Angel: Well...still out of a job, but I did get some money out of this stupid virus. Because I paid for campus services in my tuition, and the school closed, they gave me a refund! I haven't gotten that far along into the last season, only because I've been trying to do all my schoolwork before my Spring Break next week. Hopefully I'll catch up during that time.
It's a late night as Shorty is leaning against the caravan, snoring. "They've been at it for a while," Eugene whispers to Lance, Cass, and Varian. "What could they be talking about?"
"Shh!" Cass shushes him out of annoyance. "I'm trying to eavesdrop!"
"You know I can read lips, right?" Lance asks from the window. "Follow your dust to me."
"Um, no, I don't think that's what Adira said," Varian looks up at him. They're watching the princesses talk to Adira as the princesses, Eugene, and Varian are back in their new outfits.
"Follow our destinies?" Rapunzel stares at one scroll piece, with the Sundrop Flower, and Harmony has the other one with the black rocks depicted. "How is this supposed to tell us our destinies if I can't read it?"
"Not to mention, it's hard to translate, and we don't even have all the pieces," Harmony waves the second paper.
"Find your next scroll piece at the Spire," She points up ahead. "And the Keeper will take you to it."
"The Spire?" Harmony gasps sharply at the name. "I've heard of the Spire! They keep a lot of magical objects, scrolls, and weapons, I've read all about it. You really think the piece will be there, Adira?"
"I know so," She nods with a small smile towards the girl.
The next morning, they're walking up the path.
"Hey, Harmony, can you ask Varian this?" Lance leans in and whispers the question into Harmony's ear.
"Why?" She raises a brow.
"Because it's a prank! Kids love pranks!"
"We're not kids, but I'll do it if you keep out of my silver coins and stop using them in the markets that we visit," She crosses her arms.
"Deal!"
"Hey Vari," She steps up to him. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
"No...?" He raises a brow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"You know," She stares at him with a foreboding look, to test him.
"No? What's wrong?" He's getting a little worried now as it looks like from his perspective, he's in trouble.
"Just tell me, Vari."
"Tell you what?!" He asks incredibly. There is literally nothing he's hiding from her.
"...I'm sorry, Lance made me do it," She tells him and he sighs in relief. The girl hugs him gently.
"You just gave my boyfriend a heart attack!" Harmony frowns deeply towards Lance. "Shame on you."
"We made it!" Rapunzel announces and they stop in front of a house.
"Is this it?" Eugene whispers to her. "The Keeper's place?"
"Let's find out," She smiles, stepping forward.
"Stay together," Cass tells the others, following after the blonde.
"Well, we are on a narrow, elevated road, so I'm not seeing too many other options," Eugene retorts back.
"Psh. I got this," Harmony cracks her fingers, slowly waving her hands in the air. A straight, balanced path appears in front of them.
"Yup. This is way better," Eugene smiles and they reach the door a few minutes later. A crow lands nearby.
"It's too quiet. I don't like it," Cass grits her teeth. A loud roar is suddenly heard, but they can't tell where it's coming from.
"What is that?!" Lance screeches as they look up.
"Hang in there, buddy," Rapunzel assures Pascal, who hides in her hair.
"I don't know what that was, but whatever it is, it's gone now. I sensed it only for a few seconds," Harmony tells the others and Rapunzel slowly walks up to the door. She knocks twice and to her surprised, they're not even locked.
"Uh, hello?" Moths fly out of the doors, causing her to shriek.
Lance yelps as he recoils back. "Bugs! Moths!"
Rapunzel gets back onto her feet, about to storm in when a dust cloud seeps outside. A small woman steps out, covering her eyes with her sleeve.
"H-Hi," Rapunzel stammers, gesturing to herself. "Um, my name is Rapunzel."
"Um, and I'm Lance," Lance stutters next, getting shushed by Cass.
"This is my little sister Harmony. And we are looking for the-"
"Keeper of the Spire?" The woman interrupts dramatically. "Look no further! I am the Keeper-" She suddenly starts choking as she coughs, a moth flying out of her mouth. "Swallowed a moth. Again." She clears her throat once she's finished. "Let me start over." She walks down the steps and shuffles over to them. "I am the Keeper of the Spire! But you can call me...Calliope."
They all stare at her, not sure what to think. They thought the Keeper would be...
Taller, for one. And not so off-putting like a few seconds ago. "Not what I expected, but okay," Eugene shrugs lightly, still a bit surprised.
Rapunzel stares at a small iron statue of Zhan Tiri kept underneath glass. "So, what can the Keeper do for you?" Calliope asks them.
"Actually, you see, we heard you might be able to help us," Rapunzel starts off.
"As Keeper of the Spire, I have been entrusted wardship over the Spire's artifacts." Lance holds a pair of goggles in his hands. She notices him holding the pair and snatches them back, putting them back on the mantle. "It is my sworn duty to prevent these items from falling into the wrong hands. And to protect them from the outside world." She caresses a purple orb. "Or in some cases, protect the outside world from them!"
