had only ever toyed with her feelings, then at least she would know for sure, she would have closure, and even if it took years to heal herself and maybe a lifetime to forget, even if she bore the scars for the rest of her life, she could learn to move on knowing the truth.
It was better than a lifetime of wondering.
She watched with bated breath as his eyes slowly softened, any spark of anger lost within them. Eugene hesitated for a moment, a moment in which Rapunzel thought she had finally gotten through to him. But then he shook his head as though dismissing the idea.
"Regardless, I'm not planning on going anywhere near the Dark Kingdom. Not ever. It's not worth the risk and the price is one I'm not willing to pay." Eugene said with finality, and Rapunzel knew in that moment that trying to change his mind would be a lost cause. He looked at her, eyes almost pleading. "He may have unknowingly been an absent father but I won't make the same mistake. So please, Rapunzel, let's just leave this place already."
"Okay." She said simply without offering any other argument.
Her obliging answer apparently surprised him enough to leave him staring in brief disbelief.
"…Okay?"
"Yes, okay." Rapunzel nodded, taking a step closer to him. Her fingers itched to take his hand in hers, but she kept them firmly at her sides as she looked up at him. "If that will make you feel better, and if you've made up your mind about Adira, then we can start planning where we want to go next."
It was barely noticeable, but Eugene almost seemed to sag in quiet relief, as though her answer had soothed a thousand silent fears.
"Will you be okay to travel, though?" He shot her a questioning look.
"As long as we have frequent stops to rest for a bit, I should be fine." She shrugged. "Besides, you are right. The sooner we get moving the better. I will not be up for any long journeys once I'm the size of a whale."
He chuckled at that, and without thinking about it brought his hand up to delicately brush a lose strand that had fallen out of her braid behind her ear. Rapunzel suppressed a shiver.
The spell was broken an instant later, once Eugene realized what he'd done. He cleared his throat and took a step back, the warmth of his hand dissipating as suddenly as it had first appeared.
"We should head back now." He nodded towards the inn. "It's getting late and Cassandra surely will be wondering where we are."
Rapunzel raised an eyebrow as she followed him. "Since when do you care about what Cassandra may think?"
"Since she threatened to maim me if she didn't know about your whereabouts for longer than three hours."
This time, she didn't bother to contain her bubbling laughter.
They started planning their departure the very next day. Cassandra had been equal parts relieved and dismayed at the news. On the one hand, the handmaiden couldn't be happier to finally leave their current location. On the other, she was not the least bit pleased to hear that Rapunzel had no intentions of returning to Corona any time soon. But since Rapunzel's safety seemed to weigh more on her balance than her wish to return, she relented only with minimal grumbling.
She left the planning mostly to Eugene and Rapunzel, apparently not keen to discuss anything that wasn't absolutely necessary with the man she'd declared 'the bane of her existence', though Rapunzel had noticed that her drawl hadn't been heated enough to indicate her handmaiden actually meant it.
Either way, Rapunzel couldn't say she wasn't the slightest bit glad that Cassandra had lost her scrutinizing cautiousness and now left them mostly to themselves, preferring to leave with Pascal for strolls around the small town. Eugene seemed a lot more at ease when Cassandra wasn't around, and Rapunzel didn't feel the awkward energy hanging around them quite so often anymore.
Without really noticing, they had slowly slipped back to their easy banter and long talks that left Rapunzel giddy with the promise that she'd get to see Eugene again the next day. It was almost ridiculous really, how much she craved his company.
They sat now in their usual table at the tavern, and Rapunzel vaguely realized she hadn't laughed so hard her stomach hurt in such a long time, she'd almost forgotten the feeling. She watched, eyes sparkling with joy, as Eugene and Lance traded outlandish stories of their respective youths, both of them finding interests in common as they recalled their wild —and sometimes illegal— teenage escapades like a pair of long lost brothers, despite the fact they had actually known each other for a little over a month.
She felt a slight pang in her chest as she saw Eugene's bright smile, brown eyes alight with mirth, and realized he would probably miss Lance the most when they finally left the inn. Sure, Rapunzel would miss Lance dearly, he was an easily likeable man and his boisterous energy was contagious. But she'd seen the friendship slowly developing between Eugene and Lance over the last weeks and she knew without a doubt that this was the closest thing to a best friend Eugene had ever allowed himself to have. She hadn't seen him quite so careless and open with another person that wasn't her, and suddenly she wished the tall innkeeper could be a part of their odd, mismatched group of outcasts wandering the world in search of home.
