In a moment of panic, I patted myself down like a madwoman. Still no key. Did Raccoon Boy take it after all?!

Wait, no. I locked the door, I clearly remembered that. Unless those strange thoughts could fake memories, but that wasn't all that likely. They were just distracting...

I hammered my forehead with a fist. I left the key stuck in the lock! "Gosh, I'm so stupid!"

My cozy blanket had to wait, then. And if I went down there anyway, I figured I might as well prepare. So I raided my secret candy stash behind the washbasin.

It actually wasn't allowed to store food anywhere inside the ward. Like everything else, it was strictly regulated, but Austin occasionally smuggled sweets from Uncle Monty's for me. There wasn't much left from the last delivery – only two lollipops, a couple chocolate-coated raisins and some nuts. Austin always brought nuts. It was that sense of humor of his, but I wasn't complaining. Nuts were my weakness, and I wasn't looking forward to sharing them. So I decided to be selfish and stuffed some hazelnuts into my mouth as comfort food before fixing the candy bag to my waistband, underneath the tunic. The key joined it soon enough, and five minutes later I found myself in front of The Door again.

"Alright, Kai. You can do this. Aaaand I am talking to myself..."

The lock clicked and I pushed open The Door. Like last time, I tried not to look around too much and fixed my gaze on the general area I needed to go.

I guess it was lucky that I'd forgotten the key. The doors looked all the same, and I never would've recognized Raccoon Boy's cell had the little thing not poked out of the lock.

Anticipation flowed through my veins, and I turned the key with a little more force than I needed to. It was silly – Raccoon Boy was chained up. He didn't attack me before, and he wasn't going to do it now. The worst that could happen was another rejection, and I'd totally survive that!

The door creaked open and I slipped inside with new courage... only to be ambushed by a spirited animal trying to scramble up my leg.

"Rudiger!" Raccoon Boy cried, probably as startled as I was. However, I was too busy dodging his pet to pay him much heed.

"Wowowowow! No critters up my modesty!"

I grabbed the animal by the scruff of its neck. It squeaked in protest, but I was determined not to fall victim to its cuteness. I had ambitions this time!

I strode over to Raccoon Boy and dropped the critter into his arms. He must have been resting when I came in. He was sitting up, but the mess on his head looked suspiciously like bed hair.

He didn't bother fixing it. Heck, I wasn't even sure he could! Now that I finally got a good look at him, I could see the chains binding his wrists to his ankles. Judging from their lengths, their purpose seemed to be weight rather than outright restriction, but I was glad not to be in them anyway. (Seriously, who wouldn't?)

After I was certain that the raccoon was secure in his master's arms, I backed away and busied myself with untying the candy bag from my belt. Without making eye contact, I tossed a walnut at Raccoon Boy and sat on the floor. I could tell without looking that it worked – it didn't take more than the crunching sounds of a nut being nibbled away on by an eager rodent.

"You want something, too?" I offered as casually as I could with my heart in my mouth. "I'm afraid the choices aren't exactly plentiful, since I'm technically breaking the rules, but y'know... no sweets, no life."

The raccoon entered my vision, chirping commandingly. I giggled and pushed another piece of walnut into its paws, honestly amused. It was really cute! I couldn't help myself, I just had to pet it!

"Aren't you a fluffy little guy! What did your friend call you? Rudiger?"

A rattle of chains, and suddenly the raccoon was ripped from in front of me. "Enough! What do you want?!"

My head snapped up without my permission, and I was greeted by an impressive scowl. However, Raccoon Boy's eye color was a little distracting – a shade of pale blue which I found somewhat eerie. I figured it must have been the light. Even Raccoon Boy's hair looked all odd-colored, black streaked with... blue?

Totally the light.

I was snapped out of my observations by a squeak courtesy of Rudiger and remembered that there was a question to be answered. Even if the process of asking hadn't been the friendliest.

"I don't want anything. Unless you count keeping a certain critter fed to prevent another instance of this!" I pushed up my sleeve, baring the bright red scratches on my arm. "I believe it's a good enough reason. And I came off lightly. One of the guards nearly got his finger bitten off."

