Angel: Last chapter before the new year! Hope everyone's ready for 2020!
Rapunzel gathers up some purple paint, smiling at Harmony and Varian. The boy is in the corner, surrounded by his chemicals while her sister is sitting right next to her. The older princess thought it would be fun to teach Harmony how to paint. By the looks of it, she's not that bad.
"I'm so glad that I get to teach you painting, Harmi," Rapunzel smiles at her, looking over her shoulder. "Hey, that's actually really good."
"Thanks. Ruddiger, just a few more seconds," She looks up at her inspiration. The raccoon is standing on a stool, standing on one foot as he's holding up a bowl of fruit.
"Fitzherbert!"
The shout from Cass causes both princesses to mess up their paintings, and Varian to knock over a chemical, resulting in the substance exploding in his face.
"Ugh...not again," Rapunzel complains, knowing exactly what was going on. Their two friends were fighting.
Again.
Every single time, it gives them no peace at all. And sometimes, the princess and the alchemist would get caught up in the middle of it, much to their discomfort. It's always Eugene doing something, or him disagreeing with Cass on everything.
Pascal covers his ears with his hands, Daisy hides herself underneath the bed out of annoyance, and Ruddiger gets two cotton balls, putting them into his ears.
"I don't know what you're so upset about. Oh wait. Know was the wrong choice of words." Rapunzel and Harmony place down the ruined paintings in a pile. Varian stands up with a small sigh, tossing the broken beaker into the pile of things that had exploded all because of their yelling. "I meant, I don't care what you're so upset about."
Rapunzel takes a deep breath, giving them a strained smile. "Hey guys. Everything okay? We couldn't help but overhear-"
"For the 13th time this week," Harmony deadpans as they watch the two butt heads.
"Not only did you take my halberd without asking, you got your disgusting hair all over it!" Cass shouts at the former thief.
"How DARE you! First of all, I did not touch your halberd. Second of all, what is a halberd?" She holds up her axe, frowning deeply at him. "Oh, oh, a halberd. Okay, fine. You got me. But check out this shave. Smooth as a baby's bottom."
"Try a monkey's," She narrows her eyes at him.
"Eugene..." Harmony mutters in disbelief, pinching her nose.
"Okay, okay," Rapunzel steps in between them. "Everyone, let's take a deep, calming, cleansing breath." She takes a breath, gesturing for the other two to do the same.
"She's right," Harmony takes a deep breath.
"There's no need to fight," Varian holds out his hands, looking between them.
"To be fair, I asked several times if I could use that thing."
"And I said no! Every time!" Cass elaborates, the three cringing.
"Which shouldn't matter, because we both know I don't listen to you."
"Eugene!" Harmony exclaims at him, slightly annoyed.
"Guys, come on. This is ridiculous," Rapunzel glances between the two.
"You two are supposed to be friends. You know, hangin' out like friends do," Varian looks up at them, a little uncomfortable with them fighting. Then again, it wasn't the first time he's witnessed it at the castle, but it was still a little unnerving. After all, Cass is pretty touchy when it comes to her weapons.
"Eugene, a halberd should only be handled by a skilled warrior, like Harmi."
"Me?!" Harmony gestures to herself in surprise.
"Hello! Skilled warrior! And Varian agrees with me, don't you, Varian?"
The boy's eyes widen as he glances at Harmony. They were doing it again; getting the two involved despite their protests.
"Uhh..."
"You forgot Flynn Rider has handled plenty of weapons!" Eugene spins around the halberd, breaking a vase into pieces. Harmony gasps sharply, hands on her cheeks.
"Ha!" Cass laughs at him while Rapunzel gives a look of horror. "Way to go, Eugene!"
"That-that's a faulty halberd right there," Eugene rubs the back of his neck.
"Let's not panic! I mean, it is...was our dad's favorite, irreplaceable, one of a kind most favorite vase but-"
"Hey, I have an idea, Eugene," Cass interrupts Rapunzel. "Why not just steal him another one? Oh, oh, wait, wait. You can't! This is a one of a kind vase!"
"Yeah, because Rapunzel just said that," Harmony points to her sister. "And Eugene is done with that li-"
"Of course you would pronounce it 'vahz' Cassandra," He mocks her.
