A loud clanging reverberated throughout the room, and the Stranger's head slumped. Rapunzel flew to the pot and withdrew the satchel and odd circular object she had so hurriedly thrust inside. Again, she held it in front of herself, trying to figure out what exactly it was.
It was very pretty, with its large diamonds set in gold surrounded by many-colored gems. What could it be used for?
She shrugged and looked about the room. In all of her nearly-eighteen years of living in the tower, she had learned how to clean up after herself. Mother had always hated messes.
"Rapunzel, you're turning into a slob! Pick up your books!"
"Yes, mother."
"Rapunzel, I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times: where do the dishes go after you're finished with them?"
"In the cupboard."
"Hurry and put them away."
"Yes, mother."
Rapunzel had realized that if she simply did it immediately after she was done, she wouldn't have to do it later when she was in the middle of something else.
Right about now, the room was pretty clean, so she wouldn't have to worry about losing the satchel, or forgetting where she hid it.
So where was it going to go?
Pascal tugged at the hem of her dress, and she bent and lifted him up and placed him on her shoulder. He made a series of chirrups in her ear.
"No, I don't know where I'm going to put it yet."
They stood still for a moment, surveying the room for any possible location where they might hide the satchel.
Rapunzel walked into the kitchen area. After pondering a moment, she pulled open the door and looked in. She then tossed the satchel in (the circular object tucked inside) and slammed the door. She looked back at the Stranger. What if she had to hold him prisoner here for a long time, and ended up having to make dinner? She couldn't keep whacking him over the head with the frying pan, she might rattle his brain.
She snatched the satchel out of the oven. Spotting the window that didn't open, and thought she might hide it in the curtains, but realized that the Stranger faced the mirror, which faced the window, and that would be one of the first things he saw.
Rapunzel put her hands on her hips and glared at the floor. She decided the best place would have to be in her room, upstairs, under the bed. She was about to run upstairs, when Pascal nudged her and pointed to the stairs.
"Yes, Pascal: I'm going upstairs to hide it."
But Pascal shook his hid. He grabbed a strand of her hair, and used it to slide down to the floor. Scurrying over to the bottom-most step, he poked it with his tail.
"Of course!" Rapunzel exclaimed. She rushed over and knelt in front of it. Mother had always hidden things beneath it, and many a time Rapunzel had been tempted to search through it, having to step on it numerous times a day, so that she got into the habit of skipping over when she ascended.
Rapunzel yanked the top off, revealing an (empty) secret compartment. Gently, she placed the satchel in it, and resealed the lid.
She turned back and faced the unconscious man. Flynn Rider. He had said it was his name. His head lulled to the front, and his bangs fell in his face, suggesting that they were usually swept to the side. Rapunzel took in his slacken face. He was so...
"He doesn't look like a ruffian," she stated, eyeing his difference in build and shape compared to mother and herself. "I'll bet he's seen a lot of the world..." her voice trailed off as an idea formed in her mind.
"He could take me to see the lights!"
Pascal gasped.
"Don't you understand? Mother is never going to let me leave! And I can't stay forever."
She pondered the idea for a moment. This man most likely had come to try and steal her hair. Well, she wouldn't let him. But she could make a kind of bargain with him, and agree to give him his satchel as long as he took her to see the lights.
Mother would be gone for three days. That was more than enough time to leave and come back, and mother would never know.
"Alright, Pascal," she said. "Wake him."