Two fanarts up on devinatART! :D My day has been made! (Also, linkies coming soon! Promise!)

So here's chapter eight! The climax is building, and I promise you, it will be epic. So stay tuned! The next chapter will likely be a short one, but it will have significance, and I'm almost completely positive that chapter ten will be THE chappie! :D

And I know you're going to want to kill me...because yes, deep down, I am a very evil little woman who likes to hurt her favorite characters (I blame my best friend Sophie for this, as she trained me in the sadistic art of the epic Pain Scene, and she puts her favorite characters in some sort of pain...Every. Single. Time. ;D )

Chapter Song: "F**kin' Perfect: Radio Edit" by P!nk (This is the version without swearing. It fits so much better.)

Disclaimer: Let's see...I own a Flynn Rider Barbie doll, a cast-iron frying pan, a bag of Tangled party candy, the entire soundtrack, Tangled stickers, and I now have a reserved copy of the movie via Amazon. And that's about it.


Hangman's Noose

A "Tangled" fanfiction

by doodlegirll

...oOo...

Flynn was not an idiot.

He knew what they did with criminals that escaped prison and were stupid enough to get caught.

As the guards marched him back down the hall towards his cell, he could feel their inward sneers in the very way they handled him, almost as though his body, made of skin, muscle, bone, and nerve endings, was something inconsequential. He had been in enough prisons and he had lived long enough to know that deep down, guards, especially prison guards, were actually very bored people that saw very little action, especially in such a peaceful kingdom such as Corona.

And Flynn knew what bored guards did with criminals such as him.

They finally reached his cell, and the guards shoved him inside. He stumbled inside and turned to face them, his face sullen, his eyes blazing in defiant anger.

"You're lucky your little girlfriend is the Princess, Rider," One said. "She got out of what's coming to you."

And for that, Flynn was eternally grateful.

He never even saw the first blow coming as the guard closest to him raised his fist into the air and struck Flynn across the face. Flynn stumbled, wincing as the pain began to set in.

"You know you're going to die sooner now, don't you, Rider?" Another guard, this one with a mustache, said as he joined in the game, bringing his foot up to kick Flynn in the stomach. "You just got another mark added to your list, and all it's done is bring you one step closer to the noose."

The men chuckled as Flynn heaved for breath from the blow to his stomach. They continued their assail on the prisoner, throwing punches, kicks, slaps, spit, and cruel words on what seemed like every square inch of his body. Eventually Flynn fell to his knees on the cold floor, where he curled into as tight a ball as he could manage, protecting his head with his arms. Steel toed boots dug into his abdomen, back, legs, and arms, sending his body reeling and rolling like it were made of no more than mere rags like a doll.

Poor, orphan Eugene Fitzherbert had seen this quite often in his life. And never did the blows hurt as bad as the wishing that it would all be over.

And then, just as it had started, it was over. Flynn's vision swam, the pain overwhelming as he gasped for breath amidst the broken and cracked ribs he knew he had sustained. He could taste the bitter twinge of blood at the back of his throat, and he felt it running down the side of his mouth. Coughing, he finally allowed his arms to drop from their place at the back of his head, looking up at the men who continued to revel in his downfall.

"Night, night, Rider."

With one simple kick to the head, Flynn Rider's world faded to black.

...oOo...

The news of Flynn Rider's great escape traveled fast throughout the castle, as well as the identity of his partner in crime. All morning the servants and guards had been incredibly quiet regarding Rapunzel, almost as if they were completely unsure as to what to say to her. A few had offered an apology, to which Rapunzel had gratefully accepted, but most simply gave her a respectful bow or nod and went about their business.

Even worse, her presence was not requested at the meeting called to discuss what should be done with Eugene.

So here she stood, pacing outside the double doors that led to the throne room, often stopping to press her ear to the smooth wood of the door to try and determine what was being said behind it. She could not tell anything from the few words she was able to make out, but she knew that it didn't sound…good.

She also knew her parents were most likely furious with her. After all, Rapunzel, the princess, had broken a condemned criminal, a lowly thief, out of prison, single handedly with only a chameleon for help, though she highly doubted the court would even begin to consider Pascal. She wouldn't be a bit surprised if they didn't even talk to her.

And she highly doubted as well that the court would even begin to see that what she had done, she had done out of love.

After a few more agonizing minutes, the doors opened, and a guard stuck his head out.

"Princess, you can come in now." He said.

Rapunzel took a deep breath before she stepped inside the throne room. Just as it had been on the day of Eugene's trial, the entire kingdom court had assembled inside, and her parents were atop their thrones. Rapunzel kept her eyes trained on the floor as she entered the room, unable to bear the disappointed and angry looks she knew her parents would most likely be giving her.

