Chapter 2


Rapunzel listens to the slow pace of her horse's hooves walking through the forest. The reigns are held loosely in her hands as she perches atop the saddle, rocking along with the horse's movements.

It's roughly been an hour since she'd been separated from Eugene, judging by the position of the sun.

She'd stayed in the general area for a while before realizing that she didn't necessarily want to be in the same place as those ruffians for much longer. And Eugene definitely won't want to, either.

She hopes they are gone by now, though. Or maybe they are still looking for him, but Rapunzel hasn't found a sign of anyone around here since then.

So, she ventures further outward and hopes that Eugene will do the same.

They still have a few hours until sundown. He's probably just lying low for now.

They've been separated before, but no more than a few hours, and he always found her in the end. He's always been good at tracking. Though, something about it still leaves her feeling slightly on edge.

She just hopes he's okay.

A twig snaps loudly from within the brush, startling Rapunzel.

She pulls gently on the reigns, the horse stopping in its tracks.

Rapunzel listens intently and stares into the bushes next to her where the noise had come from. She notices the leaves rustling for a moment, also realizing there is no wind in the air. There may have also been a shadow within the leaves, or maybe her mind is playing tricks on her.

It's probably just a deer, or some kind of animal. There are plenty of wildlife in this forest.

Or maybe it's Eugene, or those thugs from earlier coming to find her.

Just to be sure, Rapunzel swings her leg over the saddle and hops down off the horse, her eyes never leaving the brush.

She pats the horse's neck reassuringly, who shakes its head out.

Rapunzel quietly pulls out the sword from her hip, pacing forward in the direction of the noise. Her weapon is cautiously raised in front of her, but she doesn't speak, in case it isn't Eugene.

The brush doesn't move again as she approaches it. Then just as she tries to peer past it, Rapunzel jumps when a sword swings out directly in front of her, stopping just inches away from her neck.

She leans away from it, raises her chin, and holds her breath.

Her heart is pounding and she's too startled to focus on anything else except remembering how to breathe.

Rapunzel loosens the grip on the handle of her sword, yielding with her other hand.

However, when she notices the figure on the other end of the blade that's pointed across her chest, a wave of relief washes over her, and her body relaxes.

"Cass?"

Rapunzel recognizes the messy black hair immediately, and the stern murky green eyes currently glaring at her beneath heavy brows.

What she doesn't expect to see is the heavy metal armour and golden helmet she's wearing with Corona's emblem printed on the front, which almost caused Rapunzel to not recognize her.

For a while, Cassandra is frozen, remaining on guard as if she hasn't yet recognized the girl standing on the other side of her sword.

It isn't until she fully registers the voice she just heard that Cassandra's expression finally relaxes, and she slowly lowers her weapon, blinking in shock.

"Cass… it's me," says Rapunzel, taking a wary step toward her.

Once Cassandra realizes that this is, in fact, the girl that she thinks it is, a smile almost reaches her face.

She exhales and the corners of her mouth begin to lift, before dropping completely once she realizes the reality of the situation.

Her eyebrows fall over her eyes, as if she isn't believing what she's seeing. Somehow, she looks disappointed, or maybe it's just shock, or denial.

"Raps?"

Rapunzel's face lights up at the sound of her voice, and the nickname she hasn't heard anybody call her in two years.

"Oh my god, Cass! I'm so happy to see you!" Without thinking, Rapunzel practically leaps onto the other girl and pulls her into a tight embrace.

Taken aback, Cassandra only stands there in bewilderment, stumbling backward from the force of it.

Cass hasn't yet dropped her sword completely, her other arm stuck limply between their bodies, though Rapunzel is so happy she hasn't even noticed that she isn't being hugged back.

"What are you doing here?" Cass manages to say once Rapunzel lets her breathe again. Then she realizes that it's a stupid thing to ask. She just doesn't know what else to say.

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in Corona?" Rapunzel beams.

