Chapter 16
Earlier that day
It feels like Rapunzel has been waiting for hours.
She stays at the waterfall for a while, hoping that Flynn will appear at some point. She'd stared up at the cliff she'd jumped off of, hoping to see him leap down after her, or at least hear him, but still there is nothing.
She'd thought he'd been right behind her. That's what he said. Now it's all so quiet.
The guards must have caught him before he was able to jump. Or maybe it was all a part of his own plan. He always has one, right? He must have known what he was doing. Maybe Rapunzel just has to wait a little bit longer.
Whatever it is, Flynn knows where she is now. If he had meant to draw off the guards, surely he would have come down here to meet her by now. Why wouldn't he come back? It's been long enough.
She peers up at the cliff again. It seems to stretch on for miles. There doesn't seem to be any way back up there. Not unless she walks, and hopefully finds one eventually. She considers climbing, but the cliff is far too high and steep for her to even get a grip on it.
The guards must have seen her leap off the edge during the chase. Out of fear of them finding her down here, Rapunzel realizes she probably shouldn't stay here for much longer - which leaves her no choice but to walk.
As she wanders endlessly, searching for a way back to Flynn, Rapunzel's darkest thoughts eventually get the better of her.
They're going to arrest him or worse. That is, if they haven't killed him already. They've taken him and now she has no idea where to go. She's stranded in the middle of the woods. And it's only a matter of time until they find her too.
Hopelessly, Rapunzel begins to cry.
She falls to the ground and sits with her back against a large mossy boulder nestled within the trees. She pulls her knees to her chest as she finds herself suddenly overwhelmed with worry. Her clothes are still soaked and her wet hair clings to her flushed cheeks.
The realization that she's all alone now hits her like a ton of bricks. She's never been so far outside the kingdom before. She'd never have made it all the way out here if it wasn't for Flynn. And now she has no idea where she is. She's lost, and Flynn is gone. Just like Cass.
Rapunzel's sobs are cut off as she hears a rustling noise somewhere behind her. A twig snaps in the distance, causing her heart to skip a beat.
Whatever it is, she doesn't peek out from behind the boulder to look. Instead, she presses her back against it, holds her breath, and listens.
It could be an animal, or a stranger. It could be Flynn. Or it could be one of her father's guards come to take her home.
The footsteps are loud in her ears now, creeping closer. Whoever it is, they know she's there. She has no choice but to show herself, one way or another. Either she faces them now, or she runs.
Rapunzel closes her eyes and takes a steady breath. She slowly reaches for the dagger tucked into her boot, then springs to her feet.
As she jumps out into the open, she whips the blade out defensively in front of herself.
"Whoa—hey, it's okay!" The burly figure of a man she doesn't recognize is standing in front of her, a lot closer than she'd expected.
"Stay back!" Rapunzel orders.
"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm—I'm just trying to help." He holds his hands out in an attempt to calm her down.
"Don't come any closer," Rapunzel cries, tears still wet on her face. Her voice comes out weak and broken, despite her attempt at intimidation.
"I won't. Just listen." His wide eyes stare intensely at the clearly terrified girl in front of him. He notices her hand quivering as it continues to point a shimmering dagger at him. "You're—you're with Flynn, right? Flynn Rider?"
Rapunzel's stomach fills with dread.
Who is this man? How does he know that? She studies his appearance. He doesn't look like a guard. He's wearing regular clothing, but she notices the sword holstered to his belt. It makes her uneasy.
Her father must have sent him here to take her back, and it's all a disguise. Or maybe he's another ruffian come to kidnap her. He could have been spying on her and Flynn this entire time. Either way, there's no telling what else he already knows.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she quavers.
"Listen. I'm not one of them. I'm a friend of his," he says soothingly, his cautious stance beginning to relax. "My name's Lance. I saw you two running from those guards before you jumped."
Rapunzel perks up in recognition of the name.
"If—if you just put the knife down… I can take you to him." He slowly steps toward her with his arm out, watching her intently for any sudden moves she may make.
This time, Rapunzel doesn't back away, or try to stop him. Instead, she stands there in confusion as she pieces it all together.
Flynn had told her about someone named Lance. He said their camp was not far from here. That must be where this man came from. If he's a friend of Flynn's, then Rapunzel can trust him.
"You—" Rapunzel slowly lowers her blade. As she warily stares into his kind eyes, she realizes he's telling the truth. A huge wave of both relief and concern begins to overtake her. "Is Flynn okay?"
Lance hesitates. "He's alive. He's lost consciousness. But we're gonna take him back to our camp."
Rapunzel's gaze wanders away from him in thought, panting as the tears begin to well in her eyes again.
"You should come with us. It's not safe for you out here," advises Lance, peering around themselves in search of lingering guards.
The distant thought of him lying to her for whatever reason hangs in the back of her mind. He could be saying anything to get her to come with him.
But the last thing Rapunzel wants is to be left out here alone any longer. And if there's even the slightest chance that he's telling the truth, Rapunzel has to take it if it means that Flynn might be okay.
All she wants is to see him again.
Warily, Rapunzel lowers the dagger to her side. She stands up straight again, relaxing her shoulders for the first time. She takes a quivering breath, and meets the man's eyes. "Take me to him."
