The young pair stopped at a flowing riverbed to wash off all the sweat and grime from their inciting incident. Backs turned, Rapunzel laid her wedding dress out on the rocks to dry. She could not help but dote on its faded stains. Not so pure anymore . The sun was still shining high. They had plenty of time to reach the pub before nightfall. She then filtered through scenarios of what would be transcribing back home. The scrambling search parties. The confusion amongst the guests that traveled far and wide. Though, the guilt over her parents'worry towered aboveit groans yanked her to the present.
The foreigner kept failing to draw a specific symbol on her chest. All her previous paint marks dissolved into the stream after taking several refreshing to appearing in this lush realm, she had help applying them from a special someone. Someone, she reminisced, with a greater artistic touch than her own. Someone with strong eyes of bistre and focus. Strong enough to focus on the details that mattered, both on the surface of her skin and deeper within. Strong enough to stare directly into her madness and calm her sonic storms ever so gently.
"Need a hand?" Rapunzel's kindhearted voice snapped her back to the tranquil river.
"Huh? Oh, yeah sure." She splashed around to meet her, water settling just above her knee.
"Oh gosh-" A naked body that had never known sun faced thenative. "It's all blue..." She innocently stared at the bushy triangle at her nether.
"Hey," She snapped her fingers. "Eyes up here, princess." Then pointed to her breasts.
"There?" She asked flustered.
"Yeah," She answered nonchalantly. "This is where I need it."
The brunette blinked away the awkwardness and accepted the brush handed to her. "Where are your undergarments?" She wondered, still modestly wearing her own. They were nowhere to be seen afloat or on the rocky bed.
She simply shrugged before instructing. "Didn't have any. Could you do me an hourglass?"
"How come?" Neon green strokes made their way down the curves of her pale chest."Don't you worry about-"
"Meh, was kinda gearing up for war before coming here. Didn't have time to worry about flashing the enemy my pretty bits." She stayed as still as possible as the artwork was finishing.
"So, this was warpaint." A revelation behindthe colorful markings. All that remained were the tatted clouds along her entire side. Clouds for the woman that fell from the sky. "Is that why you fled? You're seeking refuge?"
"I don't run from a fight." Her response was as quick as it was sharp.
"Alright," The empathic brunette deducted it bestto drop the delicate subject. Despite the innocent face, she had her own encounters with danger. Once, even involved the looming threat of war. Though, her unlikely fellowship successfully thwarted its wrath. War always left deep wounds, and the traveler's were still fresh. "Tell me about this hourglass then." Rapunzel reached for any possibility to carry the conversation, ever determined to form a connection. "Is it your house's sigil?"
She could not help but chuckle softly at the way this maiden spoke. "No, no." Then she thought of the person the symbol represented, and continued even softer. "But it does remind me of home."
"Of which you still won't tell me anything about."
"Because I'm still sobber, lady."
"We're almost there." She giggled as she applied the final touches. "Just wanted to clean up before potentially bumping into some old friends."
"Oh, can't wait to meet your super cool friends at the Snuggly Duckling ." She said sarcastically.
Rapunzel acknowledged the tone. "Some of them might surprise you."
"I doubt that." The wanderer then looked down at the finished hourglass. "Shit," She marveled. It was no mere strokes of simplicity or novice. It was elegantly painted with speckles within the halves.
"Is it too much? I tried to match the design with your pretty cloud tattoos."
"No, it's great." A breath of sincerity connected the space between them. "Really... He would've loved it."
"Oh," Cheekiness escaped her. "There's a ' he .'" A sharp glare then formed before her. "I know, I know." Unintimidated, she returned the brush and made her way out of the shallows. "Let's get cool and mysterious over here to the pub on a summer afternoon."
A smile graced the blue traveler's face. She liked that this young woman had some bite to her. Even if it was but a nibble compared to the folk she grew up around. The artistic touch helped impress her further.
"Jinx."
"I'm sorry?" Rapunzel looked back once more.
"Call me Jinx." She said, playfully splashing her on the way out of the river.
Wooden mini doors swung open to a remodeled Snuggly Duckling. The grander halls welcomed a greater number of patrons, for the pub had turned into a tourist destination since it played its small part in rescuing the Lost achievement framed and mounted on the wall, along with other paintings of Rapunzel's draped throughout. The Pub Thugs had become a local sensation. Thier rough exteriors now played up for show. A heavy musical performance filled the warmly lit tavern.
