Tangled: In Knots - Part 1

Rating PG
Genres/Themes:Character Study (Flynn-centric), Drama, Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Fluffy, Missing Scenes, Tag
Relationships Featured: Flynn/Rapunzel (romantic), Flynn/Max (friendship), Rapunzel/King/Queen/Flynn (family)
Spoilers: the entirety of Disney's Tangled
Length: A little over 21,000 words / about 42 pages, in four parts.
Notes: Starts shortly before the end of the film.
DISCLAIMER: Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Flynnigan Rider, Eugene Fitzherbert, Maximus the horse, Pascal the chameleon, Mother Gothel, the Captain of the Guard, the hook-handed thug, Vladimir, Attila, Bruiser, the king, and the queen, as they exist in the film Tangled, on which this story is based, ©/TM The Walt Disney Company. Used without permission. For entertainment purposes only; no profit is being made, and no infringement is intended.

———;;—@

Once upon a time — a day ago, really — Eugene would have wanted to be far, far away from a crying female, but now? Not even considering the fact that her tears had just saved his life, Eugene couldn't think of anywhere else he'd want to be then than at Rapunzel's side. Not long after Eugene and Rapunzel's first kiss, the enormity of what had happened — Gothel's betrayal and subsequent death — had, understandably, begun to sink in for Rapunzel. They sat there for a while as she cried, Eugene rocking her gently. In fact, Eugene was a bit shaken himself, what with having been dead for a minute or two, and probably needed her arms around him as much as she needed his around her. Carding his fingers through her soft, newly-shorn tresses had a calming effect on both of them.

Only when they suddenly heard Maximus whinnying did they finally relinquish their hold on each other, worried for their friend. Rushing to the window together, they saw the gelding being surrounded by the royal guard. Eugene, Rapunzel, and Pascal hurried down the hidden staircase to help the horse — only to find that, in the interim (and with a little help from the guards' own mounts), Max had thoroughly thrashed his former allies!

"Why, Maximus? How could you betray us like this?" the captain asked plaintively from under the warning hoof of his current steed.

"Because he was helping me save a woman's life," Eugene snapped, pointing to Rapunzel. "If you just would have listened to me in the first place, you would have known that!"

"As if we had any reason to listen to you, much less trust you!" the captain snorted skeptically at him before peering curiously at Rapunzel.

"And what would lending me an ear have cost you?" Eugene asked angrily. "A minute of your time? You could still have hung me either way—" Eugene regretted those words as he heard Rapunzel gasp, hoping he didn't just hand her more fodder for nightmares that night, "—but not listening nearly got an innocent girl killed!"

"Bah!" the captain scoffed. "Innocent? I doubt it — she's probably your accomplice! Shall we string her up beside you?"

Before Eugene could reply, Max whinnied angrily and came to stand protectively before Rapunzel. On her shoulder, Pascal smacked a fist threateningly into his palm.

"It's okay, Max, Pascal," Rapunzel soothed, slipping past the horse and approaching the captain. "What I am to him is his girlfriend," she replied, and Eugene's heart did a little flip. "But if I were you, I'd be more concerned with what I am to everyone else."

"And what would that be?" the captain chuckled, then gasped in pain as the horse holding him down apparently dug a hoof into his back. "A bounty?" he rasped.

"The lost princess!" Rapunzel hissed.

The guardsmen all laughed, but Eugene felt like the world had just ended.

Rapunzel hadn't told him that part, that Gothel wasn't really her mother — but then, she shouldn't have needed to. How hadn't he realised it himself? It made perfect sense! Rapunzel had the same birthday, was the same age, had been locked away from the world for almost two decades by the world's most overprotective mother. Except that wasn't actually the case, was it? The woman hadn't been a mother keeping her child from being exploited by the world. No, she'd been a thief hording a treasure, making sure no one ever found it!

"Nice try. Everyone knows the princess was born with hair like sunlight," the captain pointed out.

"And my hair was blonde — until like half an hour ago," she casually informed him. "But if you don't believe me, why don't we go take it up with the king and queen?"

