Chapter Text
Cassandra found herself in the main room of a small cottage. Confused, the young woman looked about the room. She knew this place. Why?
Then she heard it, that damn melody that’s always been in the back of her mind. That she would catch herself humming while she did her work around the castle.
No. No, no, no, no. She didn’t want to remember this place.
Wake up! She mentally screamed at herself. This is just a dream, wake up Cassandra!
But she doesn’t and she’s forced to watch her younger self come into view.
Her younger self, no more than four years old, shuffled along the floor with bare feet. She tiredly rubbed her eye with one hand and clutched her precious music box with the other.
She vanished into another room, and Cassandra followed her.
The woman stilled, heart aching at the sight of the woman at the work desk. She hadn’t yet noticed the little girl, she had her nose buried in a small blue book and was muttering to herself.
Cassandra studied her. The woman looked nearly exactly like her. Her face wasn’t quite as round, with a very light dusting of freckles across her nose, and her eyes were blue rather than grey, but aside from those minor differences, their resemblance was striking.
She had her jet black hair tied messily into a bun.
“Mama?” Her younger self called and the woman startled.
“Cassandra?” she turned to her with confusion. “What are you doing out of bed? It’s…” she trailed off, looking past both the adult and child versions of Cassandra.
The adult version followed her gaze to a window, sunlight pouring through the shutters.
“It’s morning,” the woman said with a quiet laugh. She closed the blue book she was reading and Cassandra’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the symbol of the cover when she set it down on the table.
The same one from that bastard's necklace.
“Well then, Cassie,” the woman stood and scooped her up, resting her on her hip. “Let’s do our morning chores and then I’ll make us a nice breakfast. What do you say?”
“Okay!”
With that, the woman walked right through her and as if she were watching a play, the scene changed, and now Cassandra watched as her younger self listened intently as a man told her a story.
It was a story she had heard countless times, as it was told every year on the Day of Hearts. The story of the war between Corona and Saporia, and how it ended with the then king of Corona, Herz Der Sonne, and General Shampanier coming together in marriage.
She always hated that story, and now she remembered why.
“But you see, Cassandra,” the man, her father, spoke and the young woman couldn’t help but smile at the way his voice made her feel warm and safe. She wanted to wake up. “Many of our ancestors weren’t happy with this, and wanted to strike back and take what once was ours.”
He didn’t look all that much like her, not like her mother did anyway. He had short brown hair and the only similarity they shared was the color of their eyes.
“But, if everything goes as planned, one day very soon, Corona will fall and Saporia will rise from the ashes. We just have to wait.”
Again, the scene changed and she’s confused. Her younger self was asleep, safe and sound in bed, and the music box played its lullaby from her bedside. It was quiet. Peaceful even.
Until it wasn’t and the dream became a nightmare.
Please, She pleaded with herself again. Wake up.
She heard shouting coming from the other side of the door, muffled voices demanding to know the whereabouts of the princess.
This was the night Rapunzel was stolen.
She watched as her younger self sat up in bed with wide eyes. Unable to stop her as she slid down onto the floor, and took the music box into her hands. She tried calling out to her, but her voice made no sound as she opened the door.
Cassandra followed her and looked through the doorway. Her mother and father were both in chains, both on their knees before the then captain of the guard.
“I will ask you one last time,” he spoke. “Where is the princess?”
Her father spat at the man’s boot and it earned him a strike to the face. Her mother flinched.
“Rebel scum,” the then captain turned to the woman. “Are you more willing to speak?”
The woman said nothing and simply looked to another one of the guards with pleading eyes.
“The princess isn’t here, sir.” The guard said in a familiar voice and Cassandra’s breath caught in her throat. The woman hung her head and the captain growled.
“Take them away!” He barked the order and she heard the music box break on the floor.
“Mama!” Her younger self ran forward as her parents were dragged away by the guards. She came to a halt when the guard who had spoken stood in front of her and crouched down.
He removed his helmet and Cassandra’s eyes welled with tears.
“It’s alright, little one,” he placed his helmet on the little girl's head and scooped her into his arms. “You’re safe with me.”
“I-I want my mama!” Her younger self cried.
Cassandra watched as the man who would go on to raise her as his own carried her away.
She finally woke up.
Now, Cassandra stares at the princess from where she stood surrounded by the black rocks. The princess stares back at her with shock as she processes everything that she had told her.
“Cass, I--” she struggles to find the right words. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? You’re sorry?” She growls and the Moonstone sparks from its place on her chest. “My family was taken away from me because of you, and you’re sorry?!”
“That’s not fair, Cassandra!” Eugene shouts. “She was kidnapped! It wasn’t her fault!”
“Shove it, Fitzherbert, this is between her and me.”
