Note: Hi all. Sorry for the delay. We had a really hard time getting into a writing mood recently, so that's why it took a little while to get a new chapter out. But it's here now. Woohoo! We really just wrote this chapter to get back into the feel of things. Next time, it will be the chapter everyone has been looking forward to. You know the one. For now, we have to deal with the aftermath of Rapunzel and Cassandra's adventure into the Void. Thanks for sticking with this story everyone. We very much appreciate it. Enjoy.

Rapunzel was woken up in the dead of the night by an audible grunt. It took her a long moment to stir. The caravan wasn't as comfortable as her bed back in Corona, but over the past several months she had slowly grown more and more accustomed to her new sleeping conditions. It was stiffer than he preferred, and the caravan would constantly be flooded by bursts of cold air that caused her to double up on her blankets, and every slight movement caused the entire cabin to creak and groan—but she learned to call it home. She eventually learned to live with it, and every night she managed to drift off to sleep without much difficulty. It was better knowing that Pascal was next to her and Eugene was just next door. Sometimes, she could even hear him snoring through the walls.

This night, however, it wasn't either of them that woke her up.

"Nnggh…dammit…"

Rapunzel groggily lifted her head off the mattress. What time was it? She normally had a pretty good sense of time, but she wasn't usually so rudely awoken. She carefully rubbed her eyes and allowed them to adjust to the darkness. Another groan hit her ears. It was stifled, like it was trying to hide from her. It took Rapunzel another few seconds to get a full grasp of her surroundings. Pascal was sleeping on her chest, peaceful and undisturbed. She heard crickets outside the caravan walls. Her gaze drifted to the bed opposite hers. She saw a mass shift and roll beneath the blanket.

She felt something tug at her chest. It was Cassandra. Of course, it was Cassandra. Ever since a few days ago…

Rapunzel gently tucked her fingers beneath Pascal and carefully lifted him off her chest. She delicately placed him next to her so she could sit on the edge of her mattress.

"Cass? Are you okay?"

Cassandra immediately stopped moving. Her discomforting groans stopped, too. It was like Rapunzel had caught a kid stealing from the cookie jar. She furrowed her brow and leaned forward.

"Cass, I know you're awake."

Rapunzel waited a moment in the darkness for a response. Eventually, the older woman released the breath she had been holding in and rolled onto her back. Her hand rolled out from underneath the blanket and dangled off the bed. Rapunzel noticed that she was still wearing her glove. She hadn't taken it off since the incident. It might have been better that way. Rapunzel didn't know if she could stomach what was underneath.

"It's nothing" Cassandra murmured. "Go back to sleep."

"I heard you groaning."

"I said it's nothing," Cassandra said more firmly. "Don't worry about it."

Don't worry about it. Rapunzel would have laughed if it wasn't so tragic. It seemed like all Cassandra wanted to do was carry every one of her burdens by herself. It wasn't like she thought Rapunzel was innocent. The fact that her injury was Rapunzel's fault was something they were both very aware of. It was almost like Cassandra wanted to stretch out her guilt for as long as possible. Maybe she wanted to hurt her back. Rapunzel had to brush that idea aside. Cassandra would never intentionally try to hurt her. She just didn't know how to reach out for help. It was that stupid, stubborn pride that Rapunzel couldn't help but admire whenever Cassandra charged headfirst into battle, the arrogant swagger that let her battle every foe with a cocky smirk on her face even when death was right around every corner. It was her greatest strength; just right now, it was hurting her more than she ever knew.

Rapunzel carefully lifted herself off the, her hair flowing smoothly behind the tail of her nightgown as she tiptoed to the opposite side of the room. Cassandra rolled her eyes as Rapunzel knelt down beside her, propping her elbows up on the mattress. She felt Rapunzel examining her. How easy was it for her to see her trembling lips, see the pain that was etched across every corner of her face? Rapunzel wasn't one for keeping to herself. It was adorable when it wasn't such a pain in the ass.

"Have you been awake this entire time?"

"Really, we don't have to do this."

"I'm trying to help."

"I know, it's just…" Cassandra groaned and smacked her head back against her pillow. "Look, Raps, I'm just in a lot of pain right now, and I kind of just want to go to sleep."

