A/N: In case anyone is interested, I've been using the song 'myth' by beach house as an inspiration for heart of stone ever since I started planning chapter 1. I will usually listen to it while writing, and I think it sums up the relationship between Cass and Rapunzel perfectly, I just didn't think to share it until now. If you associate songs with fictional characters like I do, try giving it a listen.
Chapter 15
A twelve-year-old Cassandra warily pokes her head into the archway of King Frederic's study.
Every paneled wall of the small room is covered by dark wood bookshelves, stocked with all different colors of books. At the back is a cushioned bench seat beneath a single rectangular window, with bright rays of sunlight illuminating the room and glistening off the recently polished floors. In the centre is a mahogany writing desk, with nothing but a feathered quill and a bottle of ink on its surface, and an elegant chandelier hanging directly above.
Cassandra notices the king and queen standing in front of the window as she enters, murmuring a hushed conversation to one another. However, they both turn their heads as the young girl enters, immediately putting an end to whatever it is they had been talking about.
"Cassandra, sweetheart." Arianna's face lights up with a welcoming smile as she turns to face the doorway. "Thank you for meeting with us. Please, sit down." She gestures to the velvet chair positioned in front of the desk.
Cassandra hesitantly steps further into the room, watching as both Arianna and Frederic take a seat opposite her. "What's… going on?" she asks, wondering why they had pulled her out of her sword-fighting lesson for this.
"Nothing," assures Frederic, mimicking his wife's smile. "We just wanted to talk." He folds his hands on the surface of the desk, giving Cassandra a moment to take a seat across from them.
She does so reluctantly, sitting with her shoulders slumped, her head ducked down slightly and her hands gripping the edges of the chair. The desk is so tall it almost hides her tiny frame behind it.
Frederic clears his throat. "Before your father was deployed, he informed us of the exceptional skill you have demonstrated in your training. We just wanted to tell you we're very proud of the progress you've made, as I'm certain your father will as well once he returns."
Cassandra eyes them both suspiciously, wondering why they're bringing this up now, and why they're being so formal with her when they are usually the exact opposite. This sounds like a forced compliment that comes before bad news.
"Am I in trouble?" she asks, her mind racing for whatever it is she may have done wrong. A couple things come to mind. "Because if I am, I swear it wasn't my fault."
Arianna chuckles, shaking her head, "Oh no, honey. It's nothing of that sort."
"You see… something happened in this castle, many years ago, and we believe both you and Rapunzel are now old enough to learn of it." Frederic's gaze flickers over to the queen sitting next to him, who gives him a reassuring nod and a faint grin. He returns his attention forward to Cassandra. "When Rapunzel was only a baby, we almost lost her. She was nearly stolen from us, around the same time that your father found you and brought you into our home." A deep, sorrowful longing falls over the man's eyes, "It has haunted us ever since. What happened that night is what made us realize that as Rapunzel grows older, she will need a sort of… protector. Someone to keep her safe and prevent something like that from ever happening again."
Arianna leans forward in her chair, "Which is why we wanted to ask you if…" she hesitantly glances over at Frederic, "…one day, when you are much older, you would be honoured to act as her appointed knight."
Cassandra blinks, staring at them blankly. "What's an appointed knight?"
"Well, it isn't much different from a regular knight, which is what you have already been training to become," explains the queen. "But rather than protecting the kingdom, you would be protecting the princess. And only the princess. It's a very special role, and you would be the only person assigned to it."
"…Oh," is all that Cassandra manages to say, though she's still a little unclear of what they're asking of her, and what it all means. She's never heard of such a thing before.
"We have been watching you in your training, Cassandra," says Frederic. "This is something that has been in conversation between us and your father for years now."
"We've already informed Rapunzel of everything we have just told you," Arianna continues. "Of course, we thought it only fair to ask her thoughts on the matter too. And, well… she's very excited about it. she believes it will bring the two of you closer together, should you choose to accept. She looks up to you. She trusts you, as do we."
All Cassandra does is stare at them dumbfounded, her gaze flickering between them both.
"We understand this is all happening very far in advance," says the king. "You're still so young. As you know, knights do not receive their titles until after they have turned eighteen, which will give you six more years to improve your skills." He places his hand on top of Arianna's, resting on the surface of the desk, and squeezes her fingertips. She wraps her opposite hand around his arm. "But if anything were to ever happen to us, we would feel reassured that Rapunzel is being taken care of, and that she is in good hands with you."
A silence settles within the room as Cassandra stares forward in thought, her lips slightly parted, processing everything she is hearing.
The king and queen exchange looks once more, noticing the girl's silence. They imagine this must be quite a bit of information for her to take in. It's a lot of responsibility, especially for someone as young as she is. She's still only a kid, but they wouldn't have told her now if they didn't think she was ready for it.
Frederic's chair scrapes along the floor as he rises to a stand. He steps around the desk to place a loving hand on Cassandra's shoulder, who remains seated. "You don't have to decide right now. Nothing has to change if you don't want it to. Take as much time as you need to consider this offer."
Arianna follows him in rising to her feet, approaching her from the other side.
Cassandra lifts her chin to look up at the queen as she tells her, "Whatever it is you end up choosing, just know that we love you very much, Cassandra." Arianna brushes a strand of hair behind Cass' ear, stroking the girl's jaw with her fingertips. "We want only what's best for you, and for Rapunzel."