"Good thing I left Ruddiger with Hook Foot, then," Varian whispers to Harmony. "He's always trying to get his hands on something. And I'd hate to damage any of these amazing artifacts!"
"So I'm kinda prestigious," Calliope wiggles a brow, smiling widely.
"Oh! Wow," Rapunzel replies awkwardly. "That is impressive. So we heard you could help us get the third piece of a scroll."
Calliope clears her throat as the sisters dig through their bags. "Which scroll? There's the Scroll of Danbury, uh, the Pavel Scroll, the Scroll of Tannengier—which isn't technically a scroll, more of a brochure."
"So cool!" Varian pumps his fists and Harmony smiles at him in amusement.
"Oh! This one," Rapunzel holds up the first piece while her sister holds up the second piece.
"We don't actually know the name of it," Harmony cringes a little.
"Oh, ho, ho, ho! That scroll. That's in the Spire's Vault."
"Great!" Rapunzel beams a little. "So where is the Spire's vault?"
"Spire," Calliope repeats slowly.
"Excuse me?"
"It's pronounced 'spire.' It comes from Spyra. It's Latin, which is another language that I actually speak," Calliope laughs at her supposed knowledge.
"Actually, that's where you're wrong," Harmony speaks up, getting Calliope's attention. "It comes from the German word 'Spier,' and Spyra is not even Latin."
"The word Spyra doesn't exist," Varian crosses his arms at her.
"No, it does! You don't know what you're talking about," She huffs towards them.
"They're the smartest people we know," Rapunzel gestures to the two. "They wouldn't lie about that kind of inconsistency."
"I don't know if that was a slip-up, or if you're not really who you say you are," Harmony narrows her eyes. "A real Keeper would know where the word comes from in actuality."
"It...was a slip-up! Slip-up...of course I knew about it, that's why I noticed it and you didn't. And why I don't have an ugly duckling like you do."
Harmony gasps sharply, Daisy turning red as she dives straight for Calliope, but Varian catches her before she'd do anything she might regret. All of them glare towards her.
"Well, got it on the word pronunciation," Rapunzel points at Calliope. "Where is the 'Spire's' Vault?"
"No, no, no. Spy-err! Do you hear the difference?"
"Spy-your," Rapunzel stares at her, a bit annoyed now. Did it really matter?
"Spy-err," Calliope elaborates on the r.
"Spy-your," The blonde tries again.
"Like this!" She takes a hold of Rapunzel's cheeks. "Spy-your! Spy-your!"
"That's what she said," Harmony stares at her as Cass pushes them away, fed up with the word now.
"Do you have the scroll or not?" She grips Calliope's collar.
"Cass! Please!" Rapunzel holds her back.
"We told you that you shouldn't do that to people who are trying to help!" Harmony hisses, gesturing to Calliope.
"Don't be alarmed, she did it to me too when I first met them," Varian jerks a thumb to Cass.
"No, I get it," Calliope dusts herself off. "Moms can be impatient."
"Mom?!" Cass exclaims in disbelief, Eugene snickering a little. "I'm four years older than Rapunzel and 8 years older than her!" She points to Harmony.
"Oh. I saw the crow's feet, and I just assumed."
Lance laughs out loud, Harmony pointing her arrow at him. He turns it into a cough instead and she places her equipment back in the quiver. "S-Swallowed a moth."
"At least your head isn't as weird as his. Or your hair as moppy as his," She points to Varian, getting wide-eyed looks from both of them as she starts walking. "Hey, slowpokes, let's go!" She chokes, coughing again. "Another moth! I'm fine! Nobody worry!"
"Oh, we weren't worried that time," Varian deadpans towards her.
"Oh, come on. I know she's a bit...out there, but your hair isn't moppy. Besides, she knows where the scroll piece is," Harmony touches a strand of his hair. "I like your hair."
"Thanks, Mona," He smiles at her.
Calliope clears her throat as she steps into a room full of books. "This is the library! And yes, I've read all these books, if you're wondering. I just have to grab the Vault's map. The Spire's Vault holds hundreds of the rarest, most abstruse artifacts from all over the globe."
"Amazing..." Varian murmurs at the information. Calliope gasps as she jumps over the table.
"I noticed you were eyeing my linking rings," She walks up to two rings linked together. "I am something of a master illusionist!" She holds up the rings over her head, spinning them around. She slams them onto the ground, and they disappear. "Ta-da!" However, they can clearly see a ring sticking out from her left sleeve.
Rapunzel slowly claps, feeling a bit awkward.
"Uh, no," Eugene shakes his head.
"Thank you! Did I hear someone say encore?" She pulls out handkerchiefs from her outfit.
"You most certainly did not," Cass retorts to her.
"Cass! It's just one more trick," Rapunzel cringes a little. "What's the harm?" Rapunzel nods at Calliope for encouragement.
The candle wax slowly disappears and birds fly away from Calliope. Lance, Harmony, and Varian have fallen asleep at this point. The girl is nuzzling her shoulder with her cheek as his chin is on top of her hair, holding her hand.
