Chapter 18

Cassandra coughs as she lays weakly on her stomach, lifting her chin from the cold ground just a few inches away from her face. Thin snowflakes float from the pale gray sky, melting into the stone floor of the bridge beneath her.

She sees the dead bodies of two blurred figures laying a few feet away, dressed in black and unmoving. She sees her sword on the ground next to her, glistening and dripping with blood.

With a trembling hand, she slowly reaches her arm out, and stretches her fingertips toward it. A whimper escapes her throat as she claws at the hilt, eventually managing to get a grip on it within her clenched fist.

Holding onto it tightly, she squeezes her eyes shut, inhaling sharply to gather her strength. Then she forcefully springs herself up onto her hands and knees. However, she barely moves one leg before the agonizing pain in her side stops her abruptly, and she collapses forward again, letting out a yelp.

Her sword clatters to the ground. She coughs again.

She lays motionless on her stomach for a few moments, barely managing to keep her head upright. Every breath that she takes leaves a burning pain shooting throughout her abdomen, along with a thin coat of sweat glistening on her forehead.

With a new wave of determination, she reaches her arms forward, desperately clutching onto the ground and preparing to crawl with all the might that she has left. Her arms are quivering as she slowly pulls herself forward along the bridge, groaning. She manages to crawl only a few feet before stopping again, her muscles too weak to continue.

She holds a hand to her side, panting heavily. Warm blood immediately begins filling her palm, staining her leather gauntlet red.

Propping herself up on one elbow, Cassandra slowly twists her body to lift the hem of her shirt.

When she peers down at her bare stomach, her skin is completely covered in blood. It oozes from the open wound in her side, forming a crimson puddle on the ground beneath her.

She scrambles for her cloak draped around her shoulders, splayed out on the ground behind her. She clumsily finds the hem of it, clutching it within her trembling fingers. She raises it to her mouth and bites the cloak between her teeth, using her one hand to rip away a strip of fabric from it.

She then tears the fabric in half, and crumples up one piece of it within her fist. As she remains propped on her side, she forcefully presses the material into her wound.

Her eyes squeeze shut from the sting of it pushing against her, but she forces herself to apply more pressure to her side. She holds it there for a few moments, letting it soak up the blood. It drips between her fingertips, drenching her hand red in the process.

Then she takes the second strip of fabric and adjusts herself on the ground in a struggled attempt to tuck it underneath her torso. A sharp pain meets her with every movement that she makes, but she continues to writhe uncomfortably until the strip of material is laid out beneath her.

With a grunt, she lets herself fall completely onto her back. Breathing heavily, she then grabs the two ends of the fabric, pulling it tight around her waist. The pressure makes her cry out softly as she ties a knot over the wound, securing the makeshift bandage beneath it. Though it's already soaked with blood, she hopes it will help stop the bleeding for at least a little bit.

When she's finally done, Cassandra lets her arms fall to her sides, splaying them out next to her on the ground. She releases a relieved exhale, somewhat feeling like she can breathe again just from the sensation of no longer having to move. Though, there's a lingering throbbing in her side and it makes her eyelids fall closed with exhaustion.

Her head is heavy now. Her muscles are weak. Her hands are shaking violently. She can't move anymore. All she does is lay there, her chest rapidly rising and falling. Her body is in so much pain that she starts to become numb to it, and she thinks she might pass out from the fatigue.

Cassandra doesn't know how long she stays there for - alone, slowly bleeding out, with nothing but the silence and the cold winter air to envelope her.

Then the distant noise of a horse whinnying causes her to slowly open her eyes.

At first, the sound goes right through her head. She's so close to succumbing to unconsciousness that she almost doesn't hear it, for she doesn't even know anymore whether she is dreaming. Then she hears hooves pounding, softly quaking the ground beneath her and gradually becoming louder.

Slowly, she rolls her head to the side.

Her blurry vision focuses on the movement in the distance, her eyes squinting at what she thinks she might be seeing. After a few moments, she makes out the figure of a white horse, galloping toward her like a beacon of light among the pale snow.

"Max?" she croaks, her voice hoarse and her throat dry.

The horse whinnies once more, louder this time. He continues to run across the bridge toward her, head shaking in distress.

