The Stabbington brother's fire seemed small in the darkness of the surrounding forest. Darrek and Henrik sat next to the blaze, shadows dancing on their faces. Darrek stirred the embers under the burning logs with a stick. He pulled the stick out and watched the glowing end as it grew brighter, then dim and then bright again.

"Darn that Rider." Darrek muttered darkly.

On top of losing Flynn Rider's son, they'd gotten lost in the forest. They'd searched for hours for young Rider but had only wound up losing themselves. With no leads and the sun beginning to go down, they had just sat down and made camp. The waiting was beginning to take its toll.

Darrek was feeling restless and wanted something to do. His anger had been rising all evening. Henrik on the other hand had waited patiently. In the morning they could find their way out of the forest. Besides, his brother would come up with a plan. He always did.

"We're going to find that Rider. And his sister." Darrek muttered to himself.

Henrik looked up from the flames to watch is brother fume. Darrek needed to vent. Henrik shrugged mentally. Listening to Darrek could go on for a long time and wasn't always the most pleasurable experience. All the same, many great plans had come from Darrek's ranting before. It was best to let him rant.

"We'll live like kings, Henrik. Kings! We just need to get the boy and his sister. Rider will pay dearly to see them again." Darrek smiled darkly. He jabbed the glowing end of his stick into the ground. It hissed slightly. "And wouldn't it be a shame if didn't?"

~~~~o0o~~~~

Farren brushed aside the low branches of a tree and lifted his hooded lantern a little higher. He almost stepped through the bushes ahead of him when an angry voice spoke through them. Farren stood still and listened. As the voice spoke, Farren smiled wickedly. He peered through the branches and saw two men sitting in front of a pitiful fire.

Perfect.

~~~~o0o~~~~

When Darrek had boiled off his rage, he settled down. He felt immensely better. Which meant it was time to plan.

"But where? Where would the boy be?" Darrek wondered aloud.

The bushes rustled as a man in advisor's robes and holding a lantern stepped out into the firelight. Darrek and Henrik leapt to their feet, drawing their swords and facing the intruder.

"I could tell you." Farren said. His face was stern and in the half-shadows, it looked even more stern than it already was.

"Who are you?" Darrek eyed the older man suspiciously. He wasn't a great threat, but at the back of his mind he recalled the old woman Gothel who had attacked him and his brother all those years ago.

The man waved the question aside and set his lantern down. He clasped his hands behind his back.

"No one of consequence, but someone who shares your feelings for Flynn Rider."

Darrek relaxed slightly and sat down simultaneously with Henrik. Neither sheathed their weapons.

"Tell me more." Darrek prompted.

Farren's lips twitched up at the corners. "There is a place I know of where the boy and his friend will go. They will search for the boy's sister, Princess Sera."

The man paced around the fire as he spoke so that the flames were between him and the Stabbington brothers.

"Of course, they won't find her." Farren paused for effect.

Darrek and Henrik glanced at each other. Henrik raised an eyebrow on his expressionless face.

"Go on." Darrek said slowly.

Farren looked into the fire. "If you could help me, I'm sure we'll all get what we want." Farren glanced up at the Stabbington brothers. "You see, I need the boy. He is the key."

Darrek stood. "You have the girl?"

Farran looked up sternly. "Do I look as if I would kidnap a princess?" Darrek didn't say so, but he certainly thought so. Farren continued without waiting for answer. "All I need is the boy. I don't need his friend. That's where we could help each other. You want revenge on Flynn Rider and something more … fulfilling than this."

Farren knew at once that he'd played his cards right. He watched the twin brothers exchange a glance. The man with the muttonchops lifted his blade and looked at it for a second before sheathing it. His twin stood and did the same. Time to press the advantage, Farren thought.

"I want Flynn Rider and his family for my own … reasons. You get the boy for me and I can deal with his family. You get handsomely paid and your revenge on Flynn Rider and I get what I want. Everyone will be happy."

Darrek hesitated. Farren raised an eyebrow in question. Darrek thought he could hear his brother warning him about the last time they had gone into such a deal with someone for the very same reasons.

"No."

The answer was out without a second thought. Darrek watched the stranger's face become impassive. Farren glanced between the brothers.

"We don't need you. We'll find the boy ourselves. We'll do things our way." Darrek stated flatly.

Farren's mind raced. Maybe, just maybe he might get them after all. He shrugged. "You've done a marvelous job already. Pity. I could have guaranteed good results for you right now."

