Hans trudged along, feeling the powerful pull of the Blade. As it turned out, it was not that simple to control such a powerful magical item. If anything, the more power he used, the more difficult it was to control.

The minds of the men offered some resistance. Mostly, they seemed interested in returning to their pub and drinking. It took concentration to keep them marching. They weren't much of an army, really. More like a mob.

He got them to the area his mother had disappeared to.

"Mom?" He yelled, "Mother?!"

He waited impatiently.

"Now really, Hans, you know I hate mumbling, but must you announce our presence to the entire country?" His mother appeared alongside a black cloud. The thugs were momentarily dazed, lifting the strain from Hans' mind.

"What?"

"You heard me! Think things through, boy, have I taught you nothing? Good things come to those who wait."

Hans swallowed his shame. He was behaving like a small child, mewling for his mother.

"What's the next move?"

"Wait," she said, leaping from her rock. In her resurrected form, she had certain abilities she hadn't in life; strength, speed, reflexes… The queen felt so powerful now, in ways she hadn't in life.

Hans nodded thoughtfully, "You're sure they'll come after us?"

"She can't help it," Said his mother, getting her temper back under control. By focusing on the advantages of being revived, she could drown out her annoyance at her son, "she'll call her lover, who, unless I am mistaken, has the Shield."

A flicker of confusion passed Hans' face. His mother laughed, "You didn't think you were special, did you?"

Flynn wandered to the sea shore, unsure of exactly what it was that he was looking for. Answers to his future, he supposed. Wreckage from a ship found its way into the bay of Corona's capital. Sifting through it, Flynn was about to go order someone to clear out the debris when he spotted someone with blond hair.

The ex-thief stopped immediately to dig him out.

"Are you okay?"

The man rolled over, coughing out sea water, "Is this… Corona?"

"Yes…" Hans yelled for help, "Just… stay alive, okay?"

Kristoff laughed, "Sure…"

The captain of the guard arrived. Not the horse, the human.

"Do you have the prisoner?"

"Uh…" Flynn, and ex-thief, was unsure if he was taking about Flynn, the blond man, or someone else.

"No," Answered Kristoff, "He escaped. Some kind of new weapon. It's magic."

Flynn gripped his satchel's symbol, "Okay."

The Shield glowed blue in response, urging him to track down the Blade for the battle to end all battles.

"Okay…"

Hans explored his mother's secret tower. It wasn't what he expected, exactly. His mother had always been prudent with her choices. At least, what he could remember of her. Yet across each of the walls he found splashes of bright paint. Large spots of light were found everywhere. His thugs were much easier to control with his mother around. Something was different about her, something he couldn't exactly see. Something he didn't exactly want to see.

"Mother," He asked, "Who's that?"

On one of the walls was a girl with long, long blond hair.

"That's our target, Rapunzel."

Hans stared at the picture. Then he looked about the tower, "She knows where this is?"

His mother nodded yes.

"How?"

"I kept her here for years," The dark-haired woman answered, "Is that terribly surprising?"

Hans shook his head. And it's not like he objected. Certainly, he had done worse, yet, "You raised her?"

"Like my own," She sighed with a sardonic laugh, "And look where it got me."

"Does that make her… my sister?"

Mother Gothel laughed long and hard at that, "Really? Ha ha ha ha aha! That's rich! She's just a means to an end. Take out the princess, and the light of Corona goes with her," The laughter died out immediately, "I want you to use the power of the Blade to rip the magic left inside her heart, and give it to me. Then, and only then, will I be immortal."

Hans glared, trying to justify the outrage he felt in that moment. There was one unspeakable rule to the Southern Isles; family first. You can screw over friends, business partners, and even your church members, but blood is thicker than water, and more powerful than fire. If she didn't care about her daughter…

"Oh, don't give me that look, didn't you try and kill your fiancée or something?"

Hans nodded, admitting she had a point.

"Much better. Now, I want you to stay put. Her little knight will be along in a little while. Take him out."

Her son was still on the edge of deciding what to do, "But… killing needlessly is a waste." Even when he was committing regicide he kept his body count in the single digits. A war would cost many casualties. Besides which, perhaps her 'knight' wasn't that bad a guy.

"They killed me," She drily answered, "Is that enough of a reason?"

Hans nodded, "Fine."

But somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew something wasn't quite right. Family mattered. Even if she was not a blood relative, technically she was family. And family looked after family.

Across the kingdom, his little sister refused to come out of her room.

A knock came from the door. She had high hopes as to who it was.

"Listen, Blondie, I know you're no in the mood to hear this right now, but I need you to come out," Flynn knew she was just on the other side of the door. The unfortunate thing about dating a girl that had spent the first eighteen years of her life in a tower was that, when afraid, she had a tendency to isolate herself. Usually, it was not so bad because she would work through her problems herself, but right now she had to make decisions for the whole kingdom.

"Why?"

"….remember those yahoos in Arrendelle?"

Rapunzel let out a laugh. Flynn had been miserable. They had to leave right after Elsa had been crowned, which, really had turned out to be a stroke of luck since the whole country had frozen-over in minutes.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well… they sent us a prisoner, remember?"

Rapunzel nodded, frowning. It took her a moment to remember the order, "Do I have to sign for him or…?"

"Uh…" She knew that tone. It was the 'I-am-hiding-something' tone. Flynn used it way too much for her not to notice, "Eugene…."

"Actually, no. Because… he's escaped," Her boyfriend let out a brief laugh. It was awkward, "So, there's that."

The princess took a deep breath, "Great, now what?"

"I need you to come out and help manage the situation."

The door opened just long enough for him to be pulled into her room. She grabbed him for a hug. He took her in his arms. For all her bravery, she was still a scared little girl who needed reassurance. And it didn't bother him at all that she relied on him sometimes.

"I need you," She said into his shoulder.

He nodded, "Just tell me what to do."

Her head bowed in frustration, "I… don't know."

"Why don't you talk to this Kristoff guy. He seems to know what's up."

"No!" Rapunzel clenched her eyes in frustration, "It's not about the prisoner. He'll show up at the Duckling, we both know that. It's that… she's back, Eugene."

Flynn searched her eyes, looking for an answer, "…who?"

"…her."

Instantly he drew away from the brunette, leaving her on the floor by herself. She swallowed.

"Impossible."

Now it was her time to reassure him. Flynn never talked about it, but dying… had left a mark on him. He had never been as carefree as he had been once upon a time. That was a good thing, really, but unfortunately, it was a problem. After they had left the tower the last time that fateful day, her on his back, he had never returned. He had trouble sleeping for weeks afterwards, and would clutch his side whenever startled.

As much as she loved him, he too, liked to cut people out. She was the only one who could rely on him completely, and right now, she needed him to stay focused.

"I need you to go back."

He wouldn't face her.

"Flynn."

His shoulders sagged, "I'm… afraid."

"I know," She said, "But somehow that… woman… is back, and she won't rest until she's got me again, and-"

"That will never happen!" His pendant flashed blue. A large shield formed in his left hand, "Stay here. I'm going to teach that old bag of bones a lesson!"