Chapter Text
“I could kill you,” Cassandra whispered, her eyes glowing as she watched Sugracha’s movements like a predator sizing up her prey.
The ghostly figure just hummed as she made sure the paper kept feeding through the machine that was hooked up to Cassandra, giving the demon some information or other. “Not sure you could, darling.”
“Rocks through the head worked well enough on King Trevor.”
Sugracha nodded. “Too fast. No suffering.”
“I don’t care about that. I just want some people gone.”
“A rock would go right through me,” Sugracha said, phasing through the table to grab a notebook. “But you won’t even try.”
“I could.”
“You won’t,” she said, opening the notebook. “If you hurt me, someone would pay for it. Your girlfriend, sister, brother-in-law?”
Cassandra lowered her eyes to her feet, her hair still glowing.
“Why do you still threaten us?” Sugracha asked as she began to scribble something into her book. “Does it help you feel less powerless? Do you enjoy the reaction? Do you want us to punish you?”
Cassandra flinched, shaking her head.
“Didn’t think so.” Sugracha smiled. “Why don’t you try a different type of small-talk? Something more pleasant. Tell me, Dear, do you like drawing?”
“Don’t call me Dear.”
“Fine. Moonstone, do you like drawing?”
“No. My sister does.”
“What about for note-taking?”
“I make Rapunzel do it.”
Sugracha snickered at that. “Just like your mother.”
“I’m nothing like her.”
“Sure, sure.” Sugracha turned the sketchbook around to show Cassandra a sketch of Gothel around her age, giving the same pouting look but with longer hair.
“I know I look like her. That doesn’t change the fact I’m not like her.”
“So, what artistic hobbies do you partake in?”
“None. I’m not an artist.”
“Choreography?” Sugracha asked.
“I don’t dance.”
“But you plan combat maneuvers, don't you?”
Cassandra frowned.
“That’s creative. Everybody has a creative hobby. Just not everybody realises it. Without creativity… what’d be the point of life?”
“Love?” Cassandra tried.
“And what do people do when in love other than become creative? Arrange bouquets of flowers? Write poems? Cook meals the other will love?” Sugracha lay back. “Can’t say I’m a fan of love, but there’s something cute about how when faced with the strongest of emotions, humans always start creating.”
“Are you human?”
“I was.”
“What happened?”
“Took in too much magic. Same as you.”
“I’m human.”
“You’re… close enough to claim the title, I suppose.”
“What are you trying to do here?”
“You already know this,” Sugracha rolled her eyes. “We’re trying to gain control of the Moonstone.”
“Why?”
“Power.”
“For what? You’re already immortal. And you don’t seem to care about running this kingdom so… why do you want power? What do you want to do?”
Sugracha hesitated, slowly she closed her notebook, checked the paper in the machine and looked forward, eyes studying Cassandra up and down. “What do you think?”
Cassandra shook her head. “I’ve no clue… I’ve faced many villains at this point in my life and usually I’ve been able to pin down their motivation to some degree. The King of Koto wanted vengeance on my mother, and only I remained. King Trevor didn’t care about anybody but himself and it showed. Father and Mother needed magic to fly and… and live the life they’d been living as messed up as that was. Hector was trying to protect what he thought was right for the world…” Her brows furrowed. “Is that where you fall?”
“Do I think what me and my mistress are doing is right for the world?”
Cassandra tilted her head.
Sugracha grinned and laughed. “No. Of course not.”
“Then… what do you want?”
Sugracha shrugged. “I guess… I guess we want to change the world.”
“To something you reign?” Cassandra tilted her head.
“No… not exactly…” Sugracha began to sketch again. “How much do you know of the Magical Dark Ages?”
Cassandra shook her head.
“It’s the point in time where the kingdoms started to turn their back on all things magic to varying degrees. Witch burnings came from that time. But also general bans on magical trade and training. Magic use in the common household pretty much went extinct for most kingdoms during this time. Some kingdoms came to accept it again but… it was never the same.”
“You want to turn back time… create a world like the one before the Dark Ages?”
“Well… sort of. Yes… But without the possibility of another Dark Age coming forth. No point going back in time when you know what’s going to happen.”
“And… you need the Moonstone for that?”
“We need all the power we can get.”
“Have you ever considered there might be a way to do that without… being evil?”
Sugracha hummed. “Maybe… but we’ve tried that method. It didn’t end well.”
“How did it end?”
“Well, I ended up stuck for a millennia underground surrounded by nothing but stone and a dumb invention. My mistress got to explore a whole new dimension and Tromus was forced to flee.”
“My mother?”
“She stuck around. She never had any magic of her own so she wasn’t really affected by the Dark Age. Kept to herself for a millennia… she always was the smartest. You may not want to be like your mother, but if you inherit her intellect and some of her survival skills, it’d do you well.”
Cassandra hummed. “I suppose…”
“How are you doing?”
“I’m hungry.”
Sugracha checked the machine. “ Sit still for twenty more minutes, then food. Deal?”
“...Deal.”
True to her word, Sugracha provided a steaming bowl of vegetable soup with bread. Cassandra devoured it despite herself, the flavours surprisingly rich, the vegetables perfectly crisp.
As she ate, Sugracha was giving her an odd look. “You like it?”
Cassandra paused mid-bite. “Is it poisoned?”
“No,” Sugracha’s nose scrunched up.
“Drugged?”
“Nothing like that.”
“Then why do you care?”
“Just a recipe your mother favoured, that’s all.”
Cassandra took that information in, glancing at the food like she should like it less now, however, she was hungry, so she continued to eat until there was nothing left.
When Tromus arrived to open the shadow portal back to her cell, Cassandra didn't hesitate to leave. Always wanting to get back to Rapunzel.
Once in her cell, she knelt down by the bars.
Rapunzel looked up at her.
“I’ve got an idea…” Cassandra said.
Rapunzel quickly rolled over and closer to the bars. “What?”
“It involves playing nice…”
Rapunzel frowned, and hesitated before shrugging. “We’ve got nothing to lose.”