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Starlight strikes back
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“And what do you mean by that, Blondie...”
Okay, You were correct, your head was pounding once you woke up. You kept to the floor, pretending still to be knocked out as you watched the two females continue to talk. Questions ran through your head like a wild stampede. Where were you? Why are there so many rocks here? WHAT IS THIS WHITE STREAK IN YOUR HAIR?
Have you switched bodies with Arendelle's princess? Where's your strange Ice boy? But why did it have to be ice? Isn't it possible that he's dazzled by something else? Something warmer? Even a nerd can be cool, right? A person with street smarts and a person with book smarts? Heck yeah.
Okay, stop thinking dumb, why would a nerd fall in love with a criminal like you?
Blondie walked closer to the raven, frying pan in hand, “Answer me! How did you get me out of my tower?” She was passionate about finding out. She was already bugging the living daylights out of you. And Tower? Is this one of those posh girls who gets everything she wants from her mother and father with just a 'mummy daddy, please'?
Raven hair looked horrified still, “You really don't remember?”
You decided you'd had enough and tried to get up; you grumbled till you gave up, then rolled out of the darkness, realising blondie's hair was tangled around you. “Hey, Blondie. Can you get your hair off me? I would prefer to go so I can go find Flynn and leave you two to do uh… whatever this is. Held hostage I presume? That's rough.”
Blondie threatened you with a Frying pan, “Did you use magic to get me out?” She circled around you both, “It has to be magic. I mean, mother said people will do anything to steal my hair.”
“Yeah, and my mother told me to make sure I don't talk to strangers, and look what happened, now can you let me go? I don't know who any of you are and the guards could arrive any second.” You managed to free yourself after a ton of struggle, “So if a tail of guards come, you didn't see me, never even heard of my name and if they describe me to you I went in the complete opposite way to where I went.” You tried to flee but Blondie grabbed your ankle with her hair, pulling it to make you fall.
“Oh not so fast, I was just in the tower two seconds ago, and now I'm here.” Blondie continued. “So magic is the only possible explanation.”
You grunted trying to get her hair off your leg, “Will you give it up already? I was just in a palace planning out my next move to get out with my new earnings! Why would I care about some weird person's hair? The only thing I wanna do is get out of it.”
Blondie jumped back, hiding behind her pan, “Wait so you a theif? Like, a Ruffian? But mother told me they were extremely scary… You don't look scary… Wait, Oh my gosh, Mother must be so worried. Pascal too.” Blondie rambled.
The Owl glared at the raven hair, she scoffed, “Hey don't give me that look. I didn't mean to erase their memories back to the tower and thief days!”
Blondie shoved a frying pan in Raven's face, “So you did use some kind of magic on me, didn't you?”
“Well, if you did, your erasing spell clearly didn't work, My memory is just fine.” You smiled smugly, crossing your arms.
Raven rolled her eyes, Mumbling, “She was just as Repulsive Eugene back then.” She looked over at the wand, “But to answer your question, No, I didn't use magic on you two.” She answered, “And the reason you don't remember leaving your tower or your mission is because… ruffians. Ruffians used magic on you two.”
“Ruffians?” Blondie freaked.
Raven smiled cowardly, “Yep.”
Blondie gasped, “See I knew they were bad! Mother told me to watch out for those! And quicksand, uh, snapping turtles, molten lava. poison Ivy, puppets, guys on stilts, the plague, riptides, wooden shoes- Oh, and pointy teeth, did those ruffians have pointy teeth?”
“Alright! Enough of this nonsense, You're telling me a person who’s just like me did this? As Goldilocks said, I’m classed as a ruffian. So, you're lying.” You got to your feet and brushed yourself off, kicking the remains of her hair off your leg. “And where did Stalyan go? She is gonna kill me if I dont get back to her father by tomorrow morning, so ya know… I gotta skedaddle.”
“You're not going anywhere. Uh, princ- I mean she needs your help. Those ruffians… put blondie under a sleeping spell and stole her for her hair. I saved you and came across… Striker on my way. Sideburns tried to knock you out and take all of your belongings before you could get to Stalyans father.” She explained. “So you see I rescued you both.”
You hummed, “That would make sense… Sideburns has always hated me. But why would you help me?”
