(Warning: Singing Ahead)

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Chapter 59 -
Listen Up
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The story they told about Ruth didn't sound right to you. She might've have been a barbarian, but there was something they didn't know. Though why didn't you believe what your ruffian friends said?

You felt your head hurt and you placed your face on your hands after taking off your glasses.

Rapunzel sighs stressfully and paces on the stage with the tuning fork in her hand. “We're running out of time. Let's think, what do we have to go on? The listen up club….this tuning fork.” She flicks it as it vibrates with a slightly high pitch.

The noise suddenly triggered something in your head. Another memory.

The storm rumbled and it still poured heavily. Your vision was blurred as you stumble through the forest with your head aching badly. After while your feet gave out and you somehow fell against a door.

Vaguely, you see the door open and look to meet a fairly big lady. At first she glared before your gaze softened, “Oh you poor little lassie. Here, let's get you inside.”

A warm blanket was draped around you and the woman sits beside you. Luckily there was no one except you and her.

“Dear, what are you doing out in this lousy weather?”

You hold your head, “I…..I don't know.”

Rapunzel uses the tuning fork after figuring out a door behind the moving curtains and it opens up, “(____)! Look!” She turns to you, but you still had your head in your hands with your eyes closed. She didn't want to disturb you and went in with Pascal.

She hums, “Well the pub will be opening up soon. It's best if someone such as you doesn't take in all those loud and crazy thugs.” She helps you up and takes out a tuning fork.

You see her use it as a key and it opens up some doors that lead into a tavern. “You can stay here until you're rested. What's your name?”

At that moment, you realize you forgot your name and frown, “I don't know.”

The lady frowns, “Too bad. Well my name is Ruth. Ruthless Ruth.” Ruth pats your back and walks back out.

You sat there, not knowing for how long and look up at the tuning forks that hung above. You shift your sight to the piano and the music sheets.

Rudiger sat beside you and just watched the thugs and the Captain trying to break the door down.

“Don't worry you two! We'll get you out of here!” Captain counts down, “One…..two….three!!” They all run at the door with the table.

The door breaks open and Shorty flies out, but immediately disappears. Rudiger tilts his head and sees Shorty appear through a teal colored portal in the middle of the room.

“We're free!”

“I'm going to travel the world!”

“I'm going to exercise everyday.”

They all go through and end up back in the pub. The Captain just stared in disbelief. Rudiger’s head goes back and forth as everyone goes out then come back from where they started. Finally they get tired and stop.

“What in the world is going on?” Captain asks and sticks his and through, only for it to appear in the middle of the room.

Hoot Foot goes over and sticks his bottom to the door causing his behind to appear in the middle of the room now. There was a tear in his pants. He pouts, “Aw, come on! Why didn’t anybody tell me my pants were split? I thought we were pals.”

They try the trap door behind the counter and they all just fall from the ceiling. “We're never getting out of here!!”

“Augh!” Ruth yells angrily after coming back in and sits beside you, “Those buffoons!”

You shake a bit from how scary she looked right now, especially her booming voice. Ruth glances at you and sighs deeply, then brings her fingers up to the piano keys.

“All I dreamed of is to have my music played at this pub.” She played a melody and you watch the keys she pressed. “I'm afraid no one will listen.”

You look up to her and shyly smile, “I'm listening.” You try to copy the keys she played, but mess up. “And I think they all will listen if you try. Dreams are meant to be pursued and taken action by you. Only you can make it come true.”

Rapunzel had come out the tavern after talking with Ruth and tells everyone what she wants. “Guys! Ruth wasn't as bad as we thought!”

She smiles and takes the club, “Oh! And this isn't just a club! It's her secret song that she was too afraid to share it and now we all have to play it!”

So now, she sits at the piano and begins to follow the notes on the club.

Ruth chuckles, “You're a smart little thing. Here, like this.” She began to show you some of the keys to the music she came up with. “This song I wrote on my club here.”

