Rapunzel all but leaped into Eugene’s arms with a shout. The princess had never really been shy about expressing herself, especially when it came to Eugene. Thankfully, Flynn was physically able to catch her and she had a very light frame. He swept her up in his arms and pulled her close for a kiss.
“Oh my goodness, Eugene!” Rapunzel said. “It feels like I haven’t seen you forever. I’ve got so much to tell you.”
“The eternal optimist,” Eugene said. “I wasn’t as sure that I would ever see you again but I kept going just in case. I’m glad to be proven wrong.”
“I like proving you wrong,” Rapunzel said. “And I’ll always find my way back to you. I promise. You know how important promises are to me.”
“I do,” Eugene said. “One of the many reasons why I proposed. Your honesty and loyalty has really rubbed off on me.”
“Oh?” Rapunzel asked. “Have you been well-behaved?”
“Yes,” Eugene said. “But I didn’t have much choice. I was imprisoned by a witch.”
“Really!?” Rapunzel asked and stepped back to examine him. “Did she hurt you?”
“Not really. She was a very incompetent witch,” Eugene said. “She caught me off guard when I ended up in Hawaii.”
“Hawaii?” Rapunzel asked. “I like the name. Speaking of witches, Gothel is here.”
“Gothel?” Eugene asked. “Last time I saw her, she stabbed me.”
“I remember,” Rapunzel said. “She’s locked up in a cell, though. Everybody knows who and what she is so there’s nobody for her to manipulate here.”
“Have you seen her?” Eugene asked.
“No,” Rapunzel said. “I haven’t visited.”
“Do you want to visit?” Eugene asked. He stroked her cheek with his hand and she closed her eyes and pressed her cheek into his palm.
“No,” Rapunzel said. “I don’t think I want to revisit that chapter of my life. Besides, my hair is coming back in and she’s obsessed with it.”
“I was going to ask about that,” Eugene said. “Any explanation?”
“None,” Rapunzel said with a shrug. “As for Gothel, let the others deal with her. If I have to deal with her, I’ll cross that bridge then.”
“We will,” Eugene said. “Together.”
* * *
“Anna!” Elsa shouted. “There you are! I was so worried.”
“I wasn’t,” Anna said. “Ok well, I was a little bit. It got really bad there for a bit but I always have faith that we’ll find each other again. We’ve been through so much already. The long separation, the blizzard of Arendelle, the elemental spirits, the Enchanted Forest, the Jotunn, the flood, everything and we’re still standing.”
“I remember all of that, of course,” Elsa said. “But I like being there to protect you.”
“I should remind you that I’m a queen now too and that I can take care of myself,” Anna said. “But I also do like it when you protect me. I like being with you.”
“I never thought we’d be in this strange place,” Elsa said. “So far from home. I sent Mattias back to Arendelle to check on things.”
“I hope he’s alright,” Anna said. “I hope Kristoff is alright too. All of our friends and family are nowhere in sight.”
“I have a feeling that I would know if something permanent happened to Olaf,” Elsa said. “Kristoff can take care of himself usually and when he can’t, he has Sven.”
“True,” Anna said. “I’m sure he’s fine. I do wish the Grand Pabbie was here, though.”
“We seem to be in good hands with the fairies,” Elsa said. “They seem wise enough.”
“I never thought I’d see a real fairy,” Rapunzel said. “It was amazing.”
“The way our lives have gone, I thought it was pretty much inevitable that we would get around to fairies,” Elsa said.
Anna laughed. “I guess you’re right,” she said. “We seem to attract magic.”
“At least, I do,” Elsa said, a guilty look crossing her face
“Don’t go blaming yourself,” Anna said. “We’re in this together.”