Flynn stopped running, ripping off a wanted poster from a tree. The brothers and Jaylyn stopped, eyeing him curiously.

"No, no, no, this is bad. This is very, very bad. This is really bad." He flipped it over, whining, "They just can't get my nose right."

Jaylyn rolled her eyes. "Who cares?"

"Well, it's easy for you to say. You look hot." He pointed next to the picture of him, the woman with shining h/c hair and a wicked smile next to his dorky looking smirk.

Groaning, she pulled him along until they came to a dropping slope. "Alright, okay. Give me a boost and I'll pull you guys up," Flynn suggested to Jaylyn, who looked at him like he had two heads.

"No. Not again. How about you give me a boost?"

"Oh, why, so you can run off?"

"You've got the satchel, genius. I'm still not lifting you up."

"Alright, fine, fine, fine." He turned to the Stabbington brothers. "You guys lift us up, then.

They looked at each other before Sideburns spoke. "Give us the satchel first."

"Wha...? I just..." He put his hand to his chest with a hurt expression. "I can't believe that after all these years, you don't trust me?"

They, including Jaylyn, stared him down unblinkingly.

"Ouch." He handed the satchel over and let them boost him up on their shoulders, then grabbed Jaylyn's hand and pulled her up.

"Now help us up, baby girl," Sideburns said, reaching out to her.

"Sorry, honey. My hands are full." She flushed the satchel at them, then took off with Flynn.

"What?!" Sideburns felt around himself, but it was true. The satchel was gone. "RIDER!"

-

"HaHA, did you see that poor bastard's face?" Jaylyn gloated as they ran. "And you were actually going to let them have it."

"Oh, sue me."

Galloping quickly behind them were the horses with the soldiers on them, the front being the captain of the guard on Max. "Retrieve that satchel with and force!" he ordered, closing in on them. "We got 'em now, Maximus."

But he lost most of the men behind him before Jaylyn split from Flynn. Max, confused, stopped, throwing off the guard. Regaining himself, he ran after Jaylyn before feeling a pull on his reigns. Confused, he stopped.

"Go! Heya! Come on, fleabag, forward!"

Maximus turned his head and saw Flynn on his back and nipped at him.

"No."

He tried again.

"No. Stop it!"

"Uh-huh...I'll just..." Jaylyn took off, the satchel still in her hands. She ducked down behind a fall of leaves, waiting for Flynn. Her waiting paid off when Flynn crept over, an extra pep in his step. He leaned against the vines that dangled, falling in.

Hearing Maximus, Jaylyn dove in after him, their backs on the stone on either side as Max sniffed the ground for them. They sighed in relief once he was a good distance away.

Gasping softly, Jaylyn put a hand on Flynn's shoulder, drawing his attention to the tower in front of them.

They followed their first instinct: climb. Flynn stabbed at the side of the wall, Jaylyn holding his legs. He pulled himself over, then pulled her up. Jaylyn checked herself, making sure she still had the satchel. "Alone at last," she mumbled before hearing a wack. When she looked up, she watched Flynn freeze up, then fall forward, a blond behind him, holding the frying pan up.

They both let out a scream at the same time. Jaylyn scurried for the window, tripping over herself. On the floor, she turned around, finding Richie with the pan held up above his head, blocking the top of her that led to the window. Covering her face, she screamed again.

Richie suddenly stopped and looked at her for real for the first time with curiosity and mild attraction. There was no denying that she was stunning. Model stunning. Gently, he took his pan's handle and used it to touch her hair, making her flinch. Next, he put it to the corner of her mouth and took a look. No fangs. They stared at each other a bit longer, green deep in meeting with e/c.

Glancing up at the window, Jaylyn tried to scramble up to make another run for it. Panicking, Richie wacked her over the head, knocking her out.

-

Richie shoved the thieves into his closet, trying to shut it, but they kept falling out when it opened. Finally, he tried to swing them in before getting his hair stuck. Frustrated, he banged his head on the door.

Once he was finally able to get them in his closet, he backed up, forcing himself to control his breathing. "Okay, okay. I got people in the closet. I got people in the closet." He chuckled to himself, finding the whole situation humorous. "I have people in my closet. Ha!" He swung his pan around, saying to himself, "Too weak to handle myself out there, huh, Mother? Well, tell that to my frying pan." While swinging it, he accidentally hit himself in the head, groaning in pain as he rubbed it.

