Chapter 17

4 years ago

On the eve of the knighting ceremony, the young knights of Corona assemble in the wine cellars beneath the castle.

Within the underground hideaway, used only for storage and not-so-secret occasions such as this, the floors and windowless walls are made of jagged stone, lined with firelit torches that dimly illuminate the dark basement in a yellow light. Stone pillars curve into various archways across the ceiling. Kegs are stacked along the walls, with more wooden barrels and crates of supplies stuffed into the corners. Unlike the rest of the castle, the lower levels are much less pristine – with cracks in the walls, a thin layer of dirt on the floors and a pungent smell of wine in the air.

By midnight, the cellars are packed with young men dressed in their Coronan suits of armour, with tankards of ale in their gloved hands, and an increasing amount of alcohol in their systems.

The seclusion from the rest of the castle and the outside world shelters them from the brewing rainstorm outside, though the volume of their rowdy celebration drowns out the thunder.

"All right, all right." One of them - a boy about eighteen, with short blonde hair and a stubbled chin, speaks up amongst the crowd, silencing them.

The rest of the knights are crowded around him, their previous chatter dying down.

"Now, we all know today was a very momentous occasion for someone in particular… but now it's time for the real celebration to begin." He turns his attention to Cassandra standing near him, dressed in an identical suit of armour. "Everyone, give it up for Cassandra, our knight in shining armour!" He takes her by the wrist, shooting her arm into the air in triumph.

The room bursts into cheers, applause, and sporadic whistles.

Cassandra chuckles nervously, having never experienced so much attention in just one day. She'd thought her knighting ceremony earlier this morning had been the end of that. Now, she finds herself in the centre of the room, with all eyes focused on her. Usually, she wouldn't tolerate it, if it weren't for the fact that becoming a knight is a day she has anticipated for practically her entire life, and there's a burst of pride within her having finally accomplished that.

The boy heavily hooks an arm around Cassandra's shoulders, clumsily leaning all of his weight into her, "Now, we all know you can fight like a knight…" Soft laughter breaks out among the room, along with various mutterings of approval. "But the real question is… can you drink like one too?"

With that, he shoves a tankard of ale into Cassandra's hands that she finds no choice but to accept, though most of it splashes onto her gauntlets.

Then the men erupt into a chorus of excited howling and drunken laughter, before all breaking into a roaring chant, "Chug, chug, chug, chug…."

Cassandra raises the tankard to her mouth and throws her head back, gulping down the bitter taste.

They're all crowding around her, pushing the tankard to her lips which causes her to lean her head further back. But alcohol is no stranger to Cassandra, having had her first drink at thirteen, which hadn't been unusual for any other kid at the time. Especially the knights in training.

When she conquers the last gulp, the men burst into cheers.

Cassandra briefly grimaces at the lingering taste in her mouth, and the bubbling sensation within her stomach, though there's a crooked grin on her face as some of the men proudly clap her on the shoulder.

Later into the evening, when the celebration is at its peak and everyone is drunk out of their minds, Cassandra sits alone in the corner of the cellar.

She's leaning forward with her elbows propped on the small round table in front of her, her one wrist hanging limply and holding a half full tankard of ale.

She sips from it occasionally as she watches everyone around her, chatting and laughing amongst themselves, no longer paying her any mind - which Cassandra is thankful for. At the moment, she finds herself watching a particular group of them challenge each other to various arm-wrestling matches, and she realizes that it's reached that point of the night.

Their rowdy behaviour doesn't phase her though, considering they've all been training together since they were old enough to, not to mention the fact that they're all men. Cassandra had grown used to being surrounded by more boys than girls as a kid, but they always treated her like one of the guys – like she wasn't the only female in training. Though, that's mainly because Cassandra would probably punch them in the face if they didn't.

But she's not sure she could call any of them friends. They're more like people she's been stuck with her entire life and had no choice but to grow up alongside. Who teased her and pushed her buttons, but loved her at the same time in a weird way. Not that Cassandra isn't guilty of doing the exact same thing.

Despite it, none of it matters anymore. They're all honoured knights now, and adults at that, rather than mere kids in training. Cassandra is too mature to dwell on the past, anyway. Even now, some of them are like brothers to her. Others are just idiots.

