Growing up Eugene had always wanted a family. He had fantasized about parents, but also other relatives. He'd imagined grandparents who would adore him unconditionally. Siblings that he could count on, and who could count on him, like a person that was born to be his best friend. He'd even dreamed about distant relatives who he would only see occasionally, but always had fun adventures to share, and the occasional mysterious inheritance.
Well, what orphan child didn't dream of learning one day that they were secretly related to a rich duchess or something?
As wild as his imagination could be, Eugene was realistic about his dreams. He'd never actually thought that he was actually a prince whose father had a secret, important reason why he couldn't keep him, but he still loved him.
He was trying to wrap his head around his father being a king. Edmund was a lot to get used to, but after getting over the initial shock and letting go of his lingering resentment, Eugene was happy to have had the chance to get to know him.
As much as he liked, and maybe even loved, his dad, his family was more than just the two of them. Eugene was fine with Varian being his cousin of sorts. He was a sweet kid, and Eugene liked to spend time with him. He was even fine with Quirin basically being his uncle. He didn't know the man well, but he was Varian's dad, and they had the boy in common.
And Eugene secretly liked it when Quirin would send word to the capital that he needed to speak to the Captain of the Guard about an important security matter. When Eugene made the trip to Old Corona to speak to Quirin he would find that the 'security issue' had already been resolved, and the man insisted that it was too late for him to make the trip back to the capital. So Eugene would be invited in for a stiff drink and a place to stay for the night.
Eugene didn't know if Varian, Rapunzel, or Edmund put Quirin up to this, but he appreciated it either way. Having the chance to actually take the day off from his duties was nice, and though Eugene loved the luxurious life at the castle, it was also very busy and loud there, and there was something really compelling about the peace and quiet in Old Corona.
So Eugene could accept Quirin as his uncle. What he had a little more trouble with was Adira and Hector.
The two of them were so many levels of frustrating, confusing, and intimidating. Eugene was slowly warming up to Adira, and he didn't really dislike her, but he wasn't sure if he liked her either. She was just so confident in herself, and she had the skills to match her boasts. She seemed to take pleasure in being the most frustrating woman. But she had helped them a lot on their quest, even though she didn't really have to. And being competent was far from the most offensive trait.
And then there was Hector. Eugene didn't know the man, which felt weird, because his dad called him brother and Varian called him uncle. Hector was his family, but at the same time he might as well be a stranger.
What Eugene knew about Hector was not promising. When he'd met him, he had been the crazy rhino guy who tried to kill them. When the battle with Zhan Tiri was over and Eugene was given the chance to get to know the Brotherhood a little better, Hector was still the crazy rhino guy.
He would let his rhino roam the castle grounds, and threaten anybody who tried to make it move. Hector would always hang out in places where he wasn't allowed, and when any of the Coronans would tell him to leave he would just scoff and say that he only took orders from the royal family of the Dark Kingdom.
He listened to Edmund, of course. Adira was usually able to lure him away by frustrating him. Quirin could talk him down about half the time. And he did whatever Varian wanted, because that kid effortlessly had the entire Brotherhood wrapped around his little finger.
Hector also listened to Eugene, which meant that he was the one stuck telling the guy what to do. When the stable boys were being kept from their work because Hector had tried to claim the stable for himself, or when he used the training grounds, preventing the guards from training, Eugene was the one that they came to. And he couldn't say no, because as Captain of the Guard and prince of the Dark Kingdom, it was his responsibility to keep Hector in line.
The Brotherhood stayed in Corona for about two weeks after the whole thing with Zhan Tiri, and while Eugene was able to bond with the rest of them in some kind of way, he wasn't able to get that chance with Hector. The man was used to being alone, and would only show up because the Brotherhood was spending the evening together, or he was getting himself into trouble. Neither of those gave many bonding opportunities.
Eugene wasn't necessarily counting down the days until the Brotherhood left, but he wasn't disappointed when his dad announced that they were going to be leaving. Family was great and all, but also incredibly overwhelming. Eugene would rather just skip to the part of their relationship where they stay in contact through letters and see each other just a few times every year for special occasions. He would be able to handle that.
Rapunzel insisted on throwing a party in the Brotherhood's honor, making it a big feast. It was Corona's way of doing things, but not the Brotherhood's. Edmund went to the feast, with Quirin at his side, but the others were absent. Varian got too anxious around crowds, especially if it was in an official royal setting, which was why he hadn't gone to Eugene's birthday party. Hector was definitely not a people person. And while Adira showed up about halfway through the meal to grab some snacks, she quickly left because this wasn't her scene.