"Behold! The magic of flight! Yes! And now, for my next trick-"
"NO! No more tricks!" Eugene exclaims at her, waking up the couple nearby. Harmony rubs her eyes as Calliope frowns towards the man. "Uh...no more tricks, because these tricks blew my mind." He laughs, going over to Lance. "We need some time to process all the spectacle and wonderment." He grabs Rapunzel's left arm.
"Yes! Yes, in fact, Rapunzel, would you care to join us in processing?" Both she and Eugene are smiling widely to hide their ire. "Outside? Now!"
She looks between the two, frowning a little.
"Make her give us the scroll, and let's get out of here," Cass states angrily once they're outside. "She's the most annoying person I've ever met, and look who I am friends with!" She jerks a thumb to Lance, who stole the goggles from the room.
"Wait, we're friends?"
"Go put that back. I don't care how annoying Calliope is, but I'm not earning a lecture from her because of you!" Harmony points up at him and he reluctantly goes back inside.
"I don't know how she's the Keeper of the Spire," Varian pinches his nose. "I mean, she pulled a quarter out of my ear five times already, and she didn't even pull it off correctly!"
"Cassandra, relax. Now, I know Calliope is insanely irritating, but we're talking about Rapunzel here. She doesn't even know how to get annoyed with people. I mean, look at that—Oh, no, she's annoying you, isn't she?" Eugene asks this because Rapunzel is twitching an eye.
"No!"
She looks to Pascal, who looks at her skeptically. She then turns to Daisy, who crosses her wings. "No, she's not annoying, she's just different. Besides, doesn't matter what I think, she's gonna give us the scroll soon and we will be on our way."
"I hope so, because we don't have time to waste on getting back on the black rocks' path," Harmony places her hands on her hips.
"Okay! We're all set!" Calliope calls out from her window. "I can get you that third piece."
"Great!" They watch her eat an apple. "So, where's the-"
"Well, bonsoir!" She waves to the six, confusing them.
"Wait, what?"
"It's French," She elaborates, looking back out the window. "It means, I'm off to bed."
"Yeah, we know what French is," Varian calls out. "And that's not entirely accurate on the translation!"
"But I thought we were gonna get the scroll from the vault."
"You know, like we came here to do?" Harmony gestures to everyone. "We walked all the way up here in early morning!"
"Oh, no, silly girls! It's all the way on top of a mountain, in a vault called the Spire."
"Why didn't you tell us that earlier?!" The younger princess screeches at her.
"But then, we'll-"
"It's a full day climb. I'll need a good night's rest before I take that on. Hence, bonsoir," She reaches out a hand to the door.
"No, we really weren't expecting to-" She shuts the door instead of listening.
"...We just spent an entire day wasted on watching her tricks when we could've been heading to the Spire," Varian blinks slowly. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down.
"Hmm, okay! So I guess we'll just camp out here! Without a caravan or a tent," Rapunzel replies slowly.
"Maybe she has extra room to spare..." Harmony jiggles at the handle, narrowing her eyes. "Annnd It's locked."
"Still don't think she's annoying?" Eugene asks Rapunzel and then thunder claps, rain pouring down on them. "How 'bout now?"
"Don't worry, I have a portable rain-proof tent in my bag," Harmony digs into her satchel. "It's my new Port-a-tent!"
"And I can make us some food," Varian smiles at everyone. "Cooking's just like science."
"We're saved!" Lance hugs the two into a bear hug. Harmony flicks the tent into the open and it pops out, big enough to fit all of them as it lands on the straight path she made earlier. Lance rushes inside first to see several sleeping bags, and a fire pit. The others follow soon after to avoid the rain.
"Oh, thank you, guys," Rapunzel tells the two gratefully. "It's really nice of you to share your tent and cook us dinner."
"Well, you guys are always taking care of us," Varian starts off as Harmony bends down to the fire pit.
"We figured we'd return the favor," She turns around to her sister, holding up a magnifying glass. "Hair."
Rapunzel unties her wet hair, squeezing it dry. Varian gets some spare ingredients from the corner to cook with as Harmony holds Rapunzel's hair in front of the magnifying glass. She then holds it up to the fire pit, with firewood already set up. The hair glows and from the glow, it shines onto the glass, igniting a small, but effective fire.
"Impressive! How'd you do that?" Rapunzel asks in awe.
"Sunlight, with the right amount of light, can make a fire with a magnifying glass," Harmony holds it up. "Eugene taught it to me."
"That's my girl!" Eugene points to her.
"Okay, in just a few minutes, dinner will be served," Varian states while cooking over the fire.
"It's better than sleeping in the rain with no support," Cass glares towards the house.
"Sleep it over, Cass. I'm sure we'll be enduring a lot more Calliope than we'd like to in the morning..." Harmony rolls her eyes.
"Come on, come on, come on, come on!" Calliope urges the group early next morning. "Like this! Left, right, left, right! Left, right! If we're gonna get to the top of that Spire, we have to pick up the pace!" She claps her hands towards them, pointing up the steps. "Let's go!"
