Chapter 2

"How do you know where we're going, Eugene?"

"I've been here before actually. Not when I broke in," He added, laughing as Rapunzel raised her eyebrows.

"We took a fieldtrip of sorts. When I was still at the orphanage. It was the Queen's idea, I think."

But anything else that Eugene could have had to say about the trip was cut short as he opened the doors to the palace library. Eugene stared at Rapunzel as her eyes widened, trying to take in everything that she was seeing.

"Eugene – it's – there's – so many books…"

"You know Blondie, I don't know if you've ever been more articulate."

But Rapunzel barely heard him. She sprinted into the library and grabbed the first book she could find off of the shelf.

"Pride and Prejudice," She read. "Have you heard of this one, Eugene?"

"Yeah, that one's a classic. I haven't read it, though."

Rapunzel plopped herself down on the ground and started reading. Eugene couldn't bring himself to tell her that they hadn't come to the library to read a romance novel, so he sat down next to her and they read together. About a half an hour later, he realized that they were supposed to be having breakfast with the King and Queen in a few minutes.

"Hey, Rapunzel."

"Mmmhmmm," She replied, fully engrossed in the life of Elizabeth Bennet.

"We have to go get breakfast now."

Rapunzel finally pulled her eyes away from the book as she looked up at Eugene.

"Come on, we'll drop off the book in your room on the way to the dining hall."

The two walked hand in hand as they started down the hall.

"I wonder if they'll have pancakes for breakfast," Rapunzel said excitedly. "Mother made me pancakes for my birthday once and they were delicious!"

Rapunzel looked down slightly as she thought about Mother. She couldn't get over the overwhelming mixture of emotions she felt every time she thought about her. She was her mother, her mentor, her teacher, and the person that she loved more, but she was her captor, her self-proclaimed "bad guy," and the person who could make her feel worse than anyone in the world.

She's not my mother, she corrected herself. At least she could take that title off the list.

Eugene saw Rapunzel's face fall. She was an open book and Eugene was especially good at knowing how she felt. But for as good as he was at reading her, he didn't have a lot of experience with the whole comforting thing.

"I'm more of a French toast guy myself," He said smiling.

"What's French toast?" Rapunzel looked up at him, momentarily forgetting her thoughts about Mother.

"Are you really going to tell me that you've never had French toast?" Eugene's eyes widened in mock disbelief. "Wow, this is bad. This is really, really bad!"

"Eu-gene," Rapunzel said, feigning annoyance by adorably emphasizing the first syllable of his name.

"Okay, okay, Blondie. But we're going to fix that situation. Ideally as soon as possible."

As they walking up to the dining room, Eugene held open the door for Rapunzel.

"Your highness," He said as he dipped his head into a small bow, his brown eyes sparkling mischievously.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes as she laughed at his mockery.

"Good morning, Rapunzel," The King said as he greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning," Rapunzel chirped happily. "Wow, that's a lot of food."

Rapunzel and Eugene stared at the table, which was filled with every type of breakfast food imaginable. Rapunzel figured that there was enough food for a whole week of breakfasts. Eugene thought that it would be enough food to live off for a month.

"Oh, well we didn't know what you liked, so we just had our cook make everything," The Queen said. Her face was flushed slightly and she looked faintly saddened to not know what her daughter's favorite food was.

"I don't even know what half of these things are," Rapunzel gushed, in awe of the display in front of her.

Rapunzel insisted on trying a bite of everything so she could figure out what her favorite was. Eugene stuck with the French toast, the King had eggs benedict, and the Queen opted for crepes. Even Pascal joined in on the fun as he munched on a large orange slice. Eugene almost didn't notice his food as he watched Rapunzel's eyes light up as she sampled the different delicacies. She finally decided that the chocolate chip pancakes were her favorite, before telling Eugene that the French toast was her runner up.

"Rapunzel," The Queen started, "I was wondering if you would feel comfortable calling us mother and father."

Rapunzel's smile faltered at her mother's request.

"I, um, well-"

"Or you could call us Arianna and Frederick if that would make you more comfortable."

"It's not that, it's just that I called her mother," Rapunzel said, her voice trailing off into little more than a whisper.

The Queen's face turned pink, and Eugene couldn't quite read whether she was embarrassed at her suggestion or angry that this woman had stolen another part of what was supposed to be her responsibility.

"How about mom and dad?" The King suggested.

"I like that," Rapunzel said, tentatively smiling as she looked for Arianna's approval.

The Queen smiled back at her daughter.

"Mom and dad it is then," She replied.

"So, Rapunzel, how did you spend your morning?" The King asked.