After the fact Eugene found out that Hector, Adira, and Varian were having their own little party. They had snacks that they stole from the feast table and the kitchens, and halfway through the evening they were joined by Lance and his girls, who had been at the feast but got bored and wandered off.
Eugene was just a little bitter about this whole thing, because he'd been stuck at a party that he didn't really want to go to, and meanwhile Varian and Lance, two of the only people he could share his misery with, were having their own good time. He didn't get that privilege, because as Captain of the Guard and prince of the Dark Kingdom he was expected to be here.
Sometimes he really hated being an adult and all the responsibilities that came with it.
The next morning Eugene and Corona's royal family went to see the Brotherhood off. This was one duty that Eugene didn't mind so much, because he really would miss his dad, even if he was a little much.
"Well, this was fun while it lasted." Eugene said. "You guys'll have to come by for a visit, or maybe I'll come to the Dark Kingdom and see what you've done with the place. Anything will be an improvement on how it was when I saw it."
"Yes, Adira and I have our work cut out for us." Edmund said.
"What, is crazy rhino guy not going with you?" Eugene asked. Edmund frowned every so slightly.
"His name is Hector." Edmund said. "And no, he's not returning to the Dark Kingdom." And Eugene didn't really understand that, because even though he barely knew Hector he knew that of the Brotherhood he was the most loyal to Edmund. He wouldn't abandon the kingdom. Not willingly.
Eugene didn't think that Hector had gotten into a fight with Edmund or Adira, because he knew their fights got physical, and he would have heard about it by now. So if Hector wasn't walking away, and they didn't get in a fight, Eugene could see just one other reason why the man wouldn't be joining them.
"Did you realize just how insane that guy is, and give him a 'special mission' to get rid of him?" Eugene asked, only half joking. "Because seriously, that's what I'd do."
"Good to know what you're planning, your highness." Eugene jumped when he heard Hector's voice behind him. He turned to see the man looking at him with those unnerving yellow eyes of his.
"Geez, give a guy some warning." Eugene put a hand on his chest. "You're going to give me a heart attack."
"That's how he does things." Adira said. "You'll get used to him." Eugene really didn't like the mischievous tone in her voice there. She knew something, and it was something she knew he wouldn't like.
Eugene raised an eyebrow at Hector. "What?"
"I'm not going to the Dark Kingdom because somebody has to keep an eye on the heir." Hector said. "Quirin's got his own kid to worry about, so I volunteered."
It took Eugene a long moment to realize just what Hector meant. When he got it he grimaced and looked at Edmund in betrayal. "He's staying here? With me?"
"He insisted." Edmund said, as though he didn't see what the problem was. Eugene opened his mouth to tell him just what he thought of this idea, but both his family and Rapunzel's were all here, watching. Eugene knew he could be tactless sometimes, but he could have restraint.
"Can I talk to you really quickly?' Eugene went up to his father and grabbed his arm. "Alone?" Edmund nodded and Eugene pulled him aside just enough so they could have a whispered and remotely private discussion.
"He can't stay in Corona." Eugene said. "He's out of control."
"Hector is more restrained than you give him credit for." Edmund said.
"Well, that's 'cause I haven't seen any of it." Eugene said. "You've been away from the guy for twenty five years. Isolation didn't treat you very well during that time. Do you really think it's done him any favors? He's not stable."
"Which is why it's important for him to be here." Edmund said. "Hector hasn't had the opportunity to get to know people. He needs to get used to living among them, and being with just me and Adira won't be enough for that."
"Dad, I have a job to do." Eugene said. "I don't have time to teach your crazy brother how to be around people without stabbing them with a sword."
"All I ask is that you give him a chance." Edmund said. "He's been wanting the chance to get to know you. Guarding you, as heir to the throne, is giving him the excuse to do just that." Eugene didn't know why Hector didn't just talk to him. He would have much rather had normal chats with Hector than have to continuously drag him out of trouble.
"I don't need guarding." Eugene said, though he knew this battle was one he was going to lose. Hector was a determined man. When he had his heart set on doing something, he followed through to the end. Eugene knew that he could just order Hector to leave and he would, but a part of him was secretly happy that Hector wanted to get to know him. It was the same part of him that kept him from completely pushing his overwhelming father out of his life. It was the young orphan Eugene part of him, who had always dreamed of having a family.
"Fine." Eugene said, already feeling drained from this ordeal. His dad gave him a relieved look. Eugene realized that this was more important to Hector than he had thought. Eugene just still didn't understand what exactly this was.
