The days passed agonizingly slowly, and even though Eugene had known what to expect thanks to the vision it was a lot worse to live through it in real time. Eugene was just glad that he was able to be at the castle for this.
The king had not been happy at all. He'd raged, and ranted, and said that he would throw Eugene in the dungeon himself if he had to. King Frederic knew that he had something to do with this sickness that had spread throughout the land, though he didn't know exactly how.
Rapunzel and the queen had put their feet down on the matter. The princess was just as sick as any of the children in the kingdom, but she was stubborn. She had argued with her dad for hours about Eugene staying at her side. She couldn't stop coughing during the discussion, and at times she had to lean against a table for support or sit down, but her determination didn't falter.
Eugene didn't know if it was because of how much strength Rapunzel showed against her father, or if it was because of how weak and almost pathetic she looked, no matter how hard she tried, but King Frederic eventually gave in.
Of course, it probably helped that Rapunzel swore to her father that if he threw Eugene in the dungeon then she would be right down there with him, and she would see to it that nobody else could find the key for the cell. As much as King Frederic hated Eugene right now, he loved Rapunzel more. He knew that she was already sick, and for once he was taking Eugene's word for it that it would get worse before it got better. He wanted her to be in the comfort of the castle where the best doctors in the kingdom could keep an eye on her.
So Eugene was allowed to stay, as long as the captain himself was there at all times to make sure there was no funny business. Eugene was fine with that, and so was Rapunzel. As much as she hated being watched by the castle guards, she was just happy to have Eugene at her side.
They had spent the entire morning of that first day arguing with the king, and then after getting Rapunzel to eat just a muffin and a smoothie for lunch they had curled up on her bed and they'd stayed there for the rest of the day and into the night. The next morning was when things heated up, and not just because Rapunzel had a favor.
Reports were finally coming in about the sickness all across Corona. Even though Rapunzel wasn't feeling well herself she insisted on going out into the streets to make sure that the children of the kingdom were well taken care of. She personally saw to it that all the children had warm blankets, medicine, stuffed toys, and anything else they might want.
Eugene went with her, and it was becoming more and more clear who sympathized with the slaves, and it was a lot more than he'd expected. He knew that the people of Corona were naturally kind-hearted, but things had been this way for generations, and denial could be a very hard thing to overcome.
Apparently Varian and Andrew's stunts hadn't just sent a message to the king. Most Coronans knew what was going on and why. Some people still thought that Varian and Andrew were terrorists and there was no excuse for that, but most of the citizens were finally looking at how young Varian was, and there were plenty of people who had a connection to Saporians who knew exactly who Andrew was and what he fought for.
Rapunzel tried to keep the conversations away from slavery. It wasn't because she was in denial anymore. She knew exactly what was going on. She just wanted to focus on the suffering that the children were going through. She didn't want the people of Corona to look at this as though it was a political message. Children were hurt. As far as Rapunzel was concerned, people could talk about what it meant when the children were better.
The only time Rapunzel was willing to discuss the matter of the slaves was when Xavier came up to her and quietly asked if this same sickness was affecting Varian and any other slave children. She'd looked at Eugene with wide eyes and he realized in a panic that he didn't know. He hadn't seen Varian in the vision, but there was no way of knowing if he had seen everything.
There were also the slave children. They weren't Coronan, but Eugene didn't really trust that the moon would care about that. She might just care about the people of the Dark Kingdom, and nobody else, slave or otherwise, mattered to her.
It was tempting to go back to Old Corona and check on Varian and the other slaves, just to be sure they were all okay. If he hurried he could get to Corona and back before the end of the day. Before he could seriously consider the possibility Rapunzel fainted in the middle of the street. She had gotten worse, and Eugene didn't dare leave her.
He'd brought Rapunzel back up to the comfort of her room, though he couldn't stop thinking about Varian. He knew the kid was probably okay, but what if he wasn't? When Cass came into the room to check on Rapunzel, Eugene could swear that he had never been happier to see her.
