Eugene Fitzherbert (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
princeadjacent) wrote2019-04-24 03:16 pm
princeadjacent) wrote2019-04-24 03:16 pm
Entry tags:
To Grow within Our Shackled Cells;
Eugene wasn’t sure what possessed him to backstab the Stabbington brothers, yet here he was, leaving them trapped with guards hot on their trail. Sure, Eugene was a thief. He was a swashbuckling rogue, traveling the...well. Not the high seas, but traveling! He was definitely traveling. But that was besides the point. The point was that even though he was a criminal, he wasn’t in the habit of betraying the people he was working with. If it were Lance back there, Eugene would have pulled him up. Probably.
Maybe his spur-of-the moment decision to ditch two of the meanest, beefiest galutes in Corona was a bad idea. No matter how you looked at it, they were just the worst. The only reason Eugene worked with them in the first place, was because there was the promise of untold riches. Once he had the crown in his hands, though, he didn't want to let it go. It made him feel...warm, in a weird way. It made the thought of Stabby One and Stabby Two pawning it off uncomfortable. He didn’t know why. Maybe it was homesickness.
Hah. Homesickness. Yeah right.
Ah well it didn’t matter. Those two would be caught and locked up for a good long while, so as far as Eugene was concerned, the consequences for his actions wouldn’t come back to bite him any time soon. And by the time they did, well, he and the crown would be long gone.
Or so he thought. Turns out the universe did not plan to give him a clean getaway. So after being chased and then almost mauled by a horse, Eugene was free falling off the side of a cliff. But before he could give the world a snarky farewell, an iridescent black rock shot towards him from cliffside.
Alright then. He wasn’t going to experience death by falling, it was going to be death by ‘being impaled on his own dumb rocks.’ instead. This was just fantastic.
But the rock stopped. It was far enough away that he wasn’t at risk of impalement, but still close enough that he could grab on and pull himself up. “This is gonna be the first and last time I say this, but boy am I glad I can use these things.”
With a shaky laugh, Eugene focused on controlling the black rock and slowly descended, chunks of dirt and stone crumbling as it cut through the cliffside. It had been a while since he willingly did anything with the rocks, but it was like riding a bicycle; Once you got the hang of it, you never really forgot. As soon as his feet touched the ground and the black rock flattened itself against the rockface, Eugene felt like the very center of himself was being gently pulled towards...something. And whatever that something was, it felt important.
He took a couple steps forward in a daze, but the moment was broken by the sound of shouting from above and he snapped back to his senses. What was he doing? It was only a matter of time before they figured out where he went. He needed to move, fast.
In his rush to escape and find a place to lay low for a while, Eugene fell through a hidden passage and into...a clearing with a tower. He didn’t have time to wonder why a tower would be out in the middle of nowhere before that pull returned, stronger than it had been before. It felt like power was humming beneath his skin, urging him on.
“Now, I wonder what’s up there?”
He circled the base of the tower once, but there weren’t any stairs or doors or...anything. The only opening was the window at the top. Honestly, it seemed like a design flaw, but something told him it was an intentional one. Which was creepy all on it’s own, but for some reason it reminded him of the dark, lonely room he spent a good chunk of his early childhood in. It made him uneasy, but...he had to go up there. Not just because of the strange feeling drawing him closer, but because it was probably the best place to lay low while he waited for the guards to give up and look elsewhere.
The problem: Just how was he supposed to get up there?
He could just scale the wall, but it wasn't an appealing thought after running through the forest and almost dying. An idea struck him. It wasn’t a good one, but it was the fastest, least exhausting option. Eugene was usually against using the black rocks, and for a variety of reasons. But he had already used them once today. What was the harm in using his power just one more time?
Eugene backed up to give himself some room, let out a breath, and then ran full force towards the wall. A black rock sprung from the ground beneath his foot with enough force to send him flying. It was more force than he had intended, but he was still able to grab onto the windowsill. He just had the added bonus of hitting the side of the tower extra hard.
With a soft ‘Oof,’ he pulled himself up and into the room.
“That is the last time I try that move.”
Maybe his spur-of-the moment decision to ditch two of the meanest, beefiest galutes in Corona was a bad idea. No matter how you looked at it, they were just the worst. The only reason Eugene worked with them in the first place, was because there was the promise of untold riches. Once he had the crown in his hands, though, he didn't want to let it go. It made him feel...warm, in a weird way. It made the thought of Stabby One and Stabby Two pawning it off uncomfortable. He didn’t know why. Maybe it was homesickness.
Hah. Homesickness. Yeah right.
Ah well it didn’t matter. Those two would be caught and locked up for a good long while, so as far as Eugene was concerned, the consequences for his actions wouldn’t come back to bite him any time soon. And by the time they did, well, he and the crown would be long gone.
Or so he thought. Turns out the universe did not plan to give him a clean getaway. So after being chased and then almost mauled by a horse, Eugene was free falling off the side of a cliff. But before he could give the world a snarky farewell, an iridescent black rock shot towards him from cliffside.
