Note: Glad to get another chapter of this in by the end of 2020. Not bad for a side story we began on a whim. Our 2021 goal is to try to take this a little more seriously once we finish our other major stories. We want to take this story to a lot of different places. Until then, we hope you enjoy.
Arianna hadn't been to the infirmary of the castle in forever.
Literally.
What need would she ever have for it? She lived an exceptionally healthy life. Good diet. Plenty of fitness. She never put herself in any harm's way. The only time she ever came close to needing medical care was when something went wrong, usually involving her daughter. There was the time she was caught in the blizzard, of course, but that simply required a long recuperation in her bed and plenty of hot water. She tried her hardest to avoid the need to visit that dreadful place. The sickliness and death of it all permeated her senses, and it had such a horrible effect on her psyche that she couldn't even stand in that room for more than a few minutes without feeling faint.
But the Queen was there now, sitting in the quiet, dim light of the infirmary, watching her son-in-law breathing as she stewed in her own guilt. She clasped her hands by her waist, squeezing them so tightly they threatened to break. She didn't say anything to him. She doubted he could hear her if she tried. His arm was strung up in a sling, but the parts of it that were exposed were as black as the night sky. It was impossible for Arianna to think that her daughter could do something like that, yet the proof was right there in front of her. A permanent, unmistakable wound committed by a wife against her husband. He was the second person Rapunzel hurt like that; the third, the adorable little chameleon that had befriended her all her life, was nearby. It made Arianna sick to her stomach knowing that they might not be the last.
She heard a subtle rapping on the door, and some desperate, hopeless part of her thought that it might be Rapunzel, returning back to them. Of course, it was merely King Frederick, and though Arianna was always glad to see her husband, she couldn't help but frown at his arrival.
"How are they?" Frederick asked cautiously, stepping into the room. His footsteps were light. Arianna barely reacted to his presence.
"Same as they were yesterday," Arianna said grimly. "How could this happen, Fred? It wasn't supposed to be like this."
"Calm down, my love," Frederick said, trying to sound reassuring. "Once Rapunzel is retrieved, we'll find a cure for them. Everything is going to be okay."
Arianna grimaced. Retrieved? He made it sound like she was an object. His behavior over the past few days had left a sour taste in her mouth. The King noticed her looking away from him, and he approached her gently.
"Is something the matter?"
Arianna sighed, tightening her grip. "Why did you have to send Adira after them?"
Frederick was taken aback. He hadn't been questioned so bluntly on his commands by her in quite some time. He stammered, trying to justify it more to himself than anyone else.
"A-Adira was necessary," he claimed. "Do you really want her out there all by herself in her condition?"
"Of course not," Arianna countered. "But Adira? I don't trust her. She's too…too…"
It was hard to put her mistrust into words. There was just something about her profession that rubbed her the wrong way. A hired swordswoman—it made her feel like they were doing something dirty, like carrying out an assassination. Plus, there was the way Adira acted. Blunt. Emotionless. Was that really the woman she wanted to put Rapunzel's delicate life in the hands of?
Frederick huffed, trying to display his kingly authority. "Look, she was the only one who could go. And if what she says is true, and Cassandra really kidnapped her—"
Arianna stood up suddenly, turning to the King with a stern scowl. "Frederick, you know as well as I do that Cassandra did not kidnap our daughter."
Frederick held firm. "Adira found her sword. She recognized it. It most certainly was her."
Arianna's gaze narrowed. "That's not what I meant." Frederick opened his mouth to retort but found his confidence waning. Arianna felt his doubts, and softened her features in response, lowering her voice. "Why do you still hold a grudge against Cassandra? Did she not do enough to prove herself when she fought Zhan Tiri?"
The King bowed his head in shame, and to Arianna's surprise, he gingerly took her hands and held them within his own. His skin was cold. "She tried to destroy this Kingdom, my dear. We took her in and helped give her a place to belong, and she betrayed all of us. She tried to steal our throne. She tried to hurt our daughter."
