Blondie Mess I am NOT a Sugar Plum! You are a sugar plum! Blonde hair, brown eyes, princess? Ring any bells sister dearest? ;) I'm sorry for hurting Acelin but, as the VIP you already know, It was necessary. Lol taa for the spelling correction - believe me it has been irritating to write it and not be sure if its correct!

Readers, you will be happy to know that I have a future plotted out (Seriously, full on. As in 30 years ahead. See all of these OC's - they won't just be left behind! Their children are currently sat in my Writing Book waiting for the time I add them to the story). However im still stuck between Tesleb and Teslin… It will be a hard choice but I know what will happen to all the characters when I make up my mind.

This is an OC heavy chapter but I'm compensating for the next chapter!

Thank you LilRockerStar, your review really helped with getting the creative juices flowing for this one!

The colour was actually my own choice today so Thank you me!

Sapphire!

Pain, as far as Acelin was concerned, was not one word.

There are hundreds of different types of pain, but only one word.

Physical pain was an obvious sub-category.

But Emotional pain? Hundreds and thousands of different kinds of Emotional pain;

Grief

A broken heart

Unrequited love

Hopelessness

Even euphoria could be painful.

As Acelin lay there he realised he was one of the unlucky few to be feeling multiple amounts of pain at once.

A broken heart - He was quite sure he was going to die and the last time he spoke to his dearly loved Tess was an argument. He wondered if she would miss him…maybe he had pushed her to the point that she no longer cared for him. The pain doubled.

Physical pain - Excruciating. It were as though his chest was on fire. His blood rushing away from his body, pooling around him.

And then there was grief - he had lost so many people in his life. His parents and now his brother. The brother that raised him. Their last spoken words to one another were those of an argument too…perhaps it was some sort of Cosmic Order that every time he allowed anger to get the better of him, someone would get hurt.

The world is spinning, the weight of the jewel in his pocket seems to get heavier with each drop of blood that's spilt.

Colours merging and separating. Sounds blearing and dimming into a constant sound…like waves.

He clasped his mothers sapphire through the fabric of his jacket.

Closing his eyes, he tried to remember her.

8 Years after Rapunzel's Capture

The servants were solemn.

The guards tripled their patrols, the day a reminder of their failure.

The King had been whisked away on a hunting trip to ease his mind.

The Queen, however, had chosen to stay in her room.

"I'm not late am I?" The girl cried, running and tripping up as she made her way to the group of women.

Queen Ophelia shook her head at the young girls entrance. With four sons and another on it's way, the Queen of Monada had little time for the girls scattered time keeping.

Queen Diyita of Colestuine too looked unimpressed at the girls lateness. She looked every inch the Royalty she was; Orange silks draped across her dark skin whilst her golden bangles made a gentle chime as she knocked on their friends door.

There was, unsurprisingly, no response.

"Why don't we just come back later?" Cried the impatient Queen Rubina. Little had any of her friends known that their once shy and timid friend could have become the woman to lead an entire Kingdom single-handedly, striking fear into the hearts of any man who dare cross her. They were happy in the knowledge that her daughters were every inch as girly as she had been as a child.

"Don't be silly Rubina, Genevieve needs us now not later!" Queen Feadora had always been one to strike a chord within her friends. Her long red hair nearly reached her knees and her shining hazel eyes shone from beneath her fringe. Unlike her friends, the birth of her daughters had revitalised her, an aura of joy constantly surrounding her. Against her other friends judgement, Feadora turned to the youngest in the group; Queen Josianne.

Although her sons had just respectively turned thirteen and six, she still looked like a young girl herself.

Her bright gray eyes sparkled with a passion likened to the stars, whilst her ice blonde hair fell across her shoulders.

She wore the Royal Opeamene colours of light blue and graced a pair of, to Ophelia and Diyita's horror, trousers. Like Rubina, the Queen of Opeamene was a warrior as well as a ruler, but never allowed that aggression to follow her out of the battlefield. And of course, around her neck hung her Sapphire. A token of love from her father when he presented her the Kingdom of Opeamene.

Josianne tentatively stepped forward, knocking again on the door.

"Ve've…It's us. Could we come in?" They all waited with bated breath until they heard a quiet,

"Come in"

The sight pained the hearts of all the women.

Sat in the dark room, clutching at the blanket that once belonged to her daughter, was a tired and grief stricken Genevieve.

Feadora was the first to reach her, sitting beside her and allowing her friend to fall into her embrace.

Ophelia set about the room; pulling back the curtains and opening the windows, trying desperately to make the scene less solemn.

Diyita had also taken a seat next to her, placing an arm around her shoulder and whispering words of support.

Rubina had set about pouring some tea, handing the first cup to Genevieve in hope it would calm her.

Finally Josianne took her place on the floor by Genevieve's feet, taking both her hands in her own.

They were not aware of how long they all stayed like that. What mattered was the small, chipper voice that broke it.

"Mama? Mama are you in here?"

All the Queens, minus Genevieve, had stared at their friend in both shock and horror. It had been a silent rule that they never - ever - brought their children to the castle. Especially around this time of year.

And running through the room came Josianne's son, Acelin. He was the spitting image of his mother, unlike his brother who had taken a greater likeness to his father.

The boy ran towards his mother but stopped short when he noticed the sad look on Queen Genevieve's face.

"Hullo…I'm Acelin" he looked around at the women. Non of them seemed particularly enthused at seeing him. His mother particularly looked sad, an unusual sight for the boy, and kept her eyes fixed on the sad lady. Looking around him, then at the object in his hands, Acelin offered the only help a six year old could provide.

