Rapunzel doesn’t wait for Eugene’s response to her hopeful declaration. She grabs Hookhand by the wrist and rushes to the nearest palace balcony that overlooks the docks. It involves a dash down the corridor, taking a sharp turn after the statue of Mildar the Magnificent, and scrambling up half a flight of stairs. When they reach the terrace, she releases Hookhand in order to brace herself on the stone railing to give herself the best possible view of the coast.

"Which one is your cousin’s?" she asks the breathless barkeep. There are dozens of ships out there, any one of which could be the vessel she’s about to sail to her parents’ rescue on! There’s one painted a very pretty white and another with navy trim and…!

In lieu of a verbal reply, Hookhand gently nudges her in the direction of the far end of the port where a singular and rather lonesome and bedraggled-looking ship is moored. It doesn’t look particularly friendly, she notices. She narrows her eyes, trying to make out the shape on the black flag that flutters woefully in the afternoon breeze. "Is that a… skull? There on the flag?"

The gigantic man laughs a bit nervously. "It is. It scares, or, er, what I meant was it helps scare away anyone who would want to attack his ship," he explains.

"I’m sure it works," she replies solemnly and with appreciation for the forethought.

He nods. "Oh it does. No one bothers Bigbeard," he assures her.

Well, with a banner like that flying from the top of the central mast, she expects even mosquitos would keep away! It’s not until she hears another set of footsteps are approaching them that she realizes Eugene had not been following behind them, as she’d assumed he would! Turning away from the view, she frowns thoughtfully at both him and the bundle tucked under his arm. Where had he disappeared to without telling her? What is that ball of cloth? Where had he gotten it? And why is he wearing that Flynn Rider grin on his face?

Hookhand glances from the items Eugene holds out in his hands – a pair of unflattering breeches, a battered tunic, and a potato sack – and then back at Rapunzel before he takes a step back. Almost like he’s removing himself from the line of fire…

"I’ll go let my cousin know to be expecting company." He ambles past Eugene and claps him none-too-gently on the shoulder. "Good luck, Rider."

Rapunzel raises an eyebrow. Good luck with what?

"Here," he says, thrusting the odd assortment of items toward and giving them a meaningful shake, "you need to put these on."

She blinks slowly. Granted, the clothes she has on now aren’t exactly suited to an adventurous voyage, but she has plenty of other dresses and skirts (and even a riding uniform with some very comfortable trousers) that would certainly suffice! With those items at her disposal, why on earth would Eugene possibly want her to wear these frayed, grungy things? She scrunches up her nose.

"Er, thanks, Eugene. But I have plenty of clothes—"

"Not the right ones."

"Be serious! Who would let me on board their ship looking like I crawled out of a cellar?"

"Bigbeard."

She huffs. Crossing her arms, she ignores the pile of dirty laundry and moves to step back into the castle. She can be changed and have her face washed and hair free of debris in five minutes flat—

Eugene steps in her path. "That’s not gonna fly, Blondie."

"According to you. I’m sure the captain and I can come to some sort of understanding."

"Maybe you missed the memo, but the people we’ll be dealing with don’t negotiate." He points to the black flag as evidence of this.

But Rapunzel remembers a rough, roadside tavern full of scary thugs who had turned out to be quite delightful. Really, Eugene ought to have a little more faith!

"Oh c’mon!" he huffs, thrusting the clothing at her insistently (as if that will convince her to take them!). "They’re never going to let you on board if they think you’re a woman."

Of all the preposterous things! She gapes in disbelief. "Why not?!"

"It's bad luck," he answers simply.

Bad luck? She can hardly believe grown men would indulge in such a ridiculous notion! Women are bad luck? Hmph! "Well, I think, considering my life in total, that my luck is generally good." She begins to walk past Eugene and his offering of unappealing apparel.

He shakes his head as if he can’t believe she is just going to walk away. With a quick step, he blocks her path to the stairs. "You don't wanna be doin' that, Blondie. Trust me."

