Chapter Text
Cassandra made her way silently down the long, familiar hall that led to Rapunzel’s chambers at the top of the tower. Even after all the years that had gone by, the guards’ shifts still hadn’t changed- and that made for slipping past them even easier than she’d originally thought possible.
As she approached the entryway, Cass paused for a moment at the sight of the doors just barely cracked open- a small bit of light shining through in the darkness. She pressed her palm flat against the wood and pushed, easing the door open just enough to squeeze in and her eyes immediately scanned the room before settling on the brunette with her back turned to her.
Cass’ gaze softened a bit and she leaned against the closed door, folding her arms across her chest as she watched Rapunzel for a moment. She looked as radiant as ever- and not a day older than she’d looked when Cassandra had left Corona two years prior. Her hair still danced just above her shoulders and framed her beautifully freckled face just as it always had.
Beside her rested a painting, still drying on its easel- a portrait of Cassandra herself, posed before a plain, dark background. As if sensing where Cass’ gaze had landed, Rapunzel reached a hand out and trailed her fingers along the top of the easel before she let out a heavy sigh.
“Why the long face?” Cass finally said, breaking the silence.
Jumping in surprise, Rapunzel’s arm dropped from the easel and she quickly turned around to face Cass. “Cassandra?” she asked in a breathy tone, as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. A huge, elated grin spread across her face and her eyes lit up before she ran forward, her bare feet pattering against the floor as she closed the distance between them. “Cass!” She threw her arms around her and squeezed Cass tightly. “You’re here! You’re really here! Since when? How long have you been back?”
Cassandra caught Rapunzel and hugged her back just as tightly, closing her eyes as she held her close before letting out a short chuckle. “I just got back. Came straight here before anything else.” She gave Rapunzel a slight squeeze before she pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes. “I missed you.”
While Rapunzel’s face seemingly hadn’t changed at all, Cassandra’s had changed just a bit. Where her face had always been a bit more round before, she now had more defined cheekbones and a more solid build overall. Her near-black hair was longer and pulled back into a loose ponytail at the base of her skull and running parallel to her jawline now rested a long-healed scar, stretching nearly two inches in length.
Rapunzel looked up at her and Cass was certain that her face was frozen permanently in the same, wide smile. “I missed you so, so much. You should have written!” She reached up and gently ran her thumb along the scar on Cass’ face, worry flashing in her eyes for the briefest of seconds.
“I wanted to surprise you,” Cass replied, smiling down at Raps happily. “You would’ve made a royal announcement to the whole kingdom if I’d told you I was coming home and you know it,” she teased. “Though, I must say… I’m not too impressed with how easy it was to sneak in here. What if I’d been some kind of villain with nefarious plans for the Queen of Corona?” Cassandra turned her face and placed a gentle kiss to Rapunzel’s palm before she reached up and gently took her hand in her own with a content sigh.
Raps let out an amused laugh, eyes sparkling. “Ha ha, Cass. Very funny. I may be Queen now, but I still don’t go anywhere with my weapon of choice!” She patted the heavy, cast-iron frying pan hanging from her hip. “But still, consider me surprised! I… I can’t believe you’re really here.”
Cass took a small step back and met Rapunzel’s gaze. “Two years was long enough. I wanted to come home.” She paused and swallowed hard. “I needed to come home.”
Rapunzel immediately closed the gap between them and hugged Cassandra again. “Welcome home, Cass,” she said softly. A pause. “...for good?” She sounded hopeful and her tone pulled at Cass’ heartstrings.
“For good,” Cass replied almost immediately. Leaning back, she looked Rapunzel in the eyes and smiled reassuringly. Two years had passed and it felt as though they had picked up right where they’d left off. Her heart soared and she couldn’t hide it in her gaze. “I can’t really put it into words how much it meant to me that you let me go, Raps.” She looked down and gently rubbed her thumb over the back of Rapunzel’s hand. “I know that a lot happened before I left and… I’m sure that even more has happened since I’ve been gone, but… I realized that being here in Corona… with you… it’s what I wanted more than anything else. I’m just sorry that it took me two years to figure it out.”
