Flynn Rider No More

AN: My sincere apologies for not posting very often. Over time, work and other complications has left me with a lack of time or muse to write my story but I am getting myself back into it, trust me. I'd rather have my stories well done than rushed, so whilst I don't post often, I am also producing the best I can, and surely that must count? Right? Anyway, another chapter here for you as we see our two main lovebirds grow closer yet...

Jack hadn't done so much walking in a long time. Usually he would just hover through the air, but not wanting Rapunzel to feel tired or jealous, he decided to stretch his old legs for a short walk. Or so he thought. As he looked towards the sun, he calculated
from experience that they have been going for two hours. Two hours of walking and talking! Doing such mundane things such as keeping a conversation when snowball fights beckoned!

However, Jack didn't mind, in fact he had barely noticed the hours fly by. The only thing he payed attention to was Rapunzel. The way she smiled and laughed and trotted along happily down the path was adorable.

Jack chuckled to himself remembering how often he had used that word to describe Rapunzel. Well, she was adorable. And he adored her. Wow, that was new. Adoration for a girl? One hundred years and finally hormones start to kick in.

"I'm starting to get hungry," Rapunzel said as they rounded a corner, "Want something out of the hamper?"

"Nah," Jack replied, "I don't really get hungry."

"OK, your loss," she replied as she lifted the blanket and fished inside, "I think I have some jam tarts in here somewhere...but if you don't want anything-"

"No, no, hold up, I'll have a tart!"

"Knew it!"

"Don't look so smug, who can resist tart?"

"Mother doesn't exactly like them, she hates it when the jam get everywhere..."

Jack saw a slight frown form on her rosy lips and furrowed his brow with worry. He had expected her to have withdrawals about abandoning the tower, even for a few hours. To her, she was deliberately betraying her mother's trust. Even though Jack hadn't
had a mother for several decades he knew what it was like to disappoint a loved one. He could remember the shame and the regret, the need for redemption. He knew exactly what she was going through.

"Well, that's her loss," Jack said with a grin, "And my gain!"

"Yeah, your weight gain, if you're not careful," Rapunzel chuckled.

"I don't appreciate your cheek."

"Aw, has Jack Frost got cold feet, all of a sudden?"

"Hey, I've tried several ways to get them warm, but no matter what, slippers just don't work for my look!"

"I'm not sure, I'd love some pink slippers!"

"Yeah, it sort of fits with your dress. Do you ever wear anything else?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Rapunzel teased with a sly smile. Jack blushed, eyes widened with surprise.

"Where did that come from?"

"I have my secrets," she replied.

Suddenly, the growing shouts of men and rumbling of hoofs on dirt drew the couple's attention. Jack pulled Rapunzel out of the pathway as three white horses pulled up next to them. On each of those horses sat men in silver armour, one holding a piece
of paper.

"You, girl!" one of them beckoned, "Have you seen this man?" The guard held out the paper, revealing it to be a wanted poster featuring...

"Flynn Rider?" Rapunzel asked. Jack too had all attention drawn to the poster.

"Yes," the guard confirmed, "We're searching the forest for him."

"Have you seen him?" another guard asked.

Rapunzel took this time to notice the exceptionally sharp blades of their swords and how even their horses seemed to glare at her. She looked to Jack, unsure what to do. He shook his head, indicating for her to stay quiet.

"No, sir," Rapunzel replied, sporting her most innocent face. The guard looked skeptical before signalling his men to move on. Rapunzel let out a sigh of relief.

"Well done, Rapunzel," Jack said, squeezing her hand for reassurance. Rapunzel smiled.

"Thanks," she said, "I was worried for a second that I might blab."

"Let's keep going, shall we? In case those three come back for further questioning."

"So that theif must have stolen the tiara from the palace then."

"Yeah, it's a good thing we didn't bring him along with us or we'd be in heaps of trouble. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention. Speaking if which, we need to do something with your hair."

Rapunzel wrapped her arms around her golden hair as if it were a child.

"We can't cut it!"

"I know," Jack said, "How about we ask someone to tie it up in a more...presentable fashion."

"You don't like my hair as it is?" Rapunzel pouted as rocked with her hair. Jack smiled and stroked her holden locks on her head.

"I do, I think it's beautiful. It's just very conspicuous, and today, that's exactly what we don't need."

Rapunzel sighed as she let the rest of her hair flow to the ground and sighed.

"I guess you're right, it's just the only person who's ever handle my hair other than me is Mother."

"Well, she's not here, is she?" Jack said as he hugged her shoulders, "Today is all about you. So we're gonna get you the best hair style ever. As part of your birthday present!"

This made Rapunzel smile as she wrapped her arms around Jack's waist and relaxed.

"Thank you," she whispered, "I'm just feeling a bit nervous."

"There's no need to be," Jack smiled as he looked her straight in the eye, "I'll protect you. I promise no-one's going to hurt you. Got it?"

Rapunzel looked up into his eyes and smiled slightly.

"OK," she said as she picked up her hair and started walking again. Jack grinned, summoned his staff and started alongside her as their adventure continued.

Meanwhile, Flynn Rider was having quite the experience. Being tied to a chair in an abandoned tower whilst Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny searched it was a...unique turn of events. Of course, Flynn couldn't just keep his mouth shut and luckily the ice
on his lips had just thawed.

"So what are you guys gonna do to me?" he asked.

"Don't know, don't care," Bunny replied, "North?"

"Probably hand you in to the authorities," North said as he searched a cupboard, "Bot much we can do."

