Chapter 6
The town of Nightwood is a secluded civilization nestled deep within the woods, a few days' travel outside of Corona – one that Rapunzel and Cassandra have only ever seen as a word on a map but never actually in person.
After another day of travelling on horseback, they'd inevitably stumbled upon it during their long journey to Fairview just in time for a rainstorm to appear.
The downpour of the night prevents Cassandra from building a fire elsewhere for her and Rapunzel. They'll freeze without one, and they need somewhere to get food. Which is why Cass realizes they don't have much of a choice in stopping for the night, as apprehensive as she may feel about it.
She'd had hoped to avoid any place that might have other people in it, solely to protect Rapunzel from whoever may be after her. Cass isn't so sure anyone this far outside the kingdom would even know what the princess looks like, and therefore wouldn't be able to recognize her, but there's no telling what kind of people may be lurking around here and where they might have come from.
She'll just have to keep a wary eye out for anyone that so much as looks in their direction for too long if they're going to take shelter here for the night. Considering the late hour, she hopes the locals that aren't already asleep will be too drunk to notice them, and hopefully they can remain in peace at least until tomorrow.
So, they ride into town a couple hours before midnight, with Cassandra at the front of Max's saddle, and Rapunzel's arms wrapped around her waist from behind. The hoods of their cloaks have been pulled over both their heads, somewhat sheltering them from the rainwater that drips into their eyes and obscures their vision.
The sky is a deep blue, shadowed by dark storm clouds rolling over what little moonlight has survived the storm. Beneath it, the town of Nightwood consists of glistening cobblestone roads soaked in rainwater puddles and lined with wooden country fences. The pathways weave through streets of charming tudor buildings, each house with pointed rooftops and protruding brick chimneys.
Most buildings are illuminated from the inside, providing a sense of comfort and liveliness in the otherwise dark and desolate town. Warm yellow light beams through the gridded windows and shines into dark alleyways cluttered with barrels, bales of hay and parked wagons.
A flock of sheep are grazing in the front field of one of the houses. The soil of the pig pen alongside it has turned to mud. The streets are nearly empty, with no one in sight aside from another horse dragging along a carriage at the end of the road, hooves trotting softly in the near distance.
It doesn't take long for Cassandra to spot the sign swaying in the wind above an awning of one of the buildings. In black curved lettering it reads: Nightwood Tavern & Inn.
Initially, the sound of it is like water in a desert – inviting and beyond comforting at the mere implication of food and warmth on a night like this, after the less than satisfactory night they'd had before. And the one before that.
Though, the sound of rowdy drunkards shouting overtop lively music from inside is already making Cassandra feel uneasy. Not only because the idea of parties and people in general couldn't sound less appealing to her, but mainly for the potential danger it may bring. Then she remembers that they don't have much of a choice. She just hopes whoever is inside will be too preoccupied to pay her and Rapunzel any mind.
Cassandra dismounts Maximus outside the tavern with Rapunzel following suit. They hitch his reigns to a post beneath an awning at the front of the building, alongside a couple of other grazing horses.
Cassandra and Rapunzel duck their heads beneath the falling rain as they climb up the porch steps toward the door.
As they step inside, the chill of the night is immediately replaced with warmth and the scent of freshly cooked meat, bread, and ale. The pouring of rain and the rumbling of thunder has turned to a mere distant noise as the lively tune of a fiddle fills their ears instead.
The tavern is bustling with people seated around tables and holding frothing tankards in their hands, sharing an ale and a pleasant conversation. Barmaids weave through them with trays balancing on their hands who no one else pays any mind to amidst their preoccupations.
There's a bar at the back of the building in front of a wall of kegs, with a deer head displayed on the ceiling beam overhead. There's a wooden staircase next to it that turns a corner and leads to the second floor. Oil lamps hang from the ceiling and illuminate the dim room in firelight along with the crackling flames of a large hearth. Thick raindrops are pelting against the tall rectangular windows, turning whatever may be on the other side of them into a mere blurred haze.
It takes both of them aback considering Cassandra and Rapunzel have had no one's company but each other's for the past few days, not to mention they'd both grown up in a castle with an atmosphere much opposite from this.
There's something odd about suddenly existing amongst a group of people so joyous and carefree, after all the horror and death that had occurred in their own home only two nights ago. It's strange to think that these people have no idea what had happened outside their own town, not that long ago at all.
