Chapter 9

"Who were those people? Do you think they know who I am?" Rapunzel peers after Cassandra's backside as she follows her through the woods outside of town.

They've created enough distance from it now, and it seems like they are alone again, but the uncertainty behind whatever just happened back there leaves them both feeling unsettled. Like whoever had chased them through the streets earlier is not far behind.

Cass guides Maximus by the reigns to walk alongside her, his hooves trotting softly.

She doesn't look over her shoulder as she hesitantly admits, "I didn't tell you this, but I saw something in the woods. There was a symbol carved into a tree a few miles back. I didn't think anything of it at first, but the man you bumped into had the same one tattooed on his hand. I didn't get a chance to see if his friend had one too, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did. They must be a part of some group. They were probably marking their trail in the forest."

Rapunzel lifts the front of her skirt to step over a large boulder in the snow. "A group that wants what? And where did they come from?"

Cassandra sighs softly, her gaze falling downward in thought. "I don't know." All of this feels too familiar. Just thinking about the possibilities of what happened back there is exhausting.

"Maybe they mistook me for somebody else," wonders Rapunzel, though a part of her is only trying to convince herself. "Like some sort of fugitive or something. Or they just wanted to pick a fight, and we were in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"With the amount of weird things that's been going on lately, we can't rule out anything as a coincidence anymore," states Cass.

Rapunzel purses her lips in thought. She stares down at her own boots for a while as she walks, brows lowering with discouragement. She peers back over her shoulder, then hugs her arms uneasily. "Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe we should just forget this whole thing and go home."

The thought had already crossed Cassandra's mind. She doesn't respond right away, as if debating again doing just that. "We can't," she says. "If they do decide to come after us, we'd just be leading them straight to Fairview. To Willow. She'll become a target to them and I won't let that happen."

The faded image of Corona burning down nestles at the front of her mind. She doesn't know if who they are dealing with now are nearly as dangerous as the bandits, but the thought of losing Willow, just as they had lost Arianna and Frederic… It would be too much to bare. They can't afford to take any chances.

"Maybe staying as far away from home as possible is the best option right now," says Cass. "To keep everyone safe."

Rapunzel doesn't like the idea of it any more than Cass does, but she knows they don't have much of a choice here. "So, what do we do?"

"We take it one day at a time. We keep heading South, just like we planned. And keep an eye out for any more markings in the trees. Just…" Cassandra stops suddenly, turning to face Rapunzel. Her gloved hand still grasps Maximus' reigns. "If anything weird happens, if you see anything… you tell me, all right?"

Rapunzel recognizes that familiar intensity in her eyes. It's the same one she had worn those days after leaving Corona. Even after all this time, it frightens Rapunzel still. "Yeah," she nods. "I will."

Cassandra holds her stare for a moment. She breathes in steadily through her nose, nodding once, as if composing something within herself. "Good." With that, she turns around again, continuing on the path. A determination returns to her voice. "Let's keep moving."

They travel a few days longer without any sign of the glowing bird or the men from the village.

As time goes on, the days become warmer. The snow begins to melt and the familiar smell of spring reminds them both of Corona. It's always winter in the Fairview mountains, but they hadn't realized how used they'd gotten to the cold until they leave it.

The rain is almost like wet snow with the air still withholding a chill – though one much more bearable than they're used to.

They take shelter in an abandoned barn one night, secluded within the forest shortly after the storm clouds roll in. Thankfully, there is no one inside. The place doesn't appear to have been used in years, so Cassandra deems it safe enough to spend the night in.

The forest outside has darkened into a vast shadow. The gentle patter of the downpour against the roof interrupts the silence of the night. Hay bales are stacked in the corners of the barn. The few animal stalls along the walls are empty. The ground is made up of dirt and hay too, soft enough to sleep on and much more comfortable than a forest floor.

They set out their bedrolls on the ground anyway.

Rapunzel is laying on her back within hers, head propped up slightly, staring absently forward. Her eyes are exhausted though she remains entirely awake despite the late hour.

Cassandra is sitting close next to her. Adjusting herself. Fixing Rapunzel's blanket for her. "Think you'll be warm enough?" she murmurs quietly. Her weapons are laid out next to her, knife within close reach as it always is.

Maximus is laying on the hay nearby, also drifting into a well deserved sleep.

"I'm sorry," Rapunzel eventually says.

Cassandra stops fidgeting then. She peers down at Rapunzel laying still next to her, who hasn't yet met her gaze. "For what?"

Their voices are soft within the night.

"For dragging you out here with me," she says. "I know it's stupid, and probably really dangerous. Even more so now that there are people after us."

Cassandra presses her lips together in sudden understanding. "You didn't drag me anywhere," she reassures. "And we don't know if they're after us. Maybe we'll never see them again."

She slithers underneath her own blanket, settling on her side facing Rapunzel. All that can be heard for a while is her own shifting.

The princess doesn't look over at her as she does so, but thinks about that for a moment. "I feel like I bring trouble everywhere I go."

Cassandra watches her for a while. It looks as if Rapunzel might begin to cry, and that breaks her heart.

