Rapunzel now in her eight month was standing beside Eugene and her parents watching the Captain of the Guard riding Maximus while leading the troops on parade for them, celebrating their first wedding anniversary while floating lanterns filled the sky overhead. She gasped and touched her stomach as the baby kicked her. "I'll be glad to get this overactive little girl out of here. It has to be soon as I feel awfully big right now."
Eugene nodded and said with a grin. "It looks like you have a watermelon in there."
She gave him a teasing look. "I think I'll speak to the wizard and have him do a spell so that next time you get to carry the baby." She poked him in his stomach with a savage grin. "Right in here."
He paled. "He can do that?"
She smiled. "I hope so." Her mother held a hand over her mouth and Eugene heard her giggle. The King pretended to ignore the exchange but a smile started to form.
Just then Rapunzel gave a gasp, followed by a cry of pain, and as Eugene wrapped his arm around her waist her eyes rolled up and she collapsed, almost pulling the two of them to the ground. There were shrieks and cries of horror. Over the tumult the King could be heard shouting for the doctor and the royal wizard. Maximus was there clearing a path through the crowd so that help could reach them.
The Queen knelt beside her daughter and gasped in horror as yellow splotches sprang up on the young woman's face. "She has the same illness that I had!" The crowd gasped in horror and the space around them widened as people stepped back.
Both the doctor and the wizard came pushing through the crowd led by Maximus and with Eugene's help they laid the Princess on the ground. Then while Eugene held her hand the doctor bent down and examined her as the wizard cast a spell to see what the cause was. The doctor looked up at the wizard who sadly shook his head. The Doctor turned to Eugene and said with grave concern in his eyes. "I fear the Queen is correct. It is the Yellow Death again."
"I concur." The wizard turned to the King. "Your Majesty, we must get your daughter to her bed right away so that we can treat her and make her comfortable."
Later Eugene stood there beside their bed watching his wife's slow and ragged breathing with desperation in his eyes. "Is there nothing we can do?" He asked her parents.
The King shook his head. "The last time our only hope was the Flower but it was destroyed to make the potion that cured her mother. There are no more Flowers." Her mother knelt by the bed and sadly held her daughter's hand. The little green lizard just gazed sorrowfully down from the bedpost.
"Your Majesty. I have good news and bad news." The wizard Murherder announced as he entered the room.
The King asked with hope lighting up his eyes. "What is the good news?"
The wizard held up a dark-colored vial at whose center a bright light glowed. "Some of the original Flower from which I made the cure still survived in my storage. I can begin making a new potion."
Eugene rose to his feet. Being a former thief he was a perpetual pessimist. "What's the bad news?"
The wizard regarded him solemnly. "I'm missing one key ingredient. I need the Sun Stone to catalyze the reaction."
"And where do we get this Sun Stone?" The King demanded. "I'll spare no expense to purchase one."
"That's the really, really bad news." The wizard replied. "It's part of the dragon Drin's horde and we need a thief to claim it." They all turned and looked at Eugene.
He swallowed. "I'll do it." The green lizard just shook its head.
Later Eugene was mounted on Maximus who gave him a look of disgust as he was carrying him only for Rapunzel's sake and Eugene looked down at the wizard. "I don't know why I can't take the army. After all it is a dragon."
"Because it is a dragon, is why." The wizard replied. "You take an army and he will surely notice and then you end up with fried horse and smoked you."
Eugene and Maximus looked at each other and swallowed. Eugene whispered. "I'm game if you are?" Maximus nodded his head and with the cheers of the people ringing around them they rode out of the castle.
The wizard smiled evilly knowing they would never return and patted the Sun Stone already in his pocket.