Ok! So here we are at the start of the Tangled chapters, which is something I've really been looking for. While I liked the Tangled world in KH3 from a design and gameplay perspective, the story left... a bit something to be desired (same with Frozen, but we're still leagues away from that point). So I decided to take something of a different direction here with my take on things. I hope you enjoy it! Let's get started!
Chapter 26: I See the Light
And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once everything looks different
Now that I see you
"Why can't I go outside?"
"The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible, selfish people. You must stay here, where you're safe. Do you understand, flower?"
"Yes, Mommy…"
But the walls of that tower could not hide everything. Each year, on her birthday, and only on her birthday, those lights would appear in the sky. And each year, she would watch them from her window, wondering what the world might be like beyond the walls of the tower she'd always known.
Wondering if those lights were somehow, some way meant for her. Wondering if she'd ever find out what they truly were. Wondering if she'd ever get the chance to see them up close, in person.
And most of all, wondering when her life would really begin.
The late summer morning's sun shines bright and vibrant as it slips through the branches and leaves of the towering trees dotting the lush, open forest. Echoing lightly through that forest is a pleasant natural symphony composed of a soft, warm breeze, buzzing bees, and cheery birdsong. It all comes together to create a calm, peaceful atmosphere, one that Sora, Donald, and Goofy alike can't help but appreciate as they venture out into the new world that contains it. Especially given the daunting circumstances or familiar dangers they usually find themselves facing within the first few minutes of arriving at any given new locale.
"Garwsh, it sure is a pretty day," Goofy notes, squinting up at the sun in the clear blue skies above.
"Yeah, the weather's great," Sora agrees with an easy sigh as he hangs his hands behind his head. "It'd be perfect for a picnic."
"Once we find the next Key you can have as many picnics as you want," Donald remarks, ever mindful of their mission.
"Speakin' of which, got any ideas about where this world's Key might be, Sora?" Goofy inquires curiously.
"Mm… I'm starting to think that it's less of a question of where we'll find them and more of a question of how," Sora muses thoughtfully. "Every Key we've gotten so far just sort of… came to me at the right time, whenever I was feeling the right thing."
"So does that mean we're just supposed to keep winging it like we've been doing?" Donald asks, raising a dubious eyebrow.
"Yeah, pretty much," Sora shrugs. "It's been working for us this far, aside from a few, uh…"
"Bumps in the road?" Goofy fills in.
"...If that's what you want to call them," Sora says, his relaxed smile fading somewhat at the very thought of such "bumps". "B-but I'm sure finding the rest won't be too hard as long as we keep doing what we've been doing, right?"
"Fine," Donald says with a resigned huff. "Just as long as there's no Heartless."
"Or Nobodies!" Goofy adds.
Of course, just as soon as these sentiments are voiced, a loud, terrified cry sounds out from the forest just behind the trio. It takes them but a second to find its source: a strapping young man, roughly in his early-20s, with dark brown hair and light facial hair and even darker brown eyes. His attire is simple, telling of someone who travels frequently, though at the moment, he's on the ground, nursing the minor bumps and bruises he's received from being thrown over the edge of a short, upper outcropping. However, it seems as though he's not even going to get a moment's rest to do so as a horde of monsters, Heartless to be exact, fling themselves over that same cliff to continue their pursuit and attack.
In an instant, the man is on his feet to flee from his assailants, his eyes wide with apt panic as he runs toward the spectating trio. "Make way!" he shouts at them urgently. "Make way!"
They do so just in time, parting to let the man make his escape, though they stop the Heartless in their tracks as soon as they summon their weapons to confront them. "Looks like you spoke too soon, Donald," Goofy notes, his shield at the ready.
"What else is new…?" the magician grumbles, annoyed by this persistent threat. Even so, that annoyance soon turns to concern as he glances over at Sora, who by all accounts, seems genuinely prepared for the oncoming fray this time around. "Do you feel like you're up for this, Sora?"
"Yeah," Sora nods, securing his grip on the Kingdom Key. "As long as we do this together like we said, then I'll have no problems."
"Then let's do it!" Donald and Goofy both chime in eager support.
However, just before the trio can take the Heartless horde head-on, the man who had been fleeing from them happens to take a peek out from behind the rock he's currently using as shelter. And he can't help but notice the group that has come to his aid, intentionally or not, just in the nick of time. "Say…" he says with a growing grin. "Since you three seem to know what you're doing. Mind if I leave this one to you?"
"Sure," Sora agrees, glancing back over his shoulder. "We've got this covered."
"You have my thanks," the man says, letting out a sigh of relief as he presses behind the rock again, somewhat disgruntled. "The horse was bad enough…" he mutters to himself tiredly. "Don't need any monsters on my trail."
"The what was enough?" Donald pipes up, barely overhearing him.
"Uh, n-nothing, it's nothing," the man throws on a hasty grin. "Name's Flynn, by the way. Flynn Rider. Oh! Watch out!" Flynn warns, pointing to the Heartless as they begin to beset the group fending them off. "They look mad!"
As soon as he's sure the trio is thoroughly distracted by the Heartless, Flynn doesn't hesitate to begin sneaking away before breaking out into a full-on sprint out of the immediate area, fleeing from not just the Heartless, but his previous pursuers as well. His escape goes unnoticed by the trio as they engage the monsters in combat, fortunately not too daunted by their surprisingly modest numbers, even if their aggression is just as high as it always seems to be. All the while, Donald and Goofy make sure to pay subtle, yet careful attention to Sora whenever they can, sparing brief glances at him between blows just to make sure he's managing to keep up. But much to their shared relief, Sora holds his own against the Heartless just fine, his Keyblade swinging steady as he fights off the monsters with just as much steadfast verve as he usually carries in battle. And given the small, rather basic set of Heartless they're up against to begin with, it doesn't take long for the trio to clear them all out with little trouble along the way. However, in the bout of newfound peace that comes along with their success, they're quick to take note that something, or someone rather, seems to be missing.
"Hey, where'd Flynn go?" Sora asks, glancing around for any signs of him.
"The Heartless must have scared him off," Donald guesses.
"I think I saw him go thataway," Goofy points toward the forest just ahead.
"But… 'thataway' is just a dead end…" Sora frowns as he looks to where the trail on the ground tappers off completely.
"Well gee, he couldn't have just disappeared, could he?" Goofy wonders confused.
"We should try to find him," Sora says as he leads the way forward. "Just to make sure those Heartless didn't rough him up too much."
Donald and Goofy agree and they all go on ahead to see if they can find any leads on where Flynn might be. However, all they really find on the far end of the path is a large, rocky wall with a sizable patch of moss growing on a handful of the lower boulders composing it.
"He couldn't have gone this way," Donald concludes as they all take another glance around the surrounding area. "I'm sure he's fine. Let's just get back to looking for that Key."
"...Yeah, you're probably right," Sora relents, turning to lean against the stone wall behind him. "At least he got away safe, so-whoa!" With this startled cry, Sora suddenly falls backward, largely since what he thought was solid rock behind him is anything but. Instead, he leans right through the vines that had been concealing a hidden opening to what seems to be a shadowy cave. Or, in other words, a new way forward where there wasn't one before.
Despite this discovery, Donald and Goofy aren't initially cued in on it as they continue looking around the woods for Flynn, only to realize he isn't the only one they should be looking for now. "Hey! Now Sora's gone too!" Goofy points out in sudden alarm.
"Again?!" Donald asks, baffled, as he already begins fervently checking the area for their young companion.
"I'm not gone," Sora protests as he pulls back the curtain of vines he'd fallen through. "I found a secret passage. C'mon!"
Sora doesn't necessarily wait for either of his companions as he runs on ahead into the cave, though they're both quick to follow after him lest he get himself in some sort of trouble. Even so, what awaits the trio on the other side of the cave is enough to impress all three of them alike.
It's a tower, an imposing, lofty structure that stretches hundreds of feet above the ground within the lush enclosure it's hidden within. Behind it, a large waterfall feeds into a clear, flowing stream, though strangely, when it comes to the tower itself, there seems to be no apparent way in or out of it. And yet, that hadn't stopped one particular brazen thief from scaling his way to its peak in the hopes of using it as a temporary hideout.
Only to find himself tangled up in a rather peculiar situation. Literally.
In all his years of living on the lamb, Flynn Rider had gotten himself into plenty of tight spots before, predicaments that his quick wit and cunning charm were usually able to get him out of quite easily. But by all accounts, this is by far the strangest predicament he's ever found himself in, and certainly, it's the hairiest.
Hairiest in the sense that's what seems to be binding him to the chair he'd been tied to sometime during his recent bout of unconsciousness. His head pounds, no doubt from whatever blow had blacked him out before, but that hardly matters against the seemingly endless silky golden locks that secure his hands, feet, and just about every other part of his body tightly in place.
The room that surrounds him was round, sizable, yet stepped in shadow to the point that it makes pinpointing the source of this lengthy train of hair something of a struggle. That is, until he follows it up to the high rafters of the room, where a human-like figure appears to be waiting, staring down at him from the darkness.
"S-struggling… struggling is pointless!" a female voice squeaks, the fear in it more than apparent.
"...Huh?" Flynn squints, trying to catch a better glimpse at his supposed "captor". Fortunately, she quickly clamors down from her perch, eventually making it to the ground, even if she still lingers just out of sight.
"I know why you're here, a-and I am not afraid of you!" she continues, forcing bravery into her tone as she begins to inch her way out into the open. Baffled, Flynn keeps his sights set on her shadow-stepped silhouette, hoping to make some sort of sense as to what kind of trouble he's gotten himself into now. But when he finally catches sight of his captor, he couldn't have been more surprised at who he sees.
She's a young woman, absolutely lovely in every single way, from her fair skin, to her vibrant green eyes, to her expressive, pleasant features. She's clad in a simple, yet carefully-made purple gown, a cast-iron frying pan clenched tightly in her fists. But by far, what stands out about her the most is her hair, brilliantly golden as it stretches out way past her shoulders, past her feet, past several feet even, all the way to the lengthy locks she's managed to tie around his very body.
Flynn finds himself absolutely speechless at the mere sight of such a strange, but beautiful girl, his eyes wide as she addresses him once more with a distrustful glare. "Who are you? And how did you find me?"
He flinches as she reels her frying pan back a bit while taking a step closer to him. And despite his boundless confusion at this bewildering scenario, Flynn knows if there's anything that can stand to get him out of it, it's his infamous charm. "I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you," he begins with something of a soft, dramatic flair. "But may I just say… hi." He breaks into a wide, flirtatious grin, catching the girl completely off guard as she continues to stare at him, confused. "How you doin'? The name's Flynn Rider. How's your day goin'? Huh?"
Despite her bewilderment, the girl quickly regains her former verve as she points her frying pan at him threateningly. "Who else knows my location, 'Flynn Rider'?"
Flynn leans back away from her pan as much as he can in his current position. "Alright, hang on, blondie-"
"Rapunzel," she clarifies her own name firmly.
"...Gesundheit," Flynn rolls his eyes. "Here's the deal. I was in a situation, galavanting through the forest, when I came across your tower and…" He trails off, his eyes going wide as he realizes his bag is no longer hanging over his shoulder. Or more importantly, the priceless prize within it is no longer within his reach. "Oh! Oh no, oh no!" he panics, glancing around anxiously. "Where is my satchel!?"
"I've hidden it. Somewhere you'll never find it," Rapunzel grins, satisfied with her own craftiness. "So," she continues, pacing around Flynn and keeping her pan trained on him as she interrogates him. "What do you want with my hair? To cut it? Sell it?"
"What? No!" Flynn explains incredulously. "Listen, the only thing I want to do with your hair is to get out of it. Literally."
"You-wait," Rapunzel stops short at this. "You mean… you don't want my hair?"
"Why on earth would I want your hair?" Flynn scoffs impatiently. "Look, I was being chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it. End of story."
