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Chapter Text

     Cassandra slid off Fidella’s back and led the mare to the post just inside the town gates. Two other horses, both slight-of-build, nondescript bays, were already tied there, one nose deep in a feedbag, the other resting with a cocked hoof. Cassandra scanned the wide street in search of the riders, but all she saw was the sparkling of shattered glass beneath dark, vacant windows, and the occasional floral edge of a curtain lifted by an errant breeze. The streets were empty. No surprise as the entire town had been stabbed through with black rocks, setting store fronts and homes askew at odd angles. 

     Lobbing Fidella’s reins over her head, she tied off the horse with a loose knot at the end of the post, furthest away from the stranger horses and closest to the water trough. The trough itself was very obviously newly built, rough wooden planks crudely nailed together and smeared with pitch to make the bottom waterproof. The whole construction was haphazard and imperfect, evident by the steady drip of water leaking from one of the corners, but at least it was proof someone still lived here.

     With one last glance back at her horse, Cassandra walked down main street, her fingertips never straying far from the hilt of her knife. It was a shame. Before the rocks pierced its back like a giant pin cushion, Leores had been a bustling farming town, famous for winter melons and summer strawberries. At least, according to the guidebook Rapunzel had so diligently memorized and never failed to announce. But all that ended when the farmers were forced to search out more hospitable land.

     Still, the West Ipsil postmaster had insisted Leores’ mail service was running despite the invasion of rocks, so Cassandra slid over a coin for ink and paper and penned two letters along with a note requesting the responses be forwarded. Well, West Ipsil had been nearly two months ago, plenty of time for the birds to have reached Corona and travel back to the remote edges of Equis territory. And now, Cassandra was here to collect her correspondence however doubtful she was of their arrival.

     She soon came to what was once the town square. A dry fountain stood sentinel with a desiccated bird nest crowning the top pool. Though the straggly array of twigs was a poor imitation of the water that used to emerge, Cassandra climbed the structure and pocketed the empty nest for future use as kindling. She stilled. A soft scattering of gravel. The step of a worn leather shoe. She spun, drawing her sword and leveling it at the oncoming threat of… a child? Not the transparent, blue child that had been plaguing her dreams since the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrows, but a real, proper child. A boy. Staring at her.

     “Can I help you?” She raised a brow skeptically at the kid, lowering her blade.

     The boy blinked rapidly, violently shaking his head, and sending his hair into a wild mess of brown. “Your armor is really cool,” he said a little breathless.

     “Thanks.”

     “Where did you get it?”

     Cassandra grimaced as she stepped past the boy. “A tree.”

     “But that’s impossible!” He said, following in the wake of her cape. “Trees can’t make armor.”

     “You asked me where I got it, not who made it.” Sadly, her impressive eye roll went unseen by the boy as she re-sheathed her weapon, flexing her aching fingers. She had purposefully left camp before Rapunzel woke up just to avoid inane conversation.

     “Oh, right…” The boy paused for a moment before surging ahead, only to spin and begin walking backwards, effectively trapping her. “What’s your name?”

     Cassandra considered lying, but being as she was headed to the post office anyway, she could hardly conceal her identity for long. “Cassandra.”

     The kid’s brows shot skyward, the thin hairs bleached almost invisible by the sun. “Landrik?!”

     She stopped in her tracks. “How do you know my name?”

     The boy stumbled over his own toes, his face lighting up bright as a tomato. “I may have opened one of your letters… Or both of them. But they’ve been sitting there for weeks! And we never get mail!”

     “That doesn’t mean you can just op-” Cassandra palmed her face, what good was Coronan Crown Law all the way out here, anyway. “Whatever. Just take me to the post office, kid.”

     “You got it! You know, one of the letters was from the King of Corona, himself! Can you believe it? Well, obviously.” He chuckled sheepishly, running his fingers through his hair. “You wrote to him first, duh, but I always thought assistants or something wrote letters for the King. King Trevor even lets the Royal Seal pen his letters! Isn’t that so cool?” He scratched his chin for a second. “I think he just got married, actually. That’s nice.” He turned on his heel to face forward, leading her with a bright whistling tune. “Oh!” He casually threw over his shoulder. “What happened to your hand?”

     Cassandra growled under her breath. “Nothing.” 

     The post office was just off the main road and they both had to step over a black rock skewering the doorway to enter the small lobby. The kid nimbly vaulted the counter and retrieved two loosely rolled sheets of parchment from a shelf on the back wall, handing them to Cassandra with a wide smile.

     She accepted the letters gingerly, half expecting them to be sticky with kid-finger griminess. “So, where’s the postmaster? I’ll want to send out another letter before I leave.”

     “Peter Quinn, at your service, milady!” The boy stood proudly with his hands at his chest as if bracing suspenders.

     “You?”

     Peter puffed out his chest with self-importance.

     “But you’re what? Six years old?” Cassandra drawled, unimpressed.

     “I’m thirteen!” He exploded, eyes sparking with indignation.

     “Right.”

     “I am!” But his protest was short lived. “Mom says I’m just small for my age.”

     Cassandra couldn’t help the small lift of her lip, reminded of the boy Varian used to be. Before they failed him. Before he almost killed her. She shuddered. “Well, um- thanks, Peter.” She rapped the letters against her palm. “For this.”

     “No problem!” The boy dove under the counter just to pop up seconds later with a flurry of writing materials threatening to roll out of his arms. He somehow managed to drop the load in front of her without letting anything fall to the floor. “And this is for your return letter. My parents are at the Tea Shop, if you want something to drink while you write.”

     Cassandra plucked out two sheets of the least uneven paper and a small bottle of ink from the large pile and followed Peter’s directions. The small cafe was around the block and squished between two larger stone buildings. It could have been mistaken for any old, abandoned shop if not for the swinging tea cup and the large hand-painted banner hanging over the door stating that yes, “WE ARE OPEN.”

     Not seeing much activity, Cassandra hesitantly pushed open the door, only to be drawn in by the delicate sound of a piano coming through the back door. Following her ears, she stepped into the back alley to find the place full of people. Well, full for an abandoned town, anyway. A pianist was wedged up against the wall under a pink canopy of bougainvillea flowers, playing a jaunty tune for the two occupied tables and a waitress drifting around carrying a tray of glasses and small bowls of bar snacks.

     Other than the waitress, who bobbed her head in time to the melody, no one seemed to be listening to the music. Closest sat an old man sucking on a toothpick, intensely focused on a half whittled bird sitting before him in a nest of curled wood shavings. His other hand fluttered over a few scattered tools, debating which cut to make next. The other occupied table was home to a man and a woman, both with their backs turned towards the door and hunched over what seemed to be a map. They were arguing over their path, only growing more agitated every time the map sprung back into its rolled form when they lifted their tankards of beer for a sip. The owners of the two horses out front, no doubt.

     “Ooh, another traveler!” The waitress, just noticing her arrival, rushed to put down her tray and ushered Cassandra to one of the many empty table. “Welcome, welcome dearie. Let me get you some water.”

     All but shoved into her seat, Cassandra watched the woman flash a smile at the pianist, presumably her husband, before disappearing into the kitchen. She scooted the chair closer to her table and pulled out the letters, unfurling the top one with care.

     Addressed to Cassandra Landrik by way of avian post. 
     To be delivered to Leores, Equis, west border, courtesy of West Ipsil Falconry and Pigeon Service. *This letter is to remain sealed by Coronan Crown Law until received by the intended addressee stated above.  

     Cassandra,

     Thank you, as always, for your updates. It warms our hearts-

     “Can I get you anything else, love?”

     Cassandra looked up with narrowed eyes as the waitress returned with a glass of water and a bowl of pickled radishes, looking at her expectantly through a shag of messy brown bangs. Peter’s mother. “No, thank you,” she said, ignoring the glass and the pickles, she willed the woman to walk away by re-focusing her attention on the words in front of her.

     Cassandra,

     Thank you as always, for your updates. It warms our hearts to hear Rapunzel is safe and in good spirits. Though it saddens me to know you have lost one of your party, I suppose it’s not too much of a burden, as it was only the gentleman with the hook foot. But I know how dearly Rapunzel loves her friends and I pray she was not too heartbroken by his departure.

     Pleasantries aside, I do expect a full report on the events you briefly described regarding the Great Tree. I understand your resources are limited on the road and you were injured, but clearly, details have been omitted. With my new commitment to transparency in all matters surrounding the princess and the magic that inevitably follows her, I would like to know everything about your adventures and misadventures over the course of your journey. Arianna would also benefit from this knowledge as she is often consumed with worry. Please write with more information when you have healed sufficiently.

     As for the current state of affairs, not much has changed in Corona, other than the stirrings of Saporian sympathizers in the countryside. The Captain is working hard to locate the source of the disruption, and by the time this letter reaches you, I expect this whole kerfuffle will be put to rest. The man you apprehended last fall amidst his plot to steal the Journal of Herz Der Sonne, is Saporian, correct? Please advise if you believe  he might be a useful point of contact to further reveal unknown separatist plots.

     Lastly, based on your calculations, it seems Rapunzel is only a few weeks away from the Dark Kingdom and the so-called moonstone. Arianna and I pray the remainder of your travels fair well, and we look forward to your next letter. And at all costs, protect my daughter. Eugene, too, if you can manage, but Rapunzel comes first. She is the future of Corona.

     Thank you for your service,

     Frederic R

      Cassandra re-rolled the king’s letter and shoved it deep into her satchel, her heart racing. Or course she would protect Rapunzel, if the princess would allow her! Sliding one of the parchment pieces towards her, Cassandra curled her weakened fingers around her pen and dipped it carefully in the small pot of ink provided by Peter Quinn - Postmaster. She proceeded to scrawl her response.

     His Majesty, King Frederic of Corona
     Coronan Royal Post by way of Leores, Equis

     Your majesty,

     Her hand trembled with the effort it took to write the simple words neatly, but no matter how much she strained, Cassandra inevitably had to drop the pen. Clenching her teeth, she switched to her left hand and managed to complete the letter, albeit with more ink blots than she would have liked.

     Thank you for your letter. My hand has yet to heal. Excuse my brevity.

     R. is safe in Leores - took longer than expected to get here. Map empty, but source claims Dark K. is two weeks SW of Equis border. No new info on moonstone. Will protect R. + E. w/ my life.

     Cassandra briefly considered if it was worth advising the king on the matter of Andrew, being as she received the letter so much later than intended. Like he said, the whole issue was probably already dealt with, but information was always valuable, so she figured it couldn’t hurt.

     Andrew has plans, but no resources. Will recruit someone smarter for help. Find his allies. Will write fwd instr. when able.

     Your obedient servant

     C.L.

     Deflating with a sharp sigh, Cassandra finally took a sip of water, enjoying how the coolness soothed her throat. The king would not be pleased with this letter, but there was no way she could describe the disasters that were the Great Tree or the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrows at length, so this will just have to do. Maybe she should have enlisted Eugene to transcribe her response. Only, that would mean admitting her hand was worse off than they all wanted to believe. Perhaps Lance was a better option? He was kinder like that. Either way, she knew whatever story she told would end up sounding jaded and biased. Not a good look for a soldier. Speaking of which, with her stomach twisting in knots, Cassandra slowly opened her father’s letter.

     Addressed to Cassandra Landrik by way of avian post.
     To be delivered to Leores, Equis, west border, courtesy of West Ipsil Falconry and Pigeon Service.

     Cassandra,

     By the state of your handwriting, I can only imagine the ordeal you faced at this tree. As your Captain, I order you to stay strong, and hold fast to your commitment to the princess. These kinds of injuries are commonplace among the Guard when our first instinct is to protect and serve. Heal up and we’ll get you officially instated immediately upon your return. Good work.

     Sir Ethan Landrik, Captain of Corona’s Royal Guard - Dad

     Cassandra stared at the words until they blurred beyond recognition. So this is what it took. Hardly able to hold a pen, struggling to swing her sword, too scared to cast a wayward arrow, frightened by her own nightmares, and all she had to do was ‘heal up.’ Her original letter had been tear stained and sloppy with grief as she reached out to her father for comfort. For once in her life, all she wanted was a hug. To feel the large, warm arms of her father wrapped around her, holding her up, gathering the splintered pieces of herself so that she wouldn’t have to. She was just so tired. She re-read the short message, distancing herself with every word. Once upon a time, this would have comforted her, but stars, she had changed so much. Learned so much. Haltingly, she gripped the pen with her broken hand and pushed the tip of the quill into the last remaining parchment, apathetic to the growing ink stain and the shaking of her own fingers. She had to sever these damn sentimental heartstrings of hers.

     Cptn. Of Corona Royal Guard - E. Landrik 
     Coronan Royal Post by way of Leores, Equis

    Thank you, for

     She struck out the three words before starting over.

     Don’t be alarmed, I may not come home.

     No! She slashed through the line again, sloppily reloading her pen.

     I don’t want your pity. Or your scraps.

     That wasn’t right, either. Slash! Slash! With a growl, Cassandra crumbled the paper and threw it into the nearby waste bin, freezing when she noticed 5 pairs of eyes on her. Even the pianist had stopped playing on a discordant note, mildly shocked by her outburst. Angry and embarrassed, she mumbled an apology and fished the offending letter out of the garbage. Seated once more, Cassandra exhaled and smoothed out the wrinkled paper. She had to do this.

     Dad,

     I know about Gothel.

