The cold atmosphere of Varian's dark basement chilled Rapunzel to the bone. Climbing down the ladder, she planted her feet on the icy ground and took a deep breath before turning to observe the scene. It wasn't much different from before, though there was enough evidence to confirm that Varian had visited here within the past month. She made an effort not to look directly at the great amber statue in the center of the cellar room, but there was just no avoiding it. Quirin's face was always the hardest to behold; how much longer would he wear the same expression, feel the same emotion, trapped in time? After all her travels, it seemed Varian's original idea was still the only option available: that amber needed to be destroyed.

Rapunzel knew of only one method that might be able to make a difference. She hadn't known it before, but now…maybe it would work. But how to avoid killing the good man inside? She placed her hands on her hips, debating to herself. "It's too risky," she muttered to herself. Pascal perked up on her shoulder, blinking questioningly. "You're fine," she told him, stroking his head with her finger. "I'm just thinking out loud."

A thud issued behind her as Shorty fell the last few rungs down the ladder. He rolled over onto his side and laid there, embracing the cold cellar floor. "It's not about the beans until the old cornmeal dries out," he mumbled with a bleary smile.

Shay carefully picked her way down and stepped cautiously around the old man. "Should I be concerned about him?" she asked the princess in a whisper.

"He's alright," Rapunzel flittered a hand. "I think he misses the other patrons he used to spend time with. Hopefully once Eugene gets back, we can get everyone back where they need to be."

Shay nodded once, her eyelids drooping. She said nothing as she set Killy down on the cellar floor, but Rapunzel noticed her gaze snap immediately towards the amber as she stood upright once more. "I had hoped after invoking the Seven Sisters, that they would tell me how to free him."

Rapunzel stepped with trepidation around the lab, settling herself down on a dusty stool. "Who are the Seven Sisters?" she asked.

Shay hummed an uncertain note. "Some say they were a group of mages, ancients from long ago. Others say they're spirits that sleep in the night sky, governing all magical knowledge. Most who've heard of them believe they are a demonic force, tied to the forsaken rites of blood magic and chaos. That's what I was told, at least."

Rapunzel shifted uneasily. "What made you so desperate to invoke them?" As Shay quietly recounted their battle with Matthews and the wicked phantom's attempts to trap them in their own minds, the princess' stomach lurched. "I know Matthews," she bit her lip. "He did the same to me." She shook her head helplessly. "I don't understand. Everything was complicated enough before. Now there's Celestials and Zhan Tiri and…and Cassandra's made everything worse." She fidgeted, restless. "I don't like sitting here doing nothing," she admitted out loud. "It's like being trapped in that tower again." She closed her eyes, trying to compose herself. She was disturbed by movement at her feet, and she looked to see Killy there, sniffing her toes. She glanced hesitantly up at Shay, as if to ask permission. The girl said nothing, but her expression was soft. Rapunzel picked up the hare and settled him in her lap, stroking his brown fur with a sigh. "At least I'm not alone," she reminded herself.

"Less alone even than that, your Highness."

Rapunzel's blood froze, her eyes flashing wide as she jolted off the stool. Killy was on the ground, sprinting to Shay's side. The girl rushed forward, placing herself between the princess and the disembodied voice that had spoken from behind the amber crystal. Shapes morphed into view from the other side, and the subtle golden glow illuminated a scarred, blinded eye as a familiar face strode slowly out into view.

"No," Rapunzel heard Shay breathe.

"Come now, child," the man spoke, his grey hair brushed out of his depthless gaze. His hands were empty, but it was difficult to see more from the shadows. "You know I'm not stupid. Of course, I'd give you the same credit. I knew when you returned, you'd arrive here, though I must say, I wasn't expecting you to bring new faces."

Rapunzel took Shay's shoulder and firmly pushed her aside; surprisingly, the girl didn't fight, too shocked to even flinch as the princess took the girl's place before the man. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The man placed a calloused, offended hand over his tarnished breastplate. "I'm wounded, little hawk. You haven't spoken of me to your new friends?"

"Shay," Rapunzel gave the girl a side glance. "Who is he?"

Rapunzel's question seemed to snap Shay out of her daze, and she blinked the fear from her eye. "Caius. He's my uncle," she answered honestly, her voice barely controlled. "A witch hunter. He wants to kill my mother with my father's sword."

"And I thought my pet elephant had issues," Shorty snorted from the bottom of the ladder.

Rapunzel blinked once. She focused on the man across the lab. "Is it true, what she says?"

