Chapter Text
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Rapunzel frets, for the third time since they left the castle half an hour ago.
“Raps, this is totally fine,” Cass says with an air of impatience, tugging her by the hand through the treeline. “Don’t I always say? What you do when no one’s looking is your business.”
“The last time you said that to me my hair grew back ten times as strong and plunged us into a whole magical destiny saga,” Rapunzel points out, using her free hand to hitch her dress above her knees to avoid it getting caught as they pass by a patch of brambles. “So your words don’t exactly reassure me, Cass.”
“Details,” Cass says dismissively. “Come on, weren’t you the one who kept saying you wanted a piece of the good old days?”
“Well… yes, but…”
Cassandra stops in place and turns to her, swinging her hand playfully.
“Raps, you trust me, right?”
“I trust you’re not nearly as hung up on rules and regulations as you used to be,” Rapunzel teases, and Cass’s grin widens at the call-out. Rapunzel rolls her eyes fondly and pulls a hand up, pressing a kiss to her knuckles and fixing her with a fond smile. “Yes, I trust you. Even though I also trust that this is a terrible idea.”
“That’s the spirit.”
They weave around tree trunks, ferns and thickets, the scent of woodsmoke growing stronger with each step, until finally Cass comes to the base of a large willow, leaning over almost horizontally from the awkward terrain it's grown from. She pulls the thick, drooping branches aside, ushers Rapunzel through, and when they come out the other side, they’re in a small clearing. Sleeping mats are rolled out, thick, patterned blankets thrown on top of them, and logs have been rearranged around the middle of the clearing where a campfire is in full blaze. Lance looks to be frying sausages in a large skillet.
Eugene emerges from the other side of the clearing with an armful of firewood.
“Ladies! So glad you could join us!”
“Gentleman! You knew we were coming,” Cass replies flatly.
“Icy as ever, I see,” he retorts. He sets the tinder down in a pile near the campfire and bounds over to Rapunzel, swooping her into a hug. “And how is my dear sweet wife on this fine evening?”
“She’s worried we’ll get busted for camping on private property,” Cass says, before Rapunzel can say otherwise. Lance’s eyes, having been trained on the frying pan up until now, dart up to stare at the trio.
“What do you mean, private property? She’s going to be the queen soon enough, doesn’t she own everything the light in Corona touches? Just by virtue of being royalty?”
“You’d think, but we’re actually on the Baron’s land right now,” Eugene muses. "Not that he ever spends time at this place anymore because of the whole, you know, being stuck behind bars thing.”
“Happy days. So we’re flipping a finger to the Baron, one last time, by holding an illegal camping trip on the grounds?”
“Exactly! You get it.”
“As the captain of the guard, you probably shouldn’t be condoning trespassing, let alone participating in it,” Cass drawls. “But hey, I’ve got no power in this equation, so by all means, lets keep the party going.”
The sun has just dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky a faded blue and growing darker by the minute. Lilac clouds mottle the sky like streaks of paint on a dry brush, and as the air blows through the clearing it sends a chill down Rapunzel’s spine.
“Did you bring the goods?” Eugene asks as Cass goes to sit beside Lance, warming her gloved hands by the fire. She reaches into her satchel, rummages around, and withdraws a bottle in the shape of an hourglass, engraved with a delicate diamond pattern.
“I did, and it was pricey. You gonna pay me back out of your royal pocket?”
“In case you forgot, you’ve got royal pockets too, miss queen consort,” he points out.
“Please, you know I don’t accept any royal allowances,” Cass rebukes. “I bought this with my cartography money. If you’re so stingy about where your royal allowance goes, pay me back with your sweet captain’s paycheck. And don’t even pretend the job doesn’t pay, don’t forget I was the captain’s daughter for twenty years.”
“Look, the king already knows about all my petty purchases, but paying you back for a bottle of amaretto might just be the final straw that gets him to cut me off completely.”
“Amaretto?” Rapunzel echoes.
“Not just any amaretto,” Cass says, a hint of pride in her tone. “Arendelle’s finest.”
“Booze,” Lance responds helpfully, seeing Rapunzel’s expression remain blank at Cassandra’s limited explanation.
“It tastes like almonds, sunshine, you’re gonna love it,” Eugene explains. He leans down to kiss her softly, and smooths back her hair. “Trust me, tonight’s gonna be fun.”
