Chapter 64 - The Weekend Of: Part 6 of ?
It was a few hours later when Rapunzel and Cassandra made it back to the capital. The sun was shining, having risen. Rapunzel's mind was racing about how Eugene would react, about her parents would react, about how everyone would react if they caught sight of her with this long and rather heavy blonde hair.
Yeah, a year of having short and cropped hair made her forget how long and heavy and purely agonizing it was to run around with practically a 70 foot long rope rooted into her skull.
She and Cassandra, with Fidella and Maximus still tagging along, were sneaking behind one of the town-houses now, looking to make their way back into the castle. Cassandra, in particular, was at the front, and she leaned forward, looking towards the main entrance and gates where dozens upon dozens of guards walked in formation. "Uh, we've got a problem," she said. "Because of your coronation today, my Dad has ever so graciously doubled security at the main entrance."
Rapunzel's eyes softened, a slight fear rising within, "Okay... that's fine. There's surely another way in, though, right?... Right?"
"Uhh..." Cassandra kept her eyes peeled on the scene at hand, before an idea came to her. She turned back to Rapunzel, "Do you remember the passageway we used earlier? We could go back through there... though, that'll lead us to the lower-levels of the castle..." Her voice trailed off in uncertainty.
"That'll work," Rapunzel said, shrugging her shoulders. "We sneak back in the way we came, go back to your room, get my hair cut... and then everything will be back to normal." She wasn't so sure this was the case, but being the positive and happy-spirited person she was, this was something she decided to hope for. Besides, what could go wrong? Her hair was cut easily once, and immediately turned brown in the seconds following... if this is the same blonde hair she had before, the same should happen, right?
"Wait,-" Cassandra's eyes widened, "-you want to cut that hair in my room?" she asked, voice accusatory. "Raps, do you know the mess that'll make!? Why in my room of all places?"
"Because," Rapunzel explained, trying her best to not appear condescending, "your room is really close to the storage room we came from, and I don't want to risk anyone seeing me like this. No one, and I mean no one; not your father, not Stan or Pete, not Owl, not Eugene, not my parents, Leonard, Kiera, Catalina, or anyone I forgot to name, none of them can see me while I have this hair!" She took a deep breath, her eyebrows now narrowed in a harsh manner, "Besides, I'm like this because of you, remember?" She finished coldly, and Cassandra stared at her with a slight agape mouth.
Rapunzel then realized she had failed in her attempt to stay composed, and actually had come off as rather harsh. She extended her hand, "Cass, I'm-"
"No, you're right," Cassandra said, plain and simply. Her voice was not sarcastic one bit, but rather... saddened, "This... this is because of me. And... and I'll fix it. I'll make it right." She turned away, nudging Fidella to follow.
"Cass,-" Rapunzel called, "-wait."
Cassandra stopped walking, though she didn't turn around to face her.
"... Cassandra, I don't blame you. I was wrong to say that this,-" she held up some of her hair, "-is your fault... when I was the one who practically forced you into taking me in the first place." An old habit of hers was to rub her hair whenever she felt sad or anxious or worried, common feelings she had back in the tower. And, with the hair now back, she took to that same act, grabbing a strand and rubbing it gently, with it close to her face. "Please don't think this is your fault... it isn't... it's mine, if anything."
Cassandra's shoulders sulked, and she sighed. She turned around, a small smile on her face, and walked back up to Rapunzel. She placed both hands on her shoulders, "How about... how about we call it both our faults, hm?" She tilted her head in a playful manner, "That, or we might have to race to see who takes the blame." Max was intently watching the conversation from the side next to Fidella, and he neighed happily at the mention of a race.
Rapunzel giggled, "Okay, okay..." She opened her arms, "It can be both our faults... but only if we hug. Deal?"
Cassandra was trying to hide it by tilting her head downwards, but a sheepish smile eventually broke through her blushed cheeks, and without saying a word, she accepted Rapunzel's arms with the same gesture.
Meanwhile, Maximus neighed rather sadly now, and Rapunzel giggled once again after pulling away. "You'll be okay, Max," she laughed. Maximus couldn't help himself, his smile having turned upside down simply because of her laugh, and he himself snorted happily.
Besides, Rapunzel did still owe him a trip to the apple orchard.
It was rather early, now. Early in terms of when Eugene liked to wake-up, of course. But not early for his lovely ball of sunshine, Rapunzel, so Eugene wasn't at all surprised to see that she was not in bed next to him when he first opened his eyes on this special day of hers. Though, he did recall ever so slightly talking to a certain frog earlier that morning in the middle of the night (insception) about her not being in bed. And... the way her covers were shaped now did... look familiar...
Nah. He chose to shrug it off, instead opting to think she was currently doodling something cute down in her art studio.
After carefully maneuvering his hand off the pillow Pascal had nuzzled himself into during the night, he gracefully slipped out of bed and went in for his morning shower. Rapunzel's been letting up as of late with waking up so early... so now, at 7:30 of all times, was only a little bit after when she normally woke. And she always had been one to take a quick shower and get dressed rather hastily, so he had no worries. She was in her art studio, probably humming a joyous tune while sketching who knows what. That's where she was. Totally. Yep. Absolutely, positively.
But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't feeling a bit skeptical, now, after thinking about it...
It was about fifteen or so minutes later when he finally walked out, wearing nothing but two shriveled towel: one large one tied around his waist, and a smaller one tied around the top of his head. He was whistling a nice, catchy tune he swore he heard coming from out in the hall the previous night when he felt something wet and slimy fly into his ear. "Gah!" He jerked his head, and Pascal's tongue retracted from where he sat narrow-eyed on the bed. "Frog!? Even after I let you... sleep-" he visibly shivered at that word, "-with me through the night? Really?"
