The Thief and the Flower

by Mastermind4892

"Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine." Fortune-hunter and adventure-seeking Flynn Rider will show Rapunzel the joyous wonders and mysteries of the world, and how to be her own person. In turn, the Maiden of the Golden Flower will teach him the value of home, family and what lies in your heart. [Pseudo-Novelization]

4. The Great Escape

The Great Escape

You will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!

- Captain Jack Sparrow

"Ah, you must be the distinguished noble from Glowerhaven I've been hearing about!" said the lieutenant as he eagerly reached out and shook Flynn's hand rather hard. "Lord Gladstone, it is a pleasure to meet your illustrious person!"

The man was slightly overweight and wore a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons. But as he shook the thief's hand with a firm grip, Flynn could not get over the size of the man's mustache, it was even bigger than the Duke's! Stop pointing that thing at me, it might go off!

"Y-yes, it's an honor and all that, you can let go of my hand now! Thank you. Yes, it's a pleasure, mister…?"

"Weeznod! Lieutenant Weeznod! At your service!"

Weeznod? Are you kidding me? Oh, of course you are. And they call me a criminal when this guy is assaulting us with that haircut? Where does the Duke find these people?

"I'll be with you in just a moment," the lieutenant said as he turned to a servant. "Waiter, I will have an aged bottle of Pinot Noir Red, mixed with one-third of '45 Ménage à trois and one-quarter of Mannovai Daybreak, with three pinches of salt stirred for eight seconds with the right hand before adding a single ice cube."

"… At once, sir."

Flynn blinked at the idea of such an absurd drink order. Seriously? That's even more ridiculous than having those five different kinds of forks at the dinner table! I will never understand these people…

"Ahem," the thief cleared his throat. "Well anyway, I hope you're enjoying the party as much as I am."

"Oh indeed! This shindig is the bomb-diggity!"

What?

"Erm, right. The Duke has great taste, and I'm especially impressed by his art pieces. Now, I may have the utmost faith in your abilities since the Duke obviously trusts you, but I've come to you because I want to make sure that we are safe here. You never know where a thief or criminal might be lurking."

"Criminal? Here? Don't be absurd, Gladstone. I'd catch any crook that dares to set foot in Weselton! Why, only a few days ago, I single-handedly cracked a massive underground gambling ring that had eluded the police for months! We made quite a few arrests on that proud day! Although, it was rather strange. Apparently, some newcomer showed up and cleaned everyone out before we ever got there. We're still trying to find him. Hmph, gambling. What a truly despicable practice."

Flynn quickly lifted his wine glass to his mouth to hide his grin. "Oh yes, completely despicable."

~o~O~o~

One week ago…

Flynn laid his cards out before the horrified dealer.

"Ha! Straight flush! I win again! Say, did you mention something about the Duke hosting a party later this week?"

~o~O~o~

The thief/card master smiled. Now that was a fun day. And Mr. Weeznod here had no idea that the culprit was standing within arm's length.

"The Duke is sure to recognize my worth soon enough, and I'll receive the promotion I am so rightfully due. Then I will be Captain Weeznod! The men will certainly respect me then!"

"Don't worry my good fellow," Flynn reassured him, fighting an uphill battle to talk with a straight face. "Your worth is clear, and I will never understand why the Duke doesn't see it. But you're a captain in my eyes."

Your name is Weeznod! No one is going to respect you!

"And I certainly feel more at ease knowing that we are protected here by you on this fine night. And there's so much to see here. Like those Alde sculptures over there! I cannot imagine the resources and influence the Duke must have to possess pieces such as those! They have to be the most valuable specimens here, there's no way that he could possibly have anything more surprising than those."

Take the bait, take the bait—

"Oh, even those are nothing compared to his private collection!"

Gotcha. "Truly?"

"Most right, my good man! You cannot even imagine what he has in there, and I am one of the few trusted men with access!"

"Really? Oh, how I wish I could see that! But perhaps I can settle for the next best thing. I'm sure there's plenty else around this magnificent house," Flynn hinted with a playfully conspiratory smile. "You wouldn't happen to be important enough to give me a tour, would you?"

Use his pride of his station, this man wants to feel important.

"Oh, I'm sure we can work something out."

This poor guy was too easy, the perfect mark. He would be so focused on his role that he wouldn't notice for some time that Flynn would have already slipped away and—

"Sadly, I cannot leave my post too easily and I have a routine patrol soon. I'm afraid that I cannot escort you on the tour."

"Oh… a shame indeed." Best. News. Ever!

"The doors to the main corridors are right over there," he pointed over his shoulder. "Oh, and if you run into any of the guards, simply speak the passcode 'Golden Fountain' and they'll let you right by."

Flynn's composure nearly slipped at what just fell into his lap. That just made his work far easier. "Um, wow. Thank you."

Then Weeznod handed him a scroll. "And here is a map of the mansion just in case."

There were times where even Flynn couldn't believe his good fortune.

You… you can't be serious. Just like that? Is this actually happening? Did one of the guards just hand me a map that also tells you exactly where the treasure is? That's like saying 'the cookie jar is open, help yourself'. Yeah, money NOT well spent.

"You have my thanks," he said sincerely. "You have no idea how helpful this is."

"It was my pleasure! Enjoy yourself tonight!"

And with that, the large lieutenant proudly marched off, leaving Flynn still unable to believe his good fortune. Well, like I always say, fortune favors the bold.

But just before he slipped out through the sidedoor, Flynn paused and looked back out at the large crowd of the upper-class nobles.

Just look at everything that the Duke has built for himself over the decades, and I have a plan to have him lose it all in one night. Soon he'll be robbed blind, by the world's greatest lover. It's finally time to start some trouble!

Fortune did indeed favor the bold, but it had always taken a special liking to Flynn Rider. He never knew where it came from or what he even did to earn it. Did the gods of fate approve of his chosen path in life, or was Lady Luck perhaps smitten with him and blessed him with all the good fortune she could offer in the hope he might pay her a visit?

Regardless, on this night the powers of fortune and luck were especially kind to him. If Flynn had stayed even a few seconds longer before slipping out through the door, his plans could have easily met with disaster.

A courier rushed up to the presenter and whispered something in his ear. The man's eyes bulged as he started ringing the brass bell almost frantically. As before, the music and chatter of the room quickly fell silent as everyone turned their gaze to him.

"Your attention once more, milords! We seem to have an unexpected but honored guest! Presenting His Royal Majesty of Glowerhaven of the Alliance… King Benjamin the Second!"

A swell of gasps and murmurs swept across the room as the monarch of Glowerhaven stepped through the grand double doors. To say that this was a surprise was the understatement of the year. It was already a shock when a mere count had arrived from the Alliance, but one of its member kings? It was unprecedented!

As things slowly settled down and returned to normal, Benjamin strode down the stairs and greeted one of the other guests. "Prince Waldstein, it's good to see you! How is your father faring these days?"

"King Ben!" the Albion prince smiled. "I didn't expect to see you here! And father is quite well, he managed to bring in a rather large wild boar from his last hunting trip! He's been doing quite well for his age!"

Benjamin chuckled. "He always was an excellent marksman with that crossbow, he once boasted how he would find a way to enter our Tournament of Champ—"

"Your Majesty, what an unexpected surprise!"

King Ben of Glowerhaven, or Ben as he preferred to be called, was normally a very cheerful and fair man. His jolly personality, generous nature, and love of children had long since earned him the nickname 'Good King Ben'. He was beloved by his people, and many of the children of his kingdom even compared him to Father Christmas. The comparison always flattered him.

But his jolly expression immediately soured like he had swallowed a lemon as soon as the thin voice of the Duke reached his ears. Slowly, he turned to meet the host of the grand ball, while Prince Waldstein wisely backed away. As he beheld the Duke, he idly wondered if the dwarf of a man had gotten even shorter since their last meeting.

"King Ben, it has been far too long!"

"No, it hasn't," he answered flatly. "And only friends may call me that. You, however, will address me as King Benjamin or simply Majesty."

The Duke looked as though he had been slapped, before quickly backtracking. Forget the mere count he had spoken with earlier, this was one of the Alliance's four monarchs. Directly upsetting one face-to-face could set him back years both in finances and in reputation, and that was the last thing the Duke wanted. He would have to be careful here.

"Y-your majesty, I apologize if I seemed too candid. If I may ask, how are the other members of the Alliance?"

"King Gerrod has nothing to say to you," the royal monarch answered bluntly. "King Willard is still in mourning over the loss of his only son and refuses to speak with anyone, even his own advisors. As for King Eric, Queen Ariel and their daughter, they have their hands full with… private matters."

The Duke knew from experience that he wouldn't hear any more about King Eric and his kingdom of Seahaven. As friendly and hospitable as they were to outsiders, the only kingdom that was even more secretive about family was Arendelle itself.

"Well, I am sorry to hear that. The pirate attacks must be more stressful for them than I thought."

King Ben wasn't fooled. The Duke was trying to fish for more information. Well, he would not have it and he didn't want to spend any more time here than strictly necessary.

"How about we cut straight to the chase? The Alliance knows very well what you're really up to with this 'party' of yours."

The Duke was one of the shrewdest negotiators in the realm, but the flash of unease on his face was clear to see. He had been caught in something rather implicating.

"You think we don't know what you're doing here? Do you think our eyes blind and our ears deaf?" King Ben's voice gradually grew lower and lower. "Well, I can tell you that they are not, and our tongues are not silent either! The Alliance is not made of ignorant fools. You're trying to weasel our allies and supporters away from us to your own banner."

The Duke blanched and swallowed nervously. "That… that is simply not true, your majesty! I am simply doing my part to keep everything together, to keep the gears of society running properly!"

King Ben frowned. The man was far more greedy and self-conceited than King Willard, but far less competent at hiding it. Even worse, at least King Willard knew how to properly tend to his people's needs just enough while the Duke barely even scratched the stark minimum.

"And you just happen to gather so many major figures of influence from across the realms when trade is not going as well for us as usual? You didn't fund this party from simple pocket change, you dug it straight out of a gold mine. You've pulled out every trick you know to impress the rest of the nobility by making offers and demonstrating your wealth and power, trying to present yourself as the better option. Well, I've come here in person to tell you the Alliance will not stand for it. You're treading on thin ice as it is with such a gutsy move, and I'm not so sure any of us will be so grateful to you once this all blows over."

"I-I don't understand, y-y-your majesty." The Duke's composure was quickly starting to slip, beads of sweat forming on his brow. He was rapidly losing ground and couldn't afford to lose any face on this night of all nights. He desperately tried to salvage the situation. "I... I don't know how exaggerated the reports you've been reading are, but we can come to a proper understanding. Besides, I was just speaking with your vassal, Count Gladstone, only moments ago and he informed me that Glowerhaven was willing to discuss new business deals!"

For the first time tonight, King Ben looked confused. "Count Mathis Gladstone is here?" He had been under the impression that his old friend was adamantly against the very idea of attending 'anything hosted by that weasel man', and he was quite vocal about his decision. Did he suddenly change his mind, and if so why? Or could it be that his vassal was thinking of jumping ship like others?

Once he was finished speaking with the Duke, he would look for Gladstone at once.

From the sidelines, Opal watched with worry. Flynn's cover could easily be exposed any minute. She prayed that he was almost done…

~o~O~o~

Flynn hated mazes.

This was the problem with a ridiculously rich Duke wanting a massive mansion for no other reason than to show off. Even the best architects had no idea what to do with all the extra space other than filling them with redundant corridors and pointless hallways.

"I hate mazes. Let me tell you guys something: I am not a minotaur," he muttered conversationally. "I don't spend my weekends in a hedge-maze waiting to kill people, and not just because that is the worst kind of stalker ever."

He was more thankful than ever that he had a map now. Flynn moved across the hall where marble tiles gave way to expensive rugs. Additional displays of material wealth lined one side of the hall while the other had massive windows that offered a vast view of the darkened courtyard and lavish gardens with cultivated rose bushes.

As it turned out, he didn't need the passcode Weeznod had given him. He had only walked past a single group of guards, and all thirteen of them were snoring heavily face down on their card table.

