I will find you

This I swear

Flynn, Morgana, Clyde, Max and Pascal are all racing to find Rapunzel. But the question is who will find her first? And what do the king and queen think is going on? Find out with this Concluding chapter of Holding out, Holding hostage.

Time loop! We know what Flynn and the Stabbington's were doing. Let's see what others were doing during that time.

BTW! Not going to go exactly by how Flynn and Rapunzel made their journey to the kingdom. Going to make up my own thing. ON WITH THE STORY

Back at the palace, Myra gazed out at the luminescent moon from her bedroom balcony with a worried expression, while Adaro paced back-n-forth. Rapunzel and Flynn should have returned hours ago. They haven't sent a message, no one has heard from them or seen hide nor hair of them. They couldn't even find Pascal and Maximus. And they almost never leave the palace grounds – Lap of Luxury and all that. It was all too disconcerting. Adaro had wanted to send out scouts to see if they could locate the two, but Myra advised against it. Since Flynn was new to the family and Rapunzel was madly in love with him, Myra didn't want to hurt Flynn's feelings by sending scouts to go and check on them. Yes the land was dangerous at night. And yes Flynn is only one man. But she didn't want to send someone, find out that nothing's wrong, and have Flynn think that the king and queen didn't trust him. They just had to wait. But waiting for their daughter to come back is something they did for 18 years. And Adaro couldn't stand to do it again. "Myra we must send someone to search for them." Adaro pressed pleadingly. "What if something has happened to them?"

"And I agree with you my darling." She replied reassuringly. "But what if they're just spending a night together by themselves? They are, after all, engaged."

"I know they are." He sighed, sitting on his bed. He dropped his head. "And I know Eugene is a wonderful escort and fiancé for her. I just…" he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to push his worries back, "For 18 years, we lost her. And we've just gotten her back. I don't want to lose her again and have to send out those blasted lanterns next year to symbolize that she's gone once again." Myra shared her husband's worries. Every year on Rapunzel's birthday, she dreaded to have to send out those lanterns. Praying every night that their little girl would find her way back to them, wondering if she's evening still alive – it was all heart wrenchingly painful. Sure she feared that once again they may have to do it again. And sure she wanted to go and search for Rapunzel herself. But they wouldn't know where to look. They just had to trust Flynn and wait for them to return.

Myra went over to Adaro and sat next to him. She put her hand on his back and knee, rubbing affectionately. "She will return to us. Eugene as well. Just watch."

"I hope you're right, Myra. I pray to the heavens that you're right."

/}{\

The moon shined down on the burning tower. The ashes and embers took to the sky, joining the tower to the heavens and the history it has lived through. Rapunzel listened as Clyde shouted curse after curse at her. But she did not allow that to stop her. Rapunzel pushed past the curtain of vines, tromped through the grassy patch, and entered into the woods. She tripped and stumbled over protruding rocks and tree roots. Rapunzel's body felt worn out, heavy like lead. She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right where she was. But she couldn't. Lord knows what inhabited those woods at night. And people without proper protection were known for not returning.

After what seemed to be an hour of walking, Rapunzel finally found her way back to the main road. So at least she had something to follow back home. Thanks to her travels with Flynn, she knew her way back to the kingdom. In fact, she was less than a mile away from the Snuggly Duckling. Once she reached there, then she could rest and relax. Because anyone who's traveled in these woods at night knew the dangers that lurked within the shadows – Wolves, snakes, bears, bats, etc. Rapunzel may have still had the dagger, but she knew that it wouldn't be enough to keep her safe. At least at the Snuggly Duckling she'd have four walls, possibly some food and a bed to sleep in.