Raven shrugged, “Because you needed it. I’m always willing to help a person in need. Look, look, look. You have to get back to your mom right? I can take you there, but you have to untie me first. (__)- I mean Starlight If you help me get her back, the guards will never know I found you and then you can find Flynn.”
Blondie raised her pan in the air, “How do I know I can trust you and the girl?”
You rolled your eyes, keeping a lookout for any guards, “I have a name, you know and ‘girl’ isn't it. I don't need to help any of you, I'm a criminal, a well-known one, I could take everything you own and get away with it. And how did you know my real name?!”
“Starlight, you may not realise it, but I know a lot about you. How deep inside, there's a child that just wants to be normal and isn't interested in the pressures of being a criminal or being in the spotlight. Look, I promise. And when I make a promise I never break it. I promise those guards won't fin you until before you find Flynn.” Raven responded.
How does she know how you feel? Is she one of those mind readers? Is this a prank? Is Flynn on this?
“Yeah, and how do you know how I feel?” You snapped and drew out your sword. Blondie ran behind the chair scared, “You're lucky I’m one of the nice guys. I’ll help, but if the guards find me you're both helping me escape, and then I can leave to find Flynn and go, got it?”
Raven nodded, “Clear as day.” You accepted it, putting away the sword.
Blondie gasped, “You know, Promises mean a lot to me too when I make them I never break them. Ever.” she let Raven out of her hair. “I’m Rapunzel!”
Raven shook her hand, “Cassandra.”
Rapunzel turned to you, smiling, “So what's your name? Are you really called Starlight Striker? That name is awesome!”
“It's what you call a thief name, so my real identity is hidden. Not sure why I told you that but you two seem friendly so, meh.” You shook her hand.
“Well, it's really nice to meet you both!” She threatened you with a pan again, “But listen, you two, you do anything funny, I will pan you again.” She spun the pan around her finger, the pain hit her in the head, she grunted.
You smirked, “Oh you don't need to worry about me playing funny, you have nothing I want, and you're not a guard. You're safe. Any of you try though and my sword is coming out again.”
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It was the next day, Cassandra was searching through the draws at a merchant stand, “There has gotta be something that can fix their memories.” She talked to the owl.
Rapunzel stood waiting patiently, “So are you gonna take me home or what?”
You peered around at the village, it was completely empty apart from the rocks that were piercing through everything, “And what happened to this village? Why are these rocks destroying the whole village?”
Cassandra grumbled, “Believe me I've been asking the same thing for a year now,” She turned around, walking over to her owl, “Just a minute, Packing some things.” Her owl looked at her confused, “No, I'm not going to tell them what happened! It’d turn into this big discussion about feeling and my hand and I dont do touchy-feely.” She groaned, “The thought of opening up makes me queasy.”
Meanwhile, you climbed up a tree, where were you? Not even close to Bardaros... Saporia? No way, yet seeing Sophia and the community again would be a dream come true... What about a Corona? Oh, come on, stars, get your act together; your life doesn't have to be a fantasy of living in Corona.
What do you think would happen if you run there, hoping to be adopted by the royals and live happily ever after as a new princess? That's ridiculous.
Wait, is that Westrabbit woods? you wondered as you gazed to the east side of the terrain. You're a long distance from any of those locations... How did you get here? Hopefully, this girl doesn't live too far away so you can get away soon.
Cassandra shut the book she was reading, “Right, come on you two. Let's get Rapunzel home.” She declared, stepping over the wall of the village.
You rolled your eyes, thinking to yourself, How do you constantly end up in these kinds of messes? Are you going to be able to get rid of them?
Rapunzel stepped on the wall, looking cautious, “It's just… I've ever walked on grass before?”
You began to laugh, “You're joking right?” Cassandra glared at you, “What? She has to be joking! The whole world is grass, how could you not?”
Rapunzel sighed, “I’ve never left my tower before this…”
Cassandra held out her hand, “I’m sure you do great.” Cassandra dragged Rapunzel along as she took the first step, smiling as she felt the grass between her toes. “Well done now C’mon.”
Rapunzel held back, “Wait! There's no lava around here, right?”
You scoffed, “Why would there be lava in a forest?”
