So this chapter is now done (yippee) if you read this when it after it was a partial chapter I apologize for your confusion. Enjoy and don't forget to comment! (Favourites and follows would be amazing too, sorry to sound desperate lol)
Something wasn't right. I groaned trying to move my mind swirling in confusion. Only one thought was clear; I needed to get to her.
"Rapunzel." I moaned trying to move my arms. But no matter how hard I strained I couldn't move more than an inch or so; something was wrong. I opened my eyes a dull pain pounding in my head. I glanced down to my immobile arms and realized I was tied to a steering wheel with the crown tied into my grasp. I froze as my memories flooded back to me. The lights. The beach. The Stabbingtons.
"Rapunzel!" I cried out terror flooding through my system, they were going to hurt her, they were going to sell her off for gold and treasure like she was some kind of artifact. My heart seized up as I tried desperately to escape my bonds, I didn't even notice the guards until they came storming towards me.
"No!" I cried out in helplessness, "No, no no!" they couldn't take me to prison now, not when I was actually doing something worth while! I had to save her, I had to!
Fear curdled in my stomach like soured milk as the guards detached me from the mast and the ship's wheel but kept my wrists bound.
I recognized one of the guards from when Maximus and the Captain had chased me through the woods, I realized that I had stolen the tiara only two days ago, although it felt like weeks.
The guards dragged me out of the boat as I struggled desperately trying to get away, they had her, I had to get to her! "Wait wait wait!" I yelled at them as they dragged me across the docks, "Guys!" I yelled as they didn't slow down even a little, "Guys!" I tried to reason with them but the man I had recognized from the chase merely socked me in the stomach cutting off my protests.
My hands pressed against my back there wasn't much I could do, "Rapunzel!" I screamed out hoping she would hear me and run, she was fast, if she was smart she could get away before they caught her. I thought of her tower, hidden in that valley. My heart wrenched as I realized that the perfect solution would be for her to simply go there. Even if it meant I would never see her again.
Then again the Stabbingtons were fast and… my breath hitched and I renewed my efforts slamming my shoulder into the guard nearest to me, but he wouldn't let go. I was dragged through a small iron door leading to stairs that went straight down. I had no doubt of where we were headed, but if I was locked up… I would never be able to get to her. I slowed my breathing and started to walk normally, I needed to think, and to think I needed to stay calm and buy some time. "So," I said casually to the guards, "I bet you guys don't get paid a lot, you know if you just let me-" "Shut it Ryder." One of the guards snapped at me pushing me forward brutally. I swallowed realizing that my reputation had not made me popular amongst the guards, heaven knows I had heard some disturbing rumours about myself. Looking at him I saw the disgust and mocking hatred I had gotten used to before meeting Rapunzel, but over the last few days I had almost forgotten that I was a wanted thief, she made me feel like a real human being again and now… now she was going to be brutalized by two thugs and sold off like a whore.
I screamed thrashing wildly, they couldn't do this, "Rapunzel!" I screamed this time not because I wanted to warn her, but because I was afraid. "Please," I begged them, "You don't understand," the guards didn't even flinch as they brought me into the area that housed the cells, a couple of the prisoners glanced up at me curious about the new edition to the palace penitentiary, but most of them didn't give me a second glance. "I have to get to her!" I told them, trying to break my bonds but not succeeding.
"While look what the cat dragged in," a familiar gruff voice said with disdain dripping from his voice.
I looked up to see the captain of the guard glaring at me scornfully.
"You know," he told me stepping towards me, "you caused this kingdom a lot of pain Ryder, we've been going through a rough patch here, what with no one being willing to make trade with us, and yet you still steal and robbed us blind, not to mention you took the princesses crown, the lost princess's tiara, it's one of the only things the king and queen have left of their daughter and you took it to pay for your wenches and booze." He spat in my face anger bubbling at the surface.
I swallowed sick of people treating me like trash, but I knew acting up would only make things worse. Then again, who was I to complain? Everything he said was true.
I looked down at my shoes, heart in my throat.
