The Mound
Three days later, Eugene had finally managed to schedule a proper date with Rapunzel. He had raided the castle kitchens as soon as the sun was up; not quite as covertly as he would have liked, but it turned out one of the kitchen maids had a soft spot for the roguish former thief and had quite happily agreed to his request to make up a basket of cold cuts and bread for a picnic. She had even packed a punnet of fresh strawberries to add some romance to the first alone time the young lovers had had in weeks.
As befitted a member of the royal family, they would be accompanied on the journey to the edge of the Crescent Lake by four guards on horseback. Rapunzel and Eugene would be riding Maximus, of course; Rapunzel, because Max was the only horse she trusted; and Eugene because Max was the only horse who trusted him. But at the edge of the lake, Eugene had insisted that the journey to the island in the middle was just for the two of them.
The guards had their misgivings about that. They had lost the princess once before, and Eugene was a known, if now reformed criminal, so they were wary of letting the pair out of sight. As Eugene helped Rapunzel into the little boat, however, Max marched smartly between them and the guards and made it very clear that they were to be given their privacy.
It was a beautiful spring day. The sky was blue and clear; the sun shone brightly and there was a slight breeze that refreshed the skin. Rapunzel closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Since that first day, feeling the fresh grass tickling her toes, she had never taken the freedom of the big, wide world for granted.
The supposed burial mound actually took up the majority of the little island, and Rapunzel felt it was disrespectful, if there really were dead bodies underneath it, to take their lunch sitting on top of it. Eugene unpacked the food onto a blanket on a flat expanse of grass, on the exact opposite side to the shore where the guards stood. There was a copse planted on top of the mound and the trees provided welcome shade while they ate.
"It's lovely here," said Rapunzel. Eugene nodded, his mouth full. There was a squeak and Pascal emerged from the picnic basket with the punnet of strawberries. He looked from Rapunzel to Eugene and back again. Eugene swallowed and shrugged.
"Help yourself, Pascal," he said. Pascal shot out his tongue and snatched a strawberry almost as big as his head, turning as red as the fruit as he tried to swallow it. That was more than enough for the little lizard and the thought of trying to steal more food made him even more green than usual. Stretching out his tail, he strolled off through the long grass.
Finishing their food, Eugene and Rapunzel lay down on the blanket, side by side, staring up at the sky and the one or two fluffy white clouds that were just starting to form. They had been given the whole day to themselves, and, as keen as he was to find out if this was the tomb of the Green King, Eugene was in no rush to move from this comfortable spot beside his princess. He closed his eyes, perfectly content where he was.
Rapunzel rolled onto her side, propping her head up on one hand.
"Eugene," she said. She got no response. "Eugene," she said again, adding a gentle prod for emphasis.
"What's the matter, Princess?" Eugene asked, not opening his eyes.
"I think Pascal has found something."
He had. The little lizard had wandered towards the mound and scampered over some small rocks, half buried in the ground. To amuse himself, he had changed from green, to grey to brown to match the grass, the rocks and the earth. And then he had spotted something carved in one of the rocks that certainly didn't look like it had been done by nature.
It was a crude image, looking like a crescent moon, or a tensed longbow, with what appeared to be antlers sprouting from the ends of it. When Eugene saw it later he recognised it at the emblem of the Green King.
Pascal didn't know this, of course. He had never heard of the Green King. To the chameleon, this was just a day trip out somewhere quiet, secluded and romantic. He poked his foot at the funny little carving, first the antlers, top and bottom, then the main part of the bow. Then he leaped back in surprise as the whole rock sank into the ground and two curtains of what had previously been considered hanging vines pulled aside to uncover a large rock. Pascal's already large eyes grew even larger as this rock rolled to one side, revealing a dark tunnel.
It was at this point that Pascal had raced back to Rapunzel and Eugene, squeaking and chittering for all he was worth.
"You did it!" cried Eugene as he looked from the carved rock to the tunnel entrance. "I don't believe it, but you did it, Pascal! You've found the tomb of the Green King!"
Pascal gave a fairly accurate impression of Eugene's once sarcastic "Yay!", which Eugene promptly ignored.
He lit a torch and reached out his hand for Rapunzel. Together, they walked into the darkness.
Rapunzel's emerald eyes widened as the tunnel widened into a full cavern. It took a few moments for Eugene to walk round, lighting all the torches from the one in his hand, but then, when she could see it in all its glory, Rapunzel gave a gasp of astonishment and wonder. Lined up in the centre of the cavern were rows upon rows of jade statues, soldiers, complete with armour and weapons. They were surrounding a large tomb, with smaller bejewelled chests on either side. Engraved on the tomb were the words: The Man and the Land are One.
"This is amazing!" Rapunzel breathed, walking among the statues and taking in every detail. They were perfectly preserved, almost as if they were real men just covered in green paint. She tentatively reached out to touch the arm of one of them, jumping back with a shriek as Eugene appeared around the other side. They both laughed and turned away to explore further.