Pascal rolled his eyes, irritated beyond beliefs but also concerned for the well-being of his best friend, who he knew had not returned throughout the night. He chirped something quietly, and Eugene's eyes softened.
"You're still worried about her... but why the tongue? Was that really necessary?" Eugene unwrapped the towel around his head, and with one of its ends, inserted it into his ear. Pascal then told him it was something he had done in the heat of the moment to grab his attention. "You couldn't have just... croaked something?" Pascal shrugged his shoulders, murmuring a quick little, sincere apology. "Apology accepted... but, please,-" Eugene's voice pitch grew higher, "-for the love of everything that is still holy in this world, can you pick another method of getting my attention that doesn't involve a body part of mine being slobbered with your spit? We've known each other for a year and I still fear for my ears whenever you're around."
Pascal snickered, promising he'd start jotting down some new ideas sooner rather than later, but not before reminding Eugene why he even needed his attention in the first place.
"Rapunzel... yeah," Eugene mumbled, stroking his goatee. "I'm sure she's just down the hall sketching something in that studio of hers." He walked over to their closet, and pulled out a fancy green colored jacket. "Freddy's forcing me to wear this,-" he pulled the jacket out and showed it to Pascal, "-hideous thing. Can you believe his lack of taste? Yuck!" He hung it back up, then pausing for a second to sigh. "I do hope she's alright, though." He walked over to the bed and sat down next to the little green guy, "Mostly because all this is such a new adjustment. Being an official Princess? It's... it's going to be hard work, but I know deep down that she can do it. She's the strongest and most perseverant person I know, throwing my bias aside, of course."
His voice then quieted into a barely audible mumble, "If anything, I'm more worried about the wedding and what her true desires are..." He shook his head, remembering the slight bit of conversation he heard between her and Cassandra, mentioning how, or inferring how Rapunzel wanted to go outside the walls of Corona. But... even after all this time since, he hasn't been able to put his finger on why she would even want to do that. He of all people knows how dangerous the world is out there... so why on Earth would she want to go out there willingly? Is it because life in Corona... because marrying him is unfulfilling for her? If that's the case, why hasn't she come to him about it? Doesn't she know that he wants to know these things, that he deserves to know these things being the man she has chosen to love with all her heart?
Obviously, in a differing situation, he wouldn't be as keen as he is now. But there's been one bump, one major bump in their road already that had been caused by a lack of communication. And even though that major bump led to something wonderful, their engagement, Eugene still thinks back to that time every so often and shivers at it. Because at one point, he thought Rapunzel had killed herself. There's no sugarcoating that; he thought she slit her own throat and took her own life because she felt that she was alone in her world of pain. And after that event, after he reminded her and made sure she knew that as long as he live that she would never have to face those fears and obstacles, mental or physical, alone, things returned to a sense of normalcy. Rapunzel had actually come to him more times than not in the months after about all kinds of ways she was feeling, even the smallest and rather comical ones, and there was not one time he shook her thoughts and struggles off as nothing.
Because she is his everything. And after what happened that late October, he made it clear to her that she wouldn't ever have to face her fears alone again.
So, that again brings the question: If this prospect of marriage is actually unfulfilling for her, and she wants to leave Corona for whatever reason, why hasn't she talked to him about it?
He doesn't know... but he wishes he did. He really, really wishes he did, and a small part of him feels guilty for not knowing. There's been times in the past few months, actually, where he's speculated that she wasn't fully on board with the whole idea of marriage. But in the few times he's brought it up to her, she's told him time and time again: she loves and wants to marry him. So, again, this question keeps getting asked, because Eugene can't get it out of his head. Why does she want to travel outside Corona? Why is she even thinking about leaving Corona in the first place? They have it good here! The castle life is stupendous, they're surrounded by all their friends and family, and above all, they are safe. That's what really matters to Eugene, more than anything else. That's especially the case now after all his beloved has been through with the tower and the trials and tribulations she's faced after the return to Corona.
But as he sat here questioning his entire reality, a fear of something going terribly wrong plagued him, because it was starting to become rather clear to him, now, that Rapunzel left their bedroom chamber in the middle of the night and hasn't returned to it since. But that in itself didn't exactly mean trouble; for the possibility she was just down the hall painting in her studio was still ever so plausible.
And with all his heart, he hoped that was the case. He was praying that was the case, because he didn't know what he'd do if it was revealed that she had gone missing, and/or that something terrible happened to her.
"I think it's about time you and me go pay our brunette haired friend a visit, don't you think?" He looked down to Pascal, who nodded his little head with a sense of urgency. "You know, Pascal," he said sincerely, "you and I make a great team... but we don't have a name yet. How about the Smoldering-" Pascal blew a raspberry at that name, and Eugene chuckled. "Okay, okay... no smolders," he laughed.
After slipping on that hideous formal green outfit King Frederic had requested he wear today for the ceremonies, Eugene, with Pascal perched on his left shoulder, made way into the hall. The servants, guards and maidens were all bustling through finishing up the last minute preparations. The castle hadn't been this active in who knows how long, and everyone was working their hardest to ensure the special day went nice and smoothly.
Eugene was heading in the direction of Rapunzel's art studio, now. The one place his beloved often went to right after finishing getting dressed in the morning. He really has never expressed how much he loves her creativity and artistic side, and even after being the subject of dozens of her different doodles and paintings, he still doesn't find it boring to sit in and simply just watch her as she gets to work. He loves everything about that girl; she is truly his whole entire world and not a day has gone by that he hasn't looked up to the heavens and thank the higher power up there for blessing him with her in his life.
