Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Step.

Eugene had to get this just right. Their lives depended on it. And if it meant he had to put on a cocky front to get his plan up and running, so be it. 

Step.

Besides, he would be damned if he let these two knuckleheads get the best of him now. 

Step. 

“ Right there… ” 

He had them right where he wanted them.

Perfect.

Step. 

“ I’m the Princess’s boyfriend. I come with a lot more leverage. ” 

Eugene’s gaze flickered to Cass - looking between the weapon in her hands and the beam he had meticulously placed the brothers under - hoping she would catch the hint.

And guessing by the look on her face, Cass was connecting the dots, much to his relief. It was up to her now.  

~*~

Halberd.

Beam.

Got it. 

Cass had to act quickly. If they were going to get out of there, Cass had to get this right - one wrong move, and the whole tunnel could cave in.

Lining the halberd up with the beam securing the ceiling, Cass got into position - slowly moving to the right angle so as not to catch the attention of the brothers - while the brothers kept up their speech. 

“...say goodnight.”

That was her que. 

Cassandra cleared her throat, catching the brothers off-guard, and kicked as hard as she could. 

That was the first mistake made. 

The beam fell a couple of inches in front of the brothers - the force of the impact sending it off course of it’s desired target. The Stabbington Brothers watched as the dust of the impact settled on the bridge of their shoes unamused, while the other two in the tunnel held their breaths - surprise and shock painting both their faces. 

Silence followed. Eugene looked at Cass who was too stunned to notice anything - her gaze set on the beam on the floor.

It wasn’t long before Eugene saw a smirk form on the brother with the patch - a scowl on the other. And before the former thief could do anything to stop it, the man with the patch turned around completely and lurched forward, this time catching Cass off-guard. 

“Cass, look out!” 

But it was too late. Before Cass could register what was happening, a power punch sent her reeling to the wall with a yelp - the force knocking the wind out of her. She collapsed to the floor and the feeling of blood beginning to pool on the back of her head made itself known from where she collided with the rough barrier when she carefully brought up a hand to the wound in an attempt to alleviate the pain piercing through her head. 

That was the second mistake. 

The echoes of her cry disappeared and were replaced with the rumbling and trembling of the tunnel.

First it was a pebble, then a rock. And the next thing anyone knew, the remainder of the beam fell - leaving the ceiling of the tunnel precarious - dusk fogging the air. And then it ended, silence falling on the four again.

No one dared to move or spoke - hoping that would be the end of the collapse. 

But as their luck would have it, the rumbling recurred with a new intensity. This time with larger rocks and rubble falling around the four.

Eugene was the first to spring out of his trance - looking around and noticing his fallen friend and the fact that the brothers were not too far off from where she was. Not to forget that he was well far away from where they were to do anything at the moment. 

His hands began to tremble, a sweat forming on the side of his head. 

This was bad. Really, really bad. He focused once more on Cass, jaw set in determination. 

He had to get her out of there.

Running towards where the raven girl fell, Eugene tried to dodge as much debris as he could to get to her. But everywhere he turned - every path he attempted to take - the rocks were either falling at a rate impossible to avoid or they had already created a barrier between him and his friend.

He was stuck. Eugene’s face paled, but he called out to her in a hopeless attempt - may she could snap out of it and get out of there before something worse happened. 

“Cassandra!”

~*~

She heard him. Eugene.

His voice was faint, but it was there.

Cass tried to get up from where she had fallen, but her initial attempt had only resulted in another blunt force to the head.

Everything hurt. But she had to move.

With a grunt, she forced herself onto her knees and lifted her head - pounding with each boulder that landed too close for comfort. Everywhere she looked, however, debris and unsettled dust were there to obscure her vision. She noticed the Stabbington Brothers not too far from where she was and she would be lying if she said that that hadn’t unsettled her in the least.

Grabbing hold of what she could from the wall next to her, she steadied herself to her feet and inched closer to where she could still hear Eugene’s voice calling out to her. But she wouldn’t make it in time.  A barrier had started forming, closer and closer to where she was, separating her from the former thief and forcing Cassandra to retrace her steps back to where she had fallen. She could faintly make Eugene out on the other side of the barrier and could faintly make out the fact that even he was forced to back away from the debris as it fell closer and closer to him.

