Wasn't Love, Blondie

by little princess 15

AU: Flynn wanted to steal the princess' crown, he never planned for the Princess herself to tag along. One thing is for certain; no one messes with Flynn Rider, and he wasn't going to let this girl start now. He had to find a way to get rid of her, and losing his heart along the way wasn't an option. Of course, that was easier said than done.

21. What Once Was Mine

Chapter 21: What Once Was Mine

Lovelies, it's been 84 years, I know, I'm so sorry. You know *sigh* life, and this chapter was the bane of my existence. Anyway thanks for the lovely reviews as always. Please know I read them all and appreciate each one immensely. You guys literally give me the will to keep writing this, so… Enjoy! (Or cry a little, you know, whatever suits you for this one)

---

We were always meant to say goodbye

You know that I love you so

I love you enough to let you go

~Already Gone

---

There was something to be said about the large obsidian-like spikes protruding from the already rocky grounds; there were decidedly more than there had been a few weeks ago. There had been an undeniable increase in the Moonstone's deadly powerful activity, like an active volcano preparing to erupt after years of remaining relatively dormant. And the King knew perfectly well it could only lead to disaster. And yet here he stood, with nothing much to do as his reign slowly crumbled to pieces. All thanks to them.

He watched from the grand window overlooking the kingdom as the stumbling figure became a speck of white and red as it rapidly, if a little unsteady, disappeared through the dark, winding streets below. Fugitive that it was now.

His lip curled in disdain.

"You want me to be the bad guy? Fine. Now I'm the bad guy."

Behind him, Hector cleared his throat, and King Harold could feel the hesitation radiating off of him.

"Your orders, sir."

"Well, it seems our dearest Adira has made her choice perfectly clear." The King turned from his spot on the grand window, arms resting over his large desk. "She poses a threat to our Kingdom and its stability now, and we must deal with her accordingly."

"Sir?" Hector raised a dubious eyebrow, piercing green eyes watching the King's every move carefully.

"Track her down, bring her back. Under arrest, of course." King Harold said with a dismissive sweep of his hand. "For treason against the Crown."

Hector's face remained as impassive as ever, but the King could read the reluctance in his steady gaze. "Adira is part of The Brotherhood, she—"

"She has betrayed her sacred duty, to the Moonstone, to her Kingdom, to me."

The King brought down his signet ring upon the fresh wax he'd poured, sealing a scroll now containing an arrest warrant.

"Perhaps her quest is well-intentioned, if misguided." Hector tried to reason.

"I know how you feel, Hector. Adira's betrayal baffles and pains me as much as it does you, but her actions are irrefutable" the King heaved a weary sigh. Hector opened his mouth to retort, but he interrupted before the dark-haired man had a chance to speak.

"Regardless, she had a chance to redeem herself. She wasted it. Her loyalties ought to have lain with me. As should yours." King Harold extended his arm, handing the scroll to a still hesitant Hector. "Are we going to have a problem with your assigned duties?"

There was a charged moment of doubt, a moment in which King Harold considered if his last remaining subjects would keep their loyalties after Adira's mess. Hector looked between the scroll and the King, unreadable expression on his face. Then he straightened and took the parchment with a single, resigned nod.

"Very well," dismissed the King. "Bring the Captain to me. You will take the Black Guard with you, of course. We will need to discuss our course of action."

With that, Hector left with a decidedly firm step, closing the heavy doors with slightly more force than necessary. King Harold let out a heavy breath, wondering just how far Adira's treason had damaged the already dwindling trust his remaining staff had in his reign. They didn't understand, none of them did, the dire urgency of their current situation. The Moonstone was slowly but steadily collecting more power, it would only be a matter of time before its deadly energy swallowed them whole. And King Harold had witnessed enough death and decay to last him a lifetime. The Moonstone had to be destroyed, if it was the last thing he did.

He didn't have much time to ponder the thought before the door to his study opened once more to reveal the Captain of the Black Guard, his elite force —or what little remained of it anyway.

"You asked to see me, your majesty?" The Captain bowed respectfully, and the King's worries were momentarily soothed. If nothing else, the Black Guard was still loyal to him and his cause. That would have to be more than enough.

"Yes, I have a special assignment for you. A matter of utmost importance." The King let his usually velvety voice carry enough authority to not be questioned, sliding a careful hand across the desk to pick a rather wrinkled piece of parchment.

"There is a fugitive that has not been caught as of yet." The King continued, handing over the wanted poster, eyes calculating as he watched the Captain examine the likeness etched on the parchment. "You are to lead a group of guards to accompany Hector. It's very likely that wherever Adira goes will lead us to this dangerous criminal."

If his years as ruling king of the Dark Kingdom had taught him anything, was the fierce loyalty the members of The Brotherhood had with each other; they were partners in battle, siblings in everything but blood. As a member of it, Edmund had a connection with Adira and Hector that King Harold could barely begin to understand. Adira had clearly chosen Edmund's son over her duty to the Moonstone. She would see to his safety even if it cost her her place in the Dark Kingdom. Well, let her face the consequences of such decision.

The King waited for a few seconds to let his words sink in before he continued. "He escaped our prison some weeks ago, as you might have heard. The name's Eugene Fitzherbert, otherwise known as Flynn Rider."

The Captain nodded contemplatively. "Shall I arrest him and bring him back then? On what charges, if I may ask?"

King Harold tried not to visibly bristle at this question. His guards were dutiful to a fault, and as such, he supposed it was only logical they might want to have this kind of information.

"I have no need for you to bring him back, actually." He replied with a dismissive wave. "I only want him taken care of. I'd say he needs to be caught dead or alive but… dead men are less likely to stir trouble later on."

The Captain's eyes widened ever so slightly at the King's words, but he remained mostly composed, to his credit. He did, however, make the mistake to question him further.

"Dead, sire? For a thief? Pardon my asking, but is that not a bit extreme for such a crime? We are, after all, not a nation that deals the death penalty quite that liberally."

"That wanted poster is for Corona. Different kingdoms, different crimes, Captain." The King replied with a bit more bite to his otherwise cool tone. "In Erebos he stands accused of prison break, espionage, and he poses a direct threat to the safety of our kingdom. I do not think I need to remind you it is not your duty to question my orders, but to follow them."

The King paced the length of his office towards the large window again, sensing his Captain was not quite satisfied with the answer yet, so he elaborated.

"This criminal is in possession of rather sensitive information regarding the Moonstone that could potentially threaten the very precarious stability of this kingdom, Captain. He needs to be dealt with." He turned back towards the Captain, eyes cold and detached. "And that is a direct order, if I was not perfectly clear already."

"Yes, your majesty." The Captain bowed his head in acquiescence. But the King was not quite satisfied yet.

"Oh, and please do be careful to handle this matter with utmost discretion. Hector is not to be notified of your special… charge."

"Sire?"

The King inhaled through his nose, patience was a virtue he couldn't say he possessed. "I'm afraid Hector might prove to be rather… sensitive to withstand what you ought to do, Captain. I don't want this man at large a second longer. See to it that this is taken care of."

He dismissed the Captain with another wave of his hand, and the other man could do nothing but bow respectfully and heed his command with a quiet murmur of agreement before departing. The King was grateful he questioned him no further. Only a select few knew of Eugene Fitzherbert's true identity, including —rather unfortunately— Hector and the now rebellious Adira. Adira had shown where her loyalties lay perfectly clearly. King Harold was sure Hector would only do so much before he decided enough had been asked of him to dismiss his duty. Neither would lay a hand on Edmund's son, regardless of whether his brother knew of said son's existence or not. King Harold could only hope his guards would be quick enough to dispose of the boy while Hector stayed busy chasing Adira.

Part of his long since dormant heart rebelled against the idea. He quietened that part as soon as it stirred inside him. Out of sight, out of mind. Edmund need not know a thing, he would not mourn the loss of a son if he never knew of his existence to begin with. He himself had suffered that pain, he wouldn't burden his brother with it if he could help it. In any case, duty should always prevail upon any sentimentality he might still posses. As King, he could not put anything above the safety of his own kingdom. Not even this.

The boy, the bastard, had always been a blight on his brother's royal lineage anyway. A mistake that had never been meant to exist.

Besides, he'd tried his best to reason with the ungrateful scoundrel. He'd offered him the world on a silver platter and the little rat still refused him, running away with enough information about the Moonstone despite King Harold's warnings. Well, he was not a man of empty threats.

The Moonstone and its power had brought enough death and disease upon his kingdom. He would not wait around to see it decimate his home a second longer. He would destroy it, once and for all, whatever it took.

---

It was supposed to be something small, completely unconcerning. Little more than a graze of danger really. But what was his life if not a catastrophe of mishaps? It settled in his heart; a deeply rooted vine, crawling like ivy across his skin, thorns digging in his side, poison coursing through his veins.

It ended like that, but it was also how it started. The beginning of the end, he just didn't know it back then.

At least it felt like that anyway, at first. Loving Rapunzel and having spent so long burying and denying those feelings had felt like that, agonizing and deadly. This passing brush of fate, as rare and fleeting as a shooting star… it was supposed to be something small but it never had been.

All that struggle, all his self restraint, his will to remain indifferent and then his hesitation to admit what he felt; it was like a dagger in his heart, piercing and painful, but here he was on the other side. He could honestly say that Flynn Rider was many things, but a quitter was not one of them, he was not one to cower in the face of challenge. And yet Eugene was all but ready to admit defeat. He could no longer hide what the stirring in his chest meant every time Rapunzel so much as glanced his way. And he found he didn't want to either. Not any longer. Not after all those days and weeks and months of trying to smother the calls of his heart and fearing the intensity of his own feelings.

He'd spent such an agonizingly long time in the dark, building towering walls around himself to hide behind a carefully crafted mask of the arrogant blitheness that was Flynn Rider, if only to protect his vulnerable heart.

But Rapunzel had challenged every attempt to kill the very last bits of Eugene hiding beneath the surface. She'd come barreling into his life, unwelcome and unrelenting despite his best efforts, with her cheery spirit, her vibrant soul, her ever-sparkling eyes and that bubbling laughter that made him weak in the knees. She'd cracked the shell around his frozen feelings, chipping away every last bit until all that was left was his bleeding heart wide open for her to take if she so wished.

And oh, how he'd fought it tooth and nail every step of the way, and he was so very tired. So defeated. He'd long since lost that fight with his own self, let her take what she wanted from him, he would give it away willingly if it meant he could see her happy; his heart, his soul, his very life. He would give it all up for her in a heartbeat, and he could happily say he would regret nothing.

Yet, she still didn't know. Not the full extent of it anyway.

Eugene had been perfectly content with showing Rapunzel, slightly from a distance, as he gave her as much space as she'd needed those first few weeks after she'd returned to him. But now Eugene was positive he couldn't just limit himself to loving Rapunzel from afar. It felt as if his whole body vibrated with the need to announce it to all who would listen, shout it to the world, damn his reputation and whatever he'd promised himself he wouldn't do.

He loved her, completely, unequivocally, ardently. His love for her was as sure as the sun rising every morning, as eternal as the light of the stars, as infinite as the universe itself. And yes, he was perfectly aware he had become the biggest sap, waxing poetry about his feelings for her, but he couldn't bring himself to give a single damn.

He'd been loving her quietly and furtively for so long, like the dark side of the moon, only showing glimpses but never it's full form, with fleeting gestures and glances he stole like the thief he used to be, to store the memory of her away in the recess of his mind for when he didn't have her anymore. But now he didn't need to do that, did he? There was no use to guard his hardened heart when he could just give it to her freely knowing she would keep it safe. Eugene had her with him now, there was no imminent moment when he knew he would lose her, so why should he keep hiding what he felt for her?

