Chapter 8: Dark Reunion
An eerie and terrifying silence echoed through the green forest as a tall, dark figure walked through the woods, cloaked in a deadly black cape. Not a single tweet called through the woods to break the silence as the dark stranger walked, her dark hood pulled over her head. The animals of the forest seemed to feel a sick, dark shadow that the stranger cast, unnatural it was. They ran away in fear and hid, sensing a terrifying power that could not be seen, but felt. A cool breeze flowed through the trees, shaking their delicate leaves. In the sky above, the bright sun blazed on the horizon and set behind a mountain to the west, casting dark, terrifying shadows on the forest below. The woman continued walking, unafraid of the oncoming night. Hours had passed since the woman had last rested, but she was determined to make this trip as short as possible. Twigs on the ground crunched underneath her feet as she trekked across the woods at a quick pace, unwilling to stop; However, Her pace quickly began to slow as she quickly grew tired. The woman had just stopped to take a short break when a loud rustling in a nearby bush caught her attention. She stood tall, her heart now racing in her chest. Abruptly, a massive white horse came charging from the bush, stopping just in front of her. The woman stumbled back, startled.
"Oh." The woman sighed after a moment, realizing there was no real threat. "A palace horse." She mumbled aloud to herself, recognizing the collar that wrapped around the horse's broad shoulders. The horse gave a disappointed whinny and sat on his hind legs. The woman's last phrase rang through her head and her thin eyebrows pulled together. Her large eyes widened in terror. "Where's your rider?" Worry pierced its way through her body and she abruptly turned around, glancing the way she came. "Rapunzel." She gasped under her breath and began running quickly. "Rapunzel!" She ran as fast as she could. She had only left hours ago, but if she ran the rest of the way back, she could make it back before the moon came up tonight. Her trip was now long forgotten; she had to get back to the tower. She had to know that her daughter was safe. The basket that hung from her arm bounced against her body with every stride she made, but she barely noticed. Night dawned on the forest, making the trees appear taller and much more frightening. An owl's occasional hoot filled the silence as a fog set in around the trees. The woman continued running, her legs seemed to never grow tired, even for as old as she looked.
As she ran, a wind formed and threw back her dark hood, revealing her raven black hair. Her maroon dress whipped behind her, beaten from the violent wind and her cape flowed effortlessly through the air. "Rapunzel!" She breathed as the massive rock wall came into view, just barely seen over the forest's trees. She scrambled through the fern wall and across the grass field to the brick tower just as the moon rose in the sky, lighting up the eerie scene below. She took a shaky breath before she called up. "Rapunzel, let down your hair!" Her voice echoed through the area, bouncing off the rock walls and into the tower above. Her heart began to race faster. There was no response. "Rapunzel?" She called again. No answer. She raced around the side of the tower, tearing up the vines that had climbed up the length of it. Without the vines in the way, a rock filled doorway appeared. She automatically began clawing at, freeing the rocks from the round doorway. The rocks broke free and she burst through the doorway, running up the hidden, spiraling staircase that traveled up the length of Rapunzel's tower. At the top, she broke through a piece of tile and climbed up into the living room area. "Rapunzel?"
She pushed herself off of the ground and began searching for her daughter. She checked Rapunzel's queen-sized canopy bed, the curtains on the windows, her wooden closet… everywhere. Shock began to sink in as she realized that Rapunzel was not here, in the tower, where she was supposed to be. "Rapunzel!" She gripped at her raven black hair, nearly pulling out several dark curls. She began to hyperventilate when a reflection in her eye caught her attention. Her hands slowly dropped to her sides and she walked over to the stairway, where the glare came from. She pried the wooden panel off of the first step and ripped a satchel from the hallow compartment inside. She reached into the bag and her hand grasped around a hard object. She pulled it out and gasped, dropping the object on to the tile floor, recoiling from it as if it were a rattlesnake. The crown lightly glimmered in the moon light. Rapunzel's mother quickly searched the bag for anything else and found a crumbled up piece of paper. She unfolded it and glared at the drawing on it. It was a wanted sign, complete with a drawing of the convict, name and reward. Hatred raced through her veins and she hissed in frustration.
She abruptly stood up and walked over to a wooden door nearby. With the twist of her wrist, she unlocked the door handle, key in her hand, and stepped into the pitch-black room where she used to sleep; back when Rapunzel was only a child and couldn't take care of herself in the tower, so she would stay there with her. As Rapunzel had grown, she was able to take care of herself more and her mother could leave for longer periods of time. She rushed through the dark room to the edge of her narrow queen-sized bed and to the wooden dresser that sat beside it. She searched through the drawers in the dresser until she found what she was looking for; a long, sharp, deadly dagger. She wielded the dagger in her hand, a dark look on her face. She walked out of her room, not bothering to lock the door shut again. She bent over, shoved the crown back into the satchel and draped the satchel over her shoulder. She had to find Rapunzel, before it was too late.
Rapunzel's mother rushed back down the stairwell. There was no point in running right now; she first had to figure out where Rapunzel had gone, where she was now and who she was with. She knew for sure Rapunzel would at least be traveling with the thief on the wanted sign. Would he hurt her? Would he change her mind about the world? Were there many people with her? Questions raced through her mind, imagining the worst. She pulled her hood over her head as she exited the tower, dagger in hand. She walked out of the cove and began to search the area for any signs of Rapunzel's escape. After a minute she found a set of tracks in mud. They weren't Rapunzel's, she never wore shoes, and these were a much bigger shoe size that even her mother's. It must have been the thieves. Her eyes narrowed and she followed the tracks. Every once in a while, she would make out the drag marks of what was presumably Rapunzel's hair.
