Two thieves pulled back from the window, nodded at each other, and ducked into the darkness. It was no miracle that they had gotten in here - if Rider, the graceless moron, could find his way in and out, how could they not do so half as easily? As always, if they wanted something done right, they'd have to do it themselves. It wasn't that difficult - she wasn't that far out of reach. In fact, they could take her now-

Rapunzel was unsuspecting, sitting there. She turned over a crumpled flower in her hands, forehead furrowed. All this time she'd thought her hair was just to heal her sisters. Only blood, wasn't that the curse? Or was that just an assumption? She closed her eyes and tried to think, but she was only a toddler when she was cursed - she hardly remembered the day at all!

She'd tried this power on other people - some maids, mostly. Other than sopping up some blood with her hair, it hadn't really helped. Did it mean anything that it was Flynn? Or - Eugene. She spun that over in her head. He didn't seem like a Flynn, the more she thought about him. That was a book character, a persona, something larger-than-life. Flynn was certainly excitable but Eugene…

She touched the petals of the flower, which he'd saved to bring back to her, in hopes of getting her to take another chance. That was Eugene. Did it matter that the power transferred via a flower? There were so many variables...but maybe she had more control over it than she thought. That thought cheered her the most. The hope.

The Stabington brothers watched this all, clueless as to all she was thinking. There was rustling just around the bend - guards? Thinking quickly, the Stabbington brothers ducked into some shrubbery, hoping to conceal themselves.

"Punzie!"

Rapunzel shot up, tucking the flower into her pocket. "Is it really you?"

"I'm sorry, I just had to come back. I couldn't leave things like that, I-"

"Oh," Rapunzel sighed. "Come in, come in!"

Flynn climbed in and looked at her. "I don't want to push you too much, I'm sorry if I did. But I hate having to see you hide yourself like this, just because of your hair - I know you're doing it out of love, but there just has to be another way."

"There just might be." Rapunzel took his hand to quiet him. "The flower you gave me...I didn't know my hair power's could be transferred. I'm not even sure Maleficent knew, when she put the curse on me."

"Maleficent?" Flynn said, his voice going dry, though he tried to appear collected.

"I know." Rapunzel said quietly. "You understand another part of my fear."

Flynn nodded, and they sat down.

"But it got me thinking - if I have the ability to transfer the powers, shouldn't I have the ability to control it? And if I can control that part of the curse, then maybe I can control more. Maybe Ariel can control hers. Maybe Aurora can control hers. I think it's worth trying to find out."

"Absolutely." Flynn said. "So, how do we find out?"

"My friend, Belle, she knows fairy tales and magic better than anybody I know. And Adam Beaumont - the bookshop owner - his her beau, and he knows about them as well." Rapunzel said. "There's got to be something in these books, there's certainly enough stories about breaking curses. If we can figure out a root cause, or source of Maleficent's power, we can defeat it. And we can end this all, for good."

"Let's do it." Flynn said confidently, squeezing her hand. It felt so natural, Rapunzel had even forgotten that he was holding it.

"I think I can do this." Rapunzel said firmly. "But it's scary, Flynn." she looked up at him. "I need you with me."

He swept her hair behind her ears. "Absolutely, Blondie. I'll meet you just outside your window. Tomorrow. Seven sharp."

Rapunzel smiled, her grin not as devious as those of the Stabbington brothers, who'd overheard everything. They certainly could not let such a pretty young lady travel alone, oh, that would not do at all.

...

Belle got ready quickly the next morning, scrubbing her face and tying her hair back, eager to get out the door before anyone could form a mind to stop her. There was enough distance - and, worse, time - between her and Adam and she needed to fix it, now. She thought of how to say what she felt. For a woman who'd read so many words, she was running remarkably short on them. She hoped they'd come to her when she needed them most.

"Adam?" she said, opening the door.

"Belle!" he said, standing up. "I-"

She walked up to the counter, waiting for words to come to him once more.

He looked at her softly, afraid to even reach out and touch her hands, lest she shrink from his touch. "I thought I'd never see you again." he finally said.