Despite his honesty, Rapunzel doesn't seem entirely convinced, and neither does the small green reptile that suddenly clamors onto her shoulder out of nowhere. The chameleon offers him a harsh scowl, one that he doesn't even know how to meet as it somehow signals to Rapunzel to hold a private discussion to the side. While her back is turned, Flynn struggles as much as he can to pull himself out of her hair, though he does manage to catch snippets of what she's saying to her animal companion: "take me", "telling the truth", "doesn't have fangs". All strange bits and pieces that Flynn doesn't even want to try to make sense of in favor of making his escape and finding his satchel instead.
"Ok, Flynn Rider," Rapunzel concludes after a moment or two. "I'm prepared to offer you a deal."
"A deal-?"
"Look this way." With a simple tug of her hair, she spins his chair around, resulting in it inevitably falling over and planting his face firmly against the ground. Meanwhile, Rapunzel climbs atop the mantle of the nearby fireplace, drawing a curtain back to reveal an intricate painting depicting countless glowing lights. "Do you know what these are?"
"You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?" Flynn counters, disinterested from his spot on the floor.
"Lanterns…" Rapunzel repeats with newfound fascination. "I knew they weren't stars! W-well, tomorrow evening," she turns back to Flynn, her tone solid and authoritative as she begins her negotiation. "They will light the night sky with these 'lanterns'. You will act as my guide, take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely. Then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal."
"Yeah… no can do," Flynn pulls himself up a bit so he could tilt his head to the side. "Unfortunately, the good ol' Kingdom of Corona and I aren't exactly… sympatico at the moment, so I won't be taking you anywhere."
Initially, Rapunzel says nothing to this, instead exchanging a glance with her chameleon, who readily encourages her to put pressure on their "captive" if he doesn't want to comply. So she hops down, pulling her hair and Flynn along with it toward her. "Something brought you here, Flynn Rider. Call it what you will: fate, destiny-"
"A horse?" Flynn remarks dryly though even so Rapunzel ignores him.
"So I have made the decision to trust you."
"A horrible decision, really."
"But trust me when I tell you this," Rapunzel yanks her hair, tipping Flynn's chair closer to the point that their faces are only about a foot apart. Just so he can see just how serious she is about achieving this life-long dream. "You can tear this tower apart, brick-by-brick, but without my help, you will never find your precious satchel."
Realizing he isn't really in much of a position to haggle given his precarious situation, Flynn momentarily concedes, knowing that what she's asking of him, while a massive inconvenience to him, isn't necessarily impossible. "So let me get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns, bright you back home, then you'll give me back my satchel?"
"I promise," Rapunzel nods, her tone sincere. Even so, Flynn doesn't fully buy it; after all he's heard plenty of "promises" in his time and has seen even more of them fall through completely. And he isn't about to trust one so easily from a girl with 70 feet of golden hair who casually chats with a "frog" on the regular. But even so, Rapunzel refuses to yield. "And when I promise something, I never, ever break that promise. Ever."
"...Alright, listen," Flynn sighs, working with just about the last ditch plan he has at his disposal. "I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes… the smolder." He offers her something of a smooth, burning, yet strangely pouting expression, one that unfortunately for him, Rapunzel doesn't even flinch at the slightest over. "This is kind of an off day for me, this doesn't usually happen," he says, maintaining his "smolder" all the while.
"Well?" Rapunzel asks expectantly, her glare sharpening just the slightest bit.
Flynn hesitates, his smolder falling as he takes the briefest of moments to think up a more concrete plan. Oh, what to do…? He wonders fretfully. I cannot let her find that tiara. Ok, think… I need the satchel and blondie has it… There might be more monsters out there and she wants me to drag her all the way to the kingdom… Oh! I've got it! Those three guys in the funny outfits! They looked tough enough to come in handy.
"Alright, fine," Flynn finally agrees, hoping that he can somehow manage to catch up with the trio once outside of the tower. "I'll take you to see the lanterns. But-" he cuts Rapunzel's elated smile off as quickly as he possibly can. "On one condition: my sidekicks get to come along."
"Sidekicks…?" Rapunzel asks hesitantly. "What are their names?"
"...Uh… Their n-names aren't important!" Flynn rebuffs easily; after all, he doesn't have the faintest idea. "You'll love 'em when you meet them. A real bunch of tough guys to keep you safe in that big, scary world out there, sunshine."
"I-I can handle myself out there just fine!" Rapunzel protests, though her brazen tone wavers somewhat.
"Sure, ya can," Flynn deadpans. "Anyway, let's go and get this whole thing over with, k? I've got a cro-I-I mean, a satchel to get back to."
"Yes! Let's go!" Rapunzel cheers, inadvertently releasing her hold on Flynn's chair in the process. "Oops…" she frowns as he falls face-first to the floor once again.
As he does, let out a loud groan of pain from the impact, hoping that his famous good looks won't be too damaged in the rest of this ridiculous endeavor. "You broke my smolder…"
As fascinating as a massive tower standing completely alone in the middle of the woods is, Sora, Donald, and Goofy don't hesitate to set out toward it to investigate. However, as they approach its base, they happen to catch sight of a figure scaling down its stony side; and that figure just so happens to be none other than Flynn Rider himself.
"Hey, Flynn!" Sora calls up to him, even though he's still quite a ways up the tower.
Startled, Flynn nearly lets go of the spare arrows he's using to grapple down the side of the tower as he glances down to the trio on the ground. "O-oh! There you fellas are! Right on time!" He looks back up to the top of the tower expectantly. "We're all ready to go down here; you comin', blondie?"
From her spot on the edge of the window, Rapunzel can't help but hesitate, her heart pounding and her nerves frayed as she takes a look at the world far below her. A world she's spent years watching but has never once gotten the chance to be a part of. Until now.
So she puts her nerves away, steeling her resolve, her mission, her dream to see those lights-lanterns as she lets her long hair down the side of the tower. However, unlike all of the times she's allowed her mother to scale down it before, this will be the very first time she's ever done so herself.
And, with a single leap of faith, that's what she does. She clings tightly onto her hair as she slides down the length of it, only stopping herself seconds before she can touch the ground. Fear floods her mind once more, especially when she thinks about how she's already crossed the threshold of everything she's ever known by leaping out of the tower alone. But this, taking her first steps on solid, natural ground, is something else entirely.
Still, slowly but surely, she slides her bare feet onto the ground, planting them firmly into the grass as she enjoys just how delightful it feels. "It's so… soft," she smiles, collapsing down into it so she can feel even more of it. Her attention is quickly diverted by a warm summer breeze, carrying countless dandelion seeds as it practically calls her onward toward the cool waters of the nearby creek. Toward freedom, real freedom, for the first time in her entire life. And even though that freedom is a completely new, strange experience to her, it's something she can't help but relish with every new second of it she happily seizes as her own.
For their part, Sora, Donald, and Goofy watch this unknown girl curiously as she runs about, immensely fascinated by things as simple as birds and butterflies as they pass her by. "Who's that?" Donald asks, confused.
"No idea, but whoever she is, she looks like she's having a great time," Sora chuckles warmly, wanting to go over and meet this girl properly. He only refrains, however, upon noticing that Flynn has finally made it to the bottom of the tower as he walks over to join the trio.
"Well, at least someone is," he deadpans, crossing his arms as he looks over at Rapunzel. By now she's fully wading in the shallow creek, her lengthy train of hair trialing right after her into the water.
"Who's your friend there?" Goofy asks, intrigued.
"Whoa, ok, 'friend' is a strong word," Flynn clarifies, visibly flustered. "I'd say Rapunzel is… more of an… inconvenient acquaintance."
"Oh yeah?" Sora says with a knowing grin. "If she's just an acquaintance, then why's your face so red? Huh?"
"...Can it, kid," Flynn scowls, glancing away in embarrassment. "Anyway…" he diverts his attention back to Rapunzel as she continues gleefully splashing around the stream. "Something tells me this could be her first time outdoors. Give her a few minutes to get used to it."
"Wait… her first time outside ever?" Sora asks, dumbfounded by the very concept. "But how-"
"Look, I've found it's better-and easier-to just not ask questions about these sort of things," Flynn shrugs, pressing on ahead as he urges the trio to follow him. "Let's just make sure she doesn't get herself eaten by a wolf or fall into a ditch within her first five minutes of being out and about. That'd put a real damper on things, don'tcha think?"
As stunned as they equally are, the trio can't really argue with this line of logic as they head out of the tower's enclosure after both Rapunzel and Flynn. On the other side of the cave, Rapunzel is still absolutely engulfed in excited joy at the wide world she's finally getting a chance to see, though it isn't long before that joy is permeated by the slightest hints of guilt and conflict.
"I can't believe I did this!" she exclaims brightly, before instantly retracting her statement into an anxious whisper. "I can't believe I did this… I can't believe I did this!" she shouts, letting out a wild laugh as she spins around, her hair twirling right around with her. She stops short, a sharp gasp escaping her as her thoughts wander back into dread over what she's just done. "Mother would be so furious if she knew I disobeyed her and left the tower…"
"But that's ok," Rapunzel reassures herself a moment later as she sits on a rock amidst a nearby lily-pad pond. "I-I mean, what she doesn't know won't kill her, right?"
"Oh my gosh, this would kill her," she bemoans from the cave leading back to her tower, her knees curled up tight to her chest and her hair strewn all over.
"This is so FUN!" she beams, running down a hill full speed, kicking a pile of leaves up into the air as she passes a very apathetic Flynn by.
"I am a horrible daughter…" she cries, her head pressed against the side of the tree she's just climbed. "I'm going back."
"I am NEVER going back!" she proudly proclaims, haphazardly cartwheeling down a flower-dotted hill until her hair tightly wraps around her entire body.
"I am a despicable human being…" she weeps, lying face down in the very same flowers she'd just rolled through.
"Woo! Best! Day! Ever!" she cheers, using her hair to swing in wide, fast circles around a large oak tree.
And then, no more than a few minutes after she's done, she's on the ground, her face buried into her hands as she sobs mournfully over the grave slight she's no doubt made against her mother's trust. For the most part, Flynn and the trio had stood on the sidelines to watch Rapunzel's hectic torrent of conflicting emotions, but now that she finally seems to settle into one of those emotions, they figure now is as good a time as any to check up on her.
"So…" Flynn clears his throat as he approaches her. "I can't help but notice you seem a little… at war with yourself here."
"A little more than a little…" Goofy speaks up.
"More like a lot," Donald adds.
"Yeah…" Sora agrees with an empathetic frown. After all, he knows all too well what those kinds of conflicted feelings are like.
Rapunzel finally glances up at this, letting out a sharp, startled gasp as she finally notices the trio for the first time since emerging from her tower. In an instant she's on her feet, frying pan in hand as she takes up an offensive pose against them, glaring at the three of them distrustfully all the while. "Stop right there!" she exclaims, aptly catching the trio off guard. "Who are you?"
"I told you before; they're my sidekicks," Flynn quickly reassures her with an easy grin.
"Sidekicks?" Sora asks, raising an incredulous eyebrow at this claim.
"May I introduce… eh…" Flynn trails off, remembering that he still doesn't have a clue when it comes to the trio's names. So instead, he silently urges them to fill that information in for him, which they fortunately comply with just in time.
"Oh! Uh… my name's Sora."
"Donald!"
"And I'm Goofy. Pleasure, ma'am."
"Sora, Donald, and Goofy…?" Rapunzel repeats, her frying pan still trained on the trio as she looks each of them over carefully. "Hm… You three don't… look dangerous… Do they, Pascal?" The chameleon who has taken his perch on her shoulder nods in sound agreement, prompting Rapunzel to ease up with a small smile. "It's… nice to meet you too," she says to the trio. "I'm Rapunzel."
"Yep," Flynn pipes up before the trio can say anything else. "My loyal sidekicks."
"Um, since when is that?" Sora asks, pulling him aside just out of Rapunzel's earshot.