"And despite all of that, Rapunzel forgave her? Why can't you?" Arianna gently reached up and caressed his face, as if to try and pass her compassion onto him. She knew he wasn't a vengeful man—simply a grieving one. In a way, they were all still grieving, even though they had yet to lose anything. Why did it feel then like they were about to lose everything?
"I know," he said somberly. "I…when Adira brings her back here, I will have a long word with her. I won't be cruel."
"You are not going to do anything to her," Arianna told him sternly.
"I'm going to be reasonable. If she helped Rapunzel leave, while she was still sick, she will face repercussions. But I'll be reasonable."
"Frederick, I—"
And then, they were hushed by the sound of a pained groan coming from the bed. The royal pair gasped and turned toward the noise. They couldn't believe their eyes.
Eugene had begun to stir.
Cassandra didn't sleep through the night. That made it, what, three in a row? How she was functioning was beyond her. When she had the Moonstone, there were plenty of times where she went long stretches without rest, driven by nothing more than her rage and thirst for vengeance. Maybe some of that power still resided in her, muted and torn away, giving her the strength to keep going when no one else would. Or, perhaps, it was something less supernatural: a simple, nurturing instinct many didn't know they possessed until they needed it.
Rapunzel stayed awake with her. "Tired of sleeping," she said, justifying it despite Cassandra's protests. The two of them lied in the bed together, occupying the hours with small talk and much-needed catching up. They did their best to keep it light. After pouring their hearts out earlier in the tub, they needed to let their minds relax a little. There were plenty of stories that Rapunzel could pull from memory to entertain them, like the time Lance challenged the entire Royal Guard to a cooking contest but accidentally put flour in all of his recipes instead of sugar, or the quest for buried treasure that accidentally led to all of Corona fighting a skeleton army—or the bizarre werewolf antics that Angry and Catalina would get up to. That was something that happened to slip Cassandra's notice in the time that she'd been away. Frankly, Rapunzel expected her to act with more surprise.
The other benefit of talking was that they had the chance to see the power of the healing jelly. Cassandra emptied the entire body smearing the substance onto the scars: one on her face, two along her hands and arms, and the fourth and final one, normally hidden from view, traced straight down from Rapunzel's left rib to just above her belly button. Spreading the goopy substance onto Rapunzel's stomach was only slightly more awkward for Cassandra than bathing her, but when the ordeal was done and Rapunzel was dressed again, she felt notably more relieved than she was before. She considered it like closing a chapter—a very messy and uncomfortable one at that—and she couldn't wait to get a move on to the next one.
They made the agreement to head out at dawn. It was easier to travel when tired if they could see where they were going. They had lost a lot of time, and worse, a lot of ground. Cassandra didn't know how long it would take for Adira to catch them. They had laid a distraction for her, but whether or not she would actually take the bait was a question that she didn't have an answer for yet. It should have theoretically worked: dressing up Ulf in the Shapeshifting Cloak as the Princess and sending him back to Corona. He could easily cough and act like he was sick to disguise the fact he couldn't talk…or actually, wouldn't talk. Because he was a mime, Cassandra reminded herself. He could have been helpful and just talked. The cloak would mask his voice. But nope. He just had to keep miming. She always hated that stupid mime.
When it was finally time to leave, Cassandra pulled Rapunzel up to her feet, and after four hours of letting the jelly set, the difference was apparent the moment Rapunzel could stand on her own.
"Whoa…"
Rapunzel looked down at her hands in awe, clenching and stretching out her fingers. The scars hadn't faded, but the pain: it was almost completely gone. Her stomach, her face; they felt almost like normal. Not only that, but whether it was from additional side effects of the medicine, or just a placebo effect, but she felt a surge of energy coursing through her. She bounced up and down on her heels, seeing just how much she could push things, even as Cassandra sensed her passion and told her to calm down. She wasn't fully like herself again; she doubted she could burst out into a cartwheel or go for a sprint. But she was better. Much better. Her smile was contagious. Even as Cassandra worried that Rapunzel would push herself too far, she couldn't help but be glad for her. Seeing Rapunzel happy was something she really needed, even if she couldn't show it as much as she wanted to.
"So, ready to travel?" Cass asked lightly.