Rapunzel exhales. “All right. I mean… after all, the Baron is not a nice man… if we’re camping illegally on anybody’s property, it might as well be a bad person’s property, right?”
“That’s the spirit!”
“Remind me again why, when Rapunzel’s family owns the entire fucking royal grounds?!” Lance’s voice raises an octave in a yelp as the sausages spit a little in the pan.
“The grounds are crawling with guards, there’s no privacy there. We’re going for an authentic experience of Caravan Times, aren’t we? We did bring this up with the king and queen, but they weren’t pleased about the idea of having any part of the kingdom left wide open for ambush, so…”
“Didn’t you think to point out that you’re a guard?” Cass grins, shaking her head in exasperation. “Better yet, the captain?”
Eugene sits there in painful silence for a moment, before slapping his forehead.
“Shit. All right, you got me, I’m a fool!” He sighs heavily and continues. “Well anyway, this just rings more true to the experience, doesn’t it? I mean, if you think about the number of places we illegally camped on during our time on the road.”
Now it’s Cassandra’s turn to stare in disbelief. “Wait, what? You told me we got a permit from the king before we left! Do you realise how many people could have kicked our asses if we’d camped somewhere with stricter trespassing laws?”
“But we were fine and nobody saw!”
The two of them bicker on as Lance serves up sausages and hash, and Rapunzel brings out the small picnic basket of cold cuts and other finger foods she and Cass brought over from the castle kitchens. She still finds herself glancing around at first, half-expecting the Baron or his cronies (or worse still, Stalyan ) to charge out from the house with swords raised, but these thoughts soon ebb away when Eugene pulls out shot glasses from his satchel. He fills them up with liquid amber poured from that elegant bottle and passes them around.
“To a piece of the old days,” he says, raising his glass slightly before tilting his head back and downing the shot. The group echo that sentiment and as Rapunzel gulps back the bitter-saccharine liquid, her chest blooms with warmth.
“So, how’d you do it, Fitzherbert?” Cass asks as she sets her glass aside, face scrunched up from the sweetness of the spirit.
“Do what?”
“Take the time off from your duties as captain just to shoot the breeze with us for the night.”
Eugene laughs and puffs out his chest. “Oh, that one was easy. Left Stan and Pete in charge. Told them I had, uh, caught wind of an illegal gathering in the North woods and I was going undercover to investigate.”
“You gave them our location?!” Rapunzel squeaks.
“And they bought that?” Cass adds in disbelief. “Without insisting on you bringing reinforcements?”
“Hey, they know I know the thief hideouts better than anybody, they weren’t about to stop me,” he defends. “Besides, I told them I was bringing along my best honorary guard for backup.”
“Och, Eugene! I’m blushing,” Lance sighs, hand on heart.
“Uh, Lance, I was actually referring to the woman over there with the dagger strapped to her shin.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Cass deadpans. “Anyway, shirking your duties? Any honourable captain would get their wages docked for that, I’m sure…”
“Consider this unpaid overtime!” He rolls his eyes and throws his arm around Rapunzel instead. “You agree this is an honourable cause, don’t you, Rapunzel? After all, we aren’t getting any younger. How often are we going to get a chance to recreate our youth, huh?”
“Yeah, you make a good point,” Rapunzel sighs, mouth pulling into a smile. She leans into him and rests her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat for a few moments and letting the calm rhythm wash over here. “You know, I missed this. All of us, getting together in the great outdoors like we used to. Chances like this don’t come around too often these days.”
“Royal duties have been piling up, huh, Sunshine?” Eugene supplies sympathetically.
“And it’s hardly ever the four of us anymore, with Cass being gone as often as she is,” Lance adds on with a laugh. Cass frowns and stares down at her hands. Eugene notices her discomfort and prods him playfully.
“Being a full time father doesn’t exactly leave your schedule wide open either, Lance.”
“True!” He sighs dramatically. “Have we all just become boring adults, then? Because now I certainly feel like a boring adult, reminiscing on our lost youth over alcohol and campfire light.”
“Looks like it,” Cass says dully. “I mean… you and Fitzherbert are pushing thirty now, right? Ouch.”
“Ouch indeed,” Eugene laughs, not sounding all too bothered considering the effort he’s put into preserving his skin recently, silently worrying about crows feet or worry lines or any other matter of wrinkles that could come about his face within the next few years. Rapunzel knows this, of course, but the other two look almost impressed by how blase he is at the idea.
