Chapter Text
Eugene had seriously thought they could win. How foolish of him, he knew that now. He'd even actually tried to stop Cassandra by being honest with her, telling her she was like a sister to Rapunzel and also wanting to add that he saw her as his sister too. It was true after all. But she didn't believe him, didn't care about his words no matter how much Eugene tried to get her to do so, she even cut him off before he could really tell her how he and the princess felt about her. The young man should've known that that wouldn't stop his former friend from destroying Corona, her home...but he had tried. Maybe that had been a stupid idea, he should've ordered his people to fall back right away.
But I'm the Captain! I need to prove that I'm worthy of holding this title! I can't fail the kingdom, I just can't!
It had been a mistake to keep fighting though, and when several people, including his father and his best friend, had told Eugene to give the order to fall back, the captain finally gave in, realizing they had to. They'd all die if they stayed, and he couldn't risk that. So, after he'd managed to kick away the mind-controlled Hector, he called out,"Everyone! Fall back!"
Eugene watched everyone run, making sure no one was left behind, before he started running away himself, and he noticed Varian was running next to him. Why was the kid still there? He should've fallen back with the others already, but apparently the boy was too determined to stay with his friend, so there was no reason to scold him, he wouldn't listen anyway.
They ran as fast as they could, trying to flee from this insane woman and her brainwashed warriors as fast as possible. And the two friends almost managed to do that...almost. If it weren't for that stupid rock suddenly shooting out of the ground and cutting into Eugene's right calf, causing him to lose his balance and yelp in pain as the pain surged through his whole leg.
His leg hurt and he instantly felt really dizzy, he knew his calf was probably bleeding badly. He just hoped the rock hadn't hit any important muscles. and thankfully it didn't seem like it since he could still feel his leg, and the accompanying pain, very well. That was at least a bit better than not feeling it at all, he figured.
"-gene? Eugene!", he heard someone call his name, and inwardly the captain cursed. Varian! Good gravy! Run already, you idiot! Are you insane?
The man forced himself to open his eyes as he panted,"Kid, go! If you don't leave now she'll capture us both!"
Varian seemed uncertain as he stood frozen, staring at Eugene's leg. He then looked up at Eugene and protested,"But what about you? I can't leave you here! Come on, we'll find a way to help you up…!", the boy looked around nervously, seeming to search for something Eugene could use to lean on, something that could help h support his injured leg so he could run away with the boy.
"You have to leave me behind! I'll be fine, Varian. You have to leave, NOW!", the man hissed warningly, he just wanted the boy to stop arguing with him and leave so he'd be safe, he had to leave before it was too late! Why couldn't he just understand that...!
The young alchemist looked at him, then at the castle and back at his friend, he opened his mouth as he objected,"But-"
"Go! By order of your captain!", the former thief demanded, narrowing his eyes sternly. He really didn't need the boy to get captured as well, especially not by Cassandra and her demon friend. They'd probably hurt him, and Eugene couldn't let that happen. To his relief Varian knew better than to argue more, since he hesitantly nodded and whispered,"I-I’ll come back! With help, I promise! Please don't die until then!"
These were the last words Eugene heard of the alchemist, he watched him run away until he couldn't see him anymore. He looked down and sighed,"I'll try, kid.", even though he really didn't know whether he could keep that promise considering his captor was Cassandra. He knew first hand that she didn't mind hurting anyone, nor even those close to him. Speaking of the devil, right when the man thought this, he saw a person walking towards him. And of course, that person was Cassandra.
No one else has that bright blueberry hair...And that annoying smirk...
The woman seemed clearly satisfied, he could tell from the way she walked and her eyes brightened in glee and triumph at seeing him on the ground, bleeding.
"Well well well, would you look at that. Who have we got here? The captain?", Cassandra chuckled gloatingly as she crossed her arms, staring down at him as if he were her prisoner.
And he was...he realized that with a start, but he hid his concern as well as he could and chuckled,"Long time no see! When was the last time? Oh yeah, when you attacked the princess and tried to destroy the kingdom you lived in all your life and the people who raised you."
