The thing about the desert Will found most annoying was the temperature. During the day it was so scorching hot Will had thought he was going to melt. At night, tied between the two spitting camels, he thought he was going to freeze to death. To make things even worse, the camels hadn't really stopped spitting at him since the Forty Thieves had gone into the cave.

Also, his arms were falling asleep from the uncomfortable position. He wished he hadn't shed his cloak at the oasis, not knowing about the freezing desert nights. Will sighed. At least the thieves had taken Rapunzel into the cave with them; she wouldn't be freezing like Will was.

At some point, despite the freezing cold and spitting camels, Will managed to doze off. That is, he was dozing, until the camels decided they want to start moving in opposite directions with Will's arms spread out. "OW!" he yelped as they proceeded to pull his arms out of their sockets.

"Whoa!" The voice startled Will as a diminutive, round man rolled down the dune and landed near Will. He scrambled to his feet, his black mustache caked with sand. "Who—who are you?"

"I'd answer," Will said through gritted teeth, "but these blasted animals are going to tear me in half!"

The short man got Will's message and produced a knife from his belt. Working quickly, he cut Will's wrists loose from the camels. Will sat in the sand, rubbing his wrists and rolling his shoulders in an effort to get feeling back. He looked at the short man. "I owe you," Will admitted. "My name's Will Scarlet."

"Ali Baba," the man returned. Will recalled Rapunzel mentioning an Ali Baba at some point. "Are you from around here?"

"Err...no. I'm a traveler of sorts," Will said. Not a complete lie. He didn't feel like going into his life story with the little man, even if he had saved Will's life. "What about you?"

"I'm a merchant," Ali Baba explained. "I know there is gold in this cave; I was waiting for morning to come to enter and take some for myself and my wife."

"That's stealing," Will pointed out, though he was a thief as well. He figured it was his duty to point out that fact, even if he didn't abide by those rules himself.

Ali Baba shrugged. "They stole from others, I steal from them," he replied. "It is simply good business. Not so very different from running my merchant business, except this will be more profitable."

"I'm afraid because you released me, the thieves will know you're here," Will said. "You won't be stealing much if they know you're here."

"You would be surprised," Ali commented, grinning slyly. "Do you want a drink?" He produced a jug of water from on his belt and handed it to Will.

Will took several swigs out of the jug, relishing the feeling of moisture in his mouth. He handed it back with a good deal of reluctance, but Ali shook his head. "You need it more than I," he said, smiling in a giving manner. "Tell me! Why have the Forty Thieves taken an interest in you and tied you between two camels? They really don't want you going anywhere."

"They're holding my companion inside the cave," Will answered with a sigh. "And unless I can figure out how to fight forty men, she's doomed."

"A woman?" Ali Baba asked curiously. "They're holding a woman in there? This insult can simply not be borne! If your lady friend is being held in there, there is nothing to do but rescue her. Wouldn't you say?"

Will stared at Ali for a long moment. "In case you're forgetting, there's two of us...and forty of them." He scratched his head. "How exactly do you plan on overcoming those odds?"

Ali grinned. "We have something they don't," he told Will, tapping his forehead. "Our minds. They aren't smart. Come; we'll go back to the city. My wife's serving girl, Morgiana, she will help us."

"Hold on," Will said, frowning. "I'm not leaving Rapunzel in that cave with them! They'll kill her!"

"Is she worth something to them?"

"Well...she has magic hair," Will admitted.

"Then they won't hurt her," Ali assured him. "She's worth money to them. And as long as she retains her value, she'll remain alive. You, on the other hand? If they left you out here, tied to camels, you're worth nothing to them. The only reason I can see for you to remain alive in their hands is to keep this Rapunzel and her magic hair under control. And once they sell her...where do you think that leaves you?"

Will squirmed. He still didn't feel comfortable abandoning her. "But..."

"There is no 'but' about it," Ali insisted. "You come with me, or the thieves kill you in the morning when they find out you were untied!"

Will sighed. "Fine," he said, giving in. "But I'm not pleased about it, Ali Baba."

"Just Ali," the little man corrected him. "Get on the camel."

Will looked at the creature, and it glared at him balefully. "No thanks," he said.

Ali Baba dragged Will to the camel and forcefully shoved him onto its back. The little man was a good deal stronger than he looked. Will was not happy about getting on the vile, spitting beast, but Ali wasn't giving him any choice in the matter. The man held him on the camel firmly. "We won't make it very far with you on foot," he scolded Will. "So relax and get some rest. I'll get this camel back to the city."

Will wanted to protest, but he found his eyelids were too heavy. He leaned his head against the camel's neck and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, back in the cave, Rapunzel was struggling to fall asleep. Bound and tossed in a corner, she was suffering a supremely uncomfortable night. The gag dug into her cheeks, drying her tongue and throat out. She longed to use her hair to show the thieves just how uncomfortable she was, but the realization that Will was still their prisoner outside stopped her.

Despite having known him for only about a week, she couldn't bear the thought of the thieves harming him. There was something oddly endearing about the high-energy, talkative thief. She shuddered to think of what the thieves would do to him once they didn't need him anymore.

Rapunzel prayed that Will would somehow escape their grasp. It didn't matter if they had her; she could escape herself. It was Will she was most concerned with.

One of the thieves snored not far from Rapunzel. She almost slapped him with her hair but somehow managed to resist the temptation. She rolled into what she hoped would be a more comfortable position, but only managed to get into a worse position. She huffed through her gag, frustrated. Maybe the thieves weren't going to kill her, but she wished they could have made it a little less uncomfortable.

Having given up all hope of falling asleep at that point, Rapunzel turned her thoughts back to Will Scarlet. Please, Lord, she prayed. I know I don't speak to you much anymore, but You've given me something to live for. Please—protect Will. Don't let anything happen to him.

She was mature enough to realize that she cared about Will as more than just a friend. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that it had happened, and she didn't want it to change. She closed her eyes, silently breathing several times before she admitted the truth to herself.

I'm in love with Will Scarlet.