"Flower, gleam and glow," Rapunzel sang softly as she held the Sundrop with one hand, the other resting on her mother's stomach, "let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine. What once was mine."
Queen Arianna sighed softly as she felt the healing power of the Sundrop enter her body. Kline smiled and moved forward as Rapunzel stepped back. "Let's use a bit of magic to test fertility." He said, adjusting the blanket to cover anything under her stomach before he spread a prepared salve on her bare skin and chanted something.
"I'm nervous." Queen Arianna admitted, taking her daughter's hand.
"It's going to be okay." Rapunzel said gently.
The white salve started to change color, into a bright, rosy pink. Kline smiled at her and then started to gently wipe it off. "You are as fertile as a beautiful garden, Your Majesty."
Queen Arianna brought her hand to her lips, tears of joy slipping down her face. Rapunzel smiled brightly and hugged her and they embraced for a few minutes while Kline cleaned up his work. "Thank you, both of you!"
"Well, this was better than a boring meeting." Kline said with a teasing smile.
Rapunzel giggled. "I bet they're making great progress in that 'boring meeting'."
--
"Based on our observations, this area might be the best for Saporia to be rebuilt, if we want to avoid damaging the forest." Andrew said as he pointed to a spot on the map.
"What about the castle?" Eugene asked.
"Rapunzel suggested that we just leave the ruins be, since they're probably haunted by The Baron." Juniper smirked at Varian.
"Oops." He said in a deadpan way that indicated he felt no remorse for The Baron's fate.
"The area was unstable, anyway." Eugene nodded and Juniper laughed.
"Besides, we're thinking of rebuilding the castle over by the Sundrop Monument." Andrew said thoughtfully. "To replace the destroyed temple."
"Temple?" Varian asked.
"The Sundrop Temple. We told you about how the Saporian royal family were like the Brotherhood?" Andrew reminded him. "There was a temple on that cliff, a beautiful thing. I want to either rebuild that place, hopefully with the help of someone that was there and would remember what it looked like, or replace it with the castle."
"But, how would people get to the monument?" Varian asked.
"By going down a path?" Andrew chuckled.
"We'll figure it out. For now, let's just get back to deciding the land before we go planting buildings." Juniper nudged him.
"Yes." King Frederic nodded. "How big do you want the land to be?"
"Big enough to house a kingdom." Andrew sighed. "We have...an entire mountain's worth of people waiting for us to move them over. We also need room to build stables and keeps..."
"It might be a good idea to actually go out and see the area in person and we'll see how much land we need from there." Varian suggested. "We can take a hot-air balloon."
"That's a wonderful idea. I don't believe I have gone on one yet." King Frederic smiled.
"Well, what do you say we move this meeting to the skies?" Varian said as he rolled up the map.
"Let's do it!" King Frederic beamed.
--
"Quirin, be reasonable." King Edmund implored. "With the boy now the Moonstone, it is only best that he comes to stay in the Dark Kingdom."
"The life you want for my son is not one that he would be happy with. And I swore allegiance to him and the Moon, and they are both in agreement that they don't want to live in a cage." Quirin said as he hauled hay onto a pile. "The Moonstone had me birth a human vessel because she wanted to experience true freedom, human life. And while they don't always get along, Varian seems to have adjusted to being with the Moonstone and is content to carry her with him through the rest of his days."
King Edmund sighed. "And you? What will you do?"
"My place is here. I have an entire village of ex-criminals to care for and a son to take care of." Quirin put the pitchfork down. "On that note, what will you do about yours?"
King Edmund glanced away. "Horace—Eugene—has made his intentions to stay very clear. He has his role here, and does not want to leave it. This is his home."
"What of Prince Brock?" Quirin asked calmly.
"I...have not asked him yet if he would like to come live with me, but the thought did cross my mind." Quirin admitted. "I just don't know if he would want the kind of life that I—"
"Are you kidding me?! YES!" Brock walked up to him. "Sorry, overheard when I was bringing the cow back in. Of course, I'll go back with you, dad!"
King Edmund smiled. "You haven't even seen the place."
