Rapunzel couldn't keep her eyes from moving. Struthers Street was a very busy place, she couldn't believe she had never been there before.

It was a long street leading to the northern most section of the city's large harbor. On either side of the smooth cobblestones, worn down by generations of worn down feet, were old, but cared for single, two and a few three story buildings. They were all of the style of building that was popular two or three generations prior. On the street were vendors selling their wares, bread, candy, produce, trinkets and lots and lots of fish fresh from the harbor. Dodging between the vendors and other adults were children playing games only they could follow. There were several mothers calling to their young ones from windows and door steps.

Struthers Street had been a working class neighborhood for its entire existence, populated by hard working people. Most were perfectly law abiding, but seven years prior there had been a large royal guard raid to break up a drug and human trafficking ring. Twenty-five people had been arrested and one young man had been killed after he had attacked a guard and attempted to flee. The following day there was a riot which resulted in the arrest of a dozen more people and damage to several of the buildings along the street and in surrounding neighborhoods. Many of the families in the area had been affected and even though time had passed and overall the neighborhood was better for it, a distrust of local authority remained.

"Where would you like to start princess?" the Captain asked.

Rapunzel looked around.

"I figure these food vendors see a lot," she said. "Let's start with them."

The blonde princess approached an older male who was working a small booth selling fish. He immediately recognized her.

"Why your highness," he said, raising his eyebrows. "What do I owe the pleasure of the company of such a beautiful your woman?"

Rapunzel's cheeks pinked.

"We are looking for someone."

"Really, who?"

"His name is Anthony Johannes, also called Tony," Rapunzel said. "Do you know him?"

The man shook his head.

"No, I've never heard that name before."

"I'm sure as a street vendor you hear and see a lot," Rapunzel said.

"Yah, I suppose I do," he agreed.

"Mr. Johannes had dark brown hair and was missing his right eye," Rapunzel said. "Have you seen anyone like that?"

The vendor thought for a moment, but shook his head.

"Not that I recall."

"How about just someone new in the neighborhood?" Cass asked.

"I see lots of new faces everyday, being as we are so close to the harbor. We get travelers and sailors in and out of here all the time too. Faces always seem to blend together."

"Is there someone that you know of who might be able to help us?" Cass asked. "You know, like a gossip monger, all neighborhoods have one."

The man smiled and nodded.

"Ah yes, you want Salty Sally Martin. She used to be the captain of a fishing boat, but now runs the local tavern."

He motioned to a worn out single story building about twenty feet down the street. Over the scarred wood door was a sign shaped like a fish.

"The Holy Mackerel," Rapunzel read from the sign. "Great name! Let's go!"

"I don't know about this," the Captain said, hurrying after the princess and his daughter. "A bar fight has to be broken up in that tavern at least once a week."

"Well, I have been trying to cut back," came a raspy female voice from behind them. "Used to be we'd have bar fights every single night."

The three humans, chameleon and horse turned from the bar door to find a grinning woman of about fifty staring at them. She had a keg braced on one of her shoulders.

"Sally Martin?" Rapunzel asked.

"The one and only, but call me Salty Sal, princess," she said.

Salty Sally Martin was once quite beautiful, but years of spending time in the sun out on the open seas had taken their toll, but her youthful smile and clear eyes twinkled out from the deep set lines that ringed them.

Sally winked at the captain.

"Could you open the door for me, handsome?"

The captain blushed slightly, but obliged. The three humans followed Sally into the tavern. Max kept watch outside the door. The trio waited at the bar as Salty Sal put the keg away somewhere behind a swinging door.

"So, what can I get you three?" Salty Sal asked, propping herself up on her elbows, leaning over the bar top, giving the captain a good view of her cleavage. "I'm not technically open for another hour, but I like having handsome men in my place."

She winked at the captain and leaned in closer towards him. He took a small step back.

"Actually, we were told that you were the person to come to for neighborhood gossip," Rapunzel said.

"Oh really," Sal said, leaning back somewhat, turning towards the princess. "Well, whoever said that is right. Being as I run the local watering hole, I overhear lots of interesting things."

"And know most of the people living around here?" Rapunzel supplied.

"Yah, I'd say I know basically everyone here. What's all this about?"

