A Match and A Draw

Varian saw it. There they were, two burnt matches, just lying on the ground. Could it be? Who would do this? He scooped them up with his hand to give them a better look. His instinct was to instantly call over a farm hand and let them know to tell the palace, but whoever started this fire had been on his land. Who could have been on his land without raising suspicion? Could a farm hand working for someone else have done this? He really needed to leave but he had to get the message back to the palace somehow.

'Nella'. Varian thought. Maximus could carry messages. Could Nella too? He walked over to the stable. He rubbed in between Nella's ears in way of hello, as she closed her eyes docilely. First he tried a series of brays listed from the log he had worked on their return from his first trip to the Dark Kingdom to communicate with her to send back a message. She looked at him strangely. "Alright, I'll write out a message." He divulged to her. If he was sending this message off with a horse, he would need to make the message cryptic just in case it was intercepted, but understandable enough for Rapunzel and Eugene to know what he was trying to explain.

He rode the horse back to his house to get to some paper. That's where his hot air balloon was anyway, all filled up now and ready to go. Once inside his house, he decided it would be best to put the matches safely in a main drawer inside his lab. His pet raccoon, Rudiger lounged around in the lab, snacking on some left over corn. He had gnawed the cob down to the very core and then some. Poor Rudiger. He had neglected the raccoon lately. Not that the raccoon ever got remotely close to going hungry. No, he would bet that raccoon could scavenge for food in a snowstorm.

It was more of he hadn't paid much attention to him lately. He had been too busy. He felt sorry for it. "Hey Rudiger," he began, giving the raccoon a friendly pet, "Sorry I can't take you with me to the Dark Kingdom today." The raccoon gave him a regretful chitter. "I think you'd be bored anyway." Varian said frankly. "Hey I do have a secret job for you though! These matches," he slid the drawer out again to present them to his raccoon, "Are very important. They may not look like it since they are all burned to a crisp, but keep them safe." He told the raccoon, sliding the drawer back in again. "Guard against intruders trying to get to them ok?" The raccoon saluted him faithfully.

Varian winked at him. He didn't think any of the farmhands or anyone else paid attention to him coming in here, or had any idea what he was hiding, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He went back to the task of writing out his coded message to Eugene and Rapunzel. He scrawled out something he hoped that would work. He went back outside and attached the note to Nella, and spurred her on telling her to go back to the palace. She looked a little confused, but trotted the direction of the palace, looking like she was trying to do what she was told. Varian wished he could see if the message would get there and be understood. He didn't have any time to waste though, he hopped in his hot air balloon and floated away, seeing to his satisfaction from his bird's eye view, Nella getting closer and closer to the castle.

They were just wrapping up instructions for rations, when Nigel announced the prince-consort had arrived to speak to them. It was only half an hour before seven a.m. What could he be doing here? Had he found out new information? It turned out he had, but of the worst kind. King Frederick and Rapunzel poured over the document declaring war. King Frederick now knew better that he couldn't hide anything from his daughter, even when she seemed indisposed! "I will address the remaining guards who report in for duty this morning with you Eugene." The king declared. "If it is the same amount that conducted the search last night, I think you will be pleased to see the majority are still loyal."

Eugene nodded. "It's my fault sir. I should have seen this."

"Eugene this document is addressed to me, and yet Vrott reported to you first. If you're declaring war, you don't go to the captain first, you go to the king. But Vrott went to you. I think he was wavering in what to do. He must have thought to talk to you first. I have a feeling he has a little more respect of you than he even admits to himself."

Eugene shook his head. The king hadn't seen how Vrott had addressed him. "I am not sure about that your majesty."

"At any rate Eugene, you sound much better. Have you made a full recovery?"

"Yes sir, I believe I have!"

"Good because we're going to have to come up with a plan."

The men were incensed upon learning about First Lieutenant Vrott's and the other guards betrayal. Eugene counted that there were about two thirds of them left. With a third of the guards gone rogue, and a third of Lundars agreeing to ally against the Humpherts he figured they were fairly evenly matched.

Before they set battle plans, the king wanted to initiate something his daughter had taught him. He wanted to reach out to Lord Phineas Humphert one last time and see if they could reach a compromise. He was glad he did. They found as they sent soldiers over with their own white flag that the Humphert's manor was where everyone against the king had gathered. The guards stayed in one of the Lundar's huge caravans. Egbert had already set one of the two caravans that he took to the Humpherts back to the palace now that the word was out.

The other two thirds of the Lundars who remained at the palace, would be leaving to the Dark Kingdom soon. They could not fight against their own family members. The king wanted to ask in a surly mood, if they would consider fighting for Eugene. He was their family member too after all. Yet Rapunzel pointed out that wasn't fair, they didn't really know Eugene, whereas as the Lundars grew up together. The Lundars who prepared to battle against them stayed inside the Humpherts manor.

It was cramped, but there was just enough room for them all. One of the guards loyal to the king, caught some of them outside complaining about all the baying and racket the dogs were making. The hounds were apparently kept in a cage downstairs the entire time, so as not to disturb the guests. However they were kept up at all hours of the night with the dogs constantly baying, barking, howling, scratching and pawing at the floor. "I don't know why they don't just let them out." One of the Lundars said.

While the soldiers who were talking directly to the Humpherts and the Lundars about a compromise were meeting, two of the other guards on opposing sides got into an argument. How dare the guards who pledged loyalty to the king turn on him now? Puffed up, a veteran guard aligned with the Humpherts, bragged they would have more forces soon once they enlisted more fighting support from the city. The king's side was doomed according to him. "Ha!" Eugene said when the guard reported that back to the king and himself. "I knew the guards couldn't keep a secret!" He doubted Phineas wanted them to know they were rallying more people.

Needless to say no compromise was made that day.

Nevertheless, the information they gained was vital. "No wonder Phineas gave me a month of time!" The king fumed. "It was for himself to gain more fire power! He seeks to outnumber us! We will not play his game!"

"Actually, your majesty, with all due respect, I think we will play his game." Eugene parried.

"They will not expect us to outright go along with what they expected, without deviation, which makes it unexpected."

He was borrowing from what Cassandra had told him at the Dark Kingdom wedding.

"Explain." The king said simply. He looked befuddled but willing to listen.

Eugene told the king his plan, and the king heard him out until the end.

"Are you sure you want to do this boy?"

"I think it'll work."

"I think we still need to get you more support. Any idea where you might recruit some more?"

"Oh thanks to Rapunzel, I have the perfect idea!" Eugene said.

The princess herself showed up, her handmaiden Friedborg wheeling her into the room. They had gotten the wicker wheel chair out of the storage room, so now she was mobile again. "What'd I miss?" She asked.

