A/N: We're around the halfway point! Thanks so much to everyone who has come along for the ride so far. Things are only going to get more intense from here!

Chapter 13

A warm breeze caresses Rapunzel's hair as she treks through a patch a tall grass and onto a rocky shore.

She gazes out at the calm waterfall before her, trickling down large jagged rocks and into a shimmering spring below.

The shore beneath her boots is a blanket of pebbles among large boulders and cattails, encased by a green forest of pine. The air smells of humid vegetation and the beginnings of spring. The reflection of the late morning sun glistens off the water's surface in a way that brings her comfort. This area they'd stumbled upon feels almost like a hidden oasis after so many days of walking through endless dry forests.

Rapunzel sees Cassandra in the distance, kneeled at the edge of the spring. She's removed all of her weapons and armour for the time being, now wearing a crimson long sleeve that hugs her frame.

Maximus' white tail flickers behind him as he dips his head to drink next to her. All that can be heard is the sound of rushing water.

They've opted to take a well-deserved rest here until tomorrow – to wash up, eat and make camp before doing it all over again tomorrow.

Cassandra cups water into her hands and splashes it onto her face, oblivious to Rapunzel's eyes. She does the same again, this time running her wet fingers through her hair. Her curls are matted after so long of not brushing or washing it.

She pulls all of her hair over one shoulder, revealing the side of her neck.

Rapunzel's heart stops for a moment, like she has become paralyzed. Suddenly, she can't look away.

Her eyes soften into a daze as she imagines her own hands wrapping around that very neck, squeezing whatever air is left within it until Cassandra breathes her very last breath.

She remembers exactly how it had felt in her dream. How it looked. The sounds Cassandra had made as she'd suffocated. The strength that had overcome Rapunzel. The power she wasn't aware she possessed…

Rapunzel blinks out of a trance.

A brief shower of fear courses through her veins. A million worrying thoughts flood through her head at once, as she brutally realizes what she'd just envisioned.

She questions her capabilities to have such thoughts, why it had come to her in her dream in the first place, why she hasn't been able to get the image out of her head since it happened, every time she looks at Cassandra.

It's all she's thought about for the past three days, despite her efforts to ignore it. Despite knowing that it hadn't bee real. Somehow, it still seems like it is.

Shuddering, Rapunzel looks away.

She walks in the opposite direction, distancing herself from Cassandra with the hope of ridding herself of whatever horrid images that she knows would otherwise taunt her.

She sits on a large rock at the opposite side of the spring. She hugs her knees that are pulled up to her chest, feeling the mist of the waterfall cool her skin.

As time passes, she gazes distantly at the view before her, hoping to distract herself with its beauty, but her mind remains disturbed.

"I don't know about you, but I'd say that water looks pretty inviting."

Rapunzel peers over her shoulder at the sound of Flynn's voice approaching her from behind. It distracts her from her thoughts.

He's removed his leather jacket, now wearing a loose white tunic. He doesn't meet her eyes as he stops next to her, instead crossing his arms and gazing forward with a mischievous grin. "What do you say you and I take advantage of it?"

Puzzled, Rapunzel follows his gaze. "You mean, like, swim in it?"

"Yeah," he chirps.

"I've never swam in a spring before."

"What?" Flynn peers over at her in shock. "You're kidding."

Rapunzel supposes something like that might be normal for him. She shrugs, thinking of her life at the castle. "I never got out much."

Her parents definitely wouldn't have approved of something so improper for a princess. Not like that matters anymore.

She remembers swimming at the beach behind the castle with them when she was a kid, though it was always a private occasion and heavily guarded. Everything about it was so organized. Not like this would be, with no guards, no safety precautions, no curfew.

"Well, I always say there's a first time for everything." Flynn peers around, spotting something in the distance. He perks up as an idea comes to mind. "Come on. Let me at least show you how to do it the correct way."

He saunters away with a gesture of his hand.

After a moment's thought, Rapunzel pushes herself to a stand, finding nothing else to do but follow him.

