To explain, it took me FOREVER to write this chapter because the past two months have been filled with preparations for my graduation from community college with my first degree, which included several projects and exams (15 credit hours hurts), as well as my choir concert, and starting my second job as a book keeper! :D I apologize for the wait, and thank you for your patience!

CHAPTER SONG: "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark" by Fall Out Boy

Disclaimer: You know what sucks? Not owning a gosh dang thing. I tell ya...

Smoke & Mirrors

A "Tangled" fanfiction

by doodlegirll

...oOo...

Eugene still held Rapunzel in his arms as he, Hook Hand, Vlad, and Big Nose turned away from the smoldering remains of the mill and made their way into the woods. The other pub thugs, led by Maximus, had gone on ahead with Johansson, Burks, and Teegan, presumably to the Snuggly Duckling, until the others got there. Eugene had not seen the three men since they had set fire to the mill and left him to die, but he would make it a point to pay them a visit once he and the others returned to the castle.

Rapunzel still whimpered in pain from time to time, and Eugene had not gotten a chance to properly examine her feet just yet, and he set about finding the creek he knew ran through the forest.

They didn't have to look very hard. Setting his eyes on it, he carried Rapunzel to the bank.

"Blondie," he said. "This is going to hurt at first, but it will make your feet feel better, okay?"

Rapunzel nodded, biting her bottom lip in anxiety. The pain was still agonizing, stinging, and hot.

Eugene gently lowered her to sit on the bank, setting her feet in the ice cold water. Instantly Rapunzel recoiled, yelping in pain. She pulled her feet out of the water and hugged her knees to her chest.

"It hurts!" She said.

"I know." Eugene soothed. "But it will help, I promise. Just trust me."

Rapunzel nodded slowly, and eased her feet back into the water, hissing as they came in contact with the liquid. After a few moments, her face and body relaxed, and she let out a sigh.

Eugene lowered his wrists, still clad in iron shackles, into the water as well, allowing it to soothe the chapped skin. It was a relief, and he was finally able to see the damage. The shackles made it hard to get an accurate look, but he could see small blisters around the edges. It hurt, and he wished he had a bobbypin to pick the locks with.

The burn on his arm from whatever it was that fell on him – a piece of the ceiling, he suspected – wasn't much better. In fact, it was worse. The wound itself was about the size of his hand, and he could see that several layers of skin had been destroyed, with some of the outlining areas blackened. Blood and clear plasma oozed from it, and he didn't dare touch it. The cool water of the river had helped with the swelling around it, and for now, he was fine.

After a few moments, he moved to inspect the soles of Rapunzel's feet, gently lifting it out of the cold water. The stockings that had covered them had burned away, completely exposing the skin, which was about as bad as the burn on his arm, though he was relieved to not that none of her skin had been blackened. The soles of her feet were a deep red, with blisters the size of small coins forming, and a few places were bleeding slightly. Rapunzel took a sharp intake of breath when one of his fingers lightly grazed one of the sores, and he winced slightly.

"I'm sorry." He said, lowering her foot into the water again. Thinking quickly, he tore the hem of his shirt into two strips and very gently wrapped Rapunzel's feet in the makeshift bandages before doing the same for his arm.

"Eugene, your wrists," Rapunzel said as he finished up.

"I know." He said. "I'll get a guard to take them off when we get back to the castle." He looked at his friends, who were watching from the bank. "How far are we from the Duckling?"

"Not far." Hook Hand replied. "It's about a fifteen minute walk."

"We've got to get her back to the castle." Eugene said. "Her feet are badly burned."

"So are your wrists and arm!" Rapunzel said, refusing to allow Eugene to downplay his own injuries.

Eugene didn't respond, and instead scooped Rapunzel back into his arms. She wound her arms around his neck and laid her head against his shoulder. He turned back to face the pub thugs, nodding to them. They began the trek back towards the Snuggly Duckling, where they would find Maximus, and, with any luck, a few guards to help them escort Johansson and his goons to the castle.

"C'mon, Blondie." He whispered in Rapunzel's ear. "Let's go home."

...oOo...

About half an hour later, the Snuggly Duckling finally came into view, and Eugene let out a sigh of relief when he saw the horses of the palace guards tethered outside. Rapunzel saw them, too, and she hugged his neck tighter, knowing they were finally on their way to safety.

Vlad opened the door to the Duckling, and they walked into the dimly lit room, where they found the remaining thugs, and five Corona guards, and the two groups were arguing. Behind a ring of thugs stood Johansson and his two accomplices – Burks and Teegan, he remembered – unable to move. Maximus stood at their sides, snarling, Pascal on his head doing the same.

