Disclaimer: Tangled at Frozen ay pagmamay-ari sa pamamagitan ng Disney.
Chapter 13: Broken
It was a quiet morning as the sun rose on Arendelle. Because it was Sunday, many businesses were not open, as the townsfolk rose to attend Sunday mass. In the castle, Elsa slowly began to wake up, ready to tackle the day.
Quarter to eight...I still might make it.
She silently rose out of bed and tiptoed to the door. She was about to touch the doorknob when she hesitated, and looked back. Rapunzel and Anna were still sound asleep, lightly snoring. Elsa smiled, staring at the two who had no cares in the world. Elsa quickly went to a desk and pulled out a quill, some parchment and an ink well. She hastily wrote a few words and took a look at her work, and decided to add one more touch. With one finger, wondering if it would work, she pressed it onto the parchment and willed her powers. She took one last look and, satisfied, she tied up the parchment and left her room, not wanting to disturb her sister and her best friend.
Meanwhile, at East Lake, Kristoff was fast asleep when he felt something dripping on his face.
"Alright, Sven." he sighed and yawned. "I'm getting-GAH!" he exclaimed. For he had opened his eyes. In front of him wasn't Sven, but a white horse that was staring intently at him.
"What do you want?" he asked angrily. The horse neighed and motioned towards the sky. Kristoff immediately understood and yelped. He surmised that it was already nearly eight o'clock. It was already late! He stumbled out of the tent, observing his surroundings, and sighed with relief. As he expected, the other ice harvesters were already packed and good to go. Grumbling at his irresponsibility, he gathered up his things and saw that Sven was already tied up to his sled.
"Sven? How-"
"I already took care of it, if you don't mind." Rider-no not Rider, Eugene popped up from the other side of the sled as he made some last adjustments on Sven's harness. Sven gave a sound of gratitude, and Kristoff was once again abashed.
Eugene definitely made an impression on him, ever since yesterday morning. During their deliveries around the kingdom, Kristoff appointed one of the other ice harvesters to keep an eye on him and, prior to their departure, said harvester said Eugene did not get up to any trouble. As the rest of yesterday wore on, Kristoff found himself being impressed by Eugene's performance. He then remembered Anna's advice and that led to their midnight excursion into Eugene's past, and the discovery of his and Eugene's common trait: orphaned at a young age.
Kristoff went over to his sled and stared squarely at Eugene in the eye. Despite all that has happened, he still couldn't help but not trust him fully.
"Look," began Kristoff. "I, er, just want to, well..."
"Don't worry about it." shrugged Eugene. "How this whole mess got started? It was just bad timing is all. I really was honestly going to come clean at some point. It was just bad luck that we crossed paths in the castle that night."
"Still though," insisted Kristoff, ashamed. "I really shouldn't have flown off the handle like that. I've been a real jerk."
Eugene frowned. "Yeah, well, after what happened that night you must certainly were." Kristoff's eyes widened at Eugene's reaction. Was he still angry at him?
It looked like he wasn't, because Eugene seemed to deflate, and he sighed. "But I wasn't any better."
"How though-" Kristoff began, before the two of them were hit hard in the back. Eugene and Kristoff fell, moaning in pain, when they saw that Sven was looking at the two angrily. Evidently, Sven poked Eugene in the back with his horns. Likewise, Maximus butt his head against Kristoff's back. The two animals neighed and snorted, and the two men were brought back to the situation at hand.
"Right," said Eugene. I think we're about ready to head back, don't you think?
Kristoff nodded, and called out to his fellow icemen. "Is all the ice secure?" When they called back their affirmative, he and Eugene split ways, and the latter and his horse headed to the end of the line where his rickety sled waited. Kristoff climbed onto the sled, and gave the call to start moving. Soon, they were at the base of the incline that led up back towards the forest.
All in all it was a successful trip. There was enough ice to last for a while, his first day in his new job went well, and made a new friend. He was thinking at how cliche it would be to say "what else could go wrong?"...when something went wrong.
There was a loud crash, and a sound of splintered wood, neighing, and a sound of pain. The convoy halted as the icemen murmured and looked back. Kristoff jumped out and ran back to the end of the convoy, and his mouth dropped as guilt washed over him.
