Chapter 60 - The Weekend Of: Part 2 of ?
The day went on as per usual after Rapunzel woke with Eugene the few hours later. He was obviously surprised to see her still in bed with him, but chose to not think too much into it, instead hoping that her waking up at six in the morning was now a thing of the past. Because he still very much so could not understand what was so enticing about waking up before the sun even rose from the shore-line in the east.
They both got dressed, ate breakfast with everyone (the monarchs, Leonard and his girls), and then went on their way with the normal preparations for the ceremonies that would be taking place in a few days, starting tomorrow on Saturday with Rapunzel's official coronation (a separate ceremony to be held the day before the wedding).
But Cassandra, specifically, still had a bad feeling after having learned of what Rapunzel's apparently been dealing with for many months up to this point. And what scared the lady in waiting and hopeful guard-to-be the most was that Rapunzel felt as if she had no other option other than to risk her own mental well-being and go along with the wedding because she thinks that Eugene's going to apparently die or something if she calls it off.
Which is... like, completely ludicrous. Why would he die? It makes no sense. Why would Rapunzel even think that? Cassandra just couldn't comprehend that line of thought; she knew her friend was still a bit naive to how things and people worked in the world, but this made absolutely no sense to her.
While Rapunzel and Eugene were in the throne room rehearsing some things and helping with preparations for the big day, Cassandra found some time between her duties to sneak off down the halls of the castle before coming to a halt outside the Queen's personal study room. Queen Arianna was someone Cassandra always had idolized growing up, a lady she respected for staying so strong despite suffering the tragedy we've all become familiar with. And, being that there was main cause for concern with something related to her daughter, Cassandra thought the right person to go to would be her.
Cassandra knocked on the door a few times, before hearing a gentle, muffled call, "Who is it?"
She cleared her throat. "Cassandra Jones, your majesty," she called back. She heard some movement from within the room, until the door eventually opened from the inside.
Queen Arianna's eyes lit up. "Cassandra! How are you?"
Cassandra smiled. "I'm well. And how are you, madam?"
"I'm absolutely wonderful, dear." Arianna smiled as well, before remembering, "Is there something you need?"
Cassandra hesitated for a split second before opening her mouth. "Yes, uh, there is. If it's not a bother, I'd like your insight on a... problem I'm facing with someone I know." All of a sudden, Cassandra felt a rushing sense of guilt. Rapunzel had come to her, only her if she remembered correctly, because she was afraid of what opening up about her problem may accomplish. And Rapunzel never actually gave her permission to relay to anyone else about what she was feeling; again, if she recalled correctly.
But then again: shouldn't Cassandra, being Rapunzel's friend and lady in waiting, realize that what the Princess is doing is completely unhealthy? Shouldn't she take initiative that this wedding gets called off so this big issue Rapunzel is dealing with can be attacked head on instead of continuously being delayed until her friend has an even worse mental breakdown than the one she had this morning?
Cassandra didn't know... both options, when she thought about them, provided their own positives and negatives. And in this split second she spent staring at the Queen, Rapunzel's birth mother, she decided then that she'd keep Rapunzel's concerns a secret (for the time being, at the very least), hoping that simple advice would be more than enough to give some clarity.
Noticing the sudden seriousness in her voice, Arianna frowned and gestured a hand for Cassandra to come in. She led her daughter's lady in waiting to her own personal desk, and she sat behind it as Cassandra pulled up a chair in front and sat down on her own.
"So... advice?" the Queen asked carefully, intertwining her fingers together as they rested idly on top the desk.
Cassandra, meanwhile, fiddled her thumbs against each other in her lap as she bit her lip in anxiety. "Yes... advice," she sighed.
"Cassandra dear, what's wrong?"
Cassandra lifted her head. "There's this friend of mine... I want to clarify, first, that this is someone I'd like to keep anonymous... if that's okay." Arianna slowly nodded with a slight lip pout. "She's someone I," she chuckled nervously, "really care about, but recently... she revealed to me that she's been dealing with some... uh, personal issues, and that she wanted my help. But after we talked and I had a better understand of what was troubling her, she... she took it back."
"Took it back?" the Queen asked.
"I tried to help her; I mean, I came up with this plan that I thought would've worked, but she immediately turned it down and instead said she'd be fine on her own." Cassandra felt herself slowly becoming irritated. "But she isn't fine, any sane person would realize what she's doing is absolutely not fine, but she doesn't seem to understand this." She sighed and dropped her head in anguish.
Arianna's eyes softened with sympathy. "Well... I must say," she chuckled, "this certainly wasn't something I was expecting." She then cleared her throat and grew serious. "But, nevertheless, I think your situation ultimately depends on the... outstanding circumstances."
"'Outstanding circumstances'?"
"Yes... I know you well, Cassandra. You've always been a compassionate and determined young woman... someone who, I hope, is able to serve in our ranks as a guard one day."
