CHAPTER 9: Mission failed? - Part I

We must have been fallen asleep somewhere during the discussion, for it was already early morning when I woke up again. Outside, the birds were singing and the sun was shining. I went over to the small window on the wall and looked outside. The sound of the birds and the weather almost made me forget, the rocks surrounding us and destroying the landscape and living space of the people in the village...

While my eyes scanned the landscape outside the window, my thoughts floated again to my beloved ones. All of them where here and somewhere out there. And that was one of the main reasons, why we had to take every chance we could get to get rid of those rocks again. Even, if it ment, that I had to put myself in danger for it...

I turned to watch Cassandra and Varian still sleeping on the floor around the candles, we had lit last night.
If things only had been different...

Then, I walked over to one of the shelves on which lay Pascal and Owl. Cuddled together and sleeping quietly. I petted Pascal's head and smiled gently. Suddenly, my gaze fixed a small toy, sitting on the shelf next to us.
"Pancake...", I whispered, taking the plush toy from its seat and carefully blowing away the dust. Then, I walked over to Varians desk, to search for something that would help me help Pancake. I found a needle and some thread and fixed the desolated parts of the small toy racoon.

"Far better."

I smiled and placed Pancake carefully next to Varian, who was still sleeping deeply.

"That's where you belong..."

Suddenly a loud sound from below drew my attention towards itself. And when I just arrived at the hole, the acid burned into the floor yesterday, to look down, a well-known shape came up the stairs with a rumbling sound.

"Blondie! Cobra Lady!" Eugene seemed to be a little out of breath, when he stumbled up the ladder and towards me and the others.

"Eugene! I'm so glad, you made it!"

I leaped into his arms and kissed him on the cheek.

"Me, too, Blondie", he gasped and kissed me back, "But now is not the time for a happy reunion, sorry..."

"Hey! What's all the yelling for?"

Cassandra got up yawning and stretched her arms.
"Things were definately more quiet as long as you weren't there...", she said and gave Eugene an icy glimpse.
To my surprise, Eugene didn't start a wordfight this time. Instead, he catched his breath and started explaining:
"Now is not the time to discuss, either", he said, "We've got to leave this place. Now."
"What?!"
"Your father, Rapunzel... He found out what we are going to do. And where we are..."
"WHAT?! But... HOW...?"

"I don't know. But fact is: King Frederick himself is on his way to Old Corona. And he brought along his royal guards to arrest us."

"NO!"

Varian made us turn our heads towards the young alchemist all at the same time. He was already fully awake, but still sitting on the floor where he had slept the night before.

"Varian. Please calm down... No one's gonna hurt you..."

"No! Didn't you just hear what he said? The king is coming to Old Corona, because he knows where we are. And he's going to arrest us. - But, I for my part won't let that happen. Not again..."

He jumped up from the floor and rushed over to the desk, where he started collecting his things in preparation to flee.

Just when he had packed half of his belongings, we heard a loud cracking sound from the barn below us and then my father's voice.

"Rapunzel!", he shouted over the sound of trampling boots on dusty ground, "I know, you are in here somewhere. And I also know, who is with you."
I swallowed hard, for, unlike myself, my father hadn't 'forgiven' Varian his deeds from last month. And he never would. Which meant, he was pretty eager to put the alchemist back into the dungeon...

To not let that happen again, I had promised Varian when I had asked for his help a couple of days ago. And this time, I was eager to keep my promise. Which would be very difficult, because Varian didn't seem to believe in my effort, as he now looked at me with eyes that simply said: Liar. And, when finally the first guards had climbed up the ladder and started floating the room to get us caught, he quickly closed his bag and ran over to the acid hole in the ground.

"Never again.", he said – and jumped hard on the planks to break through the rotten wood and fall down to the floor underneath us.

"Varian!"

I ran past the guards and Eugene and kneeled next to the opening which was now the size of Maximus or Fidella.

"Blondie!"
"Raps!"

"Princess!"

Ignoring the voices behind me, I looked down the hole and sighed in relief, when I heard the sound of rustling straw down below and then the shouting of the other guards to get him, while Varian ran all the way past them and out of the barn door.

"Let me go!", Cassandra shouted somewhere behind me and the sound of klicking metalrings fully brought me back to reality.

I turned and watched in terror, how the guards had put my friends in chains and now where slowly approaching me, too.

"Raps!", Cassandra's voice lifted the paralysis from my limbs, "Don't let them get you! You know, what has to be done. Even if it is the most stupid idea you've ever had..."

She smiled and tried to struggle her way out of the grip of the guards who had arrested her and Eugene.

"I don't know, what she's talking about, but: Cobra Ladie's right", Eugene shouted and smiled at me cheering, "Don't lose your aim. And don't mind us right now. I'm sure, your father might not be that mad with us..."
He peered over to the ladder, where my dad had just stretched his head into the chamber. He wasn't amused at all, when he saw me standing next to the hole in the ground, and when I looked him in the eyes for a short moment, I clearly could see the dissappointment in his features...

"I'm sorry, dad...", I said, "You know, I truly love you... - But you also know, that I have to do this."
I stretched out a hand and cought the small testtube, Cassandra had just thrown into my direction, and after putting it save into my pocket, I jumped down the hole, too, with Pascal hard on my heels.