Other Fan Fiction ❯ Confinement of the Stars ❯ Chapter 3: Forgiven ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

It had been nearly a week since Rapunzel and Cassandra set out towards Ingvarr. It was going great so far. It was as if there wasn't any time apart from them at all. They easily swung back into their friendship with no problem. But something was different too. They seemed stronger and better than they ever were. Cassandra had come out of her shell more than she had the entire time Rapunzel had known her. Both Cassandra and Rapunzel were the happiest they had been in a long time.

"Did he really?" Cassandra asked.

"He did! It took weeks to clean up!" Rapunzel just got done telling Cass a story about how Varian nearly flooded the entire city with maple syrup. Cassandra let out a laugh. "Although, 95% of it was Lance's fault."

"It usually is." Cassandra shook her head with a smile. "Why did Varian even make something like that?"

"You know him," Rapunzel said with a smile and an eye roll. "He gets over excited and gets carried away."

Cassandra chuckled. "That he does." Suddenly, a thought occurred to Cassandra. "Is he against you too? What about Lance?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "I'm not quite sure, to be honest. My father wouldn't let me leave the castle so I never got to see them or say goodbye before I left."

"Do you think they know?"

"I don't think so. Varian and his father weren't in town when everything happened and Lance took the girls on some trip so he was also out of town. And I'm pretty sure Eugene wouldn't say anything to Lance anyway because he knows he would see right through his lies."

The silence in the air was thick for a second before anyone said anything. A sense of guilt overtook Cassandra as she turned to Rapunzel. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I should have been.."

"Don't be. You couldn't have known. Besides, you had to leave. I understand now more than I ever did why you had to go."

"But it's my job to-"

Rapunzel grasped her hand and interlocked their fingers. "You can't protect me all the time, Cass. You're not always going to be with me. You deserve a destiny of your own, one that's not tied to me. And your job is to be my best friend."

But you are my destiny. "But I wasn't a very good friend before I left either. I should have been there. I should've come back sooner."

"Hey," Rapunzel said, stopping them both from the path they were walking on. "You're the reason I had the courage to come out here in the first place. So, you did protect me. In spirit."

"What do you mean?" Cassandra asked, giving her a confused look.

"You stood up and fought against a destiny that was already decided for you and you set out on a path to make your own. And because of that, it inspired me to do the same. I decided that if you could do it, then why couldn't I? If I'm being honest, I was really scared. I didn't know the first thing about surviving in the outside world and I didn't even know where I wanted to go. All I knew is that I had to leave. I wanted to come and find you, but I had no idea how far you were or where you were so I just went as far away from Corona as I could."

"So you had the courage to leave... because of me?" Cass asked in near disbelief.

"Well, yeah," Rapunzel responded like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"I didn't do anything special, all I did was leave."

"But you also fought against a destiny you didn't want."

"I fought against you."

"Exactly," Rapunzel smiled. "You fought for a destiny of your own. Although, maybe next time, try and actually talk to me before you decide to bring an ancient relic into the mix." Rapunzel teased and winked. Cassandra laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind." It took a matter of seconds before both women burst out into laughter. Once their laughter turned into breathless giggles, Cass spoke again: "I really did miss you, Raps." 

Rapunzel smiled sweetly. "I missed you too, Cass. A lot. Things weren't the same without you around. It was really lonely."

"Didn't you have a lady-in-waiting constantly following you around?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "Sort of. More than one was assigned to me because I could never find the right fit. Only one really lasted for a short period of time but she left Corona too a year ago."

"Was she better than me?" Cassandra asked with a goofy grin. But in all honesty, she was curious. And a little nervous of her answer. She felt a small tinge of jealousy but quickly pushed it away.

"What? Of course not! You were the best lady-in-waiting I ever had. That's why I went through so many of them because none of them could even compare to you."

"Good," Cassandra said with a relieved smile. "Because I had to deal with a fresh-out-of-the-tower Rapunzel who was always curious and running off and getting into constant danger. So, I get brownie points." Cass teased and gave her another wink.

