Rapunzel awoke to darkness, and the musty smell of... She wasn't exactly certain what around her. The sound of dripping water drew her back into the present as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with a palm. She felt something wet and grainy smudge against her cheek, but she couldn't see what it was—it was absolutely pitch black here, wherever she was. She felt the sensation of tiny paws pressing onto her stomach, making their way over to her shoulder. Pascal. She knew his presence immediately. It was a comfort in itself, considering their situation.

"Ah," she heard a familiar voice say from somewhere nearby. "And so my sleeping beauty awakes."

"Wha...?" Rapunzel mumbled as she pulled herself upright. Her head begun spinning almost immediately, starry flecks blooming in her vision, over the blackness of never-ending darkness. She hissed slightly at the soreness stretching across her back. The floor underneath her was harder than anything she'd ever lied down on before.

"Couldn't really see much when I flew in here," the voice continued. Jack, she reminder herself. It was Jack Frost. "But I'm pretty sure you just slept on a bed of rock and moss. Sorry about that. I know how stiff you humans get."

Rapunzel groaned. It felt safer, to speak when you could not see those listening. "Thanks for the reminder of your etherealness."

"Aw. You really think I'm too perfect for this world, Goldy?"

Rapunzel was grateful for the darkness hiding her blush. "No," she was quick to reply. "I meant that you're a spirit."

She could hear the smirk in this tone, clear as day. "I'm sure you did."

The room succumbed to a mutual quiet. It was a comfortable silence, but one Rapunzel would have rathered not have. She held Pascal's tiny body in her hand to serve as a reminder to herself that she was not truly alone in this unknown place.

Everything hit her, quite suddenly. The tower. Kozmotis and his creatures attacking her Guardian. Feeling her limbs give out beneath her as darkness devoured the edges of her vision. Couldn't really see much when I flew in here. That's what Jack had told her, but mere seconds ago. I'm pretty sure you just slept on a bed of rock and moss.

Worry gripped at Rapunzel, mixed with a tinge of fear. She brought Pascal close to her heart, pulling her knees up even closer to her chest in the process. She wasn't certain she desired seeing her whereabouts, but it was something she needed to be aware of in case the beasts of the world cornered them both. She needed to know where to run and—

She was outside.

Rapunzel struggled to process the realization in her mind. The hard rock underneath her, the wet soil thinly layered over her hands and cheek... It was all the product of nature. Real, actual, nature. And she was sitting on top of it all. How long had she sat by her window, dreaming of this very moment? How often had it been tainted by the thought what lay beyond the beauty?

"What happened?" She found herself whispering now. "Mother..." She hadn't seen her escape. She hadn't said goodbye. What would she think when she saw her gone? How worried had she become already?

A hard lump formed in her throat at the thought. They'd been together practically ever since she'd been born. Rapunzel had trusted her with her life. But now... She'd abandoned her, with no escape. That was, unless she found the scarf Rapunzel had knitted what already felt like an eternity ago. But how long would that take? Perhaps the shadow would find it in his heart to fetch her mother supplies and let her feel the grass beneath her feet every once in a while.

The lump in her throat almost choked her at the thought. If she could have found her voice, she'd have ordered Jack to take her back.

"I'm sure your mother's fine," Jack begun. But it was so dark, Rapunzel could no longer stand it. Without waiting for the rest of his answer, she sung her song quicker than she'd ever sung it before. Magic pulsed into her hair, illuminating it from her roots, all the way to the pile strewn into an uneven mountain before her. Oh, god. She'd never seen it so knotted. Branches and leaves alike were tangled heavily in its hold, altogether making for a horrifying sight.

Jack was sat on a rock to her left, guiltily looking at the mess she'd just revealed. "See, I thought about laying you down on your hair, but I figured you'd actually appreciate the ground more."

Rapunzel couldn't do anything but gape until Jack continued: "I had a bit of trouble with it," he confessed.

Rapunzel jabbed a muddy finger toward her hair, which was still shining bright. "A bit?"

Jack frowned. "You try flying in the woods with eighty feet of someone else's hair trailing behind you!"