He finally reached the art-room, knocking twice onto the door. "Sunshine? You in there?"
He heard a feminine gasp from inside, though it didn't sound all that much like Rapunzel's. But his protective instincts kicked in regardless, and he pushed the door open, seeing that one of the younger servants, a girl he recalled to be named Faith, leaning forward to pick up some blank, different sized painting boards that were splattered all over the ground.
He ran up to her, "Hey, you need a hand?"
Faith, someone who he's never really had the chance to talk to before, blushed slightly. She nodded, not meeting his eyes, "If it's not a bother to you, sir."
Eugene bent over, picking up some of the larger boards, "You don't know how many times the Princess has dropped these. They're... surprisingly sturdy," he chuckled. Faith silently giggled ever so slightly, before grabbing the boards right out of his hands. She walked over to the side where a depleted stack of them sat alone, and she very gently put them down.
Eugene lifted a hand to his neck, rubbing it, "Hey, you wouldn't know if the Princess has been around here recently?"
Faith turned back to him, her posture picture perfect. "Not that I've seen, sir. I've been bringing her new boards in for the past fifteen minutes."
Pascal whimpered ever so slightly, and Eugene's look of neutrality quickly turned into something concerned. "Okay... uh, if you do see her, I'd appreciate it if you could let me know. I... uh, I've been needing to talk to her and she wasn't in our room when I woke."
Faith curtsied, then resuming in her walk towards the door. "I'll be sure to let the others know of your request, as well," she said softly. "Once again, sir, thank you for the help."
"You're... you're welcome, Faith." Faith had turned back to the door, but she stopped in her movements, eyes widening when he called her by that name. But she then quickly cleared her throat and exited the room hastily.
When she was gone, Eugene's shoulders sulked. Pascal, who had chosen to turn the color blue to show his emotional state, chirped something, announcing his growing concerns and now fear that something was terribly wrong. "Yeah, I'm feeling it too, bud," Eugene sighed, "I... I just hope she's alright. You don't think she'd run off somewhere?" Pascal curled up into a half ball, "I feel ya, pal. I feel ya.
Slightly more fearful now that something had happened, Eugene took off into a half-walk half-jog into the hall. He was heading back in the direction of the royal hallway where his and Rapunzel's room was, going back to check up one final time to see if she had come back before he really began his intensive search. He also knew that the time for breakfast was nearing; they had talked about this, him and the royal family, the day before. They were to eat breakfast outside on the terrace with everyone: him, Rapunzel, the monarchs, the visiting monarchs from Dresonia, Rapunzel's aunt Willow, and Leonard and his girls.
Speaking of Leonard and his girls, as Eugene neared his bedroom door, he saw out of the corner of his eye the open door to his old room. He moved past it, but immediately drew back, watching in slight curiosity as the sound of a sink being run filled his ears, and the sight of Kiera and Catalina wrestling with one another on Leonard's bed filled his sight. The two girls hadn't noticed him until their father called to them from the bathroom.
"Girls! What did I tell you about jumping on my bed?" Kiera and Catalina both stopped mid-motion, eyes widened in a state of panic. "I know you hate those dresses,-" Eugene could see now that Catalina was wearing a little green dress, while Kiera had a red one on, "-but it's only for a few more hours until we get you back into your normal clothes. Please, please just bare with me on this." Kiera pushed Catalina off her stomach, crossing her arms and pouting something inaudible.
Catalina's eyes, though, jumped as she looked into the open door and saw him and Pascal standing there. Eugene waved an awkward hand at her, watching as she then grabbed Kiera's arm. They both then stared at him with widened smiles.
"Eugene! Eugene the fiend!" Kiera called, waving a hand for him to come in.
Eugene walked ever so hesitantly into the room, managing a slight smile. "Hey girls; Angry, Red,-" they both smiled in reminiscence to those nicknames, "-how are you? You ready for the ceremony?"
Catalina smiled and nodded her head. "Yes-"
"Yeah-," Kiera interrupted, falling back onto the bed, "-we've both been alright, but I personally can't wait until I can get this stupid thing off and slip back into my regular clothes." She gestured her hands to her skirt.
Eugene chuckled, "Yeah, dresses and skirts aren't really your cup of tea, I see." He looked to Catalina, whose shoulders were shrugged in angst. She was looking off to the side and biting her lip, and he approached her, sitting nearby on the bed. "How about you, Cat? You like dressing up?" he asked quietly.
Catalina lifted her head, watching out of the corner of her eye as Kiera jumped off the bed and approached the closed bathroom door. She whispered, "Honestly, I... I might a little bit." She smiled guiltily, blushing.
Eugene followed her eyes, watching and hearing now as Kiera banged on the door. "I'll keep your secret," he said in acknowledgement, smiling back.
"Daaad, you've been in there for twenty minutes!" Kiera whined, banging harder on the door.
"Gah!" Something small being dropped could be heard over the faint sound of running water, and a consequential groan came from the inside. "Kiera, honey. Dad's almost done shaving. Give him another minute." Kiera turned away, groaning all her way back to the bed, where she jumped back up and sprawled herself arms and legs spread wide.
Though, her eyes jumped with playful aspirations, looking at Eugene, who was now sitting, with Catalina to his side, back to her. He looked at her over his shoulder, "Hey, you wanna wrestle?"
Eugene tried to hold his straight face, but the seriousness in Kiera's face and eyes was enough to get him to snort. "Me? You? Wrestling? You do know who I am, right? I'm the Flynn Rider." He crossed his arms and struck a pose with closed eyes, "You wouldn't stand a chance."