"Ugh, look," Flynn lets out an exasperated huff. "She really wants to go see this lantern show tomorrow night. Now, I'm a nice guy, so I've decided to help her. Only problem is those monsters might show up again. I can get her to the kingdom, but you guys are clearly more cut out for combat."
"That's 'cause we're heroes!" Donald proclaims with a confident grin.
"Uh huh!" Flynn readily agrees.
"And we're Heartless experts!" Goofy adds just as brightly.
"Uh huh! Uh huh! So…" Flynn's already easy grin picks up a convincing air. "That means you three are along for the ride, right?"
"Well… we are supposed to be trying to find this special Key around here…" Sora notes, clearly able to sense that a Key is in this world, even if he doesn't exactly know how to find it yet. "But as long as our new strategy is to just wing it… I don't see why we can't help out. So sure, just leave it to us!"
"Will do," Flynn nods as he begins to lead the way forward, beckoning Rapunzel to come along after them. "Now c'mon, let's get a move on! The sooner we get to the kingdom, the better. And the sooner I get my satchel back…" he mutters his last statement to himself.
"What was that?" Goofy asks, having barely overheard him.
"N-nothing!"
"Yeah, come on!" Rapunzel agrees with Flynn, abruptly grabbing his arm to pull him along after her as she runs ahead. "We don't want to miss those lanterns!"
"Calm down," Flynn huffed, annoys. "We have till tomorrow night to get to Corona and it's not even-"
"I know, it's so soon!" Rapunzel exclaims excitedly. "And everything out here is so huge! Who knows how long it'll take us to get there?"
"I do," Flynn deadpans. "A day and a half, that's it. It's not far."
Even so, Rapunzel hardly listens to him as captivated by the outside world as she is, distracted and delighted by every new sound and sight she comes across. Her immense yet endearing curiosity doesn't go unnoticed by the trio as they keep pace just a bit behind her and Flynn, with plenty of curious wonderings about the situation they've just gotten themselves into of their own in mind.
"Rapunzel is… interesting," Donald muses somewhat quizzically.
"Yeah, it's like her heart is pulling her all kindsa ways!" Goofy says with a small laugh.
"The outside world must seem so big and scary to her…" Sora stops short as his companions do the same. "I felt the same way when I left the islands for the first time. Lucky for me, you two came along at just the right time, and the rest has been unforgettable."
"Aww…" Donald grins, both him and Goofy genuinely touched by their young companion's warm, nostalgic sentiments.
Sora wavers, however, somewhat flustered as he realizes just how schumatzy those sentiments really are. True, he appreciates both of his companions and all of the support and friendship they've offered him ever since they met, especially in light of more recent events. But that doesn't necessarily mean he wants either of them to slip back into thinking that he needs to rely too much on that support. "Y-yeah, unforgettable…" Sora repeats, turning back to the pair with a playful smile as he comes up with a way to ease them away from such thinking with a bit of humor instead. "Just like your face!" he quickly jokes, pointing to Donald in particular.
"Oh yeah?!" the magician shouts angrily, shaking a threatening fist at Sora as he runs off laughing.
"C'mon, now," Goofy calms him down with an amused chuckle of his own. Donald sighs in inevitable defeat, joining the captain in hurrying after Sora so they can all catch up with Rapunzel and Flynn.
Even so, Sora can't help but smile to himself as he presses on ahead. Because even if he isn't the best at outright admitting it, he wouldn't trade all either of his companions for any others, for anything in any world really. Yet even despite that comforting thought, a small hint of doubt still comes with it as he wonders what might happen if they actually discover the truth he's been hiding from them. They've always stuck by his side through thick and thin before, even when he'd made it difficult for them to do so, but how would they react if they found out what's been happening to his heart? What would they say if they knew what he might risk becoming if he can't find a way to stop it in time? Would they still remain by his side, as loyal as ever? Or would they leave him behind out of fear and anger, to suffer a dark and daunting fate all alone?
No, of course they wouldn't… he thinks, shaking his head clear of such fretful notions. After all, Donald and Goofy already made it quite clear several times over that they intend on staying with him, no matter what happens. They're more than just his companions, more than just his teammates; they're his friends, and no danger or darkness, either external or internal could ever change that. "All for one…" he reassures himself with the promise of their bond, hoping that it could somehow be enough to chase his pressing dread away. "And one for all.."
With Rapunzel gone, the interior of the tower stands silent and dark, two things it has scarcely ever been for the past 18 years. That silence makes Gothel's arrival all the more stark and noisy as she pushes aside the tile that has long since obscured the tower's only real entrance from sight. She clambers up into the round room, her thoughts already frantic especially when she doesn't spot her flower upon a first glance. She calls for her, just as she had as soon as she'd first arrived at the tower, but once again, it's to no avail, even as she rushes between the bedroom, her own room, and whatever sparse space remains in the relatively tiny tower. But everywhere she looks, no matter how hard she looks, Rapunzel is nowhere to be found.
And upon that revelation, Gothel panics; for 18 years, Rapunzel has done exactly as she'd and obediently stayed put, mostly because she'd convinced and coaxed her into doing so quite well. But clearly, the wretched girl is far more clever than she ever gave her credit for by asking her to leave for a few days to retrieve a special gift for her birthday. A sly ruse to get her to leave, no doubt, just long enough for her to slip out so she can see those ridiculous "lights" or stars or whatever they are for herself. And if that is in fact the case, then Gothel knows she'll only have a limited matter of time to track her down before-
Her rampant thoughts come to a grinding halt as a sharp speck of bright light catches her attention from the far side of the tower. That light pours out from underneath the staircase, specifically under a loose step both her and Rapunzel have known about for years. But as soon as Gothel pries that step up, she's met with a leather satchel she's never seen before, perhaps a clue as to where her flower could have gone.
What she isn't expecting to find in the satchel was a golden tiara, beautifully crafted with countless gems and jewels woven into it. A tiara Gothel swears she's seen before, the very night she-
She gasps, tossing the crown away from her as though simply touching its metal scorched her skin. Certainly, Rapunzel doesn't know, there was no way she could have known, but…
Gothel quickly checks the satchel once more, finding only one more thing within it: a wanted poster, for a thief that the higher authorities of Corona are demanding either dead or alive by the name of Flynn Rider. A thief who had no doubt made off with her precious flower, hoping to steal her priceless gift as his own.
But even so, Gothel keeps her nerve. After all, this is something she's been preparing years for, just in case a random rogue marauder is ever bold enough to find the tower, much less scale it to see what, or who is inside. And as she pulls out the spare, deadly dagger she's been hiding away for just such an occasion, she's more than prepared to do whatever she has to to take back what's rightfully hers.
And yet, as consumed by rising fury as she is, she doesn't even notice the darkened portal that's formed in the shadows of the tower. That is, until the figure that's quietly stepped out of it speaks up to catch her attention. "Missing someone?"
"Who's there?!" Gothel demands, tightly gripping her dagger as she spins around to face the intruder: a tall man in a dark cloak with long pink hair.
"A friend," the man assures in his smooth, calm voice. "Or at least… I'd like to be."
"...Really?" Gothel scowls, still wielding her knife. "I've heard that one before. So I'll ask only one more time: who are you and what are you doing here?"
"Who I am is unimportant," the man says simply, mysteriously. "But you might find some interest in my reason for coming here. For much how you've found yourself in search of your dear "flower", I am also looking for someone of a certain value, at least to my master."
"Hm…" Gothel narrows her eyes at him suspiciously. "And who might this "someone" be?"
"A boy," the man replies. "One who I believe is traveling with your Rapunzel."
Gothel jolts at this, finally lowering her dagger as she glares down at the wanted poster in her other hand. "The thief?"
"No," the man shakes his head. "But once we find them, you're welcome to do whatever you want with him."
"...We?"
The man's relaxed smile widens somewhat at this, still carrying an unreadable air of mystery all the while. "You've lost such a precious gift," he says as he begins to step forward. "Allow me to assist you in getting her back."
"And what's in it for you?" Gothel asks, dubiously. "That boy you're after?"
"Precisely."
"...How do I know I can trust you?" she asks, knowing she ultimately won't no matter what excuse he gives.
"Because you don't really have much of a choice," the man says. "From what I understand, you have no time to lose when it comes to finding your flower. And I just so happen to know where her and her new friends are heading. So… do we have a deal?"
Gothel hesitates, aptly wary against taking this peculiar stranger up on his offer. And yet, the thought of the inevitable, of what she knows will happen if she doesn't get Rapunzel back, runs through her mind like a dreadful flash. She can practically picture her hands shriveling up, her ebony hair going gray, age overtaking her like the vicious, hideous shroud it is. And after 18 years of keeping that shroud at bay, that's something she's not about to let happen to her, not again.
"Yes," she nods darkly, determined to get her flower back, no matter what the cost. "We have a deal."
"So… you've really never been outside before today?" Sora asks Rapunzel, hoping to get a bit more context as the group continues their way through the woods. "Ever?"
"Nope, this is my very first time out of the tower," Rapunzel says with something of a wistful smile. "To be honest, now that I'm out here, I… kind of can't believe it took me so long to try this… But I think it's going well so far."
"So you're not scared anymore?" Goofy asks with a small, encouraging grin.
"Eh… I… You know what? No, I'm not," Rapunzel takes in a deep, confident breath as she grips her frying pan with both hands. "After all, there's nothing out here that I can't handle."
No sooner than just a second after Rapunzel says this, a nearby shrub suddenly starts to shake, startling her to the point that she takes cover behind Flynn with a frightened shriek. "I-is it ruffians?!" she cries, clinging onto him for dear life as he reels back in surprise. "Thugs? Have they come for me?!"
The "ruffians and thugs" ultimately end up being a trio of tiny bunnies that hop out of the bush, hardly even phased by Rapunzel's apparent panic or the frying pan she's pointing straight at them. "Stay calm," Flynn deadpans as he glances back at her. "They can probably smell fear."
"O-oh!" Rapunzel lets out an embarrassed chuckle as she eases up. "It's just a bunch of adorable bunnies. They're even cuter up close!" She gasps, surprised as the bunnies begin to hop by her, heading into the nearby meadow at a light, breezy pace. "Oo! Let's follow them and see where they go!"
"What?" Flynn starts, though by then Rapunzel is already hurrying after the rabbits, her hair bundled up in her arms to make doing so easier. "Wait, hold up! Don't you wanna make it to the kingdom? We don't have time to chase a bunch of-"
"Aw, c'mon, Flynn," Sora says with a small laugh as he readily follows Rapunzel's lead. "This is her first time outside, remember? You gotta let her have at least a little fun out here."
Flynn ultimately sighs in defeat at this, knowing that he doesn't have much of a chance at winning this argument. "Let me guess," he addresses Donald and Goofy as they pass by. "He's a total free spirit too, huh?"
"Yes, siree!"
"And then some…"
"Greaaaat…" Flynn rolls his eyes. "Just what I need, not one, but two gung-ho, happy-go-lucky go-getters to contend with… As if today couldn't get any peachier"
Rapunzel isn't able to trail the bunnies for too long before she loses track of them, though what she does stumble upon in their place catches her excitement every bit as much. "Dandelions!" she grins, running into a small patch of the flowers and kicking several of their fluffy seeds up into the air in the process. "Oh, watch this!" she says to Sora as she picks a large handful of dandelions. After taking in a deep breath, she blows the seeds clean off of all of them, watching with delight as those seeds scatter, carried off into the air by the warm summer breeze. "They're so pretty! If only there was a way to make more fly at once…"
"Hm…" Sora takes pause at this, glancing over the dandelion patch. "I think I have an idea!" With this, he summons his Keyblade and casts a wide-reaching wind spell, one that strikes up enough of a gale to send thousands of dandelion seeds high into the air, much to Rapunzel's amazement.
"Wow…" she whispers, fascinated by the seeds as they twirl all around her. "They're just like the floating lights! How'd you do that?" she asks Sora curiously.
"Oh, it was just a little magic," he says, perching his Keyblade over his shoulder.
