One month later, somewhere in the Southern Isles…
Two burly, red-headed teenage boys stumbled through the forest, one with an eyepatch, and one with very large sideburns. "I can't believe we're back on the Isles," the boy with the eyepatch grumbled. "Father and Caleb are going to kill us if they find us."
"We'll just make sure we don't get caught then," the boy with the large sideburns reasoned. His brother was about to make a comeback, but then the two stopped when they heard a heavy thud from nearby.
"What was that?" Eyepatch asked.
"Let's find out," Sideburns suggested. The two crept through the bushes, and were very surprised to come across an ancient woman, who was lying on the ground with her eyes closed. Her face was wrinkled beyond belief, and her hands were like bony claws.
"Is she dead?" Eyepatch asked.
"I don't know," Sideburns replied, approaching the woman carefully.
"I'm not dead yet," a weak voice answered a few seconds later, "but I soon will be." The woman's eyes opened a little, and she studied the brothers for a moment. "Can you do a favor for an old, dying woman?" she asked sweetly.
The brothers glanced at each other. "I guess so," Sideburns mumbled.
"When I'm gone, can you take my cloak to my daughter and tell her what happened to me?" the woman asked faintly. "Our house is only half a mile or so north of here; near the boulder that looks like a moose. My daughter's name is Cassandra. Please, can I trust you boys with this since I have no one else to carry the news? Surely despite your gruff appearances you are gentlemen deep down."
The brothers shared another glance. "Alright, we'll do as you ask," Sideburns promised. After all, the woman's house might have something valuable in it.
The woman smiled gratefully and closed her eyes, then breathed her last a moment later. The brothers watched in shock as the body continued to shrivel up until only a pile of dust remained. "What in the world?" Eyepatch muttered, something akin to horror on his face.
"That was unexpected," Sideburns commented, not sure what else to say. "Well," he spoke up after a silent moment, "we made a promise, and we have a job to do." He reached down and picked up the woman's things, which consisted of a satchel, a basket of pastries, and her cloak-though he gingerly shook out the dust.
"What?" Eyepatch asked, confused. "What on earth possessed you to make such a ridiculous promise?"
Sideburns shrugged. "I don't know. Call it my act of kindness for the year. Besides, maybe the old lady's house has some valuable loot." Eyepatch nodded hesitantly, though he didn't look entirely convinced. "Come on, brother," Sideburns encouraged, punching him in the arm, "let's go find ourselves a moose-shaped boulder."
0o0o0o0o
Fourteen-year-old Cassandra stood sat on the window seat in her room, staring outside, even though she wasn't really looking at anything. Instead, she was thinking about that day four years ago. The day when her mother had somehow convinced her to leave her home and all she knew in Corona.
A week after her conversation with Gothel in the dungeon, Cassandra had been in the middle of sweeping the floor, a task she usually took take care of since her father was busy being captain of the guard, when a knock sounded on the door. She ran to answer it, hoping that it would be the captain. Instead, it was someone she honestly hadn't expected-her mother.
"Hello, my darling Cassandra!" Gothel crooned, smiling and holding out her arms.
Cassandra backed away slowly, completely shocked. "Mother, wh-what are you doing here? You're supposed to be locked up!"
Gothel's smiled widened as she stepped into the house and closed the door. "The king graciously gave me a pardon after realizing that I meant no harm to the princess and set me free. And now I've come to collect you, so we can be a family again."
Cassandra stared at her mother skeptically. "Are you sure? I'm having doubts about that."
"Oh, come on, don't you trust your dear mother?" Gothel was met with silence, and she sighed heavily. "Cassandra, darling, I have never lied to you before, have I?"
"Yes you did," Cassandra snapped, finally regaining her boldness. "You said you'd be back in a little while, but then you left me!"
Gothel smiled sadly. "That was a situation beyond my control. However, I am begging you to reconsider, and give me a chance to be your mother again. We'll live happily together, I promise, and I will never lie to you again."
"But what about my Dad?" Cassandra asked. She really didn't want to leave him. Gothel hesitated for a moment, then looked sadly at the ground. "What?" Cassandra asked worriedly.
"Cassandra," Gothel began kindly, though her face was distraught, "I'm so sorry."
"For what?"
"An assassin broke into the palace this morning, just as I was leaving. He tried to shoot the king, but the captain jumped in the way. The arrow lodged itself deep in his heart, and he died within minutes."
"What?"