“You know, I've just told you I've never left my tower before, can you at least be nice?” Rapunzel huffed, “I’m sorry that was mean of me, I’m sure you are really sweet.”
You blew the white streak out of your face, “Hunny being nice to people out in this world doesn't get you anywhere. I've learned that the hard way.”
Cassandra crossed her arms, “Look, even how harsh Starlight was, we’re lava free. Now let's keep moving.” She looked at her owl, “How old do you think this (__) is? When she came to Corona she was so much nicer and a lot less… Eugene like.”
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It had been a while, and there was definitely no tower insight as far as you could see. What lengths will some thieves go to steal the hair of Goldilocks? Cassandra continued to peruse through her book, picking up objects along the way... Strange.
You were examining her, watching as she got everything from the book, “So are you a collector or something?” You asked.
Cassandra thought back to her collection of weapons back in Corona, she smiled, “You could say that.”
Rapunzel shrieked, you and Cassandra dashed over, swords in hand, chopping the bush down. When you arrived, you noticed her with... Is that a bunny?
Rapunzel grinned, “It's so cute!”
You groaned, placing your sword back in its scabbard, “A rabbit… You screamed over a rabbit.”
Cassandra spotted you watching her as you as she moved back over to the other item she was gathering.“So you like watching what I'm doing huh?”
You shrugged, “I don't know, I just like hanging out with you. There's something about you that gives me a good vibe, you know what I mean? It’s almost like I can recognise you from somewhere…” You thought back.
Cassandra swung her head around quickly, “You do?”
You hummed in thought, “I don't know… hmm might have been just a fever dream.”
Cassandra sighed, “Yeah, must have been.” She looked back over at you, “If you like being in the company of me, wanna help me find these objects? I could do with the help.” She asked, you nodded at her with a small grin.
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It's been another ten minutes, and it had been fun hanging out with Cassandra! Even though she knows who you really are, she was so nice to you. Why was she that nice to you? It nearly felt like you'd known one other for a long time... That's even more absurd.
What about Rapunzel? Regardless of how much she irritated you, you had to agree she was a sweetheart. You almost felt like you were related to her on a deeper level than simply friendship, almost like family. Is this making sense, or are you going insane?
Rapunzel walked along the path, admiring all the beauty, “Look at this! Oh my goodness, look at this one!” Rapunzel went to touch a vine, Cassandra quickly grabbed her wrist, “Woah! Poison Ivy…”
“That was a close one… Hey, looks like the next thing you need is a bluebird egg. Bluebird huh… I’ve always loved those birds, I think I should get one, someday.” You hummed, climbing up a tree once you saw a bluebird nest.
Cassandra laughed, “Funny you should say that.” She whispered.
You hopped back down, passing the egg to Cassandra, “Here, that was simple, the bluebird didn't even notice I stole its egg!” Rapunzel screamed as she ran down the path, the bluebird called for help before attacking you, you quickly ran, “Rapunzel! Why would you-”
Cassandra rolled her eyes, “Well, someone might be getting attacked but at least we have the egg.”
Suddenly another bluebird shot down and swooped for you, it tilted its head and sat on your shoulder, you flinched, “Okay, I’m sorry, it was her idea to steal the egg, go after her!” The bluebird looked at you confused before hopping onto your hand, tweeting at you, “Wait… why do I feel like I recognize you… No, I can't, why would I know a bluebird?”
The bird looked saddened before flying over to Cassandra, “Don't be disheartened, Leo. Owl, can you explain to him?” When Owl hooted at him, Leo's expression changed from sorrow to rage, and he began to tweet aggressively at Cassandra. “It's not my fault Leo! I didn't mean for them to lose that much memory. Look, stick around, maybe you might be able to help her remember.”
Leo nodded, flying back up into the sky, watching over you as he soared through the sky.
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Okay, onto the next object… Cassandra picked up some flowers when she heard cheerful screams. It was you and Rapunzel swinging around a tree using Rapunzel's hair, “Wooo! Best day ever!” Rapunzel cheered.
You cheered and felt the energy surge through your veins, thinking to yourself, "OK, this gal is a lot of fun." When was the last time you were in such a good mood... and felt... Alive? And unrestricted? Being on the run gives you freedom, but you're never truly happy when you're on the run. Cassandra gave you both a loving grin, recalling what made her fall in love with you and Rapunzel all over again.
