Chapter Text
Rapunzel sat by Eugene’s bedside. The sun shone in through the gap between the curtains of his window. The glass was still cold to the touch as the final bits of snow were still melting. Eugene was trying to sleep. Doctors told him to rest and recover, but Rapunzel refused to leave his side. He didn’t have the heart to tell her she was impeding his rest. He reminded her softly she could leave, hoping she would, but she seemed intent on being there.
Eugene tried to sleep, but then Rapunzel’s hands were touching his forehead to check out his temperature, or she’d try to get him to drink water, or she’d be tucking him in for the twentieth time. She’d even offered to sing a lullaby to help him sleep, not realizing she was the problem.
Eugene didn’t want to admit that Rapunzel was an overbearing caretaker. She was great when he wasn’t trying to sleep, she’d bring delicious snacks and freshly brewed tea, she’d hug him and kiss him and speak softly, she’d bring him his favorite book and sit next to him, and they’d read it together.
But right now, Eugene needed to sleep. Rapunzel was moving around the room, but she wasn’t talking. Maybe this time he’d be able to sleep. Maybe this time he’d be able to escape this world for just a few hours, let his body rest. That way, he’d feel well enough to appreciate Rapunzel’s company.
Just as he felt consciousness slipping away, the sound of his door opening made his eyes widen, only to see Cassandra standing there, wearing a formal dress but a soft dressing gown over the top to keep her warm.
“Cassandra!” Rapunzel shouted before gasping and covering her mouth.
“It’s alright Blondie,” Eugene rolled over, sitting up, giving up on sleep for now.
“Cassandra, you’re not allowed out of bed yet,” Rapunzel crossed her arms.
“I know,” Cassandra whispered, walking further in. “But I promised Varian we’d go talk to mum and dad about, you know, his dad being stuck in weird orange solid goo and... um... Old Corona being... um... you know... invaded... by rocks.” Cassandra rubbed her face, pulling the gown further over her shoulders. She’d been fine after the blizzard, but then the frostbite healed a bit. The numbness went away, and she started feeling pain, so the doctors put her on some pain killers and now her mind was as foggy as the sky had been just before the storm.
Despite that, she was determined to remain responsible for Varian.
Eugene saw his chance for some peace and quiet. “You should go with her, Blondie,” Eugene smiled. “Your Father might need you to translate Cassandra’s medicine induced speech and I bet Varian could use all the friends can get right now. I’m just going to be sleeping anyhow.”
Rapunzel didn’t look fully convinced.
Cassandra looked at Eugene. She tilted her head, her eyes narrowed, then widened. Understanding what he was going through, she smiled. “It’s fine Raps. I hoped you’d come, but, you know, I always manage.” She stepped away as though to leave before tripping, falling to her knees with a confused expression.
Rapunzel gasped and rushed to her big sister’s side.
“I think you need to go with her, Sunshine.”
This time Rapunzel nodded, helping Cassandra to her feet, pulling her arm around her shoulder. “After we speak to our parents, you’re going straight back to bed, Misses!” She imitated the tone of the annoyed parents she’d seen around the kingdom.
Cassandra nodded. As they were leaving, Cassandra turned her head just enough to stick her tongue out at Eugene, her way of saying ‘you’re welcome’.
Eugene, in turn, smirked at her and as the door closed, he could feel the sleep dragging him down into his pillow.
In the throne room, Frederic and Arianna were on their thrones, however they both had blankets and were only actually conducting meetings with advisers and such. There was too much work for them to stay in bed, even if they should.
Cassandra had expected Rapunzel to volunteer, however, Rapunzel seemed far too focused on Eugene. She’d also been slightly distant since the blizzard.
Arianna told Cassandra that everybody handled stressful situations differently and that Rapunzel might need some rest before she was ready to assume power again.
Cassandra had volunteered to work. The issue was she’d apparently volunteered five times and never remembered the answer, so they had deemed her unprepared. She still wasn’t entirely sure Arianna and Frederic hadn’t made those five times up just to convince her to stay in bed, but she also had no way to prove it.
“Oh, look Frederic, it’s our daughters,” Arianna smiled, and Cassandra moved past the advisers up the stairs and into Arianna’s arms. Such a blatant disrespect for protocol was very unlike the girl, which was the main reason she could get away with almost anything. “Still on the medicine?” Arianna whispered.
Cassandra nodded. “But we need to talk,” she sounded like she was dreading the conversation. “Where’s Varian?”
“I’m not sure,” Arianna whispered.
“I’m right here,” Varian said from his place sitting on the steps up to the thrones, he’d been told to sit and wait by the advisers ten minutes ago, he didn’t blame the royal family for ignoring him seeing as other than Rapunzel who was smiling sheepishly at him, the others were under the influence of medicine, but the advisers who looked past him were being rather rude, especially when it was Varian’s turn to talk now.