"Rapunzel!" Eugene protested, terrified for her. If guardsmen were going to hang him just for stealing a crown (okay, and a few other things, but still), they would surely hang her for claiming to be royalty! He knew their type; they wouldn't even let her near the king and queen to plead her case, wouldn't want to bother their sovereigns! "Look, there's no point in appealing to the guards here — it's your parents that we need to prove things to!" he suggested. It was often said that parents instinctually knew their own children; Eugene just prayed that it was true, or else she was pretty much doomed.

"Let's just leave these guys here," he suggested, "provided these nice horses don't mind keeping them underfoot for a while longer. Do you?" he addressed them. The equines all shook their heads. "So in like half an hour or so, our friends can run off and leave the guards travelling on foot. They'd never catch up to us then, even if we're both—" he saw Pascal turn an angry red on Rapunzel's shoulder and amended himself, "—er, all three riding Max. Is that all right with you?" he asked Max.

Max nodded. Eugene gave him a heartfelt thank-you.

The ex-thief then suggested to Rapunzel that she gather up any belongings that she wanted to keep, tossing anything that wasn't fragile out the window, so he could start packing. The first thing she tossed out was some food — bread and apples and the like. Eugene left much of that for both men and the horses, giving Max the choicest apples.

"I noticed there's no sign of the old woman's remains," Eugene remarked lowly to the white gelding. "Did you take care of that?"

Max nodded, then walked around the tower, beckoning for Eugene to follow. The horse led him to a bush; Eugene looked under it and found nothing but the woman's cloak, with a strange dust inside it. It occurred to Eugene then that the woman must have been reaaaaally old — and old things tended to turn to dust ....

"Ew-ew-ew-ew-ew-ew!" He beat his hands together, like he was trying to get dirt off, then rubbed them in the grass for good measure.

"Thanks for taking care of ... that," Eugene told Max, shuddering. He realised then that the poor horse had moved the dusty cloak with his teeth. "I hope those apples got that taste out of your mouth!"

Eugene then started putting a bit of the food, and some other things Rapunzel had thrown out the window, into Max's saddle bags. When Rapunzel came back down with the last few, more fragile items, they quickly finished packing and got on their way, Eugene seated behind the girl and Pascal in his usual spot on her shoulder.

Eugene's heart, already having started cracking when she'd revealed her heritage, broke more and more with each beat of Max's canter. Some of his sadness was for Rapunzel's sake, what with her having just learned that her whole life had been a lie. But soon she would see her real mother — and her father, too. And she was free. So really, his heartbreak was mostly for himself (and he wasn't proud of that, but there it was, all the same): he'd thought that they would run away together, but it was obvious now that such was never to be. His dream to be with her would end, unfulfilled, once they reached their destination.

It almost didn't matter anymore that he was due to be hanged; the only way that it did matter was in that Rapunzel would probably be heartbroken. Maybe he could convince someone to keep the knowledge of his demise from her, make her think he'd escaped and had abandoned her. Sure, her heart would be broken somehow, one way or another, but better that she be angry that he'd left than grieved that he'd died — he reckoned it would be easier for her to recover from the loss then. Even if, miracle of miracles, he was pardoned, he should still leave, and still make her believe that he didn't care for her after all. A rogue, reformed or otherwise, surely would never be allowed to marry a princess. Better that she hated him, so she could move on, wasn't eternally pining — even if he was never able to move on himself.

———;;—@

Things went much more easily for them at the castle than he'd imagined it would — mostly because nearly all the guards had apparently gone off in search of Flynn Rider. It was hard for Eugene not to feel at least a little momentary pride at the notion that the guards had felt him to be so very dangerous that they reckoned they needed to use nearly their entire force to apprehend him!  But then he looked at Rapunzel and remembered that his criminal history wasn't something to be proud of. He also found himself wishing there had been more guards left behind, if only to slow him, Max, and Rapunzel up a bit, give him a few precious seconds more with the love of his life.

His heart hammered in his chest as they walked toward one side of the double-staircase leading to the castle entry. They spotted a young guard standing at the top, obviously new to the post, and an elderly seneschal watching their approach with a wary eye. The latter told them to stay where they were, and began stepping down the stairs to greet them — if greeting was what it could be called with the man scowling at them so — with the younger presenting arms as he followed a half-step behind.

"So this was your plan," the seneschal mused. "Lure our men out and then double back? What, are the rest of your men invisible?"