Rapunzel took Cass by the hands and looked up at her- her green eyes shining so brightly that Cassandra was sure she’d go blind if she stared too long. Not that she minded. “Do you really mean that?” Raps asked softly. “There’s so much more out there, Cass. I don’t want you to feel tied down because of me ever again. Your happiness should always come first.”
Cass reached up and gently brushed some of Rapunzel’s hair from her face and gave a small, affirmative nod. “I mean it, Raps. I’ve done a lot of soul searching and I realized that being by your side… that’s what I want.” She brought Rapunzel’s hand up and placed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “I just want to be with you. However you’ll have me, for as long as you’ll have me.”
Smiling, Rapunzel looked up with a soft gaze. “Okay.” She exhaled slowly before the smile returned almost instantly. “There’s no one else I’d want at my side more than you, Cass.”
Cassandra felt like her heart would burst with joy as she studied Rapunzel’s face for a moment. Everything she’d done in the last two years had been to better herself so she could return to Rapunzel’s side as the friend she deserved. Sure, things hadn’t exactly been perfect between them, but nothing truly good comes easy. Relationships require work from both sides and before, Cass hadn’t been willing to admit to anyone, least of all herself, that she had also been in the wrong. But that was in the past now.
Reaching down to rummage through her bag for a moment, Cass let out a soft chuckle. “I uh.. I brought you something that I’m sure you’ll make good use of. A-At least I hope you do…” she trailed off absentmindedly as she continued to look through her satchel.
The shorter woman let out a soft gasp. “A gift? For me? You didn’t have to, Cass!” Rapunzel inched closer to not-so-discreetly peek into Cassandra’s bag.
“Hey! No peeking!” Cass chided, shooing Rapunzel away and turning her back to her to hide the contents of her bag. “Aha! Found it!” she exclaimed in victory, pulling out a small parcel, wrapped in brown paper and tied loosely with a string. Turning back to Raps, she held it out to her, clearing her throat. “Sorry it isn’t wrapped prettier, but I.. I hope you like it.”
Rapunzel blinked and carefully took the parcel from Cass, looking down at it curiously. She pulled at the string, undoing the loose knot before she began to tear off the paper. Her eyes widened. “Oh, Cass… it’s stunning.” She ran her fingertips over the intricately etched cover of the sketchbook, marveling at the workmanship before she opened it. On the inside of the cover, a single phrase was inscribed. Tu es ma, lumiere.
Cassandra gave her a small, sheepish smile and looked down nervously. She’d carried the small sketchbook with her for months- a small piece of something that reminded her of Rapunzel, there to comfort her. “I know that I left on good terms, but.. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what happened.” She paused and shook her head a bit before sighing. “About what I did,” Cass corrected herself.
“That’s in the past, Cassandra. We don’t have to bring it up or talk about it again,” Rapunzel replied quickly. “It doesn’t matter.” She paused, closing her eyes before she let out a shaky exhale. Looking up to meet Cassandra’s gaze, Raps pressed her lips together in a tight line before she spoke again. “Unless you want to talk about it.”
Rapunzel took a step back and walked to her bed, holding the sketchbook to her chest as she sat down. Patting the blankets beside her, she looked up, almost expectantly at Cassandra, clearly giving her the choice of how they approached this conversation.
Cassandra still hadn’t lifted her gaze to look at Rapunzel as she accepted the offer and sat down beside her on the bed. Furrowing her brow, she undid the buckle to the strap holding her sword on her back and laid the blade down beside her, resting her hand on the sheath for a moment before she finally spoke. “I was so angry… and hurt. I’d dropped everything for you. And no matter how hard I tried to forge my own path, you were always there before me and I got stuck in your shadow.” She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. “It was never my intention to betray you. I had a moment of weakness when I saw you reaching for the Moonstone and… I gave into it. I’m… I’m sorry.” Cass looked towards Rapunzel, eyes searching for anything- anger, sadness… anything at all.
Finally, Rapunzel’s shoulders slumped and she simply stared down at her hands. “I never wanted you to feel that way. I never wanted to be the reason you felt that way. You’ve never been second string- not to me. But I should have noticed. If I’d been a better friend to you, I would have noticed.” Her hands closed loosely into fists. “You almost lost your life because of it, Cass. I almost lost you.”
