Hey guys! Sorry this has taken forever. I could not think of where to go next with the story, and on top of that, I wasn't suppose to get on until I cleaned my room, but I managed to get past that obstacle… for now. So, without any further ado, here is chapter five, Plotting.

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Tangled except for my devious bad guy who shall not be named yet… Mua ha ha.

Chapter Five

Plotting

He was pacing. Again. The only thing he could do, really, considering his… situation. It had been a little over twenty-four hours since he had seen that infuriating Rider walk with his presumed girlfriend, the Princess of Corona, into the library.

Twenty-four hours. And his blood was still boiling.

Why should that cheap Rider be living in the lap of pure and utter luxury while he himself was wasting away into nothing in this forsaken jail cell? And he thought that his sentence had been cruel and unusual punishment.

When the guards had finally caught him, they wasted no time in holding his trial. However, contrary to his expected demise of a short drop and a sudden stop, they, the jury, had instead decided to sentence him to life in prison, making him truly suffer a surely slow and painful death as compensation for the total amount of his crimes, both petty and serious alike.

He slammed his fist against the cold, stone cell wall, cursing Rider's fortune. Why should he be allowed to be free when he was stuck in this never-ending pit of cruelty and darkness? It simply was not fair. Not fair, indeed. He walked back over to the window, peering out of it again for what felt like the hundredth time in little more than a day. He gazed out between the bars, wishing, almost imagining the feel of the cool summer breeze tousling his black-as-night hair. He closed his eyes. What he wouldn't give to be free of this stupid prison right now, to feel the warmth of the sun on his back, to smell the scent of baking bread and freshly cut cheese. He wanted it so badly he could almost taste it.

He looked back down at the town bustling below him. Rumor had it that today was the Lost Princess' nineteenth birthday, and that the lanterns were to go up again, simply for the sheer fact that she enjoyed watching them float among the night sky. Yes, this rumor was true, indeed, he knew that it was so. He watched as more and more townspeople began to fill up the streets of Corona, happily chatting and walking around aimlessly. The occasional band played a merry little jig, townsfolk jumping and dancing and clapping to the time of the music. Children ran around, playfully chasing each other or in some cases, a little dog on the street. Yes, there was to be a big celebration today, he could feel it.

He allowed his gaze to float over all the areas of the courtyard below him, his gaze coming to rest on a couple he hadn't realized he was looking for. Rider and that slim little excuse for a princess were walking arm-in-arm around the many carts set up along the edge of the street. He, Rider, was watching her lovingly as she talked animatedly about who knew what. They stopped every so often to converse with one of the villagers or to purchase some little something or other at a cart, then they would go right back to their previous position in each other's arms.

He continued to watch the couple very closely. Rider was very, very close to this girl, yes, he could see it on his face that this was so, could see the way his eyes fell on her face, gently smiling down at her, could see the firm, protective grip with which he held her close to him. It infuriated him to no avail! It simply was absurd that Rider should get to have his dream practically served to him on a silver platter, while the most that he got was one decent plate of food a day, if he was even so lucky.

He slipped away from the barred window, deep in contemplation. It was Rider's fault that he was in here. Rider had been the one that was suppose to steal the crown and bring it to him, along with the Stabbington brothers. Rider was the one that had agreed to the job, but had failed. He was the one that had ultimately got the Stabbingtons into jail, which had in turn led to him now being in his current state of captivity. Rider had failed to bring him the crown, had failed to bring him something of precious value. It would only seem plausible that he in turn did something to damage something of Rider's that held value to him.

He walked back over to the window, the gears of years of thievery grinding out an escape plan in his head. He had been observing the prison ever since he had arrived in the cold, dark belly of the infernal beast, had been watching for any and every sign of weakness in the links that kept this place protected. And he had found exactly what he was looking for. He only had to wait for the exactly right moment in time.

He knew from experience that when something important involving the Princess came up, it was almost certain that the guards would be there, inadvertently leaving the prison unguarded until one of the men had the brains to realize their error in judgment, then ordering the men quickly back to their posts in the stone prison, never speaking word of their faux pas.

It was with that thought that he was almost certain that at some point during the festivities of the day, most likely during the lantern release, that the prison would once again be abandoned for the majority of about five minutes, before the first guard managed to make it back to the prison, checking each cell to make sure that the prisoners remained incapacitated. Five minutes would be cutting it very close, but he knew that he could do it, and, even if he were to need more time than that, he was absolutely certain that he could take out enough guards to make his getaway quick and, for the most part, unseen by many.

He scanned the growing crowd again, having temporarily lost sight of Rider and the princess. His heart pounded in his chest as he saw that Rider was staring right at him. He quickly ducked back into the shadows, keeping his gaze on Rider. Had Rider seen him? Or had he simply been looking in his general direction? Either way, it was no matter, for all in good time, Rider would get what was coming to him. An evil smile crossed his face as he sat down against the wall by the cell door, waiting for just the right moment to strike.

Ooh, our bad guy is up to something big! Again, sorry this took so long, and hopefully it won't take nearly as long for the next chapter to be up. I truly am a despicable human being.

Anyway, review, review, REVIEW! They make the fog lift, the sky like new, and the world shift somehow!

Wow, that was very cheesy and mood-swingy of me! Until next time!

EugeneLoverRapunzel