Author's Note: How's it going? I'm Lindsey. I just asked you how's it going without giving you time to answer, and this is Tangled and Twisted! Please, give me reviews! I live for reviews!
Surprises
The next morning, I woke up very early. I was up even before the sun was. Quickly, I ate a biscuit and some cheese.
After eating, I changed into my "thief clothes". They consisted of a white, cotton, button-down shirt, a blue leather vest, brown trousers, brown boots, and my black hooded cloak.
After pulling my hair back and putting my hood up, I was completely unrecognizable as a woman. That was exactly how I liked it. This meant I could go out in a dress and not have to worry about getting caught.
After checking to make sure I was unidentifiable, I left my old, run-down hut and began the long walk to the kingdom. It would take me at least an hour to get to the bridge, and another hour to make it undetected to the palace. After an hour, by which time the sun was up, I reached the designated meeting spot. The Stabbingtons weren't there.
Of course, they're late, I thought irritably. They probably think it was all a hoax.
My thoughts were interrupted by a rustling from the woods. I automatically clenched my fists, ready for a fight.
I relaxed when I saw the Stabbingtons come out of the trees. "You're late," I observed dryly, maintaining the husky voice I had used the night before.
"We had some trouble this morning," Burns replied. (I didn't know their real names, so I made some up.)
"Come on, it'll take an hour to sneak up to the palace," I urged, turning to the river bank. Taking a deep breath, I dove into the river and swam far out, the Stabbingtons not far behind.
An hour later, I was leaping over the parapets of the castle. I had to be careful. If a guard looked up while I jumped, the jig was up.
Finally, I peeked over the edge to make sure it was clear. I could get used to a view like this…and I'm used to it, I thought.
"Psst, Rider," Burns whispered. I turned around and tied the rope around my waist. Slowly, they lowered me down into the room. The skylight was positioned directly over the crown, making it even easier on me.
Just as I stowed the crown into my satchel, one of the guards with his back turned sneezed.
"Ugh, hay fever?" I asked in my man voice. I tugged on the rope, the signal to pull me up.
"Yeah," he replied just as I started to move up.
Moron, I thought to myself. Just as I made it to the roof, I heard shouts from below.
"Move!" I urged. The Stabbingtons didn't need telling twice. When we made it to the bridge, I said, "Can't you just picture me in a castle of my own? Because I certainly can. Ah, the things we've seen and it's only eight in the morning! Gentlemen, this is a very big day!"
After an hour of running, we had to stop and catch our breath. I leaned against a tree, panting. Suddenly, a sheet of paper caught my eye. I smirked when I saw what it was. It was yet another failed attempt at a wanted poster. Not only was it the portrait of a man, but it looked absolutely nothing like me!
I grabbed it anyway because I liked having a laugh. Plus, stealing the posters annoyed the guards. Speaking of which, we heard shouts and horses coming from the ridge behind us. I whipped around and saw the captain of the guard on our heels!
"Run for it!" I hollered, turning around and running full tilt. We didn't get far. A rock wall about fifteen feet tall blocked our path.
"All right, ok," I panted, turning to the brothers. "Give me a boost, and I'll pull you up."
They exchanged a look. "Give us the satchel first," Burns said, holding out his hand.
"Wha-? I just-I can't believe that after all we've been through, you don't trust me?" I distinctly heard crickets in the background. "Ouch," I muttered, dropping the satchel into his meaty hand.
They formed a ladder, and I climbed up, snagging the satchel as I went. I turned around. I was going to help them just to prove a point.
"Now, help us up, pretty boy!" Burns called. I was reaching my hand down when I saw the guards approaching.
"There's no time!" I said, looking toward the horses. "Hide, and I'll meet up with you later!" I had to beat it then, because the guards were really close!
I heard Burns yell out, "RIDER!" He must have just realized that I had the satchel. I didn't have time to worry about it, because I was more concerned with dodging crossbow bolts!
I quickly jumped through an opening in a tree, hoping to lose them that way. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that the captain's horse was smarter than the average horse. While the other horses balked at the tree, the white horse carrying the captain jumped clean through.
Oh, crud, I'm in trouble now, I thought. No way could I outrun them on foot. Just then, I saw a vine in front of me and got an idea. I grabbed it and swung around, knocking the good captain off his horse.
"H'ya!" I yelled, flicking the reins. Instead of speeding up, however, the horse skidded to a stop. He turned his head and fixed me with a death glare.
"Come on, flea-bag, forward!" I commanded, kicking him in the sides. Now, don't get me wrong, I loved horses. I was even planning on buying one once I sold the crown. This one was just getting on my nerves.
He snapped at the satchel, trying to grab it. "No. No! Stop it! Stop…it! Give it to me! Give me that!" I will have you know that I stopped using my man voice somewhere in that. Finally, my satchel got slung onto a branch…that happened to be hanging over a cliff.
After wrestling with the horse, I finally managed to grab the satchel. Unfortunately, that's when the branch cracked.
"Why me?" I whispered just before we fell. I looked at the horse, looked back down, and screamed my head off. Not like yelling, I mean high-pitched, no-doubt-I-was-a-woman screaming.
About halfway to the bottom, the branch broke in half, mercifully separating me from that white menace. Once I was at the bottom (miraculously, there was a slope at the bottom, which totally saved my butt) I discovered two things. One, I had somehow managed to hold on to my satchel. Two, I had lost my cloak!
"Great. Just my luck," I muttered. Suddenly, I heard approaching hoof beats. Without thinking, I dove behind a boulder. After the horse passed by, I hid in a cave behind a curtain of ivy. I soon realized that it wasn't a cave. It was a tunnel. Wanting to put some distance between me and the horse, I followed it to the end. Once there, I stopped dead.
The clearing was pristine and beautiful, but I wasn't looking at it. I was focused on the seventy foot tower in the middle of it. Figuring it was empty, I thought it'd make a good hiding place.
Taking out two crossbow bolts I'd managed to snag, I used them to climb up the side of the tower. I was very thankful that my arms were used to work, or this would hurt. The overhang wasn't that difficult; I just shimmied up one of the supports and hoisted myself onto the ledge.
Panting, I opened the window, climbed in, and closed the window. I opened my satchel and gazed at the glittering crown within.
"Alone at last," I sighed. Suddenly, I heard a sharp clang, felt a pain at the back of my head, and blacked out.
I don't know how long I was out, but when I came to I was on the floor. I opened one eye and caught a glimpse of bright green eyes and blonde hair before I was knocked out…again!
A.N.: Okay, I know she seems to be following male Flynn more than being her own character, but don't worry. I'll change a bit more of it as I go along. R&R!