Eugene had been expecting things to be weird during their trip to the Dark Kingdom. Rapunzel just seemed to attract trouble of the magical kind. He hadn't thought that the oddest things to happen during their trip would be nonmagical, and they would all happen within minutes of each other.
First, he had learned that he was apparently a prince of the Dark Kingdom, which he still had a hard time understanding. He'd been an orphan his whole life, and while he'd never really been okay with it, he'd gotten used to it. His normal was that he had to rely on himself. Finding out that his dad was alive and desperately wanted to be in his life, it was odd and difficult to wrap his head around.
Before Eugene had the chance to get used to suddenly having a dad, Varian was back in their lives, and it was alarming. Eugene had gotten so used to seeing the kid as a dangerous menace to society, someone who was too smart for his own good, but now he saw a fragile, starving kid that looked far too much like the other kids in the orphanage for Eugene to feel comfortable with it. He still thought that Varian could be dangerous, but he thought it was just as likely that the kid was in danger himself.
Eugene had been trying to adjust to the stuff with his dad and Varian, and seeing them in different ways than he'd gotten used to, when Cassandra had tried to steal the moonstone. Eugene had always had mixed feelings about Cassandra, but no matter how frustrated he was with her cold persona he hadn't doubted that she cared about Rapunzel. Her fury towards Rapunzel, and her attempt to steal the moonstone, felt uncharacteristic, and almost shocked Eugene more than the revelations about his dad and Varian did.
Eugene had never understood Cass, nor had he ever had much of an interest to understand her. Now though he wished he knew what was going on in her head. Where was this animosity coming from? There had to be more than just the petty greed of wanting something so that Rapunzel couldn't have it.
Eugene desperately wanted to be back with Rapunzel and Cass. He wanted to make sure that Rapunzel was coping well with all of these new changes, and that Cassandra didn't try anything new against her. However, he knew that he was needed more here. Cassandra may be more of an immediate threat to Rapunzel, but Varian was a potential threat to Corona, as well as himself, and that was even without the moonstone. Somebody needed to make sure things didn't get out of hand with the kid.
So despite his concern Eugene pushed Cassandra to the back of his mind, trusting that Adira would keep her in line. He focused on Varian, as well as any other potential issues that may come with going after the boy.
"Dad, what's the spear of Demanitus, why's it a bad thing that Hector has it, and who is Zhan Tiri?" Eugene asked. His dad had been acting odd and fiercely determined ever since Adira had mentioned the spear and Zhan Tiri. The king started them at a brisk pace to fetch his horse so they could catch up with the others, and they'd yet to slow down.
Eugene probably wouldn't think twice about the whole thing if his dad and Adira weren't so concerned about it. They both seemed to think that whatever was going on had made Hector a threat, and that was what worried Eugene. Varian was with Hector. If the wild man was dangerous, then the kid may need more help than Eugene had first thought.
His dad didn't stop, but he slowed a bit as he turned to look at him. "You don't know about Zhan Tiri? Adira says that he caused just as much trouble in Corona as the Dark Kingdom, if not more. Do you not even have legends about the demon sorcerer?"
"I've heard of Zhan Tiri," Eugene frowned slightly. "All I know is that he's this powerful wizard who used his magic to send a blizzard to destroy Corona a long time ago...and possibly again a few months ago."
"We've met a few of his disciples," Lance said. "A couple of creepy people who acted nice until they had us right where they wanted us."
"Matthews and Sugarby." Eugene nodded. "They were trying to revive Zhan Tiri."
King Edmund stiffened. "Well, their job may have been done for them. If Adira is correct, and I don't believe she would lie, then Zhan Tiri's power is already free, and Hector is his latest victim."
"Why would a demon sorcerer be bothering with him?" Eugene asked.
"I don't know," Edmund said with a small frown. "I suspect that it has to do with the spear of Demanitus. Long ago Demanitus used his spear and the combined powers of magic and alchemy to seal away Zhan Tiri's power. When Hector pulled out the spear he freed that power, and may have made himself vulnerable to the sorcerer's influence."
Eugene wanted to ask more about Zhan Tiri. The sorcerer sounded like a dangerous enemy. He'd already almost lost his friends to Zhan Tiri's followers, and he imagined that the sorcerer himself was even more dangerous. Eugene wanted to know exactly what they were dealing with.