Cassandra felt herself suddenly blush. "Yo-you know about that?"
Arianna smiled softly. "Oh, of course I do! Not only has Rapunzel mentioned it to my husband and I on numerous occasions, but I myself have personally taken note of the woman you've grown into, and I know you're far capable enough of setting a new precedent by being Corona's first female guard. Of course, though," she made clear, "only if that's the path you desire."
Cassandra smiled sheepishly, her gaze directed downward. "It's all I've ever wanted in life..."
"That I've seen." Arianna's smile faltered ever so slightly, and her gaze grew serious once more. "But back to your problem... outstanding circumstances, yes. What I mean is... you've always been the type of person to go out of your way to help those in need,-" Cassandra looked up, her blush having deepened, "-but with extended compassion comes... boundaries that need to be taken into account."
"Of course, your majesty, but-"
"And you must take into account what effect your actions may have on these boundaries your friend has installed. You saw that your friend was hurting, yes?"
"Yes, I did." Waking me up at three in the morning while having a mental breakdown... she thought glumly.
"So, through normal instinct, you wanted to help them," Arianna continued, her voice composed. "And I'm not saying there's something wrong with that...-" she shook her head, "-no, heavens no. But..., dear, there is probably an important reason behind why they may not want to accept your help. And your job being their friend shouldn't be to pressure them into anything they're not comfortable with."
"But what if they don't know what they're comfortable with?"
The Queen tilted her head. "Hm?"
"This friend of mine... uh,-" Cassandra took a second to think over her words, "-she isn't the... er, most..." She groaned. "She isn't the most well-versed person," she finally said, "she... uh, went through a lot earlier in her life and is still... dealing with the effects."
Arianna's frown grew saddened. "I'm so sorry."
Cassandra chuckled nervously, "It's alright... I mean, she's turned out fine. Hell, she-" Her voice caught, and Arianna chuckled playfully.
"We're both adults, you know. A bit of profanity here and there is fine," she finished through some laughs.
"Ah... right. Uh-," Cassandra cleared her throat, "-what I was saying... is that she's actually handled everything well, considering the severity of what she went through. But there's still these cracks that shine through, and... and the way she's handling this one problem in particular is completely unhealthy."
Arianna sat back in her chair, frowning. "It may appear unhealthy to you... but maybe it's the only way your friend knows how to cope." Cassandra had thought about this, of course. She knew Rapunzel acted in a similar way from how Eugene described it to her, the events that took place the previous year, so it's not like Rapunzel was all of a sudden breaking down... there's past behavioral issues of hers that prove this has been a consistent problem.
"Maybe it is, but... I... I just don't think it's right for me to stand beside her and act as if everything is happy and cheery when it really, really isn't. My gut is telling me that I should take the initiative to help because that's what friends do for one another; we're supposed to... be there, you know?" Cassandra took a second to think back to all the times Rapunzel had wanted to be there for her, and she reflected sadly on when she had refused such help. She knew in the future she'd definitely think over denying her friend like that.
"Yes... but your actions may have unintended consequences. I hate to bring up this possibility, but taking initiative when your friend is very clearly insistent on you not intervening could do more wrong than good." She sighed, "But I suppose it depends on the situation, and the person you're dealing with, of course," she added quietly.
Before Cassandra had a chance to reply, a knock came from behind the door. "Your majesty?" Cassandra cringed, for it was Nigel's sharp British accent that practically anyone could recognize from a mile away.
Queen Arianna noticed her subtle change and gave her a look of sympathy before answering the royal speaker and advisor. "Yes?"
Nigel propped open the door. "My sincerest apologies, but-" His voice caught at seeing Cassandra.
"It's alright, Nigel," Arianna assured him. "What's the matter?"
Nigel turned his gaze from Cassandra's frown back to the neutral look of the Queen. "Your daughter and Sir. Fitzherbert are requesting your presence in the throne room. They, uh," he tugged on his collar, "they apparently want your opinion on what flavor of cake to have for the ceremony on Sunday. They've been... uh, discussing it for twenty minutes now, and, er, have found no resolution." Despite Cassandra's uneasiness, she couldn't help but snort in an un-ladylike manner from merely imagining what that conversation looked like.
Arianna apparently had the same line of thought, for she chuckled as well. "I see. You may inform them that I will be there in five minutes."
"Thank you; and once again, Miss. Jones," Nigel looked to Cassandra, "my sincerest apologies for interrupting."
"It's... it's okay," Cassandra ducked her head.
Nigel looked at her with somber eyes, before slowly closing the door. When he did so, Arianna sighed. "I still can't believe it," she said, awestruck.
"Hm?" Cassandra lifted her head.