Cassandra had almost forgotten how giddy she can get.

"I'm… I'm on a mission," Cass tells her, her voice much calmer and monotone.

"A mission?" Rapunzel gasps, sheathing her own sword. "Does that mean you're a royal guard now? Cass, that's so exciting! Congratulations!"

"Yeah…" Cass chuckles unconvincingly, amused by how excited Rapunzel is right now and the fact that her voice is doing that thing where it gets all squeaky. "Thanks."

"I've missed you so much! I thought I'd never see you again," continues Rapunzel.

The last time they'd seen each other was the night that Rapunzel ran away. Cassandra had covered for her and Eugene as they snuck out of the castle in the dead of night, after saying their goodbyes.

That had been two years ago, though it feels like a lifetime. So much has changed since then.

"I missed you too," Cassandra grins weakly. She observes Rapunzel's new hair and outfit. "You look… different."

Cass has only ever seen her with her long, blonde hair that she's had all her life, though somehow the short brown suits her.

Rapunzel isn't wearing her usual princess gown either, but rather a pair of pants, boots, and the same hooded cloak she used to always have draped over her shoulders whenever she'd sneak out of the castle.

The various weapon holsters are also new for Rapunzel – the very same princess who would probably be murdered for looking like this back in Corona.

"Yeah. I know," Rapunzel shyly tucks a strand of her short hair behind her ear. She's so used to it now that she'd almost forgotten how different she looks. "It helps people not to recognize me. Do you like it?"

Rapunzel looks like an entirely different person. Cass may not have even recognized her if she wasn't recognized first. The only thing that looks the same about her is her green eyes and freckled nose.

"Somehow… it's very you," Cass decides.

"Thanks," Rapunzel blushes, completely agreeing.

Cassandra briefly peers around themselves, realizing Rapunzel is missing something. "Where's your goatee counterpart?"

"Oh, he's… around here somewhere," Rapunzel looks around too, albeit nervously, "We, uh… kinda got into some trouble earlier. But I'm not worried. He'll find me."

Cassandra only raises an eyebrow at that, not entirely happy or disappointed to learn that he's not here. For some reason, she's never been too fond of the guy. She supposes he can blame his reputation for that.

"So, what's this mission that you're on?" Rapunzel asks excitedly, also admiring Cass' new armor. She looks older too, more mature. "I can't believe you're finally a guard now!"

"Um…"

"Oh, I get it. It's top secret and I'm not allowed to know," realizes Rapunzel. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Rapunzel expects Cass to laugh, or shove her in the arm, or make a silly joke like they used to do when telling secrets as teenagers.

Instead, Cass pulls her shoulders back, lifts her chin, and hardens her expression.

Her tone remains emotionless and professional as she says, "Rapunzel… I'm to take you back to Corona right away."

Rapunzel blinks in surprise, her smile completely dropping. "What?"

"I came here looking for you. Well, not just me. The entire royal guard is on the hunt for you," explains Cassandra, entirely serious. "We've received word of your and Flynn's whereabouts in the area."

"Wh—hold on. You… you're here to capture me?"

"Well… no," Cass hesitates.

"That's exactly what you just said."

"Well, yes. Look, it's complicated, okay?"

Rapunzel crosses her arms, glaring pointedly at the other girl. "My father put you up to this, didn't he?"

"I don't have a choice. I'm a soldier now. It's my duty."

"You could have just not taken the job," Rapunzel points out, becoming frustrated.

"I couldn't!" Cass insists.

"Well, you're wasting your time because I am not going with you," Rapunzel turns away, stalking back toward her horse. "You're insane if you thought I would ever go back there."

Just when Rapunzel had been so excited to see her friend again, she realizes the real reason Cassandra is here is not because she missed her at all. It's because she wants to bring her back to the very same prison she had helped Rapunzel escape from, for whatever reason.