"Yeah, yeah, vayze, vahz. Either way, it'll be the first thing the king sees when he sits down for tonight, or doesn't see."
"Are they really bickering over the word vase?" Varian whispers to Harmony.
"Welcome to our lives," She gestures to the two of them in dismay.
"You just love making me look like an idiot in front of the king, don't ya?" Eugene grits his teeth at her.
"No. You do a perfect job of that all on your own," Cass crosses her arms at him. The three sigh, walking away.
"Thank you...wait a minute!"
"I really should start doing my alchemy somewhere else..." Varian murmurs to himself.
Together, the trio clean up the mess of vase pieces. "I can't take it anymore, you guys," Rapunzel sweeps up the vase. "I mean, why can't Cass and Eugene just get along? They're both caring, supportive, very considerate people...who somehow got us to clean their mess."
Pascal shrugs at her. "Eugene might be your boyfriend, Rapunzel, but he easily annoys Cass," Harmony cringes at the thought.
"And Cass easily annoys him," Varian speaks up.
"I bet they would be great friends if they just stopped fighting long enough to spend some quality time together."
The four give her skeptical looks, saying nothing. They all knew that it was unlikely that the two would ever be 'great friends.' Rapunzel suddenly gasps.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute! That's it! That's it! We'll make them spend time together! Come on!" She grabs Pascal and Harmony rolls her eyes in amusement. The princess bends down and starts sweeping up the remains.
"Think it'll work?" Varian asks her as he holds the duster.
"Nope."
Pascal and Daisy trail down the hall, each of them holding one note. Begrudgingly, Daisy opens a door, seeing Cass sharpening her sword. She drops the note on the floor and is about to leave.
"What's this?" Cass questions her. Daisy just shrugs and leaves the room. She really didn't believe this would work. Cass takes the letter and reads it, smiling a little.
Pascal heads over to Eugene, who's talking to Pete and Stan. "I'm telling you, Stan. The handlebar mustache is so passe."
The two glance to each other in boredom. "Today it's all about the goatee. You know what I mean?"
Pascal pokes his boot. "You see..." He sees the chameleon on the ground. "Just a second, frog, I'm making a point." Pascal stretches his tongue, the letter sticking to his cheek. "Oh! Hey, easy! What? What is it?"
He starts reading and immediately questions it. "A note from Cassandra? If this is another eviction letter, I am going to lose it! She does not have the authority for that! I checked!" He calls out after the pet, who ignores him and leaves. Eugene reads the note, humming slightly. "Well, this oughta be interesting."
Eugene opens up the door to the dungeons, stepping into the open door of a cell. "Okay, it's a grim place to offer an apology, but then again, this is Cassandra we're talking about."
"I'm sorry."
Her voice causes him to yelp in surprise. "Did you just say I was going to offer you an apology?" She's already in the cell as she steps closer.
"Yeah. You said in your note you wanted to say sorry," He gestures to the letter he got.
"I didn't write you a note," She gestures to herself. "You wrote me a note."
The door is suddenly shut and locked by Rapunzel, Harmony, and Varian. "Hey! What are you doing?" Eugene protests to them.
"Time for the game to begin," Rapunzel spins the key around her finger.
"Game? What are you talking about?" Cass asks in confusion.
"Don't you see? We wrote the letters," Rapunzel starts to explain.
"They wrote them. I forged the signatures," Varian gestures to himself with a grin.
"They were merely a ruse to lure you both down here."
"What?!" Eugene grips the bars, giving them a pleading look. "You can't lock us in here." He looks to Pascal and Daisy, who raise a brow.
"Well, you certainly can't be in the castle if you're going to fight," Harmony crosses her arms. "We're sick of you two butting heads all the time and putting us in the middle."
"We can, and we have. And we're afraid your only way to escape is to work together, to solve a puzzle of our own design," Rapunzel gestures to the three of them. They stare at them like they were crazy.
"...What puzzle?" Eugene asks sarcastically. He had a feeling this would be easy, given that this was Rapunzel.