Rapunzel laughed. "I wasn't that hard to keep up with."

"Are you kidding? I trained my whole life for the guard. Which consisted of some serious athletic training and you still gave me a run for my money! I had no clue where all that energy kept coming from."

Rapunzel laughed. "Aw, admit it, you loved the adventures."

"Yes, the ones where we weren't almost killed. Which happened a lot."

Rapunzel rolled her eyes, a smile plastered on her face. "You loved all the fighting too."

"Okay, yes, fine. All the fighting was awesome." Rapunzel laughed again and Cassandra gave her a grin.

"I thought so," Rapunzel nodded. "You always love a good fight. Speaking of which - how did you become an Ingvarr citizen?? You said you'd tell me!"

 

Cassandra chuckled at her usual kiddish enthusiasm. "It's not really a big deal."

"What are you talking about? Ingvarr has the toughest warriors on the planet! Not just anyone can become a citizen! It's a huge deal!"

"Let's just say - it was a couple months after I left. I uh.. got myself into a bit of trouble and one of their troops saved me. While I was healing, I was in one of their camps. I was stubborn so I tried to leave - someone challenged me and the tribe mother saw something in me."

"Tribe mother?" Rapunzel asked with a tilt of her head.

Cassandra nodded. "Ingvarr isn't like Corona. The whole colony... it's like they're all one big family."

"A family?"

"Yep. Ingvarr is full of the fiercest female warriors in all the lands. When you become a citizen, you become a member of the family. It's like a sisterhood. You also take an oath."

"Wow," Rapunzel said in amazement. "So how did you end up a citizen?"

"I trained for about two years in their camp. I went on raids with them to save people, stopped sex-slavers, and so on. I was also tested and I passed. Then I ended up becoming a citizen after I took the oath."

"That's amazing Cass! You said it was like a sisterhood - have you met any of the other citizens?"

"Yeah, I was put into a troop. There's Alvara, who was the nurse who nursed me back to health. She's the most annoying and stubborn one. She was the first friend I made there though. We spent the most time together. She's only like a year or two younger than me - somewhat like an annoying little sister. There's Andra - she's really big - she would tower over Lance and Adira combined. Jamari, she's on the shorter side but man does she make up for it in strength. And finally, Elda. She's the older sister of the group and our leader - she watches out for everyone. Too much sometimes, she's incredibly overprotective, but she's one of the reasons I was given a chance. We look out for each other like a family." Cassandra talked about them with a thoughtful, relaxed, happy expression. An expression that Rapunzel had never seen on her.

"Wow," Rapunzel responded. "That's so amazing Cass. It sounds like you really found something for yourself out here. A family - that's so amazing. You deserve it and so much more." Cassandra could tell Rapunzel's smile was forced.

Wrapping an arm around Rapunzel's shoulders, she pulled her in close. "But no one could ever take your spot. You’re my one and only best friend, Raps." She could tell the comment really boosted Rapunzel's spirits back up. Just like her, though she would never admit it, Rapunzel needed some reassurance too. "I can't wait until you meet them! You'll love them. Especially Alvara - you two are alike in a lot of ways. They'll love you too."

"I bet I will," Rapunzel responded. "If they're family of yours." Cassandra gave her a sweet smile and Rapunzel returned it.

"So, other than the whole Eugene cabackle, what have you been up to these last couple of years?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "Not much. After the battle with Zhan Tiri, Corona kind of... returned to normal? They all acted like nothing ever happened and their lives were as normal as can be. Everyone seemed to be happy. I guess I was the only one who really wasn't."

"But you said the stuff that went on was later on?"

"It was."

"Then why were you unhappy?"

"I guess I just missed the adventure. I was restless. Every day was the same - get up, go do princess duties, hold ceremonies and repeat over and over again. It got tiring. And the people weren't exactly thrilled with me after the battle of Zhan Tiri anyway. That's probably why it was so easy for them to all turn on me."

"Wait, why?"

"Uh," Rapunzel looked away. "...Because I let you go."