"Should've worn gauntlets."

"Dude! Cold!"

Raccoon Boy huffed, and that was the end of it. I sighed and relaxed my shoulders. I didn't remember them tensing, but the way Raccoon Boy scoffed at my friend's injury really didn't sit well with me. Still, a part of me understood his hostility. And I was confident that things would work out.

"Oh well, he was probably exaggerating anyway. He's really into drama."

I dug through my sweets bag and got a hold of one of the lollipops. I tossed it at Raccoon Boy, who promptly dropped Rudiger in shock. His reflexes were surprisingly swift, though. Completely spiting the chains, he plucked the small piece of candy from midair... and then it slipped out of his grip, which I found a lot funnier than I should have.

I pressed a hand to my mouth to hold back laughter, but it worked only for a second or two. Raccoon Boy refused to utter a single word, but the look on his face said it all.

"I'm sorry," I forced out, hoping to stem the flow of giggles that way. "I shouldn't be laughing. It's not fair."

I deliberately avoided talking about the chains directly, but Raccoon Boy seemed to catch my drift anyway. An uncomfortable silence ensued, and I eventually found myself drumming my fingers on my crossed legs.

I fished the second lollipop out of my bag, simply to do something worthwhile. It was raspberry-flavored – my favorite, but I couldn't quite enjoy it. I also took out the raisins, then turned the bag inside out. Walnuts, peanuts and hazelnuts tumbled to the floor, and Rudiger was back before I had time to blink.

"Well, at least someone appreciates my sacrifice," I mumbled around the hunk of sugar barricading my tongue and let the chocolate raisins roll back into the newly emptied bag. "By the way, you can have some of these, too. If you want. They're a little stale, though."

Raccoon Boy wordlessly reached out a hand, which caught me off-guard. I didn't really expect to be taken up on the offer, not after all the passive aggressiveness. But I shrugged and poured half the raisins into Raccoon Boy's palm. The following silence was more or less comfortable, probably because it didn't stem from the awkwardness of one-sided conversation for once. Raccoon Boy seemed content enough snacking on the raisins. I could almost pretend...

"Thank you."

Good thing I was sitting already. I might as well have keeled over from shock. Where was the venom all of a sudden?! I couldn't detect so much as a hint of bitterness in Raccoon Boy's voice!

I pulled the lollipop from my mouth. "Uh, sure. No problem. Do you like chocolate raisins?"

Raccoon Boy's brows knitted. He picked up his lollipop and sucked on it, apparently lost in thought. A few seconds passed, and just when I was sure we were back to the silent treatment, a loud plop heralded the answer. "Ill-considered query. It's based on the assumption I had chocolate raisins before and developed a taste for them, which is inaccurate. So the question should have been about whether or not I liked your chocolate raisins, past tense. Which is still tricky to answer. They were certainly not unpleasant, but I probably wouldn't make a habit of eating them."

That was the point where I wondered if coaxing words from Raccoon Boy had been such a wise decision after all. "What the heck are you babbling about? Did you choke on a word book or something?"

I earned myself a death glare for the question. He probably just remembered that he hated me. "Oh, you don't like my language. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't speak moron."

"Well, excuse me, Mister Expert!" I grabbed my candy bag, stood up and scraped together some of the fanciest words I knew. "Since I'm obviously unworthy of your glorious presence, I will not disturb you any longer and intrude upon a moron of my standing. Good day!"

Ignoring Rudiger's pleading chirps, I slammed the door (at least symbolically, as it was too heavy to slam) and stomped towards my room, with the key this time. Only after I threw myself onto my cot did the anger subside, and I realized I overreacted. I probably should have waited before visiting Raccoon Boy for the second time. Waited until I recovered from the first.

"I am a moron..."

I finished my lollipop and hid the stick behind the washbasin with the remaining chocolate raisins.

This day was officially a disaster.

I woke up in the middle of the night. I tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use. I went to bed way too early, and now I was wide awake.

