"Good morning, Your Majesty. Finally decided to get up, did we?"
"Good morning to you, too, Captain," Rapunzel quipped back, looking up from her desk, where she had been sorting through several important-looking papers.
"Still feeling sick?"
"A little bit. I can't keep putting off this work, though."
"You can at least have some breakfast first." Eugene set his helmet on the desk, and put a hand on his wife's shoulder before pecking her on the cheek. "No one expects even the queen to run on an empty stomach."
"Not hungry," Rapunzel shook her head, trying to turn back to her work.
"Sunshine, you're starting to worry me. Maybe you should take it easy one more day."
"Eugene, it's just a little stomach bug. I'm sure I'll be completely back up to speed by tomorrow."
"Sure, but, maybe if you're not, you should think about seeing the royal medic."
"Is the captain of the guard giving the queen orders?" Rapunzel curled up one side of her lip, playfully raising an eyebrow.
"Less of an order and more of a suggestion from a concerned husband," Eugene corrected.
"And a reasonable one at that, I suppose. Okay, I promise: if I'm not better in a day or two I will see the medic."
The next morning, however, Rapunzel felt mostly normal, so she went about her typical day. On a Friday such as this, this included one of the young queen's favorite activities: visiting the orphanage to give an art lesson and join in a little recreation; this was all in addition to regular donations and other forms of support from the castle. Rapunzel had done this since she had returned from the Dark Kingdom three years prior. Having learned more about Cassandra's childhood had reminded Rapunzel of her own, and she wanted to do what she could to improve those of others like herself, Eugene, and the girl she considered her step-sister.
As always, Rapunzel's heart soared at the sight of the smiling faces that met her just outside of the orphanage. The children surrounded her, each eagerly awaiting their turn for a hug. When they finally gave her room to breathe, Rapunzel led the children inside to set up her art supplies in the large chamber she used as her classroom. Once materials were passed out, Pascal hopped off of Rapunzel's shoulder and posed on a stool in the middle of the room for the children to paint.
As the lesson went on, Rapunzel felt her stomach begin to become unsettled again. She ignored it, however, for the children's sake, considering simply leaving a little earlier than normal. Soon, the class was dismissed for lunch. Rapunzel was invited to join, as always, but she again found that she had little appetite. Even though there was nothing wrong with the food in front of her, even the smell of it seemed to make her stomach churn. What is wrong with me? She wondered.
Before long, though, the children were finishing their meal and running outside to play kickball. Determined not to let whatever bug she had stop her from enjoying the day, Rapunzel went out and joined them. After a bit of running around, she began to feel a little lightheaded.
"Are you okay, Your Majesty?" One of the girls asked, a concerned frown on her face.
"I'm fine, Amelie," Rapunzel assured, waving her away with one hand as she put her other on her forehead. "I think I just need to sit down for a little bit."
"I could get you some water."
"That would be great, thank you," Rapunzel smiled as best she could as she watched the girl skip off to fetch a cup. She turned towards a nearby bench, but felt herself get more dizzy with every step. Her vision began to blur, almost like a ripple in a pool of water. Her feet gave way beneath her, bringing her quickly to the unforgiving ground.
"Your Majesty!" A voice cried out, but Rapunzel couldn't place it. She only managed a moan in response as darkness began to surround her. She felt gentle arms around her, trying to raise her into a sitting position.
"Quickly!" The voice called, sounding more muffled now. "Go get the captain at once!"
"Yes, ma'am, I'll-"
"Welcome, recruits," Eugene greeted, addressing the crowd in front of him. "As part of your introductory guard training, we will be going through a lecture series known as, 'Thinking Like a Thief.' I, of course, will be your instructor. Here to aid me is my trusted partner, Mr. Lance Strongbow." The captain gestured towards the man beside him, who was decked out in fine armor.
Lance cleared his throat. "I believe you mean Professor Strongbow, Esquire."
"Ok, one: that was my bit first. And, two: how many times do I have to tell you: that armor belongs to Cass's dad!"
"Technically, the medals belong to Cass's dad. I returned those. The armor itself belongs to the captain of the guard, and, since you rarely wear it, I feel entitled to it as your trusted second-in-command."
"I let you be acting captain one time," Eugene corrected. "There's a difference."
"Semantics," Lance scoffed, shrugging.
"It's not- anyway, we're getting off-topic here. Now, thinking like a thief. To begin, I-"
"Your Highness," a new voice cried out. "Captain Fitzherbert!"
Everyone turned to see the newcomer. Eugene recognized Xander, one of the older boys from the orphanage. He was currently running at full speed towards him.
"What's the matter?" Eugene demanded, suddenly uneasy. Something was obviously going on at the orphanage, either with the kids, or...
"It's Her Majesty," the boy answered, struggling to catch his breath. "Queen Rapunzel is sick or something. She got dizzy and fell while we were playing earlier. Ms. Leslie was still trying to wake her up when she sent me to get you."
"What?" Eugene gasped, then shook his head. "I should have known she wasn't as up to speed as she said she was. Lance, could you-?"
