Blue and gold eyes stared at the bedroom window, the Kingdom of Corona was busy, not exactly unusual, but it wasn't normal to have this many people out and about at one time, the streets were packed and for whatever reason, Rapunzel had insisted she dress up, that meant no pants, no boots, her hair had to be done and she had even brought one of the lady's maids to make sure her requests were met,
"Rapunzel, why are you doing this? And why a Coronan style dress?" She looked at her options, it was all varying shades of Pastel's
"Oh come on, Eugene and I are going to be married, someday, I want to bond with my future sister-in-law. Also, I don't really know about the Dark Kingdom's fashion styles."
"But you know how I feel about dresses." The teen groaned "And a bit of advice, they don't really do…pastel."
"Oh, what do they wear then?" Artemis rummaged through the ridiculously large closet she now had, something Arianna and Rapunzel had both insisted upon, and settled on a much simpler blue dress with the moon phases embroidered at the bottom and silver trim at the base of the sleeves and skirt,
"Subtle yet not entirely unbefitting." Rapunzel looked at the dress, "You certainly own a lot of dark colors."
"Easier to keep clean, dark colors show less dirt than pastels." She replied smartly, "Besides, dresses that trail on the ground are a tripping hazard and we all know how clutzy I am." There was no argument from the Coronan princess as the younger girl quickly got dressed
"Adding onto that, I haven't even had a coronation, so I'm not even really officially a princess yet."
"Oh, you're right!" Artemis stepped out from behind the partition, shaking some of the stiffness from her dress,
"Rapunzel, I don't like that look." The princess wore a sly smile, "Your father is still in Corona, he showed for Eugene's birthday, by the way, where were you for that?" the teen turned bright red, "I was…somewhere."
"You were with Varian, how serious are things between you two?"
"W-well…" she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she took a seat and that's when Rapunzel saw it, the small silver band around her ring finger, Gasping anyone could tell there was excitement in her voice,
"What's that?!" the Lady's maid started to work on her hair, taking the two long parts at the front and braiding them up into a headband braid before brushing out the rest,
"Did he propose to you?!" Artemis choked, "What, NO, W-why would you think that?!"
"The ring on your finger, why else?"
"It's a promise ring, Rapunzel." The princess wiggled her eyebrows, "Oooh, so it's almost like he proposed, does Eugene know?"
"NO! no, no, no, and you cannot tell him. He would go all crazy big brother and storm Old Corona to give Varian the talk….and then he'd come after me and I do NOT want "The talk" from my big brother."
"Oh, relax Temi, I'm not going to tell Eugene." Artemis quirked a brow as the lady's maid stepped back, "Temi?"
"I thought it'd be a cute nickname."
"I don't really do nicknames, Rapunzel, Varian called me Arti once and I decked him, there's not much you can do with my name anyways."
"I thought it was cute, and Arti is really…masculine, why would he choose that?" she stuck her tongue out as if to veto the name.
"I guess until that first day of hearts festival, he didn't really see me as a girl…and I never really fit in with the other girls in Old Corona growing up, I was more like…" Artemis stopped, thinking of the short haired woman who had encouraged her to do so many things.
"Anyways, I guess I'm dressed, can we go?" Rapunzel looked at the young teen, "I miss her too. But yeah, we should probably go."
Rapunzel had insisted Artemis come along to Gothel's old hut, "Remind me why I had to come along?"
"Emotional support, besides, if Gothel is back…"
"There's no way she's back, you told us she died when she fell out of that window."
"Whatever's going on in there, I need to see for myself." Pushing the door to the cottage open Artemis waved some dust away from her face, "This place has certainly seen better days." As the two advanced further into the home they took notice of the fallen beams and decorative cobwebs littering the area,
"H-Hello?" pushing open another door, Rapunzel recoiled at what she thought was Gothel, standing in the mostly empty room,
"How're you…?" upon closer inspection however, it was just a dummy painted with her face and wearing one of the old woman's cloaks.
"It's okay, It's not her, Rapunzel."
"She's made of…wax? What is this?"
"Looks like some kind of parlor trick to scare kids."
"Someone wanted people to think that Gothel…or…her ghost, was hiding here. The question is—"
"Why?" Artemis and Rapunzel both got into a defensive position as they spotted Cassandra in the doorway,
"What are you doing here?"