"Oh, I think I do." She steps to the side. Again.

He blocks her path. Again. "No, I really think—"

They don’t have time to argue! They need to get on that ship! Unfortunately, Rapunzel recognizes the look on Eugene’s face. It’s the same one he has when he is pouting. Stubborn man! "What you’re asking me to do is ridiculous! Give me one good reason why I should humor their superstitions by wearing a sack on my head in public!"

He lifts his gaze from the bundle of ragged clothing and looks deeply into her eyes. "Please, Rapunzel?"

"You know that smolder stuff doesn’t work on me." Though, she has to admit, he does look cute when he makes that face. Sometimes. Occasionally.

He must see some sign of weakness in her expression because the smolder intensifies. He leans closer, pouts his lips just so and rumbles in a deep tone, "Don't you trust me?"

"I… I do," he admits a bit helplessly. His voice sends shivers down her spine and the scent of his shaving soap makes her pulse race. The air between them heats, but she tries not to get distracted. "I just don’t understand…"

"I know it doesn’t make any sense," he croons, leaning forward and brushing his lips against her temple. He murmurs against her skin, "But this is the fastest way to get to your parents. You know I’d love to see you win over that crew, but that would take time your mom and dad may not have…"

She gulps. He’s right. And, really, what does it matter if she goes along with this silly idea as long as she gets Momma and Daddy back?

"All right, Eugene," she concedes, accepting the bundle of cloth. She tries not to make a face at the scratchiness of the rough fabric or the strange, slick texture that clearly signals a desperate need for a thorough washing. "I still think it’s silly."

"It is," he agrees, grinning now that he’s won. Little does he know…

"I’ll tell you something else that’s silly," she continues on an off-handed tone and she heads for the castle and a place to change. "A certain Mister Fitzherbert who would encourage a certain princess to meet other men."

She pauses and glares briefly at him over her shoulder. "I hope he’ll have a good explanation for that when she finally asks him."

He smiles ruefully. "He will. Promise."

Ten minutes later, she is being led by Eugene and Hookhand (who had assured her that, yes, his cousin really is frightened of the idea of a woman on board his ship) down the wharf’s most distant and poorly maintained dock.

"Don’t worry, Blondie," Eugene whispers, a laugh barely held in check. "You look stunning."

She glowers at him even though he can’t see her. There was absolutely nothing "stunning" about her ensemble. Her breeches are too long, the tunic is too baggy. And the potato sack! The rough fabric makes her face itch like crazy!

"Just remember," he continues, "if someone tries to talk to you, gesture wildly and the frog will do the rest."

Before she can respond that yes, she still remembers the instructions he’d given her not five minutes ago, several shouts fill the air.

"Is that Flynn Rider?"

"I thought he settled down with some girl."

"His nose looks different than I imagined."

Rapunzel watches through a well-placed, slightly threadbare patch of hemp sack as a short, skinny man strides up the greyed and sea-salted dock toward the three of them. "These two be yer friends, Orville?"

Beside her, Eugene snorts. "Orville?"

"It’s a lot better than Eugene."

Rapunzel doesn’t miss the flinch. "Touché," she mutters to Pascal who snickers noisily.

"Orville!" a great, booming voice calls. Rapunzel squints through the weave of the potato sack as great, thudding footsteps shake the dock. Captain Bigbeard, it seems, has arrived. "Be these new swabbies for my deck or the favor you asked for?"

"Er, the favor."

Bigbeard examines first Eugene and then Rapunzel, his tiny, dark eyes narrowed in thought. "That’s two favors. Not one."

"Put it on my tab for next month."

The captain gives his cousin a long look. "I’ll be expectin’ double the number of swabbies," he replies in a warning tone.

"You’ll have them! Gambling always picks up after the festival. Lots of debt to work off." With a glance at Rapunzel who is now viciously curious about this swabbie system, he trails off inelegantly, "Er, you know… the usual…"

The captain nods. "Agreed. Now, let’s have a look at your favors, then." He pulls a monocle from his jacket pocket and polishes it on the cuff of his lacey shirtsleeve before tucking it beneath his right brow.