"Oh, Eugene took me to the palace library! I didn't know that there were that many books in the whole world!"

"How did you know where the palace library was?" The King asked, suspiciously eyeing Eugene. "Did you break in there too?"

Eugene winced slightly. Normally, he would have been flattered by any assumption that he had broken in to a highly secure location. However, when person accusing him was both the king and his girlfriend's father, well that was a different story.

"No, he didn't," The Queen said, her melodic voice pulling Eugene out of his pity party. "He came for a tour."

It wasn't lost on Eugene that she refrained from saying that he came with the orphanage. He wasn't sure if she was trying to spare him embarrassment or if she selectively decided to forget that her daughter was dating someone who came from the dregs of society. Given his experience, albeit limited, with the Queen's kindness, he decided on the former.

"I gave him a book. The Tales of Flynnigan Rider, I believe," The Queen added with a knowing smile.

"So you're responsible for the crimes that this man has committed against our kingdom," The King said, staring at Eugene.

Eugene sat frozen. He could never tell if the King was joking or preparing to kill him.

Maybe it was both, he thought.

The King let out a full-bellied laugh and Eugene let out a breath as he laughed nervously alongside him. Rapunzel covered her mouth as she giggled, her giant green eyes sparkling. As he watched her laugh, Eugene wouldn't have minded anything that the King said about him. She was the only thing that mattered. A part of him was horrified at what a sap he was becoming. But he couldn't make himself care about that either.

"Why did you want to go to the library, dear?" The Queen asked. Her eyes were locked on Rapunzel as if they were drinking her in, trying to soak up every last detail about her daughter.

"Oh, Pascal and I were wondering if the palace had a book on famous paintings. We got a bit distracted though," She laughed, glancing at Eugene.

Eugene felt the King's eyes glaring at him as he realized that Rapunzel's innocent words could have registered differently with her father.

"Do you like to paint?" Her mother asked.

"Oh, I love to paint! I covered the walls of my tower in paintings. My favorite one was of the lanterns!"

"Rapunzel, I have something to show you," The Queen said, smiling in anticipation.

"What is it?"

"You'll just have to follow me and find out!"

Rapunzel sprung out of her chair gleefully, and the mother-daughter pair laughed as they headed out of the dining room, leaving Eugene alone with the King.

"Eugene," The King said seriously, "I'm glad that we have this opportunity to talk."

Eugene could not say the same for himself.

"Your highness," Eugene responded, desperately trying to sound respectful, despite probably never using the phrase "your highness" in a situation where he wasn't being sarcastic.

"In spite of your less-than-ideal background, I like you, Eugene. I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact that you brought my daughter back to me. I hope that you really have reformed."

The King gave Eugene a look that showed that he wasn't at all convinced that Eugene had truly accomplished such a feat.

"It also helps that my daughter likes you. But let me make myself perfectly clear," The King said, his voice as cold as ice.

"If you steal from this palace, it will break her heart. If you steal her virtue, there will be nowhere that you can go, in any kingdom, where I will not personally hunt you down and break you. Do you understand?"

"I would nev-" Eugene stopped mid-sentence as the King frowned. "Yes, I understand, sir – er, I mean, your highness."

"Good," The King sighed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I haven't had my morning walk yet. Doctor's orders. Good for a healthy heart, you know."

Eugene didn't quite know how to respond to this change in demeanor, so he settled for a small smile and an affirmative nod. After the King left the room, Eugene threw his head down on the table a little harder than he intended to.

"What a morning," Eugene groaned. Pascal curled up next to his arm, in what Eugene could only assume was an effort to comfort him. He supposed that for the most notorious thief in the kingdom dating the princess, he got off pretty easy. He actually kind of liked the King. When he wasn't absolutely terrified of him.

"Are we almost there?" Rapunzel asked excitedly, as she walked down the previously unexplored hallways with the Queen.

"Here," The Queen said as she pushed open a large wooden door.

Rapunzel gasped as the door opened to reveal hundreds of murals painted on the walls and smaller paintings on canvases. Her mouth dropped open as her eyes flittered over the vast arrangement of paintings.

"Did you paint these?"

"Every single one."

Rapunzel threw herself in a bear hug around her mother. The Queen felt herself tearing up as she held her daughter equally tightly in her arms. It was moments like this that made Rapunzel feel as if she had known her mother for her whole life.

"Maybe we could paint together sometime," The Queen said softly.

"I would love that Mom," Rapunzel said, finally letting down her arms. "Will you tell me about your paintings?"

The two women walked across the room as Arianna explained the rationale behind each painting to Rapunzel. Anyone watching would have known instantly that the two were mother and daughter, from their remarkably similar looks to their interlaced hands.