The Captain and The Queen

by Mady Hatter

Rapunzel and Eugene are about to take on the most dangerous task that a Disney princess and prince can do yet- becoming parents! While Rapunzel and Eugene anticipate their new baby, two families secretly conspire against them to take the kingdom. Can Rapunzel stop them before it is too late? I also wrote this story to explain plot holes in the Tangled series (spoiler alert)

9. Chapter 9

Trapped

Wolfgang had finally made his way to his house, right when he saw the guest's carriage drive away in a hurry. He only wondered why for a brief minute. He'd get through his father yelling at him as usual and then go upstairs to his bedroom to take a nap. He had, had an exhausting day. He opened his own front door without any servants to do it for him. He wondered where they were when they should have been serving the guest who had just been here.

As he walked in, he was met with a disheveled scene, with his mother looking like she was in histrionics, his father more purple faced than he had ever seen him, and cups of tea split all over the table. What scared him most though was that even Rebekah looked petrified. It took a lot to make her look like that. The last time she looked like that, it was when their mother had almost died of pox. "What-what happened? Who was that?" He mainly asked his sister Rebekah out of genuine concern.

She only looked at him with a warning in her eyes. "What happened? What happened?" His father responded his voice like ice. "Your actions today led me to take drastic measures that may have just got us inches from the gallows!" His voice billowing into a fierce crescendo, referencing Egbert's accusation of treason. "Tell me boy do you want a crown on your head or a noose around your neck?!"

"What? Gallows?" Wolfgang was totally lost. "Father, I don't know what this is about, but you are taking this way out of proportion. I ruined the fields didn't I? Wasn't that the main point? What does it matter how I did it? Whether fire or flood?"

"Pray tell son, how did you start the fire?" His voice had the calmness of a low growl.

"I made it look like it was a lightning strike."

"A lightning strike, in a storm that had no lightning?"

"Well how was I supposed to know that it wouldn't?"

"Indeed son, how were you supposed to know? I suppose next you are going to tell me you didn't know the rain clouds that you blamed this 'lightning strike' on, carried rain! Did you not think through how these rain clouds could pour down, completely dousing the fire you started?"

"It took a while for the rain to come down. The fields have to be at least a little damaged. They have to be! The fire I set spread too fast."

"Son even if they did, it may not be enough to overcome Rapunzel's popularity! The people believe in her. They will believe she has a solution, whether she has one or not! And that's the other thing! If you had only done what I had asked, Rapunzel and that thief husband of hers would have been none the wiser for Varian's fields being ruined while they were at the baby shower! You can't see a flood like you can see the smoke from fire! It was a huge signal! You might as well waved your arms around and told them about it personally! They were able to get out there to save it!"

"Father," Wolfgang tried to defend himself. "I'm not finished!" His father cut him short. "There are so many reasons why what you did was a mistake!" He circled his index finger high in the air as if adding a physical exclamation point to his speech. "And if you had only followed my instructions and caused the hot water machines to explode, not only would it have submerged the fields with boiling water, it would have thrown off all suspicion of sabotage!

Small explosions are something that happen routinely over there with those weird apparatuses! No one would even bat an eye at a bigger explosion! It would be assumed it was a natural consequence of using such dangerous machines! People would loose confidence again in Varian and the royals who indulged that madman! Not to mention all the people of Corona have gotten so used to hot water. There would be a loud outcry over its loss! " Wolfgang was done with the yelling.

He took off his ax that he had carried on his back and laid it on the table. He wanted to go upstairs and take his nap. Oddly enough, no one at the palace had asked him about the ax at his back. He guessed he usually did carry some sort of weapon, although it was usually a hunting weapon. He supposed he really did have a reputation in Corona as a brute. He was tired of it. He decided to stand up to the old man. "Father I am not an idiot! You weren't there! With the time constraints, I couldn't find the hot water machines anywhere! I looked everywhere!"

"Couldn't find them anywhere? Couldn't find them anywhere? I've seen drawings of those machines. They are twice as big as you and as subtle as snow in summer! How could you not find them?!"

"You know what? Maybe I don't think through everything like you. But father you sent me over there to destroy those machines, knowing they would boil over, exploding in a deluge of hot water! Did you think through how I was supposed to do that and not get hurt?" He didn't let his father answer. "I think you did it because you know I am not like you. I'd figure out a way through the danger, because I am strong and brave. That is why I joined the guard for a brief time."

"Yes and even the guard didn't straighten you out!"

"They still accepted me as one of their own! They let me help with the efforts to help put out the fire!"

"You helped them put the fire out?!"

"Only as a cover!" He looked at Rebekah for help. " And I didn't really. It didn't get that far." He said disappointed. "All I did was help fill up some vats and load them."

His father turned his back. Maybe Wolfgang was getting through to him. "Did anybody see you do this?" His father asked quietly. "Well Vrott and some of the guard did." He said. "And Rapunzel."

With his father's back turned toward him, Wolfgang couldn't see that his father was fingering the ax on the table. He thought his father's anger was quelling through the insightful cover up his sister had devised for him. "Yes, so you see I am free of suspicion." He turned to go upstairs to his room. "Everything will work out father. You will see." He was few steps away from the stairs, still looking at them, when his father nonplussed him by saying "You're right son. I have been too hard on you. You do still have a purpose to serve." He heard his father walk toward him quickly. Before he had time to turn around, he heard his mother scream and Rebekah cry hysterically, "What are you doing?!"

He had enough time to partially turn his head to see the handle of the ax in his father's hands headed straight for him.

"Don't worry son, I won't kill you, but we are going through some growing pains right now, and sometimes those do hurt!"

The blunt handle hit his head with such a blow that all he saw was stars and blackness. When he came to, he thought he was down in Varian's cellar for a minute, in the deep dank dark, shackled to manacles. He saw Antonio the tailor next to him and realized he was in his own cellar, hooked to his own cellar's manacles. His father never saw it fit to shackle Antonio to them since the tailor continued to make suits for them by dim candlelight while he was down there. "Well look at that." Antonio sneered at Wolfgang. "Does this suit you now?" The old man cackled gleefully at his own jest.

"Eugene what's wrong?"

"Rapunzel, I am not sure I can get back on that horse."

"You mean with your duties as Captain? I thought you did great today Eugene!" Eugene looked astounded and thankful at that response, but he laughed. A horrible hoarse hacking noise came out instead.

"He means literally." Varian offered for him. "He almost fell off Maximus a few times on the way over here."

"Nice Varian!" Eugene looked him sharply, peeved that he had ratted him out. "Way to worry a pregnant princess. I'm fine really," he sped to tell Rapunzel promptly. "Just a little sore is all."

She looked at him in sympathy and took his arm. "We'll take the wagon back. I can't ride either."

"Hey I thought you said we were relieved of duty once we found Eugene." Pete whined. Stan gave him a vicious chastening look.

"No he's right." Rapunzel acknowledged. "We'll go ahead and drive the wagon back. Stan and Pete, you can go."

Stan and Pete looked at each other. "Princess I don't know how to tell you this, but we rather not walk back to the plaza. We'd offer to drive you back, but well sitting on the bed of a wagon, doesn't look like would be good for either one of you." Stan said, looking at sore Eugene and pregnant Rapunzel.

"It's kind of bumpy." Admitted Pete.

"Right." Continued Stan. "So can you two drive, and both Pete and I ride back with you on the bed of the wagon?"

Rapunzel thought that would make for a funny sight, and she wouldn't have minded, except for one thing.

"Well actually, I was thinking Pete or Stan, if you are sticking around anyway, one of you might be able to help Varian take Maximus back to his house, and then ride Maximus back to the palace stables?"

"Oh!" Eugene realized Rapunzel hadn't been in on the conversation earlier. "Varian was riding back to the palace with me, to get his horse."

"His horse?" Rapunzel asked. The king hadn't communicated with her either.

All the confusion was cleared up and Varian rode Maximus alongside Eugene and Rapunzel's wagon. Eugene and Rapunzel drove in front with the two guards stretched out in the back like two kids hitching a joy ride. "Look at us!" Rapunzel remarked. "Do you feel like we're parents already? Giving our kids a ride?"

Eugene looked back at the guards. "Yes, but no offense, to Pete and Stan, I hope our kids don't look like that."

"Eugene!"

"Well seriously princess, what do you think they will look like? As stunningly handsome as me? Or as heartbreakingly gorgeous as you?"

Rapunzel shook her head.

"Although Lance was right, I do look like the crypt keeper right now!" He was about to complain about his ruined attire, when Rapunzel interjected.

"Lance? He made it then? And the Snuggly Duckling guys?"

"Yes, yes! Thank you for that princess. They told me about that." He told her the whole story, well minus the part of how close he had gotten to the flames, but then again, she might have already figured that out for herself.

"So it was a lightning strike?"

"That's my best guess at what appeared to start the fire." Eugene confirmed.

"Huh. How strange and random, for the one lightning strike in that storm to hit Varian's tree of all places."

"I know! But look at me! I look like I have been hit by lightning! Rapunzel, I know this is really bad timing, but I really need some new clothing!" He complained, circling back around.

Rapunzel looked at her husband and felt after what he had just been through, something like that should be the least of his worries. Their whole conversation had been peppered with coughing, hacking and rasping from him in spurts. She directed to him to drink some of the rainwater that had collected in one of the vats. He cupped his hand and drank a little. 'That man,' She thought, 'Sometimes I think he cares more about his appearance than his own life!' He was her prince though.

"Maybe we can see if Madam Estrada would be able to bend the rules a little for making men's clothes," Rapunzel told him, "for a special price. Just until we can get another tailor." Finding another one had been harder than she had thought. She needed to ask Eugene something more pressing though. "Eugene," she started. "How much of the wheat is left?"

"Oh princess I wasn't going to tell you that until we got to the palace." The look she gave him said she wanted to know now. He reluctantly gave her the bad news. "Eugene I know we can fix this. We just have to figure out the food travel problem. We have access to so many crops from the Dark Kingdom! I can't believe they'll all go to waste. I won't!" They almost approached the plaza now and a pale look came over the princess. "Rapunzel what is wrong?" Eugene asked.

Rapunzel touched her head. "Nothing it's just-" She gasped suddenly. "Eugene look!" They had just arrived at the plaza, and Eugene saw what Rapunzel was pointing at. The host of shops that used to boast Corona's bright red stamps, indicating her reward system, were now empty of all stamps, the windows looking a bit naked. It was a volunteer system, so Rapunzel knew it was the vendor's choice, but she wondered why they had all changed their minds so rapidly. She couldn't tell exactly the reason, but it deeply unsettled her, more than just because it was a loss of an incentive she had created.

She hadn't noticed this before in the drive on the wagon over here because of all the rain, and her worry for Eugene. She felt a chill come over her. They rode through the plaza wordlessly when they came up to Madam Estrada's shop. The seamstress was at the window, currently scraping away the stamp. She looked positively startled when she saw Eugene and Rapunzel. She had never expected to see them coming back from the fire this late, riding on a wagon no less! She quickly worked to hide the long flat instrument she was using to scrape the stamp off behind her back, which would have been comical, if she felt she weren't betraying Rapunzel. 'This was a volunteer thing though!' She had told herself. Rapunzel looked at Eugene. She wanted to talk to Madam Estrada, not to get after her, but just to get an inside perspective of what was going on to change all these vendors' minds. Yet her husband, even with the small drafts of rainwater he was taking from the vat in the wagon, needed to get back.

"Go ahead." He urged her, seeming to know what she was thinking. "I need to sit down on something other than this wagon anyway for a bit." He remembered a nice plush chair he had seen in there. She still wavered, so he decided to make it easier for her to go talk to the seamstress. Pulling rank on the guards he said, "Hey Stan, Pete, I know she's the princess, but technically you both are under my jurisdiction," It was still so strange, but he was having so much fun saying that! "So you were supposed to drive the wagon back anyway right? Go ahead and do that for us now. The princess has an errand to run." The men, even Pete, didn't look like they minded at all. They were almost back to the courtyard so it wasn't much of an imposition. But for good measure, Eugene added, "Please."

"It's our pleasure." Stan reassured. As the guards moved to take over the driver's seat to the right of the wagon, Varian hung around with Maximus for a bit. He had been about to leave, but caught sight of Eugene helping Rapunzel out of the left side of the wagon. He saw his friend's muscles strain and his legs shake a bit, as if they were about to give way from exhaustion, but he tried to hide it from his wife.

Eugene looked up to see Varian watching him, "Varian what are you still doing here? You can go ahead and take Maximus back to the stables and get your horse. You've had a long day like the rest of us." Varian hesitated. "Go," Eugene laughed throatily. "You've done enough today." Varian left looking over his shoulder, but tried to shrug off his worry. Eugene was a captain now. He supposed he knew how to take care of himself. Besides he knew he would either see them back at the palace as he collected his horse, or on the return trip to his house, if they were still at the seamstress'.

He got to the stables without incident and let Maximus go to his stall. The horse was exhausted too. He went to another stall to collect Nella, his tan Clydesdale, another royal horse gifted to he and his father. He found that the horse's wider back help him steady his tall gawky gait as he rode. The horse swung its tail back and forth when she saw him. She had a sweeter, calmer temperament than Maximus' fiery gusto.

He fed her a green apple. Another fruit he had picked up from the baby shower and placed in his pocket. Then mounted her to leave. It was pretty desolate in the plaza by now. Left over flags and streamers celebrating the baby shower that had just took place hours earlier, flapped in the misty rain soaked wind, seemingly resigned that they were no longer garnering attention. Pete and Stan had long gotten back to the palace courtyard and all the baby shower guests had dispersed, grateful to be safe in their homes after all the fuss of the fire. Even the majority of the shops had closed, with no throng to serve.

Varian's Clydesdale clopped through the cobblestone; an orphaned sound compared to the cacophony of noise that filled the plaza earlier. Varian didn't mind the solitude. It was in solitude that he was usually able to think best. Suddenly a young girl with a cream colored cap came rushing towards him looking extremely perturbed. She spotted Varian on his Clydesdale. "Sir! Sir!" She addressed him. No one had ever called him 'sir'. "Can I get a ride on your horse? I must get to the doctor!"

"What?" gasped Varian. Oh no, he knew it. 'It's Eugene.' He thought. He knew his friend hadn't been ok. Why didn't he just trust his instincts? "It's the prince-consort isn't it? Did he collapse?" He asked as he helped her up.

"No my lord." She gulped for air short of breath from the panic. The young woman, whom, he discovered was named Faith, told the story.

"Hi Madam Estrada," Rapunzel said smiling warmly. Rapunzel was disquieted, but Madam Estrada had done nothing wrong, and Rapunzel wanted to make sure she got that message across. "You're majesty! Princess! I-I-I" Madam Estrada started to sputter, still absurdly trying to hide the flat knife she was using to scrape of her stamp. She was still standing outside her shop window facing the princess and the prince-consort. "It's ok Estrada." Rapunzel laid a hand on her arm. "The stamps were a volunteer thing. You know that. It wasn't required of you at all."

