The door burst open and a man I recognized burst in. The lad was actually decent, especially for a man hanging around in a place like this. Most of these ruffians were hideous; the sight of them practically had me running for the door. Yet this one was quite strapping, not even close to my level of course, but I couldn't help but puff out my chest just a little at the sight of him.
For a moment I worried about what Rapunzel thought of him, before this I was the only attractive man she had laid eyes upon on our little excursion, what if she found him attractive? I combed my hands through my hair trying to make it look presentable for her. I stopped myself. Gods, what was I doing?
"I found the guards," the young man, who I now realized was Grettan, the fellow sent to fetch the guards and tell them I was here... crap.
I looked around desperately for Rapunzel; I couldn't let them see her. I spotted her up on the table, for some strange reason she was holding the little hermit in her arms, I would speculate over that later.
I grabbed her off the table and pulled her desperately out of the sight line from the door. Blondie had really weird hands, they felt slimy and wrinkly which was odd, I looked down.
"Ugh," I muttered dropping the hand, it wasn't actually her hand I had grabbed, I had accidentally snagged onto the hermit.
"Where's Ryder?" a familiar voice boomed as I pulled Rapunzel and myself behind the counter of the bar.
She was still breathing hard from her little show up on the counter with the other men here in the bar; I was still a little dazed that she had gotten Gotho to sing. The man was downright terrifying; I would have been surprised if she could have gotten him to listen to music. I honestly couldn't believe she had actually gotten him to sing, dance and play the piano. It was simply too insane for me to comprehend.
"Where is he?" the familiar voice asked anger in his voice. I shank down lower to the floor. Footsteps of a man in expensive armoured boots clicked over towards us.
"I know he's in here somewhere," the voice muttered.
Crap.
I finally had recognized the voice; it was the general of all the guards, the one who had been chasing me before. He was the guy with the crazy ass horse.
"Find him," he told his accomplices, his footsteps stopping right in front of us. "Turn the place upside down if you have to!" he ordered thumping his fist onto the table above us.
Rapunzel and I both shivered from fear. Anxiety coursed through my blood, they were going to find me. I was dead meat. Crap, crap, crap.
I heard his boots walking away and then him pushing over a table in the opposite corner. Hesitantly, I peeked my head out over the counter to look at the door. The Stabbingtons walked in their shoulders hunched, they were heavily restrained, each with their own guard and set of cuffs. I dashed back under the table hoping they hadn't seen me, they would gladly out me for revenge.
Suddenly I felt a large piece of metal thunk onto my shoulder. I froze, my heart stopping. Without moving I glanced over at my left shoulder, there was a large metal hook resting on it. I followed the hook to the arm and up to the face of Gotho, he was standing over us. Casually he glanced over to the floor in front of us and then looked back at us, trying to communicate something. Slyly he slipped his hand onto one of the beer tap levers and pulled. Instead of beer pouring out the section of floor in front of us, painted with a yellow duckling, lowered down into a dirt tunnel. I stared into in shock. I couldn't believe I didn't know about this, it was my duty as a master thief to know about all secret passages. Gotho crawled in behind me and Rapunzel; we were now kneeling in front of the entrance to the passage.
"Go," he told us, "live your dream." he instructed with a hint of awe.
"I will." I said with hope and pride at my dream.
Gotho glared at me.
"Your dream stinks," he told me with disdain, "I was talking to her."
I sighed put off, of course he was. What was so wrong with wanting to live along comfortable life, I mean that has got to be better than seeing a bunch of crappy lights right? Annoyed, I crawled through the whole leaving without waiting for Rapunzel, she had legs, she could catch up after her little "Heart to heart" with Gotho. Ugh.
"Thanks for everything," I heard her whisper sweetly to Gotho. Then I heard her kiss Gotho on the cheek. For whatever reason I almost stopped and punched the guy, although I really don't know why. She could kiss whoever the hell she pleases, why should I care...
