Bailey woke up early the next morning to find herself in a cot below deck, all of her friends already up for the day. Although her headache was gone, a gnawing hunger had risen in her stomach.

The twins opened the door to the chambers, plates of meat and bread in their hands.

Aura smiled brightly at Bailey. "You're awake!" She hugged her tightly with one arm before handing her a plate. "We were scared—we didn't know what happened to you."

Bailey chuckled, gratefully accepting her meal. "Spells of that caliber don't bode so well when you only have so much magic coursing through you," she explained before looking at the wooden ceiling, hearing footsteps from above her. "Has he been up there all night? He should get some rest; I feel bad for not taking over."

Carolyn shook off her concerns. "It's okay, I took over part of the night." Bailey looked at her quizzically, causing her to chuckle. "I'm from the shore of Massachusetts, you don't think I haven't taken a sailing class before?"

Bailey laughed lightly, shaking her head before observing Aura's anxious face.

The blonde noticed her friend's gaze while she tugged nervously at her ear. "I was wondering"—she gestured between her and her sister— "we were wondering if you might be more willing to teach us magic?"

"With everything that happened with Onyx, we figured we should probably know how to defend ourselves apart from a misty defense spell," Carolyn stated, carefully holding up her newly bandaged hand.

Bailey sighed, putting down the slice of bread she had been nibbling at. "Magic is tricky, it requires a lot of stamina and some spells can seriously hurt you if you aren't born with enough magic to support them. I have enough to get by, but I'm nowhere near as powerful as Merlin or your grandmother. Neither of them would ever faint from an elementary cloaking spell," she explained, looking down shamefully.

Aura gave her friend a sad smile before giving her a small hug. "Even if it was a simple invisibility spell, you bought us some very valuable time."

"I know you're worried," Carolyn stated sympathetically. "But you have to trust that we'll be able to handle this. I can't go on without knowing how to protect myself."

"I'm still not entirely sure..." Bailey said wearily.

Aura walked over to where Bailey's satchel hung on an iron hook. She reached a hand into the bag and pulled out a small book with a maroon binding. "Does this change your mind? I might have slipped it in before we left."

Bailey tentatively grabbed the book, her eyes widening as she read over the thousands of spells the browning pages held. She looked up at her and nodded, rising to her feet. "What do you wanna know?"

They arrived in Corona the next afternoon, steering their ship carefully to the kingdom's port, anchoring in the last, least crowded dock. They rode their horses into the town built into the hill surrounding the castle, the ship disappearing in a billow of smoke behind them.

Houses and shops with thatched and shingled roofs were seemingly built on top of one another. Their faded windows had their own flower boxes, each filled to the brim with small plants that matched the shutters. The cobblestone streets were narrow and crowded, yet welcoming.

The twins, Robin, and Bailey made their way through the village, deciding to buy a hot meal at a tavern with coins Silvia had given them.

The inside of the tavern was dark, but the iron chandeliers cast a warm glow onto the wooden walls and furniture. Dozens crowded around the bar with cold pewter mugs filled to the brim with ale. Waitresses in busty dresses danced around the pub, refilling cups and bringing food to their customers. The four sauntered to the back of the pub, careful to avoid being noticed by anyone. As instructed by Robin, Aura and Carolyn slid their charm bracelets farther up their arms, their sleeves concealing the jewelry from any possible prying eyes.

The twins, Bailey, and Robin all scarfed down their food in silence, listening only to the whispers of conversations around them.

"There are stockpiles in Yônngân and Camelot," a grizzly voice spoke in a lowered tone.

"We recruited more from Sealin," another man replied.

"It'll be difficult to convince the people of Arendelle."

Aura's face twisted in curiosity as she deciphered the conversation. "Are they talking about an uprising against...?" she started in a whisper, receiving a nod from Robin in response.

A group of soldiers in golden armor burst through the front door, startling the room of people. They worked quickly, yelling about rebel forces and conspiracies of revolution as they bound together the hands of a few men sitting at the bar.

"We need to get out of here right now," Robin said, his eyes darting around the room in search of an escape route.

He quickly led them through a set of doors and into the tavern's kitchen while the guards were distracted arresting citizens. They quietly snuck out the back exit, leaving their horses behind which were surrounded by more soldiers.

Running through the town square at a rapid pace, they soon reached a large bridge, connecting the kingdom with a forested island. They relaxed when they were certain the wall of trees had covered them, slowing down as they walked through bushes.

The two moons soon rose overhead, blanketing the forest in dim, blue light. Robin sat by the small fire they had created, admiring the carvings in Excalibur's blade as they reflected the golden flames and the silver moons.

Carolyn joined him in the soft grass, popping the air bubbles in between the vertebrae in her back.