However, as much as he needed to know about Zhan Tiri, there was something about what his dad had said that absolutely terrified him. "Hang on, did you say that Demanitus used the spear, magic, and alchemy to seal away Zhan Tiri?" His stomach twisted in panic. "And Hector has the spear?"
King Edmund gave him a concerned look. "What's wrong?"
"It might be nothing." Eugene said. A thought had slipped into his head. He didn't know how likely it was that his fear was correct, but it shook him down to the core nonetheless. "Varian's an alchemist, and now that he has the moonstone he has access to magic. Between him and Hector, they have everything that Demanitus used to seal away Zhan Tiri's power. Is it possible that they could use them to free Zhan Tiri completely, not just his power?"
King Edmund faltered a bit in his steps. He shot Eugene an alarmed look. "Hector would never free the demon."
"Well, he kinda already has," Lance pointed out. "He pulled out the spear, didn't he?"
"And if Zhan Tiri is half as manipulative and persuasive as his disciples are, then he might do it without even realizing it." Eugene said. Maybe Hector would be more wise to the manipulation, as he knew exactly who he was dealing with, but Eugene had met some pretty sneaky people before. One would be surprised how many ways there are to trick people who were expecting to be tricked in the first place.
Lance frowned, his eyes bright with worry. "What if Zhan Tiri isn't trying to use Varian and the spear to free himself? Maybe he has another way to free himself, and he's trying to make sure that nobody can seal him away again."
Eugene shuddered. He hated that idea even more than he hated the thought of Zhan Tiri using Varian to free himself. If Zhan Tiri saw the kid as a potential threat then he might think that the safest thing to do was to get rid of the kid.
Zhan Tiri's disciples had been dangerous enough when they'd just treated Eugene's friends like tools and collateral damage to achieve their goal. Eugene really didn't want to see what happened when Zhan Tiri actively tried to destroy somebody.
"We need to catch up to the others," Eugene said, finally understanding his father's urgency. This wasn't just about the moonstone anymore. They had a much more serious threat than an anxious fourteen year old child to worry about.
Eugene didn't know what they would do about Hector and Varian after they caught up to them, but they would figure it out once it happened. One step at a time.
Rapunzel tried to see the best in people, she really did. Her whole life she'd been told that people were dangerous and shouldn't be trusted. She'd been under the impression that everybody would be out to use and hurt her. Thanks to Eugene she was able to learn that people weren't as terrible as Mother had told her. She'd learned that scary people could actually be some of the nicest.
And then shortly after that she had learned that someone she loved and respected could have been the one to abuse her the whole time.
It hurt, and made Rapunzel a little afraid to let herself get close to people. Sometimes she just wanted to admire and appreciate people from a distance, where a potential betrayal wouldn't hurt as much. But then she would see Eugene smile at her, or see her parents' loving faces, and remember just why that risk was worth it.
The world was bright and wonderful, and the people in it were just as amazing, and Rapunzel didn't want to miss out on getting to know them, and getting to experience being loved and loving in return, just because she was afraid of being hurt.
Even after learning about Cassandra's betrayal Rapunzel was still cautiously optimistic. It was difficult to deny that Cass had tried to steal from the Dark Kingdom, and though Rapunzel knew she could be blind to how other people were feeling sometimes even she couldn't ignore the fury and near hatred in Cass' tone when she'd first defended her actions. Still, Cass was her friend, and even though Rapunzel knew first hand just how possible it was to be betrayed by those you trusted, she wasn't about to give up on her friend after one mistake. Cass deserved more effort than that.
Rapunzel helped to bind up the cut on Cass' shoulder. Her friend really wasn't happy about it, and neither did Adira, but she insisted. Rapunzel wanted to help Cass, even if the only thing she could help with right now was this cut. Besides, she knew that Adira probably wouldn't be as gentle as she was.
It took some time, and a lot of promises, but Rapunzel was able to convince Adira to not tie up Cass. She may have done something wrong, but that shouldn't mean that she was a prisoner. At the very least, Rapunzel argued, they should let Cassandra speak her mind and defend herself properly before they passed judgement on her.
Cass was more than happy to talk about what was bothering her, which seemed to be a lot. Every minute that Cass talked she got more and more worked up. It sounded like this had all been building up for a long time, and at first Rapunzel felt guilty and terrible. Her friend had been hurting all this time, and not only had she never noticed but she was also responsible for a lot of it.