"This is them," Hookhand – or rather, Orville – says, gesturing with his gleaming hook.

"I know who ye are, but…" Bigbeard’s eyes narrows. "Who be this eyesore o’ a scallywag?"

"Oh! This..." Eugene gestures grandly in Rapunzel’s direction, "... is my long lost cousin, er, Bartimus. Doesn't talk much. And, trust me, you'll want that potato sack to stay on—"

As per their prearranged script, Hookhand dares to life a corner of the sack, with his hook, duck down and take a peek. And then he leaps back and shudders dramatically. "Uhm…" he says as he lowers the edge of the sack back to Rapunzel’s shoulder. "Er… no offense, Bartimus, but you could scare a horse outta his shoes."

"I tried to warn you, Orville," Eugene scolds him gently. He then turns to face the captain. "Poor kid was burned by lizards with poisonous skin. Acidic. Screams like a girl whenever he sees one now."

"Ugh!" Pascal harrumphs on Rapunzel’s behalf, clearly offended. Hah! Screams like a girl indeed! Why, Rapunzel remembers a certain incident with a confused mouse, a plate of butter, and a rotted barrel of pickled eels that had had Eugene shrieking quite… effeminately. Perhaps he could do with a reminder?

The wind is blowing and waves a lapping on the shore and the silence is stretching… There’s no way Bigbeard is going to believe that idiotic story! Eugene has gone too far! Bigbeard will refuse them passage and then—!

"So where ye be headed?" the big man asks.

Rapunzel and Pascal share a wide-eyed look of amazement beneath the sack.

"To Trist," Eugene replies, sounding as if he expects the captain to share his enthusiasm for the destination.

Bigbeard leans in threateningly. The sun reflects off of the man’s monocle right into Eugene’s face. "And why should I be takin’ ye across the way to Trist? There isn’t a treasure that I don’t be knowing about, is there?"

Eugene shakes his head. "Nope. Just making the trip to collect on an old debt." By the knife’s edge quality of his tone, Rapunzel can tell he speaks the truth; he believes what he says. "And when I collect it, I guarantee your reward will be worth it. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal? "

Laughter fills the air. "I like your style, Rider. Welcome aboard the Sea Riot."

For the first time, Rapunzel’s stomach rolls unpleasantly as she regards the ship. Hopefully, the name is not an apt description of a typical voyage aboard!

As Bigbeard orders his men to make the ship ready to sail, Eugene guides her up the ramp and onto the grimy deck. "Like I said, Blondie, piece of cake."

************

Eugene thinks as his stomach lurches – again – with the motion of the ship as it rides the crest of a tall wave.

"Oh-ho! Seems as if the mighty Flynn Rider is a land lover!" crows the captain with far too much enthusiasm.

Eugene offers him a tight-lipped smile. 　Better that than what would come out of his mouth should he dare to open it. 　Based on how his stomach feels, he's not sure if it would be a comeback so snappy it would make the captain’s ears turn pink or something a bit more vile.

Bigbeard turns to Rapunzel. 　"Is this his first time out to sea?"

His seasickness is momentarily worsened as mild panic washes over him. Sure, they’d discussed what to do if someone tried to engage Rapunzel in conversation, and it’s not that he doesn’t think she can handle it. He’s more worried that the plan will slip through the cracks of her enthusiasm. His stomach lurches in time with another rough wave. Remember the plan, Blondie! he wills her silently.

All he can do is stare at her, wide-eyed. 　His stomach refuses to cooperate with him and he is forced, for the moment, to concentrate making sure he doesn’t lose the contents of his stomach in front of the captain and his hopefully forever-Rapunzel.

He swallows a groan. For future reference, thoughts of proposals do not mix well with sea travel.
Maybe she can see his urgent look. Maybe she can’t. He’s in no position to do much about it, either way. He’d briefly checked that it was possible to see through the sack, but hadn’t paid too much attention to whether or not details would be easy to pick out. Blunder-funk. All they need is Rapunzel to forget for one instant and their secret would be out. Followed by a long walk off a short… plank.

