I have to admit, I'm proud of myself for this one. I managed to write the chapter in a day.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Tangled or Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. I only own this story idea. Varian's thief name is my original. I borrowed Cass's thief name from another author, so credit goes to them.
Now, let's get to it.
The fun atmosphere in the pub ended when Greno burst in. "I found the guards!"
Alain back-flipped behind the counter while Flynn grabbed Rapunzel to join them. Lance was able to scramble behind the bar with them, but Eden was on the other side of the tavern. The only thing she could do was move into the shadows behind a stack of rum barrels.
She didn't want to be separated from her brothers again, but it seemed that was the only way for them to escape.
The Captain of the Guard, an intimidating man in golden, red, and white armor, shoved Greno out of the way and stepped inside.
"Where's Rider?! Where is he?!" He shouted, stalking into the tavern. "I know he's in here somewhere! Find him! Turn the place upside down if you have to!"
He banged his fist on the counter that Rapunzel and the boys were hiding under.
When the Captain walked away, Flynn risked a glance and peeked out over the bar top. Eden did the same from her hiding spot.
To their shock and confusion, a few more guards walked with a couple men they recognized: The Stabbington Brothers.
They were two tall, muscled twins with red hair. One of them had an eyepatch, and the other had prominent sideburns.
The Rider Gang knew the Stabbingtons, both by reputation and personally. They also used to work together once, but the Stabbingtons were more dangerous than they were.
The twins were actually the ones who told them about the crown job in the first place. So, why were they here?
"Oh, come on…." Eden groaned quietly as she moved back into the shadows.
Flynn ducked back behind the bar, trying not to panic. The severity of the situation didn't escape Alain and Lance either as they looked at each other.
They were cornered and separated. There was no way this could end well.
Suddenly, Hook Hand stuck his hook out, getting their attention. The thug used his eyes to signal them to follow him. When the guards looked away, he opened a secret hatch in the floor.
The Riders and Rapunzel moved closer to see that the hole led to a tunnel under the building.
A way out. Hopefully.
"Go. Live your dreams." Hook Hand said softly, nodding toward the passage.
"I will," Flynn whispered in awe.
"Your dream stinks," Hook Hand frowned at him. "I was talking to her."
"Wait, what about Eden?" Varian frowned.
Rapunzel looked worried about her, too.
"If we're going to get out of this, we'll have to split up again," Rider said, placing a hand on Alain's shoulder. "She'll come find us. You know she will."
"She'll catch up with us when the guards leave," Lance assured the younger thief.
"We'll show her the passage once they're gone," Attila added, giving them a few muffins for the road,
Alain didn't like it, but he knew the guys were right. He sighed but nodded.
Flynn gave him an assuring smile before leading them through the tunnel. Lance headed in next, with Alain behind him.
"Thanks for everything," Rapunzel thanked Hook Hand, kissing him on the cheek before following the boys.
The thug was surprised but then smiled as he saw them off.
Eden didn't see the others get away, but she did watch what was happening in the main tavern area. She thought she heard something moving and noticed Atilla and Hook Hand, but Vladimir quickly caught her attention as he spoke to the Captain.
"I believe this is the man you're looking for." Vladimir held up Shorty next to Flynn's poster. (Which looked nothing alike)
"You got me!" Shorty held out his hands.
The Captain looked at them in confusion before one of the guards came down the stairs. "Sir, there's no sign of Rider!"
The Captain frowned, and Eden hoped that meant it was the end of it. Once they left, she could meet up with the others.
However, those hopes were dashed when they heard the sound of a horse. They all spun around just in time to see the guard horse from before burst through the door.
"Maximus!" The Captain gasped.
"Oh no." Eden groaned.
The horse, Maximus, put his nose to the floor and started scouting the location. He picked up the scent he was looking for, shoving aside the thugs as he went to the source.
"What's he doing?" A guard asked before the Captain slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from interrupting.
Eden held her breath as she watched Maximus point at the floor behind the bar.
The Captain looked confused, causing the horse to look annoyed. Maximus pushed a lever with a duck on it, causing the same sound Eden had heard earlier.
That was when she put two and two together: There was a trap door behind the bar, and judging by the lack of struggle after finding it, Eden guessed the others got away.
That was the good news. The bad news was the guards now knew where they went.
"A passage!" The Captain gasped, smiling slightly before he led the guards into the tunnel. "Come on, men, let's go! Conli, make sure those boys don't get away!"
The remaining guard, Conli, pointed his halberd at the Stabbingtons threateningly. Eden rolled her eyes, almost pitying the guard, when Patchy slammed his head into Conli's head, knocking the guard unconscious. Patchy then kicked the halberd into his hands, using it to cut themselves free.
"Play it safe?" Sideburns asked his brother as he cut his chains. "Or go get the crown?"
They shared a smirk after Patchy was freed that immediately put Eden on guard. She watched as they dropped the weapon and headed into the tunnel before coming out of hiding.
Spotting a discarded rapier on the floor, something told Eden she would need it.
She picked it up and slung the strap over her shoulder. Weapon hanging on her back, Eden nodded to the thugs before taking a vaulting leap over the counter and through the hole.