"I tried?! Oh Fitzherbert, you're even more stupid than I thought you were. You call THIS trying? If you do, I'm gonna show you what REAL trying is. You'll be useful to me, for once in your pathetic life.", the evil woman suddenly sneered and Eugene's blood ran cold. What did she mean by that? This was bad...He knew what she was capable of, and from what she just said he felt that this wouldn't be comfortable for him. Not if Cassandra planned to use him somehow.
"Is there any chance I can still leave? You know, my leg is killing me right now and besides, my guards and friends are probably worried about me.", Eugene suggested, looking at her with a cocky grin. He knew it was useless, but better try than don't, right?
She rolled her eyes, chuckling,"If that little cut is already 'killing you', then you'll be dead pretty soon. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you? So I'd suggest you shut your mouth. Because if you don't...", she let a rock shoot out of the ground and Eugene's eyes widened as he crawled away as quickly as he could, looking at her with fear in his eyes.
What has gotten into her?!
"Aw, scared, pretty boy?", Cassandra stared at him, clearly amused by his sudden change of attitude, making him narrow his eyes angrily. She KNEW he was quite terrified of rocks ever since that event in her tower on his birthday. He hadn't forgotten the pain he'd been in when she almost killed him by crushing him in a rock cage…but then again, that was probably the reason Cassandra was using her rocks right now, to scare and intimidate him.
"I think we've had enough playtime for now though, as much as I enjoy this.", the woman said and shot another rock out of the ground, aiming for Eugene's head. He noticed it quickly and panted,"Wait! You don't have to do thi-", before the man could finish, the hilt of Cassandra's sword hit his head and in that moment he realized that the rock had only been a distraction. A few seconds later his vision got blurry, then black.
Eugene woke up due to some weird and loud sounds coming from two people talking in front of him. He grumbled and shifted, but pain surged through his injured leg at the sudden movement and it made him groan quietly. He noticed that he couldn't move much, so he opened his eyes slowly and realized he was in a cage, the same one Varian had been in back in Cassandra's tower. He grimaced and looked around, noticing that he was in the throne room. It looked quite different, covered in rocks. The captain rolled his eyes, finding himself in front of the throne where Cassandra was sitting, talking to the strange purple girl they'd met at the spire already.
"Not yet. Let me have some fun with him first. The eclipse isn't fully there yet anyway. There's no need to rush.", Cassandra said, apparently replying to something the little girl had told her earlier.
"Fine. But don't forget about the mindtrap, and DON'T kill him. We need him.", Zhan Tiri responded, narrowing her eyes sternly.
Something is clearly wrong with her...And what does she mean by needing me? For what? As a punching bag? Great…
Cassandra suddenly stared at him and snarled,"How long have you been listening?!"
Eugene gulped as he quickly opened his mouth and stuttered,"Not for long! I've only heard the end of her words, I swear! Something about you needing me. Look, I know I'm amazing, but you guys are a bit too obsessed with me, wouldn’t you say? I gotta say I'm flattered anyway."
That caused the woman to growl and raise her hand. As she did, the cage around Eugene disappeared, leaving him nervous and exposed. He didn't like it, he really didn't.
"Okay Fitzherbert, you should really shut your mouth for once. I have a few questions and you're gonna answer them, or I will have to get them myself. I'm gonna have fun with you too, just for your information.", Cassandra explained, casually leaning on her sword as she stared down at him.
"I won't tell you anything! You're naive to think I would!", he growled, narrowing his eyes stubbornly. Did she really think he'd betray his friends? Who did she think he was, a traitor like her? He'd NEVER betray Rapunzel or Corona!
She smirked as she told him,"You're just too obstinate. I'm pretty sure I'll find a way to find things out. If not from you, then from someone else…maybe your princess?", after those words the woman rested her sword on the throne and cracked her knuckles while asking,"How do you feel about some target practice?"
