Rapunzel froze as her mind began racing, scrambling to come up with a plan. She didn't dare take her eyes off of the shapes of the two people behind her. She didn't dare blink.
What do I do? Where's the guard? She thought.
Her chance to formulate any semblance of a plan was cut off by one of the two intruders stepping forward. More out of instinct than coherent thought, Rapunzel kicked her chair backwards as she jumped up. The heavy oak chair didn't travel very far, but it did impede the forward movement of the intruder, stopping him or her from performing any action he or she had planned.
Rapunzel whirled around to face the two darkly clothed people, keeping her body between them and Eugene. Her one thought was to keep anyone from hurting the man she loved ever again. The one she had kicked the chair into was a tall muscular male. The other intruder, who was holding the knife, was a very thin, boney female. Both were wearing black masks and black clothing.
"Who are you? How'd you get in here?" Rapunzel shouted as loud as she could, hoping to catch the attention of anyone nearby.
The woman grinned wickedly and raised the knife. The blade dripped blood on to the floor. It was then that the princess noticed the trail of blood drops leading from the closed door to where the woman stood.
"Yell as loud as you like, child," the woman said, her voice deep and hoarse like a heavy smoker's. "No one will hear you. I took care of that guard and nurse."
"Yoo will come wid us," the male intruder said.
Rapunzel knew that voice!
"You were in the forest!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "You pushed Eugene out of the coach!"
Rapunzel felt an unpleasant feeling that she had never felt before take over her. An intense, red hot anger bubbled up from somewhere inside her. It buzzed in her ears, turned her vision red and sent electricity to her muscles making them tense and shake.
"I'll make you pay for what you did to Eugene!" Rapunzel shrieked. "I'm not some defenseless little girl anymore."
With a flick of her wrist, she undid the ties in her hair, letting her seventy or so feet of hair unfurl around her like flower petals opening. She grabbed two lengths of hair and took a fighting stance.
"Do your worst!" the man said.
The princess swung one lock of hair and shot it off towards the Arendelle bandit. He raised the oak chair and deflected Rapunzel's hair attack. The lock of hair wrapped around the back of the chair in a way that Rapunzel was unable to immediately pull it free. Using her other lock of hair she flicked it at the man's ankles, pulling the chair to the side as she did so, tripping the man.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the female intruder was moving towards the bed where Eugene was still sleeping soundly. Thinking quickly, Rapunzel swung the chair at the woman. The female intruder was very quick on her feet and dived out of the way of the heavy chair. Rapunzel's move wasn't completely in vain. The chair splintered into several pieces against the wall, freeing her hair. Pieces of the chair went in all directions, a few of the pieces rained down on the female intruder, causing her to curl up into a ball and cover her head. In her haste to protect her head, she had dropped her knife. It skittered away from her to somewhere under the bed. Rapunzel gathered her hair back up and prepared for her next attack.
The Arendelle bandit pulled himself free and stood up as Rapunzel was occupied with the other intruder.
"Bitch," he spat out. "You're lucky the boss needs you alive!"
The man ran at her, Rapunzel flicked two locks of hair at him. One lock wrapped around his raised right hand and the other wrapped around his neck. She yanked him forward, bringing him to his knees. Turning, she checked on the other intruder.
To her horror, the woman pulled the pillow out from under Eugene's head. With the pillow poised over the man's head, she turned to Rapunzel.
"You will come with us," she said matter-of-factly. "Or I will finish this man off."
"Like I told you in the woods," the Arendelle bandit said from his position on the floor. "You will never be safe."
Rapunzel released him from her hair. She took a step towards the woman.
"Please, don't hurt him," she pleaded.
The masked woman responded by placing the pillow over Eugene's face and pressing down.
"Get back," she said. "Walk to the wall, face it and put your hands behind your back."
Shaking with rage, Rapunzel managed to do as she was told. She looked behind her at the woman. She had not removed the pillow.
"Let him be! I'm doing as you say!"
