AN: This is my first story, so please be nice-ish! c:
1. The colt opened bleary eyes, calling for his mother. He swung his head from side to side, wondering where she was. Suddenly a small hand landed on his muzzle. Startled, he reared up his head and widened his eyes in alarm.
The colt started to scuffle away, but calmed when he saw the King standing in front of him. King had come to see the new foals a few days ago, so colt still remembered him. Blinking, he looked down at what King was holding. It was a little girl with beautiful golden hair, hand still stretched towards him, eyes beginning to well up with tears. Not wanting to upset her or King, colt bumped his nose against her hand.
Her face lit up. The smile colt was graced with had only ever been seen by King and Queen before.
A protective instinct washed over him. Colt saw her almost cry and actually smile. He never wanted that smile to leave her face; it was too heart breaking without that little bit of sunshine.
After playing a bit more with the colt, the princess started to yawn. The King took her back inside. Being tired out by the princess as well, colt took a nap in the stables.
It was pitch black when he woke up. He went to the stable door to see if any of the other horses were up, but it was empty. Out of the corner of his eye, a flash of that golden hair could be seen.
He screamed, thinking the princess had fallen out of the tower. When he saw that it was a figure cloaked in black instead of the wind stealing her away, the cries just got louder.
The guards ran out, being alerted by him just as the King and Queen found the princess missing. They ran after the figure, but it seemed to disappear into the night and the princess was lost.
The next day, as the country fell into a panic about finding the princess, a man with a helmet as shiny as her hair came to take him away.
This man told colt his name was now Maximus.
2. When the waves washed over him, Maximus knew the day was shot. He resisted sighing, knowing how badly that could turn out in the given circumstances.
Maximus forced his eyes to stay open, knowing that any sinking debris could pin him to the ground. He weaved his way to the surface while avoiding aqueducts and other pieces of drowned material floating about him.
It was a relief when he breached the surface, sucking in the air that had never seemed as sweet as it did now. When the water cleared from his eyes and nose, Maximus paddled to the shore, where most of the men had already taken refuge. The rest were camped out on some floating pieces of wood, taking a much-needed breather.
Maximus closed his eyes for a moment, knowing that he had to continue searching for that blasted thief. All he wanted to do was sleep.
When that moment was over, Maximus sighed and opened his eyes. They widened in surprise when all he saw was darkness.
Damn! I must have fallen asleep. That didn't even feel like a minute!
Hastily getting upright, Maximus looked around for his comrades, human and horse. They were all sleeping. I guess that thief will have to deal with me alone.
Maximus went over an internal map of the Kingdom, searching for any spot that might be the other end of the tunnel Ryder crawled into. Finally remembering a blocked off cave near the River, he set out to find the damned thief.
When Maximus got to the river, he finally caught a whiff of the thief, now mingled with water and a sweeter scent. That must be the strange girl Ryder was with. Maximus didn't know why anyone in their right mind would keep hair that long. It must weigh a ton!
Although it was a fetching color. It almost seemed as if he had seen that shade somewhere before, but he knew he had never seen the girl prior to this.
He was probably imagining things.
It was getting light outside when Maximus finally came to the end of the trail. He stood over Ryder, inwardly smirking. Oh, this is going to be good…
3. He looked back, once more checking that the thief-man was an appropriate distance from his charge.
Maximus did not understand why he felt so protective of this girl. Perhaps it was because she was the first to treat him with kindness instead of discipline, coddling him like no one had thought to do before.
He hardly ever regretted going into the Kingdom's army; it was a prestigious and noble position to be the General's steed and confidant. However, life on the road could be hard. And criminals like Flynn Rider never make it better. These past days have been the hardest Maximus had endured in a long while.
However, he could not come to resent that, as it had led to him meeting this "Rapunzel."
She had a familiar air about her, as if they had met somewhere before. But he could not think of a place they could have met and it seemed as if she had never left her tower, anyway.
A distant memory, hidden by time begins to resurface, bringing with it a flash of golden hair and the feel of tiny hands on his equally small muzzle. The promise of one newborn to another, to protect the new princess who was the apple of the Kingdom's eye.
Maximus blinked, whipping his head around to stare at his ward once more. Eyes widening, he took in her appearance as if for the first time, matching up her hair, eyes, and face to the murals and mosaics that were everywhere in the capitol.
Well, that was a surprise. The King and Queen will be so pleased to finally have her back.
That thief had better watch it, now that Maximus knew exactly whom he was protecting.
4. Ohh, life is good! Maximus thought, strutting through the square. People parted for him, knowing the new Commander of the Army by sight.
Some people might have had misgivings about having a horse as a commander, but Maximus proved to them that even a quadruped could do a better job than the old commander could. What's more is that Maximus' idea (inspired by Rapunzel) to make frying pans the Nation's weapon of choice almost instantly made their army superior to any trouble that came to town!
Feeling great about his place in the Nation and his newfound friends in the Royal Family, Maximus continued his walk.
Turning a corner, he happened to see a paperboy putting up a new sign. Princess to be Wed, that's ni- wait, WHAT?
Maximus rounded on the poster, scaring the boy out of his wits. A picture of Rapunzel with that thief stared at him. It was going to take a lot of apples to calm him down now!
Maximus stormed to the castle, intent on reminding that no-good crook what would happen if he so much as made the Princess' eyes tear up.