"Yeah. I think so," Rapunzel said, taking a deep breath. Their diversion had been fun—well, not really, but it had been long and stressful and Rapunzel was ready to get back on the road. They still had a long way to go, and there was no point in hesitating any further. "How far do you think we'll be able to go today?"
"If we push it?" Cassandra wondered aloud, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'm not sure. The roads are going to be stiff today from all the mud. I'm hoping we can get to the mountains by sunset."
"The mountains?" Rapunzel asked curiously, following Cassandra's lead and checking to make sure they had all their supplies with them. "Are we actually going over them?"
"Well, we don't have time to go around them," Cassandra said, taking Rapunzel's hand and dragging her to the door of the inn. "Unless you know a better way."
Rapunzel frowned. "Sorry. I'm a little rusty with my European geography."
"Jeez, how do you not know everything already with all those books you read," Cassandra stated, lovingly rolling her eyes. "I mean, what else do you have to do? Listen to Eugene snore all day?"
Rapunzel giggled. It felt kind of nice getting to laugh at a joke again. Last night, the mere mention of her husband brought her to tears, but now, she could smile through it. That jelly was working more than one miracle, she supposed. Without the pain and their spirits lifted, it was easier to let herself relax. She even allowed herself to believe that the night before was a turning point, that it would only get better from here on out. Of course, Rapunzel knew it was foolish to think such things—karma was practically waiting to punch her in the face for even suggesting such an idea. Hell, with her recent luck, the second she stepped outside the world would open up and she would be swallowed whole. But for once, she let herself be positive. She let herself be…well, her.
Cassandra opened the door of the inn. She was expecting Fidella to be waiting outside, ready to continue on their journey. And Fidella was standing there—socializing with a familiar pure white stallion, whose hooves were covered in thick mud, whose snarls were like the growl of a wild lion—whose angry stare pierced through Cassandra like a razor-sharp dagger.
Cassandra froze in the doorway, but Rapunzel looked past her, confused until she saw the beast of a horse waiting outside. "Cass, what's…Max?"
The Princess didn't think, nor hesitate. She immediately sprinted out into the muddy roads outside the inn, and before Cassandra could stop her, she threw her arms around the horse's neck and nestled against his fur.
"Oh, Max! I've missed you!" Rapunzel sighed into his neck. The stallion was breathing heavy, exhausted, and dripping from the remnants of rainwater, and there was still an incredible amount of tension in his muscles as Rapunzel draped herself around him. But like a kiss, the touch from the Princess managed to soothe Max, and for just a moment, he sighed and softened, glad to see her safe and sound. Still, his gaze never drifted away from Cassandra, and she could feel his fury at her still thriving beneath the calm.
A thousand thoughts raced through Cassandra's mind. She hadn't seen Max in eons. She barely said goodbye to him, and if she wasn't mistaken, the last time they really interacted was when she was trying to destroy his home. His farewell to her was halfhearted, and she doubted that the best guard in all of Corona would be so forgiving to forgive a would-be usurper of her crimes. Plus, it wasn't like they ever had the greatest relationship in the first place. His anger was understandable—but his presence wasn't? How was he standing there? Had he ridden through the night the entire time, desperate to save Rapunzel? If he was there, where was the rest of the Royal Guard? They were good questions, ones that Rapunzel was too thankful to bother asking herself, laughing in delight and nestling herself further against the stallion. Cassandra's confusion managed to cover-up the sickly feeling in her stomach, and she took a cautious step outside to try to defuse the situation calmly.
"Hi, Short Hair."
That, as it turns out, was the wrong move.
A fist collided with the side of Cassandra's face before she could react, and she spun to the muddy ground, dropping like a stone. She splashed down in the dirt, and when she looked up to the grey skies, she saw a woman standing over her.
A very frustrated woman.
A woman that she really didn't want to piss off.
Rapunzel gasped, pulling away from Max as Cassandra groaned in pain, nursing her injured jaw. "Adira? What are you doing?"
