A/N: It hasn't been long since I last updated, but I cranked out this new chapter fairly quickly, so I thought I'd post it early :) It is a bit shorter than the previous chapter, and has more of a filler role, but the next one should be longer. I hope you guys enjoy this story thus far and I am eternally grateful to those who have stuck with it. Thank you so much!

Without further ado, here you go! :)

Chapter 5

Rapunzel's POV

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out to sea

Sail away, kill off the hours

You belong somewhere you feel free

~Wildflowers~

Another month passed with various outings and Cass trying her best to deceive Gothel with any number of excuses that she could conjure up. It was a desperate, and frankly foolish, endeavor to attempt to lie to Gothel, but Rapunzel reasoned to herself that she'd eventually come clean. The truth of the matter was, Rapunzel didn't realize how achingly she needed to explore the world until that afternoon in the library weeks ago. The call of wanderlust had sprouted in her like a flower, growing ever stronger by the day.

It was as if she'd been born to be a lady of adventure, sailing the expansive seas and living among peoples from distant lands. The idea seemed far more preferable and enticing compared to living out the remainder of her days trapped in the role of a prim noblewoman. Her mother told her that obligation was of utmost importance, something that Rapunzel needed to respect. In the mind of the young girl, however, obligation meant being ensnared like a bird caught within a net, forever tangled and unable to spread her wings.

Their trips had led them thus far to the outskirts of the city, by the docks where the wind carried a crisp breeze and wizened fishermen sold their wares. Rapunzel had been transfixed by it all and watched as large, sturdy ships with massive sails anchored and lowered the plank for the men to unload their cargo. There were men of varying appearances, from the burly kind with gnarled beards to the ones with lanky frames covered in a tapestry of tattoos. Some men barely spared Rapunzel a glance as they hurried by, while others stopped and stared as if they were unsure why a woman of her station would bother paying them notice. She'd gone for one of her simpler dresses for the day, which was a light pink gown with vertical stripes and puff sleeves. There was little frill on her clothing, except for the lace lining the hem. Her blonde locks had been arranged into a bun, at Cassandra's insistence, with tight curls on the sides of her cheeks. Needless to say, her efforts hadn't paid off well enough if these men recognized her as a noblewoman. Rapunzel realized she envied the life of these sailors, the weather beaten men who travelled wherever the tide pulled them.

The image of Gothel's expression if she knew where Rapunzel was both terrified and amused her. Her only consolation was knowing that Pascal was safely tucked away at home for the day, and any potential punishment would rest solely on her shoulders.

It was no shock that Cass had not moved her left hand from the hilt of her sword, silently threatening anyone who thought of coming near them. Rapunzel appreciated the gesture, even if she believed it to be unnecessary. Gripped with the desire to drip her toes in the water, Rapunzel began to move towards the docks before she felt Cass' free hand grab her arm.

"Raps, where do you think you're going?"

She smiled brightly. "I want to cool my feet in the water, just for a short while."

"Fine, then follow behind me." Cass took the lead, her footsteps creaking on the salt crusted planks. As they walked the transient distance to the edge of the docks, Flynn ambled up to Rapunzel and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"She's a real stick-in-the-mud, isn't she?"

Rapunzel lightly hit him on the arm, fighting back a smile. "That's my friend you're talking about! Won't you be nicer to her?"

"I make no promises," Flynn replied cheekily, his hands clasped behind his back. The two hadn't known each other for long, but Rapunzel had begun to feel a budding kinship towards him. He made her laugh like no one else could, and his smile caused goosebumps to run along her arms. She suspected he enjoyed teasing her, purely for the purpose of eliciting a reaction. They'd bonded over their love of fantasy novels, which had made Rapunzel happier beyond measure. And though he'd mentioned it once offhandedly, they both yearned for a different life. They were an unlikely pair of friends, but she found she liked the absurdity of such a relationship. It was not often that a noblewoman befriended common thieves, but she was willing to make an exception for someone as interesting to him, given the enigma that he was.

Once they'd all reached the edge, Rapunzel gathered up her skirts in her hands and went to sit down on the grimy wooden surface. Her toes barely skimmed the surface of the water, and yet the bracing sensation of it served to put a smile on her face. She relished in the moment, closing her eyes and letting the sun's rays warm her skin.

"Well, won't you two join me?" She questioned, laughing as she looked up at Flynn and Cass standing behind her.

Cass cracked a smile. "If it'll please you, then yes."

The handmaiden-turned-bodyguard, the girl who rarely did anything out of spontaneity, tugged off her boots and plopped down next to Rapunzel. Flynn followed suit, rolling up his pants and settling down on Rapunzel's right side.