"But that doesn't-"

There was no easy way to say this, so Rapunzel just blurted it out as quickly as she could. "Because I let you go without any consequences, Cass." She just wanted to get this conversation over with as soon as possible. Rapunzel couldn't look her in the eye - with the way she tensed up, Rapunzel knew that the sorrow-filled, guilty expression would be present on her face. She couldn’t see that look.

"Oh." Was all Cases responded with. It was silent for a second or two before Cassandra stopped them in the road again and got in front of her so Rapunzel would look at her; a serious, almost mad, guilty expression on her face. "Why didn't you?"

"What?" Rapunzel looked up at her in disbelief. "I wasn't going to-"

"But why? I mean, they have a point, you let me go with barely a slap on the wrist after I pretty much destroyed the entire kingdom, commited treason, and attempted murder. Plus bringing a power-hungry demon into the kingdom walls."

"Cass-"

"Do you even know what the consequences of those acts are?"

Rapunzel's eyes matched Cassandra's angry ones. Well, it was more of frustration. "Of course I know what those consequences were. But that isn't who you are and-"

"But it still happened!"

"It was a tricky situation!"

"How was any part of that-"

"Because you weren't the only one at fault!" The forest grew silent for a second. Rapunzel held her gaze as long as she could before she looked away.

"No, no, don't you dare. Don't do that. You didn't commit the acts I committed, you weren't at fault with any of-"

"But I was, Cass!" Rapunzel snapped her eyes back to Cassandra's. "Maybe I didn't commit the acts, but I influenced them!"

"They were my choices, not yours."

"But I was the reason why you even felt like you had to take your destiny in your own hands! I hurt you!"

"And I hurt yo-"

"After, Cass, after! I was at fault for what happened as much as you were, whether or whether not I committed the acts. I made you feel inferior a-and.. I never meant too, I just.."

"Look, it doesn't matter now. It's in the past."

"Cassandra, I know talking about feelings doesn't come easy for you, but we need to talk about it eventually! A-After it all happened, you left almost immediately. We can't just keep pretending like nothing ever happened."

"But why? It's in the past, none of it matters now."

"But it does matter. If we keep doing this - it's just going to happen again down the line."

"I would never-"

"I mean our friendship, Cass. If we don't talk about it - we're never going to be able to fully mend the rift that I know is still there. I know you - all that anger and hurt isn't just going to disappear in one day, or even a couple of years, no matter how much you run away from it. And I'm never going to be able to be the friend you need unless I know everything."

Cassandra was silent for a second. She knew Rapunzel was right - this going back and forth wasn't going to solve anything. When she was in Ingvarr, she learned how to better control and feel her emotions. They couldn't avoid it forever. Cassandra sighed and Rapunzel knew that she caved. Cassandra pointed with her head to a place where they could sit under a shady tree. Rapunzel followed her and they both sat down. It was awkward for a minute or two - neither knew what to say - as they both tried to find the right words to start it off.

Cassandra chuckled suddenly. "You know, I was hoping we could avoid this conversation forever."

Rapunzel gave her a small smile. "Yeah, me too. But we're never gonna be able to grow if we don't." Cassandra nodded but didn't say anything. Rapunzel decided to start it off. "So, uh, during.. those times. Did you... hate me?"

Cassandra looked back in her direction. "What? No! No, I-I don't think so." Cassandra sighed. "I don't know Raps, all I remember is blinding rage. But I didn't hate you, specifically - I hated the world. I was mad at the world. Mad at you. Mad at myself. I was just mad. But I never hated you, personally." Rapunzel nodded slowly. That was a relief, if she was being honest. Cassandra never hated her. The thought that she did haunted Rapunzel for a long time. "In all honesty, I don't remember a lot of... those times. What about you?"

"What about me?" Rapunzel tilted her head in confusion.

"Did you hate me?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "Not even close."

"Oh come on, you had to feel a little bit of hatred when I grabbed the moonstone before you did.”

Rapunzel shook her head a second time, this time slowly. "I didn't. I was more surprised and hurt than anything. And worried."

