7The wanted thief exhaled slowly through his mouth as he leaned against the inside of the cave, trying to hide from that damned horse. A snort echoed in the cave, and he closed his eyes, praying the horse didn't hear the echo or his heavy breathing. The hoof steps stopped and the thief chanced a look, glancing over his shoulder. The silhouette of the palace horse made an ominous shadow on the hanging ivy, and his breath caught in his throat. He heard the horse sniff the air, then grunt and continue on his search, thankfully walking away from the cave.
The thief let out a huge sigh of relief, leaning back against the rock, clutching his satchel to his chest. The sound of his wanted poster crinkling against the crown echoed loudly in the chamber, and he winced. A few moments passed, during which the horse didn't burst into the cave, and he opened his eyes again.
It was then that he heard the singing.
Now Flynn Rider was no musical connoisseur, having spent the majority of his life in pubs and establishments of ill repute, but this was the most haunting and villainous song he'd ever heard. He checked behind him once more to make sure that blasted horse wasn't following him, then followed the singing.
The cavern wasn't long, but it had many twists and turns which dampened both light and sound so that when Flynn made it around the final curve, he was met with not only what felt like the brightest sun ever, but also the tallest tower he'd ever seen. A tower that would make a perfect hiding place from that damned horse, seeing as there was no possible way for the horse to reach him. Of course, he'd have to figure out a way to climb up the tower first.
The singing had stopped when Flynn started walking towards the tower. A flash of gold caught his eye as he ducked behind a boulder. A long stretch of rope flew out the window of the tower and a cloaked figure stepped out onto the windowsill. As the figure was lowered to the ground, Flynn noticed that the rope must have been very old, for it looked as though it was completely falling apart and not bound together anymore at all. When the cloaked figure reached the ground and waved, letting go of the rope, Flynn's jaw dropped. It wasn't rope at all. It was hair.
It didn't take long for the cloaked figure to sweep past Flynn's hiding spot. As the figure glided past, Flynn spied a basket full of fruit and suddenly realized he was hungry. His stomach grumbled and the figure turned around. He cringed, but all the figure did was wave towards the tower. She was an older woman, with long frizzy black hair and a smile Flynn could tell was fake from fifty feet away.
He waited until he could no longer hear her footsteps echoing from the cavern, and cautiously rose to his feet. As he began walking towards the tower again, he heard the singing begin. This song was less firm than the first and not at all condescending. He found himself wondering what would make a girl sing such a sad song. Flynn cursed his slow pace as the hair was quickly pulled back up into the tower, effectively barring him from hiding in the tower. He quickly jogged the short distance to the tower, then walked around its base, looking for an entrance closer to the ground.
"… so many things I should be thankful for…" Flynn completed his circle around the tower and put his hands on his hips. He stared up at the windowsill where he knew the girl was looking out the window – because he could hear her quite clearly. "Yes I have everything… except, I guess, a door…"
Flynn walked closer to the tower to look at the masonry. The grout that held the tower together was old, and he had some arrows in his satchel that he could probably use to scale the tower.
"Maybe it's better that I stay in…" Wow, was this the saddest song ever or what? And he'd heard quite a few depressing songs, having spent many a night with jilted lovers trying to drink their sorrows away. Flynn grabbed two arrows from his satchel and shoved one of them into the grout, which crumbled away. He tested his weight on the arrow and, finding it satisfactory, began his climb up the tower.
"Just tell me, when will my life begin?"
One pull after another, it only took him a minute to reach the windowsill. He heaved himself over the edge, then slammed onto his feet. He cringed; the small tower amplified the sound. "Hello? I heard the singing… I'm just looking for some food and a place to rest for a little while…" The girl had sounded quite naïve, singing about staying inside, so he thought it best to leave out that he was on the lam from the palace guards. He took one step into the tower and heard a rustling in the rafters.
"I know you're in here… I heard you singing." He took another step. His eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness of the tower, so he didn't see the table and walked right into it, knocking a plate of cookies onto the floor. "Ow! I'm not going to hurt you… I'm just hungry and a bit tired." He bent his knees, then scooped up a cookie, waiting impatiently for his eyes to adjust. As he rose to his full height, the strap of his satchel snagged on the corner of the table and the crown fell to the floor, making more noise than he ever thought possible. "Egh… Well, you know I'm here, so… uh…" He took a bite of the cookie, squatting down again to pick up the crown. His fingers grazed the soft gold band, he heard a loud CLANG, and he blacked out as he fell forward, hitting his forehead on the corner of the table.