"We are trying to find some information on a man who died a couple days ago," the princess told her. "One of his cohorts said that he was staying somewhere on this street just prior to his death."

Salty Sal cocked a suspicious eyebrow at the princess.

"Is he the man who died during the attack on you in the woods?" she asked.

"You know about that?" Rapunzel asked, surprised.

"Everyone knows about that, dear," Sal chuckled. "It was in all the papers. They really have you holed up in that castle don't they?"

"So you know who we are talking about then," the Captain said.

"Not really, they never gave his name or a description of him in the papers."

"His name was Anthony Johannes," Rapunzel said.

Sal furrowed her brows and clenched her teeth as she thought.

"I know plenty of Tonys," she said. "But no one with that last name that I can recall."

"Have you heard of anyone new staying in the area?" Cass asked. "Someone with dark brown hair and missing his right eye?"

Salty Sal perked up at this question.

"Actually, I do remember a man like that," Sal said. "He came in every night for two weeks straight and drank beer. He didn't speak to anyone while he was here, not even me and I didn't learn his name. I remember him because, I thought I recognized him. I could swear that he used to live in the area years ago. A woman came and got him on two occasions. Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him since before the attack on you in the woods."

"Who was the woman?" Cass asked.

"A local woman, very sweet," Salty Sal said, shaking her head. "If she's involved in the racket surrounding you, your highness, I feel so sad for her. Her name is Roberta Curry, she is a widow and has a teenage son and two toddler girls. She runs the tea shop two houses down from here."

Salty Sal shook her head sadly.

"Bobbie has always been quite trusting."

"Well, thank you for your help," Rapunzel said, shaking Sal's hand. "You have really helped us out a lot."

"I'm glad I could be of service," Sal said. "I just hope I didn't get Bobbie in trouble."

Salty Sal followed the trio to the door as they left the tavern.

"Come back anytime, princess," Sal said. "I'll give you a beer on the house."

She blew a kiss to the captain.

"I've got a well-aged bottle of premium scotch, captain," she called. "Come by soon and I will split it with you. I make a good steak too, if you get hungry."

The captain's face turned beet red as he hurried away from the tavern.

"Oh come on, dad," Cass said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "She seems fun. You should take her up on her offer."

Like at the tavern, Max waited outside the door as the three humans entered the building housing Roberta Curry's tea shop. A sign over the door to the eatery named the place as "Bobbie's Teapot." There was a faded painting of a teapot on the sign. The shop held ten square, four person tables with accompanying high backed chairs. Currently, three of the tables were in use and a stout, black haired woman was clearing another. At the far side of the room was a long counter with glass display cases beneath it. A variety of pastries, breads, cookies and two cakes were arranged with the cases. On top of the counter were baskets of fruit. Behind the counter were two doors and an open window to the kitchen. The top of someone's head could be seen moving around in the kitchen. The entire shop was spotless.

"I'll be right with you," the woman clearing the table said, not fully looking up from cleaning the table. "Sit anywhere you like."

"Thank you," Rapunzel said. "But, we are actually looking for Roberta Curry. I need to speak with her."

That got the woman's attention. She looked fully into Rapunzel's eyes, her face going pale when she recognized the princess. Her eyes darted from the princess to Cass to the captain.

"I should have expected this," she gulped. "Come with me to the back room."

She hurried behind the counter and put the dirty dishes on the windowsill to the kitchen.

"James, keep an eye out here for customers, I have to take care of something in the back."

The top of the head Rapunzel had seen in the kitchen revealed its face. A boy of about fifteen looked out at Rapunzel and her companions curiously.

"Sure thing, mom. Just don't take too long. I have to put the bread out of the oven soon."

The woman opened one of the two doors and motioned for the three visitors to follow her. She led them into a small office that had a staircase in one corner and another door. The woman sat at a desk and motioned for Rapunzel, Cass and the captain to sit on the small couch next to the desk.

"I am Roberta Curry, more commonly known as Bobbie. You are here about Tony, aren't you?"

Rapunzel was surprised that Bobbie would already know why they were there.

"Salty Sal said she saw a man matching his description with you at her tavern," Rapunzel said.

Bobbie nodded.

"I collected him from there a few times. He was a very heavy drinker, always has been."

"How did you know him?" the captain asked.

"We dated when we were young. He'd been gone for a long time and needed a place to stay."