“Come on guys, we're getting closer,” Cassandra announced, closing her book again.
You jumped off, “Now, that's what you call a fun time!” You began to walk with Cassandra with a skip in your step, “You know, I’ve never felt so alive in my whole life.”
Cassandra grinned, placing an arm around your shoulder, “I’m glad you’re happy then.”
Rapunzel jumped out in front of you both, scaring you both, “What's that?”
Cassandra panicked, “It's… it's a cookbook!” She lied, “I’m collecting all the ingredients I need for a soup.” She sheepishly answered, Owl and the bluebird from before hung from a branch above them, staring at her, Cassandra pushed them back up, “A really special soup.”
Rapunzel gasped, “I love soup too! Mother always makes it for my birthday. Oh! We need to get the special spice mother uses, it's called Minne. It has this bright blue flower and it's so good!”
“No, no, no, no. that'd be too much trouble.” Cassandra stood up, helping you up along the way, “I don't want my soup to stop you from getting back to your tower. You wanna get back to your tower as soon as possible, don't you?”
“Of course I do!” Rapunzel spoke out just as you and Cassandra started walking away, and she dashed in the opposite direction. As he proceeded to follow Cassandra, Owl hooted at Leo, telling him to go follow the girl.
You took a step back from Cassandra, inspecting the white streak in your hair and wondering where it had come from. You took your knife and attempted to cut it out of your hair, shatter! Your knife was shattered by a stream of white... How is this possible?
Meanwhile, Owl was still glaring at Cassandra, she brushed him off, “Don't give me that look. We did it, didn't we? That's the last of the ingredients.” She looked around, “Raps, Starlight! Let's get going- Rapunzel? Oh no, where did she go now?” She grumbled, “Striker, have you seen Rapunzel?”
You glanced over, freaking out slightly over the hair situation, “Uh, no… Why would I?”
Cassandra got up and began to walk in the opposite direction, “Ugh, Come on, let's go find her.”
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Meanwhile, Leo was tweeting his heart out, pleading with Rapunzel to come down. A hundred-foot plunge of cliffs stood underneath them. So you're not the only one that gets into these kinds of situations. “It's alright, little birdie. I'm safe.” She grabbed the flowers above her, “Got it! Cassandra will be so surprised.” A goat snatched it from her hands, Rapunzel furrowed her eyebrows, “Hey, That's my Minne! Bad goat.” The goat looked up and down at the Minne then kept eating.
Rapunzel's foot slid, and she yelled while clutching the edge. When she spotted more of the blue bloom, her eyes expanded, and she began heading up to it when the goat peeked over. Her foot kept sliding and slipping... but the goat was first to get the blue Minne.
Leo huffed before flying over to the goat and trying to take the flower before the goat could. The goat snapped at his feathers, blowing a raspberry at him. Rapunzel sighed, “No, no, no, no. You're not a bad goat, you're a good goat, and you gonna let me have the Minne so Cassandra can make a good soup.” Chew. The goat took it.
You and Cassandra searched around the forest, looking for the blonde woman. “Raps? Raps?” Cassandra shouted.
Suddenly the bluebird from before rushed down to your shoulder, tweeting, “What is it?” The bird pointed up the cliff and there stood Rapunzel, hanging onto the cliff edge… “You have got to be kidding me…” You walked up to the cliff edge and began to climb it, “You know, one day away from saving Flynn all the time, now i'm saving a blonde girl from a goat. What's next?”
Cassandra looked at you shocked as more rubble fell down, “You're gonna get yourself killed, kid. Let me-”
“Cass, this is an average Tuesday.” Rapunzel shrieked as she started to plummet down the cliffside. Your eyes widened as you snatched Rapunzel's wrist from the jaws of death... She smiled as she looked up, seeing you holding her. You returned the expression, “Shall we just get out of here?”
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The sun was setting and you were still a long way from where you wanted to be. How long would it take Rapunzel to return to her tower? Another question was why you didn't want her to leave. Sure, she must be content to live a life of luxury, but she was a lot of fun to be around, and fun isn't something you're used to.
