A/N: Sorry for the (slight) delay; midterm season has been keeping me pretty busy. Fortunately, though, my spring break is coming up, so updates should become more frequent.

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And so, the guard surged back into action. Captain Marcus sent regular patrols into the forest to scout for any sign of Flynn Rider (or the Stabbington brothers), and he increased security around the castle to prevent something similar from happening again. It was a lot of work for the guards, but seeing their captain's reinvigorated spirit was an excellent motivator, and they found themselves ready and willing to work hard. People began to say good things about the captain again, and many continued to lament that he and the princess weren't getting engaged—though several still held hopes.

Still, despite all of their efforts, Marcus and the guardsmen were unsuccessful in finding either Flynn Rider or the Stabbington brothers. Yet he refused to let the lack of success get to him, always claiming that they were getting close, and that there were only so many places where thieves could hide. Thus, the air of confidence managed to remain around the castle.

But Marcus was still worried. He kept his worries private after his talk with Rapunzel, but he couldn't shake the possibility that Rider might ultimately succeed. After all, he was a master of evasion—but, then again, he had never faced a group of guards this large and determined before. They'd get him eventually.

At least, that's what he told himself to soothe his worries before they resurfaced.

Three days passed before Rapunzel announced her intention to take Maximus out for a ride in the woods, to celebrate her new ownership of him. Her parents, however, were concerned. "I'm just not comfortable with you going out there while Captain Marcus and his men are searching for that thief," said her father.

"I'll be fine," Rapunzel insisted. "You haven't objected to me going out to visit Miss Gothel in the past."

"That was different," he responded. "For one thing, we weren't dealing with a criminal hiding in the woods, and for another, that serves the solid purpose of giving company to a solitary woman."

"And this serves the purpose of letting me and Maximus get out," his daughter retorted. "Come on, Dad…"

The king glanced to his side at his wife, who gave a small smile and shrug. "Oh, very well," he said. "Just make sure you don't go too far, and that you're back by this afternoon."

"Thanks, Dad!" she said. "I will be. And don't worry, it'll all be fine."

Marcus voiced similar concerns (as well as subtle hints that she might get in their way), but the princess remained resolute, and he was forced to concede as well. "If you get lost, just listen for the sound of hooves," he told her.

She rolled her eyes. "I won't get lost. I've been in the forest a bunch of times."

"Just saying. Your parents would never forgive me if I let you get lost out there."

"Let me? What control do you have over whether or not I do get lost?"

"Just come back safely."

"Yeah, yeah."

And so, Pascal on her shoulder, hair braided, and feet bare, she went to the stables, mounted Maximus, and took off. At first, she thought about paying an impromptu visit to Miss Gothel, but decided against it, both because the older woman probably wanted her privacy and because she wanted to do some exploring, outside of the route she took to the tower. So she guided Maximus in a different direction, leading him along at a steady pace that allowed her to look around. The forest really was beautiful. I really should come out here with my painting kit, she thought. There was so much that would make excellent art.

On the way, she chatted with her two companions, even though they couldn't reciprocate. "It's so quiet out here. Oh, look at that tree over there, the one with the vine hanging from it! Isn't that a great view? I've got to remember this location…"

Pascal gave her a look that seemed to say "This and twenty other locations in the past ten minutes." "Oh, come on, Pascal," she said to him. "How can you not love all of this?" She gestured to a patch of rocks that all had a light blue tint. "Isn't that fascinating?"

The chameleon studied them for a moment, then screwed up his face, as if in concentration. A second later, his body had taken on the same hue as the rocks. He looked up at Rapunzel proudly, and she grinned down at him and said, "Show-off."

She guided Maximus further along the familiar route, then caught a glimpse of another path, one that she didn't recognize from any of her previous venturings into the forest. She was about to pass it by when Marcus's words from the night of her birthday came back to her, the ones that she had repeated to him the next day. If you're not satisfied, you have to go out and find what makes you satisfied.

