Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Captain of Corona’s Royal Guard was a man of order. He believed less is more. He believed in black and white systems. He believed in simplicity, in minimalism. He believed everything had its place and there was no room for mess. His quarters had once reflected that belief.

Then came Cassandra.

Now his quarters had toys scattered across the floor, juice stains that refused to fade from the white carpet, holes in the blanket from a child’s nervous chewing. Once, he would light a single candle and work until it burned itself out. Now, half-melted candles littered the nightstand, lit and relit to banish the monsters his little girl swore lurked in the dark.

He had expected the chaos to grate on him. Instead, the mess became a welcome contrast to his office and work-life. It was a reminder of what he worked so hard to protect.

Tonight, as he stepped inside, the door knocked over a small wooden soldier. He picked it up with a quiet chuckle. “Have we been playing guards again?”

Cassandra was crouched in the corner, setting up a block fortress for the soldiers to protect, but the sound of her father caused her to squeal and run over, grabbing his hand. “Papa! Come see my castle, it’s huge !”

“So it is,” he said, appreciating the improvement in his daughter’s stacking ability. “What threats disturb it though?”

Cassandra gave a teethy grin, grabbing a toy octopus from a shelf. “A dragon!”

“A dragon?” He feigned alarm. “Oh my, the guards won’t be pleased.”

“Nope. But they’re brave and they’re going to fight!” She grabbed another soldier, waving it defiantly. “They’ll protect everyone: the king, the queen, even the grumpy servants!” she declared, snatching up a doll that had—through some mysterious child logic—been assigned the role of Mrs. Crowley. Nearly all her toys had palace counterparts, though Captain could never quite remember which soldier was supposed to be him.

Captain smiled. “Yes, they will. But that’ll have to be another day, it’s dinner time, you need to put this all a way.”

“But it took me sooooooooo long to build it!” Cassandra argued. “It kept falling down.”

He considered the wobbling tower, then sighed in mock defeat. “All right. The castle can stay. But everything else gets put away—deal?”

She nodded vigorously before scrambling to gather her scattered toys.

“I’m going to go wash up, can I count on you to meet me in the kitchen in ten minutes?”

“Yes, Papa!” She snapped a salute, mimicking the guards.

Captain smiled, ruffling her hair. “That’s my little soldier.”

Cassandra was loud, messy, and endlessly energetic, but as far as children went, she was the perfect child for Captain. She never complained when duty kept him late, more than capable of entertaining herself. She followed orders better than some of his recruits. And after just a few months of gentle parenting, she had learned to speak her mind and Captain was happy to compromise with her.

Especially when Cassandra had built such a well structured little block castle, he looked forward to seeing what other structures she made—once the dragon was defeated, of course.

Cassandra had put most of her toys away. She had to quickly built a small but effective fence around her block castle to avoid her papa accidentally knocking it over and decided today her octopus—now officially dubbed Dragon—would join them for dinner.

She ran through the halls, dodging servants who didn’t even notice her. Her little feet were light on the carpeted floors of the castle hallways. When the kitchen came into view, she skidded to a stop and peeked around the corner.

No sign of Papa yet.

Just cooks and servants exchanging gossip.

She retreated, pressing her back against the wall. She’d been too fast! Now she’d have to wait for her papa to arrive. She didn’t want to go in without him. The other adults always tried to talk to her and while they seemed nice, Cassandra never knew what to say or do. They asked so many questions, smiled too widely, spoke in voices that were different for her than for other adults.

She sat on the ground, glad she’d brought her toy to keep her company while she waited.

“…I just feel so bad for the poor thing,” one of the servants was saying from inside the kitchen.

“Now don’t say that! She seems happy enough.”

“I know, I know. And Captain really does do his best but…” Cassandra turned her head at the mention of her papa. “But a girl needs her mother, you know?”

“She’ll be fine. She’s a smart little one, and it’s not like she’s lacking women in her life. Why, just the other day, she was out in the garden with the queen learning about roses!”

“But who’s going to hold her when she cries?”

Cassandra took in the words, processing them, wondering what all that meant, before hearing footsteps.

“Cassandra, sweetheart.” Her father’s voice made her jump to her feet. “Ready for dinner?” He held out his hand.

She nodded, slipping her small fingers into his.

The moment they stepped into the kitchen, the conversation switched to gardening.

