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-A totally non-threatening peace offer-
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"Woaw." You mouthed as you got shoved down the castle halls. "This is just like the castle in Galcrest, but cooler! And with way more color."

"You've been in the castle of Galcrest?" Pete asked, not really sounding too interested.

"Yeah, but don't tell them that." You grinned. You kept looking around, not paying attention to where you were walking. It was a good thing you had these guys to lead you down the hall, otherwise, you would've walked into a wall, for sure. This castle was just so amazing!

Your gaze fell upon the many paintings on the walls. You saw a big one with the former King and Queen and their daughter, Rapunzel on it. They looked very happy. If you have got your research right, Arianna and Frederic were on a vacation to somewhere far away for a few months. You didn't have any complaints about that. It would be a lot easier to convince Rapunzel this way.

You saw a very nice looking vase, and if it hadn't been for the five guards walking behind you (Yes, you've counted) and for the handcuffs, you would have definitely touched it. And if you were alone, you might even have borrowed it. 

"Hey, mind showing me the way to the jewelry and treasure room too?" You asked, still looking around in awe.

"Very funny, (Y/n)" Stan spoke firmly. He had a tight grip on your shoulder, which prevented you from moving freely. Two other guys were walking right behind you, with raised swords, ready, if you tried to escape. You didn't mind it, though. You thought it was kinda cute, how they thought only five of them would be enough to stop you if you tried to escape - but you wouldn't try to. Not if everything went as you had planned it to. And it always did.

You were currently on your way to the throne room, where the Queen, her husband, and probably more security guards awaited - and hopefully one other special someone.

You haven't even mentioned him yet, have you? Well, he's also partly the reason of why you're here. But you'll come to that later.

The throne room was where you would hold your speech - or at least tell them why you came here. And have a little fun while you're at it - but not too much. You'll keep it balanced. This was a very serious case, that if not taken care of eventually, would basically destroy the whole world. You needed to sell yourself very greatly.

But throughout four years of criminality, you have discovered that your talking-skills and the skill to judge a situation from a greater perspective, was what you were best at. Selling yourself wouldn't be a problem.  

You had finally reached, what you expected to be the doors to the throne room. They were wider and taller than any other door, each with the purple and yellow sun flag on it, so it wasn't that hard to guess.

Pete and Stan were walking over to the doors, ready to open them, when a guard whispered something in your ear.

"Remember, (Y/n), you're wanted either dead or alive in the seven kingdoms. If you try to escape or even worse hurt the Queen, we won't hesitate to do what it takes to stop you."

You couldn't help a grin from appearing on your face. "Noted."

They opened the doors and revealed a very large, elongated room. It was illuminated by the sun, shining through the very large row of windows. Purple flags with the yellow sun-symbol were everywhere you looked, along with stylish furniture. It was overall very pretty.

At the end of the room, the thone was placed, with the Queen standing right in front of it. She had short, brown hair and a lovely purple dress. Her husband, Eugene Fitzherbert, stood right by her side, and next to his side was a tall, dark-skinned man. You were pretty sure it was Lance, Eugene's best friend.

But who caught your eye, was the boy, standing behind the two men. There he was. Varian. The royal engineer of Corona. He was the only one, who you hadn't needed to find research on, before coming here, because you knew who he was. You had known for a very long time.

All four stood with straight backs, awaiting you. Rapunzel even sent you a smile. You weren't surprised - she was known for her happy and bubbly personality after all.

"What? Is that her? But's she's... she's the same age as me!" Varian whisper-yelled to Lance, but Lance ignored it. He was too busy staring at you, with suspicion in his eyes. Eugene did the same thing.

When the guards have led you close enough (About 15 feet away from the Queen), they stood still, gesturing for you to start speaking. The whole room was filled with unbearable silence.

You looked at the Queen, gaining eye-contact. "Yo, Rapunzel. What's up?"

Pete face-palmed beside you, and Stan almost dropped his sword. "Seriously? It's your first time meeting the Queen, and you greet her like that? How about 'I come with peace' or something?"

