 
### Blacksmith Rapunzel

GENDERBENT FAIRYTALES COLLECTION

Book 8

By KuroKoneko Kamen

Copyright 2020 by KuroKoneko Kamen

Cover Design by Leah Keeler

Smashwords Edition, License notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or give away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. All characters are invented. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

### Chapter 1:

Years ago in Sol Kingdom there lived an apprentice wizard named Gothel and his wife Rosalind. The couple was very much in love, and although they were poor and lived simply they were happy. Gothel's Master was the Wizard King and hero, Siegfried Solis.

Gothel wanted to prove his worth to King Siegfried and become a part of the king's Wizard Guard as soon as possible so that he could provide for Rosalind better, and was working day and night at his magic with this aim in mind. He wanted to treat his wife like a princess, and wanted to be able to buy her pretty, silk dresses and expensive jewelry.

Rosalind only laughed when her husband told her of his aspirations. She had little interest in material possessions. But there _was_ something she wanted above all else - a child. Unfortunately, it appeared Rosalind was barren. This discovery saddened Rosalind because becoming a mother was her greatest wish. Gothel only wanted his wife to be happy, and vowed that he would find a way to cure her affliction using magic.

Sol Kingdom was the most peaceful and prosperous Kingdom in the Land of Fantasia due to King Siegfried's protection. Even elves and seraphs lived among the Kingdom's human inhabitants. But Siegfried's protection wasn't what one might expect. The blacksmiths of Sol Kingdom used the king's magical hair to forge enchanted weapons.

A lock of Siegfried's golden hair would be added to the smelting pot along with a lock of hair from the person the weapon was being made for. Once the blacksmith started to hammer the blade it would transform into an enchanted weapon. The weapon would usually take the form of a sword, but could also take on the form of an axe or spear.

An enchanted weapon made with the king's hair could only be wielded by the person it was made for, and would possess its own unique magical abilities. If the wielder was a witch or wizard they could activate the sword's magic by chanting spells.

If the wielder was a dullard - a human who did not possess magic - then the weapon would gather energy from sunlight or moonlight that would be used to power any magical attacks that were activated when the wielder would chant a spell.

The enchanted weapons were the Kingdom's primary defense against the malevolent Wizard King Reginald and his Wizard Army. King Reginald was frequently trying to expand the lands of Apple Kingdom, and enslave those who did not possess magic.

Sickness and disease was not known in Sol Kingdom due to King Siegfried's magical healing ability. Siegfried would often travel into the villages near the castle and heal his subjects with his own hands. As a result of Siegfried's kind deeds he became known throughout Fantasia as a holy, benevolent king.

Siegfried and his apprentice Gothel studied the king's magical hair together at the castle. They performed several magical experiments to test the hair's properties and uses. Siegfried's aim was to find a way to create an item that would possess the king's healing ability. At first, Siegfried thought that eventually one of the enchanted weapons that were forged would possess his healing ability, but this never came to pass.

It had been Gothel's idea to experiment with the king's blood, sweat and tears. In a secret garden, Gothel nurtured various plants, but they all died except for the rampion that seemed to thrive off of the king's blood. The rampion normally had blue flowers, but as a result of being fed the king's blood the flowers had turned a golden-yellow color.

Gothel tested the effects of the rampion on himself when he'd developed a fever, and discovered that the rampion cured him almost instantly. The rampion plants appeared to possess King Siegfried's healing ability, which meant their experiments had been a success. Theoretically, the plant would be able to cure _any_ illness.

Siegfried tasked Gothel with taking care of the rampion, and also assigned guards to protect the garden. Siegfried decided to keep the rampion a secret from his people, and intended to only use the rampion during an emergency, such as an outbreak of plague. The Dark Wizards of Apple Kingdom would sometimes try and attack neighboring Kingdoms using the plague and Seigfried wanted to be ready for them.

When Gothel humbly requested enough rampion for a single salad that he intended to give to his wife Rosalind, he was disappointed when Siegfried refused his request. The Wizard King apologetically explained how dangerous it would be for him if the secret behind the healing power of the rampion were discovered.

Dark Wizards would target Siegfried in order to use his blood, sweat and tears as potion ingredients. For this very reason, it became forbidden for anyone to touch or eat the rampion. Gothel felt slighted by Seigfried's denial of his request. The rampion was his wife's only hope, and he'd been the one who'd had the idea of feeding the king's blood to plants. Gothel felt the king owed him what he felt was his due.

That's why Gothel decided that he would sneak into the secret garden and steal a single rampion plant for Rosalind. One night, Gothel stealthily made his way to the castle grounds and approached the walled garden. He peeked out from behind a bush at the five Wizard Guards that had been posted outside the door to the secret garden.

Dark magic was forbidden in Sol Kingdom, but Gothel decided that using it was his only chance to get past the guards. Gothel crouched, placed his hands on the ground, and summoned his magical power. He willed for the dogs and cats that had been buried in the gardens to arise, and they started to emerge from the earth. Since they had been buried so long ago only their skeletons remained.

Dozens of skeletal dogs and cats with glowing red eyes made their way over to Gothel and awaited the Necromancer's next command. A giddy smile curled Gothel's lips at the sight of the undead creatures that were at his command. Performing necromancy filled him with a heady feeling. He'd almost forgotten how intoxicating it was to wield so much power.

Gothel pointed at the five Wizard Guards. "Go get them." The skeletal dogs and cats charged towards the guards. The guards took one look at the undead creatures rushing towards them, and screamed in horror before taking off running with the monsters hot on their heels.

Gothel let out a low chuckle as he approached the door to the secret garden unchallenged. The sight that met Gothel when he entered was orderly rows of rampion with glowing, golden-yellow flowers. Gothel hurried over to the closest rampion plant and pulled it out of the ground. He wrapped the plant up in a piece of cloth he'd brought with him to hide the plant's unusual glow from prying eyes.

Gothel straightened, turned around, and took a step towards the door. That's when he noticed King Siegfried standing in the doorway while casually leaning against the door's frame with his muscular arms folded in front of his broad chest. Siegfried raised his eyebrows at Gothel in an unspoken question.

Gothel gulped at Siegfried's intimidating appearance. The king was dressed in a suit of golden armor, and there was a broadsword strapped to his side. The Kingdom's emblem - a winged sun - was engraved onto the breastplate. There were rumors that seraph blood flowed through the king's veins, and that this was the reason for the Kingdom's emblem being a sun that had a pair of angelic, feathery wings.

Gothel had always felt self-conscious of his gloomy appearance when he was around the dashing King Siegfried. Gothel was jealous of the king's golden-bronze skin tone, and muscular physique. Gothel in comparison had deathly pale skin, and a lanky body, which looked weak. Siegfried's short hair and neatly trimmed beard were a golden-blonde color, and his sharp blue eyes brimmed with intelligence. Gothel's shoulder-length black hair was untamable, and his dark brown eyes were perfectly ordinary.

There was a twinkle in Siegfried's blue eyes as he addressed Gothel in a stern tone. "What is the meaning of this, Apprentice Gothel?"

His entire body trembling, Gothel sank to his knees, and lowered his head. "Your Majesty...I'm sorry. Please, forgive me."

Siegfried sighed and waved his hand in an impatient gesture. "That isn't an answer to my question, Gothel. Why did you try to steal the rampion even after I forbade you from taking it."

With a haggard expression on his face Gothel looked up and met Siegfried's piercing stare. "I need it for my wife...Rosalind."

Siegfried's golden eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and his eyes widened like saucers. "I didn't know you were married!" He stroked his goatee thoughtfully. "Your wife is ill?"

Gothel flushed. He felt uncomfortable discussing such intimate matters with his king, but knew he had no choice but to explain the current situation. "My wife's greatest wish is to have a child, but she's barren, Sire."

"And you thought the rampion could cure her infertility?" Siegfried asked, but the question was directed more to himself. "Interesting. I am curious to see if it would work to cure something like that as well. Gothel, I want you to bring your wife here to the castle tomorrow night. You both will join me for dinner."

Gothel gave the king a bewildered look. "Your Majesty?"

"The rampion cannot leave the castle grounds," Siegfried started to explain with an apologetic look on his face. "If people were to discover how it was made...Dark Wizards will start targeting me. They'll want to chop me up and use me as a potion ingredient." Siegfried let out a dark chuckle. "I can't risk the rampion's secret getting out, so if you want your wife to eat it - it will have to be under my roof."

It was a generous offer, but Gothel hesitated upon agreeing. King Siegfried was unmarried, and Rosalind was _very_ beautiful. Gothel wouldn't be surprised if Siegfried grew enamored by Rosalind at first sight. Siegfried was more handsome than he was but...in the end he trusted in Rosalind's love for him.

Rosalind would _never_ betray him. And besides, the chances of Siegfried marrying a commoner were slim. His royal advisors would never allow it. Gothel offered the king a curt nod. "Very well, Your Majesty. I will bring Rosalind to the castle to dine with you tomorrow night. Thank you for your mercy, and for your generosity."

"Excellent." Siegfried smiled widely and moved out of the doorway to give Gothel room to pass him. "You may go."

Gothel was just about to pass through the doorway when Siegfried cleared his throat and held out his hand expectantly. Gothel looked down at the rampion plant he was still holding that was wrapped in a piece of cloth. He flushed out of embarrassment that he'd completely forgotten he still had the plant. He gave the king a sheepish look and handed the rampion over. "Sorry." Gothel started to walk past his king.

"One more thing, Gothel," Siegfried began when Gothel was directly beside him and he was able to whisper the following words into the apprentice's ear. "The practice of Necromancy is forbidden in Sol Kingdom. It is a crime punishable by death. I'd appreciate it if you didn't put me in a position that will force my hand. We may be friends, but Necromancy is forbidden for a reason. Your continued use of the art would pollute this holy land with your dark magic. I can't turn a blind eye on such things forever. It would be wise not to become my enemy."

A chill of fear crawled up Gothel's spine. "Understood, Your Majesty. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Gothel returned to his home in the nearby village. The small cottage with a thatched roof and crooked stone chimney was a sight for sore eyes when he reached it. In front of the house was a humble vegetable garden that his wife tended to. Gothel's lip twitched into a lopsided smile when he noticed a light shinning in the window. Rosalind had stayed up waiting for him.

As soon as Gothel entered the cottage the delicious smell of rabbit stew filled his senses. He spotted his wife Rosalind stirring a pot that was hanging in the hearth over a fire. She turned around at the sound of the front door opening and beamed when she caught sight of Gothel.

Rosalind's beauty always made Gothel's heart skip a beat even after having been married to her for almost a year now. His wife had long, wavy brown hair, sparkling green eyes, skin as white as the moon, and lips as red as a rose. She was wearing a simple, brown cotton dress with a white apron over it. Rosalind looked like a queen even in the midst of such humble surroundings. Their cottage didn't have much: a single bed, a square-shaped wooden table surrounded by four chairs, and a crib that was covered by a thin layer of dust.

"Gothel!" Rosalind dropped her wooden spoon into the pot, and rushed over to her husband. She threw her arms around him, hugged him tightly, and pressed her cheek against his lean chest in an affectionate manner. Gothel placed his hand on top of her head as he stared down at her fondly. "Thank goodness you're home. I was beginning to get worried with how late it is. I thought..." Rosalind trailed off, looked up at Gothel, and bit her lower lip.

Gothel arched an eyebrow at her. "You thought _what_?"

"That someone must have caught you doing Necromancy and had you arrested for it," Rosalind admitted in a fearful whisper. Gothel flinched guiltily causing Rosalind's eyes to sharpen. "You performed Necromancy, didn't you? Oh Gothel, how could you?" she chided.

"I...did it for you," Gothel said defensively. "It was the only way to get past the Wizard Guards and into the secret garden. I told you about the rampion plant I've been raising. Well, it works. It has the king's healing ability. I wanted to bring some back to you to see if it would cure you of your infertility."

Rosalind was both touched and troubled by this revelation. "But, you failed to get the rampion?"

"King Siegfried caught me in the act of stealing it," Gothel admitted in a forlorn tone.

Rosalind sucked in a worried breath. "So, then...you are to be executed? When...?"

Gothel chuckled. "No. Siegfried is merciful. He won't punish me for performing Necromancy. He's invited you to dinner tomorrow night. You'll get to eat the rampion then."

Rosalind's green eyes widened. "I am to go to the castle and dine with the king?" She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger in a hesitant manner. "Gothel, I don't think that's such a good idea. King Siegfried is unmarried and still needs an heir. And I am his subject. If he were to ask me to-"

"King Siegfried isn't like that!" Gothel swiftly interrupted his wife with an angry edge to his voice. "He is an honorable man. He would never take a woman by force. As long as you remain true to me...we have nothing to worry about. I _know_ I'm not good enough for you, Rosalind. But, you do love me, right?"

Rosalind's worried expression softened. "I love you, Gothel. I always have...ever since we were little kids. We grew up together. You've always been there, by my side. I can even remember the moment I fell in love with you. It was when my pet cat died and you found a way to bring her back to life. Even though Necromancy is forbidden in Sol Kingdom you were willing to risk facing execution in order to make me happy."

"But...it _didn't_ make you happy." Gothel felt the need to point out with a chagrined expression on his face. "Your cat came back to life, but she was a moving, rotting corpse. It frightened you terribly and made you cry."

Rosalind lifted her shoulders in an unconcerned shrug. "Yes...I'll admit that at first I was terrified until I realized how amazing what you'd done was. Even if it didn't work the way you'd hoped...you'd still managed to bring my cat back to life. In that moment, I realized that you'd do anything for me. It's why I fell in love with you. I know I am your everything, and that pleases me greatly."

Rosalind's smug tone didn't bother Gothel. "You're right. You _are_ my everything," Gothel readily agreed. "I would do anything for you. _Anything_."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Rosalind said, staring into his eyes with an emotional look. "I was born into this world to love you, Gothel."

Gothel could see the love shinning in her green eyes, and felt warm. "How did I ever get so lucky? I'm not good enough for you. Not handsome enough. Not rich enough. If only Necromancy weren't forbidden in Sol Kingdom I could become one of the most powerful wizards in all of Sol. Then I could provide for you better. Why did my magic affinity have to be for death magic?" he lamented.

"We could always move to Apple Kingdom," Rosalind suggested thoughtfully. "You could join Reginald's ranks."

Gothel gaped at his wife in shock. "Rosalind! That's treason! If I did that I would become King Siegfried's enemy." He scrubbed a hand down his face. "I could _never_ betray Siegfried. He's been good to me. To us. He's kept my secret...that I'm a Necromancer. A Dark Wizard. I consider him to be a friend. Also, I don't agree with Reginald's ideology that dullards are lesser beings that should be enslaved. You're a dullard, Rosalind. If we moved to Apple Kingdom you would become my slave. You would be looked down upon and belittled. I could _never_ allow you to go through that."

Rosalind let out a defeated sigh. Sometimes, her husband's chivalry irritated her, but she decided to play along for now. "Then, we stay here...if you think that's for the best."

"I trust King Siegfried," Gothel said adamantly. "We must put our faith in him. We'll be safe here in Sol Kingdom. Siegfried is a good man. A true hero of Fantasia."

"I trust your judgment, my love," Rosalind purred, giving Gothel a heated look. "If you think I should trust King Siegfried then I shall. Now, I'm hungry for something that isn't stew. Will you give it to me, husband?"

Gothel swallowed, cupped Rosalind's face, and kissed her. He could never deny this woman anything.

***

The following night, just as Gothel and Rosalind were about to depart for the castle a servant arrived at their cottage with a package from the king. When Rosalind opened the box it was to reveal a gorgeous dress made out of emerald green silk. The dress was the exact same shade as Rosalind's eyes, and was embroidered with the pattern of flowers in golden thread.

The sight of that dress caused Gothel to frown. It must have been worth a fortune. Gothel knew that he was feeling jealous and uncomfortable with King Siegfried's extravagant gift to his wife, and he hated himself for it. It meant that he was a petty, shortsighted man. Still, he wished he could buy Rosalind such finery himself, and felt like Siegfried was rubbing it in his face that he could spoil Rosalind, whereas, Gothel could not.

Rosalind was unable to stop the gasp that slipped past her lips as she admired the dress. She removed the dress from the box and held it up so that she could admire it better. "It's so beautiful. I've never seen such a lovely dress in all my life."

"I could never afford to get you a dress like that," Gothel grumbled bitterly.

Rosalind's attention turned to Gothel and she noted that he was unhappy. That wouldn't do at all. She set the dress back down inside the box. "I don't _need_ pretty dresses. All I want is _you_ , Gothel. You belong to me. Don't you ever forget that. I'm incredibly selfish and possessive. I want you all to myself. That's why I never let you cut your hair. I don't want the other girls in this village realizing how handsome you've become. Don't worry. I won't wear the stupid dress."

Gothel was touched by his wife's consideration for his feelings, and could feel his anger draining out of him. "No. It's alright. You should wear it. You deserve the chance to look like a princess for a night. And you can't very well meet the king dressed in a ragged peasant dress. I don't want Siegfried looking down on you. You deserve everyone's admiration and respect at the castle. And in that dress, you shall easily have it."

Rosalind nibbled on her lower lip. "Well, if you insist, my husband. I'll wear the dress."

"Yes. Please, do." Gothel's voice had turned husky. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in it."

Once Rosalind had finished getting dressed in the emerald green gown she didn't look like a princess. She looked like a queen. Gothel immediately regretted telling Rosalind to wear the gown. She looked _too_ beautiful in it. But he couldn't tell her that he'd changed his mind about her wearing it, not when she looked so happy.

"What do you think?" Rosalind asked coyly as she twirled, causing the belled skirt of the dress to flare out. "How do I look?" Rosalind's cheeks were flushed pink and she was smiling.

"You look stunning, Rosalind," Gothel admitted.

Rosalind's smile disappeared at the note of sadness in Gothel's voice. She reached out, placed a hand on Gothel's arm, and gave him a searching look. "I've made you unhappy. Why?"

It had always impressed Gothel how Rosalind could see right through him. _I'm worried King Siegfried won't be able to keep his eyes off of you. I'm afraid that you'll leave me for King Siegfried._ Gothel thought miserably, but he kept these worries to himself. He didn't want to appear to be as pathetic as he felt. "I'm just nervous about tonight. I'm wondering if the rampion will cure you."

Rosalind squeezed his arm in a reassuring manner. "If it works, it works. If it doesn't, then it doesn't. What is meant to be, is meant to be."

Gothel gave her a suspicious look. "But I know how much you want a child."

"Yes. But at least I have you. At least, we have each other," Rosalind said passionately. "Maybe...I shouldn't be so greedy." She nibbled on her lower lip in a fretful manner. "Maybe I'm asking too much of the gods for wanting to have a child with you. What if they punish us? Maybe we shouldn't go to the castle tonight. I feel like if we do...everything will change."

"No. We should go. This could be your only chance to cure your infertility," Gothel argued. "I promised that I would find a way to cure you, and I have. That magical rampion wouldn't even exist if it weren't for me, and my idea of feeding the king's blood to the plant. I created the rampion for _you_."

"Alright. Let's go to the castle," Rosalind agreed hesitantly. "Only, just promise me one thing. That you'll never leave my side while we're at the castle."

"I promise," Gothel said firmly. "I'll protect you."

A few minutes later, a horse-drawn carriage arrived at their cottage to take them directly to the castle. Once they arrived, Gothel and Rosalind exited the carriage, and walked up the steps to the castle's front door. A servant appeared as soon as they'd entered the castle, and escorted them to the dining room.

Rosalind tried not to look too impressed by the finery surrounding her since she knew it would bother Gothel. A red and gold rug runner was beneath her feet, and white marble statues of winged men and women sat in shadowed alcoves. "Look, Gothel, seraphs," Rosalind said pointing at one of the statues. The statue was of a woman dressed in flowing robes with a pair of feathery wings outstretched behind her.

"They say the royal family is descended from the seraphs," Gothel revealed, admiring the statues along with his wife. "It's where their holy healing ability originates from."

"Does King Siegfried have wings?" Rosalind asked curiously.

Gothel let out a low chuckle. "Not that I know of."

The servant opened the door to the dining room and ushered them inside. King Siegfried was already seated at the head of the table waiting for them with two extra place settings on either side of him.

King Siegfried caught sight of Gothel first and grinned. "Ah, welcome, Gothel. Come in, come in." Siegfried's gaze landed on Rosalind next, and his eyes widened. With a pink tinge rising to his cheeks, Siegfried abruptly stood up from his chair. "Ah, welcome, Milady."

"Your Majesty." Rosalind executed a low curtsey and kept her head lowered to hide her shocked expression. She hadn't expected to affect the king of Sol Kingdom in such an obvious manner.

Siegfried walked over to the couple and came to a stop in front of Rosalind. "Rise, and look at me. Please, Milady." Rosalind straightened and looked up to meet King Siegfried's intent gaze. Siegfried reached out, took Rosalind's hand, and placed a kiss on the back of it. "It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Lady Rosalind."

"The honor is all mine, Your Majesty," Rosalind said politely. "And please, I'm no lady. Just call me Rosalind."

Siegfried reluctantly released Rosalind's hand and turned to regard a stiff-looking Gothel. "Wherever did you find such a rare beauty, Gothel?" Siegfried asked with a twinkle in his blue eyes. "I see now why you kept her a secret from me and from all your friends here at the castle."

"We were childhood friends," Gothel explained shortly.

"Yes. We grew up together," Rosalind added, fearing that the king would consider Gothel's shortness rude. "We've rarely been apart for more than a few hours."

"How...fortuitous for you, Gothel," Siegfried said, a jealous note to his voice. "You're a very lucky man."

"You're too kind, Majesty," Gothel murmured.

Siegfried forced himself to take his eyes off the beautiful Rosalind. "Forgive me. You both must be hungry after your long journey here from the village. Come, Milady." Siegfried took Rosalind's arm in a gentlemanly fashion, and led her towards the head of the table. "I had my chef prepare a very special dish for you, Rosalind." Siegfried pulled the chair to his right out, and motioned for Rosalind to take a seat.

When Rosalind sat upon the chair Siegfried scooted her chair in closer to the table. Siegfried took his seat at the head of the table while Gothel took a seat to Siegfried's left. As soon as they were all seated a group of servants entered the dining room, and filled their empty crystal goblets with wine. Not long after, a second group of servants entered bearing trays with bowls of soup on them.

A bowl of soup was placed before each of them, and then the servants left the dining room. Siegfried and Gothel both watched with baited breath as Rosalind picked up her spoon and started to eat the soup.

At first, it didn't appear as though anything unusual would happen so Gothel and Siegfried began to eat their own bowl of soup. Gothel noticed that the rampion's leaves and flowers had been used in the soup.

It didn't take Rosalind very long to finish the entire bowl of soup. She hadn't realized how hungry she'd been. She let out a satisfied sigh when she was done, smiled, and patted her stomach. But then, Rosalind abruptly grimaced as a wave of pain washed over her and she cried out. "Oh!" Rosalind hunched over and clutched at her stomach where the pain was originating. "It hurts!"

"Rosalind!" Gothel exclaimed in concern.

Rosalind fainted and started to slide sideways out of her seat. Siegfried smoothly stood up from his seat at the table and swept Rosalind up into his arms before she could fall onto the floor.

"What's wrong with Rosalind?" Gothel asked with an accusatory note to his voice. "What happened to her?"

Siegfried shot Gothel an impatient look. "What do you _think_ happened? It must have worked. The rampion must have cured your wife of her infertility. The fact that she felt pain means that the rampion cured her insides. The reason she fainted is because the healing process must have used up all of her energy." Siegfried began to stalk out of the dining room with purposeful steps.

"Hey!" Gothel called after Siegfried as he ran to keep up. "Where are you taking her?"

"Your wife needs rest," Siegfried said by way of explanation as he continued his way down the castle corridor. He came to a stop in front of a door. "This is a guest bedroom," Siegfried explained as he opened the door and carried Rosalind inside.

Gothel followed Siegfried into the room and watched as the king walked over to a four-poster canopy bed where he gently deposited Rosalind upon the mattress. Gothel frowned as he looked around the luxurious room. It was bigger than their entire cottage. The walls were covered with pastel green wallpaper decorated with yellow stripes. The comforter on the bed matched the wallpaper. There was also a dressing table, chair, and armoire. The furnishings were decidedly feminine, and decorated with flowers. The tapestries hanging on the walls depicted seraphs in flight.

Seigfried was staring down at Rosalind with a pensive expression on his face. "Rosalind shouldn't be moved in her condition. She should stay the night."

"Stay _here_?" Gothel blurted out uneasily. Siegfried turned to arch a questioning eyebrow at Gothel. "It's just...we wouldn't want to impose ourselves upon your hospitality, Your Majesty."

"Helping out a friend in need is no imposition," Siegfried said.

"Then, I suppose we'll stay the night," Gothel relented.

"Ah, yes, about that..." Seigfried began carefully. "I think it would be for the best if you returned to your home and slept there for the night. You can return here tomorrow morning and fetch your wife."

Gothel frowned. "I can't go home and leave her here alone. I promised Rosalind that I would stay by her side."

"I didn't want to have to say anything about this, but..." Siegfried began with an apologetic look on his face. "I believe that your presence may be harmful to Rosalind and it could affect the healing process."

"My presence? Harmful?" Gothel's brow furrowed in bewilderment.

"Yes. The presence of a Dark Wizard," Siegfried drawled, giving Gothel a pointed look. "Have you ever wondered _why_ Rosalind was barren in the first place? I think it has to do with your magical affinity for Death Magic, and the fact you are a Necromancer. Your dark magic has had a harmful affect on your wife's health and has caused her inability to have children."

The blood started to drain out of Gothel's face. "You're saying it was _my_ fault Rosalind couldn't have a child."

Siegfried nodded solemnly, and placed a hand on Gothel's arm in a consoling manner. "Your dark magic destroyed her womb."

Gothel felt bile rise up his throat and discreetly swallowed. "I did this to her." He dug his fingers into his scalp and looked up at Siegfried with a haggard expression on his face. "This is all my fault."

"You didn't know," Siegfried consoled. "The good news is that her womb _is_ healing. I wish to keep an eye on her to make sure there are no adverse side effects to the healing process. I believe she needs to be apart from your dark magic if she's to heal completely and without complications. Trust me. She's in good hands. Healing is my specialty, after all, Gothel."

Gothel found himself nodding. "Yes. You're right. It's probably for the best if I'm far away from her so that she can heal. I'll...return tomorrow. I trust you, Siegfried. I leave my wife in your capable hands."

Siegfried gave Gothel a reassuring smile. "I am honored by your trust in me, my friend. Don't worry. I'm sure she'll be just fine. More than fine. _Better_. Tomorrow Rosalind will be able to return to your side and to the marriage bed."

Gothel flushed. "I...don't care about _that_. I only care for her health and well-being."

"Of course," Siegfried agreed in a patronizing tone as he started to walk Gothel towards the door. "Have a pleasant evening, Gothel."

Gothel couldn't help feeling dismissed, but he nodded and bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Have a pleasant evening as well. Until tomorrow, then."

Siegfried watched Gothel exit the bedroom and close the door behind him. As soon as the door was closed the kind expression on King Siegfried's face twisted into a hateful sneer. He approached Rosalind's sleeping form and reached out to fondle a lock of her silky hair. "I've never seen such a beautiful woman before. It's such a pity that she belongs to another." Siegfried couldn't resist the temptation and caressed her cheek next.

"Gothel," Rosalind murmured as she leaned into his touch.

Siegfried flinched, snatched his hand back, and frowned. Rosalind was obviously in love with Gothel for some inexplicable reason. True love oftentimes couldn't be explained logically. Siegfried had the feeling he wouldn't be able to lure Rosalind away to his side with offers of pretty dresses and sparkling jewelry. "Her love can't be bought because it's real. It's true love." Siegfried felt a stab of jealousy as he spoke these words aloud.

Siegfried was the king of Sol Kingdom. He had untold riches, a castle, fine clothes, servants, and a tremendous amount of power due to his army that was composed of human knights, elves and seraphs. He was a man who had almost everything one could possibly desire. Except, he didn't have love.

Why did a pathetic apprentice wizard like Gothel have the love of such a beautiful woman? It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. _He_ was king. He deserved...yes, _deserved_ to have a woman like Rosalind at his side to love him, and to be his queen.

Rosalind was one of his subjects. She belonged to him, in a sense. He _could_ take her by force if he really wanted to. He could make Rosalind _his_. Siegfried shook his head of such dark thoughts. He scrubbed a hand down his face. "I could never take a woman by force..." Siegfried lamented aloud. "But that means I will _never_ have Rosalind. Her love can't be bought. That much is obvious. I have no way to win her heart."

The surface of an oval-shaped, full-length mirror in the bedroom rippled like the surface of a pond that had a stone thrown into it. Seconds later, the image of a stunning woman appeared. "Did someone say 'heart'?" the woman purred with obvious interest.

Siegfried whirled to face the mirror and gaped at the woman reflected on its surface. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded as his gaze locked with her dark eyes that reminded Siegfried of two depthless pools of black water bathed in moonlight. When he was able to pull his eyes away from her penetrating stare he took in the rest of her surprisingly regal appearance.

A glittering gold crown decorated with heart-shaped rubies sat on the top of her head, and she was holding a scepter that had a large, heart-shaped ruby at its apex. _Could she be royalty, perhaps?_ Siegfried mused to himself. The queen's black hair had been styled into a heart-shaped bun at the top of her head. The red, black and gold dress she was wearing was scandalously low-cut, and had the pattern of hearts on it.

"I'm someone who can help you. My name is Cordelia. And I am the Queen of Hearts. Or at least, I _was_ the Queen of Hearts before my impetuous son stole my throne away from me." Cordelia pouted.

"How can you help me?" Seigfried asked curiously.

A cunning smile spread across Cordelia's face. "Capturing hearts happens to be my specialty. There's a spell that allows one to rip out a person's heart and use it to control that person without killing them. I can teach you this spell. You'll be able to rip Rosalind's heart out of her body without killing her and use her heart to command her to love you."

"You're a Dark Witch!" Sigfried accused, his voice laced with disgust. "That spell...can only be Dark Magic. Love spells are forbidden in Sol Kingdom. They're evil."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow at the king. "Evil?" She shrugged. "It's all a matter of perspective. _I_ think it's evil, unfair and unjust that the king of Sol Kingdom has _never_ found true love. You're the king. Surely, _you_ deserve to be happy. Especially, after everything you've done for the people of this Kingdom. You heal them with your bare hands. You provide them with enchanted weapons so they can protect themselves against Reginald's army. You've even cut off all your hair _for them_. You've given _so_ much of yourself to the people."

"I've given them _everything_ ," Siegfried agreed in a rough voice.

"And yet, how does the universe repay you? Does Rosalind love you? No. She doesn't. She loves Gothel. But her beauty is wasted on the likes of him - a lowly Necromancer. How can Rosalind be in love with an evil, Dark Wizard? And not you - a holy Wizard Knight?" Cordelia put her hands out before her in a helpless gesture. "Frankly, it makes no sense. If this world were just - she _would_ love you. You deserve to have a beautiful queen like Rosalind at your side. It's evil that she loves Gothel, and not you. Sometimes, one must take justice into their own hands, Your Majesty. You only need to find the courage to change your destiny. If you are brave enough to defy Fate then you could have true love in the palm of your hand."

There was a ring of truth to the things Cordelia was saying, but Siegfried still felt torn. _She's right. I deserve to have a beautiful queen like Rosalind. After everything I've sacrificed for Sol Kingdom it would only be fair. But to use a love spell on Rosalind...wouldn't that be evil? No. I'm just setting things right. Rosalind should belong to me. She will belong to me._ A determined expression settled over Siegfried's face. "Teach me the spell, Dark Witch."

"Gladly, Your Majesty," Cordelia said, a silky smile curling her red lips.

To be continued in...Chapter 2:

### Chapter 2:

The following day, Gothel returned to the castle to see how his wife Rosalind was doing. A frown formed on Gothel's lips when the servant led him _not_ to the guestroom as he'd expected, but to the throne room instead. The two towering, double doors that led to the throne room were made out of solid gold, and very impressive as a result. The Kingdom's emblem - a winged sun - had been engraved onto each door.

The servant pushed the double doors open and ushered Gothel inside the room. Gothel took a deep breath before entering. White and gold marble columns stood on either side of the center aisle that led to a dais where two thrones sat. The thrones were both solid gold with high backs and had a wing motif. Seated upon one of the thrones was the Wizard King, Siegfried Solis. Siegfried was wearing a golden crown and matching golden armor that only added to his naturally regal appearance.

Gothel's curious gaze wandered to the throne next to Siegfried's and his eyes widened when he caught sight of Rosalind. Rosalind was wearing an emerald-green gown that had the pattern of winged angels and suns embroidered into the thick satin material. Her hazelnut-brown hair was loose and cascading around her shoulders in gentle waves. Adding to her already stunning appearance was a gold and emerald necklace, and matching earrings.

Gothel was elated to see that Rosalind was obviously doing better, but extremely bewildered about why his wife was seated upon a throne. Gothel approached Rosalind and once he was standing only a few feet away he reached his hand out towards her. "Rosalind?"

"Kneel before your queen, Dark Wizard," a guard sneered, hitting the backs of Gothel's knees with the pole of his halberd so that Gothel was forced to sink to his knees in front of both thrones.

"Queen?" Gothel echoed, his voice laced with confusion. "Rosalind, what's going on? What is the meaning of this?" He gave his wife a searching look.

Rosalind's green eyes were cold as she stared back at Gothel. "The curse you placed upon me has been broken, Dark Wizard. King Siegfried saved me from your dark magic, and lifted the curse with true love's kiss. King Siegfried has always been my destined true love, but I was unable to realize this because of the spell you placed upon me which forced me to love _you_ instead, Foul Wizard."

"Curse?" Gothel echoed in shock. "I _never_ placed a curse upon you, Rosalind. We grew up together, and fell in love naturally with the passage of time. That's all-"

Rosalind's green eyes flashed and she briskly cut him off. "Lies! How could a woman as beautiful as _I_ am fall in love with an ugly, evil, Dark Wizard such as you? There is only one answer to that - dark magic! I _never_ loved you, and I _hate_ you now!" Rosalind gripped the arms of her throne until her knuckles turned white.

Rosalind's harsh, cruel words were like daggers to Gothel's heart. But he _knew_ Rosalind. Trusted Rosalind. Believed in Rosalind. Her love for him had been sincere. Suddenly, Gothel knew what must have happened. King Siegfried must have cast a curse on Rosalind to make her love him instead. He'd been betrayed! Gothel turned his attention to King Siegfried. " _You!_ What have you done to _my_ Rosalind, Siegfried! What curse have you cast upon her?"

Siegfried gave Gothel a patronizing smile. "I don't know what you're talking about, Dark Wizard. I saved Rosalind from your curse with true love's kiss. She loves me, and I love her."

Gothel's body started to tremble and he clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "You're wrong! Rosalind loves _me_! You did something to her!"

"Yes...I freed her from your dark, evil clutches," Siegfried said, a smug smile curling his lips. "I saved her."

Gothel couldn't believe the words that were coming out of Siegfried's mouth. "I _trusted_ you to look after Rosalind in my absence. You betrayed me." Gothel leapt to his feet and tried to approach Rosalind's throne again. "Rosalind! Quickly. We need to escape! We must get out of here. Together!" He reached his hand out towards Rosalind in a beseeching manner. Rosalind flinched.

"Guards, seize him!" Siegfried ordered in a booming voice. Two guards swiftly grabbed Gothel's arms and restrained him. "Gothel, I hereby place you under arrest for the crime of Necromancy and practicing the Dark Arts."

Gothel struggled against the guards' hold upon him. "Let me go, assholes! You can't arrest me. Where is your proof?"

Siegfried addressed one of the guards standing by. "Bring it."

The guard bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty." He exited the throne room and returned a few minutes later with a cage. Inside the cage was a skeletal cat with glowing red eyes. The undead creature was hissing, spitting, and raking its claws against the bars of the cage as it tried to escape.

Gothel's eyes widened and the blood started to drain out of his face. That was one of the creatures he'd brought back to life the night he'd tried to steal the rampion for Rosalind. How the hell had they managed to capture it?

Siegfried smiled as he noted the sweat starting to bead on Gothel's brow. "You recognize this foul, undead creature, don't you? It's from the night you tried to steal from me. And I have five witnesses that saw you perform Necromancy that night." The five guards, who'd been on duty that night, stepped forward and bowed before Siegfried. "Tell me what you saw," Siegfried ordered.

One of the guards pointed at Gothel. "I saw this man crouch down and place his hands on the ground before using his death magic to raise the dead cats and dogs that have been buried in the royal gardens."

Gothel's jaw dropped open at the guard's blatant lie. He _knew_ no one had seen him perform his Necromancy. "But...he's lying! There's no way he could have seen-!" Gothel quickly cut himself off when he realized he was only incriminating himself with his words.

Siegfried arched an eyebrow at Gothel. "Seen what?"

Gothel raised his chin in a defiant manner as he met Siegfried's stare. "There's no way he saw me do any of that...because I didn't do it!"

"I saw you that night too, remember, Gothel?" Siegfried said coolly. "Necromancy is a crime punishable by death in Sol Kingdom. Guards, take this Dark Wizard to the dungeons where he shall await his execution."

"Execution?" Gothel demanded, his tone incredulous. "You can't do this to me, Siegfried! You can't betray me like this. I thought we were friends. I trusted you! Rosalind!" Gothel turned to give Rosalind a pleading look. "Say something!"

Rosalind flinched from Gothel yelling at her. She stood up from her seat upon the throne, and rushed over to Siegfried before sinking to her knees before him and hugging his legs. "Please protect me from that foul wizard, My King. He scares me so!"

Siegfried placed his hand on Rosalind's head and stroked her hair in a comforting manner. "Shhhh. There, there. It's alright. Everything is going to be okay. I'll protect you from that evil Dark Wizard, Rosalind. You have nothing to fear for I am here by your side, and I always will be."

The fear receded from Rosalind's expression and she looked up at Siegfried with love shinning in her green eyes. "Oh, My King, thank you. I love you."

"And I love you." Siegfried cupped Rosalind's cheek and kissed her. As the king kissed her he didn't take his eyes off of Gothel.

"No!" Gothel shouted, his brown eyes flashing. "Get your hands off of her, Siegfried! How dare you touch my wife! I'll...kill you for this!"

"Treason," Siegfried murmured and shook his head in a disappointed manner. "You've dug your own grave with those words, Gothel."

Gothel was dragged out of the throne room and taken down to the dungeons where he was tossed into an empty cell by the guards. Gothel scrambled to his feet and grabbed the bars of the cell door. "Let me out of here!" he yelled at the guards. "I didn't do it! Siegfried cast a spell on _my_ wife!"

The two guards chuckled, and one of them spoke. "Do you realize how insane you sound, Dark Wizard? Saying that King Siegfried cast a dark spell? That would be impossible. Everyone knows King Siegfried has an affinity for Light Magic. This includes healing magic. Besides, he's a hero. He would _never_ dabble in the Dark Arts."

"I'm not guilty. I'm innocent!" Gothel continued desperately.

"Silence, Dark Wizard!" the other guard snapped. "We won't believe your poisonous lies!"

"I'm jealous you had such a beautiful woman trapped under your spell," the first guard said snidely.

"That woman is our queen now," the second guard chided, elbowing his comrade in the side with his elbow. "Show some respect!"

"Sorry," the guard swiftly apologized, and lowered his head.

"We _should_ cut off his balls for defiling our queen." Gothel stepped away from the cell door, glaring at the two guards, and the guards chuckled darkly at his cowardly response. "Can't take a joke, Dark Wizard? Let's go." The two guards left the dungeons.

Gothel punched the stone wall of his cell in a frustrated manner. He let out a hopeless sigh. The guards would never believe him. They'd never believe the truth. Gothel _looked_ like a villain. And Siegfried _looked_ like a hero.

It was so easy to condemn Gothel with just a few words. With just a few lies everyone had turned against Gothel. He was all alone now - friendless and without allies. And he was without Rosalind who'd been his only true friend and lifelong companion.

Gothel sank to his knees in despair, placed his face in his hands, and sobbed. "Rosalind, how am I supposed to keep on living without you?"

***

Days passed, and Gothel remained trapped in his cell in the dungeons. He feared when his execution was going to be. However, days turned into months, and Gothel was never executed. Gothel wondered what King Siegfried was waiting for and began to think that it was possible that Siegfried had simply forgotten about him.

Nine months later, Gothel's question about why he hadn't been executed yet was answered. King Siegfried entered the dungeons and made his way to Gothel's cell. "Gothel, I have wonderful news that I wish to share with you, my friend."

From his position where he'd been sitting on the floor of the cell with his back resting against the wall Gothel reluctantly looked up at King Siegfried. Siegfried was holding a bundle of cloth in his arms and seconds later the bundle moved, causing Gothel's eyebrows to rise in an inquisitive manner. With his curiosity getting the better of him, Gothel stood and approached the barred cell door. "What is that, Siegfried? A new pet?"

Siegfried chuckled, and pulled the blanket back to reveal the baby's face. "This is my son...Rapunzel," the Wizard King announced happily with a note of pride to his voice.

"Your son," Gothel echoed in a hollow tone.

"Mine and Rosalind's," Siegfried clarified with a cruel glint in his blue eyes.

The meaning of Siegfried's words started to sink in, and the blood started to drain out of Gothel's already pale face. That baby was Siegfried's and Rosalind's! The spawn of their union.

The baby boy turned his head and looked at Gothel with wide, emerald-green eyes. Gothel felt a pang because the baby had obviously gotten his eyes from Rosalind. The baby's hair, however, was a golden-blonde color that he'd inherited from his father.

"You had a child with Rosalind," Gothel said, feeling numb from the anger coursing through his veins. "Then the rampion worked. It cured her."

"Yes. The rampion worked, which is why I decided to name my son Rapunzel," Siegfried explained. "Isn't he beautiful? One day, Rapunzel will grow up to be king of Sol Kingdom. Just like his father. He will become a hero of Fantasia."

The gloating tone Siegfried was speaking in angered Gothel. "Hero?" he scoffed. "Don't you mean villain? You bewitched the woman I love. My wife. You took a woman by force. If your son is anything like you...he will be an evil man!"

Siegfried made a moue of distaste. "It wasn't by force. She loves me."

"Not of her own free will!" Gothel argued hotly. "You did something to her. I just...know not what. Some kind of love spell or potion..."

Siegfried looked around the corridor to make sure the guards weren't around and eavesdropping on their conversation before he gave Gothel a sharp smile. "You're right. I _did_ do something to her. I used a spell that allowed me to rip her heart out without killing her, and then I was able to use her heart to control her. I spoke to her heart and said the following: ' _Rosalind, I command you to love me, and to forget your love for Gothel_ '. And her heart glowed brightly in response. As long as her heart remains in my possession she will _never_ remember her love for you, and she will love me instead."

"Heart magic!" Gothel exclaimed, looking astounded and equally horrified. "But controlling another's will...that's dark magic and the Dark Arts are forbidden in Sol Kingdom. You'll upset the balance of the Kingdom of Light."

"It's too late for that now. I have already upset the balance here in Sol Kingdom," Siegfried lamented. "The land has become poisoned by darkness. Angels are falling and becoming demons. Elves are becoming Dark Elves. And I've lost my ability to heal. But that power was passed to my son Rapunzel. He will have the ability to heal and his hair will be used to forge enchanted weapons for the heroes of Fantasia, who will battle against the encroaching darkness. Rapunzel will be able to heal this land with his goodness. The sins of the father are not the sins of the son, Gothel."

"You let the kingdom become infected by darkness to sate your own selfish lustful desires!" Gothel snapped hotly. "Rosalind is _my_ wife!"

" _Was_ your wife," Siegfried corrected. "She's mine now until death do us part."

"You bastard," Gothel growled.

***

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the castle, Rosalind awoke alone in her bed with her newborn child missing. She was still very weak from having just given birth, but she gathered the strength to get out of bed and put on a robe. After she'd made herself presentable, she went in search of her husband and newborn son.

Rosalind made her way down a castle corridor and headed to the king's private chambers, thinking he must be there. Once she reached the door to the king's bedroom, she opened it, stepped inside the room, and looked around. There was no sign of Siegfried or her newborn child. This discovery brought a frown to her pretty face and she wondered where they could be.

Rosalind was just about to leave when she caught sight of a box sitting on the king's dresser. The small, wooden box resembled a pirate's treasure chest, and had the pattern of hearts engraved on it. A red glow was emerging from the cracks in the lid of the box.

Rosalind was inexplicably drawn to the box, and started to approach it in a daze. She reached out and lifted the box's lid. She gasped at the sight of what was inside the box- a glowing, pulsing, red heart.

At first, Rosalind was frightened by the macabre sight, but then she felt strangely comforted by it. She felt drawn to the heart. As if in a trance, Rosalind picked up the heart and placed it against her bosom. The heart started to sink back inside Rosalind's chest almost instantly.

Rosalind realized in that moment that this must be _her_ heart, and so she shoved it the rest of the way inside her chest. Rosalind gasped at the sensation of having her heart returned to her body. All of a sudden, there was this heavy, emotional weight pressing down upon her, and then her true feelings and emotions returned. There were certain memories that she'd believed to be true and that were now revealed to be lies. That's when Rosalind remembered Gothel, and her love for him.

Tears filled Rosalind's green eyes as she remembered how much she loved Gothel. It had been _true love_. Rosalind whimpered as she recalled the day in the throne room when Gothel had been arrested for Necromancy, and she'd just sat upon a gilded throne and let it happen. She'd even _helped_ to condemn him. She'd betrayed him. She'd been under Siegfried's spell, and forced to love the duplicitous king, but she'd believed his lies.

_Ugh, Siegfried._ Rosalind felt nauseous thinking about King Siegfried. She'd been Siegfried's 'wife'. His 'queen'. They'd 'made love'. And she'd enjoyed it. She'd betrayed Gothel by having sex with _another man_. She'd even gotten pregnant, and had given birth to Siegfried's child.

And Gothel...Gothel was dead. Rosalind suddenly realized, her heart clenching painfully inside of her chest. Siegfried had told Rosalind that Gothel had been executed for his crimes of Necromancy. At the time Rosalind had still been under Siegfried's spell and hadn't even cared. She'd felt nothing but relief that the evil, Dark Wizard who'd bewitched her had been executed.

"Gothel. _My_ Gothel is dead. My love is dead," Rosalind murmured sadly. "I must go to him." Rosalind walked across the room and head towards the balcony. She stepped out onto the balcony, approached the balustrade, and looked down over the edge. It was a forty-foot drop. Tears were streaming down her face, and she could barely see the courtyard below through her tears. _I betrayed Gothel. I wonder if he'll be able to forgive me. All I want is to be with him. Gothel belongs to me. I won't let him escape me. Even in death._

Rosalind jumped.

***

Meanwhile, in the dungeons, the sound of people screaming drew Gothel and Siegfried's attention to the window in Gothel's cell that overlooked the tallest tower of the castle, and the courtyard that was directly beneath it.

Gothel and Siegfried spotted a figure in green plummeting down through the air. It was the unmistakable figure of a woman falling.

Siegfried's eyes widened in alarm as he recognized the woman's dress. "No! Rosalind!" the Wizard King exclaimed before running out of the dungeons with his child still in his arms.

"Rosalind?" Gothel echoed. There was nothing Gothel could do. He could only watch helplessly as Rosalind plummeted to her death until there was a sickening splat and crunching sound as she hit the flagstones in the courtyard. The screams in the courtyard grew louder and more horrified.

The people in the courtyard began to make various exclamations. "It's the queen!" "Queen Rosalind is dead!" "The queen jumped...!" "She committed suicide...!" "No! Someone _must_ have pushed her..."

Gothel climbed the wall of his cell, and peered out through the small window at Rosalind's broken form. Her head turned his way and their eyes met. Rosalind's eyes widened at the unexpected sight of Gothel. "Gothel, I thought you were dead. Siegfried told me he had you executed..." she said in a soft voice.

"Rosalind, what happened to you?" Gothel demanded in a growling tone as he gripped the bars on the window. "Did _someone_ push you?"

"No. I found my heart in Siegfried's private chambers, and I remembered my love for you," Rosalind explained sadly. "I wanted to join you in death. I had no idea you were still alive. If I had known I never would have..."

"Siegfried," Gothel snarled. "He'll pay for this, and for what he did to you. I'll kill him. I will avenge you, Rosalind! I promise."

Rosalind offered Gothel a weak smile. "More importantly, please take care of my baby, Gothel. Take care of Rapunzel. I shouldn't have selfishly decided to leave Rapunzel behind and alone in this cruel world. I regret that now."

Gothel could see the light leaving Rosalind's beautiful eyes. "Rosalind, take my hand...!" Gothel said urgently. "After you've died, I'll be able to bring you back to life." He reached his hand through the bars, and tried to grab Rosalind's hand.

Rosalind's fingers twitched slightly as she tried to reach out and take Gothel's hand. Just as their fingertips were about to touch Siegfried appeared at Rosalind's side, and he scooped her up into his arms and carried her away. Siegfried didn't even notice Gothel or his attempts to touch Rosalind.

"No! Rosalind! Bring her back! Bring her back to me!" Gothel yelled after the oblivious king.

Gothel's shouting drew the attention of a guard, who approached Gothel's cell door. "Silence, Dark Wizard!" he snapped, his voice laced with anger. "Show some respect. The queen of Sol Kingdom has just died!"

Gothel lunged at the barred cell door in response. He grabbed the guard by the front of his tunic, and yanked him forward, and continued to slam the guard's head against the bars until he was dead. Minutes later, Gothel let go of the guard, and his limp, lifeless body slumped to the floor.

Gothel crouched, reached through the bars, and grabbed the man's wrist. He summoned his death magic and willed the guard to come back to life. The guard's eyes snapped open a few seconds later, and they were now a glowing red color.

"Arise, zombie guard," Gothel drawled in an expectant fashion.

The guard stood up and awaited Gothel's orders. "How may I serve you, Master?"

"First, get me out of this cell," Gothel said.

"Yes, Master." The zombie guard took out his ring of keys and used the appropriate key to unlock the door of Gothel's cell. There was a creaking sound as the door was opened on rusty hinges.

Gothel wanted nothing more than to go face Siegfried and kill him, but Gothel knew he'd be defeated in a matter of seconds. More importantly, he wanted to recover Rosalind's body so that he could use his power to bring her back to life.

In order to pull this off, Gothel knew he needed allies. In fact, he needed an army. But who would possibly be willing to give _him_ an army to stand against King Siegfried?

The answer came to Gothel suddenly - King Reginald Appleton. Siegfried's greatest enemy. _The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Perhaps, King Reginald would be willing to help me get my revenge on King Siegfried._ With these thoughts in mind, Gothel snuck out of the dungeons, and managed to make his way out of the castle undetected. He stole a horse from the royal stables, and used it to get to Apple Kingdom.

Gothel was surprised and pleased by the amiable reception he received at the front gate to Apple Castle. A guard swiftly escorted him to the castle, led him inside, and took him the rest of the way to the throne room. The double doors that led to the throne room were solid gold and the image of an apple tree had been engraved onto each door. As Gothel entered King Reginald's throne room he couldn't help but compare it to Siegfried's, and he found it to be equally impressive.

Red and gold marble columns stood on either side of the main aisle that led to a dais where two thrones sat on the far side of the room. A red rug runner covered the aisle and led all the way to the dais. Seated upon the throne to Gothel's right was Queen Isidora. She was holding her son Prince Snow Flurris cradled in her arms. Recently widowed, Isidora had remarried Reginald in the hopes that he would provide a good, fatherly influence to her child.

Gothel couldn't help but note that the young prince looked very different from King Reginald with his black hair, pale skin, and sapphire-blue eyes. Seated on the throne to Gothel's left was King Reginald. Reginald was surprisingly not wearing armor, and instead was dressed in a red and gold, Victorian-style suit along with a gold cape that had a bright red lining.

"Necromancer Gothel, we've been expecting you," Reginald greeted, his ruby-red eyes sparkling with intelligence.

Gothel approached the thrones warily. When Reginald had said the word 'Necromancer' it had been with a pleased tone instead of a scornful one. "You have?"

"I like to keep tabs on any powerful wizards whom I'd like to one day join my ranks," Reginald explained smoothly, tucking a strand of his golden hair behind his ear. "What do you say, Commander?"

_Commander?_ Gothel inwardly echoed. Apparently, Reginald was going to give him an army, and Gothel hadn't even asked for it yet. "King Reginald, the reason I'm here is that I want to kill King Siegfried Solis and avenge the death of my wife Rosalind."

"I was already aware of your wife's death, and I'd like to offer you my heartfelt condolences for your loss," Reginald said with an air of impatience. "I want King Siegfried dead too, though for _other_ reasons. As it so happens, our interests appear to coincide. This is most fortunate."

"If I'm to kill King Siegfried," Gothel began. "I'm going to need an army, and-"

"Granted," Reginald interrupted.

Gothel frowned. "I intend to retrieve the body of my wife and bring her back to life using Necromancy."

"Good for you," Reginald said with an easy smile playing on his handsome face.

"You..." Gothel raked a shaky hand back through his messy hair. "You're not bothered by my death magic?"

"I, for one, think it's incredibly romantic," Queen Isidora began with a wistful note to her voice. "Trying to bring the one you love back from the dead. I miss Snow's father, King Evan Flurris, terribly. But surely his body is a rotted corpse by now. I didn't even know there was a Necromancer in Fantasia until now. If I had known, I may have called upon your services."

"Queen Isidora..." Gothel murmured in surprise and shot a nervous look Reginald's way. "Even if I were able to bring him back from the dead, bringing back his soul is another matter entirely. I don't know if it can be done. But I intend to try so I can be with Rosalind again."

"Power over Life and Death," Reginald began, a smile quirking his lips. "Personally, I think it's utterly marvelous. I envy you, Gothel. I have my own plan to gain immortality. Although, I'm not sure it will work. I still need to test it out and monitor its effects on death." The king stroked his chin thoughtfully.

A wizard as powerful as Reginald envied _him_? This revelation made Gothel feel prideful. Gothel wondered what the brilliant wizard's plan to gain immortality was. He was curious, but had other more pressing matters to attend to. "I wish you luck in your quest for true immortality, King Reginald," Gothel said politely.

Reginald nodded. "Thank you. And I wish you luck on getting your revenge on King Siegfried, and on saving your wife from Death."

***

A few days later, Gothel was riding at the head of an army Reginald had given him. He was dressed in a black hooded cloak, and had lowered the hood to shield the features of his face. Gothel was pleased to be the Commander of an army of thousands of knights, but he'd expected Reginald to give him an army of _wizards_ , and not dullard slaves. These slaves were the very people who'd used to live in, and rule Apple Kingdom, and who'd been conquered by Reginald.

Would a non-magic, human army stand a chance against King Siegfried's army of elves, seraphs, wizards, and human knights wielding enchanted swords? Gothel wondered with growing unease.

In the end, Gothel only cared about getting the body of his wife back so he could bring her back to life. After that, he planned on searching for a way to call her soul back to her body. Through a series of magical experiments he felt he'd be able to find a way to save Rosalind from Death.

Gathered in front of the outer wall that surrounded Sol Castle were King Siegfried and his army of Wizard Knights, seraphs, elves, and humans wielding enchanted weapons. King Siegfried was positioned at the head of the army on horseback. He was dressed in his gold battle armor and looking very much the part of the valiant hero. The sight made Gothel sick to his stomach.

A wooden pyre next to King Siegfried caught Gothel's eye, and he noticed in horror that lying on top of the pyre was Rosalind. Gothel's eyes flared in alarm as he realized that Siegfried intended to cremate Rosalind. If Siegfried were to do that then Gothel would be unable to bring Rosalind back to life. "No!"

Across the battlefield Siegfried appeared to notice Gothel's dismayed expression, and it caused him to smile. He raised a flaming torch and threw it onto the pyre with a triumphant look on his face. Almost instantly, the pyre started to burn. "If I can't have her," Siegfried began loudly. "No one ever will! I won't let you bring her back, Gothel! Say 'goodbye' to your precious Rosalind!"

Gothel lowered his hood to reveal his fierce, angry expression to Siegfried. "Damn you, Siegfried! Charge, men! Show no mercy! Kill them all!" The two armies charged towards each other across the field, met, and engaged in battle. The sound of steel clashing against steel soon filled the air.

If Gothel hadn't been so blinded by hatred and rage that day, he may have won the battle by strategically using his Necromancy on the fallen soldiers. However, Siegfried had succeeded in manipulating Gothel's emotions, and angering him to the point that Gothel was consumed by anger. Gothel recklessly charged forward towards the pyre whilst ignoring his warriors on the battlefield, and their plight as they were being wiped out in a matter of seconds. "Rosalind!" Gothel shouted in a crazed tone.

Siegfried maneuvered his horse so that he stood in Gothel's way, and unsheathed a double-edged, medieval broadsword that he pointed the Necromancer's way. Gothel summoned his death magic, and concentrated on the ground beneath them. Skeletal hands emerged out of the ground and grabbed the legs of Siegfried's horse.

Siegfried's horse fell along with the king. Siegfried quickly got to his feet and started to use his sword to fight against the skeletons that were popping out of the earth all around him.

Gothel willed a flock of skeletal crows to attack Siegfried next. Siegfried was forced to hack away at the undead creatures swarming around his head with his sword in an effort to prevent his eyes from getting pecked out of their sockets.

Gothel was surprised Siegfried wasn't using his magic. "What's the matter, Siegfried? Why aren't you using your holy light magic?" Siegfried scowled at Gothel, and pressed his lips together in a thin, grim line. That's when Gothel came to a realization. "You can't use your holy magic anymore, can you? Not after you turned to the Dark Arts! I wonder what your subjects will think of this when this truth comes to light?"

The blood drained out of Siegfried's face at the suggestion, but he forced himself to smile at Gothel. There was no sense in showing weakness to his enemy, and he still had one ace up his sleeve. "Archers! Finish him! Now!"

Elves positioned on the ramparts nocked arrows to their bows, aimed at Gothel, and fired. An impressive barrage of hundreds of arrows flew through the air towards Gothel. And there was nothing Gothel could do to stop the attack. He was only an apprentice wizard, after all. He couldn't even cast a simple shield spell. Gothel was only good at death magic, which was forbidden in Sol Kingdom. Seconds later, a hundred arrows hit and pierced Gothel's body.

Gothel sank to his knees, but never took his eyes off of Siegfried. "You cowardly, dishonorable bastard..." he growled as he felt his lifeblood leaving him.

Siegfried raised an eyebrow at his defeated foe. "I never agreed to have a one-on-one duel with you. You are defeated, Gothel. You have lost, and I have won."

"Damn you, Siegfried!" Gothel looked around the blood-soaked battlefield, and observed the two opposing armies. The dullards under his command didn't stand a chance against the enchanted weapons the other humans were using, and they were easy prey for the elves and seraphs.

In the few minutes Gothel had left to live he was able to watch his entire army be defeated. The Necromancer regretted that he'd been unable to avenge his wife Rosalind, but on the bright side he was at least going to be reunited with his lost love in Death. _I'm coming, Rosalind..._

***

Twenty days later, King Reginald of Apple Kingdom had finally been able to hunt down and kill a unicorn. This had taken much longer than he'd expected, but he'd finally managed to get his hands on a horn, and was able to brew the immortality potion.

Now all that was left for Reginald to do was test the potion out on someone in order to make sure it was safe for consumption. Reginald had the perfect guinea pig in mind for his magical experiment.

This is how Reginald ended up at Sol Castle's cemetery where Gothel and his human army had been buried. Reginald strolled through the cemetery, and looked at the headstones and the names that had been engraved upon them. Finally, Reginald found Gothel's grave and stopped before it. The Necromancer's grave consisted of a simple headstone with the man's name engraved on it \- ' _Gothel Bones_ ', and the dates of his birth and death.

Reginald grabbed a shovel and started to dig. It didn't take him long to encounter a long, wooden coffin. The Wizard King pried the lid off the coffin using the shovel, and peered inside. Reginald cringed at the sight before him. The flesh had rotted away from Gothel's skeleton much faster than he'd anticipated, and had already started to turn black.

Reginald wished he could have found the unicorn sooner. Then, perhaps, Gothel's body could have been saved. He frowned, wondering if the potion of immortality would even work on a skeleton. "Well, there's only one way to find out." The Wizard King reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a small potion bottle, uncorked it and poured the potion into Gothel's mouth - or rather what remained of it. He watched as the potion entered Gothel's skull and dripped down his spinal cord.

A couple minutes later, Gothel's skeleton started to glow with a blue-tinged light, and two glowing, red eyes appeared in his hollow eye sockets. Gothel sat up with a gasp and looked around wildly. "What the? Where am I?" he questioned in a disoriented manner.

Reginald offered Gothel a kind smile. "You're in a cemetery. To be more specific you're inside your grave."

Gothel's jaw dropped open slightly as he gaped up at the wizard. Had Reginald just said...he was inside a cemetery? And in his own grave? Gothel's head started to pound as he began to remember everything that had happened. "That's right. King Siegfried had me killed using a barrage of arrows. That coward! Then, that means...I'm dead."

When Gothel looked down at his hands that's when he noticed his hands were no longer covered in flesh. They were just bones. It was a frightening sight, and Gothel started to panic. "My hands! My skin! I...I'm a monster!"

Reginald frowned as Gothel started to scream and grip the sides of his head. Gothel wasn't taking being brought back to life too well. At this rate, he'd go insane, and then he'd be of no use to Reginald. The Wizard King realized that he needed to protect Gothel's sanity somehow.

"Calm yourself, Gothel." Reginald hopped down into the grave, knelt before Gothel, and reached out to cup Gothel's skull with his hands. "You are _not_ a monster. You are an immortal now. I can see that your new appearance distresses you. Allow me to alleviate your distress with a simple spell." Reginald waved his hand over Gothel and cast a glamour spell to make the Necromancer appear human again.

A golden aura surrounded Gothel, and in seconds the Necromancer appeared to be human once more. Reginald smiled smugly at his handiwork. "There. All better. Take a look at your hands now, Gothel."

Gothel removed his hands from his skull and hesitantly peered down at his hands. They looked normal again, and he let out a breath of relief. "Phew. What did you do, King Reginald?"

"A simple glamour spell," Reginald informed him. "Unfortunately, what you see and feel is nothing but an illusion. It's pointless really. If only I had come sooner I may have been able to salvage your old body. I'm sorry."

"It's not pointless," Gothel said with feeling. "Thank you, King Reginald. This new appearance does indeed put my mind at ease."

Reginald removed his gold and red cape before handing it to Gothel. "Here."

Gothel looked at the flamboyant cape and grimaced. "That's...not really my style."

Reginald let out a huff. "It is only temporary...to hide your nakedness."

"Nakedness?" Gothel looked down at his crotch and saw he had a cock again. He frowned. His cock was only an illusion. "What's the point in giving me a cock I can't have sex with?" Gothel asked, a tinge of amusement to his voice as he put on the cape.

Reginald shrugged. "For your peace of mind, I suppose. To help you get used to your new body slowly. Eventually, you can do away with the glamour spell altogether, if you wish." Reginald's red eyes were twinkling with merriment.

"Hmm," Gothel let out a thoughtful hum. "How did you bring me back to life anyways?"

