Rescuing Eugene
Maximus gave a soft whinny, not really believing what he had seen, but now Rapunzel was more than satisfied that she had found the very thing she needed to send the Green King back to his century-long rest and rescue Eugene.
Rapunzel dug her hands into the soft soil, feeling slightly guilty as she did so. The flower had bloomed here, unseen and untouched for many, many years, and now she was destroying a piece of magical history. Gently lifting the flower, and being careful not to cut herself on the sharp spines, Rapunzel felt overcome by a strange weary feeling, and she staggered. Max bit into the back of her dress to stop her stumbling and falling back down the mountain. Rising from her knees, Rapunzel slipped a supporting arm around Max's neck and allowed the horse to lead her back to safety. The flower was so strong, she could barely stand. The sun had met the moon, and only one would survive the encounter.
xoxox
The Green King sat on his throne, resting his chin in one hand, his eyes unfocussed. He had captured one of the transgressors of his tomb, but the other one still eluded him, and this frustrated him. He needed only the one to exact his revenge, but he wanted both. It was like having only part of a collection.
He had led his army right up to the bridge linking Corona with the mainland, watching as the distant people panicked and scrambled to escape to safety. The castle looked impenetrable, but the Green King had ways and means. But, before he had set one foot on the bridge, the scout had returned, carrying Eugene, unconscious, over one shoulder and the Green King realised he had to return with half his prize, or risk losing it all.
Had he only ventured further into the kingdom, to the main square with its beautiful flower tiled mosaic underfoot, the Green King's quest would have been much shorter as it would have given him an exact picture of the girl he still hunted. As it was, one slender short-haired brunette looked pretty much like another, and his men had returned disappointingly without their sought treasure.
The Green King's other hand drummed its fingers on the arm of the throne as he thought and decided. He would have to cut his losses. Following his untimely awakening, he had only one more day to exact his revenge before the regeneration magic wore off and he was gone forever. Strangely, this was a fact left out of all the official written legends. He couldn't afford to waste any more time searching for the girl. She would suffer as the rest of the world suffered; that would have to suffice.
He slammed both palms down hard onto the wooden throne, making Eugene, still laying on the tomb, jump. The decision had been made.
The soldiers surrounding Eugene moved their weapons from threateningly pointed at the young man to banging the hilts on the ground, rhythmically. This was more unnerving to Eugene than having the sharp pointy bits aimed at his heart.
BANG! BANG! BANG! They pounded out a rhythm and then spoke in unison.
"The Green King Rises! The Green King Rises!"
Then they spoke individually, one sentence at a time, jumping so quickly from one to the next that Eugene got quite dizzy trying to follow who was talking next.
"Three days since he awoke early."
"The Green King shall take his revenge."
"With the life blood of the intruder."
"From the dawn of the third day."
"Until the flow ceases."
"Then the Green King will be all powerful."
"Rising in vengeance to destroy the world."
"He will rule over all."
And once more in unison, banging their hilts with increasing force:
"The Green King Rises! The Green King Rises!"
Eugene had never been more terrified in his life.
He had no idea of the passage of time, save for what he could guess at from the incoming sunlight, which placed them, by now, about half way through the second day. Which meant at dawn tomorrow he would die.
xoxox
Rapunzel had been barely conscious as they reached the base of the mountain. She slid her arm from around Maximus's neck and slumped into an ungraceful heap on the ground. The flower tumbled from her grasp and rolled until it reached a small rock. Soil shook from the exposed roots, but the plant was otherwise unharmed.
Maximus knelt and lay beside the sleeping princess, protecting her, while Pascal, who had tucked himself away in Max's pouch, along with the Queen's book, now climbed back out to stroke his friend's hair with his front foot. The flower's petals reflected the moonlight, adding a white luminescent glow to the night. Aware of the danger, and the ever closing deadline, but too weak to do anything about it right now, Rapunzel and Maximus slept.
She felt better in the morning. Still drained, but the rising sun gave her back some of her energy. Enough to lift the moonflower, sing a quick verse to check that it wasn't damaged, and find a safer home for it in an impromptu saddlebag out of one of her underskirts, since the pouch holding her mother's book was too small. For her to carry the flower all the way to the Green King was not an option; it was just too powerful; it would kill her. Even handling it for that short length of time had left her feeling exhausted, but Rapunzel did not have time for another nap. She forcefully shook herself and pulled herself into Max's saddle.