Arianna reached down and grabbed a handkerchief, then wiping her eyes which had begun to tear up. "My baby girl... getting married to the love of her life two days from now. Oh, I still remember holding her for the first time..." She coughed out a chuckle in an attempt to recompose herself, and Cassandra sat there in silence. "I don't think my husband or I have expressed how thankful we are for you accepting the job to be her lady in waiting back late last year. I know it... wasn't exactly what you envisioned yourself doing...-"
You could say that again, Cassandra thought irritably.
"-but I don't want you to take for granted the impact your work has had, and I'm happy you and Rapunzel were able to build yourselves a relationship outside your formal duties." Her voice softened, "Those first few months after her return, I was so worried she wouldn't be able to make new acquaintances and friends aside from her chameleon and Eugene. But then you came in; and I know it wasn't the best at first, but you've given me and my husband hope that Rapunzel might just be alright, considering..." Her voice trailed off.
Cassandra's sympathy in this moment grew, and she frowned sadly. "What happened that night all those years ago was not your fault, madam."
Arianna lifted the handkerchief back up and re-wiped her eyes. "I know... now, I know. But I'm afraid that..." She shook her head. "Nevermind."
"What?"
"Uh, nothing." She forced a smile.
"... You were about to say something."
Arianna's smile faltered. "Yes... I suppose I was," she sighed, understanding that there would be no getting out of this. "What happened to Rapunzel... what happened was awful, heart-wrenching, and both my husband and I handled it in our own, separate ways. I took to literature,-" she directed her eyes to the book on her desk," -as an escape from my... painful reality; but my husband, as you probably know already, handled his grief... through his work." Cassandra knew all about the cynical man the King had become after the kidnapping of Rapunzel, through the many conversations she's had with her father, Gainey Jones. "I look back on it now and think that I could've done more, as could have Nigel, your father, even the guard captain before your father. Frederic has always believed Rapunzel's kidnapping was solely his own lonesome fault, and a part of me... still thinks he believes that to this day.."
Cassandra bit her lip before replying. "That's... wow," she said, dumbstruck. "I don't know what to say."
"Oh," Arianna chuckled, "you don't have to say anything. All is fine now, thankfully. Rapunzel is safe... she's happy, is about to marry the love of her life, and is lucky to have a lovely best friend that will be there for her no matter what." She stood up from her chair, but not before wiping her eyes and cheeks one final time with the handkerchief. She then walked to her door as Cassandra stayed still.
"She is lucky to have someone like Eugene," Cassandra quietly admitted, her back to the Queen.
Arianna opened the door and stepped out, not looking back. "I wasn't talking about Eugene, dear," she said gently. She left the door slightly open before making her way down the hall, presumably in the direction of the throne room where she'd be soon settling a debate for the ages.
And all Cassandra could do was sit back awestruck about that line when she realized that the Queen had been talking about her.
Cassandra, having taken the Queen's words to heart, made her final decision soon afterwards:
She decided that she would not intervene unless Rapunzel specifically asked her to; and while she had her own doubts about whether or not this was the best course of action to take, she couldn't stop thinking about the way Rapunzel reacted when she had brought up her plan to wake Eugene. The look in Rapunzel's eyes... as if her small, little world was about to come crashing and spiraling down at any given second.
Cassandra couldn't get that sight out of her head.
The next time Cassandra even decided to bring up what happened between them was during the arrival of the more family oriented guests that would be staying the weekend. This was something King Frederic and Queen Arianna had both prepared and scheduled for beforehand, and despite some extraneous circumstances, it was something that had to be done considering the importance of what would soon be taking place.
In the courtyard, from left to right stood Cassandra (with Pascal on her shoulder), Rapunzel, Eugene, King Frederic, Queen Arianna, Leonard, Kiera, and Catalina, all dressed up in their formal attire for the occasion, even though this was more of an informal event (as judged by the lack of a crowd). This was especially so because there were only two carriages, three people in particular, set for arrival at this point in time.
Cassandra took a second to glance to her friend, Rapunzel, who stood with the utmost of poise. If there was one thing that girl was good at, she thought, it was hiding her emotions.
"Psst, Raps," she whispered slyly. Rapunzel didn't move her head, but looked at her out of the corner of her eyes. Cassandra leaned to her side ever so slightly, "I'm sorry about what happened this morning."
"You don't have to apologize for that," Rapunzel assured with a small smile.
"No, I do," Cassandra whispered back. "I just... I want you to know that I won't be forcing anything on you if it's not what you want. And I promise that I won't tell anyone, either... unless you want me to. I'll respect your wishes... but,-" she grabbed Rapunzel's hand and quickly squeezed it, "-if there's ever a time you want to take me up on that offer on exploring outside the border wall, you can let me know." Rapunzel smiled back to her, and Eugene, having heard the last bit of their conversation, eyed her warily as he noticed the way Cassandra was just holding her hand for the split second.
"Hey." He took his chance to grab Rapunzel's other hand, directing her attention to him through a head jerk. Cassandra either didn't notice this or didn't care, for she resumed her stagnant poise. "You alright?"