      She read the sentence over and over again. Searching for clarity in the chicken scratch that was now her handwriting, but her heart felt just as shredded. Complete with its own inky splotches seeping out like oil. How long was he planning to keep her in the dark? She imagined the Captain’s face when he opened her letter, the confusion of deciphering her message through violent strikes of ink, redacting her initial attempts at communication. His widening eyes as he finally processed only four legible words. Would he be panicked, and immediately rush out of his office to saddle up a horse and come after her? Or would he be resigned and simply fold up her note and meticulously slip it into her case file, pausing for a moment as he considered combining her records with Gothel’s. She would have learned eventually. Sigh…

     Maybe she shouldn’t send it after all. Cassandra viciously wanted to watch his phlegmatic face crack when she broke the news to him herself. Witness his world turn upside down just as her’s had. It would be fun, to feel free, to feel strong, but when would she see him again? If Gothel was as old as Rapunzel said she was, then unquestionably, the woman was Saporian, meaning, regardless of who her biological father was, Cassandra was Saporian as well. Her whole life, she had considered herself a daughter of Corona, fought for Corona, knew her fate was to die for Corona, but no more. Cassandra Landrik of Corona no longer existed. She balled the letter into her fist and felt another piece of herself chip away.

     Cassandra jolted from her thoughts when the table suddenly wobbled wildly, sending her empty water cup spinning over the edge, shattering. The woman arguing over the map was now slumped languidly in the chair across from her, a shock of auburn hair falling heavy on her cheek.

     “Looking for company.”

     “Not with the likes of you,” Cassandra snarled, immediately recognizing the rose and skull tattoo inked into the woman’s upper arm.

     Lady Caine laughed, a lazy, lilting sound that instantly grated Cassandra’s nerves and sent her mood spiraling into the depths of hell. “You wound me, but it wasn’t a question, My crew and I need another body, and Gallard, over there?” She thumbed at the man now fuming silently from across the alley. “Is fucking useless.” She leaned forward eagerly, her elbows pinning Cassandra’s letter to the king to the table. “We haven’t seen anyone in weeks, you have a sword, easy on the eyes, and not to mention LITERATE!” She yelled the last word at Gallard who threw his hands up in exasperation, before turning back to Cassandra. “So, I’ve decided to recruit you. You should feel so honored.”

     “Not interested.” Cassandra quickly packed her bag, reaching for the corner of the letter, but Caine grabbed it first, skimming the words.

     “Ohh-ho-ho-ho! What do we have here? You’re writing to king Freddy?” She smiled with wicked delight. “He and I are on a first name basis, ya know. Attended his daughter’s coronation and everything.”

     “If only you really were the Duchess of Quintonia.” Cassandra snatched the letter out of the pirate’s loose grip and rolled it tight. “Lady Caine.” She enunciated the name with venom. “How the hell did you escape that prison barge? Walked off the plank on good behavior?”

     “Meh,” Caine tossed her hair flippantly. “When you have friends in low places… But I’m glad my name has reached all the way to Bumfuck Middle-of-Nowhere, Equis. It just tickles my heart.”

     “Ha! Sorry to break it to you, but no, it hasn’t. I was there during your embarrassing attempt to ruin Rapunzel’s coronation.” Cassandra’s mouth twisted smugly. “And that pathetic excuse of a mutiny off Terapi Island.”

     Caine’s languid eyes turned piercing as she examined Cassandra. “Holy shit.” She leaned back with her arms crossed, sucking her teeth. “Just my luck to run into the Princess’ goody-two-shoes lapdog. I almost didn’t recognize you without that fetching blue dress. I admit, silk falls very nicely on you, but this getup is so much more interesting.”

     Cassandra stood, the chair legs scraping loudly against the cobblestone. “Yeah, I’m going to leave before I’m forced to drag you back to Corona myself. Goodbye, Lady Caine.”

     “Aww, don’t be like that, we’re all friends out here on the road! At least call me by my first name. It’s ‘Moira,’ by the way.”

     “Not interested.” Cassandra dropped two coins in the tin balanced on the piano as compensation for the broken glass, bristling when she saw Lady Caine brazenly reach in and pocket them for herself.

     “That’s the thing with all you royal types. So stuck up.” Moira Caine followed her out of the cafe. “But even if you don’t call me by my first name, I hope you don’t mind if I call you by yours. Betcha I can still remember.”

     “I’m not betting anything with a thief.”

     “Pirate. But I understand the sentiment.”

     “Is a pirate really a pirate without a ship?” Cassandra jeered.

     “I have a ship. Just gotta get her back. That’s why you would be such a great addition to the team! You’d fit right in, Sass!”

     “No.”

     “Yeah, you’re right, ‘Sass’ isn’t exactly a name. Bass?” Moria snickered. “Lass? Grass? Oh! Ass! That must be it!”

     Cassandra sent her a withering glare. “Literally none of those are names.” She turned into the post office where Peter was still organizing the clutter of writing materials he had dumped onto the counter.

     Hey, Cassandra!” The boy’s face lit up with a bright smile.

     “Cass! Yes! THAT is what that simpering princess called you!” Moira cheered from the doorway of the cramped lobby.

     Cassandra rolled her eyes and handed Peter her return letter to the king. “Your fastest bird, please.”

     “Oh yeah, no problem.” He got to work stamping the outside corner of the parchment with the postage details.

     Cassandra reached into her satchel to pull out a few coins then stilled when she felt the crumpled edges of the note to her father. Gently, she lifted it out and placed it on the counter before her. “And your slowest bird for this one.”

     Peter looked at her questioningly. “Are you sure?”

     Cassandra swallowed thickly. No, she wasn’t sure. Her fingers twitched as if to take it back, imagining how it would feel to watch the words burn in the evening fire. “Yes.”

     “Okay.” Peter pulled the balled up letter towards him and re-rolled it into a tight scroll. He dropped both into two separate small cylindrical canisters and rotated the glass panes so the addresses would be visible for the next pair of human eyes in the mail chain.

     Cassandra passed over more coins than necessary.

     Moira watched the exchange silently, gauging the woman before her. She quickly stepped aside before Cassandra could push her out of the way. “Trouble in paradise?”

     “Nothing that concerns you.” Cassandra stormed off towards the front gate, eager to reunite with Fidella and head back to the confining normalcy of camp.

     “You know, if you ever get tired of Princess Perfect, you’re more than welcome to join my crew. The Lady could use a fighter like you.” Moira matched Cassandra’s pace and nudged her in the shoulder. “That candlestick trick was pretty ingenious.”

     Cassandra flinched as if burned. “I will never be a pirate,” she growled through her teeth.

     Moira Caine laughed, genuinely amused by Cassandra’s conviction. “Oh, because you’re such a loyal Coronan?” She said mockingly. “The Crown doesn’t give a damn about anyone that doesn’t shit sunshine. But really,” Caine turned to Cassandra, trying to catch her eye. “We’re not always the bad guys. Think of us more as… vigilantes.”

     Cassandra threw the woman another scathing look as the pirate wiggled her fingers in the air as if the word ‘vigilante’ were sparkly and magical. That couldn’t possibly be true, but she had seen plenty of strange things on the road, so Cassandra refrained from commenting more than a scowl.

     Finally, the horses came into view, and Cassandra quickened her pace to reach Fidella all the sooner. She stroked the mare’s neck for a moment before untying the reigns from the post. The horse nickered softly, nudging her with her broad nose. “Yeah, I’m ready to go too. Thanks for waiting.”

     Behind her, Cassandra could hear Caine rustling through her own saddlebags, but instead of turning, she mounted Fidella and urged the horse into a trot out of town.

     “Hey, Cass!”

     “Goodbye, Caine!” She waved without looking back.

     “It’s ‘Moira!’ Wait!”

     A sharp crack at the base of her skull sent Cassandra twisting in her saddle to gape at the pirate. “Did you just hit me with a rock?!”

     Moira Caine smiled impishly and tossed a small, gold medallion for Cassandra to catch. “Come find me when that princess finally lets you off leash.”

     She scoffed, but reflexively curled her fingers around its ridged edge. “I’d sooner die.”

****

     Late that evening, after a simple dinner of rehydrated jerky, potatoes and wild onions had been eaten and cleared away, Cassandra examined Caine’s medallion against the firelight. Stamped on one side was the visage of a woman, her hair fanning out around her and swirling like ocean waves. In relief atop her head, sat a crown of roses. On the other side was a worn coat of arms, the raised wing of an eagle the only detail prominent enough to identify. A family crest perhaps? After a moment of study, Cassandra flipped the coin in the air, testing her dexterity, but it slipped through her fingers, landing in the dirt with a soft thud. Something to work on.

     She sighed and pocketed the medallion. Not for the first time since she had left the pirate at the gates of Leores, Cassandra’s thoughts returned to the depressing reality of lineage. Both Caine’s and her own. Neither woman had a choice who she was born to, no one did, but how could either of them achieve greatness with the cards they were dealt? Edward Caine, a petty thief, may not have deserved to die for his crimes, and yet, if it wasn’t for Cassandra’s own mother and the hard-on-crime political climate in the decade and a half after Rapunzel’s kidnapping, he would never have found himself on that prison barge in the first place. Moira would have grown up sweet and innocent, in the arms of her doting father, surrounded by love and free from torment and plots of revenge. Cassandra herself would have faired mostly the same. She would have lived modestly in the shared cottage with her mother, enjoying the occasional outing to town or trips across the country. She must have siblings out there in the world. Aunts, uncles, cousins, a whole extended family that she will never know because it had all been taken from her. She had been stolen from her own heritage. Who was she?

     Cassandra pulled her knees to her chest and held herself tight. Before the spirit girl, her earliest memories had been that of a strange man, in a strange house, encouraging her to call him ‘father.’ She recalled how her nose itched from the stench of rotting flowers permeating the air, but no matter how scared she was, she was a good girl. She had been taught to obey. So she called him ‘father,’ and dutifully waved him off when work inevitably took him away for days or weeks at a time.

     She dreaded being minded by faceless neighbor ladies, and spent most of her time sitting in the window awaiting his return. At least her new father brought back stories of daring sword fights and acts of heroism. And over time, she began to emulate him, reenacted his missions with a wooden sword she had fashioned herself. Cassandra believed with all her heart that she would grow strong enough to finally join his battalion, the orchid fields of Corona’s flag waving overhead. She loved her country so much it hurt. But every year, she was left behind.

     Looking around her, at her friends talking and laughing so easily, Cassandra had the distinct feeling she was being left behind again. She wasn’t like them. She didn’t shit sunshine, to use the words of Moira Caine, but Cassandra had never thought she was so different. They were all broken in their own way, and Cassandra had always prided herself on her ability to walk above base emotions and focus on the task at hand. So, why did she always feel like she was spiraling, or about to be spiraling, or already fully spiraled and spit out the other end?

     Rapunzel’s clear laughter broke over the din of general conversation. She was knitting a tiny sweater for Pascal who was beginning to feel the oncoming chill of the Dark Kingdom and leaned happily against Eugene, his thumb absently rubbing her shoulder. Cassandra tried to stamp down the growing resentment. Rapunzel hadn’t chosen her own lineage either, but despite being raised by a mother who was not her own, she had felt loved and secure. Even in the dark of night, back when she and Cassandra’s friendship consisted of sleepovers and gossip, Rapunzel had admitted to missing Gothel. And as painful and conflicting as that was, wasn’t it a testament of love? A love that Cassandra now realized belonged to her? A love she will never have.

     She curled tighter into herself, not knowing how to process these new emotions. She should tell Rapunzel. They hadn’t talked in a while… really talked, and this was important, so she would listen, right? Take the plunge. Jump! Cassandra opened her mouth with a sharp inhale, but when Rapunzel, Eugene, Lance, and Pascal all looked at her with wide, expectant eyes, the air in her lungs turned to lead. She froze. Cassandra could count the heartbeats pounding in her chest as they watched her struggle to find her tongue. Finally, Rapunzel seemed to take pity on her.

     “How was your trip into town, Cass?” She offered with a smile.

     Cassandra let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, irritated for needing to be saved. “Fine.”

     “That’s good!”

     “I ran into Moira Caine.” Upon everyone’s confused glances, Cassandra sighed. “Lady Caine.”

     Finally, the princess’ expression soured. “Ugh, her again? Why can’t she just stay imprisoned?”

     “Those Caines are slippery for sure. Just like the fish they’re so friendly with.” Eugene laughed at his own joke, Rapunzel, bouncing against his chest with every breath, smiled up at him.

     Cassandra, her mind still on Edward Caine’s untimely burial at sea, did not find the joke the least bit funny, just sad. “She asked me to join her crew.” She said stiffly.

     This bit of news sent the rest of the party into hysterics. Even Maximus joined in on the fun until Fidella shoved him with her wide shoulder.

     “As if you would ever be a Pirate!” Eugene hollered, his eyes brimming with amused tears. “Although, could you imagine?” he reached his hands out to everyone in his enthusiasm for them to follow along with the imagery. “Cassandra with a parrot on her shoulder and an eye patch! Oh wait a second. Where’s Owl? He can have an eye patch, too!” He searched for the bird frantically, almost dropping Rapunzel in the dirt as he stood. “Call Caine and tell her you’ll be ready in five minutes, this is gonna be freaking amazing!”

     Lance sucked in an excited breath of air, jumping to his feet. “You could even teach Owl  how to speak!” He began to imitate a parrot, his large arms tucked close to his chest as he flapped and begged for a cracker in a falsetto, bird-like voice.

      Rapunzel giggled joyfully, slapping her knee every time Lance jumped to catch an imaginary cracker. “Ooh, ooh, ooh! And, Cass, if your hand never heals, you could get a hook and join the Hook Brother’s band!” She pantomimed swinging around a hook with her own curled index finger, but it was the image of her friend comparing hooks with Hook Hand and Hook Foot that sent her over the edge and rolling in the grass clutching her abdomen.

     Eugene, infected by Rapunzel’s mirth, shook with laughter and the couple continued making up stories of “Cass the Pirate.” Each scenario growing more outlandish than the last, until they happily retired to their bedrolls with aching lungs and sore stomachs.