For a while, Rapunzel's mother circled the area; following the trail of light footprints until she finally came across two pairs of tracks and something the frightened her even more than Rapunzel's sudden disappearance. In the forest ahead, a large, random tree appeared to be completely frozen, encased in several thick layers of ice. Nothing natural could have done this, not even a horrific blizzard in mid-winter. Her eyes widened in horror as scenarios began to run though her head. Had they come across someone else, some kind of creature; a super being or a sorcerer? A spirit, maybe? She began to grow deeply worried. Ice was an incredibly dangerous power, and a dark one, too; sure it could be used for wonder and joy, but it was deadly, unpredictable, and most of all, uncontrollable. Anxiety burning in her veins, she glanced around the frozen tree and noticed not two, but three sets of tracks, the third set surrounded by small patches of ice. However, as much as she wanted to continue to follow those tracks, she needed to rest. It was completely dark out and the moon had been covered by dark clouds. Tomorrow would be a long day of tracking and finding Rapunzel. She reluctantly sat down beside a nearby tree and quickly fell asleep, preparing for the next day.
The next morning, Rapunzel's mother woke up at the crack of dawn, rising with the sun. She was well rested and eager to get ahead while Rapunzel was hopefully still asleep somewhere in the forest. She quickly grabbed an apple from the wooden food basket that Rapunzel had given her before she left. She placed the sharp dagger in the basket, stood to her feet, eating the apple, and began following the tracks.
Hours had passed since Rapunzel's mother had begun tracking the small group and she still hadn't found them. How far away could Rapunzel have gotten? They clearly weren't taking a horse. How long did Rapunzel wait before she left the tower? Just after her? She was preoccupied with her thoughts when she ran straight into a tree's branch. "Agh." She groaned, holding a hand to her head. She glared at the soft-barked tree for a fraction of a second when a smell in the surrounding forest demanded her attention. She quickly recognized the strong scent and her hand dropped slowly to her side as she searched the trees for the source. After a minute, she found it. Almost completely hidden by several grouped trees, was a pile of ash and charcoal. Rapunzel's mother cautiously approached the fire pit, glancing around for people nearby, and examined the pit. She held her hand above the coals and realized it was still warm, as if it had just been put out. Her heart began to race with excitement.
She glanced around the camp, taking note of the disturbed dirt and dented grass where three people slept against the trees. She nodded to herself with content; she was closing in on them. She slowly backed out of the now abandoned camp and glanced around, searching for which way they had gone. However, something other than footprints caught her eye and she silently walked over to an adjacent tree. The grass around it was completely smashed and she could see strange markings in the mud around the area. Track marks? Whatever it was, it had large round feet that heavily dented in the ground and four talons, or was it claws? Three of the claws faced forward while the fourth strayed off to the side in an almost thumb-like way. She walked back to the tree and found a smaller dent in the grass where perhaps a fourth person had slept. Her eyes widened in horror.
Her heart began to race inside her chest. She had never wanted Rapunzel to be near anyone else, besides herself, of course; but a thief, an ice sorcerer and someone with a massive creature was definitely not what she wanted Rapunzel with. She needed to find Rapunzel before something awful happened to her. She stood straighter and quickly scanned the area for now five sets of tracks. It took no more time than a single heartbeat for her to find the trail. Her face grew cold, her jaw set. "I should have seen this coming." She grumbled to herself, following the footprints. "I never should have left." She added as she paused mid-stride just long enough to grab a black object on the forest floor. She flipped the object around in her hands as she continued walking. The object was about as big as her eye and a perfect circle. It was jet black, smooth surfaced, yet hard and unbreakable. She pondered to herself about what it was when she realized there were more objects scattered across the trail, following the beast's marks. Scales! That's what they were. The beast with Rapunzel must be some kind of black reptile. Rapunzel's mother grinned as she finally put the pieces together and shoved the black scale into the satchel that was strapped across her body.
About half an hour later, she caught sight of something in the distance and was nearly completely filled with glee at the glimpse of the last several feet of Rapunzel's long blonde hair in the forest ahead. She had found them. She quickly decided to slip off the side of the dirt road she was on and into the coverage of the trees. She followed to the right of the dirt road, going unseen, until she encountered a massive building in the middle of the forest. She quirked an eyebrow at the place, but continued towards it, knowing Rapunzel was in there.
She was only a few hundred feet away from the building when a noise off to her left caused her to freeze in place. She turned around in time to see a massive black creature lumber off into the woods opposite of her. The beast's scaled skin was the same jet black as the scale she picked up earlier. Her eyes widened dramatically once she realized that the beast wasn't just some random creature, but a stealthy dragon. Horror shot through her body like a deer trapped in a forest fire.
"C'mon bud!" A boy's voice echoed through the woods. She glanced around the forest, quickly spotting a frail, brown-haired boy who stood beside the creature. The dragon, walking on all fours, glanced up at the boy, cooed and sat on its hind legs, now towering over him. "You can't go in there." The boy spoke to the dragon. A 'harrumph' returned in reply.
