Hey guys, this is my version of RTA. I need a way to cope with the hiatus, so this fic is the result. I'm planning to make it quite long. If you have any thing you would like to see in this story, let me know in the reviews.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

"And then I said, 'you wouldn't know a thing about me, you big galoot!' And then he said, 'Of course I would, I've known you for 5 years!' And then I said…"

Rapunzel nods distractedly at Eugene as he continues his blabbering. She usually loves listening to his stories, but today, she is feeling a little unsettled. She is thinking about the dream she just woke up from. She can't remember everything, and she is racking her brain trying to think about it. Something had happened in the dream that had shook her up.

It is a warm, sunny morning, and the crew is getting ready to leave camp and continue down the road to their destination, the Dark Kingdom. Who knows what lies in store for them?

Birds sing in the trees, and a gentle breeze tickles her face. Rapunzel decides she should stop worrying and just enjoy the beautiful day with her friends.

She relaxes, and leans against her boyfriend. "What did you do then?"

"Well, being the brilliant, charming, clever, dashing rogue that I am, I escaped." He grins smugly, giving his hair a casual flick.

Cass, who of course had been just waiting for the opportunity, strolls past. "I'm surprised you could even walk with the enormous ego you carry around." There is no edge in her voice though, and she's clearly holding back a smile.

"Not only could I walk, Madame Ice Queen, I could run. With an unconscious Lance strapped to my back."

Lance, who had been setting up the caravan, gasps. "EUGENE! You said you wouldn't tell!"

Rapunzel, like always, is ready to step in and defuse the situation.

"Alright, it seems like we're good to go! Eugene, can you please saddle up Max and Fidella."

"Of course Sunshine."

"Cass, go get Shorty, and Lance, make sure everything's in the caravan."

"Gotcha!"

Rapunzel smiles. Everything is looking good. "Alright guys! Next stop: the Dark Kingdom!" She feels excitement bubbling up inside her, and she lets out a giggle. "This is going to be so much fun!"

The Black Rock Road, as she likes to call it, is taking them on a gorgeous path. They are going through a gigantic forest. Trees tower over her, and she can hear the roar of a river in the distance. Sunlight is cutting through the canopy in all the right places, and Rapunzel has half a mind to fetch her journal so she can capture some of the beauty in her drawings.

It has been more than a year since her tower, and she still can't seem to get enough of the world around her. Many nights she would think about the 18 years of life that she was denied, and those were the nights where she wouldn't be able to sleep, and Eugene, sweet Eugene, would come in and hold her and whisper to her until she closed her eyes. She finds herself wondering what would have happened if Eugene never found her tower. She shudders at the thought.

"Rapunzel."

That breaks her out of her thoughts and she glances at Cassandra, who is riding Fidella beside her.

"What's up Cass?"

Cass looks worried. "Look, I hate to be a downer, but you need to know that our food supply is running alarmingly low. And there is no town near here for at least 5 days time. We're going to have to figure something out soon."

Rapunzel frowns. No food. And no towns.

"Well, we could hunt, couldn't we? I mean, do you know how?

Cass considers it, but she looks doubtful. "I'm no hunter Rapunzel, but I can try. No other choice anyway."

She pulls on the reigns, and Max and Fidella slow to a trot. Eugene sticks his head out the door.

"Blondie! Why're we stopping?"

"We need to hunt down some food. Our food supply is short and there's no town nearby."

"Makes sense. What are we looking for?"

Cass hops off the horse, opening up the compartment where she kept her weapons. " We are not going anywhere. I'm going. You guys need to watch the caravan."

Eugene gives her a look of pure confusion. "What? But I used to be a thief. I can stay quiet and stealthy. Besides, if anything goes wrong, you would need backup."

Rapunzel nods. "Eugene will go with Cass."

Cass crosses her arms. "I'd rather go with Shorty."

Shorty drops out of the caravan and falls on the ground. "Who's Shorty?," he mumbles drunkenly before falling asleep.

Rapunzel gives Cass a pointed look, and she sighs. "Alright, I'll go with Fitzy."

"Don't worry Cassandra, I'm just as excited to be going with you as you are." Eugene walks over to Rapunzel and gives her a quick peck. "We'll be back before you know it." He winks at her before jogging to catch up with Cass.

Rapunzel watches as her two bickering friends walk away. She knows they don't really hate each other, and that they just enjoy poking fun. They remind her of siblings. She wonders what it'd be like to have a sibling.

She is interrupted from her thoughts by a squeak from her best friend, Pascal. He is motioning towards the caravan.

"You're right Pascal, we should set up camp."

Eugene pads quietly through the forest, scanning his surroundings warily. The air would have been nice and calm, if not for Cass stomping around with her armor clanging.

