I Didn't Sign up for This War.

Chapter 5

I realize a split second after I turn around: There is absolutely no way that I, Rapunzel Gothel, have the confidence to walk up to the crown prince of Corona.

I glance back at Cassandra and Belle. Their shock has worn off slightly and now Cassandra is just staring at me, shocked. Belle grins and holds her hands out in two thumbs up.

I can't go back to them now. That would be humiliating too.

My head turns from Cassandra to Eugene. Which would be worse for me? Chickening out in front of my potiental friends or a few moments of embarrassment?

I make my way to the gaggle of girls. How am I supposed to insert myself in their giggling and flirting without making it seem too awkward? Maybe if I just say hello and listen for a few moments that'll be enough for Cassandra and Belle.

I dodge the crowds of chattering Evers, moving through them like they're the trees around Mother's cottage at home. A few seconds later, I look back. I can't see Cassandra or Belle which means that they can't see me either.

I sigh with relief before slipping out the door into the candied halls.

I put my back against the blank wall, sliding down until I am sitting on the floor, curling up into a small, unnoticeable ball.

I relish at the slightly muted chatter, taking deep breaths and inhaling the sweet scent of candy and flowers. It still smells nothing like home, but at least it smells a little bit better than the fake perfume scents of the party.

Eventually I'm going to have to go back in there. There's a chance that Cassandra and Belle will believe I spoke to Eugene for just a moment and then left to use the bathroom. He's not completely in their frame of reference anyway and maybe they'll forget about all of it in a few minutes.

That leaves me a little bit of time.

I take a deep breath in, a deep breath out.

Small and quickly stifled shrieks of laughter meet my ears, mutters and light violin music echo through the wide hall. Don't listen to all of that, Rapunzel. Just calm down and smile.

"Oh, you don't want to talk to Rapunzel! She was literally raised by a Never. She's my roomate. You can trust me when I say she's a weirdo. Her invite was probably a mistake."

I peek through the doorway. Eugene's crowd has moved closer to the door and some of the princesses are looking at Mary with sympathy. I have the urge to do the same. I mean, isn't it so unlucky she would have the misfortune of being roomed with me?

They are so busy with their words of comfort and encouragement that most of them don't even notice Eugene moving further away from them and closer to me.

I quickly look forward so he can't tell I saw him and make myself seem invisible. With luck, he doesn't even know I'm here. With luck, he's heading to the bathroom right now. He just so happened to use the same doorway I'm right next to.

"What are you doing out here?"

No such luck.

I look up and see the Prince leaning on the doorway, staring at me curiously.

He's really quite handsome, with high cheekbones and brown hair in waves with soft doe brown eyes. That, combined with being a crown prince? No wonder all the girls were ogoling him at the party.

My mouth is hanging open, isn't it? I quickly shut it and my face hardens, making my features impossible to read.

"Oh, I just needed some air."

"Yeah." He glances behind him at the girls inside.

'They're laughing at you, Rapunzel. That's what I've been saying about these royals. You can't trust them. The only people that they care about is themselves.'

"I could use some air too." Eugene sits down next to me, his back against the wall and his legs sticking out in front of him. His mother obviously didn't teach him the art of taking up as little space as possible. Just the way he holds himself tells me he always had a surplus of attention.

'Why did you even get on the train? You should just come home to me. Nobody will even notice you if you're gone. I mean what friends have you really made here?'

"Not now," I say to Mother under my breath. "Not in front of him."

"Sorry?" Eugene looks at me with confusion.

"No, not you." I rub my eyes roughly and my fingers leave with streaks of purple, gold, and brown, the same colors I remember Mary putting on my face. So it's not permanent then. It comes off quickly "I was talking to someone else." I realize after a moment that may cause more questions than answers. "Myself. I was talking to myself."

"What's your name?" he asks me conversationally as if he doesn't already know.

"I'm Rapunzel," I say. Then, because Mother always told me that if I dig my own grave, I must at least do the thing properly: "What's your name?"

"Oh..." He hesitates for a moment. "Call me Flynn, Flynn Rider."