We're back with the next chapter. I'm trying a slightly different writing style, so I apologize if the structure seems blocky. Anyway, we're moving on.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Tangled. I only own this story idea.
Varian got back to his seat just before the challenge started. "Thanks, Ruddiger." The raccoon chittered happily before taking some of the popcorn his human brought.
Varian looked around and saw Rapunzel going up the stairs to join Eugene. Good, that means he's on his own. As much as he liked Rapunzel and Eugene, he's not sure how much more of the latter's obsessive fanboying he could take before dying of embarrassment.
"Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats!" The announcer said excitedly, holding a list of who would be competing. "It's time to meet today's contestants! Give it up for Razorblade McDoom!" He pointed to the woman with razor-sharp teeth, who let out a roar.
"The Razor's gonna carve ya… like a turkey!"
"Hah! McDoom! More like McDone For!" Eugene stood from his seat at the top of the bleachers where no one else was. He sat down with a laugh, Pascal present on his shoulder. "Am I right?" Rapunzel sat beside him, panting and breathless from the climb. "Hey, Blondie, you got the deluxe seats, too, huh? You know, they put you up here so you can see all the action."
"Really?" Rapunzel asked, barely able to see anything down below. "It's kind of far. I can't even see Varian."
"Guess the seats were only for us," Eugene pondered as his girlfriend tried to see the younger teen.
"Next up, the unstoppable Wreck Marauder!" The announcer gestured to the man, who flexed his muscles with a roar, his hair going wild as he did so.
"Wreck has three words for you! You're gonna get wrecked!" He intimidated all the competitors except Cass, who just rolled her eyes.
"Someone wanna tell him that's four words?" Varian asked no one. Ruddiger shrugged and took another bite of popcorn.
"Hey… If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that guy down there looks like… Cassandra?" Eugene noticed, surprised and confused to see her there.
"That is Cassandra!" Rapunzel shook his arm excitedly before looking at Cass with wide eyes. "Wow, I've never seen Cass look so nervous." Cassandra cracked her neck, not nervous in the slightest.
"Ohh…" Eugene couldn't really tell since he couldn't see her.
"I guess I can't blame her. I mean, she worked so hard to get invited to this competition…"
"Invited? No, you don't need an invitation to compete. You just have to be dumb enough to do it. Like Cassandra," Eugene laughed before standing up to cheer again. "Ha ha! Whoo!"
"Anyone can compete?" Rapunzel asked slowly, smiling as she gasped in realization. "We can do this together!" She kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" The Princess took off eagerly to join in.
"Oh, oh, oh! Hey, Blondie, if you're making a snack run, I'm all about the popcorn!" Eugene called after her. Rapunzel grinned at him, catching Varian's attention as she passed him.
"Now, where's she going…?" He wondered.
"And finally, the Iron Handmaiden," The announcer pointed to Cass as she posed for the audience. "Cassandra–!" His announcement was cut short when a woman walked up to him. She whispered to him before handing him a new piece of paper. He looked at it in surprise as the woman walked away. "Wow! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a last-minute surprise entry!"
The crowd gasped as Cass raised an eyebrow. "Please welcome the Fearsome Follicle, the Heir with the Hair, the Maid with the Braid, Raaaaaaapunzel!" Rapunzel ran into the arena, to the shock of all her friends. Varian even spit out his drink in surprise.
"Yay, Rapunzel!" A little girl cheered.
"Oh, boy," Varian muttered, dreading how this would go.
She waved to the crowd cheerfully before running over to hug Cass. "Cassandra! This is gonna be so much fun!"
"Oh, Blondie, what have you done?" Eugene slowly shook his head as Pascal slumped on his shoulder.
"Did I not bring enough of the popcorn?" a Viking with long blond hair, now sitting next to the former thief, asked.
"The King's gonna go on another rampage!" Varian held his head in panic.
"Good news, Cassandra. We can compete together! Isn't that great?!" Rapunzel squealed happily.
"That is so great…" Cassandra smiled widely, obviously fake to anyone but her best friend.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the first event: The Gauntlet!" The announcer gestured to a large contraption with six large hammers swinging across a thin walkway.