Back with the others, Rapunzel and Alain had just finished their muffins, discarding the wrappings.
No one was sure how far away they were, but they felt safe enough to walk instead of run. Plus, they wanted to give Eden time to catch up.
"Okay, so I think we're safe," Lance said, bowing to the girl they owed that to. "And for that, I am eternally grateful."
Rapunzel giggled bashfully.
"Nice job with the goo, Blue." Flynn complemented his brother, leading the way with a lantern they found.
"Thanks, but I'm running low." Alain checked his bag and secured it, just in case.
"Well, I gotta say, didn't know you had that in you back there, Blondie," Flynn commented, eyes lingering on the skeleton with a sword driven into its side.
He covered Alain's eyes as they walked by, not wanting him to throw up. Alain shoved the hand away from his eyes, but they had passed the scene by then.
"That was pretty… impressive."
"I know!" Rapunzel gasped excitedly, surprising them, before composing herself. "I know."
Flynn gave her a slight grin before facing forward.
"And the singing? Totally not expected, but also nice." Lance praised, and Rapunzel beamed. "So, uh, what's the deal with the hair, anyway? Why is it so long?"
"Uh, let's not talk about it." She replied, losing her smile for a moment.
Lance glanced at Alain, who just shrugged. He had been curious, too, but it wasn't his place to ask.
The group walked in silence for a few minutes before Rapunzel spoke again.
"So… Flynn…" She began, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear. "We are you guys from?"
"Whoa, whoa! Sorry, Blondie, I don't do backstory," Rider stopped her. "However, I am becoming very interested in yours."
"That's two of us," Lance added.
"Now, I-I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair…."
"Nope." Rapunzel stated.
"Or the mother…."
"Uh-uh." She said.
"Frankly, I'm too scared to ask about the frog…."
"Chameleon," Rapunzel corrected.
"Nuance. Here's my question, though. If you want to see the lanterns so badly… why haven't you gone before?"
Rapunzel stopped short, the question weighing heavy on her mind.
"Uh, heh, heh…." She chuckled nervously, looking at Pascal. "Well…."
Before she could answer, though, a piece of rubble fell on her head before hitting the ground. Looking down, they noticed the loose stones were shaking, soon followed by the rest of the tunnel.
"Uh, Flynn?"
They all looked back the way they came, dread building in their stomachs.
A light started approaching them fast. It was soon revealed to be the guards, led by the Captain carrying a torch.
"Flynn!" Rapunzel gasped as the guards got closer.
"Rider!" The Captain shouted, a horse's whinnying echoing along with it.
"Run… Run!" Flynn cried as Rapunzel picked up her hair, keeping it from being caught as they ran.
The group made a mad dash through the tunnel, the guards hot on their tails. They burst through the exit and back into daylight. The escape route let out into a gorge near an old dam, surrounded by rocky cliffs.
They moved toward the edge of a long drop, causing Lance to let out a high-pitched squeak.
The only way down was a rickety-looking ladder. On the other side of the gorge was another cave opening. All they had to do was get through there, and they'd, hopefully, be safe.
Before they could start moving, however, the Stabbingtons burst out of a boarded-up entrance down below, armed with swords, as they spotted the escapees.
"Who's that?" Rapunzel asked.
"They don't like us," Lance replied vaguely.
They looked back as the guards rushed out of the tunnel.
"Who's that?" Rapunzel gasped.
"They don't like us, either," Alain answered.
Finally, a furious-looking Maximus came rushing onto the scene.
"Who's THAT?" Rapunzel asked.
"Let's just assume for the moment that everyone in here doesn't like us!" Flynn said anxiously.
Taking charge, Rapunzel put her hair down and shoved her frying pan into Flynn's hands. "Here!"
Before the boys could question what she was doing, Rapunzel swung her hair like a grappling rope. She wrapped it around a support piece, giving it a tug to make sure it was secure. To their amazement, she leaped off the ground and swung through the air, landing an outcropping on the other side.
The boys turned around they heard the Captain chuckle, remembering the angry guards behind them.
"I waited a long time for this!" The Captain tossed his torch to the side and drew his sword.
"Oh boy," Lance muttered.
"Got any more goo, Blue?" Flynn asked, glancing at the frying pan in his hands.
"I do, but I don't like to use it if I'm going to be leaving them." Varian peeked out from behind Rider, pulling out a green ball.
"One of your sleep bombs?" Lance questioned.
"Yup. I'll need them all gathered together, though. I only have one."
Before the boys could act, however, the Captain leaped at Flynn, slashing his sword.
Alain and Flynn ducked, while Lance nearly stumbled over the edge with a gasp before being caught by Alain. Rider swung the frying pan, knocking the Captain out with a hit to the head.
"Flynn, behind you!" Alain cried after helping Lance up.
Another guard lunged at Flynn, but he was able to dodge him before knocking him out, too. The rest of the soldiers attacked Flynn next, and he avoided and blocked their attacks before subduing them.
"Or, that works, too." Alain shrugged, putting his alchemy bomb away.
"Oh, mama! I have got to get me one of these!" Flynn exclaimed excitedly.
