#The Best Way To Name Your Resume and Cover Lette

[kingreywrites]

I’ll breathe again - Chapter 1

Fandom: Tangled

Word Count: 2451

Summary: Rapunzel fell. She cried out and felt her wrist crack painfully under her weight. But it didn't matter - nothing did, not when the attacker collided roughly with Eugene right as she raised her head back up. Eugene didn't allow himself to fall, only taking a single step backwards, but Rapunzel saw how his face contorted excessively with pain.

Warning: Stabbing, blood, and general angst but with an happy ending.

Note: I’ll post the second chapter tomorrow :) This takes place post-series and yes, Eugene meets a dagger again!

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Rapunzel first noticed that something was wrong when she saw Eugene chatting with Stan at the edge of the ballroom. Well, what appeared to be chatting - but Rapunzel knew her husband and Captain of the Guard well enough to be sure that he wouldn't distract one of his men during an important event if something wasn't wrong. Even now, all dressed up in his beautiful royal suit, she could see his calculating gaze taking in the numerous guests, as he kept smiling while talking to Stan.

This was Captain Fitzherbert talking.

And if it was worrying enough that he would go to one of his men in the middle of a party in which he wasn't supposed to act as a Captain, it meant trouble. Eugene said one last thing to Stan, who nearly saluted before he thought better of it, and disappeared to go inform the others. Then, Eugene slowly made his way back to the centre of the ballroom, unnoticed by most - and, as the husband of the Queen, that was no easy feat.

"Is everything okay?" Rapunzel asked, her tone even as she went to his side, hoping to keep the casual facade.

"Ah, a little security problem," Eugene smirked, extending his arm to her, "it should be solved soon. Can I offer you a dance, your majesty?"

"If it is so nicely asked, how could I say no," Rapunzel laughed, revelling in the warmth of his arm around her waist. "By the way, Johanna is actually quite nice once you get to know her!"

"Jo- you mean ma'am the duchess of Bitterness land?" Eugene sputtered dramatically, ignoring her playful glare. "That woman managed to make eating cake sad, who does that?"

Rapunzel laughed again, and started explaining how she had found that the duchess had a secret passion for hourglasses, and that by catering to it, she had managed to secure a trade deal quite easily. The ballroom was packed with important guests, and she would soon have to try and mingle again, but having Eugene near her felt like a breath of fresh air. Though, she could see he was still worried. He smiled and nodded at the right times, but his mind was elsewhere, and his eyes strayed behind her once or twice.

"So?" she asked to get his attention back on her. "What's this little security problem?"

Eugene grimaced, looking behind her again. "One of the people here doesn't fit the guest list. I'd know, I've reviewed it enough to know it by heart. I told Stan to evacuate him, but I don't know, I've got a bad feeling," he finished, his eyes finding hers this time, worry evident in them.

"I'll be careful," she answered before he even asked it of her. She got on her tiptoes to kiss the corner of his mouth quickly, wishing for a moment they could be alone in their bedroom. "I promise."

His eyes softened, and he squeezed her hands in his for a moment, before smiling. Someone called her from behind him - a representative of a little principality, she remembered - and she was already missing Eugene, even though she hadn't left him yet.

"Duty calls," she said.

"Duty calls," he repeated softly.

She should have stayed a little more. At the time, she had wanted to - had wanted to gaze into those eyes she loved so much a moment more, had wanted to hold him a little longer, had wanted to kiss him deeply until all his worries dissipated and all he could think about was her. She had wanted all of that but, since she became Queen, she knew to put her responsibilities before her wishes. She wanted to stay, but she didn't indulge in her desires, sure that she would have the occasion later on.

She should have waited. But she didn't.

Rapunzel went around Eugene to greet the representative. Her back turned to his, she didn't see the sudden movement in the crowd. She heard it when someone cried out from being pushed, but she tensed a fraction of second after Eugene - just a fraction of second, nothing more, but it was enough to change everything.

Eugene was the first to see the shadow running through the crowd; he was the first to understand that the attacker was going straight toward Rapunzel; he was the first to react. Right as she was turning back toward the noise (too late, too slowly), he pushed her harshly to the ground with his shoulder.

