Flower, gleam and glow…

Chapter 5

Jack had a nightmare.

His eyes snapped open, consciousness returning like a lightning strike. Already the images in his mind were hazy and out of reach. Not that he was trying to focus on them. The last thing he wanted was to dwell on the dream. He had more than enough of them burned into his memory. The more he forgot, the happier he would be.

He took a deep breath as he stared into the darkness of his room, refilling his lungs. Trying to still his shivering body.

It was a dream, he told himself. Whatever it had been, it was just a dream. It hadn't even been that bad – he remembered that much. He just hadn't enjoyed it. At all.

His heart pulsed, and he looked down at the steady purple glow in his bare chest.

Great. The empathy was already starting. Nightlight and Hiccup had both told him that the empathetic connection with their soul mate hadn't stared for at least a few years, so he had thought he wouldn't have to worry about it for now.

The sudden impulse to check on Rapunzel – to make sure his nightmare hadn't bothered her – hit him with a strength he hadn't expected. He had started the push back the blankets of his bed, before he realized what he was doing and stopped himself.

He forced himself to lay back, draping a forearm over his eyes as he took another deep breath.

Earlier that evening, when she had come into his room to eat after her bath, he had expected her to say… something. The glow grew stronger the closer you got to your soul mate, but the wall between them wasn't enough to diminish it completely. He knew, because he had checked while writing his letters. Several times. Partially in hopes that he had been dreaming the night before. Obviously not.

Something had obviously been bothering her when she came in. But she had said she was fine, and not made a single reference to their connection.

That surprised him, since Rapunzel didn't strike him as the type to brush off finding her soul mate. He wasn't sure what he had expected her reaction to be, but he had expected a reaction. His ego was taking it as a personal blow, wondering if her silence meant she was disappointed.

And he hadn't mentioned it either – instead asking her flurry of questions as to what it was like to be a prince. She seemed to have processed that information while she was in the bath, and then wanted to know all about it.

Maybe he should have said something. It wasn't that he was brushing it off, really. He just didn't know what to say. Especially because of all the politics that complicated the situation. If it weren't for that… well, he wouldn't have had a problem with the whole thing if it weren't for politics. In that case, maybe he would have known what to say.

Whatever the case, he was not going to check on her. That would be… he wasn't sure what it would be. Though the word "improper" certainly resounded through his mind.

He exhaled, forcing himself to relax. This whole thing was proving to be every bit as confusing as he had expected.

A glance at the window – an attempt to distract himself – proved that dawn was a few hours off, and the storm had blown itself out. Just as he had predicted. It was still snowing, the soft white flakes slowly drifting down. But it was nothing that would prevent them from leaving as soon as they were ready. After yesterday, he wasn't optimistic that they would make it to the border that day. But they would still be moving faster on horseback than on foot.

Brushing off those thoughts, he decided that he could sleep a few more hours. Rapunzel would probably sleep in after yesterday's trek.

Just as he was drifting off, something snapped him back to reality. It took a moment for him to register the sound of a commotion coming from downstairs. Someone called out, the words obscured, followed by the sound of feet pounding down the stairs.

This time there was no hesitation as he pushed back the blankets and rolled out of bed. He pulled open the door without pausing to grab a shirt, and giving it no second thought. He ran down the hall and the stairs, arriving in the now crowded commons area. Everyone else seemed have had the same idea and come out to investigate.

A few of the lamps had been left on, but not enough to illuminate the scene clearly. Still, it only took him a moment to spot the problem, following the most pointed calls to their source.

Three men in royal guard uniforms. Not the same ones who had been there the night before. One of them lay on the wooden floor, bleeding heavily from his side. The red liquid pooled on the wooden floor, and Jack's fist clenched as he yanked his eyes away. People called out for hot water and alcohol to clean the wound, or for someone to run and get the local doctor. It didn't as though anything were actually being done, though.

On the other side of the room he saw Marian ushering her children back towards their rooms.

Over the din, he barely heard Rapunzel call his name, but he felt her come up behind him. He looked over just as she reached the step about him She started to move forward, but he held up an arm to stop her.