Rapunzel blinked a few times, forcing a smile. "Yeah... why wouldn't I be?"
Eugene looked back to Cassandra, whom he caught eyeing him for a split second. He then quickly turned back to his girl. "Just wondering... but if there is something wrong, you shouldn't be afraid to tell me. I know you hate whenever I bring it up, but remember what happened last year when we kept our feelings from one another?" He sighed, dropping his eyes for a split second. "I... I just hope you know that no matter what, I'll always be here...-" he squeezed her hand, "-if you want to talk... about anything, really. Doesn't have to specifically be about sappy stuff like our feelings and whatnot," he finished, chuckling. He didn't know it, but Rapunzel was holding in a soft cry.
"I know, I know," she said quickly. She stood up on her tippy toes and pecked his cheek. "Can you believe it? In two days we're finally going to begin living our happily ever after, and it'll be just how we dreamed. Aren't you excited?!" Her plan to get him off the topic of her uneasiness worked, judged by the joyous smile he gave her. He then pulled her close with one arm for a quick hug as two carriages entered from under the main entrance archway.
"In other news..." Rapunzel tilted her head to the side, where Leonard stood. "How do you think Leo's going to handle seeing his parents again?"
Eugene's eyes followed hers, as did Cassandra's. "I... I don't know, honestly," he admitted quietly.
Off to the side, Leonard, who stood with a hand on both his girls' shoulders, tensed up, recognizing the colors of one of the carriages all too well. It's been many, many months since his departure from Dresonia, since he last saw the faces of both his parents. He wasn't so sure he was ready yet to face them... but he always knew deep down he'd have to one way or the other at some point. Kiera and Catalina both felt his hands tighten on their shoulders, and they looked up to see his serious gaze as the carriages approached closer.
"Kiera," Catalina dropped her head whispered, her voice a tad fearful, "what do you think Dad's parents are going to say when they see us?" She was of course referring back to the knowledge she and her sister had that Leonard only just recently sent his parents a letter about their adoption.
"It doesn't matter what they'll say," Leonard proclaimed, looking down to them with a stern frown. His gaze lightened up at seeing both their startled faces, and as such, he sighed. "Nothing my mother or father can say will ever change how much I love you two gals. Remember what we spoke about earlier, and things will turn out fine." He squeezed their shoulders, and looked up as the first carriage, his parents's carriage, arrived up front. His breath clenched watching the driver of the carriage swiftly exit and run over to the door.
"Introducing, Queen Elizabeth and King Thomas Patterson of Dresonia!" the driver announced, opening the door. Leonard saw the strong figure of his father right away, and his jaw trembled out of method reflex as their eyes locked for a split second. King Thomas then exited the carriage, but not before extending a hand to his wife, Leonard's mother, Elizabeth.
Seeing his mother for the first time in months... brought upon a tidal wave of emotions, and Leonard felt himself tear up as he inadvertently let go of both Kiera and Catalina's shoulders.
"Oh, Leonard," she whispered, tearing up as well. Leonard stepped aside from his girls and bit his lip as his mother ran into his arms. "My dearest boy!"
Leonard instinctively pulled his mother close, and for the first time while being in his father's presence, he voluntarily let himself sob. "I'm so sorry, Mother," he cried brokenly. "I'm so sorry about everything I put you through. I was selfish; oh, I was so, so selfish-"
"Shhh," Elizabeth cooed, rubbing his back, relishing in being able to hold him close once more. "Don't apologize, sweetie. Just let me hold you again."
"Bu-but, but I need to," he croaked, wiping his eyes and stepping back. Kiera and Catalina shared uncomfortable glances as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his cheeks. "Mother, I should never have put you through that. I was selfish," he said quickly, "I didn't take a second to think about the effect my actions had on-"
"That is enough, Leonard," King Thomas butted in with his deep voice. Kiera and Catalina's heads jumped. Just off to the side, Frederic grumbled something inaudible as Arianna wrapped a comforting hand around his arm.
Leonard turned to his father, his eyes still slightly teary. He gulped looking up to the man, and out of pure instinct, he pulled Kiera and Catalina close to his legs. He stayed silent as the giant figure approached him.
Frederic growled, clenching his fists.
Leonard kept his face serious and stern as his father walked up to him before he stood a measly few feet in front. "Hello, Father." He pulled Kiera and Catalina even closer, as any parent would when they were being protective of their kin. "It's certainly been a while." He did his best to act composed and strong, but his voice faltered at the end ever so slightly.
"Yes it has, son," Thomas said neutrally. He looked down to the girls, who both frowned and curled up even closer to Leonard, as if that was even humanly possible at this point. He then directed his eyes back to his son. "Your mother and I received your note about the adoption."
Leonard swallowed. "And I presume you have something to say about that," he said, his voice a bit daring.
