A/N: Was just scrolling through the Tangled wikis to make sure I have my information correct and realized that I had been misspelling Horace's name! The previous chapters should be updated with the change in spelling. I know this chapter is shorter, but fear not! I have an absolute monster of action and suspense coming next. Just gotta plow through this political dialogue first!

I also saw a comment about this being a GOT parody. I haven't seen that series yet so I have no idea, but I definitely will have some dark point in this story. Let me know if you see more similarities!

Don't forget to leave a review if you'd like!

PS: A Heptagon is a 7-sided polygon.

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"Prince Horrace, the dinner begins in ten minutes," a stately voice informed him from outside his door. The Young Prince's appetite was all but gone as he thought about Anja. Her brilliant blue eyes and red hair were the only things on his mind. His practicing tunic was gone, replaced with a royal purple suit coat sat underneath his royal bandolier embroidered with the Coronian crest, the seven-pronged sun. He quickly checked his breath before sprinting out of his room.

The party hadn't begun yet. It was a Coronian tradition for the royalty to arrive 15 minutes early to hosted events, and Horrace's parents were impatiently pacing the nearly empty dining hall.

"There you are!" Eugene chuckled as Horrace jogged over. "Our son likes to keep things fashionably late."

"Sounds like something he got from you," Rapunzel laughed with him. She always made a point to be thirty minutes early.

"Hey mom, hey dad," Horrace panted. "I'm fashionably late to being early, I guess."

"It's ok! I wasn't worried, son," Eugene placed a fatherly hand on Horrace's shoulder. "Your mother, on the other hand..." He gestured to Rapunzel, who was currently trying her best to hide her anxiety.

"What, me? I'm as cool as a- as a... cantaloupe" Rapunzel brushed a short strand of brown hair behind her ear. Unlike Eugene's, it had kept it's sheen and volume perfectly, with no gray in sight.

I guess those are the benefits of being born with hair from the SUN. The slightly-graying monarch griped silently.

"It's really okay, mom." Horrace was slightly annoyed just being here. "I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, I just worry-"

"There's nothing for you to worry about! I'm the best swordsman in the city! I can take care of..." Horace's defense ground to a halt as Rapunzel's motherly glare glued his mouth shut.

"I was trying to say that I worry about you not having the freedoms your father and I enjoyed as young adults. I know what it's like to be locked up and well..." She cupped his face in her hands. "I just want what's best for you. I tried my hardest with the council, I really did. Please understand..."

Horrace grabbed her hands and brought them down in front of them.

"It's okay, mom. I understand. You don't need to worry!" He shone his best reassuring smile. He was going to show them all that he alone could handle his safety tomorrow.

The smile was enough for Rapunzel, who's green eyes had softened considerably.

"Oh, Horrace. We'll get you a chance to compete eventually. Let me work with the council for the next few months and maybe next year-"

"Mom, it's honestly fine," Horrace gave her hands a quick squeeze and motioned to the three empty seats at the Coronian table. Arranged in a heptagon were tables for every delegation. Across the room, King Fredrick and Queen Arianna of Corona were already chatting in their seats. As the trio approached, the elderly King stood and wrapped his grandson in a warm hug.

"Horrace! My dear boy," He affectionately greeted Horrace. "I'm so glad you could join us!"

"Happy to be here, Grandpa," Horrace bashfully replied, slightly muffled by his Grandfather's vest. "If there's anyone who can make the Griffin smile, it's you two!"

That got a laugh out of the Queen, who pulled him into a bear hug of her own. As the five royals started to chat animatedly about the day's exploits, the guests were beginning to filter into their seats. Two very distinct redheads could be seen making their way to the adjacent table, Queen Anna, and her daughter Princess Anja.

As he spotted them, Horrace started a very thorough search for a mystery item underneath the table. As he tried to talk himself out of the rapidly growing red in his cheeks, he felt a hand on his back. As he peeked backward through the spread, his mom gave him a knowing smile.

He sat up sheepishly, uncharacteristically laser-focused on the announcer reading titles. A knee nudged him from the opposite side, this time from his dad.

"You got this, kiddo. What's a lady ever been to a Fitzherbert?" Eugene gave him a wink. "Isn't that right, Blondi-OW!" He rubbed his thigh from the pain of his wife's silencing kick.