Rapunzel's mother finally shook off her horror and quietly and quickly snuck through the woods, around the horses tied to posts at the front of the building. After a minute of silence, a sudden racket from inside the building sent the dragon boy running to the small front door, his prosthetic leg clicking against the gravel. Her eyebrows pulled up with worry at the sound and she quickly walked up to the building, searching for a window to look through. After a minute of searching, she found a closed one and pried it open in time to watch in horror as Rapunzel climbed up on a table and began to sing to the crowd around her. Rapunzel's mother also noticed the thief and the dragon boy in the building.
"I just want to see the floating lanterns gleam!" Her beautiful voice rang. "And with every passing hour, im so glad I left my tower!" She continued. Her mother's body grew stiff at the stab that was sent to her cold heart. She definitely should have never left Rapunzel alone in that tower. She was so suddenly caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the sound of a dozen men approaching the building, twigs snapping underneath their feet.
However, a sudden silence seeped into her thought process and she glanced up in time to hear the dragon nearby growl as she watched Rider, the thief on the wanted poster, pull on Rapunzel's arm. That's when Rapunzel's mother realized that palace guards had surrounded the building. "Where's Rider? Where is he?" A guard called. She took a step backwards, startled. Guards had flowed into the building, searching for the thief. She couldn't see Rapunzel anywhere. Where had she gone?
She began to worriedly search the building for her precious flower. However, a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she hopefully glanced at the wooden wall on the left, noticing a large opening in it. A small glimpse of long blonde hair sent her heart racing with glee. Rapunzel was taking a secret passage! She was leaving this horrible place and escaping the guards… with the thief. She frowned again.
Rapunzel's mother began to think hard about where the passage ends when the dragon boy scrambled out of the snuggly duckling and sprinted across the area to his dragon in the surrounding forest. He set a few gears on the dragon's saddle and mounted the creature. She watched in awe as the beast crouched to the ground, pushed off and launched itself through the trees and into the sky. After a minute, she thought about what she was going to do when her thoughts were interrupted for a second time by a short man who walked out the front door of the Snuggly Duckling singing dazedly. "I got a dream, I got some dreams, I-" He stopped singing at the sight of her. She placed a closed fist on her left hip in annoyance. "Oooooh, somebody get me a glass, 'cause I just found me a tall drink of water." He leaned against the door panel.
She placed a hand across her chest in a flirtatious way. "Oh, stop you big lug." She chuckled before her face dropped and she pulled out her deadly dagger, driving the sharp point into his large, red nose. "Where's that tunnel led out?" She demanded.
"Knife!" He froze in shock.
"I said: Where's that tunnel led out?" She demanded again when he didn't respond, driving the dagger further into his round nose.
The sudden pain brought him back to his senses. "Uh… uh, uh…" He stuttered. "T-the t-tunnel lets out southwest of here, p-past the dam!" He rushed the words.
Her eyes narrowed in a smug kind of way and her back straightened, the dagger's sharp tip releasing the short man. He quickly scrambled back into the snuggly duckling, fearing his life. She slowly placed the dagger back in the food basket and pulled the maroon hood over her curly black hair. She began walking, in a sudden hurry to catch up with Rapunzel and her strange group.
An hour later, she finally found the tunnel's exit. It was in the hallow of a wide tree and had a hatch in the ground, baring the Snuggly Duckling symbol. She quietly passed several large boulders, pulling out the dagger once more. If she caught the group here, she would take out as many of them as she could. She was almost to the hatch when a bunch of coughing from inside sent her fleeing behind the boulders. From behind the boulders, she watched two large men emerge from the hatch. They were built strong and wore black and blue clothes. They had ginger-red hair, bushy sideburns, long, pointed chins; thick, crooked noses; bushy red eyebrows, scars across their faces and one had a black eye patch. They were completely soaked with water and were uncontrollably coughing.
The first one bent over in exhaustion, letting the water drip off his long face. "I'll kill 'im. I'll kill that Rider!" This caught her attention.
The second one stood. "We'll cut him off at the kingdom and get the crown. C'mon!" They began walking in the opposite direction. It took her only a split second to connect the dots. She needed those men on her side.
"Boys!" She called in her tenor sing-song voice. The men halted in their tracks and turned to find her standing on the boulders. "Perhaps you want to stop acting like wild dogs chasing their tails and think for a moment." She continued in her sing song voice and held up the satchel. Shock crossed their faces and they drew their swords, prepared to fight for the crown inside. "Oh-ho, please, there's no need for that." She tossed the satchel down to them. The two men fought over the satchel for a moment before they both tore open the top flap, finding the crown inside.
"Well, if that's all that you desire then be on your way. I was going to offer you something worth one thousand crowns, would have made you rich beyond belief and that wasn't even the best part, hoho, oh well, C'est la vie. Enjoy your crown!" She took a step as if to go.
"What's the best part?" The second one asked in a child-like voice.
"It comes with revenge on Flynn Rider." She turned around with the wanted poster of Rider in her hands. The men grinned evilly at each other.
"You have our attention, ma' 'am." The first man stepped forward, showing he was all 'ears'.
"Oh, please, call me Mother Gothel." She steadily slid down the boulders to stand in front of him.
"Pleased to meet you, Gothel. I'm Prince Damien Stabbington Westergard of the Southern Isles, and this is my twin brother Derek." The first man shook her small hand.
Derek stepped forward, a thoughtful look on his long face. "You clearly know our business with Rider; mind I ask, what has he done to you?" Straight-forward; she liked that.
Gothel gave a shy smile. "He kidnapped a child that I stole." The Stabbington brothers glanced at each other, understanding what it was like to have something you stole stolen from you. However, they had seen a girl at the dam with Rider, but who knows if they had survived the dam bursting.