"My friend told me there were suspicious things going on."
"Your friend? You mean that little girl from the spire?" Artemis grinned, "That girl is not your friend, Cassandra." Cassandra drew her sword, pointing it at the two royals, "You don't belong here!" as Cassandra backed them up the Gothel dummy shifted, slamming the door behind to the room shut. Afraid, Cassandra stormed the room with a cluster of black rocks which Artemis quickly disposed of, pushing them back into the ground,
"You've gotten better I see." Cassandra scoffed, obviously irritated, "Still letting your fear control you, I see." The teen fired back non-chalantly, her eyes narrowed now.
"We win. Now, are you fighting me or are you fighting yourself?"
"Pretty sure it's you." Cass reached for her sword but Artemis made quick work of snatching it, "I don't think so." Rapunzel swept the woman's feet out from under her, knocking her to the ground and Artemis pointed the blade to her neck,
"I learned a lot from you the day you kidnapped Varian and I, combining what I learned then with what I've learned with my lessons at the palace, I have slowly begun to decided what type of ruler I want to be. Don't make me regret my decision, Cassandra." She withdrew the blade but did not discard it.
"I am through, waiting." Cass shot a huge rock spike through the floor that tilted the cottage, something across the room hit a lever, revealing a trap door in the wall that the three fell into,
"Worst…adventure…ever!" Artemis screamed as the three fell into the glowing green area waiting for them and right into a mine cart.
"This is cozy and all but…Cass, could you get your knee out of my stomach?" Annoyed the woman stood, lunging for Rapunzel which knocked the cart into motion.
"Why is it….every time…I'm with you two….something bad…always happens?! I think I'm going to be sick!" she hung her head over the side of the cart, earning a quick look of sympathy from both older women,
"What is this place?"
"Oh, worry about that later. Right now, let's duck!" Rapunzel and Cass quickly pulled the young girl back into the cart before the stalactite could decapitate her. As the cart picked up speed, once they hit the bottom the three were thrown through the air, crashing to the ground roughly.
Cass quickly grabbed her sword as Rapunzel and Artemis hauled themselves to their feet, the blue-haired woman looked beyond pissed off as she thrust her hand up, summoning another large rock spike, "No, no, no, no, no!" the structure of the room began to crumble trapping them into the dimly lit cavern with no escape,
"And now we're stuck…under a mountain."
"Perfect, locked in here alone…with you two." Almost as if on cue something screeched, "Us…and whatever just made that noise." Artemis looked at Rapunzel, "For the record…I don't want anymore bonding time without at least one other person present…and Cass doesn't count."
The three tried all they could to create some sort of hole in the cave in, but nothing was working, "Look, Cassandra, you want to get out of here, we want to get out of here, pascal, definitely wants—" the three looked over at the tiny lizard who was having the time of his life catching flies,
"Okay, Pascal's having fun, but I know he has my back on this. We will get out sooner if we work together. So…truce?" Rapunzel held out her hand to Cass as Artemis felt a familiar tingling sensation,
"Temporary truce, teeny tiny temporary truce?"
"I don't need your help." Cass pushed more rocks at the pile of rubble, trying to clear a pathway and the tingling sensation the younger girl felt increased,
"Guy's…" her head felt fuzzy, like it had back at Cass' stronghold
"Cass, stop! You could bring the mountain down on all of us and your rocks made rifts in the floor. Which are evidently leaking poison gas…wonderful."
"Nothing good comes out of a rift."
"Guys…" both women turned to look at the girl, her eyes were lit up like lanterns, "What in the…?" neither one had a response, "I think I'm reacting to the both of you…but neither one of you used an incantation."
"You're not going to go berserk again, are you?"
"I…I don't think so."
"Okay, then let's find a way out of here." Cass followed a small group of moths that were flying up a tunnel to the side of the room they were in.
"Don't you think we'll increase our chances if we stick together?"
"Rapunzel, there is no bond between us anymore, got it? The sooner you can accept that, the better off we'll be. So I'm going in this direction and you two are going to go…anywhere else." Cassandra continued her climb and Artemis felt her head swim the further the woman got away,
"Stop…" the two older woman turned, looking at the teen in question, "You must stick together, the sun drop and moonstone must be reunited. I can help you get out of here."
