Well, this is the last chapter! )': Hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did! Thank you so much to all the people that reviewed/favorited/alerted this story. It meant so much!

The entire village had rejoiced. Every man, woman and child had flooded the streets of Corona at the news of the Lost Princess' return, dancing and singing and partying to no end. Eugene even joined in on the festivities without trying to conceal himself from the palace guards. Here, now, he was considered a hero. He had been the brave one to rescue the beloved princess from her captivity. He was even allowed to be within a foot of her without the permission of the king and queen (which is much more exciting than it sounds). Not only that, but Rapunzel had kissed him! It seemed like an enormous step for someone who had never done so before. It must have meant something.

Rapunzel, being the free spirit that she was, didn't take up the princess mentality as quickly as her parents would have liked. She, like any common villager, danced alongside others in the street barefoot and partied from sunrise to sunset. To be honest, he had never been with a girl who liked to party as much as she did. She was actually tiring him out. But, he didn't mind. In fact, he preferred it. He preferred anything that meant she was by his side.

Eugene watched her dance. He watched the sunlight shine off her bright white teeth as she flashed him a beautiful smile. He openly admitted it: he loved her. He really did. There was nothing he could think of that he didn't like about her.

An older looking man with beady eyes, clad in a very formal looking suit and holding two glasses of wine, sat down next to him on the low stone wall, interrupting his reverie. The man handed him a glass which he took gladly. He didn't say anything, he just sat there, watching Rapunzel twirl in her new dress.

He broke the silence after a minute. "Wonderful view, isn't it?"

Eugene shot him a sideways glance, a bubble of anger suddenly expanding in his chest. The man's face was grinning as he sipped his wine. Eugene softened slightly but he kept his eye fixed on the side of his face, anticipating his next remark.

"I know who you are, you know," he stated, his voice not as light. Eugene's heart sank and his anger disappeared. He took a large gulp of his wine, trying to avoid having to say anything. "The least you could have done is changed your shirt." He chuckled to himself and took another swig from his glass.

Eugene didn't respond. He just watched the man swirl the deep purple liquid around and around.

"I hear you're the one who saved her?" He looked up at Eugene, waiting for his answer. He nodded, looking away and back out onto the makeshift dance floor. "The town thanks you. And, that you asked her to marry you?" He nodded again.

"She said, no, though," Eugene said quietly.

"But, you're going to ask again." It wasn't a question. He paused before continuing. "And, do you think you deserve her? You're a thief, and she's a princess. " He glared at him.

Eugene ran his index finger along the rim of the glass, thinking. He knew he didn't deserve her. He knew he deserved to rot in that God forsaken tower Rapunzel spent 17 years of her life in for the duration of his. But, he wanted to be with her, and she wanted to be with him even if he couldn't understand it and she hadn't accepted his request for marriage. And, Eugene knew he could never deny her anything that she wanted. Really, it was better for both of them that they were together. Besides, who was he to say anything? They hardly knew each other.

"Son, I can't change her mind or what she wants, but I can tell you this: if you hurt her, you'll have to face the wrath of more than just the king and queen. The entire town will be at your throat if anything happens to her," he warned with a stern voice. The man looked back at Rapunzel, now letting a little girl try on her tiara. "You've been given a wonderful gift, Eugene. Don't screw it up."

Eugene gave a weak and nervous smile and took another sip of his drink just for something to do. He didn't know what to say.

"Here she comes. I'll leave you two alone. But, remember what I said," he advised, raising his eyebrows for emphasis. He slipped back into the crowd just as Rapunzel approached. Eugene watched him go, feeling his stomach flip and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Rapunzel touched him lightly on the shoulder and he spun his head around so quickly that he almost knocked himself off balance. "Hi, Eugene!" she shrieked.

"Hey, Rapunzel. You know, your dance moves never fail to impress me," he complimented. She giggled happily.

"What were you talking to my Godfather about?" Rapunzel inquired, her face scrunched up in thought.

He almost choked on his wine. It took him a minute to cough it out, and Rapunzel helped by patting him furiously on the back. But, eventually he managed to say, "Your Godfather?"

"Yeah! I met him the other day when you were still asleep in bed. His name's George. He's a very nice fellow, and he's very strong. I saw him pick up my enormous bureau this morning when I told him one of my earrings rolled under it. It's quite impressive," she added with a smile.

Eugene gulped and all the blood drained from his face. "Well, we were just, you know, talking." He rubbed the back of his neck, wanting to change the subject so badly. Thankfully, Rapunzel did.

"That's nice. Uh, Eugene, what are you drinking?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"Oh, this? It's called wine," he informed her. "Want to try some?" He held the glass up, offering it to her.

"Yes!" She lunged for the glass, and he let her take it, not wanting to spill it everywhere. She took a rather large mouthful for someone who had never consumed alcohol before. When she pulled the glass away from her lips, she smacked them together and contemplated the taste, tilting her head slightly to one side.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked, laughing a little at her intensity.

"It's kind of bitter, but I like it!" she said. "Can I have the rest?" Her bottom lip pouted out slightly and Eugene couldn't resist letting her have it.

He rolled his eyes. "Sure, you can have it. But, don't drink too much. You'll regret it tomorrow morning." He chuckled at his own joke.

She had already downed the entire glass before she said, "What did you say, Eugene?"

"Blondie!" he yelled, still laughing.

"What? It's good!" she said, shrugging her shoulders. Just then, a man walked by, holding another glass of wine and she stopped him dead in his tracks. "Excuse me, sir, can I have that?" Her pleading eyes and commanding presence made him give it up even though he was somewhat reluctant. Without even thinking about it, she finished the glass in three big gulps. Eugene stared at her, his mouth hanging open.

"Rapunzel! That's enough, no more!" He snatched the empty glass from her hand and placed it on the stone wall behind him.

He looked up to see that her eyes had become a little dazed and she swayed as she stood. Eugene caught her before she fell and gently sat her down. "Mmm, Eugene, I like wine," she whispered weakly. "Can I have some m-more, please? Please?" she begged, her eyes now closed.

"Nope. You're going to sit right here and – " he started, but his sentence was interrupted when she bounced up from the ground and stopped another passerby holding a glass of wine.

"Thanks!" she yelled at them when she had taken it from their hand, this time without asking first.

"Oh, very polite, Rapunzel," Eugene murmured, running after her to try and hide the drink.

"Eugene, why didn't you tell me about this stuff before? I feel all warm and fuzzy inside!" Rapunzel said in a sing-song voice. She had already taken a tiny sip before he was able to retrieve the glass, but when he took it, she didn't resist him. He placed the glass down and quickly turned back to steady her again. He caught her arms in a way that suggested they were about to dance and she screamed, "Of course, I'll dance with you, Eugene!"

He laughed out loud and rolled his eyes. She was a piece of work. "Remind me to never let you have more than one glass of wine ever again," he said to her as they waltzed into the crowd.

"What? What did you say, Eugene?" she yelled, trying to compensate for the noise of the town.

"I said, 'I love you'!" he yelled back, knowing very well that that wasn't what he said.

"Oh! I love you, too, Eugene!" She smiled joyfully and hugged him.

He chuckled again, and twirled her around, never taking his eyes off the beautiful flower he had somehow claimed as his.

Thanks again! (: