After going back and forth with this story, I finally have it in a way I like.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Tangled movie or television series. I only own my original characters and any concepts I add to the story.
With that, on to the next chapter.
Derek and Varian ran down a hallway before meeting Alex, Sapphire, and Katherine at an intersection. "Any sign of her?" Derek panted.
"No," Alexander replied as Sapphire shook her head.
"Man, your sister moves fast when she wants to," Katherine said.
"Where could she have gone?" Varian wondered.
"Did you check the gardens?"
The group turned to see Cass approaching them. "That's the main place she goes when she needs space besides her room."
"Cass is right," Derek agreed, turning in that direction. "Let's go!"
"Hold on there, Your Highness," Cass stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let me handle this."
"But–"
"I know you're worried about Rapunzel, but after that scene, the last thing she's gonna want is a group surrounding her."
"Cass has a point, Derek," Alex said.
The prince looked between the two siblings before he sighed and relented. "Okay."
Cass smiled and nodded her thanks before speaking again. "Well, after that debacle, the rest of the banquet was called off so you could spend the evening together. Alex, you stay with him. The other servants will handle clean-up."
"Alright," he nodded.
After being granted an early night, the teens went to the prince's room to discuss their next steps. "Well, that went over like a house on fire," Alexander remarked, leaning against the wall by the door, referring to the proposal.
"I'm sorry," Katherine sighed, sitting on the chaise. "I didn't know Rapunzel was going to react like that. I would've talked my brother out of it if I had."
"It's not your fault, Kat," Derek assured her as he paced the room. "I'm not even mad at Eugene. My sister was eventually going to reach a breaking point with how stressful this weekend has been. If not tonight, it would've been during the actual coronation."
"I've just never seen my brother so gung-ho about a girl before. He had girlfriends before meeting Rapunzel, but he was never serious about them like he is with her."
"It's alright, Kathy. We get it," Derek said, pausing in his steps. "Personally, I would love to have you and Eugene as in-laws, but now is just not the time."
"I'm with Derek," Varian agreed. "As sweet as their love story is, six months is too soon to think about marriage."
"Yeah, you're right," Katherine conceded before changing the subject. "On a positive note, though, we now have more free time. You guys wanna keep investigating the Duchess?"
Derek sighed, checking the time. "There may not be much point. People will question what we're all doing in the library at this hour."
"Should we tell the King and the Captain about what we've learned?" Varian asked.
"Would they even believe us? Anytime I try to say something mildly reasonable, he brushes me off like I'm the problem!" Derek responded, irritation seeping into his voice before he massaged his temples with another sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm just…."
"It's okay, Derek," Alexander assured him sympathetically. "We get it."
"No offense, Der, but it's no secret how bad things are between you and your dad," Katherine added.
Derek smiled appreciatively at them before taking a deep breath. "Honestly, I need space from the castle to clear my head. Preferably without a squad of guards following me."
"I think that can be arranged," Katherine smirked while Alexander smiled.
"Alright," Alex said, remembering their routine. "Katherine, you get changed while I help Derek. Wait for us in my room."
"I know the drill, boss." Katherine saluted before walking toward the door. "See you guys in a few."
"Are we sneaking out?" Varian smiled slightly.
"Wanna come?" Derek smirked at him.
"You know it," the other boy agreed as he started to leave. "I'll tell my dad we're having a sleepover in your room."
"That'll work," the prince replied.
"Do you want to ask Rapunzel if she wants to come, too?" Alexander asked as the boys moved behind the partition.
"Let's leave her alone. After what happened earlier, I wouldn't be surprised if she turned in early."
(Meanwhile)
While Derek and his friends were making their plans, Rapunzel and Cass were in the princess's room. Rapunzel was pacing the floor while Cass sat on her chaise. Cass had found Rapunzel in the garden, as she had predicted, and brought her back to her room. After changing, Rapunzel was calm enough to talk.
"Ugh, I feel horrible about Eugene," Rapunzel stressed, feeling guilty. "I… I do love him, and I wanna marry him someday, but not like this!" She clutched her head, groaning in frustration. "I need to get out and clear my head without a fleet of guards tailing me."
"Say no more." Cass stood up with a smirk.
The girls went to Cass's room in the servants' quarters. Cass opened her armoire, and Rapunzel gasped in surprise. "Whoa." Every blade and tool the royal guard could possibly use was inside. "Where's the war?"
"Well, when your dad is Captain of the Guards," Cass said as she removed her headdress, "you tend to collect… stuff." She pulled out a dagger hidden on her person to emphasize her point.