"Within these walls, you will find a series of strategically placed, increasingly difficult clues, each one more unfathomably perplexing than the last," She starts off.
"Put them together, and you can free yourselves," Varian taps his finger against the bars.
"Fail, and this prison cell will become your new home," Harmony finishes, waving as they start to leave. The three laugh evilly before Rapunzel comes back, holding a basket.
"Oh, and I made you guys cookies."
"You better share," Harmony warns Eugene, pointing a finger at him.
"Have fun," Varian waves to them.
"Wait, she meant me," Eugene points to himself before sticking his head out of the bars. "Why were you warning me?! What are we, 12?" Regardless, he takes a bite out of the cookie, the crumbs falling onto the ground. One particular one rolls into the vent and into the cell below...with two brothers inside.
"Listen, this is all your fault."
"Oh please!"
A hand picks up the crumb as they can hear the two arguing. "You know darn well that my only fault is that I have no faults!"
Sideburns Stabbington smirks up at the ceiling. "Recognize that voice? Sounds like our old friend..."
Rapunzel opens up the doors, humming to herself. Harmony and Varian trail behind her as she dances around.
Pascal gives her a skeptical look. "Are you sure it was a good idea to leave them in there alone?" Harmony asks her sister, having the same thoughts as the chameleon.
"The chances of them working together to get out of the dungeon are scientifically impossible," Varian informs her.
"I'm not sure, Raps. While I do think getting them to work things out is a good idea…locking them up together might not be so good."
"Ahh...say what you want, guys, but sticking those two together to work out their differences has its advantages. I mean, do you hear that?"
The younger princess glances around as it's absolutely quiet. "That is the sound of peace and quiet. Oh, I can finally hear myself think...I think I wanna paint something. Ah, I like the way you think."
Pascal squeaks at her, raising a brow. "Relax, I'm sure Eugene and Cass are doing just fine..."
The two teens glance to each other, unsure.
Cass pulls at the bars, sighing in defeat. She had been doing that for a while now, and it hasn't worked. Eugene is laying down on one of the beds, eating the cookies. He pulls out his watch and shuts it...opens and shuts...opens and shuts...
Cass turns around to glare at him. "So annoying," She grits her teeth.
"I know!" He holds up the basket. "All these delicious cookies, and no milk?" He digs around the cookies. "Oh, wait, she packed milk." The former thief drinks up all of it and she glares at him. He is making no effort for them to get out of here...she couldn't believe she was even stuck in here with him of all people.
"Unbelievable!" She jumps off the bed, snatching the cookie basket. "Did you eat all the cookies?"
"I'm not a pig, Cassandra," He defends himself as he stands up, "I ate all of your cookies. I'm saving mine for later."
She pushes the basket back into his hands out of anger. "You are nothing but a self-serving, inconsiderate, arrogant free-loader."
"Oh! You know, I could rattle off insulting adjectives describing your personality too, but to do so would imply you actually have a personality, and I just wouldn't feel right doing that!" He takes a cookie out of his pocket. She notices that something seems to be written on it.
"Hey, hold on, wait, don't-don't eat that," She snatches the cookie out of his hand. She looks at what's written and glances around.
"Ah, go ahead, but it's got my milk drool on it," Eugene says smugly.
"Quick, let me see the others," She takes more out of his pockets, to his confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"X6?" Cass eyes the frosting writing. "Y15? I think these are coordinates for a grid. Varian must've written them...and Rapunzel must've hidden the key behind a loose brick in the wall, and these cookies tell us which one!"
"So...just for clarification, I can eat the cookies now or no?" He gets no answer as she examines the wall, pulling out a loose brick. She then finds a spring.
"Yes!"
"That's it? That's just a rusty spring!" Eugene eyes her in confusion.
"And on your first guess, too. But we both know Harmi: she never leaves you hanging. There's more," She pulls out a piece of paper. "It's another clue. This one is easy. Just follow our lead. Follow their lead? How? They locked us in here, this makes no sense."
"That's because we're not supposed to follow their lead...we're supposed to follow their lead," Eugene looks away in thought. "Hmm...different word, same spelling. Aha!" He gestures to a led pencil on the floor, which is pointed towards a gear with a note attached. "Don't worry, kid. You're not the first person to match wits with this baby, and come off looking like a chump."