Heh, catching rest, but not intruders.

He still made a point to get away from them as fast as possible because their half-full mugs were filled with the ungodly pollution known as grog, which was some sick sailor's idea of drink. For the second time since he arrived in Weselton, Flynn cursed his heightened senses and gagged as his eyes watered. The smell was as terrible Boganti's shop and that was from chemicals and experiments, and should most certainly not be considered as a drink when it probably also doubled as ship-barnacle remover and oil cleanser. Ugh.

After ten more minutes of uneventful movement through the halls later, Flynn managed to locate the Duke's treasure room.

As usual, giant locked double-doors in the way because of course there is.

And sure enough, the doorway needed a key. Nobody said anything about a key, probably on the Duke's own person or somewhere in his personal bedroom. But the man only smiled as he knelt down and got to work tinkering with the lock. He was Flynn Rider, he didn't need keys.

Call me Ali Baba. Open sesame! And the doors opened.

Honestly, even the bombastic King Trevor of Equis had had a better lock system in every one of his doors than this. But it wasn't much of a surprise considering the Duke, a man so confident of himself. Apex predators did not usually possess much imagination. Great white sharks did not fear the shadows in the deep. And that was going to cost him tonight, right out of his own pockets.

But all of Flynn's thoughts were driven from his mind as he stepped into the treasure room, stopped dead in his tracks and simply stared.

There was more treasure in here than even he had imagined. And Flynn Rider could imagine a lot. Entire racks of shining gems, large piles of sacks of glittering gold, old leather-bound books, cups and goblets and vases, jewels that sparkled, fine drapes and silks, suits of shining armour, gold-encrusted weapons of different sizes, paintings, golden statues, the list went on.

Flynn thought he might actually cry. "Oh, it's the Promised Land!"

After another moment of goggling out, he snapped his jaw shut. Okay, I better chill out. You don't want a repeat of last Monday.

Nevertheless, it had been a while since he felt this excited. There was so much, more than he could have hoped for what he had in mind! What was that old saying? If it's too good to be true… then it can't get any better!

With that, Flynn pulled a few elastic sacks out of his jacket that were made by the same talented seamstress that had sewn the hidden pockets into his disguise. But before he could take another step, his hawk instincts suddenly cried out in warning and Flynn froze. His eyes dropped to the floor, and his sharp sight quickly espied tiny details in one of the large marble tiles right before him.

Frowning, he bent down and traced his finger around the outline, picking out the tiny indention spaces around the floor tile that allowed it to be pressed down if someone stepped on it. Flynn inhaled sharply. The tile was a pressure plate, no doubt a trigger for a booby trap. It was easy to miss if one didn't know to look for such a thing. Perhaps the Duke was more careful than he gave him credit for.

Oh, that had been close. Flynn carefully stepped over it, not particularly fond of finding out whatever unpleasant surprises that little trap would've had in store.

But before he could get back to work, Flynn noticed a group of sculptures that took up almost the entire west side of the room and his mouth dropped open again in surprise. It was the Alde sculptures! But how? He had seen them all on display back in the ballroom. Unless…

The feeling he had from when he first looked at the ballroom pieces resurfaced and he took a closer look. With his sharp eyes and experience in his trade of knowing the worth of valuable things, he noticed minute details in these pieces that the ballroom pieces didn't have which confirmed his suspicions. Fake. The ballroom specimens of the Alde statues were forgeries while the Duke kept the genuine priceless articles in his private collection for his eyes only. Honestly, Flynn didn't feel very surprised.

He shook his head and set his jaw. He wasn't sure how much time he had for this, and if he actually knew of the honored guest that had just arrived in the ballroom, he would have great cause for worry. But there wasn't much he could carry with him. As much as it offended him, he would have to leave much of this beautiful treasure behind, especially the paintings and sculptures.

But there was also still hope. Taking note of the large window at the rear of the room, Flynn shuffled over to look out at the vantage point it provided. It was no surprise that the Duke also had a window in his private treasure room that had a center view of the entire city to add to his sense of self-importance and greed. As Flynn's eyes looked further down, he realized with a wide and almost ecstatic smile that the courtyard stables were almost directly below. A magnificent addition to his escape plan clicked into place, and he would be able to bring far more loot with him than he ever imagined when he came to Weselton!

Good thing he usually brought rope with him.

"Alright, which bags of gold and jewels should I take with me? Emie, mime… all of them."

He immediately got to work, filling the elastic sacks he brought with the smaller bags of gold and jewels. He still couldn't take the artworks with him, but he would still be leaving with more than he had anticipated. Gold coins, sapphires necklaces, emerald rings, goblets, diamond figurines, a bottle of wine, fine silks—

Flynn froze.

Flynn turned.

Flynn let out an awed whimper.

A bottle of wine. Not just any bottle though, but a brew of Valhalla Nectar. A magnificent blend made by the Arendelle royal winemaker half a century ago. It was said that the taste was so divine and exquisite that it was considered a sin to spill a single drop. With only six bottles left in the entire world, Valhalla Nectar was the finest and most expensive wine known to man. Even Flynn never thought he would ever see one of these, a sentiment he demonstrated as he held the precious brew close to his chest, as if afraid it would disappear.

Now he was crying, with tears of delight.

I… I love my life… so so much.

He felt like he was dreaming. There was not a chance in hell that he would ever sell this, no matter what price someone might offer him. He already knew what to do with it. When he would finally obtain his private island, he would sit back under the sun, crack open this bottle, pour himself a glass and look out at the great horizon.

He shook his head. Focus! He still had to get the bottle out of here, and away from the Duke. That last thought sobered up him real quick as he stowed it in one of his hidden pockets. No way would he leave it in a simple sack where it could break easily against the other treasures. He tied the rest of the bags up, then he paused. In the excitement, he had almost forgotten the original reason he had sought out the treasure room.

Eyes sweeping the room, he quickly found his final prize: the Southern Isle rubies. He smirked as he stowed them inside the last bag. With those gone, the Southern Isle twins would be humiliated. If that didn't get them in trouble with their father, the King of the Southern Isles, then he didn't know what would.

Prizes in hand, Flynn opened the window, tied a sack of treasure to the rope and began the process of lowering each sack down to the stables below.

"Alright, just gotta do this in time. And if I run out of time, I'll just start over. It'll buy me time!"

~o~O~o~

"That's enough!" roared King Ben in an uncharacteristically loud shout that startled several nearby guests. "I won't have any more of your pandering! The Alliance will not stand for it any longer!"

"Your majesty, please reconsider! As I've told you, it's not what it looks like!"

"Your attempts to make a covert appointment with Vorhaven's trade ministry is evidence enough. We have more important things to worry about than your political cover-ups! If you continue any of this, we might just declare an embargo on any Weselton shipments into Alliance waters!"

The Duke's face turned two shades whiter and the corners of his mouth started to twitch in a nervous tick. An embargo would ban his shipments and ruin many more contracts. He would never admit that he was indeed trying to lure Alliance supporters and allies to his business enterprises, especially since he had believed that the Alliance would be too occupied with their troubles to notice his meetings with their associates behind closed doors. He was at the most crucial and delicate stage of his plan, and any upsets now could destroy it all. While an embargo against Weselton would cause a dip in Alliance finances and trade, it would put a severe black mark on the Duke's reputation and all his progress to win the Alliance's supporters would be lost almost overnight once word of his scheme had spread.

He had to fix this before his business and reputation were crippled. But King Benjamin was adamant, and there seemed to be no way to get the Glowerhaven monarch to change his opinion. But then again, the Duke realized he had another card to play. He had intended to use it during the final stage of his long-term plan to further cement the new Alliance partnerships he would have one day, but now it might be the only chance he had to save himself from being ruined.

"Let us not be too hasty! How about we settle down and discuss this like civilized men? Perhaps over a bottle of… Valhalla Nectar?"

King Ben's stern expression softened as his eyebrows went up in surprise. "You… you actually have a bottle?"

The Duke smiled. "I have many things I can offer."

King Ben was silent, obviously thinking it over. After a moment, his shoulders slightly slouched. "Very well. Don't think this changes anything, but I suppose there's no harm in talking it over. I'll hear what you have to say."

The Duke did his best to hide his relief. "You won't regret this, your majesty. Why, I'll even pour the bottle with my own hands instead of a servant. I'll be right back with it!"

The noble gestured to his two bodyguards to follow him out of the ballroom, never knowing what he was about to find.

Opal watched terrified as the Duke left, heading straight to the treasure room. Everything had been going so well. But perhaps she should have known better than to get her hopes up.

~o~O~o~

Ten minutes later…

Flynn stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth as he put all his focus into lowering the final bag down the rope. This last one was rather heavy and he had to be careful, especially since he had to make sure no one saw a rope suspiciously lowering treasure out of the Duke's mansion.

And… there!

"Ha! Done in the blink of an eye! I should blink more often!"

Flynn laughed triumphantly to himself as he reached for a golden sword from an ornamental suit of armor and twirled it while posing. All that was left was to sweet-talk the Duke into letting him take Opal with him, sling the sacks up with his horse Triks, reallocate the loot and catch the first ship out of the city! Soon, once he found a new place for Opal somewhere, he could think about finally going to the kingdom of Arendelle and paying a 'private visit' to their palace.

Everything had gone splendidly tonight!

Then his inner hawk suddenly cried in the direction of the doors, and the sound of a key turning in the locked door echoed through the room.

…Perhaps he should have knocked on wood first?

The doors opened as the Duke slipped in and closed it behind him, not even allowing his own bodyguards into his private treasury. Then he turned around, and he and Flynn Rider locked eyes.

The briefest of seconds passed before the Duke's eyes widened in surprise and alarm at the realization that there was an armed man inside his treasure room!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

~o~O~o~

The most shrill and high-pitched scream rang throughout the entire mansion, startling every single one of the guests and even causing several of the servants to almost drop their drinks.

A moment passed, then the sound faded.

Everyone remained still for a moment before shrugging and returned to their business. One of the noblemen must be showing the screaming girl in question a good time in bed.

~o~O~o~

Sensitive ears ringing from being at ground zero of the Duke's scream, Flynn incredulously peeked his head back out from underneath his coat.

"Please don't ever do that again…"

There are those who say you learn something new every day. Tonight, Flynn was provided a very vocal demonstration of how only nobles can shout and scream so loudly. It came with having nothing to do but complain about everything all the livelong day.

There was another brief pause before the Duke suddenly remembered himself. "Eh-hem! Lord Gladstone, what are you doing in here? This wing of my house is strictly off-limits to guests, and how did you even get in? Wait, what happened to my pieces!?"

Oh, this must look incriminating.

He was just about to leap out the window and slide the rope down to the horse stables but suddenly froze. Opal was still back in the ballroom, he couldn't leave just yet. Blast it!

"Umm, hi, your grace. Heh, no need to be alarmed, your donations have been graciously accepted by, uh, charity."

"Donations? Charity!?" The Duke looked as if the very word affronted him. "What are you—I don't give to charities! You… you stole from me!?"

"Steal? That's such a harsh word. I prefer the term 'aggressive fundraising'," He answered frivolously. "And it's all for the proud Flynn Rider Private Island Fund!"

The Duke stopped still as the gears in his head clicked. "Flynn… Rider? That vagabond outlaw? Lord Gladstone, you're working with him!?"

Flynn blinked, not sure whether to be amused or offended. "Um, sure! I most certainly am! Congratulations, your grace! Your generous donations will be helping to make a handsome man's dream come true! I love it when people do that!"

"How dare you steal from me, you pompous ingrate! This is treason!"

"Treason?" Flynn spat back in a ridiculously offended tone. "Now that's just rude! I've been working my butt off for years to help that man's dream come true, and this is the thanks I get!? You know what, don't say anything. You don't care. You're just a selfish rich jerk. I get that. Now I'm getting out of here as fast as I can. People like you just make me sick."

For his part, the Duke looked as if someone had rudely kicked him in a sensitive place and was gapping like a guppy. Which allowed Flynn to dash right up and rip his toupee off.

