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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.When the tears stemmed, Cassandra shuddered with an all heaving, exhausted sigh and dragged herself to her feet. She brushed off the dirt clinging to her hair and was mildly thrown by the lack of pain she encountered. Pulling her hands back, she flexed them. For the first time since before the Great Tree, the fingers of her right hand moved exactly as they should, smooth, healthy, effortless. Time had not reversed, her hand was still the same mangled mess it was an hour ago, but the rock, the power of the moonstone, now braced Cassandra’s brittle bones, tempered and cooled the perpetual burning and itching of her rotten flesh. A beautiful numbness.Her eyes smarted once more at the relief of knowing she would never again need to adjust her grip in the exact right way, never again need to go through her day wary of her own body and the patterns of movement she had developed over 24 years of life. It was a balm on the open wounds of her heart.With renewed wonder and appreciation, Cassandra examined her armor, running her hands up her calves, over the curve of her thighs and hips, along the bend of her waist. It flexed and stretched with her as she moved. Thinned at her fingertips when she needed to feel, thickened when she needed protecting: skin that was at once a part of her and entirely separate, alive and demanding respect. Her fingers traced the lighter vein of rock until she encountered the opal pulsating in her chest like a second heartbeat.Cassandra paused, sending a silent thank you to the stone, before continuing up her shoulders and her neck, counting each spike of rock she encountered. When she finally reached her hair, she pulled a strand taught until she could see it, going slightly cross-eyed as she stared at the alarming shock of blue. She had seen it. Had seen her reflection in the obsidian, but she thought… Well, she hadn’t thought much at all, but wasn’t her hair supposed to stop glowing when she wasn’t using the moonstone’s magic?So much for being inconspicuous… Her heart bucked, revolted by her mind’s habit of moving through the world unseen. This was not the time for the sniveling meekness of a Lady in Waiting. She had claimed the moonstone and it had claimed her. And if she needed to carve each letter into the earth itself, or walk around with eternally glowing hair, then so be it. The world will know her name.A gust of wind buffeted her from the north, pulling her from her own thoughts and carrying voices that made Cassandra’s skin crawl. She looked out at the surprising sight of a hot air balloon rising steadily, the flame filling the silk envelope to bursting. Even from the ground, she could see the heads of her friends poking above the rim of the basket, a title that no longer seemed mutual, as they left her. Alone.
Hadn’t you wanted this all along, Cassandra?
No, she supplied a little petulantly. She was supposed to be the one to leave. Force Rapunzel to wallow in powerlessness, the cavity that once imprisoned her Lady in Waiting bubbling with hot, slick blood until it dribbled past her pretty pink lips. They should be grieving her! And yet, they floated away, not a care in the world, yapping about views and directions, leaving her to drown in her own sentimentality. How dare they.The flick of Fidella’s dark mane caught her eye and Cassandra stepped out from her rock, intensely focused on her oldest friend as the balloon became nothing but a speck. She should have tried harder to say goodbye. Lean her forehead on the mare’s broad nose one last time, smooth her hand across the expanse of her cheek, feel the gentle breaths of air as the horse nipped at her collar, playful and beautiful and smart, and just so, so good. And now she was gone.A soft hoot and silent wings brushed against Cassandra’s ear, and she lifted her arm to catch Owl. The moment of joy she felt at being reunited with the bird was dashed as she turned to look into his narrowed, accusing eyes. What the hell have you done? Annoyance sparked within her. She would show him just how incredible she could be. She would show everyone.*****Rapunzel slumped against the wall of the basket, sinking to the floor with a sigh. Ulf had finally managed to get the balloon back on course and everyone had quickly settled into despondent brooding, herself included. She breathed deep through her nose in an attempt at calming the fluttering of her heart, but her stomach still twisted nauseatingly. They had all been rattled by the events of the Dark Kingdom, but she couldn’t let it show. Not when they had to save Corona from this new danger. Cass would just have to wait.Within minutes, the others had drifted off to sleep, lulled by the bobbing of the wind and the intermittent roar of the flame keeping them aloft. Rapunzel sighed and tried to focus on the backs of her eyelids. Darkness. Even breathing. Sleep would come. You just have to be patient. Agh! With a bitter huff, Rapunzel’s eyes flew open. She knocked the back of her head against the basket in frustration. She was tired, but how could she sleep?! How could anyone sleep with worry gripping their heart so fiercely? So, with trembling hands, she fumbled for her bag. Only to get stuck at the latch.Her eyes glazed over as she followed the pattern of paint decorating the light blue leather. The charms and tassels dangling from the corner. It all seemed too bright, too sweet, too childish. When had that happened? Had her tastes changed? Or was it just the aftermath of Cass’— ugh, she couldn’t even think the word.Cass… Rapunzel pined for her friend. How could she have done what she did? How could she have kept her from fulfilling her destiny? Stolen the one thing responsible for all the turmoil and destruction across the Seven Kingdoms? Across Corona? Rapunzel’s mouth tasted sour. She wished she could brush her teeth.Finally managing to rip open her bag, Rapunzel retrieved her journal and watercolor kit from inside. This kind of muddled thinking would all become clear if she could just paint it out. Simple! But as soon as the paint was prepped, her brush loaded with pigment and ready to swathe a glittering sheen over expectant paper, Rapunzel stalled again.No. She jammed the point of her brush into her forehead. Please don’t be painter’s block. Please. Her eyes prickled with tears, and her fingers were white where they gripped the brush too tight, squeezing every ounce of inspiration into a dead stick of wood. The page blurred beneath a film of water. The gondola, Eugene falling, Eugene alive, King Edmund, the moonstone chamber, but between each image, was Cass. Cass’ hand reaching out. Cass’ face transformed by anger. And Cass’ eyes… manic and icy as a frozen sea, so cold your heart stops before drowning.Rapunzel snapped her watercolors shut, not even bothering to clean off the brush before stuffing it back in her purse.
She flipped to the front of her journal, rereading it from the very first page. Through her own art and words, Rapunzel relived the last year of her life. Reignited the heartache of her father locking her in her room and the magic of breaking out to discover a whole new world outside of Corona. Page after page of adventure and color, life, beauty, and love. So much love.Rapunzel’s heart pinched sharp in her chest, something hot and sticky pooling inside her. In the pages that weren’t filled with Eugene, Cassandra was there, always smiling, always strong, her sword drawn valiantly. Until she wasn’t. Whether it was the dim light of the flame, or the shattering of rose tinted lenses, something about Cassandra had changed. Her colors shifted. Fewer flowers, fewer smiles, fewer companionable moments caught in pigment. It hadn’t been like that, had it? They were both angry, both struggling to work through it, but that didn’t mean anything. They were best best friends!But the proof was there. Rapunzel had documented it herself… Or rather, not documented anything at all.Rapunzel turned to the final drawing, still sketched in pencil, and held the book close to her face, trying to catch a glimpse of the Cassandra that was capable of stealing the moonstone. It had been thirteen pages exactly since she had painted the warrior—her previous depiction inexplicably showing Cass performing alongside the Hook Brothers, all with matching hook appendages—but at last, Rapunzel’s fingers traced the familiar curve of her friend’s cheek.She had been working on this piece right before King Edmund’s swarm of ravens attacked. Yesterday? This morning? What did it matter anymore? She squinted at the drawing, searching. It was an overhead, abstract view of the five of them embraced, arms wrapped around shoulders, Eugene, Lance, Shorty, Cassandra, and herself. Pascal was in the middle, with space for Owl, but she hadn’t made it that far. Never had the chance. Because before she could finish, Cass had approached her. Asked to talk. What had they talked about?Home. Rapunzel fought hard to recall the details. They had talked about home, and she had the idea of Cass working part-time on the guard. A great idea, really! Half guard, half Lady in Waiting, full-time friend. It was perfect! And for a moment, things were just like they were before. They had laughed and Cassandra had smiled. A real one. The one that split the woman’s usually stoic face naturally and beautifully, her inner light shining through. Although, had it been real? Because right after, Cassandra got upset. Why? Rapunzel hadn’t said anything wrong, but like the smoke of a candle just blown out, Cass had drifted away.And if her own paintings were any evidence, she had been drifting away for a long time.Rapunzel shook her head, refusing to believe their friendship was over. Cass could have crossed the ravine without them, but she came back. She had saved Rapunzel when the gondola fell. Held her when she thought Eugene was… gone. Looked upon her with love and devotion right before they confronted King Edmund. That Cass would never have taken the moonstone. That Cass would be by her side right now, putting a hand on her shoulder, making sure she was okay. But that Cass was gone, replaced by something sharp and scary.Rapunzel skipped to the first painting of the caravan, her friends. They had all been so happy last year, soft and innocent, but her lungs grew tight with doubt. Had she ever seen the world for what it really was? The watercolor figures grew blurry and Rapunzel squeezed the tears out of her eyes with the heel of her hand. No matter how much she painted, she could never truly capture her friends. They would change without her permission, bleed beyond the borders of the page, move and breathe and live in spite of her best efforts to hold them close.Sniffling, Rapunzel smoothed her hands across her journal, tracing the looping curve of her handwriting. Maybe she really was naive. Of course they would change. Eugene had seen it ages ago… And how could she blame them? After all, hadn’t she changed as well? Even now, her own script looked unfamiliar in its cheeriness, as if the words themselves were capable of betrayal. Rapunzel thumbed over the promise she had made to herself last year, her heart shattering as she realized Cassandra had stolen more than just the moonstone.
I’m want to break every rule and cross every line…
She had stolen her dream.
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Rapunzel startled awake, flinching so wildly her hand smacked something to her right. “Ah!” Oops… Someone.“Whoa, Sunshine,” Eugene caught her with a soothing touch. “It’s just me. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”“Eugene?” The dim awareness of her surroundings crystalized as Rapunzel locked onto her boyfriend’s rich brown eyes. Eyes now gazing at her with concern. “I’m sorry. I-“ She ran her fingers through her hair, struggling to get her bearings. “I guess I didn’t sleep too well last night.”Eugene grimaced in confirmation, pulling her into his side. “Yeah, it was rough for all of us I think.”Rapunzel snuggled in close, filling herself with the scent of him and closed her eyes. Though she opened them when her stomach did a weird little flip. “Wait!” She tugged herself out of Eugene’s arm and poked her head over the rim of the basket. “Why are we descending? We can’t be back in Corona already!”Eugene got to his feet and pulled her up by the elbow. “No, that’s why I woke you. We’re landing to set up camp for the day. Ulf doesn’t exactly have provisions for four humans, two horses, and one Shorty so we have to make a pit stop.”“Oh.” Rapunzel watched the deep green of the tree tops approach steadily, surprisingly eager to be back on solid ground.Within ten minutes, Ulf had expertly landed the hot air balloon in a small clearing and everyone spilled out of the basket. The horses immediately trotted off to graze, but Rapunzel, Eugene, and Lance hovered close to the mime, anxious to see the contents of his supply basket for themselves. The inventory was over before it began.Rapunzel bit the inside of her cheek. “Ulf, how long until we reach Corona?”The mime’s eyes were serious as he gestured a moon cycle, willing them to understand his meaning without words.“A whole month?! And you’re telling me you didn’t think to pack more?”Ulf regarded Eugene with poorly veiled derision, hands fisted on his doughy hips.“Hold on, Eugene, it’s not so bad. We’ll just hunt when we land, and if this trip has taught me anything, it’s that we can find a lot on the road. Everything will be fine.”“Uhhh, Princess?” Lance rubbed the back of his neck. “How exactly are we going to hunt without Cass?”Rapunzel flinched at the name, her eyes skipping down to the three potatoes and the small pouch of jerky rolling pitifully in the center of their little circle. She hadn’t stopped to consider just how much they had lost when the caravan had plummeted off the cliff in the Dark Kingdom… a whole year’s worth of stockpiled food, money, tools, but most importantly Cass’ weapons. Her bow and arrow, slingshot, crossbow, throwing knives, all gone. Maybe it would have been worth picking through the wreckage before flying away.Eugene and Lance shared a look of mutual distress. They were both capable hunters, had to be to survive on their own, but even if they could match Cass’ tracking skill and find their quarry within a couple hours, neither of them were confident in their abilities to kill without the use of range weapons. Carrying only swords, the men weren’t exactly eager to start slashing down woodland creatures while in the splash zone of spurting arteries.Lance sucked in a large breath of air, his chest barreling until he let it all out in a woosh. “Well, we could always go into town and ste-”“Buh, buh, buh!” Eugene scolded him with a glare worthy of Cassandra’s praise. “We are not those men anymore, Lance. Besides, we have the Princess of Corona with us! No way we’re initiating Rapunzel into a life of crime!”“Being a prince didn’t stop you.”Eugene threw up his hands “Well, thanks to my old man it’s not like I had much of a choice in the matter!”Lance opened his mouth, a retort hot on his tongue, but Rapunzel stepped in with an awkward laugh. “What about setting traps? Wouldn’t that work? And while we wait to catch something, we can also look for some edible plants! We can make a stew!”She was looking at him so sweetly, Eugene hardly had the heart to tell her. “Sunshine, traps could take days to work, and with Corona in trouble, I don’t think we have the luxury of wasting time.”Rapunzel scrunched her face in thought. “Then let’s focus on gathering what we can, and the next town we see, we can ask for help. No stealing, just good old fashioned neighborly kindness.”The princess punctuated her statement with such a brilliant smile that everyone had no choice but to agree and begin scouring the surrounding woods for something to eat. As soon as everyone broke up, Shorty stumbled after a small yellow butterfly who had promised to show him his collection of teeth until his feet hit water. The insect landed on a tall blade of grass, teasingly, goading the little man to make the first move.“Don’t think you can take my tooth Mr. Caterpillar, or I’ll gmngf…” Shorty wiggled into a crouch, ready to pounce at the next wrong look from his friend turned adversary. The butterfly’s antennae twitched. An open invitation. And he leapt!But instead of landing on his foe, Shorty splashed chest deep in the creek, his hands grasping something slippery and squirming. He lifted it overhead and came face to face with a trout, it’s mouth opening and closing stupidly, surprised to suddenly be in flight. He ate four before his belly was too full think about anything more than a nap, so he rolled back to camp and immediately crashed into a crumpled wet puddle on the basket floor and fell asleep.Hours later, when everyone had returned with their slim picking of nuts and berries, Eugene was the first to find the man, guided by the heavy snoring and the fragrant stink of sun warmed fish scales still caught beneath untrimmed fingernails. Thrilled by the prospect of protein, Eugene was quick to run over to the small water source and begin fishing himself. But when he arrived, the school had already moved on, frightened by the unconventional fishing techniques of the odd old man.Rapunzel struggled to smile that night, her eyes hardly straying from the thin bone in danger of falling from Shorty’s slack mouth as he snored. She shouldn’t begrudge the him the meal he had eaten. Sure, it was a selfish, annoying, and short-sighted thing to do, but she wasn’t angry. No, why would she be angry? She hugged herself tighter in an attempt to quiet her own empty stomach. They would find more food next time. Whatever town they flew across would help because she was good and kind and nice. A hero. Everything would be fine. Everything was always fine.And yet Rapunzel was startled by the undercurrent of fear coursing through her as the balloon rose higher into the night sky. Fear of encountering the Cassandra’s and Shorty’s of the world. Why couldn’t everyone just share?
*****
Sunlight woke Cassandra softly, the dappled shade of the trees pulling her to consciousness as they shifted overhead in the breeze. She smiled, feeling cool and well-rested, whole and strong. She leapt to her feet, energy surging through her body making it impossible to remain supine. It propelled her upwards into the tree, scaling the branches until her head poked through the canopy and she could look upon the great expanse of the world.The clear blue of the sky, the cotton bud clouds, the air pleasantly scented with ripe apples. She may not be a bird, in fact, Cassandra could’t think of anything worse, but something about being above the banal happenings of mundane life filled her with exhilaration. She was finally free.With one last survey of the horizon, Cassandra descended, dropping lithely to the ground. For once, breaking down camp was a simple affair. She had nothing but herself and Adira’s shadow blade, which she slung across her back, pleased as punch when the scales of her armor reflexively secured it. Hands on her hips, Cassandra rotated on the spot. It was odd to say the least. No princess to wait upon, no fire to tend, no water to boil, no breakfast to catch and cook, no horses to groom or hooves to pick, clothes to mend, tools to sharpen, and any other chore necessary for life in the wild. Even Owl had yet to return from hunting, giving her one less soul to care for. Which was fine, he would find her when he was ready. But all the same, the solitude was a change.Inhaling deeply, Cassandra relished the peace and quiet of her own company, and with nothing keeping her stationary, she plucked an apple off a low hanging branch and left. She hummed between each juicy bite, her happiness expressing itself in unexpected ways as she half walked half ran through the forest. Was this how Rapunzel always felt? As if her feet were too light to touch the ground for more than the briefest of moments before skipping on? It was…nice, she eventually decided, tossing the core of her apple into the bushes when she had finished.She had been following the caravan tracks for nearly a week, resting when she was tired, eating when she got hungry, practicing her swordsmanship whenever the fancy struck her. And while she missed Fidella dearly, as well as the thrill of riding through the country on horseback, Cassandra was content, even proud, to move on her own two feet.As the miles passed, Owl announced his presence, flying ahead of her and turning slightly to the north. Cassandra smiled at the raptor. He could come and go as he pleased, and yet he spent his days either hunting or scouting ahead, keeping her on the path to Leores—the mostly abandoned town on the edge of Equis’ far west border.His guidance allowed Cassandra to cut corners, scale ridges, and cross rivers to reach her destination much faster than the caravan ever could. It wasn’t something Cassandra had asked of him, as she refused to give orders to anyone now that she had just managed to achieve her own freedom, but she was grateful for the bird’s loyalty. And every time Owl returned with an extra rabbit clutched in his talons just for her, she kissed and cuddled him with all the affection her avian friend would allow. Again, happiness was an unfamiliar sensation. But not all together unpleasant.Later that evening, Cassandra settled in by the small fire she had built and waited for the moon to rise. The hare Owl had caught was roasting over the flames, the fat sizzling on the rock below to flavor the spindly wild carrots she had gathered mid-day. According to Owl, the town was only a few miles northeast of her position, close enough for her to set out in the early morning and begin dismantling the black rocks piercing the buildings and the surrounding farmland. Because now that she had the moonstone, Cassandra understood her destiny.She would save every town, every family, every soul that had been affected by the black rocks, until balance was restored. Rapunzel was the sundrop by no choice of her own. But likewise, Cassandra was born to wield the moonstone, it was the only explanation she could think of for Gothel to keep her around. Well, Mother, she thumbed the opal embedded in her chest, I’ve fulfilled the purpose of my birth.But whatever Gothel’s plan was for the sundrop and moonstone—whether she wanted to bestow the opal to her only daughter after kidnapping the infant princess or not—had died with her. And for better or for worse, Cassandra’s moral code had been dictated by the Captain. So why not follow both truths of herself? Embrace both her conception and her creation. Because that’s all people were in the end: an amalgamation of nature and nurture. And…Choice.As painful as it was to admit, Cassandra had chosen her life. Chosen to be Rapunzel’s Lady in Waiting, chosen Rapunzel over a career as an Ingvarri soldier, chosen to protect Rapunzel on her journey to the Dark Kingdom. Chosen Rapunzel time and time again. And while it had cost her, she was glad to have finally chosen a path she was satisfied with.Cassandra leaned back on her hands, looking up at the stars peaking through the foliage. Icy, evil, heartless, it was all laughable. The moonstone was none of those things, and neither was she, no matter how much Eugene had told her otherwise. But tomorrow, there would be no mistaking. She would breathe life back into a dying world, a world almost destroyed by the follies of one far away king. A king who chose Rapunzel over the wellbeing of his entire kingdom. A choice that compelled a witch to abandon her child and a soldier to raise a young woman no longer willing to follow orders.Yes, choice was very important. Cassandra absently plucked at the blades of grass under her fingers, listening to the crackling of the fire and the slowing drip of hare fat. From now on, her choices would be the right ones. No longer centered around Rapunzel. Or Corona. No more letting everyone walk all over her. And tomorrow, the world will know the truth about her, about the moonstone, and she was excited. Excited to make a name for herself. Excited to prove her worth. Excited to finally be noticed for who she was.Cassandra, the human embodiment of the moon, was a hero.
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A nuzzling at her cheek turned Cassandra’s head. “Is it time?”Owl clicked his beak, blinking in confirmation. She rolled to her feet and stretched. It was still dark out, the moon low in the sky and casting the forest floor in shadow. Kicking dirt onto the dying embers of her fire, Cassandra extinguished the little light she had left and set off at a brisk jog.Leores. The final town between civilization and the harsh wilderness surrounding the Dark Kingdom. The first town run through by the destructive wave of black rocks cast out by the moonstone in it’s mad search for the sundrop. She had seen the damage first hand when she picked up her final correspondence from King Frederic and the Captain at the shabby little post office. The kid who ran it was nice. Ridiculous and over eager, but nice. And Cassandra was curious to see what Peter Quinn and his parents had been up to since her visit almost a month ago. Although with everything that happened at the Dark Kingdom, it might as well have been a lifetime.Cassandra kept her breath even as she ran, the cool air keeping her mind clear and focused. Her first act of good with the moonstone was just as important for her as it was for Leores. By afternoon, not only will the town be clear of rocks and ready to receive its displaced residents, but she would be lifted up, celebrated. Oh! How her heart could sing!Owl swooped down, landing on a tree overlooking the valley that cradled the desolate town. Cassandra quickly followed him up the slope of the final rolling hill, practically vibrating with anticipation. From here she could see the clear path of rock dotting the landscape in a winding, serpentine route, slicing through mountain, across farmland, spearing homes and courtyards. The moonstone hummed in recognition of its destruction.Cassandra felt its power swell in her chest, filling her limbs with electricity. The Dark Kingdom had acted honorably trying to protect the moonstone from those with evil intentions, but to hold it captive? As if the stone itself deserved punishment? That was wrong. It had only made the opal more willful, more desperate to escape and cling to any chance at life. The stone may have needed the sundrop to break free but it had chosen independence. It had chosen Cassandra because tt’s destiny was still out there. Down there. Within her. They were made for each other. Made to save each other.Cassandra looked out at the horizon, the deep indigo just a touch lighter with the coming dawn. Maybe she should wait… Wait for the sun to come up, allow the few residents and odd traveler to be awake and ready for—whatever she did. But the moonstone sparked, zapping her sharply and setting her on edge. Damn this restlessness. She slipped down the loose gravel and approached the front gates. No more waiting.*****A full week together. No doors, no walls, just finding impossible corners in a circular basket to have a moment of peace. It was fun! Rapunzel smiled wide, her cheeks aching, as at last, Lance bellowed out the final note of 99 Bottles of Beer. And then the man counted negative one bottles.Rapunzel dropped her face in her hands as the air filled with a a chorus of groans and eye rolls from Eugene and the horses. Ulf managed to escape the noise by descending a flight of invisible stairs, giving a big show of plugging his ears before disappearing behind a box of fruit. A box of fruit which had been very generously gifted by the townspeople of West Ipsil, along with a case of smoked meats and a sack of tuberous vegetables that would, if well-rationed, last until they reached Corona.It hadn’t been difficult asking Mayor Dinkins for help, but Rapunzel still cringed at the memory of the rather awkward evening. It had started off well enough, the balloon landing in the city square and Dinkins rushing over to greet them. He was ecstatic to see her, shaking her hand exuberantly while thanking her for the wonderful entertainment she had provided during Trevor Jr.’s wedding, and wasn’t it just so wonderful the princess thought to return with a mime for the upcoming summer festival! But when Rapunzel explained the true reason for their visit and that Ulf was not for hire, actually, Mayor Dinkins deflated and grumbly offered to host them for dinner before sending them on their way.Unfortunately, it had been over a year since she had sat in a formal dining room, and without Cassandra present to remind her that Equis’ traditional table settings were opposite of Corona’s, she more often than not, drank from her host’s glass than her own, leaving behind shimmering lipgloss prints on two crystal rims. She only realized what she was doing when Dinkins’ face swelled to the same mulberry color as his wine and the dumpling of a man leapt to his feet demanding the serving staff label every glass with the names of each guest. To say the least, dessert was a rushed affair.Back in the air, with food to hold them over, and a lesson in etiquette she will not soon forget, Rapunzel tried her best to tune out the repetitive singing and refocused on her journal. Lance had been the first to volunteer relieving Ulf from his post at the helm and had quickly shown proficiency in piloting the balloon. If the zealous singing was the price to pay for speed, so be it. Plus, with Lance driving, she could focus on her art, which now that she was looking at it again, was the complete wrong shade of blue.She tore the page cleanly from the inside seam and crumpled it between her hands, closing her journal with a sigh. It was no use trying to draw Cassandra with the unfinished group portrait staring back at her. She had tried, really and truly tried to complete the painting, but it just didn’t feel right, as if she was covering something sacred with gaudy color and false cheer.
