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The late afternoon sun shone down on the small village of Valhalla, creating an atmosphere of calmness and peace. Children were chasing each other around the town square, parents were buying groceries from vendors. People were simply going about their lives, enjoying the end of an uneventful day. There was nothing unusual in sight besides the cloaked man moving silently through dark, vacant alleyways. He was carrying a raven-haired woman, bound and gagged, and he kept looking around nervously. Fortunately for the kidnapper, everyone was too focused on their own affairs to notice him.
"The boss will sure be glad we finally found that Cassandra girl," he muttered to himself before sprinting back to his hideout. He smiled, imagining the riches she was going to bring them.
Unlike the citizens of Valhalla, Cassandra's day had not been uneventful. Someone from a nearby village found out who she was, and the news spread like wildfire. Within an hour, every man, woman, and child in the village recognized her. She couldn't go anywhere without hearing whispers about the black rocks or the moonstone. Eventually, she had to leave, but the journey to Valhalla had been horrible. Bandits had attacked her, forcing her to spend more time than she'd like fending them off. Now that she'd arrived in Valhalla, all she wanted to do was find an inn and stay there for the remainder of the day. She hated herself for the choices she made in the past, but she was different now. Why couldn't anyone see that? At least she could have a peaceful night, she thought as she neared a run-down inn.
---
Hours later, Cass found herself tossing and turning in bed, still unable to fall asleep. Memories of the suspicious glances people gave her when she walked by and the whispers that followed her everywhere invaded her mind whenever she closed her eyes, making it nearly impossible to rest. She decided to take a walk to clear her head, knowing she probably wouldn't get to sleep any other way. She pulled on her boots and slipped out the door, praying that nobody would see her wandering around and assume the worst.
Thankfully, the streets were completely empty when Cass stepped outside. The feeling of the cool night breeze against her face comforted her a bit, and she smiled slightly. However, the moment of tranquility was instantly broken when she saw a figure moving quickly down a deserted road. There was something familiar about their movement, but she couldn't place it. Then it hit her. The figure was moving like a bandit who didn't want to be spotted. Without another thought, Cass followed, walking as silently as she could so that they wouldn't notice. After a few minutes, they got to an abandoned shack and slipped inside, leaving her alone once again.
---
"Tell me girl, how do you control those black rocks?" The leader of the bandits asked, pointing her knife at the woman in the corner.
"I-I can't!" the woman stammered, terrified out of her wits. She didn't know what the bandits wanted from her. They had tied her up in the corner and started interrogating her about how to manipulate the black rocks, which she couldn't do. With every unanswered question, the bandits grew more agitated and she grew more confused. Why did these bandits think she could control the black rocks?
"Don't lie to me, you idiot!" The leader snapped, stepping closer. "Stab that sack of money," she ordered, "just like how you stabbed everything else with your rocks."
"I'm telling the truth, I have no idea how to control them!"
"Hey, boss," a younger bandit called, "do you think we might have the wrong girl?"
"Shut up! The boss yelled. "She matches Cassandra's description perfectly." Now be quiet and let me finish. Once I get her on our side, we'll be unstoppable!"
"My name isn't Cassandra," the bandit's captive said, even more confused than before. Who did these people think she was?
"Yes it is, you liar!" The leader screamed, louder this time. "You're the one who figured out how to control the rocks and caused all that chaos in Corona!"
"T-That wasn't me-"
Before the leader could reply, the door of the bandit's hideout creaked open. A woman who looked exactly like their captive was standing in the doorway, sword drawn. She locked eyes with the woman in the corner and understood what was going on instantly. She rushed forward, stabbing two bandits and knocking out a third in seconds. The boss barely had time to react before she found herself face to face with her.
"Leave now and your spine stays intact," the woman hissed.
"And if I don't?"
"You don't want to know."
"Fine, I'll leave!" The boss spat, deciding dying wasn't worth keeping the hostage where she was for a bit longer. With that, she ran away into the night, never looking back.
---
When the bandit's leader was out of sight, Cassandra started cutting the ropes tying the former captive's limbs together. Once she could move again, Cass gently guided her out of the shack.
"T-Thank you so much for saving me," she whimpered, shaking from fear even though tthe bandits were gone.
"Don't mention it," Cass replied, wrapping her cape around the other woman's shoulders. "What did those jerks want from you, anyway?"
"I d-don't really know. They kept asking me about c-controlling the black rocks and calling me Cassandra."
Cass's blood ran cold the moment the words left the other woman's mouth. "They called you Cassandra?" She asked, her eyes widening at the realization that she might have been the one the bandits intended to capture.
"Yeah, they did. Do you know anyone named Cassandra?"
"That's my name."
"Really? They did say I matched your description perfectly. Do you think they meant to kidnap you instead of me?"
Cassandra didn't notice in the darkness of the hideout, but the bandit's captive looked just like her. She had the same black hair, the same hazel eyes, the same pale skin.
"Listen, this might sound weird," Cass began, "but I think we might be related."
"Well, we do look pretty similar," the other woman said. "I guess that could be true."
"What's your name?" Cass asked.
"My name's Cecilia," the woman answered.
"Huh, that name doesn't sound familiar," Cass muttered. "How old are you?"
"27."
"Then you're just a few years older than me," Cass said. What are your parent's names?"
"I never met my dad, so I don't know his name, but my mom's name was Gothel."
"Gothel was also my mother's name!" Cass exclaimed.
"Are you serious?!" Cecilia asked. "My mom just dumped me at an orphanage because she didn't want me. I didn't think she'd ever have another kid."
"She didn't want me either," Cass explained. "She abandoned me when I was four." Just saying those words immediately brought back horrible memories, but she tried not to think about Gothel right now.
"So, I guess this means we're sisters," Cecilia said.
"Yeah, I guess we are," Cass replied. "I'm so glad I decided to take a midnight walk tonight. If I hadn't, that bandit couldn't have lead me here. "It's funny, it's almost like we were destined to meet."
Cecilia pulled Cass into an almost suffocating hug. "Oh, we definitely were."
They stayed like that for several minutes, just enjoying each other's company. When the hug finally ended, they stood there in silence for a moment before Cecilia spoke.
"Hey, do you have a place where we can spend the night? My home is really far away."
Cass smiled. "Yeah, I have a room at the inn." As they walked back to the inn together, Cass and Cecilia both knew they had a lot of catching up to do, and a lot to learn about each other, both good and bad. But that could wait until tomorrow. Now, all matters is that they met. Maybe destiny always had cruel things in store, but it always had good things as well.