“Aren’t your thirties when life is supposed to get good, anyway?” Rapunzel muses. “That’s what my Aunt Willow always says.”
“Oh, of course she did.”
The conversation peters out, each member of the group contemplating where exactly the years have gone, and what lies ahead. Good times, bad times. Increasing responsibilities, the joys and hardships of ageing, maybe even children… and Rapunzel, of course, having to someday become queen.
Yes, she’d like to think some more about the good old days, instead of focusing on the daunting notion of ruling one day.
“Well,” Eugene says after a long pause, “y’know, if you want to talk about reliving our youth and going on a little adventure, we could just go to that lagoon you always talk about.”
Cassandra and Rapunzel exchange bemused glances and say nothing.
“…You’re still not going to take me, are you?”
“Nope.”
Eugene throws up his hands in annoyance. “Typical! Am I going to go my whole life without ever visiting your lesbian lagoon?”
“Lost lagoon,” Rapunzel corrects.
“Yup,” Cass says dryly, poking at the fire with a damp branch and watching the smoke dance above their heads. “You see, Fitzherbert, that’s the beauty of it being a lesbian lagoon.”
“Lost lagoon,” Rapunzel says again.
“I would also like to see the lesbian lagoon before I die,” Lance volunteers.
“Unbelievable. You’re telling me no matter the circumstances, you’ll never smuggle me into your secret base?”
“Secret base?” Cass snorts. “What are we, five?”
“You tell me, being so possessive over a piece of land,” he retorts.
“It’s the principle of the matter!”
“Principle of what, exactly?”
“Hey!” Lance interrupts, clapping his hands together. The group turn to face him expectantly. “You know what we need? A good old game of cards.”
“Cards sound good!” Rapunzel agrees readily. “What are we playing?”
“Just a warning, I’ll kick your asses at Bête,” Cass says with a grin, her dispute with Eugene already forgotten.
“Oh, you think? Clearly we’ve never gone up against each other, or you’d know that I never lose card games, ever-”
“Geez… you know what, let’s just do something simple!” Lance says, reaching into his waistcoat pocket for a deck of playing cards. “No game where you two can battle it out while the princess and I sit on the sidelines, all right? We’re playing war.”
“War? Oh, come on, there’s no stakes to that,” Eugene complains.
“Isn’t that a kid’s game?” Cass adds.
“Not the way I play it!” Lance begins to shuffle the deck with expertise, standing up and moving to sit away from the campfire to form a circle with the others. “Now, war is a simple concept. Everyone puts down a card on the count of three. Highest card wins.” He sits down cross-legged and begins dealing out to the trio rapidly. “But we’re putting a spin on this classic game and giving it some contemporary flavour. Highest Card gets to ask Lowest Card a question. Any question, no matter how boring, spicy, personal or downright inappropriate.”
“I swear to god,” Cass begins, fixing Lance and Eugene with stern looks, “if either of you even think- ”
“Ah-ah-ah.” Lance shushes her and deposits the last card with a flourish. “Choice in this game is key. Lowest Card still gets to make a choice when called upon. They can either answer honestly, or they can drink.” He nods towards the bottle of amaretto beside Eugene, before sitting back and folding his arms triumphantly. “Game ends when we either run out of cards or run out of hooch. Now. Any questions?”
Eugene opens his mouth and Lance shushes him without missing a beat. “Trick question. Only the Highest Card gets to ask questions. Now, let's begin!”
On the count of three, the group turn their cards over.
“I win!” Rapunzel cheers.
“And I lose,” Eugene chuckles. “All right, sunshine, hit me with your worst.”
“Hmm…” Rapunzel strokes her chin, trying to think of something good. “All right… let's see…”
“If you can't think of anything, sentence him to a shot,” Lance chimes in helpfully.
“No, no, I got this!” Rapunzel's eyes open and she fixes Eugene with a grin that is positively devious. “All right! Hope you're ready for this! Now, answer honestly. What is… your favourite Coronan celebration?”
Everyone stares flatly at her. Eugene scratches his chin, contemplating.
“Huh. Uh, definitely not what I expected you to ask. Okay, lets see… damn, and I can only pick one? There are like, at least fifteen I can think of.”
