Hope everyone is hanging in there!
I thought I'd end up letting out my stress through fic but that's turning out to be harder than I expected, but glad to be getting this out. Between the first chapter and this, I also foolishly started working on another fic... going to still try and finish this!
It's always like two paragraphs that twist me up and keep me from posting. As it goes.
Thank you to everyone who commented and left kudos, they completely make my day!
Stay safe out there, and take care 3
Chapter 2: Cassandra and Eugene
It was easier to keep time as Varian caught on to the steps and grew more confident, and Cassandra grew more comfortable, feeling more like herself. Not a traitor or a villain or a wounded creature, but Cassandra, truly. Whatever that might mean.
Eventually the song wove down and ended with a final trill of the pipe and shriek of the fiddle. The two stepped apart with faint laughter, mixed with the distant applause and cheers from the lantern-lit commons.
"You weren't half bad," Cassandra said with great fondness. On pure impulse, she swiftly bent her head low and kissed him on the cheek. "For old times' sake," she said, grinning.
"Ha, works for me," Varian said, rubbing his cheek and grinning right back, the warm childish look in his eyes. "And hey, if you ever need someone to listen or yell some sense into you, you know where to find me. Whatever happens, you're gonna make it through."
"Yeah," Casandra said, touched, and uncertain how much more of this heart-to-heart she could take all at once, but it helped. Certainly, it helped. "We both will."
A new voice interrupted from the darkness.
"You two look like you're having fun."
"Ah!" Both Cassandra and Varian jumped, scrambling apart and turning towards Rapunzel, who was walking up with a sly grin, Eugene close behind with his usual easy lope.
"Uh—princess!" Varian cried, far too loud; he looked both guilty and apparently trying to recall if he had something to be guilty for.
Cassandra straightened her back and held her breath, waiting. The word traitor echoed around her mind. But besides a quick smiling glance her way, Rapunzel didn't seem to pay her much mind.
"She's teaching you all wrong, you know," Rapunzel said to Varian, putting her hands to her hips.
"Hey!"
"You can't be so stiff!" Rapunzel said with mock exasperation, ignoring Cassandra's insulted scoff. She stepped close, hooking her arm around his, which had the effective side-effect of shaking him loose, instead of him standing and apparently trying not to breathe. "Dancing is all about having fun. Not to brag, but I'm something of a dance expert," Rapunzel said, her voice high and sweet with just a dash of childish arrogance. This time she ignored Eugene's teasing scoff—and Cassandra's. She was very good at ignoring them on occasion.
"Dance expert, huh?" Varian said, one eyebrow raised, grinning wide. Perhaps not quite doubtful, but close. Rapunzel decided to ignore that, too.
From over the general undertone of chatter from the crowd there came a rapping on the drum, an instrumental clearing of the throat, followed by a whine of strings and a full-hearted start to another tune in double-time.
"Ooh, I love this one!" Rapunzel cried, practically doing a shimmy in her excitement, before gripping Varian's arm once more and dragging him off. "Come on, I'll teach you!"
That left Eugene and Cassandra without their dance partners, while the music played on, humming through the air, quick and joyous.
They glanced at each other, then quickly away. There was a great deal unsaid between them. Perhaps not as much as the others, but it was there. They had never particularly been friends. Now they weren't enemies either, technically. So what were they?
"Sooo… wanna… ya know?" Eugene asked, faintly twirling his hand.
Cassandra rolled her eyes and bit back her usual kind of response when dealing with Eugene. But things had changed. A great deal had changed, and she was in no position to argue. She looked at his offered hand, and decided she had nothing else to lose.
They didn't bother keeping up with the cheerful music, or even really feinting to dance. They held hands, and they stood not too close, stepping back and forth a little but that was the extent of it. Awkwardness hung over them like a cloud of gnats.
"Quite a day, huh?" Eugene said eventually, as annoyingly upbeat as ever, even if there was a false edge to his voice. "You know, when I first got here I thought, eh, cute little town. Nice sea breeze. Roomy. Fancy jewelry in the castle, that's always a plus. But man, I did not expect it to be this exciting. Like, constantly. Or life-threatening. Or complicated."
Cassandra didn't answer, didn't interrupt. She let him talk and didn't really listen. He was wearing what should have belonged to her—the pendant marking the captain of the guard.
She tried not to think about that.
"Hey, Cass?"
She started up at that, the shift in his voice, lower and softer, like he was really speaking to her.
"Yes, Captain?" she said.
"Oh, don't give me that," he said peevishly, and she relaxed a touch. "It's weird when you say it."
Cassandra couldn't help but grin, and smoothly stepped and pulled, turning them about under the pretense of dancing, just to throw him off a bit.
"Sure, Cap," Cassandra said.
As they slowly turned, the little remaining light of sunset fell on his face, albeit muted by distant clouds.
Up close, he looked bad.
He had taken efforts to clean himself up, of course, fixing his hair and clothes, but he couldn't hide everything. One eye was half-closed, black and battered, and there was a shadow on his jaw that held promise of an ugly purple bruise, given time. And there, barely visible under his hairline, the edge of a bloodied cut on his temple. She wouldn't be surprised if there were more wounds, hidden.
