Chapter 5

"So… are you gonna tell me where you were sneaking off to again?" Cassandra asks casually as she braids Rapunzel's hair.

It's been a few days since Cassandra had found her at the waterfall. That much had been expected after Rapunzel had revealed to her the news of her marriage later that night. Cass had scolded her at first for scaring her like that and almost freezing herself to death – which Rapunzel believes to be an exaggeration.

Still, it didn't stop Rapunzel from disappearing on her again today.

"I wasn't sneaking off," the princess responds as she sits in front of her bedroom vanity, avoiding Cassandra's eyes behind her in the mirror.

She's wearing a pale pink nightgown, lined with sheer lace and silk ribbons. Her feet are bare, and her hair is still damp from the bath she'd just taken.

"Then why are you smiling like that?"

"I'm not!"

"You are!" insists Cassandra, looking down at Rapunzel in front of her. "Oh, please, you always smile when you lie. Now come on, spill it."

"I was just walking through town again, that's all," Rapunzel murmurs shyly. She had hoped no one noticed her gone earlier today. Of course, Cassandra is the one person she can never hide anything from.

"Right, because that worked out so well for you the last time," remarks Cassandra, referring to the scuffle she had caused in the marketplace a couple weeks ago.

"For the record, I didn't cause any trouble this time. I can actually be careful, you know," points out Rapunzel proudly.

"Right," Cassandra gingerly ties a pink ribbon at the end of her long golden braid. "You can, you just choose not to."

"Ha-ha, very funny," Rapunzel stands and brushes past her, moving toward her bed at the other end of her bedroom.

"Seriously though, you know I'll always cover for you, right?" Cassandra wanders after her. "I want you to get out of this dungeon of a castle as much as you do."

Rapunzel sits cross legged on the edge of her mattress, smiling warmly. "Thanks, Cass."

"Hey, don't thank me. I'm just doing my duty as your lady in waiting and best friend." Cassandra smirks smugly with her arms crossed. She notices Rapunzel's dreary expression and moves to sit next to her on the bed.

"How are you feeling about the whole marriage thing?" They haven't really spoken about it in detail since it happened. Rapunzel didn't want to talk much about it, but Cassandra has watched her slowly break since then and it's pained her to see it. She just isn't as cheerful as she usually is.

"Awful," Rapunzel groans, letting herself fall backward onto the mattress. She sighs as she stares hopelessly up at the ceiling. "I can't believe that in three months from now my life is gonna end."

The day her parents had told her the news, Rapunzel was sure she never wanted to come back to the castle again. Of course, Cassandra had convinced her to and that they would find a way to work it out, though Rapunzel is still waiting for that to happen.

She hasn't spoken to her parents in days. They are the last people she wants to talk to right now, and they know all she needs is space. Despite the fact that she's still getting married, it does feel like she can somewhat breathe again now that she's had some time to process it.

"I mean, I'm sure marriage isn't so bad," ponders Cassandra. "It's not like you have to talk to him or anything."

"Cass!" Rapunzel scoffs, finding that ridiculous. She's just happy they can now joke about this without wanting to burst into tears at the word 'marriage'.

"I just hope he can put up with your constant snoring."

"Oh, shut up!" Rapunzel bolts upright so she can punch Cassandra in the arm, who hardly reacts. She's used to the abuse. "I do not snore."

"Here's what you do. You marry the guy, take all his money, then get a divorce. Or kill him. Either way works," shrugs Cassandra with a completely serious expression.

Rapunzel giggles, "For some reason, I feel like my father wouldn't approve of that."

"Maybe we can trade," suggests Cassandra. "My dad still refuses to promote me to the royal guard even though he knows I'm more than capable of doing it."

"You're gonna get it, Cass. I know you will," Rapunzel assures in an uplifting tone.

She knows Cassandra has been training tirelessly for years - even more so in the past few months, now that she's getting older. Still, having the Captain of the Guard as a father doesn't sound much better than the king.

"I know, he's just stubborn like that. It's annoying," Cassandra grumbles. "Plus, he won't stop going on about this Flynn Rider and your crown. The whole thing is driving him crazy."

Rapunzel's heart stops.

Cass looks over at her, puzzled when she notices the princess' guilty expression. "Okay, what was that?" she squints at the other girl suspiciously.