Rapunzel deserved to know. It wasn't enough to just show her, Eugene needed to tell her the full extent of it. He didn't want her to keep wondering what he felt for her. It was love. It was love and so much more, it was devotion, it was reverence, the feeling that he'd found a kindred spirit in her and the knowledge that he could meet a thousand more people and none would compare to her, she was the one. The one and only soul he would be willing to tie his own to. The one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He would give up a thousand lifetimes just for the chance to spend this one with her for the rest of his days.

He desperately needed to tell her that, he thought, as they walked once again together through the worn path behind the inn, venturing farther than they'd done before and into the dense forest beyond.

The air around them was humid and heavy with the promise of rain, the clouds above growing darker and denser the further they traveled. The natural cold this far up north didn't help at all, casting their surroundings in hazy shadows as mist curled around the towering trees. In any other circumstance, Eugene would have loudly protested a stroll in this weather, when the cold, damp air clung to his skin.

But Rapunzel had wanted time to stretch her legs and Eugene could only oblige. Now, as he watched her throw her head back, laughter bubbling out of her unrestrained and free, expression carefree and devoid of the shadows that had clouded her beautiful eyes, happy like he'd not seen her in such a long time, he felt like he could not wait a second longer.

"Absolutely not, Eugene, completely out of the question." Rapunzel said, a hint of laughter still in her voice.

"Why not?" Eugene felt his lips pulling into a broad smile. "I think it's a good, strong name, and the best part; it's unisex so it works either way."

"Pretty sure it's not. Anyway, I thought you of all people would be against the idea of anything less than a 'cool' name, considering you used to hate your own." Rapunzel commented, then backtracked with a sheepish smile. "Not that there's anything wrong with your real name, or that I don't think it's cool—"

Eugene cut her off with a light laugh. "I still don't like my name, but I guess Flynn Rider has a lot of unsavory baggage to it whereas Eugene is a clean slate, so… it'll have to do, unfortunately."

"Regardless," Rapunzel continued as they treaded further into the woods, the large trees blocking most of the already faint sunlight. "I am not naming our baby Feldspar."

Eugene paused for a second at that, not because of Rapunzel's refusal to agree to the name he'd clearly suggested as a joke, but because of the way she'd phrased it. Our baby. Up until very recently Rapunzel had referred to it as 'my baby' or 'the baby'. Now it was their baby, and every time she said it like that it made his stomach flip and his heart stutter. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling, he had to admit.

Eugene didn't let it faze him for long as he continued their conversation. "Well, do you have a better suggestion, Blondie? I'm all ears."

Rapunzel considered it for a second, lips pursing in contemplation. "You know, I haven't really thought of names."

"Oh well, we still have plenty of time to decide." Eugene waved off with a carefree gesture. Then his expression sobered as he carefully took her hand in his, making her pause. "There's… something else that I'd like to discuss with you, though."

She turned to look at him, smile long gone, and he could see a hint of apprehension hiding within the green of her eyes. "What is it?"

Eugene squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her there was nothing wrong that would ruin this peaceful moment in time they'd created. He watched, slightly transfixed, as she worriedly pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, and he was suddenly assaulted with the urge to kiss her senseless and be the one to sink his own teeth into the luscious plumpness of her lips. He hadn't touched her like that in such a long time, Eugene was sure it was bound to kill him sooner rather than later.

He would have to praise himself later for his rather remarkable show of self restraint, as he led Rapunzel toward the stump of a dead tree instead, guiding her to seat as she adjusted the hem of the heavy cloak she wore around her frame, the fabric so big it covered most of her figure, preventing his eyes from wandering —like they inevitably always did— to the small baby bump now very clearly discernible in her figure.

He followed her and sat beside her, his thumb tracing the smooth skin of her palm in a gentle caress.

He would've liked it to be different. A grand and extravagant moment that he could've planned well ahead of time, in a different place and a more romantic setting that wasn't the half dead forest they found themselves in. There would've been a ring, of course. One that he wouldn't have had to steal, he wouldn't like to give her something as a token of his devotion that wouldn't fully belong to her. But he had no money to his name, and there was no ring to give her, no pleasant view, no romantic dinner beneath a starlit sky. This is all they had for now. But Eugene supposed, they had never really adhered to tradition anyway.

He realised he'd waited a second too long when Rapunzel's brow furrowed in concern.

"Eugene? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Sunshine. I just… I wanted to tell you that…"

Words seemed to have left his ever eloquent mind for once, and Eugene wondered why baring his heart to her was proving to be so difficult. Rapunzel waited patiently beside him, but he could tell his silence was weighing on her, so he willed himself to continue with a steadying breath.

"Honestly, I should've told you this a long time ago, from the very first moment I realised it, really. And I know I've made a thousand stupid mistakes along the way and it's difficult for you to forgive me but—"

"Please, Eugene," Rapunzel interrupted his rambling, fingers interlacing with his own. "Let's not dwell on the past. Not when we have our whole future ahead of us."

She smiled her perfect serene smile, eyes full of understanding, and for a moment Eugene let himself believe she had finally forgiven him. She was right, they had the rest of their lives to make up for lost time, a whole future ahead waiting for them. A lifetime they could spend together, raising their child and traveling the world and having the adventure that Rapunzel so longed for. They would make a family of their own, watch their baby grow up. They would grow old together and Eugene would spend every moment he had with her making sure she was happy.

Which is why he needed to tell her, that he would spend the rest of his days by her side, his name and soul tied to her own, if only she would say yes.

His lips lifted in a tremulous smile. "I know, which is why I need to say this… Rapunzel I—"

A loud rustle in the dry shrubbery surrounding them in the otherwise silent woods startled them, cutting him off as they both jumped up and whirled towards the unsettling sound. Even though it was the middle of the day, the woods were dense enough to cast deep shadows all around, making it difficult to discern whatever it was that hid within the darkness.

Rapunzel clutched his arm tightly, taking a step closer to him. "What is that?"

The rustling only grew louder, and Eugene had the disturbing urge to run. But given Rapunzel's condition and the fact that they were far enough away from the inn, he suspected that wouldn't be a very viable option.

Eugene took a step forward, standing slightly in front of Rapunzel, his mind running a mile a minute trying to decide on the best course of action.

The disturbance in the thick underbrush indicated whatever was causing it was large. If it was a wild animal —and he was undecided if he preferred that it was— it would be best not to make a sound, lest they startle whatever beast was approaching. Hiding would be the best option, but the sound was close enough to make him wonder if they'd make it without making much noise.

His hand traveled to his pocket and Eugene cursed himself when he realised he had no weapon to use in case they needed it. They were completely alone, deep into the woods, weapon-less and with Rapunzel pregnant.

It definitely hadn't been his brightest moment when he decided that obliging Rapunzel in her request to take a stroll in the forest like this would be a good idea, and he only had a few seconds to mentally slap himself before he realised that the rustling actually sounded like heavy, uneven footsteps.

"Eugene…" Rapunzel whispered, hands tightening around his arm as he guided her backwards, but it was entirely too late, he could already see a big silhouette making its way through the woods, a humansilhouette. And if he could see it, it meant that Rapunzel and Eugene could be seen too.

"Fitzherbert…?" A familiar voice called from within the shadows as his eyes narrowed. A moment later the very faint light that filtered through the canopy of trees illuminated the contours of a tall, white-haired woman.

"Adira?"

Something was decidedly wrong, Eugene could feel it with a sense of foreboding. Adira had always carried herself with the litheness and grace of a seasoned warrior. Now the tall woman's footfalls were loud and irregular, her figure hunched, as if it was a strain for her to walk. She stumbled with difficulty through the dense vegetation and once she was close enough to see her clearly Eugene's breath hitched, he could feel Rapunzel gasp beside him with equal surprise.

Adira's once powerful form was battered with the signs of a fight. Her face was heavily beaten, with a swollen eye and a probably broken nose, dark bruises covered patches of what little skin was visible. Her left arm braced around her torso as if it pained her to breathe, probably the result of bruised or broken ribs. None of that however prevented her from glaring at Eugene with enough heat to make him squirm awkwardly.

"What are you doing in the middle of the woods. I thought I told you to stay hidden!" Adira growled through gritted teeth.

"And I thought you said you would only be gone for a few days." Eugene returned, voice laced with suspicion. "Where have you been? And more importantly, what happened to you?"

"I had a bit of a mishap."

Eugene was still undecided on whether or not to step forward and help her walk, wondering if she would take it as a slight to her pride and only earn him a deadly glare and a good shove. But Rapunzel had no such misgivings and quickly closed the distance between them and the taller woman, offering a hand.

"Here, let me help you." Rapunzel said gently as she approached her. Adira meanwhile eyed the petite woman with very thinly veiled skepticism.

"Who are you?"

"Oh! Sorry, my bad." Rapunzel paused, extending a friendly hand in greeting. "Rapunzel, nice to meet you."

At the mention of her name, Adira's back immediately straightened, her heavy movements halting in surprise.

"Princess of Corona." She murmured, more a statement than a question. It's not like the name was very popular for it to belong to anybody else. Not when Adira knew perfectly well who Eugene had been looking for when she left him at the inn.

Rapunzel nodded nonetheless with a shy smile.

"Just Rapunzel is fine."

Adira's gaze examined the princess before her carefully, and Eugene could've sworn he heard her breath catch once her eyes settled on her slightly protruding stomach, visible now that Rapunzel's cloak had shifted open with her sudden movements a few seconds ago. Rapunzel noticed the taller woman's line of sight and self-consciously adjusted her cloak once more to obscure her figure, but it was already too late. Eugene could practically see the dots connecting in Adira's sharp mind.

"H-how… why…?" Adira fumbled for words for a moment before her eyes shot back to Eugene with a clearly accusatory glare. "What is the meaning of this?"

Eugene suddenly felt like he was being scolded by an overbearing aunt.

"I-I can explain." Eugene scratched the back of his neck quelling the urge to take a step back, before he decided that in fact he had no obligation to explain anything to Adira now that he thought about it. "Actually, I can explain after you explain where you've been all this time and what the hell happened to you."

Adira seemed to be dazzled enough to let Rapunzel guide her without complaint towards the tree stump they had previously occupied. The tall woman sat heavily, hard eyes still trained on Eugene.

"I've been where I told you I'd be. The Dark Kingdom." Adira replied, voice strained. "Not everything went according to plan, as you might have guessed."

Eugene bit back a sarcastic reply, thinking better than to risk Adira's temper when she was clearly not in the best of moods. "What happened?"

"I was caught by guards of the King. After I aided in your escape I was branded a traitor, of course." Adira let out a shaky sigh, looking weary enough to betray her dwindling energy. Eugene tried not to grimace, guilt was such an unpleasant weight to have on his conscience. "I managed to talk to Edmund for a moment before they caught me, though."

"Oh?" Eugene's eyebrows quirked despite his efforts to appear as unbothered as possible. "How is he?"

"He is in good health, mostly. Lost his arm after his encounter with the Moonstone, unfortunately."

Eugene heard Rapunzel's gasp, and he felt his own mouth drying at the knowledge, but Adira was quick to reassure them. "He will be fine though. Ágatha says he should be strong enough to return to normal activities by the end of the month. I…"

Adira paused, biting her lips as she swallowed thickly. Eugene wondered if it pained her to speak or if she was just bracing herself for what she would say next. After a moment of heavy silence, she continued.

"I told him about you." She spoke, almost softly. "I told him everything; what his brother did, what happened to you all these years, I told him about your mother's fate…"

Eugene clenched his jaw, suddenly very interested in the dry ground beneath his feet. He felt Rapunzel's delicate hand slipping beneath his own, giving a gentle squeeze. He couldn't look up if he tried.