One of the guards in the back whistled long and slow, "wow captain, looks like you actually put Ryder to shame," he cackled heartily, "Or more likely made him miss those wenches you mentioned." There was a chorus of dark laughter around me and I shivered, despite my act, even as Flynn Ryder I hadn't taken a single woman who I had to pay for, in fact I had never done anything like that to a woman unless I truly had feelings for her, in those scenarios Eugene had always shone through, no matter what. Although telling a room full of annoyed and hateful guards that the befamed Flynn Ryder was actually a virgin was not going to change anything.
"Captain," I croaked out my voice hoarse from screaming her name, the captain looked down at me in surprise, I had never called him that without sarcasm, "please." I whispered slumping to my knees as I thought of Rapunzel all alone, "they have her…" my voice trailed off as the terror choked me. The captain paused looking down at me as if considering me for a moment. After a heavy sigh he leaned down to look at me. "Who?" he asked me tiredly, as if he was as sick of me as I was of him. "Rapunzel," I told him looking up at him fear in my eyes, he had to believe me, perhaps they could find her and save her, "The Stabbingtons, they're going after her, because of her hair, and they're going to sell her away and-" a chorus of laughter cut me off. "Did you just say they're going to sell her for her hair?" The captain asked me genuinely confused. "Well yes," I said slowly realizing too late how crazy I must sound. The captain's expression darkened as he glared at me. "Either you really have cracked Ryder, or you take me for a fool, whichever it is you deserve to be locked up, maybe you can think up a better excuse then." With that he pushed me into a cell slamming the door shut behind me. I stumbled and then fell into the wall my wrists still bound painfully.
Pain lanced across my shoulder but it was nothing like the soul clenching ache I felt in my heart. I heard some soft murmuring from outside my cell and their footsteps as they began to walk away.
"Wait!" I called out terror pounding down on me. "Please!" I yelled after them stumbling to the door of my cell grasping the bars on the front in desperation, they just kept walking.
"At least," I called out catching my breath as my heart beat erratically, "At least cut my binds, I'm not going to use my hands to hurt anyone, it's just me!" The captain paused as he walked away his back stiffening, one of the guards leaned over and whispered something to him and the captain glanced back at me and then the hallway, he began to walk away.
"Please." I said, the desperation seeping into my voice.
The captain halted again and then turned to one of his guards and jerked his head back towards my cell, the man paused and began to say something to the captain, but the captain just stayed there looking at him. After a beat the man sighed and walked back towards me. I swallowed and prepared myself, I would run right when he got there, get to Rapunzel, save her before the slimy bastards could put a hand on her. I moved back ready to strike, but the second the guard walked into the cell he grabbed me from behind and slammed me into the wall, I gasped as he gripped my wrists.
"If it were up to me Ryder," he said leaning his elbow into my shoulder blades painfully, "I would make sure you're stay here would be as painful," he said digging his elbow in further, "as possible."
"While," I wheezed, "I do have to look at your ugly mug, and that sure hurts my eyes." The man growled and shoved my face into the stone wall, "Watch your tongue." He snapped.
"Come on," I told him, "Be a good little guard and do as your told, cut my bonds." I was hoping that he could cut my binds and then lose his temper, and then after getting in, maybe one good punch, I could bolt.
The guard shoved me against the wall again and then laughed darkly, "I don't think I will." He told me turning around as I pulled myself back up, "But-" I tried to retaliate, "The captain will understand, you went stir crazy and I had to knock you out, but it took a few good punches, I didn't think it was wise to cut your bonds just yet." His grin spread to fill his whole face, and then he kicked me in the face sending me under.
Dazed I slowly blinked my eyes open and found myself in the cell, the room was dark and the moon light shone through the small barred window on the wall.
I groaned rolling into a sitting position, my foot clinked against something and I found that my dinner sat in front of me; a pile of cold mashed potatoes and some kind of greenish vegetable. My stomach churned and I felt more like vomiting than eating. I went to rub a sore spot on my back and realized my bonds were cut, someone must have untied me while I was unconscious. Anger and frustration thrummed through me, I had under estimated the guard's will to disobey his commander. There was no way I could get to Rapunzel now. I looked up at the sky and noticed the moon was close to the horizon, I must have been out for hours. The Stabbingtons could have captured Rapunzel and found a buyer by now for all I knew. I screamed in frustration and slammed my fist into the wall.
"Either you didn't want to be caught," a scraggly old voice said from somewhere around me, "Or you're missing something."