Adira was calm. Her arms were crossed, and the subtlest of smirks crossed her face as she looked down at Cassandra like she was a disobedient child needing to be punished. She had appeared out of nowhere, lying in wait outside of the inn for who knew how long. Rapunzel scowled, but Adira barely paid her any attention other than a casual dismissal.
"Hello, Princess. Nice to see you again."
Her words were as sharp as the sword strapped to her back. Rapunzel was too surprised to say anything back. She knew Adira was trailing them, but catching up so soon? Damn, just how much time did they waste? Her gaze snapped to Cassandra, still rubbing her cheek.
Cassandra groaned and pushed herself up on her elbows. "Adira. Long time no see. Still pack a punch, I see."
"Glad you're taking your crimes in good spirits, Short Hair," Adira said bluntly.
"Crimes? Nah, what crimes?" Cassandra tried pushing up to her feet, but Adira swept her legs out from beneath her and sent her falling back over in the mud.
"Oh, let's see," Adira said passively, taking long, slow strides around Cassandra's prone form. "Brainwashing me. Trying to destroy our two Kingdoms. Oh yeah…and kidnapping a Princess."
If Rapunzel needed to be surprised further, that declaration certainly did it. "Kidnapping? Adira, she didn't—"
"Not now, Princess," Adira said, casting her aside. Rapunzel, shocked by the warrior's aggression, began to approach her—only to have her path immediately cut off by Max, who intercepted her and huffed sternly, ordering her to stay still. Rapunzel was taken aback by his sudden betrayal, but instead of cowering, she planted her foot in the mud and sneered.
"Max, get out of the way," Rapunzel demanded.
Max neighed and shook his head. Rapunzel shouted again.
"Max, I said move."
His stare was fierce and unrelenting, and Rapunzel felt her confidence waver. He wasn't budging, not even an inch. Why? Was he really so mad at Cassandra all these months later that he would see her hurt and thrown in prison? No, it wasn't that, she realized. There was a subtle pain behind his eyes, and though her concern for Cassandra consumed most of her present thoughts, she was still able to put the sorrowful answer together. She had abandoned him in the dead of night, left her Kingdom behind and fled off with the woman who sought to kill them all. She did all of that while sick and dying, and now the one person he was most entrusted to protect was gone from his life with no chance of ever returning. She couldn't even be mad at him.
And what was she even supposed to do except sneer anyway?
Adira rolled her eyes at the Princess's efforts to resist her. "You know, the mime trick was cute. When I arrived at the Snuggly Duckling and saw Rapunzel there, I thought for half a second that you would be cruel enough to abandon her. But no. It turns out you're just a liar…on top of everything else."
Cassandra huffed into the mud. "You know, I'm sensing some resentment here."
Adira scowled, forcefully grabbing Cassandra by her collar and hoisting her up in the air. She drove Cassandra hard into the hard wall of the inn, pressing harshly as her face tightened.
"You mind-controlled me," Adira seethed. "You used me to hurt innocent people. Do you really think I could just forgive something like that?"
Cassandra, held up off her feet and bruised, battered and hopeless in her captor's hands, responded in the only manner she could think of: more sarcasm.
"I mean…I was hoping you would?"
Adira was unamused. "If you weren't friends with the Princess, I would have executed you there on the spot. But just because you had tied to royalties, you got to walk away like nothing ever happened, all crimes forgiven. That's not how I see justice."
Rapunzel cried out, trying to hold back her anger. "Adira, stop this. Cass has changed. She's not like that anymore."
"I don't care if she's changed," Adira shot back. "She owes a debt. I'm just collecting."
Cassandra, reflexively, tried taking a swing at Adira's face, but she wasn't in any position to fight back. Even if she was, Adira saw the blow coming a mile away. She blocked the punch with her arm, and hooking her hands around the back of Cassandra's head, she tossed her roughly back into the mud. Rapunzel tried rushing to Cass's side again, but Max once more blocked her path, preventing her from reaching the two feuding warriors. Rapunzel felt the pressure rising in her chest. Cass—she couldn't beat Adira without the Moonstone. Adira was fierce and experienced in a way that Cassandra couldn't ever be. Even if Rapunzel tried to avoid thinking of the worst—Adira wouldn't kill Cass, she wasn't that harsh, it was just a misunderstanding—she couldn't dodge the reality that her friend was in serious danger. In growing desperation, Rapunzel barked.