She frowns at the insult, sighing slowly. Working with him was going to take a lot of patience...
"In fact, you might say making people look like chumps is kind of my specialty."
Patchy paces around, slamming on the wall with his fists. It angered him listening to Eugene.
"Patience, brother," Sideburns calls out. "Our time will come..."
Cass lifts up a pillow to find a note and two nails. Then Eugene struggles to balance Cass on his head as she finds a note in the ceiling. She eventually falls on him.
"Ow!"
Looking underneath the bed, the two find a board, then a book with a comb. "Look. There's another clue," She removes the paper to read it.
"I've been looking for this!" Eugene beams at the comb, looking at a mirror next to the barred window.
"This is your final clue, so pick up the pace. You'll find the last treasure in the same spot you find your face..." She slowly looks up at Eugene as he grooms himself.
"Hey there. Looking good," He winks at the mirror. Cass turns it around. "Hey! I was using that!"
She finds a cork and sighs. "Another useless item." She tosses it into the pile of the things they found along with the clues.
"Ho ho ho," Eugene claps slowly. "Well done. You've discovered the castle's junk drawer."
"Me?!" She asks in disbelief, watching him relax on the bed across from her. "You were a part of this too!"
"Oh, no! Don't stir me into your failure stew! I was fine to sit here eating delicious X and Y cookies until Rapunzel, Varian, and Brownie gave up and let us out."
"And that's just like you, isn't it?" She retorts back, "Sitting back and letting things fall right into your lap."
"...What's that supposed to mean?" He sits up, glaring at her.
"Oh, come on! You know exactly what it means!"
"Hey! Pretty boy! Bowl cut!" A prisoner exclaims from across their cell. "Why don't you two scud buckets pipe down?"
"Why don't you mind your own business?" Cass spits at him.
"Ooh, mind my own business!" He mocks her. "Is that some kind of comeback, Lady Frowns-a-lot?"
Cass growls and charges right for him, but Eugene holds her back. "Whoa, whoa, Cassandra. Let me handle this."
"Look at that," The prisoner chuckles at them, "Fancy boots has got something to say."
"Name-calling?" Eugene starts off, "Come on, we're better than that, aren't we? Sure, we could sit here and make fun of each other. Tease Cassandra for her chronic joylessness, or me for my uncommonly good looks, or you for your dental hygiene, tragic fashion sense, robust body order, and what are clearly woefully misguided life-decision-making-skills, but do you really wanna go down that road?" Cass had been frowning, but then it turned into a smirk. The larger man pouts, sagging his shoulders.
"...I guess not."
The two smirk at each other, actually feeling a little respect from one another for a change.
"I can't believe how much we can get done with just a little quiet," Rapunzel places down a new painting, the same one she messed up earlier. She smiles at all the clothes she's sewn, all the new prototypes Harmony's made, and all the chemical make-ups Varian's finished.
"I haven't done this many prototypes in years," Harmony places her hands on her hips proudly.
"And I've never created this many scientific marvels!" Varian holds up a beaker.
Cass and Eugene lie down in their beds, having been silent for a good while now. They had given up on trying to find a way out of here, since all they found wasn't useful.
"...Some game, huh?" Eugene asks awkwardly.
"Yup," She replies quickly.
"So, Cass," He closes his eyes. "Let me ask you something. What's your deal?"
She gives him one quick glance. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you know, other than being a venomous cobra woman who has to follow my girlfriend and her little sister everywhere, I don't know the first thing about you."
"So?" She asks in disinterest. Honestly, she had no idea why he even cared.
"So, as I see it, you always make fun of my past, it's only fair I know something about yours. Plus we have nothing but time."
The lady-in-waiting sighs to herself. Even though it is Eugene...they really had nothing better to do. "What do you wanna know?"
"I dunno," He shrugs, looking up at the ceiling. "What are your hopes? Your dreams? Is there a venomous cobra man in your life?"
She laughs at the thought. With her busy life, she didn't even have time for a boyfriend. "Cobra man? No. Besides, I...I don't have time for dreams."