     Cassandra let it all wash over her, each crashing peel of laugher pushing her further out to sea, untethered. She should have kept her mouth shut. Lance, who had initially laughed at Rapunzel’s joke, quickly sobered when he noticed Cass’ glazed expression, and his heart twisted painfully. Like the others, he was aware her hand wasn’t healing as fast as it should have been, and every morning they exchanged worried glances over their tea when the warrior stalked off to some hidden corner of the woods to remove her armored glove and vambrace. Some mornings they could even hear her crying. Those were the worst.

     After Rapunzel and Eugene had dozed off and the fire had dimmed to low burning embers, Lance switched seats and dropped a heavy hand on his friend’s thin shoulder. Had she always been this small? At the sudden touch, Cassandra jumped, quickly turning to wipe her face free of the tears that had been startled out of her eyes.

     “I’m sorry, Cass. Rapunzel shouldn’t have said that about your hand.”

     “It’s fine, Lance.” She whispered, unable to project her voice past the lump in her throat for fear of crying.

     They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither one of them pulling away or moving closer. Finally, Cassandra dropped her face into her hands. “I don’t know who I am anymore.”

     “Well, you’re my friend, Cass, for one.” Lance chuckled good-naturedly. “But I understand. This journey has been difficult for all of us.”

     Cassandra scoffed into her palms before sitting up, putting some space between the two of them. “No, you can’t understand. I don’t even understand.”

     Lance considered her for a moment, but Cass stared straight ahead, her brows drawn low and dark over her eyes. “Okay, when you do, I’d be happy to lend an ear. No one should have to go through,” he gestured at her with a vague wave of his hand. “Whatever it is that you’re going through alone.”

     He expected her to protest, to scold him for prying into her life, but the silence he received was even more unnerving. Lance felt a cold flutter of doubt enter his stomach. Was this something he could even handle?

     “Tell you what,” Lanced reached into the inside pocket of his vest and pulled out a large loop of colored string. “I picked this up from that toy room in the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrows. If you’d like, I can teach you how to use it. Might be good for your hand.” He dropped the string into her open palm.

     “What is it?” Cassandra eyed it skeptically, already sounding more like her old self.

     Lance squeaked with mock offense. “What is it? What. Is. It?! Cass, this here beauty is Cat’s Cradle! Finest toy an orphan can buy!” He nudged her shoulder playfully. “Or steal, rather.” He added as an aside.

     Cassandra laughed softly and Lance smiled, hoping the storm had passed for now.

     “I’ll show you how to play in the morning, but for now, try tying and untying knots with your fingers like this.” He demonstrated by splaying his fingers out wide and straight.

     Her grey eyes looked up at him, suspiciously shiny. “Thanks, Lance.” Cassandra exhaled slowly. “Um, do you want first watch, or should I take it?”

     Lance smiled and pushed Cassandra out of her seat. “I’ll take care if it. Go get some rest.”

     “Alright,” she stood, her muscles achy and tired. “Wake me up when you need a break.”

     Lance nodded as Cass turned away and tucked herself into her bed roll, curling into a tight ball. He knew he would wake Eugene before disturbing her sleep and ended up watching her back for a while, waiting for her breathing to slow and her body to relax, before looking at the stars overhead. The forest was quiet, and it seemed there were fewer and fewer animals the closer they got to the Dark Kingdom. None of them knew what to expect when they finally reached their destination, but that night Lance vowed to do his best to protect his friend. He only wished it would be enough.

Chapter Text

     Cassandra’s grasp on happiness was tenuous at best. She had the distinct memory of being happy, of enjoying the sunshine on a warm afternoon, or smiling just because she felt like it, but when hard pressed, she could never say when or where, or why she had been happy. It was as if her memories weren’t entirely her own and instead, something she dreamt of, or a story she had read. It was an odd feeling, nostalgic in a way that she couldn’t quite place. Maybe it had just been too long since she felt joy.

     From where she sat, running her whetstone along the edge of her blade, Cassandra gazed out at the deep chasm of black rocks leading to the shadowed, pointed edges of the Dark Kingdom. Its castle, the epicenter of destruction, loomed large and foreboding in the distance, and seemed very much the opposite of happiness. Yet, she could not ignore the lightness of her spirit. Closing her eyes, she filled her lungs with the scent of wildflowers and apples as the breeze tickled her hair against her cheeks.

     Nothing had changed. Not really… Cassandra’s conversations with Rapunzel were still stilted and painful, and there were days they didn’t exchange a single word at all. But Lance’s Cat’s Cradle string was improving her dexterity one twist at a time, the sun was shining, their year-long journey was almost at an end, and for the first time in months, she felt hopeful. Maybe today was the day she could try again with the princess, meet her halfway in terms of positive energy. Before the end, before whatever happens with the moonstone, before she takes her own path. She should clear the air.

     “Hey, Raps?” Cassandra approached awkwardly, suddenly nervous about interrupting the princess’ journaling. “Do you have a minute?”

     Rapunzel looked up dazedly, as if for a moment she was still seeing the world in unfocused watercolor instead of the harsh lines of reality. But upon recognizing her friend, her eyes cleared, and she smiled brightly. “Cass, of course!”

     She patted the spear of black rock she was currently perched on, scooting over a few inches to give Cassandra space to sit beside her. Cassandra hesitated, twisting her hands together before joining her, squashing the wobbliness of her resolve in one fluid motion. It’s just Rapunzel, get a grip.

     “I um,” she pushed her hair behind her ear, it was getting a little too long for her liking – always in the way. “I uh, just wanted to say, we’re almost done. Aren’t we?” Cassandra met Rapunzel’s bright green eyes. Green like meadows and new spring leaves, or… nostalgia. She really missed her friend.

     “Yeah,” Rapunzel closed her journal, leaving her paintbrush inside to mark her page, and set it aside. She looked out at the castle obscuring the horizon, her gaze becoming unfocused once again. “I still can’t believe we made it here in one piece.”

     Cassandra grunted in response, her right hand spasming where it sat on her thigh. She exhaled slowly, determined not to let it pull down her mood. In the silence that followed Rapunzel’s comment, Cassandra observed the rest of the group. The horses grazed side by side on the long, soft grass, the rhythm of their chewing periodically accented by happy stamps of their hooves or the swishing of tails. Lance and Shorty sat a bit higher up on the hill eating apples and competing to see who could spit the seeds furthest. Their carefree, gentle demeanors brought a smile to Cassandra’s face.

     Eventually, her eyes drifted over to Eugene. The man leaned against a tree trunk where the leaves casted him in shadow. To the unpracticed eye, he seemed at ease, but Cassandra, an expert in all things annoying to the reformed thief, could see the tenseness of his shoulders, the stillness of his posture. Whatever slip of paper that had been occupying him the last few nights was making him nervous. She wondered if she should ask about it, but quickly dispelled the thought. He would come to them when he was ready.

     Cassandra looked up at the blue sky overhead, tasting the sweet apple juice lingering on her lips as she watched the clouds lazily float by. They had made it. Maybe not all in one piece as Rapunzel said, but at least they were safe. She could handle the burden of everything else. She had to.

     “What are you going to do when we get home?”

     She turned back to Rapunzel, slightly surprised the princess hadn’t forgotten her presence. “I’m not sure.”

     Rapunzel nudged her playfully with her shoulder. “You’ll still be my Lady in Waiting of course, but I’m much more independent now. I’m sure dad will let you have a few days off.” She jumped back abruptly. “Oh, Cass!” She clasped her hands together in delight before surging forward to grasp Cassandra’s arm. “Maybe you can even be on the Guard part time! Wouldn’t that be so perfect?”

     Cassandra let out a strange, gargled sound as Rapunzel shook her. “Raps, stop.” She gently pulled herself away, blinking back the tears that had suddenly sprung to her eyes. It wouldn’t do any good to cry now, not with the barrage of guilt, shame, bitterness, loneliness, anger, and hurt twisting her heart. And perhaps – worst of all – the desire to lean into the embrace. No. It was best to stay as they were, distant yet orbiting around the other, each yearning for a time they could no longer return to.

     “Right, sorry,” Rapunzel retreated with a small, anxious laugh. “I guess I got a little excited. But I still think it would be super fun.” She placed her light, delicate hand on Cassandra’s, willing her friend to look at her. Maybe they would finally be okay again.

     “It would be fun,” Cassandra finally conceded, relieved Rapunzel was still unable to hear the lie in her voice. Was it any conciliation if she wished it to be true?

     Rapunzel squeezed her hand tightly, smiling. “As soon as we make it out of the Dark Kingdom, we’ll have the rest of our lives to settle down and relax.” She turned contemplative. “That thought used to scare me, but now it seems really nice. Like coming home to warm milk and cookies. I think that’s what Eugene wants the most too.”

     They both looked over at the man in question, still under the shade of the tree. Sensing their eyes on him, he twisted and waved, his smile not fully reaching his eyes.

     “Do you know what he’s reading?”

     “No,” Rapunzel sighed, dropping her chin into her palms. “But he would tell me if it was important.”

     Cassandra grimaced. “It seems important.”

     “I’m sure it’s fine.”

     They fidgeted for a few moments, listening to the dry rustling of the breeze blowing through the leaves, not knowing how to talk to each other, but also not wanting the conversation to end.

     Cassandra tucked her hair behind her ears again. “What are you going to do when you get back to Corona?” She broke the tension just as Rapunzel tried to do the same, causing both girls to laugh sheepishly. “You go first.”

     Rapunzel’s giggling softened. “I was just asking what’s going on between you and Lance?

     “What?” Cassandra laughed in disbelief. “Nothing!”

     “I don’t know…” Rapunzel singsonged, eyeing her skeptically and poking her with teasing fingers. “You’ve been hanging out with him quite a bit these last two weeks.”

     Cassandra rolled her eyes. “We’re just friends, Raps.”

     Rapunzel hummed at the thrilling idea of her two friends being in love. “Well, I think he likes you.”

     “And I’m very certain he doesn’t,” Cassandra retorted. “He’s just—” Helping me? Being nice to me? Feeling sorry for me? What could she say that wouldn’t open a very unwanted discussion about the state of her hand? About the rot that had spread further up her arm. She refused to give Rapunzel the ammunition to scold her again for interfering. ‘I told you I had it under control, Cass…’ “He’s obsessed with Adira.”

     “Ohhh, is that why you don’t like her?”

     Cassandra scoffed. “I hate her because she’s pretentious and annoying.” She hooked her hair behind her ears again, frustrated that the breeze kept blowing it in her eyes. “Not to mention, dangerous. She’s hiding something important.”

     “Cass,” Rapunzel leveled her eyes in tired irritation. “I know Adira’s on the odd side, but I trust her. She got us all the way here, after all.”

     “She got you here?!” Cassandra bolted to her feet, seething. “Are you kidding me, Rapunzel?”

     “Caaaasss…” The princess whined, standing as well. “You know what I mean.”

     “Do I?” Cassandra reeled back, appalled. “You can’t seriously tell me you trust a stranger over— Ugh! Just forget it!” She threw up her hands in defeat.

     Rapunzel reached out, placating. “Cass, you of all people know how hard this year has been for me. I needed all the help I could get. You shouldn’t be upset with Adira for—”

     “Just stop, stop!” Cassandra squeezed her eyes shut, hating Rapunzel for speaking so calmly. For being so oblivious and forcing her to accept this asinine explanation. When she finally opened her eyes, the world had darkened, a fat, bulbous cloud eclipsing the sun.

     “Raps, I don’t want to fight.” Her shoulders slumped, exhausted. “I don’t want to fight.”

     Rapunzel stepped forward, closing the gap between them. “Cass, I don’t want to fight either. I just,” she sighed, hugging her arms around herself. “I’m just worried, I guess.”

     Cassandra stared at her, unfeeling. “Yeah.

     The cloud shifted and the meadow was awash with sunlight once more.

     “I’m going to, uh,” Cassandra motioned vaguely towards the tree line. “Go for a walk.

     “Okay.” Came Rapunzel’s murmured reply.

     “Just call me when you’re ready to fulfill you destiny, Princess. I won’t be far.”

     “Okay.”

     Leaving the future queen of Corona standing alone in the sun, Cassandra stalked off towards the woods. After walking a few hundred yards, she finally felt far enough away to breathe. Leaning her weight against a tree, she slid down to sit between its roots. Why was happiness so hard to hold on to? Damn it, Raps. She looked up at the sky, the leaves glowing yellow with filtered sunlight. But just as she was beginning to settle, the fine hairs on the nape of her neck rose, the sensation of insects crawling across the skin.

     Leaping to her feet, Cassandra drew her sword. Rotating on the spot, she scanned the shadowed trunks, immediately on high alert for any threat, but all was quiet… Even the wind had stopped. She counted out the seconds in her head, waiting for whatever she had sensed to show itself, but when she got to a hundred and nothing had moved, she sheathed her weapon. Maybe she had just imagined it. Taking one last glance at her surroundings, Cassandra turned back towards camp, only for her path to be blocked by the glowing apparition of a familiar female child.

Chapter Text

     “Hello, Cassandra”

     She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. A bead of sweat dripped down her spine, pooling in the curve of her lower back, cold and chilling. “What are you doing here?”

     Cassandra’s voice came out thin and wispy, a dead leaf finally losing it’s grip and falling to the floor.

     “My dear, you didn’t think I would abandon you, did you?”

     “I hoped you would.”

     The girl laughed, a delicate sound hidden behind a demurely gloved hand. “How could I when you’re so close to fulfilling your destiny?”

     “I won’t do it.” Cassandra growled, grateful for the steel returning to her voice. “I won’t take it.”

     “If that is what you choose,” the apparition tutted pitifully. “I only hate to see you stuck exactly where you are for the rest of your life.”