They're already exhausted because they have to walk up a lot of steps. "We're burning daylight, people!"
Eugene and Lance groan towards her, Cass annoyed. "You guys go ahead. I'm-I'm gonna stay here for a while," Lance drags his hands down his face.
"Come on, guys!" Rapunzel encourages them. "It's a new day! Let's give Calliope a chance."
"Let's go, maggots!" She calls out towards them. The blonde chuckles awkwardly, waving them forward. She grumbles under her breath.
"You know, it's ironic that we came to her for the scroll, and yet she's treating us like dirt," Varian whispers to Harmony, who nods towards her sister.
"I've never seen Rapunzel so annoyed in the year I've known her."
"I'll go talk to her," Eugene catches up to his girlfriend. "Listen, Blondie, why don't you hang in the back of the group? Let Cass and me be your irritation buffer. We've got more experience being annoyed with people."
"I have experience being annoyed with you," She quips back, walking past the two. Eugene glares towards her as Varian and Harmony join them.
"I'm kind of worried you might not be able to handle her," Harmony stares up at her in concern. "I mean, you've never met anyone like her before."
"For the last time, I'm not annoyed with her! I'm just...getting to know her. 'Cause I'm sure behind her eccentric, somewhat pretentious, clearly inconsiderate know-it-all, and thinks she's so much better than everybody else exterior, there has to be some shred of human decency, right?" She grits her teeth as she walks past everyone. "But I am not annoyed with her," She smiles towards everyone, but it's strained.
"Hold up, hold up. Hold up, princess," Lance calls out, getting her attention. "I think I got something that just might help. This is Socky," He holds up a hacky sack with a smiley face on it. "My stress reliever. Whenever I feel pressure, I just squeeze old Socky, and woop! Cool as a cucumber."
"Does it really work?" She asks skeptically while holding it in her hands.
"It's why you see this free and easy spirit standing before you today," He gestures to himself.
"Well, thank you, Lance, but, uh, I don't think I'm gonna need this."
"Where's my hustle, people?!" Calliope shouts rather rudely towards them. Cass and Lance reluctantly continue walking.
"I think you might need it," Eugene pats her shoulder in sympathy.
"Don't worry, we'll stay with you," Harmony pats her back. "Luckily for us, distractions help us relieve our stress...and we're gonna need that..."
"Oh yeah..." Varian murmurs in agreement. Rapunzel squeezes Socky as she walks behind the group, a glare on her face.
"You'll notice this path of—Keep up, people!"
Harmony grunts, but continues to pet Daisy, feeding her some food. "Of indigneous rocks was created by the..."
A low growl comes from the bushes, causing Harmony to whip around. "Huh?!"
"What is it, Brownie?" Eugene raises a brow towards her, everyone stopping to look at her.
"It's that feeling again. The same one I had when we heard that growl yesterday," She's looking right at the bushes, where the creature disappeared.
"You probably just sensed another moth," Calliope snorts, clapping her hands. "Alright, let's keep-"
"Hold on," Cass interrupts her, looking towards Harmony in the eye. "Are you sure it's the same creature?"
She turns around and nods sharply. "I know we have to keep going, but keep a look-out, everyone."
"It's nothing to worry about!" Calliope waves it off, walking forward. "I'm sure she gets stuff like this wrong all the time, while I never do."
Harmony growls towards the woman, taking a deep breath.
Remember, Harmony...she's the only person who can lead you all to the Spire's Vault. Just be patient...very patient.
Rapunzel hacks away some leaves with Cass' sword. Calliope groans, pushing past Cass. "Here. You're doing it wrong," She accidentally tosses the weapon over the edge.
"My sword!" Cass calls out, hearing the thud. She growls towards Calliope, the teens tensing up. Like with her other weapons, she's very protective of her sword.
"Rapunzel's palm sweat made it slippery," Calliope accuses the princess.
"That's ridiculous," Varian crosses his arms.
"Nice job, Rapunzel," She waves it off. Rapunzel squeezes her eyes shut, squeezing Socky again.
Then they climb up a wall with Rapunzel's hair, who has to be in the back to help everyone up. Eugene slips a bit.
"HEY! Watch it up there, you ding dongs!" Calliope shouts towards the others. Varian looks at her in annoyance.
"Please tell me we're near the top of the spire," Rapunzel pleads towards the woman.
"Spy-err."
"Who cares? Let's just keep climbing," Harmony turns her head towards Calliope. It's hard to be distracted when this woman is playing hardball with being annoying. Pascal chirps angrily, squeezing Socky for Rapunzel since her hands are occupied.
Lance runs up front as Calliope is holding the map. Rapunzel looks at the orange leaves, cringing. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait! That looks like Poison Elm. We should probably go around."
"I'm sure if there was Poison Elm on this spire, I'd know," Calliope gestures to herself.
"Oh, that's Poison Elm, alright," Harmony confirms, Varian taking out a plant book. He flips a few pages before showing the picture, which is an exact match to the plants in front of them.