Looking at the weapons, Rapunzel curiously picked up a metal ball, only to be startled into dropping it when it turned into a ball of spikes. She gingerly grabbed it by one of the spikes and put it back. She pulled out a dark cloak with pink trim before glancing back at Cass. Her friend had changed into a more masculine-looking outfit. She wore a grayish-brown tunic with a burgundy shirt underneath, black leather gloves, a dark brown belt with a teal purse and a dagger, dark brown-and-red striped leggings, brown boots, and a sword strapped to her back.
"I have a feeling this is gonna be fun." Rapunzel grinned, pulling up her hood before turning to the chameleon. "Pascal, I need you to stay here and make sure no one knows I'm gone."
Pascal saluted, ready for action.
(Meanwhile)
Eugene made his way down the hall to Rapunzel's room, where Stan and Pete stood guard. He felt guilty about earlier, rubbing the back of his neck as he passed a picture of the king and queen before lowering his hand and hanging his head. As he approached the doors, the guards crossed their halberds in an 'X,' startling Eugene.
"The Princess's lady-in-waiting made it expressly clear that–" Stan began.
"Wha'? Lady-in-waiting–?" Eugene raised an eyebrow before remembering who they were talking about, laughing in disbelief. "Wait, you-you mean Cassandra? First off, calling Cassandra a 'lady' anything is being incredibly generous. Secondly, come on, Stan! It's me, your buddy, Eugene! Eugene, the fiend! You know Rapunzel would want to talk to me if you let me in."
"Sorry, Eugene, orders are orders," Stan whispered, softening.
"All right. Just doing your job. I respect that." Eugene held up his hands. He started to walk away but then came right back. He needed to talk to Rapunzel about what happened. "You sure there's no way to let me in?"
Stan looked at him before glancing at the cravat Eugene was wearing. Eugene's eyes darted down, pointing at the handkerchief. The guard simply smiled brightly.
After handing over his offering, Eugene opened the door to a dark room. "Rapunzel?" he whispered, stepping inside.
Pascal stirred from his rest before springing into action. "Rapunzel?" The chameleon grabbed a vase with his tongue before adjusting a lantern with his tail so that it cast the shadow of the 'Princess' behind her changing screen. "There you are." Eugene sighed as he walked toward the partition. "Um… Look, Rapunzel, I am sorry. I am so sorry. I should never have put you on the spot like that!"
Eugene was actually talking to a flower pot on top of a dress dummy with a pair of life-size puppet arms. Pascal struggled to keep it all in place, but he was managing for now. "But I want you to know, I-I meant it. I want to marry you! I love you!"
The lizard couldn't help but smile adoringly as he listened to Eugene. Suddenly, a fly appeared, distracting him from his work. Eugene took the silence to mean 'she' didn't want to talk to him. "It's okay. You're still upset, I understand."
He turned away from 'her' just in time to miss seeing Pascal try to swat the fly away with his stick arms. "You're not ready to say it back."
Pascal then tried to catch the fly, eventually succeeding. "Totally cool," Eugene lay down on Rapunzel's bed. "Oh man, that is a good pillow!" He sat up with his usual excitement, examining the pillow. "What is that? Goose down? Some kind of down? Horsehair? Alpaca?"
Pascal adjusted the hands so they were on 'her' hips, catching Eugene's attention.
"Sorry!" he apologized, setting the pillow down. The man sighed before speaking again. "Look, I know there's still a ton of details we need to figure out… and I may have jumped the gun a little. It's just that… growing up poor and alone, I got used to having nothing." Pascal was trying not to cry as the man laid his soul bare. "But with you, I finally have something, you know? We have something. Something that is amazing. And I guess tonight, I was just trying to keep it that way. And I thought that's what you wanted too… but I guess I was wrong."
Pascal started to struggle with the head again, and by this point, Eugene noticed that 'Rapunzel' had been quiet the whole time. "Oh, come on, say something." Suddenly, the 'head' fell off the dummy, startling Eugene. He jumped up and quickly moved the screen away to find Pascal, who turned pink with embarrassment. "Fantastic," Eugene said after a minute, rubbing his temples in agitation. "I just poured my heart out to a frog. Okay, where'd she go?"
The lizard just shrugged sheepishly. "Pascal, you do realize that if the King finds out she's gone, we're all gonna be in big trouble, right?"
Pascal dropped his pink hue in realization.
Outside, Pete was giving Stan a disapproving look. "I'm aware it's not protocol, Pete. I just… happen to think it highlights my mustache."