She doesn't need to ask why Rapunzel might think that. "You don't." Cass reaches a hand out to her, trailing her fingertips along a strand of Rapunzel's hair and brushing it away from her eyes. "I don't care where we are. As long as I'm with you."

Rapunzel turns her head to look at her then – emerald eyes wide and breathtaking as they always are, every time Cass looks at her.

"I go wherever you go," Cassandra reminds her.

Rapunzel remembers her saying the same thing a long time ago - when they'd run away from Corona. And she'd been so scared about losing Cassandra that the thought of it alone physically ached. It had been the worst time of her life. But somehow, having Cass there with her made it all worth it in the end.

The faintest smile grows on the princess' lips.

She props herself up onto one elbow and leans over to peck a kiss on Cassandra's cheek. "Thank you."

Cassandra's hand strokes Rapunzel's back absentmindedly, gazing up at her face that now hovers just inches above her own. "Just get some sleep," she whispers.

Remembering how tired she is, Rapunzel doesn't argue with that.

So, she lowers again onto her side and nuzzles her nose into Cassandra's neck, embracing the comforting scent of her hair like she always does. Finally, she lets her eyelids fall closed.

The rain is like static in her clouded mind.

In the morning, Cassandra wakes to the distant noise of singing birds.

The familiar scent of a horse stable is mixed with that of rainwater. Blades of hay beneath her poke her skin. Her eyes remain closed though she still feels a bright light blinding her.

She moans softly as she slowly shifts onto her side. Her fingers uncurl and instinctively reach out towards the space next to her.

All she feels is the soft wool of Rapunzel's unkempt blanket.

Cassandra flutters open her eyes… only to discover that Rapunzel is gone.

She lifts her head to peer around the interior of the empty barn, finding no one. Not even Maximus.

At that moment, a muffled voice – a male voice from outside the barn causes her heart to jump in her throat. Like it had one cold winter day in an old cabin, and she'd awakened to a similar sound.

Her stomach drops.

She snatches her sword from the ground and springs to her feet in one swift motion. "Rapunzel?" The fact that she's still half-asleep doesn't deter her from hurriedly stumbling toward the barn doors, "Rapunzel! Hold on, I'm—"

She bursts outside and staggers into the brightness of the sun. The thick and pungent air of the barn is replaced with a fresh breeze that crashes against her, waking her instantly.

The snow that had covered the ground yesterday has melted into mere patches over dead grass. The air is humid after last night's rainfall. Residual droplets of water drip from the awning of the barn.

The first thing Cassandra sees is Rapunzel standing right in front of her, perfectly fine and not in any danger, alongside another figure she most definitely hoped she wouldn't see again. She recognizes him immediately, though his name escapes her in the panic of the moment.

Maximus is outside too, grazing in a patch of grass a distance away, tail flicking behind him.

"Wow," Flynn says to her after an awkward moment, "You're really not a morning person, are you?"

Both him and Rapunzel are just standing there, watching Cassandra with surprise as if they hadn't expected to find her there.

For a while, Cass just stares back at them, probably looking insanely confused. It isn't until now that she realizes how fast her heart is pounding.

Suddenly, she's kicking herself for not only sleeping in, but also for not hearing Rapunzel get up, despite usually being able to. She hadn't realized she'd been so tired last night.

Then her dumbfounded expression flickers into one of immediate irritation. Her brows press over her eyes and her voice holds an underlying bite to it. "You again?" she jabs at Flynn, "Are you following us or something?"

"Hey, I could ask you the same thing," he defends, smugly, "I'm just a traveler. Wandering these woods is kind of what I do. So really, who's following who?"

Rapunzel glances uneasily between the two. "Uh… hey! Good news!" She practically shouts with forced excitement, hoping to break whatever tension is going on there. "Flynn here said he can take us to Celest!"

"What?" fumes Cass.

"Yeah! Isn't that exciting?" Rapunzel squeaks with a beaming smile on her face.

"Rapunzel, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone," Cassandra demands, glaring hard at her.

Flynn takes a few steps back, nodding in understanding. "I get it. Girl talk. Don't mind me. I've got all the time in the world. I'll just be…" he saunters away with his hands behind his back, whistling a tune to himself.

Cassandra sheathes her sword. Her and Rapunzel move a few steps away from him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Cass whispers aggressively. "You told him where we were going?"

"I didn't!" Rapunzel explains, also keeping her voice down. "He saw the castle in my book. I was reading over there and he saw it over my shoulder," she gestures to a nearby fallen log at the edge of the forest. "He seemed like he recognized it, so I asked him. What else what I supposed to do?"

Cassandra can't help but wonder what else happened while she was asleep. Just exactly how long had Rapunzel and Flynn been talking out here? She blames herself again for not preventing it. Although she supposes, if he had wanted to kidnap Rapunzel or worse, he would've done it already, while Cass had been asleep.

"Don't you think it's a bit strange that he just… found us? Again?" questions Cass. "What if he's one of them?"

"He doesn't have a mark on his hand. I checked. He doesn't even have a weapon," says Rapunzel. "I really don't think he's a threat. I think he just wants to help us."

