Fall of the Guardians

Chapter 5

"Just for the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert, way better than Flynn Rider."-- Princess Rapunzel: Tangled

***

Gothel stood at the edge of the city and watched as people made their way to the palace. "A celebration?" she said to Pitch. He shrugged and walked away. Gothel watched with one raised eyebrow as he slid over the bridge, she following close behind. But stopped short when they came to the town it's self. Pitch continued, not stopping to even look back and check on her. "What is he doing?" she whispered as she watched him push through the crowd. But he didn't need to push! He just passed through them.

She ran up to catch up with him. "How did you--" Then she let out a gasp as a little boy with bright red hair just walked through her. She looked down at herself, it felt for a brief moment that she had been run through with lightening. She took a deep gasping breath, then looked up at Pitch, who stood in the middle of the crowd his head turned to her with a large grey sharp toothed smile. She fixed her self quickly so that he wouldn't see the shock on her face. "I suppose," she said, walking to the edge of the crowd, too frightened to step in, "That you can explain this?"

No one seemed to notice as she stood there talking.

"Yes." Pitch said, "But I suggest you follow close behind, sooner or later you have to get used to that little unfortunate...side effect."

"Side effect?" she walked through a man and felt that same gasping zap. Painful and cold. She sucked it up and continued until she was next to Pitch.

"Yes," he said, "No one can feel, see, or hear you, it's part of being what many calls, a Chosen."

"A chosen?" she asked.

"Second to becoming a guardian," he said, turning his back to her.

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but that doesn't explain--" A woman walked through and she caught her breath again, it was getting more comfortable and more natural, he was right. "Why." she finished finally after getting over the shock.

"If no one believes in you, no one can touch, see, or hear you, as simple as that." He turned to face her again, "Although, if you stick with me, that factor may or may not be changed."

Gothel was beginning to like this Pitch Black, less and less. Even if he had raised her, what right did he have to tell her what to do? She frowned deeply. Maybe she couldn't get away from him, but have to listen to him was going to get real old quick. She did jump this time as another person passed through her. She hardly felt anything anymore.

***

"I'm not ready for this Eugene." Rapunzel sat at the bura, brushing back her dark brown hair gently. Pascal looked at his own reflection, changing color over and over again. She sighed as she stared at the new style. She didn't like it, she didn't like anything she did with her hair today. She threw down her brush and crossed her arms.

"Come on, Rapunzel." Eugene walked up to her from behind, he brushed back her brown hair and looked into her green eyes. "You're more ready for this than ever." his hair had been carefully styled, and he already wore his neatly pressed black suit. It was blue, edged in gold with the large Corona crest on the front. A beautiful golden sun. His brown eyes sparkled lovingly at her.

Rapunzel sighed and turned her chair to face Eugene, she took his hand. "Elizabeth is hardly one year old, and we've been married maybe 2 years? I feel like I just got home. It all seems to be going by so fast." She sighed again, "Some times I wish I was a child again, that way, I didn't have to worry so much."