"I'm sorry." she said. "I shouldn't have gone from the picnic without telling you how I feel. I wasn't prepared to say anything and I've read so many books - so many books."

Adam chuckled. "I can tell."

"But they all have perfect things to say in these moments, ways to express how they feel and how much they feel it, and I just wasn't prepared. I'm a reader, Adam, not a writer. I'm not good with that sort of off-the-cuff, but I do know how I feel. I love you, Adam. I love you too. I'd love you even if you didn't love me. But you do. And I think I love you a little extra for it."

Adam leaned across the desk and cupped her face, kissing her and trying not to smile throughout. He pulled back only to look at her for a second, and then kissed her again.

"I love you, but I also need your help." Belle said.

"Anything."

"My friends are in trouble, and we may be their only hope."

Adam furrowed his brow. "That's very serious. What's going on?"

Belle explained the curses, and her long friendship with Rapunzel. "All I know about curses I've learned from fairy tales, and you told me, early on, that you've read them too."

"All of them, I'd reckon."

"There has to be a way for them to break this curse, all of their curses."

Adam gave her a grin. "The solution is easy, though the execution likely less so."

"What do you mean?"

"Only two things break a curse - love, and destroying the source. Maleficent made these curses, all of them, yes?"

"Yes, at the christening."

"Well, if we can find her, and destroy her, the power of the curses should disappear with her."

Belle smiled excitedly. "Of course! I'll tell Rapunzel, I'm sure she'd be willing to try anything!"

"She does live up on the forbidden mountain, remember?"

"So?"

"Forbidden mountain, closed office - I know you don't like to follow directions. But Maleficent doesn't love you. She'll do a lot worse than just lose her temper. She'll know why you're there, and she'll likely do anything to stop you."

"I know." Belle said. She was scared, but she was determined to help her friends.

"So, of course, you understand why I can't let you go alone." Adam squeezed her hand.

Belle smiled up at him. "We can do this. Together. All of us."

It wasn't fair to say Ariel woke up early, because she never slept in the first place. All night she was fitful; her thoughts so quickly went to her impending curse and all of its consequences. How could Maleficent do this? What made someone so depraved and hateful that they punished a baby for the slight of an invitation, and forced her to go through this?

Ariel had never been in love before - and she knew she'd never love again. She couldn't feel this way about another person, she knew that. And she would not be so foolish as to let herself around someone who might ever feel that way about her. She couldn't risk having to kill again - she didn't even know if that was part of the spell, but she didn't want to find out.

What would it be like to kill Eric?

She didn't like thinking about this, but her subconscious kept pushing it to the front of her mind. There were no details to her spell - and she was just a baby when it was placed upon her, anyway - so the actual procedure was not clear. At midnight would she just snap and attack him? Would he be able to stop her? He was stronger than her, perhaps he could fight her off? Did the command to kill him have an expiration date? If they kept her locked up until midnight, would that be enough? What if she told him and he left, sailing far away to where she could never find him? Would she somehow know? Would it maybe happen the next time she saw him after the three day period was up? He's wish her a good morning, and she'd claw at him?

Ariel put her face in her hands and suck down onto her bed.

These questions were incessant, but were all plagued by a larger one - did it matter? If she told him, if she didn't, if he left, if he stayed, would they really be able to thwart Maleficent? Ariel found herself growing more desperate to think, to do anything, as the minutes ticked by.

She'd probably watch, wouldn't she? Maleficent. Show up, hide somewhere. Perhaps she had a crystal ball, like so many of the witches she'd read about in fairy tale books. Ariel shuttered at this thought. It was disgusting - their whole lives were a performance for a woman that hated them.

Eric didn't know what was at stake here, with the curse. He was entitled to the information, now that he was implicated. If he could think of a way to stop this, to save him, she was more than all ears.

She had to tell him.

Ariel walked gently and slowly down the hall, letting her fingertips run across the tapestries and curtains, slowing her approach to the conversation. She didn't have the words for what she wanted to say, but it wasn't fair to Eric to keep all the facts from him.

She reached his bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Ariel!" he said, surprised. "I'm glad you're here - I wanted to apologize."

