002 — SWEET ESCAPE

     As soon as Rapunzel saw her Mother leave the area surrounding the tower she rushed over to the cupboard and took off the chair that was baracading it incase the boy woke up. She took a deep breath as she stood behind the hair before holding out her hand and opening the door with her magic. After a second he slumped to the floor luckily still unconscious. Rapunzel cautiously tiptoed closer to the body to double check if he was a threat but he didn't move. She managed to once again place his body back on the chair and secure him in with her hair as she dragged him into the middle of the room waiting for him to wake up.

After a few minutes, a groan left his lips as his eyes started to flutter open. Rapunzel stood behind a pillar as she held up her frying pan. The guy seemed to look around the room first as his eyes followed all of Rapunzel's hair draped across the room.

"Is this...hair?" He asked himself shocked at the amount of hair he was seeing before his eyes finally landed on Rapunzel's half hidden figure. His facial expression then changed from slightly wary and frightened to highly confused.

"Struggling...struggling is pointless." Rapunzel called out trying to sound intimating. "I know why you're here, and I'm not afraid of you."

"What?" He replied not knowing who the girl in front of him was

"Who are you? And how did you find me?" She asked as she stepped around the pillar and into the light so that he could see her properly.

Flynn stammered not knowing quite what to say as he took in her appearance and her copious amounts of hair.

Rapunzel grew frustrated as she repeated herself. "Who are you, and how did you find me?" She enunciated not sure if he understood her.

He cleared his throat as his facial expressions suddenly changed as he smoldered. "I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you. But may I just say... Hi! How you doing? The names Flynn Rider." His voice dropped lower and one eyebrow was raised as he tried to come off cool and mysterious.

Rapunzel tilted her head as he continued to look like he needed to use the toilet. "Um?...Are you-Are you okay?" She asked him as she continued to examine him head to toe "Did I hit your head too hard, uh I'm I'm sorry." She said to him causing the guy to realize that she thought he was in pain or concussed and quickly dropped his smolder which usually worked on the ladies.

He coughed as he began to reply. "Uh- n-no. It was a sort of smile you know, usually works maybe I'm doing it wrong. Here let me try again" He said to her but then it began to sound like he was debating to himself. He turned to face her again as he smoldered which once again confused Rapunzel as she didn't understand it.

She pointed towards his face as she spoke "Your face is doing that weird thing again, are you sure you're not hurt?"

He sighed deeply as he threw his head back. And then as if only just realizing he was tied up looked back to her. "You tied me up?" He asked in disbelief as he struggled against her hair? "What are you into that sort of stuff or something, Blondie ?" He then asked suggestively wiggling his eyebrows.

Although Rapunzel wasn't quite sure what he was saying a blush still rose on her cheeks as she turned away to hide it.

"Rapunzel." She corrected him.

Flynn sighed as he turned his head to look at his surrounding noting that a lot of the walls had been painted on, it was good. He realised that the "look" and flirting wasn't going to get him out of his current situation so he decided upon being honest... well sort of. "Gesundheit. Look, here's the deal. I was being chased, I saw a tower and-" He suddenly stopped as he realised he was missing something.

"Oh! Oh, no. Where is my satchel?" He panicked as he looked around him not seeing it anywhere.

Rapunzel looked down at him smugly. "I've hidden it. Somewhere you'll never find it." She said proudly thinking that he would never guess her hiding place.

Flynn looked around for a second before his eyes lay on a pot not far from them. "It's in that pot isn't it?" He asked pointing to it.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes as she looked at the pot before once again knocking the boy unconscious with a clang as she switched where she hid his bag.

☆☆☆

Flynn groaned as he regained consciousness. "Would you stop doing that!" He exclaimed not liking getting hit on the head, he reckons that there's a high possibly he now has a concussion.

"Now it's hidden where you'll never find it." She told him matter-of-factly. She walked around him before asking what she needed to know.

"So, what do you want with my hair? To cut it?"

