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Rapunzel always enjoyed visiting Corona's neighboring kingdoms, and it was especially fun when she got to visit them alongside her girlfriend Cassandra, who was not only her bodyguard on this diplomatic visit, but her companion as well. The princess, along with Cassandra and her parents, were visiting Ingvarr for an important trade negotiation, and in the meantime, they were attending Ingvarr's annual Tournament of Triumph, the kingdom's version of Corona's Challenge of the Brave. As the royal family watched Ingvarr's best warriors battle it out in the ring, Cassandra was taking particular interest in the festivities... but also had to keep an eye on Rapunzel.
“Isn't this exciting, Raps?” asked Cassandra, in a particularly jovial mood as she watched a ferocious semifinal clash between two muscular female fighters. “If I recall correctly, we faced off with these two in the Contest of Crowns.”
“Yeah, and we took them down!” shouted Rapunzel excitedly. She wasn't quite as into fighting as Cassandra was, but she was a quick learner, and after months of training with her girlfriend, she had a pretty good handle on the ins and outs of combat. “You know, Cass, it's been a while since I've seen you this excited about something. You're usually so serious... or grumpy... or bored.”
“Well, today's a good day,” said Cassandra, smiling. “I'm here at a fighting tournament with you.”
“You do seem a bit distracted,” said Rapunzel. “I mean, you're into this match for sure, but you barely had your eyes on the last couple fighters... was the fight boring?”
“No, it's not that, it's just... well, you know about that assassination threat, don't you?”
“Psssssh,” said Rapunzel, dismissing the threat with a swat of her hand. “It's just somebody who's upset about the trade deal.”
“Exactly. Ingvarr and Corona haven't had the best relations over the past few years. The royals and the guards can be trusted, but there are still some hardliners on the outside who might try to pull something to mess up the relationship between the two kingdoms. All I'm saying is that we need to be careful... aren't you worried about your mom and dad?”
Rapunzel looked up, further from the ring. Up in the royal box, her parents were busy talking with the queen of the realm, and the three were surrounded by numerous heavily armored guards.
“I'm not too worried about them,” said Rapunzel. “And you know me... I can handle anything.”
“I know, just...”
“Cass, look!” shouted Rapunzel, pointing at the ring. Inside, one of the fighters had the other in a powerful headlock, and was in the process of choking her out. However, the other fighter wasn't about to back down... she was grasping for her weapon, and soon wrapped her hands around a powerful mace. “Ooooh, it's gonna be close!”
“You can do it, Brimelda! Don't back down, hit her as hard as you can!” shouted Cassandra, forgetting her worries and cheering on one of the fighters in the ring. Brimelda swung her mace, but failed to make contact, and was rapidly weakening from the hold she was trapped in. “Don't give up!”
Brimelda looked as if she might pass out, and half the crowd cheered in anticipation, while the other half of the crowd held its breath nervously. Just as Brimelda was about to fade away, she gathered up the last of her strength, and slammed the end of the mace hard through a gap in her assailant's armor, causing her to cry out in pain and loosening her grip. Brimelda then slipped free, before smashing her mace into the side of her opponent's head, knocking her to the ground.
“YES!” Cassandra shouted.
“Wow, what a move!” chirped Rapunzel.
The referee then counted Brimelda's opponent out, and the match was declared over, with Brimelda the winner. Afterward, Brimelda helped her opponent up, and the two removed their helmets and embraced, no hard feelings between them, a sign of good sportsmanship despite the intense battle.
“Just like you and me after the Challenge of the Brave, huh, Raps?” said Cassandra, turning to Rapunzel. Rapunzel nodded, remembering that day quite well.
“That was a close match too,” Rapunzel replied, smiling. “You have to admit, I almost had you.”
“Mmm, I'm the fighter, you're the princess, it was never in doubt.”
“Hey, I really did almost beat you!”
With the match over, preparations had to be made and the fighters were given a chance to rest for the final. As Cassandra and Rapunzel paced the area around the ring, they continued their conversation.
“You know, I thought about hiding your frying pan,” said Cassandra.
“Really? That would've been a dirty trick!” Rapunzel shouted, her hands on her hips.
“Nah, just messing with you,” Cassandra replied. “Couldn't do that to my girlfriend, even if you weren't taking the competition seriously. Could you imagine if I had?”
“Mmm, I'd have just used my hair,” said Rapunzel. “Or some of the fighting moves you taught me!”