With that she slipped down into the tunnel after me. And the tunnel closed shut. We were instantly shrouded in darkness. I couldn't see a damn thing. The guards could very well find this tunnel eventually, or worse; we could possibly die down her. Grasping around my hand landed on a round metal frame, cautiously I slipped my hand inside. There was a candle, and, thank the gods above, a match box. Feeling for a match I pulled the candle out. Lighting the match I carefully lit the candle and then placed it in the lantern. Well, now at least we had light.
Getting up I reached down and hoisted Rapunzel up off the ground.
"Come on Blondie," I told her, "we should try to get out of this tunnel before night." Brushing herself off Rapunzel followed after me, her happy-go-lucky mood back. The light from the lantern wasn't significant but it still managed to reveal the dead skeleton skewered into the wall with a cutlass, I glanced at it slightly worried.
"Well," I said deciding to distract myself with conversation, "I've gotta say I didn't know you had it in you back there." I was still impressed by the way she managed to get everyone in the pub up off their feet singing and dancing.
"That was," I paused searching for a word, "impressive."
"I know!" she squealed happily.
I glanced back at her surprised by her enthusiasm.
Clearing her throat, she leaned back faking non-chalance, "I know." She repeated this time calmly.
I suppressed a chuckle; she was just so adorable sometimes. She didn't understand some of the "rules" about how to be a proper lady, I liked that about her.
"So..." she said, obviously trying to make conversation, something I had a feeling she didn't know much about."Flynn," she said looking to me, "where are you from?" she asked curiously.
I froze. One of my number one rules was to never tell anyone anything about myself that they didn't need to know.
"Wow, wow," I said throwing up my hands, "Sorry Blondie I don't do back stories." I paused, glancing back at her. "However," I said, "I am becoming very interested in yours," I looked t her curiosity slipping through me.
"Now I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair." I said.
"Nope." She confirmed with a little shake of her head.
"Or the mother," I said slightly curious, especially because it was on the subject of parents.
To my disappointment she just said "Uh uh." and quirked her lips up in secrecy.
I glanced down at the lizard on her shoulder, like always I got the peculiar feeling that somehow this tiny little thing hated me. I really didn't understand, I mean how could he hate me? I rolled my eyes as he glared at me clenching his tiny little fists, gods, do lizards even have fists...?
"Frankly I'm too scared to ask about the frog," I told her looking back at her.
She raised an eyebrow at me, "chameleon." She corrected me.
"Ya great," I said not really understanding what she had said.
"Here's my question though, if you want to see the lanterns so badly, why havent you gone before?" I turned around pausing, wondering about why she had waited so long to achieve what was obviously her biggest dream she had.
"Uhhhh... ha, well..." she said stalling her face looking panicky for some reason.
A rock dropped from the ceiling hitting her on the head, I glanced at it as it fell to the ground, suddenly the floor started vibrating, what the...
I glanced around looking for the source of the vibrations, perhaps an earth quake.
"Uh Flynn..." she said nervous as she too looked around in worry.
I glanced down the tunnel t where we had come from; there was a light coming towards us. It could only mean one thing. Someone was following us. Suddenly the guards came around the corner running at full tilt.
"Flynn!" Rapunzel yelled in fear.
I was frozen in place fear entering my heart cold and pure, this was it, I was going to be caught.
"Ryder!" the captain yelled in fury as he led his group of guards.
"Run," I told her barely getting the word out, grabbing her shoulder I turned her around pushing her away from them. "Run!" I yelled following after her as she quickly gathered up her hair.
She ran as fast as she could her bare feet pounding against the rock, I hoped she wasn't hurting herself. I glanced back, they weren't gaining on us, in fact they weren't as fast as us, but they didn't slow down. They ran in one uniform group running towards us.
My heart was pounding loudly in my chest and Blondie's long golden hair was tracing behind us like some kind of strange comet's tail. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, maybe if we reached it we could find somewhere to hide. I leaped over a rock forcing myself to run faster.
We reached the end of the passage and I was instantly looking around taking in our surroundings. I skid to a stop pulling Rapunzel back with me. We were at the edge of a giant chasm. In front of us was a drop off, it was at least a fifty foot drop. I swallowed fear curdling in my stomach, we had nowhere to hide.