Several long, torturous seconds as Rapunzel seems to regard him with her full attention. She approaches his side at the edge of the ship, moves her head exaggeratedly down and then up again, looking him over. And then – where this comes from Eugene has no idea – she snort with such force he wonders if her vocal chords have been permanently damaged. She then shakes her head, shoulders clearly shaking with silent laughter. The captain and several nearby crew members join in.

Fantastic.

Eugene glowers even as relief slams into him and has the interesting effect of settling his rolling stomach. He glares at any and all present before announcing with a great deal of dignity through his clenched teeth, "You know, you could have just asked me."

The captain turns away from Rapunzel to Eugene. "I could have, but I was a mite… concerned that ye’d be losin' yer lunch on me deck." 　The crew roars with laughter. 　"And I　would be hatin' to see ye havin' to swab up, seein' as how ye be me guests an’ all."

"I'm fine." 　

Or he will be. 　When he sets both feet on dry land.

The captain clasps him on the back. 　"Ye just keep tellin' yerself that, me boy. 　Maybe one day, yer stomach will believe it." 　He turns back to Rapunzel. 　"I wouldn't be standin' too close to him if I were ye. The sea breeze be stronger than it feels."

She nods, and takes a dramatically executed step back along the railing. Again, the crew finds her antics mightily entertaining.

The captain nods in her direction. 　"Not much of a talker, eh?"

"Part of the aftermath of the accident," Eugene explains quickly. 　

A giant wave against the hull and the entire ship lurches forward. 　Eugene's stomach lets him know in no uncertain terms what it thinks about the travel arrangements. 　He swallows down whatever is trying to crawl its way up his throat.

The captain lets out another long laugh. 　"We'll be docking in Trist by day's end. 　Try to get yer sea legs afore then."

Eugene glances at the midday sun. 　He should have convinced Rapunzel to travel with Maximus and his company instead of stepping one foot on this boat. 　"I'll get to work on that."

Bigbeard stomps away from the two of them and starts barking out commands to his crew. Breaktime is over.

Eugene gambles that the ship will obey his silent command to stay mostly still and leans forward, putting his head on the rail. 　He closes his eyes so he doesn't have to see everything around him bob up and down. 　

Just a few more hours, Rider. 　

And, in just a few more hours, Maximus’ team should be closing in on the bridge to Trist. By dawn, that idiot prince’s castle will be surrounded. And the air will be thick with catapulted road apples. He snorts once with humor and then chokes back a bubble of bile.

Small, gentle hands rub the back of his neck. 　He would have told her to stop – the gesture is not very cousin-like! – if it didn’t feel so good. 　He just hopes that the captain doesn't make a surprise appearance. 　Answering those questions would be rather awkward for all parties involved. And would probably entail a lot of metaphors regarding fences being jumped and both sides of a stream being fished from…

"Are you doing alright?" she whispers.

He cracks one eyelid open briefly. 　Did she really just ask that? 　Was the green tinge to his skin not enough of a clue for her? Maybe it’s the potato sack. Hindering her usual skills in observation. 　"Oh, sure, Blondie. 　I love feeling like I’m the human version of a yo-yo." 　As soon as the words come out of his mouth, he regrets them. She removes her hands from his neck and starts to take a step back.

Fabulous. Now he feels guilty for snapping at her on top of everything else. It’s not her fault that neither Eugene Fitzherbert nor Flynn Rider ever got the hang of sailing.

He blindly reaches for her hand and gives it a squeeze. 　"I'm sorry, Rapunzel. 　I just don't like sea travel."

Rapunzel, being the forgiving person she is, squeezes his hand back. 　"It's only a few more hours." 　

"Great."

He releases her hand and forces himself to stand upright. 　He can do this.

A change of scenery is in order, he decides. 　"Come on, Bartimus. 　Let's see what's going on."