The seneschal peered around them, as if thinking some hidden army might suddenly materialise; it was then that Eugene realised that the guards were out looking for other prisoners that must have escaped as well — and probably the thugs that had rescued him. Eugene hoped the others were all right! The seneschal's young companion followed the elder man's lead, eyes full of fear and uncertainty; doubtless the castle had called in the town militia, volunteers, and this kid was one of them.

Rapunzel sat up straight in the saddle, shoulders back and head held high. "Why yes, they are invisible, actually," she insisted, adopting a lofty tone not unlike the one Eugene had used when telling stories of Flynnigan Rider years ago. She gestured to her shoulder; Pascal, who had made himself blend in with his surroundings, suddenly appeared there.

The man's eyes narrowed, but it was quickly evident that it was the horse, not his riders, that the man was focusing on now. "And you, Maximus — I never would have believed this of you! Siding with brigands and sorcerers!"

Eugene could see Max's mane bristle as the horse tossed his head, snorting and stomping his foot.

"What's wrong with brigands and sorcerers?" Rapunzel demanded. "Most of the brigands I've met have been very nice!"

"And what about you, sorceress?" the seneschal asked shrewdly. "Are you nice?"

"No one said she was a sorceress ...." Eugene cut in, squeezing Rapunzel's shoulder surreptitiously, hoping that she would understand — confessing to using magic wasn't usually a safe thing to do. "And I don't think Max appreciates your accusation, sir," he added, desperate to steer the conversation away from such a dangerous topic. "Especially since he's apparently the only one in the whole guard with an entire brain in his skull! He hasn't betrayed you; he was acting on behalf of our princess here." Eugene pointed to Rapunzel, in front of him. "He's brought her back, after all these years, and he's returned with your most-wanted criminal, and you want to berate him?" Eugene shook his head, clucking in disapproval. "I'd quit, if I were in your horseshoes, buddy," he added, patting Max on the neck.

Max nickered back, clearly in agreement.

Looking at the seneschal again, Eugene wasn't sure the man had heard anything he'd said after "princess", the fellow's eyes seeming riveted to Rapunzel as he slowly approached, one hand reaching out tentatively. Then suddenly the old man gasped, covering his mouth with his hand, which had begun to shake. The seneschal dropped to one knee, eyes cast to the ground; the young guard quickly followed suit, though the lad clearly had no idea why he was doing so.

"Your Highness," the old man whispered, his eyes wet with tears and face lit with a smile as he turned it upwards again. "Welcome home."

"Well, that's more like it," Rapunzel remarked, and Max snorted in assent.

"But how did you know?" Eugene asked the man, befuddled. He'd fully expected her to be tested somehow, to have to, you know, actually prove her claim!

"My dear boy, I have been seneschal here since before the princess was born!" the man explained. "I saw her often when she was just an infant; I could never forget those eyes."

Well, that made sense. Eugene was never going to forget those eyes either, however long he lived; they would probably haunt him even in death, an eternal reminder of the only woman he had ever truly loved.

"Come, come!" the seneschal demanded, rising to his feet and beckoning for them to follow. "It's well past time you were reunited with your parents!"

"Just a minute," Rapunzel demanded, making no move to dismount. "Do you solemnly swear that no harm will come to Max or to Eugene here?"

"I swear it on my life, Your Grace," the seneschal promised, bowing. "I'll even see to it myself that Max gets all the apples he can eat tonight!"

Max could barely contain his glee, it seemed, the horse doing a little dance beneath them. Eugene, meanwhile, went through a runaway cart-ride of emotion. There was elation that he wasn't going to be hanged, but he quickly sobered as he realised that this simply meant that he would get to spend a lifetime away from her, a fate which sounded just as bad. Then he grew wary; what if this was all a trick to lull them into a false sense of security? What if there really were more guards left, and this man didn't really believe that Rapunzel was the princess at all?

But of course Rapunzel was too naive, too trusting for her own good — she'd shown that by trusting Eugene in the first place. (And Maximus was apparently too easily tempted by apples.)

Then again, Rapunzel had a way of getting people to obey her will — probably thanks to her inner princess. And things had worked out well, on the whole, for her of late; hopefully the Fates would keep smiling on her. They owed her a boatload of back-happy, after all.