"Wait… you can use magic too?" Rapunzel gapes, fascinated.
"Too?" Sora asks, raising a confused eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, uh… um…" Rapunzel falters, gripping her hair protectively as she realizes she's said something she shouldn't have. "Hey! What's that over there?" she quickly diverts attention off herself as she runs over to a nearby pond.
"Are we done yet?" Flynn asks as he arrives, Donald and Goofy not so far behind him.
"Doesn't look like it," Sora chuckles as he approaches the edge of the pond Rapunzel has already started wading into. She hardly cares that the lower half of her dress is soaking wet as she stands almost waist-deep in the water, her hair trailing after her as it drags across the smooth, rocky bed of the pond.
"It's so refreshing!" she grins, waving to the others on the bank before her. "You all have to come in!"
"Yeah, I don't think so, Blondie," Flynn crosses his arms, only to receive a generous dowsing courtesy of Rapunzel. "Aw, what?!"
"See? It feels nice!" she giggles, sending another wide splash his way, one that happens to catch Sora as well.
As opposed to Flynn's rather grumpy reaction, Sora lets out a bright laugh as he runs ahead into the pond to join Rapunzel. "Yeah, it sure does!" he quips, rushing in with a splash of his own, one that Rapunzel only makes a meager attempt at shielding herself from as she joins in on his playful laughter. And from there, the splash fight is on. Rapunzel quickly bundles her hair up into one of her arms, using her free hand to readily retaliate against each wave of water Sora manages to strike her with. It's an uproarious, yet entertaining battle to say the least, though largely only for the pair engaged in it more than anyone else.
"Sora! Quit messing around!" Donald huffs impatiently from his spot on the shore, ever mindful of the Key they still need to find.
"Aw, let him play, Donald," Goofy coaxes with a warm chuckle. "After all, we both know it's been awhile since Sora's had this much fun. I'd say he's more than earned it."
Donald can't really argue with this, especially as both him and Goofy watch their young-still very recently traumatized-companion have the time of his life in such a simple pastime with a new friend. True, they've both seen Sora smile and joke around a handful of times following his brutal captivity and difficult recovery, but this is the first time they've seen him openly laugh and enjoy himself in such a carefree, innocent way. It's a welcome, refreshing sight for both the captain and the magician, who have been spending so much of their recent time engulfed in immense worry-spoken and unspoken-for their young companion's wellbeing both inside and out.
Which is why neither of them mind letting him have just a little more time to have the sort of fun he truly deserves.
By now, Rapunzel resorts to a new tactic to get the upper hand in this water battle as she utilizes the tail end of her long train of hair, even as soaking wet as it is. Sora is completely caught off guard as she lashes it out toward him, catching him around his ankle before she lightly tugs on the rest of her hair, pulling him off his feet and submerging him into the pond in the process. Even so, Sora laughs hard as he surfaces, echoing Rapunzel's own plentiful amusement.
"Sorry, Sora," Rapunzel grins, extending a hand out to help him up. "But I think I just won."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that…" Sora counters, getting up on his own and summoning his Keyblade as he does. Rapunzel gasps as she watches him cast a quick, but powerful water spell, one that manages to not only engulf them both, but everyone standing on the shore, in its cool, refreshing tide.
"Oh, seriously?!" Flynn huffs, dripping wet. "It's like I'm out here babysitting two over-active 5 year olds!"
"Well actually, Sora just turned 16," Goofy points out.
"But yeah, you're not too far off…" Donald deadpans as he wrings the water out of his hat.
Even though both her and Sora are essentially waterlogged by this point, Rapunzel can't help but let out an amazed gasp as she happens to notice how the light reflecting off of the water the spell had left behind, creating a beautiful band of colors. "A rainbow!" she gasps, delighted, even as the momentary rainbow fades away. "I've always wanted to see one for myself!"
"Hey! Whimsy and Merriment!" Flynn calls down to the pair in the pond. "Not that practically drowning us all isn't super fun, but can we get a move on here? We've kind of got somewhere to be, in case you both forgot."
"Oh, right!" Rapunzel wastes no time in hurrying back onto the pond bank, her long hair bundled up in her arms to ease the weight the water has added onto it. "Sorry about that. I guess we got just a little…"
"Distracted?" Sora fills in with a good natured grin.
"I'll say," Flynn rolls his eyes as he turns to lead the way onward. "Now, can we finally get going?"
Despite his expectations, Flynn receives no immediate answer, and the reason for that becomes clear as he turns to see Rapunzel running off into the forest once more, Sora eagerly trailing not too far behind her. "Ok, really?" he asks, disgruntled as he begins trudging along to follow them. Donald and Goofy do the same, taking some level of amusement from the pair's innocent antics and Flynn's frustration with them "What, are we gonna have to get a pair of leashes for those two?"
At the same time, Rapunzel continues on into a densely wooded enclosure, eager to catch up with the creatures she'd just spotted flying overhead. "This way!" she calls back to Sora. "I think I saw some birds over here!"
"Birds?" Sora can't help but chuckle at this. "Rapunzel, birds are all over the pl-"
"Shh! There they are!" she quiets him as she carefully approaches a quintet of bluebirds resting on a low-bearing tree branch. However, a random noisy step is all it takes to catch the birds' attention, sending them scattering to the far end of the meadow. "Wait! Come back!" she urges, letting out a disappointed sigh. "Aw, I must have startled them…"
"...Do you really want to see those birds up close?" Sora asks with a small smile.
"Yeah, I'd like to," Rapunzel nods.
"Then let me try something," Sora says, already making his way over to the birds' new perch. He keeps his pace slow and quiet, cueing into the light and airy song the birds are cheerfully chirping. And, as he approaches the birds about as close as he can without scaring them off, he carefully begins whistling along to their tune. At first, the birds don't really show much of a reaction, though the longer Sora maintains harmony with them, the more trusting they start to become, to the point that they eventually flitter off their tree to surround him. As surprising as this proves to be, he doesn't stop whistling as they begin to fly above his head in a tight circle, following along after him as he slowly heads back toward Rapunzel.
"Oh my gosh!" she gasps, awestruck upon seeing what he's managed to do. "Sora-"
Sora quickly cuts her off, still whistling as he cautiously presses a finger to his lips while hoping the sudden movement won't spook the birds. Fortunately it doesn't, and Rapunzel eagerly nods, watching with excitement as Sora gently coaxes one of the birds to settle on his hand. As soon as he reaches Rapunzel, he extends that bird out to her, much to her immense elation.
"Oh, hello! I've never seen a bird like you before," she whispers as the bird hops over onto her hand. The other birds follow suit as they curiously crowd around her, allowing Sora to take a much-needed break from whistling now that Rapunzel has the birds covered. "Listen! They're singing for us!" she smiles, all five birds now settling on her hands and head as their ongoing song rises to a lovely crescendo. From there, it isn't long before they take off, continuing their flight through the forest as Rapunzel bids them a fond farewell.
"That was great," she smiles, thoroughly satisfied by just how fun her first trip outside the tower is turning out to be. "Thank you, Sora."
"No prob," Sora nods, returning her easy grin.
"Excuse me?" Flynn suddenly gets the pair's attention as he, Donald, and Goofy stand at the entrance to the meadow. "Are we on the verge of wrapping this whole bird whispering session up? Might I remind you we're still not any closer to the kingdom than we were when we started?"
"Ah! Right, sorry again, Flynn!" Rapunzel lets out a flustered laugh. "It's just that everything out here is so… wow, you know?"
"No," Flynn answers flatly, unimpressed. "Now c'mon, Corona's this way."
This time, Flynn makes sure everyone is following along as he begins leading the way toward the kingdom once again. This time, the group actually does make a bit of progress on the wooded path that leads toward Corona's capital city; that is, until they happen to run into something rather strange along the way.
A practically massive cotton-like ball of fluff lay amidst the center of a flower-dotted clearing, catching everyone off guard but fascinating Rapunzel in particular in light of all of her other recent discoveries. "Oh, what's that?" she asks, eternally curious. "It's so fluffy!"
"Uh… I don't know," Sora frowns, confused. "Any ideas, you guys?"
Donald and Goofy shake their heads and likewise Flynn is equally clueless, though he can't help but be somewhat concerned as Rapunzel runs toward the immense fluffball. "Uh… blondie? Maybe you shouldn't-"
Rapunzel's hand barely even skims the surface of the ball before several dandelion-like plumes burst out of it, only these "seeds" are much larger than any mere flower. In an instant, the "seeds" burst to life in the form of countless shadowy monsters, the largest and most intimidating of which happens to be their source, the main fluffball itself.
"Heartless!" Sora exclaims in alarm as Rapunzel stumbles back fearfully. Without hesitation, he rushes forward alongside Donald and Goofy, Keyblade in hand to face off against the sudden horde in question. "Rapunzel, take cover!"
For her part, Rapunzel doesn't argue, rushing to hide behind Flynn as she clung onto him for protection, something he can't help but find a timely opportunity in. "Alright, I hate to say it, but… I'm letting you out of our deal," he says with a faux sigh of disappointment.
"What?" Rapunzel asks, relinquishing her hold on him.
"Obviously, it's way too scary out here," Flynn nods over to the trio as they begin fighting against the crowd of Heartless. "Let's turn around and get you home," he throws on a sly grin as he begins to push her back in the direction they'd come from. "I get back my satchel, you get back your safety and peace of mind, and viola! We part as unlikely friends."
"No!" Rapunzel protests, shoving him away. "I am seeing those lanterns!"
"Oh come on!" Flynn huffs, immensely annoyed. "What's it gonna take for me to get my satchel back!?"
At this, Rapunzel turns her frying pan on him, offering him a firm, unyielding glare. "I will use this." She takes pause, however, a small gasp of realization escaping her as she looks between her pan and the attacking Heartless before her. "Oh… I really will use this!" she grins, gripping her pan tighter as she rushes forward toward the fray.
"Wait… what are you doing?" Flynn asks, caught off guard by her sudden boldness.
Sora reacts much of the same way as he spots Rapunzel taking up a stance of opposition against the monsters they're facing. "Rapunzel?" he asks, tempted to hurry to her defense after he takes down another Heartless.
"It's ok," she assures with a determined, brazen smile. "I'm not afraid to face them."
Despite this clear show of confidence, Sora briefly hesitates, knowing that Rapunzel likely doesn't have any combat experience to speak of if she's never left that tower at all before a few short hours ago. And yet, he can't help but appreciate her willingness to try, realizing just how much her verve to face her fears reminds him of his own, especially when it comes to his recent endeavors to overcome that fear so he can fight instead. "O-ok, but… be careful," he cautions her, silently hoping that Donald and Goofy will help him keep an eye on her in the fray.
"I will," Rapunzel nods as she lashes out with her frying pan in an initial attack. The pan strikes the nearest Heartless hard, stunning it long enough for Goofy to rush in and bash it away with his shield. Even so, Rapunzel hardly stops there, making use of her lengthy hair as a weapon just as much as she does with her frying pan. From the sidelines of the fight, Flynn watches with relative amazement as she utilizes her hair as a lasso, binding a handful of the smaller Heartless together and restraining them long enough for Donald to clear them out with a timely ice spell.
All the same, Flynn isn't left as a mere spectator for too long, especially as a few stray Heartless begin to creep his way. He only has time to let out a startled gasp, however, before Rapunzel notices the plight he's about to be in. "Flynn!" she calls amidst the chaos. "Catch!" With this, she tosses her frying pan his way, using her hair to continue defending herself in its place. Flynn grabs the pan by its handle just in time and swings it wide and fast at the winged creatures launching themselves at him, knocking all of them aside in defeat in one fell swoop.
"Oh man, I have got to get me one of these!" he grins at the surprising "weapon" as he hurries to join the ongoing brawl and help others.