"You frequent this place?" Jinx gawked around in amazement. The barbaric looking crowd had a sense of familiarity to her.
"It's a long story." She waved off the answermodestly.
"Rapunzel!" A ruffian swept her up in a great bear hug.
"Vladimir! How's the collection coming along?"
"Hit a block." He sat her down as other members began to notice the familiar face. "Nothing was really catching my eye, no more, so I took up whittling to make my own. Keep the best. Sell the rest." He eagerly showed her an abstractly designed unicorn.
"That's wonderful. Glad you widened your hobby."
"Rapunzel!" Another old friend greeted her.
"How have you been, Big Nose."
"How have I been?" His voice dropped to anxious concern. "Where have you been?" He exclaimed. "We were on our way to the ceremony when the royal guards swept town for you."
"They came around here too, asking foryuh." A third voice joined as the familiar gang surrounded her.
"What did you say?" She asked worriedly.
"The truth."
The individual voices all began to merge over one another as the woman whipped her head about to keep track.
"No one knew where you was."
"Is everything okay."
"Yes, everything is fine." She tried to assure them. "Well, sort of." This was the last thing she wanted to discuss.
"Do we need to have words with that you-know-who of yours?"
"I always said he was trouble!"
"No! Really, it's not him. It's just—I just needed to-" A pounding began to hurt her skull as she attempted to escape thisinterrogation from her brotherly protectors. "Introduce you to my new friend, Jinx!" But said friend was nowhere near."Uh, Jinx?"
At the far end, the woman found herself bobbing her blue head amongst the dancing crowd that curled the stage. The music in its barest form: palms pounding drums; cords screeching; female singers howling. It managed to feed her jumpy soul. She bounced around, somehow, with a pint already in hand.
"That's your friend?" The ever romantic, Big Nose, mouthed out hopelessly at the vibrant dame.
"Yup. She's, uh, not from around here."
"Seems to be fitting in just fine though." Vladimir grinned.
"Punz!" Jinx waved over to her from another area of the pub. "Hey, Punz! Get a load of this guy!"
"Oh, gosh." She rushed over for Jinx had just got her hands on Ulf, the mime, and she feared for his safety.
"Jinx, shouldn't we focus on finding a lead on the witch?" Rapunzel grabbed her arm, gently pulling her away as she was making silly faces at him, for he was mimicking them all with impressive reflexes."Come meet my friends. They might have heard something."
"Eh, what's the rush?" The newcomer shrugged before snatching darts off a random player.
"The rush is that, um." She twirled a loose curl, anxiously. "Some, erm, people might sort of also be looking for me."
"What kind of people?" She raised her thin brow after scoring multiple bullseyes.
"People who..." Rapunzel now fiddled with anything her nervous hands breezed over from skin to tatters. "Aren't exactly too happy with me right now?" She ended with a wince.
"Geez, lady. So, you were keeping stuff from me too. You owe them money, or something?"
"What? No!" She was appalled.
"You lying? Because, oh, I know how to handle debt collectors." Jinx drew her firearm with an evil smirk.
"Put that away!" She jumped on her, shoving the gun away. "It's not like that I swear."
"Fine, but whoever they are, they got you spooked." With the weapon withdrawn, she wandered to the lounge area."No wonder you were so skittish about taking the main road. This why you kept rushing me while I was trying to sightsee?"
Rapunzel dropped her eyelids and shoulders in a monotone decree. "It was literally all trees."
"I don't have trees where I'm from." Jinx retorted with hands on hips, tilting her face directly into hers.
"You don't?" Big Nose interjected with great sympathy, with the rest of the gang close behind. "Oh, to be devoid of such natural beauty. I know of a valley just west of here. Where the sparkling stream dances through bouquets of pastel trees as gleaming as your eyes." His words slowed into a melodic serenade.
"What's happening?" Jinx was not used to such flattery. No one back home dared to court the mad daughter of a kingpin. In fact, they always feared her unpredictability more than his iron wrath. Though, as uncomfortable as she initially felt, she did not mind the gesture. It was a pleasant change to be free of reputation and not be feared at first glance.
"Big Nose, don't." Rapunzel tried to politely stop him. "She already has someone-"
Jinx pulled her back, "First of all, harsh." and whispered into her ear. "Not his fault that he was born with that freakishly fat shnoze." Rapunzel tried to explain that that was indeed his real name, but Jinx continued over her. "Second of all, let him go on. I wanna see where this goes."
Where it went was song. The band switched their music to accompany his performance. The pub suddenly dimmed, and a spotlight beamed onto the singer, tracking his chivalrous act.
