A/N: I'm not abandoning the other stories. I'm just working two jobs now and inspiration is harder to find. I'll work on them. Just not right now.
"So, where do you think we'll find this 'magic' at?" Merida, in Rapunzel's body, asked. The two princesses were trudging along through the forest, and Merida was trying desperately to keep Rapunzel's long blonde hair from getting tangled and yanking her head back. It wasn't working. Merida felt for the umpteenth time something tug the long tresses, and she sighed.
"Well, I figure, if we just walk... maybe we'll find it?" Rapunzel grinned. Merida stopped short and turned to face herself.
"Oh, is that what you believe? You thought; well, if I want it bad enough, it'll happen!" Merida fluttered her hands around in a ditzy way.
"Uhm... yeah, actually," Rapunzel replied, catching Merida's sarcasm.
"Isn't that a pretty picture? Why, I've been living a lie my whole life! If I want something all I have to do is believe and it'll magically appear!" Merida flailed Rapunzel's dainty hands around and glared at herse- er, Rapunzel.
"You don't have to be rude about you." Rapunzel said, crossing her arms.
Merida snorted, "Says the girl who called me fat."
Rapunzel released an exasperated sigh, "I thought we'd established that I didn't mean it like that." She scuffed the sort leather boots Merida was wearing against the ground and sighed. "These shoes feel weird."
"It's better than bare feet..." Merida looked down at her bare toes, "I feel exposed to the elements." She continued forward with Rapunzel not far behind.
"Where do you think we'll find the magic?" Rapunzel suddenly said, jogging to catch up, and dodging her long blonde hair. 'Wow, it's ridiculous looking from the back!' She thought.
"I don't know. I've only ever heard of magic in legends. I've never seen it really work until today," She glanced at Rapunzel. "Have you seen it before today?"
Rapunzel bit her lip, "Once." She said, shrugging.
"Once... before the wand?" Merida's eyebrows rose. "Oo, tell me more."
"I don't feel like talking about it. Anyway, we didn't bring a map, and no, we can't turn around. I don't know which way the tower is. You don't have to look at me like that. It's not like I've ever been outside the tower! You know that."
Merida sighed, "Yeah. Unfortunately, I do." She brushed another lock of blonde hair from her face, and pushed forward. "Well, I guess we'll just have to see what we can find!"
"Adventure?" Rapunzel squealed.
"Yeah. Adventure!"
"So much for adventure. It's been hours and we have no idea where we are. It's gettin' dark, I'm hungry! And I can barely feel my feet." Rapunzel complained, tromping along drearily behind herself, who was actually Merida.
"We'll find something, okay? Just stop whining." Merida glanced over her shoulder at her counterpart and saw how slouched she was. "Do I really look like that?"
"Hm?" Rapunzel lifted her head full of red and wild curls.
"Do I really look so... unkempt?"
Rapunzel tugged at one of the curls, "A little, yeah." She shrugged, then seeing Merida's expression she added quickly, "But that's not a bad thing! I mean, it's just who you are."
Merida rolled her eyes, "I beginning to wonder if I even know who I am."
Rapunzel looked down, feeling guilty.
"Maybe we should stop for the night?"
"Here?" Rapunzel lifted her head in surprise, "In the middle of no where?! What about thugs, thieves, bandits?! Ruffians! What if we're attacked? And they take my hair?! What happens to you? Because you are me. Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! This was such a bad idea. We never should have left the tower. C'mon we're going back!" She turned to rush back, but Merida stopped her.
"Would you stop freaking out? No ruffians are going to get us. No thieves, thugs or bandits, which by the way are all the same thing. People camp in the woods all the time, and rarely are they ever attacked. It's usually when you are traveling along a main road."
"But-"
"No buts! We are camping."
Wood was collected briskly, and after the one hundreth squeal of fright from Rapunzel, Merida collected the wood. Rapunzel tended to lighting the fire and when Merida came back with an arm full of wood, the kindling was ready. They sat around the fire, the dark night seeping in around them like a blanket. Only they didn't feel safe, and they definitely weren't very warm.
"We didn't bring any food," Merida said.
"Ugh!" Rapunzel flopped backwards. "We are the worst adventurers of all time."
"Well, maybe you are. But I would have normally packed food. Only you rushed me."
"Rushed you?" Rapunzel sat up. "How did I 'rush you'?"
"You shoved me out of the tower. We didn't get a chance to plan. We have no map, no bedding and no money. Even if we did come across an inn, we wouldn't be able to afford it," Merida said.
Rapunzel sighed, "You're right. I'm an idiot."
"No, not an idiot. Just a c-"
Suddenly the smell of food wafted over to their camp. Merida closed her eyes smelling the air as her stomach rumbled.
"Just a what?" Rapunzel asked, sitting forward.
"Sh! Can't you smell it?!"
Rapunzel blinked, "Smell wha-" She stopped as the delicious scent filled the air. "Oh my!" She whispered. "Whot's tha'?"
Merida giggled, hearing her own accent from someone else's body was strange. "I don't know. But whatever it is... we need to get some." She jumped to her feet and immediately fell over from the hair. "Ach! Isn't there anyway I can get this stuff outta my way?"
Rapunzel shrugged, "I usually just carry it."
"Great." Merida tugged the ridiculous lengths of hair into her arms and snuck, as best as she could, through the woods towards the delicious smell.
