Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She didn’t mean to.

She really, really didn’t.

But Rapunzel had been so angry, and Mother’s knife had been, just– there. And before she’d thought better of it, she’d followed through on her impulsive threat and now–

–Now Mother would never take her to see the lanterns.

Rapunzel crumpled to the floor beside Mother’s empty dress, sobbing.

She stayed there, a new wave of tears overtaking her each time she tried to stand, until finally hunger drove her to do more.

She tried to avoid looking at the dress and the dust that had been Mother just earlier that day.

She hadn’t known. She really hadn’t. If Mother had only told her that Rapunzel cutting her hair would do– do that, she never would have!

Ever.

Ever.

But now it was too late.

And Rapunzel didn’t know how to–

Well, how to do anything.

She could cook. But what happened when the food stores ran low? She would have to leave.

“There has to be a way out of the tower, right, Pascal?” she asked, her voice hoarse. “Mother brought me here when I was little. She couldn’t have climbed my hair then.”

Pascal nodded, and somehow, his little lizardy smile and the way he clutched her finger made everything a little less bad.

Rapunzel lifted him to her face and kissed his head. “Okay. You’ll help me find the way out?”

Pascal nodded again and chirped at her.

Rapunzel giggled and wiped her face. “Thank you.”

It wasn’t so bad outside, actually.

Rapunzel kept a smile on her face as she trotted along the path that Mother must have walked a hundred times. And, look, there was a building!

“The Snuggly Duckling,” she read aloud. “Look, Pascal! I know Mother said the world is full of horrible people, but there must be some nice ones too, like her! I bet anyone who goes to a place called The Snuggly Duckling is the good sort of people.”

Pascal chirped and gave her a thumbs-up.

With his encouragement, Rapunzel trotted up to the door and peeked inside.

So many people!

A knife slammed into the wall nearby, followed by a gruff, “Watch it, little lady!”

“Hey!” another gruff voice snapped. “It’s only a kid!”

Rapunzel shrank back as suddenly, too many gazes to count were all pointed at her. On her shoulder, Pascal puffed up as if he could defend her.

A huge man wearing a horned helmet and a scowl disengaged from the crowd and approached Rapunzel. She took a step back.

The man produced a tiny unicorn from somewhere and held it out.

Rapunzel swallowed and hesitantly took the unicorn.

The man’s scowl stretched into a smile.

“Well, if Vlad likes her,” she heard someone say.

“The guards definitely aren’t employing little girls,” someone else said.

“I’m not little,” Rapunzel protested. “I’m thirteen.”

“Much littler than any of us,” a young man with a big nose replied. He offered her a snaggletoothed smile. “You running away too?”

“How did you know?”

“All the runaways end up at the Duckling eventually!” declared a balding man with a hook for a hand. “You can call me Hook Hand, little lady.” He offered the non-hook hand. “Welcome to the Snuggly Duckling.”

Rapunzel took his hand and shook it, just like people were always doing in books. “I’m Rapunzel. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” She smiled at Hook Hand, then, for good measure, at everyone else.

Even the stern, scowly ones looked a little nicer now.

She’d been right.

The good sort of people went to the Snuggly Duckling.

They even took her to see the birthday lights!

Chapter Text

Five years later

“Uncle Vlad!” Rapunzel waved and hastily handed her table their drinks before dancing over to give him a hug. “You’re back!”

Vlad grunted in the way that meant Hi, Rapunzel, it’s good to see you again and handed her a little purple unicorn. 

She beamed at him. “Where did you find this one?”

Another grunt, and a jerk of his thumb. Up north a ways. His gaze slid sideways to the poster on the wall.

Rapunzel followed his glance and sighed. “Ran into Rider again? What did he do this time?”

Vlad sighed expressively.

“Yeah, what didn’t he do?” Rapunzel agreed.

“He didn’t pay his tab last time he was in!” Thorn– Hook Hand to strangers– put in crossly. He worked security shifts at the inn, same as Attila. A place like this needed it, Tom, the innkeeper, had told Rapunzel, and he and his brother Axel just weren’t scary enough for some of the clientele.

