Doctor Parkston walks into the brightly lit conference room housed on the second floor of Corona's only hospital. Three of his colleagues have already arrived, their heads pressed together as they study the chart for Princess Rapunzel. This case has taken top priority and has the best medical minds of the times working on it.

Rather than sitting at the round table to discuss, Doctor Parkston walks over to the chalkboard and begins to write:

Headaches

Strange dreams (so far unknown)

Balance issue leading to fall

Localized Memory Loss

"If I can have your attention, gentleman, I'd like to start the differential. Obviously the symptoms lead to some sort of neurological problem." Dr. Parkston's commanding voice fills the room. "Ideas? Go."

"Fluid in the brain could cause balance issues, headaches, even memory loss." Dr. Beetmier, the local obstetrician, tosses out the first idea.

"Keen observation" Dr. Lupink encourages, but quickly refutes the idea with "but what about the dreams? Seems more like the condition would need to cause a personality change. Besides, Dr. Parkston didn't note enlarged head size." He glanced at Dr. Parkston for confirmation. A slight nod was all he needed to proceed. "We need to consider all the symptoms."

The youngest in the group, Dr. Reskin, speaks up next "Small vessel disease." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. "It would account for the disturbed thinking."

Dr. Parkston nods his head in possible agreement. "Could be. Could be. I would think the symptoms of her gait would be more obvious. I didn't see her walk myself on this visit, but I did see her a few weeks ago and she seemed to be walking fine. Plus, neither Prince Eugene nor Her Majesty the Queen mentioned her having issues walking. I was considering something more along the lines of a growth presenting in the brain, though. The headaches seem to be pointing more that way. Obviously as you know there isn't much we can do about growths in the brain."

The men murmur their agreement. It was such a shame to think of the vibrant young princess being ravaged by such a disease. If only they knew more about how the disease progressed and what could be done about it. Some research had been done post-mortem on these growths, but science and medicine just hadn't progressed far enough to know what could be done or even what might happen next to the young princess.

Rapunzel's days began to blur together. She tries to think back. Tuesday she fell, right? Or was it Wednesday? And now it is Saturday. This would typically be the day they would take their trek to the castle. Rapunzel adores her visits with her parents, looks forward to them, cherishes their special time together. And yet they had been together too long at this point. The small cabin overflowed with people and flowers and food. Rapunzel stared at the many arrangements that crowded her room alone. Peonies, daises, roses, mums – so lovely and colorful but so overwhelming.

A small sigh escapes her lips. She supposes she should be thankful for this outpouring of love from the Kingdom, but she only feels exhaustion. Rapunzel reaches under her pillow for her dream journal. Now that she didn't have to hide it, she keeps it close to her always. Yes, Eugene had found it two days ago. In the outhouse behind her feminine products had seemed to be the perfect place where he would never look. And yet he had found it. Perhaps he knew her better than she wished to admit.

Recalling that confrontation from earlier in the day she shuddered a bit, not in fear, but in the absolute sadness she had seen in Eugene's eyes. "Rapunzel, why were you hiding this from me? And is this how you really feel?" He had implored.

"No, no. I don't have any desire to kill myself. I have never contemplated it while awake. It's these dreams that continue to haunt me. And I can't seem to get rid of them no matter how much I try!" She knew that the intensity and frequency of the suicide dreams had only gotten worse since her last entry. "And Eugene, it's continued. Every time I sleep now, I dream of some new form of killing myself. Please make it stop, please!"

Eugene had wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close as possible. "Oh sweetness, I just wish you would have told me. I hate that you've been carrying this burden alone! I need to get word to the doctor, you know. He needs to know what the dreams have been. Hopefully that will help with his diagnosis."

"I don't….I don't want my parents to see this or to know. I don't want them to think these are my true feelings because they're not!" Rapunzel begged Eugene to keep it a secret. In the end he had agreed to keep her secret, but not from the doctor and his team. They had to know. He dropped a kiss on her lips and went to transcribe a letter to the doctor.

Rapunzel sighs and opens the journal to a new page, wishing to record her latest dream.

I climbed the huge sycamore behind the house. With me, I carried rope – a long white rope that would assist me in my mission, whatever that mission might be. I didn't know yet what I was doing, only that I had to climb higher and higher. I reached for the next branch and felt it crack under my weight although I wasn't heavier than normal. Hmm, I must be too high. I needed a branch that could hold all my weight, this much I knew. I climbed back down a bit until I found the sturdiest branch that was still high enough up. Rope around the branch, tied tight. Rope around my neck, tied tighter. Ready and drop.

Rapunzel lays the notebook down in her lap. Why must they all end in my death? Am I really wanting to kill myself in my subconscious or is this just my mind's way of telling me I won't be alive much longer and preparing me for the inevitable? Is this disease going to kill me? The musings seemed to be the same that she'd had the day before and the day before that but this time she hopes for a revelation. She needs an answer.

She flips back a few pages in the book, wants to reread some past entries. But as she tries to focus on the pages, she finds that she can't. The letters blur together. They lose all shape and then suddenly darkness.

"EUGENE!"