Approaching the streets of Old Corona felt like walking towards a graveyard. Rapunzel felt more than the winter cold seep into her soul as she saw the still-barren land strewn with rubble and hunks of debris from the gruesome aftermath of Varian's unbridled rage. It had been almost eight months since that fateful night, but she could still smell the hot automaton oil, the dank must of that dreaded cellar…a cellar she knew she would soon be seeing again. As her feet (uncomfortably booted) crunched through the cold grass and packed snow, she felt all appetite leave her as her thoughts dwelled unceasingly on her parents. At least before, she had her father with her to traverse these quiet, empty streets. Now she wondered if he was even still alive. The very idea threatened to make her knees buckle.

Eventually, her mind was brought out of her anxious reverie by Shorty, who unleashed a gaping yawn as he staggered behind her on his wobbly legs. "Well, isn't this just a picturesque view," he rubbed a thick, calloused digit under his gin-blossom nose. "Isn't the Snuggly Duckling around here somewhere?"

Rapunzel forced herself into the present, blinking to clear her vision. "No, Shorty," she said in a fatigued tone. "The Snuggly Duckling isn't here." She looked ahead at Shay, who had been silently leading the way through the abandoned village. Her hare, Killy, ran forward to the end of the way before returning quickly back and keeping close to her heels. "It, um…" Rapunzel dredged up the will to speak. "It seems almost like you've been here before."

Shay paused, looking around at the vacant houses, the gardens barren and white with snow. "I used to live here, once," she answered in her quiet tone. "But I've been here more recently. Uncle's house isn't too far, now."

"'Uncle'?" Rapunzel's eyes widened. "You had an uncle who lived here?"

"Not by blood," Shay explained absently. "But he was like an uncle to me."

Suddenly, all the puzzle pieces fell into place, and Rapunzel actually stopped in her tracks to process it all. "Quirin," she realized. "That's why you're so close to Varian. You knew each other growing up." She picked up her feet, reaching Shay in a few strides. "But you couldn't stay, or your mother couldn't. The witch hunt forced you to leave. Then Varian found you years later, to ask you to help free his father. But none of that answers where your mother is, or why I saw you both in my dream."

Shay didn't look surprised or scared, or even angry. She just looked tired. She gazed down at Killy and slowly reached down to pick him up, stroking his back with a slow hand. "I can only guess, Princess," she murmured. "Dreams like what you've experienced are meant to tell you something, but I'm no interpreter. You'll have to judge for yourself what it must have meant."

Rapunzel didn't have to think about it long. "I think it meant that I can trust you," she said. "We can trust each other. We have to, now."

"You know," Shorty waltzed between them, spinning on one toe, "when snakes sing about trust, it's pretty catchy."

Rapunzel and Shay both cast concerned looks in the old man's direction, then returned to looking at each other. "You may be right, Princess," Shay admitted, her cheeks coloring. "I know I've been…distant since the Dark Kingdom."

"You've been shy," Rapunzel said with a sympathetic smile. "That's okay."

But Shay shook her head. "No, I've been…off-putting. I am a citizen of Corona, and you are the princess. It means I must do what I can to protect you, not push you away." She kissed the top of Killy's head and set the hare back down in the snow. "I will try to be better."

They walked on a bit more, but now as they made their way towards the village square, they did so side-by-side. "You know what happened here, then," Rapunzel inferred.

"Yes. And I don't condone Varian's actions." Shay sighed, her breath a puff of cold air past her nose. "But I can understand them. He tries to think things through, but he's always thought too fast. He never slows down, and his actions always end up being faster. I wish I had been here. If I had known, I'd have…" She sighed again. "But even if he'd remembered who I was, I have no way of knowing if he would have listened to me. He and I were the only friends we had when we were little. When Mam and I had to leave, she made him forget. It seems it did little to help anyone. I still have yet to ask her if she regrets what she did."

"You still haven't told me where she is," Rapunzel prodded.

