Cassandra noticed Vex's face lose a good deal of color when The Ambrosian Gang was mentioned. Captain Quaid, on the other hand, showed no fear. She would have expected nothing less from the veteran sheriff. He'd always exuded a calm sense of confidence and a knack for stopping those who couldn't stop themselves. Evil seemed to tremble in his shadow, sneaking back into its own hell and waiting for him to remove himself. The citizens of Vardaros looked up to him, especially since his return. Cassandra was happy to see that he appeared unmoved in the face of this apparently calamitous news.

"Are you sure it was The Ambrosian Gang?" Quaid asked.

"Yes!" Carl said before dropping to a knee in pain.

"Vex, see to it that Carl is well taken care of!" Quaid barked. "Cassandra…you up for a fight?"

Cassandra smiled and drew her sword. "I thought you'd never ask…"

—

The Ambrosian Gang, led by Lord Ambrosia himself, had tormented Vardaros and the surrounding area for years. In fact, some even said that the city's time under The Baron's iron fist had been heaven compared to what the Ambrosians could do. Simply put, The Baron and his cronies were more bark than bite. The Ambrosian Gang had quite a set of teeth, metaphorically speaking. Their swords were sharper than any in the region and their abilities with them were second-to-none. Quaid had his hands full with them on a daily basis and they'd always been the one group able to give him the slip.

Now, he and Cassandra rode towards the eastern gate of the city, where Carl said that the gang was up to no good. Cassandra noticed that word had spread of their impending arrival. The formerly lively city had shut itself up. Doors were closed, windows locked tight, and business after business suddenly ceased operations for the day. She hadn't seen the city this quiet since she, Rapunzel, and their traveling party had first arrived on their journey. It sent shivers down her spine, but she quickly subdued them. Even though she'd never met them, The Ambrosian Gang were a new enemy. She couldn't show fear or weakness.

"Ambrosia!" Quaid barked when they arrived at the gates.

Suddenly, out of the dusty mists in the desert beyond, a rather large group of horses materialized. There were probably 20 in all, each carrying a heavily armed rider on its back. In the center was a huge stagecoach pulled by four horses. In the sharp moonlight, Cassandra could make out the carriage's ornate overlay, paved with fine gold. She deduced that Lord Ambrosia must be inside. His gang surrounded the stagecoach tightly, swords drawn to defend their master. She instinctively drew her own, ready to fight.

It didn't take long for the whole gang to fall upon them. Almost immediately, they were surrounded by hostiles. Cassandra gritted her teeth and kept her sword at the ready, expecting a massive brawl to break out at any second. Her mind took stock of the men around her and she noted, with some degree of curiosity, that she did not recognize the symbol on the armor they wore.

Must be the Ambrosian sign, she thought. Still, though…it's awfully intricate for being a gang symbol.

"Damn you, Ambrosia!" Quaid thundered towards the stagecoach. "Get out here and face me!"

Suddenly, the coach's door flung open and out stepped one of the largest men Cassandra had ever seen. It wasn't that he was large due to an exertion of overeating, but rather, that he'd been born in such a manner. He was stocky, with a torso that benefitted from a rather obvious exercise regimen. However, he didn't appear to be the stereotypical muscular strongman that a lot of women back in Corona would have swooned over. Cassandra wasn't one of those women and she held her ground right alongside Quaid.

"Y'all called for me, Cap'n?" The large man drawled.

Quaid scowled. "Oh, don't patronize me, Ambrosia. You know damn well that I did. Now, you can either come peacefully or my friend and I can show you a taste of Vardarian steel."

"Vardarian steel?" Ambrosia scoffed before letting out a cackle. "I'll wager that friend of yours ain't even from around here. She certainly don't look Vardarian!"

"I'm Cassandra of Corona," Cassandra announced boldly and with pride. "But Vardaros is a close friend of my kingdom and I'll fight to defend it just as I would my own home!"

"Look, little lady, I don't know what drawin' room y'all just got shot out of, but this is man's country."

"Oh?" Cassandra asked, eager to prove his bigoted ramblings wrong. "Then let's just see what this 'drawing room lady' can do…"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she charged at Ambrosia. She was met by two of his knights, but she quickly dispatched of them. Meanwhile, Quaid fought with the other knights surrounding him. Soon, the air was filled with the clash of steel as sword met sword with terrific vigor. The sound was pure euphoria to Cassandra's ears as more and more of Ambrosia's gang fell upon her. Slashing left and right, she fought her way closer and closer to their master. However, they weren't giving up. If they hadn't been fighting to defend such an evil criminal, their loyalty would have been honorable.

"Hey, Ambrosia!" Cassandra spat as she sliced through yet another knight. "Still think I'm such a "drawing room" fixture?"

Ambrosia growled as he realized just how close she was getting. "Take her down, you fools!"

Three more of his gang charged at her, weapons gleaming in the moonlight. She felt the swipe of swords run through the air in all directions, pulsating with the same hatred that Ambrosia fed them. One knight managed to get behind her and shoot his blade into her shoulder. She cried out in pain, but in the same breath, whirled around and stabbed him in the back, killing him instantly. Her anger burned as she felt old feelings of underestimation and overlook begin building. Sweat poured down her face while she continued to fight, finally defeating the other two knights and rushing towards Ambrosia once more.

"UGH! HOW THE HELL IS SHE STILL STANDING?!" Ambrosia thundered. "SHE'S JUST A LITTLE GIRL! CAN'T ANY OF YOU BASTARDS KILL HER?!"

Cassandra's anger was tempered by a sense of justice that she hadn't known before; not only justice for the Vardarans harmed by this gang, but justice for herself in the face of Ambrosia's blatant prejudice. She felt Fidella gallop faster than ever before and she held her sword aloft when she arrived at Ambrosia's feet. Quickly dismounting, she tackled the lord and held him until Quaid could come over and properly arrest him. Her eyebrows furrowed deeply, showing seriousness, but her smirk was very apparent.

"Looks like the 'little girl' got you, Ambrosia"

"You bitch," Ambrosia spat. "If your kin knew what you were up to…"

He didn't get a chance to finish the thought, for at that moment Quaid came over and threw handcuffs on him. Cassandra rose as Ambrosia and his remaining knights were hauled away to prison. When she did so, a sharp pain cut through her from the wound in her shoulder. She'd been running on complete adrenaline and, as such, had forgotten that it was there. Grimacing, she reached up and found a rather great deal of blood.

Ugh, damn it, she said to herself, that's gonna take a while to heal.

She tore part of her outer garment and made herself a small wrapping for the wound.

There, she thought, that oughta hold until I'm able to treat it properly.

Once she was back on her horse, and after bidding Quaid farewell for the evening, she made a beeline for her lodgings. The wrapping wouldn't be effective for very long and she had some extra aid in her room that would help. That, and she wanted to digest something Ambrosia had said before getting taken away. It was something she never thought she would hear, because it was something she didn't believe in.

My kin? She asked herself as she rode up to the hotel's hitching post. What kin? Gothel was my only family…or…was she?