Rapunzel massaged her temples, hoping to mold her thoughts into something clear and recognizable, but all she was left with was muddy clay slipping through her fingers. She was still upset with Cass for stealing the moonstone, but every day brought an extra dose of guilt laced in her morning tea. They should have told her about Demanitus’ prophecy when they had first learned of it. It would have been the right thing to do. The smart thing, and yet they hadn’t. Well, she looked out of the corner of her eye, Eugene had’t.Eugene had been so quick to target Cassandra despite her being their closest friend, their sister. And maybe it was due to their rivalry, which Rapunzel knew only existed out of begrudging respect and kinship rather than actual animosity, but for him to hold her in so little regard as to immediately think her of capable of treason? She couldn’t wrap her head around it. Cass ate, slept, and breathed Corona, working day in and day out to protect Rapunzel. There wasn’t a treasonous bone in her body! Although, on second thought, if she really was Gothel’s daughter… No. No. Stop! It wasn’t Cass’ fault how she came into this world.Perhaps it was all in the name of self-preservation that Eugene had read the signs, calculated the inevitable moment of betrayal, and meticulously pulled the strings to help mitigate the affects. But in shielding her from the anger simmering beneath Cass’ indifference, he had left Rapunzel in the dark for way too long.He should have told her about the prophecy as soon as he had discovered it. They could have talked to Cassandra and Lance. Crap! They hadn’t even told Lance! And then maybe, if they had all known, they could have worked together, aired their grievances, found a solution and no one would have betrayed anyone. Cassandra’s words swarmed her gnats. The real world isn’t all fun and games, Raps. Gotta watch that flank. Be careful who you trust…Trust. Trust. Trust! It had always been about trust! But trust what?! Trust whom?! People were weird, and everyone acted in ways she couldn’t understand, no matter how much she thought she knew them. No matter how much she wanted to know them. Cass was good, but she did something bad. Rapunzel thought she was good, but according to Cass, she was bad. And Eugene? Was he bad for keeping secrets? Harboring accusations before anything had even happened? Or was he good for trying to protect her from getting hurt?“Rapunzel?”She snapped. “What, Eugene?!”His brows shot up, astounded by her sudden outburst and, if she was really honest to name the flash emotion in his eyes, a little bit annoyed. “I just wanted to see how you’re holding up, but if you would rather be alone…”“No.” Rapunzel conceded, pushing her hair out of her face. “I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.”“Still not sleeping well?”She sighed. “It’s not that, not exactly. It’s just-”“Cassandra.”Rapunzel looked up at him, her face twisted in agony.Eugene brushed his fingers across her cheek, wishing to smooth the worry lines creasing her skin. “Look, I know we haven’t really talked about what happened, but I think it would help. Even Lance felt better afterwards”She turned to Lance, the man still singing at the top of his lungs. At some point he had restarted the song and was now back at 78 bottles of beer on the wall. “You talked to Lance?”Eugene nodded, shifting in his seat so he could be more comfortable on the floor beside her. “Yeah. He thought it was his fault Cass took the moonstone. Said he wasn’t able to help her heal her hand.”“The Cat’s Cradle string? But that never would have worked, nothing can heal the affects of the decay incantation.”Eugene’s shoulders shrugged against hers. “Yeah, well, we all place blame on ourselves.”Rapunzel curled in on herself. Is that what she had been doing? Because for a moment, if felt like, maybe, she was blaming Eugene. “I guess.”“All I’m saying is that when you’re ready, I want to talk. What Cass did sucked, and well— I would feel a lot better knowing where you stand.”She bobbed her chin atop her knees, doubtful she would ever be ready to talk about what happened in the Dark Kingdom. “Eugene?”He looked down at her with a hopeful shine in his eyes.“You’re starting to get a little sunburn on your nose.”
*****Cassandra shook out the lingering tingles from her limbs, loosening her muscles. She gazed up at the newly repaired entry gate of Leores, the thick pine posts still sharp with the smell of sap. But unlike the entrance, the main street leading into the center of town looked just as it had a few weeks ago, homes shattered, buildings flipped on their sides, splintered glass littering the dry red earth like fallen stars. And just like before, all was silent.She raised her hand, focusing on the nearest rock. The moonstone flashed bright in her chest and the earth began to quake under her feet.“Halt!”She froze, stunned to see the shadow of a man peel away from the surrounding darkness, the familiar curve of a crossbow aimed straight for her heart. The safety disengaged with an audible click and the moonstone sparked in response, electrifying the air and raising the skin on the back of Cassandra’s neck.“I mean you no harm.”But it had been days since she had spoken aloud and her voice was thin and raspy from disuse. Her words came out garbled, incoherent.“Leave, witch, I will not let you harm this town. My family has been through enough.”
The cogs in her mind turned, falling into place. The piano man from the Tea Shop. Peter Quinn’s father.“Please.” Cassandra cleared her throat stepping forward. “I only want to help.”“You can help by going back to whatever hole you crawled out of. We have no use for magic here.”Cassandra’s eyes flicked back to the tower of rock. If she could just show him. Make him understand. She thrust out her arm once more, crying out in surprise as her opposite shoulder jolted backwards, a bolt ricocheting off her armor with a ping. The opal’s irritation mirrored her own and like a flood, she filled with fire.“Would you get out of my way?” She shoved him aside, a wall of rock bursting from the ground to throw the man off his feet.With gritted teeth, Cassandra reached out for the large spike, blacker than night, and willed it to sink into the dirt. It trembled, rocking the nearby buildings further off their foundations, crumbling roof tops, and sending the newly built gate twisting until the top beam came crashing down. But the rock remained stubbornly erect, an ominous shadow silhouetted against the sky, sucking in all the surrounding light. The man scrambled away from the danger and reloaded his crossbow, shooting wildly. Her body reacted to the subtle shift in the air, tucking into a forward roll to avoid being shot in the face.“I demand you to leave or else-”“Or else, what?” She rounded on the man, stalking toward him until he fell back in fear. “I am Cassandra, wielder of the moonstone.” She wrestled the crossbow from his slack hands and snapped it across her knee. “I will save your pathetic town and you will be grateful!”He stared up at her with gaping, fish-like horror, his pale face tinted blue from the glow of her hair. Stepping over him, Cassandra refocused on the black rock, sinking her nails deep into the core and pushed power into it, demanding the blasted thing to retreat. But it was like hitting a wall. The magic within the rock was unreachable, and the magic she was shoving at it had nowhere to go but down. She pushed harder, desperate to find an entry point, but the ground undulating beneath her feet became more violent, stretching and pulling until at last, it split apart, collapsing a whole row of shops.Cassandra yelped, just managing to jump back onto solid ground as she watched a giant pit open before her eyes. She glared at the moonstone embedded in her chest, her fingers gripping where the edges melded into her skin. “What the hell is wrong with you?! Work, damn it!”She tried to twist the stone and force it to release its power, but it burrowed deeper, tendrils of magic latching onto her aorta, her heart, her lungs, tapping her spinal cord and squeezing tight. Cassandra gasped for air, stumbling at the intensity of the invasion into her body and barely understood what was happening when the ground came rushing towards her. She landed hard, her body seizing as her lungs expanded when whatever had tackled her rolled her onto her back.Cassandra’s eyes searched for the danger, locking onto a single star in the grey haze of pre dawn. Venus. And then the man was straddling her, pinning her arms under his knees as he cocked back his fist. No, he was holding something, but her attention left the mercury-like blade as he screamed behind a mass of feathers. Owl’s talons tore at the delicate skin of the man’s eyelids, and the knife dropped from his hands. Cassandra wiggled to free herself. This was all going so wrong. But the man finally caught Owl and tossed the poor bird to the ground.Fear and rage restarted her heart and Cassandra dug her fingers into the earth, the moonstone finally yielding to her control. “Get your hands off him!”Two spears of rock erupted from the ground, showering her with dirt and debris. But more than that, they shot straight through the man, lifting his larger body off her. She choked on a mouthful of something wet and tinny, scrambling away from the wide, fearful eyes staring at her until the moment they became glassy and unseeing. Owl, feathers crumpled but otherwise unharmed, hopped onto her shoulder and pulled at her hair with his beak, but Cassandra was transfixed. She hadn’t meant to kill him, had she? She was supposed to be a hero…This man, a father, a sentry protecting his town, his home, his son, was dead because of her. His body slipped further down the spikes, blood bubbling from his punctured lungs. Cassandra turned and vomited, somehow managing to get to her feet and brace herself against one of the few walls left standing on the main street. What was she going to do? The world still spinning, Cassandra ran, her chest heaving with every sharp, ragged breath.The next time she opened her eyes, Cassandra was back atop the hill overlooking Leores and the small valley, already awash with the pale yellow light of morning. It was worse. Everything was so much worse. The moonstone vibrated in her chest and for the first time, she felt her anger shift towards the opal. How dare it not obey her! But just as her emotions touched on pure hatred, the moonstone pulsed it’s numbing, cooling light down her limbs, easing the nausea in her stomach and offering the only solution. Get rid of the evidence.Yes, she could still be a hero. No one had to know of her mistakes… Cassandra counted to ten as she inhaled through her nose and exhaled just as slowly, extending both arms over the mangled town. She imagined grabbing the valley itself, crushing it between her fingers, and shoving it down. Down into the molten core of the earth. Down where no one could ever find it. The footprint of Leores shuddered as the moonstone manipulated the bedrock, destabilized it with it’s own black obsidian, and then the streets splintered. Like a thin layer of ice, the land cracked and disintegrated, crumbling under its own weight, and the town became a massive sinkhole.Anything could have been responsible for this… An earthquake. A weak foundation. Clay turned mud after heavy rains, slipping and sliding into underground caverns until there was nothing left. It happened all the time. There was no screaming, no bells of alarm, nothing to mark the death of the town other than the rumble of stone grinding against stone. A small flock of birds, messenger birds with scarlet ribbons tied to their ankles, managed to escape, their wings beating frantically as they ascended, disappearing into the rising sun.Owl, astounded by the turn of events, looked at Cassandra with disbelief. The woman gazed upon the catastrophe with vacant eyes, the corners of her mouth slightly downturned, chilling the raptor to his core. Angry, he nipped her cheek, breaking the skin, and she dropped to her knees with a cry. Cassandra’s heart had been compromised, her pulse unnaturally slow under the touch of the moonstone, but still… A part of her wished the blood trickling down her face were tears.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A few days later, the winds had stopped completely and instead of not moving in the air, Rapunzel suggested it might be best to be ‘not moving’ on the ground where the horses could stretch their legs. But truthfully, she was looking forward to having a bit of space. Space to wallow. Because she felt rotten. Really and truly rotten.Not that it was anyone’s fault. Sure, Lance was sometimes too loud and Eugene’s whining about his lack of skincare products was starting to get on her nerves, but, at the end of the day, it was nice passing the time by telling stories and playing games. It was just, in her heart of hearts, Rapunzel knew the conversation wasn’t complete, it was missing the frosting on the cupcake, the cherry on top. It made the days feel longer, and the endless march of fluffy clouds particularly vexing.They had been lucky enough not to encounter any rain, a miracle really, but a part of her wished the skies would open up. At least then she could do something about it, get it over with and move on, instead of twiddling her thumbs, unable to solve any of her problems. Maybe next week it would rain? Ugh, no! That would be bad. With every passing day, the danger in Corona would likely become worse, and they needed to get there as soon as possible. She should be happy that the weather was perfect, but floating through beautiful blue skies on perfect summer days, it was hard to feel the urgency.Even now, the sun shining brightly behind perfect little clouds, illuminating the perfect little meadow, filled with perfect little wildflowers, and Eugene smiling his perfect little smile and Lance stoking a perfect little fire, and Ulf miming a perfect little story that Shorty translated in his perfect Shorty way, it was driving her crazy! Why did the world have to look so perfect when she knew it wasn’t? Rapunzel stood in a rush of energy.“I’m going to make stew.” She announced to no one and everyone.Eugene perked up. “Oooh, great idea, Blondie! What kind? Beef? Chicken? Ragu? Goulash?” He pantomimed straightening a bowtie, his posture becoming immaculate. “Fricassee?”Rapunzel wondered if he could see her eye twitching. “Just stew, Eugene.”“Well, Princess, if you’d like any help,” Lance turned to her, setting down the log poker he had been using to rearrange the fire. “I make a mean stew.”They’re just trying to be nice. She softened her features into something resembling a smile. “Thank you, Lance, that would be lovely. Could you… um…” Her brain working furiously to think of a task for him that wouldn’t interfere with her need for solitude. “Take care of the meat? I’ll just uh… Handle the vegetables!” And without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and briskly walked to the balloon basket.Finally on her own, Rapunzel took her time opening the box of supplies from West Ipsil, digging through the potatoes, parsnips, and radishes until she selected the most unappealing, asymmetrical tubers. How brave of them to be ugly. But just thinking something so mean made her feel bad and she rescinded it, quickly deciding they were beautiful and perfect in their own right. With a silent apology, and her soul feeling as heavy as her hair, she dutifully marked the vegetables off the inventory list and scooped them into her skirt.The half mile hike to the waterfall was quick and easy, her feet moving faster with every step, and soon enough, Rapunzel came to the river’s edge. Shorty had been the one to see it. Sitting atop Fidella’s back, the old man had just about walked into open air to get to the silver snake when the mare thankfully managed to catch his collar in her teeth. But when everyone else realized the ‘silver snake’ was in fact a thin river slicing through the forest, and there was an open field not too far away, Ulf gave the location the seal of approval for landing.The waterfall suppling the river was an even nicer surprise, the clean, chilly water promptly bottled before the men could jump in to wash themselves, scrubbing off grime with fistfuls of moss and soapwort. Which, despite the splashing and the noise of the whole ordeal, was a relief. They had begun to smell a bit ripe from sitting in the sun for so long without a hint of a breeze. At the time, Rapunzel had held back, her dry foot tapping along with the spiking of her heart rate, but now that it was just her, she found the water to be much more inviting. She slipped her toes in.A delighted squeal escaped her lips when the icy temperature shocked her nerves. But she quickly adjusted, acclimating to the refreshing touch and shifting her weight to let her feet sink deeper into the gentle massage of the river rocks. She waded a bit, picking her way along the shallow waters of the bank, until she found a still pool protected from the current by a ring of boulders.She let the vegetables roll in for a good wash, smiling as they bobbed in the water, their skins immediately becoming deeply saturated. She bent down close, setting the tubers spinning with a small flick of her finger, before settling on one of the flatter rocks. Not in any hurry to return to camp, Rapunzel amused herself by slipping the soles of her feet across the slimy, algae covered rocks and examining the guppies darting between reeds.All around her, the forest was alive. Over the steady thrum of the waterfall, she could hear birds chirping, the leaves rustling as they flitted from bough to bough. There was the high pitched buzz of insects, the odd croak of a frog, the splash of a fish, and on occasion, she would catch the baritone laugh of Lance in the distance. And for once, she didn’t feel the flash of irritation that had been building over the last couple of weeks. Rapunzel tilted her head back and adjusted herself until she found a patch of sunlight to warm her. Closing her eyes, her heart lifted on hesitant wings.Everything was going to be okay…She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there, soaking up the sun while her feet became pruny, but Rapunzel was almost asleep when gentle fingers laced through her hair. She sighed in contentment, leaning into the familiar touch, melting into the sensation of being cared for. It had been ages since anyone had brushed her hair, and her scalp prickled in anticipation of the next stroke.“Flower gleam and glow,” she sang, the words light and breathless. A prayer more than a song. “Let you powers shine…”
Raps…
“Make the clock reverse-” Tears welled beneath Rapunzel’s eyelids, but she resisted the urge to wipe them away. Too frightened to move, too frightened to shatter the illusion. “Bring back what once was mine.”Phantom hands whispered around the curve of her ear. Rapunzel…“Why did you leave me, Cass?”She yelped as something tugged sharp and Rapunzel bolted to her feet, her heart hammering in her chest. She pawed at her head, convinced she would find Cassandra’s long, delicate fingers still buried in her hair, but nothing had changed. It was braided just as it had always been, the bird clip exactly where she had placed it that morning, and yet it had felt so real. Cass had been with her, she was sure of it!But looking around the forest, ever shifting with the small movements of animals and running water, she found she was alone. Hugging herself, Rapunzel shivered. Any charm and relaxation she had felt just a moment ago, long gone. She shouldn’t have come here by herself. How many times had Cass warned her not to wander off alone? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!Her back tingling with nervous energy, Rapunzel swooped down to retrieve the vegetables still innocently floating in the pool of water, but now, in the sunlight, under the sheen of droplets, the radishes glittered like jewels. Demanitus’ jewel, a hidden compartment, an unwelcome message. She averted her eyes and quickly shoved them into her skirt.Back at camp, sunset well established and in the safety of the crackling fire and the comforting legato of her friends’ voices, Rapunzel was thankful when the radishes dulled into boring roots once more. She felt even better when she sliced them in half, then quarters, as if chopping the vegetable into smaller pieces would lessen their danger. But when she dumped the diced potatoes, parsnips, and radishes into the boiling pot to cook alongside the venison Lance had prepared, her cheeks flushed with foolishness. It was only her imagination. So, then why could she still feel fingers in her hair?*****“I don’t want to talk about it.” Cassandra scrubbed her face with her hands, looking away from the specks of dried blood still clinging to her fingertips.It had been a couple days of nonstop running, backtracking west as fast as possible. She needed answers. Needed to figure out how to control the moonstone, and there was no doubt in her mind that Edmund was squirreling away all the important information in his little hidey-hole of a kingdom. But even more annoying than the ridiculous bear king was that she probably would have had those answers by sundown if someone hadn’t forced her to stop and rest. She glared at Owl, whose own eyes narrowed back at her, full of judgment.“Would you quit it? I’m not hungry! And look.” Cassandra cupped her rock armored hands into the small stream and wet her lips. “I’m not thirsty either, so let’s go.”But the bird did not relent. He hooed sharp and reproachful, his plumicorns flattening against his head.Cassandra rolled her eyes and sat rather ungracefully. “Fine. One day. But then we need to get moving.” She looked over her right shoulder, back east, back towards her mistakes, and hugged her knees tight to her chest. “We have to keep moving.”Owl hopped to her knee and rested his plumed head against her chin. Cassandra sighed, dribbling a few water droplets over his feathers and smoothing them free of dust. The normalcy of a bath was a small comfort compared to the looming shadows of her thoughts. She had tried so hard to keep from reliving those memories, but in the end, she decided she deserved to suffer. It was only fair.Every second of every day, she saw Leores crumble, disappearing into the depths of the earth. It blinded her, sent her careening over tree roots and boulders until she was tumbling down hills, falling off cliffs. Cassandra clenched her teeth, reaching for control of the moonstone’s power. She could sense it, the steady flow of magic right beneath her fingertips, but every time she got close, it slipped away. With a huff, she stood, roughly wiping the wetness from her eyes before transferring Owl to her shoulder. Together, they stepped deeper into the surrounding forest.Fire built at the edge of a secluded glen, and Owl satisfied she would stay put, Cassandra laid on her back, staring up at nothing. It had been so easy before. So easy to bend the black rocks to her will when she first stole the opal, first escaped Rapunzel’s clutches. So why wasn’t it working now? Her stomach twisted, gripping her with hollow hunger, but she ignored it. The idea of eating was repulsive. Almost as repulsive as her own failure. She needed to do better.Turning onto her side, she watched the tiny lick of blue at the center of the fire, its dance mesmerizing, and soon enough, her eyelids grew heavy with fatigue. Maybe Owl was right and she should rest for a little bit. At least unconscious she couldn’t harm anyone. So, Cassandra let her eyes close and her thoughts drift. Untethered, she floated over the heatless flames until they shifted to water, the ocean, deep and blue, pulling, pushing until it washed her up onto a sandy beach. She blinked and Corona castle sat lonely atop the center of the isle, a cake without candles. Home.But not as she left it. The seaside shanties were sagging on their stilts, kept upright only by the support of their neighbors. They were scheduled to be torn down, replaced by the mansions she remembered in her youth. But even those grand houses were old now, their lime washed walls pocked by the salty winds. She missed when the streets were quieter.Cassandra turned her back on Corona and faced the ocean, the briny smell of seaweed heavy on her tongue. She stepped forward, suddenly shin deep in a tide pool, clear and inexplicably endless. She had played here as a child, amongst the rocks and half exposed coral, poking the squishy, boneless bodies of sea cucumbers, and pouncing on rock gunnel before the eel-like fish could dash into hidden pockets. She searched for them now, her friends, her toys, her innocence, but the water was empty. And then, it wasn’tBeneath her foot, a second away from being crushed, was an anemone. Cassandra bent as if to pluck the organism from it’s perch on the barnacle encrusted rock, but she stilled to watch the creature dance in the gentle current. Bursting from the main column like a flower, its pink tinted tentacles swayed, pulsing with an inner light as it caught particles of food too small for her to see.It was beautiful, strange and otherworldly. Drawn to it, she sat beside the column which had at once grown large enough to provide shade from the overbearing sun. Or perhaps she had simply become smaller. Her mind glanced off the curiosity as she reached out with her pale, unscarred hands, needing to feel the sticky, slimy texture of the creature. But the moment her skin met the nearest tentacle, the anemone lit up brilliantly, flashing with heat, and unraveled into a million strands of fine, wispy silk.Cassandra choked back a sob as she combed her fingers through the golden hair, letting it slip across her palms and tickle the translucent undersides of her wrists. Flower gleam and glow… The song drifted through the water as the silk began to wrap itself around her forearms, caressing her cheeks, trailing down her neck, pulling her close. Let your powers shine.“Raps.” Her voice echoed in her skull, compounded by the sudden rush of blood flowing past her eardrums.Her veins thrummed with the beat of the anemone, pulsing blue, then green, yellow, until they too shimmered with the same golden light. It was so warm, dizzyingly warm, and when the tide rose above her head, Cassandra had no fear of drowning. She inhaled deeply, allowing the ocean to swell her lungs to bursting. Make the clock reverse. The tendrils pierced her skin, shoved themselves down her throat, supplying her with life. Bring back what once was mine…The anemone turned and Cassandra opened her eyes to see a woman sitting before her.Her hair floated around her head like a crown, the strands undulating as they continued to reach out. Continued to pull at Cassandra’s heart. “Rapunzel.”