Rapunzel glances around herself, "What?"

"That! That face!" Cassandra points an accusing finger at her.

"What face?" Rapunzel chuckles nervously.

Cassandra suddenly tackles her down onto the bed, pinning Rapunzel's arms above her head. "What are you hiding from me? Tell me now!" she demands playfully.

"Shhh!" hushes Rapunzel with a chuckle, wishing she would keep her voice down. There are probably guards outside her bedroom right now, listening to everything they're saying. Well, there's clearly no way she can get herself out of this one. And Cass is literally pinning her down, not giving her much of a choice. "Okay, but you can't tell anyone."

Cassandra rolls her eyes, "Well, duh."

Rapunzel shrinks underneath her. "I may have actually… met Flynn Rider? Twice?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, what?" Cass sits back on her heels, practically shouting now. "You mean the Flynn Rider who stole your crown and who your father and my father wants dead Flynn Rider?"

Rapunzel winces. "…Yes?"

Cassandra just stares at her blankly for a few moments, her mouth agape. "You know, I may have known you my whole life, but you still keep finding ways to surprise me," Cass shakes her head, pondering all this information. Then again, knowing Rapunzel, is she really surprised?

Rapunzel sits up again, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "He's not so bad, you know."

"Not so bad? You do know he is the most wanted thief in all of Corona, right?"

"So?"

"So? That's bad! Your dad is gonna kill you if he finds out!"

"Well, he's not gonna find out," Rapunzel assures calmly. She doesn't plan on talking to her father any time soon or allowing herself to get caught outside the castle walls again. That was stupid on her part.

Cassandra suddenly gasps loudly, sensing something peculiar in Rapunzel's suspicious eyes, "Oh, no, please don't tell me you like him."

Rapunzel almost laughs at that. "What?"

"Flynn Rider. That's who you've been seeing, isn't it?" Cassandra pieces it all together, her jaw hanging low in shock.

"No!" insists the princess.

Cassandra smirks teasingly, not buying that at all. Rapunzel has always been a terrible liar. "Wow, Raps. I didn't know 'rogue thief' was your type."

"I haven't been seeing him. I just happened to run into him. Twice. And I don't like him, for the record." She states firmly, just to make that clear. If anything, he's quite insufferable actually. Charming, but insufferable. Rapunzel looks down and begins to fiddle with the hem of her nightgown in her lap. She shrugs, "I just… I don't know. It's kinda intriguing, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

Rapunzel isn't sure how to explain it. "You know, he's… an adventurer, Cass! He has the freedom to go wherever he wants with nobody to tell him what to do. And I just can't help but wonder… maybe I could do that too," she admits. "Like… when I was with him, I just felt like for once, I didn't have to be a princess."

Cass observes her for a moment, suddenly realizing how serious this is to her. "So, you're saying… what?"

Rapunzel peers up at her from beneath her eyelashes, suddenly embarrassed. "I…I don't know. I don't know what I'm saying."

"Raps, you know I'm gonna support you no matter what. Now, that doesn't mean you should do what I think it is you're implying on doing. It just means that I won't judge you if you choose to do something you probably shouldn't do… And I won't tell your parents, of course."

Rapunzel groans. She looks down in her lap again, feeling confused. "I don't know. Maybe I just need to get my head out of the clouds and marry this Donovan guy before I get myself into any more trouble. As awful as that sounds."

"Now you sound like your father." Cassandra chuckles. Her smile vanishes as she watches Rapunzel. She puts a hand on the princess' shoulder, "Hey. I know you better than anyone. And I know that whatever ends up happening, you'll find a way to make it your own."

Rapunzel grins gently, though she still looks unconvinced. "Yeah. Maybe."

Cassandra crawls off the mattress, rising to her feet, "Now, come on. Get some rest. More princess duties await you tomorrow."

Rapunzel sighs softly, figuring she should listen to Cassandra and work on taking her mind off everything for once. She shifts closer to the headboard of her bed and pulls the blanket up over herself. "Good night."

Cassandra peers over her shoulder from the doorway of Rapunzel's bedroom, watching her curl up onto her side. "Good night." She blows out the lantern on the wall and shuts the door behind her.