Rapunzel looked down at the ground, holding her Minne, “I’m so sorry, I didn't mean to cause any trouble. The Minne was right there, and I just really wanted you to have it since you’ve both been doing so much for me.”
You looked over your shoulder, “It's not a big deal Rapunzel, really.” Cassandra glanced at you for a second, recognizing herself in you.
“No, Starlight. Saving my life is a big deal.” Rapunzel argued. “Thank you so much, I don't think you realise you're more than just a ruffian or a theif, you're such a good person inside.” Rapunzel turned her attention to Cassandra, “And Cass, I really wanted to thank you too, for everything. I am so lucky to have someone like you I can trust. I don't know what I’d do here without you.”
Cassandra walked ahead staring into the distance, not sure what to say, “Okay, well… That's enough for one day… don't you think? We’ll head north to the tower tomorrow morning.”
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It was late at night, and you were seated next to Cassandra, assisting her with the soup. She raised her eyes to you, who was sitting in the pot watching the bubbles rise and explode. “Hey, kid. Can I ask, how old are you?”
You looked up, “Twelve, Why?”
Cassandra looked surprised at you, “Twelve huh? Quite intelligent for twelve years old. So, I know you wanna go to Corona one day, can I ask why or am I going too far into your personal space, Starlight?”
You smiled, “Call me (__), Cass. And to answer your question, I’m not sure. I just feel connected to that place, like if I lived there it would make me a better person.” You admitted, “Maybe a normal life would bring me some happiness. Don't get me wrong, I love being a thief with Flynn, he’s the reason I am who I am today. But pretending to hate crime when hierarchy comes close is starting to actually get me.”
“Wait so you didn't- I mean, you don’t hate the lifestyle?” Cass asked, you couldn't quite understand what her facial expression was saying… It was like, I just found out the biggest secret of my life but I'm not sure if I should be angry about it or not.
You shrugged her off, “Doesn't bother me, hoping once I get to Corona though, I can use that tactic and finally find somewhere I belong, as a normal kid.”
Cassandra chose to ignore it for now, and stirred the soup, “A normal life is that important to you? Well, you know, I think one day, you might disagree with yourself.” She stared at the dancing flames on the campfire, “You know, not long ago, I knew an amazing teenager and she had a lot of respect for her name and everyone loved her, but before that she wanted a normal lifestyle too. And she came from the same background as you, A thief who isn't sure what to do with their life.”
You tilted your head, “She was a criminal like me? What changed her mind to give up the life of crime?”
Cass glanced over to you, “She never ‘needed’ to change, she found someone who she wanted to change for and followed the path she was meant to, and it took her there, you’ll find where you’re meant to be, (__).” Both of you smiled at each other, why did you feel so connected to Cass, like a sisterly bond? Could you possibly know her? No, of course not…
“Okay, this is cute… but why are you telling me this?” You asked, rubbing the back of your neck awkwardly.
“I actually don't know…” Cassandra admitted as she saw Goldilocks' insight.
Rapunzel walked over with some wood, she grinned, “Aw, it's so cute to see you two bonding!” She sniffed the air, “Hey, soup smells good!” Rapunzel sat directly next to Cass to the point she was nearly on top of her, fidgeting with her fingers.
Cassandra smiled, rolling her eyes, “It needs to simmer overnight, remember. We can taste test it in the morning, and then we’ll head to the tower.” She placed the book down next to her.
Rapunzel fiddled with her hair, “Sure, I just… maybe a small part of me doesn't want to go back to the tower…” She sighed, “Oh, that felt so good to get out.”
You glanced over to her, “Oh, is miss pretty girl finally wanting some freedom from her mommy?” You smirked, Cass shoved you slightly.
Rapunzel huffed, “Really, Striker? I thought we got past the snarkiness- I’m sorry that was mean. Ugh, it's just the world is such an amazing place, and I dont think I'm ready to give it up.”
“Wait, you were serious when you said you've never left that tower of yours? I thought it was some type of joke… wow, you've missed out on a lot blondie.” You responded, watching as a glistening shooting star shot across the night sky.
Rapunzel looked down at the ground, watching the breeze sway the grass, “No… definitely not a joke… I feel bad because my mother only wants what's best for me, and the world is kinda dangerous, but doesn't that make it exciting?”