"So you let him stay," Cass said.

"Yes, but I didn't want to," Bobbie said, looking intently at Rapunzel. "I didn't know what he was planning, I swear. They didn't say it in the article, but I knew that he was the one who attacked you in the woods. And when he didn't come back…"

"Did he mention any plans he had?" the captain asked.

"He said he had a job here in Corona and that he was working with his 'usual crew' whoever they were. I didn't meet them."

"He didn't say what the job was?" Rapunzel asked.

"No, I swear he didn't," Bobbie said, clasping her hands. "If I'd known, I would have reported him. I would've taken what he had threatened to do to me. I never thought he was that bad."

"He threatened you?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yes, to make me let him stay here. I was married when we met and had an affair. My husband Ben died in an accident in the harbor two years ago, but I still didn't want my secret to reach my son. Ben is not the father of James, Tony is. Tony threatened to tell James if I didn't let him stay."

"He didn't mention anything at all about who he was working for?" Cass asked.

"Nothing, but he did leave some of his things in my apartment upstairs, maybe there's a clue there."

"Could we take a look?" Rapunzel asked, rising from the couch.

"Go right ahead, I have to get back to the front," Bobbie said. "He was in the blue bedroom. Please let me know when you are done. I think I'll toss his stuff when you are done. If you find a clue, feel free to take it with you."

The trio had all just risen from the couch when a guard hurried through the door, James holding it open for him.

"Captain, sorry to interrupt, but I need to have a work with you."

The captain turned to the two women.

"You two go on ahead, I'll deal with whatever this is."

Rapunzel and Cassandra climbed the stairs to the apartment about the tea shop. The apartment was cramped, but clean and bright. They easily found the so-called blue bedroom. It was the only room in the apartment that wasn't painted white. The only personal effects in the room were contained inside an old leather haversack. They laid the contents out on the bed.

There were a few items of clothing, money, what looked like lock picking tools, toiletries and just miscellaneous items. The only items of interest were a bunch of rolled up papers. Rapunzel looked through them until she found what she was looking for.

"Cass look at this!" she exclaimed. "Look at this note!"

The note read:

Will pay your group 15000 for the capture of Princess Rapunzel.

Required that she be alive and in decent health. No exceptions.

I will keep you updated on her movements.

Current mental status is unstable. I will make her as pliable as possible.

S

"Who is S?" Cass asked. "Does that mean Serpent? Also, why does this person think your mental status is unstable?"

"Maybe the castle mole is telling them that I've been having nostalgia issues," Rapunzel said.

Rapunzel looked through the rest of the papers. They were all fliers about offered bounties for fugitives, community events and a few scribbled notes that Tony must have made himself that made no sense to Cass and Rapunzel. They decided to take all the papers.

The two women waved farewell to Bobbie as they left the tea shop. Max and the captain were standing outside the shop waiting for them. The captain had a dark look on his face as Cass and Rapunzel joined him.

"What's wrong?" Cass asked him.

"I was just informed that one of the castle staff has been found murdered," the captain said glumly. "She was a cook by the name Sadie Manning."

Cass and Rapunzel gasped.

"She was on our list of people who were seen in the dungeons the day Pascal was found down there," Rapunzel said.

"Based on observations from the castle doctor, she's been dead for days and was most likely dead before your chameleon was drugged and put in that cell," the man continued.

"So how could she have been seen in the dungeons if she were dead?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well, royal guards went to her apartment on the orders of Fitzerbert," the captain told her. "I expect he discovered something. We should head back to the palace now…Max who were the two men you saw?"

The horse gently motioned with his muzzle towards two tall, darkly dressed men standing against a wall across the street from Rapunzel and her group. Their faces were obscured by their wide brimmed hats.

"Max informed me that these two men have been tailing us since we left the palace," the captain said in a low tone. "Rapunzel, you walk up against Max on the opposite side from those men, if needed I will have you get on his back and Max will run you back to the palace, Cass you walk a few feet in front of them. I'll take the rear. Careful now, I don't want to tip these guys off that we are onto them."