Gothel took another step forward. "He told me to tell you that he loves you very much, and that he wants you to live happily with me. Don't you want to honor your father's last wishes?"
"What?" Cassandra repeated. "No. No, he can't be…gone."
"I'm afraid he is, darling." Gothel covered her face with her hands and a sob escaped from her throat. "I…I was standing nearby when it happened," she practically whimpered. "I-I should have…I should have pushed him aside or something, knowing that my dear Cassandra needed her father, but…I was so scared, and all I could do was stand there and watch as he took the arrow and…" She trailed off, unable to continue, and her shoulders shook with suppressed sobs. "I'm so sorry, Cassandra!" she wailed.
Cassandra stood with her mouth open, tears streaming down her face. "He…he's dead?" she mumbled. Gothel only cried louder. An overwhelming sense of despair washed over Cassandra, and she went to the only person left who might be able to give her comfort-Gothel. She slowly walked forward and wrapped her arms around the woman.
After the two cried for several minutes, Cassandra stepped back and sniffed. "Okay, I-I'll go with go," she consented.
Gothel lowered her hands and smiled at the girl through her tears. "Thank you, Cassandra. You have no idea what this means to me."
Cassandra nodded absently, her mind still reeling with shock and pain. "I-I'll go get my things."
Even now, four years later, Cassandra still wondered why she had gone with her mother. Sure it was nice to be with her again, but Gothel seemed to treat Cassandra as more of a servant than a daughter. Cassandra was in charge of cleaning house, and Gothel became very upset when it didn't meet her expectations. Gothel wasn't even home half the time, since now that her sundrop was gone, she was constantly searching for new potions and spells that would keep her alive. Still, Cassandra stayed at her mother's house, partly because she didn't have anyone else to turn to, and partly because a part of her still yearned for her mother's love.
However, in the last several months, Cassandra had become more and more doubtful about how much her mother loved her. When they had first made their home in the Southern Isles four years ago, Gothel had constantly told Cassandra that she loved her. However, in the last year or two, she only said it when Cassandra asked, to which Gothel would respond, "Of course I love you, Cassandra," and then wave her off and change the subject.
A knock on the front door startled Cassandra out of her thoughts. That must be her mother. Cassandra stood up and ran out into the front room, wincing a little as she remembered that she hadn't yet finished her chores. Her mother was not going to be happy.
Yet it wasn't Gothel who stood there when Cassandra opened the door, but two red-headed, rough-looking teenagers, most likely around eighteen years old. "H-hello?" Cassandra stammered.
The two young men smiled, though their expressions showed remorse and a bit of sorrow. "Are you Cassandra?" one of the young men, who had very large sideburns, asked.
"Uh, yes, I am," Cassandra replied, confused.
The man who had asked her name produced a satchel, basket, and cloak from behind his back. Cassandra immediately recognized them as her mother's. "We were walking through the woods," Sideburns explained, "when we came across your mother, who had collapsed and was near death's door. Before she died, she asked us to bring these to you and to tell you what happened."
Cassandra stared at the two men, her jaw dropping nearly low enough to touch the wooden floor. "W-what?" she stammered.
Sideburns nodded. "I'm sorry, but that's what happened. Do you have anyone else to take care of you?"
Cassandra slowly shook her head, and took the items from the man. "No."
"Oh," Sideburns replied awkwardly. "Well, I uh, hope you find someone. Yeah…anyway, we just wanted to fulfill our promise to your mother, so…we'll, uh, be going now." He nodded at her, and then he and the other young man were gone.
Cassandra stood stock-still for several moments, trying to process what she'd learned. Then she slowly shut the door, laid Gothel's items on a nearby chair, and returned to her room. She flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, too numb and too shocked to do anything but think. Gothel was dead? Was everyone important in Cassandra's life going to be taken from her? Her father had been killed, her mother had just died, and the last report she heard about Rapunzel said that the girl had contracted a sickness and died two weeks after her rescue. Granted, Cassandra hadn't known Rapunzel very long, but she had seen the younger girl as a little sister, and the knowledge that the princess was no more had shook her. Now another family member was gone, and Cassandra didn't know what to do.
0o0o0o0o
"Land ho!" came a shout from above deck. Cassandra perked up a bit at the news. She had been stuck in the belly of the ship for nearly five hours, and was long past ready to get out of her cramped position.