"Where did that light come from?" Jinx squinted up into the dark. There were no rafters above them and the fires around them were still burning. It made no logical sense. Before she could ponder it more, the lively song swiftly recaptured her attention.
Big Nose proceeded to introduce himself, gushing about Jinx's tough yet lovely appearance. He was but a sweet hearted romantic, handing her another drink with a blue rose.
"Heh, neat." She cared naught where he pulled the flower from and downed the ale. Before she could blink, anothermug swapped in. "Oh!"
More of the ruffians joined in, introducing themselves in verse. The largest among them apologized for his friend and welcomed her to their humble establishment. Jinx could not contain her giddiness. Open smile and wide eyed as she tapped and bobbed along to the tavern beat. It was a childlike euphoria she was robbed of at such a young age. She thought that perhaps this fairy tale land was not so ' lame .' It possessed a charm that she never realized was missing from her tragic upbringing.
A chair lifted her up into the air as the Pub Thugs gave her a grand tour. Her fit of gleeful laughter prevented her from hearing Rapunzel begin to chime in herself. The short haired brunette went on about how they must focus on their quest. Her angelic voice soon drew her in with astonishment.
Jinx excitedly flipped onto the nearby piano. "Check out the massive pair of lungs hiding behind those itty bitties!"
" Thanks, but we really should get going. Must get ahead of the dangers beyond your knowing. " She replied in song, holding Jinx's hands over the piano's smooth surface.
"Uh, are you gonna sing to me the whole trip now?" She laid on her stomach to shimmy closer to her. Feet kicking the air, she held onto Rapunzel's hands in turn. "Cuz, I might be into it." She purred coquettishly.
" What's the rush? What's the rush? " The patrons all harmonized.
"Yeah, what's the rush, toots? Let me have this."
" What's the rush? What's the rush? "
" The kingdom searches for me, far and wide. " Rapunzel argued, spinning to the center.
" So the Lost Princess has run off to hide. " The one called Hook Hand sang from the piano.
"Princess?" Jinx propped her blue head up like a curious pup.
" Hiding, I am naught. Just feeling more overwhelmed than I had thought. "
" Of what exactly? Come on, stay and tell us. " Vladimir pulled her in for a short waltz. " What happened at this morning's wedding? You still have on the ivory gown. "
" Is your love gone and shattered? " It was now Big Nose's turn. " Are all the pieces crumbling down? " He twirled her like a gentleman.
" No, not at all. Nothing is doomed to fall! "
" Then, come on, stay and tell us. What's the rush? What's the rush? "
The chorus boasted from the surrounding patrons. " What's the rush? What's the rush? "
The lady in white tried to explain herself in a series of rhymes to no avail.
Jinx darted her head between everyone, following along as the story unfolded through continued song. Just as she wished for some popcorn to snack on, Big Nose slid onto his knees, presenting an ornate bowl of it to her."How in the fu-" She was just watching him dance with Rapunzel. Nothing in this place makes sense and I love it!
The musical back and forth carried on until the anxious princess erupted in an operatic scream.
" I wasn't ready! "
The spotlight spread as wide as the crescendo, scattering the thugs like roaches. After a moment of dramatic silence, the beam narrowed back onto her with pinpoint precision. The piano keys resumed as Rapunzel embarked on a heartfelt monologue.
" I thought I was. I really did. Thought I was in love. I still am. I think? I should be. Shouldn't I? He saved me from isolation. " Her guiltygaze fell to the floorboards. Her tiny feet twisted in place as she twirled her dress weakly." Showed me the hopeful light of all that was possible. Millions of twinkling possibilities. But then all narrowed down to one. "
She looked onto a beautiful tapestry of lilac and gold hanging above her. One of her own works. The shining sun that represented Corona's beacon of hope for all the realms.
" My duty would be to Corona. Locked behind the castle walls. But I wasn't ready. My husband to be, my long-lost parents. They all want me to settle down in those golden halls. " She turned to sing to the audience. " Birth an heir. Secure the legacy of our great I wasn't when I had gotten a glimpse of all those twinkling possibilities . "
Her voice rose and sped, and the piano followed suit." I had wandered the forests of mystery . Befriended the sweetest band of ruffians . Visited far off family in a palace of frost and snow . Journeyed to distant isles surrounded by endless seas, looking out and wondering how far I'll go! " She roared out that last note with her full chest as the crowd leapt into a frenzy.