"It's easier to handle than you'd think," Rapunzel knit her brows.

"To someone who's used to it, maybe. This—" he pulled at the short, stark white hair atop his own head before pointing to the mess that was Rapunzel's. "Hardly compares to that."

Despite her annoyance, Rapunzel had to admit he was right. She's grown up handling the length of her hair, and it was a bother even to her sometimes. She rubbed at her wrists at the thought of him catching her and carrying her away from the only home she'd ever truly known.

"What happened?" She asked again, after a moment's passing. "After I...?"

"After my icicle knocked you out?" Jack finished. "Sorry about that too, by the way."

Rapunzel winced at the vague flash of a memory.

"Well," Jack continued, ever proudly. "I oh-so-heroically saved you from becoming a new puddle on the grass, and I iced the window while I struggled with the hair flying in my face. Have you ever thought about cutting it?"

"You iced the window?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yeah," Jack confirmed. "Most of the inside of that room we were in, too."

"What?" Rapunzel asked as the realization dawned on her: Not only did Mother no longer have Rapunzel's hair to help her down the tower, but now the window had been completely sealed off from her too. Rapunzel widened her eyes dangerously at Jack, already standing up on wobbly legs to make a break for the exit. Wherever that was. "You, did what?"

"Hey, whoa, there!" Jack said, standing with her. "Relax, Goldy. I'm sure that woman put in an emergency exit when she built that prison of yours. Seems tactical enough for that. And besides, it's so hot here the ice probably finished melting hours ago."

Rapunzel stopped. "That woman is my mother. Snowy." She added after a moments' thought.

Jack rose a brow, a smirk dancing at his lips. "You mean 'Frosty'? I think that one has a better ring to it." When Rapunzel only glared in response, he sighed. "Listen, Punz. I don't think heading back to that tower of yours is a good idea right now."

"But—"

"I know," Jack interrupted, twiddling with his staff. "It's your home, and she's your mom. I promise I'll take you back to her after but, right now, we have other problems to deal with first."

Rapunzel set her hands over her hips, curiosity briefly overtaking her urge to go home. "What kind of problems?"

Jack glanced away, thoughtful as he leaned back onto a large rock. "I've been thinking... Remember that prayer you sent my way? I need you to do that again, but with the others. Toothiana, North, Sanderson. I need you to send them a warning. Tell them Pitch Black is back."

"Back?" Rapunzel repeated, thinking back to the last story in her Book of Guardians. "You mean after you and those children helped them send him away?"

Jack nodded, slowly. "Exactly. I don't know what he's told you, or how close you two are, but we need to send him away again. Back to whatever hellhole he was in before, if you don't want him to turn the world into a living nightmare. And I'm not talking about his horses."

Rapunzel frowned at that. "Isn't it already a nightmare, what with the plague and all?"

Now it was Jack's turn to frown. "Mind repeating that so I know I heard you right?"

"The plague. Mother said the villagers turned into these... ravenous monsters after my birth. It's why we've been living in the tower for so long. Even her scavenging trips were dangerous endeavours, but she knew how to avoid the infected and fight them off if need be." Childhood memories tugged at her mind as she spoke. Those of her swinging across the tower whenever Mother was gone, pretending she could battle the creatures off on her own. Pretending she was as strong and brave as Mother was.

But Jack's piercing blue gaze wasn't leaving her own. "There is no plague," he stated plainly. Rapunzel began to laugh, but it quickly died down when he didn't join in. "I've been to Corona, the village, and everyone was perfectly fine. Rapunzel, your mother probably just told you that so you wouldn't try to leave."

"No," Rapunzel shook her head, refusing to believe what this boy was telling her. "Mother promised. She would never lie to me."

"I'm sorry," was all he said in reply. I'm sorry you grew up the way you did. I'm sorry you spent your entire life believing a lie. I'm sorry you were so afraid.

"Mother would never..." She started again, only to fail, a heavy knot forming in her throat yet again.

Jack tipped his head forward almost sadly to meet her gaze. "My friend, Katherine, visited me last night. She's the one who warned me about Pitch. Have you known him for a while?"

