Hi all! I'm still alive and thinking about this fic! Sorry I haven't updated in forever, my best friend got married and that sort of threw my life into chaos a few months back (she had a Tangled themed wedding which is just fitting for our Disney lives lol). Anyways, excuses excuses. I'm sure I'll find the time to update more now. Thank you all for checking in again on my story! Onward~
20. Brave one
"He's been like that all morning… haven't the faintest idea why," scoffed Will to a concerned Charley. They stood a distance from Flynn who was still lying next to the remains of last night's fire. As he lay there, he withered in pain and seemed to linger in and out of consciousness. Vlad sat next to him, mumbling something as he looked gravely down to Flynn.
It all seemed rather inconvenient to Will who had planned to have already been halfway to the next city.
"Shouldn't ye let 'is wife know?" Questioned Charley.
"I'll allow you have the honors," said Will in jest.
Rapunzel blinked out of another disappointingly shallow slumber to see some of the men clustered near the charred firewood. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she sat up and rubbed at her tired eyes.
"Maybe we ought to git 'im some wahter?"
"What good is water going to do?"
"Is t'here som'ting you'd like ta suggest t'en, Will?"
Will looked back to Flynn who moaned shifting his head back and forth, sweat glistening from his brow.
"Yeah," started Will, "a miracle."
The brothers narrowed their brow to him.
"What is going on?"
The men quieted and turned to see Rapunzel behind them.
She looked to their gaping faces before noticing Flynn was not among them.
With horror, she pushed by them to see what the scene at hand.
Rapunzel then came upon the sad sight of Flynn, and her heart sunk even lower.
She noticed how he was shivering, though it was a mild day without hardly a breeze. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be trying to say something though the words would not come.
"Flynn!" she cried before falling to her husband's side and taking his hand.
His skin had lost practically all of its color as sweat blotched his brow.
"What happened?" she asked desperately as she was forced to re-live the fear she felt night of the ambush.
The men only shook their head.
"He was fine last night… and then this morning I couldn't rouse him," said Will.
"Well, did he eat anything? Any plants?"
"You ware t'here when we ate, my lady…" Travor softly reminded her.
She looked back to Flynn as he began to shake his head from side to side. It was as if he were stuck inside a nightmare. As if he were possessed…
Rapunzel stifled her tears as she grabbed the sides of his face to stop him. It was then that she noticed how cold his skin was. She was reminded of a girl from their tavern struck with a horrible fever. How her skin was cold yet she moaned of the heat of a fire inside her head.
"I know what this is," she said ripping open his tunic.
"What?" asked the men.
She reached for Flynn's arm to reveal his bandaged wound. Carefully, she tore at the bloodied and dirty fabric. It the flesh revealed was enough to cause a man's stomach to turn.
His skin seemed to tear apart from the stitches. The flesh surrounding the stitches was a putrid tinge of yellow.
It smelt like death and decay and somehow looked worse.
She looked away cursing herself. Why had she not healed him sooner?
"It's turned to fester," said Vlad grimly as Rapunzel looked up to him, sadness in her large eyes.
"God damnit!" Will cursed to get a glare from Rapunzel, "Bloody moron didn't keep his own stitches clean!"
"It couldn't be helped," Rapunzel spoke up, her voice cold and stony trying not to let her emotions slip through.
"Well, what now?!" he asked angered.
"He'll get bet'er won't 'e?" came Charley.
"Isn't t'ere som'ting yoo culd do?" questioned Travor.
Rapunzel felt heart beat wildly as she grew faint. She rose to her feet but could only take a step before weakening and falling into the arms of Vlad.
She blinked looking up to him, tears falling freely.
His rough exterior seemed to melt away at her candid feelings.
"I have to do it, now," she whispered.
Vlad instantly disagreed eyeing the men to cause them to look away.
"You know you cannot," his voice as harsh and low, but in the next instant soft and comforting. "Now, now, there's no use in tears, girl."
"If he dies, I will blame myself."
With that, she got up and ran from the men to the nearest cluster of woods.
"And where the bloody hell does she think she is going?" questioned Will.
Vlad looked to him before looking back to the suffering Flynn.
"If the boy does not get better by morning. I shall ride him back… along with the girl."
Rapunzel riffled through her satchel. Rose petals, aloe vera, twine, needles, clean bandages… nothing could heal a man in such torment as Flynn. She threw her bag to the dirt in anguish, that was when a dark heap of tangled vine sprung out.
She looked to the poison as bitter tears fell over her cheeks.