Eugene suddenly opened the door with Pascal on his shoulder, cutting off their conversation as he smiled nervously. "Hey, Stan, great look! I mean, it really brings out the stache!" he said before running off. Stan gave his friend a dirty look while Pete looked back at him, annoyed.
Eugene quickly made his way to the prince's room, stopping at the end of the hall. He glanced around the corner, noting the guards at the door. Taking a breath to steel himself, Eugene strolled up to the guards like nothing was wrong. "Good evening, gentlemen."
"Whoa, hold it!" one said as they crossed weapons.
"I know, I know, no one is supposed to disturb the Prince, but the Princess wanted me to deliver a message to her brother." The guards looked at each other in uncertainty. They had their orders but couldn't disrespect the princess's request. "Look, it'll only take five minutes tops. I'll be in and out. No one will ever have to know."
The guards exchanged glances one last time before uncrossing their halberds. "Five minutes."
Sapphire woke up as soon as she heard voices outside. She scrambled over a dummy dressed in Derek's night clothes to a machine resembling a music box. The raccoon wound the device until it emitted a sound similar to snoring, then scampered back to her spot to feign sleep just before Eugene entered. As soon as the door closed, Eugene dropped his calm facade. "Derek?!" he whispered, rushing to the bed and catching Sapphire off guard as he lightly shook the dummy. "Derek, I'm sorry about this, but Rapunzel is missing and–!" Eugene halted mid-rant when he finally realized that he was shaking was a dummy. He followed the sound of snoring to the machine before turning to Sapphire, who stared at the two with wide eyes.
"Him too?" Eugene almost whimpered. Sapphire smiled sheepishly as Eugene fell onto the bed face-first. This was just not his night.
(Elsewhere)
"Alright." A stocky man with blue paint on his face like an eyemask stabbed the table with a knife. Behind him was a small crowd of thugs, not the kind from the Snuggly Duckling. One of them, a man in a skull mask, painted a banner on the wall behind them. "You got us all down here. What's this plan of yours?"
"Oh, it's not my plan, boys," said Pocket as he approached them. "It's Lady Caine's plan."
The group gasped at the name, murmuring in surprise. "Lady Caine?"
"Did he say Lady Caine?"
"See, eighteen years ago, the Princess was taken from Corona," the henchman said bitterly, glancing at a painting of King Frederic. "And it was because of her and her brother that the King unfairly cracked down on all those he considered undesirable… Us."
"Yeah… so?" shrugged Otter, the masked one, as Pocket walked back over.
"Gentlemen," he said, picking up an apple from the table and tossing it a few times before pacing in front of the group. "Lady Caine is promising not only to make you all rich but is offering you the opportunity to exact revenge on the King and his precious little children!" He hurled the apple, smashing it into the banner-covered wall behind the ruffians.
"So, who's in?" he asked with a sly smile.
(Back at the castle)
The door to Alexander's room opened in the servants' quarters as the older teen looked around the hallway. He wore a dark green tunic over a gray collared shirt, black leather gloves, a brown belt with a dagger, black pants, dark brown boots, and a sword strapped to his back. With a lantern in hand, he gestured for Derek, Varian, and Katherine to follow as they left his room, with Kathy shutting the door behind her.
The younger teens donned black cloaks–Derek's with red accents, Kathy's with purple, and Varian's with blue–huddled beneath the hoods. While the boys were in their casual clothes, Katherine wore her old outfit from her days as Sirena Striker, which she often donned when they sneaked out. Her look included a short-sleeved, azureish-white tunic, dark indigo pants, black boots, and gloves. She kept her hair tied in a low ponytail.
"I still can't get over your wardrobe, Alex," Katherine said quietly as they headed for the passage they often used to sneak out. "Are you expecting a war?"
"With the number of obvious security holes ignored around here, I may as well be," Alexander replied as he checked each corner for people.
"So, how far do you guys wanna go this time?" Derek asked.
"Well… there was one spot I was hoping to show you," the older teen explained, sounding somewhat hesitant. "But we'll have to go beyond the Wall."
The younger teens stared at him momentarily before a smirk formed on Kathy's face. "I'm starting to rub off on you, aren't I?"
"Hardly," Alexander rolled his eyes.
"I don't know about that," Varian said uncertainly.
"Don't worry. It's not too far beyond the Wall," Alex assured him. "A mile. Max."
"Why not?" Derek shrugged, going along with it. "Let's go."
They rounded the final corner before coming to a sudden stop, face to stunned face with Cassandra and Rapunzel.
"What are you doing here?" Derek asked.
"What are you doing here?" Rapunzel replied.
"I thought you were resting?" Alexander said, looking at the princess.
"We thought he was resting?" Cass fired back, gesturing toward the prince.