"He was heartbroken, I worried the news would be too much for his health." Adira continued with a shaky breath. "But I guess his spite was stronger. He is furious with his brother, rightly so. He is not strong enough yet, to stand up to him and face him. But his judgement is sound enough, unlike his brother's. His horrid deeds will not go unpunished, of that Edmund will make sure."

Eugene bit his lip, fighting back the urge to enquire further. Part of him was satisfied. His father knew of his existence now, and that was enough, it should be enough. But another, restless part of him remained wondering…

Perhaps Adira could sense the question in his silence, for she continued with slight hesitation.

"He… he wants to meet you."

Eugene's knee-jerk reaction was to recoil at the idea, resentment rising in his chest and a sharp barb ready at his tongue. But he paused. Why did he still resent the man when he'd not known of his existence at all? He was afraid of what he would find lying beneath that question, so he didn't prod his own mind further.

Beside him, Rapunzel laced her fingers between his, her silent support giving him the strength he so desperately needed.

It took Eugene a moment to find his voice again, rough with hidden emotion. "I… I don't—"

"I know." Adira cut him off, her tone steady and calm as ever. "I told him you probably weren't ready for that, that you would need time. Edmund understands where you're coming from, Eugene. He is a good man, if you would just give him a chance, you might find that out on your own."

Perhaps. Or perhaps this was enough for him. Just the knowledge that his father knew of him, accepted him to an extent, at least enough to not immediately reject him. Perhaps he may never find out. Regardless, Eugene was in no hurry to change his mind.

"I have no plans to return to the Dark Kingdom anytime soon, Adira." Eugene said, expecting Adira to chide him for his callousness. Instead she surprised him by nodding sagely.

"And you shouldn't. Erebos…" she sighed, and suddenly she looked far older than Eugene had thought her to be, weary and defeated. "Things are not at all well back home. There is a lot of unrest. The Moonstone has registered an increase in activity. The black rocks have been multiplying much faster than usual, it's as if something awakened it's power recently."

Adira's ever calculating eyes traveled to Rapunzel just for a moment, but it was enough to put Eugene on edge. The older woman continued, however, and the moment soon passed.

"The King has lost what little sense he still had left because of this. He's found out about the Sundrop, it was only a matter of time really. He wants to get rid of the Moonstone once and for all. He's prepared to do whatever it takes to do it, even send his guards to Corona in search of the Sundrop."

At this, Rapunzel's grip on his hand tightened. Eugene could feel her breath quickening at the prospect, and he needn't be deeply knowledgeable in politics to know what that would mean. The Dark King's guards trespassing Corona's territory without invitation was as good as a declaration of war.

"Not everyone agrees with his methods, however." Adira continued, wincing as she shifted slightly. "In fact, the very few members that remain on the Royal Council are completely against such measures. People are getting restless, citizens that have lost their livelihood, their homes, their very country to the Moonstone's horrid hold on these lands. There's been talk of an uprising, a… coup, if you will. Overthrowing a monarch is a serious and unlawful act, the height of treason, indeed. But it's been argued, whispered inside the castle's very walls, that the King is no longer in possession of his faculties. He's been increasingly challenging the Moonstone's power without sense or reason. Enough has been enough."

Adira paused with a pained cough, and Rapunzel instinctively shifted closer in concern. "Wouldn't a coup leave the kingdom even more vulnerable without its ruler?"

"The Council has been talking about Edmund taking the throne, naturally as the next in line." Adira's voice was taking on a wheezing note the more she talked, and Eugene suspected her injuries were graver than she let on. "If, or more likely when he is appointed King, he will be in full authority to legitimize you, Eugene. You'd be recognized as his lawful son, a Prince of the Dark Kingdom, his heir apparent and so, the next in line for the throne. There would be nothing to stop you, you will be able to go back home."

Despite Adira's words being welcoming, the effect they had on him was more akin to chilling water running down his spine, making his blood curdle. "I… that's not my home, Adira."

"It should be." She replied resolutely. "It could be. But not now, right now it's too dangerous for you to even be here at all. You need to get as far away from here as possible, Eugene. The only reason I came back here was to warn you in case you were still around."

"Warn him about what?" Rapunzel asked, and Eugene didn't miss the slight tremor in her voice.

"The Dark King is after us, of course. It's only a matter of time before they find me. We are a threat to him, we know too much." Adira explained, and Eugene's jaw clenched as she winced through another pained cough.

"I take it that's why you're like this." He muttered darkly as he looked at her very evidently bruised face. "He did this to you."

"He wouldn't stoop so low to stain his own hands. His guards did this." Adira grunted. "On his orders, of course. He wanted all the information he could get on the Sundrop and on you, and I was wholly uncooperative, so… they opted for more forceful methods of interrogation, to say the least."

Eugene's fists clenched at the thought. They'd tortured her to get to him, to Rapunzel. And Adira had bore it all like a warrior protecting a sacred treasure. He really didn't have the words to thank her for it.

"How did you escape?" He took a step closer, hesitant like he was approaching a wild, easily spooked animal.

"Edmund helped me. He has more than a few trusted allies within the castle. Some of the guards are not quite as loyal to the King as they are to him." Adira grimaced as she adjusted her posture. "But they're trailing me closely, I can feel it. I'm not fast enough to lose them. I needed to warn you but you need to leave, right now, you don't have much time before they come looking."

Eugene could hear the urgency in her voice, an undertone of fear he had never heard in the strong warrior. It was enough to make his insides churn.

"We were already planning on leaving." Rapunzel said, eyes worriedly scanning Adria's visible injuries. "We are mostly ready. As soon as you are healed enough we will be ready to go."

He couldn't tell if Adira's resulting frown was due to pain or rather what Rapunzel said. She shook her head resolutely, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "No. We don't have time for that. You need to leave right now. They can't find you, Eugene. If they do…"

She trailed off, but Eugene knew well enough what was implied in her heavy silence. His fate wasn't much promising if he was captured by the Dark King.

But neither Rapunzel nor Eugene were deterred by this.

"What do you mean? We are not leaving you here like this, Adira. You're coming with us." Eugene took another step closer, preparing to help her up, but Adira was adamant. She waved him off once more, her other arm bracing around her torso as another wave of pain seemed to hit her, breath wheezing as she spoke.

"No, I can't travel much farther like this, I will only slow you down. Go, I can take care of myself."

Eugene knew by her posture, the tenseness of her spine, her clenched jaw and tightening fists, Adira wouldn't be moving much farther than where she was now, alone in the middle of the woods. If she was right about how close behind the King's men were, she was searing her own fate. Her life for his. He couldn't allow it, not after all she'd done for him.

He exchanged a look with Rapunzel, saw the resolute set of her shoulders, the stubbornness in her eyes, and knew in that instant what she'd set her mind on.

"You don't have to come with us, if that is what you want." Rapunzel approached the taller woman carefully. "But at least let me help with your wounds."

"Rapunzel." Eugene reached out, his hand brushing her shoulder to stall her, his stomach tightening at the prospect of what she clearly intended to do. But Rapunzel shook her head, gently removing his hand as she continued on.

"I can help, it's the least I can do." Rapunzel moved closer still, coming to kneel right before Adira, whose posture kept hunching by the minute. "You've helped Eugene all this time, you risked your life for his. I owe you this much."

Adira looked skeptical, a confused frown setting on her brow as she looked down at Rapunzel. "You don't owe me a thing, Your Highness. And I'm not sure how much you would be able to help me in this state."

Rapunzel reached for her hand, and Eugene had the unshakable instinct to stop her.

"Blondie…"

"It's alright. I trust her." Rapunzel's eyes met his, a reassuring smile on her lips that did nothing to ease his worry. She spared him just a single glance before her focus returned to the injured woman. With one hand gently grasping Adira's, she reached with the other to unwrap a thick lock of hair from her tightly woven braid.

"Just hold onto this, wrap it tightly around your hand." Rapunzel instructed as she guided Adira's hand towards the golden strands, while the older woman's frown deepened in bewilderment. "And don't let go, it'll only work as long as you hold onto it."

Eugene felt an inexplicable wave of dread burning in his chest, clawing its way up his throat and clogging the air in his windpipe like a tightening noose around his neck, as he watched Rapunzel quietly preparing Adira for what she was about to witness. He trusted Adira by now, he really did. But exposing Rapunzel's most precious secret when there was an entire kingdom looking to exploit her power felt like tempting fate.

"Now, you will feel better in no time. I promise." Rapunzel's voice was a soothing balm in the eerie quiet of the dead woods, and Adira looked on somewhere between dubious and confused as the younger woman closed her eyes and sang.

"Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine…" Rapunzel's voice carried in the forest's crisp air like the call of a siren at sea, melodious and hypnotic as her luscious golden strands illuminated with an unnatural glow as bright as the sun itself, from the roots of her hair travelling slowly to the tips.

Eugene had to admit, Adira's surprised, sudden intake of breath was a far more graceful reaction than the near panic attack he'd experienced when he first saw Rapunzel's powers.

"Make the clock reverse…"

He could see the magic slowly spread over Adira like the warmth of the early morning sunlight, mending the cuts on her skin, smoothing over the purpling bruises and swollen flesh and leaving unblemished skin behind. He'd felt it himself; the pleasant warmth of Rapunzel's healing power, the soothing sensation that spread like a blanket over his whole body, heady and numbing. He could see it now, the effect it had as Adira's posture changed slowly; her shoulders sagged in relief, her breathing slowed from the ragged gasps of pain she'd previously released, her pinched frown smoothed and her jaw unclenched as she closed her eyes.

Hers was far greater damage than Rapunzel's magic had healed with his minor wounds once upon a time. Eugene could tell the progress was much slower this time. But Rapunzel continued to sing, and Adira's wounds continued to heal as the magic progressed from her face down her arms, slowly but surely.

"Bring back what once was mine-"

A sudden disturbance in the bushes interrupted Rapunzel, and they all whirled around with varying degrees of trepidation as the silhouettes of dark figures emerged from within the shadows of the trees.

"Well done, Adira. You've managed your task rather splendidly." A gravelly voice resonated through the dense atmosphere. A voice Eugene had heard before. Once.

Fear tasted acrid in his mouth, making his stomach turn. He could've sworn his heart quite literally jumped all the way to his throat, eyes darting back and forth as he tried to assess their new circumstances.

Adira's shoulders tensed as she stood with some difficulty, taking on as much as an intimidating stance as she could muster. Eugene instinctively reached for Rapunzel —who had scrambled back in her haste to get as far away from the looming figures as possible— and stood before her, in a pathetic attempt to hide her now that it was entirely too late.

A pair of vibrant green eyes seemed to almost glow through the darkness of the woods. Eugene knew them well, had seen them before. And although unnerving, he'd never quite feared them as he did now.

Adira's chin jutted out in silent defiance as Hector's figure emerged through the fog, his gait sure and menacing, like a predator stalking its prey.

"Hector…" Adira's voice was little more than a whisper, almost a plea.

Hector didn't seem deterred, flanked on each side by a pair of guards, four in total, their obsidian colored armor allowing them to blend perfectly within the shadows.

Eugene's instincts screamed at him to run, find the best way to make it out of the situation like he'd done a thousand times before, plan a hasty and unlikely escape as he always did. Four guards and a deranged looking warrior couldn't possibly be much of a challenge for the likes of Flynn Rider. He'd escaped Corona's Royal Guards with a kidnapped princess and a stolen crown before, this couldn't be much worse.

But back then he'd had no need to protect a pregnant Rapunzel, and now he had no horse, no weapons, not even the knowledge of the landscape to know the best places to hide and lose his pursuers. An escape under these circumstances was as unlikely as it was dangerous.

The shadows approached closer, halting his escape plans, looming around them like vultures, and Eugene could only watch in some stupid kind of paralyzed trance as Hector's face became clearer as he left the fog of the forest completely behind.