"I hunted down a unicorn and brewed the potion of immortality using his horn," Reginald revealed.

"Well, the potion appears to have worked," Gothel said, opening and closing his hands into fists. "I'm alive. But why did you bring me back?" the Necromancer asked while giving Reginald a searching look.

Reginald raised an eyebrow at Gothel. "Do I really have to tell you? You failed to get your revenge on King Siegfried. I've given you a second chance to avenge your wife."

Gothel clenched his hands into fists and dug his nails into the palms of his hands. "That's right...Siegfried is still alive. Will I even be able to cast magic with this body?"

"If your soul has successfully been called back to that body then you should be able to cast your spells," Reginald informed him. "Why don't you go ahead and give it a try. Here." The Wizard King jumped out of the grave, and waved his hand at the surrounding headstones and stone crosses that had been stuck into the earth near the graves. "Your army awaits."

Gothel frowned and his brow furrowed. "My army...? That's right. The human army that was defeated so easily by Siegfried's forces! They've all been buried here." Gothel hopped out of the grave, crouched, placed his hands on the ground, and summoned his death magic. He concentrated on willing the soldiers and knights to rise up from their graves. "Arise, fallen soldiers and knights, and fight by my side once more." The ground beneath their feet began to quake and rumble, and then skeletal hands burst up and out of the earth.

Reginald grinned sharply at the sight of the zombies emerging from their graves. "Yes, that's it. Excellent!"

"My magic still works," Gothel said in an awed voice. "And for some reason it's much more powerful than it was before." Gothel was even more impressed when he realized that it wasn't only Gothel's human army that was coming back to life. The long-dead angels and elves that had been buried here were also starting to emerge from their graves. "Angels, wizards, and elves..." Gothel breathed in astonishment. "Will the beings who used to possess magic in life still be able to wield it in their current form?"

Reginald narrowed his eyes at the zombie angels and elves, and grinned. "Apparently, they possess magic. This must be due to your phenomenal power. You are their Master now. This undead army belongs to you. King Siegfried doesn't stand a chance against you, Necromancer," Reginald said, looking pleased.

Gothel smiled crookedly. He liked the sound of that. Why had he been so hesitant to use his death magic before when he'd still been alive? This was...amazing. He felt so powerful. Invincible.

Gothel let out an evil cackle. "Muahaha! I'm coming for your head, Siegfried!"

To be continued in...Chapter 3:

### Chapter 3:

Due to his overwhelming defeat at the hands of King Siegfried during the last battle Gothel knew he had to act less rashly this time around if he wanted to gain victory. His plan was to increase the size of his already impressive undead army. First, he took his army to the forest of Sol Kingdom in order to target the elves that were living there.

Gothel and his army didn't get very far into the forest before they were completely surrounded by the elves. Some of the elves were standing on the ground while others were perched on high tree branches with their bows raised before them with nocked arrows.

Gothel smirked as he stared at the elves and generously offered them the following choice. "Elves! Join me...or die, and _then_ join me."

Upon sensing Gothel's great and malevolent magical power several of the elves decided to join him then and there, and knelt before him. "You have our allegiance, Necromancer Gothel."

Apparently, his reputation preceded him. Gothel's smile widened and became more twisted. "Excellent. Now, for your first task. Kill all those who have refused to join me, and in so doing prove your loyalty to me!" With a satisfied expression on his face Gothel watched as the elves turned on their comrades, and a fierce battle ensued with arrows whizzing through the air dangerously.

Gothel wasn't too worried about the arrows, however. He was immortal now. And when any of the arrows got too close to him one of his undead knights would dive in front of Gothel and take the hit in a rather chivalrous manner.

Gothel's eyes widened when he noticed that the elves who sided with him began to transform. Their skin tone started to darken into a rich, golden-brown color. Their black hair turned snow-white, and their eyes turned ruby-red. In a matter of minutes, all of the malicious elves who'd decided to betray their comrades had transformed into the members of another race. They were now Dark Elves.

Fantasia was a world where an individual's evil could actually transform them into the member of another race if that evil became so great that it consumed them. And these elves who'd betrayed their comrades had been consumed by a lust for power and greed.

After the last elf had fallen to the ground with at least ten arrows sticking out of him, the remaining Dark Elves joined the ranks of Gothel's undead army. Gothel gave the command, and his army began to follow him as he headed towards the human villages next.

Instead of merely killing the villages' human inhabitants and turning them into loyal zombies, Gothel had something much more interesting planned. King Reginald had given Gothel a powerful ally - the Queen of the Vampires, Draculara, and Gothel intended to put her ability to turn humans into vampires to good use.

Gothel purposefully rode into the first human village alone on horseback. Gothel's horse was a frightening, undead creature with glowing, red eyes. Its flesh was rotting, and its skeleton could be seen in places. As soon as Gothel sensed the eyes of the villagers upon him he used his magic to make his eyes glow red. "Humans! Join me, and become an immortal vampire, or die and _then_ join me as a pathetic zombie!" A wide, sinister smile spread across Gothel's lips as he awaited their response.

The villagers were terrified of Gothel's malevolent presence, and none of them refused his offer to be turned into bloodsucking, undead vampires. Draculara ended up turning all of the human inhabitants of Sol Kingdom into vampires that day.

Gothel was almost disappointed that none of them had tried to resist. _What a bunch of cowards._ He mentally sneered.

By the time Gothel's undead army began to march towards Sol Castle it consisted of skeletal and zombified wizards, knights, soldiers, and elves. The Dark Elves were technically still _alive_ , and the vampires were immortal beings with a thirst for blood, but that possessed a preternatural beauty.

Gothel puffed his chest up with pride as he admired the strength of his army. Unhindered by silly things like 'honor' Gothel decided to have his army attack the castle at night. He ordered the skeletons and zombies to climb the castle walls, and attack the guards within.

Many guards were killed before they realized what was happening. The guards quickly rallied, however, and began to fight back. Protecting the castle were knights wielding enchanted weapons, wizards and seraphs wielding their own magic, and elven archers.

It didn't take long for Gothel's soldiers to gain control over the crank that was used to raise the portcullis. As soon as the gate had been raised Gothel was able to ride into the courtyard at a leisurely trot.

On the far side of the courtyard Gothel spotted King Siegfried who was also mounted on horseback, and obviously prepared to face him. Siegfried's horse was a white stallion that lent to the Wizard King's heroic appearance. The sight caused a deep scowl to form on Gothel's face.

King Siegfried's blue eyes widened when he caught sight of Gothel mounted on his terrifying, undead horse. Gothel was wearing a black hooded cloak, but the Necromancer lowered his hood to make sure Siegfried could see his face. "Gothel?" Siegfried questioned, his voice tinged with disbelief. "How are you still alive? I _killed_ you."

Gothel kicked his horse's sides and trotted towards the king. The two opposing armies parted to let Gothel pass unmolested to the other side of the courtyard. "Technically a barrage of one hundred arrows killed me," Gothel smoothly corrected.

"This is _your_ army?" Siegfried asked, his brow furrowing.

"Indeed." Gothel used his magic to let his eyes glow red for a moment. "I came back from the grave to avenge my wife Rosalind. My hatred for you was too powerful for me to stay dead, you see. I had to come back, so that I could kill you."

King Siegfried shifted uncomfortably on his saddle. _Gothel's hatred for me was so strong that he was able to rise from his grave in order to try and kill me? But what does that make him then? Is he a ghost? Or a demon?_ Siegfried grew distracted from his morbid thoughts by the sight of a Dark Elf mercilessly shooting a seraph between her eyes with an arrow. The seraphs lived in the castle as honored guests. "What did you do to the elves?" He frowned.

"I gave them a choice - to join me or die, and _then_ join me," Gothel started to explain with a glint in his red eyes. "I commanded the elves that chose to follow me to kill those who refused. The act of killing their brethren darkened their souls, blackened their hearts, and changed their outer appearances. They became the members of a new, powerful, evil race known as the Dark Elves."

Seigfried's frown deepened when he caught sight of a woman dressed in a peasant's dress lunging at a seraph and sinking her fangs into his neck. "And what have you done to the villagers?"

"I offered the villagers _another_ deal \- to join me as an immortal, undead vampire, or to die and then join me as a zombie. All of them let the vampire Queen Draculara turn them into vampires. I wonder what will happen to the seraphs if I get them to turn on each other as I did the elves? That should be rather interesting to watch. Let's find out, shall we? Angels!" Gothel used his magic so that his voice carried across the courtyard, and thrummed with his malevolent power. "Join me or die, and _then_ join me as a zombie!"

About half of the seraphs present knelt before Gothel in order to show that their allegiance now belonged to him. Gothel's expression turned pleased while Siegfried's turned appalled. "Excellent," Gothel said, smiling widely. "Now, prove your loyalty to me by killing the seraphs who refused to join me!"

"Aye, Necromancer Gothel!" the seraphs shouted before they started to attack their brethren.

The blood drained from King Siegfried's face as he watched the angels start to turn on each other. As the seraphs committed the evil act of killing their comrades they began to transform. Their white, feathery wings turned black. Horns sprouted out of the tops of their heads, and their ears became longer and more pointed. The seraphs' nails lengthened into claws, turned black, and tails emerged from the base of their spines, and started to swish behind them.

"So, _this_ is how demons are made," Gothel said conversationally.

"Demons are fallen angels..." Siegfried muttered.

"You learn something everyday," Gothel continued, slashing his hand through the air. "Demons, kill _all_ the seraph!"

"No!" King Siegfried objected, unsheathed his sword, and rode hard towards one of the demons.

Gothel kicked his horse's sides, and rode over to block Siegfried's way to the demon. Siegfried was already swinging his sword through the air at the demon, but instead of cutting the demon in half, his sword clashed against Gothel's raised sword.

Siegfried's gaze lowered to admire Gothel's sinister looking sword for a moment. It was a double-edged broadsword made out of black steel. Its pommel was shaped like a skull and its guard resembled two bat-like wings. The sword was surrounded by a black aura of malevolent magical energy. "That sword...!"

Gothel smiled sharply. "Yes. This is an enchanted sword. I forged this sword using a lock of your hair and a lock of my hair. It is known as the Sword of Darkness!"

"How dare you!" Siegfried snarled and swung his sword, aiming for Gothel's neck. Gothel's swiftly blocked the blow, and Seigfriend couldn't help but be impressed. "Since when could you fight with a sword, Apprentice Gothel?"

"King Reginald gave me a few lessons," Gothel revealed silkily.

"Reginald!" Siegfried spat the name like a curse. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he came to a sudden realization. "Gothel, don't you see what's happened here? Reginald has played us. He's pitted us against each other. I've had my suspicions all along that he was the Leader of the League of Villains, and now I am certain of it!"

Gothel's eyes flashed. "Reginald didn't _force_ you to steal my wife!"

Siegfried flinched guiltily. "No, but his servant, Cordelia, the Queen of Hearts, also known as the Mirror World Queen, offered to teach me a spell that enabled me to be able to rip a person's heart out of their chest, and then control them with it. The temptation to steal Rosalind away from you was too much to resist. I fell for their trap. I'm sorry. If I had been a stronger man I would have accepted my fate to be alone and unloved. Once I had Rosalind's heart in the palm of my hand I was able to order her to love me."

Gothel knew all about how Reginald possessed a powerful Magic Mirror that contained a trapped servant named Cordelia, the Queen of Hearts. _That venomous snake tempted Seigfried with the power to make Rosalind love him...and with that silver tongue of hers she convinced him to betray me. Did Reginald really set all of this into motion?_ Gothel wondered, a feeling of unease welling up inside of him.

As Gothel thought back to everything that had happened, he found that it made sense. Reginald had probably known Gothel and his human army would be defeated by King Siegfried easily. But then, what had been his true intentions? To test the immortality potion on Gothel? If that were the case, he'd intended to revive Gothel using the immortality potion all along. Gothel...staying alive had never been a part of Reginald's plan. _Am I just Reginald's guinea pig?_ Gothel mused, his grip tightening on his sword until his knuckles turned white. _Has Reginald betrayed me too?_

Gothel let out a defeated sigh. Even if all this were true - it was too late now. There was no turning back. Gothel still wanted revenge. _I've already sold my soul to the devil for this chance. It's too late to turn back now. My hands are already stained red with the blood of innocents._

Gothel started to tremble with rage as he recalled Rosalind's heart-wrenching final moments. "You think being _tempted_ makes it alright? Because you were weak...I'm supposed to forgive you? You're the one who gave into temptation. You forced Rosalind to love you, and you raped her! For that sin, you will pay with your life, Seigfried!" Gothel swung his sword horizontally, and summoned his magical power.

Seigfried raised his sword to block the attack, but in that moment Gothel's sword sliced through the blade of Siegfried's sword. Siegfried's eyes widened in shock as he watched half of his sword flying up through the air uselessly.

The Necromancer continued his sword's swing, and sliced his sword into Siegfried's chest. Gothel swiftly pulled his sword back and lunged it forward, aiming for Siegfried's heart. Encased in magical energy, Gothel's sword was able to pierce Siegfried's breastplate, and enter his heart.

Siegfried looked down at his impaled chest, and let go of his broken sword. He looked up at Gothel with a haggard expression on his face. "I was wrong to do what I did. I see that now. I'm sorry, Gothel. Please, for the sake of our past friendship spare the life of my son Rapunzel. He's innocent in all this. The sins of the father...are not the sins of the son."

Gothel maneuvered his horse forward so that he could push his sword deeper into Siegfried's body. "No," he said in a cold tone.

Blood dribbled down Siegfried's chin, and he gave Gothel a beseeching look. "He's _her_ son too, Gothel. Don't forget that..."

Gothel removed his sword from Siegfried, and the Wizard King's body fell sideways and landed on the ground where it lay unmoving. Bright red blood was dripping off the blade of Gothel's black steel sword. Gothel had expected to feel happy after he'd killed Siegfried...but all he felt was a cold nothingness. It was rather disappointing.

Gothel glanced around the courtyard to see how his undead army was faring. The skeletons, zombies, Dark Elves, vampires, and now demons were making quick work of the castle guards.

Still, it was a fierce, destructive battle. Dangerous spells were zooming through the air, and walls and towers were exploding as the spells missed their marks. Large chunks of rock were flying through the air from the force of the explosions. Gothel was forced to duck as a fireball soared over his head.

Sol Castle was on fire, and as more walls were hit by errant spells it started to collapse. The castle wouldn't be standing for much longer, but Gothel didn't really care. He didn't have much interest in Seigfried's castle to begin with.

But...there was still something Gothel needed to take care of before the castle was completely destroyed. Gothel trotted over to the entrance of the castle, dismounted from his horse, and entered. He made his way towards Siegfried's chambers, which he knew to be at the top of the tallest tower in the castle.

Gothel climbed a spiral staircase, and came to a halt in front of a door. He opened the door and entered the king's bedroom. Gothel glanced around the lavishly decorated room with a sneer on his face. The room had curved walls, and next to a four-poster canopy bed sat a cradle.

Gothel made his way over to the cradle, and peered inside. Rapunzel was wide-awake and peering up at Gothel curiously with his wide, green eyes. Gothel scowled down at the golden-haired child. Rapunzel smiled and giggled.

"What are you so happy about, Rapunzel?" Gothel demanded. "You have nothing to be happy about. Your mother killed herself, and I just killed your father. You're an orphan now. And I'm here to kill you." Gothel raised his bloody sword over the baby.

Rapunzel fearlessly reached up and grabbed the blade of the sword with a small, chubby hand. Gothel arched an eyebrow at the child, who continued to laugh and smile. "Are you brave...or just stupid, Rapunzel?" The baby formed a spit bubble in response. Gothel cringed when it popped.

_His eyes...they're exactly the same shade as Rosalind's._ Gothel thought, a sudden pang of pain hitting his chest. _Rapunzel is...Rosalind's son._

Gothel's hand started to shake, and he pulled his sword back. He let out a defeated sigh and sheathed his sword. "Damnation! My emotions should be dulled now that I'm a High Skeleton, but I can't bring myself to kill Rosalind's child. Well, I'll just leave him here. He'll eventually starve to death in this tower all on his own." Gothel turned around and left the room without looking back.

***

Gothel exited the castle using an entrance that was located at the bottom of the tower. He was surprised to note that the rest of the castle was completely in ruins. Apparently, his undead army had gotten a little carried away. Not that he really minded. All that was left of Sol Castle was the single tower Gothel had just exited from. The Necromancer had to resist the sudden urge to look up at the top of the tower where Rapunzel was.

The skeletons, zombies, Dark Elves, vampires and demons were standing in the courtyard and organized into neat lines as they awaited his presence. Gothel moved further into the courtyard, approached his army, and stood before them. Gothel was just about to open his mouth and address them when a familiar male voice reached his ears from directly beside him. "Excellent work, Gothel. You've managed to conquer Sol Kingdom in less than a day!"

Gothel whirled to face King Reginald. He was surprised that he hadn't even sensed the Dark Wizard King's presence. Even though there was a sword strapped to Reginald's side, he wasn't wearing armor, and was instead dressed in a gold suit with red accents, and a matching cape.

Gothel pulled his hood lower over his face to hide his conflicted expression. He had mixed feelings about his so-called ally after what Siegfried had confessed. If Siegfried had been truthful that meant Reginald and Cordelia had instigated everything that had happened in order to get to this point. _Why?_ Gothel thought. _Just what does Reginald think he's going to get out of all this?_

"Your Majesty," Gothel greeted respectfully.

"Please, call me 'Reginald'," the Wizard King corrected. "We're friends, aren't we? And we're _both_ kings."

Gothel blinked in confusion. "Kings?"

Reginald turned to face the army that was standing by and awaiting further orders. "All hail King Gothel of Bones Kingdom! Long may he reign!"

"Hail, King Gothel of Bones Kingdom! Long may he reign!" the undead army chanted.

Gothel's confusion and surprise only continued to grow. Reginald planned to crown _him_ King of Bones Kingdom? "But I thought _you_ wanted to be King of Sol Kingdom?"

Reginald barked out a laugh. "Me? _I_ can't lead the undead. Only a Necromancer like you can. These are _your_ people. They are _your_ subjects now. Rule them well, my friend." The Wizard King reached out and patted Gothel's arm.

"What is a king without a castle?" Gothel grumbled.

"I have an idea of where a Necromancer King such as you can make his home comfortably," Reginald announced, a sly smile curling his full lips. "Come. Follow me." He started to head towards the mountainous area, which existed behind the castle ruins.

Gothel shrugged and decided to follow after him. Reginald led him to a cave that had been revealed due to magic spells hitting the exterior of the mountain. Gothel arched an eyebrow. "A cave?" he asked dryly, wondering if he should feel insulted.

"No. Not just a cave," Reginald said, waving his hand in the direction of the cave entrance. "This is the secret entrance to the original home of the seraphs. They used to live underground in a subterranean city."

"You're saying there's some kind of underground world beneath Sol Kingdom?" Gothel asked, his curiosity piqued.

"It's called Bones Kingdom now," Reginald corrected. "And, yes. Although, it's not just an underground world. If I had to give it a name I would call it a Labyrinth. The seraphs created it for their protection. There are five levels, and each level is the size of a city. Might I make a suggestion, King Bones?"

"Go right ahead," Gothel said.

"I believe each level should be given to one of the races now under your command," Reginald began. "Level One should become home to the weakest race - the zombies. Level Two is already inhabited by a humanoid insect race known as the Insectoids..."

"Insectoids?" Gothel echoed. Insectoids were flesh-eating monsters and held loyalty to no one.

"Don't worry," Reginald said. "I know you will be able to gain their loyalty easily. They will always follow someone more powerful than themselves. Level Three should be given to the Dark Elves. Level Four can become a home for the vampires. Level Five is the deepest and therefore safest level, and thus should be _your_ home. I believe the demons should make their home there as well, in order to act as your vanguard." Reginald stroked his chin thoughtfully. "For added protection, there should be a Boss assigned to each level. This Boss would have to be defeated in order for someone to reach the next level down in the Labyrinth."

"Doesn't that seem a bit...overkill?" Gothel asked with an amused twinkle in his red eyes.

"After news of what has happened here spreads throughout Fantasia the heroes _will_ come for you," Reginald said, a dark shadow falling over his handsome face. "That is inevitable. That's why you must be prepared for their arrival. If you do as I suggest then any hero that comes here to try and face you would have to get past zombies, Insectoids, Dark Elves, vampires _and_ demons first."

In truth, Gothel had no interest in ruling Bones Kingdom, or in ruling over the undead, Insectoids, Dark Elves and demons, but he decided to play along with Reginald for now. "Thank you for your wise council, Reginald," Gothel said, giving the Wizard King a nod. "I will do as you command."

"I'm _not_ commanding you to do anything, my friend," Reginald said. "This is merely a suggestion that will protect you from those pesky heroes."

"Heroes," Gothel echoed, recalling how he used to think of King Siegfried as being a 'true hero'. That is, until his betrayal. _Maybe a hero would be able to kill me and allow me to be reunited with Rosalind._ Gothel thought to himself, and a lopsided smile formed on his face. "Let the heroes come. I will be ready for them."

"That's the spirit!" Reginald slapped Gothel on the back with a pleased look on his face. _Everything has gone according to my plan._ Reginald thought, a smile spreading across his face as he looked at his unsuspecting ally. _I have a powerful Necromancer for an ally now which means that if I can get Cordelia to transport those Dinosaur fossils from the realm known as Earth to Fantasia...I can eventually order Gothel to use his Necromancy to awaken those monsters, and together we shall conquer Fantasia._

***

Over the course of the next few weeks, Gothel did as Reginald had suggested and set up the Labyrinth accordingly. Just as Reginald predicted it wasn't long before the heroes of Fantasia came to take Gothel's head. All manner of heroes came to the Labyrinth to try and kill Gothel. There were heroes wielding enchanted weapons, and wizards that tried to use magic against him.

Some of those enchanted weapons had been made using Siegfried's hair, and Gothel had been hopeful about their abilities, but none of those heroes had survived. Gothel had been even more hopeful about the seraphs that had managed to survive the final battle at Sol Castle, and who'd come to challenge him using their holy, light magic. Those seraphs were unfortunately killed by Gothel, as well.

Very few heroes made it all the way down to Level Five to face Gothel, and those that did end up facing Gothel were swiftly killed by the Necromancer. Gothel grew extremely disappointed by this turn of events. He'd only decided to play along with Reginald's schemes while waiting for a hero to arrive and kill him so that he could be reunited with Rosalind. Unfortunately, Gothel was a lot harder to kill than he'd anticipated.

The enchanted weapons would shatter when used against him. Nothing seemed to be able to kill Gothel. Gothel didn't want to continue on with his existence. As a High Skeleton, also known as a lich, he could not feel, could not taste food, and his emotions had been dulled to the point where he could not love. Immortality was a cursed existence indeed.

_All of these heroes are completely useless!_ Gothel lamented one day. _Where can I find a 'true hero' that can kill me? How can I get one to come here?_ In that moment, Gothel realized that he needed advice from a soothsayer. A soothsayer could peer into Gothel's future and see how he would be killed, and Gothel could help speed things along, so he could die that much sooner. With a soothsayer's help Gothel would be able to discover a way to end his immortality.

Currently, the most renowned soothsayer in Fantasia was a warlock known as Babayaga. Yaga was a hard man to find due to the fact his house was apparently alive and could walk. Despite his misgivings, Gothel left the labyrinth, and set out to try and find Babayaga.

As luck would have it, Yaga found him. While Gothel was riding through the Dark Forest he heard the sound of thunderous, fast-approaching footsteps. When he glanced over his shoulder he saw a Tudor-style house with a sloping roof and crooked chimney supported on two chicken legs. The house was running straight for Gothel, and for the first time in many days he suddenly felt afraid.

The house opened its mouth, bent its legs, and swallowed Gothel whole. Gothel and his undead horse materialized in the middle of a square-shaped room. Gothel dismounted from his horse, and looked around the room warily. A variety of dried herbs and cages filled with animals were hanging from the ceiling.

There was a wooden shelving unit lined with jars filled with various preserved specimens. Gothel's gaze was drawn to the hearth where a bubbling black cauldron was hanging over a fire. An animal reached up out of the cauldron and its paw was whacked back into the soup by a wooden spoon. "What the hell...?" Gothel muttered to himself.

"I've been expecting you, Necromancer Gothel." A four-foot-tall man...no, a _boy_ , Gothel realized, was standing next to the hearth with a wooden spoon in his hand. The young warlock had tanned skin, bright green eyes, and messy, shoulder-length black hair. He was wearing a purple, wide-brimmed, pointed hat, white cotton shirt, purple vest embroidered with golden thread, and purple silk pants. A green sash belt was tied around his waist that matched the color of his eyes.

Gothel cringed at the young warlock's flamboyant appearance. Gothel was wearing all black, and Babayaga's choice of clothing was painful to look at since it was so colorful. In fact, it looked like a rainbow had thrown up on the kid. Gothel arched an eyebrow at the seer. Babayaga was much younger than he'd expected, and was probably around twelve years of age. But looks _could_ be deceiving. "Oh, really? As expected of Fantasia's best soothsayer."

"Best?" Babayaga echoed, shaking his head and causing his golden hoop earrings that had little bells attached to them to jingle. "Seeing into the future is not a _precise_ art. When I peer into the future I glimpse many possible futures all at once. I usually relate the one that appears to be the clearest, or the one I think the person will most desire hearing. No one can be the best soothsayer because the future is ever-changing, and permeable. The future is _not_ set in stone."

"Do you know why I'm here?" Gothel questioned, eyeing the young warlock with great curiosity.

"You...long for death," Yaga said grimly.

Gothel nodded. "Indeed. And I would like to know _how_ I will finally die so that I can speed things along."

"I will do a reading for you, Necromancer Gothel." Yaga approached one of the animal cages that was hanging from the ceiling, opened the cage, reached inside, and pulled out a live ferret. Yaga took the ferret over to a long wooden table, grabbed a knife, and cut the ferret's belly open. The ferret died instantly, and its guts spilled out across the table.

"Hm," Yaga hummed as he looked down at the intestines and at the pattern they made. The swirling pattern began to look like images. Then, Yaga had a vision of the future that came to him in bits and pieces. Yaga tried to piece it together in his mind so that it made sense. "The key to your salvation is the child Rapunzel. The only thing that will ever be able to kill you is an enchanted sword that will become known as the Sword of Light. The sword must be wielded by a true hero for it to be able to end your immortality. If the sword is in the hands of anyone else other than a true hero he or she will fail to kill you."

Gothel visibly startled. "Rapunzel?" He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I see. Rapunzel must have inherited his father's powers. His hair can be used to make enchanted weapons. Weapons that must find their way into the hands of capable heroes. And one of those heroes will be true enough to kill me. The path I need to take to reach my desired future is finally clear."

A crooked smile formed on Yaga's face. "That so?"

"I suppose that means I can't allow the child to die," Gothel groused. "I left him to starve to death in that tower..."

"Oh, he's quite alright," Yaga said with a far-off look on his face. "His Fairy Godfather, Blue, has been taking care of him."

"A meddlesome fairy," Gothel snarled, his lip curling in disgust. "Rapunzel belongs to _me_. I will raise him myself, and teach him how to make enchanted weapons by using his hair in the forging process. I will then make sure those weapons find their way into the hands of heroes in the hope one of them will be able to kill me one day. It's the perfect plan. But, what makes a 'true hero'. I wonder..." The Necromancer scowled at the complex question.

"A true hero..." Yaga began in a solemn tone. "Has someone he or she wants to protect. A true hero will charge forward without hesitation into danger if it's to save that special someone, regardless of the fact they're putting their own life at risk. A true hero is selflessness incarnate."

"Selflessness, huh?" Gothel's thoughts went to King Siegfried again. He'd thought Siegfried was a 'true hero', but he'd been wrong. And as for Gothel himself...he supposed he was a villain now. He'd slaughtered the elves and seraphs, and turned the human inhabitants of the villages in Sol Kingdom into vampires. And he'd done all that just so that he could have a chance at fighting Siegfried one-on-one and without interruptions.

All Gothel had cared about was killing Siegfried, avenging his wife, and getting his revenge. Gothel had selfishly caused the deaths of _thousands_ of innocent people in order to kill a _single_ man. And Gothel didn't feel guilty about it. He just felt...cold. He knew objectively his actions had been evil, but he didn't care. The longer he lived life as a High Skeleton the less he felt. He was losing his emotions.

_I'm becoming an emotionless monster._ Gothel thought. _What would Rosalind think of me now? For her sake...I must find a way to destroy myself._

"I have become a villain of Fantasia," Gothel said in a bleak tone. "I just now realized that. How odd."

"A villain is destined to be defeated by a hero," Yaga began. "That is the way of Fantasia. The balance and harmony of our world depends on that truth staying the same. A villain will _always_ be defeated by a hero."

"And Reginald wants to disrupt this balance..." Gothel realized aloud. "What would happen to Fantasia if the heroes were all defeated by the League of Villains, Yaga?"

"Then...our world would be plunged into darkness and Evil would reign." Yaga wrapped his arms around his torso as he started to tremble. "All that is pure and good in our world would be destroyed. Only hate and evil and chaos would remain. True love would no longer exist. It would be the destruction of our world. Its doom. Our world would die."

Gothel frowned. "Fantasia would die? But, Reginald wants to rule all of Fantasia."

Yaga looked down at the ferret's intestines with a dazed look on his face. "And the Evil King may end up doing so...for a time. But, eventually Fantasia would cease to exist. Its balance would have been broken, after all."

"Rosalind loved this world..." Gothel commented, and a determined expression settled over his face. "For that reason alone, I should help protect it. I'll secretly give enchanted weapons to heroes who wish to fight against Reginald. The balance of this world must be preserved at all costs."

Yaga gave Gothel a searching look. "What a strange thing for a villain to say. You...confound me, Gothel. But even if you start _acting_ like a hero I fear the Fantasians will always view you as a hated villain from this point on."

"I'm fine with the Fantasians hating me," Gothel said. "I no longer need love. And I never cared much for my reputation _before_ when I was alive, so why should I care now that I'm some kind of immortal, undead being?"

"Even if you _think_ you don't need love..." Yaga began with an amused twinkle in his green eyes. "You may yet find some before the end."

Gothel arched an eyebrow at the seer. "Me? Find love? In this form? Ha! Who would be crazy enough to love a Necromancer? Besides, I don't deserve to find happiness. I never really cared about winning either. I just wanted revenge. Now that I've gotten it, I have nothing left to live for. I just want to die and be reunited with Rosalind before I forget that I loved her."

"You won't forget her," Yaga assured. "By the way, can you still eat in that new body of yours? I'm thinking of making ferret stew!" The warlock scooped the dead ferret and its guts into his hands and started to carry it over to the cauldron hanging over the fire in the hearth.

Gothel cringed as he watched the boy drop the dead ferret into the cauldron. "For once, I'm glad of the fact I no longer _need_ to consume food in order to survive."

Yaga let out a merry laugh. "Your loss, old man!"

***

An hour later, Gothel returned to Sol Castle, or rather what was left of it. He entered the single remaining tower, climbed up the spiral staircase, and opened the door to what used to be the king's private bedchamber.

Gothel entered the room and looked around. He instantly caught sight of something that wasn't supposed to be there. Hovering directly above Rapunzel's cradle was a five-inch-tall male fairy. He had short, sky-blue hair, dark blue eyes, and was wearing a sparkly blue suit. The fairy's translucent wings resembled those of a dragonfly.

Blue was holding a bottle of milk to Rapunzel's lips while the baby was clutching at the bottle with his chubby hands and slurping the milk enthusiastically.

Gothel stealthily moved further into the room, and made his way over to Rapunzel and Blue. When he was right behind Blue, he reached out and grabbed the fairy.

"Ack!" Blue yelped in surprise as he was snatched out of midair by an unknown assailant and held in a tight fist.

Gothel turned his hand so that the fairy was facing him, and let a sinister smile spread across his face. "And what do we have here? A meddlesome fairy? I left this child to die of starvation and yet you've been taking care of him. Why?" He gave the fairy a searching look.

Blue struggled to escape from Gothel's fist, but soon realized his efforts were futile and glared up at the Dark Wizard suspiciously instead. "I am this boy's Fairy Godfather. I will _always_ appear in his hour of need, and if he is in mortal peril."

"Fairy Godfather?" Gothel let out a cackle. "You're of a different race. You can't raise this child properly. Lucky for you I have decided to raise this child myself."

The blood started to drain out of Blue's face as he took a closer look at the Dark Wizard in front of him. Gothel was wearing his usual black hooded cloak. The hood was lowered and shadowing the features of his face, but Blue thought he saw the man's eyes glow red for a moment. Those eyes reminded Blue of reanimated dead animals, and that's when he realized the Dark Wizard's true identity. "You...you can't, Foul Necromancer! You would taint this poor, innocent child with your evil. Rapunzel shall remain in _my_ care!"

"Is that so?" Gothel started to squeeze Blue's body.

Blue let out a gasp of pain as the pressure on his ribs started to become unbearable. He glared up defiantly at Gothel. "Let...let me go!"

"Promise me that you'll _never_ return here, and I shall let you go," Gothel offered slyly.

Bile started to rise up Blue's throat as his stomach was squeezed. "Alright...fine. I promise to never return here...unless Rapunzel is in mortal peril!"

A vein at Gothel's temple throbbed in irritation at the fairy's stubbornness, but he shrugged. "Fair enough." He let go of Blue. "Now, get out of here before I change my mind and decide to squish you like a bug. For fun."

Blue crossed his arms over his chest and shot a wistful look Rapunzel's way. "What do you intend to do with the child?"

_Even fear of death isn't enough to make this Fairy Godfather abandon his charge so easily._ Gothel thought, and couldn't help but be impressed. "I told you...I plan to raise this child as my own. I also intend to teach him how to become a blacksmith."

Blue narrowed his eyes at Gothel. "Why?"

"His hair can be used to create enchanted weapons," Gothel explained.

"And what need do you have for enchanted weapons?" Blue pressed.

"That's none of your damned business, fairy," Gothel snapped. "Maybe I plan to use those weapons to conquer all of Fantasia."

"You foul villain!" Blue accused indignantly.

"Stop, you're making me blush," Gothel said dryly.

A resigned expression settled over Blue's face, and he cast a sad look Rapunzel's way. "No matter how much you hated this child's father...he is also Rosalind's child. You would do well to remember that, Necromancer. The sins of the father are not the sins of the son. Do not punish Rapunzel for his father's misdeeds."

"The sins of the father are not the sins of the son?" Gothel echoed mockingly. "That's what that bastard Siegfried said to me as he died by my sword. Begone, fairy, you're beginning to irritate me!"

Blue shot one last longing look that was filled with regret Rapunzel's way. He'd wanted to raise Rapunzel as his own son, and now he was being forced to abandon him and leave the boy in the clutches of evil. Blue feared the sort of evil influence Gothel may have on Rapunzel.

Rapunzel had the capacity to do great good, but also great evil. There was so much raw, magical power inside that little boy. "Farewell, Rapunzel. I hope we never meet again for it would mean you are in mortal peril, son," Blue said in a hoarse voice.

The fairy flew up a short flight of stairs that led to the very top of the tower. The second and only other room in the tower was empty and had a single open window, and Blue flew out of it, and disappeared into the nearby forest.

With his cloak billowing out behind him, Gothel strolled over to the cradle, and picked up Rapunzel. Two wide green eyes stared up at Gothel, and the baby's brow was furrowed worriedly. "You're Rosalind's son...and you are the key to my reunion with Rosalind. The fairy needn't have worried. I will not harm you, little one. But that doesn't mean that I will love you. I am no longer capable of love. My emotions are dead inside of me."

Rapunzel smiled and giggled as if he could understand what Gothel was saying. Gothel frowned when Rapunzel reached out and placed a small hand over his own. "And yet...I am _glad_ to discover that you're still alive. Or perhaps, I'm only imagining that I _feel_ this way. It's hard to tell the difference. Your eyes...they really do look so much like your mother's." Gothel started to smile. "And yet your disgusting golden hair reminds me of your bastard father." The smile slipped off the Necromancer's face. "I will _never_ love you, and it is hard _not_ to hate you. I pity you, child."

***

Years passed, and true to his word Gothel raised Rapunzel like his own son. While Rapunzel was an infant Gothel rarely left the tower for more than a few hours in order to get them food and supplies. The infant needed constant supervision, and once he'd learned how to crawl Gothel worried he'd crawl right out of the tower and plummet to his death.

Gothel wondered whether or not he'd make it through that first year of raising the boy with his sanity intact. As Rapunzel grew older, however, he became easier to take care of. Rapunzel was a bright child, and somehow managed to convince Gothel to play all manner of made-up games with him.

Gothel started to realize that the boy had him wrapped around his little finger, and the Necromancer decided to teach Rapunzel how to paint, so that the child could entertain himself for a few blessed hours that Gothel could have to himself.

As soon as Rapunzel was old enough that he wouldn't accidentally cut himself on a kitchen knife, Gothel taught the boy how to cook. When Rapunzel turned twelve, Gothel taught him how to read and write. At this point, Gothel was able to leave the tower for days without having to worry about leaving Rapunzel alone, and to his own devices.

When Rapunzel turned thirteen, Gothel started to teach the boy how to forge enchanted weapons using his magical hair. With books to read, walls to paint, food to cook and now weapons to forge, Rapunzel had many things to occupy his time with, and Gothel was able to leave the tower for months.

Gothel always made sure to leave Rapunzel a long list of things to do before he left the tower. Gothel's mistake was giving Rapunzel books to read. It opened the door to the outside world for Rapunzel. Before Rapunzel could read and his life consisted of just him and Gothel living in the tower together that had seemed _normal_. But after Rapunzel started to read adventure stories about knights in shinning armor rescuing damsels in distress from dragons...his solitary life seemed _strange_.

When Rapunzel was younger he'd never thought to question why his life was the way it was, but once he started reading Rapunzel began to question _everything._ Still, Rapunzel kept these questions to himself until he turned fourteen.

One day, Rapunzel gathered his courage, and decided to ask Gothel about their solitary life. "Father, why don't we ever leave this tower? I mean, _you_ do, but you never take me with you. Can I go with you on your next trip for supplies? I'd like to see the outside world."

"No," Gothel snapped coldly. "You must never leave this tower, Rapunzel."

"Why?" Rapunzel asked with a disappointed look on his face.

"Because...Bones Kingdom is dangerous," Gothel began in an impatient tone. "There are Dark Wizards out there who'd kill you to get their hands on your magical hair, blood, sweat and tears. Your body parts would make excellent potion ingredients."

Rapunzel started to tremble. "But you go out there, Father. Aren't you scared?"

"Scared?" Gothel let out a low chuckle. "I am strong. And you are weak. These walls protect you, Rapunzel."

"Father, I've been wondering..." Rapunzel began tentatively. "Why do we make enchanted weapons?"

"We make the weapons to give them to the heroes of Fantasia," Gothel explained honestly.

"Why?" Rapunzel asked, his interest piqued.

"So they can become more powerful heroes. _Better_ heroes," Gothel said.

"Why?"

"So they'll become more worthy opponents," Gothel snapped, losing his patience. "And because I am a villain, and the heroes will come here and try to kill me like they always do. It's a game I play that amuses me!"

Rapunzel sucked in a horrified breath. "You're a villain?" The blood started to drain out of Rapunzel's face and he shook his head. "No, you can't be. You're a _good_ person. The villains I've read about in books are mean and evil."

"Good person?" Gothel arched an eyebrow at Rapunzel. "What makes you think I'm a good person?"

"You raised me..." Rapunzel began. "You took care of me. You taught me how to read, write, paint, cook, and how to forge weapons. You've taught me so many incredible things."

"I taught you all those things so that you could amuse yourself while I was away," Gothel said. "It was so I could spend more time away from you. And now you know why I have you forge those weapons."

Gothel's words hurt, but Rapunzel didn't back down. "You're my father," he said firmly. "And I love you."

"I am _not_ your father!" Gothel snarled. "Fourteen years ago I killed your _real_ father."

"That can't be true," Rapunzel murmured, looking lost and forlorn. "I don't believe you. Father...I love you."

"Well, I've _never_ loved you," Gothel said. "I'm just _using_ you to forge enchanted weapons for me."

"Why are you telling me this _now_?" Rapunzel asked, sadness swimming in his green eyes.

"Because I couldn't stand it anymore with your 'why, why, why'," Gothel said. "And because I believe you're old enough now to know the truth. I am a villain. And so are you."

"I'm not a villain!" Rapunzel instantly objected.

"You are," Gothel insisted. "And do you want to know why? Your weapons are _weak_. Your weapons are the only protection the heroes have against _me_. When your weapon fails to kill me and shatters against my power they die because I kill them. In a sense, you've caused _all_ their deaths by making weak weapons. You're a murderer, Rapunzel."

"No!" Rapunzel cried.

"If you want to save the heroes of Fantasia you must make more powerful weapons, Rapunzel," Gothel said firmly. "You must make a weapon that is so powerful that in the hands of a true hero it will kill me."

"But..." Rapunzel said, tears filling his green eyes and his lower lip trembling. "I don't want you to die."

"You should," Gothel chided. "I am known as Demon King Gothel. I'm a Necromancer. And I rule Bones Kingdom. I'm an evil villain. I've killed _thousands_ of innocent people to get my revenge on your father! My hands are covered in the blood of innocents!"

King of Bones Kingdom? Necromancer? Revenge? Rapunzel's mind was spinning. "What did my father do to you?"

"That's inconsequential," Gothel said dismissively. "You should hate me for killing your father."

"I could never hate you..." Rapunzel said.

"But you must!" Gothel snarled angrily. "Wish me dead, and forge a weapon that will be able to destroy me...if you can. Come on, Rapunzel. Don't disappoint me!"

Rapunzel had never known his biological father. But he'd known Gothel. _Gothel is my father, right?_ Rapunzel asked himself, and swallowed a lump of dread. "Am I your prisoner here?"

"Yes," Gothel confirmed with an evil glint in his eyes. "You will _never_ leave this tower, Rapunzel. On the day you try...I shall kill you."

To be continued in...Chapter 4:

### Chapter 4:

Ever since the day Rapunzel had confronted Gothel about their solitary lifestyle and why Rapunzel never left the tower, Gothel had stopped being his 'loving father', and had transformed into Rapunzel's 'hateful captor'.

More than a decade had passed since that fateful day, and Rapunzel was now twenty-five-years-old. Even though Rapunzel had never been able to leave his tower during that time he hadn't really minded. Rapunzel enjoyed his task of forging weapons for the heroes of Fantasia, and he'd gotten very good at it.

Rapunzel had also gotten used to be alone and cut off from the rest of the world. Until one day, Monster Hunter and hero, Aurelion Borealis, had shown up at his tower while in pursuit of a wyvern. Aurelion had mistaken the blazing fires in Rapunzel's forge for the creature's fiery breath, and had entered the top of the tower in order to save a damsel in distress.

With Rapunzel's long hair he was easily mistaken as a woman at first glance. Upon realizing his mistake and that Rapunzel was _no_ female in need of rescuing, surprisingly Aurelion hadn't left to never return, which is what Rapunzel would have expected, and what he would have done in Aurelion's shoes.

Instead, Aurelion took it upon himself to befriend Rapunzel. Aurelion had explained that heroes were busybodies, and that he couldn't ignore Rapunzel's apparent loneliness. Rapunzel had denied being lonely, of course, but Aurelion wouldn't hear of it. He declared himself to be Rapunzel's 'best friend', and began to make frequent visits to Rapunzel's Tower.

Rapunzel and Aurelion were polar opposites, which made for a difficult friendship. At least, in Rapunzel's opinion. Aurelion was known as being the most powerful hero in all of Fantasia, and had the gallant, charismatic personality to go along with his stellar reputation.

Aurelion had the tendency to be very loud and boisterous, which got on Rapunzel's nerves since the blacksmith liked his peace and quiet. Especially when reading. Aurelion would oftentimes accuse Rapunzel of being _overly_ serious. Rapunzel liked to consider himself - wise and stoic.

Aurelion's unending optimism would also grate on Rapunzel's nerves. The glass was always half full to Aurelion, whereas, the glass was always half _empty_ in Rapunzel's opinion.

Not long after Aurelion had befriended him two men came to Rapunzel's tower, and through a series of crazy events the blacksmith reluctantly ended up befriending them too. Ashe Smoldris had been a slave who'd come to Rapunzel's tower in order to get an enchanted sword so that he could fight in the coliseum, and win enough money to buy his freedom back from loan shark Lord Christian Tremaine. To stand a chance against the magical beings that fought in the arena Ashe had desperately needed an enchanted sword.

Ashe hadn't had any money, and Rapunzel had been dead set on refusing Ashe's request at first until Aurelion had convinced him to forge the sword for free on the condition that Ashe register as a hero of Fantasia at the Heroes' Guild. Since Rapunzel knew Aurelion could use all the help he could get in hunting down monsters he'd agreed to forge Ashe an enchanted sword that would become known as the Glass Sword.

Tagging along with Ashe on his adventure had been 'Playboy Prince', Snow Flurris, of Apple Kingdom. Snow was vain and frivolous. He was always smiling and acting carefree. Snow's choice of clothing was painful to look at, in Rapunzel's opinion. Snow would usually dress in a flamboyant, blue shirt with puffed sleeves, and a pair of tight, yellow, leather pants.

Snow's mother, Queen Isidora, had commissioned a sword from Rapunzel for Snow. At first, the prince hadn't even been able to use its magical abilities. It had been quite pathetic. But eventually Snow managed to awaken his magical powers, and discovered that he had an affinity for water magic.

A lot of things happened, and Ashe was currently King of Glass Kingdom. Rapunzel was very proud of Ashe. Ashe's journey from slave to hero to fighter to King inspired Rapunzel to be braver, and to face his own demons.

These days, when Rapunzel wasn't working on forging a new weapon he would sit in his living room and wonder what his new friends were up to. Aurelion was probably off having grand adventures hunting down and killing monsters while saving beautiful damsels in distress.

Prince Snow Flurris was probably at a Gentleman's Club in Apple City being fawned over by a trio of sexy witches. And as for Ashe...well, he'd found true love, so he was probably enjoying the company of the woman he loved - Juleka Glass.

Rapunzel could picture Ashe and Juleka being all lovey-dovey while having a picnic together. Juleka was probably hand feeding Ashe grapes at that very moment. "Feeding the guy they like...that's something girls like to do, right?" Rapunzel asked his lonely living room.

Perhaps, he wasn't giving Ashe enough credit. Helping Juleka to rule Glass Kingdom couldn't have been easy. "I wonder how Ashe is handling ruling. I wonder if he needs any help or advice. I'm sure if he needed advice he'd come to me. I am well-read after all."

It had been _weeks_ since Aurelion, Ashe or Snow had come to visit his tower. The last time he'd seen Ashe was when he'd come to the tower with a cracked Glass Sword, and needed it to be re-forged.

Aurelion had gotten into the habit of training Ashe and Snow in the clearing in front of Rapunzel's tower, but now everyone was apparently busy. Rapunzel missed looking out of the top window in the tower to see Aurelion sword training Ashe and Snow on the ground below.

Now that Rapunzel had friends he felt lonely when they weren't around, and he hated that. It made him feel pathetic. Would they ever come back to visit him? Maybe they'd forgotten all about him now that they no longer needed him. He'd already re-forged Ashe's sword, and Snow had started to get the hang of wielding his own enchanted sword. Maybe they'd never visit him again, and Rapunzel would grow old and die alone and forgotten in his tower...

Rapunzel started to think about escaping his tower to go and see what his friends were up to. The only problem with that was any time Rapunzel had tried to escape before Gothel's henchwoman Edwina Hyde a.k.a 'Hydie' would always defeat him and send him back to the tower with his tail between his legs. Hydie was a very powerful witch, who was able to control the element of wind. She was also bloodthirsty, evil, and bat-shit crazy.

Even though it was likely Rapunzel would just get his ass kicked by Hydie if he attempted another escape from his tower he decided that he couldn't stand being alone anymore. Rapunzel decided then and there he would leave the tower, and try to make his escape from Bones Kingdom and from Gothel.

Before Rapunzel lost his nerve he made his way over to the single window in the top room of the tower, hopped up onto the ledge, and looked down. It was a forty-foot drop. Rapunzel wrapped his hair around the cleat that was attached to the windowsill, gathered his courage, and jumped.

Rapunzel zipped down through the air, and grabbed his hair to stop his descent just before his feet would have touched the ground. Rapunzel gulped as he looked down at the grassy ground below him. "This is it. Freedom," Rapunzel murmured to himself and let go of his hair.

He fell the last couple of feet and his booted feet landed on the grass. A feeling of accomplishment swelled up inside of him and he grinned. "I did it! Now all I have to do is somehow make it through the forest without Hydie or Gothel noticing me. Then I can go visit my friends..."

Rapunzel took a single step forward towards the forest. That's when something unexpected happened. The ground beneath Rapunzel's feet began to glow with a blue light, and when Rapunzel looked down he saw that a large magic circle had formed beneath his feet. The circle was filled with a pentagram, and ancient runes and glyphs. Rapunzel's green eyes widened in alarm. "A teleportation circle? Shit!" He'd fallen right into Gothel's latest trap.

Rapunzel tried to leap out of the circle, but it was already too late. The circle glowed brightly with a blue-tinged light as Rapunzel was teleported...somewhere.

Rapunzel didn't know where the hell he'd ended up, but wherever he was it was pitch black, and he couldn't see a thing. There was also a musty smell permeating the damp air, and was that the sickeningly sweet smell of rotting flesh? Rapunzel shuddered. There was something _dead_ there with him.

A scuffling sound reached his ears followed by a low moan. Rapunzel swallowed a lump of fear. He wasn't alone.

Abruptly, Rapunzel felt a stinging pain as something bit into his both of his arms. "What the?" Rapunzel summoned his magical power, and willed his magic hair to glow. The seventy-foot-long hair started to glow with a golden light, and Rapunzel's immediate surroundings were illuminated.

Rapunzel looked around wildly, and saw that he was inside some kind of crypt that had a low ceiling. Dead bodies were displayed on stone shelves attached to the crypt's walls. Some of the bodies looked fresher than others, and still had flesh clinging to their bones while others were just skeletons.

Rapunzel took a deep breath to steel his nerves, and decided to look at what was gnawing on his arms. His eyes flared when he saw that two zombies were currently sinking their teeth into Rapunzel's upper arms as they tried to rip off his flesh and eat it.

A moaning and scraping sound drew Rapunzel's attention, and he noticed that there were _more_ zombies in the crypt with him. In fact, he was completely surrounded.

"Zombies!" Rapunzel exclaimed, and tried not to panic. He'd read about zombies. They were immortal, undead creatures that had recently been brought back to life so they still had their flesh that was starting to turn black, rot, and fall off their bones. Once a zombie no longer had its flesh it was classified as being a skeleton monster.

In order for a zombie to preserve its flesh it had to consume the flesh of a live human being. In other words, zombies hungered for human flesh and ate people. And these zombies...wanted to eat Rapunzel. The only way to kill a zombie was to behead it.

Luckily, zombies were relatively slow and weak monsters in comparison to most monsters. Unluckily, Rapunzel didn't have a weapon with him. "Good grief." In his haste to escape his tower he'd completely forgotten about bringing a weapon with him. "How could I be so stupid?" All Rapunzel had with him was his seventy-foot-long hair, and hair wasn't a weapon-

"Wait a second," Rapunzel muttered to himself, recalling a book he'd read about _ninjas_ who'd made assassination weapons out of human hair. "Maybe it _is_ a weapon." Rapunzel also recalled watching Aurelion train with a whip before. From his tower window, Rapunzel had watched Aurelion use a whip against a wooden practice dummy shaped like a human man. The Monster Hunter had restrained and strangled the dummy until its head had broken off.

Theoretically, Rapunzel should be able to use his hair to trip, restrain, and strangle the zombies that were attacking him. And if he used enough force while strangling a zombie, perhaps, he'd be able to decapitate it...

Rapunzel decided to give it a shot. After all, what did he have to lose?

The blacksmith shoved the zombies off of him, grabbed his hair, and started to attack the zombies with it. The zombies closest to Rapunzel needed to be restrained so they would stop trying to eat him. Rapunzel whipped his hair out, and it coiled around the zombies' bodies, pinning their arms to their sides.

Once the immediate threat of being eaten had been dealt with Rapunzel targeted the zombies that were further away, and approaching him with loping steps. The blacksmith whipped out his hair, and aimed at their ankles.

Rapunzel's hair wrapped around the zombies' ankles, and that's when he pulled back on his hair so that the zombies were tripped up. Rapunzel smirked as the zombies fell forward onto the stone floor.

Now that most of the zombies were restrained, or on the floor it was time to finish them off. Rapunzel attacked the closest restrained zombie, looping his hair around the zombie's neck, and then pulling his hair in opposite directions.

In this manner, Rapunzel started to strangle the zombie. The flesh around its neck started to bruise, and the hair began to cut through the flesh until Rapunzel's hair was wrapped around the zombie's spinal cord.

Rapunzel let out a ragged cry, as he pulled on his hair harder until there was a cracking sound. He let out a relieved breath when he realized he'd managed to successfully decapitate the zombie, and he let go of his hair so that the zombie's body fell to the floor.

Rapunzel turned his attention to the rest of the zombies, and let out a heavy sigh. "Only fifty more to go." Continuing to use his hair, Rapunzel attacked the zombies, wrapped his hair around their throats, pulled his hair in opposite directions, and decapitated the flesh-eating monsters.

After the crypt he'd materialized in had been completely cleared of zombies, Rapunzel took a seat on the cold, stone floor to rest. He was sweating, panting for breath, and his arms were bleeding in places from where the zombies had tried to take a bite out of him.

Rapunzel grimaced, as he looked at the bite marks on his arms. At least, it was a myth that the bite of a zombie would turn one into a zombie, or else Rapunzel would be in deep shit.

Rapunzel had the ability to heal, but he was unable to use this ability on himself. "Shitty healing ability," he grumbled, as a wave of frustration swept through him. "It's completely useless in a situation like this."

Rapunzel's first priority was finding clean water to treat his wounds, and bandages. He glanced around the crypt and frowned. There didn't appear to be a source of water nearby, and the rags the zombies were wearing looked extremely unsanitary. He shrugged. "Guess I'll just have to clean and bandage my wounds after I get the hell out of here. Wherever _here_ is..."

After Rapunzel had rested enough and regained some of his energy he set off in search of an exit to the crypt. He discovered that the crypt was designed like a maze with narrow corridors that branched off into other corridors going in completely opposite directions.

After a few hours of wandering around in the maze aimlessly, Rapunzel realized he had no idea where the hell he was going. He encountered more zombies along the way, and used his hair to defeat them. His hair was covered in blood and gore at this point. It was disgusting.

Rapunzel wasn't a prissy guy, but he'd never longed for a bath as much as he did in that moment. Eight hours later, the blacksmith reached what he first believed to be a dead-end. There were two twenty-foot-tall, double doors made out of black iron. The image of screaming, severed heads had been engraved onto the doors. "Lovely," Rapunzel said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Were the doors an exit or a trap? Rapunzel wondered, his stomach twisting into knots. He realized he didn't have any other choice but to see what lay behind those doors. The blacksmith pushed the doors open, and stepped into a spacious chamber. As soon as he'd set foot inside the chamber the torches that were hanging on the walls in wrought-iron sconces blazed to life with emerald green flames.

On the far side of the chamber sat an enormous stone throne. Seated upon the throne in a regal pose was a female zombie dressed in a tight, black, low-cut dress with belled sleeves. There was something about this zombie that was different from the others, and that made a chill crawl up Rapunzel's spine. The zombies Rapunzel had encountered thus far had dead eyes with no intelligence. The female zombie that was staring back at him now had black eyes, and she appeared to be studying him intently.

She had green skin that resembled a patchwork quilt. It appeared to have been sewn together with black thread in places. The female zombie had long, black, frizzy hair that was streaked with white. She had no ears - they must have rotted off. Her left arm also appeared to be in the process of rotting off. It was oozing pus and the flesh was sliding off the bone as Rapunzel gawked at her. Her appearance was frightening and unsettling.

"Who the hell are you?" Rapunzel demanded, dropping his coil of hair to the stone floor.

"My name is Frankie Stein," she said, offering Rapunzel a sharp smile that revealed her black teeth. "Good job making it all the way to the Boss Room, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel's brow furrowed. "Boss Room...?"

Frankie raised an eyebrow at the blacksmith. "Gothel never told you...? You're inside his Heroes' Labyrinth." Frankie was holding a large meat cleaver and she started sharpening its blade with a stone in a casual manner.

Rapunzel cringed at the scraping sound this was making, but tried not to show that it was bothering him. "Do you know how I can get out of here, Frankie?" Rapunzel asked, deciding to try being polite to the monster. At least, she was willing to engage him in conversation before trying to kill him after all.

"There is only one way to leave the Labyrinth, and that is to beat it," Frankie began to explain while she continued to sharpen her weapon. "The Labyrinth has five levels. You are on the first level. In order to get to Level Two you'll need to defeat the Boss of this level. That's me. The levels continue deeper underground, and each level is more difficult to conquer than the last because each Boss is more powerful. If you manage to make it to Level Five alive you will face Gothel. If you manage to kill him, you will gain his power, and leave the Labyrinth."

"What is the purpose of all this?" Rapunzel asked with a bewildered expression on his face.

"To find a true hero, of course," Frankie said, rolling her eyes at the blacksmith. "This Labyrinth is a test Gothel created for the heroes of Fantasia that come to kill him. The one who manages to kill him would prove themselves as being a true hero."

Rapunzel's eyes widened at this startling revelation. He'd known heroes came to Bones Kingdom almost monthly and tried to kill Gothel, but Rapunzel hadn't known Gothel teleported the heroes to a Labyrinth that would test their abilities to see if they were 'true heroes'.

The real question was why had _he_ been teleported to the Labyrinth? Was Gothel testing him to see if Rapunzel was a 'true hero'? That was...ridiculous. Rapunzel wasn't a hero. He was barely a fighter. He was a reclusive blacksmith.

Rapunzel wasn't physically weak, per say, since hammering steel every day kept a guy in good shape, but he had zero combat experience. All Rapunzel knew about fighting was what he'd read about in books, or observed from when Aurelion would spar against Ashe or Snow in the clearing in front of his tower. Rapunzel's chances of getting through the Labyrinth alive were slim to none.

"There must be some mistake..." Rapunzel began, shaking his head. "I shouldn't be here. I'm _no_ hero. Why did I get sent here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Frankie purred. "Master Gothel sent you here to die. Zombies, restrain Rapunzel! The fun starts now! Buwhaha!" She let out an evil cackle.

Rapunzel looked around wildly and realized that while he'd been talking to Frankie a group of zombies had been closing in on him. Simultaneously, they lunged at him, grabbed his hair, and started to pull it in different directions. Rapunzel became stuck standing in one spot, and couldn't move.

Frankie stood up from her throne, and ran forward towards Rapunzel. The blacksmith gawked at the zombie girl. _She's fast!_ Frankie wasn't slow and weak like the other zombies. This wasn't good. He had to-

In a blink, Frankie was right in front of Rapunzel, and holding her meat cleaver high over her head. The Zombie Queen brought the cleaver down upon Rapunzel's left arm and cut it off.

Rapunzel screamed in pain. Frankie had just cut his arm off in seconds, and he hadn't been able to do anything to stop her. He was so fucking _weak_.

Frankie strolled over to Rapunzel's severed arm, bent over, and picked it up. "Hmm." Her dark eyes glittered as she admired Rapunzel's arm. "What a beautiful arm. So strong. This will do nicely. Thank you, Rapunzel." Frankie dropped the meat cleaver and it clattered to the stone floor. "My other arm is falling apart, you see. It's high time for a new one."

The Zombie Queen grabbed her rotting left arm and tore it off her body. Rapunzel cringed as he watched muscle and sinew being stretched and torn, and lastly her arm bone breaking. Frankie tossed her old arm aside carelessly, and raised Rapunzel's arm to her shoulder.

Aghast, Rapunzel watched as Frankie's flesh appeared to attach itself to Rapunzel's arm, and in a matter of seconds bonded the new arm to Frankie's body.

_My arm...!_ Rapunzel thought, bile rising up his throat.

Frankie experimentally opened and closed her left hand into a fist as she tested out her new arm. "Hmm. Perfect. What a lovely new arm. I really did need a new one." She turned her attention to Rapunzel, and she noticed that blood was gushing out from his severed arm. The blacksmith had also grown incredibly pale.

Frankie reached out and caressed Rapunzel's cheek. "Don't worry. I'll put you out of your misery. You'll be dead soon. I wonder what body part I should take from you next." She mused aloud as she raked her eyes over Rapunzel's body in a contemplative manner. Her gaze landed on Rapunzel's right ear.

The Zombie Queen reached out to touch Rapunzel's ear. "You have lovely ears. Mine have sadly rotted away. I could use a new pair of ears." Frankie stepped back, reached into her cleavage, and pulled out a pair of scissors. She opened and closed the scissors as she approached Rapunzel. "Your ears will be mine, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel swallowed a lump of dread and realized the time to act was now or never. He glanced down at the meat cleaver at his feet. Rapunzel realized he needed to get his hands on that weapon no matter what.

_This is going to hurt._ Rapunzel bent over and grabbed the meat cleaver. His hair tugged on his scalp painfully as a result, and some of his hair ripped. Rapunzel straightened and hesitated with what he knew he had to do next. He took a deep breath to steel his nerves, raised the cleaver, and brought it down upon - not Frankie - but upon his own hair.

The cleaver sliced through Rapunzel's hair, and cut off sixty-five feet of it. This left Rapunzel with only five feet of hair. Now that Rapunzel was no longer stuck in one place he was free to attack Frankie.

Rapunzel charged the Zombie Queen, raised the cleaver, and brought it down upon her in an overhead downward slash. Frankie opened her pair of scissors and caught the blade in a move, which showed off her preternatural strength.

Rapunzel frowned, pulled the cleaver back, and continued to attack Frankie with it. The Zombie Queen effortlessly blocked his ensuing attacks with her scissors. A clanging sound filled the Boss Room as their weapons clashed.

While Frankie was blocking Rapunzel's next attack with her scissors her left hand shot out and wrapped around Rapunzel's right wrist and began to squeeze. Rapunzel grit his teeth and tried to bear it, but it was too painful. Frankie's strength was tremendous. He was forced to release his grip on the cleaver.

Frankie let go of Rapunzel's wrist and grabbed the handle of the cleaver as it fell down through the air. _Shit!_ Rapunzel leapt backwards to put some distance between himself and Frankie. He was now unarmed and Frankie was wielding the cleaver in her left hand and the pair of scissors in her right.

"Your lovely body parts shall be mine, Rapunzel," Frankie declared with a psychotic gleam in her dark eyes. "There is no escape!"

As Rapunzel backed up away from the Zombie Queen he almost slipped. He looked down and noticed the sixty-five-foot-long coil of hair he'd had to cut off. His hair was no longer attached to his head, but that didn't mean he couldn't use it to fight with. In fact, it would be easier to fight with his hair now since it would be more like a whip.

Rapunzel picked up his hair and got into a fighting stance. First, he needed to disarm Frankie, so he whipped out his hair and it wrapped around the cleaver the zombie was holding. He pulled back hard and managed to pull the cleaver out of Frankie's hand.