It had been three days since she learned of Gothel's death, and Cassandra was more than ready to start a new life, even though it would most likely be on her own. After the news of her mother's demise had finally settled in, Cassandra had decided she couldn't stay at the little house anymore. She had gathered some supplies for her trip and left, catching a ride on a ship heading to another island of the Southern Isles, where the capital was located. She hoped to find a job or something in the king's city.
A short while later, the ship docked in the largest port in the Southern Isles, and Cassandra gathered up her small bag of items, then quietly and successfully snuck off the ship. Once she was standing on firm ground again, however, she was faced with a new problem-she had no idea where to go.
She was seriously contemplating going back to the place that had been her home for the last four years, when a voice shook her from her thoughts. "Are you lost, Miss?"
Cassandra glanced up from her spot between two crates, where she had been hiding from sight, to see a boy of around nine years old standing in front of her. He had bright red hair and emerald eyes, and he was clearly someone of some importance, as she could tell his clothes were made of fine materials. "Uh, wh-who are you?" she stammered.
The boy smiled. "My name's Hans. What's yours?" He offered his hand, and she hesitantly took it, allowing the younger boy to help her stand.
"Cassandra," she finally answered. "And yes, I am kind of lost."
"Nice to meet you, Cassandra," Hans replied cheerfully. "What are your parents' names, and where do you live? I can probably help you find your way."
Cassandra shook her head and stared at the ground. "My parents' names don't matter," she mumbled. "They're both dead. And I don't really live anywhere. There was a place I used to live, but…I left it and I don't want to go back."
Hans nodded sympathetically. "I think I understand what you mean. Sometimes I wish I can leave my home, because my father and most of my brothers are really mean to me. But I unfortunately can't do that." He frowned sadly, but then his face brightened a moment later. "But one day," he continued, "when I'm older, I'm gonna marry a princess, and we're gonna live happily ever after in her castle, and I'll never be sad again!"
Cassandra managed a smile. "That sounds like a great dream," she replied, not sure what else to say to the young boy.
"I think so," Hans answered. "What's your dream?"
Cassandra shook her head. "I don't have a dream."
"You don't have a dream? That's silly! Everyone has a dream, even my oldest brother Caleb, as mean as he is." Hans paused for a moment, as if remembering something. "Of course, his dream is mainly for Father to die so he can be king."
Cassandra simply nodded again, but then froze as the meaning of Hans' words hit her. "Wait, your father's the king?" she exclaimed. "Wouldn't that make you…"
Hans nodded. "A prince, yes," he finished. "I'm the thirteenth and youngest prince, actually. I don't feel like a prince most of the time, though."
"Oh," Cassandra responded, shocked.
"Anyway," Hans spoke up after a short, awkward silence, "if you don't have a place to live, and your parents are gone, then I know a great place to take you."
"Where?"
"The orphanage." At Cassandra's slightly horrified face, he added, "It's a really great place, I promise! I've been there a couple of times to visit, and the lady in charge is very nice. Maybe when you're a little bit older, I can even find you a job in the castle, and you can live there in the servants' quarters."
"Really?" Cassandra asked in surprise. "You'd do that for me?"
Hans nodded eagerly. "Of course! Now come on, the orphanage is this way." Cassandra nodded again and followed her new friend, glad she had already found a way to start a new life.
A/N No, this isn't me shipping Hans and Cassandra, if anyone's wondering. I just thought it would be interesting if they knew each other, which would lead to some suspicion from Cass later on at the coronation. Cassandra does develop a bit of a crush on him, which would only be normal, but it's gone by the time of Elsa's coronation, mainly because of some of that things that Cass heard that Hans did for his father.
Alright, I'm really sorry if characters seem…completely out of character in this chapter, particularly the Stabbingtons. That's partly because they're still teenagers, and partly because I've never written with them before, so I therefore have zero idea how to write them. And they do eventually come back and rob Gothel's house, which leads to another event that happens several years later.
I'm sorry if Gothel seemed out of character as well. In that past bit with Cassandra, she was mostly lying, if it wasn't obvious. No, the captain is not dead, there was no assassin, and Gothel most certainly did not receive a pardon from the king. That was just her manipulating Cass.
Oh, and this is unfortunately the last we're going to see of Cassandra for quite some time. I'll get back to her in around eight years (story-wise), but for now I'll be focused on the sisters and Rapunzel, who in my opinion are much more interesting. (No offense to Cassandra, but even though she's awesome and she's one of my favorite characters in Tangled the Series, she's kinda hard to write for.) Next chapter-The Accident.