AN: Hi again! I haven't updated in a very long time and I'm very sorry. I lost any inspiration I had to write and also went through some writer's block, but I finished this chapter! I thought this was the perfect time to update it since it's New Dream Appreciation Week! I'm excited to write the next chapter because it's where Flynn and Rapunzel meet and talk, so hopefully, I'll update faster! I'm planning on making the chapters a little longer from now on, so it might take a bit more time to write them, but I will try to do it as fast as possible. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
TW: Mentions of abuse and anxiety/anxiety attacks
Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled
"Let me come with you," Cass said. She stood up and raced to Rapunzel's side, starting to fret. "You've never even been outside the palace! What if something happens to you? You could get lost, or kidnapped, or even worse!" she exclaimed, finally realizing the height of the situation. Cass set down her carved apple and dagger, frantically running her fingers through her hair.
"Cass, I'll be fine," Rapunzel responded. What's the worst that could happen?
"You don't know what the real world is like. It's filled with terrible people. You're the heir to the throne, which makes you very valuable,"
"I can't do that to you, Cass. If you got caught helping me escape, who knows what'll happen to you? At the very least, you'll get fired, and that's only if I can convince my parents not to lock you up," she told her. "Besides, I'm 20. It's about time I learned how to handle the real world. How can I rule this place if I've never seen it before?" Rapunzel said, in an effort to calm and comfort her best friend.
Cassandra seemed to ponder this for a bit, starting calming down. She stopped tugging and twisting her hair around her fingers. Her breathing began to slow down as the anxiety started to fade away.
Cass has had anxiety as long as Rapunzel had known her. Rapunzel remembered the first time she had seen one of Cassandra's anxiety attacks. It was about the time Cass had come to start working as Rapunzel's handmaiden. At the time, some villagers at Old Corona were having a dispute and it was getting quite violent. More and more upset and angry citizens were joining in. Cass's father, the Captain of the Guard, had been assigned to go lead a group of soldiers to go and try to make peace with the villagers.
Rapunzel remembered Cass had come up to her and started spilling all her worries about her father. She was worried that he would get hurt, or even worse, killed. Rapunzel had noticed Cass tapping her fingers against her legs, her breathing getting faster, and her body shaking. At first, it shocked Rapunzel that Cassandra would confide in her. Primitively, Rapunzel and Cass weren't quite fond of each other. Rapunzel was surprised to see that Cassandra wasn't the emotionless robot she'd portrayed herself to be.
She got over her shock fast though and was quick to comfort her new best friend. Soon, Cass had calmed down. Turns out, all she needed was for someone to listen. Rapunzel didn't know it at the time, but this was the start of their unbreakable bond.
This anxiety attack was one of her shorter ones. Usually, her's lasted longer and Cass easily hid them, which Rapunzel was not pleased with. However, the worse her worrying was, the harder time she had hiding them. Which meant Cass was very worried.
"Cass, are you okay now?" Rapunzel asked, worried about her best friend.
"I'm all right now, Raps. Thanks for asking," she responded, a small smile playing on her lips. She sat back down on her bed and picked up a glass of water from her nightstand. Cass pressed the glass against her lips and gulped that water down until the glass was empty. After setting it back down on her nightstand, she looked back up at Rapunzel.
"Cass, I'll be OK," she assured her friend. "Look, I'll even have Pascal with me. He'll protect me," Rapunzel told her, scooping Pascal out of her purse and placed him on her shoulder. He gave his best scary face, sticking out his tongue and turning red, but it ended up just being adorable. Cass, Rapunzel, and Pascal burst out laughing, forgetting their worries for a few seconds in a moment of much-needed relief.
It reminded her of old times when Rapunzel could just sit and laugh with Cass all day. Now though, they were older. Rapunzel was swarmed with all of her princess duties and Cass gets assigned much more things to do than when she was younger. Whenever one of them had free time, the other did not. Of course, since Cassandra was Rapunzel's handmaiden, they saw each other often, but it wasn't the same. They didn't get to hang out as friends. Sometimes, Rapunzel wished that she wasn't a princess and that Cass wasn't a handmaiden, but that they were just two ordinary best friends who spent time together and did things regular people did. Rapunzel wouldn't know. She was the Crown Princess of Corona, so how could she?
"Here, take this with you," Cass said, standing up and handing Rapunzel her dagger. "It'll keep you safe, and it's easy to use,"
"Oh, well I don't know how to use it," Rapunzel responded sheepishly, picking up the knife and turning it in her palm.
"I'll show you," Cass replied. She plucked the dagger out of Rapunzel's and launched it at her dummy. It pierced the dummy's heart and the dummy crippled to the floor. "See, easy. Just throw it or stab someone with it,". She handed the knife back to Rapunzel and sat back down.