     Cassandra glared over the girl’s head in the direction of the meadow. “I’ll leave after Rapunzel destroys the moonstone.”

     “Do you really think she’ll let you go?” The girl stepped forward on silent feet, her wan face distorted by concern. “And perhaps more importantly, are you strong enough to defy her?”

     “I have to be.”

     “Well,” the girl said, floating aside to allow Cassandra passage. “For your sake, I hope you have a good plan.”

     Cassandra shifted her weight nervously. Was it a plan if she was thinking of slipping away in the middle of the night? Leave a note. Disappear… “I’ll figure it out.”

     The wind picked up again, but instead of the warm breeze from earlier, the air now blew cold and insistent. Cassandra’s ears popped and she shivered. A storm was approaching. Forcing herself not to look into the apparition’s eyes, she moved past the ghost girl and retraced her steps back to the small meadow. Back to Rapunzel.

     When she broke through the tree line, everything was just as it was before she left. No one had moved… Lance and Shorty, having grown drowsy from their apple feast, were now asleep under and within a tree respectively. Rapunzel was back to sketching in her journal, the scratching of her pencil carrying clearly across the space. And Eugene, scrap of paper between his fingers, was still brooding under the shadow of a far off tree. Her eyes flickering along to each of her friends, Cassandra hesitated for just a moment, unsure of where to place herself. But in the end, there was no choice. With a sigh, she went back to the spot she had occupied before her conversation with the princess, before her encounter with the girl. Nothing had changed at all.

     Cassandra pulled out her polishing stone and ran it routinely over her blade, one, two, three strokes. Her hand stilled and she breathed deep, her lungs shuddering on the exhale. She refocused on her sword. One, two, thr— Cassandra dropped the stone and pressed her hand hard against her mouth, forcing back the keening cry that has almost escaped. Nothing would change. She would ensure Rapunzel got to the Moonstone. Rapunzel would take it. Whatever happened after that would happen, but regardless, Cassandra would make sure the princess made it out safe. And then what? She would take Rapunzel home. Back to her kingdom. Back to the king and queen. Back to normal. Back. To. Normal. Normal. No. No more. Please.

     She slowly placed her sword down in the long grass, not wanting to alert anyone to her distress. Don’t panic. Cassandra looked up at the undulating clouds, the former fluffy things dark and agitated, heavy with rain. They really should get moving. As if hearing her thoughts, Rapunzel snapped her book shut and stood, skipping over to Eugene who was now discussing something with Maximus. Watching the princess’ dainty steps, Cassandra’s throat constricted and the image of Rapunzel’s own fingers squeezing her windpipe blotted her vision. Strangling her, agonizingly, carefully, lovingly slow. Let me go, Raps. Her fingers became thicker, greener, until they were replaced by the twisting vines of the Great Tree. Cassandra’s heart bucked in her chest, the frantic beating of a rabbit clutched in the talons of a hawk. Or an owl. Owl!

     Cassandra whipped around wildly until she saw her bird perched on a low branch behind Fidella’s massive body. She threw herself forward, cupping the back of her head with her hands and focused on getting her breathing under control. Slowing her pulse. She blinked through the tears pooling in her eyes, desperate to erase the fading images of the princess. Could she really leave? Cassandra bunched her hair in her fists, ignoring the all too familiar spasm of her right hand as she tightened the frayed nerves and tendons. She wouldn’t take the moonstone. There had to be another way. She had to have another destiny.

     Not for the first time since the Great Tree, Cassandra rebelliously questioned if she even had a destiny. Nothing had made itself apparent. She didn’t feel real anymore. Too scattered to be called a person, let alone a soldier, a woman, a girl, a lonely child, who was she? Unfolding herself, Cassandra, swallowed the mucous that had built up in the back of her throat. You’re almost done. She got to her feet, digging in the grass for her sword and dropped polishing stone. You’re almost done.

     “Hey, sleepy heads!” Rapunzel called out, giggling through her fingers when Lance, in a panic, jumped to his feet and ran face first into the tree, causing Shorty to roll off his branch and plunge to the ground a few feet below. “We’re never going to get to the Dark Kingdom if we just stay here staring at it. Let’s go!”

     Cassandra rolled her eyes at no one in particular and dutifully picked up the old man, still snoring despite his fall, and placed him in Max’s saddle. Feeling watched, Cassandra glanced over her shoulder to catch the ghost girl standing right where she had been sitting moments before, staring at her with wide, innocent eyes. She quickly turned back, falling in line with Lance as they followed Rapunzel and Eugene to the end of the world. Everyone had a destiny... Right? 

Chapter Text

     Birds. Cassandra generally liked birds—even had a special affinity towards raptors—but those crows? Ravens? She grumbled as she plucked stray feathers from her hair and between her armor plates. These birds were decidedly not cool. She was, however, very thankful that the strange avian encounter had expelled the lingering hold of her emotional breakdown, the relief of actually being able to do something a soothing balm on her nerves.

     She followed the cloud of ravens, watching the mass of feathers and wings retreat into the shadow of the castle perched on the opposite side of the ravine, seemingly growing out of the rock itself. They behaved like an organized flock, trained by human hands, a purposeful attack, though what that purpose was, she couldn’t begin to fathom.

     Sliding off Maximus’ back, Cassandra walked up to the cliff’s edge, kicking at the gravel and dully noted how the scattered particles were picked up by the wind as they fell. It was a long way down. She half listened as Rapunzel, Eugene, and Lance discussed varying options for getting across, but ultimately none of their suggestions warranted serious consideration. She scrutinized the ravine. The western side seemed to curve around the castle, as if the Dark Kingdom was once an island, and while hazy, it looked as if the eastern side narrowed up ahead as well. She turned towards the group, mildly surprised to find that at some point, Rapunzel and Lance had walked away and only she and Eugene were standing at the ledge.

     “Maybe there’s a bridge over there.” Cassandra motioned north with a small jut of her chin, crossing her arms.

     Eugene paid her no mind, lost in his own observations of the desolate landscape hindering them from reaching the Dark Kingdom. “Mmh,” he scratched at his stupid goatee, his eyes skipping from one rocky ledge to the next until he settled on a point in the distance. “Aha!”

     Cassandra flinched at his sudden outburst, glaring at him.

     “There’s gotta be a bridge over there!” Eugene pointed towards the same bend in the western edge that she had noticed. Filled with excitement, he quickly jogged off to where Max and Fidella were grazing on the sparse grass at the edge of the meadow.

     Cassandra rolled her eyes with a growl of annoyance. “I just said that, idiot.” But she followed him to the horses nonetheless.

     Lance, who was sitting on a flat boulder, his face slack with boredom and one finger hooked into Shorty’s collar to keep the old man from walking straight off the edge of the ravine, perked up at the commotion. “Did you find something?”

     Eugene vaulted himself into Max’s saddle and turned towards his friend, urging the stallion into motion. “Not yet, but I’m going to scout along the rim, see if there’s a way across further north.”

     “I’ll go with you.” Cassandra ran her hand along Fidella’s thick neck, just catching a glimpse of the blue apparition standing in the tree line nearby, following her. Ignoring the doll-like eyes of the girl, she shoved her armored boot into the stirrup and swung her leg over the saddle. “Since it was my idea,” she groused.

     “Um, Cass?” Eugene pulled on Max’s reigns, the horse stomping his hooves in his eagerness to get moving again. “Maybe you should stay here. Help Lance keep an eye on Shorty.”

     She furrowed her brow, regarding him with poorly veiled derision. “I’m pretty sure he’s got that under control.”

     “Yup, all good here,” Lance called from his seat, giving them a weary and resigned thumbs up.

     “I’m going with you.” Cassandra insisted, though she felt a spike of irritation at the odd twist of Eugene’s mouth.

     But just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, replaced by one of his casual smiles and a nonchalant shrug. “Alright, suit yourself.”

     With a curt nod, Cassandra nudged Fidella’s sides and trotted off after Max and Eugene. They rode north along the ravine, eyes sharp for any obvious crossings, be it an actual bridge or a simple path down to the bottom and back up the other side, but after 15 miles, it became clear that the east rim was leading further and further away from the Dark Kingdom, the narrowing having been nothing but an optical illusion. Though they did come across a few shredded bits of metal, charred wood, and toppled stone structures that seemed to have once held very large loads. Perhaps there had been a bridge at some point in the kingdom’s history. After a few more miles, it became evident that any other exploration would require a much longer absence and camping supplies, something neither Cassandra or Eugene had prepared for, so they turned the horses around and allowed them a gentle walk back.

     With only the clipped sound of hooves striking the rocky ground, Cassandra was able to focus on her own thoughts, planning her escape. She couldn’t let Rapunzel force her to return to Corona, however gentle and well-intentioned that force may be. The ghost girl was right. She had to come up with something better than sneaking away in the middle of the night if she was to get a real chance at freedom.

     Her mind turned to Fidella as a muscle in the mare’s broad shoulder twitched away an itch. She could bring the horse with her. Together, they would be fast, though far less conspicuous than if she were traveling on her own… But walking to Lores, the nearest occupied town, would take weeks, way too much time for Rapunzel to catch up and overtake her. Not ideal. Taking Fidella may be the only option, but, Cassandra realized with a sinking feeling in her soul, she could only let the horse carry her so far. No matter how painful it would be, it was best to leave the mare in the care of Peter and his family—with instructions to return her to the princess once she inevitably followed her. Cassandra would be too easy to track otherwise. And it was she who wanted to escape Corona’s limitations, not Fidella. Her best girl should have a chance to go home.

     Fighting the growing heartache, Cassandra caught Eugene looking at her from her periphery, but when she turned to him with an annoyd scowl, he whipped his head forward, whistling like he wasn’t being completely weird.

     “Would you quit it, Fitzherbert?” She snapped after the fifth time, her patience wearing thin.

     “Quit what?” Eugene laughed like she had missed an obvious joke. “You’re the one who’s all quiet and broody. Actually, never mind. That tracks.”

     She rolled her eyes. “Just stop looking at me.”

     “And how can I do that when you literally look like you’re plotting some sort of evil scheme.” He scoffed, causing Max’s ears to perk up with interest.

     Cassandra narrowed her eyes. “‘Evil scheme,’ Eugene? Really?”

     He regarded her cooly, his expression devoid of all humor. “I know you and Rapunzel haven’t been the best of friends lately, and well, I just want to make sure everything’s okay.”

     “Rapunzel and I are fine!”

     Eugene reeled at the ferocity of her tone, his eyes wide as dinner plates. Even the horses had faltered in their steps, though they quickly recovered in the professional manner of Guard Horses. Cassandra hadn’t meant to shout, hadn’t meant to fill the air between her and Eugene with the tautness of a drawn bow about to snap, but she felt as ungrounded as a lightning bolt about to strike. It always came back to Rapunzel.

     “Right,” Eugene drawled, elongating the word and sucking at his teeth.

     Cassandra’s face grew hot as she re-twisted her grip on the reigns. “Can we just drop it?” 

     They stewed in tense silence for a few moments when she chanced a glance at Eugene. The man was biting the inside of his cheek, evidently not willing to drop it.

     “Rapunzel is under a lot of stress, you know.”

     Cassandra managed to hold back her own cutting retort, but not the growl that escaped her gritted teeth.

     “The most important thing is getting her to the moonstone.”

     “Obviously.” She rolled her eyes.

     “I just want to make sure we’re clear.”

     If Cassandra’s glares were knives, Eugene would be run through and bleeding out. He couldn’t possibly be serious. And then it clicked, her heart skipping a beat at the realization. “Is this about that dumb paper you’ve been reading?”

     “What? No!” Eugene at least had the decency to look embarrassed by the accusation, reaching into his inner vest pocket to pull out the small strip of paper before waving it around too fast for her to read. “See? It’s nothing. Nothing at all.”

     His awkward laughter died as he stuffed it back inside, leaving Cassandra no less frustrated. “Whatever. Let’s just get back to the others.”

     She spurred Fidella into a gallop, hoping to find some solace in speed, but her moment of peace was lost as a second pair of hoofbeats told her Eugene and Max were right on her heels. She could feel his eyes boring into the back of her skull.

*****

     Finally back at the edge of the meadow, overlooking the Dark Kingdom, Eugene slumped down on the rock beside Lance, looking just as annoyed as Cassandra felt. She paced from the boulder to the ravine ledge and back, her mood darkening with every step, mirroring the growing storm overhead. Rapunzel had apparently wandered south in search of a crossing, promising Lance she wouldn’t go far, but of course she was taking much longer than any of them had expected. At least Shorty was too preoccupied with the chicken leg between his teeth to walk himself off the cliff. At this point, Cassandra could hardly bring herself to care about the strange little man.

     What she did care about, and becoming more uneasy with every passing minute, was the absence of the princess. But just before she could declare her intention to go after her, a rustling in the bushes caused them all to look up. She had done it. Rapunzel had found a way across. Although, after pushing through the thorny shrubs and dodging a gauntlet of black rocks, Cassandra wasn’t so sure. Exchanging nervous glances with Eugene and Lance solidified the fact that riding the decrepit gondola over the endless chasm was most certainly a terrible idea, but there was no other choice. Not without a detour that could take days.

     “Blondie, that thing’s a good 50 yards out there.” Eugene hedged, worry coloring his voice.

     Cassandra eyed the contraption skeptically, until she heard Eugene’s concern. What happened to Mr. ‘The Most Important Thing Is Getting Her To The Moonstone?’ Hypocrite. She shoved past him, hitting his shoulder a bit too hard out of spite. “I can get it. I’ll get across, then wheel it back here for the rest of you.”

     “Um, I don’t know, Cass.” Rapunzel hesitated.

     She bristled at the doubt laced through her words. Did none of them believe in her? After all this time? “Trust me. I can do it.”