Was she dissatisfied? Well, things hadn't really changed since the night of her birthday, when she had said that she was. And her departure that day really had spoken to the restrictions she faced in her life—her parents and Marcus, while well-meaning, were sometimes too concerned for her safety to pay enough attention to what she wanted. Sure, there was risk in going out unsupervised, but there was risk in everything. Marcus faced risk much more frequently than she did, but he didn't have a bunch of people fawning over him, reminding him to be safe.

No, there was still something lacking in her life. And while a new path in the forest probably wasn't going to lead her to whatever it was, it was a start. She would go this way, and hopefully come closer to finding out what it was that would make her satisfied.

Moving Maximus away from their current path, she pointed him towards the new one. He hesitated and glanced back at her. "Come on, Max," she said. "We've gotta have a little adventure in our lives! We'll just go down it a little bit and then come back."

The horse still didn't seem overly eager, but followed his rider's guide, and the three of them went down the new path. Like much of the rest of the forest, it was beautiful—but there was something else to it that endeared it to the princess. She realized that it was the unknown part of it, the fact that this was not something that she was intimately familiar with. It was exciting. And it made her think. Maybe some real excitement was what she was missing. And not excitement like the drama centered around her and Marcus. Something else…though she wasn't quite sure what.

But maybe she would find out. Eager, she spurred Maximus on.

A few more minutes into the ride, Maximus perked up his head, sniffing the air. "What is it, boy?" asked Rapunzel.

In response, the horse went off in another direction, moving quicker than normal. "Whoa, slow down, there," said Rapunzel. "What's the matter?"

But, a few moments later, she saw what had gotten the horse's attention. "An apple tree…really, Max?"

Maximus stopped a few feet from it and gave her a look that was both apologetic and pleading. "Oh, all right," said the princess, and Maximus skipped over (if horses can skip) to the tree, and immediately sunk his teeth into the nearest apple.

"Well," said Rapunzel, preparing to dismount, "we're probably gonna be here for a little while." She got off and looked around. The apple tree that Maximus was now treating as a buffet stood apart from the other trees, and didn't look fully grown just yet. Of course, that might have just been because the trees surrounding it were so large. Walking over to one, Rapunzel put her hand on it and looked up, marveling at its grandeur. Then, deciding it would be fun, she started to climb it, grabbing one of the branches and pulling herself up. Pascal made a small worrisome sound, to which she replied in a reassuring tone, "Calm down, Pascal. I know what I'm doing."

The reptile made a doubtful face, but Rapunzel was too focused on climbing to pay attention. As she got higher, she felt a smile growing on her face. She was free out here. She had wanted to take the unfamiliar path, and she had. And now, she wanted to climb the tree, and she was doing so. The excitement of the new…I'm getting closer to finding out what's missing! she thought excitedly.

Then, Maximus's head was perked up once more…but while before there had been a note of eagerness in his movement, now it was more like…alertness, almost nervousness. Rapunzel, glancing over in his direction, did not miss it. "Something wrong, Max?" she asked.

Maximus stood stock still for another couple of seconds. Then, he dashed over to the tree Rapunzel had climbed up and began whinnying, almost frantically. "Maximus! What's wrong?" said Rapunzel, beginning to climb down.

But the horse would not calm down, and seemed more and more keen on getting Rapunzel back on his back. Now quite worried herself, Rapunzel hurried down the tree, scraping herself a couple of times but overlooking it in the face of whatever it was that was making Maximus so upset. Finally, she jumped down onto his back, and before she could get herself secured, he had taken off. "Ah!" she said, almost falling off. "Hold on!"

Maximus slowed slightly until he felt Rapunzel secure herself, then returned to full speed. But only a couple seconds after he had started, he stopped, skidding to a halt, staring ahead. Following his gaze, Rapunzel gasped, as she found out what had spooked him in the first place.

A huge brown bear was lumbering along just a few feet away. It didn't look particularly threatening, but it was certainly large and dangerous enough to cause harm to them if it wanted. It was turning its head from side to side, as if looking for something, and Rapunzel dearly hoped that something wasn't a princess and a horse to have for lunch. "Max," she said quietly, leaning down, "just walk away slowly, and maybe it won't see us."

