The Miracle
A/N: In this chapter; yet another miracle occurs…
A/N#2: This story "kind of" follows my other stories, so you might recognize a few of my OCs here that are still awaiting their full development there… I am also providing this spoiler alert. That said; I hope not to spoil things too much.
A/N#3: This is my own tear transference story. I hope you enjoy it. And, oh yes, I do not own Tangled or its primary characters, though I do own mine and the idea…
Chapter Eleven: The Miracle Revealed, Part 3
The happiness of the small group walking down the hallway from the parlor to the dining room was so very obvious to the similarly happy staffers they passed, although none of them made the connection between the two new couples and Eugene and Amanda. Of course, as focused as they were on paying their respects to the new hero of Io, their ignorance could be forgiven. The entourage, with Eugene and the beautifully dressed Becky in the lead, were making their way towards the private royal dining room at a sedate pace. Eugene was quite happily explaining to his new adoptive daughter the particulars of her new home, pausing to happily answer every question the inquisitive little Becky could think up. The quiet stroll, most other conversation paused due to fears of the wrong ears hearing it, was suddenly interrupted by a loud scream echoing down the long corridor. The obvious fear and absolute sorrow resonating through the scream sent the bravely reckless, or is it the recklessly brave, Eugene into action. Pausing to pass Becky' tiny hand to her new grandfather, Keith, he bolted down the hallway towards the source of the fear.
"There he goes again." Catherine calmly remarked to Kimberly.
"He is quite brave and reckless. Is he not?" Annabella remarked about her nephew.
"Yes. Indeed he is, but I would not want it any other way." Catherine remarked of her prospective future son-in-law.
"He is truly nobler than he gives himself credit for." An obviously proud Kimberly added.
The group, having reached the hallway Eugene bolted down, turned the corner and stopped dead in their tracks. The sight that greeted them was one to behold and brought tears to everyone's eyes. Imelda, one of the favorite staff members of the royals was standing there with her quite wet and unmoving four year old daughter in her arms.
"Wha….?" William and Catherine began to ask, before pausing as Eugene calmly went up to the distraught woman.
"Please, Imelda, tell me what happened." Eugene calmly asked, as he laid his hand on her shoulder and willed her to be calm. The calmness of Eugene startled William and Catherine, but not Cassiopeia and Kimberly. The two Avandell women somehow knew what was to happen. This is not to say that they were not to be as completely flabbergasted by the event as the others were.
"I believe it will be quite alright." Cassiopeia hesitantly whispered to the group, intent on not distracting Eugene as she felt him becoming one with his surroundings, yet again and even more effortlessly than before with an unexpected power. This is not to say that she was not to be among those freaking out at what was to come.
"She was pl…, pla…, playing outside near the lake, an…!" Imelda choked out, unable to continue, twin rivers of tears streaming down her cheeks.
"She fell off the pier and into the water…?" Eugene asked.
"Yes. Sh…., she…, she can…!"
"…not swim?" Eugene finished for her.
"Yes! I found her near the shore, face down! She is everything to me! I do not know what to do! Please help me!" She finally screamed out as she grasped onto Eugene vest with her free hand.
"It will be alright. Please follow me." Eugene replied as he gestured for her to enter the nearby Royal Study.
"But…"
"You will relax." Eugene replied with an unusual inflection in his voice and arm motion; an inflection that brought a grin to Rupert and Amanda, and a confused look to everyone else.
"I will relax…" Imelda repeated, as if in a trance.
"She will relax…?" William quietly asked the gathering.
"Little Isabella will be alright." Eugene continued; bringing a shocked look to both William and Catherine. It was, at the moment, quite obvious to both William and Catherine that nothing but a miracle would bring her back. Then again, miracles were Eugene's new line of work.
"She will…?" Catherine quietly asked.
"Little Isabella will be alright." Imelda aped, as Amanda moved forward in anticipation of a request.
"Please excuse me for one moment. Ok?" Eugene asked as he gently took the lifeless body of little Isabella into his arms and gently brushed the wet hair out of her face.
"Umm…"
"Amanda, please help Miss Imelda."
"Of course, Eugene. Miss Imelda, please come with me. I am sure that Sir Eugene has everything under control." Amanda calmly stated as she gently took her arm and led her into the hallway where the others concernedly waited with baited breath.
Eugene gently laid down the still Isabella on a nearby chaise lounge and then looked down at the obviously deceased little daughter of his favorite palace staffer; one who had done so much to help him adjust to his new surroundings; and decided on his course of action. Saying a little prayer, he took in a huge cleansing breath, becoming one with the very fabric of the universe and summoning in an as yet unknown power into his being; the very power of creation. The once all knowing, yet now seriously underestimating, Cassiopeia and the others from Avandell were to be even more amazed by his ultimate power; the power of life over death, than even the quite awestruck William and Catherine.
"Isabella, awake!" Eugene firmly commanded as he touched the forehead and chest, above the heart, of the little girl. The massive surge of energy, taking the form of a golden spark darting from Eugene's fingertips and into her tiny body sent a powerful spike of positive energy into her, shocking her heart and brain back into life and repairing all the damage and restoring her back to normal. The glow so brightly illuminated the room that a bright golden glow shone under the door, brightly illuminating the hallway and its artifacts and momentarily startling the others.
