Work Text:
Rapunzel had been having a great day if she was being honest. Miss Crowley hadn't snarled insults at her, Pascal helped her finish a new painting and Eugene surprised her with a new set of pencils. She even managed to help the cleaning staff polish every weapon in the armory before lunch! To make a long story short: this day could not go wrong anymore!
Until it did.
After a soldier came rushing into the room with round eyes, motioning to a couple of his companions, Pete and Stan, who were carrying a very sick Cassandra into the castle. It felt as though the breath had just been knocked out of her. Cass, with her blue hair and midnight suit, was unconscious and even paler than usual. She looked awful and, for a few long minutes, Rapunzel had trouble to process the situation entirely. It was only after one forced cough from Eugene and an uncertain whine from Lance, that she finally got a hold of herself and opened her mouth to speak.
"What happened?"
"We found her in the woods not so far from Corona. She wasn't conscious so we decided to get her to the castle so you could decide over her faith, princess," the first guard said. "She’s still an enemy to the kingdom after all."
"I will deal with the legal affairs later. For now, i want her in my room with a tray of soup and a fresh set of pyjamas. Let a doctor come as soon as possible."
The guards did what she asked without questioning her motives and carried Cassandra away. She followed with Eugene by her side, who looked uncertain about the whole incident. "Blondie, are you sure this is the right thing to do? I mean, of course it is, it’s your decision, but is it really the right thing to do?"
She gave him a pointed look before worry seeped back into her heart. "I don't know," she said as they continued to follow behind the guards. "But she's sick and i'm not going to leave her in a cold cell the way she is now."
"I know but do you really need to give her your bed? We have guest rooms too."
"Don’t worry. I know what i’m doing."
They had arrived at their destination when Eugene stopped her outside the door. "I trust you. If you need any help, just tell me and i'm there."
She couldn't help but smile at his words and wondered for the hundred time again what she ever did in her life to deserve such a wonderful boyfriend.
She thanked him with a quick kiss on the lips before the group went into the room. Cassandra was already resting in the middle of the purple bed, a tray of food on the night table. "A doctor should be here any minute, princess," Stan told her quietly.
Rapunzel nodded. "I need you to fedge Varian for me too and alert the captain of the guards about his daughter. He has every right to know what's going on with her."
The guards bowed their heads politely before hurrying off to do what they had just been ordered. The princess eyed the pink pyjamas on the mattress with a tiny smile. Cass was not going to like this.
"Alright boys!" She spoke up with a swirl of her long hair. "I need you to leave the room now. Cassandra needs new clothes which means that this will be a private girls zone for the time being."
Lance was looking a little puzzled until he received a very stern look from Eugene and his brain seemed to catch on. "Oh! I get it! Let's er... Let's go before... You know!"
She laughed and watched her boyfriend get pulled along out of her bedroom by his best friend.
The room was deadly quiet after everyone had left. Rapunzel was almost scared to approach the bed, afraid of Cassandra suddenly striking her down with her shiny sword in a well thought out scheme to overthrow her. The idea seemed almost real to her before she took another look at her face and cringed. Cassandra was looking awful. Her hair was plastered to her forehead, there were dark circles under her eyes and she was shivering terribly. This couldn't be an act even if she suddenly turned out to be a great actress(which she was but let’s not dwell on that fact).
A moment longer of waiting went by when she finally decided to go through with her plan. Rapunzel welcomed Varian into ‘the girls only zone’ for a moment to help her get the moonstone off of Cassandra. She didn't know what would happen if she touched the object so she let the boy and his big brain figure it out for her. He eventually managed to remove the stone and keep it in a box that could contain strong electric energy. He proposed to keep the moonstone in the castle's vault but Rapunzel wanted it to be on the night table inside her room.
"Why?" He had asked after placing the glass box where she had pointed. "You can finally have the moonstone! Do you know what this means? What this means for Corona?" He gasped. "Not only for us but think about the science! I could fill pages about the secrets of the moon stone. I could probably write a whole book! Ha-ha! What if we-" he managed to stop himself before he would drift off entirely. "Sorry. You were about to answer?"
She sighed. "I don't want to take something from her without asking first. It seems wrong."
"But she took the moonstone from you in the first place!"