The princess threw a few kicks and punches in the air, prompting a burst of laughter from Cassandra. She did have to admit, Rapunzel was a strong fighter... strong enough to be a good soldier if she wasn't a princess. She still wasn't sure Rapunzel quite had the stomach for serious combat, but she was brave enough to battle all kinds of villains, even if she sometimes showed a bit too much mercy for Cassandra's taste.
And as the two continued to pace around the arena, making their way through crowds of fans and passing some of the fighters, Rapunzel couldn't help but notice how much Cassandra was admiring the warriors she saw. She thought back to the Contest of Crowns, when Cassandra had been offered a chance to join Ingvarr's royal guard... and turned it down immediately, content with her place in Corona as the princess knight, Rapunzel's royal protector. The fact that the two were dating was of course the biggest factor in Cassandra's decision, but Rapunzel still knew that by choosing her, by choosing to stay in Corona, Cassandra had given up, at least temporarily, the life of adventure she'd wanted.
“Cass, do you ever think back to what you told me when we were on our journey together?” asked Rapunzel, stopping in a quiet place with Cassandra to talk.
“Huh?” Cassandra replied. “I told you a lot of things, you'll have to be more specific.”
“When you told me that you wanted to go out and help people... protect those who couldn't protect themselves, find adventure, save people.”
“Yeah...”
“And you chose me instead.”
“Of course I did, Raps... not a hard decision when.... well, when you fall in love,” said Cassandra, blushing softly. “Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”
“It's just... seeing all these brave warrior women fighting each other, you looked so... thrilled, you know? And I know you don't always get a chance to use your skills... most of the time we're back at the royal palace, not too many adventures go on there.”
“We've gone on a few adventures since then,” said Cassandra. “Need me to list them?”
“No, no, it's just... I know you've given up a lot to be with me, and I just want to say that it means so much that you'd choose me over... everything else. I promise, I'll help you find the adventures you want. I'll find a way to convince dad to let me outside the walls more often, and then-”
Cassandra quickly took Rapunzel's hands in hers, holding them up and squeezing them to make Rapunzel look into her eyes.
“Rapunzel, listen to me. I haven't given up anything to be with you. You're all I need.”
“I know, but sometimes I'm worried I'm not everything you want. I know you'll always choose me, but I want you to have more... I want you to have your dream too.”
Cassandra could see the longing and sadness in Rapunzel's eyes, and no matter how much she tried to convince the princess that she really did have everything she needed and wanted, Rapunzel was such an empathetic person that she could easily pick up on all of a person's feelings, even the things they didn't want to reveal. She'd be lying if she didn't say that sometimes she really did wish she could leave the palace and go on quests, finding ancient treasures, defeating villains, saving people in need... she wanted to be a great hero, and not just someone who rescued a princess and had a happily ever after. Happily ever after was already there if Cassandra wanted it, but she wanted more, and she'd never convince Rapunzel otherwise.
“Okay... sometimes I do dream about going on adventures outside the kingdom. But I meant it when I said that I wanted you by my side always. I'm not just going to leave Corona and go off on my own to have adventures without you. If I'm going to go, I want you with me.”
“Then I'll go with you.”
“How? Are we going to run away together?”
“....maybe,” said Rapunzel, lifting one of her hands to brush her hair back from her face. “The more I see you around the palace, the more restless you look. You need to go out there and I don't want to hold you back... so I'll go wherever you go, no matter what. I might get in trouble, but I've run away before.”
Cassandra's heart was beating quickly... she was genuinely touched by just how much Rapunzel wanted this for her, so much that she was willing to run away from home... again, defying her parents and leaving the castle and Corona behind so she could accompany Cassandra.
“Raps, I... I don't know what to say...”
She leaned forward, and closed her eyes to plant a kiss on Rapunzel's lips.
Before their lips touched, both of them heard a loud scream. It had come from the arena.
“What's happening?” shouted Cassandra, as she and Rapunzel rushed back toward the tournament area, pushing through the increasingly thick crowds. As they entered, they could see a large commotion near the royal boxes, where the queen of Ingvarr and Rapunzel's parents were seated. “No!”
“Mom! Dad!” Rapunzel shouted, grabbing Cassandra and pulling her toward the stands.
The area was buzzing with panic, as some of the onlookers were fleeing, and others were rushing toward the royal boxes, along with what must have been half of Ingvarr's royal guard. Rapunzel was terrified, and she continued to call for her parents as she dashed through the crowd to make her way up to the box.
“What happened?” Cassandra demanded from one of the guards near the royal box.
