"Rapunzel! Rapunzel, what's happened, dear?" A voice called from over the rise. Rapunzel looked up and searched the horizon a moment before she could see her father heading toward her. He must have heard her too...why hadn't anyone else heard her? He was coming from the direction of the stables, slowly because the pain in his aging body only let him go so quickly. Estelle's head popped up and she pushed herself up on Eugene's chest, running toward the old king.
"Grapa! Grapa! Grapa!" She squealed, still not quite understanding that the rest of her siblings said grandpa. She was on him before he could even see Rapunzel clearly. "Papa, dada's sick. He sleepin' on grass." She explained with the authoratative air of a toddler. Now it was the king's turn to go a shade paler as he looked at his daughter, quickening his pace.
"Rapunzel? Eugene - What's happened?"
"It's like Estelle said, papa. Eugene is ill." Rapunzel answered quietly. There was an absence, a strange detachment - an emptiness in her voice. With Estelle in hand he took the last few steps to his daughter and son-in-law, sighing in pain when he saw Eugene half splayed on the lawn, his head in the lap of his wife, whose face was wet from crying, her hair disheveled and disorderly. The king's daughter had gone through much being married to this man - who had gone through equally much on the receiving end - but still, it didn't seem to make it right. He looked around, his eyebrows diving down his nose to a frightening scowl.
"Where is everyone?" He asked her. He was an old man and he had heard her calling all the way from the nearly empty stables.
"I don't know." Rapunzel gasped, clearly making sure she wouldn't cry. Poor thing had more than one good reason to be crying right now with a miscarriage not two weeks before. Now her husband- "Eugene - Flynn," she corrected herself since that was what everyone else called him. "heard me. That's why Estelle is here, I'm sure that she wouldn't leave him alone. He heard me call for help out in the courtyard, but no one else came with him. Someone will be here any minute, Papa. Flynn ran to get help." The old king could only nod. Behind the kind, wise old mouth his teeth were clenched tightly together. how dare anyone ignore his daughter in this way! What was becoming of this mingdom? Before Rapunzel could stop him he was getting down beside her on his poor stiff knees. He had one hand on her shoulder and the other was feeling Eugene's burning forehead. "How?" He finally asked her, leaning against his cane with both hands. Rapunzel shook herself as if just waking.
"Hmm? He was helping at the orphanage, father. They've had an outbreak there as well." Her breath caught in a sob again, causing Estelle to pop up again, this time from her grandfather's side, and put her baby arms around her mother. "Eugene never had scarlet fever." Rapunzel continued, shaking her head. "I didn't realize." Her voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Could she have stopped him if she had known? Would he have listened? Very likely not. Would he have realized the danger? Difficult to say.
"He was doing right, Rapunzel." Her father comforted her, pushing a long stray hair out of her eye. Rapunzel sighed heavily, her face turned toward his.
"Mama said that the fever can be dangerous. I didn't know that, papa. And Eugene was so tired this morning."
"I am lying here." Came a sudden low mumble. She looked down to see that sarcastic, lazy smile and gasped, relieved to see him conscious again. He still looked just as bad. Rapunzel pushed his hair back and kissed his forehead.
"Flynn is finding someone to help carry you to our room." She explained to him. Eugene nodded weakly and Rapunzel suppressed a sob, shooting a hasty, soul-wrenching glance at her father. He had never accepted an order to be carried without a fight. Of course, he hadn't exactly sat up when he awoke, either, and he made sure that there was a sarcastic remark heard, so he couldn't possibly be too far gone.
"Don't you even think of dying on me!" Was all she could get out without breaking down. She heard tramping feet behind her, a good three or four pair, thank God. Eugene was lying there smiling at her, of course.
"Nah." He sighed. "If I do you'll kill me."

Rapunzel paced back and forth in their room, biting her finger nervously as she watched the physician examine her husband. Poor Eugene was shuddering with his shirt off, his eyes halfway closed as he leaned back limply on the pillows. Rapunzel wanted to hold him and comfort him, as if that would do any good. In all their life together he had never looked this bad - at least not from illness. This was Eugene Fitzherbert - he'd certainly had his share of injuries; but he looked horrible. His chest was covered in red...Rapunzel guessed that was where the fever got its name, since neither she nor the children had gotten any sort of rash. Finally he let Eugene pull his shirt on and Rapunzel was over helping him in an instant, which was just as well because his fingers fumbled clumsily - not at all like Eugene - and they were trembling. Rapunzel put her hands in his place, buttoning his night shirt and kissing his forehead, pushing his head back to the pillows. She ran her hand softly through his hair.
