Hey, everyone! :D

I'm back again with a new Chapter. :)

First of all: Thank you so much, guys for all the views, the favs, comments and follows. I'm so happy, that so many people like the story. And, I hope, you all will continue enjoying the story until the very end of it. I'll do my very best to make you do so, I promise! XD

Until next time!

Cya^^

Love, Eeva^^

CHAPTER 3: Going North Part 1 – Flynn's a win!

I guess, Cassandra did some research on her own, before following me down to the dungeons. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known where to lead us. I'm pretty sure, she also heard about the results, the scientists had brought to my parents. Or, maybe she just observed me well enough without having me know it. Whatever it was in the end: We were on the right way. That was something, I was completely sure of, as I had managed to take a peek into the notes of some of the scientists after the news of the strange liquid reached the palace. It had been difficult, but at least, I found out, where our research had to begin.

"We'll stay some yards into the wood.", Eugene proposed, when we reached the edge of a small forest. The sun had already set and the night was lit by a bright fullmoon and stars. We already had travelled a quarter of the way without any bigger problems. Still, it would have been a bad idea to continue the journey now, as everyone seemed already pretty tired. The hours of travelling had been really long and the weather also had started to change. From a warm springlike sunset in the city to a fresh and autumnlike night out.

We all agreed and set up a small camp on a small clearing between some deciduous trees. While Eugene lit a fire, Cassandra handed a coat to each of us. Then she, Varian and I went on a search for wood, while Eugene kept the fire burning.

Later on, we sat chattering around the warm campfire. Eugene was telling some Flynn Rider Story, which made Cassandra roll her eyes, while Varian and I were listening intimately. It truly seemed, as if the former was regretting the fact that his former idol had turned against him, too, more than one month ago...

I clearly remember the refulgence in his eyes, when Eugene came to his lab back then and he actually met the legendary Flynn Rider himself...

It was so sad that it had to be this way in the end. If only things had turned out different back then...

Still, Varian and I listened silently untill Cassandra mentioned, that she would be off for some time to collect some more wood for the fire.

"C'mon, Cassandra!", Eugene whined theatrically, "My story wasn't all that bad, was it?"

Hopefully, he looked at Varian and me.

I gave him a friendly smile, while Varian just shook his head.

"In fact, the story was quite interesting", he explained, "A little loose from time to time, but all in all quite okey. Whereat, it should be possible to prove the illogical sounding parts by doing some tests and -"

"Really?", Cassandra wrinkled her nose. "You don't tell me, you believe that far-fetched horrible cock-and-bull story..."

"It really wasn't all that bad...", I tried to keep the peace and soon got some unexpected help with it:

"But, it's a Flynn Rider Story, Cassandra...!", Varian bursted out, silencing immediately, when Cassandra gave him one short look which could curdle one's blood.

"There! You heard it, Cobra-Lady, They like my stories..."

Eugene pranced and gave us a big and really confidend smile.

"Just pride yourself on it, 'Master of thieves'...", Cassandra spoke condescending.

"Who do you call, 'Master of thieves', little lady?"

All of us whirled around into the direction, the unknown voice had come from.

The big, bearded figure of a man unhinged itself out of the shadows, that surrounded the clearing.

"Who are you ?"

"Me? Well, I'm the master of thieves.", he explained with a faint smile, "And you're my prey. - Go, get 'em, boys!"

All of a sudden, the shadows started coming to life and more and more figures unhinged, starting to approach us.

"That doesn't look very good...", Varian whispered, while observing every move, the strange looking figures made towards us, quicker and quicker.

"No, it doesn't.", Cassandra agreed, her hand slowly wandering to the sword on her side.

"Ha! Only over my dead body, you ugly, old deadbeat!", Eugene yelled all of a sudden and attacked.

Whatever happened after this, it happened really fast:

Eugene and Max attacked the first two of the tramps attacking us, while Cassandra and Fidella took care of two more of them. I somehow managed to pick a fryingpan out of our luggage and smashed another one. Meanwhile, Varian was struggeling to evade the attacks of a nearly toothless, one-eyed colossus, throwing his big battle axe down at him again and again.