"You mean the long, blonde-haired girl that was with Rider at the dam?" Damien responded. Gothel nodded in reply. "I take it you don't know that the dam burst?"
Shock pierced its way through her. "What?!" She knew exactly what he was implying. Rapunzel could be dead. "How?"
"A stupid palace horse knocked over a supporting beam. The entire canyon filled with water." Damien informed her. She nodded thoughtfully, that explained why they were soaked.
Derek stepped forward. "We should probably start searching for Rider and the girl; if they survived the dam, they have a huge start."
"They couldn't be too far from the dam," Gothel spoke, hopeful. "Night is upon us, they'll have to set up camp." The brothers nodded in agreement.
"They were headed North-West before the water hit them, I think they may have taken a passage to a nearby river." Derek added.
Gothel straightened. "They'll most likely be there. Let's find the river and follow it."
The trio automatically began walking north-west in the direction of the Corona River. With their quick paces, they found the wide river moments later and followed the length of it; until a frightening noise echoed through the forest, halting them in their tracks.
"What. Was. That?" Derek asked.
"That, boys, was a dragon." Gothel responded with determination in her voice, unafraid of a fire breathing reptile. A deadly silence shot across the forest as a human-like scream echoed around them, followed by another deafening roar.
"A…Dragon?" Damien replied in disbelief. "I thought they were only legends."
She shook her head grimly. "Not anymore." The brothers slowly drew their swords. "Let's keep going; we're almost there."
"How do you know?" The brothers asked simultaneously.
"Because the owner of that dragon is with Rider and the girl. Trust me, I've been tracking them for a day and a half." She informed them.
The Stabbington brothers grew silent, unsure of what to think or how to reply. The roars and human-like screams continued to echo through the forest as the trio continued to trek through the trees, growing louder as they drew closer. However, as they continued trekking, a minute later, a high-pitched scream sent a hair-raising shiver down the Stabbington brothers' backs and they halted in place, swords swaying in their unsteady hands.
"Exactly how big is that dragon?" Derek asked, losing his cool.
Gothel stopped and turned to face him, annoyance breaking though her poker face. "It's only about as long as the trees are tall, but stands about four feet off the ground. We could easily take it down if we needed to." She responded.
Derek relaxed a little, relieved that it wasn't nearly as big as he thought. With their fears put to rest for now, they began to walking with silence between them. There was one last solitary roar before an eerie silence echoed through the never ending forest. Damien glanced around cautiously, uncomfortable with the silence; before he caught sight of something off in the distance. "Look!" He pointed in its direction. Not far off the river's shore ahead was the faint orange glow of a campfire. She grinned. They'd found them.
The trio slowly snuck into the tree line, out of sight. They grew as silent as the forest was, taking careful steps in an attempt to go unheard and they crouched to the ground as they drew closer, stopping only a few paces before the camp. Gothel hid behind several thick bushes, soon followed by the Stabbington brothers, and they peered down at the group in the camp below. Mother Gothel was surprised to find only Rapunzel and Rider. Rider squatted beside the campfire, tweaking the wood in certain places; meanwhile, Rapunzel stood nearby, ringing out her long wet hair.
Once Rapunzel had finished drying out her hair, she softly spoke, glancing into the woods ahead of her. "I hope they are alright; they've been gone for a while." She began to pace around the area, keeping her distance from the fire to protect her hair.
Rider glanced up from the blazing fire and at her, slowly standing to his feet. "I'm sure they are alright," He thought for a moment. "Tell ya what, If they aren't back in ten minutes, then we'll go search for them; okay?"
Rapunzel relaxed a little, the tension leaving her body, and she lightly sat on a large nearby tree's root, staring into the fire to calm herself more. "Okay." She replied. Rider silently sat on her right side on the root and gripped at his hand, glancing into the forest for any sight of their missing group members.
Gothel's narrow eyebrows furrowed together in frustration. It pained her to see Rapunzel getting along with Rider so easily. Damien glanced down at her, a questioning look on his long face and he motioned toward the camp with a nod. Her face hardened and she lightly shook her head in response. If they took them now, they could be caught by the missing group members. It took him a minute to realize why she had told him 'no'.
A sudden high-pitched noise broke Gothel's concentration and she glanced up in time to watch the black dragon dive out of the darkening sky and land lightly on all fours beside the fire. Rapunzel and Rider lurched to their feet, startled. Derek staggered a step back in surprise.
"Hiccup!" Rapunzel gasped. "Where's Jack?" She rushed over to the beast as its owner dismounted the creature, greeting her. The dragon had an expression that could only be described as ashamed.
"He's fine. But there's something I need to tell you guys; we may have a new group member." The dragon boy responded as his dragon gave Rapunzel a gummy smile.
Rapunzel gasped contently. "Really?!"
Gothel felt the blood drain from her face and her body tensed with anger. Another group member meant it was only going to become harder to retrieve Rapunzel and take out Rider.
Damien scowled underneath his breath. "We should had seized them when we got here, now we'll all have to wait until they are all asleep." Gothel gave a slow nod, thinking of ways to separate them from the group. However, after coming up with nothing, she could only hope that they would go to sleep soon; she could not risk having Rapunzel in the outside world another day.