"Artemis?" the girl shook her head, "your friend is fine, she is sleeping." Cass drew her blade once more, "Who are you?"
"The rightful owner of that stone you stole, Cassandra, Daughter of Gothel. The child admired you, and still holds out hope that you'll return."
"the rightful owner of the moonstone?" Cassandra scoffed, rolling her eyes as if the teen had told some sort of joke, "The Sun Drop as well. An eclipse is coming, and the stones must be united as one…"
"So what, you're some kind of celestial?" A smile spread across Artemis' face, "Yes, I suppose you could say that." Whoever was possessing the teen chuckled,
"In order for this girl to live, her mother made a deal, her life for her daughters." Rapunzel looked shocked, "Her mother made a deal? So then are you a demon?" the princess had read about ancient peoples who had made pacts with the creatures,
"No, dear girl, I'm no demon. I'm here to make sure your world survives. that's why, when the time comes you two will work together and the stones will be combined into one and Artemis will become part of Corona's history books."
"Part of…"
"Corona's history books?" Cass and Rapunzel shared a look as they continued to climb.
Cass led them through a series of tunnels leading into another room where a ridiculously large mole was sleeping, after a mis step and a quick save it seemed Cass and Rapunzel had conceded to work together, unfortunately the music box piece Cass was carrying fell from her pocket and woke the giant beast,
"I suggest we run…"
"Good idea."
"They're drawn to the sound. Shut that music box off" The group found themselves swarmed by huge bats, Cass drew her sword, "I am otherwise engaged."
"Pascal, shut that box up." The chameleon made an attempt but a smaller mole scurried up, stealing the device,
"Why is everything in this kingdom so big?"
"That is a good question. You know, for blind things, these things are pretty good at finding us." The Mole knocked them both flat on their backs as Artemis moved
"Technically, bats aren't actually blind."
"Good to know." Cass knocked one away from them, "Watch out!" whoever was in control of Artemis' body seemed to be growing annoyed, waiting as Cass lured the mole into the pit, she quickly sealed the top with a dome of the black rock material as Rapunzel blinded the bats.
"In here!" the blonde quickly kicked the door open, Cass and Artemis hurried through as the blonde slammed the door.
"And that…is going in the journal. 3 pages, easy." Rapunzel turned to look at the glowing eyed teen, "If that's okay with you, of course."
"I would be honored."
"Nice moves on that mole, by the way. Both of you." Cass seemed to struggle with the praise, "Okay, Fine."
"Fine what?" Cass seemed to really struggle with her words,
"Temporary truce, but just until we get out of here." Artemis looked between the two, her blue and gold glowing eyes eerie in the dimly lit room of mirrors, "Well, now I have a new condition."
"Let me guess, I have to be nice to you."
"That's...not what I was going to say." Cass and the young teen both quirked a brow, "Okay, that Is what I was going to say, but…you just have to not be mean."
"Good, now that you two are on the same team."
"Only temporarily."
"Nuance, young lady. We need to find a way out of here."
"This is…oh so delightful, but you haven't given us your name yet." Cass' tone was demanding and another smile spread across the teens face "In Time, Cassandra. My name is of no importance to you, yet." Rapunzel lit one of the torches, emitting a faint glow as they advanced further into the room,
"What is this stuff?" there was a wall full of papers, not dissimilar to Varian's lab back in Old Corona,
"The sun drop…Oh, look at this. The Sun incantation. Gothel was alive a long time." Cass narrowed her eyes and walked away, "Whoa, I knew she was vain, but…" Artemis wandered off, inspecting the other mirrors,
"It looks like one's missing."
"I wouldn't touch those unless you want to see the face of the woman who kidnapped you, besides, it's nothing but her admiring her looks." Cassandra turned, "How could you possibly know that?" The teen smiled,
"I know plenty, This body is much younger than the both of you, so I had to be somewhere before I inhabited it, correct?" Cass looked slightly apologetic, "You were in a mirror?"
"Oh no, Cassandra, on the contrary, I was nowhere and yet I was everywhere, time and space flow very differently on the celestial plane." Cass' hand accidentally brushed one of the mirror surfaces,
"Good morning, beautiful."
