Predestine Summary:

Flynn and Rapunzel make way for Corona City. However, to make a life in the new city, alliances must be formed. Soon, they find themselves intertwined with an associate funding a rebellion against the King. Flynn and Rapunzel are forced to pretend they are aristocrats of Corona and live a life filled with pretense and lies. Mina embarks on a journey to uncover her past. Flynn ends up on the wrong side of a deal with the visiting Prince of the Southern Isles. Oddly enough, they begin to learn life among the elites of society is filled with more treachery and lawbreaking than life among the poor. In this game of politics and intrigue, relationships are forged and broken. Meanwhile, enemies thought to be dead begin to plot. And, after ancient magic is rekindled, some even rise from ash.


1. Away from the roll of the sea


Captain Caldon Grimsley stood above a bewildered and partially unconscious Flynn. He loomed as ominously as the plague hangs over villages; a grey hazy fog of death and foul decay. No matter how hard Flynn tried to fully open his eyes, to become alert, or to find the strength to raise a finger, he could not. He heard Cal's distorted laughter. The Captain of soldiers' voice seemed to shatter in separate tones. One was slow and baritone, another was high pitched and wheezing, and the third was his own. Slow and menacing. A limp body dragged over gravel.

"You cannot protect her. You cannot hide her. I will find her… Satine…" his voices slithered in a coarse whispered chorus. "My son… my child… Eugene."

Finally, Flynn awoke from his paralyzing night terror. He sat still for a long moment trying to convince himself he was safe. He reminded himself who he was, and where he resided; in a large estate in Corona City. The days filled with torture were in the distant past, in a faraway land. When he went by a different name. When Pascal had not yet betrayed them. When he called Rapunzel his wife…

He moaned as his eyes were still heavy from lack of sleep and his body ached from the anxiety caused by his subconscious. He was sat up in the large bed with his arms crossed. He must have fallen asleep for a few hours. He had not meant to actually fall asleep next to her…

Before he willed himself to rise, he observed the bed-mate beside him.

The slim figure of a woman rested snuggly under the extravagant covers. Her rich auburn hair fell over her pillow. He wanted to reach out to her and to assure her she was safe yet, she was foreign to him, and he had made promises he could not break. For the moment, it was enough to see she was breathing steadily and comfortable in the early morning. He owed his life to her, after all. His life, as well as the life of…

The thought was enough to pull Flynn's tired body to the window to look to the streets of Corona City. He searched the cobblestone with an eager eye. He saw the same beggar on the corner. A horse-drawn carriage ambling by. Nothing out of the ordinary. He sighed as the dread momentarily drained from him.

"Eugene- what are you doing? Is it Westergaard? Have they gone?"

Flynn looked back to the woman who had roused. Half covered by the blankest, Flynn could just make out her features in the soft glow of morning; her oblong face, grey eyes, and dainty red lips. She was beautiful, but the usual flippant smirk on her face was replaced with one of concern. It was Lady Elroy, the newly wedded wife to Lord Elroy, a man from the country, recently moved to the city to enjoy the societal season with his younger sister. They had met and had a whirlwind affair. All were shocked to hear of their shotgun marriage. Yet, it not all too shocking to anyone who truly knew Lady Elroy.

"It's nothing," Flynn assured her, "you played the rouse perfectly. It's just the… uneasiness of my mind." He turned to stare out the window and a quiet tension gathered between them. The woman pulled the covers up to her neck.

"You must be tired. Perhaps, you want to come back to bed?"

He narrowed his brow and she noticed his insulted look in the reflection of the window.

"Flynn," she whispered. "God, I – I don't mean it like that. You know I would never- Flynn!"

Flynn said nothing. He only pulled together his clothes and began to dress for the day. As he tugged on his riding boots Lady Elroy stared and sighed at his display of offense.

"You saw her with Fitzroy and you worry about simply sharing my bed? Be reasonable, Ryder."

"Don't speak of her," he commanded, finally turning to face her. "That was the deal."

The woman emerged from the bed and approached Flynn. "Please, I'm sorry. I just – I wanted to help. Please. You know me." Suddenly, she reached for him. Flynn did not respond as she gripped his hands. She was dressed in nothing but her thin slip. He was set on edge. "I would never come between you. I swear it."