AHHWOO! "AHH!" Rapunzel jumped. Cricket! Cricket! "HUH!" She drew the dagger, pointing it all around. Hoo! Hoo! "GAH!" Wind blows. "DON'T EAT ME!" She ran face first into a tree and fell back onto her butt. "Ow…" she moaned, rubbing her forehead. Realizing that everything was different at night, Rapunzel declared, "This isn't going to work." She was literally walking around blind. And she didn't think song glowing tear drops weren't going to cut it. "Ugh…let's see…"She searched around the ground for a large enough stick. If she at least had a torch she could find her way back to the main road. "C'mon…" She whined. "Where is – OW!" Her head hit something. "Now what?" She felt around, trying to find out what she hit. Her hand touched something would. It was round, stood tall, and planted firmly in the ground. It was a post. Running her hands up, she felt a piece of ply wood glued to it. Excitement built up inside her. Thanks to the moon light, she managed to make out the words on the board. But all she needed was the picture to know where she was. She had incidentally found the Snuggly Duckling. "I hope it hasn't been abandoned." Rapunzel said to herself. "I know the guys are living in the kingdom now, but you would think they'd leave it under another manager." Ever since Rapunzel returned home, the bar goers that she met there previously moved to the kingdom. Big Nose found love, Hook Hand plays the piano, and the others are doing their thing. So she wondered who was running the place.

The Tavern didn't have any lights on, no people walking around, not even a small guard dog. Rapunzel became worried that it wasn't open for her to rest in. Cautiously, she approached it. Making sure no one was watching over it, claiming that it was their territory. When she saw no one was there, Rapunzel strolled up to the door. Luckily for her it was unlocked. Or maybe that meant that someone was in there. Holding her dagger at the ready, Rapunzel gently pushed the door open and tiptoed inside. Her only source of light being the moon, she tried to make out the layout of the place. Aside from the dust, and a few cob webs, the place was still in pretty good condition – as it should be. The guys only left a few days ago. So it wouldn't be too bad. The barrels were full of mead, water, and some lime green liquid. A sign hung over the barrel of green liquid. Do not drink, eat, or make physical contact. Rapunzel made a cross with her fingers and backed away slowly. The cupboards had stale bread and apples. Not much, but it will do. She grabbed a cup, bread and an apple. Sitting at the table, Rapunzel ate and took some pause for thought. In the last few hours she's been kidnapped by the Stabbington's, escaped by the skin of her teeth, outran them and hid in her old tower, lured the Stabbington's into a death trap, and now she was hiding out in an old pub. Her last adventure with Flynn – minus the Dam incident – was not even close to this nerve racking. No one was there to help her, come to her rescue at the last second, or save her from certain doom this time. This time she was on her own. All on her own.

In all her life, she has never truly been left alone to fend for herself. She's either had Pascal there to keep her company, Gothel to remove anyone who got too close, or Flynn to come and save her. Never in her life had she felt so independent. And she had to admit, it felt good. She felt like a totally new person. She felt completely free, like she could take on anyone or anything. "Maybe Eugene could give me sword fighting lessons when I see him." She stabbed the dagger into the stale bread. She wrenched it apart. She had to drink the water while she ate it because it was so stale. She giggled out loud, excited that she was doing all of this on her own. "Second best day/night of my life." She marveled dreamily. Grr! "Hm!" Rapunzel stopped chewing. Grr! Came the sound again. The floor boards creaked. Something like nails was heard scratching the wood. Rapunzel wasn't alone. Panic rose within her. But she remembered what Flynn taught her. Always stay calm and try not to show fear. Showing fear gives you away. The only question was what was she trying not to show fear to? An animal, a person, or maybe a mouse's stomach gurgling next a wooden megaphone? Less than likely. what was it? And where was it hiding?