Before the tiny man could even process what just happened, the thief, toupee in hand, darted straight for the door and swung them open. As soon as he did, the Duke's bodyguards saw the man and rushed to apprehend him, only for Flynn to quickly slam the doors in their faces, hard, and were knocked to the ground stunned. Flynn casually stepped over them and bolted down the hallway.

"STOP!" the Duke screamed after him, apparently recovered from his earlier shock. "What are you doing with my hair!?"

"Uh… running!"

Much to Flynn's surprise, the incensed Duke took off after him at an unexpected pace. For such a scrawny man with short legs while wearing heels, he was surprisingly fast. Regardless, Flynn was far younger, more athletic, better looking and had more than enough experience evading soldiers and other authority figures. Sure enough, it didn't take long before Flynn got a head start around a corner and spotted a patrol that included a particular guard he recognized. Then he got a sneaky idea.

"Lieutenant! No, Captain Weeznod! I need your help!"

"Lord Gladstone! What's wrong!"

"You got to help me!" Flynn cried, looking every inch like a man terrified out of his wits. "There's some bald lunatic chasing after me! I don't what's wrong with him, but he's screaming like a madman! You have to stop him!"

Weeznod snapped into a salute. "Understood, I won't fail you Gladstone! Tally-ho I say, men!"

Flynn couldn't help but grin widely as he took off again. "Thank you, Captain, thank you!"

Weeznod and his men quickly and quietly took positions around the corners and waited. Seconds later, the Duke came barreling through, where the guards effectively tackled him to the ground in a dogpile.

"Stop that ma-ommph! Gah! My sciatica, my sciatica!"

"Ah-hah, we have you now, villain! You can't escape from a loyal lieutenant of—"

"It's me, you incompetent fop!"

Lieutenant Weeznod paled. "Your Grace! I-I'm so sorry! We thought that— I mean, Gladstone said there was a…"

"Gladstone!" the Duke fumed as his two bodyguards had finally caught up and pulled him up by the arms out of the dogpile. "Don't listen to that man, he's a thief and a traitor, working with outlaws! But he won't get away from me! I won't have a criminal in my own house! I'll deal with your ineptitude later, we need to get after him!"

None of the guards present could ever remember the Duke so furious before, let alone being so red in the face. But as he bolted towards the door Gladstone had fled through, Weeznod tried to call after him.

"Your Grace, wait! That door leads to the—!"

The red-faced Duke blew right through the door, thinking only of catching the rogue noble that dared to steal from him, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"GLADSTOOOOOONNNNNNNNEEEEE—!"

The Duke froze in place as he suddenly realized where he was.

"…ballroom," Weeznod lamely finished.

Everyone's attention had been naturally drawn to the commotion of a door being violently slammed open as their host came out screaming like a dry soprano. But that was quickly forgotten when they beheld a new sight at the same time the Duke remembered that his toupee was missing, leaving his embarrassing bald spot for all of his peers and staff members to see.

The musicians stopped playing, and the dead silence that fell over the ballroom was deafening. Several servants dropped their serving trays which clattered loudly to the floor while others stood in still motion completely unaware that they were overflowing the glasses of wine they had been pouring. No one moved as they could not help but stare. Opal silently gasped, eyes wide with disbelief at the sight of the mortified Duke trying vainly to cover his bald spot.

As for Flynn, the moment he had reentered the ballroom he had seamlessly slipped back into the crowd and was standing casually next to one of the fake Alde sculptures as if he never left. He was already in a little more trouble than he had planned, but he decided to go with his gut and right then his gut was full of desert.

"Wow," he called out loudly, breaking the silence. "That has got to be the worst bad hair day in for-ever!"

Several loud snickers and chuckles began as numerous nobles and staff members were doing their best to keep themselves from laughing. Flynn could see Opal close by, covering her smile with her hand, the rise and fall of her shoulders failing to conceal her giggling.

Alright, time for the final blow. "Oh, this is even better than when he was dancing!"

That did it. Like a magic spell was suddenly lifted, everyone in the entire ballroom burst out in wild laughter that belied their noble stature but none of them cared at the moment. There were even a few cheers and clapping hands of applause. Opal laughed as loud as everyone else in disbelief and delight. Even the Southern Isle twins were in hysterics with rowdy hoots.

The Duke of Nasaltown was humiliated!

As for King Ben, he wiped a tear from his eye with a handkerchief as he joined in the jolly laughter, delighted to see the Duke finally get his just deserts. At least until he thought he recognized the voice that called out… but no, it couldn't be…

His eyes glanced towards the unnamed voice and bulged when he recognized the face.

"YOU!"

The sudden roar of outrage and accusation cut through the rambunctious mood like a hot knife. The laughter quickly trailed off at the sudden shift in the room's atmosphere as everyone turned towards the source. Flynn turned as well, only for his triumphant grin to vanish when he recognized King Ben of Glowerhaven glaring thunderously at him.

"Oh no…" he muttered under his breath. The situation was just getting worse.

The Duke was quick to seize the opportunity as his mortally embarrassing moment passed. One of his bodyguards wordlessly handed him a new toupee that he was quick to slap onto his head. Straightening himself up, the Duke mustered up all the authority and dignity he still possessed as he pointed a finger.

"It's Count Gladstone! Stop him! He's in league with Flynn Rider!"

"You fool!" King Ben cried out at the Duke. "That's not Count Gladstone at all! This man isn't some accomplice of Flynn Rider, HE IS FLYNN RIDER!"

Silence took the room again as all eyes turned to the man in question. Even graveyards would be envious of the quiet in the ballroom. It was clear that everyone had heard the rumors and tales of the thief roaming the lands, making off with royal treasures. The stunning possibility of him standing right in their midst was nothing short of shocking. No one knew what would happen next, not even the guards as they slowly reached for their weapons in case it was true.

Seconds that seemed like hours passed as everyone watched the accused man who stood perfectly still.

Then his shoulders slouched and his noble posture dropped.

"Oh, come on!" he splayed his arms indignantly. "You're not supposed to find out until after I'm long gone! I mean, no one likes it when the kid sneaks downstairs to open his presents early!"

Everyone was taken aback at the sudden shift in the man who had been chatting with them for the past several hours, especially at his unabashed admittance of who he was. It was like he was completely unconcerned that he was surrounded by the most powerful of the nobility.

Count Mathis Gladstone had vanished, and Flynn Rider was back.

"And King Benny! How's it going, old buddy? Hey, if you miss the pigs from last time, there's a roasted one on the table right over there!"

Before the Glowerhaven monarch could respond, Flynn spun back towards the host. "But if you're wondering why I'm here, don't bother asking! I mean, let's be honest here. You throw the biggest party in years and didn't expect me to show up? Just what on earth were you thinking, Sir Duke of Nasaltown?"

The Duke looked like he had just been slapped as he sputtered "Nasalto—it's Weselton, you mendacious little—!"

"I don't careeee, your worship," Flynn flippantly dismissed, enjoying the shocked looks he was drawing from his 'brazen audacity' of speaking to the Duke in such a manner. Thieves were supposed to run, not stay and make fun of their would-be-jailers. No one had any idea what this man was doing.

"But I will say that I've had a lot of fun here! I've been all over the lands, seen a lot of fancy and expensive stuff, but this, now this is something else," he marveled dramatically as he casually leaned against the pedestal of the Alde statue. "What a house! So much splendor and majesty! I am so glad I've had the chance to—"

The Alde statue tipped over.

"—oh no, no no no!"

Crash!

But instead of the 'priceless' work of art shattering into dozens of fractured pieces, it simply snapped cleanly in two, revealing the empty hollow space underneath a thin outer shell. Everyone gasped in shock.

"Oh, would you look at that!" Flynn cried out. "It's a fake. They're fake! Just like everything else the Duke promises!"

A wave of outraged and scandalized murmurs swept through the crowd at the revelation of such an impudent deception from the Duke. Flynn smiled. Manipulating a crowd was just so easy, not to mention entertaining. But he wasn't finished with the Duke quite yet. "Just one question! How is it that you're so short and scrawny even when you shovel crap all day?"

The Duke was clenching his teeth so tightly, Flynn was surprised he couldn't hear the molars grinding.

"I won't have you slandering my good name in my own house! I'm going to have you thrown in the deepest, darkest hole I can find and throw the key into the ocean! Your life is over, you hear me!?"

"Hey, don't be such a pessimist!" Flynn shot back. "Besides, I'm allergic to shackles, you know."

"Uncouth peon!" the Duke screeched. "You will learn respect, Rider! Guards!"

"Okay! I can take a hint!"

Flynn came face-to-face with a large group of guards trying to encircle him. They seemed to be various shades of angry, unsure and anxious, nervously hefting their swords, pikes and crossbows.

Well, I can understand how some people can't get enough of me, but it's for their own good. Really.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the rest of the guards locking the entrance tight, ruling out the front entrance as an escape route. The Duke smirked smugly; obviously thinking it was already over. "Now, bring me his head!"

Well, that was just uncalled for! So, there was now only one thing left for Flynn to do.

"You might be able to use this in your mission," Boganti offered.

Flynn eyed the black sphere in hand with glee before pocketing it. "Oh god, I hope so! This will do perfectly!"

So be it. It was time to be awesome.

In the face of otherwise certain death, he only laughed as he reached inside his overcoat. "Sorry, but my head has a strict 'no detachment policy."

King Ben saw this, and suddenly had a feeling that everything was about to go wrong. He had only encountered the thief once before, and he had cleverly outsmarted them by being two steps ahead of everyone. There was a reason why he had evaded capture for so long, because Flynn Rider would always have a trick up his sleeve!

"LOOK OUT!"

Too late. Flynn pulled a black sphere out from his coat, held his nose tight and threw it as hard as he could towards the dance floor. The shell cracked open and its contents were released, a colorless waft sweeping across the ballroom and engulfing everyone in it.

Ambergris gas, when aged and distilled improperly, had a very particular and powerful smell. If Boganti was to be believed, one whiff of it would cause a mermaid to swoon and become instantly infatuated with the nearest person. But for humans, the foul odor was enough to make almost anyone keel over.

"Oh god, what is that!?"

"My nose! I can't breathe!"

"I'm going to be sick!"

"I need to get out! It's too close in here! I must get some air!"

"Smelling salts! Does anyone have smelling salts! My wife is distraught!"

With everyone disoriented and practically debilitated, nobles and guards alike, Flynn dashed straight for Opal, not daring to take a breath. He regretted seeing her just as affected by the gas, green in the face with watery eyes, but sometimes drastic measures were needed. He quickly guided her out of the ballroom, grabbed a water vase and gently splashed her face with it. As powerful as ambergris was, it was easily counteracted with water.

"Easy, easy… sorry about that," he apologized. "But it was the best way out for us."

Even though she was still recovering from the effects, the water had cleared her nose of the odor and neutralized the worst of the effects.

"I can't… oh, that terrible smell," she breathed heavily. "What on earth was that horrid stuff?"

"A gift from a cuckoo friend of mine. But it won't be much longer before the rest of it wears off out there. Again, sorry about putting you through that but there's no time to argue, so I suggest lodging your complaints at a steady jog!"

"Okay, but what happened!?" Opal panicked. "I thought you were going to talk to the Duke to get me out of here! Please please tell me that you have a Plan B!"

"Plan B? Of course not! My plans are numbered. Now follow me, I have a shortcut ready. We're getting outta here!"

As Flynn guided Opal to the treasure room, they didn't notice a single figure unaffected by the ambergris shove his way out of the crowd, ready to give chase.

~o~O~o~

Opal still could not believe where she was.

In the last half hour, Flynn's actions had made her go from feeling defeated to hopeful to nauseous and now frighteningly exhilarated. She didn't think it was possible for someone to change her world so much in so little time. She had just watched him humiliate the Duke and slander his reputation, and then incapacitate an entire room to make his escape with her. And now she was here in the Duke's treasure room, somewhere she never thought she would see. How many times had Flynn so easily accomplished the unthinkable?