With all five of them taking on the Heartless together now, it becomes quite easier to wear down the monsters' numbers, even as more materialize to take the place of those that have fallen. The biggest obstacle among them is the largest, fluffiest creature, which, despite its rather flowery appearance, is surprisingly aggressive in its attacks. After most of the other monsters have been taken care of, they all focus their attention on that Heartless in particular, with Rapunzel reigning it in with her hair to pull it down to ground level. That gives Flynn and the trio the perfect opportunity to rush in with their respective weapons to tackle the struggling, angry creature. And through their combined efforts, it doesn't take them very long to subdue the Heartless and defeat it, finally bringing a sense of peaceful calm back to the forest without any additional Heartless to beset it.
"Woo…" Rapunzel lets out a relieved sigh as the final Heartless vanishes. "That was… intense. B-but we did it! We beat those monsters!"
"Yeah, I gotta hand it to ya, blondie," Flynn remarks with a grin as he hands the frying pan back over to her. "You handled yourself pretty well out there."
"Thanks," Rapunzel says with something of a bashful blush. "I told you I could."
"Mm hm…" Flynn nods with a bit of a playfully exasperated grin. "It'd probably be best if we avoided any more riffraff like that though…"
"You mean the Heartless?" Goofy asks, a bit confused.
"'Riffraff' is a good way to describe them," Donald grumbles, annoyed by the creatures' consistent appearances.
"Uh, s-speaking of riffraff…" Rapunzel speaks up as she happens to look a bit further down the trail. "Who's that?"
The others all peer down the path, only to see a pair of large, burly, intimidating men making their way through the woods. A pair that Flynn immediately recognizes as his former partners in crime: the Stabbington Brothers. Former, in the sense that he'd been the one to abandon them with the prize they'd stolen together, not only to escape the guards but that first round of marauding Heartless alike. "Oh no…" Flynn gasps, inadvertently catching the brothers' attention in the process.
"There he is!" one of them shouts, immediately furious at the sight of Flynn in particular. "Rider!"
"Get him!" the other brother yells, drawing the dagger strapped to his hip.
"Whoa, who are they?" Sora asks, still keeping a hold on his Keyblade.
"T-they don't like me," Flynn replies, only for another clamor from the embankment just above the group to catch his attention next.
"Capitain!" one of the several armored guards calls to their leader. "I found him! I found Rider!"
"Well, don't just stand there!" the captain yells, drawing his sword as he points it down at the group. "Get him! Don't let him get away this time! I want him arrested and hauled away to the dungeons now!"
"W-who's that?" Goofy asks in apt alarm.
"They don't like me either," Flynn shrugs, only to receive another form of opposition in the sturdy white horse, a very angry white horse at that, who happens to rush in right behind the soldiers.
"Who's that?" Rapunzel asks, gripping her hair anxiously at the threefold threat they're now facing.
"Let's just assume that everyone here doesn't like me, ok?" Flynn says quickly, spotting the only way out of this situation dead ahead of them. "Also RUN!"
None of the others hesitate, following Flynn's hectic lead as Stabbingtons and the soldiers alike all begin giving chase through the woods. Since they're by far out-numbered by both sides combined, the only real choice they have was to flee, especially as a handful of Heartless begin popping up along the path to make matters even worse. Rapunzel, however, is the first to spot a way out of danger as she notices the opening to a small cave up ahead. Or, to be more precise, a tunnel, one that just so happens to have a hefty pile of rocks sitting on the knoll just above it, only barely being held back by a worn wooden fence.
"Everyone! This way!" she calls, already pulling her hair together to use as a lasso as they near the entryway. The Stabbingtons, the soldiers, and the Heartless alike are still in hot pursuit, but none of the others are that phased by them, save for Flynn as he anxiously glances over his shoulder to see just how frighteningly close they are to catching up to them.
"I hope you've got one heck of a plan in mind, blondie, because we really could use one right about now!" he calls up to Rapunzel.
"I do!" she shouts back brazenly, stopping short just shy of the cave's entrance. "Quick! Get into the cave!"
No one argues with her on this, especially as she tosses her hair up to latch onto the fence above her. By now, their pursuers are gaining, but Rapunzel turns the tables on them just in the nick of time. As the others all hurry into the cave, she pulls against her hair hard, breaking the feeble wood that's upholding the fence in the process. The second it snaps, she yanks her hair back toward her and flees into the cave after the others, not bothering to stick around as the rocks begin to collapse, covering the cave's mouth up just in time to keep anyone from following them. And yet, as distracted with fending off the strange monsters they're suddenly faced with, the soldiers are hard-pressed to keep the Stabbington Brothers, even as wanted as they both are, from escaping in the hopes of gaining the revenge and the riches they seek from their former "partner".
In the aftermath of such a daunting chase, the group inside the cave takes a much-needed moment of rest to recoup. Fortunately, Flynn manages to find a lantern not too far in to guide them, allowing them some semblance of light as they begin to traverse the narrow, dark passage ahead of them. "That was amazing, Rapunzel!" Sora exclaims with an enthusiastic grin.
"Yeah! Really quick thinking," Donald readily agrees .
"Nobody out there saw it coming, that's for sure," Goofy chuckles, amused.
"Yeah, you keep on surprising me, sunshine," Flynn adds easily. "I didn't know you had that in you back there. That was pretty impressive."
"I know!" Rapunzel exclaims brightly, her voice echoing through the quiet cavern. Even so, she quickly retracts in an attempt to play it cool as she comes down from the adrenaline of the moment a bit. "I… I know."
Flynn offers her a genuinely amused grin as he continues leading the way, though that doesn't necessarily mean he's free from scrutiny from the rather curious trio. "So, Flynn," Sora begins, sending him a skeptical look. "You mind telling us why you're wanted?"
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do," Flynn rebuffs dryly. "Do you mind not sticking your nose into other people's business, kid?"
"Oh, come on, Flynn," Rapunzel huffs, somewhat disgruntled. "You never talk about yourself. If you don't want to talk about why you're wanted, then why don't we start with something easier like… where you're from, for instance?"
"Whoa! Sorry, bondie," Flynn staunchly shakes his head. "I don't do back-story. However, I am becoming very interested in yours. I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair-"
"Nope," Rapunzel rejects with a wry smile.
"Or the mother-"
"Uh uh."
"I'm too scared to ask about the frog-"
"Chameleon," Rapunzel corrects, pointing to Pascal on her shoulder.
"Nuance," Flynn shrugs. "Here's my question though: if you want to see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before?"
"Uh… well…" Rapunzel chuckles, hoping to play such a complicated question off. Fortunately, she finds the perfect opportunity to as she spots the first sign of sunlight up ahead. "Oh look! We made it out!"
With this, she runs ahead, not really offering any concrete answer to Flynn's question as she breaks out of the cave and out into a rocky canyon surrounding a complex dam system holding back the large river behind it. The others soon join her, all of them quickly realizing there isn't much of a concrete way down from the rather high perch they're all on now.
"Looks like a dead end," Donald notes, peering over the edge of the cliff they're standing on.
"But we can't go back the way we came…" Goofy says with a frown.
"So… where do we go from here…?" Sora wonders, only to receive an unexpected answer from an initially unknown source.
"What an excellent question. One that I believe I have an answer for. Or at least, an answer for you, Sora."
"Huh?" Sora is the first to turn around, the others all following suit as a dark corridor appears at the exit of the cave they'd just emerged from. The figure that steps out of it was clearly a member of the Organization based on his black coat alone, though his identity is completely unfamiliar to Sora, Donald, and Goofy alike.
"Uh… who's the creepy guy in the coat?" Flynn asks, immediately intimidated as he discreetly takes cover behind the trio. "A friend of yours?"
"Hardly," Sora scoffs, offering the Organization member a distrustful glare. "And here I was, thinking that you guys finally decided to leave us alone for a change. But I guess it was too much to hope for from you has-beens."
"'Has-beens'?" the Organization member repeats, maintaining his calm composure. "How callous of you. But not surprising coming from you, Sora. You've barely changed at all since the last time we met."
"Last time?" Sora takes pause at this, confused as he exchanges a glance with Donald and Goofy. "You know this guy?" he asks them, only for both of them to shake their heads, clearly as clueless as he is.
"It's a shame you have no memory of me," the Organization member muses smoothly. "Because I remember you exceedingly well. Although… it's those memories I'd soon erase."
"Ok, seriously," Sora lets out an exasperated huff. "I have no idea who you are or what you're saying!"
"Yeah, same here," Flynn pipes up, completely lost.
"Mm hm," Rapunzel nods in equally confused agreement.
"Forgive me for not being so direct then," the Organization says with a faux nod of respect. "My name is Marluxia. And if you'll permit me, I'd like to extend an open invitation."
"Invitation?" Sora asks, caught off guard.
"But aren't you here to look for a Key?" Donald adds, aptly suspicious.
"Of course, I am," Marluxia replies with something of a mysterious smile. "But I would almost consider the Key to be secondary to my primary purpose for coming here. What I'm really here to do is just as I said before: deliver an invitation, a message, directly from my-or should I say, our master to you, Sora."
Sora tenses up at this almost instantly, his former confidence completely shaken for a number of reasons. "F-from… from Xehanort?" he asks, his voice much quieter and more unnerved than he'd like it to sound. "...W-what is it?"
Marluxia's steady grin widens into something much more sinister at this. "The master is inviting you to finally step out of the harshness of the light and under the cover of darkness instead. He would like you to know that he is accepting your immediate enlistment into the ranks of Organization XIII as its final vessel."
Sora essentially freezes up completely upon hearing this "invitation", dread racing through just about every part of him as he realizes exactly what it means. True, other Organization members have made plenty of remarks to him thus far about Xehanort's plans for him, but this is by far the most direct message from the master himself yet. A message that makes it absolutely clear that he has every intention of recruiting Sora, of poisoning his heart with darkness so unbearable and immense it will no doubt suffocate him sooner or later. Or, as he's already started to realize in light of the signs of his changing appearance that he's still trying to desperately hide, perhaps much sooner than he had once thought.
"The offer has you speechless, I see," Marluxia notes, hardly caring about Donald and Goofy's visibly rising anger in favor of focusing on Sora's stunned, fearful expression instead. "You have no reason to be. All the Organization seeks is balance. You must understand, our ultimate objective is not to clash with the light. We seek to compliment it. And what better way to compliment it, than to take one of its own into our fold. Even if we have to… darken that light a bit to make that happen."
By now, panic starts to overtake Sora every bit as much as dread already has. That panic makes itself apparent as his breathing shallows, his hands shaking as he clenches and unclenches them continually at his sides. And all the while his mind races with a million different thoughts and fears at once as it tries to search for something, anything for him to say in opposition to such a terrifying, horrifically plausible threat. Yet ultimately, he comes up with nothing, because what can really be said to deny something that he's already begun to accept might be true?
"Sora?" Rapunzel speaks up, concerned as she notices just how shaken he seems to be, even though she has no real context for why. "A-are you alright?"
He doesn't answer, mostly because he can't as stricken by fear as he currently is. Fortunately though, he doesn't really need to as Donald and Goofy step up to fend off Marluxia's claims in his place.
"You can go right back to Xehanort and tell him Sora isn't interested!" Donald exclaims fiercely as he calls upon his staff.
"That's right," Goofy readily agrees, taking up his shield as both him and the magician position themselves in front of Sora protectively. "We've already told several of your buddies now: you'll never force Sora to join the Organization!"
Sora finally manages to snap out of his anxious revere at this, though he's still largely at a loss for words as he looks between his companions, wanting to agree with them, wanting to believe what they're saying. And yet… he ultimately finds he can't this time, not as he thinks about the shadows on his hands, the white locks in his hair, the gold in his eyes. About everything he's known for so long now, all while neither Donald nor Goofy have a clue about what he's been hiding in plain sight all this time.
Marluxia's easy smile finally vanishes at this opposition, his expression turning cold and haughty. "That's not your call," he says with a condescending sneer. "It's Sora's. So…What do you say?" he looks to Sora expectantly at this, ignoring both of his companions as they still stand to defend him.
