Chapter 2

Flynn kept running and running. He was not looking where he was going, except that he could not stand to look back. He ran until his legs gave out and he had to sit down by a stream to catch his breath.

That was when he realized he hadn't looked where exactly he was running and he had run straight into the forest. The next big city was not for miles and miles, and he'd need a place to get food. He could sleep anywhere, eying the large rock on the ground as a prospective pillow- but he was no hunter.

He looked back at the direction of Corona, where his brother had sold him out on their very last job.

Bile rose in his throat and he puked out all he had eaten for lunch.

Flynn got up and dusted his pants clean. He needed to find a place to hide out at, while he planned his next move. And he was frankly too exhausted to think up any great scheme right now. He looked around the dense forest surrounding him. He sighed. Perhaps he should just keep walking till he found a nice little cottage with a charitable old lady who he could charm into letting him stay a few nights. Who was he kidding? He was one of Corona's most wanted. Well, at least, his alias was. He still had his real name, and only a select few knew it.

One of whom was Bud Darly.

Flynn puked again.

Flynn just kept walking, though his legs were absolutely exhausted. Seeing a big waterfall, he knocked off his boots and jumped in, hoping to clear his head a little bit. Wading through the waterfall, he suddenly realized that there was a nice dry hollow space behind the curtain of leaves. Perking up a little, he fetched his boots and crossed through it- only to realize that it was not a 'hollow space', but a pretty vast valley.

And standing in the middle of it was one of the most peculiar towers he had ever seen. It was at least 40 feet tall, and it had all sorts of moss growing along the walls. It had a single turret, but it was thatched such that it looked rather homey. Alongside it ran a little stream, which led to the waterfall pool he had washed in.

It was really quite pretty, he thought, and he remembered the charitable old lady who could possibly be living in there. Suddenly, he caught the whiff of freshly baked cookies. He grinned. An old lady definitely lived here. That simplified things a great deal.

He walked straight towards the tower, and hunted for a door. However, after walking around the base of the tower three times, he came to the conclusion that there wasn't a door. Or if there was, it had been bricked up.

Flynn was too tired to think out the logic of an old lady living in the middle of a deserted valley in a 40 foot tower with no door, so he decided to channel his frustration into the physical exertion of climbing up. He should have brought his grappling hook. There were some sturdy looking vines hanging alongside the walls, so he used them to hoist himself up. As he climbed onto the ledge, he barely surveyed his surroundings. He embraced the dim lighting and took note of the huge sweeping paintings on the walls. They were most definitely done by a girl. But as his brain clouded over with fatigue, he saw a welcome little corner, and deciding he was sufficiently safe for now, he crawled over and closed his eyes.

His last conscious thought was that those cookies smelled like heaven, and he hoped he wouldn't have to seduce the old woman to get his hands on one.

Rapunzel could feel it the moment she felt the person climbed into her tower. It certainly was not Mother. Her hands, with which she had just used to take out a tray of cookies from the oven, froze. Even Pascal, her pet chameleon, who had been eyeing the hot cookies, turned his head sharply. She exchanged glances with Pascal, who had turned an alarming shade of red.

Putting a finger to her lips, she picked up the closest heavy object- a frying pan. Pascal jumped onto her shoulder and turned a brave blue to offer moral support. Though her arms were shaking, she crept towards the kitchen door and peeked out. At first glance, nothing looked out of place. And then, she heard snoring. Her green eyes widened as she saw the big person sprawled out, leaning against her cupboard.

She very nearly yelled. Out of alarm, out of surprise, out of amazement.

But instead she squeaked because she did not want to wake him. She began to hyperventilate.

There was a- she blinked, it certainly was not a woman- man in her tower. She had never seen a man before. Never, in her eighteen years. But he wasn't old, she gathered. In fact, he looked fairly pleasant, if a little tired. His hair was a little damp- Rapunzel wondered if he had washed it in the stream outside her tower. She squeezed her hair in a calming gesture.

Breathe, she reminded herself. Its not as though he's come because he wants to take me away from this place.

Or does he?

Relax, Rapunzel ordered herself. There was plenty of time to interrogate him later. But in this case, she had the advantage. Mother would not be home for two days yet, and that was sufficient time to question him all she wanted. Just because he was from the outside world and she was not, didn't mean that she was disadvantaged in any way.

She looked around herself wildly, wondering how she had the advantage.

Pascal whirred, and pointed down to the frying pan in her hand, and then to the array of cooking utensils she had in the kitchen.

Rapunzel grinned and nudged him gratefully. Pascal was a great friend.

Yes, she certainly had the advantage- she had her weapons, and this was her home ground.

But now, she'd have to prove it to the strange man who was slumped up against her cupboard.