"But I'm not just letting him loose on the kingdom." Eugene said. "There are rules he has to follow."
"If you make your expectations with Hector clear, he'll do as you say." Edmund said. "He's very loyal."
"He's psychotic." Eugene muttered. He grimaced when he saw the disappointment and hurt in his dad's eyes.
"He's my brother." Edmund said. "He's my family, and I hope that you come to see him in the same way."
"I'm not making any promises." Eugene said. The sadness in his dad's eyes grew stronger, and Eugene couldn't take it. He hated seeing those he cared about upset. Especially when he knew that their distress was because of him. "I'll try, okay?"
Edmund smiled, relieved. "That's all I ask of you." They rejoined the others. Adira was glaring slightly at Eugene. Rapunzel gave him a concerned look. Hector's expression was impossible to read, or maybe Eugene just didn't know him well enough to know what that expression meant.
"So, I guess we're going to have a guest stay for a bit." Eugene said, trying to sound cheerful and optimistic, hiding his dread about the situation. Adira rolled her eyes, seeming unconvinced, but Rapunzel beamed and Hector smirked, and they were the ones that Eugene had needed to convince that he was fine with this.
"Of course." Rapunzel said happily. She smiled at Hector. "You can stay here as long as you want." Eugene just hoped that Hector wouldn't want to stay in Corona for very long.
"We'll keep you up to date on the progress of rebuilding our kingdom." Adira said.
"Take care of him." Edmund said, and Eugene didn't actually know if his dad was talking to him or Hector.
Adira and Edmund finally went on their way. Hector stretched and started to walk away, but Rapunzel stepped in his way. "We're about to have breakfast. You should join us."
"I already ate." Hector said, and then he left. Eugene saw Rapunzel's face fall, and he could already tell that it was starting. Rapunzel looked disappointed, but also uncertain. She tried so hard to be kind, and when it was received badly she didn't know how to handle it. Rapunzel was known for going a bit overboard to make people feel wanted, and she still didn't quite understand that just because her offers weren't accepted it didn't mean that she'd done something wrong.
Eugene doubted that Hector was trying to be rude or dismissive. He just wasn't used to being around people, but Rapunzel wouldn't get that. Her way of coping with her isolation was to throw herself into social interactions. Eugene didn't think she had even considered that someone could take another approach.
"Let me talk to him." Eugene said as he followed Hector, quickly catching up to him. "Hey, so, I know you already ate and all, but would you please come to breakfast? It would mean a lot to Rapunzel."
Hector stopped walking and just looked at Eugene. "Why?"
"Because she's kind and wants you to feel welcome." Eugene said.
Hector snorted. "I don't care if I'm welcome here or not."
"But Rapunzel does." Eugene insisted. "She actually cares a lot." Especially after everything that had happened, Rapunzel was doing a lot of overcorrecting to try to make sure that she didn't make people feel unwanted. Eugene thought it was a bit excessive, but what was he supposed to do? Discourage Rapunzel from caring about people? No way.
Hector just looked at Eugene, an odd look in his eyes. "Do you want me to go to this breakfast?"
"I already told you I did." Eugene said. Hector shrugged.
"Kay." He said. "Then I'll go."
"Seriously?" Eugene could feel a headache coming on. It couldn't be that easy. Then again, he knew that Hector wasn't being malicious on purpose, and whether Eugene liked it or not, he was the prince of the Dark Kingdom, and Hector was loyal to the royal line. If Eugene told him to do something, he would do it. It was as simple as that, and even though Eugene didn't completely get it he wasn't going to look a git horse in the mouth
"Well, come on." Eugene gestured back towards where they had left Rapunzel anxiously waiting. "Let's get this over with." Hector smirked and snorted, and Eugene wished he knew if he was laughing with him or at him. Did Hector find amusement in his misery, or was he as excited about putting on a happy face for this breakfast as Eugene was?
Don't get him wrong. Eugene loved eating with Rapunzel, and he was never going to complain about palace food, but ever since the battle breakfasts had been more of an official event than a casual date. There were always political discussions, and talks about all of the repairs that still needed to be made. There had been so many debates about what should be prioritized, and Eugene thought that all of the talk about getting stuff done was just distracting them from actually doing the work itself.
Too late Eugene realized that maybe bringing Hector to a breakfast that was more or less a political meeting wasn't the best idea. He couldn't think of a good way to tell the man that he'd changed his mind, and then have to explain to Rapunzel why her guest wasn't coming to breakfast after all.
Accepting his fate, Eugene led the way to the castle's dining hall. For once he just hoped that it would be as boring as all of the other ones had been.