"I must admit I am impressed. Good job, you managed to find the Sundrop and the fugitive all on your own." Hector nodded approvingly, and a traitorous, small part of Eugene actually wondered if that had been the plan all along. To trick him into capture. He didn't have much time to ponder as Hector continued his slow advance with a satisfied curl of his lips. "The King will be pleased with what you've done for your country."

"Hector, please…" Adira's words wavered into nothingness as Hector approached. Eugene could tell she already knew defeat when it was staring at her right in the face.

"I'm trying to help you here, sister." Hector extended a conciliatory hand, voice dripping with honey-like smoothness, peaceful and harmless. "Come, let us go. I'll tell the King what you've done. This is a great achievement indeed, grand enough to make the King reconsider, perhaps he will even pardon your treason."

Hector held Adira's gaze, and Eugene could see the meaningful glint behind his eyes. Like he was willing her to accept his one offer of redemption. The last and only one she'd ever have.

Adira straightened into a fighting stance, hand grasping the handle of the large sword she perpetually seemed to carry on her back. But the almost imperceptible tremor of her movements was a sure sign that Rapunzel's magic had not had the chance to heal her enough. Not for a fight, not for this.

Hector's eyes zeroed in on Adira's movements, the guards instantly took out their own swords in retaliation, awaiting orders to attack, and Eugene seized the distraction, discreetly looping a hand around Rapunzel's arm and taking a careful step closer to the shadows. Any minute now, they would have to make their escape.

Hector raised his hands in surrender, but his calculating eyes spoke a different story.

"There is no need for a fight, Adira. I have no wish to do this."

"I agree, there is no need for a fight." Adira replied, resolute and firm, not once betraying her weakness. "So you will let them go, tell the King the only thing you found was me."

Eugene took another step backwards, dragging Rapunzel behind. Meanwhile, a somber shadow settled over Hector's mien. "You forget yourself, sister. You know we have a duty, to our kingdom and to our King."

"Our duty is to the Moonstone, Hector. Not the King. We were sworn to protect it, to keep it hidden from the wrong hands, to protect our kingdom and the world from its power." Adira argued. "What the King is trying to do is deranged, it's dangerous. I do not see fit to follow him anymore. And I will honor my duty, if it is the last thing I do."

Hector raised an eyebrow, but his stance remained passive, almost defeated, like he had resigned himself to an unpleasant outcome. "I have orders, Adira. Orders I cannot defy, you know that better than anyone."

"Hector, you must listen to reason. The Sundrop is not an object like we thought. It's a person, and we don't know the extent of the Moonstone's power to safely attempt what the King intends." Adira pleaded, hand gesturing wildly towards them. "And that is Edmund's son, you cannot do this."

Eugene had never felt more like a vulnerable animal trapped in the lion's den, as Hector's unnervingly deep stare settled over them with a contemplative frown. He seemed hesitant now, like he was fighting an internal battle between what he had to do and what Adira asked of him. Eugene had no time for existencial doubts, his feet itched to run, his every muscle tensed with the need to escape and take Rapunzel back to the quiet safety of the inn as soon as possible. He only needed a distraction to seize his chance.

Hector shook his head, clearly making up his mind.

"Rest assured, Adira. It is my understanding that no harm will come to Edmund's son, and I'm certain neither will come to her. You can come with me, and all will be sorted out." Once again, Hector extended a hand towards his former partner; a peace offering, and invitation.

Adira raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You really believe that?"

"The King wouldn't harm his own flesh and blood." Hector shook his head as if the mere idea was preposterous, as if he had not been right there in the very room where that same King had threatened Eugene barely a month ago. "And I'm sure once he knows the Sundrop's power lies within the young miss, we will come to a more agreeable solution."

"Is that really the King you know, or the one you'd like to serve?" Adira's tone was as caustic as the glare she leveled at her former companion.

"Adira don't make this any more difficult. I'm only trying to help you." Hector sighed, evidently tired of the conversation and Adira's stubbornness. A stubbornness that had blessedly allowed Eugene and Rapunzel to take several steps into the shadows while their unpleasant crowd remained none the wiser, focused as they were on Adira. Hector, continued unaware. "The three of you can come with me peacefully, and the King will be understanding."

"You still live under an illusion, brother." Adira shook her head in silent resignation before taking out her sword with one graceful and quick arch of her wrist. "And I'm afraid I can't let you do this. If that means I have to defy you, then so be it."

For a split moment, Hector's face betrayed just a hint of regret, before his countenance hardened once more with dangerous resolution. He took his own sword with an even deadlier stroke than Adira's halting movements, making Eugene's stomach drop to his feet.

"Then you leave me no choice."

Eugene watched almost as in slow motion. Hector took a step closer, sword at the ready, Adira's shoulders straightened in preparation for a fight she would most likely lose in her still fragile state, and before anyone could move a muscle, she turned her face, sparing him one last parting glance.

"Go!" She shouted, sword raised as Hector charged at her. "Now! Run!"

Eugene didn't need to be told twice. His hand tightened around Rapunzel's arm as his feet sprang to action. Taking advantage of the distance they'd managed to put between themselves and the rest of the gathering crowd, they vanished into the foggy darkness of the woods beyond with surprising quickness.

He still could hear the single command Hector uttered in that deep, gravelly voice, carried out through the damp air like a crack of thunder.

"After them!"

Eugene never looked back.

---

They stumbled through the dense woods as gracefully as a pair of newborn fawns, but Eugene didn't allow a single pause. He half dragged Rapunzel through uneven terrain, his movements quick and guided on pure instinct as he blindly sprinted through the dry vegetation, mindless of the scratches the thorny bushes provided when they tore through both cloth and skin while they made their way deeper into the unknown. He'd counted two guards after them, perhaps the other two had stayed to aid Hector. Perhaps they were just hiding.

He could feel Rapunzel sagging behind him, could hear her labored breathing, her stumbling steps barely able to keep up with his hurried pace, but he still didn't let up. They couldn't afford a single wasted second. He momentarily regretted the strain he was putting on her while in her condition, but worse was the prospect of letting the Black Guards catch her. He would carry her himself if he had to, but they wouldn't, couldn't slow down.

The sound of clashing swords from Adira and Hector's battle grew fainter as Eugene pushed them further away, and he realized with a heavy heart that they most likely wouldn't see her again. He tried not to concentrate on whether or not he could hear any pained grunts, any hits delivered to her, any eerie silence that indicated their fight was over.

He told himself it was the distance he'd put between themselves and her when he could no longer hear the battle behind.

Fog curled around the foliage like wispy, phantom snakes, growing denser the deeper into the woods they traversed, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. Both a blessing and a curse, for as easily as it cloaked them in shadows and blended their silhouettes into the darkness, so too were their enemies hidden from sight.

Eugene's long trained senses were his only saving grace in this pursuit. It was clear the Black Guards relied on stealth, a viper camouflaged waiting to strike. They had no horses to aid them, not like Corona's guards the last time he'd been chased. They moved like shadows, making very little noise, moving with the speed of a light breeze. He could not see them but he could feel them near, approaching with alarming swiftness.

He quickened his pace, zigzagging through their path in an attempt to lose them more easily, making Rapunzel stumble more than once as he abruptly changed direction, her hand tightening around his fingers. The sound of the Black Guards' footsteps grew fainter, somewhat distant, but still present. Persistent. They wouldn't give up this chase.

Eugene recognized a losing battle when he saw one.

"We're never gonna make it like this." Eugene breathed as he hauled Rapunzel faster, cringing a bit at her loud footsteps not at all used to the need for stealth. "We won't lose them, they're still too close behind."

His heart hammered wildly in his chest, breath uneasy. He looked at Rapunzel, locking her eyes with a meaningful gaze. "We need a distraction."

"What?" She frowned, foot slipping slightly as she struggled to keep up with him.

He let go of her hand, and the lack of contact felt like severing a string between them tied to his very soul, but he'd made up his mind. If he could give her a chance to get out of this, then it would all be worth it. He gripped her shoulder urgently instead.

"You go on ahead." Eugene gently pushed her forward. "I'll lead them the other way, buy us some time."

Rapunzel met his words with an affronted scowl. "What?! No, I won't leave you!"

"It'll be fine. It's just two guards, I can deal with them." He whispered, eyes urgent. But Rapunzel would not be swayed, not in this.

Her frown deepened and her hand clenched around his arm with a vice-like grip as they kept moving blindly. "We stay together, Eugene. You promised."

"I've gotten out of worse, I'll be just fine." He waved off, willing his voice to remain as nonchalant as possible even as his heart kept trying to beat right out of his chest. "Are you doubting my abilities, Blondie?"

She stopped abruptly making him almost stumble into her. When she turned her eyes were ablaze with a fierce determination he had not seen since the day she had asked him to run away with her.

It suddenly dawned on him; he had done this to her before. He had told her he would come back for her, that it would only be a moment, he had promised to return that night. And she never saw him again, not for a long time.

"I will not leave you behind." Rapunzel spoke firmly, grip not wavering in the slightest.

Eugene swallowed thickly, feeling like he was betraying his own heart. He took the hand that clenched around his arm into his own and laced their fingers together, holding her gaze with what he hoped conveyed just how much it killed him to do this again.

"Rapunzel, c'mon," Eugene pressed their clasped hands gently into her stomach, aware of the pleading note he let slip into his voice. "This is not just about us anymore. They cannot get to you. Not you."

Eugene could swear he felt his very soul break a little as Rapunzel's face crumpled, eyes welling up with stubbornly unshed tears.

"I won't." She shook her head, lips trembling. "I can't."

"You can. You have to." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, his eyes closing against tears of his own that he refused to let slip. "Please, for them."

He pressed his other hand against her still tiny baby bump, and it felt like a crack tearing into the center of his heart, splitting it in two. He could not offer her another promise, this one he was not certain he could keep.

With a shuddering breath, he let her go, pushing her gently forward, urging her to continue on her own.

"Go on, I'll be right behind you."

Eugene could hear the empty words himself, could tell how little she believed them to be true. But the footsteps behind them that were once faint grew louder, approaching faster.

Rapunzel held his gaze for just a moment longer, a single traitorous tear slipping past her eyelashes. And then she turned and vanished through the trees like a phantom in the air, leaving not a trace of her behind.

Eugene knew she was leaving with a piece of his heart with her.

---

If there was one thing he was good at, excelled at even —other than extraordinary thefts— was leading pursuing guards into a wild goose chase in order to lose them. Eugene had escaped heavily guarded prisons, unlocked himself out of the most intricately designed cells, done impossible heists with unlikely success. He'd won against all odds, against any obstacle life had thrown at him before.

He could do it again just fine.

He made his footfalls purposely loud, giving away his location with exaggerated movements as he stumbled through a different direction than the one he'd been taking before, giving Rapunzel a good head start. He could hear the Black Guards coming close behind him, could feel their presence as adrenaline fuelled him faster, deeper into the darkness, mindful of the way he was taking and storing details for later, when he had to go back to look for Rapunzel. He would go back to look for her, he had to. This would not be the day Flynn Rider would be bested.

Once he was certain he'd led them far enough away for Rapunzel's safety he changed tactics. They were entirely too close behind. He could not lose them but he could face them. His eyes rapidly scanned the forest floor for anything he could possibly use as a weapon, and soon landed on a sturdy fallen branch, large and thorny like everything else that grew in this godforsaken piece of dead land. Nothing lethal by any stretch of the imagination, but if he swung it just the right way with the right amount of force he could use it as a club.

If he played his cards just right, he could get away with this, he only needed to wait for the perfect moment.

Eugene used the shadows and the dense fog to his advantage, letting them cloak him in a nebulous haze as he pressed himself into the particularly thick trunk of a large oak tree, wide enough to cover his entire frame. Just in time to be hidden from view.