They caught her up. She had a few thoughts when they told her about visiting the Snuggly Duckling to enlist some help. One of them was, while she knew nothing would stop the Snuggly Duckling adventurers when it came to getting piece of the action, she wanted Eugene to carry out a message to the other folk out in the country. "When you are out there, please warn the farming folk not to venture into the city the day of the battle. We'll want to keep them safe, and they'll want to keep their distance." Everyone agreed.

Eugene collected Maximus and mounted saying good-bye to his wife. He knew she was still struggling with having to stay behind. It was too bad she couldn't ride. Even a nice gentle slower horse was strictly prohibited by the doctor. A horse like Nella. He spotted her trotting on her own to the palace stables. "Nella!" Eugene cried out in realization. "What is Varian's horse doing here? Without Varian?" Rapunzel saw her too. "Oh no, Eugene please tell me Varian is not hurt too."

Eugene caught sight of a rolled up letter stuck inside the mare's saddle. Eugene dismounted, and grabbed it, uncurling it. It was scrawled out in Varian's handwriting at least. He read it out loud to Rapunzel. It read, "Safely travelling on the hot air balloon to the Dark Kingdom," So that meant the teenager was safe. Eugene and Rapunzel both sighed with relief. The next part was more cryptic and read, "After I found a match for the weather yesterday. At first it was hard to place. Looked like it was going to be a draw, ere I left. Sent Nella to tell you. -Varian"

Eugene and Rapunzel were all sorts of confused. "Didn't Varian say he was travelling out today? Early this morning?" Rapunzel asked. "It would have been hard for him to travel at night. What does he mean he found a match for the weather yesterday?"

"And your father said Varian was still there late last night when the guards did their search."

"That's right! Varian must be trying to send another message to us. But what?" The princess rested her finger on her lips. "I'll have to puzzle this out while you're gone. Maybe I can write him too and he can answer me back once he's in the Dark Kingdom."

"Good luck princess!"

"You too Eugene!" She waved as he got back on Maximus and took off.

When she got to the palace gate she confirmed with a few guards positioned around the perimeter that they had indeed seen Varian's hot air balloon flying way off in the distance towards the direction of the Dark Kingdom. So Varian was truly travelling safe and this wasn't a cryptic cry for help. Friedborg wheeled her to her room, and she asked kindly for privacy so she could focus on the first part. "Found a match for the weather yesterday." What did he mean by that? He wasn't travelling by hot air balloon yesterday. The conditions yesterday were certainly not favorable for air travel anyway. It was pouring for a good part of the day, and apparently, there had been some lightning as well, though Rapunzel hadn't seen any.

There had to have been lightning to start the fire. It wasn't like someone had just struck a match. "Oh my goodness!" She said out loud. 'Match!' She thought. Was that what Varian was trying to tell them? Someone had started the fire? He had found a match? He found a match for the weather. A match explaining the weird weather phenomenon yesterday, which perhaps could not be blamed on the weather at all! She took a turn at focusing on the next part. What strange language he used! Try as she might, she couldn't figure it out. She took to writing him to confirm her suspicions about the message he had sent.

She wished she could ask him in person right now. Who knows how long her message would take to get to him. There had to be another way to confirm it. Wait! If he had found a match on his farm, maybe it was still there! She had just sent Eugene off to the Snuggly Duckling and countryside. Maybe she could still catch him to let him know to stop by Varian's to search for the matches. Although that search could be like a needle in a haystack. Impossible odds had never stopped them before though!

She looked down at her wicker chair. She couldn't horseback ride maybe, but she still had the carriage. It might be just a little bit more of a slower jaunt to the Snuggly Duckling. Rapunzel hoped her husband would stay there for a while, catching up with Lance.

When Eugene arrived at the Snuggly Duckling, Lance listened to everything that his buddy said happened in the last twenty four hours with a low whistle. "Maybe y'all should seriously consider banning celebrations." The man said half-joking. "You all seriously have bad luck with those."

"Hey!" Eugene chuckled back, pretending to be offended. "The wedding went ok."

"Well sort of," Lance pointed out.

"Anyway the point is, do you think we could count on the Snuggly Duckling troupe for our support?"

"Yeah you can!" A flurry of rough voices called out. They had been listening in to the conversation keenly, though it had been between him and Lance. From the sound of the men gorging themselves on food and drink, Eugene was surprised they heard him at all.

They rose and started picking up battle axes, swords and other weapons ready for the fight. They were rushing to the door, because they were ready for the fight now, as in today, at this moment. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Guys! Guys! Guys!" Eugene tried to precipitate them. "The battle is not for a month from now."

"Oh." They collectively said in various ways amongst themselves, a little disgruntled at having to lay down their arms. A man threw a cup at the wall in frustration and the drink spattered. There was laughter and the ruffians went back to gorging themselves.

"Lance would you remind them of when the day of the battle is? I have a feeling they're not that great at timing."

"Hey we heard that!" A man gruffly protested.

"Well Eugene, I'll be going out that day to fight too, so they can just follow me."

"I appreciate that Lance, but I have a different plan for you. You have two daughters now. You're a part business owner, and from the looks of it, great chef! A pillar of the community,"

"Ok, ok you're embarrassing me!" Lance retorted.

"The point is I don't want to risk your life going into battle."

"Yeah well from the sound of things, you might be a father of two too!" Lance rejoined.

"That's true Lance, but as Captain of the Royal Guard I don't really have a choice. Although even if I did, I would still want to help Rapunzel…er, not to say you wouldn't want to but-"

Lance sat back. "It's alright! I got it! What do you have planned for me?"

"Well Lance, did you, or any of these FINE patrons here-" Eugene began loudly. He didn't want to offend them anymore. He continued, "See Wolfgang out on the fields, or when you returned to the Snuggly Duckling yesterday?"

The Snuggly Duckling patrons looked at him and shook their heads or shrugged.

"Wolfgang? Who's that?" Lance seemed to speak for all of them.

"Lance I just finished explaining that earlier!" He sighed. "Here. Rapunzel drew a picture of him before we left." He took out his wife's drawing. She was a talented artist. It looked just like him down to the wolf-like scowl.

"Oh! That guy! The wannabe guard?"

Eugene raised his eyebrows.

"Haven't seen him." The Snuggly Duckling men grunted the same.

Eugene rubbed his face in disappointment. "Then why did you say 'wannabe guard'? Where did that come from?"

"Well wasn't he a guard for a short period?"

"Well yes. But you haven't seen him lately? Yesterday or today?"

"Nope."

"Ok fine. So Lance, here's the plan. I would like you to find him, dead or alive."

Lance regarded that for a moment.

"You thinking of posting a 'Wanted' poster? We have some experience with those!"

"No!" Eugene responded quickly. And then said "No," again with a downwards smile. He hadn't thought of that. "If he is alive we don't want anyone killing him! And if he's not, he may be at the Humpherts."

"Even if he is alive he might be at the Humpherts."

