Chapter 14
4 years ago
"Sit up, dear. Don't slouch," Arianna tells her fourteen-year-old daughter within the back of the carriage.
A young Rapunzel immediately straightens her posture. She pulls her shoulders back like muscle memory, so hard that it makes her shoulder blades sore.
The wheels creak as they are pulled along a dirt road nestled within the forest mid-day, their bodies swaying along with the bumps in the road.
They can hear the hooves of the horses trotting along at the front of the carriage, as well as the sound of birds singing through the open windows. The summer sun cascades through the cracks of the trees overhead.
The corset of Rapunzel's gown makes it difficult for her to breathe and she writhes uncomfortably in her seat once more.
Her pale blue dress is lined with white lace and pearls. Her stockings and the thick layers of her skirt don't help against the heat inside the crammed vehicle. Her braid is tied with ribbons and falls over her shoulder on one side. Her brimmed hat is decorated with turquoise flowers and a neatly tied bow. The short lace gloves that she wears make her hands itch. She scratches at them absentmindedly.
Her mother sits across from her, also dressed in a silk gown and floral hat, with her curled hair perfectly tied up in braids and flower petals. Her hands are folded neatly in her lap, with all the poise and grace a queen should have. She makes sitting look so easy.
The woman flashes Rapunzel a comforting grin, telling her gently, "And try not to look so glum, darling. It's only a ball. Besides, this is an excellent opportunity for the kingdom of Galcrest to recognize your true potential as future leader of Corona."
Rapunzel only listens, staring silently at her mother as the carriage rattles along the uneven path.
Arianna leans over to pat her skirt, hoping to ease her mind, "One day, it will all work in your favor."
A minute passes of them gazing out the window in silence before the carriage jolts suddenly. They hear the horses neighing from outside as they are gradually slowed to a stop.
Rapunzel looks to her mother with confusion.
"I'll go see what happened," Arianna reassures her calmly, before lifting her dress and opening the door. She steps outside and shuts it behind her.
Through the window, the young princess watches her mother walk around to the front of the carriage, calling out to the driver, "Alexander?" Rapunzel can't see her anymore, but she hears her muffled voice through the walls. "Is everything all right?"
After a moment, Rapunzel slowly opens the door and follows her outside.
She hasn't stretched her legs in hours and all she wants to do is get out of this stuffy carriage even if it's just for a minute. Whatever the problem is, it doesn't worry her. She's just grateful they've finally stopped.
The fresh air hitting Rapunzel's face as she steps outside is an immediate relief. It feels like she can somewhat breathe again, disregarding the corset.
"Nothing to worry about, Your Majesty," the carriage driver tells Arianna in a cheery tone.
Rapunzel wanders out onto the dirt road, scanning the area. Nothing seems out of the ordinary as she gazes among the forest. It doesn't even look like they hit anything. All she sees are luscious green trees surrounding them that seem to go on for miles.
However, something bright on the side of a tree catches her eye a short distance away.
"Must have just hit a bump in the road. I'll take a look at it, and we'll be back on our way in no time," the driver continues.
Their voices fade away as the princess wanders off the path and toward the mysterious tree trunk. She stops a few paces in front of it. There's a sheet of parchment nailed to the bark. She squints at the written words in front of her face.
'WANTED Dead or Alive: Flynn Rider, THIEF'.
Rapunzel stares curiously up at the charcoal drawing of a boy she doesn't recognize, wondering what such a poster is doing so far outside the kingdom. He appears to be only a teenager. He doesn't look harmful. Whoever he is, he must have stolen something pretty significant to whoever made it.
Rapunzel whips her head around when the palace horses neigh loudly behind her. When she lays eyes on them, they're clearly spooked, shaking their manes, and raising their front hooves in a panic.
Then she sees various figures darting through the trees behind the carriage. Voices are shouting and footsteps are running heavily.
The driver yells something out in the distance, but Rapunzel is too dazed to decipher it over all the noise. All she does is stand there in confusion and fear.
"Rapunzel!" She hears her mother cry out to her with worry, who suddenly appears by her side and grabs her by the shoulders.
Rapunzel ducks her head and squeezes her eyes shut as Arianna urges her back toward the carriage. It happens so fast that she isn't even certain what is happening around her.
"Get inside! Quickly!"
With her heart pounding in terror, the girl lifts her heavy dress and scurries into the back of the carriage. Arianna follows close, shutting the door behind them.
Rapunzel practically lunges toward the opposite window, hoping to catch a peek at the clamor that is happening outside, but she can't see anything from the angle she is at.
Suddenly, the carriage lurches forward as the driver whips the reigns of the horses, the animals whinnying loudly.
Before Rapunzel knows it, they are bolting back down the road they were traveling along. She falls back into her seat from the force of it. Their surroundings dart past the windows in a blur, wheels rattling over uneven gravel.
When Rapunzel peers outside the back window, all she sees is a thick cloud of dust.
"Explain to me what happened." King Frederic stands impatiently in front of his throne, rubbing his burly fingers against his forehead. He glares down at Alexander standing before him.
The driver is an older man, with graying hair and a brittle mustache. He wears a ruffled cravat beneath his pale buttoned waistcoat. He holds his hat in front of his torso as he speaks.
"I was just driving, Your Majesty, before we hit something along the road," the man explains in a quiet voice. Though he's a short man, he appears much smaller than the king from beneath the throne. "I got out to investigate, and that's when they came out of the woods."
Rapunzel gently pushes on the door to the throne room, peering inside from within the corridor. Though her view is limited from where she is standing, she notices her father at the opposite end in the distance, completely oblivious to her lingering eyes.
"Did anyone lay a hand on my wife or daughter?"
"No, sir. We fled as quickly as we could."
"Did you see anybody? What did they look like?" Frederic questions hastily.
"It was hard to tell, Your Majesty. They were bandits, I might presume." Alexander's gaze insecurely wanders elsewhere. "However… I do believe I recognized one of them."
Frederic takes a step forward, his fists clenching at his sides. "Tell me now. I demand to know who dare threatens my family!"
Alexander hesitates before he speaks, taken aback by the king's rage and hoping the very man won't take it out on him. "His… his name is Flynn Rider," the man stutters.
Rapunzel gasps softly, eyes widening from behind the door. She recognizes the name immediately as the one she had seen on the wanted poster earlier that day.
"I have previously heard word of his gaining crimes within the area," Alexander reveals. "The kingdom of Galcrest has recently warned their citizens of his treachery."
Rapunzel practically holds her breath as she watches her father stand there in silence with fuming eyes, waiting in anticipation for what it is he's about to say.
Frederic's expression twitches in realization as he recognizes the name.
"Guards!" he shouts suddenly.
A few moments later, two royal guards rush into Rapunzel's view, appearing near Alexander with halberds tucked underneath their arms. They stand at the ready with their chests puffed out and their chins lifted.
"Put out a bounty for this Flynn Rider," demands the king. "I want every guard in this kingdom searching for him. I will not rest until he is captured!"