"Could you quiet down!"

"Nah."

They trudge through the forest for quite some time. Eugene tries climbing trees to get a better view of the forest, but there isn't an animal in sight. Maybe if they spotted a river, they could try swordfishing.

After a while, the silence grows irritating, and, as usual, he feels the urge to talk.

"So, Cassandra, where did you go back in the weird creepy old house?"

She keeps walking, showing no sign of having heard him.

Eugene rolls his eyes. Of course she wouldn't tell him. He had hoped that she had finally warmed up to him, because of course, no one could resist his extreme charm anyway. But after the events of the House, Cass had shut everyone out, and Eugene, frankly, was worried about her.

He sighs. "Look, I know we've never really got along, but I just want you to know that, under all of the witty and ingenious insults I throw at you, I do in fact consider you as my friend."

She nods, but keeps walking. If anything, her expression seems even more guarded.

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

Cass grimaces. "Eugene, I've never been good at talking stuff out, with anyone. Rapunzel has tried too. I just, well, I guess I just don't work that way."

Eugene nods. He understood. Not everyone was as good as opening up as Rapunzel was. He had to respect that. He remembers how long he'd kept his own walls up, using the persona of swashbuckling rogue Flynn Rider, as a shield to guard the vulnerable Eugene hiding inside. It wasn't until Rapunzel came along that he learned that sometimes, being vulnerable is what truly makes you strong.

"I want you to know though, that I am glad I have you as a friend. But I can't promise that I can open up to you." Cass avoids his eyes while saying this, and Eugene thinks he sees guilt flashing on her face. He figures the conversation is getting too difficult for her.

"I understand Cass. And now, let's focus on the real reason behind our lovely walk in the woods." They trudge onwards.

Eugene thinks of one of the lessons he had learned during his many times in the wilderness: find water, find food. He spots a stream, and motions for Cass to follow him.

The two crouch behind a bush, looking through the leaves.

"There! Cass, look!"

A deer is kneeling by the river, and by its calm demeanor, Eugene figures they still have time before it spots them.

"I see it!"

Cass draws her bow, and takes aim. She's rusty, and that's evident, when her arrow misses its target by more than a few feet. The deer, startled by the commotion, gallops away.

Cass says some colorful words that would've made the Stabbingtons blush like girls.

"Language, Cassandra. That was quite a miss though."

A sudden voice calls out, "Oh yeah, definitely needs work."

Eugene and Cass whirl around, startled by the unknown voice. Both of them draw their swords.

"Who are you!" Cass yells, "Show yourself!'

The figure hops out of the shadows. He has his hands up.

"I don't want to fight!" He lowers his hood, revealing wide eyes and a young face. A kid, about 16 or 17.

"Sorry about that. Just seemed like the cool thing to do. The name's Aris." He sticks his hand out.

Eugene scans the boy's dark eyes. They were warm and trusting.

The eyes never lie. "Eugene."

The kid holds his hand out to Cass, but of course, she walks away. He puts his hand down.

"Oh, okay."

"Don't worry. It takes her a while to warm up to strangers." Eugene notices that the boy's clothes were tattered and torn, and he feels a pang of sympathy. He knows what it's like not to have good clothes.

"So kid, what brings you to this part of the woods?"

Aris unslings his bow. "Same as you. Hunting. I was tracking the deer you guys were trying to hit."

Cass glares at him. "Like you could've hit it any better."

Eugene rolls his eyes. "Lighten up Cass, he's a little kid."

"I'm 16, thanks!"

"You know what kid, if you're any good at hunting, would you mind helping us get the deer?"

Aris looks unconvinced. "What's in it for me?"

Cass bends down to pick up her wayward arrow. "We can give you a safe place to sleep for the night. It's going to get dark, and there's no other shelter close by."

The kid thinks about it, then nods. "Fair trade." He bends down to examine the deer tracks, still for a moment, then gets up again.

"Let's move."

By the time Rapunzel, Lance and Shorty were done setting up the camp for the night, it is nearing sundown. Rapunzel is concerned. Eugene and Cass still aren't back. If they don't come back with food, they would have to go to sleep hungry, and then keep moving. They can't waste any more time here.

Suddenly, she sees Eugene and Cass walking back with a carcass in between them, and she breathes a sigh of relief.

Lance walks over to stand next to her. "About time they showed up. This big boy is STARVIN'!." She looks over at him with an exasperated smile, and sees that he is squinting at the others. "Looks like they brought a third with them, too."

She strains her eyes, and sees that, they did in fact have a third person walking with them. Rapunzel marvels at Lance's ability to see from this far. She chalks it up to his time as a thief, always on the lookout for guards and potential hiding spots.