He deliberately gave Eugene an old sled to spite him. He wanted to have a good laugh as the so-called thief bungled up his job because of a bad sled. But in the rush of yesterday's work and his newfound friendship with the man, he completely forgot. The sled was a complete wreck, with splintered wood and bent metal everywhere. Maximus was free and was trying to clear away the wreckage, and the ice atop the sled (no doubt the cause of the collapse) was mixed in with the wood.
Eugene it seemed had the worst of though. For as he was clearing away the wood atop of him, he gave a sharp gasp and grabbed his arm. The nearest iceman, the man appointed to watch Eugene yesterday, exclaimed "His arm is broken!"
Kristoff's heart sank. What had he done?
Charlotte Caumont was trying not to fall asleep.
They were at the town chapel listening to mass, and she was bored out of her mind. She desperately wanted to play outside but her parents forced her to stay put. She turned her head to look at Jacob, who was sitting on the other side of mommy and daddy. She couldn't tell if he was listening intently or if he was just starring at the back of the woman's head in front of him.
She was just about to drift off to sleep again when the chapel doors suddenly opened. The reverend suddenly stopped his diatribe and the silence in the chapel was deafening. Charlotte craned her head to look at the disturbance and she gasped.
Walking along the aisle to the front seats, calm and collected, was Queen Elsa. Everyone in the chapel followed her, as a small outbreak of murmuring started among the church-goers. Charlotte was about to call out to her but her parents quickly shushed her. Queen Elsa sat down, ignoring the noise around her, as she stared intently at the reverend. The reverend, also taken aback by the surprise appearance of the monarch, cleared his throat and continued his sermon.
Soon enough, the entire chapel quieted down and everything returned to normal, though some of the people were wavering their attention between the reverend and Queen Elsa. Charlotte was not one of them, instead just staring at the back of Elsa's head, soaking in her blond hair with side-braid, and her blue satiny dress. She certainly wasn't bored out of her mind now.
Dear Anna and Rapunzel,
Sorry I had to leave in such a rush. In order to try and get closer to the people I have decided to attend Sunday mass in town instead of holding a private one in the castle. I'll see you later when I can.
Love,
Elsa
PS: Rapunzel, you don't have to wait for me if you want to tell Anna the rest of your tale. I'll be sure to hear all the juicy details later!
"Is that...is that snowflake? On the paper? How?"
"You're asking the wrong person, I'm still wondering how she managed to build that gigantic castle. To say that all of us down here were amazed is an understatement."
Rapunzel and Anna just got up, and were doing each other's hair. The two just finished reading Elsa's letter and noticed the snowflake imprint Elsa left next to her name. While Anna was amazed by it, Rapunzel was asking a different question.
A question which Anna responded, "The kingdom was able to see the castle all the way down here?"
"Uh-huh," grunted Rapunzel. Expert though she was with a hairbrush, she was faced with her most "hair" raising challenge yet: a bedhead of epic proportions. She exerted more pressure as she forced the brush down on a particularly stubborn spot of Anna's head. "Does your hair ALWAYS end up like this every morning?"
"Not always," grinned Anna, sheepishly. "But it does happen pretty often. I dunno why, I guess I'm just a very restless sleeper."
"I'll take your word for it," Rapunzel sighed, finally getting it straight. "What style do you want?"
"Hmm..." thought Anna. "Nothing too fancy, just straight down my back." Rapunzel nodded and set to work, and was just about to brush when she noticed something.
"Hey, Anna?"
"Hmm?" yawned Anna. They had only gotten up a few minutes ago and were still a little sleepy.
"That day when we first saw you outside the castle, you had a white streak in your hair."
Anna tensed a little bit. "Yes...and?"
"And, well," Rapunzel hesitated. "Now it's gone."
"I'm just as confused as you are," admitted Anna. "I've had that white streak for nearly all my life until what happened during the great blizzard."
"Maybe Elsa had something to do with it?"
"Perhaps. I don't know."
There was a short silence before Rapunzel further queried "How did you get it anyway?" Anna laughed at that.