Rapunzel continued to eat like normal, but kept her ears and eyes peeled. Grr…the sound emanated from all directions. It vibrated through her back, sending chills down her spine. Grrr…Was it next to her? No. Grrrr…Was it behind her? No. Grrraaa…Was it in front of her? No. Grrrnn! It wasn't above her, was it? No chance. Where was that sound coming from? It couldn't be. She dropped her horrified eyes to the table. Is whoever's in here under the table? Quietly, she gripped the knife in her hands and moved for her apple. Purposefully, she let roll down the table and onto the floor. It bounced a couple of times and rolled underneath. "Oops!" She said as innocently as possible. She pushed the chair back. She kept her knife hand on the table, and knelt down slowly. Slowly…slowly…slo~wly… "AH-HA!" She stabbed the knife into the apple to scare the thing under the table. YELP! And what she found wasn't what she was expecting. "Huh?" Whimpering, curled into a ball, was a little Scottish terrier. (Jacque from Lady and the Tramp) Its fur was disheveled, he seemed a bit on the scrawny side, and he was chewing on a slipper. "Aww!" She swooned. "How cute!" She giggled. The Terrier growled defensively over his slipper. "It's okay," she assured him sweetly, "I don't want your slipper." The Terrier growled, backing away. "Hmm…" Rapunzel hummed thoughtfully. The dog was obviously hungry. Thirst was probably part of that as well. "Let's see." Rapunzel broke off a piece of her bread. Next she found a bowl and poured some water in it. "Here you go." She slid the food and water to him. The little dog sniffed the food suspiciously. He looked from Rapunzel and back to his food and started to chow down. "You must have been hungry!" Rapunzel gasped. "Is the bread okay? I know it's stale." The little dog barked with joy and went back to eating. "That's good. Hey, you got a name?" The dog shook his head. "Okay then. How about…Scotty?" The dog shook his head. "Rex?" Shook his head again. "Okay." She grumbled. "You need a name. A good name. A name like…Jacque?" WOOF-WOOF-WOOF! The dog cheered. "You like that name?" The little dog yipped and barked happily, wagging his tail at 60 MPH. "Alright! I'll call you Jacque." Rapunzel gave him some more bread and water, and joyfully watched him eat. "So Jacque, how'd you end up here? Abandoned? Strolled here on accident? Fell off a carriage?" She prodded. Jacque tapped his foot twice on the floor. He arrived there on accident. And judging by how skinny and famished he was, he was there for a long time. "You and I are in the same boat." She moaned. "Well, since that's the case, why don't you come back with me?" Jacque stopped lapping his tongue in the water. He cocked a fuzzy eyebrow. "I'm only hiding out here until day break. Why don't you come back to the kingdom with me? I have a Chameleon named Pascal that you'd like." Jacque Grunted dubiously. "You don't have to if you don't want to. But I would feel guilty if I didn't offer." Rapunzel rose from the floor and strolled for another room. Inside was a bed. A bit dusty and unkempt, but she could make it work. She removed the sheets and blanket and took them outside. She lapped them in the breeze. The dust and bugs flew off and onto the ground.

While she was cleaning the bedding, Jacque watched Rapunzel with interest. He had been living in that place a week. There have been people who have stopped by. But no one had ever offered to give him a home before. Seeing Rapunzel and hearing her offer, it gave him a warm feeling. Rapunzel walked back into the tavern and made the bed. Jacque trotted in after her. As Rapunzel lied down, Jacque jumped up and lied on her stomach. "So you want to bunk with me tonight?" She giggled. Jacque wagged his happily. Rapunzel took that as a yes. "Well Jacque, I'll take you up on your offer." She ran her hand down his back. As she and Jacque drifted to sleep, Rapunzel's thoughts drifted onto Flynn and her parents. She wondered how they were all doing. Were they worried about her? Did Adaro send scouts out to go and look for her? Was Flynn having a fit because he had no idea where she was? However they were all feeling – worried, sad, or scared – all of their sadness and worries would be washed away once she returned. "I'll see you soon Eugene. I promise." Rapunzel closed her eyes. And finally she fell asleep.

/[{}]\|_|/[{}]\

It was late in the night. The fire had died down. All that was left was the dwindling smoke. Many of the nocturnal creatures had come out. Owls were hooting, wolves were howling, and some of the snakes were hissing. After traveling for about two miles, Flynn and Morgana decided to make camp for the night. Max laid against a tree. Pascal lied on top of Max. Morgana leaned against Max, warming up against his fur. Flynn built a large fire. He placed his back up against a tree. He agreed to take the first watch while everyone else rested. It was the least he could do. He and Morgana sort played the silent game with one another for a good duration of the trip. They weren't angry at each other. They just didn't exactly know what to say. Morgana raised the Stabbington's, Flynn traveled with them, they were stealing to help morgana, and the kidnaping was probably for her sake as well. Flynn felt sort of selfish. The only reason why he stole was so that he could get rich and live in Fiji. Meanwhile the Stabbington's were doing all of this so that they could help Morgana. All he was was just a common thief. "I'm not mad at you."

"What?" Flynn asked.

Morgana was looking at him with glossy eyes. "I said I'm not mad at you. How were you to know that I raised the Stabbingtons?"

"That's not what I was thinking about." He admitted.

"Then what is on your mind?"