“That’s the rule,” Rapunzel says smugly. Cassandra and Lance exchange exasperated glances as Eugene ponders some more.
“Midwinter,” he decides finally. “Good food, good cheer, all that jazz. Although, y’know, if you just let the gophers eat bimberries before the gopher grab like that first goodwill festival, it definitely would have won out.”
Cass growls in frustration and reaches across to grab his shoulder, forcing him to look at her with a knowing, “Ah, here we go.”
“They already eat bimberries, you feed them dimberries, how many times do I have to teach you this?”
“Blame not me, blame whatever wise guy decided to name two identical-looking berries identical-sounding names,” Eugene says wisely, hands on hips. She shakes her head and sits back.
“I cannot. I cannot go through this with you again.”
Lance clears his throat. “Well, uh, great question, Rapunzel!”
Eugene makes a so-so gesture with his hand.
“You know I love talking about Coronan festivities with you, Sunshine, but maybe we could go a bit more out the box next time,” he laughs, leaning over to press a kiss to her cheek.
“Y'know, Raps, it's okay to be a little more hardcore with these questions,” Cass agrees, shaking her head fondly.
Rapunzel bristles a little at their implications (she can be hardcore, she can ask spicy questions, she just chooses a nicer approach!) but says nothing. They all draw cards once again.
Lance waves around his queen of spades like a trophy while Cassandra glowers at her four of hearts in disgust.
“Oh, this oughta be good,” Eugene mutters to Rapunzel.
“So, Cassandra. You never give us little private details of your life,” Lance sing-songs. “Now’s as good a time as any. First kiss? I want a name, a date, and a fun anecdote.”
Sourly, Cassandra reaches for the bottle and pours herself a shot.
“Oh, come on, that one’s not so bad!” He laughs. “Let me guess. Milkmaid?”
“No, think bigger,” Eugene chimes in, enjoying the dead expression in her eyes. “Diplomat’s daughter? Foreign princess! Wait, no. A bad girl from the wrong side of town, under your father’s wing for a ‘youth-scared-straight’ program?”
“Guys, come on,” Rapunzel interrupts, reaching over to squeeze Cass’s shoulder. “If she doesn’t want to say, she doesn’t have to.”
Cass downs the shot and shudders, before saying flatly, “I have immunity now.”
Eugene pouts. “Damn. Fine, fine. Next round.”
They turn their cards over. Cass, throwing down a jack, hones in on Lance’s pitiful 3 of clubs. “Aha! Right back atcha, lover-boy. First kiss. Name. Date. Fun anecdote.”
She folds her arms and watches him expectantly. Lance, only now realising the consequences he’s reaping, gulps.
“Er. Um.”
“Oh, come on,” Cass sings, face pulling into a smirk. “That one’s not so bad! Hmm, let me guess. Milkmaid?”
“All right, this is beginning to get petty,” Eugene says quickly. “Here, Lance, just drink.”
“Hang on, Fitzherbert.” Cass stops his arm as he reaches for the bottle. “Lance is the one who cooked up these rules. No question is off limits, right?”
“Yeah, but come on, this is becoming a bit…”
“Eugene.”
Eugene turns to him, eyebrows raised. “Yeah, buddy?”
“No, I mean that’s my answer. It was Eugene.”
The group falls silent. Rapunzel and Cassandra exchange wide-eyed glances as Eugene stares at him, stricken.
“No shit,” Cass says with a whistle. “Really? Eugene?”
“We were seventeen and we’d just pulled a big heist,” Lance continues mildly, shuffling his cards from one hand to the other to distract himself. “Nothing special.”
“Wait, that’s wrong.” Eugene shakes his head in disbelief, before pointing a finger accusingly. “You told me your first kiss was with Poppy Schaeffer from the orphanage when we were fourteen!”
“Poppy Schaeffer was definitely a lesbian, Eugene,” he says calmly. "You didn't clock that?"
“Huh, really? Damn. Wait, then - then what about Etta Schloss?!”
“She refused to move past hand-holding and was only interested in me when I was the sweet feet champ,” Lance continues solemnly.
Cass leans in close to Rapunzel, still watching this exchange with rapt interest. “The sweet what now?”
“Hopscotch,” Rapunzel whispers back. “He’s talking about hopscotch.”
“Then - then what about all those other girls?!” Eugene asks desperately.
“Eugene, there were no other girls. I made them up.”