"Mother?" both women uttered at the same time, "Well don't you look lovely today? Smokey eyes, definitely work for you."
"And she's…talking to herself." Rapunzel touched another mirror,
"Today I received several compliments on my way into town." And Cass touched another, as the three kept walking, the reflections echoed in the background.
"The bookseller couldn't believe how young I looked. Someone told me I was breathtaking. Can you believe it?"
"Magic mirror's" The look on Artemis' face shifted, "Gothel had so much potential, it's a shame she let her vanity take hold of her. She ruined not one child's life, but two." It did not go unnoticed that Cass had clenched her fist,
"It looks like these can trap images and play them back. Like a diary…or something.
"And I thought your journal was…" Rapunzel made quick work scolding the older woman, "Less annoying than this. Happy now?"
"Yes I am." Stepping into another room Rapunzel used her torch to light the fire place as Cass touched yet another mirror, jumping back as a pair of blue and gold floating eyes peered at her from the darkness,
"Holy—Can you turn those off somehow?!" there was what looked like a sadistic grin on the teens face, "Did I frighten you, Cassandra?" vibrant blue eyes narrowed, "No."
"I could let Artemis take the reins again, but she gets ever so tired after I take control. I'm only here to help you."
"I was paid the nicest compliment today. There I was picking out fruit and…Ugh—" Cass saw an image of her younger self in the mirror, "Cassandra, would you be a dear and sweep a little quieter?"
"Ugh, well, that's…typical Gothel right there."
"What do you mean?"
"She wasn't exactly...the nurturing type. When she was around, that is."
"Funny, she was never around for me. I wonder why."
"It's not like I asked to be taken from my parents by a mad woman. And all Gothel ever wanted from me, was my hair. She didn't love me. She didn't love either of us." The little girl sneaking something into Rapunzel's bag did not go unnoticed by the woman in control of Artemis' body, a deep-set frown found its way to the teens face.
"Cass, the only good thing Gothel ever did was bring us together."
"Only good thing? You really think this is a good thing?"
"It was."
"For you, Maybe." Cass walked over to another mirror,
"Cassandra, do you really think that woman cared about anyone but herself?"
"Cassandra, what are you doing in here? I thought I told you to make us dinner."
"Gothel was not always as self-centered as she became in her old age, she was actually quite a loving child, but like most children who are raised with no siblings to ground them and help them see the harsh realities, the older the got, the more ego-centric she became."
"You're saying Gothel was…" Rapunzel and Cass looked to the teen, "She was a lively child, very friendly and fun with a sense of humor she inherited from her father. Like most children she was cheerful and had a bubbly disposition, much like you, Rapunzel. She may not have been your birth mother, but you inherited her good traits." The blonde teen turned to Cass, "You inherited her beauty and her sharp wit, you look so much like she did in her teenage years, Cassandra. And you've got the fighters spirit, just as she did, how else do you think she lived for hundreds of years undetected?" there was a faint trace of a smile on the blue-haired woman's face,
"You and I have something in common that no one else could ever understand."
"Rapunzel, Artemis!" A glowing green flame lit the room down the middle, the chemicals on the apothecary shelf began to boil, "Watch out!" once they reached a certain temperature they exploded, sending them flying backwards, Cass using the black rocks to save her two temporary companions.
"Now we're even." The rocks had created another rift, "What the…"
"The gas."
"Please tell me that gas isn't also flammable."
The whole room was ablaze now as the three huddled somewhere safe, "Moles, Bats, gas and now fire?"
"We've dealt with worse."
"Yeah, at least there's no savage mermen warriors"
"Or sneeze weasels."
"Or those…drexus things." Cass nodded as the memories played in Artemis' mind, "Boy, you really put this girl through the ringer on the journey to her homeland, didn't you?"
"That's nothing, Cass cut off her braid after she fainted in the great tree."
"Well, to be fair, that was an accident."
"She was so mad at you."
"She thought of you as a sister, you know. The day you took the Moonstone she closed a part of herself off. She even blamed herself for you leaving."
Cass looked uncomfortable, "Do you mind if we find a way out of here?" The little chameleon pointed to where they came in, to see it swarmed with bats
"Pascal is right. they must know of a way out of this mountain down there."