Eugene tilted his head. "What do you mean by that?"

"C'mon Eugene! Are you getting rusty? If you were on the lam would you try to hide out in the open, or use an old haunt where you know no one would look for you?"

"Well I don't know if you could describe Wolfgang's home as an old haunt, but you have a point my friend."

Eugene thought back to his last exchange with Vrott. Despite his outburst, the man seemed just as confused as he was about Wolfgang's whereabouts. If he knew anything about Vrott, he was a bad liar. When Eugene had kidded him about being late to the fire, he had stumbled over his words. He guessed he might know why he had been late now. Still could all the guards know the death was a farce? That seemed unlikely.

"I don't know if the guards would agree to ally with the Humpherts if they knew Wolfgang was alive for sure." He told Lance.

"This revolt hinges on a food shortage yes, and other factors." He said the last part gingerly. He wouldn't say how Lord Humphert was making it sound like Rapunzel would not survive, and how much both kingdoms would change after that. He wouldn't think of it. "But Lord Humphert also made a big part of it about revenge. So I don't know how Wolfgang would be just openly staying at the Humpherts with the guards and Lundars around. But then again, those guards were there with us too. They didn't see any trace of Wolfgang at the fire either. They saw the fields put out. So I don't know." He considered for a minute. "It's worth a shot!" He decided. "Ok Lance you just volunteered yourself to sneak into the Humpherts manor and look for Wolfgang. I'll tell you where it is."

"Ummm, I thought you said you didn't want me risking my life? Sneaking into a manor full of guards and the king's enemies, is not my idea of a safe job."

"Oh c'mon Lance, are you rusty?" It was his turn to tease. "You were a high class thief for most of your life. You were almost as good as me." He winked, clapping his friend on the back. He did think of Lance's two girls though. They were outside playing in the sun. They had left him alone once they realized Rapunzel wasn't with him. "But Lance?"

His friend looked at him.

"If it seems impregnable don't go in. By order of the prince- consort." He gave a toothy grin. He didn't really know if as a prince-consort he had any authority to order people around, much less a civilian who was his friend. However he hoped it would sink in for Lance. He trusted his friend's instinct on whether he thought he could get in and out of the Humphert's manor safely or not. He gave Lance instructions on where to find the home. Rapunzel knew where it was, as her handmaidens had written down their address for invitations. It was now time for his next stop, which was as much of the farming community as he could visit.

Rebekah Humphert snuck down to the lowest level of her house past the kitchen where the dogs were being kept in their crate. She carried food. In pretense it was for the dogs, but she knew who it was really for. Luckily for her, no one seemed to question why her servants weren't feeding the dogs, or why they weren't much in the house at all these days. No one but Egbert Lundar among the Lundar family had any servants, as they were outcast by brutal circumstances from their own land. What the Lundars did question was how the Humpherts could suffer the hounds making so much noise all the time? Along with her father, some of Lundars had exited the house to meet with Captain Fitzherbert's guards as the king vainly tried to work out a compromise.

The rest of the Lundars kicked Vrott's guards out the caravan they were staying in, taking it over temporarily instead, to get some additional shut eye during the day. A lot of them hadn't slept a wink the previous night. So Rebekah found herself in the house mostly alone, accept for her mother, and their two hidden captives, her brother and the tailor.

The dogs whimpered at the sight of her. She shushed them and without letting them out, fed them two slabs of meat. The dogs were finally silenced as they ate. She pushed back the cage they were in, to reveal a rug. Beneath the rug was the trap door to their hidden basement. It was clever for her father to put the dogs' crate over the trap door. They sensed Wolfgang's presence below them. Being hounds, they made as much noise as they could to alert the others of their master's distress. It covered up any muffled noise that Wolfgang could make to call out for help.

He had to be hearing other footsteps in the house above him. As for the tailor, he was too scared and his old voice was too soft to be heard. Her father always knew how to solve a problem. She thought bitterly, now he was treating her brother like he was a problem. After her father's most recent display of violence, her mother was too frightened of her father to do anything about it. So it fell on her. Yet she had the puzzle of how to get Wolfgang out of here without their father's lie being exposed, thus loosing support from others, then most likely resulting in all the family being charged with treason.

The very least thing she could do at the moment would be to get them food. She lit a candle, then removed the exposed rug and opened the trap door. Climbing down the stairway, while carefully balancing a plate full of food, she finally could see her brother. He looked pitiful in the manacles, while the tailor was still smiling like a ninny at him. To him, the joke had turned on its head. "Are you helping me out of here?" Wolfgang hollered at her as soon as he saw her.

"Shhh." She soothed. "Do you wish us all to be found out and charged with treason?" She turned to the smiling tailor. "You too tailor! Or did you forget that you were a spy before you threatened to tell the king about us?" She reminded vehemently. That seemed to sober him. On the large serving plate she had brought down, there was enough bread, cheeses, dried fruit and meat to last for both them the entire day. "This doesn't look like a food shortage." Commented Wolfgang.

Stirring rumors about that subject was all his family had been harping about for the last few months. "The princess seems to be figuring something out for the time being." Rebekah replied. She found herself rooting for the princess. Her father had been so power driven lately, she didn't know if he had thought out, if he did win this revolt, what he would do to pacify starving subjects that would look to him as their new leader? "Rebekah," Wolfgang said more quietly this time. "I'm serious, you got to get me out of here." His father had already visited him and, in an exchange for information, told Wolfgang he was faking his death in order to spur on a revolt. What made Wolfgang nervous was that, even if his father won the revolt, was he just supposed to walk peaceably out of here, all the sudden alive and well? He guessed not. He didn't know what his father had planned for him after that.

"I can't go against Father right now brother." She told him. "I would need his help to get you out here without gaining detection from the Lundars and the guards. Don't worry though, I have a plan to get you out of here where Father will feel like it is his idea." She looked at the food and then at Wolfgang's chained hands.

"I can at least unlock one of your manacles so you can eat."

"What about both?" Wolfgang pleaded.

She shook her head. She couldn't trust him to not go bolting out of here if she freed him completely, showing himself to those who would tell the king. Then, she felt, they might all hang if they were caught in their father's lie. "Trust me brother. I will talk to father." She assured. She left with both of them pleading to her, but she knew now was not the time. She hastily brought down a pitcher of water to them as well, before any of the Lundars decided to come back to the house. Then she put everything back, leaving the caged animals whining at her too. Where was her father? She would try to settle this now.

Rapunzel got the carriage all set up for her to travel in, but the ride was so slow it was grueling. It didn't help that Eugene had already taken their fastest horse. By the time she got to the Snuggly Duckling, the girls, Angry and Red, recognized her carriage. They were so excited to see her, she thought she would try to venture out on her own two feet. She found that she could, even though they were a little wobbly. All that rest must have helped. They still noticed something was wrong. "Are you ok Rapunzel?" They asked. They hadn't heard of her illness. They were outside when Eugene told Lance and they didn't really listen to gossip.

