Chapter 11

Rapunzel scrambled backwards in an attempt to escape, but soon found herself pressed against a wall. Her bags made it difficult to move, and her heavy cloak didn't help. When she shifted, she heard a heavy clang of metal as her frying pan slipped from the bag and crashed to the floor. Before she could even attempt to move, Rowan was in her face. His fingers gripped her shoulders like talons, and she was sure he would leave a bruise.

"Miss me, Princess?" He hissed, his breath hot and damp at her ear. She shuddered and reached blindly for something, anything to defend herself with.

"Let go of me!" She gasped, struggling. Rowan only gripped her tighter in response.

Letting out an angry squeak, Pascal scurried from her pocket and up to her shoulder. With a growl, he bit Rowan's hand with all of his might.

"Vile creature!" Rowan screeched, shaking his hand so hard that Pascal was flung through the air. In the dim light, Rapunzel saw her friend hit the ground with a small thud, unmoving.

Rapunzel took this opportunity to reach for her frying pan, which had fallen not too far from her. She gripped it in her injured hand, ignoring the pain. Rowan turned back to her, his cold eyes glinting in the darkness.

"Now, Princess, where were we?" He sneered, his mouth close to her face. "I suppose I'll take your presence here as your surrender to me. Won't you come inside?" His last sentence was a low whisper, almost a hiss.

"No!" Rapunzel gasped, struggling against him, her frying pan held tight in her hand. "I will never surrender to you, you disgusting pompous...jerk!"

Before she could react, Rapunzel felt the harsh sting of a slap across her cheek. "You'd do well to learn your place, Princess," Rowan growled. With one of his hands, he gripped a handful of her hair so tightly she was afraid he would pull it out. With the other hand, he gripped her neck.

"Never!" She cried, struggling to get away.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain as Rowan slammed the side of her head against the cool stone wall and held it there. "You are mine," he hissed, his breath hot on her ear. His hand at her throat tightened, making it difficult for her to breathe.

"I hate you!" Rapunzel sobbed, feeling a hot tear run down her cheek. "I'd rather die than marry you!"

"That can easily be arranged if you don't obey me," he hissed, tightening his grip on her throat until she couldn't breathe. Rapunzel gasped for air, but he held steady. Dark spots loomed at the edges of her vision, and her lungs ached. Ignoring the pain in her hand, Rapunzel tightened her grip on the frying pan and raised it above her head. Rowan was so focused that he didn't see it until it hit him - literally.

With a metallic clang, Rapunzel brought the frying pan down against the side of his head. Unconscious, Rowan released his grip on her hair and throat and fell limp on top of her. Coughing and gasping for air, Rapunzel pushed him off, not caring in the slightest when he fell in a heap onto the floor.

She rushed over to Pascal, who was still lying on the floor. He had been knocked unconscious and was slowly starting to wake up. After making sure he wasn't injured, Rapunzel tucked him safely into her pocket, collected her belongings that had fallen out of her bags during the struggle, and took off running.

She only slowed long enough to make sure there were no guards ahead. Rapunzel knew she could not stop running, even if her lungs ached and her muscles screamed from exhaustion. She couldn't afford to waste any more time. She quickly made it out of the castle through a back entrance and hurried into the forest that surrounded the castle. She stumbled a few times over rocks and branches, but she kept going, clutching Eugene's cloak to her chest.

Soon enough, she had made it to the prison. She paused behind a thicket of bushes to catch her breath. There were two guards stationed at the entrance, but both of them appeared to be asleep. Max was there too, though muzzled and chained to a post.

Silently, Rapunzel crept over to where Max dozed standing up. She woke him by softly stroking his nose, and his eyes flew open in shock. He calmed, however, when he saw who it was. Like an excited dog, his tail began to wag. Quickly, Rapunzel communicated to the horse that he needed to stay quiet. Max nodded his head diligently.

As quietly as she could, Rapunzel unchained the horse and removed his muzzle. When they made it out of the prison, they would need to make a quick getaway. In rushed whispers, Rapunzel explained the plan to the horse, who nodded attentively.

