Vex

The sun was blazing in the city of Vardaros as I was strolling down the streets for my afternoon patrol. I watched as half the citizens were desperately trying to find many ways to cool down, while the other half wouldn't stop complaining about how hot today has gotten.

Ever since I became deputy, things have been pretty great. First off, people actually started giving me some respect… kind of. Then again, this is Vardaros I'm talking about. Although they still have some admiration for Captain Quaid himself, who gave me this sweet job and a place to stay, which is a spare room at his office before making it my bedroom.

But as much as I love my position, it does have its downsides. For starters, I have to listen to people whine and complain over every little thing. Not to mention that there are still crooks and thieves hanging around this city. The only thing that has made it all bearable is when I go home after a long day of work.

But something inside is bugging me that I'm missing something in my life. I've been living in Vardaros my whole life and never saw the outside world. My curiosity would get the best of me whenever I heard people from the city's golden years how travelers from all over would come by. Not just to visit, but to trade goods that are not seen in Vardaros itself. I did wonder what it would be to be hanging out with other teenagers for once since I'm the only one here. Maybe it'll–

"Ugh, why couldn't we have a day or two where we don't have to suffer through this blasted weather?!" I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a market vendor shout out-loud. "This is outrageous!"

"Ah, shut up, you clod!" I turned to see a woman stomping up to him with a glare. "We've been having this heat wave for only three days and you don't find me complaining!"

"Pst, that's surprising since you constantly whine about everything else that's been happening in this city, ya old hag! You'd probably start once the Summer Solstice comes around. That's when it's going to be really scorching for the next three months!"

"Ha, bring it!"

I rolled my eyes at their arguing and continued walking. As annoying as it was to hear the people of Vardaros complain about everything, which is basically ALL the time, they were right about the heat being really unbearable these past few days.

Ugh, just the thought of putting up with these stupid complaints until the end of Summer really makes me want to gag.

Suddenly, a brown ball rolled in front of me and a group of little kids chased after it, shouting and laughing. A brown-haired boy even bumped into me while running.

"Sorry, Deputy," He apologized. I just smiled and waved it off.

"Hey, it's fine, kid. Also, just call me Vex."

"Okay, thank you, Vex," The boy grinned and ran after his friends.

I gave a forlorn look as I watched them from a distance. Seeing them playing together while laughing and smiling, it's a cute sight, but it also kinda made me feel…lonely.

Wait a minute. Why did that make me start thinking about that? Ugh!

Like any normal person from Vardaros, I hate talking about my personal feelings. Ever since I was little, I was always taught by most adults here that talking about our feelings shows weakness. They had believed that no one would take them seriously.

Because of that, I had always kept to myself, until…

It all started a few days ago, Quaid and I were just coming back to his office, feeling hungry and tired. For the whole day, we had to prevent three house robberies, an argument between four shopkeepers after they saw each of their stores have similar names, and managed to break up a fight between two street gangs.

I placed my Deputy badge in one of the drawers and plopped on a chair near Quaid's desk, while he went into another room. I was mentally and physically exhausted and it wasn't just today; it's been like this for weeks! Don't get me wrong, I love my job…but sometimes, I just want to take a break from all of it.

Just then, Quaid came back with a tray of food. He sat down next to me as he placed the tray on his desk.

"Well, I don't know about you, Vex, but it has been a very long day for all of us," He said as he put a plate in front of me. "And I'm not talking about today, it has been like this for weeks now."

I nodded as I stabbed a piece of meat with my fork. It's really hard to believe that Vardaros was once called the "City of Fun and Games" due to it being home to a lot of crooks for a LONG time. According to those who are still here from the glory days, its downfall began once a ruthless crime boss called the Baron, took over and chased Quaid out of town. Because of that, Vardaros became this crime-ridden and flea-bitten dump for over the past decade.

That is until Princess Rapunzel and her friends came along and kicked the Baron and his daughter out of town for good, doing the same thing to Anthony the Weasel after he tried to do the same thing, got Quaid not of retirement, AND set up an festival based on of their kingdom's own "traditions", or whatever they call it, before finally leaving.

How did I know that? 'Cause I was there when it all happened. Duh!

But in a way, the princess did help try to make Vardaros what it used to be back in its heyday…even if her overly optimistic and naive attitude got on everyone's nerves while she was here.

Ack! Can't believe I said that.