Estrada didn't seem to know what to say for a minute, but suddenly she blew out her lips. "I know princess, but I would have even kept it up if it weren't for the fire today."

"The fire? What does that have to do with it?" Rapunzel asked out of genuine curiosity. Estrada looked around and opened the door, motioning to them to follow her. "Here you better come inside." She said. As they walked in, Rapunzel had a thought, "Eugene without the wagon, do you think you can walk back to palace? If need be, I could walk back first and get you a carriage?" It was a short walk they had done countless times before, but Rapunzel wasn't missing the strain in her husband's movements. No matter how he tried to hide it. It was Eugene's turn to blow a raspberry. "Carriage, smarriage." He said. Rapunzel continued to look at him. "Ok maybe a carriage wouldn't be horrible." Rapunzel gave him a knowing look with a hint of victory that she had been right. "But we'll see," Eugene protested, "I might be fine!"

"You sound horrible Captain." Madam Estrada proclaimed. "Did you put out the fire or roll around in the soot?"

"Ha!" Eugene choked out. "It's funny you mention that because I was wondering if you can make-"

"Hey Eugene, do you mind asking Madam Estrada about that later?" Rapunzel asked gently, knowing what he was going to say. "Maybe when I walk back to get the carriage? I think Madam Estrada was about to say something about the fire."

"Oh yes," Madam Estrada replied sadly, perhaps regretful she had remembered. "Rapunzel the purchasing incentive you put in place with the stamps was brilliant and it worked for a little while, but now there's a food shortage and especially with wanting to pay Faith wages," She gestured at Faith, interrupting herself. "You are totally worth it too sweetie! I can't afford to give any extra income to anyone, whether people buy more here or not."

"Ok Madam Estrada," Rapunzel worked to keep calm. The information was more than revealing. If there was already a rumor of a food shortage going around than no wonder most of Corona's vendors had given up on the purchasing program. "Who told you there is a food shortage?"

"Well isn't it true?" Asked Madam Estrada. "I know our farmlands have been struggling since the black rocks. And now with the fire..."

All at once, everything clicked for Rapunzel. She had been focusing on reassuring farmers in the country about crops and gathering enough rations. She had even told them about the Dark Kingdom's crops and that she had been working on a plan to preserve them longer through the year. However she had not even thought of talking to the people in the city. Usually they took the food from the country without many questions on how it got there. Not unless they saw a scarcity in front of their eyes, or someone from the country told them.

They did not know, that even with the fire, Corona's people would not have to suffer yet. Not if she could help it. The fact that this trepidation was happening right under her nose disconcerted her a little. Her head spun with the fact that her people were really already feeling certain they would face hunger. And her headache came back with a vengeance. She had to figure out the solution, the key to figuring out the Dark Kingdom crops, now before it was too late.

She needed to tell Madam Estrada that she was working on coming up with a plan. Maybe the people could brainstorm with her and figure something out together. "Madam Estrada," She started and then stopped. When these headaches happened, she was usually able to shoulder past them and come out the other side feeling normal again. This one stubbornly stuck around like a piercing hot glare. "Madam Estrada." She tried again. Eugene had found the plush seat he had been looking for and was sitting down in it listening to the conversation. "Rapunzel are you ok?" He asked. He saw the same pale look come over her that he had seen earlier but this time it turned to the shade of pale gray.

Her eyes looked at him for just a minute, before an unfocused look passed over them and they closed. "Rapunzel!" She seized up. He barely caught her in time before she hit the floor. He couldn't carry all her weight, not in his condition, so Madam Estrada swiftly came to help, clearly shaken. "Here you support her head and shoulders boy and I will grab her legs." She instructed. Really neither one of them noticed how she called him boy, but she was twenty years older than Eugene, so it seemed to come naturally to her in this situation. She reached to grab Rapunzel's legs, exposing Rapunzel's bare feet from under her long tresses of her dress. Rapunzel still never wore shoes, even as a princess, however lately she had been wearing extremely long dresses that hid her feet.

At first, she had worn oversized dresses to hide her pregnancy, but Eugene didn't notice that she kept wearing them even after the public announcement. He assumed they were more comfortable for her to wear in her present condition. Now that her feet were exposed, Madam Estrada saw that her feet and calves were swollen and bruisy looking. She shuddered visibly. She had seen that once before, more than twenty one years ago. She saw this kind of malady on the queen.

Madam Estrada had served the queen during her pregnancy with Rapunzel, right before her infamous sickness. "What? What is it?" Eugene asked still in shock, and seeing Madam Estrada shudder. "Nothing boy, I mean Captain. We have a settee in the back we use for when Faith and I are up late at night working on projects. We should lay her down on that to rest." She helped Eugene carry Rapunzel to the back work room and find the settee. She turned away to address Faith and a stray tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away before Captain Fitzherbert could notice. "What- what is it Madam?" Faith almost echoed Eugene. "Nothing, let's go to the front girl."

"Captain Fitzherbert, I am instructing Faith to go get the doctor!" She called back to him. He was still hovering over Rapunzel, probably in complete shock. He had no idea she had been close to collapsing before they went in here. Madam Estrada remembered it had been hard to predict with Queen Arianna as well. When they got back to the front shop room, away from Captain Fitzherbert, Madam Estrada whispered to Faith, "Go, go to the doctor girl. Tell him it's likely princess Rapunzel has the same sickness as her mother. I've seen the signs." Her mouth turning into a frown. Faith ran and bumped into Varian.

"It's the princess my lord!" Faith finished her story breathlessly to Varian. "She's collapsed!" Faith grabbed on to Varian a little as they went over a bump. "Madam Estrada is sure she's sick with her mother's illness!" Varian was so stunned he didn't even notice when she called him 'lord'.

They fetched the doctor, and since the walk from his house to Madam Estrada's was not long he decided to take Varian's horse, instead of taking the time to hitch up his carriage. With this dire news, he was eager to get to the princess first before anything else. Nella was practically a pack horse so she could carry both the doctor and Varian's weight. Faith volunteered to dismount and walk back.

On the way back, sweet tempered Nella whinnied in terror when she turned a corner and almost ran into a strange caravan led by huge black horses, looking like it was its way back to the castle. Varian recognized that caravan and the man that poked out of it, ill-tempered that they had almost collided into him. "Egbert!" Varian called, before the man could say anything. "Please let us pass! The princess is ill!" Varian felt that Eugene's family was Rapunzel's family, and that Egbert should know if Rapunzel was sick. He knew nothing of their conflicted history. "Rapunzel is ill?" Egbert repeated.

"Yes, the doctor is riding with me! We need to get to her soon!"

"But I don't understand, if Rapunzel is sick, why are you riding away from the palace?"

"She's at the seamstress'! She collapsed there!"

"Collapsed!"

"Yes! We have to hurry!"

Egbert shifted himself, "I will follow you with my caravan. If she collapsed she likely be in need of a carriage!" Egbert paused before going back inside the caravan. "Unless she has one?"

"No man!" The doctor spoke this time. "That's why we're riding on a horse! Now make haste!"

Varian took off on Nella again, the doctor behind him holding on for dear life. Egbert's caravan and the black horses lumbered along behind them as fast they could. When they got to Madam Estrada's all three of them entered. Faith wasn't far behind. The seamstress led them to the back workroom, where they found Rapunzel unconsciously laying on the purple settee, and Eugene in his current messy physical and emotional state.

The doctor hurried to examine Rapunzel. He did a brief examination just to check for verification of what Madam Estrada had told Faith. There were no sighs of relief this time. He looked up with a frown and his face and simply told Eugene that they needed to get her to the castle to rest more. Eugene pressed him for more information, but the doctor only shook his head and told him he would do a more thorough examination once they got to the castle.

"You need to carry her out Captain." The doctor instructed. He turned to Egbert "Duke?"

"Duke Egbert Lundar of Cratteron." The duke introduced himself.

"Ah yes, I thought I caught your name at the baby shower. Forgive me, I had just forgotten it. Duke Lundar, has a caravan ready for the princess."

Eugene looked at his cousin in suspect at first. He didn't know how he happened to be here, at the right place and the right time, but he supposed he should just be thankful, regardless of how he personally felt. "Thank you Cuz." He wheezed out, extending his hand to shake the other man's. "I will need some help carrying her out. That fire did a number on me." He finally admitted.

Eugene supported her legs this time, and Egbert supported her head and shoulders and they walked together out of the seamstress' shop into Egbert's caravan. The caravan was extremely large as it was meant to carry a third of the extensive Lundar family. It was one of three caravans that the Lundars needed to use to transport themselves and the entirety of their extended relations. Eugene sat by his wife as best as he could. She was laying across the seat and while there were numerous seats in the caravan, the seats themselves weren't that large. He quieted his thoughts for now and focused only on making sure she didn't decline further during the ride over.

In the silence, Egbert decided to let his thoughts be known, scorn pouring from his lips. "She did strain herself didn't she? I knew she shouldn't have been doing all that she was doing." Egbert scoffed, glaring at Eugene. "You let her do too much." Before Eugene had a chance to react, the doctor spoke.

"No, dear Duke, you are mistaken." The doctor pushed forward, speaking somewhat sharply. "This has nothing to do with strain."

Doctor Kravitz understood how Egbert might be upset. Everyone got attached to Rapunzel once meeting her! He knew in these situations that people looked for someone or something to blame. Yet he also knew, it was not the prince-consort's fault, and heard how the young man was sounding. He thought he might need to treat him as well. He didn't want added stress of displaced guilt to make anything worse. The doctor's words mitigated the tension, along with the fact Rapunzel's poor little chameleon looked like he was at his wits' end. He scuttled on Eugene's shoulder and squeaked at him, panicked for answers.

Regardless, whatever temporary truce had occurred between Egbert and Eugene, snapped. Eugene forced his attention to his wife, but the way he felt after that snarky comment, he hoped Egbert was thankful to be on the opposing seating across from him, and the doctor between them. They arrived at the castle and parked under the carriage porch. The servants were all in a frenzy, after being told the reason they needed to get the king and queen. As they exited the carriage, the servants took over helping Eugene carry Rapunzel to their quarters. Eugene walked backwards up the palace steps under the carriage porch, to help carry Rapunzel with the servants, and spotted someone he didn't expect to see.

"Varian? You are still hanging around?"

He was still on Nella, determined to follow the caravan back to the castle.

"I want to see if Rapunzel's ok." The teenager insisted.

He had learned his lesson about sticking around to make sure his friends were alright. Although, it turned out he was worried about the wrong friend before. Eugene gave him an appreciative smile, as he made it up the top step with an effort. "You're welcome to stay." He looked down at his wife's face, currently restful in repose. He wished it was only due to sleep. "I don't know how long it will be until we get some news."

Suddenly Eugene's legs gave way. The smoke inhalation, the exposure to heat, the long walk, the horseback riding and now carrying his invalid wife had been too much. He fell to his knees as he felt other servants taking Rapunzel away from him to carry her instead. Sleep came unbidden, crashing into him as if it had been torrents of waves coming at him earlier, instead of torrents of fire.

When he woke up an hour or two later, he was laying in his own room with the king staring down at him. "Your majesty!" He quickly sat up to compose himself.

"So," the king addressed him without introduction, "you weren't content on having us only worry about our daughter were you?" King Frederick asked with mock chastisement. He leaned in. "You had to have us worry about you too?"

"My apologies your majesty."

King Frederick gave Eugene a small half smile. "I would think you of all people would be able to take a joke Eugene."

Eugene looked down at himself. His clothes had been changed and his skin washed. As much as he had gotten acclimated quickly to the palace luxuries, his man servant's insistence on dressing him, he could never get used to. Now he had done it while he was unconscious. He involuntarily shuddered. Time for a different subject. "How's Rapunzel?" He asked, getting up.

"Actually son, that is what we are waiting on you for."

"Waiting on me?"

"Yes, the doctor said you seemed to be suffering from exhaustion and smoke inhalation but he thought you would wake soon. He insisted on not telling anyone anything about Rapunzel until you came to. He said you had a right to know first."

"I had the right to know first? You didn't want to call the king card on him?" Eugene couldn't help asking.

"If you hadn't woken up in the next hour or so, I would have." The king responded, which explained why the king was staring him down when he woke. "Well where is she? Where is Rapunzel?"

The king led him down to her old room. After Eugene fell, the doctor had decided to examine both husband and wife separately, mainly due to the gravity of Rapunzel's situation. She lay on her resplendent purple bed, still asleep and unaware of all the fuss around her. "Ah Captain!" The doctor exclaimed. "I had hoped you'd come join us soon." His voice sounding light as if Eugene had only been out on an errand and Rapunzel would wake any minute from her nap. "Feeling any better?"

Now that the doctor mentioned it, a lot of Eugene's soreness was gone but his lungs hadn't gotten any better. "A little." Eugene answered honestly. It hurt to say more anyway. Whatever crud had been in his lungs, settled while he was asleep. He'd deal with it after the doctor told him about Rapunzel. "Well now that the prince-consort is here," said the doctor. "I need everyone to leave the room." The servants and the queen left. King Frederick remained. "Including you, your majesty."

King Frederick looked like he had some words to say to that, but after looking from the doctor, to Eugene, to finally his daughter, some sort of epiphany helped him finally walk out. He looked far from happy about it though.

After the king left the doctor spoke to Eugene. "I have good news and bad news about Rapunzel son." The doctor had down what to call Eugene down now. He called him "Captain" in public and something more familiar like "son" or "lad" in private. It made Eugene feel more at ease. "The good news effects the bad news and visa versa, which is why I wanted to inform you of both first."

"Ok," Eugene responded. The doctor was still being awfully cryptic. Doctor Kravitz seemed to know he was drawing out the suspense and looked at him somewhat apologetically. "Here son, I think the best way to tell you is to let you hear for yourself." He took off his stethoscope and handed toward it to Eugene, signaling him to put it on and come by Rapunzel's bedside. Eugene put the stethoscope on, it was a weird device, and under the doctor's direction he put the round end connected by the wire on Rapunzel's belly.

He heard a heartbeat! Actually now that he listened closer he heard two heartbeats! They were beating strongly, but extremely fast! 'Too fast' he thought. The doctor, with a expectant smile watched Eugene's face react. Eugene took one ear bud off and told the doctor, "I hear two heartbeats! They are going really fast. Too quickly I think. Is that why Rapunzel is sick? Her heart is beating too fast? Is the baby sick too?"

"No son, forgive me, I forgot you don't know babies' hearts beat faster." The doctor explained taking the stethoscope back from Eugene. "It is perfectly healthy and normal. I checked Rapunzel's heartbeat earlier and it seems to be returning to normal. The two heartbeats you heard are the heartbeats of your future children."

"What? Uh excuse me doctor, I thought I heard you say children."

"That is correct. You heard me right!" The doctor smiled triumphantly. "The princess is pregnant with twins! That's why I insisted on letting on you know first! It's you're right to know as the father."