"Adira, as Princess of Corona, I am ordering you to stand down! You too, Max!"
Maximus didn't budge. She saw his resolve weaken, just for a moment, but his hooves remained firmly planted in the mud. Adira herself sighed and seemed to nearly succumb to the command of her once ally, but she simply pulled the sword from behind her back and grimaced, casting Rapunzel a steely glare.
"Sorry, Princess," she muttered. "I'm taking orders from the King. You've been overruled."
Overruled…
Dammit. Her father. She knew he had sent her after them, but what did he think about Cassandra? He was a stern, troubled man, and she loved him dearly, but he could be notoriously unforgiving to those who harmed his family. When Cassandra turned her back on Corona, his rage at her was only quelled by his coincidental loss of memory, denying him the fury he otherwise would have had. Even when Cassandra left, Rapunzel could feel the lingering animosity he had toward her. She had brushed it off. It was just protectiveness. Grief. That was what she told herself.
Except now that made three. Adira. Max. Her father. Three people close to her who she only just realized had never come close to showing Cassandra the same kind of compassion and empathy that she gave so willingly. She forgave Cassandra for everything—every punch, every insult, every earth-shattering blow they exchanged as they waged war with each other over the past year. She always held out hope that Cass would return to her, and when she finally did, she leaped at the opportunity to welcome her closest friend back into her life. But to the others? She was just a traitor. A conqueror. An adversary. The woman who stabbed them in the back and nearly doomed them all. Whatever mercy they would show her would be an act of kindness toward a person they believed no longer existed. All at once, Rapunzel felt betrayed, and even worse: naïve. She had underestimated the pain Cassandra left in their lives, and once again, she felt like she was just an oblivious child waiting ignorantly in her tower.
Rapunzel was helpless to save Cassandra, but Cassandra just smirked into the mud, rolling her shoulder blades.
"So, Frederic hates me, too?" she breathed heavily. "Guess it was a good thing I left when I did, huh? I doubt I'll get any touching reunions."
Adira sneered. "You are very chatty for a woman who's about to get beat up."
"I've been learning to control my anger," Cassandra stated. "It's been great for my self-esteem. It helps me think clearer."
"Does it now?" Adira asked. She walked over to Cassandra's side and kneeled down by her face, caked with mud-covered locks of hair. Cassandra was smirking, but she was visibly in pain. The blow to the right side of her face may have cracked her jaw. Adira felt somewhat bad. Then, she remembered the stinging whispers of Cassandra's words in her ear, forcing her to obey the Moonstone. Her pity faded quickly. "Are you thinking clearly about how out of your depth you are?"
Cassandra flashed her a pained grin. "No. Just about this."
Cassandra scooped up a heap of mud between her fingers, and as Adira was leaning in close, Cassandra knew she wouldn't be able to react before she threw the mud into Adira's eyes. Adira drew back reflexively, and while she was disoriented, Cassandra spun around and swept Adria's legs out from under her. Adira collapsed into the mud, and Cassandra rolled away and scurried to her feet, getting as much distance between herself and Adira as she could. She drew her sword and squared her feet, ready for the fight of her life. Adira, growling, brushed the mud out of her eyes and pushed herself up with heavy grunts.
"Okay. So that's how we're doing this," she groaned. She pulled her own sword; with the black rocks gone, she had to resort to a blade made of simple steel. She was no less dangerous. Cassandra made a series of snap judgments. Adira's had the reach advantage, so Cass kept her blade extended out further from her chest to keep Adira pushed back. She also had more experience. She was stronger. Faster. Cassandra needed to be cleverer. Her eyes darted around, checking her surroundings. There was barely anything. The inn was in the middle of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. No shops. No people. No carriages. Nothing she could use to her advantage. If she was going to win, she needed some advantage.
There was only one she could think of: Rapunzel. The dark thought flashed in her mind. Adira needs Rapunzel alive. Use her as a shield. Protect yourself with her.
