This is the story of how I met my wife.

Ugh, I can't believe I'm sharing this.

Then again, life tends to surprise you in a lot of ways. No matter how much you prepare for any scenario, life finds a way to turn all your plans upside down and make you feel like a complete fool. I've had my fair share of surprises, but none could compare to the time I saved the Lost Princess - Rapunzel.

Oh, you probably don't know who I am. My name is Cassandra. I was born to parents I never knew and adopted by the Captain of the Guards in Corona. Ever since I was six, I've been training with the Royal Guards in hopes that one day I could join them, maybe even succeed my father as Captain. I trained hard, learned as much as I could about castle procedure, collected as many weapons as I could get my hands on, and mapped out every corner of the kingdom. If I was going to join the Guard, I had to be the best. In spite of my father's insistence that I wasn't ready once I was old enough to try out, I kept training - even in secret if necessary. But truth be told, I had another reason to continue becoming the fiercest warrior in the seven kingdoms.

I was determined to find the Lost Princess.

You know the story, right? The sun drop flower, the queen falling ill, the kingdom searches for the flower and finds it, queen is cured, baby born with golden hair, baby gets kidnapped, no one knows where she went - don't ask me to fill in all the details. That story has been told enough times in this kingdom, anyone on the street can fill you in.

Besides, this is my story.

Look, I'm not saying the princess' story doesn't matter. It did. A lot.

When I was growing up, I heard her tale a thousand times, almost as often as the celebrations in Corona. I memorized every detail in that story and every work of art featuring the missing girl. Her golden blonde hair and emerald green eyes were seared into my brain. By the time I was a teenager, I realized that I wasn't content with waiting for the princess to come home. No one had any clue where she had gone. And so, I began searching on my own.

At first, my trips to the outskirts of Corona were little more than childish fantasy. I didn't know what to look for. But with time and experience, I learned how to notice little details and look for the bigger picture - which would become vital later on. It was my study of cartography that provided the real breakthrough. Once I was able to understand and read maps, I spent hours and hours charting every location in the kingdom. I started with the castle grounds, studying the rooms and passageways - even the ones hidden beneath the surface. I drew detailed maps of every inch of the town. I scoured the landscape and noted every forest, every creek, every interesting rock formation so I would always know exactly where I was. With each new map, I told myself it would ensure my place in the Guards; deep down, I hoped it would help me find the missing princess.

The journeys became longer as I ventured farther out, searching for any remote location that I hadn't noticed before. Luckily, I had two faithful companions: Fidella, one of the strongest and fastest horses in the kingdom; and my pet owl, whom I simply called Owl. I trusted them more than anyone besides perhaps my father. They were always willing to assist me in my efforts to track down the Lost Princess. In a way, they seemed to understand how much this meant to me. I told myself it was to help me get on the Guard. How could my father - or more importantly, the king and queen - deny my dream when I pulled off the greatest feat that no other adventurer or soldier had accomplished? It had been almost eighteen years since the princess went missing, and if no one had found her during that time, I would be the one.

Which brings me to what started off as a rather uneventful day. I skipped out on my morning duties as a handmaiden because if I had to wash one more load of laundry that week, I would shred each piece of clothing with the dagger I kept on my person at all times. Waking up before sunrise, I yawned and stretched before donning my tunic and tights, then slung my sword and scabbard over my shoulder before grabbing my satchel. Sneaking off to the stables, I found Fidella and dragged her out.

"Don't worry, girl, I promise I'll find you some apples."

Fidella whinnied happily. She was loyal through and through.

I saddled up and we rode out into town. In my satchel, I had a few maps and some pencils, plus a snack I grabbed from the kitchen. I didn't know how long I would be out today, so I was hoping to scrounge for food later; worst case scenario, I would just go back to town and buy some.

Once we got across the bridge connecting the kingdom to the mainland, I whistled. Owl descended with a hoot and landed on my arm. He always knew where to find me. Glad to have him along, I gave him a quick pat before letting him fly.

We rode off into the woods as the sun crept over the horizon. The morning air was cool and sweet. It was invigorating as we dashed through the trees. I was in no hurry, but I wished to get to this one place I had yet to chart on my maps. And it was a long way from the castle, so I was hoping to save time. Dashing through narrow trails and among boulders, Fidella managed to take me to the last spot I had mapped. I gave a swift kick urging her onward, and she responded with a neigh and a gallop.

A little farther and we finally came to a stop. I noticed an apple tree nearby and took Fidella over to it. Snatching a few juicy ones, I gave them to her as her just reward for being such a faithful steed. Whistling once more, I saw Owl swooping overhead. He flew down and perched on my arm.

"See if you can find anything interesting," I said.

Hooting once as if he understood, he took off and soared above the trees. I scanned my surroundings before taking out my maps, trying to remember which one I was working on today. Finding a smooth rock, I set the map down and looked over what I had marked. This place was definitely unfamiliar to me; I wasn't even sure I knew it existed. Something about this place seemed... odd. As if it wasn't meant to be found. Which renewed my spirit, because finding a place that some old cartographers had not charted before was quite an achievement in my book.

Map in hand, I began walking around to look for any notable landmarks. I must have spent just fifteen minutes pacing through the grove when Owl came soaring in hooting twice. Somebody was approaching.

I leapt behind a rock and waited. Sure enough, a cloaked figure appeared in the distance, hood covering their head. Whoever it was was carrying a basket, as if they were going to the market to buy food. I wondered if this person was lost, but thought better than to reveal myself. As far as I was concerned, my mapmaking trips were secret endeavors, and if this person happened to notice me - or worse, Fidella, a palace horse...

Oh no.

My heart skipped a beat as I turned my head toward the place I had left Fidella. The figure was heading in that direction. No no no!

A sound like crunching twigs made me almost jump out of my skin. It was Fidella; she must have come looking for me after getting her fill of apples. Turning back to where the stranger was, I didn't see anything. Thank goodness. They must have not heard Fidella approaching.

"Hey girl," I said shakily as I gently stroked her nose. "You really scared me there."

Fidella nuzzled me, and I couldn't help but smile. She was just looking out for me.

"Now, where did that person come from?" I asked. Turning to Owl, I gave him a look that he understood, and he flew off in the direction from which the person came. I followed with Fidella close behind. A loud hoot signaled that Owl had found something. Picking up the pace, I came to what looked like a rock covered in vines.

"Uh...?" I was so confused. Owl wasn't there, and this place looked like a dead end.

But a hoot seemed to echo from behind the vines. Reaching out, I realized they were concealing the entrance to a tunnel. I slipped inside with Fidella following, and we walked on until we reemerged in the daylight. I saw Owl fly past hooting, and as I followed his path, that's when I saw it.

A tower standing in the middle of a field, surrounded by high cliffs and a waterfall in the distance. "Whoever lives here must really value their privacy," I said to myself as I walked closer to the tower. One thing I noticed was that there was no staircase or ladder. How on earth was one supposed to get inside?

Good thing I never left the castle without my tools.

Checking the weapons kit I had attached to the saddle, I pulled out two daggers and looked back at the tower. It was a long way up, but I wasn't about to go looking for a secret staircase. Something told me if I did, the person living here would not be happy. So I braced myself and jammed a dagger into a crevice in the wall, then the other, and slowly climbed up the side of the tower. I tried not to look down as I inched ever higher, though my hands felt sweaty from the effort. Good thing I wore gloves.

Finally, I reached the top and grabbed hold of a ledge jutting out from the window. I scrambled up onto it and ducked inside, which looking back was not the wisest move...

Within seconds of me stumbling into the dimly-lit room, I felt a hard object collide with the back of my head before falling to the ground.