Eugene swallowed hard and replied,"I'd rather not do tha-", he was cut off by Cassandra's fist slamming into his face, right against his nose. He gasped loudly, suppressing a loud shout of pain. He'd forgotten how hard she could punch, and the young man had never been paying much attention anyway since usually she didn't punch HIM. Now she had though, and it hurt.
Eugene's head even spun slightly, but he bit his lip, clenching his fists. He could deal with a beating, he'd been beaten up often enough to deal with a few punches by now...And he had to stay conscious, he couldn’t pass out again!
"That all you got?", the captain said, forcing himself to smirk cheekily.
"Aw, so eager to bleed, are we? That’s the spirit! And don't you worry Fitzherbert, this is just my warming up! There's still lots to come!", the blue-haired woman gave him a sarcastic smile, she could clearly see the nervousness in her foe's eyes as he clutched his slightly bleeding nose. How long would he be able to pretend he wasn't scared of her, when actually he couldn't remember being this scared in a long time...
Cassandra lunged for him again, this time her fist connected with his left eye and he couldn't help but yelp. He hadn't been prepared! It felt like she'd thrown a hammer at his face with full force.
"Was this a better hit?", she said as she gave him a really nasty grin, and it made him feel even more uncomfortable than he already felt before. But he tried hard not to reveal his concern since he knew that she would use it to her advantage, and that wouldn't end well for him.
"I think even Shorty could do better than that.", the man huffed, he didn't care how angry that'd make her. Oh, and it indeed made her angry. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she picked up her sword and pointed it at his throat while growling,"Your mouth has always been louder than your place in this world, Fitzherbert."
"Has it? I hadn't noticed. Then again, there's a lot I didn't notice, right?", Eugene snapped, his eyes were sparkling mischievously as he looked up at the woman he used to trust with his life. Now he had to fear she'd take it…
Cassandra stared at him and smirked while she spoke,"Yeah, there is. Didn't even notice how I was planning to betray you and Rapunzel all along!"
You were not!
His expression changed, getting more serious as he uttered,"Cass...That's not true. You weren't bad all along, Zhan Tiri convinced you that you were doing the right thing by betraying us. You used to be one of us, and you clearly weren't unhappy about it. I know you had reasons for what you did...but they don't really make sense to me."
He was quite sad and disappointed that she had said that, even though she herself knew perfectly well that it wasn't true at all. Of course, at first their friendship hadn't been too harmonious, but she couldn't just say it wasn't there. She wouldn't have believed him when he had found out about the counterfeit, she wouldn't have repaired the vase, and she clearly wouldn't have helped Rapunzel to free him from Stalyan and the Baron if their friendship hadn't been there. Not to mention how she'd actually defended him and taken care of him when he felt upset sometimes. And besides, they’d gotten very close over the course of the last few months before she’d betrayed them, even Cassandra couldn’t deny that.
The man had helped her just as much, he had actually seen her as his SISTER, and had been so sure that Cassandra saw him as a brother too. That was why her words stung. She had betrayed them, because of Gothel...Of course, there were other reasons, but Gothel had been her main reason for her to stab her friends in the back. And thinking about that was so upsetting.
"Don't really make sense to you? You've got nerves to say that, Fitzherbert. My reasons make more sense than any word coming out of your mouth. So why would my reasons to grab the moonstone be stupid?!", Cassandra snarled, looking at Eugene like he was a complete idiot. But oh well, he probably was one in her opinion anyway.
Eugene held up a hand and explained,"I didn't say they're stupid. But in my opinion, one of your reasons makes no sense. You're saying that Gothel left you because of Rapunzel. Cassandra seriously, Rapunzel was a BABY when she was KIDNAPPED by your mother. It's not like she could or even would jump up and beg her to kidnap her! You're acting like you were never loved by anyone. You had and still have a dad, a dad who misses you a lot and wants you back. The people of Corona took you in and raised you as their own, what you're saying is just cruel and disrespectful towards your dad and everyone else in Corona. Other kids were outside, hungry, cold, and forced to do stuff they didn't want to do! All they wanted was to be loved, to have the life you had! Would you rather have been stuck and locked up in a room all your life, or at least for 18 years? Or on the streets, forced to steal?! I feel sorry for your dad, really, I do...if that’s how you feel about him."
