Good or Bad (A Tangled: The Series Fiction)

12

I woke up the next day in sheer

utter

absolute

pain.

I'd had trouble staying on my feet the day before due to the old injury I had being freshened, but this was everywhere. It took almost an hour to pinpoint any one spot that pain was radiating from, and I found three. My left side, where I still had the bruise, my right leg, and my shoulder, where I'd clipped the edge of the platform.

I didn't immediately tell anyone, just went looking for herbs. I managed to find peppermint and feverfew for pain, along with other things I could dry for use later. It felt good to be back in my element, making remedies my family had passed down for generations, and using them to help people.

When I returned, I came back to Varian waiting  for me, arms crossed and staring disapprovingly at me. I limped past him, but he stopped me.

"Why didn't you let anyone know you were leaving? We just left a crime-ridden town, and suddenly you disappear. For all we know, you could have been kidnapped or stealing from others," He said, annoyance edging his tone. I opened my mouth to respond, but he held up a hand to stop me. "Don't yell. I'm just asking a practical question."

"Why don't you take that practicality and shove it up your-"

"Answer the question."

"...I was just getting some medicinal herbs."

"See? That wasn't so hard."

"Don't condescend me."

"Maybe I wouldn't if you weren't so stubborn."

"Maybe I wouldn't be stubborn if you would just leave me alone for once."

"Guys." Rapunzel walked up to us, giving us both warning looks. "Remember, talk this out peacefully, we don't have to fight."

"We are being peaceful. I don't know what you're seeing," I said, glaring at Varian.

"I'm seeing a cold war going on here. I want it to stop before it turns into something more painful than cruel remarks at each other," She replied. Varian nodded agreement, and I shrugged. Then I went a little ways away, sat down by a tree, and pulled out my tools. I worked on the herbal remedies, not sparing Varian another glance.

I spent a while making the pain relieving, anti-inflammation ointment and hanging up herbs to dry. I walked over to everyone else, holding the ointment.

"Anyone need this? It'll help if anything is hurting," I said. Lance and Eugene took up the offer, so I let them get some. "Rub it in well."

After that, I went to sleep. I wanted to get as much rest as possible while still being useful to the group. The more rest, the faster I'd heal, the more helpful I could be.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Come and play, sis!" She begged. I shook my head slightly, busy trying to care for a burn my mom had gotten while cooking. The little girl pulled on my shirt. "After your done, come and play!"

"After I'm done, I need to sort and store the herbs," I replied absently. As she walked away with her head lowered unhappily, my mom sighed and looked at me.

"Someday, you'll regret that you never took the opportunity to grow closer with her," She warned. The sentence had sent chills down my spine, and I'd set aside my work for an hour or so just to play games with my little sister. That line proceeded to be the reason I tried to balance my work and family life, but I never fully succeeded on putting them first.

I wish I'd listened better to Mom.

~~~~~~~~~

I woke up feeling empty and sad. I wasn't hurting so much anymore, but the memory made me feel things I was trying to ignore. Things I didn't want to feel. I tried to find something to look at about my new life. Things that were better than my old one.

Stealing food.

They would have wanted me to make an honest living.

Donating money after a good scam?

They'd say it would have felt better if it was hard earned money.

I shook my head, growing angry with myself. I'd chosen this path. It was fun. It was fulfilling, and even if I didn't eat every night, I always felt accomplished when I did.

They would have hated you if they knew. They would've disowned you when you went to prison.

"Racs." Varian sat down in front of me, looking stern. I looked away. He was the last person I wanted to talk to. But he waved a hand in front of my face to get my attention. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I glanced up at him in surprise. He stared back, completely serious. I crossed my arms, wincing when my hand touched the part of my side that was bruised. I still watched him closely, and he took a breath, as though preparing himself.

"You're right. I always ask if you're okay, and it's not getting anyone anywhere. Rapunzel mentioning how long ago we met made me think about it, and I decided the best thing was to not force the matter," He said all of this as though it weren't a big deal. I was still trying to process that he thought what I said mattered. "So, do you want to talk about what's bothering you, or not ready yet?"

"I don't. I really don't," I replied. He nodded, and stood to walk away, but I grabbed his sleeve. He looked back down at me. I smirked. "Thanks, not-friend."

"Anytime, my reckless comrade," He joked. I stood up to be eye level with him.

"Excellent choice of words, paranoid pal," I shot back.

"Insane buddy."

"Fearful first mate."

"Kleptomaniac aquaintance."

"Annoying ally."

We both laughed, but then I had to lean against a tree to not fall over at the pain that slammed my side.

"Hey, where are Rapunzel and the others?" I asked him, looking around. He glanced about the camp.

"Before she left, she told everyone something about bringing back a sheriff?" He said. He seemed unsure, but that was plenty of information for me.

"Sheriff Quaid?" I questioned. Varian's eyes lit up with recognition at the line, and he snapped his fingers, nodding. He seemed to noticed my annoyed expression. "I'm guessing you two know each other already?"

"I may or may not have taken a piece of bread or a jar of honey once in a while," I muttered. He raised and eyebrow, and I smiled a little bit. "Right. Not a great liar. Um, I kinda sorta repeatedly provoked him because I was bored and wanted more of a challenge when stealing."

"Well, then it looks like we'll need you again, Rac," Rapunzel's voice chimed in.