Why did you leave me, Cass?
Cass… Cassandra hardly recognized her own name and when she opened her mouth to say so, the world was suddenly eclipsed in shadow. Her body convulsed, her lungs seizing as she coughed up a thick, black liquid, and when she looked down, she found that she had been impaled by a spear of obsidian. And then a second. Wickedly sharp, they hooked into her abdomen, anchoring her heart from the silky tendrils entwining around it.Rapunzel’s face twisted with anger at being denied her prize, the planes of her cheeks shifting until she no longer bore the resemblance of the princess, but of a man. A man with piano hands, then a boy, and a woman, until, at last, a young girl, her hair long and curled down her back, like ink dripping on parchment. Cassandra looked into her own haunted eyes. “Mama?” She screamed.The black rocks ripped her away, ripped her apart, and she flew into a million shattered pieces across the night sky. The residual light of the anemone making her scattered body twinkle like stars.Cassandra gasped awake, choking on her own saliva and clutching the moonstone against her chest. It had sparked, electrifying her, jolting her into a sitting position. Someone was in danger and it was her fault, she had slipped, allowed herself to rest and become distracted by a blonde princess. Frantically, Cassandra searched the shadows of the clearing, but the firelight was too weak to see through the tree line. She stood on wobbly legs, her forehead slick with sweat. A ring of black rocks had formed, perfectly symmetrical, perfectly angled at 45 degrees, and her stomach turned cold with dread.Owl. Struggling against a tree trunk.What had she done?She raced to him, her heart in her throat, and scooped the bird into her arms, not minding the wings batting against her face. He was alive.“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” she crooned into his feathers, cradling him and wishing for her old tunic and the soft comfort it provided.The rock had just missed his foot, instead impaling the catch he had been bringing back for her. A fish. Cold and dead, roe leaking from its side.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Owl, you have to leave.” Cassandra swatted a low hanging branch, jumping when an apple tumbled out and bounced off her head. She glared at the tree, blowing an errant curl off her face, before returning to her train of thought. “I can’t be trusted and if anything were to happen to you-” she shoved her hands under her arms, turning to face the owl shaped stack of fruit she had constructed in the absence of the real thing. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”Owl-not-Owl stared at her, the apple stems serving as his eyes reminding her that she wasn’t exactly doing very well in that department anyway. She huffed, unsheathing her sword to whack at the closest bush. And then the next.“I know you’re worried about me,” *whack* “but I’m better off on my own.” *whack* *whack* “In fact,” she said, laughing bitterly. *whack* “I want to be alone!”Her arms fell to her side, the ring of foliage now completely decapitated. Owl-not-Owl remained silent but she squirmed under his judgement and in a flash, she rounded on him, the tip of her blade precariously close to slicing through his acorn beak.“And don’t give me that crap about needing to stick together. You’re free! So, go be free!” Her vision momentarily clouded. “I was supposed to release you ages ago anyway.”She deflated with a heavy sigh, pulling into herself. Retreating. She hadn’t slept properly, unwilling to meet her subconscious or whatever disaster would surely greet her upon waking. It just wasn’t worth it. So, she remained awake, fueled by the parasitic nature of the moonstone keeping its host alive. But it was only a matter of time before she messed up again. And then what would she find? Owl stiff and cold in a puddle of his own blood?Her stomach twisted with nauseating hunger and she remembered Owl telling her to eat with a sharp glare before flying off. So with a gentle poke of her sword, Cassandra transferred the apple at the top of the pile to her mouth, expecting the first bite to explode with tart, crisp, juiciness. But all she got was mush. Grimacing, she spit it out.“That cat was a real asshole.”Bored and despondent, she slid down the nearest tree trunk and sulked. The season was starting to turn, the air once fresh with apples, now sickly sweet with the litter of decomposing fruit across the floor. The Dark Kingdom was a bust, Edmund and Adira having deserted the place. It should have been obvious without the moonstone to guard, but here they were, almost two weeks into their search and Owl off on yet another sweep across the country searching for their trail.But despite her anger and frustration at being denied knowledge, Cassandra could hardly bury the glimmer of relief that the king and his pet warrior were MIA. She highly doubted she could win a fight against the two of them with only Adira’s shadow blade, and even if she could convince them not kill her on sight, it was very unlikely they would willingly give her information about the moonstone. And for her to beg? To grovel at their feet for mercy? Absolutely not.Cassandra peaked out from behind the shadowed tree line, watching for the tell-tale shape of Owl on the wind. She needed answers. Some guidance on how to wield the opal burrowing deeper into her chest, but at this point, she had to accept she was on her own. It wouldn’t be the first time she taught herself how to use a new weapon, and while this particular weapon was, by far, the most dangerous in her arsenal, she would find a way. There was no other option. But that meant, as much as she dreaded it, Owl had to go.*****Squished between Lance and Eugene, Rapunzel was convinced she would be reduced to nothing more than a puddle of sweat. She blotted away the moisture pooling behind her knees with her skirt, only for it to build back up in seconds and dribble down her calves. She quickly wiped away the tickling sensation before stuffing the extra fabric into her knees to soak everything up. For the millionth time, the question of ‘are we there yet’ rang through her mind, but there was no point in asking. For now, her only consolation was knowing they were close. Really close, if the heat and humidity were any indication.Ulf was taking them up the coastline in an effort for the ocean winds to propel the balloon towards Corona Isle all the faster, but the direct sunlight was a very unwelcome companion. Rapunzel blearily glanced at the horses whose backs were dark with sweat, their mouths working around the saliva frothing on their lips. Fidella and Max had both tried their best to provide as much shade as possible with their bodies, but as the sun rose, the size of their shadows shrank until only Shorty and Pascal were able to lay flat beneath their bellies and hide from the intense rays.Lance, bent over beside her, had his head buried between his knees and his hands clasped over his neck as a shield. Eugene, hunkered beneath his own vest, managed a weak smile when he caught her eye, too hot to crack a joke. And she was unable to move, unless she wanted to be in the swatting zone of Max’s tail. So, Rapunzel tried to think cool thoughts of shaded gardens, walking barefoot across marble tiles, dim hallways in the underbelly of the castle leading to secret, underground tunnels, chilly and damp. Cassandra’s icy hand leading her through the dark.She bit the inside of her lip, fingers fisting at the fabric of her skirt, and forced the image out of her head. No more thoughts about Cass. No more yearning for her lost friend. No more imagining her brushing her hair or guiding her to adventure. Enough was enough. She chose her path, and that was away from Rapunzel, so what was the point of being heartbroken over someone who didn’t want to be with her anyway? And yet, Cass’ small, knowing smile persisted. Her piercing grey eyes softening at the edges when she spoke. It wasn’t fair.
Rapunzel popped off the cap of her water flask and took a large swig, disappointed when the temperature of the liquid was as warm as everything else baking in the sun. But she swallowed the water regardless and got to her feet, stepping over Eugene’s legs to reach the basket’s east wall.From here, the crown of her head burning in the heat of mid-day, Rapunzel looked out upon the endless blue of deep ocean. She had been so focused on seeing the world that belonged to the floating lights, and then the world outside of Corona’s walls, that she had never really stopped to think about what lay past the ocean. Even after Eugene had broken her out of the tower and shown her maps of the entire continent and books on the planet and the solar system, after she had accepted her role as a part of the royal family and learned about international politics, the vastness of the ocean had kind of been skipped over. Too large and unknown to fully conceptualize. Too unimportant…But now, seeing it from a new perspective, the scope of it all was astounding. Rapunzel couldn’t help but wonder about those who traveled across the waves. The merchants who transported Neserdian produce and B’yangori textiles, Ingvarri steel and Kotoan jewelry, and any number of countless trade items. They must enjoy every second of the day on their ships. What a gift to call the ocean home and spend a life wind swept and salt kissed! Until, of course nasty pirates showed up to ruin everything.But even then, pirates held a sort of enviable freedom. Freedom of convention and society. Freedom of responsibility. Rapunzel’s eyes turned sharp as she scanned the horizon for billowing sails. Lady Caine was a pirate… What things has she seen while traversing the seven seas? Maybe one day, their paths would cross once more and she could ask, but before she could even finish the thought her spine stiffened as a memory struck her.Cassandra had run into Lady Caine not long before they reached the Dark Kingdom. The next day, Rapunzel had been so busy planning Eugene’s birthday, and then become distracted by the appearance of Madame Canardist and Vigor, and then Demanitus himself and his maze and the scroll, that she had completely forgotten Lady Caine had asked Cass to join her pirate crew!Rapunzel sprinted the two steps back to her seat and dropped to her knees, jostling an already unhappy Eugene and Lance as she dug through her purse.“Sunshine?” She jumped at Eugene’s touch. “Is everything all right?”Rapunzel slipped out from under his hand, the hard cover of her journal between them. “Yeah, of course! Totally fine.” She flashed him a rather sheepish smile. “I just, you know- the ocean is so beautiful and inspiring, and I figured I should paint it!” They held each other’s gaze for a second too long before she grabbed a brush. “See?”The corners of Eugene’s mouth tightened, but his only response was to reach into her purse and hand her the small box of watercolors.“Thanks, Eugene,” Rapunzel said, accepting the paint.She had the briefest inkling to kiss his forehead, but seeing his face, looking up at her with worry-creased eyes, the serrated edge of guilt tore at her heart. He wouldn’t understand. And she wasn’t ready to explain. After another awkward heartbeat, Rapunzel returned to the basket wall with much more measured steps.Her back aflame from Eugene’s watchful gaze, she carefully flipped the pages until she reached the one containing the second-to-last image of Cassandra. She remembered now how she had sectioned off a small corner to draw a cute little scene of the Hook Brothers performing with an enthusiastic Cass between them. Her fingers traced over the paper, familiarly crinkled by the drying of wet pigment, and, despite the happiness of the painting, her blood ran cold.With imperceptible slowness, Rapunzel shifted her shoulders until she could just catch the shapes of her companions from the corner of her eye. Lance was wiping the shine of sweat off his brow with a ratted handkerchief, but all she could see was his face, cast in the orange glow of firelight, squawking like a parrot as his arms flapped comically against his sides. And Eugene! He had joked about putting an eye patch on Owl. And she— oh. She had teased Cass about her hand.Rapunzel pressed her palm against her mouth, biting into the soft flesh to keep herself from making a sound. How could she have been so cruel? The curved hook extending from Cassandra’s wrist pointed at her accusingly, daring her to refute the evidence of her poor friendship. But even as her heart accepted it, her brain refused to back down. Cass had never talked about her hand, she said she was fine. She said she wasn’t angry. But that didn’t make it true… Rapunzel had always known.And at that, the flames of anger ignited somewhere deep in her core. She had tried! How many times had she pleaded with Cassandra to open up? Begged her to share her feelings? Everything could have been different if Cass just TALKED!Extracting a pencil from her paint kit, Rapunzel scribbled out the drawing in a furious mess of dark scratches, startling when the tip of the pencil broke through the page and tore a wrinkled hole across the entire sheet. She stilled, squeezing her eyes shut as she regained her composure.
“Cass!” Her vision narrowed on Cassandra’s back, her ribcage expanding with every breath under the thin layer of rock now encasing her body as she planted her feet. Rapunzel stepped forward, her arms hesitantly open and reaching out. “This has to stop. Whatever you’re going through, we can fix it. Together!”
Cassandra spun, pinning her to the spot with electric blue eyes and a face pinched with outrage. “No! This,” she said, jabbing a finger at Rapunzel, “has to stop! We are not friends! There is no ‘fixing’ this!”Rapunzel gaped at her, taken aback by the venom in her words, but she stepped closer nonetheless. “Cass listen, we are friends! Sisters, even. Look into my eyes and tell me that’s not true.”
“Just shut up, Rapunzel!” Cassandra tore at her hair, barking out a humorless laugh. “Don't you hear how condescending you are?!”
“What? No! Cass, I just want to help!” She took another step, closing the gap between them, her voice softening. “Look at me.”
“I am looking at you!” Cassandra growled, every muscle taught and pitched forward like a snake about to strike.
Rapunzel, undeterred, moved closer, inches away from taking Cassandra’s clenched fist in her own gentle hands. “Please,” she begged, pouring her entire heart into the word, her entire soul. “Don’t you feel it?”
The air between them hummed as if alive, but just as Rapunzel worried she wasn’t getting through, Cass seemed to lose some inner battle with herself. And just like that, her friend was standing before her, the tension in her shoulders easing a fraction and the sharpness of her features falling at the edges.
“Perhaps.” Cassandra became twitchy with uncertainty.
Good. Rapunzel let out the breath she was holding. She was making progress. “Cass, listen.”
Cassandra's eyes swung back up to her, intensely vulnerable. "I am listening, Rapunzel.”
“It’s not too late to go back and make things right. Everything will be the way it was. I promise. Just-” she swallowed, a breath away from touching her friend. “Just wait.”
Rapunzel snapped her book shut and leaned against the side of the basket, looking out upon the ocean glinting with sunlight. She had tried until the end. And it wasn’t her fault if Cass didn’t want to listen. But just as the breeze blew against her face, cooling the beads of sweat on her brow, her anger became harder to hold on to. Cassandra had been listening. She just hadn’t said the right thing to make her stay. And maybe she was right not to stay...
Feeling drained, Rapunzel dropped her chin into her hands. What had Cass wanted to hear? But before she could form an answer to her own question, the light peeling of a small bell rang out. She perked up, turning towards Ulf who was now grabbing everyone’s attention with wild arm movements.She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Ulf, I don’t understand.”Eugene, exasperated by the silent theatrics, removed his boot and lobbed it at Shorty, snoring contentedly beneath Maximus. “Hey, Old Man, care to translate?”With a sputtering gasp of restarting lungs, Shorty raised his head enough to cast his lidded eyes at the mime before promptly falling back, lifting a pointed finger in the air. “Corona on the horizon.”Rapunzel, quickly followed by Eugene, Lance, and Pascal, darted to the north side of the basket. And sure enough, in the afternoon haze, they could just make out the blurred shapes of towers rising above a small island.“We made it!” Rapunzel cheered, wrapping her arms around Eugene’s waist and squeezing tight.He looked down at her, smiling one of his winning smiles before kissing her hairline. Yes, we did, Blondie. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”Oh, Eugene… Her heart clenched uncomfortably in her chest. Why was it so hard to tell him how she really felt? But she returned the smile anyway, hoping it was a convincing charade.*****It was hours before Owl returned from his scouting mission, his little head shaking forlornly as he hopped into the circle of firelight surrounding their camp.“What’s the point of you if you can’t find them?” Cassandra’s voice was flat, with an edge as sharp as freshly honed steel.His round eyes grew wide before narrowing into suspicious slits. Owl hopped forward, extending his taloned foot as a clear indication of wanting her to offer an arm as a perch. She did not.“Just go.” She poked the fire with the shadow blade, not even glancing at the bird. “I don’t want you around here anymore.”Owl let out an offended hoot, his feathers bristling with irritation. He hopped onto Cassandra’s spiked shoulder, forcing her to accept him. But he couldn’t get any purchase before she reeled back, swiping him off.“I said, GO!” Cassandra jumped to her feet, slicing her sword in a wide arc and sending bright orange embers scattering across the grass. “Get out of here!”Owl wasn’t anywhere close, but he instinctively flapped his wings to avoid the spray, only to squawk in surprise at the dirt suddenly hitting his face cast out by the toe of Cassandra’s boot. His flight unbalanced, he managed to reach a tree branch, catching his breath as he glared down at his friend. For an instant, all he saw was her face slack with concern, the anger of her actions nowhere to be found, but the second they locked eyes, icy glint of Cassandra’s mask slipped back into place.“Go!” She swung at the tree, the blade cutting clean through the trunk and sending the whole thing careening on it’s side.Owl took to the air to escape the tangled mess of branches and wood shards, only to be met with Cassandra's sword. Beating his wings furiously to avoid the deadly blade, Owl knew just how precise she was with the weapon, and despite the ferocity of her attacks, she never got within an inch of touching him. He flew higher, making her stretch her reach, but she backed off watching him against the night sky.“Leave.”He didn’t understand what had changed, but Owl knew his human friend well enough not to listen. He simply found a higher branch and watched her fume.Cassandra dropped her sword and thrust her fingers into her hair, pacing the base of the tree. “Would you just go?!”But Owl refused, tilting his head at the odd sheen of light reflecting off Cassandra’s cheek every time she passed the fire.With a growl, she bent to scoop something up from the floor, and a second later Owl shrieked as a small rock struck his breast. It hadn’t hurt, but the next volley became unbearable as Cassandra threw more pebbles, until reluctantly, Owl fled the scene. He made a show of flying off into the night, crashing noisily through leaves to make her think she had succeeded in driving him off, but after about a mile, he circled back. Silent. Invisible. Owl hid in the shadowed tree tops, keeping a vigilant eye on Cassandra, now collapsed on the floor, crying into the dirt.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Varian. Varian was back.Ugh, no, not back. Rapunzel rolled her eyes at herself. She was the one who was back and Varian was just up to no good. Again! The initial shock of seeing him in line with the Saporian Separatists, almost unrecognizable under his new goatee and the grown up slant of his shoulders, had been quickly replaced by irritation. Maybe they hadn’t parted on the best of terms, but why couldn’t he just apologize? She would have forgiven him if he really meant it, but now?! After endangering her parents for a second time and forcing the larger part of her kingdom into the mines for his dumb alchemy. What was she supposed to do other than take him down?Rapunzel’s ears rang with the clamor of shaping the warm metal in her hand, carefully rotating the piece until each strike thinned the outer edge and pushed the extra material up into a sloped rim. This wasn’t some fancy cooking pan, and if Pascal’s ever-increasing number of dubious looks were any indication, her project would have been sufficient an hour ago. But her people were relying on her. Her parents needed her help. And if Cass ever taught her anything, it was that a weapon should always be handled with great care.The hammer fell with another bone rattling clang. Stop thinking about Cassandra! Varian was the problem right now. And Andrew! That slimy, handsome, snake with the great hair, she added, her face twisting in disgust. She was appalled by the fact that a whole journal entry had been dedicated to planning a double wedding with that guy! Wow. Cass would be so mad if she were here. She’d punch Andrew so hard, he’d put himself back in jail! And good riddance! He’s just the worst. And Cass—No. Rapunzel squeezed her eyes tight in an effort to get her friend out of her head. Right now, she had to focus on the problem at hand. The one she could fix. The one she was going to fix. Because, gosh darn it! She was tired of friends betraying friends!Pascal’s tiny, clawed feet shifted uneasily as her angry mutterings grew louder and the hammer struck with more and more force.“Hey, Blondie.”Rapunzel’s shoulders hitched up to her ears, not realizing just how carried away she had been until Eugene’s arrival. Pascal squeaked in protest at being so thoroughly jostled.“How are you holding up?”“Me?” Her lips stretched into an uncomfortably wide smile. “Fine!”The forge filled with steam as Rapunzel plunged the frying pan into the slack tub like an ugly thing in need of drowning.Pulling the pan from the water, she displayed her new weapon for Pascal to admire. “What do you think? Not bad, right?”But it was Eugene who responded with a rather less than enthusiastic grimace“You’ve been through a lot since we got back,” he said, edging closer despite Rapunzel very quickly moving in the opposite direction to a table of decorative paints. “Not to mention what happened with Cassandra.”“What?” She scoffed, flipping her hand to wave off that particular line of conversation. “I mean, to tell you the truth, I haven’t even thought about that,” she grabbed a tube of gold paint and squeezed through gritted teeth, “person.”“Rapunzel!” Her hand jerked in mid air as Eugene forced her to stop painting. “You can’t even say her name. There’s a difference between setting feelings aside, and burying them so deep they change who you are.”The corners of her mouth fell at his soft, patient voice. But when Pascal transferred to Eugene’s shoulder, chirruping in agreement, Rapunzel couldn’t help the sting of yet another betrayal. It just about broke her heart.“What are you saying, Eugene?”He placed his hand at the small of her back. “What I’m saying is that, you’re not alone in this.”She fought the urge to shift away. “I know.” Was it normal for the truth to feel like a lie? “But maybe it would be better if I were.”“What was that?”Rapunzel winced, dreading having to answer, but was saved by the sudden appearance of Xavier collecting them to discuss strategy. She steeled herself for another lie, a real lie.“I’ll be there in a second.”And with a parting kiss, Rapunzel was once again alone in the forge.