“Have you seen the roses this year? I must ask the gardener for a cutting!”

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed at how the topic changed. Adults . So strange.

“Good afternoon,” Captain greeted as he began to plate up some food for himself and his daughter.

That night, Cassandra lay in her bed, not far from her papa’s. She held her octopus and a wooden soldier close to her chest. She wasn’t the best at falling asleep, normally, she’d quietly move the toys around, whispering the words they exchanged, trying to form stories to help her fall asleep. But tonight no stories came to mind, her ‘dragon’ and her soldier just lay with her awake.

Her mind was on the words of the servants.

What did they mean that a girl needs her mother?

What exactly did Cassandra need ?

What would happen if she didn’t have one?

Who would come when she cried?

She began to sniffle, her mind catastrophic as it imagined her body unable to grow without a mother’s love. What if she never learnt to write good enough or fight good enough? Or do maths? Were those things you needed a mother for? What would happen to her? Papa would be so upset.

Her sniffles got louder, but Captain, used to the marching of soldiers in the night, didn’t wake up.

He didn’t come to her as she cried.

Confirming what the servants said was true!

Cassandra’s grip on her soldier tightened.

Papa had said Mama was gone. That she’d left, and no one knew where. He’d promised Cassandra she’d be safe with him. But… she’d won plenty of hide-and-seek games against the guards. Maybe Mama was just really good at hiding.

Maybe mama was waiting for Cassandra to find her.

Cassandra sat up, looking at her little soldier before placing her octopus aside and moving to the wardrobe. If a girl needed a mother, then she’d just have to find hers.

She threw on her cloak, stuffed the wooden soldier into a small bag, and crept to her father’s bedside. Pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Cassandra?”

“I love you, Papa.”

“Mmm. Love you too, sweetie…” His voice was thick with sleep. “Need something?”

“No. Just wanted to say I love you.” She knew the rules: Always kiss Papa goodbye before leaving . He did it every morning.

“Okay… G’night, Sweetie.”

“Goodnight.”

She eased the door open, slipped into her boots, and vanished into the hallway.

Chapter Text

Cassandra tugged at her cloak, pulling it tighter around her small frame. It was chilly out, but she’d come prepared. The forest loomed around her, shadows creeping over the path she was sure would lead her to her mama. Her boots made a crackling noise as dead leaves fell to pieces beneath them.

She didn’t look back, didn’t notice how small and distant the castle and Corona village was becoming, perhaps if she had, she’d of realised she wouldn’t know her way home and turn back now, but Cassandra had her heart set on finding her mama, so she could grow up big and strong.

She didn’t think she was doing anything wrong. Papa had told her many times she was allowed to leave the quarters to go to the washroom or the kitchen if she needed some water.

And the guards hadn’t even noticed her as she wandered beneath them and right into the shadows.

She had a little satchel her papa had bought for her in the market, in it she had a little toy soldier to protect her, and some bread she’d taken from the kitchen as a treat. As the path got darker, she had to narrow her eyes to see, she stumbled over a root and scraped her knee on the floor. “Oh dear…” she mumbled, sitting up and looking at her knee before pulling up her sock to cover the blood. “Gotta hide it from papa so he doesn’t make it hurt more.” She’d learnt quickly that if she got hurt, Captain would clean the affected area, which was far more painful than the initial injury. Captain had tried to explain why this was necessary to Cassandra, but she was having none of it.

Moonlight bled through the trees as Cassandra trudged on, waving at night creatures scurrying around collecting food or taking care of their families.

Cassandra wasn’t an easy to scare child. She’d lived in a small cottage surrounded by this type of nature and darkness, she’d sat at the window witnessing it and waiting for mama. Which is why she took the hooting and the sound of animals scuffling along as good, it meant she was in the right area of the forest to find the cottage.

Papa said Mama wasn’t there anymore.

But Cassandra thought maybe if she was there, then mama would be there. Because apparently children needed there mama’s and mama knew where to find her.

But for as far as Cassandra walked, she didn’t find her old home.

In fact, after a while, she realised she was no longer on a path, and she wasn’t sure what way she’d come.

“Mama?” she called, but there was no response. She pulled her cloak even closer.

A soft hoot made her spin around. A fluffy owlet stared up at her, wings flapping uselessly against the dirt.

