Chapter Text
The monsters didn't disappear, however Cassandra had become known as the Moon's champion all over the Seven kingdoms.
She was basically a hero, because ever since she defeated Zhan Tiri, the monsters had stopped attacking everyone in sight and had taken to a much more manageable behaviour.
The Kingdoms could start healing and thrive again, but like our hero they needed more time.
Cassandra was curled in bed, giving her back to her unwanted guest, if she could get up and leave she would do so in an heart beat but as the one that called himself a healer told her she had worsened her wounds to the point it will take months for her to walk by herself.
Owl was still here to keep her company and she was glad of it, but he was also collaborating with those people to keep her in check and she didn't like it.
She doesn't trust this place.
The people in golden armor lived here as well, she had seen them pass by the door sometimes.
They had hunted her down once, it’s all their fault if she can't walk right now.
Arianna lived here, and was the Queen which from what Cassandra understood was the one the people in golden armor took orders from.
The one everyone in this place had to obey, which meant she can't trust anyone here, because the people in golden armor were ordered to hunt her down and Arianna was the one to betray her in the first place.
She wasn't going to trust any of them again, which is why she giving her back to Arianna right now and ignoring whatever she said.
"I am told you haven't been touching food, Cassandra you need to eat to heal" she didn't feel like eating, Owl even started to bring her dead mice which made the woman in yellow faint and yell.
It was a funny sight, but she can't bring herself to laugh.
"Rapunzel is worried about you" she had forgot about her, still she reached the conclusion that if the people took orders from Arianna then Rapunzel had no say in what happened either.
She was wrong in blaming her, Cassandra can't help but think she had antagonized her for good.
Arianna was just lying. Rapunzel must hate her.
"Liar"
"uh?" it was the first word she had said in while, no doubt Arianna was surprised
"Rapunzel hates me" she didn't feel like saying anything else so she just ignored whatever the Queen told her next.
She wouldn't believe a single word.
What she didn't expect was Rapunzel barrelling with the room, yes she figured out she was in some kind of bigger house.
"I don't hate you!" was the first thing Rapunzel said, or more like yelled out as if the mere notion was revolting to her.
Cassandra sat up, probably the most movement she did in days
"I blamed and yelled at you for no reason?" she didn't understand why the Princess wouldn't hate her at this point
"you were upset and hurt, even now you are still hurting" Rapunzel was crying at this point "I-I was so scared you were going to die" she rushed to give a bear hug to Cassandra, the princess might be small but her hugs are surprisingly tight, not in a bad way.
Cassandra was touched, she didn't think she would count so much to Rapunzel, in truth they barely even know each other.
The moment was cut short by a loud rumbling noise
"I...I am a bit hungry" Cassandra admitted in embarrassment.
Around a month later King Edmund arrived with his son Eugene Horace of the Dark Kingdom, Cassandra had been in the gardens with Rapunzel when the royal duo approached them.
The King only looked in her eyes once and it was enough for him to change from a stoic face to joyful expression.
Cassandra found herself swept in a big strong embrace
"MY DAUGHTER!" he yelled out in joy.
Later Cassandra would discover they hadn't told her anything just in case King Edmund wasn't her father as to not raise her hopes up.
Rapunzel had told her parents that Gothel had mentioned King Edmund and given her age, they had suspected she was in fact Edmund's lost daughter.
Cassandra was leave with King Edmund, but she was reluctant to be separated from Rapunzel even if she wanted to be far away from her Mother's murderers.
Rapunzel herself reassured her that she would visit her and pushed her to go with her father.
At first Cassandra thought Rapunzel wanted to get rid of her, but as time passed she realized it was for the best.
A new place was exactly what she needed to heal.
When Cassandra reached the Dark Kingdom she didn't expect to see a familiar face.
"Two face?"
"Stripes?"
Years passed, Cassandra did her best to recuperate on her education driven by an annoying remark that insufferable brother of hers had made.
"Ha as if you could ever reach up my level of perfection! you are practically an adult and can't even read, maybe father should just let you go back to the forest!"
and that's how Cassandra became better then dear Horace at any subject in the span of two years.
The Dark Kingdom siblings enjoyed upping the each other, but their fights weren't malicious.
They just liked to bicker, that's all.
Rapunzel visited from time to time, but Cassandra couldn't bring herself to set back foot in Corona.
Until it was time for Rapunzel and Eugene to marry as it was arranged years prior when Cassandra first meet Two face, Adira, if she hadn't seen firsthand how the two of them loved each other Cassandra would have fought tooth and nail to break such union.
After all it wasn't necessary anymore as the overwhelming tensions between Corona and the Dark Kingdom had been caused by Gothel kidnapping her.
The arranged marriage was a way to reconcile and start over, since both kingdoms had weakened considerably over their closed trades and needed to regain their strength before an outside force made them fall.
However with Cassandra being found and Corona being found completely innocent, the arranged marriage was just useless, but the documents were already signed and it would send an horrible message to break it off after.
Lucky Rapunzel and Eugene ended up loving each other, so their marriage would be anything but loveless and Cassandra didn't want to miss it.
She just didn't tell anyone she would be coming as well, except for Adira, who she needed as a guide, and Owl, who wouldn't ever dream of leaving behind.
She needed to do something first and in private, which Adira understood and set camp in a random spot of the forest.
They have arrived three days earlier then the Dark Kingdom official carriage, so that's how much Cassandra had to do what she needed to do.
In the end it only took a few hours.
Cassandra had go to her old home, took a single glance at where she used to sleep and reminisced about her days here, then she went to the tower where Gothel's corpse had been left to rot.
She dug a hole and made a grave for the one she had called Mother for so long, but she couldn't feel any love for that monster anymore.
"This is the last thing I will ever do for you" Cassandra didn't even say goodbye, she just left and felt nothing.
The mere notion she had ever felt love for Gothel was disgusting her.
Now that she was older and understood the gravity of what that old woman had done, it was simply impossible to love her.
Gothel had been nothing but cruel to her, a selfish woman ready to bring harm to anyone that crossed her with a smile on her face.
A real monster
"I thought you would be gone longer" Adira had commented upon seeing Cassandra come back so soon "is there something troubling you?"
"I still need to do something, but I have to go the Castle" they had planned unite with the Dark Kingdom's carriage as to not cause a big fuss, after all Edmund had got quite protective over Cassandra so her coming all the way here with just Adira as a guard and without telling anything it was graduated to give him a shock, which given his bad temper might embarrass him with the other nobles and representatives of the other Kingdoms.
"You went forward with your horse and arrived early, I will meet up with the carriage to inform the King so he won't be surprised to see you here" Adira was quick to come with a solution, this way Edmund would calm down before causing a scene
"Thank you"
Rapunzel had grown into a beautiful woman, still a bit shorter then Cassandra and retaining a bit of her puffy cheeks, she was mostly surprised to see her friend show up at their door claiming she had gone forward with her horse and arrived early.
She couldn't believe Cassandra was here, and she was even more surprised when Cassandra bowed low to her Mother and apologized.
Her Mother apologized back and they both hugged.
Rapunzel was happy she thought they would never reconcile and in a few days she would marry the love of her life.
She wouldn't call this an happy ending cause that sounded like she was going to suddenly die tomorrow, but it was surely an happy beginning.
Her family felt complete.
Now if only Cassandra had found someone to marry too, they could have double dates and their children could play together and it would be absolutely perfect.
However Cassandra just had to fall for a wanted woman that really hated Rapunzel...but that's another story.