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Eugene doesn’t know what kind of man Prince Banale is (there’s absolutely no way he’s going to acknowledge her comparison of them from earlier), but once he sees the prince standing in the middle of the castle’s third floor study, he is forced to make an admission that rattles his soul: the prince is a handsome man. Maybe even more handsome than Eugene himself!
…
Nah, he quickly assures himself, that’s pretty much impossible.
He pulls his gaze from the man’s face and scans the room from the safety of his discreet position just outside it, noting the presence of one other man besides the prince as Eugene looks for anything old-key shaped.
Ah hah!
There, on the table in the center of the room, the key in question sits alone, beckoning the former thief.
Scowling at the prince who is idly leafing through what appears to be some charts spread out over an old, dilapidated table beneath an assortment of mounted deer and elk heads, Eugene evaluates the situation.
This guy must think he’s got it in the bag to be so confident.
It’s gonna be fun raining on his parade.
So, to work! Setting foot in the room is his only option. With a quick shuffle, an effective distraction and a quick sleight of hand, then the key could be his. Right. Plan? Check. Implementation? … Working on it.
With a frustrated huff, the prince begins pacing the room. He runs his hand through his perfectly styled blonde hair. Unfortunately, the gesture only improves the hairstyle. Eugene’s stomach rolls with disgust despite there being no ship or sea in sight.
"Your highness…" The weary reprimand comes from the only other individual in the room, Lord Rein. "Please remain calm. Our plan will succeed."
"Will it?" Banale challenges. "We don’t seem to be making much progress."
"The princess’ crown will be found as will the princess. Surely Corona is a prize worth waiting for."
"I hate waiting."
Thank you, Captain Obvious. Eugene smirks.
"I still don’t know where we went wrong," he continues in an unbecoming whine. "I was charming. I was heroic. She should have been easily swayed toward accepting my marriage proposal."
The lord lays a hand on the young man’s shoulder. "We knew she was… different."
"Yes, I am well aware of the company she keeps." His distain permeates the air.
Eugene can’t think of better company than himself. However, it seems that the prince disagrees with his silent assessment. Not wanting to add yet another reason to hate the prince to his ever-growing collection, Eugene makes his entrance. In this uniform he looks just like any number of other guards. He’d passed many on his way here. Still, he tilts his chin just so, allowing the helmet to shade his eyes more effectively. "Excuse me, your Majesty." And then with a slight twitch of his chin in Rein’s direction, he adds, "My lord."
Lord Rein looks up expectantly and with some relief. "Any news to report?"
"No word of the princess, my lord, but..." He walks to the middle of the room. The table is almost within his reach. Now, it’s time for a little distraction. "A sighting of the thief has been reported."
"Has he?" Rein muses. "Here in Trist?"
Eugene nods. "He attempted to cross the border. Our soldiers are in pursuit."
"Hah!" Banale crows and shares a look of triumph with a gloating Rein. In that single moment, Eugene takes his chance and palms the key from the table. He leaves behind a piece of a broken hinge that he’d found in the dungeons. With any luck, neither man will notice that the object on the table is not the one they’d put there for a good fifteen minutes. Maybe more. That, Eugene thinks silently, is how a master works.
"We’ll have him soon! And with that simpleton out of our way…!" Banale rejoices.
Rein argues gently. "Yes, although before he’s disposed of, he might be of some use to us in luring the princess to Trist." The lord leans back in his chair and folds his hands over his belly. "Yes, you see, your Majesty? It’s all coming together. Patience is the key."
At the mention of the key, Eugene quickly distracts the prince from glancing in the direction of that very object. "If I may, sir, I would like to confirm the details."
"Yes, yes, go," Banale bids him with a listless wave of his hand. "Leave us."
"Yes, your Majesty. My lord." Bowing, Eugene retreats from the room, key in hand.
This is almost too easy! Eugene nearly makes it out of the door before Rein calls out to him. Maybe not too easy, he quickly amends. He wonders if uniforms come with built-in warmers: his collar is suddenly feeling strangely hot.
The lord stands, giving him a considering look, and crosses the room toward him. "You look very familiar, soldier. What is your name?"
"Bartimus. Morphy Bartimus." Was that his voice that had squeaked? "Sir."
"Hm… I don’t believe I’ve heard of you…"
"I don’t usually patrol the castle, sir, but given the circumstances…"
"Yes, we’re all a bit out of our element, aren’t we?"
"Oh, let him be, Rein," the prince demands. "You and I have things to discuss."
The lord, however, is stubborn. He continues examining Eugene very closely. "I am almost certain…"
Several tense seconds pass before the older man finally snaps fingers. "Ah hah! Your brother is in the third battalion, isn’t he? Captain Bartimus, I believe."
Relief makes his easy chuckle sound loud and awkward to himself. "You caught me, sir. The military life is in our blood."