Those were her fault, weren't they?
"So uh… how are you… holding up?" Eugene asked.
Cassandra stared, sure she was making a fine impersonation of Owl. It should be illegal for him to ask her that after the day they had. Or year, rather.
"I think I should be asking you that," she said instead, looking again at that blackened eye. She was tempted to reach out and touch it; she wondered how much it hurt.
"Me? Pff, I'm fine! Never better!"
The bruises spoke otherwise. But then, there were far worse kinds of pain than those of blood and bone. She knew that.
"Definitely probably better than the day I died, anyway," he continued, grinning at her with his usual devil-may-care attitude.
Their faces both fell at the same time. Oh god, they had that in common now. Death, resurrection, and parental abandonment. Great.
A small "Ow!" nearby caught their attention, and they looked over their entwined hands to the other nearby dancing couple. It seemed Varian had stepped on Rapunzel's toes.
"I'm surprised you and Raps aren't dancing the night away to celebrate your victory," Cassandra said, looking back at her partner. She had meant it to be genuine, but couldn't quite manage to keep the bite out.
His shoulders fell, just a little. "Victory, yeah. I mean, it's a good thing no one died—besides, you, of course. No offense."
Cassandra shrugged. "Eh."
Now that she was paying attention, she realized he had a slight limp, favoring his left leg. Cassandra changed the direction of their rather dismal pas de deux to make it easier. His hands shifted in hers. If this had been a real dance they would have been doing something more with their hands or their feet, but it was nice not having to think about it.
Again, Eugene glanced over to where Rapunzel was dancing with Varian, raising her knees high to avoid his boots and making them both look like clueless kids. Then he looked further beyond, at the city itself, at the broken ramparts, and sighed, low and hidden.
"It's hard to feel too happy. Blondie is still hurting pretty bad, I know, and the whole kingdom is still a mess. Plus, you have no idea how much running around I had to do today, even before the battle. And, well…" He shrugged, oddly discordant like his shoulders ached, or like there was some deeper pain that made him twitch. "There was uh… a thing with my dad…"
"Oh." She dropped her gaze. Right. The day had moved so fast and so strange, she had nearly forgotten about that little side plot.
She needed to apologize here, too… but for what? For hurting Rapunzel? For his own suffering? For setting his own father against him?
"But hey don't worry! He's fine. Probably a lot better than me, anyway," Eugene said, as if he meant to comfort her. And wasn't that just peachy. "And I don't know if you knew, but the Brotherhood aren't under that mind trap spell anymore."
"What?" She leaned back, squinting at him. How was that possible? How had she not felt it? Was it after she had lost the moonstone?
"Yep. I managed to find your mind trap, but things… kinda got complicated once we reached it."
"Hm. But you still broke it, in the end," Cassandra said, trying not to sound bitter.
"Actually, no." An odd edge came to his voice. Even the way he held himself seemed to shift, subtle though it was. His eyes fell into shadow. "It was my dad who did it. He, well, he…"
They stopped their turns; he stepped away, and she let him. Eugene slowly ran a hand along the back of his neck, a haunted look on his battered, shadowed face.
"He managed to fight the spell," Eugene said softly. His voice was dark, as were his eyes. There were echoes of demons there. Those were new.
The music had died away. The night fell silent around them but the sound of the breeze and the little night insects. She didn't know why he was telling her this. Didn't quite know what he was even saying, or what she should say in reply. She listened close, and she watched, and she wondered about these demons of his, hiding beneath his boyish charm.
"Rapunzel makes forgiveness look so easy," he said at last, his voice still low. Cassandra glanced over to her, as if on instinct, still with Varian on the same stretch of grass. Huh, they didn't seem to be doing much dancing either.
"She does, yeah," Cassandra murmured, turning back. She wanted to say, she shouldn't. But didn't Cass want to be forgiven? Did it even matter what she wanted?
"I figured that no matter what, she would forgive you, no matter how much you hurt her," Eugene said. "But that didn't mean I would."
Cassandra froze. In the growing darkness, her eyes caught the golden sunburst that gleamed against the deep blood red of his uniform.
"You shouldn't," she said, the words slipping out through clenched teeth as she forced her arms to her sides. Her heart was aching in her chest, suddenly dizzy with emotion, and she turned to leave, she didn't care where.
"Wait!"
Before she could take a second step Eugene's voice stopped her short, as well as his hand gripping hers once more, hard.
"Unless you have something else you need to say," she said fiercely, rounding on him and feeling brittle. "Leave me alone."
She didn't have a right to feel this fragile. She was the one who had caused all this pain. Eugene had been hurt because of her. Badly. Rapunzel and Varian and all the rest had been hurt. She was not the one with bruises running too deep to see. Or, at least, none that she hadn't caused from her own anger and hubris.
This was her own damn fault.
Eugene's grip around her loosened a moment, and then tightened.
"Actually, yeah, I do have one thing to say to you." He stepped closer, pulling her just a little. She dug her heels in, curling her wrist against the pain.
But still she faced him, chin up and shoulders back. It felt like bracing for a hit.