"Worried?"

"Well, yeah," Rapunzel responded. "I was confused and I didn't understand why you were doing what you were doing - but I was also incredibly worried about you. It was just so... unlike you. It was so… out of your character."

"How do you know if you even knew me at all?" It was a genuine question.

Rapunzel fixed her with a serious expression. "Because everything we went through together wasn't imagined."

"How do you know... I wasn't lying to you all along? How do you know that I wasn't planning it all along or waiting for a moment like it?" This time, it was a guilt-filled question as Cassandra gave her a sad expression. 

"You're a pretty darn good actress if that was the case," Rapunzel responded but Cass could tell it was more of a joke. Rapunzel's eyes softened. "Because that's not who you are, Cass. I mean, I saw you when you weren't with me too. And if you truly only treated our friendship to get something out of it - you wouldn't be risking everything right now to make sure I'm safe." Cassandra gave her a slightly surprised look. "Cass, I’m not stupid, I know why you are actually here; the reason why you came searching for me in the first place. You were going to bring me back to Corona, that was your intention. And you never turn down or back down from a job." Cass gave her another surprised expression and Rapunzel gave her a small grin. "I've kept tabs on you, yes. Since someone always forgot to write to me - I had to make sure you were safe and alive. And I was curious about what you were up to."

"But then why didn't you come find me once you left Corona?"

"I only knew of your status and what area you were in from time to time. I never exactly knew where you were." Rapunzel shook her head and gave Cass a fake glare. "Stop changing the subject." Cassandra groaned. Rapunzel sighed. "This isn't about me, Cass. This is about you and how you were feeling then. As I was saying, if you truly wanted to betray me from the beginning, you wouldn't be helping me now."

"I'm not just gonna let some jerk come after you and force you to return to a place you’re unhappy in. I don’t want to risk you ending up getting hurt. Because Asako… you would most likely.. Not get there in one piece.” Cassandra didn’t want to go in specific detail about the horrific things Asako has done over the years while doing his job.

"Exactly. Back then, it..." Rapunzel looked away and rubbed her arm in shame. "I was a horrible friend to you. I stopped trusting you and because of that, you ended up getting hurt. And I still never took any responsibility in the situation. The more I think about those times... the more I understand why you were so mad. And I..." Rapunzel looked back and met Cassandra's eye contact. "I am so, so sorry, Cass. I never meant to hurt you or make you feel like.. your opinion, you, didn't matter. I never meant to make you feel inferior."

Cassandra's eyes softened. She could tell it was a genuine apology for her best friend looked like she was about to start crying because of guilt and shame. Cassandra reached forward and gently grasped her hand and rubbed her finger lovingly against her knuckles before looking back up and giving her a sweet, forgiven smile. "I appreciate the apology, Raps. But I could've.. done things differently too. Maybe we had some... problems but you sure as hell didn't deserve to be targeted. You have no idea how sorry I am for.. everything that I did." Cass looked down. "I acted irrationally and unnecessarily." She looked back up. "I never wanted to hurt you. That was never my intention, at least not at first. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted... to prove that I was more than what people saw me as. But I guess I also wanted to prove that to myself as well. And... I hate who I ended up becoming. All I proved to myself was that I was weak and close-minded." Rapunzel opened her mouth to argue but Cass held up her hand as if to say 'I'm not done' and Rapunzel closed it. 

"When I first started planning to take the moonstone, I wasn't prepared for the power it sprung upon me. I wanted to make it less like a betrayal and more like a goodbye - but I just got caught up in the moment. As time went on, I found that I was becoming less and less like.. who I was and more into someone I wasn't. Zhan Tiri - the moonstone - they took over my mind, clouded my thoughts, made me believe things that weren't true. It's no excuse, I know that, but... that wasn't me Raps. That's not who I am. I-I don't even know who that was. It just.. happened before I even knew what was happening. I didn't even realize I was changing into someone who - i-into a villian. And when I finally realized what was happening, it was already too late. That day, when I was trying to take the sunstone from you, if Zhan Tiri hadn't..." Cass looked down at their joined hands as she swallowed to hold back tears. "I would've done something I would have regretted for the rest of my life." Rapunzel wasn't stupid, she knew what that meant. Cassandra looked back up to meet her eyes. "And I promise you, I will spend the rest of my life proving to you that - that wasn't me and the rest of my life.. making it up to you for the things I did.. and almost did.."