"Yes, just trying to find my feet again." She said in her upbeat manner. "A lot happened yesterday."

"Man I never want to get pregnant." Angry said.

Rapunzel laughed. "It's not like this for everyone." She assured them. "My family just tends to have more trouble."

She noticed to her disappointment that Maximus didn't seem to be posted outside. "Is Eugene here?" She asked the girls.

"You just missed him." They told her. "He went that way," pointing to the countryside, the opposite direction of Varian's house. Rapunzel sighed. Lance had caught sight of her carriage and came out to greet her. "Princess! What are you doing here? You just missed Eugene!"

"I know," she said. "The girls just told me."

Suddenly she remembered that Lance was good at solving riddles. Maybe he could help her solve the last part of Varian's riddle that she couldn't figure out. "Hey Lance can you help me with something?" She asked.

"Certainly princess!" She held onto his arm to go inside. Once they got inside there was a cheer from the Snuggly Duckling crowd. "Princess Rapunzel! You're ok!"

"Yup! In a manner of speaking," She laughed. "Just have to change my means of travel a bit for now."

"We're all up for fighting for you princess!" They avowed. "A month from now that is." They said that part more dryly. She didn't know why. She thanked them. She would've told them to be careful but she knew it would fall on deaf ears. The former thugs, even reformed, would always be wild and fighters by nature. She and Lance settled in, and Rapunzel showed Lance Varian's cryptic message. She told him as quietly as she could that she thought she figured out the first part. If she was wrong, she didn't want word spreading around. Lance read the second part out loud. "At first it was hard to place. Looked like it was going to be a draw, ere I left."

He pronounced "draw, ere" like "drawer."

"Oh no Lance. The word 'ere' is an old fashioned word meaning 'before'. It is pronounced like "'air'." She told him.

Lance shrugged "It sounds like he left the match he found in a drawer to me."

It clicked perfectly for Rapunzel. "Lance you're a genius!" She expressed loudly, hugging him. The group turned at her outburst. "Well isn't he?"

The group murmured their confirmations. "But what drawer could he be talking about?" She asked.

"Maybe in his lab?" Offered Lance. "He puts everything down there doesn't he?"

"I think you're right Lance!" She beamed. "Ok Lance, here's the thing. It might be distasteful for you now, but I think you need to put your thieving skills back to work again."

Lance groaned.

"Oh I am sorry! Too much?"

Lance explained to her what Eugene had just asked him. She understood why Eugene asked that of him, but thought it was a bit risky. "Seriously Lance don't break into the Humpherts if you don't think you can."

"I won't, by order of the prince-consort."

"What? He doesn't have an authority to...oh never mind. My request is a lot less risky."

She explained to him that she would like him to break into Varian's lab and find the drawer he met have put the match in. She didn't know that while she explained to it to Lance, the girls were covertly listening in. By now, they knew something was going on. First Eugene visiting and now Rapunzel, but separately? They knew it couldn't be just a social call.

"You know we were street thieves too once!" Angry whispered to Red out of earshot of Lance and Rapunzel.

"Yeah," Red agreed, whispering back. "Did they forget that? We could help too!"

"Yeah just because we're adopted and don't thieve anymore doesn't mean we don't have any skills! They don't let us do anything anymore! We'll show them we can still do things too!"

"Yeah!" Red whispered loudly, rallied by her sister.

"C'mon, let's go to Varian's! I know a woodland shortcut! We'll find that match before Lance does! And we won't give him a chance to tell us no!"

After Rapunzel returned from the Snuggly Duckling, she tried think if there was anything more she could do. The doctor came to see her again today, just to check on her, and he was infuriated that she had travelled and walked around. "You collapsed yesterday!" The usually mild mannered doctor chided her. "At least keep sitting! The wheelchair is a great idea." He told her. Well, just because she was just sitting here, didn't mean she should just sit here!

Being stuck was exasperating, but it was also familiar. She had gotten a lot accomplished in the tower, and she wasn't going to let her decreased mobility stop her now! She would have to wait on word back from Lance about the suspected match. She was also glad Eugene was out there getting some help. Was there anyone else who could help him? 'Cassandra!' She thought.

The former captain of the guards' daughter was a formidable fighter. She didn't know if she could reach her friend out on her journey, but she could at least try. She wondered if Cassandra's last correspondence with her had any clues as where her friend was. She had last written and got a letter back from her about the baby shower. Hard to believe that was yesterday. Her handmaidens had stored all letters and documents concerning Cassandra in a lower drawer in her roll top desk marked with a "C". She reached to pull out the drawer but it was difficult to get a good pull on it sitting in her wicker wheel chair. It was below her knees and every time she pulled, the wheel chair would roll back with her.

She sighed. She was not going to ask for help pulling out a drawer. If she had to be like this for at least another two months, she wanted some semblance of independence! She bent down as far as she could and pulled hard before the wheel chair had a chance to jettison backwards. All that happened is that the entire drawer and its contents spilled out and Rapunzel found herself at the several feet away from the desk. Friedborg peeked in on her to make sure she was ok. The handmaiden never said much. In fact, Rapunzel wasn't sure she had ever heard Friedborg say anything in the entire three years she had been at the palace! "I'm ok Friedborg." The handmaiden still came in and bent low to help her scoop all the documents into a pile, handing them back to Rapunzel. "Thanks Friedborg! I think I can take it from here." She said dismissing her.

Now that the documents were on top of the desk, she had much better access. However they were now all out of order. She would have to shuffle through them to find Cassandra's letter. As she was shuffling through, something made her breath catch. It was a document from almost two years ago. It was the deed Eugene had her sign after he had been officially appointed Captain of the Royal Guard, asking her permission to use Varian's modified amber- making machine as a weapon.

She hadn't liked it even then, but she signed it in order to protect Corona. It dredged up unwanted memories for her that she didn't want to delve in now. She shook her head. The amber had gone through so many uses. First as a mechanism meant to stop the black rocks, then as a weapon, now as a potential way to save crops. She wondered if it wasn't already being worked on for the last purpose, if Varian and Eugene would try to use it as a weapon once more. It had backfired on them the last time. She wouldn't think to use it like that again. Varian needed all the time he could muster with it, to get it to work for her people.

Still, to say she hadn't been tempted would be false. She thought of Eugene and remembered her fear for him when he had been out at the fire. They had always faced conflicts together and now she couldn't be with him. She thought his plan for the battle would work, but for once, she would have to sit it out. She was used to playing both sides of the field. Both organizing, and being active in it. She was organizing, but it didn't feel like enough. Her current predicament was turning out to be more of a learning curve than she ever thought. She hoped she could contact Cassandra. She felt her friend being in the battle field would be the next closest thing to herself being there.

