Rapunzel had cried until she had run out of tears. She was trapped, like an animal in a cage. There was nothing she could do.
*~*~* Ten minutes earlier *~*~*
They were hiding in a broom cupboard. It had been Rapunzel's decision, since Pete and Stan couldn't decide on a hiding place. It was unsuspecting and nondescript so it would likely be one of the last places anyone looked if they came and it was close to the front doors if they needed to make a run for it.
Stan had found a spare chair in the back and placed it next to a small table. Rapunzel had thanked him, and Pete had helped her sit down. She rested her head on the table and Pascal shimmied underneath her fingers and she stroked him fondly. Pete and Stan had stood in front of her, facing the door – prepared for any attack. What they hadn't been prepared for was a trick.
There had been a scuffle of footsteps outside the door and everyone had tensed. Muffled voices had filtered in under the door. Then someone had knocked and spoke, "Hello? Are you in there? It's me, Eugene!" Rapunzel sighed with relief, the threat must've passed, Eugene had come to find them.
"Oh yes Captain!" Pete said, walking over to the door, "Don't worry we did what you asked and encountered no troub-" but he was cut off by a fist in his face. Rapunzel yelped as someone else punched Stan, so he fell to the floor beside Pete. Their halberds and swords were wrenched from them, the swords strapped to the belts of the muggers and the halberds pointed at the guards they belonged to.
"Good to see you again," a female voice drawled then spat out the last word, "Princess." Three shadowy males laughed. The female lighted a candle which illuminated her face. Rapunzel gasped; it was Lady Caine. "You might remember my companions here; I believe you've met before from the jail tales." The smirk fell off her face and she became commandeering. "Sideburns, Patchy, we have no use for those two. Here," she threw two bags at the Stabbington Brothers, "Throw them out after the Saporians free the doors and give the Coronans a surprise." The Brothers picked up Pete and Stan effortlessly, tied the bags over their heads and moved away down the corridor.
"H-how did you?" Rapunzel stammered, pressing her back against the wall,
"Turns out Andrew here does a pretty good impression of your boyfriend," Lady Caine said, patting the shoulder of the man stood next to her – Andrew. "Now if you cooperate, no one has to get hurt," she flicked her eyes downwards.
Rapunzel sighed and placed a hand on the side of her belly. She couldn't fight against them. 1. She couldn't defend herself as easily for obvious reasons, 2. They had her outnumbered, 3. She had no frying pan or any other weapon, 4. Sickness was holding her even further back and 5. She wouldn't put her children in the risk that Lady Caine was implying.
She had no choice.
Rapunzel didn't struggle at all as Lady Caine gagged her and bound her wrists behind her back. "Good girl," she slipped back into her drawl, "Right, in a minute, we are going out onto the balcony and you better not try anything." Rapunzel could only nod as tears burned her eyes. Lady Caine smiled at Andrew, "You know what to do."
The events played out and Rapunzel stumbled along as Lady Caine dragged her by the collar of her dress to the balcony. She fearfully looked through the tangle of fighters but couldn't spot any of her friends or her husband. Lady Caine had made her declaration then walked away, pulling her with her. She had taken Rapunzel to the throne room, probably as some kind of mockery, where two prison wagons were parked in the middle of the room.
"Backup," Lady Caine said as her fellow escapees came into the room behind her, "In case that draught your alchemist friend constructed failed,"
"Wouldn't have been a surprise," Andrew quipped. Rapunzel scowled at him, how dare he insult her friend, he didn't know the first thing about him.
Meanwhile, Pascal had peeked his head out from Rapunzel's hair and scurried down her shoulder as they had entered the throne room and darted through the door. All the criminals were too preoccupied with their small success to notice the small chameleon appear on the Princess' shoulder before changing colours as he ran down her dress and out of the room.
Suddenly, Rapunzel heard grunts and bangs coming down the corridor towards the throne room. "We have a stray Your Ladyship," Anthony the Weasel said as a unit of the Baron's men came in, behind them the Stabbington Brothers and they were forcing along a wrestling Eugene.
Rapunzel tried to cry out his name through her gag, what had happened? What about the others? Had they hurt him? Lady Caine handed her off to Andrew. "Well, well, well. Here he is, Captain Crook." Lady Caine sashayed over to Eugene, "I'd stop protesting if I were you, it won't do you any favours,"
"Oh really? I don't think so," Eugene retorted. Anthony had hold of Eugene's sword and tossed it to one member of Lady Caine's group,
Lady Caine smiled, "I do. I think you'll find I can be very..." she reached into her boot, "Persuasive." A glint of metal lashed through the air so fast that Rapunzel could barely notice it move from Lady Caine's boot to the side of Eugene's face. It was a knife and not just any knife. She pressed the flat edge of the blade against Eugene's face. "Recognise this?" Lady Caine raised her voice slightly and looked directly into Eugene's eyes then over her shoulder at Rapunzel, "We had a little look round your old digs. Bit of a mess now, thanks to you girl. Don't blame you though, it didn't seem like it had been much even when it was standing but we did find something useful." Eugene gulped for air and tried to lean away from the blade's touch, but Sideburns held his head and Lady Caine applied slightly more pressure and looked him directly in the eye. "I don't usually work with dirty weapons but I thought that the dried blood on here added a bit more drama," for it was Eugene's dried blood still coating the knife, the knife that Gothel had stabbed him with, the knife that had killed him. "So, if you behave, you and this knife won't have to have a little catch-up session." Lady Caine shoved the knife back into her boot and walked backwards, "Fasten him up like his Princess and bind both of their ankles for good measure," she addressed the room.
Eugene shouted one last thing to her before he was gagged, "Don't you dare hurt her!"
"Relax Rider - or Fitzherbert - whatever the heck you call yourself these days, I'm not totally heartless," she pointed at two of her crew, "Put them in one of the wagons and be careful with Momma Bear."
The Princess and Captain of Corona were sat in one of the prison wagons and Rapunzel curled up next to Eugene and rested her head on his shoulder. He nuzzled his cheek into the top of her head and gently squeezed her fingers with his own. The group of escapees had gathered at one end of the room and were discussing something, Rapunzel didn't have the energy to try and hear what. She assumed some form of attack and defend strategy.
Eugene tapped Rapunzel's fingers and tilted his head down at his binds. Rapunzel tried to untie them, but the thieves knew how to make a darn good knot. She shook her head at him, no good. Eugene reached out to try hers, but she pushed his hands away. There was no doubt that Eugene could undo hers, he had experience in knots and locks and there wasn't any latch his couldn't pick, but Rapunzel wouldn't prove much use. She nodded down at her ankles, I can't reach to untie them, she tried to say and smiled half-heartedly. Eugene understood and saw her cheeks dimple above the rag, he gripped her fingers tightly and bent down his forehead to caress hers. They could only wait and hope that they would be saved.
[~Author's notes~]
You guys have no idea how much I want to get the rest of this story out, but I want to leave you in suspense even more. School is crazy, I am losing my mind. It is deadline after deadline currently in my life and I'm working through the weekend because more needs to be done. Woohoo. Anyway, you know the drill - next chapter comes up this weekend. Bye!