"What?" He asked thinking that the girl was definitely crazy.

"Sell it?"

"No! Listen, the only thing I want to do with your hair is to get out of it, literally." He stressed as he moved against it not liking the restraint.

"You...wait. You don't want my hair?" She asked confused as her Mother always told her that people would want her for her hair and that's part of the reasons she's never allowed out of the tower.

"Why on earth would I want your hair?" The boy asked not knowing what he want with it as hair didn't exactly have the same monetary value jewels do. "Look I was being chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it. End of story." He reiterated, explaining to her again how he got to her tower.

Rapunzel squinted her eyes slightly to try and work out if he was lying or not. "You're telling the truth?" She questioned him as she pointed the frying pan at his chest.

"YES!" He exclaimed and if he could if he would of throw his hands up in the air in frustration.

"Hmm" Was all Rapunzel replied before she turned away from him so he could only see her back and started to have an internal debate with herself.

If he really is telling the truth then maybe he could take her to the city she has been drawing these past few years. It's not like she has much of a choice he's the only other person apart from her Mother she had ever made contact with. With that thought in her mind she took a few deep breaths before facing him again.

"So...Flynn Rider, I'm prepared to offer you a deal." Rapunzel announced holding both hands behind her back. One holding her frying pan the other with her fingers crossed hoping he would agree.

Flynn's expression changed to confusion and bewilderment. "Deal?" He asked warily.

Rapunzel huffed as she crossed the room dragging the chair Flynn was tied to. She pointed towards one of her artworks painted onto the wall. "Look this way, do you know where this is?"

Flynn's eyes widened. Of course he knew where that was, it was the place he ran from. "You mean the big festival at New Orleans?"

"New Orleans" Rapunzel said to herself trying the word out before facing Flynn. "You will act as my guide. Take me to the festival and return me home safely. Then, and only then, will I return the satchel to you. That is my deal." Rapunzel bargained holding her breath as she waited for his answer.

"Yeah...no can do, Blondie." Flynn shook his head. "You see some people of New Orleans and I are not exactly simpatico, at the moment. So I won't be taking you anywhere." He denied her request.

Rapunzel walked around him as she spoke. "Something brought you here, Flynn Rider." She told him not giving up. "Call it what you will, fate, destiny,-"

"Self preservation" Flynn suggested.

Rapunzel gave him an annoyed look before continuing. "So I have made the decision to trust you." She informed him but he looked less than pleased.

"A horrible decision, really." He told her, still struggling with the rope.

She then grabbed the back of the chair as she leaned in towards him so that their faces were mere inches apart. "But trust me, when I tell you this. You can tear this tower apart, brick by brick. But without my help, you will never find your precious satchel." She warned him before letting her hand go and taking a step back, impressed with her interrogation strategy.

Flynn clears his throat, he knew that she would never give him the satchel back unless he promised to take her but that didn't mean he couldn't convince her to return before they got to the city. "Let me get this straight. I take you to see the festival. I bring you back home and you'll give me my satchel?" He asked, it was a pretty simple request and normally he would of already agreed except this time it meant if anyone caught him back in the city it wouldn't end well for him.

Rapunzel nodded. "I promise. And when I promise something, I never ever break that promise." She told him before leaning forward a bit. "EVER!" She repeated to get the message across.

Flynn rolled his eyes at her statement before trying one last thing. "All right, listen, I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes the 'smoulder'." He then gives her another of his famous smoulders which always make girls swoon. He looked into her eyes to see her reaction and his smile faded seeing that once again he had failed.

"This is kind of an off day for me. This doesn't normally happen." He explains getting frustrated that his normal moves aren't working on her. But she didn't seem like any girl he had ever met before either, she did hit him on the head with a frying pan. He can't say he's ever experienced that before today.

Rapunzel folded her arms over each other looking at him expectantly before he sighed loudly. "Fine." He groaned. "I'll take you to New Orleans." He caved into her request.