Rapunzel listened as well as she knew how. Several times she wanted to interject, to try to make things right, but she forced herself to be silent. Cass had made it clear that one of her problems with Rapunzel was that she always tried to make things about her and how she could fix it.
Rapunzel didn't entirely understand why it was a bad thing that she wanted to fix a problem, but she still held her tongue, because that seemed to be what Cassandra needed right now. Instead of trying to fix the problem, Rapunzel dedicated even more of her energy into listening to what exactly the problem was. As she really started to pay attention Rapunzel began to feel more and more uneasy.
What Cassandra was saying was very familiar, or at least the way she was saying it was ringing all the warning bells in Rapunzel's head. She knew what was making her nervous, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. She told herself that she was just being paranoid. Cassandra was just airing her grievances, and that was her right. Cass was allowed to have a problem with the way that Rapunzel did things. That didn't make her a bad person, it just meant that they disagreed about things and needed to figure out how to deal with it.
But then Cassandra started talking about an old memory of hers that she'd just recently recalled. A memory of being abandoned by her mother, by Gothel, and suddenly Rapunzel couldn't ignore the warning bells screaming in her head anymore.
Cass was Gothel's daughter. She was related to the woman who had kidnapped Rapunzel and lied to her for her entire life. There wasn't exactly anything wrong with that. A part of Rapunzel was just the tiniest bit excited. She had seen Gothel as her mother for eighteen years, and Cassandra really was her daughter. Rapunzel had seen Cassandra as a sister figure for a while now, and now they knew that the two of them were connected. It felt like destiny.
If Rapunzel allowed herself to talk about it, she would immediately dive into that connection. She would talk about how similar they were. She would try to bond with Cassandra over the way that Gothel had hurt the both of them. Because Rapunzel was keeping herself quiet though Cassandra just kept talking, and now that Rapunzel knew about her relation to Gothel it was much more difficult to ignore the similarities in how they spoke.
"You act like you're so perfect all the time, but you're one of the most flawed people I've ever met." Cass said, her tone cold and almost emotionless, not at all like the passionate fire she usually had. "You're always acting like if things aren't done your way, then it's wrong."
"Really, dear, you must get over yourself." Mother had said when Rapunzel was young and crying because she wasn't allowed to go outside to play in the rain. "You always do this, acting up whenever I dare to say no to you."
Gothel had taken one of Rapunzel's rare tantrums and made her feel guilty about it, implying that she always acted up, when that just wasn't true. Gothel was the one who screamed and raged whenever Rapunzel had even thought about questioning her.
And while Rapunzel knew that she could get a little controlling sometimes, and that was something she was trying to work on, she didn't think she was so stubborn and prideful that she was unwilling to try something new and consider a new way of thinking. Rapunzel tried really hard to hear out and consider suggestions as much as she could.
Cass, on the other hand, didn't like to listen to others opinions. Not really. She didn't like Adira. Cass claimed she didn't trust her, but Adira had given them no reason to doubt her. She had done nothing but help her this whole time. Rapunzel knew that Cass just had a difficult time getting along with Adira because she was jealous of her. Cass was used to being the only true warrior that Rapunzel could consider to be on her side, and then a knight shows up who has much more experience and wisdom than her.
Rapunzel understands why Cass would be jealous of Adira, but that didn't make it right. It just made Cass hypocritical.
Rapunzel took a deep breath and tried to push back her unease. She was overreacting. She was making a big deal out of nothing. Cass was her friend. Knowing that she was Gothel's daughter shouldn't change that.
"And now you're just standing there," Cassandra sounded infuriated. "You have to be mad at me, but you're just sitting there, smiling and happy as ever. You know, it wouldn't be so easy for people to take advantage of you if you'd stop letting them walk all over you."
Wait a second, now Rapunzel was just confused. Why was Cass mad at her about this when she was the one who had just tried to betray her. Shouldn't Cass be happy that Rapunzel had trusted her, as that made it that much easier for her to get so close to the moonstone. And Rapunzel was only sitting here and listening to Cass because that was what she wanted. She had made it very clear that she wanted Rapunzel to listen to her more, and yet she was getting mad about it?
Rapunzel just wanted to make things right with Cassandra again. She wanted to be friends, close as they had ever been. Cass clearly had a problem with her, and Rapunzel was trying her best to understand what that problem was, but everything that Cass was saying was confusing and hurtful, and just made Rapunzel feel like she was back in the tower again.