———;;—@

The seneschal — whose name was Gregory — certainly had an eye for the dramatic! Perhaps that was why this kingdom was so known for the beauty of its celebrations, of which this Gregory fellow was doubtless the overseer. Case in point, it wasn't enough for the seneschal to just take Rapunzel directly to see her parents. No, instead of bringing her and Eugene inside, the man had told the young guard to go fetch the king and queen, then led the princess to a curve in the rail at the center of balcony, just outside the door to the main hall. Eugene would have stood off to the side with Max, but the seneschal shoved him over to stand with Rapunzel.

"This is where your parents stood every year on the anniversary of your birthday and released a lantern, in the hopes that it would guide you home," he'd revealed with a flourish, quite the showman.

"And it did," Rapunzel had whispered, tears in her eyes as she'd run her fingers softly across the rail.

Gregory had nodded, obviously pleased that she understood his purpose in bringing her there, how being there was like this year's lantern had indeed brought her back itself, a gesture to her parents for their unwavering faith that she would return.

Melodramatic though it arguably was, Eugene had found himself liking the man's style, if for no other reason than that this arrangement had given him a little more precious time to memorise Rapunzel's face, with her new hair, and to hold her hand as they looked out on the glorious city below.

Even so, it was over all too soon, the doors to the great hall opening. Rapunzel nearly crushed his fingers in her excitement, but he didn't care, didn't want to let her go.

He did, though. He wasn't the selfish man he'd once been, wouldn't hold her captive, the way Gothel had. And seeing the joy in her parent's eyes as they took her in their arms, a sense of peace washed over him. He'd promised to bring her home, and he had. And as much as it hurt, it also felt wonderful.

When the queen reached out to him, eyes brimming with gratitude, he thought she just wanted to shake his hand in thanks. He wondered then if she knew he was due for a hanging, wondered if she'd seen his wanted posters and, if she had, had recognised him. Quite possibly not: the posters typically didn't look a thing like him. Unless the young guard told her that her daughter had been accompanied by a man with a sizable bounty on his head, the queen probably just thought he was some nice young man who'd helped her daughter come home. Feeling like a liar — and for the first time in his life, feeling like a heel for it — he gingerly took the queen's hand, expecting it to be delicate ....

She had a grip like iron.

And she apparently didn't want just a handshake, either. The next thing Eugene knew, he was being pulled into a group-hug, the king and queen's arms enveloping him along with their daughter. For a moment, he was drowning in their overpowering happiness; he enjoyed every second, knowing that he would never feel this way, like he was where he belonged, part of a family, again. For a moment, he pretended that the arm slung around his shoulders so familiarly was the father's arm he'd never known, his own dad having been killed in battle when he was an infant.  He pretended that the slender hand on his back belonged to the mother he barely remembered. And when the hug was over, he pretended he was fine, that he wasn't on the verge of tears, and his heart wasn't splintering like a table at the Ugly Duckling in a brawl.

"Have you eaten? Let's go sit inside," the king suggested. "My knees aren't what they used to be."

Eugene smiled but held his chuckle in check, uncertain if it was all right to laugh at royalty. After getting to his feet, he held out a hand and helped the king up, noting that, whatever the man hinted about his age, his grip was strong. That made Eugene happy; the man looked greyed for his age, but was in good enough health that Rapunzel would probably have many long years with her father yet.

As they made their way to the door, he glanced at Max, standing with the seneschal, and thought maybe he should beg off, stay with the horse, but Max motioned for him to go on, stay with Rapunzel. Eugene wondered then where Pascal had gone off to, but a long glance at Rapunzel's shoulder revealed that the chameleon was still there, just having gone into stealth mode. Eugene found himself envious of the lizard, wishing that he could disappear himself.

———;;—@

The king and queen led them to their private dining room, the queen insisting on Eugene taking her free arm as her daughter took the other, with the king on Rapunzel's right. As they walked, Eugene felt just as trapped as he had in his cell. He had tried to excuse himself, suggesting he leave them to get better acquainted, but Rapunzel's parents would have none of that, insisting that he had to be their guest.