“You almost did,” Cass admitted softly, nodding. “Zhan Tiri got into my head and… she fed off my insecurities. Through the Moonstone, I couldn’t hide anything from her.” She let out a shaky exhale, wrapping her arms around her own torso tightly, closing herself off a bit. “She could sense how much I just… wanted to be accepted. To feel important. When she showed me who my-” Cass stopped and shook her head before continuing. “When she showed me Gothel, it was just easier to blame you for losing my chance at feeling that. But.. none of that excuses what I did. She may have manipulated me, but… I let her tap into this anger and rage that I never realized I had until it was too late.”
Closing her eyes, Cass took a deep breath to steady herself. Laying it all out for Rapunzel was harder than she thought it would be. But it needed to be done. She needed Raps to hear what she had to say. “I’m sorry, Raps. I know I said it already, but-”
Rapunzel reached up and gently took one of Cass’ hands into her own, holding it firmly as she looked straight ahead. “Zhan Tiri is to blame for what happened after you took the Moonstone. I’m to blame for why you felt you had to take it to begin with.” She looked down at their hands and laced their fingers together. Solid and present. Real. “I forgave you the second I found out that Zhan Tiri was manipulating you. Why do you think I fought so hard to get you back? Eugene too.”
Cass let out a breath she’d been holding for a few moments- sighing in relief at Rapunzel’s words. Looking down at their hands, her gaze softened and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. After a brief moment of quiet between them, Cass spoke up again. “And how is Fitzherbert handling being Captain of the Guard without me or my dad around to kick him into gear?”
Chuckling quietly, Rapunzel tucked some of her own hair behind her ear. “There was a bit of a learning curve for him, but he’s really grown into his own the last two years. I think it’s been good for him.” She looked at Cass finally and smiled warmly. “He worked so hard to earn the respect of everyone.” Her smile faltered slightly, but recovered almost seamlessly. Almost.
“That’s good to hear. I’m happy for him.” Cassandra looked down and pressed her lips together in thought. Everyone had their place in Corona. Eugene was with the Guard- a position she’d once dreamed about having. And Rapunzel was Queen. But.. where did she fit into all of it? Cass felt a tightness in her chest at hearing Rapunzel talk about Eugene, but she pushed it down, as deep as it could go. Feelings like that didn’t belong at the front of her mind. Glancing at Rapunzel, Cass blinked as she caught a solemn expression on Raps’ face and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Hey.. what is it?”
“Hm?” Rapunzel blinked and looked up at Cass. “Oh, nothing. Just thinking. Being a Queen is a lot of work, you know? A lot more than just sitting around on a throne all day.” A misdirect. “But uh.. I wanna hear about all the things you’ve seen! Where did you even go?”
With a soft chuckle, Cass leaned back and rested on her elbows as she looked up at the paintings that covered the ceiling to Rapunzel’s room. “Well… I guess you could say that I’ve been all over the place. I spent a few weeks in Ingvarr.” She couldn’t help but smile as she thought back on her travels.
“Really? Ingvarr? After the stunt they pulled during the Contest of the Crowns?” Rapunzel laughed.
Cassandra looked at Rapunzel and rolled her eyes a bit before smirking. “Well, like I said… I only spent a few weeks there before work took me to Arendelle.” She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small coin, offering it to Rapunzel to look at.
Rapunzel’s eyes gleamed with wonder as she accepted the token and turned it over in her palm, studying the markings in awe. “Arendelle? Really? Ah.. I wish I could’ve gone with you.” She sounded a little wistful, but she smiled brightly at Cass- a warmth in her green eyes that warmed Cass’ heart. “What was it like?”
“Cold, if I’m being honest. You know, considering they’re apparently known for their summer weather almost year round.. I was surprised how much it snowed at first.”
Grinning ear to ear, Rapunzel threw her arms around Cass in a tight hug once again, humming with joy. “Welcome home, Cass,” she muttered against Cassandra’s shoulder.