I spun around trying to find the source of the voice. "Who's there?" I called out.
"Ah sonny it doesn't matter who I am, I'm almost gone anyways, what matters is who are you?"
I swallowed and opened my mouth to speak but then shut it again.
Who was I?
I could have answered Flynn Ryder but that wasn't true anymore, was I truly Eugene again? I wasn't sure. For the first time in my life I valued Eugene as the better man, not Flynn, but I wasn't sure I deserved to be anyone other than Flynn Ryder the selfish thief.
"I'm no one." I answered the voice. And it was true, without Rapunzel I was no one, I wasn't Flynn Ryder anymore but without her to guide me I didn't think I could be Eugene anymore either.
"Hmph." The voice said, "Nobody seems like a good person to be in a room of convicts. I bet nobody didn't commit any life serving crimes." I chuckled dryly realizing that I had committed life serving crimes, lots of them, the likelihood was I would never leave this prison with my life.
The voice quieted after that and soon began to snore loudly telling me that he had given up on any form of conversation. I looked down at my hands sadly, he had asked me why I had hit the wall, whether it was because I didn't want to be here or because I had lost something. The thing was, I didn't want to be here because it meant I would lose something, or someone that is.
"Rapunzel." I cried softly my voice cracking. Wherever she was, I prayed that they wouldn't find her, I didn't care if I didn't live past tomorrow, or if I rotted here forever. As long as she got away I would die happily. Then again no matter what I would never know.
I groaned getting to my feet and began to pace.
I had to find a way out, I had to get to her. I looked around me assessing the room, the one small window wouldn't help; I was too large to fit through it even if there weren't bars blocking my escape. A quick assessment of the walls on either side of me proved that I wouldn't be able to shift any stones or tunnel through. The bars wouldn't give and they were far too compact for me to squeeze through. I needed a plan.
I bit my lip running my hand through my hair, there were too many damn security measures at this prison. Put me at any other rinky dink lockup and I would have escaped, no sweat, but the palace prison with the captain of the guards himself breathing down my neck… while let's just say it wouldn't be so easy.
I walked over to the wall and pushed off with my fingertips turning around and walking back again before turning back to the wall. I sighed trying to make my brain work, but no matter how hard I tried to find a way I just couldn't think of anything.
I walked over to the window and looked out hoping to find some kind of inspiration, there was nothing. It was just another day in Corona, happy families waking up, people smiling and laughing despite the fact that a lot of them couldn't pay for breakfast, despite the poverty, everyone here was always smiling. Sometimes it annoyed me but today there was so much else pounding through my head that I couldn't be bothered.
The sound of my cell being opened alerted me to the presence of the palace guards, I swiveled to face them immediately on edge. I swallowed looking from the Captain to his cronies.
"Let's get this over with Ryder." He told me his scowl set deep into his face.
I let go of the window and turned to them slightly confused, were they letting me go? It wasn't possible… "Where are we going?" I asked.
The captain didn't answer instead he somehow managed to frown even more. I didn't understand; the only time prisoners with so many crimes to their name like I had was to be… "Oh" I said realization dawning on me. I lightly placed my hand on my neck, exactly where the… the noose, would lie.
I swallowed looking to the captain, for his benefit he didn't look pleased, just grim.
I went to them my shoulders slightly slumped as they tied my wrists and brought me out of the cell.
I didn't fight, I didn't have the will to anymore. I was going to die, and Rapunzel, she would live on without me. I had to believe she would be fine, it was the only way I would survive… while survive until… I swallowed hard ignoring the way my heart shuddered.
They brought me down the hallway passing dozens of different kinds of crooks. Most of them looked like they wished it was them going to be hanged.
I looked down and around me trying to think of a way out of my situation but I had a guard on either side of me, and the Captain up ahead, not to mention all of the reinforcements who could be summoned at a moment's notice.
I glanced at the cells around me and my eyes caught on two hulking figures sitting in a cell. It was them. The Stabbingtons. I had to look again my gaze darkening.
I slammed against my captors pushing them away, all sense flew from my mind; all I knew was that I had to talk to the Stabbingtons, demand where she was, how they knew to find her in the first place. I was dead already anyways.
