It had been a few days since Rapunzel's appointment with Dr. Mal. As promised, the day after their appointment, the mind doctor had sent two week's supply of the herbal remedy and the date of their next appointment, which was the Friday of the following week. There was also a note explaining the medication, what it was meant to do and a list of possible side effects. Rapunzel repeatedly read the list of side effects that were noted to be adverse and to contact Dr. Mal immediately if she experienced them.
The princess had taken the medication, but couldn't tell if they were having any effect. The doctor had explained that it would take a few days to build up in her system and she may not see an improvement for several days. Other than being tired from lack of sleep, Rapunzel had been feeling much better. Her family, friends and castle personnel had all been very mindful of her and did their best to make her comfortable and to keep things quiet around the castle until Rapunzel was back on her feet, so to say. Her only real issue for the few days since her appointment was the fear of having nightmares, which prevented her from getting a good night's rest.
Eugene and Cassandra had both noticed that the princess was getting a little stir crazy, so they decided the best course of action would be to get her out of the castle for some quiet fun. It took them about an hour to come up with an activity that would be both quiet and fun, they spent a lot of that hour arguing. Eugene finally suggested a picnic in the forested area just on the other side of the palace walls. The forest was beautiful that time of year, quiet, private and it afforded them a quick response from the palace if needed without being in the palace. Cassandra surprised herself by liking his idea. Rapunzel liked the idea as well and the trio set about gathering equipment and having the kitchen put a picnic basket together for them.
Rapunzel's only issue came up when she couldn't find Pascal. The chameleon was her oldest friend, her only friend for most of her life, and was always with her. She checked the entire palace, but couldn't find him. Eugene and Cass told her not to worry. Cass had noticed that he did sometimes go into town on his own to visit a female iguana that was the pet of a local fruit vendor. Rapunzel decided that she would just keep looking for him after they came back from their picnic. He was very capable of taking care of himself and if he was off making friends with fellow reptiles, she didn't want to get in the way of that. There were few reptiles in their part of the world that he could befriend.
Eugene picked out a spot at the edge of a small meadow, under a tree that would shade them from the warm midday sun. Cassandra surprised herself again by approving the spot he picked, commenting that they were in view of the wall guards in case something came up. She could just make out the white outline of Maximus as he kept an eye on his princess.
"What could come up?" Eugene asked, helping Rapunzel spread the raggedy old quilt on the ground.
"Um…bears, there are bears in these woods," Cassandra said after a moment.
Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting handed Eugene and Rapunzel their sit-upons and plopped hers down on the freshly smoothed down quilt. She pulled the large wicker basket of food from the wood wagon they had used to transport their supplies and placed it to one side of her sit-upon. She also retrieved the dishes they'd brought with them.
"They could spring out at us at any time," Cass continued. "You won't know they're there until it's too late."
"Ok, you could be right about the bears," Eugene muttered, kneeling down on the other side of the basket from Cassandra, opening it and looking inside. "They would certainly want a taste of this spread!"
Cassandra sat on her sit-upon and smoothed out her skirt to one side.
"The kitchen sure did a good job," she said. "Just don't go eating it all, Fitzerbert."
"I would never deprive my princess of such a delicious meal," Eugene said, taking Rapunzel's hand in his and smiling at her.
Rapunzel smiled back and helped her friends pull out the food. It was already arranged on metal platters and wrapped up in paper. The princess giggled as she unwrapped the food.
"What's so funny?" Eugene asked.
"They put the food on these tough metal plates," Rapunzel said. "They know us well at the palace. They know we are prone to breaking things."
Eugene chuckled.
"Yeah, it seems we are," he said. "But, I think these are official picnicking dishes, so we'd have received them regardless."
The trio finished setting out and unwrapping the food. Cass took on the task of dealing it out. There was a lot to choose from. An assortment of fresh, cut fruit and a plate of vegetables with cheese dip for snacking on. There was a sweet fruit salad, a three bean salad and roast beef sandwiches with a special cheese that was made by the kitchen staff. For dessert there was a raspberry tart and to drink there was iced tea and apple cider. Once everyone had loaded their plates, they dug in.