She could hear him calling out to her still, but his voice soon became buried beneath the rumble of the tunnel and the collapse of the rocks and wood. 

“Eugene!”

Her coughs from the dust forced Cass to her knees as she attempted to call out to the former thief once more. But the rocks continued to fall, the wall blocked her view of the man, and the last thing Cass remembered was the wall of rocks and the echoes of her name before a blunt force to her head fades everything away into black.   

Chapter Text

It didn’t work.

The boulders had caved in, the dust settled, and all was silent save for the resonating echoes of the collapse ringing in Eugene’s ear - and were those footsteps?

He stood not too far from where the wall of boulders separated him from the Captain's daughter. His heart beat wildly in his chest - he could hear, feel even, every beat pounding in his ear. His breath tried to even after the rush of adrenaline, but it seemed like an impossible task - the weight of the situation weighing heavily on his shoulders. The former thief didn’t know how long he stared at the rubble - only that he was behind one side of the wall while Cass was either behind the other with his former partners in crime or… buried under.

His eyes widened at the thought and his heart skipped a beat. He took a panicked step toward the rubble and called out the lady in waiting’s name - his voice hoarse from his previous endeavor. 

The former thief didn’t know what he expected - the only result he received from his vain attempt was the echoes of her name mixing with what he guessed was the faint resonance of footsteps from the pursuing guards further down the tunnels.

Another perturbed step and a shout yielded the same results - much to the man’s dismay. The former thief rushed forward, his eyes looking over every inch of the barrier for an opening that would let him see or hear what was happening on the other side - continuing to call out in the meanwhile.

Dim light shining through the top right corner where the wall met the ceiling filled Eugene with hope - only for it to be crushed by the lone fact that he couldn’t reach it, no matter how high he was able to climb up the piled rocks. He frowned and tried reaching it again - calling out again when he got as close as the wall allowed him. “Cass! If you can hear me, answer!”

No answer. 

He scowled, climbed down, and resumed his previous search. When his hurried search came up empty, however, the former thief began removing whatever he could from the piled rocks. The sharp edge of a wooden beam ended his endeavor shortly, however, and he held his now bloodied hand as he grimaced and angrily backed away from the barrier - cursing under his breath.

His back hit the wall adjacent to the piled rocks and he slid down tirelessly, his other hand applying pressure to his wound while he listened to the ever increasing sound of boots on the pavement echo off the tunnel walls. He waited for what he presumed were the guards to arrive at the scene with one thing in mind. 

It didn’t work.

~*~

Rapunzel didn’t expect her plan to go this badly. All she wanted was for Cass and Eugene to get along - nothing more. 

The blond-haired princess ran through the field - her trusted chameleon perched in his usual spot on her shoulder on the lookout for the same thing as the princess. 

She ran faster with each shadow she passed, her eyes scanning the ground for the opening her raven-haired friend had shown her not too long ago - though with the sun setting her task proved to be difficult. 

“See anything Pascal?” The shaking of the chameleon’s head ‘no’ from the corner of her eye had the princess resume her own search - her brows furrowing. 

She needed to find the hole soon, she didn’t know what would happen to her friends and she didn’t want to wait to find out. 

Rapunzel stopped to catch her breath, her eyes continuing their scanning of the field - they lit up when they suddenly fell upon the opening they were looking for. “Over there, Pascal!”

She ran toward it with a renewed fervor and looked down into the tunnel.

Confusion painted her face when she first saw the wall and she leaned down and called for her friends - a bad feeling rising in her chest. 

~*~

“Hello? Are you guys down there?”

The sound of Rapunzel’s voice snapped Eugene out of his trance as he got to his feet - only then noticing the opening Rapunzel had called him from. 

“Blondie?” He moved to where her voice had come and into her line of vision.

“Eugene, you’re okay!” He flashed her a relieved smile and she mirrored his before leaning forward again and looking around. Her smile falling slightly. “Where’s Cass?” 

His heart skipped a beat and he looked away from his girlfriend to the pile of debris. “She…”

Rapunzel followed his gaze, her eyes widening as she attempted to connect the dots in her head, her own heart beginning to beat faster. “Eugene, what’s going on?”