You huffed. "I mean, well, I do come with peace, but I kinda come with like five guards following me as well-"

"(Y/n)" The Queen interrupted you, stepping forward. "What brings you here?"

She still had a smile on her face. How sweet.

"Right." You smiled sneakily. You couldn't help it. You looked at Pete and Stan who both had a hand on each of your shoulders. "If I may please walk around freely?"

The two guards looked doubtful at the Queen, who just nodded. With hesitation, Pete and Stan let go of you, and you stepped a few steps forward.

"Dear, beloved Queen of Corona. I turned myself in at your castle, simply to do one thing - warn you." You spoke clearly, using your absolute best manners. You liked how everyone grew quiet and gave you a confused look - they wouldn't have imagined a top wanted criminal to not only speak politely, but also turn herself in to do something good. There must be something more to it, right?

The brunette glipped her big, green eyes. "Warn me? About what?"

Eugene began walking forwards as well, coming up beside his wife. You guessed it was because he didn't believe you. Varian and Lance, however, came closer out of pure curiosity of what you had to say next. You made eye contact with Varian, and you sent him a grin. You didn't get to see his reaction, because your gaze quickly returned to Rapunzel.

"I believe you all know who I am." You started, but Eugene cut you off.

"You're a maniac. A killer. And a thief."

You smiled. "Well, I wouldn't call myself a thief, I'm just... Very good at acquiring things that aren't mine. And actually I usually avoid killing. That's not really my thing, you know? Besides, I only harm people who deserve it."

"You burned a village down."

"That was an accident."

"You destroyed an antique, golden statue in Bayangor!"

"An honest mistake"

"You tried to blow up the castle of Pittsford!"

"That actually wasn't me, someone just gave me the credit-"

"You've stolen from hundreds of people!"

"Rich people. And I gave it to the poor, just like Robin Hood!"

"You stole the King of Neserdnia's wedding ring!"

"I was really bored that day!"

"You then robbed their wedding cake, at their wedding-" 

"I like cake!"

"-And threw it out in the ocean!"

"Fish likes cake too!" You sighed, shaking your head. "That's not the point... But you forgot that time, when I sunk a ship filled with jewelry, that was hilarious-"

"Get to the point." Rapunzel pleaded.

You nodded. "Right, uh. What I meant was, that you probably know my rank as the second most wanted criminal. And therefore I assume that you know who's got first place."

They all nodded. "Argo." Rapunzel spoke up.

"Yeah, the seducer might not be a fitting name anymore." You said, slowly walking forward. The guards behind you tried to hold you back, but Rapunzel put up a hand, saying it was okay.

"You see, for a long time I have had my suspicion about him, about planning something huge. And now, thanks to some... Reliable sources, my suspicions have been confirmed." You talked, looking them directly in the eyes.  "Argo is the best criminal the seven Kingdoms has ever faced. Even better than me, and that says something. And it's beginning to go to his head. Seducing women, stealing and killing, isn't enough for him anymore. He wants to go bigger. And now he has made a plan that if succeded, could mean the end of humanity... So, therefore..."

In one smooth movement, you took off your handcuffs, throwing them back to Pete and Stan. A trick you had learned ages ago. The two guards' face-expressions were priceless. Eugene and Lance took warningly a few steps forward, but Rapunzel stopped them. She wanted to hear you out.

"I thought the five of us could work together." you finished, shrugging as if it was totally natural for a criminal like you, to offer the good guys cooperation.

"Why do you want our help?"  Eugene questioned, crossing his arms. His gaze shifted from you, to the handcuffs on the ground, and then Rapunzel.

You quickly glanced at Varian. He wore an outfit that perfectly showed that he was a royal engineer. He had a screwdriver in his hand, telling you that you had probably interrupted him in his work, when you had made your big move. When he looked at you, up and down, he blinked a few times - like many others, he couldn't believe that you were a criminal - a really good one in fact. You were so young!

You grinned at his confused expression, before answering.

"Because you seem rather experienced in these kinds of things. Wasn't it Zhan Tiri you defeated last summer?  And trust me, I don't really want your help. But I need it, and that's why I'm here. And you need my help as much as I need yours. Probably more, actually. This is a deal of a lifetime."    