Head butting the guard to my left I hopped over my bindings, a trick I had learned at the age of fourteen, right around the time I started to thieve.
I rushed forward grabbing the more timid Stabbington (if timid was a word that even vaguely could apply to them) and hauled him forward until he was pressed against the bars.
"How did you know about her?!" I demanded venomously glaring into his eyes.
He stared back at me in shock, I wasn't exactly known for my anger, in fact I liked to think I was very suave, but at that moment I was furious. "Tell me now!" I roared.
"It wasn't us!" he told me desperately, "It was the old lady!"
"Old lady…?" I asked completely confused, what on Earth…
Suddenly there was multiple guards on me, dragging me back. "Wait no! Wait!" I yelled trying to get back to the brothers, to learn more. I shoved away from them to only be pulled back.
"You don't understand she's in trouble! Wait!" I screamed at them trying to get back, desperately forcing my body weight away from them.
I rocked my body screamed as loud as I could but nothing could get me away from the guards. Their grip was iron tight holding me down.
One guard grabbed my neck and the other forced my back down so I had to walk hunched down making it much harder to resist them. They pulled me through a door and into a hallway, this one had no cells just windows. I looked around me still searching for any kind of advantage. I noticed something ridiculously peculiar, in one of the alcoves on the wall there sat a small ceramic unicorn. Something tingled in the back of my memory, something important.
I looked around me, something was off.
Suddenly the door in front of the captain slammed shut blocking our path, all of the doors in the hallway followed suit, we were trapped in the hallway. I straightened up as the guards loosened their grip just as confused as I was.
"What's this?" the captain boomed enraged, he turned and pounded on the door, "Open up!" he demanded.
The slat of wood that covered the door in front of the door slid to the side to reveal a small wiry old man with a full white beard. I cocked my head to the side surprised and even more confused; it was one of the regulars at the Snugly Duckling.
"What's the password?" he slurred drunkenly before closing the slat again.
"What?" the captain asked completely bamboozled.
The slat opened up again, "Nope." He laughed before slamming it shut again.
"Open this door!" the captain shouted.
The slat once again opened to reveal the old drunken thug, "Not even close." He mumbled rolling his eyes. The slat slammed shut.
I raised my eyebrow watching the door.
"You have three seconds!" The captain roared, I could see his neck turning pink from behind him.
"One!" suddenly the guard beside me shot up into the ceiling disappearing, I jerked backwards and looked around me. Staring I stared at the empty place beside me before glancing to the captain to see if he had noticed. Turning around I watched the other guard point up to the ceiling before he was grabbed and pulled through a door. "Two!" called the captain, still oblivious to the fact that he had no back up.
I looked back to him amazed at what had just happened, yet still infinitely confused. The door slammed and the captain turned around just as he said "three."
I smiled lightly waving to him as he looked back to see me standing alone unguarded.
His jaw dropped while, unbeknownst to him, Attila, a gigantic thug who I had always avoided at the Snugly Duckling, came in from the door behind him.
Swiftly raising a frying pan, he knocked the Captain unconscious.
"Frying Pans." I said with a smile, "Who knew right?"
Energy and hope surged through me as it occurred to me that these people were here for me. They were my heroic, (although slightly unconventional) rescue team.
And more importantly; my ticket to saving Blondie.
A large pounding came from behind me and I looked back to see the door vibrating. Grunts echoed through the hall and then the door cracked and blew apart as half a dozen or so guards rushed in.
A man dropped from the ceiling. Suddenly Vladimir, the guy who apparently collects ceramic magical horses (oh that explained the unicorn!) ran away drawing half the guards with him. Attila pulled me beside him and through a door to the left of us. I yelped but was soon running with him at full tilt laughing.
I was in my own element, running from the guards, a well thought out plan before me and the prize in sight.
I followed Attila watching the back of his helmet clad head as he streaked in front of me. I heaved as the guards yelled at me to stop.
I would have laughed if I could breathe, why would I stop? Like really, why?
I rounded a corner and barely avoided running into Ulf. He stood there fully clad in his white and black mime outfit waiting as if for a cue.
I kept running but soon noticed that the sound of the guards behind me had ceased, they all stood in front of Ulf transfixed as he raised his gloved hand signaling them to stop.