And somehow, she had a strange feeling that the impossible deeds weren't even close to being done for the night. Such a feeling made her feel… excited. More than she had in a long time.

Flynn was quick to recognize the growing look of amazement on her face. "Heh, some things are easier done than said for me. And everything in the world is easy once you know the trick to it."

"I just… I can't believe we've done this! And you did it all for… what are you even going to do with all that treasure?"

That question actually made Flynn pause, and his gaze turned pensive. Normally, it would all go towards the 'Flynn Rider Private Island Fund' as he had mentioned to the Duke, but after what he had seen tonight he wasn't as sure.

"Commoners are so plain. I doubt they can even tell themselves apart!"

"Such entitlement from one born with nothing to their name. No family name, no holdings, no power. Remember your place."

"Food? These are difficult times. Our noble blood makes us the experts in running society, we need the food. The people can eat grass."

Flynn let out a long sigh. If he kept all the treasure for himself, he would be leagues closer to having his private island. But keeping all that wealth to himself was exactly what the Duke and all the nobles were doing. He would not be like them. Furthermore, he had stuffed his face with salted pork and fine wine in the ballroom while countless others in Weselton begged for scraps. And once Flynn remembered back at the orphanage how happy all the other kids were whenever he brought food back, he had made his decision.

Besides, it was what his idol had always done with his immense wealth. If Flynn truly wanted to be like him, to carry his name…

"I'll… see to it that this money gets where it's needed the most," he finally answered.

Opal caught the meaningful look. "That's wonderful, but how are we supposed to get out of here?"

"Out the window, of course," Flynn answered matter-of-factly. "The horse stables are just below."

"…What." Opal asked flatly.

"Don't worry, I've got plenty of rope!" Flynn laughed. "It's how I got so much of the treasure here out and down to the stables."

It was only now that she realized that treasure room didn't look as filled up with treasure as she had imagined. She looked back to the thief. "You… you got all the treasure out through… and we're just… just supposed to…"

She moved over to the window and looked out, before abruptly pulling her head back in. Looking down had clearly been a mistake.

"I should probably mention that I'm afraid of heights. Which I just learned."

"Ah, look at the bright side!" Flynn smiled. "There will be plenty of time to get over it on the way down!"

Opal's eyes widened, the clearest they had been all night.

At that moment, Flynn stopped talking when he heard his inner hawk screech yet again. It drew his hearing to the sound of rapidly approaching armored boots, and Flynn's hands clenched. They weren't out of this just yet; whoever was coming their way was wearing armor, and only one person came to mind. Not good.

"Worry about that later. We're about to have company, and it won't be of the friendly type."

Worry began creeping back into the dancer's eyes. "What? I thought that horrible smelling stuff of yours took care of everyone!"

Flynn sighed. "Looks like a certain rhinoceros made it through."

"Rhinoceros? What do you mean by— wait. Do you mean… him?" The dancer's face flooded with terror. "Oh… oh no… oh no, no, no, no! Please tell me you have a plan for this!"

Flynn's sharp eyes darted all over the room, looking for a solution. Then he found one and gave a small grin. "There's being prepared and being psychic. For lack of a crystal ball, we'll improvise!"

SBAM!

The door was slammed open with such force that the lock was broken beyond repair. The seven-foot tall arrival didn't have a key, he had a boot.

"Enough of this ring-around-the-rosy, Rider!" proclaimed Roksar, the bodyguard of the Southern Isle princes. "If you think a little gas would work on me, think again! I was poisoned once before at the Tournament of Champions, and I've taken measures to never let it happen again! Your cheap parlor tricks are useless against me!"

Opal whimpered in fear at the giant of a man as he reached for his massive sword, while Flynn appeared as if something most peculiar had caught his eye.

"Well, you're not the ugliest thing I've ever seen," he said. "But you do make a close fifth."

Roksar's eyes narrowed fiercely as he bared his teeth at the little man. "You're only making this worse for yourself, Rider. Your capture will restore my name and return the Southern Isles to glory and favor. But no one said that you have to be delivered intact. You have two eyes and ten fingers, and that can change. Give up now, and you'll be spared a world of pain."

How wonderful, he was giving Flynn the chance to grovel.

The thief only smirked as if he was just told a clever joke. "Not to brag, but you don't stand a chance against me. Oh alright, I bragged."

Now Roksar actually looked confused. "What is wrong with you? Don't you understand? It's over! You're not getting out of this! You may have slipped past those green grunts, but you have never… dealt with… the likes of… will you pay attention!?"

Flynn's head shot back up from examining his overcoat. "Huh? Oh. Just checking my fancy clothes. Apparently, they weren't designed to handle my thrilling heroics. Wonder if I have to get them replaced. Tears in your jacket are just the worst, right? So. You done?"

Roksar stared dumbfounded. Left without alternatives, he shot a questioning look at Opal. The dancer shrugged helplessly.

"If you don't shut your mouth Rider, I'll also rip out your tongue and feed it to my dogs, you little—!"

"HEY! Don't call me little!" Flynn interjected. "I know plenty of ladies that can tell you the word doesn't apply to me in the least. Can't say the same about you though! That oversized toothpick you're holding isn't the only real sword on you, is it? Or compensation, perhaps?"

When in doubt, insult their male pride and they will come at you stupidly. Flynn was rather curious to see how long it would take before the giant brute came at him like the angry shopkeeper from the other day, or if it would just be an evening of posturing. That prospect was boring and he hoped for something better.

He didn't have to wait long, as Roksar roared in a feral rage and charged straight for the thief with his broadsword raised…

… and stepped on the pressure plate.

Without warning, the section of the floor underneath Roksar opened up and the bodyguard disappeared as he fell into a dark pit. Barely a second passed before the floor closed up again as if nothing had happened. It was over. Just like that.

Opal stood there with her mouth hanging open in a rather unladylike manner, her mind trying to grapple with what had just happened.

Flynn put his ear to the ground, picking out the muffled cries of indignation from Roksar as he loosed a string of expletives that would make a pirate blush. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah, ha ha! Whoo! And he's supposed to be the champion of the Southern Isles? Ha! Yet another fabulous example of our taxes at work, which is another reason why I don't pay taxes!"

He moved back over to a still dumbstruck Opal as he grabbed the rope from earlier and expertly tied it tightly around them. She started to regain her senses as he pried the window wide open.

"Wait, we're really going to do this?"

"Yyyyyep! Time to do the thing!"

"Oh, no—I don't like this—oh, I really don't like this—!"

"Gem! A wise person once told me that you can never truly appreciate life until you try extra hard to lose it. I'd tell you what happened to him, but it's kind of a sad story."

"What!?"

"GERAMINO!"

Opal held onto Flynn for dear life as he leapt clear from the window ledge, letting the rush of the evening air reenergize his spirit. As the cold wind of the night whistled in his ears, he let out a burst of jubilant laughter alongside Opal's shriek of excitement, surprise and no small amount of fear.

As a man who constantly tested his limits throughout his adventures, Flynn knew how to take risks with plenty of assurances. He was anything but a fool. When it came to long climbing and great jumps such as the one from the Duke's mansion, he always used rope that was guaranteed to take his weight and more. The rope he used was taken from the best shipbuilding companies, which made rope designed to hold mighty ships together even in the most turbulent of stormy seas. As such, it easily held both his and Opal's weight as they swung down towards the courtyard stables, and then stretched tightly but securely as they stopped, dangling just ten feet above a large stack of golden hay for the horses.

Flynn had laughed the whole way down. "Ah, I love gravity! I am good at this, I admit it! Hey Opal, you alright?"

Vigorous nodding.

"Good, now hold on," he advised as he raised a knife from one of his hidden pockets and deftly cut the rope holding them up.

"WOAH!" Opal yelped as they dropped into the haystack.

A second later, Flynn hopped out of the cart, dusting off odd strands of hay off his outfit in an absent-minded manner before pulling out a very shaken Opal.

"I… I've never felt anything like that before in my life," she breathed in slowly rising exhilaration. "It feels like my blood is singing!"

Flynn laughed. "I know, right? That feeling is the spice of life! Just think, you never would have felt it if you stayed 'safely' as the Duke's servant."

Who is the happier man? He who has braved the storm and lived, or he who stayed safely at home and merely existed?

It was official; his idol was the wisest man to have ever lived.

"But no time to dally! Time for Step 2! Over here!"

Fifteen minutes ago, Opal thought they would have been dead by Step 2, so this was going great! Even so, the dancer could not help but gape at the sight of all the sacks of gleaming treasure Flynn had lowered into a nearby alcove. She had never seen so much wealth in all her life! Idly, she slipped the gold flatware from earlier out of her sleeve and tossed them over her shoulder.

"But, wait! How are we supposed to run from the guards while carrying all this?"

She heard Flynn snicker from behind. "Remember who you're talking to. Why run when you can ride?"

Opal slowly turned around to see Flynn tying his horse Triks to a magnificently designed horse carriage. "Your carriage my lady, compliments of the Duke."

Her eyes went wider than ever, not knowing how many more surprises she could take. "The Duke's personal carriage!? Are you… how is it that you haven't killed yourself yet?"

"Well, the night is still young!" Flynn laughed. "Anyway, I think we've both had our fill of Weasel Town, as they call it, and it's going to get a lot less hospitable shortly, so… shall we load the treasure?"

"Yes! Leaving! Good idea! I vote yes!"

Ten minutes later, everything had been loaded and the two were sitting atop the carriage as it slowly rode out of its post, turning towards the open gates. Apparently, the attendants hadn't thought to close it after King Ben had arrived. Triks let out a small grunt as he tapped his front hoof, ready to take off.

Opal was still caught between excitement and anxiety. "I can't believe I'm about to do this. I mean, just a while ago we were trapped in the ballroom and the guards had you surrounded! And now we're out here!"

"Oh yes, they shall always remember this as the day that they almost caught—"

"RIDER! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH MY CARRIAGE!?"

The man in question looked up to see the Duke, red in the face, peering down from the front balcony.

"Ah, your worship!" he called up. "Thank you for leaving it all ready for us to make way! And what a magnificent getaway carriage it is!"

"YOU THINK YOU CAN STEAL FROM ME, YOU FILTHY STREET-RAT?! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?"

The thief went still at the question. Then he turned around and boldly stood atop the carriage as a great conviction surged through him, his inner hawk drawing up proudly. "I am Flynn Rider!" he declared for all to hear. "An independent man, adventurer and seeker of riches, free of debt and beholden to no one! Least of all a weasel like you!"

With that, he snapped the horse reigns. "Hyah!" The carriage took off at incredible speed through the gates.

The Duke snarled. "ERIK! FRANCIS! STOP HIM!"

And as if on cue, the front doors burst open as his two personal bodyguards charged on horseback after the thief.

The chase was on!

~o~O~o~

"Yah! Yah! Yah!" Flynn called as he snapped the reigns with each cry.

He mentally patted himself on the back for having trusted his instincts when he bought Triks the other day. Triks continued to prove he was an exemplary breed of horse as he continued to single-handedly pull the carriage laden with treasure and two passengers at top speed without showing any sign of fatigue. In less than two minutes, they were already out of the Duke's district and about to charge through the lower class districts.

Just as they left the Duke's grounds, Flynn's sharp eyes spotted something atop a nearby roof. It was the two children that had tried to pickpocket him several hours earlier, watching the scene before them with stunned faces. Judging by all the food and cake in their hands, they had found the silver coins he had left them. Now they were treated to dinner and a show!

"How you doing?" he called over the rushing wind. "Don't try this at home, kids! Do it at someone else's house!"

As they passed by the kids, he turned back to Opal next to him. "Say goodbye to the Duke's little palace Gem, because you'll never see it again! Now do me a favor and take the reigns!"

"What!?" Opal cried as the thief started climbing back on top of the carriage. "Where are you going?"

"I need to redistribute this wealth!" he answered. "People are hungry!"