Thomas eyes him keenly, his shoulders tensed as well, before sighing. His gaze then grew slightly saddened, and he extended his rough, coarse hand out to him.
Leonard stared at it for a few seconds, and he looked up at his father in complete confusion. "What?" he gasped.
"Shake my hand, son."
Leonard's brows furrowed in confusion. He looked to his Mother, who was smiling her typical soft smile; not one of happiness, but of content. "Uh... alright." Not wanting to create a dramatic scene and make a fool out of himself, Leonard brought forward his right hand and extended it. He cringed ever so slightly at the feel of his father's hand again; the last time his father had touched him resulted in him being pushed to the floor.
King Thomas brought his left hand and held it over their grip. "I... I've never been good with these things..., as you surely know..., but through these few months apart, I have reflected on my past actions I took towards you... and towards your mother."
"You better have," Frederic growled, barely audible.
"Shhh," Arianna cooed gently. She carefully rubbed his arm.
Elizabeth walked up to Thomas' side, and he looked down to her for a split second. "Your mother..., being the kind and gentle woman she is..., has provided me with clarity. And I understand, now... that it was I... who was in the wrong, son. With everything." He spoke slowly, his words having a powerful effect as they exited his throat.
Leonard was flabbergasted. Not once in his life had his father ever apologized to him for... anything. "You're serious?" he squeaked out with widened eyes.
His father nodded his head, his brows furrowed in a saddened manner. He spoke slowly, "I don't expect you to forgive me... yet. But through time..., I hope we can one day stabilize and form a bond... something I've now realized we never had."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying, Thomas?" Arianna asked.
Thomas turned to his brother in-law's wife. "Yes, Arianna. Yes I am." He then turned back to his son. "Leonard, son. I never should have declared such in the first place. It was something I had done irrationally, and as so, I offer my deepest and extended apologies. But as of this second, your banishment from Dresonia... from our home, has formally been lifted." Leonard's heartbeat quickened. "If you choose to return, your mother and I will both be accepting of you with open arms." He paused for dramatic effect, "As will your siblings, who owe you apologies of their own, as well."
"Only if that's what he wants," Elizabeth reminded gently.
"Yes, yes... of course," Thomas thought out loud.
Leonard blinked a few times, his ability to speak having been vanquished in these few seconds, when a deafening, feminine call came from the carriage in behind:
"It is great to be back in Corona!"
Everyone's eyes turned to see the face behind this loud yell as a petite, familiar-looking brunette-haired lady dressed in colorful clothes with no shoes on jumped out the open door. "I've missed the smell and feel of the ocean breeze up against my face!" The lady turned to the crowd, "Hey! Any of you see a brunette-haired soon-to-be-wed nineteen year old girl who also happens to be my long lost niece?"
"Willhelmina," Arianna deadpanned. Frederic chuckled, clearly amused. "How great it is to see you again."
Willhelmina, or Willow for short, turned towards her sister. "AHHH!" she screamed and jumped in joy, "Older sister!" she yelled, running up and enveloping Arianna in a grand hug. Rapunzel giggled, while both Eugene and Cassandra exchanged confused looks. Leonard, having met his Aunt's sister only once (and what a meeting that was), took the opportunity to seize his mother's hand and lead her and his father, with his daughters trailing close, back up the stairs before eventually re-entering the castle.
Meanwhile, Arianna began to turn purple, like the color of her dress, from the lack of oxygen. "Willow... too... tight..."
"Oh!" Willow let go immediately, and her sister slumped over in an attempt to re-catch her breath. She then took the opportunity to walk up to her brother in-law. "Big Fred!" she exclaimed, hugging him now. "You always gave the best bear hugs!"
"Willow!" he chuckled, "what a delight! I'm glad you were able to make the trip," he said in a surprisingly non-sarcastic voice. Willow let him go, and Arianna gave her a questioning look as she turned her attention to Rapunzel, who took a step towards her in return.
"So... you're the Aunt Willow my Mom's told me all about?" Rapunzel asked, her voice nervous. She slowly and anxiously rubbed her arm.
"Yes! Oh, yes!" Willow jumped and, you guessed it, wrapped her arms around Rapunzel for a grand hug, as well! She twirled her around, "My dearest Rapunzel, I've heard so much about you!" she cried. She stopped, then letting go and stepping back to wipe her eyes.
"Willow, are you... crying?" Arianna asked, shocked.
Willow chuckled and wiped her eyes, "I guess I am," she admitted gleefully, taken aback. Rapunzel began to tear up, as well. Just to the side, Cassandra walked up to Eugene, and they, along with Pascal, looked on at the scene with warm eyes.
"I've prayed for the day where I'd finally get to meet you," Willow continued. "And having gotten word of your return home only many months after-" she took a second to show her irritation at such fact by glaring at her sister, who shrugged back in angst, "-I decided to finally return back to where it all began! I was actually planning on coming to visit next month, but I recently heard about your coronation and the wedding!" She squealed in delight. "So I absolutely had to come back sooner for the eventful weekend! Anyway,-" she looked all around, her voice turning sarcastic, "-where's the lucky guy set to take away all the freedom you have left in this world?"