*****Her bare feet padded swiftly along the streets, the cobblestone cool and damp with condensation. The feeling of traveling in shadow, of slinking through darkened alleyways unseen, was painfully familiar. And at every open intersection or public square, as Rapunzel pulled back her hood to scan for movement before skipping across, she wished she could forget the one who had shown her this world.But the injustice of it all gnawed at her stomach. It just wasn’t fair. Cass was off doing whatever she was doing back in the Dark Kingdom, but Rapunzel? Here in Corona? Sneaking around in the middle of the night? She had no choice but to see her lost friend everywhere she looked!Averting her gaze, she darted past the cafe table where she and Cassandra were taking their afternoon tea and snorting over some unfathomable joke. And there! If she just turned her head, she could see the book shop. The door opening with the tinkling of a bell as her Lady in Waiting wobbled out under the mile-high stack of books Rapunzel had purchased. But worst of all was the Cassandra guiding her, whispering in her ear like a dark, feathery moth. It made her skin crawl.But nevertheless, Rapunzel followed Cassandra’s unconventional lessons in stealth as she infiltrated deeper into the city center with confidence. She had just about reached her targeted entry point: the ventilation shaft Cassandra had snuck her out of so long ago, when a flash of green startled her to her toes.“Pascal! What are you doing here!?”A series of angry squeaks, followed by a vague admission of guilt, and Rapunzel was once again forging ahead, navigating the tunnels beneath the castle.She could see herself coming towards her now, bubbling with excitement behind Cass’ long, easy strides. ‘They’re boobytrapped, Rapunzel. See this stone? Fifth from the left. It’s meant to be triggered by an attacking swordsmen. She swiveled into position, demonstrating. See how there’s space for his swing as he lunges with his leading foot?’ Currently playing the part of assailant, Rapunzel stuck to her own left wall, away from the pitfalls of the imaginary right handed warrior.A few hundred feet more and the passage suddenly opened, the only indication of the large space being the far away echo of water dripping in from the ground above and the perception of floating as the still air seemed to rush away from her. Rapunzel exhaled slowly, orienting herself around the sound of her own breath. She stepped sideways, her hand reaching.The tunnel branches, Raps. Obviously, the one we just took leads back to the castle, but this one, the shortest one, exits at the ocean. Not really helpful since the tunnel is too narrow to bring a boat. Cassandra’s torch illuminated the next arched entrance. As far as I can tell, this one is the longest tunnel and takes you all the way to the Champanier Mountains. But it’s old and structurally compromised. She shrugged her shoulders. Even I haven’t mapped it out fully. She continued on. This one is great! It has a few exit points at some of the original buildings across Corona. Her eyes gleamed with mischief in the flickering firelight. I definitely had fun with that as a kid. But this last one is the one you want. It’s small and inconspicuous, so you’ll have the greatest chance of breaking out of the palace and sneaking back in without anyone even noticing you were gone.Pascal chirruped from her shoulder as Rapunzel’s fingertips finally made contact with the stone wall. Blinking in a failed attempt to gather any light in the pitch black, she carefully followed the curve of the wall, counting each tunnel opening until, at last, she found the one that would bring her to the palace.Fifteen minutes later, the tunnel glowed blue with moonlight, marking an exit. Pascal snuck off her shoulder to scout ahead and Rapunzel waited for the quick pulse of yellow before she too crossed the open expanse of the inner bailey. Together they slipped through a window left ajar on the first floor.It was odd walking through the dimly lit halls of the lower castle levels. Everything looked the same, smelled the same, although she was certain the faint stench of burnt something coming from the kitchens was not a product of Corona’s head chef, but still, the energy was markedly different. The air was electric with anticipation, sour with nefarious deeds, and sticky with the inevitable grunge of a large building operating without the presence of its army of staff. But all was not quiet.Shhh Cassandra held up her hand as she creeped forward.Rapunzel inched along the wall, attempting to peer around the corner and gauge the two Separatists engaged in conversation.“Well, lately I’ve been into essential oils, you know, peppermint and eucalyptus-”Their backs turned, Rapunzel took her chance and darted across the opening, pressing her spine into the opposite wall.“Huh? What was that?”She held her breath as the larger of the two men investigated, almost sneezing at the overwhelming kick of peppermint cutting through her nostrils.“It wasn’t anything. Come on!” The second man called out impatiently. “If you ask me, you should lay off the essential oils. They make you hear things.”Rapunzel couldn’t agree more on the first point, and with Pascal back on her shoulder, she disappeared down the hall. Aiming for the servant’s stairs leading up to the Great Hall, she barely made it ten feet before more voices echoed around the corner ahead. Her heart racing, Rapunzel ducked through the closest door and silently thanked the well-oiled hinges for cooperating. Although, as soon as she turned around, she almost scrambled back out to try her luck with the Saporians.The moon, shining wanly through the large east facing windows illuminated the room in an odd arrangement of shadows and planes, flattening and softening the edges until the familiar furnishings blended like watercolor. She should have known this is where she would end up. Steadying her breath, Rapunzel pushed herself off the worn oak door and stepped into the gloom of Cassandra’s room.Trailing her toes across the floor, she scanned the sparse decorations and tidy display of trinkets along the back bookshelf. The walls were bare, save for a tapestry hanging above the made up bed and a shield on the far wall. A writing desk was pushed into the corner, sporting a crocheted owl, a gift from Rapunzel, and erupting from a clay cup, sitting beside the thin spines of ledgers and notepads, was an array of quills, the feathers tattered with use.Stepping further into the room—Cassandra drifting behind, watching, waiting—Rapunzel caught her reflection in the small mirror hanging above a chest. The surface was blotched where moisture had begun to break down the bond between the glass and the silver backing, and on a thin shelf underneath sat a pot of rouge, a comb, and a tray of hair pins. A far cry from the dozens of bottles and creams on Eugene’s vanity.Everything was covered in the heather grey of dust, and as if swimming through a the heavy stillness of time itself, Rapunzel slowly approached the large wardrobe beside the bed. The memory of Cass broke the silence. When your dad is Captain of the Guard, she swung open the double doors, inhaling sharply at the scent of clove oil and rose water, you tend to collect… stuff.While the rest of the room could have belonged to anyone, the wardrobe was packed with everything Rapunzel had ever associated with Cassandra. Lining the inner door was her prized halberd, secured by tight cordage and slicing a clean diagonal line between neat rows of hooks, each one home to a knife, axe, or saw more ornate than the one beside it. The back wall was dedicated to the materials Cass had used to repair the decommissioned Guard weapons she was always so eager to collect, and was strung with rope, strips of leather, hemp bow string, and extra chain links. On the floor, aligned in pleasant rows of descending height, were jars of polishing oil, cushioned by rags folded into precise squares. Rapunzel brushed her fingertips over her own artwork, displayed in a basic wooden frame, but more than anything, the single item that made her breath catch, was Cassandra’s dress.She reached up to pull the shoulders off the hanger, the light blue silk slipping like water over her skin, and held the garment close. It was overwhelming how much of her friend was still imbued in the fabric, from the delicate sweetness of the rose water Cassandra would dab along her collar, to the nicks dotting the cuff of the left sleeve where she would stick stray sewing needles. The sob that tore through Rapunzel’s throat was raw and her knees suddenly felt very weak.Stumbling through the film of tears in her eyes, she collapsed on the bed, ignoring the cloud of dust settling around her. She was being foolish. Cassandra was so much more than a piece of clothing, but it had been so long since she had touched her friend. Actually felt the softness of her skin beneath scarred leather gloves, or the all-encasing armor of steel, and now the black rocks that had fully transformed Cassandra into a stranger.The Cass that wore this dress was the Cass that had been by her side since day one at the palace. The Cass with beautiful grey eyes and dark hair shrouded in a silk veil. The one she had fought so hard to befriend. And to be so close with that version of her, to hold the evidence of where they had started and how much things had changed, Rapunzel couldn’t help but to shatter into her own lap. She cried, letting all the hurt and all the confusion leave her body, the tears washing her like a cleansing rain.Pascal patted a comforting claw against her cheek and in time, she found the strength to pick up the pieces of herself and stitch them back together. “I just thought,” Rapunzel smoothed her thumbs over the fabric, dimly aware that the ghost of Cass was finally gone, “she would always be here.”She sniffed messily, wiping at her face when Pascal squeaked in alarm.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rough hands shoved her into the dank cell and Rapunzel caught herself with as much dignity as she could manage. Though it didn’t count for much as her eyes felt red and puffy and her hair was certainly a mess after being dragged across half the castle. She turned to face her captors, but out of all the Saporians gathered on the other side, only the boy in front held her attention.“Varian.” She stalked towards him, balling her fists until her nails dug painfully into her palms. “How could you do this?”The alchemist regarded her with chilling apathy. “I want you to know I wish it didn’t come to this.” He rapped his gloved knuckles against the metal, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a smirk, and in a flash, he lunged forward, every line of his face slanting inward, pinched in anger. “But when someone trusts you, and you betray them? Well,” Varian stepped back, arms wide. “This is what happens.”Her whole body bristled and it was as if the year and a half that had passed since the blizzard had ceased to exist, the old justifications leaping readily to her lips. “My kingdom needed me. I couldn’t do anything about the amber and I had to stay. I never meant to break my promise to you, Varian.”Rapunzel watched him pace before her cell, his expression flinty and jaw set like stone, and for a split second she saw someone else entirely. She had to get through to him. Make him understand. Before it was too late.Forcing the muscles in her face to relax, Rapunzel exhaled slowly, praying he would hear the earnestness in her voice. “We were friends.”Varian spun to her, eyes wide and bright with manic joy. “That’s the beauty of my plan! In the end, when your memory has been erased, we can be friends again!”She shook her head, baffled. “But you’re only making it worse! None of these people did anything to you.”“It’s not what they did to me!” He turned, hiding his face. “It’s what I did to them. And they’re-” Varian’s voice broke as he fought through the words, his collar hitching up to conceal more of him. “There is no way that they will ever forgive me.”
“How do you know if you don’t give them a chance?” Rapunzel pleaded.Varian scoffed, his shoulders dropping in an instant. “I took their queen prisoner, I- I threatened their princess! I helped these guys take over their kingdom! You think anyone’s going to give me a second chance?! I don’t think so.”I would. Even with all his wrong doings listed so neatly, Rapunzel’s heart swelled with hope. He was not lost. Not yet.“No,” Varian continued. “Making them forget is the only way to fix what I’ve done.”“Yeah,” Andrew stepped forward, his arms confidently folded behind his back. “There has been a slight change of plans, buddy. Now she’s back, we don’t have time for you to get your memory formula right.”Yuck. Rapunzel viciously cursed him with oily hair to match his oily personality as she watched Andrew drape a possessive hand across Varian’s shoulder.“We are still using the formula you’ve curated.” One of the other Saporians chimed in, an older, squat woman with dark rimmed eyes-Clementine? Her brain supplied-. “Quirineon explodes! It will turn Corona to ashes.”Varian flailed in opposition, his whole body rejecting the exploitation of his work. “But, no! We agreed nobody would be harmed!”“Relax, Varian.” Andrew tried to reel him back in. “You don’t want to end up on the wrong side of history. You understand, buddy?”Rapunzel’s eyes grew wide when Varian suddenly turned to her, his face open and searching. The smallest shift in his features were the only indication of the question he was asking. A question she was only half sure of. Please, Varian. Please make the right choice.“You’re right.” He turned away and her stomach dropped. “So, I’m going to have to ask you to step inside that cell.”Oh! Go, Varian! Rapunzel’s heart beat fast as she pressed her face against the bars.“Are you betraying us boy?”Betrayal! Who knew how wonderful that word could be.Varian pushed the Separatists back against an open cell, one of his alchemical orbs held threateningly before him. “I’m getting on the right side of history.”The Saporians scowled, all poised for attack. “Take him out!”But Varian was fast. He threw the orb and Rapunzel shielded her face from the inevitable explosion, only to flinch at the delicate splash of a bubble popping on the iron bars of her cell.“Oh, sorry guys,” Varian stepped back with a nervous laugh. “That was a- yeah… That was a bath bomb.”Andrew made quick work of restraining the kid and locking him inside with Rapunzel and Pascal. They stood there awkwardly until the final echoes of Saporian boots faded away.“Varian!” Rapunzel leapt at him. “Are you okay?”But her arms encircled nothing but air, Varian having easily dodged her well-intentioned attack.“Yeah. I’m fine.” He dragged himself over to the cot hanging off the wall and climbed in, the un-oiled chains creaking as he settled on the thin mattress.As he arranged himself, the sharp points of his elbows and knees folded in a practiced manner beneath his clothes, like a skeleton of matchsticks reorganizing and slipping into its box. And in the way he sat, hunched over and trying to be small, Rapunzel was confronted by the fact that he was no longer the little kid she had known. He still looked the same, even if he was taller, but the vibrancy of his mind was off. Still recognizable just… dulled. Less shiny with innocent enthusiasm and more scarred by desperation. Tainted by disillusionment. Or solitude. Or—she swallowed the sour taste in her mouth—imprisonment.Her stomach rolled with guilt. She had done this to him. Not on purpose, but all the same, she had played a part.“We’re going to get out of here, Varian,” she whispered.“You don’t know that.”He spoke to the wall, only the crown of his head visible outside of his cloak.“Yes, I do.” Rapunzel hovered beside the bed, reaching a tentative hand towards the toe of his boot. “You are so smart, I know you can think of a way out of here. And then we’re going to stop Andrew and save Corona.”Her fingertips touched the scuffed leather of Varian’s shoe and he jerked away in a wild display of limbs, pressing his shoulder into the wall. “Just forget it, Rapunzel. I would only make things worse.” Varian somehow curled deeper into himself. “I always do.”Rapunzel opened her mouth to refute his statement, but sucked air in at the last second. He wasn’t right exactly, but was he wrong? She sat there a minute longer, hoping he would say something she could work with, but he remained sulky and unresponsive. Without the distraction of conversation, her toes quickly became chilled from the stone floor and Rapunzel crossed the room to her own bed, tucking her feet into her skirts for warmth. When she looked back over at Varian, his curled form shielded by the sharp blade of his shoulder, the six feet of distance suddenly seemed endless. But she had seen the spark, the will to keep fighting. So, she must keep fighting too.When she spoke, her voice was soft and, hopefully, devoid of any accusatory edge. “You know, I can’t deny that you’ve done some horrible things. Mom had nightmares every night after Old Corona.” Rapunzel hugged her shins a bit tighter. “I almost didn’t leave because I was so worried. I guess- In a way… Her memory being wiped was a good thing. I’m sure she sleeps a lot better now.”She was met with stony silence.“I actually know what it’s like.” Rapunzel exhaled sharply in an odd, reluctant laugh. “Cass used a Saporian wand of oblivion on me a couple months ago. It was an accident, but we were fighting and mmm…” She sighed, wondering if he was even listening. “I lost everything from the past two years. I thought- I thought I still lived in the tower. And that Gothel was my mom. And I didn’t know who Eugene was. And, I have to admit, it was scary. But there is a cure, Varian.”From the corner of her eye, she thought she caught the tiniest hints of movement.“We can still fix this.”But Varian remained tucked away, brooding and dark. Glancing at the high window on the back wall, Rapunzel felt the urgent press of time. They needed to stop Andrew. With a huff, she rushed to the cell door, yanking on the iron bars in hopes of finding a weak spot. She grunted as she pulled, throwing her whole weight into the motion, but nothing budged. How did so many prisoners escape if these cells were so. Annoyingly. Strong?! “All I ever wanted was for my father to be proud.”Rapunzel stilled, surprised Varian had spoken.He lifted his head a fraction before burying back into his knees. “Of course, if he were free from the amber now—and saw everything I’ve done—well, he’d be ashamed.”She blinked back at him. “You know, standing up to Andrew just now was pretty brave.” One last despondent look at the bars and Rapunzel gave up on the idea of getting out with brute strength alone, feeling every bit as travel weary as one could. “You know, I know how much it hurts to have someone you trust let you down.”The ghost of Cassandra walked across the length of the cell, pausing for a second to stare inside.“I mean, after you go through something like that, how can you ever trust anyone again?“I don’t know. Tha- That’s why I thought,” Varian took a shuddering breath, “maybe if I could make you forget everything that happened, you know, we could be friends again. Learn to trust again.”Rapunzel swallowed thickly. Could she trust Cassandra again? Could Cassandra trust her?“But I guess life doesn’t really work that way.”When she looked at him, Rapunzel couldn’t help the small smile that graced her lips. And his smile in return was like an olive branch, a balm over old wounds, and the fragile heartstrings of renewed trust began to anchor themselves. Despite everything he had done, Varian was good. But more than that he wanted to be good, to be loved. Was she any different?“Okay, this is very sweet, but honestly, I’m offended.” Rapunzel perked up at once upon hearing the most beautiful voice in the entire world, and perhaps the second most beautiful sound: the clink of a brass key. “I can’t believe you were going to break into something and you didn’t even ask me! It’s kind of my thing.”“Thank goodness you’re here!” Rapunzel launched herself at Eugene, all the heaviness of the past couple of hour expelled in one single burst of sunlight. Oh, she had been so stupid. She squeezed the love her life a bit tighter, vowing to find time to apologize for leaving him, but for now they had a kingdom to save.****It was early morning when Rapunzel approached the decorated door of the hyacinth room. With three sharp raps still ringing in her ear, she held her breath, waiting for the occupant to respond. One, two, three, four, four and a half… four and three quarters… She raised her hand to knock again, only for the door to swing open and Varian just about crashing into her as he stepped into the hall with alacrity.“Oh! Rapunzel!” He backpedaled allowing her space to recover. “Sorry about that. I’m uh-” Varian hitched his pack onto his shoulder, swiping at the lock of hair that fell into his eyes. “I’m ready to go.”He breezed past her down the hall of empty guest rooms, his steps light and bouncy with nervous energy.“Varian?” He turned to her, eyes bright, and Rapunzel felt the tickle of shame flutter uncomfortably in her heart. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do this sooner.”His smile was that same olive branch as the night before, soft and new. “I’m just glad you can do it now.”She had told Varian the good news over a fortifying cup of hot cocoa in the palace kitchens after the Saporians had been taken care of. But while she was relieved to have a way of keeping her promise, she had found herself hesitating.“But, that’s great! That means you can reverse the amber and free my dad!” Varian pushed back his chair, nearly knocking it over in his excitement.Lance set his mug down on the table, absently tracing the rim as he stared into its contents. “Princess, are you sure you want to use that incantation again? I mean, after what happened with Cass.”Varian’s brows knitted together. “What happened with Cass?”Eugene, ignoring the question, placed a warm hand across her back. “Sunshine, Lance is right. That incantation is no joke. And I know you want to keep your promise to the kid, I do to, but is there really no other way?”Rapunzel regarded the three of them until a fourth figure emerged from the shadows. “The decay incantation can free Quirin. Whatever the consequences,”—Cassandra narrowed an accusing eye—“I have to try.”They debated a while longer, but every minute brought more fatigue than claritrty and Rapunzel found herself rubbing at her chest where a slight burning sensation had appeared. She closed her eyes, hoping to rid herself of the black handed apparition before her. It had been a long time since she had a proper hot chocolate, and maybe she was only feeling the affects of a sugar crash. Yeah, all she needed was a good night’s sleep. But thinking of sleep only made her think about morning and Quirin, and fixing her parents’ memories, and talking to Eugene, closing down the mines and bringing back the castle staff.And speaking of castle staff, she needed to get word to the Captain that the Saporian threat had been mitigated. And Cass… What was she going to do about the moonstone? And oh, winter was right around the corner. What was the status on this year’s harvest? How long had her parents been unable to rule or hold audience with their subjects? What where the balances on the accounts, the inventory of supplies? She highly doubted Andrew and his gang had been very frugal with their spending. Were they going to need to rely on the the generosity of the surrounding kingdoms? How was she going to do this all by herself?“Hey, Blondie?”Rapunzel opened her eyes, blinking away the spots of flickering candle light.“Let’s get you to bed.”But as she stared up at her vaulted ceiling, in her beautiful, familiar, slightly dusty room, Rapunzel found she was unable to relax enough to actually fall asleep. Whenever she got close, focusing with all her might on descending into the warm embrace of unconsciousness, it began to warp, and she was clutched by the cold claws of dread. Annoyed and tired, Rapunzel hitched the blankets higher around her chin and waited, drifting at the edge of a deep ocean.And now, in the early sunlight, with Varian looking at her expectantly from the end of the hall, Rapunzel shuddered with the remembered feeling. She didn’t want to do this. She would, because she had promised, but the anticipation of speaking those words. Of losing control to something dark and insidious. It frightened her. And what if it didn’t work? Would she end up killing Quirin? Or Varian? Or worse, would it travel? Poisoning the earth and turning everyone and everything to rot? Was that kind of risk worth it for just one man?Cassandra stepped out of the wall and draped her long fingers on Varian’s shoulder.
What are you waiting for, Raps?
“Rapunzel? Are you coming?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rapunzel could kick herself. Her moment of hesitation back at the castle had turned the air awkward and now she and Varian were sweating in strained silence. Every few minutes, he would inhale as if to speak, only to pause for a second before expelling it back into the air.
