I know, I know, it's been forever. You can blame SEVERE writer's block. So I tried a trick that bstormhands told me, and this is what came from it. Thank you, by the way. :) Hopefully, I'm past that horrible case of writer's block now. Go ahead, go read up… Chapter twelve, Drawing Nearer

Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled, the movie. I don't pwn it either. Well, maybe I do… I'm not making sense, am I?

Chapter 12

Drawing Nearer

It had been four months. Four long, grueling, agonizing months of hiding in the blasted tower. Four months of barely eating enough to survive, of leaving the tower once, sometimes twice, if he dared, a month to grab whatever food and information he could manage to get a hold of. And he still had to wait a month for his plan to come into play.

According to his information from a few regulars at the Snuggly Duckling, the Princess and Rider would be having their wedding in just a few days at the cathedral in Corona. They would then be heading to the castle for the reception and ball afterwards, which would mean that the whole city of Corona would probably be there, seeing as the royal family seemed to enjoy having their whole kingdom in attendance at special events, such as that of the wedding of their only daughter. That would provide him with the means to traveling back to Corona without having to worry about being spotted.

So that left him in his current position, packing up what little items he owned, most of them trinkets he had managed to steal on one of his trips out of the tower. There wasn't much, but what there was could get him good money, should he need to sell them to the highest bidder. That was a last resort, though. Trinkets weren't the only thing that could be stolen from a man.

He finished packing his scarce belongings, or at least, the ones he was taking with him. He was planning on returning here, with the princess in tote. He had already got everything set how he wanted it, that part had been easy. All he had needed to do was move the chains from their place around the staircase railing and had moved them into the little bedroom that he had found at the top of the stairs. That's where he would keep the princess, once he had her. He had left everything in there as it was, as he figured that there wasn't anything in there that could do any harm. Besides, he had already inspected the place and found nothing that could possibly be used against him at any time, should the princess not take a liking to him.

So what would happen once he got her here was already all set, it was the actual getting part that had taken him more time to figure out, but after six months of sitting in a tower with nothing for company but the paintings on the wall and all the abandoned home goods that had been left there, he had come up with a plan that even he had to admit to himself was rather brilliant. He preferred not to talk about it, being the superstitious being that he was, lest he should jinx his plans, and that simply would not suffice.

He looked around the room once more, one hand stroking the beard that had grown in his six months of hiding. He had everything he needed, all of his needs to bring his plan to fruition. He just had to get there, now. He walked over to the single window in the tower and pulled the shutters in, hiding any evidence that anyone had ever been there. He blew out the candles he used for lighting before he descended the ladder to get to the stairs, which he traveled down at a quick pace.

He peeked out of the stone entrance to the tower, not that there would be anyone here. It was like no one but himself knew that this place existed. All the better for him, really. He exited the tower and turned around, placing a few of the rocks strategically, so that it looked like it was covered, while in reality he would be able to walk right past the rocks and into the tower once he had the princess.

After he was sure that the rocks were how he wanted, he set off to the little entrance to the canyon, careful not to leave tracks of any form or fashion. He pushed forward into the tunnel and to the curtain of ivy, peeking out to check for possible witnesses before he brushed past the hanging ivy. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder before he began to walk the familiar path to the Snuggly Duckling, which would then lead him to the dirt path to Corona. He was quick on his feet, constantly checking over his shoulder, and careful to walk in shadows and places that would be less likely to reveal him, should someone come across his path.

He reached the Snuggly Duckling in less than an hour, having become rather skilled in the walk between there and the tower. He looked each way to make sure that he still remained unseen before he took to the shadows along the main dirt road to Corona. This part would take no time at all, Corona was only a few minutes' walk from the pub, and from there, things would get trickier still, but he would quite literally cross that bridge once he got there.

He walked in silence, constantly running over his plan again and again in his mind, making sure he knew it backwards and forwards. This plan would be the key to his success, and should it fail, he would have to rethink everything, and that would require months of preparation again, and he had no time for that kind of dilly-dallying if he wanted his revenge on Rider.

As the afternoon sun began to fade into twilight, he came up to the bridge. This part would be tricky, since the bridge was guarded by two little watch towers that more often than not had a guard in each, keeping watch on everyone that entered and exited Corona. He pulled the cloak closer around himself, hiding his face from view, hoping it wouldn't look too suspicious. He drew nearer to the bridge entrance, and decided to sneak a peek into one of the guard towers. Empty. He looked into the other one. Asleep. Like that was any better.

He had half a mind to teach this guard a lesson, but that would most likely affect his ultimate plan, and that would, again, set back his revenge on Rider. So he continued on across the bridge in silence, pitying the incompetence of the guards. If he was the king, what a thought that was, he would be positively infuriated if he knew what his guards were up to when they were on the job. It should be considered a disgrace. Then again, so should he, but that didn't mean anything to him. He got by on whatever means necessary, and if that meant thieving and murdering, then so be it, in his eyes.

After a few minutes, he was across the bridge and past the kingdom gates, now fully entering Corona. He looked every direction, still intent on making sure that no one knew he was in Corona. To his right, front, and behind him, there was nothing. Nothing but the empty streets, lit by the lamps on every corner. To his left, however, he caught the glint of armor from the corner of his eye. He laid a hand on the sword in his sheath, pulling it out slightly, so he would be ready should a fight break out. However, as the group of guards approached him, he was almost immediately aware that they had had perhaps one too many drinks tonight.

The guards in this kingdom! Had they no shame? It was all better for him, though, in the long run, so he continued on his way, headed to a secret inn that only few knew about, and even then, only few went to. He found it, and walked in and within minutes he had a room. He sat inside, not even bothering to light the candles. The wedding was in two days. The time was drawing nearer. Two days… and his plan would start to come into effect. All he had to do was wait…

I know, I know, short chapter is short, but I really wanted to get something out to you all before I disappear for a while due to becoming accustomed to college life. Wish me luck, and I'll see you hopefully in a few weeks.

EugeneLoverRapunzel