Rapunzel fell. She cried out and felt her wrist crack painfully under her weight. But it didn't matter - nothing did, not when the attacker collided roughly with Eugene right as she raised her head back up. Eugene didn't allow himself to fall, only taking a single step backwards, but Rapunzel saw how his face contorted excessively with pain.

Time froze.

The attacker scrambled back, falling on his butt before getting back up to get away, but Rapunzel didn't see him. She didn't see anything, but the dagger in his hand, the dagger that had been extended in front of him, and that was now covered in blood - a splash of red into this man's hand. The blood could only have come from one person, she knew, but her heart refused to accept it, beating loudly in protest and drowning out every other sound. Eugene was still standing, his back to her, but she felt slowed down, nearly frozen on the spot. Time resumed its course.

Eugene crumbled.

He fell backwards, one of his hand on his stomach, and collided harshly with the ground, a breathless yell escaping his lips. The ballroom exploded into a flurry of activity, the noise nearly deafening, but Rapunzel didn't care. She crawled to Eugene in mere seconds, but it was too long, far too long, and his blood was already soaking the ground and her pretty dress.

She felt her heart beating in her throat and choking her as she took in his pale and pained expression, his eyes tightly closed as his muscles tensed against the pain. That was when she saw the wound on his stomach, Eugene's blood slowly seeping through his clenched fingers.

"Eugene," she gasped, terrified. Her memories of medical training kicked in and she immediately put pressure on the wound with both hands, drawing a shaky moan from him as he relaxed unnaturally, too limp now. Her own wrist was pulsating with pain, probably broken, but she didn't care. "I'm sorry," she whispered frantically, "I'm sorry, please Eugene, stay with me."

Her pleading made him open his eyes, and she could have sobbed right here and there at the familiar expression if she wasn't worried her tears would blur her vision too much. She had seen him like this once already - wasn't it enough? She could see the brown of his eyes shining through the tiny slits, unfocused and glossy, but always seeking her out.

Biting her lips, she pushed harder on the wound and one of his hands reflexively tried to knock her off him with a moan, but the movement was uncoordinated and weak. The hand landed on her sleeve, making the purple fabric darker, before it feebly fell to his side again.

"Ra-Rapunzel," he croaked out, breathless. "You… you 'k?"

"I'm fine," she whispered, swallowing harshly against her emotions, "I'm perfectly fine, I promise."

He coughed, pushing against her arm again without force, and she stopped his movement easily. Too easily. He wasn't supposed to be like this. Eugene was strong and- and confident, and the best Captain of the Guard there was and- he shouldn't be this limp, this weak, this pale, bleeding out under her hands without even being able to talk.

"Eugene," Rapunzel pleaded, her right hand going to cup his cheek gently, trying to get him to look at her. She ignored the blood she was herself smearing on his chalky skin, ignored  the way his eyes were dulling, ignored his shallow breathing or the slick warmth under her other hand. "Eugene, please, I know it hurts but you have to stop moving."

"Captain!" It was Stan who had yelled that, but Rapunzel realised with a start that she was surrounded by multiple nervous guards, all staring blankly at their fallen Captain. Stan slide to his knees on Eugene's other side, his hands joining her.

Eugene cried out again, a tear escaping him, and she had to bit back a sob again. She brushed the tear off, but left blood in its place, again. She thought she might be sick.

"Pete," she said harshly, making everyone jump at her unfamiliar tone, "go fetch the physician. Half of you, go take the guests to safety. The other half, go arrest the attacker that should never have been here in the first place!"

The end of the sentence was a yell, and she would have felt guilty if she wasn't feeling Eugene's irregular breathing under her hands.

"Your Captain needs you," Stan added, "don't just stand around!"

They were met by a chorus if ayes as each guard scrambled to his assigned position - though Pete had been gone as soon as she asked him for a doctor. The entire scene seemed surreal. Rapunzel felt like years, centuries even had went on since Eugene danced with her - how long had she been standing here, stained by his blood?

Not even two minutes, at most.