"I thought, you were thieves, not murderers!", I snapped and banged another thief with the flat side of my frying pan. It sank to the ground inconsciously and offered me a chance, to get closer to my friends again.

"'Guess, that's all the same where those guys come from...", Eugene conjectured, ducking down under the attack of a massive mace. Then he striked back, hitting the thief right into the pit of his stomach whit the knob of his sword.

On the other side, Varian finally managed to get rid of the colossus, too, by tumbling backwards over a root, landing on the floor and grabbing the thickest stick, he could find. And throwing it right into the enemies pace.

The colossus stumbled and fell to the floor, but Varian managed to roll aside and get back to his feet somehow.

"Come on, come on! There must be something...", he murmured a little stressed, while rummaging around his shoulderbag a bit panicked. Just then, another attack hit the tree next to the alchemist with a bursting sound. This time it was kind of a halberd, whose blade whizzed past him only a few inches.

"Are you serious!?", he barked in disbelief, "Don't you have anything smaller?!"

It was quite a chaotic situation and it seemed, that we were about to lose the fight, when all of a sudden a loud shouting sounded all over the clearing:

"HALT!"

The tramps stopped attacking us immediately and turned in the direction of the voice. Cassandra, Varian and I stopped fighting, too, and also looked in the direction where the voice had come from.

"Stop that thing, boys!" It was the bearded giant that seemed to be the boss of the group. He stood right in front of Eugene, sword in hand – and eyes widened in mere disbelief. "Don't ya lay one more dirty finger on them... Don't ya know, who these guys are? That's master Flynn and his buddies!"

Eugene grimaced, while the bigger guy lowered his sword. He seemed a bit insecure, whether he should give up his cover, but then he also lowered his weapon – and just got hugged by the big one.
"Flynn Rider!?", one of the men next to me asked in the direction of his boss, "Ya mean, the Flynn Rider, Cap'?"

"Yeah. The Flynn Rider." He smirked at Eugene who smirked back and signaled us to stay calm.

"Wow! That's so great!", one of the men said and laughed, while turning to Eugene and the 'Cap'.

"Master Flynn!", another one soon claimed Eugene's attention, „Is it true, that you -"

The tramps kept closing in on Eugene, who seemed half irritated and half honored about so much attention.

"Mister Ryder! It's such an honor to meet you! I'm your biggest fan!"

"No! I am!", Varian blurted out, all of a sudden, "I mean... I... I was..." He looked caught with bright red ears and nervously scratched his head. Well, it seemed, as if absolutely nothing could ever change the fact, that this boy just loved Flynn Rider. Even, if it wasn't the real Flynn Rider, at all...

"Yo, kid!"

A deep and rough vioce addressed him from behind. It was the colossus who had attacked him with his axe a few minutes ago. Varian flinched and seemed to shrink a little bit, when he realized the person speaking to him.

"Did ya read the story with the one-eyed infamous dragon?"

Varian blinked irritated.

"You mean, the one in which Flynn defeated the the keeper of the treasure at Dark Wood Mountain?", he asked now in excitement.

"Yeah! Right, boy"

"Of course, I did!", he answered, „That was one of the best Flynn Rider stories ever written down!"

He gave the big guy an even bigger smile and within a second, they wandered back to our campfire together, exchanging their favorite storyparts about their idol.

"Flynn! Could you give me an autograph for my little sister? And one for my gran'ma, too?"

"Master Flynn! Could you show me your famous sword-technique, please?"

"Flynn! I tattooed your name on my left buttock – wanna see?"

And a lot more of strange and cheering comments and request of all kinds soon surrounded Eugene and the Captain of the tramps, while they also headed back in the direction of the fire. It really seemed as if the former was enjoying the sudden hustle and bustle around his fake identity, for he was now smiling and acting towards the other man like they were old buddies.

"They gotta be kidding...", Cassandra moaned unbelieving. After it, she packed away her own weapon and sighed once more.

"Come on, Cas!", I said and patted her shoulder friendly, "At least, they're not trying to kill us anymore... - Why not give them a second chance? Maybe, they are actually quite okey..."

Then, I gave her a cheering smile and grabbed her by her arm to take her back to the fire with me, too.