"I am telling you, by order of the King and Queen of Corona, they are to be taken into custody immediately for questioning!" The Captain of the Guard stomped his foot in emphasis. "And if you don't hand them over immediately, I'll see to it that you're arrested and taken straight to prison!"

The thugs smirked, and it was Attila who spoke.

"I'd like to see you try, buddy."

The Captain's face turned beet red, and he growled.

"If that's the way you want it, fine!" He flicked his head. "Arrest them!"

"No!" Rapunzel squeaked.

All eyes turned to face her, and the guards stared, flabbergasted, at her in Eugene's arms, taking in their soot smeared faces and haggard appearances.

"Princess!" The Captain said. He nodded at Eugene, his eyes narrowing slightly at the Prince Consort. "Fitzherbert."

It was as formal as it was about to get any time soon, so Eugene accepted it and gave the captain a nod in return.

"Don't arrest them!" Rapunzel said. "They're my friends! They helped me! I never could have found Eugene without them!"

"We'd both be dead if it weren't for them." Eugene agreed as he crossed the room to set Rapunzel down on a chair. "Especially Vlad."

Vlad rubbed the back of his neck, obviously unused to the attention, but said nothing.

The Captain shook his head. "Either way, they have to hand over the criminals." He said.

"Oh, we will." Hook Hand said. "We just want to make sure they get to the kingdom first."

The Captain bristled. "My men and I are more than capable of escorting them to the kingdom!" He said, indignantly.

"With all due respect, your shininess," Hook Hand poked the Captain's armor with his hook, glaring. "You tend to lose bandits like marbles."

"I do not!"

Hook Hand raised an eyebrow. "Really? I seem to remember a certain thief that you couldn't keep in custody no matter how many times you apprehended him."

The other thugs laughed, and Eugene smirked slightly. It was true!

The Captain, obviously embarrassed, slapped Hook Hand's hook away and stepped back, addressing his men.

"Come on, men." He said. "Let's get back to the kingdom." He gestured for the thugs to follow, and they jostled Johansson and his men towards the door.

Eugene scooped Rapunzel back into his arms and helped her into Maximus's saddle.

"Watch your feet." He said softly. "Don't get them caught in the stirrups." He looked at Max. "Watch the potholes, buddy."

Max rolled his eyes and flicked his tail in Eugene's face as he passed him out the door.

Eugene fell into step with the guards that followed alongside Max and Rapunzel, right behind Johansson, Burks and Teegan. Eugene sent the three of them death glares as they dared a glance over their shoulders from time to time. It was one thing that they had tried to kill him, but Rapunzel was another story entirely.

And yet, he couldn't help but feel the guilt begin to rise at the base of his spine and spread to his heart.

Johansson's wife, Diane…she had died because of him. If he hadn't stolen that money all those years ago…he tore his gaze away from the backs of his enemies' heads and instead looked at the ground.

He reasoned it was the same way he felt now: anger. Undeniable, insatiable, burning fury boiled in his stomach at what they had nearly done to Rapunzel. If she hadn't been trying to save him, she would never have been in that burning mill, and if she had never been in that burning mill, she never would have gotten hurt and she would not have nearly perished with him.

Eugene was so engrossed in everything circulating through his head, he didn't notice that they had reached the bridge that would take them into Corona. He blinked in surprise, wondering how long, exactly, he had been lost in thought.

Rapunzel looked down at him from atop Maximus.

"Eugene?" She asked softly. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Eugene turned his head to look at her inquisitive face. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, Blondie." He answered, grinning at her. "Never better."

He knew she knew he was lying, but she didn't say anything as she gave him a smile back. She would worm it out of him later.

The Captain led the troupe through the streets of Corona, and people began to line the curbs in curiosity. They whispered to themselves as they passed, and many children waved to Rapunzel, and she smiled and waved back.

Eventually, they made their way to the gates of the castle, and the guards positioned outside them opened them wide, allowing for them to pass through into the safety of the castle walls. Eugene helped Rapunzel down, and she allowed him to carry her into the castle.

They headed for the throne room, following the Captain closely. He had Johansson by the collar of his shirt, and the shorter man shuffled to keep up with the Captain's long, determined strides. Two guards followed behind him dragging Burks and Teegan, and Eugene held Rapunzel tightly as they enter.

"Your Majesties," the Captain booms, shoving Johansson forward. "I believe these to be the men you're looking for."

"Rapunzel!" Queen Anwen says, spotting Eugene and the princess as they enter behind the Captain and Johansson. "Eugene!"

