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Once Upon a Time
Spitfire – "Tangled"
Part Three
Wally felt his gaze go wide. It was like this tower had fallen from the sky, just for him. He heard Kaldur the horse whinny somewhere in the distance and decided not to waste this opportunity to hide.
The redheaded thief took two of the arrows he had found, one in each hand. He stretched up his arms as far as he could reach and stabbed the arrows into the mortar between the rocks that made up the fortress. To Wally's great delight, it worked very well. Slowly but surely, he was able to scale the tower.
He finally made it into the tower through an open window. Exhausted, the young man leaned heavily against a wall covered in paintings of silver crescent moons. Wally took another look into his satchel to check that the tiara was still there. Sure enough, the crown was still safe inside. "Alone at last," Kid Flash murmured.
And then something hit him from behind. Everything went black and he crumpled to the ground.
0o0o0o0
Artemis did not know what to make of this situation. She was afraid that this was what Jade had always warned her about. People would only want to use her if she were around them. At that moment, Artemis truly appreciated everything her sister had done to protect her all these years.
Once the strange man lay unconscious on her bedroom floor, Artemis ducked behind the dressmaker's dummy she kept in her room. The teenager peeked out at her unwanted visitor, her mind racing. She was sure that her sister would find some way to blame her for this. She tried to push these thoughts away.
The stranger was taller than she was. He had red hair and pale skin. He was wearing a pale yellow shirt under a dark red vest, tan breeches, and brown boots. There was a red leather bag next to him.
Artemis cautiously moved closer to the man. She gripped the cast iron skillet that she had used to knock him out with tightly. The blonde girl wasn't sure how long he'd be unconscious and she didn't want to be defenseless should he wake up suddenly.
She prodded him gently with the frying pan's handle so that she could get a better look at this stranger. Up close, Artemis could see a smattering of freckles across the man's face. This made him look a lot less threatening in Artemis's opinion.
The girl looked over at her feathered companion from his perch atop her canopy bed. Robin swooped down for a better look. Artemis could have sworn that she saw the bird shrug.
The red haired man grunted suddenly as he came to. He opened his eyes, which Artemis could see were a startling shade of green. Panicking, she promptly swung the frying pan down on him once more.
She had to find a way to hide him until she could figure out a solution. Artemis took a portion of her lengthy hair and bound it around the man's torso. The blonde girl managed to drag the stranger over to the wardrobe that stood at the far end of the room. With a great deal of effort, Artemis managed to stuff the redheaded intruder inside.
No sooner had she gotten him in there did he tumble out again. Artemis scowled and thought for a moment. She had to keep him from getting out on his own. She shoved the stranger into the wardrobe again and then dragged a small wooden chair over to where the man was entombed. The blonde teenager tilted the chair at an angle and placed the back of it under the bureau's handle. That would surely do the trick until she had time to figure out the next step.
Artemis backed away from the closet slowly. As she did this, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. A smile formed on her face. "Who can't handle herself now, Jade?" She gave the frying pan a few extra swings, feeling pretty good about how she'd handled the situation.
Then Artemis saw something else in the mirror. In the confusion of trying to hide the stranger, his bag had somehow come open. The teenager's gray gaze fell on what appeared to be a tiara.
Curious, Artemis walked over to the bag and pulled the tiara out of it. The crown was very pretty. It was made of silver, with three teardrop-shaped emeralds at the front. On either side of the emeralds was a mother-of-pearl crescent moon. Artemis wondered where the intruder had gotten such a pretty, delicate thing.
Artemis turned back to her looking glass. She placed the crown on top of her head and examined her reflection. The diadem fit her perfectly, and the emeralds went very nicely with her dress. She smiled slightly at the sight of it and Robin gave an encouraging sort of chirp from his perch on top of the mirror's frame.
This was interrupted by Jade announcing her return from outside of the tower. "Artemis, let down your hair!" the older girl called. Artemis scrambled to hide both the tiara and the satchel in a decorative orange pot. She forced herself to be calm as she hurried over to the window and began the process of pulling her sister into the tower.
"I have a surprise for you," Jade stated as she climbed in through the window.
'That's funny,' Artemis thought. 'Because I have one for you.'
Jade thrust the basket she had been using to collect berries at the younger girl. "I found parsnips," she said, sounding much too excited about such a mundane thing. "I'm going to make hazelnut soup for your birthday dinner! Surprise!"
"There's something I have to tell you, Jade," Artemis began, only to be interrupted at once by the dark haired girl.
"You'd better not be talking about the stars," Jade said in a firm voice. "Because I really thought I made myself clear to you earlier."
Annoyed, Artemis corrected her older sister at once. "They're floating lights. But I was getting to that. You told me I can't handle myself, but I can. If you just look in here-"
"Do not mention the lights ever again!" Jade exploded in a rage. "You are never going to leave this tower! Ever!"