Eugene watched Rapunzel minutely examine the statues, but his eyes were drawn towards the tomb and the chests. He had stopped thieving, turned his life around, but the pull was still there. He wandered over, almost hypnotised by the way the torch flames flickered in the gemstones set into the oak of the chests.
Just as his trembling fingers reached out to brush the largest of the jewels, there was a rumble from the direction of the entrance. Eugene and Rapunzel both raced back, just as the heavy stone slab, several feet thick, rolled back across the path, completely sealing them in. The draught also extinguished several of the torches, and by the time Eugene had relit them, Rapunzel was looking panicked.
"Was it a trap?" she said in a small voice. "I didn't mean…"
"No, 'Punzel, I don't think you did this," Eugene reassured her, deciding not to mention that he could have been just as guilty if he had actually touched the treasure.
There was still plenty of air in the cavern, as the torches were still burning brightly, but it would not last forever. They had to find a way out. Eugene decided to try the perimeter of the room, scouring the walls for any hidden switches or anything that would make the slab move.
Forgetting her previous caution and delicacy, Rapunzel started on the statues, pulling their arms, their swords, twisting their buttons, their heads. Nothing seemed to work. Eventually she made her way to the tomb in the middle and climbed on to the stone surface to take a closer look.
"Have you found anything?" Eugene asked, climbing up beside her. Under his weight, the marble top moved and dropped down a few inches, slowly. As it did, a grinding sound was heard, and a large wooden trapdoor, just feet above their heads, swung open.
"There's our way out!" Eugene said, a relieved and excited grin crossing his face. "We just need a rope…"
Spotting one coiled around the feet of one of the soldiers, Eugene jumped down from the tomb, and immediately the marble responded to the reduction in weight. The trapdoor slammed shut again.
Rapunzel looked dismayed. They were so close to escaping and it had been taken away from them again. Eugene looked resolute as he grabbed the rope, tied one end to a fallen piece of sharp jade, and climbed back onto the tomb. As the trapdoor opened again he swung the rope through the opening, anchoring the jade into the ground.
"We can at least get you out, Princess," he said, making to lift her to the rope, but Rapunzel shook her head.
"I can't just leave you here!" she protested.
"It's a counter-weight," Eugene explained. "And it's using my weight to open. I have to stay right here for the door to stay open."
"I won't leave you!" Rapunzel said. Eugene took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. He placed a kiss on her forehead, and then onto her lips.
"I'll be all right," he promised.
Then he lifted her by the waist until she could reach the rope and climb out.
Rapunzel turned back to the hole as soon as she was free, just in time to see Eugene jump down from the tomb and the trapdoor to close. Her face fell. From this side the trapdoor was almost completely hidden. The rope had been sheared in two by the sudden closing and only the small piece still attached to the jade gave her any clue where the exit had been. How could Eugene possibly get out, get free, get back to her?
She told herself she shouldn't worry – Eugene had escaped from far worse situations, but as she paced anxiously, wondering what she could do to help, she was aware of how much time was passing, and how much air would be left in the cavern.
Eugene was also aware his time was running out. He had only the light of two torches left, and one of them was flickering warningly. There had to be something he could use to trip the counterweight.
Then he saw it. Fallen from one of the statues was a jade flag. It looked like the statue had been the standard bearer, but time had broken the pole so that the flag now lay on the floor. Eugene took hold with both hands and pulled.
It was certainly heavy, but would it be heavy enough? Only one way to find out. Eugene dragged and pulled and tugged and heaved the flag onto the marble tomb, which thankfully shifted under the weight. The trapdoor began to creak open.
As daylight flooded into the cavern, so too did a knotted length of vines and reeds. Rapunzel had been busy. She knew her faith in Eugene would not be misplaced and that he would find a way to reopen the trapdoor.
"That wasn't mentioned in any of the books!" Eugene panted, lying on the cool grass beside the exit. "I nearly thought the Green King's tomb would be my last resting place."
"Don't even joke," said Rapunzel, seriously.
As soon as Eugene got his breath back, he crawled back to look into the cavern. The jade flag was still in place, depressing the top of the tomb. There was nothing to indicate what had triggered the sudden closure of the rock entrance.
For the first time, Eugene had an uneasy feeling that his little project might be more than he bargained for.
Rapunzel slipped her small hand into his and looked at him, eyebrows raised in an unspoken question. He chuckled.
"I'm fine," he reassured her. "Really, I am. Come on."
With one last look behind them at the mound, Eugene led Rapunzel back to where they had abandoned the picnic basket. Rapunzel began to happily chatter about the painting she planned to do of this little island when she returned to the castle. Eugene smiled and let her talk. He didn't want to mention the strange sound, just on the edge of hearing, coming from the opening of the mound.
A/N - And now things start to get interesting (I hope!). I'm expecting this story to be about seven chapters, at least that's how many I have sketched out. Your reviews, as always, will help to chivvy the writing along! Much love and thanks to Romance and Musicals - my most prolific reviewer - and to all my readers!