Rapunzel ran around Frankie, and approached her from behind next. He whipped his hair out and swiftly wrapped it around her neck before she had time to properly react. This was harder to do than Rapunzel thought it would be due to the fact that he had to do all of this one-handed.

Rapunzel was forced to get closer to Frankie before he began to pull back on his hair with all of his strength. He placed his booted foot on her lower back to gain even more leverage, and started to strangle her.

Frankie grew alarmed as the golden hair started to cut into her neck. "No! What are you doing?" She shot a heated glare over her shoulder at the blacksmith. "Stop that at once, Rapunzel! How could you do this to me? I'm a _woman_!"

"You're no woman," Rapunzel said in a deep, gravely voice. "You're a monster, Frankie Stein, and I'm sending you back to hell!"

"No! Master!" Frankie shrieked in fear.

A loud crack filled the air a few seconds later as Rapunzel successfully decapitated Frankie. Her head toppled off her shoulders, fell to the floor, and rolled across it.

"Phew," Rapunzel let out a breath of relief. He'd managed to kill the Boss of this level - Frankie Stein. But the zombies were still closing in, and Rapunzel didn't have any strength left to fight. _Shit._ He was feeling dizzy from blood loss too.

As Rapunzel backed away from the zombies a magic circle appeared beneath his feet and started glowing. It looked just like the magic circle that had appeared in front of his tower and was filled with a pentagram, runes and glyphs. "Oh no. Not again!" The blue-tinged light grew brighter just before Rapunzel was teleported to Level Two.

Rapunzel blinked rapidly as the light from the teleportation spell faded, and his eyes were forced to adjust to the dim lighting. He looked around his new surroundings and discovered that he was inside of an enormous cavern. This level of the Labyrinth didn't look like a maze, but more like a natural, subterranean cavern. Glowing blue moss was clinging to the walls of the cavern, and illuminating the general vicinity. Rapunzel was able to see the entrances to several tunnels.

Rapunzel sank to his knees, and ended up falling back. He stared up at the ceiling that was covered with sinister looking stalactites. A pool of blood was forming from his arm wound. Rapunzel tried to find the strength to move and couldn't even find the strength to move a single finger. He did realize that he was still holding his sixty-five-foot-long coil of hair though.

_I must be somewhere on Level Two._ Rapunzel thought dazedly. _I have no strength, but I need to find clean water as soon as possible. I still need to clean my wound and stop the bleeding somehow._

Rapunzel ended up passing out. He was awakened thirty minutes later to the painful sensation of something biting him once again. "What is with this place and things trying to take a bite out of you?" Rapunzel groaned. A strange _clicking_ sound filled the cavern and filled him with dread.

When Rapunzel sat up he discovered that he was completely covered in bugs: spiders, centipedes, millipedes, scorpions, cockroaches, and grasshoppers. Rapunzel felt the terrified scream bubbling up his throat, and just let it out. His hoarse scream echoed off the cavern's walls. "Get off of me! I'm _not_ dead yet, you little bastards! I'm _not_ food, and I'm _not_ your dinner!"

Rapunzel grabbed his coil of hair, scrambled to his feet, and continued to brush the insects off of his body as quickly as he could before they could bite him, or inject him with their poison. Rapunzel realized that the strange _clicking_ sound he was hearing was the sound of the insects clicking their mandibles or pincers together.

When Rapunzel looked around the cavern he realized that he was completely surrounded by insects. "Holy shit. There must be _thousands_ of them!" Rapunzel took off running. He glanced behind his shoulder and saw that the insects weren't giving up so easily and were chasing after him.

Rapunzel headed for the closet exit tunnel, and entered. He ran down the tunnel until it opened upon a chamber that had several natural hot spring pools. Rapunzel didn't hesitate. He jumped right into one of the pools with a tremendous splash.

A few seconds later, a horde of insects entered the chamber, and ran towards the hot spring pool that Rapunzel was in. But they were unable to continue their pursuit into the hot water, and all of them were forced to come to a halt at the very edge of the pool.

"That's right, you little bastards," Rapunzel said, glaring at the insects. "No dinner for you." The hot water stung Rapunzel's wounds like a bitch, and he almost passed out from the excruciating pain. He struggled to remain conscious, and tried to look on the bright side. He was incredibly lucky to have found clean, drinkable water down here in the Labyrinth. The hot water would also be good for disinfecting his wounds.

Rapunzel used the cleaver to cut a section of hair off from the sixty-five-foot-long coil he had with him. He washed it, braided it, and then tied the cord around his upper left arm (or rather what was left of it) to stop the bleeding. He winced as he tightened the cord as much as possible.

After that, Rapunzel pulled the long coil of hair into the hot spring pool, and began to wash it. Blood and gore came off the hair into the water. There was so much blood on the hair that the water inside of the pool began to turn red.

Rapunzel also cleaned the blood off the meat cleaver he'd stolen from Frankie Stein. He frowned as he inspected the rusted blade. The cleaver had seen better days. He needed a better secondary weapon from his makeshift hair whip pronto. Rapunzel decided to braid the now sixty-two-foot-long coil of hair so that it would be easier to fight with.

A rusty cleaver and a whip were not very good weapons to use against a hoard of insects, however. "How the hell am I going to get past them?" Rapunzel mused aloud. "I need to find the Boss Room and defeat the Boss so I can get to Level Three."

Rapunzel knew he couldn't stay fully clothed inside of the hot spring pool forever. After a few hours, the insects grew tired of waiting for Rapunzel to leave the pool and eventually left the cavern in search of other prey. Rapunzel used this opportunity to leap out of the pool, remove his clothes, and run to the closest pool.

By the time he'd jumped into the new pool of water and set his folded clothes down close to the edge, the insects had returned, and were running towards the pool. The insects came to a halt at the pool's edge once again.

Rapunzel was able to drink the clean water from the pool. "At least I don't have to worry about getting dehydrated. But what am I going to find to eat around here?" At that moment, Rapunzel noticed that not all of the insects in the horde were venomous. There were also grasshoppers, locusts, millipedes, and cockroaches. Rapunzel raised the cleaver and killed a few bugs that he then forced himself to eat. "I read about grasshoppers being a good source of protein, but I never thought I'd have to put that knowledge into practical application. Ugh."

Days passed with Rapunzel staying in the hot spring pool and eating grasshoppers and locusts in order to survive. He wanted to regain as much of his strength as possible before he attempted to try and get past that horde of insects and find the Boss Room. His leather clothes had finally dried, but Rapunzel kept them folded in a neat pile that was sitting close to the edge of the pool. There was no point in worrying about being naked when he was alone down there in the Labyrinth. "At least there's no one around to see me in this pathetic situation."

***

Monster Hunter and hero, Aurelion Borealis, was the first of Rapunzel's friends to notice he was missing. He'd finished slaying a monster that had been terrorizing Rose Kingdom and decided to go visit Rapunzel in order tell him all about his exciting battle, and to celebrate his victory, preferably with a nice glass of wine.

Aurelion had managed to tame an eighty-foot-long dragon, which he'd named Fenix, and he flew to Bones Kingdom on the back of this dragon. He used his dragon to fly past the top of Rapunzel's tower so that he could enter by simply leaping right through the open window. This was something he'd done many times before.

"Punzie! I'm back! Did you miss me?" Aurelion called as he hopped down from the window ledge and into the room at the top of the tower. He frowned when he noticed the room was empty and the forge wasn't lit.

Aurelion shrugged thinking that maybe Punzie was downstairs sleeping, reading, painting or even cooking. The room below the one Aurelion was currently in was the only other room that existed in the tower, and served as a bedroom, living room, and kitchen.

Aurelion made his way down the short flight of steps and entered the room. He looked around, but didn't see any sign of Punzie. The blacksmith wasn't asleep in his bed, wasn't on the couch reading, wasn't painting some strange, abstract art on the walls, and he wasn't cooking in the small kitchen either.

When Aurelion walked into the kitchen area he had to cover his mouth as the smell of rotting meat filled his nostrils. "Ew." Sitting on a plate by the stove was a large hunk of venison that Punzie had probably taken out of the larder, but it was obvious he'd never gotten around to cooking it.

"Hm." Aurelion stroked his chin in thought and glanced around the room. A thin layer of dust coated everything, which was odd since Rapunzel was a persnickety person. Had Rapunzel...left? Aurelion suddenly felt incredibly guilty about how long he'd stayed away from the Tower.

Aurelion hadn't meant to stay away for so long. It was just that chimera monsters kept dropping from the sky in giant eggs in Rose Kingdom, and Aurelion needed to be there to defeat them. Surely, Ashe and Snow had come to visit Rapunzel in his absence though. Maybe Rapunzel was currently with Ashe or Snow, and he was worrying over nothing.

But there had been a _reason_ why Rapunzel never left his tower. Right? Had Rapunzel solved this problem on his own? If that were the case then why did Aurelion feel so uneasy about all this? He had a gut feeling that Rapunzel was in trouble.

Before Aurelion started panicking he decided he'd go and see the levelheaded Ashe first. Aurelion had his dragon Fenix take him to Glass Kingdom forthwith. About an hour later he was landing Fenix in the middle of the royal gardens.

As luck would have it, Ashe and Juleka were currently having a romantic picnic together on the lawn. Juleka had spread out a red and white checkered blanket, and there was a picnic basket sitting on it that was filled with goodies: sandwiches, cheese, French bread, fruit, slices of meat, and a flask of wine.

Fenix's flapping wings caused Juleka's skirt to rustle upwards, and she let out an embarrassed squeal as she tried to keep her skirt down. "Eee!"

Aurelion felt an unexpected pang of jealousy. Ashe and Juleka had been acting quite lovey-dovey before his arrival, and out of the corner of his eye Aurelion had noticed that Juleka had been feeding Ashe grapes by hand.

_I could always have a romantic picnic with Princess Jabberwocky._ Aurelion reminded himself. _But...she always acts so shy around me. I highly doubt she'd feed me by hand like the bold Juleka._ Sometimes, Aurelion thought that Jabber acted like she was afraid of him. He shook his head to clear it of such depressing thoughts. Now was not the time to be lamenting his failed love life. He had to find out what had become of Rapunzel.

Aurelion hopped off Fenix's back and strode over to Ashe and Juleka with purposeful steps. "Greetings, King Ashe and Queen Juleka! How are you both faring today?" he asked loudly as he waved at them.

A vein at Ashe's temple throbbed in irritation. "Don't call me that," Ashe chided as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Just...call me 'Ashe'. We're friends, remember?" Ashe was still uncomfortable that the hero he most admired was calling him 'King'.

Aurelion bent over, grabbed a sandwich, and stuffed the entire thing into his mouth. "Yum. These sandwiches are delicious, Juleka!" He started to suck the mustard off of his fingers.

"Why thank you, Aurelion," Juleka said, beaming.

"Speaking of friends..." Aurelion began, his expression turning serious. "Have you two seen Punzie?"

Ashe shared a questioning look with Juleka and frowned. "Rapunzel? Shouldn't he be at his tower?"

"I just came from there," Aurelion revealed, his shoulders sagging in disappointment. "Punzie is...gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?" Ashe snapped. "He can't leave! Gothel and Hydie will...!" Ashe bit his lower lip to stop himself from continuing. He'd promised Rapunzel not to tell Aurelion what was going on. Rapunzel had been worried that if Aurelion knew the truth he'd face Gothel...and wind up dead.

Aurelion may have been a bit of a meathead, but he wasn't an idiot. The hero's blue eyes narrowed at Ashe. "You know something, don't you? Spill."

Ashe let out a defeated sigh. "Rapunzel confided to me that King Gothel is basically keeping him prisoner in that tower and forcing him to forge enchanted weapons. Rapunzel also said that any time he's tried to escape Gothel's henchwoman Hydie stops him."

"Hydie?" Aurelion asked curiously.

"She's a powerful, crazy, and bloodthirsty witch," Ashe explained, starting to look pale.

Sadness swirled in Aurelion's blue eyes. "Why didn't Punzie tell me what was going on?"

Ashe reached out and patted Aurelion's muscular bicep. "Because he knew that if he told you the truth you would try and fight Gothel. According to Rapunzel, Gothel is immortal _and_ invincible. Even decapitating him won't work. Rapunzel said you would be killed in a confrontation against the Necromancer. He did it to protect you. Rapunzel also said defeating Gothel was _his_ responsibility."

"Demon King Gothel..." Aurelion said, clenching his hands into angry fists. "I thought something like that might be going on. I still wish Rapunzel had trusted me enough to ask for my help."

Ashe stroked his chin. "If Rapunzel isn't inside his tower...he must have tried to escape. That means he would have had to fight Hydie, and perhaps Gothel as well in order to leave Bones Kingdom."

"Do you think he made it?" Aurelion asked, a hopeful expression forming on his face.

Ashe's expression turned grim. "If he had I would think he'd have gone to Rose Kingdom to see you first, and if he didn't come here next...well, there's still the possibility he went to visit Snow in Apple Kingdom."

"That's true." Aurelion nodded. "We won't really know if something has happened to Punzie until we've talked to Snow."

"I guess we're taking a trip to Apple Kingdom," Ashe said.

Aurelion and Ashe both started heading towards Fenix when Juleka cleared her throat to get Ashe's attention. "Ahem. Aren't you forgetting something, Darling?" Ashe shot her a questioning look. Juleka pointed at her cheek coyly. "My goodbye kiss, Silly."

Ashe blushed and cast an askance glance Aurelion's way. Aurelion grinned, started to whistle a little tune, and walked over to Fenix to give the two some privacy. "Certainly, my dear." Ashe leaned over and pretended he was going to kiss Juleka's cheek and at the last second he pressed his lips firmly against Juleka's.

Juleka's moaned into the kiss. Ashe was tempted to deepen their kiss, but didn't since Aurelion was most likely watching. He reluctantly broke their kiss and smiled at Juleka as she smiled back at him with a slightly dazed expression on her face.

"Be careful, Ashe," Juleka said, her hand dropping unconsciously to her stomach.

"Don't worry. I will," Ashe assured her before approaching the dragon. By this time, Aurelion had already mounted Fenix, and the hero offered Ashe his hand to help him up into the saddle.

Ashe grabbed Aurelion's hand and allowed himself to be swung up behind the Monster Hunter. Fenix ran forward across the perfectly manicured lawn, flapped his enormous wings, and took off into the sky.

"Onward to Apple Kingdom, Fenix!" Aurelion yelled. The dragon roared loudly in response.

Juleka shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand as she watched the dragon fly away and start to head towards Apple Kingdom. "Good luck, boys."

To be continued in...Chapter 5:

### Chapter 5:

The insects started to make a strange, excited chittering sound. It was almost as if they were afraid of something. _Something's coming._ Rapunzel thought grimly, and kept his gaze focused on the cavern's entrance.

" _Ventus Mitte Falcem!_ Wind Blade Attack!" a woman shouted out in an excited tone. The utterance of the spell was followed by a series of sickle-shaped blades of wind heading towards the insects. The attack hit the insects, and sliced them to miniscule pieces in a rather gruesome manner.

Rapunzel gulped as he saw just who'd entered the cavern - Edwina Hyde a.k.a 'Hydie'. What the hell was Gothel's henchwoman doing here? Rapunzel wondered as the blood drained out of his face. Hydie was the last person he'd wanted to see right now. Hydie was usually lurking in the forest surrounding the tower to make sure he never escaped Bones Kingdom. He'd come to think of her as his 'crazy prison guard'.

Rapunzel figured _some_ men might find Hydie to be attractive. She had a heart-shaped face, peachy complexion, and violet-colored eyes. Her long, wild, Hazelnut-brown hair looked like it would be difficult to get a hairbrush through. She _looked_ normal, but looks could be deceiving, and her twisted personality destroyed any romantic interest he may have initially had in her. Perhaps, it was a trick of the light, but sometimes he thought her eyes glowed a demonic red when she was feeling particularly bloodthirsty.

The witch was wearing a brown, Steampunk, Victorian-style dress with the pattern of black vertical stripes on it, and that had a bustle in the back. A black leather corset accentuated her thin waist, and was decorated with golden cogs. Hydie was also carrying a brown leather briefcase, which looked very out of place in their current surroundings.

As Hydie stepped further into the cavern and looked around, Rapunzel could see the smug look on her face. "Punzie, come out, come out, wherever you are," she called out in a singsong voice. That's when Hydie spotted Rapunzel in one of the hot spring pools, and arched an eyebrow at his apparent nakedness.

"Oh! There you are! What are you doing taking a bath at a time like this?" Hydie clucked her tongue at him. "This is _no_ time to be taking a bath, Punzie! Come on out and fight me!" She pointed a foot-long, metal war fan at him in an expectant manner.

The last time Rapunzel had faced Hydie in the woods she'd been wielding a lacy fan, and so he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the new one she was wielding. It was made out of iron, covered in black lacquer, and had a red circle painted on it that represented the sun. Rapunzel knew the fan was a conduit for her magic - just like a wand or staff that were more notably used as conduits by witches and wizards.

Using his right hand and arm, Rapunzel grudgingly pulled himself out of the hot spring pool, and straightened. He covered his cock with his hand, but not before Hydie got an eyeful.

Hydie grinned mischievously at the glimpse she'd caught of Rapunzel's flaccid cock. "My, someone's well-endowed! Who would have thought?" Her smile disappeared, however, when she noticed that Rapunzel's left arm was missing, and her violet eyes widened in shock. "What the _hell_ happened to your left arm?"

Rapunzel arched an eyebrow at Hydie, and gave her a crooked smile. "What's this? You _almost_ sound concerned about me, Hydie."

"Pffft," Hydie snorted and waved her hand dismissively through the air. "I don't give a shit about you. You're just an escaped prisoner in my book!"

Rapunzel frowned. "How did you even get here?"

"I saw what happened to you when you tried to leave your tower," Hydie began. "I was watching you from the forest, as usual. I saw the magic teleportation circle whisk you off somewhere, and I decided to follow you. It took me a while to figure out how to get the circle to activate without the trigger of your presence. In the end, I had to use a lock of your hair that I happened to have on hand."

"That's not creepy at all," Rapunzel muttered to himself with a shudder. " _Why_ are you here?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Hydie huffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm here to capture you, and put your back in your cage, Punzie."

Rapunzel's brow furrowed in confusion. "But...you're Gothel's henchwoman. You follow _his_ orders, and Gothel obviously sent me here to the Labyrinth to test me."

"Too soon..." Hydie said softly to herself and frowned. "This must be a mistake. Gothel would never send _you_ to the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth is a test for the heroes of Fantasia, and you're no hero, you introverted blacksmith."

"We finally agree on something, Hydie," Rapunzel said with a twinkle in his green eyes. "I'm no hero. I shouldn't be here."

"I'm glad you see things my way," Hydie said, smiling widely and showing off her overly pointed canines. "Come on. I'll escort you back to your tower." She offered Rapunzel her hand.

Rapunzel stared down at Hydie's hand, and for a moment he thought he knew what a child that had escaped his mother's watchful eye felt like. "How do you plan to get us out of here?" he asked with polite curiosity. He had no intention of going anywhere with Hydie, but decided to play along for now. Rapunzel walked over to his pile of clothes, and started to get dressed.

"I'll just talk to the Boss on this level, and get them to let us travel to the next level without a fight," Hydie revealed as she watched Rapunzel dress in his black leather pants and matching vest. "As you said, I'm Gothel's henchwoman. They'll have to obey me and let us pass, if I so wish it."

"Maybe..." Rapunzel said, not sounding very convinced. He pulled on his boots and straightened. "I'm sorry to break it to you, but I'm _never_ going back to that tower."

Hydie bristled with irritation. "Oh, yes you are. You're _my_ prisoner-"

"I'm no one's prisoner," Rapunzel snapped, green eyes flashing. "Not anymore. Leave this place, Hydie. I'll find my own way to get out of here. Even if that means beating the Labyrinth."

" _You?_ Beat the Labyrinth? Ohohoho!" Hydie cackled with a hand upraised in front of her mouth. "Are you fully conscious? Obviously, you must be suffering from blood loss because you're not thinking clearly. _You_ could never beat the Labyrinth, Punzie. Only a 'true hero' can! Now, you're coming with me." She pointed her _gunsen_ in his direction in a threatening manner.

Rapunzel folded his arms over his chest in a defiant pose. "No."

Hydie's eye twitched. "We can do this the hard way, or the easy way, Punzie."

"I'm not going with you, Hydie," Rapunzel said firmly.

"Then you leave me with no choice," Hydie snarled. "I'll defeat you, make you my prisoner, and drag your sorry ass back to the tower where you belong!"

"Bring it on, Hydie." Rapunzel picked up the sixty-two-foot-long braided whip he'd made, and prepared to fight the witch with it. He was feeling strangely confident since he'd fought Hydie so many times before, and had ample time to come up with different battle strategies to use against her.

During his battles against Hydie, he'd noticed something interesting - she could only perform wind magic when she was wielding a fan. Her fan obviously acted as a conduit for her magic, like a wand or staff did for most witches or wizards. Without a conduit Hydie didn't appear to be able to access her magical power, which meant she was unable to do 'wandless magic'. This was her greatest weakness. All Rapunzel had to do was disarm Hydie, and the tables would quickly turn in his favor.

" _Ventus Mitte Falcem!_ " Hydie waved her fan at Rapunzel and unleashed a barrage of sickle-shaped wind blades his way. Rapunzel ran across the cavern and ducked, dodged and rolled out of the way in order to avoid the attacks.

The attacks were invisible, but Rapunzel had so much experience running away from Hydie's wind blade attacks that he could sense where the attacks were coming from.

Rapunzel sneakily made his way closer and closer to Hydie, and once he was close enough he whipped out his hair and caused it to wrap around her fan. He then pulled back on his hair, and managed to disarm Hydie. The war fan was ripped right out of Hydie's hand, and Rapunzel caught the fan in midair.

Now came the tricky part. Rapunzel knew Hydie commonly had not one, but _two_ war fans in her possession, and he had to get to her and stop her from getting her hands on the other _gunsen_ before she could attack him with it. Rapunzel charged forward and leapt at Hydie.

Hydie was just reaching into her skirt pocket for her other _gunsen_ when Rapunzel barreled into her, and she let out a startled squeak. "Eek!" Hydie ended up falling back to the ground with Rapunzel on top of her.

Rapunzel grabbed her right wrist and pinned it over her head. At this point, the blacksmith was straddling Hydie. Her violet eyes flashed with indignation, and she slapped Rapunzel hard across the face with her left hand. "Unhand me at once, Punzie! And get the hell off of me!"

Rapunzel stoically took the hit and leaned over Hydie until their faces were only inches apart. Hydie's eyes widened at the intense stare Rapunzel was giving her, and she unexpectedly felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. Hydie grew flustered by Rapunzel's close proximity, and blushed.

_Is Punzie going to kiss me?_ She wondered as her heart started to pound inside of her chest. _I never really noticed before but he has a handsome face._ _His lips look soft and kissable. And his body...yum. I got quite the eyeful earlier and there isn't an ounce of fat on his body. I could do my laundry on those six-pack abs of his._

Hydie was so distracted by her perverted thoughts that she didn't notice Rapunzel let go of her right wrist, grab her other wrist, and move it up over her head. Then he started to wrap the end of his hair whip around both of her wrists while keeping them pinned above her head. Once Rapunzel was finished restraining her he leaned even closer and smirked. "Now you're _my_ prisoner, Hydie."

Hydie's violet eyes flared in alarm as she realized her wrists were pinned above her head and restrained by some kind of golden rope. "No!" She bucked her hips, trying to throw Rapunzel off of her.

Rapunzel was forced to press his body down more firmly against Hydie's, and their crotches pressed together. Rapunzel hissed at the sudden pressure against his groin, and he glared at Hydie even as a slight flush rose to his cheeks. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Hydie. I'm a man, you know? Don't tempt me."

Rapunzel's warning only intrigued Hydie, and she decided to call his bluff. "I didn't know you could _be_ tempted, Punzie." Hydie purposefully raised her hips and grinded wantonly against Rapunzel's hardening cock.

A moan slipped past Rapunzel's lips, and a startled expression formed on his face. He quickly pulled his body back away from Hydie's. "Shit."

Hydie took advantage of Rapunzel's unease to squeeze his hips with her thighs, and using her incredible strength she flipped them over so that she was now on top of Rapunzel. "I prefer being on top," she said suggestively.

Rapunzel's flush deepened, and he seemed to be unable to respond to her brazen words. Hydie enjoyed seeing the conflicted expression on Rapunzel's face. He looked needy, angry, and vulnerable. She liked having him at her mercy and grinded harder against him.

Rapunzel sneakily slipped his right hand into her skirt pocket and confiscated her other _gunsen_. He stuffed it into his pants pocket swiftly before Hydie could notice what he was doing and stop him.

Hydie did notice what he was up to, however, and her eyes flashed with indignation. " _You!_ You just stole my other _gunsen_ , didn't you?"

"That's right," Rapunzel admitted with a smug look on his face.

"You bastard! I'll _kill_ you!" Hydie leaned over Rapunzel and sank her teeth into the side of his neck.

"Ow! That fucking hurt, you crazy bitch!" Rapunzel complained, and yet his cock swelled with blood as it grew even harder. _The fuck is wrong with my body?_ Rapunzel mentally complained. The blacksmith grabbed her hair and yanked back to force Hydie to remove her teeth from the side of his neck. "What are you? A vampire?"

Hydie just smiled innocently at Rapunzel and licked her bloody lips. "Mmm. No. I'm not a vampire. I was trying to rip out your windpipe with my teeth," she said in a creepy, manner-of-fact tone.

Rapunzel shook his head at Hydie. This is exactly what he didn't like about her. She was mentally unstable and totally unpredictable. The blacksmith rolled them over again so that he was on top of Hydie, and then he quickly got off of her. Now that he had both _gunsen_ in his possession he had no reason to be so close to the crazy witch.

Rapunzel still had a firm hold on his whip and the end of it was wrapped around Hydie's wrists. A triumphant expression formed on Rapunzel's face. Hydie was now his prisoner. _Ah, how the tables have turned._ Both of them were flushed and panting for breath from the exertion of their brawl, or perhaps from something else. "Now where were we? Ah, yes, you're my prisoner now, Hydie, so you'd better behave yourself or else...I'll have to give you a spanking." Rapunzel playfully tugged on the whip causing Hydie to stumble forward a few steps.

"Fuck you, Punzie!" Hydie snarled, feeling strangely embarrassed and insulted that her feminine wiles had apparently had no effect on Rapunzel. "As soon as you let your guard down..." Her violet eyes flashed red with anger. "I'm going to chop your head off and serve it to Gothel on a silver platter!"

Rapunzel was used to receiving death threats from Hydie on a regular basis so he wasn't about to take her too seriously. He had the feeling that if Hydie _really_ wanted him dead he'd be dead already. "Yeah, yeah," Rapunzel said dismissively before walking over, picking up the rusty cleaver, and pointing it at Hydie. "Tell me everything you know about the level we're on."

"We're on Level Two of the Labyrinth," Hydie grudgingly began to explain in a petulant tone. "This level is home to the Insectoids."

Rapunzel frowned. "Insectoids?"

"They're half-human half-insect monsters that are humanoid in appearance," Hydie started with a bloodthirsty gleam in her violet eyes. "Like zombies they crave and feast upon human flesh." She let out a maniac giggle.

Rapunzel grimaced. He didn't like the sound of that at all. "Wonderful."

"You'll have to get past them before you'll be able to make it to the Boss Room," Hydie said grimly.

Rapunzel nodded. He figured as much. Hydie had done him a favor by exterminating the horde of insects that had been keeping him trapped inside the hot spring pool. Now he had to leave this chamber and fight against the Insectoids as he made his way to the Boss Room.

Rapunzel wasn't too worried about having to fight against the Insectoids. However, the only weapon he would be able to use was the rusted meat cleaver since he was using his whip to keep his prisoner Hydie restrained.

The blacksmith let out a depressed sigh. If only he had access to a forge. Then he could make an enchanted sword and maybe this Labyrinth would be less dangerous. He'd already lost his left arm to Boss Frankie Stein. He couldn't afford to lose to another Boss again. _I like my body parts where they are. Thank you very much._

A resigned expression settled over Rapunzel's face when he realized he had no choice but to leave the safety of the chamber. He started to exit and realized that Hydie was lagging behind. He tugged on the whip causing her to take a few stumbling steps forward. "Come on, Hydie, don't dawdle."

Hydie stuck her tongue out at Rapunzel's back, but then her gaze lowered to his firm behind covered in black leather. _Yum._ Hydie shook her head to clear it of her traitorous thoughts, and frowned. _What's wrong with me? Punzie is my enemy. I shouldn't be checking out his ass. Even if it is rather fine._

Rapunzel and Hydie exited the chamber and entered the adjacent tunnel. They continued down the tunnel until they entered the spacious cavern that Rapunzel had first materialized in. "Which one leads to the Boss?" Rapunzel questioned, looking at each possible tunnel opening in turn.

Hydie shrugged. "Any of them will take you there."

Rapunzel nodded, headed for one of the tunnels, tugging Hydie along behind him, and they began their journey to the Boss Room. The tunnel they were traversing was wide compared to the other tunnel they'd been in, and at least ten feet across. There were stalactites overhead and stalagmites emerging from the stone floor. Glowing blue moss that was growing on the stone walls illuminated their way.

Rapunzel could hear what sounded like a bunch of insects chittering to each other further ahead of them in the tunnel. The sound grew closer and closer until a group of Insectoids rounded the corner a few yards ahead of them. Rapunzel quickly took in their powerful, menacing and creepy appearances. Just as Hydie had described them they were humanoid, insect-like monsters.

The monsters were seven feet tall, and their bodies were covered with a black exoskeleton that resembled black steel armor. The Insectoids had a human-like head with black skin and solid, black, round eyes with a dead stare. They had mandibles that they were clicking together in an unsettling manner. Instead of hands they had claws like a scorpion or crustacean.

"You are _so_ dead! Ohohoho!" Hydie cackled gleefully in sadistic delight of the danger Rapunzel was suddenly in.

Rapunzel frowned. "Shut up, Hydie." He dragged the witch over to a stalagmite and used his hair whip to secure her to it. "Just sit tight. Oh, and be good."

"This will be fun to watch!" Hydie said, smiling widely. "Pity I don't have any popcorn to enjoy the show with!"

Rapunzel frowned and tilted his head at Hydie. "What is 'popcorn'?"

Hydie let out an amused snort. "It's a food product from the realm I came here from."

"You're from another realm?" Rapunzel asked with a furrowed brow.

Hydie nodded. "Leader brought me here through his Magic Mirror."

"When you say 'Leader'...you're referring to the leader of the League of Villains, aren't you?" Rapunzel asked. Hydie nodded in assent.

"Leader assigned me with the task of being Gothel's henchwoman," Hydie revealed.

"You're a slave?" Rapunzel asked.

"No!" Hydie objected hotly. "I serve Gothel of my own volition. Leader has promised to do something for me in return for helping Gothel's schemes in Bones Kingdom."

"Let me guess," Rapunzel began in a dry tone. "He'll grant you immortality."

Hydie blinked. "How do you know that?"

Rapunzel's lips curled into a cocky smirk. "You just told me."

"Well, it's a little more complex than that, but yes...eternal life," Hydie said with a wistful note to her voice.

The chittering sounds the Insectoids were making began to sound impatient, and Rapunzel returned his attention to the monsters. "Well, I'd better get this show on the road." Letting out a fierce battle cry, Rapunzel fearlessly charged towards the Insectoids and engaged them in battle.

Hydie watched with baited breath as Rapunzel swung a meat cleaver at the Insectoids in a very reckless fashion. The monsters used their claws to block Rapunzel's initial attacks with ease, and a dull clanging sound filled the tunnel.

Rapunzel frowned. Their exoskeleton was as hard as steel. He realized that he needed to discover their weakness as soon as possible if he were to have any hope of defeating them. But what weakness did armor have? Rapunzel recalled how he'd made his friend Aurelion a full set of armor. Aurelion had explained to Rapunzel that any knight was still vulnerable in the places in the armor that were exposed to allow movement of the joints - armpits, elbows, upper thighs and behind the knees.

_That's right. Their joints!_ Rapunzel thought triumphantly as he ducked a claw swipe and lunged his cleaver forward while aiming for the Insectoid's armpit. He managed to cut off one of the Insectoid's arms in this manner. The monster let out a pained, angry, inhumane shriek.

Now that Rapunzel had discovered the Insectoids' weakness he started to make quick work of them. Hydie watched as Rapunzel began to hack away at the insects and they began to become dismembered. "Ooo," Hydie said. "Nice job."

One of the Insectoids turned his attention to the restrained Hydie, and started to approach her with menacing steps. Rapunzel noticed this out of the corner of his eye. _Shit._ Would the Insectoid free Hydie? He wondered.

As the Insectoid approached Hydie she was having a similar train of thought, and smiled evilly. "Hurry up and free me, Insectoid!" she ordered in an imperious tone. The Insectoid came to a stop directly in front of Hydie, and started to lean down over her with his mandibles clicking together in an eerie fashion. "Ugh. I don't understand a word you're saying." Hydie let out an impatient huff. "Just hurry up and free me!"

The Insectoid moved closer to Hydie's exposed shoulder, and abruptly sank his mandibles into her flesh and started to chew. A bloodcurdling scream was wrenched from Hydie's lips.

Alarmed by Hydie's ear-piercing scream Rapunzel glanced in her direction and watched what was happening in disbelief. "Hydie!" He ran towards the Insectoid, sneaking up on it from behind, raised his cleaver, and aimed for the monster's back. "Get away from her, you bastard bug!" As Rapunzel's cleaver impacted against the hard exoskeleton the blade shattered. "Shit!"

The Insectoid removed its mouth from Hydie's flesh, and whirled around to face Rapunzel. The monster raised his claw and sent a backhanded slap into the side of Rapunzel's face with enough force that the blacksmith was sent flying sideways.

"Punzie!" Hydie shouted in concern.

Rapunzel landed on the ground and the Insectoid approached the fallen blacksmith with murderous intent. Rapunzel knew he was fucked since he was now weaponless. _This is it. I'm dead._

"Use my _gunsen_!" Hydie blurted out. "Quick! Hurry!"

Rapunzel's eyes widened in realization. _That's right...a gunsen can be used like a blade weapon._ He reached his right hand into his pocket, grabbed the _gunsen_ , pulled it out, and flicked it open. Just as the Insectoid was leaning down towards Rapunzel the blacksmith slashed the _gunsen_ through the air in a horizontal attack that sliced into the Insectoid's throat and cut the monster's head off.

Hydie let out a breath of relief at the sight of the Insectoid getting decapitated. Rapunzel then used the _gunsen_ to kill the remaining Insectoids. By the time Rapunzel was finished killing the monsters, he was panting for breath, and sweating profusely while covered in gore, yellow pus, and insect guts.

Hydie felt weak from blood loss and watched in a kind of daze as Rapunzel turned to face her and started to make his way over to her with dragging steps. There was an angry expression on Rapunzel's face as he stared at Hydie's wound. Without warning he reached out and placed his hand directly over the wound causing Hydie to flinch and cry out in pain.

"What are you doing?" Hydie demanded.

Rapunzel's brow furrowed. "Just shut up, and let me heal you, Crazy Witch." The blacksmith summoned his magic and concentrated on healing Hydie's wound.

Hydie watched in awe as a golden glow surrounded Rapunzel's hand, and his hair started to glow too. Seconds later, Hydie's wound began to heal right before her eyes. The Insectoid had ripped out a big chunk of her flesh, but the flesh appeared to be re-growing. Something like that should have been impossible...

Rapunzel removed his hand once Hydie was fully healed. He brushed some blood off her flesh with his thumb thoughtfully. "It shouldn't leave a scar. Thank goodness," he murmured.

"I could care less about having a scar," Hydie said honestly. "I'm just happy to be alive."

Rapunzel frowned. "You're a woman. You _should_ care about scars. Most _normal_ women do after all."

Hydie bristled at the fact Rapunzel was obviously implying that she wasn't 'normal'. A sudden thought occurred to her as she looked at Rapunzel's missing left arm. "Hey, why don't you use your power to re-grow your left arm?"

Rapunzel shook his head dismally. "My healing ability only works on _other_ people."

"Well, that's unfortunate," Hydie said as Rapunzel untied her from the stalagmite. She started to chew on her lower lip as she wondered about whether or not she should thank Rapunzel for saving her life. _Should I thank him? But we're enemies. Why did he save me? He protected me..._

Rapunzel started to continue his way down the tunnel while tugging at the whip that was still wrapped around Hydie's wrists. Hydie followed behind Rapunzel at a short distance, and admired the blacksmith's broad shoulders. She couldn't help feeling...conflicted. _I never noticed how tall he is. Gah! I need to stop checking Punzie out!_

About thirty minutes had passed when Rapunzel's steps started to become dragging. He stumbled and fell forward, landing flat on his face. "Punzie!" Hydie exclaimed in a mixture of worry and alarm. She ran over to Rapunzel's side, crouched, and turned him over onto his back. Rapunzel was unconscious. Sweat was glistening on his brow, and his face was flushed red.

When Hydie reached out to place her hand on his forehead she flinched at how hot it felt. "He's burning up. He must have a fever. Maybe his wound got infected..." Hydie's gaze went to the stump that was left of Rapunzel's left arm. It was currently wrapped with strips of leather.

Hydie swallowed, gathered her nerve, reached out, and started to undo the makeshift bandages. She was forced to cover her nose as the smell of rotting flesh hit her nostrils once the wound was revealed. Hydie gagged at the disgusting scent. "Ugh. Definitely infected...and rotting. But then, that means..."

Rapunzel was...dying.

Hydie picked up the long, braided golden whip. She could use it to strangle Rapunzel in his unconscious state. She could kill him easily. But...she hesitated. Rapunzel had risked his life to save her. He'd protected her. He'd treated her like a woman, and not a weapon. It was a nice change of pace.

Hydie realized she had two options. One, kill Rapunzel and put him out of his misery. Or two, try and save him.

"Argh!" Hydie ruffled her hair in a frustrated gesture. "Dammit! I can't kill Punzie. Not after what he's done for me." She would save him after all. Well, not _her_ exactly...

Hydie didn't know much about medicine or the art of healing. She was definitely no healer. Hydie was a fighter, and a combat witch. She'd have to leave this up to _her_. "How annoying..."

Hydie took and seat on the ground, and crossed her legs Indian-style. She set her briefcase down in front of her and opened it. Inside the briefcase were stainless steel medical instruments, jars of powdered medicine, and several small, corked glass bottles filled with a purple-colored potion.

Hydie picked up one of the small bottles, and uncorked it. "Bottoms up!" She brought it to her lips, and drank. Hydie cried out as she began to transform and her appearance began to change. Her eyes turned from violet to a soft, pale lavender color, and her hair became less wild and straightened.

***

Dr. Henrietta Jekyll blinked, and looked around while taking in her immediate surroundings. Well, this was odd. She wasn't in the forest by Rapunzel's tower. Where the hell was she? She appeared to be in some kind of cave tunnel, which was illuminated by a glowing, blue moss that grew on the cave walls.

In order to get a better look at the moss, Henrietta fished around in her skirt pocket until she found her round glasses, and put them on. "Fascinating," she said as she narrowed her eyes at the glowing moss. "I wonder if I'm underground." A lock of hair fell into her face and immediately irritated her. She quickly grabbed her hair and twisted it into a bun at the top of her head. A pained groan drew her attention next.

Henrietta's eyes widened when she caught sight of a figure lying on the ground. It took her less than a minute to recognize who it was. "Blacksmith Rapunzel!" She was at Rapunzel's side in an instant, and started to check his current condition.

Henrietta took his pulse, checked his temperature, and then started to inspect his wound. "This is horrible." She cringed at the sight of the rotting flesh. "How the hell did this happen? Who could have done this?" There was a sinking feeling inside Henrietta's stomach. "I hope Hydie wasn't behind this atrocity."

Henrietta made her way back over to her briefcase and started to take out various medical tools. "The wound is infected and the flesh is rotting...I'll have to cut the rot away and try to salvage as much of his arm as I can. Poor Rapunzel..." Worry and concern were swirling in her pretty lavender-colored eyes.

Henrietta held up a scalpel and started to cut away at the rotting flesh. After she'd finished that onerous task she applied a cream made out of silver sulfadiazine to his arm stump. "It's probably a good thing he's unconscious or else he'd be in a lot of pain right now," Henrietta talked to herself as she worked.

"He's lost a lot of blood. He'll end up being weak and anemic for days. If we have the same blood type I could perform a blood transfusion using my own blood, I suppose..." She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, and looked around at all the body parts left over from the defeated Insectoids.

Henrietta walked over to the body parts that were scattered on the ground and began to inspect them curiously. She held up an arm with a claw for a hand. "These monsters are humanoid in appearance but are obviously part insect. They must have been difficult to kill."

The wheels in Henrietta's brilliant mind started to turn. Dr. Jekyll was ahead of her time when it came to limb transplants, and the field of limb replacement in general. A crazy thought flitted through Henrietta's mind. _What if I replace Rapunzel's missing arm with this insect-like one?_

If Dr. Henrietta Jekyll were still in London, England she never would have attempted something so crazy. But she was in Fantasia, and medical rules could be bent there because of the existence of magic. "Yes. This should work. I also have access to Rapunzel's magical hair. But...how will Rapunzel feel about this?" The surgery could help save his life, and a powerful arm would be useful in battle.

Henrietta had the feeling they were in a very dangerous place. Especially, if Hydie had decided to bring her back of her own free will. Henrietta knew Hydie hated her, and the feeling was mutual. "The situation must be desperate. It must be done to save his life. He can be angry with me if he wants."

Using Rapunzel's hair like thread Henrietta sewed the flesh of Rapunzel's arm stump to the flesh of the Insectoid's arm together, and in this manner attached the Insectoid arm to Rapunzel's body. Because Rapunzel's hair was magical the Insectoid arm began to fuse with Rapunzel's flesh, and then the golden thread disappeared once the surgery was complete.

Henrietta wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, and grinned. "I did it. It worked. Science and magic made this possible. How fascinating!"

***

A few hours later, Rapunzel began to stir as he started to regain consciousness. His left arm ached and felt strangely heavy. _Wait...my left arm?_ The blacksmith's eyes shot open; he sat up, and looked down at his new left arm. The sight was something right out of a nightmare. A horrified look settled over Rapunzel's face as he opened and closed his claw with a clicking sound.

"Oh, bravo!" a feminine voice with a British accent reached Rapunzel's ears. "The surgery was indeed a success. I'm such a genius."

Rapunzel turned to gape at Hydie. She looked...different. Her wild hair had been tamed into a bun on the top of her head, and a pair of nerdy, round glasses was perched on her nose. He also noted that her violet eyes had changed color to lavender. "What the? Hydie?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

The woman wrinkled her nose at Rapunzel in an irritated fashion. "I see she's still using that ridiculous nickname. Her real name is Edwina Hyde. And _my_ name is Dr. Henrietta Jekyll." She pushed her glasses up her nose. "It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Blacksmith Rapunzel." She offered Rapunzel a shy smile.

Rapunzel wasn't buying that innocent smile for a second. "Who the hell are you? And what have you done with Hydie? Are you a ghost? Did you possess her?"

A flash of hurt crossed Henrietta's face. "No. I'm not a ghost. I am myself. And I am the real owner of this body," she said adamantly, placing a hand over her chest. "You see, I'm a chemist. As you know humans are lustful, murderous carnivores. In other words, beasts," she said the word 'beasts' with obvious disdain. "I wanted to find a cure for humanity's propensity to give in to their animal instincts. A way to rise above the base needs of the flesh. I created a serum to do just that. Unfortunately, instead of ridding myself of my inner darkness it ended up separating it from my ego and creating an entirely new personality that exists within me. That is Edwina Hyde, or as you know her 'Hydie'."

"Hydie..." Rapunzel echoed. "You're telling me Hydie is your alter ego?"

"Indeed," Henrietta nodded. "Hydie is the inner darkness that used to be inside of me. I have been purified from having murderous or lustful urges. I'm also a vegetarian. I have become a perfect human being. One that is not controlled by her primal instincts. I have evolved to the next stage of human evolution."

"Uh huh," Rapunzel said, not sounding very convinced.

Undeterred by Rapunzel's lackluster response Henrietta continued to monologue. "Unfortunately, I have yet to discover a way to purge Hydie completely from my body. This is the one drawback to the cure I created. But, I'm very close to perfecting the serum. Hydie is 'trash' that must be thrown away. Only then will I be a truly perfect human being. It's difficult having to cohabitate with this monster living inside of me. I never know what she's up to when she's in control of my body."

_Purge? Trash? Monster?_ These harsh words bounced off the walls inside of Rapunzel's mind, and he couldn't help but recall how Hydie had shouted his name with obvious concern. She'd been _worried_ about him, and evil people didn't worry about other people's welfare. Only caring people did that.

Rapunzel frowned, and clenched his hands into fists at his sides out of the anger he was suddenly feeling. "A monster, huh? Why did she decide to summon you then?"

Henrietta tapped her chin in a thoughtful gesture. "Hydie must have considered herself to be in a very dangerous situation. She must have wanted me to save you so that you could protect her. It was a simple act of self-preservation." She pushed her glasses up her nose.

"You're wrong." Rapunzel shook his head in disappointment. "Hydie and I are enemies. And she's much more powerful than I am. With her wind magic she's practically invincible. She should have killed me and gotten her _gunsen_ back so she could cast spells again. She would have been able to escape this Labyrinth on her own easily. Hydie didn't need me, but she decided to save my life anyways."

"Why would she do something like that?" Henrietta asked with a confused frown.

Rapunzel shrugged. "Maybe because I saved her life first, and she decided to return the favor. At any rate, I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Hydie. She saved my life."

" _I'm_ the one who saved your life!" Henrietta objected, stomping her high-heeled shoe on the ground. "Your wound was infected and your flesh was already rotting. The infection was about to pass into your bloodstream. I had to perform surgery, and cut away the rotted flesh while treating the infection. I also improved your body by giving you a new arm."

"Improved?" Rapunzel scoffed hotly. "You turned me into a monster!" He waved his new, clawed arm at her. "I didn't ask you to do this! I don't want this hideous arm!"

Henrietta let out an impatient huff. "Oh, dear. You are being so ungrateful. That arm helped to stabilize your condition. You should be more powerful _now_. I made you _better_ than you were originally. That arm should be quite useful in battle."

"You did this to me _without my permission_!" Rapunzel objected.

"I did it to save your life!" Henrietta argued, placing her hands on her hips.

"Who are you to play God?" Rapunzel snapped, and scrubbed a hand down his face as he tried to rein in his temper. "Never mind. Whatever. How do I get Hydie back?"

Henrietta blinked. "What?"

"Hydie and I need to continue our journey to the Boss Room," Rapunzel explained. "You're obviously a healer - not a fighter. You'll only be deadweight on this quest."

"Deadweight?" Henrietta staggered backwards a step out of the pure indignation and hurt she was feeling. "You...are the most rude, ungrateful and ungentlemanly man I've ever met! I thought you were different! I thought..." She bit her lower lip to stop herself from continuing, and a blush rose to her cheeks.

"You thought what?" Rapunzel asked, narrowing his eyes at her. "That I was some sort of 'blue prince' or 'knight in shinning armor'? I bet you've only seen me from afar. I didn't even know you existed. I only knew about Hydie. You know nothing about me. I bet you put me up on a pedestal in our mind, and thought of me as some mysterious, trapped prince that needed saving. I hate to burst you bubble, lady, but I'm no hero. I'm just a humble blacksmith. And right now, I need Hydie if I'm going to get the hell out of this Labyrinth alive."

"Alright. Fine!" Henrietta snapped. "If you want to be with that monster so badly far be it from me to keep you two apart by remaining here any longer!" She stomped over to her briefcase, crouched before it, reached in, grabbed a potion bottle, uncorked it, and drank the serum. Henrietta cried out as she transformed into Hydie.

***

Hydie blinked, looked around, and spotted Rapunzel. Relief washed over her as she noted that Rapunzel was not only alive but also healthier in appearance. "Punzie, you're alive! You...gah!" She'd noticed his new arm and cringed. "What the hell did that quack do to your arm?"

"Dr. Henrietta Jekyll apparently gave me an upgrade while I was out of it..." Rapunzel said, raising his new arm and opening and closing his claw. "What do you think of it?"

Hydie frowned. "I think it's monstrous."

"Yeah...me too," Rapunzel said, hanging his head dejectedly.

"But it should come in handy in your fight against the Boss..." Hydie said in a tentative manner.

Rapunzel nodded. "I suppose." He looked up to give Hydie an emotional look. "Hydie, I wanted to thank you for saving my life. It's why I had Dr. Jekyll bring you back."

A flash of surprise crossed Hydie's violet gaze. "You asked Henrietta to bring _me_ back?" A wide smile spread across the witch's face. "Ooo. She must have _hated_ that. I wish I could have seen her face. She thinks I'm-"

"A monster," Rapunzel said angrily.

Hydie lifted her shoulders in a careless shrug. "Well, I am a lusty, murderous carnivore."

" _All_ humans are lusty, murderous carnivores," Rapunzel said, letting out a heavy sigh. "I think that makes you normal. But you are a little overly destructive compared to most humans."

"Only a _little_?" Hydie asked, raising an eyebrow at Rapunzel. They both started to laugh and smiled at each other. Hydie shifted her weight from one foot to the other anxiously. "Hey, Punzie...I...uh...want to thank you for saving my life too."

"You're very welcome," Rapunzel said. "Why did the Insectoid attack _you_ though? You're Gothel's right-hand woman..."

Hydie put her hands out before her in a helpless gesture. "I'm not sure. Maybe he was just hungry. Let's face it. I _look_ delicious. I bet I'm really _tasty_." Hydie licked her lips slowly.

Rapunzel barked out a laugh. "Hey, you're not supposed to be funny! You're supposed to be scary." He walked over to Hydie and started to untie the whip from around her wrists.

Hydie arched an eyebrow at his actions. "What are you doing, Punzie?"

Rapunzel looked up and met her questioning gaze. "I need your help. The only way to leave the Labyrinth is by defeating the Bosses on each level, which means _you_ also have to defeat the Boss on this level, right? Let's team up. The Insectoids don't appear to see you as an ally either."

"I suppose we could team up," Hydie grudgingly agreed.

"Let's call a temporary truce," Rapunzel suggested, and offered Hydie his hand to shake on it. "What do you say, Edwina Hydie?"

Hydie made a face. "Ugh. Don't call me that. I hate that boring, stuffy name." She stared down at Rapunzel's hand, hesitated, but ultimately shook it. "Okay. Fine. Truce. I won't try to kill you again until we're out of the Labyrinth."

Rapunzel grinned at Hydie. "How generous of you." He let go of Hydie's hand and handed the witch her _gunsen_. "Here. Let's do this."

"This is going to be fun!" Hydie declared, a wide, sadistic smile spreading across her face and showing off her pointed canines.

To be continued in...Chapter 6:

### Chapter 6:

Rapunzel and Hydie continued to make their way through the tunnels of the Insectoid's domain. They encountered more Insectoids along the way, and Rapunzel used Hydie's second war fan as a blade weapon against them. He targeted the Insectoids' joints while Hydie used her fan to send sickle-shaped blades of wind the monsters' way.

Rapunzel couldn't help but be impressed by Hydie's formidable magical power. Her attacks were incredibly destructive. Not only would her attacks obliterate the Insectoids, but it would also obliterate the stalagmites and stalactites in the tunnels that were in her way.

The duo encountered a spring of fresh, running water, and decided to take a break and rest beside it. Hydie made a cooking fire, and Rapunzel captured a few grasshoppers that they roasted on sticks. As Rapunzel warily nibbled at his own roasted grasshopper he was surprised to see Hydie unflinchingly bite the head right off a grasshopper without any qualms.

_She's kind of amazing._ Rapunzel thought to himself with a small smirk playing on his lips. He doubted the prim and proper Henrietta would be able to eat a grasshopper while keeping a straight face.

They made sure to drink plenty of water and filled two leather flasks that Hydie had managed to procure from her briefcase. Since nothing seemed to be attacking them they decided to sleep for a couple of hours. Rapunzel slept on his side facing Hydie, who was also sleeping on her side. He probably should have been worried about Hydie trying to kill him in his sleep, but for some reason the blacksmith drifted off and slept soundly.

Rapunzel was impressed by how vast Level Two was. It actually took them _two days_ to finally reach the Boss Room.

"We're finally here," Hydie announced as she came to a stop in front of two towering, double doors that were made out of black steel. The image of a golden scarab beetle with its wings clutching a round sun had been engraved into each door. "No doubt about it. This is the Boss Room."

Rapunzel swallowed a lump of nervousness, and nodded. "Yeah. Alright. Let's do this." He pushed the double doors open, and they made their way inside the chamber. Torches hanging on the stone walls in iron sconces flared to life with electric-blue flames.

Seated upon a large black onyx throne was the Queen of the Insectoids. Rapunzel was only able to tell she was female due to her hourglass figure, and long, dark blue hair. Like the males she had black skin, claws for hands, a black exoskeleton, mandibles, and round black eyes. Unlike the males she had a pair of scarab-like wings, and a pair of antenna.

The Insectoid Queen's eyes gleamed hungrily as she uncrossed her long legs and crossed them again in the opposite direction. "Mmm. What's this? Two tasty looking human morsels have wandered into my nursery. You'll both make a nice snack for my children."

"Children?" Rapunzel looked around the interior of the throne room curiously, and noticed that the walls had a hexagonal pattern. He narrowed his eyes at the semitransparent compartments suspiciously when he thought he could see something moving inside of them.

"Queen Khepera," Hydie began, sauntering towards the throne without fear. "I'd rather not fight you since I'm also Gothel's ally. What do you say we capture Rapunzel together and turn him over to Gothel instead?"

Khepera let out an amused cackle. "You think I give a shit about Gothel and his 'games'. This level is my kingdom, and any hero foolish enough to try and test the Labyrinth has to face the current Queen of the Insectoids. Sorry to break this to you, honey, but right now, you're food."

Hydie bristled with irritation, and flipped her long curly hair over her shoulder. "Hmph! Well, I never." She pouted.

Rapunzel shot her a look of disbelief. "Did you just try to throw me under the horse and carriage?"

"Of course, I did," Hydie said, a twinkle in her violet eyes. "I'm an evil villainess, remember? And it was definitely worth a shot." Rapunzel shook his head at Hydie in disappointment. "Let's kill her together, Punzie. This should be fun!" the witch declared excitedly.

Rapunzel and Hydie raised their _gunsen_ and were about to target Khepera, when-

"It's time to be born, my children!" Khepera called out in an authoritative tone.

A cracking sound filled the throne room and Rapunzel's attention returned to the hexagonal-shaped compartments on the walls and ceiling. The surface of the compartments was cracking, and then black claws started to emerge.

Seconds later, fully-grown Insectoids were bursting out of the compartments and landing on the floor with a heavy thud. Rapunzel realized those compartments were like incubation pods where Queen Khepera must have laid her eggs. The Insectoids spotted Rapunzel and Hydie, and started to approach with murderous intent.

"Protect me, my sons! Eat them!" Khepera ordered, waving her clawed hand in Rapunzel and Hydie's direction.

Rapunzel and Hydie shared a look, nodded at each other, and started to attack the Insectoids in sync.

Khepera's triumphant smile started to falter as she watched Rapunzel and Hydie making quick work of her sons. "No!" The Insectoid Queen stood up from her throne, and her eyes flashed with anger and fear. "How dare you kill my beloved sons? You'll pay for that!" Khepera started to charge towards Rapunzel.

Rapunzel turned his attention to the Insectoid Queen, and started to run towards her with his _gunsen_ raised before him in a defensive position. Once Rapunzel was close enough he swung the war fan at Khepera, but she raised her claw and blocked the attack with it.

Next, Rapunzel tried to target Khepera's joints, but she was a lot faster than the other Insectoids he'd encountered thus far, and his attacks were slicing through thin air as she avoided his attacks with lightning speed. Rapunzel tried to move faster, but he couldn't seem to land a hit on Khepera, and couldn't get past the Queen's defenses. _Shit._ "Hydie, a little help here," Rapunzel grumbled.

Hydie turned her attention to Khepera, and smiled sharply. "Sure thing!" She waved her fan in Khepera's direction. " _Ventus Mitte Falcem!_ " The witch unleashed a barrage of sickle-shaped wind blades Khepera's way.

Khepera's round eyes widened in terror, but then she spread her beetle-like wings and suddenly took off into the air, flying straight up towards the chamber's ceiling in order to escape Hydie's attack.

Rapunzel's expression darkened. "Good grief. She has wings!"

Khepera cackled down at Rapunzel and Hydie. "You'll never catch me, lowly humans!" she sneered with obvious disdain.

_Catch...?_ That gave Rapunzel an idea, and he turned to Hydie. "Hey! Here. Catch. I don't need this." He tossed Hydie her second _gunsen,_ and she fumbled to catch it. Rapunzel had secured the whip he'd made out of his hair to his belt, and he unattached the whip, created a noose, and began to spin the loop of hair above his head.

Hydie's jaw dropped as she watched what Rapunzel was doing for a moment. "Okay. All of a sudden he's acting like Buffalo Bill!"

The blacksmith waited for the perfect moment, and then released his lasso so that it went flying upwards. As soon as the loop fell around Khepera's foot Rapunzel pulled back to tighten the noose around her ankle.

Khepera looked down at her captured foot in shock. "How did you...? No! Let me go!"

Rapunzel started to pull her down from the ceiling. "Hydie, finish her!"

"Oh, goodie. This will be such fun!" Hydie grinned widely, showing off her sharp canines, and her violet eyes were glowing red with her bloodlust.

"No!" Khepera let out a horrified shriek.

Hydie waved her fan in Khepera's direction, and unleashed a wind attack. " _Ventus Mitte Falcem!_ " The sickle-shaped blades of wind flew through the air towards Khepera, sliced through her exoskeleton, and cut her to pieces. The Insectoid Queen let out a shrill scream as she was destroyed.

Rapunzel and Hydie turned to look at each other, and Hydie grinned. "You did it, Punzie," Hydie said. "You defeated another Boss."

Rapunzel raised his eyebrows at the witch. "I think you meant to say ' _we_ did it'. I couldn't have done it without you, Hydie."

A pink tinge rose to Hydie's cheeks. "Oh."

A magic circle containing a pentagram, runes and glyphs appeared beneath their feet, and started to glow with a blue-tinged light. Rapunzel and Hydie stood close together as the light increased and they were teleported to Level Three.

The duo materialized on a cliff that overlooked an impressive subterranean city. The dome-shaped dwellings of whatever race lived there appeared to be made out of large curved bones that must have come from enormous monsters. Open jawbones with pointed teeth served as entrances to the dwellings.

At first, Rapunzel thought they had to be dragon bones, but he'd never seen a dragon with such a wide head before and no horns. The cliff they were standing on was located in the outskirts of the city, and on the far side of the cavern they could see a white castle made entirely out of bones. The glowing, blue moss that grew on the cavern's walls illuminated the city.

"An underground city," Rapunzel breathed in astonishment. "What manner of beings live here, I wonder."

"We're on Level Three of the Labyrinth which means we're in the domain of the Dark Elves," Hydie explained.

"Dark Elves..." Rapunzel echoed as he began to wrack his brain for everything he'd read about Dark Elves. From what he could remember, Dark Elf males were expert swordsmen while the females were powerful, Dark Witches. The females excelled in fire, lightning, darkness, and shadow elemental attack spells.

A feeling of dread washed over Rapunzel. Dark Elves were deadly and dangerous, and the only weapon he had was his whip at this point. How the hell was he going to stand a chance against the Dark Elves? What Rapunzel really needed was an enchanted sword, but he'd need access to a forge to make one.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Hydie asked with an air of impatience. "Let's go explore the city!"

"Wait..." Rapunzel said. "We should stay here and observe the Dark Elves a little longer. Gothel used to say ' _know thy enemy better than you know thyself_ '."

Rapunzel took a seat on the cliff and watched the Dark Elves as they went about their daily business. Some of them appeared to be shopping for food or clothes while others were making social visits or running errands. Hydie let out a huff as she took a seat next to Rapunzel, and began to watch the Dark Elves as well.

The Dark Elves had a preternatural beauty with their golden-bronze skin, startling white hair and gleaming red eyes. The females were dressed in black or white silk dresses while the men were dressed in black leather vests and pants. Their weapons appeared to be made out of black steel.

A few seconds later, something interesting caught Rapunzel's attention - dwarves. There were hundreds of them milling around among the elves, but they didn't appear to be citizens of the city, but slaves due to the thick metal collars around their necks.

"Dwarves!" Rapunzel said excitedly, and turned to face Hydie with wide eyes. "Do you know what this means?"

Hydie shrugged lackadaisically. "Elves are assholes?"

"Dwarves are skilled blacksmiths," Rapunzel corrected, a gleam in his green eyes. "Where there are dwarves - there are forges! If I can gain access to a forge I'll be able to make myself an enchanted sword."

Rapunzel's excitement was contagious and Hydie found herself smiling back at the blacksmith. "Sounds like a plan. Without a proper weapon you're the one who's deadweight, Punzie. I can't keep saving your firm, shapely ass forever." A lascivious smile curled the witch's lips.

Rapunzel flushed at Hydie's lewd comment, and decided to just ignore it. He looked around until he spotted the dwarves he was looking for and that appeared to be fellow blacksmiths. They were easy to recognize since they had soot smeared across their faces, and were wearing black leather aprons and matching, protective gloves. The blacksmith dwarves were pushing wooden carts that were filled with chunks of iron ore.

Rapunzel and Hydie climbed down the cliff, and began to make their way into the city. Rapunzel was doing his best to be stealthy, but it was probably pointless with Hydie skipping and humming a little tune behind him.

Rapunzel shot a glare over his shoulder at the mischievous witch, and Hydie just gave him an innocent look. "What?"

Once Rapunzel spotted the blacksmith dwarves again they started to follow them until they came to a stop outside of a large, dome-shaped building made out of bones. The entrance was an open jawbone with sharp, foot-long teeth. The flickering flames from the forges inside the building made it look like the building was breathing fire.

Rapunzel swallowed nervously since the building reminded him of a fire-breathing dragon. The dwarves pushed the cart of iron ore into the building, and Rapunzel and Hydie were just about to follow in after them when a feminine cry of pain reached their ears.

Rapunzel let out a resigned sigh since he knew he couldn't just ignore it. If he told Aurelion about this occurrence later he'd never hear the end of it if he did nothing. Heroes helped people in need. Period.

Rapunzel turned around and started to head in the direction the cry of pain had come from.

"Hey, Punzie," Hydie called as she jogged after him. "Where do you think you're going? The forges are the other way."

"I know that," Rapunzel said. "Someone obviously needs our help though. We need to investigate."

Rapunzel and Hydie rounded the corner of a dwelling, and spotted a Dark Elf male, who was currently beating a small female dwarf with his sheathed sword. "You stupid, clumsy, useless she-dwarf! You dropped my shopping bags. Now my brand-new clothes are dirty!" the Dark Elf growled angrily.

Rapunzel noted that the Dark Elf didn't appear to be a warrior. Even though he had a sword in his hands the elf was wearing a fancy, black, silk suit that was decorated with swirls of silver embroidery. _He must be some kind of elf noble._ Rapunzel mused to himself before turning his attention to the she-dwarf, who was currently kneeling on the ground and trying to protect her head with her arms.