"What if we meet trolls?" Rapunzel whispered.
"Don't be an idiot. Trolls aren't real. And they wouldn't sit in the woods cooking, that's for sure." Merida replied in a harsh whisper.
Finally they made it to the edge of the second camp. It wasn't far off from theirs. "Whoa.. check it out!" In the middle of the fire sat a pot full of bowling stew.
Their stomachs rumbled loudly. "We need to get some and quick! Now, here's the plan."
"Why do you always get to make plans?" Rapunzel whispered. "Why can't I ever make the plan?"
Merida rolled her eyes, "do you know how to make a plan?"
"No! But I could learn."
"Shh!" Merida glanced around. "Alright, fine. What's your plan?"
"Okay, we sneak in, grab some bowls, get some stew, and leave!"
Merida stared at Rapunzel, or her, it was all starting to blur together. "Oh, aye, that's a good plan. Just sneak into a camp where I don't see any bowls, and get some stew. What happens if the owner of that food returns and we still haven't found any bowls?!"
"Who would eat without a bowl?" Rapunzel asked puzzled.
Merida felt a muscle in her forehead twitch, "You really need to get out more. Fine, here's my plan. We sneak in, take the whole pot and leave.'
"But we can't do that! They'll be hungry." Rapunzel whispered.
"Look, better they are hungry, than us dead! We don't know who these people could be. And I know that usually only bad people camp in the woods at night. Therefore, these people don't deserve food."
Rapunzel blinked, "that doesn't make sense. Also, you said there wasn't any reason to worry."
"Fine, never mind what I said! Let's just get it!"
Together they dashed into the camp. Rapunzel scrambled to find bowls, while Merida tried to lift the pot. The metal handle was too hot and she jumped back, swearing.
Rapunzel gasped, "Watch your-er, my language!"
Merida rolled her eyes, "not now!" She looked around from something to use as a hot pad, and found a dirty shirt. "Ew, don't want to touch that." She wrinkled her nose. "I'll just use your hair."
"Don't you dare! It'll burn," Rapunzel hissed.
"Fine!" Merida snagged the shirt and held it at arms length, as she went to the pot. Bundling it up, (while keeping it from touching her too much) she grabbed the pot handle and pulled it off the hook. "I did it!"
"But I haven't found any bowls!" Rapunzel said desperately, dropping her whispers. "Who eats without bowls?! Hooligans."
"We don't have time to talk about that. Let's go." Merida turned, ready to run when two looming figures emerged from the shadows.
"And where do you think you are going?" The taller one asked. The two bandits had red hair, and one wore an eye patch, and a huge scar that traced his face looked gruesome in the campfire light. Merida backed away, shuddering at the sight. "We don't want any trouble." She said.
"Seems to me you do. After all, you came here and tried to steal our food. Good thing we came back," The first one stepped forward. They were big and burly men. Her father was a big man, but less burly and more plump than anything. Still Merida narrowed her eyes.
"We aren't afraid of you!" She said, holding the pot away. The handle was beginning to burn her hand through the shirt.
"You should be." The bandit smirked. "Little girls should know their place."
"I know my place." Merida set the pot down near the fire, "It's kicking your arse!"
Rapunzel gasped and covered her mouth, as Merida yanked the blonde locks forward and whipped it against the first man's face. It cracked in the air and fell back behind her as she took her stance. "I may not know a lot about how to use a whip. But I can fight. And I'm sure as-"
"No more swearing!" Rapunzel exclaimed.
"Then get your bum over here and help!" Merida dodged the scarred man, and leaped away, holding all the hair. "This is ridiculous!" She wrapped it around her arm like a rope, and used the length at the end to defend herself. Whipping the bandits in the face whenever they got too close.
"Ah!" One of them cried out as blonde hair hit his eye. "These pesky little brats!"
Rapunzel was squealing loudly and running away from the eye-patched one.
"Defend yourself!" Merida cried.
"With what?!" Rapunzel screamed.
Merida glanced around as she ran and spotted a frying pan, "Use this!" She tossed it at Rapunzel, who caught it and spun, clanging the brute in the jaw.
"YEAH!" Merida cheered. Suddenly pain sprang into her head, as the other man's brother grabbed a hold of her and yanked her back. "I'm going to make you pay!" He snarled.
"HEY!" Rapunzel's voice came from the side, Merida glanced over just in time to see the frying pan clobber the man holding her captive. Merida stumbled away from the body and breathed heavily.
"Wow..."
"I know." Rapunzel grinned.
"You are so out of shape!"
"Hey! Can we just get the food and go, please?" Rapunzel said, glaring.
"Sure, fine." Merida grabbed the pot again. And together they scampered out of the camp, leaving the two bandist wholly unconscious.
"We can't return to our camp. It's too close to theirs. We'll have to go pretty far so they don't find us."
"Or we could just go up!" Rapunzel pointed up at the trees.
Ten minutes and a lot of cursing later, the two girls sat in a large oak tree, on one of the biggest branches. They giggled and talked about beating up the bandits as they ate.
"You know, maybe we can find the magic we need," Merida said, tucking a spoon full of savory stew into her mouth.
Rapunzel grinned, "I know we can."
Up above them a tiny snowflake fell from the sky and landed on the tree branch. Neither of the girls noticed, for who would notice a snowflake, when there is stew to eat?
to be continued... I hope.