Kiera grinned wickedly, sitting up. She jumped and stood on her kneecaps, opening her arms in a fierce bear-like manner. "Try me, Flynn."
Just then, the bathroom door opened, revealing a slight nicely dressed and clean-shaven Leonard Patterson. Eugene, Kiera, and Catalina's eyes all turned to him, and Leonard's own eyes jumped in surprise at Eugene's presence. "Eugene! I'm happy you've decided to be a dear old pal and come help me with the girls. What a guy you are!" He walked over to the closet and pulled out his signature coat with the Dresonian flag on the side of his chest, and he pulled it on.
"Uh, yeah," Eugene chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his neck. Kiera took the chance to hastily run her way into the bathroom, shutting its door dramatically. "I was just on a little stroll through the halls when I passed your room, so I decided to stop by. Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Leonard turned back to him, smiling genuinely. "No, you're fine. Heck, you're more than welcome to come by whenever, being that this is your old room, after all," he finished, chuckling. He turned his eyes to the slightly wrinkled dress on Catalina, and he sighed, walking towards and dropping on one knee. "Cat, dear," he said, straightening it for her, "I know you and your sister don't like these dresses, but they make you look nice and and proper. And Rapunzel's ceremony today is very important, so you have to look your best." His eyes were fixated on fixing the dress, and she looked up to Eugene guiltily when Leonard finished. He stepped back, looking at her with a warm smile, and she couldn't help but return the same gesture.
"Cat, you are such a beautiful young lady," he said, eyes glistening ever so slightly. Catalina smiled brightly and ran into his arms, and he held her close, "I will never be able to say it enough: I am proud of you and your sister for working with me on this. When we get back home, I promise I'll make it up to you. Though, I don't know with what yet, but how's the prospect sound?" Catalina backed away, looking up to him and silently nodding her head, when he nuzzled her closer. "I love you with all my heart, dearest," he cooed.
"I love you too, Dad," Cat murmured, her right cheek up against his stomach.
Just then, the bathroom door slammed open. Everyone's attention turned to where Kiera stood with a smile slowly dawning on her lips, and she then wasted not a second to run and catch her dad on the other side, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you, Dad," she said lovingly.
Pascal turned a darkened red, and both he and Eugene smiled warmly looking on at the scene.
But that was when Eugene remembered that he still had no idea where the woman he loved was, and an all-too familiar fear and concern came rushing in as he stood himself back up. Leonard and the girls looked at him, and he cleared his throat, "I'm sorry to interrupt the moment, but have any of you seen Rapunzel this morning?"
Leonard looked down to both his girls, whose smiles slowly faltered and dropped into slight frowns. He himself was frowning, too, as he looked back to his friend, "Not that I know of, no. Why?"
"Uh..." Eugene bit his lip and turned to the door, where he saw a few guards and servants hastily walk by. "I... uh, she wasn't with me when I woke up a short bit ago. And Pascal,-" he turned back to Leonard, gesturing to the now blue-colored little guy on his shoulder with an open palm, "-thinks she... might've disappeared in the middle of the night. And I thought he was crazy at first, but then I went into her art studio, a-k-a where she normally goes after getting dressed and ready in the morning, but she wasn't... she wasn't there either." His and Pascal's faces both dropped.
Leonard's voice quieted, and he stroked his now bare chin, "I... I see."
"Yeah,-" Eugene continued, his voice slightly worried, "-I don't know. I'm not usually a paranoid person, but if she actually disappeared in the middle of the night like Pascal says, and she hasn't... shown up since..." His voice faltered at the end.
Leonard extended a hand to his shoulder. "Eugene, I'm sure she's fine... but if you want, the three of us,-" he quickly glanced down to his daughters, who were staring up at Eugene with visible concern on their faces, "-are more than willing to help you. Breakfast is in about thirty minutes, right?" He looked back to the clock, seeing that the time read eight on the dot.
"Yeah... thirty minutes..." Eugene's voice again trailed off, and he stared at the clock, watching it tick.
Leonard's voice brought him back to reality, "That's plenty of time to go on a little excavation of our own. I'm sure she's around here, somewhere..." His voice grew quiet and quite serious, "But if it does turn out that something... that something happened,-" Eugene and Pascal both simultaneously bit their lips in fright, "-we'll have to alert my Aunt, Uncle and Cassandra's father before it gets too out of hand, of course."
"Yeah, yeah, obviously. Of course... but..." Eugene leaned closer, whispering, "I'd rather we keep this something more on the low until we... know for certain. I don't want to cause a huge panic only to find out she's decided to take Max out for an early morning run, or something like that."
Leonard nodded in understanding, "Yes, that's my preference, too. How about... how about this." He stepped away from his girls, and knelt on one knee in front of them. They both stayed silent and stared at him; even though they were still very much so kids, and immature ones at that, they understood when the situation called for serious attention. "Kiera, Cat... how about one of you comes with me, the other with Eugene, and for the next fifteen or twenty minutes we go for separate walks around the castle grounds seeing if we can find Rapunzel or get a clue on where her whereabouts may be. Does that sound alright?" Kiera and Catalina looked at one another, then turning back and nodding their heads. Leonard stood up straight. "Then it's settled. Who wants to go with-" Before he could even finish his thought, Catalina flung herself back at his body. "Well," he chuckled, "I suppose that decides things."
Eugene chuckled as well, despite the uneasiness he was feeling deep inside, "I guess it does."
"In Twenty-five minutes, we'll meet up back here and re-group. If... if we don't have any information about the whereabouts of my cousin,-" Leonard said, his voice slightly concerned, "-then we shall inform the King, Queen and Guard Captain." Eugene nodded in understanding, and with the plan set, all five friends made their way out into the hall going their separate ways.