The Dark Elf started to hit her back with his sheathed sword again, and the she-dwarf cried out in pain.

Rapunzel had seen more than enough. He grabbed the sword's sheath before it could land on the dwarf's back again. The Dark Elf whirled to glare at Rapunzel. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Rapunzel challenged with a glint in his green eyes.

"Who would dare?" The Dark Elf's eyes widened when he caught sight of Rapunzel and more importantly his grotesque Insectoid arm. The snobby elf gave Rapunzel's clawed hand a disgusted look. "What are you? You monster!"

"I may be a monster because of this arm, but at least I don't go around beating up little girls." Rapunzel sent a fierce uppercut punch to the Dark Elf's jaw. The Dark Elf was knocked out cold from the force of the blow, and he fell back to the ground with a thud. Rapunzel turned to face the she-dwarf, and offered her his hand.

When the she-dwarf finally raised her head to meet Rapunzel's stare he noted that she was pretty - for a dwarf. She had thick, red hair that was styled into two braided pigtails, amber-colored eyes, and a sprinkling of freckles along the bridge of her nose. The she-dwarf was wearing a simple dark green and brown dress with a white apron over it.

The she-dwarf's eyes widened as she took in Rapunzel's unusual yet handsome appearance. _His skin is too pale for him to be a Dark Elf. He must be one of the noble heroes trying to challenge the Labyrinth._ She took Rapunzel's hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"Are you alright, Miss?" Rapunzel asked softly.

"Yes. Thanks to you, kind hero," the she-dwarf gushed, and her amber eyes were sparkling with obvious admiration. "May I ask your name?"

"It's Rapunzel."

"I'm Bamira," the she-dwarf said, offering Rapunzel a shy smile. "I've never seen a man as handsome as you are. Are you a seraph?"

"No, I-" Rapunzel started.

"Yes, he's-" Hydie began.

Rapunzel shot Hydie a questioning look. "What are you talking about, Hydie? I'm _no_ seraph. I'm human."

Hydie gave Rapunzel a searching look. "You don't know, do you? Gothel never told you? Well, your father, King Siegfried, was descended from the seraph. He inherited his healing ability, affinity for Light Magic, and magical hair from those ancestors."

Rapunzel frowned. "King who?"

"King Siegfried was the ruler of Sol Kingdom twenty-five years ago," Bamira started to explain before Hydie could open her mouth to do so.

"Sol Kingdom?" Rapunzel asked.

"It's directly above us. It's called Bones Kingdom now," Bamira said, pointing towards the cavern ceiling. "When this Kingdom was called Sol Kingdom the angels, elves, dwarves, and humans all lived there in peace, prosperity, and harmony."

"I thought Sol Kingdom was just a legend..." Rapunzel said, scratching the side of his cheek thoughtfully.

"No. It was real," Bamira said with a wistful note to her voice. "We dwarves remember what it was like here in Sol Kingdom _before_ King Gothel. We were a free people. This cavern used to belong to us. It was our home. And if what your female companion says about you is true then you must be the Lost Prince of Sol Kingdom."

"Me? A prince? No way..." Rapunzel denied, waving his hand through the air in a dismissive gesture. He was feeling uncomfortable with the way Bamira was looking at him with her wide, amber eyes filled with admiration and hope. "Gothel would have told me. He..." Rapunzel suddenly recalled something Gothel _had_ told him: ' _I killed your father for revenge_ '. "Bamira, do you know who killed King Siegfried?"

Bamira nodded eagerly. "Yes. It was Necromancer Gothel."

Rapunzel stumbled backwards from the shock of this revelation. _Gothel killed King Siegfried, my father, twenty-five years ago for revenge._ Rapunzel swallowed and licked his lips. "Bamira, do you know _why_ Gothel did it?" He held his breath as he awaited Bamira's response.

Bamira frowned and gave Rapunzel a strange look. "Gothel did it to take over Sol Kingdom, of course. He wanted to create a domain for the undead because Gothel is a Necromancer. Gothel turned the elves against their brethren, and the Dark Elf race was born. Gothel's ally Queen Draculara turned all the humans in Sol Kingdom into vampires. Lastly, Gothel turned the angels against each other, and the demon race was born."

Rapunzel's shoulders sagged in disappointment. He was pretty sure there was _another_ reason why Gothel had killed King Siegfried. He'd mentioned revenge, but what had Siegfried done? Rapunzel had a gut feeling Gothel's conquest of Sol Kingdom had been about more than just a simple takeover in pursuit of power.

_I want to know if maybe Gothel's actions were justified._ Rapunzel thought. _I need to find out the truth. I need to find out if Gothel is truly past redemption._

"Thanks for the information, Bamira." Rapunzel reached out and ruffled Bamira's hair. "You've been most helpful. We really must be going though. There are some important matters that we need to attend to as soon as possible. Take care."

Hydie pouted. "I could have told you all that, Punzie."

Bamira beamed up at Rapunzel. "Thank you for saving me, My Prince."

"Ah..." Rapunzel rubbed the back of his neck in an awkward manner. "You don't need to call me that. Just call me 'Rapunzel'."

"Rapunzel is another name for rampion, which is great in salads, you know?" Bamira said nonchalantly. "I wonder if your mother ate a lot of rampion while she was pregnant with you and that's why you were named Rapunzel."

"Salad?" Rapunzel asked.

"Oh? Didn't you know?" Bamira raised her eyebrows at the blacksmith. "Rampion leaves are edible, and have a slightly bitter flavor. Its roots when cooked have a nutty flavor."

"Rapunzel was named after a magical, golden rampion plant that only grew in a secret garden at Sol Castle, and which had amazing healing abilities," Hydie butt in. "Apparently, it could cure _any_ sickness or ailment."

"How the _hell_ do you know that?" Rapunzel demanded.

"Gothel told me," Hydie said with a smug smirk. "And Bamira is right. Your mother ate the golden rampion just before and during her pregnancy."

"My mother..." Rapunzel said in a wistful tone, and a sudden thought occurred to him. "Bamira, who was my mother? What was her name? Is she dead, or is she still alive?"

Bamira's heart clenched at the hopeful look on Rapunzel's face, and she reached out to place her hand on his arm. "Your mother was Queen Rosalind, and she's dead. Apparently, she committed suicide by jumping off the tallest tower in Sol Castle. That tower is still standing actually in the center of the ruins of Sol Castle."

"Suicide?" Rapunzel echoed in a hollow voice. "So my mother is dead..."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Bamira said, squeezing Rapunzel's arm.

Rapunzel placed his hand over Bamira's and patted it. "Thank you, Bamira."

"I could have told you all about that too." Hydie pouted. She wanted to comfort Rapunzel as well. He looked so sad. But it's not like _she_ was the hugging type. _I should hug him. No...I definitely shouldn't. I'm a villainess. Villains don't do hugs. That would be strange. But...wonderful._ Hydie let out a wistful sigh as she imagined what it would be like to hug Rapunzel, and breathe in his manly scent.

"Now we really need to get going," Rapunzel said apologetically. "See you around, Bamira."

A pink tinge rose to Bamira's cheeks, and she smile shyly at the blacksmith. "Fare thee well, Rapunzel."

Feeling jealous of the affectionate look Rapunzel was giving Bamira, Hydie started to grind her back molars. _That she-dwarf is lucky Punzie doesn't see her as a woman...or else I may just have to kill her. Hmph!_

Rapunzel and Hydie made their way back to the building that obviously served as a blacksmith's workshop. As they passed through the open monster jawbone they ducked in order to avoid hitting their head on the sharp teeth. Inside the building were several lit forges and a lot of dwarves were hard at work forging weapons using various techniques.

Some of the dwarves were using a smelting pot to melt down iron ore and add carbon in order to make steel. Others were pouring steel into sword, hammer and axe molds. And there were also dwarves that were hammering steel blades they'd heated and folded repeatedly.

Rapunzel took a deep breath and grinned. The smell of burning coals and heated steel was comforting and made Rapunzel feel right at home.

The dwarves slowly started to notice Rapunzel and Hydie's presence, and quizzical looks formed on their faces as they tried to decide whether or not Rapunzel and Hydie were light-skinned Dark Elves. The sight of Rapunzel's Insectoid arm also gave them pause.

An elderly male dwarf with an impressive white, braided beard approached them bravely and decided to give them the benefit of the doubt that they were in fact Dark Elves. "Can we help you with something, Masters?" he asked humbly.

Hydie's violet eyes glowed red. "Master? How marvelous. I like the sound of that." She whipped out her war fan and pointed it in the dwarves' direction. "Listen up, dwarves, you're going to let my, er, companion use your best iron ore and one of these forges in order to make a weapon," she explain in a haughty tone. "Or else...I'll kill you all! Ohohoho!" the witch let out a crazed cackle.

Rapunzel's jaw dropped and he gaped at Hydie for a moment before he let out a groan and scrubbed a hand down his face. "Ugh, Hydie..." he chided, and removed his hand from his face in order to give the dwarves an apologetic look. "Sorry about her. It's that 'time of the month'." The male dwarves all nodded understandingly.

Hydie flushed due to their embarrassing reaction. "It is _not_!" She stomped her high-heeled shoe on the dirt floor in an aggravated manner.

Rapunzel ignored her and began to address the dwarves. "Listen up. I'd really appreciate it if I could use the supplies here to forge a weapon."

"Ooo. Why do you need to make a weapon, Rapunzel?" a familiar female voice questioned.

Rapunzel whirled to face Bamira who'd suddenly popped up at his side. "Bamira? Did you follow us here?" He narrowed his eyes at the dwarf.

"Indeed I did," Bamira said.

"Princess Bamira!" the elderly dwarf suddenly roared, and stalked over towards her. The tools on the dwarf's tool belt jingled as he walked. "What are you doing here? If your Master catches you here, he'll-"

"Oh, you mean Lord Asriel?" Bamira asked with a smirk, and waved her hand through the air in a cavalier manner. " _Prince_ Rapunzel already knocked him out cold, so there's nothing to worry about, Old Man Dagur." The dwarf princess made sure to put a lot of emphasis on the word 'Prince' in order to get everyone's attention, and it worked splendidly.

"Prince..." "The Lost Prince of Sol Kingdom, perhaps?" the dwarves began to make various exclamations among themselves.

"The Lost Prince..." Dagur murmured to himself, and an excited gleam formed in his blue eyes. "It's finally time."

Rapunzel shot Bamira a questioning look. "Princess?"

Bamira shrugged carelessly. "Not really. Twenty-five years ago my parents ruled this subterranean city, but were killed by Dark Elves. The rest of us, those who survived, were enslaved."

Rapunzel's eyes widened. "You're the same age as me? I thought you were still a child."

"I'm an eligible bachelorette," Bamira clarified with a saucy wink. "I've never been married. Never had a boyfriend. I have no children. I'm _very_ available for marriage prospects."

"I see. That's...nice," Rapunzel said, coughing into his hand. "I need to forge an enchanted weapon so that I can kill the Boss on this level."

"You mean the Dark Elf Witch, Queen Norebo?" Dagur asked with wide eyes.

"If she's the 'Boss' of this level then...yes," Rapunzel confirmed.

"Queen Norebo _is_ the Boss," Hydie butted in.

"Queen Norebo is a very powerful witch," Bamira started to warn Rapunzel. "She has an affinity for fire elemental magic. And she's rumored to be able to control Blackfire as well."

"Thank you, Bamira," Rapunzel said, giving the she-dwarf a grateful smile. "That's very helpful to know."

"I could have told him that..." Hydie muttered darkly to herself.

"Prince Rapunzel, you're welcome to use whatever we have at our disposal so that you can make a powerful enchanted weapon that will help you in your upcoming battle against Norebo," Dagur said amiably. "In fact, I've been saving something special in the event the Lost Prince of Sol Kingdom ever turned up here."

The elderly dwarf walked over to a cabinet, pulled out a key, and unlocked it. He bent over and picked up a basket that was filled with chunks of iron ore. He carried the basket over to Rapunzel and handed it to him. "This is no ordinary iron ore. It was gathered from a fallen star."

"Ooo, you mean from a meteorite?" Hydie questioned, peering over Rapunzel's shoulder and looking at the iron ore, which had a blue tinge to it.

Dagur's brow furrowed in confusion. "I do not know what a 'meteorite' is, young lady. But this metal came from the Heavens. It is of the highest quality, and should make a very fine weapon indeed."

Rapunzel was touched and honored by the elderly dwarf's generosity. "Thank you. I really appreciate this." An excited energy began to fill the workshop at the prospect of Rapunzel facing Norebo.

"Do any of you know where the Boss Room is on this level?" Rapunzel asked the dwarves curiously.

"There is no 'Boss Room' per say," Bamira began. "Unless you count the throne room in the castle where you'll find Queen Norebo."

Rapunzel nodded. "Good to know." _I guess that means I'll have to travel all the way to the castle in order to challenge Queen Norebo._

Rapunzel wasted no time in starting to forge his sword. First, he used a smelting pot to melt down the iron ore from the meteorite, and added some carbon along with a lock of his hair. When the elves noticed Rapunzel cutting off a lock of his hair and adding it to the smelting pot, it earned him several very curious looks.

After the steel had become completely melted down he poured it into a sword mold. Once it had cooled enough he started to hammer the steel. At this point, magic took over, and the steel blade became engulfed in a golden light. When the light died down it was to reveal a completely finished sword with a very unique appearance.

The sword's guard was shaped like two feathery angel wings, and its pommel was shaped like a sun. The steel blade of the sword had an interesting swirly, blue sheen to it.

Rapunzel worked in a kind of trance while the dwarves and Hydie watched, and only snapped out of it when he wrapped his right hand around the hilt of the completed sword and raised it high over his head in order to inspect and admire it.

Rapunzel's sword started to glow with a golden light and pulse with magical energy as if it liked all the attention it was getting. A lopsided smile formed on Rapunzel's face as he admired the sword's wing-shaped guard. It wasn't something he would have _intentionally_ fashioned for himself since he considered it to be a little too flashy. But an enchanted sword always manifested itself in the form that best suited its wielder.

_So, this is the form that best suits me. Angel wings and a blazing sun? The guys are definitely going to tease me about that._ Rapunzel thought, thinking about what Aurelion, Ashe and Snow's reaction to his new sword would be.

Hydie had thought she was going to be bored watching Rapunzel forge a sword, but it had been a fascinating process.

"That's no ordinary sword," Dagur began, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "That is an enchanted sword, to be sure." There was an excited gleam in the elderly dwarf's blue eyes. "How exactly did you enchant it, Prince Rapunzel? I didn't hear you chant a spell...which is usually what witches and wizards do when they make enchanted weapons."

"He added a lock of his magic hair to the smelting pot-ow!" Hydie was saying before Rapunzel elbowed her in her side to make her shut up.

"Magic hair?" Dagur's bushy white eyebrows rose. "Then the legends are true and you really are King Siegfried's son. I remember how King Siegfried would use his hair to forge enchanted weapons that were given to the Knights of Sol Kingdom to help protect the people. He offered up so much of his hair he ended up having to wear it rather short." The elderly dwarf let out a dry chuckle as he remembered King Siegfried's buzz cut.

"Are you saying you _knew_ my father, Dagur?" Rapunzel asked intently.

Dagur smiled and nodded. "Yes. Your father, King Siegfried, was a true hero of Fantasia."

"A true hero, huh?" Rapunzel asked with a skeptical note to his voice.

"That's right," Dagur said in a chiding tone. "Your father bravely fought against the evil villain, Necromancer Gothel, and his undead army. Unfortunately, Gothel stole everything from your father, including his life. Gothel conquered Sol Kingdom in order to create an Undead Empire, and it is now called Bones Kingdom."

"Did you also know my mother, Dagur?" Rapunzel asked, wanting to change the topic from his so-called heroic father to his mother instead.

"Oh, yes," Dagur said, his countenance brightening considerably. "Queen Rosalind was as kind as she was beautiful. And she was very in love with your father King Siegfried. I remember the enamored way Rosalind used to look at Siegfried." A thoughtful frown formed on the elderly dwarf's face. "That's why it came as such a shock when she jumped off the tower and killed herself. It didn't make any sense. Why would a woman happy and in love decide to kill herself like that? But...there are rumors that Gothel cast an evil spell upon her, or that he simply pushed her off the tower."

"Gothel?" Rapunzel said with a dark edge to his voice. His stomach felt like it was tying itself up into knots. He felt sick suddenly. "Why would Gothel want to harm Queen Rosalind?"

"Well, there were rumors about how Gothel was in love with Rosalind, but was rejected by her," Dagur explained.

Rapunzel's eyes flared. "Gothel _loved_ Rosalind? Gothel was _in love_ with my mother?"

Dagur nodded grimly. "So they say. But who could love an evil Necromancer like Gothel?" The old dwarf shook his head sadly. "The man never had a chance."

"Who indeed?" Rapunzel murmured softly to himself. For some reason Rapunzel felt a pang of guilt as he remembered the times he'd said 'I love you, Daddy' to Gothel while growing up. But Gothel had truly acted like Rapunzel's father for a time. They'd played games together, laughed together, and Gothel had even given him a piggyback ride.

_I don't care what anyone says._ Rapunzel thought defiantly. _There is good in Gothel. I've seen it. He may be an evil villain now, but...I don't think that was always the case. Something drove him to become what he is today. Is Gothel beyond saving? Beyond redemption? Or is there still good buried deep inside of him. I must find out. And this is something I have to do on my own._

"I get that you needed an enchanted sword to face Queen Norebo," Bamira began, her brow furrowing, "but what do you intend to do against the Dark Elves and guards you encounter along the way to the castle?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "Kill them all."

Bamira's jaw dropped open. "But there are _hundreds_ of Dark Elves out there."

"So it'll probably take me a few days to reach the castle," Rapunzel explained with a smirk playing on his lips. "But that doesn't mean it's impossible. I'll just have to defeat them one at a time."

"Or you could just ask _us_ to help you," Bamira suggested with a smug expression on her face.

Rapunzel gave Bamira a questioning look. "Why would you do that?"

"We've been wanting to start a revolution, but we couldn't start one because we had no way to stand up to the Dark Elf Witches and their dark magic," Bamira began to explain. "But if you help us to make enchanted weapons then we'll be able to hold our own against the witches. So, what do you say? Help us make enchanted weapons, and we'll help _you_ get to the castle."

Rapunzel grew thoughtful. He didn't come here to start a revolution. He didn't come here to save anyone, let alone a bunch of enslaved dwarves.

_Your father was a true hero_. Dagur's words echoed in his mind.

_A true hero, huh?_ Rapunzel thought. _What would Aurelion Borealis do? He'd liberate the dwarves from slavery, of course._ Aurelion Borealis was a true hero of Fantasia. Rapunzel looked around and saw that the dwarves appeared to be holding their breaths as they awaited his response. Rapunzel let out a resigned sigh, and scratched his head. "Alright. Fine. I'll do it."

"Huzzah!" the dwarves exclaimed loudly as they jumped up and down with obvious excitement.

The dwarves decided to steal a few barrels of Dark Elf wine and snuck them into the workshop so that they could celebrate Rapunzel's willingness to help them forge enchanted weapons.

Hundreds of dwarves meant Rapunzel would have to sacrifice almost all of the hair from his braided whip in order to make the enchanted weapons they would need. As Rapunzel held his whip in his hands he frowned. The whip had served him well, but he had an enchanted sword now. He no longer needed to rely on the whip for protection. _Thank you._ Rapunzel thought as he patted the whip. _I wouldn't have made it this far without your help._

Rapunzel walked over to take a seat on a bench, and a dwarf handed him a tankard that was filled with red wine. "Thanks," he said, raising the tankard to his lips and taking a large gulp. His eyes widened since the wine was surprisingly strong. He smiled. _This is good._

Rapunzel watched as the dwarves drank wine from tankards, glasses, mugs, and any other type of cup they could find that was able to hold liquid. Two rowdy dwarves started a merry dance on top of one of the bare worktables, and the other dwarves started to applaud their impromptu performance.

A few minutes later, Hydie sashayed over and took a seat next to Rapunzel on the bench. She'd managed to get a glass of wine and was holding it in a sophisticated pose. Hydie's cheeks were flushed, which Rapunzel felt made her look more innocent and sweet. Or maybe he was just seeing what he wanted to see. Or maybe he was getting drunk?

"It's strange that these dwarves know more about me than I know about myself," Rapunzel began pensively.

"I also know more about you than you do," Hydie added with a smug smirk.

Rapunzel let out a low chuckle and raised his tankard in her direction. "True." As he turned his attention back to the celebrating dwarves a shadow fell over his face. "I didn't mean to start a revolution by coming here," he said softly.

Hydie arched an eyebrow at the blacksmith. "Well, it should be fun, _and_ chaotic. I love chaos. Besides..." The witch narrowed her eyes at him. "Would you really have been able to stand back and do nothing about the dismal situation here, Mr. Righteous Hero?"

"I'm no hero," Rapunzel mumbled in a self-deprecating manner as he stared down into his half-full tankard. "My friend Aurelion wouldn't have hesitated to help these dwarves out, but _I_ hesitated because I'm selfish. I'm more concerned about getting out of this Labyrinth than liberating the dwarves from slavery."

"And you think _that_ makes you a bad person or something?" Hydie asked, a tormented expression forming on her face. "You're just trying to survive. There's nothing wrong with that. Everyone wants to live and continue living, and will do _whatever_ it takes to do so." The witch wrapped her arms around her torso unconsciously.

"Human beings really are selfish creatures," Rapunzel said darkly.

"It's hard for humans _not_ to be selfish in this cruel, violent world," Hydie argued. "We need to eat to survive and so we must hunt and kill animals and eat them. It's about survival of the fittest. The strong prey on the weak. You're either predator or prey in this world. I prefer to be an apex predator." The witch gave Rapunzel a saucy wink.

"Or you could just become a vegetarian," Rapunzel suggested dryly.

Hydie burst out laughing and continued to laugh for a few minutes before she managed to calm herself down. She wiped a tear from her eye, and gave Rapunzel an incredulous look. "Vegetarian? I would _never_ give up eating meat! And thank God for the dwarves and their mutton! I was getting so sick of eating bugs! Level Two of this Labyrinth is awful!"

"Indeed," Rapunzel readily agreed. "Although, I'm worried about our food prospects down in Level Four. I don't have much interest in drinking blood."

Hydie raised an eyebrow at the blacksmith. "Vampires also consume meat for protein for their muscles. But they usually eat it raw and bloody."

"Could a vampire live off of raw meat?" Rapunzel asked curiously.

Hydie shook her head. "No. They would eventually waste away and turn to ash."

"The vampires that now live in Level Four used to be the humans who lived in Sol Kingdom," Rapunzel said thoughtfully. "They were my father's 'people' and those he failed to protect. And now...I'll be forced to _kill_ them." A haggard expression formed on Rapunzel's face and his shoulders sagged dejectedly.

Hydie reached out and placed a hand on Rapunzel's arm. "There is no known way to turn a vampire back into a human after they've been turned..."

"So it's impossible," Rapunzel said bleakly.

"Well, nothing is impossible," Hydie said, tapping her chin with her index finger. "I bet Dr. Henrietta Jekyll could figure something out. You'll have to ask her later. She's a genius."

Rapunzel held up his left arm, and opened and closed his claw with a clicking sound. "A mad genius."

Hydie let out an amused cackle. "I think that hideous arm is growing on me," she teased.

Rapunzel groaned. "Hopefully, it will come in handy for my fight against Queen Norebo." His attention turned to the entrance of the workshop, which was a large jawbone. "You know, these skeletal remains make me nervous. Gothel could awaken them at any moment using his Necromancy. Then we'd have to deal with a herd of skeleton dragons."

Hydie arched an eyebrow at Rapunzel. "Dragons? Ohhhh, these aren't dragon bones. They're Dinosaur bones. Fossils to be precise."

Rapunzel shot Hydie a questioning look. "What the hell is a Dinosaur?"

Hydie blinked. "Dinosaurs are massive, prehistoric reptiles that lived on Earth millions of years ago. When a meteor hit the Earth they were all wiped out and now only their fossils remain."

"Earth?" Rapunzel asked dryly.

Hydie slapped a hand to her forehead. "Oh, that's right. I keep forgetting we're currently in another realm. Earth is where I'm from. You've brought up an interesting question: how did these Dinosaur fossils get here to Fantasia from Earth?"

"Maybe someone brought them here," Rapunzel began to suggest. "Like how they brought you here to Fantasia."

"You mean Leader used his Magic Mirror to transport these bones here...?" Hydie mused aloud and nodded. "That sounds plausible. But for what purpose, I wonder?"

"Leader..." Rapunzel echoed and frowned. "Wait, do you know _who_ the Leader of the League of Villains is?"

Hydie gave Rapunzel a snooty look. "Of course I know who the leader is."

"You _have_ to tell me," Rapunzel demanded, placing his hands on Hydie's shoulders and giving her an intense look. "The future of Fantasia depends on it."

"Do I? I think not," Hydie said, a sinister smile curling her lips. "We may have a temporary truce going on, but I'm still a villainess. I'm still on the side of evil."

Rapunzel's hopeful expression fell. "Stingy."

Hydie skipped off and boldly challenged the dwarves to a drinking contest. Rapunzel watched as Hydie drank them all under the table. On the other hand, Rapunzel turned out to be a lightweight, and after only a few tankards of wine he ended up passed out on the floor.

To be continued in...Chapter 7:

### Chapter 7:

A couple hours later, Rapunzel awoke still rather drunk and disoriented. He'd somehow ended up on the floor by the bench he'd been sitting on, and his body felt warm and tingly all over. The lower half of his body was feeling especially good for some unknown reason. "Feels good," he groaned.

"I'm glad to hear it," Hydie said in a cheeky tone.

Rapunzel's eyes snapped open fully, and he raised his head so he could look down towards his crotch and see what was going on. Hydie was straddling his hips while still fully dressed. "Hydie? What are you doing!" he demanded.

Hydie reached over and placed a hand over Rapunzel's mouth to silence him. "Shhh. What does it _look_ like I'm doing? I'm riding your cock. But if you make too much noise you'll wake up the dwarves and we'll get caught. Then, we'll unfortunately have to stop."

Rapunzel flushed at Hydie's explanation of what was going on, and gave her a stiff nod. The witch removed her hand and resumed riding him, letting his cock slide half way out of her before impaling herself fully on his cock.

Hydie repeated this action again and again. Rapunzel trembled as the sensation of his cock being gripped by a hot, tight, wet sheath. He'd never felt anything like this before. It felt so good inside of Hydie. The pleasure was mind-blowing.

Hydie intently watched Rapunzel's face, and enjoyed the different expressions he was making. The handsome man was flushed, and had this wonderful vulnerable look on his face. He was completely at her mercy. Or so she thought.

"Just tell me one thing," Rapunzel began breathlessly. "Did you ever fuck Gothel?"

Hydie grimaced at the unappealing suggestion, and leaned over to whisper in Rapunzel's ear. "I'll tell you a secret. Gothel is a High Skeleton Monster. Some would use the term 'lich' or 'Elder Lich' to describe his existence. He couldn't fuck me even if he wanted to. He just enjoyed the attention I gave him and the illusion that he's still a desired man."

Rapunzel startled. "A skeleton...? So his appearance is nothing but an illusion?"

"King Siegfried killed Gothel long ago," Hydie explained.

"My father did?" Rapunzel exclaimed in shock.

"That's right. But Gothel came back from the grave to get his revenge," Hydie continued.

"For being killed?" Rapunzel asked casually.

A mischievous glint formed in Hydie's violet eyes. "Oh, I wonder."

Rapunzel abruptly flipped them over so that he was now on top of Hydie and in charge of their lovemaking. "I'm glad you never fucked Gothel," the blacksmith declared before he started to pound into her vigorously.

Hydie cried out, and dug her nails into the back of Rapunzel's leather vest. Rapunzel's expression turned smug, and he placed a hand over Hydie's mouth. "Shhh. We'll get caught if you make too much noise, witch," he teased, echoing her warning from earlier.

Hydie's eyes widened at Rapunzel's unexpected boldness, and she grinned beneath his hand. She'd misjudged Rapunzel. She'd thought he was the 'shy virgin type'. _He's not prey._ Hydie thought to herself. _He's a predator._ She nodded and Rapunzel removed his hand from Hydie's mouth. She licked his retreating hand causing Rapunzel to shudder, and his eyes flashed with heat. He kept his eyes locked with hers as he rolled his hips against her.

"I misjudged you," Hydie panted with flushed cheeks. "I thought you were a clueless virgin."

A sheepish look formed on Rapunzel's face. "I am a virgin. Well, I was a virgin a few minutes ago. I suppose I'm not one anymore..."

Hydie raised an eyebrow at her lover. "Then how do you know what to do?"

"I read a lot of dirty romance novels," Rapunzel admitted.

Hydie giggled. "You _studied_ how to have sex? Oh my God. How cute."

"I'm 'cute' huh?" Rapunzel challenged, grinding his hips against Hydie's crotch in such a way that her clit was stimulated. Hydie trembled with pleasure. "And just who gets to reap the benefits of my sex education?"

"Me," Hydie said, feeling odd to say such a thing. "I'm surprised Gothel gave you romance novels."

Rapunzel gave Hydie a discomfited look. "God, no. My father, I mean, Gothel only gave me books on blacksmithing, and the occasional adventure story. Aurelion is the one who brought me the romance novels."

"Oh ho, so does this mean you're a _romantic_?" Hydie asked, her violet eyes sparkling.

"Hardly," Rapunzel scoffed. "I've never fallen in love before."

"Nor I," Hydie softly admitted. "And I'll probably never know 'true love'."

"Why not?" Rapunzel asked teasingly. "You're an attractive woman. And very good at sex."

"Thank you, Punzie," Hydie grinned, but then her expression turned serious. "But who would fall in love with a crazy witch like me? I'm nothing but trouble. I'm a chaos-magnet."

"Don't they say ' _love is blind_ '?" Rapunzel asked, earning him an elbow to the gut. "Maybe I should have said ' _beauty is in the eye of the beholder_ '. And well...you _are_ beautiful, Hydie. I'm sure you'll find some handsome villain out there who will want to conquer Fantasia with you."

"A villain, huh?" Hydie said thoughtfully. "Sorcerer Maleficent is currently single due to the fact that his wife Cordelia has gone missing. Maybe I could seduce him."

Rapunzel felt an unexpected twinge of jealousy. "Sorcerer Maleficent, huh? I wonder if that old man can do _this_?" Rapunzel thrust his cock deep into Hydie and gyrated his hips so that he'd hit all of her sweet spots.

"Ohhhh," Hydie moaned. "Are all heroes as good as you in the sack, Punzie?"

"Well, heroes are known for being unselfish lovers that are more concerned with finding their partner's pleasure first," Rapunzel said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh, really? You think you can make me come before you do, Punzie? Just go ahead and try," Hydie challenged, squeezing her inner walls around Rapunzel's cock.

Rapunzel groaned, but somehow managed to hold on. "Challenge accepted, Hydie." The blacksmith fucked Hydie hard into the floor until she finally came while crying out his name.

"Punzie!"

Even though Hydie's sex was fluttering around his cock Rapunzel managed to hold off for a few more seconds before he thrust deep inside of Hydie and splashed her insides with his come. Hydie cried out at the sensation of her womb being filled with Rapunzel's hot seed. Rapunzel collapsed on top of Hydie and panted for breath.

Hydie smiled at the fact that she'd apparently worn Rapunzel out. She raked her hand through Rapunzel's sweaty hair. His hair was silky and soft. She'd secretly wanted to run her fingers through Rapunzel's hair all this time, and now she was finally able to without him getting angry at her. It was like a dream. _All dreams fade away in the light of day._ She thought.

When Rapunzel started to snore Hydie's eyes widened. "He fell asleep. So much for round two. I wonder if I was able to comfort him...even a little." She poked at his cheek since there was a smile tugging at Rapunzel's lips that irritated her slightly. "Not a care in the world. What a fool to fall asleep in the arms of a villainess and not be on guard."

Hours earlier when Rapunzel had learned that his mother Rosalind had committed suicide he'd looked so forlorn, and Bamira had been able to comfort him while Hydie hadn't really known what to do. That's why when Hydie had discovered Rapunzel passed out on the floor behind the bench she'd decided to let him fuck her.

Men liked sex. Everyone knew this. It brought them mind-numbing pleasure and a feeling of happiness. Even if it was only temporary.

Hydie had been curious about sex since she'd never had it before either. She'd read a lot about it - for scientific research, of course. The only reason Hydie had remained a virgin was because she'd never encountered someone who she deemed worthy enough to take her virginity. That is, until she met Punzie.

Hydie liked that Punzie was a hero, who didn't consider himself to be one. But Hydie knew better. Punzie had saved her life and had gone out of his way to help Bamira. He was incredibly humble, brave, kind, and chivalrous. Punzie put in double the amount of effort that people normally did to get things done.

It was strange, but these righteous qualities had drawn Hydie to Rapunzel like a magnet. There was a saying that 'opposites attract' and Hydie felt that fit her and Rapunzel perfectly. _Like a moth to the flame I was drawn to him from the very beginning. We live in two different worlds and getting close to him will only end with my demise._

Rapunzel was just so different from the selfish, vain, and cruel villains she'd met. Still, her attraction to a hero when she was a villain unsettled her. But it's not like she'd fallen in love with him or anything. Right? _A villain in love with a hero? No way. I'm not in love with Punzie!_ Hydie felt her cheeks heat at her own traitorous thoughts, and slapped both her cheeks with her hands.

_Pull yourself together, Hydie!_ She inwardly berated herself. _A hero and a villain can never be together. At least, not romantically. This is just lust and damn good sex and nothing more._

The following morning, Rapunzel, Hydie and the dwarves started to instinctively wake up at six o'clock even though they didn't have the rising sun to help them determine when a new day had begun.

Rapunzel immediately scrambled off of Hydie, and shoved his flaccid cock into his black leather pants before anyone could notice his dick hanging out. Rapunzel's movement woke Hydie up, and she sat up and stretched her arms over her head. An impish smile curled her lips as she looked at Rapunzel, and there was a mischievous twinkle in her violet eyes. "Morning, Handsome."

Rapunzel's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Er, good morning, Hydie."

As soon as all the dwarves were up and about, Rapunzel started to show them how to forge an enchanted weapon by tossing a lock of his hair along with a lock of hair from the dwarf the weapon would be for into the smelting pot.

The liquid steel was poured into a sword, axe or hammer mold. Once the steel had hardened the weapon would be heated and hammered until its innate magic was activated. When that happened the weapon would transform into a weapon that best suited its wielder, and a hilt and guard would appear by magic.

Rapunzel handed the first finished sword to the dwarf who'd offered up a lock of his hair for the forging process. "Here you go. Give it a try."

The dwarf wrapped both his hands around the hilt of the short sword, and gave Rapunzel a confused look. "Er, what should I do to activate its magic?"

"Try and imagine an enemy in front of you and swing your sword at it," Rapunzel instructed.

The dwarf did as he was told, imagined a Dark Elf warrior standing in front of him, and swung his sword down through the air. Immediately, the sword glowed with a golden light, and then pink flowers started to spring up from the dirt floor of the smithy.

Rapunzel flashed the dwarf a toothy smile. "Great job. It looks like you have an affinity for earth magic. Let's see what elemental affinity the next dwarf gets."

Rapunzel continued to supervise the dwarves as they forged their very own enchanted weapons. After their weapons had taken on their final forms they would test them out against imaginary opponents. So far, it appeared as though all the dwarves had an affinity for earth magic.

The interior of the smithy was beginning to look more like a greenhouse than a blacksmiths' workshop. Most of the dwarves had chosen to forge short swords, but others had chosen to wield battleaxes and hammers.

Rapunzel watched in amusement as the dwarves swung their swords, and flowers, vines, trees, and rock walls sprung up from the ground. "Hopefully, earth magic will prove to be useful against the Dark Elves," Rapunzel said wryly.

"It should," Hydie said, popping up by his side. "Dark Elf Witches tend to have an affinity for fire magic or lightning magic. It would have been better if they had an affinity for water and ice magic. But we'll have to make do with what we have."

Rapunzel arched an eyebrow at Hydie. " _We?_ "

Showing that she suddenly felt uncomfortable with where this conversation was going, Hydie shifted from one foot to the other. "Well, yeah...we have our truce. We'll defeat Queen Norebo together, and it would be stupid not to let the dwarves help us." Hydie's lips quirked into a sharp smile. "We've gained a loyal army to use against the Dark Elves as fodder! Ohohoho!" She let out an evil cackle.

Aghast, Rapunzel shook his head at the selfish witch. "You're horrible."

"Why, thank you," Hydie said cheekily. "I try."

After the very last enchanted weapon had been forged, the dwarfs broke out the wine again, and began to celebrate. Rapunzel watched as the dwarfs excitedly continued to activate their weapons' elemental magic while drunk, and more flowers and vines sprouted out from the dirt floor.

The workshop was getting painful to look at - it was so cheery. Rapunzel couldn't help but notice a new emotion evident in their happy expressions - hope. And Rapunzel felt warm knowing that he had caused this by helping the dwarves acquire their very own enchanted weapons.

Rapunzel suddenly felt a tremendous weight on his shoulders, however. He realized that the hopes and dreams of an entire people depended on his defeat of Queen Norebo. _No pressure._ He thought. Rapunzel shot the merrymaking dwarves a protective, brotherly look.

"Oh, look! They're breaking out the elven wine again, Punzie!" Hydie exclaimed happily. "I'm going to go get drunk!"

"Wait, do you really think that's such a good...." Rapunzel called after her, but he was completely ignored. "Idea," he finished, a chagrined expression forming on his face.

A few minutes later, Rapunzel was gawking at Hydie as she started to chug an entire barrel of wine while she engaged Dagur in a drinking contest. _Poor old man._ Rapunzel thought sympathetically, shaking his head in disbelief. _I don't think anyone could drink Hydie under the table._

Unbeknownst to him, Rapunzel's expression started to turn tender and fond as he continued to watch Hydie's antics. Bamira sidled up to Rapunzel's side, a glint in her amber eyes. "I didn't know the two of you were _lovers_."

Rapunzel ended up choking on a sip of wine he'd just taken and shot a glare Bamira's way. "We're not."

Bamira leaned closer to Rapunzel in a conspiratorial manner. "There's no use denying it. I heard you both last night."

Rapunzel flushed. "How?"

"Dwarves have sharp hearing," Bamira informed him, tapping her pointed ear with her index finger.

Rapunzel let out an embarrassed groan. "Ugh."

Bamira's attention shifted to Hydie, and she gave the witch an intent look. "She's a villain though, isn't she? A Dark Witch..."

"Yeah, so?" Rapunzel asked defensively.

"A villain and a hero can't be together," Bamira said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Why not?" the blacksmith argued.

"It just isn't done in Fantasia," Bamira said, giving Rapunzel a stern look. "In Fantasia the prince marries the princess. It's been like this for _hundreds_ of years. You're the prince of Sol Kingdom. You have a duty to find a princess to save, protect and marry."

Rapunzel frowned. "A princess to save and protect?" He shook his head. "I don't have an interest in finding true love, at the moment. I don't have time to think about frivolous things like love. I just want to get out of this Labyrinth - alive."

"I wouldn't get too _attached_ to Hydie is all I'm saying..." Bamira said tentatively. "She's probably the villain you'll need to defeat in order to save your 'true love'."

"What the hell?" Rapunzel growled angrily. "How could you even know something like that?"

Bamira shrugged. "It's just how things work in Fantasia. As a prince it's your destiny to fall in love with a princess."

"Destiny?" Rapunzel scoffed. "I don't believe in destiny. I believe in forging my own path with my own two hands." He looked down at his calloused, soot-covered hands and clenched them into fists.

"No one can escape their destiny, Rapunzel," Bamira said sadly.

After the celebration had ended the dwarven army made preparations to set out for the castle. One of the last preparations they made was removing their slave collars. With Rapunzel leading the way, the dwarves exited the smithy and made their way to the main road, which led all the way to the castle.

Rapunzel had decided approaching the castle head-on was the wisest course of action since it would draw the attention of the Dark Elves, who considered themselves to be combatants. There was no reason to slaughter the elven civilians if they chose not to fight.

The first to oppose the dwarven army's progress was a squad of fifty Dark Knights wearing black steel armor and with black steel swords strapped to their sides. They appeared to be formidable opponents, but luckily didn't possess magic.

"Lowly dwarves dare to oppose us - their Masters!" "You'll all be punished severely for this trespass!" "Know your place, lowly creatures!" the elves growled out various threats and slurs before they rushed towards the dwarves in unison.

Rapunzel unsheathed his sword, pointed it in the direction of the approaching knights, and let out a battle cry. "Charge!"

"Aye!" the dwarves all called out as they whipped out their new enchanted weapons and charged forward behind Rapunzel. The two armies met seconds later, and the dwarves and knights began to engage in battle. As steel clashed against steel a clanging sound filled the air all around them.

Rapunzel fought at the head of the dwarven army with Hydie fighting by his side. The blacksmith and the witch were watching each other's back. Hydie had both of her _gunsen_ out, and spun like a top so that her attacks came in quick succession, which made them unavoidable.

She had to move in very close to the knights in order to get past their defenses. They had a longer reach than she did because of their swords. Once Hydie was only inches away she was able to slice their throats open with her _gunsen_ , her blades gleaming as they slashed through the air in a deadly fashion.

"This is fun! Right, Punzie?" Hydie asked as she turned her attention to Rapunzel. She was just in time to watch as Rapunzel's sword clashed against one of the black steel blades an elf knight was wielding. With a swirl of his wrist, Rapunzel managed to get past the elf's defenses, lunged his sword forward, and ran his sword right through the elf's torso and through his heart.

Hydie's jaw dropped open slightly as she watched Rapunzel engaging the Dark Elves and showing them no mercy. Even though the elves were alive and not evil, undead beings...he still cut them down one after the other, and apparently without hesitation. His almost villainous behavior was causing Hydie's violet eyes to turn into two hearts. _Oh, Punzie, you look so handsome like that...swinging your sword, cutting people down, blood spraying through the air. Absolutely lovely. This is the dark side of what it means to be a hero._

It was at that moment that Rapunzel noticed that none of the dwarves were using their newly acquired magic. Was it because they wanted to fight the elves fairly and with honor? Or were they waiting for his signal? _Slavery is evil and dishonorable._ Rapunzel thought grimly. _The dwarves have no reason to fight the elves honorably._

Rapunzel raised his sword high over his head, and flashed the dwarves a savage grin. "Dwarves, let the magic attacks commence!"

"Aye, Prince Rapunzel!" the dwarves shouted back before they started to unleash a variety of violent and deadly earth elemental attacks the Dark Knights' way. Vine attacks restrained and strangled elves. Earth walls blocked sword attacks. A giant hand made out of earth grabbed an elf, clenched its fingers into fist, and completely crushed the elf to a bloody pulp. In a matter of minutes, the Dark Elf squad was defeated. A loud victory cheer rose up from the dwarven ranks.

"Gee whiz," Rapunzel exclaimed at the sudden favorable turn of the tide in the battle. "Magic really gives these dwarves an edge."

"As tempting as it is to try it out, try to conserve _your_ magic as much as possible," Hydie advised Rapunzel. "You'll need it for your battle against Norebo."

"Aw, shucks," Rapunzel said playfully. "Thanks for worrying about me, honey."

"I-I'm not worried about you," Hydie stammered. "I'm worried about _me_!"

"Sure," Rapunzel said, sounding unconvinced. "Dwarves!" he called out, pointing his sword in the direction of the white castle. "No one can stop us now! We're invincible! The time has come for you to get your revenge on the Dark Elves and free your people! Today is a day of reckoning! Follow me!"

Rapunzel's army continued its march unopposed until a squad of sixty Dark Elf Witches stood in their way. The blacksmith noticed that the witches all seemed to have the same haughty, condescending expressions on their faces as they looked down their noses at the dwarves.

"What's this?" one of the Dark Witches asked, her red eyes flashing in anger. "Our slaves have decided to start a revolution. How...amusing."

"What do you _lowly_ dwarves think you can do against us?" one witch sneered, her lip curling in disgust. "None of you possess magic and without magic to oppose us - you're all as good as dead!"

"If it's an early grave they want," another witch began with a sinister smile curling her black lips, "I'll be happy to oblige them."

A cocky smirk formed on Rapunzel's face as he met the witches' cold stares head on. "Who says we don't possess magic? Dwarves, let these bitches have it!"

"Aye, Prince Rapunzel!" the dwarves shouted before attacking the witches with a barrage of elemental attacks. Vines sprang out of the ground and quickly wrapped around the witches' ankles. A few witches were tripped up immediately and consequently cut down by the dwarves. Others managed to escape the vines' snare, and quickly retaliated by waving their wands in the dwarves' direction and unleashing lightning elemental attacks.

The dwarves cried out in pain as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through their veins. Rapunzel watched as more vines shot out of the ground, wrapped themselves around the witches' throats, and strangled them until their eyes bulged. It _wasn't_ a pretty sight.

The witches rallied quickly, and retaliated with a barrage of fireballs that had the dwarves running, ducking, and diving out of the way. The fireballs that didn't hit the dwarves ended up hitting the vines instead, burning them to a crisp. Rapunzel frowned when he saw that one of the dwarves had his beard on fire and was running around in a panic.

_Shit._ "Dwarves, conjure earth walls to protect yourselves from the fire! Block those elemental attacks!" Rapunzel shouted. The dwarves instantly obeyed and started to block the attacks with walls made out of dirt or rock.

"Don't hog _all_ the fun! _Ventus Mitte Falcem!_ " Hydie waved her fans at the witches and unleashed a barrage of sickle-shaped wind blades their way. The elements of fire and lightning were permeable and weren't able to block Hydie's attacks. Her wind blades sliced into the witches' bodies, and shredded their sheer, black silk gowns with belled sleeves to tatters in an instant.

An elf witch bleeding on the ground gave Hydie a befuddled look. "But...you're a Dark Witch too! Why are you helping these heroes?"

Hydie startled in surprise. Maybe the Dark Elves would have let her join them unlike the Insectoid Queen Khepera. Hydie glanced at Rapunzel and the dwarves fighting pensively. _I could betray Rapunzel right now...if I wanted to._ _He doesn't know how lucky he is that he's a talented lover. It'd be a shame to kill him now when a repeat of what happened last night could occur. Saved by the magic cock._

Hydie's lips curled into a sharp smile. "Oh, we have a truce. Besides, I don't like to be on the _losing_ side. My siding with Rapunzel and the dwarves is an act of self-preservation. It's also more fun to be on the winning side since you get to laugh at your fallen enemies! I happen to have one hell of an evil laugh."

The witch's eye twitched in irritation at Hydie's singsong tone of voice. "A villain can't be friends with a hero, Hydie! They will turn on you eventually. They _will_ kill you!"

Hydie rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Oh, shut up, bitch. I'm bored with you." She waved her fan in the elf witch's direction, and finished her off with a barrage of wind blades.

Hydie turned her attention to Rapunzel to see how he was faring against the witches, and watched as he used his meteor sword that was glowing with a golden light to block fireballs and electric attacks. Rapunzel then charged forward, and started to cut the defenseless witches down. Once a swordsman got past a witch or wizard's defenses they were easy prey.

Hydie flinched as she watched Rapunzel cut one of the witches down, however. Rapunzel was showing the beautiful Dark Elf Witches no mercy. _Even though they're women does Punzie think these witches are expendable because they're evil? Evil like me?_ She wondered, and her lips dipped into a frown.

Hydie was so distracted by her troubled thoughts that she didn't see the attack coming towards her until it was too late.

"Hydie!" Rapunzel grabbed Hydie and shoved her out of the way. The electric attack hit Rapunzel instead and he grit his teeth as thousands of volts of electricity were sent coursing through his body painfully. The powerful elemental attack left his body shaking.

Hydie turned to give Rapunzel a wide-eyed, astonished look. Rapunzel had just saved her again. _Why?_ Hydie thought to herself, her heart skipping a beat. _Why would he save the likes of me?_

Rapunzel shot Hydie a concerned look. "Are you alright, Hydie? What's wrong?"

Hydie blushed, and realized she must have been staring off into space. Rapunzel sounded worried about her and that made her feel...things. She shook her head. _Pull yourself together, Hydie!_ She inwardly chided herself. "I'm fine. Thank you."

Rapunzel gave her a lopsided smile. "Let's finish this. Together."

Hydie nodded. "Okay." It didn't take long after that for Rapunzel, Hydie and the dwarves to defeat the remaining Dark Elf Witches.

Rapunzel's army was able to continue its way to the castle, and they were able to reach the front steps without resistance. Queen Norebo's castle was more impressive up close. The entire castle was made out of Dinosaur fossils, and the front door was the jawbone of what Hydie said used to belong to a T-Rex.

The army climbed the steps, entered the castle through the open jawbone, and ducked slightly to avoid the foot-long teeth slicing into the tops of their heads as they crossed the threshold. The entrance hall was large enough to fit Rapunzel, Hydie and the dwarves. Rapunzel looked around, wondering which corridor would lead to the throne room.

A ball of purple fire materialized out of thin air and began to float down one of the corridors. "Looks like Queen Norebo decided to send you an invitation, Punzie," Hydie said.

"I say we accept that invitation," Rapunzel said. "Onward, dwarves!"

"Aye, Prince Rapunzel!" the dwarves shouted back.

The army began to follow the floating ball of purple fire down the corridor until it came to a halt outside of an impressive set of double doors made out of black steel. Engraved onto each door was the image of a blazing silver sun. "We made it. The Boss Room," Rapunzel said, before pushing the doors open, and bravely striding inside.

As the group entered torches hanging on the bone-white walls in iron sconces flared to life with purple flames, which cast an eerie light about the throne room. On the far side of the room stood a macabre throne that was made out of small skulls. The back of the throne was decorated with bones that curved upwards towards the ceiling. Rapunzel grimaced at the sight of the throne, thinking they must be the skulls of children.

"That throne is hideous," Bamira snarled, tightening her grip on her hammer. "It's made out of _my_ people."

"I believe you meant to say that my throne is made out of _rebels_ ," a silky female voice countered.

The purple torchlight appeared to grow brighter and all eyes went to the elegant figure seated upon the throne. The Witch Queen Norebo had red eyes, tanned skin, pointed ears, and long white hair with scattered braids. She was wearing a tight, low-cut black and red gown. On top of her head was a crown made of curved bones. Two of the bones were larger than the others and resembled horns, which only lent to her malevolent aura.

"You lowly dwarves dare to defy your beloved queen?" Norebo asked, her red eyes glittering with rage. "You'll regret that soon enough." She turned her attention to Rapunzel and rage was replaced temporarily with curiosity. "You're no dwarf. Who might you be, hero?"

Despite Norebo's stunning appearance Rapunzel could sense her sinister power and incredible bloodlust, and made sure not to lower his guard. "I'm blacksmith Rapunzel."

"Ah...the Lost Prince of Sol Kingdom," Norebo said, tilting her head as she regarded Rapunzel intently. "Gothel's ward. So you decided to challenge the Labyrinth to see if you are a true hero and one who can defeat Gothel. I didn't recognize you with your bad haircut and that _hideous_ arm."

"My coming here was an accident," Rapunzel said. "A mistake."

"I think not," Norebo said, a smile spreading across her face. "It was your fate."

"I don't believe in fate," Rapunzel said, letting out a sigh. "But I do plan to beat the Labyrinth and go home." _Home?_ Rapunzel thought to himself suddenly. _Where exactly is my home? Am I really considering returning to that prison?_

Norebo turned her attention to Hydie and she narrowed her eyes at the witch. "You're...Edwina Hyde, are you not?"

Hydie folded her arms in front of her chest. "Yes. That's right."

"You've done well deceiving Rapunzel all this time that you were his ally. But the time for pretending is over. Now, come to my side," Norebo commanded in an imperious tone and stretched her hand out to Hydie. "Together we will destroy this group of rebels."

Hydie stiffened. "Sorry, but I refuse."

"What?" Norebo asked, blinking rapidly. "Why?"

"I don't like to be on the losing side, Norebo," Hydie started, an evil glint in her violet eyes. "And you're about to get your ass kicked."

An insulted look flashed across Norebo's face before she smiled thinly instead. "You think I'm going to lose to this hodgepodge group of allies? This _rabble_?" she sneered, her lip curling. "You're making a huge mistake, Edwina. These 'friends' of yours are no match for me. You all are the ones about to die."

"Hm. We'll see about that, won't we?" Hydie shot back confidently. "But my money's on Punzie."

Norebo gracefully stood up from her throne and raised her staff. "Allow me to show you lowly creatures what true power is. _Ignis Pila Impetus!_ Fireball Attack!" The Dark Elf Witch pointed her staff at Rapunzel and his army before unleashing a barrage of fireballs their way.

Holding his sword in a two-handed grip in front of him, Rapunzel chanted a spell, and conjured a shield of magic energy that sprung up out of his sword. " _Magicus Clipeum!_ " The fireballs hit the shield and were dissipated.

Hydie chanted the words of a spell, spun rapidly, and conjured a tornado around her body. " _Turbinis Vasti!_ " Hydie stood in the very center of the tornado that she'd conjured out of thin air. The fireballs hit the tornado's exterior and dissipated.

The rest of the fireballs headed towards the dwarves, who started to panic when the earth and stone shields they'd conjured were broken by the fireballs. Pieces of rock were sent whizzing through the air dangerously.

Norebo's elemental attacks were obviously much stronger than the elemental attacks that had been produced by the witches they'd faced on their way there. The dwarves cried out in fear, and were forced to dive out of the way of the attacks. A few fireballs managed to hit their marks, however, and set the beards of several dwarves on fire.

Rapunzel scrubbed his right down his face in exasperation when he caught sight of a couple of dwarves running around in circles with their beards on fire. "Dwarves, don't falter! Stand your ground. It's just _one_ enemy!"

"Just one enemy?" Norebo let out an evil cackle. "You are underestimating me, Rapunzel. I'm not just a witch. I'm also an Arch Sorceress! _Furvus Ignis Impetus!_ Blackfire Attack!" Norebo pointed her staff at Rapunzel, Hydie and the dwarves, and unleashed a barrage of fireballs their way. Only this time the flames weren't red, orange and yellow, but black.

"Blackfire!" Rapunzel's eyes widened in alarm. He'd read all about Blackfire and its devastating effects. "It will burn anything it touches to ashes within seconds! Dwarves, don't bother trying to block it with earth walls. It will be a futile effort. Avoid it at all costs!"

Rapunzel lunged at Hydie, and pushed her down to the marble floor. He'd done this just in the nick of time because the black fireballs flew over their bodies only seconds later. Rapunzel and Hydie watched in horror as the dwarves stubbornly tried to protect themselves from the Blackfire by conjuring walls of earth or rock.

Just as Rapunzel had warned them, however, when the Blackfire hit the walls they were turned to ashes in seconds, and the fireballs continued with their forward momentum and hit several dwarves, who were incinerated instantly. The dwarves were destroyed so quickly even their cries of pain only lasted a second.

"No!" Rapunzel let out an enraged shout. He scrambled to his feet and charged towards Norebo. Holding his sword in his right hand, Rapunzel leapt up into the air, and brought his sword down upon the Elf Witch. However, his sword didn't hit Norebo as he'd planned, and instead collided against an energy shield that she'd conjured out of thin air with a careless flick of her fingers. Rapunzel frowned as his sword clashed against the shield, and sparks were thrown up into the air as he tried to break past the shield by applying more force behind his attack.

Norebo narrowed her red eyes at Rapunzel. "I have you now. There is no escape, foolish hero!" The Dark Elf Witch pointed her staff at Rapunzel and unleashed a black fireball his way. " _Furvus Ignis Impetus!_ "

Rapunzel knew that if he tried to block the black fireball with his brand-new sword that it would be disintegrated in seconds. _Shit!_ Rapunzel moved his Insectoid arm in front of his face to shield himself from the attack. The attack hit Rapunzel's arm, and it started to turn to ashes instantly.

"Punzie!" Hydie shouted in concern.

Rapunzel nimbly landed on the floor, and then leapt backwards to put some extra distance between himself and Norebo. He looked down at his left arm. The blackfire was crawling up his arm in an insidious manner. _I have no choice._ Rapunzel thought grimly before he raised his sword and slashed it through the air while aiming at his upper left arm.

Rapunzel's sword sliced through his Insectoid arm, and as it fell down through the air it was disintegrated by the blackfire. Hydie jogged over to him. "Are you okay, Punzie?"

"Yes. I believe so," Rapunzel said in a rough voice. "I managed to stop the Blackfire before it could spread to the rest of my body."

"That was incredibly reckless," Hydie chided. "Idiot."

"I didn't expect her to be this powerful," Rapunzel grumbled. "This entire situation has become way too dangerous. Dwarves, I want all of you to leave this place immediately. I'll continue to fight Norebo on my own to buy you enough time to escape!"

Hydie frowned. "Do you have a plan to defeat her?"

_I won't have any more people die because of me._ Rapunzel thought, and shrugged. "Actually, I was just planning to wing it. I'm sure I'll think of something as the fight unfolds. The only way to defeat Blackfire is with enchanted ice, and unfortunately none of us has an affinity for water magic."

"And here I thought you were smarter than that, Mr. Bookworm," Hydie chided with a mischievous glint in her violet eyes. "Yes, enchanted ice works to put out Blackfire, but there _are_ other ways."

A flash of shock crossed Rapunzel's face. "Really? How is it done?"

"You just leave this to me," Hydie began in a cheeky manner. "I'll handle her Blackfire. All you have to do is concentrate on getting past her energy shield. Do you trust me?"

"I probably shouldn't..." Rapunzel said, giving Hydie a lopsided smile. "But yeah, I do."

Hydie flashed him a wicked grin and turned to the dwarves. "Dwarves, I need your help! Please combine your earth attacks with my next wind attack!"

"How exactly?" asked a dwarf.

"Just send a lot of loose dirt my way," Hydie explained. "I'll handle the rest."

"Aye, Miss Hydie!" the dwarves all shouted in unison.

Hydie took a deep breath to steady her nerves for the spell she was about to cast. She summoned her magical power and visualized conjuring a tornado that would burst out of her war fan horizontally, rather than a normal vertical tornado. " _Turbinis Vasti!_ "

The dwarves waved their weapons in the direction of Hydie's attack while conjuring loose dirt. The dirt was immediately sucked into the cyclone of wind, changing its color from white to brown.

Norebo pointed her staff at Hydie and let out an amused cackle. "That won't work, foolish girl. Only enchanted ice can defeat Blackfire! Take this! _Furvus Ignis Impetus!_ " The Dark Elf Witch released a stream of Blackfire Hydie's way.

The two elemental attacks collided in midair. The Blackfire attack appeared to be pushing Hydie's wind and earth attack back at first when Hydie suddenly smirked. "That's where you're wrong, Queen Norebo. The reason enchanted ice works against Blackfire is because to turn water into ice a witch or wizard has to add their magic into the spell or attack. And if I do this, and add _my_ magic to this attack then it _will_ work to quench even Blackfire!" Hydie sent her raw magic into the attack, and the cyclone now had swirls of golden energy throughout it. Seconds later, Norebo's Blackfire attack was being pushed back.

"No!" Norebo shrieked. "That's impossible! I've never heard of anyone battling against Blackfire in this manner! This attack is...insane!"

"Impossible?" Hydie echoed. "You only need to believe the impossible _is_ possible to make it a reality. In the end, it all boils down to your strength of will, and whether or not you're a fighter or a pussy. Now, Punzie, kill the bitch!"

While Hydie had been distracting Norebo Rapunzel had been sneaking up on the Dark Elf Witch. He suddenly appeared in front of her, and swung his sword at her. The blacksmith's sword hit the dark elf's energy shield as expected. Only this time Rapunzel summoned his sword's power. The meteor sword began to glow with a bright golden light that was almost blinding. " _Solis Impetus!_ Sunlight Attack!" Cracks started to appear on Norebo's energy shield.

Norebo's red eyes widened as she looked at the sword and then Rapunzel. "The Sword of Light! The prophecy of the seraph has come to pass! Gothel, the eve of your destruction is upon us!"

"Ah!" Rapunzel let out a battle cry as he pushed his sword against the shield until it finally shattered. The blacksmith kept slashing his sword through the air until he'd decapitated Norebo.

The Elf Witch's head flew through the air, hit the ground, and rolled. Her body fell to the floor seconds later. With the death of the caster the Blackfire that was still burning dwarves and rock walls was suddenly extinguished.

A shocked and heavy silence descended upon the throne room until the dwarves began to let out excited cheers and exclamations. "He did it!" "He killed Norebo!" "He's liberated us from the Dark Elves' tyranny! We're free!" "Hail, Prince Rapunzel! Hail, Prince Rapunzel!"

Rapunzel frowned, turned to face the dwarves, and held up his hand to silence them. "Please, my friends, there's no need to be so formal. I couldn't have defeated Norebo without your help. This victory belongs to all of us. And, I have no intention of ruling over you. I think Bamira should be your ruler."

"Prince Rapunzel," Bamira said, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you."

"Hail, Queen Bamira! Hail, Queen Bamira!" the dwarves chanted agreeably with wide, toothy smiles on their faces.

As the dwarves started to celebrate Bamira's new position as their ruler and offer her their congratulations, Hydie casually sidled up to Rapunzel. "You sure about this? Dwarves make excellent slaves-"

"Hydie!" Rapunzel scolded.

"Just kidding," Hydie said in a singsong voice. "I meant to say they make great _allies_." She gave Rapunzel a wink.

"Uh huh," Rapunzel said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "This place used to belong to them, and it should again. I really have no interest in ruling over them. And I'm not worthy to be their king. I'm just a humble blacksmith."

"Hm. Don't be so modest, Punzie," Hydie said, raking her eyes over Rapunzel's handsome form. "A blacksmith determined the outcome of this revolution. You're pretty amazing." She blushed when she realized the words that had managed to slip past her lips.

Rapunzel's eyes widened and he smirked. "I'm amazing, huh?"

"Oh, shut up..." Hydie groused. "I just got lost in the heat of the moment. That's all. You're _okay_ ...nothing more."

"Well, to be honest..." Rapunzel said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I think you're pretty amazing too." At that moment, a magic teleportation circle appeared on the floor in the center of the throne room and began to glow with a blue-tinged light. The circle pulsed with energy as it waited for Rapunzel and Hydie to step inside of it.

"Let's go," Hydie said as she started to head towards the magic circle.

"No. Wait," Rapunzel said, reaching out and grabbing Hydie's arm. He nodded in the direction of the dwarves. "We can't leave just yet. They're in desperate need of healing."

Hydie's gaze shifted to the dwarves and saw that Rapunzel was right. Several of the dwarves were suffering from grievous injuries and burns. A few dwarves were whimpering in pain.

"Healing?" Hydie gave Rapunzel a skeptical look. "But you're exhausted. Do you think you have the strength to heal _all_ these dwarves by yourself?"

"I can handle it," Rapunzel said, puffing his chest up with pride. "Besides, they're hurt because of me. Healing their injuries is the least I can do for them."

"Ugh. Alright. Fine," Hydie huffed. "I guess I'll help out too." She opened her briefcase and took out a potion bottle.

