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Sleeping Beauty
The amber moon looked upon Arendelle on this cold, somber night. The kingdom mourned the fallen princess of their sister realm. Townsfolk were preparing lanterns in her honor. Preparations were well underway with representatives of Corona for a great ceremony. But at the broken heart of the land, no such matters were even being acknowledged.
The halls of the palace housed an awful silence. Nearing the Queen's grand chamber, coats of frost consumed the walls and window glass. Jack could not help it. Within the master bedroom was where Rapunzel lied. There on the softest mattress and fluffed pillows. There in a silk white nightgown that her cousins had changed her into. There in Elsa's personal quarters. She made sure the princess received only the best, both care and stay. After all, they were family.
Hachiman and the rest of Four remained at her bedside, never leaving her since her very arrival. Astrid, Valka, and the Guardians had stayed for the first few days, but eventually had to return to their respected duties. After no improvement was seen to her condition, Queen Elsa had sent word of Rapunzel's dire state to her homeland. The rest of her family would arrive soon enough.
Toothless kept the fireplace alive, warming the entire chamber. None had hardly spoken, only short exchanges with the healers and servers that came and went. There was not much left to say, only so very much left to desperately hope for. Yet, the young princess remained a prisoner to her deep sleep within the clear-ivory bed curtains that draped around her.
Then the loud creak of an opening door jolted the group awake from their lost, saddened thoughts. It was Elsa and Anna showing a guest in. Eugene's brown eyes of denial at last bore witness to the tragic sight. He rushed in. Jack and Hiccup got out of his way. He dropped to his knees, holding her lifeless hand ever so delicately.
They knew naught what to say to him. The group just stood by, hearing nothing but his quiet, incoherent mumblings of despair. This brought back tears amongst the young ones. Hachiman was finally the one to break the silence, saying how incredible she was at the final battle. The rest of the Four slowly joined in, praising Rapunzel. Merida on her bravery. Hiccup on her talent. Jack on her spirit.
They all had nothing but joyous things to say about their Punzie. She saved them. She saved them all… their world and worlds beyond. It was important that her husband know that.
"Please,"
But he wanted none of it.
"I just… I need to be alone with my wife right now."
Only her.
The rest of the Four had never heard Eugene so faint, so utterly shattered. They respectfully followed his wish, exiting the room. Merida was the last to make her leave, watching the crumbling husk of a man emotionally collapse over his lifeless Sunflower as she closed the door.
The prince was left alone with his fallen beloved. Tears swelled and his head dropped onto her chest. He had completely broken. The widowed man's pain of his most devastating loss echoed throughout the haunted halls of this deathly cold and silent palace.
The sisters of Arendelle had gone to the harbor to await the next royal ship. The one that would carry in the Queen and King of Corona –their distant aunt and uncle. The horn blew, ringing up the fjord. The massive sails then began to emerge from the dense fog of night.
Back at the palace, the saddened team stood right down the hall not too far from their dear friend. There they had stayed, late into the night. Still in mourning. Still without a plan. Still lost without their princess. With her husband's arrival and parents soon to follow, they sunk even lower into their sense of loss and hopelessness. Crashing to their lowest point, suddenly a heavenly light shined.
The mysterious light appeared just a mere few feet beside them, within the very hall. The surprised lot were unable to look directly at it, for it was blinding yet also warming. It was a tender warmth that seemed to ease their sorrows. This light… was as if an answer to their collective cries and prayers.
The glow soon dimmed, revealing Amaterasu herself. The Sun Goddess.
Hachiman and the boys lit up, but Merida and Toothless felt differently. Rapunzel's best friend was furious with this goddess, blaming her for the princess's downfall. Being without her trusty bow was of no concern, for she now had a trusted Night Fury. The snarling dragon was not too happy with the deity either. They advanced with no hesitation, confronting Amaterasu head on.
Hiccup had to jump onto Toothless, attempting to calm him. Meanwhile, Jack held Merida back, but the fiery Scotswoman held back absolutely nothing. She let the Sun Goddess have it, angrily blaming her for what she did to Rapunzel and threatening Amaterasu to save her closest or face her god-slaying fury. The floating visage remained calm in all her elegance. Though, a wash of guilt was clearly visible on her fair face.
Hachiman stood between both sides.
When Jack finally cooled down enough of Merida's rage, the Patron humbly asked her grace for help –for a miracle. She looked into their sunken hearts. Why else would the Goddess appear before them now if not to answer their unspoken prayers of the soul?
Jack stepped forth and pleaded. Rapunzel had done all that Amaterasu had asked of her, embracing the light within and casting away the ultimate wrath. A wrath that would have brought an end to the gods and all their creation. Hiccup then beseeched that Amaterasu not let that golden light fade into nothingness. Merida stood behind them all, simply stating that young Rapunzel did not deserve to fall like this.
The Sun Goddess agreed. She agreed with them all. She looked to her fellow brother in arms, assuring him solely with a warming smile. She then looked to the window. Her essence alone melted away all of Jack's frost from the glass, revealing the far-off wilderness that stretched along the mountains beyond the kingdom.
The team all turned their attention to the window of hope.
In the darkest of nights, a spec of light pierced through the shadowy clouds. It reflected off the team's awing eyes, and descended onto a bare hilltop. Amaterasu had sent down another drop of sunlight from the very heavens.
A tear of pure happiness escaped the ancient warrior.
"Thank you, your divine grace."
They bowed in respect to one another. The Sun Goddess looked to the youngsters one last time, their wonderment still glued to the window. She smiled upon them in admiration and gratitude for all they have done, then vanished.
