I don't have an intro for this chapter, so let's jump into it.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Tangled. I only own this story idea.
The throne room had been converted into a dining hall for the occasion. Six tables were set up around the room, decorated with gold tablecloths and purple bows. Rapunzel was seated between her parents near the front while Cassandra worked as a server. Varian sat at the kids' table while his father was with some of the other nobles.
Eugene looked at the engagement ring thoughtfully before closing the box and putting it in his jacket. Suddenly, he was splattered with food remains and glanced crossly at the little boy beside him. For some reason, he was also seated at the kids' table.
The teenager they met the other night chuckled a bit, and he looked at him with a frown. "Oh, laugh it up. You wanna swap places?"
"No thanks, I'm good." Varian declined with a grin.
"Why am I even sitting here?" Eugene frowned.
"I'm in charge of the seating charts," Cass said shamelessly as she walked past him. "One of the perks of the job."
Irritated, Eugene leaned on his hand, glaring after the handmaiden. Varian shrugged sympathetically before trying to focus on his food. (Truthfully, Varian didn't like sitting at the kids' table either. You'd think fourteen would be old enough to sit with the adults)
While everything looked grand to anyone else, to Rapunzel, the Royal Banquet was a private, intimidating spectacle with nobles and dignitaries and everything that made Rapunzel nervous. She poked at her food glumly, wishing she was sitting with Eugene and Varian instead.
"I don't understand why you're so upset, sweetheart," King Frederic said calmly, noticing her silence. "I said you could do whatever you wanted. That's exactly what you did."
"Hmm, you didn't say anything about a battalion tagging along," Rapunzel glanced at him with a stiff smile.
"Why would I need to?" He raised an eyebrow with an equally stiff tone. "You're royalty, making a public appearance."
"But Dad–" Rapunzel started to say but was interrupted by Eugene clearing his throat. At some point, he had gotten up and made his way to the center of the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Dukes and Duchesses, Barons and Baronesses, Marquis and, you know, the female version of those, may I share a moment of history with you?" He said, gesturing around the room in a zig-zag pattern as he approached the head table. Eugene then turned to Rapunzel, reaching out a hand to her. "Princess Rapunzel, would you join me up here?"
She glanced between him and his hand before getting up with a sheepish smile, worried she would embarrass herself if she didn't. Frederic watched a raised eyebrow as she walked around the table, taking Eugene's hand at the center of the room.
"Tonight, we celebrate our love for the Princess…" Rapunzel smiled at the crowd before leaning back to look at Cassandra for any hint of what he was doing. Cass could only shrug and shake her head, just as confused as everyone else.
"I, for one, can think of no better way to celebrate the love I have for this woman," Rapunzel straightened up as Eugene pulled her in front of him. "Than this." Without warning, Eugene dropped to one knee. Frederic's mouth dropped open as Cass looked on in shock. Pascal copied the King's reaction while Varian's eyes widened in surprise.
"Eugene!" Rapunzel looked at him in confusion, then around at the floor. "Wait, did you drop something?"
"No." He assured her, letting go of her hands to reach into his jacket. Pulling out the box, he opened it to reveal what was inside. Realizing what this was, Rapunzel beamed at the sight of the ring. Her father quickly stood up, scraping his chair loudly. "Rapunzel, from the moment I first met you and you knocked me out with that frying pan, I knew it was love," Eugene said, looking up at her fondly. "You're my light, you're my best friend, and I want to be your partner in all things."
Rapunzel smiled brightly at the heartfelt words as he continued. "I can't wait to laugh with you and share with you. I see us raising our children here and our children's children," Her smile kept growing bigger and bigger as her boyfriend went on. "And celebrating banquets of our own here in this very hall for many, many, many, many years to come. I wanna ride our horses to the Corona Wall together, each and every morning, until we're both very, very old and gray." Rapunzel could feel the 'yes' in her mouth, but then the reality of what he was saying started to sink in. Her smile fell, and she felt dread as she continued to listen to him.
"I love you, Rapunzel." Eugene finished, holding up the box, not noticing her slight jolt in alarm. "And I want to spend the rest of our lives here, together."
"Here…" She asked slowly. "In this… castle… forever?"