“Cassandra,” Rapunzel takes a step forward and reaches out to her. “Please, let me help you.”
“I don’t need your help!” Cassandra snaps and rocks shoot up from the ground. “Just stay away from me!”
“Cass,” she takes another step forward, and this time her green eyes dart to the floor beside her and back to her face again.
Cassandra’s eyes narrow and she looks to her side and she feels a twang of guilt. Varian lies unconscious at her side, a pained expression on his face as the shockwaves of energy bouncing off him finally stop. Her fingers twitch as she reaches out to check on him, she freezes when the sound of the double doors opening echoes across the chamber.
“So, what did we m--” Lance stops himself when he feels the tension in the air and when Eugene shoots him a look.
The two members of the Brotherhood with him suddenly draw their weapons with looks of pure rage on their faces. It was a normal look for Hector, he’ll admit, but he’s never seen Adira angry before, just annoyed. It’s frightening.
The raccoon on Hector’s shoulder suddenly jumps down. He scurries across the stone ground and to where his boy lies, chittering and pawing at him in an attempt to wake him.
The guilt Cassandra feels becomes worse when the boy doesn’t even stir.
“Cassandra,” she turns back to Rapunzel, expression hardening again. “Please, just… Give me the Moonstone.”
“You’ve taken enough from me already, princess,” she spats.
Rapunzel glares at her now. “Cassandra, you are crossing the line, now give me the stone!” She commands, taking another step forward.
“I said stay back!” She surprises herself when the Moonstone flashes and black rocks shoot out from the ground, knocking the Sundrop back several feet.
She doesn’t have the time to fully process it before Adira is charging forward, cutting through the rocks as if they were paper. She blocks the woman's attack with her arms.
“Release the Moonstone, Short Hair.” Adira glances at the boy at Cassandra’s feet and her eyes narrow dangerously at her. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with.” It was a warning, but Cassandra could tell she was referring to herself. About what she would do to her if she were to dare hurt the kid. But Cassandra wasn't playing games anymore.
“Neither do you!” A shockwave from the Moonstone sends the woman flying across the chamber. Her sword falls from above and into Cassandra’s waiting hand, he holds it to her back and the rocks form a sheath for it.
The young woman runs and the rocks follow her, knocking away anyone who tries to stand in her way.
“Cassandra!” Rapunzel calls after her. “Wait!”
Cassandra’s heart races in her chest as she runs down one of the many halls of the castle. She had just betrayed her best friend-- No, no, she’s not her friend! She never was!
“Cass!” she stops and turns around to Rapunzel. “Cassandra, please, we can fix this I--”
“And just how do you intend to fix any of this? Are you going to go back in time and stop the guard from dragging my parents away? Are you going to bring them back?!”
“I-I don’t know! But we can figure it out, together! Just like we’ve always done!” Rapunzel pleads with her. “Please, Cass, you’re my friend I--”
“Friend?” Cassandra laughs. “Don’t make me laugh. I’m not your friend, I’m your servant! That’s all I’ve ever been!”
“Cassandra, listen,”
“I’m listening.”
“You know that’s not true,” Rapunzel takes a few cautious steps forward. “You’re my friend, and I promise, I’ll make this right.”
Cassandra’s eyes narrow and the Moonstone flashes. Black rocks grow from the ground, surrounding the princess and trapping her. She turns away from her.
“The only thing that will ‘make this right’ is for Corona to fall.”
Varian groans and pushes himself onto his hands and knees. His head throbbed and he felt… Different. He blinks to clear his blurred vision and his mouth turns dry when he sees an all too familiar stone floor beneath him.
“Hello, my dear little Demanitus,” he whirls around and that girl, that demon is perched on a broken stone arch above him, kicking her feet as she gazes down at him. “You slept well, I hope?” He responds with a glare. “Oh, don’t look at me like that.”
“What did you do?” he asks her, pushing himself to his feet.
“Dear, I’m thousands of years old, I’ve done many things. You’ll have to be specific.”
“To Cassandra.” He hisses.
“Ah, her.” Zhan Tiri casually examines her fingers. “I didn’t do anything to her. I just helped her remember.”
“Remember what?”
“Who she is, and all the pain that fool you call a king has caused her.” The girl drifts down from her perch and approaches him. “This is your fault, you know.” She tells him and his shoulders tense. “If you had listened to me and taken the Moonstone yourself, I wouldn’t have had to stir up such horrible memories in the poor dear.”
“I’ll--”
“You’ll what? Reason with her? She’s chosen her path and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Zhan Tiri smiles sweetly at him, and he flinches when she hovers in front of him and cups his face. “But don’t worry, my dear,” her smile turns wicked and inhumanely wide.