"Hey, you've still got your story to tell! You first!"
Rapunzel chuckled. "Alright, alright." She put the brush down. "Well?" she asked. "What do you think?
"Anna turned her head this way and that, admiring her reddish-blonde hair going down her back. "I love it." She stood up, and grabbed Rapunzel's arm. "Your turn!"
Rapunzel smiled and sat down. As Anna began to work, she thought of Eugene, hoping that he was doing fine.
"It's not too bad." said one of the harvesters who doubled as the medic. "But his arm is still in bad shape."
Eugene grimaced as his left arm was put in a crude sling and splint. In his years of thievery he had suffered close calls, but not this bad. All around him the other ice harvesters gathered around, with Kristoff in the center with Eugene and the medic. Maximus also forced his way into the ring of men.
"How long do I need to be in this thing?" he worriedly asked.
"I'm not a fully qualified doctor" said the man as put away the medical kit. "But by my estimate, I guess you will be partially incapacitated for about a month."
Eugene stood up in a flash, so furious, that he didn't notice Kristoff turn around and walk away.
"A month?!" he yelled. "But I'm on a honeymoon! I am here on official Coronian business! What am I supposed to do now?!"
The medic, whom Eugene noticed now to be a slightly older man, sighed as he put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry lad. I wish there was more I could do, but not even our best doctors in Arendelle can heal a broken arm just like that. I'm afraid you'll just have to endure it, and let it heal naturally."
Eugene wanted to keep arguing, his fury raging at the unfairness of the situation, but he simmered down, realizing that me might as well be shouting at the wind. He sighed again as he went up to Maximus and patted his mane. The horse looked saddened.
"Don't worry buddy," he tried to smile. "At least I'm right handed and that arm is still good. I can still do some stuff." He tried and failed to keep a grin in place as his looked downcast. "Rapunzel's not going to be happy about this."
Meanwhile, Kristoff was at his sled, taking a quick backwards glace at the other harvesters going back to their own transports. He was quite beside himself in a state of panic as he was conversing with Sven.
"Ohmanohmanohmanohman..." Kristoff stammered, hands on his head. "I'm such an idiot!"
Sven didn't respond, and Kristoff was completely nuts that he didn't have the time to speak on Sven's behalf. He then spotted the medic and calmed himself down.
"So, what's the situation now?" asked Kristoff.
"Well, he needs to be brought back to Arendelle for proper medical treatment." said the medic. "With better tools and a healthier environment he can recover more quickly, but he is still going to be stuck with a broken left arm for a while."
Kristoff sighed, a facade of indifference on the outside, but utter frustration on the inside. "What do you suggest?"
"We can't just ride like we did yesterday, too much movement is not good for the arm. But we still have to bring back the ice as soon as we can..." mused the medic.
Kristoff thought of an idea. He really needed to be with Eugene, alone (aside from Sven and Eugene's horse). "OK, how about this: Empty my sled of its ice and transfer it onto another that hasn't been filled yet, and you all go ahead back to Arendelle posthaste. I'll take my sled and head back at a slower pace to not injure him further."
Soon he relayed his new instructions. The last line in the convoy of ice harvesters were soon out of sight, leaving Kristoff, Eugene and the two animals alone with Kristoff's sled. Eugene made an attempt to grab and pack his things with his good arm, but Kristoff waved him back.
"No," he said, a little firmly than intended. "You need to rest."
"I'm not that out of commission that I can't pack my own things you know," grumbled Eugene.
"Nevertheless," reiterated Kristoff, "The medic said you shouldn't over-exert yourself. Not until we get back to Arendelle and we hand you off to the staff in the castle. They'll know what to do."
Eugene said nothing and just laid back on the backseat of the sled. While they were seeing the ice convoy off, Kristoff took some of the wood and made a few modifications to his sled, rendering the backseat into a makeshift flat surface to ensure no movement to its passenger at all. This way, Eugene could get rest properly and ensure that he was in no position to slip off or the like on the way back. Sven was still harnessed, keeping an eye on Eugene.