It is hard – nearly impossible! – for him to look back at the sacked person behind him and remember that it's Rapunzel. 　Her beautiful face, always so open and sincere, is hidden from the world; and the clothing…! Well, really what more is there to say about that. No one would guess that she is anything other than what she appears to be: an underfed stick of a boy. Equating Rapunzel to a boy is a thought that nearly breaks his brain.

He turns the corner and steps over a thick piece of rope that the crew had carelessly left on the ground. 　"Hey, watch out, Bart. Take my hand—"

It’s a nice gesture. It would have been romantic… if Rapunzel had actually caught his hand. No doubt the potato sack will be forever blamed for what happens next: as she steps forward, head down and hand waving haphazardly in Eugene’s direction, another wave crashes against the ship, tilting it noticeably. Eugene stumbles and slaps the offered hand over his mouth to forestall the deluge. Rapunzel is still focused on the obstacle in their path. Her head comes up sharply when nothing but air meets her grasp. But it's already too late.

She stumbles forward before Eugene has a chance to grab her windmilling arm with the hand not clamping his mouth shut. 　Her hands go out in front of her to break her fall. 　She manages to prevent herself from slamming face first into the rope-strewn deck, but Eugene watches in horror as the sack slides off her head and lands unceremoniously on the deck with a plop.

Eugene scoops it off the ground and shoves it back to her. 　"Here," he hisses, urgency of another sort entirely beating back the nausea.

She scrambles to put it back on, but there is no point. 　

They have been caught. The captain is staring at the two of them as if they are the demon seeds of Davey Jones.

"Oh, this is bad. 　Really bad," Eugene mutters. 　Why did he ever think this plan would work?

"Be yer cousin… a female?" the captain asks, not taking his eyes off Rapunzel.

Pascal, being the wise chameleon he is, hides under her collar.

A distraction is in order. 　Eugene pretends to look shocked. 　"Bartimus, you never told me–"

He recognizes the look on Rapunzel's face and he realizes that she is done following his idea. 　She crosses her arms. 　"Yes, I do believe I am a woman," she declares, throwing down the verbal gauntlet. 　

Eugene wishes he could steal some of her courage for himself. Especially now as the deckhands move in, drawing their swords. Oh, yes. The immediate future is suddenly full of all sorts of unpleasant things. More so if the boat heaves again.

The forest of rusty and shipped swords doesn’t cow Rapunzel who, in turn, whips out her frying pan. From where, Eugene cannot even being to guess. One day, he’ll have to ask her about that.

She slowly spins around, facing their attackers. 　

Faced with this surprising resistance – and possibly never having run into this particular conundrum before – they resort to a bit of a pep talk. "Throw her overboard!" one skinny, sunburnt scallywag bravely warbles. Eugene had almost expected it to be a question instead of an recommendation.

"Aye!" is the resounding cheer of agreement.

"And toss that lying scoundrel Flynn Rider off with her!"

"Aye!"

"Ra—" he begins, trying desperately to summon up a dram of Flynn Rider wily cunning, but it appears he’s all out today.

But charm – or lack thereof – is a moot point. A pirate launches himself at Rapunzel who deftly leaps out of the way in a move that Eugene’s stomach warns him against trying himself. 　She trips the daring buccaneer, causing his sword to go flying through the air. 　Eugene grits his teeth, pretends he is not on a ship in the ocean (yes, it’s just another roadside tavern like the Snuggly Ducking… with a really big deck out back) and dives over the brutish men, catching the weapon with a bit of fumbling and a frantic thought for tetanus.

But he comes away with the weapon, victorious and unpunctured! Now, to deal with these guys.

Quickly! his stomach urges him.

Three pirates turn to him, brandishing their own swords. 　He doesn't wait for them to make the first strike; he swings the unfamiliar weapon at the attackers. 　Unfortunately, the ocean decides, at that precise moment, to roll beneath him. He stumbles ungainly to the left. Rapunzel steps up on his right, fry pan at the ready. But even her natural skill with whackery cannot compensate for his clumsiness. A motion out of the corner of his eye draws his gaze: Bigbeard stands at the helm, and spins the ship’s wheel sharply. Eugene has no time to brace himself. He crashes into Rapunzel and they both land hard on the deck, her frying pan somewhere beneath them.

