Chapter Text
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PART 1: Flying Away
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"Why is she looking at me like I'm a monster?"
That was the first thought to cross Cassandra’s still-shaken mind.
In this huge, dark, and icy room, untouched by daylight, the only spot of color lay on the other side of the large black bridge that separated her from the rest of the world.
Her lilac and mauve outfit, and her long golden hair, more than ever, reminded her of the kingdom of Corona. Of the sun. Of home.
But more than anything, it was that pair of powerful green eyes, the color of long walks in the forest under a summer sun, that could sweep away the darkness. Eyes that spoke of life, joy, laughter, the brightness of day, and hope all at once.
Even lost in the heart of the darkest of kingdoms, forged in cold black stone by the embodiment of all that came from the night.
And yet, now as that gaze fell upon that small incarnation of darkness—in the form of a simple blue stone embedded in Cassandra's chest—it was with shock and terror.
Had Rapunzel really not seen this coming?
This exclamation, surprised and outraged, "CASSANDRA? What are you doing?", at the moment when the metal-gloved hand had closed on the stone before she had time to reach it... Was it truly incontestable proof of the princess' incongruous naivety?
Had she not seen any of the signs that would have allowed her to anticipate what would happen?
Or had she simply not wanted to see them, unable to imagine that anyone could act in a way different from the one she had decided upon?
Cassandra - "I'm fulfilling my duty."
Eugene, at least, had had the right reflex, grabbing the arm of the shocked princess whose long blond hair had suddenly remembered the law of gravity, falling back like a rope whose anchor point had been cut.
Dragging her to a safe distance from that burst of light that pulsed intensely through Cassandra's armored hand its impact echoing from stone to stone, just before the intensity of the icy force that ran through her body restored all her senses.
Cassandra - "Did you really think I would let you take it, Rapunzel?"
Cassandra hadn't held back the sarcasm in her tone, even if it was merely a defense mechanism, meant to divert her still-confused thoughts from the look her fellow travelers were giving her.
But her remark obviously did not improve the situation.
On the contrary.
Pressed tightly against one another, Eugene and Rapunzel stared at her as if, with a gesture, she had torn off her own face to reveal that of a monster straight out of the abyss.
Am I so frightening ?
Under normal circumstances, Cassandra might have been satisfied with having left Fitzherbert speechless.
That is, if his eyes hadn't widened even further when the step forward she took was accompanied by an eruption of dozens of little black spikes all around her.
It was a brutal, merciless harmony that danced with every gesture, every thought.
The abysmal power of those black stones accompanied her, and controlling them was like trying to control her own goosebumps.
Except that instead of hairs standing on her skin, it was millions of sharp black spikes ready to rise up all around her.
Was that what terrified them so much?
Or had the Moonstone, with its waves of furious power that had surged through her for long seconds—or was it minutes?—until she lost all sense of her surroundings, reshaped her into something monstrous?
Cautiously, Cassandra extended her right arm before her eyes, bending her elbow to examine the appearance that seemed to frighten them so much.
It was different, no doubt. Covered in a thin armor of deep black, which followed every curve of her body and every movement she made without hindering her.
There was no pain in her right hand, when she flexed the fingers gloved in an unearthly blue. A pleasant surprise. Here, it was as though the armor had melted into her, like a new protective skin.
A strong skin. And oh, how tough! Cassandra could feel it, in every inch of her body: this armor was impenetrable.
She liked that.
Rapunzel - "Cass... Why?"
Why?
Rapunzel's hesitant, desperate question should have had an obvious answer.
If Cassandra’s shaken mind wasn't still struggling to emerge.
Still crossed by those cold waves, which covered the surface of her conscience. Trying to remember who she was, how she got here, or simply that there was a world outside this place of darkness.
It was as if something inside her was one with this place.
But as she watched the blonde princess slowly rise to face her, standing before the large egg-shaped doors marked with three black lines—the symbol of the dark kingdom— the memory of the answer came crashing back into her mind.
From Cassandra’s angle, the three black marks carved into the great doors seemed to hover just above Rapunzel’s head. As if the merciless claws of some great predator had struck for her and barely missed.
As if she had just narrowly avoided a violent death.
It was only a matter of perspective, of course. But that image was enough to impose an idea over the mental fog of shock Cassandra was still caught in:
She had made the right decision in not letting Rapunzel lay a hand on that stone.
Cassandra, surely, could tame this sensation coursing through her. She could get used to it.
But Rapunzel... It was far removed from what she was. She was made for the light. For the joy. For the life.
Not for that dark, icy force buried in the depths.
The collision between those two extremes could only end badly, and destroy Rapunzel.
Physically, or mentally.
And now Rapunzel faced her with a mixture of apprehension and resolve.
The kind of expression she wore when preparing for confrontation.
Be my guest, then.
Cassandra - “Why? Go on, Princess. Take a guess.”