"Alright Max, wait right here," Rapunzel whispered, giving the horse a pat on his neck. Max grunted in response and planted his feet firmly on the ground.

Rapunzel pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, making sure her face was hidden. Quietly, almost on tip toes, Rapunzel crept around to the front of the prison and past the sleeping guards. The entry way of the prison was dark, so Rapunzel didn't see the loose stone until it caught her shoe and she tripped, a loud gasp escaping her lips.

Her free hand flew out to find something, anything to stop her fall. With a sharp twinge of pain, her fingers caught the edge of a doorway. She bit her lip, listening intently, holding perfectly still.

She heard the shifting of bodies and light clanking of metal as the guards stirred. With a snort, one awoke fully. "Oy!" He called to the other. With a grunt, the other guard snapped out of his slumber. "The captain'll have our heads if he catches us asleep on the job again!"

Rapunzel waited, holding her breath in anticipation and fear. After a few moments that seemed to last a century, she convinced herself that the guards hadn't heard her. As quietly as she could, she released her breath and continued walking, making slow progress to ensure that she didn't trip again. Once she was far from the entrance, she took off running, her light shoes making soft tapping sounds. She followed the dim path through the prison until she reached Eugene's cell. This time, he wasn't asleep.

"Who's there?" He called, squinting in the dim light. All he could make out was a stout, hooded figure.

"Shhh! It's me," Rapunzel whispered, pulling down the hood of her cloak.

Eugene scrambled to the bars of the cell. "Rapunzel! Oh, thank god. I thought something happened to you!" Rapunzel took a step forward into a shaft of moonlight. In the dim light, Eugene saw a dark line of liquid at her temple. His eyes widened in horror. "Wait, did something happen?"

She placed her fingertips to her head and when she pulled them back, she saw thick, dark blood. "There's no time," she hissed, shaking her head and ignoring the pounding in her skull. Quickly, she located a handkerchief in her pocket and pressed it to her wound. "We have to get you out of here!"

"And then what?" He asked dubiously. "You'll hide me under your bed?"

"No!" She exclaimed, exasperated. "Eugene," she began, pausing to take a breath, "we're leaving Corona."

His eyes were wide as he regarded her. By now, he knew her well enough to know when she was serious. And at that moment, she was deadly serious. "Are you sure about this?"

She nodded. "You know I've thought it through. Even if I can get you released from jail legally, there's no way I can get out of marrying Rowan. And I can't do that." Her other hand went to her throat, remembering the night's events with a small shudder. "We have to leave."

He had thought about it as well, but had never mentioned it to Rapunzel. He knew he could never ask Rapunzel to leave her family, not when she had just come home to them only a few months ago. But he had thought she was safe in the castle. Gauging from her appearance now, that was no longer the case. He could only guess to the events that had transpired.

"Alright," he agreed. "How do we get out of here?"

"Max is waiting outside. All we have to do is unlock this door and get to the roof." Rapunzel pulled a few hair pins from her bag and went to the lock. In their time together, Eugene had taught her many things. And, at her insistence, lock picking had been one of them. Though she wasn't as good as he was, she managed to have the lock open in a few minutes.

The cell opened with a soft groan of the hinges. Both glanced around warily, but no one had heard. Hastily, Rapunzel passed Eugene his satchel and cloak. After a cursory glance through the contents of his bag, Eugene was impressed. She had thought of everything.

"This way," he whispered, taking her uninjured hand in his and leading her down the corridor. Rather than heading towards the exit, they took a sharp turn down a completely dark corridor. Aside from the snoring of the prisoners, they only sounds were their shuffling footsteps.

By memory, Eugene found the next hallway and led Rapunzel down it. The last time he had escaped, he had been catapulted onto the roof. Seeing as that was out of the question, he had to think back to his first prison escape, made at the ripe age of eighteen. That time he had been caught breaking into a duke's home and been promptly arrested. Quickly deciding that the prison life wasn't for him, the young Flynn Rider had hatched a plan to escape. And so began his reputation.