     “Of course, I trust you,” Rapunzel said a little too brightly, a little too eagerly, until she glanced sheepishly at her toes. “Um, we trust you, but your hand.”

     Something cold and angry flared deep in her chest. ‘We?’ What was that supposed to mean? “Even with my hand, I’m still the most agile of all of us.”

     With that, they relented. Cassandra climbed up the mechanism of gear heads and pulleys, choosing each foot and hand hold with care before reaching the thick wire cable suspended over the ravine. Leaning against the stone tower, she settled into the gentle sway of the cable, accustoming herself to her weight distribution. She took a step forward, confident in her balance, and slowly lifted her hand away from the comfort of solid stone. Breathe…

     Watching her feet, all the while refusing to focus on the dizzying height, Cassandra made it over halfway to the gondola without incident. She checked her distance, estimating another 20 steps until she reached the roof, which funnily enough looked a whole lot more inviting than it had back on land. But the closer she got, the more the cable sagged, making it difficult to move without causing the whole thing to swing wildly. Just keep going, you can do it. Another glance at the gondola, another teetering step, another great swing. Another glance, another step, wait. Another glance. The girl!

     A strong gust of wind sent her staggering, slipping off the cable. It all happened too fast for her to scream, but with a sharp intake of breath, Cassandra managed to catch herself. Her heart hammering against her breastplate as her weakened fingers strained to hold her weight. She looked backwards and sure enough, the ghost girl was standing on the roof, watching her with a blank, apathetic stare. Pushing through the fear crawling up her throat, Cassandra pulled herself forward. She had to get to the gondola.

     Shimmying the rest of the way, Cassandra managed to drop the couple of feet to the wooden roof of the gondola, the beams protesting as she clambered through a service hatch and into the main cabin.

     “You almost got me killed!” She spun on the transparent blue figure of the little girl, rage replacing the fear coursing through her veins.

     The apparition was hardly bothered by Cassandra’s show of aggression, merely smiling up at her softly. “Nonsense. I only wanted to tell you that your friends think the worst of you.”

     Cassandra balled her fists, wishing the child was solid enough to punch between her creepy, unnerving eyes. “Go bother somebody else! I’m not taking the moonstone.”

     The girl squinted at her with a hint of annoyance. “I’m trying to help you, Cassandra. Why can’t you accept that?”

     Cassandra ignored the question as she stomped over to the lever near the center of the room and began pumping the contraption. The cabin jolted into motion, surging forward with a stutter as the wheels clicked into a familiar pattern, pulling the cabin across the chasm.

     “Yes!” The girl cheered, leering near Cassandra’s face. “Trap the princess on the wrong side of the channel. Brilliant!”

     Registering the girl’s words, Cassandra threw herself over to the closest window—yes she was most certainly closer to the Dark Kingdom now than she had been before. She rushed back, searching for some way to make it change directions. Pawing around the device, her fingers soon found a small switch. It was stiff with rust, but an accurate kick got the connecting rod to flip to the other side, alternating the spin of the chain connecting the cogs and wheels rotating up above. Now as Cassandra engaged the lever, the cabin filled with the grinding of gears realigning and shuddering in the proper direction, back towards Rapunzel, Eugene, Lance, Shorty, and the horses.

     “They don’t trust you.”

     "Yeah? Well I don't trust you." Concentrating on the steady push and pull of the lever, Cassandra pretended not to notice the sullen look on the ghost’s face as she sulked in the corner. But she venomously longed for whatever had killed the girl the first time around to make her such a persistent specter, would happen again. Only more thoroughly. Because suns, she was over being haunted.

     However, it wasn’t as if her words didn’t have merit. Cassandra had seen the looks Eugene and Rapunzel exchanged, only for them to shift their eyes to her, the corners of their mouths pinched with concern, doubt, even fear. And that ‘we’ comment. Why had Rapenzel emphasized one stupid pronoun? What could she have possibly done to lose their confidence? For Rapunzel to lose faith in her? Although, hadn’t Cassandra lost faith as well? Faith in the Crown, her father, herself… It tugged at her heart.

     The gondola ground to a complete stop before she could answer her own questions, but thankfully, the ghost girl no longer felt a need to contribute to her inner torment and disappeared. Cassandra slumped against the lever, exhausted from the combined efforts of her emergency cable traverse and moving a machine meant to be powered by at least two men. She expected the others to step into the cabin immediately, eager as they were to fulfill the princess’ destiny, but there was only silence. Impatience propelled her to one of the many shattered windows, to see that her friends were indeed just standing there, relief plastered plain across their faces.

     With an exasperated sigh, she opened the door. “Um, did you want me to get the door for you too?”

     What she didn’t anticipate was the flood of warmth that filled her core at Rapunzel’s embrace. Perhaps the ‘we’ wasn’t important after all. 

Chapter Text

     “Oh, Cass,” Rapunzel sighed into her ear, her voice brimming with happy relief. “We started to think you had run off with the gondola and left us. I’m so glad you’re safe.”

     Cassandra went rigid at the odd words until the moment Rapunzel pulled away and stepped past her into the cabin, the men and the horses close behind. She let her hands fall dumbly back to her sides from where they had been hovering, half a second away from returning the embrace. They thought she wouldn’t come back? Her eyes followed the princess, now marveling at every ornate detail of the once beautiful cabin and dragging Eugene from one window to the next to find the best view, before returning to the lever, launching the gondola back into motion across the ravine.

     The warmth that had bloomed in her heart under the princess’ attention, dispelling the chill in her bones like the first sip of honey-sweetened tea, dissipated, leaving Cassandra feeling like little more than an empty husk. Her friends—her family—hadn’t trusted her, and if the ghost girl was right about that, what else was she right about?

     It was with a peculiar sense of peace that Cassandra accepted the fact that there was nothing more she could do to prove herself in their eyes. Well, nothing short of dying anyway, and maybe that was her destiny: to fall on her sword for the princess over and over again until it killed her… She had to admit the idea of growing old had always been a strange concept, not something she had ever envisioned for herself. If she died, so be it. Hopefully her death was a good one. She was pulled from her grim musings as Lance approached, the large man taking up the position across from her.

     “Uh, that was pretty brave what you did back there.”

     Cassandra thanked him with an exuberance she hadn’t felt in a long time. How easy it was to smile when she had finally decided on her path, because it was true, everyone had a destiny. But she’d be damned if she was going to let anyone force her into one not of her choosing. And this time tomorrow, she expected to be far enough away from Rapunzel to ever be in danger of losing herself to the princess. Treason by desertion… Even the idea of it sent a thrill of nervous energy down her spine.

     Suddenly, the gondola shook, sending everyone bracing for cover as the dilapidated wooden ceiling showered dust around them. Cassandra stepped away from the lever, her hand on the hilt of her sword and her ears open for any new sounds, but she didn’t have to wait long. As soon as Rapunzel and Eugene poked their heads out of the service hatch, they fell back with a scream, the wickedly sharp blade of an axe cleaving the space they had just occupied. Cassandra lunged forward, her sword halfway drawn, when the axe blade fell again, splintering the ceiling.

     “Lance, Cass, you guys keep cranking!”

     Cassandra froze, torn between the compulsion to obey a direct order from her princess and her own instinct to defend. Why couldn’t Lance do it on his own? Hell! Even the horses were smart enough to pump the lever. But the look in Rapunzel’s eyes, the sheer determination to not let anyone—no matter how large their axe was—get between her and the moonstone, sent Cassandra dutifully back to her position. She wasn’t a traitor yet.

     Teeth gritted, she and Lance threw their weight into the lever, feeling just the subtlest increase in speed. The clamor of the battle above became the melody to which they pushed and pulled, propelling the suspended cart closer and closer to the Dark Kingdom.  Cassandra focused on her breathing, maintaining an even rhythm even as her back and shoulders burned with the effort, her triceps feeling tight enough to snap, but she didn’t dare stop. The gondola was entirely too unstable to hold up to the stresses of a prolonged fight. They had to make it to solid ground, and fast! 

     The cabin titled wildly as another loud thud reverberated through the air. Lance paused for a fraction of a second, a dopey smile momentarily gracing his features before returning to the lever. Cassandra looked up to see what had caught his attention, her eyes immediately drawn to the new player. Adira?!

     “Where did she come from?”

     “Like an angel, she fell from heaven,” Lance swooned.

     Cassandra seethed. She should be the one up there fighting! The battle continued, the ringing of metal against Adira’s shadow blade telling the story of two well-matched opponents. But just as she thought Adira was finally getting the upper hand, the warrior’s red-clad form flew past the window. No, not flew. Fell!

     All thoughts of animosity were erased as Cassandra leapt to the window, Lance right beside her, to watch the woman’s body disappear in the mist obscuring the ravine floor. Her blood ran cold, ice crystals forming and shattering in her veins, as her brain struggled to process what she had just witnessed. There was no way Adira was dead. It just wasn’t possible! And then the world flipped upside down.

     “Cass!” Lance cried out, just barely managing to catch her arm before she fell the length of the gondola.

     Cassandra looked down, her eyes wide with fear, to see her legs dangling in empty space. But the relief that coursed through her upon seeing the horses safe and upright, albeit terrified, calmed the frantic beating of her heart. Until she felt the fingers on her arm slip.

     “Lance, please don’t drop me.”

     He grunted as he adjusted his grip on the lever, now disorientating-ly above them, before turning his head as far as he could to meet her eyes. “Can you climb?”

     Cassandra nodded. “I think so.”

     Lance pulled her up as far as the awkward angle of his elbow would allow, giving Cassandra the chance to hook her leg around his waist and clamber high enough to wrap her arms over his shoulders.

     “Okay, I think I’m good,” she panted through the protestation of her right arm, now throbbing as she dug her fingers into his shirt.

     Lance didn’t have time to respond before a shaft of light fell on them, leaving them blinking away a second of blindness as their eyes adjusted. Without hesitation, Rapunzel dropped her hair into the cabin.

*****

     The twisted, compromised metal of the gondola creaked and groaned as it swung vertically, straining under the weight of the horses and humans climbing out of the wreckage. Cassandra, insistent that everyone get to safety before her, kept one wary eye on the far bottom corner of the cabin. The girl had appeared in the chaos. Silent. Staring. Smiling. Why was she smiling? 

     “Cass.”

     She managed to tear her eyes away from the apparition to see Lance reaching down for her, his face anxious with growing concern. She quickly gave him her hand and he pulled her out into the open air just as another strike of the axe blade filled her ears, vibrating through her chest.

     “Rapunzel, you and the others go. I’ll hold off Mr. Personality.” Eugene turned towards them, his mouth set in a firm line.

     “But-”

     “I said go!” Eugene barked out the order, immediately launching Lance and the horses into action. But when Rapunzel refused to move, his eyes flashed to Cassandra, unspoken understanding passing between them. “Now!”

     The gondola shuddered as the bear-caped warrior vaulted himself over the edge and landed heavily in front of Eugene, rocking the unstable box with every thundering step. Cassandra gaped at the monstrous man, seeing him clearly for the first time, but the suspension cable ringing out with a twang broke the spell. Her gaze flickered overhead, adrenaline pumping through her body as another thin filament snapped right before her eyes. The gondola was going to fall. Without wasting another second, she grabbed Rapunzel’s wrist, only for her shoulder to be ripped from it’s socket as the princess held her ground.

     “Cassandra, wait!”

     She tugged harder to no avail. “Raps! We don’t have time for this!”

     “I’m not leaving without him!” Rapunzel tried to take another step toward Eugene, twisting her arm to break free, but the gondola quaked under their feet, dropping a nauseating few inches as another wire splintered.

     “He’ll be fine! We have to go!”

     But Rapunzel fought her, digging her toes into the soft wood. Cassandra growled with frustration, driving her shoulder into the princess’ abdomen. She jumped just as the floor disappeared, her muscles straining at the sudden lack of resistance, and sent them both crashing to the safety of solid ground.

     Rapunzel scrabbled out of her grasp and back towards the cliff edge, but Cassandra lunged for her, wrapping her arms around the princess as she wailed with anguish. Cassandra watched, horror gripping her heart like a twisting fist as Eugene, along with the Bear Man and the gondola, plummeted into the depths of the gorge.

     Cassandra was stunned. Too stunned to fight when Rapunzel spun around and shoved her flat on her back.

     “How could you do that?” The princess screamed, her face red and blotchy with grief.

     “Rapunzel.” Cassandra attempted to stand only to be pushed down again. 

     “How could you DO that, Cass?!”

     Rapunzel advanced, hitting her with a barrage of half thrown punches, and Cassandra allowed it, her lungs constricting painfully in her chest. First Adira, and now Eugene? Her friend, her brother. And suddenly it didn’t matter how much they had grown apart. It didn’t matter that he had regarded her with such doubt and suspicion. In his last moments, he had trusted her. She caught Rapunzel’s thrashing arms and pulled their bodies close, rocking the princess’ rigid, resisting form.

     “I’m so sorry, Raps.” She couldn’t cry, even as Rapunzel sobbed into her shoulder, clawing at the fabric of her cape and undoubtably leaving a growing wet stain. All she could do was hold on.

     “We were supposed to get married!” Rapunzel choked through heaving gulps of air, babbling nonsensically about dreams and proposals until her assault weakened and her fists grew slow and heavy with despair.

     Cassandra kissed her head, staring up at the sky, blinking back the tears blurring her vision. It should have been her. “I’m so sorry. I had to protect you.”

     Rapunzel flailed backwards, escaping her arms with a sharp elbow and a kick, startling Cassandra with the cold anger on her face.

     “I could have saved him!” Rapunzel scrambled to her feet, staggering back towards the edge.

     “Raps, no!” Panic rose in her throat, fierce and serrated, as she envisioned the princess leaping over the edge, but Lance intercepted.