Skull Kicker was the first one up to do it. He took one jump in and was sent flying by the first hammer, his boots flying off as he screamed. The two women watched him as he flew over the arena, cringing as he crashed out of sight. Cass placed her hands on Rapunzel's shoulders anxiously. "You sure you wanna do this?"
"Sure do!" Rapunzel said excitedly.
"Next up for the Gauntlet, Cassandra!" the announcer called.
At the same time, Eugene was trying to make his way down the stands quickly. "'Scuse me, coming through, emergency! Naive princess making horrible life decision. Pardon me."
Cassandra walked towards the gauntlet to take her turn when Wreck stepped in front of her. He bent a pipe he was holding until it was all misshapen. "What's that supposed to be?" She asked.
"It's a knot, as in you're 'knot' going to win." He laughed at his taunt. Unimpressed, she walked past him. "It's a thinker."
Cass walked up the stairs, standing in front of the first hammer. "Whoo! Go Cass!" Rapunzel cheered, making her friend glance at her before looking ahead. She then ran, rolled, ducked, and jumped around the hammers, landing safely on the other side.
"Way to go, Cassandra!" Cass opened an eye to see the little girl cheering excitedly. "Woo-hoo!"
"Next up, Princess Rapunzel!" the announcer said as Rapunzel stepped up to the hammers and waved to the crowd.
At that point, Eugene came to a stop near Varian. He covered his face as he pleaded, "Please don't get smashed with a hammer, please don't get smashed with a hammer, please don't get smashed with a hammer!" Pascal opened his mouth anxiously as Varian gripped his seat in anticipation.
Rapunzel closed her eyes, listening to the hammers as a melody composed in her mind from the sound. Finding the rhythm, she danced along the walkway, effortlessly dodging hammers and reaching the other side unharmed.
"Eugene, look!" Varian tugged his arm as the crowd started cheering, making the older man look up.
"Ohh, yeah! That's my girlfriend right there!" Eugene cheered, bragging to a spectator next to them. He then saw a smug look from Varian and the two animals. "What? I wasn't worried. She's got this. Whoo!"
"Sure you weren't," Varian smirked at him knowingly.
"Yay, Rapunzel! Whoo!" The little girl cheered for the Princess.
Even the competitors cheered her on, causing Cass to frown as she walked away. Skull Kicker, having recovered, drew Rapunzel's name on his arm, smiling.
"Cassandra, did you see that?!" Rapunzel bounced down the stairs excitedly, causing the warrior handmaiden to stop in annoyance. "I told you I could handle myself!"
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Nice dance, Rapunzel."
"Uh, thanks?" The Princess was confused by the sudden change in tone.
"Not sure that routine will do much good against Wreck in the Dead Man's Circle." Cass went on as Wreck simply walked through the obstacle, hammers breaking as they hit him. "But, hey, maybe you'll get lucky again." She then walked past the hammers, leaving Rapunzel more confused than before.
"That wasn't luck…" Rapunzel said before moving to stand between Cass and Razorblade.
"Challengers! Prepare for the next event!" The announcer called as the friends stood in determination.
A man adjusted names on a scoreboard, placing Cassandra in second place after Wreck. Rapunzel was further down in sixth place.
The next task was archery, and the bullseyes were mounted on a spinning device that moved them around. Cass fired four arrows and hit all four bullseyes in a row, pumping her fist. "Yes!"
Meanwhile, Rapunzel struggled with her bow, having never done archery before. Deciding to improvise, she tossed aside the bow and replaced it with her guitar. Using it similarly, she fired and hit a bullseye like her friend. Seconds later, though, the top of the contraption was destroyed by a giant arrow. The girls stared in shock before looking at Wreck, who made the shot.
Eugene looked around for his horn, realizing he didn't have it. "Ugh, where'd it go…?"
He didn't notice Varian hiding it behind his back before turning to the kid next to him, offering the horn and some cotton candy. "Get rid of the horn, and the cotton candy's yours." Having experienced the noise, the kid agreed and took both items before running off. A couple of the other spectators gave Varian a thumbs-up, appreciating his actions.