"Oh stop with those pathetic stories about your oh-so-horrible life when you know nothing about mine! I am so sick of being the second choice, do you think they treated me like a princess in the castle? No, I was just a simple handmaiden, easily to replace if necessary! I never got the chance to be royal of the royal guard, no matter how hard I tried, no one ever gave me a chance and I'm done with it! This is the destiny I chose, and I won't give up now! If you think a little pathetic speech is gonna make me give up, you're a fool.", the woman pressed the tip of her sword closer to Eugene's throat as he glared at her.
She knows that there’s truth in what I'm saying, and that makes her mad!
"You know, this is quite unfair. You've got a sword, I don't. This isn't a fair fight, is it?", he grinned nervously, slowly taking a step back. He grimaced as his calf hurt from the movement, but he had to get away from her, she was gonna hurt him even more or worse, might even kill him if he didn't!
"Oh, you want a fair fight? Well, you can have it.", she covered his feet with rocks so he couldn't move, even though he tried, and turned to the throne, grabbing Eugene's sword. His eyes widened slightly in surprise, he hadn't even noticed she'd taken it. She had probably done it while he was unconscious then.
"There you go.", Cassandra threw the sword towards him, but since he was stuck on the ground and still unsteady on his feet because of his leg, he didn't manage to catch it, so it fell on the ground in front of him. Eugene tried to reach it, but he just couldn't.
"Ha! And you call yourself the captain of the guard! Oh boy, what did you pay my father to make YOU his replacement!", the blue-haired woman cackled, pretending to wipe her eyes as if she was crying from laughter. At that, something in Eugene snapped, he grabbed his sword, pointed it in Cassandra's direction and shouted,"He chose me because you weren't there! He chose me because I proved myself worthy of becoming the captain of the guard! You're not better than me in any way, Cassandra! You decided that you wanted to betray and leave us, nobody else did that for you! Stop treating me like I'm some stupid kid, I know more of the cruel side of life than you ever will! Your dad LOVES you with all his heart, and YOU trap him in a cave? Oh wow, I would be disappointed in you. And yet he never gave up on you! But he couldn't bear the thought of having to face you in battle, that's why he made me the new captain. So if it makes you feel better, in a way he only chose me because of you…but he chose me over his other trusted guards because I proved myself to him. Because he has faith in me and he believes in me. And that has to mean something, you and I both know he’s a smart man.”
Cassandra looked at him, he could tell that she was furious. She grabbed her sword tightly as she grumbled,"Enough of your stupid speeches. You're beginning to sound like Rapunzel."
Eugene rolled his eyes as he huffed, “Better than sounding like you with your weird reasons for betraying your closest friends."
Bad idea. Cassandra snarled, immediately attacking him. Thankfully, out of instinct his arms went up, holding his own sword so he could block the blow somehow. But his flinch must’ve saved him from being hit somehow anyway, since Cassandra didn’t manage to hit his sword. Luckily for him, because he realized in that moment that her sword, made of the powerful rocks, would've shattered his anyway had it hit it, and he gulped.
This kind of reminds me of that fight with Andrew...But there's no Lance to save me this time. And my enemy is not a weird man-bun-guy, it's my 'best friend' !
She lunged for him again, and he barely managed to duck in time, but he did. He narrowed his eyes as he braced himself, and so did Cassandra. When she lifted her big sword once again, he gripped his weapon tightly, but it was suddenly ripped out of his hands.
Eugene's eyes widened and he whipped around to see who had taken it from him. Big mistake. Cassandra used that moment of distraction to stab her sword into his right shoulder, making him to cry out in pain as he staggered, almost collapsing. The pain was blinding, stars swam in front of his eyes and his vision blurred slightly as he let out a miserable groan.
