tangled (mileven au)

completely free

๑ 3 ๑

Eleanor couldn't believe that she had actually done it. She left the cabin. She went against just about every single rule Papa had ever enforced and it all truly felt like a dream.

Really though, it was a dream. It was her dream and here it was, being brought to life.

As she walked through the woods, still holding on to Mike's hand, she took in everything around her, wanting to engrave it all into her mind. It was all so new to her, every sound, every smell, every single thing that came into sight.

She could hear the birds chirping, the rustling of the leaves beneath their feet, the faint pattering of the squirrels scurrying along the tree branches. She could breathe in fresh air, a definite relief compared to the musty smell of the cabin she's used to. She could see, well, everything. She could see the bright blue sky above, the clouds scattered all around, the trees surrounding them standing tall.

Only now, it wasn't through dirty windows in the cabin, it was clear as day and it was better than she'd even imagined it to be.

She could feel the cool breeze, her hair blowing back from it's powerful force. Much like that gusty wind, she felt free. For the first time in all her seventeen, almost eighteen, years of life she felt completely free.

It was a feeling like no other and she wished she could feel this way her entire life. She was almost certain that would never happen, but even if this was just a one time thing, this feeling would change things. It would change her life, she knew it would.

"You know, if you hold on to my hand any tighter, I think you might just squeeze the whole thing right off." Mike teased, breaking the silence that had come over them since they'd left the cabin.

Eleanor quickly released his hand, hoping that she hadn't hurt him. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was holding it so tight."

As soon as she let go though, she found herself missing the feeling of his hand in hers. She'd never held anyone's hand like that before, never experienced the comfort that came along with the feeling of someone else's touch and she had to admit, it was nice.

Wanting to get her mind off such a thing, she let her eyes roam around, getting another good look at everything surrounding her. 

"Gosh, I can't believe I did this! I really did it!"

"Mhm. You did it." Mike mumbled, not sparing her so much as a glance.

"But Papa would be so furious if he found out!" She began to worry, as a bit of reality started to sink back in. "I would be in so much trouble!"

"Well, what your Papa doesn't know won't hurt him, right?"

"Yeah... Yeah, you're right! He'll never know, it'll all be fine!" She agreed, though she was mostly telling that to herself. "Unless he does find out..."

"I gotta say, you really seem at war with yourself here." Mike sighed, while coming to a sudden stop and turning to face her. "You're so thrilled to be out, then two seconds later you're terrified. Look I get it, sorta. It sounds like you have an over protective father, who probably just wants to keep you safe, but doing things like this on your own is part of growing up. Besides, he can't protect you from everything your entire life. It's just not healthy."

Mike's words made more and more sense as the seconds passed. And just like when they were back at the cabin, he had managed to get rid of the worries inside of her. "You're right, this is good, really good!"

"Yeah? Alright, great. Now that you're back on the rebellious road trip train, let's keep going." Mike said, as he took off walking again, Eleanor following right behind him.