Don't Let Go

Part Three

The morning sun shines brightly upon Eugene's face. He opens his eyes, but he doesn't get out of bed. He realizes that it is still quite early, so instead he turns over and watches Rapunzel as she continues to sleep peacefully. He still can't believe his luck at finding such an amazing girl! Not only is she a princess, but she is extremely kind, sweet, caring, and selfless. She nearly gave up everything just to save his life! Him, a lowly man who was orphaned as a boy and a criminal for many years. He knows that he doesn't deserve her, but he loves her all the more for loving him. And she seems so much happier now than she did when he found her, now that she doesn't have the pressure of magical glowing hair. He stares at her now short, brown hair, remembering the day he cut it all off to save her. He cut it, it turned completely brown, and...

Wait, what was that? Just above her right ear? Was that... a lock of her hair that was actually turning...

Blonde?

No, it couldn't be. He had to be imagining it. He rubbed his still-sleepy eyes, and looked again. Yes, it was still there... A lock of golden, blonde hair!

He had to be dreaming. Her hair couldn't be turning colors again! He knows that she still has the magic in her somehow, that much was evident when her falling tears healed him and saved his life. But could that magic still within her somehow be growing back out in her hair?

He still feels that it is impossible. He continues to stare at the blonde lock of hair for a while longer, but then closes his eyes and falls back into sleep.

Days have passed since the King and Queen of Parynia left Arendelle. The Queen was still coughing when they left, and the King still looked quite worried, so Elsa was still worried as well. Surely the Queen of Parynia hadn't caught the illness spreading in her kingdom... had she? Elsa sure hopes not, because she doesn't want there to be any chances that the illness could begin to spread in Arendelle.

"Elsa... Do you wanna build a snowman?" Anna asks her sister playfully.

Elsa smiles. She is about to respond, "Of course I do!" But before she can say a word, her Royal Messenger approaches, urgency all over his face.

"Your Highness," he says as he bows quickly. "I have a message from Parynia."

"Oh?" Elsa says. "Is everything okay? Did they figure out a way that I can help them?"

The messenger shakes his head sadly. "No, Queen Elsa, it's nothing like that. It's terrible news, actually."

Elsa's heart sinks. She isn't sure that she wants to hear the news, but she knows that she must listen. "Tell me," she says. Anna steps closer, also curious about this news.

"The illness is continuing to spread even more throughout their kingdom," the messenger says. "And what's worse, deaths have now been reported."

"What?" Elsa says, shocked. Anna gasps.

"Apparently it takes a while, but yes... the illness is fatal."

The two sisters exchange glances. "That's terrible!" Anna says. "So what does this mean? Could the entire kingdom die?!"

Elsa cringes at the thought. "We've got to do something," she says determinedly. "We've got to figure out a way to help them!"

"But what?" Anna asks. "You've already discussed the effects of the illness with the King and Queen. There isn't anything you can do!"

Elsa sighs. "There's got to be something! I can't just stand back and watch an entire kingdom disappear like that."

Anna looks down at the ground. "I wish I could help Elsa," she says. "But honestly, I've got nothing."

Suddenly, Anna coughs. And coughs again. Before she knows it, she is in the midst of a full-blown coughing fit.

"Anna, are you okay?" Elsa asks, placing a hand worriedly on her sister's shoulder. But Anna is unable to even answer. Her coughing just seems to get worse.

"Oh no," The Royal Messenger says. The girls had completely forgotten that he was still there.

"What?" Elsa asks, looking at the messenger but remaining by her coughing sister's side.

"The illness of Parynia... This is how it begins!" He says. "Extreme fits of coughing!"

Elsa suddenly remembers when the Queen of Parynia had her coughing fit. Hesitantly she asks, "Does the Queen of Parynia have the illness?"

"Yes, I have heard that she does," the messenger replies, much to Elsa's horror. "And I believe she started showing symptoms around the time that they visited Arendelle."

Elsa's eyes grow wide, but Anna is still unable to say anything. "You don't think that Anna actually has the illness, do you?" Elsa asks.

The messenger observes Anna for a moment. "I'm not sure," he says. "The princess never came in contact with the Queen of Parynia, and the illness is only spread by contact somehow. Or by consumption of food or drink from an infected person."

Now Anna's eyes grow wide. Elsa can tell that she is trying to say something, but she can't stop coughing long enough to say it.

"What is it, Anna?" Elsa asks urgently.

Cough, cough... "Olaf!" Cough, cough... "Water!" Anna is able to say.

Elsa doesn't completely understand what her sister means, but once she sees Olaf playfully riding on top of Sven's back not too far away, she calls the snowman over.

"Olaf, did you have something to do with Anna and... water?" Elsa asks as the snowman and reindeer approach.

Olaf thinks for a moment, momentarily distracted by the coughing Anna. "Well, we did take a walk with Kristoff and Sven along the fjord yesterday," he says.

"I don't think that would cause anything like this," Elsa says.

Olaf thinks harder. "I can't think of anything el... Oh! I gave her a glass of water on a really hot day!" He suddenly remembers.

Elsa's heart almost stops. "And what day was that?" She asks.

"The day that the King and Queen of Parynia visited," Olaf answers innocently, still not understanding where this conversation is going.

Anna is still coughing a little, but she finally manages to regain herself some. "Where... did you get the... water from?" She asks Olaf between coughs.

"From the visiting king and queen's room," Olaf says. "No one was in the room, and it was just sitting on the dresser. I didn't think it was right to leave a perfectly good glass of water unattended like that!"

Elsa shakes her head, placing her hand on her forehead. "No, no!" She says as Anna continues to cough. "Olaf, that was the water that my guard gave to the Queen of Parynia!"

"Oh," Olaf says. The expression on his face falls. It's obvious that he still doesn't understand what's going on, but he can tell that it is something very serious. "I'm sorry," he says humbly.

Elsa sighs. "It's okay Olaf, I know you didn't mean to," she says. She honestly doesn't know if it will be okay, but she doesn't want to make the snowman feel bad.

"Of course I didn't mean to," he says. But after a short pause he asks, "What exactly did I not mean to do?"

Elsa stares down at the snowman. He is so innocent and childlike, she isn't exactly sure how to explain the situation to him. "It has come to our attention that the Queen of Parynia has become ill," she tells him. "And by drinking from her water, I'm afraid that Anna may have picked up the same illness."

"Oh," Olaf says, glancing over at the young princess who has now finally stopped coughing so much. "I'm really sorry Anna, but I'm sure you'll get better soon!"

Elsa begins to feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she doesn't want to let them go just yet. For all she knows, Anna could have something completely different. Or she could even just have a dry throat from all this summer heat. "Come on, Anna," she says as she holds her sister's hand. "Let's get you to the nurse."