"No." Ariel firmly insisted. "You didn't do anything wrong. But, that doesn't mean bad things aren't going to happen anyway."

"What?" Eric said, stepping towards her.

"You know I'm cursed too - we all are. All of my sisters."

"Okay." Eric nodded. "Did I do something?"

"Nothing that's really your fault." Ariel shook her head. "I should've been more careful. You didn't know."

"Ariel, you're scaring me."

"I don't want to, but I don't know how else to put this. Eric, you don't know what my curse is."

"Did something happen?" he said, stepping protectively towards her. "Is something hurting you?"

Ariel bit her lip and looked away from him. "I'm supposed to kill my true love. Once someone proclaims their love for me in three days...I kill them."

Eric stood there, wavering for a moment.

"And, yesterday, you told me you love me."

Eric exchaled and pulled her into him. "Is there anything to be done?"

Ariel buried her face in his chest. "I can't control it. I would if I could, believe me. Of course I don't want to kill anyone, but to have to-" she tilted her head back and looked at him. "I can't hurt you Eric. I don't know how I'm going to possibly do this."

Eric ran a thumb down her cheek. "I know. Believe me, I'm not thrilled to hear this news either."

"I'm so sorry. You must regret saying it so much. It's all my fault."

"I'm not sure I fully regret it, stupid as that may sound." Eric chuckled a little.

"Oh, I wouldn't be offended." Ariel laughed without humor.

"Ariel, when I told you the stakes were already high. I'm still engaged to your sister, after all. I knew I was risking everything when I said it, and frankly I was prepared for the scenario where your father turned the army on me, so my life was already on the line."

Ariel giggled and then groaned, putting her face back in his chest. "How can you make jokes at a time like this?"

"It's this or cry, beloved."

"There's always screaming."

"Yes, I'll just scream right next to your ear."

"I'd deserve it." Ariel said sadly.

"Don't talk like that." Eric said. "It's terrible, for you and me both, but it's not your fault."

"I've been thinking all day of what you can do to get out of this. I don't know how to break the curse. I don't know how to fix this. But maybe, if you're able to get away from me...the curse is clear that I'm the one to kill you. You could run, board a boat and said the world. If I never see you again…"

"Ariel, you can't be saying-"

"You should go!" Ariel insisted, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Ariel," Eric said, furrowing his brow. "I can't leave. I have to be here - to kiss Aurora awake."

Ariel's heart dropped in her stomach. Of course.

"Besides, I still have two kingdoms I have responsibility to, I can't up and leave them." Eric tilted her chin up to look at him. "And I'm not leaving you. Most of all, I'm not leaving you."

Rapunzel wanted to see her eldest sister; she needed to talk to someone. Ariel had never been in love, and Aurora was engaged. Surely she'd be able to help Rapunzel sort through her feelings. There was something about Eugene-Flynn that challenged her, but in a way she didn't mind. She didn't really know how she felt, but Rapunzel knew she'd never felt this way before, and if she didn't get the words for it soon, she'd burst.

"Hello?" Rapunzel knocked on the door. She pushed it open to see if Aurora was sleeping in - no, the bed was made and she was gone. Early start. Rapunzel felt her stomach flip as she wondered if Aurora just didn't sleep at all - with the wedding coming so soon. With everything coming so soon.

She stepped into Aurora's room and marvelled at how her sister kept this extension of herself. It was gentle; pinks and lilacs and golds, long curtains swept up around her bed, an ornate hairbrush and journal the only two things sitting out on her vanity.

Rapunzel picked up the journal. She knew she shouldn't look into it, she knew it was an invasion of privacy, but Aurora never told her - or anyone - how she was feeling. So much was happening, if Rapunzel knew...maybe she could help. Rapunzel looked over her shoulder and promised herself she'd only read a little. Only recent stuff, and skip over anything that was about her or not relevant.

She flipped open the book and scanned the pages until she found the date of Eric's arrival.