"Thank you, Cass," Rapunzel said, taking a seat next to Cass. "I'm old enough to take care of myself now," she told her, assuring her one last time. "If anything happens, I'll be able to take care of it myself," Rapunzel said, holding up the knife. "I always do,"
Rapunzel watched as the sunset into the horizon through her window. She sat on the seat on her windowsill, gazing out onto the sunset. She had gone through her escape plan, of course, but she was starting to get nervous. Maybe Cass had been right, and the world was filled with terrible people. Maybe she was too naive, too innocent, to go out into the world.
No, she couldn't afford to think like this. This was her sister that was at stake here. Who would bring her back if she didn't?
Rapunzel was scared to admit it to herself, but she was honestly a little bit excited. Of course, she wanted to see her sister again, but the thought of leaving the palace excited her. For most of her life, Rapunzel was never allowed outside the palace beside the occasional visit to the village armed with 10 guards at the very least. Rapunzel was excited to be able to finally see the world for the first time. Not with a bunch of guards and max supervision, but just Rapunzel, by herself, with no one to tell her what to do or how to act.
But the thought of adventure scared her as much it excited her. Maybe her parents, as emotionally distant as they had been, were right to keep her under so much protection. After what has happened to Dahlia, who's to say that someone wouldn't kidnap her and hold her for ransom?
Her appearance wouldn't give anything away, seeing how no one outside servants who worked in the palace had seen her for years, but what if she did something to give it away? An outplaced curtsy or bow could get her taken or even worse.
But it was worth the risk. To bring back her sister and get her away from whatever horrible abuse Gothel was putting her through. To reunite her family again, and put her parents out of the buried grief they were in from having their daughter taken away from them.
She sat up and wandered over to her bag filled with everything she needed for her journey. Rapunzel picked it up and dug through it until she found what she was looking for. She took her necklace out of her bag, placed it on her palm, and looked at it. Corona's symbol hung on a thin, yet strong, chain. The crystals on it glinted as the sunlight from the setting sun hit it. It was fascinating. For some unknown reason, the necklace, especially the charm on it, intrigued her. Perhaps it was its long lineage, or maybe it was because the time that she was given it was the first time her mother had shown emotion in a very long time.
Rapunzel placed it back in her bag and closed the bag shut. Pascal had been resting for a while now, storing his energy for their long journey but he had awoken and scurried towards Rapunzel. She giggled as her close friend snuggled into his spot on her shoulders and fell right back asleep. This was the kind of love she felt towards her sister, the kind Rapunzel wanted to give her when she found her. The kind of love that makes you want to wrap someone in your arms and stay with them forever.
Night has fallen and Rapunzel was dressed to sneak out. She wore a simple purple dress and a black cloak over it to blend in and stay hidden. Cass had picked it out for her and she had loved it. When Cass had given it to Rapunzel, she couldn't help but give a little twirl. For years, she'd been forced to wear gigantic dresses with uncomfortable, poofy skirts and tight corsets that made her feel like she couldn't breathe. Wearing something simple, made her feel free, something Rapunzel hadn't felt in a long time.
Rapunzel had recited her plan in her head so many times that she could easily give a lengthy speech about it on the spot if she had to. She had already said goodbye to Cass and she'd put her in charge of everyone who worked at the castle. She had seemed excited to get to boss people around instead of being told what to do herself.
They'd also hugged and cried and laughed together, but not too loud so that the servants on the night shift wouldn't hear. Cass had still been worried about her, but she calmer than before. Hopefully, she wouldn't have any more anxiety attacks while Rapunzel was away. She hated when Cass had to go through these things alone.
Rapunzel had left a note on her desk for when someone discovered she was missing. In the note, she had explained that she was completely fine and that nothing had happened to her. It described how she had some unfinished business to attend to and to not send any guards after her. They probably still would, but it didn't hurt to try.
She rummaged through the items in her bag, making sure she had everything. Rapunzel felt as though she'd done this a million times today. Everything she needed was in there. The money, the journal, the map, some food and water, Cass's knife, and other stuff Rapunzel thought she may need. At last, she came across the necklace her mother gave her, the same one she'd pondered over only a few hours ago. Something about the necklace made her feel safe, like when she was 5 and her father would embrace her with his big, strong arms. This was, of course, before Dahlia's kidnapping, before her parents couldn't bear to talk to her. His arms had made her feel protected, like no evil in the world could reach her while she was in them. The necklace gave her the same feeling.
After a bit of hesitation, Rapunzel clasped the necklace around her neck. Wearing it made her feel… safe. Was this how her mother felt when she wore it? Protected and strong? Maybe it was foolish to think a meer necklace would keep her safe, but Rapunzel would take anything she could get.