The next challenge was a high pole jump without using a pole vault. Skull Kicker, Cass, and Rapunzel handled it with ease, the Princess soaring like a ballerina. Hook Foot, however, got his hook caught on the pole. Wreck Maurader took the last jump, slamming onto the ground when he landed and freeing Hook Foot.
The scores were adjusted again as Rapunzel was moved up to fourth place. Cass noticed the change and then turned to the Princess with a slight glare as the other girl waved to the crowd.
Eugene and Pascal had gotten wooden fingers like Wreck's, painted gold, with Raps in purple. The chameleon was about to blow his own horn when Ruddiger stopped him, shaking his head. Eugene and Varian glared at the lizard, who just looked back sheepishly.
After that, the challenge was to lift heavy bags of rocks. Wreck lifted a bag easily with one hand while the competitors next to him struggled. Cassandra was able to lift a bag over her head, although hers was smaller. She was then startled into dropping her bag when the larger one next to her was lifted up by Rapunzel, who had fashioned a system of pulleys to use her hair. This changed the positions again, putting Rapunzel in third place, right below Cassandra.
The crowd started to do a wave, which Eugene joined in. Ruddiger waved a small Rapunzel flag in his paw while Varian cheered for his two friends.
Then came a log-running challenge, in which the challengers ran on top of a log in the water. Cassandra was holding on along with a short competitor in armor, Skull Kicker and Rapunzel. The two men slipped, leaving only the two friends. Cass gritted her teeth, sweating in concentration before she finally fell, deeming Rapunzel the winner. The Princess cheered before cannonballing into the water, splashing Cassandra as their positions were reversed on the scoreboard. She laughed as she got into a water fight with Skull Kicker while Cass growled and sunk into the water.
"Do you even know the rules?! Aren't shoes required for the log roll?!" Cass exclaimed in frustration at the announcer, snatching his scroll. "Ugh, somebody check the Rulebook of the Brave!" The announcer snatched his scroll back and walked away before she turned to the others. "Guys, am I the only one who has a problem with this?! The Princess is making a mockery of the competition!" She gestured to the girl behind her, who was doing some stretches.
"Hey, it's okay, kid," Hook Foot touched her shoulder. "When you're mad, do a dance! Give that smile a se–"
"Oh, go eat a turkey leg, Hook!" She snarled, and he silently left.
"I think things are starting to get ugly," Varian commented, having read their lips from a distance.
"What do you mean?" Eugene asked, thinking trouble was coming.
"Well…" The teen pointed at Cass as she stormed over to her friend.
"Okay, listen, Rapunzel. This has gone far enough. Let's call it a day."
She chuckled, placing her hands on her hips. "I will call it a day… the day I won the championship. Boom! Trash talk~" She said triumphantly, crossing her arms over her chest.
The lady-in-waiting fumed, arms crossed as she glared at her. "Let's see where you land after the Dead Man's Circle."
"Yeah, okay, yeah, we'll totally see where we land after the Dead Man's Circle." She glared back in an attempt at aggressiveness before pausing. "And what is the Dead Man's Circle?"
"It's the final event. And, believe me, your little dances won't save you this time." The two glared at each other angrily before storming off in opposite directions.
"This is awkward…" Hook Foot looked away slightly.
Having seen everything despite not actively hearing it, the boys looked at each other with worry. Not needing to say anything, the boys split up to talk to the girls.
Cassandra had reached the competitor's area when Eugene caught up to her. "Cass, hold up! Everything okay?"
"What do you think, Eugene?" She huffed.
"Look, Cass, I can't hear what's being said, but I think one or both of you are letting this get out of hand. From what I could see, it looked like you're deliberately trying to upset her."
"Maybe I'm trying to get her to take this seriously like I am!" Cass whirled around on him. "Maybe I'm trying to get her to drop out before she gets hurt because, believe me, these guys would not hesitate, princess or not!"
"Cass, come on. You know Rapunzel can handle herself," Eugene looked at her sternly. "Plus, it sounds like you're taking this too personally. Isn't Rapunzel your friend?"
