Rapunzel

11

Elise stood at the top of the stairs, hands on her hips and a glare directed at her husband.

Henry paused and slowly lowered the hand that held the dagger. His posture was still tense as he stared in the direction of the Duchess, but not really seeing her. Though it looked to be nothing on the outside, his insides felt as if they were on fire due to the war waging between human and beast. The Duke's body collapsed to the ground and started seizing.

"Henry!" Elise's cry resonated throughout the hall. She rushed down the stairs to fall to her knees next to her mate's prone body. Her hands fluttered over him, worrying if he was hurt and searching for any injuries. "Rapunzel, dear, please help my husband."

Rapunzel already had her eyes trained on the man, her brows pulled down and together in worry. "This is out of my hands. I'm sorry Elise, but your husband's beast has chosen now to orchestrate the final battle with his human side. All we can do is lay him on a bed and hope your mate, the wolf, comes out as the victor."

"No, there has to be something else we can do! Can't you transfer energy to him?"

"In his human state, the energy I try and give to the wolf will not reach it's intended target. Henry's human half will absorb it and then the wolf will be overpowered and lose the fight. If he were to shift, I would gladly give energy to him, but it is highly unlikely that that will happen."

Tears streamed down the Duchess' face, but she moved aside to allow the Prince and Noah to pick him up and carry him to an empty chamber. Elise followed after with jittery movements and wide eyes. Rapunzel sagged into the King's arms once her mate left.

"I didn't want him to see how weak all that healing had made me," she mumbled, her eyes threatening to close.

The King carefully swung his daughter into his hold, getting her off of her feet. "Where are your mate's chambers?"

She groggily pointed out the way for him. At the door, he put her back on her feet and kissed her forehead lovingly. The Queen swept her daughter into the room and helped her out of the gown she wore. It had been a really nice garment, but the blood from her being stabbed ruined it and meant that she would never get to wear it again.

"Mother, after I am settled in the bed, please go check on Elise for me. I know that you two were great friends before Henry ruined it all, so please, go talk to her. She just had her second child, and with her mate in such a fragile state, she needs a friend now more than ever before."

Queen Iridia's face was shocked as she helped her daughter into her nightie. "I didn't even know she was pregnant."

"No one would expected that from you. Henry's human kept her locked up to blackmail Noah, but Henry's wolf had her locked up because he could take over the body when Henry got to the chambers, and therefore the human side had no idea that his mate was pregnant."

Rapunzel slid under the sheets and rested her head on the pillow. She fell asleep immediately after that, leaving the Queen to exit the room in near silence. King Lucio was standing outside of the door, waiting for his mate to leave their daughter to sleep.

"Darling, what is the matter? Why do you look so pale?" Lucio cupped his mate's face, examining her thoroughly for anything that could be wrong.

"It isn't something wrong with me, but rather what Rapunzel has just told me," Iridia murmured, her hands rising to cover those of her mate that still rested on her cheeks.

"What could make you look so upset?"

"Elise just had a second child. I can't believe how long it's been since I've seen her, or even heard from her. She used to contact me even when Henry had turned against us. In the later letters, she explained why he was so mad, and had even warned me of some of the plans he'd spoken of around her. It hardly seems as though I haven't heard from her in two years."