"I mean, unless you wanna rent," he said jokingly. "But I hardly see how we're gonna top this."
Her eyes widened as she ran over earlier conversations with him in her mind.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you here."
"It doesn't get any better than this, this castle."
She stared at his smiling face before glancing at her father. His voice cut through her mind, reminding her why she must be closely guarded. "Princesses need to be protected at all times."
She looked at the guards, feeling the eyes on her as she turned back to Eugene. "Rapunzel?" her boyfriend asked, his voice sounding far away yet snapping her out of it. "Rapunzel?"
She returned to reality, sighing as she tried to get her thoughts together. "Ah, I… wow." She reached out a bit, then clasped her hands together as she chuckled awkwardly. "I… love you, Eugene, but… I–I can't. Just… not–not now." She stepped back a bit before running out of the room. "Uhm, I need some air!"
Everyone was shocked as the Princess fled the room. Cass watched her leave with concern before glaring at Eugene, who closed the box with a mix of confusion and hurt.
Still reeling from the moment, hardly anyone noticed Varian slip out of the room.
(Outside the banquet hall)
"Well, that went over like a house on fire," Varian muttered, making his way out of the castle.
Looking around the grounds, Varian glanced at the sky, checking the sun's position. One of his abilities was seeing wherever the moonlight touched. He would get visions in his mind's eye and learn the location of whoever or whatever he was searching for. However, the sun maintained its domain over the skies, so he couldn't use that ability. But maybe there was something else he could try…
Checking his surroundings to ensure he was alone, Varian tugged off his gloves and stuck them in his pocket. One last check and the teen focused on his powers, his hair trying to pull itself from his clip. Varian concentrated on what he felt near the Princess–the connection he was sure they shared. Feeling a tug in his stomach, Varian followed the feeling to the gardens, positive Rapunzel was there somewhere.
The teenager was able to find the Princess relatively quickly after that. She was curled up by some rose bushes, her face buried in her knees as her shoulders shook from quiet sobs.
"Prin–Rapunzel?" Varian asked, crouching next to her. "You okay?" She shook her head, not looking at him. "Do you want to go back inside?"
"… They don't understand…." She mumbled.
"I'm sorry?"
"They don't understand!" Rapunzel raised her voice, her volume just short of yelling. "None of them do! I've already had a sheltered, routine life for eighteen years! I want something new! I want a life! I thought… I thought Eugene understood that…." The Princess got quieter as she trailed off, burying her face in her knees again as she cried.
He couldn't lie: Varian was taken aback by the outburst. At the same time, though, his heart went out to Rapunzel. She had been holding that in for way too long. Varian shifted positions so that he was sitting next to her, trying to be a comforting presence.
"Rapunzel?" They heard Cassandra, who had come out to find her.
"Do you need a minute?" Varian whispered. "I can distract her."
Rapunzel shook her head before calling to her friend. "I'm over here, Cass!"
"There you are," Cassandra said when she came to join them. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, not okay," Rapunzel admitted. "But less panicky."
"Good to know. Do you want to go back to your room? Get changed? After that scene, I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the banquet was called off."
Rapunzel nodded before looking at Varian. "Could you… stay a little longer? Please?"
"Sure." He answered before they stood up and headed inside, discreetly putting his gloves back on.
"I'm sorry for yelling earlier…"
"Princess, don't apologize for being upset," The younger teen reassured her. "Sometimes, you just need to vent."
"Thanks…"
By dusk, the trio was in Rapunzel's room after the Princess had changed into her casual dress. She was pacing the floor while Cass sat on her chaise and Varian sat on her bed. "Ugh, I feel horrible about Eugene. I… I do love him, and I wanna marry him someday, but not like this!" Rapunzel clutched at her head, groaning in frustration. "I need to get out and clear my head without a fleet of guards tailing me."
"Say no more." Cass stood up with a smirk before looking at Varian. "Wanna come, kid?"
"Are we sneaking out?" Varian asked, a grin tugging at his lips.
"Don't tell anyone, okay."
"'Course not, then I may as well tell my dad I sneak out almost every night." He raised an eyebrow. "You won't tell him, right?"
