Rising Moon

~Chapter Twelve~

Without hesitation, Hector raced after Prince Eugene, leaving the protective circle of concealing magic as well. He was much faster than the prince and was lunging at him in seconds. He tackled him and rolled to the side behind a nearby tent, out of the view of Seniorra Zinegotzia Bjorn and the guards surrounding Queen Rapunzel. Hector covered Eugene's mouth, and kept the prince tightly pinned beneath him. He could hear Eugene's muffled screaming.

"That's my wife!"

Hector heard Seniorra Zinegotzia Bjorn give orders to a few of the guards to investigate the sound he'd heard. Hector scrambled inside the tent and under a table that had a thick cloth draped over it. He struggled to keep Eugene restrained while he moved, but it was easier once they were under the table. A few guards marched past the tent, demanding that whoever had been making such noise show themselves. Hector held onto Eugene even tighter. The prince still struggled underneath him, seemingly unaware of what was going on around him, but the warrior managed to keep his hand firmly clamped over Eugene's mouth.

The guards searched around the tent for a few minutes. They would inevitably search inside the tent, but for right now they weren't right next to where Hector and Eugene were hiding. Hector took this opportunity to whisper to his friend. Who continued to call his wife's name and demand to be let go from underneath the warrior's hand.

"Eugene!" the warrior hissed in the prince's ear. "Brother, you have to listen to me! Rapunzel wasn't harmed. She's captured, but uninjured. She isn't in any immediate danger. Rapunzel is fine! But you and I will not be if you don't shut up! We have to be alive if we're going to rescue her! Please, be quiet!"

Eugene appeared to hear and listen because he quieted down after a moment and even stopped struggling as much. He looked up at his friend with a primal look of anger, fear, and even a little bit of hope. It was as if he was saying, You had better be right about this, because if you're not, I will kill you.

Hector didn't quite trust the young prince enough to uncover his mouth, but he did stop squeezing him so tight. The warrior then used his other hand to cover his own mouth and nose in order to mask his breathing. His heart was pounding so fast he thought that Seniorra Zinegotzia Bjorn could hear it.

Soon enough a few of the Insurrectionist guards approached the tent. The flap at the front opened and they immediately announced themselves and demanded to know if anybody was inside. Hector's heart was racing, and he could feel Eugene's doing the same. The cloth that draped over the table that the two were hiding under reached all the way down to the ground on all sides. This means that although the guards wouldn't be able to see them, Hector and Eugene couldn't see the Insurrectionists either; they had to rely completely on sound.

But the Insurrectionist soldiers didn't stay for long. They only entered the tent for a quick look-around to appease their leader. They were probably just going to tell Seniorra Zinegotzia Bjorn that the sound had most likely come from a rowdy soldier or something of that nature and that it was nothing to be concerned about.

Hector waited another two minutes before finally releasing Eugene and uncovering their mouths. Eugene twisted onto his side and faced Hector.

"What's the plan?" he asked in a demanding whisper.

"What do you mean 'what's the plan'? The plan is, we find a way to get out of here, get back to the others, and return to the sanctuary where it's safe. We've already spent too long-"

"We are not leaving her!" - Eugene had dropped the whisper. Hector tried to shush him, but he continued. - "That is my wife and your future queen! We're going to find a way to get to her and we're going to do it now!"