She pulls out a wooden club and carved an x with the rest that marked along the base. “When I'm out there and I find inspiration. I mark the note here and that is how I got this.”

You smile when she began to play the song and she hums, mumbling some words, “Listen up, all you goons. Listen up and hear my tunes.”

“Listen up, if you please. Listen to your melodies.” You giggle and sing shyly.

“There you go! Sing it! Sing it!” Ruth sings out and the melody carries out.

Rudiger shakes when the Captain grab the club and breaks it before throwing it in the fire. “Take that Ruth!”

“ARUGH! Now I won't have my chance for my song to be heard and none of you will ever see the light of day AGAIN!” Ruth yells angrily.

You snap out of it and slip on you glasses to see Captain looking around sheepishly, “Uh….sorry.”

“You've crushed my dreams and NOW I'LL CRUSH YOU!” Ruth’s ghostly figure comes out of the fireplace. “None of you will ever see the light of day again!”

Ruth began throwing everything at your friends and even took control of Vlad, Ulf, and Shorty.

You clench your fists and stood up, walking over to the piano. Rudiger stayed close to you while you take a deep breath.

You're lucky Hook Hand taught you to play this piano well. The song came off the musical keys and you sang a bit, but loudly so Ruth could hear.

“Listen up, if you please! Listen to her melodies! Folks she wrote every note, so listen up!

Ruth turns to you and stopped everything while calming down back to a teal color. She smiles, “You…..you remember.”

“Yes, I do. You helped me one time during a storm when I couldn't remember my name.” You smile then frown slightly, “But you have to stop Ruth. You can still sing your song.”

Ruth growls a bit and points accusingly to the Captain, “No, we can't! That hot head with the misplaced eyebrow burned my music!”

“No. Ruth your song is your dream. The dream inside YOU and you can never burn a dream. The song is still in your heart.”

Rapunzel smiles, “(____)’s right. You're in charge of your own destiny and we're here to help.” She sits at the piano, “You have to face your fear and let your true self shine.”

Ruth smiles and disappears before floating out of the piano, "Since I was a lassie, just a sweet young thing, all I truly longed to do was make up songs to sing."

You grin while she flew around, making everything slightly back to normal and continued to sing, "Sure my voice was rotten and had a pity twang, but I had dreams, and in my dreams
this is what I sang!"

"Listen up, all you goons. Listen up and hear my tunes." Ruth turns purple and goes in front of the thugs which you can only see their bones through her. "Every line, boys, is mine. So listen up!"

"Catchy." Rapunzel giggles.

"How I yearned to sing it. Still I was afraid. Guess I feared, they call me weird." Ruth circled her fingers around her ears and her head lifted while going around once. "And mocked the songs I made. So I shut my PIE HOLE! And hid my work away!" She gestured to the tavern.

"But you had dreams." You sang while you stood on the piano and a spotlight came on.

"And in my dreams this is what I played!" Ruth sang next to you.

"Listen up, if you please! Listen to my melodies!" You both sang and Rudiger was on your shoulder, gently moving his head to the music.

"Folks she wrote every note! So listen up!" You, Rapunzel, and Ruth sang together.

Ruth formed her club and now she was maroon color as you sang, "She kept her song a secret, but carved it on this club."

A poster of Hook Hand's World Tour floats by, "Waiting till the perfect moment came!" Pascal pushes it away.

"At last I worked the nerve up and stood before the pub." Ruth takes off her head and holds it, "I let one note come through my throat." She lays down and slowly disappears in the floor, "And then I died of shame!"

"Died?" Everyone questioned.

"Dead!" Ruth yelled and a gravestone pops up from the floor that said Dreams R.I.P.

She rises up and floats toward the piano, "And now I haunt this tavern suffering for my art. Years and years of doubts and fears." Her ghostly body breaks piece by piece after going through a harp until a glowing pink heart floats.

