Rolling on the River

AN: Once again, thank you all for your patience and your kind words. Please do leave a review if you have the time, it's really appreciated and it keeps me going.

The tunnel was dark and dusty as the two teens trudged across the rocky ground with only the flickering light of a torch to guide them. Each step they took was supported by the other as they steadily made progress through the cavernous pathway and into
the darkness. Punzie anxiously clung to Jack's side as he kept his arm around her, trying to reassure her. Even he himself wasn't too fond of the dark and sometimes it was all he could remember, he could only imagine how nervous Punzie felt. If her
relentless grip was any indication, she wasn't exactly happy with the situation either.

"You have a great singing voice," Jack said, trying to take her mind off of the darkness. Punzie just laughed.

"Well aren't you a smooth talker," she replied.

"Well at least I'm trying to make conversation," Jack countered.

"Well, I've got a question," Punzie said.

"Fire away!"

"How come those people back there could see you so easily?" Jack stopped for a second and thought, but not without Punzie noticing his glance towards her. She took his hand and held it gently. "Jack? What is it?"

"I've had a theory for a while now," Jack explained, "It's to do with your hair."

"My hair?"

"Well, the magic in your hair, to be precise."

"You think my magic hair is helping people believe in you?"

"Well, sort of. Remember when you sang to me and... you know?" Rapunzel nodded, "Well, I think some of your magic... stuck, if you know what I mean."

"You mean because my magic almost brought you back to life it stayed and made you... more real?"

"Sort of, maybe it amplified my powers or increased my influence or something. What I do know is that since you sang to me, more people have started to believe in me."

"How come I could believe in you then?"

"Your magic. It's been flowing through you all your life."

"So I'm more susceptible than most..."

"To other forms of magic, yes, including mine and..."

"The guardians'. Of course! But what about...?"

"The others in the pub? Well, you have to be pretty open-minded to believe in something like a winter spirit. I know you believe I'm real because no one has really ever told you otherwise, and I guess you have to be an open-minded person to make a living
from the lifestyle that Maestro and the others lead."

"But what about the guards? They couldn't see you."

"They've been trained to follow orders unquestioningly. That's almost the opposite of open-minded."

"That makes sense. So as long I'm around you..."

"It'll be easier for people to see me."

"There's another sign that my magic is affecting you..."

"Yeah, what's that? I'm not going blonde, am I?"

"No!" Punzie chuckled as she leaned more into his side. "It's your hands."

"My hands?"

"They're warmer than they used to be."

"...Really?"

"Well, it could just be me," Punzie smiled as she held his hand closer to her body, unconsciously drawing him nearer, "but I like to think so."

"Or it could be me, I am known to be pretty hot," he said with a cheesy smirk. Punzie laughed as she rested her forehead on his chest.

"That was terrible! Plus," she teased as she looked up into his eyes that seemed a lot closer than before, "I thought being cool was your thing."

"Ever heard of a freeze burn?" Jack said as he let his eyes droop and his head tilt slightly. Punzie felt herself doing the same yet made no attempt to stop.

"Not... really..." Punzie sighed as their faces got closer and closer, lips ready for each other's contact, the world deteriating around them as the last few inches turned to centimetres then to millimetres then...

"FIND HER! DON'T LET HER ESCAPE!"

The two of them flew apart as the monstrous roar of a man and the rumble of approaching footsteps started to echo through the tunnel. Jack and Punzie looked at each other eyes wide with surprise before they both started to run as fast as they could down
the rest of the tunnel.

"IT'S A DEAD END! THERE'S NO ESCAPE!"

"Jack what do we do?" Punzie whispered whilst running.

"Keep on running," he replied, "Take the torch and I'll scout ahead!" He handed the flaming torch to Punzie as he took off and rocketed down the tunnel, leaving Punzie to run as fast as her legs could carry her.

The tunnel seemed to go on forever. The darkness around her seemed to be never ending. Eventually she knew she would have to stop and take a breather, but luckily the adrenaline in her body kept her running. She had no idea where Jack was or how long
she had left of the tunnel. She tried calling out to him but it was no use. She always got no reply. Eventually the footsteps of the guards got louder and louder until she felt like they were right behind her. The sound of hooves on rock made her
run even more diligently until she couldn't run any faster if she wanted to. Just when she began to lose hope she saw a small prick of light at the end of the tunnel.

"PUNZIE!" she heard Jack's voce shout, "WHATEVER HAPPENS DON'T STOP RUNNING. AT THE END OF THE CLIFF, I NEED YOU TO JUMP, OK?"

"WHAT?" she screamed as the light started getting bigger and bigger.

"PLEASE TRUST ME!" Jack shouted back over the shouts of the guards. Slowly the she got closer and closer to the end of the tunnel and soon she was out in the open and the ground stopped a few metres in front of her.

"OK," she shouted as she closer and closer to the cliff edge, "DON'T MAKE ME REGRET THIS!" And with that she bent her legs and jumped.

Everything slowed down as she felt herself fall. The white stallion that had caught up to her had started to reach out to grab her hair, missing by mere millimetres. The more she fell the slower time went until she was only a few seconds from hitting
the ground of the canyon. That was when she felt two strong arms close around her waist, making the two of them execute a low arch across the floor of the valley, swooping back up into the air again with Punzie clinging to Jack for dear life. She
looked up into his eyes and saw him grinning as he gently started to descend to the ground again.

"This is a great trust exercise," he said as he lowered her to the ground. Punzie then proceeded to punch him on the arm as hard as she could. "OW! What was that for?"