I chuckled and kept going amazed at how strange my current situation was becoming.
I ran after Attila, while I had been distracted he had gained even more ground. Suddenly, I ran head first into the brute, he was standing frozen watching two guards pass by us without a care in the world, they were both eating cake off of little plates.
"Mmm." the stouter of the guards murmured enjoying his pastry, "this cake is to die for."
I stood there my jaw hanging open as they walked by, somehow they had managed to not notice us.
Damn, I thought, must be good cake.
"Ya," Said the other guard with a sigh holding up the pink frosted slice to his nose simply inhaling its scent, "far better than any cupcake. Honestly, I think those things are over rated. I mean, who makes cupcakes? Only old ladies if you-" his sentence was cut off by Attila's low growl.
"Cupcakes," he thundered, "are sublime!" he ran at the guards his frying pan hefted over his head in fury. I just stood there in utter shock.
I made a mental note to avoid the topic of baked goods with the fellow.
Attila turned to look at me, "Go!" he demanded.
Swallowing I turned and ran for the exit that I could now see at the end of the long tunnel.
A series of loud clangs told me that the guards were incapacitated, and Attila was soon by my side. I ran through the door skidding to a halt when we entered into a large court yard surrounded by the walls of the building; we were trapped.
Guards streamed into the courtyard by the thousands, all running down the stairs in perfect harmony towards us.
I swallowed hard, perhaps I had understated my infamy.
Suddenly two large hands clamped over my shoulders moving me over. I yelped and turned to see Gaston crouched over looking at me, as if he somehow had a way for us to get out of this.
Gaston slumped forward thrusting his arms forward. "Head down." He instructed me tucking his chin down, I mimicked his position, "head down." I confirmed.
"Arms in." he told me and I tucked my elbows close to my body as if I was about to throw a punch, "arms in." I responded, curious as to why he was telling me this, probably tips for battle stance.
I glared at our attackers trying to look tough even though my knees were shaking.
"Knees apart." Gaston ordered. I squared my feet, "knees apart." wait why would I need that to fight? "Knees apart?" I asked confused.
I looked over to Gaston maintaining my battle stance, "why- why do I need to keep my knees apa-" I was cut off by a loud thud and suddenly my stomach was shooting below me as I was thrown through the sky, I realized they put me on a single wheeled cart and used it as a spring board.
I screamed in terror wondering if this was all some kind of cosmic punishment for the crimes I had committed.
My body rotated once and then I was falling back to earth my eyes squeezed shut.
Instead of contact with the water with the drowning and death I had been expecting I landed sitting on something hard and firm my legs wrapped confidently around it. Huh, I thought, that's why my knees were apart.
The indignant neigh of a horse brought me out of my reverie, I realized that the structure beneath me was alive, and he had a name.
"Max." I breathed in shock. The pompous asshole who hated my guts was helping to save me? "You brought them here?" I asked him in awe, the horse just smiled and gave me a small nod.
Once upon a time I would have said talking to an animal made you crazy, but I had had a crazy week.
"Thank you." I told him relaxing my stance.
Rapunzel likes to say it was a key bonding moment, I like to think it was because I had almost died, but that might just be my ego talking.
The horse tilted his head and jerked to the side as if to say it was nothing. I put my hand onto his gentle fur and leaned in, taking no time to admire the clear waters and gorgeous mainland that you could see from our vantage point on the roof top look out.
"No really," I told him, "thank you."
I leaned back looking into the horse's eyes. "I feel this whole time we've just been misunderstanding one another. And we're really just…" I trailed off as Max looked at me unimpressed his eyebrow raised as if to say he was bored, "yeah you're right, we should go."
As if on cue a loud bang signaled the arrival of the golden armor clad guards who had realized I had gone over the wall. The fact that there was only three of them implied they were just as surprised I had survived my little trip through the heavens as I was.
Due to their impeccable training they didn't pause to show their shock, instead they just took their stances and raised their crossbows to fire. I turned back to see one of them take aim and was just barely able to duck the arrow. Other than that one shot, Max was able to dodge the attack without even looking back, I realized then and there how lucky I was he was on my side and not tracking me down.
