Tangled *Obi x OC* (COMPLETE)

A Guide To Giving Up

Chapter 1: A Guide To Giving Up

Obi POV

I let out a steady stream of curses as I tear through the upper branches of the trees. The plan had been really simple, just steal the crown from the castle and leave undetected. It totally worked... until I sneezed in the corridor. Now I'm running for my life from a group of guards on horseback. Things are going rather well if I say so myself. I do have the advantage of knowing every square inch of Clarines like the back of my hand, versus these men who only know what they had to for the castle.

I smirk as I head left before slipping into the cover of a thick evergreen. I hear the sound of the horses fade a few minutes later so I move down to the ground but slip as the ground gives way and I'm sent tumbling down the hill. I try to stop my fall but the hill is too steep and the ground is too wet from the early morning rain, so I can't get a decent hold. There's a giant wall of moss and ivy covered rock looming ahead of me so my fall will stop soon regardless. I hope the rock isn't what takes me out though. I manage to slide to a stop just before the rock and I release the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. At least I didn't die. I suck in a few calming breaths as I enjoy the slight breeze coming from the... rock?

I get to my feet and brush off my clothes before making sure the crown is still safe and sound in my bag. I take a step toward the wall and find the hanging vines shifting slightly from the breeze. Something's back here, but what? I know everything about this land so how did I miss this? I look around to make sure I'm safe, then move the vines aside. There's a tunnel carved into the stone leading off into the distance. I can see light from the other end but not much else. The horses are coming back, I can hear the hooves and the men shouting, so I duck into the tunnel. Maybe I won't come across something that will kill me.

As I step out of the tunnel, my eyes widen. I'm standing at the edge of an enormous clearing surrounded on all sides by the rock. A stream runs through the middle and there's a two story cottage settled nearby with a small grove of fruit trees running behind it. It's like I've stepped into another world entirely. Does anyone actually live here or is this abandoned? The condition of the cottage is a little run-down but not dilapidated. I consider backing away and going through the tunnel again but the guard's voices are echoing through from nearby. While I'm trapped here I may as well investigate. If anyone does live here I can spin a vague enough story that they hopefully won't try to kill me. If not, I can defend myself pretty easily I'm sure.

I reach the cottage and realize the windows have all been boarded up and the door has been locked from the outside. I guess no one lives here after all. What a shame, this is a rather nice place. Depending on how long it's been abandoned, I could always claim it as my own. I've been needing another safe home anyway. I pull a few tools from a pocket and set about picking the lock. It clicks open and as I straighten, I pocket my tools and reach for a dagger as I move the lock aside. I know the place is empty but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I open the door and step inside. The only light so far seems to come from small cracks in the wood covering the windows. Despite being abandoned, it seems lived in recently. It's not a bad place but every square inch of the walls have been covered in murals and random paintings. An artist must have lived here. They're really well done but I don't recognize the artist.

I hear a light thud upstairs and grip the dagger tighter as I head toward the staircase. There are three doors facing the landing, all open. A pure white cat hisses as it abandons its perch on an old stack of books and runs past me down the stairs. How is the cat not dead from being by itself? Someone could be living here and just not home I guess but why would they board up all the windows? I listen for any other noise besides the cat downstairs but I hear nothing so I enter the first room. It's a well-kept bedroom, nothing out of the ordinary. The second holds a small bathroom, and the third is a slightly messier bedroom. It's covered in drawings on papers and the walls and furniture look as if they've been painted and repainted a few times over in the same style as downstairs. This is just a random cottage I suppose. I hear a quiet squeak of fear behind me and turn in time to see a pair of bright blue eyes before something hard hits the side of my head and I hit the floor. I guess the cottage isn't abandoned after all...

I wake up with a blinding headache a questionable amount of time later. I'm still in the bedroom but I've been tied securely to one of the chairs from the kitchen. I look up to find my assailant curled up on the bed across the room, staring intently at me with a frying pan held up defensively. It's a young woman with super long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her hands and face are covered in random streaks of paint, she must be the artist.

"W-Who are you?" She asks as her hand trembles. "How did you find me?"