For his part, however, Sora largely still has no idea what to say. Of course, he immediately knows what he wants to say, but summoning the courage to actually do so is another matter entirely. Yet he ultimately finds he has to when Donald and Goofy suddenly glance back at him quizzically, both of them wondering why he's hesitating, why he isn't disproving these twisted claims, why he's wavering under their weight. Which is why he forces himself to stand as strong as he possibly can against them, even when he feels like he doesn't really have much of that strength in earnest at all. "T-they're right," he begins, unsteady at first, though as he summons his Keyblade his resolve begins to grow. "I think I've already made it very clear where I stand with you guys. I am never going to be a part of the Organization. So tell Xehanort my answer is no."
Donald and Goofy both back him up with a proud, supportive round of cheers at this, though Marluxia merely meets all three of them with a sullen scowl of disapproval. "You say that as though you almost actually believe it," he remarks, sending Sora a piercing glare. "But you and I both know you don't."
Sora nearly falters at this once more, though fortunately, right before he can, Flynn just so happened to interject. "Hey, not that being out of the loop in this entire conversation isn't great and all, but can we maybe speed this along?" he asks with an impatient huff. "No offense to you, 'Mr. Tall, Dark, and Cryptic, but some of us have somewhere to be."
"Y-yeah, that's right," Rapunzel agrees, pointing her frying pan straight at Marluxia. "So you just go and leave Sora, Donald, and Goofy alone, you… you ruffian!"
"Very well then, I'll go," Marluxia strangely concedes as he calls upon a dark corridor. "Though not before leaving you with something to keep you all entertained in the meantime." Just shy of seemingly taking his leave, with a wave of his hand, a whole horde of Nobodies of just about all sizes materialize to surround him, not hesitating to launch their attack on the unprepared group before them. Donald and Goofy are the first to charge after them to fend them off, and Flynn and Rapunzel follow their lead, joining in the fight just as they had against the Heartless before. Sora is more than ready to do the same, shaking off the last of his lingering anxiety as he raises his Keyblade to enter the fray, only to be held back by a sudden hand gripping his shoulder tightly.
"You may say that your answer is no now," Marluxia says, his voice but an ominous whisper as he leans in close beside Sora. "But mark my words: before you depart from this very world, you will belong to the Organization."
Sora doesn't bother to respond to this, instead acting on fearful impulse alone as he lashes out to strike the Organization member with his Keyblade. Strangely though, as soon as the Kingdom Key swiftly approaches him, Marluxia vanishes into thin air, leaving Sora rather shellshocked by the frightening claim he'd just made. One that he doesn't even have time to try to make sense of as an entirely new threat catches his attention.
That threat comes in the form of a larger winged Nobody that had largely evaded the group fending its kin off to approach the nearby wooden dam. Without warning, the creature slams its sizable body into the structure, apparently in an attempt at wearing it down, an effort that seems to be working as a few of the sturdy boards keeping the river held back begin to buckle and splinter under the force of the attack.
"H-hey!" Sora shouts to the others, wasting no time in pointing out the Nobody's assault on the dam. From there, that creature immediately becomes their priority, but even as Donald fires off a lightning spell to stop it, the Nobody crashes into the dam one final time, landing a steady, solid crack that a small spray of water bursts out of, one that only threatens to grow as the rest of the structure rumbles in warning.
"Not good! Not good!" Flynn exclaims, aptly panicked. "The whole thing's gonna burst! We gotta get outta here ASAP!"
Rapunzel takes pause at this, taking a quick glance around the area before coming up with a timely idea. Without warning, she tosses her hair out, using it as a lasso to hook onto a piece of wood hanging from the panning system spanning out from the dam. From there, she grabs onto it and swings over to the other side of the canyon, not even sparing a single second before she throws the length of it back over to the others. "Catch!" she calls, and fortunately Flynn does just that. He offers it to the trio first, allowing them to swing across the gap to join Rapunzel on the other side. Flynn only barely has time to do so, narrowly avoiding a wide swing from one of the Nobody's blades in the process, though no more than a second after he lands, the dam finally starts to break apart entirely.
"Run!" Flynn shouts, pointing to the panning system that leads down to the bottom of the canyon. Or more specifically, toward an open entryway that seems to lead out of it. As more water pours out of the fractured dam in droves, they all rush to slide down the shute, which itself crumbles just as much as the dam is. And just as they all hastily reach the ground, the dam finally breaks apart and overflows completely.
It happens with a deafening crash, wood and water rushing forth with no sort of rhyme or reason to speak of. The canyon rattles as the river pours into it in a massive wave, one that Rapunzel, Flynn, and the trio can only flee from as it chases after them in a destructive torrent. The force of it proves strong enough to wear down the integrity of one of the canyon's several rocky structures, one that topples toward the group as they near the tunnel that will hopefully offer them a much-needed escape. The humongous stone only narrowly avoids crushing them all as they all rush into the cave, just before the rock crashes to the ground to seal its entrance up altogether.
However, even now that they're out of the tidal wave, another problem soon becomes apparent. Because what they thought was a tunnel, is actually a cave instead, a small one that all five of them only barely fit into, one that's now sealed on both sides. And to make matters even worse, water still pours in from what sparse cracks can be found between the stone covering its entrance and the cave itself, all-too quickly flooding it from the bottom up.
Acting on impulse, everyone begins clamoring up as high in the cave as they possibly can, sticking close to its stony, solid back wall as water only continues to converge upon them all the while. Flynn quickly dives back into the water, hoping to find some sort of way out that has gone unnoticed, while Donald and Goofy immediately call upon their weapons once more, using them to try and chip away at the wall behind them while Rapunzel does the same with her frying pan.
Yet for his part amidst all this anxious chaos, Sora finds himself freezing up once more, a familiar kind of panic washing over him as he stares out into the claustrophobic darkness they're all trapped in. Everyone else's frantic shouts and desperate clashes against the walls of the cave are practically deafened thanks to the ringing rising in his ears, the water swelling over his shoes unnoticed as his mind and body both go numb with fear. Because he's been here before, albeit in a much different way. He's been trapped, locked away in darkness so immense and inescapable that it had practically suffocated him completely. And though he'd miraculously managed to escape it before, here he finds himself in the same place all over again. Caged, confined, condemned to a horrific fate he can do nothing to escape from, in so many more ways than one. Each more unbearable and nightmarish than the last.
By now, Flynn surfaces once more, his search below the water futile from how incredibly dark the covered cave is. He joins Rapunzel, Donald, and Goofy at trying to pry the surrounding walls away, only to sustain a sharp, sudden cut on his palm thanks to one of the sharper rocks in the process. Briefly, he tries diving back down into the water for one last-ditch search, only to quickly come back up in an effort to save his breath. What little of it he has left, at least. "I-it's no use," he shakes his head, coughing up a bit of water. "I can't see anything."
Rapunzel retaliates to this fact by plunging into the inky depths to look for herself, only for Flynn to hastily pull her right back up. "Hey! There's no point!" he grips her shoulders tightly, noticing the terror welling up in her eyes. "It's pitch black down there."
Donald and Goofy exchange a gasp of realization at this, both of them halting their own useless escape efforts in favor of a much better course of action. "Sora!" Goofy exclaims as both him and Donald finally looked over to their young companion. "You gotta use your Keyblade to… Sora?" he pauses, immensely concerned as they both finally take stock of his shaken, wide-eyed expression. One that almost immediately cues them both in to the fact that something is wrong, especially since this is something they've seen before.
"Oh no," Donald gasps, both him and Goofy grabbing Sora's arms in the hopes of breaking him out of this spell of silent panic. "No, no, no! You can't shut down again, Sora, not now!"
"T-that's right!" Goofy agrees, desperate. "Ya gotta snap out of it! We need you to get us out of here, please!"
Despite these frantic pleas, Sora remains unresponsive, his body still and his mind far, far away, as far back as shadowy, frigid cell Maleficent had kept him chained in, awash in remnant torment he knows he'll never be able to escape, no matter where he goes or what he does..
As Donald and Goofy continue trying to break through to Sora somehow, Rapunzel and Flynn can only watch with pity and resignation as the immense weight of their deadly situation fully sinks in. The water level has reached their chests by now, and it shows no signs of stopping, leaving them with no way out and only a matter of time before their slow, dark fate consumes them all completely.
"T-this is all my fault…" Rapunzel whispers mournfully, holding back a small sob as she tears her gaze away from the others. "She was right, I never should have done this…" That sob finally escapes her when she notices Flynn's equally devastated expression as he lingers close beside her. "I'm so… I-I'm so sorry, Sora, Donald, Goofy… F-Flynn…" By now she's all but lost to her grief as she breaks down, agonized by the thought that her all-too brief time outside the tower is about to end right alongside the life she'll never really get to have.
For his part, however, Flynn stills, looking to her despondently. Strangely, he finds himself compelled to try to comfort her somehow, but the only way he can think of was one he ultimately knows won't mean much in the end. "...Eugene," he says, letting out a sigh of resignation as he does.
Rapunzel is caught off guard by this, as are Donald and Goofy as they look to him in confusion. "W-what?" Rapunzel asks, glancing up amidst her tears.
"My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert," he explains with a small, slightly embarrassed smile. "Someone might as well know."
Rapunzel can't help but let out a small, warm chuckle at this, not one of teasing, but one of appreciation for his honesty. Honesty that she finds herself compelled to return in some way with a secret of her own. "I-I have magic hair that glows when I sing."
"...What?" Flynn-or Eugene, rather, asks, bewildered by such an odd concept.
Rapunzel, however, is lost on another train of thought entirely. One that she can only hope will be enough to save them all somehow. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing!" she exclaims, realizing that she has no time to lose as the water has just started skimming their necks now. "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine," she sings as quickly as she can, not getting too much out before the water and the pitch-black darkness it brings along with it swallows them all up completely.
But then, suddenly, there's light. Light that spreads out from Rapunzel's hair as the length of it inexplicably illuminates in a radiant, golden glow. When Eugene sees it, he nearly loses the breath he's been holding in shock, as do Donald and Goofy. Even Sora finally manages to break out of his revere, choking on the heavy stunned gasp of water he takes in at the incredible sight of Rapunzel's shining locks. Yet those locks prove to be exactly what they all need, for as they all follow the trail of it down toward the bottom of the cave, they happen to see a small suction of air from somewhere outside pulling the hair towards it. A way out, no doubt.
The group wastes no time swimming down toward this opening, and between all five of them hastily pushing and prying away at the rocks covering it, they fortunately, finally find the escape they were looking for just in time. With the rocks out of the way, the entire group is thrust out of the cave and out into the open river it feeds into. Even though they're all absolutely waterlogged, they manage to surface on the nearby riverbank, all of them gasping for the air they'd lost in the harrowing, nearly deadly endeavor. It takes a moment or two for everyone to properly recover and catch their breath, but once they finally do, Rapunzel is the first to let out a relieved sigh.
"We made it…" she smiles, checking over Pascal as he hops back onto her shoulder. "We're alive!"
At the same time, Donald and Goofy waste no time fretting over Sora as they all pull themselves properly out of the river. "Are you ok?!" the magician asks rather frantically.
"Y-yeah…" Sora lets out a small, allayed sigh as he lay back into the grass on the shore. "I'm much better now that we're out of there…"
"Are you sure?" Goofy asks, worriedly. "Because if you're not-"
"I am," Sora assures them both, not really wanting to discuss the matter any more than necessary. "I know I said I wouldn't freeze up like that again, but… we were in a really bad place back there. C-can you really blame me?"
"Mm… I guess not…" Donald notes frowning. "Just as long as you're-"
"Her hair glows…" Eugene suddenly speaks up starkly, catching everyone's attention.
"Eugene," Rapunzel attempts to explain as she begins pulling the rest of her hair out of the river.
"It actually glows…"
"Eugene-"
"Why does her hair glow?!"
"Eugene!"