The blonde girl was taken aback by her sister's outraged shouting. Stunned, Artemis removed her hand from the chair keeping the wardrobe shut.
Jade fell into her favorite armchair in a rather dramatic fashion. "Now I look like a villain," the older girl stated, pinching the bridge of her nose. Artemis said nothing, choosing instead to look at her latest painting. She had to see those lights. Artemis knew she'd never be at peace until she found out what they meant.
The only option left to the teenager was deception. "All I was going to say, Jade, was that I thought of something else for a birthday present." Artemis said this carefully, hoping her sister would respond well. Jade did in fact look slightly more receptive to an alternative gift. "Remember those special paints you brought me from the coast? The ones made from the seashells?"
"That's a long journey, Artemis," Jade said slowly. "You'd be here alone for nearly a week by the time I got there and back."
"I thought it would be better than going to see the...stars." The blonde girl knew this part was critical. She kept her eyes downcast and her voice quiet as she said the last part.
Finally, Jade rose from the chair. "Are you sure you'll be alright here alone?" the older girl questioned.
Artemis closed the distance between herself and her sister, giving Jade a tight hug. "I know I'm safe up here," she answered.
Jade pulled on her black travelling cape. Artemis emptied the basket of berries and parsnips and packed it with foods that that would last longer on the road. Then she used her magnificent blonde mane to lower her sister out of the tower once more. The teenage girl watched her sister until Jade was no longer visible.
When Artemis was certain that her sister had gone, she crept back over to the wardrobe, frying pan in hand. With her free hand, Artemis moved the chair from in front of the door. She swung a section of her hair like a lasso and attached it to the door handle. Then she yanked it open and the man fell out.
She moved forward to examine him again, but he was still unconscious. Satisfied, Artemis dragged him to where the chair sat. It took awhile, but finally Artemis managed to position him upright. She then wove her hair around him in an intricate pattern so he was completely bound to the chair.
Robin was clearly just as interested in the man as she was. The red bird perched on the man's shoulder, peering at him with beady little bird eyes. Robin then hit the man's face with one of his wings. The strange intruder did not respond. Undeterred, Robin sank his tiny talons into the man's shoulder.
He woke with a start.
0o0o0o0
When Wally came to, he had no idea where he was. He could also feel a bump on his head that had to be at least the size of an egg.
The thief looked around. He was in a circular room decorated with what had to be hundreds of paintings. The tower! He remembered now. He had tricked his associate Speedy into handing over the princess's tiara and kept it for himself.
Wally then realized that he was tied to the chair he was sitting in. He looked down and felt his eyes widen in horror when he realized he was bound by human hair.
Kid Flash's green eyes followed the trail of hair around the tower. There had to be at least one hundred feet of the shiny blonde locks. He was not looking forward to meeting whoever apparently lived in this tower. It was obviously some kind of crazy hermit if the ridiculous amount of hair was anything to go by.
"Don't struggle. It's pointless," said a girl's voice. She was clearly trying to sound as if she weren't afraid, but Wally definitely detected a quaver of fear.
Wally looked up and saw that the voice had come from the rafters. The girl who had spoken was also the owner of the golden hair. She was clutching a cast iron frying pan. At least now he knew why his head hurt so badly.
There was a low thudding sound. The girl leapt down from the rafters in a graceful way, landing lightly on her feet. Kid Flash noticed that she was still gripping her frying pan.
"I know why you came here," the girl said in an accusatory tone. "But I won't let you have it. I'm not frightened of you."
"What?" Wally spluttered in a particularly undignified manner. Why would she be afraid of him? Clearly, this girl was the one to be afraid of. She was crazy.
His very blonde companion stepped into the light. Wally's first thought was that it was too bad this girl was so totally insane. She was beautiful. Her hair may have been too long, but it framed her pretty face nicely. She had stormy gray eyes that were slightly narrowed as they looked at him. And, as crazy as it was, he almost liked the way she was wielding the skillet.
The girl raised the frying pan in a threatening way. "Who are you? How did you find me?"
Wally had always been a quick thinker. He was sure that this mysterious girl would fall for the old Kid Flash charms just like all the others. The redhead cleared his throat and began, "I don't know who you are, or how I came to find you. But may I just say that you are beautiful?" And then he gave her his best smile. "My name is Kid Flash. You may have heard of me." The girl's silvery eyes narrowed in a way that suggested she had not, in fact, heard of him.
"Who else knows where I am, Kid Flash?" She made a scoffing sound. "What kind of name is that, anyway?"
Insulted that she'd made fun of his name, Wally narrowed his own eyes. "Blondie-"
"Artemis."
