Having successfully, albeit reluctantly, done her promise proud, Cassandra left the Spire and Calliope behind. Despite all of her annoying brashness and rude arrogance, Cassandra had to admit one thing: Calliope may have set her on a path of destiny. The very idea of an eighth kingdom sent shivers down her spine. Its founding legend caused those tremors to turn to veritable earthquakes. These shook her emotions so much that she often had to slow Fidella down as to avoid blindly running into something. Excitement, fear, hope, courage, and a strange sense of life and death all boiled deep beneath Cassandra's tight lipped personality.

Neclectia has to be real, she thought. Calliope may be a lot of things…self-aggrandizing, unbearable, and somewhat viciously sarcastic…but she'd never betray the Old Keeper by putting words in his mouth. She cared for that old man too much. Plus, she wouldn't be gaining anything by lying to me and sending me on a wild goose chase. Still, though…I don't trust people like her so easily. I've gotta find some way of corroborating her story.

This presented a problem over the next few weeks. Night after night, day after day, she sat atop Fidella's slowly lumbering body and tried to piece together some type of strategy. Unfortunately, the nearest town, Pincosta, was still some 250 miles away, across a great stretch of sea. Laying in the middle of that sea, she remembered with a groan, was Terapi Island.

"Ugh, Fidella, I really, really don't wanna go there," she said aloud.

Fidella looked back and gave her rider a confused stare.

"Terapi Island? The home of the Lorbs?" Cassandra prompted.

Fidella simply shook her head and whinnied as she trotted along.

"Okay, fair enough," Cassandra relented. "You are a horse, after all."

Suddenly, Owl lighted on her shoulder and hooted in her ear. Much as with Rapunzel and Pascal, she and Owl had a bond that was so close that she could practically understand him. This time, his hoot reminded her of her promise. She hated to admit it, but Owl was right. If she could stomach Calliope's arrogance, surely she could do the same with the Lorbs and their silly antics. Sometimes, she wished that she lived in a world that wasn't so overgrown with magical elements. But, she did, and Terapi Island's inhabitants were somewhat engrained with it.

Upon arriving at the shore of the sea, she immediately sought passage to the island. Thankfully, this wasn't too difficult, as there was a cargo barge headed for the opposite mainland. The captain offered to give Cassandra and her animals a lift, though he did give her somewhat of an odd look as she boarded. It was somewhere between suspicion and the reaction one might give if one scented a skunk's smell. The borderline of trust and deception was grave, especially out here, and Cassandra well knew it. She kept her hand on her sword's hilt, just in case.

"So…headed towards Pincosta, eh?" The captain asked her as she headed forward on the deck. He was rather brutally obvious in his attempt to mask prying as simple small talk.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Uh, yeah."

"Hm…you know…you…"

Cassandra slowly turned and eyed the captain. "I…what?"

"You remind me of someone…but I don't know who. Tell me, what's your name?"

"I am Cassandra of Corona."

"That's it!" The captain suddenly shouted, giving Cass a start. "You're Cassandra, the Moonstone girl!"

Cassandra chuckled nervously. "Well, I WAS the Moonstone girl, but I've put that behind me."

"Oof," The captain said with a hint of smugness. "Ya know, I come from a village in outer Corona and they said that Princess Rapunzel would NEVER forgive you for what you did. King Frederick must've given you what for, eh?"

"Not that it's any of your business," Cassandra said with just a tick of a growl, "but Rapunzel did forgive me. What was said between His Majesty and I remains personal. Got it, Captain?"

"Okay, okay, okay," The captain said. "Yeesh. I'm just trying to make conversation."

"Well, zip it, okay?" Cassandra said sharply. "I've gotta get to Terapi Island and that's the only thing I need your leaky bit of boards for."

The captain sighed. "Look, Cassandra, I know all about the banishment and everything. Everyone in Corona does…and we…well, we don't like it. I mean, you're hailed as a hero in many circles. The decision to force you out was…not exactly well received by many."

"I appreciate the sentiment," Cassandra said. "But I'm chasing my destiny the right way now. I'm not going back to Corona until I fulfill every promise I made to Rapunzel and regain the royal family's trust."

"But…that could take years!"

Cassandra turned and regarded the captain with a resigned, yet somewhat determined look. "Then I will have paid properly for all my mistakes…"

—

It took three days for the ship to reach Terapi Island. During that time, Cassandra found that she was writing Rapunzel more often than ever before. She'd written about her experience with Calliope and nearly laughed out loud when the return letter simply consisted of a picture of Rapunzel looking extremely annoyed. Then she wrote about the ship itself, her exchange with the captain, and how nervous she was about seeing the Lorbs again.

Frankly, I'm terrified, Raps, she wrote. I know I'm not often prone to be so open, but even as I sit here, I'm shaking. Yes, they're tiny and somewhat easily dealt with, but it's not really them I'm scared of. It's the magic they possess. Terapi Island was nearly where we lost…everything. Their legends always seem to come to life. I'm just hoping that I can find Alphonse before anything weird or perilous happens.

This time, Rapunzel's return letter was filled with more encouragement than ever before. She reminded Cassandra of her strength and determination.

I tend to say this a lot, Cass, but you've got this. If you can do half of the amazing things I've seen you do in the past, then I know you can find your way to some answers on Terapi. In terms of magic, I encourage you to be cautious, but don't hide. Face these fears, Cassandra. I know you can conquer them.

Cassandra smiled as she felt the boat gently touch land underneath her. Emerging on deck, she took a look over the forward railing and saw a luscious grove of palm trees. Terapi Island was staring her in the face and, much as she hated to admit it, she thought she saw faces within the jungle foliage. But, she remembered Rapunzel's words and shook it off. She certainly wasn't afraid of anything…or, at least, she hoped she wasn't. The difference between fear and calm was the difference between life and death in this place. Soon, she realized with a start, she could be put in a position where that very idea would be severely tested.