The dragon boy nodded eagerly, a smile lighting up his pale face. "I think you guys will like her." Gothel was a t least relieved that this new group member was not another man. Three men to one girl were enough as it was, but four was way too many. "They should be here any minute." The boy added. Rapunzel nodded thoughtfully and sat back down on the root. The boy sat on her other side as his dragon lay down on the grass adjacent to him. However, the dragon turned its head to the fire, glancing at its dying flames. The tired creature cracked up its jaws just wide enough to shoot out a small fireball into the dying camp fire, setting it ablaze once more. Satisfied, the dragon lowered its head onto its front legs and waited patiently.
In the distance, Gothel could make out the sound of what seemed like rolling thunder; however, she knew it wasn't. There hadn't been a single cloud in the sky that day, let alone a thunderstorm. There could only be one explanation for the sound; if it wasn't a storm, it was a horse and most likely a powerful one by the deep thundering sound it made.
After a slow minute, the sound began to grow louder and Gothel's heart began to race in horror. It sounded too loud to be just one horse. Was it palace guards? Finally, the sound gradually slowed until it could barely be heard in the surrounding forest, no louder than a snap; a single click was heard every few seconds. A deep whinny echoed through the trees. In the corner of her eye, Gothel could see Rider stiffen up. From behind the bushes, Gothel remained silent and wearily watched as two people emerged from the dense forest. Her suspicions were confirmed when a massive black horse with white stockings emerged behind the two people, led by the reigns that were strapped to its enormous head. Gothel nodded to herself, glad it wasn't palace guards. Damien let out a slow breath.
Gothel peered down at the group, silent as a hawk. Rapunzel glanced up as the pair entered the camp, a smile lighting up her beautiful face. The dragon's head shot up and it gave them a gummy smile. The new member, a girl with wild red hair and bow and arrows strapped to her waist, laughed at the beast.
"Took you long enough." The dragon boy teased, standing to his feet.
The girl glanced up at him, a light smile fighting its way on to her lips. "Aye, Angus may be eh faest horse, bu' 'e esna as faest as yer dragon." She shrugged, her Scottish accent ringing through the camp. Her horse neighed and she patted his nose. "Easy laddie."
The dragon boy gestured to Rapunzel and Rider. "Merida, these are our friends," Gothel tensed at the word. "Rapunzel and Fly-er, Eugene." Gothel's eyebrows pulled together and she glanced wildly at Damien, who glanced at Derek. Derek shrugged, just as bewildered as they were.
"Punzie, you didn't fix his hand?" A boy asked from the other side of the camp fire, his strange white hair gleaming in the light. Gothel felt the blood drain from her face once more. Rapunzel had shown her powers.
"Huh? Oh. No, I forgot." Rapunzel replied.
"What?" Rider looked up.
"It doesn't just glow, remember?" She responded, holding up a strand of hair.
Behind Gothel, Damien and Derek glanced at each other; dark smiled forming on their long faces. This girl had a talent like no other. A talent worth more than revenge on Flynn rider, worth more than the crown. They could be the richest princes in the land. They could prove their parents wrong about them, finally after all these awful years! Damien nodded and they slowly turned their heads to face the camp. They needed the one called Rapunzel.
"Just don't… Don't freak out." Rapunzel quietly spoke, apprehensive. She glanced around the group, making sure they wouldn't freak out, too. She slowly sat up, closed her green eyes and began to sing a short song. "Flower gleam and glow." Her blonde hair began to glow a brilliant gold at the roots, looking just about as warm as the nearby fire. "Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse; bring back what once was mine." The glow spread down the length of her hair. "Heal what has been hurt, change the fates design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine, what once was mine." The brilliant glow quickly receded from her hair and she cracked open her green eyes, glancing at the group around her.
Damien and Derek glanced at each other. Her hair glowed, but did it really heal? They squinted back at the camp to get a better look as Rider unwound the hair around his hand. They grinned at each other when they saw the healed wound, now fresh, perfect skin; like nothing had ever happened. However, Rider was completely losing his cool and nearly shouted out in shock, but Rapunzel stopped him by saying "Don't freak out!"
Rider began to talk very quickly and rocked himself back and forth, fighting his oncoming melt down. "How long has it been doing that exactly?" Was all they could make out.
Gothel tensed, preparing herself for the answer. "Uh, forever I guess." Rapunzel began, sighing. Her face slowly grew serious. "When I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted it for themselves. But, once it's cut," She pulled back her blonde hair, revealing a very short strand of brown hair. "It turns brown and loses its power. A gift like that," She explained, stroking a piece of hair. "It has to be protected." She paused. "That's why I never left the-" She cut off, unable to finish.
"-You never left that tower." Rider finished her sentence, finally understanding. After a short pause, he asked. "And you're still going back?"
"No!" Rapunzel spoke abruptly before her face became torn and she added. "Yes. Ugh. It's complicated." She hid her face in her hands. By now, Mother Gothel's blood had run cold. Sudden hatred sent her heart racing and her eyebrows pulled together, her lips forming a narrow line. Not only had Rapunzel disobeyed her orders and left her tower, she had now shown both her powers and her weakness. Gothel should have grabbed her before it was too late; now Rapunzel will not voluntarily return to the tower, not unless something happens to her. Gothel straightened at the thought.
However, just as a plan began forming in her head, Derek interrupted Gothel's concentration. "Look! They're leaving." He pointed out the new girl and the dragon boy, dragon at his side, as they left the camp, heading down the river. The trio glanced down as the other boy with white hair, outdated brown clothes and an awkward walking stick, stood and spoke to Rider and Rapunzel.
"I'm going to get some sleep. You guys should, too; it could be a long day tomorrow." He spoke. Damien and Derek straightened.