“An assassin tried to shoot the king of Corona!” shouted the guard, pointing out toward the area behind the stands.
“Tried?!” Cassandra shouted, looking up toward the box. “Does that mean...?”
Rapunzel pushed through the last of the crowd to make her way to the royal box. Inside, the queen of Ingvarr had taken a fighting stance and was barking orders to her subordinates. Rapunzel's father, the King of Corona, looked shaken... but to Rapunzel's immense relief, was unharmed, being attended to by an Ingvarian medic and by Corona's queen.
“Where's the assassin?” shouted the queen of Ingvarr. “Why haven't they been caught?”
“We couldn't see where they fired from!” shouted one of the soldiers. “We've got everyone on it, but-”
“There!” shouted Cassandra, pointing out behind the stands. Down below, fleeing toward a tunnel carved into the stone wall below, was a cloaked figure rapidly fleeing the vicinity.
“After them!” the queen ordered her soldiers, who began to hustle down the stands, pushing members of the crowd out of their way as they went.
“They'll never catch up in time,” said Cassandra, running to the top of the stands and crouching down. “I'll get the son of a bitch.”
Rapunzel, who was comforting both of her parents, turned and saw Cassandra about to leap down.
“Cass!” shouted Rapunzel, reaching out to her.
“Stay with your parents, I'll get the assassin,” said Cassandra, before taking a leap down to the grassy ground below. It was nearly a thirty foot drop, but Cassandra landed perfectly with only a quiet grunt before quickly taking off after the assassin.
Cassandra... thought Rapunzel, looking back toward her mother and father. “Mom, dad, are you two going to be okay?”
“I'll be fine, Rapunzel, I've had closer calls before,” said the king, holding a hand to his chest.
“The queen reached out and deflected the arrow with her wristguard,” said Arianna, managing a smile. “It was actually quite impressive, though of course it was also quite terrifying...”
Rapunzel looked at her parents, then back out toward the tunnel, watching as Cassandra disappeared into the darkness.
Down below, Cassandra was in hot pursuit of the assassin, who she couldn't see, but who she could hear fleeing just ahead of her. She imagined they had to be about fifty to a hundred feet ahead, but she could hear their footsteps louder and louder as she ran, and knew she was catching up, especially after she could start to see the movements of their cloak.
“Stop, in the name of Corona I order you to stop!” Cassandra commanded, drawing her sword. “If you surrender now, your sentence will be lighter!”
The assassin didn't stop, but neither did Cassandra. She continued to chase after them as the narrow tunnels split off and forked, and used the sound of their footsteps to keep up the chase. They tried to give her the slip by ducking through several more unexpected turns, but she kept going, and followed them until the tunnel let out into the city. The streets of Ingvarr's capital were mostly deserted on such an important day, and there weren't even any guards to stop the assassin as they fled through the open streets with Cassandra still in close pursuit. They were clearly starting to tire, and Cassandra continued to narrow the gap, leaping over the objects that the assassin knocked over in their flight in an attempt to obstruct her.
“I mean it, if you don't stop now-”
The assassin then dove through the glass window of a nearby shop, disappearing inside. Cassandra followed through the broken window, and could see nothing but shelves, doors, and hallways awaiting her.
Damn... thought Cassandra, running through the building in search of where the assassin was hiding. She couldn't hear their footsteps, but knew they couldn't have gone far, and began searching each room in the hopes of finding them. On the one hand, this is an adventure... on the other hand, I hate playing hide and seek.
Cassandra searched each room as quickly as she could, but there was no sign of the assassin anywhere, and she soon realized they'd given her the slip. Letting out a loud cry of frustration, she decided to go back out the front door, looking around to see if perhaps they'd taken to the nearby rooftops.
As she walked out into the street, she saw someone... the last person she wanted to see at the moment.
“Cass...!!!”
“Rapunzel, what are you doing?”
Rapunzel had left her parents behind to follow Cassandra, and was now standing with her in the street, panting for breath but glad to have found who she was looking for.
“I... thought... you'd need... help!”
“Raps, I don't need any help, and now you're in danger! The assassin could be anywhere, you should be back with your parents!”
“They're fine... but I... I saw you jump down there, and I thought...”
Cassandra let out a sigh. No matter how much she scolded Rapunzel, the princess would always come to her rescue, even if she didn't need it. It wasn't that Rapunzel wasn't capable of handling missions like these... but with a crossbow-wielding assassin on the loose, Cassandra didn't want to take any chances, and she feared the assassin could still be lurking somewhere.