"Cass," Rapunzel leaned forward and placed a gentle hand on Cassandra’s cheek. "You've already proven that to me time and time again. I already know that that wasn't who you are. I knew it then too." She gave her a sweet smile. "And you don't need to make anything up to me. I don't blame you - I never did. Not once. I blame Zhan Tiri, who used your pain to her advantage, I blame Gothel for abandoning you, and I blame myself for pushing you in that direction. And I blame everyone else who made you believe that you don’t have any worth. You're not a bad person, Cass, not even when you had the moonstone. You were in pain and lost and scared and people do crazy things when they're in a serious amount of pain."

Cassandra leaned into her touch and placed her hand on top of Rapunzel's before looking back at Rapunzel. "That's still not an excuse, Raps."

"Hey - I nearly attacked a citizen a couple months ago before I left Corona so uh, that should show you that pain really does... things to a person." Rapunzel gave her a sheepish smile and pulled back her hand to place it in her lap.

Cassandra's eyes were wide in disbelief as she blinked. "You did what now?"

Rapunzel chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Let's just say I heard someone talking badly about you - and that person almost lost their life. Orrrr a serious amount of limbs."

Cassandra laughed. "Are you serious??"

"Oh, 100%. I think they're scared of me now."

"Damn, I would be too. When you're mad and turn to violence - that person must've really messed up." Cassandra gave her a teasing smile and Rapunzel laughed.

"Yeah, they moved out of Corona three days later."

Cassandra's eyes widened in amusement. "Dear god, what the hell did you say to them??"

"Er - it's not what I said. It's what I was going to do. Annnd I made it perfectly clear what I was going to do." Rapunzel chuckled. "My father said that you were a bad influence."

Cassandra laughed again. "Hey, he's not wrong."

Rapunzel shook her head with a smile. "Yeah, well, you were the only person that actually taught me some fighting lessons. Everyone else thought it was 'improper' for a princess, or a woman, to fight." Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "I'm not that 'stand around and hide from danger while other people fight my battles’ kind of princess."

"Pfft, you're telling me. I don't know how - but you got into some dangerous situations like every single day. Carelessly."

Rapunzel raised an amused eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who left in the middle of the night, in the middle of a storm, with barely any supplies, sprained your ankle, then got kidnapped so that some maniac could find the Lost Lagoon. And I was the one who saved you."

"That was one time!"

"It still happened."

"In my defense, I was mad at you."

"So you took off in the middle of the night with no idea where you were going and limited supplies?" Rapunzel asked with an amused smile.

"No one ever said it was a smart decision." Cassandra mumbled, making Rapunzel giggle. Cassandra looked back at her with a grin. "Anyway," Cassandra got to her feet before lending her hand out to Rapunzel. "We should probably get back on the road." Rapunzel nodded, smiled then grabbed her hand so that Cass could pull her up. Before she could go far though, she was suddenly pulled into a bear hug.

"I forgave you a long time ago," Cassandra mumbled into her hair as she tightened her grip and pulled her closer. "...And I know I wasn't there before, but I am now."

Rapunzel's eyes softened as she smiled and wrapped her arms around her best friend. "...Thank you, Cass." The hug lasted for another minute or two before Cass let her go but she didn't let go of the younger girl's hand.

"Come on," Cassandra smiled. "Let's survive and escape another dangerous scenario."

Rapunzel giggled. "Yeah, let's." Rapunzel hooked her arm through Cass's as she leaned against her. Cassandra accepted the comfort and she surprised Rapunzel by wrapping an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

 

As the two walked towards the sun, neither could have been happier being in each other's company.