"Cass, can you do me a favor?" Eugene asked. He looked at Rapunzel, who was breathing deeply and moaning in discomfort as she curled up close to him. "I'm sure it'll help Rapunzel."
"What do you want?" Cassandra asked. Eugene glanced at the captain in the corner of the room. He knew about Varian, and even where he was, but that didn't make Eugene feel any better at casually mentioning the kid in his presence. As far as the captain was concerned, Varian was a terrorist, and sooner or later he was going to be brought in.
"We have a mutual friend who may or may not be sick." Eugene gave Cass a pointed look. "I think he'll be happy to see you, Cassie."
Cass' eyes widened. She mouthed Varian's name. Eugene nodded. She looked at Rapunzel, her eyes flashing in concern. Like Eugene and Rapunzel she seemed to be worried that the young genius was sick, and without all of the resources that the children in Corona had.
"I'll take care of it." Cassandra said. She took Rapunzel's hand, giving it a squeeze. Rapunzel was tired, but she opened her eyes and looked up at Cass.
"The others. The slaves." Rapunzel muttered weakly.
"I'll check on them." Cassandra assured her. She looked at Eugene. "How long is this going to last?"
Eugene didn't know for sure, but with the way that the sickness was escalating he knew it couldn't be long. "Hopefully just a few more days."
"Keep an eye on her." Cass said.
"I always will." Eugene said. Cass nodded and left the room. It took Rapunzel a long time to fall into a restless but deep sleep. There was nothing that Eugene could do but hold her close and whisper sweet nothings to her.
From his corner of the room, the captain sighed. "I don't understand why you're still doing this. I know you care about the princess, and you know that the children aren't guilty. Why would you do all of this for the sake of people that you barely know?"
"This is bigger than just me." Eugene said. "I know you don't approve of slavery. You wouldn't have tried to protect Cass from this if you were okay with it."
The captain sighed. "It doesn't matter how I feel about it. This is the way that things are. None of us can change it."
"It's thinking like that that has allowed this to go on for so long." Eugene said. "But you're right. We can't change much without the rulers of the kingdom on board. And that's why we're doing this. If King Frederic won't change his mind to save his daughter and the lives of every other child in the kingdom, he won't change his mind at all."
Every night since coming here Eugene had gone to the king and begged him to change his mind. Every night he would say without hesitation that he wouldn't go for it. Frederic came up with countless excuses, ranging from tradition to slavery being a criminal reformation program to this being Corona's way of keeping up the economy.
Eugene heard all the excuses, and he didn't buy any of them. If a kingdom could only thrive off of the broken backs of suffering people, then it didn't deserve to survive at all. Every night Eugene would tell Frederic that he was running out of time. Unless he changed his mind soon, the sickness would only get worse, and before they knew it death would be at their door, and only one thing would stop it.
Cassandra didn't return until early afternoon the next day. Rapunzel still hadn't woken up, meaning she'd been unconscious for nearly twenty four hours. That was how Eugene knew that this was the day. Seeing Hector following behind Cass just confirmed that suspicion. Hector looked like he hadn't slept at all since this had started. Eugene knew the feeling.
"How're things doing here?" Cass asked as soon as she stepped into Rapunzel's crowded room. There were doctors, guards, as well as Rapunzel's parents already in here. King Frederic and Hector briefly glared at each other, but the queen put a hand on her husband's arm, pulling him back. Hector stood by Eugene's side.
"Rapunzel won't wake up, and from what I hear none of the other kids are doing much better." Eugene said.
"Sounds about right." Cass said. "Red and Angry are in about the same condition. Lance is looking after them."
Eugene felt a rush of concern. "Angry and Red? What are they even doing here? They're not even Coronan." It wasn't fair for any children to be dragged into this, but it seemed so much worse when it was hitting kids that he knew personally.
Cass shrugged. "Your cousin's fine, by the way. He doesn't even have the sniffles."