About an hour into the celebration, Cassandra starts to feel the alcohol working. There's a fuzziness in her head and her fingertips are beginning to feel like static, which is probably a good sign that she should stop soon.

Realizing that she'd much rather be alone in her room right now instead of watching said idiots compete with each other to satisfy their egos, she debates sneaking out of here and hoping that nobody will notice.

Then she hears a chorus of "oooh's" coming from somewhere, and everyone seems to turn their attention in the same direction.

As Cassandra raises her drink to her lips, she catches sight of someone coming down the stairs over the rim of her tankard. Suddenly, she realizes what everyone else is looking at.

She recognizes Rapunzel immediately, wearing a lavender dress, with her long brown hair falling in perfectly loose curls over her shoulders. Unlike everyone else here, her pristine and regal appearance is like a ray of sunlight - one that definitely doesn't belong in a dark cellar like this.

Cassandra's heart skips a beat.

Some of the men begin snickering and muttering snide comments to each other while glancing in Rapunzel's direction. One of them even whistles drunkenly at her as she reaches the bottom of the stone staircase, but she's so preoccupied with scanning her gaze around the room in search of something that she doesn't seem to notice their reactions.

A sudden heat overtakes Cassandra's body that hadn't been there before. She swallows nervously. Her tankard is still hovering near her lips as she watches Rapunzel from a distance, who hasn't yet seemed to notice her.

Then Rapunzel's eyes light up as she finally spots Cassandra within the crowd, and a beaming smile appears on the princess' face.

Rapunzel carelessly pushes her way through the leering knights and toward Cassandra, oblivious to the way they're all looking at her as she brushes past.

As if snapping out of a trance, Cassandra sets her drink down, pushes herself to her feet and immediately begins walking over to the princess.

They meet halfway across the room.

"Cass! There you are!" exclaims Rapunzel, looking relieved. "I thought I'd find you down here."

"Raps, what are you doing here?" Cassandra glances uneasily around themselves, though the rest of the room has already returned to their preoccupations. Their loud chatter fills the cellar again, but Cassandra keeps her voice hushed as she says, "This isn't exactly a place for a princess."

"I came to hang out with my best friend. Obviously!" Rapunzel answers cheerfully.

"You're supposed to be in your room right now. In fact, you should be asleep," Cass reminds her, entirely serious. Rapunzel had been the last person she'd expected to see here.

"Pffft. While you stay up late and have all the fun?"

"If you call watching a bunch of drunk men arm wrestle each other fun, then yeah." Cassandra glances over at said men with an unamused glare, then folds her arms across her chest. "It's not like I want to be here, anyway. The guys practically dragged me to come tonight, and they're not exactly keen on me saying 'no'."

"Well, then we'll just have to make it fun," Rapunzel suggests mischievously.

Cassandra chuckles sarcastically, "Ahah… sorry princess, but no way."

The amount of intoxicated men here tonight make her nervous, especially considering how they'd all reacted toward Rapunzel just now. Not like they wouldn't behave like complete animals when they're sober either.

The princess isn't exactly supposed to associate with the other knights, which is probably why her presence here is apparently so exciting to them. Their drunken states are only going to get worse as the night goes on, and there's no way Cass is letting Rapunzel be around when that happens.

With that, Cassandra decidedly takes the princess by the hand, "Come on. I'm taking you back to your room."

They only make it one step before Rapunzel pulls her arm away, stopping her. "Oh, lighten up, Cass! It'll be completely harmless. What's the big deal?"

Cass turns to face her again. "In case you've forgotten, starting today, I'm responsible for you from now on. Your dad will kill me if he finds out you snuck out past your curfew to party with us."

The occasional social gatherings that happen down here aren't exactly a secret to the king. If he does know what's going on tonight, he hasn't said a thing about it, but he most definitely will if he finds out his daughter had any part in it. Not to mention the fact that if something goes horribly wrong with Rapunzel, Cassandra will be the first one he'll blame.

"Which is why you're not gonna tell him, right…?" Rapunzel's eyes are pleading, not-so-discreetly begging Cassandra not to do just that.

Knowing exactly where this is going, Cassandra raises a hand to stop her, "Oh, no. Don't even start that."