"We are not just going to sit it out!" A stocky farmer named Paul Trader asserted to Eugene. Eugene needed to tell everyone not to travel towards the castle and town square the day of the battle. He didn't know exactly how to communicate to everyone out here in the rural areas of Corona. He figured he would be out here all day trying to get the message across to each family. Luckily the third house he came across was Paul Trader's. He was somewhat of an unofficial mayor out here. He had Eugene stay at his house, while he and his sons rounded up all the farmers stretched out across the next square miles of Corona for an impromptu meeting in his barn.

Eugene was getting spoiled by meals today. Lance had cooked him breakfast, and now, Penelope Trader, Paul's wife cooked him a farmer's lunch. The least she could do for the prince- consort, she said, beaming. He ate it heartily and not just to flatter her. It hit the spot. He almost felt like he was about to fall prey to a food coma, when Paul Trader's sons returned and told him everyone was awaiting the captain in the barn. It was a sizable crowd. Maybe not as intensely populated as the city, but still there was a good amount of people there. He announced his warning dictated by the princess. He was surprised by the fervency of their response. They wouldn't have it. "The princess has done so much for us!" Penelope Trader shouted over the crowd. "We will do our part to support her!"

He was encouraged by their support, but didn't know how Rapunzel would feel about all these families in harm's way. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you have had no battle training. And I don't know if a month is enough time to teach you." He had years of experience in street fighting as a thief, and knew his skills would be tested against the Lundars, Humpherts and some of the veteran guards who were classically trained. "So what?" A man named Patrick challenged. There were lots of "P" names out here apparently. "We've got our pitchforks and shovels! We got our muscles!" He squeezed his arm, showing it off. The crowd laughed rowdily.

"Actually you might be right." Considered Eugene. "We might be in need of you."

The girls got to Varian's in record time. "Where is that guy's lab?" Angry asked Red.

Red shrugged. She had never been there.

"Right. Let's check the smaller house first and then if it's not there we'll go and check the bigger one."

"Sounds good to me." Red said.

They broke into the small cottage with relative ease. They then looked around but saw nothing that looked like a lab. Before they gave up, "Wait." Angry said. "Wouldn't something like that be a secret? Hidden?"

Red drew her eyes down to think. "Look!" She said to Angry. They saw a latch to door leading to the downstairs. "That must be where it is!"

They opened the door, climbed down the stairs and sure enough there it was! "Whoa!" said Red. The lab was filled with glass, and metal trinkets and gadgets, what looked like measuring devices and loads of different colored chemicals. Then there was a huge metal cauldron looking thingy with glowing gauges, bolts and spigots. "Huh. That must be the hot water thingy." Red said.

"Yup. Can't miss that." Agreed Angry.

There were lots of drawers too. "Which one is the one you suppose Varian kept the match in?" Red asked Angry.

"I dunno." Angry admitted. "Let's try all of them." As they stepped forward to try some of the drawers out a huge demon raccoon came forward out of nowhere and screeched at them! At least, it seemed like a demon raccoon. It was really just Varian's pet raccoon Rudiger. Rudiger was only trying to be faithful to his master and protect the matches. He mistook the two girls for intruders. If Rudiger had stopped to check, he might have recognized Red and Angry. The raccoon didn't have the best of memories.

The girls screamed but before they could blink Rudiger threw pink balls at their feet. The pink balls exploded into a sticky pink chemical compound that spilled out onto the floor and encompassed their feet. The girls were unable to remove themselves from the sticky substance. Rudiger laughed maniacally. He had succeeded in trapping the intruders, or so he thought. "Rudiger! Rudiger!" The girls took turns at saying, "It's us!" They tried in vain to get him to recognize them.

The raccoon was too fixated on his mission and too pumped up on adrenaline to listen. He shook his head as if to say "Nice try." That was it. To defend her and her sister from the attack, Red drew on a secret power source that she, her sister and her new dad, didn't talk about often. A long time ago, Red had been bitten by a werewolf and somehow unlike other werewolves, she could transform herself into a large werewolf at will. Rudiger watched horrified as, starting with her hands and feet, then with her legs and arms and so on, Red transformed into a huge beast. In this form her feet outgrew the sticky chemical compound and she broke free. She tried to free her sister, but she was still stuck. Now he didn't care who they were.

The raccoon was too paralyzed by fear to control his thoughts. In retaliation, Rudiger threw another pink ball at the werewolf. She anticipated it and batted it away with her tail back at him before it could explode. The raccoon's eyes widened, but he was able to reach a yellow vial before the sticky compound trapped him. The yellow vial was the dissolvent for the pink stickiness. He was able to set himself free, but not before the Red werewolf grabbed another purple chemical in another beaker and threw it at the raccoon. The raccoon became a tiny miniscule version of himself and ran to a blue potion bottle and stuck his feet in, returning him to his normal size. It was all out war now.

Red found another spare yellow vial and set her sister free, and the raccoon and the girls continued throwing all kinds of chemicals at each other, going through all the bottles, beakers, vials and drawers they could find. The girls and the animal took turns changing sizes, colors, ages and forms. Sometimes Rudiger turned into one of the girls, sometimes one of the girls turned into Rudiger. In the end, all the pink balls were used up, and all the yellow vials. "Look!" Red pointed to Angry. Splattered on the floor were piles of pink gunky puddles, in the midst of one of the puddles was a pair of burnt matches. "Is that them?"

"Didn't they say there was one match?"

"Maybe he miscounted." A strong male voice rang out. They all looked. It was Lance.

"What in the world is going on here?!" He shouted in exasperation. He went on to tirade about how he looked for them everywhere before he left, trying to tell them that he was leaving for Varian's and that Big Nose would watch them. Then he figured out that they must of eavesdropped and took matters into their own hands, travelling to Varian's themselves. "How did you guys even get here so fast?" He asked, careful not to reveal that he was a bit impressed.

"We took a shortcut." Red answered sheepishly, still in her werewolf form. Living off the land for so long, they knew where all the shortcuts were to just about everything. She thought about shrinking down to her girlish form again, but then she realized she saw one last yellow vial way up on the top shelf. She thought she could just reach it to throw on the matches, extracting them from the sticky substance. Maybe if she could act fast and grab it quickly, they wouldn't be in so much trouble.

She grabbed it and, in her haste, pshe didn't see Rudiger adamantly shaking his head and squeaking in his way of "No!" The raccoon knew that the yellow vial on the top shelf was just a little different from the other vials and one of the truly dangerous substances in the lab. Lance caught on and tried to warn Red, but it was too late. She spilled the chemical out onto the pink stuff that held the matches captive and the whole thing, instead of dissolving cleanly, like she expected, burned a hole through the floor exposing the dirt underneath, disintegrating everything with it, including the matches.