"Twins?! She's having twins? We're having twins?" He toned it down a little to spare his lungs. Eugene thought he might pass out again. From utter joy this time! He was going to be a father twice over in one stroke! He wished he could celebrate with Rapunzel at the moment. It made a lot of sense now why she thought she was bigger than she should be. That should put her more at ease and then some! If he had been able to speak more he would have. "But Rapunzel, doctor?" Wanting to ask after her illness, he kept his words short.

"This is why this is good news and bad news son. I think everyone will be elated that the princess will be having twins, but the fact is, it is contributing to the pregnancy illness she has inherited."

Eugene's emotions swung to the other side of the pendulum. "You mean?"

"Yes son. I am afraid so, Rapunzel has inherited her mother's illness." The doctor spoke quickly, before he lost Eugene's attention completely to the inevitable grief that came over his features. "She's a fighter son. She dealt with this while she was carrying twins. I am guessing, and I say this with a little shame myself, that she hid how she was feeling for a month or so. She had her last appointment with me right before the public announcement of her pregnancy. I had noticed only a little swelling then, but not enough to cause alarm. You said she touched her head right before she seized?"

Eugene confirmed it, and she had touched her head right before they entered the plaza. It had happened so close to when they saw Corona's stamps gone, he had tied them together. The doctor nodded. "She was probably dealing with migraines for a while and didn't tell anyone."

Eugene sat back, feeling totally helpless.

"What can we do about this? Where can we go from here?" And then he asked the question he had been afraid to ask. "Will she wake up?"

"She should." The doctor answered to his relief. "I am requiring bed rest for her though until she gives birth."

Rapunzel was six months pregnant. "That's three months away!" He couldn't imagine Rapunzel resigning herself to bed rest that long. She was going to be as restless as a hornet about that when she woke up.

"But here's more good news lad. Women pregnant with twins give birth earlier. Usually about a month or so early. I will be honest with you, as her pregnancy continues, her condition will probably worsen until she gives birth. However since she will likely be giving birth a month earlier, the fact that she is having twins may save her life and the lives of your children."

It was so much to process, but Eugene latched onto one thing specifically. "So you said that giving birth earlier may save her life and the babies' lives," which Eugene was grateful for, "But that also means there's a chance that everyone-" he didn't want to say it, but he had to know. "Everyone will not make it? Rapunzel and the twins?"

"Unfortunately yes. But let's hope for the best son. As I said, the princess is a fighter."

He knew that. He tried to borrow Rapunzel's sense of optimism that he had learned from her over the years, but it wasn't coming easily to him without her.

Rapunzel felt trapped. She was in the snowstorm again, when Eugene volunteered to go out to find her parents. Neither her parents, nor Eugene or even Maximus had returned. It was dark, extremely windy and bitterly cold. The interior of the castle was not well lit. She knew there must be other people around her but she couldn't see anyone. She heard Varian calling out to her to go save his dad. His father, Quirin, was completely encased in amber, an accident from some sort of machine Varian had made. She saw Varian's face appear before her and then it vanished as if it had never been there. His voice still echoed to her for help.

She followed it walking barefoot outside the palace. Her long blonde hair whipped behind her, pulling her back every time she moved forward. The icy posterior of the layers of snow that blanketed the ground were so cold it oddly burned her feet. She heard Eugene's voice, her parents' voices, Varian's, and many more voices she recognized but couldn't pinpoint, calling out to her indiscriminately. She knew that somehow someway she needed to save them all.

There was a yellow orb of golden light in the darkness that always seemed to be at her peripheral but she could never face it, no matter which way she turned. All she could see were snow flurries that happened blow in the direction of its distant illumination. Without explanation, she felt herself suddenly pulled into the inside of Varian's lab. There she could see the amber. She had arrived to fix it!

Yet instead of seeing Quirin fixated within the amber prism, she was entombed in it herself! She didn't understand, she had never felt its golden walls closing in on her. She at once saw the formative walls entrapping her, and had an out of body experience where she could see herself trapped within them, clambering to get out, but she couldn't. Fear clawed at her. She was stuck. Yet it was then a small part of herself realized she couldn't have time travelled here. She did not have long hair anymore, it had been cut and lost all its power. This wasn't real.

Then, on the heels of that knowledge, Varian materialized into visibility as if he had always been there. "Princess," he said in a questioning way, "what are you doing there?" He sounded like he was casually wondering why she turned the wrong corner, instead of wondering why she was imprisoned in amber. "My father is trapped in amber, not you." He told her in matter-of-fact manner, looking at her in puzzlement.

Inexplicably again, she found herself out of the amber and viewed Quirin in the predicament instead, just as he had been in the past. She didn't know how she knew it, but she knew it was months later than the snowstorm now, but before they defeated the sinister demon threatening Corona. It felt so long ago. At this time, she had already found and failed to retrieve the moonstone on her journey. She did however, obtain a new power from it. The Moonstone had a parallel incantation that was opposite from the Sun Drop's healing incantation in every way. The rhythm and melody were the same, but the words, and the consequences of the spell were fatally inverted.

"Wither and decay

End this destiny

Break these earthly chains

And set the spirit free

The spirit free"

She found herself singing it, her long hair, somehow still present, had turned black and was wrapped around Quirin's amber prison. The thought was to disassemble the amber around Quirin with the spell and stop once Quirin was free. The amber started to give way under the detriments of the spell. Quirin was beginning to move, freeing himself! She had to stop herself in time, before the spell harmed those around her.

The incantation, though deadly, worked much more slowly than the Sun Drop's healing incantation. She stopped breathless, with Varian's help, just in time, barely able to control the power that coursed through her. Varian's father was ok! Despite being stuck for months in the amber, Rapunzel felt that the Moonstone's incantation might have a time reversal element just like the Sun Drop's. She wondered that because Quirin was as healthy and unharmed as he was the moments before he was ensnared in the amber.

It was if the spell had deconstructed part of the golden prison to the point where it had never existed. However it was the amber itself that had naturally preserved Quirin all these long months. He wouldn't have been frozen through time if he had not been preserved, and Rapunzel would not have been able to free him with her magic. The amber perfectly preserved him. The amber perfectly preserved him. The amber preserved him. 'The crops!' Rapunzel thought in her dream, pushing her mind to the present. The dream itself was not real she knew, but the way she saw herself freeing Quirin just now had really happened around two years ago.

It had led Varian to create a amber making machine, to harness the element for other purposes. Did Varian still have the machine that created the amber? Could he use it to encase and somehow preserve the crops, releasing them at the right time? If anybody could figure that out Varian could! She had to get out of here, back to her own time and tell Varian! She didn't necessarily think she could just walk out of here, but she had to try. She moved her feet, but they were stuck. Stuck? She looked down and saw some of the amber that surrounded her before pooled and hardened around her feet. She was immobile again. But she wasn't giving up. She had to fight her way out!

Twin Conspiracies

Egbert watched the prince-consort's face as he let the king and queen into the room so the doctor could inform them of what he had just told Eugene. Egbert had stayed, he said as a courtesy to his cousin's wife, to make sure she was ok after initially aiding her in her collapse. "She's having twins!" Eugene told them first, before the doctor took over to explain the rest.

'Twins' Egbert thought. So when they were born it would be sure Rapunzel would have a second child to inherit the Dark Kingdom's throne if they chose. His second cousin smiled while bringing the news, though it was tempered with sadness tangible even to Egbert. He found out why. The doctor put the news in the best light possible he could, but it was apparent the danger that loomed over princess Rapunzel and her twins. It was possible that none of them would survive. If that was the case, that would only leave one role left for Eugene and Egbert didn't think it would be in Corona.

As the direct heir with no reasons to hold him back, Eugene would be obligated to take the throne of the Dark Kingdom. He needed to speak to his cousin swiftly to sort things out. In spite of the emotional fall out this recent news must of cost Eugene, they were both royalty. Kingdoms rose and fell on the basis of their actions. They had no room to take personal liberties to hesitate in their decisions. To do so meant weakness.

He saw Queen Arianna hug Eugene and whisper something in his ear, Egbert thought must have been meant as comfort, and then the prince-consort seemed to need to leave the room at the moment. Maybe to collect himself. The man was overly-emotional. The princess' ridiculous lizard was on his shoulder. 'Women and their pets!' he thought. He caught Eugene as he walked down the hall. "Horace." Egbert called after him, knowing Eugene's birth name King Edmund had christened him with would catch his attention. It was partially a test. If he intended to take the Dark Kingdom's throne, he better accept the birth name. The Dark Kingdom's subjects weren't going to call him Eugene Fitzherbert. That was a Coronan name if he ever heard one.

The man turned to face him rigidly but didn't say anything. It kind of freaked Egbert out a little. For the brief time he had known him, Eugene had never been at loss for words. He was talking even right before he passed out! "Yes?" Eugene finally replied. It sounded forced, lacking gusto, as if his pipes weren't getting enough air. Maybe Eugene was intimidated by him. He had been a duke long before Eugene knew he was a prince after all. It gave him confidence to go forward. "I am sorry about the princess." Duke began first, proper decorum was a requisite in these situations. At those words, the tension in Eugene's body language relaxed. "Thank you." He said with- what was that? Warmth? It made Egbert almost second guess himself, but he went on. "It seems if all fairs well however you will have two children in a few months time."

"Yes." Eugene sounded more guarded this time. Again the man wasn't talking much. He would have to loosen his tongue.

"I understand the present situation is dire. Which is why, even with the pressing concern, I find it prudent to ask if you intend to have one of your children, now that you will have two, take the Dark Kingdom's throne. If the princess does not survive but the children do, you may have to step up to make the decisions for her."

"My wife will be fully capable of making her own decisions." Eugene gritted out. "For instance, we had decided to wait to tell you if we would have our child take the Dark Kingdom's throne until we had a second child. Now that we are having a second child, I am able to tell you we decided that my father and I will tutor it in the ways of the Dark Kingdom." Eugene's words had a sucking sound to them, like he seethed them out all on an exhale.

"Forgive me Horace," Egbert began.

"Eugene."

"Eugene," Egbert gave in, "Although I do not know why you insist on going by that name. A name given to a would-be orphan not a prince."

"I go by that name, because my wife likes that name."

"Very well." Egbert went on unflustered, "Forgive me, Eugene, but I do not think you are the most capable of tutors in the ways of the Dark Kingdom, having not been raised there. Nor are you familiar with the rigors of royalty. I think I would be a much better candidate to tutor your child as agreed upon by King Edmund."

"We've had already spoken with King Edmund. He agreed that he would teach me all about Dark Kingdom, so that if I had a second child, my child and I could learn together." Eugene tried a last ditch effort to mitigate how that sounded. "Not so much work for you that way heh?" The last 'heh' produced a sickly cough. The seething, thin sound of his voice growing tighter. Gauging from the tight tone of his voice, Eugene was challenging him, Egbert mistakenly decided. No matter his colloquial way of saying that he would be taking over the tutoring to spare him work, it was clear he was cutting Egbert out of the process.

Eugene was denying him access to make sure the throne was run rightly, when he, Duke Egbert of the Lundars of Craterron had lost so much, while Eugene was in Corona, thieving! "And I suppose," Egbert thundered on, all decorum lost now, "that if your wife and unborn children die, you will find it fit to take the throne from me?"

"I don't know!" Outburst Eugene. It was followed by a cough that had a ridiculous sound to it like a "whoop". With that sound, Egbert was sure Eugene was toying with him now, laughing at him. The prince consort wasn't finished however.

"You know, the throne was never guaranteed yours in the first place. Whether I would take the throne or not is my business, but how can you sit there insinuating that princess Rapunzel and our unborn children will die to my face? Rapunzel is a fighter! She will not die! And you will have to stomach whatever outcome comes from the birth of our children Egbert!" That last speech released a fit of hemming choking coughs from Eugene. The man had made himself sickly from his fool-hardiness around the fire. It was not courage, it was bravado, even if Egbert was the only one who could see it. Egbert left Eugene in his fit of hacking. Let him hack his way to the grave for all he cared! Egbert stormed off. He knew exactly where he was going to go.

"Well that went well didn't it frog?" King Frederick heard Eugene ask Pascal. Rapunzel's lizard was riding on his shoulder. King Frederick had heard just enough of Eugene's last wordy impassioned speech to know it did not sit well with his lungs, or Egbert. If Egbert had been the least bit considerate, he would have realized Eugene wasn't seething at first, he was having trouble talking due to the irritation in his lungs. The king had heard the commotion of the exchange of words rising in volume and had come to investigate. He didn't like the sound of the boy's hacking. It sounded too close to the whooping cough that King Frederick had narrowly survived as a boy. Without Eugene's knowledge, King Frederick observed how the boy had taken out a handkerchief and now when he looked down at it, his mucus was black.

The king felt a motion at his shoulder. It was the doctor who had come to diagnose the sound of Eugene's lungs. He must have already done everything he could for Rapunzel. The doctor didn't hesitate to speak up, even though Eugene didn't know either one of them were there. "You still got too much smoke in your lungs Captain Fitzherbert. We will have to remedy that."

Eugene looked up and from his reaction, he was surprised to see them both there, but barely missed a beat. "Is there a remedy for this?" He asked.

"Yes." The doctor was swift to reply. "Tea and steam baths."

"Steam baths?!" That was not the answer he expected to hear.

"Yes! In my studies of medicine, there is a far off land called Turkey where they are famous for their steam baths. It is purported that these steam baths can have medicinal purposes. For instance, it is said that if a man with a cold sits in a steam bath, he can be cured of his cold within a matter of hours. You have far more than a cold, but I still think the basic principle applies. I recommend two or three such steam baths or taking them until you are cured."

"It seems that Varian has turned the kingdom's hot water back on your majesty." Nigel, King Frederick's right hand man spoke, having joined the entourage who was staring at Eugene still caught poised with his handkerchief in hand.

On the other hand, King Frederick's worst fears were being realized with his daughter's pregnancy today. Yet he knew if she had been awake to talk to him, she would have been overjoyed at the news of the twins and refused to let the other news overtake her. He also realized he couldn't afford her husband getting sick too now. "Eugene go take a steam bath. As king, that is an order." He commanded.

'Ha!' Eugene thought, he was being commanded to take a steam bath! If he could have laughed he would have. He told himself he would tell Rapunzel about this.

Egbert found himself driving his caravan to the Humphert's manor the second time today. He had no time to loose. His family was planning on returning to the Dark Kingdom soon now that the baby shower was over. He would need to coordinate with them, and see who supported him in his plan. Nevertheless first the Humpherts were a key element. He found the manor too quiet. The servants were still not out and about. It seemed Lord Humphert had never ended their previous dismissal. He knocked on the door himself. Lord Phineas Humphert answered looking like he was already on his way out. He could hear a ruckus involving his wife's and daughter's voices in the background.

"Duke Lundar?" Phineas stood frozen in the doorway, looking shocked, probably wondering if the man had changed his mind and had come to turn him into the king.

"Good afternoon Lord Humphert." Duke Lundar addressed as pleasantly as he could. He wanted to make clear that his unannounced call to his home was not hostile in anyway. "It seems I may have been too hasty earlier. 'Treacherous snake' may have been a judgment too harsh."