Flynn searched her ghostly blue eyes for the truth. He felt the urge to remedy the situation, when-

The bedroom door opened. The pair looked to see a well-dressed slender woman standing in the entrance. They watched as her face paled and her hands dropped to her sides.

Flynn looked to her with remorse in his eyes.

"Rapunzel… No."


Three months prior, Dunsinane

"She'll take us there an' back again, Gods willin'. Snow, sleet, nor hail could stop her from slipping into Corona's port like a hungry sailor woul' fuck a whore, haha!"

Flynn stared off to the roaring ocean as rain poured from a storm-infected sky. He stood next to a burly man wearing layers of wool and wolf fur. Flynn glanced to the unflinching man as he spoke of a ship that looked dainty compared to the vast unforgiving waters beyond it.

"We are looking at the same ship, right Captain?" he asked in his usual sardonic tone. The schooner went by the christening; The Fine Lady. Usually, that was something that Flynn found to be a pleasant and inspiring sight, not at all befitting for the skinny, tattered, wooden ship.

"Oh, aye. Don' be fooled. I've sailed her in worse conditions than we'll see in these coming weeks. I'm from the tribes in o' the White Mountains, you know," he said, picking up a heavy rock he wore on a chain around his neck. Flynn noted that the smooth green rock had lines scribed into it. A foreign and ancient looking language. "You've heard of the trolls and the talking trees, have you not?" he paused before gruffly laughing. It was a boisterous sound that made Flynn wonder if he should be laughing as well. "By the Norns, it's all true speak."

The man was Captain Hagen and the only man Flynn, Rapunzel, Mina, and Pascal could find with a ship still at dock who was willing to transport them to the shores of Corona for a hefty sum. He was tall and broad with a bald head and long face that ended in a striking grey beard that was braided down to the top of his chest. Flynn wondered if the man was as broad and large as he appeared. Or, perhaps it was due to numerous layers of thick clothing. He reminded himself to one day invest in wolf fur.

"Very well," Flynn agreed, moving back toward an inn just on the other side of the creaking docks. "I should check on my wife. See how many recruits they've been able to enlist for this madcap journey."

"Go on then, I like to stare at her," said Hagen of his ship, "when no men are around." The Captain turned back to his beloved schooner. Flynn raised a brow behind the man's back. He prayed the Captain would be a clever investment despite his odd quirks, terrifying presence, and lack of crew to back him. Flynn did not question why the tall, brawny, stranger was alone in Dunsinane. To him, the less he knew about the man the better. It eased his mind to see him as nothing more than a pawn to get them to the city. He only hoped he could throw enough coin at the Captain so he would play along with their plan like a docile captive.

Yet, the Captain was far from a submissive slave. As soon as Flynn left his side, he breathed a sigh of relief and took the stone from around his neck. "Odin, all powerful Aesir, speak through the moonstone, tell me what fate lies in wait for likes of Flynn Ryder…"

Flynn returned to the shabby inn where he had left Rapunzel with Pascal at her side. He entered the partially crowded room to see his wife at a center table conversing with an older man bearing a crudely made peg-leg. Rags hung from his thin body and unkempt facial hair hid his dirty and tired face from the world.

"We have no use for you on this journey, Mister Mercer," she gently told the man, reaching a hand out to his. "The sea will be too rough this time of season and we will need every useful hand on dec-"

"M'leg has never held me back. And me hands are fine and useful. Not to mention my sharp mind, lass," Rapunzel smiled and nodded but he could tell the matter was final to her. He pulled his hand away from her and frowned. His glance darted away from hers before continuing. "The soldiers burned my son's farm down looking for the High Moor escapees. I was retired after the war. Now I peddle stolen goods and panhandle to help his family. We have nothing."

His large lifeless eyes looked grimly to her as she became overcome with guilt.

"I-I'm sorry," she responded dumbly. Not caring for her guilt, the man had already turned away from her and headed to the bar.

Flynn watched as her eyes lowered in sorrow. He could see the small bit of courage she had deflate. He swiftly stepped before her.

"Progress?" he asked and her gaze flickered up to him, instantly sparking with a small glint of joy.

"Oh, Flynn. How is Hagen? Willing to trade for a larger vessel?"

"He is un-budging. I think he's in love with that ship. I had to give him some time alone with her…" she giggled as he leaned closer to her, suggestively wiggly an eyebrow. His broad shoulders shadowed her smaller frame and his eyes took in the span of skin around her neck her shawl did not cover. "And, speaking of being alone, I-"

"We have four men enlisted," spoke up Pascal who was, until that moment, invisible to Flynn. Flynn cleared his throat and glanced to his old bounty hunting friend.