"No, of course not." Rapunzel shook her head, then smiled. "Wanna have an adventure?"
Varian glanced out the window, seeing the moon taking its turn in the sky. "Sure, but we might want to be back before the sun rises."
"Right." Rapunzel nodded. "We'll want to do that, anyway."
Cassandra walked out with them and directed them to her room to hide so she could find some guards to ensure no one disturbed Princess Rapunzel's "rest." The teens were just passing the castle library when Varian suddenly stopped short. Rapunzel ducked inside the open door as the alchemist was approached by his father. "Varian, there you are. Where have you been? I haven't seen you since the banquet." Quirin said with concern.
"Sorry, Dad," Varian said sheepishly. "I was feeling overwhelmed by all the strangers, so I went to the library. I'm still reading. I just stepped out to find a bathroom."
Quirin looked inside the room next to them, nodding when he saw it was the castle library. "Alright. Don't be reading all night, though. We have to attend the coronation tomorrow."
"Yes, sir." Varian saluted with a grin. Quirin rubbed his head and then walked on past him. Varian waited until his father had turned the corner, then looked inside the library as Rapunzel came out from behind a bookshelf. "Okay, let's go."
They hurried through the hallway quietly and ducked behind statues and curtains when guards passed by. They made it to the servants' rooms, entering the one that led to Cassandra's room. "There you are," Cass said, already there.
"Sorry about that," Varian apologized. "We ran into my dad and had to get past a few guards."
"So, what now?" Rapunzel asked.
"Check this out," Cassandra smirked. She opened her armoire, Rapunzel gasping in surprise.
"Whoa." Cass's closet was full of weapons. Every blade and tool the Royal Guard could possibly use was in there. "Where's the war?"
"Well," Cass said, taking off her headdress. "When your dad is Captain of the Guards, you tend to collect… stuff." She waved a dagger in her hand.
Looking at the weapons, Rapunzel took out a metal ball curiously, only to be startled into dropping it when it turned into a ball of spikes. She gingerly picked it up by one of the spikes and returned it. Varian picked out two dark cloaks for them, one with pink trim and the other with blue. They both looked up to see Cass had changed into a tunic and leggings with a sword on her back.
"I have a feeling this is gonna be fun." Rapunzel grinned, pulling her hood up before turning to her lizard friend by the fireplace. "Pascal, I need you to stay here and make sure no one knows I'm gone." Pascal saluted them, ready for the task.
Having everything they needed, Cass led the teens in one direction while Pascal returned to Rapunzel's room. The handmaiden opened the door to a storage room, using a lantern to light the way. Varian and Rapunzel followed her into the room, the Princess shutting the door behind them. Moving to the back of the room, Cassandra pushed a crate out from in front of a banner. She then pulled the tapestry aside, revealing a tunnel entrance.
Rapunzel gasped loudly as she removed her hood, causing Varian to wince. "Is that a secret passage?!" She ran over to look inside, knocking the tapestry onto Cassandra.
"It was," Cass said as she pulled the tapestry off her with Varian's help, "before you announced it to the whole ca–?" However, once it was removed, she only saw Varian. "Rapunzel?" Varian simply pointed to the passageway.
(A few minutes later)
As guards made their rounds on the bridge, the gondola dock was deserted until Rapunzel opened the grate and crawled out. "That was so fun!" She said excitedly, the others right behind her.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you that we're supposed to be sneaking out," Cass said, putting the cover back in place.
"Cass, I think you'll discover that I can be pretty sneaky when I need to." Rapunzel retorted, still being a little too loud. Cassandra suddenly ran forward and grabbed Rapunzel, pulling her around a corner, Varian behind them. Seconds later, two guards passed the area.
"Nightly patrols," Cassandra whispered as Rapunzel adjusted her hood. "We can get by them if we time it right."
"Wait, how did you know they were coming?" Rapunzel asked curiously as the handmaiden watched the guards go.
"I have eyes in the sky," Cass smirked as she held out her arm. A small, brown owl flew down to them, fascinating Rapunzel and Varian. It glided in and landed on Cassandra's gloved wrist.
"That is amazing!" Rapunzel looked at him fondly, inadvertently startling the bird. "You have your own owl! What's his name?"