The former thief looked up to the blonde-haired girl once more, not sure what to say. But just as he opened his mouth to respond, the group of guards had finally caught up to the pair. 

The Captain and his men came with their swords drawn and weapons in hand. The Captain looked at the wall in surprise before shifting his gaze to the former thief and what he could see of the Princess. He lowered his weapon at the realization that the criminals were missing. 

But they weren’t the only ones missing.

His eyes widened when he assessed the area once more - taking a couple steps forward - thinking he had missed something at first glance. 

But all was the same: Rider standing not too far from him, the wall of rocks, the two criminals vanished, and his daughter missing. He looked to the former thief worriedly - Eugene’s glance meeting his.

He was almost afraid to ask the former thief, his heart racing with each possibility of an answer, but he pushed his own fears to the side. “Where’s Cassandra?”

They held each other’s gaze before the Eugene looked to the piled rocks once more and answered defeatedly. “Either on the other side of the rocks with the Stabbington Brothers or… under- ”

The Captain didn’t let him finish - not needing or wanting to hear rest of the explanation - before he hurriedly turned around and faced the surprised faces of the guards - his commands snapping them back. “I want three guards on the other side of that wall and two here! I want to know what happened to my daughter now!” 

“Yes, sir!” They all saluted before three disappeared  into the tunnels and the two remaining guards started moving boulders from the pile in a rush. 

The Captain turned around to face the former thief once again. And before the younger man could react, the Captain grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulled him close, and whispered dangerously low - a scowl on his face. 

“Start talking, Rider.”

Chapter Text

The world spun when she came to. 

Cassandra’s mind felt heavy. The only thing she was aware of was the ringing in her ears and the beating of her heart. Her whole head pounded with each endeavouring movement she made - the rocks around her pinning her left limbs to the floor. Noticing this, Cass tried to pull her limbs free only to realize that her futile attempts resulted in sharp pains shooting up to the rest of her body. 

Cass groaned weakly and brought her free hand to her pounding head in an attempt to alleviate the pain. But instead winced when she touched the open gash from where, she guessed, the sharp end of a beam grazed - two wounds now leaking blood onto the debris under her. She withdrew her hand and stared at the formidable wall of boulders - allowing the day's events to catch up to her - only one thing coming to mind. 

It didn’t work. 

All she had to do was kick the beam above the Stabbington brothers down with the halberd. Instead, she made the whole structure collapse onto the four of them. And now Fitzherbert was behind one side of the formidable barrier and she was on the other… with the Stabbington brothers. 

Cursing under her breath, Cass held her breath and pushed to free herself of her confinements -much to her aching body’s protest. Pushing her free leg against the wall, she tried to pull herself out but to no avail - only managing to get half her hand out. 

She huffed and stopped her endeavour to allow time for the aching to cease, when she heard the shuffling of moving pebbles from the other side of the tunnel. Cassandra shifted to where the noise originated and saw the two brothers freeing themselves from the rubble. 

When they managed to unbound themselves, the two criminals began to make their way over to Cassandra - both with rage filled in their expressions, their heavy panting and mumbled curses mixing with groans of anger and pain from their own injuries. 

They towered over her, scowls fixated on their faces, before one of the brothers reached down to Cass, grabbed the collar of her dirtied tunic, and pulled her out of the debris in one swift movement - a pained scream escaping Cass’s lips as her arm and leg scraped through the various sharp tips of the rocks and wood that surrounded her limbs in the rubble. 

He slammed Cassandra into the wall and it wasn’t long before the brother with the eye patch followed through too - sending a punch to her gut as the brother let go of her clothing. Cass heaved forcefully, a groan following the echoes of the impact, before her legs gave out and she collapsed to her knees into a coughing fit. 

Her collar was grabbed again as she was forced onto her feet, the hand gripping her, yet again, bringing her close to the attackers face. Cassandra grabbed onto his wrist in an attempt to loosen his grip, but it was strong despite the injuries he obtained during the collapse - her strength not even close in matching the convict’s. And when he spoke, his voice was low and menacing.

“You let him get away.” He sent another blow to her face this time - making the wounded woman cry out again, the vigor of her struggle fading with each blow she took. He looked at his brother, his grip still tight around her clothing, “I’m gonna kill her.” His threatening gaze returned to the struggling figure he was holding, “If we can’t have Rider - we can get him through her.”

