Alchemical Love

10 - Quirin Gets Freed

With the ground rushing towards them at an alarming speed, Rapunzel knew they were out of time. Ignoring Varian's desperate cries, she focused on a single, audacious plan.  Weaving through the panicked Saproian guards on the tilted deck, she reached the barrel of Quirinium, still precariously hanging in the air.  She yanked her hair, lowering it towards the lone burner struggling to keep the ship afloat.

Just as her hair brushed against the base of the burner, a wave of dizziness washed over her. The ship was rising again, pulled upwards by the remaining balloons that Andrew, in a final act of spite, had managed to set ablaze.

Lashanie and Varian clung to the golden braid for dear life, as the rolled onto a rooftop.
"Rapunzel!" Varian yelled, Their faces etched with a mixture of fear and grim determination.  Rapunzel, her breath ragged but her resolve unwavering, ignored her own terror.  She had to act fast.  With a shaking hand, she retrieved a flint and tinder from her pocket, the tools she'd used for countless campfires on her adventures.

Ignoring the scorching heat emanating from the burner, Rapunzel, her body swaying precariously, sparked the flint.  A small flame ignited, then another, catching on the tinder.  With a deep breath, she held the burning tinder close to the barrel of Quirinian.

The Quirinian, with a satisfying whoosh, ignited in a blinding flash.  The heat blasted outwards, a surge of energy that propelled the remaining balloons upwards with renewed vigor.  The ship, righted by the additional lift, rose rapidly away from the quickly shrinking Corona below.

Lance and Eugene, watching with bated breath from the safety of the palace courtyard, witnessed the horrifying scene unfold.  As the ship soared out of sight, a massive explosion erupted, engulfing it in a fireball of searing light and deafening sound.  The shockwave rattled the windows of the castle, sending debris flying through the air.

Lance, his eyes wide with terror, crumpled to his knees, burying his face in his hands.  "Rapunzel!" he cried, his voice choked with despair.  Eugene, however, refused to give up hope.  He placed a hand on Lance's shoulder, his voice firm but laced with concern.

"She'll be okay, Lance," he insisted, though a sliver of doubt gnawed at his own heart.  "Rapunzel's tough. She's faced worse than this."

As the dust settled and the smoke slowly cleared, a sight both breathtaking and terrifying filled the sky above Corona.  A giant sphere of golden glowing hair, the unmistakeable signature of Rapunzel's magic, plummeted towards the ground.  Eugene and Lance watched in horrified anticipation.

But Rapunzel wasn't done yet.  With remarkable agility, moments before hitting the ground, she spotted a tall building with a pointed roof.  Using her hair with lightning speed, she snagged it on the peak, and in a display of skill honed through years of adventure, she rappelled down the side of the building, her hair forming a golden rope.

She landed with a soft thud on the rooftop, her legs wobbly but her spirit unbroken.  Taking a deep breath, she looked out at the ravaged landscape below.  The explosion had caused significant damage, but it hadn't destroyed the city.  A wave of relief washed over her, bittersweet and tinged with the knowledge of the sacrifice Varian had made.

Below, Eugene and Lance let out a collective cheer, their initial despair replaced with a surge of joy.  Rapunzel, their brave princess, was safe.  The ordeal was far from over, but for now, they had a reason to celebrate.  As the sun began to peek over the horizon, casting its golden light on Corona, a new chapter was about to begin.  It would be a chapter of rebuilding, of trust being reforged, and of a princess, a rogue alchemist, and a group of unlikely heroes proving that even in the darkest of times, hope could still shine brightly.