Chapter 10

Cassandra bursts through the bedroom door and back into the tavern.

The first thing she sees is her father running down the hallway toward her, with two of his guards following closely behind. Their weapons are raised threateningly, and they wear determined expressions on their rigid faces.

Suddenly, the captain halts in his tracks as he finds himself almost sprinting directly into his daughter. The guards slow to a stop behind him, wide eyes focused on the girl standing unexpectedly in front of them.

They'd been heading directly for the door. If Cass hadn't emerged when she did, all three of them would've gotten caught.

"Cassandra?" marvels the captain, unable to believe what he's seeing.

"Dad!"

Cassandra struggles to read the shocked expression on her father's face. She braces herself for whatever angry reaction she may receive from him finding her here. Instead, she finds herself completely stunned when he scoops her into a loving, tight embrace.

"Oh, thank goodness you're all right!" he exhales over her shoulder, a wave of relief washing over him.

Cassandra's feet have almost left the ground as he holds her. Her arms hang limply between them.

After a moment, he pulls away from her, but his hands still grip her arms. Worry overcomes his voice as he scans her over for injuries. "What are you doing here? Are you hurt?"

"I…"

"Is Rapunzel with you? We've been searching everywhere for you two." The captain peers around themselves as if he might still find her here.

"N-no… that's—that's actually why I'm here," stutters Cass. "I was looking for her."

"What?" he exclaims.

"I wanted to help."

"Oh, Cassandra," he sighs, shaking his head in disappointment. "That was reckless of you. Leaving the castle on your own like that!"

"I know. I'm sorry," she lowers her head in shame like a child being scolded.

"We saw the princess' horse outside," he explains. "We thought for sure she had to be here."

Cass' heart skips a beat. "No, it's just me. I took the horse."

"It doesn't matter now." He pulls her into another soft embrace, resting his chin on top of her head. "All that matters is that you're safe."

Cassandra swallows nervously, her cheek against his chest. "Are… are you still going to look for her?"

"Yes. The king and queen will not rest until Rapunzel is found." He steps away from her, glancing at the two guards behind him.

They look to each other awkwardly, feeling out of place in the middle of this frantic father-daughter reunion.

The captain puts a reassuring hand on Cassandra's shoulder. "But first, let's get you home. You look exhausted."

But Cass doesn't budge. All she does is stand there in silence, hugging her arms and staring down with an uneasy expression. Like she's debating what to say – or whether to say anything at all.

"Don't worry, Cassandra," he assures, sensing her worry. "We will find her."

Rapunzel watches her own boots as she treads over an uneven path of pebbles and stones.

A small stream of water trickles past her feet and along the forest floor, soaking the base of her shoes. She focuses on not tripping over fallen branches in her path and pockets in the mud, still damp from last night's rainfall.

She holds her own arms as she warily peers over her shoulder again. There's nothing behind her. Only an endless abyss of thick trees and protruding branches that seem to block her out from whatever's beyond them.

"Hey. You can relax. I think we're far enough away from them now."

Rapunzel looks forward again at the sound of Flynn's voice. She watches him walk ahead of her in silence, not looking back at her. She stares uneasily at his backside.

Lively morning birds chirp overhead, their shadows darting through the rays of sun that shine through the foliage.

They'd been listening to their own footsteps for so long and Rapunzel has been so anxious since fleeing the inn that she almost forgets she isn't alone.

The quaint village is far from view by now. They ran out of there what feels like hours ago, though it may have only been a few minutes. They haven't stopped since then. Yet, the farther they walk away from it, the more it seems like that town is still creeping up on Rapunzel.

She hadn't realized she'd been looking behind them so often, and she lowers her head again.

"I know," she says. "I'm just worried about Cassandra."

"Ohhh, Cassandra!" Flynn points a finger in the air with sarcastic enthusiasm. "Right… Your friend who tried to kill me. Yeah, something tells me you've got nothing to worry about there."

"She tried to kill you?" Rapunzel asks.

He shrugs. "More or less."

He steps up onto a boulder lying in their narrow path and hops down off the other side of it, boots splashing into the thin layer of water. Rapunzel follows him.

Well, she can't say she's entirely surprised. That does sound like something Cass would do. She realizes she never got the chance to ask about how her and Flynn had ended up together back at the inn because they had been too busy running for their lives up until now.

A part of Rapunzel doesn't find the point in asking, not with her mind so preoccupied with more important matters - like where Cass is right now, and whether she's all right, and whether those guards are still following them right now.