So what was he to do now? Apparently Gregory had meant what he'd said about bringing no harm to Eugene, and hadn't been trying to trap them, but that didn't change the fact that there wasn't a place for Eugene at Rapunzel's side. It also didn't mean that his welcome couldn't be rescinded when, if it was true that the king and queen didn't currently know who he was, they later learned his identity.

But how to leave? Especially when he didn't really want to, just knew that he should. Would he even have the strength, when the time came?

He hadn't eaten since the night before, but he could only pick at his food as Rapunzel began her story; this waiting for the other shoe to drop had robbed him of his appetite.

He was only mildly amused when Pascal finally made himself known to her parents, startling them so much that they each let out a rather un-regal squeal (which was followed by a lot of fawning and expressions of amazement over the little lizard and his talents).

As the story went on, Eugene couldn't bring himself to meet her parent's eyes as Rapunzel revealed the nature of their first meeting, how he had climbed up her tower (aka, breaking and entering), and how she had made that deal with him in exchange for the contents of his satchel. She didn't bother to say what was in the satchel, but surely they could guess that he'd been up to no good. Why else would he have gone to such lengths to get into a tower not his own if he hadn't been on the run?

But her parents said nothing, not even when Rapunzel got to the part where the thugs at the Ugly Duckling threatened to turn her new friend in for a bounty and she had to beg them to let her keep her guide. They would gasp and make remarks here and there on Rapunzel's narrative, but nothing along the lines of "Oh, you're that guy? Off with his head!" Instead of relaxing, though, Eugene grew more and more tense the closer Rapunzel got to the end, dreading having to finally face the music.

Except that, before she reached the end, she said something that made him forget everything — both his fear of what fate had in store for him and his resolve to leave her thinking he didn't really care for her:

"And so he took the satchel, and I waited for him to come back, but ... well, he didn't, and so I ... I thought Mo—Gothel was right about him."

He snapped to attention then, meeting her eyes, seeing the pain and uncertainty there. He knew he had to fix this, couldn't let her believe that he would do that to her (no matter how much it would suit his purposes to let her think so), couldn't bear to have her look at him as if he had. Most importantly, he couldn't let her believe that anything Gothel had ever said could possibly be right; if he did, those words would haunt her, make her doubt her own worth, for the rest of her life. He couldn't let Gothel take anything more from her.

"She wasn't right," he insisted, taking her hand in both of his. "I swear to you, I had every intention of coming back—"

"Then why did you go off in that boat?" Rapunzel interrupted, and he couldn't tell if she was angry or pleading with him to give her a reasonable explanation. Probably both — and he couldn't blame her for the former, for doubting him. It was a miracle she'd trusted him as far as she had! He'd even warned her that it was a bad idea to do so, hadn't he?

"I didn't—" he tried to protest.

"You did! I saw you at the wheel of that boat as you—" she choked, "—floated away!" He heard what she really meant beneath that: abandoned me.

He struggled to keep his fury at Gothel — and himself — out of his voice, lest Rapunzel mistake it for anger towards her. "That's because the Stabbington Brothers hit me over the head, tied me to the mast of that boat, and tied my hands to the wheel," he explained as calmly as he could manage, genuinely contrite. He hadn't informed her at the time of what he was planning because he'd been afraid that she would insist on coming with, and he feared for her safety around the brothers. But despite his good intentions, he'd put her in danger anyway. If he'd taken the crown back to the castle, where it belonged, she would have known without a doubt that he wanted to change — and she'd still have her hair. Ending up in the hangman's noose would have been worth it. "I woke up like that when the guards found and captured me."

"It's true, Your Grace," Gregory confirmed, approaching the table; Eugene wondered how long the seneschal had been standing there, listening. "Captain Armbruster confided that he was rather perplexed by it — we wondered who had done us the favour of catching the infamous Flynn Rider without seeking the reward! And then we found the Stabbington Brothers on the shore, unconscious, and thought we must certainly have a hero in our midst."

"My mo—Gothel clobbered the brothers," Rapunzel revealed. "I thought she was saving me, but ...."

"The brothers told me that she's the one who told them about your hair," Eugene growled, stomach turning at the thought of anyone considering the harridan a hero. "So she planned it all, even put you in danger, just so she could convince you that you were better off with her."