Her mind wandered back to what Vlad had harshly commanded her. That it would be foolish to heal Flynn. Yet, the opposite seemed all the more dimwitted.
She plucked the black leaves from the ground as if handling a dangerous insect. Her heart raced wildly as an impossible thought entered her mind. At first, she quickly dismissed the notion, but it only took another moment for her to realize it was not so improbable. Dread filled her heart and a deep sadness came over her.
There was one way to ease his pain, after all.
"Rapunzel!" Shouted Charley before both leapt in fright.
"Gah! My apologies, I expected ye'd be fur'ter in th' wood."
She sighed in annoyance as she quickly shoved the poison in her apron pocket.
"I'm not daft, Charley."
He nodded, "I- I didna assume so."
"So you were the brave one to come fetch me? Drag me back to camp?"
"T'ey didna ask…"
"Then why are you here?" she asked grabbing her satchel and buttoning it shut.
He looked around, the thick brush shielded them from the others as they were a short walk away.
Rapunzel looked to the young man oddly, "Charley?"
He looked back to her wide eyes sorrowfully.
"What is it…?" she asked. "How is Flynn…?" her face instantly lost its coloring as her mind jumped to dark conclusions "don't tell me he's-"
"Rapunzel, no, please," he took a few steps closer to her holding his hands out.
She looked up to him oddly.
"Then what is it?"
"Las' night, I haird Will an Flynn talkin'."
"About what?"
"I was hopein' you could tell me."
"I assure you, I am clueless to what Will should ever blather one about. Perhaps I should go back to see my husband-"
"No!" said Charley grabbing her arm.
"Charley!" she was about to pull away when she glimpsed the look he was giving her.
His eyes were worried, but also seemed to behold urgent information. Her mind stayed stationary for a moment as he guided her to take a seat.
"It was late las' night, I ha' gotten ep ta take a… to relieve meself."
"I understand," she said trying to ease his awkward phrasing.
"But when I was comin' beck, I haird Will…" Charley thought back to the harsh words he heard spat from Will lip's.
"…For a woman who plans to leave you two days from now?"
"He said…"
"What did he say?" she begged him.
"He said you planned ta leave us en two days! Tha' you would' leave es soon as we reached the next town. That you were only using Flynn's protection an' you had tricked 'im enta marriage!"
"No!" she gasped covering her mouth, "And what did Flynn say? Surely he didn't believe these lies!"
"I canna say, tha las' t'ing I haird was Will informin' him t'at tha pair would leave en tha mornin'."
"They were going to leave?"
"Like I said, Rapunzel, I canna say."
She nodded looking away.
"I'm deeply sorry if this has upset ye."
She shook her head, "No Charley, thank you," she said taking his hands and shaking them firmly, "Thank you for telling me."
He blushed but nodded to her with a smile.
"I didna believe him, I doubt any o' us coul'."
"Why would he make up such a lie? Why does he want Flynn away from me?"
Charley said nothing until a thought fell into his mind.
"Will's only 'ere fur himself. He doesna wan' ta split t'his treasure five ways. Perhaps 'e wan's ta split et two."
Rapunzel looked to him grimly.
"Et's only a thought."
Will got up and helped Rapunzel to her feet. She stewed in several acrimonious thoughts while anger brewed inside her like a boiling pot of water.
Her hand wandered down the front of her apron where it rested on the pocket full of poison; The Devil's Dance waited there patiently for a victim.
"If he's looking to separate me and my husband, it would be the gravest mistake of his life… and the last."
Charley smirked, "If only yer Da coul' see ya now… I'm afraid his hairt woulna take th' shock. You've come a long way from th' shy tavern bird, sweepin' up aftair t'hose drunkards."
Rapunzel found herself smirking as well, despite the severe situation they found themselves in.
Though her hand rested on death, she knew the only choice was life. The only choice they ever had was life. And that the Devil would save a dance for Will.
"Charley… would you help me in saving my husband's life tonight?"
Will gazed wistfully to the sunset beyond the rolling hills of green, "We are sitting ducks if we stay stationary another night!"
"We have no choice," came Vlad as he carried a log of firewood.
"And what of the thieves who travel these roads?" Will retorted.
Travor narrowed his brow as he sat with his brother sharpening his small dagger.
"I t'ought we were th' thieves."
Shadows had descended upon their camp which gave Flynn a much needed breeze of cooler air. Though his plight had not much improved beyond that.
Rapunzel sat attentively at his side blotting his sweat covered face with a damp cloth.
She hadn't moved from his side since returning with Charley from the wood. The others had only assumed he had somehow dragged her kicking and screaming back to camp. Of course, the truth was far from what any of them could have assumed.