For a while, I simply lay there, eyes closed and reviewing the day. I'm not one to mind surprises, but this? Well, a patient of my own was something I could have done without. I wasn't ready. No one ever told me how to deal with this kind of thing!

I needed to talk to Head Nurse Maurina and fast. This was a terrible idea!

Then again, Raccoon Boy was the only person around who was both my age and coherent. Or at least as coherent as someone with an academese addiction could be. I wasn't going to give up on him. Besides, if Arthur was saying what I thought he was saying, Raccoon Boy hadn't talked to anyone.

Anyone but me. How could I ever shirk that responsibility?

Or maybe I was just too nice for my own good. I pushed back the blanket and swung my legs out of bed. I didn't bother with changing out of my nightgown; I had stuff to do. I snuck along the hallway, guided only by moonlight and memory, until I came across a circle of lantern light. It contained a guard named Dominick, with his helmet askew and half asleep on his spear. He wasn't my first choice, but I could keep looking for Austin until doomsday. He'd never been on the night guard, and wouldn't be any time soon.

"Hey! Wake up, Dominick!"

"Hmm?" Dominick blinked owlishly, then his eyes widened. "Kailyn!" he whisper-yelled. "What are you doing here? It's hours past curfew!"

I folded my hands and gave him my best puppy eyes. "I know, I'm sorry! But I need to write a letter! Can you give me some paper and a quill?"

"But mail day is..."

"Next week, yes! But it's not for my family. I upset someone today, from here, and I want to make it right. Please?"

Dominick raised a brow at me. "Can't it wait until morning?"

"No! By morning I would've thought about it too hard, and I won't be crazy enough to do it!"

He yawned. "Sounds like a sure sign you shouldn't be writing it now."

"That's kind of an argument," I admitted, but my mind was made. I crossed my arms. "I'll tell Arthur you're sleeping on the job."

Dominick pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "You know what we call that? Blackmail."

"Please?"

"No, Kailyn. Go back to your room."

I glared at Dominick, but he was unmovable. His dad must have been a rock or something.

I had no choice but to back down. We both knew I wouldn't make good on my threat, and even if I did, it wouldn't happen without me confessing I'd been out past curfew.

"Hmph. Fine!"

Adults! Always against you! I wanted to throw something, but pulling off my slippers was too much effort. I had to make do with screaming into my pillow once I was back in my room and coming up with a different solution. Which was either waiting for the next day (grating) or going downstairs, waking Raccoon Boy and apologizing in person (explosive).

I decided on the former and pulled the blanket over my head. I hadn't been this irritated since I learned that I was going to be an aunt and couldn't be there for my sister. That was a year prior.

I thought I'd accepted it. I thought I was okay with the restrictions, that I'd carved out my niche. But every now and then, the rules did chafe. Waiting for time to pass didn't compare to missing my nephew's birth, but it stirred something in me I successfully repressed most of the time.

A longing for freedom.

I slept fitfully. Between wondering how my family was faring, what to do about Raccoon Boy and who was to blame for this mess, the night was anything but restful. Buried under my pillow, I didn't even notice the sun rising until Austin stormed in. "Kai! Kai?"

I grumbled into the mattress. Austin ignored the unspoken warning and ripped the pillow from my head. "Are you okay?"

"Ask Dominick," I grumbled under my breath, then realized I was being unfair and rolled around to face my friend. "I'm fine. Just tired and hungry. I slept right through dinner yesterday; let me have some breakfast and I'll be good." I could tell that it did nothing to assure him, so I donned a smile and sat up. Next try. "Thank you for checking on me, but you don't need to worry. I was just..." I drew up my knees and cupped my chin in my hand. "I was just thinking about my family. With all these weird news of magical rocks destroying Old Corona, and then this war... What kind of monster would kidnap Her Majesty? And now Princess Rapunzel has gone to who-knows-where!" I caught myself waving my arms furiously and stilled them by hugging my knees. "Anyway, I can't wait for mail day. I hope I hear from them."