You smirked, staring at the night sky, “Oh hun, when you've lived a life like mine, you start to say what's life without a bit of danger as a daily motto.”
Cassandra looked over to Rapunzel, frowning slightly, “Can I ask, why are you telling us this?”
Rapunzel grinned, “Because we're friends. That's what friends do right? They tell each other what's in their hearts?”
You sat there confused, “I think so, I could tell Flynn anything and vice versa. Not sure if I could trust Stalyan the same way… The funny thing is though, no matter how I feel towards someone I would still let them talk to me, and if I can, help them in the best way possible, seems like the only right thing to do, ya know?”
Meanwhile, Cassandra looked down at the ground, feeling bad. Rapunzel took no notice of it and stood up, “Well, Goodnight.”
You yawned, walking in the opposite direction of Rapunzel, “Yeah, I think it’s time for that date with the bed again. Goodnight Cass.”
Cassandra looked at Owl and Leo in the tree, they both glared at her and looked away, she sighed, “Guys?” You both turned around, she fiddled with her arm, “Uh, Goodnight.”
You walked over to a tree and began to climb it after finding the perfect branch to slumber on. You laid down, looking up at the moon and stars, “Woah… they are so pretty tonight.” Suddenly the same bluebird as before flew over and landed on your leg, you stood up and stared at it, “Don't you have somewhere to be, little guy?”
The bird hopped onto your satchel and jumped on it, “You want me to open it?” It nodded. You opened the satchel and took out the stuff inside it, “Wait… where did the jewels go?” The bird tweeted and hopped on the book that sat on your lap, “Huh… I don't remember this…”
You turned to the first page, which featured a depiction of you alone in a room gazing at the stars. it said, ‘First night here and I'm starting to regret it already, maybe I shouldn't have trusted them. Well, I will meet someone called Cassandra tomorrow, I hope this isn't bad news.’
You gasped, “Cassandra? But I thought- Ugh, and this is why you don't get attached to people, (__).” You scolded yourself, climbing down the tree, “You can come if you want, bird, I have a person to see.”
Leo followed you, tweeting away. What had he done? He thought to himself, Why couldn't have Owl done this rather than him?
You braced yourself ready for the person just a few feet away from you, Cassandra. “You didn't save me from sideburns did you?”
Cassandra, who had already appeared terrified, stood up. “You as well? Look, (__), I can explain before you-”
“No, I think I can explain this myself, I trusted some people and they handed me over to you. What are you then, an executioner, some sort of prison guard?” You asked, taking your sword out, “Where's Blondie? Probably going to get some reinforcements? I knew I shouldn't have trusted you… So let me guess again, you used some kind of magic on me to make your job easier?”
“No, (__), you looked like you took a pretty big blow to your head when I found you, it was Rapunzel who had the ruffians use magic on her.” Cassandra tried to explain. “And Rapunzel’s ran off, we need to save her again.”
You laughed, pointing your sword at her neck, “Don't try to play games with me, Cassandra. You have no idea who you're playing with, now if you excuse me I'm getting out of here before those trail of guards do come. And just to think I could trust someone who I thought understood me for one second… ” You raced off, running through the long grass and around the trees, fleeing for your life.
Meanwhile, Cass stood there getting pestered by Owl and Leo, “Okay, okay, I should've told them, let's get moving before they get themselves into trouble.” All three of them shot off in the same direction as you two.
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You ran and ran faster than you had in your entire life, hoping to find the end of the forest so you could find Flynn in time, “It's gonna be alright, so far no guards are after me and we’ll find-” You moved the grass away from your face when you saw a ground of people, two you remembered well.
You gasped, “Flynn! When did you get a new outfit? Wait, wait, wait, Lance? I haven't seen you in ages, where have you been? It doesn't matter, C’mon, we need to go before they come after us!”
Lanced grabbed hold of Flynn, “Ah, don't let them get me!” Flynn scowled, trying to push off the big Teddy bear.
A boy with fluffy black hair and an intriguing blue stripe walked over, startled. “Milady are you okay? You seem a little panicked.”
The boy tried to move your white streak out of your face when You grabbed your sword quickly, pointing it at him. He flinched and stepped away, “Back off, I have no clue who you are but I'm not staying to find out, if you two aren’t coming then i'm going myself. Every man for himself as you say, Flynn.” Again, you fled, going straight up a tree.
