"Rapunzel?"

The golden-haired princess' head snapped to attention. She had dozed off in the chair she had placed at Eugene's bedside. Rubbing at a crick in her neck, she smiled down at the brunette.

"Where am I?" the brunette asked, using his eyes to look around.

Gratefully, Rapunzel noted that his voice was stronger than it was during his first period of consciousness. His eyes were more focused as well. Eugene grimaced a little.

"You OK, Blondie? You look pale.

"She's exhausted," Cass said, striding over to the opposite side of the bed from Rapunzel. "Of course she looks pale."

"We moved you to a room right by mine," Rapunzel said. "We are neighbors now! Father and the Captain felt it would be a safer place than in the hospital. Pete and Stan are here to watch over you."

"Hey, Eugene," Pete called from the doorway.

"We won't let anyone through," Stan said.

"I remember now," Eugene said. "You said there were bandits trying to capture you while I was in the hospital wing."

Rapunzel nodded.

"One of them got away, a woman," she told him. "The other one, the one that pushed you out of the coach, is in the dungeon. He's refusing to speak to anyone."

"He dares return?" Eugene said, loudly. "Let me see him. I'll pay him back for what he's done to you, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel placed a gentle hand on his forearm, shushing him.

"Eugene, don't worry. Cass and I have a plan on finding the people responsible for the attacks on me. You just rest."

"I am…"

There was a knock on the door at that moment. Stan opened the door a few inches before admitting the Queen.

"Rapunzel, Dr. Mal is here. She would like to speak with you."

"Dr. Mal…" Rapunzel trailed off.

She realized that she had forgotten to take any of her medications since the attack in the woods the day before.

"I'm not supposed to see her today," she said. "I was set up to…"

"It's all right, your highness," Dr. Mal said, stepping around Stan and Pete and into the room. "Your mother contacted me and asked me to come to the palace to see you."

"Oh, I see…" Rapunzel said quietly.

Is it me or does she look reptilian? Rapunzel thought, noting that Dr. Mal's movements around Stan and Pete had been extremely fluid, almost like slithering.

"If you are feeling up to it, of course," Dr. Mal continued.

Rapunzel nodded after a moment. The mind doctor motioned towards the door.

"Alright then, let's go somewhere quieter to talk."

"We can go to me room," Rapunzel said, standing from her chair.

The princess turned back to Eugene and took his hand.

"I won't be gone long, OK," she said, squeezing his hand.

Eugene nodded, but said nothing.

Rapunzel lead Dr. Mal out of Eugene's room and one door over to her own. Cass attempted to enter along with the two women, but Rapunzel stopped her at the door.

"This won't take very long, Cass," Rapunzel said. "Please wait here, on the outside of the room."

Cass looked unsure for a moment, but finally gave a nod.

"I promise, this won't take long," Rapunzel assured her again, closing the door.

Rapunzel turned to face Dr. Mal and her room. The doctor was sitting on her bed, running a hand over the silk duvet, her eyes following the movements of her hand. She began speaking as she used a finger to trace the stitching that crisscrossed the duvet in a flowing and swirling pattern.

"The queen filled me in on what has occurred during the past two days."

Rapunzel stepped over to the bedside, but said nothing.

"It's terrible what has happened to your young lover, I noted the state he is in while we were in his room," Dr. Mal continued. "You seem to be taking it all well, though."

Dr. Mal stopped stroking the bed spread and looked up at the princess. The woman was holding her face in what at first seemed like a benevolent and gentle smile, but Rapunzel saw an odd glint in her eyes.

Or am I just seeing things? Rapunzel thought.

Dr. Mal cocked her head to the side slightly.

"Is everything alright, Princess?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You appear…apprehensive," Dr. Mal said.

"I-I'm not," Rapunzel said. "It's…It's just been a long couple of days."

Dr. Mal smiled and stood up from the bed.