"Tell me that is shorthand for forty-four?"

"Alas," Rapunzel sighed, "it is four. All of which very well recent members of High Moor. Why does every mistake we make seem to catch up with us almost instantly?"

"Karma," responded Pascal. "A saying from the East; it is destined."

"Destiny," echoed Flynn with a scoff. "I bet with fixed cards. Lie cheat and steal. It's what got me here," he placed a finger under Rapunzel's chin as she smirked to him. "Tell that to destiny, Pasc." Flynn looked to his wife with love and pride bursting from his proudly swelled chest.

Pascal carped in annoyance but was glad to see Flynn returning fully to his former, aggravating, self. Capitan Caldon Grimsley had starved him, broke him, and left him as hallow and listless as a rotten willow tree. Through powers he could not name or understand, Rapunzel had brought him back to life. However, Flynn himself had to decide whether to accept that life. Forever changed, with a past of pain and torture to reconcile with, Flynn chose the road more unknown than fatality itself – life after death.

"Fine then," mumbled Pascal before craning his neck to look around the inn. "I think it is my destiny to find that fiery wench and subdue the wickedness inside her."

"That old sorry game," laughed Flynn. "Take her hints, friend. She will never be subdued. Unless… the prize is big enough," added Flynn glancing below Pascal's belt. This infuriated Pascal and he squared his shoulders to the shorter man.

"What are ye aiming at? I'll have ye know she's learned from my lessons. She can recite passages from the Holy Book. She's changing."

"Slow down there, I'm not saying she's a simpleton. I'm just saying – don't get you hopes up. Rather, your manhood up, and pay her and move on with your life."

With that, Pascal grabbed Flynn from the collar of his shirt. Rapunzel moaned. The two had been at each other's throats on every matter lately. She was certain it was due to boredom as they were trapped on the cold and cloudy shores of Dunsinane. Traveling further into the city could lead to capture on the chance they might be spotted by the ever-present eyes of the King's men.

It was then, as the two bickered, that a shy-looking young man carefully approached Rapunzel. He appeared out of place among the weathered and broken men. He was portly and blonde with pale skin but round and reddened cheeks. He could not have been over sixteen. He stopped before the table and meekly tried to get the group's attention while winging a tattered cap in his hands.

"I'd l-like to be a part of the crew for v-voyage to the city across the sea," he stuttered but spoke truly.

"If it quacks like a duck, swims like a duck, and fucks like a duck, it's probably a whore!" Flynn absurdly boasted getting a laugh from the inn and a growl from Pascal.

"You bastard!" he darkly retorted, as if Flynn had done him the highest disservice. "She is becoming a child of God!"

"She poisoned me with leaves and had me arrested a fortnight ago!"

"That doesn't mean anything- Anyone can repent!"

Rapunzel blinked slowly, trying to seem professional amidst their childish banter. She smiled back kindly to the boy. "What is your name, sailor?"

"Terri," he said, almost a question as his small, sad, blue eyes widened and his eyebrows turned upside-down, wrinkling his forehead. He had a quality about him that made it hard to exactly place his age. He sounded like a boy but had the demeanor of a much older man.

"Terri, what brings you to the edge of Dunsinane?"

He looked away, hands fidgeting with his hat. "My brother… he was a guard at High Moor. He did terrible things. My mother can't afford to have me in her keep anymore, and I have nowhere to go that doesn't end in the suffering of others."

Rapunzel beheld the nervous man. She tried to understand him. Was he stunted in his mental growth? He seemed as sharp-witted as any citizen with low social ranking. Never the matter, there was no time to be picky as she was certain no sea-hardened Viking-slayers would grace her presence tonight.

Rapunzel smiled reassuring the young man. "Well, Terri. You have a job with me. Welcome aboard." The young man smiled and was about to shake her hand when Flynn was thrown on the table between the pair. Pascal, responsible for the throwing, still had his hands around Flynn's shoulders.

"Are you mad? You would fight an injured man?" cried Flynn.

"You've been healed for weeks now! And perfectly well!" the aggressor retorted.

"Men!" declared Rapunzel standing up. "This unprofessionalism will get us nowhere!"