Lord Phineas Humphert's eyes lit up. He didn't know what caused this sudden change, but he was going to capitalize on it, as soon as he could. He slammed the front door behind him, barring Egbert from entry. "Pardon me Duke, but the women of my household are not up to seeing guests. We have just learned of our own personal family tragedy!" He choked on those last words with a sob. Duke Egbert wondered what would cause a man who was so well-bred to so vividly break his forbearance. "We have just learned that my son Wolfgang has perished in the fire after he volunteered to aid the Captain!"

It is was a bald faced lie. His son was still very much alive and hidden in his cellar. It looked like he sold the news well enough to Duke Lundar though.

"Ah! I am so sorry for your loss Lord Humphert. It seems that tragedy has struck the royal family of Corona twice this day then!"

"Oh?" Lord Humphert asked just barely managing to avoid a triumphal sound to his voice.

"Yes princess Rapunzel has been stricken ill with the same illness her mother had. She may be dying."

Lord Humphert turned around quickly, seemingly overcome with emotion. He was able to hide his wicked exuberant smile from Egbert that way. After he was able to compose himself, he worked his voice into one of inconsolable grief. "I must commiserate with my cousin then." He said with what he hoped sounded like compassion. "However the man appointed Captain must not be allowed to continue in his position. It is because of his woeful oversight that my son succumbed to the flames and gone where I can not follow! Appointing that rogue is unfortunately not a temporary lapse in the king's judgment. He mistakes compassion for foolishness, and boldness for brashness! My cousin's inadequacy has been made extremely evident to all! There is a food shortage in all of Corona as a result of the impulsive indulgent actions of King Frederick!"

Egbert Lundar had heard about that, since he was a potential heir to the Dark Kingdom's throne, King Edmund had let him be privy to the details of the kingdom's trade deal. Although Phineas' seemed to be exaggerating a bit. Egbert knew they had rations. Then again perhaps now it wasn't a stretch because of the fire in the fields. He told Phineas about Rapunzel's trade deal and how they were still trying to hash out how to preserve the crops.

Phineas bit his tongue and was glad that the princess seemed incapacitated temporarily. She was too capable. He did what he did best. Flipped the perspective on its head. "And you see the princess was a worthy leader!" He made sure to adamantly agree, but talk about her in past tense all the same. He needed Egbert and all of Corona's subjects to be convinced that she would not survive. "Who knows? Perhaps because she was not raised under the tutelage of her father she escaped inheriting his fatally flawed judgment. It is tragic that the princess could not escape the heritage of her mother's illness. All Corona must mourn, but in our mourning we can not allow King Frederick to sink Corona all over again! Or prince-consort Eugene Fitzherbert to do the same to do the same to yours! What a perilous idea to make a former thief Captain of the Royal Guard! Now my son has paid for it!"

Egbert's conviction to set himself against Eugene and the royal families that supported him, deepened. If the man could let someone die in a fire, without the least mention or regret of it, what would kind of king would he be if the princess did die and he returned to take the throne of the Dark Kingdom? It was time for Duke Egbert Lundar to take what was his and end the wait. If Rapunzel survived this, Egbert convinced himself that he would make her, his, and she'd eventually see he was the better man. They needed to act swiftly. "Do we have any support?" Duke Lundar asked Phineas.

"Yes."

Phineas knew they would have some support in the city due to his wife's and daughter's efforts. He also thought of Lieutenant Vrott. He had talked to his son in cellar since he came to, prying him for all the information on how far he went to help with the fire, with the promise he would release him sooner than later. Who knows? Maybe he would free his son soon. It all depended on the outcome of this revolt he was planning. Phineas had found that Vrott would know that his son did not die in the fire, or at least that it was extremely unlikely. Maybe Phineas could exaggerate how far the fire had spread. Either way, he knew Lieutenant Vrott had his own reasons to rebel against the current Captain. And from Wolfgang's account Vrott had the support of a few of the guards to mount such a rebellion.

He had to admit, he had his son to thank for that. His son did not fail him in that regard. He guessed a few of his lessons got through to that boy's head. He laughed inwardly. The issue with using Lieutenant Vrott, was not only did he know the truth about Wolfgang not being near the fiery fields, but he wasn't sure if the guard was ready to take a step in rebellion against the king. Rebelling against the Captain, prince-consort or not, was one thing, fully fledged treason was a complete other. Nevertheless, looking at Egbert, he felt a rush of confidence. He had just met the duke this morning, and already he was willing to ally with him against two royal families. He supposed Vrott would be more easily manipulated.

When Vrott heard of the princess' illness he was shocked. She had a bout of heat exhaustion months ago, that was true. Yet he just saw her a few hours ago outside the palace directing guards and she seemed fine. He had finished double checking if the men had put everything properly away and that everything was in order. The king's assistant Nigel told him about the princess' health in hushed tones, he didn't want to create a stir yet if possible. Vrott was told, by order of the king, to keep that information to himself for today. Corona had just recovered from the scare of the fire. They didn't need more panic to ensue with this news.

Nigel had also called this private meeting with First Lieutenant Vrott because Captain Fitzherbert also seemed like he was in for a long recovery due to the fire. The king had instructed Nigel to tell Vrott to be ready to take over morning drill tomorrow if need be. With the Captain recovering, they would have to play when he would be resuming his guard duties by ear.

Maybe it would be tomorrow, but maybe it would be much later. Vrott knew he should be celebrating at that news. With the Captain possibly indisposed, the way seemed paved for him. Yet the peculiar thing about Lieutenant Vrott's personality was that once things were free from a fight, it took the fight out of him. He had no reason to undermine the Captain now. It seemed like depending on the princess' health it might be just a waiting game to see if Captain Fitzherbert would remain captain at all, if the worst happened to his wife or not, just like Wolfgang had said.

It was funny, but since the situation was partially realized, and not merely in his head, he felt a little sorry for it. Facing the reality of it was different because Vrott harbored no resentment against the princess. She'd been through enough. Vrott replied in the affirmative that he and the men would be ready for whatever came their way tomorrow and began to walk out of the palace. He knew what he was going to do with his newfound power of acting captain first! Take the veteran guards, especially those who supported him, off of night duty tonight. That was the most odious task of all.

The new captain had insisted it was better to pair the veteran guards with new recruits for night duty, since it often proved to be the most treacherous time and they needed the experience. It was a rotation, but previously, veterans had always been let off of night duty entirely due to their seniority. He wasn't on night duty tonight, but the other guards thanked him for changing the rounds. As he talked to the last guard around palace's front gate he noticed an odd looking caravan with gigantic black horses.

Rapunzel was not going to let a little bit of amber around her feet peg her down. She squirmed and tried to kick, despite knowing that the resin once hardened was practically immobile. She had to get back! Finally she realized in this reality, whether it was a dream or time travel, she still had her long blonde hair and it still held some of its power. She didn't necessarily want to use the wither and decay spell again. Varian and Quirin had vanished and she didn't think she could snap herself out of the hypnotic effect of that incantation without their help.

In this state, it somehow made perfect sense to her why they were gone even though she hadn't seen a trace of their departure. She had a fleeting thought that perhaps if she could swing her hair around anything up above, she could leverage it in such a way that somehow might give her enough force to yank her out. She felt around with her feet to see if there were any weak points at all to the hold the amber had on them, if there was any angle she might be able to wiggle out of successfully. She noticed it didn't feel as tight around her heels. That still didn't seem like that was a very hopeful position because even if she was able to get the back of her feet a little freer, they would still be weighed down by the amber at the front of her feet.

Rapunzel had to remember what kind of power her hair still retained other than the wither and decay spell. She didn't have the healing incantation at her disposal anymore. It never returned since the last tear fell that healed Eugene. However for some reason at this time her hair was nearly indestructible and extremely strong. Varian had wondered aloud to her once, if it was the Sun Drop's way of protecting itself since it was robbed of its healing power when her hair was cut. Adira had also theorized to her that her healing power could return when the Sun Drop and Moonstone were joined together again, completing the circle of power.

She didn't have time to figure it all out, but she was going to use the strength her hair had for now, before it suddenly vanished in this warped reality, just like Quirin and Varian had. If it was so strong, could she use its strength to pivot against the seeming permanence of the amber? In the back of her mind something told her that they had tried something similar with the amber before, to no avail, but an unexplainable certainty came over her that it was the method that was flawed in their last attempt, not the concept. Instead of using her hair to try to break the amber, she was going to use it to bend the amber in against itself.

She looked up at the ceiling to see if anything at all might be there to support a pulley made from her hair. Good luck there. She was underground in Varian's lab and several reinforcement beams latched onto the ceiling to keep it from caving in. They were a little old and slightly water logged from the underground environment, so they sagged a little. She hoped the beams weren't too rickety to cause her whole plan to fall apart literally. She thought she saw just enough space to squeeze her hair around. She whipped it around, and on the second try, she was a little rusty, she lassoed it. She had angled it so, to pull her legs both up forwards against her heels, with the little wiggle room she had. She also positioned it to pit one leg against the other.

If she could get the amber wrapped around one foot to bend even just a little into the amber wrapped around the other, she hypothesized that the pressure of one semi pillar against another could cause the thinner more brittle parts of the hardened substance to give way just enough to free herself. The amber stopped just below her knees so she was able to still bend them to a degree. She yanked her hair with all her might trying to get it to pivot her against the amber.

She now saw an obstacle in her plan. Her hair and the amber were nearly indefatigable, her body was not. This was going to hurt. The force of her hair pulling against the amber with her body in between, made her feel stretched out between two unmovable forces. In addition she heard the thick rafter up above start to CREEE-AK! It was starting to bow ever so slightly. She didn't want risk pulling down part of the ceiling on top of her, but she had to at least try a little more and give it all, everything could take if she was going to get out of here.

Finally when the pain seemed so extreme she felt that she was going to have to release, she heard a deep CRACK. She wasn't sure if it was the rafter or was it? Yes! It was the ginger colored material making that noise. Thanks to the pivot, one encased foot bent enough to scrape against the other, crashing parts of the amber into each other. The ensuing friction was causing some of the more brittle parts of the amber to chip away! Her plan was working! A thinner part of the pool around her right foot was breaking off! When she was able to, she jerked her right foot up with all her strength. It scraped painfully against the surrounding remaining amber but it was loosening just enough to lift it out!

She woke up with a jerk in her purple bed in her old room, and found that she kicked her handmaiden Ethel square in the face!

"Ethel! Ethel! I am so sorry!" Rapunzel cried. Yet another inward part of her rejoiced relentlessly! She was back home! It worked! In the seconds that proceeded, only in gradual stages did the dream logic wear off and she realized that her fight with the amber hadn't been real, but it didn't matter. She was awake! Her jubilation was only marred in part by the sight of her handmaiden nursing her nose. "Oh Ethel! Does it hurt? Oh I am so sorry!" She apologized again.

"It's ok your majesty," Ethel said through the pinched sound of her nose, as she nursed it. She sneezed and seemed to wriggle it back into shape. "I was just repositioning your feet and calves. I thought it might help, since they look very swollen, but you still have such a kick!" Rapunzel begged her pardon as much as she could, with Ethel insisting it was alright and there was no harm done. Rapunzel remembered the entirety of her dream.

She had to get up to tell her parents, Eugene and Varian! She tried to get up but found that she couldn't yet. Her body was all over sore, just as it had been in her dream. Dauntless, she determined to tell Varian about the amber preservation idea she had for the crops in her dream. It could be just the key they were looking for! "Ethel, where is everybody?" She looked around. She didn't mind that they were not all there, but knew the first time she had suffered a sort of fainting spell, Eugene had stayed by her side the entire time. She gasped abruptly. "Eugene!" She said aloud. All the details of the fire were rushing back to her. "Is he alright?"

"I'm here sunshine."

He was in the doorway. He had just finished his steam bath and was walking down the hall toward her room, when he thought he heard her voice. The king had graciously granted him the rest of the day off. She thought he looked and sounded so much better! "Eugene! Pascal!" Pascal was on his shoulder and scampered off in the delight of seeing her awake. He got by her bedside and squeaked at her happily.

"Hello princess! Making these long afternoon naps a habit are we?" He smiled, but it looked like it lacked a certain conviction. She could tell she really scared him this time.

"I'm alright Eugene." Rapunzel reassured him, making an effort to prop herself up.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sore, but so glad to be awake!" He frowned but then he smiled. He felt now was the time to tell her.

"I have some news to tell you!" He gave an account of the good news the doctor had told him.

"Twins!" Rapunzel exclaimed when he had finished, her joy unbridled. "Oh Eugene! That's wonderful! I didn't have any idea! No wonder I am so big!"

"I know right?" Eugene responded, thinking both of how incredible these tidings were, and what he thought before, that the news would give her comfort about her body image. He realized he had flubbed when she met him with a hard stare. He had accidentally confirmed what she thought about her size.

"I mean you're doubly beautiful now?" He hastily tried to save. His words failed him this time.

"Just stop while you're ahead husband."

He laughed. "Husband? You never called me that before. Is that your nickname for me now?" He had two for her, and so she had been trying to think of one for him.

"I don't know." She said. "It seemed to fit then but I don't know if it will sound awkward if I keep saying it. I will have to think about it." She grinned. "Which reminds me, now we really need to think of baby names! Do you think we are having twin girls, boys or one of each?" Rapunzel asked.

"I have no idea." Eugene responded. "I'm still wrapping my head around that we are having two!" The sad smile was back suddenly. He knew he had to tell her the other news. He did the best he could, attempting what the doctor did, which was tell him the truth but in the most positive light. He related that despite her contracting the same illness as her mother, her pushed forward due date may save the day. When he had finished, she didn't look like she was surprised or rebelling against the news. That is when he understood she must have known. "Did you already know this sunshine?"

She screwed up her face. "I felt more and more like it was probably true, but felt like I could fight it off if I just took care of myself."

"Rapunzel why didn't you tell me?" He told her how the doctor guessed that she had been feeling symptoms for at least a month. "Why did you hide it from me?"

Two tears that streamed down her face surprised him. "I'm sorry. It's just that you have so much pressure on you already. I didn't want to add to it. I wasn't exactly sure if the pregnancy symptoms were just getting really bad, or it was something else."

"But you felt that it might be?"

She nodded.

"Rapunzel, hey, we don't fight these things separately. We always fight them together. The way we take the pressure off of each other is we share it right? No matter what."

"I know!" She sobbed. They embraced. They would fight this together as much as they could. She smiled again.

"Lily, Violet or Amaryllis?" She suggested for girl names. Instead of saying yes to any of them, he proposed three boy names. "Scott? Or maybe Derrick? Or oooh instead of Derrick, Erik?"

"Varian!" Rapunzel said all of the sudden.

"Varian?" Eugene asked. "You want to name one of the babies after him?"

She chuckled briefly. "Well I hadn't actually thought of that, but no! I mean I need to talk to him!" She told him all about the dream she had and the idea gleaned from it. He listened with rapt attention.

"Oh I just realized Varian might still be here! I completely forgot to to update him!" It was nearing dinnertime now. If the kid was still here waiting, they would need to talk to him quickly so that he would not have to ride back in the dark or have to stay here when he knew the teen desperately preferred to get back home and take care of things after what had happened today.