"I've heard enough about it. Besides, I'm excited to see it for myself. It's a whole new adventure!" Brock grinned.
"Well..." King Edmund smiled. "Why don't you start packing, then? We leave in two days."
Brock bounced on his feet excitedly and ran off. Quirin chuckled. "He's going to be a handful."
"Well, you managed yours. And mine isn't a teenager anymore." King Edmund shrugged. "Well, I better go find Adira and Hector and tell them when we're going. A pity you won't join us, brother."
"I told you, my place is here." Quirin said calmly. "But, Varian and I will come and visit you from time to time."
"You better. No more losing contact for twenty-five years." King Edmund pointed at him, then chuckled and left, Hamuel cawing on his shoulder. "Well, we tried, Hamuel. We tried."
Quirin sighed and went back to work.
--
"Are you sure that this will work?" Demanitus asked as Kline drew up a magic circle. "Zhan Tiri never had to do any magic circles, did she, Regulus?"
Ruddiger shook his head.
"Zhan Tiri is a demon, I am only human." Kline said patiently. "Now, unless you don't want to be human again..."
"Be silent. I understand." Demanitus nodded.
"Thank you." Kline went back to his circle.
Ruddiger leaned on his hand thoughtfully as he watched the Saporian work, then let out a gasp when the spell was used and his old teacher was standing before him. Well, right before he grabbed a blanket and threw it over the man with a squawk.
"Yes, I do believe clothes in order." Demanitus said from under the blanket.
"Maisie will do that for you, he just needed to know your measurements." Kline said as he started to clean up his circle.
Ruddiger walked over and grabbed Demanitus' hand and pulled him into the other room.
"Oh, I forgot to ask, did you want the monkey tail still?" Kline asked as they went.
"I see your humor has not improved. No." Demanitus said, his voice still muffled by the blanket.
Ruddiger laughed.
--
Cassandra looked up as the door creaked open and Eugene stepped inside. "Your caravan awaits." He said with a mock-bow. "Your Majesty."
She sighed and stood up. "I guess I deserved that."
"Come on." He took her arm and led her out, taking her back into the sunlight.
"I can't believe it's been three days already..." She said as she was led out, past glaring maids and guards. She stepped out into the courtyard and saw a caravan with five guards around it. Her heart stuttered when she recognized one of them as Lucas, but she blinked and he looked different and she wondered if she imagined him there. Maybe some hope for a somewhat-friendly face?
She glanced to the side as a sixth walked up, her father, dressed in a Royal Guard uniform. Eugene let go of her arm and nudged her forward and she reluctantly stepped towards her father.
"Cassandra."
She looked back and saw Rapunzel walking out with Varian, Andrew and Juniper.
She swallowed nervously. How should she address her? She didn't know, so she stayed silent, staring like a deer in front of a crossbow.
Rapunzel walked up to her, opened her arms to hug her, hesitated, then took her cuffed hands in hers. "...I hope...you come back to us someday. That you will have put aside all the envy and rage, and we can be friends again."
Cassandra nodded. "...See you in twenty years."
Rapunzel hesitated. "If...if there comes a time before then that we need a friend to help us...do you think we could rely on you?"
Cassandra's brow furrowed and she glanced away. She didn't know, herself. And that's why she was being sent away, wasn't it? They didn't know if she could be trusted to not betray them again. "...I hope so." She whispered.
"It's time." Eugene said, and Rapunzel's hands slipped from Cassandra's hands like beams of sunlight. Her fingers curled to try to keep her there, but she moved too fast. The caravan was opened and Cassandra was turned and walked inside.
"Cassandra."
She stopped at the door and looked back at Varian, who had said her name.
"Good luck. The darkness can be...really hard to escape from." He said, clutching at his glove.
Cassandra nodded silently, then paused to look at Rapunzel, the Sundrop resting under her neck, protected by black rocks. She silently hoped he would take care of Rapunzel just as well and then turned and walked into the caravan. Five guards went in with her and the sixth shut and locked the door on the outside with a bolt and then got up to drive.