"Whelp, there that goes." Resigned Lance mournfully. If he had, had a hat, he would have held it over his heart right now.

"Sorry!" Both Red and Angry confessed, Red transforming back into her human form. They both felt responsible. "Were those matches important?" They had missed the first part of what Rapunzel divulged to Lance about how they might have been used to start the fire. "They looked like they were already used."

Lance just sighed a big sigh. He would have to make this up to Rapunzel and Eugene somehow. For now, he needed to make sure everyone was safe and unharmed before heading with his girls back home.

When Eugene returned, Rapunzel was asleep. He was a little surprised to find her asleep, it was only around dinner time, but the doctor said she might sleep more often. Instead of the restful sleep he was used to seeing her have, she seemed to be having a nightmare. "No! No! No!" She cried out. "Please! Use the amber!" He heard her call out. He woke her up. "Rapunzel? Are you ok?"

She hugged him tightly. "Whoa, what's going on? What were you dreaming about?"

She was forced to tell him that she had seen the deed he handed to her in the past, asking her permission to use the amber prisons created from Varian's machine as a weapon. She knew they couldn't use that invention that way again.

It was different in her dreams. Sometimes she dreamed Eugene was stuck in the amber, sometimes Varian. The crops all disintegrated within the golden crystals as they tried to store them. And sometimes she saw Eugene alone on the battlefield surrounded by everyone who had betrayed them. Someone started a fire and he was left without any way out. She held the amber weapon moments before in her hands. She knew she could use it to save him, to save everyone, if she would just use it to trap the threat. Only, without remembering how, she had locked it deep inside recesses of the castle and she couldn't find the key anywhere. She saw the fighting and fires converge all at once on Eugene and her loved ones, and they disappeared from sight.

"Well," He smiled reassuringly after she had finished. "I am obviously right here and I don't remember anything like that happening. Today, at least." He said cheekily. He still hugged her gently back. "I think you will be interested in knowing what did happen today!"

"I am!" She said enthusiastically, all sunshine again. "And I think Lance and I may have figured out Varian's riddle!"

"You and Lance?"

They exchanged stories. Eugene was stunned at their proposed solution to the riddle and was surprised he had just missed her. Rapunzel recounted that she figured, Lance needed to wait until the next morning to tell her any news about whether he was able to find the match or not, on account of needing to find babysitting for his girls first. When Eugene told his story, as was expected, she was a little anxious about the people out in the country factoring into Eugene's plan the day of the battle, although she appreciated their eagerness to support her. "Well of course, Rapunzel! I think the only reason that the Humpherts are getting any support right now is that he's exaggerated the state of your health. Everyone believes in you as their princess! Maybe it's time for you to put your faith in people who would have your back. We don't need that amber machine as a weapon. Varian needs it to figure it out for your food idea. But of course, you know that."

She did, but it didn't make the decision any less difficult. After that dream, it was hard for her not to call Varian back and beg him to somehow make time to make the machine work for both, or make two machines, but she knew that was impossible with the limited time they had. Love of her people and food distribution to them came first. Then the fight. Or else they might have a food fight! 'Ha' She thought, laughing inwardly at her own pun. Maybe Eugene was rubbing off on her.

"Speaking of food," her husband said, "Are you hungry? It's dinner time."

"Mmmm, not really." She said. She had just woken up from that dream. She swore she saw a look of nervousness flash across her husband's face, but it was gone so quickly, she doubted she had seen it. "Are you sure, not even a little? It might be good for you to eat."

"Alright, maybe some soup and crackers." She gave in. Again this time she felt like she saw relief wash over Eugene, but she couldn't be sure if she saw it.

Rapunzel fell asleep shortly after eating. Eugene was having trouble though. He still had slightest bit of left over wheezing. He woke up right as the chameleon was about to lick his ear again. He put a finger up in warning, "Watch it frog." The small amount of congestion left in his lungs wasn't enough to warrant another steam bath. He never thought he'd see the day, but he thought he'd had enough of those. Not saying he was giving up on regular hot baths of course! That was a requisite.

But a whole mess of trouble always seemed to happen when he took one of those steam baths. He'd get rid of the little bit of junk he had left in his chest with some tea. The doctor said that would help too. He didn't feel like bothering the servants. He'd make his own tea! He done his own everything for years. He made a hot cup and it soothed him as it went down his throat. In truth, it wasn't only because of his lungs that he couldn't sleep.

There were too many unknowns, loose ends that he hadn't been able to figure out yet or even pursue today. There were the big questions like, where Wolfgang went during or after the fire? Was Varian trying to tell them that someone started the fire? And if so, who was it? Would Lance find a match? That was a very startling revelation by Rapunzel! And then the smaller questions like did Vrott or Egbert tell Phineas about Rapunzel's illness? Did the Lundars leave before or after when Phineas made his accusations? And he didn't know why it bothered him, but how in the world did Egbert return to the castle, giving them a ride and hours later tell the Lundars of his alliance with the Humpherts?

If he had already allied with them on his return to the castle why bother helping him and Rapunzel with the use of his caravan? It was the smallest of the small questions, but it nagged at him somehow. Was Elipta lying about the timeline? Yet, to give them the information about the Lundar and Humphert alliance, she had gone against her own family, and her brother/cousin. That last part still freaked him out, no matter what she said. He needed some fresh air.

He walked outside to the balcony. A guard on duty saluted him. "Captain." He saluted back. "As you were." All the lingo was still strange to him. He had doubled the men on their watch now they were on high alert. The king had expressed to him that Phineas was really weasely. The date of he battle a month from now could be a trick, and the lord was really planning a surprise attack. As he looked around at the guards that surrounded the castle, he had to admit being on the other end of security, for the first part of his life being a security threat, gave him the experience to know how to cover weaknesses. He had studied various security systems as a thief to know the good break-in points.

He leaned on the balcony rail. "Got a lot of questions soldier." He said off the cuff to the guard, merely trying to work out his thoughts out loud. All at once, the guard rushed over to him, kneeling and shaking. "I'm sorry Captain! I am sorry I didn't tell you! I didn't know what I was seeing at the time!"

"What? What Henry?" Eugene asked in astonishment. He knew the guard's name well because he was one of the few senior veteran guards still loyal to the king. He had almost caught Eugene a few times when he had been Flynn Rider. The guard apparently thought Eugene was out here to interrogate him.

"I saw First Lieutenant Vrott talking with Lord Humphert yesterday Captain!"

"What? When?"

"I was at the front gate when Vrott had just been appointed acting captain. The Lundar caravan had just pulled up, and the Humphert's carriage behind it. Vrott called out to Lord Humphert asking if Wolfgang got home ok. It sounded like Wolfgang was trying to meet with his family. I thought at the time that Lord Humphert was only trying to talk Vrott to clear up where his son was! Now I know he must have been conspiring with him!"