"Owl," Cass replied flatly, then raised her arm to prompt Owl to take off. She turned to some crates and clicked her tongue, signaling Maximus to come out of hiding. Poking his head up, he looked around before sniffing the ground as he approached them, Fidella coming out behind him.
"Guard horses?" Varian asked.
"Max!" Rapunzel exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.
"Yeah." Cassandra smiled at her before turning to the horses. "When he heard I was sneaking you out of here, he insisted he come along."
"I don't know about this…." Varian said, crossing his arms as Cassandra rubbed the stallion's muzzle.
"Don't worry, Maximus is my friend." Rapunzel assured him. "He won't rat us out."
"Well, if you're sure."
"And between you and me," Cass continued, whispering as she walked past them with Fidella. "I think he's got something for you-know-who." Max whinnied in embarrassment before looking bashful.
"Hmm, it'll be our secret," Rapunzel assured him. He neighed happily at her, thankful.
After getting into a boat, Cassandra picked up a bow and arrow with a rope attached. She fired the arrow across the water, where it lodged into something on the other side. Cass then gripped the rope and slowly started to pull them across, careful not to let the guards on the bridge see them.
"Do you need some help?" Varian asked quietly.
"I got it, Young Master." She winked and kept pulling on the rope. "You and Rapunzel just enjoy the ride."
After getting past the bridge, Cassandra switched to using an oar to take them the rest of the way to the woods. Sailing through the fog on the bay, Cassandra took the group to the shore on the other side. Pulling up to the bank, Rapunzel slowly stood as Cass put the oar away.
Seems like I've spent my whole life hoping
The Princess stepped onto the grass, feeling its softness with her toes as she had done her first time out of the tower.
Dreaming of things I've never tried
She turned to Max as he walked up, hugging him around the neck before leading him forward.
Tangled in knots, just waiting for my time to shine
Together, the five started walking into the woods, Rapunzel looking around curiously.
What if the doors began to open?
They soon reached the edge of a field beyond the forest. The Princess stepped forward as she removed her hood.
What if the knots became untied?
Rapunzel looked back at the others, Cass giving a knowing smirk while Varian smiled as he removed his hood.
What if one day, nothing stood in my way
And the world was mine?
A gust of wind blew through her hair, startling Rapunzel into looking forward again. She spread her arms wide, feeling the crisp night breeze wash over her as she smiled brightly.
Would it feel this fine?
The Princess hopped onto Max, followed by Varian, while Cassandra climbed onto Fidella.
'Cause I got the wind in my hair
The five then raced through the field as the moon watched them from above.
And a gleam in my eyes
And an endless horizon
They came to a stream, and Rapunzel tip-toed through the shallow section, holding her cloak and dress so they wouldn't get wet.
I got a smile on my face
And I'm walking on air
Varian kneeled beside a deeper part of the river with Rapunzel, pointing to the fish swimming around.
And everything life oughta be
Rapunzel and Varian followed the fish along the bank as they jumped out of the water and headed upstream.
It's all gonna happen to me out there
The Princess started running, racing the fish with Varian behind her.
And I'll find it, I swear
Varian pulled ahead and motioned for Rapunzel to follow him. They headed for a rocky path that went up a small cliff face. As the fish jumped up the falls, the teens came out of an opening overlooking the falls. The duo smiled at the view as the Princess tucked some hair behind her ear when the breeze picked up.
With the wind in my hair
Rapunzel and Varian got back onto Maximus, exploring a path behind another waterfall. They ran their hands through the flow as they went by, smiling ear to ear.
So many roads I've yet to travel
The humans were back on foot when they reached the woods again. They came to a fork in the road with two paths. One was lit up by moonlight, while the other was darker due to the condensed tree canopy. They looked at each other before taking the path to the right, the dark way.
So many friends I haven't met
Rapunzel smiled as she and Varian looked at the animals around them as they explored. A night bird flew by while a bunny hopped across the path. Suddenly, a wolf appeared on the trail, startling them as it stared them down.
