Gothel gasped. She didn't want to turn around for fear of seeing who was speaking but she slowly did. Her eyes widened in fright and her hands came up to shield herself. The Stabbington brothers looked at each other, then at the new arrival.
The mysterious man lowered his black hood from his head and smiled unnervingly at the old lady.
"What's going on here? Who's this? What about Rider?" The brother without a patch asked.
"Yes, my old friend, what is going on here? And who is this Rider?" His eyes shifted between the two.
Gothel began trembling, "Nothing… not… nothing is going on."
The man in black clicked his tongue and furrowed his eyebrows, "You know better than to lie to me."
The brothers glanced at each other. They had enough. They would lose Rider and the girl if they continued to keep listening to this exchange, "We're going after 'em! We can't lose that girl. She's too valuable."
The man glared at the two. He raised his hand and as he did, an emerald glow shot out at the two and knocked them into a nearby boulder. Gothel jumped and raised her hand in defense of herself.
"How have you survived this long?" He asked, "You'd have to have powerful magic or…."
The man looked out at the lake, "Did you find the golden flower?"
Even from the few feet apart, he could hear her heartbeat quicken.
"That would make sense, considering we haven't heard from you in 400 years. And why we haven't been able to locate you. You must have enough power left to create a protection spell. But I must wonder; why did you not bring the flower to the circle to share the powers of it?"
"Where are the others?" Gothel dared to speak.
"Dead. I am the only one left." He grinned, "But if I have that golden flower, I can bring them all back. Where is it?"
Gothel remained silent as he circled around her. She did not want to reveal her past mistakes for fear of the repercussions. Suddenly, she felt her throat constricting as she was slowly lifted off the ground by an invisible force.
"I will find the flower, with or without your assistance. Does the girl have it? Is that why you were conspiring against her and her companion?"
She fought for air and grasped violently at her neck. Her legs kicked out as she tried to speak.
"What was that? Were you trying to tell me where the flower was?" He taunted her. He let her go and she fell unceremoniously to the dirt.
Gothel coughed and croaked, "The flower… it's not a… flower…. anymore."
"What?" He was losing his patience.
She breathed in through her nose, "I was using the magic of the flower for 400 years! But 18 years ago, the King of Corona sent out his guards to find it. They used it to save the dying pregnant Queen. After she was healed, they had a baby daughter! Her hair has the powers to keep me young so I stole her from her crib as a child."
A dark laugh emitted from the man, "So you've had a slave all these years. Let me guess, did she escape? Are you hunting her down?"
She mustered up enough courage, "Yes! But she is mine! My daughter!"
His laughter roared through the night, "You have abused the power of the sun for too long! It was a gift for the rest of us and you selfishly kept it for yourself. I want you to know this before you meet your end…. She is mine now!"
He raised both hands and the green glow shined brightly as he began breathing in deeply. Gothel screamed. She looked down at her hands as they began crinkling and forming liver spots.
"NO!" All the energy that she had used from the flower for centuries flowed out of her and entered into his body. He didn't stop until Gothel turned to dust, leaving her cloak in the place she stood.
"Who are you?" The man turned to the brothers on the ground, staring frightened at what they witnessed.
"Your new employer. Except you will be working not for gold, but to stay alive."
"Come on, Blondie! Hurry!" Flynn pulled on her wrist again. They had been running since they reached the shore and had probably lost the Stabbington Brothers by now but he couldn't be too safe, so they ran and ran.
Rapunzel tried to catch her breath and could feel burning in her lungs as she tired. She reached the point of exhaustion where she dug her heels into the dirt and yanked her hand free, "Stop Eugene!"
He came to a halt when he felt her hand come out of his, "Come on Rapunzel. We need to keep moving."
"I can't go on any longer! My feet won't let me." She huffed. She put her hands on top of her head as she tried to steady her breathing, "Please Eugene, can't we find a place to rest. Somewhere hidden if it will make you feel better."
He understood how she felt and began to feel the exhaustion pulling at his eyelids. He looked around for a place where they could sleep, "Alright, come on."
Flynn led them to a spot under a large oak tree that seemed alright. It was hidden but it would provide a great place to find due to the branches coming up higher than the other trees so if one of them got lost, they could find their way back easily.
"Do you think we're safe now?" Rapunzel glanced at him sadly.
He noticed her tone and pulled her into his arms, "Hey, no matter what happens, I'll make sure you're safe." He caressed her cheek and gazed into her green eyes.
Rapunzel smiled up at him and nodded, "Thank you for tonight. It was everything I dreamt it would be and more." She looked down, "I guess we should head back to the tower in the morning."
Flynn felt a tug at his heart. He didn't want to lose her especially since he just came to the realization that she was the love of his life. It felt like his heart was literally ripping open when he thought of walking away from that tower forever.
"Yeah, I guess…" He saw her face fall with sorrow. She felt the same, "Or we could just run away together."
Rapunzel's head shot up in surprise, "Run away? But what about Mother? What about your crown and the adventures of Flynn Rider?" She giggled.
Eugene chuckled and took her hands into his, "I thought those were adventures, but I've honestly never felt more alive than when I am with you. It's like my eyes have been opened for the first time. You're my life now. I love you, Rapunzel."
Tears stung her eyes and she smiled and laughed nervously, "Oh Eugene!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and he put his around her waist. They stood like that for what seemed like forever. They felt each other breathing and laughing.
He gently pushed her so that he could look at her again. He placed his forehead against hers and sighed, "You're my new dream."
Rapunzel put her hand on his cheek, "And you are mine. I love you, Eugene."
Their lips gently touched and they kissed for the first time. It was like it always should have been. They found their other half and Rapunzel realized this was when her life began.
Thank you everyone. Please let me know what you think!