Pulling Rapunzel with me we ran to the edge of the chasm and looked down. There was a spindly ladder going down and yet something told me it wouldn't hold our weight. I hugged Rapunzel to me briefly relishing in the feel of her, and then darted around trying to think of a way out of the situation we were in.
A large crashing sound brought our attention over to one of the bordered up entrances to the bottom of thechasm below us. My breath hitched as the two Stabbington brothers rushed out their weapons drawn.
"who's that?" Rapunzel asked me worry in her voice.
I took a deep breath, "They don't like me." I told her, chuckling nervously.
Suddenly the guards came charging out of the tunnel, the captain leading them with a flaming torch in hand.
Oh great, all my greatest enemies right now had all decided to have a meet and greet and they invited me and Rapunzel. Yay.
"Who's that?" Rapunzel asked scared as she looked over to the guards shrinking into me, clutching her frying pan for protection.
"They don't like me either." I told her my nerves going hay wire.
For once in my life I had to admit that I had never really been in a worse situation, then again, I had never been in a more Flynn Ryder like situation either. I had a mission and a damsel in distress, I could not fail.
Then, to my utmost joy, the captain's crazy white horse cam charging through the tunnels entrance. I guess I had underestimated my bad luck.
"Who's that?" Rapunzel shrilly asked me.
I grabbed her by the shoulders spinning her to face me.
"Let's just assume," I told her frankly, "For the moment," I casually let go of her shoulders knowing that touching her was never a good idea, "that everyone in her doesn't like me."
Rapunzel spun away grabbing her hair in her hands like it was a weapon, I looked at her with shock and a whole lot of confusion.
"Here." She told me sternly thrusting the frying pan into my stomach, I clutched as I had the wind knocked out of me.
She grabbed her hair and started whipping it around like it was a lasso, the circles were clean and sharp. I was slightly disturbed by her obvious talent at using her hair.
Her hair in hand Rapunzel whipped her hair forward wrapping it around one of the wooden posts that stuck out from the water ramp that poured onto the giant water mill wheel. Tugging her hair tight Rapunzel jumped off the edge of the chasm fearlessly swinging away. I watched her go in utter amazement. Stars, that girl was surprising me every day.
Rapunzel landed gracefully in a crouch on the other side of the chasm pulling her hair back towards her quickly.
I stood there on the edge of the chasm my mouth opening slightly in a silent oh, I knew Rapunzel was handy with her hair, but that… that was just amazing. I smiled slightly to myself.
Suddenly there was a menacing chuckle from behind me. I spun around to see the captain of the guards stalking towards me waving a very dangerous and very scary looking flaming torch causally. I realized then that Rapunzel had left me here with no way of defending myself.
I was completely and utterly screwed.
"I've waited a long time for this." I growled tossing away the torch and bringing out an even more terrifying sword.
Something told me he wouldn't be charged with murder if he happened to kill me; a known theif, in a canyon in the middle of nowhere. I looked at the frying pan; my sle weapon against a team of trained guards while backed into a corner with no plan and nowhere to hide.
I squeaked terror coursing through my veins.
At least Blondie got out ok…
The captain swung at my neck with his cutlass, obviously deciding to make my death quick and clean; if you can call a beheading that anyways. Wow lovely thoughts Flynn. On instinct I jumped up swinging my weapon towards the captain's head.
Behind the captain came another guard; thrusting his sword towards my abdomen, I swerved to the side catching his sword on the pan and twisting up, effectively sending him flying backwards to the ground.
The entire guard was soon upon me. I parried thrust and ducked while they came at me one by one.
With one clean swing I knocked out another guard, glancing around I realized that they were now all lying in a heap on the ground… somehow I had managed to knock them all out… and with a frying pa one the less.
I stared down at the weapon in my hands in awe. This day really could not get any weirder.
Casually I spun the frying pan around looking at it from every angle, trying to see if could find some oddity in it that made it different from other frying pans, I found none.
"Oh momma I have got to get me one of these!" I exclaimed joyfully flipping it from hand to hand.
I thrust out the frying pan with a mocking; "ha!" only to see that I actually did have an opponent.