"Can't sleep?"

She shrugged. "Too many things going on up here." She lightly tapped the side of her forehead.

"Penny for your thoughts, then?" Robin turned his body to face hers. "And don't even try to say that they aren't a big deal. You were practically silent the entire boat ride and walk until we set up camp for the night."

"Yeah..." Carolyn said quietly, her eyes meeting the ground as she scribbled in the dirt with a stick, her other hand cradling the locket around her neck. "My boyfriend and I aren't together anymore."

"I'm sorry. Did you two fall out of love?"

Carolyn scoffed. "I guess you could say that." Her eyes met his, happy to find him listening intently. "He cheated on me."

A wave of unexpected anger flashed across Robin's greens as his body tensed up. "I can't imagine why any real man would ever be unfaithful to you."

She chuckled at his response, but still felt tears well up in her eyes.

Robin looked at her with concern, guilt evident in his voice. "Did I say something wrong?"

Carolyn shook her head, staring into the fire as she decided whether or not to disclose her thoughts. "It's just that"—she paused, her eyes now gazing into his kind ones— "you care about me more than he ever did.

"I was the one who made the first move, I was the one who paid for food, I was the one who always spoke to him first."

Robin listened intently, waiting for her to finish.

She scoffed, rolling her eyes at the memories of Eli. "But he only ever did nice things for me to save his own ass."

"Trust me I get that," Robin blurted out, clearing his throat once he realized his own words. "Did you tell him about Fabula?"

"I didn't think I should...and I guess I was right." Carolyn shook her head, folding her hands in her lap. "I learned my lesson though, I trusted him too easily."

"You shouldn't blame yourself for trusting," Robin stated, catching her gaze once more. "You should blame him for being a disloyal prick."

She giggled gleefully, the sparkle of her hazel eyes in the moonlight not going unnoticed. Her gaze shifted to the bow and quiver and arrows that sat by his feet. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but do you think you could teach me?"

Robin's eyes traveled to his trusty weapon, a small smile playing on his lips before he stood up from the grass. "Follow me."

Carolyn hopped onto her feet, accompanying him as he walked deeper into the woods.

When they were far enough from the camp, Robin handed her his bow and loaded it with an arrow.

Before he could say anything, Carolyn pulled the string back and let the arrow fly, like she had seen Robin do plenty of times, trying to aim it at a nearby tree. Instead, it flew past her intended target and disappeared into the darkness. "Whoops..."

"Here," Robin said, standing behind her. With a soft nudge of his foot, he repositioned the distance between her feet. Like a sculptor, Robin adjusted her posture bit by bit. He put in another arrow into the string and put his hands over hers, careful not to hurt her burn, and drew back the string far enough that it touched the tip of her nose. "Aim with your dominant eye," he instructed, slowly positioning the direction of the arrow. "Think of the arrow as an extension of yourself. Visualize where you need it to go."

Carolyn let out a deep breath as she looked down the arrow's shaft at the tree in front of them.

"Now," he said and they both let go of the string, the arrow digging dead into the center of the tree's trunk.

Carolyn let out a squeal. "I did it! I did it!" Her celebratory chanting halted when she realized how close they were standing to one another. She felt heat begin to build up in her cheeks as an amused smile danced across Robin's lips.

They talked and practiced for a few more hours, eventually returning to the dwindling fire. They laid on their backs to look at the stars until Carolyn finally fell asleep in the grass beside him.

Robin smiled to himself, draping his cloak over her unconscious body and murmuring a soft "Goodnight."

The four swiftly began their search for the next item in the morning. Bailey led them towards the direction of Rapunzel's tower, hoping they would find it without excessive trouble. "It should be a fairly straight shot west from here," she explained as she folded up her map.

They wandered through the thick foliage for hours before reaching a rocky wall with ivy draped over it.

Bailey looked around, noticing that the rocks continued on either side of them. She followed the line of ivy until she reached a large hole in the shale, pushing past the vines and wandering through.

The forest was seemingly nonexistent beyond the rock wall as they walked into a vast clearing. The rock wall surrounded the entire field with small cascading waterfalls spouting from the peaks. Flowers bloomed all around them, buds sprouting from the lush grass. A small pond of clear blue water was near the center of the meadow, accompanied by a thin, lofty stone tower reaching high into the blue sky.

The twins gawked at the tower's height before a bright glow erupting from their bracelets caught their eye. The golden sun charm, that had matched the symbol on the armor of the guards in the tavern, emitted a soft sheen.

Robin grabbed an arrow from his quiver and began to pick at one of the brown stones of the tower's base; however, no matter how hard he hit the brick, it didn't chip.