“Oh, I forgot you’d already come in, Varian.” She shook her head. “We really should not be managing the kingdom right now,” she whispered, then smiled. “Oh, well.”
“They’re just approving what we say,” Nigel reassured Rapunzel, his hands behind his back. “Must you come to talk to them today? There is much to attend to, and I don’t think your situation is of any urgency.”
“My dad trapped in amber is not urgent?” Varian glared at the adviser.
“It’s important, but not urgent,” Nigel doubled down. “Urgent is getting the animals warm before they all die on us. It’s getting snow off the roofs before they collapse and it’s caring for our sick before they get worse. The key word being before.”
“Well, we need to rescue my father before—before—agh!” he kicked the step in frustration.
“Varian,” Rapunzel reached out for the boy, but he stepped away. “I know this must be very difficult for you.”
“You have no idea.” He glared, but his expression softened quickly at Rapunzel’s hurt expression. His arms moved to hold himself. “I’m really seared.”
Rapunzel nodded, she tried to reach out again and this time he let her touch her. “We’re going to find a way to get him out.”
Varian nodded, then he looked up to the king and queen. “Your Majesties.”
Cassandra stood between the two. This wasn’t where she was supposed to be standing. A part of her knew protocol demanded she be somewhere else, but she didn’t care. “You need to try your best to concentrate mum, this is important.”
Arianna nodded, sitting up straighter.
Frederic did too, but his eyes moved from Varian to Rapunzel.
“Old Corona has been invaded by black indestructible rocks,” Varian informed. “They are destroying the crops and the homes of the villagers. My dad, as head of the village, was trying to protect the people. I wanted to help, so I tried to use alchemy to destroy the rocks, but instead... They somehow created a type of indestructible amber which had encased my father, Quirin.”
“Quirin,” Frederic said slowly, nodding. “He is a good man,” he turned to look at Arianna, who smiled back at him.
Cassandra moved from Arianna closer to Frederic. She seemed a bit aimless in her steps and Rapunzel watched her nervously.
“Your Majesties, I humbly request permission and resources to research the black rocks fully and attempt to rescue my father. The first step, of course, is to crack open the graphtyc he left me; it is supposed to contain a scroll.”
“No.” Frederic was firm, and he shook his head.
“Dad?” Cassandra looked surprised.
“The black rocks are dangerous,” he said. “Nobody in the kingdom is to go near them.”
“Well, that would be sound advice, Your Majesty, if not for the fact we do not need to. The rocks are coming near us.” Varian clenched his fists in frustration.
Frederic shook his head. “Quirin would not want us to further mess with magic.”
“How would you know what my father would or wouldn’t want?” Varian demanded.
Frederic did not seem threatened by the child. “The black rocks are to be left alone.”
“So what? My dad is just gone? Forever? Forever he will be a mere statue encased in amber?”
Frederic shook his head. “That’s not...” he frowned.
Cassandra frowned. “Dad,” she grabbed his hand. “Varian does not wish to use the black rocks or harness their power. We just need approval to do some research. We will not touch them. Varian is a marvelous inventor capable of using clever...” she frowned. “Um... clever...” The word machine was missing in her mind. She shook her head. “Tools to not get close.”
Frederic frowned. He looked at Varian and Rapunzel, then his eyes moved back to Cassandra. “Your hair is black like the rocks.”
She smiled, seeing his face scrunched up in regret. It was clear the king was not thinking any more clearly than her, saying what was on his mind, relevant or not. He sighed. “I must request you come back to me once I am of more sound mind.”
Varian shook his head. “But Your Majesty, the sooner I begin, the sooner I can have my dad back! You, of all people, must know the pain in being separated from one’s family?” he asked hopefully. “At least allow me a space where I can begin to figure out how to open the graphtyc?”
Frederic blinked. He looked past Varian at Rapunzel again. He sighed. “You have my temporary approval.”
Cassandra hugged him from the side.
Frederic looked confused, then smiled. “Cassandra.”
“Is that all you needed to discuss?” Nigel asked.
Rapunzel nodded, running up the stairs to get Cassandra. “Come on, Cass.”
“But I want to be with Mum and Dad.”
“They’re busy. They have things to approve.” Rapunzel frowned as she led Cassandra down the steps, and they left the throne room with Varian in toe. She knew she should be taking care of the kingdom while her parents properly rested and recovered, but... What if she made a mistake? Cassandra wouldn’t be there to help her. Her mind raced with all the ways she could mess up; she erased the thoughts from her mind, deciding to instead concentrate on getting Cassandra upstairs and into bed.
After that, she’d go care for Eugene and soon, they’d begin their research on the black rocks.