Chapter Four:
"I can't believe I did this!" Rapunzel exclaimed yet changed her tone of voice from excited to worried, "Mother would be so furious. But that's okay, I mean, what she doesn't know would kill her right?" She began to ramble on and on at war with herself. The poor girl went from happy and cheerful, to sad and worried within fractions of a second. Jack watched as she ran from place to place analyzing every aspect of this trip.
"Oh my gosh, this would kill her!" She whispered huddled up with herself inside of a cave.
"This is so fun!" She yelled running through a pile of leaves.
Up in a branch, with her head leaned on a tree trunk, hair flowing towards the ground and her arms dangling down she said, "I am a horrible daughter. I'm going back."
Cartwheeling through the grass and rolling into her hair she shouted, "I am never going back!"
With an entire meadow contorting with her body as she lay, face first in the ground she said, "I am a despicable human being!"
Swinging with her hair wrapped around a tree she screamed, "Woo-hoo! Best day ever!"
The restless girl was all over the place and by now Jack had lost her, but when he finally found her his face saddened. Her long golden hair fell from three descending boulders and stopped at Rapunzel, who was sitting on the floor with her face in her hands. "Rapunzel?" Jack asked her softly and she lifted her head to reveal slightly red eyes. "Oh Jack, this would kill her. But I can't go back, not yet anyway" She said, sniffling. Jack sighed and crouched down to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Rapunzel, it'll be alright. We're going to see those lights then I'll fly you back home in no time. I promise." Rapunzel snapped her head and looked at him when he said he promised; promises meant a lot to her, because when she promised something she would never ever break that promise. She sighed, slightly embarrassed of the way she acted, "Okay, I believe you. Thanks, Jack." She smiled sweetly at the winter spirit and he smirked back.
They walked aimlessly through the forest and soon enough nighttime was falling as moon began to rise. The two soon found camp and Rapunzel made a fire while Jack flew up to the trees. He checked the surroundings and found that they made it pretty far since Jack sometimes carried Rapunzel and flew when she was starting to feel tired. He made his way back down to her and watched her as she began to make some soup. He truly was happy that he was on this journey with this blissful and peculiar girl. He was content with the fact that the first person he had ever met was her.
Meanwhile Mother Gothel was roaming the forest in the opposite direction. She was on her way to get her flower a birthday gift. Night had fallen and though Gothel was never the paranoid type, she felt as if something was wrong. Soon even the shadows throughout the forest began to bother her. She began to feel as if someone or something was watching her and following her. She constantly kept looking back though nothing but shadows were there. She could have sworn she heard a dark voice whisper, "Rapunzel." She gasped knowing something was not right and Gothel took off towards the tower.
While sprinting in the direction of the tower she huffed attempting to catch her breath. As the tower came insight she called up to the window, "Rapunzel, let down your hair." When nothing happened Gothel asked once more, "Rapunzel?" Again the tower was silent and still. She dashed to the back of the tower where there was a door hidden with stones and ivy. She ripped of the vegetation and began to claw at the stones.
She made her way hastily through the stair case and punched through the floor tile that led to the house floor of the tower. "Rapunzel?" She called out through the house and ran to the girl's room. The bed was stuffed and as she ripped off the sheet all there was were pillows. She ransacked the entire house and as she ripped off the curtains, the last place she could have looked, all she found was moonlight that seeped in through the windows. She began to hyperventilate and held her face within her hands, pushing her coiled jet black hair back. She fell to the ground and sat, defeated, in the middle of the house.
Suddenly a faint chuckle rang from the shadows. "Aw, Gothel, what happened? Did you misplace your precious flower?" A mocking voice said in the darkness. Gothel began to tremble at the voice with both fear and anger, "W-who's there?" She asked and the voice answered, "Oh, don't fret Gothel. I'm not going to hurt you." Gothel stood up and pushed her cloak back to reveal her red dress. "That's not what I asked," She said roughly, "Now who are you?" Yet again there was another chuckle, "Oh, what a fiery little temper," The voice said, "I knew I came to the right person." Gothel cocked an eyebrow, "And what exactly do you mean by that? Show yourself coward." The voice sounded as if it was getting closer and said, "Well that, Gothel, that is entirely up to you. Let me ask you something; do you believe in the boogeyman?" Gothel narrowed her eyes and glance around the room, "The boogeyman?"
"Yes, the one who hides under your bed and forces you to think twice about stepping into the dark." The voice said and Gothel tensed up, she hated the way this person spoke with such fearful ease. Gothel rolled her eyes in frustration, "What does the boogeyman have to do with anything?" The voice cackled creepily, "Too much, in my opinion." Suddenly a figure stepped out of the shadows though the shadows never truly left him.
It was a tall and slender figure whose eyes where silver with a touch of gold. He wore what looked like a black robe that covered most of his body and his hair was as black as night. Gothel snapped her head at him and it sent a shiver down her spine. "My name is Pitch Black, though you might know me as the boogeyman."