“Did you find them?” asked Rapunzel.
“No, I lost them in that shop over there.”
“We should start looking, before they come back and go after my parents again! I'll go look over that way, and you'll-”
“We're not splitting up,” said Cassandra. “I think-”
Out of the corner of her eye, Cassandra saw movement from above. She looked up and saw the assassin, aiming their crossbow at Rapunzel. The assassin fired, but Cassandra's reflexes were exceptional, and she deflected the arrow with her leather wristguard. The assassin, realizing they didn't have a clean shot, fled across the rooftop, and Cassandra gave immediate pursuit, followed by Rapunzel.
“Wow, Cass, you deflected it just like the queen of Ingvarr did!” Rapunzel said excitedly, complimenting her girlfriend's technique.
“Now do you see why it was dangerous to come?” asked Cassandra, as she and Rapunzel scaled the building where the assassin had been perched.
“I always knew it was dangerous,” Rapunzel replied. “It won't stop me.”
“Right,” said Cassandra, who didn't know whether to be annoyed or grateful. “Just stick close!”
The two ran up to the rooftop just in time to see the assassin leap from the building to another. They pursued them across the roof of one building, then across a second building before they pointed their crossbow back and fired another arrow, which narrowly missed the two as they continued their pursuit.
“Stop!” Cassandra shouted, pulling out her dagger. “This is your last warning!”
The assassin then leaped down, and Cassandra and Rapunzel both followed suit, hitting the street at the same time. They watched the assassin flee into and alley, and continued to follow. Cassandra looked back to see if Rapunzel was okay, and could see an excited smile on her face as she continued to run.
“Raps, this jerk tried to kill your dad, and then he tried to kill you, why are you so happy?”
“You're getting to have an adventure!” said Rapunzel, looking over at Cassandra. “I know it's not the adventure you wanted, but you can't tell me you're not having fun!”
“It's hard to have fun when I'm so worried about you!”
“Well, try!”
Rapunzel then giggled, and Cassandra, despite her worry, couldn't help but smile. As much danger as the two were still in, this was quite fun... and it'd be more fun after the two of them had taken the assassin down.
“Okay... maybe I'm having a little fun, just be careful!”
The two pursued the assassin through the narrow alleyways of Ingvarr's capital, one turn, then another, just a few steps behind the cloaked villain as they ran after them as fast as they could. Cassandra didn't need to worry about slowing down for the princess... even though Rapunzel was getting a bit winded, she could still keep up, and her hair was tightly braided up so it wasn't trailing on the ground.
They can't run forever, thought Cassandra, as she and Rapunzel turned another corner. And soon we'll have them trapped.
The two turned and ran... toward a beige wall, with buildings all around. No sign of the assassin.
“Dead end,” said Cassandra, coming to a stop and catching her breath. “But I don't think they can get back up on the roof, so...”
Cassandra turned, just in time to see the assassin leap down behind them, from a sign dangling ten feet above the ground. She gasped in surprise, as did Rapunzel, and as the assassin raised their crossbow, Cassandra instinctively pushed Rapunzel behind her.
“Lower your weapon,” said Cassandra, raising her dagger.
The assassin pointed their crossbow at Cassandra from just a few feet away. Cassandra's eyes widened... she knew she didn't have time to throw her dagger before the assassin fired.
She started to get into a defensive stance, maintaining her protective human shield in front of Rapunzel while lifting up her wristguard to deflect the arrow, but as the assassin's finger began to depress the trigger of their bow, she knew she wouldn't have time to block it.
Then, she felt herself being thrown to the ground.
A split-second later, she saw the arrow leave the weapon. It sailed past her.
She then heard a gasp, and a shriek. She looked up and saw the most terrifying sight of her life.
Rapunzel was standing with an arrow in her chest, her purple dress rapidly staining red with blood. She stumbled back, and Cassandra could see a smirk behind the assassin's hood.
“RAPUNZEL!!!” Cassandra cried out, a bloodcurdling scream of agony that stunned the assassin, who then turned to flee. Out of sheer instinct, Cassandra threw her dagger as she stood, which hit the assassin in the back and caused them to fall to the ground. She turned and looked to Rapunzel, but realizing that the assassin had not been killed, only wounded, she quickly walked over to the assassin and ripped the crossbow from their wrist, stomping on it to render it inoperable. She then removed the hood from the assassin's face and could see a young woman staring back up at her, grimacing in pain but still smiling.