She wasn’t exactly helping the abysmal attempts at conversation either, choosing instead to stare at the space between Max’s ears as he plodded down the road to Old Corona, anticipating the next time his shoe clipped an errant rock. Should she explain? Should she come clean about the prickly companion following ten feet back? And the clawed, desiccated guilt hanging limp at her side.It was another mile before she finally built up the courage to peak over at Vairan sitting in his borrowed seat atop Fidella’s broad back. But he was already looking at her, and when their eyes met, Rapunzel’s cheeks flared with heat and she turned away just as quickly. They had been doing so well, and now, that questioning, calculating look in his eye was more than a little unnerving. Varian probably thought she couldn’t free his dad—or worse, didn’t want to—and maybe that was true. Well… not true. She did want to free Quirin, being trapped in amber must be horrible, but the incantation. The cold that seeped in through the toes, and the putrid smell of rot that filled the air. It was dreadful.Trusting the horses to deliver them safely to their destination, Rapunzel forced herself to loosen her grip on the reins and settle into the sway of Max’s gait. It was already deep summer, her birthday having come and gone without festival, though, if she knew Coronans, that would likely be remedied by tonight. But as she closed her eyes, focusing on the unceasing drone of cicadas and the answering squawks of bluejays, she was torn.Was a party worth it? Was any of this worth it? Maybe if everything went well, but what if it didn’t? How far would it spread? From the canal framed farmland on the left, to the untamed woods on her right, if she lost control, her entire country could end up riddled with magic blight. Destroyed beyond her ability to fix. And her people, dancing in the glow of the late afternoon sun, would be completely oblivious to the danger about to befall them. The danger she put them in. But what choice did she have?Rapunzel chewed on her lip, the soft footfalls of leather on dirt unnaturally loud in her ear. Maybe, if she was careful, this could be the beginning of something good. Something healing. For once in its existence, the spell could be used to save a life, instead of taking and eating and snuffing out everything in its path. She just couldn’t mess up. She shivered despite the warm air around her and Max’s ears flicked back, sensing her distress. No matter what Cassandra might think of her, this was her chance to make it right. But—“Varian?” Rapunzel cleared her throat. “If something goes wrong, if the water doesn’t work, I need you to run.”“What?” Fidella trotted abreast at Varian’s urging.“I mean it. Don’t try to touch me, don’t try to wake me up, just get everyone out of Corona and find somewhere safe.”“No, I’m not going to leave you.”Rapunzel twisted her fingers in Max’s mane. “Lance and Eugene know what it’s like to be affected by the decay incantation, but you don’t. It’s-” she struggled to choose the right words. “It’s like you can’t breathe. Like all the hope in the world is gone. And then every part of you begins to freeze until the tips of your fingers start to itch. And burn. And you feel like you’re dying.” She looked down at her own hands, remembering the splotchy redness that had appeared on their extremities after the Great Tree—burst capillaries—the doctor in West Ipsil had explained. “It’s horrible.”Varian listened intently, his brows furrowing. “Is that what happened to Cass’ hand?”All three of them, Rapunzel, Max, and Fidella spun to look at him so suddenly, Varian barely managed not to fall out of the saddle. “How do you know about that?!”Varian’s cheeks flushed bright red as he palmed the back of his neck. “I uh- I read her letters.”Rapunzel tugged hard at Max’s reins. “You what!?”Varian brought Fidella to a halt as well, twisting nervously in his seat. “I read her letters.” His fidgeting worsened as Rapunzel gaped at him “When Andrew intercepted the last one, I got curious and sort of went digging through your dad’s stuff. I- I’m really sorry. I know I shouldn’t hav-”“What? No.” Rapunzel waved her hands in front of her face. “It’s fine. Just, what letters?”Varian looked at her confused. “She wrote letters to the king while you were away. Wait. How did you not know that?”Max bent his large neck around to look back at her, mildly shrugging, while Fidella simply rolled her eyes. When had Cass written to her father? Rapunzel flicked her gaze over to where Cassandra had been following in their wake only to find the space disconcertingly empty.Head spinning, she nudged Max’s sides and the horses began walking again. In the past year, she couldn’t remember seeing Cass write anything longer than a shopping list whenever they went into town. And even then, they had never visited a post office or left a message with anyone traveling back to Corona. And yet, evidently she had been in contact with her father. Had Owl been the one to deliver these letters? The bird had often spent days away from camp, but she had always assumed he was scouting ahead or providing weather updates. At least that’s what Cass had said. But why would she keep her correspondence a secret?She turned back to Varian, the spiking humidity plastering his hair across his forehead. “What did the letters say?”“Hmm? Oh,” he shrugged, taking his hands off the reins, “typical travel stuff. Like updates on your location and how you were feeling and if you’d run into any major problems. That kind of thing.”“But she mentioned her hand?” Rapunzel hedged nervously.Varian nodded. “Not much. Just that she had been injured at a tree.”“The Great Tree.”“Yeah! That’s the one! But that letter was mostly about how you had learned more about the scroll. Which, by the way,” his eyes gleamed with excitement, “I would love to hear more about! Did you ever find the last piece? Cass said it would contain information about the moonstone!”Rapunzel grimaced, beginning to feel a bit sick. “Yes, we found it. But it’s written in the same ancient language as the piece you had. We still haven’t been able to translate it.”Varian’s arm shot up. “I can do it!” But he quickly lowered it to pull at his collar. “Heh- I mean, I could try. That- That is, if you want me to. Anyway.”“Thanks, Varian,” she said, smiling softly.“You’re welcome, Rapunzel.” He smiled in return, pushing his goggles higher on his head. “And uh- Just so you know, you don’t have to worry about the decay incantation. I’ll snap you out of it. I promise.”Her chest tightened at the determination in his voice, but before she could say anything, Old Corona emerged through the tree line, desolate and deserted. “Uhh, Varian? Where is everyone?”His back straightened, searching for familiar faces with a mixture of hope and trepidation coloring his own visage. “I um… I don’t know.”Dismounting, they left the horses to graze in the apple groves and ventured further into the black rock ridden town.“I know Andrew led a small raiding party about a month ago, but this?” Varian scanned the empty store fronts and overgrown gardens. “This is older.” He stepped closer to Rapunzel, his shoulder brushing against hers. “Did no one- Did no one come back after I- After- you know.”Rapunzel cast him a sympathetic look. “I guess not.” She watched as the blood rushed out of his face, catching him as he began to wobble. “Hey, it’s going to be okay, Varian.”She supported him as they walked, carrying more of his weight the closer they got to the central manor house and the man frozen in time inside. Varian allowed himself to be steered into a wall as Rapunzel swooped into a nearby farm shed to find a bucket before filling it at a water pump.Water… He had once dreamed of supplying his village with hot running water. Before he messed up so astronomically. Varian clutched at the loose fabric of his shirt. If Rapunzel was right and the decay incantation could free his dad from the amber, what would he say? Varian could already imagine the broad shoulders and the withering glare as his father peered down the length of his nose, making him feel small and stupid. He groaned. Fleetingly wondering if running away was worth the internal turmoil of not knowing. But before he could manage to convince his legs to work, Rapunzel thrust the bucket into his arms and he was swept away in the princess’ forward momentum.As Varian entered the house, he disassociated himself with thoughts on time. How could something so precisely measured and unchanging be perceived so inconsistently by the human mind? Growing up here, in a home sick with grief and unspoken words, time felt far enough away to no longer be real, and yet the weight of it pressed down on him, shortening his legs and squeezing his ribs until he thought his stomach might lift into his mouth for having nowhere else to go.He had escaped into the basement, into his own head, and made a world he could understand and shape to his own design. It was a life he had been fighting to get back to, and that fight seemed to squish into a single day and stretch across a whole existence all at once. Each second passing agonizingly slow, until he made it tangible with an explosion or a strike against his cell wall, only to be caught slacking when the next second ran up behind him and pressed it’s knee into his back.But now, Rapunzel guiding him down his own stairs, time seemed to move around him like a wind tunnel, pushing him backwards even as he was blown mercilessly forward. He wasn’t ready. Varian’s heart beat wildly in his chest, what if his dad was dead? What if he wasn’t? Which outcome was more horrifying? He stumbled down the last set of steps, almost spilling the water when he landed with a jolt. The force of his shoulder swung the lab door wide open, and as it crashed against the back wall, he was at last confronted by the singular image that had plagued his nightmares for the past year and a half.Rapunzel kept a firm grip on Varian’s arm, achingly aware of how difficult this must be for him. She exhaled slowly, needing to remain calm for his sake as much as for her own resolve. At least Old Corona was empty. Even if things went poorly, Varian only had to worry about getting himself out. She spun him towards her.“Once I start this incantation, I won’t be able to stop it. And it could seriously harm you and your father, so I’m trusting you to snap me out of it once your father is free.”Varian, dazed and unfocused, finally managed to tether himself to the seriousness of her voice, using her as an anchor. “You can trust me, Rapunzel.”Still apprehensive, Rapunzel bent down to retrieve a lock of her hair, taking a moment to look up at Quirin suspended in the amber. She could do this. She had to do this.
Please, Raps. That spear can kill it. Let me try and grab it.
Rapunzel squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the memory of her friend’s desperate plea. There’s no spear, Cassandra. Not this time.
Trust me!
She flinched at the closeness of Cass’ voice, practically yelling in her ear, echoing inside her head. And in the next breath, she began to sing.“Wither and decay. End this destiny.” As the magic flowed through her, Rapunzel ceased to exist. She floated, lost in nothing and everything. There was no light, there was no touch or sound, but she could smell salt as she melted into the darkness, the borders of her body becoming slippery and diaphanous. It hurt as the crown of her head split apart into thousands of tendrils reaching out and latching onto the first thing they touched. “Break these earthly chains. And set the spirit free.”She gasped, her eyes flying open as the force of the world slammed into her chest and sent her clumsily into water. Sputtering and shivering, Rapunzel picked herself up and found that she was standing shin deep in the middle of the ocean. The dark surface reflected the moonless sky above, twinkling with wane starlight, and when she looked down, small bioluminescent fish and soft coral clung to the black rocks surrounding her. Where was she?“You shouldn’t be here.”Rapunzel spun, splashing wildly. “Cassandra!”The moonstone sparked from the woman’s chest, her face glowing within an unnatural blue halo.Rapunzel took a few halting steps, teeth chattering. “Cass, thank goodness you’re here. You have to help me get back. Varian-”But Cassandra turned away, rolling her eyes. “Forget it. Whatever mess you got yourself into, you can get yourself out.”“Cass, please!” Desperate, Rapunzel launched herself forward, crashing through the water behind Cassandra’s silent, gliding steps. “I don’t know where I am.” Muscles aching, she reached out to grasp at Cassandra’s spiked shoulder only to be smacked smartly away.“Get off me!”Rapunzel stared in shock, clouds of her own heavy breathing visible in the night air.“You’re not-” Cassandra squeezed her eyes shut. “You’re not real.”Rapunzel held her elbows to keep from shaking “Please. It’s so-” she swallowed past her numbing tongue. “It’s so cold. The decay incantation. I think-” she paused, shuddering as her toes began to crystalize. “I think it’s gone wrong.”Cassandra glared at her before exploding in crackling light. “The decay incantation? Damnit, Rapunzel! What were you thinking?”“It was the only way to save Quirin.”“Save Quirin- Save Quirin.” Cassandra laughed, exasperated. “When are you ever going to learn? That spell! This magic!” She clutched at the moonstone embedded in her flesh. “You can’t control it.”“I know.” Rapunzel’s voice was barely a whisper but the admission seemed to live forever in the silence that followed.A small wave broke across her ankles.Cassandra glanced away, seething, the dark line of her brow sharper than the blade across her back. “Why do you do this to me?”“Cass?” She could no longer feel her legs as Cassandra approached her, cat like and feral.“I don’t know if you’re really here, but I don’t want to see you again. I am not. Bound to you. Anymore.” Cassandra spoke through her teeth, her crisp blue eyes narrowing reproachfully. “Do you understand?”Rapunzel nodded, holding her breath at Cassandra’s nearness, and as her former Lady in Waiting leaned in, her body tensed in inexplicable anticipation of being kissed. But before she could react, something sharp and painful lanced through her heart, pinning Rapunzel in place. Stunned, she looked down to find Cassandra’s blue finger pressed into her chest, sinking into her skin.“Wha-?” She gasped, her heart quivering as it tore itself in two and each half began beating independently.But Cassandra was already pulling away. And when Rapunzel was finally released, unsupported, she collapsed to her knees.“Are you okay?”Blinking, Varian came into focus before her, his soft blue eyes searching hers for confirmation. Rapunzel filled her lungs tentatively, feeling the warmth return to her limbs. She was alive. Varian was alive! And looking over his shoulder, at the man catching his breath in a puddle of amber, relief flooded through her body and all at once, she was catching Varian in her arms.“Thank you,” he said, burying his face into her shoulder.But when Varian left to embrace his father, cold air rushing to fill the space he had occupied, Rapunzel was overcome with loneliness. She watched them holding each other on the floor for a moment before wiping the wetness from her eyes and selfishly making her escape up to the main level of the house. It was quiet and perhaps even lonelier up in the empty living room, but in the shadows, with only cornered dust bunnies as witness, Rapunzel fell into the nearest seat and hugged herself.Her homecoming should have been easy. Happy. A celebration of her success in subduing the black rocks and restoring balance to the world, but she was never going to get the reunion she had imagined. Not like the one downstairs. Not with her parents who had forgotten her. Not with the friend she had left behind in the Dark Kingdom. Not with the simple joys and hopes of a young girl trapped in a tower. Even the chair she was sitting in, plush and molded to a much larger body, was not the bed she longed for back in her room. Nothing was as it should be and she half wondered if she had even come back at all.Exhaling, Rapunzel sat up, taking stock of herself. On each foot, five toes. On each hand, five fingers. Two shins, two forearms, two knees and two elbows. She continued working her way inward, touching every part of her to make herself feel solid. Maybe she hadn’t come back. Not fully. She had been someplace else.Suddenly remembering, she patted her clothes, feeling for any lingering dampness, but her skirts were dry. She hadn’t fallen into the ocean… Nor had Varian splashed her with the water from the bucket. But it had been empty… Cast off to the side. It hadn’t worked. But then how?Frantic, Rapunzel tugged at her bodice, reaching for the spot Cassandra had touched, but yelped as something hot and sharp pricked her finger. Surprised by the unexpected sensation, she looked down at chest and there, just above her heart, was a stone.“Oh, no, no, no, no, no.” Her breathing quickened as she carefully traced what looked to be a large yellow diamond protruding from her breast, and this time, when her skin made contact, it responded, blazing in a familiar golden light.
Cass what have you done?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Cassandra jolted backwards, skittering over the hot ash of her dying fire to escape whatever ember must have singed her hand. Rubbing the stinging appendage, she caught her breath as the panic eased and she regained awareness of her surroundings. It was bright out, the mouth of the cave she had been sleeping in regrettably still intact and painfully blown out by daylight. Groaning, she massaged her eyes, strange filaments sparking across her vision and the echo of her name fading away on the beating wings of a bird in the distance.She had gone back there. To the tidal pools of her youth, to the rock gunnel and anemones, but the dreamscape had been dark this time. Dark with glass scattered across the sky, poised to cut, and writhing tentacles eager to drag her into inky depths. It had been fine at first, familiar in its pitfalls. For even in the daunting cascade of night, it was easy to avoid one’s reflection if one never looked up at the stars.And so, she walked. Stepping carefully over plump sea slugs and adventuring hermit crabs dragging tiny trails across the sand. Skirting around the rock dwellings of eels and octopi. Occasionally, she would bend to coax a brittle star into her palm before watching it float back onto the soft coral to feed. In this way, Cassandra had almost forgotten. Forgotten that she wasn’t a child newly employed at the palace in her pale-yellow dress. Forgotten that she hadn’t just discovered a passage hidden behind a tattered tapestry, or ran down its twisting length until she burst, breathless, onto the shore where lapping waves soaked the thin soles of her shoes.Yes. She had almost forgotten.And then the hairs on the nape of her neck stood on end as a figure emerged from the inky pool.“You shouldn’t be here.”Rapunzel stood before her, hair black and iridescent as raven feathers cascading down her back and fanning across the water until Cassandra could no longer tell where one ended and the other began. And as the princess turned in surprise, Cassandra narrowed her eyes at the apparition. Rapunzel stepped forward with unnatural, jerking movements, as if time was rearranging itself until the whole sequence became slightly misaligned.“Cass, thank goodness you’re here. You have to help me get back. Varian-”It was cruel the way this place played on her base instincts. Replaying each moment of her life in glass stars as if to show her just how much she had fallen. No, not fallen. Changed. One month of the moonstone and the girl in her memories was a stranger. Someone so pathetically desperate for any sense of self that she was only real under someone else’s scrutiny. At least now Cassandra was truly aimless, free to be nothing without the constant scurrying of materialization. And even if it was her own mind setting the trap, she would not fall into Rapunzel’s clutches again.“Forget it. Whatever mess you got yourself into, you can get yourself out.”But the princess refused to disappear, instead following her with ungainly limbs as she splashed through the water, stomping on any critter too slow to escape underfoot. Cassandra clenched her teeth, willing to be back in the cave she had laid down her head—if dreaming caused the rocks to emerge, then hopefully the roof will collapse and crush her—but before she could wake, a hand dropped on her shoulder zapping her like lightning.“Get off me!”Cassandra staggered back with disbelief, the impact of bone against bone still vibrating up her arm. She couldn’t be real. And yet she felt solid. And as Cassandra looked closer, the fly away hairs at the crown of Rapunzel’s head were too random and precise to be contrived. And her face, a perfect little “o” of astonishment, stretched in the exact imitation of the real thing.No, please. “You’re not- You’re not real.”But Rapunzel spoke as if she hadn’t heard. Begging for help. Begging her to fix whatever happened with the decay incantation and, just like that, familiar tentacles latched around her neck and Cassandra was sucked right into the comfortable turmoil of anger and frustration.“The decay incantation? Damnit, Rapunzel! What were you thinking?”The princess just stood there, wide-eyed and flickering like a candle, opaque one moment, transparent the next. “It was the only way to save Quirin.”It was so stupidly predictable. The ‘only way.’ It was ALWAYS the ‘only way’ with her.“When are you ever going to learn? That spell. This magic,” Cassandra pressed her hand over the moonstone, a surge of resentment for the blasted thing coagulating in her throat, “you can’t control it.”“I know.”Oh, how she could kill her. After the damage she inflicted, now Rapunzel knew she wasn’t in control? And not a single apology on that meek, simpering face. But Cassandra snipped that particular thread of injustice quickly. She had her confirmation. The real Rapunzel would never agree with her. Would never admit she was wrong. This was only a dream, after all.On the horizon, a rouge wave loomed large, the undulating black wall of water blocking out the glass stars, and Cassandra felt her weight sinking into the shifting sand. It was time to wake up. Rapunzel was still standing before her, deep blue veins now visible through her transparent skin and branching like barren trees across her brow. Why her mind had conjured this strange conversation was beyond her. She could never have helped Rapunzel escape this place. There was no control here. No power. Just mirrors into the past. And the ugliest mirror was right in front of her. How could anyone escape that?Cassandra braced for impact as the wave crashed on her shoulders, expecting it to drive her to her knees, but all it did was engulf her with overwhelming loneliness.“Why do you do this to me?”“Cass?”Yes. It was time to wake up. The rocks would break through the earth’s crust, shatter the cave’s ceiling, crash upon her, and that would be the end. One last stand.She stepped forward, strong and determined, bent on frightening her own reflection cast in Rapunzel’s irises. “I don’t know if you’re really here, but I don’t want to see you again. I am not bound to you anymore.”The apparition of the princess wavered.“Do you understand?”But Cassandra didn’t wait for confirmation, she needed Rapunzel to be gone. Needed herself to be gone. So, she stabbed her. Straight through the heart. And as her friend buckled, face crumpling in a very convincing display of pain, Cassandra retreated in fear. Fire traveled up her arm, scorching her flesh anew and burning with a vibrancy she thought she had suppressed. And in her ear, echoing, haunting, a familiar voice called her name.*****It was near three o’clock in the afternoon when Rapunzel finally made it up to her room, dusty from the hard ride back to Corona. Varian and Quirin, riding tandem on Fidella, had insisted she ride ahead, stating that they were fine and wanted to take it easy. She had hesitated at first, but one look at Varian, content and leaning against his father’s chest, quelled the worry in her heart. And with a nod, she flicked the reins and Max leapt into a gallop.Jerking the curtains across the large windows, Rapunzel gingerly unlaced her bodice, careful not to touch the stone poking through her skin.The sundrop…She breathed in recognition of the amber colored crystal, foreign and familiar. Logically, she supposed the sundrop was like the moonstone, an individual entity, but having been a part of her since birth, Rapunzel had never thought to consider the object itself. But here it was, winking up at her with some internal light, separate and alive. It’s heartbeat pulsing beside her own.She collapsed onto the foot of her bed. Other than the slightly altered rhythm in her chest, she didn’t feel any different. The magic still seemed to course through her body uninterrupted, her hair still long and yellow, her muscles strong and limber. Other than a slight headache, which would undoubtably be remedied with some food, she felt… normal.Just then a soft knock sounded from her door, and she jumped with anticipatory excitement. But instead of Eugene, or a friend in a light blue dress, the woman who entered wore a purple gown.“Mom?” Rapunzel pushed herself up onto her elbows.Ariana paused in the doorframe, running her thumb along the gold filigree of a decorative box in her hands. “I’m sorry to intrude, but I saw you come in and—” She took a deep breath, setting her shoulders. “Is this you?”Patting the mattress beside her, Rapunzel invited her mother to sit down but Ariana entered slowly, stunned by her surroundings. With amazement, she took in the murals covering the walls leading her eyes up into the rafters until she was craning her neck to better admire the lanterns suspended above. Rapunzel watched her with bittersweet amusement. Perhaps the Wand of Oblivion’s true power was to allow a person to experience wonder for a second time.Eventually coming back to herself, Ariana cleared her throat and with a sheepish smile, sat beside Rapunzel, handing over the box in her hands. “I found this in my room. And I just wondered if this, if this was you.”Made of rich lacquered rosewood, the top panel was framed by intricate gold wires weaving a delicate pattern inwards toward an ivory egg, carved in rough relief against the more polished setting. Studying it closer, Rapunzel could just discern an abstract image of a woman, an infant cradled around the curve of her cheek.“I think so.” Rapunzel smiled, smoothing her hands over the box once more before offering it back.“No, please.” Ariana gently but firmly pushed the box into her lap. “Open it.”Searching her mother’s eager face, she obliged, unlatching the clasp and lifting the lid to reveal a collection of delicate items. Tiny socks and tiny mittens frilled with lace and pink ribbon, a nosegay of dried daisies, and a simple gold bracelet too small for Rapunzel to pass over her fingers. There were silver spoons and polished coins, squares of embroidered silk and stuffed figurines no larger than the center of her palm, one of which, to Rapunzel’s pleasant surprise, was a crocheted chameleon. And at the bottom, among a scattering of flower petals and odd bobbles, was a small portrait of a beautiful baby girl.Rapunzel touched the painting with reverence, her eyes misty. “Are you-” She sniffed, smiling. “Are you saying you remember me?”But one look at her mother and she already knew the answer. Ariana was still sitting a few inches away, spine perfectly straight and hands clasped demurely in her lap, distant, detached. She shook her head. “No.”“Oh.”“But I remember losing you.”Rapunzel’s chest tightened uncomfortably. “I don’t understand.”Ariana sighed, her frame falling a fraction as she processed her scrambled memories. “I don’t know what those people did to me, but every morning I wake up and think I’m at my parent’s estate in Freiburg, but everything is different. A hallway that turns right instead of left. Sunlight streaming through one window and not the other. But even though I didn’t understand it, I always felt an emptiness.”She placed her hand atop Rapunzel’s, clutching her fingers tightly.“I now recognize it as grief. Grief of losing a child I couldn't remember having. And to think that I have lost you again just by forgetting—” she pressed her free hand against her lips, collecting herself. “It must have been terribly hard for you to grow up without a mother and I am so sorry for putting you through this again.”“Mom, I-” Rapunzel turned to her, gripping Ariana’s hand just as fiercely. “It’s okay. I’m here, and when you remember, we’ll have a reunion just as beautiful as the first one.” She smiled tearily and wrapped her in her arms. “I promise.”*****The party was still in full swing when Rapunzel excused herself, kissing Eugene on the cheek as she departed. Despite everything on her plate, she was surprised to have actually enjoyed the festivities. Simply being around her people, seeing them safe and sound, hearing their laughter and the music and the smell of feasts being prepared on open fires had lifted her spirits immensely. But more than that, even with her failure to eliminate the threat of the moonstone and losing Cassandra, the past couple of days were proof that there was still so much to celebrate.Enjoying the quiet that comes with contentment and the promise of a good night’s sleep, Rapunzel folded herself into the window, tucking her skirt around her ankles. It was good to be home, even if nothing had gone as expected, and even if her work was far from over. Defeating the Separatists, saving Quirin from the amber, keeping her promise to Varian, and rekindling the relationship with her own mother, she had done well. And she had to remind herself of that.Looking out at the setting sun, Rapunzel found her mind lingering on thoughts of mothers. Ariana had stayed for a bit after showing her the memento box. And while their conversation had it’s fair share of giggling and small touches, it had reminded Rapunzel of her early days at the castle and the stumbling dance of two people instinctively wanting to be closer but neither knowing how or when to lead. It was nice though. She had a chance to learn who Ariana was, not as a mom or a queen, but as an independent woman. She only hoped she could come to know her father in the same way.Her father who had yet to seek her out. Had yet to acknowledge her as his own. It was only logical in the end. Without his memories, he hadn’t gone through the trauma of losing her. Of course he wouldn’t be the same overbearing, protective figure in her life… But she could not ignore the sting of rejection.Watching the sun dip lower into between the mountain peaks, Rapunzel shivered in the cooling breeze. Cassandra was out there. Alone. In the dark. Is this how she felt being abandoned by her own mother? Living with that deep seated feeling of something missing. Something stolen?Gothel’s true daughter… How Rapunzel hadn’t seen the connection before, she could not say, but the truth remained that perhaps Cassandra had been doomed from the start. For who could ever be happy in that horrid woman’s house?And yet, she had been happy. While Gothel had been cruel and selfish in hindsight, she had never physically harmed her. In fact, for the majority of Rapunzel’s life she had felt loved and protected, had been given everything she had ever asked for—well… except her freedom—but that hadn’t seemed so steep a price at the time. She would have gone back had things not ended so horribly.Maybe learning the truth about oneself was always a horrible thing…The door clicked open and she turned to see a handsome face peaking in.“The number one reason I’m glad to be back in Corona, you ask?” Eugene smiled. “Why, the cupcakes.”He walked in with the proffered dessert in hand and she quickly made space for him to sit beside her. How any one man could be so gentle and patient, and entirely hers, was truly a miracle.“I’m glad you were able to keep your promise to Varian. It feels good to trust that little guy again, right?”Rapunzel chuckled. “It does.”But seeing Eugene before her, the love of her life, glowing beautifully in the setting sun and offering her honesty and devotion, she could no longer keep any part of herself from him. Because suddenly it clicked. Keeping her feelings bottled up, stored somewhere cold and dark to age like a bottle of wine, she would be no better than Gothel, and one day she would fall and shatter like glass.“I think I’m ready to talk about Cass.”He smiled knowingly, as if he had suspected this all along. “Well, then I am all ears, Sunshine.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The ashes of the fire had gone cold and Cassandra had yet to move an inch. She was sure someone had called her name, awakening her from that horrible dream with Rapunzel. But it was impossible. She had ensured she was alone before drifting off to sleep, leaving her to be the only casualty should anything bad happen. But something had woken her…Tilting back her head against the cave wall, Cassandra gazed up at the stalactites suspended above. She extended her hand, fingers stretching as she attempted to tap into the moonstone’s power.“Just work, damnit.”The moonstone sparked and for a second, she thought something had shifted, a pebble breaking free, but there was no sound of it falling to the floor, no earth rumbling emergence of black rock—no stalactite impaling her—and whatever power she felt stirring within her abruptly fizzled out.Mildly disappointed, Cassandra dropped her arm, her palm opening listlessly against her thigh. For a moment, she considered pulling back the armor to look upon her shriveled hand and remind herself of its pitiful state, poke at the mess of charred skin and bone. Since waking, it had been tingly and restless, her nerves firing relentlessly, but apathy had become a constant companion these days and she left it alone. It would never heal. Not without magic, Rapunzel’s magic… But even then, the princess had lost that ability before Cassandra had known her. It was just as well. She wouldn’t have accepted it anyway. Not now. Not when it had been her own mother who had profited the most from the healing incantation.Growling, Cassandra got to her feet and struck the wall with her fist, flecks of rock hitting her face even as she pulled back for another blow. Her mother had left her because Rapunzel was more useful. More important. More valuable! Kicking, punching, arcing slashes of her blade, bludgeoning blows of the hilt, Cassandra attacked the underbelly of the mountain tirelessly, relishing the pain shooting up her right arm. She could have been wanted! But Rapunzel took that chance from her. Took her chance to prove herself.Cassandra slumped against the wall, deep gouges and a few scattered boulders the only evidence of her attempt to bury herself. It was her fault for being weak. She had been idealistic and stupid and too quick to think herself a hero. The moonstone was uncontrollable, and her dream of reversing the damage it had caused was a fish dead in the water. There would be no celebrations in her honor, no parade floats, or babies named after her.No glory.Like Gothel, she would turn to dust.Looking deeper into the cave, she considered trying her luck squeezing into the narrow crevice hardly visible in the shadows. Perhaps the cave opened up after a few feet. Perhaps it didn’t. But right now, the tiny crack along the back wall looked very inviting. Half standing, she stumbled a couple steps into the dark, but before she could entomb herself, a cracking tree branch outside turned her head. She hissed as a sharp spear of light lanced painfully into her eyes.Sunset. Corona. Rapunzel.Animosity drew Cassandra out of the cave, her feet tripping over the uneven ground and doggedly, she dragged herself upright into the light. Sheltered by a thin line of trees, the cave entrance sat on the western face of a crooked mountain and overlooked the ruins of the Dark Kingdom. Larger than Corona, the valley had once held so much life, winding streets and city squares, the crumbling facades of museums and arenas, plumbing made of curved clay tiles, parks and neighborhoods where children played and the elderly gambled in the streets. And before anyone could prepare, one king in a far off land stole the sundrop flower and just like that — the whole city went dark.As if teasing its misfortune, the setting sun burned the sky, and everything it touched, a gaudy and deranged shade of orange. And in between the rays of light, dark purple clouds bloomed like bruises. Cassandra’s mouth twisted in a scornful grimace as she stared upon the blazing sun. Behind her, the moon had begun to rise, fat and yellow over the mountains, but even the night would bring little reprieve. She could hear the princess’ voice like a whisper on the wind.“The earth is round, Cassandra. Even though the sun has set, it still shines around the curve of the earth and ta da! It lights the moon!” Rapunzel pulled her hands back from their over eager display of the large glowing orb before them and turned to collect the mug of hot chocolate Cassandra was offering. She hummed in thanks, sipping carefully. “Maybe I should repaint my star charts.” Her fists clenched at the memory, the final image of dream Rapunzel, pulse swelling and twisting worm-like under her skin mixing with the innocent girl basking in the moon glow. It hadn’t changed a thing. Taking the moonstone, not taking the moonstone, it didn’t matter. Cassandra was still a reflection, or a shadow. Powerless and insubstantial compared to the sun itself. Why must she always be the one to stand on borrowed bones?