The brother reeled back to send another punch and Cass tensed under his gaze - bracing herself. But it didn’t come. Before Sideburns managed to send the blow, his brother grabbed his hand. “Patience, brother. I have a better idea.” He stepped forward, taking the Captain’s daughter from his grip. “We can still have the Captain’s daughter as a bargaining chip.” 

That was it. 

Cass’s eyes widened and she renewed her struggle. Collecting all her remaining strength, she swung her body and - gaining momentum - managed to use her good leg to kick the brother with sideburns to the wall closest to the trio. Caught by surprise, her new captive didn’t have time to react before she grabbed onto his shoulders, pulled herself up, and head-butted the eye-patched convict. 

As he loosened his grip and took a couple of steps back - tripping over the debris - Cass fell to the floor, stifling a groan from the impact on her injured leg. But, again, gathering what little strength she had left, she leaned on the tunnel wall and attempted to run down the old excavation. 

She wouldn’t make it far, however. 

The injured woman only managed to make it a few feet before Sideburns grabbed onto her leg - tripping her in the process. And with impeccable strength, he reeled her all the way back to the eye-patched convict’s arms. Cass cursed under her breath and attempted to wiggle out. But before she could make a move, a sharp tip was pressed against her throat. 

“One move and you’re dead.” She gulped nervously before looking to the weapon the criminal had pressed against her. Somehow, they had managed to find the now damaged halbert between the debris. 

“Shit.” 

The captive’s brother, now partially recovered from Cass’s attack, came over to the pair. “What should we do with her?”

“Like I said before, we use her to get our freedom and our revenge on Rider. But first, we gotta get outta here.” He pressed Cass against the wall. “And you’re gonna lead us outta this tunnel. And if you don’t,” he tightened his grip and drew blood from her neck with the halberd, “you won’t see the light of day again.” 

Getting a strained nod from the captain’s daughter, the captor released her before the two convicts grabbed her arms - dragging her across the tunnel. 

“Lead the way.”

~*~

Cass wasn’t a fool. 

She knew all the ins and outs of these tunnels, having studied them profusely. She knew her father was after her and that he and the guards had enough knowledge of these tunnels to make their way to her. 

All she had to do was either lead the two criminals to them, the other side of the wall, or keep them going in circles until they were found - which wouldn’t be a problem so long as the brothers thought she was leading them away. 

So that’s what Cassandra was doing: leading the two idiots in circles. At least that was the plan. 

It wasn’t long before one of them spoke up. “Hey, didn’t we pass by here before?” Cass tensed under their grip, she just needed a little more time. 

The eye-patched brother didn’t say anything. Instead, the two stopped - looking around their environment. 

Before Cass knew what was happening, she was dragged in front of Patch - anger written on his face at the captain daughter’s tactics. “The hell do you think you’re doing.” She doubled over when he sent a punch to her stomach. 

It was then that shouts and footsteps could be heard down the tunnel. The captain’s daughter smirked under her bangs - a feeling of relief filling in place of dread. She looked up to the two convicts. She didn’t expect the unsettling looks of calm on their faces, however - smirks overtaking the looks of annoyance they had displayed a couple moments before. 

Sideburns looked to his brother. “If she can’t lead us out, maybe they can.” And before Cass could react, her world turned black. 

Chapter Text

“You think Cassandra is okay?”

Stan looked at his fellow guards, worried, “I don’t know, Pete. Let’s hope so - for the Captain’s sake.” 

The three assigned guards hurried through the tunnels - time was of the essence - and had it not been for the expertise of their fellow guard, Phil, Stan and Pete would have wasted a lot more of it due to the oblivious mistakes they would’ve made while attempting to figure out this underground maze. It would have been expected - they hadn’t been in these tunnels in years - not since their training. As they made their way through them, however, they could feel their previous knowledge becoming known to them once again. With each turn, their confidence grew, the mental maps of the passages rediscovered. Soon, the three of them were moving through these tunnels with impeccable speed. 

This would soon be to their disadvantage, however. As they made their few final turns, they failed to acknowledge the footsteps of the loose criminals echoing down the tunnels. At least, that was the case for Stan and Pete.

