The royal carriage rode along in stoney silence. The especially thick kind of silence which almost acts as a wall between two people with their arms crossed refusing to look at each other. Rapunzel glared at the rolling green hills littered with sheep and pursed her lips. He was being stubborn on purpose! Next to her, on the other side of the wall of silence, Eugene blew his fringe out of his eyes with an irritated huff of breath and narrowed his eyes at the idyllic picture out of his window.
"Childish..." he muttered.
"What?" snapped his betrothed.
"Oh nothing dear," he answered sweetly. This seemed to infuriate the girl beside him even more.
"If you've got something to say, Eugene, just say it! Don't sit there grumbling like a child!"
"Oh, I'm the child? I'm not the little princess who has ridiculous ideas about love and happiness and friendship..." his voice reached a high pitched squeaky level which presumably only dogs could hear as he imitated Rapunzel.
"They're our neighbors!"
"They're murderers!"
"Oh don't be so silly Eugene!" Eugene paused, finger raised inches away from Rapunzel's nose, ready to wag in an annoying fashion, and mouthed the word 'silly' with an incredulous expression. Silly. That was the word his fiancee used often around him. Don't be silly Eugene, she'd scold, as if he were six inches high. It was a word Mothers used around the world to reprimand their infants and she was using it on him. It was impossible to have an argument with someone who dismissed you so easily as 'silly.' Eugene lowered his accusing finger and went back to glowering at the sunlit countryside. Rapunzel recrossed her arms and turned her back on him.
"Shouldn't be too long now," came a voice from the bench opposite them with forced cheerfulness. Almost forgotten, their guard tried to ease the tension by adopting a friendly grin though the final effect was more of a painful grimace. He settled for humming a nervous sort of tune under his breath whilst concentrating on making himself seem as small as possible.
"Shut up!" yelled the happy couple in unison. The guard jumped and pulled his helmet low over his eyes.
For a while there was nothing to be heard but the sound of wheels crunching over gravel as the coach rumbled on until, in the distance, fanfare erupted. Rapunzel's bad mood disappeared instantly and she lent as far out of the coach window as possible with a gasp. Her short hair was whipped back by the onrushing wind and her eyelids fluttered in an attempt stay wide open.
"Oh it's so beautiful! Look!" Grudgingly, Eugene risked a peek. He saw a familiar sight. Rolling green hills, a towering, white castle with hundreds of turrets and billowing flags atop each one. It looked like a particularly illustrious fairy castle from a storybook. Eugene shuddered. He'd been here before and had had anything but a happy ending.
Beside him Rapunzel squealed in excitement as the horse drawn carriage pulled through the wrought iron gates, into the crowed streets of the neighboring kingdom.
"Let me get out first your highness," said the guard. his chest swelled, his pride filling the coach as he prepared to do his duty. Eugene sat further back in the shadows of the coach and pulled the curtains shut.
"Eugene!" gasped Rapunzel, "How can you be so rude?" She lent over a yanked the curtain back, hoping their momentary closure hadn't offended the neighboring monarchy. Before the pair had left they had been subjected to an afternoon's worth of lessons in Royal Etiquette which even Rapunzel had to admit was boring. Eugene and his fiancee arrived prepared nonetheless but if either had been familiar with the term, would have described their visit as steeping out into a polite minefield. One foot placed wrong, or indeed, the wrong knife used at a dinner party, could result in repercussions felt throughout both kingdoms. Eugene had been advised to keep his head down and let Rapunzel represent their kingdom which was alright by him. He didn't want to be recognized anyway.
"Err, Sire?" The guard was holding the coach door open as an impatient Rapunzel tapped her foot outside on the street. Eugene sighed, he had been trying to make himself invisible but it hadn't worked. He just seemed to be attracting even more attention. Hopping out into the sunlight, he peered around. Thousands of faces peered back at him. It looked as though the whole country had turned up to welcome them. Rapunzel offered a regal wave which was met by a deafening cheer. Eugene noted her smile of relief and felt as though she had passed some sort of test. When the roar around them had quietened down, the town's peoples' eager faces looked past the princess and watched Eugene patiently. He smoothed back his hair, something Rapunzel noticed he only did when he was nervous, and fixed his most dashing smile. A couple of women near the front swooned, much to his satisfaction.