An amicable silence passed between them, before the sudden feeling of frigid water washed over Rapunzel's body. She let out a gasp, looking down at her sodden clothes. Her framed curls had gone limp and the rest of her hair, which had previously been placed neatly on the crown of her head, had now formed frizzy curls on her scalp. She turned to accuse Flynn, but he merely shrugged and pointed to Cass, who had a rather smug grin plastered on her face.

"Cassandra!" Rapunzel giggled, torn between sincere confoundment and mirth. "I didn't know you had that in you."

Cass chortled, bending down to scoop water into the hollows of her palms. "Well, I suppose I'm full of surprises."

Rapunzel dipped her feet further into the sea and used them to splash Cass' legs, which made Cass quickly lift her knees up to her chest. To Rapunzel's surprise, Cass tilted her head back and issued a full belly laugh, her chest shaking and her face split in the most dazzling grin Rapunzel had ever seen. She didn't recall a time she'd witnessed her friend laugh like this, and the sight was rather refreshing from Cass' typical serious demeanor.

The two women soon had a full blown water fight, with Flynn joining in the moment Rapunzel had doused him with a playful splash. His hair stuck to his forehead and droplets of water ran down the sides of his face, with his damp blue tunic clinging to his chest. Rapunzel averted her gaze from the sight so as not to risk blushing, stood on her feet, and walked backwards by a few feet. She was overcome with the urge to jump in the water, regardless of her soaked state.

"Blondie, what are you doing?"

Rapunzel grinned devilishly at her companions, and a knowing expression crossed Cassandra's features. "You'll see."

"Raps, are you going to do what I think―"

"Here I go!"

Sprinting as promptly as she could, Rapunzel leapt from the docks and sprung into the water, initially shocked by the jarring temperature. Once she'd emerged from its depths, a big smile spread across her cheeks and she couldn't help but laugh despite her chattering teeth.

"What are you waiting for?"

Cass' jaw hung open in disbelief. "But you're shivering!"

"Never mind that. Just come and join me already!"

"Oh, what the hell," Cass shook her head, bracing her hands against the docks and about to slip in before Rapunzel grabbed her arm and pulled her in. Cassandra let out a startled yelp, coming up from the surface with water trickling from her doused curls.

"You're a c-crazy girl, you know that?" Her words were broken by her shuddering body, but a smile split her lips nonetheless. Rapunzel returned the gesture, trying to stay afloat by kicking her legs repeatedly under the water. She was lucky Cass had been teaching her to swim over the past few months in a lake adjacent to their home, or else she would be well under the water by now.

"It's your turn, Flynn." Rapunzel smirked, treading the water with her arms.

Flynn scrutinized her with a perplexed expression, as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Here was a woman of high society acting as though she had not a care about her reputation, and was fraternizing with a common thief, no less. Her company was unorthodox to be certain, and yet she ignored the judgement she attracted with ease. Sometimes she amazed herself with how little she concerned herself on the harsh opinions of others lately, save that of her mother's.

Flynn chuckled and started lowering himself into the water. "Whatever you say, princess." It was a nickname, amidst the many he already had for her, that he'd begun using. She'd grown used to it, though she didn't know how she felt about it. Something about the title felt odd, despite her high status. She could barely play the part of a noblewoman's daughter, let alone royalty.

Soon, he was fully immersed in the sea water and turned to grin at Rapunzel. "Are you happy now?" His tone was teasing, a mischievous light in his eyes.

Cassandra barked out a wicked laugh. "He looks like a drowned rat."

"Oh, come on! You can't go one day without torturing me?"

"Nope," Cass smiled, flicking water into his face with her hand. His grumpy expression induced a giggle from Rapunzel, who tried concealing her open mouth with her fingers and failed. The side of his mouth twitched in subdued delight when he saw Rapunzel's reaction, and an emotion akin to tenderness softened Flynn's irritation. His eyes held a fondness in them she'd begun to notice he only reserved for her, and the floating sensation in her chest, coupled with her rising heartbeat, did nothing to help her curb this crush. She'd been trying to listen to Cass' practical advice, to maintain nothing more than a friendship with Rider for the sake of her heart, but it was far easier said than done. It seemed possible when he wasn't around, and there were other distractions to focus on during daylight hours. When she retired for the night, however, his image danced about her mind and the sound of his husky voice rang in her ears. Obviously, Cass could not be privy to such an indulgent secret, and Rapunzel intended to keep it that way―at least for the time being. Flynn and Cassandra's relationship was a tentative one, and Rapunzel did not wish to jeopardize it by revealing something so disreputable At the moment, she wanted to enjoy a pleasurable day among friends, without all the complications.