"Guys!" Rapunzel called to them, throwing her hair.
Lance caught the golden locks, and Alain grabbed on. Before Flynn could join them, he was cut off when the horse aimed a sword at him.
Glancing at his brothers, Flynn held up the frying pan like a sword. "You guys go! I'll catch up!"
"Wait! Flynn, no!" Alain reached a hand out toward his brother.
Lance wrapped his arm around Alain's waist and jumped, bringing the boy to the ground with him. Once they were gone, Flynn started to fight the horse off as Rapunzel watched from across the way.
"You should know that this is the strangest thing I've ever done!" He told Maximus as they battled.
However, just after he said that Maximus knocked the pan out of his hands. They watched silently as the cooking utensil fell from the ledge until they heard the clang of metal hitting rock.
"… How 'bout two out of three?" Flynn asked the horse.
His answer was the horse pointing the sword at him before putting his hands up in surrender.
"Flynn!" Rapunzel called as she whipped her hair to wrap around his hand, gaining the attention of man and horse.
When she tugged on him, Flynn gave Maximus a two-fingered salute before stepping off the ledge. The horse dropped his sword in shock as the thief swung away.
While she was holding her hair, Rapunzel something concerning in the gorge. "Flynn! The guys!"
Looking down, Flynn saw that the Stabbingtons had engaged Lance and Alain in combat.
Lance had drawn his sword and was dueling with Patchy. Meanwhile, Alain was playing a dangerous game of tag with Side Burns, ducking and dodging around his sword swings.
"Blue! Lance!" Flynn cried as he swung past them, forcing everyone to duck, so they didn't get hit. Rider twisted around, wanting to help. "Hold on, you guys! I'm–"
He was cut off when he swung into a wood beam, stomach first.
"… Coming…" He wheezed.
Rapunzel cringed before she heard the sound of something hitting wood. Looking back where they came from, she saw Maximus kicking at a beam just as the guards started coming to.
Soon, Maximus kicked the beam over, forming a makeshift bridge between her ledge and theirs. He then started stalking toward her, the guards catching on and beginning to follow the horse.
They were so focused on Rapunzel they didn't notice Eden finally make it out of the tunnel.
"Come on, Blondie!" Flynn got her attention. He was standing on a nearby chute, holding her hair. "Jump!"
Rapunzel toward the ledge just as Maximus reached her side. She jumped off, her hair barely missing Maximus's teeth when he tried to stop her.
She swung down fast, Pascal hanging onto her shoulder for dear life. She came to a stop, sliding across a puddle of water as she landed.
Back with the boys, Alain was still dancing with Side Burns. He wasn't much of a combatant, but his specialty was dodging and deflecting attacks.
Even so, he could only keep this up for so long.
Catching Eden's eye on the ledge, Alain started moving so that Side Burns was between them.
Noticing the change in stance, Eden got the message and did something even she would've found reckless. Running to the edge, Eden leaped into the air, angling her feet toward Side Burns.
Alain led the Stabbington into just the right spot so that Eden was able to knock him down with her landing. She tucked and rolled before springing to her feet, leaving Side Burns in the dirt.
Patchy was distracted by the attack on his brother just enough for Lance to body slam him, sending him sprawling to the ground, too.
"Little late to the party, Eden." Lance smiled as they started running away.
"There are more tunnels in there than you think." Eden retorted.
Seeing the rest of the Rider Gang heading her way, Rapunzel grabbed her and started toward the connecting canyon.
Flynn saw everyone running from his spot on the chute, with the Stabbingtons having gotten to their feet to chase them. Needing to catch up with them, Flynn slid along the water in the chute, grabbing hold of a post to swing around to cut a corner as he made a sharp turn. However, towards the end, the chute started to fall apart, forcing Flynn to jump to different pieces to avoid being crushed. Fortunately, he made it to the ground safely, scooping up the remains of her hair to help her run.
The rest of the Rider Gang parkoured over the remains of the chute with the Stabbingtons close behind. Alain tossed his last smoke bomb behind him, feeling relieved when he heard the startled shouts of the Stabbingtons, slowing them down.
Just when everyone thought they were in the clear, there was a sound like thunder coming from the dam as it all but exploded before everyone's eyes. A wall of water came rushing toward everyone in the gorge, wiping out the guards before they could even react.
The water swallowed everyone and everything. What was left of the chute was knocked down. The Stabbingtons were its next victims as they tried to catch up with the Rider Gang.
Rapunzel and the Rider Gang kept running, dodging around a large rock formation that was soon knocked over by the force of the water. The shadow of the largest boulder fell over them as they raced toward the opening of an old shaft.
One by one, they made it inside. Flynn had just enough time to scoop up Rapunzel's lost frying pan before the boulder sealed the entrance.
However, to their horror, they were now in an even more dangerous situation. Water started seeping through the spaces between the rock and the opening, causing the cave to begin flooding. When they tried to keep going, fear surged through them when they realized there was nowhere else to go.
They were trapped.
I can feel your hatred right now.
Anyway, the next story to be updated will be "Adventures of the Sun and Moon."