Anyway, I was still in a pretty cranky mood when the captain himself noticed my expression and raised a brow in concern as he stopped eating.

"Is everything alright?"

"Huh?" I snapped out of my thoughts once I heard his voice. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just tired from today."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be okay?" I said, getting a little annoyed. "I mean…sure I've lived out on the streets and had to fend for myself for most of my life, but now I'm the deputy of Vardaros. I should be more than okay!"

I forced out a chuckle, hoping that would convince Quaid. Instead, he gave a frown with his right eyebrow raised while his other one was lowered. I stared at him in confusion.

"...Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're lying."

"Uhh heh heh…what do you mean-"

"I can tell that you're lying, Vex," Quaid interrupted as I clamped my mouth shut. "I can tell by your expression that you are fine. I'm what you call, a "people reader" back in my heyday."

"You haven't been around people for over a decade. How would you know if I'm actually alright?" I asked in a almost raised voice.

"Just because I haven't actually talked with real people for years, doesn't mean that I lost my touch," The sheriff answered, calmly.

"That doesn't make any sense!" I shouted in frustration, which actually made Quaid flinch back in surprise. "You don't know the people of Vardaros the way you used to, Quaid. And you certainly don't know me 'cause I have HATED talking about my feelings since I was just a little kid. Grown-ups had always told me, "Kid, if you let people know how you feel, it means that they'll think you're weak AND that you're weak in general". And guess what? I've been putting my emotions aside for my own sake to survive in these streets since then and was doing just fine looking out for myself for a while!"

I paused to take a quick breath before continuing my rant. Quaid didn't even bother stopping me as I carried on.

"If I'm gonna be honest, I had actually thought that after the Baron and his thugs left Vardaros for good, things would change for the better now, especially when Princess Rapunzel and her friends were the ones who drove the Baron out. I also became a deputy for cryin' out loud! I should be happy, but I'm not. Maybe it's because I'm actually lonely sometimes. Maybe it's because I often wonder what it's like to be a normal teenager hanging out with people my age. Maybe–"

Before I could finish, I noticed Quaid giving me this satisfied smirk as a mischievous twinkle gleamed in his eyes. It only took a few seconds of silence before it finally hit me.

"...Did I just–"

"Talk about your feelings?" He interrupted. "Yes, yes you did."

"Ah…" No words came out of my mouth as I was both speechless and amazed at how he managed to make me talk.

After a few seconds of silence, Quaid finally spoke up with a sigh.

"From what you've told me, it seems that you feel like you're still missing out on a lot of things, despite everything that has happened in the past couple of years. And that you have never interacted with other teenagers before. Is that correct?"

I slowly nodded my head at his answer.

"Hmm…" Quaid rubbed his chin in thought before giving a thoughtful look. "I think I might have an idea for your situation."

"What is it?" I asked, actually curious.

"I will be writing a letter to Princess Rapunzel if it is okay to send you to her kingdom for a while."

I was shocked at what he said. He wants ME to hang out with the most annoyingly peppy princess in the whole world–no, the whole universe–while being stuck in her kingdom of sunshine and rainbows for who knows how long? Did he seriously not listen to what I had said a few minutes ago?!

"H-Hold on. Quaid, I–"

"I know what you're thinking, Vex," He interrupted as I clamped my mouth shut. "Rapunzel is probably the last person you want to spend most of your time with, given her…overly-optimistic attitude and persistence."

I couldn't help but snort in agreement as that was definitely true.

"But think about it this way," He continued. "She and her friends had also saved Vardaros from being taken over by Anthony the Weasel and his goons after the Baron was forced to flee. And let's not forget about how they introduced the Goodwill Festival to the city, even though everyone wasn't sure of the idea at first."

My eyes widened at his words for a bit before slightly turning my head away in thought. While it's true that the princess helped fight for Vardaros' freedom, the city is still overrun by thieves and con-artists and hasn't changed much since then. But I do have to admit that the people are becoming less hostile than they've ever been. And that they actually tried to change for the better, not just to rebuild Vardaros, but for themselves too. I guess Rapunzel…kinda rubbed them off in a way, even though she can be super naive…

But I am NOT telling her that! Even if my life depended on it.

"...I guess you're right," I finally managed to say. "Maybe time away from Vardaros won't be so bad."

Quaid smiled and picked up my empty plate along with his. "Here, let me clean up the dishes."

