The woman moved slowly through the forest, picking her way carefully around trees and hedges. Her raven hair fell in curls behind her back, the thorns tugging at her locks as she went. Somehow, her fancy dress was untouched by the briars and thorns, and her hair was immaculate.

The woman emerged from the line of trees, approaching a tall tower in the middle of the plains. The tower was obviously abandoned. Vines and plants grew up along the side, spiraling around the tower. Moss grew in large clumps on the stone. Yet she continued going closer to it, her intention obvious.

The woman's stalker followed behind her, swathed in a black cloak, his obsidian wings concealed beneath the fabric. He frowned a little. The woman had gone throughout The Story, and he'd never seen why. He couldn't take a half-baked explanation back to his father. He would never accept it. This time, he would have to go closer.

Before he could move, the air beside the woman shimmered, and an old hag appeared beside her. The woman leered at the younger woman, her eyes narrowed in wrinkled slits. "Nimueh, you no-good witch, what do you want?" she demanded.

"I have a business proposition for you," Nimueh of Camelot replied. "If you're interested, of course."

"Begone!" the hag snapped. "I'm finished with wars and being recruited! Twenty years have passed, and the old war still affects me."

"I know you pine for the loss of your adopted child, Gothel," Nimueh said soothingly.

"Pine for the brat?" Gothel sneered. "I want her dead. She willingly betrayed me and left me here, even tried to have me killed. I don't pine for her. I want her gone!"

Even from the cover of the trees, the observer could see Nimueh's lips turn up in a smile. "Even better," she said. "What would you say if I told you I could help you with that?"

Gothel cocked her head, a crafty expression coming over her face. "Hmm, well, that might change things, sorceress," she said. "How exactly do you plan on bringing about the end of my treacherous former child?"

The observer leaned closer. This was the crucial moment. If he failed to hear it properly, he would be passing a faulty report along to his father, and that would never do. Nimueh stiffened and looked over her shoulder, seeming to stare right at him. He held still, knowing his magic would protect him in the shadows as long as he didn't move an inch.

Finally, Nimueh's eyes moved away from him, back to Gothel. "All is not right here," she told the hag softly. "I feel as if we're being watched."

"I will not go anywhere with you until you tell me how you plan to kill Rapunzel," Gothel snapped, her patience at an end.

Nimueh's face tightened briefly before she forced a too-bright smile. "Very well, Gothel. My plan is to destroy the Guardians."

"Easier said than done," Gothel said.

"Not really," Nimueh replied. "To destroy the Guardians, one must kill them. Kill them all. Everyone sharing their blood. Guardians, former or current. They must all die."

That was all the observer needed to hear. He retreated into the trees slowly before running away. He wondered what his father would make of the information and of Nimueh's plan to kill the Guardians at the heart.