As soon as Phil was able to pick up on the footsteps that came from the depths of the passages, he attempted to signal to his fellow guards for them to stop - stopping himself in his tracks and putting his hand up just before rounding a corner. 

The next thing the guard knew, he was pushed forward - unintentionally body slammed by his fellow guard. 

Once . 

“ Oof! ” 

Phil didn’t know how he managed to not yell - all he knew was that he needed to stay quiet and hidden. He used every bit of strength he could to keep himself and Pete from exposing themselves to anyone that could’ve been around the corner. There was a very high chance that if anyone was there, it would be the individuals that they were ordered to find. He pushed backwards against Pete and dug his heels into the rubble underneath him. He would have been successful.

Had it not been for Stan. 

“ Oof! ” 

Twice. 

Damnit . 

The momentum of both Stan following Pete was too much for Phil to handle as he lost his grip and all three fell face-first to the ground - unsettling the dusk underneath them.

Damnit. 

Of all people, why would the Captain pair him up with these idiots? It’s not that Phil had anything against Stan and Pete, in particular. But, in a high risk situation, there was no time for their antics. 

Groaning, Phil moved his head - the best he could with two grown men laying on top of him - to try to assess their current situation, beginning to panic. Those footsteps were inching closer to their location by the second. 

Right. Nothing. Relief. 

Left. Something had caught his eye. His heart dropped. 

Phil held his breath and waited for the dusk to settle a few precious seconds longer before finally realizing that he had seen a moving silhouette. Or was it two? 

It didn’t matter . A million situations immediately filled his mind on how the two brothers could’ve separated- it was always a possibility. Besides, that silhouette was abnormally huge. 

“ Get off of me!!” He whispered harshly to his dazed co-workers. Fearing their cover had been blown already. 

The two friends quickly realized what their mistakes had cost them and promptly got off their co-worker as they noticed the ominous figure drawing nearer - dragging him back to hide behind the wall and turning off the lantern to become inconspicuous. 

They all pushed their backs against the wall so as to conceal their presence further. 

“Who was-”

“It’s them ” Phil peeped around the corner, down the poorly lit passage. As the dust settled, the one silhouette turned into two - the features of the suspected criminals becoming clearer as they neared. Phil listened to the conversation as it echoed its way down the long passages.

“Did you see them, Brother?” 

“Let’s get ‘em.” 

Shit. 

Phil looked back to his fellow guards. Think. 

Stan and Pete looked at each other, clearly noticing Phil’s increasing distress. Pete gave Stan a firm nod and - having known each other since they were both recruited together - Stan fully knew what needed to be done. 

“Phil,” he looked up to a stern-looking Stan, “You go and inform the Captain of the Brother’s location. We’ll stay here and-” 

Phil looked from where his gaze had been fixated - Stan forcing him away from the thousands of thoughts that were occupying his mind.  “What? You sure, Stan?”

Stan nodded firmly. “You know these tunnels better than the both of us - between the three of us, you’ll be able to find the Captain the fastest.” 

“Wait- did you see Cassandra?” asked Pete. 

“I’m not sure…” Phil turned to check again but stopped himself, not wanting to risk blowing their cover more- especially considering the fact that the sounds of the criminals’ footsteps were approaching even closer. 

“We’ll try to figure out where she is. In the meantime, you need to go get backup.” Stan added. 

Phil didn’t want to leave Stan and Pete behind - lest something should happen - but what other choice did they all have? It would be much better to split up now just in case something were to happen to all of them. None of them would be able to look for help. 

“What’ll you both do?” he asked. The Brother’s were a force to be reckoned with - notorious for their ability to escape many encounters with the Royal Guard. 

“If Cass is with them, we'll try to get her back and lose the Brother’s in the halls. We’ll force them onto a path to a dead end and then lead the Captain to them whenever you all find us.”

It was the only viable option. 

Phil gave Stan an appreciative nod, grabbed their light source, and wished his fellow guards good luck. “I’ll be back soon.” Phil began running down the current tunnel and just before he lost sight of his co-workers, he stopped - glancing at them once last time - “Stay safe.” 