Rapunzel nodded ever so slightly. It felt strange, talking about him with someone who could actually reply. Someone who looked so human.

Someone who was like her.

She told Jack about the nights Kozmotis had appeared for her. Watching. He made a thoughtful noise when she was finished, pointing a finger toward her. "Katherine mentioned you being important in stopping him."

"Well, if that's the case," Rapunzel huffed, grabbing the hair hanging at her side so she could pull the clump on the ground along with her. "Then, we have no time to waste."

"Hold it there, Goldy," the hook of Jack's staff found its way around Rapunzel's waist, stopping her in her tracks. "You haven't been out for that long—it's still night outside. And night means—"

"Pitch and his fearlings can come out," Rapunzel finished after a moment.

Jack nodded. The brightness of her hair had nearly finished fading, sending what now looked to be cave back into a sea of blinding darkness.

"Some light would really help, but I'll try to finish untangling your hair a bit while you rest. Deal?"

Rapunzel lowered her head, heading back to the rocky spot she'd woken up on. She shifted to an area with a little bit more of was cushiony moss. It felt strangely soft against her skin. "Alright. Deal."

.·:* *:·.

When Jack eventually shook her awake, Rapunzel opened her eyes to see that dawn had just broken over the sky. The cave hadn't been as deep as her mind had originally led her to believe after all. It was only but a nook that travelled no more than ten meters into the ground.

"Are you ready?" Jack smiled.

"To go where?" Rapunzel asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She'd spent most of her energy last night sending mental warnings of Pitch's presence over to the other Guardians.

"Back to the North Pole," Jack stated, already marching toward the exit. "We need to plan."

Rapunzel sat up, eyeing the knotted mess that was still her hair. It had gotten much, much better, however. Most all of the branches and leaves were out of its hold. Jack had kept his word on that, at least. "The North Pole?" She decided to ask.

"Where North's Workshop is."

"I remember," Rapunzel said. "From the book, I mean. But before I go anywhere else with you, I want proof that Mother lied to me. That I didn't leave her behind for no reason."

Jack smiled. "You'll find proof of that in the North Pole."

Rapunzel struggled to think of last night. He'd said something about a village... "Corona!" The name jumped out of her memory. "You mentioned a place named Corona. Take me there first, and then we'll go to the Workshop."

Jack groaned. "I'd love to—if we had time. The trip's already a two day flight."

A shiver of fear ran over her at that word. Flight. In the air. Hovering, so close to falling. "I'm not flying anywhere," she argued, shifting her feet against the rock. It was a grounding movement, proof that she was safe, perfectly stable and on the ground.

"It's the only way to get to the North Pole. With me, anyway."

"There isn't a road? I'm pretty sure I've seen you walk before."

"Last I checked, islands were surrounded by water."

Rapunzel pursed her lips, rubbing nervously at her wrists. Flying. Over water, where she could fall and drown oh so easily—but, no, she'd fallen yesterday and Jack had caught her before she could meet an untimely death. She'd be with him. He'd keep her safe, as Guardians did. She would be okay.

Decided, she nodded. "Okay. Okay, I'll go to the North Pole with you. But only after you take me to Corona. And you have to promise that we'll only fly when absolutely necessary."

Jack sighed. She could tell that he knew she wouldn't give up on her demand no matter how much she tried to persuade her otherwise, and that satisfied her. She beamed at her known victory before he could even utter another word. Before he could stop her, she pulled her hair fast behind her and bolted straight out of the damp cave.

Fresh, warm air hit her just as strongly as the morning sun. There was no wind—only rippling heat. Rapunzel lifted her head up to the sky and let a joyful yell escape her lungs. She was finally free. Oh, she was free and the world was now hers to explore. The realization dawned on her all at once, now that she could truly see her surroundings.

"This is incredible!" Was all she could think to exclaim as she begun running in no particular direction. The delicious feel of the wind kissed her face, and soft grass tickled the skin of her feet and ankles. It was all so surreal, feeling instead of being restricted to mere imagines through the very nebulous descriptions of books. Apparently, most people knew what seemingly common things like nature and villages looked like too well for sensory details to be of huge importance.