Rapunzel gasped. "Willhelmina!" Arianna scolded, narrowing her eyes.
"What?" Willow chuckled, "Ari, I was joking!" She turned to her niece, whose skin had suddenly turned pale. She waved a hand. "Rapunzel, darling... you know I'm just joking, right-"
"I'm fine!" Rapunzel yelped rather loudly. The color returned back to her face, and she chuckled nervously. "I'm just... starved! Oh, so starved am I!" She grabbed her Aunt's hand, "Aunt Willow, my Mom's told me all about how you love to paint! You do love to paint, right?"
Willow stared at her skeptically for a second, before smiling lightly. "Yes! That's right, I do love to paint!" Her gaze then grew serious, "Wait. Rapunzel... are you saying..." Rapunzel smiled sheepishly and nodded her head. "EEK!-" Willow hugged her again, "-you quite literally might be the best niece ever! Come on, I absolutely need to see your work!" She grabbed Rapunzel's hand and brought her up the stairs, entering the castle.
But Eugene remained confused, as he stood alone with his fiancee's maid of honor and the two monarchs. When the two girls were gone, he raised a finger, "I wasn't the only one who noticed that, right?"
"Noticed what?" Cassandra replied, though she knew exactly what he was talking about. As did Pascal, who looked on the situation with pleading eyes, inwardly hoping that this would finally be resolved so everything (mostly his best friend) could return back to normal.
"... The way Rapunzel went pale at the mention of losing... her..." Eugene's voice trailed off into a whisper, and his eyes widened. "Oh my god." Frederic and Arianna looked at one another, and Eugene turned to Cass, continuing in the quiet whisper, "Cass, you... you don't think she..."
"Having second thoughts?" Cassandra laughed, waving a hand. "Why would she have second thoughts? She's marrying you of all people!" Pascal sent her a glare, before sighing and sulking his little shoulders. Why do humans have to be so complicated?
"Ah..." Eugene let out a laugh of his own, "Yeah, you're right,-" he waved a hand, "-I'm probably overthinking this, as I usually do." In a split second, his face then grew serious, "But... what if I'm not-"
"Hey, did you hear?" Cassandra asked, attempting to divert his attention. I can't believe I'm doing this! she thought erratically.
"Hm?" Eugene piped.
"Apparently your crown was delivered today by the royal blacksmith." Rapunzel, you owe me one she thought irritably. "I already know what you're going to say, but would you care to come with me to go check it-" Cassandra wasn't even able to finish her sentence before Eugene grabbed onto her hand and tug her up the stairs and into the castle, doing such while babbling and going over how awesome and handsome he'll most definitely look while donning it on top of his head.
Because, c'mon, let's be honest here. Eugene Fitzherbert would look absolutely fantastic with any type of crown over his head; yellow or black, light or dark. Doesn't matter. The man was practically born to wear one! Have you seen that face? I know I have! And that nose-
(author has been detained for story interruption)
When they were far gone, Arianna and her husband were the only ones left out in the courtyard. The Queen frowned, and her husband gave her a skeptical look. "Is everything alright, darling?"
She looked up to him, eyes pleading. "I... I don't know," she sighed.
"You're worried about Rapunzel, aren't you?" he asked sincerely.
Her eyes widened. "How did you-"
He chuckled, "How long have we been married, now? You know I can tell a lot from that look in your eyes; the very same look you have only when you're concerned about the well-being of our daughter."
After staring up at him for a few seconds, she relented and finally sighed. "You're right... oh, Fred, you're absolutely right."
He took a step to the side and took both her hands in his. "Please, talk to me. Is it about security? I have already requested that Captain Jones tightens it with more guards at both our main gates and the south-facing towers, so there shouldn't be need for you or I or anyone else to worry. Our daughter and everyone of interest will know for a matter-of-fact that they are in safe hands."
"No, it's not... it's not about security. I know that'll be fine." She took a deep breath, "It's... it's just-" Before she could continue her thought, both her and her husband heard a deafening, manly holler of joy come from up on top the balcony. They looked up and saw Eugene looking down at them with his newly fitted royal crown up on top of his head. Of course, judging by the frantic calls from Nigel and Captain Jones in the background, also that he hadn't yet been coronated and granted permission to don it on-top his head, the two royals knew Eugene had certainly snuck his way into the room it was being guarded in and grabbed hold of it.
"How do I look?" he happily asked them. He pointed to the fine piece of hardware with both pointer fingers and apparently took their silent frowns as praise, judging by his next words: "I know; awesome, right?" He shrugged his shoulders in a cocky way and struck a pose, "It's almost as if it was just-meant-to-be-"
"Fitzherbert!" Captain Jones called rather loudly in the background. A faint feminine groan could be heard as well, presumably Cassandra's.