"I understand," she said, walking over to the long window seat. She sat down on it and patted a spot next to her. Rapunzel joined her and sat down, but a little farther away than the spot Dr. Mal had patted.

"From what I see now," Dr. Mal continued as soon as the princess was seated, "You are handling all that happened very well. I would have expected a nostalgia relapse. This speaks highly of your mental fortitude and character."

"Thank you," Rapunzel smiled.

"But, I fear that once all the trauma from the past twenty-four hours catches up to you, it will be very traumatic for you."

"I…well, maybe it could be."

Dr. Mal nodded knowingly, interlacing her fingers and placing them on her lap.

"I would recommend a sedative to help you sleep. You seem very tired."

Rapunzel shook her head quickly.

"No, I need to be able to look after Eugene. He needs me."

"He has a castle full of people to help him recover, dear," Dr. Mal said. "You need to think about your own recovery."

"Well, maybe…"

"Of course, there's always…"

Dr. Mal trailed off, letting her words hang in the air. Rapunzel waited for her to continue speaking, but she didn't.

"Always, what?" Rapunzel asked, impatiently. "Why did you stop speaking?"

"Your hair," Dr. Mal said, looking hard into Rapunzel's eyes. "You say it no longer has any healing properties. But, is that true?"

"I am not a liar."

Dr. Mal smiled at Rapunzel.

"I'm not saying you are. Let me explain myself. You acquired your magical hair differently the two times you got it. The first time, you were just born with it. It was your parents who essentially gave it to you through your mother consuming the magic flower. The second time, this time, you somehow acquired it by returning to the spot where the magic flower originally grew."

"I don't understand how returning to the spot the flower grew returned my hair," Rapunzel told her. "I didn't know that would happen when Cass and I visited the spot."

"I have wondered about that as well," Dr. Mal said. "Anyway, since the conditions you received your hair were different each time, could the way to summon your healing ability be different?"

Rapunzel thought about this for a minute or two.

"I don't know of any other way, except the enchantment Mother Gothel taught me."

"We could try some experimenting," Dr. Mal said, excitedly. "Oh, we could…"

The dark-haired woman's voice trailed off and her eyes glazed over as she appeared to become lost in her own thoughts. There was a slight smirk on her face.

"Dr. Mal?"

The woman blinked and her eyes focused on the princess.

"Oh, I am sorry dear. I was just running some scenarios through my head and trying…"

"I already have someone trying to help me unlock the secret to my hair," Rapunzel told her quickly. "I don't think I need any more help with it at this time."

Rapunzel remembered the uneasy feeling Dr. Mal had given her after their first meeting. Now, in her room, it was growing even stronger. The dark look the mind doctor was giving her was only reinforcing those feelings.

There is definitely something off about her, Rapunzel thought.

"Well, if you don't want my help," Dr. Mal almost growled.

Her hand had absently gone to tracing circles in the window seat cushion. The doctor was looking at a random spot on the stone floor out of the corner of her eyes.

"I do still recommend you take a sedative," she said, her voice ever so slightly quavering. "It will ensure you get a good night's rest and it will keep any nightmares at bay."

"Thank you, but I don't want a sedative," Rapunzel said resolutely. "My place is with Eugene, helping him recover. I can't do that if I am asleep."

Dr. Mal stood and stared at the princess. Rapunzel could tell the woman was struggling to keep herself under control. Under the woman's pale skin and behind her clear, green eyes, Dr. Mal was seething. She finally just smiled at the princess.

"As you wish, your highness," the woman said, starting towards the door. "Send a messenger to me if you change your mind and I will send over the medicine. Have a good day, child."

Rapunzel didn't turn to watch the woman leave or move to follow her out. A cold sweat had set in making her skin clammy and her entire body feel freezing cold. She shrieked with fright as someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Raps, are you alright?"

Rapunzel took a deep breath and nodded.