"I can go fetch him for you." Another voice broke in. They both turned. They forgot Ethel was there. She was a bit of a wallflower. "I know exactly where he is." She told them. Varian was downstairs in the royal kitchen having the feast of his life. Knowing what he just went through, the cook spoiled him with roasted duck l'orange, browned butter butternut squash, fresh rye bread, and vanilla bean almond milk pudding served with raisins and spiced baked apples. There was a cheer from the kitchen as they heard the princess was awake and that the prince-consort seemed to be making a full recovery.

The staff asked Varian and Ethel if they would mind bringing up plates to the princess and her husband on their way up there. They gladly agreed. On their way up the stairs, Ethel caught sight of Charity, one of Rapunzel's other handmaidens. "Charity!" She called over happily. "The princess is awake and the captain is dining with her." She gestured to the plates. "The king and queen should be told!"

Charity raised her eyebrows in happiness and her eyes brightened, but she didn't have the amazed look of exaltation that Ethel expected. In fact, her face looked a little drawn with nervousness. She whispered something to Ethel, and judging from the change in Ethel's demeanor, it seemed that her look was catching. Ethel made her best attempt to shrug it off for now. She didn't need for the princess to see her looking like this, and she followed Varian up the stairs.

The lad was so tall he easily strode up two steps at a time. He made it to the princess' room long before her. When he entered the room, there were hugs and questions, along with comments of de ja vu to keep things light- hearted. To spare Varian after his grounds had been brutally damaged, when he asked, they decided to tell him that Rapunzel would be chronically ill until she gave birth. Then they hoped for the best.

Varian couldn't help seeing what they weren't saying though. "Is there a chance the princess could die?" He said bluntly. "Yes." Rapunzel chose to answer honestly. "But when has risk to my life ever stopped me from doing anything?"

Varian swallowed and contrived to smile. Her confidence was contagious, and he forced himself to believe it. He gave the princess his best wishes and was glad that Eugene seemed better too. "Where were you by the way? The servants said you woke up a long time ago."

"I had to take a steam bath! Ha! By command of the king! To help with the coughing. Apparently the doctor said I needed to stay in there at least 2-3 hours for it to be effective."

"Right. Suuure you did." Varian teased. Pascal made a huffing sound that sounded suspiciously like laughter.

"Laugh it up Varian. Pascal, you know it's the honest truth frog." He pointed in playful accusation to the chameleon. Eugene had actually been a little reluctant to go back into heat after facing the fire, whether it was in water form or not. The heat was a little uncomfortable at first, but the doctor had been right. It worked wonders. The left over strain in his muscles was virtually gone and he felt like his lungs were halfway cleared. There was only some minor agitation left whenever he breathed in and out, but not like before. His perpetual coughing stopped.

So that explained where Eugene was when she woke up, but Rapunzel wondered where her parents were. She knew they had to be worried. She was a little surprised her father was not watching over her like a hawk. "Ethel have my parents been told that I am awake?" She asked.

"Yes," began Ethel hesitantly, "But at the moment they are otherwise engaged."

"Otherwise engaged?" It must have been pretty important, because Rapunzel knew how much her parents would want to be there for her when she woke. "Yes ma'am. I can't speak to the details, because the other servants were not able to tell me yet, but I know it was pressing." What Ethel said, was partially true. She knew what it was about, but not many details. The princess needed to focus on recovering presently.

"They're probably answering worried subjects' questions about the fire. Or maybe some people already know about your illness Rapunzel. You know how fast that spread last time." Eugene offered.

Oh boy she hoped not, thought Rapunzel, but to Eugene she said, "Yeah you're probably right, but whatever it is, they're going to wish they were here when they hear what I have to tell Varian!"

Rapunzel repeated to the group all the details about her vivid dream and the idea that sprouted from it about amber preserving the crops. "Varian do you still have that weaponized amber machine? I know there will be some kinks to figure out how to get the crops safely out of the amber, but you think it could somehow work?" They had used a modified version of the amber making machine as a weapon in more treacherous times, thinking it could encapsulate an enemy. It almost worked, if the kick back from the foe hadn't been so powerful.

Varian answered. "It broke, but I think I could easily fix it." An excitement came over his features. "Yes, yes, yes! I think that I could get that to work! I don't why I didn't think of that myself! My dad's returning from the Dark Kingdom in two days, I'll have to go over there to meet him before he comes back. I'll need all the help preserving the crops I can get if this thing works!" It was late evening the sun would be setting soon. He would need to leave immediately if he were to get a good night sleep and then get up first thing tomorrow morning to ready his hot air balloon for travel.

Before Rapunzel could say anything about how glad she was that he thought he could work it out, he told them all this and dashed down the stairs. They heard a tussle and a fall, and then an uneven sound of footfalls climbing back up. Varian appeared again with a slight limp. "Varian! Are you ok?"

"What? Oh this?" He nodded to his foot. "I'm fine. Just need to shake it off." He shook it vigorously and put his foot firmly back on the ground, demonstrating that he could walk ably. "See? Good as new! I came back up because I forgot!" He huffed, "The surviving wheat needs to be harvested!" He put his head down in shame. "I was going to harvest it after the baby shower."

"Oh Varian it's not you're fault." Rapunzel comforted. "You couldn't have known what would happen." She went a step further. "Don't worry a thing about it. I know my father gave you some farm hands. We'll see to it that they get the job done. We'll double the workers if needed."

"Thank you princess."

"Thank you Varian." Her words pointed and slow for effect. If he could pull this off, her kingdom would never know the looming threat of hunger. "For use of your ingenuity in service to the crown, Corona thanks you! Know that whatever happens we will support you, but I know you can figure it out! You're amazing!"

"I hope you're right princess!" He felt simultaneously lifted by her encouragement and the full weight of what he needed to do. He left with those dual convictions in mind.

Maybe it was a bit creepy but Eugene watched his wife eat as he ate. The doctor told him to watch for her appetite. If she was still eating, that was a good sign. He felt pretty useless in this whole situation, so he latched onto anything he could do. She was eating well. With this meal, Eugene didn't see how she couldn't! Cook had been holding out on them with this duck l'orange dish. He didn't recall him ever making this before. He'd fight another fire if it meant eating this again! Well, not really, but it was pretty good. Rapunzel's hand maiden Charity took over for Ethel in their rotation. She drew the curtains back and with Eugene's help rearranged the bed so that Eugene and Rapunzel could watch the sunset.

The other hand maidens brought in some of Rapunzel's baby shower gifts to the room to cheer Rapunzel up. They couldn't bring them all in, but Pascal began playing with several toy canvas balls that had been gifted to the princess, rolling them back and forth on the floor. It was pretty peaceful compared to the events of before. They held hands and fell fast asleep. Unlike before, where middle-of-the-day sleep kept them up the night after, they were going to need as much as rest as they could get.

King Frederick snuck up quietly to his daughter's room long after sunset. Queen Arianna had already peeked in on them and passed the message to him that they're daughter had already eaten and fallen back asleep, Eugene by her side. He saw them together, Rapunzel's elbow bent up upwards in her funny way of sleeping. Eugene's mouth was hanging halfway open as he slept. He hated to wake him, but this was too important. "Eugene!" He whispered loudly, shaking the boy. "Huh, what? what?" The young man answered groggily.

This was the second time he woke up to the sight of the king's visage as the first frame of his consciousness. The king beckoned him to follow him out of the room. Eugene got up sleepily, running his hands through his hair to jerk himself towards alertness. "Eugene," the king spoke quietly, wasting no time, as usual. "Did you see Wolfgang out on Varian's fields, with you, putting out the fire?"

"Wolfgang?!" Eugene reacted loudly. Rapunzel's cousin had briefly joined the guards at one point, but fled at the first sign of trouble. He would have been more than a little stunned to see the man there.

"Shhhhh," the king hushed. They were immediately outside the Rapunzel's room.

"Oh sorry, no sir, he wasn't there. Or if he was, I didn't see him."

That is what King Frederick had thought. The boy who married Rapunzel could be a little scattered at times, but an important detail like that he wouldn't have left out.

"The thing is Eugene some of the guards did see Wolfgang volunteering with Lieutenant Vrott outside the palace and according to them they left on a wagon together towards the fire before the rain started."

Eugene didn't know what to do with that information. He knew he hadn't seen Vrott until after the rain, but he hadn't specifically seen him arrive. He had been too busy. It was possible he arrived before, but he hadn't seen Wolfgang with him. He let the king in on all he had seen. "Why don't you ask Vrott?" Eugene asked, before realizing he was giving the king a suggestion. "He returned with all the guards before I did."

"That's thing son. No one can find Lieutenant Vrott."

"What?"

"Yes. Nigel last saw Vrott to tell him he might need to cover for you tomorrow. I was going to try to relieve you of your duties, just until you had fully recovered." The king relayed.

"Thank you sire." Eugene couldn't help replying. This was news to him. The king hadn't told him yet.

"Of course son. Just because you're pulling double duty as Rapunzel's husband and Captain of the Guard, doesn't mean we need you to wear yourself completely out."

"Just partially heh?" cracked Eugene laughing at the word "completely". He looked at the king's face and regretted it. Sometimes his mouth worked before his brain. "Er, sorry sir, I am grateful."

"You're welcome." The king granted. "Anyway, since Nigel last spoke to him, we can't find Vrott anywhere. Son, listen to me, I know this day has been a day for terrible news and I hate to break this to you, but Lord Phineas Humphert just told me some hours ago that his son is dead, perished in the fire."

All grogginess shortly vanished from Eugene. A chill went through him, and he felt a different kind of heat at the back of his neck. "What? How?"

Several hours earlier, Vrott, at the palace gate, caught sight of a strange abnormally tall man with white spiky hair climb out of an exotic caravan. Following the caravan, a more familiar carriage and face arrived. "Lord Humphert!" Vrott called out. The man looked up. "I just saw your son! Did he make it home ok?" The lord seemed very agitated now and began making great strides towards him in great haste. When he got to Vrott, he spoke in hushed tones, "No, no Vrott he didn't. Quiet yourself!"

"I was just greeting you-"

Lord Humphert presented Vrott with an ax. Or at least that is what it looked like it used to be. Only the blade was left and a bare anemic, charred part of a bit of the top part of the handle that had clung onto the blade. It was charred and burnt to cinders. What looked like was wrapped around it was what had been leather straps blackened and frayed by flame. He recognized the blade now by the leather straps. They were Wolfgang's. "What is this?" He asked despite knowing what it was.

"It is my son's! He perished in the fire!" Phineas abandoned his hush tones a little and said this part more loudly and plaintively.

"What? That's impossible! He was trying to catch up with you!"

The agitated look came over Phineas again. Vrott had whispered that last part in pure shock, but the lord looked around trying to see if anyone was listening.

"Come, follow me." He motioned. Again he walked with quick strides towards his carriage this time. Vrott hesitated. He hadn't been exactly been dismissed from duty. He knew the other guards were back on duty had already taken up their places, first while he double checked supplies and then while he was called into a private conference with the king's man. He supposed if he didn't take too much time, it would be just assumed that this was an extension of that. Besides this was an emergency. If Lord Humphert thought his son was dead, he would need to clear that up quickly. He didn't know where Wolfgang had gotten off to with his ax all burnt up like that. They entered the caravan and Lord Humphert turned to Vrott again showing him the ax.

"You said you never knew if Wolfgang made it home."

"Well yes, but it was raining when he left the wagon. He didn't find your carriage? We saw it and another one at a great distance. It had just started raining then. Maybe after he first tried to catch you, it started raining too hard for you to see each other. It was pouring when he left. In fact I am surprised that ax didn't get too drenched to burn! Hey! Are you sure it's Wolfgang's?" Despite the leather straps, maybe it was a possibility the ax wasn't his. Vrott thought the lord would feel some sort of relief at this information, but instead he turned red faced.

"How dare you insult me and question our family's tragedy! Don't you think I would know my son's own ax? Do you think I would be making these broad claims about his death if I weren't absolutely certain?"

Vrott felt shaken, but he couldn't help carrying on, "But I don't see how-?"

"Perhaps the fire had spread to a different unknown part. And sometimes rain does not fall evenly on an entire land. It is possible my son reached a dry patch."

"But sir, that's impossible! He was soaked!" In addition, Vrott had also been to the fields. He saw the devastation and how far it reached. While it was extensive, the borders of the scorched earth were very distinct. The fire was thoroughly put out.

"Remember your place lieutenant," Lord Phineas barked. "You are talking to a lord."

"I am sorry my lord. I do know my place, which is why I am glad to tell you that you must be mistaken about your son. I am guessing your son is missing? The guard can form a search party for him if he doesn't turn up in the next few hours, he may only be out hunting."

Lord Phineas Humphert's anguished face instantly changed to a cold slated one. "You do not need to be concerned with forming a search party for my son." He replied emotionlessly. "What you need to be concerned about is making sure I don't charge you with treason for the secret revolt you had planned against the Captain of the Guard and prince- consort."

Lieutenant Vrott's heart quickened. All thoughts of Wolfgang were forgotten. How could he know about that? "I didn't! I haven't!" He protested lamely.

"Perhaps it hadn't gotten as far as a revolt yet. However, you had gotten far enough to garner support for you to supplant the current Captain. I could only guess you meant to do it by force since the current captain has the backing of the king. You know full well that the Captain is Corona's prince- consort, which means treason Lieutenant. Your own underlings may have to lead you to the gallows!" He laughed cruelly.

"You have no proof!" Lieutenant Vrott latched onto desperately.

"Do I not?" Asked Phineas amused. "All great families have their sources for information within the palace workings. I have it on a very good source that what I say is true."

The lieutenant was panicking trying to get his fear numbed brain to think of a plan, something to say to get out of this. Yet he had always been better at a physical fight than a fight with words.

"There's no need for you to go to the gallows yet Lieutenant Vrott." Lord Humphert threw him a bone. The Lieutenant met his eyes.

"I'll do anything my lord!"

"Well you have already gone halfway into treason, but I think it's time you commit to something. Do you really see yourself contentedly serving a king that allowed a thief, who should have been hung, to be appointed Captain of the Royal Guard? Do you really see committing yourself in another battle to that king? It is this king's indirect fault that the demon came to rise in Corona in the first place. If he had left that golden flower well enough alone and not messed with the power of the Sun Drop, it would not have led the demon here, lusting for its power. And now, with princess Rapunzel's illness, history is repeating itself. Except now she and the potential heirs will die. We Humpherts are next in line anyway."

Vrott had just been informed of the princess' illness, and the gravity of it, so that he could be kept on guard for whatever duties may come his way. Especially if the prince- consort was unable to resume his duties, because of his own recovery, or the state of his wife's health. He knew it was true she could die. He also knew it was true that if she died, the Humpherts would take the throne after King Frederick's death.

"What are you suggesting?" Vrott asked the lord.

