A/N: Hello dear readers! Wahh what a long wait. Life has just been crazy. But I swear I never stopped thinking about this story and am still obsessed with it. More to come soon (hopefully).
9. A weakness of his
Rapunzel held her breath as Flynn hoisted her into the air. She looked truly happy, giggling and crying in delight, as he lifted her above his head and span her around.
High above the other guests, and tipsy with an array of poison in her veins, she noticed something off-putting.
Two large identical men sneered to her as they were seated at the bar. They stood out sorely. Neither one showed any trace of gratitude and looked rather like they were attending a funeral.
Flynn let her back down on the dance floor, surrounded by shouts of laughter and celebration, it took him a moment to realize something was the matter with her.
"What is it?" he asked as she was still looking off in the direction of the men. They had yet to break their menacing glare.
"I- uh, I need a drink," she lied.
He nodded and lead her to a near by table. Careful not to be completely obvious, she glanced past Flynn to the bar only to see the odd pair were still just as hostile appearing as before.
"Flynn?"
"Yes?"
"Do you… Know those men?"
His heart dropped at her words. Nothing good ever came from someone uttering that phrase to him.
He slowly turned his head to where she had glanced. It was then that his eyes locked with those of the red-headed brothers. He quickly looked away, ducking to a seat at the table.
"Shit," he cursed, his eyes glued to the ground.
"What?" she asked sitting down beside him.
He found it difficult to look her in the eye. Flynn knew this wasn't going to end well and at the moment he was hastily thinking over his options. None of which seeming to end with out a knife or pistol involved.
"I know them. Don't look at them."
"They've been starring at us, Flynn. Who are they?"
A hand covered his forehead in hopes that somehow they didn't recognize him...
"Well it's safe to assume that they don't like me."
"Why?"
"Blondie. As long as we're married it would be best for you to assume that most people don't like me."
She paused, her wide eyes looked past Flynn as she saw one of the brothers closing in on approaching them.
"Rider!" He called out in a gruff voice that made Flynn cower lower onto the table.
Rapunzel narrowed her brow to the man she once regarded as a hero from a book.
It was in the next moment that she realized she was left again to rely on the only person she ever could; herself.
In the next moment the man was standing beside them. He was tall, Rapunzel noted, taller than he looked from across the room.
Flynn cautiously looked up to meet him.
"Oh, hello there... um... how are you?"
The man slapped a large hand roughly onto Flynn's shoulder causing him to jump.
"I think you two need a drink. Won't you join us at the bar."
He asked the pair with a showy grin.
Rapunzel eyed Flynn as he looked to her. With a nod, he carefully got to his feet and she followed suit.
They walked across the room to the bar, while there were still a number of people seated near by, most were in the parlor enjoying the music.
They approached the other brother who had remained as stony as ever.
"Well than," began Flynn with a light air, "what brings you boys all the way out here on such short notice?"
Rapunzel looked up shyly to the second brother. This one possessed a gruesome scar over his eye. She quickly looked back to the floor and stood pressed against Flynn's arm.
"We only came to get a good look at your latest… Heist," said the man with the scar looking to Rapunzel. His eyes drank in her figure causing her skin to crawl. "Oh, yes. We'll remember her well."
What did that mean? Rapunzel didn't like the the sinister tone he had taken.
Flynn narrowed his brow putting his uncertain humorous approach aside.
"She's not apart of this."
The other brother looked to him, "She's your wife, ain't she? I hope she knows what she's getting herself into."
"And I thought we shared all the goods fifty fifty?"
The scared man took a step closer to Rapunzel. To her, it felt like an eternity as he stared down to her leaning closer and closer.
"Pretty little girl aren't you?"
Flynn was uncomfortable but powerless as the other brother stood a breath away. Any quick movements from him and a blade would be through his ribs. He could only stand frozen.
"With such beautiful hair…" Said the man raising a hand and inching it closer to her.
Her hair. It was the one thing that would send into fits of hysteria. And the thought of this large strange man about to touch was enough to send her back to a time long ago, when she was only a little girl.
Just as he was about to reach out for a strand of her hair, a large hand whooshed in and grabbed him roughly by the collar. The meaty arm belonged to none other than Vlad. Flynn looked on wide-eyed taking the brief moment of distraction to get a grip on the blade concealed on his belt.
"Leave," he spat in a guttural voice, "Now."
The red-haired man remained steely and unmoved. In the next moment, he shook from Vlad's grasp and backed away.
"I should have known," he said with a dry laugh looking back to Flynn, "You aren't man enough to finish your own battles."
With that, he nodded to his brother and the pair turned to leave. Flynn stared to their backs until they pushed their way out the brothel.
He still held his grip on his blade as he tried to gather his thoughts and evaluate what had just happened.
Meanwhile, Vlad looked down to Rapunzel, she was shaking and on the brink of tears. He took her by the arm and asked if she was all right.
She nodded, a hand covering her mouth. "I'm just- just a bit shaken is all."
She glanced to Flynn who was only still staring out the door, raking his brain, wondering what his next move should be.