“Okay, fine, you made them up, but! But that doesn’t mean that I was the first person who ever kissed you!”
“Well, you were, okay? It’s not a big deal!”
“Uh, it is because you lied to me!”
“Listen, fellas, if you want us to give you some space to work this out…” Cass begins, clapping her hands together. Eugene turns to her with a glare.
“Oh no you don’t. Nobody’s going anywhere. We’re keeping on playing.”
“Can we please go back to fun, harmless truths?” Rapunzel pleads. “This is getting a bit intense.”
“Yeah, and it shouldn’t be. Isn’t this supposed to be fun?” Cass folds her arms over her chest uncomfortably. “Look, Lance, I’m sorry. I didn’t realise that would actually make you upset, I thought we were just messing around. Next time you can just drink, all right?”
“I’m not upset!” He throws up his hands in indignation. “I don’t know why we’re even fighting. I made peace with it years ago! I just knew that telling him would get me laughed at because we were seventeen and stuff like first kisses mattered at the time.”
“But you never thought to tell me afterwards?” Eugene grumbles. “It’s been years! I thought we were friends.”
“I’m not talking about this anymore,” Lance says with a sigh. “You get stuck on this kind of thing too much, Eugene, it really wasn’t that deep.”
He turns his next card over without a word, and begrudgingly the rest of the group do the same. Eugene tries to catch his eye again, but in the end it’s futile.
Cass once again draws the short straw, and Lance, with a ten of diamonds, manages to come out on top.
“Okay. All right, let’s think of a harmless one! Cass. When are you next headed out on the road?” Lance asks brightly, expecting a straightforward answer, but her eyes widen and she stiffly glances around the circle.
Realising that reaching for the bottle would be worse than just answering honestly, she clears her throat. “Funny you should ask. Well, it’s not so much on the road as on a ship, but… Tomorrow, actually.”
Silence falls over the group.
“Wait a minute, tomorrow?!” cries Rapunzel, before anybody else has room to react. “What are you talking about? When you came home last week you told me-”
“I know, I know it was going to be longer. I’m sorry,” Cass says quickly. “But yesterday Xavier mentioned to me that there’s a ferry leaving tomorrow night that’s going all the way to the Southern Isles. I still haven’t been there so I figured I shouldn’t pass that opportunity up.”
“Uh, were you going to tell me?” splutters Rapunzel, pushing her hair back in frustration. “Or were you just planning to wait until I came back to my room and all of your things were gone?”
“I was going to tell you, I swear! But tonight was already all planned out and I didn’t want to upset you.”
Rapunzel purses her lips together. “I’m not upset,” she says finally.
“Oh, yeah? Raps, you won’t even look at me right now.”
“Look, I wanted tonight to go smoothly too, all right?” Rapunzel exclaims, rising sharply to her feet. She steps away from the circle and begins to pace as the other watch on, stunned. “But I’m stressed out! We’re breaking the law when we didn’t have to, we’re fighting over petty things, and now you’re leaving - I had stuff planned too, you know, Cassandra! A dinner reservation, a balloon ride…”
“Hey, Sunshine?” Eugene interjects, as Cass physically crumples beside him. “I know it’s sudden, but I don’t think Cass is doing all this to upset you, she just-”
“Eugene, do you still have feelings for Lance?” Rapunzel asks suddenly, spinning to face him. “Because you were very worked up about that first kiss.”
Eugene stares at her, gaping slightly. “You… you can’t… I mean…”
Wordlessly Rapunzel holds up her next card - the ace of hearts.
“I’m not upset over it,” she says, a little more gently. “But I think you need to be honest with yourself.”
Eugene glances between her and Lance, who looks as though he wishes he could dissolve into the floor right about now, and he stubbornly reaches for the bottle.
“And you’re deflecting,” he mutters.
“Y’know what, I think things have gotten out of hand,” Cass jumps in, and she hastily reaches to snatch up the remaining hands of cards. “Things never used to be like this, did they? On the road, I mean. So let’s just… calm down. I can’t remember a time when things became this uncomfortable.”
“Well, that’s not quite true, is it? After the incident at the great tree-” Rapunzel begins without thinking, only to cut herself off a beat too late. Even from the corner of her eye, it’s impossible to miss the pained expression on Cassandra’s face, nor the uncomfortable looks Eugene and Lance exchange, their previous awkwardness forgotten in the face of this latest blunder. She spins to face her wife, panicked. “Cassandra, no, I didn’t mean to…”
A fat raindrop hits the top of her head.
