Twisted Destiny

Magic Prison

The humans inside stared up at the crow as he left their view. "Okay...Either we've somehow been magically shrunk down and imprisoned inside the shell pendant, or..."

"Or?" Catalina prompted.

"Yeah, sorry. I was hoping I'd think of something more positive-sounding by the time I finished that thought, but..." Rapunzel shrugged helplessly.

Varian sighed. "Sorry."

"For what, V?" Keira looked at him.

"This is Ruddiger's fault and, by extension, mine." Varian said bitterly. "I now know what dad went through every time I caused trouble for everyone. He's completely out of control, and now we're..." He gestured around them. "Where are we?"

"In a shell pendant." Keira helpfully supplied.

"It's okay, though, we'll get out of here! I mean, I'm sure that they're all out there planning how to get us out of here right now." Rapunzel said encouragingly. "And, even if they don't, I'm sure we will find our own way out! Come on, we've been in much worse situations!"

"Like what?" Varian raised an eyebrow. "Prison? Because I didn't get out of there on my own."

"Like...uhm..." Rapunzel looked thoughtful. "Remember when I got turned into a bird, I told you about that?"

"Yeah, you nearly lost your mind." Varian raised an eyebrow.

"Buuuut, I didn't, and it all worked out! Things are going to work out, don't worry!" Rapunzel said encouragingly. "I've even been trapped in my own mind and it worked out! So, things will work out."

"What have I ever done to deserve this?!" Keira despaired.

"D-Didn't you steal from, you know, dozens of people?" Varian reminded her in disbelief.

"Oh, right." She said, rolling her eyes. "We're doomed." She tossed one of the pillows at him. He caught it and tossed it back and it hit Catalina in the face. "Hah! You missed!"

"Don't worry, guys, it's going to work out!" Rapunzel said, turning back to them just in time to get hit in the face by a wayward pillow Varian dodged.

"Whoops." All three said, as Rapunzel slowly knelt to pick it up.

"Soooooo, you want to play that game, huh?" She raised an eyebrow, then raised her arm high and chucked the pillow with all her might. Keira yelped as she was hit and fell back and Rapunzel grabbed another two pillows before launching them at Varian and Catalina. They grabbed pillows as they dodged and ran to the sides, throwing pillows at her while Kiera got up and grabbed another.

"I've been doing pillow fights since before you were born!" Rapunzel declared. "Granted, it was with the wall, but you know what I mean!" She threw another pillow at Varian, who caught it and threw it back with a grin.

"Considering I have zero experience, I think I'm doing pretty okay." Varian shrugged, then ducked to avoid another pillow being thrown at him.

The room was full of laughter and pillows being thrown as they ducked around, barely aware of what was going on outside their prison, lost in their game. By the time they all got exhausted and fell down together on a pile of pillows, the landscape outside their little window had changed.

"Uh...what's going on?" Rapunzel asked in realization.

"I think...we're moving." Catalina said as they all sat up.

"...Where? And which of them is carrying us?" Varian asked.

"We're gonna have to check." Rapunzel decided, then walked over to stand under it. "Okay, Varian, you climb up onto my shoulders. Angry, you climb up onto his, and Lina, you get up on hers."