Chapter 7: A Whole New World
Quasi quickly made his way down the side of the tower, swinging from stone to stone before he landed on the ground gracefully. He looked back up at the window, putting his hand over his eyes to let him see, adjusting the bag over his shoulder with his other hand.
"Are you coming, Rapunzel!" he called up to her.
Rapunzel slowly stepped out onto the edge of the windowsill, clutching her hair which was wrapped around the beam sticking out allowing her to lower herself down to the ground, her frying pan tucked under her arm. She looked down at the ground far below, her eyes falling on Quasi, who waved to her encouragingly.
"Look at the world so close and I'm half way to it," she sung to herself, "Look it all, so big, do I even dare?"
She turned back to look inside, staring at the picture she had painted of herself watching the lanterns.
"Look at me, here at last, I just have to do it," she sang, before a doubtful expression crossed her face.
"Should I?" she said before shaking her head and turning back to the outside with a look of fierce determination on her face, "No. Here I go."
Pascal climbed up onto her shoulder before tying a strand of her hair around his stomach and signaling he was ready. She giggled before she grabbed her hair and tossed it out the window. It cascaded down the side in a neat line, stopping just above the ground. Letting out a shout of pure joy, she jumped out the window, sliding down her own hair, laughing all the way.
As she reached the bottom though, she stopped herself, looking at the ground below her nervously. Slowly, she lowered a foot down, touching the grass and dirt beneath her. She quickly stood up, laughing as she did so.
"Just smell the grass, the dirt, just like I dreamed they'd be," Rapunzel sang as she dropped her pan and lay on the ground, running her hands over the grass around her, smiling up at Quasi as he grinned down at her.
"Just feel that summer breeze, the way it's calling me," she continued as she stood up and ran over to the stream running through the valley, dipping her feet in it.
"For like the first time ever, I'm completely free!" he sung as she picked some of the water up and throwing it into the air, laughing as she did.
"I could go running, and racing, and dancing, and chasing," she sang as she took off in a run towards the cave leading out of the valley. Quasi quickly picked up the frying pan and raced after her, "and leaping, and bounding! Hair flying! Heart pounding! And splashing! And reeling! And finally feeling that's when my liiiife BEEEEGIIIIIIIIIINNSS!"
"I can't believe I did this!" Rapunzel exclaimed as she looked around at the forest surrounding her, "I can't believe I did this!"
"It's pretty exhilarating, huh?" Quasi asked as he caught up with her.
"Mother would be so furious," Rapunzel said with a slight groan.
"Come on," Quasi said as he handed her the frying pan back as he walked towards the forest, "Come on, let's go exploring."
"I mean what she doesn't know won't kill her," Rapunzel said later as she sat on a rock in the middle of a small pond, holding a lily pad in her hand. Quasi sat behind her, slowly kicking his feet in the water.
"Oh my gosh, this would kill her," Rapunzel moaned as she sat in a cave in the fetal position as Quasi watched from the mouth of the cave with a worried look on his face.
"THIS IS SO FUN!" Rapunzel shouted as she and Quasi ran down a hill. At the bottom, Rapunzel kicked a pile of leaves into the air, sending them scattering about.
"I am a horrible daughter," Rapunzel groaned as she stood on a large tree branch with her head against the trunk. Quasi sat on the same branch, looking up at her in confusion, "I have to go back."
"I AM NEVER GOING BACK!" she screamed as she and Quasi rolled down a hill together, Rapunzel becoming tangled in her hair as she did so.
"I am a disciple human being," Rapunzel sobbed as she lay face down in a field of flowers.
"BEST DAY EVER!" Rapunzel exclaimed as she swung from a tree by her hair, Quasi doing the same on another strand of her hair. A few minutes later and Rapunzel was sitting against a rock, sobbing into her hands. Quasi walked up to her, awkwardly looking at her while trying to think of what to do.
"Um, Rapunzel," Quasi began holding out his hand but not touching her, "Are you alright?"
"It's just…as much as I want to do this, I can't help but feel bad about going behind my mother's back to do it," Rapunzel explained.
"You're afraid of her punishing you?" Quasi asked.
"No," Rapunzel said, looking at him with confusion, "I'm afraid of disappointing her. Weren't you afraid of that, when you left the cathedral?"
"My master…has found many reasons to be disappointed in me," Quasi replied hesitantly, "It wasn't the main concern I had. Whatever punishment he devised was."
"That…That's horrible," Rapunzel whispered as she stood up, "It sounds like you're afraid of him."
Quasi looked away from her uncomfortably.
"You are," Rapunzel said with surprise, "How could your own father make you afraid of him? And why do you call him master?"
"He insists I call him master. He's not my real father you see," Quasi explained.
"He's not?" Rapunzel asked, "What happened to your parents?"