Rapunzel was ecstatic when she saw Eugene and Hector. Her parents had already made their way inside, and now the three of them followed. Rapunzel talked as they went, and Eugene only half paid attention to what she was saying. His attention was on Hector. While Adira, Quirin, and Edmund had all joined them for a few of these breakfasts, Hector hadn't yet. Eugene hadn't really minded before that Hector didn't show up, but now he wished he had. He would much rather Hector's first breakfast be when one of his siblings could rein him in, but now Eugene was stuck with the job.
Hector didn't just look forward and walk like a normal person when they went down the halls. His gait was like it had been at the Great Tree, like someone who was stalking their prey, and it made Eugene uncomfortable that Rapunzel was walking in front of him. Hector's eyes were darting everywhere, like he was looking for hidden enemies or escape routes. He always stiffened when they passed anybody in the guard, as though they were a threat.
"You need to calm down." Eugene muttered to Hector, quiet enough to not be heard by Rapunzel. "You don't have to be a great knight of the Dark Kingdom here. You're a diplomatic guest. You're safe here."
Hector snorted. "I'm not a diplomatic anything. And you can call me paranoid, but my instincts have saved our lives more times than I can count."
Eugene knew that Hector wouldn't be swayed from this. So he just sighed and didn't say another word about it as they entered the dining room. The king and queen were already seated and plates of fruits and pastries were laid out on the table.
"I see you've finally decided to join us." Frederic said. Eugene grimaced, recognizing this as the mild scolding for being late. Usually Rapunzel would smile brightly, give an apology and vague excuse, and everything would be forgiven. Hector responded first.
"And I see you missed the royal lessons about how to treat diplomatic guests." Hector crossed his arms. "We were, what, two minutes behind you? Not much of a wait if you ask me?"
"Would you not talk like that to the king?" Eugene grabbed Hector's arm and pulled him to sit down. "Just eat something and don't talk."
Hector snorted. "You sound like your father, you know that?" But he still did as Eugene said. He looked at the different options and grabbed a few things to put on his own plate. Hector grabbed the food with his hands instead of using the serving utensils. He would pick something up, smell it, make a face, and put it right back. They were simple, but forgivable, social mishaps. The kind of thing that was tolerated in casual circles, but still looked down on just a little bit.
When Hector took a bite of a fruit and chocolate pastry he made a disgusted face, actually spit his bite out onto his plate, and put the pastry back on the serving plate. Eugene snatched it up before anybody else could notice.
"Are you insane?" He hissed. Hector just gave him a confused look, like he genuinely didn't see the problem. "You can't just take a bite, spit it out, and put it back for someone else to take."
"Why not?' Hector raised an eyebrow at him. "I've spent twenty five years eating what I need to to survive. Now that I'm able to eat what I want, I'm going to eat what I like, and I don't like that. But it would be pointless to throw food away just because I don't like it, so I thought someone else would."
And Eugene didn't know what he could say to that, because he got it. Growing up, he'd been forced to eat all kinds of disgusting things. He'd learned to force down food he despised, because beggars couldn't be choosers. Since staying at the castle, he too only ate what he enjoyed, unless Rapunzel made it just for him, in which case he would eat it no matter what. And Eugene also hated food waste, which was why he had helped put in place a system where the leftover and excess food from the palace would go to the needy citizens instead of the trash.
But just because Eugene understood didn't mean that what Hector had done was appropriate.
"Look, if there's something you don't like just give it to me." Eugene said tiredly. He was not in the mood for this. He wasn't feeling too hungry right now. Eugene spent breakfast just nibbling on some berries and whatever Hector put on his plate. He didn't notice when Hector would take something that he definitely enjoyed, and he would grab another one and just handed it to Eugene. He just ate what he was given.
Rapunzel was speaking to her parents about whether they should make more repairs on the castle, fix up the streets that had been torn up by the black rocks, or help the citizens rebuild their houses. Frederic thought that the castle should be their first priority, because it was a symbol to the rest of the kingdom. If they looked like they were in ruins, the people wouldn't trust them. Arianna thought the roads needed to be taken care of so that people could return to their daily routines without threat of injury. Rapunzel thought that making sure everybody had a safe place to sleep was the most important thing to think about right now.
Eugene didn't really pay attention to what they were saying. He'd heard this discussion before, and he didn't want to contribute because he felt like everything he said was wrong. He started to doze a little, only snapping to awareness when Hector nudged his arm.
"What?" Eugene asked. Hector smirked and picked up a blueberry.
