The sharp echo of heels could be heard as their precession marched down the long corridor of the castle prison. It was the last stop of the day on what took at least two hours longer than expected. She had only been in this strange new world for a mere three weeks, even though that life seemed like only a dream to her now. Just recently she had been informed that she was in fact the fabled lost princess, and that the only mother she had ever known had actually abducted her as a baby. Thomas, the son of a nobleman, had found her alone, waiting for Gothel to return from a trip to find parsnips for her favourite soup. He was just setting out on a hunting trip with his father when he stumbled upon her clearing, and his prize for finding the kingdom's most precious jewel was a royal engagement. Rapunzel's stomach leapt into her throat as she recalled all these events. The wedding was less than three months away. So much had changed, her entire life was that tower. And suddenly she was a princess, following in fascination as her real flesh-and- blood father showed her around her kingdom. There was so much information, so much going on and such a small amount of time in which to digest it. It was enough to make her head spin.

"And this," the King said, proudly presenting the dank miserable insides of the building with a fluid arm gesture, "this is where we lock up all of Corona's finest delinquents." She began to follow closer in his footsteps than she had been, because frankly anyone of these brutes whistling and cat-calling her direction could easily reach out and grab her if they wanted. The warden approached the King and without acknowledging her presence began spilling off his weekly report of the latest additions to the already over crowded facility.

Rapunzel remained at the King's side, glancing nervously from one cell to another, trying not to let her gaze pause too long on any one thing. One rather ghastly looking man was picking his nose while his cellmate stood in the corner with his hand down his pants. She quickly looked away, not eager to find out exactly what he was doing. Quite a few of the men were glaring at her in a way that made her cross her arms over her chest protectively in some small attempt at covering her body. Each one of them made her feel uncomfortable in new and unique ways. It was then that she noticed a cell to her immediate left that at first appeared to be empty. After letting her eyes adjust to the darker area of the room, she could see that there was a lone inmate inside, sitting on the ground with his back turned toward her. He was the only one that didn't seem to be paying their presence any mind.

Curious, Rapunzel shifted her weight and edged closer to the mysterious young man. She tried to catch a better view of his face that was being illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun coming from the singular barred window. Her shoe scraped against the stone floor which made him look in her direction instinctively. Rapunzel was immediately struck by just how "non-criminal" this man looked. She could make out the finer points of his face quite well despite the amount of light she was working with. He was looking directly at her, and not in the way the other men had looked at her. His profile was smaller and softer, his face calm and steady. He had a smooth, unmarked complexion and despite the little patch of hair that covered his chin he was clean shaven. His nose was long and straight, and didn't look at all like it had been broken in a bar fight. His clothes were remarkably tidy and free of any bloodstains Rapunzel might have suspected a criminal should have on him. He was not at all like the rest of the rather motley looking crew that inhabited this dungeon. This man didn't seem at all to be the type of person to commit a crime and land himself in jail. His eyebrow twitched up into a question, and that's when she realized she was staring.

"Can I help you?"

Rapunzel leaned in closer and proposed her question in a whisper. "What did you do?"

"…Excuse me?"

"Why are you here?"

She could see him pause at this and lean back against the stone wall, a small smile forming on his lips as he looked as if he debated whether or not to respond. The look of wide-eyed anticipation on her face said she wasn't going anywhere until she had her answer.

The young man sighed. "I checked my neighbors mail. Did you know that's a federal offense?"

There was something behind those honey brown eyes and the casual smirk that went with them that intrigued her, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

A firm hand suddenly gripped Rapunzel's shoulder. "I believe we're all done here." The King began ushering her toward the exit when the Captain of the Guard joined them.

"Thank you for stopping by, your Majesties."

He was already bowing low and opening one of the heavy doors to give them leave. She looked back in the direction of the mystery inmate in an effort to see him one last time.

"If I may, your Highness," the Captain paused, waiting until he had her full attention, "…let me advise you to not let that one entertain you with his lies."

Rapunzel glanced over at the accused, eyebrows raised slightly in wonderment. "What was his crime?" she asked softly.

"Among countless other trespasses, his latest escapade was the theft of the Lost Princess'… your crown. We have been searching for him for years and though he remained elusive, we finally brought him in. Calls himself Flynn Rider. Can you imagine? Taking the name from a children's book. Nothing is safe from his thievery."

Rapunzel had to suppress a giggle when she saw the one called Flynn blow a kiss to the Captain in response.

As they made their way out into the courtyard, the warden caught up with them, this time with a stack of papers in hand.

"My apologies, your Majesty, but a moment of your time is required to approve the last of the executions." He pointed to at least three places on each page for the King to sign, while Rapunzel patiently stroked a long lock of her golden hair.

Narrowing her eyes, she readied her question, but afraid she already knew the answer.

"Who's being sentenced to death?"

The King didn't look away from his task, answering her matter of factly as he continued to shuffle through the pages.

"All twenty-two men on the hall we just passed through, my dear."