Mother Gothel had a bad feeling.

She pulled her dark midnight blue cloak closer to herself, despite the warm summer air. She could really leave Rapunzel alone for three days, right? It's not like Gothel would wake up as ashes the following morning? Just get the paint for Rapunzel and everything would be fine.

But as Gothel continued through the lush green forest she was suddenly sprang upon a horse. It was white with a rather crazy look in its eyes. Gothel let out a proclaim of surprise and the horse gave her one look before it sighed through his nose in a very disappointed way.

Getting over her shock quickly she merely uttered in a bored voice, "A palace horse?" She eyed the symbol of Corona on his saddle. It was a golden sun with its rays shooting out in a wavy pattern.

Then something hit her.

"Where's your rider?" She asked, her grey eyes going wide. "Rapunzel."

"RAPUNZEL!" She tossed her basket aside and hurried back down the familiar path, hearing the horse let out a dismayed whine as she ran dramatically; her cape flowing in the wind.

In a matter of minutes, Gothel was back at the tower, her curly hair even more wild. At the bottom of the tower she clasped her hands and said anxiously, "Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"

There was no answer. No familiar mane of gold hair swinging down the tower.

"Rapunzel?" Gothel called, more manically.

Nothing.

She ran to the other side of the tower and pulled away moss and tore at rocks with surprising strength. She clawed her way through until she came across the hidden staircase in the tower. She climbed it with breathtaking speed, where it led ta ceiling. She pushed up and a square piece of the celling came off. It lead to the kitchen tower. She climbed hastily over it, stood up, whipping her head around frantically.

The tower was dark and cold looking. No Rapunzel was I sight.

Gothel eyed the curtain that led to her bedroom and made her way over there. She checked her bed—no Rapunzel.

Gothel lost all demeanor, breathing heavily she went back into the main room of the tower and tore down the curtains. Letting one ray of sunshine in.

She brushed her hands in her hair, eyes wide. This could not be happening.

You really didn't expect her to stay forever did you? A voice chided.

Gothel snapped her head upwards looking around the dark tower.

She was bound to leave at some point. You didn't think containing a teenager would be as easy as killing people….like you have?

"Who's there?!" Gothel growled.

Poor, poor, Gothel, the voice tutted. Doomed to be middle aged tomorrow. Then to appear a grandmother the next day. Wrinkly and crumpled in a week…dust in two.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Gothel screamed her heart pounding.

I know everyone's fears Gothel…and by far yours is the most pathetic. For as long as you've cheated death you still can't accept the fact that you. Are. OLD. That you rely on a princess and her magic hair. As long as she is dead and struggling to live it doesn't matter. It only matters that you live while she rots in here.

Gothel fell to her knees, shivering.

But then again we have something in common…

We need to find some teenagers…

Gothel looked up and saw the figure of a man melt out of the shadows. He was tall and a dark, charcoal gray. He had black hair that was up in spikes that seemed to match his teeth. His yellow luminous eyes made her skin crawl.

"Why don't you look to your right?"

Gothel shakily got up and stared at the man in defiance. Something from her right was casting a light in her eyes. She arched an eyebrow and walked to a staircase from which the light was coming from.

She lifted the top of it off, grabbed whatever it was which seemed to be inside a satchel, and—

She gasped and threw it to the ground. The diamonds winked menacingly at her. It was a crown…the one that belonged to the Lost Princess…that belonged to Rapunzel.

She pulled out more contents of the bag and found a wanted poster. It showed the face of a man with the name: FLYNN RIDER.

"That's one of the men that took your daughter," gray man said. "The other is the teenager I'm looking for. His name…Jack Frost. And he and your daughter share a connection. He is a child of the moon where she is a child of the sun. Day and night—light and darkness—winter and spring. Life and death. Together they could be dangerous…and it's important we find them and rip them apart."

Gothel, still panting, whispered to him, "Why should I trust you?"

He rolled his eyes impatiently. "I have no need for the girl. I am already immortal."

Gothel eyed him before merely saying, "What is your name?"

The man grinned idly. "Pitch—Pitch Black. You might know me better as the Boogeyman…."

XxX

Flynn sighed, patting Rapunzel's shoulder. "You know what? We're all taking you back."

Rapunzel gave him a weird look through her tears. "What?"

North came in fast. "No Rider. We are ALL taking her." He crossed his arms and glowered down at Flynn. He gulped under the gaze of North.

"I meant…we're taking her back to the Snuggly Duckling! Very quaint place, served excellent lunch!"

North raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Ah' agree with Rider," Merida proclaimed, playing with one of the tears in her dress. "Ah'm starvin'!"

"See?" Flynn grinned. "Red seems to agree with me!"

"Don' call me 'Red,' pretty boy."

Flynn glanced at Merida once before grinning at everyone again. "C'mon it'll be great!"

Hiccup and Jack weren't convinced, but Merida's rumbling stomach seemed to make the decision. Rapunzel wiped her nose before stating, "Well, I do like ducklings."

"Yay!" Flynn cried.

XxX

"Gotho! Your finest table please!" Flynn cried, slamming the door open.

Rapunzel and Hiccup gave a gasp when they saw the sight in front of them. Jack's mouth opened slightly and his eyes bugged; he rubbed is knuckles wishing that he had his staff. Merida and North were unaffected and merely gave a scowl to anyone that glanced in their direction.

Ruffians, thugs, you name it. Everyone in the cavern were huge and evil looking. North made to grab Flynn by the collar but he ducked and strolled inside, his arm around Rapunzel.

Hiccup thought that maybe if was a Guardian, or whatever the Odin he was, he might get strength or suddenly be a magnet to girls. So far this whole entire gig seemed like a joke. Everyone was bigger than him in here—it was like being back at Berk.

Rapunzel had her frying pan held out in front of her protecting, Pascal hiding in her hair.

"Take a big breath through the nose," Flynn said, doing what he told her to do. "What do you smell? To me its part bad man smell and the other part is REALLY bad man smell."

Jack growled and came forward. Hiccup and Merida followed, and North was cracking his knuckles his eyes set at Flynn. The Ruffians closed in on them and the door slammed shut behind them.

"I don't know why but it really makes me think of the color brown, your thoughts?"

There was tug on Rapunzel's hair and she shrieked, running forward and gathering her hair in her hands.

A ruffian had a strand of Rapunzel's hair in his hands. "That's a lot of hair…." He said.

"She's growing it out," Flynn grinned. "Is that blood in your mustache? Blondie, check out all the blood in his mustache! Yes sir, that's a lot of blood!"

Rapunzel was breathing frantically, frying pan held out.

"Geez, you don't look so good, Blondie. Maybe you should call it out and go home…"

North's blue eyes widened. He charged forward and grabbed Flynn by the back of the collar.

"You promised," he growled in Flynn's face, his blue eyes boring into Flynn's brown ones. "And you vill keep that promise."

They were interrupted when a ruffian slammed a poster onto the wall. It was Flynn's poster. "Is this you?" He asked slowly.

Flynn and North exchanged looks. Slowly, North let Flynn down and Flynn looked at the poster. He scrutinized at it before lifting the man's finger, where it was covering the nose.

It showed a very elongated version of Flynn's nose.

"Okay, now they're just being mean."

"Oh, it's him all right!" A ruffian yelled.

All hell broke loose.

Everyone grabbed Flynn; other grabbed North thinking that he was in league with Flynn. Hiccup made to run forward to help, but someone grabbed him by the back of his vest and hung him on a hook. Jack pounded his fists against the ruffians' backs, frost coating their fur and leather vests. One grabbed Jack hung him upside down and slammed his head against the table. Jack fell to the ground, dazed and confused. Merida fought tooth and nail, before a ruffian grabbed her from behind and hugged her teddy-bear style. This man was about three times larger than Merida's small form.

Rapunzel scowled and then slammed her frying pan against the backs of the ruffians. "GIVE—ME—BACK—MY—GUIDES!"

She saw them harassing Flynn, trying to knock him out. She lost her temper and saw a twig coming out of the wooden walls. She wrapped her hair around it and pulled as hard as she could. When she unwrapped her hair, the twig snapped hard on a bald man's head.

Everyone went silent. Jack even got out of his stupor and glanced up in shock.

"PUT HIM DOWN!" Rapunzel yelled, her green eyes blazing.

North and Hiccup let out low whistles. Merida blinked, impressed.

The bald man stared at her.

"Argh, okay!" Rapunzel started. "I don't know where I am and I need them to take me! Including him!" Rapunzel said, pointing her frying pan to Flynn. "I need them to take me to see the lanterns which I have been DREAMING about seeing them my entire life! FIND YOUR HUMMANITY! Haven't either of you ever had a dream?"

The bald man whisked out his axe, and Jack got to his feet. He threw himself in front of Rapunzel. Rapunzel gave him an annoyed look but softened her features. She stepped back in front of Jack and gazed back at the axed man.

He came forward, gave Rapunzel a menacing look before saying slowly, "I had a dream once."

WHAT?!