"My dad is just dramatic! He'll get over it!" Rapunzel insists. "Think about it, what can he actually do to us?" She takes Cassandra by the hands, her voice softening, "Come on, Cass. I'm just really excited that you're finally a knight, and I'm so proud of you, and I didn't wanna miss out on the official celebration, because I feel like as your best friend, the least I could do is be here to support you."

Cassandra pulls her arms away, not buying it for a second. "That's very flattering Raps, but trust me, you'll have plenty of time to celebrate at the ball later this week. Which… I am absolutely dreading." She mutters the last part, suddenly reminding herself of yet another social gathering she is being forced to go to. Just add it to the list of events being thrown in her honour this week for becoming appointed knight.

"I know, I know, but that's a very different kind of party," points out Rapunzel. She shrugs, "I just thought I could have one night where I didn't have to act like a princess all the time. Where I could be… I don't know, normal. Like you."

When Rapunzel peers up at Cassandra beneath thick eyelashes, wearing an innocent grin on her face, Cassandra doesn't know what to say anymore. She's never actually thought about it that way before.

"…Please?" Rapunzel begs sweetly.

Regrettably, Cassandra has grown familiar with the guilt tripping, and the puppy eyes. In fact, Rapunzel does it every time she convinces her to do anything that most likely isn't a good idea. Yet somehow, Cass still falls for it every time.

Cassandra rolls her eyes, groaning exasperatedly, "Ugh. Sometimes, I really don't understand how we are friends."

Just like that, Rapunzel jumps with joy, completely dropping the façade. "Oh, stop. You love me," she teases, before enthusiastically grabbing Cassandra by the hand. "Come on, let's go talk to people! This is gonna be so much fun!"

By no surprise to Cassandra, 'fun' ends up being Rapunzel running around talking to everyone, making friends with everything that breathes, while Cassandra follows her around the entire time and doesn't say a word.

It doesn't take long for Cass to realize her presence to be entirely useless. Eventually, she realizes she could really use some more alcohol right about now, then without announcing herself, she wanders away from Rapunzel and back to her corner.

She ends up drinking alone again, sitting in the same chair as before, watching Rapunzel from a distance and making sure she doesn't run away somewhere. The princess is like a lost puppy sometimes, and Cass convinces herself that Rapunzel is going to get herself in trouble as soon as she takes her eyes away.

But Rapunzel is so preoccupied that she doesn't even seem to realize Cass is no longer with her.

Another hour later, Cassandra wants nothing more than to hide herself away in her bedroom for the rest of the night, which is what she had been planning to do anyway before Rapunzel showed up. Not because she's tired, but because she'd much rather be alone than surrounded by so many rowdy people.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel looks like she's having the time of her life.

Cassandra supposes this is not usually something that Rapunzel would be allowed to do, being the princess, so Cass understands why it might seem so appealing to her. Her parents have always been pretty strict with her. Still, Cassandra wonders if anyone would notice if she left, then she realizes that there's no way she's leaving Rapunzel down here alone. Which means… she has no choice but to stay. Great.

So, she keeps drinking because a part of her is unsure how else to occupy herself. Or maybe she does it as a way to numb her own mind, and distract herself from what she would otherwise be feeling. Maybe it does the opposite. Maybe it only enhances her darkest thoughts, dragging up to the surface what she would rather bury inside.

Not much caring anymore, Cassandra takes another swig.

It's obvious to her that every guy in this room has their eye on Rapunzel. They're all aware that she isn't technically allowed to be here, though it's clear nobody is complaining. Every guy that she talks to looks far too proud of themselves. And the worst part of it all is that Rapunzel doesn't even notice the effect she has on them. Her innocence has left her oblivious to the fact that everyone here wants to get into her pants.

Cassandra, on the other hand… she can notice it from a mile away. It bothers her.

Then again, maybe it's just the alcohol talking. Her body is so warm it feels numb. Her head has become so heavy that she thinks she may fall over if she stood up right now. She can't remember the last time she'd been this drunk.

She watches Rapunzel from across the room, currently in a deep conversation with another knight. A knight that Cassandra particularly has never been fond of, Eric Lunden - The same boy that bullied Cassandra growing up, that she may or may not have started a physical fight with once or twice when they were kids. Also, the guy who has been known to flirt with practically every girl he sees.