The guard hadn't seen Lord Humphert climb into the Lundar caravan before the guards got there. Egbert and Phineas made sure the large caravan blocked that from everyone's view. "Even after Vrott didn't return from the escort right away, I wasn't sure. Then when it was clear he was rebelling, I was afraid I would get in trouble for not reporting that to you earlier. I am so sorry Captain."

"Hey on your feet." Eugene said to the kneeling guard. He was not only a tad thrown back by the guard kneeling to him, but he also wondered who else was withholding information for similar reasons. He wanted to make it clear that it was ok to come forward in case there were any others. "It would've helped earlier, but it's good you told me now. Tell me, you said the Lundar caravan pulled up. Did the man as I described as Duke Egbert climb out?"

"Yes sir. He did."

So that cleared things up. Egbert must have taken two trips outside the palace. Since the Lundar caravan and Humphert carriage pulled up together it must have been the second trip that he officially allied with the Humpherts. He still didn't understand how they came into contact so fast right after meeting at the baby shower, but knew from past experiences, unexpected alliances could happen quickly.

The second trip had to have been after the king appointed Vrott acting captain, so that meant it had to be after Eugene was told to take a steam bath, and therefore after his argument with Egbert. Egbert had acted fast after that argument then. "That man doesn't take a disagreement well." Eugene said out loud.

"What?" The guard asked.

"Huh? Oh nothing. Look, is there any other information you know?"

"Well sir, Vrott and the other guards said they were escorting the Lundars out of town, shortly before Lord Humphert went into the palace. Again I swear I didn't know that it wasn't just an escort captain! I swear it!"

"Ok. It was sneaky! They had it all worked out it seemed."

"Yes sir."

"Anything else?"

"No, no sir. Not that I can think of."

"Well this is good information. But I don't think I need to tell you to be forthcoming from now on?"

The guard nodded emphatically.

"Then as you were soldier. Make sure this doesn't happen again." He wasn't going to discipline him. The guard truly might not have known any better. Plus not only did he hope letting him off the hook would encourage others to come forward, but they needed all the guards they could get.

"Yes sir!" The guard responded gratefully, extremely relieved.

So this cleared up a few things. One, since it seemed Egbert and Phineas arrived together, it really could have been Egbert that told Phineas about the princess' illness. It might have given the lord courage to face the king.

Also since it was clear now that Egbert had taken two trips outside the palace, why did Elipta seem to think he had only taken one? On the return to the palace from what must have been Egbert's first trip, both Rapunzel, and then he, had been out of it. He had been out of it for at least an hour or so before he woke up and saw Egbert again by Rapunzel's room. He yawned. He thought about his wife asleep right now. He was getting sleepy again and wanted to be by her side.

That was it! Egbert had a weird crush on Rapunzel. Did that mean he stayed by her room the entire time? Creepy. But if that was true, the Lundars wouldn't have seen him again until he retuned from his second return trip. That would explain why they thought he took one long trip. He'd have to confirm it with the servants. Secondly and more importantly, it seemed even Vrott wasn't clear on what happened to Wolfgang. From this information, Wolfgang had tried to meet with his family before he disappeared. Had he met with them? Lance really might have been on the right track earlier. It was time to head to bed. He got back in the room.

"Eugene?" The princess' voice almost startled him.

"Did I wake you?"

"It's alright. I have been sleeping more lightly ever since I have been pregnant. Are you alright? Still having trouble sleeping? Are you still coughing?"

"No princess." He told her briefly, he was almost cleared up, and about the guard coming forward with information.

"You know, Eugene, I think you're right that a lot more people might know things and but are afraid to tell us, thinking they'd get in trouble. You are going to be busy prepping for battle, but guess who's going to be stuck in the palace with a lot of free time on her hands?"

"You thinking of playing detective princess?"

"You betcha!"

"Have at it!"

They both fell asleep snoring, but for the first time since the fire, Eugene didn't wheeze that night.

Lance was panting. He wanted to make up for the diaster earlier by trying to break into the Humpherts' this night. He didn't think he was seen but man, was the Humphert manor heavily guarded. There were guards at the front and the back. He managed to sneak through them but then had trouble figuring out on to get in. He wondered if there was a kitchen entrance. He got around to what he thought must lead to the kitchen and was greeted by loud ferocious barking of two hounds.

He ran and just barely managed not to bump into a passing guard. The guard was distracted by the sound of the hounds and abruptly turned just in time to go silence them. "Quiet! You filthy mongrels! Don't you care if anybody gets sleep!" The dogs were a little quieter tonight than they were last, but the guard didn't want them to start barking all night like they did the night before. As most of the guards here kept watch at night, they needed their sleep during the day. The plan was to get some sleep in the Lundar caravan when it was daylight.

Yet they had been woken up and kicked out of it the day before by sleepy Lundars. The Lundars hadn't gotten any sleep yesterday night because of the barking dogs. He didn't want that to happen again. "No more night duty Vrott said when he became acting captain. Yeah well, now look at us!" The guard grumbled. Distracted by the dogs and his own grumbling, the guard hadn't seen him. Lance didn't think he'd try his luck again. He was sorry for it, but he'd have to tell Eugene and princess Rapunzel he couldn't make it in.

Phineas Humphert heard the dogs again and took little note. They still barked infrequently here and there, but had been quieter now that Rebekah had spoken to Wolfgang. His daughter had asked to speak with him privately tonight. "What exactly did you say to Wolfgang that seemed to quiet him from crying out and simultaneously worked its magic on the dogs?" He asked her a little impressed. He guessed now that Wolfgang wasn't calling out, the dogs were not trying as much to get everyone's attention either.

"Only the truth father." She answered him in her dry way. "That if he exposed your lie about him dying in the fire, we would possibly loose our support and then things would not go well for us with the king."

"Well come now. It isn't as bad as all that. I think what you told him, in a way to get him to comply with our plan, was good. But all these people here must support us for reasons other than Wolfgang. Look at all the people in the city who have joined us now." To get her father to give her a chance to talk to him about releasing Wolfgang, she had proposed a clever idea. The people of the city responded to them if they supported the king or the Humpherts through embroidery. Through the guise of sending condolences to the Humphert family for Wolfgang's apparent untimely demise, if a person in the city supported them, they sent something embroidered in blue. If they supported the king, they sent something in red. They chose who they asked with the utmost caution, so they had received mostly blues.

"Yes father you've already told me it was also because of the food shortage and the fact the people will be stuck with King Frederick for a while if the princess dies. But have you thought about what will happen if she survives?"

"She won't." He said quickly.

"Then, if you are so convinced that she won't, why didn't you just wait until she passed? We're next in line anyway."

"We've played the waiting game long enough. No more waiting my daughter. We take what's ours now." The truth was, in his heart of hearts, he believed the princess would recover. She was too much of a survivor to turn back now. That is why he didn't want to wait.