With that, he withdrew his knife and started cutting through the top of the Duke's carriage. He had to hold on tightly though. Now that they had left the upper district, the roads were no longer as smooth and well-maintained which meant a much bumpier ride at high speed. He gritted his teeth as the knife got caught, the material of the carriage's roof was sturdier than it appeared. He stood himself up higher, masterfully balancing himself against the high-speed wind and swaying of the carriage, and started pressing his boot as hard as he could to break through the roof.

But they had not gotten away as easily as it appeared. Unbeknownst to them, however, the Duke's two bodyguards were still giving chase and were fast approaching behind. There was still a considerable distance between them and their quarry, but even with Triks' incredible speed and endurance, the guards were unburdened by any heavy loads.

After another moment, they closed just enough distance as they wordlessly pulled out their crossbows and angled them steadily. Erik and Francis rarely spoke, if ever, but they moved with deadly purpose as they expertly aimed at the thief slightly crouched atop the carriage with his back presented to them as an easy target. The shot was perfect. With narrowed eyes and a nod of assent between them, they both pulled the trigger and their taut arrows eagerly sprang from their crossbows, aiming straight to plunge through the soft tissue of the thief's neck and pierce the delicate artery…

"Whoa!"

… only as the carriage roof finally gave way and a surprised Flynn suddenly disappeared as he fell through, the shots passing harmlessly through the space he had occupied less than a second earlier.

The Duke's men blinked. They looked at each other in stunned silence. The man had vanished from his spot after they pulled the trigger by sheer coincidence! How was anyone that lucky? The thief's good fortune only became more apparent when they realized they hadn't had time to bring any more arrows.

Inside the carriage, Flynn furrowed his brow. Right before he unceremoniously fell through the roof, he could have sworn he felt his inner hawk instincts tingle for a brief moment. Ah well, he shrugged. Getting back to it, he took off his noble overcoat and settled it aside gently to avoid damaging the precious bottle of Valhalla Nectar hidden in the pockets. The disguise of Count Mathis Gladstone was hardly needed now as he now grabbed the first sack of treasure and hefted it up to the roof.

As they approached a nearby cluster of peasants, he smiled broadly and tossed the massive sack to the ground before them where it split open, spilling golden wealth everywhere. The effect was immediate, as the sound of gold coins and sparkling jewels dropping instantly had everyone eagerly scrambling with tears of delight to grab as much as they could carry.

Opal steered the carriage as much she could to avoid the rapidly growing crowd, which Triks handled perfectly with a determined snort. The Duke's bodyguards, still a fair distance behind the carriage, did not fare as well. Erik, the bearded man, barely made it through before the crowd grew too thick to navigate through by horse while Francis, the guard with the long sideburns, found himself trapped behind. He pulled the reigns on his horse in time to keep from running over any of the commoners, which would cause problems for their lord, and grit his teeth in frustration at falling too far behind.

It was all up to his partner now.

It was a purpose that Erik felt drape over his shoulders as he saw his partner stuck behind the crowd. He was now the only one left in the pursuit. If even half the stories were true, all Flynn Rider would need was one moment out of sight to disappear and they would never find him. But the chance to catch him right now remained, as Erik saw with fiercely narrowed eyes as Flynn kept tossing his lord's wealth to the masses everywhere they rode. Flynn had no intention of vanishing just yet. Using that to bolster his resolute determination, he slapped his horse again to pick up the pace. Slowly, the horse continued to accelerate, running harder than it had in over a year. It would dearly need rest afterward, but was steadily catching up.

As Erik drew closer to the rear of the carriage, he slowly leaned forward with an extended hand. The edge of the brass rail handle intended for footmen was almost within his reach. Just a little closer. He pushed his horse even harder and he leaned dangerously over the side. He couldn't fail now! Just a little more… only a little… almost… almost!

He had it!

He thrust himself off his horse, which quickly slowed down in relief, as Erik clung to the carriage as hard as he could to keep his grip. The carriage was frequently bouncing over several speed bumps, and it was threatening his grip. Letting a few steady breaths to compose himself with his precarious position, he relinquished his grip with one hand to quickly unbuckle his rapier and delicately clenched the blade between his teeth as he began to climb.

"Hold on!" Opal cried from the front as she suddenly swerved around a sharp turn. The carriage swung dangerously to the right as it managed the turn, the unexpected momentum swinging Erik around the rear corner of the carriage and slamming his face into the side window.

"Gah!"

Flynn had at that moment lowered himself back inside the carriage to better handle the sharp turn while also reaching for the next sack of gold. Suffice to say, Flynn yelped in surprise and alarm when the furious face of the Duke's bodyguard was suddenly slapped against his window, glaring fiercely at him with a sword clenched tightly between his teeth. It made for quite the terrifying visage to say the least. Flynn watched as the man out for his blood regained his grip and began up to the top of the carriage.

The thief bit his lip in deep worry. He had not expected that any of the guards would be able to catch up, and worse, it was one of the Duke's personal guard. Yet here he was, and he would literally be on top of them within seconds! He hadn't planned for this. That man was larger and stronger than him, and he didn't have the time to improvise like he did with Roksar. Flynn was more capable than most in a fight, but he needed something he could use, and his knife had fallen somewhere in the carriage during that last turn and he didn't have time to find it! Without a weapon or tool, he would be cornered with a very limited space to fight.

It would take a miracle now!

Barely a second later, the carriage hit another bump in the road, which jostled open a hidden side compartment in the wall, and a sword fell out into his lap.

Uh, well. Hallelujah.

Smiling, the thief grabbed the sword as he climbed back up through the small hole, muscle memory doing the rest as he expertly held the hilt with relaxed ease. The familiarity of a sword's weight and balance flowed through him as he stood back atop the carriage.

"Still doing alright, Gem?"

Opal laughed as she held the reigns as skillfully as she could manage. "Oh, I'm still alarmed out of my wits, but this is oddly exhilarating!"

"Don't ever lose that feeling! Now take the right turn up here! Do it, quick!"

"Um, alright!" Flynn hadn't steered her wrong yet tonight so she trusted his judgment as she took a different route.

"Forget the Pony Express, all aboard for the Flynn Rider Express! Next stop, happy hour!" Then Flynn turned to watch Erik finally climb onto the back of the roof. "No, not you! You don't have a ticket!"

Erik narrowed his eyes as he balanced himself aboard the slightly turbulent ride and against the high-speed winds. Slowly, he drew his own sword and pointed it towards the thief in challenge. Flynn twirled his new blade as the thief and the bodyguard silently stood off facing each other as the wind rushed past them on the speeding carriage.

Flynn slightly lowered his sword. "Look, there's no shame in surrendering to me, I'm sure that—" he started before he had to dodge a swipe at his head. "Hey, I was talking!"

Erik launched another simple thrust, which Flynn simply parried, before advancing with another offensive. Flynn dodged and countered each one. While Erik was no fool, he expected that Flynn Rider, while a clever and athletic thief, would fold like paper under the skill of an experienced fighter. He clearly wasn't anticipating for Flynn to get the upper hand so fast, or even at all. But he pushed even harder after that, and really pushed. And yet the thief still deflected the incoming blade with ease.

As they dueled fiercely, Flynn couldn't help smiling with pride as he had taken the words of his idol to heart when he had learned the art of the sword.

True adventure is about more than simple thrills. It's about expanding our horizons and testing our boundaries. It is only through adventure that we come to know our limits, and only through knowing our limits that we learn to shatter them. Such knowledge comes with the immense responsibility to improve yourself with it. Strength out of place is no strength at all. Always renew and enhance the greatest asset you have—you. Hone your skills and perfect every technique. Come at the world with the best you are, so that no matter the danger you will be ready to face it. Study and dedication, no matter the craft, may take years of hard and trying work but ask yourself: Won't achieving your dream be worth it?

The traveling thief had once spent three months with a champion sword master in Albion, and was taught many things. His instructor explained that mastery of the sword was a lifetime's achievement earned only through diligent, persistent and focused training. Any move can take about ten years to learn how to do well. But if you knew even a little, you'd have an advantage over most. And if sword-fighting and pickpocketing had one thing in common, it was about controlling your opponent's attention. In this matter, Flynn was already an ace in spades. In addition, he was strong, athletic, agile, a gifted climber and did not shy away from danger. He required almost no exercise to prepare his body.

Practice and instruction was all about training the mind and body. Yet for whatever incredible reason during his practice with the sword, Flynn's body and natural instinct seemed to take over and knew exactly what it was supposed to do with little repetition. To say that he was a natural was putting it lightly. His instructor would correct his movement by demonstrating the proper version himself, and Flynn would nod, before almost instantly correcting perfectly and perform the move flawlessly. A move that had taken the champion instructor two years to learn. As if he was absorbing a decade's worth of technique in a few days, Flynn's practice with the sword accomplished in weeks what many could not do in years.

Flynn knew his progress was as strange as it was extraordinary, but if there was one thing he had learned in his adventures it was to never turn down the opportunity of a gift that fell into your lap. His life was just that awesome.

His skill with the blade showed as he kept repelling every one of Erik's attacks. He was much lighter and agile in his movements now without the constricting overcoat and the weight of all the pickpocketed valuables. He was almost a blur, and the Duke's bodyguard simply could not win against Flynn's superior speed.

Nevertheless, Erik wasn't slowing down either. He was more powerfully built than Flynn and, despite the thief's speed and skill, he had far more experience and stamina. Prolonged fights, or even fair fights, were not Flynn's preferred style. Worse, he didn't exactly have a lot of room to maneuver on top of a carriage. It would take more than usual to get rid of the Duke's guard quickly enough if he wanted to escape.

Which is why I still have an idea.

After being chased by so many guards and soldiers over the years, he had long since learned how to tell what type of man they were in order to best evade and sometimes exploit them. Flynn was quick to tell that the Duke's guards were of the single-mindedly devoted type, utterly focused on their target and not letting anything else distract them. Such determination and persistence was admirable in most cases, but it could also easily blind you to your surroundings.

Flynn felt his hawk instincts cry out, which was exactly what he was waiting for. Even as he had grabbed his new sword earlier to confront the Duke's guard, he already had a plan in mind and had Opal take a very specific route that took them down the street of the tailor shop with the angry shopkeeper from the other day. All he had needed to do was keep the bodyguard occupied.

With a hidden smile, Flynn suddenly ducked. Erik barely had time to be confused at the thief's move before he looked up just in time to see the incoming 'Perfect Fit- We'll Sew You Up Good!' sign of the tailor shop as it slammed into the man's chest, carrying him clean off the carriage.

"Bye, have a great time!" Flynn waved after him. "We're in the clear, Gem!"

"It's over?" Opal breathed. "We actually lost them?"

"That's right, he's long gone! Man, I'm good!" Flynn laughed. "Now come on! Still got a lot of gold and a lot of hungry people out there! Free money for everyone! Hyah!"

Opal joined in on the laughter with great joy as they turned the carriage down another route.

~o~O~o~

For the next half hour, the duo rode up and down the districts of Weselton, tossing small fortunes wherever they went. The spirits of the people soared as high as the clouds, feeling their hearts sing in gladness as the prayers to so many of their troubles were answered. Such profound joy spread like wildfire in a field of dry grass, as the people of Weselton were happier than they had felt in years!

All actions have repercussions, an equal and opposite reaction. All lives affect others. Helping a single person can have many effects, but Flynn had given to many and therefore had caused an entire city of ripples that would build on top of one another like a great chorus until it could become a tsunami. Flynn simply wanted to help feed many of the people that had starved and suffered in squalor as he had, even if only for a little while, but ripples caused by kindness and generosity for those who truly need it can last a lifetime. He didn't know it, but he had started the work that would lead to great change.

Many now had enough money to buy hot and healthy meals for months. They could get doctors and medicine. Families could now pay to send their children to school, where they could get their education and become better people with good jobs. They could repair their homes to keep sheltered instead of spending months struggling against harsh winters and brutal summers. With new homes, people can use those months for much more if they weren't miserable and hurting. Many would find the energy they missed for so long and become stronger for it, and in turn work to build a stronger community. They would work better, eat better. They would have to time to sit and talk and dream of a better future. People can do that when they were not scrambling to survive.