"Someplace safe, for now," Shay answered cryptically. "It's not that I wouldn't tell you. It's just not important for the moment. Suffice it to say that she can't help us right now. I'm afraid we're on our own." She looked north, towards the capitol island. "I hope he'll be alright. Martin is with him…they'll keep each other safe."

Rapunzel looked wistfully in the same direction, though there was nothing to see but grey clouds and snowy roof tops. "Eugene," she prayed out loud. "Please don't make me wait long."

The capitol streets were vacant as Eugene and company cautiously crossed the bridge, their mounts wary and unsettled as they approached the gates. It was inevitable that someone would be there, and Eugene had fully warned the party to expect a fight. Martin's hand hadn't left his sword hilt since they'd left Old Corona, and Varian's bow was strung and ready to be drawn. Lance seemed the least bit concerned, though it might have simply been that trying to don any expression other than apathy would invite a panicked squeal from his throat.

The gates seemed untouched, which didn't ease their fears. "No sign of forced entry," Martin observed aloud, "and no one's stationed here. What happened to the guards?"

"Maybe the Sapporians have them locked up," Lance suggested with a wince.

"Or maybe they are here, and we just can't see them," Varian noted. "The king's elite are trained for stealth."

Eugene silently agreed. He'd seen the scouts in action in Old Corona; they were relentless and gave up their mission only when Rapunzel had resorted to desperate measures, costing her the only home she had known for eighteen long years. "If they are here," he grunted as he dismounted from Maximus, "then they'll know who we are and that we're here to help." He took a deep breath before approaching the gates on foot, reaching out to grasp the bars. "Alright! If anyone's out there, we want entry to the castle! If you won't give it to us, then we'll do this the hard way!" He was no stranger to climbing walls. If he had to, he'd reach the other side of the gates and open them for the others to follow.

Thankfully, Eugene's hastily formulated plan wasn't needed. A figure emerged from the shadows, cloaked and silent, a single gloved hand reaching out to touch the other side of the gate. "Rider," the figure said. "Figures you'd show up now of all times. You and your thieving ways aren't needed here. We have the situation under control. If you stop barking for the entire kingdom to hear…wait." The figure paused, head tilting slightly. "Is that Edrick with you?"

Martin dismounted and came to Eugene's side. "Lieutenant Yaeger!"

"Shh!" Yaeger hissed, eyes glinting like steel from the shadows of his hood. "Not here. Go to the other side of the bridge and wait for me down by the shore. Half an hour." Then he turned and disappeared back into the darkness.

Eugene made an irritated noise. "We've traveled for days to get here, and now we have to turn around and wait some more?"

"Fine with me," Lance muttered. "I don't mind being a few steps further away from a Sapporian flag."

Back across the bridge they went, Rudiger's large paws digging divots in the sand as they made their way to the shore under the base, hiding in the bridge's shadow as they waited for Yaeger to arrive. It took less than five minutes for Varian to voice his concerns. "How do we know he's not working with them?" he hissed. "We could be waiting here just to get captured."

"No," Martin shook his head. "I trust Yaeger. He's got a stick up his rear, but he's one of the best soldiers in the kingdom. He'll have an explanation."

Eugene frowned. "Isn't Yaeger Sapporian?"

"Half-Sapporian," Martin clarified with a stern frown. "And that doesn't mean he's working with them."

"I guess we're going to find out one way or another," Varian grumbled.

Twenty minutes later, Yaeger's shadow stretched out towards them, and he made a quick, calculating glance around the area before reaching to tug his hood away. His red hair was disheveled, and grey circles pressed like stamps under his vivid gaze. He reached deliberately under his cloak and revealed a one-handed crossbow. With a flick of his wrist, a bolt was nocked, aimed squarely in Varian's direction.

"If I didn't have other pressing issues to attend to," he said through a surprisingly relaxed jaw, "I would personally execute you where you stand for the numerous offenses you have committed against this kingdom. You have much to answer for, alchemist."