Owl flew down, circled the caravan, then landed on Eugene's shoulder as it left through the courtyard gates. Eugene sighed and looked at him. "She's leaving. Last chance to follow her."
He hooted at him and Eugene chuckled. "Yeah, okay. If you want to join her, nothing would stop you. You just don't think she's ready."
Owl hooted again.
"Show's over, folks. Let's get inside." Eugene smiled at Rapunzel. "It's time to finally focus on our Happily Ever After."
Rapunzel nodded, then looked at Varian thoughtfully. "Hey, Eugene?" She looked at him.
"Hm?" He smiled.
She leaned in and whispered something to him. He blinked, looking at Varian, then shrugged before nodding. "Okay, then."
"Should I be suspicious?" Varian asked.
"With Rapunzel? Always." Juniper grinned.
--
"Quirin?" Kline walked up to him. "Princess Rapunzel has something planned for young Varian, but I thought that I should talk to you before she did anything."
"What is it?" He asked, getting up from milking the cow.
"Some good news, for the boy. In a way." Kline sighed. "His mother is not dead. But, it is too early for him to seek her out."
"What do you mean?" Quirin looked at him. "Where is she?"
Kline raised an eyebrow. Quirin's eyes widened and he got up and went to the house, Kline following. He found a secret compartment in the wall and pulled out an old backpack. Pursing his lips, he pulled a green book out of it. "...She did it, then?"
"Yes. And only your son can free her, but it will be very tricky." Kline said calmly.
Quirin looked at the book, then put it away. "It's too early."
"It is too early." Kline nodded. "However, I thought it would be good for him to know that she still lives. Perhaps...improve his birthday."
Quirin nodded. "Don't tell him any details."
He smiled. "Of course."
--
Rapunzel surprised Varian with a birthday party for his 17th birthday, and he tried to pretend it didn't bother him that he was reminded of the day again. They sat him down and he opened gift after gift from all of his friends and family, but the best gift of all was from Kline. A simple picture of his mother, with the words "She still lives" on the back. He'd questioned him about it, of course, but all Kline said was that Varian would learn the details, in time, but she was not with another family. Knowing she was alive was enough for him.
He supposed that he "wasn't ready" for the full details and had learned already to not rush things.
--
Rapunzel's 21st birthday was the biggest birthday celebration she'd ever had, with people coming from the Seven Kingdoms to celebrate. Even Lady Caine showed up, though she was quickly apprehended and told she could either go to jail, change her ways, or leave. She chose to leave on the boat she came on.
Eugene took Rapunzel out on a boat under the lanterns and proposed to her and, this time, she said yes.
--
King Edmund went to rebuild the Dark Kingdom, now called Lunar, with Brock Thunderstrike Lune as the crown prince. It would be a little while before he was ready to take the throne, but he had his father and the Brotherhood to show him the ropes.
Varian and Quirin visited from time to time, with Varian using black rocks to improve the place as requested, but once King Edmund started to hint at them staying, Quirin ushered Varian out.
--
Rapunzel looked out over her Kingdom from her balcony, smiling brightly at the signs of construction of the Saporian Kingdom off in the distance. She placed a hand over her Sundrop and sighed, clutching at it a bit.
"So much has happened..." She said softly. "I keep waiting for something else to happen, some new magical disaster."
Pascal squeaked at her and nuzzled her and she smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe I'm just being paranoid." She looked at her engagement ring. "I have a whole life ahead of me, with friends and family." She turned and walked to the door, gasping when it opened. "Oh!"
"Oh, sorry." Varian stopped. "Did I interrupt something?"
She giggled. "Nope."
"Good. Because you've got a coronation to redo." He smiled and stepped to the side. "After you."
She stepped out, smiling as Faith walked up to her, dressed in the blue Lady-in-Waiting dress. "Let's get this coronation done, then!"
"Come on, Sunshine!" Eugene said, waving from down the hall.
She giggled and ran out to join him, taking his hand as they walked together to go to the throne room.
Yes, despite everything, she could finally start living Happily Ever After, after all.
The End