Tangled 2 Frozen 2

Chapter Five

We crept out of the hut, Hawke in the lead and Noelle in the rear. We checked our surroundings for any sign of "the evil spirit". We relaxed when we were sure the coast was clear.

"Well," Hawke said, "I hope to never spend another night in these woods." Then he kicked out one of the bottom bricks of his hut, reducing the entire thing to rubble. "There," he said. "Now no one will know we were here."

Noelle and I just looked at him. I watched how the sun made his dark hair shine. I watched the muscles move beneath his shirt as he gathered his things. I also noticed his hooked, bird-like nose, which was probably the origin of his name.

"Well," he said, swinging his satchel over his shoulder and brushing his hands off, "If you still plan to stick with me, we're getting out of these woods as soon as possible."

"Which way do we go?" I asked.

"This way," Hawke said, walking off in a direction that seemed random to us but obviously made perfect sense to him. "We have to get to Corona today or we'll miss the lanterns!"

Noelle and I took off after him. Very subtly she whispered in my ear,

"Happy birthday."

**********

The sun was directly overhead. My feet were caked with dirt and were bleeding from various cuts. Noelle's weren't any better. Hawke hadn't stopped for any breaks at all. I envied the boots he wore.

All of a sudden, my stomach growled very loudly. Hawke laughed.

"We'll be in Corona soon! We'll eat there!" he said happily. I wondered how he was happy. I was miserable and I figured Noelle was too.

I took another glance down at my feet when Noelle gasped. I looked up at her. Her eyes were fixed on a spot in the treetops. I followed her gaze to see the top of a castle.

Then we both collided into Hawke, falling to the ground.

"Watch where you're going," he said halfheartedly. He was mostly paying attention to a huge wall separating us from Corona.

"How do we get through?" I asked.

"I'm sure the real entrance is heavily guarded," Hawke said. "Corona has maximum security. There is a thieves' entrance somewhere though. I just have to remember where."

"Thieves' entrance!" I cried.

"I'm not a thief," Hawke said. "I'm a traveler, but as a traveler it's easier to fit in with that crowd even if I don't steal. Much."

I kicked the back of his knee. His knee gave out and he fell to the ground.

"Hey!" he yelled. "I only steal when it's necessary! I'm not some kind of legendary thie-" He abruptly stopped. Still laying on the ground, he pointed to something in front of him. "There it is."

He stood up and brushed himself off. He approached the thieves' entrance. Noelle and I got closer to see it. It was a simple trapdoor with a yellow duckling painted on it.

"A duckling?" I asked.

"Aye," Hawke said. "There's legends that Flynn Rider himself built this pathway in alliance with the Snuggly Duckling."

"Who's Flynn Rider?" I asked.

"What's the Snuggly Duckling?" Noelle asked.

"The Snuggly Duckling is a pub with secret passages leading all over Corona. Flynn Rider is a famous thief who used some of those passages. He's legendary in the world of thieves, but he disappeared twenty-some years ago."

"Oh," I said. "So we just go through here."

"Aye," Hawke said. He opened the trapdoor and climbed in. He helped Noelle and I down then closed the trapdoor behind us. It immediately became pitch-black.

"Hm," Hawke said. "I thought they would have torches in here or something."

Then I heard Noelle scream and the sound of a struggle. Her screams became quieter and quieter as she was dragged farther and farther away.

"We're not alone apparently," Hawke said quietly.

A memory tugged at the back of my mind. We needed light or we would never find Noelle.

"Flower," I whispered.

"Do what?" Hawke said.

"Flower gleam and glow," I said, the words were coming back to me. I frowned as I realized it was probably because Mother wanted me to find Noelle so she could have us both back. But what did the song have to do with light?

Then the tune began to play through my head and the rest of the words came to my mind.

"Flower gleam and glow," I began to sing. "Let your power shine.
Make the clock reverse.
Bring back what once was mine."

My hair began to glow.

"Wha-" Hawke screamed and threw himself against the wall and away from me. I wanted to do the same but the light would probably stop if I stopped singing.

"Heal what has been hurt.
Change the fates' design."

"Don't stop," Hawke said realizing what I was doing.

"Save what has been lost.
Bring back what once was mine."

Hawke grabbed my hand and began dragging me down the passage. I kept singing.

"What once was mine."

The light began to dim so I just sang the song over again from the beginning. I began to wonder if this was why Mother was so protective of my hair.

Hawke stopped abruptly causing me to stop singing. As my hair dimmed, we saw Noelle tied up and gagged, shaking her head rapidly. Then once it was pitch-black again, something hit the back of my head.

I collapsed to the floor, seeing stars. I fought to keep my eyes open, but failed.