     He held Rapunzel tight, his thick arms cradling her with quiet strength until the princess stopped struggling and leaned into him listlessly. Cassandra sunk to her heels, heart thumping loud enough to drown out Rapunzel’s cries. Eugene… She stood slowly, crossing the short distance between herself and Lance to place a hesitant hand on his arm. He looked down at her, his eyes red and puffy, and Cassandra’s heart broke at the anguish she saw.

     Eventually, Rapunzel’s tears dried and she detached herself, opting to kneel at the ravine’s edge to search, with a determined eye, for any movement below. Cassandra, forcing her own pain into submission, checked on the horses, soothing them with gentle words. Thank goodness Max and Fidella were such amazing animals. Fidella had even managed to save Shorty.

     But the realization filled Cassandra’s heart with shame. She could never have asked the mare to run away with her… She was too good, too loyal, too brave. All things Cassandra strived for, yet ultimately struggled to achieve. Looking back at the princess, a small curl of purple and yellow against a desolate, gloomy sky, Cassandra’s soul grew heavy. She had been so ready to cut ties, so close to committing treason and abandoning her post. How could she have been so selfish? Her body moved of its own accord, each step dragging her to Rapunzel. The princess needed her.

Chapter Text

     They sat for a moment, rearranging their anatomy to accommodate the reality their hearts refused to accept, a grim shuffling of an off suit two and seven. Cassandra gingerly curled her fingers over Rapunzel’s shoulder, giving the princess a light squeeze.

     “I’m- I’m so sorry, Raps.” Her voice felt thin and insubstantial, as if her vocal chords weren’t connecting the right way. She wanted to say something real, something that mattered. Apologize for almost abandoning her, for hiding so much of herself. I’m sorry I wasn’t the one to fall…

     But none of that mattered now. Words were fake, pointless platitudes that had no place on the battlefield. No, right now she needed to act, go down and find Eugene, or whatever was left of him, her brain supplied unhelpfully. His body would be broken, shattered, but Cassandra vowed to do her best to spare Rapunzel and Lance the gruesome scene they would certainly encounter. Because if that was how she could pay penance for her failures, she would gladly accept it. She would search every shadowed corner for blood, bone, boots flung far from the sudden shock of landing on stone, collect every piece of him until she could stitch together a whole Eugene. A corpse ready for reanimation. No man left behind. Her stomach rolled with nausea.

     Rapunzel stood with her fits clenched, surprising Cassandra with the aggressive determination radiating off her in palpable waves. “This is not how our story ends. We’re going back to get him.”

     Despite her own doubts, Cassandra’s spirit swelled, lifted by the princess’ strength of conviction. She smiled, already raising her fingers too call for Owl and begin the search.

     “No need. He’s fine.”

     Cassandra’s blood prickled, as if black rocks had burst forth from every atom of her being in defense against the intruding presence of Adira. How dare she survive when Eugene could not.

     “He made it safely into the cave below. I saw it. Now come on, Fish Skin didn’t risk his life so that we could waste time looking for him.”

     Cassandra’s scathing glare followed the warrior’s easy, arrogant strides, only half registering the meaning of her words under her growing fury. Was Rapunzel really going to let this bitc- She jumped back as a whip of golden hair flew by, entrapping the large woman.

     “Just a minute, Adira.”

     Cassandra’s heart soared, vindication flooding her as her princess finally managed to break free of whatever spell the Brotherhood member had cast on her. Adira wasn’t to be trusted, and suns it had taken way too long for Rapunzel to figure it out, but at last she was on Cassandra’s side. Although, with every word Adira spoke, every belated line of explanation, her worry returned, clawing up her spine with vengeance.

     “You mean, if Rapunzel touches the moonstone, she could—” Die? Not even Rapunzel’s placating hand could keep her from finishing her thought.

     “I did not come this far to stop now.”

     Cassandra searched Rapunzel’s eyes, her friend, her responsibility, her ticket to redemption, and the red hot core of her anger cooled into tempered steel. Over her dead body would the princess die here in the Dark Kingdom. There had to be another way. But just as the thought struck her, fear flashed through Cassandra’s heart, singeing her aorta like a bolt of lightning. She couldn’t take the moonstone. Wouldn’t. The ghost girl was nowhere to be seen, but Cassandra could feel her, a finger on her pulse point, teeth at her neck. Should she take it? To save Rapunzel’s life? Refocusing her attention on Adira, she concentrated her frustration on someone who deserved it.

     “Good! Are we all friends again?”

     “We never were.”

*****

     “Rapunzel, you’re not seriously going to just waltz in there and take the moonstone are you?” Cassandra hissed under her breath as they followed Adira through the narrow path leading to the castle’s front gate.

     “Cass, what choice do I have?” She turned to her pleadingly, her eyes glinting bright in the shadows. “I need to stop the black rocks, and if this is the only way, then…” Rapunzel’s fingers reached for her hair, pulling the thick plait over her shoulder with a sigh.

     “I know now that this has always been my destiny. Ever since I was a kid, Mother-” she swallowed. “Gothel would go out for days, weeks at a time. And when I got older, sometimes she wouldn’t return for months. I’m starting to think, that maybe…” Her shoulders deflated with another heaving sigh. “Maybe this whole time, she was looking for the moonstone. She never said anything about her past, but if she knew about the sundrop flower and the healing incantation, wouldn’t she have also known about this?”

     Cassandra’s brows furrowed as Rapunzel’s green eyes bore into her, begging for answers she didn’t have. Gothel… Damn that woman. She had pushed the singular memory of her mother down, so far down not even the maggots and carrion beetles could feast on the putrid, decomposing mess that was Cassandra’s feelings. But Rapunzel’s question ignited a strange churning in her gut, an awakening. How had her mother known about the sun drop?

     “And you’re positive you never saw anything like the Demanatus scroll growing up?”

     Rapunzel shook her head. “I’ve never even seen the language. And I knew every inch of that tower, there was no way she could have hidden it from me.”

     Cassandra clenched her teeth as the cabin in the meadow bloomed dark and foreboding in her mind’s eye, ink drops on water. The tower wasn’t Gothel’s only residence. She studied Rapunzel’s profile, considered speaking the words out loud, but the princess stepped away.

     “We’re here!”

     After the eye-rolling incompetency of the Dark Kingdom’s ‘traps,’ Cassandra measured her steps just enough to fall back from Rapunzel without being obvious. If Gothel had succeeded in taking Cassandra with her after kidnapping the infant princess, how would their lives have changed? She stared at Rapunzel’s back as she slipped between two narrow points of black rock. They would have been raised together. She shivered. The girl she had seen in the cabin, in that strange room in the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrows, that girl would have accepted whatever she was told. ‘Of course this blonde child is your sister.’ ‘Of course you don’t understand where she came form, why would you?’ ‘Cassandra, fix Rapunzel a bottle, Mummy’s tired.’ And she would have. Unquestioningly.

     Cassandra rubbed at her sternum, feeling the phantom fluttering of her younger self still within her. She had always been eager to please her superiors, make them proud, but was that really who she was or just a remnant of her forgotten childhood? Perhaps they were both one in the same. And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her life had been irrevocably thrown off course, manipulated and manhandled by fates and destinies of others. What was the point of her? She wasn’t magical, or special, or especially bright. There had been no loving father, no happy family in that memory of her last day in the cottage… So why had Gothel even carried her to term... Kept her alive when it was all too easy to abandon an unwanted child in the woods? She must have had a purpose.

     She almost crashed into Lance as they all came to a stop before the castle gate. Cassandra gazed up at the towering double doors, following the heavy chain to a large spoked wheel, but even with the combined strength of Lance and Adira, the door was slow to open.

     “Eugene!” Rapuznel exclaimed, bouncing forward on ecstatic feet.

     Cassandra paused mid pull, all introspection banished by the appearance of Eugene. He was alive. She wanted to run, make sure he was solid, breathing, whole, and one glance at Lance’s wistful face told her he felt the same. But something was wrong. Eugene remained half hidden in shadow, his voice reaching them in somber whispers. Why wasn’t he coming out? Why wasn’t he sweeping Rapunzel into his arms, beckoning them to join the embrace with his warm, sappy, doe-brown eyes? And then the wheel spun out of her hands, the tension on the chain snapping, and the door slammed shut with resounding finality.

     Rapunzel fell against the door, helpless to get through. “‘One of her company will turn against her.’”

     Cassandra’s spine shot straight. “What did you say?”

     “I can’t believe this.” Rapunzel backed away from the immovable barrier, affronted.

     “Princess, listen to me,” Lance stepped gently towards her. “I’ve known Eugene my entire life, and he has never, and I mean never, loved anyone as much as he loves you.”

     Cassandra’s heart ached at the earnestness in his voice, now was not the time to interrogate the princess on the meaning of that strange omen. “Yeah, Raps. Whatever he thinks he’s doing, he must be doing it for you.” Like we’ve always done…

     Rapunzel hesitated, almost convinced by their words, but her shoulders sagged, heartbroken. “You guys are probably right, but I need to hear it from him.”

     Cassandra felt her face twist in a grimace as Rapunzel sent Pascal off to find another way into the castle. Why was she not surprised their words held so little weight. Powerless to comfort the princess, she shifted over to Lance.

     “Hey, at least he’s alive.”

     He looked down at her, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he fought to maintain an expression of gratitude on his face. “Yeah. At least.”

     She shuffled her feet, the air turning awkward between them. Did everyone know about the whole ‘turn against her’ thing? “So, um, Lance, do you have any idea what—”

     The ground shook, robbing Cassandra of her words as stone ripped apart all around them, black rocks stabbing at their soles. She saw Rapunzel’s hair lift overhead, straining her neck as she struggled to control the glowing locks. Cassandra stumbled towards her, ready to intervene if the power of the sundrop proved too much. But just as suddenly as the earthquake began, it stopped, flooding the world with an uneasy stillness once more.

     “Raps, are you okay?”

     “Yeah, I’m fine.” She pulled Cassandra to her feet. “I think we’re going to be okay.”

     And yet, for the second time that day, Cassandra found herself tumbling through empty space. She blindly reached out, her fingers desperate for anything to catch hold of, grasping tight as soon as she felt Rapunzel’s hand. The jerking stop of Rapunzel’s hair caught on an up-turned tip of a rock yanked at Cassandra’s shoulder, eliciting a hiss of pain. But it was nothing compared to the agony she would have felt had she landed in the sizzling heat of the river below.

     “Great. A sewer full of lava.”

Chapter Text

     The sewer air burned, singeing Cassandra's mouth and nostrils with every breath full of acrid sulfur and ash. Her vision hazy, she leaned heavily on one of the black rocks, regaining her bearings. Rapunzel had miraculously managed to form the rocks into a road, each spear laid perfectly atop the one in front of it like the scales of an obsidian fish. It was quite impressive to say the least, to be able to walk atop lava, but for Cassandra, the convenience was in fact quite irritating. Now that they were no longer in danger of falling to their deaths or being crushed by the crumbling ceiling, no one seemed to care about moving fast enough to get the hell out of here!

     Squeezing her eyes shut, Cassandra tipped her canteen against her lips, struggling to swallow the three measly drops past her gritty, swollen tongue. Shit. She glared into the depths of her canteen, annoyed by the bottle’s audacity to be empty. Stowing it, she shook her sweaty hair out of her face, grumbling when a particularly stubborn strand remained plastered to her cheek. Cassandra instinctively reached up with her right hand to brush it away, but her fingers seized with pain as her nerves zapped, electric, up her forearm. She gasped, cradling her hand against her chest, a curse hissing through her teeth.

     It was her mind. It had to be all in her mind. And yet, the sensation of flames licking her skin was relentless, reigniting the scorched flesh of her hand as viciously as the decay incantation had back at the Great Tree. Suns, she was boiling alive. Cassandra forced herself to flex her fingers, slowly, twisting her arm under her armor plates, consciously engaging the bones in her palm, her wrist, convince her brain to get a grip and focus on the reality that she was indeed not burning. Peeling herself off the rock, Cassandra continued on, scowling at Rapunzel’s back, cool and dry as a bright winter’s day. What she wouldn’t give to feel cold again.

     Adira’s estimation of the moonstone chamber being only a few hundred meters ahead seemed to drag on forever, but eventually, they came to a stop. Cassandra leaned around the warrior’s hulking shoulder to look past Lance and beyond Rapunzel’s willowy form to goggle at the haphazard stack of rocks leading up and up and up to a dim light. She began to climb, her body slippery with sweat, her hand still aflame.

     When the four of them finally spilled into the hallway just outside the moonstone antechamber, Cassandra had to keep herself from collapsing to her knees in relief. The heat has eased somewhat and she managed to focus on the cloaked figure of the Dark King hunched before them. 

     “The moonstone chamber is just through those doors,” Adira spoke in a clipped tone, much too loud in Cassandra’s opinion.

     “Okay,” Rapunzel studied the layout of the room from where she crouched behind a black rock spike, “I’ll need a distraction before I can slip in there.”

     Hackles raised, Cassandra dove to her side. “No way! You’re not going in alone. Who knows what’s in there?”

     “Rapunzel should go in alone.” Adira scolded, her eyes leveled with pretension as she peered down the length of her nose. “Only the sundrop can access the moonstone’s great power.”

     Cassandra glared right back at the woman, the heat of the sewers agitating her ever present itch for a fight. Whatever happened with the moonstone, at least she wouldn’t have to endure the warrior’s stupid half-painted face for much longer.

     “Cass and I will go.” Rapunzel’s whispered order was firm with regal command, and Cassandra’s mouth twisted sharply as she smirked at Adria’s pinched expression. “Adira, you’re with Lance. You two run interference against the king so we can slip by.”