"Ok fine." Rebekah conceded. "But father, we might have fooled the city people and the Lundars about Wolfgang's death, maybe even confused some of our guards, but the king and his guards don't believe us. They have searched everywhere for him. Eventually they will catch on that the one place they have not searched, is here. We've got to get him out of here."

"Ha!" Lord Phineas laughed dryly. "Frederick finding a missing person? That'd be the day."

"Father, I'm serious."

"I see what you're saying daughter and it would seem wise, but we can't get him out of here yet. It is too dangerous. Our home is swarming with people."

"And yet you've managed to keep Wolfgang hidden from all of them. I trust we can think of a way to get him out of here undetected too."

"Too risky." He responded. "Besides the very reason it's dangerous for us to get him out, is a good reason why they won't be able to find him here. Not unless they bring the battle here. And the king has already agreed to meet us for battle outside at the castle grounds. The fool! He is too much of a rule follower to go against his word. Even if that weren't the case, I can't have Wolfgang out and bumbling around creating havoc again and ruining our cause."

Rebekah knew that last reason was the real reason Phineas didn't want to let Wolfgang go. Her father saw the hardness in her face. She kept her emotions in check, so it was only detectable to those who really knew her.

"Daughter as soon as we win this revolt, I will give Wolfgang the choice of whether to travel far away, or maybe we will spin the story that it was just a case of mistaken identity, and Wolfgang is miraculously alive! We'll figure it out then. Ok?"

Rebekah somehow doubted that, but realized she had no choice. She wouldn't be able to get Wolfgang out on her own. Even if she could, she didn't want to run of the risk of being the next person being held captive underneath the trap door. She'd still sneak food down to both of them, until she could think of something else.

Rapunzel had to think of something. She was getting a bit frustrated. She had already gathered and asked if her handmaidens if they had seen anything out of the ordinary, two days ago at her baby shower and they all reacted like she was accusing them. Well she supposed it wasn't fair to say, all of them. Helen nervously but politely responded to her. Ethel and Charity looked guilty, but that may have been, because their part in their timing of telling the king when she had woken up that day, accidentally contributed to Lord Humphert's escape. And as always Friedborg said nothing. Rapunzel was beginning to wonder if the poor girl was mute. Yet she had heard of other people saying she had talked to them.

Friedborg usually had a vacant look on her face. Her mother told her the girl was an innocent, and her parents had asked that they hire her out of their good graces. She doubted she'd get anything out of her even if she did talk. The only thing they were able to offer her, was that Wolfgang went outside during the baby shower, looking like he was bored, which she already knew. Judging from her handmaidens reactions, who knew her the most out of all the servants, she would have to question every one else carefully, maybe one at a time, so as not to alarm everyone. This was going to take a while.

In addition, she really didn't have as much free time as she thought she would. She helped her parents divide up and dole out rations. She answered concerned subjects' questions about her health, assuring them that as much as it depended on her, she wasn't going anywhere. She also had everyday mundane duties she still needed to take care of. Then she couldn't help sleeping more often. The doctor said she'd need it so she shouldn't resist it. The kindly doctor also saw her quite more often, in fact almost every day. He didn't want to miss anything again. The last thing, was that eating was a chore for her lately, but she did it. Eugene made sure she did. She never knew him to be so concerned with her eating before. It seemed that eating, and in large amounts, had been more of a past time between he and Lance before.

Speaking of, Lance arrived at the palace. It was good to see him there. He had lived at the palace once, before he adopted the girls and branched out on his own. He told them the day after Varian had sent them the riddle, that he went to the Humphert's manor but couldn't break in. He said it apologetically, but they told him any disappointment they might feel couldn't compare to how sad they would be if something happened to him. He did the right thing.

He also told them, that before he got a chance to retrieve the suspected match at Varian's the girls overheard and got there first. "Oh are they ok? Did they find matches?" Rapunzel asked leaning forward. She had been waiting in great suspense to hear back from him. "Yes." Lance said cautiously, with a smile of chagrin. "But then they disintegrated."

"What?"

Lance told them the whole story. It would have been funny, if not so heartbreaking.

"Well," Rapunzel responded, trying to take the news in stride, "On one hand this is great! We have positive confirmation that we were correct about the riddle and a fire was started. Now we just have to find out whodunit! As far as the matches, we still have it on the word of Varian, you and the girls, that the matches were found on his farm at the sight of the fire. You are all respected members of the community. That will have to be enough." Lance hoped she was right. Rapunzel told herself, now that she knew there was a fire for sure, she would have to change her tactics and questioning, and amp it up to solve the mysteries before them. Time was of the essence! Eugene broke through her thoughts.

"I have a good idea whodunit." He said without hesitation, holding two fingers up. "One of two families, the Lundars or the Humpherts."

He was pretty angry. That fire not only threatened his life, but the lives of many others in more than one way.

"Well anyone really could of done it. We are not totally sure."

He gave her a disbelieving look.

"Ok I know you are probably right," She began, trying to explain more of what she meant. "But look at it this way, the Lundars don't even know where Varian's farm is, so I don't think it was them. Plus from what you told me, it was only after your argument that Egbert allied with Phineas."

"True." Eugene said.

"And both families were at the baby shower." She reminded. "Since half of Corona believes that Wolfgang might have died in the fire, this is going to be touchy. Before we can go accusing the Humpherts of doing this, we're going to need some definite proof."

Eugene nodded. She was right. More than conjecture would be needed.

It didn't take long for Rapunzel to guess who of the Humpherts might have started the fire if it had been one of them. It had to be the only member of the Humpherts' family that excused himself from the baby shower temporarily. "Wolfgang" Rapunzel gasped.

"Wolfgang might have done this Eugene." She whispered to him privately. She told him she saw her cousin excuse himself from the party. It didn't actually surprise him.

"That would also explain why he's missing then." Pondered Eugene. "Maybe he's hiding out to avoid suspicion."

Rapunzel agreed. She wondered if anybody saw where Wolfgang went after he excused himself to go outside. She didn't know if any of the livery servants were outside under the carriage porch at the time, or if everyone was inside. She was able to talk to a few of them individually with no luck. The baby shower had just been relatively underway and none of them expected anybody to leave yet. They told her, with an ashamed look, they were meeting and relaxing together downstairs. She'd keep at it. She knew someone had to have seen something.

The next day the Lundars packed up to head home. Once they had gotten official word that there was a Lundar- Humphert alliance for certain, Corona's king wrote King Edmund to tell him. The Lundars were sure that despite King Edmund's aversion for travel, the situation was too precarious for him not to come personally to Corona's aid. If so, he would need the Lundars to take over the restoration processes.

King Frederick and Eugene were still a little peeved that the remaining Lundars didn't want to help out, but Rapunzel understood. Who would want to fight their own family members? They all said their good-byes.