“Hi… do you know where my mama is?”

The bird hooted and tilted its head before flapping its wings some more, too young to take flight.

Cassandra knelt. “You’re not supposed to be on the ground.” She scooped it up, and the bird immediately burrowed into her cloak for warmth.

She giggled. “You can come with me.” Cradling the owl, she resumed her search, her previous concerns momentarily forgotten now she had a friend. “I’m Cassandra. Do you have a name?”

“Hoot.”

“Hoot?”

The owl shook its entire body, as it tried to get comfortable, Cassandra took that as a ‘no’.

“Well, until you find a way to tell me your name, I’m gonna call you Owl, how does that sound?”

The owl rested his head against Cassandra’s chest, which she took as a ‘yes’.

“I’m looking for my mama. Last time I saw her was in this forest and I’m told I need a mama… I don’t know what for, but I decided I best come find her.” She pressed on, chattering as the bird drowsed against her. “Have you seen her? She’s kinda like me but much taller… she’s… hmm… she can sound mean, but she’s actually very nice and I’m told she’s very pretty.”

Owl only snuggled deeper.

“I guess you haven’t seen her. That’s okay. We’ll search together. For my mama and for yours, she must be really worried.”

Owl didn’t answer, letting the little girl ramble as long as she kept him safe and warm.

Captain awoke to an empty bed across the room.

He didn’t panic. Not yet. The first few times Cassandra had vanished at night, he’d nearly torn the palace apart, but he knew his little girl had probably just gone for some water, he did however stay awake to await her return. When the minutes ticked by, he eventually decided something must have happened and stood up. Throwing on a night-robe over his pyjamas, it was late, too late to bother getting changed, she was probably just in the washroom with a poorly tummy, he’d assess the situation then decide on the best course of action.

But she wasn’t in the washroom.

And she wasn’t in the kitchen.

Now Captain felt a sliver of panic.

He wasn’t frantic yet, but he was in enough of a hurry to head up to the royal quarters without first changing into his uniform to check if his little girl had gone to bother the queen.

He wouldn’t usually wake the queen for such a mundane matter as a missing child but he knew Cassandra had gone to the queen a couple of times for nightmares after the queen had told her ‘anytime’, a beginner's mistakes but one Arianna embraced.

“No, she’s not here…” Arianna whispered at the door.

“My apologies—”

“I’ll check the gardens.”

“Your Majesty, you needn’t—”

“She’s probably not wandered far, but it’s a missing child, Captain… I think we both know I take such a matter very… very seriously.” She smiled. “Though I’m certain she’s just being a child somewhere.”

Captain nodded, his panic spiking at the realisation that Cassandra could have been taken. Cassandra was, after all, the Captain’s daughter and the daughter of the woman who kidnapped the princess. Plenty of reasons to snatch her. But for that, Cassandra would have had to have left the safety of the castle, which she knew better than to do… right? Had he ever actually forbidden her from leaving the palace? Damn. He hadn’t.

The dawn was now closer than midnight and Cassandra still hadn’t found her mama. She was however lost, very, very lost. She sniffled and climbed over rocks and trees, reaching a cliff-side below which she could see an odd looming tower before turning around and heading in another direction.

She walked, and she walked, her sniffling growing louder. “Mama!” she called into the night.

The little owl tucked away in her cloak awoke and began hooting lightly, trying to comfort and calm the child, but to no avail.

Tearfully, Cassandra sank to the forest floor. She pulled out her bread and stuffed her mouth with a chunk for comfort before offering some to Owl, who pecked at it halfheartedly.

The comfort of the food was fleeting and soon Cassandra was curling into a ball on the forest floor. She sobbed into the dirt.

Owl didn’t know what to do, so he climbed back under the cloak and took a well-deserved nap. Cassandra followed suited not long after.

Chapter Text

“Cassandra!”

Captain’s voice cut through the forest, lantern light scattering shadows as a fox darted into the underbrush. Behind him, Queen Arianna clutched her cloak tighter, her face pale in the dawn light.

“Cassandra!”

“No sign of her since the footprints at the tree line,” Captain muttered, his knuckles whitening around the lantern handle.

“At least they were alone,” Arianna said softly, but fear bled through her words.

“What possessed her to do this?” His voice cracked. “Going out alone in the forest at night?”