They hop across a few boulders along the shore, climbing their way up the rocks alongside the waterfall. All they hear is the spray of the water so close to their ears. The mist sends a shiver up Rapunzel's spine, but the scent of it is refreshing, like nothing she's ever smelled before. She finds her boots slipping on the wet stone and has to grip the wall to not lose balance.

She hauls herself up the last rock, finding Flynn already standing at the top and overlooking the water below.

He begins taking off his boots, briefly hopping on one foot to do so.

"You're gonna jump?" Rapunzel raises her voice over the sound of the water.

He smirks at her. "Trust me. It's easy."

She peers over the edge uneasily.

It isn't that far of a drop. It definitely hadn't looked high when she'd been on the ground. She tells herself it just seems like it is from this angle. The water looks deep enough that he wouldn't touch the bottom, and there aren't any rocks below either. Still, the view from up here makes her hesitant.

Flynn throws his boots to the side. He takes a step back, eyeing the ledge. Then with what seems like no fear at all, he lunges forward and leaps off the rock, plummeting into the water below.

Rapunzel can't help but wince. She closes her eyes for a moment, until she hears a loud splash below. Opening one eye, she peers over the edge with concern.

Below, she sees Flynn's head emerging from beneath the surface, surrounded by a circle of ripples.

He turns and peers up at her, waving with his arm. "Jump in! The water's great!" His voice echoes as he calls out.

Despite the nervous flutter in Rapunzel's stomach, she admires his fearlessness - his natural ability to make anything look so easy, like life is all a fun game to him. She wishes she could feel that way too.

In this moment, she does.

Rapunzel pulls off her boots, also throwing them to the side. Forcing herself to not think twice about it, she then squeezes her eyes shut and leaps off the edge.

A short shriek escapes her as she finds herself soaring through the air. Before she knows it, her feet have already plunged into the water, and she sinks beneath the surface.

At the distant sound of Rapunzel's scream, Cassandra looks up from her knelt position on the opposite shore.

She peers across the water just in time to see the large splash of the princess hitting the water.

She resurfaces a moment later. Flynn says something to her that Cassandra can't quite make out from this distance. Rapunzel giggles as they splash each other, shrieking again. Their joyous voices are faded beneath the sound of the waterfall.

They eventually swim over and haul themselves onto shallow land, laughing, both soaking wet.

There's a weight on Cassandra's chest as she watches it all. A mix of emotions – unease, anger, loneliness. Something that starts off as sadness, soon bubbling into a rising irritation. It's a feeling she's become all too familiar with – one that she knows will only escalate if she doesn't remove herself from the situation.

She isn't even surprised anymore. Just standing here watching them would be pointless, anyway.

Without a word, Cassandra turns and makes her way toward the trees.

Rapunzel's soaked dress weighs her down as she treks knee-deep through the water, bunching her skirt in her hands. However, her smile instantly fades as she notices Cassandra walking away in the distance.

She peers over her shoulder at Flynn behind her, "I'll be right back." Stepping onto shore, she accelerates to a strenuous jog, calling out to Cass, "Hey! Where you going?"

But Cassandra doesn't turn at the sound of her voice, only continues marching away until she's completely disappeared between the trees.

Rapunzel's bare feet are now speckled with dirt that sticks to her wet skin. She's so focused on following Cass that she doesn't mind the itch or the way the rocks hurt her feet, but she stumbles a little bit on her way over.

"Cass!" Rapunzel eventually catches up to her, out of breath.

They're surrounded by trees now, far from Flynn and the sound of running water. It's much quieter out here. Still, Cassandra doesn't respond.

"What, are you just not gonna talk to me?" Rapunzel calls out to her.

The accusation that she is the one not talking to her finally causes Cassandra to slow to a stop. Her back remains turned as she debates whether she even wants to respond to how unfair that is.

Slowly, Cassandra turns around. Finally, she meets Rapunzel's eyes, whose hair and dress are currently soaked, dripping with water. Her voice is quiet she speaks, heavy with annoyance, "Are you serious?"

"Okay, what is the matter with you lately?" Rapunzel demands, taken aback by her tone of voice yet somehow not surprised by it at all.