Cassandra settled onto the slope of the castle roof, filling her cheeks with chocolate. A cold front had snapped the night sky into crisp clarity and she warmed her ungloved fingers around the sides of the mug, shivering as the wind blew through her thin silk sleeves. “And where are you planning on painting these stars? There isn’t exactly much wall space left in your room.”
Rapunzel smirked, the corner of her lip twitching upward as she took another sip. “Well, there’s always your room.”
It grew. The pit in her stomach hardening in defiance. She would have been fine. Content to die in peaceful misery. But no. She was certain now that Rapunzel really had been inside her head, had called her name at the end of the dream and was somehow looking for a way to reanimate the strings attached to Cassandra’s wrists. But she couldn’t let that happen. Not again. And as her blood ran cold with the thought of being forced back into servitude, she was knocked flat on her back by a powerful force. After the great show of dirt and quartz, glittering in the last glow of dusk, finally settled, she was met with an impressive black rock spike rising from the ground.She stared up at the structure, lungs straining to suck in air as she tried to understand what just happened. But her shock quickly kicked into elation. She had done it! She had finally done it! Leaping to her feet, Cassandra danced around the new formation, reveling in its solidness, stroking its smooth, veined surface. Laughter ripped through her throat, the sound so foreign and bizarre that she didn’t register it as herself until she stood still long enough to see a face reflected in the obsidian behind her.Whirling, Cassandra lashed out, swinging her arm wildly to cut through the splattering of dark specks arranged in grotesque constellations across hollow cheeks and empty eyes. The heel of her boot slipped on the loose gravel and with a startled scream, she landed in the dirt once more, kicking frantically at the man she had killed. Quinn… She had never known his first name. But the boy. His son. Peter. She wasn’t a hero.Tongue heavy with the remembered taste of blood, Cassandra stood shakily, the black rock looming large and foreboding in the twilight. She had to get rid of it. Make it sink. Once she could do that, she could save the world. Try again. Bring the dead back to life.Resurrect herself.Tentatively, Cassandra pressed her hands against the rock, splaying her fingers and thinning the armor until bare skin connected with cool stone. Breathing in deep, she willed it to lower into the ground. Just work. Please. Please go away.There was no one around to interrupt her, no one left for her to harm, so she took her time. Poking and prodding the rock, trying to find a weak spot. She pressed harder, sweat beading on her brow as she struggled to grasp the slippery magic. Her body itched and burned as tendrils of power burrowed deep into the fibers of her muscles, out of reach and useless.Grunting, Cassandra threw her weight into the rock, pushing it down while simultaneously pulling up on herself, drawing forth the worming presence of the moonstone. It rose slowly, like fish hovering at the edge of a drop off, so close their scales flashed silver with moonlight. She could almost touch it. Almost tap the steady thrum in syncopation with the beat of her heart.But as the roar of her own blood filled her ears, rushed around her head, swelling her brain, she had the sudden fear she may boil alive. Near bursting, Cassandra flung herself back, tucking her arms in close and trembling as cold sweat trickled down her neck. She couldn’t do it. It felt wrong, deadly. To push further would only rip her apart and the rock would still be there. A sentinel over this diseased land. And she would be particles of blood and bone on the wind.Snarling, she turned inward, clawing frantically at the stone embedded in her chest. But the more she dug, the more she seethed in hatred of the blasted glowing thing. The armor encasing her built its defenses around the opal, thickening to prevent her from gaining any purchase, bubbling around her fingertips to keep her from ripping the moonstone out by force. Cassandra gave up with a frustrated scream. It wasn’t fair! Why was she always denied control?She reached over her shoulder for the shadow blade, bitterness coating her mouth as the armor willingly released it and allowed her to take hold. Hefting the familiar weight in her hand, Cassandra angled the blade and placed it gently at the base of the rock, obsidian against obsidian. Rocking back, she swung the sword down and around, promptly truncating the tower with a cool, steely schlink.It toppled, shaking the mountainside with a satisfying rumble. But no sooner had the dust settled did the earth begin to quake again. All around her, spears of rock rose into the sky and the woods became alive with the startled sounds of animals caught off guard. Foxes darted from their dens, rabbits scattered into the underbrush, birds and squirrels fled their hollows avoiding the deadly thrashing of tree limbs, and from somewhere in the shadows came the fearful, desperate grunts of something large and injured.Cassandra stood frozen, cowering under the flood light of the moon as she waited for the quiet to return, half expecting so be swallowed whole by some unseen force. But when it did, the air settling into the eerie, heavy anticipation of a crouching beast, she moved forward. Into the tree line. Into her grief. Touching the physical manifestation of her self-loathing. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She wasn’t supposed to fail.She walked. Unseeing. Begging the moonstone to make each rock she encountered disappear. Please, help me. But there was no answer. She was alone in the dark. Alone with her despair. Until she came face to face with herself.
Empty. Disgraced. That was what Cassandra saw in her reflection. She raised her hand again, set her shoulders and focused. So what if this killed her, she was dead anyway. But as she tried once more to channel any once of magic from the moonstone into the concave hollow of her palm, the flood of boiling blood rushed through her arm and set her fingers aflame. Crying, she collapsed. Tucking into herself and dropping her forehead into the dewey grass.“I can’t” The words were wet and sticky in her throat. I can’t do anything.The wind shifted causing the tiny hairs in her ears to stand on end. Someone was there. She could feel it. Rapunzel? And then it spoke.
Cassandra…
The hissing lilt of phantom lips. No. Cassandra flinched as icy claws raked the back of her neck. She was gone… After taking the moonstone, she should have been gone! Cassandra looked around wildly, searching for any sign of the girl from the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrows.“Where are you?” She licked her dry lips, forcing strength into her voice. “Show yourself!”“Oh, Cassandra,” came the liquid honey of the girl as a blue haze grew brighter from behind the trees. “I thought I’d never find you.”*****Owl pitched forward about to launch himself off the branch when the girl made her appearance and he backpedaled, flapping his wings to regain balance. He had been watching, following Cassandra as she trekked through the wild country of the Dark Kingdom—often times circling right back to where she began, looking lost and confused. He would leave fresh kills in her path. Break dry branches from trees for her to collect as fire wood. And when the air pressure changed and rain seemed imminent, he had been the one to find the cave, carefully tearing away vines so the entrance would be visible and she would have a dry place to sleep.In small ways, he would help. Make things easier. He had seen his friend in odd spells of distraction over the years of their companionship, and all she had ever needed was time and space to work through it. But this was different. Extreme. And when he at last saw Cassandra break down and admit defeat, he had almost revealed himself, knowing she would have accepted him with open arms. What he hadn’t expected was that they were not alone.The air had filled with static, making his inner ears ring, and suddenly the girl was there, emerging from a cloud of mist. He recognized her from that bizarre inn, the one where the walls were soft and fleshy and sound didn’t travel quite right—she had shown Cassandra the past.Cassandra herself was still sitting exposed in the clearing, looking very much like a cornered rabbit, and he could hear the frantic hammering of her heart even as she tried to appear brave.“I did what you asked. What more could you possibly want from me?”The girl took measured steps as she circled Cassandra, small hands clasped demurely in front of her full skirt, mouth spread in a wicked grin. And for a moment, a single moment before he blinked, he thought he saw a pair of curled horns atop her head.“What I want is not important at the moment” the blue phantom at last broke the circumference of the clearing, the sharp points of her face easing into benevolence. “But I can help you.”Cassandra stiffened at the approach. “You’ve helped me enough.”“Oh, don’t be like that.” The girl cooed. “You and I both know this can’t last much longer.”Cassandra bowed her head, fingers digging into the grass.“I told you, I am a friend.”Owl shifted his feet, gripping the branch tighter as he watched the girl take hold of Cassandra’s chin, forcing her to look up, but when she did her eyes were sharp as knives. “You told me this would help me outshine Rapunzel,” she accused, sneering. “But you were wrong.”The girl stepped back cooly, eyes narrowed. “No. I wasn’t. I simply couldn’t find you after your fusion with the moonstone. Which, by the way, well done. I had always wondered what it would look like should the host survive.” She twirled a gloved finger in the curls of Cassandra’s hair. “I think the blue’s rather pretty.”Cassandra jerked away, but the girl smiled beatifically, unfazed. “It is a shame, Cassandra, that I couldn’t help you sooner. The moonstone is a protector, you see. It shields itself—shielded me from you until the princess used the second incantation,” she remarked offhandedly, “But its defense is unpredictable, erratic. Sometimes it reacts passively and other times, as you have witnessed, aggressively. It is not an easy force to control. But isn’t that what you want? Control?”“Yes.”“Good. Let’s not waste any more ti-”“But first,” Cassandra stood, her muscles taught and ready to fight, “tell me who you are.”The girl blinked her wide eyes, mildly amused. “Does it matter? If I’m offering you the one thing you desire most?”“Yes.” Cassandra balled her fists. “You yourself said the moonstone was shielding me from you. Why would it do that? What are you hiding?”“My agenda is my own, but at the end of the day, we both want the same thing, a pedestal on which to stand.” Owl watched the ghostly figure glide forward on silent feet, the picture of sincere innocence. “Your father is nearby, you can go to him if you want, return to Corona and lead a life of quiet repentance until you die, having never done anything remarkable. Or you could come with me and be etched forever in the history of this world… It’s your choice, Cassandra.”Cassandra was silent for a while and Owl could hear the grinding of her teeth as she clenched and unclenched her jaw, but eventually she exhaled a single, quiet breath. “Where is he?”The girl crossed her arms, smugness tugging at the corner of her lip. “The Demanitus Maze. Or at least he will be. But I warn you, things will not go your way.”But Cassandra had already turned her back, stalking north into the forest. Owl waited a moment, watching the girl, anticipating her next move, but she remained motionless as Cassandra disappeared into the darkness and when he blinked, she was gone. Satisfied, he opened his wings, pleased to be going home.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rapunzel woke slowly, feeling lazy and content. The past couple of weeks since returning to Corona had been a whirlwind of re[air work and getting the kingdom back up and running at full capacity—a difficult task without the experience of her parents to guide her. Not to mention the return of the Stabbington brothers, werewolf adventures, and cursed treasure, Rapunzel hadn’t had much time to sleep in. But today? Today was the day!She stretched, her spine lengthening gloriously with a pop, before she curled around her knees, snuggling deeper into the covers. Having heard a change in her breathing, Pascal jumped down from his perch with a small chirrup, burrowing into the hollow under her chin, much to Rapunzel’s delight.“Mmm, Pascal, I’ve officially decided that travel is overrated. From now on, we will be conducting all our work from right. Here.” She tucked her chin around him, smiling as his tail tickled her neck.They had just about fallen back asleep when three sharp knocks rattled the door, sending the little chameleon shooting out of the covers with a startled squeak. Wide eyed and heart racing, Rapunzel had just managed to sit up when Ethel barged in with a cart laden with hot water, brushes, soaps, perfumes, and an odd assortment of other toiletry items she couldn’t identify before the woman disappeared into the washroom. Alarmed by the sudden intrusion, Rapunzel stared, transfixed, at the full, yellow rump bustling about in the gap left by the open door.“Ethel,” she said, forcing brightness into her voice even as she scrunched her face with displeasure. “I thought I told you to take the morning off. I’m not needed anywhere today.”Rapunzel waited a moment, but the only response she got was the various bangs and clinks of glass as her current Lady in Waiting went about warming the copper tub and setting up her bath. Grumbling, she rolled out from under the covers with all the grace of a sack of potatoes and plodded over to the washroom, already stuffy with humidity and the heady scent of oils.“Ethel.”The greying woman stood from her stooped position, fingers dripping from testing the temperature. “Good morning, your Highness. Your bath is ready.”“But, it’s not even 7 o’clock. Can’t you come back in like, two hours?” She begged.Ethel’s narrowed eyes dropped pointedly to Rapunzel’s feet, which admittedly, had not been washed since the previous morning and were embarrassingly still caked in mud from a whole day of traversing the Coronan countryside.“Right.” Rapunzel, feeling properly chastised, undressed and quickly slipped into the tub to get the whole ordeal over with.And an ordeal it was. No matter how much she insisted she could manage her own baths, Ethel was adamant on doing it for her. So with grumpy mumblings and constant readjusting of her seat on the slippery tub floor, she allowed Ethel to sponge her down and comb out the length of her hair. And every time the woman got close, Rapunzel had to scrunch her nose against the overwhelming stench of Ethel’s powdery, floral perfume.As she sat there, head aching with steam and essential oils, Rapunzel couldn’t help but dream about the cool, clear streams she had bathed in on the road. Tomorrow. She would show Ethel the pond that Cass— She squeezed her eyes shut. No, you promised Eugene you wouldn’t be afraid to talk about her, and she forced the tension from her shoulders.Yes. Tomorrow she would bring Ethel to the pond Cassandra had shown her that first night out of the castle. The one with the water lilies and the frogs and the fireflies blinking in the night like stars brought to earth. Rapunzel could feel herself relaxing just thinking about the fresh, blue water.They could make it a whole afternoon with a picnic and cupcakes. And she would invite Varian and Lance, oh! And, of course, the girls, Kiera and Catalina. Their treehouse was pretty close and they should be able to make it. And duh, obviously Eugene would want to go swimming. It would be a fantastic day of splashing and laughing and catching frogs!But still, she sank a little deeper into the water, imagining the squelch of mud and reeds between her toes, it wouldn’t be the same without Cass—hair dark and dripping around her chin, the ends beginning to curl. Just the two of them on the first warm day after the blizzard.Opening her eyes, Rapunzel looked up at Ethel, her back turned to retrieve something off her cart. From what she had gathered about life at the castle before her return, Cassandra had first started working as a maid around the age of 12, rather late compared to some of the children Rapunzel had seen cleaning fireplaces or pulling weeds in the kitchen gardens. And to make up for it, Crowley had assigned her to train under Ethel, the second most senior member of the maid staff.Curt. Straightforward. Efficient. She wondered how much of the older woman’s mannerisms Cass had picked up. And if perhaps, she had ever considered her a mother figure of sorts. Suddenly the air exploded with hacking and hawing as Ethel attempted to clear phlegm from her throat. Rapunzel pursed her lips at the needlessly violent sounds. Clearly Cass’ charm and grace were entirely her own, though she imagined Eugene would have something to say about that.Sighing, she slipped further into the tub, the water forming a hot ring around her chin. Maybe she would just go to the pool by herself. Cassandra had shown it to her in confidence after all—one of her sanctuaries away from the castle—and Rapunzel very much doubted she would be happy to hear that Eugene knew its location lest he defile it in some way. So, yes. Alone she would go. Plus it could be nice to take time for for herself. Just for a short while. Cool grass underfoot, each step drawing her further and further from duty and responsibility…She hadn’t realized she had drifted to sleep until a light touch on her toe snapped her awake, her body jerking with an involuntary splash. Ethel, stern and expressionless as ever, stood at the foot of the tub, a large, hard bristled brush held ominously in hand, clearly intent on scrubbing Rapunzel’s feet until no trace of dirt—or skin—remained. With a nervous laugh, she sat up and gently peeled the brush out of the woman’s grizzled fingers insisting she could take care of that herself, thank you.But Ethel didn’t leave right away, and instead busied herself in Rapunzel’s room with bed stripping, clutter organizing, floor sweeping, and something that sounded an awful like wheezing? Periodically checking on Rapunzel progress.This wasn’t going to work. Perhaps, Faith? Yeah, Faith would be nice. Groaning, Rapunzel sulked until the bath water became lukewarm and stale, all the while listening for tell-tale signs that Ethel had finally departed. And once she heard the doorknob click shut, she wasted no time climbing out, oblivious to the grey puddles pooling under her still un-scrubbed feet as she fetched a towel.Emerging from the washroom, dry, dressed, and hair braided, Rapunzel scooped Pascal from his perch where he had fled to escape the flurry of Ethel’s feather duster and placed him on her shoulder. “So much for sleeping in, huh buddy?”The chameleon huffed, shooting her a grumpy glare.“But,” she sing-songed, tapping him on the nose, “at least the croissants will be fresh out of the oven and, more than likely, unsupervised…”Pascal looked at her with a sly twist of his mouth and Rapunzel felt her own lips curl in anticipation of her next questions.“What do you say to a game of kitchen wars?”Pascal leapt with excitement, his whole body vibrating with the throated gargle that was his laughter.“Okay! Okay! But some ground rules!” Rapunzel laughed, trying to catch the little reptile from where he was now dancing atop her head. “The winner is whoever takes the first bite without getting caught or seen. No servants corridors, no bribing, no weapons—although that doesn’t apply much anymore without Cass,” she added as nonchalantly as she could manage,” Oh! And no turning invisible.”Pascal puffed out his chest with a squawk of confirmation before scurrying down the length of her body as fast as his tiny legs would allow. Giggling, she followed him into the stairwell.Rapunzel had first established ‘kitchen wars’ with Cassandra when their adventures into the underground tunnels left them hungry at odd hours. But what was originally meant to be one last activity before parting ways for the night had quickly evolved into a fierce battle, with Pascal and Owl enlisted to add ever increasing layers of sabotage. But no matter how competitive they got, the game would always end with the four of them digging into cold pies or half empty bottles of wine and a tray of cookies, laughing in the low candlelight until their sides hurt.Now, with just the two them, Pascal and Rapunzel kept close, making faces at each other as they ducked behind extravagant floral arrangements. Posed in increasingly ridiculous positions within enormous paintings. Climbed up into the chandeliers, the crystal swinging precariously in a glittering display of fractured light. Slowly sneaking their way toward the kitchen and the steaming tray of fresh croissants surely waiting for them.At this hour, the halls were bustling with castle staff going about their tasks. The maidservants took small, precise steps as they focused on keeping dirty water or ash inside their pails, their eyes glassy and serious. The laundresses carried about towers of fresh linens, gossiping behind the stacks. Guards in their clean, pressed uniforms strolled the halls in pairs, sometimes
in stony silence, but more often in easy conversation.And while not one of them paid the princess and her tiny green companion any mind, every time the sound of footsteps came from down the hall, Rapunzel and Pascal darted into hiding. The thrill of it left Rapunzel giddy. It was silly and incredibly indulgent, but it brought back a lightness she had been missing. And if Pascal’s breathless snickering was any indication, he was enjoying the antics as well.Turning into the final stretch of hallway leading to the kitchens, Rapunzel pulled up short at an unexpected obstacle. The hall had been almost entirely blocked by stacks and stacks of crates! Peaking inside the box closest to her, she found rolls of fabric and yarn. And in the next, paint. Looking over the tops, she saw that all the boxes were labeled with the green swooping symbol of the Kotoan shipping company her parents used to import finer goods into the country.The list came to her, each item ticking in her ear like a clock. Iron, ink, vellum, silk, ivory, paint. Ink, vellum, silk, ivory, paint. Everything accounted for on neat ledgers scrutinized under the length of Nigel’s formidable nose and held before her eyes the day after she freed Quirin from the amber. That afternoon, admits her exhaustion from traveling and everything else, the royal advisor had pulled her aside requesting her approval and the necessary funds to proceed with the order.“Supplies are running low, your Highness, and I would appreciate your assistance.”“Oh. Right, of course.” She signed the document without hesitation, but the evident relief on Nigel’s face worried her. “How much has my father forgotten?”After a moment, the normally formal and straight-laced man suddenly deflated, his shoulders slumping and the wisp of a mustache turning down at the ends. “It’s like he never attended Murwiks at all and would much rather stare at his eggs than discuss anything concerning the kingdom.”“Eggs?” Rapunzel balked, entirely thrown off guard.