"And I fell for it," Rapunzel replied, looking as ill as Eugene felt. Before he could assure her that Gothel was a master manipulator, though, one anyone would have fallen under the wordspell of, Rapunzel spoke on, her face a mix of confusion, anguish — and something that he prayed was hope. (He couldn't be sure, having so little experience with the emotion himself.)  "But ... what did you leave for, then, if it wasn't to run away with the crown?" she asked.

"Crown?" the king asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I'm the one who stole it," Eugene confessed, feeling an invisible noose around his neck. He hurried with his story for Rapunzel, hoping the king would let him finish, knowing he would never get another chance to explain himself to Rapunzel otherwise. "I saw the Stabbington Brothers on the shore, and ... well, after what you said when you gave me the satchel, I realised that I didn't want it anymore. I was going to give it to the twins, then come back to you with a clean slate, so to speak."

"Why didn't you just tell me that?"

What could he say? If he told her he'd been afraid for her, she'd blame herself again. A second later, though, he didn't need to worry about it anymore.

"My hair," she gasped, reaching for her shorn locks. "You were afraid they knew about my hair; you were just trying to keep me safe," she cried, throwing her arms around him and burying her face against his chest. Well, that wasn't exactly what he'd been worried about, but it was close enough. The truth of what he thought the brothers might want with her was too grisly for polite company. "I'm so sorry, Eugene," she apologised, her words muffled by his vest.

"Hey, you have nothing to apologise for," he insisted gently, resting a cheek against the top of her head, smoothing her pixie-mane with one hand and rubbing soothing circles on her back with the other. Half of him worked to memorise the warmth, the peace he felt while in her arms, while the other struggled to ignore it, fearing he'd never be able to leave otherwise. The second half, miraculously, won out when a flash of light glinting off the king's sun pendant caught his eye, distracting him. "In fact ... Your Majesties, I owe you both an apology for taking the crown. I know that doesn't make up for what I've done, but I owe you that all the same."

"My boy, did my daughter not just call you 'Eugene'?" the king asked, a strange gleam in his eye.

"Er ... yes?"

"Well, then. I happen to know that the crown was stolen by Flynn Ryder; I've seen the posters, and I can say with certainty that you are not him." That gleam and the king's knowing smile suggested otherwise, especially as they were mirrored in the queen's face, but Eugene wasn't about to argue. "Still, if it makes you feel better ...." The King turned to his seneschal. "Gregory, see to it that Flynn Ryder — and any aliases he may go by, such as Eugene Fitzherbert — is given a full pardon for all crimes."

Eugene most certainly did not swoon. He did almost fall, though, when Rapunzel left his side to throw her arms around her father. He shivered a little at the sudden cold, and tried not to let himself get any ideas: just because he was no longer a wanted man didn't suddenly make him a prince.

He stood, then got down on one knee, eyes cast to the floor. His eyes stung with gratitude, his thanks sticking in his throat. "Sir, I ... I don't know what ... thank y..."

The king and queen chuckled. He looked up and found them smiling benevolently at him, while Rapunzel beamed. Two things struck him then: The first was how much Rapunzel resembled both of her parents, especially her mother. No wonder Gregory had been so certain of her identity! The second was that Rapunzel seemed to glow now even without her magic hair or her song. Not the same way as before, maybe — which was better, because now her parents need never worry about her being kidnapped for her power ever again. But she was his shining light, all the same.

How could he go back to the dark after knowing the sun?

"Speaking of names," the queen started suddenly.

Rapunzel looked at her with an eagerness Eugene has come to adore, her desperate hunger to know things.

"What's my name?" Rapunzel asked at just the same moment as her mother asked, "What's your name?"

"Rapunzel," the princess answered, just as the queen replied, "Rampion."

Eugene found himself exchanging a glance with the king. "Uh ... isn't a rapunzel a type of rampion?" He regretted the question the moment it left his lips. Had he just insulted Their Majesties? So much for his pardon ....

The king nodded, looking a bit rueful. "And a rampion is a root vegetable, sort of like a radish or turnip."

"It's a bellflower, too," the queen sniffed, crossing her arms. Her shoulder's quickly sagged. "Truth be told, we didn't name her, though. It's a custom of the kingdom for a royal child to be named by the people, through a lottery, and since it was an enchanted rampion flower that saved both myself and my unborn child, apparently many subjects submitted Rampion as their choice."