"Don't have time for dreams?!" He asks in shock. The old him wouldn't even have one if it wasn't for Rapunzel. He's surprised that she hasn't influenced the same kind of lifestyle on someone she thinks as a dear friend. "Honey, you are hanging out with the wrong princess."
"My dad taught me at a very young age to focus on the here and now," She explains simply.
"Yeah, wow...Being raised by the Captain of the Guards musta been a real treat."
"He's a good man, and he taught me a lot," Cass is looking on fondly. "He showed me how to defend myself, how to take on responsibility, how to earn my keep. Besides...I don't remember my real parents, so...I got nothing to compare 'em to anyway."
That was the first time she had ever mentioned it out loud...not even Rapunzel knew about that.
"Yeah, I don't remember mine either," Eugene looks away. He's been an orphan for as long as he could remember. "I used to imagine they were swashbuckling explorers searching the world for treasure, and once they found it...they'd come back and get me."
She frowns to herself. Up until now, she didn't realize that...they're more similar than she thought. "It's dumb, I know. How about you? I mean, you ever imagine what your parents were like?"
Cass turns away, closing her eyes. It was too painful to do that...but she wouldn't say it out loud. "You know what? I don't really wanna discuss this with you, Eugene."
"Okay, fine, I'll just shut up then," He narrows his eyes a little. Then he sits up. "You know, just when I think I start to see a glimmer of a speck of a pinprick of a soul, you flip your ice switch back on. Brownie I could deal with because she's been through a lot, but you can change just like she did."
"Stop trying to pry into my life," She glances at him over her shoulder with a glare.
"I wasn't prying..." Then he realizes something, eyes wide. "Wait a minute...that's it, pry!" He bends down to all the items on the ground. "We're supposed to build a jack with this stuff and pry the door open!"
She bends onto her knees to listen. "See, this piece faces upwards, and then you add this part to the top. Yes, brilliant!"
Rapunzel paces around, the young alchemist and princess watching her. "Punz, pacing isn't good. I'm sure they're still fighting in the cell," Harmony speaks up.
"Don't worry, they're fine. It's Cass and Flynn," Varian tells her, but it does nothing to ease the crown princess. Then she sees someone who looks like Cass and beams.
"Cass! Oh, you made it! See?" She smiles at the others, running up to her. "I'm so glad you and Eugene found a way to work-"
The person turns around to reveal herself as Friedborg, one of the handmaidens of the castle. She's also known as one who never speaks and has a creepy smile. The three yelp in surprise at the sight. Sometimes she could also freak people out.
"Whoa, Friedborg. I'm sorry, I-I thought that you were Cassandra. But not that I-I'm not happy to see you, Friedborg." She gives a strained smile. "I think you are terrific by the way."
Friedborg gives a happy smile, showing that she's missing a tooth. The teens smile so as not to show suspicion.
"S-Something's different," Harmony points to her nervously.
"Did you...did you change your hair?"
She gives no response as she keeps on that smile, the others feeling very awkward now. She's so mute that a pin would drop and the handmaiden wouldn't hear it.
"No? Nothing's different? Huh?" Rapunzel takes a small breath. "Well...we have to go over there now..." She pulls the two away and Friedborg smiles again.
"Those were the most unsettling 30 seconds of my life," Varian places a hand on his chest, breathing a small sigh in relief.
Rapunzel peeks around the corner of the dining room to see the halberd still where Eugene left it. She reaches out to take it, only to be stopped by a squeaking Pascal. He shakes his head rapidly.
"Pascal is on the right track. You know how Cass can get with her weapons," Harmony holds up a finger. "Besides, you've never used it."
"I asked her once if I could play with her sword, and I regretted it immediately!" Varian chimes in, giving an anxious look. "Never again..."
"Oh, relax, guys. I can handle this." Rapunzel takes a hold of it. "Oh, yeah." She laughs as she starts playing with it. "I see what all the fuss is about. Now this is fun! Hi-yah!" She takes a fighting stance and Harmony couldn't help but giggle.
"Okay, maybe it's a little funny," Varian chuckles at the sight. Rapunzel spins it around above her head.
"Spin! Thrust!" She throws it above her head and cringes when she sees where it landed. "Uh oh."