"You wanna see what me and Adira used to do when we were stuck in boring meetings with your dad?" Hector asked. Eugene had a bad feeling about this, and he actually didn't want to see, but Hector didn't give him a chance to answer. He just smiled wickedly and flicked the blueberry towards the king.
"I missed." Hector almost pouted in disappointment. He handed a blueberry to Eugene. "Here, you try?"
"To what? Pelt the king with fruit?" Eugene liked his head where it was, thank you very much.
"No." Hector rolled his eyes. "Try to get the fruit in the crown." Eugene just stared at Hector. The man had to be completely out of his mind.
"Come on, it's fun." Hector grabbed a raspberry this time and before Eugene could stop him he threw it. He missed the crown again. He tried again another half a dozen times, and the Coronan royals were still oblivious. After Hector made a particularly wide shot, Eugene couldn't help himself.
"I thought you said you've done this before?" Eugene said.
Hector smirked. He knew that he had him just where he wanted him. "Why don't you show me how it's done?"
Eugene knew when he was being goaded, but he was bored and anxious at this meeting, and he envied the fun that Hector was having. He took a deep breath and threw his blueberry. The shot was short, but it felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He couldn't help but smile and Hector laughed.
"There you go." Hector said. "Fun, right?"
"It's insane." Eugene said, though he was smiling. This was not something he should be doing, but he had missed causing harmless mischief. "I'll tell you what, I'll play along, but the second one of us wins, this game stops."
"If you win, I'll stop." Hector said. "If I win, I'll keep going until I get caught."
"Fine." Eugene grabbed a fistful of blueberries. "You're going down." For the next several minutes the two of them took turns trying to subtly throw their fruit. Sometimes they had to pause when one of the others would glance their way, but they soon continued their competition. Eugene didn't really stop to wonder why a mighty warrior who seemed to have perfect control of every aspect of his body was failing so much at a simple toss. Eugene was just determined to win.
Finally one of Eugene's blueberries landed right in the king's crown. Eugene laughed triumphantly and proudly, and then immediately felt those happy feelings slip away when he saw that they'd caught the attention of the royals.
"Fitzherbert." The king reached to the top of his head, grabbing the blueberry that had hit him. He did not look impressed. "What is this?"
"Uh…" Eugene quickly hid the blueberries behind his back. "Nothing." Hector snorted, not at all looking repentant now that they'd been caught. His amusement did nothing to calm the king's slowly rising temper.
"You know what, I just remembered that I had some training stuff scheduled with the guards." Eugene pushed himself out of his seat, grabbing Hector and pulling him up as well. "I've gotta go." He hurried out, pulling Hector with him before he actually started a war between their kingdoms. Frederic did not like being disrespected and humiliated, and if Hector laughed at him it would not end well.
They walked quickly down the halls before Hector finally resisted, making Eugene stop with him.
"Why are you so scared of him?" Hector asked.
"I'm not scared of him." Eugene said. "And so what if I was? He's basically my father-in-law. He's my boss. And he's the king. If he wanted to make my life a living hell, he'd do it, and he'd do it in a way that would leave everybody saying that he'd done nothing wrong." Eugene felt bad for saying those words, but then he remembered the way that Frederic had tried to lock Rapunzel in her room just because he couldn't let his adult daughter go. And he remembered the way that Varian had been threatened and hunted for months by the guard, just because Frederic didn't want to deal with the problems that the kid had noticed in the kingdom.
Eugene knew that Frederic could be a really sweet guy when he wanted to be, but he could also be absolutely horrible, and nobody could stop him. Arianna and Rapunzel were the only ones who could, and they loved him too much to accept how bad he was at his worst.
"You're a prince." Hector said. "And from what I heard you weren't afraid of standing up to Edmund when he was trying to kill you."
"That's different." Eugene said. When they'd gone to the Dark kingdom, the Mad King was just another obstacle. King Frederic was somebody that Eugene needed to deal with every day. He couldn't bite the hand that fed him.
Hector shrugged. "I'm just saying-"
"Well stop saying." Eugene said a bit more harshly than he intended. He immediately felt bad, but he didn't apologize. He just sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I have some work to do." He hadn't been kidding about the morning training. He didn't want to leave Hector unsupervised though. Not when they'd put the king in a bad mood. "Why don't you go take your pets for a run in the forest or something? Get some fresh air."
He expected Hector to argue that his animals weren't pets, but he didn't say a word. Hector just shrugged, said 'Kay', and he did as he was told, as simple as that. Eugene groaned and rubbed his forehead. This was not shaping up to be a good day, and it had only just started. Hopefully it would only get better from here.