He stepped off the boat today. I've been dreading this day my whole life but somehow I thought I'd be excited the day it actually happened. Maybe I thought I could compartmentalize it more - the curse from the marriage. The curse has hung over all of my memorable life, but the idea of a marriage, at least, has always been sort of exciting. I've spent so many years wondering about Eric. Maybe that was part of the issue - that I had all that time to imagine how he'd be. I pictured a hundred different men with a thousand different personality traits but of course he did not know this, and just showed up as himself.

Rapunzel flipped a few more pages.

I feel terrible. I've been avoiding Eric so much already, and I don't know why. But today I made it worse - I sought out Philip. I don't know what's wrong with me. I know I have to marry Eric. I know I can't afford to lose his love - not with everything at stake. Both the kingdoms and the curse. I'm being stupid, I'm being childish, I'm being foolish. But I can't stop it.

Rapunzel felt confused and flipped the pages. Drawings and sketches of Philip, of her and Philip-

I met Philip in the gardens -

I dreamed of Philip again -

My mind wandered while I was trying to read today, back to the wedding but Philip was there instead -

Rapunzel slammed the book shut and slid out of the room. Oh. Oh. Oh.

...

Rapunzel came back to reality slowly, adjusting her eyes to the streaming-in sun, the gentle breeze, the sharp and tumbling realizations of the mission that was so quickly becoming urgent. She sat up quickly and grabbed a dress off a chair. She had to get into town - she had to see this bookseller. She had to figure this out. Rapunzel took a deep breath. No, they would. She wasn't going at this alone, and it wasn't just for her. Belle was coming, and Belle knew Adam. Not just knew - loved. She trusted them all. She had to.

She didn't know what to do about Aurora. She was all set to marry Eric in three days, and they were engaged. The curse would be activated in three days, though they didn't know exactly what time on the third day. It was impending. Aurora knew this, it's probably why she hadn't said anything about Philip.

Rapunzel began braiding her hair back, wondering what to say - if anything at all. She needed more time to think - acting rashly would ruin anything.

"Raps!"

Did he have a new nickname for her every time? How long did it take him to think of all of these? Rapunzel smiled as she ran to the window. "Flynn! I'm coming out."

"Still got your hair in the braid?" Flynn laughed. "I think you need some new flowers."

"Oh, yes." Rapunzel said, picking out a few of the more wilted ones. With a soft, barely-there glow, they tumbled to the ground.

"We should bring those." Flynn mumbled.

"No need!" Rapunzel smiled. "You have me." she flipped the braid over her shoulder.

Flynn smiled. "Yes, I do." he cleared his throat and looked up ahead. "So, where are we going?"

"Beaumont Booksellers." Rapunzel said definitively. "Belle and Adam-"

"These are both your friends?"

"Belle's an old friend. I haven't met Adam yet." Rapunzel said. "But they're dating, so I'm excited to get to know him. Probably a little better later, though. Right now, we have to figure out how to break this curse."

"Why did Maleficent do this to you anyway?"

"Spite? Revenge? Our parents have long excluded her from affairs of state and cultural things due to her inclination for, y'know, evil, and after being excluded from three christenings she sort of...snapped I guess. Cursed us to punish them. To prevent us from doing the same once Aurora was in power."

"She's insane." Flynn shook his head. "And she's just gotten away with it for sixteen years?"

"Oh, I wouldn't quite say that." Rapunzel shook her head. "When the curse was enacted, my parents tried everything. Or were willing to, anyway. They called in all these advisors and consulted with the military - they talked about capturing her, negotiating with her, even trying to kill her. But prudence won through on each of these thought patterns - each was too risky, and might result in too significant of a loss for them to consider bearing."

"Well, what's different now?" Flynn asked.

"I don't care about prudence anymore. I can't live like this anymore. Not...not knowing what's out there, not knowing that Aurora's curse is so fast approaching, not seeing, feeling, the kind of love that Ariel will never know-"

"Feeling?" Flynn interrupted.

"What?"

"Feeling the kind of love. You just said that."

"I-I did?" Rapunzel staggered back a step.

"You did, I heard it with my own two ears. Is there a beau I don't know about?"

"No!" Rapunzel said a bit too quickly. "No, I'm not betrothed to anyone."