Rapunzel pursed her lips and looked at Cassandra's gloved hand. Her fingers were slightly curled naturally coiling back into each other without any life flowing through them. Cass had been trying to put on a brave face for the past several days, but Rapunzel could see flashes of her agony while she trained, when she ate, whenever she steered the caravan and had to grip the reigns tightly. They were mostly buried beneath her frustration, but they were still visible to Rapunzel's ever-watchful eye.

"You know, you said you would try to be more open with me. Remember?"

Of course, Cassandra remembered. After that stupid memory wand incident, she had been trying to make her feelings clearer. But there was such a big difference between trying and succeeding, and the thought of blurting out her feelings still felt revolting.

"I…I know," Cassandra admitted shamefully. "And…it still stings a lot, okay? And it tends to get worse at nights, and I don't know why."

"Would it help if you took the glove off?" Rapunzel suggested. "Maybe your skin needs to breathe a little."

Cassandra scrunched her nose. "I'd really prefer to keep it on."

"Well, can I get you anything else then?"

"I'm good."

"Water."

"Totally good."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

Rapunzel bowed her head in silence. She was at a wall. Again. What was she supposed to do now? Apologize again? She knew it would only fall on deaf ears. Until Cass was ready to fully open up to her, there was almost no point in even trying to dig deeper. She couldn't help but reflect back on how open they used to be with each other before they left Corona. She felt like she could tell Cassandra anything, and she always assumed Cass felt the same even if she wasn't as outgoing about it. This was something different. She didn't think their relationship had gotten that bad, but there was something about Cassandra that was just fundamentally…off. As if more had died within the handmaiden than it appeared.

She dispelled those thoughts quickly. Ridiculous, she thought. Absolutely ridiculous. Cass would be fine. They would be fine. They would go through a rough patch and come out stronger. Whether it took a few more hours, or days, or heck, even weeks, they would fix this. They were best friends. That had to count for something, right?

Still, she couldn't just leave Cass alone completely. She was going to keep moaning and grunting all night at this rate, and they did need to head out early tomorrow. Rapunzel lovingly sighed and gently grabbed Cassandra's injured hand. It was pure instinct that guided her. She didn't think anything weird of it. Cass barely understood what she was doing until Rapunzel leaned forward and tenderly kissed the back of her hand, resting her lips against the glove for a few seconds before gingerly pulling away.

"There. That'll help."

She said it mostly as a joke. She may have been locked in a tower for most of her life, but she wasn't that naïve. Kisses did seem to have a magical way of making people feel better, but she was pretty sure that was just psychosomatic. That didn't explain the complete look of shock on Cassandra's face; her wide eyes staring directly at her as if she just grew a second head, her body freezing up and going rigid like a cadaver, and the gentle heartbeat that only seemed to get faster and faster with each passing second. If it wasn't so dark, Rapunzel might have even seen the blush on Cass's cheeks before the young handmaiden turned away from her and tucked herself back under the covers.

"G-Goodnight, Raps."

Rapunzel tilted her head, smiling awkwardly. "Um…goodnight. Try to relax, okay?"

Cassandra didn't respond. Rapunzel returned to her bed, yawning as she crawled back onto the mattress. Cass was acting weird, but she didn't really think anything of it. There were so many emotions going on that it was best not to question anything. In time, the memory of that night would fade entirely. But at the moment, Rapunzel just took one more look at her best friend before she closed her eyes.

Whatever was wrong, she was sure they would figure it out somehow.

Rapunzel stumbled the moment her bare feet touched the floor. She collapsed face-first into a field of grass, accidentally pulling Cassandra down with her. Her former handmaiden slid and slipped and rolled onto her back, splaying out her arms in exhaustion. Rapunzel gasped for breath, the urgency of her escape finally hitting her. The sun and the wind hit her, and her senses, dulled from the effects of the curse, became alive once again.

The grass was so soft , but she didn't feel any comfort. Her entire body was shaking. Her stomach turned in knots. All of her scars burned like acid was dripping down her skin. Though she was out of the Void, her feelings lingered. They kind of sickening, violent urges she never thought she would be able to feel. The pain she inflicted on it. Its screams still echoed inside of her head, loud and horrible. She may have liked it.