Behind him in the mirror, he caught the satchel, the crown peeking out of it. Curiously, he picked it up, looked it over, and put it around his wrist. Pascal shook his head, so he took it off. This time, he looked through its shiny surface, but Pascal shook his head again.

Turning to the mirror, he slowly raised it up and put it on his head, taking his hands away slowly. It felt...right. As if...

Pascal, in awe, blinked a few times, not able to believe how amazing Richie looked.

"Richie, let down your hair!" he heard calling him from outside.

"One moment, Mother!" he called, making sure the closet was locked and crown was away, then swung his hair over.

"I have a big surprise!"

"Uh, I do, too," he called back.

"Oh, I bet my surprise is bigger!"

He pulled her up, mumbling under his breath, "I seriously doubt it..."

As she pulled herself up, Gothel announced, "I brought back parsnips. I'm making hazelnut soup for dinner. Your favorite. Surprise!"

He nodded, trying to be polite, but jumped right into it. "Well, Mother, there's something I want to tell you."

But she ignored him, placing down her basket. "Oh, Richie, you know I hate leaving you after a fight. Especially when I've done absolutely nothing wrong."

"Okay, I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier."

"I hope you're not still talking about the stars," she said as she picked up an apple from her basket.

"Floating lights and yes, I'm leading up to that."

"Because I really thought we dropped the issue, sweetheart."

"No, Mother, I'm just saying. You think I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there," he said, trying to lead up.

"Oh, darling, I know you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there."

He pushed, "But if you would just..."

"Richard, we're done talking about this," Gothel replied sternly.

"But trust me! I..." He made a move for the closet.

"Richie."

"...know what I'm doing!"

"Richard."

"Oh, come on!"

Frustrated, Gothel glared at him and screamed, "ENOUGH WITH THE LIGHTS, RICHARD! YOU ARE NOT LEAVING THIS TOWER! EVER!"

Hurt, Richie slowly pulled his hand back from the closet, noticing his mother seeming to age as she dropped into the chair. "Great. Now I'm the bad guy."

He looked up at his mural one more time and sighed, approaching his mother slowly. Quietly, he reiterated, "All I was going to say, Mother, is that...I know what a want for my birthday now."

"And what is that?" she asked, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose and her eyes closed.

"New paints?" he asked hopefully. "The paint made from those white shells you once brought me?"

She opened her eyes, bewildered. "Well, that is a very long trip, Richie. Almost three days time."

"I just thought it was a better idea than the...stars..." He brought his head down, only to be picked up by Gothel, who cooed softly.

"You're sure you'll be alright on your own?"

He smiled up at her with the love of a child. "I know I'm safe, as long as I'm here," he replied confidently as she kissed his hair.

-

Richie handed Gothel a basket and let her climb down his hair.

"I'll be back in three days time. I love you very much, dear."

He smiled as he watched her go down.

"I love you more."

She blew a kiss to him before she walked away.

"I love you most."

He waved until he was out of sight, then unlocked his closet.

-

"AHHH!" Jaylyn woke up, feeling something wet and slimy in her ear, finding herself unable to move. She looked down at her hands, tangled up in blond. "Wha...?"

"AHHH!" she heard Flynn scream from behind her. She realized that she and Flynn had been tied up back-to-back, both in chairs. Flynn tried to move, shaking them both.

"Is this...hair?" he asked.

"Struggling...!"

They both turned their heads to the shadow area, where a figure stood inside. "Struggling is pointless! I know who you are and...I'm not afraid of you."

"What?" Flynn asked, confused more than frightened.

Out of the shadows, Jaylyn's eyes met with the boy she recognized from before with the same frying pan. A man at average height with what she more realized to be long, beautiful blond hair. His freckles stood out only on his nose underneath big eyes that looked at her hauntingly.

"Who are you and how did you find me?"

"...ah-ha..." she said slowly.

Repeating himself, he tried again. "Who are you and how did you find me?"

Flynn raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Jaylyn. She looked back for a moment, then back at Richie. She cleared her throat and spoke in a desperate voice. "We know not who you are. Nor how we came to find you. But may I just say..." She looked down, then back at Richie with a sultry smirk. "Hi."