Rapunzel's parents entered the palace. They hurried up the staircase. Their faces deeply distraught. But they were met by their daughter's friends at the top. Their faces rejoiced in wholesome relief and astonishment. Their excitement blaring over one another. The King and Queen did not understand. Neither did the sisters of Arendelle whom followed up the spiral of stairs.
"What is going on?" Elsa asked them.
"Punzie's gonna be alright!" Jack exclaimed.
Toothless pounced around, bouncing off the walls and railings, reaching the very chandelier.
Hachiman was not present, for he had ventured to the faraway hilltop. There, he carefully dug his hands into the earth from which the golden flower had blossomed. He made haste back to the palace through his portal.
Eugene was still alone with his sleeping beloved. Until the doors flung open. In came all of Rapunzel's treasured friends and family.
"What is this?" He demanded at the sudden scare.
Merida and the King wheeled in a cart layered with important instruments.
"Help us!" Merida commanded.
The prince rose to join the others. His face kindled before the sight of the magical sun flower sprouting from the mound of dirt cupped in Hachiman's hands.
They all knew naught how much time Rapunzel had left, only that their miracle was delivered. The rest was up to them.
Hachiman and the parents pondered. The dormant princess could not drink the healing potion like her mother did all those years ago. No, there had to be another way. Hiccup looked to his close friend, then the flower. As always, the innovative young Viking had something crazy in mind. He awaited the parent's permission. They gave him their blessing.
Eugene crushed the golden flower into a bowl with a hard stone.
Hiccup instructed Hachiman to bend the holy steel from one of the daggers he gave Rapunzel at the start of their adventure. The deity, one with the earth, split apart and manipulated a tiny shred of the tangible substance until it was delicately narrow and dainty enough. He had formed a sharp needle. But this was no sewing needle. Haddock requested that the ancient master punch a hole down the entire shaft from which liquid could flow through.
Rapunzel's parents brought in a pot of boiling hot water of which the dragon helped them prepare. What was left of the sun flower rested at the bottom of the bowl, still glowing bright. Some of the water was poured in, and Merida took hold of the bowl from the rims. She mixed the heavenly herb about with a wooden spoon. The magic swirled beautifully throughout the hot water. Toothless carefully lit a fire beneath the bowl to further disintegrate the flower bits.
Hachiman formed another needle and set them into the boiling pot to cleanse them of any carrying disease. Hiccup then sketched out what he wanted invented next while explaining it to the powerful pairing of ice and snow. They nodded and worked together to craft two identical instruments of tubes and pistons. The deity and winter couple then combined their creations, forming olden versions of a syringe.
The magical golden flower was now completely blended into the water. Anna and her aunt wore some of Elsa's gloves to protect them from the freezing touch and grabbed hold of the syringes. They dipped them in and sucked up the glowing liquid at Hiccup's instruction. A soft hiss of steam escaped as the clear tubes of ice cooled down the boiling water within. The ladies of Arendelle and Corona then walked over to their precious family member.
Merida stepped beside the mother, and kindly asked, "Please… May I?"
She smiled and closed her eyes, nodding in genuine understanding. The Queen handed over the glove and radiating instrument to the princess of DunBroch.
They stood at both sides of Rapunzel's bed, her two dearest friends. They gazed to one another, at the ready. The rest of the group huddled around at a fair distance. Hiccup told the princesses how to proceed. They carefully pressed the needles into the folds of her slender arms, injecting the golden fluid. The glowing magic streamed up and down her visible veins before disappearing beneath her skin. Once the tubes were emptied, the young maidens removed the syringes of ice and stepped back. Eugene and his father-in-law quickly moved in to wrap the pricked spots in clean bandages.
It was done.
If blood flowed through our veins, then this was the way to let the Sun's healing magic flow throughout Rapunzel's dormant body. Haddock prayed to Odin and to Amaterasu and to all the other gods who cared to listen. He prayed for this to work. They all did.
Moments passed…
Then several more…
Followed by even more…
Rapunzel was still in her deep sleep. Not even the slightest of change.
The youngsters grew anxious in this awful silence that never ceased to end.
Eugene stayed knelt beside his sleeping beauty, his hand placed over hers, as more tears found their way trailing down his face. What a sickening feeling to be filled with such sudden hope, only for it to turn out rotten in its falsehood. His head dropped into despair yet again. But there were others who had not given up.
"Flower gleam and glow," Merida sung.
They all looked at her. This was so incredibly unexpected of the warrior maiden.
"Let your power shine," She carried on.
Anna and Rapunzel's parents joined in, "Make the clock reverse,"
As did Eugene, "Bring back what once was ours,"
Elsa followed the boy's lead. Jack and Hiccup stilled remembered the old chant from when they first met Rapunzel. "Heal what has been hurt,"
Toothless gazed around at the symphony being conducted by the heart.
"Change the fates' design"
The room filled with pure love… pure warmth.
"Save what has been lost,"
Jack nudged Hachiman. "And Bring back what once was ours,"
He caught on, repeating the latest, most meaningful verse. "What once was ours."
All were in perfect harmony.
"Bring back what once was ours… What once was ours."
A few heartbeats later…
Rapunzel's neatly laid out hair began to glow brighter than ever before as did the very skin of her body. It consumed the entire bedroom. The sheer intensity forced everyone to shut their eyes and look away. Eugene had to step several feet back. The immense blast of light from the central palace flared up the entire kingdom and the night sky. The townsfolk all saw the divine display, and it was then and there that they all knew…
The Lost Princess had returned once again.