Chapter 7

"Hurry up! We're gonna miss it!" A thirteen-year-old Cassandra races down the busy cobblestone streets of Corona early one morning, pushing her way through crowds of people and swiftly dodging every villager that stands in her path.

"Can't you see I'm running as fast as I can?" A young Rapunzel follows Cassandra a few paces behind, lifting the skirt of her dress so as not to stumble over it. She can hardly spot Cass running in front of her from all the other figures occupying the streets. "Excuse me. Sorry!" The princess squeals apologetically while accidentally bumping into someone.

Various citizens are forced to jump to the side, gasping in surprise as the two young girls dart directly through them without a care. Cassandra and Rapunzel ignore the disapproving mumbles and glares that are shot their way, as if it is a usual occurrence for them.

The sky is a pale blue beneath misty white clouds, with a beaming sun that has not yet risen to its peak. The morning summer air is crisp with a breeze that smells faintly of saltwater.

Cassandra laughs, shouting over her shoulder, "Come on, slow poke!"

"It's not my fault I have shorter legs than you!" complains Rapunzel, entirely serious.

"And it's not my fault you slept in this morning!"

It's a day the kingdom has been anticipating for a long time. At the end of a year long war, the royal guards and naval officers that had been called to fight for Corona have finally announced their long-awaited journey home.

Practically the entire village had run out of their homes at the break of dawn to assemble for the ships' arrival at the harbour, though it seems Rapunzel and Cassandra are already late in joining them.

Cass can already see the crowd of people that have gathered at the docks, at the bottom of the winding path that weaves all the way through town and down the hill. Beyond it all, she sees the vast blue ocean that surrounds the island of Corona, shimmering beneath the sun.

Various citizens and family members of those who had served in the war wait in anticipation for the arrival of the same fleet of ships that had departed from these docks all that time ago, waving goodbye to their loved ones over the railings of each vessel.

As Cassandra finally catches up to everyone else, she's unable to resist the giddy smile that hasn't stopped creeping onto her lips since she'd heard of the guards' return all those days ago. She'd been tossing and turning all night, hardly able to contain her excitement for the day her father finally returns home.

It's been an entire year since she'd last seen him. He'd missed her thirteenth birthday three months ago, but he promised he would make it up to her when he got back. His letters kept her updated on his travels while he'd been away, and Cassandra had written to him about her training and all the new skills she'd learned that she can't wait to show him.

Rapunzel, on the other hand, has nobody in specific she is waiting for to return, but she knows better than anyone how much Cassandra has looked forward to this, and had jumped at the chance to support her. What kind of friend would she be if she didn't come along to witness such a long-awaited reunion?

Just as the young princess catches up to Cassandra, various gasps and noises of bewilderment fall amongst everyone as they all gaze out at the sea. Some people begin to cheer, while others murmur unintelligible words of excitement to one another.

Now, Cassandra and Rapunzel find themselves trapped behind a wall of people standing directly in front of them, who are all twice their height and completely blocking their view. They're both so short that they have to spring up on their own toes just to get a glimpse over everyone's shoulders.

"I can't see! Can you see anything?" Rapunzel asks frustratingly, jumping up and down.

There are so many people all around them. Voices are overlapping. Hands are waving in the air. Children are perched atop the shoulders of their older siblings, pointing in the distance.

Cassandra ducks her head to peek in between the arms of the two figures in front of her. She squints her eyes and lifts her chin, attempting to get a good angle at what everyone else is looking at.

Then she sees it – white sails of Coronan ships sailing on the distant horizon.

Cassandra's eyes light up immediately. "They're here! I see them!"

Only a sliver of it is visible to her, but she manages to count three vessels, all drifting directly toward the harbour. It's just as she'd remembered it when she'd watched them sail away from the kingdom all that time ago.

She immediately shoves her way forward through the crowd, completely ignoring Arianna's voice in her head that tells her to mind her manners.

She thinks she hears Rapunzel's high-pitched voice somewhere behind her saying "Wait for me!" Though, Cass is so determined to get to the front that she pays no attention to it.

When Cassandra stumbles out the other side, it's as if she can breathe again being out in the open. She can see the ocean clearly now, and the unbelievable sight in the distance that leaves her stomach fluttering nervously. There are a few sailors boats already docked at the harbour, swaying on the waves.

She walks up as far as she can, the rope fence and the water beyond it being the only thing stopping her from running directly up to the boats.