"You really should listen to the princess," Varian darts his eyes to Rapunzel.
"Psh. That could be anything," Calliope takes the book and tosses it over her shoulder. And sure enough, Lance is scratching himself, since he was in front of everyone and didn't hear the warning.
"Itchy! Why?! Why? Why!"
"And there it is," Cass stares at him.
"Now, can we just go around? Like I suggested before 'Palm Sweat' got involved?"
Harmony glares at her, leaping, but Varian holds her back. "Keep your ground," He tells her slowly. "You'll have all the time in the world to be mad at her once we get to the Spire."
"Fine..." She mutters, standing up slowly. "I so wanna punch her in the face right now, though."
Rapunzel holds out her hand, and Pascal gives her Socky, just as irritated as her. She squeezes it until it breaks.
"...Wow," Harmony blinks at her.
"Socky! No!" Lance cries out, causing her to cringe.
"Sorry..."
"Come on, Lance," Varian holds out his hand. "We'll give you the anti-cream."
"You guys are pretty prepared, huh?" Rapunzel places her hands on her hips.
"After what happened in the Forest of No Return, we packed up for every situation...well, except for the guide," Harmony glares towards Calliope. "There's no solution for that..."
"Oh come on! There had to be a safer way up this thing!" Lance shouts from the end of the line.
"I wish," Harmony places a hand in front of her eyes to look towards the top. "I can't even use my powers up to that height." If she was able to, they wouldn't have to deal with Calliope this long...
A roar is heard behind them, Lance turning around in fear. He backs up a bit and his foot slips. Before he could fall, the teens and Rapunzel catch him. He looks towards the black rocks below, some regular rocks falling from where he slipped.
"I don't know what that was, but I don't wanna run into it."
"You really wouldn't like it, because it's the same bad feeling again..." Harmony stares at the path behind her, wondering just what is over there making those sounds.
"Almost there! Um...Calliope?" Rapunzel notices that Calliope has stopped moving. She looks up towards the path they're on and then the map. "Is something wrong?"
"No! No! I just, um...went the wrong way," She mumbles the last four words to herself.
"What? What? I—I can't hear you," Rapunzel steps forward, wondering if she really wanted to hear this.
"I said this is the wrong way." She recoils back a bit as Cass stands over her, enraged.
"You took us the wrong way?" The lady-in-waiting asks in a tense voice.
"No! No! It wasn't my fault! There were-"
The same roar appears again, causing them to tense up. "What is that?" Eugene glances behind him, Calliope gasping.
"It's real! The Protector of the Spire!" She steps back in fear, confusing everyone. A red foot steps forward. "The Kurlock."
"...This is what you sensed, isn't it?" Eugene glances to Harmony.
"Oh yeah. Definitely."
"Uh, Calliope? What do we do?" Rapunzel asks as the others slowly back up.
Calliope is shuddering in fright, unable to move. "Kurlock..."
The Kurlock is a large red bear with horns and sharp teeth. It roars and Lance runs off first. "I'm gonna go with RUN!"
"Calliope, come on!" Rapunzel grabs the small woman. She screams her head off as the Kurlock chases after them. "Harmony, Varian, any ideas?"
"Uh, on a creature we know nothing about?" Varian looks over his shoulder.
"Gonna go with no!" Harmony calls out. The Kurlock sprints after them.
"Go away!" Calliope shouts, her eyes squeezed shut.
"I don't think he's listening," Rapunzel cringes a little.
"This way!" Eugene points to a small crack, all of them running inside. The Kurlock snarls towards them from outside, drool seeping from his mouth. They all sigh in relief since he can't get through.
"That was a close one! Huh, guys?" Calliope states, and they all glare towards her.
"What the heck was that thing?" Cass screams, pointing towards outside.
"The Kurlock," Calliope enunciates, pointing towards her mouth. "You have to pay attention."
Cass blinks at her, all of them except her baffled. She clears her throat as if nothing happened. "Well, then. The Keeper of the Spire needs to, uh...recollect her thoughts, and strategize our next move." She spins her rings around, one of them hitting her on the head. "Ow."
She looks in embarrassment as she messages around with the rings. Cass brings them together in a huddle. "We have to get rid of her. She has no idea what she's doing."
"Cass, we can't. We need her to get into the vault!" Rapunzel insists to her friend.
"She just endangered our lives by not telling us about the Kurlock!" Varian gestures to Calliope. "It would've been useful info when we were being chased by that thing."
"Your call, girls," Eugene looks to Harmony and Rapunzel. The two look towards the woman as Lance is scratching his cheek with a rock.
"Oh yeah! That's the spot! Whoo! Sweet relief!" He then uses his back on one of the rocks to scratch. He was told not to scratch, as the cream takes several hours to sink in fully, but he couldn't help himself. The rock behind him crumbles, and he looks at a beam of sunlight in front of him. A tiny rock lands on the ground, and his mouth opens, looking up.
"Calliope has gotten us this far."
"Shorty could've gotten us this far," Cass mutters, looking away.