Eugene is easily disarmed by the hulking men. In the next instant, he’s pulled upright and into a salty-man-smelling crowd. "Rapunzel!"

Amazingly enough, she isn’t down for the count. "Ruffians!" she declares, swinging the pan. A solid clang! and subsequent grunt of annoyance announces a direct hit.

He growls ineffectually as two pirates grab onto his arms and twist them behind his back. 　An open-air Snuggly Ducking all right!

Yeah, and maybe Rapunzel will be able to get us out of this mess, too. He saves the sarcastic snort of disbelief for later. For now, he needs to make sure she doesn’t get herself flung overboard any sooner than absolutely necessary.

"Rapunzel!"

She’s too busy fighting off her own set of pirates to look up. Which is just as well. What would have said? The only advice he has to offer is bad… and he knows it. Sure, they could tell everyone that they have the Princess of Corona aboard the ship and then every member of the royal family will be a hostage to somebody. Only this time, there’s no Maximus or Snuggly Duckilngs here to bail them out. 　

He watches as she puts one pirate down for the count with a backhand to the cheek before pivoting smartly (amazing, really, that she can move like that on a rocking vessel) and knocking the sword out of another's hands. 　She almost manages to evade the captain – Eugene glances toward the ship’s wheel, but the first mate is at the helm – but the captain is captain of the Sea Riot for a reason. He thrusts forward with his dagger. 　She zigs when she should have zagged and the frying pan arcs through the air. Shaking her no doubt stinging and empty hand, she bites her lip as it clatters beyond her reach.

Eugene does his best to fight against the strong hands that are holding him back, but his wobbly stance is no match for these ruffians and their sea legs.

Bigbeard levels the dagger at Rapunzel, a mere hair’s breadth away from the tip of her nose.

"Wait! Please, let me explain!" Eugene shouts.

But the pirates aren’t in the mood to listen.

"Get th’ plank!"

"An’ a cannon ball!"

"Don’ waste th’ ammunition! Let’s tie this to ‘er ankles!" a burly chap with an ugly bruise developing on his jaw holds up the cast iron frying pan.

His eyes lock with Rapunzel's. 　His plan has failed magnificently and now they are on their way to a watery grave. He doesn’t doubt that Max will find a way to rescue her parents, but when it comes time to tell them the fate of their only daughter… Well, at least Eugene won’t be around to see it.

He gazes into her wide, green eyes, possibly for the last time. He will never have the chance to ask her to marry him now. Or even if he does, and even if she accepts, their first kiss as to-be-weds will be underwater. Their wedding… Rapunzel waiting for him in the church, glowing in the sunlight… Pascal in a smart suit standing on the unwitting priest’s shoulder… having her in his harms – in public! – to the applause of all… their future… None of it will ever happen.

Tears sting his eyes as he squirms ineffectually in the hold of his captors. Rapunzel, I'm so sorry. He can’t bear to say the words, to make it final.

Amazingly, she scowls back at him. Somehow, this woman who had never fought a day in her life before he’d tumbled into her tower, still has determination to spare. Perhaps she’s been saving up all those years…

She rounds on the captain. "Please," she says in a clear voice that rings out despite the hulabaloo on the deck. "You’ll be destroying more lives than just ours."

"Ye shoulda though’ o’ that afore ye set foot on me ship!"

"How could I not!" she shouts back, leaning toward him in defiance of the still-ready dagger. "After eighteen years, I finally found my parents again! After eighteen years, I finally had a mother and a father who love me. And now they’re in trouble!"

Eugene’s heart twists. Oddly enough, his stomach remains silent and still. Rapunzel is going to be an amazing queen someday… if she gets the chance.

