Tangled After The Series - There's No Such Thing As 'The End'

Chapter 16: The cats pounce

Warnings: mentions of conflict and injuries

They materialized out of thin air.

Andrew's cronies going straight for Nigel, Old Lady Crowley, and the Castle servants. Lady Caine's minions taking on the thugs, Monty, Feldspar, Xavier, and the Old Captain. Axel facing off against Maximus, Fidella and Shadow. Anthony the Weasel appeared to have met up with some of the other Baron's men on the road because him and those others were taking on the guards. Adira and Hector were persevering against Clementine the Witch. Lance, Kiera, and Catalina had taken up positions shielding the front doors. Lady Caine, Andrew and the Stabbington Brothers were nowhere in sight. Eugene ran to raise the red flag, the signal to Corona City that they must stay indoors, no one was to come out until it was lowered.

Cassandra pounded her fist against the front doors and Lance quickly opened it to let her, Varian and Ruddiger slip through. Catalina dropped her sword and Cassandra spotted the first sign of her wolf, claws pushing through where her nails were. She put a hand on the young girl's arm, "Not yet, we may still need a surprise on our side." Catalina nodded, her claws retracting, and picked up her sword once more.

Varian knelt down and said to Ruddiger over the din, "Go back home, to Old Corona. I'll find you." The racoon had looked doubtful, but Varian insisted so off he darted.

Cassandra looked at Owl and inclined her head after Ruddiger, go with him. The bird understood and flapped away. When Varian straightened up, he caught sight of Clementine and blanched. Cassandra saw it, "The thugs look like they need backup," she said to him, across the courtyard from Clementine and Andrew's other followers. Varian only nodded and ran after Cassandra.

Eugene had landed in the brawl, supporting the guards contending against Anthony the Weasel, all the while praying that Rapunzel was safe.

The crash of metal striking metal reverberated across Corona City, the streets had become deserted in five minutes flat as soon as the first person spotted the red flag. Shouts of pain and anger sounded out from soldiers on both sides of the fight. Neither side was prepared to back down. Like it or not, the Coronans were being pushed back despite their larger numbers. Eugene had made a clear demand to his soldiers that there were to be no serious injuries if possible, they were not sinking to the criminals' standards, however the escapees had evidently made no such agreement. Many of the servants were wounded and Nigel had to have been hidden behind some crates by two guards because he couldn't stand due to a cut in his leg.

Cassandra had landed quite a few punches, causing some bruised noses and cheeks. She was trying her hardest to keep Varian away from the Saporians, it was obvious that he was scared, and he had every reason to be. Meanwhile, Varian was helping Cassandra fight off Lady Caine's accomplices, he was refraining from using alchemy so as not to draw the Saporian's attention. What really unnerved Varian was that he still hadn't caught sight of Andrew, he didn't know whether he was going to spring up on him.

In the middle of it all, spiking up through the cobblestones was the amber crystal.

Half an hour passed and some of the servants had been forced behind the gateway. Eugene rushed over to them and told them to get to the Snuggly Duckling as fast as possible. He had carried Nigel over and handed him to the chef and Thomas before they ran off. Monty, Feldspar and Xavier were being edged closer and closer to the gateway, the thugs not far behind. Lady Caine's allies had divided themselves among the other fighters now that their target had been removed. Lance, Kiera, and Catalina were still standing guard by the doors but what was odd was that barely anyone had gone near the entrance to the Castle. Eugene had counted four people at most approach Lance and the girls and immediately be overpowered three-to-one, turn around to the courtyard and fight from there. He had seen a few others eye the doors when they had a free moment, but they made no move, just fought anyone else that came near them. Why weren't they trying?