Then all was quiet, except for the echoing of Phil’s rushed steps.  

~*~ 

Stan and Pete watched as Phil rounded the previous corner they had taken - retracing their route - before completely disappearing. 

They had both placed their hands in their swords handles and began to reexamine their surroundings. It had gotten quiet - too quiet. 

They look at each other apprehensive. They glue their backs to the wall once more. Had they lost sight of the Brothers? All their work would’ve been for not. 

As Stan looked around the corner once more though, he was met with a few surprising guests. 

“Hello, boys.”

The search was over - the Brothers had come to them. 

Chapter Text

Stan and Pete didn’t necessarily consider themselves aggressive people - despite their current status as “guards”. So the fact that they were now facing two of the most belligerent, violent criminals in Corona was a real predicament. They were notorious for their ability to escape and seriously injure anyone that got in their way, and now, much to their displeasure, the two brothers stood confidently in front of the two men - large, tall, and at least 2 times the weight of Pete. 

Stan and Pete immediately left their place against the wall and faced the Brothers with the bravest faces they could muster  - placing their hands on the handles of their swords - readying themselves for anything. 

One thing they weren’t ready for, however, was the limp body whose arms were tightly held by the brothers - face hung limp, feet dragging on the ground - obvious signs of physical abuse present. A further inspection of the situation would lead the two guards to quickly recognize the short, curly hair as that of the Captain’s daughter. 

It’s not that they were expecting Cassandra to be in prime condition, but it was an odd sight to see her limp and frail in the Brother’s grasp - not seeing her rebelling against anyone that tried to physically confine her was… unnatural. 

“Cass!” At the sight, the two guards angrily pull out their swords, habitually getting into the defensive stance they were trained for, “Let her go,” Stan warned. 

The Brother’s glance at each other - smirking at the petty warning they’d been given. They’d been in the prison long enough to tell how seriously they needed to take the pair of guards that stood in front of them - their antics mildly amusing. “Or what?” one of the brothers challenged - handing the eye-patched brother the arm he had been holding, stepping forward menacingly - cracking his knuckles. 

Stan lunged forward, pointing his sword - true he and his friend were not always inclined to be aggressive, but the stress of the situation and the shock of seeing one of the strongest people he knew limp in these criminals' arms awoke something in him that prompted him to attack in hopes that he could execute the plan he had shared with Phil - who was now on his way to alert the Captain of their current location. 

Pete mirrored the actions of his fellow guard, drawing his sword and - with his bravest battle cry - lunged toward the eye-patched brother. 

As Pete began taking his first few steps, the eye-patched brother swiftly dug into his back pocket and drew a small pocket knife - wrapped his arm around Cassandra’s chest and held the knife against her neck. “One step closer and she’s done for.” 

Pete froze in his tracks and took a hesitant glance at Stan who was in a current tug-of-war between the brother he had been attempting to fight. The criminal had easily absorbed the slash of Stan’s sword, holding it tightly in his hand - blood dripping down the sword as he confidently pried the weapon from the guards hand. 

This had played out better in Stan’s head. 

Forced to let go of his weapon, Stan held his hands up defensively as his sword was threateningly pointed towards him - stepping back. 

Pete joined him, nudging his shoulder to inform him of the situation he had encountered with the eye-patched brother. Stan’s attention shifted to Cass. His heart skipped a beat as he broke out into a nervous sweat. It irked him that the Captain’s daughter was being used by these criminals for an easy escape. He had been there since the Captain first took Cass in - had seen her grow into the woman she had become - he almost considered her to be family (though he would never tell her, knowing she would scoff at the idea). So, seeing her unconscious in the brother’s grasp pissed him off.  “Don’t hurt her.” Stan’s gaze locked onto that of the eye-patched brother - menacing, telling him rather than warning him. 

“Oh, we wouldn’t dream of it - so long as you both cooperate.” The brother’s devious glances met the guards’ worried ones.  

“What do you want?” Pete asked. 

“We’re so glad you asked.”  The brothers took a few steps forward and knelt down to meet the gaze of the guards’ - deceitful smirks on their faces - taunting the two friends.

“Take us to the Captain.”

Chapter Text

The Captain turned around to face the former thief once again. Before the younger man could react, the Captain grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him close, whispering dangerously low: “Start talking, Rider.”

