"Don't anybody come in here!" came Rapunzel's creaky cry. She was throwing her entire body weight - which wasn't much, really - up against the heavy wooden doors. "I think I have the plague!"
She hadn't arrived in the castle's dining hall for breakfast, and wasn't letting any of the maids, let alone her parents, inside her room.
The brunette princess had been home for three months and had woken up with an incredibly sore throat. She'd never gotten sick before in her life; the continual use of her healing powers always prevented a bug from making her sick. She'd only heard of a handful of things that could hurt you - well, five: quicksand, poison ivy, a knife, burning oneself whilst cooking, and the plague.
The plague, Mother Gothel had taught her, started with a feeling of feverishness, followed by a feeling of sickness and by the end of the day, you were dead. When she came home, she'd on occasion tell her that she needed Rapunzel to sing to her to heal her up in case she had contracted bacteria from a sick person. So the plague must not be all that rare, Rapunzel reasoned, and now she had it. What would she do? What would her parents do? What about Eugene? Sure, they'd lived without her for many years, but...she didn't want them to mourn her. Oh, and what about Pascal? Would he get sick, too? Would someone take care of him when she was gone? She was only eighteen years old, and while she was late in marriage and every other life experience, it was far too young to die!
Of course, her yell of "I think I have the plague!" only sparked more energy.
"Open this door!" a maid screamed. "A doctor will come to see-"
"No! Nobody else is getting sick!" Rapunzel's throat cracked and she coughed. Her fever was already starting; beads of sweat accompanied a sickly cold feeling. She pressed herself up against the door harder. But when a coughing fit took her, she lessened her weight on the door, and it was shoved open.
Two maids and the Queen rushed in. "Are you alright, dear? What's wrong? Are you ill-"
"Yes!" Rapunzel exclaimed, backing away. "I think I have the plague, don't come any closer! Go!"
One of the maids set a hand on her forehead. "Ooh, she's burnin' up, your Highness. But I don't think she's the plague. Just a wee cold, perhaps. Not pale. How ill are you? How do you feel?" she asked.
Rapunzel stared at her, wide-eyed. "But how can one catch cold, aside from just being cold? I have a fever and my throat hurts."
"A cold is a common illness, dear. You'll be over it in no time with proper rest. Molly, go fetch her some tea and perhaps toast some bread. Put some whiskey in the tea. Just a little tiny bit." the Queen directed. The other maid nodded, but both left the room. Turning to her sick daughter, she laughed quietly. "Why did you think you had the plague?"
"Mother...well...Gothel...said the only illness that can be inside you like this is the plague."
"Goodness, no. There are all sorts of sicknesses someone can catch, and you have one of them. You'll get better in a couple of days. The maids will bring you some food and the tea, of course. The whiskey will taste awful, even masked with tea, but it will help you get better quickly and warm you up inside and out."
Rapunzel nodded quietly. "Sorry for making a big deal out of nothing, Mother."
She waved off her apology. "You didn't know, dear. Now, hop into bed and rest. I'll be back in a few hours' time to check on you."
"Okay," Rapunzel nodded again and stood until her mother left. Crawling back into bed, she buried herself under her blanket. Pascal crawled up to her and then cuddled up underneath her chin, tucking his tail around himself and staring up at her with mild concern. Rapunzel shrank back in order to see him, grinning. "I'm okay, Pascal. Don't worry."
He made a happy, squeaky sound, then clicked his tongue.
"Oh, I know I overreacted. But Pascal, I never learned about the common cold! And here I've made myself look like an imbecile. Ugh." She coughed, covering her mouth so Pascal wouldn't get coughed on or offended.
The maid soon came in with two thick slices of bread, crunchy and warm from the fire and slathered with fresh butter, and she held a small cup of tea that both smelled and tasted horrendous. Rapunzel forced it down anyway and imagined it burning every single germ out of her system. It sure felt like that's what was going on! She thanked the maid and she left, telling her to get well soon. Rapunzel noticed how she kept her distance. No wonder nobody would wish to catch this ailment, though! She burrowed under her blanket once more, but soon grew bored. She didn't want to be lying around all day long, especially when there were so many things to do and see! And she hadn't even a book.
About an hour later, a knock sounded at her door, so she called for whoever it was to come in. Eugene slipped in, leaving the door open and holding something behind his back. "Hey. How're you feeling?"
"Ehh," she sat up and wavered her hand back and forth. "The stuff they made me drink was awful, but I think it's helping a bit. My throat's not so sore. I think it probably burned out every germ in my body."
"Whiskey?" he asked. She nodded. "They made me drink that when I'd get sick at the orphanage. Not the smoothest stuff, or the sweetest."
"If all alcohols taste like that, I'm never drinking any of it, ever, except for medicinal purposes!" she said.
He nodded. "Good for you. Do you mind if I join you in that pact?"
"Do you feel the same way?" she asked, surprised. Most, even her parents, drank wines or some other form of alcohol on a regular basis. Hand still behind him, he pulled an overly-plush chair over to beside her bed and sat down.
"Well, let's just say that I've had it with drinking. When I was fresh outta the orphanage, I started drinking a lot and it didn't do anything good. But I sobered up whenever I'd need to thieve. And since I met you, I haven't touched the stuff. I didn't want to expose you to the bad side of the stuff." he licked his lips and rolled his eyes towards her, almost a little sheepishly.
She gave a small smile. "I'm glad. You don't need to drink that much anyway!"
"I know. But changing the subject before I spill my entire life story to you, I bet you're bored. I'm surprised your parents aren't catering to your every need, but I guess the King and Queen can't really get sick a lot."
She bit her lip. "Mother came in and said she'd be back in a few hours...they're both probably busy. Don't you have anything else to do?"
He shrugged. "Spending time with you. So I heard there was quite a ruckus about you being sick...?"
The brunette bit her lip again. "Yeah. I, ah, thought I had the plague and wouldn't let anyone inside. They probably thought I was an idiot! I didn't know you could get sick except for plague, so that's why I thought I had the plague, and oh my goodness, they probably think I'm an imbecile!"
He shook his head. "No. You said yourself you didn't know, so that's okay. Everyone has to learn something sometime. Don't fret about it...focus your energies on getting better so you can go for a walk with me and see the fall leaves in the woods."
She smiled. "It sounds like a lot of fun! I don't see why I have to lay around all day anyway. What'll it help?"
"It'll make you get better quicker if you don't get tired. I know it's probably driving you nuts, huh?"
"Precisely," she nodded.
"Good thing I brought this, then," he pulled a book from behind him and held it just out of reach.
She gasped, but then coughed. "You're a mind-reader!"
"Am I?" he grinned. "I just know what my girl likes. I don't have anything better to do, so I'll just hang out here with you. I want to see what you think of the book, too...I know you've been planning on reading it."
She reached her arms out towards him, and he chuckled, leaning over to hug her and let her hug him back. "You're awesome. I love you!"
She hadn't meant to say it. She thought it and felt it, yes, but was shy saying it. But it had just slipped out. And the thing was? It felt completely natural. All the same, she coughed and blushed terribly, dropping her gaze to her lap.
They were both silent for a minute or two as thoughts raced through Eugene's head. Sure, they loved each other; they showed it in their actions, though, not by saying it. He considered the warm feeling that had spread through him when she'd said it, and glanced up to see her blushing horribly. He chuckled, reaching to kiss her cheek in order to catch her attention.
"Love you too, Blondie."
She rubbed at her cheek where he'd kissed her. "You're going to get sick too!"
"D'you think I'm scared of a few germs?" he asked teasingly. "The answer's no. Now here, take this book off my hands."
She laughed, doing just that.