She rushes forward, and places her hands on Rapunzel's face.

"My gracious, we were so worried about you!" The Queen said, tears welling in her eyes. "We come to tell you about a possible lead only to find you missing, and no note. We found the sketches of the men on your bed and Maximus gone so we knew that you must have…" She shakes her head and kisses her daughter's forehead. "Don't ever do that again! Oh gracious, Rapunzel, we were so worried."

"I'm sorry, Mama." Rapunzel says, not meeting her mother's eyes. "I just…I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright, dear." The Queen kissed her forehead again. "We were just so worried…"

She raised her eyes to look at Eugene, and she smiled at him as she placed a hand on his cheek, her motherly instincts kicking in for the young man that held her daughter in his arms. "I'm so glad to see you safe as well, Eugene. We were worried about you as well."

Eugene smiled. "Thank you." He said.

The Queen smiled, and stepped back to look at the two of them, noticing for the first time their messy appearances. She noticed the shackles adorning Eugene's wrists, the broken chains dangling, the skin around them bright red. She could see another bright red patch on his left arm, though it was mostly covered by Rapunzel's body. Her eyes traveled from the Prince Consort to the Princess. For the most part, Rapunzel looked fine. Her face was smudged with dirt and grime, she looked tired, but she was otherwise fine.

And then she saw the wrappings around her feet.

"Rapunzel! What happened to your feet?!"

Behind her, her husband grabbed Johansson by the collar.

"Johansson!" He hissed. "I should have known."

Johansson glowered, refusing to open his mouth to speak. Behind him, the guards held fast to his accomplices, least they tried to help him or escape. There was no way he was going to spill his guts about his motives here. Not with Rider in the room. The fact that he had yet again escaped death repulsed Johansson to the verge of vomiting, and he was suddenly unsure as to how, exactly, he had planned to get away with what he had done. But for now, he wasn't talking.

The King glared at the short man for a few moments more before he released him, realizing he wasn't about to speak now. He pushed him backwards forcefully.

"Get them out of my sight." He ordered the guards, growling. "I want them locked under careful watch and the highest security possible! The council will gather to decide their fates within the coming week after Princess Rapunzel and Prince Consort Fitzherbert have had time to recover from their injuries. Now take them away!"

Johansson and the others were forcibly dragged from the room, and for the first time since the ordeal started, Eugene was able to take a much needed breath.

...oOo...

Eugene winced as a key was inserted into the lock of one of the cuffs on his wrists, the metal finally ceasing its rubbing against his raw skin. Dr. Hendricks tsked under his breath as he asked the other guard to remove the other cuff as well. He took one of Eugene's wrists in his hands, turning it over carefully.

"You've suffered some pretty intensive burns," he said after a moment's examination. "But nothing so serious that it cannot be healed."

Eugene nodded, and Dr. Hendricks moved to the burn on his arm.

"I assume this one is quite painful?" He asked, taking in the blackened tissue that oozed a slick clear liquid.

Eugene grimaced as Dr. Hendrick's experienced fingers gently probe at the injury. "A piece of ceiling fell on me." He explained. "Better on me than Rapunzel."

Dr. Hendricks hummed in agreement. After a few more minutes, he once again took a look at Eugene's wrists. Clearing his throat, he spoke.

"Your wrists are badly burned. The cuffs used to restrain you became hot as the fire around you heated them. I am assuming there must have been a flame close to your hands for the manacles to grow hot enough to do damage. Blisters formed underneath, and the rubbing of the cuffs caused them to rupture, which is most likely a large portion of your pain. However, they should heal nicely with very little complications."

Eugene swallowed and nodded, allowing the royal physician to continue.

"Now as for your arm, I would expect it will take longer to heal, with quite a bit of scarring. The first and second layers of your skin have been burned away, so we'll have to keep an eye out for infection. I want you to wear a sling for at least a few weeks to prevent accidental overuse and further injury." He turned his back to the Prince Consort and crossed the room to a counter, where he pulled a small jar from a cabinet.

"This is a cream made from the leaves of the magical flower that saved the life of our Queen before Princess Rapunzel was born. It should help with the pain, and speed up the healing process." He explained as he dipped the corner of a clean cloth into it before gently dabbing it onto Eugene's blistered and singed skin.

Instantly, the stinging pain of the burns and blisters faded away, and Eugene remembered the first time he had encountered the healing power of the sundrop flower in the woods following the scene at the Snuggly Duckling that had nearly ended in his and Rapunzel;s drowning, the very same flower that had ended up saving his life later. Somehow that flower had decided that it wanted to be a part of his existence.