"I really like this cheese," Cass said around a mouthful of sandwich. "I'm glad we went with sandwiches instead of the sauerbraten they are serving in the castle today."
"Although, I do like my lamb sauerbraten," Eugene said.
"Well, you'd be disappointed today then," Cass told him. "It's beef sauerbraten. That's the meat I prefer, it's the more mainstream variety."
"I just like lamb in general," Eugene continued. "It is the king of meats."
"Says you," Cass scoffed. "And we all know how much your opinion matters, Rider."
Eugene held up the crust of one of his sandwiches, placing it in front of his mouth like a jeering smile and cocked an eyebrow.
"Touchy about our sauerbraten are we, Cassandra?"
Rapunzel giggled.
"I just can't get you two to get along, now can I?"
Eugene and Cassandra were immediately contrite.
"I'm sorry if we are upsetting you, Rapunzel," Eugene said, putting a hand on her forearm. "We'll stop."
"Yes, we should stop," Cass agreed, thinking, It was this behavior that indirectly lead to Rapunzel's breakdown the other night. I just need to learn to get along with Eugene.
"No, it's alright," Rapunzel said. "You two are so different. It was unfair of me to lock you two up and expect you to just magically be friends. Becoming friends is more intricate than that. And I realize that you don't have to agree all the time with people to be their friend."
Cass was about to reply to the princess when there was a slight whistling sound and an arrow sliced through the lady-in-waiting's pale skirt, burying itself in the ground. Before Cassandra could move, a half dozen more identical arrows pinned her skirt to the forest floor. Eugene and Rapunzel spring up, food and drink spilling around them and rushed to Cass' aid.
"Cass are you hit?" Rapunzel cried out.
The same moment that the pair reached Cassandra two tall, muscular men stepped out from a clump of thick bushes that was on one side of the clearing. They were both wearing masks. One was holding a modern crossbow and the other was hold a long bow. In his long bow an arrow, identical to the ones holding Cass to the ground, was strung and ready to be fired.
The man with the crossbow looked at Rapunzel as he pointed it meaningfully at Eugene as they approached. Once they were only a few feet away, the masked man with the long bow fired ten more arrows into Cassandra's skirt. She flinched as she felt one arrow shoot through the multiple layers of her dress and petticoat fabric and buried itself in the heel of her right shoe.
"Princess Rapunzel, you will come with us peacefully," the man with the crossbow instructed, motioning for Rapunzel and Eugene to put their hands up. His voice was calm, but menacing. "We know your lady-in-waiting is really a bodyguard. You see that she is helpless, but unharmed. If you do not do as we say, she will not remain unharmed and neither will your little boy toy."
He stepped forward, putting the crossbow to Eugene's chest. Eugene gulped and his face turned white. Rapunzel took a step forward.
"I-I'll do whatever you ask, please just don't hurt my friends, please!"
"No, Rapunzel," Eugene said. "I know if you run you could make it to the wall. There are guards there and Max."
"Go, Raps, go!" Cass encouraged her. "I knew what I was getting into when I took the position as your lady-in-waiting."
Rapunzel waivered slightly and the two bandits could see that fact. The man with the crossbow kneed Eugene in the stomach. The man coughed as the wind was knocked out of him and he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. The bandit put a boot onto Eugene's head and forced his face into the ground. He pointed the crossbow at the defenseless Eugene's back
"Do I need to make you watch this man die or are you going to come with us?" he growled. "I asked you nicely before, I won't be so nice the next time I give you instruction. What will it be?"
"I'll go, I'll go! Just please, let him up! He can't breathe!"
