"I know what you're here for," Ariana continued, brandishing her pan, "and I'm not afraid of you."
"What?" Jack answered, confused by it all. Who was this young woman with the hair that seemed to fill the room?
"Who are you and how did you find me?" Ariana asked him.
Jack hesitated, and Ariana raised her pan. "Okay, okay, all right," he said quickly, not wanting to be hit on the head again.
Jack was now getting a better view of this young woman. She had striking brown eyes, and her hair, though excessive, was a beautiful shining gold. She was beautiful. But what did she want from him?
Jack tried to be charming. "I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you, but may I just say . . .? Hi." Jack raised an eyebrow and gave Ariana a devilish grin. "The name's Jack Chambers. How's your day going?"
Ariana had no idea what the man was trying to do, but he looked really weird. Maybe he was insane! "Who else knows my location, Jack Chambers?" Ariana demanded. She needed to know everything before she proceeded with her plan.
Jack sighed. "I was . . . in a situation, gallivanting through the forest. I came across your tower, and—" Jack stopped short, filled with alarm. "Where is my satchel?"
"I've hidden it somewhere you'll never find it," Ariana said confidently.
But it only took about two seconds, during which he surveyed the room and glanced at Ariana, for Jack to say: "It's in that pot, isn't it?"
How did he know? Ariana raised the pan. BANG! She hit him again. Ariana looked at the unconscious man and wondered if maybe she had overreacted just a bit. That pan seemed to be a very good weapon for knocking out ruffians. Quickly, she looked around to hide the satchel again, somewhere really good this time.
She lifted a loose board in the stairs and stashed the satchel underneath.
A few moments later, Pascal flicked his tongue into Jack's ear again and Jack woke with a jump. "Would you stop that!" Jack yelled, squirming.
Ariana just smiled and said, "Now it's hidden where you'll never find it."
She paced around him, wrapping him ever more tightly in her long hair. She was definitely feeling more confident, knowing the power of the pan. "So, what do you want with my hair? To cut it?" she asked accusingly. "To sell it?"
"No! Listen, the only thing I want to do with your hair is get out of it," Jack said. "Literally."
"Wait. You don't want my hair?" Ariana asked in disbelief. Lana had always said that everyone would want to steal it.
"Why on earth would I want your hair?" Jack asked. "Look, I was being chased, I saw a tower, and I climbed it. End of story."
Ariana eyed him. If he didn't want her hair, then she could trust him! Bracing herself, she got ready to take the next step in her plan.
"Okay, Jack Chambers," she said finally. "I'm prepared to offer you a deal."
"Deal?" Jack said, willing to listen.
"Look this way," she told him. Ariana headed toward the fireplace, her hair still wrapped around Jack. His chair twirled like a spinning top.
"Do you know what these are?" she asked, stepping up on the mantel above the fireplace. She pulled back the curtain, revealing the mural of the floating lights.
Jack nodded. "You mean the lantern thing they do for the Princess?"
"Lanterns?" Ariana gasped quietly. "I knew they weren't stars."