"Of course. I'll take care of things here," Lance promised with a nod, no longer bearing the teasing grin he'd had just a second ago. "You go take care of Rapunzel."
"Thanks." The captain turned towards a nearby guard. "Find the royal medic and have her meet us at the orphanage as soon as possible."
Eugene barely took the time to listen to the other guard's "Yes, sir" before taking off towards the orphanage, young Xander close at his heels. He found the director of the orphanage in the sitting room, bending over Rapunzel where she lay on a couch. She seemed to be breathing steadily, but her face was pale and her eyes remained closed.
"Your Highness," Ms. Leslie addressed, finally noticing Eugene. "I-"
"Rapunzel," Eugene breathed out, pushing past the director to kneel by his wife. He gently took one of her hands in his, brushing his thumb over the back of it. "Sunshine…"
Eugene was fully aware that he was making a scene, but he didn't care. True, this could end up being less serious than everyone seemed to be making it out to be, but he still hadn't seen the woman he loved in a state like this in a long time, not since she had risked everything to revive Cassandra after the battle with Zhan Tiri. He couldn't help but worry, not yet understanding what was going on.
After a moment, a soft moan escaped Rapunzel's lips. Startled and hopeful, Eugene watched as her eyes gradually opened.
"Eu…" she finally mumbled. "Eugene…"
"Rapunzel," Eugene sighed. "Thank goodness."
"Wh...What happened?"
"Sounds like you overdid it at rec time," Eugene explained, brushing a strand of Rapunzel's hair behind her ear. "'Back to one-hundred-percent,' huh?"
"Sorry to cause such a fuss," Rapunzel chuckled softly.
"Don't worry about it. What's important is that you're going to be okay. The medic is on the way, and we'll get you taken care of."
As if on cue, the medic, a tall, middle-aged woman with tan skin and dark brown hair, walked through the door.
"So sorry for the delay," she greeted, walking towards the royal couple. "Now, Your Majesty, let's see what we need to do to get you well."
The medic asked Rapunzel a series of questions, not wanting to be hasty in a diagnosis. Even knowing this, Eugene couldn't help but start to feel a little antsy. Suddenly, the front door to the orphanage opened once again with a slight thud.
"Captain!" The newcomer called. "We could use a little help."
"What is it, Pete?" Eugene demanded. "We're a bit busy."
"So sorry to interrupt," the guard continued. "But, there's a brawl in the marketplace and it's getting out of hand."
"Can't you handle this without me?"
"We've tried, but it seemed to only aggravate the situation further."
"Pete, I-"
"It's alright, Eugene," Rapunzel interrupted. "Go ahead."
"Are you sure?"
"Her Majesty is in good hands, sir," the medic assured. "I'll make sure she gets safely back to the castle after the examination."
"But-"
"Go," Rapunzel insisted with a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine."
"Alright," Eugene sighed, turning to Pete. "But this had better be quick."
Half an hour and reluctant parting humphs between Feldspar and a disgruntled customer later, Eugene finally found himself walking home beside Max.
"They seriously couldn't have settled that without me?" Eugene sighed. "Max, remind me to re-evaluate our mediator training."
Max whinnied and nodded his agreement.
"And if that wasn't enough, I had to step out on Rapunzel! I mean, I'm sure she's fine, but I should have been there! What if something worse had-"
Suddenly, Max nudged Eugene in the shoulder with a hoof. Once he had his friend's attention, he pointed. Eugene followed it to the castle terrace, where Rapunzel stood waiting, arms on the rail. Her eyes lit up as they met Eugene's, and, to his surprise, she practically flew down the stairs to meet him in the courtyard. Once they were close enough together, Rapunzel threw herself into Eugene's arms.
"Eugene," she sighed. "Oh, Eugene!"
"Whoa, it's good to see you, too," he smiled at her as they pulled apart. "This is a surprise. What on earth did the medic say?"
"Eugene, it's wonderful! We're- I'm- with child!"
"Wait. What?"
"We're going to have a baby, Eugene!"
There was a slight moment of stunned silence as Eugene processed this information. Once he had, his face broke out in a grin.
"Rapunzel, this is wonderful!" He chuckled, picking Rapunzel up in his arms and spinning.
"Whoa!" Rapunzel gasped, then chuckled.
"Sorry," Eugene suddenly remembered himself, gently placing her back down on the ground. "Probably shouldn't be doing that."
"It's fine this once."
"I'm just so excited!" He placed one arm around Rapunzel's shoulders and placed the other hand on her stomach. "And also slightly nervous. No, make that anxious-bordering-on-terrified, is that normal?"
"It must be, cause I am, too," Rapunzel assured with a chuckle. "But we're in this together, like always. Everything's going to be fine. Better than fine."
"With a team like ours, how can we miss?"
The two joined hands, never looking away from the other's eyes as they pulled close for a gentle kiss. Afterwards, they pressed their foreheads together.
"I love you, Eugene."
"I love you, too, Rapunzel. I'm so happy to be building a family with you."