So many new adventures just around the bend
Cassandra quickly pulled out her sword before being left baffled when Rapunzel and Varian cooed over the wolf, who enjoyed the attention. Rapunzel smiled as she rubbed his belly while Varian stroked his fur, more animals gathering around them. The village boy smiled at the animals as one of the birds landed on his shoulder. Ever since discovering his powers, he had developed a connection with the night wildlife.
Plenty of mysteries to unravel
The three saw some fireflies up ahead. Beaming at each other, no one needed to say anything. Cass crept closer, pushing aside some ferns.
Tons of mistakes to not regret
Rapunzel popped up behind her and moved the ferns farther apart as Varian looked over her shoulder. The field erupted with light, making the pond beyond it sparkle from all the fireflies as Varian and the girls looked around with wonder and awe.
So much to see, and to do, and to be
Rapunzel cupped a firefly in her hands, and Varian did the same. Cass leaned against a tree as the teens released their fireflies together, watching them fly off before following them.
A whole life to spend
The three friends ran after the fireflies, leaving glittering trails as more lightning bugs flew behind them.
And it doesn't end
Rapunzel and Varian got back onto Maximus in excitement and took off running, a trail of fireflies following them. The horse leaped into the air, silhouetted by the moon, as Varian hugged Rapunzel tightly.
'Cause I've got the wind in my hair
The two teens smiled determinedly as Max kept going toward the Wall.
And a song in my heart
And the fun's only starting
Standing up slowly, they jumped off his back, landing on the Wall as the fireflies flew around them.
I got a skip in my step
And I haven't a care
Rapunzel took Varian's hands in jubilation and spun them around. The movement took Varian aback, but he was smiling all the same. Rapunzel then lowered a rope down the other side of the Wall.
And everything life ought to be
Stepping up to the edge slowly, the teens looked down at the ground below them beyond the Wall.
Well, I know it's waiting for me out there
Rapunzel hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the castle. She then looked at Varian, who met her gaze with understanding eyes. Without words, he assured her there was no wrong choice.
And I'll find it, I swear
Reaffirming her decision, she looked forward again, smiling determinedly as they ran towards the ledge. They jumped off together, swinging toward the ground.
With the wind in my hair~!
Once everyone was on the other side, they got back on the horses. "So, how are you feeling?" Cass asked as they rode off. "You're outside the Wall."
"Which means we shouldn't stay in one place for too long," Varian reminded them. "Where are we going, Miss Cassandra?"
"You'll see." She grinned. "It's a surprise."
"Well, let's try not to be out too late. We need to be back before sunrise." He turned his attention to the princess. "Feeling better, Your Highness?"
"Yes, I am, and it's okay for you to call me Rapunzel, Varian," She smiled.
"Okay…." He smiled shyly, "Rapunzel."
They slowed to a stop when they reached an old, ruined bridge. "Just remember, no one can ever know I took you two outside the walls of Corona." Cass reminded them.
"Don't worry," Rapunzel assured her. "No one is going to find out. Right, Varian?"
"Right." The village boy nodded, though he was starting to look wary.
"What is it?" Rapunzel asked, seeing his shift in mood.
"I know this place. My dad told me never to come here. He said it's dangerous."
"Don't worry; it's not dangerous," Cassandra assured him. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens."
"… Okay." He nodded after a minute.
In truth, while Varian trusted Cass (not fully since they had only known each other for two days, but enough that he knew she wouldn't actively try to get him killed), he had his reservations about this. He was worried that if things got too dodgy, he'd be forced to use his powers and reveal his secret. He was sure Rapunzel wouldn't be too put off. If she was open to hanging out with crowds like the one from The Snuggly Duckling, then a kid with moon powers probably wasn't too far off the mark. On the other hand, Cassandra was the daughter of the Captain of the Guard and a reservist in the Guard. She was loyal to the King and followed the Captain's order to the letter. If there were wanted posters calling for his arrest, a part of him believed that Cass would do her due diligence and take him in. (Not that he would make it easy on her. He hadn't stayed free this long on pure luck)
The teens went first, with Max walking as slowly and carefully as possible across the bridge. However, each step caused the bridge to make noises that had them on edge. A couple of cracks appeared underneath them, causing Max to rear up in panic.
"Whoa, whoa, Max," Rapunzel calmed him down. "Alright, this looks dangerous, can you… can you stay here and watch Fidella for us?"