She pauses, glances pointedly at the blade of the dagger and then looks deeply into Bigbeard’s tiny, dark eyes. "Help me save them. Please? They need me. And I need you."

Every single, solitary deckhand freezes at her words.

"Please?"

The word rings out and seems to fill the world of sea and sky. Everyone holds their collective breath.

Rapunzel pushes her advantage. "My parents have been taken prisoner by the prince of Trist. 　I need to get into his castle and rescue them before something terrible happens!" 　Tears well in her luminous eyes and roll down her hemp-scratched cheeks.

Eugene is beyond impressed. I’ll have to help her write her acceptance speech for when they give her an award for this performance. But no. This is not a performance. This is Rapunzel, in all her passion and sincerity and innocence and wisdom. No one speaks the language of the heart like she does.

If anyone could sway these battle-hardened pirates, it would be her, but as the moment stretches and the silence continues, he begins to doubt that even this will be enough. He glances at Pascal who is currently clinging to Rapunzel’s collar. The lizard meets his gaze, eyes wide with helpless, barely-restrained panic. The ball is in the captain’s court.

He might have considered the continuing silences to be a good sign except he is still being held against his will and the captain still has his dagger pointed at Rapunzel.

"Look," Eugene says in what he hopes is a reasonable yet humble tone, "if we could just borrow one of the lifeboats—"

The suggestion dies unfinished as a great, gut-wrenching sound (or perhaps it’s simply another too-tall ocean wave) reverberates upon the deck. To Eugene’s absolute and complete surprise, Bigbeard starts sobbing himself. He slides the dagger back into its sheath and covers his face with both grimy hands. A few sniffles and snuffles from the gathered deckhands warns of more waterworks to come. Eugene gaps and stands motionless with shock when his captors release him in order to wipe at misty eyes and runny noses. The ship rocks again, seemingly urging him in Rapunzel’s direction. Snapping out of his daze, he stumbles over to her. He wants to clutch at her and wrap his entire being around her so that she is safe, but contents himself with reaching for her hand.

"I miss me mum!" sobs Bigbeard.

Eugene raises an eyebrow. 　Now, that was unexpected.

"Not as much as I miss me da!" a pirate shouts.

"That’s nothing!" counters another as he blubbers into what looks like a deck rag. 　"Each night I cry meself to sleep thinking o’ my momma’s mutton stew."

"Mutton stew!" shouts the rest of the crew in abject misery.

"There is nothing more valuable than a pirate's family," Bigbeard says, wiping a tear from his eye. 　"Without me pa, I woulda never learnt how to sail th’ seven seas."

The captain takes a deep, calming breath, wipes at his eyes with a very nice ladies’ lace handkerchief, and says, "Family be th’ most precious of treasures."

Eugene’s hand tightens around Rapunzel’s. He glances at her, savoring her profile as hope lights her eyes. Family is precious, Eugene agrees. But in his case, things are slightly more specific.

"Does that mean you’ll let us stay onboard?" she asks hopefully.

"Aye."

"And you’ll take us to Trist?"

"Aye. There be a dastardly prince to deal with, aye?"

The deckhands – tears instantly forgotten – perk up noticeably at the mention of meddling with a royal family.

"Thank—!"

But the captain doesn’t want to hear her thanks. He looks up and yells to the helmsman. 　"Make haste, swabby! 　We’ve got an appointment in Trist!"

As the buccaneers hastily – and enthusiastically – comply, Rapunzel sputters, "But he didn’t, I mean I really do want to thank him and—"

Eugene pulls her out of the way of several deckhands and guides her over to the shadows outside the captain’s office. "They don’t need you thanks, Blondie. Helping you being a burr under Banale’s saddle is their pleasure."

In fact, when this is all over, Eugene doesn’t doubt they’ll elect Rapunzel as their honorary captain by way of thanks.

"Oy, ye lot! Have we got all day?"

"No, sir!"

"Well, move it!" Bigbeard thunders. "We’ve got a family to reunite!"

Indeed they do.

Chapter 7