It took Eugene a second to realize she was talking about Varian. He'd never considered the kid his cousin. He was just getting used to the idea of having a dad. He knew that Edmund considered the Brotherhood his family. If Quirin and Edmund were brothers, then of course that made Eugene and Varian cousins. He's always subconsciously knew that, but he hadn't really thought about it before.
"So this is your fault." King Frederic said coldly. He looked like he wanted to arrest them, regardless of Rapunzel's wishes. "And you don't think it's fair that I consider your people dangerous."
"Of course the power of the moon is dangerous." Eugene said. Anything that could so easily cause such wide-spread illness was absolutely dangerous, that couldn't really be denied. "This mess is regrettable, and I hate every second of it, but you know why it's necessary."
"I will not give in to threats and terrorism." King Frederic snapped.
"Not even for our daughter?" Arianna asked urgently. The king didn't relax.
"We both know that Eugene would never let something happen to Rapunzel." King Frederic said. "This is an empty threat, nothing else."
"Are you really going to take that chance?" Hector asked. "It's not just Eugene that you need to worry about right now." Eugene knew that he wasn't talking about himself, but the moon. King Frederic knew no such thing.
"I would shut my mouth and learn my place if I was you." King Frederic said. His tone wasn't even angry. It was just full of disgust. He saw Hector as no better than the dirt at the bottom of his shoes.
"I know my place." Hector said. "I know exactly who I serve, and that's the one you should be trying to prove yourself to."
"I won't give up generations of tradition just because one false prince thinks he can get away with threatening his way into a position of power." King Frederic said.
Eugene and Hector looked at each other, having a silent conversation. Hector nodded and Eugene sighed. They were out of time.
"You've made your decision." Hector said. "And your entire kingdom will grieve for it." He took a step back and even though it was daytime and the sun was high, he seemed to be surrounded by shadows. Eugene knew that this was his uncle and friend, someone who was a lot more kind-hearted than he acted. At that moment though he found himself afraid of this dark prophet in front of him.
"Enjoy your night with your daughter." Hector said. Somehow he made it sound both sincere and like it was a threat. "It will be your last." With that chilling promise he left the room, leaving all of them with a feeling of dread.
Rapunzel shuddered and curled up into a tight ball. Eugene bit the inside of his lip and ducked his head. He didn't want any of the others to see the tears gathering in his eyes. None of them would understand. They could certainly guess, but they didn't know exactly what the night held for this kingdom.
The path had been determined, and there was no going back now. Everything was going to change, and it would take the kingdom a long time to recover. Eugene didn't know if some people would get over it at all, and he wouldn't be able to blame them at all. He just prayed to the moon that they didn't blame him. He didn't know if his heart would be able to take it.
Tonight Sickness would leave the kingdom, Death would take its place, and there was nothing that any of them could do about it.
Hector was tired. It had been a really long week. Quirin hadn't forgiven him for endangering his son, even though Varian was just fine. Adira spent all her time with Andrew, checking on the Saporian children to make sure they were taken care of. Edmund tried to be supportive, but he was far too concerned about Eugene to dedicate his energy to worrying about Hector.
He was alone, and he was trying to be fine with it. A part of him felt like he deserved this. Children were sick, innocent people were in a panic, and even though Hector knew it wasn't his fault he couldn't help but feel responsible. People couldn't really reason with the moon and change her mind, but the people who could come the closest were her prophets. He could have at least tried to come up with another plan. At least, Quirin seemed to think so.
He felt guilty, but he didn't regret the role he played. This was hard, but it was necessary, and he thought that it was better for him to do this than for any of his siblings to carry this burden.
So even though he was tired and his body ached, Hector returned to the capital to give the king one last chance. Once again, he refused. He called their bluff. Fine. This was what Hector was prepared for. Whether King Frederic was willing to cooperate with them or not, his people would have their freedom.
Despite his sore legs Hector climbed up the castle. He needed privacy and wanted to get as close to the moon as he could to commune with her, and he didn't want to wander too far. All of the work that he needed to do tonight would be at the castle. He didn't need to go anywhere else.