"Alright." Rapunzel bid him good-night. Gothel watched the boy grip his staff and walk over to an adjacent tree, where he sat and fell asleep. After a moment, Rider rose to his feet, clearing his throat.
"Ahem. Well, I should, um… I, I should… I should get some more firewood." He informed Rapunzel, who dismissed him with a nod. He turned to leave and began walking into the forest.
Gothel abruptly turned around and faced the Stabbington brothers, a plan completely formed in her head. The brothers started, caught off guard by the sudden movement. "I have a plan." She spoke. They quirked their eyebrows, almost in a 'this better be good' manner. "I am going to go down there and convince Rapunzel to come with me, when Rider returns and realizes that she's gone, he will look for her because he wants the satchel. We can grab him then." The Stabbington brothers glanced at each other and nodded, agreeing with her plan; even though they had their own.
Gothel silently crouched to the ground and walked down the small hill to the camp below. Once she was out of hearing range, Derek turned to Damien and spoke in a low voice. "How are we going to get the girl?" Damien's thick eyebrows pulled together and he thought hard. Derek glanced back at the camp ground in time to see Gothel appear behind Rapunzel.
"Well! I'd thought they'd never leave!" She broke the silence.
Rapunzel turned around, startled. "Mother?!" Her eyes widened.
"Hello dear." Gothel replied, pushing back the hood that concealed her rapidly greying hair.
Gothel approached Rapunzel and hugged her in an unbreathable hug. Rapunzel stuttered. "But I, I, I, I don't, uh… how did you find me?" She took on her mother's sunken eyes and fallen cheeks, which showed signs of rapid aging. She looked twenty years older.
"Oh, it was easy really. I just listened to the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that."
"Mother-"
"We're going home, Rapunzel. Now."
Damien and Derek glanced at each other, a hint of a smile on their long faces. They knew exactly what Rapunzel's response would be. They didn't have to hear the phrase to know that Gothel had lost the girl; it would take a miracle to force the girl back home. "No!" The atmosphere around them changed. The forest grew unnaturally dark and a bitter wind made itself known. A fog set in and peering through the forest became impossible. This, this was Gothel's response. The twins automatically concluded that she was a witch and not the good kind either.
"No? Oh." Gothel's face grew dark. "I see how it is. Rapunzel knows best. Rapunzel's so mature now. Such a clever grown up miss. Rapunzel knows best. Fine, if you're so sure now; go ahead and give him this!" She tossed the crown and satchel to Rapunzel. After a minute, Gothel finished off with a dramatic exit. "If he's lying, don't come crying! Mother knows best!" She wrapped herself in her dark cloak and vanished into thin air.
Damien and Derek glanced around, shocked. Where had she gone? Damien suddenly had an idea about how to get the girl. "Act like we didn't see what just happened." He ordered his brother. "Pretend we are still after Rider." Derek nodded unquestioningly. A few seconds later, a sound came from behind them and they whirled around, swords drawn in anticipation.
Before them, Gothel stood, cloaked in her dark cape, fury revealing itself in every inch of her. However, she appeared to be oblivious to their presence. Hostile frustration raced its way through her veins. The Stabbington brothers watched in fascination as several strands of her raven black hair abruptly faded to a light grey. She was aging rapidly. That's when they realized why she needed the girl. She had been using her to stay young; without the girl, she would die within days. The brothers' grim expressions reflected her own, just another part of their act.
"Where's Rider?" Damien spoke, breaking her train of thought.
"I'm working on it." She scowled up at him. The twins' faces grew tighter and their eyes narrowed.
"What could possibly be so complicated?" Derek stepped forward, towering over her.
Gothel took a bewildered step back, keeping her distance. "Remember, it's not just about Rider; I am after the girl, too." She reminded them. The brothers glanced at each other, slight irritation making itself known.
"Then let's just charge in on their camp and take them." Damien replied with a stern tone.
"We can't!" Gothel responded, frustration building up in her tenor voice. The brothers quirked an eyebrow. "There are others nearby, they would hear the commotion."
Damien scowled in frustration. Derek began to silently pace. Gothel smirked, trying to come up with a new plan. She approached an adjacent tree and glowered down at the camp below. An unnatural darkness loomed in the air around the trio and she silently thought to herself. The Stabbington brothers shifted uncomfortably.
Gothel's eyebrows pulled together upon catching sight of the other boy at the camp. Before, she hadn't even bothered to question his dark white hair. But now, as she stood above the camp, she realized it was odd for a boy his age to have hair that color and she glanced over him as he slept against a tree. She noted his extremely outdated clothes, his bare feet and his staff, which had an almost clear white part around the center of it. Her lips formed a rigid line. No... Not a boy. She began putting two and two together. She slowly began to pace. The style of clothes he wore had not been seen in Corona since the time of exploration began, which was decades ago. The simple clothes followed the conquistadors to the new land where they stayed. This boy was either from a different time period, or the new land.
Strangely, the boy wore no shoes. Perhaps he was a nomad? She glanced back at his staff, looking at the clear stuff on it. It wasn't clear, white stuff; it was covered in ice! Ice! No, not a boy. A spirit!
"Come on, let's grab Rider; I'm tired of waiting!" Damien stepped forward, breaking her train of thought.