Only a few seconds passed before the stealthy footsteps grew louder, and as he sneaked a glance he could see them fast approaching; two dark, blurry figures becoming more discernible the closer they got to his hiding spot. Eugene held his breath, the muscles of his arms straining as he poised the heavy branch ready to strike.

The Black Guards treaded on completely unaware, slowing their pace once they noticed they could no longer hear him running ahead. Eugene held his breath in anticipation, and took the opportunity to examine them more closely, noticing the shape of their armour, the cavities where the inky, dark metal bent, the vulnerable spots where a well placed hit would do the most damage. He noticed their helmets left their faces and neck completely uncovered, mostly just protecting their head.

He counted the seconds in his head, hands sweaty and eyes focused. He had one chance. And he'd only be able to take out one of them. If he was lucky the other would be startled enough to buy him a few precious seconds before he attacked back. The guards approached his hiding spot, passing slowly right before the tree he was using as shield, examining their surroundings like hounds out for a hunt.

Eugene took one shuddering breath, his fingers tightened around the sturdy branch, two… the guards turned their backs to him as they passed the large oak, vulnerable to his attack for the first and probably last time… three…

Eugene pounced.

With a swiftness that only his years on the run could have granted him, he swung the heavy branch towards the guard closest to him with one powerful stroke, focusing all of his strength behind it and catching the guard completely unaware as the blow landed heavy on his temple.

The guard's body crumpled to the ground like a puppet without strings, unconscious, and Eugene had only a second to pull his arm back before he noticed the flash of a black sword coming straight at him.

So much for relaying on the other guard's surprise.

With a ferociousness and precision that he'd admittedly underestimated, the remaining guard launched his attack, movements fast and agile like Eugene had rarely seen before in any other opponent. Granted, Eugene could not gloat on any outstanding skills he may have had as a swordsman, but he'd always been able to rely on his stealth and quick feet to make him at least somewhat competent. Now his movements seemed sluggish and entirely too clumsy compared to the other man. He was barely able to lift the branch to block the sword's deadly blow, and the impact had him stumbling back on unsteady legs.

The obsidian-like material of the weapon shined with an eerily deadly glint, the edge so sharp it wedged into the branch, almost chopping it right in two, making splinters fly around his face, and Eugene scrambled for cover as the guard pulled the sword back with surprising force, almost taking the entire branch back with him.

Eugene jumped back, missing the next jab by a mere inch, he blocked the following blow with what little remained of the branch he brandished like a club and used the momentum to throw the guard off balance as he pushed forward. Eugene ducked as the guard pushed his arm back, the branch now completely useless, splintering to pieces at his feet after taking such an impact twice. Eugene took the momentary distraction to fling his fist forward, catching the other man across the jaw in what he hoped was a heavy enough smack to disorient him. But the Black Guard was much quicker and unrelenting than he'd anticipated, and Eugene barely had time to notice the deadly glint before leaping out of the way.

He was not fast enough this time.

A strangled gasp escaped Eugene's lips when the very tip of the sword caught him on his right side, cutting easily through both his vest and shirt and slicing a thin, clean cut across the taut skin of his abdomen. The sting was sudden and sharp, but it wasn't so painful as it was surprising. He didn't have enough time to assess the damage before he had to crouch once more to avoid danger, the guard slinging blow after blow, each jab more intense than the last.

Eugene's feet felt clumsy and unsteady over the brushwood beneath his boots and the rocky terrain. His steps were jerky as he stumbled backwards each time the opposing sword came close. With nothing to defend himself and clearly a skill set far below the required to best his rival, the only thing he could rely on was his remaining agility to jump out of harm's way. So absorbed was he in trying to avoid being quite literally impaled, he never even had time to notice the Black Guard was cornering him until one last stroke had him stumbling right against the tree he'd been hiding behind mere moments before, his back pressed to the trunk, the tip of a sword pointed straight at his neck.

"Any last words?"

The Black Guard's face was completely impassive, not a single hint of any kind of emotion behind his dark eyes. Eugene suddenly had a brief sense of déjà vu, and he only had a second to berate himself for ending up, once again, weaponless and defeated with a sword at his neck.

"I thought Hector said no harm would come to us." Eugene tried in a very lame attempt to delay the inevitable. The guard raised a thin eyebrow.

"Those were Hector's orders." He confirmed with a dispassionate shrug. "But I follow the King's, and His Majesty's wishes happen to differ. Nothing personal, you see."

"Ah, uncle dearest." Eugene felt a sardonic smirk pulling at his lips, despite the evidently dire situation. Well if he was going to be murdered, let it be known Eugene Fitzherbert never once showed them fear. "Well, you tell him I send him my best."

Eugene could see the gloved hand twist at the sword's hilt, see the obsidian blade glint in the very faint light, could almost feel time moving slowly as he felt the cold metal press against his skin.

But no deadly stab came afterwards.

He heard it before he could really process what he was seeing; a resounding smack followed by a firm thud, and then suddenly the Black Guard was before him no longer, unconscious body crumpled on the ground like his partner's lying a few feet ahead.

His eyes took a moment to connect with his brain once he became aware of the sight before him.

"Cassandra?"

In the guard's place now stood the young handmaiden, her own smaller sword raised with the pommel angled in a perfect position to strike someone with it. Behind her, Maximus stood on alert, Pascal sitting precariously at the top of the stallion's white mane.

Eugene blinked several times, half wondering if he'd actually been killed and this was his welcome committee in the afterlife. Because if that was the case he'd have to see where to file the biggest complaint.

Cassandra's olive green eyes swept across the perimeter in assessment, as if making sure there were no other lurking guards waiting to strike, and then lowered her sword with a disgruntled sigh.

"Figures you'd take a stroll into the woods with no weapons at all when you're like the most wanted criminal in the Seven Kingdoms!" She seethed. Meanwhile, Eugene was still finding it difficult to regain his own voice.

"Why- I mean, h-how did you…?"

"Those guards, the entire town is crawling with them. Dozens, patrolling the streets and coming into the woods." She explained almost casually. "I thought to myself; who could they possibly be after? And the answer was pretty darn simple, would you believe?"

"But how did you find me?" Eugene was still feeling a bit disoriented, his hand hovering over the wound at his side.

Cassandra extended a hand towards Maximus, who seemed to be taking his newly acquired duty of being the lookout quite seriously. "Max can track your scent, did you know that? I swear that horse was a bloodhound in his past life."

A frown settled over Cassandra's face once she realised the person her eyes kept searching for was nowhere to be seen. "Wait, where's Rapunzel?"

Eugene winced slightly as he gingerly pressed his hand into his side. "I sent her ahead, she should be safe. They were just trailing me when we separated."

Cassandra gave a somewhat satisfied nod, and gestured for him to follow.

But he stopped her before she could move much further. "Wait, Cassandra?"

She looked at him and raised an expectant eyebrow, and Eugene truly, genuinely never would've thought his next words would ever be dedicated to them of all beings. Not the girl who was sometimes the bane of his existence, or the deranged horse that had once dragged him through the woods in an attempt to arrest him. Yet, despite their many differences and incessant arguments, they'd still saved his life.

Funny how life changed that way.

"Thank you. Both of you, thank you." He looked at Cassandra, and then Max too, with as much sincerity as his addled brain could muster at the moment.

"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it." Cassandra waved him off casually, while Max nodded his assent.

"No, really. Thank you." Eugene repeated, feeling for some reason like it was important that they truly grasped the depth of his gratitude. He was feeling inexplicably sentimental all of a sudden. Perhaps that was just a side effect of living through near-death experiences and having no one else to turn to, and no, his eyes were definitely not nearly watering as he looked at them with unbound sincerity.

"You know, maybe… all this time we've just been… misunderstanding one another and we're really not that—" he trailed off as he became aware of the ridiculousness of the situation once he noticed their identical deadpanned stares. Even Pascal was looking at him like he was a blabbering idiot. "Yeah, you're right. We should go."

"Glad we can agree on that one. You should go." Cassandra extended her arm towards him and pressed a thin dagger into his hand. "Here, take this. You clearly need it."

Then she whirled around without another word and walked back towards Max, easily mounting on his back. "Go, find Rapunzel and get out of here as fast as you can."

"Wait, where are you going?" Eugene asked, feeling a bit light-headed after everything that had just happened. He pocketed the dagger, fingers twitching over the thin wound on his side.

"There are too many of them after you. I saw them entering the woods, you're not gonna make it on your own." Cassandra explained as she took Maximus' reins in hand. "We'll take on as many as we find, give you guys a good chance."

Eugene's mouth opened in protest, but the argument died on his lips before he could even speak as Cassandra silenced him with a raised hand and a piercing glare.

"We'll be fine. They are looking for you, they will not be expecting us." She smirked, eyes dancing with a glint of mockery. "Besides, I can handle my battles much better than you apparently. You okay?"

Her eyebrow quirked and she nodded towards the hand still firmly pressed to his side. Eugene was feeling many things at the moment, but he could say none of them fell under the category of 'okay', regardless of the wound.

A small wound at that, now that he had time to properly examine it. He removed his hand to reveal a spot of blood on his vest, small enough not to be too alarming. With slightly trembling fingers, Eugene lifted the fabric covering the injury, and confirmed his suspicions. A thin cut sliced across his flesh, not wider than a few inches and just deep enough to suggest he would probably forgo the need for stitches in any other circumstance, if it weren't for the reddish tint the skin surrounding the gash was acquiring.

Nothing to concern himself with at the moment, even if the sting was getting a bit bothersome.

Eugene waved Cassandra off with a shrug. "Nothing big, I'll be okay."

Cassandra's eyes remained on him for a tense moment, trying to discern the truth in his tone. Something must have been slightly convincing, for she nodded, if a bit skeptically. "Alright, if you say so. I'll catch up with you as soon as I can."

Eugene didn't even have time to nod before Cassandra pulled on Max's reins, prompting the horse to break into a gallop and disappear into the nebulous darkness of the forest.

Despite the fact that his head was still feeling a bit too fuzzy in the aftermath of his confrontation with the Black Guards, Eugene wasted no more time. He stumbled on unsteady feet, back the way he'd come from with only one thought in mind.

He had to find Rapunzel. He had to get her out of this, if it was the last thing he did.

---

The air felt tight and entirely too humid in her lungs as her chest heaved with the need to get enough oxygen into her system to keep going. But Rapunzel felt like she'd been going on for hours, an eternity really. She'd been running on adrenaline since the moment she'd been taken from her bedchamber, kidnapped by a daredevil rogue who'd decided to steal more than just her crown and take her heart with him too while he was at it. A reckless, self-sacrificing, ridiculous man who had just ran straight into the wolf's den without even giving her enough of a warning to prepare a counterargument to his foolish decision.

Rapunzel had a feeling if she was hyperventilating now, it had little to do with the fact that she was still running blindly through the woods.

Panic clawed at her throat and sat heavy on her stomach, making her queasy. She had no idea where she was going, no idea how she'd find Eugene again. All she knew was she could not stop. Not for a second. If she stopped she would think about him, about how he had attracted the guard's attention to spare her, about how he had no weapon to fight them, about what had happened to him. If she stopped she would want to go back, and she couldn't afford it, not when her baby's safety was at stake, not after the fear-ridden look Eugene had sent her, begging her to go, breaking her heart all over again with just one pained glance.

She forced the thought away and pushed herself forward, faster. Her feet were already sore and blistered, her legs trembled with the effort it took to keep moving, but she still didn't allow a single pause, even as her chest tightened. Her condition was definitely not what it had been before, not with the added weight of her pregnant belly, or the nausea this strain was causing, or the swollen ankles. Rapunzel felt like she was moving underwater, pushed back by the restraint of her own body.