"He says my mother abandoned me at the cathedral when I was a baby. That he found and raised me," Quasi elaborated, "He said my mother abandoned me because I was so ugly."
"He's lying," Rapunzel said bluntly, a serious expression on her face.
"What?" Quasi asked, surprised by her bluntness.
"He's lying," Rapunzel repeated.
"How do you know?" Quasi asked, taken aback.
"Because no mother would abandon her child like that," Rapunzel said with determined look on her face, "My mother has her flaws. She's protective and a bit judgmental, but I know she loves me."
She reached out with her hand and placed it on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"And I know yours loved you," Rapunzel stated, "I don't know why your…master is lying about this, and I can't prove that he is, but I just feel it in my heart. No mother would give up her child so willingly."
"Thank you, Rapunzel," Quasi said, smiling up at her, "That means a lot."
"And thank you for trying to comfort me," Rapunzel replied, smiling as well, "But despite all my worries, I need to see this through to the end."
"Alright," Quasi agreed with a nod, before turning towards a part of the forest, "I think the road is back this way."
Before they could continue onwards though, a rustling came from the bushes in front of them. With a panicked squeal, Rapunzel jumped on Quasi, quickly latching onto his back, looking over his shoulder at the bush.
"Is it ruffians! Thugs! Have they come for me!" She cried as she pointed her frying pan at the bush while Pascal clung to her shoulder. After a moment, the bush stopped rustling and a small brown rabbit hopped out. The three of them stared at the rabbit for a few moments, blinking in surprise.
"It's a rabbit," Quasi said after a moment, "It's not going to hurt us. I think."
"Sorry," Rapunzel apologized, blushing in embarrassment as she fiddled with her frying pan, "I'm just a bit jumpy."
"It's okay," Quasi replied with a chuckle while feeling slightly disappointed that she had stopped clinging to him, "Now, as long as there are no more dangerous rabbits waiting for us, I think we can continue."
"Lead the way, brave adventurer," Rapunzel said with a laugh, indicating for him to lead the way. Quasi laughed as well before they made their way into the forest.
Meanwhile
Gothel made her way through the brush of forest on her journey, coming to a clearing. As she did, she suddenly heard the sound of voices coming from just out a view. Panicking, she quickly ducked behind a tree. As she did, Phoebus and Maximus rode into the clearing, Maximus sniffing along the ground.
"Give it a rest, Maximus," Phoebus sighed as he patted Maximus on the side, "The trails gone cold."
Gothel peered around the edge of the tree, before quickly ducking back behind it as she caught sight of the two of them.
"A Coronan guard," she whispered to herself, before realization crossed her face, "Rapunzel!"
She hurried back the way she came, careful to move quietly before she was sure she was out of earshot and took off running. Soon enough, she had reached the tower, looking up at it in a panic.
"Rapunzel!" she cried up to the tower "Let down your hair!"
"Rapunzel!" she called again, a panicked tone in her voice. Getting no response, she rushed to a part of the base of the tower, where she ripped a part of the ivy that had grown around the tower off, revealing a walled up doorway. She quickly pulled the stones out of the doorway and raced up the staircase revealed behind it. Moments later, she knocked a stone out of the floor of the main room and climbed through.
"Rapunzel!" she cried looking around the darkened room. She ran around, looking in every place she could possibly think of to look, but could not find her young daughter anywhere.
Panicking, she ran her hands through her hair before running to her drawer and opening it. Reaching inside, she pulled a knife out. Holding it, she examined the blade for a moment before putting it in her robes and rushing out of the tower.
She began making her way through the forest, back towards where she had seen Phoebus and Maximus. Moving through the forest, she followed the trail the horse had left behind, before slowing down when she heard voices ahead of her.
"Captain Phoebus!" she heard a man call out of sight as she ducked behind a tree.
"Any luck finding the thieves men?" Phoebus asked as he rode up to meet the approaching guards.
"We caught the Stabbington brothers," one of the guards reported, "Any luck finding the hunchback?"
"No, I lost him over a cliff," Phoebus growled.
"You think he survived?" another guard asked.
"I'm sure of it," Phoebus replied, before whispering to himself, "I should have never let him go."
"Sir, if you'd like, we can interrogate the Stabbington brothers. See if they have any idea where the hunchback might be heading," one of the guards suggested.
"Good idea, soldier," Phoebus agreed as he and the two soldiers who had come out to meet him turned and rode off into the brush, Gothel following behind them. Eventually, they broke through the forest and came out on a road where another group of soldiers were waiting, the Stabbingtons locked in chains among them.
"Captain Phoebus," one of the other guards greeted, "Good to see you alright, sir."
"Thank you soldier," Phoebus replied, "Have the thieves revealed anything?"
"Nothing, sir," the solider answered, "They refuse to talk."
"We'll see about that," Phoebus said forebodingly. Before he could continue though, the sound of approaching hoofbeats caught their attention. A moment later, Frollo and a pair of guards came riding up.