But Cassandra is so out of it that she can hardly process what's happening. The last time she had seen Maximus, he'd been galloping in the same direction he just came from, only Rapunzel had been on his back, fleeing from the very bandits that left Cassandra here to die.

A panic striking within her, she forcefully rolls onto her side, pushing herself up onto one elbow.

Maximus skids to a stop in front of her.

"Where's Rapunzel?" She says as his pounding hooves come to an abrupt halt. There's a noose roped around his neck that hadn't been there before, dragging along the ground behind him.

He carefully lowers his head down toward her, neighing in distress.

There's a sharp pain in Cassandra's side. She whimpers suddenly, clutching a hand to her makeshift bandage. She peers down at her stomach, wincing through clenched teeth.

Maximus follows her gaze with his snout, sniffing the wound beneath her blood-stained tunic. Huffing, he gently nudges his head into her, but she's so weak that she can't find it in her to move.

He whinnies softly again, encouraging her to get up. She doesn't.

He lowers himself to the ground, folding his legs beneath himself and laying down next to her. He nudges Cassandra's hand with his nose once more, urging her palm to rest on top of his snout.

But all she wants to do is lay there, close her eyes and allow her body to give in completely. She doesn't want to get up. She's not sure that she can. It hurts too much to move. She's fighting so hard to stay conscious that she hardly even realizes that Max is right there, urging her to keep going.

But the mere thought of seeing Rapunzel's face again keeps Cassandra hanging on to reality. The princess is still out there. The bandits had run into the woods after her and if she isn't with Max, that can only mean one thing: Rapunzel is in trouble, and she needs Cassandra's help.

Which is why Cass is not going to die here, not now. She's not just going to sit here, letting herself bleed out any longer, awaiting her own death. Not when she is the only person who can save Rapunzel. There isn't much time before it's too late.

With her brows creased together in discomfort, Cassandra closes her eyes, exhaling slowly. She can do this. She just has to hold on a little bit longer.

She reaches for her sword next to her again. The blade scrapes along stone as she drags it closer and manages to sheathe it into her hip holster.

Then reaching an arm up toward Max, she wraps her fingers around the leather strap of his bridle clasped around his snout. She grabs onto it tightly and uses it to pull herself up with what little strength she has left.

There's a burning ache in her side that she forces herself to ignore as she awkwardly adjusts her body, clutching onto his bridle with her other hand. Her arm muscles are quivering as she slowly hauls herself into a sitting position. She leans all of her weight into him, using his head to keep her upright.

As the horse remains laying next to her, she manages to crawl on top of him and swing one leg over his back. She grunts as she heavily sits into the saddle, her body leaning forward.

Once she's on, Maximus slowly and carefully stands again. She manages not to completely fall off the horse as he steadies his stance, his hooves clicking beneath her.

Cassandra peers ahead of them, across the bridge, and into the woods ahead. She grabs hold of the reigns, and takes a steady breath, "Okay, boy… Take me to her."

Maximus' hooves are pounding heavily against snow as he gallops through the frozen woods. The blurry silhouettes of snow-covered trees dart quickly past him, wind whizzing through his mane, saddle rattling along with his rhythmic movement.

Cassandra leans forward on his back, fighting to keep her grip on the reigns and remain upright. There's a wooziness in her head and a nauseous feeling in her stomach, but she holds on as tight as she can as Maximus continues to race through the forest.

Eventually, he slows to a stop at a particular spot within the trees. It's where he had managed to escape the bandits earlier, where they'd taken Rapunzel.

He peers around themselves, deciphering where they may have gone. He lowers his head to the ground, sniffing along the snow. His breath is visible within the cold air as he huffs sharply through his nostrils. He weaves through the trees at a steady pace, slowly sniffing out their trail.

Then with a gust of determination, he whinnies as he bolts into the trees once more, following their newfound scent.

Cassandra ducks her head. She squints as a wall of falling snowflakes crash against her face, the wind turning her cheeks numb from the cold.

Maximus runs and runs until he eventually reaches the edge of the woods. He gallops into a clearing, suddenly emerging from within the labyrinth of endless pine trees. He slows to a stop, and Cassandra lifts her head to follow his gaze.

What her eyes are met with causes her to freeze with uncertainty.

Across a field of snow, as white as a sparkling blank canvas, is a small and decaying cottage nestled beneath a jagged cliffside.