"Well, hello ther-" he began but his voice was drowned out by a second wave of fanfare. A tight grip on his elbow steered him up the steps. Rapunzel was marching on ahead, smiling and waving gracefully whilst Eugene strolled behind between their guardsmen. As he climbed the stone steps to the castle, leaving behind the music and cheering, Eugene shivered with a sense of deja vu. Entering the castle with two heavily armed guards resting their large hands on his shoulders was definitely a familiar situation. Although this time they were on his side which was certainly an improvement.
Sunlight faded as they entered the castle and it grew colder as the stone blocked out the midmorning's heat. It was like walking into a vast and beautifully decorated tomb. The ceiling was so high that the chandelier hanging from it looked like a small diamond a long way off. All the light emanated from several torches on the walls, hanging at about head height. They cast long shadows on the guard's faces as the tall front doors were firmly closed against the public. Eugene, out of habit, immediately located the nearest exits. All of them were guarded.
"Your royal highness," drawled a very bored sounding voice. Eugene thought the squat butler looked like a tedious toad. His wide mouth turned down at the edges and his eyes were narrowed. Like all butlers, he was wearing the universal black suit with white gloves and white knee high socks with buckled shoes. Eugene regarded those pristine white gloves skeptically. The man was the head of the castle domestics yet clearly didn't get his own hands dirty. He's a walking hypocrisy if you ask me, thought Eugene, but of course no-one was. No-one ever asked him. Eugene kept his eyes to the floor like he had been advised and only offered the slightest nod when politely addressed.
"His majesty the King will greet you briefly. Please make yourself comfortable." Rapunzel smiled daintily but didn't relax. Eugene could tell she was nervous.
"It'll be fine," he murmured, graciously putting their earlier disagreement behind him, "it's just a friendly visit."
"Friendly visit?" hissed Rapunzel out of the corner of her mouth, "we are being watched constantly. We have to represent our kingdom correctly, Eugene. There are people out their just waiting for us to make a mistake!" Her smile didn't falter as she spoke but her worried eyes darted about the room as though she was trying to spot an enemy. Eugene looked about him. Everyone present was casting the princess admiring looks. Only he received a few scowls.
"Waiting for me to make a mistake, you mean," he muttered. Rapunzel didn't correct him. They stood in silence for a while. There was so much they wanted to say to each other but the constant presence of maids and guards made them uneasy. They were afraid of saying the wrong thing. Eugene felt like they were making mental notes of how he spoke and acted. He stood up straight, conscious of his stoop and cast his gaze upwards.
Portraits of past Kings and Queens looked down their noses at him. Every painted eye in the room seemed to be looking at him in disdain. Eugene had heard of paintings whose eyes followed you around the room but this was ridiculous. A particularly large King, the portrait nearest him, seemed familiar. A golden crown sat atop a mop of grey hair which tumbled down into a neatly trimmed beard. he was one of the few that appeared to be smiling - that it, his teeth were showing and his eyes were narrowed.
"Princess!" boomed a hearty voice. Eugene's eyes snapped down to find the real life version of the King striding purposefully towards him. Rapunzel extended a pale hand as he neared which he planted a kiss on. Eugene's mind raced as all eyes turned on him. He tried to recall his etiquette lessons. Was he supposed to bow? Shake his hand? Kiss his hand? No, that couldn't be right. He settled for a low bow and thought he heard Rapunzel let out a sigh of relief beside him.
"And this must be young Eugene," roared the King. The man's face, what little of it was visible of it beneath his bush grey beard, was red and plump but his dark eyes shone with a quiet mischievousness. He was a large but not especially tall man yet he seemed fill the room.
"Yes sir, err , sire, I mean, your majesty," said Eugene, struggling with the correct forms of address. All he could remember was what not to call him.