I looked back to realize that we were heading straight for the edge of the walkway we were on, and Max wasn't making any signs that he had any plans for turning. Suddenly the door on the other side of the roof burst open and at least twenty guards streamed out blocking us in. I looked back to the closing in roof edge.
"Max." I said warningly confused as to how he couldn't see the edge of the roof, instead of slowing down the horse merely sped up running at full speed, the guards were almost on us and my breath hitched, this was it, I was going to die, I was sure of it.
Suddenly Max kicked off the edge of the roof sending us flying through the air. We soared over the heads of the guards. They skid to a stop watching us leave them behind.
I leaned back clutching Max's reins the one second we were suspended in air over the wooded area below feeling like hours.
Max landed on the roof of the house beside the prison his hooves scraping off the red clay tiles on the rood as we slid down the side. Again he pushed off and we went soaring into the middle of town square sending several people flying back, I think I heard a few people exclaim "The thief!" or "Ryder!", but then again they may not have recognized me without a botched nose job.
We thundered down the road and as the fear and shock wore off I remembered the reason I needed to escape the prison in the first place.
"Ok Max," I told him leaning forward into a proper riding stance, "let's see how fast you can run." I drove my heels into his flank and he shot forward faster than some cross bow arrows. It was miraculous and for the first time since I had seen the Stabbingtons the last night I felt genuine hope.
We sped over the bridge retracing me and Blondie's course to the city, backtracking into the forest. I knew I didn't have to worry, Max would find her.
We raced through the trees Max leaping over fallen logs not even pausing for a moment, it took me a few minutes to realize that we were truly retracing the path we had taken to get to the festival, we were heading back to Rapunzel's castle.
I breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe, she had done as I hoped, and headed back to that crazy tower of hers. Now all that was left to do was to get to her and make sure she was alright, and then take her and get the hell out of Corona.
I had been so stupid, letting her be associated with me, now there would be people hunting her, chasing her, all because of me. I had to keep her safe.
The idea of someone kidnapping her and using her as a slave for her hair for the rest of her life terrified me more than it should have. She was just a girl I had only met a few days ago. And yet, it didn't feel like a few days, it felt like forever.
As we sped by the snugly duckling I realized that Rapunzel had been one of the few people to really reach me and understand me since Nana, and she had managed to do it in a day. Max rounded the corner to where the entrance to the meadow was and I noticed that the ivy was pulled back and partially broken as if someone had come through in a hurry. "Rapunzel." I murmured forcing Max to speed up as her tower came into view.
I remembered how it had looked before, when I had first came here. So quaint and pretty and god damn comfortable. Now, after hearing Rapunzel's story I saw the towering walls and small windows for what it really was; a prison.
I didn't even wait for Max to stop as I slid of his back and rushed to the bottom of the tower, I looked around me trying to find some way to get to the top, a door or a ladder or even a long rope…
I looked up and noticed a hook and a radical idea came to me. It made sense, it was how she had gotten down in the first place.
"Rapunzel!" I called up to her, wondering if maybe we had been wrong, the place looked so dark and ominous, I couldn't imagine a place she was feeling so… cold.
"Rapunzel let down your hair!" I called hoping I was right, hoping she was okay.
After a brief moment I ran forward and started scaling the tower placing my feet in the cracks between the stones and the ivy. A creaking and cluttering from above made me pause and I looked up to see a familiar streak of blond tumble down. I jumped back to avoid being hit then leaped up pulling myself upwards with the agility I had gained over the years as a thief and an orphan.
It took all my will not to just laugh with happiness, she was truly okay; everything was going to be okay. I hauled myself up into the tower room my eyes adjusting to the dimness.
"Rapunzel," I said my breath labored but still filed with joy, "I thought I'd never see you again." I called into the room as I stumbled through the window still not looking up. I should have, I should have looked up, because if I had, I would have seen that I had been too quick to assume, too quick to hope, and yet overall, just not quick enough.
GAH! Sorry sometimes the movie gets to me, like I was watching this and then I got so into it I had to stop writing and watch the movine until the end (whoops)but honestly, these scenes are heartbreaking and hard to write :( luckily I've never had anything happen to me that is truly this life shattering so I have to over exaggerate everything I've felt before to put it into words. I hope you guys enjoyed it, don't forget to comment/ F or F
Thanks!