"Dating?"

"Not that I know about."

"Not that your older sister is engaged, do you think they'll be onto you next?" Flynn asked.

"I mean, my parents have never been pushy with me for romance. Aurora was important, because she needed someone to love her by age eighteen. Obviously they're not trying to Ariel. But I...I mostly have been able to do what I want. They want me to be happy."

"And, surely, they don't want you to leave your sisters."

Rapunzel bit her lip. "Regardless, we're at the shop."

Rapunzel pushed open the door, delighting in the sound of the bells and the musky smell of books that reminded her of the palace's own library. She'd never been in a bookshop before - after all, she'd only been to town a couple times, and that was on official business. She ran a finger over the spines of the books, exhaling.

"Oh, Belle." she said, hugging her friend. "Please tell me you've got some direction here?"

"Adam," she touched his shoulder and Rapunzel and Flynn shook his hand, saying greetings. "and I have been talking, and we've found that all the stories we can find point to two things that break curses - love, and destroying the source."

"Love, like when Eric kisses Aurora?"

"Right." Belle nodded. "And that will work for Aurora, but we've got to destroy Maleficent if we want any hope of helping you or Ariel."

"I can do it." Rapunzel nodded. "I'll leave early tomorrow morning."

"Hold one - you aren't seriously thinking of going by yourself?" Adam said, shaking his head.

"Of course I am!" Rapunzel insisted. "I couldn't possibly ask you guys to risk yourselves for my curse."

"It's not your curse, it's Maleficent's curse - it's not your fault." Flynn said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And I didn't come here just to get the gossip - I'm coming with, Blondie."

"Flynn, I -"

"Not a negotiation." Flynn realized how strange it was - he was risking his hide to help the girl he had met by trying to hurt her initially. She did not know this. He would tell her, maybe, in time, but not before she understood how he felt about her.

"I'm coming too." Belle said, nodding.

"And me." Adam agreed.

"Oh, you guys-" Rapunzel clasped her hands together. "This is more than I could ever ask for, I can't possibly repay you."

"We're not asking to be repaid." Belle said, clasping her hands. "I'm doing this because I love you."

Flynn said nothing, but put a hand on her back and nodded in support.

"I figured you could use all the help you could get." Adam smiled.

Belle turned to roll her eyes at him.

"What!" Adam laughed. "Do you want me to say I love her, too?"

"No…" Belle huffed. "But you know what I mean."

"I do. And I'm going to make sure you're okay, most of all. Because I do love you."

...

"Ariel, I have to talk to you." Rapunzel said, catching her sister in the hall.

"What is it?"

Rapunzel pulled her into a separate room and quickly looked around to ensure that no one else was there. "We might be able to break the curse."

These magical words lifted Ariel's heart and she threw her arms around Rapunzel. Pulling back, eyes shining, beaming, she said, "Do you mean it? Oh, don't be kidding. It'd be so cruel if you were kidding."

"I'm not kidding!" Rapunzel insisted. "But I'm also not sure. All we have is a chance."

"I'll take it." Ariel said. "Please, tell me everything."

"We're under a fairy tale spell, Ariel. As you know as well as any of us. So we looked to fairy tales for answers."

"Okay, what'd you find?"

"The things that break these curses are love, and destruction." Rapunzel said. "Aurora's curse, for instance centers on love. But all of ours could be fixed with destruction - if we can find, and kill, Maleficent, we can end this. Our curses, her powers, her reign...it all dies with her."

"It all dies with her." Ariel said, tasting each of the words as she said them. "I'm in. I'll do anything."

Rapunzel smiled and hugged her sister again. "I knew you would be. I think we should tell Philip as well, but no one else."

"Why not Eric?" Ariel asked.

"It's too risky." Rapunzel insisted. "If anything happens...he needs to be here to wake up Aurora. And Aurora has to be here to be queen."

Ariel bit her lip. She'd agreed before she even really thought about the risks, but it didn't matter. Nothing was more important than this chance. "Okay. When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. We're all meeting at the bookshop."