With that, Arianna leans forward to plant a soft kiss on Cassandra's forehead. She follows her husband out of the room, leaving the young girl alone to her thoughts.
Present day
Cassandra stands in front of the wooden table within the cabin, emptying out every pouch and bag that she has onto the surface before her. She lays out what supplies they have, eyeing the amount of food that consists of mainly fruit, nuts, and dried meat. She stares down in thought, calculating what she sees. It isn't much, but it should be enough to sustain them for a week. She rations everything accordingly, then begins to repack it all for the journey ahead.
She hears the front door swing open and closed somewhere behind her, followed by Rapunzel's soft footsteps entering the house. Cassandra doesn't turn at the sound of her kicking the snow off her boots.
Rapunzel walks further inside, dressed in her woolen gloves and brown cloak draped over her layered skirt. She's holding a pail of water in her hand, her nose red from the cold, having just tended to Maximus outside. She sets it down on a nearby chair, recollecting herself.
Cassandra continues what she's doing, the two of them existing amongst each other in silence like they always do.
Then a wave of dizziness suddenly washes over her. Cassandra's hands slow to a stop as her head becomes heavy, as if it weighs a ton. Her eyes begin to fall closed for a moment, then her knees completely give in beneath her.
She stumbles forward, clutching the edge of the table and catching herself before she can fall.
Rapunzel whips around at the abrupt thud and the startling sound of the table rattling, "Whoa—hey," She immediately rushes over and appears by Cassandra's side, hovering her hands around her. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine." Cassandra slowly regains her footing, her gloved hands still gripping the edge of the table. She exhales sharply as she pushes herself upright again, her head still feeling like its spinning.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'm just… tired, that's all," insists Cassandra. She keeps her chin lowered, refusing to meet eyes with Rapunzel next to her.
"It must be from the fight," realizes the princess, "You hit your head pretty hard."
"I said I'm fine."
"You're not fine. You need to rest," argues Rapunzel. That seems to silence Cassandra, although considering how unwell she looks right now, Rapunzel assumes that she's merely too weak to say anything more. So, Rapunzel wraps an arm around Cassandra's back, her voice remaining soft, "Here, I got you."
Surprisingly, Cassandra doesn't protest as she finds herself being guided into the bedroom, just a few steps away. In fact, she looks like she's about ready to faint as Rapunzel helps her down onto the bed.
Cassandra slowly lowers onto her side, swallowing the dryness of her throat and squeezing her eyes shut from the violent pounding in her head.
Rapunzel straightens again as she stands next to the bedframe, a little panicked with what just happened. She exhales with relief, having managed to get Cassandra here without her completely falling over. "Okay, do you need anything? Do you need water? I'll get you water." Flustered, she begins to rush out of the room.
"Raps?"
She stops at the sound of Cassandra's voice behind her, and peers over her shoulder from beneath the doorway. Rapunzel can't remember the last time Cassandra had called her that. It reminds her of when they were only kids, living in the castle. It warms her heart in an indescribable way.
"Yeah?" she responds.
Cassandra doesn't know why she wants to cry all of a sudden. Maybe it's the physical pain that she's in, or the fact that she clearly isn't herself right now and it's somehow heightened her sensitivity. Maybe it's the realization that what happened with those bandits has left her weaker than she'd like to admit, and that makes her feel like she failed in a way. Maybe she feels guilty that Rapunzel is somehow still so caring toward her, when Cassandra knows there have been times where she has treated Rapunzel so dismissively, like she was a burden. Despite it all, Rapunzel is still right here. She hasn't left yet, and Cass knows that she doesn't deserve someone like her.
Whatever the reason, there's one thing that Cassandra knows for certain - she doesn't want to be without her right now.
"Can you just stay with me?" Cassandra murmurs softly as she remains curled onto her side, like she's defeated.
It's the last thing Rapunzel had expected her to say, but it's relieving to hear it. It takes her back to when Cassandra was only thirteen, and she'd sobbed in her room the day that her father didn't come home, nine years ago.
She'd asked Rapunzel to stay with her then too. After all these years, Rapunzel never forgot it.
The corners of the princess' lips tug into a sad grin. Her eyes squint in admiration, brows creasing in a painful way. She can't explain how long she has waited for Cassandra to ask her again.
Feeling emotional herself, Rapunzel slowly steps back into the room, her voice croaking, "Of course."
She lowers onto her knees next to the bed, and Cassandra weakly reaches her fingertips out from beneath her own cheek and toward Rapunzel. The princess folds her arms on the edge of the mattress, and takes Cass' hand in her own.
Though Cassandra feels faint and dizzy, and suddenly sleepy, she squeezes the princess' fingertips, and Rapunzel latches onto her hand so desperately as if it is something she has waited to do her entire life.
With tears threatening to fall from her eyes, Rapunzel leans forward and rests her chin on the edge of the bed. Their faces are so close that Rapunzel's lips are pressed against Cassandra's hand.
They stay in that position, both shivering from the cold, enveloped in the silence and the comfort of each other. And the same question lingers on both of their minds – how did they get here?
As Cassandra breathes softly and lets her eyelids fall closed, Rapunzel watches her with a broken heart.