Austin's gaze was gentle. He sat next to me, removed his helmet and put an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his side. His armor wasn't exactly comfortable, but I didn't care. I was just glad he was with me.

"I'm sure your family is fine. Chances are they don't even know about the black rocks. They only..."

"Grew in a straight line between Old Corona and the Capital, and Goldfeuer isn't on it. I know. I still want to see them." I ran a hand through my hair. "But I can't ask them to leave my sister and nephew behind. Kili is not old enough to travel and..." I closed my eyes and massaged my temples. I didn't want to cry. "It's hopeless."

I could feel Austin's hand rubbing my arm. "Don't think like that, Kai. Someday, those strange thoughts will be gone, and you'll go home to a family who loves you. And in the meantime, I'll keep you up to speed on Goldfeuer. Okay?"

"Okay." I took a deep, quivering breath. "Enough of me, then. How's your family?"

Austin scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, they're fine. Nothing exciting has happened since my mom decided she wanted to slim down. Like, literally nothing."

I chuckled in spite of myself. I never met Austin's family, but he joked a lot about how astonished he was that they hadn't disowned him yet. It was family tradition to have at least three helpings of any meal, but Austin never got past two. His sister-in-law fitted the family better than he did.

"Why am I not surprised?"

Austin grinned. "Maybe there's some change next time I visit them. Biiig maybe."

"Big maybe indeed."

Austin gave my head a playful push and ruffled my hair. "Hey, only the family is allowed to make fun of the family!"

"Oh, darn it! Now I owe you another marriage! How many marriages do I owe you by now?"

"About three dozens." Austin shrugged, a grin on his face. "I lost count."

"How irresponsible of you!"

We laughed together for a while, but I couldn't fend off the worry forever. It slowly trickled back in, and I found myself heaving a huge sigh. "I'd love to meet them too, someday. Your family, I mean. They sound like lovely people."

"I'm sure you will, Kai." He ruffled my hair one last time, then stood and put his helmet back on. "Come on. Nurse Maurina is looking for you."

"She is?" That warranted yet another sigh, and as if on cue, my stomach grumbled. "Aww, maaaan... Just a sec." I reached behind the washbasin. I barely took the time to offer Austin some raisins before stuffing my face with the last of them. It was far from filling, but at least it was sugar. "Alright, I'm ready!"

Austin raised an eyebrow. "No, you're not. I'm sure you have time to grab a sandwich before meeting up with the Head Nurse. Besides, you can't miss breakfast as well."

I was going to argue, but my belly told me Maurina could wait. "Alright."

Austin walked me to the common room. Mealtimes were the only times when food and cutlery were inside the ward, and guards watched closely for any sign of trouble. Unnecessary most of the time, though I had no idea how meals were handled beyond The Door. I doubted that anyone would trust criminals and people who lost their minds with forks and knives.

I chose to handle neither and grabbed two sandwiches so I could stay with Austin. "So, where's Head Nurse Maurina?"

"In her office."

"Could've thought of that."

"Do you know why she wants to talk to you?"

"Uh..." An image of Raccoon Boy flashed through my mind, holding his animal friend protectively and glaring daggers. I always found the expression 'icy blue eyes' rather cheesy, but I couldn't help thinking how well it fitted his. "It's probably about that boy they assigned me."

"Wait..." A thoughtful frown spread on Austin's face, which slowly gave room to disbelief. "They assigned you a patient?"

I giggled nervously. "Crazy, huh? Arthur refuses to tell me why, but maybe I'll get some answers from Mau–"

I figured I lost Austin halfway when I found myself crushed in a bear hug. I only just saved the sandwiches from being crushed with me. "Congratulations, Kai!" Austin shouted a little too loudly for comfort, but at least I felt the floor under my feet again. "That's so exciting! You've gotta tell me everything!"

I chuckled awkwardly and looked away, trying to push a strand of too short hair behind my ear. "I don't know how much I'm allowed to tell you. I don't want to get into trouble on the second day."