Mother also used to tell her that she was too gullible, and yet she was the one taking advantage of that gullibility. Why had Rapunzel been scolded for something that Gothel should have been pleased with?
Rapunzel hated feeling like this, second guessing herself and feeling like no matter what she did she was doing something wrong.
Cass continued talking about...something. Rapunzel felt bad about it, but she started to block a lot of it out. She really didn't try to, it was the opposite of what she was trying to do, but in her mind she was right back in her tower, trapped, and her brain didn't know how to handle that. She shut down.
"-incess...princess!" Rapunzel jumped when she felt a gentle touch on her arm. She turned to see Adira looking at her in concern. It was the first time that evening that Adira had taken her gaze away from Cassandra. "Are you alright?"
"I-I…" Rapunzel was breathless. It was so odd. Breathing came completely naturally, and yet she felt like her body had forgotten how to do that simple task that came completely instinctively.
"Are you kidding me?" Cassandra snapped, and Rapunzel flinched. "Have you even been listening to a word I've been saying?"
"I-I can't." Rapunzel said quietly. She had tried to listen, but she couldn't focus. It wasn't her fault. She couldn't help it. It wasn't her fault!
"Of course you can't." Cassandra scoffed. "I don't know why I expected you to just for once let things not be about you. You're so selfish."
Rapunzel snapped.
"I'm not!" Rapunzel screamed. She curled in on herself and brought her hands up over her ears, gripping them tightly. She closed her eyes tight, feeling overwhelmed by everything. She wasn't trying to make things about her right now. She really was trying to listen to Cassandra and be a good friend. She hadn't chosen to shut down like this. Why would she ever choose this? She couldn't help it.
Was it still selfishness if she really wasn't trying to focus on herself? If it happened by accident? Cass sure seemed to think so, and mother...Gothel had been the same way.
Rapunzel would never forget the time when she was twelve and had gotten into so much trouble. She'd gotten sick and lost her voice. She was unable to sing to her mother. She certainly hadn't tried to get sick, and she would never intentionally lose her voice, but mother had been so furious with her. It had been terrifying. Rapunzel had felt like she was a horrible person, even though there had been nothing to be guilty about. It hadn't been her fault.
Rapunzel whined and curled her legs up to her chest. If she wasn't already sitting she knew she would have collapsed to the ground. She heard Cassandra continue talking, but her voice was suddenly cut off and muffled. There were some furious grunts, but a moment later they started to fade and soon everything was quiet. The only sound to be heard was Rapunzel's own soft sobs that she just couldn't contain.
It felt like an eternity before Rapunzel heard footsteps approaching her. She flinched and stiffened so much that it felt like her muscles were locked up. The footsteps came even closer before they paused right in front of her. She felt them kneel right in front of her.
"You're safe," Adira's voice cut through the silence. Her tone was much more quiet and comforting than she ever used towards them. Rapunzel had only heard Adira sound like that when she was trying to comfort and calm Moonstone...Varian.
"A-Adira," Rapunzel gasped.
"Don't worry about talking right now," Adira said. "Just listen to my voice. Do you think you can uncurl a little for me?" Rapunzel wasn't sure. Her body felt like it couldn't move at all. It was locked up, and moving didn't seem to be an option.
"Take your time," Adira said. "There's no rush."
"I-I want...want…" Talking seemed to be even harder than moving.
Adira moved closer. "Do you want me to help you?" Rapunzel nodded rapidly. Adira put her hands on Rapunzel's knees and slowly started to pull them out. Once Rapunzel started moving she felt like it was the key to the lock around her body. She could move.
Rapunzel's legs were sprawled out in front of her. She was able to sit up a little more and loosen her grip on her ears, though she was still holding onto them. Now that her body was more opened up Rapunzel felt like she could finally breathe. She took a deep breath. She took several more deep breaths before she could bring herself to open her eyes.
Adira was sitting right in front of her. She gave Rapunzel a small smile. "There you are. Are you feeling a little better?"
Rapunzel nodded. She still felt far too vulnerable, but she no longer felt like she was no longer mentally stuck in the tower.
"Can you tell me where your mind took you? Or is talking still too difficult right now?" Adira asked.
"I-I can." Rapunzel said. It was still difficult to get the words out, but it didn't feel impossible. "My tower." Rapunzel felt like she should say more than that, explain it a bit, but Adira nodded in understanding. In her learning about the sundrop she probably knew all about how Rapunzel had been kidnapped.