The man let Eugene up. Eugene coughed and spat out dirt and plant material as he pulled his face up from the grass. The man with the bow grabbed Rapunzel by the back of her neck and shoved her forward, towards the trees to the west of the clearing, while the man with the crossbow faced Eugene and Cass, pointing the weapon at them as he walked backwards at a fast pace. Eugene tried going after them once the one with the crossbow was out of sight behind the forest shrubbery, but quickly had to dodge to the side to avoid being sliced on his shoulder by a bolt.
That didn't stop Cassandra from giving out a piercing whistle towards the palace wall and wriggling free from the shoe with an arrow. They both heard a faint whinny from Maximus. Cassandra tried to free her skirt from the confining arrows, but the bandit had been smart about where he shot them. He didn't want to weaken the material so he had spaced them out the best he could. The woman couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of appreciation of the man's mastery of the art of archery.
"Fitzerbert, help me would you?"
Eugene had been peering into the forest, trying to gauge if the crossbow bandit could still see him. He jumped to help Cass as she cried out. He went directly to her skirt to try and pull it up.
"Forget the skirt, help me get out of this dress!"
Cassandra had already undone the top of the bodice to her dress, but the intricate crisscross pattern of the laces would take a long time to undo on her own. Eugene grabbed either side of the bodice with both hands and tugged sharply outwards. There was the sound of tearing fabric, but Cassandra was able to free herself from the ruined dress. She stood and watched as Maximus galloped towards them, wearing nothing by her corset, which barely covered her breasts, her short bottom petticoat and her stockings.
"Let's go, they couldn't have got far," Cass shouted, jumping onto Max's back.
Eugene swung onto to the horse behind Cass and nearly fell off once the animal started moving. He felt very uncomfortable holding onto Cass while she was just in her underwear.
"Oh, grow up, Fitzerbert!" Cass yelled at him after the third time of him nearly falling off the horse. "We're both adults here! You're slowing us down, just grab me around the waist!"
Eugene did so, his neck and face turning bright red. Maximus was following the men's and Rapunzel's scent trail. Up ahead, they could hear the snorting of horses and the voices of two men.
The man's hand on the back of her neck made Rapunzel's skin crawl. Her eyes darted around at her surroundings, trying to find a means of escape. Nothing jumped out at her and without knowing if Eugene and Cass were safe, she didn't dare make a move.
Not until I know they will be safe, she thought.
She was forced into a small clearing, not unlike the one they had chosen to picnic in, where a plain, old coach was waiting. Anything that could be reflective, such as windows and metal bolts, was covered in thick, black canvas or black paint. All the decorative trim had been removed, only voids in the paint and screw holes remained as evidence that this coach had once been far more fancy than it was at that moment. There were four sleek black horses harnessed to the coach, a third masked man holding the reigns. He was sitting on the coachmen's seat, looking down at the man and Rapunzel as they approached. The man holding Rapunzel pushed her towards the already open door to the vehicle.
"In you go, your majesty," he said.
This man had a distinctive accent. He clearly from another area, at least originally.
No wonder he hasn't spoken until now, Rapunzel thought.
The princess looked around, looking for a means of escape. The man with the crossbow had caught up with her and the other bandit. The third bandit must have sensed her looking for an escape route and pulled out a large carving knife.
"Our boss wants ya alive, but do ya need all your fingers to live? Or your cute liddle nose?"
The bandit with the accent shoved the princess to the door of the carriage.
"Get in tere," he growled. "My man is right. You don't 'ave ta be 'ole ta be alive, yah?"
I think he's from Arendelle, she thought, remembering her meeting with some Arendelle merchants from a few weeks before and how they pronounced words in her language.
"Stop loitering," the coachman yelled. "IN!"
The accented man grabbed Rapunzel by the back of the neck again and squeezed hard. Rapunzel reached back and grasped the man around his wrist with both hands, but was unable to move his powerful hand in any way. He grabbed her right wrist and twisted her arm and hand around until it became painful for her.