Finally, they reached a set of stairs. He gave Rapunzel's hand a squeeze and she returned the gesture, and then they silently made their way up the staircase. At the second floor landing, they turned and took the next flight of stairs up. On the third floor landing, there was a small window that let light in.

In the dim light, they searched for a way up. In the distance, they could hear footsteps echoing in the darkness. A guard on patrol. With a gasp and a tug on Eugene's sleeve, Rapunzel pointed to the ceiling. There was a square wooden door set in the stone ceiling - an exit to the roof.

Without speaking, Eugene motioned that he would boost Rapunzel up so that she could climb through the door. He held out his hands and she carefully stepped onto his palm, worried she would hurt him. Swiftly, he hoisted her up through the air and within reach of the ceiling. Within a few moments, she had pushed the door open and peered up through the opening, checking that the coast was clear. Then she began to lift herself up and through the hole.

Rapunzel had panicked at the thought of how she would pull Eugene up, since he was much heavier than she, but she found a rope ladder conveniently anchored to the stone around the escape hatch. She dropped the ladder down for him, and he quickly climbed up beside her. They pulled the ladder up and closed the door, thrilled that they had escaped unnoticed.

Peering over the side of the roof, Rapunzel quickly located Max. He danced around impatiently when he saw the princess looking down at him. "How will we get down there?" Rapunzel whispered, giving Eugene a worried look.

The rope ladder wasn't very long, and didn't quite reach the ground, but it was long enough that he would be able to lower her safely down onto Max's back and scale the wall the rest of the way. Swiftly, Eugene pulled Rapunzel against his side, and she linked her arms around his neck. Slowly but surely, they began to make their descent towards the ground.

Once the pair was settled onto Max's back, the horse took off running. His loud hoof beats drew the guards' attention, but they were left without a horse or projectile weapon to stop the fugitives. The adrenaline of their escape was coursing through them as they ran through the empty streets and towards the bridge that would carry them out of the city.

Rapunzel took one last look over her shoulder at the kingdom she was leaving behind. She could see the castle in the distance, standing tall above the city. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about what would happen in the morning when they realized she was gone.

Because of their timing and quiet escape, they made it out of the city and into the safety of the woods with no one in pursuit. Maximus slowed his pace from a full on gallop to a quick trot. Once the adrenaline left her, Rapunzel's emotions caught up to her. On top of being completely exhausted, she felt an overwhelming mixture of emotions. She felt guilty for leaving her parents. She felt relieved that she was with Eugene. She felt nervous that the guards would catch up to them. She felt grief for the life she was leaving behind.

She leaned heavily against Eugene's back and pressed her face into the scratchy wool of his cloak, breathing deep, calming breaths. She tightened her arms around him, as if he would be taken from her if she didn't hold on tight enough.

"You okay, Blondie?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at her. She nodded into his cloak, but her sniffling gave her away. Lacking the right words to make her feel better, he merely squeezed one of her hands.

Eugene steered Max in the direction of the Snuggly Duckling. It was a risk to stay so close to the kingdom, but he knew that the thugs would shelter them, and that Rapunzel needed medical attention sooner rather than later. When they reached the pub, they could hear loud music coming from inside, and warm light was spilling out through the windows. He stopped at the door, dismounting from the horse and pulling Rapunzel down with him.

Carefully, he pushed her hair back from her face so he could inspect the wound. The gash was a clean cut, about an inch and a half long. The bleeding had slowed considerably, which was a good sign."Go ahead in and have someone take a look at your head," he instructed, his voice soft and reassuring. She nodded silently, her eyes down cast.

"Rapunzel," he said, reaching down and tilting her face up to look at him. Her eyes were red with tears and wide with fear. "Everything will be fine. Trust me."

Staring up into his warm hazel eyes, she could not doubt his sincerity. She knew that what he really meant was that he would try his best to make sure everything was fine, but he didn't really know for certain what might happen. And that was all they could hope for, really. She nodded, attempting a small smile. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers before giving her a gentle push towards the door of the pub.

Rapunzel entered the pub, drawing the attention of the raucous thugs. The cheered when they saw her, but stopped when they saw the state she was in. In a flurry of activity, they pulled her over to the bar while Hook Hand searched for a first aid kit. Rapunzel felt herself smiling, genuinely smiling, at the way the big brutish thugs worried over her.