Gothel's arm shot out, halting the brothers in their tracks. "Patience boys. Good things come to those who wait." She finally knew what she had to do. "Follow me." She abruptly turned around and headed in the opposite direction of the camp. The twins quirked an eyebrow. "Come, come." She urged them over her shoulder. They hesitantly followed. There were few spirits in the world, let alone a spirit with ice powers. It took her less than a minute to put a name to that spirit. Gothel continued walking further into the forest. They must have traveled almost a mile into the gloomy forest when she abruptly stopped and turned to face the brothers; however, before they could even utter a word, Gothel knelt to the ground, pulling objects out of her cloak's hidden pockets. She quickly placed a wrinkled piece of paper on the forest floor and painted a single red dot in the center of it, with the help of paint jar that was in one of her pockets. She surrounded the paper with five candles and lit them. Finally, she took a single sewing needle and threaded it with red wool.
"What are you doing?!" Derek broke the eerie silence.
Gothel glanced up. "I must summon a spirit."
The brothers stepped back in shock. "Why?!" Damien demanded. They officially thought she had lost it now. Or was she just that desperate?
"Only a spirit can dispose of another spirit." She responded. "Silence." She ordered and held up the red wool, dangling the needle over the red dot on the paper. She closed her eyes and began rotating the needle clockwise. "I call upon the spirit of Pitch Black." She spoke clearly. An abrupt, howling wind broke through the trees, chilling the brothers to the bone. It blew around them in a tight circle, almost forming a portal. "I call upon the spirit of Pitch Black." She repeated. The five lit candles blew out, leaving them in a horrifying, unnatural darkness. Fog filled the surrounding trees. "I call upon the spirit of Pitch Black." She repeated one last time.
Like thunder, a sound ripped through the area and the needle in Gothel's hand stopped moving. Her wide eyes flashed open and she dropped the object, scrambling to her feet. She staggered back as a black fog appeared above the piece of paper, growing in size until it built up into an almost cylindrical form that was seven feet tall. The Stabbington brothers drew their swords. The wind slowly died down and the fog ascended from the trees.
"Who dares summon me like a dog?!" A low, ragged voice growled as a dark form rose off the ground, stepping out of the ascending fog. Gothel slowly bowed, her arms spread out from her side in a respective kind of way. Her head bowed as well.
"Pitch." She breathed, slowly standing up again. "Old friend, I would not dare summon you, unless in great need."
The spirit peered down at her. He was an extremely tall man, towering over the trio at a staggering seven feet. He would be hard to miss. His face was unlike any other. It was narrow and long. He had sharp cheekbones and a long, round chin. He had thin black lips; grey, jagged teeth; an anchor-shaped nose, and narrow eyes. His wide irises shown a brilliant gold; and dark shadows hid most of his long face. He had no eyebrows and his raven black hair was uneven and brushed up and back. His ears were funky shaped and he had a long, wide neck. He had broad shoulders, thin arms; thin, long legs, and a lean torso. He wore a long black robe that appeared to be made of some thick material. It's sleeves went down to his thin wrists and the bottom of the robe dragged along the ground behind him. Beneath his jet black robe, his legs were concealed by black tights-like pants. At the end of his thin wrists were long, paper thin hands. His skin was a deathly grey.
"Ah," His low, ragged voice echoed through the surrounding forest. "You know, Gothel, I'm almost disappointed you didn't summon me because you missed me." He chuckled darkly.
Gothel gave him a teasing, seductive smile. "You could have come to visit me on your own." She placed a hand on her hip as he slowly stalked toward her, his golden eyes glinting in the darkness. Derek glanced at Damien, giving him a 'gag' look. Damien chuckled under his breath.
"I was busy these past couple of years." His cold voice sent shivers down the twins' spines. "Though I do have to say, you've looked better. Did something happen to your precious flower-child?" He took a minute to glance down the length of her rapidly aging body.
"That child grew up and ran away from home." She replied bitterly.
"I warned you that that child would be trouble." He crossed his arms teasingly.
"Don't get me started." She grumbled under her breath. "You look awful as well, what happened to you?" She motioned to the bags under his bright eyes and the way his tall form looked so crippled, so frail.
Pitch ground his crooked teeth together. "I lost the war against the guardians." Gothel clucked her tongue. There was a slight pause. "Tell me you didn't summon me here just because you lost the girl." He quickly changed the subject.
Gothel quirked an eyebrow at the sudden subject change, but answered. "Actually, no. I already know where she is; but I've run into a slight problem." She nodded to the Stabbington brothers. "Boys, lead the way." The brothers quickly led the way, eager to get this over with.
"A problem?" Pitch asked, quickly catching up with Gothel. "Gothel, what could possibly be stumping you?" He added, walking beside her.
"It's hard to explain," She began. "But my flower seems to have made a whole bunch of new friends in the short time she's been gone." Gothel paused, waiting for some kind of reaction from him. When he didn't react, she added. "Rather unusual friends, and I need help disposing of them. She's befriended a thief, a dragon rider, and an archer." Pitch walked beside her with his head slightly bowed in thought, his arms crossed at the wrists behind his back. The skin where his eyebrows would be, reckon he had any, pulled together. As they drew closer to the camp, Gothel continued in a low voice. "And one of them is a spirit; from the future."
That single phrase caught his attention in a heartbeat. His head shot up, his bright golden eyes sparking with hatred. "A spirit?" His hollow voice sent a shiver down Gothel's spine. When she didn't answer, Pitch thought to himself, contemplating. For hundreds of years, he had thought that he was the only spirit who could travel through time; but apparently he was wrong. Who could it be? He shook his head in denial. It must be sandman, Pitch concluded; after all, he had similar powers to Pitch, surely he could travel through light, just as Pitch could travel through shadows. The only other way to travel in time was if you were summoned. Or was there another way?