Rapunzel doesn't know the first thing about the villages that lie outside of Corona such as this one, and the lack of order and familiarity that comes with it. The people here are loud, intimidating, and much less proper than what she is used to, much like those bandits that had attacked Corona. Her discomfort leaves her practically hiding behind Cass' shoulder as they stand there in the entryway, observing it all.
At first glance, Cassandra doesn't see any bandits she might recognize, but she keeps an eye over her shoulder anyway.
"Stay close to me," she tells Rapunzel, before making her way over to the bar at the back.
The pouch of coins she always keeps in Max's saddlebags is thankfully enough to buy them two meals and a room for the night, with only a few gold pieces left over.
They find a table in the corner of the tavern away from everyone else and eat in silence, while the sounds of music and laughter occur behind them, drowning out their thoughts.
They manage to scarf down their plates after going so long without a proper one, and it manages to rid their minds of reality for the time being.
Their eyes are begging for sleep by the time they are done, considering the amount of travelling they'd done today, and the late hour of the night.
The last thing either of them want right now is to remain among so many people longer than necessary, so after receiving a key to their room from the innkeeper, they climb the staircase to the rooms of the inn on the second floor.
Cassandra inserts the key into the lock of their temporary chambers and swings open the door.
The interior consists of hardwood floors and stone masonry walls, with large wooden beams bridging across a pointed ceiling. There's a bed against the wall with two pillows and a single wool blanket. There's an already lit lantern on the bedside table, and a deerskin rug splayed in the centre of the floor. On the opposite wall is a wooden dresser beneath a large rectangular window.
As they settle in, Rapunzel and Cassandra both remove their boots, soaked from the storm. They remove their cloaks too, hanging them to dry on the coatrack by the door.
Cass' hair had survived the rain, though Rapunzel's has dampened due to it falling out from beneath her hood, being as long as it is. She hasn't brushed it in days, leaving it more disheveled that it's ever been. The skirt of her nightgown is wet too, but she finds she's so tired that she doesn't much care.
Cassandra ensures the door is locked for the second time since entering, then inspects the security of the window, deciding it to be sufficient enough.
Rapunzel crawls onto the mattress of the bed and lifts the blanket so she can slither her legs underneath it. The feeling of it immediately warms her.
A low thunder rumbles from outside. Raindrops are streaming down the panels of the window, pattering against the glass like static.
Though it's quiet in here, the rest of the tavern is still very much alive. Beneath the muffled voices coming from downstairs, all that can be heard is the sound of Cassandra and Rapunzel shuffling, both existing in the same space yet neither speaking to the other.
Cass removes her various weapons and places them on top of the dresser within a comfortable enough reach, in case anything happens.
Feeling satisfied enough to finally allow herself to go to bed, she goes to the bedside table and bends forward to blow out the flame of the lantern on top of it.
"Can you leave it lit?" Rapunzel asks in a small voice, who is sitting on the bed directly next to her.
Cassandra stops herself. She looks over at the princess, puzzled. Rapunzel never asks to sleep with a light on. Not since she was a child. Then she realizes - it wouldn't be the only thing that has changed about Rapunzel in the past few days.
After a moment, Cass straightens. "Yeah."
The single flame doesn't provide much light, but it's enough to allow them to decipher their surroundings within the shadowed room.
Feeling at ease, Rapunzel shifts to lay down, curling up onto her side.
Cassandra takes one of the two pillows from the bed and tosses it to the ground, the one that Rapunzel isn't using. She lowers herself to sit on the floor in front of it, tucking her knife underneath it and adjusting the pillow to her liking.
Her cloak will definitely be soaked until morning, but she'll be fine without a blanket. She's slept outside in cold weather many times, during various hunting trips with her father. It doesn't bother her.
For a while, Rapunzel just watches her, wondering what Cass is doing.
Completely oblivious to the princess' eyes, Cassandra lowers her head to the pillow and settles onto her side. Her back is turned to Rapunzel, but now that neither of them are moving anymore, the room is suddenly so much quieter.
But all Rapunzel can think about is how ridiculous Cassandra looks, laying on the hardwood floor, with nothing but a pillow beneath her head. She doesn't even have a blanket, when there's literally a perfectly good bed right next to her. She'd paid for this room herself, and she's not even going to take proper advantage of it?
But that's just like Cass. Rapunzel should have known she'd give her the bed.
"Don't be stupid," Rapunzel murmurs into the darkness. "There's room for both of us."
Even with Cass' back turned, Rapunzel knows her eyes are open. She can see her eyelashes fluttering over her shoulder as she blinks.