“Children weave strange logic,” Arianna murmured, stepping over a root. “She’s out here somewhere. Waiting for us.”

But their minds conjured horrors: ravines, wolves, men with cruel hands. The guards searched in grim silence, their experience filling them with the same dread, this case so much close to home than the rest.

“Cassandra!” Captain called, straining to keep his own fear out of his voice.

“Cassandra!”

Cassandra woke up as the first rays of sunlight hit her face. She groaned and rolled over, reaching for a blanket to cover herself but found nothing and soon was aware of the crunching of the leafs beneath her and the log beside her.

She sat up slowly, remembering the night before, her mission for her mama and how now she was somewhere in the forest, lost, perhaps never to be found again.

She sniffled.

Hoot.

The owlet nuzzled her chin from beneath her cloak.

“Oh, hi there…” She cradled him, feeling his warmth against her chest. “You must be hungry…” Her satchel yielded only crumbs. “We’ll find some food together, okay?”

The owl blinked up at her.

“I don’t think I’ll find Mama today. Or your mama. But maybe...” She squinted at the canopy. “If I climb up, I can see the castle? There’s food there. I’ll share with you.”

The owl offered no opinion, but his gaze flicked to an apple tree he knew other humans often came to harvest.

“Breakfast!” Cassandra rushed over before setting him down gently. “You’d best stay down here where it’s safe. Okay?”

The chick immediately began to flap his wings, not wanting to be outside the warm cloak.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” Cassandra began to climb the tree. She grabbed onto a branch and pulled herself up the same way she’d seen dad’s men doing with the pole, she swung her leg over it and stood up, grabbing onto the next branch, getting closer and closer to the apples that hung above, she reached out with one hand then heard a slight cracking noise.

She turned her head just enough to see the branch she was holding onto cracking, before she could even process the danger though, it snapped.

Her scream ended as she hit the earth.

Owl scrambled towards the human, when she didn’t stir he found his place under her cloak again, letting out little sad hoots in an attempt to wake her.

“Cassandra!”

Captain swiped at his eyes. Sunlight mocked their search, each hour shrank the odds of finding her alive and well. He’d led missing-child hunts before, he’d hated every one of them, the fear was always there, but this... this was an open wound.

Arianna’s hand appeared on his arm, her own eyes red.

“How could she possibly have made it this far?”

Arianna shook her head. “She’s quite the strong little trooper, isn’t she?”

He didn’t answer. In his mind, a small body lay in a ravine, blue-lipped and still… or she’d been swallowed by the currents of a river… or a wolf who usually wouldn’t risk taking on a human saw easy prey in one so young and alone.

Arianna’s own hands trembled, she kept pulling at her cloak as though she could pretend it was the cold that was getting to her. But she too had fears, not of the wilderness, but of people. The type of people who’d steal a child for ransom, or worse, for vengeance, Cassandra was the Captain’s daughter, after all, and that carried with it a danger nobody wanted to consider.

The guards searched in disciplined silence, but their thoughts strayed to the training yard where Cassandra often ‘helped’, waving her stick like a sword. For weeks now she’d made morning training more bearable and served as a reminder of what they trained for, to fail her would not do well for morale.

“Should you send someone back to the palace to have posters printed?” Arianna suggested gently.

Captain shook his head. “Not yet. First twelve hours are critical, we keep searching.”

Arianna opened her mouth to reply when—

Hoot.

A ball of fluff leaped out from the bushes, wings flapping as it hit the dirt. Captain didn’t notice, almost kicking it as he walked past. “Cassandra!” he bellowed, marching onward.

But Arianna, who’d tended to injured sparrows as a young girl and trained eagles as a young adult, froze. A chick, far from its nest, wing flapping in distress, she couldn’t just walk away. “Hello, little one.” She knelt down, her fingers itched to soothe it. “Are you lost too?”

The owlet hopped forward. Stopped. Looked back.

Arianna frowned, as the guards marched on. Chicks usually wouldn’t wander. She stood to follow the bird, assuming it needed help getting back into its nest. “Lead the way, little one.”

Owl scurried ahead, looking back to check she was following and scurrying some more, making grand leaps over small roots and rocks.

Then they reached a clearing.

“Cassandra!” Arianna’s scream tore through the trees.

