"I found the guards!"
The rest of the thugs hid the trio under one of their tables while the Captain of the Guard tromped in. "Where are the Riders? Where are they?!"
Everyone kept silent, wanting so desperately for Richie to live his dream, even if it meant they got nothing out of it.
"Find them! Turn the place upside-down, if you have to!"
As the rest of the soldiers looked, the thug with the hook quietly led them to a secret exit, opening it up for them. "Go," he urged. "Live your dream."
Smiling out into the daylight, Flynn replied, "I will."
"Your dream stinks. I was talkin' to him."
Rolling his eyes, Flynn went through, followed by Richie.
"Thanks for everything," Jaylyn said with a genuine smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek before she followed the two.
-
Vladimir held up the drunk old man to the guards. "I believe this is the man you're looking for. The girl must have gotten away."
"What a bitch," the old man stuttered, the head guard just rolling his eyes. Did they really think he would fall for that?
"Sir, there's no sign of the Riders," one of the soldiers told him.
Max, on the other hand, was trying to kick at the wall.
"Maximus? What's he doing?"
The passageway broke open.
"A passage! Come on, men. Let's go," the captain demanded, then ordered, "Conil, make sure those boys don't get away."
He was referring to Sideburn and Eyepatch, acting like they had given up. But Sideburn whiskered, "Play it safe or go get the crown."
-
The old man was still singing as he stumbled out of the bar. "I gotta dream...I got some dream...I..." He stopped upon seeing Mother Gothel, leaning against the building. "Oh, somebody get me a glass. 'Cause I just found myself...a tall drink...of water."
Laughing lightly, she slapped at him playfully. "Oh, stop it, ya big lug." While he was still laughing, she pressed him against a wall, Hoffman a dagger up to his nose. "Where's that tunnel lead out?"
"Knife!"
-
"Well, I've gotta say. Didn't know you had it in you back there. That was...pretty impressive," Jaylyn complimented as they walked out into the dark and towards freedom.
"I know!" he squealed. Then, more calmly, he cleared his throat and said nonchalantly, "I know...so, Jaylyn, Flynn...where are you from?"
Jaylyn was about to answer, but her partner-in-crime cut her off. "Whoa, whoa, sorry, Blondie. We don't do backstory. However, I'm becoming more interested in yours."
"Same. Now, I - I know we're not supposed to mention the hair."
"Nope."
"Or the mother."
"Uh-uh."
"Frankly, I'm too scared to ask about the frog."
"Chameleon."
"Nuance. Here's my question, though. If you want to see the lanterns so badly...why haven't you gone before?" she asked, genuinely curious.
Richie faltered for a minute, fiddling with his hands as he broke away from eye contact with them. "Uh, hey, well..."
Saving him from answering but dooming them all, the Stabbington Brothers appeared, glaring at the Riders.
"Uh, guys...? Guys! Who's that?!"
"They don't like us," Flynn replied, eyes widening when he saw them.
The Captain of the Guard came out next with his army.
"Who's that?!"
"They don't like us, either."
Last was Maximus, ready for their blood.
"Who's that?!"
Jaylyn, grabbing him, cutting right to the chase, "Let's just assume for the moment that everyone here doesn't like us!"
Frustrated, he shoved the pan at Jaylyn. "Here." Tying his hair into a board, Richie swung across, landing with a skid on his feet.
"I've waited a long time for this," the captain said darkly with a smile as he tossed aside his torch and reached for his sword.
Looking at the frying pan, Jaylyn got between them and Flynn and began fighting them off. "Flynn, go!" she yelled at him.
"Where?!"
"I don't know, just...agh!" Up and down her arm went as she fought off the guards, bashing their heads in. "Use Richard's hair or something!"
As she fought off the last guard, Flynn grabbed hold of the long blond hair and, screaming, swung across, toppling into Riche, knocking him into his backside.
"Hi."
"Off."
As Jaylyn finished on the other side, she looked down at her fallen enemies, then at the frying pan, swinging it around. "Oh, mama! I have got to get me one of these!"
Finally, Maximus came at Jaylan with a dagger in his mouth, who held up the pan, blocking all of his swings. "YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS IS THE STRANGEST THING I'VE EVER DONE," she informed him, grinning ear-to-ear. But she lost the pan, it getting knocked out of her hands and being flung off of the cliff. Eyeing Maximus sheepishly, Jaylyn suggested, "How 'bout two outta three?"
But Maximus kept trying to stab at her, almost having her teeter off of the edge.
"Jaylyn! Jaylyn, look out!" Richie cried, seizing his hair and throwing it across, wrapping it around her wrist. Instantly, she was flying through the air. Flying towards the ground, she saw the Stabbington brothers ready to attack her. Richie noticing as well, he jerked her upward.
