Chapter 4

"Where are they, boys?" Gothel was furious. "Apparently, my dogs couldn't track them down."

Eye Patch and Sideburns stared at one another. "I suppose Rider is with her?"

Gothel narrowed her eyes angrily. "I am not concerned with Rider at the moment, only with Rapunzel. I have no idea what happened to that coward."

"He's not supposed to do the deed, we are. He was supposed to lead her to us this afternoon. He never showed up."

Eye Patch nodded in agreement.

Gothel just looked at him in amazement, and then turned toward Sideburns. "This must be the first time Rider's done this to you?"

The twins nodded. "We went in a southerly direction, toward the city of Haven. He must have gone the opposite way." Sideburns shook his head. "We have no idea if the dogs found him or not."

Sideburns stared at Gothel. "But you say that you know your stepdaughter is alive?"

Gothel nodded her head. "Yes, I'm quite sure. As I'm quite sure that your Flynn Rider is with her. What's even stranger is that the dogs haven't returned and they have been long trained to do so."

The Stabbington Brothers looked at one another.

"We'll have to wait until the morning light to continue our search." Gothel said, exasperated. She'd had enough of these Stabbington boys. She was starting to think that they were nothing but puppets and Flynn Rider was the entire brains of the outfit. She shook her head in disgust. Could these guys do anything except follow directions? And these three had come highly recommended.

"Alright," Gothel said, resigning herself to the only outcome she could see. Besides, it was beginning to snow again. So much for the warm afternoon that had enjoyed.

"I will sleep here tonight," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not walking back to the castle in the snow, even if it is close by." She looked at the twins. "I am taking over this entire operation. It will be us now."

"What about our…" Sideburns began, but Gothel cut him off.

"You two will do as I say from this moment on," she said. "You will get your money when we kill the Princess and not one moment before. Do you understand me?"

The twins stared at her and then at one another. They turned to her and nodded their heads.

"Alright," Gothel said, calming down. "Now where is that extra room?"

XXXXXXX

Eugene, Max, Rapunzel and Suede moved onward with very little food and hardly any rest. They fell asleep under the stars and in caves when it was cold or snowy. Using the river to cover their tracks, they continued to travel to the north, as far away from the Kingdom of Corona as they can get.

By this time the dogs have stopped following them, but the further up north they go, they are battled by elements of nature. It is the snow that hinders them the most, forcing them to take refuge earlier than they had planned.

It is on one particular snowy afternoon that the two stumble onto an inn practically all but hidden in the woods. The tiny inn, known locally as the Inn of the Seven Dwarves, seems like the perfect place to rest for the night. It has been windy and cold, with the snow piling up rather quickly. Eugene and Rapunzel are freezing and are in need of warmth and comfort.

What Eugene and Rapunzel find inside are not dwarves at all; but a motley group of former bandits and thieves who call themselves the Pub Thugs.

Big Nose, Hookhand and Gunter are the first to usher in the two fugitives. They settle them beside a warm fire and Shorty and Lena, Big Nose's wife, serves them food and drink.

Eugene and Rapunzel, left to their own devices, fall asleep by the fireplace in each others arms.

"Have you any idea who they are?" Tor whispers, watching the two of them sleep. All the Thugs except Shorty, Hookhand, Big Nose and Lena are seated around one large table in the middle of the floor It is clear that they don't get many travelers to this part of the world and it is a major deal when they do receive guests.

"Where do you think they're headed?" Attila contributes, bringing out his latest batch of cupcakes for everyone to enjoy.

"Well, it obvious they're headed north," Big Nose contributed as he grabbed bottles of wine, bread and cheese and placed them on the bar..

"And it seems to me that they are running from something," Lena added as she served the food and drinks to the hungry thugs at the table.

"What about Shorty? He seems to know everything that goes on around here." Hookhand stopped playing the piano and stared up at the tiny man still seated at the bar.

Shorty was the one who made the rounds in town, gathering supplies and information. He was the smallest of them and was quick to get in and out before someone could catch him, although he did pay with their meager savings. The big problem with Shorty was that, when he had nowhere to go, as was the case this day, he liked to have a drink. Sometimes, it was a drink too many.

And this was one of those days. Shorty had his head down on the bar, snoring away, not a care in the world.

"Maybe tomorrow, guys," Big Nose said, as he slipped out from behind the bar to join the rest of the thugs at the table. "He'll fill us in, I wouldn't worry. He's a smart little guy."

The rest agreed and sat down to enjoy an evening meal while the snow and wind raged on outside.

XXXXXX

Eugene woke up to unfamiliar surroundings. He sat up and looked around but everything was dark and the fire was winding down. But even in the darkness, he found the one thing that he needed the most sleeping beside him. He reached out to touch Rapunzel; needing to know if she was really there or if it was his imagination. Satisfied all was real, Eugene pulled his hand back and lay back down; a smile on his face. He swore that when all was well, he would marry her and keep her beside him forever. He never wanted to lose her again, princess or not.