The small group got into the captain's ordered formation and tried to make their movements along the street appear normal and natural. Pascal hopped up onto max's back and kept an eye on the two suspicious men. They were indeed following them. Cass nudged Max's nose and motioned to the street ahead of them with a nod. There was another similarly dressed man in front of them, walking towards them. The captain was an experienced soldier and in situations like the one he was currently in, he had trained himself to always pay close attention to all sights, sound and smells around him. This came in handy at that moment as he was attacked from behind.

Drawing out his short dagger, he thrust backwards in one swift movement. There was a strangled grunting sound as the captain felt the dagger bury itself in a semi-soft mass. He pulled the dagger away and turned around as one of the two darkly clad men fell to the ground clutching his stomach. A vicious looking serrated knife fell from his hands, making a plinking noise as it hit the cobblestones.

"Max, get the princess out of here!" the captain shouted as he parried an overhand sword attack from the second of the two men who had been following the group.

Max swung his head around and gripped the back of Rapunzel's dress in his large teeth. He lifted her up quickly and tossed her over his back. He immediately took off back to the castle. The man who had been walking towards them drew a short sword and lunged at Max and Rapunzel, but Cassandra deflected him with a running kick to his stomach. Max hurried on, letting Cass and the captain take care of the two remaining attackers. He had his orders and he was going to follow through with them.

"Shouldn't we help them?" Rapunzel said as she pulled herself up to sit in the saddle.

Max snorted and shook his head. He was taking his princess to the safety of the castle. As the horse galloped past the final alley before Struthers Street met the city's main thoroughfare, a bolas attached to a long rope came flying at Rapunzel. The weapon did its work perfectly, the two weights flew on either side of her torso and wrapped and twisted themselves around her, trapping her arms to her body, the padded weights thumping harmlessly against her back. A tremendous jerk pulled her from Max's back and Rapunzel landed heavily on the stone street below, crying out in pain as she landed on her stomach and smacked her cheek on the ground. Pascal was thrown from her shoulder.

Max neighed as loudly as he could and reared up on his hind legs. He turned towards the alley where the bolas attack originated from, but the attacker was apparently prepared for the large horse. A heavy rope net with bolas on short lengths of rope along the edges hit the horse in the face and enveloped him, the bolas twisting around his back legs. His front legs became entangled in the net and he fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding landing on Rapunzel. Max neighed and cried with rage as he attempted to get loose of the net, but it was no use. He could only watch helplessly as two darkly clad figures drug his young princess away.

"This is the first time we've been able to fight a real fight together," Cass said to her father as she deflected a punch from her opponent.

"Concentrate on your attacker, child," the captain said, his voice tight as he used his dagger to parry his attacker's much longer sword. "I'm fairly sure this is just a distraction. We need to take these two down now!"

Cass' attacker had foolishly dropped his sword when Cass had initially kicked him in the stomach. She hadn't been able to grab it, but she had kicked it under a vendor's stall where it couldn't be accessed. The man was significantly larger than the young woman, but she was used to that. She had learned to adapt and was often able to use she smaller size to her advantage.

As the man lunged forward and swung at her, she agilely ducked under the man's punch and grabbed the outside of his wrist with her right hand and stepped to be behind him. With her left forearm she grabbed his shoulder and pulled his arm back into a modified straight arm bar. Using the momentum of the man's lunge at her and adding her own to it, Cass rushed the man forward and smashed his head through the side of a wooden crate that had been left on the side of a building. The man grunted and then lay still, knocked out cold.

While Cassandra dealt with her attacker, the captain was matching his blow for blow. The captain couldn't help but appreciate the swordsmanship of his opponent. They had both managed to score minor hits against each other, both of them have several small cuts spread out over their bodies, the worst of which was a slice to the back of the captain's hand that was dripping blood everywhere. Neither were giving the other an inch or a chance to take a single breath. They both knew only one of them was walking away from the fight. The captain was a seasoned soldier, he knew that some battles had to be to the death.

The captain was tiring, but he could see that the other man was as well. This was his only chance to end the fight. He allowed the man to swing without parrying the strike. Instead, the captain jumped as far to the side as he could and swung down at the attacker's nearest foot. He wasn't in range of hitting the man's foot, but the captain's sudden change in attack was enough to surprise the attacker and make him attempt a fumbling defense block of his feet. The captain bounced forward and drove his dagger up, under the man's ribs into his heart. The attacker died almost instantly and fell to the ground.

The captain kneeled down and used his hand to close the man's staring blue eyes.