Eugene facepalmed, “For the last time will you stop hugging me? C’mon, guys, let's go.”
Varian frowned, rubbing the back of his neck, “What's with her?”
Eugene placed a hand on Varian’s shoulder, smiling genuinely, “Probably the same thing that’s happened to Rapunzel, now C’mon, Something tells me they aren't feeling their normal selves.”
You fled behind a tree, taking a breather, okay, so Flynn is... well, different. Who was he with, and why was that stranger attempting to touch you?
Bang!
Rapunzel slammed into you, and as you started to scream, she immediately covered your mouth and pointed around the corner, where the group was yelling for you both... Creeps. Rapunzel took a glance around the corner, that's when she noticed her green little chameleon, she gasped. “They have Pascal! They are not going to get away with this…”
You grabbed her wrist as she tried to run off, “And what do you mean by that, Blondie..”
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Meanwhile, Cassandra followed the birds to locate the group, wondering what she had gotten herself into this time... She sprang in front of them, halting their movement. “We have to find Raps and (__). They've lost their memories and they think that they've never left the tower or their criminal days.” She walked away, “We’ll cover more ground if we split up.”
Everyone ran off except Eugene and Varian. They both stood still, Eugene sighed, “Boy that's a lot to take in, I'm gonna need a moment.”
“Eugene focus!” Cassandra shouted.
Varian exhaled, “Yeah, that moment really didn't help, Eugene… We need to think strategically with this- and He’s already gone. Nevermind. Wait, Cass, this is fresh out of the tower Rapunzel, right?”
Eugene gasped as he walked into the woods, “That means she is inexperienced, we’ve got the upper hand! Wait… (__).”
“But this is when she was twelve-ish, we’ll be fine.” Sophie presumed, smiling.
Eugene laughed, “Oh, you didn't know (__) back then, she was quite a handful. Let's just hope she hasn't given Rapunzel too many ideas…”
✩.･*:｡≻───── ⋆♡⋆ ─────.•*:｡✩
What they expected to happen, however, did not take place. In fact, you were near the forest clearing, preparing to make your way back to the next city. It's better to keep moving if Flynn isn't going to listen to you; after all, he always said, "Every man for himself."
Before taking another step, you took a deep breath... Until a particular bluebird in a tree tweets at you again, you huffed, “You again? What is your problem with me?” The bluebird flew down and grabbed your satchel in the direction of the forest again you turned around to the forest again, “You're wanting me back in there? But why, so I can get arrested?”
The bluebird facepalmed, tweeting angrily again at you, a sudden loud disturned scream came from the forest, one you could recognize from a mile away… Flynn. You gasped, “I should have never left them… Can you show me where they are?” You asked, the bird nodded and flew as fast he could.
You kept up with him as best you could; for such a little bird, he could certainly fly fast! To make sure you got there on time, you skirted each tree, slashed down bushes and thick grass, and swung on vines like a monkey in a jungle, (But with more style).
Your eyes widened with what you saw, Your brother and Lance hanging upside down by their legs as Rapunzel's hair wrapped around them, oh boy was she in for it. “Put. them. Down. now.” You growled, pointing your sword at the blonde girl.
Rapunzel smiled, “Okay.” She lowered them slightly so the boys' heads were just slightly above the piranha river of death.
Lanced winced, “(__), could you ask her to let us go once we're above deadly waters?”
“Let Pascal go, or I'll drop you,” Rapunzel warned the two boys.
You rushed over to her and kicked her, knocking her to the ground, pointing your sword at her throat. “Get them back on the ground or that river will be your last thought.”
Eugene smiled nervously, “Oh god. (__), don't! Look, Sunshine, Pascals just fine. But he’s not actually with us, he’s looking for you…”
Rapunzel stood up, getting in a stance herself, “No! I don't believe you! And Don't think I won't do the same to you, Striker… I can handle myself just fine out here.”
You smirked, “Oh, blondie, you've seen nothing yet.”
Rapunzel leapt out of the path and screamed as you took the first attack. With pleading eyes, she gazed at you. “Ah! We can solve this without a fight… I’ll let them go as soon as they give back Pascal. Or maybe you are just as bad as those ruffians!”