" Fate assembled me witha group of remarkable adventurers. I've flown on the back ofwinged lizard as dark as shadow . There's so much more to experience. Would it be so terrible to let my duty fallow ? I wasn't ready to leave it all behind! To watch the world go by! "
Her friends joined alongside her. " What's the rush? What's the rush? "
" Why would I exchange one tower for another? Why should I! " She shouted with newfound confidence, " Why shouldn't I explore the sky! " And roared to the ceiling once more. " Look at what more it has given me! " She pointed over at her newest traveling companion." No mere damsel in need! Oh, so much more. More reason to go beyond ! "
Jinx was no singer, but she clapped along, supporting her new spirited friend. "Yeah! What's the rush? What's the rush? " She finished another mug, then swung her sack of supplies over her shoulder, accidentally knocking out the mime without a single care. She dashed over to the singing princess and said with the sweetest rasp of her voice."Let's go on an adventure."
Rapunzel smiled back, full glittering in her deep green eyes. " But I wasn't ready. " They hooked each other's arm and skipped their way out of the pub, side by side." Not when I had gotten a glimpse of all those twinkling possibilities . " Out by the trees, they spun around to wave goodbye to the beloved patrons of the Snuggly Duckling." I had wandered the forests of mystery . Befriended the sweetest band of ruffians! " They waved back, promising not to tell the royal guard a word if they returned.
"See yuh never, Big Nose!" Jinx blew him a cheeky kiss with a wink goodbye. "If I wasn't already so hung up, I'd totally sit on that shnoze!"
The hopeless man flushed redder than the fires of his beating heart and buckled under his knees in a loud thud.
Rapunzel's singing echoed away into the wood as they carriedon with their quest. Jinx reveled in leagues of whimsical sights of nature and wildlife to the princess's lovely tune of independence and adventure. The likes of which she had never even dreamed of in the slummy undercity she hailed one point, she managed to zoom onto the back of a mighty elk, brought her friend aboard, and rode off with the herd.
They weaved over rolling hillsides with the setting sun lobbing passed them. Rushing winds combed their hair until they reentered a farther part of the wood. Dismounting the majesticbeast, Rapunzel fed it some nearby berries as her song soothed into a softer resolution. She invited her blue companion andwas welcomed with a breathy nuzzle into her neck and tittering face. Finishing the last of its fruity treats, Jinx wiped the excess spittle off on Rapunzel's dress. She merely rolled her eyes with a smiling shake of her head and gently smacked the elk's tush. It trotted off with the rest of the stampede.
Resting her cleaned hands on her hip, Jinx scanned the dark environment. Dusk had blanketed the skies, and there were no urban lighting to guide them. She patiently waited for the song to end; a song that seemed to have made their day's journey fly by bizarrely fast.
"Weren't we supposed to ask about the witch back at the pub?" She immediately broke the silence.
"Oh shoot!" Rapunzel dug her nails into her roots. "I got carried away and completely forgot. Why didn't you remind me."
"I didn't wanna interrupt you." She then pinched her cheek with a babying voice. "You sounded so pweeddy ."
The pouting princess repeatedly slapped her hand away like a frustrated house cat. "It's practically night! I won't be able to guide us back like this, and Corona's probably tripled the scouts by now."
The dense swathe of leaves above them eclipsed the stars, further blinding her vision. Jinx, on the other hand, saw well enough in the dark with the fluorescent shimmer in her eyes. As she was about to reassure her, floating embers of bright blue snatched her attention.
Rapunzel spun around to see what had caught her distracted gaze and awed. "Will O' the Wisps..."
They danced around the duo with such ease and grace, illuminating the shadows. They reminded Jinx of the firelights back home, only in her prominent color and more robust.
"We must be careful." The princess warned despite her continued marveling. "A friend of mine warned me about these."
"These chubby fellas?" She poked one in the belly only for it to disintegrate into sparkling mist and reform on her nose, swaying about.
"Don't be fooled. She called them omens with all the awful messes they led her to. They're probably here to distract us from finding the witch." She bent her knees and poised her hands up, ready for any sudden attack. "These lands could be cursed. There will be more distractions to stray us from our path. The search will be most difficult from here on out."
"Is that it?" Jinx pointed over to a hut with a glowing letter board lit by the wisps that read, ' Witch Found! FREE CONSULTATIONS INSIDE! '
Rapunzel blinked at the shocking convenience. "Be on guard." Then proceeded forth with her new friend nonchalantly strutting at her heel.