"What's that? Stay away from Rapunzel?" Cassandra said, her voice cold and level. "Stay away, or else?"
Hell, he should have a great more to say to her, she thought furiously. Maybe this was good. Maybe she was supposed to stay and bear it. Rapunzel might not shout at her, but he might.
"Don't hurt her again." His voice came out harsh and ragged, and he strengthened his grip on Cassandra's hand as he said it, hard enough to hurt. She might have taken it as a warning, if she hadn't been watching his face so closely, if she didn't see the pain in his eyes. The fear. It wasn't so much a warning, but a desperate plea.
She let out a sigh, the air chilled as it let loose from her chest. It might have been easier if he had hit her.
"I won't," she said, the brittleness sloughed away, leaving her only worn and soft-bodied. She had no intention of ever hurting Rapunzel again. His hand stayed around hers, but she didn't fight now. "I promise, I won't do that again. And…" She struggled, scrunching her face, fighting around her tight throat. This needed to be said.
"And I'm sorry, Eugene."
The words tasted flat, false. Apologies would never be enough. At last she pulled her arm back, holding herself close and absently pulling at a lock of hair, once again dark and dull. She would never be good at this. "For all of it. I… I know there's nothing I can ever say that will be enough."
He was quiet. His eyes studied her; she could feel them. It made her feel young and stupid, but not terribly so.
"She's already forgiven you," he said softly. "You know that."
Cassandra flinched her head to the side. No, she didn't know that. Or just didn't want to know. She hadn't earned forgiveness yet; perhaps she never would.
"Take care of her." As soon as she said it, she was startled how much it needed to be said. Rapunzel needed a protector. Not always, of course. In fact, protector might be the wrong word after how she had proved herself. But she needed an ally. A friend. Someone who had her back, and could be strong when she
Cassandra wouldn't be there to protect her anymore.
That realization, absurdly, hurt a very great deal.
"Take care of her," Cassandra said again, stronger this time. This was important. "She'll need you. She needs someone to protect her, to balance her out, to guide her..."
She won't have me there anymore.
Cassandra hated herself for that thought. As if she had any right.
"I will," Eugene said, as solemn as an oath. "You know I will, always."
Cassandra nodded. That was good. Besides, Rapunzel would be a lot safer without her around, anyway. Especially now the black rocks were gone, and the kingdom again at peace. Her good hand clutched at the coarse fabric of her tunic, twisting it about.
Once more her gaze fell to the starburst on his chest, before rising to meet his eyes. The outfit suited him, and not just for his looks. He had changed again. He stood tall, but easy. Like Varian he had grown. Matured. Or perhaps this had always been inside him, and it was only now Cassandra could see it.
"And I really had to admit it, but you'll be a great captain of the guard. And, as a parting gift…" She paused, deciding whether or not she would regret this. "I give you my halberd."
"Really?" Eugene lay a hand to his heart, giving her those eyes he normally reserves for Rapunzel or for getting out of trouble. Or for mocking her. "Your favorite battle ax? Aw, that's so sweet. I'll think of you every time I shave with it."
She pressed her lips together. "See, this is why we're not friends."
He let out a short laugh, which did her heart a world of good. Despite the ghosts and the bruises, he was doing okay. He was doing better.
Maybe they both were, little by little.
He clapped a hand to her shoulder, a move that felt oddly familiar. Like one soldier to another, or perhaps a friend. "Really, though, Cass. It's good to have the old you back. Or the new-new you."
Then, as if on instinct, he pulled her forward into an embrace, startling her. Her first instinct was to push him away; to defend herself as if from an attack. But his arms were strong and warm, and after a moment she allowed herself to relax, resting her chin on his shoulder.
He gave a good hug, the bastard.
"And so you know… I forgive you, too," he murmured.
She winced, but didn't pull back; instead, she held tighter. "You're an idiot," she said, her voice strained.
"Yeah. You've told me that before." He slowly sidestepped, never breaking their embrace, and she was grateful for the excuse to not let go. They must have looked absurd, she thought, dancing tight like young fools in love. She didn't mind so much. It was an easy silence that finally broke them apart as another song ended.
"You should talk to her," Eugene said, his head turned towards Rapunzel. The lantern light from the commons cast a soft glow into the sky, reflecting on them all.
"I know." Cassandra let out a breath as if she'd been holding it too long. "In a few minutes. Just… give me that." A few minutes. Or she wouldn't mind much longer. Maybe it could wait until morning. Or a year later. She was greatly weary, and wasn't sure she could handle much more of this emotional stuff.
"Oh? A few minutes dancing alone with me?" he said, waggling his eyebrows.
She groaned, her head rolling back. "Why do you have to be like this?"
"Payback."
"Hmm." Cassandra gave a slight lift of her shoulders. "Fair enough. Do you even know how to dance the rigadoun?"
He scoffed, cocking his hip and putting a hand to his chest. "I am offended you would even ask."
She felt a familiar crooked grin on her face as she took his offered hand, half-curtsying to match his mocking bow. "We'll see about that."
With that, they began to dance for real under the stars, stepping forward and back around each other, arms extended and out as they turned about, smiling sweetly and trying to step on each other's toes.