"Every word," Caius answered.

Her back was bare, her hair gone, and as a consequence, Rapunzel felt very, very vulnerable. Shay's reaction to this man had made it very clear that he was dangerous, even though he wasn't armed. She had to think of something. "If you are a witch hunter," she said slowly, "then that means you serve my father, the king."

Caius suddenly looked tired. "If you're trying to appeal to my sense of honor, your Highness, I'm afraid I have very little to offer. My time as a witch hunter has been fulfilled. The witch who imprisoned you is dead, and you have been returned to your rightful place." He tapped his foot once on the ground, a muted sound. "In that regard, I couldn't be happier. My late brother would be happy to know you are safe and sound."

"You don't get to talk about him," Shay hissed. "Ever."

"Shay," Rapunzel reached for the girl's arm. "Go up to the ground floor, please."

"What?" Shay's face blanched. "What are you talking about? I'm not leaving you here with him!"

Rapunzel's grip was firm. "I need you to take Shorty and the others and go up to the house," she ordered quietly. "Do you understand?"

Pascal flicked his tongue, his eyes as appalled as Shay's.

Rapunzel took the chameleon from her shoulder and placed him in Shay's hands. "I won't be long, Pascal. I just want a nice, friendly chat."

"Princess," Shay begged with shuddering breath. "You cannot bargain with this man. Don't do this!"

Rapunzel turned to look at Caius. "I wish to talk with you," she told him. "Alone."

Caius gave a single nod.

"Trust me," Rapunzel said to Shay. "Go up to the house."

Shay's face was a mixture of fury and anguish. For a moment, Rapunzel wondered if she would disobey. Then she pursed her lips, then turned and walked towards ladder. She tugged Shorty to his feet and handed Pascal to him before picking up Killy and tucking him tightly under one arm. She spared the princess one last look of warning before ascending the ladder, her black hair fluttering as she opened the hatch into the air above.

Then Rapunzel was alone with the witch hunter and the frozen man.

"I have questions for you," she said.

"Naturally," Caius conceded, leaning his shoulder against the amber.

"I am your princess," Rapunzel spoke with as much authority as she could muster. "Will you answer me?"

"You are my princess," Caius folded his hands before him. "I will answer."

Rapunzel took a deep breath. "Your niece told me I would have to ask my father about the witch hunters. Who better to answer my questions than an actual witch hunter?"

Caius' eyebrows rose and fell. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised she hasn't enlightened you very much. Witches are very secretive."

"I know," Rapunzel agreed. "I was raised by one."

"True." Caius inhaled deeply through his nose "You trust me to tell the truth?"

"What reason do you have to lie to me?"

Caius chuckled. "You just told the one other person who can validate my claims to leave."

"I haven't known Shay for very long," Rapunzel admitted. "But it doesn't take a genius to tell she has very, very strong opinions about witch hunters."

Caius shook his head. "She has very strong opinions about me," he clarified. "Her father was a witch hunter too, you know, and she loved him very much."

Rapunzel cautiously took her seat on the stool once more, crossing her legs as she kept her back straight. "Let me guess," she said carefully. "You killed your brother because he married a witch?"

The sigh Caius made was palpable, as if he was less than a foot away. "You are asking me to speak of the worst day of my life," he mused. "If I must tell you, I wish to know why."

Rapunzel licked her lips. "I need to know if I can use you," she answered.

Caius donned a genuine expression, a look of pure surprise. "Use me?" he said. "How so?"

"If you are a witch hunter," Rapunzel explained, "does that mean you know how to find magic?"

A fire flickered in the back of Caius' good eye, brightening the cold ice that lingered there. "You want me to track someone for you," he concluded.

Rapunzel swallowed. "First, I want to know who you are," she insisted. "If I'm going to enlist you, I need to know you'll do the job without killing anyone."

"I have no wish to harm the innocent," Caius answered.

"Then why do you want to kill your sister-in-law?"

Caius sighed again, as if he had been awake for days. Perhaps he had been. "There were no witnesses," he began. "No one to vouch for my claim. The hawk believes I killed my brother in cold blood because that's what her mother believed."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"We were looking for you," Caius continued. "My brother found the witch suspected of taking you, but instead of bringing her into custody, she placed a spell on him. She seduced him, forcing him to stay with her, to protect her at all costs, to forsake his duties as Captain of the Guard and live a false, idyllic life in this place." He extended his arms out. "Old Corona, they call it. This was the first settlement, the first where the people gathered to anoint a king. But they gathered here of all places because of one thing. Magic. It was here that the witch could keep her hold on my brother, here that she could continue her wicked ways without scrutiny, without fear. And it was wrong.