"As much as I hate to admit this...Rapunzel's right," Harmony gestures to her sister. "No matter how annoying, inconsiderate, disrespectful, and irresponsible she is...we wouldn't be here without her."
A crash interrupts their conversation, and they turn around, hearing Lance laugh in triumph. He's made an opening in the ceiling, coughing.
"Lance! You've done it again!"
"Good job, buddy!" Eugene cheers for him, Calliope looking over her shoulder. She smiles as she follows after them.
"Well, you know, I just put my back into it, and it just magically appeared," Lance boasts as Rapunzel climbs up first.
"Oh-ho! Great! Looks like I found a way out of here."
Pascal growls towards her, Daisy about to peck at the woman when Harmony stops her. "Later," She whispers to the duckling. Rapunzel sighs wearily, climbing upwards.
"Wait a minute. We made it!" She beams as she looks around. "This is the top of the spire!"
"It is?!" Calliope grins widely as she joins Rapunzel's side. "I mean, of course it is. And I got us here."
"Yeah. You sure did," Rapunzel looks towards her angrily.
"Please, let's just get this over with," Varian closes his eyes pleadingly.
They approach the large blue doors, Calliope digging into her shirt and pulling out a bunch of keys attached to a ring. "Let me just find that key, and we'll get that scroll." She tries the first one, but with no success, groaning. "It's never the first one you try!" She tries the second one and still nothing. "Or second...or third...oh, these must've gotten rearranged when I was fending off Kurlock."
"Oh, I can't wait to get that piece and get away from here as quick as possible," Harmony mutters to herself, rubbing a temple. Rapunzel looks behind her and sees a giant footprint.
"Uh, speaking of the Kurlock..." She steps towards the footprint.
Eugene moves away some bushes. "I don't like the looks of that!"
Lance joins the others as they see the sight. "Oh, that's bad."
Ahead of them is a bunch of footprints, which lead to a nest with bones inside... "Uh, guys? I think this is its home."
Varian sweats nervously, chuckling in slight fear. "Oh, we're in trouble..."
The roar is heard closeby. "Uh, you think?" Cass calls out. Up ahead is the monster of the hour.
"Uh, Calliope!" They run to the woman. "Now would be a great time to get that door open!"
"I'm trying! Oh, come on! Come on, key. I'm trying!" She states, still trying keys. The Kurlock steps on a bone, breaking it in half. Calliope tries another, but still nothing. The creature snarls towards them, racing forward.
"Socky! I need you!" Lance cries out in fear. Calliope whimpers as she moves the keys, trying to find one that she hasn't tried.
"Open the door! Now!" Cass growls at Calliope, lifting her up by the collar.
"I don't know which is the right key!" Calliope shouts as the Kurlock is heading right for them.
"Watch out!" Rapunzel pushes them out of the way, the Kurlock hitting the door. The girls roll to a stop while the boys land safely, having jumped out of the way. The Kurlock has one of its horns stuck in the door. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" She screams at Calliope. "You're the Keeper of the Spire! How could you not know which is the right key?!"
Both Harmony and Cass cringe at her anger, which finally decided to show.
"Because I—I'm not the real Keeper of the Spire," Calliope reveals slowly, shocking and angering the princesses.
"Are. You. Kidding me?!" Rapunzel this time is holding her by the collar. "What do you mean you're not the Keeper?"
"If you had any idea of what you put us through the past two days-"
The Kurlock turns its attention on the trio. "Uh, Rapunzel, Harmony, you might want to-"
"Stay out of this, Eugene!" Rapunzel snarls at him.
"Guys, watch out!" Cass grabs the two and leaps. The Kurlock roars as it chases after the three boys.
"You know, for a 2,000 pound flesh eater, he is quite nimble!" Eugene shouts as they're running.
"Guys! The trees," Rapunzel guides them over and they start to climb. Harmony grabs a branch, but it breaks. She gasps sharply before a gloved hand grabs her own. She looks up at Varian, who smiles at her reassuringly.
"I got you, Mona."
She smiles weakly as he pulls her up to safety. Rapunzel grips a branch with her hair, swinging around just as the Kurlock slides to a stop in front of the tree. Calliope laughs, Harmony sighing in relief above them.
"We made it!" Calliope notices the upset and angered look from both Rapunzel and her sister. And Harmony is sitting above them. "Oh, right. Uh, I lied to you." The Kurlock crashes into the tree, and they all gasp, gripping the tree. "Now, I can explain."
"Yeah, I'm sure you can..." The Kurlock crashes into the tree again. "In 12 languages, no doubt."
"And taking credit while doing it," Harmony glares towards Calliope. "You put us through all of this, and for what?! What do you have to gain from it, Calliope?"
"Listen, we don't know who you are, but my sister and I trusted you! And we had to endure your condescension, and—and your insults, and I went against my better judgement, all because you said that you were the Keeper of the Spire!"
"If we hadn't, we wouldn't even be stuck up here!" Harmony points to her angrily. "And we're the ones who asked for your help, but instead, we earned your arrogance, selfishness, and your berating! I knew something was off. A real Keeper would never act like that to people seeking help!"
