A/N: Well we've got Rapunzel's side of the beginning so now it's time to introduce Flynn. How much different would our favorite thief's life been had the Princess not been missing? What would he had been doing that very morning?

Disclaimer: Tangled (c) Disney. Riley (c) Me

Chapter Two – Thieving Boy

"It is with true love as it is with ghosts; everyone talks about it, but few have seen it." - Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Eugene Fitzherbert.

Corona's best thief, dastardly handsome and always ready with a trick up his sleeve to get out of any situation.

Of course, he was known as Flynn Rider to the rest of the world.

However, when he first came to Corona, he came from the nearby Kingdom of Albion. Compared to Albion, Corona was such a peaceful place. Albion was in a constant war but those fights never made it to Corona as the Kingdom was nearly ten miles of sea away. Eugene had barely escaped with his life but he knew not to mellow on things he couldn't change.

He remembered the first thing he stole. A ticket for the boat to Corona. It was the last boat leaving his war-stricken homeland to a place that promised a better life. However when he arrived, it was not all he had dreamed it would be. He still was alone and he had no money to make himself a life.

One night, as a young thirteen year old, he sat and remembered about the book he used to read to all the younger kids he watched after back home: The Tales of Flynnagan Rider. The man was his hero. He could do anything he wanted to do and no one told him no. There were no restrictions. He had all the things he wanted in life.

He was only fifteen when he decided his past was something better left forgotten.

His real name...he refused to even remember.

His home...such an awful place.

His family...his biggest regret.

He had to leave everything behind in the hopes of having a better life. His parents wouldn't be happy; he knew. But they were gone from the world, maybe watching over him. They wouldn't happy with him, but Eugene knew he had no choice. If he became a thief, he could live a good life. Anything he wanted he could take. It might take a while to get good at getting the things he needed but he had full belief in himself.

Eugene Fitzherbert was gone.

Flynn Rider had been born and his name would be known the Kingdom over as the Greatest Thief. There was nothing more Flynn wanted then that. Everything had been taken away from him so living freely was all he had left to do. At first he had been stealing just to live but it had become his way of life.

Sometimes he regrets it.

Other times, he does not.

On the mid-morning of a planned thievery, he had stolen a couple of apples before a store opened. He was planning to meet with the Stabbington Brothers around ten to steal their greatest treasure yet.

The King and Queen's first lantern, released on the day of the Princess' birth.

It had been found in a person's field and they had returned it to the palace. It was a symbol of hope for the Kingdom and now Flynn was positive it was worth plenty of money, maybe even enough for him to finally have his own island so he could just get away from everything around him.

Flynn waited behind the castle at the meeting place, being very careful about the guards placed high around. He was already wanted for numerous accounts of thievery. God only knew what his fate would be if he was caught. The gallows would be his only destination for someone who had gotten away with as many crimes as he had.

Part of him was okay with it.

Maybe that was all he could look forward to. He'd made his life a game. The adventure of stealing and seeing if he had the ability to get away without being caught. If he did, he went on with his life to test himself again and if he didn't...then that was how the cookie crumbled, wasn't it?

It was nearly noon and the Stabbington Brothers hadn't shown up yet. It wasn't like them to give up on a heist. The siblings were usually the ones rushing him since they didn't have the decency to stop and smell the roses every once in a while. Flynn was disappointed. He had actually been looking forward to it. It would've been the most adrenaline rushing heist they'd done to date.

Flynn turned to leave and fell down an alleyway, completely hiding himself from the main population of Corona. The sun was high in the sky but the wind blowing in the air made the summer day much more bearable. Flynn ducked down into a building's basement through a blanket covering the doorway.

"Hey lookie who's back." said a voice. Flynn looked over to the bar across the way to see a young boy about eighteen. "It's been awhile, Rider. Want something?"

"I'm good, Riley. Maybe a screwdriver later." Flynn winked as he walked into a room on the other side of the main area; it was his room. Many things stayed in this room, things he had brought with him from Albion, but most of it was things he had stolen.

Jewelry, important art pieces...but mostly money.

Lots of money.

Unfortunately for Flynn, he wasn't a typical thief. He wouldn't call himself Robin Hood, but most of the money he stole he gave to the people he met in this very bar. He had made his makeshift home in this place but if he was ever forced to leave, it wouldn't have really bothered him to lose anything.

Flynn Rider was perfectly fine not having a place to call home. He didn't have anything the world he really cared about.

As he sat on his bed, he laid back, his arms comfortably behind his head. It was the sudden loud movement in the main bar that dragged him out of his thoughts. He knew the voice too; it was the younger of the Stabbington Brothers. Where had they been?

Flynn jumped to his feet and out of the door. Sure enough, the Stabbington Brothers were standing talking to Riley, drinking what looked like shots of either rum or vodka.

"So boys...did we forget about something today?" Flynn said nonchalantly, sitting down next to them.

The brothers smiled (well, it looked more like a devilish grin to Flynn) at each other before looking back. "We got something a lot better than a pathetic lantern, Rider. You'll never guess. We're gonna make a lot more than that lantern could ever get us."