"I didn't mean to scare you," the lady-in-waiting said. "I saw Dr. Mal leave and wanted to check up with you. Did something happen? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"The first time we met, I got this strange vibe from her," Rapunzel said. "There's something about her…It's hard to explain. She was reminiscent of…"

But, it can't be, Rapunzel thought. There's no way she could be like her.

"Reminiscent of who, Raps?" Cass pressed.

"Oh, no one," Rapunzel shook her head. "It's her eyes. When she smiles, it never reaches her eyes. They are like portals into a very dark place."

"Rapunzel," Cassandra said sternly. "You said she was reminiscent of someone or something. What did you mean?"

"I…Her eyes, they were like Mother Gothel's eyes, her smiles never reached them either."

Cass didn't believe that was all there was to it, but she decided to let the topic drop for the time being. She had gone to talk to Rapunzel for a specific reason.

"Did you want to go question the intruder that was caught and the prisoners in the dungeon like we planned earlier?" Cass asked. "Unless you don't feel up to it…"

"Oh no, I feel up to it," Rapunzel said, gruffly. "He has a lot to answer for. Let's go. Then we can head out to gather information on that Anthony bandit."

Before heading to the dungeon, Rapunzel checked on Eugene. He had dozed off again and her mother was sitting in the chair the young woman had placed next to the bed. Queen Ariana assured her daughter that she would keep watch over the young man so that Rapunzel could have a break and get some rest.

Rapunzel and Cassandra both silently decided to not inform the queen of what they were actually planning on doing and left Eugene's room. They hurried towards the dungeon hoping that the Arendelle bandit would be cooperative with them.

Veda Mal settled back in the cushioned, maroon-colored seat of her personal coach. She had managed to keep a pleasant expression on her face as she made her way out of the palace, bidding farewell to King Frederic as the two passed in the main hall. But now that she was alone and on her way home, her face fell into a sour grimace.

That girl…that child, she thought. Is she on to me?

Veda shook her head. The princess couldn't be onto her. How could she be?

The coach had made it out of Corona and continued towards Dr. Mal's country villa located just a few miles outside of the city limits. The middle-aged woman looked out of the window and gasped slightly in surprise. She leaned forward and knocked on the front panel of the coach, signaling the driver to stop. Veda opened the coach door and leaned out.

"Jen," she called to a woman walking along the side of the gravel road, the source of her surprise.

The very thin, darkly clad woman turned and approached Veda. Dr. Mal returned to her seat in the coach.

"Get in here, Jen," she ordered. "What do you think you are doing?"

The woman referred to as Jen did as she was told, shutting the door behind her. She sat on the seat opposite the mind doctor. Veda signaled the driver to continue to her house.

"Sorry, boss," Jen said. "With Bjorn captured, I couldn't go back to the inn. He could rat me out and they would go there for sure. I'm just glad that we weren't staying at the same place Tony was."

"Your little group has done nothing but fail me," Veda growled. "There were two of you against her last night and three of you in the woods and she bested you both times."

"She is very well guarded," Jen said. "Her friends are loyal and resourceful. Can't you do something? You have an inside…"

"I can't risk exposing him to the royal family," Veda shook her head. "He'd be useless to me then."

A gleam came into the mind doctor's eyes.

"Much like you are to me."

Too fast for the eye to follow, Veda threw a gleaming object across the cab. The woman referred to as Jen gasped and coughed, clutching at a silver hilted dagger that seemed to just appear between her breasts. She managed to emit a final gurgling gasp before she went still.

Dr. Mal sat calmly in her seat, her eyes twin pools darkness staring unemotionally at the dead woman before her. The woman sneered.

"I'll find a nice dark place for you," she said to the lifeless body.

"Are you sure about dis princess?"

Rapunzel and Cassandra looked resolutely at the palace dungeon's tall and broad-shouldered head warden. Angus "Bull" Murphy had been the head warden of the palace dungeons for five years and had worked there as a guard for fifteen. Despite his long residency in Corona, he still proudly spoke with the distinctive brogue of his home island country.

