Rapunzel picked up the girl, quickly carried her to his closet, and shoved her inside.
He then dragged a chair over to keep the doors from opening.
He slowly backed away with his frying pan ready.
"Okay, okay, I got a person in the closet..."
He looked over to the mirror.
"I got a person in the closet."
He grinned with excitement.
"I got a PERSON in my CLOSET! Too weak to handle myself out there, huh Mother? Well, Tell that to my frying pan!" He said smugly as he swung the pan on his finger before accidentally hitting his own head.
"Ow..."
He rubbed his head as he looked down in the mirror and noticed the bag that the stranger had with them.
He picked it up and took out the crown.
Having never seen a crown, he stuck his arm through the large hoop.
Pascal shook his head in disagreement.
Rapunzel then looked through the jewels that decorated it.
Still no.
He then turned to the mirror and slowly placed the crown on his head.
Pascal looked in amazement before shaking his head again.
Wow... This was...
"Rapunzel!"
The boy jumped slightly before hiding the crown and satchel in a nearby pot.
"Let down your hair!"
Rapunzel grinned excitedly.
"One moment, Mother!"
He threw his hair out the window and began to pull it back up when he felt the familiar tugged.
"I have a big surprise."
"Uh, I do too."
Mother Gothel grinned.
"Oh, I bet my surprise is bigger!"
Rapunzel grinned wickedly as he mumbled. "I seriously doubt it..."
Gothel sat up on the ledge of the window with a smile.
"I brought back parsnips. I'm going to make hazelnut soup for dinner, your favorite. Surprise!"
She said before jumping in and placing the groceries away.
Rapunzel began to walk toward the door.
"Well mother, there's something I want to tell you."
Gothel completely overlooked him.
"Oh Rapunzel, you know I hate leaving you after a fight. Especially when I've done absolutely nothing wrong."
"Okay, I've been thinking a lot about what you said, earlier."
Gothel frowned.
"I hope you're not still talking about the stars."
Rapunzel pointed to her in excitement. "Floating lights, and, yes I'm leading up to that!"
"Because I really thought we dropped the issue."
Rapunzel rolled his eyes. "No Mother, I'm just saying, you think I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there—"
"Oh darling, I know you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there."
Rapunzel touched the chair that held the door up.
"But if you just—"
"Rapunzel, we're done talking about this."
"But trust me, I—"
"Rapunzel."
"—know what I'm—"
"Rapunzel—"
"Mom come on."
Mother Gothel turned angrily and began to shout.
"ENOUGH WITH THE LIGHTS, RAPUNZEL! YOU ARE NOT LEAVING THIS TOWER. EVER!"
Rapunzel stopped and looked to Gothel with surprise.
He slowly let go of the chair as his mother sat down on a nearby stool.
"Oh, great. Now I'm the bad guy..."
Rapunzel scratched the top of his arm awkwardly.
"...All I was gonna say, mother, is that... I know what I want for my birthday, now..."
"And what is that?"
"New paint. That paint made from the white shells you once brought me. And a new book..."
"Well, that is a very long trip, Rapunzel. Almost three days time."
Rapunzel looked down, his hands balling into fists.
"I just thought it was a better idea than... stars."
Gothel sighed before walking over and hugging him.
"You sure you'll be all right, on your own?"
"I know I'm safe, as long as I'm here."
The woman sighed before gathering her things.
"I'll be back in three days time. I love you very much, my wildflower."
"...I love you more."
"I love you most."
Rapunzel watched as his mother disappeared behind the entrance to the cave.
He sighed sadly before running back inside.
He gently took the chair away from the door and stood behind it, taking a deep breath.
"Okay..." He whispered before whipping his hair out to the closest handle.
He yanked it open and found the girl still unconscious against the wall of the closet.
He exhaled as he looked down at the chair.
He had an idea.
—
Pascal crawled up the side of (F/n)'s arm and scanned her over. He smacked her cheek with his hand before camouflaging into her shoulder.
When she didn't wake up, he tried again a few more times.
He pouted before getting an idea.
He fully turned to her ear and shot his tongue inside.
"ACK!" (F/n) cried as she felt the wet substance in her ear.
She looked around quickly and found herself trapped in a chair.
"W-What the—???" She began to struggle but frowned down at the blond bondage.
"Is this...hair?!"
"Struggling...struggling is pointless."
A deep voice called out to her.
(F/n) looked up and saw a silhouette of a man sitting up on one of the beams on the ceiling. He swiftly made his way down to the floor, still hiding his identity in the shadows.
"I know why you're here. And I'm not afraid of you."
"What?" The girl frowned.
She could hear the man sigh before he stepped out into the light.
He wore dark pants with no shoes or socks, and a light purple shirt.