"Go back upstairs," he said. He was fairly certain she had probably never seen this kind of blood in her sheltered life, and he wasn't keen on her seeing it now. He wanted to say that everything would be fine. But he was pretty sure that would be a lie, considering how much blood there was.

Her eyes, he realized, were fixed on the injured guard. Her expression was distraught, and he braced himself to catch her if the blood caused her to faint. Instead, her expression turned resolute as she met his eyes,

"I can help him," she said.

Jack started to protest, though not sure what he was going to say. Her expression was so sincere he almost believed her. But the practical part of his mind asked what she could do. This wasn't a small injury.

She must have read in his face that he was going to stop her. Mouth pressed in a determined line, she pushed his arm away before he could respond, and she ran down the last few steps.

Rapunzel murmured "excuse me" a few times as she pushed through the people gathered around the injured guard. Jack followed her wake, a few people stepping aside when they recognized him.

When Rapunzel reached the injured man, she ignored his companions as she knelt down beside him. One of the guards started to step toward her, but noticed Jack.

"Your Highness—"

Jack waved the man off. Whatever he wanted to say would have to wait. In that moment, all he was concerned with was Rapunzel, and trying to figure out what she was going to do.

She picked up a thick rope of her hair… and he saw her hesitate for a heartbeat, debate raging across her face. He thought he caught a glimpse of fear as she bit her lower lip. He started to take a step closer, but before he could make any other move, her face screwed up with determination and she pressed her hair against the man's bleeding side. Jack was going to say something (and starting to wonder if she was crazy. But when one of the guards started to protest, he still waved the man off.

In the back of his mind, something was trying to make its way to the front. The way was blocked with too many thoughts about the current situation. But the thought promised it was important, if he would just focus on it. At the moment, though, he didn't have the ability to do so. All his attention was for her.

Without looking up, Rapunzel took a deep breath, closed her eyes… and start to sing. So softly he couldn't hear the words, even standing just a few feet behind her. All he could hear was the haunting melody that sent a shiver up his spine.

As if in response to the song, golden lights started at her scalp, growing brighter as it spilled through her hair like a river of liquid sunlight. Jack's breath caught in the back of his throat – and once more that little thought nagged at him, but he pushed it aside. The injured guard visibly relaxed when the light reached the hair pressed against his side.

The song was short, and the light ended as soon as she stopped.

Silence had fallen over the room, all eyes locked on the small blonde, waiting to see what came next…

When she pulled her hair back, the guard's injury was gone. There was no sign of blood, either on him, the floor, or Rapunzel's hair. She rocked back on her heels, looking down at the guard as his eyes flickered open.

"What… happened?" he asked.

Rapunzel smiled.

For a moment, no one spoke, not sure how to answer that question.

Jack didn't know either, but he stepped closer to Rapunzel, finally reaching her side as she rose to her feet. The spell of stunned silence started to end, and Jack's instinct was to whisk her back upstairs before the questions could start. He had an arm around her shoulders, and was turning away to do just that. She didn't resist.

Before he could move, once of the guards stepped closer, his expression drawn and serious. "Your Highness."

Jack frowned, looking over at the man. Rapunzel pressed closer in him, and he wasn't sure if it was that, or the empathy, that told him she was afraid. His arm tightened around her shoulders.

He didn't miss the guard's eyes widen as he looked at Jack's chest, over at the Rapunzel, and then off to the side.

Suddenly, Jack really wished he had grabbed a shirt to cover his glowing heart before he had come downstairs. But the thought hadn't occurred to him at the time.

There was a murmur as several people finally noticed the glow, now that the excitement of the situation was over. No one said anything out loud, thankfully.

The formerly injured guard was on his feet, assuring his other companion that he had never felt better.

The guard who had addressed Jack cleared his through, and pulled something from his pocket. "We… we were told to give you this."

He was obviously reluctant as he held the folded piece of paper out to Jack.

Frowning, Jack took the parchment, not knowing what to expect. An order from his father to come home at one? Obviously not, since it wasn't sealed with the royal crest. But he didn't know what else it could be.