She was incredibly surprised when she was met with not looks of anger, but looks of sympathy and compassion from the both of them. Her mother stood to her feet and crossed the room to where her daughter stood, wringing her hands, and wrapped her arms around her.

"Mama, I'm so sorry!" Rapunzel said before her mother could even utter a word. "I wasn't thinking! I didn't mean to hurt you or Daddy, but I just wanted to help Eugene! I just wanted…I just wanted to save him. I understand if you're angry with me, but please understand…"

The Queen's eyes were warm as she placed a hand underneath Rapunzel's chin, tilting it so her daughter was looking at her.

"Rapunzel, sweetie, I do understand." She said softly. "And your father and I aren't angry with you. To be honest we expected something along these lines before it was all over with. You're not the kind of woman to sit back and watch, my dear, and that's something that everyone admires about you." She smiled sadly. "But I'm afraid that something had to be done."

Rapunzel felt her heart stop for a second, striking her terrified.

"Done?" She asked, quietly.

"Yes, done." A voice boomed. Rapunzel and her mother turned to find the short man from Eugene's previous trial appeared next to them. "Absolutely something must be done."

"What are you talking about?"

Rapunzel was almost afraid to ask.

The little man puffed out his chest, making himself appear bigger.

"There is a penalty for all crimes, Princess." He said. "And Flynn Rider broke out of prison."

"But I helped him!" Rapunzel exclaimed before the little man could go on. "So if you're going to punish him, punish me, too! It was all my idea!"

"Nonetheless, he went along with it." Shorty said. "And as for you, there is not much we can do at this point. Yes, what you did was a crime, but you are our beloved princess, and punishment for petty thieves," Rapunzel hated the way he spat the word 'thieves,' "Is not befittingof a princess."

Rapunzel shook her head. "If you're going to punish him, punish me as well." She insisted.

"We have decided on a, er, punishment for you, never fear that." Another court member said. "As for Flynn Rider, his punishment is much more severe. Far more severe."

"And what is his punishment?" Rapunzel asked. She felt the Queen hold her tighter, and she suddenly could feel herself beginning to feel queasy.

"We have bumped Flynn Rider's execution date from four days time to one days time." Shorty said. "He is to be executed at sundown tomorrow."

Abruptly, Rapunzel felt as though a rug had been yanked out from underneath her. She had feared that something along these lines would happen, but she had allowed herself to hope that perhaps the court would find it in their hearts to allow Eugene to live just a few more days, during which Rapunzel would try, yet again, to come up with a plan to save him. But now she didn't even have that.

Their time was up.

"A-and what's my punishment?" Rapunzel whispered after a moment's silence.

"You are no longer allowed to visit Rider." The other man said. "You will be present at his execution, but from now until then, you are not to see or be in any contact with him at all."

And then, with the rug, Rapunzel's entire life went from under her feet. She could only stare, dumbly, as the tears began to flood her vision, as she tried desperately to come up with something to say.

But what could she say? It was over. Eugene had lost this battle, and again it was all her fault.

She felt the Queen gently stroke her hair, whispering words that Rapunzel could not quite make out in her ear. Then her mother faced the court.

"If I may," she said, her voice strong and clear. "I request that Rapunzel be allowed one last visit with Rider. The two of them are quite close, and I feel that one last visit, supervised, of course, would do no harm. I myself will accompany her to his cell, and the visit will last no more than an hour."

She tightened her grip on Rapunzel's shoulders, and Rapunzel smiled gratefully at her.

The court seemed to ponder this for a moment, whispering among themselves. Shorty had rejoined them fleetingly, not wanting to be left out of anything, especially anything in pertain to the allowance of visiting rights between the Princess and Flynn Rider. After what seemed like an eternity to Rapunzel, the little man trotted back to his previous location beside her and her mother. Rapunzel and her mother looked up at the King, who still sat on his throne, almost at the edge of it, a worried yet hopeful look in his eye, and Rapunzel knew it was because he truly wanted to see that his daughter and Flynn got the goodbye they deserved.

"The royal court has decided to grant the Queen's request that Princess Rapunzel and Flynn Rider be allowed one last interaction before the execution tomorrow night." Shorty announced. "This court is adjourned."

Rapunzel almost felt a wave of relief, but the striking realization that the next time she would see Eugene – whenever that might be – would be her last. She felt her heart breaking all over again.

The Queen turned to face Rapunzel as everyone began to make their way out of the throne room, smiling sadly at her.

"I'm so sorry, my dear." She whispered. "I'm so sorry."

The King crossed over to join them, placing a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Daddy, isn't there anything we can do?" Rapunzel whispered.

"I'm afraid not, Rapunzel." He whispered. "I'm afraid not."

Rapunzel wiped away a tear that was making its way down her cheek. She opened her mouth to reply, to say something, anything, but she just couldn't find the words. So instead she did the only thing she could do at that moment: she turned on her heel and ran.

