The Retirement Party

Flynn had always pictured a room full of sketch artists all huddled up working late nights in the castle. It made sense given the large quantity of Wanted Posters that had been festooned throughout the Kingdom. He thought that this cabal of sketch artists had grown bored of the repetitive work and had decided to poke fun at Flynn's expense with these unflattering, slanderous posters. So Eugene was surprised when he learned from Rapunzel that Corona had but one sketch artist, Friedrich Fitzgerald.

Rapunzel liked Friedrich a lot. In her first week at the castle, Rapunzel had made it a point to meet everyone who worked there. Eugene had not quite gotten around to this task. Eugene was a social person but it seemed the castle staff was not as friendly to him as they were with the Princess. No doubt they were quite familiar with Flynn's exploits. Eugene thought it would be better for everyone involved if he kept a low profile.

Rapunzel had been absolutely delighted when she met Friedrich. It seemed to Eugene that they had become friends rather quickly. She would pay weekly visits to Friedrich's cramped office on the first floor of the castle. She would sometimes even bring him baked goods. "He's a fellow artist," she told Eugene one afternoon when Eugene finally asked, nonchalantly, how they could possibly have so much to talk about given her frequent visits.

Eugene had only heard one side of this interaction. When he listened to Rapunzel talk about Friedrich, he had pictured a man about his age (not as handsome of course). Eugene always pictured Friedrich wearing a red beret, a white smock and carrying around a wooden palette. He had not met very many artists. Perhaps Friedrich was even a bit rotund having repeatedly gorged on Rapunzel's sweet pastries. "Pig," Eugene muttered to himself.

Eugene finally got the opportunity to meet Friedrich when he reluctantly escorted the Princess to Friedrich's retirement party held in a small conference room at the castle.

Eugene was taken slightly aback when at last he met Friedrich. Friedrich was quite short in stature, a few inches shorter than Rapunzel. He was hunched-back and wore thick horned rimmed glasses. He sported a combover in a failed attempt to hide a rather large bald patch covered in liver spots.

The fact that Eugene was attending a retirement party had not clued him in as to Friedrich's advanced age. Now that Flynn had been banished and, thanks to Maximus, crime had disappeared overnight in the Kingdom, Eugene merely assumed Corona's only sketch artist would have had a lot of time on his hands.

Eugene was even more surprised when Friedrich turned out to be rather unpleasant. He should have know, Rapunzel liked everybody.

Friedrich was a curmudgeon old man about 80. His eyesight was poor, his hearing abysmal. Rapunzel repeatedly tried to make the introduction. She bent down closely shouting Eugene's name five times at Friedrich's cupped ear. Friedrich made several off guesses, each one worse than the prior, before settling on "Aubergine FigsEggbert." As Friedrich shook "Aubergine FigsEggbert's" hand, Eugene chuckled to himself and thought, he just can't get my name right.


AN1: Friedrich made his debut in Chapter 3 of The Lost Princess. Apparently, I was not done with him. I wanted to give him a proper send off after all his years of service to the King.

AN2: Fabs, if you ever read this, please accept this as my little shout out to Freudian Rapunzel and her eggplant. I hope she cheers up soon. =)