“Glory... to Ingvarr...” the assassin stammered out. “Death to the enemies of Ing-”
Cassandra silenced the assassin with a single blow to the face, knocking them unconscious. The thrown dagger hadn't inflicted a fatal wound, but the assassin would need medical attention eventually.
Rapunzel, on the other hand, needed it immediately, and after Cassandra had removed the dagger from the assassin's back, she rushed to Rapunzel's side. The princess lay sprawled on the ground, the arrow still buried in her chest, a faint smile on her face. Cassandra could see that the arrow hadn't pierced the princess' heart, but it had inflicted serious damage nonetheless, and she was quickly losing blood.
“Raps, why...?” Cassandra stammered as she inspected the area on Rapunzel's body where the arrow had embedded itself. She knew she couldn't remove it, or the princess would likely bleed out immediately. Cassandra tore off one of the sleeves of Rapunzel's dress and pressed it around the shaft of the arrow in an attempt to further stem the bleeding, but as the piece of fabric too began to stain red, Cassandra realized the princess didn't have much time.“Why did you push me aside? I'm supposed to be the one to protect you....!”
Rapunzel just smiled and lifted her hand up to caress Cassandra's face, looking into her eyes. Despite her smile, there was a sadness and fear in her own eyes, and Cassandra knew that the princess was doing everything she could to comfort her even with her own deadly injury.
“I'm... the princess... it's.... I.... I'm supposed to protect everyone...”
“No!” screamed Cassandra. By now, the screams and commotion had attracted onlookers, including several members of Ingvarr's royal guard. She turned to them and cried out. “GET HELP! SOMEBODY HELP HER, GODS DAMMIT!”
“Cass... don't... it's okay...” whispered Rapunzel, continuing to caress Cassandra's face. “I'll be... aaaaaaaahhhhh!”
Rapunzel screamed as a wave of pain shot through her body. Cassandra held her tightly, her mind racing as she tried to think of anything she could do to save Rapunzel, or at least to take away her pain.
“Raps, I'm here, I'm right here, I won't let you die, I swear I won't let you...”
Tears were streaking rapidly down Cassandra's face, and she could see tears coming down Rapunzel's as well. The princess coughed, and a trickle of blood began to slide down the side of her mouth.
“At least... now I know what it was like for you when Gothel... stabbed you...” said Rapunzel, stroking Cassandra's face again. Her hand was trembling, and Cassandra could see that it was starting to lose its color and go pale. “I'm... so sorry...”
Cassandra, who now remembered full well the agony she herself went through when she was fatally wounded, let out a loud sob, knowing that now Rapunzel was experiencing the same pain she did. She pressed the fabric even harder around Rapunzel's wound, and looked into her eyes as she felt the princess' hand begin to drop from her face.
“I'm sorry...” Cassandra sobbed. “I failed you... I failed you, Rapunzel...”
“No, Cassandra... you saved me... and now... now you can go live your dream...”
“I don't want to live my dream, not without you! Don't you get it, Rapunzel? My dream can only come true when you're a part of it... without you it's just a nightmare! Rapunzel, please... please don't die... I'd give anything to save you, Rapunzel, please...”
As several more guards and onlookers crowded around, Cassandra continued to hold Rapunzel, cradling her as the life began to slip from her body. The two looked into each other's eyes, and Rapunzel's hand fell away from Cassandra's face, though her eyes remained open as she fought to stay awake with everything she had.
“It's... going to be okay...” Rapunzel said softly, her voice straining. “It's all... going to be okay, Cass...”
“I just want to wake up...” Cassandra whispered, nuzzling her face to Rapunzel's and begging for all of this to be just a terrible nightmare. Rapunzel's eyes then closed, and Cassandra let out a gasp and another sob, still cradling her tightly. “Just wake up, Rapunzel, please wake up.... please...”
O-O-O
The king and queen of Corona rushed toward the city as soon as word reached them of what had happened to Rapunzel. The two were terrified, and rebuffed any attempts from the royal guards of Ingvarr to stop them.
“Rapunzel!” shouted the king, running down the crowded street as fast as he could, as guards and bystanders rushed alongside him.
“Oh, Rapunzel, please be all right!” shouted the queen.
The two didn't have to run far before they saw a large procession making their way solemnly down one of the main streets of town, led by Cassandra, who was cradling Rapunzel in her arms, her head bowed. The king and queen stopped, and when the king saw that Rapunzel wasn't moving, and that her dress was stained with blood, he fell to his knees, letting out a cry of agony as the queen began to sob.