"You see, I've got better things to do than to just sit here and watch you suffer all day. I do enjoy it though, don't get me wrong. I just really need that sundrop that your precious girlfriend possesses.", Cassandra told him, casually cleaning her sword on...Adira's sleeve! She was the one who had grabbed his sword then. But she didn't look like herself, her eyes were bright blue and looked so incredibly lifeless.
She's still under the influence of that stupid mindtrap...This is not good...
"I'll leave you in their hands. I've got to grab a sundrop.", the blue-haired woman said and took a cloak that Adira held out for her. She put it on, and as she did her blue hair turned brown and short, her eyes turned almond brown and she grew a small, very familiar goatee. Cassandra looked exactly like him, even his nose was perfectly copied.
Eugene's eyes widened in horror and he gasped,"Hold on, what are you doing?!"
His shoulder hurt so badly, and the shock of seeing himself standing in front of him with a really creepy grin wasn't making this any better at all!
Cassandra chuckled,"It's gonna be a lot easier for me if I look like Rapunzel's boyfriend, don't you think? I can grab the stone whenever I want to. I'll find out the things I wanna know myself too, since you refused to give me any useful intel. This is your fault."
"Wait, wait, wait! You can't do this! She'll think it's me!", Eugene shook his head desperately, he couldn't let this happen. The rocks around his feet disappeared, but before he could even move an inch Adira roughly grabbed his arms and the man couldn't suppress a wheeze as his injured arm was jerked backwards. He stumbled against Adira and hissed again since his leg hurt too. All in all, he wasn't having a good time.
"That’s the point. Alright, have some fun with him, I'll be back soon.", Cassandra pulled out a blue stone, handing it to Adira. Then she turned to Eugene and snickered,"Don't worry, you're not gonna have to worry about anything anymore soon. And as long as Rapunzel cooperates, she'll be fine."
"She'll never give you the sundrop, I know she won't!", the captain snarled as he pulled against Adira's strong grip, despite the pain the movement caused.
"Oh, she will. She does anything for you, doesn't she?", his former friend replied, grabbing his sword and walking away. She mentioned him again...What was she up to?! He had to get away from here, he had to warn Rapunzel and the others! Cassandra was wearning HIS likeness to get what she wanted and no one would see it comi-
His thoughts were interrupted by Adira shoving him to the ground and he complained,"Ow, careful! I'm injured!", he grimaced as he sat up, but he was immediately pinned down again from someone behind him. It was Hector! This was really really bad…
He saw Adira kneel down, staring down at him with those terrifying blue eyes. She tried grabbing his left hand, but he quickly pulled it back, scared of what she was planning to do. Break his fingers? Cut off his hand? He was not gonna let that happen! Well, or so he thought. If only he hadn't been so focused on Adira...In his panic he'd forgotten Hector.
The controlled man gripped Eugene's hand and held it out for Adira to do what she wanted. He was in danger and couldn't even try to defend himself or escape, he was trapped, completely and utterly at their mercy…
Adira was holding the mindtrap, which made Eugene confused and even more scared at the same time. The woman turned the stone around, so the side with the glowing brotherhood mark was facing his hand, so he panicked and gasped,"Whoa! Don't!"
Eugene struggled, but it was all in vain. In a quick movement Adira pressed the stone on the back of his hand, and he screamed. Pain shot through his entire body, it was so much worse than any other pain he'd ever experienced. The pain was intense, yet numbing and his body didn't feel like his own anymore. Weird thoughts were running through his head and some new kind of strength filled him, but it didn't feel good at all.
Obey...Serve Cassandra...Keep the mindtrap safe...Destroy anyone who comes near Cassandra or the mindtrap...
He couldn't stop these thoughts and it scared him, he could only watch as Adira and Hector released him after removing the stone from his hand again. His body then moved without him wanting it to, and yet Eugene couldn't stop it, he couldn't fight it. All he could do was grab one of the swords lying on the throne, and stand in front of the throne like a guard. He didn't WANT to do this! His limbs weren't listening though, so he was forced to stand there, protecting the very thing that had done this to him in the first place...
To Be Continued...