Him and Rapunzel are standing off to the side, far too close to each other for Cassandra's liking. Rapunzel's lips are moving rapidly though her voice blends in too easily with the rest of the crowd. Her eyes are expressive. She's smiling. He's leaning his shoulder against the wall, watching her and nodding along, though Cass doubts he's even listening to a word she's saying.

Cassandra's fist tightens around her tankard.

"You know, Cass, I'm actually curious whether it's possible for you to stare even harder."

She glances in the direction of the voice over her shoulder, realizing it to belong to one of her more-liked acquaintances out of all of them. One that may even fit into the 'friend' category. Also, the 'idiot' one.

He's a freckle-faced boy, nineteen years old, with brown hair and wearing a suit of armour much like her own. She didn't even realize when he'd taken a seat atop one of the wooden barrels directly behind her.

He's sitting with one knee pulled up, his other leg swinging over the side, and a full tankard of ale in his hand that he sips casually from.

"I'm not staring," Cass returns her attention forward, lowering her brows over her eyes. This time, she's sure to veer her attention away from Rapunzel.

"Right," he nods sarcastically, "And let me guess… You're not totally in love with the princess either."

"I am not in love with her!"

He snickers at her expected outburst.

Cassandra groans in annoyance, before whipping around in her chair to punch him hard in the arm. "Will you just shut up for once?"

"Ow!" he clutches his bicep in pain, his smile immediately disappearing. He'd almost forgotten how strong she is, and nearly falls off the barrel from the sheer force of her violence. "Okay, okay," He chuckles nervously, though Cass is entirely serious.

Facing forward once more, Cassandra leans back in her chair, sitting with her knees apart and her arms folded across her chest. "What do you care, anyway?" she mutters, her expression unimpressed.

"Hey, it's fine. no need to get all defensive," he yields with his hands. "I mean, it's no secret. All the guys know how close you two are. Unless they've been living under a rock."

"We're not close," Cassandra insists. "I'm just… worried her being here is gonna get me in trouble, that's all."

He shrugs, "I don't know, Cass… it looks like Eric doesn't seem to mind her being here one bit," he comments pointedly, directing his attention across the room. Then he casually throws his head back to take another sip of his drink.

Irked by that very comment, Cassandra can't resist when her gaze flickers over to Rapunzel again.

She tells herself it isn't her place to interject, no matter how bad she wants to. Just because she is technically the princess' bodyguard now, that doesn't mean Rapunzel is no longer her own person. She's allowed to talk to whoever she wants. It isn't like talking is harmful anyway. Rapunzel is having fun, and Cass has no right to ruin that.

By some miracle, Cassandra manages to convince herself of this. That is, until she sees Eric boldly take a step toward Rapunzel. He props his hand on the wall near her head, looming over her. His other thumb is hooked onto his belt, crossing his ankles beneath him.

Rapunzel's smile only falters for a moment, and she takes a nervous step away from him as she continues talking. She's clasping her hands behind her back, clearly making no moves to encourage him. Still, the guy isn't taking a hint.

And then Cassandra realizes – Rapunzel is simply too polite to tell him to stop.

Okay. That's it.

Though Cass probably wouldn't have done anything if she were sober, she's so drunk right now that she finds herself springing to her feet faster than she can be stopped.

Her blood is boiling as she brushes through the crowd, stomping directly over to them and never taking her eyes off of Eric for a second.

Cassandra couldn't care less that she's completely interrupting their conversation as she appears by the princess' side, hooking an arm over Rapunzel's shoulders. "Hey, hotshot," she says to him, "Sorry to hear about your scores in target practice the other day. Oh, wait! I forgot you've never actually managed to nail your shot before." She bites the last part, her double meaning of the world 'nail' suddenly causing him to look embarrassed.

He glances from Cassandra to Rapunzel, then nervously back to Cass again. He takes a step away from them, holding up his hands defensively. "All right, I get it." He scoffs in annoyance, "Gee, Cass… Lighten up."

Cassandra doesn't say a word as he finally turns and walks away, because somehow, he's easily able to take a hint from Cassandra, just apparently not from Rapunzel. Even after he's gone, she glares hard at his backside, fading further into the crowd.