Cassandra frowned. "Yeah, isn't Rapunzel my friend? Then why did she join the challenge, knowing how much it meant to me?" She stormed away from him, leaving Eugene concerned for the girls' friendship when this was over. Regardless of how this ends, they will lose something if they don't work this out.
At the same time, Varian found Rapunzel sitting alone with a disheartened expression. "You okay?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She sighed. "I don't know. I thought this would be fun, but… Cassandra is just… so mad. And I don't understand why."
"Well, for one thing, she's probably worried about you getting hurt," Varian suggested. "Like I said earlier, a lot of these guys probably have criminal records. Wreck, in particular, isn't going to care you're a princess. He will hurt you if he gets the chance. However, the biggest thing is probably that this isn't a team challenge. There can only be one winner, and Cass wants it to be her. Rapunzel, I found Cass training at night. She was sacrificing sleep to win this. This isn't a game to her."
"The other fighters were having fun with me."
"That's because they don't have something to prove."
"What do you mean?" Rapunzel asked, confused.
"Everyone already knows these guys are tough or at least are people you don't wanna mess with. Cass doesn't have that kind of reputation. Some of these guys were actually making fun of her earlier, saying she was just here because she's your lady-in-waiting."
"What?" She gasped. "Why didn't she say anything?"
"Because she knew you would try to defend her like you did earlier, and they would've still laughed at her. It would've made her look weak to them."
Rapunzel looked down in shame, realizing she had embarrassed her best friend all day. No wonder she was mad at her. "What do I do now?"
"Well, if you drop out of the competition, that will make it worse. She'll either think you're pitying her or feel bad because she'll think she bullied you out of the Challenge. I think the best you can do now is give the final event your best shot," Varian suggested before putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You guys will work out, somehow. You're friends, after all."
She smiled at him. "Thanks, Varian. How do you always know just what to say?"
"I'm a thinker and planner," He shrugged. "I prefer to watch and observe before deciding what to do or say. It's the scientist in me."
Rapunzel giggled a little before looking over at Cassandra and sighing. "Any ideas on how to talk to her? I mean, she's so angry at me right now…"
"Right now, I'd say wait until the competition's done and give her a chance to cool off. You'll figure it out after that." He patted her shoulder before returning to the stands, giving her space to rest and warm up.
(Scene Break)
"Time for the final event!" The announcer called. "The Dead Man's Circle!" Cass tested her sword a few times before, ensuring it was ready before placing it in the cart of weapons a man pushed by. "Each warrior will battle to the finish using the weapon of their choice!" Razorblade and another competitor threw their weapons in as the man listed them on an item sheet. Rapunzel looked over the different weapons when she noticed a frying pan on someone's horse. Making her choice, she grabbed it and placed the pan on the cart, Cass looking at her as she did.
"Hey, Blondie."
Rapunzel looked over to see Eugene had come in to see her. "Eugene!"
"Just making sure you're alright." He hugged her and kissed her gently before cupping her cheek. "You are okay, right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured him. "We're about to fight, though, so I'll see you later, okay?"
"Alright," he smiled. "Good luck. Varian and I are rooting for you." He squeezed her hand gently and then walked out. Rapunzel smiled, thankful she still had her boyfriend and friend right now.
Meanwhile, Cassandra was sitting on one of the benches, trying to get her head focused on the competition. The man wheeling the weapons cart walked past her, hitting a rock that caused Rapunzel's frying pan to fall by Cassandra's feet.
"Hey, you dropped the–" She started before suddenly stopping. Looking at the frying pan, she thought about how much she wanted to win and Rapunzel's lack of seriousness about the competition. Making a decision, Cass slid the pan under the bench with her foot. She then headed for the arena, glancing back at the pan with slight guilt before leaving.
All that mattered now was her goal… even if it meant sacrificing her friendship with Rapunzel.
That's chapter eleven down. The next chapter, which will wrap up Challenge of the Brave, is already in production. Tomorrow, I should finish the next chapter of With You, and then that list will move on.
See you all later.