Losing It All

The Journey Begins

    "I promised it would be okay," Jack said. "But that was long ago." The two had sat down and chatted, piecing the faded memories together. However, they felt deep joy to be reunited. They weren't the only ones, and Jack was sure of it. He remembered the other two, but as long as he had one of the three to hold on to, he would remain fine. Rapunzel was the easiest to locate since the Kingdom of Corona was tall and obviously visible.
    "It isn't your fault, Jack," Rapunzel concluded.
    "I'm not blaming anyone," he countered. "Everyone went in their own path, but not even you remember the day we all separated," Jack complemented," not even me."
Rapunzel bit her lip, maintaining a steady glare at the fire. The flames ' s warm strands of fire flickered, creating gleams in her hazel eyes. Jack kept his sight on her, studying the girl who he hadn't seen in years.
   "The worst that could happen is that one of us is dead," he mumbled.
    "Jack.." Rapunzel sighed at his pessimistic comment.
   "I'm fortunate enough to find you, but we need to find the others."
   "But why is this so urgent?" She questioned him. However, Jack remained silent. He rose with his staff hanging loosely from his graps. Rapunzel grimaced, guilt heavily dropping down her heart.
    "Jack.. look. I'll help you find the others and I won't question it ever again."Jack cracked a faint smile and nudged his head to the right. "What are we waiting for then?"

Rapunzel's POV
We departed at the sign of twilight, where there were only a few remaining rays of light. Jack prefers to travel by night, or so from what I could tell. If he would keep quiet through the entire journey, I might as well get to know him from observation. Isn't that a tad bit creepy? I shrugged at my own question. I followed behind him, keeping silence as well. The day-- er, night -- went on, the sky becoming a smooth gradient of blues, purples, and warm tones. Eventually, stars appeared across the night sky, adorning the Cresent Moon. The surrounding trees created shadows that formed a boundary between us and the creatures of the forest. As much as I disliked looking into the unknown, I had nothing else to do except that.
    "You're awfully quiet back there," Jack said while looking up at the sky momentarily.
    "Heh, sorry-- just figured you wanted quiet." My response was stupid, and what made it worse was his laugh. My cheeks flushed red, though I hoped that in this lighting, Jack wouldn't notice.
      "So, after five years.. where are you now?" It was an ice breaker, and I might as well keep talking or else I wouldn't make it through the night.
      "I've- uh, been around you know. Everywhere is a temporary stay for me," he replied. I quickened my pace and caught up to him. He seemed surprised to see him at his side, ear to ear. "Well, what can I say? It's a wonderful way of spending five years without knowing anyone.. or or not having contact with your friends for five years." Jack had taken a bitter turn in his tone. His knuckles turned white from clutching the staff too tight. I ignored his remark, avoiding an argument.

Third POV

As the duo advanced in the journey to find the other two, they would have to climb trees to rest during the night. Rapunzel would fall asleep and rested better than ever. The boy, however, couldn't fall asleep for anything. Everything he tried didn't help him fall into slumber.

How are we going to do this?

Jack's mind raced with thoughts and concerns. He was lucky to have the three within Europe. They were already miles away from Corona, however several hundred from Scotland. Jack managed to remember where Merida lived and hoped to find her. But upon stumbling across Rapunzel, he was satisfied that he was making progress. Jack lay awake throughout the night, playing with the hem of his coat. The boy used his his staff, tapping various spots so frost patches would cover nearby branches.