"Isn't this fun?" Rapunzel exclaimed, directing her gaze towards the clear blue skies. "I could stay like this forever."

"It's freezing." Cass' deadpan tone made Rapunzel roll her eyes.

"Lighten up a little!"

"I don't think she'd be capable of it."

Rapunzel responded to Flynn's dry comment by splashing him once more, initiating yet another water war. This went on for some time, with the trio splashing one another in childish retaliation, before Cass drifted over to the docks and lifted her body out of the water.

"We should be heading back, Raps. I've got chores to attend to, and you need to be finishing your studies." Cass was straight to the point as always, and though Rapunzel wanted nothing more than to ignore her responsibilities, she knew she could not do so. She was risking much by neglecting her reading homework for the day, and reluctantly complied with Cassandra's suggestion. She dragged herself out of the water, grunting slightly as she stood up from the added weight of her drenched skirts.

Rapunzel turned to address Flynn with an apology for cutting the day short, when she paused briefly at his expression. His mouth was parted slightly, as though he was momentarily stunned at her. It took her a beat to realize he was staring at her due to her soggy state, and it wasn't too hard to figure out why. Her dress clung to her curves in ways that it should not, especially when exposed in public, and the man she was attracting attention from would send her mother into a fainting spell. This was the height of impropriety, and yet she did not tell him to look away. It would be hypocritical of her, considering she could not peel her eyes away from him either. He looked far too pleasing to the eye with how the water rivulets traveled down his forehead and onto his chiseled chest. The way his eyes flicked up and down her form caused peculiar emotions to swell within her, and she did her best to quell them. It wouldn't do for her to give Cassandra any clues to these budding feelings.

"I suppose I'll see you later, Flynn." Rapunzel waved an innocent 'goodbye' gesture, hoping he'd mistake the flushing of her cheeks to be from the frigid waters.

Flynn rejoined them on the docks, echoing the gesture back to her. "Until next time, Blondie."

Blondie. It was funny how much she liked the term of endearment.

"Let's get going, Raps." Cass grabbed Rapunzel's arm and dragged her away, all but ignoring Flynn, but not before Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder at him. He offered her a gentle smile, one which Rapunzel was obliged to return.

Rapunzel closed the novel shut and set it down on her nightstand with a soft thud, releasing a sigh. She had finally completed her reading assignment for the day and felt much relieved that it was done. Mother would not have been pleased if the girl had dallied on the task; it was important that Rapunzel be a studious daughter. Now that she had time to spare before bedtime, she opened the nightstand drawer and withdrew her sketchbook, the familiar leather binding comforting to the touch. Her fingers clasped a pencil resting safely inside a small loop attached to the side of the book, and swiftly began turning the pages until she arrived onto a clean one.

Since the first day of her adventures, she'd started documenting them with stylistic illustrations and cursive script written underneath said drawings, detailing the day's events. Rapunzel's pencil glided across the creamy white pages as she sketched a scene of three friends swimming in a lake, their bodies waterlogged to the bone. Her hand seemed to have a will of its own while she drew, and her mind pictured the event clearly. She could still feel the breeze on her face, see the enormous sails of a ship above her bobbing head, but what had occupied her thoughts the most was the way Flynn kept looking at her. It was easy to capture his features onto the paper when she'd memorized nearly every detail, from the scruff lining his chin to his crooked grin whenever he teased her.

Once she'd added colors with her trusty pastel chalk, she examined the work and felt her lips lift into a bemused smile. Never would she have imagined forming a bond with a mysterious man like Flynn Rider. If someone had told her over a month ago that she would become friends with a thief and blatantly disobey her mother with Cass' help, a stickler for the rules, she would have not believed such a tale. It would have seemed impossible, and yet here she was, growing an unconventional attachment to him. It wouldn't be long before Gothel discovered their schemes; after all, she was a smart woman who had a knack for extracting the truth. Only time would tell how long Rapunzel's newfound freedoms lasted.

Rapunzel shook her head of the thought, not wanting to face that looming possibility. She tossed her sketchbook back into its drawer, catching Pascal's eye from his perch on her bed frame as she did so. It felt as though he were giving her a judgmental stare.

"I know, Pascal. I don't want to hear it, least of all from you."

Grabbing the candle set upon the bedside tabletop, she extinguished the flame with one breath, plunging the room into darkness. As she drifted off to sleep, one thought stood out among the many plaguing her.

What would I do if Mother found out?

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