Did the air taste different down here? Yes. There was salt and freshness in this air. There were countless aromas of flowers blended into one. It was beautiful. So, incredibly beautiful, and nothing could have stopped her running other than the sudden, hard tug at her scalp as her hair caught on something behind her. Rapunzel jerked to an abrupt stop and fell flat on her back, turning just in time to catch Jack staring down at her, a playful look in his eye as his chin rested on the tip of his frosted staff.

"Having fun?"

Rapunzel grinned, shifting to yank her hair away from the cursed log it had so shamelessly joined with. "Is it obvious? Look!" She gasped when she turned to lay her cheek down to the grass, revealing the brightest, yellowest, fluffiest looking flower she'd ever seen. Rapunzel rolled onto her stomach so she hovered over what she knew was a dandelion. But, oh, the colours. The way it looked rooted into the ground and perfectly healthy.

"Just wait until you see a daisy," Jack commented.

"A daisy!" She flashed her gaze toward him all too excitedly before realizing his tone had been one made of sarcasm. "Mother used to bring me flowers," she continued instead, turning back to the dandelion. It bobbed happily in the gentle wind. "But I've never seen one... Well, in the ground."

Jack chuckled, a sound so soft and strangely warm. She thought he wanted to say something more, but he only swung his staff up beside him and cleared his throat as he glanced over his shoulder. "Sorry to be a moment ruiner, but we should really head out now. I'd rather not run into an angry mother before we make it off of the island," he joked.

"Right," Rapunzel said, feeling suddenly solemn. Without another word, she got to her feet to release herself from the predicament her hair had trapped her in.

She was thankful when Jack didn't argue after she refused his initial offer to carry her into flight. It'll be faster, was all he said. But Rapunzel didn't care much for that anyway. She wanted to cherish her first moments outside as much as she could, despite the danger following at their tail. If was selfish, yes, but Rapunzel had rarely gotten to indulge in her selfish desires before now, and she intended to take full advantage of it in case she was never offered the chance up again.

And though Rapunzel chose not to fly, Jack had a blast doing so on his own. He flew around her, playing around as he kept watch. All the while, Rapunzel tried as best as she could to drink in every little detail around her—her straining eyes soon found it to be quite hard of a task, but she'd never been one to turn down a challenge.

Besides, I spy with Pascal was much more pleasant of a game when your options weren't limited to the same old things.

It was another hour before Rapunzel spotted it—right there, just a few feet beyond the line of trees. Barely visible. Jack had flown off somewhere behind her, but she knew he'd catch up to her easily enough.

Rapunzel burst out running toward the road laying long before her, dropping to the ground as soon as she reached it to press her hands flat against the sun-warmed sand. She couldn't help the grin that now permanently brightened her face. It hadn't left her since they'd exited the cave this morning.

A road! An actual road, where actual people travelled to and fro. How absolutely amazing was that?

Rapunzel didn't hear him, but she felt his presence almost as soon as he dropped down beside her.

With a challenging glint in her eyes, she looked up at Jack and said: "Race you to Corona?"

Jack drew his brows together in suspicion as he looked down at her. "You don't even know where it is," he stated.

"No," she admitted, pushing herself back to her feet. She spared one glance at the wooden sign ahead and, without warning, took off at her fastest pace. She looked back only once to yell: "But I know how to follow a road!" 

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If you liked this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment your thoughts! :)

I'm so incredibly sorry for the over-a-month-long absence. I know a few of you have been reading along with my updates still (thank you for the lovely votes), and I've completely left you hanging without a viable reason other than how flat I've been feeling lately. I've been getting absolutely nothing done and it upsets me in all senses of the word, but I'm slowly trying to get back to productivity. 

Whether you've learned something new, gotten caught up on a bunch of projects, or been taking a well-deserved/understandable break, I hope the rest of May treats you fantabulously. <3 Next update will be on the 27th. 

*Edited, (May 13th, 2020).