Rein slaps him on the shoulder. "As is gambling, I’d wager. Tell him he still owes me an ale the next time he sees me. I may be old, but I’m not that forgetful."
Eugene nods. "I will pass on the message, my lord."
Then, before the old man has another brainwave that contradicts the first, Eugene turns around and leaves the room. It’s time to save the king and queen.
*****
Pascal feels Eugene’s booming footsteps vibrate up through the grimy dungeon floor before he actually sees him. He scampers up Rapunzel’s oddly smelling clothes and stands on her shoulder as the familiar man in an unfamiliar uniform comes bounding down the hall.
"Did you get it?" she whispers hopefully.
"You have to ask?" He flashes a confident smile at her and dangles the key between his fingers. "I think I’m offended."
Pascal lets out a sigh of relief. They really are going to save the king and queen!
"You’re going to have to teach me how to do that next," Rapunzel forgets.
"What? Pretend to be a soldier? Sorry to disappoint you, Blondie, but I’m pretty sure the uniform won’t fit," he teases. Pascal rolls his eyes at the thief’s lighthearted mood.
Eugene strides over to the locked door and slides the key inside. Seconds later, the lock snaps open with a resounding clang!
"Your Majesties," Eugene murmurs, bowing as he opens the door.
The king and queen rush to Rapunzel and Pascal quickly moves out of the way. Hugs are all well and good, but this one looks to be a mite too enthusiastic for the reptile to handle. He dodged and weaves thinking longingly of the relative safety of Eugene’s borrowed jacket.
"I’ve got you, frog." Eugene plucks him from Rapunzel’s shoulder and sets him on his own. "You know how they are about hugging," he whispers with a sardonic smile.
Pascal watches the family reunion for a second before frowning. They need to leave soon before the prince discovers his key is missing! He clears his throat.
Rapunzel is the first to pull away. "Pascal is right. We need to get going." She looks at him. "You know the plan, right?"
Pascal gives her a confident nod.
"Plan? What plan?" asks Eugene.
"I’ll explain on the way." She grabs his hand and Pascal pitter-patters down to the stone floor. He follows them to the junction in the hall where Witzig is still keeping watch. Once he can no longer see his friends, he turns to his brother.
"Come along. We won’t have much time until the prince realizes that someone has taken the key," urges Witzig.
Pascal grabs onto his brother’s scaly neck tightly. It felt so different than Rapunzel’s! He had almost forgotten the feel of the leathery-like skin of his brethren underneath his fingers.
In keeping with the Plan, Witzig takes a different route than the way they had come, stomping down the hall and up a second set of gloomy staris. "Your princess friend seems to care about you deeply."
The chameleon chirps in the affirmative.
"And you care for her just as much. Is that why you never returned to Berk?"
Pascal shrugs. There are lots of reasons for why he chose – and continues to choose – to stay with Rapunzel: he knows it’s silly, but he always feels a little small in his homeland. Besides, he enjoys listening to Rapunzel sing to the flowers in the garden, and, of course, he loves having the chance to startle Eugene when he is practicing his proposal in the mirror. But, most of all, he simply feels at home when he is with Rapunzel.
His brother doesn’t comment on his non-answer. The time for small talk is over. It’s up to them now to do their part now that Eugene has managed his. Witzig turns the corner and slouches out into the main hall of the castle. It’s not nearly as large or as elegant as the one Pascal is used to. He turns up his reptilian nose at a threadbare tapestry of a roaring lion.
The moment of silence doesn’t last long though. At the sound of approaching footsteps, Pascal closes his eyes and camouflages perfectly into his brother’s body.
Several guards greet Witzig politely, but none of them seem to think it odd to see a dragon walking through the castle. Pascal had been afraid to put too much stock in his brother’s assurances on this point.
After the guards pass, Witzig whispers, "Everyone knows how much I like the Royal Library. Lots of cook books." Witzig winks.
They walk past a large window and Pascal takes the opportunity to evaluate the layout of courtyard below and the kingdom beyond the castle’s outer wall. He narrowed his eyes as he scans for his four-legged friend…
Ah! There!
He tugs on his brother’s ear and nods in Maximus’ direction.
"They are making faster progress than I thought," replies Witzig as he takes in the sight of a contingent of armed troops being led by a white horse over the wasteland of Trist. "We must hurry before the guards see them."
Witzig’s steps are more hurried now as he trudges through the castle. He turns the corner and nearly knocks into a startled-looking young man.
"Your majesty," Witzig says, bowing slightly. Pascal slams his eyes shut, hoping the distracted human hadn’t noticed an extra pair of eyes on the back of his brother’s neck. "I apologize for the—"
"Never mind that!" the young man shouts. "Have you seen a man dressed up in a guard’s uniform?"
"There were several guards in the main foyer," Witzig supplies unhelpfully.