"Really!" Rapunzel yelled, being too excited to concentrate on what's around her, being Flynn Rider still tied to a chair. Flung her arms up into the hair in excitement and forgetting that she was still holding the frying pan in her hand and once again whacked him in the face.

"Oops." She cringed at the sound of the pan meeting his face.

Flynn moved his jaw around trying not to wince. "You broke my smoulder" He complained.

Rapunzel looked at him sympathetically before carefully placing her frying pan on the floor and making quick work of getting Flynn out of his constraints. Flynn rolled his tight muscles loosening them before making his way to the tower window.

He looked back when he heard no moment of following footsteps. "You coming, Blondie?" He asked her as Rapunzel stood frozen in her spot.

This is what she has wanted for such a long time. To be able to explore the world and see something for once in her life, but she knew if her Mother found out she would be furious at her for disobeying her orders and Rapunzel hated disappointing her Mother. But she was turning 16 soon and soon she would be an adult and here Mother couldn't keep her locked up all her life.

"I'll catch up. I just need to grab something" She tells the boy before rushing off. She grabs the satchel from the pot and goes into her room finding the creaking floorboard and sliding it over to reveal a space in the floor, she drops the bag inside before heading back into the main part of her tower.

Flynn had already started his descend to the ground when she arrived. Rapunzel took one final look around her tower, and then stepped out onto the balcony. She looked down then realising just how big a drop it was. Flynn looked up at her unsure expression.

"Need any help, Blondie?" He teased as he continued to climb down the tower slowly.

Rapunzel shook her head "No I'm good" She told him slightly unsure if she was infact good.

"Come on Rapunzel, you can do this. You've waited too long for this moment, you're not giving up now." She gave herself a small pep talk before taking a few deep breaths and hooking some climbing rope onto a lever by the window which she normally used to help bring her Mother up.

Then she took another step and jumped. It felt amazing as the wind whistles through her hair as she flew down to the ground. She whizzed past Flynn who looked stunned and frustrated that there was an alternate way to get out of the tower other than climbing.

"That was there the whole time?!" He exclaimed as he rested his head against the wall in annoyance.

Just as she was about to reach the ground she stuck her foot out to the wall and stopped herself from falling onto it. Slowly she reached a foot out and placed in onto the soft grass cautiously before taking her other and repeating the action. When she realised she was indeed out of her tower she twirled around. She let out a cheer as she ran around the length of the tower. She had finally done it.

" I can't believe I did this!" She yelled out. Flynn who was still climbing to the bottom watched her run around on the grass cartwheeling and cheering to herself.

Rapunzel then stopped as if coming to a realisation. "I can't believe I did this" She mumbled running a hand through her hair. "I CANT BELIEVE I DID THIS!, Mother will be so furious." She said as she debated whether or not to just go back into her tower and stay there. "That's okay what she doesn't know won't kill her, right?" She asked more to herself than Flynn who had just finished climbing the tower and made his way to where the girl was internally debating her life. "Oh my gosh, this will kill her! I am a horrible person" She cried. Flynn not sure on what to do sat on the ground as she continued to debate whether she was doing the right thing.

"I'm going back" She announced. But as she reached the tower a few seconds later she span back around and started running through the grass again "I'm never going backkkkkk!"

"WAHHOOO!" Rapunzel yelled as she rolled through the grass before running around the tower. "BEST DAY, EVER!" She cheered throwing up her arms. And then as if it hit her again she slumped down against a tree sobbing into her lap as Flynn slowly approached her.

He cleared his throat before addressing her. "You know, I can't help but notice, you seem a little...at war with yourself here" He tells her as he tucks a piece of stray hair behind her ear to see her better.

She sniffed as she whipped her nose on her sleeve before looking up at him. "Really?" She asked, her doe eyes still brimming with tears.