Kristoff just finished putting everything away in Eugene's rucksack when his attention was diverted by arguing and neighing. He turned and saw that Eugene and his horse seemed to be at loggerheads. Eugene was shouting something indiscriminately and the horse was neighing like mad. Eventually though it stopped and Eugene looked downcast. He whispered something, and the horse gave a salute and immediately galloped off.
"What was that about?" asked Kristoff as he got onto the sled.
"I told Maximus to head back too."
"That's your horse's name?"
Eugene nodded. "He is one stubborn horse, but he's certainly loyal. I told him to head back immediately ahead of the convoy to tell Rapunzel what happened, and possibly ask Anna or Elsa to have some of the staff on standby."
"Alright then," said Kristoff, grabbing the harness. "You ready? It's gonna be a long trip."
"Ready as I'll ever be." muttered Eugene.
And they were off.
Rapunzel and Anna were dining in the private room again, chowing down on some breakfast. Rapunzel couldn't help but be amazed as Anna kept eating and eating.
"Where does it all go?" she wondered in amazement.
Anna swallowed with some difficulty and laughed. "I just have a big appetite, that's all."
"Uh-huh," scoffed Rapunzel, rolling her eyes. The two laughed again as breakfast was whisked away and in came after-meal treats, including Anna's favorite.
"Chooooooooocolaaaaaaaate..." moaned Anna, as she immediately popped one in her mouth. Rapunzel grinned and put her hands together.
"Well, since we're on the subject of food, ready for me to continue?"
"You bet! I want to hear all about that ducky restaurant."
"Alrighty then," said Rapunzel, as she once again recalled her tangled adventure, and chucked at the irony of what Anna just said.
"I know it's around here somewhere..." muttered Rider.
The twosome had been wandering around the forest for a while before they came across a path that led them to...
"Ah! There it is. The Snuggly Duckling!"
Rapunzel saw a modest sized building made of wood leaning against a big tree. Horses were tied up there and close to them was the restaurant sign that fittingly had a duckling.
"Don't worry," said Rider. "Very quaint place, perfect for you. Don't want you scaring and giving up on this whole endeavor now do we?"
"Well, I do like ducklings." admitted Rapunzel. Rider gave a small "Yay!" and both of them headed to the door. Rider opened it, asking for their finest table. Rapunzel looked for a microsecond, and gave a horrified gasp.
Everywhere as far as the eye can see were ruffians and thugs! She was terrified at all the evil, sinister looking men that Mother described. It's here, here, where she saw the ruffians, thugs and men with pointy teeth! Rider pushed her in as she had her frying pan at the ready. She was so terrified that she didn't even catch was Rider was saying. She panicked even more when somebody grabbed her hair, and she ran deeper into the not-so-Snuggly Duckling, Pascal cowering on her neck and hands full of hair.
At last, she bumped into a particularly menacing-looking man, and she once again missed what Rider was saying as he lead her out towards the exit. Suddenly, the door slammed shut as the twosome saw another large man put his hand on a piece of paper.
"Is this you?" asked the man. The two took a glance at it as Rider moved one of the man's beefy fingers to see...Rider? But that wasn't right. Rider's nose isn't long.
"Ugh," grumbled Rider. "Now they're just being mean." Rapunzel had no idea what he was talking about, but her attention was diverted by one of the scary men grabbing Rider, saying something about a reward. Then another man grabbed Rider, and another and another. Rapunzel began to panic.
"Please!" she pleaded. "Stop!" But her words were drowned out by the men. "Please leave him alone! Give me back my guide!" A giant mass of men tried to grab Rider, and she hit them with the frying pan to no effect. Then she had an idea. She tied her hair onto a beam above them, pulled and released with all her might.
The thud on one of the men's head, a man with a hook, silenced the entire building.
"Put him down!" she demanded. The man turned around, and she continued. "Okay, I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns because I've been dreaming about them my entire life! Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?"
The hook-handed man pulled out an ax, and walked toward her. She backed away, frightened, as he approached her and...
...made the saddest face she had ever seen. "I had a dream once..." said the man in gravelly voice. Not looking, he threw the ax at a man with an accordion.