"At least I'm not actually named Radish, right?" Rapunzel-Rampion offered brightly.

"Well, your father did call you his 'little radish'," the queen revealed with a fond smirk.

The king replied with just a sheepish smile and a shrug.

"I think it's sweet," Rapunzel told her father, kissing him on the cheek. "So long as it's just a nickname," she then clarified, giving Eugene a shrewd look.

"I didn't say anything!" he protested with a laugh.

"But if you want to call me Rampion, I'm sure I can get used to it," she told her parents.

The king and queen exchanged smiles before the queen assured their daughter, "And if you want to be called Rapunzel, we can get used to that."

"Here's an idea," Eugene suggested, "how about you say whatever comes naturally? Someone asks the princess what her name is, she can say Rapunzel. You want to call her by a name, you can call her Rampion. Or Radish, or even Turnip," he added with a grin.

"Or Blondie?" Rapunzel asked impishly.

"Yeah, I guess that one doesn't really work anymore," Eugene admitted.

"Well, it works just fine for me," she replied, coming back over and hugging him from behind.

He felt a warmth wash over him, one that reminded him all too much of the feel of her healing magic — and what he had cost her by cutting her hair. He put on a brave smile, but the considering looks that the king and queen and seneschal were giving him suggested that it wasn't all that convincing. Thankfully Rapunzel couldn't see his face, couldn't see his discomfort — he didn't want to bring her down on what was probably the happiest day of her life ....

Rapunzel sat back down, guiding Eugene to sit beside her, refusing to let go of his hand. He couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. "Hey! What are your names?" she asked her parents.

The queen and king glanced at each other in surprise; Eugene could tell they were masking their dismay when they turned back. He couldn't blame them; it wasn't just that Rapunzel didn't know, but that it drove home just how sequestered she must have been to have never heard the names of the local rulers.

"I'm Linfred," the king informed her, "and your mother is Amalswint."

Well, apparently Rapunzel was in good company in the "unusual names" department ....

"But I call her Mallie, and she calls me Fred," Linfred added.

"And what do your names mean?" Rapunzel asked eagerly, gripping EUgene's hand even tighter in her excitement, her skin warm as a sunbeam.

The king and queen chuckled. "Linfred means 'gentle peace' — when I was born, our kingdom was at war, so the people named me for what they wished most for," the king explained.

Eugene thought it suited the man, with his kind, caring eyes and soft-spokeness.

"And my name means 'hard worker'," the queen revealed.

Eugene supposed the queen could very well be a hard worker in some fashion, but he wouldn't wager it had anything to do with field labour. He wondered if her own kingdom, whatever one she'd been born to, had the same naming custom as this one ....

"So what does 'Eugene' mean?" Rapunzel asked him.

"Uh ... I'm not sure," he lied.

"Noble," Mallie replied, smiling.

His mother had had some lofty ideals, it seemed ....

"An apt name!" Rapunzel declared, grinning.

Eugene blushed and ducked his head. Given his life's path, he'd beg to differ.

"Aye, there's nothing more noble than giving your life for another," Linfred agreed.

Eugene looked up and found the King's eyes full of gratitude, much like the queen's had been on the balcony. At least, he thought that was what it was; it'd been a long time since he'd lived the sort of life that prompted thank-yous. He tried to think of a response, but he didn't really want to remind them of his shady past, nor could he think of an argument against their reasoning for calling him noble. He had risked his life for Rapunzel, and would do it again, in a heartbeat; he just couldn't wrap his head around that fact! It had been years since he'd looked out for anyone but himself, over a decade since he'd put anyone else's needs before his own. The fact that she had been able to get him to do that suggested to him that Rapunzel was going to make one hell of a leader someday!

Speaking of which ....

"Well, Rapunzel was the noble one, willing to throw her life away to save me first — I just followed her example." He shrugged as he spoke, rubbing his neck.

"And he's modest, too," Mallie remarked in a stage whisper to her husband, with a sly smile. "We're proud of both of you," she added, looking at Rapunzel and Eugene each in turn, reaching out to take their free hands and squeeze them once.

Warmth swelled over Eugene's skin again, making him shiver.

(TBC)