"Very much so," Rapunzel responded.

Pascal, who was perched on Rapunzel's shoulder, nodded his head, agreeing with his mistress. He had finally shaken off the lingering effects of the sedative and had insisted on accompanying the princess on her questioning of the Arendelle bandit.

"Well, he hasn't said a word to anyone while he's been down here," Eisner said. "The captain and the king have tried questioning him, quite aggressively I might add. He's even refusing his pain medication. His wound is serious, but survivable. I would tink that it would be very painful to him, but he doesn't appear to care."

"Just the same, I'd like to give it a try," the princess said. "Maybe seeing me will put him off guard."

"Couldn't hurt to try, I suppose," Warden Murphy said, opening the barred door leading towards the dungeon wing the man was housed in. "I will stay wit you in case dere is trouble."

The bandit's cell was the first cell down the hall. Rapunzel looked in through the five inch by five inch grate set in the heavy oak door. The large man didn't turn to look towards her, even though she was sure he had heard them speaking and opening the gate just outside his door. He was sitting on his bunk, his shoulders hunched over; his right arm in a sling. His shirt was unbuttoned and Rapunzel could see that his chest was heavily bandaged.

Warden Murphy unlocked the door and opened it for the two women, following them into the small cell. He stood at the ready just inside the doorway while the other two stepped to face the bandit. Only then did the man look up at them. His face was pale and clammy with sweat. His head was recently shaved bald, but the shadow of dark hair remained, showing that the hair at the front and a spot at the back was quickly receding. Icey blue eyes stared Rapunzel defiantly in the eye.

"Your highness," he sneered. "I've been honored by the presence of nearly all of the royal family now. Next vill be your tasty mother."

The man ran his tongue over his lips and leered at Rapunzel.

Rapunzel felt herself become enraged and her fists seemed to ball up on their own accord.

"Why you…" she growled before snapping herself out it.

This is what he wants, she thought. Remain calm.

The princess smiled benignly at the man.

"You know well who I am," she said, trying to sound officious and powerful. "This is my lady-in-waiting and personal bodyguard, Cassandra. What can I call you?"

The man said nothing, just sneered at her.

"Very well," Rapunzel said. "I'll give you a name…Bob. Yes, Bob will do. But you are from Arendelle. I can tell from your accent. So, it'll have to be Sven."

The man remained silent, only raising an eyebrow slightly.

"You know, Sven, you do look like you are in pain," Rapunzel said, solicitously. "I can have the warden here get you your meds. You don't need to suffer."

"Pfft, let him suffer, Raps," Cassandra scoffed. "Remember what he did to Eugene just the other day. He stabbed a nurse to death and then nearly killed a loyal guard. He deserves what pain he gets."

"Everyone deserves sympathy, Cass," Rapunzel said, turning back to the man. "Sven, please just tell us who your boss is. I will make sure you get good treatment here. I'm the princess, I can do that. I'm sure you were just hired by someone. You don't have to go down alone."

The man looked away from the two women, a petulant look coming over his face.

"I think he's scared, Raps," Cass said. "Sven are you scared? Are you scared, Sven? You should be scared, Sven, but of us!"

Cass rushed forward and shoved the man up against the wall. He cried out in pain, his face growing very pale.

"Tell us what we want to know, Sven! You've done enough damage, Sven!"

The man wailed as Cass pressed against his injury with her knuckles.

"Stop calling me Sven!" the man shouted, crying out in pain again.

"Back off, Cass, he's had enough!" Rapunzel said, pulling Cass back.

The man slumped against the wall, groaning and panting.

"Fine, my name is Bjorn. Just don't call me Sven…That was my father's name."

"Bjorn," Rapunzel said, softly. "Can I look at your wound?"

The man looked quizzically at the princess before nodding. The head warden kept his hand on the hilt of his sword as Rapunzel gently checked the stab wound's front and back. No apparent damage had been done by Cass' actions. The young woman stepped back to stand next to a panting Cassandra.

