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A few short minutes later – that felt like a lifetime to Rapunzel – the Queen and Princess stood on the balcony that overlooked the town square. Thousands of people stood there, waiting to hear their Queen's announcements.
"People or Corona!" she said, projecting her normally soft, gentle voice. "I have some disturbing news. Our young Princess Lillian has been kidnapped!" The crowd started talking loudly amongst each other. The Queen couldn't get herself heard over the noise.
"Excuse me, everyone!" she called. "Excuse me!" Just then the whole balcony seemed to quiver as a loud gong sliced through the noise. The Queen spun around to see Rapunzel lowering the large hammer that was used for the gong. Everyone had gone silent, and the Queen turned back to address her people.
"Thank you, Rapunzel," she said. "Now, as I said, Princess Lillian has been kidnapped. By the Stabbington Brothers, of all people! They've given us a way to get her back, and that is by leaving twelve million silver coins by the windmill." A murmur came from the crowd. "We don't have that much." The crowd gasped.
"That's why we need your help!" Rapunzel took over suddenly, rushing up to stand beside her mother. "We need you to help get twelve million silver coins. With all of you donating, we're sure to get the amount we need by this Friday!" The crowd cheered as the palace doors opened in front of them, and a scribe next to a large cauldron came out.
"Place your donations in this cauldron," he said in a bored tone. "And I'll count it all." And he sighed, pulling out his scroll and quill. "Begin."
The crowd rushed up to the cauldron, and threw in silver coins. The scribe made marks on his scroll, trying to keep up. One of the guards put his hand on his arm.
"What?!" the scribe snapped, looking flustered.
"We'll count it later," the guard told him, and went back to his post.
"Now he tells me!"
Rapunzel paced around outside the counting room as the silver coins were being counted. What if they didn't have enough! What if the Stabbingtons decided to keep the money? Rapunzel paced around for another half-hour, before she bumped into Eugene.
"Oh, Eugene!" she gasped, and buried her face in his shirt, crying silently. Eugene wrapped his arms around her, stroking her brown hair.
"Don't worry," he said. "She'll be okay." Rapunzel looked up at him, and he wiped away a tear with his thumb. She gave him a crooked smile.
"Can you do me a favour?" she asked. "I want you to wait near the windmill in sight of the coins, and when the Stabbingtons come, follow them. I want to be sure we get Lilly back."
"But what about the note?"
"They're just stupid threats," Rapunzel insisted. She took Eugene's hands in her own, and stared right into his eyes. "Please!"
"Alright, Rapunzel," he said, grinning. "I'll do it." Rapunzel smiled, and hugged him again.
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