Evading the law called Maximus

"Run!" I ordered, gripping Rapunzel’s hand.

We wove through the dense crowd of the festival. Confetti rained down like colorful snow, masking our escape, but the thunder of hooves on cobblestones was unmistakable. Maximus was a siege engine made of muscle and white fur, tearing through the market with single-minded fury.

Rapunzel was struggling. Her spirit was willing, but her body was compromised. The deep, bruising soreness from our night in the alcove made her stride uneven. She winced with every step, her hips unable to find their natural rhythm, her inner thighs sensitive and chafed. She stumbled, a sharp hiss of pain escaping her teeth.

"I... I'm trying!" she gasped, clutching her side. "My legs... they won't work right!"

I didn't waste breath on lectures, didn't tell her to push through the pain. I was her protector now, and she was hurting because of me. I stopped, turned, and scooped her up.

I slid one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, hoisting her high against my chest without breaking stride. She was feather-light, a delicate weight in my arms. "Hold on," I commanded.

Rapunzel wrapped her arms around my neck, burying her face in my coat. "I'm sorry! I'm too slow!"

"You're fine," I said, accelerating. "I've got you."

I sprinted down a narrow alleyway, moving faster than any normal man could. The shadows here were deep, smelling of damp stone and old fish. We hit a dead end. A high brick wall blocked the path.

I spun around, Rapunzel still secure in my arms. Maximus skid to a halt at the mouth of the alley. He snorted, steam blasting from his nostrils. He glared at me, then at the girl in my arms. He was gripping a dagger in his teeth. The horse was ridiculous, but I respected his dedication.

He stepped forward, blocking the exit.

I set Rapunzel down gently behind me. "Stay here."

I stepped forward, hands open. I didn't want to fight a Palace Guard, even a four-legged one. He was just doing his job. But before Maximus could charge, the temperature in the alley plummeted. The sunlight at the mouth of the alley didn't just fade; it was strangled.

Maximus’s ears pinned back. He dropped the dagger. He whinnied nervously, his eyes rolling white as he looked at his own shadow. The shadow was bubbling.

"What's happening?" Rapunzel whispered, peeking out from behind my coat. "The air... it feels cold."

"Heartless," I said, my voice hardening.

From the pavement, they rose. Not the small Shadows this time. Neoshadows. Tall, lithe, and jagged, moving with a jerky, unnatural grace. Then, cracking through the cobblestones, Armored Knights pulled themselves up, their empty metal bodies clanking.

They weren't interested in the horse. They were looking past him, at the girl who glowed like the sun. But the horse was in the way. A Neoshadow lunged, swiping its claws across Maximus’s flank. The horse screamed, a sound of pure terror, and kicked out, but he was surrounded.

"No!" Rapunzel cried out, her empathy overriding her fear. "Stop it! They're hurting him! He's just a horse!"

I didn't hesitate. I was a Keyblade Master. I didn't care if he was the law; he was a living creature of this world, and the Heartless were an abomination.

I summoned The Solar Zenith. The alley was bathed in golden light. "Get back!" I roared.

I launched myself over the horse's head. I landed in the middle of the pack. I didn't just defend; I unleashed the Light. I spun the Keyblade, deflecting a Knight’s blade that was aimed at the horse's neck. CLANG.

"Reflect!" A prism of light surrounded me and the horse. The Neoshadows slammed into the barrier and were thrown back by the concussive ****.

Maximus froze, looking at me. He saw the weapon. He saw me standing between him and the monsters. The intelligence in his eyes shifted from aggression to confusion, then to a temporary truce.

"You want to fight?" I asked the horse, parrying a claw swipe. "Then fight!"

Maximus understood. He reared up and brought his massive hooves down on an Armored Knight, crushing it flat. I vaulted off his back, spinning in the air. "Thunder!" Bolts of holy lightning crashed down into the narrow alley, frying three Neoshadows instantly.

It was a whirlwind of steel and magic. The Warrior and the War Horse, back-to-back against the darkness.

When the last Heartless dissolved into smoke, silence returned to the alley. I dismissed the Keyblade. I turned to Maximus. He was breathing hard, a small scratch on his flank, but alive. He looked at me. He snorted, tossing his head. He didn't bow, but he stepped aside. He was letting us go. A life for a life.

"Good boy," I muttered, patting his nose.

I turned back to Rapunzel. She was staring at the scene, wide-eyed. "You saved him," she breathed, walking over to me, wincing slightly. "You saved the one chasing us."

"I am a Guardian, Rapunzel," I said, lifting her into my arms again before she could protest. "I protect the light. Even the stubborn parts of it."

She rested her head on my shoulder, looking at me with a reverence that went beyond the physical. "You really are a hero," she whispered.

"We need to move," I said, looking up at the rooftops. "The sun is setting. The boats are waiting."

I kicked off the wall, vaulting us up to the terracotta roof of the bakery. Below, Maximus watched us go, then turned and trotted back toward the palace, his hunt abandoned for the day.

We stood on the roof, overlooking the lake. The sky was turning a deep, bruised purple. "The lights," Rapunzel said, pointing to the castle. "They'll be launching soon."

"Then we have a date," I said, adjusting my grip on her. "Relax, angel. I'll carry you the rest of the way. You save your strength for the view."