Eventually, Rapunzel catches up to her and they watch together when the first vessel docks into the harbour a few minutes later. The other two follow soon after, each monstrous hull groaning as they slow to a stop alongside each other.

Seagulls are squawking and circling overhead beneath the ringing sound of a bell. Sailors are shouting orders to one another. Their figures dart across the docks as well as the upper decks - raising the masts, tying the ropes, preparing the ramps.

All the while, everyone is cheering and applauding as the soldiers begin to file out of the ships one by one.

They're all dressed in identical Coronan suits of armour, hauling sacks over their shoulders as they follow the long dock that leads them back to shore.

"Whoooo!" Rapunzel celebrates, raising her hands in the air.

Her enthusiasm causes Cassandra to laugh, but she mimics Rapunzel in her cheers, their voices blending in with the rest.

Rapunzel's parents are standing near the exit of the dock, accompanied by two royal guards. Each soldier bows their heads to their king and queen who welcome them home. Frederic shakes hands with a few of them, clapping a hand on their shoulders while others salute him respectively.

Cassandra notices various young children sprint up toward their fathers as they exit the dock, who crouch down and scoop them up into their arms. The children laugh gleefully, with beaming smiles on their faces. All around her, wives are embracing their husbands, kissing each other with tears in their eyes.

But Cassandra's eyes remain fixed on the ships in the distance.

She lifts her chin, rocking back and forth on her feet as she attempts to find her father within the crowd of soldiers, though there's no way of knowing which vessel he might be on. There's so many men and they're all wearing the same uniforms that it makes it practically impossible for her to spot him.

But the corners of her lips are still tugged into an excited smile as she waits for his face to appear among them. He must be on the last ship. She'll see him any second now.

As each soldier is reunited with their families, they begin to disperse and walk off the dock together - arms wrapped around each other, fingertips gripping those of their children's hands who skip happily alongside them.

Eventually, the harbour begins to feel rather empty and the cheering voices around Cassandra slowly begin to disappear. She'd been so focused on staring ahead for the past ten minutes that she hadn't realized the fact that there's a lot less people around her now, and everything is much quieter than it had been before.

Cassandra's lips fall into a frown, her eyebrows creasing in confusion. She doesn't understand. Why hasn't he come out yet?

Then she sees one of the officers approaching the king and queen, who seem to be one of the last ones to have exited the ships. He stops in front of them.

Cassandra notices his lips moving, but she can't make out what he's saying from here. She watches as Frederic and Arianna listen intently, before both of their faces slowly begin to fall.

Arianna raises a hand to her mouth. She uneasily glances over at her husband, whose eyes seem to stare distantly in disbelief.

It isn't until then that Cassandra notices the golden helmet that had been tucked beneath the officer's arm. Her stomach drops at the sight of it. It's… her father's helmet. She would recognize it anywhere.

Rapunzel is standing over Cassandra's shoulder, a few feet behind her. The princess watches it all with the same look of slow realization appearing on her face, her smile gradually fading.

The officer presents the captain's helmet forward to the king and queen, bowing his head briefly.

Hesitantly, Frederic takes it from him. Arianna glances over her shoulder, momentarily meeting eyes with Cassandra from a distance.

The king and the officer look over at her too, all wearing the same apologetic, regretful expressions on their faces.

And all Cassandra can do anymore is stand there, frozen, feeling like her entire world is crumbling all around her. Like her dream had just turned into a nightmare – one that doesn't even feel real anymore. Tears prickle at the backs of her eyes. Her chest tightens painfully, stomach churning until she feels as if she may be sick.

No… This can't… this can't be happening to her.

After a few moments, Arianna walks slowly over to her. Frederic stays behind, watching them, as if he is too shocked and weak to do anything more.

The queen stops in front of Cassandra, hands clasped in front of her dress. She nervously glances behind herself toward Frederic, as if unsure of how to say this. As she faces forward again, the tears suddenly well in her eyes, her voice breaking as she says, "Cassandra, honey… I'm so sorry."

But Cass doesn't even react anymore, only stares blankly through the woman that is now standing in front of her, as if separating herself from reality.

The words of the queen telling her that he sacrificed himself to save everyone, and that he had died a hero seem to blend into Cassandra's own racing thoughts, hardly even hearing them at all. Arianna tells her that they didn't want Cass to find out from a letter, but rather from the king and queen themselves, as if that would make it less painful somehow.