It was a brilliant strategy.
Cassandra promptly ignored it. She wouldn't dare put Rapunzel in harm's way. Not in a million years.
As it turned out, there was no need—Rapunzel was more than willing to do it herself.
Max wasn't expecting the Princess to have any energy. He was expecting her illness to leave her debilitated and weak, easy enough to isolate away from her captor. When Adira was swept off her feet, the guard horse became distracted, and for the brief moment his head was turned, Rapunzel realized that she had to take action before anyone else was harmed. Using her recovered speed, she dove underneath his legs, and she was able to sprint past him and plant herself between the two dueling warriors. She held out her arms wide, shielding Cassandra the best she could, and while Adira and Max froze in their tracks, unable and unwilling to approach her, Cassandra reacted with shock.
"Raps, stay out of this!"
"No. This is our fight," Rapunzel said determinedly. "All of you need to stop this right now."
Maximus neighed and tried to circle around Rapunzel, but his path was cut off—a furious Fidella stormed past him out of nowhere, pushing him out of the way and joining Cassandra and Rapunzel in their stand-off. The horses locked eyes with each other, and though she tried, Rapunzel couldn't read the silent conversation going on between them. Fidella seemed more determined than ever, but Max hesitated. Heartbroken. Whatever was being shared between their gaze, it was enough to still the stallion's rage. Cassandra considered jumping onto Fidella's back and fleeing, but Rapunzel planted her bare feet into the mud like a statue and refused to budge.
"Raps, we should go."
Adira sneered. "As if I'd let you."
"You little—"
"Both of you, I said stop!" Rapunzel shouted. Cassandra immediately lowered her sword. Adira just tilted her head. Rapunzel pursed her lips. "Adira, you need to let us go."
"Can't do that, Princess," Adira stated. "Your father gave a very specific order."
"And I'm giving one back," Rapunzel said firmly. "If you won't leave us alone, then serve as our guide."
A guide? Cassandra shook her head. "Raps, what are you—"
"Trust me," Rapunzel said, turning back with a nod. She seemed confident. Too confident. Rapunzel-level confident. Cassandra, compassionately, reasonably, quietly relented. Rapunzel spoke back to Adira. "I understand why you are doing this, but I'm already out of the castle. We're here now. "It'd be easier for all of us to just go to Madrid together."
"It's not safe for you."
"Then you can keep me safe," Rapunzel explained. "Look at me. I'm already moving around more. Cass helped me recover. I can hold up over the journey. If there is any trouble, you and Max can help protect us. And then, once it's all over, you can take us back to my Dad and let him punish us however he'll see fit. You can say that we evaded you until we already got there. He won't ever have to know you helped us."
Adira looked away from them. A glimmer of doubt crossed her face. Would she actually be so willing to throw her duties away in order to help them? Adira wasn't a bad person, but their views of the world dissected sharply when it came to what constituted right and wrong. If she did reject the offer, could Rapunzel even blame her? The creeping guilt from last night had never fully faded. Whether it was even just to make the offer in the first place was beyond her. But she had to try. At least for Cassandra's sake—God knew she wouldn't stand a chance fighting Adira on her own.
And Adira knew it. Rapunzel could tell by the dull smirk that crossed her lips. That was the thing about bargaining for one's life: It only worked when they had power. They were deeply lacking in that.
"I appreciate the offer. Here's mine," Adira said calmly. "You come with me peacefully…and I don't hurt your friend worse than I have to."
No. Come on, Adira. Please.
"You don't have to do this," Rapunzel warned her.
"It's not about what I want," Adira claimed. "I passed by a village on my way here. I know what you did to those wasps. It's impressive…and horrifying."
Rapunzel shifted uncomfortably in the mud.
"This curse can't be contained. The next time you lose control, there's no guarantee it'll just be bugs getting hurt. You have to be contained, if not for your own sake, for the sake of everyone else."
Cassandra, realizing that their hopes of a peaceful escape were dwindling by the second, brought up her sword once again. "She's not a virus."
Adira, unfazed, looked directly at Cassandra's hand. "It's a shame, Cassandra. I would think you of all people would understand just how dangerous Rapunzel can be."