"That was for scaring me half to death!" she screamed until she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. "Never, ever do that to me again."

"Sorry to break up this touching reunion," a gruff voice from behind them spoke, "but we're gonna need the girl."

The couple turned to see the two Stabbington brothers standing a few yards in front of them, wielding their swords at them menacingly.

"Sorry, her singing at the pub was a one-time event," Jack replied as he stood himself in front of Punzie.

"Our employer wants her and her hair," the other Stabbington brother said as he brought a woollen sac from behind him and opened it, "and she ain't gonna be pleased if we come back empty handed..."

"Well, sorry folks," Punzie said as she retrieved her frying pan, "I'm not taking my act on the road!"

"Great comeback," Jack whispered, "We can work on this."

"Jack! Not the time!"

"Sorry, you're right," Jack then turned to the to outlaws, "By the way, 'she'? Who's she?"

"I'm tired of this," one of the Stabbington brothers said, "Let's finish-"

CRACK!

The sound echoed through the valley in a thundering clap. All four of them turned around to see the dam at the top of the valley start to topple over and wave after wave of water come crashing through.

"Oh boy," Jack said.

"Can you freeze the water?" Punzie asked as they started to back away from the approaching wave.

"Not that much, there's no time," Jack replied as he scanned the valley for an exit. They couldn't fly above the water because of how tall it was and how fast it was approaching, so their only would be a tunnel or-

"Over there!" Punzie shouted as she pointed to a small cave in the corner.

"Hold on tight," Jack said as he grabbed Punzie by the waist and started to fly as fast as he could towards the cave. As he flew the huge body of water knocked over a stone pillar that began to fall towards the entrance of the cave. sing every strength
of will he had Jack urged himself faster and faster until they were inside the cave, just as the stone pillar crashed to the ground, blocking the way they came. They were both about to let out a sigh of relief when they noticed water starting to leak
into the cave they were in. They turned to run, only to find their path blocked by a wall of stones.

"No, no!" Punzie cried as she tried to push the stones out of their way, "Come on! Move, dammit, move!" Tears began to leak from her eyes as she helplessly pounded the wall, hoping that it would give, but it was all in vain. Not one stone budged. Jack
tried to check for an entrance on the cave floor but it was too dark to see.

"I can't find a way out," Jack said. Punzie was still banging her fists against the wall. He grabbed her arms to stop her before she broke any of her bones, "Punzie, no. It's not gonna work." He felt her stop and hold onto him as she started to cry.

"This was all my fault," she started.

"No, Punzie, it's mine," Jack said as he held her, "I brought you out here. I'm the reason you're here. If you hadn't met me, you'd be safe."

"I'd rather be here than spend my life never meeting you, Jack. I don't blame you for this, please don't feel guilty."

"But I-"

"Please, Jack. You were my first ever friend. These days with you have been the best of my life. My only regret is that we can't spend more time together."

Jack sighed.

"If only I had a light or something, then I could see how to get out."

Punzie's eyes widened as she had an idea, then she smiled. She nudged Jack out of his thoughts as she held her hair towards him. He too smiled as he realised her plan. She opened her mouth and started to sing as fast as she could as the water reached
her shoulders.

"Flower gleam, and glow

Make your power shine-"

Darkness enveloped them for a second before light radiated through the cave, glistening from Punzie's glowing hair. Jack immediately set to work trying to find a way out before he noticed a rock pile on the other side of the cave that was made up of loose
stones. Figuring it was their only chance he quickly set to work moving the rocks, with help from Punzie. With each rock they move, they felt the pull of the draining water increase until the hole was big enough to fit all of them through and out
of the cave, into a flowing river on the other side of the wall. The couple erupted from the water and landed on the river bank, spluttering water out of their lungs. Jack crawled over to Punzie.

"Are you OK?" he gasped as he held her cheek. She looked up into his sky blue eyes and smiled weakly.

"I'll live," she said as she hugged him gently, "I thought we were dead for sure."

"It'll take more than the might of nature to put us down," Jack smiled.

Gothel cursed as she watched Rapunzel dive into the cave and the water wash over the stone that had collapsed over it. She hardly cared about the fate of those two red headed goons, who she was thoroughly angry with, as long they brought back Rapunzel.
Suffice to say they had failed.

"Idiots, all of them!" she cried. "Is it so much to ask for some competence around here?"

"Competence is hard to find in mere mortals," a sly, creeping voice drawled. Gothel turned around to see nothing but the trees of the forest.

"Who are you?" Gothel growled, "Why don't you show yourself?" The voice did not answer.

"We're both after the same thing are we not?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play games with me, it never works."

"Tell me who you are right now or I'll kill you!"

The voice just laughed dryly.

"You think you are in a position to make threats, you can't even see me. But I can see you. I can feel your fear. Answer me this, old woman: What's to stop me from killing you?"

"Nothing. So why haven't you killed me yet. Is it because you want Rapunzel? Well tough luck, she's mine. Only I can stay young forever."

"Mortals, so narrow minded in their ambitions. The power to reverse time and bring back the dead is a mere magician's trick from where I'm from. I plan something bigger with your flower."

"Then tell me, what plans do you have? And why do you need me?"

"First, do you agree to my terms?" Gothel thought for a moment before nodding. "Then hold out your hand." Gothel did so and her hand was grasped by a thin grey claw of fingers that emerged from the shadows. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Gothel looked up to see a grey man with a long face and crooked nose with black hair, sharp teeth and yellow eyes appear from a cloud of black vapour that flowed from the shadows.

"The name's Pitch Black."