Eugene, Pascal and Kiera went right, as Leonard and Catalina took to going to the left.
After saying a slight goodbye to Fidella, who was needed back in the horses' stables for roll-call (Max was exempt from this because he was deemed the Princesses' preferred horse), a blonde-haired Rapunzel and a normal, black-haired Cassandra made their way through the secret passageway, into the storage room, then finally back into Cassandra's room just down the hall. Maximus, who simply walked through the back entrance of the castle after glaring at Stan and Pete to let him in, was waiting for them inside.
"Okay... okay..." Rapunzel said, slightly panicked. She and Cassandra both were holding up large clumps of her hair, and Maximus closed the door behind them. Rapunzel then ran to Cassandra's weapons closet, "Cass... do you even have a pair of scissors!?"
"Raps, calm down," Cassandra laughed, dropping the hair onto the ground. She walked to the closet and reached in, pulling out an old-fashioned pair of scissors. Rapunzel stepped back towards the middle of the room. "So, what do you want me to do here? Maybe a bob,-" Cassandra fluffed her own hair, "-or how about some layers?"
Rapunzel stepped towards her, turning around in frantic movements, "I don't care! We can fix it later if it's messy. Just... cut it!"
"Alright, alright," Cassandra mumbled. She grabbed a length of Rapunzel's hair and lifted her scissors to it, getting them in the proper position... and then she clamped her fingers.
*CLANG*
The scissors shattered on impact, and Cassandra lifted them up close for inspection, opening and closing them as Maximus walked up to get an up-close look, too. "Uh... uh-oh." Maximus neighed in disbelief.
"Uh oh?" Rapunzel asked, scared. She looked at Cassandra out of the corner of her eye, "Whyyy 'uh-oh'? There shouldn't be a reason to go 'uh-oh'. You hold the scissors up to my hair, clamp your fingers together, and it should cut and turn brown! So why the 'uh-oh'!?" She turned around fully.
Cassandra silently extended out the broken scissors, and Rapunzel's eyes widened. "Wait... did my... did my hair do that?" Cassandra and Maximus both nodded silently, and she swallowed a massive lump in her throat. "Yeah, I see the 'uh-oh' now."
"Rapunzel, you told me Eugene cut it last time with a glass shard while on his death bed."
"Yes, yes," Rapunzel murmured, panic rising as she turned around and took a few steps away.
"Then... why are we having..." Cassandra lifted up the broken scissors again.
"I don't know!" Rapunzel yelped. Cassandra and Maximus' eyes widened in surprise, and she brought both hands to her face, blushing slightly. Looking at them, she said, "I don't know, maybe the scissors were just worn down? Try again with something else." Cassandra nodded, drawing a knife from her side. She took another long strand of Rapunzel's hair, and with a hard tug, she attempted to slice right through it. But to her concern, she was instead flung back from the sensation, her knife having seemingly been dented by the hair.
Rapunzel grabbed onto a few loose strands that fell in front of her face, her eyes widening. "Why isn't this cutting!?" she asked, her voice higher-pitched. "It's supposed to! Eugene cut it so easily last time!"
"I... I don't know..." Cassandra quietly admitted. Maximus looked at her with solemn eyes.
"Maybe... maybe it's because we're not trying hard enough." She turned to the closest where all sorts of sharp swords and objects hung, "How does a 'Plan B' sound?"
"Rapunzel, are you sure-"
"This hair has to be cut, Cass. No questions asked!" She grabbed a circular hardened ball she knew nothing about, and dropped it with a quiet shriek when sharp edges popped out from its interior.
Cassandra sighed, mumbling, "I don't get paid enough for this." Maximus held in a snort.
A small bit of time passed as Rapunzel, Cassandra and Maximus all made dubious attempts at cutting the recently returned 70 feet of blonde, golden hair. They started with the satchel of weapons on Maximus' saddle, and Cassandra opted to first grab a small knife with a large blade.
She lifted it up, looking at Rapunzel, who was kneeling on her knees next to a wooden table they dragged in to help with spreading the hair out on an even surface. "Cover your eyes, Raps," she warned. Rapunzel did so as asked, and taking a few dramatic steps towards, Cassandra raised the knife high. She threw it down onto the hair, only to feel and watch up close as it shattered on impact. Over the span of fifteen minutes, Cassandra tried out all different sorts of weapons ranging from maces, axes, and even small blades she could hold intertwined between her fingers.
Eventually, after finding no success with any of her numerous weapons, she decided to bring out the big guns. Maximus hauled in a rather large double-sided axe, and with a heave, she lifted it up nearby the wooden table that Rapunzel was still positioned at. And with a dramatic lifting of her arms from its handle, Cassandra watched as the axe fell down, breaking through the table with a loud *THUMP*. Rapunzel herself, and the whole room practically, jumped from the impact.
But much to everyone's dismay, the hair was still intact.
"Ugh, forget it," Cassandra said, exasperated. She picked up a clump of hair, Maximus looking on her left side. "It's just like those stupid, unbreakable rocks!"
"We can't forget it!" Rapunzel pleaded, jumping up and stepping towards her friend. "Today is my coronation, and tomorrow is my wedding!" She lifted both hands up and wrung some ends of the hair, "I can't be seen like this! And I'm not even ready to talk about the possibility that I can heal people with that song again!"
*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*
Rapunzel, Cassandra and Maximus all turned to the door. "Uhhh... Cassandra?" The voice was Leonard's, and it sounded a tad worried. "Are you in there?"