“I heard he backstabbed the Stabbingtons!” Gerald announced. Sometimes, people here called him Big Nose, but he didn’t like it, so Rapunzel and Pascal always made sure to glare at anyone who did. 

Rapunzel sucked in a breath through her teeth. The Stabbington brothers weren’t in much, but when they were, she tried to avoid them. They weren’t good people, not like the regulars who’d taken her in as a scared, lost child. The Stabbingtons… well, she didn’t like the way they looked at her, and neither did her uncles, but after the first time Vlad had loomed at them they’d been careful to behave well. 

So Rapunzel sort of got why Rider would do something like partner with those two goons only to betray them. But it was still unbelievably stupid, since the Stabbingtons were known for going after anyone who betrayed them with single-minded determination, and also since that sort of behavior– as well as not paying his tab– was why he wasn’t really welcome in the Duckling anymore. 

“Sometimes, you have to hope that two people destroy each other so you don’t have to deal with either,” Attila said philosophically. 

“Hear, hear!” Thorn raised an empty glass.

Rapunzel giggled and clinked her fist against it, then took a sip from an imaginary glass, a habit she’d picked up from Ulf. She didn’t much care for ale, so if there wasn’t clean water around when someone decided to do a toast, she and Ulf both stuck to the imaginary sort of drinks.

The door creaked open.

Rapunzel, Attila, and Thorn all turned to see who it was, Rapunzel already with her customer service smile on. The smile froze when she saw Flynn Rider standing there, for only the second time she could remember.

He was kind of cute, honestly.

“Rider,” Thorn growled, starting to stand.

Rider laughed nervously and held up his hands. “Hey guys. I know things didn't exactly go smoothly, but I was hoping I could lay low here for a day or so? Thief solidarity?”

“Get out.” Attila crossed his arms.

“You're not welcome here,” Rapunzel agreed.

Rider looked at her with the start of a smile, then yelped and jerked back. “What the heck!?”

Rapunzel frowned. Over the years, she'd learned that most people– aside from the regulars– didn't expect to see a pretty teenage girl working in a place like the Duckling. Axel and Gerald had told her that most places employed slightly older barmaids who were often, as Gerald put it, “a little rough around the edges.” But Rider's reaction was exceptionally odd.

Thorn caught Rider's collar with his hook. “What do you mean, what the heck? You got a problem with our girl?”

“Your– that's not the–?” Rider laughed again, high-pitched and half hysterical. “Of course not, stupid idea, nevermind, why haven't you tried the lost princess con yet you idiots.”

Thorn shook him. “Because she's not the princess, you stupid. She's our Rapunzel.”

“Princess?” Rapunzel asked Attila quietly. “Like, the one the lanterns are for?”

Attila nodded. 

“What does he mean by ‘lost princess con’?”

“There's a scam that involves someone pretending to be a long-lost relative of a noble family,” Attila explained. “It works even better when the noble family is actively searching for their beloved missing child.”

“So he thought…” Rapunzel scrunched up her face. “Why?”

“Who knows what Rider thinks?” Attila tapped his helmet. “I think he's like a magpie. Not much between his ears except a love of gold.”

A lot of people were like magpies, then.

“My mistake, of course,” Rider was saying. “Just a trick of the light. Man, your hook is awfully sharp. And shiny. Do you polish it? It looks like you polish it. A lot. Hey, if you ever need a hand with that, haha, get it? I know a guy!”

“He talks a lot,” Rapunzel said sideways to Attila.

“He really does. Want to bet how long it will take before Hook empties his pockets and kicks him out?”

Rapunzel squinted at the expression on Thorn's face. “Two silver if it's two minutes or less. Double if it's one minute.”

“Deal.”

They both started counting.

Two minutes and three seconds later, the door slammed shut behind Rider.

Rapunzel dipped into her pocket and pulled out her tips from the night, depositing them into Attila's hand. “I was only off by a little.”

“You'll get better.”

Thorn stomped over, scowling. “Were you betting?”

“No,” Rapunzel said innocently. She leaned over and pecked his cheek, then hastily scooped up her tray before he could ask again. Now that the entertainment was over, she had tables to attend to.

“Hey! Psst! Pretty girl!”