Rapunzel dismissed the melancholic thought, deciding to keep her attention focused on the pair before her as they regaled her with their wild tales.
Time flew by without her noticing, until her eyes started to droop with poorly concealed exhaustion, but she didn't want to retire for the night just yet. Not when Eugene's contagious laughter echoed through the walls and reverberated deep inside her chest, making her stomach flutter.
Eugene noticed her sleepiness despite her best intentions, and it wasn't long before he let the conversation die long enough for Lance to remember he actually had bartender duties to attend and bid them goodbye for the night, leaving the two of them alone again.
Eugene's lips lifted in a soft, amused smile as he watched Rapunzel struggle a bit to keep her eyes focused. "It's quite late, we should head up now."
"Nah, it's fine, I'm not tired yet." Rapunzel waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, determinedly fighting off a yawn.
Eugene chuckled. "You clearly are, Blondie. Cmon, let's go."
She was too tired to argue so she let him help her up and lead the way up the stairs towards the rooms. Rapunzel found sleepiness lulled her senses almost as much as alcohol did, so she didn't really notice the fact that she was following Eugene like a lost puppy and forgot to part ways at the first landing like they usually did, too concentrated in his soft brown eyes and those dimples in his cheeks that only ever appeared when his smile was big enough, to realize she followed him straight to his own room.
It wasn't until he turned around to face her, questioning look firmly in place, that she startled back to reality.
"Would you… like to come in?" Eugene asked hesitantly, clearly unsure if that was a safe question to ask but confused enough with her intentions to risk it.
"Oh!" Rapunzel could feel heat burning her cheeks as she scrambled for a logical answer. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean— I was just going to…"
"It's okay." Eugene interrupted her incoherent babbling with a reassuring nod. "You can come in if you want to."
"I… uh…"
"We could look at the maps I have inside, plan more of the routes we'd like to take once we leave." He replied, deliberately casual. Rapunzel felt her heart skip a beat.
Her brain was telling her this was definitely a bad idea, but then again, when had she ever followed her reason over her stubborn heart? Never, that's when.
She hesitated just a second longer before she nodded shyly, trying not to seem too eager and probably failing.
Eugene opened the door and she followed behind, heart thundering in her chest. She hadn't been inside his room since the day she'd told him she was pregnant. So much had changed since then and yet the room remained exactly the same.
There were no chairs or table for them to sit so Eugene spread a bunch of scrolls he had in his satchel over the mattress and they settled on the bed, sitting cross legged one in front of the other as they poured over the maps and the thousand possibilities laying before them, a future wide and open waiting ahead.
They traded ideas and suggestions back and forth, with Eugene telling her about the places he knew and the ones he'd still yet to visit and Rapunzel asking endless questions about his many travels, eyes eager, avid for any and all details about his past and his hopes for the future.
It was well into the night when Rapunzel finally acknowledged that it was probably a bit late for her to still be there.
"I should go back to my room now." She murmured reluctantly, trying not to notice the hint of disappointment in his face. "It's late, I should let you rest."
"Aren't you the one who's supposed to rest?" Eugene asked with amusement.
Rapunzel rolled her eyes, laughing softly nonetheless. "Which is precisely why I should go now."
She didn't make a single move to stand.
"Or you could not." Eugene said cautiously after a moment, eyes not entirely meeting hers. "You could just… stay here if you'd like to."
There was not a single trace of the deviously charming and rogue man he'd once been. Eugene seemed almost shy, it made him unbearably endearing to Rapunzel. None of Flynn Rider's flirty remarks and winning smiles had ever made her heart melt quite like this. Ironically, it made Eugene all the more dangerous to her.
"Cassandra will be worried if I don't come back." Rapunzel reasoned halfheartedly.
"Let her worry." Eugene murmured, voice a low and private whisper. "She can handle it for tonight."
The room suddenly felt so small, with them sitting so close together, their knees almost touching and a single tiny map resting in the space that separated them. When had they moved closer to each other?
"I-I… uhm…"
Her throat felt dry. Eugene moved a hand to rest beside hers on the mattress, fingers so close to hers they brushed.