Maleficent watched the formation of their little plan with a certain mirth - it was cute, almost, how they thought they'd be able to march up here and what? Smother her? Stab her? They didn't even really have a plan. They thought they were stronger than her, they thought they could possibly outnumber her. They really, somehow, thought that they could win. It would've been charming, if it wasn't so pathetic.

She could bide her time. After all, she had for sixteen years. She would see them all, enact her curses tomorrow. And how these fools had ruined everything for themselves! Aurora's own betrothed didn't fall in love with her, confessing his love for Ariel instead - that's helping two curses in one! And this other boy, the thief, had almost gotten Ariel killed by bringing Rapunzel out of the castle for too long. And it's clear he didn't even tell Rapunzel the truth of why he was there in the first place...tricky, tricky.

And what did they have on their side, really? They weren't telling their parents, so they didn't have armies - not that that would be enough to stop her anyway, at least the king and queen understood that. All they had was some stupid maid, and books of made-up stories they were trying to bring into their real lives. She laughed a little at this. It was too easy! Tomorrow, she would see her work come to fruition.

Tonight, why tonight she would merely sleep well.

Philip sat at the edge of his bed that night, heart racing. Tomorrow, stakes would change. He and many others were going to sneak into Maleficent's Fortress on the Forbidden Mountain and destroy her - and the curses that she had created.

He wondered if that meant anything else would change, once Aurora was no longer bound to the curse. Her betrothal to Eric was practical more than it was political, and it was political more that it was romantic. The main purpose of their engagement was for him to love her, and use that to break the curse. If there wasn't a curse then...well, things could perhaps be rearranged.

Philip knew how he felt about Aurora. That was the easier part of this whole arrangement. He loved how graceful she was - not only in how she moved, but how she acted. She was intelligent and thoughtful, and knew not only what to say, but how to say it. She was gentle, and beautiful, and kind. Perhaps it was a mistake to let himself think that she could love him back, but it had seemed like no more than an indulgent daydream all the while.

Aurora was kind to him, but she was a kind person. She was attentive when he spoke, and seemed interested in what he had to say, but maybe she was just being polite. Still, there was no way for him to scrub from his mind that she might feel an affection for him, even if it was only the beginning of one. He knew she didn't love Eric - of course she had not said so! But she showed it. She never tried to spend time with him, they never spoke of him, even a little. If he wasn't in front of her, it was like he didn't exist.

This was not terrible. The curse only needed Eric to work. And the lack of her affection for him allowed Philip to feel some hope that perhaps he was not entitled to.

But there was the other issue - Eric's affection for Aurora. Philip knew that Eric didn't want to be king, and he knew how important duty was to him, so this marriage to Aurora was not something he entered into lightly. Eric was his best friend. There was too much assurance he would need to speak out. He would need to know that Aurora loved him. He would hope that Eric somehow didn't. To ruin this on a whim would not be an act of bravery, it would be foolish.

But he couldn't do nothing - so, tomorrow, he'd go.

...

Dawn broke and the group set out. They dressed as practically as possible, nervously readying themselves until it was time to convene. The group set off, too nervous to even talk amongst themselves.

Ariel wondered if she'd done the right thing, telling Eric. If she hadn't told him then he wouldn't have to worry. He could spend his last days in peace. Especially now, since they were going to defeat Maleficent. This would all be over before nightfall, and there was no need for her to get everything so riled up. Stupid! She wasn't thinking ahead, but perhaps it had to be done anyway. Eric deserved all the facts, even if they were terrible.

Hopefully, hopefully they wouldn't matter.

"So, how do we fight her?" Flynn called out, breaking the group silence.

"Well, that's more something to play by ear." Adam said, after a moment.

"Oh, good! Play by ear. We're going to go up against what is realistically the most powerful force in the kingdom and we'll play it by ear."

"Well, we're armed." Belle gestured to her own knife, and everyone checked their own swords and weapons. "And we have the advantage of surprise. We just have to see how much she tries to fight, or how. I'm sure she'll have something prepared. But we're smart, and we're strong."

"And we're armed." Rapunzel reiterated.