Meanwhile, Eugene led Max to the stable behind the pub. "You don't have to do this, you know," he told the horse. "You can go back if you want - we just needed help getting out."

The horse turned to give him a steady look before he shook his head.

"You really want to leave with us?"

The horse nodded solemnly.

Eugene smiled and gave the horse a pat. "Thanks, Max." In response, the horse whinnied happily and grinned. Eugene led him to the back of the stable, where no one could spot him from the road. Just for good measure, he laid his cloak over the horse's back to hide his stark, white fur.

He, too, was greeted warmly when he entered the pub. He quickly found Rapunzel seated at the bar and being tended to by Big Nose, who was not only a love expert, but very well trained in first aid. Rapunzel had a few small injuries, but was generally fine. The gash on her forehead would need stitches, and was already beginning to bruise. Her hand was definitely broken, and would need to be set with a splint so it would heal properly. Eugene also noticed a set of bruises on her throat, but he didn't mention them. His mind was going wild with the different possibilities of what had happened that evening.

"Just where are we supposed to get stitches at this hour?" He asked Big Nose, carefully inspecting the wound on her forehead. It looked worse in the light.

A voice piped up from the back of the crowd. "I'm a doctor!" The man proclaimed, before hiccupping and swaying in place. Rapunzel's eyes widened in fear.

"No way in hell," he quipped, turning back to Rapunzel.

"I'll do it, don't worry," Big Nose replied.

Eugene gave him a dubious look. "Have you ever given a person stitches before?"

"All the time," he assured them with a wave of his hand. "With this lot, we get a lot of brawls and no one's got money for a doctor so I clean 'em up."

"Alright, fine. But make sure everything's sterile. If this gets infected you'll have me to answer to. And we're gonna need some whiskey."

Rapunzel gulped. "What's the whiskey for?"

"To numb ya up," the hook-handed bartender answered, setting a bottle of amber liquid onto the bar in front of her along with a shot glass. "'Bout how many you think she'll need?"

The girl had never had a drink in her life, and she was a hundred pounds soaking wet. Accounting for size and alcohol tolerance, Eugene answered, "Two should do the trick."

Hook hand poured a shot and slid it towards Rapunzel. "Now, don't sip it, lass. It'll burn. Just gulp the whole thing down in one go." Rapunzel nodded and picked the glass up with shaking fingers. Quickly, she tipped the glass back and gulped it down, squeezing her eyes shut. She coughed a bit as the liquid burned her throat, but passed the glass back for her next shot. The second went down easier than the first, and she was beginning to feel tipsy within minutes.

Meanwhile, Big Nose was using rubbing alcohol to disinfect a needle. The alcohol was beginning to numb her, and her exhaustion was catching up. Rapunzel felt relatively calm, even though she was about to have her skin sewn back together. When Big Nose was ready, Eugene held her hand and she braced herself for the pain.

It hurt, but wasn't as bad as she had imagined. She guessed that was probably the whiskey helping. Within a few minutes, the whole ordeal was over. Big Nose splinted her broken hand and wrapped it tightly, giving her strict instructions to allow it to heal properly before using it.

While the thug turned medic tended to her hand, Eugene talked to Hook Hand off to the side. "So yer runnin' away, is that right?"

Eugene nodded soberly. "It's a long story, and we'll tell you tomorrow after she's had some rest. The palace isn't safe for her anymore, if you couldn't tell."

The thug nodded and stroked his chin with his hook. "Who did that to her?"

Eugene felt his fists clench automatically and his nostrils flared with anger. "She hasn't said, but I've got a good guess. If I could get my hands on him right now, I'd -"

"Alright, calm down, lad. You did the right thing, leaving."

"Actually," he admitted, glancing at the princess, "it was Rapunzel's idea."

The man chuckled softly. "She's a smart one. Now, I assume ye don't want any guards knowin' you're here?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head.

"We've got an open room upstairs where you can stay as long as you like, no charge."