Rapunzel tightened his grip on Hydie's arm. "Wait. You're going to bring Dr. Henrietta Jekyll back? Are you sure that's such a good idea. She wants you dead, you know."

"She's the doctor. Not me," Hydie argued. "I can't help these dwarves, but _she_ can."

Rapunzel let go of Hydie's arm and let out a resigned sigh. "Alright. See you soon."

"Yeah. See you soon, Punzie," Hydie agreed with a careless smile on her face. She uncorked the bottle and chugged back the potion before she could lose her nerve.

To be continued in...Chapter 8:

### Chapter 8:

When Dr. Henrietta Jekyll opened her lavender-colored eyes and focused on her surroundings she discovered that she was inside of a massive throne room. The throne that was made out of bones and small skulls was tellingly empty. Just how many people had Hydie killed _this_ time? She wondered, grinding her teeth.

At that moment, Henrietta recalled part of the doctor's Hippocratic Oath she'd taken - _With regard to healing the sick, I will devise and order for them the best diet, according to my judgment and means and I will take care that they suffer no hurt or damage._

Henrietta was forbidden from taking life, wasn't allowed to do harm to others, and was supposed to try her best to save lives. There was blood splattered across the throne, and dead bodies were scattered around on the floor of the throne room.

Henrietta's attention turned to a group of dwarves, who appeared to be heavily injured, but they were still standing, at least. The weapons they were wielding appeared to be surrounded by a golden glow. _Enchanted weapons?_ Henrietta mused. _Did Rapunzel help them make those?_

_Speaking of, where is Rapunzel?_ Henrietta glanced around the throne room until she spotted Rapunzel. She sucked in a breath at the sight of the golden-haired blacksmith. Rapunzel looked worse for wear, and was covered in blood and gore. He was also missing his left arm _again_.

Henrietta quickly styled her hair up into a bun, and put her glasses on before scowling at Rapunzel and placing her hands on her hips. "Well?" She raised an eyebrow at Rapunzel. "Why did you bring _me_ back? I thought you said I was 'deadweight'?"

" _I_ didn't bring you back," Rapunzel said. "Hydie did. And as a doctor it should be obvious why she decided to summon you here." He nodded in the direction of the injured dwarves.

Henrietta followed his line of sight to the group of injured dwarves, and her eyes flared. "You expect me to believe Hydie cares about the well-being of a group of dwarves?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "Take it however you want. Just help them."

"Of course, I'll help them," Henrietta snapped, giving Rapunzel a condescending stare. "I'm a doctor."

"I'll use my healing ability to heal the more serious and life-threatening injuries..." Rapunzel informed her. "I'm just not sure how much magical energy I have left at my disposal."

Henrietta nodded. "Very well." She watched as Rapunzel walked over to one of the injured dwarves, who was missing an arm. Rapunzel placed his hand over the wound and it began to glow with a golden light. Seconds later, the dwarf's arm started to re-grow.

_Show off._ Henrietta thought, but had to admit to herself that she was impressed by Rapunzel's healing ability. She walked over to one of the dwarves that was only suffering from a few cuts and bruises, and started to tend to his wounds. After she'd finished tending to the dwarf, the next one she helped had a dislocated shoulder. Lastly, she helped set the bone of a dwarf who'd broken his leg.

Henrietta's attention once again shifted to Rapunzel, and noted he was healing a dwarf that had a hole blasted through his chest. Under normal circumstances the dwarf would be a goner. The wound was so severe she could see the dwarf's lungs and his beating heart. Rapunzel placed his hands on the dwarf's chest, and his hands and hair started to glow with a golden light. Seconds later, the wound began to close.

Rapunzel's healing ability was so impressive that it made Henrietta feel a twinge of jealousy. As a doctor she was in the business of saving lives by using her intelligence, science, and the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug. Using magic to heal injuries seemed like cheating since it appeared to be so easy.

Henrietta _hated_ the existence of magic. She was glad that only Hydie possessed magical abilities. Still, Henrietta's gaze was drawn to Rapunzel again. He was so handsome even while covered in blood and gore. She shook her head, and had to remind herself that she was still mad at Rapunzel for calling her 'deadweight'.

Rapunzel and Henrietta worked together in silence as they both tended to the dwarves' injuries in their own way until the blacksmith ended up passing out from using too much magical energy in his current weakened condition.

Henrietta clucked her tongue at the irresponsible and reckless young man. Her gaze traveled down his body and inevitably went to his missing left arm. Earlier, she'd noticed the headless body of the Dark Elf Queen. A calculating glint formed in her lavender-colored eyes. _If I transplant Norebo's arm to Rapunzel I wonder if he'll inherit her ability to conjure fire. I must find out. For science!_

The dwarves were watching Henrietta curiously as she walked over to Norebo's body, and started to saw the Dark Elf's left arm off. She carried the arm over to Rapunzel's fallen form, and using his magical hair like thread began to sew the arm to his body. At this point, there were fearful, appalled, and awed looks on the dwarves pale faces.

As soon as Henrietta finished her work the stitches disappeared, and if it weren't for the fact Norebo's skin was a few shades darker than Rapunzel's the transplant wouldn't have been noticeable at all.

By the time Henrietta had finished the transplant surgery she was covered in blood. She was just about to wipe her bloody hands off on her dress when Bamira bravely approached, and cleared her throat to get the doctor's attention. "Ahem. Excuse me, Dr. Henrietta, would you like to join me for a bath, perhaps?"

"A bath?" Henrietta looked down at her blood-covered hands, and offered the female dwarf a grateful smile. "That sounds lovely."

Bamira gave the doctor a toothy smile before leading her out of the castle and to a tunnel, which led to a chamber occupied by a large, natural hot spring pool. Bamira brazenly stripped off her clothes and hopped into the pool.

Henrietta blushed and shyly removed her dress. She folded it, set it on the ground, and stepped into the pool. As she took a seat on a rocky ledge within the pool she felt a twinge of pain between her legs. "How odd." Henrietta glanced down at her lap, and noticed a little blood in the water. "I feel a slight discomfort coming from my womanhood. Perhaps, my time of month is upon me sooner than I had anticipated."

"Well, that must be because Rapunzel is well-endowed," Bamira said casually, and with a twinkle of amusement in her amber-colored eyes.

Henrietta gave the dwarf a questioning look. "Well-endowed? _What_ are you referring to exactly?"

Bamira raised an eyebrow at Henrietta. "Rapunzel's cock."

"His...!" Henrietta stammered out with a scandalized expression on her face that was turning redder by the second. Just as quickly as her face had turned red it began to pale as she started to come to a realization. "Wait just a moment, are you implying that Rapunzel and I had sexual intercourse?"

Bamira nodded. "You two were really going at it back at the smithy. We could all hear you crying out Rapunzel's name: 'Punzie!'. By the way, why do you have two different names? Is one a nickname?"

Henrietta was absolutely appalled by this revelation, and incredibly unsettled. Apparently, her alter ego Hydie had had sex with Rapunzel. _That whore!_ Henrietta thought, trembling with rage. _And Rapunzel...he took my virginity without my permission. That perverted beast! No, it can't be true. I'm a virgin. I've never had sex!_ Henrietta discreetly reached down and slipped her index inside of her womanhood in order to check if her virginity was still intact. Her eyes widened when she noted her hymen had indeed been broken. "Oh my God..." _I'm no longer a virgin. I'm unfit for marriage now. I'll never forgive Rapunzel for this!_

Bamira's amused expression shifted to concern as she watched Henrietta begin to tremble. She reached out and placed a hand on the doctor's arm. "Dr. Henrietta, are you alright?"

"Rapunzel...he...!" Henrietta clenched her hands into fists. "I'll never forgive him for this trespass! He has besmirched my honor!"

Bamira's brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand. You sounded like you were enjoying yourself last night. It's strange to regret it now."

Henrietta flushed. "That...wasn't _me_! That was that whore Hydie! I'm _not_ her! I'm...me. I don't expect you to understand, but Hydie and I share the same body."

To Henrietta's surprise Bamira nodded understandingly. "Oh...that makes sense now. You two have very different personalities. So...Hydie is Rapunzel's lover, but you're not?"

"No! Neither of us is his lover!" Henrietta exclaimed hotly. "How dare Hydie do this to me! I'll kill her! I'll find a way to be rid of her if it's the last thing I do! I _will_ be cured of this parasite!"

Bamira frowned. "You want to _kill_ Hydie?"

"Gah! Why does everyone end up looking at me like that? You don't understand. This is _my_ body." Henrietta placed a hand over her chest. "Hydie is the result of a failed experiment. She's _not_ real."

"She seemed real to me," Bamira challenged, recalling the way Hydie had teamed up with the dwarves to defeat Norebo. "And Rapunzel seems to think she's real too."

"He's deluding himself," Henrietta said in an exasperated voice. "Especially, if he thinks Hydie _likes_ him. Hydie doesn't care about anyone - only herself. I can't believe Rapunzel would have sex with a girl like _her_! I'm so disappointed in him!"

Bamira gave the doctor a searching look. "To me...it just sounds like you're jealous of Hydie."

"How can I be jealous of 'myself'?" Henrietta asked, her eyebrows shooting up to her hairline. "That would be preposterous. If Rapunzel had a brain in that pretty head of his I'm the one he would...no, never mind. I'm beyond all that anyways. Hmph!"

"If Hydie is the villain Rapunzel must defeat then you must be his..." Bamira trailed off. _True love._ She thought to herself.

"I'm his _what_?" Henrietta demanded.

"Oh, nothing," Bamira said airily. "Instead of trying to get rid of Hydie couldn't you just learn to co-exist with her?"

"It's more complicated than that," Henrietta huffed. "These transformations are taking a toll on my body. If this situation continues...I'll die. We'll _both_ die. That's why I _must_ find a cure at all costs!"

"That's too bad," Bamira said in a regretful tone. "Hydie is an _amazing_ fighter."

Henrietta sniffed primly. "Not everything needs to be solved by brute force. Problems can be resolved just as easily by using one's intelligence. _It is more important to outthink your enemy, than to outfight him._ Sun Tzu. I'll show Rapunzel that there is another way."

Bamira gave Henrietta a befuddled look. As a dwarf she wasn't able to understand why Henrietta wouldn't want to fight an enemy when it was so much fun to do so. Dwarves lived for battle, and their trade was making weapons. "Maybe. But that sure sounds boring."

Henrietta sighed. "I'm surrounded by muscle heads."

The two young women soaked in the hot water for about an hour before they got out and started to get dressed. Henrietta smoothed her hair into a tight bun, making sure there wasn't a single strand out of place, and adjusted her glasses. She put on her white gloves, which gave her a very prim and proper appearance overall.

Henrietta was filled with a sense of dread. She knew she needed to confront Rapunzel about what had happened between him and Hydie, and wasn't looking forward to it. She felt humiliated, and would rather forget that it had ever happened, but Rapunzel needed to know she was unhappy with what had occurred.

Henrietta and Bamira traveled back to the castle, entered, and returned to the throne room where Rapunzel was still passed out on the floor. Henrietta approached the blacksmith, crouched by his side, and shook his shoulder in order to rouse him.

Rapunzel awoke, opened his eyes, and sat up. "Ugh." His head was pounding, he felt feverish, and he realized he must have fainted. His left arm was also throbbing with a dull ache. _Wait...my left arm?_ Rapunzel looked down to see that he had a new arm. This one had tanned skin and black nails. "What the?" He shot an accusing glare Henrietta's way. "You _mad_ doctor! You messed with my body without my permission while I was asleep again!"

"Mad?" Henrietta snapped, lavender eyes flashing. "Funny how you're getting so upset when you did something very similar to me!"

Rapunzel's brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Did you or did you not have sex with Hydie?" Henrietta demanded.

Rapunzel flushed. "I...don't see how that's any of your business." He folded his arms over his broad chest in a defensive pose.

A vein at Henrietta's temple throbbed in ire. "It _is_ my business because this is _my_ body! Did you have sex with Hydie? Answer me!"

"Yes. I did," Rapunzel admitted defiantly.

Henrietta slapped Rapunzel hard across the face. "How dare you steal my virginity, you perverted beast! This is _my_ body - not Hydie's! Hydie is just a parasite. And I _will_ find a cure, and be rid of her if it's the last thing I do!"

"Virginity..." Rapunzel echoed. _If Henrietta was a virgin then that means that Hydie was a virgin too. Which means I took Hydie's virginity._ _That's...unexpected. I wonder why she chose me? And why must Henrietta continue to insult Hydie and belittle her? She's not a parasite!_

Rapunzel thought back on the little moments he'd shared together with Hydie. Hydie trying to kill him. Hydie teaming up with him to kill the Insectoid Queen Khepera. He and Hydie meeting the dwarves and befriending them. Hydie having a drinking contest against Dagur. He and Hydie...having sex. Hydie fighting at his side against Norebo and teaming up with the dwarves.

"She's _not_ a parasite," Rapunzel said, his voice laced with anger. "She's a human being. And I'm starting to think she's more _humane_ than you!"

A flash of hurt crossed Henrietta's face, and she pushed herself up off the floor. Henrietta walked over to her briefcase, crouched before it, opened it, and took out a potion bottle.

"Wait," Rapunzel called out to her. "What are you doing? Are you going to bring Hydie back?"

"No. I'm not bringing your whore back. You had unprotected sex with Hydie," Henrietta began in a chill tone. "I must take precautions in order to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Cheers." She started to drink the potion while making sure not to break eye contact with Rapunzel.

With the way Henrietta was cruelly acting Rapunzel could tell she was doing this to hurt him. "No! Stop!" he shouted in alarm.

But it was too late. Henrietta had drunk the entire potion. Seconds later, she doubled over in pain and groaned, clutching at her stomach.

"How could you do something so heartless?" Rapunzel growled, his green eyes flashing. "That should have been Hydie's decision. Not yours." He was angry with Henrietta and angry with himself for being worried about the doctor even after what she'd done. She didn't deserve his concern.

"This is my body," Henrietta panted, trying to ignore the excruciating pain she was in. "Do you really think Hydie would want to have your child? Ha! She's just using you to get out of the Labyrinth alive. After she's made it out of here she _will_ turn on you. She _will_ betray you and hand you over to Gothel! She doesn't love you. She doesn't love anyone but herself! She's a villain! Don't be naïve, Rapunzel!"

Henrietta's words hurt more than Rapunzel thought they would. Why should he care if Hydie _didn't_ love him? "Maybe you're right. Maybe Hydie really is just using me..." Rapunzel said sadly, his shoulders drooping in a dejected manner. He looked up to give Henrietta a grim stare. "But I've been using her strength too. We teamed up in order to survive the Labyrinth. This is a fight for survival. I need her if I'm going to get out of here alive. And it's Hydie's body too." He gave the doctor a stern look as he willed her to understand.

"You don't need her," Henrietta said silkily, reaching out and placing her hand on Rapunzel's arm. " _I'll_ help you get out of the Labyrinth, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel gave the doctor a befuddled look. "But what can _you_ do? You're not a fighter."

" _To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill._ Sun Tzu _,_ " Henrietta quoted, pushing her glasses up her nose. "I'll prove to you that you can gain victory without having to rely on brute force, and by using intelligence and science. I won't be bringing Hydie back. I'll be the one accompanying you to Level Four of the Labyrinth."

Rapunzel gave the doctor a dubious look. "Level Four is going to be filled with bloodthirsty vampires. It's going to be incredibly dangerous."

Henrietta stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Vampires, huh? Those vampires wouldn't be so dangerous if we cured them of their vampirism and returned them to being human, now would they?" she asked in a cheeky manner.

Rapunzel's eyes widened and he ruffled his hair in a chagrined manner. "Hydie said you were crazy enough to try and find a cure to vampirism. Alright. Fine. Let's try things your way. The way of science and intellect."

With a triumphant look on her face Henrietta closed her briefcase and picked it up. "Let us be off then."

Rapunzel and Henrietta said their farewells to the dwarves and stepped into the magical teleportation circle. They were instantly teleported to Level Four of the Labyrinth, and materialized on the outskirts of an eerie, dark village. They instinctively ducked down to hide behind a thorny hedge bush in order to remain out of sight.

The houses in the village had sloping roofs that were made out of black, brown or terracotta colored tiles. The houses also boasted crooked chimneys, small gardens filled with dead plants, and rotting picket fences. The dark brown wooden frames of the houses were visible and a stark contrast against the houses' white stucco exteriors.

"An impressive display of Transylvanian architecture," Henrietta announced, pushing her glasses up her nose.

Rapunzel scratched his head. "Transylvanian?"

Henrietta shot Rapunzel an exasperated look. "The designs of these houses were based on architecture found in Transylvania." Henrietta narrowed her eyes at the buildings. "They're incredibly authentic, however. If I didn't know better I'd say this entire village was brought here from Earth...but that would be inconceivable."

Rapunzel shrugged. "Maybe the village was brought here to Fantasia like you."

Henrietta's eyes widened. "Indeed. Through the Magic Mirror." An uneasy expression formed on the doctor's face. "Rapunzel, do you know the name of the Boss we'll be facing on this level?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Draculara."

"Draculara!" Henrietta exclaimed, her voice laced with fear and disbelief. "But she's not real. She's only a fairytale."

"What's a fairytale?" Rapunzel asked.

Henrietta opened her mouth to respond, but then snapped it shut. It felt wrong to explain to Rapunzel what a fairytale was for some reason. "Never mind that now. In my world, on Earth, more than five hundred years ago...there was a Romanian hero named Draculara. She was a mighty warrior queen who drove off the invading Ottoman Turks with her bloodthirstiness and skill with a sword. She horrifically had 100,000 Turks impaled upon stakes before they finally pulled back their forces from Wallachia. Her name comes from the chivalric order she belonged to called the 'Order of the Dragon'. The order's purpose was to uphold Christianity, and defend the Holy Roman Empire against the Turks."

"Draculara was a hero?" Rapunzel asked, his brow furrowing. "But she's definitely a villain now. And a vampire. How the hell did that happen?"

Henrietta nodded grimly. "It was during one of her fiercest and bloodiest battles against the Turks that everything went to hell in a hand basket. The cunning leader of the Turks maliciously sent word to Draculara's husband, King Eli, that Draculara had been killed in battle. Overcome with grief at the death of his love, Eli threw himself out of the window of the tallest castle tower.

"When Draculara returned to her castle and discovered the body of her dead husband she went mad with grief for she had truly loved him. Draculara cursed God because He would not admit Eli into Heaven because he'd committed the sin of suicide. As punishment for her blasphemy God cursed Draculara, and changed her into an immortal bloodsucking vampire. Draculara's immortality was a curse that prevented her from being reunited with Eli in death, which was her greatest wish."

Rapunzel instantly noticed the similarities between Draculara's story and his own. Rapunzel's mother, Rosalind, had jumped out of the tallest tower in Sol Castle apparently committing suicide. Though many Fantasians speculated that Gothel had murdered her. But what if Rosalind had committed suicide out of heartbreak, and in order to be reunited with a lost loved one? But, heartbreak for _whom_? This was all still a mystery.

"Just like Mother," Rapunzel murmured softly to himself.

"According to the legend, she still roams this Earth...or rather is now here in Fantasia as a bloodsucking monster. She's like something right out of a nightmare," Henrietta said, wrapping her arms around her torso and trying to suppress a shudder.

"A monster?" Rapunzel mused with a skeptical note to his voice. "She loved fiercely and completely. With every fiber of her being. That's why that love destroyed her. Love can be a very dangerous thing..."

"Only when it's a villain who falls in love," Henrietta countered flippantly. "Otherwise, true love is salvation and hope."

"An 'enamored villain'? Wouldn't that be an oxymoron?" Rapunzel asked dryly. "I would think it would be impossible for a villain to fall in love in the first place, but you're implying it is possible."

Henrietta grew flustered. "Well, yes, of course it would be impossible for a villain to fall in love. I was referring to lust, obsession, or infatuation. Those can be dangerous emotions indeed when felt by a villain."

Rapunzel and Henrietta watched as the sun started to set. Rapunzel knew that the sun had to be artificial and had been created by magic due to the fact that in truth they were currently thousands of feet below ground. Rapunzel looked up at what must have been a stone ceiling and saw that the entire ceiling had been enchanted to resemble the sky. The moon began to rise a few minutes later, and that's when the vampires started to leave their homes, and began to mosey down the sidewalks.

Rapunzel frowned, wondering if the vampires knew that the sun wasn't real, and its rays probably wouldn't harm them. Although, maybe Draculara wanted to keep her vampires in check, and the magic sun would have the same affects on them as a real one.

The vampires were acting relatively 'normal' as they visited taverns and restaurants, and shopped at clothing and food stores. The female vampires were dressed in stunning silk gowns decorated with silver or gold embroidery. Some of the female vampires were wearing pointed hats without brims while others were wearing more simple headdresses.

The males were dressed in brocade vests, and somber suits made out of gray or black silk. Wide brimmed hats decorated with feathers sat on the heads of the male vampires. Both male and female vampires were wearing long capes with high collars. They would have almost passed for human if it weren't for their red eyes, pointed ears, overly pale skin, and sharp canines.

"Vampires..." Henrietta said, her voice laced with awe and terror. " _Real_ vampires. How fascinating." A glint formed in her eyes.

"What do you need in order to cure them?" Rapunzel asked with an air of impatience.

Henrietta stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I'll need a sample to begin my research, of course."

"A sample? Of what?" asked Rapunzel.

"I need you to capture a live vampire and bring him or her to me," Henrietta clarified.

"Why? What are you going to do to them?" Rapunzel asked, confusion swirling in his green eyes.

"Experiment on them, of course," Henrietta said nonchalantly.

"Experiment!" Rapunzel snarled angrily. "These vampires used to be innocent human beings. These were the citizens of Sol Kingdom."

"I know all that," Henrietta said, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "But I can't find a cure until I've run a few tests on the vampires. It's the only way. Or I could just summon Hydie and have her kill everyone in the village instead." Henrietta put her hands on her hips and gave Rapunzel a challenging look. "It's your decision."

"Alright. Fine. I'll get you a damned 'sample'," Rapunzel said through gritted teeth.

Henrietta tapped her chin. "I'll need somewhere safe and somewhat isolated where I can run my experiments in peace." She looked around and spotted an old, abandoned cottage not that far behind them in the woods. "There! That place looks promising. I'll go wait for you there, and get my lab set up."

"Fine." Rapunzel gave her a reluctant nod, and watched as Henrietta sauntered off towards the cottage. The longer Rapunzel observed the vampires going about their 'nightly' business the more human they seemed to him. Still, there was a niggling sensation at the back of his mind that something was missing from the scene.

It hit Rapunzel like a brick to the head as he watched a couple walk by hand in hand. _Children._ Rapunzel realized to himself. _Undead vampires are unable to procreate. There are no children here._ His thoughts immediately went to how Henrietta had taken that potion to prevent becoming pregnant. He still couldn't believe she could do something so...heartless and evil. _Henrietta likes to play God, but Hydie is supposed to be the evil one._

Rapunzel supposed perhaps he was being hypocritical in his anger though since he didn't exactly feel 'ready' to have children. And this line of thought made him feel extremely guilty. For convenience's sake would he really be willing to kill a child? An innocent?

Human beings really are selfish creatures, aren't we? We want the pleasure that comes with sex, but we don't want the responsibility that comes with it. It takes two to tango. I'm equally responsible for what happened between Hydie and I.

If she had gotten pregnant...how would I have reacted? I probably would have accepted it because that's just how things are usually. Having the option to prevent a pregnancy using a potion is not normal. This 'science' that Henrietta practices seems to be evil, and akin to the Dark Arts. Such an option shouldn't even exist. At least, not here, not in this world.

His friend Ashe's wife, Queen Juleka Glass, was pregnant, and would be having her child soon. Rapunzel wondered if it would be a girl or a boy. Ashe would be starting a family together with Juleka, the woman he loved. Rapunzel felt an unexpected pang of jealousy at the thought. _But it's not like I love Hydie or anything..._

At that moment, Rapunzel noticed a male vampire getting closer to his hiding spot. The vampire was sniffing the air in Rapunzel's direction. _Can he smell me?_ The blacksmith looked down at his hands. They were covered in blood. _He smells the blood. Well, that's strangely convenient._

The vampire continued to sniff the air in Rapunzel's direction, and approached the blacksmith. When the vampire was standing directly in front of Rapunzel he emerged from his hiding place and smirked at the vampire in a cocky fashion. "Good evening." Rapunzel flicked out his whip so that it wound around the vampire's torso, pinning the vampire's arms to his sides.

The vampire's red eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, probably to yell obscenities at Rapunzel. Rapunzel took that opportunity to stuff a rag into the vampire's mouth. "You're coming with me, Vampire."

The blacksmith dragged the vampire along with him like walking a dog on a leash, and took the vampire to the dilapidated cottage. They came to a stop outside the front door. Rapunzel opened the door and shoved the vampire inside. He walked in after the vampire and looked around the interior of the cottage curiously.

Rapunzel's jaw dropped open slightly at the way Henrietta had transformed the inside of the cottage so that it now resembled a 'science lab'. Henrietta had her open briefcase sitting on one of the long wooden tables. Also sitting on the table was a chemistry set, a series of glass beakers, potion bottles, glass test tubes, and test-tube holders.

Henrietta had put jars of powdered medicines, dried herbs, minerals, and other chemicals on the empty shelves of a nearby bookcase. "Where did you get all this stuff?" Rapunzel asked with an amazed look on his face. "Don't tell me all this was already here?"

"No, silly." Henrietta let out a prim little giggle. "This was all inside of my briefcase, of course."

"Inside your...?" Rapunzel's gaze went to the open briefcase on the table. "Ah, let me guess. It has an extension charm on it. Who cast such a complex spell? Wait...it was the Leader of the League of Villains, wasn't it?"

A guilty look flashed across Henrietta's face. "Someone give the man a prize."

" _Who_ is the leader of the League of Villains, Henrietta?" Rapunzel asked in a stern tone.

"I'm sorry," Henrietta said, giving Rapunzel an apologetic look. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Rapunzel let out a frustrated huff. "Why protect _him_?"

Henrietta sighed. "I made a deal with him. He'll help me find a cure to my condition, and in the meantime Hydie will make herself useful to Gothel."

"A deal, huh?" Rapunzel narrowed his eyes at Henrietta. "This deal wouldn't happen to be about gaining immortality, would it? Because that's the same deal he made with Hydie. Seems pretty fishy to me. I wonder how all that will work out." He shook his head in a disappointed manner. "And here I thought you were _supposed_ to be a genius."

Feeling humiliated, Henrietta's cheeks turned pink. "I happen to trust Leader. I have no reason to doubt his word. He gave me this transportable lab, after all, so I can continue my research wherever I am."

"Where is your beloved Leader now, huh?" Rapunzel asked pointedly. "If he really cared about you don't you think he would have tried to rescue you from the Labyrinth by now?"

Henrietta folded her arms over chest and raised her chin in a defiant manner. "Leader is a busy man. He's trying to conquer all of Fantasia, after all. And he's a King so he has certain responsibilities that come with ruling-" Henrietta cut herself off with a gasp. "Oh dear, I've said too much."

"A King, huh?" Rapunzel said, stroking his chin in a pensive manner. "So that means your glorious leader is either King Gothel of Bones Kingdom, King Leroy of Rose Kingdom, King Maleficent of Dragon Kingdom, _or_ King Reginald of Apple Kingdom." A smug expression formed on the blacksmith's face. "I'm excluding the mysterious leader of Cross Kingdom where the Inquisitors live, for obvious reasons."

The blood started to drain out of Henrietta's face and she started to wring her hands together. "Oh, dear! Oh, dear! If Leader thinks I've betrayed him he'll _kill_ me! I don't want to die!" Henrietta's breathing started to quicken, and she started to gasp for breath.

Rapunzel's smug expression was wiped off his face as Henrietta started to have a panic attack. "Henrietta!" He swiftly walked over to her and raised his hands in front of him, but was unsure of how to comfort her. Finally, he placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "Just breathe. Focus on me, Henrietta. Listen to the sound of my voice. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out..."

"I-I know how to breathe, fool," Henrietta snapped with halfhearted anger, but she started to try and match her breathing with Rapunzel's.

Rapunzel pulled Henrietta closer to him, wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin on the top of her head. She felt so fragile and delicate in his arms. _She acts so tough._ Rapunzel thought with a pang. _I keep forgetting how different she is from Hydie. She's a lady._

Rapunzel stroked Henrietta's back as he waited for her to calm down. Eventually, Henrietta's breathing slowed and returned to normal. The doctor's face flamed when she realized she had her face buried in the crook of Rapunzel's neck. _Oh, dear! What am I doing? I've never been held by a man like this before. He smells so nice..._

Rapunzel noticed that even though Henrietta's breathing had returned to normal she still wasn't pulling away, and flushed. He couldn't seem to make his arms let go of her. Henrietta's soft breasts were pressing against his hard chest, and he couldn't help but delight in her femininity. There was something comforting about it. _She's a woman too. Just like Hydie. Women are so fragile and delicate. They must be protected. That's a man's duty._

The one to finally break their embrace was Henrietta. She placed her hands on Rapunzel's chest, pushed him back, and looked up at him shyly. "Thank you, Rapunzel. I'm alright now."

Rapunzel gave her a concerned look. "Is _he_ really that terrifying?"

"Yes," Henrietta said, wrapping her arms around her torso. "In the end no one stands a chance against him. There are only two choices: join him or die. Fantasia _will_ be his. It is inevitable. If you thought Queen Norebo's control over Blackfire was impressive...his control over it is unprecedented. He has the destructive power of an atomic bomb."

"Don't worry, Henrietta, I'll, uh, protect you," Rapunzel offered awkwardly. He had no idea what an 'atomic bomb' was, but got the feeling whatever it was wasn't good.

"Oh, you'll protect me?" Henrietta asked coyly. "I thought you didn't even like me."

Rapunzel shrugged. "You're growing on me...like a fungus."

Henrietta slapped his arm playfully. "Balderdash!" She stared into Rapunzel's startling green eyes, and he stared back at her with a very strange almost wistful expression.

The vampire decided to clear his throat at that moment. "Ahem."

Rapunzel and Henrietta turned to the vampire with wide eyes. They'd completely forgotten about him. Henrietta quickly composed herself and smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt with her hands. "Oh good, you brought me a sample. Strap him down to that chair over there," she instructed in a blasé tone.

"You're brutal," Rapunzel said, shaking his head. He dragged the struggling vampire over to the chair and strapped him down to it.

Using a syringe Henrietta took a blood sample from the vampire. She created a glass slide with a drop of its blood and began to study it under the microscope. "The blood immediately starts to die when exposed to oxygen...how fascinating." Next, Henrietta took samples of the vampire's skin, and studied them under the microscope.

After she'd apparently gathered enough information to begin creating possible cures she started to use her chemistry set to make medicine. Rapunzel watched with interest as Henrietta mixed different chemicals together, and made various possible cures for vampirism. Each time Henrietta finished a possible cure she filled a syringe with it, injected the vampire, and studied its effects closely.

Hours passed, and none of the cures Henrietta had created so far seemed to be having any effect on the vampire. When chemicals and minerals seemed to be failing her, Henrietta turned her research to herbs. She crushed herbs using a mortar and pestle, and started to create various organic cures. The last herbal cure she injected the vampire with caused the vampire's body to start to melt.

The vampire cried out in horror as he was literally melted into a blob of goo that was left behind on the seat of the chair. Henrietta pushed her glasses up her nose. "Well, that didn't work at all. But at least there was a reaction this time. I must be getting closer!" She turned to Rapunzel. "I need you to go get me another sample."

Rapunzel had been looking at the blob of goo on the chair with a horrified expression on his face, and whirled to face Henrietta with a look of disbelief. "How can you be so cold? You just _killed_ someone."

Henrietta raised an eyebrow at Rapunzel. "Technically, vampires are _already_ dead. They're 'undead'. Their hearts no longer beat. They need to drink blood in order to survive. They can no longer reproduce. And if they're exposed to sunlight they'll turn to ashes. Wait a second...now that's interesting." She stroked her chin. "Rapunzel, did you know most medicines have the tendency to make a person's condition worsen before they get better?"

"I did not know that," Rapunzel said dryly.

"This is because the 'virus' tries to fight back against the cure. Could sunlight be the cure to vampirism?" Henrietta mused to herself as she began to pace back and forth across the floor of the cottage. "But how can one capture 'sunlight' in order to make a cure out of it? That's...scientifically impossible." She noticed that Rapunzel still hadn't left and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, what _are_ you waiting for? Go get me my sample. I think I'm onto something." The blacksmith narrowed his eyes at her, showing his displeasure with her request. "Unless you want to give up on finding a cure. Then I suppose we'll just have Hydie kill everyone in the village."

Rapunzel let out a defeated sigh, and his shoulders sagged. "Alright. Fine. I'll go get you another sample. Dammit." He left the cottage and slammed the door shut behind him.

Henrietta frowned at his dramatic exit. _So immature._ She didn't have time for Rapunzel's temper tantrums. She was definitely onto something. "This is so exhilarating! It feels good to be on the road to scientific discovery once again! I need to find a way to harness the power of the sun. Plants and flowers harness the power of the sun through photosynthesis. Usually, Mother Nature has a way of making necessary cures to ailments. Could the cure for vampirism be some kind of plant or flower? If so, that plant or flower would have to exist nearby."

Henrietta's gaze went to the front door of the cottage and she nibbled on her lower lip as she debated on whether or not she should wait for the grumpy blacksmith to get back before she went exploring in the nearby forest. "I'm not a child," Henrietta declared to the empty room. "I'm a scientist. I don't need Rapunzel to hold my hand while I take a little stroll through the woods. Worst case scenario, I'll just summon Hydie."

Henrietta walked over to her briefcase, snapped it shut, grabbed its handle, and left the cottage with it. She entered the nearby forest and immediately started to collect specimens of all the plants and flowers she encountered, and placed them in glass jars and test tubes depending on their size for safekeeping.

She walked through the woods for hours until she reached a moonlit clearing that was fifty feet wide. A creeping vine plant covered the ground and dominated the expanse. The plant's flowers resembled red tulips. Some of these tulip buds were only a few inches long while others were several feet long.

Henrietta cautiously approached one of the vines, crouched before it, and took out her pruning shears. When she snipped off a small bud red liquid oozed from where she'd cut the vine. Henrietta reached out her hand, touched the peculiar substance, and rubbed her thumb and index finger together as she inspected its texture. She brought her fingers to her nose and sniffed. Her eyes widened at the sharply metallic scent. It smelled just like _blood_.

"No. It _is_ blood." A chill crawled up Henrietta's spine as a sudden idea hit her. _Could this plant perhaps be...carnivorous?_ She slowly straightened, and started to back away from the vines as cautiously as possible. However, the back of her ankle hit something, and she almost fell backwards.

Henrietta windmilled her arms in order to remain standing, turned around, and looked down to see the carcass of a dead deer wrapped in vines. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her gasp at the macabre sight. A sucking sound was coming from the tulip buds, and when Henrietta looked closer she could see that the inside of the buds were filled with sharp, tiny teeth. _The buds are sucking the blood from the deer's carcass._ _This plant isn't carnivorous. It's vampiric!_

Not wanting to risk drawing the attention of the plants, Henrietta kept her hand pressed to her mouth as she felt a scream bubbling up her throat. She resumed walking backwards away from the plants. However, the vines had been sneaking up on Henrietta from behind.

In a flash, a few vines shot out and wrapped around her ankles. Henrietta let out a startled squeak as she fell to the ground. She lost a hold of her briefcase and it skidded a few feet away from her. The vines started to drag her backwards across the ground. Henrietta desperately reached out to try and grab her briefcase, but was unable to reach it. "Oh dear!" If she couldn't drink the serum she wouldn't be able to transform into Hydie.

Henrietta dug her fingers into the ground as she futilely tried to stop her progress, and only succeeded in created small ridges in the ground. The vines were pulling her closer to a sinister looking five-foot-long, red, tulip bud.

Abruptly, the vines lifted Henrietta up off the ground so that she was dangling upside down above the tulip bud. Henrietta struggled with keeping her skirt down and from flying up over her head. When she looked down she was unable to hold back her scream this time. The tulip bud had opened to reveal its sharp, foot-long teeth.

Henrietta decided to toss away her pride. "Help! Someone, please, help me! I'm too young and brilliant to die!" At that moment, Henrietta caught sight of a golden blur running through the forest. Seconds later as Rapunzel slowed down and became visible, Henrietta watched as he leapt up into the air and brought his sword down upon the vines in an overhead downward slash.

Henrietta fell down through the air screaming, but Rapunzel caught her in his arms before she could hit the ground. The blacksmith landed nimbly on his feet, and Henrietta looked up to give him an astonished look. "You...rescued me."

Rapunzel carefully set Henrietta down on her feet. "You'd better get out of here. I'll handle this overgrown houseplant. Run!"

Henrietta nodded, turned, and started to run, but then she remembered her briefcase. She turned back around, and looked for it frantically. _There!_ She spotted her briefcase and ran towards it. Henrietta grabbed her briefcase, and started to run away from the clearing again.

Henrietta's gaze went to Rapunzel, who was fighting against the vines that had started to attack him. The blacksmith was slashing and hacking away at the vines with his sword. But there were too many of them. Henrietta could tell that Rapunzel would soon be overwhelmed. A few tulip buds had already latched themselves onto Rapunzel's bare arms and were greedily sucking his blood.

Henrietta watched with morbid fascination as the tulip buds began to change color from red to golden-yellow. _How fascinating. I must retrieve a sample!_ The doctor stealthily approached the vine that was drinking Rapunzel's blood, reached out with her shears, and snipped the vine. Henrietta grabbed the golden flower and quickly pocketed it.

Rapunzel noticed her presence by his side, and shot Henrietta an incredulous look. "What the blazes are you doing?"

Henrietta gave him an innocent look. "Gathering an important sample."

Rapunzel sheathed his sword, swooped Henrietta up into his arms bridal-style, and started to run out of the clearing. "Foolish woman, we need to get the hell out of here before we become dinner!"

Henrietta looked up at Rapunzel's handsome face that was filled with grim determination. She couldn't help but think that he looked incredibly heroic in that moment as he safely carried her out of the forest. _Oh dear, I think I'm falling in love with him again._

To be continued in...Chapter 9:

### Chapter 9:

When Rapunzel arrived at the cottage he kicked the door open so that he could enter with Henrietta still in his arms. "Uh, you can put me down now, Rapunzel," Henrietta said as they crossed the threshold.

"Oh, yeah. Right." Rapunzel awkwardly set Henrietta down on her feet. "I...got you a new test subject." He waved his hand in the direction of the wooden chair situated in the center of the cottage.

Henrietta followed his line of sight, and spotted a male vampire strapped to the chair that Rapunzel had thankfully cleaned beforehand. She raised an eyebrow at the male since he looked stronger than the last one who'd been kind of scrawny. The vampire had short, black hair, red eyes, and pale skin. He was wearing a flashy red leather jacket with a hood, black leather pants, and boots. His clothing definitely _wasn't_ Romanian. A pleased expression formed on Henrietta's face. "Oh my. He looks much more formidable than the last vampire you brought me, Rapunzel. Was it difficult to capture him?"

"He's definitely a fighter," Rapunzel said, rubbing a bruise that was forming on his jaw from where the vampire male had punched him. "But I decided to go after a stronger looking one in the hopes he'll survive your experiments. Unlike the last one." The vampire male's eyes widened at the cryptic comment. "He's an expert archer so was tough to capture. I almost got pin-cushioned. That's why it took me so long to get back." He gave Henrietta a stern look. "Why did you go wandering off into the forest on your own anyway? You could have been _killed_ , you foolish woman!"

Henrietta bristled at the insult. "I am _not_ foolish! I'm a genius! And I'm also an adult. I don't need you to hold my hand. Besides, I had my briefcase with me. If things got hairy I intended to turn into Hydie."

"Oh, and how did that brilliant plan work out for you, huh?" Rapunzel asked pointedly. "You almost ended up plant food!"

Moving into a defensive pose, Henrietta folded her arms over her chest. "There was a slight miscalculation on my part. I should have had the potion bottle on my person in order to administer it more quickly. Something like that won't happen again."

"Damn straight it won't happen again," Rapunzel snarled. "You are not under any circumstances to go wandering off into the forest on your own. You got that?"

"You can't tell me what to do!" Henrietta objected, stomping her high-heeled shoe on the floor in a petulant manner.

"This level is strange. It's like we're in another dimension. There's even a sun and a moon here. But I know for a fact we're thousands of feet underground. This Labyrinth has its own rules. Its own monsters. It's designed to _kill_ heroes. This isn't a walk through the park. This place...is hell. And we're fighting for survival. Make no mistake. One wrong move and we're _dead_. Or worse." Rapunzel nodded in the vampire male's direction. "Undead."

"You think I don't realize how dangerous the situation we're in is," Henrietta huffed. "I do! But I'm a scientist, and I plan to survive this place by using science. That's why I _will_ find a way to cure vampirism! Trust me. I'm onto something." The vampire male's eyebrows shot up to his hairline at this unexpected announcement.

"I do trust you," Rapunzel said, running a shaky hand back through his golden hair. "I know how smart you are, Dr. Henrietta Jekyll." He let out a resigned sigh. "What were you even doing out there?"

"Gathering plants and flowers to make medicine," Henrietta explained, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Statistically speaking, the cure to a disease is usually located close by to where the affected live. Mother Nature, or in this case Fantasia will provide what we need."

"I only understood about half of what she said..." Rapunzel muttered to himself. "Fine. But if you need to go get more samples or specimens, I'll go with you."

"Fair enough, Mr. Bodyguard," Henrietta said with a nod. Thrumming with excitement, she began to experiment with all the plants and flowers she'd collected. Rapunzel and the vampire watched as she used a mortar and pestle to grind the plants and flowers into powders and pastes, and used them to create different cures, and medicines.

Then, Henrietta administered the 'cures' to the vampire via a syringe. Rapunzel noted that the vampire was being oddly complacent, and didn't even react when Dr. Henrietta injected him. The way the vampire was watching Henrietta so intently didn't sit right with Rapunzel. Each time Henrietta injected the vampire with a new 'cure' - the vampire got an expectant look on his face, and actually looked _disappointed_ when nothing happened.

_Disappointed?_ Rapunzel thought, and shook his head. _I must be imagining it. All the vampires on this level are supposed to be loyal to Draculara._

A few hours later, Henrietta ran out of plants. "Dammit!" The doctor slammed her hands down on her worktable in a gesture of frustration. "None of them worked, and I'd been so sure about my hypothesis."

"What about that golden flower you grabbed towards the end of our little adventure," Rapunzel asked casually.

Henrietta's lavender-colored eyes widened when she remembered the golden flower she'd collected. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the flower. It was glowing faintly. The flower instantly reminded Henrietta of something, and this made her hesitate upon experimenting with it.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Rapunzel asked impatiently. "Try making a cure out of that flower."

Henrietta nibbled on her lower lip. "Alright. Fine. I will!" She ground the flower into a powder using her mortar and pestle, and used her chemistry set to turn it into liquid medicine. When she was finished the medicine she'd created looked like liquid gold, and was glowing with a faint light.

Henrietta filled a syringe with the golden liquid, and approached the vampire with it. She took a deep breath. "This is it. If this doesn't work it's back to the old drawing board." The doctor injected the vampire's arm, and then everyone waited with baited breath to see what would happen.

The minutes ticked by slowly, and suddenly the vampire's body began to shake and convulse. After that, the vampire's eyes changed color from bright red to a dark brown. The male's pale skin grew more tanned, and lastly the male's heart started to beat inside of his chest. The rise and fall of his chest showed that he was breathing again.

Rapunzel and Henrietta watched this transformation with astonished looks on their faces. "Did it work?" Rapunzel asked softly.

"Let me check his vitals." First, Henrietta used a thermometer to check the male's temperature. Then, she counted how many times the male breathed during a minute to check this respiratory rate. One full cycle of inhaling and exhaling counted as a single breath. Next, she used a stethoscope to listen to the male's heartbeat in order to determine his pulse rate.

A normal adult male should have sixty to eighty beats per minute. Lastly, she checked his blood pressure using a cuff. All of his results were normal for a young human male. "He appears to be perfectly healthy." Henrietta removed the gag from his mouth, and noted that he no longer had fangs. "It...worked. He's human again."

The man flashed Henrietta a roguish grin. "Thanks, beautiful. You saved my life! I thought I was going to remain stuck as a vampire forever!"

"Are you an original inhabitant of the village?" Rapunzel asked curiously.

The man shook his head. "No. I'm a hero. And my name's Redmond. I came here years ago to challenge the Labyrinth, but I never got past Level Four. Instead of killing me Draculara turned me. She wanted me to become a part of her harem of pretty-boy vampires. I refused that pushy dame, and went to live in the village with the other vampires. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"I'm Rapunzel, and this is-"

Redmond cut the blacksmith off. "Rapunzel? Isn't that the name of King Siegfried's son? The Lost Prince of Sol Kingdom? The one prophesized to defeat King Gothel and liberate Bones Kingdom from his tyranny?"

Redmond was practically vibrating with excitement, causing Rapunzel to frown. "I've never heard anything about any prophecy." Although, he vaguely recalled Bamira alluding to something that sounded similar to what Redmond was saying.

"Oh, the seraph made the prophecy hundreds of years ago," Redmond began to explain. "All the heroes know about it, but details have been lost over time. If we make it down to Level Five we can ask the demons more about it though."

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow at the hunter. "We?"

"Yeah, man, I'll help you defeat Draculara." Redmond flashed Rapunzel a cheeky grin. "So, what's the plan? Kill all the vampires?"

Henrietta cleared her throat to get their attention. "The plan is to cure everyone in the village of their vampirism."

Redmond gaped at Henrietta. "Cure _everyone_? Can you really make enough of that medicine? How many golden flowers are out there in the woods?"

"That flower...was the only one," Henrietta admitted.

"Then those vamps need to die," Redmond argued.

"But I know how to make more," Henrietta grudgingly cut in. Both men gave Henrietta an expectant look, but she continued to remain silent.

"Well, how do you get more?" Redmond prodded.

Henrietta hesitated, nibbled on her lower lip, and glanced at Rapunzel. "We'll need to let those vampiric plants drink Rapunzel's blood in order to make more golden flowers. I noticed that when one of the buds drank Rapunzel's blood the color of its petals turned from red to golden-yellow."

A dark shadow fell over Rapunzel's face. "My blood, huh?"

Redmond gave the blacksmith an apologetic look. " _Oh_. Well, there's no way we can make you do that, man. I mean, it would take _way_ too much of your blood to save the entire village. It's too dangerous. You could die of blood loss or something."

"No. I'll do it," Rapunzel said with a grim, brooding expression on his face.

Redmond's brown eyes widened in surprise at Rapunzel's unexpected declaration while Henrietta quickly began to object. "Rapunzel! Redmond is right. It's way too risky. I'll find another way."

"There is no other way," Rapunzel argued. "It's incredible enough that you discovered a cure to vampirism when none have ever before. That's amazing. These people...they used to be my father's people. I _must_ save them. Where my father failed to protect these people...I must succeed. I have to do this." A myriad of conflicting emotions swirled in Henrietta's lavender-colored eyes.

Redmond gave the blacksmith an intrigued look. "Bravo. I salute your bravery. You have my respect, Rapunzel." He turned to Henrietta. "Think you can untie me from this chair now, beautiful? Unless...you both would be interested in a little bondage play? _Ménage à trois_ , anyone?" He waggled his eyebrows at them playfully.

Henrietta frowned, and her brow furrowed in confusion. "Bondage play? _Ménage à trois_?"

Rapunzel coughed awkwardly into his hand. "He wants to have sex with us."

"Sex?" Henrietta spluttered, a pink tinge rising to her cheeks. "Before marriage? And with three people? How would that even _work_?"

"Well, it's all about _sharing_ -" Redmond helpfully started to explain.

"If you want to keep your tongue, I suggest you stop talking," Rapunzel warned.

Henrietta had instinctively whipped out a scalpel and was pointing it in Redmond's direction. "Why, I never! How dare you speak to a lady in such an uncouth manner? I should cut out your tongue, you scoundrel!"

"You see?" Rapunzel said. "She looks nice, but she's sort of crazy."

"I'm _not_ crazy!" Henrietta shrieked in a way that made her look even more crazy.

While maintaining eye contact with Redmond, Rapunzel twirled his finger at his temple. Redmond let out a low, amused chuckle. "How long have you two been married?"

"We're not!" Rapunzel and Henrietta both burst out at the same time, looked at each other, and flushed.

Redmond blinked in surprise. " _Oh._ I just assumed you two were married. You fight like an old married couple, after all."

Henrietta's eye twitched in irritation. " _Old!_ "

"Oh, you just stepped on a landmine," Rapunzel said, his voice laced with dry amusement. "With the way you tactlessly talk to women how are you even still alive?"

"I didn't say you were old," Redmond said, looking Henrietta over, and taking in her conservative bun and round glasses. "What are you? Like forty?"

"Forty!" Henrietta screeched, throwing her arms up into the air in exasperation. "Oh, that's it! I'm cutting out his tongue!"

Rapunzel swiftly moved behind Henrietta, and restrained her arms behind her back before she did something she'd later regret. "You know, it's weird, but you're acting a _lot_ like Hydie right now."

That did it. Henrietta quickly composed herself. "I'm fine now. You can let me go, Rapunzel." Rapunzel warily released her. "Go ahead and untie Redmond. He may prove to be useful as a decoy," she ordered in a haughty tone.

Rapunzel untied Redmond, and the hunter stood up from the chair. He gave Rapunzel a grateful look as he rubbed his sore wrists. "Thanks, man. My ass was killing me." Redmond brazenly rubbed his behind with both his hands. "That chair is incredibly uncomfortable." The hunter turned his attention to Henrietta. "The next time you're going to run experiments on people at least give them a cushion to sit on."

Henrietta pushed her glasses up her nose. "I'll try to keep that in mind, Redmond."

"There's not going to be a 'next time' because Henrietta is never going to run experiments on people ever again," Rapunzel growled.

Henrietta shot the blacksmith a disappointed look. "You like to suck all the fun out of life, don't you, Rapunzel?"

"If by 'fun' you mean 'torture _'_ then, yeah," Rapunzel argued.

"I thought it was kinda hot being tied to a chair and at Miss Henrietta's mercy," Redmond said, a twinkle in his brown eyes. "There are worse ways to go."

"That's _Doctor_ Henrietta to you."

"Well, at least no one died!" Redmond chuckled. A dark cloud fell over Henrietta and Rapunzel's expression at the hunter's callous words. "What? What'd I say?"

"There _was_ a test subject before you," Rapunzel began in a dour tone. "A scrawny vampire with short black hair and red eyes."

"Oh, you mean...Lucas?" Redmond said. "We were all wondering where he went. That's awful. Poor Lucas. He had a wife and child..."

"I...didn't know," Henrietta blurted out, starting to wring her hands together. "I...I'm sorry, I-"

Redmond started to laugh and slapped Henrietta on the back. "Hey, relax, beautiful. I'm just messing with you. Lucas wasn't married. And vampires can't have children. I see you _do_ have a conscience, Dr. Henrietta. That's a good sign. It means you're not past the point of redemption."

"You scoundrel!" Henrietta accused wagging her finger at him. "How could you lie about something like that and with a straight face?"

"It's a gift," Redmond said cheekily.

Rapunzel was staring at Redmond intently, and the hunter noticed. "Is there something on my face, man?"

Rapunzel startled. "No. It's just you remind me of a friend of mine...Prince Snow Flurris. But you're like a more confident, brazen version of him."

"Not sure if I should feel complimented or insulted right now," Redmond said, his lip twitching with his amusement. "And wow, you're friends with a _prince_! Although, I suppose that makes sense because _you're_ a prince too. Birds of a feather flock together, and all that jazz."

Rapunzel grimaced. "Prince of a kingdom that was destroyed _years_ ago..."

"Well, if you manage to defeat Gothel this place can become Sol Kingdom again," Redmond pointed out.

"I'm just a humble blacksmith," Rapunzel said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not fit to rule an entire Kingdom."

"A blacksmith, huh?" Redmond said, giving Rapunzel an intent look. "Brilliant. And I think it's less about what you _want_ and more about what your destiny is."

"I don't believe in destiny," Rapunzel grumbled.

Redmond turned to Henrietta, took her hand, and placed a kiss on the back of it. "Well, I believe I was fated to meet you, Dr. Henrietta. You saved my life, and for that I will be eternally grateful."

Henrietta blushed prettily. "You're very welcome, Redmond."

Rapunzel shoved Redmond away from Henrietta. "That's enough of that. We don't have time for flirting. We have a cure to make. Let's go get those golden flowers."

"Right," Henrietta swiftly agreed.

Rapunzel, Henrietta and Redmond set off into the forest, and headed to the clearing where the strange vampiric plants thrived. Rapunzel had returned the bow and quiver of arrows that he'd confiscated during their battle back to Redmond. The hunter was cautiously on guard, had an arrow nocked to his bow, and was looking around at their surroundings.

It didn't take the group long to reach the clearing, and they came to a halt right before entering. Rapunzel took a deep breath to steel his nerves. "How many flowers will you need to cure the village, Henrietta?"

"At least a hundred." Henrietta nibbled on her lower lip fretfully and wrung her hands together.

"Alright. Don't save me until there are one hundred golden flowers, Redmond." Rapunzel began to enter the clearing. "I'm counting on you."

Redmond nodded, and gave Rapunzel a thumbs-up. "Understood, Boss."

The vines immediately began to slither slowly towards Rapunzel like snakes as he stepped even further into the clearing. Rapunzel came to a stop and allowed the vines to continue their cautious approach. As soon as the vines were close enough to Rapunzel they sprang at him, and the tulip-like buds latched onto Rapunzel's bare arms.

Rapunzel flinched as the buds sank their tiny, needle-like teeth into his flesh and started to suck his blood, but he didn't cry out from the pain. As the flowers continued to drink Rapunzel's blood the color of their petals started to change from red to golden-yellow.

"It's working," Redmond breathed, with an impressed look on his face.

Henrietta pushed her glasses up her nose in a snooty gesture. "Of course, it's working." The doctor started to diligently count the number of flowers that turned golden-yellow. "One...ten...twenty...sixty...eighty..."

By the eightieth flower, Rapunzel was starting to look a little worse for wear. He'd grown extremely pale, and sweat had broken out on his brow.

"Hey, Rapunzel isn't looking so good," Redmond said, pointing out the obvious. "How many more flowers do we need, Henrietta?"

"Don't distract me. You'll make me lose count, moron," Henrietta chided. "And we're almost there."

"I don't think he can last much longer," Redmond warned.

"I can handle it," Rapunzel said stubbornly, swaying on his feet. "This is nothing."

"Almost," Henrietta said, continuing to count the flowers that changed color.

"Henrietta! He'll die if those freaky flowers take any more of his blood!" Redmond finally snapped.

"That's it! There are enough of them," Henrietta said once her count reached a hundred. "Get him out of there, Red! Now!"

"Alright!" Redmond ran towards Rapunzel, and loosed arrow after arrow at the flowers that were drinking from the blacksmith. The flowers let out inhuman shrieks as the vines were severed, and Rapunzel was freed from their grasp.

Rapunzel swayed on his feet and would have fallen over, but Redmond was there to catch the blacksmith and sling Rapunzel's arm over his shoulders. "Don't worry, man. I've got you. Let's get you the hell out of here." Redmond helped Rapunzel exit the clearing as quickly as possible.

Once Rapunzel had been taken to safety, Henrietta whipped out her pair of pruning shears, and an excited gleam form in her eyes. "Redmond, cover me while I go harvest those golden flowers."

Redmond offered the doctor a lopsided smile. "You got it, beautiful."

Henrietta bravely walked into the clearing and began to cut off the golden flower buds and put them into a large glass jar. Meanwhile, Redmond kept a close eye on Henrietta, and shot arrows at any of the vines that got too close to her.

It took Henrietta thirty minutes to harvest all one hundred flowers, but with Redmond's help she was able to safely exit the clearing without incident once she was done. The group returned to the cottage together. On their way back Redmond was forced to help Rapunzel by letting the blacksmith use him as a crutch. Rapunzel was incredibly weak and anemic from all the blood he'd lost.

As soon as the group entered the cottage Redmond helped Rapunzel over to a bed, and lay him down on the dusty, moth-eaten mattress. Rapunzel let out a soft moan and passed out, and Redmond's expression turned concerned. "Is there anything we can do for him, Doctor Henrietta?"

"Not unless you're willing to offer up your blood for a blood transfusion," Henrietta said casually. "His body should naturally replenish the blood he's lost on its own over time. He just needs rest."

Redmond scratched his head in befuddlement. "What's a 'blood transfusion'?"

Henrietta blinked and explained the procedure to Redmond. "But for the blood transfusion to even work you'd need to have the same Blood Type as Rapunzel, and that's highly unlikely."

Redmond held his arm out towards Henrietta. "Test my blood and find out what 'type' it is. You never know."

Henrietta shrugged, took a sample of Red's new human blood, and a sample of Rapunzel's blood. Then looked at the blood samples beneath her microscope, and discovered Rapunzel's blood type was similar to AB Negative, and Redmond's appeared to be O+. "You're lucky, Redmond. You're O positive, which means you can donate blood to anyone really. Your blood should actually be okay for Rapunzel."

"I'm not lucky, I'm just awesome at everything I set out to do in my life," Redmond said in a cocky manner.

Henrietta rolled her eyes at the hunter, and performed a blood transfusion. The results were almost immediate. Color started to return to Rapunzel's cheeks only a few minutes after the procedure had started, and Redmond's blood started to flow through his veins.

_Rapunzel's blood may have magical properties, but that doesn't seem to be affecting the blood transfusion._ Henrietta thought, nibbling on her lower lip. _Thank goodness. Maybe a miracle like this can only occur in Fantasia though - a land of miracles._

Once the procedure had finished, and Henrietta removed the needle from Redmond's arm he shot the doctor a questioning look. "Is there anything else I can do to help the prince?"

Henrietta tapped her chin in thought. "Actually, red meat would be good for him right now. You could go hunting, Mr. Hunter."

"Alright. You just leave the dinner preparations to me!" Redmond left the cottage with his bow and quiver of arrows.

Meanwhile, Henrietta started to work on the cure by grinding the golden-yellow flowers into a paste with her mortar and pestle. She mixed the paste with various chemicals in her chemistry set, and created the golden, liquid medicine.

By the time Redmond returned to the cottage with an enormous dead deer slung over one of his shoulders, Henrietta had finished making enough of the cure to be used on the entire village.

"Look what's for dinner!" Redmond said with a proud note to his voice as he dropped the dead deer down onto the wooden floor. "I haven't had venison in ages. How's the cure production coming along, beautiful?"

Henrietta pushed her glasses up her nose. "I'm all finished, actually."

"Great! Now we just have to 'administer' it to everyone in the village," Redmond began, stroking his goatee thoughtfully. "That won't be easy. The villagers won't want to be turned. Right now, they're one hundred percent loyal to Draculara. Do we have to inject them all like you did to me?"

"As long as the cure hits their bloodstream somehow they'll be cured," Henrietta explained.

"What if we coated the tips of my arrowheads with the cure?" Redmond suggested. "Would that work?"

Henrietta thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, but you'll have to be very careful about where you hit them. The cure restores their mortality along with their humanity, after all. That means no 'kill shots'."

Redmond nodded in understanding, and a smug look formed on his face. "I can do that."

"Rapunzel can coat his sword with the cure," Henrietta began.

"Aw, let the poor guy rest," Redmond interjected. "After dinner I'll handle curing everyone in the village. They all know me, and I'm a known troublemaker. They'll think I'm playing some kind of game before it's too late and they're all cured." The hunter let out a boisterous chuckle.

"How devious of you," Henrietta said, the corner of her mouth twitching. "Tricking your poor friends like that."

"Friends, huh?" Redmond said in a thoughtful tone. "When I was alive I saw the vampires as my enemies, and then when I became one of them they became my friends and allies. And now that I'm alive again I don't know what to think or how to feel about them really. I'm just glad we won't have to kill them though. Thank you, Henrietta."

"You should be thanking Rapunzel," Henrietta said, feeling a twinge of guilt. "Finding a cure to vampirism was his idea. Normal people wouldn't go out of their way to try and save monsters."

"I'm a hero...and I've _never_ tried to save a monster before," Redmond admitted, hanging his head shamefully. "But you both chose to save me, and I'm incredibly thankful for that. I think Rapunzel is a _better_ hero than I am. A _true_ hero."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Henrietta said with a twinkle in her lavender-colored eyes. "Rapunzel doesn't like being called a hero. According to him he's just a humble blacksmith."

"Yeah...sure he is," Redmond said skeptically. "So do you know how to cook, beautiful?"

Henrietta pushed her glasses up her nose. "Cooking is a form of science. So I happen to be an excellent cook. Just one thing..."

Redmond raised an eyebrow at the doctor. "What?"

"You'll have to skin, clean and prepare the meat," Henrietta admitted. "I've never actually had to butcher a deer before."

"You got it," Redmond said agreeably, flashing her a toothy smile. The hunter took the deer back outside, and prepared some nice pieces of meat that Henrietta would be able to cook.

Once Henrietta got her hands on the meat she created a makeshift grill out of a large clay pot, filled it with charcoal, which she had inside of her briefcase, and covered it with a metal grate. After the charcoal was lit and producing enough heat, she tossed the slabs of meat onto the grill and cooked the venison.

Redmond had to wipe the drool from his chin with the back of his hand as he watched Henrietta cooking. After Henrietta had finished cooking the meat to perfection, she found three plates and some silverware, and set the table for dinner.

Henrietta took a seat at the table. "You can wake up Rapunzel now."

"Sure." Redmond walked over and shook Rapunzel's shoulder in order to wake him up.

Rapunzel groggily awoke, sat up, and blinked. "What is it?"

"Dinner is served," Redmond announced. "Henrietta cooked it for you."

Showing his surprise, Rapunzel's eyes widened. "She did...?" He made his way over to the table and took a seat. As soon as Redmond joined them at the table everyone began to dig in. The venison was delicious. Rapunzel was still feeling weak, feverish, and slightly dizzy, and didn't have the energy to talk so let Redmond and Henrietta handle making conversation.

"If you don't mind me asking why did you enter the Labyrinth, Redmond?" Henrietta questioned as she cut a dainty piece of venison that she popped into her mouth.

Redmond paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. "My village is in danger from a clan of werewolves. I heard rumors about the Labyrinth and that it is a test for heroes. If a hero passes the test and manages to defeat Gothel he'll inherit the Necromancer's power. I planned to use those powers to protect the village and my family."

"Your family?" Henrietta raised an eyebrow at the hunter. "Are you married?"

Redmond let out a low chuckle. "No. I'm single. I was referring to my mother, father and little sister."

"Oh, I see," Henrietta said.

_Why should she care whether or not Redmond is married?_ Rapunzel jabbed his fork a little harder than was probably necessary into a piece of veal on his plate. He was irritated by how well Redmond and Henrietta seemed to be getting along. Henrietta was laughing at the things Redmond was saying and smiling at the hunter.

Had Rapunzel ever made Henrietta laugh or smile like that? Rapunzel wracked his brain and couldn't recall such a moment. He tended to brood, and be overly serious. Maybe Henrietta found him boring compared to the charismatic Redmond.