"Do you vant me ta go back tere an' kill yer little friends?" he said directly into her ear. "Tey vill never be safe again! How do you tink ve found you tree? How ve knew vere you ver? Vat do you tink happened to yoor little lizard? None of you are safe!"
Rapunzel felt like the ground was falling out from under her.
They had to have been in the palace, she thought.
She didn't want to think about what they had done to Pascal.
If only I'd looked for him harder, maybe none of this would have happened, she thought.
She put one foot into the coach, but jumped in surprise as the coachman shouted.
"Hurry and get 'er inside, I hear someone coming!"
"Hurry and get 'er inside, I hear someone coming!" Cass heard someone say from the forest in front of them.
Maximus broke through the tall shrubs and into a small clearing. The horse, Cass and Eugene watched as the two bandits picked up Rapunzel and tossed her into a beaten up coach. The bandit with the crossbow had just enough time to grab onto the doorframe when a third masked man snapped the reigns and got the four black horses moving and they were fast. By the time, Max had reached the spot where the coach had been waiting, the bandits were already flying down a track through the forest.
Putting on a burst of speed which nearly knocked both of his riders off, Max shot off after the coach and his mistress. Faster and faster he went, dodging around oaks, beeches and the odd pine as he tried to catch up to the coach. He was running so hard and so fast, a sweat was forming all along his body. The bandits weren't making things easy for them, the coach was kicking up a large amount of dust and clumps of earth in its wake. Max was unable to follow directly behind the vehicle due to this.
"Max, pull up as close as you can to the coach and stay with it," Eugene instructed, spitting out a mouthful of dust. "I'm going to jump on. Cass, be ready to catch Rapunzel!"
The horse sped up as much as he could. He was in his prime and in top physical condition, but he was starting to feel the strain of running at top speed for a long period of time. To himself, he wondered how the coach's four horses were fairing. He felt some admiration for their running abilities and stamina. On his back, he felt Eugene get ready to jump. He got as close as he could to the back of the coach. He neighed a warning as he spotted the man with the crossbow leaning out of the door to the coach, pointing the weapon at Cass.
At the same time as Eugene leapt from Max's back, grabbing ahold of a bar on the back of the vehicle's cab, the bandit fired a bolt from the crossbow. Cass nearly lost her leg hold on the saddle as Maximus had to fling himself to the side to avoid the projectile. While the bandit was reloading, Eugene took the opportunity to make his way to the door on the other side of the cab. Maximus nipped at the bandit's protruding elbow in an attempt to slow him down and distract him from Eugene's movements.
Luckily for Rapunzel and her rescuers, the other door was not locked. Eugene pulled it open and swung inside, noting that a struggling Rapunzel was being held quite cruelly by the bandit who had the long bow. He knew he wasn't the best fighter out there, but he did alright. He had been training regularly with the palace guards. He hoped his training would pay off as he charged the bandit with the crossbow. The man was leaning out of the door, a bolt ready to fire, presumably at Cassandra and Maximus.
The other man tried to call out a warning, but Eugene moved quickly. Using as much strength and momentum that he could build up in the confined space, he rammed his shoulder into the man. The bandit barely had time to scream before he was heard hitting the ground and the carriage bucked a little bit as the back wheel ran over him. Eugene nearly fell out of the coach himself, but grabbed onto the door frame for dear life. He managed to steady himself in the doorway and turned to see the second bandit shove the princess down onto the cushioned bench. He pulled out a long dagger and stood in a fighting stance with his feet wide apart.
"I'm gonna enjoy dis!" the bandit sneered. "I know of you, Flynn Rider. You are said to be a sneaky devil, but are you a good fighter?"
"Well, why don't you come over here and find out, bandit boy?" Eugene said with more confidence than he felt.
The bandit he had knocked out of the cab was smaller than him. This second bandit was at least six inches taller and fifty pounds heavier than him and that weight clearly wasn't made up of fat based on the man's physique.
"I'd have taken you lot down already if I had my frying pan!"