Eugene smiled slightly. "Thanks, but I think it's best we get as far away from here as we can. They forest will be crawling with soldiers by tomorrow, and they're bound to come in here and search the place. We'll leave tomorrow evening."

"Come on, then, I'll show yers to yer room," Hook Hand said, coming around the bar. Eugene helped Rapunzel off her stool and supported her as they walked up the stairs and into the inn portion of the Snuggly Duckling. They could hear people in some of the rooms as they passed, going about their business. Hook Hand led them to the end of the hallway, giving them the key to the very last room.

"I figure this'll be the best room for ya, since you'll be able to hear any guards comin' a mile away," Hook Hand explained, opening the door for them.

"Thank you for everything," Rapunzel said quietly, stretching up on her toes to give the man a kiss on the cheek.

"Think nothin' of it," the man said gruffly, though the faintest hint of a blush could be seen on his cheeks.

With that, he left the two to settle into their room. Rapunzel hung her cloak by the door and pulled her bag off her shoulder, letting it hit the ground with a dull thump. Pascal climbed out of her pocket, fully recovered but extremely sleepy, and scurried onto the nightstand. She quickly undressed down to her shift, while Eugene pulled off his vest and boots. His clothes reeked of the prison, and he was glad to be rid of them. He made a mental note to wash them in the morning. He had planned to sleep in his shirt and trousers, but since both were so smelly, he pulled them off, leaving only his underwear.

Exhausted, they climbed into bed. Rapunzel laid down and closed her eyes, but Eugene remained upright, studying her closely. Gently, he brushed his fingers along her cheek, scrutinizing the purple marks on her neck. Four on one side, one on the other. All oval shaped. He knew these marks.

"Rapunzel," he said quietly, his voice low and worried. She opened her eyes and gazed up at him, looking almost guilty. "What happened tonight?"

She attempted to shake it off with a laugh. "You were there, Eugene, you know what happened!"

He shook his head, remaining serious. "You know what I'm talking about."

She sighed and sat up, fidgeting with the blankets. "Promise you won't get mad?

He let out an exasperated breath, prepared to go on a lengthy rant about how he had told her time and time again that he'd never be mad at her, but stopped short when he saw tears well in her eyes. "I promise," he vowed, linking his fingers through hers.

The warmth of his touch gave her courage, and he began her story. "Rowan saw me leave the last time I visited you, so tonight I wanted to make sure he was asleep before I left. That time he didn't tell anyone, but if he had this time we never would have made it out! So...so I went to his room to see if he was still awake."

"What did he do?" Eugene asked, his voice calm but his thoughts a raging storm.

"He caught me outside his door," she began, her voice trembling. "We argued. Stuff like I need to learn my place and that I belonged to him and all that. First he slapped me, then we argued more. Then he slammed my head into the wall and grabbed my throat. I told him I hated him and I'd rather die than be his wife, and then...he choked me."

There was a long pause while she gazed down at her hands as they rested uselessly in her lap. "But," she exclaimed, her head turning as she looked up at him, "I had my frying pan, and I grabbed it and hit him in the head! I knocked him out and ran away," she finished, looking slightly triumphant.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," she mumbled quietly, looking back down at her hands. "I knew you'd get upset and we didn't have time and...I'm sorry. I was stupid, so it was really my fault. I-"

He cut her off, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her swiftly against his chest. "Don't apologize, Rapunzel. None of this is your fault. He hurt you because he's a terrible person. He deserved being hit with your frying pan. In fact, he deserved at least twenty more hits.
She giggled quietly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again, Rapunzel. I promise."

She pulled back to gaze up at him. "My parents will be so upset," she whispered, her tears finally spilling over.

He sighed, his brow furrowing with concern. "Yeah, they will be. But you're nobody's prisoner. You deserve to be free."

She nodded in silent agreement. "And we can be together," she added with a small smile. "Forever, right?"

He gave her a warm smile. "Forever," he agreed, leaning down and pressing his lips to her forehead. She tugged him down by his shoulders and claimed his lips. The young lovers laid in their borrowed bed, pressed together underneath the blankets as they drifted off to sleep.