Alright then. He wasn’t going to experience death by falling, it was going to be death by ‘being impaled on his own dumb rocks.’ instead. This was just fantastic.
But the rock stopped. It was far enough away that he wasn’t at risk of impalement, but still close enough that he could grab on and pull himself up. “This is gonna be the first and last time I say this, but boy am I glad I can use these things.”
With a shaky laugh, Eugene focused on controlling the black rock and slowly descended, chunks of dirt and stone crumbling as it cut through the cliffside. It had been a while since he willingly did anything with the rocks, but it was like riding a bicycle; Once you got the hang of it, you never really forgot. As soon as his feet touched the ground and the black rock flattened itself against the rockface, Eugene felt like the very center of himself was being gently pulled towards...something. And whatever that something was, it felt important.
He took a couple steps forward in a daze, but the moment was broken by the sound of shouting from above and he snapped back to his senses. What was he doing? It was only a matter of time before they figured out where he went. He needed to move, fast.
In his rush to escape and find a place to lay low for a while, Eugene fell through a hidden passage and into...a clearing with a tower. He didn’t have time to wonder why a tower would be out in the middle of nowhere before that pull returned, stronger than it had been before. It felt like power was humming beneath his skin, urging him on.
“Now, I wonder what’s up there?”
He circled the base of the tower once, but there weren’t any stairs or doors or...anything. The only opening was the window at the top. Honestly, it seemed like a design flaw, but something told him it was an intentional one. Which was creepy all on it’s own, but for some reason it reminded him of the dark, lonely room he spent a good chunk of his early childhood in. It made him uneasy, but...he had to go up there. Not just because of the strange feeling drawing him closer, but because it was probably the best place to lay low while he waited for the guards to give up and look elsewhere.
The problem: Just how was he supposed to get up there?
He could just scale the wall, but it wasn't an appealing thought after running through the forest and almost dying. An idea struck him. It wasn’t a good one, but it was the fastest, least exhausting option. Eugene was usually against using the black rocks, and for a variety of reasons. But he had already used them once today. What was the harm in using his power just one more time?
Eugene backed up to give himself some room, let out a breath, and then ran full force towards the wall. A black rock sprung from the ground beneath his foot with enough force to send him flying. It was more force than he had intended, but he was still able to grab onto the windowsill. He just had the added bonus of hitting the side of the tower extra hard.
With a soft ‘Oof,’ he pulled himself up and into the room.
“That is the last time I try that move.”
no subject
It didn't really occur to him how strange it was that there was someone else here, in this doorless tower. He was too busy reeling from the fact that he had just launched himself into some poor girls home. Like some kind of burglar. (Yes, yes, he was a criminal, but he had no intention of stealing from some random forest girl, okay? He wasn't a monster.)
He raised both his hands in the universal gesture for being unarmed and harmless. "Oh, uh. Sorry, blondie. I didn't think anyone lived here, so I'll just--be on my way."
He started to back up slowly. He didn't take his eyes off her, so in order to avoid falling to his doom, Eugene lowered one of his hands in order to feel around behind him for the window ledge.
He was about to clamber back through the window when he finally realized just how weird it was for her to be up here.
He paused, one foot out the window.
"Wait. Why are-no, let me rephrase that. How are you up here? There isn't a door!"
no subject
He knew where the tower was now, letting him go was a liability, wasn't it?? And- wow, AGAIN, just as she opened her mouth to speak he beat her to it. Just who WAS this person??
His question made her visibly defensive, her body tencing, and in the moment it would have taken someone to blink Rapunzel had snatched up some of the considerable length of her hair and looked prepared to lasso him with it.
"That's- that's none of your business! I'M the one who should be asking questions here! How did you find our tower?? Who-?!"
She was stopped, abruptly, at the familiar tingle starting at the roots of her hair and shooting outwards, through the long blonde strands, lighting up like the sun. That was startling, sure, yes, but not as much as looking at the stranger and seeing that his hair was glowing, too. Bright blue, a contrast to her gold. (It was a damn good thing Gothel wasn't in the tower.)
"... How...?"
no subject
But she was right. There wasn't any reason he needed to know.
"You know, that's fair. It is none of my business. But just so you know, I wasn't looking for this pl...I was just--Oh."
He lost his train of thought as power surged up within him. It felt a little like when he controlled the black rocks, only this time it was much, much stronger. It was a crackling beneath his skin that spread throughout him. At the same time, a warm, golden light started to emanate from the hair of the woman in front of him. It started from her roots started to spread, and spread, and...wow, does she have a LOT of hair.
In contrast to the gold, an electric blue shone from the periphery of his vision. At first, he thought it was coming from outside. He nearly fell out the window when he realized it was coming from him. Or more specifically, his hair.
This had happened exactly once before in his life: The first time he touched the moonstone opal and got stuck with his unfortunate lot in life.
He pulled at a strand of his hair, half hoping the glowing would stop. He let out a shaky laugh. "My hair's glowing."
He looked from his hair to Rapunzel, shaking the strand in his hand awkwardly. "Our hair is glowing. Why is our hair glowing?!"