Accompanied by another, and another.
Within seconds it’s like the heavens themselves opened up on them, emptying bucket upon bucket of rainfall. When had the clouds rolled in? Were they really so preoccupied with their quarrelling that they’d somehow missed something as crucial as this?!
The campfire is extinguished in under a minute, and the group scramble to try and collect up their belongings as they get soaked through. Or, the other three do. Rapunzel stands there, feeling so overcome with something… devastating, from the fallout of the conversation.
Their nights under the stars, sitting beside the caravan and listening to the crickets, feel so far away now she could cry.
“What should we do?!” Cass yells over the din of the rain. Lance points towards the Baron’s former residence, using a saturated blanket as a feeble attempt to shield from the downpour.
“Let’s wait out the storm in there!” he bellows, beckoning for them to follow. The trio rush towards the house, Rapunzel trailing behind in a miserable trance.
It takes a few attempts to kick in the back door, but finally they skid into the dark house, throwing down their gear in a huff.
Panting from the effort of breaking in, the group takes a moment to catch their breath.
Rapunzel pushes wet hair from her eyes and peers around at the group. Now that they’re all out of the line of fire, Eugene finds himself unable to look at either herself or Lance, busying himself with wringing water out of his shirt. Lance looks mildly uncomfortable, but also… thoughtful. And Cass…
Well.
Cassandra won’t even look at her.
Rapunzel opens her mouth to speak, when suddenly a set of heavy oak doors at the far end of the room burst open, and torchlight floods the hallway.
“Stop! You’re under arrest for illegal trespassing!” A shrill voice, unmistakably Pete’s, snarls. Squinting, Rapunzel’s eyes adjust to the sudden influx of light and comes to realise with a jolt that they're being greeted with several swords pointed directly at them.
Eugene smacks his forehead, cursing loudly.
“Wait, wait, we can explain-” Cass begins.
“We were informed by our captain about an illegal gathering in the North Woods, and after failing to hear back from him, we thought we’d investigate ourselves,” another voice cuts in.
Eugene groans loudly.
“Stan, Pete, it’s me. Us. All of us, we’re the gathering,” Eugene groans. The swords lower slightly and both Stan and Pete squint at them.
“Euge - I mean, Captain? I don’t understand.”
“Look, the thing is-”
“The thing is,” Lance cuts in, clamping a hand on Eugene’s shoulder, “is we were investigating, and we managed to chase off the intruders, but as we did, it… started to rain. Right, Eugene?”
He stares pointedly at him, but Eugene seems a little distracted by the physical contact and makes a gargled sound in response. Lance rolls his eyes and removes his hand.
“This is mortifying,” Cass mutters, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“The situation is handled,” Rapunzel says firmly, seeing as nobody else is doing much to reassure the guards. “Now, I don’t know about everybody else, but I’m more than ready to head on home.”
The others stare down at their soaked through outdoor bedding and mutely nod in agreement. The guards call over their horses, and Lance approaches Cassandra and says something to her in a low voice, glancing up at Rapunzel. Cassandra’s shoulders tense, a sure sign that she’s uncomfortable with whatever he’s suggested to her, and her eyes meet Rapunzel’s for a moment before quickly looking away.
Geez. The unfortunate miscommunications, at least, are authentic to their days on the road.
She leans into Eugene as he glances out of the window at the stormy weather outside.
“You know, none of this would have happened,” sighs Eugene over deafening rainfall, “if we’d just gone to the lesbian lagoon when I suggested it.”
…
“So,” King Frederic says, scrutinising the four of them in dismay, “what on earth were the four of you doing all the way in the north woods?”
Rapunzel figures it’s a little ridiculous, being delivered to her father by a small army of dishevelled guards, looking like a drowned rat, while their captain shivers just as pathetically beside her. They’d graciously agreed during the journey home that the king didn’t need to know the exact details, to the utmost gratitude of their captain, but it still hasn’t kept the entire scenario from seeming suspicious to say the least.
Cass and Lance exchange concerned looks, no doubt trying to cook up an explanation for their peculiar adventure without incriminating themselves, when Rapunzel opens her mouth first.
“We got lost,” blurts out Rapunzel.
Frederic raises his eyebrows.