"Fine. Artemis. I was being chased through the forest. I saw your tower. I climbed up with-" And then the redhead realized that his bag with the precious crown was no longer on his person. "Where's my satchel?" Wally demanded.
The girl – Artemis – crossed her arms over her chest. She looked awfully smug. "I hid it. You'll never find it."
Wally took another look around the circular room. His gaze fell on an orange port. "I bet it's in there."
This time he saw it coming when she hit him with the skillet.
He woke up again to the little bird pinching him. "Ow! Would you make him stop doing that?"
Artemis had adopted her smug expression once more. "Now it's somewhere you'll never find it, Kid Flash." She walked towards him. Wally felt himself flinch. Artemis began circling his chair. "What do you want with my hair? To cut it? Sell it?"
"No! I don't want anything to do with your hair! I just want to get out of it! And I mean that in a literal sense!"
She looked confused. "You really don't want my hair?"
Wally shook his head to emphasize this. I told you. I was being chased. I saw the tower. I climbed it. That's it."
Artemis sounded dubious as she asked, "So you're telling the truth?"
"Yes!" Wally insisted. The bird flew off of its perch on Artemis's shoulder and landed along the rim of the skillet. If it were possible for a bird to glare, Wally would swear that the robin was glaring at him. The stupid thing was that the look was rather menacing.
Artemis tucked the skillet under one arm and scooped the bird into her palm. Wally heard snatches of conversation that made it seem as if she were talking to it. "I know, Robin, but someone has to show me...I think he's telling the truth. What other option do I have?"
Then she turned back to face him. "Alright, Kid Flash, do you know what these are?" Artemis asked. She pointed out one of the many paintings covering the tower walls. As far as Wally could tell, the painting was simply dozens of the lanterns released into the sky every year, with a tiny Artemis looking up at them.
"That's the lantern thing the king and queen do for the lost princess."
"Lanterns," Artemis repeated softly, more to herself than to him. "I knew they weren't stars." Robin chirped, as if in agreement. "Well, tomorrow these lanterns will be in the night sky. If you want the satchel back, you will take me to see them and then escort me back here safely."
Wally shook his head. He struggled pointlessly against his bonds. "I can't do that. The kingdom and I...don't see eye to eye on certain things. Hence why I was running away from it."
The red robin perched on Artemis's shoulder mimed for her to hit him with the frying pan again. Artemis ignored her feathered friend and used her lengthy hair to pull Wally and his chair closer to her. The blonde girl leaned in dangerously close to him. "Something brought you here," she said firmly. "Destiny, a twist of fate..."
"It was a horse," the thief told her flatly.
Artemis didn't seem to hear this part. "I have decided to trust you."
Wally couldn't believe this girl. "That's a horrible decision."
Her eyes were narrowed again. "You can tear the tower apart stone by stone. But I promise that you will never find that satchel without me to help you."
The redhead was thinking quickly again. "If I take you to see the lanterns, I can have my bag back?" he questioned.
"That's the deal."
Kid Flash could see no other option. He looked up at Artemis with his patented expression of seduction, which he had nicknamed "The Smolder." Artemis, however, was seemingly unimpressed by this and regarded him with a blank expression on her face. "Well, that's never happened," Wally pouted. "The Smolder always works. Fine, I'll take you to the lanterns."
Artemis smiled for the first time and unbound him from the chair. The redhead seized the arrows he had used to scale the tower with and started down once more. The thief was halfway down before he realized that Artemis had yet to follow him. She stood in the window frame, hesitating.
"Are you coming?" Kid Flash demanded.
Artemis's long golden mane went soaring past him.
0o0o0o0
Artemis let down her hair and used it as a rope, just like Jade had done so many times. She was just inches off the ground when she hesitated again. If she went back now, she wouldn't technically break her promise to Jade.
But she was so close now. She had to do this. So she did.
Her first reaction was joy. The sun was shining and birds were chirping. For the first time ever, Artemis ran though the forest, her long hair flying out behind her. She laughed heartily at the sheer bliss of it all.
"I can't believe I did this!" she shouted happily as Kid Flash followed her, looking less than thrilled about their little arrangement. "I can't believe I did this," Artemis repeated softly, thinking of Jade and how angry and disappointed her sister would be if she ever found out. "My sister would be furious if she knew."
Artemis sat down on a nearby boulder and hid her face in her hands. She was attempting to think over what to do. She heard Kid Flash approach her and clear his throat.
"You seem at war with yourself here," he said. "I'm going to let you out of the deal. I'll take you home now, your sister will never know, you'll give me back my satchel, and we'll be unlikely friends who never see each other again."
But Artemis knew in her heart that she must not give up. "No," she said finally. "I have to see the lanterns."
Kid Flash scowled, but relented. "Worth a try," he said.