She glanced at the silver necklace, the one identical to hers. It rested in an open box, the picture of Dahlia still peeping out. Rapunzel walked over to it and picked it up. She got the same feeling from it, the one of safety and power. It wasn't as strong though, perhaps because it didn't belong to her. Rapunzel put the necklace back in the box and placed the lid on top of it. She found a scarf in her closet, a souvenir from one of her Aunt Willow's foreign trips. Rapunzel wrapped the box with the scarf so it would stay protected and wouldn't break. She chuckled at the thought that the necklace was being wrapped by something that was gifted to her from its previous owner.
She slipped it into her bag, stuffing it underneath the rest of her belongings in feat to protect it. Maybe it was a bag idea to bring it with her when it was such a precious family heirloom, but she wanted to give it to her sister the moment she found and rescued her from the clutches of Rapunzel's former handmaiden.
Rapunzel worried about her sister's safety all the time. She remembered how Gothel used to treat her, all those horrible cuts and bruises, the ones she'd had to lie to her parents about. She could only imagine what Dahlia had to endure these long years, but she tried not to dwell on it for too long. It made her feel guilty for not figuring it out sooner or doing something to help her, which only slowed her down. She wouldn't risk anything that would slow down the process of finding Dahlia.
Rapunzel peered at the scar on her right arm, a painful reminder of the first time Gothel had physically hurt her. Gothel had already been having a rough day, so when Rapunzel had mumbled something to her, it pushed her over the top. She had always hated it when Rapunzel mumbled, but that day, it had been too much. Gothel plucked a candle off of Rapunzel's nightstand and hurled it at her head. She remembered letting out a little shriek and using her arms to cover her face. The candle hit her arm, burning it. Gothel had pretended to be sorry, making sure she was okay before leaving Rapunzel on her own to tend to her burn. She had taught that it was a one-time thing but after that, the abuse had never stopped.
For the longest time, she had thought it was all her fault. Perhaps if she hadn't done anything to upset Gothel that night, she wouldn't have hurled a candle at her, starting the long string of abuse. But after time, Rapunzel had realized that it was bound to start at some point. Everything she did seemed to anger her, so it was only a matter of time until Gothol started striking her. The rest of her scars from Gothel's abuse had faded away, but the burn mark persistently stayed, reminding her of all abuse she had been put through, abuse that her sister was now probably going through.
From time to time, she felt resentment towards her parents. She remembered how they'd ask about her cut and bruises. They used to think she was the clumsiest person in all the kingdom so they kept her under the close watch of Gothel. Of course, that just worsened it. Rapunzel hated how they didn't seem to find anything suspicious with their daughter getting new black eyes and slashes in her skin every day. She hated how they drifted away from her when Dahlia was kidnapped when she had needed them the most.
She didn't blame them, though. Gothel was great at deceiving others and managed to convince her parents that her bruises were from mere clumsiness when Rapunzel faltered in her lies. And as for drifting away from her, they were mourning. They had lost their child who wasn't even a day old.
Rapunzel walked over to her window, the one she had spent hours at for her most of her life, longing to go outside. She used to draw the village she could see on the horizon. When she was younger, she'd wonder what kind of people lived there. Rapunzel had hoped that she'd get to meet them someday, perhaps even make some friends. As she got older though, she had given up her childish hopes
But maybe now, her childhood dreams could be fulfilled. She definitely couldn't make it to Corona's east border by Lizon in one night. The castle was near Corona's west border which meant that she'd have to travel across the entire kingdom to the east one. Well, the longer the trip was, the more time she could stay outside the palace.
She pulled her hair out of the loose braid it was in and ran her fingers through it to untangle it. Rapunzel fastened the end around a column by her window and tugged to secure it. Most people's hair wouldn't be able to hold the weight of an entire person, but Rapunzel's hair was different. It was strong and sturdy and it didn't break easily. So instead of testing to see if her hair wouldn't break, she tested that the column wouldn't break. Rapunzel pulled on the end of her hair attached to the column as hard she could. Neither the hair nor the column broke. She grinned in satisfaction.
Rapunzel fashioned some sort of harness with a few pieces of her hair. She wrapped her hair around herself until she felt secure enough. Rapunzel caught a glance of herself in the mirror. She looked like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. It was almost enough to make her laugh, but she didn't so that the guards standing outside her door wouldn't realize that she was still awake.
She opened the latch on her window and a strong gust of wind pushed it open. Rapunzel jumped back at the sudden movement and cringed. The sound of the window opening had surely alerted the guards. She waited for them to come rushing in, but she breathed a sigh of relief when they didn't. Perhaps they didn't hear or were too occupied with something else to notice.