She turns her attention back to the mysterious third person. By now they were close enough to see clearly. The third is walking with Eugene and Cass, sticking closer to Eugene, who is talking animatedly to him. He is listening intently, dark hair falling into his face so it is hard for Rapunzel to really see him. He is tall, just slightly shorter than her boyfriend, but a lot thinner. His clothes, Rapunzel is saddened to see, were old, dirty and patched up.

Eugene spots Rapunzel, and his face glows. "Blondie! We found dinner! Get ready for a classic Rider-Strongbow recipe, courtesy of your favorite ex-criminals. Oh, by the way, Blondie, this is Argus一sorry, Aris! He helped me hunt the deer一alright, alright! He helped Cass hunt the deer, so we're giving him a place to sleep for the night."

He and Lance carry the deer away, bantering amiably, and Rapunzel turns to face Aris. She smiles warmly.

"Hello, Aris."

He smiles back, a little shy. "Hi."

Rapunzel is eager to meet a new person, and wastes no time in giving him a tour of the camp, introducing him to Lance, who is excited to learn that he can reuse all his old jokes, and Shorty, who thinks Aris is his mom. By the time she's done, Eugene and Lance come out to present the dinner for the night.

Eugene saunters forward, ladling some of the broth into a bowl for each person. "Bon appetit, ladies and gentlemen."

Rapunzel smiles her thanks as she receives her bowl, and takes a small sip. The stew is tangy with hints of mint and berry, and the meat chunks are nice and firm. Rapunzel is astounded. She never knew Eugene could cook so well.

"Wow you guys, this is amazing!"

Aris nods in agreement, mouth full of the delicious broth. Shorty is slurping it down faster than humanly possible, and even Cass has nothing negative to say. The ex-thieves take a bow, arms around each other. Lance smiles.

"What can we say Princess, when you're on the run 24/7, you tend to learn a thing or two."

Aris chokes. "Wait a second, Princess?"

Rapunzel isn't naïve, she knows that going around telling everyone she is in fact the Princess of Corona is not safe at all, and it was for this reason that she hesitates. She has a feeling though, a gut instinct, that she can trust Aris. She glances at Eugene to see if he mirrors her feelings, and she is relieved when he nods encouragingly.

Rapunzel twirls her hair around her finger. "Yeah, you probably wouldn't know, but I'm kind of the princess of Corona."

She watches Aris for his reaction. He looks fascinated. "Wow, I'm really talking to royalty. I'll be honest, I would never have guessed. You are the least princessy princess I have ever seen."

To most royalty, that would have been an insult, but Rapunzel can't help but feel pleased. She hates being known as "the princess" or "the Sundrop". Those were responsibilities, and responsibilities made her feel dizzy and scared. For 18 years of her life, she was just Rapunzel, and all of a sudden these responsibilities were shoved in her face. Sure she was grateful for all the things she had been given, but she was also glad that to others, she can still be just Rapunzel.

Aris leans forward. "So why is a princess out here so far from her kingdom?"

Cass smirks. "Long story, kid. Probably too long."

Eugene, who Rapunzel could tell is already quite fond of Aris, rolls his eyes. "Oh come on Cass, we've got nothing but time! Plus, this story is a fun one to tell."

And so they spend the next hour or two narrating the events of the past year to the wonderstruck teenager, everyone butting in to fill in the missing gaps.

Aris is a wonderful listener. Whenever anyone speaks, Rapunzel notices, he trains his full concentration on them, and listen, wide-eyed and attentive.

They leave out details they think should be kept confidential, at least for a while, such as Rapunzel's magic, the scroll, and Zhan Tiri. By the end of the tale, she can tell Aris is having trouble taking it all in, but nonetheless very entertained.

Rapunzel was more than willing to stay up late to keep talking, but Cass, level-headed as usual, stands up.

"As fun as this conversation is, we need to get some sleep. We're leaving first thing tomorrow. But we need to make sure of something first." She turns to Aris, who does his best to look nonchalant, but can't hide the flash of fear from his face. Rapunzel can't blame him. Cass can be very scary at times.

She faces him. "We are leaving tomorrow. The kid could be useful in getting food. Should we take him with us?"

Rapunzel realizes this question is directed towards her, and splutters out, "It's Aris's choice, not ours! But he's more than welcome to join us."

Aris looks amazed that he even has a choice. "There is no way I am missing out on something like this. I'd love to join you RapunzelーI mean, your Highness一should I call you that一I mean technically I shouldn't because you're not in your Kingdom一but wouldn't it be rude not to call you your Highness一"

Rapunzel laughs at his antics. "Aris, relax! Rapunzel is fine."