Dark Mer

29

The next morning, Rapunzel was visited by Varian again. He walked in and stood over her as she laid in her bed. "Have you seen your fiancé?"

"Not since you separated us." She shook her head. "Why?"

"He's loose." Varian scowled. "Picked the lock on his cell. I should've replaced the doors with black rocks."

"I haven't seen him." Rapunzel shook her head.

"If you do, give us a holler." Varian headed for the hallway again. "You'll be rewarded for your compliance."

"Right..." She sighed. "Will do."

Varian walked out and closed the bars behind him. He looked around and frowned, heading down the hall. "He can't have gone far. Should I close up the castle until we find him? With the guards at the city gates, he can't leave..."

"Varian!" Cassandra ran up to him. "Varian, bad news! I can't find my sword!"

Varian sighed and placed his hand on his head. "Of course. There's a thief loose in the castle and now your sword is missing. Why didn't you have it?"

"Well..." She blushed a bit.

"Nevermind, don't need to know. You couldn't have known he broke out, I only just found out when I went to check in on them this morning." Varian shook his head. "We need to find him. We were foolish and became complacent. If he frees Rapunzel, then we're in trouble. Go stand guard at her room."

She saluted and hurried over to do so. He headed off in search of the man - the thief - previously known as "Flynn Rider".

--

'Okay, Eugene. You snuck into their room, successfully avoided seeing anything you didn't want to see and stole the sword. Great. But, now the castle is on high-alert because, apparently, Varian checked in on the dungeon and realized you're gone. NOT great. Now you have to navigate this creepy castle, which has just had all the doors and windows blocked by black rocks, and get to Rapunzel's room to free her.' He looked at the stolen sword in his arms. 'Come on, you stole a crown from here before! You can do this! Even if the guy looking for you has life-draining powers...'

He ducked down and peeked out at Varian as he entered the area. 'I'm in trouble.' He thought.

"Where IS he?" Varian said irritably. "He can't have gone far. Not if he plans to free the princess."

'Just stay calm...and wait.' Eugene thought.

"Ruddiger," Varian set down the raccoon he'd been carrying on his shoulders. "Help me find the thief?" He offered him a treat, which the raccoon eagerly ate.

'Crap.' Eugene thought as the raccoon started sniffing around.

A squeaking sound caught their attention and Varian looked behind him. "Pascal? What are you doing down here again?" He asked, kneeling to pick up the chameleon. "Does she know you're out here?"

For whatever reason, both Varian and his pet seemed to be distracted by Pascal and Eugene took the chance to slip past them unseen.

'Thanks, frog.' He thought, sneaking around the corner.

He was concerned about the reflective surfaces of the black rocks that cover that floor and walls, but he managed to avoid being seen by anyone. Or, if anyone NOT of Varian's Chosen saw him, they didn't say anything. He was almost to her room when he heard Zhan Tiri speaking.

"It would be in your best interest to cooperate."

"I don't know anything."

He peeked around the corner and saw Zhan Tiri talking to Rapunzel, with Cassandra standing guard. 'Great...Cassandra and Zhan Tiri, NOT my chosen battle. But, I faced Gothel and...didn't do so well, but I have a black rock sword now. Which Cassandra doesn't have anymore, because I stole it from her. I can do this.'

He crept closer and couldn't help but notice how similar Cassandra really looked to the woman that once killed him, that had enslaved Rapunzel for years. He wondered how they didn't notice it before. Give her longer hair and a dress like hers and you'd have trouble telling them apart.

"I believe you are lying." Zhan Tiri reached out her hand and a spark of energy shot out and hit Rapunzel.

"Ahh!" Rapunzel cried in pain.

"Careful, Varian won't be happy if he finds out you hurt her." Cassandra reminded her.

"He'll forgive me, if it gets us answers." Zhan Tiri said, firing another spark of energy at her.

"HEY!" Eugene stepped out to where he could be seen. "Leave her alone!"

Zhan Tiri looked over. "Ah, there you are." She moved forward. "I will handle him, Cassandra, and retrieve your sword for you."

"I can fight him," Cassandra stepped forward, "with or without a sword!"

"Eugene!" Rapunzel cried. "Be careful!"

Eugene gasped as a bolt of energy was fired at him and he held up the sword in front of him in a panic. To his surprise, it hit the black rock and dissipated. "Whoa...Okay, that's a thing." He swung the sword and nodded. "Okay! I have a plan!"

Of course, it all hinged on him NOT getting the sword taken by Cassandra, who was charging at him. He ducked and weaved around her, blocking attacks from Zhan Tiri as he did, and kicked her in the back to knock her off-balance before tripping her with a sweep of his leg. While she recovered, he ducked and weaved around Zhan Tiri's attacks and ran to Rapunzel's room.

"Stand back!" He yelled, and she quickly backed away from the bars as he slashed through them. "Gah!" He cried out as he was hit with a spark of energy, but smashed at the bars again until they were open enough for Rapunzel to get through.

"I can't find Pascal—"

"Varian has him, let's go!" He grabbed her hand, blocked another attack with the sword, then ran into her room and slashed through the bars covering the window. "Your hair!" He told he as they ran out onto the balcony, and she understood and wrapped her hair around the railing before grabbing him and swinging away from the room. Zhan Tiri and Cassandra ran up to it and Zhan Tiri fired energy at them.

They screamed as they were hit, but Rapunzel held onto him for dear life as they swung down. Then she pulled her hair free and used it to latch onto a building and pull them up around the Saporians outside.

They reached the wall and were about to swung over it when she heard her name being called. She looked back once and then swung over, the wall turning to spikes as she was about to clear it. In an act of desperation, she grabbed the sword and cut through one of the spikes to free her caught hair and then they fell to the ground together and rolled on the grass.

Eugene groaned and then looked her over before they got up and ran, the wall dropping behind them to let out the hunting party.

--

Varian watched as they escaped into the woods with Cassandra, Andrew and the other Saporias in hot pursuit. "...He's...resourceful. I can see why she chose him."

Zhan Tiri walked up to him. "And so is she."

Varian looked at Pascal, who he was still holding. "She forgot you."

Pascal just stuck out his tongue at him before curling up to sleep in his palm.

"...Maybe that's what you wanted." Varian realized. "'Greatest ally' indeed."