And then suddenly she was being pushed back by an entirely different reason.

A startled yelp escaped her mouth as she felt her braid being yanked back. For a terrifying moment Rapunzel was certain hands were grabbing her hair, pulling in a maniac attempt to steal the source of her magic. Her hands lifted towards the tense strands as she whirled around, only to notice with equal parts dismay and relief that her braid was tangled in the gnarly roots protruding from the forest mulch.

Her breath came out in panicked huffs and she yanked at the base of her braid with mounting trepidation, desperately trying to untangle herself to no avail. Her fingers trembled as she pulled with increasing urgency, only managing to make her scalp burn with the force she put behind her tugs. Rapunzel was so focused on her attempts, by the time she became aware of the whisper of footsteps fast approaching it was already too late.

A hand settled heavy on her shoulder and Rapunzel barely had time to gasp. The air left her lungs in one terrified puff, ready to morph into a scream before she was silenced by an all too familiar voice.

"Shh! It's okay, Blondie, it's me." Eugene's low voice was a soothing whisper right next to her ear, immediately making her shoulders sag in relief.

"Eugene!"

She turned her head as much as her position allowed and watched as his face sobered in concentration, clearly assessing the situation.

He rapidly knelt by her feet, right where her hair remained hopelessly tangled. His dexterous fingers made quick work of the knot, aided by the nimbleness years of thievery had provided to him. Rapunzel felt the pressure in her hair loosen in a matter of seconds, and soon she was free from her temporary trap.

She wasted no time in throwing her arms around him in a relieved embrace, fingers tightening at his sides, squeezing with as much fervor as her heart clenched in her chest. Rapunzel felt Eugene immediately stiffen at her tight grip, and though he brought his hands to the small of her back in a lukewarm attempt to hug her in return, he flinched away with a pained grunt he tried to muffle.

Rapunzel jumped back, concern flooded through her and drowned her momentary relief when she caught the grimace on his face that he quickly hid behind a neutral mask.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Eugene waved off, voice tight. She didn't believe him for a second.

Her eyes scanned his figure in the very dim light that filtered through the dense canopy. He seemed mostly fine, if a bit rumpled. There were no visible blooming bruises, no scratches on his face, not anything that might betray a serious injury. Except for the hand he kept gingerly resting over his right side.

"You're hurt." It was more a statement than a question. Rapunzel stepped closer, reaching towards the hand he kept close to his body. "Let me see."

He took a step back. "It's just a scratch. Nothing to worry about."

"Well, then let me help you with that." She insisted, body itching with the telltale signs of a deep-seated worry she tried to quell.

But Eugene seemed just as anxious for entirely different reasons. His head kept turning back as if he expected to be ambushed at any given minute —which given the situation was highly likely— eyes searching through the shadows, movements jerky as he sidestepped her.

He shook his head when she reached for him again. "No time for that, we need to get going. I'll be fine, I promise."

Rapunzel quirked an eyebrow, entirely unconvinced. But Eugene took her hand in his and quickly led her away, setting a rapid pace that was not quite a run, for which her blistered feet were momentarily grateful.

"How did you lose the guards?" She asked, trying match his footsteps and not make too much noise as her feet trampled over dried leaves.

"I didn't actually. I was very much caught for a second there."

"But then how—?"

"Cassandra and Max helped." Eugene answered simply.

"What?" Her head snapped back towards him in surprise. "Why are they here? How did they find you?"

"Max is a weird breed of a horse with good tracking skills apparently."

Rapunzel wondered for a moment at the completely ridiculous reply that left more questions than answers, but she had more important concerns at hand. "Where are they now?"

"It's okay, they'll catch up with us later." Eugene's tone was light in a clear attempt to soothe her worry, but she didn't miss the fact that his breathing was growing a bit labored.

Rapunzel chalked it up to exertion, they had been running for a while now and he'd just confronted two guards, it was entirely reasonable that even with his high stamina he was growing tired. Besides, he'd promised he was fine.

Rapunzel held onto that promise. Even long after she should've noticed the warning signs. Perhaps foolishly she'd let herself believe that it would all be okay in the end, that she should not panic, that he would be perfectly fine and her anxious mind was playing tricks on her, making her exaggerate things.

But Eugene's once agile steps slowly became heavier, his movements stiff and sluggish. Where before he had lead their way in a rapid sprint that had Rapunzel struggling to keep up, he now kept his pace decidedly slower to the point that he was now almost lagging behind. When the terrain became even more uneven and the ground dipped in a more pronounced slope, she noticed he stumbled more than once, feet clumsily slipping on the craggy ground in a way that was so uncharacteristic of him Rapunzel could no longer attribute it to tiredness.

Her eyes kept darting towards him, anxiously examining his complexion. Any changes were difficult to discern through the faint light and the misty atmosphere, much more when she could only catch glimpses as more than half her attention needed to focus on not stumbling face-first into the ground or smack herself with the low-hanging branches of scrawny trees. But Rapunzel did not think she was imagining his cheeks steadily losing color, or the beads of sweat clinging to his forehead that perhaps had nothing to do with physical activity.

Something was wrong with him, she could feel it in her gut.

"Eugene?" Rapunzel paused when he stumbled for the fourth time. She could notice the tremor in her own voice. "I'm not sure you're okay."

This time he took a moment to answer. They stopped in the middle of what appeared to be a very small glade at the foot of the slanted terrain. Eugene slumped,

back resting on the side of a particularly large boulder as his eyes closed. His breath came out in irregular huffs that had Rapunzel's eyebrows draw together in concern.

"I'm fine." Eugene replied, voice strained. She noticed he still kept his hand on his side, now clutching like it pained him quite a bit.

Rapunzel bristled at his answer. "You don't look fine at all!"

"I just… need to catch my breath is all." He breathed, slumping further as he let his head hang down.

Rapunzel had had enough of this ridiculousness. She clutched the end of her braid in one hand and approached his hunched figure. "Okay, enough, Eugene! I'm gonna heal you now whether you like it or not."

"I don't need—"

He had no time to finish whatever stubborn argument he'd been about to make. Rapunzel could feel the hair at the back o her head stand on end as she heard a soft creaking sound. She watched, frozen on the spot, as Eugene's eyes widened, looking at something over her shoulder with very evident fear that he didn't even bother to hide. He sucked in a shaky breath through pale lips, gaze darting back and forth beyond what Rapunzel could see, standing where she was facing him. She refused to turn around an acknowledge it, feet firmly planted on the ground as a raw kind of terror seized her entire body, weighing on her like an anchor preventing her from moving.

Eugene closed his eyes, the defeated look on his face one Rapunzel had only seen once, when they'd been trapped inside the remains of a sinking ship thinking they were about to drown. A look that clearly told her he'd accepted his dooming fate.

"I suggest you surrender now." A soft voice called from behind her, making her shoulders tense. "You are surrounded, after all."

Her body moved on its own accord, slowly twisting around to face whatever lay behind her. Rapunzel's eyes landed on the tall figures lurking at the edge of the shadows. Black Guards, dark and looming, standing in a semicircle effectively blocking any escape routes they may have had. Their black armor glinted within the semi-darkness, crossbows raised and pointed directly at them, ready to fire at the slightest provocation.

She felt her heart stop and sink to her feet.

Rapunzel's hands dropped to her sides, watching helplessly as one of the guards moved swiftly towards them, handcuffs clinking in his hands.

"Flynn Rider, in the name of the Kingdom of Erebos you are under arrest."

Rapunzel stood her ground protectively, remaining as a barrier blocking the way between the guard and Eugene standing behind her. A futile attempt, she knew, but they would have to go through her to get to him.

It wasn't much of a struggle.

Everything happened so fast afterwards it left her reeling. It took only a firm nudge of the guard to send her stumbling back on unsteady feet, barely managing to catch her footing. She watched, wide-eyed and powerless as the Black Guard reached Eugene in the blink of an eye, roughly gripping his arms as he handcuffed him. Much to her dismay, Eugene offered no resistance whatsoever, his face only paling further as he grimaced at the rough handling.

"Please! Stop!" Rapunzel's voice wavered pathetically in her distress, her own hands gripping fruitlessly onto the guard's armor clad arm in an attempt to stop him from taking Eugene. "He's injured. Just let me help him, please!"

"If he is injured he will get all the help he might need back at the camp." The guard answered, voice gruff as he tried to push her away, dragging Eugene with him. A strangled groan escaped Eugene as he was forced to walk ahead with a jerky move, making Rapunzel's fists clench stubbornly around the guard's arm, trying in vain to shake him away.

"You have no right…!"

She was cut off as she felt her arms being seized by a pair of hands, effectively pushing her back with surprising force. Rapunzel let out a startled yelp, heels digging into the ground. Two guards stood on both sides of her, taking her arms in a bruising grip as they dragged her back despite her struggles.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. You will have to come with us too."

It seemed her cries were enough to snap some strength back in Eugene. His head snapped up to her, and his face depicted a fierce fury she'd never seen in him before, struggling against his captor with renewed force despite his wound.

"No! Let her go, she has nothing to do with this!"

Rapunzel's arms were pulled behind her back with enough force to make her cry out in pain, and she felt the cold bite of iron enclosing around her delicate wrists.

Meanwhile, Eugene dug his shoulders back, the forceful movement strong enough to throw off his captor for a moment. It took three guards to settle him back into submission, one of them nudging his side, making him double over in pain and almost fall to his knees.

Rapunzel's loud protests fell on deaf ears, her struggles only serving to rub the skin of her wrists raw. She knew it was futile to resist, to try to postpone the inevitable as she planted her feet firmly to the ground and refused to cooperate. The guards hauled her forward anyway, and even if she miraculously managed to escape the forceful hold of one there where at least three more ready to take his place.

Still, she refused to give up. She struggled and pulled and screamed her throat hoarse, begging for just a minute, just one chance to at least help Eugene if nothing else. There was a suffocating pressure settling over her chest, like she could practically feel him losing strength beside her, his passive silence a complete contrast to her almost wild struggles.

The guards must have grown tired of her loud protests at some point, and proceeded to gag her with a piece of cloth, partially silencing most of her distressed cries for help as they continued to haul them through the woods. Neither of them made it any easier for the guards, not Rapunzel with her continued resistance, nor Eugene with his dragging footsteps and dwindling energy.

The further they traveled the more Rapunzel noticed him slipping away, his stumbles now almost resembling the ones of a heavily drunk person, making the nagging concern inside her grow exponentially, weighing her down like a growing ball of lead sitting heavy inside her stomach.

Before long, the dense vegetation parted slightly to reveal the exact same spot in the forest where they'd first been ambushed. Rapunzel felt the air thinning, pressing her lungs until she could no longer breathe.

No, this was all wrong. This could not possibly be happening.

The sight awaiting them made all hope she might have still harbored evaporate in an instant. Adira knelt on the ground, head hung low and shoulders hunched in defeat, her battered body showed new signs of the fierce battle that she'd evidently lost as Hector stood triumphant and tall before her, his sword resting heavy and menacing over her left shoulder, keeping her down while her own sword lay a few feet away, too far out of reach from her.

Beside them the furious neighs of Maximus broke the otherwise eerie silence of the woods as he struggled to break free from the hold of his restraints. Four guards pulled at the ropes surrounding the white stallion's body, tightening around his front legs and muzzle and successfully bringing him down when he reared in protest. Rapunzel could barely spot Pascal holding onto Maximus' mane with increasing difficulty, scales white and blending almost perfectly into the horse's hair, save for his terrified wide eyes.

Her heart squeezed at the sight.