"...It's Spy-err, Rapunzel."
Harmony clenches her shaking fists, her face turning red. "NOBODY FREAKING CARES ON HOW YOU PRONOUNCE THE STUPID WORD, CALLIOPE! Arrgh," She screams at the top of her lungs towards the sky, causing everyone except Rapunzel to recoil back in slight fear. They never thought they'd see the day where Harmony gets angry at someone other than herself. But with just being lied to, and having to put up with this woman for two days, it's not reasonable that she would react like that. Her older sister growls at Calliope, just as furious as Harmony is.
"Sorry," She whispers sheepishly and Harmony takes a deep breath. Varian rubs her back, sensing that she needed to get that out.
"Who are you?" Rapunzel demands to Calliope.
"I'm the Keeper's assistant..." She gestures to herself. "Or at least, I used to be. Before that, I was just an incredibly talented...street magician. I would perform my tricks in front of hundreds of people. Not really...It wasn't always appreciated. Then one day, the Keeper, the real Keeper came up to me, out of the blue, and asked me to be his apprentice. I had purpose, and I didn't wanna mess it up. I wanted to learn everything I could about the Spire. I had to. It was going well, or at least, I thought it was. But a few months ago, the Keeper just...disappeared. And once again, I had no purpose. That is, until you came along. Seeing you two, people with such clear purposes, inspired me."
The two sisters look to each other, unsure of what to say now. "Maybe I could be the Keeper. Maybe I could help you get that scroll."
"Why didn't you just tell us you weren't the Keeper?" Rapunzel asks curiously.
"Why all the lies? And why so confident anyway if you were just gonna yell at us and annoy us so much?" Harmony hugs the tree, looking towards Calliope. At the back of her mind, she wondered if the Keeper was aware of Calliope's personality before he hired her.
"Would either of you have accepted help from an apprentice? Especially if you knew she was abandoned by her own master? And I was only really trying to help!" She plants her face into the tree.
"We don't know, but we probably wouldn't be up this tree right now," Rapunzel looks at the grass below.
"And we wouldn't have had to endure your tricks, sleep outside with no hospitality, climb up all those steps, watch you take credit and blame us for literally everything, take us the wrong way, or have been chased by the Kurlock twice," Varian points out.
"That's actually really good points."
Harmony sighs a bit, nodding towards Rapunzel. "Calliope..." She smiles towards the woman. "Harmi and I still need that scroll piece."
"We can't do that without you, Keeper or no Keeper," Harmony states softly.
Calliope smiles softly. "And I still have one key I haven't tried," She pulls out a silver key from her collar.
"Great! That's great news!" Eugene calls out from the grass, as the others have already climbed down. "Why don't you use it to unlock the door before that thing comes back?"
"He's not gonna stay hidden for long," Harmony shakes her head. "But Eugene has a point. Let's go!"
They run towards the doors, where they're blocked by the Kurlock again...He roars as he stands guard. "I specifically said 'before the thing comes back'!" Eugene cringes as they back away slowly.
"Gotta give it points for persistence," Cass comments, both the teens trying to figure out what to do with it.
"I'll give it more points for letting us go nice and easy."
He roars again, meaning no, and they all separate in different directions. "That's a lot of points you just lost!"
"We have to distract it from the door somehow long enough to for Calliope to open it!" Harmony calls out.
"Which is already hard to do because he's focused on us!" Varian shouts as they come to a stop.
"They're right, the only way is to get it away from the door," Rapunzel states as they look up ahead. "Ideas, anybody?"
"Don't look at me," Calliope shakes her head. "I'm just a failed magician. If it doesn't involve flash, panache and sleight of hand, then I'm pretty much..."
"Wait," Harmony grins a little. "You said flash, right?"
"By the looks of it, he gets distracted easily," Varian looks up at the Kurlock.
"Wait a second, I think you're coming onto something! Guys? I think I have an idea," She smiles while holding the rope of tied handkerchiefs.
"I really hope it involves some human decency," Harmony murmurs to her.
Smoke surrounds the Kurlock and it distracts him slightly. "Kurlock, Protector of the Spire!" Calliope announces dramatically from the smoke. "It is I, Calliope! U-Uh, Apprentice of the Keeper of the Spire, and legerdemain artiste extraordinaire."
The smoke is being caused by a fire that's being kept lit by Pascal and Lance. Calliope is slightly doubtful of her plan, but the princesses encourage her to go on, running off.
"And do you know what time it is?"
The Kurlock steps forward a bit as Calliope reveals herself. "Time for wonder!" She snaps her fingers, some twinkle coming from it. She looks at her hand as the creature steps forward. She yelps, cards flying out of her sleeve. She then places a stick in its mouth, and it explodes into a bouquet of flowers. She chuckles in amusement, and he spits it out.
She then throws down some smoke, distracting it for a second as she waves behind him. "Yoo hoo!" She holds up a blue cloth, waving it. "Et voila! That's French for there it is!"
