Rapunzel whipped around to see a large boulder blocked the entrance.

She heaved in breath after breath. Darkness deepened the shadows to ink black as the rest of the area diluted to shades of gray. Her eyes darted around.

Rocks. Just rocks.

There was nowhere to go. The cave ended a few strides in. Rock enclosed them on all sides. Some seemed piled and wedged to make the walls. Maybe they could move them and...

She paused at the lick of ice on the back of her knees. The water swallowed her legs in a dark abyss. It lapped around her knees, rising with each push and pull of the waves. The weight tugged at her dress. It bashed against the rocks around her, searching for its own way out...

They were trapped.

A sense of animal panic clawed up her throat. Rapunzel subconsciously backed up till a wall pressed into her back.

Mando met her there with her pan. He shoved it at her unceremoniously. She hugged it to her chest without thought and watched as Mando worked to get them out. He tested the rock, dove under the water repeatedly to look...

Water rushed at her and slammed into her waist. She sucked in a startled breath at the cold on her stomach. She watched as it rose. Fast. Too fast.

She tried to help look, but Mando pulled her out of the water.

"Stop." He snapped. Her eyes wide and panicked as he talked. His voice softened. "Stop. It's no use. It's pitch black down there." He pushed her hair out of her face. His fingers traced the shell of her ear.

He let go of her and slapped the wall in frustration. Her brow furrowed when he groaned and curled his fingers into his hand. He was hurt. How long? And why didn't she notice before now?

She should've noticed. She should've never dragged him into her mess. She should've...she should've done so much differently.

Maybe then they wouldn't be trapped and soon to be dead.

A sob left her. "It's all my fault." She whispered. Her trembling hand pressed to her forehead and roughly wiped the tears from her eyes. "All of this. I'm so sorry."

Mando finally stilled. His shoulders moved with his heavy breathing. "No. You didn't cause this."

He didn't say, but the guards were for him. That was on him, not her. She got wrapped up in his mess. He almost couldn't believe he would die like this, that she would die because of him. Drowned under a mountain of rock.

He took a deep breath. The least he could do was let her know who she's dying with. "Din."

She looked over at him. Tears swam in her eyes, along with confusion. "What?"

He cleared his throat. "My name. My real name. Din Djarin."

The water tugged her hair. Most of it underwater. It rose to their shoulders. Rapunzel worked to shove down the knot in her throat that felt like a scream. She didn't think she'd stop if she started. She focused on Din and offered him a soft wobbly smile. "It's a nice name, Din Djarin."

The pleasure of hearing his true name from her lips almost elapsed the moment. He pressed a hand to the ceiling. The water so high, he now had to swim. His jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. He could've kept looking, found some loose rocks, found something. Anything. But even with his helmet, he failed. The night vision couldn't see though the pure darkness of the water. There had to be some light.

Rapunzel sniffed. Her eyes still on Din. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing."

Din's head whipped toward her. "What?"

"I have magic hair that glows when I sing." She repeated. She snapped to look at him. Her eyes bright and no longer dim with dispair. An idea formed. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing!"

The water finally crested passed their necks and rose quick. Quicker then before it seemed to Rapunzel, but she couldn't think about that right now. So she sung. She sung till there was no air and the water filled the cave.

"Flower, gleam and glow

Let your power shine-"

Water encompassed everything. Darkness stilled the panic for a moment, but then a light brought them back. A light that flowed from the top of Rapunzel's hair to the very tip.

Din flinched back at the sight. He had to shelf the glowing hair for now. Bigger problems.

Rapunzel tapped his chest and pointed frantically. Her cheeks puffed out as she held her breath.

He saw it. Her hair trailed through the water like a lit up snake. A loose wall of rock sat at one of the bends of hair. A way out. Hopefully.

They pulled at the rocks. Rapunzel using her pan to loosen the ones wedged in. He thought about using a thermal detonator, but the shockwave alone in the small space would probably kill them. So they dug.

Din pushed at one more rock and his hand fell through. Soft air tickled his wrist. He dug faster. His chest tightening at the strain of no air. He struggled with the intense desire to take a breath, even if it wouldn't be air. The rocks finally collapsed under them.

They fell through the air and landed in more water. Din got a glance of a river with clear teal water and vibrant trees before he had to fish Rapunzel out. She struggled in the water. He suddenly remembered. She lived in a damn tower her whole life. She didn't know how to swim. He latched onto her waist, keeping her head above water.

A grassy bank landed just in arms reach. He waded toward it and drug Rapunzel onto the bank, landing on his stomach next to her.

Rapunzel gasped and coughed. Water sprayed from her lips. Her hair plastered to her face. She laid limp on the bank. Her eyes closed. She could hear Mand- Din recovering next to her. His body brushed hers as he shifted and moved. It brought her more comfort than she could describe. Maybe it was a sense of security. She wasn't sure, but whatever it was. It was warm and soft and nice, and she thought she could sit in that feeling forever.

"Her hair glows." Din rasped. Slightly sputtering. He pushed up onto his forearms. "I didn't see that coming." He muttered.

Rapunzel sighed and opened her eyes. She dragged her pan up the bank with a heavy arm and threw it on the grass.

"Mando." She called softly.

"Why does her hair glow?" Din continued to mutter to himself. More thrown than he'd like. He looked to the side, to see her chameleon smiling at him. Why was it smiling?

"Mando."

He shook his head. He needed to take off his helmet. The water, obviously, got everywhere. He needed to dry out. He needed privacy. Glowing fucking hair-

"Din!"

He looked up at the call of his real name. Startled.

Rapunzel stood there, fishing her hair out of the river. Her whole body shined, wet and slick. Her light purple dress plastered to her body, almost see through. He could see the dips and valleys of her curves leading to the shadowed area between her thighs. He swallowed hard.

Rapunzel locked eyes with his, seemingly through the helmet. "It doesn't just glow."

The valley flooded when the dam broke.

The river swelled as bodies weighted down by armor settled in its depths.

In that valley, a battered golden droid arm clung to the rocks above water. The rest of the body appeared as the water rocked and settled. Seemingly shut down, but thinking. Processing. It's eyes dim as it shuts off communication to base.

The armored criminal was his.

No more comrades would die in this pursuit.

The droid's eyes brightened as it cut the last connections. He would bring in the criminal scum or dismantle him. Limb from limb.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the new followers and reviewers! It keeps me writing and updating.

Happy Valentines Day!