The white stallion from before; I believe the captain had called him Maximus at some point, had a sword clutched in his mouth with his overly sized teeth. The sword was angled towards me, and with the horse's said molars bared at me, it was not a pretty sight.
The horse neighed in anger, I stared at it blankly in shock. How on Earth did the thing know how to handle a sword, I mean, it's a horse for crying out loud!
The horse valiantly thrust the sword towards me in some sort of fancy swirly thingy that even most accomplished swordsmen couldn't accomplish, I realized I needed to stop underestimating this animal.
Ducking down low I stuck my frying pan up over my head deflecting the sword, suddenly fearing for my life. For god's sake, I could take out six guards but send a deranged sword fighting horse over to attack and suddenly I'm having issues, what is wrong with this world?
The horse was not relenting as he swiped and slashed at me thrusting the sword at me after a=every second not bothering to pause. I could barely keep up with him.
He was an excellent swordsmen, I laughed aloud at the ridiculousness of the situation.
"You should know," I told him, and really talking to a horse in this situation… well you really can't judge me can you… "that this is the strangest thing's I have ever done!" I boldly thrust out the frying pan to emphasize my point.
The horse took my moment of bravado and cockiness to swipe the frying pan out of my hands. I watched it fly over the edge of the cliff we were standing my lips parting in shock.
Crap.
I looked at the horse and smiled anxiously.
"How about two out of three?" I asked nervously.
The horse thrust his sword into my face leaning forward, I threw my hands up in defeat.
The horse glared at me, it had beady little eyes that sort of reminded me of the old ladies in town who often scolded me for doing nothing with my life…
"Flynn!" I heard Rapunzel call up to me. I looked down to see that somehow her hair was now wrapping around my hand. I cocked my head to the side not fully understanding what was happening. That's odd, I thought, I could have sworn she was over-
And then I was being pulled off the ledge flying through the air, I gave the horse a mock salute as I made what I would have to call; my most amazingly daring escapes, of my entire life. I have to admit, flying through the air, ya not so fun. My stomach didn't enjoy it but I wasn't really focusing on my sudden queasiness, more so on the fact that somehow I was going to live another thirty seconds. That is if Blondie didn't drop me.
"Flynn!" I heard Rapunzel yell from above me.
I looked down to see the Stabbington's below me there swords drawn anger clear on their faces. I was rushing towards them, I did not have time to think.
"Whoa, whhhhoooaaaaa" I said as Rapunzel called down to me tightening the grip on her hair.
I pulled up my legs and soared right over the brothers. The brothers looked back at e in blank astonishment.
"Ha!" I called back at them, "you should see your faces because you look-" I was cut off by an unfortunately placed beam jutting out from the water trough. I had hit said water trough rather hard and there was pain blossoming in my stomach and upper thighs. Not to mention I had completely had the wind knocked out of me.
"ridiculous." I spluttered barely managing to finish my jibe at the brothers.
Ungracefully, I managed to pull myself up onto the trough bracing my legs on the trough. I let myself have on full second where I moaned clutching my bruised stomach. When the second ended I brushed myself off looking over to Rapunzel, she was facing away from me staring at something.
I followed her line of sight; the horse Maximus was trying to kick down the support that held up the damn… if that thing broke this whole canyon would flood… damn that horse was crazier than I thought. Luckily when he hit it down the wall maintained. I let out my air realizing I had been holding my breath. Sadly it wasn't long lasted. The horse had used the plank of wood as a bridge and was headed straight for Rapunzel.
I looked down at my hands in fright not sure what to do. I saw Rapunzel's hair tangled in them.
I grinned giving it a tug, "Come on Blondie!" I yelled to her. I gestured my head to behind me, "Jump!"
She hesitated for a moment looking down at the hair wrapped around her own delicate fingers and then back to me. All the while Maximus was thundering closer to her. Making up her mind she set her face into a determined line and started running for the edge.
With one big bound she leaped off the edge her hair billowing behind her. I wound golden locks around my fist tighter bracing my feet on either sides of the trough.