"She thinks she's unstoppable." Philip nodded. "That will be her downfall."

They pressed on up the mountain, on a path that'd been worn flat. None of them knew who - or what - she'd marched up and down this mountain. The full extent of her power was hard to fathom. They approached the castle with an unsettling ease, beginning their cross over a swinging, rickety bridge.

"Stay alert." Philip cautioned everyone.

"Don't you think there'd be guards?" Ariel whispered. "I don't see anyone, even evidence of anyone."

"The lanterns aren't even lit." Rapunzel agreed, looking over the ledge.

They crossed over the bridge two at a time, trying to keep someone on solid grounds at all times. With caution, and with luck, they passed. They stood at the gates of the castle and waited a moment, listening. They waited to hear the pounding of guards, or the spells of Maleficent, or the gears of a trap.

But there was no sound.

"Do you think we can get in this way?" Belle asked, feeling the wood of the door.

"Maybe," Philip said, surveying the area. "But I think we'd have better luck scaling up to that window." He pointed with his sword. There was rock that led up to it, though it was steep.

"It might not be solid, I'll go first." Ariel said.

"Are you sure?" Adam said.

"I'm strong." Ariel nodded. "And if I get hurt, we have Rapunzel. She can have me back to new in a minute."

Rapunzel nodded. This was true.

"We'll wait down here, in case you fall." Belle said, stepping close to the rock.

Ariel pulled herself up, grunting a little. She put her foot on a jutted out rock and tested it before putting her full weight on it and pushing herself up. The climb was perhaps fifteen feet, not terribly high, but it was steep and not designed for climbing, still presenting difficulties. Ariel made it up to the top and slid through the window.

When she tumbled to the ground she stood up quickly, looking around. No one had heard. No guards came running.

"Guys!" she waved her hands and gave a thumbs up. "It's all good!"

Rapunzel climbed up next and then lowered her braid out the window, so that people only had to climb ten feet before having a more secure thing to grab onto. In time, they all made it into the castle.

"Have you heard anything?" Philip asked, furrowing his brow.

"Not a soul." Ariel whispered.

"Let's look around." Belle nodded, and they all pressed towards the center.

They surveyed the castle; dirty, grimy, scary, and empty.

They searched for hours. They tried to antagonize her to show herself. But Maleficent was gone. There was nothing to be done, no evil to be defeated, so they gathered together again to go down the mountain.

Eric tried to think of the future. He would marry Aurora, and kiss her awake. That day, the love of his life would kill him. He didn't know when, or how. Perhaps before he even got to save Aurora. That was the worst case scenario.

If somehow, he was able to stop Ariel from killing him, he'd spend the rest of his life as king and Aurora's husband - two positions he didn't want. Two positions he couldn't seem to get out of with his life intact. So what did it matter what happened tomorrow? Fates were convening, and there was nothing he could do about. Forces at play were larger than he.

He wished things were different, he dreamed of scenarios where they were. He racked his brain for ideas of what to do. But this was not an easy problem to fix, or else it would've been solved already.

All that was left to do, it seemed, was to enjoy this last day. He rose up. He'd try to find Ariel, and spend it with her.

...

"Rider!"

Flynn's heart jumped up in his throat, and not just due to surprise. Oh, he knew that voice.

The group was descending down the mountain, silent in their defeat. What use was there now? There was no time to think of another plan - Aurora's curse was tomorrow. They didn't even know about Ariel's. Maleficent had moved, or gone into hiding, or disappeared entirely. She didn't need to fight them - she defeated them already. It was hopeless. They'd been walking for perhaps twenty minutes, just passing the halfway point, which was shrouded in trees.

"Did someone say your name?" Rapunzel looked up at Flynn, confused.

"Yes," Flynn said, instinctually stepping in front of her. "Everyone, get together.

The Stabbington brothers presented themselves, emerging into the setting sunlight. "Rider...Rider...this isn't quite the plan we discussed?"

Flynn froze.

"Flynn, do you know these people?" Rapunzel said, fear seeping into her voice.

Philip drew his sword. "We don't want any trouble. But we're not afraid to get into it either."

