Chapter Text
The afternoon was bright and beautiful, without a single cloud to darken the skies of Corona. It was a perfect day to have lunch in the outdoors, and maybe even take the horses out to a more private spot outside the city. There was just one problem: Rapunzel was having trouble locating her best friend, Cassandra.
They'd both been given a day off, Rapunzel from princess duties and Cassandra from lady-in-waiting chores. She had expected to find Cassandra hard at work at the training grounds, but she was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't like Cass to not be with her, even on a day off. Usually they were attached at the hip, although, that was more or less Cassandra's job so she didn't really have a choice. Still, the two were fast friends, so she'd assumed they would spend the day together regardless. So far, she appeared to be wrong.
A few queries around the castle yielded no results as to her whereabouts, until a passing maid happened to hear of her quest and discreetly mentioned where she'd last seen the woman in question. An older part of the castle, rarely used anymore, which was mostly for storage and supplies and additional bedrooms in case of city-wide emergencies or other drastic occurrences.
Taking the indicated path, it wasn't long before she heard low voices, echoing down the corridor. Rapunzel rounded the corner, laying her eyes on Cassandra, who had her back against a wall and was accompanied by one of the other castle maids. Her bare feet made light steps, which meant she went unnoticed as she stepped back around the wall and observed from a distance.
Cassandra was clad in the outfit she usually wore when off duty. A light tunic, draped over a maroon shirt, with stripped leggings and mismatched leg bands. The other person was wearing the standard maid uniform, nearly identical to Cassandra's lady-in-waiting outfit.
Rapunzel watched as Cassandra trailed her hand down the maiden's arm, smiling fondly. The other woman returned the warm grin, before placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. At least, that was what Rapunzel thought she saw. But that couldn't be right. She must have been whispering something in her ear or-
Then Cassandra kissed her, right on the lips. It was only a quick peck, so fast Rapunzel would have missed it if she'd blinked. But the maid gave her one back, just as shy and chaste. Soon, hesitant and discreet kisses devolved into a passionate tryst between the two. The maiden worked her way down Cassandra's jawline, planting kisses along her skin until she reached her neck, where she lingered for a few moments. Cassandra giggled; at least, that was what Rapunzel thought she heard. She had never been privy to such a sound from Cass. Cass, frequently hard to read and aloof, who was now blatantly having relations with this woman- who Rapunzel suddenly remembered was named Elizabeth- before her very eyes.
She returned to Cassandra's lips, and then, slowly, started to lift her shirt up and over her belt. Her hand wormed its way under the fabric, creeping up to her chest. In response, Cassandra's own hand slowly slid down from between her shoulder blades, down to her buttocks, where she gave a squeeze.
"Oh!" the other woman pulled her face back, in turn pressing her body against Cassandra's.
Just as she was returning for another kiss, Rapunzel couldn't take it anymore.
"Cass?" she spouted, before she could stop herself.
Cassandra's hand shot back, and she turned, shock and surprise evident on her face. The other woman stepped away immediately, swiping a hand across her lips to try to remove any evidence of their affection. She settled her hands behind her back, face turning beet red as she stared at the floor, trying to appear as innocent as possible. Cassandra was, meanwhile, hastily shoving her shirt back in its place.
"Heya Raps," she audibly cleared her throat, "what's up?"
Rapunzel stepped fully into view, so as not to seem like she had been spying (even if that was exactly what she had been doing). "I was just looking for you. Because I missed you and the very deep and unique friendship we share. And also I wanted to invite you on a picnic today. Now. But you seem busy so some other time! Okay, well, I have got to go do princess stuff. I am sure there's something I'm supposed to be responsible for right now! See you later you- you two!" And just like that, she'd scampered away before Cassandra could get a word in edgewise.