“Lost,” he repeats.
“Lost,” Eugene echoes solemnly. “In the woods.”
“Lost in the woods,” Cass agrees.
“All of you?” Frederic asks suspiciously, glancing between the four of them. “Not one of you thought to bring along a map or a compass or use trail markers?”
“We forgot,” Lance says helpfully.
“Even with both a star navigator and cartographer among you?” Frederic goes on, watching Rapunzel and Cassandra pointedly. Cass looks away sheepishly and Rapunzel steps forward and stands on tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek.
“It won’t happen again?” she tries, sweetly as can be. He gives a long sigh.
“It better not. Now, run on inside. Your mother had tea sent to the parlour room, you can all warm up in there.”
She squeezes his arm gratefully and motions for the rest of the group to follow.
“Nice one, Sunshine,” Eugene mutters, nudging her arm appreciatively. She gives him a quick smile and shrugs.
“When in doubt, I always try to appeal to his better nature, that’s all.” After a pause, she asks, “Are you going to talk to Lance?”
He stiffens beside her. “Do I have to?”
“I think you should try to clear the air with each other. No matter where that conversation leads.”
Eugene sighs heavily and pushes back his hair. “I’m not very subtle anymore, am I?”
Rapunzel just fixes him with an exasperated look, and he blushes, before moving to catch up with Lance a few paces ahead.
Well. At least the two of them will get some kind of closure after all this.
She’s so busy watching their muted body language, trying to figure out the words being said between them, that she doesn’t even notice Cass siding up to her until she hesitantly speaks up.
“Rapunzel, can we talk about what happened in the woods?”
“Cass, I’m kind of tired,” Rapunzel begins curtly, staring straight ahead as her heart drums away. She doesn’t know why she’s acting like this. She knows she’s right to be frustrated at Cass deciding to depart tomorrow without even telling her yet, but maybe she’s blowing it all out of proportion? Nobody else seems to see it as a big deal.
No - that’s not quite it. They haven’t seen any of tonight’s revelations as a big deal, until getting soaked to their skins. The trespassing, the invasive questions, keeping things hidden that should have always been out in the open… it’s like Rapunzel’s the only one to find disappointment in that nothing feels like it used to.
“Please.” There’s a note of urgency in that word, and as easily as that, Rapunzel folds. She always does, when Cass fixes her with that pleading expression.
“I didn’t mean to bring up the great tree,” Rapunzel says quietly, willing herself to meet Cass’s eyes. “I mean that. I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t throw that in your face on purpose, Cass, I swear to you.”
Cass nods. “I know that.”
“My emotions were running a little high, but I didn’t mean it in that way, I was just…” She runs her hands through her hair in frustration. “Nothing’s ever going to be the same as it was, is it?”
Now Cassandra tilts her head slightly, lips pursing in puzzlement.
“Wait, what do you mean, nothing’s going to be the same? I’m not going forever. I’ll be back again and again for as long as you’ll have me, like some kind of stray.” She laughs a little at that, but it’s a nervous laugh, begging for Rapunzel to elaborate.
“First of all, you’re never a stray, you’re my wife. My family,” Rapunzel insists with a frown. She sighs and adds petulantly, “It’s… all of us. Things keep changing. The whole meaning of this night was to, I don’t know, relive our caravan days, but things got weird so fast.”
“For the record, I blame the card game,” Cass mutters, falling into step with Rapunzel as her steps quicken, heightened by her brain turning.
“It’s not just that. It was everything. Something felt off right from the start, but when we started fighting, I just - I just realised it. I was expecting it to be exactly how it was, and why? I love the life we have now. We’re all doing great. And I know those months on the road had some great moments, but you were unhappy deep down, so… shouldn’t tonight have felt better?”
Cassandra watches her wordlessly. Rapunzel’s brow furrows and she folds her arms. “I don’t even understand it myself, Cass.”
With a small sigh, Cass steps closer and gingerly moves to slide an arm around her waist, pulling her in close.
“You were just nostalgic for times that are behind us,” she acknowledges, with a small smile. “But you’re right, things are different now. It doesn’t make you weird for wanting things to be like they were, for a little while.”
“Guess I had it in my head that we were still the same people we were back then,” Rapunzel admits. “But we’re not. We’re better than we were, but… the evening fell apart fast, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, it was a weird one,” Cass agrees. “But there will be other nights. Maybe we can go camping properly next time, instead of some dumb squatting on the Baron’s property, huh?”