"Rest, love." She whispered with her lips lingering there for a minute before she trailed down his nose and to his mouth. He wasn't exactly in sorts for that, but he let her kiss him anyway.
"Rapunzel, I'm sorry..." He started, but she cut him off with a finger in his lips.
"There's nothing to be sorry for, alright? You rest and get better. Everything's going to be fine." She whispered, sliding her hand down his face and looking into his eyes. His eyes were still half shut and eyebrows were drawn together like when he had bad headaches. Eugene sighed and smiled weakly. Rapunzel's eyes widened, that smile recalling terrifying memories - but she wasn't going to 'freak out' on him, at least not yet. He had already turned his head and closed his eyes, so he wouldn't have seen her fear, and she was afraid. He rarely acted this weary. "I'll be back." She whispered kissing him again. She turned as the royal physician cleared his throat and nodded to the door. Rapunzel followed him out and closed the door gently.
"He has scarlet fever." The little man started. Rapunzel rolled her eyes impatiently.
"I know that." she burst out at him. "I didn't need you here to tell me that. Now what can we do for it?" He sighed and started cleaning his glasses - something that he never seemed to tire of doing, but he did it more when he was nervous, which made Rapunzel nervous.
"He has a very high fever, worse than you or your children at any point." Rapunzel almost felt her face blanch. It already had so many times that day. Suddenly she felt again like she had no stomach. She didn't want to hear what came next, but he continued anyway. "Princess, I will tell you immediately that this looks to be very serious." Rapunzel nodded. She had never heard anyone use the word 'serious' in conjunction to illness, at least not within her family. It sent freezing shudders down her spine and she didn't like it one bit. "He should be kept very quiet, no unnecessary moving around, as little speech to and from him as possible. You might do best to keep your children away from him."
"But they've already had it." She cut in almost before he had finished speaking. "I thought that once someone had it-"
"No no, I'm not worried about that. Your children, it seems, would be in very little danger no matter what the case. No, princess, it's for Eugene. If they excite him too much, strain him - Your highness, if you want your husband to get well he will need every last ounce of strength he's got, and I do mean every bit of it!" Rapunzel's face was somber. She should listen, perhaps, but not let Eugene see his children?
"Can't I have them up here a little?" She begged. "Eugene will just pine for them and sicken himself if he cannot see them." She explained pathetically, ringing her hands, neither of which did she ever have any intention of doing.
"I...I do not know, princess. I do not advise it, but I will leave you to do what you will. It isn't as if we don't both know that you do what you will."
"Yes." She whispered almost to herself. Even if he was the same height, they rarely if ever saw eye to eye.
"Now I know, naturally, that the children and yourself have all just gotten over scarlet fever so you probably feel as if you know what you're are dealing with." Rapunzel crossed her arms. Of course she knew that this little man knew more about any disease than she did, but he didn't have to sound so high and mighty about it! " I'm telling you this for his good, princess. Peas be patient. For him I fear it will be much different - far more grave a matter." Rapunzel's spine went even a little more rigid. "His throat is very swollen already, not ever a good sign. So saying, you must keep a steady watch on him to be sure that he is breathing, most especially when he is sleeping." Rapunzel nodded. Perhaps simple enough, but she was scared to death. Eugene had - well, he'd had his share of injuries - stupid accidents, assassination attempts - several hunting accidents. Not even when he ended up splitting his entire left leg open had she been able to make him stay down for two week. Now he barely had the strength to lift his head.
"He'll be alright, though." Rapunzel said."Probably take him two weeks before he's off trying to get himself killed again." She smiled. The physician smiled too, but it was more as if to humor her then anything else. There was something he was leaving out, even she could see that, but she didn't care to have him tell her. She turned her back on him and poked her nose into her room before entering, closing the door behind her. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even, but even across the room it sounded ragged. She crawled up beside him, laying her head on his chest, feeling the frightening heat of his body, just how harsh his breathing was - his heart seeming to beat so slowly to her ear. She sat up and sighed, kissing his burning forehead and pulling the blankets up to his chest. Now, since her father had Estelle and Flynn had told his grandmother what had happened, chances were pretty good that the rest of the children had been gathered together as well. Rapunzel took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, ignoring how she was shaking. She had to tell the rest of them.