...oOo...

Flynn groaned as he finally began to regain consciousness, pain surging through his body in waves. It took a great deal of effort just to pry open his sore eyelids, and an even greater effort to move to even try and sit up and remember why, exactly, he was in such pain.

For a moment, he wondered if he was dead, but he quickly expelled that notion. If he were dead, he wouldn't be in pain. If he were dead, there would only be a calm, warm feeling associated with the feeling of flying, and a beautiful white light would be awaiting in front of him as he flew towards it. Flynn knew; he had died once. So this was definitely not death.

Slowly, with each new bought of pain, the memories of the night before came back. He remembered sleepily peacefully, only to be awoken by a slimy tongue to the ear. He remembered Rapunzel, disguised beneath a dark cloak, full of excitement and, at the same time, desperate to save him. He remembered the two of them running, barefooted, down the prison hallways together, and he remembered his recapture.

And he remembered the fierce beating he had taken from the prison guards after they had dragged him back to his cell.

Flynn could taste the stale blood at the back of his throat, and he swallowed painfully. He slowly, slowly sat up. He ran a hand through his thick hair, finding a large lump near the back of his cranium, and he remembered one of the guards kicking him in the head. Wincing as his fingers gently grazed it, he pulled back and began to examine the rest of his body.

He concluded, after poking at his tender torso, that he had at least three broken ribs, and bruises and cuts of various shapes, sizes, and colors littered the rest of his body, especially wherever contact had been made with bare flesh. Gingerly, he stood to his feet, swaying slightly as his vision swam from the strenuous movement. His body screamed in protest as he made his way across the room to the bucket of clean water in the corner, where he splashed some of the cool liquid onto his face, allowing it to wash away the blood and grime. He then cupped his hands together and drank, his raw, sore throat thanking him.

He turned when he heard the lock on his cell door being rattled, and a guard entered. He recognized him as one that worked in the castle, usually within the throne room or as an escort for any visitors of the royal family. Flynn fuzzily remembered his name, and he was pretty sure it was either Harry or Baris, but he couldn't be entirely sure. Still, he knew the man to be of a good nature, and he couldn't help but feel like he was a little nervous as he faced the former thief.

"The Royal Court has assembled and reached a verdict on your escape from prison," the guard said, clearing his throat.

Flynn slowly rose to his feet, fearing the worst.

"What is it?" He asked.

The guard looked regretful.

"Flynn Rider, your execution date has been hastened to tomorrow evening due to your escape last night with the Princess Rapunzel." He said. "By order of the court congregation." He added hastily, as if it were a side note.

Flynn felt his stomach rise into his throat, the panic levels reaching mountain heights. He swallowed it, trying to sound calm and collected.

"And what of Rapunzel?" He asked. "Is she being punished?"

The guard nodded after a moment's hesitation.

"What are they doing to her?" Flynn felt the fear beginning to resolve into anger.

"She's permitted only one last visitation with you before your execution, and it cannot be more than an hour long. The Queen will also be in attendance as a supervisor."

Flynn felt his blood run cold.

"But that's it, right?" He pressed, wanting more information. "She's not being punished?"

The guard shook his head.

"Not per se, but I believe your execution has greatly upset her." He said, lowering his voice. "I believe that the pain she feels is much worse than any punishment the courtsmen could ever conceive."

Flynn nodded.

"Thank you." He said.

The guard nodded once, then turned on his heel and exited the cell. Flynn heard the lock turn once more, again sealing his fate.

He sank to the floor, leaning against the wall for support, beneath the window through which bright, warm sunlight filtered in, casting shadows. He began to allow his mind to wander, from one subject to another.

But one thing remained constant on his tortured soul: how was he going to be able to handle Rapunzel's last visit?

Judging from all the other times he had interacted with her since his sentencing three days prior, Flynn knew she would extremely upset, if not completely inconsolable. And when she saw him in the state he was in now, with the obvious bruises he was sure his face harbored, as well as the ones that covered his arms, he was sure she would be livid. Rapunzel was a sweet girl, but he had seen her fierce and incredibly angry, and he had to admit that an angry Rapunzel was a scary Rapunzel, especially if she had a frying pan at her disposal.

Flynn quickly rolled down his pants legs in an attempt to hide the bruises, and then he tugged at his sleeves, managing to bring them to his wrists, successfully hiding them. He was sure his face looked like a wreck, but he was determined to put on a smile and make sure that Rapunzel knew he was going to be okay, no matter the next twenty four hours. He was determined to make their last meeting meaningful.

Rapunzel meant everything to him. He wanted her to know that. If he was going to die, he was not going to go without her knowing how much he loved her. He knew he deserved this, and he was willing to take it. Rapunzel was worth it.

Flynn could only hope she understood that.