There was a crackling sound from a cluster of bushes. Artemis dove behind Kid Flash, gripping one of his hands with her free one. "Is it bandits?" she asked.
Kid Flash snorted and let go of her hand immediately. He stepped aside for her so she could see that the maker of the noise was simply a fluffy gray rabbit. "I'm jumpy." Artemis found herself explaining crossly as she folded her arms over her chest. "I've never been outside before."
The redhead nodded. "It's probably a good idea to avoid bandits though," he said slowly. Artemis nodded, and he spoke up again. "Are you hungry? I know a great little tavern."
0o0o0o0
Meanwhile, Cheshire was almost out of the forest when she heard a suspicious sound, like a branch being broken. The woman looked around and saw a rather handsome brown horse with a pale yellow mane and tail. There were wavy black lines on his front legs. The horse looked disappointed, as if expecting to see someone else.
"A palace horse," Cheshire said slowly upon catching sight of the crescent moon emblem adorning the horse's harness. "But where's your rider?"
Cheshire wheeled around and ran through the forest as fast as she could, expertly dodging the various obstacles littering the forest floor. In a considerably short time, Cheshire was back at the tower. "Artemis!"
There was no response. Cheshire hurried to the door on the other side of the tower. It had been years since she'd needed to use it and ivy had long since grown over the door. Cheshire ripped the plants away and threw open the door. It opened up into a passageway that came into the middle of the floor in the tower's main room.
The tower was dark. Artemis was nowhere to be seen. "Artemis! Artemis!"
Cheshire fell to the floor in despair. She would not miss the girl, but without Artemis's magic hair, she would die. She wondered how much longer she would have to live. Cheshire looked around the room for any clues as to where Artemis had gone. Something shiny caught her eye. She got up again and crossed to it.
Hidden under the staircase was Artemis's tiara from when she had been an infant princess. She tossed it aside angrily and then looked inside the red leather bag once more. Folded up inside was a Wanted poster with the name Kid Flash underneath it.
Cheshire narrowed her eyes. Then she repacked the bag with the crown and the Wanted poster. She then went into her own bedroom and took out her sai from its hiding place.
She set out again, determined to get Artemis back.
0o0o0o0
Artemis followed Kid Flash through the forest. As they turned around another bend, Artemis saw a sign that said "The Watchtower." A shabby, rundown sort of building stood slightly beyond that.
Kid Flash through open the door and announced, "Your finest table, please!"
The room's occupants all turned to look at them at once. Artemis heard herself gasp at the sight of the patrons. Most were men, but there were a few women as well. All of them seemed to have weapons on their persons, as well as strange insignias that the blonde girl didn't recognize. All wore the same kind of scowl. She was instantly nervous and found herself inching closer to Kid Flash. He had brought her to this place; the least he could do was stay between her and the other customers.
A man with a pointed "A" emblem on his belt caught hold of Artemis' mane. "That is a lot of hair."
Artemis gathered up as much of her hair as she could hold and held out her frying pan, ready to swing if anyone came too near for her liking. Kid Flash, meanwhile, was looking at her with the teenager judged to be mock concern. "If you can't handle a place like this, I should take you home."
The blonde teenager threw a glare in her companion's direction as he attempted to usher her out the door. But before they were able to leave, one of the bigger customers with a bat emblem on his chest slammed the door shut. He held up a Wanted poster adorned with what was clearly a drawing of Kid Flash. "This is you," the bat man said flatly. "Billy! Go find those soldiers that were just in here. I could use that reward."
One of the other patrons who looked younger than the others scurried off at once. Kid Flash had been seized by one of the women. She was tall with shiny black hair and had a "W" on her outfit. "I could use it more."
The redhead was passed around the whole tavern as patrons fought over him. Artemis knew she had to help him or she would lose her guide.
Artemis stood up on one of the chairs that had been abandoned. "Put him down!" the teenager shouted about the racket. She swung her frying pan around a few times for good measure. The man who was holding Kid Flash put him down. The redhead then slunk away to a corner, obviously hoping no one would notice him again for awhile. But Artemis could have sworn that he shot her a grateful look, if only for a second.
Now that she had the thugs' attention, Artemis felt a little nervous. What if they decided to fight over her next? But she had to be brave. "None of you are going to turn him in," she stated with an authority in her voice that she hadn't even known she'd had. Several pairs of eyes glared at her, but the girl stood firm. "He's taking me to see the lanterns. I've been dreaming about it my whole life."
There was a lengthy silence. Then the bat man said, "I had a dream once. I wanted to learn how to play piano."
"I want to fall in love!" exclaimed a thug with an ornate "S" design on his chest.
One by one, all of the patrons shared their dreams. Even Kid Flash mumbled something about wanting to live alone on an island far away, surrounded by wealth.
No one noticed Cheshire's dark figure watching through the window.