Flynn had a hard time not laughing at the younger siblings' statement. The lantern could easily pay quadruple his own reward which was way more than enough to accomplish anything within or outside of Corona. He raised his eyebrow in doubt and the younger brother slapped a piece of paper onto the table.

"If you want to see our take, come to that location." He explained as the two of them both finished off their current shots. "We're gonna need help with the delivery of our "package" so if you want to assist, we'll see if we can get you a cut of the deal. No guarantees..."

As per the usual agreements we have, I see. Flynn thought to himself as he grabbed the paper off the bar table.

The location was not too far outside of the city but was in an alcove behind a waterfall. Definitely not a place anyone from the Kingdom would find anything. Flynn nodded in agreement to the brothers' request and the two of them walked out of the small bar into the shadows of the city. Flynn turned to Riley and the boy shrugged without commenting. Flynn usually depended on the younger boy to gain intel on others' heist so the great thief, Flynn Rider, could come swooping in, making a win on the score himself rather than the people who did the hard work.

Sure it was a lazy way to get what he wanted but it kept him from being physically connected to the heist itself. The only heist he was willing to be in the direct spotlight for was the heist that had been scheduled earlier; the heist of the Princesses' first Lantern. But apparently there was something better out there on the market, something worth much more than a little lantern.

Flynn stood up from the bar, grabbing his satchel from the hook near the doorway. Hopefully their score would be something he could take and disappear with because as much as he hated to admit it, after looking at the castle day after day, thieving was becoming so very tiresome.

Sort of.

*0*0*0*0*

It was dark.

Rapunzel was sure she had traveled quite a distance but she refused to move a muscle. A blindfold helped her keep her secret that she had regained consciousness. The light seeping through the thin handkerchief had dimmed. There was no longer the light of the city or even the sun around her. But it hadn't been long enough for the sun to go down or for them to leave the area surrounding Corona or even for them to travel that far into the thick forest that grew just outside the Kingdom's limits. It was still Corona's territory so there was a chance for her to get home.

She also kept hearing water running. It wasn't like in the fountain in the garden at home, where the water was constantly spraying upward in a small shower. This was a large sound; more like a waterfall. She was tied by her wrists by what felt like rope. Rapunzel had gotten used to the sharp points digging like daggers in her wrists. She knew she was bleeding, she could feel the blood on her fingers. But she knew not to fret. She couldn't lose her cool here.

From the time she was a little girl, her father had warned her about people who would come for her for the Kingdom she represented. They wanted money so she would be used as a bargaining tool for them. He had explained to her when she gotten older that criminals sometimes do anything to get what they want. She could be threatened within an inch of her life while others wouldn't do anything to her. These people hadn't spoke since her capture. Rapunzel was sure it was chloroform that they had used to get her after meeting with the little girls in the plaza. She had hoped they hadn't hurt them. She was their target. She would hope there weren't any criminals in Corona that would hurt a child.

Rapunzel readjusted herself, turning over just ever-so-slightly. She didn't know if anyone was watching her but she didn't want to let them know she had awoken from her chemical induced slumber.

"Hey there, pretty girl." came a voice.

Crap. Someone is out there. Rapunzel thought. She still chose not to move.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm here to help you."

The voice was female. Seemed youthful but not as young as she was. There was a tinge of experience behind the voice; she seemed very confident in her tone. It was obvious she thought she had something up on Rapunzel. Well she did in all technicality, but Rapunzel knew not to give her captor anything to go off of. She didn't consider herself brave, she felt as if she was being super careful. As long as she gave them whatever they wanted, they wouldn't hurt her...right?

Suddenly Rapunzel felt tugging on her shoulder and she was forced to stand up. "Here, dear...you can't see can you?" The blindfold was pulled off of her eyes by the woman, but Rapunzel kept her eyes shut. "Oh come on dear, let me see those brilliant green eyes."

Rapunzel peeked through slits and the brightness of the sun through the entrance of the cave she was in hurt her eyes. She closed them back only to pry them open to see the woman in front of her. She was about a head taller than Rapunzel, wearing a black and red dress. It looked about a century old in fashion sense but it looked like it was brand new as it flowed down her frame. Her hair was very poofy and black, extended down to her shoulders. She wore a smile across her face as she turned Rapunzel around, presumably to untie Rapunzel's rope handcuff.

"Oh dear...you're bleeding..." the woman gasped but to Rapunzel it sounded too forced. The second her arms were free she turned to face the woman and backed up towards the exit. "Are you...scared of me? Honey, I'm just here to help you..."

Rapunzel backed up as the woman came towards her. "How are you here to help me? How do I know you didn't bring me here?"

"Oh no honey, you've got it all wrong. I saw these men bringing you in here. I wanted to help you." she sat down on a flat rock which had almost completely eroded into a flat surface. "Your hand must hurt...why don't you heal it yourself?"

Rapunzel's eyes widened. This woman knew about her ability. How was that even possible. Mother and Father were so good at hiding that simple fact. How could this random woman, who looked like she jumped out of last century, know about her magic hair?

