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After days of begging, Cassandra had finally agreed to go outside with Rapunzel. She was still feeling bad about the whole moonstone incident but the princess made it clear that sitting indoors wasn't going to make her feel any better. Cassandra had lots of reasons to disagree(the townspeople were still being mean to her) but she could only say no so many times before Rapunzel would start moping and she didn't want that to happen.
The sun was shining brightly when they made their way through town. Cassandra had just bought a new book from the local bookstore while Rapunzel had treated herself on a new set of pencils. They were laughing about a silly memory when someone started to shout amongst the people of Corona.
"You!" A boy not much older than Varian yelled as he pushed people to the side. "You destroyed my parents' shop! We are bankrupt because of you!"
People were starting to stare at them, making Cassandra anxious. She put her arms around herself while chewing the inside of her cheek. Rapunzel took a step forward. "We restored every building in Corona. There isn't any damage left."
The boy scoffed. "You think that just by covering her tracks, we're not hurt? We lost a great amount of products and that's not to talk about the emotional trauma we collected. That parasite is a monster and she needs to get punished for what she did to us!"
Some people were nodding their heads in agreement. Cassandra was hiding the tremors in her hands as much as possible. This was exactly what she had been dreading. There was a reason she hadn't went outside for so long. The people of Corona were still mad at her and she couldn't even disagree with them.
Rapunzel put her hands on her hips in frustration. "You won't talk about my friend like that ever again! Corona is a place of peace and forgiveness! If you can't understand that, then i think you are living in the wrong kingdom."
The boy glared at her. "I guess i am."
Cassandra was pulled away from the crowd in a second. Rapunzel dragged her back towards the royal palace with a fuming expression on her face. Cassandra had only seen her this angry when Pascal had disappeared. It didn't often happen that the blonde would get this mad.
"Don't think about him, Cass. He doesn't know what he's talking about."
She glanced towards the ground in shame. "He had a right to be angry. I destroyed almost every home in town. It's no wonder people are still upset with me."
Rapunzel instantly made her halt in her steps. Cassandra would've fallen over if it hadn't been for her friend's strong hands on her shoulders. "You are not your mistakes and people should come to realise that. I know who you really are and they'll see it too after some time. You will see."
She smiled but in her heart, Cassandra couldn't help but disagree with the girl.
***
Cassandra was still feeling agitated at night by what happened that day. She was sleeping together with Rapunzel in the princess' bed for their annual sleepover, something Rapunzel had invented a while ago. The evening had been fun but guilt was still present at the back of her mind, always condemning her no matter what she did. It was exhausting.
Rapunzel and Pascal were sleeping soundly when she pushed herself up. Cassandra made her way outside the room on bare feet. She ignored the cold and pushed herself forward. The palace was quiet, exactly what she needed right now. There were a few guards standing still on some places but she managed to find a hallway that looked completely abandoned, the perfect spot to clear her head.
Or so it seemed.
She had been too distracted by her own thoughts to hear the silent footsteps behind her. A dark figure grabbed a hold of her from behind and held her in a vice grip. Cassandra startled before her mind catched up to her. In one swift move, she managed to slip out from under him and jump out of his reach.
The raven looked around for any weapon to use but there were only paintings in this portion of the castle. Crap! Her attacker ran towards her and punched a fist forward. She caught his wrist with ease but he was one second faster.
She gasped when she found herself on the floor, the dark figure on top. His face was covered but his eyes were visible. She couldn't move and how was she supposed to fight in this dumb pajama? Cassandra grit her teeth and aimed for his eyes when a pair of hands grabbed a hold of her throat and pushed!
Her eyes widened. In a desperate attempt to stay alive, she started to claw at his hands and kick her bare feet over the floor. It was useless. The pressure on her throat became worse and stars were already dancing in front of her eyes. She should have been more on guard. She should have known better than to venture out into the hallway all by herself without some sort of weapon. She was going to die here without ever getting to say goodbye to Rapunzel and her father.