Carolyn eyed Excalibur as it dangled from Robin's belt. She quickly unsheathed it, stumbling backward from its weight.

Robin smirked at her struggle. "Let me know if that gets too heavy for you."

Carolyn squinted her eyes, flashing a vexed smile. She heaved the sword up, forcing Robin to dodge her swing. In a shaky motion, Carolyn hacked away at the brick, a piece quickly falling off the tower and onto the grass.

She grinned contentedly, returning the weapon to Robin's belt. "There." Her hand scooped up the jagged piece of brick before tossing it to Bailey. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Bailey laughed as she slid the piece of brick into her satchel. "Well, Miss Quick Thinker, wanna navigate us out of here, then?"

Carolyn's smile dropped from her face. "No, no you do NOT want me to lead. I'll accidentally navigate us off a cliff!"

Bailey gave the map and compass to her friend, a smug smile on her lips. "It's not that hard"—she held her hand up— "promise."

Carolyn mumbled under her breath as she led the other three through the woods, looking back and forth between where she was going and the map.

"So, what's next on the list?" Aura asked before taking a sip out of one of their water pouches.

Bailey looked at the piece of parchment where she had scribbled the necessary items, crossing off 'a shard of captivity from a great height.'

"The most logical one to try and retrieve next is 'a sole of glass that lasted after midnight'. My mum, when she first heard it, immediately thought of one of Cinderella's glass slippers. If her hunch is right, then when we get back to Corona's capital, we should find a ship that's going to Glassimere."

The woods were practically silent apart from the wind rustling the leaves of the trees and the group's soft footsteps on the grass. They would see the occasional small rabbit hop in front of them or small birds fly above the canopy of leaves, but for the majority of their trek, they seemed to be the only things traveling through the forest.

"How much longer until we reach the bridge?" Robin asked, eyeing the tree he could have sworn he had seen at least three times before in the last hour.

Carolyn stopped and slowly turned on her heel to face her friends. A sheepish smile was plastered on her face. "About that..." She awkwardly shuffled side-to-side. "I kinda lost track of where we were about half an hour ago. I was sorta hoping one of you would catch on and take the lead."

"Bloody hell," Robin muttered, taking the navigational tools from her small hands. He led the group back northeast, landing them on the correct path.

As they wandered on through the woods for what felt like an eternity, they became increasingly uncertain about their location.

"Maybe we should ask someone for directions," Aura softly suggested, pointing to a feminine figure in the distance with her back to the group.

As they drew closer to the woman, Robin eyed her more carefully, noticing a system of metal bound around her hands and feet, a chain looping around the tree she sat under.

Before he could recommend their escape from a likely capture, the girl turned around, her big, green eyes looking up at them fearfully. It was then that they noticed the golden locks flowing from her head, their eyes unable to locate where her hair ended. She did not look that much older than Robin but the dark circles under her eyes and the red, irritated skin around her wrists and ankles depicted a life much different than his.

Robin and Bailey quickly ran to her, attempting to pick the locks that bound her to the tree.

The woman shuffled off the cloth around her mouth, leaving her free to speak. "No no no," she rushed out, pulling her arms away from the pair. "If you set me free, you'll surely be captured."

The abductee's eyes glanced at the twins, who stood behind their friends and examined her with pity. An expression of realization rose on her face, her eyes even wider than before.

"Go before Gothel sees you or your intentions will be made known," she spoke frantically, her eyes not breaking from Aura and Carolyn's.

Aura's eyebrows furrowed as she deciphered the woman before her, trying to remember her identity. "Who are you?"

A sing-song voice called out to the girl from deep within the forest before she could reply to Aura.

"Rapunzel," a feminine voice bellowed. "I'm almost finished, my sweet flower!"

The golden beauty looked at the group, her face deeply worrisome. "Run."

They took off without second thought, scared to risk facing the woman Rapunzel so intensely feared. Their pace quickly led them to the bridge connecting the forest with the kingdom.

The four were nearly on the brink of fainting when they reached their horses, which still waited for them outside of the tavern, although they were now unattended.

As they mounted their steeds, they couldn't help but observe the shattered windows of the restaurant, the glass sprawled across the stone of Corona's town square.

They were sure to not remain in one place for too long, staying still only once to reexamine the shrinking list of items. Using some of the money Silvia gave them, they purchased passage for themselves and their horses at the kingdom's port, sailing away not long after towards the Kingdom of Glassimere.

Hello lovelies!
Honestly, Robin is the real MVP, and no one can change my mind. We got our first (er, second if you count Anna-Popsicle in Arendelle) look at what an unhappily ever after looks like for a Hero.

Until next chapter!
♡ Melody & Rebekah ♡