Rapunzel shook her head free from the evil. Even now, she still couldn't believe those kinds of ideas could resonate in her head. It was almost like something else had taken control of her, dancing her along puppet-like strings. She tried to resist the truth and deny it, but she didn't have the strength to lie to herself. Her desires were so clear it was like a ball of fire burning within her. She wanted it dead. If Cassandra hadn't stopped her, she would have finished it. Hell, if Cass hadn't intervened, she would have killed her as well. And yet, she hadn't cared. It wasn't even a big concern. It didn't matter that they were against something like the Void, so incorporeal and vague that it could barely count as being alive. She wanted to take the life of another living thing—and she felt pretty damn proud of it.

She heard Cassandra breathing hard next to her. That woman just saved her life again, and she did it all while barely being able to look at her. God only knew what kind of thoughts were going on inside that head of hers. Rapunzel didn't even want to think of it. She didn't need the reminder; thought it was too late to stop the visions of the two in bed from flashing in her mind.

Fortunately, she didn't have long to reflect on it. Something soft nuzzled her in the side. It rolled her over onto her back, and the sunlight blinded her. She groaned as its warmth touched her face and her eyes fluttered to adjust to the shadow standing over her. When her eyes adjusted, she saw Max hovering over her, looking down at her with a long pout. She managed to sigh at him.

"Hi, Max. I'm okay."

She was not okay.

Rapunzel rolled lazily back onto her stomach, taking a moment before she slowly pushed herself up to her feet. She carefully checked their surroundings. Fidella was nearby the portal, staring long and hard into the otherworldly gateway. Owl circled them overhead. Long grassy plains surrounded her, barely speckled with trees, a gentle, babbling brook off to her side. The sky was so clear that it didn't even seem real. God, her head felt light. Not just in the literal sense; losing all that hair took a lot of pressure off her shoulders. Everything seemed slightly tilted to the left, and the smallest movements of the stream kept her off-kilter. It wasn't just the river, either. When Cass tried to stand up, Rapunzel felt something gross rise in the back of her throat. She swallowed it back down and hesitantly approached her friend.

"Cass, are you—"

"I'm good," Cassandra said forcefully. She pushed herself upright before she was ready just to avoid Rapunzel's touch, and her foolishness caused her to collapse right back down to her knees.

"Whoa! Careful!" Rapunzel said. She lunged forward to catch her, kneeling down by her side to try to keep her steady. She felt something horrible ripping across her back, like a million tiny pinpricks poking through her skin. She did her best to ignore it and focus on Cassandra. The former handmaiden was trembling badly, her short breaths barely leaving her throat. She wore a look of shock that seemed to bleed deep into the muscles of her face. Rapunzel carefully grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to hold her still.

A brief vision flashed through her mind; their bare legs tangled in a writhing mess beneath silken sheets.

"Y-You need some water," Rapunzel said quickly, hoisting Cassandra up to guide her to the edge of the stream. Cassandra shuffled along with her, still seemingly caught in her trance. As they took their hurried steps to the river, Rapunzel quickly leaned back and glanced over her best friends for any injuries. The Void didn't seem to leave any marks on her, and thankfully, neither did the curse. Cass was standing within close proximity of her as she was unleashing its power. If she had been caught up in that again…if she had been injured again…

It didn't come to that. Thank God, it didn't come to that. But Cassandra was still shaking. Even when Rapunzel lowered her down by the river and Cassandra scooped up the water to splash into her face, her hands were shaking so badly that she could barely cup the water in her fingers. The Void had left its mark on her, far deeper than her flesh. Rapunzel had no idea how she was going to begin fixing that. She tried not to stress about it. Tried being the keyword. She didn't know who she was fooling. She could see the anguish written on Cass's face. It was like layers of stone, pressure building layer upon layer until it threatened to completely crush her. Cassandra still wouldn't look at her. Wasn't that something? After everything they did for each other, Cass was so weak she couldn't even look at her. A dark part of her bemoaned how pathetic that was. This was Cassandra, the woman who gladly faced all of her challenges head-on, reduced to a quivering mass who looked like she could burst into tears at any moment. She should be the one charging forward. Hell, Rapunzel was the cursed one here. Shouldn't Cassandra be comforting her?