Farren walked slowly around the fire toward his lantern. Darrek and Henrik shared an angrily confused glance. Darrek strode around to the front of Farren and Henrik stood behind him. Farren looked up at Darrek, just a few inches shorter than the red haired man.

"What sort of results?" Darrek demanded.

Farren reached into his robes and pulled out a medium-sized pouch. He tossed it a little ways away, near the fire. The pouch opened on impact and gold coins spilled out. Darrek and Henrik rushed to the bag and began picking up the coins, putting them into the pouch. Farren picked up his lantern, watching. Darrek let Henrik put the coins back into the pouch and stood to face their mysterious benefactor.

"What do we do?"

Farren pointed into the forest. "A day's walk in that direction will bring you near the tower that once imprisoned the Lost Princess Rapunzel. The boys will go there. Find them and capture them. If you do well, you might receive ten times more than what you have now."

Darrek smiled humorlessly. "And what about the boy's friend?"

Farren waved arrogantly. "I don't need him. Do what you want."

Darrek narrowed his eyes. "How do we find you once we have the boy?"

Farren smiled coldly. "Oh, don't worry. I'll find you."

And with that, he turned and disappeared into the darkness, lantern and all.

~~~~o0o~~~~

Farren watched as the Stabbington brothers hastily doused their fire and jogged off into the forest toward Rapunzel's tower. Farren smiled to himself. Fools.

He waited a moment more before continuing on his original path. The night wore on as he walked and midnight soon passed. After a few confusing twists and turns to ensure he was alone, he approached a dense thicket of trees and briars. Ducking through the well hidden entrance, he half-crawled through a short tunnel before standing upright once more. Before him was a small one room stone house. Farren pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Inside, he hung the lantern on a hook next to the door. The rest of the house was cloaked in darkness but a sixth sense told Farren that someone else was in the room with him.

"Hargis." Farren said to the darkness.

There was the sound of flint and steel striking each other as a candle flared to life on a table in the middle of the house's room. On the other side of the table stood a brawny man. He was dressed in furs and had a round shield on his back. Long unkempt brown hair and a braided beard encircled a scarred face and cold eyes.

"Farren," the man said. His gruff voice was thick with an accent from foreign lands. "You're late."

Farren went to the table and sat down in one of the chairs there.

"I had a not altogether unpleasant meeting with some willing thugs. I've hired them."

Hargis went red in the face with rage. "You've gone and what?! Didn't I tell you I'd take care of it? You said nothing about sharing the treasure!"

Farren glared coldly at the burly man. They stared each other down, but in the end it was Hargis who looked away first.

"You said nothing about botching the job." Farren said icily. "If your men had been more careful, I'd have both of the royal children by now!"

Hargis ground his teeth in embarrassment. He sighed breathily. Farren waved his hand.

"Besides, I don't need them for long. I want them to get the boy. After that, you may deal with them in whatever way you like. But I need the boy and his parents."

Hargis scoffed angrily, but his temper had subsided.

"Now, for the real matter at hand." Farren said.

Hargis pulled out one of the too small chairs and sat down. What on earth had possessed him to work for this?

"My men have done a great deal of work. The project is going as planned." He pointed a finger at Farren. "But we need more time. We're running low on supplies. My men are sailors, not woodworkers."

Farren put his hands together, finger tip to finger tip. There wasn't much time left until full moon. It was vital to get this project done before then. As for supplies and workers, there weren't many places to get those.

"Fine. Do what you need to, but I want it done in three days. No more."

Hargis nodded. Idly, he reached for a small grey orb on the table next to the candle. Farren looked up and his eyes grew wide.

"NO! Don't touch that!" He cried.

Hargis withdrew his hand as if it had been burned. He glared accusingly at Farren. Farren stood and gingerly lifted the orb and put it into his pocket with a relieved eye roll.

"These are vital to my plan." Farren growled. "Do you know how many years I spent collecting them? If anything happens to them, I'm ruined."

Hargis eyed Farren critically. The man is cracked, Hargis decided.

"I'll leave then."

Farren watched him, upset. "Yes, do that. And finish the project. Three days, Hargis."

Hargis nodded, seemingly disinterested, but in his mind he was already calculating the work effort. He opened the door and left. Farren sat down again and rubbed his temples.

If everything goes well, Farren thought, it will all be worth it.