"Um..."
"Yeah, we're just gonna..." Harmony reaches out for Varian's arm. When she gets a good grip on it, she pulls him away towards the doors. Rapunzel follows after them.
The jack is finished. "Alright, that should do it," Eugene smiles at their way out of here.
"Here, let me try," Cass takes a hold of it and tries to use it on the bars.
"No, no, no, no! That's too far," Eugene grabs the other end. "Leverage, Cassandra. It's all about leverage." They start pulling in the opposite directions, trying to prove to one another who was right.
"I know what I'm doing," She grunts, what did he know anyway?
"No, you don't!" He argues back.
"Cut it out!"
"You cut it out! The jack was my idea!"
"My idea! Me, me, me!" She mocks the former thief out of annoyance, "It's always all about you!"
"Okay, let's make it about you then! I'm Cassandra, and I can't stand Eugene, because he's smarter than me, has better teeth, and doesn't use the word vahz!"
"Ugh!" She grits her teeth, "You're making it about you again!"
"That's because I'm far more interesting!"
Eventually, the force of their pulls is too much for the jack, and it flies towards the ceiling, breaking into pieces.
"No!" Cass cries out as they see where it'll land. Unfortunately, all of the pieces fall through the grate and into the Stabbingtons' cell.
"Oh, great! You lost my comb! That was the first thing I ever stole! I had it re-engraved and everything!" Eugene says in dismay as Sideburns realizes what it is.
"Looks like it's our lucky day..."
It's almost night as Rapunzel, Varian, Harmony, and the three pets are playing cards together. "Whoo hoo!" Rapunzel cheers at her deck. "Take that to the rose garden!" She throws down her three cards. Harmony smirks up at her.
"Oh yeah? Take a look at my royal flush," She shows her cards to the two.
"Oh! Again?" Varian complains at this.
"Are you sure you're not cheating?" Rapunzel pouts at her as Harmony takes her winnings.
Pascal points to the clock with his tail, as it's already past 10 o'clock. "Yeah, you're right...it has been a long time. We-we should check on them."
The chameleon raises a brow. She had plenty of time to do it earlier... "Don't give me that look. This absolutely doesn't mean my plan didn't work, Pascal."
"If it's been hours, then obviously it hasn't," Harmony deadpans at her. Varian's eyes widen at the clock as he stares at it.
"Wait, what time is it?! Oh, my dad is gonna kill me..."
"Not after he sees this," Harmony hands him a letter with the Corona seal on it. "A letter stating that you were on royal business."
"Really?!" He looks up at her in surprise. He's certainly never heard of it.
"Really. Trust me, he'll be so pleased, he might give you a break."
Varian jumps forward and pulls her into a hug. Harmony smiles and wraps her arms around his neck. "Thanks Mona! See you soon!"
He waves as he runs out the door and she returns the gesture. Harmony smiles after him before getting a feeling of impending doom. She glances at her sister, who is grinning so wide, she thought her face would break.
"What?"
"Do you like Varian, Harmi?" Rapunzel asks knowingly.
"Nope, let's go check up on our friends," Harmony says quickly, jumping out of bed and running out the door. Rapunzel chuckles at her attempt to change the subject. She'll get her little sister to talk about this one way or another!
A guard whistles as he does a cell check. Suddenly, he's punched in the face by Sideburns. "Worked like a charm," He holds up the jack, throwing it away. He steals the key from the guard and unlocks the cell door, grabbing the axe. "Time for a little payback."
Cass and Eugene are sitting there in silence until the door is opened. "Ha, Blondie, Brownie, finally," He turns around, face-to-face with the Stabbingtons.
"Hello Rider," Sideburns smirks at him and a look of panic is in his eyes.
"That's unfortunate..."
"Friends of yours?" Cass whispers to him.
"Sideburns, long time no sneer! You look good, the moisture in the dungeon has done wonders for your leathery skin. Did you lose weight? Prison food, am I right?" He gulps as Sideburns just growls, holding the axe in front of him. "No, no, I guess not."
The two grin for their incoming revenge before a whistle is blown. "The Stabbingtons have escaped!"