Rapunzel steadfastly ignored the whisper.

“Rapunzel, right? Over here!”

…Forget it. She stalked over and flung the window open. “Stop bothering me, or I'll tell my uncles!”

Rider looked up at her with that weird constipated expression he seemed to think was hot. “Please hear me out?”

“No. I'm not the princess and I don't want to pretend I am. It's mean.”

“I wasn't going to ask you that!”

Rapunzel pointed a knife at him, the little one she used for peeling potatoes. “Fine. Talk.”

“Okay, so, I really do need to hide out for just a day or so. Please, please please please can you convince your uncles? I'll do anything!”

Rapunzel sighed and set the knife down. “There's an abandoned tower about a half day's walk that way. Maybe a little less. It's hidden by a curtain of ivy and tucked right against this sort of dent in the cliff, so it's well hidden. You can go there for as long as you need.”

Rider popped up and kissed her hand. “Thank you, Rapunzel! You won't regret this.”

She blushed and snatched her hand back. “Just go!”

Rider blew her a kiss and dashed off.

Beside her, Pascal chirped, hands on his hips.

“I know, Pascal,” Rapunzel murmured. “Believe me, I know.”

Chapter Text

Rapunzel was up bright and early. Not as early as she used to be, because her evenings were much fuller, but still earlier than most of the Snuggly Duckling's staff. Which was actually just her, Axel, Tom the innkeeper, and Thorn half the time, Attila the other half. 

So Rapunzel was the one at the door when Killer came knocking, out of breath, to inform the Duckling's staff that Flynn Rider had been caught. And that royal guards were on their way to the Duckling. Apparently Rider had tipped them off.

And after she’d helped him, too!

“That son of a…” Axel grumbled when she woke him up– well, Pascal woke him up– and told him the news. “Guess we’re closing up shop for a few days. Thought we were done with that.”

“This has happened before?”

“Oh, sure. Happened all the time back when the princess had first disappeared. They had guards out searching constantly, was hardly a safe place for a decent thief to lay low.” Axel rapped on Thorn’s door. “Up and at ‘em, Hook! Our girl’s got bad news.” To Rapunzel, he added, “He’ll be less upset about the early morning if it’s your fault. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Didn’t they ever find the princess?”

“Nope. That’s why she’s still lost. Probably long dead, but they keep looking.”

The door slammed open on Thorn still wrestling his shirt on. “What?” he snapped.

“We have to hide,” Rapunzel informed him. “Killer said Rider got caught and tipped off the guards about us.”

“I’m going to kill him,” Thorn grumbled. “You hear me? Kill him.”

“There’s the tunnels,” Axel offered. “I’m going to help Tom get things closed up, you two should get out.”

“Right.” Thorn nodded. “Come on, Rapunzel. Pascal. Adventure time.”

“How long has this tunnel been here?”

“I dunno. Ages.”

“Have you ever used it before?”

“A couple times. We tried to save it for the big emergencies, not routine raids.”

“Routine raids?”

“Yeah. Used to happen all the time. No one told you?”

“Uncle Axel said a little…”

Thorn harrumphed. “First year or so they turned the island inside-out searching. Got less frequent after that.”

“They must have really loved her,” Rapunzel said softly.

“Or they needed an heir.”

Rapunzel nodded in the darkness, not really hearing the words. She was close to the princess’s age, so maybe this was why Mother had hidden her away from the world. If a princess could be kidnapped and never found, what about a poor woman whose daughter happened to have magic hair? Mother must have heard about the princess’s disappearance and worried for Rapunzel’s safety. It all made sense now.

Although she missed Mother, the past five years had been… nice, being out of the tower, with no magic that someone might try to kidnap her for. Just a normal girl.

A normal girl who was currently trying to avoid being arrested, but still!

Light shone around a bend, and soon, Rapunzel and Thorn were stepping into the morning sunlight near a big wooden structure.

“What’s that?”

“Dam,” Thorn said shortly.

Pascal squeaked indignantly. Rapunzel stared. Usually, Thorn and her other uncles tried to avoid cursing in front of her.

He caught her look. “It’s not a curse word, kid. D-A-M. Dam. To block water.”