Hector meditated for hours, losing all track of time. He didn't stir until he felt a presence behind him. Hector opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder to see two familiar spirits. He smiled. As grim as their work was, he was happy to see his bearcats.
He reached out to the spirit of plague and illness. "You did so good the other day. I know you've got a lot to do tonight too. Just be thorough. We don't want to miss anybody." It growled and vanished into the night. Hector turned his attention to the other bearcat. Death.
"We've got a job to do." Hector said. "I know it's not a pretty job, but somebody has to do it. Don't worry, I'll be right there with you." He didn't think his bearcat would mind performing its duties alone, but he wanted some company himself and he wanted to make certain that everything went the way that it was supposed to.
The moon had barely risen by this time, but when Hector slipped back into the castle he found that all of the hallways were abandoned. He felt the moon's blessing inside of him. He had the feeling that she was influencing the sleep of the people in the castle. Despite the early hour everybody was resting, and they would remain so until Hector's task was finished.
Hector and his bearcat went to Rapunzel's bedroom to find their target. The princess was fast asleep on her bed, held close by her mother, who was also resting. King Frederic was sitting on a chair next to the bed, sleeping as well. Hector looked at him for a long moment before he turned his attention to Eugene, who was the only other person in the room who was conscious. The prince was sitting by the window, looking up at the moon like it held all the answers.
Eugene didn't look his way, but he knew he was there. "Is it time already?"
"The more we put it off the more likely it is that I'll back out." Hector said. "You know, you don't have to be here for it. You can go downstairs, get some water, and it'll all be over when you get back."
Eugene finally turned to look at him. "I feel like I actually do have to be here." And Hector understood. He felt the same way.
"Okay." Hector knelt on the ground, petting the fur of his cloak as he looked at his bearcat. It was prowling the room, keeping its gaze on its target. This was a spirit on a mission, and it wouldn't be dissuaded. The only reason it hadn't struck yet was for Hector and Eugene's sakes.
"Go ahead." Hector said quietly. "I think we've waited long enough." The bearcat's eyes glowed with a bloody red as it growled and lunged forward. It leapt at King Frederic, disappearing as it made contact with him. There was a very brief grimace of pain on his face before he relaxed, looking at peace. The only sound that seemed to be in the room was the last exhale that the tyrant made as he stopped breathing.
King Frederic of Corona was dead.
Eugene sighed and slumped forward, looking like he was bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. Hector on the other hand had never felt so light.
"At least it was quick." Eugene said.
"It was more than he deserved." Hector muttered. Eugene nodded.
"Well, yeah, but for Rapunzel's sake-" Eugene trailed off. He looked at his girlfriend, still sick on her bed. "You sure she's going to be okay?"
"They all will." Hector said. The spirit of plague is out there right now, taking the sickness from the children. By morning she'll be tired, but fine."
Eugene took Rapunzel's hand and ran his hand across her thumb. "It's going to be longer than that before she's fine. I know her dad was a terrible man, and I think Rapunzel knew it too, but he was still her dad. She still loved him, and she's going to be devastated. It'll take time to move on."
Hector frowned. "Will she blame you?" He knew that Eugene cared deeply for Rapunzel. It would kill the prince for his love to hate him because he'd played a part in doing what was necessary. "I can tell her that this is on me."
"I don't think she'll blame anybody." Eugene said. "Not me. Not you. Not even her dad. That's just not the kind of person she is."
Hector knew how easy it was to blame people, and if she didn't have a tendency to blame others, then perhaps she would blame herself, at least for a time. Hector knew what that was like. He still frequently blamed himself for things, even when he knew that it was out of his control.
"She'll need you." Hector said. He knew just how important support was when it felt like the world was falling apart around you and you felt like you had nobody to blame but yourself.
"And I'll be right here." Eugene bent down and kissed Rapunzel's forehead. "Tomorrow's not going to be fun."
Hector knew that Eugene was right. They still had a lot of work ahead of them, and it was going to be hard and painful, but Hector couldn't help but look forward to it. For the first time in years, he couldn't wait to see what the dawn had waiting for them.