Rapunzel looked down and balled her hands into fists. It was a long drop, and if she made one wrong move, she would fall to her death. The height brought back painful memories, memories of her friend, Eugene. She remembered him falling to his death, out of the window in the room where her crown was kept. It was so stupid that she'd gotten so upset over it. His death was all her fault.
She blinked back her tears, the ones filled with guilt and pain. She felt so much guilt in her life, so she blocked it all out. She had managed to hurt everyone close to her in some way, besides Pascal. Letting that kind of guilt out would end up terribly, so she kept it hidden away at the bottom of her heart.
Pascal slept peacefully on her bed, with his tail wrapped around himself like a blanket. Rapunzel scooped him up and placed him in her bag. She watched as he got comfortable in between all the other stuff that was in her purse and she couldn't help but smile. It seemed like only yesterday when he was only a baby and she was only a small child. Rapunzel missed the days where she could play with Pascal without a worry in the world drifting around in her mind.
Rapunzel looked down again, preparing for what was about to come. With a deep breath in, she leaped out the window.
The air blasted in her face, but she didn't care. She felt free, freer than she had ever felt before. She slid down her hair, laughing at the thrill. The fall was frightening, but thrilling at the same time. Rapunzel's parents would have never allowed her to do anything even close as dangerous as this, but they weren't here now, were they?
At last, she reached the bottom, her legs hovering a few feet off the ground, taunting her with the taste of freedom. Rapunzel untangled herself from her self-made hair-harness and slowly stepped down. The soft grass welcomed her barren feet as she wiggled her toes in them. Rapunzel let out a delighted laugh as she spun around, taking in her surroundings. She realized that she had lost her shoes on the way down, but looking for them would be a setback in her plan. Rapunzel had to get to the village before dawn, and she could already sky starting to get brighter.
She quickly braided up her hair to keep it out of her face. Braiding hair fast was a skill Rapunzel had picked up when she was quite young. Rapunzel always had a packed schedule, so she'd have to get up early in the morning. She was always late no matter how early she had to wake up, so she'd braid her hair in the hallways while rushing to her tutor. Rapunzel's tutor always chided her for anything she did wrong and messy hair definitely made the list.
Rapunzel pulled the hood of her cloak up to hide her face. If any of the guards saw her, they wouldn't hesitate to usher her right back to her room. She was about to enter the stables when something caught her eye. Rapunzel could see the outline of a man through one of the castle windows. She was too far away from the window to see who he was, but she could see a satchel hanging from his side. Her curiosity got the best of her, so she crept closer, wondering what this strange man was doing. He looked around, making sure no one was there before reaching inside his satchel and pulling something out. Rapunzel squinted, trying to make out what this mysterious object was before realizing it. The object was her crown.
The man stuffed her crown back into his satchel and rushed off. She couldn't let him escape with her crown. Rapunzel considered calling for the guards, but she realized that in doing so, she would be taken back to her room and kept locked there with double security, seeing as how a thief was able to sneak into the caste so easily. She'd have no chance of being able to escape her room, let alone the castle. But if she went after him by herself, she'd have to delay her plan. By the looks of the sky, the sun was close to rising and she would have to get out of the castle grounds before dawn. She emitted a huff of annoyance because it looked like she'd have to deal with this irritating thief herself.
The closest entrance to the castle from where she last saw the man was the kitchen, which was also the direction he'd ran. If Rapunzel knew any better, she'd say he was planning on escaping from there. Hopefully, she'd get there before him.
Rapunzel ran as fast as her bare feet could carry her towards the kitchen servant's entrance. When she finally reached the door, she swung it open and clambered inside. She frantically looked around but the mysterious thief was nowhere in sight. Rapunzel breathed a sigh of relief before realizing that he would come clambering into the kitchen at any moment. Pascal climbed out of her bag, now awake from his deep slumber. He uttered a squeak of confusion, wondering why they were back in the palace.
"There's a thief in the castle. He took my crown and he's about to come into the kitchen at any moment and try to escape through that door," she explained, motioning to the door they had just come through. "I need to stop him somehow, but I can't find a weapon,"
Pascal scanned the room before pointing to a lone frying pan on the stove with his tail. "You want me to stop him with that?" she asked, bewildered at how a frying pan would help anything. Before he could answer, the thief came clambering into the kitchen. Without hesitation, she plucked the frying pan off the stove and swung as hard she could at the man's head. He crumpled to the floor as Rapunzel jumped back.
"Oh god, Pascal. Did I kill him?"
Thank you so much for reading this chapter! It means so much to me that people are actually reading and enjoying my story. Feel free to PM me with any questions you might have or anything else. Hopefully, you liked this chapter and I'm very excited to write more! :)