“Rapunzel... I can't believe I've lost you again...” the king then sobbed, as he and the queen held each other tightly, tears streaking down their faces.
Cassandra then looked up at them... and then, Rapunzel looked up. Her face was pale, and she looked weak, but she no longer had the arrow in her chest, which was now heavily bandaged. She was still in tremendous pain, but she would live... and she even had enough strength to give her parents a smile.
“Mom... dad... I'm okay,” said Rapunzel quietly. Cassandra looked at her, her tears of grief now tears of joy, then she looked at the king and queen, her lips still frowning, as if to say how sorry she was that she'd let this happen. “Cassandra saved me.”
“Rapunzel's the one who saved me,” said Cassandra. “And as for who saved Rapunzel, it's a good thing they were having the tournament... they had the best combat medics in all of Ingvarr here to treat her wound.”
“Cassandra saved her, your highness,” said one of the medics who had treated Rapunzel. “She kept the arrow in until we could safely remove it, and she also worked to staunch the bleeding, even with how upset she was about the princess. She also took down the attempted assassin, who I can assure you will spend the rest of their life in Ingvarr's darkest dungeon.”
Rapunzel looked up at Cassandra again, leaning up and kissing her on the cheek.
“You need to save your strength, Raps... you've still got a few weeks of recovery ahead,” said Cassandra.
“Thank you, Cassandra,” said the king, rising to his feet and looking up at the brave young woman. “You've saved my daughter a second time.”
“You've saved her more times than that, if my daughter's recollections of her recent adventures are to be believed,” said Arianna, smiling warmly and wiping away a tear.
“She's saved me just as much,” replied Cassandra.
“You're too modest, Cass...” said Rapunzel, still smiling despite her pain. “You've sacrificed so much for me...”
“It's no sacrifice,” replied Cassandra. “It never was.”
O-O-O
A few days later, Rapunzel was still resting in bed back at the palace. Cassandra rarely left her side, and despite the fact that Rapunzel had nearly been killed, she still had her job as the princess knight... still trusted to guard Rapunzel with her life, even though the princess had nearly given hers up to save Cassandra's.
“...that was a close one,” said Cassandra, sitting on the bed next to Rapunzel and looking down at her bandaged chest. “I know... not as close as I came back at the tower, but just as scary.”
“I'm sorry to have scared you,” Rapunzel replied.
“I'd tell you never to do that again, but you'd do it again in a heartbeat, wouldn't you?”
“Yep,” Rapunzel said, smiling and nodding.
Cassandra sighed.
“...you were willing to give up everything for me,” said Cassandra, placing her hand on Rapunzel's, who stroked it with both of her own as Cassandra spoke. “You didn't hesitate when I got in front of you to take that arrow, you just shoved me down and took it right in the chest...”
“I suppose I should've tried to take it somewhere less vital, but there wasn't really time to pick where it would hit me...”
“That's not the point, Raps... you-”
“I'd have done it for anyone, Cassandra. You, mom, dad, Eugene, Lance, Varian... even someone like Lady Caine. I might be the princess of Corona, but I'm no more important than anyone else, and if I ever have the chance to sacrifice my life for someone else's, I'll do it, no matter what.”
Cassandra looked into Rapunzel's eyes and saw nothing but sincerity and conviction in them... and after taking a few seconds to comprehend the gravity of what she'd just said, she began to feel a tear sliding down her face... and then another, before she then gently lifted Rapunzel from her reclining position and embraced her as tightly as she could without hurting her.
“Gods, Raps...” Cassandra choked out, tears sliding down her cheeks. “Why do you make it so hard?”
“Hard to what... hard to protect me?”
“Hard to think about losing you...”
“Oh, Cass, you'll never lose me...”
“I almost did...”
Rapunzel returned the embrace, and tightened her grip on Cassandra, even though it caused her wound to begin to hurt. She held Cassandra as she felt another sob go through her, and though she didn't shed any tears of her own this time, she was truly touched by how much Cassandra loved her... and wished she could express just how much she loved her in return.
“I love you, Cassandra...”
“...you're my dream come true, Rapunzel... I mean that... I mean that with all my heart...”
Cassandra didn't care how cheesy it sounded, how hopelessly romantic she was being. She'd almost lost Rapunzel, and that was enough to bring out emotions she rarely showed to anyone... but she didn't have a problem showing them to her, even though she knew the princess already knew exactly how she felt.
And I don't ever want to wake up.