"I looked into his eyes, and I saw...he was just as scared as I was."- How to Train Your Dragon - Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
Pascal crawled over the earth. He understood what it had meant to Rapunzel, it meant her life. He had never seen he hurting so much, every time she moved she wince. No one else would realize it but him of course because he was always the one on her shoulder. He had learned to match her every move, down to the last little rumble. These spurts of pain were small as she tried to hold it back, but there.
He had to hurry, find Eugene and Maximus, she needed medical attention. He jumped from the path and onto a piece of wood. He looked around, people were running back and forth, and there in the distance, on top of Maximus none the less was Eugene. He trotted around sniffing the ground, looking up briefly and then changing direction. All he had to do was get Maximus's attention and give Eugene the ring. Then they'd save Rapunzel, the girl, and that strange white haired boy in the cave. Who ever he was.
He took a step forward and let out a squeak as he was lifted into the air by his tail. He swiveled around trying to find his captor and let our another squeak as he saw who it was. "Well what do we have here?" said the persuasive voice, "A little lizard."
Your supposed to be dead, he thought, of course he couldn't say it only shiver as he stared at someone who had to be a ghost.
"Put the lizard down Gothel." Another man, dressed in black with grey skin and grey teeth.
"But look what he's got, Pitch." Gothel said, she held him up to the man who must have been Pitch. "The queen's ring, I saw it on her before."
Pitch frowned, "So?"
"So this little pain, is friends with Rapunzel, if he gets to Eugene and Maximus they'll unbury Rapunzel and your plans will be ruined." Pitch frowned at the lizard, that looked at him for a moment. Then reached out and bit Gothel. "Argg!" she shouted and dropped him. He scurried across the ground and a shadow rose, wrapping it's self around his legs and pressing him to the ground.
He tried to squeeze out but it was like tar, there was no escape. Pitch scowled, "Fine, throw the creature somewhere he can't escape, then let's move on."
Gothel grinned and leaned down, she picked the Pascal from the shadows easily. Pascal's face was turned to face her, his wide brown eyes staring at her scared. "I'm going to have fun with this."
Jack blinked open his eyes in the dark. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep. Rapunzel was still sitting there, with the girl, no light shown through the hole. It was clear now that it was night. He sat there, his shoulders hunched, his eyes down. They hadn't found Rapunzel yet? After all this time. Rapunzel held the little girl, she looked frightened and there was nothing he could do.
He sat there watching her sleep, the little girl whimpered as she had a nightmare. Jack let a small snowflake float around, sighing as it floated around his finger and finally landed on the girl's nose. She let out a giggle and sighed in her sleep. Where was sandy with his dream sand? He was always there to give good dreams to children. Then again he might had not had been able to find them, deep in this hole, maybe he had already passed by for the night to the next homes that needed it.
His snow flake made it easy to have fun, even in your dreams, but it didn't last long with a kid asleep. Even now he noticed her tremble as her nightmare returned. He wished there was something he could do.
He leaned back on the pile. The pain in his legs weren't gone, Guardians healed quick, so his legs must have been broken and he never realized. Maybe not seriously, but still pretty bad. He tried to rise to his feet, feeling stiff as he stressed his muscles. He shouldn't sit down, he shouldn't have fallen asleep. He should have been trying to figure a way out.
He walked a few steps, using his staff as a crutch. It was all it was good for at the moment. Then he tried to lift into the air, up to the small light and look through. He could see the starry night sky and the moon, glowing silver in the night. "Manny!" he shouted.
He didn't really know what he was doing it for, even if Manny could hear him it didn't mean he'd help. Manny was Temperamental at this time. He didn't even know Jack existed yet. But Jack had to try something. They couldn't be trapped forever in here, well he could, not that he's enjoy it. But Rapunzel and the girl, they couldn't, they weren't a guardian like him. They would die of hunger and thirst eventually.
"Manny, I know you don't know me but you choose me in the future." He said, "You may even think I'm an enemy, but there are people in here that need help." he waited...nothing. "Come on, for 300 hundred years you never helped me, can't you help me now?" still nothing, Jack sighed and landed on the ground. He should have known it wouldn't have worked. What was he thinking.
He felt his legs give way and fell to the earth. Struggling with his staff he pulled himself to his feet. He had to be strong, he had to be. For the kid, for the woman. For the possible future Guardian of Imagination. He had to be.
Eugene couldn't keep himself calm much longer. Worry, doubt and fear seemed to eat away at him. He couldn't sleep. Let alone do anything else. He stood in the balcony staring out over the town, the woman had had to go home, and so did he. But he told the guards to not stop looking. Not that they were any good. They had searched for Rapunzel for 18 years and Eugene had found her without looking.
He gripped the rales, he'd lost her once, he couldn't loose her again, not after all they'd been through together. He heard his baby, Elizabeth cry and turned to her. She lay in her bed, tears rolling down her face, crying softly. "I know," he whispered. "You miss mommy don't you." he sat next to her, "I'll find her, I promise."