_Am I feeling jealous?_ Rapunzel asked himself. _Whatever. I'm so out of it I can barely follow their conversation anyways. I doubt I'll even remember it._ "I'm going back to bed. I'm tired." Rapunzel pushed his plate of venison away from him, stood up from his seat at the table, and made his way back over to the bed before lying down on it.

"Goodnight, Rapunzel," Henrietta said politely.

"Night, Blacksmith," Redmond called out.

While Rapunzel slept, Redmond and Henrietta worked together and coated one hundred arrowheads with the cure.

***

A full moon was shining overhead bathing the vampire village in an eerie silvery light as Redmond casually sauntered past the front gate. Most of the vampires were outside of their homes and walking along the sidewalks. Redmond was hard not to notice due to his flashy red hood, and he could feel curious eyes on him as he entered further into the village.

He'd been missing for several hours now, and the vampires were happy to see him return since Lucas never had. They smiled, waved, and greeted him. "Hey, Red! Where have you been, buddy?" "Red, good to see you!" "Red, long time no see!"

However, the closer Redmond got to the vampires their elated expressions started to change, and they began to sniff the air in his direction. "Red...smells human." "But that's _not_ possible." "There is no cure." "I can hear his heart beating! He's alive!" "He must have been deceiving us this entire time!" "Get him!" "Kill him!" The vampires exclaimed. Although, a few vampires appeared to be hesitating in attacking Red as they tried to fight against their bloodlust.

Redmond scratched his head in a chagrined manner. "Gee whiz." He hadn't realized the vampires would be able to hear his heartbeat so easily. Redmond had assumed he'd have more time before they figured out he was alive, and he'd been intending to make full use of that confusion in order to cure several vampires without having to fight them.

Redmond reached over his shoulder to grab an arrow from his quiver, and nocked the arrow to his bow. He aimed at the closest vampire and loosed the arrow. The arrow flew through the air and hit the vampire's shoulder.

Everyone laughed. Vampires were immortal, and a mere arrow wouldn't do much damage. But this was no ordinary arrow.

A few seconds ticked by when the vampire abruptly cried out in pain as he started to transform. His body convulsed and his eyes changed color from red to blue. The male's heart started beating inside of his chest, and his canines returned to a normal size for a man his age.

All the vampires grew shocked and horrified by this unexpected turn of events. They couldn't understand what was happening to their comrade since a vampire being cured of their vampirism was unheard of.

Taking advantage of their momentary fear and bewilderment Redmond started to loose arrows in quick succession at the surrounding vampires. And all of Redmond's arrows hit their marks.

When more vampires started to transform back into humans that's when the other vampires started to realize what was happening. "Red is turning them human again!" "How is that even possible?" "He must be stopped for Draculara's sake!"

"For Draculara!" the villagers who were still undead cried. These vampires quickly pulled themselves together, regrouped, and began to coordinate their attacks against Redmond.

_Not good._ Redmond thought to himself as he noticed what was happening. He'd been expecting the vampires to be more confused and afraid by what was happening, and hadn't expected them to regroup so quickly. Redmond had already managed to cure twenty vampires, turning them human again, but that still left eighty bloodthirsty vampires that now had their sights set on him.

The twenty human villagers began to realize how precarious their current situation was too. With beating hearts in their chests and blood flowing through their veins they were now 'food' for the other vampires.

"Those of you who are already human - run! Go on! Get out of here! I'll handle this. I'll turn the rest!" Redmond shouted at them with a fierce expression on his face. The humans obediently started to flee from the village, and from those they'd once called 'friend' and 'ally'.

A few of vampires laughed and sneered at Redmond's apparent overconfidence. "He actually thinks he's a match against us." "He is but one human man." "He is nothing but food." "He is Draculara's enemy! Kill him!"

The vampires started to run towards Redmond with menacing intent. Redmond didn't stick around to see what they intended to do to him, and took off running through the village. If he stayed in one place for too long he'd be done for. Vampires had superhuman speed, strength, and reflexes, and Redmond knew that he'd be no match for them in close-quarters combat.

As Redmond ran he nocked arrows to his bow, and loosed them at the vampires he passed and occasionally at the vampires that were doggedly pursuing him. Redmond hated that he had to run away like a coward, but there were just too many of them. If he let them overwhelm him he'd been eaten alive much in the same way a fish was devoured by a pod of piranhas in seconds.

The minutes ticked by slowly until there were sixty vampires left to cure. _Shit._ Redmond had been managing to hold his own against the vampires by the skin of his teeth, but he could feel that he was tiring. Undead vampires _never_ tired. They could continue running around and fighting an enemy for all eternity without rest.

Redmond, on the other hand, was human again. His stamina was finite, and he could feel his strength leaving him. It was getting harder to pull back on his bowstring, and his arm had started to tremble as he did so. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and he was panting for breath. His legs were burning from all the running around he'd been doing.

_I screwed up big time._ Redmond thought to himself. _I got used to being an undead vampire and forgot all about a human being's weakness. I don't know how much longer I can keep fighting...but I'll keep firing arrows until I can't anymore. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do._

***

Meanwhile, back at the cottage...when Rapunzel awoke he could tell that it was still night out due to the silvery rays of light that were entering the cottage through the windows. The magically created artificial dawn was probably only hours away.

The next thing Rapunzel noticed was that someone was humming prettily nearby. Rapunzel opened his eyes and saw Henrietta placing a cool, wet towel on his burning forehead. She was just pulling her hand back when Rapunzel reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Henrietta," he said in a rough voice.

Henrietta's eyes widened. "Thank goodness. You're awake. You've had a dreadful fever, but you seem to recover quickly, at least."

Rapunzel's brow furrowed and he frowned. "How long have I been out? Did you finish making the cure?"

"Yes. I actually finished making the cure a long time ago," Henrietta explained with a slightly guilty look on her face. "Before dinner Redmond and I came up with a plan to cure all the villagers. Redmond is going to use his arrows to administer the cure to the villagers by shooting them in non-lethal areas on their bodies. We coated one hundred arrowheads with the cure for this purpose."

Abruptly, Rapunzel sat up in bed and gaped at Henrietta. "Are you telling me Redmond went to the village by himself?" Henrietta nodded solemnly. "That idiot! There are a hundred vampires in that village...and Redmond is human now. He'll never be able to cure all those vampires on his own. That's...suicide. Why didn't you two wake me up so that I could go with him?"

"Well..." Henrietta nibbled on her lower lip. "You lost so much blood...even with the blood transfusion you're still weak."

"Blood transfusion?" Rapunzel asked, his brow furrowing. "What the hell did you do to me while I was passed out this time, Henrietta?"

"Redmond gave you some of his blood," Henrietta revealed. "You're lucky his Blood Type is O Positive."

"That guy did that for me?" Rapunzel scrubbed a hand down his face. "I can't believe I don't remember any of that." The blacksmith hopped out of bed, and walked over to grab his sword.

"Well, you've been pretty out of it since you lost so much blood," Henrietta said, watching Rapunzel walk over to his sword and grab it by its hilt. "Wait. What do you think you're doing? You're not planning on going to the village are you? You need rest, Rapunzel. You're still recovering."

"I can't just sit back and do nothing while Redmond is out there risking his life and fighting my battle for me," Rapunzel said with a determined expression on his face. "I have to go help him."

Henrietta let out a resigned sigh. "Alright. Fine. I understand. But before you go...let's coat your sword's blade with the cure. That way you'll at least be useful to Redmond out there." She grabbed a glass jar filled with the cure and a paintbrush.

"Good idea, Henrietta," Rapunzel said, unsheathing his sword and holding it out for Henrietta to coat with the cure. After the blade had been completely coated with the cure Rapunzel sheathed his sword.

Henrietta silently handed him a few small extra bottles of the cure. "Now, I'm ready. Wish me luck, doctor." Rapunzel started to head for the door, but Henrietta shyly reached out and grabbed the back of his vest, stopping him. The blacksmith shot a questioning look over his shoulder at her.

"Rapunzel, wait," Henrietta said. "Don't you dare die out there."

Rapunzel's eyebrows rose. "Aw, will you miss me if I do?" he teased.

Henrietta gulped nervously, but met Rapunzel's gaze. "Yes."

Rapunzel flushed at her straightforwardness. "Oh. Right...well, I don't plan on dying. I'll be back. I promise."

Henrietta gave the blacksmith a watery smile. "I'll be waiting." She watched as Rapunzel left the cottage and shut the door behind him. As soon as the door was closed Henrietta sank to her knees. "I hope he'll be alright."

To be continued in...Chapter 10:

### Chapter 10:

By the time Rapunzel reached the village Redmond had amazingly managed to cure half of the village's inhabitants on his own. Rapunzel watched as villagers, who were now humans, fled the village through the open front gate in terror.

Rapunzel ran towards the gate and a woman noticed Rapunzel's vibrant green eyes and instantly knew he wasn't a vampire. "Hey, wait! Where are you going? Redmond told us to evacuate!"

Rapunzel turned to face the woman. "I'm a friend of Red's. I have to help him."

"Are you a hero?" the woman questioned.

"I'm a humble blacksmith actually," Rapunzel replied, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish gesture.

"What's your name?" she continued.

"Rapunzel."

This drew the attention of several people, who started to shout out various exclamations. "Did he just say 'Rapunzel'?" "The Lost Prince of Sol Kingdom?" "Our Prince has come!" "So the prophecy is true then...he's here to take back Sol Kingdom." "We _must_ help him." "Prince Rapunzel, what are your orders?"

Rapunzel was surprised and touched by the villagers' unexpected offer of assistance. "Redmond needs our help." The blacksmith stroked his chin as he tried to come up with a quick plan. "Let's distract the vampires and keep them occupied so Redmond can shoot them with his cure arrows. Don't try to kill the vampires. Just try to keep them busy. We'll act as decoys. That should give Redmond the chance he needs to cure the others."

"Aye, aye, Rapunzel!" the male villagers cried out in unison before grabbing an assortment of makeshift weapons, including pitchforks and shovels. They bravely followed Rapunzel back into the village.

The current situation inside of the village was chaos. Redmond was running through the village at top speed, and impressively leaping over anything that stood in his way - overturned barrels, water troughs, and vending booths and stalls. Redmond also made sure to knock down a few things as he jumped over them in order to slow down the vampires' pursuit. Still, the vampires were chasing after him, and Redmond was shooting arrows at them anytime he saw an opening.

There was no time to waste. The time to act was now. "Men, charge!" Rapunzel shouted to the villagers.

"Aye!" the villagers shouted back. Rapunzel and the armed men charged into the village and started to attack the vampires.

Rapunzel unsheathed his sword, picked up his pace, and ran past several vampires while slashing his sword through the air as he passed them by. At first glance, it didn't look like Rapunzel had done anything, but seconds later shallow cuts appeared on the vampires' bodies that weren't lethal, but were deep enough to administer the cure.

Redmond's brown eyes widened in shock when he caught sight of Rapunzel fearlessly leading a group of human male villagers in an impressive charge through the village. With Rapunzel holding the Sword of Light in a two-handed grip and his golden hair streaming behind him as he ran Rapunzel looked every inch a ferocious 'Warrior Prince'.

_And that guy thinks he's not a hero. Heh._ Redmond thought to himself in amusement. The hunter took full advantage of the distraction Rapunzel and the villagers were providing for him, and started to loose arrows at the vampires that were now focused on their individual fights. The vampires cried out as they were cured, and transformed into humans. After that, it didn't take Redmond very long to shoot _all_ the remaining vampires.

Once everyone in the village had been cured of their vampirism and had transformed into humans they began to celebrate. "We're cured!" "We're human again!" "Prince Rapunzel saved us!" "Hail, Prince Rapunzel!"

Rapunzel suddenly felt everyone's eyes on him, and awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He felt uncomfortable with all the attention being directed his way, and didn't feel like he deserved the adoring looks some of the villagers were giving him.

Redmond slung an arm around Rapunzel's shoulders and shook him. "Hail, Prince Rapunzel!" he shouted jovially.

Rapunzel shot his new friend a grumpy look. "Ugh. Not you too."

Redmond flashed him a cheeky grin, but then his expression turned serious. "Well, you did save my life as well. I owe you one, buddy."

Rapunzel gave the hunter a skeptical look. "You looked like you had things under control, Redmond."

"Naw, man." Redmond waved his hand through the air. "I totally would have died if you hadn't shown up. I forgot all about how weak humans are. So, um, yeah...thanks for saving my life."

"It was nothing," Rapunzel mumbled. "I'm the one who should be saying 'thank you'. I was able to save the villagers with your help, and make amends for my father's failure to protect them in the past."

"Aw, don't get all sentimental on me now, Mr. Grumpy Blacksmith," Redmond teased.

Rapunzel stared off in the distance towards Draculara's castle. "Now the road to Draculara's castle is clear."

Redmond followed his line of sight and nodded. "Yeah, but we should really get some rest first before we head off to face Draculara. She's not a _normal_ vampire. Besides, we need to celebrate this victory with good food and drink! I'm so psyched that I can _taste_ food and booze again. After we've sated our hunger, quenched our thirst, and regained our strength, we'll go."

"Good call, man," Rapunzel said, offering the hunter a crooked smile. "Let's get back to Henrietta. She's probably very worried about us."

"Worried about _you_ , you mean," Redmond said, nudging Rapunzel's side with his elbow playfully. "Right?" Rapunzel flushed and didn't respond.

The blacksmith and hunter headed back to the cottage in the woods where Henrietta was waiting for them. Upon their return, a wide smile spread across Henrietta's face and she hugged both men. Her lavender-colored eyes sparkled with unshed tears of happiness.

The group celebrated their victory, and that they'd managed to cure the entire village of vampirism. The villagers had gifted Rapunzel and Redmond with a crate of red wine, and the trio started to drink it heartily. Unlike Hydie, Henrietta turned out to be a total lightweight, and started to act very strangely after only _two_ glasses of wine.

"You're alive and in one piece. I'm so glad..." Henrietta said, pawing at Rapunzel's arm.

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow at Henrietta, who was sitting beside him on a low bench. "Uh, yeah...I made you a promise, after all."

Henrietta started to feel up Rapunzel's firm bicep. "So strong."

"Er...thanks," Rapunzel said awkwardly.

"You're so handsome," Henrietta said, her voice laced with awe. "I was in love with you, you know? Of course, I would only get to catch a glimpse of you when you sat on the window ledge at the top of your tower. You would look outside with this longing expression on your face. You'd look so sad and lonely, and it made me wish that I could be there for you to ease your loneliness and make you happy." Henrietta made a moue of distaste. "Then when I finally got to meet you...you were so mean and cruel. I still can't believe you had sex with Hydie! But what really makes me angry is that I'm not a virgin anymore, but I've never had sex. At least, I don't remember it. It's _so_ unfair. Rapunzel, you should take responsibility..." She gave him a meaningful look.

Rapunzel gulped, and wished he were drunker for this bizarre conversation. She couldn't mean what he thought she was implying, could she? "Take responsibility?" he asked.

Henrietta leaned in close to Rapunzel. "Make love to me, Rapunzel."

Redmond abruptly stood up from his seat on the adjacent bench with flushed cheeks. " _And_ that's my cue to leave. I don't want to be a cock-block. I'll give you both some privacy. Have fun you two!" He gave them a jaunty wave.

"You don't have to leave, Redmond," Rapunzel called after him as the hunter headed for the front door. "We're not going to do anything."

Redmond chuckled. "Someone's in denial." The hunter exited the cottage, and shut the door behind him. The young women in the village were human again, and were probably feeling lonely. A lascivious smile curled Redmond's lips. He'd deign to keep those lucky ladies company for the night.

***

Henrietta closed her eyes and leaned towards Rapunzel with pursed lips. "Kiss me."

Rapunzel put his hands on Henrietta's shoulders and pushed her back. "No. You're drunk. I won't take advantage of you."

Henrietta pouted, opened her eyes, and glared at Rapunzel. "But you were okay with taking advantage of Hydie." Her voice was laced with bitterness. "What does Hydie have that I don't? It's not fair. I like you so much, and we had sex, but I don't remember it. I wish I could. You don't like me. But you like her. You're just using me for my brain."

The idea that he was just using Henrietta for her smarts made Rapunzel feel guilty. "That's not true. I...like you, Henrietta."

A hopeful expression formed on Henrietta's face. "Then, please...make love to me, Rapunzel, while I'm awake. At least, this once. I know you're probably going to have sex with Hydie again in the near future, and I've come to terms with that. But, please, let one time be for me. For us," she beseeched.

Rapunzel reached out, removed Henrietta's glasses, folded them, and set them down on a nearby table. He cupped her face with both his hands and brushed away her tears with his thumbs. "Shhh...don't cry. No more tears. I'll give you what you want. I'll give you what you need. I'll give myself to you. I'll make love to you, Henrietta, so please stop crying. I can't bear the sight of you in tears because of me."

Henrietta sniffled, nodded, and gave Rapunzel a watery smile. Rapunzel swooped her up into his arms bridal-style and carried her over to the lone cot in the corner of the room. Rapunzel noted the quilted comforter had been cleaned and was no longer dusty. He gently set Henrietta down on the mattress over the comforter.

Without breaking eye contact with Henrietta he began to strip his clothes off. First, Rapunzel removed his vest, revealing his golden-bronze, muscular chest. Next, he removed his leather pants, and lastly he removed his boots. He liked the way Henrietta's gaze filled with heat as she admired his male physique.

Rapunzel decided to leave his black undergarments on for the moment because Dr. Henrietta Jekyll was a prim and proper lady, and had probably never seen a penis before, and he didn't want to frighten her. Tonight it was his job to introduce Henrietta to the world of carnal pleasure that could be found between a man and a woman.

Rapunzel moved onto the bed and silently started to undress Henrietta. First, he undid the buttons on the front of her black leather corset, removed it, and set it aside on the nightstand. Then he reached behind Henrietta's back and started to undo the buttons of her dress. Once all the buttons were undone he began to pull the dress down her body.

Henrietta was watching him intently, and her expression turned shy as he pulled her dress down over her breasts to reveal her lacy black bra. Rapunzel noted the pink tinge that was rising to her cheeks and gave her a reassuring smile. "You're so beautiful."

Henrietta raised her hands and covered her breasts self-consciously. "Don't stare so much. It's making me feel embarrassed."

"I plan to do a whole lot more to you than just stare," Rapunzel said, his smile turning crooked. He straddled her body, leaned over, and kissed her. Henrietta's eyes fluttered closed, and she tentatively kissed him back. Rapunzel savored the feeling of her soft, plump lips against his own. He moved his lips against her languidly.

After a couple of minutes, Rapunzel pulled back and started to kiss his way down Henrietta's neck until he reached her collarbone. He started to nibble and suck at the sensitive flesh there causing Henrietta to let out a small moan. "Oh."

Rapunzel smirked, and left a trail of blazing kisses down to her breasts. He placed a kiss on top of each of her breasts where her flesh was exposed and not covered by the black silk. Henrietta shivered at the feeling of Rapunzel's hot, wet mouth on her aching breasts.

Rapunzel reached behind Henrietta, unclasped her bra, and removed it. Henrietta's full breasts jiggled as they were freed from their silken confines. She nervously covered her nipples with the palms of her hands.

While staring down into Henrietta's lavender-colored eyes Rapunzel reached out, grabbed her wrists and gently pulled her hands away. "Don't hide yourself from me. Please, let me look at you, Henrietta."

Henrietta grew pliant in his hold, and Rapunzel was able to easily pull her hands away from her breasts. Her rosy nipples were already peaked from her desire, and just begging to be sucked on. The sight made Rapunzel's green eyes fill with hunger. "You have nothing to be shy about. You're perfect," he praised in a deep, husky voice.

Henrietta blushed at Rapunzel's kind words. They made her feel warm. Rapunzel leaned over her, captured one of her nipples in his mouth, and began to suckle on it. Henrietta gasped at the sensation, and arched her back off the bed, pressing herself harder against Rapunzel's mouth.

Rapunzel flicked his tongue back and forth over her nipple until it hardened even more. Once Henrietta started to mewl he shifted his attention to her other nipple and lavished it with equal attention.

Henrietta rubbed her thighs together as heat pooled between her legs. Her womanhood was feeling strange...itchy. No. That wasn't quite the right way to put it. It was throbbing with need and want. Rapunzel was playing with her nipples, but it was sending electric shocks straight to her core.

Rapunzel noticed Henrietta rubbing her thighs together and smirked. _Not bad._ He thought, giving himself a mental pat on the back. _She's growing aroused._

There was a joke that Prince Snow Flurris used to make that Rapunzel suddenly recalled: _Women are like ovens, Punzie. You have to warm them up before putting a bun inside._

Rapunzel didn't really know what the hell he was doing, but he'd read enough steamy romance novels to have a general idea of what to do to please Henrietta. And this night was all about _her_ pleasure.

Rapunzel pulled Henrietta's dress off of her body to reveal her black silk panties. There was a visible wet spot on the silk from her growing desire. Unable to hold back at the delectable sight of her sex covered in black silk Rapunzel spread her legs and buried his face between her legs, and breathed in deep. "You smell so good," he praised, his lips brushing against her.

Henrietta's cheeks flamed at the embarrassing thing Rapunzel was doing, and she had to resist the urge to cover her sex with her hands. The only thing that stopped her from doing so was that the things Rapunzel was doing to her felt so damned good, she didn't want him to stop. She wanted to see what Rapunzel would do next.

Rapunzel pulled back, grabbed the panties, and pulled them off of her body in one smooth motion before tossing them aside. Before Henrietta could do something like cover herself, Rapunzel spread her legs again, and stared at her glistening sex.

Henrietta was trembling, and when Rapunzel looked up at her he could see the fear mixed with desire in her gaze. Rapunzel leaned over and placed a kiss right over her bellybutton and began to kiss his way down until he reached her sex.

The blacksmith placed a tender kiss directly over her sex then licked his way down so that he could thrust his tongue inside of her entrance. Henrietta's eyes flared, and she gasped in surprise at the feeling of Rapunzel's hot tongue on her throbbing sex.

She cried out when Rapunzel started to purposefully suck on her clit. Henrietta bit down on her lower lip to stop the embarrassing sounds she was making from leaving her mouth. When Rapunzel looked up and noticed what she was doing he pulled away and touched her lips with his finger. "Don't do that. You'll hurt those gorgeous lips of yours. Let's put your mouth to better use, shall we?"

Rapunzel stuck his index finger into her mouth, and started to thrust it in and out of her mouth in order to get it coated with Henrietta's saliva. Rapunzel added his middle finger in her mouth, and only pulled his fingers out once they were sufficiently covered in a copious amount of saliva.

Rapunzel moved down her body again, spread her legs, and started to gently slip his index finger inside of Henrietta. Henrietta gasped at the odd yet pleasurable sensation of having something inside of her. Rapunzel started to thrust his finger in and out of her clenching pussy.

When Henrietta started to instinctively rock her hips, Rapunzel deemed her ready for a second finger, and thrust both his fingers inside of her. Henrietta gasped at the sensation of being filled and stretched. "Does this feel good, Henrietta?" Rapunzel asked in a rumbling tone. His cock was throbbing painfully in his pants, and it was taking all of his self-control not to whip his cock out and bury himself balls-deep inside of Henrietta.

"Yes!" Henrietta said breathlessly.

Rapunzel scissored his fingers as he prepared her sex to take his cock. She was so tight. _This is really like being with a virgin. I'll have to make her come at least once if I'm to make her relaxed enough to get inside of her._ With this goal in mind Rapunzel used his thumb to rub circles on Henrietta's clit while he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of her.

In seconds, Henrietta was pushed over the edge, and she came. "Rapunzel!" she cried, her sex clenching around Rapunzel's fingers.

When Rapunzel pulled his fingers out of her, they came out slick and wet with her sweet essence. "I'm going to make you feel even better," Rapunzel promised in a deep voice before removing his undergarments.

Henrietta's curious gaze immediately went to Rapunzel's erection, and her eyes widened. His cock was long, thick and hard, and pressing against his six-pack abs. "It's so big." She began to panic. "You're too big. You won't fit. I'll break."

Rapunzel stroked his cock as he stared down at Henrietta's naked body that was covered in a light sheen of sweat that made her skin glisten prettily. "This has already been inside you once before. There's nothing to fear. I'll be gentle. It will feel good. I promise."

Rapunzel moved over Henrietta so that his cock pressed against her sex. In order to distract her, Rapunzel captured Henrietta's lips in a hot, passionate kiss. He prodded her mouth with his tongue until she opened her mouth and let him inside.

The blacksmith swirled his tongue around Henrietta's in such a way that she saw stars, and her sex started to throb with want. She arched her back, raised her hips, and grinded herself against Rapunzel's erection instinctively.

_Now she's ready for me._ While Rapunzel continued to French kiss Henrietta, he grabbed his erection, and guided it to her entrance. With the way her pussy was clenching and unclenching it felt like it was kissing the very tip of his cock, and beckoning him inside.

Rapunzel started to push his cock inside of her slowly. Henrietta's eyes widened, and she moaned into his mouth. Once the head of his cock was inside of her, he let her adjust to the feeling for a minute before thrusting his cock all the way inside of her in one smooth, hard thrust until he was balls-deep inside of her.

Henrietta cried out into Rapunzel's mouth at the sensation of being stretched and completely filled. Tears slid down Henrietta's flushed face. She felt so overwhelmed by the feeling of Rapunzel being inside of her.

Concernedly, Rapunzel pulled back, kissed her cheeks, and licked up her salty tears. "Did I hurt you, Henrietta?"

"No. I just feel so...overwhelmed," Henrietta began to explain as she stared into Rapunzel's green eyes that were swirling with worry. "I never knew it would feel like _this_. I feel so taken. Owned. Subjugated."

Rapunzel could feel Henrietta's sex fluttering around his cock, and knew that if he started pounding away that he would hurt her. The blacksmith had to use all his willpower to remain perfectly still. He had to let Henrietta get used to the feeling of his cock being inside of her before he could start moving selfishly for his own pleasure.

Rapunzel smiled down at Henrietta, and arched an eyebrow at her. "Oh? You feel that way, but I feel the same. I feel like I'm completely at your mercy."

That's when Henrietta noticed that Rapunzel was trembling slightly, and she offered him a tremulous smile. "I'm fine. You can move now, Rapunzel."

"Are you sure?" Rapunzel gave her a searching look. "I don't want to hurt you."

Henrietta experimentally wriggled her hips. "It's...already starting to feel good. Having you inside me. Make me feel even better, Rapunzel."

"As you wish, milady," Rapunzel said in a rough voice, before he started to thrust his cock in and out of Henrietta's delicious heat. He set a languid pace for their lovemaking that was deliciously torturous for them both.

Henrietta dug her nails into Rapunzel's back, drawing blood, but he didn't mind. The doctor raised her hips to meet his thrusts, and that's when Rapunzel picked up the pace and started to pound into Henrietta. Henrietta cried out and dug her nails deeper into his back.

There was something building up inside of her again, but more powerful this time, and when Rapunzel reached down between their bodies and rubbed at her clit she was pushed over the edge. "Rapunzel!" she shouted his name as she came. Henrietta's pussy clenched around Rapunzel's cock, and her body trembled as waves of pleasure crashed over her.

The feeling of her pussy fluttering around him pushed Rapunzel over the edge, and with one last deep thrust he came inside of Henrietta. Henrietta shivered as she felt Rapunzel's hot seed splashing her insides. Henrietta hugged Rapunzel to her chest and kissed him. He eagerly kissed her back.

They continued to kiss for several minutes as they both came down from their orgasm high. Rapunzel carefully pulled out of Henrietta, and flopped down beside her on the mattress that creaked at the abuse.

Henrietta immediately turned onto her side and snuggled up close to Rapunzel, resting her cheek on his bicep. She wrapped a possessive arm around his waist.

Rapunzel let out a low chuckle. "I had the feeling you'd be a cuddler."

"Oh? You don't like cuddling?" Henrietta asked sleepily.

"No. I love it," Rapunzel said, feeling sated and content with this woman in his arms. He breathed in deep. She smelled like spicy gingerbread and nutmeg. Her hair had come free from her bun and cascaded down her back. Rapunzel ran his hand down over her hair and a sudden thought occurred to him that made him frown. "Henrietta, are you going to take a potion to prevent you from getting pregnant again?"

Henrietta opened her eyes and looked up to give Rapunzel a quizzical look. "Why would I do that? I _chose_ to have sex with you. I chose this. I wanted this. I wanted _you_. And if I end up pregnant with your child...then so be it. It'll be the child of the man I love. I love you, Rapunzel. I always have...ever since that first moment when I saw you sitting in your tower window, and the sun was making your golden hair glow. For me, it was love at first sight."

Rapunzel was caught off-guard by Henrietta's sudden confession of love, and opened his mouth to respond, but his thoughts strayed to Hydie. He instantly felt guilty, and as though he'd betrayed Hydie, even though it wasn't like they were officially courting or anything serious like that. Rapunzel cared for Hydie, and when he searched his feelings he found that he cared for Henrietta _equally_.

Rapunzel came to a startling revelation in that moment. _Oh my God. I'm in love with Hydie and Henrietta. I'm in love with two women at the same time. Two women that currently inhabit the same body. I'm so fucked._

Dr. Henrietta Jekyll was looking for a cure to her condition of transforming into Hydie. She wanted to be rid of Hydie forever. Essentially, she wanted to _kill_ Hydie - the woman he _also_ loved. _This is so fucked up._

Rapunzel did the only thing that a man could do in his situation. He pretended to fall asleep, and started to snore loudly.

***

The following morning, Redmond burst through the front door holding three dead pheasants by their feet in one hand. "Rise and shine, lovebirds! I caught breakfast!" The hunter looked around the room, and spotted a _very_ naked Henrietta curled up against Rapunzel, and a leer started to form on his face. "Hubba hubba!"

Redmond's loud voice woke up Henrietta, who sat up, covered her breasts with her hands, and promptly started to freak out. "Redmond! Don't you dare look at me, you scoundrel!"

Rapunzel quickly covered Henrietta's naked body with his own, and shot a glare over his shoulder at Redmond. "A little privacy for the lady, please, Red!"

Redmond's gaze lowered and landed on Rapunzel's bare ass, and he grinned wolfishly. "Nice ass. Are you sure I can't change your mind about a threesome?" He waggled his eyebrows at the couple.

"Leave before I gouge your eyeballs out with a spoon!" Rapunzel threatened, not feeling amused in the least.

"I'll just go pluck the feathers off these pheasants while you two get dressed, or have a quickie," Redmond said with a wink. "Up to you, really." Rapunzel launched the only pillow on the bed at Redmond's head. Redmond ducked and chuckled as he left the cottage, and closed the door behind him.

Rapunzel rolled off of Henrietta, and gave her an awkward smile. "Sorry. I must have been heavy."

"No. It's fine," Henrietta said, acting shy. "Thank you for shielding my nakedness from that lecherous Peeping Tom."

"Anytime," Rapunzel said, causing them both to blush at the implication that what had just happened between them may happen again. They dressed with their backs turned in order to respect each other's privacy, which Rapunzel thought was a little odd since he'd already seen Henrietta naked. His thoughts went to Hydie, and he couldn't help but think that the witch probably enjoyed sleeping naked.

Half an hour later, Redmond returned with the plucked pheasants, and Henrietta cooked them over her makeshift grill. They sat at the small dining table eating delicious pheasant, and started to discuss their next course of action.

Rapunzel steepled his fingers before him on the table and gave Redmond an intent look. "Red, what kind of security does Draculara have at the castle? Are there monsters?"

Redmond's mouth was full of pheasant, so he quickly chewed and swallowed before answering. "No monsters. But we'll have to get past Draculara's three lovers first. There's a _samurai_ named Tomoe, a Scottish swordsman named Scathach, and an axe-wielding Viking named Frey. They were all legendary heroes, but they were unable to defeat Draculara and were turned. They're not like the vampires we've faced so far. They're stronger, faster, and more deadly."

"We have no choice but to trust in our abilities and to fight them," Rapunzel said with a determined glint in his green eyes. "If we can't make it past them then the adventure ends here for us."

Henrietta arched an eyebrow at Rapunzel. "That's it? That's your grand Master Plan. You're just going to wing it?" she asked, her voice laced with disbelief.

"My kind of plan," Redmond said with a smirk. "No use worrying about things you can't do anything about."

"That's...incredibly irresponsible!" Henrietta scolded.

Rapunzel folded his arms over his chest. "Then...do you have a _better_ plan, Henrietta?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I do," Henrietta said, pushing her glasses up her nose in a snooty manner. "We'll find the enemy, engage them in battle, well, you both will do that, while I observe the enemy, and make an analysis in order to determine their strengths and weaknesses. After that, we'll retreat, and come up with a foolproof plan to defeat them."

"So...your plan is to go fight and run away like a coward?" Rapunzel asked sardonically.

"It's called a tactical retreat," Henrietta argued.

"You should turn into Hydie before we go," Rapunzel suggested.

Henrietta bristled in irritation. "You want to see Hydie _that_ badly?"

Rapunzel flushed. "No...but she's more useful in battle."

"I told you...I'm going to prove to you that you can win a fight without having to rely on brute force," Henrietta said with an air of impatience. "We'll win with the power of science, and by using our intelligence to outsmart our enemy. You'll need my brain for that."

Rapunzel didn't like this idea at all. "It's too dangerous. What if you get attacked?"

"Well, then you and Red will just have to protect me," Henrietta said nonchalantly.

"Sounds good to me," Redmond casually agreed.

Rapunzel let out a grumpy sigh. "Alright. Fine."

***

Rapunzel, Redmond, and Henrietta made their way to the castle. As they neared the castle Henrietta was able to better admire its Transylvanian architecture. The walls of the castle were white, and its towers had conical roofs covered with terracotta tiles. "I wonder how Leader was able to transport this entire castle here?" Henrietta murmured to herself.

The group reached the bottom of the steps that led up to the front door of the castle unhindered. They climbed the steps, opened the front door, and entered an impressive foyer that had a red and black checkered marble floor. A black, wrought-iron chandelier with hundreds of lit black candles was hanging overhead.

As soon as all three of them had entered the foyer a magical teleportation circle appeared beneath their feet, and they were whisked away to another part of the castle. Rapunzel, Redmond and Henrietta materialized in a dining room. A long ebony table surrounded by twelve armchairs with red velvet cushions dominated most of the space. Beneath the table was a red, gold, and black Persian carpet.

Another black wrought-iron chandelier was hanging directly over the center of the dining table. The windows were covered by long, red velvet drapes. Two bronze candelabra with lit black candles were sitting on the table, and helping to illuminate it. The flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows on three large oil paintings that were hanging on the walls, and on the suits of armor that were displayed in alcoves.

Seated at the far end of the table were three vampire males. They were sipping glasses of what appeared to be red wine, but what was probably fresh human blood. Tomoe, Frey and Scathach sniffed the air and looked up to see Rapunzel, Redmond and Henrietta. Frey and Scathach smiled while Tomoe remained expressionless.

"Heroes!" one of the vampires exclaimed in a boisterous manner. He had long, blonde hair, a braided beard, and red eyes. "It's been so long since heroes came to face us! I've been itching for a fight!" Rapunzel took in the male's battle armor and winged helmet, and knew this must be the Viking warrior, Frey, that Redmond had told them about.

There was also a full-size portrait on the wall of a Viking warrior that resembled Frey. In the painting, Frey was driving a golden chariot that was being pulled by two enormous cats. Frey picked up his battleaxe and stood up from the table.

"A bonnie lass?" one of the other vampires who'd spotted Henrietta said in a Scottish accent while a leer spread across his face. Rapunzel realized this vampire must be Scathach. The Scotsman's ruggedly handsome face was decorated by swirling blue tattoos. "I bet her blood tastes sweet. Better than this swill." He tossed his crystal goblet of blood to the floor where it shattered.

When Scathach stood up from his seat at the table it revealed he was wearing a red and black plaid kilt, and no shirt. A large, double-edged sword was strapped to his side. Rapunzel noted that the full-size portrait of a Scotsman in a battle ready stance with his broadsword held in a two-handed grip before him had to be of Scathach.

As the Scottish vampire drew closer to Henrietta, Rapunzel and Redmond both instinctively moved to stand in front of her in a protective manner. "Did you get a load of those paintings on the walls, Rapunzel?" Redmond asked. "These guys are a bunch of narcissists."

"Yeah," Rapunzel said. "Those paintings obviously depict what they looked like when they were still human heroes."

"The woman doesn't appear to be a fighter," the last vampire mused aloud in a pensive tone. Due to process of elimination, and the fact that he was wearing a black and red _kimono,_ Rapunzel knew this vampire had to be the _samurai_ Tomoe. He had thick, shiny black hair that was pulled into a ponytail, and almond-shaped red eyes.

Rapunzel's gaze darted to the third portrait hanging on the wall, which featured a _samurai_ dressed in full red armor and a horned helmet. In the painting, Tomoe was riding a brown horse while about to fearlessly fire his bow at an unseen enemy.

"I'll let you two handle this," Tomoe told the other vampires. "It would be dishonorable to fight them together."

Frey shrugged his massive shoulders. "Suit yourself, Tomoe. It's strange that you adhere to your _bushido_ even now that you're a vampire."

The Scotsman raked a hand back through his short, wavy, coppery-red hair. "Come closer, lassie, so I can get a better look a ye," Scathach said, his red eyes glittering with an unsettling combination of malice and lust.

Rapunzel unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Scathach. "That's as close as you're going to get to Henrietta, vampire scum."

Scathach quirked his head at Rapunzel. "Oh? Is she your woman?"

Rapunzel hesitated upon answering, but then said: "Yes." He charged forward and swung his sword at Scathach. In the blink of an eye, the Scotsman had unsheathed his own sword, and had used it to block Rapunzel's attack.

Frey turned his attention to Redmond with a predatory look on his face. "I suppose this means you're my opponent, Hunter." A feral smile curled his lips, and an excited gleam formed in his red eyes. "Let's see what you can do. Try not to disappoint me too much!"

"I'll only need one shot to take you down, Viking!" Redmond said confidently, nocking an arrow to his bow, pulling back on the string as far as it would go, aiming at Frey, and loosing the arrow. The Viking's grin only widened as the arrow went whizzing through the air towards him, and he used his battleaxe to cut the arrow in two right before it would have hit him.

Redmond's eyes widened in shock as he watched the arrow get neatly sliced into two. That had been his fastest attack possible. _He's fast. Too fast. Shit. I'm so fucked._ The hunter quickly nocked another arrow to his bow, but before he could even loose the arrow Frey was suddenly standing right in front of him.

Before Redmond could properly react Frey headbutt him hard. Redmond cried out, dropped his bow, and staggered backwards a few steps in a dazed state.

Frey stalked towards Redmond with thunderous steps. He reached out, wrapped his hand around Redmond's throat, and lifted the hunter up off the floor. The Viking started to tighten his grip on Redmond's throat. Redmond struggled in Frey's grip, raking his nails against the Viking's hand while his feet dangled over the floor.

"Redmond!" Rapunzel yelled out in concern upon seeing what was happening to the hunter.

"How long are you going to play with your food, Scathach?" Frey accused, casting a sideways glance at the Scotsman.

With a chagrined look Scathach placed a hand behind his head. "You caught me, Frey. But it's been so long since I fought a fellow hero. I wanted to have a little fun first." The Scotsman disarmed Rapunzel with a quick twist of his wrist.

Rapunzel's sword went flying up into the air, and Scathach caught it in his left hand. The Scotsman put both swords at Rapunzel's throat, and crossed them like a giant pair of pruning shears that were about to cut the bud off a flower.

_They were just playing with us._ Rapunzel realized with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. _They're on a whole other level compared to those other vampires._

Tomoe stood up from his seat, revealing that he had a _samurai_ sword strapped to his side, and approached. "Wait. Don't kill them. They're both handsome young men. Draculara will probably wish to add them to our ranks."

Frey let out a disappointed sound and tossed Redmond aside. The hunter turned on his side, and coughed and wheezed for breath.

"Hey, Tomoe, get your ass over here, and keep an eye on this guy for a second, would you?" Scathach said.

Tomoe strolled over to Rapunzel, unsheathed his _katana_ , and held it to Rapunzel's throat. Scathach pulled the swords away from Rapunzel's neck right after that, and sheathed his sword. He tossed the Sword of Light aside, and Rapunzel watched wistfully as it skidded across the floor out of his reach.

Scathach approached the visibly frightened and trembling Henrietta. Her heart was thudding violently against her ribcage, and she knew that the vampire could probably hear it. Scathach was swaggering over to her when suddenly he was behind Henrietta, and his left arm was wrapped around her waist in order to prevent her from escaping.

The Scotsman leaned over to breathe in her ear: "You smell so good. I can hear your heart beating so fast, like a scarred little rabbit. Your fear drives me wild, lassie. I must have a taste of your blood. I bet it's delicious." Scathach used his right hand to tilt Henrietta's head to the side in order to expose her neck to him.

"No! Don't touch her!" Rapunzel growled.

Tomoe pressed his _katana_ harder into Rapunzel's throat to keep his quiet. "Don't move. Or you're dead."

That moment of distraction was all Henrietta needed. She reached into her cleavage, pulled out a potion bottle, uncorked it, and drank the purple-colored potion.

To be continued in...Chapter 11:

### Chapter 11:

Henrietta started to transform into Hydie. Her pale, lavender-colored eyes changed into a deep violet color, and her wild, curly hair burst free from the confines of her bun. Seconds later, Hydie blinked, and quickly took in her surroundings while taking stock of the current situation she was in.

There was an incredibly handsome vampire male behind her about to suck her blood. He was also shirtless. _Pervert._ She thought scathingly. Rapunzel had been disarmed, and another male vampire wearing a _kimono_ had a _katana_ to his throat. There was a small cut on Rapunzel's throat, and a trickle of blood was running down his neck.

Hydie then noticed that there was some other guy she'd never seen before on the floor who was gasping and wheezing for breath. A new ally Rapunzel had picked up along the way, perhaps? She mused. _What's with the flashy red riding hood?_

_Looks like these boys are in need of a rescue. Good thing Henrietta decided to summon me._ Hydie spun around in the vampire's grip, raised her hands, and viciously dug her thumbnails into the vampire's eyeballs.

Scathach cried out as he was blinded, and let go of Hydie. Cackling evilly, Hydie skipped backwards away from the Scotsman in order to put some distance between them. "What's the matter? Am I too much for you to handle, Big Boy?" A wide, sadistic smile spread across her face.

"You bitch!" Scathach snarled in her general direction. "I can't see! I'm blind!"

"Oh, boohoo. Don't be such a baby," Hydie said mockingly. "You're a vampire. Your eyeballs will regenerate in just a few minutes." She blinked her eyes just once, and the vampire male dressed in the _kimono_ was swinging his sword at her head.

Hydie reached into her dress pocket, pulled out her _gunsen,_ and used it to block the sword blow. Steel met steel with a loud clang. Hydie let out an impressed whistle. "Whoo, you're fast! But so am I!" The witch opened her metal war fan, summoned her magical power, and waved her fan in Tomoe's direction. " _Ventus Mitte Falcem!_ "

A barrage of sickle-shaped wind blades headed his way. Tomoe raised his sword to try and block the invisible attack, but the attack hit him and he was blasted back. Tomoe hit the far wall with a crack. His body formed a crater on the wall from the force of the impact.

Hydie whirled to face Rapunzel. "Grab your friend and let's get the hell out of here, Punzie!"

Rapunzel nodded and ran towards Redmond's fallen form. Frey charged towards Rapunzel with his battleaxe raised, but he was forced to skid to a halt and jump backwards in order to avoid a barrage of wind blades Hydie had sent his way.

Rapunzel managed to reach Redmond, pulled him up off the floor, and slung the hunter's arm around his shoulders.

"There is no escape, heroes!" Frey roared in a booming voice. "Once someone enters the castle all exits are sealed off with magic. You're trapped like rats in a trap!"

Hydie ran over to her briefcase, set it flat on the floor, opened it, and called out to Rapunzel. "Follow me! Hurry!" Hydie cast a glance over her shoulder at the vampires. "We'll be back!" the witch promised before jumping into the open briefcase and disappearing.

Rapunzel's eyes widened at the unexpected sight, but he did as he was instructed. At this point he'd learn to roll with the punches. He ran over to the briefcase, tossed Redmond in first, and then jumped in after his comrades. As soon as Rapunzel had entered the briefcase it shut and locked itself behind him.

***

Rapunzel groaned and pushed himself up off a dusty wooden floor. He straightened and looked around at his new surroundings. "Where the hell are we?" Rapunzel asked curiously. "What is this place?" It looked like some kind of potions lab. There were long wooden tables covered with Tesla coils sparkling with purple electric energy, chemistry sets, glass beakers, test tubes, and test-tube holders.

The bookshelves that were pushed up against the walls were overflowing with books, and there was even a forge off to one side that was currently unlit. Rapunzel felt a stab of betrayal at the fact that Hydie had had access to a forge all along and hadn't told Rapunzel.

"This is Dr. Henrietta Jekyll's Laboratory," Hydie began to explain. "The very same one she had back in London, England. That's a place on Earth. Leader let her bring the lab with her through means of this magic briefcase."

A groan reached Rapunzel's ears and he noticed that Redmond was still lying on the floor and went over to help him. Rapunzel assisted the man to his feet, slung his arm around his shoulders, and helped him over to a chair. "Take a seat." Rapunzel deposited Redmond on a chair before placing his hand on the hunter's neck, summoning his power, and concentrating on healing Redmond's shattered windpipe.

Rapunzel's hand started to glow with a golden light, and seconds later his hair started to glow too. Redmond's eyes widened as he watched Rapunzel heal him, and the pain in his throat was disappearing. "Your hair is glowing, Blacksmith," Redmond said in a hoarse voice.

"I'm aware," Rapunzel said dryly.

"What are you? Part firefly or something?" Redmond teased. Hydie snorted in amusement at the outlandish suggestion. Redmond's curious gaze went to Hydie, and he took in her changed appearance. "Who are you, lovely?"

The witch offered the hunter a sharp smile. "I'm Hydie...Henrietta's _better_ half."

"That's up for debate," Rapunzel drawled.

"Pleasure to meet you, Hydie," Redmond said, a twinkle of interest in his brown eyes. "Thanks for saving our asses back there!"

Hydie blushed. People didn't normally thank her so easily. "Er...it was nothing. Don't mention it."

"Well, we got our asses kicked by Draculara's pretty-boy harem vampires. That's pretty pathetic. What now? I don't think we're a match for them. They can dodge _my_ arrows and that should be impossible!" Redmond complained.

"Hmm. I doubt they could dodge bullets," Hydie said casually.

Rapunzel and Redmond shot Hydie questioning looks. "What are bullets?" the blacksmith asked.

Hydie's eyes widened. "Oh. I suppose you two wouldn't know what a gun and bullets are. A gun is a weapon from my world that uses bullets. It replaced the bow and arrow as the most powerful projectile weapon, and revolutionized warfare. Too bad Dr. Henrietta doesn't own a gun..."

"A weapon?" Rapunzel echoed, his green eyes glittering with interest. "What's it made out of?"

"Well, steel. I think..." Hydie trailed off unsurely.

"I think you're forgetting I'm a blacksmith," Rapunzel said with a cocky smirk curling his lips. "I can make _any_ weapon."

"This...could work," Hydie said, nodding. "I doubt those vampires will be able to dodge bullets. But I don't know how to make gunpowder. You'll need Henrietta for that." She pouted at the idea of having to leave Rapunzel so soon, and shot him a wistful look. "And I just got to see you again...and now I have to go." Hydie walked over to a collection of small potion bottles and selected one that was filled with a purple serum.

Rapunzel reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "Wait." He gave Hydie an intense look. "I...missed you too, Hydie."

Hydie blushed uncharacteristically. "You did?"

Rapunzel cupped Hydie's cheek and kissed her by way of response. The blacksmith deepened their kiss, pulled Hydie flush up against him, and began to slide his hand down her back towards her shapely ass.

Redmond cleared his throat awkwardly when their kissing began to get a little too intense to be appropriate to continue watching without their knowledge. "Ahem."

Hydie and Rapunzel instantly broke apart looking flushed and embarrassed at getting carried away and forgetting Redmond was in the room with them.

"Sorry to be a cockblock, but...this room has no exits. And unless I get to join in I'd rather not have to watch you two get it on," Redmond explained with a teasing note to his voice.

A mischievous glint formed in Hydie's eyes. "Oh? You wish to join us in carnal pleasure? Sure. Why not? You're hot."

Rapunzel whirled to gawk at Hydie with a scandalized look on his face. "Hydie! We're are _not_ going to have a threesome with Redmond!"

Hydie pouted. "Awww. Why not?" she whined in a petulant manner.

"Because if another man touches you...I'll have to kill him," Rapunzel explained darkly.

"Killjoy," Hydie complained, but she was smiling. "Although, I don't mind your possessiveness. I think it's hot. Well, until next time, Punzie. Cheers!" Hydie uncorked the bottle and drank the potion.

"I like her," Redmond said, and gave Rapunzel a questioning look. "And ' _Punzie_ '?"

"Only my close friends are able to call me that," Rapunzel said, thinking of how Aurelion had started the trend of people calling him 'Punzie'. He missed his friends so much in that moment it was almost a physical ache.

"Aren't we friends?" Redmond asked. "How much closer do we have to get before I can call you 'Punzie' too?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "Closeness among friends isn't something you plan. It just happens naturally. This conversation is becoming cringy, by the way."

"What? Men can't talk about their feelings?" Redmond joked.

"No. They can't," Rapunzel said in a very serious tone, which caused Redmond to chuckle.

The two young men watched as Hydie transformed into Henrietta. The differences between the two women were subtle - Hydie's eye color changed from violet to a pale, lavender color, and her wild hair straightened.

Henrietta blinked and glanced around her surroundings. She was surprised to discover being inside of her lab. She pulled her hair up into a tight bun, and put her round glasses on before she turned to regard Rapunzel and Redmond. "So...I take it Hydie saved us?" she asked with a bitter note to her voice. Rapunzel nodded. "Why she'd bring me back?" the doctor asked.

"Hydie told us about a weapon from your world called a 'gun'," Rapunzel began to explain. "She said we could use it against the vampires."

Henrietta's eyes widened. "That's...actually a really good idea. I can't believe Hydie thought of that. I can make the gunpowder, and you, Rapunzel, will make the guns." Henrietta walked over to one of the bookcases. "I'm sure I have a book on how to forge a gun in here somewhere." She scanned the book titles, found the book she was looking for, and removed it from the shelf. "Here. It's this one."

Redmond pointed to himself. "What can I do to help?"

"Making gunpowder is a precise science," Henrietta said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "And Rapunzel is the blacksmith, so I'd leave it to the expert to forge the revolvers. Once the gunpowder is ready though you can help us assemble the cartridges, which are made up of a single bullet, a case, gunpowder, and a percussion cap."

Redmond scratched his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about but...sure."

By following the book's precise instructions, Rapunzel was able to create molds that would be used to create all the parts needed for a revolver. He planned to make three revolvers. Once all the molds were ready Rapunzel started to pour molten steel into the molds. After the parts had cooled down, he began to assemble the revolvers.

Meanwhile, Henrietta made gunpowder. "Now that I've made the gunpowder we have a decision to make," the doctor began. "Are we still trying to cure these vampires? Or should we just kill them?"

"How would we just kill them?" Rapunzel asked.

"We'd make the bullets out of silver," Henrietta revealed. "And aim for their hearts."

Rapunzel thought about it for a couple of minutes before coming to a decision. "No. I want to try and cure them, if possible. They used to be legendary heroes before they were turned and became Draculara's lovers."

"More like sex slaves," Redmond muttered to himself.

"What do you think, Redmond?" Henrietta asked.

"I agree with Rapunzel," Redmond said. "We should save them, if we can. I used to be a vampire...so I know. Your whole outlook changes when you become a vampire, and once you're turned back...it's like waking up from a nightmare." The hunter shuddered as he remembered the unquenchable thirst for blood he'd felt as a vampire.

Henrietta nodded. "Alright. The bullets can be made out of ordinary metal instead of silver. This also means we'll have to add a compartment to the cartridge that will hold the cure since it's a liquid. Keep in mind that the bullets will restore their mortality so you don't want to hit them anywhere vital. Aim for their arms and legs."

"Understood," Rapunzel and Redmond said in unison.

Henrietta and Rapunzel discussed the blueprints for making a cartridge, and Rapunzel set to work making the parts. After that, with Henrietta's instructions the young men began to assemble the cartridges. The cartridges were made up of a percussion cap, single bullet, and case which had two compartments \- one filled with gunpowder and one filled with the cure.

By the time they were finished they'd made sixty bullets. That would give them twenty bullets each. Henrietta said it would be more than enough. Henrietta picked up one of the revolvers and began to inspect it. "I can hardly believe we were able to make revolvers by ourselves like this," Henrietta said, giving Rapunzel an appreciative smile. "You're an amazing blacksmith, Rapunzel."

"Thanks," Rapunzel said, flushing slightly at the starry-eyed look Henrietta was giving him.

Henrietta opened the revolver's cylinder, and started to slide bullets into each of the six chambers. "Each chamber in the cylinder holds one cartridge." She popped the cylinder back into place with a flick of her wrist. "Single action revolvers like this one operate by manually cocking the hammer back with your thumb, like so." Henrietta demonstrated the move. "Which causes a little arm to come up and rotate the cylinder to line up the next cartridge with the back end of the barrel. The hammer then stays back until you pull the trigger."

Henrietta set up a line of tin cans on a table and walked away from it until she was standing at the other side of the room. She aimed the revolver at one of the tin cans. "When the hammer hits the primer, it explodes, and the flash from that little explosion then ignites the gunpowder inside the cartridge, and the pressure from that explosion drives the bullet out of the front of the cartridge into the barrel, and eventually out the other end, hopefully, to hit one of the vampires."

Henrietta pulled down on the trigger, and a bullet flew out of the barrel, zoomed through the air, and hit the center of the tin can. With a smug expression on her face, Henrietta raised the revolver, and playfully blew on the tip of the barrel. Rapunzel and Redmond applauded Henrietta's feat. "Now I want you boys to practice shooting cans. Once you're no longer missing...you'll be ready to face those vampires."

A few hours passed as the boys practiced shooting, and finally they stopped missing their marks, and began to hit the cans dead center. A pleased expression formed on Henrietta's face, which quickly turned to disappointment. "Well, I suppose you boys don't need me anymore. I'll bring back Hydie for the final battle." She walked over to the collection of potion bottles, selected a bottle, and was about to drink it, when-

Redmond called out to Rapunzel. "Hey, aren't you going to give Henrietta a 'goodbye kiss'? You gave Hydie one earlier."

"Redmond!" Rapunzel growled angrily. "You're a dead man."

" _Oh_ , so you gave Hydie a 'goodbye kiss' and not me," Henrietta began, her lavender eyes flashing. "You wanted to kiss Hydie, but not me? Hmm? That must mean that you like Hydie more than me! Hmph!"

"It's not like that. I swear," Rapunzel immediately started to explain. "I just hadn't seen Hydie for so long, and I missed her."

"You missed her," Henrietta echoed coldly. "So that makes it _okay_ to kiss her? Rapunzel, which one of us are you in love with?" She narrowed his eyes at the blacksmith.

"Both of you," Rapunzel muttered.

Henrietta sucked in a shocked breath. "A person's heart can only belong to _one_ person, Rapunzel. That's what makes it _true love_. If you claim to love more than one woman...then you don't truly love either of them." A flash of hurt and betrayal crossed her face.

"All I know is how I feel," Rapunzel argued with a conflicted look on his face. "And I love you both. Equally."

"You fool. That just makes you a womanizer," Henrietta argued. "It's fine. I understand. I know you like Hydie _more_. She's the one you truly love, so...we should just be friends." The doctor held her hand out for Rapunzel to shake.

Rapunzel took Henrietta's hand and shook it. "Friends, then."

"You can be Hydie's lover for as long as she has left because I still intend to find a cure and rid myself of her, Rapunzel," Henrietta said, and Rapunzel swiftly let go of her hand as if he'd been zapped. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Rapunzel said with an angry edge to his voice.

"Good luck, boys!" Henrietta said with false cheerfulness before drinking the potion and transforming into Hydie.

Redmond noticed the sad, dejected look on Rapunzel's face and immediately felt guilty and ashamed. "Look, I didn't mean for that to happen, man. I'm sorry."

"No. It's okay. She's right," Rapunzel said, a dark cloud settling over his face. "You can't be in love with two people at the same time. I must be crazy."

"Do you really love Hydie _more_?" Redmond asked curiously.

"I...don't know, but I do know that a hero isn't supposed to fall in love with a villain in the first place," Rapunzel said grimly.

"Hmm. Who made that rule?" Redmond asked, stroking the stubble on his chin thoughtfully.

"It's just how things work in Fantasia," Rapunzel started to explain in a bitter tone. "The prince marries the princess. That's how it's always been."

Redmond shrugged. "I dunno. Things change. Nothing is immutable. Look, Rapunzel, you're the only one that knows what will make _you_ happy, in the end. Think good and hard about what you want. Whether you want to believe it or not - you're a hero. And heroes usually have someone they want to protect. A hero won't hesitate to run headlong into danger in order to save that precious someone either. You need to decide who you want to protect, and just do it."

"Decide who I want to protect..." Rapunzel echoed, thinking about his adoptive father Gothel, about Hydie, and about Dr. Henrietta Jekyll.

Hydie blinked, and looked at Rapunzel and Redmond. They looked blurry since Henrietta's glasses were still on her face. She quickly removed the glasses, folded them, and slipped them into her skirt's pocket. "Hey, guys, I'm back. Did you miss me?" she asked in a teasing tone while she undid the hair tie that was keeping her hair up in a bun. Her playful expression faltered when she noticed both young men had serious, dour looks on their faces.

Rapunzel looked at Hydie. "Yes. I did miss you."

Hydie blushed at his unexpected candidness. "Geez! How can you say such embarrassing things with such a straight face?" The witch gave Rapunzel a searching look as she continued to fix her hair. "You've changed. You're bolder now. I like it."

"I missed you too, Hydie," Redmond said, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"Yay! Who's up for that threesome?" Hydie asked with an impish glint in her violet eyes.

"Me!" Redmond said, raising his hand.

Rapunzel tried to stay angry, but ended up laughing at their foolishness. "You guys are impossible!"

Hydie and Redmond shot Rapunzel a startled look. "Whoa, so he _can_ laugh," Redmond teased.

"I laugh," Rapunzel said defensively. "When the occasion calls for it."

Hydie slung her arms around Rapunzel and Redmond's shoulders. "Let's do this, boys! Those pretty-boy vampires don't stand a chance against the power of science!"

Rapunzel gave Hydie an odd look. "Science, huh? You sound like Henrietta..."

A thoughtful frown formed on Hydie's face. "You're right. That was something she would say. Even though Henrietta made gunpowder and is a genius she doesn't have the _guts_ to use a gun against a group of vampires. But _I_ do." A cat's paw smile formed on Hydie's face.

Each of them grabbed a revolver and twenty bullets. Hydie approached the staircase that currently led to nothing. "Come along, boys, this way." As soon as the witch started to climb the stairs a door appeared at the top. Rapunzel and Redmond watched as she opened the door and exited, and they quickly followed after her.

The clicking sound of the briefcase's lock opening drew the vampires' attention in an instant, and they watched as Hydie, Rapunzel and Redmond abruptly burst out of the briefcase and materialized in the dining room.

"Hi, there! I said we'd be back," Hydie said, waving at the vampires enthusiastically.

"It's about time they got here," Frey said, standing up from his seat at the dining room table and turning his attention to Redmond. "I was getting bored." He grabbed his battleaxe and playfully rested it along the back of his shoulders.

"Oh, yeah. It's rematch time, buddy," Redmond addressed the Viking.

"Do try to entertain me for longer than last time, _Little_ Red Riding Hood," Frey said mockingly.

Redmond snorted. "There's nothing ' _little_ ' about me," he said suggestively.

"Oh, really?" Hydie said, playing along and casting an interested look towards Redmond's crotch.

Tomoe had his chin propped up on his hand and was studying Hydie with an intent look in his almond-shaped eyes. "You are different from the woman with the glasses. You are a fighter. I can sense your overwhelming bloodlust." He stood up from his place at the table, and a determined expression settled over his face. "I shall fight you, woman."

A wicked grin spread across Hydie's face, and she turned her attention to Tomoe. "Sure. Sounds fun! Let's dance, _samurai_!"

"And I'm going to get my sword back, Scotsman," Rapunzel announced, pinning his gaze on Scathach.

"Oh, really?" Scathach said, getting up from his seat at the dining room table. In his right hand he was wielding the Sword of Light, and in his left hand he was holding his own sword. "Try to take it from me, if you can, hero," he challenged.

"We are _so_ going to kick your asses this time!" Hydie said with a malevolent glint in her violet eyes.

The three vampires charged towards Rapunzel, Redmond, and Hydie with lightning speed. While Tomoe ran forward he unsheathed his _katana_ and pointed it in Hydie's direction. The trio whipped out their revolvers, aimed at the vampires, and fired.

Using his lightning fast reflexes, Tomoe used his _katana_ to deflect the bullet that had come zooming towards his arm. Meanwhile, Scathach used his two crossed swords to block the bullet that had been coming _his_ way.

Frey hadn't bothered to even try and use his axe to block the attack because what damage could a tiny metal projectile do to him? The bullet imbedded itself in Frey's shoulder, and the Viking laughed loudly at Redmond. "Is that the best you can do, Red? I barely felt that! That felt like a bug bite," he boasted in a condescending manner.

But then-

Frey cried out as the cure hit his bloodstream, and seconds later reached his heart causing him to transform. Frey's eyes changed color from red to sky-blue. The Viking's skin grew less pale, and his canines returned to a normal size. Lastly, his heart started to beat inside of his chest. A bewildered expression formed on the Viking's face. "W-What did you do to me?"

"I cured you, you lucky son of a bitch," Redmond said with a smirk. "You're human again. Rejoice."

"No!" Frey objected, horror swirling in his blue eyes. "If I'm human again then I can't serve Draculara properly."

"Now that you've returned to being human you _still_ wish to serve Draculara?" Redmond questioned in surprise, raising an intrigued eyebrow at the Viking. "But, why? She's a vampire."

"I love her," Frey said firmly. "And even though I may be human now...I'll still do what I can to protect her. That's why I can't let you leave this room alive, Redmond." The Viking raised his battleaxe and charged forward. Redmond aimed his revolver at the battleaxe, and fired at the blade until it shattered. Frey tossed his now useless weapon aside and raised his fists before him. "Let's settle this like real men. What do you say, Red?"

Redmond tossed the gun aside obligingly, and shrugged. "Sure. I'm game. Though I should warn you I've _never_ lost a fistfight."

Redmond and Frey charged towards each other, and when they were close enough they began to throw punches.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel faced off against Scathach. The blacksmith aimed at Scathach's other sword and shot at it. Scathach used his sword to block the bullets, but the blade was shattered in less than a minute. Now, Scathach only had Rapunzel's sword left to fight and defend himself with.

Rapunzel summoned his magic and concentrated on feeling his connection to his sword. The hilt of Rapunzel's sword began to increase in temperature, and grew hotter and hotter until the sizzling sound of flesh burning filled the air.