God, she could really punch him right now. Somehow, she'd managed to control herself from doing just that. But Cassandra is so annoyed with everything right now that she swears - if someone tells her to lighten up one more time—

Rapunzel snorts, bursting into a fit of giggles. "What was that all about?"

It isn't until then that Cass lets her arm fall from Rapunzel's shoulders. She visibly relaxes at the sound of the princess' voice, releasing a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding.

"Trust me, I was doing you a favour," she says, "That guy would date a wall if he could."

Rapunzel scrunches her face in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Cass stares at her blankly for a moment. "You know he was hitting on you, right?"

Rapunzel peers over in his direction, looking very puzzled, "He was?"

Cassandra releases a heavy sigh, realizing she should have expected that answer. Her head hurts. "Okay… What do you say we call it a night? I think I've done enough partying today to last me a lifetime."

Rapunzel doesn't argue with that suggestion, realizing that she feels quite tired herself. They've been down here for hours now, and it's probably best that they both get some sleep.

So, they manage to sneak out of the wine cellar unseen while the rest of the party continues without them.

They walk alongside each other down the dark corridors of the castle a few minutes later. It's well into the early hours of the morning now, with the rest of the kingdom having gone to sleep hours ago.

It's much quieter up here, so quiet that Cassandra hears nothing but their own footsteps shuffling against the carpet as they walk, along with the soft pattering of rain against the floor-to-ceiling windows. It's relieving after all the noise she'd just endured. There are no torches lit, with only the light of the blue moon cascading through the windows, forming shadows of raindrops trailing down the glass.

"Shouldn't I be the one escorting you to your bedroom?" Cassandra asks after a while, breaking the silence. She'd realized they'd taken a wrong turn to Rapunzel's chambers at some point, and are instead heading toward Cassandra's.

"Well, yeah. But you're the drunk one," points out Rapunzel, as if it is obvious.

"Pffft. I am not," Cassandra scoffs. About two seconds later, she loses her footing and stumbles directly into Rapunzel next to her. She stops momentarily, looking guilty. "Okay… Maybe a little."

Rapunzel, on the other hand, alcohol has never been very appealing to her. Mostly because she's never been in a situation where her parents would allow it. She'd tried one sip of it tonight only to realize that it's disgusting and she'd much rather busy herself with talking to people rather than drinking. Apparently, that had been a good choice.

When they make it to Cassandra's room, the first thing that Cass does is plop down onto her bed, landing heavily on her back. Her arms are spread out next to her as she stares blankly up at the ceiling, letting the comfort of the mattress envelope her in warmth.

The room is dark and encased in shadows. She hears Rapunzel shuffling around somewhere nearby, doing who knows what, but all Cassandra can do anymore is think about how dizzy she feels.

Her head is spinning rapidly. There's a bitter taste of ale in her mouth. Her fingers are numb and a part of her doesn't even remember how she'd gotten here. It's as if she weighs a ton and the mattress is just sucking her down into it. Suddenly, she never wants to get up again. She doesn't even think she'd be able to move right now if she tried.

The pattering of rain against her window is like static in her clouded mind.

Cassandra snaps to attention as Rapunzel's face suddenly pops up above her own. "Hellooooo? Earth to Cassandraaaa?"

Cassandra does nothing but blink up at her. "Huh?"

"I said do you want me to get you anything?"

"…Oh," is all that she responds with, wondering how Rapunzel's face had gotten so close.

The princess is standing at the foot of the bed, leaning forward, and propping her hands on either side of Cass' head while hovering over her. "Is everything okay?" Rapunzel asks with concern, tilting her head.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know," she shrugs, "You just seem a little weird tonight."

Cassandra hadn't meant to act weird. She'd like to think she's always been pretty good at acting sober, though apparently not good enough.

She notices Rapunzel's lips moving again, though Cass isn't really paying attention to what she's saying anymore. Something about the party and her dad? It seems all Cassandra can do anymore is just stare up at the princess' face hovering above her while her mind drifts further and further away from reality.

God, she is really pretty.

Cassandra wonders what would happen if she kissed her right now. If she just reached up and grabbed Rapunzel's face, pulled her down a few more inches and kissed her. She wonders if Rapunzel would kiss her back. She wonders if she'd regret it, or if Rapunzel would hate her for it.