"Just…" he shifted uncomfortably, "The Stabbingtons stole, cheated, and lied all so that they could help you." He looked up at the star lit sky. "While I only stole so that I could help myself. I feel like lower than them." He brought his arms up and placed them behind his head. "Maybe that's why they kidnapped Rapunzel. Not only as revenge against me, but so that they could help you. And I feel guilty for preventing them from completing their goal."

"Well you shouldn't." She told him. Flynn cocked an eye at her. "To tell you the truth, even if the boys got the money, I wouldn't take it."

"Why not? They're working hard to help you."

"They aren't working hard!" She declared harshly. "They're stealing another's lively hood just so that I can live. I'd sooner succumb to this illness than take whatever money they gave me. The thought that I'd be living because they stole from another, makes me want to vomit." Flynn lowered his head. Stealing from lives to save one. They're both honorable and despicable at the same time. Do you steal from another to save the one you love? Or do you find an honest, yet longer way to help them? Those questions pertained to Flynn as well. If he hadn't have met up with Morgana or saw the fire in the distance, he would have stolen from his future mother and father in law to save Rapunzel. Would she have been disappointed in him as well? "The only thing that would make me feel better is seeing at least one of them come home again. But I guess…that's a dream that I'll never see come true."

"You don't know that." Flynn told her. "Dreams have a habit of coming true for those that work hard. Rapunzel and I are a perfect example." Morgana blinked confusedly at her. "We had separate dreams at one point, but then our dream was just to be together. And we got our wish."

"You two got engaged?" She assumed. Flynn nodded with a proud smile. "So maybe…if I went to the brothers instead of waiting for them to come to me, we could live together again?"

"Maybe. We'll never know until we find them." Flynn shifted to his side. "And if that dream doesn't come true, create another one. One where you're sure that it's what you…want." Flynn fell asleep.

"Something that I want?" She repeated. "What I want…" What was it that Morgana truly wanted? For her boys to come home? For them to stop what they're doing? What is it?

=_/-\_=

Morning finally came. The sun shined brightly through the thick trees. Squirrels, rabbits, etc. had risen from their hiding places. Rapunzel awoke to the sound of chirping birds. Jacque was lying on his back at the end of the bed. His small legs were running rapidly. Probably dreaming about chasing squirrels or small field mice. Rapunzel gently rose from the so not to disturb the sleeping dog and went to go see if there was anything she could eat for breakfast. As she expected, the cupboards were empty except for a good chunk of bread that was left. Luckily the woods were famous for having apples and berries everywhere you turn. So she could feed Jacque the bread and she could go get apples for herself. "Jacque! Come 'ere boy." Jacque trotted in. Rapunzel poured him some water and gave him the bread. "This is all I have for you right now." She said apologetically. "I'm going to go pick some apples and berries. I'll see if I can't find anything else for you to eat." She grabbed her pillow and took its case. "But I'm afraid I'll have to get going after that." ARF! ARF! Jacque panted happily. ARF! ARF! He ran around Rapunzel's legs. "What?" She giggled. "You want to come with me?" ARF! ARF! He nodded. "You really want to travel with me Jacque?" She asked with disbelief. Jacque jumped into her arms. He licked her face lovingly. "Okay! Okay! You can come with me. But we have to gather a few things first." Jacque nodded. He ran for one of the lower cupboards. He pushed it open with his nose and pulled out two canteens. They were a bit withered, but would suffice. Rapunzel did have a long way to walk. She grabbed a bowl for Jacque to drink out of. She cleaned off the canteens and filled them with water. She drank a little, and then filled it again. She packed the bread into the pillow case, put the canteens over her shoulder, and made her way for the door. "Come on Jacque," she gripped the door knob, "Let's get some more food and go home." She opened the door. "GRAH!"

A large hand grabbed her by the neck. It squeezed tightly. Rapunzel could feel her neck about to snap. Jacque barked viciously, prancing all around, demanding the figure to let Rapunzel go. "Hello there little princess." The figure greeted with a blood curdling tone. "That little fire trap of yours was clever." The figure walked further into the tavern. It was Clyde Stabbington. He lived. "But you only got half the job done." He tightened his grip. Rapunzel gasped, trying to claw his hand away from her. "Magical tears or not, I'm finishing what we started." He slammed her face down onto the table. He removed his hand from her neck. Sitting on her, he took her arm and twisted it behind her back. He then pushed up sharply. Rapunzel wailed with pain. "Feel that!" He pushed harder. "This pain pales in comparison to mine! The pain of losing my brother!" He reached into his pocket and took out an eye patch. "YOU SEE THIS! This is all I have left of my brother!" He bent her arm in more and started to turn it toward him. Rapunzel cried out again. Slamming her fist onto the table, wanting the pain to stop. "I'm going to kill you! Slowly, painfully! I'm going to listen as you beg for the pain to stop! I'm going to feel every last bone break in your entire body! Then I'll pack you in a box and send you back to Rider!" Jacque continuously barked and growled. He leaped onto the table and took hold of the eye patch. "HEY!"

