Tangled!

Night had settled completely over the forest, wrapping the trees in a soft, velvety darkness. The air was cool, filled with the quiet hum of crickets and the occasional rustle of unseen creatures moving through the undergrowth. Rapunzel and Flynn sat on their thick tree branch, the sky above them dotted with thousands of stars.

Flynn—no, Eugene, leaned back against the tree trunk, his arms crossed. He had never told anyone his real name before. He wasn't sure why he had told Rapunzel.

Maybe it was because, for the first time in years, someone was looking at him like he was more than just a thief.

He didn't know what to do with that.

Rapunzel, on the other hand, was still watching him curiously. "Eugene Fitzherbert," she repeated softly, as if testing the name.

Flynn—Eugene, grimaced. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Not exactly a name that inspires fear and respect, right?"

Rapunzel tilted her head. "I don't know. I think it suits you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

She nodded. "It sounds… kind."

Eugene blinked. Kind? That was the last word he expected. People usually called him clever, tricky, sometimes even dangerous, but kind?

He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Rapunzel turned her gaze to the sky. "Do you ever think about where you came from?" she asked softly.

Eugene tensed slightly. "Why do you ask?"

She sighed, hugging her knees. "I don't know. I've been wondering about it lately. Mother never talks about how she found me, or why we live in the tower. I always thought it didn't matter. But now…" She hesitated. "Now that I'm out here, I feel like there's more I should know."

Eugene watched her carefully. "And that scares you?"

She exhaled. "A little. What if I find out something I don't want to know?"

Eugene thought about that. About all the things he had tried to forget about his past. About the lonely boy who had once been Eugene Fitzherbert.

"Yeah," he admitted. "That's a risk."

Rapunzel turned to him, waiting.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I grew up in an orphanage," he said at last. "Nothing fancy. Just a small, crowded place full of kids trying to survive."

Rapunzel's eyes softened. "Oh…"

Eugene shrugged like it didn't matter. "I didn't have parents, so I made do with what I had. And what I had was a book about a dashing rogue named Flynnigan Rider."

He smirked, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I read that book over and over again until the pages were falling apart. Flynn Rider was fearless. Brave. Always in control. He didn't have to struggle or beg or feel… helpless." Eugene's voice grew quieter. "So, one day, I stopped being Eugene Fitzherbert. And I became him."

Rapunzel was quiet for a long moment.

Then, she smiled softly. "But you're still Eugene, aren't you?"

He scoffed. "I don't know about that."

She nudged him playfully. "I do."

He glanced at her. "Oh yeah? How so?"

"Because the person I've been traveling with isn't just a smooth-talking thief. He's someone who makes sure I'm safe. Someone who makes me laugh. Someone who—" She hesitated. "Someone who doesn't feel like a stranger."

Eugene swallowed. That was dangerous.

This girl, this strange, innocent, impossibly kind girl, was looking at him like he was better than he actually was.

And for some reason, he didn't want to let her down.

"…Well," he said, forcing a smirk, "don't go spreading that around. I have a reputation to maintain."

Rapunzel giggled.

Pascal, who had been curled up nearby, let out a sleepy chirp before nestling deeper into Rapunzel's lap.

Eugene watched the little chameleon for a moment before sighing. "Alright, Blondie. Get some sleep. We've got a long way to go tomorrow."

Rapunzel nodded, letting out a soft yawn. "Goodnight, Eugene."

He froze.

That was the first time anyone had said his real name in years.

And strangely…

It didn't sound so bad.

"…Goodnight, Rapunzel."

As she drifted off, Eugene sat awake, staring at the stars.

For the first time in a long time, he wondered.

Was Eugene Fitzherbert really gone after all?