Varian had paled drastically, but he didn't say a word. His eyes widened when Martin slowly stepped in front of him, hands raised towards Yaeger. "Lieutenant, please. I can explain –"

"Shut your mouth, Edrick," Yaeger hissed. "I'm well aware that you weren't responsible for what happened in that forest, but if you think for one second that your word is an irrefutable endorsement in that child's favor, then you have no business calling yourself a servant of the king."

Eugene raised a questioning finger. "Uh, yeah, speaking of the king –"

"I'm not a child," Varian pushed his way around Martin. "And I'm not here cause more trouble. We came to help take back the capitol from the Sapporians."

A light ignited in Yaeger's gaze, a burning desire that made his finger twitch on the crossbow trigger. "Perhaps your deluded companions have that intention," he said in a low voice. "But you? You're just waiting for the chance, ANY chance, to exact more of your insanity on the kingdom I hold most dear."

"Okay, that's enough," Eugene crossed in front of Yaeger's weapon. "We don't have time for this. I'm tired, I'm starving, I'm miles away from the woman I love, whom I left in the hands of a seriously questionable witch girl and an old geezer who can't tell the difference between a fish and an ear of corn. This" – he gestured rapidly between Varian and Yaeger's crossbow – "This can wait until AFTER we reestablish the governance that wants to convict the kid in the first place, because right now, I bet you don't even have the authority to throw him in prison anyway. Do you?"

Yaeger's face twisted into a snarl. He took a deep breath through his nose…then lowered his crossbow to his side. "The Sapporians arrived in court the day my men and I returned from the Haderon Forest. They'd disguised themselves and slipped past security before using some kind of magic artifact on the king and his council. They broke a number of their compatriots out of the prison before moving to incapacitate the Captain. With the head of the kingdom as their hostage, those guards present either surrendered or were executed on the spot. My men and I gathered intel before infiltrating the surrendered group. From there, I took over and fabricated an alliance with the Sapporians. In exchange for our obedience, they've kept the royal family alive. It wasn't too difficult to arrange, due to my heritage, but it's been a challenge keeping them off our scent. They've been watchful, but in the time since, I've been organizing a movement to eliminate these dastards and restore the king to his throne."

"You said the Captain was incapacitated," Martin asked.

Yaeger's face remained stoic, but his shoulders fell. "We haven't had access to any apothecaries since the coup. His condition has deteriorated drastically. I expect to receive reports of his death every time I rendezvous from my post."

Eugene cursed under his breath. "If Rapunzel had come with us, she could heal him."

"No," Yaeger shook his head. "The Captain would never forgive you if you willingly endangered the sole heir to the throne to save his life. You made the right call, Rider."

"It's Fitzherbert," Eugene reminded him with a frown. "And for what it's worth, I'm glad to hear that there's some semblance of a plan here."

"Yaeger," Martin stepped forward. "We can help you put an end to all of this. But…" He glanced over his shoulder at Varian. "You have to trust us. ALL of us. At least until the Sapporians are dealt with."

"I don't have to do anything," Yaeger said tersely. "If it were up to me, I'd cram you all into the nearest cell, where I wouldn't have to worry about you until after I clean up this mess." Then he sighed sharply. "That being said, I'm well aware of the thieves' expertise, and the alchemist has knowledge that would prove useful, much as it pains me to say."

Varian took a deep breath. "If it's a matter of reaching the king and queen and retrieving them from the Sapporians, I know how you and your men can reach them without alerting our enemy."

Yaeger put his crossbow away and lifted his hood back over his head. "Against my better judgment, I have apprised you of the situation. But I still have questions, and I expect them to be answered when the threat is over." As he turned to leave, he paused. "Caius disappeared after the witch's cabin was destroyed. I assumed he had somehow left with you."

"The witch hunter," Martin swallowed. "You mean he didn't…he's still out there?"

Yaeger didn't answer. "My part in this is too vital for me to leave the capitol. If you know a way to reach the king and queen without bloodshed, then I would seek that knowledge. Tomorrow, you will show me. It's time we brought this situation to a head."