You smile and take it, "It's time to heed your heart." Softly you give it back to Ruth.

Ruth smiles and appears now with only her head, "I can end this curse now, if I can end the song."

Vladimir looks to her singing a bit, "Like in your dreams."

Ruth smiles and her head bounces across the floor, "But in my dreams. You ALL must sing along!"

You grin and take Ruth's hand, pulling her to the floor while you both sing, "Listen up, all you thugs! Lift your voices and your mugs! Don't be shy, let it fly!"

You're floating tanks to Ruth and laugh while Rudiger clings to you happily.

Your ruffian friends now smile and sing, "Listen up!"

Ruth grins and feels pleased, "That's it!"

Big Nose dances, "Listen up!"

Attila is next to him, "Listen here!"

Hook Foot dances too, "Raise the roof!"

Shorty is sitting up on the moose head which moves to the music, "And rock the hall!"

You all sing together, "Make it loud, sing it proud, listen-"

"WAIT!" Ruth says angrily.

You grew worried, "What wrong?"

Ruth growls and points to The Captain who was trying to find a way out, "HIM."

You float over, "Captain, come on. Everyone needs to sing."

He looks a little awkward now, "I-I haven't sung in quite some time. What if I'm rusty?"

You roll your eyes and Shorty speaks up, "Your name's not Rusty. It's Captain and I'm Susan."

Rapunzel walks over, "Captain, please! It's almost dawn and we have to free Ruth."

The Captain groans and starts to sing, leaning annoyingly on the rail, "Listen up. Listen close. You're disgusting, old and gross!" Finally he sings better and makes his way down the stairs, "But your song is quite strong! Listen up!"

You smile and now run around, giving everyone drinks, "Listen up, listen up! Everybody raise your cup!" You all raise your cups, "Here's to Ruth, that's the truth! Listen up!"

"Listen up! Listen up! Listen up! Listen up!" You all finish and cheer.

The thugs clap for Ruth as she bows. “Thank you. Thank you all so much. You have helped me with my dream!” She flies around while laughing.

Outside had cleared up quickly and the sun shone like the storm never happened.

You smile warmly as she floats up to you. “(____). I always wondered what happened to you those years ago. After that one day when the Royal Guards raided the pub for a wanted thug. You just disappeared.”

Ruth smiles softly, “I watched as you kept the pub full of life, but it seemed you didn't remember then.”

You frown and rub your head, “I'm sorry….a lot has been going on and I'm still trying to find out where I came from.”

Ruth places a hand on your arm, “You'll find out. Just like how you know your name now. Be careful out there.” She hugs you and you do the same.

“Bye Ruth.”

“Goodbye (____).”

You watch her go out the door and Rapunzel runs out along with everyone. Rudiger chitters and tilts his head at you. You hum, then chuckle, “You're right. I should send you off back to Varian.”

After finding parchment paper, ink, and a quill. You write a quick note and give it to Rudiger. “Give Varian a hug for me, okay?” You hug the raccoon and Rudiger chitters happily then runs out with your note.

-

Varian had fallen asleep at his table and didn't notice a certain raccoon bolting into his lab. Rudiger jumps and clings to Varian's head.

“AH!” Varian screams and falls out of his chair.

His eyes are wide, but he realizes Rudiger is hugging his head, “Rudiger!” Varian grins happily and hugs him close.

Rudiger purrs then holds up your rolled up note.

Varian smiles more and unrolls it:

Varian, I made it to the Snuggly Duckling and I'm sorry I didn't send this sooner, but I didn't want Rudiger to go out in the storm.

I'm heading back to the castle with Rapunzel. I'll see you soon.

By the way, I hope Rudiger gave you my hug.

- (_____)

Leaning back against the stone wall of his lab, Varian smiles softly after knowing you were okay though one thing he did notice; was a small heart drawn next to your name.

His cheeks glow a shade of pink and he held the note to his chest. Varian closed his eyes and smiles dreamily.