Jack's eyes grew heavy, forcing themselves shut. He had finally hit the hay and found a comfortable place to sleep. As if on cue to ruin the moment, steps and shuffling feet could be heard from a distance, followed by hushed voices. The Guardian awoke and hung upside-down from the lowest branch. Judging by the brightness and patchy lighting from far away, he figured that there was a group, searching for who - knows - what at this hour. Their steps became louder as the group of men came into view at the end of the hallway of trees. Jack climbed back up, peeking from above. He looked over his shoulder to see a sleeping Rapunzel, curled up in her cloak, deep in slumber. The voices from the men alarmed the guardian, they were getting closer and closer with each step.
    "We've been looking for hours now," one of them complained.
    "She couldn't be this far, she's a princess after all," another guard said, agreeing with his colleague. The head of the pack lifted up a torch, illuminating the path ahead and behind. He wasn't very happy about the guards' complaints. As if he wasn't annoyed enough, one of the guards whistled as if calling a guard dog.
    "O, I wonder where the princess has gone, 'Tis a terrible thing to occur to Corona," the whistling guard said sarcastically. Jack's ear's perked up and a shiver shot through his spine and throughout his body. They're actually looking for her? Jack questioned. His blue eyes looked at the pack frantically, pondering of how the two would escape without getting caught. It was quite simple, actually. The only problem is that it isn't quite guaranteed that they'll have a smooth flight, nor a smooth landing. However, it was their only hope. What if they saw them right now, at this moment? It would all be over. The boy crawled to the branch where Rapunzel lay, shaking her gently.
      "What's going on?" She said still half asleep. Jack placed a finger in front of his lips, hushing her. Her green eyes widened and looked down below where the leader of the pack stood with a torch in his hand. She gasped, almost too loud to be a gasp. Jack covered her mouth and pulled her away from the spot, hiding both of them in the shadow of the tree branches. The leader looked up, squinting his eyes to see through the dark. Luckily, Jack had pulled Rapunzel out of view.

      "Let's go on forward," the leader said. The rest of the pack groaned, mumbling complaints of how much their feet hurt from searching for a day now. "Hey, we were trained to endure, so shut it!" He scolded. "But if you men feel so tired, then.. I suppose we set camp for the night and rest until later dawn."
       So it was settled, the guards would settle camp just below the tree where an invisible boy kept the Princess of Corona in his arms, hidden from the guards of her own kingdom. Rapunzel eyed Jack, her hazel eyes green and wide. How did they find me? She mouthed. Jack shrugged. He turned his body to the branch behind him, holding his hand out for her to grab. Rapunzel reached for it and followed behind, looking backwards to assure they weren't followed. They reached the top of the tree, the moonlight shone on every tree top. Rapunzel's hair looked white in the light, just like Jack's. The boy observed their surroundings and stood at the edge of the branch, his knees bent and a hand extended holding her hand.
   "Shh," he hushed one last time, his icy eyes darting to her. She narrowed her eyes, questioning what he was about to do. The next thing she knew, Rapunzel had nearly fallen off the branch and down 30 feet. However, Jack held her hand tight. He floated in the air with his staff in hand and grasping Rapunzel's hand.
   "What on earth are you doing?" She asked, clearly panicked.
   "We have to leave, or else they'll find you," he answered with a harsh whisper. Rapunzel pulled her arm away and began to slowly climb down to their sleeping place. Jack rolled his eyes and reached to her, pulling her cloak.
   "Where are you going?" He asked.
   "I don't think I can handle flying right now, much less the fact that you can!" Rapunzel spat.
   "Punzie, listen-- think about it," Jack began, turning her around so they were face to face. "Do you want to go home?" Jack noticed her eyes move to the corner, eyeing the guards below them. She remained silent, her chest heaving gently. "Take you back to that castle and miss out on this journey?" Jack held her by the shoulders, attempting to grasp her attention.
   "Punzie, do you trust me?" Jack questioned her one last time, it was his last hope of convincing the girl. After hesitating for more than enough time, Rapunzel shut her eyes and nodded. A smirk formed on his lips and climbed with her back to the top. "Hold on, alright," he said.
   "Alright, but don't-don't go too fast, Jack," she requested and slung her arms around his neck from behind, holding on to him with dear life. They lifted off and it was a first timer for Jack-- carrying someone and not just himself.