"We promise we won't be gone long." Varian smiled at him reassuringly.
Getting off the horses, the three humans headed across the bridge, leaving them behind. Max looked at Fidella, whose ear drooped at the humans going alone. A chunk of bridge fell off as they walked, causing the horses to look at each other skeptically.
Varian's anxiety was rising as the bridge continued to crack and creak. "We'll be okay," Cassandra assured him. "We're lighter than the horses."
"We don't have to be as heavy as a horse to break a bridge this old," he countered. "It's been here for ages."
Rapunzel looked around as they crossed the bridge, noticing some signs of ruins everywhere. "Hey, Cass? What used to be here?"
"No idea," Cassandra admitted.
"Xavier once told me that another kingdom was here before Corona," Varian said, feeling better now that they were back on the ground.
"Xavier the blacksmith?" Cassandra questioned.
"Yup. He told me this other kingdom knew about the Sundrop Flower, and its people protected and worshiped the flower like it was their god."
"Wow!" Rapunzel oohed, fascinated by the story.
"What happened to them?" Cass asked, also intrigued.
"No one knows," Varian answered. "They just disappeared without a trace. I tried to look them up once, but I couldn't find anything, not even a name. It's like someone went out of their way to make sure this kingdom was lost to history."
"Mysterious." Rapunzel said.
"Come on, it's just a little further." Cassandra ushered them along, knowing they had little time.
"If my dad finds out we came here, he'll never let me see the light of day again," Varian said, looking worried.
"It's okay." Rapunzel smiled. "He won't find out." They reached the cliff's edge, and Cassandra led them down a stone-carved stairway. "So, what did you want to show us?"
Cass looked around to ensure the coast was clear before leading them away from the steps. "Believe me, it's better if you see it for yourselves." When they stopped, the group was at the end of an outcrop with several sharp-looking black rocks.
Varian's heart skipped a beat when he saw them. It couldn't be…
"They're… beautiful," Rapunzel murmured, looking at the rocks curiously. "What are they?"
Varian knew. One of his powers… was being able to summon these rocks.
"'Don't know. They just kinda sprouted up here about a year ago," Cassandra said, pulling out her sword.
"How…?" Varian whispered before clearing his throat, speaking up louder. "Is that when it happened or when it was noticed?"
"I dunno. Does this place look like people normally come here a lot?" Cassandra shrugged.
Varian's mind was racing with this new information. When he first discovered his powers, he learned that smaller versions of these rocks would appear if he was scared or upset and his gloves were off. When he tried to summon them as an experiment, he could only conjure one, and it was only waist-high. Plus, doing that drained his energy. He learned about minor things he could do with the rocks as time passed, but after six years of trying to create spikes like these, he still couldn't achieve them.
He subconsciously tugged at his gloves. How long had these rocks been here? And why show up here, of all places?
"And watch this." Cass grinned, holding her blade up before glancing at the teens. "Uh, y–you might wanna stand back for this one." Rapunzel and Varian inched back a little before Cass swung her sword against the black rock. The blade shattered into pieces without a scratch on the rock's surface, causing the teens to recoil.
"Wow!" Rapunzel said in awe. Varian watched in fascination. He didn't know they could do that.
"They're unbreakable," Cassandra said, putting her broken sword back in its sheathe. "Wanna know the weirdest part?" She added, walking over to them before looking towards the rocks. Rapunzel followed her gaze before moving towards a dust-covered memorial in the cluster's center. "This is where they found the miracle flower that saved your mom."
"And me…." Rapunzel breathed. Wiping off some of the dust on the monument, the rocks started to glow bright blue when her hand got close, startling the Princess as Cass and Varian turned back to her. Rapunzel reached her hand out to the rocks, which glowed brighter and brighter as she got closer. A breeze seemed to pick up from nowhere, blowing her cloak back as the spikes lit up.
The nearer Rapunzel got to the rocks, the more Varian noticed he was developing a headache. It steadily got worse, building into a migraine. The teen pinched at his eyes and nose to ease the pain. While Cassandra's attention was focused on the Princess, Varian, without thinking about it, took off one of his gloves. His fingertips gleamed the same blue as the rocks, causing the anomaly to be lost to witnesses. Oddly, removing the glove caused his headache to ease slightly, but Varian still felt sick.