Hours later, when the sun has begun to set, Lance finds Rapunzel unable to leave an unconscious Flynn's side.
He lies asleep on an elevated cot within one of the many tents making up the thieves' settlement. Thankfully, the quaint community already has a doctor with all the supplies and medication one might need. Crates and shelves of it are stacked beneath the broad canvas ceiling, sheltering them from the approaching night. Patches of damp grass and dirt make up the floor. A firelit lantern flickers on the bedside table, its orange flame encased in glass.
Rapunzel perches atop a wooden stool next to Flynn. The surface of the cot he lays upon is much higher than her chair, so she leans forward, crosses her arms, and rests her head on the edge of it.
Eventually, when Lance pulls back the canvas opening that leads back outside, Rapunzel doesn't move. She doesn't notice him enter.
She isn't sleeping. There's no way she can. Rather, her eyelids are soft, staring somberly into nothing. She aimlessly traces her fingers along the fabric of the cot, just waiting for Flynn to wake up.
On their journey back to camp, Lance had attempted getting more information out of the frightened girl he'd found in the woods. Clearly, she had been rather shaken up as they walked, and so, he thought it best not to pressure her to talk. Now that it's been a couple hours, he figures he might try again to make her more comfortable.
"I, uh… I thought you might be hungry," Not wanting to alarm her, Lance quietly steps inside with a steaming bowl of fresh stew cradled in his hands. "Oh, and I brought this." He pulls out a folded hide blanket tucked beneath his arm. "In—in case you're cold."
Rapunzel finally lifts her head to peer up at him. She hadn't even been thinking about food. Now that she smells it, she realizes how hungry she's been. "Thank you," she mumbles, carefully accepting the blanket from him.
She drapes it over her shoulders and wraps it tightly around herself, shivering. Then she gingerly takes the warm bowl from his outstretched arms.
There's an accomplished grin on Lance's face after that.
After their panic-induced meeting in the forest earlier, she thankfully seems to have warmed up to him now. He can't blame her though. The poor girl must have been terrified, after everything that led her to that situation.
Lance looks away awkwardly as she takes a sip from the bowl, all the while debating whether he should stay or leave her alone. She isn't making any efforts to talk to him, but he imagines she'd want some company right about now.
After hovering there for much longer than he probably should, Lance pulls out another stool and places it a safe distance away from her on the grass. He perches himself on top of it, angling toward Flynn.
It's much quieter in here, though they can hear the soft chatter of people milling about outside.
"So… you're the mysterious girl Flynn won't stop talking about," he says, crossing his arms.
Rapunzel blinks, remembering the fact that Flynn had told her not to reveal her identity here. Lance seems like he can be trusted, but still, she can't be sure how much Flynn already told him. "Cassandra," she introduces herself.
"Huh. Cassandra. You don't hear that name often," he ponders, merely for the purpose of making conversation.
When Lance looks over at her, she's lost in thought and staring directly at Flynn laying in front of her.
His eyes are still closed, body entirely unmoving.
It doesn't even seem like Rapunzel heard what Lance said. As he studies her, he sees the same worried look in her eyes she'd had the moment he told her Flynn was alive. Clearly, she has something else entirely on her mind, and he nods to himself in silent understanding.
"He's gonna be okay," Lance tells her gently. "Trust me, I've seen that guy survive much worse."
"Really?" Rapunzel murmurs.
"Oh, yeah." He leans back in his chair and crosses his hands behind his head. A smirk forms on his lips just from the memories. "This one time, he got into a fist fight at this tavern. The other guy had been picking fights just for the fun of it, and Flynn was so drunk he went along with it. Knowing Flynn, he probably just wanted to show off. Turns out he broke two of his ribs after that and couldn't walk straight for a month."
Rapunzel can't help but laugh softly at that. "That's stupid."
"Yep. And that's just the beginning of it. Honestly, I'm not even sure how he's still alive," Lance agrees, also chuckling to himself. Then his tone becomes serious again as he notices her fading smile. "If there's one thing I know about Flynn, it's that he always manages to get himself out of any situation. Even if he got himself into it in the first place."
Rapunzel sighs. "Yeah. I'm sure you're right."
Despite everything, that does make her feel somewhat better. She believes him, though it doesn't make any of this easier. Nonetheless, she appreciates his efforts of easing her mind.
They sit in comfortable silence for a while after that, dwelling on the story Lance had just told.
"So… what did he say about me?" Rapunzel finds herself asking.
"Eh, not much," Lance shrugs casually. "I mean, he didn't have to. I figured there had to be some reason he kept sneaking off and disappearing on me."
Heat suddenly rises to Rapunzel's cheeks. She hadn't realized Flynn had been doing that.
"Anyway, Doc said he should be awake soon," Lance rises from the stool and nods at the bowl of food in her hands. "You just make sure you eat." With that, he turns to leave.
"Lance?" Rapunzel stops him.
He freezes beneath the opening of the tent, peering over his shoulder at her.
"Thank you… again. You're a good friend." She looks away awkwardly. "And I'm sorry for pointing a knife at you."
He grins warmly at her, shrugging, "I'm used to it."