“This is only the beginning of our little game.”
Rapunzel runs outside after Cassandra. She had slowed her down with the rocks, but she was able to squeeze herself through them, and after that, all she had to do was follow the trail. Even now the rocks were pointing her to the Moonstone.
To Cassandra.
Her mind races as she chases after her. This wasn’t Cassandra. It couldn’t be! She would never turn her back on Corona like this!
She sees a mess of blue hair vanish over the ledge and she picks up the pace. The ground beneath her shakes as a bridge of black rocks crosses the chasm leading away from the castle, and Cassandra is walking across it.
She jumps down, the rocks cold under her bare feet, and runs forward, stopping only when Cassandra turns back to her. She gives her a hopeful smile and holds out her hand.
“Cassandra, please.” Her heart sinks when the young woman draws the shadow blade and holds it high.
“You were right, princess,” She smirks. “I am crossing the line.”
Rapunzel barely has the time to turn and run when Cassandra cuts through the bridge. The rocks break and crumble behind her falling into the chasm below. She collapses to her knees when they finally stop, turning around to see that Cassandra had vanished. Her heart swells and tears well in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she says and puts her head in her hands.
Eugene winces as Maximus pulls the bandage around his arm a little too tight, but he doesn’t say anything. Now that the fighting was done and things have calmed down, it’s clear to him just how much pain everyone was in.
Between Edmund, the ghosts, and Cassandra… Everyone had wounds to lick.
He looks at Rapunzel when she takes his hand. He’s unable to read her expression, and he wants to ask about what happened, but… He’s not sure that he can. Instead, he follows her gaze to the others. Namely Varian.
The kid still hasn’t woken up from… Whatever happened with the Moonstone, and he was lying on the ground with his head in Adira’s lap and Hector’s fur cloak draped over him to protect him from the chill of the night air.
“How’s he doing?” Rapunzel asks quietly.
“He’s…” Eugene trails off, watching as Pascal makes himself visible on Ruddiger’s head. The chameleon’s tongue darts into the alchemist’s ear and he sits up with a start. Eugene smiles and Rapunzel lets out a sigh of relief at his side. “He just woke up.”
He squeezes her hand and his face falls. “How are you doing?”
“Hm?” Rapunzel blinks at him. “I’m fine!”
Eugene raises an eyebrow. “You’re doing that thing,”
“What thing?”
“You know when you pretend everything’s all peachy when clearly it’s…” He trails off again when she gives him a very forced smile. “Sunshine, what Cassandra did--”
“Yeah! That was bad!” Rapunzel’s smile doesn’t falter as she pulls away from him. “Anyway,” she turns back to her party. “Alright everyone, the Moonstone’s gone so there’s no use sticking around here anymore!”
With that the princess turns on her heel and marches to the cliffs, muttering to herself about how exactly they cross to the other side while the group looks between one another.
“She’s awfully chipper for someone who was just stabbed in the back,” Hector comments, breaking the silence, and both Adira and Varian fix him with a glare. “What? It’s true.”
Varian rolls his eyes and hands him back his cloak as he stands up. Pascal chirps at him from his shoulder as he takes a wobbly step forward, and Ruddiger chitters from the ground but he straightens up and walks over to the princess.
“Let’s see, the gondolas are destroyed, the caves are blocked off, and there’s no bridge anywhere…” Rapunzel mumbles into her hand. “Hm…”
“R-Rapunzel?” The princess turns to him and she beams.
“Hey, how are you feeling?”
“F-fine,” he clears his throat. “I’m okay.” Varian begins wringing his hands together and he averts his gaze. “I… I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” Rapunzel tilts her head with confusion. “What for?”
Varian curls in on himself and quietly says, “I couldn’t stop her…” He blinks in surprise when Rapunzel pulls him into a near bone-crushing hug.
“It’s okay, Varian,” she says, squeezing him tight. “None of this is your fault. But thank you, for trying to stop her.”
Zhan Tiri’s words echo in his head, telling him that yes, it is his fault, but he’d much rather believe in Rapunzel’s words instead. He hugs her back, pressing his forehead to her shoulder.
“So,” He pulls away a few moments later. “What now?”
“Well, I guess we go back to Corona and regroup.” Rapunzel turns back to what lies beyond the Dark Kingdom and frowns. “Only, I don’t know how to do that…” A flock of birds catches her eyes in the clouds above, and an idea pops into her head. She grins and Varian grimaces.
“We’re not turning into birds again, Rapunzel.”
“No, no, that's not it,” she turns to him. “How long do you think it’ll take you to build a hot air balloon?”
Varian puts a hand to his chin and hums in thought, and he grins at her. “Give me a day.”