"HA!" She turned her head around yelling at the brothers, "YOU SHOULD SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE 'CAUSE YOU LOOK -" Her midsection rammed itself into one of the ledges, squishing her insides. "...ridiculous," she gasped before being pulled to the ground.
Still above her, Richie and Flynn noticed Maximus kicking at a board so that he could run across, water pouring out of the dam.
"Come on, guys!" He turned and saw Jaylyn looking up at them, her face beautifully etched with worry. "Jump!"
Richie gathered up his hair, grabbed Flynn, and did indeed make a jump for it. Maximus tried to bite at his hair, but just missed, letting them fall swiftly down, Richie's feet and Flynn's boots sliding against the water.
Jaylyn slid against the dam, jumping off and helping the two gather Richie's hair and ran from the brothers, who were still after them, as the dam broke and water came pouring down on all of them, breaking the wood and ruck structure.
The trio sprinted to a small room boarded up, Jaylyn grabbing the fallen frying pan before one of the structures fell on top of them and the water flowed over them. They ran as far up as they could before Flynn dove down for a way out. Jaylyn handed Richie the pan, which he used to try and break the rocks down. Flynn came back up, grabbing at his hand, which he had cut, then dove back under. Finally, he came back up again, gasping for air. "It's no use," he admitted. "I can't see anything."
Richie dove under, Jaylyn instantly going after him. She pulled him up, holding him by the shoulders, moving the hair out of his face. "Richard. Hey. There's no point. It's pitch-black down there." Slowly, she let go as the realization sunk into Richie, his breathing loudening, but only slightly.
"This is all my fault..." he admitted as tears trickled down his already wet face. "She was right...I never should have done this...I'm so..." He sighed as his head leaned back against the rock, his eyes closed. "I'm so sorry, guys..."
Jaylyn glanced at him, sighing, then admitted, "Y/n."
Richie's eyes opened a little, confused. "What...?"
"My real name is Y/n L/n. So you may as well know. His is Eugene Fitzherbert." She nodded at Flynn, who threw up his hands, splashing them both.
"Oh, come on! I wanted to take that secrete to my grave!"
"Eh, you kinda will."
Richie let out a dry chuckle, sniffling. "My friends call me Richie...or, they would, if I had any friends..."
"Okay, Richie," Y/n responded with a small smile curving her lips, making Richie's heart swell. She had called him Richie.
"I also have magic hair that glows when I sing."
Y/n and Eugene glanced at each other, confused. "What?" Eugene asked in awe.
His face seemed to brightened as he realized, "I have...magic hair that glows when I sing!" The water up to his neck, he began. "Flower, gleam and glow...let your power shine..."
They all took in a deep breath and went under. Richie's hair had begun to glow a yellow. Eugene, seeing, let out a bit of his breath in shock, Y/n quickly putting her hand over his mouth.
Noticing an opening, the three swan over and clawed at it until a small hole came, shooting out water, then a much bigger opening, the group falling out, coughing.
On his back, Richie breathed out, "We made it."
"Your hair glows..." Eugene said to himself.
"Eugene, it's okay," Y/n told him, but looked at the blond in awe herself.
"We're alive! We're alive!" Richie cheered, running around in joy.
"Didn't see that coming...his hair actually glows..."
"Eugene," Richie tried.
"WHY DOES HIS HAIR GLOW?" he shouted at Y/n, who shrugged.
"EUGENE!"
"WHAT?!"
Richie sighed, deciding to reveal to them the truth. "It doesn't just glow."
A little freaked out, he glanced at Pascal, who was smirking at him. "Why is he smiling at me like that...?"
-
Coughing, the Stabbington Brothers climbed out of a tree, shaking off the water. "I'll kill them. I'll kill those Riders!" Sideburns vowed.
Behind another tree, Mother Gothel watched two skeptically, am idea forming. "We'll cut them off at the kingdom and get back the crown. Come on!"
Deciding, Gothel revealed herself, calling out, "Bo-oys!" They both glanced at her, a little confused. "Perhaps you ought to stop acting like wild dogs chasing their tails and think for a moment." She then pulled out the satchel, both brothers pulling out their swords. "Oh, please, there's no need for that," she scoffed and tossed it at them, both brothers grabbing at it greedily, Sideburns finally pulling out the crown, both of them looking at it hungrily. "Well. If that's all you desire, then be on your way. I was going to offer you something worth a thousand crowns, would have made you rich beyond belief and that wasn't even the best part," she chuckled. "Oh, well. C'est la vie. Enjoy your cro-own."
Glancing at Patchy, Sideburns asked cautiously, "What's the best part?"
Gothel turned back around, a wicked look in her eye. She pulled out the wanted poster with Eugene and Y/n, saying still sing-songy, "It comes with the revenge of Flynn and Jaylyn Ri-der..."
The brothers looked at each other again, agreeing with their own wicked looks.