Images of her friends flashed in front of her eyes, regret filling her up. She had done nothing but hurt them and now she wouldn't even get a chance to make things right. Of course they loved her but she wanted to tell them just how sorry she was. She wanted to look Rapunzel in the eyes and beg for forgiveness instead of simply receiving it without a fight. It seemed unfair. Maybe this was what she truly deserved.
The edges of her vision were already starting to darken. Her kicks were becoming weak and the grip she had on his hands had started to loosen. A satisfied glint appeared in her attacker's eyes upon seeing her so close to death. Cassandra closed her eyes and prepared herself for the end of this journey when the pressure on her throat disappeared.
The man was pulled off of her in a second. Cassandra was taking in lungfuls of air while she wheezed and coughed on the floor. Rapunzel's kind face appeared above her, the princess' soft hands helping her to sit upright.
"Cassandra!" She said breathy. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I-i...," was the only thing coming out of her mouth before her throat ached and she was coughing once again.
Rapunzel held her close to her side while two guards took the intruder away. Cassandra knew she shouldn't but she couldn't stop herself from looking at him before he disappeared completely. His mouthpiece had fallen off and she recognized the boy from that morning. He was glaring at her with a deep hatred, an expression that was going to haunt her dreams for a very long time.
When he was completely out of sight, she allowed herself to shrink into herself and cry. Everything she had been feeling since defeating Zhan Tiri came bursting out of her in the form of tears. Rapunzel was holding her in her arms in a heartbeat, sweet words whispered in her ear while she stroked a hand over her friend's back.
This was going to be a long night.
***
There were still fingerprints painted in her skin. Cassandra had made sure to cover her neck with her sweater the next morning. It was a nice day. The sun was shining and people seemed to be in pretty good spirits. All except for her.
Rapunzel had tried to calm her down the previous night. They had went back to bed together but she hadn't been able to catch much sleep. If Rapunzel hadn't noticed she was gone and went to look for her, she would have been dead by now. It was the second time that the princess needed to save her from dying.
There were a couple of men training in the courtyard when Cassandra was sitting there on a crate. She was polishing one of her many knives when someone seated themselves next to her.
"Rapunzel told me you might be here."
She looked at Varian in surprise. "Did she set you up to this?"
He shrugged innocently. "Maybe but it's always nice to see you."
"You better staye away today. I'm not exactly in the best mood."
"I've heard about what happened last night. I'm really sorry."
"Don't be," she answered, her gaze fixed on the dagger in her hands. "It's not as if i don't deserve it."
"What are you talking about? The guy almost killed you! Of course you didn't deserve it."
A humourless chuckle left her mouth. "It's hard to believe that after everything i've done."
"You weren't in your right mind."
"No, but i should have been. All i've ever wanted was to fight for justice and protect people. The last thing i wanted to happen was to become what i had been fighting for all these years."
Varian kicked his feet a little awkwardly, the crate too high for him to reach the ground. "You know, i think i understand why Rapunzel send me here instead of herself. I know exactly how you feel."
That caught her attention. After a bit of hesitance, she mumbled, "how did you do it?"
"Do what?"
She waved a hand in front of her to emphasize her point. "Get over all of this. You've been there too. How did you deal with the dirty looks? The curse words everyone throws at you. I don't even have the courage to go outside because people hate me."
"You don't."
"What?"
He chuckled kindly. "You don't get over it. Every time someone is mean to me, i still get hurt but i learned from my mistakes. They won't stop judging you but it gets better. Trust me."
It was the first time since defeating Zhan Tiri that she could feel a little hope inside of her. Varian had been through the exact same situation she did. If there was one person who knew what he was talking about, it would be him. She would have to thank Rapunzel later.
"Thanks Varian," she answered after some time. "I... Kinda needed that."
"No problem. Besides, people have tried to kill me loads of times! After the first death threat, you'll get used to it."
"Varian!"
They both laughed. She had done horrible things. Maybe the people of Corona would never forgive her and maybe she wouldn't either. At least she still had her friends by her side which was more than she could have ever wished for.