When he unfolded the note, and saw the short message, he wished it were a summons from his father. Because this was worse. So much worse. He felt the blood drain from his face.

"Jack?" Rapunzel asked softly.

"What happened?" he asked, through clenched teeth as he looked back at the pale faced guard. Beside him he felt Rapunzel tense, but couldn't spare a thought to worry about it.

"We were attacked on the road," the guard said. "At first we thought it was bandits – there's been reports of them all up and down the main roads. But they gave us that, and told us to deliver it to you. I—Forgive me, Your Highness, but I did take the liberty of looking at it, since it wasn't sealed."

"It's fine," Jack said, brushing off the apology. "But you didn't see him?"

"No, Sir. So it may be—"

Jack knew how that sentence was going to end. "It may be a false alarm." It was what everyone wanted to believe.

But he shook his head. "No. It's his handwriting."

He crumpled up the note, trying to quell the fear and anger rising inside of him. "Do they know I'm here?"

The guard shook his head. "I don't believe so, Your Highness."

"Which way did they go?"

"Deeper into the woods, towards Spring," he said.

Jack looked at Rapunzel, at her so obviously Spring features. She stared back at him in confusion.

This whole thing just kept getting worse.

"We can send a party—" the guard started.

"No," Jack said, shaking his head. "That's too risky. Come with me."

Once more he wrapped an arm around Rapunzel's shoulder, guiding her back towards the stairs. He was excessively grateful that she still didn't resist. The guards followed a few paces behind, and everyone else stepped aside to allow them to pass.

The guards from earlier peeled out of the crowd and followed as well. They were out of uniform, but obviously ready for duty.

"Jack?" Rapunzel asked, when they were on the stairs.

"I'll explain later," he whispered, since all five guards were right behind them.

When they reached their rooms, he nodded toward her door.

For a moment she hesitated, but nodded before vanishing into her room.

Jack went into his own room, grabbing tow of the three letters that sat on the desk, completed and addressed. Returning to the guards, he addressed the one with the highest rank – the one he had spoken with the day before.

"Deliver this to my brother, and this to my sister. And this…" he sighed as he smoothed out the note, refolded it, and handed it to the guard. Doing so meant the guards would have to report to his father. He had hoped to just give the letter to Nightlight, and his brother could tell their parents that he was off on one of his crazy adventures. "Deliver this to my father. Tell him what happened, and that I believe it's from him. I would know that handwriting anywhere."

"What about her?" the guard asked quietly, nodding toward Rapunzel's room.

His lowered voice, so she wouldn't hear, would have been appreciated. But Jack had already heard the adjoining door open slightly, so he knew she was listening. Not that it changed the fact he was struggling to find the right answer.

He couldn't ask them to lie to his father. That would just create more trouble for everyone. As if they didn't already have more than enough of that to go around.

"I… I have to take her home," he said. "Personally." Especially now. He looked at the note in the guard's hand, taking a deep breath.

He realized the guard was trying very hard not to look at Jack's heart pointedly.

"Just… tell my father I've gone to see Chief Haddock in Autumn. There's some things I need to figure out. Try to speak with my brother first. He'll be able to help."

To his surprise, the guard gave an understanding nod. "We'll leave as soon as we're ready."

"Thank you," Jack said. "Stay safe."

"You as well, Your highness. Are you sure you wouldn't like a guard to accompany you?"

Very sure. The last thing he wanted was a guard. "No, thank you."

The guards bowed, and headed back downstairs to prepare for their own journey. Leaving Jack to prepare for his. Closing the door, he rubbed his forehead as he leaned back against the cool wood. His mind spun to try and catch up.

Unlike his hazy nightmare, the note was burned into his mind's eye with crystal clarity. And it kept swimming to the front of his mind – eclipsing whatever thought was still trying to make it to the forefront of his mind.

The emblem of the Pitchiner House was the stuff of his personal nightmares. Nothing good ever came of that image showing up in his life. And the single sentence – four simple words – promised that this time would be no exception.

The peace is over.