Scathach cried out in pain, and dropped Rapunzel's overly hot sword. Now that Scathach was unarmed Rapunzel aimed his revolver at the Scotsman's shoulder, and fired. The bullet flew through the air and imbedded itself in Scathach's shoulder. It didn't take long for the cure to enter Scathach's bloodstream, travel to his heart, and cause the vampire to transform.

Scathach let out a tortured yell as his eyes turned from red to gray, his canines returned to their original size, his skin became less pale, and his heart started to beat again.

Rapunzel picked up his sword and pointed it at Scathach. "It's over, Scathach. You're human now. You have no choice but to surrender."

"Bloody hell! Just because I'm human again you think I'm going to surrender?" Scathach said, his voice laced with disbelief. "You think I fear death? I don't care about my own life...only Draculara's!"

"You're in love with her too," Rapunzel realized, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Isn't she supposed to be an evil, bloodthirsty vampire?"

"You know nothing, Rapunzel!" Scathach snapped, casually walking over to an area in the dining room where swords had been hung on display on the wall. "Draculara became the monster Wallachia needed in order to strike fear into the hearts of the Turks so that they would finally pull their forces out of Romania. She may have impaled thousands of enemies, but she saved thousands more by dissuading the enemy to continue their brutal and bloody conquest. Sometimes you have to become a villain in order to be a hero." The Scotsman removed one of the swords from the wall, and pointed it in Rapunzel's direction. "Draculara...is worth dying for! Let's see who the better swordsman is, hero!"

Rapunzel put the revolver away, and placed his other hand on the hilt of his sword. "Alright. And I'm not a hero. I'm a blacksmith."

Scathach and Rapunzel charged towards each other, and engaged in battle. A mighty clang filled the air as the steel blades of their swords clashed.

Meanwhile, Hydie faced off against Tomoe. The witch continued to fire at the _samurai_ , and used her keen vision to get past Tomoe's defenses. A bullet finally snuck past Tomoe's guard, and imbedded itself in his upper arm.

The cure entered the _samurai_ 's bloodstream and seconds later reached his heart. Tomoe cried out as his red eyes turned brown, his pale skin changed into a golden-tanned color, and his canines returned to their original size. Tomoe placed a hand over his beating heart and let out a shocked gasp. "I'm...alive again."

"Are you going to surrender, Tomoe?" Hydie asked with raised eyebrows. "Or are you in love with Draculara too?"

Tomoe's brown eyes flashed with anger. "Though it is not any of your business...I love Draculara. I would do anything to protect her. So, no, I will _not_ surrender. I will continue to fight."

Hydie pocketed the revolver, and took out her two _gunsen_. "Fine with me. It's more fun this way!"

Tomoe looked at the two war fans curiously. "Your weapons are from my Kingdom. They are called _gunsen_."

"Well, these particular _gunsen_ are actually not from Fantasia, but from Japan," Hydie said with a thoughtful expression on her face. "A country that exists on my home world of Earth. It's pretty interesting that there are Asian people here in Fantasia, but I suppose that's because Asian countries have their own myths and legends about heroes. What is real, and what is not? To be...or not to be? That is the question. All I know is that I am real _now_. I exist _now_. Even if this place is some kind of fantasy world that only exists in the minds of Earthlings I plan to live my life to its fullest in this very moment."

Tomoe shook his head with a confused expression on his face. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Don't worry. It's not important," Hydie said, flashing the serious man a crooked smile.

"But I do understand about living life to its fullest," Tomoe said. "Those are noble sentiments that I agree with. I too wish to have no regrets if I leave this world. Let us fight!" The _samurai_ raised his _katana_ in a two-handed grip before him.

Hydie got into a fighting stance with one fan raised above her head, and the other lowered below her waist. The _samurai_ attacked Hydie and swung his sword at her. Hydie spun, blocked his attack, and delivered a fierce attack of her own. Her fan sliced into the front of Tomoe's chest.

Redmond knew what spots to target on the human body in order to fell an opponent quickly, and he used this knowledge against the Viking. Redmond sent a quick punch to his throat, followed this move up with a punch to the man's solar plexus that knocked the wind right out of him, and delivered a few more strategic punches in just the right places so that the two-hundred-pound Viking sank to his knees.

Rapunzel had wanted to save his magical energy for his confrontation against Draculara but...Scathach was an incredible swordsman. He couldn't get past Scathach's defenses no matter how hard he tried, and realized there was only one way to end this fight.

Rapunzel pointed his sword at Scathach, summoned his magical power, and concentrated. " _Solis Impetus!_ " A beam of golden light shot out of Rapunzel's sword, and headed towards Scathach.

Scathach raised his sword to block the energy attack, but this was a futile effort. The blast of magical energy hit the Scotsman in his chest and sent him flying backwards into the wall.

By this time, Tomoe was covered in a series of shallow cuts and slash wounds that had been made by Hydie's _gunsen_. The _samurai_ was growing lightheaded from loss of blood, his vision was starting to blur, and he stumbled forward as a wave of dizziness crashed over him.

Hydie lowered her fans. "It's over. You've lost, Tomoe."

"No," Tomoe denied stubbornly as he swayed on his feet. "I won't let you face Draculara. I _will_ protect her!"

"I will protect Draculara!" Frey and Scathach shouted back in obvious agreement.

Frey and Scathach struggled to stand. Even though they were both heavily injured and their wounds were bleeding profusely they still intended to keep on fighting.

At a loss, Redmond scratched his head. "What's up with these guys? They're suicidal."

"Love makes people do crazy things," Hydie joked.

"Why do you all go so far for Draculara?" Rapunzel asked, giving the three former heroes searching looks. "She doesn't care about you as much as you do for her, or else she'd be here right now fighting to protect you guys."

"You wouldn't understand," Scathach said. "Draculara loves us and trusts us to protect her."

"We ease the loneliness in her heart," Frey said, puffing his massive chest up with pride.

"And she eases the loneliness in _our_ hearts," Tomoe added sagely.

"That's why we will fight to protect her until our last dying breath!" Frey announced.

"Until our last dying breath!" Scathach and Tomoe said in unison.

"So annoying," Hydie complained in an impatient manner. "We don't have time for this. Let me take care of this, boys." The witch summoned her magical power and waved her fans towards the three former heroes. " _Turbinis Vasti!_ " Her magic created a tornado of wind that went spinning towards the three men.

When the tornado hit them it sucked them up into the cyclone of wind, and spit them out so that they were sent flying through the air until they hit the wall on the other side of the dining room. The three ex-vampires hit the wall with such force that all three of them were knocked unconscious instantly.

A sadistic smile curled Hydie's lips, and she wiped her hands off. "Well, that takes care of that."

Rapunzel shot Hydie a stern look. "Hydie, was it really necessary to treat them so harshly?"

Hydie's shoulders lifted in an unrepentant shrug. "We don't have time to humor their lovesickness. You need to conserve your magical energy for your fight against Draculara, Punzie. You can't afford to waste it here against these _mere_ humans."

"Mere humans? These brave men are heroes of Fantasia, and deserve your respect, Hydie," Rapunzel snapped angrily. He was worried about the fallen heroes, and hoped they were still alive.

"Respect?" Hydie sneered. "How long have these 'heroes' been bloodsucking vampires, I wonder? How long have they been villains?"

"Everyone deserves a chance at redemption," Rapunzel said, giving her a meaningful look. "Even you. It's never too late to turn back from the path of Evil and try to do Good, Hydie."

Hydie flinched at the suggestion. "It's too late for me, Punzie. I'm a villain through and through."

"You're wrong. I've seen the good in you," Rapunzel argued passionately. "I care about you, Hydie. I think that I may even lo-"

"No!" Hydie interrupted hotly. "Don't you dare finish that sentence. You're a fool to care about me. A fool to trust me. A hero and a villain can _never_ be together, Punzie. If you knew the truth about me...you would _hate_ me."

"I could never hate you," Rapunzel murmured softly.

Hydie's violet eyes flashed. "Never say never."

"Then tell me the truth so I can understand," Rapunzel prompted.

Redmond moved to stand between Rapunzel and Hydie, and raised his hands up before him in a placating gesture. "Whoa...just calm down, you two. Our blood is running hot from that fight just now, but we shouldn't be directing our anger at each other. Draculara is the real enemy here."

Hydie folded her arms over her chest. "Hmph. Fine!"

"Real enemy, huh?" Rapunzel said with a skeptical note to his voice.

The trio headed towards the exit of the dining room. The incarceration spell that had been around the dining room had been broken upon the defeat of Draculara's three 'husbands'. Redmond and Hydie exited first, and just as Rapunzel was about to exit the dining room Scathach called out to him. "Please, save Draculara."

"How?" Rapunzel asked softly, but as a minute passed without a response he realized that Scathach must have passed out.

Rapunzel, Redmond, and Hydie made their way out into the castle corridor, and started to search for the throne room. After a few minutes of searching they encountered two towering double doors that were made out of black steel. The image of a red dragon flying over a round, golden sun had been engraved into each door.

"This is it. The Boss Room," Rapunzel said as he eyed the monstrous dragons warily.

"We've got this," Redmond said reassuringly.

"This should be fun!" Hydie said, her violet eyes glittering with excitement. "Let the carnage begin!"

Rapunzel pushed the double doors open, and the group entered the throne room. The blacksmith looked around, and was impressed by the room's splendor. White marble columns with vertical gold stripes stood on either side of a wide center aisle that led to the gold throne sitting on a dais. The floor had an elaborate parquet pattern in different shades of brown. Red velvet curtains covered the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Regally seated upon the throne on a red velvet cushion was Draculara, the Vampire Queen. Her face was a perfect oval, her skin was as pale as the moon, and her lips were as red as a rose. Draculara's long black hair was decorated with braids. Rapunzel was surprised to see Draculara wearing battle armor instead of a fancy gown.

Her armor consisted of a red steel breastplate with the image of a dragon engraved on it, an armored skirt made of black and red metal scales, gauntlets, and armored boots. A double-edged broadsword was strapped to her side. She was obviously ready for battle.

Hanging directly above Draculara was a full-size portrait that was even larger than the portraits of the former heroes that had been hanging in the dining room. In the portrait Draculara was wearing a low-cut, red, velvet gown. She was wearing a golden crown, and the long, wavy points had been fashioned to resemble the sun's rays.

Redmond let out a whistle when he caught sight of the large portrait, which took up most of the back wall. "Whoo. And I thought the other guys were conceited. But Draculara here takes the cake."

"I suppose this means Scathach, Frey and Tomoe have been defeated," Draculara let out a disappointed sigh as she drummed her right hand on the arm of her throne. "Pity. I expected more from them."

Rapunzel's body started to tremble in rage on behalf of those brave, fallen heroes. "They put their lives on the line to protect you! Aren't you worried about them? Don't you want to know if they're still alive?"

Draculara's red eyes flashed with righteous anger. "They were vampires...and you're here, so of course you killed them. The spell I placed upon the dining room door could only be broken upon their defeat. How could they still be alive if you're here?"

Rapunzel opened his mouth to respond, but Redmond beat him to it. "Here's how!" the hunter shouted, whipping out his revolver, aiming it at Draculara, and firing. "Take this, Vampire Bitch!"

The bullet went whizzing through the air towards Draculara, but the Vampire Queen dodged, and the bullet imbedded itself in the back of her gilt throne. In a blink, Draculara was in front of Redmond, and snatching the gun out of his hand.

"Holy shit! She's fast!" Redmond exclaimed, his jaw dropping open in shock.

"What is this strange magical contraption?" Draculara asked as she inspected the gun curiously.

"It's called a revolver," Rapunzel piped up. "We used that weapon to cure Scathach, Frey and Tomoe of their vampirism."

"Impossible!" Draculara exclaimed, her gaze shifting to Rapunzel. "There is no cure to vampirism!"

Rapunzel whipped out his gun and pointed it at Draculara. "Care to test that theory by letting yourself get shot in the arm, Draculara?"

Draculara gave the blacksmith a bewildered look. "You shouldn't have revealed your trump card so easily. That was foolish. I have no interest in being cured...yet." She clenched her hand into a fist and Redmond's gun was turned into a useless ball of metal.

"Aw, man! My gun!" Redmond let out a moan of despair.

"I made a promise to an old friend that I must keep," Draculara explained, tossing the ball of metal carelessly over her shoulder. "And I have an important mission to fulfill."

"A promise?" Rapunzel prompted. "What mission?"

"I promised King Gothel Bones that I would kill the hero known as Blacksmith Rapunzel," Draculara revealed nonchalantly.

"Well, it's your lucky day, Draculara," Rapunzel said, a grim, lopsided smile forming on his face. "I'm Rapunzel."

"Is that so?" Draculara purred with a calculating glint in her red eyes. "Then...prepare to die!"

To be continued in...Chapter 12:

### Chapter 12:

Rapunzel aimed his revolver at Draculara and shot at her. He kept pulling down on the trigger and firing at Draculara again and again, but the Vampire Queen kept dodging the bullets with grace and very little effort.

One blink, and Draculara was in front of Rapunzel and snatching the gun out of his hand and crumpling it into a ball. She tossed the useless piece of metal over her shoulder, and it made a _thunking_ sound as it hit the parquet floor.

In another blink, her hand was shooting out and wrapping around Rapunzel's neck. She started to squeeze his throat while Rapunzel unsheathed his sword and slashed it at Draculara. The Vampire Queen was forced to jump backwards to avoid the deadly attack.

Draculara glared down at Rapunzel's sword that was pulsing with a golden light. "The Sword of Light. So it has appeared, just as prophesized. Let's see how your Sword of Light fares against my Sword of Darkness!" Draculara unsheathed her black steel sword, and pointed it at Rapunzel.

Rapunzel and Draculara charged towards each other, and as soon as they were close enough were swinging their swords. Seconds later, steel clashed against steel with a mighty clang. Rapunzel quickly pulled his sword back, swung it at Draculara again, and she blocked his attack.

A deadly dance ensued between the two skilled swordsmasters as they blocked and parried each other's attacks. With awed expressions on their faces, Redmond and Hydie watched Rapunzel and Draculara's swordfight.

"I feel so fucking useless," the hunter lamented. "Even if I had my bow - it wouldn't make much of a difference. Draculara is fast enough to dodge bullets. Dodging arrows would be child's play for her."

"And I can't attack Draculara because she's sticking to Punzie like glue," Hydie complained as she tracked Draculara and Rapunzel's movements with her sharp eyes. "If I attack, Punzie will get caught in the crossfire." She bit into her lower lip until it bled.

Draculara waved her sword and pointed it in Rapunzel's direction. " _Tenebris Trabem Impetus!_ Darkness Beam Attack!"

Rapunzel followed suit, summoned his magical power, waved his sword forward, and pointed it at Draculara. " _Solis Impetus!_ "

A beam of black magical energy shot out of Draculara's sword towards Rapunzel while at the same time a beam of gold magical energy shot out of the blacksmith's sword towards the Vampire Queen. The two magical attacks collided, a shower of golden sparks flew up into the air, and the collision sent out a powerful shockwave that almost managed to knock Redmond and Hydie right off their feet.

Draculara poured more of her magic into her attack so that Rapunzel's attack began to be pushed back. Quickly retaliating, Rapunzel poured more of his own magic into his attack so that her attack was abruptly halted.

Slack-jawed, Redmond and Hydie watched as the two magical energy attacks tried to overpower one another. Until-

Rapunzel had nothing left to give. He didn't have any more magical energy left to pour into his attack. _Shit!_ He could feel the incredible amount of pressure being placed on his arms. He decided not to risk hurting his right arm any longer, and removed his right hand from his sword. Almost immediately, Rapunzel could feel the bones in his left forearm starting to fracture.

Seconds later, Draculara's attack ended up overpowering Rapunzel's until the beam of dark energy collided with his chest, and sent him flying back through the air.

"Rapunzel!" Redmond shouted in concern.

"Punzie!" Hydie called out.

Rapunzel fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Draculara sashayed over to Rapunzel, and sneered down at him. She dug her armored boot into his wrist and forced Rapunzel to let go of his sword. Draculara then kicked his sword, and it went skidding across the parquet floor.

"Is this the best you can do, hero?" the Vampire Queen sneered condescendingly. "How sad. I'm disappointed. Gothel had such high hopes for you."

"Gothel?" Rapunzel questioned weakly. His left arm was in excruciating pain, and it was making him dizzy.

"Gothel overestimated you," Draculara said. "This is where you die."

Rapunzel wracked his brain for a way to delay the inevitable, and suddenly remembered Henrietta's words: _Not every battle needs to be won with brute force._

Rapunzel offered Draculara a charming smile. "You're going to kill me before you've had a taste of my blood? I bet you used up a lot of magic just now. I bet you're thirsty." The blacksmith tilted his head to one side, exposing the curve of his neck to Draculara.

Draculara's red eyes immediately went to the crook of Rapunzel's neck, and she swallowed. Her throat felt incredibly dry all of a sudden. Rapunzel was right. She _was_ so very thirsty.

Draculara tossed her sword aside and pounced on Rapunzel. The Vampire Queen straddled Rapunzel, leaned over him, sank her fangs into the side of the blacksmith's neck, and started to suck his blood.

Draculara moaned as Rapunzel's delicious blood hit her taste buds. Wanting to savor the taste of his blood she drank slowly. Five minutes passed, and Rapunzel's blood began to enter Draculara's bloodstream. A minute more passed until Rapunzel's blood finally reached her heart.

Draculara abruptly pulled away from Rapunzel and scrambled off of him. "What's wrong? What's happening to me?" The Vampire Queen started to transform. Her red eyes turned blue. Her pale skin took on a peachy complexion. And lastly, her heart started to beat inside of her chest.

With a smug expression on his face, Rapunzel pushed himself up off the floor. "My blood has cured you of your vampirism, Draculara. You are human once more."

Draculara's blue eyes flared. "I'm human again. Then that means I can finally..." she trailed off with a wistful note to her voice.

Redmond let out an excited whoop. "Yeah! You did it, Rapunzel. You defeated Draculara!"

Hydie frowned as she looked around the throne room expectantly. "Something's wrong. The magical teleportation circle isn't appearing."

Rapunzel gave the witch a questioning look. "But we defeated the Boss of this level. It _should_ appear."

Hydie's eyes widened as she came to a realization. "But...you _didn't_ defeat her. You _saved_ her. The magic circle won't appear until Draculara is dead. Kill her, Punzie. Now's your chance."

An appalled expression settled over Rapunzel's face. "What? _No!_ There must be some other way to get to Level Five."

Hydie's eyes flashed, and she slashed her hand through the air. "There is no other way. Gothel created the Labyrinth this way, so I know. The Boss _must_ be killed in order to reach the next level." The witch took out her revolver and aimed it at Draculara.

Rapunzel's eyes widened like saucers. "Hydie, wait. What are you doing? No! Don't!"

Hydie fired the revolver. The bullet went whizzing through the air, hit Draculara's chest, and entered her heart. Draculara gasped in pain and collapsed.

"Draculara! _No!_ " Rapunzel caught Draculara in his arms before she could hit the floor and cradled her against his chest protectively.

Draculara looked up at Rapunzel, noticed the sadness swimming in his green eyes, and offered him a tremulous smile. "Don't be sad, Blacksmith Rapunzel. And don't be angry with Hydie. My greatest wish has been granted. Thanks to you I'll be reunited with my husband in the Afterlife. Gothel said you might be the one who could save me. He was right about you. You've saved me, Rapunzel. You are a true hero..." Draculara leaned forward to whisper something else in Rapunzel's ear, and Redmond and Hydie were unable to listen in on Draculara's final words.

A flash of surprise crossed Rapunzel's face at what Draculara said to him in secret. When Draculara's eyes closed Rapunzel gently laid her on the floor. A determined expression settled over Rapunzel's face. He knew what he had to do now. Draculara had helped to make this clear to him. "Thank you, Draculara," he murmured softly. "I'll do my best."

At that moment a glowing magic circle appeared on the parquet floor. "Ha! You see...I told you it would work!" Hydie crowed triumphantly, pointing at the floor. "There's the teleportation circle."

Rapunzel straightened slowly, whirled to face Hydie, and sent her a heated glare. He stalked towards her with angry steps, and once he was standing only a foot away from her he slapped her hard across the face.

Hydie stumbled backwards, and raised a trembling hand to her red, throbbing cheek with a shocked, hurt and betrayed expression on her face. "You...hit me."

Rapunzel was looking equally shocked by his own actions, and he shot a disgusted look at his own hand before lowering it to his side. He gave Hydie an apologetic look. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

Hydie raised her chin in a defiant manner. "No. It's alright. I'm glad you hit me. I want you to hate me, Punzie. It's for the best."

_She wants me to hate her?_ The blacksmith raked a shaky hand back through his hair. "Just... _why_ did you do that? Why did you kill her? Draculara didn't need to die!"

"I killed Draculara because the ends justify the means," Hydie began to explain coldly. "And because I'm a villain. Acting selfishly and in one's own interests is what we do. A tiger can't change its stripes. You can't change me, Punzie!"

Rapunzel couldn't help but feel deceived and angry at what had happened. "Why are you trying to push me away, Hydie?" Rapunzel accused in a hurt tone. His brow was furrowed in confusion. "I _know_ you care about me too!"

"You're wrong," Hydie denied, unable to meet Rapunzel's fierce gaze. "I only care about myself. This is all about me...and about me staying alive."

Redmond was looking back and forth between Rapunzel and Hydie concernedly. "Um, guys, we should really use the magical teleportation circle to get to Level Five before it disappears or something."

Rapunzel sighed. "Red's right. We should get going." He walked over to his fallen sword and picked it up. On an afterthought, Rapunzel also picked up Draculara's sword and inspected it. "I didn't forge this enchanted weapon so it should work for anyone. Here, Red. Catch."

Redmond fumbled to catch the sword and admired it. The guard was shaped like two outstretched bat-like wings, and the round pommel was shaped like a screaming skull. "This sword is badass!"

"Hopefully, it will come in handy," Rapunzel said, a dark shadow falling over his face. "Level Five is demon territory. Demons are even more powerful than vampires."

"Fallen angels." Redmond shuddered at the thought of having to face such a powerful foe. Hydie made no comment, and grabbed her briefcase.

The trio stepped into the magic circle and they were teleported to Level Five - the final level of the Labyrinth. The group materialized on the outskirts of an enormous cavern with a ceiling that was hundreds of feet high, and covered with sharp stalactites. Directly in front of them were the ruins of what appeared to have once been a religious temple.

On the opposite side of the cavern stood a black, foreboding castle with several towers that had pointed roofs. The castle's stone gargoyles were shaped like demons that had evil expressions on their faces.

"Whoo," Redmond whistled. "Look at this place. What do you think these ruins used to be?"

"This used to be a religious temple where the seraph lived and prayed," Hydie informed them. "The demons must have destroyed this holy place after killing the last of the seraph."

Rapunzel looked past the ruins to the black castle beyond. "Gothel's castle. He's in there. I can _feel_ it." The blacksmith started forward, but Redmond grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Hey! You can't fight Gothel in your current condition," Redmond chided, his sharp gaze lowering to Rapunzel's left arm that was trembling in pain. "You're exhausted. And you used up all of your magical power in your fight against Draculara just now. I say we make camp here for the night."

Now that the adrenaline rush Rapunzel had been feeling was starting to fade he was able to feel the pain caused by the fractured bones in his left arm, and decided Redmond had a point about needing rest. He looked around at the spooky ruins. The cavern appeared to be deserted, but looks could be deceiving. "Make camp _here_?"

"It's too exposed out here," Hydie said briskly. "Let's go inside the temple."

"Hey," Redmond began, shooting Hydie a suspicious look. "You better not be leading us into a trap."

Rapunzel rolled his eyes and fearlessly started to head towards the temple entrance. "Come on, Red. I trust Hydie."

Redmond watched as Rapunzel bravely entered the temple. He shrugged and decided the follow the blacksmith inside. Redmond ended up knocking right into Rapunzel who'd been forced to stop due to the lack of light inside the temple. "Sorry, bro."

"That's alright," Rapunzel said, squinting into the pitch-black darkness. "We'll need to light some torches before we go further inside."

"Anyone have some flint?" Redmond asked, waving his hand towards the torches that were hanging on the walls in wrought-iron sconces. "There are unlit torches hanging on the walls over there."

"I have something better than flint," Hydie said as she came up behind the two young men. An impish smile curled her lips as she whipped out a small cardboard box. She opened it, grabbed a match, struck it against the side of the tiny box, and the tip ignited into a small flame.

"Ooo." Redmond and Rapunzel both let out an impressed sound.

"Magic sticks," Redmond said, nodding to himself. "Nice. I got to get me some of those."

"They're called 'matches'," Hydie corrected in a haughty tone. "And these were made using _science_. Not magic. They're from Earth."

Rapunzel had to bite his tongue from saying that Hydie was sounding like Henrietta again.

"Earth?" Redmond asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow at the witch.

"It's another realm where Hydie and Henrietta are from," Rapunzel revealed.

Hydie used the match to light three torches. After that they each grabbed a torch and headed into the temple's antechamber. As Rapunzel raised his torch white marble statues of angels standing in shadowed alcoves were revealed. On the far side of the antechamber was a shadowed doorway that presumably led to the temple proper.

"Hydie, help me make a fire," Redmond said, rubbing his hands together. "We can cook some of that venison meat you stored away in your magic briefcase."

"Alright," Hydie agreed.

Rapunzel watched as Hydie and Redmond teamed up, made a fire, and started cooking. Cooking didn't really interest Rapunzel so he decided to go exploring. "Hey, guys, I'm going to go scout the next room. I'll be right back."

"Yeah, sure," Redmond said distractedly as he basted a piece of venison with sauce. "Try not to get molested by horny ghosts."

"Ghosts?" Rapunzel echoed uneasily. "And how do you even come up with that nonsense?"

"The vengeful ghosts of the dead seraphs probably haunt this place," Hydie moaned playfully, holding a lit match under her chin in order to make her face look frightful.

Rapunzel rolled his eyes at his two strange friends, and walked over to the doorway. He crossed the threshold and entered an enormous, circular-shaped chamber. Sitting on the other side of the chamber was a white marble throne. It was empty. The back of the throne had been carved to resemble a pair of large wings.

As Rapunzel moved further into the chamber the light from his torch illuminated the painted murals on the walls. The murals were faded and cracking from old age. Rapunzel reached his hand out and gently brushed it over an image that was unclear due to the dirt that was covering it. "These murals must be hundreds of years old," he murmured to himself.

As an artist Rapunzel couldn't help but take an interest in the paintings, and started to take a closer look. That's when he began to note that the hero depicted in the paintings looked just like him. "Wait a minute...it _is_ me." A horrified and slightly awed expression settled over Rapunzel's face.

One of the murals depicted his battle against Frankie Stein on Level One, and the exact moment he'd used his whip made out of hair to decapitate her. To the left of this mural was another depicting Rapunzel's fight against the Insectoid Queen Khepera. In the mural Rapunzel had his whip wrapped around Khepera's ankle, and Hydie was unleashing a barrage of wind blades the Queen's way.

Rapunzel continued walking, raised his torch, and illuminated the next mural. The third mural depicted Rapunzel, the dwarves, and Hydie facing off against the Dark Elf Queen Norebo. Hydie and the dwarves were unleashing their earth and wind attacks simultaneously, and Rapunzel was slashing his sword through the air at Norebo.

The fourth mural depicted Hydie shooting Draculara. "These murals show the moment of defeat for each Boss as it happened on each level of the Labyrinth," Rapunzel mused aloud. "Hydie was right. I didn't defeat Draculara. She did. It really was the only way to get to the next level of the Labyrinth. I suppose this means I owe her an apology." He let out a defeated sigh.

Rapunzel kept walking and stopped in front of the fifth mural. The mural depicted Rapunzel and Redmond fighting against a horde of winged demons while in midair. "What the fuck?" Rapunzel muttered as he took in the sight of the black feathery wings on his and Redmond's backs. "We have wings. How is that possible? How do we gain wings? Do we awaken some power that's hidden deep within us? No. That doesn't make any sense. Maybe it's because I have seraph blood flowing through my veins? Am I just going to sprout wings any second now?"

Rapunzel gulped, and glanced down at his left arm. He took in the sight of his tanned skin and black nails. "Dr. Henrietta Jekyll," Rapunzel breathed aloud as he realized something. "With her surgical ability and using my magic hair as thread she'd be able to transplant wings to our bodies. That means all we have to do is steal wings from two demons first..." He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

It was pretty clear, thanks to the mural, that Rapunzel's next battle was going to be an aerial one. The blood started to drain out of Rapunzel's face as he came to yet another startling revelation. "These murals...show the future." He hesitated before he continued walking and stopped in front of the sixth mural. This one depicted his battle against Gothel inside of the Boss Room. Tears filled his eyes as he discovered what would soon come to pass. "Hydie...Gothel... _no_ ..."

Rapunzel quickly pulled himself together, and scrubbed the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. He knew that he couldn't let Redmond or Hydie see the final mural since it could affect the future in an adverse way. Rapunzel unsheathed his sword, summoned his magical power, chanted the words of an incantation, and swung his sword towards the mural. " _Solis Impetus._ "

A beam of golden light shot out of Rapunzel's sword and towards the mural. It hit the wall and caused a spider's web of cracks to form over the mural. Seconds later, pieces of the mural began to fall to the floor where they shattered into tinier pieces of stone. The images on the chunks of stone became unrecognizable. Rapunzel quickly sheathed his sword. _Any second now-_

"Rapunzel!" Red shouted from the antechamber.

"Punzie!" Hydie yelled.

The hunter and witch came running into the chamber seconds later. Redmond strolled over to Rapunzel and looked down at the demolished mural curiously. "What happened? Was it an enemy?"

Rapunzel lifted his shoulders in a careless shrug. "I was just touching the mural when it crumbled to pieces like that. It must be because it's so old."

Hydie had started to curiously walk around the chamber and look at the murals. Her violet eyes widened as she recognized not only Rapunzel, but also _herself_! The witch reached out to gently touch the mural that depicted her and Rapunzel teaming up to fight the Insectoid Queen Khepera. "It's me...and Punzie."

Redmond swaggered over to take a look. "Hey! Let me see." He stroked the stubble on his chin as he admired the mural. "Huh. It sure does look like you two. But what does it mean?"

"It means that the seraphs, who used to live here, foresaw everything that's happened to us so far..." Rapunzel explained in a grim tone. "And they also foresaw the events to come."

"You mean...a prophecy? Far out," Redmond said, his brown eyes sparkling with interest. "Where's the mural for this level?"

Rapunzel smirked. "Way ahead of you, Red. It's over here. Take a look at this." He waved a hand at the mural.

Redmond approached the mural and his eyes widened when he saw himself and Rapunzel depicted on the mural with wings on their backs, and having an aerial battle against the demons. The hunter's jaw dropped open. "Whoa. Is that supposed to be us? But we have wings. How the hell is that possible?"

Rapunzel looked at Hydie. "I have an idea. We're going to need Dr. Henrietta Jekyll's help."

Hydie stiffened and gave Rapunzel an offended look. "Trying to get rid of me already?" She folded her arms over chest in a defensive manner.

"Not at all," Rapunzel said, shaking his head. "According to these murals...you were right. Killing Draculara was the only way to get down here to Level Five. I'm sorry for doubting you. I...I'm not mad at you anymore. And I want you to know that I don't hate you."

Hydie's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "Well, you _should_ be mad at me, and you _should_ hate me. I killed Draculara...even though you wanted to save her. I'm a murderer."

"It would be hypocritical of me to judge you for that," Rapunzel began sadly, and looked down at his hands. "My hands are also stained red with blood. I killed Dark Elves on Level Three. And I'm about to go out there and kill demons because I can't think of another way to end this, and protect Fantasia. I can't escape my destiny. After seeing these murals I realize that now."

"I thought you didn't believe in destiny, Rapunzel," Redmond reminded, raking his hand back through his short black hair in an irritated manner.

"Sometimes there are worse things than accepting one's destiny," Rapunzel said with a bleak expression on his face. "Like the doom of Fantasia." The blacksmith shuddered as he remembered what the final mural had depictured - the enormous dinosaur fossils coming to life and destroying all of Fantasia. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing, Red. This is all for the greater good. Trust me."

"Alright. Fine," Redmond said, letting out a defeated sigh. "So what's the plan?"

"First, we need to kill two winged demons without alerting the others to our presence," Rapunzel explained.

"Okay. But I didn't even see any demons in the main cavern," Redmond pointed out. "Are they all inside the castle?"

Rapunzel shook his head. "No. Come on. I'll show you two where the demons are hiding." The blacksmith led Redmond and Hydie out of the ruined temple and into the main cavern. Rapunzel pointed up at the ceiling that was covered with stalactites. "According to the murals the demons are up there," Rapunzel informed his companions.

Redmond and Hydie looked up at the ceiling. Redmond squinted at what he'd originally thought was a stalactite and realized it looked like a giant bat hanging upside down from the ceiling with its wings folded around its body. The hunter paled. "Holy shit! Are all those things demons?"

Rapunzel nodded. "And we need to kill two of them without being noticed."

Hydie smirked. "Just two? Leave it to me!" The witch whipped out her _gunsen_ , summoned her magical power, and chanted a spell while waving the fan at the ceiling. " _Ventus Mitte Falcem!_ " An invisible barrage of wind blades hit the ceiling, startling the sleeping demons, and causing several of them to take flight.

Hydie continued her barrage of attacks, and aimed at the stalactites next. The stone cones dislodged themselves from the ceiling and fell down through the air. Redmond and Rapunzel watched as the demons were now forced to dodge falling stone spikes.

Two demons weren't so lucky, however, and were unable to avoid the stone spikes that collided with their backs. The demons were impaled in midair, fell down through the air, and hit the ground with a tremendous thud. Hydie turned to flash a sadistic grin at her two companions. "That's two down...and like a hundred to go!"

"Brilliant!" Rapunzel offered her a crooked smile. "Red, let's go recover the bodies."

"The bodies...?" Redmond gulped.

"Yeah," Rapunzel said impatiently. "We're going to need them for what I have in mind."

"Do I even _want_ to know?" Redmond mused aloud.

Rapunzel and Redmond stealthily made their way towards the pinned demon bodies. After removing the stone spikes they hefted the bodies over their shoulders like a sack of potatoes, and ran off before they could be spotted by the other demons that were still lurking hundreds of feet above them.

The group managed to return to the ruined temple without being spotted by the other demons, and swiftly entered. Rapunzel led the way to the throne room where he figured Dr. Henrietta would have more room to work. Rapunzel and Redmond dumped the bodies of the two dead demons on the floor.

"Now what?" Redmond gave Rapunzel an expectant look.

Rapunzel turned to Hydie. "Now we need Dr. Henrietta Jekyll."

Hydie pouted, and looked down at the dead demons. "Fine. I can see where you're going with this, Punzie. But...you'll need _my_ strength in the upcoming fight against the demons that are standing between you and Gothel's castle."

"I know," Rapunzel said, a glint in his green eyes. "We'd be unable to win against them without you, Hydie."

Hydie was surprised by the conviction in Rapunzel's tone, and flipped her wild hair over her shoulder. "Hmph! Well, I'm glad you finally realize how powerful and indispensable I am." The witch crouched, opened her briefcase, took out a potion bottle, uncorked it, and drank the purple serum.

Seconds later, Henrietta blinked her lavender-colored eyes as she regained consciousness. She put her round, nerdy glasses on, and pulled her hair up into a bun as she took in her immediate surroundings. Blazing torches in gold sconces that were shaped like a pair of angel wings were hanging on the curved wall. The circular chamber had a wing motif, Henrietta noted, as her gaze landed on the throne that was on the other side of the room. The floor was a gleaming, white marble, and there were white marble columns with veins of gold. She deduced this was a throne room, and immediately grew worried that this was another Boss Room. "Where are we?"

"We made it to Level Five," Rapunzel informed her, and upon noticing Henrietta's worried look he continued. "Don't worry. This isn't the Boss Room. This temple used to belong to the seraph."

Henrietta's eyes widened. "You managed to defeat Draculara?"

Rapunzel shifted uncomfortably from his right foot to his left. "Actually...Hydie did."

"You don't sound too pleased about that," Henrietta keenly noted, narrowing her eyes at Rapunzel. "What happened?" she asked, her voice laced with concern as she reached out to put a hand on Rapunzel's arm. Henrietta was surprised and slightly hurt when Rapunzel moved away from her touch.

"We don't have time for a trip down memory lane," Rapunzel snapped. The memory of what had happened to Draculara was still too fresh in his mind for it not to bother him. "Red and I need your help. We need you to transplant the wings on those demons to our bodies. Is that possible?"

Henrietta's attention shifted to the two dead demons that were lying on the floor. The demons had large, black feathery wings. She pushed her glasses up her nose with her index finger. "Just who do you think you're talking to? Of course, I can do it. I'm surprised though...I thought you didn't like me making changes to your body, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel shrugged. "I hate it. But it's not like we have much of a choice. It's the only way we'll be able to get past those demons alive."

Henrietta nodded, walked over to her briefcase, crouched before it, reached inside, and pulled out a large, gleaming meat cleaver. She straightened, and when Redmond and Rapunzel noticed the odd glint in her eyes they instinctively took a step back. "First, I'll need to cut out their wings." The mad doctor approached the demons' corpses, and got to work.

The blood drained out of Redmond's face as he watched Henrietta work, and bile rose up his throat. He stubbornly swallowed it down. "Rapunzel, your woman is fucking scary," he whispered. "You know that, right?"

Rapunzel was also looking a little green as he watched what Henrietta was doing. "No one likes a smartass, Red."

It only took a few minutes for Henrietta to cut out the demons' wings. By the time she turned around to see how Rapunzel and Redmond were doing she discovered that the two young men had passed out. "Oh dear. Well, that actually makes my job easier. I don't have to anaesthetize them."

Henrietta transplanted wings to Redmond's back first, and just as Rapunzel had suspected she used his hair as medical thread. The thread magically disappeared when the entire procedure was completed. Henrietta then transplanted wings to Rapunzel's back, but didn't stop there. She'd noticed that his current left arm had taken a lot of damage in his previous battle against Draculara, and that the _radius_ bone was fractured.

The demons had very muscular arms and it looked like one of them would be more powerful than the arm Rapunzel currently possessed. This decided Henrietta, and she cut off Rapunzel's dark elf arm, and replaced it with a new demon arm. The demon's skin tone matched Rapunzel's, and resembled his original arm closely. The only notable difference was the left hand's long, black claws.

Henrietta used a bottle of smelling salts in order to wake Rapunzel and Redmond. When Redmond regained consciousness and sat up the first thing he noticed was the heavy weight on his back. It felt like he had a second pair of arms. He glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of the large, black, feathery wings he now possessed. The hunter leapt to his feet. "Whoa. Awesome. I have wings! This is fucking incredible!"

Rapunzel's reaction to waking up to find a pair of wings attached to his back was far more subdued. Rapunzel pushed himself up off the floor and immediately tried moving his wings. His brow furrowed as he caused them to spread out behind him. "Nice. Good job, Henrietta. Thank-" Rapunzel was saying until he noticed his left arm.

His eyes widened as he looked down at his new left arm. It was more muscular than Queen Norebo's arm had been, and the nails were long, black and sharp. A vein at Rapunzel's temple throbbed in irritation. "Henrietta! What did I tell you about making changes to my body without my permission?"

"But you did give me permission this time," Henrietta said innocently. "I just threw in an upgrade. You needed a new arm anyways. The last one had a fracture. It must have been incredibly painful to walk around like that. I don't know why you didn't say anything, or ask for my help sooner."

Rapunzel's green eyes glowed with an unholy light as he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Henrietta. "I'm going to kill you."

"Eek!" Henrietta let out a frightened squeak before she took off running. Rapunzel took off after her, and chased her around the throne room with his sword raised high over his head. Henrietta started to giggle at one point from the absurdity of the situation.

"Get her, Rapunzel!" Redmond let out an amused chuckle as he watched their flirting. "At least she didn't replace your cock," he said, his carefree expression shifting to worry. "Wait. We'd better check our cocks to make sure they're still ours." Redmond slipped his hand down his pants, grasped his cock, stroked it, and nodded to himself. "Everything appears to be in order." He nodded to himself in a pleased fashion.

Henrietta shot the hunter a scandalized look. "How could you do something like that in front of a lady, you uncouth barbarian!" While Henrietta was distracted with scolding Redmond, Rapunzel surreptitiously checked to make sure his cock was still his own, and let out a sigh of relief once he confirmed everything was as it should be.

The lighthearted mood was ruined when Henrietta suddenly started coughing violently and sank to her knees. With a concerned expression on his face, Rapunzel dropped his sword and crouched by Henrietta's side. "Henrietta! What's wrong?" He placed a hand on her back. Henrietta continued to cough into her hand until she finally coughed up a glob of blood. A look of alarm crossed Rapunzel's face at the sight.

Henrietta looked up at Rapunzel weakly. "I'm dying, Rapunzel."

"What?" Rapunzel asked.

"My transformations into Hydie are taking a toll on my body," Henrietta revealed. "I won't last much longer. That's why I've been trying to find a cure - a way to get rid of Hydie once and for all. But, I think I've finally run out of time. I'll probably only be able to handle transforming into Hydie a few more times before I-" The doctor started to cough again while Rapunzel stroked her back.

_So this is why Henrietta wanted to get rid of Hydie - to live._ Rapunzel thought, feeling guilty for how he'd assumed Henrietta was just being selfish. "I'm sorry," Rapunzel murmured. "I didn't know."

"Our only hope is Gothel," Henrietta panted. "He promised he'd find a way to save us."

Rapunzel frowned. "Gothel did? And you trust him?"

Henrietta offered Rapunzel a sad smile. "Not really. But what choice do I have. My current condition can't be cured by science. I've already tried to find a cure through medicine. Magic is our only hope."

"God, I feel like such an asshole for what I'm about to say..." Rapunzel began with a haggard expression on his face. "But we need Hydie in the upcoming battle against the demons. According to the prophetic murals on the walls we won't make it past them without her help."

"Prophetic murals?" Henrietta asked.

Rapunzel nodded, and offered Henrietta his hand to help her to her feet. Henrietta took Rapunzel's hand and let him help her up. Keeping a hold on Henrietta's hand Rapunzel led Henrietta around the throne room to look at the murals, one by one.

Henrietta eyes gleamed with interest, and a thirst for knowledge. "Fascinating. It's all here. Everything you've gone through and everything you _will_ go through." The doctor looked at the mural that depicted Rapunzel and Redmond having an aerial battle against the demons, and sure enough Hydie was fighting at their sides and using her wind blade attack.

The mural that would have depicted the confrontation between Rapunzel and Gothel was cracked and had crumbled to pieces. She shot Rapunzel a sly look. "You destroyed this mural, didn't you, Rapunzel?" Rapunzel stiffened guiltily and that was answer enough. "I'm sure you have your reasons, and I trust your judgment. There's something I need to tell you in case we never see each other again..." The doctor took a deep breath and met Rapunzel's questioning gaze. "I love you."

Rapunzel was surprised yet touched by her sudden declaration of love, and found that his heart swelled with similar feelings. "I love you too." He reached out to cup her cheek tenderly. "And don't worry...I won't let anything happen to you. I will protect you. And I'll find a way to save you. Both of you. I promise." Rapunzel placed a kiss on Henrietta's forehead, and then a soft kiss to her lips that only lasted a few seconds.

A flash of surprise crossed Henrietta's face. _I thought he only loved Hydie...but he intends to save us both. He's still claiming to love both of us, but...he can't save us both. Only one of us can be saved._ Henrietta thought morbidly to herself. "Rapunzel, if one of us ends up dying...I want you to know that it's not your fault. Please, don't blame yourself."

"I won't let that happen," Rapunzel said stubbornly. "I'll find a way to save _both_ of you. You'll see."

"Thank you," Henrietta said, her voice thick with emotion. "Goodbye, Rapunzel. And good luck." The doctor crouched, opened her briefcase, took out a potion bottle, uncorked it, and drank the potion.

"Until we meet again, Dr. Henrietta Jekyll," Rapunzel said lowly.

To be continued in...Chapter 13:

### Chapter 13:

When Hydie regained consciousness it was to discover Rapunzel kissing her, and she instantly realized that he'd been kissing Henrietta. She raised her right hand, intending to slap Rapunzel hard across the face, but she ended up lowering her hand instead. _Fuck it._ Hydie deepened their kiss, plunging her tongue roughly into Rapunzel's mouth, and swirling her tongue around his. It was an angry, bruising kiss.

After Hydie had had her fill she shoved Rapunzel back, glared at him, and folded her arms over chest. "You've been cheating on me, Punzie," she accused in a dark tone.

Rapunzel's eyes flared. "What? No. I haven't. That was with..." the blacksmith trailed off when he realized that from Hydie's perspective kissing Henrietta was the same as kissing someone other than her.

"Chill," Hydie said, shoving Rapunzel's shoulder playfully. Her violet eyes were twinkling with amusement. "You should see the look on your face." Hydie removed the glasses that were causing her vision to be blurry, folded them, and slipped them inside of her skirt pocket. "I was just messing with you, Punzie. I know that you're under the misguided impression that you're in love with _both_ of us, but pretty soon you're going to have to make a choice about which one of us you love _more_." Hydie undid her bun and her hair cascaded around her shoulders in chaotic waves.

"I love both of you equally," Rapunzel insisted obstinately. "I don't want to lose either of you. That's why I'll find a way to save you both. I promise. I-"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Punzie!" Hydie snapped in an angry fashion. "It's impossible to save _both_ of us."

"I thought you said that nothing is impossible," Rapunzel countered.

"Well...this is," Hydie said softly, sadness swirling in her eyes. "There's nothing you can do for us, Punzie."

"You're wrong," Rapunzel said in a firm tone. "I _will_ find a way. Just...trust me. I love you, Hydie."

A pink blush cutely rose to the witch's cheeks. "Hmph! You're a crazy son of a bitch who's in love with _two_ women that inhabit _one_ body. You've got to be a special kind of crazy to feel that way."

"Crazy in love with you," Rapunzel murmured. "If you're implying that I must be crazy to fall in love with Dr. Henrietta Jekyll _and_ Edwina Hyde at the same time then...I'm completely insane. Sanity seems overrated anyways. I would do _anything_ to protect the two of you. Even break the rules of this world, and risk upsetting the balance."

"Crazy reckless fool," Hydie said with a note of affection in her voice.

"I wonder what would happen if _I_ took the potion," Rapunzel mused aloud, stroking his chin. "Would it create an alter ego? I could love you...and my alter ego could love Henrietta."

"Don't even say crazy things like that!" Hydie objected, a serious expression settling over her face. "This potion is _deadly_ in the long run. You'd die."

"Ooo are you worried about me, Hydie?" Rapunzel asked cheekily. "I thought you wanted me dead? What happened to trying to kill me?"

"Hmph!" Hydie huffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Don't get cocky just because I _may_ have feeling for you. Let's just say...I haven't kill you _yet_. The day is still young."

"If you kill me I can't fuck your brains out and make you scream my name," Rapunzel reminded smugly as he let his gaze run over Hydie's curves in a lascivious manner.

Hydie pouted. "Now that's just playing dirty, Punzie. I suppose I may just have to keep you around for your big cock."

"At least there's something you _like_ about me." Rapunzel waggled his eyebrows at the witch.

Looking a little flushed, amused and embarrassed, Redmond cleared his throat to get their attention. "Ahem. Sorry to interrupt your flirting...because it is rather amusing to watch, but shouldn't we be preparing for _battle_?"

At the word 'battle' Hydie perked up and looked interested. "Yay! Battle! This should be fun!"

Rapunzel rubbed the back of his neck in a chagrined manner. "You're right, Red. Sorry about that."

"Naw. No worries, man," Redmond said, and his carefree expression turned serious. "So...do you really think the three of us will be enough to defeat one hundred demons all on our own?"

"Yes," Rapunzel said resolutely. "It was depicted in the mural. Believe in our victory, Red, because it _will_ happen. It has been foretold."

"Believe in our victory, huh?" Redmond echoed and raked a hand back through his short black hair. "Not like I have much of a choice."

Rapunzel gave the hunter a confused look. "Yes, you do. You don't have to fight if you don't really want to, Red. I'm not _forcing_ you to fight."

"But you said if all three of us don't fight together - we'll lose," Redmond said, giving the blacksmith a searching look.

"Yes. That is correct," Rapunzel confirmed.

Redmond let out a heavy sigh. "Well, it's not like I'm going to let you fight those demons _alone_. Don't forget...I'm a hero! Helping people - it's what we do."

"Yes. You are," Rapunzel readily agreed. "And you're also my friend."

"Aw shucks," Redmond said with a crooked smile playing on his lips.

Rapunzel turned to regard Hydie with a serious expression. "You _both_ are." A flash of bewilderment crossed Hydie's face at Rapunzel's words. She ducked her head to hide the guilty expression on her face.

Redmond put out his hand with his palm facing down, and gave Rapunzel and Hydie an expectant look. "Let's do this, guys!"

With a bloodthirsty glint in her violet eyes Hydie placed her hand over Redmond's. "Yes. Let's. This will be fun!"

Rapunzel placed his hand over Hydie's. "Let the battle begin."

The companions exited the temple ruins and started to walk down the main road that led directly to the castle. The group immediately caught the attention of the demons on the ceiling, and they began to swoop down in attack while unsheathing their swords.

"It's time to put these borrowed wings to the test," Rapunzel said, unsheathing his sword and taking off into the air with a flap of his wings.

Redmond followed suit, unsheathed his sword, and flapped his wings so that he took off into the air. The hunter gulped. From this distance it looked like a swarm of bats was approaching them, but as the demons grew closer their size became evident.

Rapunzel engaged in combat against the closest demon that came flying at him. Their swords clashed. The blacksmith quickly snuck his sword past the demon's defenses, and stabbed him in the heart. Rapunzel watched coldly as the demon plummeted down through the air.

Rapunzel didn't have a lot of time to watch the demon's descent, however, because another demon had quickly taken his place and was swinging his sword at Rapunzel. The blacksmith raised his sword and blocked the attack.

Meanwhile, Redmond was fighting a demon. It took him longer than Rapunzel to defeat his opponent, and by that time two demons were flying at him from both sides. "Oh shit!" Redmond swore, glancing back and forth between the two demons. The hunter struggled to dodge, duck, and block the consecutive sword blows that came his way. How the hell was he supposed to kill them like this?

Rapunzel had just finished killing his second opponent when he saw Redmond struggling and having trouble against two demons that were attacking him from both sides. "Good grief." They wouldn't be able to defeat the demons like this - in one-on-one battles.

Rapunzel realized that they had no choice - they would have to switch to fighting these demons with magic. Although, the blacksmith was reluctant to use his magic now when his battle against Gothel was yet to come.

Rapunzel summoned his magic, chanted a spell, and swung his sword in the direction of the demons closing in on Redmond. " _Solis Impetus_!" A beam of golden magical energy shot out of Rapunzel's sword, and flew through the air towards the demons. With a mighty explosion, the demons were knocked out of the air, and started to plummet towards the ground.

Redmond wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Phew. Thanks, Rapunzel. I'll take it from here." The hunter was able to slip his sword past the demon's defenses and slice his throat open. Just when Redmond was beginning to relax he spotted a swarm of demons flying towards him. "Just great..."

Redmond instinctively knew he had to follow Rapunzel's lead and switch to using magical energy attacks against the demons. Unfortunately, he'd never used magic before, and wondered if it were really possible for him to get the enchanted sword to work for him.

_Don't ordinary humans with no magical ability fight in the Glass Coliseum by using enchanted weapons?_ Redmond mused. _Rapunzel assured me the sword would work for me. Well, here goes nothing! What was the attack spell Draculara chanted?_ Chanting the proper incantation would theoretically activate the attack, which would use any magical energy that had been stored inside of the sword.

" _Tenebris Trabem Impetus!_ " Redmond swung his sword at the demons, and a blast of black magical energy shot out of the sword and hit the demons. "Whoo! Yeah! It actually worked! This thing is awesome! I wonder how much magical energy has been stored inside this sword though."

While Rapunzel and Redmond started to hurl energy attacks the demons' way, Hydie was dancing on the ground below them with her _gunsen_ , one in each hand. As she spun she chanted the words of a spell. " _Turbinis Vasti!_ " An enormous cyclone of wind began to form around Hydie, and the cyclone grew in size until it reached the ceiling of the cavern.

The witch waved her fans forward, and the cyclone began to move across the ground. Demons started to get sucked into the deadly tornado, and as the cutting winds sliced into their flesh the cyclone began to turn red from their blood.

"Ohohoho!" Hydie began to cackle merrily at all the death, destruction, and carnage she was causing with her powerful elemental attack. She glanced up to see that Rapunzel and Redmond were using energy attacks to strategically slice through the demons' wings.

A rain of blood began to fall down from the ceiling, and as Rapunzel and his comrades continued to kill dozens of demons at a time with their powerful attacks he began to wonder who the real demons were. _Or have we too become demons?_ He wondered with unease, and remembered something Henrietta had quoted to him: _Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster...for when you gaze into the abyss the abyss gazes also into you._

Rapunzel watched as the bodies of dead demons fell down through the air and wondered if this was really the only way. _Is this really the path to becoming a true hero? Is killing evil demons okay just because they're evil? Maybe I could have found another way if I'd been alone, but Redmond and Hydie are here with me. I need to protect them. And Victory is the only way to protect them._

The final murals inside the temple had depicted possible outcomes as a result of certain choices that could be made. Rapunzel wanted to make the best possible future a reality. The only way to get past the demons alive was for Redmond, Hydie and himself to fight together in an aerial battle. Any other path ended with Redmond and Hydie dying, and with only Rapunzel surviving.

I have to believe I made the right decision. Rapunzel thought glumly. There was no option where I could spare the demons' lives. What would Aurelion have done though, I wonder? Would he have killed these demons...or would he have managed to find another way? I feel like a fraud pretending to be a hero. Shit.

Rapunzel sensed an attack coming from behind and spun around in midair. He lunged his sword forward and stabbed a demon right through his throat. Rapunzel watched as blood gurgled out of the demon's throat and dribbled down his chin. The blacksmith pulled his sword back and watched as the demon plummeted to the ground.

_I'm haunted by what I saw in that final mural. Is there really no way to change what will happen? Is that really the best outcome? Even if I know what will happen...is there really no way to change things? I feel so powerless. I'm at the mercy of destiny._ Rapunzel lamented to himself.

In the end, Rapunzel knew he had to reach Gothel no matter what. _I just need to get to Gothel. I need to talk to my father._

It took less than an hour for Rapunzel, Redmond and Hydie to defeat all of the demons that stood in their way to get to the castle. As soon as Rapunzel killed the final demon, he slashed his sword through the air to remove the blood from its blade, and sheathed it in the scabbard that hung from his belt. "We did it," the blacksmith said in a solemn tone. "All one hundred demons are dead."

"Whoo! Yeah!" Redmond crowed, fist pumping the air. "We killed every last one of those evil sons of bitches! We won!"

_Won?_ Rapunzel thought. _Was this really a victory? Or a mistake? I just don't know anymore._

"That was a blast!" Hydie said, grinning sadistically.

Rapunzel shook his head to clear it of such dark thoughts, and offered his friends a wan smile. "Yeah, but this is far from over."

Redmond's cheerful expression turned serious. "All that remains is the Boss Room and Gothel..."

"Let's go," Rapunzel said, while Hydie remained uncharacteristically silent. The blacksmith shot her a pensive look when she didn't shout out her usual: 'This is going to be fun!'

***

Meanwhile, above ground...Prince Aurelion Borealis and King Ashe Smoldris had traveled to Apple City with the purpose of finding Prince Snow Flurris in order to find out if he'd seen their missing friend Rapunzel.

With a tremendous thud, Aurelion landed his dragon Fenix outside the Gentleman's Club _Forbidden Fruit_ , which was a common hangout for Prince Snow. The whooshing sound of Fenix's flapping wings as he landed drew the attention of the patrons inside of the club. Aurelion and Ashe dismounted the dragon and entered the club.

Aurelion looked around the club for any sign of Snow, and spotted the flashy playboy seated at a round booth along with three other witches. Snow was wearing his usual dark blue shirt with puffed sleeves, a red cape, a pair of tight, yellow leather pants, and black boots that had been shined until the prince could see his handsome reflection in them.

Aurelion raised his hand and waved. "Greetings, Snow!"

Snow looked up, spotted his two friends approaching, and grinned widely. "Hey guys, what's up? Have a seat." A redhead witch and a blonde witch scooted out from the booth to allow Aurelion and Ashe to take a seat while a purple-haired witch remained sitting and clinging to Snow's arm. The prince didn't seem to mind the attention the girl was giving him due to the fact he was tipsy.

As soon as Aurelion and Ashe had taken a seat at the booth the witches chose a man to attend to. The blonde sat next to Ashe while the redhead took a seat next to Aurelion.

"Endora. Elvira. More wine for my friends!" Snow exclaimed.

"We're not here to drink," Ashe grumbled as the blonde witch, Endora, tried to pour him a glass of red wine.

Snow raised an eyebrow at Ashe, who was pushing a glass of red wine away from him on the table. "Uh...then _why_ are you here?"

"It's Rapunzel..." Aurelion began while trying to ignore the beautiful redheaded witch, Elvira, who was pouring a glass of red wine for him. He had a thing for redheads, and this one was definitely difficult to ignore with that low-cut gown of hers. "He's gone missing from his tower. We were hoping you might know where he is. Have you seen him? Did he come to visit you?"

"Here you are, Your Highness," Elvira handed him a glass of red wine.

Aurelion blushed and took the glass. "Thank you, Milady."

Snow's sapphire-blue eyes widened in astonishment. "Rapunzel left his tower? But...I thought there was a dire reason why he couldn't leave or something. Even if none of us ever talked about it...I thought we all knew that."

"I have reason to believe Demon King Gothel was keeping Rapunzel prisoner there, and forcing him to make enchanted weapons for some nefarious purpose," Ashe said, placing his hand on Endora's head and unceremoniously attempting to push her away from him. The way she was clinging to his arm so that her large breasts were pressing against him was making him extremely uncomfortable. Not to mention the fact that he was a married man...

Snow stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, there _were_ rumors Rapunzel was in cahoots with Gothel. Maybe they had a falling out?" He shrugged.

"Or maybe Rapunzel just decided to leave because he was bored," Ashe suggested dryly.

"He must have gotten lonely," Aurelion said in a sad tone, guilt swimming in his blue eyes. "None of us went to visit him for _weeks_. This is all our fault!"

"What do you think happened? You don't think Gothel _killed_ Rapunzel do you?" Snow asked, the blood draining out of his face at the horrible thought.

Aurelion shook his head. "There was no sign of a fight at the tower. No blood. Rapunzel just vanished without a trace..."

"Teleportation magic then," Elvira said in a sultry voice, her green eyes glittering with wisdom. "Perhaps, he unwittingly stepped into a magic teleportation circle and was whisked away somewhere." All three young men turned to stare at the witch clinging to Aurelion's arm.

Aurelion's dour demeanor brightened considerably at the suggestion. "Teleportation magic! Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"

"But we still don't know _where_ he was sent to," Ashe groused.

Aurelion turned his attention to the three witches. "Can any of you do scrying spells? We need to find our friend."

Elvira nodded. "I shall attempt it." She summoned a crystal ball that appeared on the table in front of them. The witch waved her hands over the crystal ball and chanted the words of an incantation. The red smoke inside the crystal ball swirled and when it cleared it showed an image of Rapunzel.

Unfortunately, this only lasted for a second. The image of a skull with glowing red eyes replaced Rapunzel's image, and a low, growling voice emerged from the crystal ball: "None shall interfere with the hero's test!" Then the crystal ball went dark.

By this time, Elvira was sweating profusely and slightly out of breath. "Oh dear..."

"What the hell was that?" Ashe demanded. "What just happened?"

"I saw your friend," Elvira began to explain. "But only for a moment, and then..." She shuddered.

"That sinister voice..." Snow began. "That must have been Demon King Gothel."

"Well, at least we know Punzie is still alive," Aurelion said optimistically.

"What do you think Gothel meant by 'hero's test'?" Snow asked.

"No idea." Aurelion shrugged.

"What now?" Ashe said, frustration swirling in his golden eyes.

"Gothel's magic is too powerful," Elvira lamented, giving the young men an apologetic look. "It shields Rapunzel's location from my sight. You'll need to consult a more powerful seer than I."

"Who did you have in mind, Milady?" Aurelion asked.

A sly smile curled Elvira's red lips. "There is only one seer powerful enough to break Gothel's spell. The wizard Baba Yaga."

"Baba Yaga!" Snow exclaimed with a terrified expression on his face. "I've heard stories about that crazy wizard. He _eats_ people."

Ashe shot Snow an alarmed look. "Eats people?"

"Those are only malicious rumors that were spread by the Inquisition," Elvira said, her voice laced with anger. "Baba Yaga is an eccentric man, but you need not fear him. He _will_ help you heroes."

"How do we find him?" Aurelion asked.

"Go to the Dark Forest in Bones Kingdom," Elvira instructed, a mysterious smile curling her lips. "And Baba Yaga will find you."

Aurelion nodded. "Thank you, Milady, you have been most helpful. Let's go, boys." The Monster Hunter started to get out of the booth.

"Whoa, wait a second..." Snow interrupted. "We're really going to go find this wizard?"

"Scared, Snow?" Ashe teased, scooting across the curved sofa and stepping out from the booth.

"Hell yeah. I'm fucking terrified," Snow admitted honestly. "I don't want to end up in a pie!" Ashe and Aurelion let out an amused chuckle, and Snow glared at them.

"You're going to go off and save your friend from Demon King Gothel?" Tabitha asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You're _so_ brave, Prince Snow."

"Er..." Snow started to object, but then flashed Tabitha a dazzling smile. "Yes...yes, I am." He got out of the booth and raked a hand back through his short, wavy black hair. "Ladies, I'm afraid I must bid thee adieu for now. A hero's work is never done, you see. Thank you for all your help." He blew them a flirtatious kiss.

The three witches swooned, and Ashe and Aurelion took that opportunity to grab Snow by the arms and drag the playboy prince out of the club before he could regain his senses. The three young men mounted Fenix, and the dragon ran down the street, flapped its wings, and took off into the sky. Following Aurelion's instructions the dragon started to head towards Bones Kingdom.

Aurelion had Fenix land once they started to pass over the Dark Forest, and the three men dismounted so that they could continue their quest on foot. With a wistful look on his face, Snow watched as Fenix flapped his enormous wings, took off into the sky, and left them behind. "I wish the dragon could have stayed with us." He pouted.

"I doubt Baba Yaga would show himself if we kept Fenix around," Aurelion said.

"So now what?" Ashe asked.

Aurelion shrugged. "Now, we walk. Elvira said Baba Yaga would find us."

The companions started to walk deeper into the Dark Forest. A few minutes later, an owl hooting had Snow jumping and clinging onto Ashe. "Ack!" Aurelion and Ashe chuckled at Snow's cowardice. "Oh, you're laughing _now_ , but wait till we're jumped by skeletons." Snow frowned at them.

"It is peculiar that no undead monsters have attacked us yet," Ashe remarked, looking around their immediate surroundings suspiciously.

"And there are _live_ animals around," Aurelion noted, spotting a squirrel with a fluffy tail scurrying along the branch of a nearby pine tree. "Most peculiar."