"Stay." Rapunzel looked up to meet his eyes, as intense and warm as his voice. "Please?"
If he had asked that of her a month ago, it would've sent her heart galloping right out of her chest in a desperate attempt to escape unscathed. Now she stared briefly at his lips and wished she had the nerve to close the gap between them.
And how could she say no to those eyes, really? It was beyond her control. She nodded without an ounce of hesitation. His answering grin made her stomach flip.
Eugene let her borrow one of his shirts to sleep on more comfortably, and Rapunzel was glad that she was petite enough to be drowned by it despite her growing belly. She'd expected to be cautious, or embarrassed, perhaps even uncomfortable, but as they undressed to change into their nightclothes she found it almost natural, like a ritual they had done together for ages.
She supposed they had, in a way, but always with enough privacy to never see a glimpse of bare skin between them. At least not until the night they'd undressed each other with sleep being the furthest thing from their minds. The thought made a shiver run down her spine. It had been a long time since she'd recalled that night with anything other than sorrow. Tonight the memory made her whole body tingle in a pleasant way she wasn't ready to examine just yet.
Soon, Rapunzel crawled onto the bed and settled under the covers, snuggling comfortably as the scent of Eugene that clung to the thin sheets enveloped her whole. The room was plunged into darkness once Eugene blew out the candles, and she felt more than saw when he settled next to her.
It almost made her cry with relief, how everything seemed to click into place like the final missing piece in a puzzle. They had spent so many nights in the past sleeping right next to each other, the feeling of finally having him resting beside her was like slipping on an old glove that still fit perfectly in her hands despite years without it being used. She could feel the familiar heat of his body, his steady breath, the way he moved, even though the bed was wide enough to fit them both without them even touching.
They said nothing as they reacquainted themselves with each other's presence, but it was a pleasant silence, a cozy and warm cocoon of safety in the midst of the wild hurricane that had been the past months.
Rapunzel turned on her side, facing away from him as she snuggled the frayed blankets closer. She was so tired it didn't take long for her eyes to feel heavy with sleep. But right as she was about to slip into dreamland she felt it. The mattress dipped with Eugene's movement as she felt him shift, moving closer to her. She held her breath in anticipation, and he seemed to wait for her permission to move.
When there was no indication from her part that she'd rather not have him near her, she heard the sheets rustle, and a second later Rapunzel felt an arm snake around her waist, his hand settling over her protruding belly in a gentle caress. Her entire body relaxed at his touch, every muscle in her loosening as Eugene rubbed his thumb over her bump in soothing circles that made her body feel heavy with sleep, completely at ease.
Rapunzel set her hand over his own, where it rested right above her belly button, feeling as his fingers immediately laced with hers. It was encouragement enough for Eugene, and he pressed her closer to him, her back fitting snuggly against his firm chest as his arm tightened around her, as though he was afraid to let her go even for an instant.
She felt it before she heard it, the low rumble in his chest, voice the softest of whispers hidden in the night.
"I missed you, Sunshine."
Rapunzel couldn't have wiped the smile off her face even if she'd tried. So what if she was a fool? She would be a naive idiot a million times over just to hear those words tumbling past his lips and believe he meant them with every wild beat of her heart.
"I missed you too, Eugene. So much."
She swore she could feel his own grin when he pressed his lips to the back of her head in a soft kiss before burying his face in the crook of her neck. And for the first time in months, Rapunzel felt the giddy, exhilarating sparks of true happiness bubbling inside her. Now, in this dark and dingy room a world away from Corona, there was no other place she would feel safer, resting right in the arms of the man she loved, his fingers gently rubbing the bump in her belly where their baby grew safe and healthy. This is where she felt most at home.
Life had a cruel and ugly way of working, Rapunzel should know. She allowed herself to forget it, just for one night. Soon enough, dark and looming clouds would snatch away every bit of sunshine left in her, and everything would be ripped from her hands in the most wretched way possible.
But for now she slept soundly, safe in the circle of Eugene's arms, and it felt warm and real and bright.
*To the tune of Tiana*: and we're almost there…!
Seriously we are so close to the end. I predict two or three chapters more and an epilogue. Are you excited? I'm certainly nervous for what's about to come. Let me know what you think in a review! Until next time!