The woman removed the pillow, but remained with it in her hand, standing next to the bed. The Arendelle bandit came up behind the princess and pushed her up against the wall with one large hand to the back of her neck. With the other hand, he fixed one cuff of a pair of shackles to her left wrist. He was moving to put the other cuff on her right wrist when the door to the room burst open and a smoking bag rolled part way into the room. The room quickly began filling up with acrid smelling smoke.
Through the doorway in rushed the guard who had been stationed at Eugene's room. Breathing heavily, he rushed at the Arendelle bandit with his sword. The intruder, his eyes watering and his lungs filling with the smoke, had no time to defend himself from the guard's attack. The visibly unsteady guard caught the man in his right shoulder, burying the sword a quarter of its length. The male intruder screamed and collapsed to the floor as the sword was removed. The guard also collapsed. Rapunzel caught a good look at his blood soaked uniform. The source of the blood appeared to be a wound in his chest.
Rapunzel saw the shape of the female intruder rush out of the room, but she knew she had more immediate problems. She quickly grabbed the pitcher of water left for her in the room and dumped it over the homemade smoke bomb, putting it out. Using her hair, she opened all of the windows.
"Princess…"
Rapunzel kneeled down next to the young guard, clasping his hand. Grabbing the nearest piece of fabric near her, one of Eugene's extra blankets. She pressed it to his wound.
"You're going to be alright," she told him.
In a louder voice, she shouted at the hallway, "Help, I need help! Can anyone hear me?"
"I'm sorry I failed you," the guard gasped.
"No, no you saved me."
"They got…the drop on me…"
He began to cough and weakly grab at his chest.
Two ghost white nurses rushed into the room and took over tending to the guard at that moment. About ten seconds after that, several guards arrived and pulled the wounded intruder out of the room. Everything after that was a blur for Rapunzel. The only things she was aware of during that time was the constant movement around her and the low buzzing in her head. A few guards and nurses tried to speak with her, but she couldn't seem to hear them. It wasn't until she heard one familiar voice that she snapped back to reality.
"Hey, Blondie."
Rapunzel jumped up from the chair a nurse had made her sit in and flew to his side. She looked into his half lidded, brown eyes. The look in them was tired, but happy.
"I'm glad to see you," he said quietly.
She managed a croaking laugh.
"I'm glad to see you," she said, clasping his hand.
"The room…" he began.
"The bandits were here to take me again."
Eugene's forehead creased with concern.
"Are you OK?"
"Yes, they didn't hurt me," Rapunzel nodded.
"You defeated them?"
"Yes, but barely, with help. We are going to be moving you somewhere safer. The doctor wanted to keep you here in the hospital, but it clearly isn't as secure as we need it to be."
"Will you come with me?"
"Of course," she said, smiling a little and brushing a few strands of hair out of Eugene's face.
"Then I'll go wherever you…need…me to…"
Eugene's voice trailed off and his eyes drooped closed. After a couple of seconds he was snoring softly.
Rapunzel managed a smile and a giggle.
"Get some sleep," she whispered.
"Rapunzel."
The princess turned around at the sound of her father's voice. Her mother, Cass and the Captain with him. They all filed into the room. Queen Ariana hurried to her daughter and enveloped her in a hug.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Yes, mother, they didn't hurt me."
Queen Ariana released Rapunzel and looked to Eugene.
"He was awake for a little bit just before you came in," Rapunzel said. "How is the guard? Have you heard anything?"
"The doctors are hopeful," the Captain said. "Officer Dale Morris is a resilient young man. They said the knife missed all his organs and major blood vessels, so he has a good chance of making a full recovery. They are prepping him for surgery now."
"Captain, we must make sure this brave young man receives a medal of valor and compensation for his act of bravery and selflessness," King Frederic said.
"You have my word, sire," the Captain said. "He will receive full honors, along with that poor nurse. Hers will go to her family."
"I'll be sending them monetary compensation as well," the king said. "Although, that can't and won't make up for the loss of a loved one."