"Our family, the Humpherts, are planning on only speeding up the natural order of things. We need to cut short King Frederick's reign to avoid giving him any more chances to ruin Corona with his half-witted choices. We have allied with Duke Lundar of the Dark Kingdom to battle against the king for the throne. We will need our own captain." He smiled. "We are in need of magnificent fighter with military experience and any support in the guard he may have. It is time to end this reign of senselessness and bring about a new reign that the will lead Corona to a new light! Are you willing to take that leap? Which will it be? Glory in battle or the gallows, Lieutenant?" After a moment he asked, "Or should I say Captain? That will be your title if you join us."

"We are guests here!" Craiggon Lundar bellowed in his famous baritone. "How can you think to do this Egbert?" The Lundars were split. In the inner rooms of the castle, Egbert told them all about how Rapunzel had fallen ill and he felt it was likely that Eugene would return to the Dark Kingdom to take the throne. He planned to stop that from happening. He knew at least some of them deeply resented the leadership of King Edmund, and would want even less to do with his son. They had banked on either a fresh start with Rapunzel's child or Egbert taking the throne. Now that circumstances had changed, with this in mind, who would join him in his alliance with the Humpherts?

"How do you know that princess Rapunzel won't survive? That her twins won't survive?" Another relative, Lumarias Lundar asked him.

"They told me she has the same illness as her mother. She and her mother were only able to survive it last time because of the healing magic of that flower! There's no healing flower anymore."

"But Rapunzel and her mother are two different people. Look at what she has accomplished already!"

"Again none of it without the power of the Sun Drop or the Moonstone." He turned to his relatives. "You have to make a choice. Do you really want a foreigner ruling over us, with no insight in our ways, with everything we have already lost? He could prove more incompetent than his father!"

"Do not speak of King Edmund like that!" Elipta Lundar snapped. She was nearly in tears at the revelation of Egbert's plan. Egbert took his elder half sister's hands in his. "Elipta, you have always watched out for me, but now I need to forge my own path." He faced the others. "Now who's with me?" A third of the Lundars agreed to join him. Two thirds would not raise a hand against either king. "See! You do not have enough support!" Asserted Craiggon.

"The Humpherts have their own support in addition to whatever I can bring. A third will be enough."

"Egbert if you do this with the others, the rest of us will not fight with you, but nor will we fight against you. We have already lost too much already, to loose more of our number. However that does not mean we will not tell the king. Egbert I beg you do not do this. We are not all brothers and sisters, but it feels like we are, due to surviving the desolation together. So if you persist in this ignoble plan of yours, we will give you twenty four hours to change your mind, before we tell King Frederick, if he doesn't figure it out for himself beforehand. After that we will send a message to King Edmund. I suggest you use these twenty four hours wisely to really think about what you are doing and the storm you will be up against."

"Believe me brother," Egbert said sarcastically, with a smile that did not touch his eyes. "I will."

"It's time to inform the king of the death of my son." Phineas announced to the inhabitants of the Lundar caravan gravely. Vrott just barely kept from biting his tongue off. After Lord Humphert's and Vrott's initial 'talk' in the Humpherts' carriage, he had gathered the guards he knew would support him. They apparently had permission to gather in one of the Lundars' caravans in order to listen to an abbreviated speech Lord Humphert had given Vrott. Vrott found out the foreign looking caravan belonged to the Lundars, a family from the Dark Kingdom, looking to ally with the Humpherts. Phineas said that the guards' pretense for gathering in the caravan would be that they were an armed escort to take the Lundars, at least part of the way, safely out of Corona. It would be easily believed after the fire. Also with the captain out of commission for the time being, Vrott knew he had the authority to make such a call, had that been really what it was.

The lord persisted in claiming his son perished in the fire, but the guards held their tongues, believing, like him, that the gallows awaited them for treason if they contradicted him. Some of them might have actually believed Phineas. He didn't know. He had been the last guard to leave with Wolfgang, so those guards who left earlier, might have believed that they missed Wolfgang arriving later to the fire. They might have believed he got caught in an off shoot of the fire no one had seen or drowned out. He didn't know precisely why Phineas was lying about that, or where Wolfgang had gone.

In any case, it was too late for Vrott. Before Vrott had exited his carriage to collect the other guards, Lord Phineas Humphert, ever ready, made him sign a document of support for him, and against the king. One the lord's hands had been on the door handle of his carriage the whole time to demonstrate that he would immediately inform the king of Vrott's treason if he did not sign.

Vrott could have gone to the king and accused Phineas of treason at that point, but who was he? A lieutenant of the guard against a great lord, the king's cousin no less! Who would believe him? Especially when he didn't know who else would rat him out and confirm Phineas' claims against him. He didn't know who Phineas' so-called source was. With Wolfgang gone somewhere, he guessed another guard.

Before Phineas had made the announcement that he was ready to tell the king about his son's untimely demise, Duke Egbert Lundar popped into the caravan window, knocking on it for Phineas to open the glass. "It is time for us to leave Corona my friend." The man said secretively, with a tone that implied double meaning.

"How many of your family will say their good-byes to the royal family?" Phineas asked back.

"A third. Not as many as thought before certainly, but the others will not keep us from leaving." He looked around the caravan at the guards gathered there. "And it looks like we have enough security to help us conduct a safe farewell."

"We will work with what we have." said Phineas, his eyes narrowing. "Perhaps a month of time should be allotted to prepare each side for our departure. There are some in the city who will want to say good-bye with us as well."

"Will that be enough time to prepare?"

"It may be more than enough time, if the princess dies during that time, propelling us to give our adieus to the royal family early." Phineas responded. Vrott wasn't one for all this double talk, but he knew enough to know they weren't talking of good-byes, they were talking of battle. Egbert entered the caravan and left again, after agreeing he would take the second of the Lundars' three caravans with his supporting family, to travel alongside the caravan the guards took, to Phineas' estate. They planned to all gather there. As they readied to go, Phineas exited the caravan himself, saying he would take his own carriage back and meet them later. For right now, he had a message for the king.

Back in the present, Eugene recovered a little from the first wave of shock that hit him when King Frederick told him the news about Wolfgang. "No wait, I am sorry your majesty, that's impossible! Varian and I walked up and down those fields assessing the damage and didn't see anything. We saw the extent of where the fire had reached. It didn't go beyond Varian's farm. There was a wind pushing it toward Varian's house, so we had trouble containing it from that direction, but it burned in all open fields, so it was easy to see where it led. There were some stray flames, but they spread towards us. We put them out, and the rain took care of the rest. Everything was sopping wet. Plus if Vrott truly was with Wolfgang, he didn't look disturbed at all. He didn't mention that Wolfgang was missing or that he was injured or anything of the sort. Why is it that Phineas believes his son died in the fire?" King Frederick told Eugene what happened earlier that day.

"My son is dead!" Phineas Humphert screamed at King Frederick, brandishing the burnt ax. "He went to go help put out the fire and perished due to your captain's incompetence!"

King Frederick sat down deeply distressed. He had ordered the prince- consort to go to a steam bath in way of treatment. After doing so, Nigel informed him there was a long line of constituents asking about the fire and extent of the damage. They knew it had damaged the crops. Moments before Eugene had gone, the king had the foresight to ask him if he knew about any injuries or damage. Eugene had been unable to speak much, so he wheezed out, "Only minor injuries, forty percent damage to wheat." The information would do for now, until the lad was more recovered.

The king longed to be watching over his daughter, but knew he needed to see to his subjects' concerns. Since she was sleeping, there wasn't much he could do, but ask the servants to let him know immediately if she awoke. Queen Arianna asked the same thing, leaving to support her husband. She knew he would need her by his side to face their subjects with the stress that gnawed at him. King Frederick didn't know what he would do without her. King Frederick did the best he could to calm his subjects telling them it wasn't as bad as loosing the entire field, and that the surviving wheat would soon be harvested. He and the princess had a plan for rations and a back up plan in the works to bring in more food. They would do their best to ensure Corona did not go hungry until then. Thanks to the fact that Rapunzel was carried out into a caravan, and the plaza had practically been abandoned when she was, it seemed news of her illness had not spread yet. His cousin changed all that.

"Lord Phineas," the king started, after hearing his accusation regarding the death of his son, "I am so sorry for your loss. I have to admit you have caught me at a bit of a loss, since the neither the captain nor any of the guards have come back reporting any such grievous injuries. May I ask you, what happened to Wolfgang?"

"My son died, that's what happened! And no of course they wouldn't!" Phineas clapped back. Then he softened, "You are going through your own loss. The princess has taken ill and is dying as we speak."

Gasps came through the entire court.

"Lord Phineas," King Frederick gripped his chair. As much as grief and anger threatened to overcome him, he knew his cousin's talent for distraction and manipulation. He had to keep his wits about him. "It is true that my daughter has taken ill." More gasps from the crowd filtered through the room. "But the doctor has given us positive news as well. She is carrying twins!" The room seemed caught in a swirl of emotion. "It seems since she is carrying twins she will give birth early, and that could cut short her illness."

"Or death could cut short her illness!" Phineas uttered. He knew he had gone to far with that statement, he felt anger rise in the room, not only from the king, but from his subjects.

"Forgive me king," He sought to amend his mistake. "I speak out of turn, I am only besotted by grief."

"I understand." The king said generously. "What can we do for your family? Can we assist with a funeral? Wolfgang should be honored for his heroism."

"I do not wish for a funeral! I wish to avenge my son!"

"Avenge him?" The king asked. This was quickly spiraling out of control. "Tell me what happened to him? How did the guards fail him so terribly that he got caught in the fire? And Phineas I know it is easy to react, but you're family needs to grieve, please let us assist you with a funeral and let us figure out what went wrong together."

"His body is too badly burned for a funeral! He must be avenged! Along with all of Corona for the way you have failed them! With the fields halfway gone, they will hunger, starve and die, just like my son!"

So that was what this was about. King Frederick knew the beginnings of a coup when he heard one. He knew that Phineas had always wanted the throne since they were boys. He began to doubt that Wolfgang was even dead. He knew his cousin well enough to know he was capable of such a heinous lie. He also knew though that Phineas' claims would be enough to make the people doubt, whether it was true or not. He had to get ahead of this somehow, and take a bold risk at unveiling the truth, no matter how distasteful his questions might seem. "Lord Phineas will you take a private conference with me?"

"I will not! I will not be subject to your manipulation. You can answer me openly in front of all the people of Corona!"

"Very well." He took a big breath. "Phineas I do not believe your son is dead." Risky or not, he thought this might be true and needed to see the lord's reaction.

"How dare you!" Phineas sputtered.

King Frederick went on, knowing what he said could either condemn him further or reveal the truth. "You say you do not want a funeral. I understand your feelings of wanting revenge. However what father does not also want to commemorate their child? And again there is the issue of the guards. Not only the captain, but none of the guards reported any such deaths. We will need to get to the bottom of this!"

"You can search for my son, but you will not find him! He is gone from this life! Your own bad judgment is to blame here. You have failed Corona and now you have failed my son! You will pay for this King Frederick! Mark my words! "

King Frederick was about to call the guards when he noticed several were missing. Phineas took advantage of the hesitation. "Or will you dare to put a grieving father away, cousin? Tend to your own grief now! It looks like a servant has come to inform you of the princess' death as we speak!"

King Frederick turned to see Charity looking pale faced. She was pale faced however because of what she had seen happening in court. She had arrived to tell the king the princess was awake, and Captain Fitzherbert was available as well. By the time the king looked back over, Phineas was gone. He was storming out of the castle and going towards his carriage to flee. "Guards after him!" King Frederick ordered, then realizing how, with the confusion if the lord's son had died in the fire or not, such a statement looked cruel and vindictive. Exactly what Lord Phineas would have wanted.

King Frederick had to make a choice. Judging from his subjects faces, seizing Phineas now, could put fuel to the metaphorical fire of his cousin's blatant plans of uprising. "No wait!" King Frederick called out. "We will get to the bottom of Phineas' claims first." He thought of getting Eugene, but remembered how the boy had collapsed, coughed up black mucus and how badly he sounded. He didn't know if he was any better or not. He was sure Eugene was with his daughter now if she was awake, which meant if he tore Eugene away from her, his daughter would also find out about the potential uprising, and he didn't want any chances of her declining further from the stress. "Go get First Lieutenant Vrott. Go get all the guards to report to me. We will get this story of Wolfgang's death straight. If it turns out there is truth to it, we will deal with it, but if not, we will find wherever Wolfgang has gone!" When they called for First Lieutenant Vrott, he was absent from his post, as were several other of the veteran guards. It had given pause to King Frederick, until another guard clarified that they were escorting the Lundars safely out of Corona, a cursory precaution after the fire. King Frederick understood why the Lundars were leaving in a hurry without saying farewell after Egbert had that confrontation with Eugene. He was pleased to hear that not all the Lundars had left yet. Perhaps the fissure between Eugene and the majority of the Lundars was not as far reaching as the conflict would seem. He ordered the rest of the guards to look for Wolfgang.

Thinking that Phineas may have sent Wolfgang out of Corona, they looked first to see if Wolfgang had been sighted at any of the docks. The king remembered how Eugene had said he escaped multiple times that way when he had been a thief. The search was not fruitful. Changing tactics, in case Wolfgang was hiding out somewhere, they combed through the forest. Lastly they looked through Varian's home and fields to see if there were anyway clues to the veracity of Lord Humphert's claims.

They startled Varian as he had not gotten home long before. The sunlight was waning, and the men found themselves having to search in moonlight. The search, which saw them ambling in the dark, was not very productive. However talking to Varian shed some light on the matter. Varian didn't really know who Wolfgang was, he only had a vague recollection of him, but said what Eugene had just confirmed to the king. He hadn't personally seen Wolfgang out on the fields. He and Eugene had walked through the entirety of the burnt ground, measuring it, and had found nothing other than earth and plants that had fallen casualty to the fire. The search would have to continue tomorrow. In the meantime Vrott and the missing guards had never returned to their posts. The king was not sure how far the group of guards had travelled with the Lundars. He knew that certain factions of Eugene's family could be demanding. Perhaps they were walking back on foot. He also knew that some of the guards were off duty at sunset, depending if their rotation was on night or day watch. He could sort it all out, but he needed to talk to one person, the Captain of the Guards.

"So it is Wolfgang, Lieutenant Vrott and some of the veteran guards who are missing as well." The king finished telling Eugene. "And son," He began with abashed humility, "I think you know my track record for finding missing persons is not good."

Eugene felt for him, but he also knew his own back was against the wall. He would need a list of names of the guards who were missing to sort out who was on night duty and who was not. It didn't sound exactly like the king had taken roll call. They called in a guard on night watch to see if he could say whether any of the missing guards had showed up to night post.

To their frustration, the guard reported Vrott had apparently taken all the veteran guards off of night duty as soon as he was appointed acting captain. That included the missing ones. It was suspicious, but Eugene knew Vrott had always hated that duty for himself and the other veterans! So that mystery was not cleared up. However something else really bothered him about King Frederick's story, and really stuck out to him. As a thief, he had always found the loophole, the gap in a well knit process. It often provided the way in and out for him. That method of thinking hadn't abandoned him now that he was a captain.