"Frying pan?" the bandit scoffed. "You are a strange one, I..."
The bandit's eyes suddenly bulged out from their sockets and he made a croaking sound as he stopped speaking.
"You forgot, I'm still here!" came Rapunzel's voice from behind the large man. "I'm no defenseless maiden!"
The bandit doubled over and clutched at his groin as Rapunzel removed her bare foot. She had kicked him hard from behind. Rapunzel hurried around to stand with Eugene who hugged her and guided her to the open door. He didn't want to bring the attention of the driver so he motioned Max to get closer. He turned to Rapunzel.
"I'm going to swing you onto Max's back and then I will take care of the driver. You three head back to the palace. Be ready, we only get one shot and poor Max is tired."
The horse was indeed tired, his breath coming out in puffs. He put on one last burst of speed and pulled up slightly ahead of the door. Eugene took Rapunzel by the waist and tossed her up in to the air slightly and pushed her outwards. Cass squeezed her legs tightly around Max and grabbed ahold of the princess with both hands, one hand caught onto the princess' right wrist the other the left side of her bodice. She pulled Rapunzel face down onto the horse, lying across Max's shoulders.
As Cassandra caught ahold of the princess, the second bandit had regained his composure. Seeing that Eugene was not holding onto any part of the carriage, he took his chance. Cassandra had just finished lying Rapunzel across Max when she turned to watch in horror as the bandit shoved Eugene out of the coach!
"Eugene!" she shrieked, as time seemed to slow down and sound seemed to disappear.
They had reached a cobblestone road by this time. Eugene hit the pavement hard and rolled once while the back wheel of the coach went over his lower left leg with a sickening snap. He rolled several more times after the coach moved away from him and continued on until it disappeared into the horizon. Maximus slid to a stop a few feet from the motionless body of Eugene. Cass jumped down from his back and hastily pulled Rapunzel down too. The princess had not seen what had happened, she had only heard Cassandra scream her suitor's name and the sound of something snapping.
"No!" she cried as she ran to Eugene, falling to her knees next to him.
"Don't move him," Cassandra warned, kneeing down on the other side of him.
Eugene was lying flat on his back. Blood tricked out of mouth, nose and a gash on the side of his head. One of his hands was scraped and bleeding and his other arm was trapped underneath him. His left leg was definitely broken. In dismay, Cass saw that there was blood coming from where the break would be. She carefully peeled back Eugene's torn pant leg and saw a piece of bone jutting out. She quickly pulled her hand away as she began to feel queasy. She had seen injuries in the past, bad ones, but somehow this felt different. It was at that moment that she realized she did care about Eugene, just a little.
She absently noted that the princess was touching Eugene's face and reciting what sounded like poetry, but she didn't have time to deal with that. She turned to Maximus. The horse looked extremely tired. She hated to ask more of him, but she didn't have any other options.
"Max, please get help!"
The horse saluted and turned to head back towards the palace and the city, but he didn't need to. Palace guards, headed by the Captain himself were rushing up the road and from the direction of the forest towards them. Relief flooded through Cassandra to the point she felt light headed. She turned her attention back to Rapunzel. She was still chanting, so fast Cass could barely make out the words, but she realized it was the healing incantation.
"Flower, gleam and glow,
Let your power shine,
Make the clock reverse,
Bring back what once was mine.
"Heal what has been hurt,
Change the Fates' design,
Save what has been lost,
Bring back what once was mine,
What once was mine."
Nothing was happening, Rapunzel's magic still had not returned if it was ever going to. Eugene cracked open his eyes and raised the hand that was not under his body towards the princess.
"Rapunzel…stop…" he croaked.
Rapunzel clasped his hand in both of hers.
"I-I'm just trying to heal you!"
"I know…it'll be OK…I'll be…fine…"
Eugene's eyes slid closed and his arm went limp.
"Eugene? Eugene, please wake up!" Rapunzel cried as she resumed chanting the healing incantation without success.