After applying generous amounts of the salve to the burns, Dr. Hendricks wrapped them in soft gauze and bandages.

"I want to see you in here three times a day to change your bandages until further notice." The doctor instructed as he crafted a sling and helped Eugene ease his arm into it. "No roughhousing or overexerting yourself, am I clear?"

Eugene grimaced as he rolled his shoulder, but nodded and gave the doctor a grin and a cocked eyebrow. "Don't trust me, doc?"

Dr. Hendrick's blue eyes were stern, but his mouth twitched into a smile. "Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Fitzherbert." He said, and saw Eugene to the door.

...oOo...

Eugene could not sleep.

He had been tossing and turning for hours, trying to find a comfortable position, what with his bandaged wrists and his arm in the sling, but he had found that even when he did find a pose that was even somewhat comfortable, as soon as he closed his eyes, the image of Rapunzel, surrounded by flames, her face smudged with tears, soot, and blood, flashed before him, jolting him back awake.

He sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his good hand. The day's events had rendered him exhausted, and yet here he was, unable to find a moment's rest. Johansson had stolen that from him.

Johansson.

Anger boiled deep inside of Eugene's chest. Whilst Eugene understood that Johansson was merely a man out for revenge, and Eugene regretted the reasons behind Johansson's blood thirst, he couldn't seem to get over the fact that Johansson's attempt on his life had nearly taken Rapunzel down with it. He was one thing, but she was another entirely. He hadn't died for her once for nothing.

He got to his feet, and made his way to the door. Maybe a walk in the gardens would do him some good.

As he made his way down the corridor to the gardens, Eugene allowed his mind to wander. How, exactly, had things taken such a dramatic turn in such a short amount of time? Six months ago he had been a thief, a man on the run with a bounty on his head a mile high, with a smirk on his face and a heist in his brain. And now, here he was: a Prince Consort, a man of high honor, with the most remarkable woman in the world at his side as the one he hoped to spend the rest of his life with. He lived in a castle, with servants at his beck and call, and not a care in the world. Flynn Rider was dead, Eugene Fitzherbert alive.

And in those six months, so much more had happened than he had ever dared to imagine: he had given up his life of thieving and treachery in the name of a young, spirited blonde haired (now brunette), green eyed girl. With three whacks to the head with a frying pan, a magical flower, and a near death (actual death, he conceded) experience, he was hers. He had never looked back, and he promised himself he never would. But there had also been a very close call with the gallows, two trials, Prince Consort lessons, a public debut, an assassination attempt, a kidnapping, and yet another near death experience added on top of it all. It was all suddenly incredibly overwhelming to Eugene, looking back on all he had accomplished now.

He didn't even realize where he was headed until he found himself outside the doors of the prison, where two guards stood positioned outside, as per usual. Stopping, he gazed up at the imposing wall before him, remembering quite clearly his own stay here not all that long ago. Sighing, he once again set his sights on the door. The guards allowed him to pass without question, and he made his way inside.

Another guard positioned inside looked surprised to see him. "Johansson?" He questioned, and Eugene suddenly recognized him as one of the guards from the Snuggly Duckling earlier.

Eugene nodded, and the guard waved his hand, indicating for Eugene to follow him. He led him down the hall to a barred cell door. Peering inside, Eugene could see a dark figure huddled in the corner of the cell.

The guard rattled the bars. "Wake up, Johansson." He said roughly. "Visitor for you."

He nodded to Eugene, and walked back down the hall, allowing the two men privacy. Eugene watched him leave, suddenly wondering if were such a good idea to leave him with the man who had just tried to murder him, despite the sturdy, thick metal bars separating them.

"You're the last person I ever expected to see here on his own free will." Johansson's gruff voice, foggy with sleep, sounded from the back of the cell. Eugene turned back to face him, and Johansson stepped forward, into the light of the torches that lined the walls.

"Well you're the last person I ever expected to try to kill me." Eugene retorted, narrowing his eyes.

Johansson smirked. "It would have worked had the Princess not gotten involved." He way he spat the word 'princess' only infuriated Eugene further, and without thinking, he lashed out with his good arm and grabbed Johansson by the collar, pulling him against the bars of the cell roughly. He brought his face close to that of his adversary, currently incapacitated and dangling a few inches from the floor due to his height, glowering down at him viciously.

"You nearly killed her!" He yelled. "She nearly died because of you!"

Johansson, unphased despite his position, glared. "It was never my intention for Princess Rapunzel to become involved," he said.

"You should have known she would become involved!" Eugene said, clenching at Johansson's shirt tighter, and bringing him closer still. "How could she not?! It's not like her to not get involved! She only did it because of me, and because you decided to try and get rid of me once and for all."