"Would you like to hold my bear?"

For a moment the women were concerned their friend was about to burst into tears.

However, she did something they had rarely seen in the past nine years.

She grinned.

"Yes please." Acelin handed her the tattered yellow bear. "What's his name?"

"Monsieur Slyvain…He's a knight! Like the ones at my castle…Is this your room?" The little boy looked around in wonder. Genevieve chuckled.

"Yes, this is my room"

"It's very big…my rooms not this big…Pierre, my horse has a big room - but its outside and I wouldn't want to sleep outside… I wanted to go on the horse with Uncle Jonathan but he already left…W-Would you like to come outside with me and Monsieur? He wanted to go in to the garden but we were told off by the gardener…but maybe if you come with us ..?"

"I'd love to" Genevieve slowly stood, grasped the hand of her friends son, and allowed him to pull her out of the room.

After a moment the remaining women turned to Josianne, who on her own part, had a look of great pride in her son.

Fourteen Years after Rapunzel's Capture - Opeamene

"Father let me go with you! I'm ready for this!" Cried the eighteen year old. His sandy coloured hair was pulled and tied back away from his face, a look of frustration and determination that never seemed to leave his eyes.

"Charlton I've already told you - It is simply too dangerous! I know you've been working very hard in training but I need to know there is someone here to look after your brother"

"He is a child! Find a nanny!"

"And what if something happens to your mother, yourself and I? He would have no family and the Kingdom would be left to him and a couple of old men from the court"

King Marc placed his hands on his defeated sons shoulders.

A twelve year old Acelin hid behind the large marble pillar, holding his breath. If his father caught him out of bed at this time of night he'd be in for an ear full.

Tonight his parents were leaving on a very important journey.

They were looking for the Princess again. But this time they were going into the Profund Mountains.

Acelin stifled a yawn. He needed to stay hidden long enough so he could see his mother before she left.

"Acelin, what are you doing up?" He nearly jumped out of his skin as his mother whispered to him.

"I-But-You- I didn't-" he relaxed as his mother giggled and hid behind the pillar with him.

Tears suddenly came to her eyes as she stared at her little boy.

"Look at you. You've become such a handsome young man…you know where we're going don't you?" He nodded, "So you know it's very dangerous…Acelin I want you to promise me something and you have to do it" The serious look on her face shocked him into submission. "Acelin, If anything happens to your father or I, I want you to promise me that you'll be very brave. That you'll brush your teeth, you'll listen to your brother, …and be nice to people. If anyone needs your help that you'll be there." They peaked out from behind the pillar and looked towards Charlton. "Your brother may be older than you and stronger, but you have a kind heart Acelin. And even if some people use that against you, there will be more people who love you."

She wiped away the single tear she spilt and took off her most prized possession.

He stared in wonder as his mother placed the sapphire in the palm of his hand.

"Darling, my father gave this to me when I became Queen. He told me that there is a moment in everyone's life when they finally know what they want. I found the Kingdom and your father when I was given this…Now I want you to have it. And one day you will find someone who makes you feel like you want to spend the rest of your life with them. I hope I can see that day…B-But if I can't…I want you to give her this." She smiled as she brushed his hair away from his face.

"I promise mother."

They heard Charlton retire to his room, King Marc now looking for his wife.

Josianne let out a shaken sigh, bent down to her sons height and kissed him atop his head.

"I love you Acelin. I love you very much. No matter what happens to either of us, I'm always going to be there for you"

"I love you more mother" She grinned, embracing her son, part of her knowing this would most likely be the last time she saw him.

"I love you most"

And with that.

She was gone.

He clasped the necklace in his hand.

He never saw her again.

Present day

"NO!" she moved quicker than she had ever imagined. Tess ran her hands across his face, his scarlet stained chest and his hands that were so desperately trying to find hers.

Opal, who had been the one to find his body, was been comforted by her sister.

The other princesses fled the scene in search of a doctor.

Rapunzel, however, had run into the arms of Eugene, both watching in horror as their friend lay there being comforted by a hysterical Tess.

"Acelin! Oh Acelin!" She whispered between her shaken sobs, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry and now -"

"Shh…don't cry…" He tried to sit up, but the pain only worsened.

"It's all my fault Acelin…If I hadn't said - I didn't mean it! I need you…you can't leave me…I-I love you" She kissed him gently, but it was so unlike the other kisses they had shared.

Ones that were full of tenderness and pure devotion had been replaced by that of desperation and sorrow.

" I love you, you silly goose…I'm not leaving you…Never…"

Rapunzel began to weep into the crook of Eugene's neck.

Ivan sprinted his way into the entrance hall, a team of servants and a doctor behind him.

Caleb was ordering the guards, informing them of where Acelin had been and the nature of his attack.

Leopoldo's parents now ushering the other monarchs to their rooms.

With Tess by his side, pain seemed quite insignificant. She was here. She loved him as he loved her. And that was all he wanted.

Chaos now filled the once gleeful Palace.

So when they began to move Acelin from the hall, no one noticed the gemstone he slipped into Tess' hand.

The pain was fading as he lost consciousness.

And with that.

She was gone.

She grasped the necklace in her hand.

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for me to update! Had a busy schedule and I'm already working on the next chapter so I'll try and get that up ASAP! A mid-Movie chapter! Woo!

Very early in the morning here but ho hum! Better late than never ey?

I hope all of you guys are having a Pain free time where ever you are!

Much love and hugs to all of you!

xxxxxxxxxx