"And it was just the most heartwarming thing ever," said Rapunzel. "All those scary ruffians were not scary at all! They had dreams too. Hook Hand, he wanted to be a concert pianist, and he even played at my wedding! Big Nose is a romantic and he managed to find the true love of his dreams. Vladimir collects ceramic unicorns, and Atilla wants to go into baking! Ulf was a professional mime, there were others in the Snuggly Duckling who wanted to knit, sew, and take puppetry, and Shorty..."
She paused, trying to wrack her brain. "Shorty...I don't think he ever mentioned his dream. So, anyway-"
She stopped her recollecting to see Anna. After the two had breakfast, they met with Olaf and Pascal, and the four went swimming in a small pond behind the castle that had a beautiful small waterfall, and while Rapunzel was not in the water, the other three were, listening to her story. Anna's mouth was comically hanging, while Olaf was just as dumbfounded as she was.
"She's craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazy..." stage-whispered Olaf. Pascal gave a small guffaw.
Rapunzel laughed too, and she jumped into the pond. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's definitely true. Eugene even sang his dream, talking about wanting money and an island all to himself."
Anna made a motion to snap her mouth shut and shake her head a bit. "But instead he found you..." she sighed romantically.
"Yep," grinned Rapunzel. "Anyway, one of the workers at the Duckling brought back some castle guards by mistake, but with the help of our new friends, Eugene and I managed to give them the slip through a secret passage. But were cornered at a dam, with the guards, the Stabbington Brothers, and Maximus all wanting Eugene. While Eugene fought Maximus, I used my hair to lasso across the large gaps."
"In the process though," Rapunzel continued, looking solemn. "The dam was destroyed. We escaped our pursuers, and we got trapped in a cave. We really thought we were going to die."
Eugene tried and failed to fall asleep. His awkward position prevented him from getting really comfortable, and he was still angry at his new situation.
"Hey, Kristoff?"
Kristoff gave a small start. Eugene was really puzzled at this. "Uh-yeah?" asked Kristoff. "What is it?"
"Where are we right now?"
"We just put East Mountain behind us, and we're heading towards the junction towards Arendelle."
Eugene sighed. "Great. How long have we been going now?"
"I think around 3 hours."
Eugene exhaled, really wanting to hit something. "Great. Thanks." He sighed, trying to keep calm. But it was difficult.
"Eugene?" asked Kristoff. "Since we're not going to be there for a while, you mind if you continue your story?"
Eugene obliged, and continued, discussing the strange things that were afoot at the Snuggly Duckling, and their escape into the dam and getting trapped in the cave. This went on for nearly an hour, but Kristoff said they were still nowhere near the junction. Unperturbed, Eugene plowed on.
Rider dove in and out of the rising water again and again, feeling around for a way out, but all he got for his troubles was a cut on the palm of his left hand.
"It's no use," he panted. "I can't see anything." Blondie then dove into the water, but Rider pulled her out. "Hey, there's no point. It's pitch-black down there."
Both panted as the water level continued to rise. Blondie looked completely distraught.
"This is all my fault." Blondie whispered. "She was right, I never should have done this." Tears began to flow as she said her apologies. At the mention of his name though, Rider sighed.
"Eugene."
Blondie stopped. "What?" she croaked.
"My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert."
What was he doing? Why was he giving his real name? He had abandoned it a long time ago, when he left the orphanage. What was so different now?
It's her he realized. The way she was so innocent and so completely courageous at the Sunggly Duckling, how she still felt sorry for him, even though he was completely despicable.
But he can't tell her that. Not right now anyway. Especially not right now.
"Someone might as well know," he said. Blondie looked deep in thought as well, as if she wanted to say something too.
"Well, I have I have magic hair that glows when I sing." Blondie admitted.
Rider stared. "What?" he stammered. But before he could press on, it's as if Blondie suddenly had an epiphany.
"I have magic hair that glows when I sing!" she exclaimed. Rider started to say something, but Blondie started to sing. Still reeling from her surprising admittance and the rapidly rising water level, he didn't catch it. In a matter of moments the water enveloped them completely.