"You guys say that like it's a bad thing!" Snow complained.

"It just makes me wonder where they all went," Aurelion said, an uneasy feeling building up inside of him.

The thundering sound of approaching footsteps reached their ears. Something _big_ was approaching them, and at a rapid pace.

"What the hell is that?" Snow asked in a high-pitched voice.

"Whatever it is...it's big," Aurelion said, wrapping his hand around the hilt of his sword.

"And it's right behind us!" Ashe shouted. The three men turned to gape at the monstrous 'thing' that was approaching them.

Snow paled. "What the hell is that? A monster?"

Ashe narrowed his eyes at the creature and realized it resembled a Tudor-style house with a sloping, tilted roof and a crooked chimney. It was standing on two large chicken legs that were ten-feet-tall. "It looks like...a house," Ashe said unsurely.

"A house standing on two _chicken legs_?" Snow asked in a skeptical tone. The house's door opened in such a way that it resembled a creature's mouth opening. It continued to run towards the three men. "Ah! I knew it! It's trying to eat us! We're going to end up in a pie after all."

"Stay calm!" Aurelion advised. "He's inviting us in. I say we accept that invitation!"

"He?" Snow squeaked.

Aurelion wrapped his big, strong arms around Ashe and Snow's waists as they ran, and just as the house was about to trample them he jumped. The house lunged forward in such a way that the three young men entered the mouth of the house, and were gobbled up.

The traveling party materialized in the center of a rather normal looking room. Snow looked around suspiciously at the dried herbs and cages that were hanging from the ceiling. The herbs looked like normal medicinal herbs, and the animals that were inside of the cages looked normal as well.

Snow's curious gaze went to a bookcase that was lined with specimen jars filled with preserved creatures. There was a jar completely filled with eyeballs, and Snow shuddered when they blinked at him. "I want to go home," he moaned. "Mommy."

"Welcome back, my friends!" Baba Yaga greeted them in a cordial manner. "I've been awaiting your return!"

The three men followed the sound of Baba Yaga's voice to spot a young man standing in front of the hearth while stirring a pot of soup that was hanging over the fire. Snow narrowed his eyes at the wizard who looked a lot less sinister than he'd been imagining. His outfit was flamboyant, and consisted of a purple vest, purple pants, and a green sash belt. The vest was unbuttoned, and showed off the young man's muscular chest.

Baba Yaga had wavy black hair that was pulled into a ponytail, emerald green eyes, and tanned skin, which lent to his exotic appearance. He was wearing a large assortment of jewelry: golden hoop earrings, gold necklaces decorated with precious gems, and jeweled rings.

Aurelion arched an eyebrow at Baba Yaga. "Welcome back? I'm sorry, but...this is the _first_ time we've met, Baba Yaga."

Baba Yaga's elated expression faltered, his brow furrowed, and he frowned. "Oh, is that so? The first time then? I suppose we aren't friends... _yet_. And please, call me 'Yaga'."

"Since you're a seer I'll take your word for it that we'll _inevitably_ be friends," Aurelion said, offering the wizard an amiable smile.

Yaga's dour countenance brightened. "Excellent! You're always a breath of fresh air, Aurelion! I can see why you have become Fantasia's symbol of peace!"

"I'm assuming you know why we're here?" Ashe prompted with an air of impatience.

Yaga nodded. "If this is our _first_ encounter that means you're in search of your friend Rapunzel." The wizard walked over to a large, round table that had a crystal ball sitting on it. Yaga took a seat at the table and waved them over. "Come. Sit." The wizard waited until Aurelion, Ashe and Snow had taken a seat before he started to wave his hands over the crystal ball and speak the words of an incantation. The green smoke inside the ball started to swirl and seconds later an image appeared.

"Look! It's Punzie!" Aurelion exclaimed in excitement upon seeing Rapunzel along with a man dressed in a red hood and a bookish girl with brown hair and glasses.

"And Dr. Henrietta Jekyll," Ashe put in.

"Who's the guy in the flashy red hood?" Snow asked, a twinkle in his sapphire blue eyes. "I like his style."

"He is the hero known as Red Riding Hood," Yaga started to reveal. "The one destined to defeat _her_ \- the Big Bad Wolf, and the leader of the Werewolf Clan. Or has that happened already?" He gave the three heroes a questioning look.

Aurelion shrugged. "We haven't met this Red Riding Hood fellow yet, so we don't know."

"Ah," Yaga said, waving his hand over the crystal ball so that Rapunzel's immediate surroundings were revealed. The three heroes all gasped. Surrounding Rapunzel, Redmond and Henrietta was an undead army.

"There must be a _thousand_ zombies in there!" Ashe exclaimed, recognizing zombified Dark Elves, Insectoids and demons.

The group watched as Rapunzel and his allies fought against the horde of zombies using magical attacks, but they were grossly outnumbered. "Look!" Snow said, pointing at the crystal ball as more of Rapunzel's surroundings were revealed. "There's Gothel. Seated on the throne...just watching."

"Rapunzel obviously needs our help," Aurelion announced, and gave Yaga a beseeching look. "Do you know where that is, Yaga?"

"Why, that's inside the Labyrinth of Heroes, of course," Yaga replied airily.

"Labyrinth of Heroes? But _where_ is that?" Aurelion prodded.

"Underground. Beneath Bones Kingdom," Yaga clarified with an unfocused look on his face. The wizard appeared to be looking at something the rest of them couldn't see.

"How do we get there?" Aurelion asked. "We must enter the Labyrinth."

"A teleportation spell would suffice," Yaga said. "I can send you all there." He smiled. "For a price." He rubbed his index finger and thumb together.

"How much do you want?" Snow asked, taking out his coin purse.

Yaga shook his head. "I don't want gold. What I want is jewels." The wizard looked down at the bejeweled rings that adorned Snow's fingers. "I want one of your rings."

A flash of surprise crossed Snow's face. "Just one?" The playboy prince started to take his rings off and handed them to Yaga. "Here. Take all of them."

Ashe shot Snow a startled glance. "But you love those rings."

Snow shrugged. "Rapunzel's life is more important than some pretty baubles."

"So many pretty rings," Yaga breathed as he admired them. "I'll look more handsome with them on." He started to put them on and admired how they looked on his hands. "They look pretty on my hands." He looked up to give the heroes a questioning look and there was a slightly crazed glint in his eyes. "Do I look more handsome now?" There was a note of desperation to his voice.

"For a guy," Snow said obligingly.

Aurelion elbowed Snow in his side. "You look most handsome, Yaga."

"R-Really? I'm glad," Yaga stammered out with a blush to his cheeks. "But you've paid too much. Now I owe you a boon." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I know. I'll take a peek into your immediate futures."

"That's really not necessary," Ashe began to object while Yaga waved his hand over the crystal ball and the image of Rapunzel was replaced by swirling green smoke.

"King Ashe Smoldris...beware. An old enemy will cause trouble within Glass City, and many will die unless you can stop him. Remember these words: _art is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone will have their own interpretation_."

"Old enemy?" Ashe mused aloud, thinking of Lord Christian Tremaine. But Christian was dead...and hopefully would _remain_ dead. But in a land where necromancers existed anything was possible.

Yaga waved his hand over the crystal ball again and turned his attention to Snow. "Prince Snow Flurris...beware. You will be betrayed by one you trust, and hunted. You will go through hell...but you will be rewarded with true love. Remember these words: _All that glitters isn't gold. Don't judge a book by its cover. Sometimes Evil wears the face of an Angel and Good wears the face of a Devil._

"Betrayed? Hunted?" Snow echoed, his stomach tying itself into knots out of worry. Who was going to betray him? His new friends? His family? His mother? His stepfather? Also, Yaga was obviously warning him against being superficial. But, why? To what end? For what purpose?

Yaga waved his hand over the crystal ball again, and turned his attention to Aurelion. "Prince Aurelion...beware. Those closest to you are keeping secrets that will put all of Fantasia in great peril. Just when you believe victory is yours you will be cursed, and put into an enchanted sleep that will last a hundred years-"

"A hundred years?" Aurelion interrupted with a fearful expression on his face.

"Unless your friends Ashe, Snow and Rapunzel can bring your true love to you, and save you," Yaga continued as if Aurelion hadn't spoken. "Only true love's kiss will be able to break the spell. Only love and friendship can save you from this dark fate, Aurelion."

"My true love?" Aurelion blushed. "You mean Princess Jabberwocky?"

"Princess Jabberwocky..." Yaga began with a glazed look in his green eyes. "Your greatest enemy? Or your greatest love? Only time will tell."

"Enemy?" Aurelion shook his head in denial. "She will _never_ be my enemy. I love her."

"Whoa, wait a second..." Snow began. "If you can see all that then...who do I fall in love with?" He held his breath as he awaited the seer's response.

Yaga smiled. "You will fall in love with the person you least expected to."

"But _who_ is it?" Snow demanded.

Yaga shook his head and gave Snow an apologetic look. "If you possess knowledge of that beforehand...you won't be able to fall in love with her nor her with you. It would change everything for the worse. You must be plunged into the darkness to be able to seek out the light."

"What about Rapunzel?" Ashe asked. "Is there anything you can tell us that may be useful in helping him?"

"I have already glimpsed Rapunzel's future," Yaga revealed. "Rapunzel is the key to saving Gothel."

"Saving?" Ashe asked curiously. "Not defeating? Or killing?"

"Rapunzel is a true hero," Yaga said firmly. "Even if he doesn't think he is. He will save Gothel. But he'll fail to save the woman he loves...but then he'll find her again. Or wait, has that already happened?"

"Yaga, Rapunzel's life is in imminent danger," Aurelion reminded with an air of impatience. "Please, send us to him now."

"Oh, yes, of course," Yaga said, smiling. "But I wouldn't be too worried. What I showed you inside of the crystal ball hasn't even happened yet. Or perhaps it has while we were talking. Time is such a tricky thing." The wizard stood up from his chair, grabbed a piece of chalk, crouched, and started to draw a large circle on the floor. He filled the circle with a pentagram, runes, and glyphs.

Yaga chanted the words of an incantation and the magic circle started to glow with a blue-tinged light. "This magic circle will take you to your friend Rapunzel."

Aurelion clapped Yaga on the shoulder. "Thank you, my friend."

Yaga gave Aurelion a shy smile. "You're very welcome...my friends. Now, go!"

Aurelion, Ashe and Snow entered the magic circle, and were teleported into the Labyrinth.

***

One hour before Ashe, Snow and Aurelion were teleported into the Labyrinth...Rapunzel, Redmond and Hydie were still traveling down the main road that led directly to the castle. On their way they passed the bodies of dead demons that were surrounded by puddles of red blood.

This level of the Labyrinth had become a blood-splattered battlefield. It had been no easy feat to slay one hundred demons, but all three of them had grown stronger thanks to the challenges of the Labyrinth.

It didn't take long for the companions to reach the wide steps that led to the front door of the castle. They ascended the steps and opened the door to the castle. The door creaked slightly as it opened, and the sound seemed overly loud in the quiet castle.

"Think he has anymore guards?" Redmond asked softly.

"No idea," Rapunzel whispered back with a shrug.

"Where do you think the throne room is?" Redmond asked.

"Why are you all whispering?" Hydie asked with an impish glint in her violet eyes.

As if in response to Redmond's question the torches that were hanging in bronze sconces on the walls in the right-hand corridor flared to life with blue flames.

"It must be that way," Rapunzel said dryly. "He's waiting for us."

"Well, I say we accept his invitation, Rapunzel," Redmond said.

The group followed the lit torches down a corridor until they came to a stop in front of a pair of towering double doors. The doors were made of black steel, and the image of a winged hourglass with a scythe behind it in silver had been engraved onto each door.

"Time is fleeting and our days are numbered," Hydie murmured as she looked at the winged hourglass.

"Death," Redmond said in a somber tone. "Our final adversary. This is definitely the Boss Room."

Together, Rapunzel and Redmond pushed the heavy double doors open, and they entered the main audience chamber. As soon as all three had stepped inside the throne room the torches on the walls flared to life with blue flames, illuminating the spacious chamber.

Black marble columns decorated with white winged skulls stood on either side of an aisle that led to an impressive throne made out of black onyx. The floor was a gleaming black marble that was so clean one could see their reflection when they looked down upon it.

Rapunzel's gaze immediately went to the throne on the other side of the chamber. The throne had a ridiculously high back and was decorated by black stone wings. Seated upon the throne was the Demon King Gothel. Gothel appeared to be unchanged from the last time Rapunzel had laid eyes upon him, and still had his messy, shoulder-length black hair, dark brown eyes that were sunken into his head, hollow cheeks, and overly pale skin.

Gothel was dressed in black leather from head-to-toe that clung tightly to his lanky physique, and that was further secured to his body by straps and buckles. The leather was covered by armor made out of black steel. Gothel was wearing spiked shoulder armor shaped like skulls, a breastplate, gauntlets and armored boots.

The image of a winged hourglass that had a skull inside of it was engraved onto his breastplate. Gothel's usual hooded cloak was absent in order to allow his fearsome armor to be on full display.

With a pang Rapunzel remembered that this appearance was nothing more than an illusion, and that in reality Gothel was a High Skeleton monster.

A spark came to Gothel's lifeless eyes when he spotted Rapunzel. "Well done in making it this far, Rapunzel. You've beaten the Labyrinth."

"He hasn't beaten the Labyrinth until he _kills_ you!" Redmond snapped, feeling strangely on guard due to Gothel's casual demeanor.

Gothel turned his attention to the hunter. "Indeed. I am the final boss that needs to be defeated." He narrowed his eyes at Redmond. "Ah, yes...you are the hero known as Red Riding Hood. It's an honor to make your acquaintance. You are a fine hero to have made it this far. Strong. Brave." Gothel's intent look turned condescending. "But are you a 'true hero'? Will you have what it takes to kill me? I wonder."

Rapunzel fearlessly strode forward and came to a stop a few yards away from Gothel's throne. "No one is killing anyone. Look, Gothel, we need to talk."

Gothel raised an eyebrow at Rapunzel, and rested his chin in the palm of his hand in a bored gesture. "Talk? About what? You should be trying to kill me. You're wasting time with this foolishness, Rapunzel."

"We need to talk about _why_ you sent me into the Labyrinth..." Rapunzel began. "What do you hope to accomplish with all this? Why did you send me here?"

"You tried to leave your tower," Gothel began casually. "You wanted to see the world and become a hero. I only granted you your wish. I decided to test you...to see if you are a true hero before I allow you to spread your wings fully. In my benevolence I sent Hydie with you to make sure you'd get here alive. Hydie, my dear, you may approach."

Hydie stalked forward until she was less than a yard away from the throne, and then she knelt before Gothel. "Master Gothel, I've brought you Rapunzel as promised."

Gothel smiled sharply. "Yes. Good work, Hydie. You shall be rewarded. Although, I'm sure some of the credit goes to Rapunzel for making it this far."

"Thank you, Master," Hydie said, a triumphant smile curling her lips.

Redmond's jaw dropped. "Did Hydie just fucking betray us?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "Seems that way."

Redmond shot Rapunzel a disbelieving look. "You're being awfully calm about this, Rapunzel!"

"I saw this happen in the murals," Rapunzel revealed. "For now her betrayal is not important. Dealing with Gothel is our top priority." The blacksmith returned his attention to Gothel. "So...did I pass your test? Am I a true hero?" he asked with a sarcastic edge to his voice.

"I do not know _yet_ ," Gothel said. "That remains to be seen. After all, I'm still alive. I am the greatest evil you'll probably ever have to face, Rapunzel."

"Bullshit," Rapunzel snarled, his green eyes flashing. "You're _not_ evil, Gothel."

"What?" Gothel asked with a startled expression on his face.

"You're not an evil villain, Gothel," Rapunzel said firmly. "You're my father."

A vein at Gothel's temple throbbed in irritation. "Your true father was King Siegfried Solis!"

"So I hear," Rapunzel said casually. "King Siegfried may have been my _biological_ father, but you're my _real_ father. You are the one who raised me. You're the one who taught me how to walk. How to read. How to write. How to paint. How to cook. How to forge weapons. When I was just a kid I remember...we used to play chess together. You used to put me on your shoulders and run around my room pretending to be a horse-"

"Silence!" Gothel interrupted, a barely noticeable flush rising to his pale cheeks. "That...was a long time ago. It meant nothing. I only did that to gain your trust."

"Why would a prisoner need to _trust_ his jailer?" Rapunzel challenged, giving Gothel a searching look. "I was your prisoner. You didn't need to be nice to me, but you were. You were kind. You could have forced me to make enchanted weapons by threatening violence. But you didn't do that. Why?"

"It was easier to deal with you if you thought we were allies," Gothel drawled coolly. "I needed you to forge those weapons."

"When I asked you why you needed me to forge the enchanted weapons you told me it was to give them to the heroes of Fantasia," Rapunzel reminded. "You said it was a game to pit them against you and to try to find a 'true hero'."

"That is correct," Gothel said.

"I know now that is a lie," Rapunzel said firmly. With her last dying breath Draculara had told Rapunzel that her wish was similar to Gothel's. "This is no game. There's something more to all of this. Tell me the truth, Father!"

"I am _not_ your father!" Gothel snarled, baring his teeth at Rapunzel.

"You care for me!" Rapunzel insisted. "You love me as a son!"

"How could I love the son of _that_ man!" Gothel growled. "King Siegfried took everything from me! He killed Rosalind!"

"Rosalind?" Rapunzel asked with a triumphant look on his face. Now they were finally getting closer to the truth.

"Rosalind was _my_ wife," Gothel began, a dark cloud settling over his face. "But she ended up catching King Siegfried's eye, and he stole her from me. He placed Rosalind under an enchantment so that she thought she loved King Siegfried. Not long after...she grew pregnant with Siegfried's child. Around the time she gave birth to you...that's when she discovered the truth, and that she'd never loved Siegfried. She was also under the impression that I'd been executed for the crime of Necromancy. Rosalind decided to kill herself, and jumped off the tallest tower in the castle. From my prison cell I watched her fall and die, and was unable to save her."

_Gothel loved my mother!_ Rapunzel thought, stumbling back a step out of shock. _And King Siegfried was a scoundrel._

"Now that's a load of horse shit!" Redmond objected hotly. "I heard Gothel here is the one who tried to bewitch your mother Rosalind. And that Gothel is the one who killed her! He pushed her from that tower out of jealousy! Don't believe his lies, Rapunzel! He's an evil Necromancer! He needs to be killed for the good of all Fantasia!"

"I would never harm Rosalind," Gothel choked out, his hands gripping the arms of his throne until his knuckles turned white. "I loved her!"

Rapunzel unbuckled his sword belt, and tossed his belt and sword aside. "I believe you, Gothel. There's no reason you need to die. I won't fight you. Let's just go home, Father."

"Rapunzel!" Redmond shot his comrade an angry look. "What are you saying? You're not seriously planning on leaving Gothel alive, are you?"

"There must be another way..." Rapunzel said, giving his friend a beseeching look. "A better choice to make here besides more killing and death."

"Your friend is right about me, Rapunzel," Gothel drawled. "If you need a reason to kill me, Rapunzel, I suppose I'll just have to give you one." He stroked his chin in thought. "If you don't kill me...you and your friend Redmond here will die. I have a little surprise for you. I'd like you to say 'hello' to all those you've killed while you've been in the Labyrinth. Arise, Insectoids, Dark Elves and demons!"

Several doors all around the throne room slammed open, and zombified Insectoids, Dark elves and demons started to enter the chamber.

Redmond's eyes widened in shock, and a horrified look settled over his rugged features. "Zombies! There must be a thousand of them!"

A wave of guilt washed over Rapunzel as he realized that he and his friends were responsible for a thousand deaths. "Did we really kill so many?"

Gothel let out a dark chuckle. "This is what it means to fight a Necromancer. Prepare to die. For time is fleeting and your days are numbered, Rapunzel."

To be continued in...Chapter 14:

### Chapter 14:

"All those you've killed in the Labyrinth have become a part of my loyal undead army," Gothel continued, his eyes glowing red. "And no, you did not kill _all_ of these beings. You only killed around three hundred beings during your time down here in the Labyrinth, Rapunzel. This is also the work of other so-called heroes who came here to face me and died trying."

Redmond started to panic as he looked around wildly at the approaching forces. "There are too many of them. We can't defeat this many. We're going to die."

"Gothel! Enough with this charade!" Rapunzel growled, slashing his hand through the air in a gesture of frustration. "There's no point to this. No meaning. Please, stop this madness, and see reason!"

"I'd pay better attention to your surroundings if I were you, Rapunzel, unless you want to end up... _undead_." Gothel let out a chilling laugh.

"Shit," Rapunzel swore, and the wheels in his mind began to turn rapidly. _No matter what I say...no matter what I do, I can't seem to change the future I saw depicted in those murals back at the temple. Dammit. Isn't there any way to avoid all this?_

The zombies continued to close in, and started to attack Redmond and Rapunzel as soon as they were close enough. The hunter and blacksmith unsheathed their swords and engaged in battle against the zombie army.

Redmond pulled his sword out of a zombified demon that wouldn't stay dead, and let out a frustrated noise. "Argh! I've stabbed this guy like five times already, and he keeps getting up!"

"You can't kill a zombie - they're already dead," Rapunzel said dryly. "You can stop them though by beheading them."

"Oh, great!" Redmond said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Decapitation is our only option. This sucks!"

After forty-five minutes of fighting zombified Insectoids, Dark Elves and demons the two heroes were beginning to tire. Unfortunately for them, zombies never grew tired.

"Hydie! Help us!" Redmond called out to the witch, who was standing by Gothel's throne.

Hydie looked down her nose at Redmond in a haughty manner. "You fool. Have you not realized yet that I've already betrayed you both!"

"So...you're just going to stand there and do nothing while _Rapunzel_ is killed?" Redmond demanded with a skeptical note to his voice.

"Yes. I don't care if Rapunzel dies," Hydie declared, waving her hand flippantly through the air. "Henrietta is the one who's in love with him...not I. Rapunzel is my enemy. He wants Henrietta to live."

"You're lying, Hydie!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "I know you have feelings for me! I'm not your enemy. I want you _both_ to live! I love you _both_!"

Gothel raised an eyebrow at what Rapunzel was saying. "You fell in love with Dr. Henrietta Jekyll and Hydie?" the Necromancer questioned with morbid interest. "How...peculiar, and unexpected. But, know this, Rapunzel, two personalities cannot inhabit the same body indefinitely. One of them must die to save the other. You can only save _one_."

"No!" Rapunzel objected, shooting Gothel a heated glare. "I plan to save _both_ of them!"

"Rapunzel, don't be naïve," Gothel drawled, a sharp smile curling his lips. "You have the power to save Dr. Henrietta Jekyll. You'll soon have to make a choice, Rapunzel." Gothel reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a potion bottle that he handed to Hydie. "Here, my dear. This is the potion I promised you. It will kill Dr. Henrietta Jekyll and give you complete control over that body. Drink and be saved!"

With an excited gleam in her violet eyes Hydie took the potion. The blood started to drain out of Rapunzel's face as he watched Hydie start to uncork the bottle. "No! Hydie, _please_ , don't do it! Don't drink that potion. I promise I'll find a way to save you both. I love you...and I love Henrietta too. Please, don't do this. Don't kill the woman I love!" the blacksmith pleaded.

Gothel watched Rapunzel's desperate display and was suddenly reminded of his younger self who'd also been desperate and very much in love with Rosalind.

With tears streaming down his face, Rapunzel sank to his knees in a defeated pose in front of the witch. "I'm begging you. Please. I'll do anything you want, Hydie..."

"That idiot! Rapunzel, look out!" Redmond tried to reach Rapunzel, but there were too many zombies in the way. _Shit! There's too many and I'm so fucking tired that I can barely keep my sword raised._

By this time, Hydie had uncorked the bottle and was bringing it to her lips. She watched as the zombies closed in on Rapunzel, and her callous expression turned worried. "Punzie! You fool! Get up and fight! You'll be killed! Shit."

Holding the potion bottle in her left hand, Hydie whipped out one of her _gunsen_ in her right hand and with a flick of her wrist opened it. She waved her war fan in the direction of the zombies that were closing in around Rapunzel. " _Ventus Mitte Falcem!_ "

Sickle-shaped blades of wind flew through the air towards the zombies, and sliced them to pieces in a gruesome manner that sent blood and gore spraying through the air. Finally revealing her concern for Rapunzel, Hydie ran over to him in order to continue to protect him from the zombies.

"Yes!" Redmond crowed, fist pumping the air. "I knew Hydie couldn't really betray us."

Rapunzel looked up at Hydie with a stupefied expression on his face. "Hydie..."

"Are you going to just sit there forever, or are you going to make yourself useful and kill some zombies?" Hydie asked with an air of impatience.

Gothel stood up from his throne. "Hydie!" he roared, his voice laced with anger. "How dare you betray me? Cease protecting Rapunzel at once...or else!"

"Go to hell, you old geezer!" Hydie said, flashing her middle finger at him.

"It is you who shall be going to hell, Hydie! Die!" Gothel raised his hand and with a flick of his wrist sent a bolt of silvery, electric energy Hydie's way.

"Hydie! No!" Rapunzel shouted in alarm.

Hydie sucked in a fearful breath, but the bolt didn't hit her - it hit the potion bottle she'd been holding in her left hand. The bottle shattered and the purple potion spilled onto the black marble floor.

"No! The potion!" Hydie shrieked.

Gothel let out a dark chuckle. "Buahaha! Now there is only one way left to save you, Hydie. Or you and Dr. Henrietta will both die. It's your choice now. Although, I believe your actions have already made your decision clear."

Hydie clenched her hands into fists. _Shit. Shit. Shit._ She inwardly swore. _What should I do?_

Rapunzel looked up at Hydie in concern. "Hydie, I'm sorry. Because of me the potion was lost. Now there's no way to save you."

Hydie let out a heavy sigh. "There is...another way." The witch approached Rapunzel, sank to her knees in front of him, reached out, grabbed his face with her two hands, and pulled him forward for a kiss.

Rapunzel gasped as Hydie smashed her lips against his, and aggressively plunged her tongue into his mouth. He closed his eyes, and showed his eagerness to kiss her back by swirling his tongue around hers.

Hydie opened her eyes, and allowed herself to admire Rapunzel's handsome face for a moment longer before she started to pull her tongue out of his mouth. Just as she planned Rapunzel's tongue chased her own and entered her mouth. That's when Hydie bit down on Rapunzel's tongue, causing it to bleed.

"Mmph!" Rapunzel let out a distressed noise and pulled away from Hydie. "Ow! You bit my tongue! What the hell, Hydie?" He gave her a bewildered look.

With blood dripping down her chin Hydie offered Rapunzel a melancholy smile. "Don't you get it? You're the cure, Punzie. Your blood can cure any ailment...even vampirism. It will cure Dr. Henrietta Jekyll from her condition."

"What are you saying?" Rapunzel demanded, giving Hydie a searching look. "What have you done?"

"This is 'goodbye', Punzie," Hydie said sadly. "You were right about me...I _was_ lying. I _do_ have feelings for you. I...love you." Her voice cracked slightly upon her words and her violet eyes began to shimmer with unshed tears. "I love you so much it _hurts_. And I...don't want to leave you." The witch's expression turned desperate and fearful. "I want to stay with you...always. I want to live together with you in a nice little house with a white picket fence. Punzie, I'm scared. I don't want to die. I don't want to disappear!"

The witch cried out as she began to transform into Henrietta. Her eyes changed from violet to a pale lavender color, and her wild, curly brown hair became straight.

Henrietta blinked as she regained consciousness and control of her body. The first thing she saw was Rapunzel's tear-streaked face in front of her. In order to see him better she quickly fished her glasses out of her skirt pocket and put them on. "Rapunzel, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry, Henrietta," Rapunzel said with a stricken expression on his face. "I failed to keep my promise. I couldn't save Hydie. She's...gone."

Henrietta's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Hydie drank my blood," Rapunzel began in a hollow tone. "You're cured Henrietta."

Henrietta sucked in a surprised breath. _Hydie is...gone? And Rapunzel is mourning her loss...the loss of the woman he loved._ She reached out and placed a hand on Rapunzel's arm. "Oh, Rapunzel, I'm so sorry." The blacksmith gave her a sad, haunted look.

Meanwhile, Redmond was busy doing his best to protect Rapunzel and Henrietta from the zombies that were getting closer and closer. He was decapitating zombies left and right, but his movements were becoming more sluggish as the minutes ticked by, and he could barely lift his sword. "Sorry to interrupt this touching moment, but we're in deep shit here! And my sword is out of juice! What should we do, Rapunzel?"

Abruptly, two zombies grabbed Redmond's arms and restrained him. "Shit! Let go of me, you bastards!" The hunter yelled at them. Two more zombies moved behind the hunter and grabbed his wings...then they started to pull. Redmond let out a strangled cry as the stolen wings were brutally ripped off his back and tossed aside.

"Redmond!" Rapunzel shouted in dismay and quickly stood up. He offered his hand to Henrietta and pulled her to her feet.

"Oh my God, there are so many..." Henrietta said fearfully as she looked around the throne room. In order to feel more like herself, she busied herself with pulling her hair into a bun on the top of her head.

Rapunzel held his sword out before him in a two-handed grip. "Don't worry, Henrietta. I'll protect you."

"It's impossible." Henrietta shook her head.

"Nothing is impossible, remember?" Rapunzel said, tossing the doctor a wink. "And besides, we only have to hold out until _they_ arrive."

"They?" Redmond asked.

Rapunzel was about to respond when two zombies snuck up on him from behind and grabbed his wings. "Oh no you don't!" Rapunzel spun and swung his sword at the zombies, who were forced to leap backwards out of the way. Unfortunately, more zombies leapt at Rapunzel grabbing his arms and legs, and finally managed to restrain him.

The zombies circled around Rapunzel, grabbed his stolen wings, and started to pull. A bloodcurdling scream was pulled from Rapunzel's mouth as they ripped the wings off his back. Things were looking dire and Rapunzel pondered his next move as blood dripped down his back. _Should I attack Gothel now? But then Henrietta would be left defenseless and Red looks like he's about to collapse. It's too risky to leave them behind. No. We have to hold out until They arrive._

At that moment, and as if Rapunzel's thoughts had summoned them a large magic circle containing a pentagram and runes appeared on the black marble floor. The magic circle glowed with a blinding blue light and seconds later three figures materialized into their midst.

A wave of relief crashed over Rapunzel as he caught sight of who had just arrived. "They're finally here. You guys are late!"

Standing in the middle of the throne room were his friends - King Ashe Smoldris, Prince Snow Flurris, and Prince Aurelion Borealis.

Ashe was wearing a full suit of silver armor that had the emblem of a unicorn engraved on its breastplate. He was wielding his recently re-forged Glass Sword, which had the ability to reflect magical attacks, and create energy attacks using stored moonlight. The silver armor complimented Ashe's silvery, platinum-blonde hair.

A crooked smile formed on Rapunzel's lips when he noted that Prince Snow Flurris was wearing a blue shirt with puffed sleeves that had red accents, yellow leather pants, and black leather boots. Snow was wielding the sword Rapunzel had forged him, which had the ability to conjure and control the element of water.

Prince Aurelion was wearing a full suit of gold armor that had the emblem of a rose engraved on its breastplate. The gold armor brought out the man's short golden hair. There were dark shadows beneath his blue eyes, making Rapunzel wonder if Aurelion was still suffering from insomnia. Aurelion was wielding the sword Rapunzel had forged him, which had the ability to conjure and control the element of fire.

As soon as Aurelion caught sight of Rapunzel tears sprang to his eyes. "Punzie! We finally found you!" Intent on giving his best friend a hug, the Monster Hunter charged towards Rapunzel, and cut down any zombies that were stupid enough to stand in his way. Aurelion's powerful sword blows literally sent zombies flying through the air, and across the throne room.

"Whoo," Redmond let out an impressed whistle as his sharp, brown eyes tracked a flying zombie. "Who the hell are these guys?"

Henrietta pointed at Aurelion. "That's Monster Hunter and Hero, Prince Aurelion Borealis of Rose Kingdom."

Once Aurelion reached Rapunzel he pulled his friend into a bone-crunching embrace. "Punzieeeee!"

"Gah! Get off of me, Aurelion!" Rapunzel complained while attempting to shove Aurelion off of him. "We're kind of in the middle of a battle here, you know?"

Ashe noticed the zombies closing in on Rapunzel and Aurelion. "That idiot!" Ashe rushed forward, and started decapitating zombies left and right with his Glass Sword.

Snow's eyes flared in alarm when he realized he was being left behind. "Eek! Did I ever mention that I'm afraid of ghosts and undead things? Wait for me, Ashe!" He took off running after Ashe.

Ashe swung his sword at a group of zombies, and chanted an incantation. " _Reflectunt Lunae Lumen!_ " A beam of white magical energy shot out of his sword and blasted the zombies back.

Henrietta nodded her chin in Ashe's direction next. "And that's King Ashe Smoldris of Glass Kingdom."

"Ashe the Merciful?" Redmond asked, his brown eyes glittering with admiration. "The most recently turned vampires talked about the undefeated champion of the Glass Coliseum. I never thought I'd actually get to meet him."

Snow sidled up next to Ashe, held up his sword, summoned his magical power and concentrated on conjuring a protective shield made out of water. The zombies reached out towards them, but their hands were unable to pass through the glowing water shield.

Ashe glanced over at Henrietta. "Greetings, Dr. Henrietta Jekyll. Sorry we're late."

"No apology is necessary," Henrietta said politely. "We appreciate your help."

"No offense, Milady, but...shouldn't you be bringing out Hydie?" Ashe asked with an intent look. A dark shadow fell over not only Henrietta's face but also Ashe's at the mention of Hydie. This unexpected reaction caused Ashe to furrow his brow in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Hydie is...gone," Rapunzel explained in a gruff voice.

Aurelion let go of Rapunzel, and gave his friend a concerned, searching look. "Punzie?"

"Forgive me for asking such a thing then, Milady," Ashe said to Henrietta. "I did not know. That was incredibly insensitive of me."

"You are forgiven," Henrietta said briskly. "How could you possibly know such a thing? I just found out about it myself. It still doesn't feel real."

Snow was gritting his teeth as he kept up the protective water shield. "Okay...so I don't get what the fuck is going on here, but holy fucking shit...is that Demon King Gothel sitting on that throne over there?"

"Indeed," Rapunzel confirmed in a grim tone. "Please, my friends, can I task you with protecting Dr. Henrietta and Redmond while I face Gothel? I must be the one to fight him. This is _my_ fight. Until Gothel is defeated these zombies will continue to pose a threat to us."

Aurelion clapped him on the shoulder. "Sure thing, Punzie! Just leave it to us! Protecting damsels in distress is my specialty."

"You can count on us," Ashe said with a determined expression on his face. "Do what you need to do."

"Whoa...wait a minute," Snow interjected, glancing between the zombies and his friends. "You expect us to fight _all_ these zombies on our own? There are at least a thousand of them! Shouldn't we just be trying to make our escape? Let's run away and live to fight another day!"

"Run away?" Rapunzel echoed, and his friends shot him surprised looks when it appeared he was actually considering the suggestion. But at this point, Rapunzel had had his fill of blood and death.

Gothel's red eyes flashed angrily. "You dare to consider running away like a coward, Rapunzel. I thought I raised you better than that. Though I suppose you could if you really wanted, but know this - as soon as you all leave here I will awaken the Dinosaur fossils I have stored in Level Three of the Labyrinth."

"Dinosaurs?" Snow asked.

"Mammoth reptiles that used to walk the Earth millions of years ago," Henrietta explained, pushing her glasses up her nose. And when the Fantasians continued to give the doctor questioning looks she continued. "Picture wingless dragons."

A sharp smile curled Gothel's lips. "Those skeleton monsters will have the power to kill every man, woman and child in Fantasia. After that, I will use my powers of Necromancy to bring the dead back to life. Fantasia will be turned into an Undead Empire where I will reign supreme. The only way to prevent this catastrophe is to kill me!"

Rapunzel recalled the castle made out of Dinosaur fossils on Level Three and shuddered. The beast's mouth had been enormous. Rapunzel was so angry his body started to tremble. "Dammit, Gothel, why are you doing this? You can't really expect me to believe you have an interest in World Domination?"

"Does a villain need a _reason_ to be evil?" Gothel challenged. "Although, I can give you one. Necromancers will always be seen as evil regardless of their actions. They will always be hated, feared and persecuted. I was accused of evil deeds, which I did not commit. The love of my life was stolen away from me...and I was unjustly imprisoned. No one in this Kingdom wanted to hear the truth. Then as I sought to avenge the death of my wife I was killed before I could avenge her. The Leader of the League of Villains gave me a second chance for revenge, and I was finally able to kill Siegfried. Now, I serve The League, and am Leader's loyal follower."

"The League of Villains..." Rapunzel murmured, pointing his sword at Gothel. "It seems I have no choice but to stop you."

"Are you finally prepared to fight me, Rapunzel? It's about time." Gothel smiled, stood up from his throne, and stretched out his right hand in an expectant gesture. "I'll be taking back my sword now, Red Riding Hood."

Redmond squawked as the Sword of Darkness was pulled out of his hand by an invisible force. The sword shot through the air, and Gothel caught it and wrapped his hand around its hilt.

"I was fighting with _Gothel's_ sword?" Redmond exclaimed with a bewildered expression on his face. "Oh my God. I really need to wash my hands. _And_ now I'm weaponless. Great, just great. I should have brought my bow as a back up option."

A malevolent aura that resembled blue and black flames flared up around Gothel as he approached Rapunzel. That kind of intimidation tactic wouldn't work against Rapunzel and he stood his ground. He wasn't afraid of Gothel.

_I don't want to do this._ Rapunzel thought. _I don't want to fight him. Or kill him. But I have no choice. I have to protect my friends and Fantasia._ Letting out a battle cry, Rapunzel charged forward and swung his sword at Gothel. Gothel raised his sword and blocked the attack. The blacksmith and Necromancer parried and blocked each other's attacks with power, speed, and grace.

"Your swordsmanship has greatly improved, Rapunzel," Gothel drawled with a placid expression on his face. "The Labyrinth has honed and sharpened your skills, but...that still won't be enough to defeat me. You'll have to use your magic."

Rapunzel bit his lower lip as he hesitated on his next move. He still felt conflicted. _If only I could get past his defenses and...!_ Rapunzel managed to sneak his sword past Gothel's defenses and stabbed him in the chest in a non-lethal spot. _I got him._

Gothel looked down at the sword imbedded in his chest with an air of unconcern. He wasn't bleeding, and didn't appear to be affected by the attack. Suddenly, Gothel's eyes flashed. "Is _this_ your plan? To go easy on me? I thought you wanted to protect your friends and all of Fantasia. You won't be able to kill me like this, Rapunzel, because I am no longer human."

Gothel summoned his magic and concentrated on dissipating the glamour spell he always wore to conceal his true appearance. The spell flickered out of existence to reveal Gothel was in fact a High Skeleton with glowing, red eyes.

Rapunzel had known that Gothel's appearance was nothing but an illusion, but still sucked in a shocked breath when he saw that there was no flesh on Gothel's bones. He realized that he hadn't truly believed it until now. No. He'd been hoping it wasn't true.

With a horrified look on his face, Rapunzel looked down at his sword, which was imbedded between Gothel's ribs. _Gothel...is already dead._ "How is this possible?"

"The first time I faced King Siegfried to get my revenge...I was killed by a barrage of arrows," Gothel began to explain. "After that, the Leader of the League of Villains gave me a potion made out of the horn of a unicorn and brought me back to life with it. The potion granted me immortality. I am invincible."

Tears started to stream down Rapunzel's face as he looked at the true form of his adoptive father.

"Why are you crying?" Gothel asked, startled.

"I'm crying because my father is dead and there's no way I can save him," Rapunzel said in a ragged voice.

"Oh, but there _is_ a way to save me," Gothel began. "You should have realized it by now - my wish. Please, Rapunzel, my son, kill me before I kill you, your friends, and everything you hold dear. _Tenebris Trambem Impetus!_ " The Necromancer swung his sword at Rapunzel and unleashed a blast of black magical energy Rapunzel's way.

" _Solis Impetus!_ " Rapunzel swung his sword at Gothel, and unleashed a blast of golden magical energy Gothel's way. The energy attacks clashed in midair. Gothel poured more magic into his attack, and Rapunzel started to be pushed back, his feet sliding across the marble floor.

Through his tears Rapunzel could barely see Gothel. Draculara's final words made sense to him now: _You must save Gothel too. He also wishes to be reunited with his dead love. Please, grant Gothel's wish. Save him, Rapunzel._ He had to be the one to grant Gothel's true wish. The only way to save Gothel...was to kill him.

Rapunzel had still been holding back, but now he summoned all of his magical power and concentrated on pouring it into his attack spell. Rapunzel's golden hair glowed, and for a split second Henrietta thought she saw two white, feathery wings outstretched behind him. She took her glasses off and rubbed at her eyes. But when she replaced her glasses the wings were gone.

Rapunzel's energy attack began to overpower Gothel's, until-

The attack hit Gothel and he was blasted back. Gothel's body collided with his throne and his body began to disintegrate. When Rapunzel saw that his father was turning to ash he dropped his sword and ran over to Gothel. He crouched in front of the throne and grabbed Gothel's skeletal hand. "Father, I'm so sorry. I couldn't find a way to save you."

"No. You have saved me, Rapunzel," Gothel said in a gravely voice. "You've granted my true wish. I longed for death so I could be reunited with my love Rosalind. And now thanks to you...I can finally go to her. Thank you."

"I failed to save Draculara. I failed to save Hydie - the woman I loved. And I failed to save my father. I'm a failure as a hero," Rapunzel said, the frustration he was feeling evident in his voice.

"No, Rapunzel," Gothel objected passionately. "You're wrong. You are a true hero. You saved Draculara and reunited her with her dead husband. You saved Dr. Henrietta Jekyll's life by curing her. And you saved me from this living hell I've been trapped in for the last twenty-five years. I know that Dr. Jekyll must be as grateful to you as I am. You saved us. And...you must continue to protect Dr. Henrietta Jekyll. Marry her."

"But Hydie..." Rapunzel choked out, tears shimmering in his green eyes. "She's gone. I loved her so much. I failed to protect her. I failed to save her."

"Those that leave us while we're alive are never truly gone, though are they, Rapunzel?" Gothel reached out, and placed his skeletal hand over Rapunzel's heart. "They live on in our heart and in our memories. Here in Fantasia true love conquers all, Rapunzel. You would do well to remember that. Don't lose hope. When there is life, there is hope. If you truly loved her...you have nothing to worry about. I leave Bones Kingdom in your capable hands. I am so proud of you, my son. Thank you, and farewell."

Rapunzel watched as Gothel's entire body crumbled to dust in the next instant. "FATHER!"

Upon Gothel's death the zombies all collapsed to the floor and remained unmoving like puppets that had suddenly had their strings cut.

"Necromancer Gothel is dead," Aurelion said in a solemn tone, sheathing his sword. "Our work here is done. Fantasia is saved."

"Phew. About time that evil Necromancer kicked the bucket!" Snow said, sheathing his sword with a little less elegance than Aurelion.

Ashe hit Snow upside the head. "Read the mood, Snow. Rapunzel obviously cared for his adoptive father very much. You're being insensitive."

"Yeah, but he was a Necromancer," Snow whispered back. "He was pure evil."

"I wonder," Ashe said, stroking his chin. "He may have been _mostly_ evil, but I think he must have been _partly_ good too. He did raise Rapunzel to become the man he is today. A true hero."

"Yeah," Snow grudgingly agreed.

Rapunzel was just about to turn around and face his friends when he noticed that Gothel's sword and ring were glowing with a blue-tinged light, and pulsing with magical energy. The energy didn't feel malevolent to Rapunzel. In fact, it felt familiar. _It feels like...Gothel._ He thought.

These two items were all he had left of his father. Rapunzel surreptitiously slipped the ring onto his finger and picked up the Sword of Darkness. He could immediately sense the zombies lying on the floor. The word 'Arise' was on the tip of his tongue. _Oh my God...does this mean I inherited Gothel's powers of Necromancy?_ Rapunzel wondered.

The blacksmith was about to open his mouth in order to tell his friends about what had just happened, but then decided against it. The reputation that Necromancy had was that it was evil, and a part of the Dark Arts. He decided to keep this development a secret from his friends. For now.

Rapunzel wiped the tears from his eyes, swallowed a lump of nervousness, and with his stomach tying itself up into knots he finally turned around to face his friends. His gaze immediately met Henrietta's concerned stare, and his heart clenched at the sight of her.

_She looks so much like Hydie._ Rapunzel thought. It was too painful to look at her and he quickly glanced away. "We did it, guys," he said as he approached his friends and offered them a tremulous smile. "We defeated one of the most powerful members of the League of Villains. This has been a mighty blow to their organization."

Aurelion gave Rapunzel a compassionate look before hugging him. This time Rapunzel didn't push Aurelion away. "Group hug!" the Monster Hunter exclaimed loudly.

Ashe, Snow, Redmond, and Henrietta joined in on hugging Rapunzel until he snapped. "Gah! Good grief! Get off of me, you guys! I can't breathe! I'm an injured man here!" he complained while trying to push his friends away from him. Everyone laughed in response and let go of Rapunzel.

When Rapunzel looked around he realized his friends were trying to give him and Henrietta some space as they moved away from him. _Shit._ The last thing he wanted was to be alone with Henrietta right then.

"Rapunzel, you did it. You saved everyone. You're a true hero," Henrietta said, reaching out her hand in an effort to offer Rapunzel comfort.

Rapunzel pulled away from her touch. "You're forgetting that I failed to save Hydie."

A guilty look flashed across Henrietta's face. "Rapunzel, there was no way to save us both. I was dying."

"In the end...Hydie chose to save _you_ , Henrietta," Rapunzel said hotly. "She was a true hero. Wouldn't you agree?"

Henrietta nibbled on her bottom lip as she hesitated in agreeing. "Hydie was a villain, but in the end...she performed a heroic deed. She was still a _murderer_ , Rapunzel."

"And I just killed my father," Rapunzel growled. "I'm a murderer too, Henrietta."

"That's different," Henrietta said with an emotional look on her face. "You killed Gothel to protect your friends and to save all of Fantasia."

"So you're saying murdering 'evil people' is okay?" Rapunzel asked with a bitter edge to his voice. "It's still the act of taking someone's life. I don't think real heroes do that. Aurelion has never killed anyone. I don't consider myself a hero, for that reason. I'm just a blacksmith."

"I...love you, Rapunzel," Henrietta blurted out. The last thing she wanted to be doing was argue with Rapunzel, and this conversation wasn't going where she'd hoped it would. "But I feel like you wish Hydie is the one who survived, and not me."

Rapunzel gaped at Henrietta. "How can you expect me to respond to that? I can barely understand the way I'm currently feeling. I loved Hydie. I miss her. Hydie...was able to understand the darkness in my heart better than you. I'm not some perfect white knight, Henrietta."

"I know that," Henrietta murmured. "I know you're not perfect."

"Do you think you can truly love me? All of me? The good and the bad? When you've made it your life's work to expel humanity's inner darkness through science?" Rapunzel challenged, giving the doctor a searching look.

Henrietta narrowed her eyes at the blacksmith. "I know what you're trying to do, Rapunzel. And I'm not going to fall for it. You're trying to push me away. But...I love you. Every part of you. I swear. Please, believe me. I just...I want to stay with you always. I want to live together with you in a nice little house with a white picket fence." She nibbled on her lower lip as she awaited his response.

Rapunzel sucked in a surprised breath at Henrietta's words. "Those words...! You...!" Those were Hydie's words. Rapunzel took a step closer to Henrietta, reached out to cup her cheek, and looked into her eyes searchingly. Henrietta's lavender-colored eyes now had flecks of violet in them. Perhaps, a part of Hydie was living on inside of Henrietta after all. Rapunzel remembered his father's words: _When there is life, there is hope._

Rapunzel didn't realize it, but he was closing in for a kiss. Ashe started to look embarrassed that his friend was about to start kissing in front of them. Aurelion was smiling widely, obviously pleased that Rapunzel had found what he hoped was true love. Snow was looking jealous that someone other than him had found true love again before he did.

"Ahem," Redmond cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt, Rapunzel, but the magic teleportation circle has finally appeared, and I think we'd better use it to get the hell out of here before we get trapped down here in this damned Labyrinth forever."

With an embarrassed blush rising to their cheeks, Rapunzel and Henrietta sprang away from each other like a couple of guilty teenagers who'd been caught kissing by their parents.

"Aw man, and just when it was getting good too!" Aurelion complained with a twinkle in his blue eyes. "I probably could have learned something."

"We're out of it for a little while and Rapunzel managed to find himself a lover while down in a crypt filled with monsters," Snow grumbled. "I go to fancy balls and lavish parties all the time, and still have yet to find true love. It's just not fair. The gods must hate me!"

"You make it sound like Rapunzel finding true love happened out of the blue," Aurelion began. "But Dr. Henrietta Jekyll has been watching Rapunzel from afar for a very long time. The two of them finally meeting and falling in love was inevitable, in my opinion."

"You knew about this?" Snow demanded.

"I knew about it too," Ashe admitted with a sheepish expression on his face.

"What?" Snow's jaw dropped and he gave his friends a betrayed look. "I'm the only one who was left out of the loop. Aha!" He pointed a trembling finger at his friends. "You thought I'd steal her away with my charm ability, didn't you, guys? That's why you kept her a secret from me! You guys don't trust me. Oh ye of little faith. Brothers-in-arms before lovers is what I believe!"

"True love?" Ashe mused aloud stroking his chin. "I say we put their love to the test." He grabbed Snow by the shoulders and maneuvered him to stand in front of Henrietta. "So...Dr. Henrietta Jekyll, what do you think of this guy?"

Henrietta arched an eyebrow as she looked Snow over curiously. "Er...I think he's incredibly annoying, impolite, uncouth, and he dresses way too flamboyantly."

"It's true love!" Aurelion, Ashe and Snow announced at the same time.

"Way to go, Punzie," Aurelion congratulated Rapunzel, slapping him on the back.

"Am I missing something here?" Redmond asked with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Prince Snow Flurris has a charm ability," Ashe began to explain for the benefit of the hunter. "He's able to win the heart of any female he comes across with one smoldering look unless she's in love with someone else."

" _Oh_ , I see." Redmond stroked his goatee. "So Henrietta's love for Rapunzel is sincere because she wasn't attracted to Prince Snow. Good. That clears things up. Right, Rapunzel?" He elbowed Rapunzel in his side. "You can't push Henrietta away claiming her love for you isn't sincere."

"Yeah," Rapunzel reluctantly agreed. "I suppose you have a point there."

"Ahem." Henrietta cleared her throat primly with an irritated look on her face. "Let's hurry this up and use the circle already."

"Aye!" the young men called back.

"Before we go," Snow began, turning his attention to Rapunzel and letting his gaze drop to the blacksmith's left hand. "What's the deal with those claws?"

Rapunzel chuckled. "That's a long story."

The group entered the magic circle together and was teleported out of the Labyrinth. Everyone materialized in front of Rapunzel's tower, which the blacksmith now knew was a part of the ruins of the old castle that used to stand there twenty-five years ago when Bones Kingdom had been known as Sol Kingdom.

Rapunzel turned to look up at the tower, and his eyes grew misty. "I never thought I'd say this, but...home sweet home." The blacksmith suddenly realized something, and let out a groan. " _Ah!_ My hair. There's no way to get inside! I can't believe this...I'm locked out of my own home."

"Don't worry, Punzie!" Aurelion sauntered over to the tower, got into a fighting stance, and punched the outer stone wall. Several square-shaped stone bricks fell to the ground and revealed a hidden entrance. "We could always just use the stairs," he finished casually.

A vein at Rapunzel's temple throbbed in irritation. "Aurelion, are you seriously telling me you knew that staircase was there this entire time, and yet you've been climbing my hair to get to the top of the tower?"

"Well...yeah," Aurelion said, scratching his cheek in a sheepish gesture.

"You...slave driver!" Rapunzel accused, wagging his finger at his friend. "Do you know how much it hurt my scalp when your fatass would climb up my tower!"

"I always wondered about that," Snow said with a playful twinkle in his sapphire-blue eyes.

"Brrrr. It's cold out here," Aurelion said, rubbing his upper arms and then grimacing when he remembered he had his gauntlets on. "Let's hurry up and get inside. I'm starving too!"

"I'll cook us something special," Ashe offered, recalling the odd Earth recipes that Lord Christian Tremaine had taught him. "I bet Henrietta and Redmond have never had a hamburger or pizza before."

"Let's break out the booze and make it a _real_ celebration!" Snow chimed in.

"Don't invite people into _my_ house to eat my food and drink my booze without _my_ permission, Aurelion," Rapunzel complained, frowning at his pushy friends.

"Don't be stingy, Punzie," Aurelion chided. "We helped you save the world just now. The least you can do is feed us and give us booze, right?"

Rapunzel scrubbed a hand down his face and let out a resigned sigh. "Bunch of freeloaders. Some things never change. Alright. Let's get your asses inside."

"So...I have to know," Snow began turning his attention to Redmond. "What came first your hero name or your outfit?"

Redmond chuckled. "I've been wearing this red leather hood since I was a teenager, so definitely the outfit."

"Have you defeated the Big Bad Wolf yet?" Snow asked curiously.

Redmond arched an eyebrow at Snow. "Who?"

"In order to discover Rapunzel's whereabouts we consulted a seer named Baba Yaga," Snow started to explain. "Yaga told us that you are destined to fight the leader of the Werewolf Clan...who has the nickname the Big Bad Wolf."

All of a sudden, Redmond was very interested in what Snow was saying. He turned to face the prince fully and placed his hands on Snow's shoulders. "Did the seer happen to mention anything about my little sister Hamelin?"

Snow gave the hunter an apologetic look and shook his head. "No. Sorry, man."

"I knew of Redmond _before_ Baba Yaga told us about him," Aurelion revealed smugly. "It's an honor to meet you, Sir."

"Oh. No. The honor is all mine, Prince Aurelion," Redmond said, embarrassed that the most powerful hero in all of Fantasia knew of him.

A flicker of surprise crossed Rapunzel's face. "I didn't know you were such a big shot, Red."

"My phenomenal fighting skills didn't give that away?" Redmond asked with a pout.

"Might I say, you look good for being a middle-aged man," Aurelion remarked casually. "You must be fifty-something?"

"What?" Redmond said, his brow furrowing. "I'm only thirty."

Aurelion frowned. "It was over twenty years ago that the hunter known as Red Riding Hood disappeared never to be heard from again. My father told me your tale as a bedtime story."

"Twenty years ago?" Redmond echoed, the blood starting to drain out of his face.

"How long did you think you've been inside the Labyrinth?" Aurelion asked pointedly.

"Well, after I made it to Level Four...Draculara defeated me and turned me into a vampire," Redmond began, and shrugged. "After that I sort of lost track of time. Time becomes inconsequential to an immortal."

"You were turned?" Aurelion asked, narrowing his eyes at the hunter, and sneakily letting his hand drop to the hilt of his sword. "How is it that you're human again?"

"Dr. Henrietta found a cure to vampirism," Rapunzel said, noticing the hand Aurelion had on his sword's hilt. "Red is _no_ vampire. You can relax, Aurelion."

"Unfortunately, the cure was lost in the Labyrinth," Henrietta swiftly added in a firm tone, and gave Rapunzel a warning look. Rapunzel nodded in silent agreement to what Henrietta was trying to do.

"Oh. Er...she's right," Redmond agreed, taking the hint. The cure for vampirism had been made using Rapunzel's blood, and if such a secret were revealed Rapunzel would be hunted for his blood by potions masters, and people who had loved ones turned into vampires. "Such a shame."

"That's too bad," Aurelion lamented. "But at least _you_ were saved, Red."

A cloud fell over Redmond's features. "If twenty years have passed since I entered the Labyrinth I wonder how my village is doing. The Werewolf Clan was terrorizing our village. I entered the Labyrinth with the intention of defeating Gothel, and stealing his Necromancy power to use against the werewolves. My God...my little sister is twenty-five years old now. She was only five when I left our village in search of the Heroes' Labyrinth. And my parents...if they're still alive they would be in their seventies."

"I'm sorry, Red," Aurelion began with an apologetic look on his face. "I don't know what happened to your village. My father didn't say."

"I hope my family is alright," Redmond murmured, his voice laced with worry. He noticed that everyone was giving him concerned looks and forced himself to smile. "I'll head to my village later. I'm sure they're fine. But first, I'm so hungry I could eat a wolf! Let us eat, drink and celebrate our victory over the League of Villains, friends!"

"I don't know how to cook wolf," Ashe said seriously.

"He was joking," Snow said to Redmond in a dry tone before turning a quizzical look in Ashe's direction. "You _were_ joking, right, man?" Everyone started to laugh.

"Anything has to be better than grasshopper." Rapunzel shuddered as he remembered having to eat bugs in the Labyrinth in order to survive.

Snow shot Rapunzel a horrified look. "You ate _bugs_ while you were trapped in the Labyrinth?" He patted the blacksmith's back in a consoling manner. "You poor soul. I'll bring you some caviar, duck pate, lobster, and quail tomorrow so you can reset you palate!"

"Make sure you bring enough food for _six_ people," Aurelion said casually.

"Why did _my_ home become your clubhouse again?" Rapunzel groused.

"It's more like our 'secret base'," Ashe corrected. "We're not a bunch of four-year-olds."

"Why would a King like you need a 'secret base'?" Rapunzel asked.

"Have you ever tried to change a baby's diaper?" Ashe asked with a moue of disgust. "Trust me. Sometimes a man just needs to get away from the love of his life and his newborn child in order to keep his sanity."

Rapunzel wrinkled his nose. "Baby..." He cast an askance glance Henrietta's way and blushed when he caught her staring. She ended up blushing for being caught, and they both looked away from each other.

Snow noticed Rapunzel and Henrietta's behavior, and made a distressed noise. "Argh! I can't believe another of us found 'true love'. We were supposed to be an inseparable band of brothers that vowed to never fall in love!"

Ashe raised an eyebrow at Snow. "Since when did we make a vow to never fall in love?"

"You used to hate women, you traitor!" Snow wagged his finger at Ashe. "You had the least chance of finding true love, and yet you did. And Rapunzel was trapped in a tower for Heaven's sake, and yet he managed to find a woman! And here I am...still single! I'm the romantic! Life is so unfair. All of _this_." Snow ran his hands over his muscular torso. "Is going to waste."

"Juleka showed me that women _can_ be loyal and trustworthy," Ashe said wistfully as he thought about his quirky wife.

Snow whirled to glare at Aurelion. "And as for _you_! You have a lover you never told us about. We had to learn about Princess Jabberwocky from Baba Yaga!"

A blush rose to Aurelion's cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, she's _not_ my lover. Princess Jabberwocky is my fiancée. We...haven't done more than hold hands so far."

"Whoo!" Redmond whistled. "You're marrying the daughter of a dragon? You've got balls of steel, man!" Everyone turned to give Redmond a questioning look.

"Yes...she's the Princess of Dragon Kingdom, but that doesn't make her a dragon," Aurelion clarified.

"Well, King Maleficent is a dragon shifter, so his daughter might end up being one too," Redmond said nonchalantly. "Dragonkin."

"Maleficent _isn't_ a dragon shifter," Aurelion argued, beginning to feel frustrated with Redmond's strange ideas. "The ability to shift into dragons was lost long ago. There are no more Dragonkin in Fantasia - only normal dragons that don't have the ability to talk or shift into humans."

"I'm sorry, but...twenty years ago it was common knowledge that King Maleficent could turn into a dragon," Redmond argued hotly.

"Utter nonsense," Aurelion said stubbornly.

"Okay then. How do you explain his horns?" Redmond demanded, pretending to feel up his own nonexistent horns. "Surely, he hasn't cut the things off. He was incredibly proud of them."

"They're...some kind of ceremonial headdress," Aurelion began unsurely. "I think."

"I think this is worth investigating, Aurelion," Ashe began tentatively. "I mean, how much do you really know about Maleficent? Lord Christian Tremaine had him over for dinner one night along with Gothel, and I think that maybe-"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence, Ashe," Aurelion angrily interrupted. "King Maleficent is _not_ evil, and the Lady Jabberwocky is the woman I am one day to marry. I'm also in love with her."

Rapunzel put his hand on Aurelion's shoulder. "Regardless of what the truth ends up being...don't worry. We've got your back. Just like you had mine. Right, guys?"

"Aye!" the princes shouted back. After that the group entered the tower and ascended a spiral staircase, which led to the circular room that contained Rapunzel's bedroom, living room and kitchen area. True to his word, Ashe made everyone a spectacular dinner. The companions ate, drank and celebrated their victory against the League of Villains long into the night.

***

A few days later...Rapunzel crouched to place a bouquet of purple flowers down in front of a headstone. The headstone had the following name engraved upon it: _Edwina Hyde_. Hydie had passed, but even though there was no body to be buried Rapunzel felt the need to make her a grave that he could come and visit.

"Edwina Hyde," a soft voice came from behind Rapunzel. He recognized it as being Henrietta's voice, and so didn't turn around. "Your friends told me you made a grave for her. That's very kind of you."

"I loved her," Rapunzel said in a gruff voice.

"I know," Henrietta said. "What do you think will happen if your friend Aurelion discovers he's in love with a villain?" The doctor tried to keep her tone casual. Sometimes it was easier to talk about others than oneself.

Rapunzel stood up, turned around, and took Henrietta's hand in his. He offered her a roguish grin. "We made it through that test together, I think." The blacksmith's playful expression then turned serious. "In truth, I don't know what will happen. But I hope he's able to save her from herself if he needs to. I'm sure Aurelion will be able to do it. He's a great guy, and a kind, selfless person."

"He hunts monsters," Henrietta began, pushing her glasses up her nose. "And dragons are considered to be monsters."

"Well, it won't be easy, but things that are worth fighting for never are. I'll be rooting for him. After all, I loved a villain once too," Rapunzel said, glancing at the headstone with a longing expression on his face.

"Loved?" Henrietta asked.

"Perhaps, I should have held onto her tighter," Rapunzel lamented, and then turned his gaze to meet Henrietta's worried stare. "But I'll never let _you_ go, Henrietta." He squeezed her hand.

Henrietta smiled at the affectionate gesture. "I'll never let you go either, Punzie." She tossed him a playful wink and a slight breeze picked up around them.

The breeze didn't appear to be natural, and Rapunzel's green eyes widened in shock. "You...?" He pulled Henrietta into his arms and kissed her passionately as tears of joy filled his eyes.

As the days passed, Henrietta continued to show signs that a part of Hydie lived somewhere deep inside of her. Henrietta would have these little moments where she would say something that only Hydie would say, and it appeared that Henrietta herself didn't even notice these slips in her personality.

_My father Gothel was right._ Rapunzel thought as he kissed Henrietta. _True love conquers all. Somewhere inside of Henrietta a part of Hydie is still alive. She isn't lost and gone forever. She just needs to be found again, little by little. And I plan to stay by Henrietta's side for as long as that takes. Even if it takes a lifetime...I will meet Hydie again. Nothing is impossible._ The blacksmith smiled against his lover's lips at the hopeful thought.

THE END

###

Final note:

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