He goes charging towards her, but she tosses the cloth into his eyes, and he bumps into the door instead. He turns around and she pulls a coin out of his ear, wiggling her eyebrows. She pokes him on the nose. "Boop."
He lets out a large roar and chases after her. She leads him away from the Spire. "Come on! Almost there!" She pants as she runs past the two sisters in a tree above them.
"Now!" The two swing forward, capturing Calliope. The Kurlock looks up wide-eyed as the others pull the hair to trip him. He falls over the cliff, landing down below with a heavy thud. It had landed right into the Poison Elm, scratching itself.
"Try not to scratch!" Lance calls out to it. "You'll regret it!"
"Nice job facing the Kurlock, Calliope," Rapunzel smiles towards the woman. "And those tricks weren't so bad either." She winks at the woman.
"Oh, there's more where that came from. Just an ordinary coin, right?" She holds up a coin, giggling.
"Yeah, hmm, maybe later," Rapunzel states, not wanting to sit through hours of tricks again.
Calliope lightly touches the lock once they've returned to the door. She looks to the sisters, who smile at her. She places the key inside and finally unlocks the door. They push the double doors open, slowly walking into the vault. Calliope gasps as there's a whole tower full of artifacts and objects.
"Wow..." Harmony murmurs at it. They walk up the steps, Rapunzel lightly touching the wall. Varian tilts his head at a blue sorcerer's hat that has three stars and a crescent moon symbol on it.
"What's this for?"
"Let's just keep going," His girlfriend rolls her eyes in amusement, walking behind her sister. Calliope guides them to a glass panel where a compartment rests inside. She smiles at the sisters and once Rapunzel has it in her hands, she stares at it happily.
"The third scroll piece, and you got us here. You did it!" Rapunzel bends down to her with a smile.
"And I couldn't be more proud."
Calliope's eyes and mouth drop open at the voice. The doors open behind them and they look to see the Keeper, the real one. Calliope gasps sharply, running towards him.
"Keeper!"
Once they meet, they share a hug. She giggles in relief to see him again. "Calliope, you are now the Keeper of the Spire," He places her onto the floor. "You passed my test." He then noogies her on the head. "Congratulations!"
The others smile as they approach. "Wha-what?" Calliope asks in confusion, her hair slightly messy. "I don't understand."
"I'm sorry for leaving you," He adjusts her hair. "But I had to remind you why I chose you in the first place."
"...Why did you choose me?" She closes her eyes.
"Your perseverance." She gasps at the compliment. "This is the skill a Keeper of such great artifacts must call upon in the face of adversity. And you did it! Not only with the Kurlock, but when you performed in front of a...aggressively indifferent crowd."
"Mm, their minds were too blown to clap," Calliope gives the three a look. "That's all."
"Calliope?" Harmony calls out, arms crossed. "Might wanna cool it down with the bragging."
"Right," Calliope cringes, remembering their anger with her earlier.
"You persevered, Calliope."
"Wait," Rapunzel waves her hands rapidly. "There had to be an easier way to teach her that lesson. That beat thing almost killed us."
"The Kurlock?" He laughs, standing up. "He's actually a loyal pet. As you will see, when you train your own."
He gestures to a tiny door, where a baby Kurlock emerges, crawling up to Calliope. She coos at it as it crawls onto her head, the others smiling in amusement.
"Do keep him away from the furniture," The Keeper warns her.
"It's such an honor to meet you, Keeper," Varian bounces a bit. "I have so many questions!"
"I do too," Harmony beams up at the Keeper and he chuckles.
"Well then, let me show you around while I answer your questions..."
"Thank you, Rapunzel and Harmony," Calliope says gratefully, releasing them from a hug. "Thank you for everything."
"We're glad you found what you were looking for."
"Too bad you couldn't find my sword," Cass mutters bitterly.
"Cass," Harmony gives her a warning look.
"Oh, didn't I?"
Cass looks at her sheath, where there's still no sword. Calliope laughs at her. "Made you look! Oh, you should see the expression of your face right now!"
Cass simply steps up to her with a frozen look on her face. Eugene and Rapunzel pull her back. "And when she's making that expression, it means we should go."
"Change that attitude," Harmony warns Calliope.
"Oh, okay, then! Goodbye, and good luck with the scroll!"
Once they've returned to the caravan, the sisters stand in front of the burning fire, Max sleeping nearby. Rapunzel takes the scroll piece from her bag.
"We went through a lot of trouble for this."
The others surround the two, smiling. They smile back, Lance still itching. "It better be one amazing scroll. That's all I gotta say."
"Alright...moment of truth," Harmony takes a deep breath, not sure what picture it'll be this time.
"Let's see what we got," Rapunzel slowly opens it up to see a man wearing a hood.
"A guy in a hood?" Eugene asks slowly. "All this for a guy in a hood?!"
"Who do you think he is?" Cass questions curiously.
"I'm not sure. But I have a feeling we're going to find out..."
Adira is watching nearby behind a tree. She looks away and smiles, walking away.