"Jacque!" Rapunzel shrieked. "GO FIND HELP! PLEASE HURRY!" Jacque nodded and bolted out the door. "Good boy…" She sighed. Noticing that Clyde was distracted, Rapunzel reached into her dress. She had hidden the dagger so that she wouldn't be stopped and asked why she had it. She pulled it out. With a lucky swing back, Rapunzel impaled Clyde's leg. He cried out in agony. He removed his hand from her arm. Rapunzel managed to turn her upper body around and stabbed Clyde's ribs and yanked the dagger right out. Clyde gripped his side and fell off the table. Rapunzel rolled away and ran over to the counter. She pushed the lever to the underground passage. "Sure hope this works." She prayed. Then she jumped in and began sprinting down the tunnel.

Clyde grunted and growled at being outsmarted by a pint sized woman. He wasn't going to stand for this. He wasn't going to be denied his revenge. He tore his shirt, creating a midriff. He tied it around his rib wound. He didn't care about the leg wound. As long as he could walk, he was fine. "You won't escape me you pathetic brat!" He spat, spitting up blood. "I'll kill you. Then I'll throw your body at Riders feet. And then I'll kill him."

/}{\

Morgana had awoken and started to prep Max for more travel. She had a chisel that she used to scrap certain ingredients off of plants and rocks. She used that to clean out his horseshoes. Pascal ate a few nuts that were lying on the ground. Flynn had removed his undershirt and used it to carry back a bushel of apples, berries, and some water in canteens. He divided them among the four of them, giving Pascal mostly berries because of his small mouth. "Once we're done eating we'll continue for the tower." Flynn planned out. "If we keep going at the pace we are, we should make it there by sunset."

"Sounds good to me." Morgana smiled. "But what about the king and queen?" She asked out of curiosity. "What do they think is going on?"

"DAMMIT!" Flynn shrieked. "I forgot! If I don't figure out what to tell them they'll know something's up."

"Calm down." Morgana chuckled. She reached into her herbal basket and took out a note book and a pen. (Not sure if they had those back then. Who cares?) She wrote a letter stating what was going on. That Flynn and Rapunzel were fine. They were just taking time to plan out their wedding. They had a bit of a falling out, but were working it out. They would be gone for a while. Typical couple stuff. She put it on Max's saddle and sent him back. "I know we need Max in order to move at a quick pace. But it's the only way to keep Adaro and Myra from panicking."

"You're right." Flynn agreed.

"So which way do we go from here?"

"If we keep heading up this road, we should see the old Snuggly Duckling Tavern in five minutes. Then from there it's a straight shot to the tower." ARF! ARF! ARF! ARF! "What?"

Flynn turned around to a rustling bush. A small dog came rolling out. Flynn raised his foot up. The dog flipped into Morgana's lap. "Why hello there precious." She swooned. "Where'd you come from?" The dog rolled off her lap and began barking wildly. He ran in a circle, barking crazily. He stopped for a second and scanned the ground. "What's wrong? You lose something?"

"Maybe it was this." Flynn commented. He held up a patch. The dog barked wildly at the patch. He ran over to Flynn and pulled on his pant leg. "Hey! Hey! Where's the fire?"

"Eugene," Morgana spoke, "Look at that eye patch."

Flynn cocked an eye and glanced at the patch. It had grey ash burns on it. It was recently in a fire. Wait! Fire? Rapunzel's old tower was on fire. "This couldn't be…" Flynn trailed off. "IS THIS CLEAVERS EYE PATCH?" He gasped.

"You said Clyde and Cleaver kidnapped Rapunzel, right?" Morgana reminded him. "So maybe this dog has seen them." Another thought occurred to Morgana. "They might be at the Tavern you mentioned.

