"Prince?" Mariku fixed the white-haired teen that'd jumped out a window onto him, after he specifically said, let me go get a ladder. His eyes swept up the image before him, mouth twitching down into a frown. "Prince."

"You may rise," Ryoupunzel said, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Have my parents been very worried? It took this long to discover where I've been hidden."

"Just great," Mariku mumbled, standing, like he was going to do without the limey's permission, anyway. "Look, kid, there is no prince—except the one that died fifteen years ago. The king and queen's only brat is a girl."

"I didn't die, I was kidnapped." The so-called prince was already starting toward the woods, seemingly unperturbed. "You must've been sent by my family to fetch me. Now, which way is my kingdom? Everyone must know that I'm alive, then we shall track down the witch and urn him."

"Next town's that way," Mariku said, pointing, hand already sliding toward his belt, where his knife was. He'd thought the kid was a girl, one older than he actually seemed to be up close. But either way, Mariku wouldn't have been leaving a witness to say he'd been here.

"But will I be able to find my way to the capitol from there? And aren't you going to be helping me get there? You do serve under my father, I assume."

"Why do you assume that?" Mariku paused, hand fiddling with the knife casually. Ryoupunzel's face wasn't tense; rather, it was trusting and open, those big brown eyes dominating his features. He looked like he was asking to be used, or murdered. Either one.

The boy stalked forward with a good bit of confidence, one finger reaching out to tap one of the scars underneath Mariku's eyes.

For a moment, the man froze, transfixed by the gall of this child, unafraid to touch such a deep scar. He pulled his hand away, reaching into his pocket for a hair-tie. "That is the mark of one who serves under royalty and you came to me. You must serve under my family in some way."

Mariku laughed softly, shaking his head. "And who in the world told you that?"

"Take me home," Ryoupunzel said, smiling at Mariku's laugh. "I'm sure you'll be well rewarded."

"Really, now? How am I supposed to know that?"

"My family will be overjoyed, of course." He grinned, snuffing his toes in the dirt. "And I myself will see to it."

"How very generous," Mariku rolled his eyes, hand back to fiddling with the knife. "So, how do even know that you are a prince and not just crazy?"

His face set seriously, arms crossing. "I can't remember my family," he said. "I was too young when I was taken, only two years of age, if what the witch said was correct. The only reason I know is that I heard him and his accomplice speaking of it, several years ago late at night. It seems that I was taken rather than my newly born sister at the time. Though, I'm not really sure why they'd want to kidnap a newborn. I mean, come on." The so-called prince frowned, weight shifting.

"A male witch?" Mariku raised his eyebrows, hand still on his hurting midsection. "I thought those were, like, warlocks or whatever. How is the witch a male?"

"Oh, yea," Ryoupunzel said, a little laugh escaping him. "He is a magician, but he gets really pissy when we call him a witch, so." He shrugged, little smile playing around his whole face.

Mariku's expression deepened, arms crossing. That sounded all too familiar and if it all lined up, then this kid really was the prince, in which case, the reward was real, the hassle worth it and maybe he could weasel a favour out of the king while he was at it.

"The capitol's four day's walk away, at least and it'll probably take longer since you're so tiny and skimpy." Mariku crossed his arms, sizing the kid up. Six or seven days, he was thinking, and that'd be at the earliest. But the reward would be worth it, if there was one, and after fifteen years of a missing kid, there'd better be one.

"We should leave now, then," Ryoupunzel said, beaming. He stood beside Mariku, a little too close, head tilting to one side. "I never got your name, sir. What was it?"

Mariku hesitated. Those big, brown eyes trusted him completely, didn't they?

"Mariku," he said, exhaling slowly and cursing Ra for making such adorable puppy eyes even possible.