"Judge Frollo," Phoebus greeted as he and the other guards saluted.
"Captain," Frollo greeted with a curt nod, "I see you have captured two of the thieves. What of the hunchback and the crown?"
"No sir," Phoebus replied disappointedly, "We lost him and the crown."
"Disappointing," Frollo said as he gave Phoebus a dark look, "Have you tried interrogating these two criminals?"
"We we're about to when you arrived, sir," Phoebus explained, before turning to the Stabbington brothers, "Where did the hunchback go?"
The brothers remained silent, not even looking at Phoebus.
"The captain asked you a question!" one of the guards shouted before kicking Fletch in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.
"We don't know!" Drake shouted, "The bastard left us to rot, we have no idea where he went."
"He left you?" Phoebus asked, "Probably a smart decision, knowing you cutthroats."
"So you have no idea where he may have gone?" Frollo asked. The brothers remained silent.
"Very well," Frollo said, nodding to the guards, "Take these criminals back to the Palace of Justice. Maybe the interrogation chambers will loosen their tongues."
"Wait!" Drake said as the guards began to lead him and his brother away, "We don't know for sure where he has gone, but we have an idea."
"We do?" Fletch asked.
"We did see Esmeralda chasing after the hunchback, didn't we?" Drake questioned, smiling.
"We did," Fletch agreed as he remembered, "Hard to mistake that girl."
"What is the relevance of this girl?" Frollo asked, becoming impatient.
"Well you see, she's part of a band of thieves," Drake explained, "A group of thieves we've had dealings with in the past."
"What's your point?" Phoebus asked.
"My point is, she may have told him where there secret base is," Drake elaborated, "A base that we also know the location of."
"Then you will tell us where it is," Frollo stated, brokering no argument.
"Not so fast, your honor," Drake said quickly, "We need to make a deal first."
"Deal?" Frollo questioned, "Why would I make a deal with two scoundrels like yourselves?"
"Because you'll never find their base without us," Drake replied simply.
"We can make you tell us," Frollo snarled.
"And we can lie," Drake retorted. Frollo growled at the larger man for a few moments before turning away.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
"Just our freedom of course," Drake replied with a shrug.
"Very well," Frollo grunted before nodding to the guards. The guards then released the brothers from their chains. Drake smiled as he rubbed his wrists and looked up at Frollo.
"Now lead us to this base," Frollo commanded, "And I warn you, if you lead us on some sort wild goose chase, you will be stretching the hangman's rope by tomorrow morning."
"Understood," Drake replied with a nod.
"Then lead on, Mr. Stabbington," Frollo said, gesturing towards the forest.
"So much for honor amongst thieves," Phoebus commented as the group began to move out.
"Wait!" a voice cried from the forest. Turning, the group saw Gothel running out into the open, "Please, you have to help me!"
"What's the problem, ma'am?" Phoebus asked, instantly on alert.
"My daughter!" Gothel exclaimed, running up to Phoebus, "She's gone and I can't find her."
"She's gone?" Phoebus asked, "Where do you live, ma'am?"
"In a cottage in the woods," Gothel explained, "Please sir, she's all I have!"
"We don't have time for this," Frollo growled. Gothel quickly changed tactics, running over to Frollo and grasping his hand in hers.
"Please, kind sir," she pleaded, pulling his hand towards the top of her chest, "Please help me find my baby girl. I'll do anything."
Frollo's eyes widened in surprised as she pulled his hand to her. He felt his face heat up as he felt her soft skin against his, his fingers touching the base of her breasts. Looking into her eyes, he saw her pleading look, but something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but something that made his heart beat faster, especially when she said the word "anything."
"Sir," Phoebus said, snapping Frollo out of his thoughts, "Perhaps this is connected. Perhaps the hunchback broke into their house to hide, and ended up making off with her daughter."
"That's a lot of guessing, Captain," Frollo commented as he recomposed himself, pulling his hand from Gothel's grasp.
"It couldn't hurt to bring the woman along," Phoebus argued, "We might just run across the girl on our way."
Frollo looked from Phoebus back to Gothel, who gazed up at him pleadingly. Frollo felt his heart pick up speed again before looking away.
"Very well," Frollo relented with a sigh, "We shall bring the woman along in the off chance we run across her daughter."
"Thank you so much, sir," Gothel thanked him.
"Don't thank me yet," Frollo said in a warning tone, "We have a long way to go yet and we can't afford to have you slow us down."
"Of course," Gothel replied as she reached up and ran her hand along Frollo's leg, causing him to go rigid in his saddle, "You won't even know I'm here."
Frollo quickly shook it off before they group began to make their way into the forest, the Stabbington brothers in the lead.
A/N: Quick chapter, hope you guys liked it! Sets up some of the things to come as well as allowing me some fun character interactions. Please review!