Rapunzel's finger barely touched the rock when a strange blue light burst out, cutting off her scream as everyone was knocked to the ground. The light spread out, splitting into waves of energy that fired off over the Kingdom. The water grew wild and splashed close to the outcrop before slowly calming down. Then all was silent.
(Back at the castle)
Quirin woke with a start when he felt something was… off. He sat up and looked at the moon through the window before glancing at a circle mark with three lines on the back of his hand.
Something had happened… something ominous.
A shadowed stranger in the woods shared this feeling. They glanced at the same mark on their left hand and then toward Corona.
(At the monument)
Knocked out by the blast, it was unknown how long the trio was out before they began to come around. However long it was, they started to awaken slowly, pushing themselves off the ground.
Varian was the first to wake up and slowly propped himself on his hands and knees. He let out a soft whimper when he felt a sharp pain in his head. That was going to be a bump. Despite the pain, though, he felt oddly energized. More so than he usually did at night.
Varian blinked open his eyes and saw something blue in front of his face. With a start, he realized that his hair stripe had come loose from his hair clip when he had been thrown back. Varian also noticed that his hand was glowing because his glove was off. Looking around, he saw the girls were a few feet away but weren't looking in his direction. Breathing a sigh of relief, especially when he saw his glove right next to him, Varian quickly put it back on, dimming the light.
However, he noticed that his hair wasn't the only light source. With the blue light gone, a smaller, albeit just as bright golden shimmer became evident. Looking back at the girls, Varian realized the light was coming from Rapunzel.
Precisely, her hair.
Her glowing golden-yellow hair.
When the Princess noticed the change, she tugged on the strand in horror. They didn't get the chance to ponder on it, however. A black rock burst from the ground near Rapunzel, causing the Princess to jump back toward Cass, who was still getting up.
Varian slid over to the girls, looking at the spike in shock. Was that him? But his hands were covered!
Another soon appeared, stabbing out of the ground around the now-broken monument, causing the group to gape in shock. Then another burst out, and, to their horror, a mass of dark rocks started to sprout quickly, charging straight at them.
No one needed to say a thing as the trio took off. Bypassing the stairs, the group climbed back up the cliff and took off, the rocks following in hot pursuit.
"Wait, what is–" Rapunzel tried to ask as they fled.
"Get to the horses as fast as you can," Cass ordered as she led them back the way they came. "And don't look back, you two!"
The rocks continued bursting out of the ground in front of them and the cliff beside them. They ducked, dodged, and ran around them as they tried to get to safety.
Cass glanced behind her, seeing more of them coming. When they passed an archway held up by a tree, she stopped and urged them on. "Don't stop, you two! Keep going!" She shouted as the teens ran ahead. Cassandra started kicking at the tree as hard as she could. The vibrations caused the overhanging rocks to collapse. Cass ran after the others as the path to the monument was blocked, slowing the rocks down for a moment.
Meanwhile, Rapunzel and Varian raced through the dark woods. Rapunzel's glowing hair began to flash brighter and grow longer as they ran. Varian was forced to shield his eyes as best he could while still being able to see where they were going. Neither noticed that Rapunzel's hair was growing longer as they fled.
They reached the top of a hill, and the friends jumped to avoid running down it. Rapunzel's hair gave one last bright flash, and when they landed, Rapunzel felt dread in her stomach when they heard something heavy land behind them with a thud. Turning around, Varian almost gasped at what he saw. If he had, he wouldn't have known if it was from awe or fear.
"Um, Cassandra!" Rapunzel called, tugging at her now longer hair.
"Keep moving, you two!" Cassandra ran out of the woods. "We need to get–whoa, what?!" The handmaiden stopped abruptly, staring in shock at Rapunzel's seventy feet of restored golden hair. The Princess examined the strands of her hair, grimacing with a helpless shrug.
I think this chapter is one of my longer ones for this story. Please be careful if you're in my neck of the woods in Ohio (or anywhere with winter weather).
Edit: This is another combined chapter.