The Miracle

A/N: For those of you who have read "Favorite Things," by 9r7g5h you might recognize my plot bunny. I give full credit for the idea to her and recommend her stories!

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; it has expanded quite a lot from my original idea and is currently on a well thought out tangent. But, then again, as my Muse and friend (you know who you are) would state; most stories do sometimes grow legs, as this one currently has. Do not worry, though, the next few chapters (three I think) will bring us to the end. And, oh yes, I do not own Tangled or its primary characters, though I do own mine and the idea…

Chapter Nineteen: The Savior of Corona, His Amazing Tale; Part 3

Five Years Previous…

"What are the defenses I will have to broach?" Flynn casually asked as he gestured to the barmaid for another tankard of the watered down swill they called ale in the empire.

They both paused for a moment while the barmaid brought out Flynn's ale and some bread and cheese. Marcus then went on to discuss some vitally important facts about Flynn's target.

"The emperor does not feel that his castle is vulnerable, so he has limited patrols on the grounds outside. You might, and I emphasize might, see two pairs of guards. Thus, it should be quite simple to gain access to the outer walls…" Marcus began as Flynn took a sip of his second tankard of ale.

"…after climbing a 500 foot vertical cliff, you mean?" Flynn sarcastically asked as he interrupted Marcus.

"Flynn, you will have no issues getting up to the top of the hill and right outside the outer walls. While the cliff seems imposing from the distance, it is actually quite an easy stroll as the workers who built the castle 250 years ago left their service road unaltered as they brought all their equipment back down into the city. It has become overgrown with much vegetation that your uniform will have no issues adapting to and which will aid in your concealment as you move higher up the side of the mountain."

"…service road unaltered…?" Flynn apingly asked, intrigued by this latest tidbit.

"Yes. You see the castle's various building materials were brought up to the castle site after being delivered by boat to the current pier servicing Olvastavia, the Olvassian capital, if you can call it that."

"I would call it a dump." Flynn retorted.

"Yes. That it is. So, anyway, this service road, while only unobstructed in the center three or four feet is still quite passable and will provide very good concealment as you journey towards the castle. So, once you make it across the river about 200 yards off the main road that leads directly to Olvastavia, you should have no issues finding this now secluded and unused road. Look along the side of the now much smaller Olvasta River for the ruins of the pier."

"Now, once I make it up this road, how hard will it be to gain entry into the castle since I am pretty sure that the service entrance is as disused as the road servicing it?" Flynn asked as he went over his plan in his head, altering it to take into account this new information.

"It will be quite simple, actually. The former service entrance is actually still quite serviceable even after two and a half centuries. I have seen it myself with my own two eyes and can vouch for its accessibility and serviceability as I quite easily entered the castle through it. I actually used a similar garb to the one you will be using and can also vouch for its effectiveness as well." Marcus stated to the awestruck Flynn. Flynn rapidly digested this new piece of intelligence.

The Present…

"Lord Marcus actually went into the emperor's castle?! My uncle risked so much?!" Lady Annabella questioningly exclaimed; the shock plainly written on her face for all to see. She knew her favorite uncle was brave and sure, but this was almost too much to take.

"Yes, Annie, he did indeed enter the evil emperor's castle; exposing him to great danger and risk of capture and torture. But rather than having me tell you his part of this amazing story; let us go to the source, as it were." Mistress Cassiopeia softly replied as she gently snapped her fingers as a beckoning call to her youngest brother.

The group was astounded to suddenly find three handsome gentlemen standing before them. King William, Queen Catherine, and the trio of Cassiopeia, Annabella, and Andrew, all broadly smiled at the ever capable Lord Marcus as he stood before them. He was impressively and quite immaculately dressed in all black with a red felt lined black cape, standing 6 feet 6 inches tall with broad shoulders and massively and powerfully built arms; his dark hair streaked with grey. He stood in the center of the group, flanked by two younger men. Standing on either side of him, in fact, were his two sons. The six foot one Marcus junior, a mirror image of his father was standing to his right. The five foot eleven Robert, the youngest, was standing to his left.

"Lord Marcus!" King William happily exclaimed as he saw his old friend from the Midland campaign.

"My good king! You look as fit and hale as you did twenty years ago." Marcus, too, happily replied as he took in the sight of the monarch of the fair and just Kingdom of Corona-by-the-sea.

"Thank you, Lord Marcus; as do you."

"Thank you very much. How is Sir Stephan these days?"

"He is quite well. He is the proud new grandfather of a wonderful little girl born just three months ago."

"Ah. That is so very good. He is perhaps the wisest of all men I have ever had the privilege of meeting."

"Quite." King William replied.

While these initial conversations were on going, however, the two crown princesses were discovering something…, unobserved, or so they thought.