And suddenly, Rider's sight was filled with the most amazing thing. Blondie's hair was glowing radiantly. Rider gave an involuntary gasp and accidentally swallowed some water, but he also saw that the hair was being sucked into a small opening at the bottom. The two gave a brief look at each other before they dived down and cleared the rocks.
Soon they broke clear of the cave, opening into a river. As they reached shore, the chameleon coughed and Blondie got up, none the worse for wear. Rider however was utterly dumbfounded.
"Her hair glows." he stammered. "I didn't see that coming." He stared at the chameleon, demanding answers. "Her hair actually glows. Why does her hair glow?!"
"Eugene!"
The use of his real name by Blondie got his attention. As she pulled the rest of her hair out of the water, she said "It doesn't just glow."
He stared back and forth between her and the chameleon, who only gave a cocky grin. "Why is he smiling at me?" he asked.
Later, it was evening and they found some rocks to rest on. After they settled in, Blondie started to wrap her hair around the cut on Rider's hand.
"So you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand." he stated. "Agh!" he winced from the pain.
Blondie looked worried. "Sorry. Don't freak out." The two stared at each other, and Blondie closed her eyes as she started singing.
Flower gleam and glow...let your power shine...
Rider stared again as the hair started to glow.
Make the clock reverse...Bring back what once was mine...
Soon the glowing reached his hand, and Rider stared at the chameleon, who continued to give his smug smile as he gestured at his hand.
Heal what has been hurt...Change the fate's design...
Save what has been lost...Bring back what once was mine
Rider was still at a loss at what was going on when suddenly he felt a very odd sensation in his hand, like suddenly a warm energy that made one feel alive was coursing through his hand.
No.
Rider stared at the chameleon again, who only nodded.
What once was mine.
Rider removed the wrapped hair and his eyes popped. The cut was gone. As if it was never there. He was hyperventilating was just about to shout-
"Please don't freak out!" Blondie interrupted, looking as if she were to freak out herself.
All that emitted from Rider was a tiny squeak as it tumbled into a mass of words. "I'mnotfreakingoutareyoufreakingoutnoI'mjustveryinterestedinyourhairandthemagicalqualitiesthatitposesseshowlonghasitbeendoingthatexactly?"
Blondie gave a small smile. "Forever, I guess?" She demurred. "Mother says when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves." She then pushed some hair aside, and Rider saw something that was not like the others.
"But, once it's cut, it turns brown and loses its power. A gift like that, it has to be protected. That's why mother never let me-" she sighed.
Rider remembered this conversation when they were escaping from the Snuggly Duckling, and put two and two together. "That's why you never left that tower." he finished. Blondie said nothing, and Rider pressed on. "And you're still gonna go back?"
"Really was complicated..." mused Kristoff.
"Yep." said Eugene. He adjusted himself a bit. "Rapunzel then asked about my own story, and I told her the same thing I told you the other night. She seemed to like it though, even liking my real name better than Flynn Rider.
"Yes...yes..." said Kristoff. Eugene looked in his direction again. Something was clearly on his mind.
"Kristoff. Is something the matter? asked Eugene.
"Huh? No, no, there's nothing wrong." insisted Kristoff.
"Alright then," said Eugene. He sighed, and laid back. He caught Kristoff saying that they were about to reach the junction before he drifted to sleep.
"That sounds amazing." wondered Anna. The four were now out in the courtyard, now at a loss of what to do, and it was nearly noon.
"I know, compared to Elsa's magic, it doesn't seem like much," started Rapunzel, but Anna interrupted her.
"Doesn't seem like much?" Anna repeated. "It is much! It sounds wonderful. It's like you are the world's ultimate doctor."
Rapunzel rubbed her neck, a little embarrassed. "Thanks," she muttered. She was just about to ask Anna what to do next when suddenly there was a commotion.
The four looked at the castle gates and saw-
"Maximus!" exclaimed Anna. "What are you doing here?" Maximus neighed in a panic.
Rapunzel looked at Maximus. "Wait. Maximus?" she asked. "Where is Eugene?" Maximus said nothing and she simply grabbed Rapunzel's top by her teeth. Yelping, she was suddenly thrust onto Maximus's saddle, and he galloped away towards town.
