Hans allowed himself a moment of triumph. His mother had left him to go do… something. It was not the first time she had left him, nor would it be the last.

But why?

Ever since he was little, his mother had often left him and his brothers to take secretive trips. His father, the king, never spoke of it. There were rumors, of course, as to how she maintained her beauty. Some claimed that she bathed in the blood of virgins, others that she had found a drop of sun that had fallen from the sky. Whatever it was, his mother had to leave often.

….his father hated him for this reason. Whenever the queen was pregnant she did not have to leave. But once Hans was born, she ceased to have children. Then one day, she disappeared, promising to return after giving a haircut.

It had been a random promise, but one he had held onto for years. Now here he was, struggling to wrap his mind around what the events of the last twenty-four hours. Apparently, he had been chosen by evil itself to bring life itself under the heel of darkness.

Hans wasn't sure exactly how he felt about that. Sure, he liked power, and control was always good. But he never really saw himself as 'evil' really. For a moment, he honestly wondered if his mother wasn't nuts. She thought that the secret to eternal life lay in Corona. That was ridiculous. Then again, he had seen the power of an ice queen, so who was he to judge?

Making his way down the road, Hans felt the power of the Blade guide him to where he had to go. Momentarily, he let his mind wander to the device. It was a foreign thing; not a mindless weapon, but neither was it a person. It was, if anything, power, a power that had called to him his whole life. It filled a void in his heart he had tried to fill with glory and respect.

It hummed in his brain, like an absent minded buzz, vibrating the inside of his skull. He let the object guide him to… wherever.

"Ugh!"

Hans shook his head, "Watch it!"

"You watch it!" The other man yelped. They both rubbed their heads. Had Hans been a bit more aware, he would have noticed the emblem on Flynn Rider's pack was the twin to the one on Hans' belt.

The two glared at each other before calming down. They both realized there was no reason to get so worked up. Of course, the magic from the Blade and Shield was trying to force the two into conflict, but, at the present, there simply wasn't enough reason to fight.

Yet.

Hans was the first to stand, "My apologies," He bowed. His mother had ensured he would be a proper gentleman, and he would not fail to reach that standard, "Hans Westerguard."

"Flynn Rider," Answered the other gentleman.

"Like the guy from the books?" Hans asked, helping his fellow wielder up.

Flynn laughed nervously, "Uh, yeah, ha ha, I guess so," They shook hands, "What brings you to the Duckling?"

Hans smirked, "I hear there are some interesting characters to meet there."

"If you want characters, go to a theme park, only people there are criminals."

Hans absorbed this information, nodding, "Not a fan of criminals?"

"Not of being one, Hans," the two turned and marched towards the cavern, "Got any family in the area?"

"Just my mother… but I haven't seen her in forever," Hans grit out, "You?"

"Orphan, but… I got this girl, so…"

"Good for you," Hans smirked. Some quiet part of his heart ached over being alone. The return of his mother was a miracle, but now it left him more confused than ever. The Stabbington brothers circled the prince, glaring at Rider.

"Flynn," One growled.

"Now, now, boys," Hans reproved amicably, "Let's get to business first."

The prince turned to head into the tavern when Flynn stopped him for a moment.

"Listen… I've been where you've been. Let me tell you, it won't get you anywhere. You steal a crown, and think it's enough, but it isn't."

Hans paused, confusion dawning on his face.

Flynn took a deep breath, "Sometimes… you have to dream. You ever have a dream?"

Hans shook off the hand, frowning, "Never." He entered the Duckling.

Flynn didn't follow him inside. Hans glared, taking in the scene. Thugs of all shapes and sizes eyed him like fresh meat. Individually, he was a match for any of them. But together, they were deadly.

"Listen up," Hans bit out, "I'm putting together a team. Who's with me?"

The entire establishment laughed, "Fine…" He grit out, activating the blade, "Have it your way."

A large man with a viking helmet charged. The Blade whipped out, turning into a large mallet. He slammed it directly into his opponent's helm, shattering it and launching the man outside.

"Next?"

"Vladimir!" Another thug charged. The blade flashed bright red, changing into a spear.

"Okay, let's do this," He drove it directly through the man, but was shocked with no blood appeared. His enemy simply collapsed. Whatever peaceful solution may have existed ceased when the rest of the bar saw their comrade dispatched. They charged, knocking over tables and chairs.

Hans deftly leapt up onto the counter, stealing away the high ground and slashing wildly with his… ax? The Stabbington brothers were protecting his flank, but were soon overwhelmed.

He didn't have enough time to question that. He formed the Blade into a large hook and climbed up into the rafters. On the ground, the superior numbers and size of the outlaws would beat him, but up here they had to be agile, and come at him in smaller numbers.

It was then that he realized they had projectiles, "Really?"

He flipped down in time to dodge the majority of the implements. Hans kept stabbing and slashing until someone pinned his arms to the wall. From there, two grunts grabbed his legs.

"Uh, oh…" He closed his eyes, calling for help. Not that the brothers were likely to run to his aid, but…

"Uuuugh…." Vladimir appeared, unscathed, except for a blank look, and a red glow coming from his eyes.

"Vlad! Help us hold this guy down!"

Vlad instead decided to help Hans down. The other thugs Hans had slashed arose, the same glowing eyes as the rest. The prince now understood.

"I can control you with this!" He crowed. With the sides now far more even, the prince attacked slashing each man he thought would be of use. It made sense now. The Blade wasn't a weapon for killing. Instead, it was a weapon to inspire chaos. By cutting these men, he magically infected them to follow the will of the Blade, and destroy others.

The bar was turned upside-down by the violence of the battle. But inevitably, Hans won. He swung his sword overhead, "To the castle!"

The thugs cheered as the chaotic power of the Blade compelled them to obey.

Hans smirked. He had his family, he had his army, and soon, he would have his crown.

"Victory is ours!"

Meanwhile, across the countryside, lay the capital city. In the castle a short-haired brunette princess tried on her crown. Rapunzel let out a long sigh. Flynn liked brunettes, but…

She had long, flowing locks for as long as she could remember. Sure, they had been a pain, but sometimes her hair came in handy. Her neck got so chilly without its covering.

Her hair didn't grow anymore. That was the downside to the magic. She was stuck with the tomboy look for the rest of her life. Still, she tried to comb it down, trying out a new style. Nothing. It was just too short to style.

"It's too bad," Came the low tone that only appeared in her dreams, "You had such… beautiful hair…"

Rapunzel gasped, turning to confirm her darkest fears. It couldn't be…

"Come say hello to mummy," Mother Gothel held out her hands.

….

"Guards!"

Her false mother let out a dark laugh, advancing on her ex-daughter, "Oh Rapunzel, don't you know anything at all? I'm here to stay. And by tomorrow night," She pinned the young woman to the dresser, "I'm going to lock you back up in that tower. See you soon."

With a flurry of a cape, the elder woman disappeared in a cloud of black smoke as her troops arrived.

"What's wrong your highness?"

Rapunzel stared, traumatized at the spot her ex-captor had just stood, refusing to meet their gaze, "…get me Eugene, now!"