"And what is Argo's plan, exactly?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure myself, but what I do know, I won't tell you. Yet."

Rapunzel and Eugene looked at each other. You took this as an opportunity to look a little bit more around. This castle sure was pretty.

"(Y/n)." Rapunzel then spoke, with her soft voice. "You and the seven kingdoms have been enemies for a very long time. You've successfully tricked people before, and you've committed crimes against all of the seven kingdoms, and several innocent villagers, without ever being caught-"

"Oh, stop, you're making me blush!"

"-so you need to understand that we're not able to just trust you, just like that. But if what you're saying is true, we really appreciate the warning... And the offer. But we need some kind of proof. How do we know, that what you're saying is true?"

"You can't." You simply answered, walking mysteriously around the floor, hands behind your back. "But I can promise you, Queen. If we do not do something about this soon, our world is as good as doomed. And that would be on you." You smirked, adding: "I highly recommend that you trust me."

"I think she's speaking the truth, guys," Varian spoke up, making everyone look baffled at him. Even you. "Back when I was... You know... Lady Caine and Andrew told me about some guy named Argo, having an idea of how to change everything as we knew it, in the future. That the villains and demons would, at last, be victorious. I didn't think much of it at the time, but... Maybe it's the same plan that (Y/n)'s telling us about and that Argo has begun to bring it to life..."

You blinked a few times. Varian had completely caught you off guard. Not once had you expected one of these guys to stand up for you, or just believing you so quickly. And how the hell did he know Lady Caine and Andrew?

You shrugged, letting it go - right before winking a thanks to Varian, which made his face grow red.

Eugene's face grew red as well, but probably not for the same reason. He couldn't take it anymore. He walked straight over to you, grabbing you by the collar. He was tired of you secretive talking, and mysterious smile. Rapunzel called out his name, but he didn't hear her.

"Listen little one, even if what you're telling us is true, we're not stupid. There's no way that you just wandered straight into the castle, letting yourself get caught, just to help us. What's in it for you?"

Your smile returned, which probably wasn't the best idea because it only annoyed Eugene even more. He was smart. Maybe it was because of the fact that he had been a highly wanted criminal too, once. But only in Corona. He wasn't even close to being on your current level. 

"I know it may sound weird, but I'm not necessarily a huge sucker for 'the-end-of-the-world' concept, even though I'm a criminal. I'm not interested in the world to end. I like this place. We have the same goal here, don't you see? And besides, once this all is over, we'll be enemies again. Pinky promise."  

You held a pinky out to the male, but he just shoved it away.

You stretched, because why not. "But I do have some terms, in order for me to help you. We want this deal to be fair, don't we?"

Eugene let go of you, and Rapunzel and Lance came up to his sides. Varian slowly followed, but he hid behind Lance.

"What're the terms, little lady?" Lance asked you.

"First, I want free food, free clothes, and a room to stay in, with a proper bed. I don't sleep well in a cell."

Lance and Eugene frowned, but Rapunzel waved her hand for you to continue.

"We need to stop Argo, and I'm the only one who knows where his secret layer is. There, we can figure out what his true plans are, together. But let's face it, I'm experienced, so I will be the one who does the dirty work; Therefore my second term is, that whenever I'm out on a mission, I won't have guards following me around. I don't care when it's on castle ground, here you can have as many guards following me as you'd like. But let me make this very clear - I will not have any of these guards putting my work at risk!" You stated firmly. No one messed with your work. Ever. 

Eugene looked like one who had just ate a frog, and he began with his wild arm-movement. "ABSOLUTELY NOT! You'll just escape!"

You huffed. "Please, if I wanted to escape this castle, I would've already done by now. May I remind you that I'm not cuffed at the moment? If we do decide to work together, this will be how we work. I won't question your ways to handle the situations on, and you won't question mine." 

Rapunzel sighed. She looked like one who was thinking this through very carefully. Understandable. "What's your third term, (Y/n)?"

You looked up, smiling. "Until we'll all head out on the final task to stop Argo once and for all, I will only work with Varian."