Rapunzel had debated saying anything about it at all, knowing that Cass would be perfectly content sleeping on the floor. She doesn't believe Cass has ever complained about anything, but there's no way Rapunzel is going to let her.
"And… I don't wanna sleep alone," Rapunzel admits timidly.
The silence stretches between them.
Not after they'd spent the previous night on opposite sides of the same cave, never speaking or touching, no matter how bad Rapunzel had wanted to.
It was the worst night of her life. Not because of the cold, or because it had been her first in the wilderness rather than inside the castle, but because she had felt so alone, when she needed someone to be close to her. She needed to not be alone, after everything that had happened. After all that she had lost.
Rapunzel hadn't said anything at the time, and she's not entirely sure why. Maybe she was too scared. Maybe she thought Cass wouldn't want to. Maybe she didn't want to be the one to ask. She doesn't know.
All she knows is that she refuses to have another night like that again.
And Cass would be lying to say she doesn't want to sleep alone either. She craves it just as much as Rapunzel does. She'd just never admit it.
Cassandra breathes, and slowly pulls herself to her feet.
Rapunzel shifts herself over, creating space on the mattress next to her.
Cass retrieves her pillow and her knife from the floor, holding them both to her chest like a child at a sleepover.
She puts the pillow back where it started, next to Rapunzel's. She tucks the blade beneath it, because it makes her feel better, then lifts the blanket and slithers underneath.
They both lay there on their backs, on their respective sides of the mattress. With the two of them next to each other, the lack of space leaves their shoulders hovering only a few inches apart, with not much room for them to go elsewhere.
They stare up at the shadows of the firelight flickering along the ceiling. Not touching. Not speaking. Both minds dwelling on the same thing.
Thunder rumbles from outside the tavern.
Then Rapunzel curls onto her side, facing Cassandra.
Cass doesn't move. They both refuse to close their eyes. More silence fills the room, for what feels like eternity.
Then Rapunzel shifts closer, nuzzling her face into Cass' shoulder.
The princess lets her eyelids fall closed, chin curled to her chest, hands tucked into fists between their bodies. She adjusts her head again, attempting to make herself comfortable.
Absentmindedly, Cassandra lifts her arm in an effort to give Rapunzel space for whatever it is she is trying to do. Unintentionally, it only invites the girl to burrow her nose further into Cass' shoulder, until she's so close that Cassandra can feel the princess' soft breath against her neck.
Instead of letting her arm awkwardly hover in the air, Cass ends up wrapping it around Rapunzel's shoulders because that's the only natural place for it to go.
Then it's as if they both release a breath at the same time without meaning to, and they are comfortable at last.
"Good night," murmurs Rapunzel sleepily.
"Good night," Cass responds instinctively, though all she can see from this angle is the top of Rapunzel's brown hair, tickling her chin.
Finally, the princess begins to drift into sleep. Cassandra's eyes remain fixed on the ceiling, reluctant to close.
It isn't until now she realizes the pounding of her heart, and she breathes steadily until it begins to settle.
She recalls having a few sleepovers with Rapunzel when they were kids. They'd sometimes beg their parents to allow it, though Cass doesn't believe that has happened since she was twelve.
It had never been like this though. So… intimate. And terrifying all at once. In fact, Cass has never done this with anyone before.
She tells herself it's because of what happened, and that things are different now. Suddenly, the physical affection doesn't seem so odd anymore. It only reminds Cassandra of the situation that she still struggles to believe.
Somehow, so fast, their reality has flipped into a nightmare. Everything they've ever know is gone. Their kingdom, their home, their childhood. There's nobody left. The world has never seemed so big until now. They're all alone.
Without each other, they truly would have nothing.
Cassandra startles awake at the sound of a soft thud. Her body flinches, breath hitching momentarily.
Breathing steadily to calm her pounding heart, her gaze finds the wooden beams of the ceiling above her, nearly black within the shadows. The room is darker than it had been when she'd fallen asleep, and she realizes it's still the middle of the night.
The lantern on the bedside table remains in a weak flicker, its flame slowly dying.
She senses Rapunzel's sleeping figure somewhere next to her, though she'd rolled out from beneath Cass' arm at some point in the night.
Muffled voices just outside the door of their room makes Cassandra's stomach drop.
Suddenly, all she's reminded of is the sound of Corona's people screaming in the streets just outside of the castle, and she bolts out of bed with a start, much like she had that night.