She had yet to properly speak to her father, they always seemed to be moving in opposite directions, but while she doubted he was purposefully avoiding her, Rapunzel did wonder if there was something else going on. Perhaps she would schedule family breakfasts moving forward. But since that day, Nigel had made it a point to seek her out, include her in meetings, defer to her judgment. And somehow just thinking about him, made the royal advisor—her royal advisor?—appear from the intersecting hall, light from the back courtyard flooding the shadows she hid in.“Ah, Princess! Good morning.”Soft, raspy laughter followed by the pattering of tiny feet made it clear that Pascal had taken advantage of her capture and darted off to the kitchens for breakfast, leaving Rapunzel to stand awkwardly behind the crates.“Heh, hey there, Nigel!” She rocked onto her heels, knocking her fists against her thighs. “I see your order’s arrived.”“Yes, and not a moment too s—” He was interrupted by the delivery man stepping through the door to offer the receipt.Nigel thanked him and took his time review the document before folding it
into a precise square and tucking it into the pocket of his coat. As she waited, Rapunzel couldn’t help but search for an exit and still beat Pascal.“—soon. We were in desperate need of B’yangori pigment for the throne room repairs. Nothing beats Laterite Red.”“Laterite red?” She said rather distractedly.“Why, yes. It’s a key ingredient in Coronan orchid.” He adjusted his cravat, fluffing the ruffles so they lay just right. “Did you not learn this during your lessons? Lady Cassandra should have ensured your studies, though I had often wondered if she was being thorough.”Rapunzel, who’s attention had drifted again, snapped back. “Wait, what? Cass took me to my lessons.”But Nigel was no longer looking at her and was instead patting down his pockets. “Now, speaking of the girl, what did I do with that letter?”Movement out of the corner of her eye revealed Pascal scaling the stack of boxes beside her, a steaming croissant held triumphantly in his mouth. Rapunzel grimaced at him, her stomach rumbling.“Ah ha!” At last, Nigel pulled out a worn roll of paper, handing it over with a crisp flick of the wrist. “A letter from Cassandra.”Rapunzel read the messy script in the top corner. From Cass, to her father… Dated a couple weeks before her birthday. Before the moonstone. But the handwriting was so unfamiliar, so horrible as to be almost illegible. She tore her eyes from the script and looked up at Nigel. "When did it arrive?”“Late last night.” Nigel huffed, before clasping his hands behind his back. “Apparently, the messenger was delayed at the pub before finally remembering he was working.”“Have you-” Rapunzel shifted nervously, something strange and uncomfortable stirring in her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. “Have you read it?”“No. With the captain still missing, and your parents indisposed, I thought it best to deliver it to you.”“I see.”Pascal chirruped at her uncertainly.“Well, thank you, Nigel. I expect this will provide some answers.” She smiled up at him, trying to be reassuring. He bowed stiffly and promptly returned to his inventory work, calling over a young boy to assist in the organization.Back in her room, already freshly made with a plate of breakfast on the table thanks to Ethel’s forward thinking, Rapunzel folded herself into the window. She twisted her hands around the unopened letter, feeling the softness of the thin paper. It seemed to throb under her touch, like it had it’s own heartbeat,
it’s own life-force emanating from within. This must be one of the letters Varian had mentioned, where Cass had summarized their journey to the Dark Kingdom. And, Rapunzel supposed, if she had sent letters to the king, it only made sense she would also correspond with her own father.She only wished she knew what it said before opening it. As if knowing if the words written inside the folds were positive or negative would make things easier, help her prepare her in some way… What had Varian said? The letters were normal? Just regular travel updates. But their travels had been anything but normal!Worrying the corner of the paper between her fingers, Rapunzel held up the small scroll against the light, hoping to gleam any information before unrolling it, but the dark blocks of ink proved even more confusing. Was it a picture?“Pascal? Do you think this will tell us why she took the moonstone?”The chameleon blinked up at her before shrugging.“Yeah, you’re right. I’m being silly, aren’t I?” Rapunzel smiled down at him, scratching his head with the tip of her fingernail. “I should just open it.”She flipped her thumb under the edge of the paper, sliding it along to loosen wherever it was stuck. Almost four months for this note to be delivered… Just long enough where Rapunzel needed to work to remember running into Madame Canardist and Vigor/Demanitus, and the maze. Had they really found the last piece of the scroll only four months ago? It almost seemed like a lifetime. And this letter, all the while, retracing their steps home expecting to arrive on the doorstep of the Captain of Corona’s Guard only to fall into her trembling hands.Rapunzel had written to the captain as well, detailing Cass’ decision to stay behind, but not knowing where his search had taken him, had kept the letter folded in her purse waiting for an opportunity to send it. And that opportunity had presented itself in the massive form of King Edmund and his raven, Hamuel.The Dark King had been positive the bird could deliver the letter, and though Rapunzel had her misgivings, especially watching the raven’s dazed, unfocused eyes drift in two different directions at once, she didn’t have much of a choice.“Not to worry, future daughter-in-law.” Rapunzel almost buckled under the weight of his heavy hand falling on her shoulder. “Hamuel tracked young Horace for many years. Even taught me Italian when he returned. Ne, Hamuel-san?” He jiggled his armless shoulder where the bird bobbed in rhythm. “Atama ga ii, desho.”“Uhhh… I don’t think that’s Italian.” Rapunzel pointed out, perplexed.Eugene leaned in close, eyes wide. “Definitely not Italian.”But off the bird went, only crashing into the side of one building before disappearing over the horizon. She only hoped he would manage.But now, as the paper crinkled under her touch, Rapunzel paused. She couldn’t read this without reading the other letters first. She needed context. Not this random note that could say anything. Mean anything. It was with an almost relieved sigh that Rapunzel tucked it back into her pocket, unopened, unread, a mystery delayed for a little longer. Pascal tilted his head questioningly.“Let’s see if Varian is home.”
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Upon his release from the amber, Quirin had taken a house in town while he worked on rebuilding Old Corona. He spent his days visiting Xavier at the smithy, Alec the mason master, the tanner, Mr. Tanner, and every other shop necessary for organizing all the materials being transported the few miles of road back to the village. It seemed a daunting task making Old Corona livable again after the destruction wreaked by the black rocks, but there had been no new activity so he was eager to press on with the repairs.Varian, on the other hand, could be found in one of two places: at his father’s side, quiet and anxious, prepared to extend his open arms to carry the day’s shopping, or holed up in his room working on translating the Demanitus Scroll. And just as predicted, as soon as Rapunzel turned down the lane leading to the rented house, she could see Varian’s window aglow with candle light. Smilling, she knocked on the front door, admiring the bougainvillea vines framing it, and waited for hurried footsteps to come down the stairs.“Rapunzel! Welcome!” Varian flicked away his hair and ushered her into the messy front room, pushing aside vials of chemicals and beakers to clear her a seat. “As you can see, I uh- I’m running out of space here.” He laughed sheepishly.“My offer still stands you know,” Rapunzel tucked in her elbows, careful not to knock anything over for fear of causing some horrible chemical reaction. “You can use the spare storage room in the castle.”“And blow everything up with unstabilized Quirinean? No, no, no. I’ll just umm-” Varian rotated on a spot of clear floor just wide enough for his boots, momentarily trapped by his own rearranging. “I’ll be okay until we get back to the manor. Besides,” He hopped over the thinnest section. “I don’t think anyone would be too happy to see me experimenting in the castle. Even if it is the memory solution for your parents. Which, by the way, is not supposed to have mynn in it. Makes the whole thing go shpleugh-” Varian mimed a large splash across his face.“Oh,” Rapunzel furrowed her brows. “That’s the only ingredient I can remember…”“Eh, I’ll figure it out eventually. I’m planning on reformulating the Quirinean, but I need to figure out the pH level before anything else. The hydrogen ions are all sort of wonky.” Varian shrugged his shoulders then flashed her a bright smile. “So! What can I help you with? Oh! The scroll! I think I’ve correctly translated a few letters, but dad said he would take a look when he had some time.”Rapunzel was already shaking her head before he could finish speaking. “I’m not here about the scroll, though I appreciate your dad’s willingness to help. I was actually hoping to get those letters from you. The ones Cass sent.”“Oh, right! Of course. Just a second.”Varian raced back up the stairs with alacrity and Rapunzel couldn’t help but smile at the sound of his heavy boots thudding across the floorboards overhead, searching through whatever state of mess his room was in. He returned a moment later with a stack of loose, haphazardly gathered papers, each one varying in size and color.“This is everything I have.” He handed them over, tilting his head so as not to have to read the words upside down. “Your dad was very thorough, actually. He had his own letters copied so there would be a complete record of correspondence.”“Hmm, seems like Nigel’s doing, but either way, I’m thankful for it.” Rapunzel set the letters in her lap, flipping through them, feeling their weight—fidgeting. She exhaled and forced herself to stop. “Cass sent another letter.”Varian’s eyes widened. “Today?”“Well, no, not exactly. It arrived last night, but she sent it over four months ago.” Varian rushed to sit beside her as she passed him the small, rolled note from her pocket. “It’s addressed to her father.”He took it in hand, examining the sloppy script in the top corner. “Leores… That’s where she was when she sent her last letter to the king. But that arrived forever ago. Why is this one so late?”“I’m not sure,” Rapunzel frowned, taking it back. “But if my dad saved both sides of the conversation, I bet the Captain did as well.”“So…” Varian swallowed thickly. “Does that mean we’re breaking into the
Captain’s office? Won’t he be upset?”Rapunzel faced him, shoulders squared. “I need to know.”****Varian stayed close as she led him through the main castle gates and over to the Captain’s Quarters. Stan and Pete saw them approaching and put down the wheelbarrows of training weapons to give a friendly wave. But most of the other guardsmen cast sidelong looks at the pair before turning away.“Are you sure about this, Rapunzel?” Varian quickened his steps to keep pace. “You know they still don’t trust me all the way.”“I know,” she said, reaching for his hand. “But you’re doing great, and I’m sure eventually everyone will come around. Plus!” Rapunzel nudged him playfully. “You have me. Everything’s going to be fine.”They cut across the training field to a humble building squished into the corner of the inner bailey wall and the soldiers barracks. At first glance, the humble building seemed to be little more than a shed, it’s small windows and northward orientation letting in only a fraction of the light. Having never been inside, Rapunzel wasn’t sure what to expect when she finally managed to shove her way past door, stiff from months of abandonment, but she definitely would not have guessed this.“Whoa,” Varian breathed from just behind her shoulder. “This place is like a museum.”He was right. On the walls, evenly spaced in precise rows, hung framed portraits of military personnel, each one sporting a small plaque stating the same three lines of information: Name and rank, coordinates, and, bookending a small dash, birth and death years. There were ceremonial weapons mounted on the walls, decorated with jewels and tassels, flanked by shields and flags all sporting the same family crest of an eagle, it’s wings spread in glory. Set in shadow boxes were medals, ribbons, and thick sheets of parchment signed and gilded in gold filigree, everything labeled and, aside from the thick layer of dust, clearly honored and beloved.“So, this is where Cass grew up…”Rapunzel stepped slowly into the house, the space feeling heavy and important. “Yeah, I suppose so.”“Not exactly kid-friendly, huh?” Varian used the fleshy part of his thumb to test the sharpness of a battle axe propped up on a custom stand by the fireplace, the hearth—and the face of the blade closest to the fire—dusted in a layer of soot. “I guess it kind of makes sense.” He flushed
a deep red, holding up his hands in defense. “Not her personality or anything, I mean. Just Cass’ determination to be on the Guard.”She looked at him for explanation as she passed into the tiny kitchen. One sink, too narrow for a dinner plate to lay flat, one stove top, rusted from disuse, an icebox that stuck when she tried to open it.“They all have the same name.” Varian spoke from the other side of the wall.“Who?”“The people in the pictures, the awards, the titles, they’re all ‘Landriks.’”“That’s the Captain’s surname,” she said, closing an empty cabinet. “We just always called him ‘Captain.’” Rapunzel returned to the living room to see Varian leaning in to look at a framed certificate. She read the title aloud over his shoulder. “National Order of Merit to be awarded to Arthur Landrik—must be one of the Captain’s relatives.”Varian turned to her, their faces close. “Yes, but see the date? This is from almost 200 years ago! The whole family, going back generations and generations, is extremely decorated.”“And Cass wanted to join the legacy.” Rapunzel supplied, gazing at the portraits with renewed interest. “But the captain wouldn’t let her. Why?”Varian shrugged, moving toward two doors mirroring each other across a dark, narrow hallway. “I hadn’t interacted with him much before—” he cleared his throat. “Before the Battle of Old Corona, but he wasn’t exactly eager to break tradition. Which begs the question, why didn’t he ever have a son?”He turned the doorknob on the right, entering an even mustier, staler room. It was small, taking only three steps to cross, and as if aware of the need for space, the minimal furnishings had been pushed into the corner, revealing what had once been dark green wallpaper with a painted boarder of woodland creatures. From the ceiling, hanging in brittle bouquets, were hundreds of dried flowers, interspersed with garlands of paper birds.“It’s beautiful in here.” Rapunzel circled under the delicate decorations. “I could see little Cass living in this room.” But just as she said that, the child version of Cass from the House of Yesterday’s Tomorrows mocked her with a wet raspberry. Hmm, maybe this wasn't her style after all.“Who’s this?” Varian asked, holding out a small, oval portrait for her to see. “It was on the nightstand.”Thumbing away a felted layer of dust, Rapunzel studied the face of a woman. Soft eyes stared back at her, dark and round, famed by locks of brown hair pulled back into a loose, modest bun. Around her neck hung a string of tiny, natural pearls, but otherwise she wore no jewelry, just a simple, candid smile.“I don’t know.” She set it back where it was, it’s resting place demarcated by a clear patch of dust free surface.Taking one last turn about the room, and not seeing anything resembling letters from Cassandra, they moved to to the other door, opening it to reveal a much more used space with a crisply made bed set between two narrow windows and an armoire with a neat arrangement of clothing inside. In the corner, under a smart pair of sconces, sat a standard writing desk, organized with pens laid out in descending order of length and a near empty pot of ink beside a thin notebook.“Ah ha!” Varian dropped to his knees in front of a filing cabinet placed by the desk and began pulling out the drawers, sorting through the various folders with quick, darting eyes.Rapunzel joined him, leaning forward to get a look. “Anything about Cass?”“Mmmm, this one’s all ‘M’ through ‘P.’” He shut the cabinet and tugged at the one above it. “A… B… C, CA, CAD, ugh, c’mon c’mon. Yes! CAS, ‘Cassandra.’” With a triumphant flourish he whipped out a thick folder, putting it on the floor between their knees.Rapunzel opened it, spreading the documents around them, but all at once her eyes got stuck on a child’s drawing. She reached for it, not believing it’s existence. “Oh my goodness.”“What?” Varian paused in his search, his expression slack as he tried to refocus.“It’s Gothel!” She turned the drawing around, showing Varian the crude depiction of Gothel in her red dress and grey curly hair, face contorted in an angry scowl. But the back held another surprise: a note.
Three days post abduction - the child has yet to tell me her name or the whereabouts of her mother and the Princess. She is fearful of the ‘punishments’ she will receive for leaving the cottage in the woods, but I see her looking out the window. She watches the horses and the men in the training field.
“Oh. Poor, Cass.” Rapunzel dropped her hands into her lap as Varian continued searching. They really were like sisters. Maybe one day she would be able to see that.“Uh, Rapunzel?” Varian shifted off his shins to sit more comfortably. “I, I found them.”For the next half hour, they organized the letters, making two parallel tracks on the Captain’s bed to build out the correspondence in the correct order. The letters from Corona were all on standard sheets of paper, size, weight and ink all the same. But the replies from Cass were all different, half sheets, quarter sheets, double sheets, poorly torn corner pieces, all seemingly scavenged from other sources. But the biggest contrast was the handwriting. For the first three quarters, Cassandra’s handwriting was neat and legible, exactly as Rapunzel had remembered, until it wasn’t. Shaky and unsteady, the vertical lines of letters went on for too long, as if she had struggled to lift the pen. And the curvy bits were irregular and vague, making it difficult to see where one word ended and the next began.Varian drew his finger across the air where the change occurred. “This is where she injured her hand.”Rapunzel swallowed uncomfortably at the statement and selected the letter Cass had sent to the king describing the events at the Great Tree and the departure of Hook Foot in West Ipsil. It was a simple account explaining the basics of what they had found and that while she had been injured, everyone else—Rapunzel—was safe. Clean. Easy to digest.The next letter was Frederic’s response. “He was still himself here.” Rapunzel sat at the foot of the bed, reading her father’s words. “Andrew hadn’t taken over.”Varian kneeled on the floor beside her. “Right, but by the time Cass responded, we were already two months into the insurrection.” He handed her the next letter, tapping a particular line with his index finger. “This is the one from Leores. The one Andrew intercepted.” He recited, “‘Andrew has plans, but no resources. Will recruit someone smarter for help. Find his allies.’ When I read that, I knew they were using me, but I just… I didn’t know how to fix things.”Rapunzel wiped at her eyes, momentarily stunned by the preceding line. Will protect R. + E. w/ my life. She cleared her throat, smiling sadly at him. “It’s okay, Varian. I don’t really know how fix things either.”They moved on to the second stack of correspondence. For most of the journey, the letters to the king and to the captain were relatively the same with only a few odd bits of information included that were more suitable for a familial relationship. Rapunzel smiled as she read the recount of their day as birds and how the joy of defeating Mother and Father rivaled the joy of flight. Cassandra wrote that they had saved multiple people that day, including Faith, much to Rapunzel’s surprise, as she hadn’t even realized the young maid had been present.Turns out, it was she who agreed to deliver the letters upon her return to Corona, along with an explanation of absence for Crowley’s records and to ensure Faith received the proper compensation for being ‘wrongly imprisoned by enemies of the state.’ It pleased her to know Cass had thought to take such measures. And it wasn’t until she had set down the paper that Rapunzel finally registered the tactful omission of her own experience with bird brain. Will protect R. + E. w/ my life.“Rapunzel?” Varian turned to her, his face full of anguish and a water stained letter in hand. “The Great Tree was really bad. Wasn’t it?”“Yes,” she whispered the single syllable, taking the letter and biting her lip as she gazed upon the scrawl.
Dad. I dnt knw what to do. cn’t write, cn’t fight. Injury not normal. Bad magic. Atemptd amputation - unsuccessful.
"She used her left hand.” Rapunzel sensed Varian searching her face for an answer, but she kept her eyes on the paper. “She had been practicing fighting with her left hand on the road. Cooking, cleaning, everything with her left hand.” She sighed. “I knew it was bad, but, she never said anything like this to us. We would have tried harder to find a doctor.”“Would it have helped?” Varian took the letter gently and placed it in it’s proper slot.“We would have tried.”They sat there for a moment longer before at last wading through the sticky film of guilt settling in the room.“Here, this is the Captain’s final letter,” Varian said quietly, picking up the last piece of paper on the bed. “He sent this about a month before disappearing. The rumor was that he was looking for you.”Rapunzel nodded, reading the words that seemed so disconnected from Cass’ plea for help. We’ll get you officially instated immediately upon your return. Cassandra's dream. Good work… Finally coming true.It seemed to be good news, something she would have been happy to receive and yet, Rapunzel couldn't help but feel something was missing. A second paragraph... As your Captain, I order you… But what about as her father? Did he not have anything to say to his only daughter?As if in answer, as if it had been anticipating this moment throughout its entire journey from the most remote edges of the continent, the roll of paper in her pocket began to burn into her hip. Cassandra’s final letter. It begged to be opened. Yearned to be acknowledged. Rapunzel obliged, unrolling it gingerly, and her eyes went immediately to the single legible line.
I know about Gothel.