Then Arianna reaches a hand forward, aiming to pull Cass into a gentle embrace.

Before she can, Cassandra shoves her away.

Bursting into tears, Cassandra races out of the harbour and back toward the castle.

She hides herself in her bedroom, crying on her bed for what feels like hours afterward. She lays on her stomach on the mattress, arms tightly hugging the pillow beneath her and burying her face into it.

Her throat is burning, nose sniffling, shoulders shaking from the uncontrollable sobs that she can't seem to put an end to. The tears only continue to pour of her eyes, and she convinces herself that it's never going to stop.

She can't believe this is happening. Just this morning, she had been the happiest, most excited that she's ever been. She'd planned it all out. Her father was supposed to walk off that ship, he was going to scoop her into his arms like all the other soldiers had done for their daughters, and they would finally be together again after an entire year of not seeing each other, of having nothing but mere letters to get her through such a lonely year.

He had meant everything to her. He'd taken her in as a child when her birth parents abandoned her. She'd been so young at the time, she doesn't remember her real father, or her mother.

For all Cassandra knows, that woman didn't want her, didn't need her, didn't love her. Cass had spent so long wondering why that could've been. But the captain had done all of those things. And after years of hopelessly longing for the answers, Cassandra realized that she didn't need her birth mother anymore, because she had everything she needed in him. Only him.

Now… he's gone too.

But all the other soldiers came back. Why didn't he? It's not fair. Why doesn't she deserve what everybody else has?

Never has she felt so hopeless, so destroyed, so utterly heartbroken, when this day was supposed to be the exact opposite.

Cassandra has no idea how much time has passed by the time there's a soft knock against her bedroom door.

"Cass?" Rapunzel's muffled voice speaks up from the other side, quiet and small. "It's me… Can I come in?"

Cassandra doesn't lift her head. She doesn't have the strength within her to say or do anything, but her sobs begin to lessen at the sound of Rapunzel's voice.

After a few moments, she hears the door clicking open. It closes again, followed by Rapunzel's soft footsteps entering the room.

Cassandra feels the mattress dip down next to her, but her eyes remain squeezed shut, face buried against the pillow beneath her, soaked in her tears. The only sounds that escape her anymore are the occasional sniffle and choked whimper emitting from her throat.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Rapunzel asks softly as she sits on the edge of the mattress, hands folded in her lap.

The room falls silent.

The princess looks over at the girl lying next to her, her eyes meeting nothing but the dark curls of Cassandra's hair poking out from within her pillow.

Rapunzel exhales softly. She shouldn't have expected an answer to that, but she isn't sure what else to do to help.

She can only imagine how the girl must be feeling. Of course, neither of them had expected that this is how the day was going to end up, but it hurts Rapunzel just the same to see her best friend so heartbroken.

Rapunzel had grown close to the captain over the years. He'd been a trusted advisor of her parents long before Rapunzel or Cassandra were even born, and protected the kingdom as Captain of the Guard for decades. Though it was his duty to serve the crown, he'd been a part of the royal family just as much as anybody else.

But Rapunzel knows her own feelings toward him are no match for the love that Cassandra has always had for her father, and him for her.

It's probably best that she gives Cass some space right now, anyway. It's clear she isn't ready to talk. The least Rapunzel can do is respect that.

"Just… let me know when you do." Rapunzel stands from the bed, somberly walking back toward the door.

A silence stretches between them again as her fingertips reach for the doorknob.

"Raps?"

Cassandra's weak voice croaking behind her causes Rapunzel to freeze in her tracks. When she peers over her shoulder, Cass is sitting up on the bed now, clutching her tear-stained pillow to her chest.

Her face is flushed and pink. Her cheeks are glistening with tears, eyelashes wet and falling tiredly. She avoids Rapunzel's eyes as she snivels hesitantly, "Can… Can you stay with me?"

Despite the circumstances, the corners of Rapunzel's lips tug into a warm smile. "Of course, I can," she murmurs, before walking back over to the bed.

As they sit next to each other once more, Cass still refuses to look over at Rapunzel.

The tears continue to roll silently down her cheeks, until she decides she can't resist it any longer – can't sit here pretending that she doesn't need anybody to comfort her, to hold her, to help her when she needs it the most.

Like cracked glass that has finally shattered, Cassandra lets herself fall into Rapunzel, and Rapunzel holds her until she has no tears left to cry.