She grabs the knife from beneath her pillow and rushes toward the door, though she does it so swiftly that she hardly makes a sound.
There's a bright yellow light shining through the gap beneath the door, illuminating the room enough for her to see where she's going. Rather than opening it, she presses her back against it, raises her blade across her chest, and listens.
For a moment, there is nothing. Then she hears footsteps approaching just on the other side, followed by a woman laughing. Shadows move across the light beneath the door. The footsteps are so loud that Cassandra thinks someone might actually try to open it. Then they gradually begin to fade, along with the shadows and the overlapping voices.
After a few moments, they are gone again.
Feeling like the biggest idiot in the world, Cassandra suddenly remembers she is inside a busy tavern in the middle of a town that is currently housing much more people than just her and Rapunzel. The very same people they had eaten amongst last night have probably just finished their last drinks and are now retiring upstairs to their rooms in their drunken states, like normal people do.
Cassandra lowers the knife, releasing a heavy breath. Stupid.
With her back still pressed against the door, she finds herself facing the sleeping silhouette of Rapunzel curled up on the bed at the opposite side of the room.
The princess is completely silent, unmoving aside from the soft breathing of her chest. Her face is faintly illuminated by the moonlight, appearing entirely peaceful.
Somehow, she hadn't woken up from that. Rapunzel has always been a heavy sleeper, which is apparently a good thing. Sometimes, Cass curses herself for being the opposite.
With much less eagerness in her step, Cassandra wanders back toward the bed and sluggishly crawls into it.
She isn't sure how long she lays there for, tossing and turning with her eyes closed, on the brink of sleep yet never actually succumbing to it. That brief scare earlier seems to have awakened her completely, and now she doesn't even feel tired anymore. But the insomnia is no stranger to her. Falling asleep is always one accomplishment. Staying asleep is another.
Eventually, Cassandra gets out of bed again, realizing that she'll probably be awake for the rest of the night. The sun should be up in a few hours anyway. Her thoughts should have no problem occupying her until then.
So, she sits across the windowsill with her back leaning against the wall. Her knee is pulled up to her chest with her elbow resting on top of it, her other leg dangling toward the floor. She stares out at the sleeping town through the window, absentmindedly twirling her knife in her hands.
The storm has subsided now, though residual raindrops still trail down the glass panes, pattering softly within the night. They fall down her face in shadows, like tears beneath the blue moonlight.
How someone could love and hate the silence is something Cassandra has never been able to understand. Sometimes, it leaves her mind blank. Most of the time, she isn't so lucky.
She thinks about tomorrow, and the inevitable, unknowing journey ahead.
This town had been convenient for her and Rapunzel today, but they can't expect to always be so lucky. It's a long way to Fairview and they're already two days closer to winter. They won't make it anywhere if they freeze to death first, without somewhere warm like this to sleep every night. Not to mention all the animals that are soon to go into hibernation, leaving not much else for Cassandra to hunt.
A soft moan emitting from the princess' throat snaps Cass out of her thoughts.
When she looks over toward the bed, she sees Rapunzel asleep in the exact position she has been this entire time, eyes still peacefully closed.
Rapunzel stirs as she whimpers again, louder this time, like she's having a bad dream. She rolls over to her opposite side, turning her back to Cass. She stops moving, the room falling silent once more. Then her struggled noises start up again, louder and louder until she's thrashing about on the bed and frantically screaming.
Cassandra rushes over to her.
"Hey," Cass plants herself on the edge of the mattress, grabbing Rapunzel by the arms who had shot up to a sitting position. She realizes the princess' eyes are still squeezed shut as she fights against Cassandra's hold, weeping softly in her sleep. "Rapunzel, wake up!"
With a gasp, Rapunzel's eyes burst open. Suddenly, she stops thrashing, and her limbs instead freeze up like ice.
Her green eyes are brimming with tears, frantically scanning around the room as if attempting to figure out where she is. After a moment, she notices Cass' face in front of her, which immediately seems to soothe her. Though her hands are still quivering, voice whimpering between panting breaths. All she does is stare into Cassandra's eyes, paralyzed.
"It's okay," says Cass, releasing a relieved breath herself. Her grip on Rapunzel's arms begin to loosen, her voice soft within the night, "It was just a dream."
She doesn't need to ask what it had been about. It seems they've both been having trouble sleeping.
Rapunzel's breath quickens until she's hyperventilating all over again. She shakes her head frantically, "No… No." Tears pour from her eyes as she croaks, "It was real."