"You sure you don't want any help?"

"I got it from here, you go wash up and get some sleep. I'll even start writing that letter to Rapunzel first thing tomorrow morning."

"Alright, G'night Quaid. And thanks, not just for the dishes…but for everything else once we've met."

The captain looked surprised for a minute, but a small smile appeared on his face at what I said.

"You're welcome."

I gave a grin of my own before going to bed. Some sleep feels good right about now.

It's been days since Quaid sent that letter to Rapunzel. He said that it's going to be a while before it reaches Corona and for her to send a letter back. Other than that, I doubt I'd actually have a good time there since it probably will be so full of sugar and spice that it'll make your teeth rot.

Then again…Rapunzel's friends are good people, but they're thankfully not as ridiculously positive about nearly everything in life as she is. Her boyfriend, Eugene (aka Flynn Rider), knows what the world is like since he and his buddy, Lance Strongbow, used to work for the Baron. Not to mention their other friend, Cassandra, who managed to win over the people of Vardaros, unlike Rapunzel.

Either way, I still wouldn't be surprised if Coronans have those optimistic attitudes like their princess.

I walked inside the sheriff's office and was about to sit down when Quaid came to me with a piece of paper in his hands.

"Good news, Vex. I got a letter from Princess Rapunzel," He held up the paper. "She said that it's okay for you to visit Corona. And guess what, they're going to be having a festival for the Summer Solstice in a few weeks. This means that you can experience what their traditions are really like in person."

"That sounds…pretty cool," I said, trying not to sound sarcastic since I remembered that "Gopher Grab" fiasco with the rampaging sneezeweasel.

"I'd get a move on with packing if I were you. Because this letter says that they're sending a carriage to pick you up a day after it's been received. I'll also tell everyone in the city that you're leaving tomorrow as well."

"Okay, thanks a lot, Quaid," I went to my room and started packing for the long trip to the sunshine kingdom.

The next day was a bit of a blur. While Quaid and I were waiting for the carriage, we were shocked to see how fancy it looked, with its purple coating and golden trimmings. I'd probably ask if selling it would be worth a fortune if I was still swindling visitors for money.

Several people walked towards me and Quaid, actually looking curious at what's going on.

The man who was at the front with the horses, stepped down and turned his gaze to the crowd.

"Hello, My name is Pierre and I am the footman for the royal family. May I ask, which one of you fine people is "Vex"?" He asked.

"She's right here," Quaid gestured to me as I gave a small wave.

"Ah, Princess Rapunzel has sent me to retrieve her guest and escort her during her road trip to the Kingdom of Corona," Pierre then extended his hand towards me. "May I take your luggage, young lady?"

"Uhh…no thanks. I'll just hold it with me during the ride," I said, cautiously.

I walked towards the carriage and opened the door, tossing my suitcase onto one of the seats before going in myself.

Quaid suddenly came towards me with a smile and gave me a small package.

"What's this?" I asked, holding up the box.

"Don't worry about it for now, but I advise you to wait until you get to Corona to open it," He said as he then noticed the uncertain look on my face.

"Hey, you're going to have a good time…trust me on this, okay?"

I grinned at what he said and put the package inside my suitcase. "Thanks, Quaid."

"Anytime."

"Ahem, I don't mean to interrupt, but we are on a tight schedule right now," Pierre said, a bit frantically. "I promised the princess that I'd bring Miss Vex to the kingdom as soon as possible."

I rolled my eyes and turned back to Quaid. "Well, I'll see you when I get back."

"See you soon, kiddo. Remember to write."

I chuckled a little as Pierre snapped the reims on the horses' leashes, signaling them to go. As he drove away, I looked back at Quaid and the crowd of people as they got smaller and smaller by the distance.

"Bye, Vex! Hope you come back soon!" The group of little kids I ran into yesterday shouted.

I laughed as I waved goodbye as they did the same. I turned around and sighed, sliding down on my seat a little. Well, there was no turning back, I'm going to spend the next few weeks, maybe even a month, in Corona. I'll probably be with Rapunzel and her friends for most of the time since they're the only people I know from that place. I also imagine her introducing me to everyone who lives in her kingdom and getting me to participate in a ton of activities before and during the Summer Solstice festival. In other words…

…I just hope that this doesn't blow up in my face or Quaid's if we realized that this was a bad idea.