“I knew that!”

“Sure. Anyway, we’re out of work until the Duckling is safe again, what do you wanna do?”

He should know that this time of year, there was only one answer to that question. Rapunzel laced her fingers under her chin and made her eyes as big as she could. “Can we go see the lanterns, Uncle Thorn? Pleeeeease?”

“Don’t Ulf and Big Nose– Gerald– usually trade off taking you?”

“But we can’t go back for days and the lanterns are tomorrow.”

“You don’t want to go with me,” Thorn protested weakly.

“Yes I do. Please?”

“Just stop making that face,” he grumbled, and Rapunzel knew she’d won.

Chapter Text

This was officially the worst birthday ever.

First Rapunzel and Thorn had seen the Stabbingtons and had to duck away, losing their place in line to buy lanterns, and they'd had to start over. Then they'd had to go back to the start of the line somewhere else because of royal guards watching Thorn a little too closely. And they hadn't been able to get food, again because of the guards.

And then Thorn had gotten arrested and it was all her fault. She should never have tried convincing him! There were reasons Ulf and Gerald were always the ones who took her to see the lanterns!

So now Rapunzel had to figure out a plan to save her uncle, fast.

“Public execution?” someone asked. “But they haven't done one of those in ages. Did they catch the princess's kidnapper or something?”

Rapunzel's heart hit the stones beneath her feet. She and Pascal exchanged a terrified look.

“They caught Flynn Rider,” someone else said. “And some other wanted man, a pirate or something.”

…Okay, now Rapunzel had to save Thorn and Flynn Rider. Rider might be an awful jerk, but he didn't deserve to die.

Pascal squeaked and tugged on Rapunzel's hair. When she looked at him, he pointed to a mural splashed across a building. It was the king, queen, and a tiny blonde baby.

Rapunzel tapped her chin. “Rider did say I look like the princess, didn't he?” she murmured to Pascal. “Maybe we can say my hair darkened when I got older. That's a thing that happens, right?”

Pascal chirped encouragingly.

“Okay.” Rapunzel slipped into an alleyway and held up her hand for Pascal to climb on. “So here's the plan…”

An hour later, Rapunzel, now wearing a clean pink dress she'd bargained away from someone, with her hair neatly brushed and styled as close as she could get it to the queen's hair in the mural, marched up to the prison guards with her heart beating so fast she could feel it in her ears.

“I need to speak with whoever's in charge,” she announced.

The guards exchanged a look. “Who are you?” one asked.

“I'm the lost princess,” Rapunzel said. “And I was on my way to find my parents, but my boyfriend and my bodyguard got detained here. I need them back. Please.”

The guards exchanged a look.

The cell door slammed shut with Rapunzel inside.

“This is how you treat a princess?” she cried indignantly.

The guard's face appeared through the little window. “Look, kid, it's been eighteen years, she's not coming back. We'll let you out in a few days, but you can't be bothering Their Majesties on today of all days.”

Rapunzel scowled and spun away.

“Rapunzel?” someone asked.

She dashed back to the door. “Uncle Thorn?”

Thorn's face appeared in the cell across from her. “Kid, what are you doing here?”

“Trying to save you…”

“And me, I hope?” Rider's face appeared in the cell beside Thorn's. He grinned in a way that really shouldn't be cute.

“Well, I was. Even though you sent the guards to the Snuggly Duckling, because even you don't deserve to die. Except…” Rapunzel gestured at the bars. 

Rider put his hand to his face as he tipped his head back to laugh. “Oh, tell me you didn't. It's a thought exercise, no one would actually try to… Did you really?”

Rapunzel scowled at him and crossed her arms.

Rider gaped. “For real? I thought you said it was mean? And no offense, but you're… not really cut out for cons.”

“I could be, and it wouldn't be mean if it'd worked and meant I got my uncle and you out of here.”

Thorn gave her the melty sort of smile her scarier uncles reserved for her alone.

“Your story wasn't good enough,” Rider informed her. 

“You weren't even there!”