Cassandra moved towards the door after sighing in relief, for she was more than comfortable with someone like Leonard, whom of which she trusted. But it was Rapunzel who grabbed onto her arm. "No one can see me, not even Leonard!" she hissed.
"What?" Cassandra's brows furrowed in confusion. "Why?"
"Because, even though I trust him, what's to say he accidentally says something? If this gets out that I left Corona's borders without permission, almost getting us killed in the process, I'm done for!"
"Well...-" Cassandra shrugged, rubbing her arm, mumbling, "-it's more likely that I'm the one who's done for..." She stopped, frowning, "But Leonard's one of my closest friends, Raps, and he's your cousin. I've known him for the better portion of my whole life, too. He's a trustworthy and honorable man."
"I know, Leo's sincere, I know that, yes...-" Rapunzel's face fell, and she sighed, "-but the risk is too much. I... I can't let him see me like this, not willingly, at-least. Not him, not Eugene, not my parents, not anyone can see this,-" she grabbed a few strands. "Not until we... find a way to cut it..." Very glumly, she turned back to the broken table just off to the side.
"Cassandra! I heard some shuffling," Leonard called from the outside. "I'm sorry if this is a bad time, but it's kinda important we speak to you. It'll just take one second."
The 'we' part of his dialogue flew over both Cassandra and Rapunzel's head. The lady in waiting proceeded to frown, and she placed a hand on Rapunzel's shoulder. "Okay...-" she nodded her head, managing a smile, "-if it means that much, we'll keep it secret. For now, at-least."
"Cassandra?" Leonard called again. "Are you okay in there? I can hear you, you know."
Rapunzel smiled back, mouthing a quiet 'thank you'. Cassandra turned and intended to walk away, but she slipped and tripped over a piece of hair, grunting and hitting the ground hard.
From the outside, both Leonard and Catalina's eyes widened, having heard that sound full well. Catalina gasped in reaction, and Leonard instead yelled, "Cassandra!"
Cassandra quickly got herself back up, and with Rapunzel and Maximus' help, got to work on hiding the hair in all sorts of nooks and crannies in her room. Clumps of the golden fluff was thrown into her clothes closet-
"Cassandra!"
Under her bed-
"Cassandra!"
At one point, Maximus even grabbed a nearby rug and pulled it over a rather large pile of the stuff on the floor. "Cassandra! Speak to me! Are you breathing!?"
From the outside, Leonard stepped back. "Cat, stand back," he whispered. Catalina obeyed with frightened eyes, and he called louder this time, lifting up his right foot, "Stand back, Cassandra! Your ol' pal Leonard is here to save the day!" With a dramatic kick, the door to Cassandra's room flew open, and he ran inside. "Cassandra, are you okay-ay-ay-" His voice caught, eyes widening in instinct, mouth dropping as he finally saw...
"Holeeyyyy hair!" he gasped, stunned beyond beliefs.
Rapunzel, Cassandra, and Maximus were all standing right in the middle of the room with clumps of hair, their faces shocked and fearful. Maximus in particular had some hair in his mouth, which immediately dropped in coordination with his jaw dropping
Catalina walked up from behind, and her own eyes widened at the sight, but unlike her father, she smiled in awe. They both looked around and about the smaller room where seemingly miles upon miles of golden hair trailed across the walls, through Cassandra's closets, under her bed, under a rug, even in the rafters near the ceiling. After a few seconds, Leonard and Catalina's eyes both returned to the wearer of this long, luscious blonde-hair, and they both kept with their looks: Leonard's was of shock, while Catalina's was of excitement and awe.
"Uhhh," Rapunzel smiled and nervously laughed, lowering the bundle of hair she was holding from its spot in front of her mouth, "Surprise...?"
"Rapunzel?"
Eugene (with Pascal on his shoulder) and Kiera were walking through a section of the castle that was otherwise empty. He and his chosen teammate were looking into all different kinds of rooms, some Eugene didn't even know the castle had, even after living there for a year.
"Princess Rapunzel?" Kiera spoke up, raising her voice ever so slightly. Pascal whimpered in fear, and has been colored blue this whole time.
"What's this about the Princess, young one?" Eugene and Kiera jerked their heads to the side, where Nigel was approaching them steadfast.
Kiera opened her mouth, apparently forgetting that Rapunzel's disappearance was meant to be kept in the low for the time being. "The Princess, she's gone-" Eugene pulled her close with a hand wrapped over her mouth, as Nigel came to a halt right in front of them. The royal speaker and advisor quirked an eyebrow in his direction.
"The Princess, she's gone...-" his eyes lit up, "-crazy with art! Can you believe that girl woke me up at 5 A.M this morning to sketch my perfect, chiseled chin?" Eugene leaned his head forward, showing off the beauty that was his face. Nigel tilted his head in confusion. "She's really something else, isn't she? And I get to marry her tomorrow! Oh, I'm one lucky goose!" His voice wasn't sarcastic, but having to come up with words on the fly made it seem so. His grip on Kiera's face lightened, and the young girl looked up to him, barely holding in a laugh.
Nigel, though, shook his head, continuing on with his walk. "You are something else, Fitzherbert," he grumbled, "you are something else."
"Guilty as charged, thanks Nigel!"
"Oh, and before I forget." The advisor stopped and turned around, "Breakfast with the royals and the extended family will be held in twenty minutes out on the terrace in the backyard grounds. Your presence, being the Consort, is ever so required."
"Soon to be Consort," Eugene reminded him. "I'm still a free man for one more day, y'know."
"Yes, yes... soon to be Consort." With that, Nigel turned a corner, disappearing out of sight.