It’s not often that the former thief finds himself speechless. The nature of his relationship with the Captain makes it surprisingly easy for him to challenge the older man -  throwing witty responses towards his former purserer whenever possible. It’s not that Eugene didn’t like the Captain - he just never got along with the Captain. It almost seemed like he had an eye out for anything the former thief did - itching for the opportunity to put him back in jail. It only came naturally that it deeply pleased him to get under the Captain’s skin.

But as the grip on his collar tightened by the second, and despite this prompting of an answer, the former thief couldn’t find the words to speak. In all honesty, he couldn’t explain what had just happened - not that he himself completely understood what did happen - too shocked to coherently piece all the events together. What he did know was that this was his fault and the Captain deserved the whole story. It was his plan that didn’t work after all.

The gripling state of the Captain silently demanded an answer and Eugene was never one to back down, not from a challenge nor a responsibility. 

Meeting his gaze, Eugene opened his mouth to speak.

“Captain, please, this is all my fault.” 

Both the Captain and former thief looked to the side in shock - the grip on Eugene’s collar loosening. Rapunzel’s gaze was lowered, hugging herself as she usually did in an attempt to comfort herself - a habit she employed in her years of isolation. “I thought that by putting Cass and Eugene together, they’d get along. I never meant for this all to happen.”

An uncomfortable silence overtook them. Eugene knew that wasn’t the truth, but Rapunzel was the kind of person to take blame for others. She wasn’t the one driving the kingdom insane with the constant bickering. It was he and Cass’s bickering that practically gave the Brothers the tools to get out of their jail cell in the first place!

“No, Rapunzel, this isn’t your fault. I’m the one that told Cass to knock down the beam-”

“Enough.”

A deep sigh escaped the Captains lips, brows furrowing as he raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. His thoughts were all over, thinking of the possible things that could have happened to his daughter in the time that they’ve been sitting here while these two were trying to figure out who is to blame. Time was of the essence and he needed to find Cassandra. 

Not a moment sooner had he let out his sigh, the Captain let go of the former thief - shoving him to the side as he stepped towards the pile of debris where he had ordered a group of his guards to start removing the rubble in an attempt to find his daughter. They needed as many hands as they could get and getting his hands working often helps him evade unwelcome thoughts. 

Just as shoved past Eugene, however, a hand on his shoulder forced him to freeze. Looking over his shoulder, the Captain met Eugene’s eye - seeing remorse lace them for the first time since he'd met him. “I’m sorry.”

Shocked as he was to hear an apology escape the former thief's lips, the Captain shrugged his hand off his shoulder - refusing to allow his face to betray any kind of emotion. Besides, emotions didn't get things done. Straightening his form, the Captain continued walking towards the rubble - paying no mind to neither the Princess’s nor the former thief’s apologies. 

“Sorry won’t get my daughter back.”

~*~

Phil had never run faster in his life. 

“Left.” 

It’s not that he lacked faith in Stan and Pete but the Stabbington Brothers were no one to scoff at, formidable as they are. Leaving Stan and Pete behind to face them may not have been the best call to make but they didn’t have much of a choice. 

“Right.”

Okay, maybe he wasn’t fully confident that those two would be able to hold their ground but he could only hope at this point. They worked better as a team anyway. 

“Left.”

Better that one of them was able to get backup than for them all stay there without the opportunity to present itself to get help later. It was their only option.

“Left.”

The sound of grunts and moving pebbles echoing down the tunnels prompted the guard to run faster - not wanting to waste any second if he could help it. 

Rounding the last corner, Phil stopped to catch his breath - hand on the wall to support his aching legs - while doing his best to recall the directions he had just taken to reach his coworkers. “Captain!”

Phil's strained call caught the Captain's attention immediately. Dropping the rock he had hauled to the side, the Captain signaled to his men to keep digging as he quickly made his way over to the panting guard. Rapunzel and Eugene followed suit.

Putting a hand on the soldier’s shoulder, the Captain looked around for the other two guards he had sent with Phil, concerned upon discovering their absence. 

“What happened, Soldier? Where are Stan and Pete?” 

“They… they’re…”

Taking a deep breath, Phil  forced out at last: “We found the Stabbington Brothers.”