"Oh, he's funny." one Stabbington brother said.

"Yeah, though I didn't realize you needed a comedy troupe to pull off a simple mission." the other added.

"You're both idiots. Let's go." Belle huffed, grabbing Adam's hand.

"Hey, now." one of them reached out his hand to grab her arm.

"Let go of her!" Adam snapped, pushing him back.

He staggered back an exaggerated few steps. "Rider, call your man off. You know why you're here?"

"Flynn, what are they talking about?" Rapunzel turned to him.

"Oh, you didn't tell her? He's part of our group."

"The weakest part, admittedly."

"But he swore he'd be able to do it." The brother said. "Kidnap you, we mean."

"What?" Rapunzel balked.

"That's why I was there." Flynn said quickly. "Why Flynn was. I worked with them, I agreed, I've never done anything like it before. I'll never do anything like it since. But once I saw you - I couldn't do it. I promise, I never wanted to hurt you."

Rapunzel took a step back from him. He wanted nothing more but to reach out to her, but knew it was not a good idea.

"He's a thief, princess. His word's no good. The name Rider means nothing."

"And now…" you're coming with us." One of the brothers swept down and grabbed her.

"No!" Flynn exclaimed, grabbing his knife.

Philip turned on the other brother and swung his sword on him. The brother grabbed his own sword and blocked it. Belle turned as well, running at him with the knife. The brother blocked Philip's swing, kicked him in the stomach and knocked him to the ground, and then blocked Belle. With a forceful swing, he knocked her knife from her hand and sliced through her palm. She cried out, and Ariel rushed in to guard her and spar against him.

Adam and Flynn cornered the other brother, weapons drawn, but afraid to fight him in case they accidently hurt Rapunzel.

"That's what I thought" the brother smiled.

The other brother was backed up against the edge as Ariel swang aimlessly at him. Philip was back up, and Belle switched fighting hands.

"We came here for a fight!" Belle insisted. "We're not going to back off from this!" She lunged at him with her knife and he took a step back to brace his own swing, but stepped off the ledge, tumbling off.

"Brother!" the other Stabbington yelled.

With this distraction, Rapunzel kicked him in the stomach and he dropped her. Flynn swung at him, slicing down his arm. The brother screamed.

"We can kill you now, or you can join your brother." Flynn said darkly.

Without a second thought, the Stabbington brother leapt off the cliff, to meet his mutual doom.

Breathing heavily and shaking, the group stood, surveying the space around themselves. They stood in the wreckage of their day and looked at each other, but looked at how Rapunzel was looking at Flynn.

"Rapunzel…" he said, softly. "I'm so, so sorry."

Rapunzel blinked back tears and looked up at the sky. "Eugene," she breathed. "Come here. You're bleeding."

Without thinking, she wrapped her hair around his wound and began to sing. Her hair glowed and in seconds, he was healed.

"Wait, what?" Ariel rushed up and examined his wound. "Since when can you heal people that aren't blood?"

"Oh!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "I hadn't even thought, he was just hurt - Belle! Come here."

Belle, holding her bleeding hand, walked over. Rapunzel wrapped her hair around Belle's hand and sang. By the end of her song, Belle's hand was healed.

"Have you gotten...more powerful, somehow?" Ariel asked. "We've tried this on other people, when you were younger. You were never able to fix castle hands or anything."

"I know." Rapunzel mumbled. "Philip, here, let me help you."

Philip, holding his side, walked over. Rapunzel wrapped her hair around his torso and Philip closed his eyes, waiting to be healed.

"Better?" Rapunzel said excitedly.

Philip went to stand up straighter, but winced. "No, I don't think it worked on me." he chuckled a little. "I guess I'll have to heal the old fashioned way."

"I'm sorry." Rapunzel said.

"Don't apologize." Philip said sincerely. "Thank you for trying."

"I just wish I knew what made the difference." Rapunzel huffed. "I'm glad it works on more people, believe me, but if I knew what was causing it, then maybe I could, I don't know, channel it more."

"Well, I don't mean to be presumptuous." Belle flushed, flexing her fixed hand. "But you love us."