When gone, Kiera released all that she had been holding in, laughing hysterically. "Really? 'Chiseled chin'?" Pascal, who desperately needed a pick me up, found himself cackling at that one, too.
"Yeah, yeah, make fun of my chin all you want. Man, that Cassandra has really not been a good influence-" His voice caught, and eyes widened in realization.
Kiera and Pascal's laughs slowly died down, and the young girl looked up to him. "What?"
"I..." Eugene stroked his goatee, "I was just thinking... Cassandra is one of our closest friends, one of Rapunzel's closest friends... so, surely there's a chance if something happened, she'll know. Don't you think?" Kiera looked up to Pascal, who nodded his head in agreement, and then she did the same. "Okay! It's settled, then. Next stop... the dragon's den!" Kiera quirked an eyebrow at that, confused, and Eugene sighed. "I mean Cassandra's room."
Leonard blinked a few times, "Ah... uh-huh," he said, staring wide-eyed still. He lifted a hand up and scratched his head, not taking his eyes off Rapunzel for one given second. "Well... at-least we now know where you've been all morning..." He laughed nervously.
Rapunzel walked up to where he stood, and with one hand behind his back, she led him over to Cassandra's bed. Catalina just stood still in awe, watching as the long length of blonde-hair trailed across the room.
Leonard sighed dramatically as Rapunzel led him down, "Oooohhh, oh mama." He chuckled nervously, rubbing his face quickly, "Okay, okay... this is new. Wait, not new. Well, new for me, because I've never seen you with this hair before-" He stood and sat down very quickly, rushing through his words as Cassandra began to pile up the hair in the background. Catalina by now had walked over to Max, and was petting his lowered mane. "Not new, regardless, because you used to have this hair! Or so I heard, obviously. It was magic, right? What even is magic?" He was strutting and inspecting the hair while talking, and Rapunzel's nervous eyes followed his every movements. "Actually, you know what, you don't even have to tell me. I don't want to know; I'll just go ahead and say that the magical blonde hair that got you kidnapped as a baby grew back all of a sudden. I'm not going to ask how,-" he sat down in a separate chair, "-obviously you wouldn't have left earlier this morning trying to hide it from Eugene-" His eyes widened, "Hot damn, I can only imagine how he's going to react to this! It's still magic, though, right?" He looked over to the weapons closest, "Why all the weapons? Is there some kind of war!? Okay,-" he turned and walked back to Rapunzel, grabbing onto her shoulders, "-I won't ask how this hair of yours grew back, nor do I want to, but please tell me, how did it grow back?" He stepped away, waving his hands, "Wait, no, don't answer that. The important thing is that you're okay and well. You are well, right?" He had walked back over to the bed, sitting down, "I hope you're well; I mean, you're my family, and I don't know what I'd do if you weren't well. But as long as you are, I don't care what happened, yeah, it doesn't matter." His eyes widened, "I mean, I care, obviously I care but I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation that you'll share with me and everyone else once you're ready." He took a deep breath, standing up, and forcefully grabbing Rapunzel's shoulders this time. He pulled her close, shaking her, "But I really need to know, just how did this happen!?"
Maximus, Catalina, and Cassandra were all standing next to one another as Leonard's frantic breaths slowly calmed down, his eyes still locked onto that of Rapunzel's. "You done, Princey?" Cassandra asked, hands on her hips.
"Uh..." Leonard turned to her, his eyes still slightly widened. "I... I think so, yeah. But... wow,-" he looked at the hair, "-that is a lot of hair. Goodness gracious..." He walked backwards and plopped down onto the bed.
Rapunzel shrugged her shoulders and walked over to take the seat right next to him. She fiddled with a piece of her hair, smiling nervously, "Thank you for understanding, Leo."
"Oh, come on!" Leonard groaned, waving frantic hands, "Really? I thought that us being family meant we trusted each other, Rapunzel!"
"We do!" Rapunzel expressed, her voice then softening, "I do," she said sincerely, "I trust you, Leo. It's... it's just..."
"Fine, fine," Leonard said frantically, waving another hand, "you know what? I can't make you tell Cat and I what happened,-" Off to the side, Catalina was now riding Maximus, and she had somehow shaped a part of Rapunzel's hair into a little blonde tiara on-top her red hair, "-but you're very obviously hiding something from us, because it seems like a rather crazy concept that you just woke up in the middle of the night with all this grown back and neither Eugene or Pascal somehow noticed or felt it in their sleep."
Rapunzel's eyes slightly widened, "Eugene? What about Eugene?"
Leonard's face fell, "Rapunzel, he thinks you've gone missing. Apparently our little green friend, Pascal, woke up in the middle of the night and saw that you weren't there in bed. And when you weren't there when they woke up a few hours later..."
"Oh, oh my god," Rapunzel whispered, dropping her head into her palms. She groaned, "I didn't even take a second to think about how he and everyone else might react if we didn't come back in time. I was too focused on exploring and I never even thought about what what might happen!"
Cassandra's eyes widened, as did Maximus'. Leonard leaned forward, his brows furrowed in slight confusion, "'Come back in time'?"
Rapunzel stared wide-eyed at Cassandra, who nodded her head curtly as a way of telling her that there was no going back now. This was when Rapunzel sighed and turned back to her cousin, "Yes... oh, Leonard, I wouldn't expect you to understand, and I don't blame you because of how busy your life has been since adopting the girls. But... but a lot has happened in the course of these last few months. And-"
"Okay... okay. You don't have to go into detail, though this all sounds far too sketchy for my own liking." Leonard took hold of one of her hands, "But whatever happened, you... you shouldn't feel like you have no choice but to hide. Your parents, Eugene...-" his voice softened, "even me, all we care about is if you're okay. You don't have to hide whatever this is because you're afraid of getting in trouble." Cassandra, who was now standing next to the dangling Catalina and Maximus, smiled softly, being reminded ever so just why she was still so madly in love with this man.