"Is that true boy?" Flynn asked. The dog nodded rapidly. Pascal flipped with joy and went onto Morgana's shoulder. "Hurry dog boy, take us there!"

{=}{_}{=}

Rapunzel tore down the rocky tunnel. The lanterns weren't lit, but she got a good enough look the last time she was there, so she knew where she was going. The only hard part was trying not to trip over rocks.

As she was running, she could vaguely make out Clyde's sliding walk. He was dragging his foot because of the wound. But Rapunzel could hear that he was moving fast enough. Hopefully, if things work out right, she can lose him at the end of the tunnel. Either by him bleeding out, passing out, or drowning. Ever since the dam burst open, there were tons upon tons of water filling a huge gorge. Though it was against Rapunzel's better nature – with the help of Clyde's injuries – Clyde should drown. She already killed one Stabbington. What's one more going to kill? Besides he morals. "NO!" She shouted to herself. "This is no time for Morals. It's either kill or be killed. And I don't want to die knowing that I didn't put up a good enough fight." Then that was that. This was going to be her greatest challenge yet. She either had to eliminate the Stabbington there and now. Or wait out until Jacque returns with help. Hopefully that was soon. "Whoa!" A powerful mist of water splashed her in the face. The tunnel was moist. Rapunzel could hear water flowing. She followed the sound all the way to the end of the tunnel. The entire gorge was full of water. Judging by how still it was, the water was trapped. There was also water trickling down from above her. "This is almost nostalgic." She smiled. "All I'm missing are the people who hate and want to kill Eugene."

"No you aren't." Rapunzel twisted around. Clyde had caught up to her. "And the best part is I hate both you and Rider. So I'm going to take great pleasure in killing you." Rapunzel took a defensive stance. Though she was surprised that he had caught up so fast. She was even more surprised that he hasn't collapsed yet. His face was losing its color. The shirt that was serving as a bandage for his rib wound wasn't holding up too well. The blood was spilling out in trickles. The same was said for his leg. He was starting to baby it, but tried to stand on it. "Now, I'm tired," He informed her deliriously, "And I'm in a very foul mood. So why don't you be a good girl and let me kill you without a fuss?"

"Listen to me Clyde," Rapunzel pleaded, "I know that you're angry about Cleaver's death. But all of that could have been avoided. If you guys never would have kidnapped me-"

"IF YOU WOULD HAVE JUST STAYED PUT NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!" Clyde roared. He clenched a hand to his side. The strain from yelling was too much. "You…you lit the tower ablaze…" he moved for her, "Cleaver tried to help me, only to die in the process!" He reached behind his back. He pulled out a large butcher's knife. "For too long we've had things taken from us! Our freedom, our hard earned loot, our very lives! Now it's time for me to compensate!" He sprang forward, slashing for Rapunzel's stomach. She jumped out of the way. Clyde, despite the injury to his leg, retaliated by skidding to a halt by the ledge and lunged for Rapunzel again. Rapunzel brought the dagger up, catching Clyde's knife. He bounced back and sliced for another part of her. Rapunzel tried desperately to keep up with his movements. But Clyde's strikes were so powerful and swift, she found it difficult. He wasn't using any type of form. He was swinging the knife as if it were a club. Well that club managed to graze Rapunzel in three different areas. When he cut her hip, Rapunzel cringed to the side. Clyde shot a hand out and grabbed her by the hair. He lifted her up and chucked her towards the ledge. Rapunzel bounced and slid. She stopped right on the ledge. Her dagger bouncing out of her hands and over by the tunnel. "Looks like the puppy has failed you princess." He mocked. "Too bad. I really wanted to turn him into stew." Rapunzel got up on her hands and knees. Clyde raised a foot and slammed it down on the middle of her back. He kept slamming down harder and harder. Rapunzel's ribs felt as if they were about to break any second now. "DIE YOU PATHETIC WRETCH! DIE AND JOIN GOTHEL IN HELL!" He shoved his heel into her back. Rapunzel felt something break. She cried out in anguish. "Ahh." Clyde swooned. "Have I ever mentioned how much I like cries of pain?"

"THEN YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS!" Clyde glanced over to the side. His head was greeted by a wooden peg. It smashed his nose in, knocking him away from Rapunzel. Clyde held his nose tenderly as he glared at the person who hit him. To his great displeasure it was Flynn Rider. "Stay away from my future wife Clyde!" He demanded.