Cassandra can physically feel a headache coming on. "I hate to break it to you, Rapunzel, but not everybody wants to help people out of the good of their own heart." Though she doesn't say it, she can think of another reason why Flynn might want an excuse to spend more time with Rapunzel.

"Cass, I know you don't trust anybody, but please just think about it for a second," continues the princess. "The bird wanted us to go to that town, and we met Flynn. I think it wanted us to find him because it knew he would lead us to Celest. This is the sign that we've been looking for, all this time! And if it's not him, then who else are we supposed to be waiting for? There's no way we'll just stumble upon it on our own. We need help."

Cassandra plants her hands on her hips, sighing softly. She purses her lips with dissatisfaction, though she knows Rapunzel may very well be right here. "How do we even know that he knows where it is?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Rapunzel nods her head in Flynn's direction.

Cass flickers her gaze over at him.

He's currently pretending to be very interested in a tree, stroking his chin and observing it with deep thought.

She flashes a smug smirk at Rapunzel. "Fine. I will."

With that, she turns and walks back over to him. Rapunzel follows further behind.

"So. Flynn…"

The sudden intensity of Cassandra's voice snaps Flynn to attention. Just from the way she's slowly wandering toward him, he can't help but feel like he's being interrogated.

"What do you know about this… kingdom? Celest," she questions, eyeing him like a hawk.

"Oh, not much." He casually inspects his own fingernails. "Just that it used to be called Celest, before the kingdom fell into ruin and it became known under a different name: the Dark Kingdom. Which, in my opinion, is not very creative. Or inviting if you wanna attract tourists."

Cass raises an eyebrow, her arms folded across her chest. "And you know where it is?"

"Like I said, I'm a traveler. I've been around."

She'll take that as a 'yes'.

Cassandra peers over at Rapunzel hovering just behind her shoulder. The princess' wide eyes meet hers, as if silently communicating something.

She returns her attention to Flynn. "What do you want in exchange?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You think I don't know how this works? People always wanna know what's in it for them."

"Well, getting to travel with two – might I say - very attractive ladies such as yourself is enough payment for me," he smirks. "Believe it or not, it gets awful lonely out here."

Cassandra grimaces. Does he turn everything into a joke?

A more serious tone returns to his voice. "Look, I'm headed in that direction anyway. Might as well make a trip out of it. And if you don't want my help, I'll just be on my way and you can look for it yourselves."

Maybe it's because they just can't seem to get away from him, or that he clearly thinks too highly of himself, but something about him irks Cassandra to no end. The fact that he'd essentially come up behind her and grabbed her in an alleyway didn't make a good first impression either.

As much as the idea of traveling with this guy pains her, Rapunzel may very well be right about him. He really does just seem like a nice guy who wants to help. And he's already proven to know more about Celest than they do. If they don't take a chance with him, they could be wandering these woods for who knows how long and may never even find it.

Still, letting him tag along doesn't mean that Cassandra fully trusts him – to not deceive them, or to keep his hands to himself around Rapunzel.

Hoping she won't regret this later, Cassandra doesn't break Flynn's stare as she says, "Rapunzel. Go get our things. We head out immediately."

The princess practically jumps with joy behind her. "Yay! This is gonna be so much fun!"

At this point, Cassandra wonders whether Rapunzel is excited about being closer to finding Celest, or getting to travel with Flynn.

He chuckles to himself at the girl's reaction. He turns over his shoulder to watch Rapunzel skip back towards the barn. "Wow! She seems happy. I'm flattered, really." He sighs contentedly to himself, shaking his head as if in disbelief. "Yeah. They just can't get enough of me."

He faces forward again, only to flinch once he notices Cassandra standing a lot closer to him than he'd expected. However, she isn't looking at him anymore, but rather inspecting her own sword in her hand, trailing her fingers along the sharp edge of it.

"All right, pretty boy, here's how this is gonna go," she says as soon as Rapunzel is gone. "I'm sure you've learned this by now, but I'm pretty handy with a sword." She subtly points the tip of it toward him. "You travel with us, you play by my rules. If you ever lay a hand on her—in fact, if you do anything I don't like, I won't hesitate to leave you behind and you'll be on your way to the next town to do… whatever it is that you do. That or our little meeting the other day won't be the last time I hold my blade to your throat. Understood?"

Flynn blinks at her, stammering, "Yep. Yeah—I'm—y—you made that very clear."

"Good." Lowering her sword, Casandra begins to walk away, before stopping herself again. "Oh, and… don't fall behind. We can't afford to have any stragglers."

With that, she disappears inside the barn, aiming to help Rapunzel pack up their things.

The door swings heavily closed behind her.

For a few stunned moments, Flynn only stands there alone, staring at it long after she is gone.

"Sheesh. She's not always like this, is she?" he asks Maximus standing behind him. He waggles his eyebrows at the horse, who is currently munching on a patch of grass. "Come on. Just between you and me?"

At that moment, Maximus kicks out his back hoof, launching it straight into Flynn's back.

He flies forward with a shriek, falling directly into a mud puddle with a splash.

Defeatedly, Flynn only sits within it, completely covered in filth. "Well," he says, throwing his hands up in the air with frustration, "Serves me right for talking to a horse!"