Then she reminds herself how inappropriate that would be, considering what she is to Rapunzel. The king probably wouldn't take too kindly to it, that's for sure. But there's a professional level to her relationship with Rapunzel now, one that could result in Cassandra losing her title if she ever broke it. And if she's going to do her job well, she can't afford any distractions. Of course, that becomes much more difficult when Rapunzel is both the job and the distraction.

But sometimes… Cassandra imagines her and Rapunzel being more than friends, and sometimes the thought of Rapunzel being with someone else makes her ache in an indescribable way, which is why she'd gotten so jealous and protective earlier. All of it seems like a blur to her now.

But there's no way that anybody could ever feel that way about Cassandra. No one wants her. But she doesn't blame them. She has too many problems for someone else to have to deal with. She isn't worthy. It's probably why her birth mother abandoned her. It's why she's better off alone.

Now she's dreading going to sleep tonight. Because even though she's exhausted, she knows that once Rapunzel goes back to her own room, Cassandra will lie awake for hours, haunted by her own thoughts like she does most nights, especially the ones where she drinks – feeling weightless, longing for a feeling that she can't quite place, and helpless to do anything about it.

"Oh, Cass… Are you crying?" Rapunzel gasps softly, forgetting about whatever it is she had previously been talking about. She lowers herself to sit on the edge of the mattress, leaning toward Cassandra laying next to her.

Suddenly, a wave of emotion washes over Cass, and her face contorts in an attempt to shove away the tears. But they're already falling from the corners of her eyes, trailing down her temples faster than she can acknowledge them.

Cassandra sniffles, frantically wiping her eyes with her arm. "No," she croaks, suddenly embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" asks Rapunzel, her eyes widening with concern.

Everything.

"Nothing. I'm just… tired," Cassandra lies. She swallows the lump in her throat. She blinks back the tears. She somehow manages to compose herself.

Knights are trained to never show emotion. They're supposed to be strong. They don't have room for personal feelings.

"You know you can always tell me anything, right?" coos Rapunzel. "If something's bothering you, I wanna know."

"Nothing's bothering me. I'm fine."

No, I am not fine! I am very much not fine. I feel like I'm drowning and I don't know how to fix it and I feel like when I'm with you, there's an agonizing ache in my chest and I don't know why and I wish you wouldn't do this to me.

But Rapunzel still looks unconvinced. There's a sadness in her eyes as she begins softly, "Cass…"

"Really. I think I just… drank too much," Cassandra brings her arms up to tiredly run her palms down her flushed face. Why does she do this to herself? "I just need to go to sleep, that's all," she says. It isn't a lie. In fact, it's the hard truth.

Rapunzel twists her lips in contemplation, "Are you sure that's all it is?"

"Yeah. I'll feel better in the morning. I promise." Cassandra forces a weak smile, though it pains her. Maybe she'll wake up tomorrow and forget that any of this happened. Hopefully, Rapunzel will too.

Rapunzel only stares down at her for a few moments, wondering if she should press the matter further. Cassandra worries that she might do just that.

"Okay," she decides. "Just come and wake me if you need anything." Rapunzel slowly pushes herself off the bed and rises to her feet.

Stay with me.

"I will." Cassandra remains laying on her back, turning her head as she watches Rapunzel reluctantly walk across the room and toward the door.

She opens it, stops beneath the archway, and turns over her shoulder with her hand lingering on the doorknob. "Good night, Cass."

There's a flutter in Cassandra's stomach as she gazes at Rapunzel from across the room. Her lips tug into a captivated smirk as she murmurs, "Good night, princess."

With that, Rapunzel steps out into the hallway, and pulls the door closed behind her.

For a few moments, Cassandra only lays there after she is gone, staring after the closed door, and listening to it clicking closed. Suddenly, she is encased in silence.

Then she releases an exasperated sigh, relieved that is finally over. She reaches for the pillow on her bed, drops it on her face, and groans loudly into it.

Stupid stupid stupid.

A/N: Idk why this chapter ended up so long but oh well. Did anyone notice how I said "Her innocence has left her oblivious to the fact that EVERYONE here wants to get into her pants"? Including Cassandra. You're welcome.