Behind His Eyes

Chapter 6: Prepare for the Worst

I do not own Tangled the Series, the characters, or the picture. Thank you. 

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The Present

The King Fredrick was paranoid (to put it lightly). Furiously pacing back and forth in the throne room, it seemed like he would wear out the rug. His daughter had told him the story of how her beloved friend betrayed her and was now overpowered and somewhere out in the world. With the power of the Moonstone, Cassandra was undoubtedly a match for his daughter. The Captain of the guard was waiting for the king to speak, a look of disquietude plastered on his face. Finally, the king slowed his pacing -  not completely stopping - and commanded the Captain, "I want more guards on duty. Set a perimeter around Corona. No one goes in or out without my permission. Start recruiting more men! We don't have nearly enough guards. Have two guards accompany the queen and Rapunzel at all times." The king hardly had enough time in between sentences to breath. 

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," The Captain stepped forward, "Recruiting more men will not be difficult, but training them?" He swallowed, "We don't have enough time or soldiers to train the new recruits." 

King Fredrick raised a thoughtful hand to his beard, "Hmm. You're right." Several possibilities fluttered into his head like fireflies but their lights went out before he could catch them. "Any suggestions? We need to prepare for the worst possible outcome. We don't know what the Moonstone's holder will do, or what her goal even is." In the heat of the moment, the king seemed to forget that the "Moonstone" was the Captain's daughter. 

The Captain was a man raised by the law. In his eyes, the world was black and white and there were no such thing as second chances. So when he learned of his daughter's betrayal, he was shocked, disappointed, and sorrowful. In his eyes: his daughter was dead. Nodding to the king, the Captain spoke up, "I believe Eugene Fitzherbert and Lance Strongbow are both capable men for the job." Despite the fact that the Captain disliked them both, he understood the severity of the situation and had to make sacrifices. Besides, if the king trusted them, then he should too. "Both are experienced fighters. I'm confident they will make good teachers, and we won't be wasting any of our established guard's during the new recruit's training." 

The king pondered this thought. Was he really willing to call upon two former thieves? Rapunzel trusted them. One might possibly become his son-in-law. 

Yes. He would have too. There was no other choice. "Alright. I'll have Nigel bring them here so I can discuss the matter with them." The king's voice was absolute. As if closing a curtain, the king finished the meeting. The Captain - taking the hint - bowed and marched out of the throne room. 

Arianna is not going to like this. Fredrick though inwardly. He knew his wife would be against being accompanied by guards at all times - Rapunzel would too - but the overprotective king didn't have a choice. He knew his mind would lose it's sanity if he was constantly worried about his family's safety. Praying, he hoped they understood this necessity. 

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"Well, this is an interesting place, isn't it?" Hector laughed like a kid who was trying to scare a younger child. 

"Would you pipe down? We may not be alone, and even if we are, we don't want to attract unwanted attention!" Adira growled. She hated the fact that she had to scold him like she was his mother. She viewed the grown man as immature, but she was aware of his immense ability and knowledge. Through his childlike behavior, she had to repeatedly remind herself not to underestimate him.