That same spark of irritation from earlier ignites within Cassandra's chest. She could wonder the same thing about her. She debates arguing it, before realizing she doesn't much care anymore.

She scoffs, muttering with defeat, "Forget it." She turns and continues forward.

"No." Rapunzel lunges directly in front of Cass, stopping her from going anywhere else. Her voice is firm along with her stance. "Whatever you wanna say to me, I want you to say it."

The dark glare in Cassandra's eyes is a warning Rapunzel is all too familiar with.

Where does she even begin with that statement? There are a million things Cassandra wants to say to her in this moment. But instead of revealing any of it, her voice lowers dangerously, "I'm not having this conversation with you."

She tries to brush past Rapunzel again, who only stops her once more.

"This is about Flynn, isn't it?" Rapunzel ignores the annoyed eyeroll from Cassandra that she doesn't try hard enough to hide. "I already told you he's just being friendly. Is it really so bad of me to have finally made another friend after, I don't know, a lifetime of solitude? Did you ever think that maybe that's something I wanted?"

"I don't think being 'friends' is all that he has in mind," Cassandra remarks. She peers back toward the direction they came. Flynn is far enough away that he wouldn't be able to hear them. Still, she feels uneasy. She folds her arms across her chest. "I just don't trust him. All right?"

"Yeah, well, you don't trust anybody," points out Rapunzel. "And just because you feel threatened by him, doesn't mean I have to be too."

"You don't understand." Cass insists. "He's hiding something. I saw him walking out of the woods by the tavern, alone. In the middle of the night."

"So? Maybe he just went for a walk," defends the princess.

"Rapunzel. Listen to me," Cassandra begins firmly, losing patience. "My gut is telling me that something is not right with him. And every time I've tried to find out more about him, he steers the conversation away which just makes me think he really is hiding something. Just—" She briefly closes her eyes to compose her own frustration. "Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?"

"That may be what your gut is saying, but I'm telling you you're overthinking this." Rapunzel raises her voice, "Not everyone is out to get you all the time. He's helping us!"

"Yeah, to get with you!" snaps Cassandra.

Rapunzel matches her rising volume. "So, what if that's the case? It's not like you were gonna tell him about… us. Whatever we are." The confidence in her voice drifts awkwardly.

Cassandra's stare hardens. "Maybe if you'd stop leading him on, I wouldn't have to."

Rapunzel scoffs, almost laughing at the ridiculousness of that accusation. "That is not what's happening here."

"Yeah? Then why don't you go back there and tell him. Right now."

"If you're so worried about it, then why did you agree to having him come with us in the first place?"

"Because he is our best chance at getting to the Dark Kingdom." Cassandra takes a challenging step toward her, lowering her voice, "In case you forgot, I am doing this for you. Because you wanted to come here. And judging by those powers of yours, it looks like we're stuck out here until we find a way to fix it."

The hurt is clear in Rapunzel's raging eyes. "So, you're saying this is my fault?"

There's an immediate twinge of regret within Cassandra for saying that, but she finds she's so angry she doesn't much care to correct herself.

Her silence answers Rapunzel's question.

"You know, you didn't have to come with me," retorts the princess.

"Clearly, I did. Because you're too naïve to see what's directly in front of you."

Rapunzel's expression tightens with disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"Don't you get it?" Cassandra's voice intensifies until she's nearly shouting. "Trust is how you get yourself into dangerous situations. Something that you clearly know nothing about! It's why I'm here and it's why I'm not leaving you alone with him from now on."

With that, she turns and begins marching away.

"What?" Rapunzel can't believe this. Is Cassandra really going to try and control her like that? To tell her what she can and can't do?

It hurts her that Cass believes she can't be trusted to take care of herself. Yet at the same time, treating her like a child is all Cass has ever done to her. It reminds her of how she'd felt once a long time ago, when they'd had a similar argument in an old winter cabin. She'd thought their relationship would never come to that point again. It seems she was wrong.

Rapunzel doesn't follow her. She keeps her feet planted, calling out to Cassandra's backside instead, "You know what you are, Cass? Afraid!" she reveals. "You're afraid I'm gonna leave you for him. Aren't you?"