The child lay crumpled beneath an apple tree, the owlet now perched on her chest like a tiny sentinel. Arianna’s fingers flew to Cassandra’s throat. Pulse. Warm. Alive!

“Captain! Guards! Here!”

Boots pounded. The owl vanished under Cassandra’s cloak as Captain crashed to his knees beside them, his armour scraping dirt. His hands hovered over her, trembling, he tried to remember professional protocol but all he felt was parental terror at the sight of his baby unmoving and quiet.

Arianna gripped his wrist. “She’s breathing.” Arianna’s fingers touched Cassandra’s forehead. “She’s hot…”

His exhale was a sob.

“Must have fallen from the tree Captain,” one of the guards said, quickly taking in the scene. “I’ll get a doctor,” he said. Doctors were always brought on searches in case of injury, good thing too.

“Cassandra, sweetheart…” Captain’s hand touched her shoulder gently. “Oh, my baby…” he pressed his forehead to hers, relieved to see her alive, but still very much terrified of what state she may be in.

The doctor arrived quickly.

Before he could even finish inspecting her, Cassandra’s eyes fluttered open. She saw the doctor, frowning, then she saw her papa and a bright smile came over her. “Papa!”

“Cassandra,” Captain grabbed her hand quickly. “What are you doing out here, my baby?”

“Looking for mama,” Cassandra said, her voice slightly slurred. “People said child needs a mother but… I didn’t find her…” Cassandra frowned. “Then I got lost… then I fell.” She sniffled. “Hurts.”

“Oh, sweetheart.”

The doctor confirmed a concussion. Captain lifted her, pressing her to his chest. “We’re going home. And you’re never leaving my sight again.”

Cassandra smiled drowsily. “Can Owl come?”

“Owl?”

She produced the chick. “He’s lost too.”

Arianna stroked its head. “This brave little one led me to you.”

Captain’s throat tightened. “Of course he can come.” He watched as the chick nestled back into Cassandra’s cloak. “Thank you,” he added for the bird who’d helped find his child.

“Missed you, papa,” Cassandra murmured.

Captain held her tightly. “I missed you too. I was worried sick. Don’t ever wonder off without me again, okay?”

“Okay,” Cassandra fell asleep in his arms, feeling as secure as Owl did under her cloak.

Back at the palace, Cassandra rested in the infirmary. She had fresh warm pyjamas on, some of her favourite soft toys to keep her company as well as a thick blanket.

The doctor assured Captain the little girl was okay, but due to her age was under observation for the next twelve hours.

Captain sat rigid on the next cot, staring as if she might dissolve.

The owl she’d befriended was loving it under the blankets.

Arianna appeared at the door with a fowl smelling plate. “For the bird,” she told Captain as she placed it down on the bed beside Cassandra, the owl chick popping its head out quickly and hopping towards the meal.

Arianna sat beside Captain. “How are you feeling, Captain?”

The man shook his head.

“Relieved she’s home, right?”

Captain nodded.

“But also…?”

Captain swallowed. “Is she going to be okay?”

“The doctors say she’ll be fine.”

“It’s not the concussion I fear.” His voice frayed. “She needs a mother. Last night proved it.”

Arianna scoffed. “She heard gossip and took it literally. That’s no need, that’s a child playing problem-solver for problems that don’t exist.”

“I don’t know if I can do this, Your Majesty. I don’t know if I’m enough.”

“Do you love her?”

“God, yes. With every damn breath in my body. Last night I—” he choked. “I saw her lifeless in every shadow. Felt my heart stop with every snapped twig. I’ve never known terror like last night, feeling I may fall apart for the one person who... who needs me to be unbreakable.”

Arianna nodded. “You’ll manage.”

“But—”

“Many far less capable men have raised little girls into woman. While there will be obstacles, of that I’m sure, there will be nothing so grand you cannot overcome with the right helping hand.”

Captain turned towards his little girl.

“You can’t let other people’s unwarranted judgement affect your choice to raise her. She’s in good hands. And she knows it. Tonight was just a… slight mishap. An adventure.”

“I hope she never goes on an adventure again.”

Arianna laughed, reaching forward to scratch the owl’s head right before it tucked itself away under the blankets once more. “Well… you can hope, but I fear adventure may be in her bones.”

“What gives you that idea?”

“Just a hunch.”