"Ugh…Eugene…" Rapunzel groaned. Flynn knelt down to her. Turning her over and propping her onto his lap. Rapunzel gazed up at his relieved brown eyes. She felt tears of happiness come to hers. "Eugene…" She breathed, raising a hand to his face. Flynn took it and rubbed it against his cheek. Pascal climbed around his shoulder and went onto Rapunzel's head, curling into a ball. "I missed you guys so much."

"Not as much as we missed you." He kissed her hand. Pascal kissed her head. "You look amazing by the way."

"Surviving on your own with two murderous brothers will do that to you."

"It's a good look."

"One that I will not be wearing ever again."

"I agree with you on that!" Clyde growled. "Because in hell, it doesn't matter what you look like!"

"STOP IT CLYDE!" Clyde froze. Slowly, he turned his head to the tunnel exit. Standing there, with a ferocious expression, was Jacque and Morgana. "That's enough Clyde!" She demanded once more. "Wait?" She looked around. "Where's Cleaver?"

"Ask HER, morgana!" Clyde roared, pointing to Rapunzel. "She lit that damn tower on fire! Cleaver died saving me!" Morgana's eyes widened with dread. Cleaver…is dead? She thought in disbelief. She couldn't believe it. She gripped Cleaver's eye patch in her hands tightly. She rubbed her face against it, trying hard to take in some of Cleaver's essence. One of the boys that she was proud to call son was dead. And she felt guilty for not being able to do anything. "Now I'm going to make both of them pay!" Clyde continued. "And then I can finish what Cleaver and I started!"

"NO!" Morgana declared. Clyde's jaw dropped. "I don't want this Clyde! I don't want to live knowing that others had to die!"

"BUT DON'T YOU SEE?" He rasped, ignoring the pain in his side. "This has been mine and Cleavers dream. Our dream is to see you get better."

"And my dream…" Morgana trailed off. "My Dream…" She thought about what Flynn had said to her about having a dream. Morgana had been thinking all night and morning about what her dream truly was. "My dream…" She furrowed her brow and glared at the Stabbington. "My dream is to live my life to the fullest without hurting anyone mentally or physically. I want to help everyone I can and to the greatest of my abilities." Flynn nodded with approval. He believe that was a dream worth seeing through to the end. "And if you kill them Clyde, if you steal their lives from them to help me, you'll have tarnished my dream forever. Would you really do that to me?" Clyde started to heave rapidly. He couldn't believe what was happening. He wanted his revenge. But he didn't want to risk hurting Morgana. But he had to avenge Cleaver. Not if it meant destroying Morgana's dream forever. But how else could he help her? "Clyde…" Morgana called out. Clyde looked at her with a blank expression. "Let's just go home Clyde." She pleaded. "Let's return to the way things were before you became a thief."

Clyde shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. "You know what," he sighed, "That does sound good." He smiled warmly down to Flynn and Rapunzel. They smiled back. "Unfortunately…" He slapped his hand around Flynn's neck. "Things can never return to the way they are." He yanked the ex-thief from under Rapunzel. He began to squeeze tightly. "All that's left for me now is revenge!" He declared, taking Flynn over to the ledge. "And I will have it!" Flynn kicked and clawed at the Stabbington. Rapunzel tried to crawl after him. But her back was wrecked. Pascal would have done something. But after getting kicked by Gothel, he knew the Stabbington would just step on him. Jacque dashed over and bit Clyde's injured leg. "GAAAH!" He cried out, dropping Flynn onto the ground. Clyde reached down and grabbed the dog. He held the dog by his torso, getting ready to break him in half. "YOU WILL NOT FORESTALL MY VENGEANCE!" As Clyde bent the dog at his ribs, a sharp pain pierced through his chest. "GUH! ACK!" He dropped Jacque. The dog landed on his feet and ran over to Rapunzel. Clyde looked down to see what hit him. And what he saw brought shock to his eyes. "Mor…gana…" The woman he had called mother, the woman he had been trying to save, had stabbed him right in the heart.

Gazing up with tear filled eyes, Morgana whispered, "I love you, Clyde." Keeping her hand on the knife, she hugged him. "I love you too much to allow this." She pulled the knife from his chest.