A narrow waterfall trails down the rock wall, pouring into a shallow stream of running water. It weaves all the way around the front yard of the abode, secluding it on the opposite side of a wooden rope bridge. Pine trees are peppered at the top of the cliff as well as at the base, alongside large and slanted boulders.

A blanket of snow covers the rooftops of the cottage, arching into two uneven points. A stone chimney protrudes from one side, though a part of the roof has caved in, with broken planks of wood bridging over the opening. Dark brown vines snake up the masonry walls, partially covering the small square windows around the front. A stationary water wheel is attached to one side of the house, dipping into the stream below.

There are no black horses outside like Cassandra had expected, no signs of bandits or anyone else being here. The lanterns are unlit. The chimney is clear of smoke. The gray walls are overgrown with moss. It's strangely quiet. Despite it all, it looks like it may have been a charming home to somebody once.

Now, the place looks completely abandoned, as if no one has been here in years. Something about it is eerie to her, but Cassandra trusts Maximus' instincts. If there's a possibility that Rapunzel is in there, then she has no choice but to go inside and find out.

All that can be heard is the water of the creek trickling softly beneath them as Maximus trots across the rickety wooden bridge. He slows to a stop a distance away from the front door.

Cassandra gingerly swings one leg over Max's back, holding tightly onto the saddle as she slowly lowers herself from it. She grunts as she hops the rest of the way down, her boots crunching into the snow. She stumbles forward slightly, leaning into Maximus to keep her upright. She ignores the sharp pain in her abdomen, though the discomfort has seemed to lessen since she bandaged herself.

She clutches a hand to her side, her body bending over in pain. Then she turns to face the house, eyeing it in front of her.

The blade of Cassandra's sword rings out as she draws it from her belt.

Dragging one foot in front of the other, she follows the fresh tracks in the snow leading up to the front door, noticing the footprints to be a similar size to her own.

The glass of the windows are frosted, murky and overgrown with vines, making it impossible to see a thing through them as she gets closer.

She goes to open the door, discovering it to be unlocked, though her legs are so wobbly that she ends up clumsily falling into it. The hinges creak as it swings open in front of her, more forcefully than she'd meant to. She stumbles into the doorframe immediately after stepping inside.

She leans her shoulder into it for a few moments, her entire body overcome with heat despite the weather. It leaves a thin coat of sweat on her skin, lungs panting for air. Then she pushes herself upright again, finally lifting her gaze.

At first glance, there isn't a soul in sight. The interior of the cottage looks just as abandoned as the outside. It's deathly silent. It's cold and dark, the small room encased in shadows. The walls and hardwood floors are gray, cracked and decayed, with cobwebs nestled in the corners.

She makes out the remnants of a kitchen in front of her, with empty countertops and a round dining table collecting nothing but dust.

Wind whistles softly as it blows through the large opening of the broken roof above. It sends down a ray of light from outside, illuminating snowflakes that fall into the living room, creating a patch of snow directly beneath it.

Cassandra walks slowly inside, her sword held out cautiously in front of her. Her footsteps fill the silence, brushing against a layer of gravel on the floor.

She doesn't call out Rapunzel's name so as not to risk giving herself away. Those tracks outside are fresh. There could be anybody here right now, just waiting to ambush her. It's best she remains as quiet as possible.

She passes a stone fireplace containing nothing but a pile of ashes, in front of a tattered couch and a low coffee table. The living room branches to a dark hallway, with a few closed doors leading to other rooms. She would've already marched directly down there in search of Rapunzel, that is if something about this house didn't leave her stopping in her tracks.

As she peers around herself, standing still in the middle of it all, Cassandra realizes that somehow, this place feels familiar to her, like a memory from a distant dream. But she's never been this far outside of the kingdom before, not to mention the fact that this area is completely hidden within the woods. She would've remembered if she'd been here.

A tall oval-shaped mirror in front of her captivates her gaze - cracked and completely shattered on one corner. There are thick smudges of dirt on its surface, obscuring her distorted reflection as she slowly approaches it.

But Cassandra is so distracted by her own thoughts that she doesn't notice the shards of broken glass near her feet. She looks down as she accidentally steps on one of them, the glass crunching beneath her boot and snapping her out of a trance. She takes a step back, her heart leaping into her throat.

Then she hears a muffled voice from somewhere within the house. She whips her head around, recognizing it immediately.