Ahead of the pair, the Stabbington brothers stopped and wearily glanced back at them. Gothel glanced up at Pitch, who stared down at her, and nodded, telling him that they were here.
Pitch let out an almost inaudible sigh and glanced away from Gothel and past the brothers. The faint glow of a campfire ahead caught his attention and he slowly stalked forward, hidden by darkness. Gothel followed in his shadow, standing by his side, at a distance, that is; she prepared for what was next, what would his reaction be?
He scanned the relatively large camp below, taking in its inhabitants. It took him no longer than a split second to recognize Gothel's flower-child; however, he didn't know the other three. One was a tall man who slept with his head propped up on a rock; another was a short, lanky boy who sat, leaning against a large black dragon, and the third was a girl with wild red hair that tended to her massive black horse. After a minute of glancing around, Pitch nearly turned to Gothel to ask which one was the spirit when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
Pitch held his breath in anticipation as his head turned to get a better glimpse of the flash of white that had caught his attention. It was then, that he knew. On the edge of the camp, a person laid against a tree, his white hair peeking out. No, not just a spirit, a guardian. The guardian he despised most. Jack Frost.
Pitch's face grew hard as a bone chilling darkness filled the forest. His bright golden eyes sparked in fury, like a raging fire. Hatred raced through his black veins and his crooked, grey teeth ground together. His grey hands clinched into bone-white fists. "Frost?!" A snarl broke through his ground teeth, echoing through the forest. The horse below whinnied in horror. He turned to face Gothel. "How did Frost get here?!"
Mother Gothel staggered back a step, surprised by his reaction. "I… I-I… I don't know." She stuttered. "Rapunzel couldn't have possible summoned him and the only spirit I summon is you! Besides, I'm the only witch within a hundred miles!"
Pitch gave a slow nod, understanding. Frost couldn't have gotten here through a witch. He began to pace around the small area. He calmed down after a slow minute and faced Gothel once more. "Frost is the reason I lost the war against the guardians. It was only a year ago, just before he became a guardian. At full strength, I had attacked the guardians, but underestimated Frost. A mistake that cost me everything." He paused. "Only a surprise attack can take out Frost, but I still haven't gained full strength." Gothel nodded thoughtfully, and began pacing once more.
There was a long silence that enveloped the group as they began to think about the situation they were in. The Westergard brothers contemplated how they were going to get Rapunzel. They now knew that Pitch would conserve all of his energy to save it for the inevitable attack on Frost, so he wouldn't help them, nor stop them. Their main problem was Gothel. They didn't even have to ask to know that she would do anything to get Rapunzel back, even if it required murder. They would either have to trick her or split from the group, grab Rapunzel and run until they could not be found. Perhaps flee to the Southern Isles.
Pitch, on the other hand, wasn't concentrating on Frost at all. In fact, he was actually doing what he did best, listening to fear. He didn't have to read minds to know what everyone was thinking, he could tell by their fears. The Stabbington brothers feared being caught by Gothel. He automatically concluded that they were going behind Gothel's back about something. Gothel feared she would never get Rapunzel back in time; she feared death.
Pitch's back straightened and he silently stepped forward, peering down at the camp below. He glanced at a sleeping Rapunzel and 'read' that her fear was never seeing the floating lanterns and having to return to her isolated tower. He glanced at the man adjacent to her and read that he feared others knowing his real identity, and being caught for his crimes. Surely he was the thief. He continued glancing around the camp. The girl with wild red hair feared being forced to marry and return home. The dragon boy feared never being good enough and being forever alone. And finally, Jack. Jack feared losing his friends and fighting against Pitch. Pitch smirked smugly.
Gothel had a lot on her mind, but she decided to voice it, mainly to Pitch; who would surely understand. "I'm… I'm not sure if this applies to our situation, but years ago, I once heard a prophecy. At the time, I didn't pay much attention to it; but I've now connected a few phrases."
This caught Pitch's attention and he silently walked over to her. "What was it?"
Gothel breathed. "A flash of white, a crack in the ice. A dark monster awakes. Four worlds collide, a pair of star-crossed lovers; a seven year bloodshed. A sorely won victory. Four will fall. Six will rise."
Pitch bowed his head in thought and slowly spoke. "A flash of white symbolizes the birth of a spirit. The flash comes from the moon, who chooses who becomes a spirit and who becomes a guardian. I can only assume the crack in the ice symbolizes Frost's place of birth as a spirit, he drowned in a frozen lake when he saved his little sister from the same fate." He thought hard for a long moment. "A dark monster awakes must mean me and how you summoned me out of my dark state." He broke down the prophecy.
"Dreams come true. That must be referring to Rapunzel's dreams of seeing the floating lanterns in two days." Gothel added.
"I think only time will tell the rest, it seems to move in chronological order. We still have to find out the rest: 'A pair of star-crossed lovers. A seven bloodshed, a sorely won victory. Four will fall. Six will rise.'" Pitch finished. Gothel nodded thoughtfully. The Westergard brothers glanced at each other. They would have to split from the group soon if they wanted to take the girl and still have their heads.
"What are we going to do about Rapunzel and Frost?" Gothel spoke after several silent minutes.
Pitch's golden eyes sparked in the darkness as the eerie blackness made it nearly impossible to see. He was regaining his strength, finally, after all this time. "I have an idea." A chilling wind blew through the forest.