The next year would be better for everyone, and their strength would grow. In ten years, after surviving an outside force of chaos and the coming changes from Arendelle, Corona and the Alliance, the Weselton nobility would find their influence drained. The people would become self-sustaining, and their newfound influence and confidence would surpass the upper class. New reformations to accommodate the changes would be created and a new and better government would be installed, and Weselton would become a symbol of the strength and freedom of the people. In thirty years, they would be accepted as good friends to the other kingdoms.

As for the Duke, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it, as he had too many problems of his own to deal with now. He was already minutes away from potentially losing everything.

~o~O~o~

Back at the Duke's mansion…

The nobility was in an uproar throughout the ballroom, all sense of festivity long forgotten. The cacophony of outraged shouts and indignant cries could be heard across the entire estate, with no one possessing any sense of an indoor voice.

"Milords! Milords! Please calm yourselves!" the Duke cried out, trying to hide the sweat gathering at his forehead. "My finest men are already in hot pursuit of the criminal, and I have every confidence that he will soon be custody!"

This brought quiet to a fair amount of the ruckus, but King Benjamin was not one of them as he stepped forward.

"I would not be so quick to claim success," he declared in a low voice. "Thieves of his caliber are nothing if not crafty and slippery, and Flynn Rider ranks amongst the most clever."

The Duke glared at the Glowerhaven monarch. "I shouldn't be surprised that you would have such confidence in the meager skills of a vagrant thief, majesty." Then something dawned on the man. "In fact, you're the reason why he even got in here in the first place! That invitation he used was meant for your vassal! He could only have gotten it from your palace! This is all because you couldn't catch him!"

A grin was slowly rising from the corners of the Duke's mouth as he started to do what he did best at the first sign of pressure; point it at someone else. But King Benjamin was not so easily cornered.

"Do not cast the blame at my feet!" he swiftly countered. "Although your sentiment is quite accurate about that invitation being the key. Apparently, all it takes to fool your guards is a simple piece of paper! Are these the same men you hired to 'protect' everyone here? No wonder something as simple as a 'vagrant thief' was able to just waltz right in here and do as he pleased!"

The Duke blanched as his smug smile cracked. To the side, he could see all the other nobles watching the heated exchange with keen interest. He backtracked rapidly, as he simply could not afford to lose any more face.

"T-that's absurd! My guards are the best that money can buy! This shouldn't have even happened!"

"Oh, that's reassuring— it can't have happened!" Benjamin scoffed. "So the next time a criminal steals from us, I can just close my eyes and pretend it's my imagination! Don't you even understand what that man is capable of? Flynn Rider is smart, resourceful and he never wastes an opportunity. Don't you think it's strange that he spent several hours in this room, pretending to be a count and making idle chatter with everyone, instead of just going straight for the treasure room? Discussing business and politics offers no benefit for a vagabond like him."

The monarch narrowed his eyes as he delivered the final blow. "So the question you should really be asking is why did Rider, a master pickpocket, stay in the ballroom all this time with so many wealthy nobles?"

A dead silence engulfed the entire room as the disturbing implication of King Benjamin's words sunk in. The Duke was starting to sweat uncomfortably as the answer slowly dawned on him. For a moment, no one moved. Then a baron reached tentatively down to his belt, only to find…

"What!? My pouch! My money pouch is gone!"

That set everyone off, as now every noble frantically checked their belongings.

"My purse!"

"My earrings! They were my grandmother's!"

"No! My rings! How could this happen!?"

"My wife's necklace is missing! That thief took her diamond necklace!"

"And my brassiere! H-he took my brassiere!"

"He was standing right in front of us!"

"How could he come so close to our person?"

"The Duke's men just let him in! What impudence!"

"That's right! What if it was an assassin? He promised he would protect us!"

"I've lost my house's heirloom because of this! This is an outrage!"

"I saw that man standing right before the Duke!"

"He spoke with him and he didn't even know!"

"Scandal! Incompetence!"

"If this is his absurd idea of security, I'm not signing over any investment to him!"

"And the statues! Those forgeries! He tried to trick us! With dirty scams and worthless security!"

"Most right! I'm heading home this very minute and we'll see what my sovereign thinks about this!"

Never before had the Duke of Weselton had looked so pale and horror-stricken as many of his guests began to storm out. He tried to call out to them with desperate reassurances, but all that came out was a dry gasp.

King Ben could only look watch with satisfaction as many now understood the truth. At the same time, he privately began to reconsider his opinion about the mystery of Flynn Rider. Reports were coming in from all over the city that the thief was throwing riches everywhere he went. While King Ben still wasn't happy about the stunt Flynn had pulled back in Glowerhaven, he still could not help but wonder: What kind of thief gave away money?

Furthermore, while he was far from amicable to the idea that Flynn Rider was able to indirectly accomplish what he could not, at least many now understood that there was no future with the Duke. With this, he turned back to the scrawny lord. "I hope you've learned your lesson tonight about how to care for your allies and the people," he said as he turned to leave as well. "You can expect to hear from the Alliance soon, and I imagine you'll have much to deal with from the nobility of the realm."

The Duke snapped out of his trance. "Don't think I'll forget about this, Benjamin! Regardless of what trivial losses have occurred tonight, I still have many friends in high places! No one will dare to cross me! I AM AT THE VERY TOP OF THE NOBILITY!"

"You were at the top," the Glowerhaven monarch retorted over his shoulder. "Surprising as it may sound, the Alliance's problems don't revolve around what the world thinks of you, and you are but one man. If you want proof, just look outside! The masses out there are in such high spirits after Flynn Rider gave away entire fortunes without asking or demanding anything in return. The people have greater respect and admiration for an infamous criminal than they do for the Duke of Weaseltown."

"IT'S WESELTON! And don't tell me that the opinion of the peasant class is worth anything!" the Duke screamed after him. "Especially coming from someone whose grandfather married a simple country girl with glass slippers!"

King Benjamin the Second clenched his jaw at the jab towards his beloved grandmother, but soundly ignored the small man as he left through the double doors.

With most of his guests gone, the bravado fell from the Duke's face. His frantic mind went into overdrive as the ramifications hit him full force. Any chance at a personal partnership with the Alliance was gone forever. Many of the nobility would not forget his humiliation tonight, and that would bring numerous demands for recompense. A significant part of his standing amongst the nobility was his ability to ensure that his allies would continue to reap the financial windfall that was the very generous dividend that he paid out to his favored shareholders. If there were a shortfall that came from theft or, even worse, fines that would now be applied to his revenues, he would soon lose even more face in the following weeks. He would be labeled as all but persona non grata.

As the Duke stood alone in the center of the empty ballroom, he summed up what was happening with a voice on the verge of breaking. "I'm… I'm ruined."

A few moments passed in silence. Then a thought occurred to him, one last hope. No, he wasn't through just yet. He still had plenty of money left, and he didn't come this far up the ladder for nothing. He could still recover his losses.

A slow grin spread under his mustache as a plan began to take root. In just under a year, Arendelle's Crown Princess Elsa would come of age and become Queen. Aside from Corona, Arendelle was the most reputed source of trade outside of the Alliance. The gates would finally be opened again, and he already had an invitation to discuss new commerce opportunities where he would have a chance to negotiate directly with the inexperienced child. If he pulled out every trick up his sleeve and smiled politely at every opportunity with her, he could secure a very advantageous contract. Even better, his sources told him that the closed doors of the Arendelle palace only accepted official news and only the most necessary of correspondence while gossip and rumors were ignored. Princess Elsa would likely not hear the worst about tonight, which increased his chances.

With the Jewel of the North in his pocket, the Alliance and the rest of the nobility would have to do business with him if they wanted access to Arendelle's tradable goods. The Duke smiled as he straightened his jacket and spectacles. He wasn't out of the game just yet!

And then there was Flynn Rider. He wouldn't escape so easily. If the notorious outlaw could be caught and arrested in the Duke's domain, much of the damage control would take care of itself.

"Lieutenant Weeznod!"

"Yes, Your Grace!"

"Prepare an investigation, I want to know every detail within the hour of how that thief managed all this! In the meantime, send out every man we have! I want Flynn Rider found and brought before me tonight!" the Duke exclaimed as he straightened his glasses. "That man is responsible for everything that has happened here! He has made a laughingstock of my authority and he will pay in full for such insolence! Send the word out that I, the esteemed Duke of Weselton, am offering my own reward of thirty thousand gold pieces on his head, dead or alive!"

Weeznod nearly choked at the vast amount. Thirty thousand?!

"And one other thing!" the Duke continued. "I want my carriage back! So help me, if that filthy thief puts even one scratch on it…"

~o~O~o~

"GANGWAY!"

Crash!

The carriage barreled through a nearby fruit stand, smashing through the wood as juices of fresh squash, tomatoes, watermelon, plums and pineapple splattered across the carriage's pristine canvas.

"Sorry about the mess!" Flynn called back from the roof of the carriage as he tossed a large diamond to the stunned owner. "Whew, that was fun!"

The thief's gaze drifted as he looked at everything behind the carriage. When he had first arrived, everything was so sad and despondent. But tonight, on his last night, the entire city of Weselton was no doubt shining brighter than it had in years. He couldn't help smiling; he had done the right thing. And now it was time for him to leave.

"Alright Gem, if I remember right, we should be almost at the harbor. Nothing to worry abo—"

"SWORDFISH!" she cried.

"Wha— HOLY!"

Flynn barely whipped around in time to see a rapidly oncoming giant swordfish hanging from a massive net of fish, with him right in the path of the sharp tip of its nose! He barely dropped back down through the carriage roof in time before the top of the carriage crashed through the hanging net and the giant swordfish pierced right through the canvas. The next thing he knew, a wide-eyed Flynn Rider had pressed back against the seats while the swordfish had ended up stuck halfway through the carriage with its sharp tip less than an inch from between his eyes.

"Sorry!" called a very apologetic Opal. "Flynn, are you alright?"

"I don't know," Flynn answered blandly, as he stared cross-eyed at the pointed edge. "Does alright mean wanting to scream, 'Oh my god, oh my god, a swordfish almost went through my head'? If so, then yes. I am very alright."

He could easily picture the mortified look on her face. With one finger, he gently nudged the giant swordfish's nose away from his face. After slipping his head out of the way, he grabbed his fancy overcoat, which was still laden with valuables. He may have given away everything he found in the Duke's private treasure room, but he still had the loot he had swiped from all the noble's pockets in the ballroom. Not to mention the precious bottle of Valhalla Nectar. It was still more than enough to call a win for himself tonight.

"This is far enough," he called. "We can't show up at the docks with a carriage like this!"

"More than you might think," she answered back sheepishly.

Flynn found out why as soon as the carriage stopped and he stepped out not a moment too soon. The entire top half of the carriage was now completely encased in the giant fishing net. The net was already bulging at the seams. Yet despite holding out for this long, at that moment it finally tore open. The entire shipment flooded out, and the Duke of Weselton's personal carriage was buried under a swamp of fish.

Some of them were still flopping around.

Flynn stared incredulously at the giant mess before glancing at Opal, who couldn't help but shrug embarrassed.

"Uhhh… oops?"

A few more seconds passed before the thief simply burst out laughing. "Oh boy, he's never going to get the stink out! He's going to smell that tomorrow!"

His merry laugh at trouble was infectious, and it wasn't long before Opal also broke into laughter and wiped a tear at the thought of the Duke's face.

"Oh, he's not going to be happy," she managed through peals of laughter.

"Well, if the Duke isn't happy, that makes me happy. Isn't the balance of the universe wonderful?" Flynn said flippantly as he took Opal further down towards the docks. "Ah, if only every night was as much fun! Oh wait," he added with theatrical thought. "They are!"

About fifteen minutes later, they finally arrived at the harbor on foot, only for Flynn to have to hide themselves behind a stack of crates.

"Oh, terrific. There's more guards surrounding the harbor entrance. Yeah, I feel safer already."

"What? No, no! We're too close!" Opal exclaimed, the mirth from earlier vanishing. "We can't stop or go anywhere else now! Trust me, the Duke has probably gotten himself together and it won't be much longer before he has a small army guarding the docks! He owns the police! We have to leave tonight!"