"Maximus!" she yelled. "What are you doing?!"
Anna ran to the stable to pick out her horse. "What was that all about?" she asked. Olaf and Pascal were conversing with each other, and Olaf gasped.
"Pascal and Maximus said that something's wrong with Eugene!"
"Oh no..." groaned Anna. Without preamble, Anna got onto her horse and galloped out of the castle. Olaf ran and gained momentum and started to glide on his stomach to keep up, while Pascal rode on him.
Soon they reached the town gate, where the last of the ice harvesters were coming in with the ice. The man on the sled was conversing with Rapunzel, still mounted on Maximus. She just caught up when Rapunzel gave what sounded like a gasp of terror, and she immediately galloped out of the gates. The man just out of his sled.
Anna halted the horse and looked down on the man. "Excuse me, Mr..."
"Spinney," said the man. "Percy Spinney"
"Mr. Spinney," asked Anna. "What's going on?"
"We were at East Lake and we harvested our ice when there was an accident. One of the harvesters, name of Eugene Fitzherbert, suffered a severe injury."
Anna gave a sound of disbelief.
"We're wondering if you can ask some at the castle to ready medical staff, your highness." said Percy. "I was able to patch it up, but he needs more serious medical attention."
"Got it!" said Anna, and she galloped back to the castle, Olaf and Pascal in tow.
After waiting for about an hour at the town gates with Gerda and other medical staff, they stopped it. Kristoff's sled, pulled by Sven, with Kristoff at the harness. Anna thought Kristoff to be really bummed out about something, but as the sled drew closer, she saw that Maximus came up from behind looking mournful without a rider. And she took a closer look at the sled.
There was Rapunzel, sitting at the back of the sled, tears spilling from her eyes. She seemed to be mumbling something, sounding like her flower song. She put an arm on her head, and Anna gasped. The arm was at an odd angle and wrapped in a crude splint. She sang the song again, more insistently, as she put the arm, which no doubt belonged to Eugene, on her head again. Tears continued to flow and she broke down, sobbing. The sled passed Anna by and she saw that Eugene looked really haggard, but he tried to comfort Rapunzel, rubbing her back with his good arm. The sled came to a stop and Eugene was put on a stretcher that was carried by some of the staff.
Gerda and medical staff immediately walked as fast as they could back to the castle, with Rapunzel in tow. Pascal jumped on Maximus's mane and the two animals headed off to follow the couple. When they were out of sight, Kristoff walked out of his sled, almost in a stupor as he unharnessed Sven. The two went up to Anna and Olaf as they looked on.
"Kristoff?" asked Anna. "What happened?"
"It's-sled-Eugene-old-broken-arm-" he stammered.
"What's going on?" asked a voice. Everyone present looked up and saw Elsa walk up from the other side of town. Anna saw Elsa was in her ice dress again.
"Hi, Elsa." said Anna, downcast. "According to Kristoff, Eugene suffered an accident on their way back from the ice harvest."
"Why?" demanded Elsa, concern showing on her features. "What has happened?"
Kristoff looked at Anna, Elsa, Olaf and Sven. "Eugene suffered an accident and broke his arm." he said. As the five watched Rapunzel, Eugene, Maximus and Pascal disappear into the castle, he grabbed Anna's hand, as guilt and shame washed over him.
"And it's all my fault."
Author's Note: By this point, with additional drama added into the story now, it's getting increasingly difficult for me to balance the Tangled flashbacks with the main story proper. Taking into account some feedback regarding the flashbacks, do you all want the flashbacks to be finished as soon as possible or do you think they should be set aside for now to finish some main story conflicts first? Whatever your decisions are I'll take them into account before I start work on the next chapter.
Don't forget to review! Any and all kind of feedback is welcome to improve my story-telling and give you a better story!
ALSO, for storygirl99210, Superfan44, Sunny Lighter, woodland59, Darth Meta, derreckgarcia397, TangledFrozenLuv43, sentinall prime, Eric the Looney, and ericaphoenix16, because of the chapter switchup and earlier deletion, the site is preventing you from posting a review here. You are free to PM your review to me in this case.