"The problem with the mole hole is…that there is a whole mole in it, remember, Raps?" There was a hopeful look in the princess' eyes, "You called me Raps. You haven't called me raps since…" Cassandra looked away, still clearly uncomfortable.
"Oh, don't read into it. Now let's get out of here…fast." The princess had a crazy idea as she launched herself into the mine cart, "All ashore that's going ashore."
"How do you expect this thing to go anywhere?" Artemis looked expectantly between the two women and smirked, using the black rocks to launch them forward,
"WhOa!" the teen's grin only grew as she stretched out her hands, making a makeshift track out of the rocks as they rode the cart down into the mole hole tunnels
"Whoo hoo!" Both women looked at the crazy teenage whatever she was and held onto the sides for dear life.
"Are you crazy?!" the girl merely shrugged, "Who's to say, I haven't done anything like this in about five thousand years!"
"Five thousand—"
"Years?!"
"Give or take a millennia or two!" She cheered as the Mole emerged through one of the tunnels,the two women steered them around the large mole that had tried to block their path.
As the cart sped down the continuously growing track the mold continued to give chase, "He's gaining on us.
"I think that's your department." Cassandra turned around the face the giant creature, using her own black rocks to cut off the tunnel, the Mole's looked livid as the cart carried on,
"Nice move!" The two congratulated one another as the track continued to stretch out in front of them
"Thanks!" Cass looked at the teenager in front, "Hey, how'd you learn to change their shape?"
"Centuries of practice, you know, these rocks were never meant to be destructive. Where I come from, everything is built from them, entire cities of glowing ebony stone."
"Entire cities?" their conversation was cut short as the cart headed for a large boulder, Rapunzel used her hair to haul them out. A mirror slipping form her satchel.
"Mine carts, who knew?" the two women started laughing as Artemis picked up the mirror on the ground,
"And look, with a little Black rock help, our exit." Cassandra looked at Artemis, "Is that…the missing mirror?"
"Yes, it would seem so. But do not be fooled by what you see, there is a shard missing so whatever you see…it may be an incomplete entry." Artemis handed the mirror to Cassandra who quickly touched it's surface,
"Oh, here, let me show you, sweetheart. Turn the key, like this, so whenever you hear this tune you'll think of your dear, sweet mother and the love I have for you."
"I love you, momma." Pure shock spread across Cassandra's features, Rapunzel was quick to defend herself "Cass, I have never seen that."
"Yeah, she made that very clear." Cassandra jabbed a thumb back towards the glowing eyed teenager
"the one mirror showing that mother, my mother, had a shred of affection for me and it just happens to wind up in your bag?" The pain and anger that painted Cassandra's features, "Out of my way."
"Cass…" the woman made short work of creating an exit, lifting the debris out of her way,
"Good bye, Rapunzel." Her piercing eyes looked at the Teen, "And you…Take care of the kid. Keep her safe. And…let her know…" Cassandra struggled with the words, "Let her know none of this is her fault." As Cassandra got farther away from the cave the dimmer the glow of Artemis' eyes,
"Your eyes…"
"Yes, it would appear that I am fading, but do not worry, the three of us will meet again."
"Can I at least know your name?" the teen smiled as the light in her eyes flickered like candle light,
"My name is Thala—" Rapunzel watched as Artemis fell forward, "Whoa, Woah, hey…I've got you." The chamber was starting to fill with gas,
"I know you're gonna pass out, but do you think you could lift these rocks?" Artemis stared at the rubble with a dazed expression
"Where…Where are you, Rapunzel?"
"I'll explain everything once we're outside, think you can manage?" the girl struggled, lifting her arms she lifted what she could and Rapunzel drug them out of the chamber and into the fresh air.
"Thank you, Artemis. Think you can walk? We're not far from Corona."
"I…can try."
"How about Old Corona, it's closer."
"Old…Corona." A thud Alerted Rapunzel to the fact the teen had collapsed, "I've got you." The princess smiled fondly to the younger royal as she hoisted the teen onto her back.
"I know it's not the bonding day I had hoped for, but I learned so much about you, and I won't let anything happen to you, not after you've been through so much. I can't wait to be sisters." Rapunzel began the trek back to the Palace.