Cassandra smiled and wrapped her arms around Rapunzel, tugging her close. “It’s good to be home, Raps.” She looked towards the window and let out a shaky exhale. “Now begins the job searching I suppose. Can’t stay a freeloader forever or else Eugene’ll never let me live it down.” Cass looked at Rapunzel and smiled again before she stood up and turned to face her. “And besides… I’ve taken up too much of your time already. I’m sure you have far more important-”
An offended look slowly spread across Rapunzel’s face the longer Cass went on. “Cass, Cass! Hold your horses! What are you talking about?” She stood up and put her hands on her hips. “You know you could absolutely work in the castle again. And also, you are my best friend. Nothing is more important than my time with you.” She raised an eyebrow as if challenging Cass to prove her wrong.
Cass stopped and looked at Rapunzel and couldn’t help but swallow down the lump that formed in her throat at the look she was getting from the brunette. Chuckling a bit nervously, she shrugged in defeat. “I know better than to try to argue with you once you’ve made up your mind.”
Rapunzel grinned as she reached out and took Cassandra’s hands in her own. “Good. And don’t you forget it either! Now, it’s just a question of what you want to do.” She pursed her lips and then her eyes widened a bit. “You could join the guard?” she offered, unsure.
“I’m uh… not too sure how I’d do under Eugene’s leadership, Raps. No offense.” Cass let out an awkward chuckle. “And I was thinking something that puts me out into the kingdom a bit more. It’s what I did for Arendelle for the last two years as a knight.” She puffed out her chest a bit in pride, putting her hands on her hips as she squared her shoulders. “Ser Cassandra has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
“What?” Rapunzel stared at her- her expression one of incredulity. Her brow furrowed and she gave a small nod before she looked away, touching her face in thought. “No, you’re right. The Guard won’t work for someone of your status. Okay, okay… let me think.”
Cass cleared her throat and shook her head, relaxing her stance. “I… I was just kidding, Raps. If you’d like me to join the Guard, I will.” She swallowed hard as she looked at Rapunzel with a sheepish gaze, rubbing her hands together. “After all the horrible things I did, I just want to do right by Corona. By you.”
Rapunzel exhaled a bit and quickly took Cass’ hands into her own, looking up at her. “No, it’s alright, Cass! You’re a Knight now! That’s amazing! Now I have to find you the right place! I promise I’ll find somewhere perfect!” She brought Cassandra’s hands up and kissed the back of them affectionately before she smiled again. “But wherever you end up, I want it to be somewhere you want. That choice will always be yours. I just want to support you and help you however I can.”
“The Guard may have been my dream at one point, but… I’ve got a new dream that I’m chasing now.” Cass gave Rapunzel’s hands a very gentle squeeze as she smiled at her with a soft gaze.
Meeting Cass’ gaze, Rapunzel looked up at her and swallowed hard. “What’s your new dream?”
Cassandra let out a very soft exhale and she looked down in thought, considering her words carefully. “I’m not entirely sure I know exactly what it is, but… I know that my heart led me back here- to you. So for now… right here with you? It’s exactly where I want to be.” Heart pounding in her ears, Cass hoped that Rapunzel couldn’t hear it from how close she was to her. There had been a point in the last two years that Cass would have given anything to be exactly where she was right now.
Suddenly, Rapunzel gasped loudly, startling Cass as she was seemingly struck with inspiration. “Cass! I know what you can do! Oh my gosh, I don’t know why I didn’t think about it until now!”
Blinking in surprise, Cass looked at Raps curiously, raising an eyebrow. There were a lot of things about Rapunzel that she’d missed in the last two years, but seeing how her eyes lit up with that glow of inspiration again made her heart flutter in a way that only Rapunzel could make it. “And what might that be?” she asked softly with a smile.
“You’ve always been destined for great things, Cass. That has always been your story.” Her lips tilted upward in a wide, beaming grin, revealing the excitement that Rapunzel just couldn’t contain any longer. “Be my Hand, Cassandra.”
Confusion immediately spread across Cass’ face and she blinked once again. “Um… your Hand?”
Rapunzel laughed a bit at the perplexed look that was apparently etched on Cass’ face. “You know! The Hand of the King! Or in this case, the Hand of the Queen. The most powerful appointed position in all Seven Kingdoms.” She reached up and gently brushed some of Cass’ hair out of her face as she met her gaze. “Some even consider it to be of equal level to the King or Queen itself.”