Rapunzel's eyes then settled on the far corner, where Cassandra stood engulfed in her own scuffle with the two guards holding her back, her wrists already bound by shackles that did nothing to stop her from thrashing her whole body around in fierce protest, grunts loud and almost desperate when she voiced her outrage at the whole situation.

Perhaps they made some sort of sound with their arrival, for Cassandra's sight zeroed in on Rapunzel, eyes widening with utter horror and body going slack as realization dawned on her.

"Rapunzel! N—mph!" Cassandra's exclamation died on her lips as the guards gagged her too, her efforts doubling as she fought even more fiercely against her captors.

All of it was in vain. They were surrounded. Defeated. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Guilt settled over Rapunzel like a weighted blanket, a rock against her chest.

This was all her fault.

She was the one who just couldn't let go. She had insisted on coming all the way to this death-infested place, even against Cassandra's misgivings. She'd brought them all here, she'd insisted on staying a little bit longer even when Eugene had expressed his concern against the idea. Heavens, she'd been foolish enough to suggest a stupid stroll in the woods just today.

And now they were all in danger, even her unborn baby. All facing certain doom, because of her.

Adira's head snapped up towards them, eyes laced with a certain kind of disappointed defeat.

"Now look what you've done, sister." Hector spoke, something peculiar hiding within his voice, difficult to place. It made Rapunzel wonder if his pity was genuine. "I never wanted things to end like this."

"Hector," Adira's voice was now a broken wheeze. "If you ever cared about Edmund at all, don't do this."

"All will be sorted out soon." Hector retorted, almost comfortingly.

Rapunzel could hear Eugene's increasingly labored breathing beside her, even if the guards obstructed her vision, preventing her from getting a clear sight of him. Her heart hammered a wild staccato inside her ribcage, threatening to break free.

Before anyone could say anything else, she heard a brief commotion as Eugene quite literally collapsed over the guard restraining him, body going limp as his knees caved beneath him.

The sight made Rapunzel's blood run cold.

"What happened to him?!" Adira demanded, the sharpness in her voice betraying her concern.

"I-I don't know!" The guard that had been restraining him sputtered as he struggled to lower Eugene's limp body to the ground. "I think he was injured."

As soon as Eugene's body hit the ground he curled in on himself with a pained groan, shackled hand clutching his side in agony, eyes squeezed shut.

Rapunzel could feel her arms burning as she violently thrashed in a vain effort to break free.

Hector's eyes landed on the appointed guard, his glare oozing a threatening accusation. Adira seized the momentary distraction to shove Hector's sword off her shoulder, rising as swiftly as she could manage and limping towards Eugene's crumpled body.

The whole situation was so unexpected, neither Hector nor the remaining Black Guards did anything to stop her.

The tall woman knelt by Eugene's side, face taut and lined with concern.

"Eugene, what happened?"

"Black Guard," Eugene answered through a strangled moan. "It was… it wasn't too deep… I don't—"

"Let me see." Adira interrupted, hands surprisingly gentle as they smoothed carefully over Eugene's curled up body, pushing his shoulder slightly to make him lie on his back. She pulled Eugene's hands away with a delicate movement and promptly released a horrified gasp.

If anybody had said the world had stopped spinning in that instant, Rapunzel would have believed it, staring as she was in a moment seemingly suspended in time and space as her lungs just stopped working, oxygen no longer squeezing past her throat.

Eugene's shirt and vest were soaked in what she could only call blood, only her eyes were not quite adjusting correctly in the dim light. They couldn't be. Perhaps there was just too much of it, but from this distance the stain looked entirely too dark to be blood, it was almost… well, black.

That stain had definitely not been there the last time she'd been able to check.

Adira's hands shook, the tremor faint but visible, as she tried to peek under the gap where Eugene's clothes were torn. "What were you injured with?"

"Does it matter?" Eugene breathed.

The healthy color in his cheeks had completely drained, leaving his skin sickly pale, almost blueish, and coated in a thin layer of sweat.

"Was it a sword? A black sword?" Adira demanded, voice firm but laced with evident urgency.

Eugene could only nod weakly, and once Adira was finally able to inspect his wound, whatever lied beneath the torn fabric made her suck in a sharp breath.

"Moonshade." She muttered, eyes wide. She whirled her head to look over her shoulder, narrowed eyes focused on a stoic Hector. "You ordered this?!"

"I authorized no such thing." Hector answered firmly, his penetrating eyes sweeping over the Black Guards' somber faces. "You were instructed to bring them back unharmed!"

"We were given differing orders, sir." One of the guards restraining Cassandra —who was now frozen in shock— answered, making Hector's green eyes narrow dangerously.

The word rang loud in Rapunzel's ears. Moonshade. She could faintly recall having heard it before but ultimately it harbored no meaning to her. Her mounting concern settled in the heavy lump in her throat, almost choking her. What was it and why did it make Adira so evidently scared? What was happening to Eugene?! He'd seemed mostly fine barely half an hour ago.

Now, as Adira pressed her hands firmly to his wound as if trying to contain a hemorrhage, he released an agonizing moan so load that it almost turned into a scream, curling in on himself again.

"Hector, we have to do something!" Adira's voice wavered with mounting worry. "You must have the antidote somewhere!"

"All the way back in camp." Hector answered, face no longer masking his concern as his eyebrows furrowed. "But I don't think he's in any condition to travel such a distance fast enough."

Adira's eyes were positively ablaze with fury as she turned to look at her former companion. "Well then send someone for it! Quickly!"

Hector ordered the remaining guards to fetch whatever Adira had asked for, his firm voice giving no room for argument. It was a testament to the urgency of the situation that he didn't even question Adira's authority to ask him such a thing, and the guards left without a single protest.

An antidote…

It was then that it dawned on Rapunzel, like a devastating tide, sweeping off all of her remaining composure as she felt herself go slack in absolute horror.

It was a poison.

She'd heard it before, Moonshade, when Eugene had recounted to her what he'd been through in the time they'd been apart. How they'd kidnapped him and brought him all the way here by drugging him with just a small amount of it.

And now it was killing him.

Rapunzel's desperate thrashing resumed with renewed fervor, her anguished screams loud even through the gag around her mouth.

"Adira," Hector's voice was halting; a warning. "You know the antidote will be useless if the poison has been in his system too long. I'm not sure they will be able to come back in time. If the damage is done…"

Hector trailed off, and Adira's answering frown conveyed her fear. She turned back to Eugene, still curled up on his side, and with gentle hands helped him onto his back, now lying flat on the forest floor.

"I'm sorry, Eugene, I have to check." She spoke, nimble fingers making quick work of the buttons of his vest and shirt, slowly exposing his chest and abdomen.

Adira's hands recoiled as soon as the extent of Eugene's wound was revealed. Rapunzel could hear her barely restrained gasp all they way from where she stood. Even from a distance and in the half-light, she could clearly see the damage in Eugene's body.

His now pale chest heaved with every shallow breath he took, skin clammy with sweat. The taut muscles of his midriff contracted in sharp spasms that left him gasping in pain. Rapunzel's horrified gaze slowly traveled the length of his body all the way to where a long, thin gash rested on the side of his stomach, oozing a substance entirely too dark to be just blood. But the truly sickening sight spread from there.

Blueish-black and spidery, the veins on his body became clearly visible, contrasting starkly on his ashen skin. The closest to the stab wound were nearly black and swollen. They spread out from there, stretching all along his torso, thin tendrils, like roots along the forest floor, crawling up towards his chest and becoming a faint blue color the further up they traveled, clearly marking the poison's course through his bloodstream.

The dark, spidery veins stopped just below his pectorals. Entirely too close to his heart.

Rapunzel felt bile rise to her throat, gag muffling her anguished cries.

Adira bit her lips, swallowing thickly. She clearly tried to school her shocked features into something less horrified for the sake of Eugene, but he'd already seen her stricken look.

"That bad, huh?" He tried to joke through heaving breaths, the quip falling flat as a foreboding silence settled over them.

Adira's eyes found Hector again, voice thick with emotion. "Edmund will never forgive you this."

The statement was clear enough for Rapunzel. Adira didn't think Eugene would make it out of this, she no longer maintained any hope that the guards would make it back in time, and even if they did the damage was already done, too much to be mended by any antidote. There was no stopping the poison's deadly course through his veins as it ravaged his body, consuming him from the inside out.

Rapunzel felt a great surge of fury coupled with terror swell in her chest, gripping her insides and chilling her to the bone. All those pent up emotions she'd swallowed over the years, suffering in silence all on her own came tumbling over her with such ferocity it almost left her reeling. Everything fate had taken from her for most of her life; her courage, her self-worth, her dreams, her choices, her freedom. All of it she'd let slip through her fingers in a semi-dormant passiveness. All of what she'd given up of herself for the sake of the Crown, of her kingdom, of her parents, everyone but herself, until she was little more than an empty shell of broken hopes.

She'd been half-living until he'd found her.

And now she was watching him slowly slipping away before her eyes, unable to stop it while she was left fighting a losing battle, captive once again in the clutches of a cruel destiny.

Well, she would not lay passive this time. She wouldn't allow it, not when she was the only thing that could help him. Life would not take him away too, of that Rapunzel would make sure of, even if she had to give everything left of herself to save him.

She couldn't account for the fierce strength that suddenly possessed her every move as she fought aggressively against her restraints, limbs burning with the effort it took to escape the guard's bruising grip. Rapunzel twisted and kicked, her movements jolting and rough with pent up wrath at her captivity, until the vehemence of her struggles was finally enough to momentarily shake the guard off of her, his absent grip on her hands so sudden she fell to her knees at the loss of balance. The bounce of her fall managed to loosen the knot behind her nape tying the piece of cloth that muffled her desolate screams, enough for it to slip past her chin and hang lose around her neck.

"Eugene!"

Still on the floor, Rapunzel managed to crawl just a few paces before her arms were once again yanked back by the chains hanging from her shackled wrists.

"Ma'am, that's enough already!" The Black Guard ordered gruffly. "I will have to ask you to stop fighting."

"No!" Rapunzel had never let her voice acquire such piercing rage, now hoarse and unyielding as she glared not at her captor, but at Hector himself. "You need me, you need my power and I'm the only one who knows how to use it. And I can assure you, for every minute of the rest of my life I will fight. I will never, ever let you use my hair, you hear me!"

There was a charged silence only broken by Eugene's ragged breathing as Rapunzel stared daggers into Hector's calculating green eyes. But she could already feel her heated frown fraying at the edges, quickly replaced by a pleading look, glare rendered completely ineffective behind her watering eyes.

"But," she breathed through the lump in her throat. "If you let me save him… If you let him go, let allof them go, I will come with you."

"N-No!" Eugene groaned, face twisting in agony as he turned his body towards her with enormous difficulty, half writhing on the ground in an attempt to move towards her. "No, Rapunzel!"

Rapunzel could feel a painful pang in her heart, tearing inside her chest. She ignored him, along with Cassandra's muffled protests and Maximus' restless huffs. She knew Pascal would be staring at her with heartbroken eyes but she couldn't bring herself to look.

"I will not fight, I will give up the Sundrop's magic. Just let me heal him, and I'll help your king in whatever he needs to destroy the Moonstone. Just like he wants." Rapunzel continued, making sure Hector could see the truth behind her words. "I promise. Everything will be just like he wants it to be. Just, let me save him, please."

Rapunzel could hear Eugene's pained pleas begging her to stop, could feel her heart breaking a little more. But she'd made up her mind. They were already captured anyway, she would be taken to the Dark Kingdom whether she made this deal or not. The least she could do was help them escape while she had the chance to negotiate their freedom. She had nothing more to lose anymore.

The only thing she could regret was that her unborn child depended entirely on her well being. She would inevitably be carrying them into danger. But she would protect her baby at all costs, she would make sure of that herself.