"Welp,-" Eugene waved a hand to them both, "-gotta run. See you soon!" He turned away and jumped into a sprint, presumably back into the castle.
After things grew silent once more, Arianna chuckled. Her husband sent her a puzzling look. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing. I'm just imagining what our life will be like once he's the Consort," she relayed, laughing.
With that, Frederic laughed, too. "Things will certainly be different," he mused, stroking his chin. "But if that boy continues to make our daughter happy, I am willing to keep up with his shenanigans."
Arianna sighed a heavenly sigh, "I am, too. As long as he doesn't get himself or anyone else killed, of course," she chuckled. She turned and brought her arms around her husband's neck. "And who knows? Sooner rather than later they might bless us with a cute little grand-baby we can hold and snuggle to our heart's content."
Frederic dodged her eyes, grumbling. "I know we're old, but we're not that old." He made an attempt to act like his normal, stoic self, but his wife's slight laugh found to be too much for him to handle. He joined her, chuckling, "Well, actually... you aren't. Me on the other hand... that's a different conversation to be had."
The day went on as casually as it could, considering the monumental two ceremonies that were set to take place in the coming days. Leonard's parents and Willow all got settled in their respective rooms, and throughout the day, spent time with everyone until the time came for the sun to set. Rapunzel had been sitting and playing card games in an empty study with Eugene, Leonard, and the two girls, Kiera and Catalina (Pascal, too, who was dubbed the official referee), when she heard a knock on the doorless frame of the room. Everyone's eyes turned from their seats around the circular table they had pulled in, and Rapunzel saw that it was her mother that had knocked.
"Hey Mrs. Queen," Eugene saluted her with the small deck of cards he held in his left hand. "Looking to join in on the fun? Or would you rather care to watch as I single-handedly demolish my opponents with this-" he wiggled his cards, "-flawless hand I ever-so-carefully picked?"
"You know that was given to you at random, right, Mr. Fitz-SNOB-ert?" Kiera giggled rather cutely, turning to her sister who gave her a giggling high-five. Pascal, from his spot in the middle of the table, fell over laughing. Eugene first sent him a glare.
"Now, now, Kiera," Leonard said seriously, wiggling his own small hand of cards at her. "Remember, dear. It's only proper to be polite to those less fortunate than you and I." He held his stern face for a matter of seconds, as did both his daughters, before they all fell back in their chairs in a fit of laughter.
"Ha-ha, very funny," the soon-to-be Prince Consort deadpanned. "That was remarkably hilarious, Leo." He glared at Leonard, who snorted in response to that name, before turning back to Kiera. "I wonder who taught you that idiotic nickname; I'm willing to bet it was someone whose name probably sounds a whole lot like-" his eyes widened and popped, "-'Blah-SAN-dra'." That goofy comment and face got a few more laughs out of everyone.
"That does sound like something she would call you, Eugene FitzSNOBert," Leonard laughed. Kiera dropped her head and pounded her fist against the table, laughing her heart out.
Queen Arianna waved a hand, joining in with a chuckle, "You're all too adorable for your own good." She looked at them longingly, "I wish I could join, but my husband and I have been busy tonight finalizing some of the last details for the coronation ceremony tomorrow." She looked to her daughter for a split second, whose smile was nothing short of of infectious. "Speaking about the ceremony, I was actually wondering if I could speak with you, Rapunzel..." her voice trailed off, "but it can wait, seeing that you're busy-"
"No," Rapunzel shook her head, "It's okay. Our game is practically over, anyway." She turned back to the table, glancing one final time at the small hand she had with a smug grin. Pascal looked at her with a devilish grin on his own, apparently understanding what she was implying.
"Wait, what?" Leonard questioned, seriously confused. "What do you mean?"
"Yeah, there's no way!" Catalina piped loudly. She immediately dropped her hand of cards onto the table to cover her face in embarrassment.
"Sunshine? You know we just began, right-" Eugene's voice caught when Rapunzel dropped all her cards onto the table, and his eyes widened as he stared down at them. "You're kidding me."
"Checkmate!" Rapunzel triumphantly claimed with raised arms. She rested back in her chair, hands behind her head with closed eyes as the four others leaned forward and past Pascal, inspected her cards. Kiera pouted and crossed her arms when she realized that Rapunzel had indeed just won.
"Wow..." Leonard dropped his own hand and picked up Rapunzel's, "I guess she was right! The game was practically over." He turned his attention to his cousin, "But I must ask, how did you-" Rapunzel opened her eyes, blushing and smiled guiltily, and Leonard's smile faltered ever so slowly.
