The next two days passed without incident; Rapunzel met with dignitaries, rehearsed the coronation ceremony, and attended fancy dinners. Although all was peaceful, Rapunzel couldn't keep her nightmare out of her mind. It lurked in the back of her mind, and returned each following night as she slept. Thankfully, these times, she didn't wake Eugene. Although she longed for his comforting words, Rapunzel knew that he needed sleep as much as she did; it was his coronation, too, after all.

It was for this reason as well that Rapunzel didn't tell anyone of her recurring dream, not even Cassandra, Pascal, or her mother. With everyone so busy, worrying about a silly nightmare was the last thing anyone needed. Thus, she kept it to herself, though it took all she had to keep from jumping at every shadow, and hide the lack of sleep her face was beginning to betray.

Like clockwork, the nightmare returned for a third time. Softly gasping, Rapunzel sat up in bed. What is wrong with me? She wondered, putting a hand to her head. I've faced evil spirits, a vengeful adolescent alchemist, and cursed idols before! Why is a dream scaring me so much? She shook her head as if to rid it of anxiety, then softly climbed out of bed. Deciding to get some fresh air, she put on a robe and walked out onto the balcony.

The night was still and quiet, as always. The stars Rapunzel knew by heart still hung in the sky, twinkling above the horizon. Below, the castle guards were rotating, taking care to keep the noise level down. The only other thing Rapunzel could see stirring was Cassandra's small owl as it flew over the gardens, likely hunting mice or somesuch. The tranquility put Rapunzel's heart at ease, and she let out a soft sigh, crossing her arms over the railing.

"Hello, Your Highness," a low, feminine voice rang out. Rapunzel gasped to look at the figure. As she did, she noticed the doors leading back to her bedroom closing by themselves, locking shut. Before the princess stood a woman who appeared not much older than she. The stars almost reflected in her stark-black hair. Her face could have been considered beautiful, were it not for the malevolent grin that spread across it.

"Who are you?" Rapunzel demanded. "How did you get here?"

"I'm simply a friend," the girl replied. "I had heard that you were having trouble sleeping, and came to help."

"Wait, what? How could you-?"

Before Rapunzel could finish her sentence, the other woman had stretched out her hands toward her, a sickening purple aura emanating from them. The light reached Rapunzel, who cried out in shock as the world turned dark around her.


Eugene yawned as he woke up the following morning.

"Good morning, Rapunzel," he said as he stretched, turning towards his wife's side of the bed. "Sleep- Rapunzel?"

The other side of the bed was empty, the sheets turned over. She must have gotten a head start this morning, he supposed. Guess that means I need to catch up. With that, he quickly dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning, all," he greeted as he entered the dining hall.

"Good morning, Eugene," Queen Arianna replied. She raised an eyebrow. "Where's Rapunzel?"

"She isn't already here?" Eugene answered his own question, though, by seeing the empty chair next to his. "She was already out of the room when I woke up."

"Strange," King Frederic noted. "I haven't seen her since last night myself."

"Maybe she went with Anna and Kristoff," Elsa offered. "They went to the stables to feed Sven."

"I'll check," Eugene said, nodding his thanks. "Be right back."

He met the couple en route to his destination. The two were walking side-by-side, noticeably lacking a certain princess with shoulder-length brunette hair. They greeted Eugene as they passed.

"Hello, Anna, Kristoff," he replied. "Neither have you have seen Rapunzel, have you?"

"Not since last night," Anna answered. "Why?"

"Well, she was up before me this morning, and she wasn't at breakfast."

"Maybe she had something to do with Cassandra?"

"We just saw Cassandra near the guards' station, remember?" Kristoff reminded. "Could Rapunzel have gone to the village for some reason?"

"Without telling me or her parents?" Eugene wondered. "I don't think so. She knows her dad still gets nervous about that kind of thing, especially if Cassandra or I aren't with her."

"Huh," Anna frowned. "Then, I'm fresh out of ideas. Well, maybe she had something to do, but she's back at the breakfast table by now."

"As good of an idea as any," Eugene agreed. He tried to put on a cool front, but, inside, he began to wonder. Sure, it was completely possible that Rapunzel had tasks that he didn't know about, but what were the chances of him not bumping into her by now? The castle wasn't that big, especially given the places where one would usually find Rapunzel. So, if it turned out she wasn't at breakfast when they got back to the dining hall… then where was she?


Rapunzel awoke in a dark, dank room. She immediately felt the ropes that bound her arms behind her back, and her legs at the ankles. Wriggling a bit, she could tell they wouldn't budge easily. Finally, she looked up at her captors: the woman from the night before, and a tall, muscular man. Noticing her, they turned.

"Ah, good," the woman started. "You're up. Was beginning to wonder if I'd gone a little overboard with the sleeping spell."

"Who are you?" Rapunzel demanded. "And what do you want with me?"

"Name's Celsie. As for why we want you…"

Celsie waved a hand towards her companion. He pulled down his shirt to reveal an emblem on his chest. It looked almost like a mirror, in the middle of which was a large arrow. Rapunzel gasped in recognition. The Saporia Separatists…

Rapunzel had dealt with this group once before. Centuries ago, Corona had constantly feuded with the neighboring kingdom of Saporia. This conflict finally ended with the union of the kingdoms when King Herz Der Soone married the queen of Saporia. As with any political union, however, dissention arose. Many of those from Saporia believed that the merger was a slight on their national pride, and that they should reclaim their sovereignty from Corona. Thus formed the Separatists.

After encountering one of these separatists, a man named Andrew -or was it Hubert?-, Rapunzel had asked her father to tell her more about their goals. She learned that, were Saporia to become a separate nation again, Corona would stand to lose half of its territory, including several farms and other industries essential to their economy. Conflict would no doubt start between the Saporians and those loyal to Corona. In short: chaos would reign. Even if Rapunzel agreed with the separatists, she could never allow such disaster to befall her people.

"I see you understand." Celsie again offered her guest a beguiling smile. "I can't believe we didn't think of this years ago. King Frederic will do anything to get his precious little sundrop back safe and sound, now won't he?"

"My father would never stoop to your level," Rapunzel spat. "He knows that his duty is to Corona first."

"Is it? Funny, his goals seemed pretty family-oriented when he started putting every petty thief from the streets into his dungeons, thinking maybe one of them was the one who took his little princess."

Unfortunately, Rapunzel had no rebuttal for that. She knew all too well how her father's judgment could be clouded when it came to her safety. Would he go so far as to let the separatists win, though? Certainly Eugene would convince him that Rapunzel wouldn't want that. Wouldn't he?

"So, that's it, then?" Rapunzel asked. "Saporia for my life?"

"They always said you were a smart one," Celsie answered in mock admiration.

"And how would any of us know that you wouldn't just turn around and take down the rest of Corona's monarchy, anyway, just to expand your conquest?"

"Would we do something like that? Well, maybe."

"It'll never work," Rapunzel assured.

"And just what are you going to do about it, little princess?" Celsie challenged.

That was what terrified Rapunzel the most. She didn't know.