"Right..." Austin curled his lips. He was not satisfied, and he tapped his chin, pondering. That is, until he stiffened. "Wait... A boy?"

"Yes?" I couldn't decide if I should lower my brows or raise them, and somehow ended up doing both. I did not like this response. "What's wrong?"

"A boy? As in a boy boy?"

"Yes! What else do you think I mean with–"

Austin's hands landed on my shoulders. He was so close to shaking me, I was sure. "Freckles?"

"Possibly? I didn't look for–"

"Blue hair?!"

"It really is blue?! I thought I imagined that!"

"Kai! You can't see him!" Austin was positively panicking, and it was infectious. I could feel my heartbeat all the way up to my throat, making it hard to speak.

"Austin..."

"Do you have any idea what he did?!"

"No. But–!"

"Kai, that kid is dangerous! He's–!"

"Private Austin!"

Austin whirled around at the new voice and hastily saluted. "Captain!"

The Captain? That was rare. I stepped to the side to get out of Austin's shadow and bowed my head. "Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, young lady," he replied, then turned back at Austin. "Private, a word."

Austin glanced at me, then nodded and followed the Captain around a corner. I was obviously not supposed to hear what was said, but that didn't stop me from scooting closer. What could a lanky boy in his early teens possibly pull off that it had my friend in such a tizzy?

"Captain, you can't involve Kai in this! What if she gets hurt? Or worse?!"

"Austin, I can see you feel strongly about the girl's safety. But she might be our only shot at helping him."

"Why?!"

A deep breath. "Because she doesn't know who he is. And because she can sympathize with his... state of mind. We won't find anyone as unbiased as her, and she's even his age."

"But she..."

"Kailyn!"

I choked on my sandwich. The conversation around the corner stopped abruptly. I put on a grin which I hoped looked at least somewhat innocent and turned to face Head Nurse Maurina.

"Um... Hi?"

She pushed her glasses higher up her nose and stared at me with strict green eyes. "Were you eavesdropping on our esteemed Captain?"

"Uh... I... uh..." I slumped and stared at my slippers. "I'm sorry. I just... Austin was so worried, and..."

"You wanted to know what happened."

I nodded, face as hot as a volcano. It was one of those situations when I wished I was a better liar. Alas, I was the worst actress to ever grace the Kingdom of Corona.

"What did you hear?" The Captain popped up behind me, Austin in tow. I found out that I could feel even hotter than a volcano.

"Not much. Only that I'm apparently unbiased, whatever that means."

"It means you don't have a pre-formed opinion to cloud your judgment," Nurse Maurina explained. She glanced at Austin. "Or at least you shouldn't."

I followed her gaze. Austin was white as a sheet, but he kept silent.

Maurina cleared her throat. "Alright. Kailyn, Captain. Please follow me."

"What about me?" Austin asked, and Maurina turned to study him.

"I am very sorry, Private. But this is between the three of us."

While I was uncertainly swinging my gaze from left to right and back, the Captain placed a hand on Austin's shoulder. "We've got this. Please return to your post, Private Austin."

My friend nodded, resigned but obviously unhappy. I smiled at him, hopefully reassuring.

"Don't worry about me, Austin. I've visited the boy twice. He's not the most approachable, granted, but he didn't seem particularly interested in hurting me, either. Please listen to the Captain. We've got this!"

He still wasn't placated, but he seemed to admit defeat when he gave me a hug. "Take care."

"I will. Promise!"

"Then good luck." He pulled away and looked at me solemnly. "I guess."

I smiled. "Thank you."

That moment when you worry you've written a raccoon OOC.

I think one of the coolest parts about Tangled is that the animals have distinct personalities. I just watched Day of the Animals, and you can almost hear them talk even though they don't. It's incredible! (And Rudiger is so funny! But my favorite is still Pascal. Pascal is awesome, and nothing will change my mind!)

Btw, Raccoons are not rodents. They're procyonids, which might just be the kind of word Varian would know. Plus, the German word is Kleinbären ("little bears") and Tangled is a Germany AU, so it's even easier in-universe. /FunFacts