Rapunzel's mind raced through every emotion in the span of a few seconds, and at the end, she found herself right where she was before: guilty, frustrated, lost, and above all else, tired. Her back was in a lot of pain. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of explicit lust and horrible bloodshed. She just…she just needed a moment. Both of them did.

She heard more footsteps behind her, followed by heavy pants and a desperate, thankful scream.

"Holy crap, we made it!"

Rapunzel glanced behind her. Adira bent over and rested her hands on her knees, while the Psychopomp threw herself onto the grass, bathing in the splendor of the sun. She grabbed onto her skull mask and tossed it off to the side, allowing herself to fully breathe in the fresh air. She closed her eyes, laughing with relief.

"That…oh God…that was the worst thing ever," she sighed. "We are never doing that again."

Adira growled. "Well, I'm glad you decided that now."

"Hey, I'll take your sarcasm," Delilah said flatly. "I just dove headfirst into the Void and lived to tell about it. That's a story the Elders are going to love."

Adira was less than amused with stories. She had lived through events that most people would consider legends. The Void was a surrealist nightmare, but she had seen worse. Hell, she didn't even think she could get disturbed anymore. She didn't get distracted by thoughts of her home Kingdom. She only had a singular focus: the safety of the Princess above all else. That was it. The Void was behind them. There was no point in dwindling on it. She was ready to move on. At least, she was until she actually saw the Princess—and she became gripped with fear.

"Dammit. Rapunzel!" Adira called out to her with a huff, storming across the grassy field. "Hey, Rapunzel!" She walked with a purpose. Rapunzel was busy rubbing Cassandra's shoulders as she washed her face, soothing her like she would a sick child. Adira couldn't comprehend it. Did she not even notice what was going on? Was she somehow so blinded by her devotion to the former conqueror that she let her own well-being falter? Adira hoped it wasn't the latter. Her feelings toward Cassandra hadn't softened in the past twenty-four hours. She tolerated the handmaiden's presence as long as she proved useful. But how much of the evil of the Void came from her own twisted mind? How much longer would it take before Cassandra's demons became too much for her to bear on her own? Rapunzel was already devoting precious time and attention to her at the cost of her own mental health. If she continued to be a distraction, then…

Adira snapped out of it. Focus. Rapunzel. Focus.

Rapunzel heard Adira's footsteps through the grass and called to her before she even turned around.

"Not now, Adira."

"Are you okay, Princess?" Adira asked. She sounded extremely concerned. Rapunzel didn't really understand why.

"I'm fine. Cass needs to sit for a moment.

"No offense to Short Hair, but we need to get moving," Adira said bluntly.

"Give us a minute," Rapunzel said more forcefully, but Adira curled her hands into fists and spat back at her.

"You don't have a minute. We need to get back on the road as fast as possible."

"What are you worried about?" Rapunzel asked, barely paying her any attention. Cassandra slid her hands down her face, the cold water rinsing through her pores. She was trying to breathe normally again, but that task was easier said than done. It didn't help that she kept recoiling from Rapunzel's touch as if it was a deadly poison. Rapunzel really didn't have the mental energy for Adira's paranoid concerns. "We're out of the Void. We're safe."

"Safe?" Adira scoffed. "Princess, take a look at yourself. Your curse is getting worse."

Worse? That was ridiculous. Rapunzel felt fine. Okay, maybe not fine. She was sore as hell as her back didn't feel great, but she had managed to escape the Void mostly unscathed. Did everyone seriously have to keep pushing her? It felt like they were dragging her from one catastrophe to the next. The one break she had gotten from all the chaos of the past week turned out to just be a trap designed to kill her. She could use an actual rest. What was so hard to get about that?

Unfortunately, that opinion wasn't shared by the others. At Adira's insistence, Cass finally leaned back and looked at Rapunzel. The sight was enough to knock her out of her stupor.

"Raps…oh, shit…"

Rapunzel didn't really get their concern. She looked down at her arms. They looked fine. Not fine fine, but the same as the previous day. She touched her face, and aside from the scar on her cheek, that seemed fine, too. Nothing was wrong with her chest, or her legs, and her back was—

Rapunzel ran her fingers across her shoulder blades, and she felt the deep ridges cutting into her body. They were everywhere.