Blondie was flying forwards and Max was right behind her skidding to a stop on the edge of the cliff. My heart caught in my throat as he reached forward trying to grab the hair that was fanning out behind her in his mouth. I released my breath as she continued falling forwards and Maximus's jaw snapped shut empty.
Holding onto her hair tightly, Rapunzel swung underneath me. I heard a splash and then the end went slack. I loosened my grip looking down at the hair in my hands, suddenly the long golden locks were pulled from my grasp. I glanced over the edge to see Rapunzel running for her life to a mind shaft at the other end of the gorge.
Grinning I jumped forward sliding on the trough. I stuck my arms out amazed at the speed I was suddenly going, although slightly fearing that at any moment, I could lose my balance. The rush was amazing.
Suddenly there was a break in the trough, grabbing the edge I swung myself over to the other side. The ground underneath me shook. I looked down to see the water trough falling apart. The water splashed up over the side and I was losing my balance.
Standing up taller I jumped and skipped onto the remaining pieces avoiding the edge.
The piece below me started to fall, running on it I ran for the edge jumping at the last moment into a roll before the whole structure I was standing on crashed to the ground. Jumping up out of the ball I continued at full tilt behind Blondie and her ever present trail of hair.
Snatching up her hair, I followed her towards the entrance of what appeared to be another tunnel as the water trough came down behind us.
Out of nowhere there was a deafening roar. I looked back to see the water damn burst, a magnificent tidal wave of water rushing out.
Well crap.
Picking up my pace I sped after Blondie now running for my life as I clung to her tangles hoping that maybe at least our pursuers had been caught in the waves.
There was a large crash and a shadow fell over us, there was something gigantic falling towards us. On the positive side it was diverting the water, on the negative side…. While there was a gigantic thing falling towards us.
The cave wall was right in front of us, we were so close. Yet I could see the shadow of whatever was falling on the wall.
With one last spurt of speed I put my hand on the small of Rapunzel's back and pushed her through the entrance with me.
Rapunzel screamed as we made it in, I looked back to see the pan lazily float in and grabbed just before one million tonnes of rock crashed down trapping us in.
I ran over to Rapunzel who was at the base of a giant rock pile. Water immediately started gushing into the small cave we had trapped ourselves in. I looked up desperately hoping for a way out to see that the rock pile went all the way up to the ceiling.
Rapunzel was breathing hard and she looked even more scared than when we had first entered the bar. Her face was pale white and she was shaking like a leaf. Desperately she climbed up the rock pile slapping at the rocks and then turning to face the approaching torrent. I watched with her as our imminent death approached.
The water reached our feet and I realized it would only get deeper. Glancing down I decided to dive down and search for an exit.
I had never been an amazing swimmer but I had done a couple palace heists before with moats so I at least knew the basics. Thrusting out my arms I opened up my eyes. At first I was disoriented, but then I soon realized it was hopeless. It was pitch black, I would never find the side of the wall let alone a loose section of the rock to pry open and escape through. Not giving up I swam for the wall tapping its edge with my hands. I found nothing. My air supply was running out, kicking up from the wall I swam hard for the surface. Gasping for breath I blinked my eyes open looking around me, I realized Rapunzel was using the frying pan to try and break through the wall, she wasn't making any progress. I dived down again.
Still I found nothing. Throwing myself back up, I looked round me fearfully. I was going to die. Rapunzel was going to die. My heart stopped. No. no, I wouldn't let her die, she couldn't die.
I threw myself against the wall desperately, pounding on the sides of the cave and then jumping up hammering the ceiling. I pushed at a rock on the top trying to find purchase. Suddenly my hand slipped swiping across the rock painfully. I looked down grasping my hand to see a long gash across my palm. It hurt like a mother- (well you know) but I didn't have time for it. Clenching my hand into a fist I dived back down hoping that somehow I would miraculously have better luck.
This time I decided to just keep my eyes closed knowing it would make no difference if I opened them anyways. Swimming deeper I searched for the cave wall. When I reached it a slid my hands around but all I felt was smooth rock. If there was a way out, I couldn't seem to find it. I swam back up, I would need to get air while it lasted.