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He was coming to save her. She was going home. Home to Corona. To her father and her regular boring life. But she had the moonstone now. Things would be different. Good different. Or maybe just bad different. It was hard to say with her head as twisted and foggy as it was, and like water, Cassandra struggled to hold the odd fleeting moments of hope shining through the intense, sucking pull of dread. But at least he had come for her.It took some time finding the maze. She hadn’t been there, and only had vague memories of Rapunzel talking animatedly around the fire to guide her. She hadn’t realized it at the time, but that was the night she had lost Eugene. Her friend and brother. The night he stopped teasing her and their conversations became stilted and bizarre. She would catch him staring at her before quickly turning away, or even more strange, flashing her a bright smile so incongruent with the stiffness of his shoulders. But what had it mattered? Cassandra had been too wrapped up in herself to care about Eugene and his weirdness.Now though, she wished she had paid more attention because this area was dangerous. She couldn’t risk taking a wrong turn, not with the ruins of a particular village nearby. She tried her best to forget the place that was too small to appear on a map and was now buried under black rock. It didn’t exist. Never had. Regardless, she stuck to the south side of the mountain range, kept to the forests where the trees grew close and crowded, otherwise her own guilt would consume her.She had been so focused on avoiding the nameless place that when she stumbled into an empty camp, ashes cold and grey, she didn’t automatically recognize it for what it was, only that someone had been there. Like stars blinking to light, one by one, in the deepening dusk, Cassandra saw the parts first.Boot prints, pressing down the grass. And a patch of dirt between the roots of a tree, wrinkled like fabric—where a bedroll had been laid out. The rakes of gloved fingers gathering dry pine needles to form a pillow, a nest to keep the body warm. And scattered around the trunk of a fallen tree, as if it had shed the bark itself, were wood shavings. Cassandra picked one up, the thinness exactly that of a standard duty knife held at the regimented 55 degree angle. What was made? A spear? A spit? Based on the quantity, one spit, two frames. Or perhaps not. The frames would still be by the fire. She bent over the ashes, breathed in the dead fire and the leftover drippings on the cooking stone: squirrel. Fat this time of year, the animal would have been sweet and juicy, the tail saved for the upcoming winter conditions, stuffed into one’s cap, in one’s collar, in one’s shoes.Cassandra could see it in her mind’s eye, the pages of the Pocket Guide to Outdoor Survival, distributed to every recruit the night before the Crucible. 54 hours before their full transformation to Guardsmen. She had never received her own, but she had studied it. Flipped through the pages of bullet points and diagrams, memorizing every detail, hoping to one day join the ranks. Become a
soldier.She spun on her heels. Searching for the final clue: tracks leading out of the camp. There! Cassandra crouched in the dirt, her fingers trembling over the imprint of an insignia, the letters arched to form a circle. Feldspar, Cordwainer and Bespoke Leather Goods. Cassandra measured the size with her palm, studied the weight distribution, followed them blindly out of the clearing until she lost them in stone and the sudden impact of rock was jarring against her heel. And when she looked up, the air settled like a hot, wet tongue on her neck, teeth cold and sharp at her pulse point. Before her, sprawled in endless twists and turns, was the Maze of Demanitus.
“Where is he?”
The girl crossed her arms, smugness tugging at the corner of her lip. “The Demanitus Maze. Or at least he will be. But I warn you, things will not go your way.”
How the girl had known her father would be here, Cassandra couldn't guess, but if she had any doubts before, they were squashed now. She could practically smell him somewhere down there, the leather conditioner, the oil mixed with sweat and dust. Fragrant in sunlight. She was almost home. She stepped forward.The maze was truly that, a maze. So Cassandra stuck to the upper level, walking atop the walls to get a better view. Find her father/not father and try her best to forget the things she knew about herself. About him. Make it all go back to normal. Boring, disappointingly normal. You can go to him if you want, return to Corona and lead a life of quiet repentance until you die, having never done anything remarkable.Cassandra clenched her fists, the sound irritating and sharp as the armor on her fingertips scraped against the armor of her palms. It was a perfectly reasonable choice, it shouldn’t sound so bad, so why did it anger her? Why did it feel like giving up?A jolt of ice zipped through her muscles just as the air split with a whistle. Cassandra dove, rolling behind a thorny bush for cover in time to see a spear pass through space she had been occupying. Shocked, Cassandra searched for her attacker from her hiding place, her fingers gripping at the scraggly roots even as the plant itself clung to the rock face for purchase. Steadying her breath, she listened, waiting for any sound of movement.A minute passed, electric in its anticipation, and then the gravel shifted. A grunt. And a second spear was thrown, chasing Cassandra from the brambles.She leapt down into the maze, ignoring the large spiders that scattered at her intrusion and ducked around the corner. He was somewhere on the other side of the wall. Hunting her. Why would he be hunting her? Didn’t he know he was coming to save her?Cassandra, spying a better vantage point, darted behind a large boulder, just in time to avoid the captain’s line of sight. She watched him, mustache as precise as ever, the horsehair crest of his helmet, red as blood, looking the paragon of Captain of the Royal Guard. Her lungs stalled as he gripped his sword tight in both hands, and Cassandra could see the tightening of his forearms as he adjusted his fingers around the hilt, defensive, preparing to strike. So, he only made two spears after all. And then another thought crossed her mind and she had to steady herself against the rock. He doesn’t recognize me.A lock of hair fell across her vision, blue and bioluminescent as the nighttime coral and anemones. Rapunzel had recounted the monsters she and Eugene had encountered here, the struggles they faced, even with the monkey to guide them. Her father had probably experienced the same thing if not worse. In his eyes, she was a just another monster. She would have to step out into the open, show him she wasn't a threat.But the thought made Cassandra suddenly feel very naked, exposed in the black rock that clung to her body, so close and just… her. No shapeless fabric to hide under. Nothing to conceal the the obviousness of her sex. She took a deep breath, letting it leave her lungs slowly and give her time to overcome the embarrassment of revealing herself.“Cassandra!” Her father growled, his face twisting in anger as he sliced his sword through a thick layer of vines.
Her blood ran cold.“Cassandra! Come out and face me!” As if in emphasis, like he knew she was watching, the Captain stabbed his blade into a crack in the maze wall, just wide enough for her to fit in. The fire never leaving his eyes as he scanned the maze for her.She knew that look. The determined crease at his temple, the thick brow ridge lowered deep over the eyes, the snarled curve of his lip. She had seen it before. Too many times to count. When she took his Medal of Honor from the safe without asking. When she spoke out of turn. When she cut her hair at 15. When she refused to marry. When he caught her with—no. It was fine. The rose was safe in her armoire even if the giver had been forced from her life. Her entire existence plagued by that look of disapproval. The look of someone with the power to squash and squeeze the life out of others, grind them into a pulp until nothing remained but sniveling apologies and desperate pleas for forgiveness. Well. To hell with that!Digging her toe into the ground, Cassandra jumped, scaling the maze walls with ease. The Captain spun, hearing her movement, the tip of his sword level with where her head would be. He was determined to take her back dead or alive, but she would be damned if she let that happen, so Cassandra teased him. Ran circles around him, making him dizzy and disoriented. It was child’s play, scaring him like this, and she would have laughed if not for her own growing indignation. But she was patient, waiting for her father to turn his back, convince himself she was hiding elsewhere, and before long his bravado wilted, his face creasing with trepidation.And then she attacked.The moonstone fueled her, flooded her with energy and strength she never had before, and for the first time, Cassandra was able to knock her adopted father, her mentor, her idol onto his back. And damn, it felt good to see him so low.The Captain staggered to his feet, but without his sword, without the arcing crest of his helmet, he was small. Nothing. Pathetic.“Cassandra! Why have you turned your back on the princess?”“How dare you ask me that!”These were the first words they exchanged in over a year, and they were about Rapunzel?! Not about her, not about her hardships or her hand. Not even about the moonstone or her mother! Cassandra raised the tip of her shadow blade to the hollow of his throat, seething in her own repulsion of the man before her even as she relished the fearful bob of his Adam’s apple.“You knew all along how much was taken from me! You knew who my mother was and you kept it from me!”“Cassandra,” his hands raised in surrender, the usually pristine white gloves now smeared with the purple dust and grime of the maze. “I only did—”Liar! “You only did what was best for yourself!” She jabbed at him, stabbing the girl who once claimed him as friend and father, forcing the liar—the rat— back into a dead end, into the gutters where he belonged. “That’s all anyone in my life has ever done.” Cassandra gripped the moonstone, it’s magic filling her with cold, icy fire, and her vision with red. “Well now, that’s what I’m doing. This! Is mine! This! Is my destiny!”“I command you to surrender!”The desperate last stand of the Captain were only words. He had no blade. No army. No leverage. And yet he had cut her. Cassandra was unravelling at the roots. She had planned to leave with him, dreamed of going home, hoped for salvation. But he never cared, Never saw her as anything more than a traitor’s offspring. Something to be shackled and controlled. And somehow, by sheer force of will alone, she managed to only retreat a half step in her shock.Cassandra felt it then, the tenuous connection with the black rocks deep beneath the earth suddenly strong and malleable in her hands, but this needed to be over now. Without the help of magic. With the weapon he taught her to use before trying to strip it away again and again.“Never!” She swung her blade at the support columns, her muscles singing in the glory of victory. And in two swift strikes, the entrance to the structure collapsed, trapping the now nameless thing inside. It called to her, desperate for a girl who no longer existed, and when Cassandra looked back, she confirmed she felt nothing but contempt.****Owl swooped down into the maze and landed at the small opening of the cave in, startling the Captain on the other side.“Owl?” Ethan Landrik rushed forward, pressing his face into the gap as he reached his fingers through the hole to slide across the bird’s closest talon. “What have I done?”If it was Cass, Owl could have communicated the answer to that question quite well, but he and the Captain had never been particularly close, so he merely blinked his large, circular eyes.“What have I done?” The Captain repeated, stepping back to run his large hands through his thinning hair.Owl pecked at the rock, scraping his feet across it in a meaningful way.“Yes, yes. You’re right. I have to go after her.”Owl narrowed his eyes before repeating the motion with more intensity, hooting for emphasis.“Yes, I have to get out of here.” The Captain turned in a frantic circle, searching for another exit and finding none. “Owl, there’s no way out!”The raptor fluffed his feathers, irritated, then picked up a small pebble in his beak and tossed it over his shoulder. He then turned the full force of his glare at the panicked man on the other side.The Captain stared back, not comprehending for a moment before finally lunging at the rocks and began shifting them one at a time until the weight of the top rocks collapsed the blockage. He crawled out, coughing as the dust settled, and stumbled to his feet.“Hurry! Before we lose her!” But only a few steps in, the urgency of pursuit visibly left his body and the once great captain fell to his knees. “I’ve already lost her, haven’t I?”Owl hopped over to his side, tilting his head. “Hoo.”“Cassandra, of course! Who else?!” He roared, sending Owl skittering backward, alarmed. But the flurry of feathers snapped him out of his rage and his entire face went slack with remorse, aging him ten years. Gently, he scooped the bird into his hands. “I’m sorry, little one. I shouldn’t have yelled.”Owl shifted his feet on the Captain’s wide, cupped palms. This wasn’t a proper perch, he thought sourly, but resigned to not make a fuss over the improper handling. “Hoo,” he cooed again, hoping the man would recognize it as a sound of comfort and not a question.“Yes, thank you.” The Captain stroked Owl’s head, smoothing the tiny feathers that were still askew.They sat there together in the quiet deepening of night, the Captain never ceasing in his pets—a mindless act of affection Owl begrudgingly allowed just to keep him calm. Ans when the maze floor grew inky with shadow, the Captain broke the silence with a rumbling clearing of his throat, a sound like a boulder rolling down a hill.“Will you follow her? Keep her safe?” He tore his eyes away from the spot Cassandra has disappeared and looked down at the bird in his hand, recognizing an intelligent being. “I know she can understand you. If you could just tell her how sorry I am, She- She was never supposed to know.”Owl didn’t think Cassandra would accept this apology, but he nodded nonetheless, eager to escape this obligatory role of comforter. He launched himself off the Captain’s hand, beating his wings in three strong strokes to gain enough altitude to clear the maze wall. He saw the broken man bow his head before he dipped out of view.It didn’t take him long to catch up, even with Cassandra’s head start, and when he found her, she was stalking through the trees with single-focused rage, cutting like a hot knife through the undergrowth. Owl swooped over her shoulder to land on a branch in her path, but she walked under him blindly, her eyes sharp and slitted, oblivious to anything outside of what was directly in front of her feet.Owl huffed, his irritation spiking. She shouldn’t have left the Captain, even if he knew the man hand’t handled the situation nearly as well as he should have, but ignoring him was a step too far. Owl had given her more than enough space already. Watched her dawdle in the mud of her mind for way too long and he would not have any more of this nonsense. So, he swooped low again, stretching out his talons to tug her hair.“Agh!” Cassandra flailed, smacking the bird square in the chest and sending the tip of his wing hooking into her mouth. “Get OFF me!”Owl separated from Cassandra in a tangled mess of hair, talons, and feathers, and when he finally righted himself, Cassandra was breathing hard behind disheveled curls, scowling at him.“Forget it, Owl, I’m not going back! Let it rot, for all I care!”He glared back at her, hopping onto a low hanging branch to be at eye level with his angry friend. “Hoo.”“‘Sorry?’” She barked out a harsh laugh. “That’s bullshit and you know it! I’m going find that girl, she’s the only one who hasn’t lied to me.”Cassandra shoved past him, the spikes on her shoulder knocking into the limb he was perched on. Owl snapped his wings open for balance, but had already been tilted too far off axis to correct himself so he flew after her instead.“Hoo!” She growled when he settled on the hilt of her sword, but didn’t knock him away, which he was grateful.“Come if you want, but don’t get in my way.”They traveled in silence, and if Owl had known these would be the last words they exchanged in over eight months, perhaps he would have tried harder to pull her out of her apathy. But for now, Cassandra remained dead focused on returning to the girl, and Owl grew more apprehensive with every step.
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Rapunzel took Varian as far as the castle gates, both stewing in their own thoughts as they skirted the training fields and the men working there.They had put everything back as they found it. The files, the drawing, the letters—though the ones from her own father were safe in her pocket—and made sure nothing was left amiss. But Varian was humming over the stark track of fingers raked through a thick carpet of dust on the nightstand.“Don’t worry,” Rapunzel said smiling. “I’ll send Mrs. Crowley in to freshen everything up.”Varian’s big, blue eyes flicked over to her, his hands worrying together like a puzzle of sticks. “Yeah, okay. I just don’t want him to know I was here.”Rapnuzel held her breath for a moment before sighing, reaching out to straighten a pen on the desk. “I know.”She watched him from the corner of her eye as she wrote a quick note of apology that, should the Captain return and find anything disturbed, he may understand her intrusion. She felt more than saw Varian leaning over her shoulder to confirm the omission of his involvement as she signed her name with a flourish (and a heart) before they filed out of the small, lonely house and Rapunzel closed the door with a resounding click.She chewed at the inside of her lip as Varian walked down the street, the tension in his shoulders leaving with every step until a bend in the road took him from sight and back toward his house in town. She was grateful they were friends again—more than grateful, really—but she did wish he felt more comfortable at the castle.After so long with only Pascal for company, Rapunzel hadn’t realized just how dependent she had become on her new-found family. The way physical touch and proximity soothed her heart and how shared laughter lifted her spirits like nothing else. But after a whole year squished in the caravan, it was easy for everyone to busy themselves with the space and distraction of life back in Corona. Even her parents, who had been such a constant presence before she left, were dazed and drifting in their memory loss. And Cass… who had so diligently accompanied her through the halls, was just gone. It left her feeling untethered.Rapunzel’s mouth twisted. She didn’t really like the having so much space. Not by herself, anyway.Turning back to face Corona Castle, she thought about finding Eugene. He was probably done helping Lance in kitchens. Ever since they had visited Angry and Catalina’s treehouse, Lance had been dedicated to cooking them homemade meals, delivering them daily. It was sweet. And speaking of sweet, the cookies were probably just about to come out of the oven. But one step forward and the clouds shifted, sunlight glinting off the large windows of the West Wing and into her eye, halting her.If he was anywhere, he’d be in there. Her father… She envisioned the hall that the windows lined. As the sun began to set, the stained glass would ignite the corridor in an impressive kaleidoscope of color washing the crimson runner rug and gold ornamentation into a blazing fire. And like gilded sentinels, the polished suits of armor would lead whoever walked the hall to the immense double doors of the Salon Der Sonne, the king’s private apartment.Rapunzel hadn’t realized she was walking towards the salon until her feet carried her across the cold marble tiles of the entry hall and up the grand staircase to the third floor. But when she reached the long corridor with the tall windows, she hesitated.Maybe it was a bad idea backing him into a corner like this. Her mother had sought her out, wanting to understand the residual love and grief she felt in lieu of her fragmented memories. But Arianna was brave, her spirit imbued with a quiet, easy confidence that held no pretense. Her dad was different. He was stubborn and proud, the first born son of a first born son and so on since the Sonnen dynasty began hundreds of years ago.But Rapunzel knew that despite the grandeur and luxury of his position, there was fear in his heart. A fear, that when mixed with love and desperation, became volatile and frightening. But despite the strain he had put on their relationship before the Battle of Old Corona, Rapunzel did love her father dearly. He had accepted her unquestioningly, given her a home and showered her with gifts, and when he held her, it was gentle and all surrounding. Like saying good bye and welcome home at the same time. Every time. And maybe, in his way, he was.The sun dipped lower in the sky as she stood at the edge of the corridor, her toes pressing into the tasseled boarder of the runner rug. She knew the man who had lost her and then gotten her back, but who had he been before? Who was he now? Rapunzel’s heart beat faster with fearful anticipation. Whoever he was, she doubted he would hold her with the same ferocity.A shadow passed over the window. A bird. Flying by. As a child, she had never wondered what it would be like to have a father, Gothel was everything. And it wasn’t until she read the word in her third book that the possibility of a father even crossed her mind. She understood its meaning in the context of the story… a man who raised children—like a mother, but not a mother.She watched the birds that nested in the tower rafters with renewed interest after that, noticed how the larger male with the pinkish wash on its neck would fly up to the nest the same way every day, beating its wings noisily before gliding around the central beam to deposit a still squirming bug into its partner's mouth. He seemed to care for her as she sat on her eggs, never complaining, never tiring, and when they hatched, they took turns feeding and warming the round, fluffy chicks. Father and Mother.Rapunzel painted a lot of birds that year. A robin for Mother, a willow warbler for herself, but every time she went to draw a father bird, her brush would hover over the wall dripping paint. What did human fathers look like? Too embarrassed to ask Gothel, and Pascal having never seen a human man in real life, Rapunzel eventually lost interest and the idea of fathers faded away entirely.That is until Eugene came tumbling into her world.And that first night… under the stars, the firelight casting the plane of his cheek a soft, velvet orange. And the lock of hair that fell across his brow, begging to be brushed back with gentle fingers… Something new and ancient had stirred within her. A unknown warmth that set her heart beating fast
and her mind reeling at the glaringly obvious fact that Eugene was indeed a man. A real human man. And maybe, one day… Well. Suddenly the idea of human fathers wasn’t so strange after all.Itching for the reassurance of Eugene’s hand around hers right now, Rapunzel teetered on the edge of pushing forward or retreating forever. If she handled this correctly, this version of her dad could be like the mourning dove, beautifully simple and devoted to his family. He could learn to live without fear, learn to trust her, be supportive and encourage her to fly in a way he never had.Rapunzel swallowed, the thick fold of letters heavy in her pocket. He had ordered the reports from Cass. For her to keep their correspondence a secret at risk of termination. All so Rapunzel wouldn’t feel the oppressive weight of his hand on her back as she naively enjoyed her perceived freedom.But now with his memory of her wiped away, where did they stand? Was she supposed to be angry? Or sad? It seemed the faith he had in her had only ever extended so far, and it was quite possible that if this conversation went poorly, she may lose him forever.Ugh, no. Don’t think like that. Rapunzel fisted the fabric of her skirt. He didn’t give up on you, so don’t give up on him. And with eighteen years of floating lanterns twinkling in her mind, she threw herself into the golden hallway.
*****
It was easy not to feel. Feeling too work, required energy to sustain. All Cassandra wanted was to just be. To shrug off disappointment and anger and walk the earth in emotional purgatory. Like the dreams of the tide pools where things were slow and inky and quiet. But Owl wouldn’t let her.During the trek from the maze, he bobbed on the hilt of her sword, pulling her hair, nipping at her ears, snapping his beak scolding her to turn back and help the pathetic thing she had left behind. She ignored him, intent on her goal to be empty. A husk.Cassandra knelt in the frosted grass at the center of the clearing. Owl hopped down beside her, nudging her elbow, but she didn’t look at him. Instead she looked up at the curved sliver of the moon shining down. A clipped fingernail, colored white by a wax pencil. Goodness, the amount of time she had spent picking dirt from her nails by candle light. The lotions, the oils, transforming her working hands into gentle, graceful tools incapable of snagging silk skirts or gossamer veils.How far away it all was now. She hardly believed she had almost returned.Closing her eyes, Cassandra breathed in deep. “I know you’re here.”The forest surrounding the clearing was silent save for the wind whispering a thousand words through the leaves, chilling the exposed skin of her cheek. The temperature had dropped significantly, winter’s icy fingers creeping across the tree roots. Cassandra didn’t mind. The cold was… inviting.Owl hooted, pressing himself against her. As he shifted, the ice crystals melted under his feet, leaving behind dark prints in the grass.“You said you would help me.”She could sense the air shift around her.“Teach me how to gain control.”And when Cassandra opened her eyes, the girl was standing before her. Silent, almost serene in the apathy of her wide moon-like face, the gemmed circlet glinting on her brow.She wasn’t smug, or patronizing, or judgmental, but what Cassandra was most grateful for was that the girl did not look upon her with pity. She simply extended a small gloved hand.“Come, Cassandra.”This phantom had shown her the past, and now Cassandra was certain she would lead her into the future. So, planting one foot firmly in front of the other, she followed the girl into the trees.
*****
She hadn’t made it. Rapunzel fell onto her bed, deflated and disappointed with herself. She had gotten as far as the immense double doors of the salon before turning right back around. She just couldn’t do it.“Your highness? Can I get you anything?”Rapunzel pushed herself up onto her elbows to see Faith standing at the foot of her bed with basket of laundry. “No, I’m okay. Thank you, Faith.”The young maid curtsied and turned to leave.“Actually, Faith?” Rapunzel rushed to her feet.“Yes, your highness?” She shifted the weight of the basket to her hip, a polite smile on her face.“I was wondering… Since you’re going to be my new Lady in Waiting, maybe you would like to stay and have cookies tonight? I think Lance baked double chocolate chip today and Ethel isn’t really into chocolate, so she never wanted to stay for cookie night. But it’s actually a lot of fun! We could, you know, gossip and talk about boys, and share our deepest, darkest secrets with each other. And we can become best friends!”Rapunzel finally finished in a big whoosh of air and a bright smile, only to deflate once more upon seeing the anxious crease between Faith’s eyebrows.“I would, I just, I have a lot of work to do tonight.” Faith shrugged with the laundry in arms.“Right. Of course. No problem.” Rapunzel backpedaled until her calves hit the bed frame and she sat down. “I understand.”The worried slant of Faith’s mouth eased.“Thank you, again.” Rapunzel tucked her hair behind her ears. “For agreeing to be my Lady in Waiting.”Faith curtsied, sidling closer to the door. “Goodnight.”“Umm, Faith?”“Yes?”“Could you ask Mrs. Crowley to um, clean out the Captain’s quarters?” Rapunzel pulled her hair.Faith smiled. “Of course. Anything else?”“No,” Rapunzel placed her hands in her lap. “Thank you. That will be all.”Again, the girl curtsied and before Rapunzel could wish her goodnight, she was gone, the soft padding sound of her shoes fading quickly.