"No! Not them!" He takes a deep breath and gathers his composure. "There is a man named Flynn Rider here in the castle! We believe he is attempting to kidnap the King and Queen of Corona. If you see anyone who is unfamiliar, stop him at all costs. He is to be considered very dangerous."
Pascal feels his brother’s silent rumble of laughter run through him, but thankfully, the sound does not escape his lizard lips.
"If I see such a dangerous man , I will report it to you immediately," assures Witzig, craftily.
Pascal listens as the prince hurries away, in the direction of the dungeon. He worries for Rapunzel. Hopefully, things are going as planned for her and the others…
Witzig turns towards Pascal. "I thought you told me his name was Eugene Fitzherbert."
Pascal waves off his brother’s question. There will be time for stories about Eugene and his Flynn Rider days later.
He opens his eyes a smidgeon, checking to see if there are any more unexpected people barreling down the hallway. Fortunately for the brothers, the passage is empty. Witzig heads down to the end where there is a large window.
He turns back to Pascal. "Are you ready?"
Pascal wishes he had something to tie around his waist, but the best he can do is wedge himself carefully between the ridges in Witzig’s back. He nods and holds on to the closest scale tightly.
The dragon opens the window and jumps out without hesitation. He swoops over the courtyard where the prince’s guards are clearly searching for someone.
Pascal opens his eyes as Witzig rushes through a patch of fog. He had forgotten how fast his brother can fly! It almost makes him wish he’d inherited their mother’s wings instead of their father’s lengthy tongue! They coast over the castle wall just as the soldiers on the parapet notice movement in the distance. A shout goes out. Now it’s a race against time. If Pascal can get to Max before the troops can organize themselves, they might still have a chance! He nudges his brother towards Maximus and his company of soldiers.
"I see them, brother!" the dragon shouts back. With a flap of his wings, he glides toward their quarry.
Witzig lands in the middle of the stony path that winds through the murky and undernourished forest, blocking the Coronese Army from going any further.
Pascal hears Maximus’ startled horsey growl, laden with a clear command to attack. The chameleon scrambles up his brother’s shoulder before the impatient horse attempts to ram the unexpected road block. Pascal perches on Witzig’s brows, and standing tall, waves frantically to Maximus.
At the sight of the chameleon, the horse relaxes marginally. The questioning nicker immediately follows.
Witzig explains quickly, "I am here to escort you to the castle gates. But we must hurry. The prince is already aware of escape plan and the guards have noticed your approach. Hurry!"
Before Maximus can command the troops into action, two unfamiliar people suddenly emerge from the midst of the royal guards of Corona. "Witzig," an older man with a grey beard asks with authority, "what is going on?"
The dragon bows deeply and abruptly, causing Pascal to fly through the air. Fortunately, Maximus is there and able to catch him before he hits the ground. Pascal scowls and rounds on his brother, ready to give him an earful he won’t soon be forgetting!
However, Witzig speaks first. "Your Majesties," he greets the strangers. "You have returned from the Crusades! You have been greatly missed these last five years."
Pascal’s scolding goes unsqueaked. He turns toward the newcomers, astonished.
The older man –the king, Pascal assumes—appraises his brother. "What has become of the kingdom in our absence? Why is our ally marching against Lord Rein, the steward of the lands?"
The dragon hurriedly informs the King and Queen of Trist, "It would seem that in your absence, the prince has acted... rashly." Witzig quickly gives them an account of everything that had happened, including the kidnapping of the monarchs of Corona.
As his brother is explaining everything, Maximus gives him a questioning look –Are the others safe? The chameleon shrugs. He hopes so.
The king’s booming response to Witzig abruptly ends Pascal’s conversation with the horse. "Come," he says, marching towards the gate of the castle. "It is clear that we have been gone far too long."
Before they could reach the entrance, hundreds of booming footsteps shake the ground. Pascal scurries up and hides in Maximus’ mane. He peaks through the mess of hair and guards swarming from the gate, looking an awful lot like those angry bees that had chased him after he accidently knocked over their hive a few months back. Suddenly, Pascal wishes he had stayed with Rapunzel. At least she had her frying pan!
"Witzig!" one of the men shouts, flabbergasted. "What is the meaning of this betrayal?"
With one large step, his brother moves out of the way and reveals the king and queen. The man stumbles slightly. "Your Majesties," he stutters.
The older man steps in front of Witzig. "Stand down, Aldwyn. It is high past time us to return to our throne."
There is no anger on the guard’s face. In fact, Pascal notices as he morphs into his usual green hue, the man seems happy at the king’s declaration.
He bows lowly. The other guards follow his lead. "It is a grand day to see the two of you back in Trist, your Grace." He straightens before allowing the king to lead the men towards the gates. "We must hurry before the other battalion finds the others and carry out the Prince's plan."
Chapter 9
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