Vlad guided her back to the party quickly finding Rosemary to offer her another glass of ale. It was then that the burly man turned his sights back to Flynn, and his sweet demeanor aptly changed.
Flynn, who had taken a seat at the bar, was unsettled by his judgmental glare.
"Do you have some sort of problem?" asked Flynn before being handed a dark bottle from the barkeep. Vlad narrowed his brow. "Protect her," he barked in a stern whisper, "because you don't want to know your fate if you should fail." Flynn was unmoved.
"You highlanders,"he shook his head, "always going on about fate."
Vlad suddenly grabbed him firmly by the shoulder. It wasn't violent but it was enough to fully captivate Flynn's attention.
"What do you think this is, Rider? Another heist you can steal by night on the side of the road? Flynn remained calm yet his mind was racing. What did the Viking-like man mean? Was he someone onto them?
"Rapunzel is my wife now," he began firmly and coolly detached. "She means far more to me than some bronze bobbles."
Vlad let go of his shoulder and stepped away. He looked to Flynn as if he wet linen. The newly wed man would be lying if it didn't put him a bit on edge.
Finally, Vlad gave in to Flynn's cold indifference and walked away. It was then that Flynn was able to take a deep breath. Possibly his first since that brute raised his hand to Rapunzel.
He turned back to the bar and raised the bottom of his glass to the ceiling. Yet, even the dark swill couldn't calm his nerves.
He was embarrassed and alarmed by how easy it was for Rapunzel to get mixed into his past mistakes… and they hadn't even stepped on the road yet.
"The Stabbington Brothers? Who on earth invited those bastards?!" Flynn hadn't noticed that Will had slyly taken the bar stool next to him.
"I guess I was worried the party would have been a bit too lively and murder free," Flynn quipped. Will could only eye him concerned. "You got in some bad deal with them, then?"
Flynn snorted, "If you just start a conversation with them your in too deep."
"And you decided to test that?"
"Eh," he scoffed, "they're just jealous that I'm worth a thousand crowns and their a two for one deal."
Will laughed. It was then that a wild thought struck Flynn.
He knew the roads well and that they would be full of Stabbington type characters. He also knew himself and a girl (who weighed roughly the amount of a sack of beans) weren't going to make it far alone. He needed a crew to travel with. Men he could trust.
One would never suspect Will of his dodgy past. He was regal appearing, and now, he even had a real job to match. Yet, he still possessed the features he always had; heaps of curly blonde hair, large round blue eyes, and narrow crooked nose from a couple of good knocks to it. He stood just a fraction taller than Flynn. The pair had met at the orphanage taking quickly to each other like brothers. William had somehow managed to keep his hands clean from the law.
He was somewhat of a saint compared to Flynn. Well, he was a womanizing, thieving, low life, saint but still a saint in Flynn's eyes. Flynn wasn't certain how to break the news of the crown to him with out giving the whole heist away.
Of course he trusted his dear friend but it had been years since they hatched a plan together. He wasn't certain how the ex-highway robber would react.
Still the idea nagged Flynn…
Perhaps the lure of the priceless legend would be enough to will the man from his retirement.
"Ah, what can you do? They're gone now it seems," continued Will retrieving a flask from his breast pocket. "Anyways, I've been dying to know, did you take her last name? What is it? O'Conner Mcdoogal?" Will asked trying to lighten the mood.
Flynn smirked, "would have made for a good alias. I guess I wasn't thinking." Inwardly, Flynn wasn't as jovial. Doubts still traced his mind.
What if he reused? He was practically in the straight and narrow now. Who could he find then? Who else could he trust?
"A weakness of yours, isn't it... Eugene?"
Flynn pursed his lips. His birth name stung like being poked with a red hot brand. He narrowed his brow.
Will realized his mistake.
"But let's not get held up by the past."
Flynn shook his head, "No… Let's not."
Will took a swig from his flask and somehow Flynn found the courage he was searching for.
"Will, I... I have a business proposition for you."
Will looked to him in bewilderment before bursting out in laughter.
"My Gods! For a moment I thought you were serious!"
Flynn didn't laugh or even pull a smirk. He only observed the man and planned his next careful move.
Will slowly realized this was no light-hearted jest at their past.
"… WHAT?"
"This isn't some lowly robbery, I promise."
Will shook his head, "Are you mad?"
"It's fool proof. We'll be richer than the King of Corona."
"And what are we after this time? The bloody city of God damned Atlantis?"
"Will. I'm serious," Flynn stared down Will daring him to laugh again. Will did not.
"How much did you drink, my friend?"
"We have signed letters from the king, like the ones from the heist in Corona, remember that? They cannot be faked."
Will was at a loss.
"What? What is it…?"
"The lost princess's crown."
Will leaned back, as if Flynn had slapped him across the face.
"It's in a tower just outside of Corona. It's unguarded and just waiting."
Will was still silent, Flynn thought fast.
"I know it sounds remarkable. I hardly believed it myself!"
"But you do believe it?"
"Yes," answered the thief in earnest.
Will studied his eyes for a long moment.
"Well then... I believe it too."