"Raps, listen," Cass follows her through the brush. "If I go against my word, I could lose everything. I've worked too hard to build myself up as a guard, I'm not going to let all of it go now."

Rapunzel whips around to face her, stopping next to her horse, "So, you're saying you'll trade me in for what? Honor?"

"That's not—"

"You know how miserable I was there," bursts Rapunzel, her voice raising. "You're the one who told me to leave. I thought you wanted me to escape!"

"I did!"

"This isn't like you, Cass," Rapunzel shakes her head in disappointment, her expression absolutely heartbroken.

For a moment, Cass looks guilty after hearing those words, like she wants to apologize and take it all back. Then her eyebrows crease together as her eyes glower, suddenly cold.

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, princess. But things are different now. I've moved on. I put my life on the line for you. Everything I ever did was for you! Now it's my turn to take control."

Rapunzel can't believe what she's hearing.

There's no chance Rapunzel is going with her. Cassandra can't make her. But it's the fact that Cass is trying to bring her back in the first place that hurts the most, when she is the one person in the entire world who should know how much Rapunzel just can't do that.

"You know, I really thought that out of all people, my best friend would never do something like this to me," says Rapunzel, "Especially after everything that happened."

This isn't the same Cassandra from the castle - the one who always made her feel better with her ridiculous dark humor and taught her how to swordfight. The one who told her everything, the one who wanted what's best for her, the same little girl who had grown up with her since they were toddlers.

Now, Cass has turned out just like everyone else – only caring about whatever reward comes with Rapunzel's capture. Princess or thief, everyone is after her. Including her best friend now, it seems.

"I wasn't aware we were still best friends," comments Cass bitterly.

"Well, maybe we're not anymore," decides Rapunzel. Her voice lowers as she says, "You've changed… Cass."

"Yeah…" Cassandra scoffs, not even bothering to argue anymore. "So have you."

"No," Rapunzel shakes her head. "I've always been like this. I'm just finally allowed to show it."

Cassandra doesn't know what to say to that. She rubs her own arm awkwardly as she looks away, her sword still held limply in her other hand. She looks guilty again.

Rapunzel sees it all in her eyes. Cass doesn't want to do this. She thinks she has to, but she doesn't. Rapunzel knows what that feels like all too well.

"You can't let them control you," says Rapunzel.

"Nobody is controlling me," Cass snaps.

"I know you're a good person, Cass," Rapunzel continues, hoping they can still come back from this somehow. "And I know that deep down a part of you really doesn't want to do this. You don't have to live in your father's shadow. Trust me, I know."

Cassandra doesn't respond.

They both know Rapunzel is right. She knows more than anyone that doing what others expect of you doesn't help anyone. Her father had made her feel the same way.

When Rapunzel speaks again, her voice is gentler, "So just tell me… what are you trying to prove?"

Cass finally looks up at her again, her eyes widening slightly and her lips parting. She thinks hard about that, struggling to find the answer.

Just as she's about to speak, Cassandra snaps her head around when deep voices begin to shout in the distance behind her.

"Cassandra!" One of them calls out.

Rapunzel thinks it sounds like the Captain of the Guard, though she isn't sure.

Cass faces Rapunzel again, panic on her face.

Rapunzel only stares back at her with wide, pleading eyes.

The question remains of whether Cassandra is going to give her up.

She can do it, right now. Nothing is stopping her from calling back to them, notifying them that Cass found her. Their missing princess is standing right here in front of her, free for the taking.

Rapunzel convinces herself that Cass might do just that. But she doesn't say anything, instead only waiting in anticipation for what Cass will do.

In the end, Cassandra begins to walk backwards as she tells Rapunzel in a quiet voice, "I have to go."

With that, she sheathes her sword and runs in the opposite direction without another word.

Rapunzel stares after her backside as she disappears through the woods, motionless and shocked.

The overlapping voices can still be heard in the distance.

Rapunzel stands there until they're completely gone.