Rapunzel felt the ground shift behind her. She heard Cassandra take a sharp breath. She could feel the tension and the heat radiating off of her. Her stomach twisted itself into knots.
Adira really shouldn't have said that.
Suddenly, Rapunzel went from blocking Adira's path to blocking Cassandra's, as all of the snarky calm and self-driven confidence drained from her like a plug pulled from a casket, and the short-haired brawler tried to rush past the Princess and take Adira head-on. Rapunzel held her back with her forearm as Cassandra snapped and screamed at Adira like a wild animal, forcing even Fidella to step in front of her and stop her before she rushed into her own certain death. Adira just smiled to herself as she watched the team in front of her dissolve into chaos and in-fighting, Cassandra jabbing out her blade toward the elder fighter even though she was several yards away. Adira was a master at exploiting her opponent's weaknesses. It was the reason she had survived as long as she did. She knew that Cassandra was vulnerable. Wounded. Prone to irrationality. But she had to admit that she wasn't expecting her comment to draw such a feral reaction. Was it just the bruising memory that her scarred hand brought her? No, that wasn't it. A reaction like that was drawn from something far more tender. It wasn't just her hand—it was the woman that caused it to be the way it was. Perhaps there was something far more fragile lingering beneath the surface of their relationship than either of them was letting on. Adira would have to remember that.
But while Adira was standing there, watching her opponent's resolve crumble and her chances of capturing the Princess successfully grow, she felt something…odd.
Something tingling on the back of her neck. A weird sensation that she couldn't quite shake. She hadn't noticed it before, which was unusual. Typically, her senses were so sharp that she could identify her surroundings without being able to see them. She could hear insects chirping from across valleys. She could tell the ages of trees just by touching them. She had mastered the ability to know where everyone and everything was at all times.
So how the hell did she not notice the person sitting on the roof until just now?
Adira went quiet, and when Rapunzel and Cassandra noticed that she was distracted, they couldn't help but follow her gaze up to the roof of the inn. There was a person there, lying, lounging, there back pressed against the stone chimney, and their tan arms wrapped casually around their knees. Their figure was mostly hidden beneath a cloak: a marvelous one, black and dark violet and strewn together from thousands of luscious feathers which draped down like a royal cape around their small, slender figure. A hood covered their head, and when they all became silent, the person strained their neck and glanced down at them—allowing them to see the golden skull mask covering their face.
The person spoke. Their voice was feminine. Weak. Bored.
"Oh, no, please. Don't let me stop you," they said casually. "It's far easier for me if you finish your business first."
Adira, scowling and serious, pointed her sword at the strange figure perched high up on the roof, squaring her feet as the growing sense of danger rose in her spine.
"Who are you?"
The figure groaned, pushing themselves up to their feet. They did not immediately respond, and so Adira asked again more forcefully.
"Who are you?" she demanded to know. "If you have something to say, you might as well get it out."
Rapunzel was just as confused as Adira was. Cassandra was clueless as well. So were the horses. Not a single one of them had seen the figure before, and they couldn't for the life of them think as to what they wanted. But Rapunzel instinctively took a step away from the inn. The figure wasn't moving, but their deathly visage and calm demeanor spoke more than any direct action. They may have been small, but that didn't stop Rapunzel's heart from racing when the golden skull-shaped mask turned toward her.
"You. You're the cursed one, correct?"
The question was asked so politely that Rapunzel felt her head nod automatically without even thinking.
The skull mask titled its head. "How old are you?"
How old…what kind of a question was that? None of them knew how to react to such a bizarre statement. With no idea how to respond, Rapunzel gave the simple truth.
"Twenty…I'm, um, twenty-one…"
The figure did not move.
They did not move for a long time.
Then, Rapunzel heard an audible sigh.
"Dammit…that's too young," they said regretfully. "I'm really sorry, kid…"
The figure suddenly snapped their arm, and out of the cloak came a long, thin knife, golden and black and glistening in the morning sun. They sighed, genuinely saddened.
"I hate to see lives cut short like this."