He held a frying pan as if it were a sword to her line of sight.
"Who are you, and how did you find me?"
"...Okay..." (F/n) said with a confused expression.
The blond man spoke once again.
"WHO are you, and HOW did you find me?
(F/n) cleared her throat.
She'd have to use charm if she wanted to escape.
"I know not who you are. Nor how I came to find you. But may I just say...Hi."
She smirked a bit before continuing.
"How you doing? The names (F/n) Ryder."
The man blinked in confusion.
"How's your day going?"
The man scoffed before raising his pan closer to her face.
"Who else knows my location, (F/n) Ryder?"
(F/n) sighed, dropping the act since her plan wasn't working anyway.
"All right, Blondie—"
"Rapunzel."
"...Gesundheit. Here's the thing. I was in a situation, Gallivanting through the forest. I can across your tower and..."
Her eyes widened as she quickly began to looked around in a panic.
"Hold— hol—, where is my satchel?"
"I've hidden it," Rapunzel said smugly.
"Somewhere you'll never find it."
"..."
"..."
"...It's in the pot, isn't it?"
"..."
"..."
Clang!!!
~~~
(F/n)'s eyes fluttered at the weird sensation in her ear. She looked to her shoulder at the lizard with its tongue in her ear.
"Ugh! Would you stop that?!" She cried as she shrugged him off and wiped her ear.
"NOW, it's hidden where you'll never find it," Rapunzel said before circling the girl.
"So, what do you want, with my hair? To cut it?"
"What?!"
"Sell it?"
"No! Listen, the only thing I want to do with your hair, is to get out of it. Literally!"
Rapunzel paused.
"Wait... you don't want my hair?"
"Why on earth would I want your hair? Look, I was being chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it, end of story."
"You're...telling the truth?" he asked as he stuck his pan closer to the girl's nose.
"YES!!" She examined.
Rapunzel rose an eyebrow.
Pascal crawled to the tip of the pan and glared straight into her eyes.
He pointed to Rapunzel, who pulled him back slowly and turned around to talk to him alone.
"Hmmm. I know. I need someone to take me. I think she's telling the truth, too."
(F/n) stared at him cautiously before trying to hop away in the chair.
"She doesn't have fangs! But what choice do I have?" He sighed before turning back around, pausing (F/n)'s movements.
"Okay (F/n) Ryder. I'm prepared to offer you a deal."
"A deal?" The girl deadpanned.
"Look this way," Rapunzel said as he tugged at his hair, breaking the balance of the chair.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa— EEK!"
She fell flat on her face.
Rapunzel hopped up onto the fireplace and pointed toward his latest painting.
"Do you know what these are?"
"...You mean shu lantern shing they do fur da princc'?" (F/n) groaned, her face pressed onto the floor.
Rapunzel looked up with glee.
"Lanterns... I knew they weren't stars."
He then straightened up and cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky with these lanterns. You will act as my guide, take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely." He said, pointing at her with his pan.
"Then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal."
(F/n) chuckled as she pushed up from the floor and turned the chair to it's side.
"Yeah, haha. No can do. Unfortunately, the kingdom and I are not exactly, 'simpatico' at the moment. So I won't be taking you anywhere."
Rapunzel blinked before looking down at Pascal, who nodded his head for a beat down.
Rapunzel jumped down and pulled the chair to stand back up.
He began to slowly pull the chair closer to him.
"Something brought you here, (F/n) Ryder. Call it what you will. Fate. Destiny—"
"—A horse—"
"—So I have made the decision to trust you—"
"—A horrible decision, really—"
Rapunzel was finally close enough to tilt the chair forward to meet his hand, leaning on it to keep the girl from falling.
"But trust me, when I tell you this. You can tear this tower apart, brick by brick. but without my help, you will never find your precious satchel."
(F/n) closer eyes and cleared her throat.
"So...let me just get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns. Bring you back home. and you'll give me back my satchel?"
"I promise."
(F/n) gave him a 'really' look.
"And when I promise something, I never ever break that promise."
The woman's eyebrow rose.
"EVER!"
Pascal nodded in agreement from his place on Rapunzel's shoulder.
(F/n) looked between the man and his pet before sighing.
"All right, listen, I didn't want to have to want to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes the 'smolder'."
She looked down before looking back up into Rapunzel's eyes and giving him her best sad puppy eyes look.
Rapunzel didn't even blink.
"...This is kind of an off day for me. This doesn't normally happen... Fine! I'll take you to see the lanterns."
Rapunzel let her go and looked back to his painting.
"Really?! ...Ooops."
"...You broke my 'smolder'."
—
Author's Note: I would like it to be known that I do not own anything related to Disney, any of it characters, or the original plot line. I've basically copied and pasted the story structure.