Redeemed - After Years and Years

The young prince and his tutor walked into the forest. Well, the tutor walked, the boy practically danced as he played a small flute. The boy loved to be in the forest away from the cares of the castle. The animals of the forest loved to hear him play his flute but they usually stayed well back from the tall, grim tutor with grey on his temples, but calling it a nature walk and listening intently as the tutor told him something about the forest had always worked as a way to get into the forest.

Sometimes he wished he was like his mother, she could talk to the animals and they talked back to her, though there were times it almost seemed like he understood what they were saying. His little flute helped sometimes.

They were about to cross a fallen log over a stream when a heavy thump, louder then the biggest clap of thunder, rolled over the forest. The eight year old boy and his tutor were almost thrown from their feet as green leaves rained down. Then a terrible silence rang in their ears.

"Quickly, back to the castle!" the tutor commanded. They hurried through the thick layer of green leaves on the ground but stopped short when they reached the edge of the forest where they knew they could see the castle.

But the castle was no longer there.

Next to the town was a large hollow in the ground where the castle had been.

The two looked at each other, the boy's eyes filled with tears of fear.

The tutor looked around, searching for an answer. Then he took his charges hand and said "Come, I know where you need to go."

# # #

"Who's coming, Mama?" Asked Chedrick of his adoptive mother.

"I'm not sure. The flag tells us that the ship is not only from Queen Aurora's kingdom but is carrying royal passengers, because it is the royal banner. The pendant with it shows us that the crown prince is aboard as well. So Prince Eric will be aboard. You'll like him, he's about your age. You two could play together." said Princess Rapunzel.

Chedrick was an orphan Rapunzel and Eugene had adopted recently. He had come to the orphanage after his father was brutally murdered by brigands in the forest near the borders of the land. He had told them that his mother had been killed in a forest down near where the Alps met the Carpathian Mountains. He didn't know who had killed his mother, but he would find them, someday.

Rapunzel felt a special connection with the brown-haired boy, though as yet she was unsure as to why, but it was enough to adopt him.

Princess Rapunzel ran a hand over her swelling belly as she waited at the dock. It was good to be pregnant again. It had been great fun becoming pregnant again. She smiled gently as she took Eugene's hand, he smiled at her and gave her a kiss, which caused their oldest girl, Elsbet, to roll her eyes.

"I'm sorry, sire, but there is no record of this visit." said Mortimer the Seneschal as he approached the group. The only reason the royal family made it to the docks after the watch sighted the ship was because the wind was from a bad quarter today and the ship was struggling to reach the island, tacking back and forth to slowly approach.

"Very well, that a message gets lost happens sometimes." Said King Leonard.

"Are the guest rooms being prepared?" asked Queen Rebecca.

"Yes, my lady. They'll be ready by the time we return to the castle."

Rapunzel wondered what prompted this visit. Rose, Princess Aurora, since they were in public, was invited to come for the birth but that was months away. Rapunzel always seemed to have an ache for her fire-sister when they were apart for months. Rapunzel, Eugene and the kids have been there only a few months before. The forest had been so inviting. They had left the kids with the royal tutor Grimsby for lessons, and gone out for some quiet time, while King Phillip and Queen Aurora managed the affairs of the kingdom that morning.

The birds had sung a chorus of spring love songs, some of which she had translated for Eugene. The grass had been so soft and lush between her toes and the stream had sparkled like diamonds. Eugene had had his hand on her waist and she had snuggled into him, and there had been that beautiful clearing. That was probably when she had gotten pregnant.

Eugene picked up their 2 year old, Fredrick, who was getting cranky. It was nearly naptime, but the boat finally pulled up to the dock and the gangplank was lowered.

A little boy ran off the boat and right to Rapunzel who knelt to catch him, she could see him crying.

"Eric? Eric, what's wrong?"

"Aunt Punzie. I'm so scared. Maleficent came back. I'm the only one left. Mama, Papa, everyone's gone. Maleficent sent them all to hell." Prince Eric, eldest son of Aurora and Phillip said as he slamming into Rapunzel's arms.

Rapunzel's world spun, tilted and went dark.