“Are… Are you sure about this, Raps?” Cass asked, uneasy. Looking down, she swallowed hard. She hadn’t earned anyone’s trust back and here Rapunzel was, essentially crowning her to rule alongside her. “You could upset a lot of people by appointing me to that position. There hasn’t been the need for a Hand in Corona since before Herz de Sonne.”
“I’ve never been more certain about anything.” Rapunzel’s eyes flashed with determination. “I think it’s exactly what this kingdom needs. I think you are exactly what Corona needs, Cass. The people will learn that they can trust you because they’ll see that I trust you already.”
Cassandra let out a breath at seeing the look in Rapunzel’s eyes before she gave a short nod of understanding. For whatever reason, this offer- Rapunzel’s idea… it felt right to her. Taking a small step back, Cass turned to stand before Rapunzel, facing her before she lowered herself to a knee, bowing her head respectfully as she placed a hand over her heart. “I pledge myself to you, my Queen. To be your Hand and serve you and Corona loyally and without fail until the end, or until I am no longer fit to serve any longer.” Actions spoke louder than words, but Cassandra knew that they were words she needed to say regardless. Her love and her loyalty was with Corona and with Rapunzel without question. And her pledge made that official.
Rapunzel stood tall and cleared her throat. “With your Oath, Cassandra, from this moment forward, you are the Hand of the Queen of Corona.” She reached down and gently cupped Cass’ chin in her hand, guiding her to look up towards her and met her gaze. “I promise that I will never ask something of you that would tarnish your reputation as a Knight.”
Cass felt her heart beating a mile a minute as she looked up at Rapunzel- the Queen practically glowing as the setting sunlight that shone through the windows lit up her face when everything else was cloaked in shadow. A light in the darkness. Her light in the darkness. Cassandra stood to her full height, rising into the light to meet Rapunzel’s gaze once again at eye level. “Thank you.”
The young Queen relaxed and stepped forward to embrace Cass again in excitement. “I’m guessing you don’t want a public ceremony, right?” she asked curiously.
Hugging Rapunzel back, Cass rested her chin on top of her head, simply savoring the moment between them. “I don’t need one, no. But… if you want one, just this once… I won’t fight you on it. I know you like putting on celebrations, so I won’t deny you this one.” Cassandra leaned back to look her in the eyes and smiled. “It’s up to you.”
“I just want people to see that there isn’t any reason not to trust you. No secrets, no manipulation behind closed doors. Just… right out there in the open.” Rapunzel smiled even more- if that was even possible. “And yes, admittedly, I do enjoy putting on the occasional celebration from time to time.”
“Then we can have a ceremony.” Cass reached down and brought Raps’ hand up and placed a gentle kiss to her knuckles without another word.
Rapunzel blushed faintly at the gesture before she cleared her throat. “Perfect.” She tucked some of her hair behind her ear and let out a soft chuckle. “I uh… I had them keep your room. Well, not exactly as you left it the last time you were here since it was kind of a mess, but it’s still yours.”
Cassandra let out an awkward laugh. “Right.. Sorry about that.” She held Rapunzel’s hands in both of hers and shook her head. “I’ll just… stop apologizing. We’re moving on, right?” She lifted her gaze to meet Rapsunzel’s. “In the spirit of moving on- may I request that I be allowed to stay closer to you? If not, then I’m sure my old room will do fine.”
Nodding enthusiastically, Rapunzel lightly clapped her hands together. “Oh, of course we can do that! That’s not a problem at all! We can do that right now, actually. I’m sure you’re tired after all that traveling!”
Cass’ smile grew and her eyes lit up a bit. “I’m hungry more than anything else,” she admitted. As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly and she blushed deeply, putting her hand over her stomach in embarrassment. “Uh… you didn’t hear that.”
“Cass, why didn’t you say something? We’ve got to feed you right now! Oh gosh, you must be starving!” Rapunzel took Cassandra’s hand and tugged her out of the room, dragging her to the kitchens. “I’ll make you the best homemade dinner you’ve ever had! And then you can tell me all about Arendelle!”
Blinking in surprise, Cass followed closely behind Rapunzel, holding her hand tightly. “Sounds perfect.”