"Sir, how did Lord Humphert know that Rapunzel was sick?" Eugene wondered out loud. He knew she had only taken ill a few hours before. Everyone from the baby shower had already headed home. He hadn't seen anybody else's carriage under the carriage porch when the arrived in Egbert's caravan, so it meant that the Humpherts probably travelled home too. But then again, why would the Humpherts return home if Wolfgang was missing or dead, without notifying anyone, or anyone else saying anything about it? Something wasn't adding up. If they found out about Wolfgang while still at the palace, never returning home first, why not see the king immediately with their complaint, especially one so pressing?

The people who lived close to the palace were probably the ones asking the king about the fire's damages. Phineas Humphert, as the king's cousin did not have to wait in line. The news of Rapunzel's illness could have spread quickly, but from the king's story none of the other subjects had picked up on it yet.

"I just don't know who knew about it that he would have had an opportunity to talk to, as most of us were here in the palace most of the time. And you had ordered everyone to remain discreet. Was Lord Humphert here in the palace long before he spoke to you? Did he stay behind when it rained, or did he head home and then return?"

The king remembered that Phineas' return and urgent request to be seen was announced by the servants. He was notified the moment the lord entered the palace. Lord Humphert raised a tumultuous uproar.

"He returned to the palace. He wasn't here long before he started making accusations."

King Frederick felt like a fool. His cousin had distracted him emotionally again. When they were boys Phineas had always beaten him at chess.

"It's a good point," He confided to Eugene. "But even so, what does it have to do with what happened to Wolfgang and the absentee guards?"

Eugene shrugged. "Maybe nothing, but it might be worth looking into. Whoever he got his information from could lead us to some answers."

"Well how precisely would one look into it?"

"I don't know." Confessed Eugene. He didn't necessarily want to question each and every person who had been around Rapunzel the last few hours. Nevertheless he knew the servants had known, what about the guards? Positioned outside the palace, it would be easier for Lord Humphert to sneakily talk to one of them without gaining as much attention.

"Were the guards told of Rapunzel's illness your majesty?"

"Only Vrott, and he was also told to keep it to himself for the time being."

"Everything seems to lead back to that guy! We need to find him. I will say, I know he is not on night duty, so he may have just gone home after escorting the Lundars and plans to report tomorrow." Which led Eugene to another question.

"Would Vrott even had a chance to talk to Lord Humphert? Did Lundars leave before or after Lord Humphert got here?"

"I think around the same time, maybe before." The king answered. He wasn't exactly certain. He had been in the midst of speaking to subjects and Vrott had not informed him that he was escorting the Lundars out of Corona. Acting captain Vrott had not needed to, especially if he informed the other guards of what he was doing and the king was busy. Disobeying his direct order not to tell anyone about princess illness though, would be another thing.

"But do you think Vrott would disobey a direct order not to tell anyone about Rapunzel?" He pressed Eugene.

"Vrott? Well no, that guy is rigid as a board, concerning you, at least. I don't know if he would sneeze without you telling him it was okay."

Although Eugene had to admit, the lieutenant had been acting funny lately. He hadn't said anything to his face, but it was pretty obvious he had not been on board with Eugene being appointed Captain. "All Vrott's issues are with me, not with you, your majesty."

"Has he given you any trouble?"

"I think he showed up late to the fire but can't say for sure. Everything else he has done would be in his rights as acting captain. Other than that I can't pinpoint anything." He laughed, "Sometimes I catch him grumbling about me when he thinks I can't hear him. But as far as I can tell he's kept his head down, been a good soldier and done his duty."

"Well it's enough that we'll be sure to keep an eye out for it, but disliking you is certainly not treason. No offense Eugene."

"None taken." Eugene knew he needed to earn the guards' respect, whatever uphill battle that took.

"Could it be anyone other than Vrott?" The king asked. Eugene thought. If it was accurate what the king said, about Phineas not being long enough in the castle to talk to anyone before making his accusations, that left one question. Did Phineas talk to anyone else outside of the castle? But who else was outside of the palace that would have known? Eugene doubted Phineas would have talked to the seamstress, her assistant, the doctor or-

"Egbert." Eugene said, his jaw clenching. "Is Egbert still here or is he one of the ones that left?"

"I am assuming he was one of the ones who left since the argument. Why would he tell Lord Phineas about Rapunzel?"

"I am not sure." He knew the lord and duke barely knew one another. Eugene admitted, "It could have been a servant or a guard." 'Especially if a guard caught on, or Phineas was here longer than the king knew.' Eugene thought. "Frankly, I just don't like the guy."

"Well Eugene, just because you don't like him doesn't mean you can go around accusing him. It may make things worse." The king made a decision. "Look we all need some rest after today. We will see if Vrott and the other guards report in tomorrow. Tomorrow, we can also cautiously ask the remaining Lundars if they have met or spoken to Lord Phineas Humphert at all. Maybe they will know if Duke Egbert spoke to him. And just maybe knowing where Phineas got his information from could help lead us to Wolfgang."

Eugene wondered how that would go.

"And Eugene?" The king addressed him.

"Sire?"

"I am sorry, but since we are not sure yet about Vrott's whereabouts, we need someone to lead the guard."

"I will resume my duties at seven a.m. sir."

"Are you sure you're ready?"

With anybody else Eugene would have said something to the effect of 'Sure, fighting fires, finding out I'm going to be the father of twins, and being accused of manslaughter is all in a day's work.' However with the king, he only answered, "Yes sir." He also knew he really didn't have a choice. A potential row was coming to the kingdom, and he needed to be there for it. The king seemed to weigh in his response.

"Better take another steam bath in the morning just to make sure. It seemed to do you good son. Doctor's orders and all."

Eugene knew the king meant well, but he also knew that since those baths took 2-3 hours, it would mean he would need to wake up at least 4 a.m. to be ready at the courtyard by 7 a.m.

Rapunzel heard her husband settle back down in the room. She had listened quietly in to almost the entire conversation, ever since she had woken up at Eugene exclaiming "Wolfgang?!" She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but she really couldn't move well yet anyway so it wasn't like she could just get up and go to where her husband and father were talking. Though she did admit to herself, she knew her father was trying to hide the situation from her, so she stayed quiet. She didn't think she could sleep now. Not with not knowing if her cousin was dead or alive, or what the Humpherts were planning. She didn't know how Egbert Lundar knew she was ill, unless all the Lundars at been told at once, or what kind of argument he and Eugene had. It seemed she missed a lot since she was out. In the dark, her husband couldn't tell she was awake, but when she shifted, Pascal gave her away. "Rapunzel? Are you awake?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to hear a lot of your conversation." She replied sheepishly.

"Whelp I think I am too keyed up to go to sleep now. How much did you hear?"

They talked and Eugene filled her in on everything she had missed. She admitted she also had seen Wolfgang volunteering with the guards, but had not seen him return with them. She had spoken to nearly all of the returning guards in her search for Eugene. They all said the fire was completely out, and that everyone was ok. This whole thing was a mystery to her as well. She then grilled Eugene about the argument he and Egbert had until he gave in. "Wow that was bad." She couldn't help saying, when he finished telling her what happened. "I can't believe he asked you those things."

"Yeah I know."

She laid a hand on his arm. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Eugene I can't help noticing the same names keep coming up over and over again. The Humpherts, Lieutenant Vrott, Egbert and the Lundars. All of those people are either set against us, missing or out of Corona. The only people still here in the castle with us are-"

"Some of the Lundars. I know."

"Eugene don't you think that it's strange that some of them left without saying good-bye and some of them are still here?"

"Well you know how that family is. Some of them are supportive and warm, and others are like, you know, Egbert."

"Yeah but if Egbert left, don't you think he would told the rest of the Lundars why he was leaving?"

"I suppose so. And since some of them are kinder, it would make sense that not everyone would agree with his end of the argument."

"Yeah but Eugene! You're missing what I am saying, that means that all the Lundars have to know I am sick."

"I am sorry sunshine, I am lost. I feel like we are covering the same ground here."

"Eugene, you just admitted that some of them are kinder, warm and supportive. If that is the case why haven't any of them reached out to my father, mother, you or I and offered their sympathy or support?"

Eugene hadn't thought of that. Even with the king and queen preoccupied by the events of the day, they could have sent messages to them through servants. Yet the king had to find out through a guard that some of the Lundars were being escorted out of Corona. They certainly hadn't sent a message to either one of them, or visited them while they were awake.

"I think they know more than they are letting on Eugene." Rapunzel pointed out. " I feel like there must be a reason they haven't reached out to us yet."

That could be something.

Eugene stood, "Well that's it. I can't sleep until I visit some Lundars. I think there's enough urgency to warrant visiting them at this hour."

"Eugene didn't my father just tell you to rest?"

"Yeah but I think it was more of a suggestion princess."

"I don't know, it sounded a lot like an order to me. And didn't he just sound angry at the notion that Lieutenant Vrott could have disobeyed a direct order?"

"Yes but princess-"

"You know who my father didn't just order to rest and save talking to the Lundars until tomorrow?"

'Oh no.' Thought Eugene. He thought he might know where she was going with this.

"Me! The princess! And technically you are under my jurisdiction," she said mischievously, borrowing his terminology to Stan and Pete earlier. "So if I went out to talk to the Lundars you would really only be protecting me as Captain of the Guard."

"Rapunzel!" Eugene yell- whispered, "Can you even walk?"

"Yes!" Rapunzel answered, trying to get out of bed. "Actually no." She realized. She was still too sore.

"Well see there you go." Eugene responded sounding relieved.

Rapunzel didn't want to give up just yet though. She didn't want to ask her husband to carry her. She had heard her father say that his reluctance to get Eugene earlier was that he had collapsed. So then she had pried Eugene on what had exactly happened with all of that. He had been through a lot today too. She felt he was better, but she doubted his lungs were better enough to carry her down a long hallway yet. If she wanted to travel however, she needed something to help her do it. She had a spontaneous idea.

"Well what about those little wheely trays we use for food? You think you could hoist me up on there?"

"Rapunzel, I am not going to go stumble in the dark looking for a rolling food cart in the kitchen, wheel noisily through the castle halls and up the stairway, and then hoist my pregnant wife onto it!" He whispered loudly.

"Fine." She frowned a little as she realized he was right and he thought he had won. Then Eugene realized the frown endured merely because she was thinking up another solution. He couldn't be sure in the dark but he thought he saw Pascal pointing to the toy canvas balls he was playing with earlier. "That's perfect! You're a genius Pascal!" Rapunzel said excitedly.

"What are you going to do? Roll on those over to the Lundars' room?" Eugene said jokingly. She didn't answer for a moment. "Rapunzel?"

"Well not me per se, but I think we can attach those balls to the bottom of a chair's legs and then roll or slide it the way there."

"What?"

"It's just down the hall. I think it will work."

"Down a really long hall! And how are we just supposed to attach these to a chair?"

"Well you still carry a pocket knife don't you?"

He did. So he was supposed to cut a hole on the top of the balls, peg each chair leg into it and then help her into the chair. He tried one last attempt to convince her not to do this. "Rapunzel those balls were baby shower gifts!"

"To use at my discretion," she responded. "I think whoever gave them to me would be happy to know they helped in the effort to protect Corona from infighting. Besides we have a ton of those!" They did. There were at least ten of them. He started at work. She was right. She was the princess. If it was an order, he had to do what she said.

He cut an 'x' out of the top of each ball. He thought they would deflate and that would be the end of it, but they were made of a tough canvas shell that didn't collapse easily. He stuck each chair leg into the ball and to his surprise it stuck! It looked like this might work. As he slid the chair over to her bedside, he was actually impressed with how smoothly it moved. It almost glided! So it did not make the terrible scooting noise that chairs normally make when they were scuffled across the floor. "Ok Rapunzel are sure about this?" He asked her as he prepared to help her into the chair. "Yes, and I am not changing my mind."

"I thought you'd say that."

He helped her in, and began pushing her out the door. He sighed. What did this woman get him into? He privately admired her determination though. Her plucky attitude gave him joy, even in the darkest of situations. They walked like that for several feet down to the end of the long hall, Eugene in thief mode, trying to be as clandestine as possible, Rapunzel looking back at him, grinning ear to ear, elated that her plan was working.

Then her plan hit a bump. It was a literal bump. There were two female screams, then both women, Rapunzel and whoever the other one was, seemed to try cut their screams short, muffling them, so as not to wake the whole castle. Eugene did everything he could to make sure Rapunzel didn't fall out of the chair, as it was tipping over. He just managed to tilt it just so that Rapunzel didn't tumble forward. The other woman wasn't as lucky and fell down onto the floor. They apparently had collided.

"Who is it?" Eugene whispered. While Rapunzel asked, "Are you ok?" on top of that. "Yes I am alright." The woman stuck a match and lit a candle. "Elipta!" Rapunzel proclaimed, albeit quietly.

"Eureka?" Eugene misheard. "But who is it?"

"No Elipta, Eugene. Elipta Lundar, she's one of your cousins."

"Oh I am sorry, there's just so many of them."

Elipta laughed not offended. "That's true."

"Eugene she's the one that helped me find the perfect time and spot for the bridal processional at the Dark Kingdom wedding."

"Oh yeah! Pleased to meet you! Well, re-meet you." He said apologetically. "What are you doing out here in the dark though?"

"Coming to talk to you! What are you doing out here in the dark?" She countered, still keeping her voice down.

"Coming to talk to you!" Rapunzel responded, matching her volume. "That is, you and the rest of the Lundars."

"Oh so you know then." Elipta's face dropped. Rapunzel held her breath.

"Know what?"

"That the Humpherts, my brother Egbert, along with those of our family who have left the palace, have all aligned against King Frederick. And I suppose by route, King Edmund."

They both could barely keep quiet, astounded. "What?"

"That is not what you came to talk to me about?"

"No, we were going to ask you if you knew any more information about some of your family leaving other than the argument Eugene and Egbert had."

"We thought it was strange that you all hadn't said anything about some of your family leaving and some of you staying. Not to mention that you didn't seem to have any questions or remarks about Rapunzel being sick." Eugene offered, crediting his wife. "Rapunzel picked up on that."

"Well you were on the right track." Elipta sighed deeply. "Princess Rapunzel are you ok? Egbert seemed to think you were at death's door?"

"Not quite yet." Rapunzel managed. "Just a little weaker, but hoping for the best. These twins deserve that."

"You deserve that Rapunzel." Eugene asserted. She patted his cheek.

"Ok," Eugene started, "I don't know where to begin. How did Egbert, some of your family, the Humpherts ally? Against us? I didn't think they even knew each other outside of the baby shower this morning!" His voice was getting too loud.

"Here, you better come follow me." Elipta responded. She asked Rapunzel where an unoccupied room might be. Rapunzel directed her and they gathered in there.

"I was walking the halls without a candle because none of the rest of my family know I was out here going to talk to you. The rest of my family, the ones still here, disagree with my brother's decision, but they are trying to give him some time to change his mind. You are right. It did happen extremely fast."

"Egbert is your brother?" Rapunzel asked.