Adira and Cassandra could see them more clearly. Their glow was so bright that they managed to burn through the fabric of Rapunzel's dress. A single massive scar ran precisely down the length of her spine, and from it a hundred tinier cracks spread out across her skin, spreading like the branches of a tree. Adira and Cass could only stare at it in shock. Did all of that come from the Incantation just now? How much damage had the Princess done to herself in order to free them from the Void's grasp?

Adira spoke carefully, yet still stern and determined. "Rapunzel, we've wasted enough time as it is. We need to get moving." She called to the assassin. "Delilah, how far are we from Madrid?"

Delilah sat up, unperturbed by Rapunzel's injury. "Eh, if I threw us out where I think we did, about fifty miles. A good sprint on horseback should do it."

"Then we should get this over with," Adira said. She reached forward so Rapunzel could take her hand. "Come on, Princess. Let's get that curse out of you."

Rapunzel saw Adira's hand approach, but instead of taking it, she swatted it away from her. The hunter's determination wasn't the only thing that was holding firm.

"What? No," Rapunzel countered. "We need the rest. All of us have been going for too long."

"Rapunzel, stop being stubborn."

"I am not being stubborn."

"Do you remember what the curse does to you?" Adira questioned her. "It affects your mind as much as your body. You've already let it affect your judgment before. You shouldn't—"

Adira leaned forward to grab her, but Rapunzel suddenly sprung up to her feet, challenging the older warrior directly.

"Do not question me, Adira," she said, jabbing a finger into Adira's chest. The painted woman was so surprised she took a few steps back as Rapunzel continued to stare her down. "We are tired. We are hungry, and we are hurt. We can set up camp for the night, but we all desperately need a break."

"Your Majesty, I am telling you this is a bad idea," Adira said, trying to assert her dominance but failing miserably. "We are close enough to the end now that we shouldn't stop. I get that you are frustrated but—"

"But nothing, Adira," Rapunzel stated. "Cassandra is not in the condition to travel. I'm not going to push her any more today."

Cassandra heard her name mentioned, meekly turning around. "Raps, you don't have to do this for me."

Rapunzel pursed her lips. Of course, she did. Cassandra looked like she was going to break at any second, and she was going to force herself to push forward because of her? That was absolutely ridiculous. It wasn't selflessness. It was reckless. Dangerous. She always had to endanger everyone…

"Cassandra, you need to take a break."

"Really, I'm…I'm fine," Cass insisted. She tried to put on a brave face as if she wasn't dying inside. Did she think Rapunzel wouldn't notice? Just because she didn't notice before didn't mean she was stupid now.

"No. You aren't," Rapunzel said. Her lips tightened into a sneer.

"I don't want you to risk your life for me."

Because she loved her. That didn't stop her from hurting her before…

"We are camping. That's final."

"Raps, come on—"

"Cassandra, shut up!"

And all at once, the dam burst.

Cassandra was forced into silence. Her eyes went wide as Rapunzel's fury burned a hole straight through her. She shrank beneath the Princess's gaze, unable to properly hold herself up anymore. Whatever illusion of strength she had vanished, destined to never return. Cassandra bowed her head in shame—and Rapunzel felt her anger give way to regret. She didn't even realize the horrified look the others were giving her, or that her nails were digging into her palms, or that the scars seemed to burn a little more against her flesh. Her sneer stayed on her face, but she doubted herself more as she looked back at Adira.

"We…we are going to stay here tonight. That's an order from your Princess. Is…is that understood, everyone?"

Silence. Nothing but shocked silence.

Eventually, Cassandra was the one to speak up.

"Yes, Your Highness. We'll stay."

Rapunzel thought heard Cassandra choke back tears, but she convinced herself that she was mistaken. Cassandra didn't cry about anything. She certainly never would have cried because of her. As if Rapunzel could do anything to hurt that woman. As if she'd ever want to…

She supposed it didn't matter. The others had gotten the point. They were going to take a break. Maybe then, Rapunzel could finally sort out her feelings. Hopefully, it would all make sense soon enough.