As if no longer harbouring the strength to remain upright, the princess collapses forward into Cassandra – arms wrapping desperately around the other girl's waist, cheek falling against her chest until she's nearly lying in Cass' lap like a child seeking a mother's comfort.
Taken aback by the sudden embrace, Cassandra's hands only hover around the girl as if unsure of where to place them.
The last thing she knows how to do is comfort people. It leaves her at a loss of what to do or say, but after a few stunned moments, she reluctantly wraps her arms around Rapunzel's shoulders.
"I just can't believe they're all gone," Rapunzel sobs hysterically, eyes squeezing shut, nose sniffling. "My parents… everyone is dead. It's… it's all g-gone and it's because of me. And now we're stuck out here, all alone, and there's people after us and—and I don't know why and I don't know what's gonna happen and it's all my fault!" Her breath hitches, choking on her own words from the mere tightness of her throat. "Wh-what if they find us?"
Cassandra's chin rests on top of Rapunzel's hair, eyes staring forward over her head.
Cass had asked herself the same question countless times since they'd left the kingdom. She'd asked herself what she would do if somehow, some way, she had failed the princess, and let Rapunzel fall into the hands of anyone who would try to hurt her. What if something had happened to her, and Rapunzel would be all alone, left to fend for herself?
Though, Cassandra supposes the answer is simple: She won't let it come to that, even if it means killing anyone who stands in their path.
"They won't," assures Cass.
"But what if they do? And what if they hurt you too?" Rapunzel weeps, the tears of her cheek soaking into Cass' shirt. "I… I don't know what I would do without you. I'm scared, Cass. I'm so scared."
Cassandra swallows uneasily.
She shouldn't be surprised that such a fear has been on Rapunzel's mind. How can it not be? But hearing it from her, in such a frantic, unexpected outburst of emotion in the middle of the night is entirely different. Especially when it's Cassandra's duty to ensure that Rapunzel doesn't feel that way – but rather to make her feel safe and protected, when there is nobody else who can.
Cassandra never should've gotten angry with Rapunzel the day before, simply for wishing to go back home.
"You don't have to worry about me," Cass murmurs softly, her voice just above a whisper. "I'm not going anywhere."
Rapunzel sniffles, voice cracking painfully. "You promise?"
Cassandra hesitates.
She'd like to promise everything. She'd like to promise that it's all going to be okay, that they're both going to be fine and that maybe they could one day go back to the way things used to be, before they lost everything. She'd like to promise Rapunzel the world, after all of this is over. But she's not so sure that it will ever be over anymore. She's not sure there's a way to come back from this, after everything that has happened.
If Cassandra is honest with herself, she's just as terrified as Rapunzel is.
"Yeah," says Cass.
A few moments pass where neither of them say anything anymore. Cassandra's not sure she did anything to ease Rapunzel's mind. She can't see her face, but the princess' frantic sobs have lessened into mere occasional sniffles, and that assures Cass that she'd done something right.
All that can be heard anymore is the rain pelting softly against the window as Cassandra cradles Rapunzel to her chest, a part of her afraid to move.
When Rapunzel finally lifts her head, her wet eyelashes flutter as she peers up to meet eyes with Cass. She stops just a few inches away from her face, arms still wrapped around Cassandra's waist but pulling away slightly.
Cassandra looks back at her, unsure whether Rapunzel is going to say anything more, wondering why she is hovering so close and hasn't yet moved away.
The princess' cheeks and her freckled nose have turned a deep shade of pink, wet with tears that still glisten within her broken eyes. Her eyebrows are creased slightly, lips parted as if she wants to speak but has forgotten how.
Then Rapunzel glances down at Cassandra's lips, and as if in a trance, allows her head to lean forward so fast that their lips collide for a brief moment.
Cassandra pulls away just as quickly, blinking in surprise.
It happens so suddenly that it takes her a moment to even realize what just happened.
They stare at each other for a moment, with Cassandra leaning back, and Rapunzel leaning forward, before Cass pushes herself to her feet, stumbling backward off the bed.
"I—I'm, uh..." Cass nervously runs a hand through her hair, her gaze wandering everywhere but Rapunzel. As she takes another step away, her back collides clumsily with the bedpost. "I—I'll be downstairs."
Then Cassandra ducks her head down, turns on her heel, and rushes toward the door. She swings it open, and closes it behind herself before Rapunzel is able to stop her.