Flynn hummed in response. "Now I'm only picking up bits and pieces of course. Overprotective Mother, forbidden road trip. This is serious stuff. But let me ease your conscious, this is all part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure. That's good, healthy even." He explained to the girl trying to ease her conscious and not make her feel so bad.

Rapunzel laughed slightly as she looked up at him. "You think?"

Flynn chuckled giving her a look. "I know. I've been through it myself, you're way over thinking the matter. Did your Mother deserve it? No. Will this break her heart and crush her soul? Well of course! But you just got to do it." He told her confidently.

Rapunzel looked unsure. "Break her heart?"

"In half" Flynn replied as he picked a berry off a bush absentmindedly.

"Crush her soul?" She muttered looking up at Flynn with glassy eyes.

"Like a grape" He nodded crushing the berry in between his fingers.

Flynn helped her off the floor as Rapunzel was still thinking about her bad her Mother would feel. "She would be heartbroken, you're right."

"I am, aren't I? Oh, bother." Said Flynn trying to sound sincere, at least she believed him. He sighed dramatically as he held a hand over his chest. "All right. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm letting you out of the deal." He told her as he brushed past her to pick up her frying pan that she still had.

"What?"

"That's right, but don't thank me. Let's just turn around and get you home." He said sounding like he was doing her a favor but really he just wanted his bag back with the priceless necklace so that he could finally escape New Orleans.

"Here's your pan" He tucked it under her arm as he pulled her along back in the direction of the tower. "I get back my satchel, you get back a mother-daughter relationship based on mutual trust, and voila we part ways as unlikely friends." He finished as Rapunzel pushed him away.

"No" She refused. "I am seeing that city"

Flynn groaned. "Oh, come on! What is it going to take for me to get my stuff back?"

Rapunzel held her pan to his face. "I will use this." She warned him as he held his hands up. Both of their heads turned as a twig snapped.

Rapunzel gasped as she grabbed Flynn and hid behind him gripping onto him tightly. "Is it ruffians? Thugs? Have they come for me?"

Flynn gave her an annoyed look as a bunny hopped out from the bush. "Stay calm. It can probably smell fear." He said sarcastically as Rapunzel immediately let go of her grip on the boy.

"Oh!" She chuckles in surprise and embarrassment. "Sorry. Guess I'm just a little bit jumpy." She apologized to Flynn as she tucks a piece of stray hair behind her ear.

"Probably be best if we avoid ruffians and thugs, though." He pointed out giving her a look.

She chuckled self consciously as she rubbed her arms. "Yeah, that would be best." She admitted a bit embarrassed that she got scared over a little bunny. She was trying to prove to her Mother that she could handle this world, she couldn't get scared over a little animal.

Flynn suddenly got a brilliant idea. He didn't want to have to take this girl into New Orleans, it would take a whole day and he should really be trying to avoid the place where everyone would be looking for him. All he needed was to get his stuff back and he could tell that Rapunzel was still at war with mind about the whole should she stay or go, so a little nudge in the right direction could fix both of their problems.

"Are you hungry? I know a great place for lunch." He said a little too enthusiastically.

Rapunzel chuckled nervously. "Where?"

"Oh, don't you worry. You'll know it when you smell it." He replied without explaining himself dragging Rapunzel along as they trudged through the woods.

"I know it's around here somewhere." Flynn spoke aloud. They had wondered the small bit of wood for the past twenty minutes and still hasn't found the place Flynn was talking about.

"Are you sure we're not lost?" Rapunzel asked but was shushed by Flynn when he spun her around.

"Ah, there it is!" He announced as he pulled her along. "Big Auggie's Bayou bar. Don't worry. Very quaint place, perfect for you." He told her trying to ease her mind.

"Don't want you scaring and giving up on this whole endeavor now, do we?" He asked slyly knowing that his plan would soon be perfected.

"Well, it does seem like it has charm." She smiled looking at the rusting sign. She noticed a few motorcycles but thought nothing of it as Flynn lead her inside all too happy.