Clyde staggered back, holding the wound. Morgana watched him with a saddened expression. She planned to see this through to the bitter end. Clyde's feet reached the ledge. He wanted to keep fighting. He wanted to see the light leave everyone's eyes. But he couldn't. He could feel the life leaving him. Resigning himself to his fate, Clyde raised his head to the sky. His eye peered passed the clouds, through the sky, and the universe beyond. And there he saw him. He reached a hand up to the sky and smiled. "I'm…coming…Cleaver." Like a tumbling tree, Clyde fell back and down to the water below. He splashed down, smiling as he sank to the depth.

Morgana dropped to her knees. Crying at what she had done. Flynn picked up Rapunzel and carried her over to the whimpering physician. He placed a sympathetic hand on her back, trying to comfort her. The threat was over, but the scars of that day were going to linger. Especially for Rapunzel and Morgana.

}{_}{

With the Stabbingtons gone and Rapunzel and Flynn finally reunited, with their new friends aboard, they all decided it was time to head home. But first things first, Rapunzel needed to be tended to. Her arm was fine, considering how hard Clyde twisted. As for her back and ribs, minor bruising and a slight sprain. All in all, Rapunzel was fine. But she may have to be carried to keep herself from straining her body. While she bandaged Rapunzel up, Morgana told Rapunzel about her history with the king and queen, and the Stabbingtons. Rapunzel couldn't believe that she was meeting the woman who allowed her to be born. It was like she was part of the family. But what her parents did, she felt that it was unjust. Morgana told her not to worry about it. Because by banishing Morgana, she had gotten to live out her dream by helping those who can't help themselves. So, in a way, Morgana has every reason to thank Adaro and Myra. Rapunzel figured that she should thank them too. Because if it wasn't for Morgana, Rapunzel would be having an elders back problems. So to pay her back, Rapunzel asked Morgana to open her mouth. Not sure as to why, Morgana did as she said. Rapunzel thought of every last sad moment she could. He built up enough tears and let them drop into Morgana's mouth. Morgana mentioned her illness to Rapunzel. In seconds the healing power flowed through Morgana's body. The bruising that once covered her leg was gone. Morgana felt as if her body was lightened of its burden.

The trip back to the kingdom was long and tiring. Flynn carried Rapunzel on his back a majority of the way. Now his back was hurting. They stopped off at Morgana's village. She lent them a horse for the trip. Jacque decided to stay back with her. Morgana figured that Jacque could keep her company now that she was officially living alone. Pascal and Jacque bumped paws, promising to play together someday soon. Rapunzel offered Morgana a chance to return to the kingdom with them. But Morgana declined. Her village needed her. She would stop by and visit every now and again, but for now she thought it'd be best if she stayed where she was needed. Saying good-bye, Rapunzel, Pascal, and Flynn made their way back to the kingdom.

The minute they reached the out walls of the kingdom, the guards were overjoyed to see that Rapunzel and Flynn had returned. They all personally escorted them to the king and queens halls.

Adaro and Myra were in the courtyard sitting by the fountain. Maximus was with them. They had received the message that Rapunzel and Flynn were fine. But they couldn't be too sure. They had no idea how long ago the message was written. And anything can happen. As Adaro was about to lose all hope, he heard something. "Sorry that we're late." Myra and Adaro shot to their feet. They saw a tattered Rapunzel and Flynn. "That fight lasted long than we thought." Flynn made sure to tell Rapunzel about the false lovers quarrel that they were having. It was the only way to make sure that they didn't panic.

Adaro and Myra didn't waste any time. They ran over and embraced their daughter in a tight hug. Adaro dragged Flynn into the hug. They were family, so it was allowed. Pascal jumped onto Max and gave him a noogie. He squeaked about the little dog he met. Max had to meet him one day.

The Stabbingtons were gone. Morgana was now released from her terminal illness. And the royal family was reunited once again. It was a good ending for what had to be the longest dream slash nightmare to have hit their lives. It was a good end for Rapunzel as well. She learned of the woman who saved her and her mother's life, and had a slight hand in her and Flynn meeting.

THE END.

Hey people, thanks for reading and sorry this fic took so long. I'm sorry if the ending was lax, but I was running out of ideas. If you guys want to make a sequel, then by all means go ahead. I'm done with this fic.

Once again thanks and BYE-BYE.