But then came another knock at the door.
"Cass?" The voice was Eugene's, and in recognizing such, Rapunzel tightened her grip on Leonard's hand, her eyes widening.
"Uhhh... yeah, Fitzherbert?" Cassandra piped up. She looked over to Rapunzel, who silently stared at her in return, looking as if she had just seen a ghost. Maximus, who saw the fear in Rapunzel's eyes, ran over to the door, where he positioned himself back first against it on his two hind legs. Catalina was still riding him wearing the blonde tiara, and her own eyes were widened in shock.
A breath of relief could be heard from outside. "Oh, thank goodness you're here. Have you seen Rapunzel recently? I've been looking for her all over. She wasn't in our bedroom when I woke, and I went to her studio thinking she would be there, but it was empty, and now I'm..." his voice quieted, and he finished in a low whisper, "I'm beginning to worry that something might have happened."
"Okay..." Cassandra continued carefully, and Rapunzel slowly shook her head, "There's no need to worry. She's... actually in here with me right now." Rapunzel's head shake grew faster, "I'm helping her... get... dressed...?" Cassandra shrugged her shoulders up to her head, and Rapunzel dropped her head into her palms, groaning.
"She's with you? Is that so?" Eugene's voice was hopeful, and they could even hear a happy squeak, presumably coming from Pascal. "Sunshine? Are you there?" Eugene attempted to open the door from the outside, but found no avail, as Maximus still had his weight pushed up against. "Rapunzel?"
"Why did you do that!?" Rapunzel hissed, voice directed at Cassandra.
"What else was I supposed to do, Raps?" Cassandra sharply, but quietly, retorted. "You heard what Leonard said, you heard what Eugene just said out there. He's been worried sick looking for you! Was I just supposed to tell him I don't know where you are? He'll go running off to my Dad and tell him that I lost the princess, and then I'll be sent to a convent! A convent."
"Rapunzel? I..." Eugene's voice trailed off, and everyone in the room who could stared at the door, "I hate to act all needy, but I, uh... really need to talk to you... about some things. Important things." He paused, "Things that can't wait."
Rapunzel felt like crying now, with an insurmountable amount of guilt filling her to the brim. She rose from her spot on the bed and slowly walked to the door, her hair trailing along the worn down floor behind her. She looked up to Maximus and Catalina, who both had eyes of sympathy, and she took a deep breath.
"Yes... I'm here."
"Oh," Eugene sighed in relief, "thank goodness... oh, you don't know how good it feels to hear your voice again." Pascal squeaked in happiness, "I've been so worried sick. Sweetheart, tell me, are you okay? Are you hurt? Is there something wrong?"
"There's..." Rapunzel took a second to look back at her hair, "there's nothing wrong," she said quieter.
Eugene swallowed the lump in his throat. "Are you sure? I woke up this morning, alone in bed... I even went to your art studio, but you weren't there. You're sure everything is okay? You've never...-" his voice quieted, "-done this before..."
"Yes," she breathed, turning back to the door, "everything's okay, love. I'm safe... healthy...-" she giggled slightly, "-even breathing, if that counts."
He chuckled, "You don't know how relieved I am. Would you mind if I... if I come in? Just so I can see you, maybe even give you a hug and kiss?" Rapunzel felt herself growing warm at that thought, a soft smile grew through her lips. "What do ya say? Can your honey-bun accompany you to breakfast... which is in ten minutes." Rapunzel's smile faltered, "Wow, time really flew by, huh? It's 8:20 already."
Rapunzel jerked her head back, looking at Cassandra. "Don't tell me you forgot about breakfast with the family," her friend said, groaning and shaking her head.
"How's that my fault?" Rapunzel whined, "Do you see what I'm dealing with right now?" She pulled forward a few strands of her hair, "My mind's been kinda occupied with other things as of late!" She sighed and turned back to the door. "Eugene, I'm actually... busy right now, and I'm... not all that hungry."
There was a short silence. "You're sure? I mean..." his voice softened, "I get it if you're busy right now... really, I'm just relieved that you're okay. But... I do want to talk to you, and to see you, and to even hug you," he added again, chuckling. "Even if you're not hungry, can you come out to the terrace in ten minutes and do this one thing for me? Please?"
Rapunzel's eyes turned saddened, sympathetic. Not only did she feel guilty about pushing him out right now after he was justifiably worried about her disappearance, she also felt sorrowful. Because all Eugene wanted to do was see her again, to hold her, and that's all she wanted, too... she was glad that she finally got outside Corona's wall, she now realized, but that was ultimately something she wanted to experience with him there by her side.
"Okay..." she finally said, a smile breaking through, "if it means that much to you, I'll be there."
She knew he was smiling just from the way his voice reeked of joy. "It does. Thank you, Rapunzel." And with that, she heard the footsteps of him presumably walking away.
After a few seconds, Rapunzel turned around, groaning as she pulled and tugged on the hair in front of her face. "Breakfast in two minutes, the coronation in a few hours... my wedding tomorrow. If we can't cut this hair, how am I going to hide it?" Leonard had stood up from his seat on the bed by now, and was standing next to Cassandra. He and her both looked at Maximus, until Catalina, with the blonde tiara still donned on her head, caught their attention.
"I... might have an idea," Cassandra said, smiling slightly confident.
..