"What?!" Eugene snaps, desperate for some kind of answers.
Rapunzel smiles, not just at him, but at the clearly equally curious trio as well. "It doesn't just glow…"
Night has fallen by the time the group manages to put together a makeshift campsite. Rapunzel gathers them all by the fire in the hopes of coming clean, but she figures the best way of explaining herself is by showing them all instead. So she takes her spot next to Eugene, carefully taking his hand as she wraps some of her hair around the cut that had been torn across it, much to everyone's confusion, especially Eugene's.
"So, you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand," Eugene notes with something of an uncomfortable smile.
"Yeah, what's going on, Rapunzel?" Sora asks, just as out of the loop as all the others.
"Ah… it's…" Rapunzel trails off with an anxious sigh. "Look, just… all of you, promise me, you won't freak out."
While the trio nods, Eugene offers no such promise as he eyes her expectantly instead. Rapunzel ultimately folds, however, taking in a deep breath as she closes her eyes and begins to, of all things, sing.
"Flower, gleam and glow," her melody is slow and solemn as her voice sings it clear and beautifully. "Let your power shine." It doesn't take long for her hair to take on that bright, brimming glow once more, one that's almost as radiant as the sun itself as it floods from her head across every inch of her lengthy locks. "Make the clock reverse." Eugene starts as he noticed that light starting to approach the hair around his hand, and even as he glances over at the trio, the most they can do was offer him baffled shrugs, none of them having the faintest idea as to what's happening either. "Bring back what once was mine."
"Heal what has been hurt." The light reaches his hand, her hair sparkling with it as it brings a certain kind of pleasant warmth along with it. "Change the Fates' design." That warmth seems to seep every last sting of pain right out of the cut on his palm, dumbfounding Eugene even more than he already had been before. "Save what has been lost." He looks to Rapunzel at this, her own expression calm and her song as earnest as ever, a song she's sung many times before over the years, though never for someone new. "Bring back what once was mine... What once was mine…"
As the song comes to an end, the glow finally fades from her hair. As she opens her eyes to look at him, Eugene wastes no time in unwrapping her hair from his hand, only to gape in absolute shock at what he sees. When he shows his palm off to the trio a second later, they're also quite surprised to see that the large gash that had once marred it is now completely gone, without a single trace left behind.
"P-please don't freak out!" Rapunzel stops Eugene just short of the scream he's about to let out.
"B-but… you just healed his hand!" Sora interjected, awestruck.
"With your hair!" Donald adds just as incredulously, having never heard of such a thing despite his vast knowledge of magic.
"How'd you do that?" Goofy asks, aptly curious.
"Y-yeah, I'm also pretty interested in your hair and the magical qualities it possesses," Eugene speaks up, his voice tight and hasty as he throws on a forced smile, trying his hardest not to show how unsettled he really is. "H-how long has it been doing that exactly?"
"Forever, I guess," Rapunzel shrugs with a small laugh. Her smile quickly fades, however, as she pulls aside most of her long locks to reveal a surprisingly short, brown piece, a stark contrast to its uniform gold. "Mother says… when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves. But once it's cut, it turns brown and loses its power. A gift like that… It has to be protected. That's why Mother never let me…" She trails off, closing her eyes with a wistful sigh as she shakes her head remorsefully.
"Is… that why you've never left that tower until now?" Sora fills in, finally starting to understand.
Rapunzel nods, not really wanting to add anything else onto that. "And… you're still going to go back?" Eugene asks her, his tone soft and earnest.
"No!" Rapunzel exclaims, but she immediately retracts. "Y-yes? Ugh…" she groans, burying her face into her hands in exasperation. "It's complicated…"
The others all offer her sympathetic frowns at this, all of them wanting to give her some sort of advice to help ease her mind, though none of them really know what that advice is really right in a situation as difficult as this. Even so, Rapunzel quickly perks up once more, especially as she offers Eugene something of a wry, playful smile. "So… Eugene Fitzherbert, huh?"
"Oh, no, we don't need to go there," Eugene shakes his head, somewhat flustered, despite his lingering smile.
"Aw, c'mon!" Sora coaxes, just as eager to know as Rapunzel is. "You can't just tell us your real name and then leave it at that. It's like we're meeting you all over again!"
"How'd you get "Flynn Rider" out of Eugene Fitzherbert anyway?" Goofy asks, genuinely curious.
"You've gotta tell us!" Donald adds just as adamantly.
"...You three are the worst, you know that?" Eugene teases the trio, who accept it with a shared, amused laugh. "Fine. I just thought I'd spare you the sob story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert. It's a little bit of a downer." Despite this, Rapunzel inches closer to him, the trio also intently leaning in to hear more. Which is why Eugene can't help but fold to their abundance of unspoken questions. "There was this book," he begins with a nostalgic smile. "I used to read it every night to all the younger kids: The Tales of Flynnigan Rider. Swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive, not bad with the ladies either. Not that he'd ever brag about it of course. Best part: he had enough money to do anything he wanted to do, he could go anywhere he wanted to go. And… for a kid with nothing, I… I don't know, I… It just seemed like a better option…" He hears Rapunzel let out a gentle chuckle at this, only barely managing to suppress the rush of warmth that nearly fills his cheeks as he turns back to her. "You can't tell anyone about this, ok? Same goes for you three," he points at the trio. "It could ruin my whole reputation."
"Don't worry," Donald grins.
"Your secret's safe with us!" Goofy offers a hearty salute.
"Yeah, we've got you covered, 'Flynn Rider'," Sora smirks with a lighthearted wink.
"Well, I don't know about you guys," Rapunzel says, offering Eugene a sweet, almost affectionate smile. "But just for the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert much better than Flynn Rider…"
"Well…" Eugene returns her grin just as warmly. "Then you'd be the first. But thank you."
A beat of silence lingerie after this, filled in by the peaceful sound of the fire crackling before them. And in that moment, Rapunzel and Eugene keep their sights set solely on each other, their mutual smiles radiating a new found of appreciation and respect, a certain kind of fondness that hadn't really been there just a few short hours before. A fondness they can't help but feel can only grow, that they both want to grow, almost as if it's a small seed that was only just starting to bloom.
That calm, contented moment lasts far too short, however, as Eugene happens to glance over at the trio sitting on the other side of the fire, catching their identical, knowing grins almost instantly. "And what exactly are you three looking at?" he asks, catching Rapunzel off guard in the process.
"Oh, you know," Sora shrugs, maintaining his coy grin. "You guys…"
"Sitting together in front of the fire…" Donald continues where he'd left off.
"Under the stars," Goofy finishes with a thoughtful sigh. "It's awfully ro-"
"O-ok, ok!" Eugene interjects, suddenly standing and not bothering to make note of Rapunzel's innocent confusion. "I-I think we're starting to run a little low on firewood. Why don't you guys help me go look for more?"
"Whatever you say, Eugene," Sora teases good-naturedly as he, Donald, and Goofy stand to join him in the forest. However, even as his companions set out ahead of him, Sora stops short just at the edge of the campsite, something that doesn't go unnoticed by Rapunzel as she stays behind.
"Sora?" she asks with a small frown. "Is something wrong?"
Sora hesitates, briefly glancing back at her before silently making note of her lengthy hair once more. Her magical healing hair, to be more precise. "Uh… no, I just…" he trails off, checking to make sure that Donald and Goofy have moved on without him before he turns back to her. "C-can your hair really heal anything?"
"Well… yeah, I think so," Rapunzel nods. "Why?"
Sora pauses, not really wanting to burden her with this, with something she has no part of, and yet he can't help but want to try all the same. Anything to finally shake the Organization and their malice off his trail once and for all. Anything to finally feel even the smallest semblance of safety once more. "D-do you think it could heal… a really bad scar?" he asks, his hand lightly skimming his chest, where said scar lay hidden just under his shirt.
"I can try," Rapunzel offers, patting the seat beside her that Eugene had left open. "Let's see it."
"O-ok, but like I said, it's… pretty bad," Sora cautions as he sits down. "I-I just don't want you freaking out when you see it."
"Well, since you didn't freak out over my hair, I think that's something I can manage," Rapunzel chuckles, though her tune quickly changes to shock as Sora lifts his shirt up to reveal the prominent X torn clean across it. "Sora…" she gasps, looking to him with immense concern. "W-what happened?"
"Uh… y-you know that guy in the black coat we met earlier?" Sora begins to explain in the simplest way he can. "Well… his, um… his master was the one who did this to me awhile back…"
"Why?" Rapunzel asks, immediately sickened by the thought of anyone who would hurt someone as kind and friendly as Sora in such an awful way.
"It's a… really long story," Sora frowns, knowing he can't really get into it if he wanted to. Which he doesn't. "So do you think you can help?"
"...I'll see what I can do," Rapunzel says with an affirmative smile. From there, she takes up her hair, Sora helping her wrap as much of it as possible around his torso, until the offending scar is covered by it completely. And then, Rapunzel returns to her seat and begins her healing incantation anew.
"Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine."
As Rapunzel continues to sing, Sora tries to let himself be calmed by her melody, tries to let her hair's healing light and warmth wash over him. Yet all the while, he can't help but think that even if this magic succeeds in wiping away the scar, he knows it'll be hard pressed to heal the rest of the damage his heart has already faced. Damage so severe he wonders if any amount of light or healing can properly undo it at this point.
"Heal what has been hurt. Change the Fates' design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine."
As her song comes to an end, the light brimming off of Rapunzel's hair fades once more as she looks to Sora with a small, hopeful smile. She helps him carefully unwrap her hair from around his chest, but as soon as they do, they're met with a sight that shocks them both. The scar is still there, every bit as large and sinister as it had been before, without even the slightest sign that Rapunzel's healing magic had worked on it at all.
"W-what… why… why didn't it work?" Rapunzel asks, stunned as she looks between the hair she's holding in her hands and Sora's scar. "I-it's never not worked before… I-is… Could there be something wrong with my hair..?"
"N-no," Sora immediately replies, his expression shaken as he pulls his shirt back down to conceal the awful scar once again. "I-I should have known it wouldn't have worked… I-it didn't work when Donald tried healing it either, o-or even when I tried to do it... There's nothing wrong with your hair; the problem is t-there's… there's something wrong with me…"
"...W-what do you mean?" Rapunzel asks, her tone intent and worried.
Sora sighs, unsure of even how to explain any of this in a way that might make sense, much less in a way that would maintain the world order. But even beyond that, while it's something he's more or less admitted to himself by now, he's never so much as even discussed the complete truth of the matter with even his own companions. Ever since it all started, he's been bearing this rather unbearable secret for so long now, shouldering the terrifying, unshakable weight of it all entirely on his own. He can't deny that it might be something of a relief to finally let someone in on the truth, even if he can't really let that someone know the full scope of what he's facing.
"Y-you heard what that Marluxia guy said about his master inviting me into their Organization, right?" Sora begins, trying to tread as carefully as possible with all this. Rapunzel nods, closely listening as she prompts him to continue his woeful tale. "Well... it's actually more than just an invitation… They're… they've been doing something to my heart… It's… kind of hard to explain, but basically… they're trying to… t-to force me to join their side..."
"But… n-no," Rapunzel shakes her head as she tries to make sense of what he'd just told her. "Those people are bad, aren't they? You're nothing like them! You said so yourself that you'd never join them… would you?"
"No, of course not!" Sora readily denies, though he still falters with an anxious sigh all the same. "It's just… I don't really know much longer I'll actually have a say in whether or not I do…" At this, he pulls off one of his gloves to show her the darkness congregating over his hand and wrist, just about the clearest, most understandable visible clue he can offer her about what's happening to him.
And even if Rapunzel doesn't completely understand the full meaning behind it, she can tell just how daunting and damaging that darkness must be just by meeting Sora's pained, practically distraught expression alone. "I-is… is all this why you froze up earlier in the cave?" she almost hesitates to ask, not wanting to bring up any bad memories.