"Great, thanks," Flynn muttered. He had to get out of there, fast! He tried to bugle the ropes a bit and found that there was just a bit if slack, enough to start off with. Now all he had to do was keep them talking. "What do you guys usually do around
this time of year? You know, I mean there's not much to do after Christmas and Easter. Do you just sit back and relax or is it all work, work, work!"

"I usually check my supplies as sort through my lists," North said, "Which is why I'm a little disappointed that you've appeared more than when you where little, Eugene Fitzherbert."

Flynn's blood went cold. No one knew about his other name, even he was staring to forget it. How the hell did he-

"I'm Santa Claus," North replied as if reading his mind, "Of course I know your name, Eugene. Now why did you decide to become a criminal?"

Flynn looked down in shame as he realised lying to North would be useless. He sighed.

"I just wanted to stop being Eugene," he explained. "Robbing people, making a reputation, building a record, it allowed me to become Flynn Rider indefinitely."

"What was wrong with Eugene Fitzherbert?" Bunny asked, abandoning his search momentarily.

"Eugene? He was a loser!"

"That's not what everyone at the orphanage thought," North said as he said down next to Flynn, "I remember getting loads of excited letters mentioning how the highlight of their day was story time with Eugene, telling the tales of adventures and daring
do. What you seem to forget is that Flynn Rider was never a thief, he was an inspiration. And in a way, so were you. You gave those children an ideal to look up to, because you told them about Flynn Rider. So you're not Flynn Rider, not really."

Flynn hung his head as he realised that North was right. In his journey to become his idol, he forgot why he wanted to become him in the first place. Stealing, cheating, gambling, that wasn't Flynn Rider. Nothing about him was Flynn Rider but his name,
and even that was false.

"I wish could change," Flynn whispered, "I wish I could just stop, but I've made too many enemies, too many people know who I am."

"They know who Flynn Rider is," North said, "I'm pretty sure they'd be more than ready to welcome Eugene Fitzherbert."

"But they all know my face, they won't believe me if say I've changed."

"We can help you with that," Bunny said, "We can take you somewhere else, away from here, back to where you grew up. The local bookshop always needs a story teller..."

Flynn thought about this before he smiled a true, satisfied smile. He secretly always enjoyed it when his friends' faces lit up when he spoke. He allowed himself to get lost in a fantasy of sitting on a comfy chair, softly dictating a Flynn Rider novel
as a group of fascinated children surrounded him. Sure it wouldn't be as glamourous as his occupation as local criminal, but it would at least secure a quiet, easy life. After all, isn't that what he always wanted out of this lifestyle? Maybe he would
own a castle with a magnificent view per se, but a small home on the coast...

"OK," he said with a smile, "I'll take it. But I'm gonna need my arms and legs free if I'm gonna move."

"Way to go, Flynn," Bunny said as he untied the ropes, "We'll have you back at home before you know it."

"Actually," Flynn said as he stood up, "It's Eugene, Eugene Fitzherbert."

A few hours later, after North and Bunny had finished searching the tower and started to catch up with Jack to tell him some of of their findings, another person hurried to the tower. Mother Gothel had managed to get back to the tower in record time after
she managed to hitchhike with a passing salesman, cutting her travel time to a quarter if what it would have been. She could barely sleep as she was too concentrated on how Rapunzel was getting on. On the way to the tower she ran into a few Castle
guards who had been searching for a local thief, causing her concern to sky rocket as she though about how much they had found on their travels.

Gothel ran to the foot of the tower and shouted for Rapunzel to let down her hair. After a few minutes of silence she was beginning to worry if the guards had found her of if he had accidentally cut her hair off. The she noticed the destroyed side entrance
and ran up it to discover an empty tower, devoid of Rapunzel and completely ransacked. Gothel almost screamed when he noticed a small poster on the floor sporting a wanted label and the name she had heard only an hour before: Flynn Rider!

Gothel stormed out of the castle, determined to find Rapunzel and drag her back if she had to. All she had to do was find some help...

Just at that moment, two tall, muscular, ginger haired criminals appeared from the undergrowth, grumbling to themselves. Normally she would have just ignored them but it who they mumbling about that drew her attention.

"When we find him, I'm gonna kill Rider," one mumbled to the other who replied, "And then we're gonna get that stupid crown and be rich beyond our wildest dreams."

"Rich? Pah!" she exclaimed to them, "Ye of little ambition!"

"Who are you?" they growled as they drew their swords.

"Now, now, I'm not going to hurt you," she chuckled. "I was going ask you to help me track down two individuals, one of which being Flynn Rider..."

"Well, we don't want your employment, so scram!" They both growled like bulldogs.

"Shame," she sighed, "I was going to offer a treasure beyond such novelties as currency and power, but if you are really so adamant about finding him yourself..."

"Treasure?" One of them asked, sheathing his sword, "What kind of treasure?"

"The treasure of eternal youth," she announced. She smiled an evil grin as she noticed the glint of greed in their eyes. She had them.

"Is there anywhere we can stop for a while?" Rapunzel asked, "My feet are getting sore."

"That's probably because you didn't bring shoes, or socks for that matter," Jack replied, "but don't worry, there's a pub just down the road there." He pointed out a pub with a sign showing a yellow duckling on it.

"Well, I do like ducklings," Rapunzel admitted. Jack smiled.

"So do I, Punzie, so do I," he said as he held out his arm for hers to intertwine with. Side by side they strolled along the forest path to hopefully what would be a peaceful lunch in the Snuggly Duckling