“Yeah, and? If you drop those two I'll lose my whole life, the only person who’s ever brought happiness into my life. My family. How would you feel if your little frog and mother were in that position!?” You held the sword towards her still, just in case she tried anything.
Rapunzel's eyes widened at that thought, she would be heartbroken… but she could think for long when Cassandra and Varian ran up, “Rapunzel! (__)!” She shouted.
Varian panted from running and was taken aback when he saw you holding Rapunzel at sword point, just as Rapunzel was holding the two men at their respective points of death. “Why do I always miss the context?”
You scowled, glancing back at Cassandra, “And you! You lied to me, don't even try to deny it!”
Rapunzel gasped, glaring at Cass, “You lied to me too! She wasn't really taking me back to my tower, she’s just a ruffian after my hair!”
Eugene looked at the piranhas that were jumping at his head, he gulped, “Is it possible for this conversation to happen while we're on the ground?”
Lance squirmed, “If I get out of this, I promise I will never eat another fish for as long as I live. Except for tuna… and salmon-” A pirana jumped at his head, he screamed, “Ah! Okay, just tuna.”
You got closer to Rapunzel, “If you don't put them down-”
Cass stepped in, “Alright, alright, yes, you're right. You're both right, I did lie. I did use magic on the both of you, and this potion will bring back your memories.”
You lowered your sword away from Rapunzel, “Memories?”
Varian held a potion in his hand, examining it as Cassandra kept talking, “I erased some of your memories,” Both of you got in a stance ready, “I didn't mean to, I… Look, I'm not big on talking about feelings, and I didn't wanna tell you how mad I really was about what happened at the tree. And (__), I was frustrated how you always kept asking me if I was okay, I just needed some time to think my way through things without a therapy session anytime I looked at the grass. Even though I could have told you I just kept it all in…”
Varian looked up at Cassandra, remembering his past dark days, “Until you lost your temper…”
You looked at Cass with genuine concern, “How do we know you're not trying to lie to us again?”
Cass looked down, thinking hard about this until the realisation hit her, “Friends… Just have a way of knowing.” Varian held out the bottle with pleading eyes.
You and Rapunzel glanced at each other, before silently agreeing to trust Cass once again, you both walked away from the boys, they sighed in relief as they went up, “Oh, thank goodness.” Eugene responded.
SNAP!
The tree branch snapped as Rapunzel took the bottle from Varian, everyone flinched as the boys yelped in pain, “Tell my story!” Lance shouted.
Varian laughed nervously, “For the first time ever, I'm not the one getting hurt!” He rubbed the back of his neck, “We should probably help them though.”
✩.･*:｡≻───── ⋆♡⋆ ─────.•*:｡✩
The rest of the gang was putting the caravan back together the next morning, while you, Rapunzel, and Cassandra sat on a nearby rock, listening to each other. It was past time for them to try to work things out. And, as it turns out, you're really excellent at solving other people's issues.
Cass was explaining her side of the story, “And I could have beaten the tree without the decay spell if you had just trusted me. So that's why I’m still angry, guys. And I know you're trying to fix the mess with my hand and checking up on me, (__), but that hasn't changed the fact you guys didn't change your minds about that spell. It was frustrating having questions pushed down my throat all the time too.” She sighed, “But still, I never should have touched that wand.”
“It's okay, Cass, I get it,” Rapunzel reassured.
“Me too, Cass. And I’m sorry, I should've given you more time, just know I'm here any time when you need to talk, you're both like sisters to me.” You replied.
Cassandra glanced at her, “But, I won't always be mad at you guys. And I think my hand is starting to show healing progress with Varian's treatments. But I’ll get over it, that's what friends do.”
Rapunzel smiled at you both and hugged you all tightly. As the caravan finally came together as one, you grinned and hugged the individuals who are the closest big sisters you could ever want for.
Eugene puffed, “See? Told you we’d get them back together.”
Varian looked at Eugene and Lance who were covered in bites and their clothes were ripped to pieces, “Yeah, now I think it's time we get you two patched up…” You smiled as you moved back over to the rest of the group. Varian embraced you into a hug and kissed your forehead, “Now this is the (__) I love.”