The pair ignored her as Pascal pressed Flynn for an apology. And, as the three struggled, they did not notice the threatening sea Captain approaching them. However, Terri did and quickly shuffled away. Then, with one large hand, Captain Hagen jerked Flynn away from Pascal. Flynn stumbled to his feet and was forced to stare the Captain in the eye.

"I was a half-wit to agree to business with you," the Captain muttered.

"Sorry Captain, do you mind getting in line? I'm a popular fisticuff target tonight."

The man turned a serious expression to Flynn. One of doubt and concern. His arms fell to his side as he dropped Flynn and turned away. Flynn straightened his shirt and glanced to see a glare from Rapunzel. A wordless order for him to fix whatever the Captain thought was amiss. The Fine Lady was their one and only hope to get to Corona before winter or before they would be discovered and handed over to the hangman. Still, he was bewildered by the man's sudden change of heart. Both had assured him he would be greatly compensated and Flynn had assumed the pay was the only reason the man had agreed to the journey.

"The seas are turnin'. I hear whispers on the winds from Odin. We are headed to foolery. And I will not play the court jester." The Captain somberly eyed Flynn and, all at once, he realized the truth; the man was mad and listening to apparent voices in his heard.

"I know ye mainlanders aren't keen to believe in these things. But they're real. Ye ask the Gods to guide you and they do. This plan is ill-fated."

"You said the waters would be rough but it wouldn't be anything you could not handle!" spoke up Pascal.

"I didna mean the voyage itself. I mean the destination," the Captain replied, setting a harsh stare to Flynn. "I don't trust you. Or you!" he cried, pointing to Rapunzel. His gaze lingered on her for a long, heated, moment. "Curse the witch never burnt," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

Rapunzel felt her blood rise at the accusation. She had her fill with men's pointing fingers and damnations. On the road with Pascal, when she was parading as Jean; the French highwayman, she did not have to bend to the will of men. For the first time, she had known the freedom of being male in the 18th century. And then, after Flynn was nearly taken from her, and his life was put on her shoulders to save, she lost all will to carry on as some demure maiden-wife. She had been through every horrible scenario imaginable and the scenes often replayed in her mind, setting a fire under her too vicious to be tamed.

"That's not fair, Captain. All over some God or other!" said Flynn, following the man as he began to leave the inn. "What could they say that was bad? Come on, let's just make a quick sacrifice or something? A charitable offering to appease Odin and all of them!" Captain Hagen tugged on his tricorne hat and scoffed to Flynn.

"You're after something, I'm not sure what. But the two of ye look too yellow to travel in such conditions for no good reason – and too rich! The Gods told me to stay in Dunsinane and I'm glad for it!"

Rapunzel looked around the room. Men, who were normal patrons of the bar, lazily observed the night's odd going-ons without much interest. She saw the back of Terri who seemed disappointed that his new job had already seemed to fall through. Then, she met gaze with Mercer, the peg-legged man who had told her how the High Moor raid had cost him everything. She closed her eyes and felt the humming energy of the crown in her satchel.

"Hagen!"

It was Rapunzel that commanded his name. All eyes were on her as she suddenly held something that shone in the dull light of the lanterns. Hagen furrowed his heavy brow before widening his eyes in amazement.

She strode before the table in the middle of the sleepy room and raised her chin with a grin. She raised her crown before easily placing it on her head where it sat regal and fitting.

"There will be no questioning of my motives," she evenly began. "I am the rightful heir to Corona's throne. And I will be silent on my station no longer. Not when lives are being lost and time is being wasted."

Flynn's jaw dropped and Pascal looked to her in anger and awe. It was completely out of her character and nonsensical. Why would she risk everything so casually?

"Well," said Hagen, clearing his throat. "Ye don't say..."

Rapunzel glanced around the same room to see equal looks of shock and bafflement from every member of the inn.

"And none of you will speak a word of this," she ordered. "Unless it is to those who support the crown, or better yet, the next people's rebellion." With that, whispers began and Hagen took note. Flynn swallowed hard, debating if he should throw her over his shoulder and drag her away. But then, he thought better of it. He no longer recognized her as his stubborn and spirited wife, but as nobility, foreign and unknown. He was not certain if he liked it. But, he knew for sure he did not care for Rapunzel going rogue and not consulting with him before starting another war.

Aa Rapunzel looked around the room her gaze settled on Hagen and she glowered down to him. "Will you deny your Princess safe voyage to her homeland?"