"Isabella, awake?" William asked, quite flabbergasted at the command voice of Eugene as it quite easily carried through the thick wooden doors.
"What the…?" Catherine asked as she saw the momentary glow under the door.
"You will see." Katelyn shakily replied, as she now quite impossibly sensed not one, but two individuals in the Royal Study.
"Momma? MOMMA!" Isabella sputtered as she coughed out the last of the lake water and then screamed as she sat up, her brown eyes at first darting around the room looking for her mother before locking on the soothingly familiar hazel eyes of Eugene.
"Rest easy, little one…" Eugene softly said as he touched her shoulder, instantly calming the little girl.
"Ok; Mr. Eugene, why are my clothes all wet?" Isabella responded, instantly calmed and confused about how she could be soaking wet.
"It is a long story, Isabella…" Eugene began; interrupted by the sounds of her shocked mother.
"Isabella?!" Imelda hesitantly asked as she heard the familiar voice from behind the closed door and slowly opened the double doors, leaning on Amanda for support as she found herself almost too weak to do much of anything.
"Momma!" Little Isabella joyfully shouted as she saw her mother and Amanda at the door, jumping up to run towards her.
"How is this possible?!" Imelda confusedly asked upon seeing the sight of her quite healthy and giggling four year old daughter happily smiling back at her and moving towards her, before quite unceremoniously fainting into the waiting arms of Amanda.
"Is something wrong with mommy?" A confused little Isabella asked Eugene as Amanda helped Imelda to a nearby chair.
"She will be fine, Isabella. She just fainted out of the joy of seeing you. I will tell you, though, that this fainting stuff sure gets old quick; does it not?" Eugene stated, oblivious to the absolute shock of the moment and his own propensity for freaking out.
"You could say that." Rupert Junior replied with a hearty laugh; a laugh joined in by the rest of the group, except for William and Catherine who had had no idea of the true power of the sun's drop.
"There is quite a bit more to Eugene than meets the eye." Cassiopeia not too calmly told the awestruck royal couple.
"More?" They asked, not knowing what to expect or the full extent of his powers.
"Yes. There is quite a bit more. But here is not the place; nor is it yet time to know all." Cassiopeia replied.
"I guess we have no choice to accept that." William hesitantly replied.
"In good time, my dear King William, all will be revealed. Your patience will be suitably rewarded at the proper time. You see, there is someone else..." Kimberly added.
"Of course, Kimberly; we would not want to rush things, would we? I do believe we have a lunch date to attend to. Yes?" Catherine replied, totally missing the key part of Kimberly's phrase, as she finally found her voice.
"Yes. Yes, we do." Keith said in response.
"If everyone will follow me, we are almost to our destination." The junior Rupert added.
The group walked into the private dining room and took their seats. To an outsider it looked like an ordinary lunch party, with a varied invitation list. King William sat at the head of the table in a massive chair topped with the golden sigil of Corona. Queen Catherine sat to his right side in her normal place. Mistress Cassiopeia sat to his left side. Little Becky sat to the queen's right, with Eugene to her right. Lord Andrew and Lady Annabella sat to Cassiopeia's left. Amanda and Rupert, as was their custom, sat across from each other; she beside Eugene and he beside Annabella. Katelyn and Kevin sat beside their daughter while Rupert senior and Annalisa sat beside their son. Finally at the end of the table and sitting across from each other were Kimberly and Keith.
"It looks like everyone is here." King William began as he took in the sight.
"Are you sure, father?" A very familiar voice rang out from the door. Everyone looked to the door to see Crown Princess Rapunzel, her companion Pascal, and crown princesses Stephanie and Chelsea.
"Rapunzel! How are you here so soon?" Eugene excitedly shouted, totally missing her transformation, as he stood up to rush over to hug and enthusiastically kiss his new dream.
"Eugene! I will tell you later!" Rapunzel shouted back as she too rushed in to hug and enthusiastically kiss her new dream, oblivious to the extra three couples and Mistress Cassiopeia as well as the quite tired and shocked Stephanie and Chelsea dragging behind her.
"Stephanie, Chelsea! What a pleasant surprise!" Catherine responded as she saw the two crown princesses and stood up to greet them.
"To be sure…; I think." The two startled princesses replied as they curtseyed for the Coronian queen; their voice as if one.
"We will set three additional places for lunch. Then we can see about letting you clean up for our sea side social."
"Thank you. The sea side social; what is that?" Stephanie and Chelsea said; their voices as one.
"You shall see." Catherine replied; brightly smiling at their obvious discomfort at all that had occurred over the past several hours.
"Rapunzel; what happened to you?" Eugene finally asked, without fainting for a change, as he took in the look of her hair.
"Oh, Eugene, it was the most amazing thing. Anyway, a story for a later time; do you like it?" Rapunzel asked as she struck a pose for her dream.
"I LOVE IT!" Eugene happily replied as he again quite enthusiastically kissed his girlfriend, to the amusement of all present, especially a giggling little Becky and two visiting crown princesses.
A/N #4: So, what happened to Rapunzel's hair; and how?
A/N #5: Please review…