Rapunzel
2 weeks after The Tower escape
"Your Highness, do you want to try shoes again?"
"No thanks, Cassandra," I replied. She looked discouraged. I frowned. I didn't like disappointing her, but I didn't understand why she wanted me to wear shoes so badly. They were so uncomfortable and made me trip.
"Fine. I'll try another time."
Cassandra poked a strand of her unruly black hair back into her bonnet. I had noticed that she seemed uncomfortable in the pale blue dress and bonnet that she always wore.
"Cassandra, why do you wear that all the time?" I asked, motioning to her bonnet.
"My uniform? Because that's what ladies in waiting wear" she replied with a confused expression.
As I tried to organize my thoughts and make sense of Cassandra's reply, she added to her explanation.
"I wear it because that's what is expected of my position. That's what people do, what's expected of them."
I looked away from her and reached up to tug at my hair, and grabbed at air. I tucked my hands in my lap instead.
Cassandra was so nice to explain how things work in the castle. I felt bad for being so slow to understand things that seemed basic for other people.
Cassandra sighed and sat next to me on the bench at the foot of my bed. "Look, I know this is all new to you. We'll take it slow, okay?"
I smiled at her, silently thanking her for her patience.
...
One week later
"Are you sure you don't want to ask somebody else to be your partner?" Cassandra asked as she was stitching the tear in my sleeve. Her voice was annoyed but she was so close to me, gently caring for me. I knew we were going to be best friends, I just had to break down the walls around her heart. But they were as high as the walls surrounding Corona.
"Eugene, Old Lady Crawley, that fern," Cassandra listed off other potential partners. I actually hadn't even considered Eugene as a partner for the Contest of the Crowns; my first thought had been Cass. Eugene would be useful in the Contest, but he already loved me. This could be a bonding activity for me and Cassandra.
"Cass, this is a great opportunity to become better friends!" I finished the stitching on my sleeve, and she snipped the thread with her scissors. We were already working as a team, anticipating each other's moves. We would be friends in no time.
"Listen." My eyes snapped up to Cassandra's. Still hostile.
"I have my job to do, and you have yours. We can be partners if you want. But a lady-in-waiting and a princess becoming friends? That's like a one in a million chance," Cassandra slammed the door.
There's a chance! She also agreed to be my partner for the Contest of the Crowns. That was plenty to celebrate.
How incredibly lucky was I to have Cass as my lady-in-waiting? I still wasn't sure what a lady-in-waiting is exactly, but I sure was glad to have someone so real. She was so honest, and said exactly what she meant. I felt safe with Cassandra.
"You are safe with me, darling," Mother says as she strokes my hair. I relax into her chest, the details of the nightmare fading. "Now go back to bed. I need my beauty sleep."
Mother pushes me away, and I grasp at her arms, not quite able to keep her close for longer. Understanding that this is the end of the interaction, I slide down off her bed.
I turn to look back at Mother. She still holds my hair loosely in her hands, smiling as she closes her eyes going back to sleep.
I walk back to my own bed, my hair sliding through Mother's fingers. I find some comfort knowing that my hair is long enough that she is still holding me from the next room. But it's never enough.