That sounded like Rapunzel. Almost like she was saying Cassandra's name…

Cassandra hears it again, louder this time. She realizes it could be anybody trying to trick her, but she knows that voice. It sounds like Rapunzel is yelling for help. Like she's hurt, or in distress, and it sounds like she's very close.

With a sudden panic nestling in her chest, Cassandra staggers down the dark hallway as she calls out, "Rapunzel?"

She runs her palm along the wall for balance as she passes the first door. Rapunzel's unintelligible shouts are clear in her ears now, which Cass realizes to be coming from the room behind her.

She turns and reaches for the door, frantically swinging it open. Cassandra stumbles through the doorway before stopping herself, her one hand still gripping the handle.

As she looks up, the first thing she sees is Rapunzel, kneeled on the ground at the opposite end of the room, alone, with a cloth tied over her mouth and her hands bound behind her back.

Chains are clasped around her wrists, trailing along the floor and connecting to the wall behind her. There's a small square window above her, with only a few pieces of furniture filling the small bedroom she's in. Her eyes are wide with fear, her muffled voice trying to shout Cassandra's name but unable to.

"Rapunzel!" Cassandra immediately rushes across the room, falling to her knees in front of the princess. Her sword clatters to the ground as she drops it next to herself, lowering the cloth from Rapunzel's mouth.

"Cass! You're alive!" Rapunzel gasps, finally able to speak again. She looks extremely relieved, as if she's hardly believing what she's seeing. Her voice breaks with overwhelming worry, as if she might burst into tears, "I thought you were dead."

Despite how dizzy Cassandra feels along with everything that just happened, a weak smirk appears on her lips at that. "Not yet," Cassandra murmurs breathlessly.

She can't explain how good it feels to see Rapunzel's face again. She wasn't sure she ever would again after she'd watched her flee into the woods with Maximus earlier. Being with her again now somehow makes Cassandra forget about the torturous pain she's in.

Rapunzel notices the amount of blood painting Cassandra's hands. The possibilities of what exactly happened on that bridge linger in the back of her mind, though the darkness of the room and the shadows beneath Cass' cloak leave her blood-stained shirt unnoticed.

"You came back for me," says Rapunzel, her eyes glistening with admiration.

"Of course, I did." The implication that Rapunzel didn't think she would breaks Cassandra's heart. She raises her bloody fingertips to Rapunzel's face, delicately cupping a hand around her cheek. "I told you I'd find you."

Despite the circumstances, Rapunzel beams at that. She exhales with relief, though it ends up sounding like a broken sob. Her fluttering eyelashes are wet with tears. She leans her face into Cassandra's hand, basking in the feeling of having her close again.

Cassandra can't help but grin back at her. Then she remembers that they don't have much time before whoever did this to Rapunzel comes back.

She snaps back to reality, the tone of her voice becoming panicked again, "Hold on. I'm gonna get you out of here." Cassandra lowers her gaze and hastily begins fiddling with the chains around Rapunzel's wrists.

"No—Cass, you can't be here right now! You have to go! She's gonna—"

But Cassandra is so determined to find a way to get the chains off that she's not even listening to what Rapunzel is saying.

"Well…"

A shrill and piercing sing-song voice behind Cassandra causes her to whip around. Startled, she springs to her feet, grabbing her sword and holding it out in front of herself.

However, the figure Cassandra finds herself meeting eyes with is not at all who she had expected. Rather than another bandit like the ones she has encountered before, she instead finds a woman standing beneath the doorway at the opposite end of the room. A woman who Cassandra doesn't recognize, with hair like a birds' nest lengthening down her back in tight black curls, and streaks of gray peeking out from within.

She wears a silk dress as crimson as blood, the fabric hugging her curvy figure, with a black hooded cloak draped around her shoulders. Her skin is ghostly pale, with hollow cheekbones and thin lips. Her eyes appear tired with dark circles around them, and wrinkles at the corners. Despite her aging appearance, she holds herself as if she is much younger than she looks, with a lifted chin and an overly poised posture.

She speaks almost mockingly, with an eerie pleasantness to her voice, "Look who finally decided to come and rescue you, Flower." With an amused smirk, the woman shifts her gaze from Rapunzel to Cass. A darkness flashes across her eyes as she looks directly at her, "I must admit… I've been waiting a long time for this, Cassandra."