Chapter Text

The sudden grip on both his arms took Phil by surprise, the Captain forcing him upright from where he was bent over catching his breath. The guard met the Captain’s gaze. His face glistened in the torches’ lights, much of the exposed cloth of his uniform dirtied, the armor scuffed and dented by what was, undoubtedly, the hauling of numerous boulders. Yet, despite this appearance which would have certainly been indicative of the toll a day’s work would have had on the physical capabilities of a man, his superior held his stance - adherent to the protocol he would often drill his guards on. 

Though, the tremble emanating from the Captain’s grip betrayed this sense of equanimity. The mixture of dust and dirt smeared the guard’s red sleeve, the residual sediment weaved within the torn fabric of the Captain’s glove piercing Phil’s skin as his grasp tightened. It was all the Captain could do to not betray the requirements of his composure in full. 

“My daughter, is she with them?” 

Phil stalled his answer with a few breaths, unsure of what to say to quell the familial worry of his superior. “I… I wasn’t able to see her Captain, I’m-” 

“ What do you mean you ‘weren’t able to see her’?” 

“I was unable to adequately assess the situation due to the circumstance under which we came across the Brothers, sir!” Phil forced out his words between breaths, his heart racing faster now under the intense glare of his boss than when he raced back. 

Releasing his grip, the Captain took a step back and turned to survey his group of men hacking away at the towering wall of debris. The sound of grunts, the cackling of the fired torches, and of the moving boulders echoed down the tunnel, filling the silence between the Captain and his men. Those two criminals were alive and, from what little he could gather, it seemed fate would have it that they were well. He could divide up the search further- given the news of the Brothers' evasion of the dangers of the collapse, there could be the possibility that his daughter was able to make it out alive as well.

“Captain, we haven’t much time- Stan, Pete they - they’re holding off the two brother’s by themselves, they need help now.”

I know. 

Twenty guards were totaled at the end of Captain’s quick assessment. If he wanted to catch the two Brothers, he would need plenty of manpower - but were it the case that Cassandra was under all that rubble, he would undoubtedly need double the manpower to move all these rocks. He could order Stan and Pete to stand down, the possibility of catching the two brothers being greater than that of Cassandra making it out alive if she were under those boulders. 

But based on the tone of his guard, it’s likely that Stan and Pete were currently facing the brothers alone and he couldn’t imagine many scenarios where that altercation would go well in their favor. Besides, Phil wouldn’t make it in time to warn them anyway. The best they were currently doing was stalling them, most likely; if that was the case, he would need to make a decision immediately.

A patter of steps accompanying the rhythm of echoing grunts brought the Captain out of his thoughts and when the former thief stood parallel to his side, the Captain began marching towards his men.

“Let us help -”

“Not a word from you, Rider.”

Eugene stepped forward, facing the Captain and blocking his view of and path towards the debris. 

“I know them, Cap, I can help you fight them off better than any of your men!”

“Step aside, Eugene. We don’t have much time.” 

Just as the Captain was about to march past, the Princess’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. 

“Captain, please . We can do something, just tell us what to do. We want to find Cassandra as much as you do. She showed me where-”

“With all due respect Princess, it seems that it was both of your antics that led to this situation to begin with. I would say you both have helped enough .” 

A few moments of silence fell among them. The Captain waited for the the princess’s hand to slip from his shoulder before continuing his march to give his latest order to his men

“Now if you don’t mind, I have a mess to fix…” 

Sighing, he added under his breath, “...and a daughter to find.”

~*~

Rapunzel took a step back, brushing her fingers through a golden strand of hair as the Captain brushed past Eugene, watching him as he made his way to give the guards his orders. The Captain was right, if it weren’t for her plan, none of this would’ve happened to begin with. And now, the Stabbington Brothers were loose and no one knew where Cass was or if she was okay. She felt the weight of his anger and worry. And she knew that Eugene did too. 

Eugene took Rapunzel’s hand and met her gaze with quiet determination. Though the Captain might not have accepted their help now, Rapunzel remained resolute—she would find Cass.

“This isn’t just his mess to fix.”

“You’re right, Eugene- we’re gonna find her. Come on, I have a plan.”