"Do you know if your mind took you there because you see it as a safe place where you can escape from the world?" Adira asked. "Or did your trauma trigger you into feeling like you were trapped there again?"
"The second one," Rapunzel said quickly. She had definitely not felt safe. "B-but I don't think that trauma is the right word."
"Well, I do." Adira said sternly, but not unkindly. "You've been through a lot, and one doesn't just get over it." Adira sighed, looking strangely distressed. "Trust me, I know what trauma looks like. I've seen it in Hector and Varian often enough."
Rapunzel gave Adira an alarmed look. "V-Varian has felt like this?" She was still afraid of just what the boy could do, but she was also concerned about him. Moonstone had just seemed so small and young. She had always known that Varian was smarter and more independent than most people his age, so she had unconsciously started to see him as older than he really was. She had seen him not as a child, but as a small adult. It was a little frightening to think about just how young he really was.
"He's felt similarly," Adira said. "I can't say it's the exact same, but it's the same basic concept. He's haunted by his past, just like you are."
Rapunzel slowly released her grip around her ears, only to hug her arms around herself. "How can I make it stop?"
"I don't know if you can," Adira said. "I think the best you can do is figure out how to cope with that trauma." Adira looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hector would probably be better at explaining this than I am. I only know what it's like from an outside perspective. Hector's the one who has been fighting these kinds of demons his whole life." Adira's face hardened. "Though he has a different kind of demon that he's dealing with now."
"Hector, he's the one with Varian," Rapunzel said, remembering the very brief introduction King Edmund had given when they'd first tried to talk about what should happen to the moonstone. Adira nodded. "Eugene's dad said that he wasn't acting like himself. Did Hector take Varian and hurt C-Cass because of his demons?" After all, Rapunzel had shut down, locked up, and felt like she had no control over herself. If this kind of thing could keep someone from doing something, could it make them do something too?
Adira looked pained for a moment. "There was certainly a demon involved, though not the kind you're thinking of." Adira sighed. "I'll explain everything soon enough, but not now. Short hair should know what is going on as well, and I don't think you should be near her again so soon."
Rapunzel jolted. "Cass!" She looked around frantically. "Where is she?"
"She's just in the other room," Adira said. "I gagged her and tied her up." Rapunzel opened her mouth to protest, but Adira held up a hand to silence her. "Don't worry, it's just temporary. I just needed to make sure that she couldn't cause trouble while I made sure you were okay." Rapunzel shrunk in on herself a bit again. Cassandra was tied up like a prisoner just because Rapunzel wasn't able to take care of herself. It was pathetic, and selfish, and-
"Stop that," Adira said. "It's not your fault."
"B-but I made it all about me again." Rapunzel tightened her self-embrace, digging her fingernails into her arms.
"You didn't do anything." Adira insisted. "It's not selfish to need assistance for something you can't help." Rapunzel shook her head. That didn't feel quite right. Adira raised an eyebrow at her. "Think about it this way. Imagine you have a friend whose hand cramps up painfully if they write for too long. If they had to write a long report, would it be selfish of them to ask for someone else to write it for them? Or to request more time to manage it more comfortably?"
"What? No, of course not." Rapunzel frowned. "But that's not the same thing."
"I assure you, it is." Adira said. "Mental health is just as important as physical health is. There's no shame in needing help."
Rapunzel didn't think that her moment of panic was nearly as serious as Adira said it was, but she was too tired to disagree, and a small part of her really appreciated the help. Rapunzel took a deep, shuddered breath. "O-okay."
Adira scooted closer to Rapunzel. "Do you want a hug?"
Rapunzel gave her a shocked look. "But you hate hugs."
"But you find them comforting." Adira said. "And right now I think you need the comfort more than I do."
Rapunzel felt like she should refuse. She knew that physical touch made Adira feel anxious. She shouldn't be putting herself through something that made her feel bad. However, Rapunzel really wanted a hug right now, and Adira was offering. It wasn't selfish to accept the embrace when it was being offered, was it?
Rapunzel slowly leaned towards Adira, who opened her arms and carefully enveloped her in her embrace. Despite Adira's dislike for hugs, she was really good at it. Rapunzel immediately found herself relaxing and melting into the hold.
Adira's hug felt like a mix between the hugs that Rapunzel would get from her dad and mom. Strong, but safe. Rapunzel felt like she was being protected from the world. She sighed, closed her eyes, and let herself be shielded, even if it was just for a few minutes.