Maximus dipped his head in a nod, and, still watching the bear, began to edge away from it. Then, he stopped again, and Rapunzel heard a shrill barking sound come from his feet. Looking over his side, she saw a small bundle of fur sitting right next to one of his hooves. It was a bear cub, and it was looking back up at her.

Her first instinct was to smile at the cute little animal. Then, she remembered the adult bear just a few feet away. She turned back to it—only to see it looking straight back at her. Fear rose up in the princess as she remembered the warnings she had received about bears as a child. "Bears may look scary," her mother had told her, "but they're usually pretty shy. Just stay away from them, and they won't bother you."

"Really?" Rapunzel had said.

"With one exception," her mother had continued, her face becoming serious. "Never ever get between a mother bear and her cub. She will think you are a threat to the cub, and will not hesitate to attack you to protect it."

At this, Rapunzel had grown wide-eyed and scared, so her mother had taken her in her arms. "It's okay, dear," she had said. "Just make sure to be very careful. Can you promise me that?"

"Yes, Mommy."

Now, though, Rapunzel realized she was in the very situation that her mother had warned her against. There was a bear cub at her feet, with its mother a few feet away—and she was right between them. She could almost see the mother's thought process from where she was.

Her cub was over there.

Those other creatures were right next to her cub.

Those other creatures might hurt her cub.

She had to get rid of them.

With a roar, the bear bounded towards them. "Maximus! Go!" yelled Rapunzel.

Maximus prepared to run—but found his path blocked by the cub. He reared up to steady himself, and Rapunzel lost her balance. Before she knew it, she was on the ground, on her back, the mother bear getting closer. Screaming, she began to back up, even though she knew that there was no way that she could outrun a fully grown bear.

But then, Maximus reared up again, kicking his legs and whinnying loudly. The mother bear's attention went to him, and he sidestepped to put some distance between himself and Rapunzel. Realizing that he was trying to draw the bear's attention, Rapunzel continued to back up, hoping to put some more distance between her and the bear. Unfortunately, this movement caught the bear's eye, and she turned back to Rapunzel, growling. Just when Rapunzel thought she would go for her, Maximus whinnied again, and took a step towards the bear cub.

That got the mother's firm attention. Whirling back to Maximus, she let out a terrifying snarl and took off after him. Upon seeing that he had her attention once and for all, the horse dashed away. "Maximus!" Rapunzel called.

But neither Maximus nor, fortunately, the mother bear reacted to her, both disappearing from her sight in a matter of seconds. Breathing heavily, Rapunzel got to her feet, anxious in the extreme for the horse's safety. Maximus was fast, but if the bear managed to catch up to him…

Another bark got her attention, and she remembered the cub just a few feet away. Pascal noticed it too, and began to motion that they should get away from there as quickly as possible. Rapunzel nodded, and found her feet moving backwards, though she didn't know where they were leading her.

A roar from the direction the bear had run off in spurred her into action. Turning, she bolted, not knowing or caring where she was going. Branches tore at her cloak and hair, but she pushed through them, determined to keep going. Then, her foot came down on thin air instead of solid ground, and she found herself tumbling down a hill. Unable to stop, she kept rolling, her braid coming undone, Pascal chittering in a panicked tone on her shoulder. Finally, she felt herself on flat ground. After waiting a moment for her dizziness to wear off, she slowly got to her feet.

Well, she was still in the forest—but she had absolutely no idea where. The surrounding trees, rocks and bushes were completely unfamiliar to her. Not to mention that she had gotten there from a route that she knew nothing about…

She sunk into a sitting position. How had this happened? She was having such a good time…and it had really seemed like she was getting somewhere with her life. Now, she was lost in the forest, with no way to get back. Maximus wasn't with her—and she fervently hoped he had escaped from the mother bear—so she had no guide to get her back. She could walk, but without knowing where she was going, she was only bound to get herself even more lost.

Tears came to her eyes, and she was on the verge of breaking down when she remembered Marcus telling her that, if she did get lost, to just listen for the sound of hooves. Hope surged within her before she realized that, since the forest was so big, there wasn't a huge chance of her running into any guards out here.

But it was the best chance she had. Steeling herself, she picked a direction and started walking.