Flynn nodded carefully as he studied the guards over the distance between them with his sharp eyes, looking for gaps to sneak past. There were at least ten of them patrolling, armed to the teeth and looking as alert as ever. The alarm had clearly gone out, and they weren't going to let anything pass them. He cover as Count Mathis Gladstone was blown, so his disguise wouldn't work on the guards. He could sneak himself and probably even Opal past them just fine if he found a way through, but a horse like Triks was hardly inconspicuous.

He would have to get rid of the guards entirely somehow, long enough to find a ship that was already prepared to leave, negotiate passage with the captain without questions and then for the ship to actually depart. But how? He was fresh out of Boganti's ambergris gas, and they didn't have much time before more guards would arrive to completely lock down the entire harbor.

As Flynn pondered carefully, his sharp eyes drifted everywhere, searching for opportunity. Then his gaze drifted to the crates they were hiding behind. He took a small step back and looked them over, an idea starting to form as he noticed the shipping stamps of exotic origin.

"Don't worry, I've got another plan."

Guards are just no help to me. These crates on the other hand are good for something. They can hide people. That means the guards are worth less than crates! Which is, what, a few coins?

Flynn chuckled as he approached one potential box to hide in, but immediately backed off when he heard the angry growl inside. "Whoa! Okay, not that one."

"Wait, are you going to try to sneak aboard in a box?"

"Of course not!" The thief grinned as he read the label on another crate. "I'm counting that nobody can resist taking a peek into one!"

"… Huh?"

~o~O~o~

"Look alive, men!" called the sergeant. "There's a thief about and the Duke is offering a lifetime reward for his capture! We catch him, and we can all enjoy a very long and very early retirement!"

"Yeah, we'll get him!" answered one of the men. "Those guys up at the cushy mansion get too relaxed and comfortable, they're not down here facing the streets every day! No way he'll get past us!"

"Um… sir? Where did this come from?"

The men turned around to see a strange crate had appeared in the middle of their formation. They huddled around, staring at it in confusion.

"It's… It's a box."

"Glad to see you have such a firm grasp of the obvious!" snapped the sergeant. "Well, what's in it?"

"How should I know?"

"Open it, then!"

"Sir, how did that box just… appear out of nowhere? The label says that it's from Agrabah. That desert kingdom has all kinds of strange stuff with genies and gypsies and… well, I'm not sure if we should mess with it."

"You're all a bunch of superstitious goats, and I thought I told you to stop spending late nights at the tavern! Never mind, I'll do it myself. Alright, now what do we ha— what's with the mask?"

The best bait for a trap was something that aroused curiosity, and the guards had fallen prey to it hard. A masked figure covered from head to toe in oriental robes and musty trinkets burst from the box, arms raised and cackling maniacally. "HAHAHAHA! I'm free at last! Revenge will now be mine!"

"GAAAAAAHH! MOTHER OF GOD, SAVE US!"

"Don't hurt me, spirit! I have so much left to live for!"

"Run for your lives!"

Every one of the guards dropped their weapons and ran like the devil himself was on their tails. The sergeant stood horrified for a brief moment before his eyes rolled up into white and he fainted on the spot.

After a moment, the masked figure dropped his arms. "Heh heh… once again, money not well spent. Alright, Gem! The coast is clear!"

Opal came out from behind the stack of crates with wide eyes as Flynn started hefting off the mask and the musty robes. Was this night going to get any weirder? Because so far it hadn't stopped. "I can't believe that actually worked!"

"Ha! You'd be surprised at what the unexpected can pull off!" Flynn laughed as he tossed the last of the Agrabah ornaments back into the box before turning towards the passed-out sergeant lying prone on the ground. "See, this guy even fainted! Oh my, I think he even wet his… uh, wait… wait a minute. Oh no, no no no. This can't be!"

Opal's eyes snapped to the thief in concern. She hadn't heard him sound like this before as he slowly bent over the prone sergeant and pulled something out of the man's pouch.

Flynn stared as a look of horror came over him, eyes trembling. What he found was the lowest point of the night for him. Perhaps his entire visit to Weselton, despite everything he had seen. He hadn't felt this shocked since he found the bottle of Valhalla Nectar earlier, except this was quite the opposite. How could this have happened? Why? What had he done to deserve this?

It was a wanted poster. Of him. And the nose was…

"Oh, come on! Really?!"

"What? What is it?" Opal exclaimed.

"This can't be happening to me. Oh gods, please no! Not this again! How can they do this?"

"Do what?"

Flynn showed her the poster. "Will they ever get my nose right?"

Opal found that she had been right. This night could indeed get weirder. She honestly had no idea how to respond to this.

"I take the Nasaltown thing back! Seriously, I make fun of one man's nose… I mean honestly, I take all that gold and this is all he can do? Give me some proper credit here, people!"

"Um, maybe we… maybe we should, you know, get on the ship so we can leave?"

"But I just…!"

"Will you come on already!?"

"Oh, fine!

With that, Flynn crunched up the poster and tossed it over his shoulder and donned his Gladstone disguise once more. Afterward, it didn't take them as long as they had thought to find a good ship that was ready to leave, as the captain was quite eager to set sail. As it turned out, he had already wanted to leave early before getting pushed down the priority departure list for all the other nobles. He could get his shipping schedule back on track, and the price that the 'generous noble' offered for departure within the hour was a fine compensation for any sloppy rushes.

The captain also knew not to ask any questions of a noble. And while some might think it bad luck to have a woman onboard a ship, an offered sapphire the size of a thumb seemed to make superstitions abruptly vanish. I don't ask, I bribe, Flynn thought cheekily.

Forty-five minutes later, after the ship made its final preparations, Flynn climbed up the stairs from the lower decks. He had wanted to make sure that Triks was nestled comfortably and eating plenty of healthy apples after the magnificent getaway they pulled off. He hadn't expected his cover to have been blown at the mansion, so the horse's aide in their escape had been nothing less than invaluable and he made sure the animal was well rewarded. Looking around the deck, he spotted Opal standing at the stern, gazing out at the city of Weselton as they slowly drifted out of port.

Unbidden, he again remembered the words from his idol that had spurred him to help Opal several hours ago: Never forget the people around you. Be the best that you can be and all shall look up to you. Lend a hand to those around you, and they will carry you to greatness even as you carry them to greatness, and you will learn from them even as they learn from you.

Flynn suddenly realized with a start that if he hadn't reached out to her as he did, he never would have heard about the Duke's treasure room. He would have simply walked out the front door with a few valuables and called it a night. But instead, he had made the acquaintance of a very fine and beautiful woman, stolen magnificent treasures, made fun of the untouchable Duke and had an exhilarating chase throughout the city! Tonight, he had followed both his conscience and his idol's wisdom to their fullest, and look at how fate had rewarded him! A night to remember for the rest of his days!

I've been following his words of wisdom for all these years to the highest extent, and they still manage to find new ways to surprise me. How much more was there to learn? What greater wonders awaited him? What more secrets of the great Flynnigan Rider were there to be learned?

"I guess it's still sinking in. I still can't believe we didn't do it. Um, die, I mean," Opal breathed, bringing Flynn out of his thoughts. "It's over. I'm actually free. Free as the rising sun."

"Oh, I agree wholeheartedly, since I'm very pro-freedom," he answered. "And pro-sun. I like the sun!"

A smile split across Opal's cheeks, something she was starting to get used to. Everything had changed for her, so much in less than a night.

"I've never met anyone like you, Rider."

The thief chuckled again. "You mean you've never met a man so ruggedly handsome, startlingly brave, and dazzlingly clever? And speaking of clever, I believe this belongs to you."

The man reached into his jacket and handed her a scroll of paper. Curious, the dancer took it and unfurled the paper. Her eyes skimmed across the script before slowly widening with dawning comprehension. "Is this… this is my employment contract! But the Duke kept this in his own pockets, how did you get…"

She trailed off as she glanced back at Flynn, realizing the question was self-explanatory.

Flynn just nodded sagely. "Without that, he can't declare it as fraud or mark you as a fugitive or anything like that. He won't be coming after you."

Opal decided she ought to stop being surprised tonight. Besides, she was actually free!

"But what about you? You've seen the extreme lengths he goes to, he won't ever let this go."

Flynn smiled wryly. "There's a grumpy Southern Isles lapdog back in the tower that would say otherwise. Nothing you have to worry about, Gem. And I didn't even need a kiss for luck!"

Opal did her best to hide her blush. "Um, well… yes! Yes, I guess there's that. But are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Will I be alright? Please!" Flynn blew a strand of hair out of his face. "Trouble loves me, but I just keep moving. Eventually, trouble gets tired of chasing and just gives up. I am a man who will forever scour the world in search of prizes and adventure! For me to give up all of that for something as silly as fear of the nobility? Hahaha! I would be a fool to do so!"

Opal was even more enchanted. She felt like singing out some wild song, something purely stupid like 'Please take me with you.' She couldn't help it. He's worth being stupid over, she thought while glancing at the turn of his hips as he looked out at the city behind them.

"Oh, dash my strings! Your life seems a grand one, Rider! So full of adventure, how marvelous!"

Flynn smiled even more. "Just always remember that there is a vast gulf between what is impossible, and what is simply impossible to imagine."

He was so strong and confident. Opal wasn't surprised when she felt her heart beating faster and her body tightening. Her bosom tingled and she felt a growing warmth in her loins. She pressed her legs together tightly as her chest strained at her laces. She panted slightly, trying to pass it off as exhaustion from such an eventful and exciting night.

Seemingly unaware of her internal battle, Flynn suddenly looked thoughtful as he gazed out at the city. "Come to think of it, tonight was lacking in only one department…"

"You mean an actual escape route?" Opal smiled, still fighting the blush in her cheeks.

Flynn didn't miss a beat. "It was the scenic route! Can't argue with the view! No, the only thing missing is a way to see the look on the Duke's face when he finds the note I left for him!"

Opal's blush was replaced with confusion. "What note?"

~o~O~o~

Several hours later…

"My carriage!"

A short while ago, his men had located his missing carriage down by the docks and were hauling it into his courtyard. It was completely ruined, with scratches and tears all over. Entire chunks of embroided carving were missing after the carriage's rough high-speed chase. The fine paint of the exterior was covered in squashed fruit splatters. The hand-sewn canvas ceiling was torn completely across, drooping inside. The interior was overflowing with dead fish. And to top it off, there was a giant swordfish sticking out of the top.

The Duke could only stare in stunned silence as he practically stumbled over to his precious carriage in shock, trying to comprehend the sight before him. For several long moments, his mouth wordlessly opened and closed like a Seahaven guppy fish while making obscure gestures with his hands as if he were trying to grasp some invisible object.

Eventually, he found his voice again. The one that was oh so accustomed to screaming at other people. "This is unacceptable! Where is Rider? Do you have him yet? Then where is he?!"

Lieutenant Weeznod shifted uncomfortably. "Your Grace, I-I don't know what to say. The men have scoured the city from top to bottom, but there's just no sign of him."

"I refuse to accept that! He can't simply be gone!" he screeched while holding his finger up. "I demand… demand!… an explanation!"

Suffice to say, what little they did know was already difficult to believe, even when they had seen it happen themselves firsthand. Apparently, Flynn Rider had raided the Glowerhaven royal palace a while ago, and stole himself an invitation to the Duke's party. Not only that, he evaded detection in Weselton for weeks, fashioned a disguise, infiltrated the party, posed as a convincing noble and talked business as if he had born into it. He also found his way to the treasure room, somehow smuggled out an immense load of treasure without notice, slipped past all the guards, made a fool out of the Southern Isles champion, escaped the palace, and gave away all the gold he could before vanishing into thin air.

Who was this man? How did he pull it off? Accomplishing even one of those feats was considered a near-impossibility. Doing them all in the span of a single night stretched all bounds of believability. It just didn't happen!

"I still don't understand how Rider found his way to my private treasure room. How on earth did he manage to find it? My mansion is a maze for anyone who doesn't know their way around, especially without a map! It's inconceivable!"