"I know it seems strange but she will trust me more if i'll leave the stone by her side. I want her to get better first before we start fighting again."
He seemed to understand. "Then i'll support you in your decision, Rapunzel. Get me if you need anything else."
"I will," she replied before he too left the room. "You too, Pascal."
The green lizard had been watching the scene enfold from the corner of the bed but Rapunzel wanted to give Cassandra some privacy(even from sweet cameleon). Pascal understood and, with a wink, followed Varian out into the hallway.
It was time for the awkward work.
Rapunzel took the pyjama from off the bed and placed it closer to Cass so she could change her ex-best friend faster. It was strange to see the soldier again with her raven hair and silver armor. She could almost make herself forget about the betrayal if she stared long enough to Cassandra's sleeping face.
Rapunzel sighed. There wasn't time to dwell on the past. She had to care for the woman and that was final.
Cassandra looked absolutely sweet in Rapunzel's pink pyjamas. After she had stored her clothes away and tucked the blanket around her, Rapunzel looked down at Cassandra with a smile for one last time before going outside to see if the doctor hadn't arrived yet.
She had walked to the end of the hallway with no luck when she decided to head back only to find an empty bed. Her heart leapt into her throat. The moon stone was still there but where was the current owner?
Rapunzel went into the opposite side of the hallway to look for Cassandra. She didn't have to search long. A woman in a pair of pink pyjama pants was slowly making their way down the long halls of the castle. She was keeping one hand on the wall as she did everything in her power to stay standing. It was almost pathetic to watch.
"Wait! You can't leave now!"
Cassandra didn't even raise her eyes when Rapunzel stopped in front of her. "I-i'm f-fine."
"Are you kidding me? You can hardly stand on your legs! I'm taking you back to bed."
Cassandra moaned in protest as Rapunzel hooked an arm under hers and dragged her back to her room. "L-leave m-e alone," the woman continued to protest. "Y-you can't lock m-me up."
She sighed. "We found you passed out in the woods. If my people hadn't brought you back, you'd probably be dead by now."
Cassandra was too out of it to really care or notice what was happening to her. She let Rapunzel guide her back into her room before the princess pushed her back down on the bed. She tucked her friend(because that's what she was) in with gentle hands and brushed her sweaty bangs out of her face.
The moonstone gave Cassandra a soft blue glow on one side of her face. She hadn't even noticed that the object had been missing or maybe she did but was too out of it to spot the nightstand. Whatever it was, she was clearly very sick and needed to stay here for a while. It seemed that Rapunzel would have to sleep with Eugene for a couple of nights until the raven got better.
The doctor made an appearance not so long after. He checked a very delusional Cassandra and took her way too high temperature with a knowing frown. It turned out that she was simply suffering from a bad fever and needed lots of rest. If her temperature wouldn't go down by tomorrow, the man would come back and check her again.
She sighed when they were alone again. Cassandra had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She was still pale as a ghost(and Rapunzel had seen a lot of ghosts) and she was shivering underneath the blankets. The blonde had put herself on nurse duty. She told herself that because she was the princess and Cassandra had known her very well, that this was the best thing to do, but deep down she was marveling at having her friend back. Cassandra actually needed her right now. She was going to remain by her side for who knows how long and nurse her back to health all on her own!
Cassandra's father asked permission to come inside the room while Rapunzel was painting a new page inside her journal. The man was happy to see his daughter again but he wished she hadn't been so sick. He was allowed to stay with her for an hour until he was called back to his duties as captain of the guards and left.
Rapunzel sighed as she closed her journal. She hadn't meant to draw Cassandra in the arms of herself, smiling in content. If her friend would ever see these pages, she would freak out. The thought brought a smile to her face and she laughed softly.
"Rapunzel?"
Rapunzel looked up from her chair towards the bed at the sound of the small voice. A pair of confused eyes stared back at her from the edge of the covers. Cass looked so lost and tiny in Rapunzel's huge bed, almost childlike. It was strange to believe that the same woman lying in her bed was the one who had tried to hurt her multiple times.
Still, Rapunzel was at her side in a heartbeat. "I'm here."
"I don't f-feel so good."
She took that as her cue to sit down on the mattress. "I know," she answered softly and - very cautiously - began to stroke Cassandra's hair. When the woman didn't bite her hand off, she continued the action. "I'm gonna help you get better. Don't worry. The doctor gave you some medicine. Do you think you could swallow it now?"
"I-," she began to say before her eyes widened. Rapunzel made the connection in a matter of seconds. As fast as she could, the princess untangled a strand of long hair out of her braid and snatched a paint bucket from the other side of the room. The item landed in Cassandra's lap just in time before she began to throw up violently.
"Okay. Maybe don't swallow something now," she commented while rubbing small circles in the raven's back. "We'll wait until your stomach has calmed down enough."
Cassandra looked even more miserable after she was done puking. She called a maid into the room to clean the filthy bucket and bring them a new one. It were moments like these that Rapunzel really enjoyed being a princess.
Cass fell back down on the pillows with a groan. She held her stomach as she curled back into herself. It was a sad sight. Rapunzel had trouble refraining herself from reaching out and hugging the sickness out of her but she knew that she had to keep her distance.
Instead, the blonde put a damp cloth on her patient's forehead before returning to her chair. Cassandra slept for over more than an hour. When she finally woke up, Rapunzel helped her sit upright in the bed so she could eat something.
She couldn't help but sit next to Cassandra on the bed, carefully placing the bowl of soup in her hands. "Careful. It's hot."
Cass nodded once before taking her first bite. Her eyes closed when the hot broth touched her tongue and a moan escaped her throat. Rapunzel chuckled at the immediate reaction. Did she eat well now that she had to cook for herself? Or was bread the only thing she had?
The raven couldn't eat much but she'd still swallowed more than Rapunzel had hoped. After the medicine had disappeared, she tucked the woman back in and nestled herself in her chair once again.
"Sleep well, Cass."
_______________________________________
The first thing Cassandra noticed when she woke up was the pain in her body. Her stomach was upset, her head hurt like hell and she was sensitive everywhere. As soon as she processed how bad she was feeling, the memories came flooding back from the day before. Had she actually let Rapunzel take care of her in such a vulnerable state? She promised herself to stay away from this place and look where she found herself!
She hesitated. Where was it again that she found herself?
Her eyes followed the drawings on the walls all the way to the ceiling where a bunch of Rapunzels were smiling back at her. Cassandra wanted to throw up just from the sentiment alone.
Then she noticed something off about the entire scene. Eugene was painted many times alongside Rapunzel together with Pascal and their other friends. Each person was carefully painted in bright earthly colors. All except for one. Cassandra recognised herself standing in the corner with her new outfit and glowing hair. The blue stood out against the whole atmosphere of the painting but that wasn't what made her heart beat faster.
She was smiling.
Not a creepy one but actually smiling kindly next to Rapunzel with her golden hair. They looked like they were chuckling about a private joke in their own personal bubble, a place where no one or nothing could tear them apart. It made Cassandra feel... something. Did Rapunzel still see her as a friend? The thought made her angry. Hadn't she made herself clear when she didn't want anything to do with her anymore? Why couldn't she just let Cassandra go?
On the other hand... The fact that Rapunzel still loved her and cared for her in her own bed made her heart swell with warmth.
She sighed. This was what she had been afraid of. She couldn't come back here. Everyone would keep her away from her destiny once again and she couldn't deal with that suffocating feeling anymore. Her feelings were what had made her sick in the first place. There was no need to throw some more onto the pile.
Tired as she was, Cassandra pushed herself into a seated position. The fog in her head was gone but she was still feeling like a wreck. Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet and looked to herself when she could feel her bare feet touch the carpet. She was wearing one of Rapunzel's dumb pajamas.
Wait. Where was the moonstone?!
Panic bubbled up inside of her until she saw a familiar blue glow coming from the night table. The stone was kept safe in a see through box. Cassandra could just take it and leave but there was one problem: Rapunzel was sleeping with her head on the mattress right in front of the night table. Crap. Why couldn't she ever get a break?
As quiet as she could be, the raven sneaked up to the princess. Each step was physically draining and made little pins and needles appear in her legs. Almost. She was almost there...
"Huh? Cassandra?"
Cassandra fell to the floor with a yelp but Rapunzel was kneeling down by her side in a matter of seconds. "Cass! Are you hurt? I am SO sorry!"
She reached out a hand to help but Cassandra bat her away. "I'm fine! Ugh. I don't n-need your help."
"I can get you some breakfast if you want."
"I'm leaving," she snarled as she pushed herself to her feet. "Thanks for the help yesterday."
"What? You have a fever! You can't just leave now? You have to get better first!"
"I'm-," she started before a cough broke her off. "I'm fine. G-goodbye."
Rapunzel jumped in front of her, blocking her way to the moonstone. "No. Yesterday, you didn't even recognize me when i spoke to you and afterwards, you puked your guts out. You are not fine."
She scoffed. "What? So you're just going to keep me here?" When Rapunzel's expression didn't change, Cassandra blinked in surprise. "Seriously? You're gonna keep me here against my will? That sounds very familiar..."
It was Rapunzel's turn to blink in surprised shock. "Are you for real? I saved your life! Remember? And this is how you're going to be? Cass, you are not feeling well, i am not letting you leave so you can die somewhere in the woods and i will care for you no matter how much you protest!"
She forced out a chuckle. "I guess you're in for a lot of struggling then."
She took another step to the night stand but Rapunzel was not moving. In all honesty, Cassandra had no idea what to do. She was feeling awful! So much so that she would rather curl up again in Rapunzel's bed and allow the blonde to care for her than leave now and be cold and alone. She was having a small mental battle inside her head and she hated it. She couldn't stay here. She promised herself she wouldn't. What if... What if she actually enjoyed herself during her stay and didn’t want to leave? That would be a disaster.
So Cassandra decided to ignore her body and push Rapunzel to the side. The plan had seemed great in her head but the reality of it was something else. Rapunzel wasn't moving an inch! No matter how hard Cassandra pushed, she was out of all her strength.
She tried to reach for the sword that she always kept on her back but the item was gone, replaced by a pink pajama shirt. She snarled at the back of her throat. She'd forgotten about the situation for a second.
Rapunzel sighed as she guided the raven's hands back to her side. "Come on, Cass. Just stay here for a few days. I promise you, nothing bad is going to happen. I'll even give you the moonstone back!"
That made her stop in her actions. "W-what? Why?"
Rapunzel shrugged. "I don't see what good it would do to take something from you that clearly means a lot."
She was silent for a moment. "I'm still l-leaving."
"No, you're not."
Those words made Cassandra angry again and she tried to get past Rapunzel one more time until the room began to spin. She groaned as she held a hand to her head. Rapunzel was saying something in front of her but her ears were ringing and an invisible hammer had just started to knock on her skull. What was going on? Why was the room getting darker? What were-
Cassandra woke up a couple of seconds later in the arms of Rapunzel. Her head was hurting like hell and she was feeling nauseous once more. The woman groaned pitifully. "I guess," she mumbled softly. "A few days wouldn't h-hurt."
Rapunzel's face was like the sun as it brightened up. She smiled down at her friend and, with or without her knowledge, stroked soft circles in Cassandra's side with her thumb. The raven actually let her eyes fall shut and allow herself to relax in someone else's arms for a moment. This felt... Nice. Was this what it meant to have a mother who loved you? Who cared for you when you were sick? Cassandra wouldn't know. She could feel herself becoming angry again but she pushed the feelings down for once. She had to get better first before she could fight again.
Rapunzel helped her get back in bed afterwards. Cassandra had to bite her tongue when Rapunzel started to stroke her hair back. She wanted to throw insults at the princess but the woman was making her feel way too good for anger and hate. Instead, she closed her eyes once again with a sigh. "Please don't tell Fitzherbert about this."
"He won't even come into the room," Rapunzel answered with a chuckle.
_______________________________________
Cassandra was having another nightmare. She knew it was a dream because she had been having the same one each night. It always started with a child. She would walk around singing in an old house, smiling until someone with a dark cape walked inside.
She called out to the mysterious person, begging them to reveal who they were. When the shadow finally decided to drop the cape, Cassandra would scream and hide.
Her own mother was staring back at her but old and ugly beyond years. She was wearing the moonstone, making her messy hair a striking blue. Suddenly her face was starting to change. Her old features morphed into those of her own but just as old. Cassandra screamed as she watched herself, a fragment of what she was becoming if she let the moonstone corrupt her further.
"You are just like your mother."
Cassandra screamed into Rapunzel's room when she woke up. Her heart was beating like crazy and her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Her chest was starting to hyperventilate and she began to cry against her will. Someone or something pulled her to the right but Cassandra fought against the strong hold. She didn't want to end up like her mother. She was her own person. She had to do this! They were all just lies! Why did no one understand?
"-assandra? Cass! Wake up! It's me!"
She stopped struggling when her mind finally recognized the voice. "R-Rapunzel?"
"Yes, it's me. Calm down. You were just having a nightmare. You're okay now."
Her voice was like a warm blanket in the fog that Cassandra found herself in. As she was being held, her breath came back to her slowly and she was beginning to calm down entirely. She had never felt so safe before.
The woman pressed her face more against Rapunzel's chest, breathing in her scent which was familiar and smelled like something that could be considered home.
Her head was still filled with fog. Cassandra went to put a hand on her forehead when her stomach suddenly churned. Rapunzel seemed to see something in her expression because she was gone for a second before a bucket landed in her lap right before her lunch came back out of her mouth.
"You're doing great! Oh, that's the toast i made you earlier. And that's the chef's chicken soup he prepared just for you! Okay, i'll stop now. Yikes."
Cassandra was feeling too bad to cast Rapunzel a dirty look. When she was done throwing up, the princess put the filthy bucket to the side for tomorrow and grabbed the medicine from the nightstand. "The doctor gave me new medicine for your stomach before you fell asleep. You should take it."
She eyed it with distaste but nevertheless, took the offered cup. The taste was awful. Cassandra cringed when the medicine fell on her tongue and slid down her sore throat. "Are you trying to poison me?"
Rapunzel had the audacity to laugh. "I promise it'll make you feel better."
She fell asleep again not so long after, Rapunzel following her example, and if she slept right next to the raven beneath the covers, then that was their own little secret.
_______________________________________
Cassandra was beginning to feel a lot better after a couple of days. She was slowly starting to get bored of spending time in the same room all day long while she didn't need that much rest anymore. Rapunzel had other duties to attend to during the day but she made sure to spend as much time with Cassandra as possible whenever she could.
It was still strange to see her so close by and they didn't really talk but Cassandra felt comforted whenever she was resting with the blonde sitting next to the bed.
Rapunzel had made sure no one would enter the room without permission which had been a blessing during this whole week. She got to learn that her father had visited her the very first day and when she was almost healed, he had asked again to see his daughter but she had declined. Cassandra couldn't face the man now. Not when she still had so much to prove to him.
It was the end of the week when she had declared herself to be fully recovered. Rapunzel had gone to the bathroom so the raven had used that moment to put the moonstone back on herself and escape through the window.
She had just finished tightening a cord around the balcony when a voice interrupted her. "You're leaving without telling me?"
Cassandra should be angry. She should be yelling right now and throwing pointy rocks at the princess but she found herself unable to. What was wrong with her? She used to be so mad but somehow after these last couple of days, her emotions had simply vanished and she was left tired and drained.
"I am," was the simple response that ended up coming out of her mouth instead.
Rapunzel walked up to her, her long hair flowing behind her. "Well, at least let me get you some cookies for on the way. I made some this morning so they're still fresh!"
She couldn't look Rapunzel in the eyes which was... Strange. "I... I'm fine, Raps." She bit her lip. "Thanks. For the help and... Everything."
"I'm always here if you need me."
The words shouldn't have stung the way day did. Rapunzel was still so kind and friendly after everything she had done. She wasn't planning to stay here but it was nice to have felt the other's warmth again after so long living in darkness. She was surprised by the sudden emotions bubbling up inside of her.
She nodded without answering, afraid that words would break the invisible wall around her. Without further ado, she climbed down the balcony and went her own way, feeling Rapunzel's eyes on her until she disappeared into the woods of Corona.
She was still determined to find her destiny and fulfill it all on her own but it felt kinda nice to know that a certain blonde was watching her back.
For once, Cassandra felt like she really was invincible.