"So nice to meet up," came a soft voice from somewhere behind the King. The beaming man stood to one side allowing his wife to squeeze past. The woman was so petite and pale with white blond hair that she gave the impression she was fading. Eugene and Rapunzel had to really focus on her to greet her. Unlike her husband, she was not so richly dressed, wearing delicate pastels with intricate patterns rather than vibrant purples and reds with gold stitching and fur collars. She smiled at Rapunzel, her gaze hovering momentarily as he regarded Eugene. For a moment he thought he saw her wink but since her expression didn't change, he decided it was most likely the glint of torchlight in her eye.
"Well our head servant will escort you to your rooms, you'll be quite comfortable in our East wing, and then we will meet again this evening for supper in the grand hall."
"Our son will be joining us," added the Queen.
"Oh how lovely," remarked Rapunzel. She elbowed Eugene who started.
"Yes...what? Oh! Yes, lovely," he said hurriedly. The King and Queen nodded, satisfied. Again, Eugene felt as though he was scoring points. And suddenly the initial meeting was over as quickly as it had begun. The Royal couple made their excuses and waited whilst Rapunzel and Eugene were led to their quarters. The castle seemed to spring into life around them. Maids and servants hurried around them, many hauling the heavy luggage they had brought with them, others simply curtseying before running off with tea-trays laden with snacks and delicacies. Only the butler remained unfazed. He strode on ahead as the rest of the castle's staff parted around him like the Red Sea. He had a curious gait, arms clasped behind his back and nose in the air. Eugene kept hoping he'd stumble but the man seemed to know the corridors by heart and didn't appear to need to look where he was going. Eyes squinted, he made no attempt at small talk, instead leading them through winding passageways to their accommodations. They arrived eventually after what seemed like ages but the spry man wasn't even out of breath.
"Your suite," he gestured. The couple were glad to get inside. The suite was more than a room, it was a palace within a palace. Luxurious wallpaper covered the walls with lamps casting a warm, homely glow. The main room had a long sofa with armchairs at either end and an old, expensive looking table in front of it. Around the room, odd chairs were lined against the wall but Eugene supposed they were more for decoration rather than comfort. Their high backs and rich covers were old and antique looking much like the tapestries that covered one wall.
"I will send a maid up presently with a light meal," said the butler. He hesitated in the doorway as he caught Eugene's eye. Eugene panicked.
"Umm, Always Wash Your Hands Before A Meal..." he called as the door shut firmly. Rapunzel spun around and stared hard at her fiancee who simply shrugged.
"They said...I wasn't sure if...we had to give a tip?" Rapunzel wrung her hands and let out an exasperated sigh of torment. Fed up and knowing that explaining wouldn't help, Rapunzel decided to overlook the incident and instead busied herself with unpacking.
"Don't bother darling, the maids'll do that," said Eugene, flinging himself onto the sofa. He stretched out and folded his arms beneath his head, legs propped up on an ancient cushion.
"Very cosy," he commented. Rapunzel sighed and wandered next door. Suddenly she cried out.
"Eugene! Look at this!" Eugene leapt off the couch, alarmed at the pitch of her voice, and stumbled next door. Rapunzel was standing in the doorway, leaning against it's frame. Her hand was covering her face and she was shaking uncontrollably.
"What? What is it? What's the matter?" He failed to get an answer from Rapunzel but looking past her, he saw what all the fuss was about.
"Twin beds?" he cried. "Two? Where's the King size bed, eh?" Rapunzel let out a shriek of laughter at his expression, shoulders shaking with mirth.
"I was looking forward to stretching ou- I mean, sharing..." he trailed off looking miserably at the twin beds with matching covers. They were spaced an appropriate three feet apart as etiquette demanded. Rapunzel rubbed his shoulders consolingly.
"Oh cheer up, we'll just have to push them together," she grinned and suddenly Eugene felt a bit better. He turned and placed his hands on the princess's slender waist.
"Yeah?" he smiled, leaning in. There was a polite knock at the door.
"Supper!" called a voice. Eugene huffed as Rapunzel ran to open the door. He could tell this visit was going to turn out wrong and somehow, turning to look at the pretty twin beds confirmed this.