"Why did this have to happen today." Eugene turned to the king, his wife had cried herself to sleep on his shoulder. It was like reliving a nightmare all over again. "We've had her for seven years, how could she just disappear again."
"I will find her sir." said Eugene, "I will." he stood up to go to the door, "I'll join the search, I don't think I can stay here long, it will drive me crazy."
"Eugene, going out in the middle of the night is not wise, anything can happen. You've done a fine job of stopping most villains but..." The king never finished, he rubbed his wife's shoulder, "We can't make rash disitions."
"I have been king for only a day, not even." Eugene said, "Rapunzel has disappeared, I can't loose her again."
"Neither can we!" the king retorted.
Eugene stared at him, his shoulders slumped. "I just can't sit here and do nothing, while they search for her."
"I know." the king said, he sighed, "For years all I did was join the searches for my baby girl. Day after day, night after night. I couldn't eat or sleep for weeks. My dear wife," he looked at her gently, "She was just as bad as I, she never let her daughters cradle be throne away, and everyday she went to the orphanage to read to the children there. She couldn't think of adopting when her own baby was missing. But she liked to pretend all the kids at the orphanage were hers. Even if it was only for a moment." he looked back at him, "Fear ate away at us, making us weak, doubtful. We had to hold on to hope, and just when we were losing it," he smiled softly, "she came back to us." He planted a strong hand firmly on Eugene's shoulder, "Don't lose hope, but don't give into fear either, fear is dangerous."
Eugene nodded, "I won't, but I can't sit here."
The former king nodded, "Very well, then I will join you." he gently lifted his wife up and placed her in the bed. "I'll leave a note if I'm not back by morning." He turned to him serious, "After all, two heads are better then one."
Eugene nodded.
"No, no!" the girl shouted in her sleep, Jack woke again with a start. He kept falling asleep, he shouldn't be. But he was so tired. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed his staff. It glowed blue and he saw the face of the little girl hugging Rapunzel who bit her lip to keep from shouting out in pain.
She didn't want to upset the girl. "It's okay." she whispered. "It was just a night mare."
"The bogey man was trying to hurt us." she whimpered, "He wanted to hurt me."
"You need to sleep," Rapunzel said.
"I'm scared, I don't want to, I don't want to have more nightmares." she said, she hugged Rapunzel tighter, Jack could see the pain run through her body. But the girl didn't notice. Rapunzel sighed and pulled her away gently.
"Then why don't we use our imagination again." she whispered, "Lets pretend your home."
"But I'm not home." she said, "I'm here."
"Just believe in me okay?" Rapunzel said calmly, then she looked up as though she had just heard something and said, "Do you hear that?"
The girl whipped her eyes, "No."
"I hear a fire." she smiled at the girl, " A warm fire, and you know what's above it?"
The girl whispered, "No."
"A turkey."
"A turkey?" she said.
"A big turkey, do you want to eat it with me?" Rapunzel smiled at her, trying hard not to look just as scared as her.
"S-sure." the little girl began to pretend to eat, Rapunzel laughed.
"That's not how you eat in a palace." she said.
"We're in a palace?" the girl whispered.
Jack leaned in and watch, Rapunzel nodded, "Of course you are." she said, "don't you see it?"
"No." the girl whispered.
"Use your imagination, pretend." Rapunzel took her hand, and the girl closed her eyes.
The girl suddenly burst into laughter. "I see it!" she said, then opened her eyes. "People are dancing! We're at a ball!"
Rapunzel laughed, "Yes, a big beautiful ball." she smiled as the girl stepped into the small silver of moon light and began to dance in the dark like she was dancing with a prince.
"See my dress Rapunzel, it's purple just like yours!" She spun around.
Rapunzel smiled, "Well someone dressed for a ball needs some jewelry, come here why don't I give you some." the little girl walked over and Rapunzel took out a paint brush. Jack hadn't noticed before but now he saw her paint back. She took out some gold paint and began to paint a crown on the girls head and necklace on the girl's neck. She added a pretty emerald and some white pearl bracelets. "There, now your dressed for a ball."
The girl laughed and stepped back into the silver light. Jack watched her dance and laughed too. Snow came from his staff, it was a light snow but it shimmered in the silver light around the little girl as she danced like jewels. The little girl smiled and laughed to pretend music. Rapunzel hummed a tune and clapped as though watching a grand show. Jack stood up and followed the girl around. She never saw him, and that was okay, as she danced he stood matching her steps, dancing with her with her even knowing.
For a moment they all forgot about the danger, lost in there imagination of a grand ball, and beautiful lights. Where ever Jack stepped frost spread over the floor like beautiful marble shinning in the silver, adding to the effect of there pretend game. Finally he stopped, his legs still hurting and looked at Rapunzel who watched the girl clapping.
Rapunzel's hair looked almost gold in the little light, her eyes sparkled and paint stained her fingers and clothes along with the dirt and mud. But she didn't seem to care. Jack noticed for the first time how pale she was and the magic was gone. She was suffering so much, and still she only thought of the poor scared girl. He knelt by her, "I know you can't hear me, but we'll get out of here soon. I promise."