“And obviously, you failed to sell it.” Rider made a calming motion with his hands. “Okay, okay. We'll have to move forward with this, unless anyone's got any better ideas? No? Okay, then, Rapunzel, you'll have to call the guards back and… wait, what was your original plan?”

Rapunzel blushed. “I tried telling them you were my boyfriend and Uncle Thorn was my bodyguard. And that I needed you back. That was as far as I got.”

Rider smirked. Thorn scowled. 

“A-and I was going to… I guess I was going to pretend as hard as I could until I got you both out?”

“That wouldn't work,” Rider said. He sighed. “This is way more difficult now, because now we have to not only come up with a backstory and a reason you need us out before going to the palace, but we also need a reason you didn't tell them all this before you got locked up.” He fell silent.

“Got any ideas?” growled Thorn.

“Hold on, I'm thinking. A concept with which you may or may not be acqua…” He caught Rapunzel's glare. “I'm thinking.”

“Think faster," Thorn ordered. "And whatever plan you have better be good, or I'll kill you before the executioner gets a chance.”

“Ha, of course. So… uh, I need some backstory. Best lies are built on truth. Hook Hand, Raps, how'd you meet? And for that matter, how'd we meet?”

“Don't call me Raps,” Rapunzel said. 

“You picked my pocket,” Thorn snapped. “I haven't forgotten.”

Rider scratched his neck. “...We're gonna leave that part out. Let's start with you two.”

Rapunzel turned to Pascal, who gripped her thumb between his little hands and patted it reassuringly.

“My mom died,” she said softly, more to Pascal than either of the men. “I was alone. I couldn't stay in my home, so I left, and I found the Snuggly Duckling and my uncles.”

“What she said,” Thorn said.

“Great,” said Rider, not sounding enthusiastic. “That's great. Anything more specific? That might be a princess backstory?”

Rapunzel shrugged.

“It does help that you look a lot like the queen,” Rider said thoughtfully, squinting at Rapunzel. “You've got her face. Eyes and build, too. And hair. It's kind of weird, honestly.”

“Is that why you were so startled when you saw me?” Rapunzel asked.

Rider nodded. “I was spooked and thought for a second the queen was in a thieves’ pub.”

“Way to tell everyone you're nearly as stupid as you look,” Thorn put in.

“For your information, I'm smarter than any of these guards!”

“Prove it.”

“I have! Many times! I stole the princess's crown, for heaven's sake!”

“And just where is this crown now?”

“I–” Rider snapped his mouth shut. More awkwardly, he said, “I. Hid it.”

“In the tower,” Rapunzel guessed. “Did you find the loose brick?”

“Loose brick?”

“It's behind the mirror.”

“Yes. I totally found the loose brick.” Rider shook his head and grabbed the bars in front of his face. “Let’s go back to the plan on how we don’t die. Lost princess. That’s you. Which means you got kidnapped as a kid. Kidnapper raised you, then died, and you ran off and got adopted by Hooky there. Close enough?”

“My mother did not kidnap me.” Rapunzel bristled.

“I know, I know. Easy there.” Rider held his hands up, palms out. “This is a story. As long as you can tell it well enough to convince the guards, you’re good. Can you do that?”

“I guess…”

“And then we met…” Rider tapped his chin.

“Three years ago,” Rapunzel said. “You stopped by the inn trying to find someone who’d be willing to travel out of the kingdom for a job with you. Attila ran you off.”

Rider’s brow furrowed. “That’s not a very good meet-cute.”

“That’s what happened.”

“Oh.”

“Maybe,” Rapunzel offered, warming to the idea, “in our con story, instead of Attila running you off, you stayed, and we became friends. Then more. Then you stole the crown for me, because you’d realized I was the princess and it was my crown and you… wanted to give it back to me before you brought me home?”

“Genius,” Rider said. “Only, I don’t have it.”

“Because you hid it!” Rapunzel grabbed the bars. “You hid it because the guards were coming and you wanted to save it for me and bring me home with it so everyone would see I’m not a fake! And I couldn’t go straight to the palace because I was scared to go without you and Uncle Thorn, and because I thought I needed the crown, but telling the truth about my identity was the only way I could think to get you both out!”

“It sounds like something from one of Gerald's romance novels,” Thorn said dubiously. “Have you been reading those?”