Rapunzel blinked in confusion. Then she remembered what one of the intruders had told her.
"The intruders said they took care of a guard and a nurse," she said. "They killed a nurse, didn't they?"
"Yes, they did, King Frederic said sadly. "It was at the same time they attacked Officer Morris. They entered the hospital wing through a room window across the hall from this one. It appears that nurse Lavinia Huss was on her way to check on Eugene when the intruders jumped her. The medical staff told us that she died almost instantly of her injuries."
Rapunzel felt dizzy. The others in the room all noticed her become unsteady on her feet. The Captain and her father guided her to a chair, Cass got her a glass of water and her mother wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.
"I can't believe someone would kill over me," Rapunzel said. "First, Gothel tried to kill Eugene in the tower. Now there are bandits breaking into the palace and killing innocent people to get at me. People who have no real connections to me. She just worked here."
Queen Ariana put an arm around her daughter's shoulders.
"Rapunzel, none of this is your fault," she said, in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. "You didn't ask for this. The only ones at fault are those two and whoever sent them here."
"They said I was lucky their boss needed me alive."
"Well, we all already guessed that," King Frederic said. "We know they will stop at nothing to get at you. I am imposing an indefinite lockdown of the entire palace. No nonessential palace staff will be permitted inside. Guards will have to be working overtime until we find the mole and his or her boss."
The Captain saluted.
The next few hours were a flurry of activity. Eugene was moved into a stateroom right next to Rapunzel's room. Pete and Stan were posted inside his room. An additional guard was posted outside his door. Cass set up a trundle bed in the princess' room.
Rapunzel couldn't believe how many guards actually worked at the palace. She had never seen them all in one spot. They had all been ordered to report for a briefing in the ballroom. Rapunzel sat in through part of it, but found she couldn't concentrate, so she and Cass took their leave. Instead, they watched as nonessential palace personnel filed out of the main palace doors. There were kitchen and wait staff, some nurses, stable hands, gardeners, most maintenance workers and maids. Rapunzel stood at the door and thanked them all and told them that she hoped to see them back soon.
Later, Cass and Rapunzel were in Eugene's room. He had not woken up since that one time in the hospital room. The guards Tim and Stan stood at the door, remaining quiet, but listening to the princess' and lady-in-waiting's conversation.
"We have to put an end to this," Rapunzel said.
The princess was sitting on the edge of Eugene's bed.
"What are you thinking?" Cass asked.
"Maybe if we set a trap, catch them off guard."
"What kind of trap?"
"We could catch them in the act of trying to kidnap me," Rapunzel said. "I know it is risky, but it will be the only way to get them out of the shadows."
Cassandra took a deep breath.
"That sounds awfully risky, Raps," Cass said and then paused. "But it might actually work. We would have to be very prepared."
"And my parents can't know about it," Rapunzel slid a look at the two guards. Stan could be seen visibly grinding his teeth. "They would put an end to any plans we have."
Cass nodded in agreement.
"Well tell me your idea, Raps."
"Hey, what are you thinking about?"
Queen Ariana turned at the sound of her husband's voice. She was standing at the window in their bedroom. Her arms were wrapped around her torso as she looked out over the early morning palace grounds. She had been standing like that for about an hour. Everything on the other side of the window was bright and colorful. The palace gardens were overflowing with the dozens of species of flowers the gardeners planted every spring. But, Ariana couldn't see the cheerful brightness at that moment. Her mind had wandered into darker places. Much as it often did during the eighteen years that Rapunzel was missing.
She turned to King Frederic.
"You were right all along," she said. "You were right to want to keep her in the palace, out of public view. Out of the view of those who would want to take her away again."
Frederic hugged his wife close.
"No, I realize now I was doing all that out of fear. I didn't want to lose her again, but I couldn't lock her up again. I would have lost her anyway if I did that. We can only do the best we can. I promise you, Ariana, I won't let anything happen to Rapunzel."