Hagen looked to Flynn who raised his shoulders and shook his head, "Don't look at me. I'm not the one with the crown."

Hagen sighed before stepping to Rapunzel and squinting down to her.

"My princess? I am not from this land. But… the old dwellers of the White Mountains made an oath to serve the Romovas of yesterday… For me to honor such ancient words would be – odd."

"But very traditional and favorable to the ancestors," chimed Flynn getting an irked look from Hagen.

"My word is as good as the gold on my head," said Rapunzel. "I swear, on the throne of Corona, we will serve you as Captain and no ill-will shall come upon your ship. Besides, after this journey, you shall have a crew of your own. And… a debt from the Romovas, as well."

It was an offer one would have to be madder than Hagen to refuse. Yet, he kept tight-lipped. She stepped closer to him and his eyes widened as her jewels shined.

"You will still be paid," she said. "I command no people. I lead. If they choose to follow it is of their own accord."

He then realized something and looked to her with new interest. "You were at High Moor. You're the reason for the raid."

"No," said Flynn. "She was not the reason. But this is not the time nor place for that discussion, my friend." Hagen felt cornered by the pair who looked to him with unyielding heat.

"Very well. We leave on the morrow, under the veil of night. Have your party ready."

"Tomorrow?" asked Rapunzel. "I'm expected to have enough men readied by then?"

"Oh aye, Princess. And I'll be reminding ye, if I may, that I'm from the lands ungoverned by men who sit on thrones. I respect the power of Corona, but you will never be my Queen. No matter what pretty hat sits on your head."

He left the inn leaving Rapunzel feeling as empty as powerless as she did scrubbing the floors of The Snuggly Duckling.


Flynn guided Rapunzel into their room above the inn by her arm. His touch was not rough, but firm, and Rapunzel fell into the predictable place of a woman being chastised by her male counterpart.

"What came over you?" he asked once they entered the chamber. Rapunzel threw her satchel to the bed and Flynn lit a lantern in the corner. "Now I must keep two drunken guards on watch duty instead of one and be up all night myself."

"Please, half those men were asleep. Besides, who will listen to anyone who claims they saw the lost princess in a public house past midnight?"

"Cal will," replied Flynn like a stab to Rapunzel's heart. It quieted her to see the fear rise in his eyes.

"Cal is dead. No one escaped that fire." Her words were assured but they both knew there was no way to tell for sure. On the off chance the Captain lived, he would be plotting as they stood simply, waiting like ducks bobbing in water. If he was dead, it meant they were would have his blood on their hands, and it could be traced to Flynn, and raise the cost of his bounty. Yes, it would be one horror if that man still lived, but whole other if a different man survived; Anatole Fitzroy. She often thought of the kiss they shared as High Moor burnt behind them. It was not mutual, but it was powerful, and she felt the guilt rise in her. If he lived, and sailed home to Corona, Rapunzel had no idea the chain of reactions it would cause.

Flynn pointed a finger at her while the other hand rested on his waist. "We are in this together. On the same side of the war. You can't just do something so unpredictable! So… childish!"

"Childish?! If I didn't say something we would have just lost our one way to Corona!"

"Ah! Right! You mean our one-way ticket to frozen hell. We could all very well die out there. Hagen tells me how rough the seas are now."

"Men travel these waters all year round. Whalers. Fishermen. What are a few rough nights at sea after the many nights on the road we suffered?"

Flynn stepped closer to her. He knew the only way he could reach her when she became so untethered was through physical touch. Something lost and still new to her. He caressed her bare shoulder as she stood cross-armed. Then, his other hand reached around her back, and he pulled her closer to him. He crooked his neck as he looked down to her small form.

"I'll remind you, those nights almost killed me."

She sighed, dropping her arms, and turning away from him. "I grow so impatient. Every man who tells me what he lost. Every child who no longer has a family. Every home and piece of property those bastards destroy…"

Flynn's hand slipped behind her neck and she gave into his pursuit, reclining back into his strong virile body. In the days since being healed, he's worked tirelessly with Pascal to better his hand in sword fighting. The results where astonishing as his arms grew bigger, and his shoulders, impossibly broader.

"It was not your fault. Those men are only taking orders," said Flynn of the soldiers ordered to terrorize the town. "And, as we well know, they have a corrupt Captain."

"And a corrupt King."