I burst through the surface to see Rapunzel cowering on the side of the wall, she looked terrified. I gasped fr breath looking down at the rising water.
"It's no use." I told her, "I can't see anything." I rubbed at my eyes trying to get the water out of them.
Suddenly I heard Rapunzel suck in a deep breath and then dive down. I remembered that the chick had been afraid of a bunny, something told me swimming wasn't her forte.
Diving down I caught her around the middle and dragged her back up.
I pulled her back up, she slapped at my hands trying to go back, but I saw my assumption had been right she was gagging and slipping around.
"Hey," I told her looking into her eyes, "there's no point. Its pitch black down there." I brushed the hair out of her face looking at her, really looking at her, wising she would just look at me.
Rapunzel back away from me breathing shallowly. She backed herself against the wall obviously claustrophobic. My shoulders slumped, this was really it. I had done all those wrongs, everything, all the thieving and double crossing, and for what? To drown in a cave with the most beautiful girl who probably hated me and I would never deserve.
Rapunzel was whimpering, gods, I had done this to her. If I had only taken her straight to the kingdom, if we hadn't stopped at the ugly duckling, this wouldn't have happened. I leaned my head against the wall in defeat.
"This is all my fault." Rapunzel murmured sadly.
I opened my eyes, listening to her numbly, how could she think that?
"She was right." Rapunzel said, "I never should have done this."
Suddenly the pieces about Rapunzel all seemed to click into place; her confusion, her fright, her worry about her mother; Rapunzel's mother had never let her leave that tower, this was literally her first time ever outside; and I had screwed it up big time.
I hugged myself trying to keep warm.
Rapunzel sniffed, "I'm-" she sniffed again trying to not cry, "I'm so sorry Flynn." She cried not looking me in the eye.
I looked up at her shocked, no one had ever cared so much about me to apologize, and she didn't even have anything to apologize for; it was all my fault, and yet here she was saying she was sorry.
She started crying holding a hand over her eyes, something told me she was crying for me, her tears broke me.
In that second I made a decision, I would not lie to her, not one more time, even if I was about to die, I would not die with her not knowing the truth.
"Eugene." I told her with a soft smile revealing my real and completely awful real first name. No one else knew it, and well… I just wanted her to.
"What?" she asked turning to look at me confused.
I looked down my cheeks turning pink. "My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert." I admitted bashfully.
I looked up at her waiting for her reaction.
When she just looked at me I shrugged, "someone might as well know." I told her as if that explained my random declaration.
She sniffed and the wiped her nose looking at me with a small smile.
"I have magic hair that glows when I sing." She told me casually with a small shrug.
My face immediately went slack, while there it goes. I had really thought she was sane for a while there but… ya nope.
I casually tried to swim backwards… I mean, she had to be crazy right?
My jaw remained dropped as I stared at her waiting for her to announce that she was pulling some kind of crazy joke in our last moments of life.
"What?" I asked hoping I heard wrongly.
She looked down at the water as if she had just made some brilliant realization.
"I have magic hair that glows when I sing!" she exclaimed excitedly.
The water was almost at our chins, I glanced down at it and then quickly over to Rapunzel. Maybe it was just the fear getting to her head.
"Flower gleam and glow," she sang quickly grabbing her hair as we floated up our head hitting the ceiling of the cave, "let your power shine," we hit the ceiling both gasping in our last breath, suddenly everything went black.
I opened my eyes hoping to catch one last glimpse of her; suddenly a light started to glow, I realized it was coming from her hair. My breath exploded from me as I watched her hair light up like it was… nope not possible. I grabbed my mouth watching her, just watching her and that damn hair.
Quickly the light travelled from her scalp expanding down to the tips, I watched it go down, suddenly the glowing hair floated over on its own accord to a certain patch of rocks.
I don' know why but I swam over to the rocks pushing them as hard as I could my vision fading out. Finally I found purchase and I felt my fist burst through the wall. Feeling around I grabbed a rock and pushed, and suddenly we were falling forwards into what I hoped was something soft.