"Half-brother," Elipta answered, "Well he's more than that really. He is also my cousin."

"Eeewwww, I didn't know my family was like that!" Eugene recoiled.

"Hahaha," Elipta tried to laugh quietly, but she understood Eugene's knee-jerk reaction. "No, nothing like that. As you know your grandfather and Egbert's grandmother were siblings. Egbert's grandmother had two sons, and one daughter. Both sons loved my mother, but unfortunately, she couldn't really make up her mind at first. She finally married the youngest. I think she didn't want to have anything to do with the eldest just in case King Edmund didn't have an heir, and then that would mean he would inherit the throne after King Edmund.

My mother wanted nothing to do with the royal lifestyle. Additionally she told me she found the eldest arrogant, even though he was sweet on her. Well as you know you were born. And then my father died. I was already twelve years old at the time. After a time, my mother decided to marry the eldest brother. Egbert was born soon after. His father, or my step-father always seemed embittered that he was second choice, and I think he passed that attitude down to Egbert.

My family feels like he will see reason when tempers cool and he realizes he will be up against two kings, both of your fathers. However I know Egbert, and I love him, but once he gets his mind set on something he does not turn. I did not agree to wait to tell you. I waited until the rest of my family was asleep and snuck out here to get you. I am hoping if somehow you can stop this, before Egbert has a chance to do anything, that perhaps you will grant him mercy." She pleaded, her voice thick.

"But Elipta," Eugene tried to be patient, "How did this happen?" Knowing, could help them stop it if they got ahead of it.

"I am not really sure myself." She admitted. "I know that when the rain started yesterday after the fire, we all rushed in but Egbert wasn't with us. The servants told us he took one caravans out and we assumed he wanted some space to himself or a country ride through the rain. He always liked rain. Until recently, we didn't get to see it much in the Dark Kingdom as rocks began to crowd out plants.

However, when he returned he told us about the Humpherts, that Lord Humphert's son died in the fire, and his argument with you." She paused here not wanting to repeat his treasonous words. Rapunzel and Eugene got the picture. Eugene was a little confused about the timeline. He knew that Egbert had met them returning to the palace right after Rapunzel collapsed, but they hadn't had the argument until much later. He tried to sort it out in his head, but fatigue was catching up with him. Rapunzel began to notice it. She took over. "Elipta if Egbert has aligned with the Humpherts, does that mean he and the other Lundars really didn't leave Corona? Those caravans are hard to miss. My father told Eugene that a guard told him that some of our Royal Guard were escorting them out of Corona."

"I know he was going to meet up with the Humpherts, but I don't know where. He was keeping everything secretive since most of us didn't agree with him. If they used some of the Royal Guard to escort them out though, maybe he really did change his mind and decide to go back to the Dark Kingdom. Maybe he just didn't tell any of us to save face, and avoid admitting he was wrong. I would be so relieved if that was the case!"

Eugene coughed again. Rapunzel knew he wasn't fully recovered. He sounded better, but she caught him breathing carefully from time to time, like breathing normally still hurt. "My father was right." Rapunzel conceded. "We need some rest. One thing we can do is inform him, and write King Edmund. Then in the morning, we can see if the missing guards come in, and it turns out that Egbert did change his mind, we can try to see what happened to Wolfgang and deal with the Humpherts."

Rapunzel hated waking up one of her servants at this hour, but she knew it was necessary. They informed the king and queen. King Frederick guessed he shouldn't have been surprised that Rapunzel overheard and took charge of the situation. For her parents, it was so good to see her alert that it almost stemmed the worry of all the events of the previous day and potential trouble that awaited them. King Frederick looked in hilarity at the contraption she had forced Eugene to make. Eugene only shrugged. It had worked. "Rapunzel," Queen Arianna, tried to smother a laugh at seeing the makeshift chair, in spite of everything. "You know we have a wicker wheel chair?"

"A wheel chair? What is that?"

"Kind of what you made but it actually has wheels on the bottom. It has already been invented. I used it when I was pregnant with you. We can get it out tomorrow, it's in storage."

"Oh!" Rapunzel said happily, but also disappointed she hadn't invented something.

"It was a good idea dear. Who knows what you would have invented by now, if you weren't stuck up in that tower all those years?"

King Frederick ordered both of them, and he made sure that they knew that it was, in fact, an order for both of them, to go back to bed and get rest. He would take over dictating a letter to King Edmund about the impending situation, penning that he hoped Egbert would do the right thing and forget this fight against them.

Eugene woke up to the chameleon's tongue in his ear. "Ack!"

"Pascal!" Rapunzel scolded. "I am sorry, Eugene but he woke you up because you were wheezing in your sleep." A worried, compassionate look crossed her face.

"What time is it?" Eugene asked, still dazed from sleep.

"I think it is four in the morning, judging from the clock chimes I just heard. I got some sleep, but I've kind of been in and out of sleep since everything that happened yesterday."

"Yeah me too." Except his sleep had been stuttered by dreams. He had dreams of fire, Wolfgang, Egbert laughing at him, Rapunzel was lost and he couldn't find her. He dreamed of Egbert coming back and forth to the palace multiple times, first talking to the Humpherts, who, in his dream were somehow there, then the Lundars and then to the royal family, himself included.

For the second time, it was true that the remaining congestion in his lungs settled while he slept. He didn't know if anymore sleep would be good for him.

"I am going to get up and take that steam bath." He told Rapunzel. He would need his voice to be clear for the guards. He didn't know what they would face today.

"By order of the king?" Rapunzel smiled, trying to find levity, but anxiety creeped a little into her voice.

"By order of the king." He grinned back.

"Eugene please be careful today."

"I will sunshine."

"Maybe everything will work out. We'll find Wolfgang leaving the Humphert's accusations toothless, the guards will come back and Egbert will have returned home. Maybe even Phineas will calm down and decide whatever the case, revenge isn't worth it. He may have just been angry when he spoke to my father."

"Sunshine, whatever happens, this will be a very big day!" He professed. She knew he was trying to make her laugh. They had both said something similar the day they had met. However, she thought he might be forgetting that two days after that, he died.

He found the second steam bath to be just as productive as the first, but in a different way. It was just as helpful in completing his recovery, but it also gave him time to think. He was thinking of the First Lieutenant Vrott and wondered if he would really dare to conspire against the king. Would the man report in this morning? Was he really only innocently escorting the Lundars out of Corona last night? He thought back to the king's question. Had Vrott done anything that should make him anticipate rebellion?

Vrott had done a good job at informing everyone about the fire. He had been paired with Armon, and Vrott had done the harder task of ringing the bell tower, while Armon told Eugene about the fire. It wasn't his fault that Armon had caused a mass panic. Although, now that Eugene thought about it, Vrott maybe should have told Armon to tell Eugene quietly, or else not say anything and wait for Eugene to come out and investigate himself. That method wouldn't have had everyone stumbling over each other to get to the door. Vrott should have known to tell Armon that. Did he just forget? Then it seemed he showed up late to the fire and didn't have a good excuse.

Afterwards, Rapunzel had been so apprehensive about Eugene, that she drove a wagon to go find him. Why hadn't Vrott told anyone what he was doing out there in the fields, when Eugene asked him to lead everyone back? A sick feeling started to form in the pit of his stomach. It was just a feeling, but he didn't become a legend by not trusting his gut. He hoped he was wrong.

Varian was almost ready to leave. He had packed, raised his hot air balloon, and lastly but not least, fixed the machine that shot out amber. He had built it to be a weapon, who knew he would try to modify it to preserve crops! He had a couple of ideas to try to make it into a crop preserving machine, but he didn't want to undertake any of them until he arrived at the Dark Kingdom. He needed to catch his dad before he left. As far as he knew his dad was working on storing crops over there in the driest way he knew possible to keep them from spoiling as long as he could before taking them over on the return trip to Corona. It would only last so long though. Here almost all the harvesting was done. Rapunzel true to her word, had already sent farm hands over. More than they probably needed, to harvest the surviving wheat. He was going to check on Nella one last time, before telling a farm hand how to take care of her. He didn't know how, but somehow the stable still stood. The fire's origin point had been far enough away from it so that it didn't catch.

He guessed the east wind had really been powerful enough to push the flames away from any potential tinder to the west. Which made the Wolfgang thing even more confusing. He passed the tree where Eugene and he surmised it had all started. It was blackened and toppled over but its frayed branch, looked like the work of a lightning strike.

Since this was the western most point of the known fire, the guards looked most thoroughly here, turning over mounds of brush to see if it would reveal any evidence of fiery trails that he, Eugene and the other guards had missed before. It was difficult to tell in the little left over light they had, but there didn't seem to be anything. Now in a bit of daylight however, it made all the difference. Varian was almost floored by what he hadn't observed before. This changed everything.

"Vrott!" exclaimed Eugene. He had never been happier to see the guard. "Are you reporting in? What happened with the Lundars last night? Do you have any idea what happened to Wolfgang after you saw him?"

Vrott stood before him, but a deep scowl was etched into his face. When he first came into the palace, very early that morning, the servants exulted at the sight of him. "The Captain will be happy to see you!" They said. What they didn't know is that hidden in his breast plate he had a declaration of war drawn up, signed by himself, the guards who were with him, Lord Phineas Humphert, Duke Egbert Lundar and the rest of the Lundars. The date of the first battle was set for a month from now, Lord Humphert had written that it was in courtesy for the king to prepare.

Really though, Vrott knew it was to help the Humpherts and Lundars conscript more people into their small army. The document alleged that in fair trade for the time that the Humpherts and Lundars were allotting the king, they would choose the battle site as the palace grounds. That would be seem to be an illogical plan for their side, giving all the advantage to the king, but then again, but they had asked Vrott about Eugene's previous battle experience, and he knew the captain had lost there twice. They sought to humiliate him. In addition, they knew most of their support they could gather would be in the city. It would be more convenient, as well as more of a motivator, for any added militants to meet for battle closer to where they lived, made to feel as if they were protecting their own home. It was well thought out. They even gave Vrott a small white truce flag that he also hid in his breastplate to signify that according to peace standards, he could not be taken in and charged when he delivered the message.

Nonetheless, Vrott sweated buckets. He had never wanted to go against the king. He only wanted to be captain. He warred within himself back and forth. Sometimes he saw himself leading men to victory and sufficiently putting that thief of a captain in his place. Sometimes he saw himself throwing himself at the mercy of the captain, warning him of what was about to take place. Since the captain had been a thief and had been pardoned, perhaps the king and captain would pardon him too.

Of course, the captain had died first saving the princess, and then risked his life several times afterwards to be pardoned and get to where he was. So he was unsettled in his decision. When he announced that he was reporting to the captain, and needed to see him immediately, a servant told him that he would be out shortly. "Out shortly? This is extremely urgent!" Grumbled Vrott on the ultimate edge. He waited for an hour and demanded to know why he hadn't yet been seen. "He's just coming out of his steam bath sir."

"Steam bath?!"

"Yes sir, he will be out and dressed presently in a few moments."

That set his resolve. The so-called captain was all vanity and bravado. Taking a steam bath! The nerve of that man! Didn't he care? The princess, his wife was extremely ill. It was obvious the servants were wondering where he and the other guards were last night. And they had been told the king's cousin's son, was dead after braving the fire! Whether he was or not, was immaterial.

A true captain would be planning for how to face the day, not taking a steam bath, and an hours-long one at that! He decided a king who could approve the appointment of such a man as Captain of the Royal Guard, and worse, approve of him marrying his long lost precious daughter, was not worthy of his loyalty. He'd put his stock in the Humpherts and Lundars. They seemed to have it together. He couldn't have known, the servants wouldn't dare go against the king's direct order and get the captain out earlier.

When the captain greeted him cheerfully with his entourage of questions, Vrott's jaw set just like his resolve. Even so his heart still beat a little faster when he removed the document declaring war and the truce flag from his breastplate. There was no turning back now.

"What's this?" The captain asked. His silly smile finally disappearing. The captain took it and read it. "Lieutenant Vrott, are you sure you want to do this?"

Lieutenant Vrott only intended to nod. Stoicism was so important to him. He felt like it made up the higher echelons of good soldiers contrasted to the unfiltered loquaciousness of the current captain. However he couldn't help spitefully saying, "Hopefully you enjoyed your steam bath Captain! It may be the last one you ever take! The men deserve someone battle hardened, not someone made soft from vanity!" He marched madly away leaving Captain Fitzherbert with the document and the decision of what to do with it.

"Hey when has good hair ever been a crime?" The Captain yelled out after him. Eugene cursed himself almost as he said it. Sometimes he just couldn't stop himself in time. He had always banked on humor in stressful situations. "Vrott! It was by order of the king! For my health!" He tried shouting out after him, grateful that he could indeed yell without much of a problem. He couldn't tell if the former lieutenant heard him or not. He looked at the document again, stung by deep regret. What was he going to tell the king? What was he going to tell Rapunzel?

Rapunzel and her father had it all planned out. They would go forward with the rations as planned, as if the fire hadn't occurred. It was risky, but they way they worked it out they saw that if they rationed on the premise of scarcity, assuming that all attempts to preserve the crops wouldn't work, the people of Corona would feel the effects of lack of food now and throughout the year. However if they rationed with what they were supposed to have before the fire crippled the harvest, there could still be a chance that Varian's crop preservation tool could come through and the citizens of Corona would not suffer the lack of food at all.

Even if they did this, and Varian's crop preservation tool did not come through, they would be only be rationing to an extreme for part of the year, instead of the entire year. In the meanwhile, before then, they could look for other solutions. Maybe other kingdoms would be able to trade. It was still a huge risk, but they were so close to a solution, they were willing to take it. They prayed it'd pay off.

Eugene just couldn't let Vrott go without any answers. He strode off after him, luckily since he lived here now he knew where the exits were and where Vrott would be headed. He followed where Vrott's footsteps must have gone and eventually got the rogue lieutenant back in his sight. "Vrott! Vrott! Vrott!" He called to stop the man. He ignored him, streamlining ahead.

"First Lieutenant Vrott!" Eugene called with all the edge he could muster. The man paused with his back to him, but only for a moment. "You can not seize me here according to accepted standards. I've made my choice."

"I know that Vrott."

The momentary delay in the man's steps got Eugene close enough to put his hand on Vrott's shoulder just to make it clear that he needed to talk to him. Vrott jerked in a quick motion to elbow his face with his other arm, but Eugene dodged and took hold of the offending arm angled upward as it tried to elbow him, using the off balance of the angle to yank him around to where Vrott was forced to face him. Vrott had to struggle to keep his balance as he was yanked around.

"What?!" Vrott demanded red-faced.

"What happened to Wolfgang? He was with you when he was last seen. He wasn't with you at the fields. You didn't say anything about him being in trouble. What happened to him? Lord Phineas Humphert is basing a lot this revolt on avenging his son, but his son isn't dead is he? Or at least he didn't die in the fire. I think you know that."

"It doesn't matter whether he's dead or not!" Vrott spat. "With your incompetence he could be dead and that's all that matters! Corona needs a new captain, and a new king!" He squared himself. "I'll see you in battle."