Eugene whimpered under her, his face grey as chalk and contrasting sharply with the blood she had left behind. She could feel her eyes burning, could feel the panic burning inside her, but she had to try to comfort him, had to be there for him. She would break down later - for now, he needed her.

"Rapunzel," he coughed again, her name always on his lips when he was worried for her safety. Even when he was the one he should be worried about.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered, leaning down toward him, feeling how her dress was clinging unnaturally to her because of the blood. "I am not letting you die again."

"Ah," Eugene laughed, but she could see how damp his eyes were. He was scared - and she was too. "Is- Is-"

"Everything is under control, Captain," Stan said when it was evident that Eugene wouldn't be able to finish his sentence. "No one was hurt beside... beside you."

"Good," Eugene croaked, seemingly more aware for a moment, his eyes focused on Rapunzel's.

For that moment, the chaos around them didn't matter anymore - his eyes held the universe inside of them, a tenderness that almost choked Rapunzel with emotion. She whispered his name again and he smiled, a soft, resigned smile, that tried to tell her that everything would be okay.

"Good," he said again, "because I- I think I'm gonna pass out."

"Cap-"

"Eugene!" Rapunzel exclaimed at the same time his eyes rolled back and his head lolled to the side. She shook him as gently as she could, vision blurred by the tears she couldn't keep at bay anymore. "Eugene, wake up!"

"Your majesty…" Stan tried, but she ignored him. She ignored everything, but Eugene's slack face and the terrifying realization that it was happening again, she had seen him like this before and she couldn't do anything-

She shook her head and pushed harder against the wound, wishing she could put the blood back where it belonged. Eugene twitched, nothing much, but it meant that he was still feeling something and Rapunzel would take it.

To her right, the physician finally arrived, Pete following him awkwardly as he carried alone a stretcher. Rapunzel dried out her tears with her shoulder, telling herself harshly that her husband wasn't dead yet, and that she would wallow later. She put her hand on his neck to feel his pulse, remembering these medical courses she had insisted in attending, and despite his clammy skin and too quick rhythm, the fact of the matter was that Eugene was still alive.

Eugene was alive. And she would do anything to keep it that way.

She had to get her hands off his wound to let the physician do his job, but she helped load Eugene onto the stretcher, finding a modicum of comfort in the warmth he was still emitting. Eugene was still alive, she repeated herself, and he'll get better and then they'll dance and kiss and be with each other again. She couldn't accept any other scenario.

"Your Majesty," a guard said hesitantly as others raised the stretcher, "we- uh, captured the attacker."

Rapunzel sucked a breath through her teeth, looking away from Eugene for the first time since he went down. She didn't want to leave him, but she still turned toward the man that did it all, heart beating fast as fury coursed through her veins. He wasn't as big and as shadowy as he had seemed before. He was even pretty banal, and was now vaguely resisting arrest, surrounded by two guards. When he saw that she was looking at him, he spat on the ground.

"Hope he dies painfully," he sneered, and the anger that flooded Rapunzel was searing hot, tearing through her self-control easily.

In one swift movement, and before anyone could even think to stop her, she stole a nearby guard's sword and went to point it directly at this guy's neck, pressing until she drew blood. Her breathing was heavy, her head buzzing by the sheer hatred she was feeling, but her hands were steady.

"You better hope he survives," she growled, pushing the sword harder, "or else, you won't like what I'll do to you, I promise you that."

He didn't even dare swallow, and the rush of satisfaction Rapunzel felt was exhilarating. She liked to see the fear in his eyes, liked to know that he felt what must not even be a tiny fraction of the terror that inhabited her. She tightened her grip and the pain that climbed up her arm was like a bucket of freezing water above her head - a reminder that Eugene was still… Rapunzel lowered her eyes, toward that hand that was pulsing painfully with her heart, bruised and bloodied, from her fall and from Eugene. Her dress was still darkened by the blood that was dripping from it and Rapunzel couldn't help but feel unbearably cold. She let the sword clatter to the ground and stepped back unsteadily, before straightening herself and ordering the guards to put him in a cell.

Her hands were shaking now. She hoped nobody saw them.

She took another step back, then raised her dress ungracefully and ran after her husband.

He was the one that needed her right now.