Rapunzel gazed longingly to Flynn as small fantasies filled her mind. She remembered how charming he had been on their wedding. How he made her feel like there was more to life than wishing you were somewhere else. She thought on the night in the cottage, when he somehow knew just where to find her…
She thought of the times he had kissed her. How the fist was filled with such exquisite electricity. And how the others were… ever so different. That night in the forest she wanted him to be her business partner. She wanted Flynn to treat her as coldly as any other con partner. She wanted him to behave as well-mannered as a puppet on a string. However, it was the same night she learned what she wanted was not what he had in mind.
When he was about to have his way with her, she was fearful of several things. After seeing men come and go night after night, after getting what they wanted from the women of the brothel, she noted how they scarcely returned. What if Flynn grew bored of her afterword? Of course, he had always returned to the brothel. Though, he seldom did choose the same girl twice. On the other hand, she was fearful of the actual process. Though, for some unknown reason, it sent shivers down her spine. Imagining him with her in such a biblical way… She could not help but to think of exactly how… and where… and when.
She rung out the cool water from the cloth before blotting his forehead with it once more.
At this point of the evening, the men had begun to gather around the fireplace. Rapunzel watched as Vlad brought out the dried meats and remaining bread.
She was not hungry, though, she had not eaten a bite all day. She could only imagine Flynn's disapproval of that. She glanced to him again, so still and lifeless. It was almost hard to imagine, a man so boundless suddenly on death's door because of a small wound.
As the men sat around the campfire, a distance from Flynn and Rapunzel, Charley looked over his shoulder to the pair. He looked back to the food before him and nervously tapped his foot.
Rapunzel smiled to Flynn… she noticed how he still looked so handsome through his sickly twinge of grey. She pushed his hair behind his ear and leaned in closer to his face. She could feel the heat of his fever radiating from his body.
She stared to his parted lips desperately wishing he could be alert for only a moment…
"You know I used to think about you… all the time," she began in a hushed voice. "The Great Flynn Rider. He could take me away from the brothel and save me. Don't know how," she laughed to herself. "I'm sorry I did that to you, put all those silly, childish, dreams on your shoulders. You must have carried the weight of my life, on top of yours." She frowned, "And I know so little of yours... Besides your mother… how you're an orphan. If you're not dead right now. And I if I save you. And if you forgive me all my mistakes, we're getting out of here…" her voice became strained as she tried to keep from crying. "I told Vlad if you die I will blame myself. Because I will. This is all my fault after all, that we're here." She looked to her satchel hanging at her side. "You won't forgive me… or ever trust me again… if I tell you…" Her hand lingered on the opening of her satchel. "I suppose if I tell you the truth about my past now, you can't say I hid the truth from you."
She looked to his closed eyes, his peaceful rest, she wondered for a moment where he was. "Flynn, I've been lying to you… since the moment I said my name was Rosemary. I'm not after some stupid crown. My name's not Rapunzel. And I'm not an orphan… Though, I am a terrible liar, I guess," she said with a small laugh. "You don't believe a word I say half the time."
She paused for a moment looking away from him, as she could hear the men go on about the best way to skin a deer.
She smiled then, taking in the ludicrously of it all.
Looking back to him she couldn't help but practically laugh.
"I'm the Princess Satine."
She laughed still to his expressionless face.
"My crown isn't in some tower, nor is it locked way… It's only-"
She slowly removed her hand from her satchel. Her smile also fell back to a frown. She realized she could not tell him. Not now. Not like this. She had learned she was many things through her years in Amberwick, a coward was not one of them. Perhaps a liar. But never a cowardly liar… only a brave one.
She sat up and looked down to him.
"Whatever happens Flynn, I promise, I'll make you a rich man. And you'll never have to worry about saving me again. Because I'll save you…"
She cocked her head as a sudden desire crossed her mind. Her fingers wandered over the bumpy band that rested on her finger. The dull and simple wedding band was so subtle it often went forgotten.
Yet, it reminded her of the first kiss she shared with a man that meant anything.
"That last time you kissed me… I can hardly say I enjoyed it. I won't allow it to be the last kiss I share with you…"
She stiffened her back but leaned over him slowly, her lips inching towards his tantalizingly slowly.
And, just when he was an inch away, his head shifted towards her.
"Mmmm…" he moaned, suddenly seeming to come to consciousness. Her eyes widened as she swore her heart stopped beating.
"Flynn?!"
"GYPSIES!" cried Charley, quickly running from the woods.