Flynn silenced. It was becoming painfully clear Rapunzel's blind love for her true father was wavering. He did nothing to stop the soldiers' raids across the country. He did nothing. Rumors were growing that his mind was slipping and he was becoming a sad and unreasonable shadow of his former self. She often cursed herself for wanting what he had. Power, fame, a throne. Everything she thought she wanted seemed to turn to ash in her hands. The only thing real and tangible left was Flynn and his love for her. She turned to face him.

"I told him I was the lost princess. And he all but laughed at me."

"He's from a rough and foreign land that does not favor the same traditions as we do. At first, when I offered him the gold and clink – he asked if I had any moonstones of value."

Rapunzel laughed dryly. "And I thought Highlanders were superstitious and rough... like my father."

"White Mountaineers are like highlanders, Blondie." She smirked at the familiar name. Her hair, once cut to her ear, had grown to her shoulder and was thick and blonde as ever. He brushed a strand behind her ear and his handsome eye glinted in the light, maddeningly attractive. "But they were born in the snow, it never stops there. Well, until the queen's heart of ice is melted, they say."

Rapunzel smiled and took his hand. "I wish I was from the north. They seem much happier than us who favor things we can never hold."

He pulled a face as he became distracted by her hand on his belt, "You've lost me…"

"I used to want the glory. To prove that I was worth something. I still do. And, when I hold the crown, the power consumes me. Like tonight, it trembled, as if it breathed. It made me want things I don't care about."

Flynn was instantly reminded of what Mina had told him. How she claimed possessing the crown gave her vision of the future. And, after he was healed with a power he could not explain, he was forced to admit- the crown spooked him a fair amount. Not to mention, it somehow aimed his hand to shoot a man dead while he himself was blind.

He shivered and put himself between her and the golden tiara.

"We'll put Pascal back on cursed crown duty. How about that?"

"You know, when I don't hold it, I feel so… so lost. Maybe it guides me – like the Old Gods guide Captain Hagen."

She looked to him with large, child-like, eyes. Full of wonder and lingering innocence. She was his wife again, and he sighed a breath of relief over it.

"Enough of this. We can think more clearly in the morning." She watched as he began to strip himself of his vest and belts. He noticed her stare and paused. "What is it? Don't you think we should get to bed?"

"Aye," she sighed, turning and undressing. For a moment, she thought he was too cross to love her, but suddenly, once she was only in here underdress, she felt his strong arms around her. She made a small yelp as he lifted her and held her as proudly as he first had when carrying her over the threshold.

"You're a handful," he said, grasping her bottom.

"Just one?" she asked with a smirk before their lips met and he lowered her onto the bed.

He smiled over her as his hands rested on the mattress just above her shoulders. She looked up to him in wonder as hair fell over his face. He was ever the roguish vagabond who had wandered into the Snuggly Duckling the night they reunited.

"Ya know," he began with a wicked look to her, "tomorrow, some of the men might ask if I had you punished."

"But you don't have your belt, anymore."

He smiled and lowered himself to kiss her lips and then tauntingly pulled back, "There are other ways, Blondie."

She laughed as he suddenly snaked an arm around her and flipped her over. His hand came down hard on her bottom and she gasped.

"I told you, I'm no child."

He smirked to her back as his hand slipped beneath her chemise. It wandered between her soft thighs and elicited a poorly concealed whimper from her. And then, his breath was at her ear.

"No, you're not. And thank God. Otherwise, this would be debauchery on a whole different scale." He added another harsh slap and she bemoaned his roughness. Yet, inwardly, she enjoyed anytime her husband would cease to treat her as daintily as a doll. Flynn could always read her unspoken delight. Her body was her deceiver. Her hips raised to meet his hand and the heat from her core was as molten as lava. It made him ache for her in the most carnal and biblical of ways. But, tonight he would stay true to his word and have her punished. This meant making her wait and only teasing pleasure. However, after only a few long minutes of his tender touch replaced by the hard-handed blow, Rapunzel had enough.

"You brute! We don't have time for your tricks. We have to be up at dawn and- nnn," with that, he ceased his playfulness. He roughly flipped her on her back and pulled her by the legs to his stiff erection. It silenced and awed her to know it was she who inspired such feeling in him. Without delay, he spread her, buried himself in her, and began a pace. Soon, they were lost in each other. His weight pleasantly on her as she urged him closer. She worshiped the sensation of him knowing it never seemed to last, even if they went on for hours. It was their only escape from the unforgiving and uncertain world, and then with a blinding array of pleasures untold, it always came to an end too quickly.