Hector only waited a moment before his intense gaze left her and focused on the guard standing behind her instead, giving a single but decisive nod.

"Let her go."

The guard hesitated, clearly torn between what Hector ordered and whatever his king had commanded the Black Guards to do. But Hector had no patience for such decisions.

"You heard me. Let. Her. Go." His voice was a gruff and dangerous mutter as his penetrating eyes burned into the hesitant guard, making the man stumble upon himself as he rushed to obey Hector's command.

Before long, Rapunzel felt the weight on her wrists lift as her shackles tumbled to the ground, setting her free.

She wasted not a second longer, rushing towards Eugene's limp body in stumbling footsteps with only one thought in mind.

She would not let him go. If she had to sell her very soul to save him then so be it. She was prepared to give up anything. Anything but him.

---

And so it goes.

It was supposed to be something small, completely unconcerning. A scratch and nothing more. But wasn't this oh so fitting for his fate already lined with a thousand and one misfortunes? The poison settled in his body; a deeply rooted vine, crawling like ivy across his skin, thorns digging in his insides with agonising pangs that left him writhing in pain. It was supposed to be something small but when had it ever been?

There was no irony left in Eugene to even scoff at this turn of events. He should've almost expected it really. He was dying just the same way he'd come into this world; through an unlucky mishap.

Because death was what was happening to him, Eugene didn't need to be a genius to know that. The panicked expression on Adira's face that she carefully tried to hide behind a neutral mask, the gruesome dark veins crawling up his sallow skin, the black blood, the excruciating stabs of pain shooting up his body, hell, even Hector's almost concerned glance made it all too clear without anyone needing to voice the unfortunate verdict.

He was dying and there was no stopping fate's cruel design this time.

Or so he thought before Rapunzel spoke through ragged breaths and fierce conviction.

And then his heart was tearing apart on the inside for very different reasons.

It felt like his innards were quite literally burning from inside out, making his muscles seize up in intense spasms as Eugene tried to breathe air that was already scarce and difficult to take through his moans. There was little more that his mind could focus on other than the agony the poison was putting him through, but even through the harrowing haze he still could make out Rapunzel's voice as she bargained for his life.

A miserable life. A life not worth saving, not at this cost. Not like this, never in exchange of hers.

But a deal is what she made and now she was stumbling towards him as he tried —and failed— to regain enough of his composure to protest through rasping breaths and pained coughs.

"Eu-Eugene!" She skidded to a halt, kneeling at his side as he gasped through a grunt, her voice laced with despair.

The intense throbbing at his stomach was already progressing towards his chest, clouding his senses in a blazing white hot torture that made him squeeze his eyes shut. Eugene's body was already becoming a useless carcass, limbs no longer responding correctly to his brain's commands as he tried to push himself away from Rapunzel. He failed miserably.

He felt Rapunzel's cool hands gently running over the clammy skin of his face in a shaky caress, brushing his hair off his forehead before cupping his cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Eugene." Her voice wobbled, and he only had a second to mourn the loss of her touch on his cheek as she carefully nudged his hand off his side, gasping at the sight before her. She tried to put her hair over his wound. "Everything is going to be okay though, I promise."

"No, Rapunzel." He moaned.

"You have to trust me, c'mon. Just breathe."

But he couldn't breathe properly anymore, not through the searing burst of pain every time he so much as twitched.

He kept fighting anyway, just a little longer. Just enough to stop her.

"N-no, please." Eugene groaned, his hand weakly pushing hers away. "I can't let you do this."

As if he had any physical strength left to stop her. Rapunzel's eyebrows furrowed, like she could actually feel his pain, eyes sympathetic and clouded with sorrow.

She shushed him gently, her delicate lips lifted into a sad smile as her hand rested once more on his cheek.

"And I can't let you die."

Her voice broke a little at the end, and Eugene could swear the pain in his chest had nothing to do with the poison this time.

"B-but… if you do this, then you… will die." It was becoming increasingly difficult to even speak. But he had to make her understand, make her see what she was risking. "And the baby… Rapunzel, please…"

"Hey, we're going to be alright, I promise." She tried to soothe him, fingers tracing gently through his hair, voice a wavering soft whisper. "I won't let anything happen to our baby, Eugene, I swear."

She couldn't possibly know that, she couldn't be certain. His throat tightened as a raw kind of dread invaded his every sense and the intensity of it rivaled even the pain of his festering wound, simmering beneath his heaving chest.

He was running out of time.

Rapunzel must have read the apprehension in his eyes, and she took his slack hand in hers, gripping tightly as she guided their interlocked fingers to her baby bump, still hidden beneath her oversized cloak.

"I trust you will come for us, Eugene." Her tremulous smile faltered just a little. "We will find each other again, we did it once already."

But Eugene wouldn't let their safety rest on chance, or fate or destiny or whatever cruel higher power was guiding his life. Rapunzel had clearly made her choice, but so had he. He still had one ace up his sleeve.

He wished he could have told her before, all the things he'd wanted to say, all the love that poured from his being that could only ever be directed at her. That she'd breathed life into his otherwise lackluster existence. She was his sun; forever radiant, forever warm, lighting his path and warming his frozen heart. And Eugene had only ever been destined to chase after her just to catch a glimpse of light to reflect upon his soul.

But he'd never been meant to stay.

They had stolen every single moment they had together, but it was only by a fortuitous chance that they'd managed to even meet at all. Their paths had collided only momentarily, an eclipse in the universe's timeline. He'd existed in her life on burrowed time, he knew that now.

And his time had run out.

Eugene had no more life left in him to say all of this, not when his breath had become little more than shallow gasps. Decision already made, he could only let his lips form one last broken-hearted smile, watching through clouded eyes as Rapunzel grabbed her hair once more, placing it ever so gently over his wound.

His trembling hand brushed against cold metal as it weakly slid into his pocket, grasping tightly with what little strength he had left.

Her hair. That curse disguised as a blessing had been the shackles tied around Rapunzel's entire life, the source of every single one of the bars making up the cage that prevented her from chasing the freedom she so craved. Her hair and it's unfathomable power had tied her back for such a long time. Eugene would not let it become her undoing.

He would set her free.

"Rapunzel…" his voice was tight, strained with the effort it took to even utter the next word right as she opened her mouth to sing. "Wait."

It was agonizing, the effort it took to force his body to cooperate. He lifted an unsteady hand and rested it at the back of her neck, weakly guiding her towards him. Rapunzel's gaze softened, and she offered no resistance, her body slackening at his mere touch. She let herself be guided down towards him, her eyes half-closing in anticipation, as if expecting a kiss.

It was exactly what he'd hoped for. One last successful con, the greatest and cruelest one of all.

His lips never did brush hers.

With the very last ounce of his strength, Eugene lurched forward, his other hand gripping Cassandra's dagger tightly as it swung in a wobbly arch, sharp blade slicing easily through golden strands.

And then his hand fell limp by his side, dagger clattering to the ground from his lifeless grip.

"Eugene…! Wha—"

Everything that happened after that was a hazy blur to him.

His vision was already clouding, dark spots dancing across his eyes, but he could barely make out Rapunzel as she gripped her now severed hair with something akin to disbelieving dismay, the once golden locks rapidly turning brown in her trembling hands.

"No! The Sundrop!"

Eugene heard a slight commotion somewhere ahead. The world was slowly becoming faraway and indistinct around him, little more than blurry shadows.

"Eugene, what have you done?!" Adira's desperate voice sounded like he was hearing from underwater, distant and distorted.

He could hear Hector's almost distressed shouts and Adira's clipped answers, but their voices held no meaning to him, words no longer distinguishable to his brain. His blood rang in his ears and his heart felt weak as it pounded faintly in his chest, still refusing to give up the battle even after knowing the war was lost.

Eugene was rapidly withering away, fading into oblivion like dust carried in the wind. He could feel his life draining from his crumpled body, could feel the future he'd visualized with Rapunzel rapidly slipping through his fingers like running water.

He'd never have the chance to kiss her again, hold her in his arms. He'd never get to propose, wouldn't get to marry her, they wouldn't grow old together or have the life he'd imagined for them. But worst of all, he wouldn't even get the chance to meet his baby, would only live in his own child's life through what Rapunzel decided to tell them, like a long lost memory.

Eugene quite literally felt like screaming the injustice of it all into the void, he no longer distinguished whether the tears welling up in his eyes were from the excruciating physical pain or from the fact he was losing his future, his chance to have a better life, one he'd actually wanted to live. His dreams.

His body was no longer able to squeeze oxygen past his tightening throat. His shallow breaths so faint they were almost wheezes. Eugene barely had any energy left to keep his eyes open so he gave up the fight and let them fall close as he felt himself slipping away into an eternal slumber.

Somewhere in the distance he could faintly hear Adira and Hector arguing, and a moment later, Rapunzel's voice filtered in his consciousness, the one last thing tethering him to this life.

"Eugene?" She sounded scared. Soon her trembling hands were over him, pulling his limp body towards her lap and gently cradling his face, her touch warm against his sickly cold skin. "No no no, Eugene!"

Eugene struggled to open his eyes, eyelids barely fluttering as a very weak cough left his lips and his face lolled to the side, no longer having the energy to even keep facing her. The sight of her one last thing that was stolen from him.

"No!" Rapunzel's whimper was a watery choke, her caress over his pale cheekbones a heartbreaking plea. "No, look at me! Look at me, I'm right here!"

He could barely even open his eyes anymore but damn if Eugene didn't try. There was a heavy silence falling over him like a cool blanket muffling his senses. He no longer felt any pain, at least not physical. He could hardly feel anything at all, certainly not anything that wasn't Rapunzel's vice like grip on his wrist, like she was trying to hold onto his life. Like she could stop him from slipping away.

If his heart had any beats left in it they were only for her, broken and irregular as she pleaded for something he could not give her anymore. But he needed her to know before he left. He wouldn't tell her exactly what he wished he could say. He wouldn't taint the memory those words for her with his death. But she needed to know.

"Don't go, stay with me Eugene!" Rapunzel's voice was tight on choked up sobs as she lifted his lifeless hand toward her hair. He could feel her despair sipping through her pores as her broken whimpers spoke a now useless incantation. "Flower gleam and glow… let your… p-power shine…"

"Ra… Rapunzel…" Eugene rasped, too weak, too quiet for her to hear. His lungs were already giving up on him.

"Make the clock reverse…"

"Rapunzel… hey…"

"Bring back what once was mine…"

"Rapunzel!"

His faltering voice finally broke into her teary words, brimming eyes looking at him.

"What?" She choked, still holding his hand close to her soft hair.

Eugene used his very last breath to whisper what would remain immortal to him even as he left. His love for her.

"You were my new dream." He exhaled, watching as her face crumpled in sorrow. "You both were."

Rapunzel's grip on his hand tightened as she held it to her cheek with a heartbroken smile. "And you were mine."

Eugene's lips lifted ever so slightly, half-lidded stare focusing on her, he would hold onto the lovely sight of her until the very last second.

For all the paths his life had taken, somehow, miraculously, one of them had landed on her. For all the universes there were, he'd had the one in a million chance to spend a whisper of time with her. Eugene had no regrets left. This lifetime had not been enough, not for them, not when fate had been hellbent on setting against them. But perhaps somewhere in another life he'd meet her again, perhaps they'd get to be together then. And in that life that wasn't this, he would be allowed to love her properly, he would not let her go again.

With that one last thought, Eugene let his eyes fall close, slipping into the darkness of oblivion with Rapunzel's warmth surrounding him, to carry him softly into the next life.

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So... Welcome to the murder! I hope you enjoyed this, and if you did please consider leaving a review to let me know what you thought of it! Remember at this point I'm not kidding when I say reviews are the only thing motivating me to finish this fic. Until next time :)