"Oh…" Softly murmured Stephanie, the older of the two unattached crown princesses at the tender age of seventeen and a half, as she took in the sight of the handsome Marcus junior and shyly smiled at him as she batted her eyelashes at him and lightly blushed; he himself having just turned nineteen years of age and as equally smitten with the auburn haired and blue eyed Constellan crown princess as he returned her smile with one of his own.

"Mmmm…" Softly murmured Chelsea, the youngest of the three crown princesses at sixteen and a half as she took in the sight of Robert and also shyly smiled at him as she too batted her eyelashes at him and lightly blushed; he himself seventeen years old and also as equally smitten with the brunette haired and emerald green eyed Estrellan crown princess as he too returned the smile with one of his own as his cheeks soon tinged a light pink.

"Ah. I see they have piqued your interest. Yes?" Cassiopeia softly remarked to the two young women, ever intent on sparing the two any embarrassment. She knew; as did her brother, but not her two nephews; of the preordained link of these two couples.

The two young women, appreciative of Cassiopeia's tact, could only slightly nod in agreement. They somehow sensed something in the look of Cassiopeia and patiently waited for her to continue.

"You will find that there is more here than meets the eye…" Cassiopeia softly remarked as she casually looked around to ensure no one was paying her any mind. She was spared any undue attention by her brother's warm welcome to Eugene.

"Ah. My good friend Eugene! It is so good to see you, the real you, again after all these years." Marcus replied as he stepped forward and gave Eugene a familiar hug.

"Likewise; my dear friend Marcus; I am more than happy to be myself again!" Eugene replied as he stepped briefly away from Rapunzel and little Becky and returned the hug; his warm regards for her uncle drawing quite the surprised look from Annabella.

"Did you…?" Lady Annabella began, not knowing how to proceed and thus trailing off.

"Did I know that I would one day meet my friend and comrade and that he would have become himself again?" Marcus replied, with a toothy smile, as he repeated and then finished her sentence.

"Well, yes." Annabella said; she realized that even after all the training she had completed that she still had so much to learn.

"It is the most amazing thing. You see, I knew from my connection to the Wirkungen that I would be tasked with aiding the wonderful kingdom of Corona-by-the-sea yet again and that it would be my good friend who I would ably assist."

"Wow! So, Uncle Mark, am I correct to presume that we are to hear your wonderful tale now?" Lady Annabella asked.

"Yes, Annie. But before I begin my epic tale, there is one thing to take care of as it is of the utmost paramount importance to our continued security. My two sons accompanied me on this occasion as they have roles here outside of Avandell to fill that they are just becoming aware of. This said, I feel obliged to warn each and every one of you that what you are about to see and hear is most secret and must remain that way. That is not to say that it will remain secret for long…"

"Roles? What roles? Secret; but not for long?" King William asked, ever curious and ever firm in his determination to keep all Io safe from danger.

"If it pleases you, King William, all will be revealed shortly. Now then; Princess Stephanie, could you come here please?" Marcus asked the surprised princess as he politely gestured for her to approach him and his eldest son.

"Um; I guess so…" She replied, confused but hopeful as she saw a happy glint in the younger Marcus' eyes.

"Mark, could you too come closer?" Marcus asked as he gestured for his oldest son to approach closer.

"Yes, father." Marcus replied, also confused but hopeful as he saw the corresponding happy glint in Stephanie's eyes.

The assembled group could see a spark of azul energy flit across the open space between the two young people as they came within a hands width of the other. They withheld their questions concerning this as Marcus continued.

"Princess Chelsea, could you come here also, please?" Marcus asked the surprised princess as he gestured for her to approach him and his youngest son.

"Um; yes…?" She replied, as similarly confused as Stephanie, but hopeful.

"Robert, could you too come closer?" Marcus asked as he gestured for his youngest son to approach.

"Yes, of course father."

The assembled group once again could see two very small sparks of first azul and then emerald energy flit across the open space between the two young people as they came within a hands width of the other also.

"Now I am quite sure that you are all wondering what this is all about. Yes?" Marcus asked; an unusual glint in his eyes that all quickly picked up on, though could not deduce the reasoning.

"Well, you could say that." Catherine replied; she had an idea, of course.

"As you know, there are three very special couples in our presence who serve as the soul mate of the other. The first pair, Andrew and Annabella, learned of their joined destiny during the Battle for the Midlands. The second pair, Rupert and Amanda, learned of their joined destiny seven years ago. The third pair, Eugene and Rapunzel, learned of their joined destiny just today. These three first pairs serve to strongly link Avandell to Corona at the deepest level. Now, I have done some extensive research and discovered something wonderful."

"Something wonderful…?" Katelyn asked, quite intrigued.

"Are you about to say…?" Stephanie began.

"…what I think you are?" Chelsea finished.

"Yes, my two dear crown princesses. You see, the drop of blue sunlight, entering the very special communal well in Avandell apparently did much more than was initially believed."

"WHAT?!" The group blurted out; the shock so very evident upon them all.

A/N #4: Sorry for the cliff hanger. It is for dramatic effect!

A/N #5: Please review…