"It had been nearly five years. Many other witch hunters had either given up or disappeared, most likely killed. I had searched relentlessly, doggedly to find you. Instead I found my brother: enthralled, adamant, unwilling to see how blind he'd become. 'We were wrong', he'd said, 'she's not the one', he'd said. Worse yet, he'd fathered a child with her, a little girl…" Caius paused, his expression becoming wistful. "I will never forget the day I first saw her. She was so small, so weak. She didn't deserve to be raised in a house of lies. If my brother wouldn't see the truth, then I was the only one who could open his eyes."

"So, you killed him?" Rapunzel exclaimed.

"He challenged me," Caius' arms were tight, muscles growing taut as he remembered. "I told him I didn't want to fight. I only wanted to bring the Crimson Caster to justice. I was a witch hunter, seemingly the only one left. It was my duty. It didn't matter if she wasn't the one who had taken you. She was the only one the king suspected, and she knew it. Every single person suspected of magic, every innocent who was brought in to be interrogated and tortured at your father's discretion was on her head. I demanded it. But my brother said I would have to go through him."

Rapunzel had tensed, her shoulders raised. "What happened?"

Caius reached up to his face, to tap the scar over his eye. "It's difficult to judge distance accurately when you have no depth perception," he said, his voice brittle. "These things are quick in the heat of the moment, but I've relived it so many times. I only meant to wing him, to strike his sword arm down. The blood was hot in my face, my grip too unsure. His footing was off, too shocked by my injury." His vision was dry, but his eyes were full of pain as he spoke. "He had no final words for me. Just relief as the enchantment was finally gone."

The lab grew quiet, still and unmoving. Rapunzel was almost afraid to breathe, to break the silence. This man had made his motivations very clear, though she wondered if she was the only one who realized his true reasoning. She inhaled slowly, calming herself. "Alright," she said in a low voice. "I'm convinced."

"No, you're not." Caius condescendingly shook his head. "The only thing you're convinced of is my hatred. The question is whether you'll trust me regardless."

"Then give me something else to go on. "Rapunzel squared her shoulders. "Your brother was dead," she said softly. "There was no one left to stop you. Why didn't you go kill the Crimson Caster then?"

Caius looked her in the eye. "Shay," he answered.

Rapunzel's lips parted. "What do you mean?"

"That girl will never understand," the witch hunter spoke. "She will never believe that in any capacity, in any way, shape, or form…that I could ever care about her."

"She doesn't seem to share the sentiment."

"And why should she?" Caius pointed out. "She may have magic, but her mother is far more powerful."

"Sometimes it's not about power," Rapunzel argued. "Sometimes it's just a matter of ambition." She blanched. "That came out wrong. Look, I'm not saying I think –" She sighed sharply. "I have no intention of allowing you to harm anyone, Caius. But if you help me, I will do everything in my power to bring your peace."

Caius actually chuckled. "Peace? My dear child, you just openly denied any peace I could possibly have. The peace you and I both need cannot be found within an open hand, but by a blade stained red."

Rapunzel's eyes narrowed. "I refuse to believe that," she hissed.

"Then the individual you wish me to hunt will succeed," Caius concluded.

An unexpected emotion began to rise in Rapunzel's chest: anger, biting and frigid. "Fine," she said, folding her arms. "So you're completely incapable of serving me otherwise?" She sniffed dismissively. "I expected more from the last witch hunter."

Caius blinked slowly. "Appealing to my pride won't work."

"Then what will?!" Rapunzel leapt off the stool, planting her feet hard on the cold cellar floor. "There has to be some sense of honor left in you, some fragment of sanity I can reach!"

For a moment, pity flashed across Caius' scarred face. Then it was gone, and the stony grey returned. "Tell me the name of the one you would have me hunt," he said.

"I'll tell you nothing if your intention is to kill." But as she said it, a different thought floated to the surface, ghosting her lips before she could stop it. "Though, with the power she has now, I doubt you could kill her if you tried."

"Oh?" Caius tilted his head. "Is that so?" He walked slowly forward, step by step, closing the distance until he stood less than three feet away. He looked down at Rapunzel's flushed face, hands slack at his sides. "Well then, princess. What do you have to lose?"

Rapunzel looked up at him, weighing her choice carefully. Then she opened her mouth and spoke the name.

"Cassandra."