     Cassandra turned to the princess, smiling at the determination etched on her brow. Her heart swelled with pride. Eugene was off somewhere being an idiot, Adira was finally put in her place, and Lance was too busy drooling his pining heart away. It was just the two of them.

     With misty eyes, she reached out, the coarse leather of her armored glove just barely brushing against Rapunzel’s bare skin, enraptured by the light flush of her cheek. How could she have ever thought to leave? The princess spun to face her. So briskly, that Cassandra pulled back in surprise, but Rapunzel captured her hand, wrapping her delicate pink fingers around Cassandra’s grey metal ones. Her gaze softened and she pressed a quick kiss into Cassandra’s palm before squeezing her hand tight and letting go.

     It was supposed to be nice. It was supposed to be sweet. But that one simple gesture, that half second of pressure, had pulled Cassandra’s rotten skin, made fragile by sweat. She winced as she felt the tissue tear under her glove, but she couldn't dwell on it. Rapunzel was already moving away, her shoulders hunched forward to remain small as she snuck closer to the king. It was time to go. Following her lead, Cassandra, Adira, and Lance advanced on silent feet, wary of any sign the Dark King was aware of their presence.

     “Okay, on my count,” Rapunzel breathed, “one, two-”

     Rapunzel’s hand on the door, her bare foot stepping over the threshold, a shift in the air, an intake of breath, the twist of a furred back and Cassandra’s vision narrowed. A battle axe flew straight at the princess, growing larger by the millisecond. She lunged, wrapping Rapunzel in her arms even as her scalp prickled, the blade passing her head by a hair’s length.

     “My next throw will find its target.” The king glowered. “You were warned to stay away!

     Adira squared up to her king. “Edmund-“

     “I have nothing to say to you, Adira!”

     Seeing his opening, Lance charged, lowering his shoulder to ram the king, but he may as well have been trying to tackle a mountain. He squeaked in terror just before being thrown aside like he weighed little more than a child. Cassandra charged next. She didn’t stand a chance, but hell, if she could go up against Hector, toss that bastard into the pit of the Great Tree, then damn it, she was going to make this guy wish he never— The next second she was skidding across the floor, only for the world to go dark when her head cracked on the cold, unforgiving stone.

     “You’re Majesty, please.”

     The sound of Rapunzel’s voice, desperate and alone, trickled into her consciousness. Cassandra grimaced, pushing through the ringing in her ears and blinking away the annoying light obscuring her vision. Oh. She squeezed her eyes shut. Rapunzel’s hair was just glowing.

     “The moonstone knows I’m close. I have to go.”

     “No! No one may enter that room!”

     “I’m going in, and you don’t want to get in my way!”

     Raps, I’m coming. Cassandra’s arms trembled as she lifted herself up. Shit, everything hurt.

     “You’re not getting past me!”

     She managed to get vertical without puking all over herself.

     “Yes, she is!”

     Cassandra clamped her hand over her mouth to keep the remnants of apple inside her. Why did Eugene always have to be so loud?! Wait- Eugene? She turned her head, a dizzying feat, to see the man burst into the room, Pascal perched defensively on his shoulder like the figurehead of a ship.

     “Let her in! She’s the sun drop!

     “Eugene!” Rapunzel ran to him with open arms.

     “Rapunzel, I am so sorry! I just thought-”

     Pleased as she was by his apology, Rapunzel quieted him with a hand on his cheek. “There’s no time for that. We have to get to that stone, this place is coming down around us!”

     The Dark King growled in frustration. “But the moonstone must be destroyed, son!”

     “Son?” No way she heard that right. Cassandra got to her feet just as Rapunzel ran past her to the moonstone chamber entrance, the cogs in her mind struggling to restart. Eugene a prince? Was she that concussed or was the world completely upside down?

     Before Rapunzel could enter the moonstone chamber, the entire castle began to quake, an ominous chill permeating the air. And when Cassandra exhaled, she could see her own breathe misting before her, the hairs on the back of her neck raising.

     “What’s going on?” Lance’s voice quivered, his eyes shifting nervously.

     Cassandra’s jaw became slack as the antechamber filled with the ghosts of the Dark Kings and Queens of centuries past. She drew her sword, prepared for the eminent attack, but it was hard to focus. She brain was still stuck on Eugene. How could that thief, that orphan, be a prince? And not just prince consort, but full on, damn royalty! And all this time she was what? The daughter of a witch?! Cassandra sliced at the cold, empty eyes of the dead lady coming straight for her, her whole body reacting on instinct.

     The ghost was quick to re-materialize. And they were everywhere, diving upon her friends, tossing them around like garbage. They needed a new approach. Her eyes were drawn to the statue closest to her. Maybe an aerial attack? Ignoring the tenderness of her hand, Cassandra clambered to perch on the shoulder of some long dead king, ready to pounce on the next ghost that passed by. Holding her breath, she calculated the time until the spirit reached her, 1, 2, 2 and a half… she leapt. Swinging her sword through the air and bisecting the ghoul at the torso, only to stab his back for the finishing blow. That should do it! She turned, ready to face her next opponent, gasping as the 'man' she had just ‘killed’ threw her to the floor.

     The oppressing weight of the spirit pushed down on her face, her shoulders, her lungs, she couldn’t breathe. Cassandra strained against her captor as he lifted her up, his fingers digging deep into her bone marrow. The emptiness of the ghost’s eyes transformed into the burning blue of the hottest flame right before he suddenly vanished. Landing on her feet, Cassandra smiled at Rapunzel. They parted ways to fight the next round of ghosts, but they were quickly losing ground.

     Eugene, Rapunzel, Lance, Adira, Max, and Cassandra backed into a defensive circle, surrounded by dead monarchs. The standstill was broken when the queen plucked Shorty off the ground and threw him into Rapunzel and Eugene. Chaos ensued as Max kicked a ghost across the room, Adira disintegrated another one, Cassandra swung at two, only for both spirits to converge and knock her to the ground. And Lance somehow managed to take one of the spirit’s weapons.

     He steeled himself. “Okay, Lance, buddy. I think we learned something today: everyone has a destiny.”

     Cassandra pushed her hair out of her eyes, to gape at Lance. Her own words coming back to haunt her. She had believed so fully in her destiny only a couple hours ago. Go. Abandon the princess, make your own path. But then Eugene had died and Rapunzel had needed her. Or was that a figment of Cassandra’s imagination, her own ego? Had Rapunzel ever needed her?

     Like a bolt of lightning, Lance’s face lit up and he ran across the antechamber to retrieve Adira’s shadow blade. He leapt at the nearest statue, flaying the Dark Queen's body right down the middle. Almost immediately her ghost burst into oblivion, her fading screech the only remnant of her existence. Without another second of hesitation, Lance passed the sword along until it eventually slid to Cassandra’s feet. She flipped it skyward with the toe of her boot, caught it in her left hand and hurled it at the statue beside her, shattering the figure of a long dead king.

*****

     After King Edmund dispatched the final statue, even toppling his own half constructed one in the process, they all took a moment to regroup. Thankfully, no one had been seriously injured, though Cassandra held her arm close to minimize agitating the lingering affects of the decay incantation. Whether it was from her time in the lava tunnel, the fingers of the ghost king reaching inside her, or simple fatigue all she knew was that her whole arm, all the way up her shoulder and down her scapula was sparking like a stick of dynamite.

     She removed herself to a corner of the room, away from the ruckus of Edmund, Adira, Lance, and Max shifting boulders to clear a way into the moonstone chamber. Away from Eugene and Rapunzel cuddled together on the floor exchanging reunion kisses and sweet nothings. Away from everyone.

     Her head was a mess, torn to shreds by what she refused to identify as jealousy. From her spot leaning against a large chunk of statue, Cassandra eyed Adira’s shadow blade venomously. Today was how the Great Tree should have gone: using an actual weapon to defeat magic and not the decay incantation. Her ears still rang with it. Lance you’re a genius!

     Cassandra dropped her head in her hands, massaging her temples. She really shouldn’t be so petty. She was happy Lance had been recognized, truly, because loathe as she was to admit it, the man had become a friend. But was it so wrong for her to feel so— Ugh! The Demanitus Spear would have worked!

     And she would still have her hand. Not this mangled mess.

     “Cass!”

     She looked up to see Eugene jogging over with a lopsided grin. Rapunzel now on the other side of the room tapping King Edmund’s back to offer the use of her hair to help move debris.

     “Fitzerbert.” She nodded a curt greeting, already settled in a state of proper irritation. “You’re not dead.” And now I can’t scrape your guts off the ravine floor.

     “Yeah,” he sagged sheepishly, and yet his dumb smile never faltered. “About that, I guess I need to thank you.”

     Cassandra regarded him with measured surprise. “For?”

     “For having Rapunzel’s back.” Eugene dropped a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Turns out Demanitus wasn’t talking about you after all.”

     She sneered at his fingers before jerking out of his grasp. She had yet to receive a proper explanation about this ‘prophecy’ but it had become all too clear that this is what was on that silly piece of paper in Eugene’s pocket. Her face grew hot, matching the fire in her arm. He had suspected her of betraying the princess… Well, maybe that damn monkey had been right.

     In a way.

     “You were being an ass. I stepped in.” Cassandra glared at him in open challenge. “What’s new?”

     “Oof.” Eugene reeled back in mock offense. “Spare me the lecture, CasSANdra, the frog already set me straight.

     Cassandra found Pascal sitting happily against Rapunzel’s neck, his tail curled around a strand of her hair. Annoyance spiked once more. Where was Owl? And now that she was truly looking. Where was Fidella?

     “But you know, something good did come out of it,” Eugene continued, oblivious to Cassandra’s crossed arms and the unimpressed slant of her mouth. “I found out I’m a prince! Which officially makes me better than yoouuu.” He jabbed a finger in her face, waggling it with a self-satisfied smirk.

     Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Congrats on inheriting the world’s shittiest kingdom,” she said dryly.

     “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up,” his arms pinwheeled way too close to her nose. “This place is no Corona, sure, but once Rapunzel takes care of the moonstone, everything will be sunshine and daisies!”

     Cassandra scoffed, not believing for a second the Dark Kingdom would ever be sunshine and daisies. But that wasn’t her main concern. “Listen, Eugene. I don’t know if she should take the moonstone.”

     “Ugh, Cass! Not you too!”

     “I’m being serious. Adira said—”

     Eugene barked out a laugh. “And since when do you listen to Adira?”

     She glanced over at the princess, now bouncing on the balls of her feet as another boulder was removed from the moonstone chamber door. “I just don’t want Rapunzel getting hurt.”

     Eugene stilled. “I’m sure something will happen, but she’s the sundrop, she’ll be fine.” His voice sounded far away as he joined her in observing Rapunzel’s happy jittering. “It’s her destiny.”

     Cassandra shook her head. What good was destiny if one didn’t have choice? Unless one’s destiny was simply the power of choice. The power to choose one’s path, to stray from expectation. The power to allow oneself to drop all responsibility and answer the call… Perhaps that was why she had always felt half drowned, shoved beneath surging waves by unseen hands as the world spun around her, unceasing.

     The revelation hit her like a brick wall. Cassandra wasn’t the daughter of a great captain. She had no claim to the Landrik name, a legacy of knights and soldiers who had given their lives for King and Country. She wasn’t a magical princess, beloved by all. Nor was she a long, lost prince with a forgotten kingdom waiting to claim her. She was just Cassandra.

     She turned back to Eugene, eyes wide with growing horror. He had asked her once what she imagined her parents were like. It hadn’t mattered then. She had never wondered. Never even thought to ask. The memory of her own voice echoed in her mind. “Thank you, mama.” She just accepted whatever was handed to her, waiting for something better to come along, because she was good. She listened and followed orders. She did everything right. That had to be rewarded!

     Like the shattering of glass, her music box slipped from her fingers, slack with grief as she witnessed her mother choose another child. No. It had dropped when her crippled hand became too weak to carry its weight. She was four and twenty-four at the same time. Two decades of waiting in a window. How could she have aged when nothing ever happened? Grains of sand didn’t have birthdays, they just existed. Why did she exist? Why had Gothel never taken Rapunzel out of Corona? Had she always intended to come back for her real daughter? Her black-haired child, dusty with neglect, shoes too tight, a somber, sullen thing who loved her mother with every fiber of her being. Did Gothel want to reclaim her for some purpose? She had to have a destiny!

     The truth was so simple… And to think all it had taken for her to open her eyes was a chance encounter with a little, blue apparition.

     Cassandra was powerless. Unless she chose otherwise.

     She fell back against the stone wall.

     “Cass!” Eugene reached out to catch her, but she was already pushing herself upright.

     She waved him off. “I’m fine.”

     He stepped back, giving her space to recover, but his sharp eyes never left hers. “You’re all sweaty.”

     “It’s just hot, that’s all.” Cassandra wiped her brow, pulling her hand away to see moisture staining the heel of her glove.

     Eugene’s brows knitted together in concern, gauging her. “Right. Well, I think they’ve just about finished clearing the rubble, so we should-”

     Cassandra exhaled a puff of air, rolling her shoulders back. “Let’s get this over with.”

Chapter Text

     Cassandra stood back as Lance, Max, Edmund, and Adira strained to lift the final chunk of stone blocking the moonstone chamber entrance: the massive granite head of King Edmund. The Dark King’s cold, unseeing eyes bore deep into her soul, accusing Cassandra of a crime she had yet to commit. She wasn’t really about to do this, was she? The longer she held the decapitated monarch’s piercing gaze the faster her heart raced. It made her itchy, her armpits slick with sweat. Motion in her periphery turned her head. Eugene. Watching. Probably still concerned. It irked her. Why now? After all this time… But she smiled, consciously easing the tension in her spine. Relax.

     “It’s all up to you now,” came the gravelly voice of the flesh and blood King Edmund.

