Cassandra didn't really know where she was heading. She may have had a compass, a pet owl, and various maps, yet all of those were practically useless without a destination. In her mind, she had plotted out the exact route she would take, but the finality of said route was still in question. She figured that she would follow the same westerly route she and her friends had taken on their journey two years before. It had taken them all the way to The Dark Kingdom, but she planned to push even further. No Coronan had ever been to the lands beyond King Edmund's domain. She had designs on changing that.

Even though this banishment is penance for my traitorous self, she reasoned as she rode along, I will not stop until I find what's meant for me. My destiny lies out there…and it's one I don't have to steal.

She felt very in touch with the elements around her. The air, earth, and wind were almost tangible. Springtime had come to Corona, lush and vibrant. Elemental instruments played a symphony, causing all of the greenery and foliage to be strikingly verdant. Cassandra, a lover of good music herself, could very well hear them singing to each other. She stopped for a moment when she realized that this was definitely a Rapunzel like thought. However, where her previous incarnation would have tried to violently rid herself of such thinking, this Cassandra treasured such moments.

A smile spread across her face as she galloped through the towns and villages of her home. It was tempered with some realism when King Frederick's stern look as he passed judgment on her ran through her mind. But more thoughts of the natural world soon eased her pain and made the transition out of Corona's wall that much easier. She traversed through the same hole outside of Old Corona that the journeying princess and her party had gone through. In the interim, it had been made into a gate, welcoming travelers into the village and kingdom beyond.

"Cassandra," a voice called out as she swept through the streets of Old Corona.

"Varian," she called out kindly, stopping to dismount for a moment.

He ran to her and they embraced. "I'm glad to see that you're taking hugs a bit more lightly now," he joked.

"Yeah, well, I've changed a bit," she said. "I mean, I'll probably never be as happy-go-lucky as Raps, but I can manage a hug or two."

He chuckled, but quickly turned serious. "So…banishment, hm?"

She nodded sadly. "Yeah, King Frederick said I had to go."

"For how long?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know. I would say I'd be back for Rapunzel's wedding, but Eugene just refuses to propose, so…"

"Yeah," Varian said. "It has been a while since he brought her home."

"Yeah," Cassandra said.

"Cass…do you mind if I ask you something…personal?"

Cassandra flinched a bit. "I guess it depends on the question."

"Well, I'm not really trying to pry here, but I need your advice," Varian said.

"Oh…well, I'm all ears, kid. Fire away."

Varian breathed deeply. "Alright, well…have you ever…well, I mean, have you…ever…loved someone? I mean, like, as more than a friend?"

Cassandra blushed. She hadn't expected him to ask something like that. True, they'd been talking of proposals and delays and all that. However, that was for her two best friends, not her. The truth was, she'd been getting looks around the capital from some people, especially before her Moonstone phase. Snickers and chuckles abounded. Normally, she wouldn't have let it get to her, but her only "relationship" had been with a Zaporian separatist who wanted to overthrow Corona. She'd been attracted to certain members of the royal guard, but they were all already taken. It fell to reason (and no small rumor) that Cassandra simply wasn't "the marrying type."

But…I do want to feel that someday, she thought once Varian's question passed her ears. I mean, not to squelch my independence or anything, but…it would be nice to have…someone.

"Er…no, not really," she said out loud. "I mean, I've never been in love, if that's what you mean. I never really had time for it. I was so busy protecting Rapunzel…and then fighting Rapunzel…and then making up with Rapunzel. It just never came up. But why do you wanna know?"

Varian scraped his boot around in the dirt nervously. "Because…I…I think I…I mean, I…like a girl."

Cassandra smiled. "Oh, Varian. There's no shame in that. It's normal."

"I know," Varian said. "My dad always said that, one day, I'd find someone. It's just…it's hard when that girl's been banished from the kingdom."

Cassandra felt her cheeks burn hotter than ever when she realized he was talking about her. She'd always suspected that he had a bit of a crush on her and had dreaded the possibility of having to let him down. After all, Varian was a close friend. But as it stood, they just didn't match. She was a decade older than him and certainly didn't share his alchemic ambitions.

"Um…look, Varian," she said as kindly as possible. "I can only assume that you're referring to me."

He nodded.

"I'm flattered," she said, "really, I am. But…we just…look, I care about you a whole lot. You've become a close friend and I'm always gonna see you that way. But sometimes things just aren't supposed to happen and what you have in mind, I feel, is one of them."

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that," he said. "I just wanted you to know before you left."

Cassandra smiled. "Well, thanks for being transparent with me. I appreciate it…and I know that, as cliché as this sounds, one day someone special's gonna come into your life and she'll absolutely blow you away."

"Thanks, Cass," Varian said.

"No problem, Varian," Cassandra responded, pulling him into one final embrace. "Now, I have to go. But I'll make you the same promise I made Rapunzel…and that's to return one day."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Varian said.

Cassandra slowly broke the embrace and remounted Fidella before riding off through the gates and into the unknown of tomorrow. While she rode, she felt the necklace hanging around her neck. It was the same one that Varian had given her after a certain scientific exposition gone wrong. What made it special was the necklace's centerpiece: a piece of an element that bore her name.

Oh, Varian, she thought as she rode full speed to the west. I know we've had our differences, and you once tried to kill me with those automaton things. But you're a good kid…and you're gonna get everything you truly deserve one day. I promise.