"No, that… t-that was something else completely…" Sora mutters, not really going into too much detail outside of that.
"Sora…" Rapunzel says, her tone and expression both immensely sympathetic. "It sounds like you've been through so much…"
"...Yeah, I… guess you could say that…" Sora agrees after a long beat of solemn silence. Rapunzel can't help but notice that, even though he's only a few years younger than she is, right now he carries an air of someone who's much older, of someone who has seen and endured far more horrors and pain than anyone his age should have ever known. Based on her own very limited life experiences, she can't even hope to compare to the incredible struggles he's been through; but that still doesn't mean she doesn't want to at least want to find a way to ease the suffering of one of her new, and really only, friends all the same.
"I'm sorry my magic didn't work on your scar…" she says quietly, sadly as she voices her earnest desire aloud. "I just… wish there was something I could do to help you after how you helped me feel more comfortable about being out of my tower earlier…"
Sora offers her a small, earnest smile at this, appreciating the kind sentiment even if he isn't sure if there was much anyone can do to really fix this. "...The best way you can help me is by not saying a word about any of this to Donald and Goofy…" he says, trying to repress the shame starting to enter his tone. "Neither of them know and… well, I'd kind of like to keep it that way for now, at least."
"...Why?" Rapunzel asks, confused.
It takes Sora a moment to come up with a suitable answer to this, knowing that all of his reasons for withholding such important information from his companions are rather flimsy at best. Yet whenever all those flimsy answers come together, they always prove to be just enough to compel him to maintain his silence all the same. To keep a secret that he hates hiding from them, but has no choice but to do exactly that. "I-it's like you said before…" he finally replied with yet another empty sigh. "It's complicated…" A rather short beat of silence passes between the pair at this, one that Sora caps off as he rises to stand. "Speaking of those two, I should probably go find them. And Eugene too. Will you be ok here by yourself?"
Rapunzel nods, seeing him off with a weak, yet encouraging smile, one that reaffirms her promise to keep the heavy secret he'd just entrusted her with. Fortunately, as he departs into the darkened forest, Sora isn't left alone with his own dreary thoughts for too long before he happens to literally bump right into both of his companions.
"Sora!" Donald huffs, dropping the pile of firewood he'd gathered out of surprise. "Where have you been!?"
"We've been looking all over for you," Goofy adds, allayed.
"Oh, well, you didn't have to be worried," Sora assures them with a small, somewhat fake smile. "I was just hanging back with Rapunzel."
"Hm… well, just as long as you weren't getting yourself lost out here," Donald remarks as they continue down the forest trail. Though all the while, they're largely unaware of who happens to be listening to their conversation until that eavesdropper decides to make themselves known.
"Excuse me, good travelers!" The trio is caught off guard by this call, each of them turning to see a cloaked woman hastily approaching them. She removes her hood to reveal her wavy raven hair and sharp, yet elegant features, which show only the sparsest signs of aging and are currently awash in apparent concern. "I couldn't help but overhear. Do you three know my Rapunzel?"
"Well… yeah, we do," Goofy nods.
"Why?" Donald asks, curious.
"My apologies," the woman says cordially. "I am Rapunzel's mother. The poor child left home without a word and I've just been worried sick. Please tell me, where is my dear, sweet girl?"
"Oh, well, she's-"
"We don't know," Sora succinctly interrupts Goofy's answer, his tone stiff and surprisingly serious as he looks at Rapunzel's mother evenly. "We were with her earlier, but then we lost her. Sorry."
"What?" Donald asks, confused. "But we didn't-"
The magician stops short as he catches the concise, surprisingly stern glance Sora sends his way. Yet even despite how steady his answer had been, that doesn't necessarily mean Rapunzel's mother is buying it. "You lost track of her?" she asks, narrowing her eyes at Sora in particular. "Really?"
"Yes," Sora replies, meeting her suspicious glare squarely. Unflinchingly, even despite the blatant lie he's telling her. "Really."
Fortunately this time, the woman seems to relent as she lets out a disgruntled, irritated scoff. "Very well then, you're of no use to me," she scowls, stepping past the trio to be on her way. "I'll find her myself…"
The very moment they're sure Rapunzel's mother is out of earshot, Donald and Goofy don't hesitate to unload the most obvious question upon Sora right off the bat. "Sora, why'd you lie to her?" Goofy asks in a bewildered whisper. "She seemed like she was awfully worried about Rapunzel…"
"I don't know, something just… seemed off about her…" Sora says, still keeping his sights set on the direction the woman had gone. "Plus, you heard what Rapunzel said. Her mom was the one who never let her leave that tower before today. And something tells me that if she finds her, she might try to make her go back."
"So… what should we do?" Donald asks with a frown.
"...Come on," Sora urges the pair, leading the way back toward camp. Even so, they intentionally take a different route than Rapunzel's mother had, keeping close to the trees as they near it, especially as they begin to pick up on bits and pieces of conversation.
While Eugene hasn't returned from his search for firewood, sure enough Rapunzel's mother has easily found her even without the trio's assistance. And while she tries to pull her daughter along to go home with her, Rapunzel isn't about to let that happen so easily. "M-Mother, you don't understand," she begins anxiously, trying her best to stand her ground. "I've been on this incredible journey, I've made new friends, and I've seen and learned so much! I… I even met someone…"
"Yes, the wanted thief," Gothel deadpans patronizingly. "I'm so proud. Now, come along."
As Gothel tries forcefully taking her away once more, the trio nearly moves to stop her and defend Rapunzel. Yet they stop short as Rapunzel puts forth the effort to defend herself instead. "Mother, wait!" she protests, stopping in her tracks. "I think… I think he likes me…"
"Likes you?" Gothel scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Please, Rapunzel, that's demented! This is why you never should have left to begin with! It's like I told you before, you're far too naive to be out here. What could possibly make you think that no-account thief would be impressed with you? You're only setting yourself up for heartbreak, love. But it doesn't have to happen if you just come home with your mother-"
"No!" Rapunzel cuts her off firmly, refusing to back down from her just like she always has before.
"...No?" Gothel raises an eyebrow as her expression switches to a dark, almost sinister grin. "Oh. I see how it is… Suddenly Rapunzel's so mature now, so clever and grown up. Fine. If you're so sure of that criminal's "feelings" for you, why don't you go ahead and give him this?"
Rapunzel gasps as Gothel holds up Eugene's satchel, which she knows she'd securely hidden away back at the tower. "H-how did you-"
"This is why he's here!" Gothel exclaims, presenting the tiara that had been tucked away inside of the bag. "He's deceiving you, Rapunzel! Give it to him and see for yourself how fast he'll leave you behind once he gets what he's after."
"I-I will!" Rapunzel challenges, catching both the tiara and the satchel as Gothel throws them her way.
"And when you do put him to the test and he does leave you," Gothel continues harshly as she begins to make her retreat. "I won't say I told you so. Don't come crying to me when your little fantasy falls apart at the seams! Just remember, dear… Mother knows best…"
And, without another single word, Gothel disappears into the night, leaving Rapunzel behind and alone to let her worrying words sink in. Any former confidence and resolve she had shown before are quick to falter as she looks back to the crown in her hands, fear starting to creep in that her mother's words are actually true. That Eugene only cares about the treasure she'd taken from him and is only feigning kindness and care for her to get that treasure back. That they aren't friends-much less anything more than that-at all.
"Rapunzel?" She gasps, hiding the satchel and the crown behind her as she spins around to see the trio arriving.
"S-Sora! Donald! Goofy!" she exclaims, surprised, yet somewhat relieved that it's just them and not Eugene. "H-how much of that did you see…?"
"Just about all of it," Donald replies honestly.
"Are you ok?" Goofy asks, concerned.
"I… y-yeah," Rapunzel nods, letting out the anxious breath she'd been holding in. "Mother thinks Eugene will leave if I give him this," she shows the trio the satchel. "But… you guys don't think he'd do that, do you?"
"No, of course he wouldn't," Sora says, readily believing that fact. "No offense, but I think your mom was wrong. All you'd need to do to prove it is show him that bag and I bet that even if he knew you had it, he'd stay for sure."
"Yeah, it's like you said, Rapunzel," Goofy adds supportively. "Eugene's really started takin' a liking to ya!"
"I… really like him too…" Rapunzel admits with a soft, fond smile. "B-but… that's why I'm not so sure about telling him I have his satchel… What if Mother really is right after all?"
"But what if she isn't?" Sora counters evenly.
Rapunzel can't deny the hope mingled with dread that runs through her at this, especially as she glances at the satchel once more. Just about all of her newfound hopes lie with this simple bag, one that could very well result in her newest dream coming true… or falling apart at the seams. "I… I'll tell him, but… not until I feel like the time is right," she says, tucking the satchel away out of sight behind a nearby rock. "Until then, do you guys mind keeping quiet about this to him? I-I want to be the one to give it to him when I'm ready to."
"Don't worry," Sora readily, immediately assures, not even needing to think twice. After all, Rapunzel has promised to keep his own, much more grave secret; the least he can do is strive to keep hers in return. "We won't say a word."
Though both Donald and Goofy hesitate, they both ultimately agree with this course of action, allowing Rapunzel to let out a small, allayed smile as she breathes them a quiet word of thanks just as Eugene returns from the forest. "So, can I ask you something?" he addresses Rapunzel, completely oblivious as he looks over the hand she'd healed earlier. "Is there any chance that I'm going to get super strength in my hand? Because I'm not going to lie that would be stupendous." He stops short, still toting his armful of firewood as he notices Rapunzel and the trio lingering on the outskirts of their small campsite, looking to him in apparent alarm. "Uh… is everyone alright?"
"Oh, uh…"
"Yeah, we're doing great," Sora fills in for Rapunzel, putting on an easy, relaxed grin to throw Eugene off.
"Y-yeah," Rapunzel nods as she picks up a similar sort of smile. "Just… lost in thought I guess."
Fortunately Eugene seems to buy this, smirking as he continues his casual conversation while Rapunzel and the trio return to their seats. "Here's the thing: superhuman good looks, I've always had. Born with 'em. But superhuman strength? Can you imagine the possibility of this?"
The others are only half listening, Rapunzel in particular as she steals a glance back at where she'd hidden the satchel away. Right along with all of the secrets she now found herself intentionally, willingly keeping.
But for all those secrets, even she doesn't know that her mother is still watching her from a distance, engulfed in the shadows of the forest, just as she intends to do until her flower finally comes to her senses and returns to where she rightfully belongs. To this end, Gothel barely even reacts as a dark corridor appears behind her and her newfound "partner" steps out to join her.
"Still keeping your flower in your sights, I see," Marluxia muses as smoothly as ever.
"But of course," Gothel grins greedily. "Like I told you before, I'm getting her back to that tower, whether she comes willingly… or I have to drag her there myself. By the way," her smile fades into an irritated scowl. "You didn't mention that boy you're after has such a penchant for lying."
"It's a skill he's only developed recently, so I've been told," Marluxia says, putting on a hint of an amused smile himself now. "One that he's acquired by tirelessly, desperately, foolishly obscuring the truth from everyone he knows. Even himself, it seems."
"It's a 'skill' my Rapunzel seems to have picked up from the little brat," Gothel sneers crossly. "But no matter; she can only keep her mouth shut for so long, I'm sure. And when the inevitable finally does happen, I happen to have another iron in the fire to help nudge her along in the right direction. And that's where I'll be, patiently waiting for her return."
"Indeed," Marluxia agrees as he sets his own sights on Sora in particular, just as his master had instructed him to do. "With just a touch of patience, we'll both soon be on the verge of getting exactly what we want. After all… good things come to those who wait."
Ohohoh ominous foreshadowing to cap things off! I gotta say this one is rather lighthearted for the most part, but that's only because the second Tangled chapter is gonna be... a lot and I'm really looking forward to it since it involves a scene I've been REALLY waiting to write in this story! So yeah, until we get there however, don't forget to REVIEW to let me know what you think of this one! Until next time! :D