Johansson brought a hand up to claw at Eugene's bandages, trying to free himself, refusing to allow the ex-thief to intimidate him. Eugene hissed in pain as the man gripped his wrist and squeezed, hard, and he released him. Johansson stumbled backwards a few steps, and smoothed his shirt and patted the dust from his clothing smugly.

"Isn't it bad enough you ruined my life once, but twice?" He asked, calmly. "You get away with what you did to me, to my wife, and then you wiggle your way out of a hanging? And then become the next king?" He laughed, curtly. "How you've managed to escape death four times is beyond me."

"You'll stand trial for what you've done." Eugene informed him.

"I am aware."

"And what about your children? You said you have two? What of their futures?"

"My children are grown and have their own lives, I assure you." Johansson said. "They were so young when their mother died, just twelve and ten. But that was ten years ago, and they no longer rely upon me to support and protect them."

"They still need you." Eugene said. "You're their father. What about your grandchildren? Did you ever think about them? Did you really think you could get away with this without consequences? You're facing the noose, Johansson, just like I did." He swallowed. "You'll leave your children fatherless."

Something akin to regret flashed across Johansson's face, but it was gone in a moment, replaced with the cold, hard contempt Eugene had become accustomed to when in his presence.

"Why do you care?" He spat suddenly.

Eugene shook his head.

"Because as much as I hate you for nearly killing Rapunzel, for hurting her, for nearly killing me, your children don't deserve to be without a father, no matter how old they are." He said, softer than he intended. "And if you're selfish enough to sacrifice them in pursuit of revenge…then maybe you do deserve what you've got coming to you."

With that, he turned and walked away.

He showed himself out of the prisons, and headed back towards the castle, walking through the lush gardens as thunder rumbled in the distance behind him. As he made his way back towards his room, he passed the door to Rapunzel's room, and he paused, overcome with the desire to make sure she was okay. He had been present when Dr. Hendricks had tended to her burned feet, citing them as curable, but painful, saying she would be unable to walk for quite a while, but afterwards he had been seen to himself, and had then been instructed to rest, his dinner brought to him by servants.

It was then he heard it. A very faint whimper, like the mew of a newborn kitten, came from somewhere behind the oak doors. He stepped closer, opening the door just a bit to peek inside.

Rapunzel was asleep in her bed, the sheets disheveled and rumpled, and she was hugging her pillow tightly, her face pressed into the fabric. Just as he was about to close the door, convinced she had merely turned over in her sleep, Rapunzel started screaming.

"Eugene, no!" She wailed, her cries muffled by the pillow. "No!"

Within seconds, Eugene yanked open the door and sprinted to her side, where he found Pascal pressing a scaly foot against Rapunzel's brown hair in an attempt to comfort her. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Shh, I'm right here." He whispered. "It's alright. I'm right here."

Rapunzel jolted awake at his touch, her tearstained face pulling away from the pillow, her eyes wide in shock and confusion. Upon seeing him, she sat up quickly, and hugged him.

"Eugene!" She sobbed.

"Sh, it's okay." Eugene soothed, stroking her hair. "You're alright. I'm right here."

Rapunzel shook her head. "We were back at that mill, but I was too late, and the ceiling collapsed and you were still inside, and there was nothing I could do, and…" She clung tighter. "I could hear you screaming, and…"

He wrapped his arm around her, holding her close, letting her cry as long as she needed to feel better. He pressed kisses to her hair, whispering words of comfort, knowing without a shadow of a doubt the pain and fear she felt. Eventually, after awhile, Rapunzel's sobs faded to muffled hiccups, and she pulled away from him, wiping the few remaining tears from her eyes.

"It's okay, Blondie." He said. "I'm alright. We're going to be okay."

Rapunzel nodded.

"Will you stay with me?" She asked, and yawned involuntarily. "Please?"

Eugene looked down at her, and her red rimmed green eyes looked back at him hopefully. He smiled at her and nodded, and sat down on the bed, propping himself up against a few pillows. She nestled herself into him, his good arm wrapped around her securely. He wrapped a sheet around her, minding her bandaged feet, and she laid her head against his chest.

"I love you, Eugene." She whispered. "I love you."

Within seconds, she was asleep, her face peaceful.

He smiled, and kissed her forehead as she slept. "I love you more, Rapunzel." He whispered. "It's going to be okay. I'm right here. I promise."

Together they slept, and neither had nightmares.

To make up for the fact that it took me forever to update, I made this chappie long. :) Hope you enjoyed!