Rapunzel nods, relief flooding her. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
Cass’s smile fades a little, and she looks down at her feet.
“Listen Raps, I am sorry for what happened,” she says with a frown. “I know I should have told you. Look, I don’t have to get on that ferry tomorrow. I was looking at it as a convenient thing, but I should really know by now that I’m missed when I go.”
“You are,” Rapunzel reiterates, leaning into her touch. “Cass, I can handle you leaving, I just wish you gave me some more time to prepare for it.”
Cassandra is silent for a few moments, on the verge of broaching a question she’s uncertain of, before speaking up.
“Well… Would it be selfish if I asked you to come with me?” Cass asks hesitantly. “The ferry would take a couple days to arrive, but it would return to Corona soon enough. If you wanted to spend a few days away with me, I mean.”
Rapunzel’s eyes widen and she stops in her tracks. “You want me to come along?”
“It’s selfish, I know,” Cass says quickly, already preparing to backtrack. “I know you’re probably busy. I… maybe I shouldn’t have offered.”
“Hey, no. Look at me.” Rapunzel stands on her tiptoes and presses a kiss to Cassandra’s lips, uncaring that her father stands only a few paces behind them. “I’d love to go. For you, I can always make some time.”
Cassandra’s face splits into a grin, and she hugs Rapunzel tightly. “I love you,” she says to her ear. As she pulls back, her face falls a little. “What about Eugene?”
Rapunzel shrugs and nods her head to where Eugene and Lance walk a few paces ahead, talking quietly amongst themselves. “I don’t think he’ll be too lonely while I’m gone, do you?”
“Shit, I guess not. Those two seem to have some stuff to talk about,” Cass agrees. She glances over at Rapunzel. “Who’d have thought you’d be the one sharing?”
Rapunzel laughs and shakes her head slightly. “Hey, we don’t know anything yet, it’s early days. And it’s rude to speculate. But… I’m sure things will be much clearer by the time I return. They just need some breathing room to, you know, figure things out.”
“Yeah. Well, they know we have their backs, no matter what they decide.”
Cass reaches down, entwining their fingers.
Arianna greets the group at the door, eyeing their windswept appearances dubiously, and offering to bring some blankets and add more fuel to the fireplace.
“So, tell me the story,” Arianna says with exasperated fondness, as Frederic pulls the heavy oak doors shut behind them. “What did you four get up to this evening?”
“Didn’t you hear?” Frederic calls, with equal tiredness. “They got lost.”
“Lost, huh?” Arianna asks, giving Rapunzel a knowing look. “Must have been a harrowing experience.”
“Oh, it was,” Eugene sighs dramatically, flopping down onto the chaise lounge with enough theatrics that one would assume he’d mistaken it for a fainting couch. Lance perches down on the floor beside him, shaking his head in amusement. “Totally harrowing. Recovery is unlikely. Only hot cocoa might dispel the horrors of tonight…”
“Is that so?” Arianna says dryly. “Well, unfortunately we have tea, so I suppose your only option is to remain traumatised for the night?”
“Tea also works,” he says quickly, sitting upright again. Cass wordlessly reaches to hand him a cup and he grins at her in thanks.
“Well,” the queen says after a few moments, “I’m glad you got back safely.”
Arianna reaches to cup her daughter’s cheek and Rapunzel leans into her touch, dithering happily. Her eyelids slowly begin to droop, as she survey the scene around her; her mother, lovingly holding her close, while mildly entertaining Eugene’s story as he makes up some exaggerated tale of their outdoor escapade; Lance watching him fondly, occasionally interjecting either to back up his claims or rebuke them with some explanation even more absurd; Cassandra, still passing around cups of tea, while Frederic engages her in some mild conversation about where she and Rapunzel are headed next, all while insisting they keep in touch while they're gone.
Her family are all here, with no tension between them, and perhaps for the first time in a long time. She spent all evening feeling perplexed about what had changed, but seeing it all in perspective now...
Rapunzel feels weightless, and her eyes slip shut.
As far as adventures go, it turns out coming home to a room full of loving faces was the most rewarding quest of them all.
“You know, getting lost in the woods wasn't so bad after all,” she murmurs sleepily, only to be met with her mother’s soft laughter.