Confused, Richie blinked.

"How you doin'? The name's Jaylyn Rider. Flynn." She jerked her head at him while he looked between them awkwardly. "How's your day goin', huh?"

Scoffing, he pointed the handle at her. "Who else knows my location, Jaylyn Rider?"

Letting down her façade, she sighed. "Alright, Blondie -"

"Richard."

"Whatever."

"Here's the thing," Flynn started to explain. "We were in a situation, gallivanting through the forest. We came across your tower and -"

"Oh!" Jaylyn reached around desperately, her arms still stuck. "Oh, no! Where is our satchel?!"

Richie crossed his arms, proclaiming proudly, "I've hidden it. Somewhere you'll never find it."

She looked around towards the wall, then to the other side.

"It's in that pot, isn't it?"

WHAM! WHAM!

-

Opening her eyes again, Jaylyn found Pascal's tongue back in her ear, Flynn already awake. "Gah!" She threw him off again. "Would you stop that?!"

"Now it's hidden where you'll never find it." He held the frying pan at them threateningly, circling them. "So what do you want with my hair. To cut it?"

"What?"

"Sell it?"

"No!" Flynn shrieked. "Listen, the only thing we want to do with your hair is get out of it! Literally!"

Confused, he lowered his weapon. "Wait, you don't want my hair?"

"Why on earth would we want your hair?" Jaylyn asked, rolling her eyes.

"Look. We were being chased, we saw a tower, we climbed it. End of story."

Richie looked between them both, even more confused. "You're...telling the truth?"

"Yes!"

He glanced at Pascal on his shoulder, signaling for a talk. Before they stepped away, the chameleon glared at them both, putting his fingers to his eyes, then pointed at them, waving his hand around from Flynn to Jaylyn. While they talked, the thieves kept struggling to get out of the hair.

"Hmm...I know I need someone to take me...I think they're telling the truth, too...they don't have fangs...but what choice do I have?" He sighed, turning his attention back to the trespassers. "Okay, Flynn, Jaylyn Rider. I'm prepared to offer you a deal."

"Deal?" Flynn questioned.

"Look this way." He turned sharp, both of them falling over, Jaylyn smushing Flynn into the floor. "Do you know what these are?"

"You mean the lantern thing they do for the prince?" Flynn asked, still being squashed.

"Lanterns..." he whispered. "I knew there weren't stars!...well, tomorrow evening, they will fill the night sky with these lanterns. You -" He pointed at them with the pan again. "- will act as my guides, take me to see these lanterns, and return me home safely. Then - and only then - will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal."

Both flopping to get up and Flynn finally able to be understood, he shook his head. "Yeah, no can do. Unfortunately, the kingdom and us are not exactly simpatico at the moment."

"So we won't be taking you anywhere, Mr. Kidnapper," Jaylyn finished, giving him a smug "And what the hell are you gonna do about it?" look.

Richie glanced at Pascal, who pounded his fist. Nodding, he circled back to them. "Something brought you here, Riders. Call it what you will. Fate, destiny..."

"A horse?" Flynn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So I have made the decision to trust you."

"A horrible decision, really," Jaylyn admitted without missing a beat.

"But trust me when I tell you this."

He pulled her to his face with his hair, their noses almost touching. "You can tear this tower apart brick by brick. But without my help, you will never find your previous satchel."

She thought it over, clearing hey throat again. "Let me just get the straight. We take you to see the lanterns, bring you back home, and you'll give us our satchel?"

"I promise."

She glanced back at Flynn, who only gave a raised eyebrow response.

"And when I promise something, I never, ever break that promise."

Now she was the one to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Ever."

Jaylyn sighed. "Alright. I didn't wanna have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes the smolder." She tilted her head down, then back up at Richie with a sex-crazed, desperate appeal, watching him give her a stern glare. "This is kinda an off day for us. This doesn't usually happen." Dropping her look, she turned back to Flynn. "What do you think?"

Defeated, he answered, "Fine, we'll take you to see the lanterns."

He gasped, letting go of the chair. "Really?!" It fell forward, crushing Jaylyn this time. He looked down, sucking in his breath. "Oops..."

"You broke my smolder..."