Lieutenant Weeznod's face went two shades whiter and he did his very best not to look guilty. "Uh, yes, Your Grace! I have no idea how he did it. Flynn Rider is truly, ah, well connected. Very resourceful indeed!"

"Well, I suppose it's not as important now," the Duke grumbled. "What we should remember is the girl! Rider absconded with one of my dancers and her contract, and I want her found as well"

"Yes, sir!" the lieutenant agreed, relieved that the Duke had moved onto a different topic. "I'll have a search profile drawn up at once! But if you don't have any copies of her contract, then I'll still need her name."

"Of course, her name is Orsala," the Duke stated. Then he blinked. "Wait, no, that wasn't it. It was Oprella! Um, I mean Oscilla or… "

A look of small horror came over the tiny man's face as he realized he had never bothered to remember the dancer's name. The Duke held a gloved hand to his eyes and let out a resigned sigh. "Fine, forget about the wench. She's nothing important. Just tell me we have something on Rider. Anything!"

"Well, we do have an eye-witness testimony, such as it is. Would you like to speak to the witnesses?"

"Alright, lead the way. I want to know exactly what happened tonight!"

~o~O~o~

"So, it was you lot who were supposed to be watching the corridors?" the Duke demanded. "What were you doing all this time? Why didn't you catch him?!"

The thirteen guards didn't respond. In fact, they didn't even appear to have heard him as they were still slumped over the card table, snoring heavily.

"Were you gambling and sleeping on duty?" the Duke accused as he grabbed one by the ears and lifted his face up. "Answer me!"

The drunken guard's cheeks slowly puffed up before belching in the man's face. The Duke gagged and turned green from the smell of grog.

~o~O~o~

"NO! You work for them!" cried the wild-eyed Boganti, having once again breathed a little too much of his chemicals. "You're an agent of the seagulls and their nefarious plans for us! Well, you won't have me! I will never talk! Neveeeeeeerrrrrrr!"

~o~O~o~

The two nine-year-old street children were still delighted over having food and plenty of silver coins to spare. They had been told by the nice man who gave them their new money to expect a show near the shiny mansion and climbed up on some of the nearby rooftops. They had seen the whole thing and were only too happy to tell the nice policeman what had happened.

"… and that's when some guy smashed through the window of the tallest tower while carrying a girl! She was so pretty! And then, you know, that guy with the girl, he leaped from the tower that was, like, a hundred stories tall and landed safely on the ground without a scratch! It was awesome!"

"And then, that guy got into a magical carriage filled with buried treasure! And then, his noble stead rode them away into the night! He was all like, 'Yipee-ki-yay!'"

"You should have seen how he landed after jumping from the tower! He could fly!"

"Nu-uh! He was on a rope! He's a ninja!"

"You're dumb!"

"No, you are!"

~o~O~o~

"He was on a secret mission for the king," Boganti rambled on as he sniffed wildly. "He knew the invasion had to be stopped and so he came to his trusted ally the admiral, undeterred by the threat of the invisible crabs in his way! And even in the face of such terrible odds, he refused to accept any tools that could bring harm to our friends the mermaids! A brave and noble lad indeed, he will never fail His Majesty! God Save the King!"

Then Boganti's eyes glazed over and looked around his shop.

"Um, what was I just doing? Can I get back to making my gas now? I just have so much gas!"

~o~O~o~

"It was so cool!" The child gushed. "And then, that one part? Remember? Where the big guy with a sword climbed up the back of the carriage and then the OTHER guy with a sword jumped out and dueled the big guy to the death! His sword was so fast!"

"Bam! Swish! Pow!"

"YAHOO!"

~o~O~o~

"Don't look into the box, don't look into the box, don't look into the box…" the sergeant rocked back and forth, chanting his own little mantra.

~o~O~o~

The Duke held his face in his hands. "Please tell me that these are not our only witnesses."

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, I'm afraid this is all we have. You cannot fathom my shame, sir. However, we did search the carriage more thoroughly and…"

"Lieutenant. I've seen everything I need to from what he did to my carriage. Don't. Test me."

"… and we found a note, sir. We're not sure what to make of it."

The Duke stilled, and his immense frustration momentarily turned to confusion as he raised an eyebrow. "What note?"

The lieutenant tentatively handed him a slip of paper. The Duke unfurled it and adjusted his glasses as he peered closely at the lettering that read: 'The Flynn Rider Private Island Fund thanks you for your generous donation.'

Everyone could swear they heard something snap inside the Duke's brain. He stared at the note for several moments before slowly nodding. "Ah. I see."

With that, he simply folded the slip of paper back up and calmly creased the bend between his gloved fingers before handing it back to a bewildered Weeznod and fondly patted the man on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Very good, very good. Now, I'm going back to my bedchambers where I will have a few drinks and then fall asleep. When I wake up, this will all have been a very, very stupid dream. Goodbye, lieutenant. Goodbye."

~o~O~o~

A wide grin split Flynn's face as he stepped back out on the ship's deck. He had done it. Weselton was now several leagues behind them, far out of sight. Opal was fast asleep in her quarters after such an eventful night, but he couldn't resist coming back out to take in the moment to breathe in the fresh night air.

Ah, nothing like a night under the stars after a job well done, especially after ruining a huge jerk's day in the process.

The temperature had become lower as well and he shivered before rubbing his hands to relieve the slight chill that was slowly accumulating at his fingers. This was when most people would usually be back in the safety of their home where they could take a hot bath and change into clean clothes to remove themselves of the daily grime and retire to warm, comfy beds and blankets to start the next day anew. But not him. He was out here, living his own way far out on the horizon.

This was the kind of experience that had once been confined to his dreams and here he was living it out. The dust residue that covered his disheveled clothes from the chase, the newly-formed callouses at his hands from swinging his sword, and even the exhaustion he was feeling was… it felt good; a different kind of satisfaction that was better than anything else.

And who knew what would happen next?

As he paced around the front of the ship, looking out at the distant sea, he thought about their course. After speaking more with the ship's captain once the city of Weselton was out of sight, Flynn had wanted to go straight to Arendelle. Sure, it would be easier that way to get a jumpstart on his plans to one day sneak into the royal palace and see what he could find there for himself, but now he also had to think about Opal and where she could go. He had plenty of experience in disappearing, and Arendelle would be an easy place for her to start a new and comfortable life.

But the captain had many shipments that were already overdue to be delivered to another kingdom, and he had no intention of deviating from that schedule. So here they were, on fast course for… what was it again? Ah, yes, the kingdom of Corona.

Well, it wasn't as high up on Flynn's list of 'Places-I-Must-Visit', he had heard plenty of good things in his travels about the Kingdom of the Golden Flower. It was a bright and wonderful place to live. Much like Arendelle and the Alliance kingdoms, the laws of Corona were fair, the taxes were reasonable and the king and queen were beloved by the people. They had some of, if not the, finest agriculture and farming lands in all the realms. Their cooks were amongst the best in the world and their food trade had always been the greatest in the lands even if it had a noticeable dip in recent years. And apparently, if Flynn had heard the news correctly, Corona was getting ready to host an annual event of theirs, something called the 'Day of the Lost Princess'. It sounded like a holiday. There were bound to be all kinds of things for him to do.

Besides, as he had heard, Corona had always been a close friend of Arendelle. It wouldn't be difficult at all to find passage to the Jewel of the North from there. In the meantime, it sounded like Flynn might have plenty to see and entertain himself with while he would be staying there. Well… perhaps the trip to Arendelle could wait. Who knew what might happen during his stay in Corona?

Our ignorance of what is to come is a gift, as it allows us to treasure the thrill and prospect of the unknown. Do not simply go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

Oh yes! A wave of exhilaration surged through him as a small wave struck the prow of the ship, sending a spray of seawater to sprinkle Flynn's face. This had been one of the greatest nights of his life, and he knew he would never forget it. Tonight, he had dared to do what no one else even imagined was possible. In one night, he had stolen entire fortunes, saved a beautiful woman, laughed in the Duke's face and had now escaped from the King of Glowerhaven twice. Even when the odds were against him and things had gone wrong, fate was on his side every time without fail and seemed to outright refuse to abandon him. Who else in the world could make such a claim? What greater example was there that fortune favored the bold?

What is it that makes someone reach beyond the boundaries of human experience? To face the wonders of the unknown? As children, we eagerly question the world around us and look upon everything with eyes full of wonder. We learn, we accept and gradually we lose our ability to wonder. But some do not. The travelers, the brave and the daring, it is these pioneers who embody the very spirit of mankind. More than anyone, these adventurers and pioneers understood the winds that stir humanity from within. In the face of adventure, you ride full sail at the cutting edge of the world with everything to lose and everything to gain! How could Flynn Rider not want such a life? And that was why he took up the name of Flynn Rider. By taking it up, he knew he would one find the drive he sought.

Smiling, Flynn remembered more of his idol's words, one piece of wisdom in particular that he cherished and longed for above all else.

Put your faith in what you most believe in. When the day finally arrives that you find a way to live that you can truly be proud of, you will be thrust into your own grand adventure. You will find the treasure that makes the adventure of life worth living and fighting for.

So full of spirit, this was what Flynn lived for. To find that special treasure. To feel so alive at the edge and do what no one else could. To live with the mightiest heartbeat. Nothing to drive him on but thrill and ambition. The release of freedom!

With a great laugh, Flynn knew what would make this moment perfect. He headed straight for the ship's rigging, and while he was not a sailor, he eagerly climbed up the ropes until he reached the top of the sailing mast. Holding onto the ropes with one hand, he carefully found his balance atop the sail mast and stood – heroically! – as he looked at a compass he had 'borrowed' from the captain and looked out at the horizon.

He felt a tug of the wind in his hair. Smiling at the sensation, he looked up towards the heavens. Flynn had always loved the stars, how they shined like the finest gems above the rest of the world that everyone admired and wrote legends about. He admired the full moon sparkled beautifully off the ocean waves. It was perfect. There were nights such as this where the stars that could be seen as clear as crystal, so inviting in their promise of flight and freedom, made Flynn's spirit soar and imagine the impossible. This was the adventure of his life, to hold great treasures and do what no else could. To feel as strong and free as thunder over the land. Racing the eagle, soaring with the wind.

One day… one day he would have his private island and crack open that bottle of Valhalla Nectar. To build a home for himself on an island, it wasn't just a material prize to him, a simple mark of achievement. No, what having his own island really meant for him was to have a place out of the reach of everyone else. Ever since he was a child back in the orphanage, he wanted a place where the great powers and authorities that controlled his life could never get to him at all. He could have a home that no king or lord would ever have power over.

Always remember that even when arriving at your destination, the journey isn't over. You find yourself in a land of opportunities that won't keep you restrained to one point.

Flynn nodded. Now that was freedom. With his own island, he could establish a new life for himself and create a path that would be his own and not one that others decided for him. He would be free to make his own choices. There would be no one to tell him no, or where to go. He would be one with the wind and sky. There would be no right, no wrong, and no rules for him. Flynn would be free… forever.

One day.

Until then, Flynn Rider knew there was still much to do and see. And the next stop in his journey was the Kingdom of the Golden Flower.

Hmmm… Corona.

Even if Corona wasn't where he sought to travel next, he had a good feeling about it. It was the same feeling he had felt that had always led him well through life. His 'hawk-like' sixth sense that always steered him clear of disaster and guided him to the great opportunities of fortune, adventure, and happiness that he lived for. As he thought about what Corona might have in store for him, something about it made him feel excited.

Whatever awaited him in Corona, he was ready for it.

---

Well, that was fun! What a night of excitement for Flynn Rider! And now the Weselton arc is done, and we are finally off to Corona! Guess who we'll be seeing next?

Disclaimer: The characters and events of Tangled and Frozen are owned by Disney. Everything else is mine.

Thanks to all who have to come to see this, and an especial thanks to any who review, fave and follow! Those are what inspire me to keep going. As always, your comments, thoughts and constructive criticism is appreciated and welcomed. Til next time!