Eugene recognized that face of hers all too well. "Oh, I know how, you cute little misfit," he commented slyly. He backed his chair out and ducked under the table, and his suspicions were rendered correct when he indeed saw a few stray cards lying idly on the ground where his beloved's bare feet resided. "Ah-ha!" His head jumped, and he yelped as it hit against the table. "Ow!" Kiera had been holding in her laughter up to this point, but she absolutely broke watching Pascal jump as the table vibrated from the contact.
As Eugene crawled back up and grumbled some angry words at Pascal for 'being a completely unfair and biased judge of character', Leonard unhappily looked to his daughter, who immediately zipped her lips.
"Well," Eugene said, rubbing the tender spot. "Regardless, I guess the game is over now seeing that a certain cutie,-" he eyed his beloved out of the corner of his eye, and relished in the faint blush of her cheeks and embarrassed grin she was wearing, "-decided to pull an old 'Flynn Rider' trick that I...-" his face fell in realization, "-never should have taught her in the first place." Leonard nodded his head in agreement, and Eugene re-composed himself with a deep breath. "Anyway, who's up for another round of go-fish?" Catalina had already begun to gather everyone's cards again in a neat little pile before he asked this.
Pascal raised a paw and opened his mouth-
"No, frog. You've lost your privileges to referee." Pascal had no audible retort for this, choosing to blow a raspberry before shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly as he began to crawl his way back up to Rapunzel's left shoulder.
Eugene looked to Rapunzel, "Okay, are you ready to play without cheating this time, sunshine?" he playfully asked.
"I..." Rapunzel looked to her mother, who was still leaning up against the side of the doorway with a content smile on her lips. "I think I'm going to sit this one out to talk with my mom, actually," she said, looking back at Eugene in particular. He nodded his head in understanding as she whispered something to Pascal, convincing him he could stay behind.
Eugene then watched, with Leonard looking on, as she walked to her mother. She finally exited out of their sight as Kiera and Catalina bickered in the background about who would be the one to shuffle the cards this time around.
Leonard chose to ignore the playful banter of his children, trusting that they'd get to the bottom of their little argument by themselves. He hen took the chance to look to his friend, Eugene, who longingly stared at the door. Such complexion confused him. "Nervous?" he asked.
Eugene turned back to him, startled. "Hm?"
"I was asking if you're nervous. Are you?"
Eugene gave him a quizzical look. "Nervous about... ?"
"You know..., the coronation, marriage..., becoming a Prince Consort..."
"Oh, that. Yeah, uh..." Eugene bit his lip and looked off to the side for a split second, then sighing. "I mean... yeah? I am, obviously. Who wouldn't be? This is some life-changing stuff." He paused, and Leonard could swear that Eugene's voice sounded a little bit remorseful. "But I'm more nervous about..."
His voice trailed off into an inaudible mumble, and it was Leonard this time who piped up and asked, "What was that?"
Eugene guiltily turned back to him, all of a sudden frowning. "Are we rushing into this, you think?"
Leonard furrowed his brows in confusion, not at all noticing now how Kiera and Catalina had flopped out of their chair and begun to play-wrestle with one another on the floor over the deck of cards. "Rushing into... what are you talking about?" His eyes widened ever so slightly, perhaps in realization, "You're talking about the wedding?"
"... Yeah," Eugene shrugged, his face full of angst. "I haven't told Rapunzel this, but I overheard a part of a conversation she had with Cassandra earlier. And I could've swore Cass mentioned something about Rapunzel wanting to explore past Corona's border wall." Leonard's eyes widened. "But... I really don't know why she would want to do that... unless..."
"Eugene," Leonard leaned forward and extended his hand across the table, grabbing Eugene's idle one. "I've noticed that you tend to overly worry at times, friend."
"Do I?" Eugene retracted his hand and rubbed it. "Seems like a habit we share," he said jokingly, though his face wasn't showing it.
"Yes," Leonard laughed, "you do. As do I, and many others I know. Maybe it's something in the air we all breathe." He chuckled, before growing serious once more, "Remember, though: this is supposed to be yours and Rapunzel's big weekend! You and her are going to be making memories that'll live on for the rest of your lives. There's nothing to be worried about! Just enjoy that you've been given this great chance to live and ride out this wonderful dream you share with her, and everything will turn out fine. I'm sure of it."
Eugene was frowning, but the genuinity in Leonard's voice got him back on the right positive line of thought. "You'd make a great motivational speaker," he mused.
Leonard scoffed and waved a hand. "Psh. No chance."
"No, man. I'm being serious; you have this thing where-"
"OW!"
Eugene and Leonard both jerked their heads to the side, where Kiera sat on-top a lying down Catalina, the pile of cards they had apparently just been fighting over scattered around and about the many surfaces of the room. It was Catalina who yelped the "OW", and both her and her sister looked up with guilty eyes as Leonard frowned down at them.
"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Kiera asked, but the tone of her voice said it all.
Leonard nodded his head, raising his eyebrows. "Mh-hm."
..