“Not the naughty ones,” Rapunzel assured him.

“Explains some things.”

“Tell the guards,” Rider said thoughtfully, “that you can't prove you're the princess, but you can prove at least part of your story by going and getting them the crown. Also that you froze up earlier because you have anxiety, that's why you didn't say anything sooner. Take me with you, leave him here as collateral.”

“Hey!” Thorn snapped.

Rapunzel crossed her arms. “We could leave you here as collateral. You sold us out.”

“I did not, and you don't know where the crown is.”

“If it's in the tower, I can find it.” She knew every inch of that tower, and there were only so many places a crown could be.

“We'll all go,” Thorn said, frowning sideways, though he couldn't quite glare at Rider. “Insist on that. They can send guards. We'll figure out a better plan when we're in that tower.”

“Works for me,” Rider said.

“Okay,” Rapunzel said.

Pascal squeaked.

Chapter Text

It didn’t quite work out for all of them to go. Rapunzel wasn’t sure if the guards actually believed that she was the princess, but there was enough of a chance that she was telling the truth, and a much higher chance for the guards to be the ones who got the princess’s crown back, that they agreed. Except that Thorn had to stay behind.

She gave him an extra-big hug before she, Pascal, and Rider left with the guards. Just in case.

“Don't trust Rider,” Thorn muttered as they embraced. “He's the type to sell everyone out to save his skin. Thinks that just because he's got a nicer face than most thieves, he's better than us too. Do not let your guard down.”

“I won't,” Rapunzel promised. She knew better than to trust thieves, especially the ones who didn't have scars. Attila said that more often than not, thieves who'd been around a few years and had a reputation, like Rider, couldn't get by without a scar somewhere or a missing hand or eye. Not unless they were willing to sell out other thieves to save their own skins. Even the Stabbingtons had their scars. But Rider? Nothing.

So no, Rapunzel wouldn't trust him. She had to pretend to trust him, since the guards thought he was her boyfriend, which made things a little more difficult, since she couldn’t keep him at arm’s length. But Pascal would keep her on track.

Thorn patted her shoulder. “Off you go then. Good luck. Come back soon.”

“I will.”

With a last smile, Rapunzel turned and made her way over to the guards and Rider. He was wearing handcuffs, though the guards had decided against restraining her, both on the chance she was telling the truth and on the reality that if she wasn't, she still hadn't done anything wrong, besides lying about being the princess, which was apparently a pretty minor offense.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Rider said with a smile. “Ready to go get your crown and throne?”

His smile was so earnest, she almost believed him. Almost believed that she really was the lost princess and they really were dating.

Pascal poked her cheek. No. This is a con, he just wants his freedom, and I just want Uncle Thorn's. That's all.

Pasting a smile onto her own face, Rapunzel replied, “Nervous. But ready as I was this morning.”

“Then let's go.”

“This doesn't mean you're forgiven,” Rapunzel said to Rider quietly, as the guards searched for the hidden entrance, leaving only a horse to watch over them. A horse with a remarkably human glare. “To be clear.”

“For what?” Rider looked genuinely confused, though she'd already seen his acting skill.

“Sending the guards to the Snuggly Duckling.”

“What? When did I do that?”

“Don't pretend you've forgotten yesterday already.”

Rider lifted both cuffed hands to rest them awkwardly on her shoulder. “Rapunzel. I did not send the guards to the Snuggly Duckling. Not yesterday. Not the day before. The people there don't like me, but as long as it's there, it's someplace I can theoretically hide in an emergency.” He shrugged. “Plus, the guards already know about it and don't really care as long as it's not directly involved in anything illegal.”

“Then how…” Rapunzel glanced at Pascal, who shook his head firmly.

Right. Rider wasn't to be trusted. He could definitely be lying about this to make her like him or trust him. He was a good liar. Sneaky. And every moment of this journey, she was witnessing his acting. He even tried to help her over a puddle!

Rapunzel tried not to scowl. Girls were not supposed to scowl at their boyfriends when said boyfriends were being sweet and helpful.

Pascal did the scowling for her.

