Chapter 8

It was a miracle of sorts. Warm, almost springlike air, unusual for this time of year, descended upon Corona and its environs for a few weeks, clearing up the paths and making it possible for limited travel.

It had melted just enough for Gothel and the Stabbington brothers to make their way to the castle and into the tower itself.

But the castle it seems wasn't very ecstatic to have Queen Greta back. Gothel was though. She had arrived just in the nick of time. Besides almost running out of her elixir; there had been talk of revolution and treason that had spread throughout the castle like wildfire. Three months, they told the Queen, was a long time to be separated from her subjects. And although there actually wasn't a successor to the throne, there was only one person they thought of and that Bastian Smyth, the groundskeeper and caretaker. He was the closest the Queen in everything else, but age. Why, he was practically running the place while she had been gone.

Gothel stared at her advisers and courtiers in disbelief. Bastian Smyth? Why, he wasn't even a nobleman. He was simply a commoner who she was having an affair with, and he wasn't that great a lover either.

There must be something she could do. That man would ruin the entire kingdom. She'd rather see her stepdaughter on the throne than…

Stepdaughter? Was she serious? Where was that girl anyway? Hadn't she come here to find out? Forgetting about everything else, she ran to find that magic mirror of hers.

Mirror, mirror in my hand

Show me is the fairest in the land

Gothel's resemblance disappeared only to be replaced by the face of someone, someone that she didn't even recognize. The girl was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, but there was something familiar about her. Was it those large green eyes or the long dark brown hair?

Of course it was; it had to be Rapunzel. Only three months had gone by, could she have changed that much?

"So that little imp is still alive," she said, shaking her head. "But where is she?"

She remembered hearing the twins talking about an inn, an inn in the village of Perth, which was about three weeks to a month travel time, especially walking distance. Traveling by horse, it would be almost a two weeks, depending on the weather. It wasn't a short distance.

Greta wanted this girl gone and she knew she wanted to do it herself, with the help of the twins, but she wasn't sure of their motives any longer. She was almost sure that they knew about the elixir and they wanted it for themselves.

Speaking of the elixir, she was in dire need of some, plus she need to refill her flask. The Queen couldn't afford to have someone discover the source of her secret though. The elixir was one thing, but once it ran out, how would they refill it?

To the end, she would send her closest advisor, Bastion with them. For once, she would stay here and monitor the situation. If things didn't work out as planned, she would be forced to travel to Perth alone and do the deed herself.

But she wouldn't make that mistake twice. She wasn't leaving the castle again, not if she didn't have to. And she definitely wasn't going to abandon her subjects again, no way.

Greta smiled thinking about it. She'd call the three of them up to meet with her, and maybe, just maybe, she could kill two birds with one stone.

Or perhaps even three.

XXXXXX

Eye Patch couldn't believe his luck. The two of them had been given rooms of their own, not too far from Rapunzel's Tower, as it came to be known. They were, as the Queen had feared, dead set on getting that elixir and the flower that it came from. It meant so much more to them than the pittance that they'd receive killing the princess.

They would be rich, Sideburns told him, richer than anyone else in the world. They could market this elixir and they, along with their customers, would live forever. Now all they had to do was find this magic flower that everyone was talking about. That's where the power came from after all.

But where was it hidden? And how could they reproduce it? When would it run out of the magic? No one knew anything, except perhaps the Queen herself.

That's where his brother was now, gathering much needed information. There was another man here, someone named Bastian, who called himself the groundskeeper and caretaker of the castle. But was he or was he something more than that?

And honestly, Eye Patch thought, could they really trust him?

It was then the door burst open and his brother walked in followed by one young handsome dude. He had sandy blond hair and large blue eyes. He was tall and slender and his chiseled features made him a stand out.

Very strange, he reminded him of Rider. Not the way he looked, but his swagger, his attitude and the way he carried himself.

It was as if he knew everything about anything and then some.

Eye Patch kinda guessed that this stranger was none other than Bastian Smyth and if it was, he could understand the Queen's love and trust for him.

"This is…" Sideburns began, but Eye Patch extended his hand before his brother could finish.

"Nice to meet you, Smyth. I suppose you know who I am?"

Bastian smiled. "I've been briefed by your brother here."

He withdrew his hand from Eye Patch and turned to Sideburns.

"Well, I've gotten new orders from the Queen herself."

Eye Patch and Sideburns stared at one another.

"What does that mean?" Sideburns asked staring at Bastian.

"It means, thieves; we have to be ready to go to Perth to find the Princess Rapunzel. Queen Greta will stay here, while we track the princess. There is a large payout and a reward for getting her back safely to the castle."

"Now who's with me?