"So you don't want to do it? Then I will..." The woman stood up and walked to her, moving gracefully to the music in her head. "Flower gleam and glow...Let your power shine...make the clock reverse...bring back what once was mine..." The woman's voice was beautiful as it flowed into Rapunzel's ears but she was scared. Her hair began glowing brightly as commanded by the song. "Heal what has been hurt...change the Fates' design...save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine...what once was mine..." Rapunzel looked down to her right hand to see the slice from the rope completely healed.

"How do you know this about me...?" Rapunzel questioned. "Just who are you?"

The woman laughed. "My name is Gothel. I live in a tower on the edge of the Corona territory. You could say I'm a witch of sorts." She smiled at Rapunzel's nervousness. "I've heard through the grapevine of my connections about your hidden trait. As a witch, I know all about incantations...your hair is connected to a very interesting flower that shows up around these parts only once a millenia. I can't believe the flower would transfer to the child after being used to save the mother. A very interesting turn of events for you, wouldn't you say?"

Gothel was referring to the golden flower used to heal her mother when she was pregnant with her. Rapunzel had received the ability from the flower for some reason...but that was beside the point. Gothel knew about her hair. Rapunzel absentmindly started playing with her finely braided hair which barely touched the ground.

"I didn't ask for this." Rapunzel said, not able to think of anything else to say.

"Would you like help getting back home? Or would you rather stay here in this hole behind a waterfall?" Gothel asked of her. "I could give you a free life. No more palace...no more rules from your Father...you could do whatever you want."

Rapunzel didn't even think for a second. "No. I'm not doing that to my Father. Or my Mother. They love me and even though my Father keeps me in the Castle, it's for my own protection. He lets me do whatever I want to do and he loves me." Rapunzel kept her foot down. She was not being taken by this strange woman who probably wanted her just for money or for her power.

Gothel laughed and stood up, walking towards her. "Rapunzel knows best...Rapunzel's so mature now...such a clever grown up princess." Gothel sung as she walked around Rapunzel. "So sure about your life, growing up rich and protected...did you ever expect...this...?" Gothel suddenly grabbed Rapunzel's hands, twisting them violently, forcing her to her knees. She screamed in pain before Gothel covered her mouth. "This is what you're life is now...just watch and see..." She turned another kind of hand restraints but this time it was change. It was shackles made of steel. Rapunzel tried her best not to scream as Gothel threw her back where she had been originally sitting. "Trust me my dear, you'll just have to see...and I won't say I told you so..." Gothel spun back around towards the exit and disappeared around the corner.

Rapunzel pulled herself up, leaning against the wall. Tears formed in her eyes and some fell into her tattered and dirty dress. She knew it was weak to cry but she couldn't help it. There was no one coming to help her. The men who brought her here would probably be back any minute and that crazy witch woman was the only other person in the Kingdom who knew her location. Rapunzel used the wall to balance and helped herself to stand. The chain was too strong to break. She could tug for hours but it wouldn't ever come apart or break off the wall. Rapunzel looked around for anything in the room that could help her. That was when she spotted the sharp rocks sticking up near her. If she could just pull hard enough, the rocks could maybe break the shackles.

It gave her enough hope to at least try.

*0*0*0*0*

Flynn jumped across a small chasm, making sure he wasn't being followed. The Stabbington Brothers weren't anywhere around so he was hoping they had gone somewhere else before coming back to their big score. Flynn wasn't the kind of person to do a job without knowing all of details. He needed to know what was being moved, where it was being moved to and just exactly how much he was going to get out of it.

"Search that area over there! Let's spread out!" came a voice. Flynn leaned against the cliffside, keeping himself hidden carefully. He leaned carefully forward to see the guards of the castle just below him. The Captain, who always seemed to have an out for him, was standing in the middle of about six other guards. He was pointing with his sword in multiple directions. "We have to find her! It's already been six hours. The King and Queen will be contacting us if we don't hurry!"

Find her? Wait, are they talking about the princess? Flynn thought as the guards scattered. Oh no...that better not be what the Stabbington Brothers...

Flynn was a thief; yes. He could steal all the prized artifacts he wanted but he was not a kidnapper. He would not steal to personally hurt a person. Sure, the things he had stolen over the years had broken people's hearts, put them into debt but never had he actually hurt someone. That was just a line he wouldn't cross. Now, for the Stabbington Brothers...they didn't get that name just by stealing things from people. It was obvious why they were so smug about their captive. It was definitely worth more than a silly lantern...

Flynn kept close to the rock all the while making sure the guards that had gone his way wouldn't see him.

This isn't good. The Brothers are gonna be on their way to the Princess soon. If the guards get there after them, they won't hesitate to kill the Princess. This isn't good...I've worked with them, they'll give me up just to get me hanged. Flynn jumped from his secluded area towards the area written on the paper.

He had to make it there before the guards found it and the Brothers showed up.

A/N: Ooh, Flynn gotta hurry! Oh course, as we know, he's gotta get to Rapunzel but will he make it before the Brothers and the Guards? We'll have to find out! Sorry for such a long wait but with my work weeks being 45+ hours, it hard for me to find time to type and keep up with housework and being with my family and all that jazz. Ya'll know, right?

Anyway, please review and let me know what you think! ~mai kuusou