The two groups stared at each other for a minute. "This conversation never happened," Derek declared.
"Agreed," Cass replied.
"We taking this tunnel?" Alexander pointed to the door next to them.
"Yup." Cass nodded.
"Then let's get moving before someone sees us!" Katherine spoke up, ready to go.
Cass took the lead as she opened the storage room door, with Alexander following her. The prince, Varian, and Katherine entered next while Rapunzel brought up the rear, shutting the door behind them.
"So, what now?" Varian asked, pulling his cloak closer.
"Over here."
In the back of the room, Cass pushed a crate out from in front of a banner. She then pulled the tapestry aside, revealing a tunnel entrance. Rapunzel gasped loudly as she removed her hood, causing the others to wince.
"Is that a secret passage?" She rushed over to peek inside, knocking the tapestry onto Cassandra.
"It was," Cass said as she pulled the tapestry off with Varian and Alexander's help, "before you announced it to the whole ca–?" However, she noticed that the princess wasn't there. "Rapunzel?"
Alex simply pointed to the passageway. "Oh, great." Derek sighed heavily.
"Clearly, she's new to the whole 'sneaking out' thing," Katherine said, crouching down to start crawling through the tunnel.
"We better catch up with her before someone sees her," Varian said, following the ex-thief.
(At the same time)
"Rapunzel?" Eugene moved about the castle, checking the rooms for the missing royals. "Derek? Katherine?" Pascal and Sapphire were perched on his shoulders as Ash walked alongside him. Ash had joined them because Eugene had gone to Katherine for help, but she was gone too. (A fact that nearly sent him into a nervous breakdown.) He listened at one door before peeking inside. "Guys, are you in there?"
He flinched when he heard someone clear their throat. He glanced at the two pets on his shoulders before turning to see the king approaching. "Is who in there, Eugene?" he asked thinly, still feeling the impact of what happened at the banquet.
Sapphire snarled quietly as the man approached, harboring negative feelings toward her human's father. The former thief quickly closed the door, sliding to a stop in front of the King. "No one! This is just, uh, a part of my nightly routine, you know? Yeah, checking the castle for intruders, keeping an eye on Rapunzel and Derek, like I promised."
"Mhm," the king hummed slightly as Eugene checked another room.
"Hey, is anyone in there? No? Good!" He closed the door. "See? The system… works… really well, I think."
"Eugene," Frederic interrupted. "Where are my children?"
Eugene and Pascal stared at him fearfully while Sapphire's growling became more noticeable. Eugene glanced down at the raccoon in confusion before answering the king. "Uh, ah, in their rooms, of course." Eugene gestured to the hall behind him, which led to Rapunzel's room and a door down the other corridor where two guards stood.
"Good." The king approved before stepping forward, causing the ex-thief to panic. "I'd like to speak with them."
"You can't!" Eugene gasped, stepping around the king to block him. Sapphire did the same, her hissing growing louder. Remembering who he was speaking to, Eugene quickly tried to diffuse the situation. "I mean… you can, obviously. You do whatever you want. You're the King! A very large, intimidating, beardy–" He cleared his throat before continuing. "Yet clearly understanding king." Frederic tried to step around the younger man, but Eugene stopped him as he kept talking. "It's just… Rapunzel-she's still upset, and she said she needed some time alone. And Derek said something similar. I was only trying to respect that… but, like I said, you are the King."
Frederic glared at him slightly, making the younger man sweat. "The very sweet… and non-hostile king."
"… Well," Frederic sighed, looking toward his daughters' rooms. "Maybe they do need some time to themselves." He remembered what they told him at the banquet. Bothering them now might not do any good and only cause them to retreat into their rooms. His son already had that habit. "But when you see them, please tell them that I'm looking for them," the king instructed before walking away.
Pascal breathed a sigh of relief as Sapphire stopped growling. "Sir, uh, about the whole proposal earlier," Eugene spoke up as the older man left. He had been planning to apologize since it was embarrassing for the kingdom. "That didn't go quite as I had hoped."
"We'll discuss that later, son," the king replied, glancing at him over his shoulder. "Much later…"
"Right…" Eugene answered before looking at the pets as Sapphire returned to his shoulder. "We both have bigger fish to fry." He then ran in the opposite direction to continue searching for his sister and the royal siblings.
As they ran, Pascal glanced at Sapphire, recalling the look he saw the prince give one of the guards. The chameleon couldn't help but wonder what that was all about.
Chapter Four is done. The next update is for a story I keep solely on AO3. When I get back here, the story to be updated will be "Moonlight Phantom."