"Dad, are you alright?" Cass asked, concernedly taking his bleeding hand.

The pair had defeated their opponents only seconds apart.

"Yes, I'm sure I'll need stitches on this, but I'm fine," he said, taking a deep breath, trying to slow heart after his exertion.

"What's going on here?"

The father and daughter turned to see two harbor guards running up to them along with Salty Sal and a another man a short ways behind them. Residents of Struthers Street were emerging from doorways and looking out of windows. They had fled when the fighting had started and Sal and the man had gone for help.

"They were attempting to attack the princess…" the captain began, "Wait, what's that noise?"

The small group could hear the distinct distressed calls of a horse.

"That's Max!" Cass cried. "Something's happened to Rapunzel!"

She took off in the direction Max had gone with Rapunzel. Ahead she could make out a large shape writhing on the ground. The captain and one of the harbor guards followed close behind her. They quickly found that Max was the shape writhing on the ground. A royal guard was there trying to get him untangled. He wasn't having much luck helping the panicked horse. Using his dagger, the captain cut the horse free. Max got to his hooves and neighed shrilly in Cass' and the captain's faces.

"Where's Rapunzel?" Cass yelled.

Max motioned with his head to the alley and neighed.

The captain and Cass jumped onto the horse's back and the horse galloped as fast as he dared into the narrow alley.

"We were only a minute or two behind them," Cass said. "She can't be far away."

The captain cursed loudly as they came to a fork in the alleyway.

"Which way?"

Melody Rose strode into Eugene's room. She was very pretty, so Eugene could see how she could easily attract the attention of someone like Pete. Her face was completely unreadable, but her stride into his room and up to his bed was a confident one. Stan closed the door behind her. Pete was instructed to go on a break while Eugene spoke to Rose.

"You wished to speak to me, Sir Fitzerbert?" she asked, her face still blank.

"Yes, I wanted to ask you about your recent absence from work," Eugene said. "Your absence the morning two days ago."

Still no change of expression from the woman, but she did nod.

"I understand you asking," she said. "I heard that the princess' pet was found drugged in one of the cells. Me being gone would be slightly suspicious. I was at a mind doctor's appointment. I've been going there for about a year now. She will confirm the appointment if you ask her I am sure."

"What's the name of the doctor?"

"Veda Mal, she is well known in Corona."

Eugene was slightly surprised by this. That was the same mind doctor Rapunzel was seeing.

Well, she is very well known, Eugene thought. It really isn't that surprising that she would have patients who also work at the palace.

"How long was the appointment?" Eugene asked. "And when did it start?

"It went longer than usual, I'll admit. It was at 8:30 and lasted until almost eleven. They usually only last an hour, but I was working through some stuff with Dr. Mal."

"What did you do after the appointment? You didn't clock on until noon."

"I was on my lunch break before I started work."

"That makes sense," Eugene said, writing Rose's information in his notebook. He paused his writing as he thought of something. "Where were you the day before your appointment?"

That got a slight reaction from Rose. Her eyes glinted and an angered look came over her face for the briefest of moments, but then it was gone and she was unreadable once again.

"I was working here."

"When did you work?"

"Eight to four is my normal shift."

"What did you do after you got off work?" Eugene asked.

"Went home."

"Did anyone see you?"

"Not that I know of. I live alone. Anymore questions?"

"Not at this time," Eugene said, closing his notebook. "I will confirm the appointment with Dr. Mal. If I need to talk to you again, I will send for you."

Mel Rose strode out of the room without another word. Stan walked over to Eugene's bed.

"Do you think she killed that cook?" Stan asked.

"It's not out of the realm of possibility. She has no alibi and even if she had an appointment that morning, the time the imposter-Sadie was in the dungeons isn't covered by the appointment, she was on her lunch break at the time."

"So, you think she killed and then impersonated the cook?" Stan said.

"Probably," Eugene said. "Stan could you send someone to confirm Rose's appointment."

"Will do, also I will run it by the captain when he returns to see if we have cause to search Rose's house. Although, we have just tipped our hand to her."

"Have her kept under watch," Eugene suggested. "I'm sure one of the wardens will be willing to help with that."

Stan saluted Eugene and hurried from the room. Eugene leaned back on his pillows and without meaning to, dozed off.