Sideburns gives the two a smirk. "Guess we're gonna need a couple of human shields, if we wanna get out of here." The brothers inch towards the two.
"Ahh, thank goodness...wait a minute," Eugene looks up, only to get his head covered with a bag. Cass groans and rolls her eyes as she gets the same treatment. The brothers take one hostage each, running out the doors.
"Let's rethink the sack thing, huh?" Eugene muffles into the sack. "It's wreaking havoc on my hair!"
"Nice, Eugene," Cass comments dryly. The two come to a stop when they see the guards blocking the entrance, all of them holding crossbows.
"Hold it right there! Don't move," The Captain threatens, daring to shoot. Sideburns places down Cass and removes the sack. The man immediately drops the look once he sees her. "Cassandra!"
"Dad!" She exclaims, giving a look of slight worry.
"Mm, Dad. I'd call your men off if you know what's good for your precious daughter, Captain."
He doesn't even lower his weapon, keeping on the glare.
"I hear voices," Rapunzel and Harmony suddenly arrive. "Sounds like my plan worked!" The last word turns into a cringe as she notices the situation. "Cass! Eugene! How did this happen?"
"Wait a minute," Harmony murmurs, pulling out a book of dungeon records. "...Rapunzel...you put them in the cell above them." She closes her eyes in disbelief.
"Stay back, your highnesses," The Captain stands in front of them. "Guards, lower your weapons."
They glance at each other hesitantly, but do so anyway for his sake. "It's okay, Blondie and Brownie, I'm working on a plan," Eugene calls out as they're escorted away.
"Okay Eugene, let's hear it," Cass rolls her eyes a little.
"Uh, I-I-I can't say it now, cause they can still hear it," Eugene jerks a thumb to Patchy. The Captain can only watch in horror as he sees them take Cass away.
"Captain, they're getting away!" Rapunzel exclaims, but he just looks at Cass and then they're gone.
"Come on!" He urges the other guards, all of them chasing after the two brothers. The princesses follow close behind. When they reach the corner, they find a tunnel. The Captain crawls inside, followed by everyone else.
"We'll never catch up in time!" Rapunzel pants as they see the guards disappear inside the passage. "Wait, but Harmi knows this castle inside and out! Please tell me you know where that corridor empties."
"Follow me, guys," Harmony takes the lead as she runs to her left.
Patchy is trailing behind as the guards are on their trail. "Over here! They went this way!"
He looks around for anything to stop them, kicking a plank. "Oh! Hey! Probably not the best idea," Eugene tells him, but he kicks it again. Rocks from the ceiling fall in front of the guards, blocking the way from the brothers.
"Time to get rid of the extra baggage," Sideburns declares and they place down the two hostages. "Say Sayonara," He hands the halberd to Patchy, who's about to finish them off when his brother gets an idea. "Actually, I just got a much better idea." He grabs Eugene by the collar and lifts him up. "Let's snuff out Rider, but keep the Captain's daughter as a bargaining chip. You just sit there like a good little girl. It'll just take a second."
Eugene tries to run, but they grab him from behind. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" The halberd falls at Cass' feet. She glances between the weapon and the brothers, noting that they're distracted.
"Uh..."
"We've got a little score to settle..." Eugene looks up at the planks in the ceiling, glancing at Cass briefly.
"Guys, guys, hold on! You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. Cassandra is useless," He slowly starts backing up so that he can get them right where he wants them. "Right there...I'm the crown princess' boyfriend. I come with a lot more leverage." He gives Cass a look, briefly turning his eyes to the ceiling.
"It ain't about leverage with you, Rider. It's about revenge." Cass places the end of the halberd at the ceiling. "We've been waiting a long time for this. Say goodnight."
Cass clears her throat, kicking the halberd. This breaks the plank above the brothers and it falls on their heads, knocking them unconscious. The lady-in-waiting wipes at her hands with a small smile.
"Now that's how you use a halberd," Eugene smirks at her.
"Yup. It's all about the leverage," She replies back, the ground shaking. "Eugene! Come on, let's get out of here," They run only a few steps forward when dust erupts from the front, unfortunately being caused by another cave-in. Now they were stuck...
