Romance Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction ❯ Cassunzel Short Stories ❯ I'm Here ( Chapter 13 )

As Cassandra came up to the Coronan gates for the first time in 3 years, she didn't have time to feel any guilt from her past. She rode Fidella as fast as she could go; heading towards the castle. All things considered, and how far she was from Corona, she got there in record time. She barely stopped to eat or sleep unless it became a necessity. Or if her trusty horse needed a break. Once the fear passed and she could actually focus, she would treat Fidella to a million apples.

It was nearly a month ago when Cassandra received a letter from Eugene. Though she and Rapunzel had shared multiple letters in the time she was gone, the second she spotted Owl with the letter in his talons, she knew something was wrong. She could feel it. Besides the fact that it was the first letter she received in nearly two weeks. Rapunzel used to send her one letter, or at least try to, nearly every other day. It wasn't the usually brightly colored envelope she usually received, but rather an envelope labeled 'urgent' in bright red letters. Once she opened it, she noticed Eugene's handwriting right away. 'Come back to Corona immediately. Rapunzel needs you.'

A million thoughts ran through her mind as she wasted not a single second, packed up her stuff, and rode off. She didn't know what she was expecting, but all she knew was that if she received a letter from Eugene, it wasn't good. What if she was hurt? Cassandra would never forgive herself if Rapunzel ended up getting herself really hurt when she wasn't around. She was supposed to protect her.

Riding through Corona to the castle, she could tell something was terribly wrong. The usual busy streets, with laughing children and the smell of burned steel and pastries were no more. The usual bright and lively streets were dark and gloomy. No one was out and it was the middle of the day. The sky was filled with dark roaring clouds as if the gods were upset too. Something was seriously, seriously wrong. She made Fidella ride faster as her fear and worry only heightened.

Once she reached the castle, she saw two guards she didn't recognize. