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It's been two weeks since they found the little girl named Cassandra inside her house. The captain was still busy to look for the lost princess but he also needed to find this little girl a home. The guard's quarters was no place to raise a child.
He had tried to get her the most comfortable room closest to his, with a couple of toys and new clothes. She had changed into something else but otherwise didn’t do much and remained silent. The only thing she had ever said was her name but that had been on day one.
Captain sighed when he came home that evening. His men were still searching for Rapunzel but it looked like they were never going to find her. Every track they had found, lead to nothing. He felt like he had failed as the captain of the guards. Like he hadn't placed the right guard on the right place that dreadful night and hadn't been fast enough to catch the kidnapper.
He glanced towards Cassandra who was quietly seated on a stool. At least he had been able to save this child but she looked like she didn't want to be saved. Wasn't that ironic?
The captain smiled when he placed his sword inside his closet. "Hello, Cassandra. Did you have a nice day?"
The girl simply shrugged but never answered him.
He undid himself of his armor before kneeling down in front of her. "Are you hungry? What would you like for dinner tonight?"
Her eyes never met his as she shrugged yet again.
"I'm craving some spaghetti. Would you like some too?"
This time he got a nod in return which he saw as a step in the right direction. Cassandra was silent when he asked one of the staff to bring them some food. She didn't even glance up when he spoke up next. "Did you play today? I hope Stan and Pete weren't too much to handle. They need a strong girl like you to keep them in check."
That made the child chuckle softly. Captain grew a smile of his own when he watched her laugh. "Hey, i know. How about you teach them a lesson next time? Someone has to throw them in jail when i'm gone."
Cassandra's eyes grew big when he pulled a small wooden sword from the closet. It was an old toy of his that he never got the heart to throw away. It had been his very first sword but maybe this girl needed it more now than he did.
She received the toy without struggle as she stared at it in awe. He had never seen her like this before - like she was just a normal kid who got her first Christmas gift. "This is yours now, cadet. Use it well."
She was still not meeting his eyes but something in her expression had changed. "T-thank you."
He stared at her for a moment, not sure how to respond or act. This was the first thing she had said to him all week. Still, it wasn't much and she was still overly quiet but every step was good. He was a patient man.
They ate their spaghetti in silence. Cassandra looked like she really enjoyed her meal but never spoke up again. He cleared the table afterwards and handed her her pajamas before walking her to her room. She looked a little sad, probably missing her home and mother again. He could understand. The child had suddenly lost her house and the only family she probably had ever known all in one day. It was no wonder she was being so quiet.
The captain knelt down next to her bed. "We don't know each other very well but i want to become your friend. Would you want to be my friend too?"
She was silent once again.
"Have you ever had a friend?"
She shook her head which broke his heart. "Me neither but i'd like to know what it's like. Do you?"
It took her a couple of seconds but eventually, she nodded at him. He smiled before placing her wooden sword next to her pillow. "Sleep well, young one. Show those bad dreams who's the boss around here."
That pulled another chuckle out of her. The captain eyed her for another moment before walking up to the door. "Remember: if you need anything, just come and get me. I will be in my room."
His heart ached when he closed the door on her but there was no use in staying. She was a strong girl and she would be fine in the end. He just needed to be patient.
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Cassandra seemed to have gotten used to her new home after another two weeks. She knew when the captain would be home, knew when they were about to eat and when it was time to play. Over the last couple of days, he had bought her various toys and clothes, everything to fit her needs. There was actually no use in getting her this comfortable. She would be going to a new home very soon but somehow, he had a difficult time with letting her go.
He couldn't quite put his finger on it. The captain had never needed children. It wasn't like he hated them. He loved every child but there had never been a time in his life when he had been craving for one of his own.
Until now it seemed.
Maybe it wasn't so much that he wanted to have a child. Maybe what he really wanted was for Cassandra in particular to stay by his side where he could keep an eye on her and make sure she grew up safe and secure. What if her new home was too small and dusty? What if her parents turned out to be mean and hurt her? He wouldn't be there to protect her!
He was instantly pulled from his thoughts by a loud noise coming from his room. Cassandra was found in the middle of his armor, his golden helmet still on her head. She must have touched his uniform and accidentally made it fall over. He was about to laugh at her when he caught the look in Cassandra's eyes.
She was terrified. The captain had never seen her this scared before. As fast as she could, the girl moved out from under the heavy armor and crawled into a corner. "I-i'm sorry!" She cried in her arms. "I'm sorry! I just w-wanted to l-look! I'm sorry!"
"Hey, it's okay." He knelt down in front of her. "It's alright, sweety. I'm not mad."
"B-but it's dirty now!"
"No, it's not dirty. Everything is alright."
She didn't stop crying. It broke the captain's heart to see her in this much pain. What had she been through that something like this could make her so upset? If he ever got his hands on her mother, he didn't know what he would do. Anger boiled through his veins when he watched her, but he quickly pushed that feeling down. There was no need to make her even more upset than she already was.
"Why don't you go and play some more while i clean this up?"
"I don't have to help?"
"No, honey. I will put it back in the closet for you so you can play."
She looked very confused but never argued with him. The child pushed herself to her feet before heading over to her wooden horse figures. There was one of Maximus too and she had quickly come to love that one more than the others.
Cassandra had been saying more over the last few days. Not much but they were getting somewhere. It was a shame if she would go back to being silent all together after this one instance.
Cassandra was mumbling low under her breath when he walked back into the living room. She was bumping two wooden horses against each other. There must be a hole story hidden there.
He knelt down next to her before grabbing a figurine of his own. "Did the great Maximus arrest every criminal in town?"
She eyed him for a moment before staring at his little horse. There seemed to be a lot of thoughts racing through her head but eventually, she placed her own horse next to his and said, "there's still one more left, sir."
He smiled beneath his mustache. "Then i guess we'll need to catch him before he gets away."
"No." She stopped him with a hand. "Mister duck is the best guard in town. He will stop him."
Captain chuckled as he watched Cassandra bump a rubber ducky against one of the horses. She made tiny noises for their steps and kicks. It was adorable to watch and she wasn't even shutting him out this time.
"The thief has been caught, sir ducky!" She cheered after placing the horse in a box. She poked the duck against the captain's horse with more cheers.
He couldn't help but cheer with her. Cassandra actually looked like a normal kid and in that moment, everything was alright.
After that day, she was starting to open up even more to him. The girl didn't flinch as easily like she had been doing and if she needed something, she would just ask straight away instead of keeping her mouth shut. He couldn't have been more pleased and his heart grew bigger for her every day.
That night, the captain got woken up by a soft knock on the door. Cassandra peeked her head inside when he asked who was on the other side of his room. "Cassandra?" He asked sleepily. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
She was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, her wooden sword tucked underneath her armpit. She looked like she wanted to say something but the words got stuck in her throat. Luckily, she didn't have to because the captain knew exactly what she was here for. It was the same issue he had seen with her since the first day she had first arrived in the palace. "Did you have a nightmare?"
She nodded her head slowly, a pout pulling at her bottom lip. His heart broke in pieces when he watched her. "Come here," he said while throwing a part of the blanket open.
Her eyes grew larger before she was crawling into the bed next to him. He didn't touch her, simply allowed the girl to get cozy in the large bed. "Are you comfortable?"
Her eyes were peeking over the edge of the covers when she nodded her head. The wooden sword was left on the floor. Captain was glad to see that it brought her some form of comfort. He brushed a strand of midnight hair from her face and mumbled, "sleep well, kiddo."
She didn't answer but her smile spoke louder than a thousand words could.
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"Can i come with you?"
"Maybe when you're a bit older, sweety. Being a guard is a dangerous job."
"You promise?"
Could he? She was supposed to live with another family soon. The captain didn't have time to see her grow up and take her on her first guard training. The thought alone made his stomach sick.
"Playing sounds much more fun anyway," he said while ruffling her hair.
She laughed and pushed his hand away. Her hair looked even messier now but he had made sure to braid it into two small braids. She looked so cute even though the braids weren't very well done. She hadn't seemed to mind that morning.
"Don't worry, sir. I've got everything under control," Pete spoke up. "Right, Cassandra?"
Captain winked at her. "You're in charge, kiddo. Make sure he doesn't break anything."
"Hey!"
The two of them laughed with their friend. "Alright, i'll be going now. I'll see you tonight, sweetheart."
"Bye, daddy!"
The breath caught in his throat. This was the first time she had ever used that word when addressing him. Did Cassandra really see him as her father? He certainly felt like it but he had no idea that she was feeling the same way towards him. His heart swelled with pride at the idea of them becoming a small family. They didn't need anyone else. Together they would face the entire world.
He bumped into Stan on his way to the palace gates. The guy was holding a piece of paper with a list of addresses and names. "Sir, we have found a home for Cassandra."
He thought for a moment. "You can throw that away," he replied while motioning towards the document.
Stan's eyes widened. "Does that mean...?"
"It means you can dig up your old toys, cadet. Cassandra is staying with us."
A bright smile appeared on the soldier's face before he was racing towards his quarters like a young child. Captain laughed as he watched him go, relief flooding his body. Cassandra had finally found a home.