They may have said other things, but Horrace had accidentally crossed an event horizon. The princess of Arendelle had locked eyes with him and was now giving a small wave and smile. He raised his hand to wave back, startling the chameleon who was crossing the tablecloth to get to his partner-for-life.

"Agh! Sorry, Pascal!" He apologized as the lizard caught its breath. Apparently, Pascal had been needed to taste test the grape gravy, among other foods, while they were greeting the guests. The green creature let out a forgiving croak and took his place on Rapunzel's shoulder.

Now that the family was complete, Horrace returned his attention to the Princess of Arendelle. She wasn't looking his way, so he took some precious seconds to get a better look at her. Red hair in a tight bun, like her mother, with sea-green eyes to match. Now that he thought more about it, the Princess and her mother looked fairly similar, with the exceptions being her splash of freckles across her cheeks and the absence of the single white strand of hair that her mother possessed.

His chin slipped from his palm and he almost crashed into his plate. As he straightened up rapidly and took a deep breath, the servants started to pass food around. The opening course was turkey, with grapes and sautéed greens. Horrace was famished from spending his entire morning at the training square. He started to eat as fast as was possible while maintaining his manners, pausing as a blur of green crossed his vision.

Lightning-fast reflexes kicked into gear, and Horrace's hand moved just in time to catch a small pea well on its way to collide with his forehead. He looked around, startled to see the princess of his previous speculations giggling behind a napkin. He looked to his sides to make sure the coast was clear and rocketed the pea back with a well-aimed flick. He silently congratulated himself as the projectile struck true, making contact with the freckles and startling their owner. After regaining her composure, the Princess of Arendelle shot him a faux glare. Horrace was about to snicker when he caught sight of the Rochester Delegation staring at the small spectacle.

Hands now firmly in his lap, Horrace stared down at his plate. He had been distracted from the conversation happening in the room. Now that he was listening, he wished that he wasn't.

"What business does Corona have in Pittsford? My people grow weary of your constant patrols." The Griffin was getting straight to the point.

"The royal council thought it best to-"

"The royal council? One would think that you would have control of your kingdom, great King. You had better get this council of yours under control or else-"

"I will not allow threats of discord in my dining hall!" His Grandfather's booming voice commanded the attention of the entire hall. "Let this Contest gathering be a celebration of unity, rather than your discontent."

A muttered agreement echoed the hall from the other tables. Horrace hazarded a glance towards the Arendelle delegation. The red-haired Queen was rubbing her eyes as she tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.

She's just like mom. His short-haired mother had never been keen on formal meetings like this. Come to think of it, she was uncharacteristically still. How wasshe still awake right now?

To Horace's left, Eugene let out a small sigh of his own. He was losing 21-22 at under-the-table rock paper scissors. He looked at his wife and made a big show of rolling his eyes. She just smiled back and nudged his hand for another game. Another small sigh and they were back into the fray of quiet competition.

As the night wore on, Horace's eyelids started to droop. Anja was barely trying to hide her mid-dinner nap. Her hands cradled her forehead in a way that blocked her eyes from the view of those around her. He couldn't be sure, but the slow, rhythmic breathing that he observed made it pretty clear that she was sleeping. He decided to copy the position and soon the conversation became mushy and distant...

"Horace?" Eugene elbowed his son lightly.

"Wha- What?" Horace was startled from his nap. Ouch... He rubbed at a huge cramp in his neck. Slouch-sleeping had not been a great idea.

"The dinner is done," Eugene chuckled slightly at his son's predicament. "I'll show you how to sleep through meetings the proper way next time." As he finished, he whipped around and caught Rapunzel's elbow before it hit his stomach.

"Gotcha," He was laughing harder now.

Horace glanced around the dining hall, and sure enough, it was empty. Servants were finishing the final wiping and mopping.

"How long was I out?" He asked nervously.

"The meeting ended about half an hour ago. We wanted to let you sleep, but I didn't want your cramp to be worse after we let you slouch for a couple more hours." Eugene told him.

"Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Mom." Horace was still rubbing his sore neck. "I'm gonna head up to bed, I think."

"Sounds like a plan. We need to be rested for the ceremonies tomorrow!" Rapunzel stood up on her toes to hug her son as he started walking to the door.

You have no idea... Horace thought as he ascended the stairs.

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