She hopes Fidella is okay. Cass probably took her. She wouldn't leave the horse there alone.

"Sorry," Rapunzel winces, figuring someone should at least apologize for Cass' behaviour - which Rapunzel finds herself doing more often than she'd care to admit. "I know she can be pretty intense, but… she just needs some warming up to, that's all."

"Right," says Flynn, unconvinced. "So let me get this straight. You told me your name is Cassandra, who – surprise – she's actually your lady-in-waiting. And the Captain of the Guard is… her father? Who may or may not be after you but is most definitely trying to kill me?" He peers over his shoulder at her as he walks.

"Yep. That sounds about right," confirms Rapunzel.

It's silent between them for a while longer as Flynn pieces together what exactly happened back there, and how it had led the two of them to this situation.

He'd already known Rapunzel ran away that night he found her at the waterfall. She had told him that much. But Cassandra had taken her back to the castle then. A part of him wonders what exactly happened between then and now that leaves the princess in hiding once again. Another part doesn't much care to ask.

"You know, complicated relationships aside, it seems that every time we run into each other, you need me to save you," he boasts smugly.

"You did not save me back there. I could've made it out just fine on my own," insists Rapunzel, though she says it more out of pride than anything. She might admit he's saved her before. But not today. She changes the subject. "What were you doing in that tavern, anyway? Didn't I tell you to stop following me?" she partially teases him.

"Hey, man's gotta eat and sleep. That tavern was just another pit stop for me. I think the real question is - what were you doing there? Shouldn't you be back in your fancy castle?" He raises his arm to push aside a tree branch in his path.

Rapunzel stops the same branch with her hand just before it swings back and hits her in the face. A distressed grunt escapes her lips. She rolls her eyes, then continues walking. "For the record, Flynn Rider," his name comes out mockingly, "I can take care of myself. I'm not as helpless as everyone makes me seem."

"I never said helpless. Just… inexperienced," he corrects her.

Rapunzel purses her lips in annoyance. Then a bright, positive tone reaches her voice as she chooses to ignore that. "You know, we're not so different, you and I. You want adventure. I want adventure…"

Flynn laughs at that. "I hate to break it to you, Sunshine, but I am nothing like you."

They emerge into a wider clearing within the forest where the trees become thinner and the terrain less rough.

Flynn whips around to face her, holding out his hands sternly. "Look, it's been fun catching up and all. But if you'll excuse me, I've got somewhere I need to be." With that, he turns on his heel and saunters away dismissively.

Confused, Rapunzel only stands there and stares longingly at his backside getting further away from her. The sight makes her panic.

"Wait!" She runs to catch up, though her voice doesn't stop him. The fact that he walks much faster than her doesn't help. "We should stick together," she suggests in an enthusiastic voice. She'd thought that was the original plan. Why is he leaving her now, after all they just went through?

"I am deeply flattered, but I'm better off alone."

Rapunzel struggles to keep up, stumbling clumsily after him. "You said it yourself when we first met! 'We make a pretty good team', remember?"

"That was back when I thought you were a criminal. And not, you know, the princess."

"You know, not all royalty is as bad as you think they are," she argues defensively.

"Well, I've got enough problems already. And something tells me the king won't take too kindly to me fraternizing with Corona's most beloved treasure." He says the last part mockingly, like the entire idea is ridiculous.

She ignores that arguable description of herself. "I'm just saying, we're both wanted by the royal guard now. So, maybe it's best that we help each other," continues Rapunzel. "At least for a few days until they're off our trail, and then we can go our separate ways. Okay?"

Finally, Flynn begins to slow down, which gives her a chance to catch her breath.

As her words linger in the air, he plants his feet and turns to fully face her. His arms are crossed in front of his chest, and he's raising a challenging, unamused eyebrow.

"Look," Rapunzel exhales. "If I go back to the castle now… I don't know what I'll do." Her shoulders fall as her voice suddenly becomes somber. Her gaze trails along the ground as a new sense of sadness glazes over her green eyes. "I just… I feel like I don't belong there."

Flynn's hard expression suddenly softens.

She looks up at him beneath long eyelashes, with a glint of a hopeful smile. "You know what I mean?"

The silence stretches between them as Flynn only watches her with intrigue, at a loss of what to say. He's studying her closely – like he can't figure her out. Then he inhales, defeated, but there's a hint of a smirk on his face.

It makes Rapunzel beam.

Flynn plants his hands on his hips. "All right, Blondie," he says. "I can't believe I'm saying this but... you've got yourself a deal."