     “No,” Rapunzel stood straighter, proud. “It’s up to us.”

     The princess flashed a winning smile at Eugene, and Cassandra’s stomach dropped like lead. The princess had wanted her company before Eugene came around, but now that he was here, did that mean she was expected to wait outside? Cassandra balled her fists, for once relishing the fire that shot up her arm, allowed it to fuel her resolve. She was going into that chamber no matter what.

     Mindful of the strength needed to hold the stone above the ground, Rapunzel dropped to her knees and crawled under. Cassandra was quick to follow, desperate not to be left behind, but every pull forward brought with it the tingling sensation of the head about to fall, crushing her flat. A backwards guillotine. Stop worrying. She scolded herself. They don’t know. You don’t even know. Eugene followed soon after, and the door to the moonstone chamber slammed shut behind them. She was in.

     Cassandra stood, trying to slow her pounding heart, but she found that the muscle had seized mid contraction in her chest. The moonstone, suspended in a cage of rock, was mesmerizing, pulling her in. The physical opal, hidden within its own glowing light, radiated coolness and Cassandra couldn’t help but melt in its presence, drift in its power. The sensation filled her steadily, like stepping into the cold, soothing waters of a natural spring. Pure and clear, deep and ancient, she let herself float, allowed the gravity of the moonstone to drag her down into the caverns of limestone and dolomite rock. She became porous,  every ache in her weary muscles, every ounce of pain in her shriveled hand, dissolved through her fingertips, leaked from her toes. It was exhilarating to feel weightless. She shivered, tickled by a bead of sweat turning to ice as it dripped down her back. The last rain of autumn…

     But Cassandra’s eyes were finally drawn away from the stone when Rapunzel’s hair began to snake up towards the ceiling of the chamber, the pinnacle impossible to see in the shadows. The room seemed to be consumed by eternal darkness until the proximity of the sundrop brought the black rocks to life, revealing glacial blue veins criss-crossing over frozen cores. The spikes shifted, sentient as the quills of a porcupine, rising and falling until they all pointed in one direction: the moonstone.

     The dry shuffling of each spear of rock clicking into place drew Rapunzel forward. She stood on the platform’s edge, watching the rocks seal themselves into a solid surface. They shimmered with the glossy black of obsidian and then grew dark. The chamber became heavy with the sudden absence of noise.

     Cassandra’s mouth parted in confusion. There was no way across! That whole showy display of power and the rocks couldn’t bother making a bridge? She stepped forward, annoyed, only to stop short. Just wait. Rapunzel won’t give up yet. She narrowed her eyes at the princess’ back, focused on the line of skin between the collar of her dress and her golden hairline. The air vibrated with expectation and Rapunzel’s shoulders tensed, poised for something, anything to happen.

     With a shallow breath, she stepped out in faith, her foot hovering over empty space. Habit brought a stab of panic to Cassandra’s gut as she envisioned the princess falling, but just as she put down her foot, a pool of rock met her, growing up from the depths of the chamber to create a path. Cassandra rolled her eyes at the convenience, but Rapunzel simply stepped forward once more, continuing on as effortlessly as an angel walking on water.

     Cassandra hesitated. Torn between what could be and what should happen next… Destinies colliding. She caught Eugene’s eyes and his encouraging smile set her in motion. 

     Their boot steps rang sharp and hollow against the glass-like stone, quickly catching up to Rapunzel. The princess had stopped not even ten feet away from the moonstone, ten feet from her prize. Cassandra’s gaze flickered between Rapunzel’s odd stillness and the opal, counting the seconds under her breath. Now that she was closer, she could discern the brilliant blues and purples of the moonstone, ethereal in its infinity. Desperate to submerge themselves in the stone’s numbing light, the cracked fingers of her right hand twitched, reaching out, but Cassandra clamped her left hand over her arm, holding herself in check. Wait.

     Rapunzel looked over her shoulder, beaming, expecting Cassandra to match her enthusiasm. They had finally made it! A whole year’s worth of challenge and adventure, joy and pain. And her breath hitched. It was disarming, as all Rapunzel smiles tended to be, and not an insignificant part of Cassandra wanted to join in the princess’ elation. The part of her soul that had stitched itself to her liege with blind devotion, the part of her heart that enjoyed being gripped tight in the well-intentioned fist of her first friend…

     The princess approached, turned her back on the moonstone completely, and Cassandra half wondered how much Rapunzel could see. Because surely, it was all in her eyes. The regret she felt at needing to take what was hers, for being the one to betray her trust. But her cynical mind knew all too well that Rapunzel would only recognize the girl Cassandra used to be. The girl who did as she was told, the one who lived for others, throwing herself in danger and succumbing to a life without power, a life where she lost all sense of self and slowly petrified into something hard and inhuman. Decaying from the inside out.

     I don’t have time for dreams…

     Her own lie filtered through her memories and settled in the space where her throat met her mouth. The words had only ever been a means to convince herself the noose around her neck hadn’t been tightening with every breath. A way to keep her controlled and stunted, half developed and contextless. She could never forgive the Captain for denying her the right to her own heritage, for masquerading her around as some innocent, pitiful orphan when she was someone. She was Gothel’s daughter. She had a purpose! And knowing what she knew now?

     She had always had dreams.

     “Look,” Rapunzel’s voice was soft, gentle… “I know these last few months haven’t been easy for us,” she cradled Cassandra’s hands in her delicate fingers, oblivious to what they would soon become, before blinking up at her. “I want to thank you. For everything.”

     Cassandra’s smile was sad, the muscles of her face unable to commit to anything else. Of course Rapunzel would try to mend their friendship now. When she believed nothing else could go wrong. When she was so close to winning everything. It was pathetic, and Cassandra was disgusted with herself for ever being so malleable, unyielding as a ball of hot wax in the princess’ perfectly beveled fingers. Love made fools of everyone.

     As Rapunzel threw her arms around her, Cassandra gingerly pulled the final filament stitching them together from her flesh. After today, she would never have to answer to anyone again. She would be free.

     “Okay, Rapunzel. It’s time.”

     She averted her eyes as the prince and princess exchanged a kiss. And with a shuddering exhale, Rapunzel began her forward march once more. 

     For Cassandra, time froze, the rush of her pulse filled her ears, narrowing her vision until all she could see was the moonstone and the encroaching form of Rapunzel. She had to get this exactly right, otherwise Eugene would grab her. But looking at him, it was clear he wasn’t paying her the slightest bit of attention, his eyes wide and watchful, intent on his girlfriend and the task she was about to complete. Cassandra almost laughed. When it came to Rapunzel, she would always be cast in shadow. But no more.

     She moved before realizing she had willed her body to do so, her feet gliding, seemingly not touching the ground. The rock cage retreated, the moonstone ascended, Rapunzel reached, slow and transfixed. Cassandra passed Eugene. She was so close she feared Rapunzel could feel her breath on the back of her neck, and yet, she never turned. Never even considered the possibility that she would fail. This was too easy!

     Cassandra was giddy. She was right there! Her heart stopped. The world stood still. And she thrust her right hand forward, allowed it the freedom it had been craving the moment she entered the chamber. She snatched her destiny from right under the princess’ damn button nose.

     “Cassandra?” Rapunzel reeled back in shock, her green eyes wide with horror and fear. Fear of her. And Cassandra couldn’t have been more thrilled “What are you doing?”

     The power of the moonstone struggled to escape her grasp, but she held tight, gritting her teeth. “I’m fulfilling my destiny!”

     As soon as she claimed it, the moonstone burst with energy. Lightning crackling, sparking, singeing her flesh until she burned cold. It was almost too much to bear, but Cassandra was past the point of no return. How embarrassing it would be to die now. She had been moulded into a caricature of herself for so long and by so many. Well now, it was her turn! Cassandra shoved the opal deep into her chest, demanded her body make space for this new surge of power, forced it to succumb to her will and rebuild itself in her image and her’s alone.

     Cassandra couldn’t see past her own light, couldn’t contain the huge amounts of magic coursing through her and she levitated off the ground. She screamed out as her blood turned to fractals of shattered glass, slicing through her weak flesh until it encased her in an obsidian shield. She became a comet, all rock and ice, star-like and worthy of worship. Powerful.
And then—

     When Cassandra at last opened her eyes, flexed her fingers, wiggled her toes, she marveled at her strength, her control. She was a silent pool of water one degree above freezing, one degree from total destruction, and damn, it felt good. She had succeeded where so many had failed. She alone had concurred the moonstone! Proof it was meant for her. She looked up the path at her friends, huddled on the floor, staring at her like she was the villain, and laughed. Had their faces always been this stupid?

     “I tried to warn you, Rapunzel.” She couldn’t keep the smile out of her voice as she took a step forward and black rocks stabbed out from her boot, obeying her every whim and command. Oh, this was going to be fun!

     “You have to be careful who you trust.”

Chapter Text

     The entire throne room shuddered as the doors were thrown open with an alarming bang. Kai sauntered in, the curled ends of his mustache lifted by a self-satisfied smirk.

     “You’ve got mail, Your Majesty.”

     King Frederic, who hadn’t flinched at the noise, smiled blithely. “Do I? That’s nice.”

     “Too bad you won’t be able to understand it.” Kai approached the dais and handed the letter not to the king, but to the tall, fox-like man standing beside him. “Seems like the princess is still occupied with her quest,” he said, sneering the word.

     Andrew unfurled the small square of parchment and skimmed the chicken scratch scrawled across it. He grinned, an odd thrill blooming in his chest. How flattering it was that, after all this time, Cassie knew him so well. They really could have conquered the world together, but no matter. She had chosen her side, despite the obvious characteristics denoting the woman’s Saporian ancestry. And even if his old flame wasn’t helping the Separatist cause directly, she was providing a very convenient timeframe to focus their efforts.

     Two weeks. The princess would reach her destination two weeks from the postage date, just over a year from when she first set out on her journey. Andrew tried calculating how long it would be until Rapunzel’s inevitable return, but quickly dropped the details in lieu of deciding he had plenty of time. Yes, he could do a lot in the upcoming months, especially with the kid’s brain at his disposal. Saporia would rule once more.

     With a lazy flick of his wrist, Andrew let the letter float down into the alchemist’s field of vision, blocking the kid’s intense tinkering of whatever bauble was clutched in his gloved hand.

     “File this away with the others. Once you perfect that memory thing of yours, let's start planning the princess’ welcome party.”

     Varian snatched the letter, looking up at Andrew with ridiculously large eyes blinking behind ridiculously large goggles. His mouth pulled back in wolfish delight.

     “Anything for Princess Rapunzel.”   

*****

     Ethan Landrik crested the ridge he had been climbing for the past two days and gazed out at the tower spiraling up from the opposite peak. The Spire glittered in the orange cast of the setting sun, a flaming lighthouse marking the next stop in his journey. Reaching into his pack, Corona’s Captain of the Guard pulled out the now familiar letters, all signed C.L., all documenting the travels of his daughter.

     He had escaped Corona in the days after the Saporian attack that had swept half his men into decommission, and the other half, along with innocent civilians, into the quarry to mine green minerals for the magician, Varian. And while it had pained him to abandon his country, he knew the only hope of restoring Corona lie in the hands of the princess and her friends.

     Unfolding his daughter’s last letter, eyes flickering over the memorized spattering of tear stains and sloppy penmanship, he grimly acknowledged the guilt that had been accompanying him for months. Cassandra was injured, perhaps incurably, if her desperate words were any indication. He looked east, into the growing night, and his heart squeezed tight in his chest. His little girl was out there, somewhere past West Ipsil, still protecting Princess Rapunzel despite all she had suffered.

     He hoped Cassandra had made it to Leores and received his correspondence. Prayed that the promise of an official spot on the Guard would give her the strength to fight another day. But more than that, he couldn’t wait to take his daughter in his arms and tell her just how proud he was. He realized now that he had never said it enough.

     The tell-tale arrowhead shape of a falcon flying overhead caught the Captain’s attention. It was a messenger bird, a small cylindrical canister secured to it’s leg with a crimson ribbon. The letter it carried could be for anyone, and yet, he wondered. He watched as the bird tilted it’s flight feathers, adjusting to the invisible air currents, until it disappeared into the sunset. With a sigh, the Captain neatly folded his own letters, returned them to their spot in his pack, and began the descent into the valley. Upon reaching the tree line, he searched the skies once more. How had he never appreciated the beauty of dusk? The first stars winked back, teasingly unreachable, as the scorching heat of the sun faded into the cool, dewey caress of the moon.

Chapter Text

She had done it. She had actually done it! Cassandra peered around the massive boulder she was crouched behind, giddy to witness the aftermath of her destruction. Eugene had finally arrived, coaxing Rapunzel, and her dramatically long hair, back up from the ruins of the bridge. Their mouths were moving, and while she couldn’t hear the words, it was all too easy to imagine their conversation.

Clearing her throat, Cassandra pitched her voice down in a poor mockery of Eugene. “Rapunzel, are you okay? Where’s CasSANdra?” She snickered at his dumb pronunciation of her name.

“She’s gone, Eugene.” She switched to a much higher register, even pouting her lips for added affect. “I couldn’t save her.” Damn right you couldn’t.

The two hugged and she rolled her eyes, turning away from the nauseating display of affection. Why did they always have to touch each other? But the thrill of freedom quickly returned, zipping through her like an erratic animal, jumping from bone to muscle, muscle to bone, tickling her ligaments and sending her into an uncontrollable fit of happy squirming.

Cassandra slipped down the side of the boulder, breathless, until she lay flat on the gravel, a teary smile spread wide across her lips. Gazing up at the dark, rolling clouds, she let her vision blur until it all became one smooth expanse of grey. She had done it.

Cassandra pressed her hands against her face and wept.