The horse was unaffected by the close proximity to the moonflower and set off at a gallop towards the Crescent Lake, with a detour back to the tower so Rapunzel could eat something and find a thicker bag, since the thin satin wasn't enough of a barrier to the moonflower's strength. Rapunzel didn't really want to stop, but Pascal pointed out that she would be no help if she fell off Max for a second time.
And so it was in the diffusion of twilight that the three travellers arrived at the edge of Crescent Lake. The little boat was still there, so Rapunzel untied the bag and placed it carefully in the bottom of the boat. Max gave the boat a gentle push with his front hoof and then watched, anxiously as Rapunzel rowed out to the island in the middle of the lake.
As the moon rose the moonflower, even in its bag, emitted its energy, draining Rapunzel of hers. Pascal watched helplessly as the power of the flower overwhelmed her and she lost consciousness. The undercurrent of the lake was controlled by the moon and enhanced by the flower so the boat drifted towards the island unguided.
The collision with the opposite shore should have jolted Rapunzel awake, but Pascal had to resort to nudging her quite firmly on the cheek before she stirred. It took a tremendous effort to drag herself and the flower out of the boat. She was so close, so close, but the full moon overhead was magnifying the draining effect of the flower. Rapunzel could do no more until morning.
She could hear the chanting from inside the mound before the sun rose the next day. Something big and dramatic was about to happen, and Rapunzel could only hope she wasn't too late.
Eugene hadn't slept. His eyes had roamed around the cavern, desperately looking for any way out of his current predicament. It was hopeless. The jade soldiers didn't sleep either and their watchful stares did not falter. Right now, Eugene needed a miracle.
He watched through the distant trapdoor as the light changed from the gentle orange-red of sunset to the deep blue-purple of night and knew that the next colour change he saw would signal the end of his life.
The soldiers began pounding out their rhythm again before the sky changed. It was like a countdown and Eugene turned his head to see the Green King rise from his throne. A smaller jade soldier, the scout who had originally caught him, stepped forward with a black obsidian blade which glinted in the torch light. Those guarding Eugene stepped back to allow the Green King through. Eugene closed his eyes tight as the Green King raised the dagger. And then he heard singing…
Flower gleam and glow
Power running deep
Awake before their time
Return them to their sleep
Return to sleep
It was a tiny, faint voice, growing stronger as the verse progressed. The Green King stopped and looked up towards the trapdoor, to the sound of the voice.
Rapunzel shouted down to Eugene as loud as she could: "Eugene! Move! Now!"
Eugene didn't question the instruction, or wait for any explanation. He rolled sideways off the marble tomb, just as the obsidian dagger lunged down, only to be met by the dropped moonflower. Rapunzel sang the verse again, louder and the flower filled the cavern with silvery light.
Weapons fell out of hands that were no longer able to hold them. Several soldiers stumbled back until the light flowed over them, turning them once more to solid stone. The Green King reached for the moonflower, even though it seemed to burn him as he touched it. The glow from the petals lit up his face as he moved, seemingly in a trance, to lie back on the tomb, which lowered him gently back into place. As he watched, Eugene heard the Green King softly sing the song, his voice fading as he fell asleep.
"Wow," Eugene breathed. "You did it, Rapunzel! Rapunzel?"
There was no sound from outside the mound.
The main entrance to the cavern, the one they had originally used and the one the jade army had employed, was still, thankfully open. Eugene made a break for it as he heard the rumbling of stone shifting back into place. He only just threw himself clear as the entrance sealed itself. He looked around for Rapunzel, spotting her collapsed near the now closed trapdoor.
"Rapunzel!" Eugene cried, racing to her side. "Are you alright?"
"The sun… and moon… must… never meet," Rapunzel gasped, each word taking its toll. She closed her eyes and Eugene panicked.
"No! Rapunzel!" he begged. "You can't leave me! Not now! Rapunzel!"
The princess's eyes flickered open again.
"I just need sleep, Eugene," she whispered. She raised a hand to his cheek and stroked it softly. "Just sleep."
Eugene didn't believe her. She looked so fragile and small and pale. But as he watched, her breathing evened and deepened, and after a few more minutes she even began to gently snore. Eugene laughed out of relief. Maybe sleep was all she needed. The danger had passed, and the wave of fatigue covered him as well. Eugene curled up beside the princess, wrapping one arm around her waist protectively, and fell asleep as the sun rose high in the sky.
A/N - Only the epilogue to go... Thanks for bearing with me on this story. There may have been HUGE chunks of writers block, but I'm reasonably happy with how this story progressed. RxR