These guards clearly weren't the ones who'd caught Rider, because they stared at the tower like they'd never seen it before. Rapunzel stood, too, frozen, until a touch on her arm made her nearly jump out of her skin.

“Just me,” Rider said softly. “Are you okay?”

Rapunzel forced on a smile. “I'm fine. Just… old memories.”

Mother, screaming, turning to dust before her eyes.

Too hungry, too sad, too scared, to enjoy the grass under her feet or the breeze on her face.

Pascal curled up against her neck, giving her what comfort he could.

Mother's dress, empty on the floor.

Empty.

Gone.

“You don't look fine,” Rider said, just as softly as before. “Do you want to stay down here?”

Rapunzel set her jaw. “I'm going up with you.”

“If you're sure.”

Rapunzel eyed him. With a quick check to be sure the guards weren't close enough to hear, she lowered her voice and asked, “Why do you care?”

Rider raised one finger. “One, I'm currently playing your boyfriend. That means I'm supposed to care about things like if you're okay or if you're about to break down in tears.” Another finger. “Two, I'm pretty sure your uncle would literally kill me if you got back there any worse off than you were when you said goodbye.” Another finger. “And three, your frog is giving me the stinkeye. Please make him stop.”

“Pascal's not a frog, and you're not really my boyfriend.”

“Sh, they might hear you.” Rider offered an arm– well, both arms, since he was still handcuffed. “Shall we?”

Rapunzel chewed on her lip, still suspicious, but took his arm.

It proved useful when, upon reaching the top of the tower, the first thing she saw was Mother's dress, thrown haphazardly in the corner of the room. Rapunzel flinched, clutching Rider's arm tighter.

“Easy now.” He patted her hand at the same time Pascal hugged the side of her face. “Bad memories. I get it. But you're here now, and they're all in the past.”

“I'm fine,” Rapunzel repeated.

That's where I was standing when…

Her dress. It's… torn. Raggedy and moth-eaten. Mother would have been disgusted.

Her gaze tracked to the place where she'd dropped the knife. It wasn't there anymore, though she hadn't taken it when she left.

Her mirror. The bag of scraps she'd used to make clothes for Pascal and other little things. The stairwell up to her long-abandoned room, where she'd stood when she screamed at Mother that day.

Fingers dug into her forearm. Rapunzel whipped her head to the side to see Rider, eyebrows drawn together in concern.

“You don't look fine,” he said. His hands lifted. She froze, but all he did was gently wipe a tear from her cheek. “Rapunzel… you're crying.”

“Like you said.” Rapunzel tried not to sniffle as she scrubbed her face with her hands and forced a smile. “All in the past.”

She was saved from whatever Rider was going to say next by one of the guards, who'd decided not to break down the door to Mother's room and instead yelled, “Rider! Where's the crown?!”

“One moment!”

“Nope! You had your moment. Crown. Now.”

Rider scowled and stepped away from Rapunzel, which was both disappointing and relieving. He stuck out his hands to the guard expectantly.

The guard crossed his arms.

“Oh come on! We're in a tower in the middle of nowhere with a couple of your friends at the bottom. What am I gonna do, fly away?”

The guard eyed him suspiciously. “You never know.”

“I'm flattered, really,” Rider said. “Hate to damage your confidence in me, but you really are overestimating my abilities.”

“Answer's still no.”

Rider spun back to Rapunzel. “Loose floorboard under the stairs–”

Rapunzel knew exactly which one he meant. She'd turned her ankle on it. Mother said she'd fix it but hadn't gotten around to it before…

She had to use both hands to pry up the board, but once it was up, she could hold it with one hand while the other dipped down and scooped out the satchel inside. “This?”

Rider lunged for it, but the guard snatched it out of her hand before he reached it. The guard reached inside and pulled out a golden tiara glittering with gemstones. Rapunzel stared at it.

“Crown part of the story holds up, I suppose,” the guard said reluctantly. “And the tower's out of the way enough to hide someone for eighteen years. I'll talk to the captain about arranging a time for you to meet the king and queen. They can determine if you're really the princess. Above my pay grade,” he added, just barely loud enough to hear.

Rider went into a fit of coughing.