Mina, Scottie, and Rapunzel strode the shore early in the morning of the day The Fine Lady was to embark.

"The bounty-hunter promises me a life of wealth in Corona City, if only I can be reformed into a true and proper lady," spoke Mina with humor in her cutting voice. "Imagine that, coming from a gypsy." Her fiery red hair spilled in waves past her back and she was wrapped in a brilliant woolen shawl of deep green. She had always appeared to be the picture of wealth, thanks to her lofty position with Scottie, and the fact she had the simple men of Amberwick wrapped around her finger. Rapunzel wondered what possessed her to leave such finery. She figured it was something much like her own beckoning; to find purpose away from their shared father.

Scottie rubbed a hand over his face, "M'children are awff, t' find a life bet'air t'en t' one I cou'na offer en t'Highlands."

Rapunzel reached for his large weathered hand. "None of this would be possible if not for you, father. I would have never met Flynn. And Flynn would have never known kindness if you had not taken him in."

The older man looked to, trying hard to muster a kindly smile, but his eyes looked sadly forlorn. The three stopped on the beach of Dunsinane. The skyline was foggy and grey as they looked far out to the unknown.

"Promise may, ef all goes well, ye well return ta may."

"I promise," Rapunzel voiced, her words seeming to be carried off by the wind. "But, if all does go as planned. I could very well be seated on the throne. I would have no choice but to stay in the city."

"Es t'at what ye want… truly?"

Rapunzel blinked, "I-I have not thought that far ahead, to be honest."

Mina's eyes squinted to her but she held her tongue and decided to change the subject.

"I won't be long, Scottie. Don't want there to be too much lost profit at the Duckling."

"No, not ye. Ye kin vera well stay t'here," he chortled. Mina could not help but laugh as well. But still, she placed a hand on his arm and smiled to him.

The three continued their walk, laughing and speaking on days and times passed. It made Rapunzel miss her old life dearly. They spoke of names Rapunzel had not heard in what felt like an eternity. She was reminded of the quiet land. The humble villagers. The bawdy nights. The songs. The drink. The ever-roasting goose on the fire. The ever-present music lingering in the halls.

Then, finally, their walk came to an end as they approached Scottie's carriage that was homeward bound. Pascal had already helped the driver with his belongings and there was nothing to keep him from the road.

He turned to Mina with a smirk tugging at his lip. "Ye know I was jus' jestin', lassie. Ye kin always come home."

Mina offered a rare smile, a genuine one.

"Thank you, Scottie. I won't forget it. Every last thing… you did for me."

Rapunzel sensed something dark lingering behind her words but she pushed her suspicions aside. She knew Mina was cunning and sly, but even she could not possibly plot against the man who gave her the life she had. Mina leaned closely to Scottie and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The man then looked to Rapunzel, his wild black curls blowing in the wind.

"T' last time I left ye, t'was almost t' last time I saw ye."

She stepped closer to him and took his hand, "You never left me."

They could say no more as he pulled her into his arms. Rapunzel closed her eyes as tears stung her behind her lids. It was a goodbye that felt as final as the grave. In her heart, she knew it was not the last time she would see him, but her mind went to the worst, darkest place, and she could not help but let the notion cross her mind; that it was the last.

When they finally parted, he slowly closed the door of the carriage, and looked out the open window to the pair. He put on a brave smile, typical of a proud father trying not to worry his children.

"Come fair winds, t'wake t'em t'morrow, we pray. Come harvest a' plenty t' t'em ev'ry day," Rapunzel smiled. It was an old song the sailors would sing with her when she was a child in the Snugly Duckling. It was an innocent time, before she knew just why the sailors were drawn to the inn as soon as their ship docked. Wiping tears from her cheek, she finished the song with her father as the carriage began to pull away.

"Till' guided by harbor lights, they're home to stay. Away from the roll of the sea."


A/N: Thank you Sweetie21 and Fancatdog. You reviewed so fast! And Thank you for your well-wishes too! And please, anyone let me know how you feel about 10,000-word chapters. I was going to upload it all at once but then decided it was too much. Anyways, this fic is going to be really fun to write and I'm pretty excited to continue, time willing!

- xx Rebecca