"Hello!"
They look up at the ceiling as they hear the familiar voice. "Are you guys down there?"
Rapunzel and Harmony are staring down at them from an opening in the ceiling. The princess waves at them.
"Blondie? Brownie?" The two stand up as Rapunzel lets down her hair. Eugene gestures to it and Cass nods with a smile, taking hold. Harmony helps her sister pull them up onto solid ground. Rapunzel hugs her boyfriend.
"We are so glad you're okay."
"We should've let you out hours ago," Harmony frowns a little.
"There they are."
Eugene peeks into the opening to see that the guards have caught up to the Stabbingtons, who are just waking up. The Captain looks up and sees the four.
"Cassandra, you okay?" He calls out.
"I am now," She places her hands on her friends' shoulders, smiling at all of them.
"Eugene, I am so sorry," Rapunzel apologizes to him the next day as they walk down the hall. "I had no idea our game would lead to such a disaster. The others and I really thought you guys would have fun...well, I did, anyway."
"Ah, look, you've had better ideas, but you don't have to apologize," He frowns, remembering his fights with Cassandra, leaving his friends and girlfriend with the mess of the vase, and how tired they all looked. "It must be hard for all of you with both of us going at each other's throats all the time, so from now on, even though I have no idea what you see in her, I'll try to be nice to the dragon lady-I mean, Cassandra. And I owe our friends an apology too..." He watches his girlfriend stop in front of the doors and she takes a deep breath. She was about to tell her father about the vase.
"You ready?"
He takes a deep breath of his own. "Yeah, yeah...okay, I can do this. I just gotta walk in there, and tell the scariest, most intimidating man in the world that I broke his favorite vase...he's gonna kill me!"
"My dad's not gonna kill you," Rapunzel smiles a little. "Hey, do you remember last month when the royal tailor accidentally tore his robe? My dad didn't kill him. Of course, he's got like a million of those robes, and only one of those vases exists in the entire world, and come to think of it, I remember seeing the tailor locked in the stockade."
"Blondie," He grips his shoulders. That explanation definitely did not ease his worries in the slightest. "Not helping."
"Yeah, sorry," She smiles sheepishly. Eugene musters up the courage to tell him...and hopefully, this wouldn't get him thrown out...or thrown in the dungeon even.
"Alright. I just gotta face..." He opens up the doors, seeing the vase repaired. In fact, it looked brand new. The king is enjoying his breakfast, Cass standing nearby. "The music?"
Cass glances at him, gesturing to her hand. Eugene sees an almost empty container of glue, the woman pointing to it. She then points to behind them, where he sees Harmony and Varian peeking in. The alchemist holds up some shiner and Harmony shows her hands covered with gardening gloves. He smiles at the three of them, touched at what they did.
Later, he approaches the lady-in-waiting as she was clearing up plates. "Hey, you got a sec?"
"I guess," She smiles in amusement.
"I just wanted to say that I really appreciate what you did."
"I figured if you got kicked out of the castle, Rapunzel would be all mopey, and I-I don't really do mope," She waves a hand in disinterest. "Not to mention, Varian looks up to you and Harmony sees you as an older brother figure of sorts."
"Ha ha, so...does this mean I can borrow your halberd?" He pulls off a slight smolder look and she growls slightly, raising a brow. "No halberd, okay, yeah, I'm okay with that."
Rapunzel and the others smile, having heard from behind the doors. "Yes!" She and Pascal high-five, Harmony nuzzling Daisy's head with her finger.
"We can finally work in peace when we visit," Varian sighs in relief.
"By the way, where is my halberd?"
The smiles turn into confusion. "I don't know."
"Well, you had it last."
"I did not!"
The five cringe, slowly leaving the hall. "Here we go again. I can't believe you're gonna lie to my face."
"I can't even look at your face!"
"Why you-" Cass shouts before something breaks.
"Ha ha ha! Missed me! You broke it this time!"
"You know...after all that effort trying to fix the thing, I'm not sure if that vase is worth it anymore," Harmony sighs as she lets her arms sag.
"So we're telling your dad?" Varian has the same position as her, a little weary.
"Yup," Rapunzel agrees with him.