"Princess…" the man said, quietly. "You shouldn't show me mercy. I knew vat I vas doing."

"I shouldn't, but I know that you can help me. I know you aren't acting on your own."

"What Cassandra said is the truth," Bjorn said. "I am scared. There's nothing you can do to me that will make me give up my boss. I don't know what she looks like or her real name anyway."

"Your boss is a woman?" Rapunzel asked, surprised. "Did you ever meet her?"

The man looked from the princess to Cass to the head warden and back to the princess. He shook his head in defeat.

"You are a strong young woman, princess," he said. "You've proven to be resourceful. Very, vell, I'll tell you vat I know. She mostly dealt with Jen Sax, my gang's leader. There's also Vince, he was the coach driver when we took you in the woods. There was also Tony, but as you know, he was run over by the coach. The woman who hired us, I only met her once. She wore a snake mask and a black hood. Jen referred to her as the Serpent. I don't know anything more about her."

"How did Jen know her?" Rapunzel asked.

"Tony was the one who told us about the job. I don't know how he knew about it."

"Damn," Cass said. "There's no way to ask him."

"Where were you staying prior to this?" Rapunzel asked.

"At the Crabapple Inn here in Corona," Bjorn said. "But, Jen is no fool. She von't return there."

"Is that where Tony was staying?" Rapunzel asked.

"No, he was staying with a friend of his, I don't know the name. It vas on Struther Street. Some seedy book shop or something like that. Some type of shop."

"There are many shops on that street," Cass muttered to Rapunzel. "This could turn into a wild goose chase. Also, how do we know he's being truthful?"

"I believe him," Rapunzel said.

"Raps, he's a bandit. When their mouths are moving, they are lying."

Rapunzel looked at the slumped over man on the bunk. His eyes were empty as he stared at the floor.

"It's just the feeling I'm getting from him. He knows he will either be hung by us for his crimes or killed by his boss for his failure. He has nothing left to lose."

Rapunzel stepped forward.

"Thank you for your help, Bjorn," Rapunzel said. "I'll make sure my father knows that you helped me. I will make sure he shows you leniency. I just have a couple more questions. Where would Vince have gone?"

"I don't know," he said. "Not for sure. We have a hide out in the mountains to the south, close to the border. He probably went there with Jen. I doubt the Serpent would keep us on to capture you."

"Do you know why you were hired to capture me?"

"No, our only orders were that you were to remain alive."

"Could you draw me a map to your hide out?" Rapunzel asked.

The mad nodded. Rapunzel produced a pencil and papers for him to use. As he worked, she continued to question him.

"What is Vince's last name?"

"I never asked."

"What do Jen Sax and Vince look like?"

"Jen is very thin, brown hair, brown eyes. She's in her forties. She has a 'z' shaped scar on her left cheek. Vince is also very thin. He is a blonde, in his twenties. Nothing about him really stands out. He always carries a short dagger on him that has a silver skull with tiny emerald eyes as the pommel. Here's the map as best I can draw."

"Thank you," Rapunzel said, taking the map. "How many of you are there in your gang?"

"Four all together, me, Jen, Vince and Tony."

"Thank you for your time," Rapunzel said. "We will leave you to heal now."

Bjorn shuddered.

"Ya, heal," he said glumly. "Heal for what? I only have dark places to look forward to."

Cass and Rapunzel followed Murphy out of the cell. For the remainder of the day, the trio questioned the prisoners about who they had seen go into and out of the dungeon the day Pascal had been found in a cell. No one had seen anyone with the chameleon, but by the end of their questioning, Rapunzel and Cass had a list of names of everyone who had been in the dungeon that day. The list was fairly long, containing the names of fifteen people, including wardens, palace guards and kitchen and medical staff. Rapunzel and Cass planned on questioning each and every one of them. The mole had to be one of those fifteen people.