Cassandra stops at that. She doesn't turn around. Doesn't meet her eyes. Doesn't say anything anymore.

She'd like to say that isn't true, that Rapunzel would never do something like that, that they've been through too much and they trust each other enough that neither of them should ever even have that fear.

But it's all Cassandra can think about.

She never truly felt threatened by it until that night in the tavern, as she'd watched the girl she is madly in love with dance with somebody who in that moment had seemed to give her the world. Because Cass can't remember the last time Rapunzel had looked that happy. To find somebody so care-free, with the same lust for adventure, when that's all Rapunzel has ever truly wanted - to not be tied down by a life of royalty, Fairview, or even her own appointed knight.

Cassandra had blamed the alcohol at the time, for giving her such thoughts. But now every time she looks at Rapunzel and Flynn together, it's all she can see.

Because why wouldn't Rapunzel leave her? When that's all anyone else has ever done to her. When he is everything that Cassandra is not.

Rapunzel's voice softens. "I'm not her, you know."

"Don't." Fuming, Cassandra faces her, fists clenching at her sides.

Rapunzel knows more than anybody about Cassandra's feelings toward her mother who abandoned her – the trust she lost in others as a result, the lack of self-worth, the belief that she herself deserves nothing more.

But Cass' warning does nothing to intimidate Rapunzel. All that's left within her instead is a broken heart, and a sense of defeat. "Do you really think that I would ever leave you? After everything we've been through."

Cass thinks about that for a moment, wishing for anything else. But her jaw remains rigid, along with her heart. "You know, I'm starting to think that. Yeah."

"I can't believe this," Rapunzel only stares after her in disappointment. "Since when did you stop trusting me… Cass?"

Despite herself, Cass smirks bitterly at that. "Funny. I could say the same thing about you."

A silence stretches between them.

"You know, maybe if you'd just talk to me once in a while, we wouldn't be having this conversation," chides Rapunzel, becoming frustrated again. "But any time you have a problem, you just… run off instead of facing it."

"I'm running off?" Something snaps within Cassandra at that. "Don't think I haven't noticed you've been avoiding me for three days straight. Yet, you have no problem spending every waking minute with some guy you just met, who we don't even know anything about!" She steps toward Rapunzel until they're directly in front of each other. "So, tell me, princess…" She uses the title mockingly, "Is there anything I should be worried about? Or is there a different reason you're avoiding me?"

Suddenly, Rapunzel doesn't know what to say to that, because all she sees anymore are the same horrifying images that had come to her in her sleep – whose realism had made it feel more like a hallucination than a nightmare.

Her gut is screaming at her to just tell Cassandra, because maybe then, they could somehow find a way to fix it together. She wonders if that would truly be better than letting Cass believe she's being avoided for another reason entirely.

She thinks of what happened earlier - when the sight of Cassandra's neck alone had summoned the same urge she'd faced in her dream. What if it happens again? What if she can't fight it? What if that nightmare becomes a reality?

The pure fear behind the meaning of it all prevents her from mentioning it in this moment, because somehow that seems easier than facing it.

Rapunzel's gaze lowers. Her shoulders deflate with defeat. "No," she answers.

Cass holds her stare for a few moments. "That's what I thought."

This time, when Cassandra walks away, Rapunzel doesn't stop her. All she does is stare down at her bare feet, covered in dirt.

Cassandra makes her way through the forest in silence, clenching her fists at her sides. Her brows are pressed furiously over her eyes.

Flynn's figure emerging from the trees in front of her looks more like a mere blur, just from how much her insides are boiling. Her pace doesn't slow.

"Hey," he greets pleasantly, as if not expecting to find her there. "What's going on? I heard yelling and I—"

She brushes directly past him, her eyes fixed forward.

He follows her anyway. His voice is gentle as he says, "Look—Cass. I'm just trying to help."

She stops abruptly, faces him, and sneers in his face, "You wanna help? Then stay out of my way."

He jumps back a little from the suddenness of it, completely silenced.

He follows Cassandra with his gaze as she continues walking, until she eventually disappears through the trees.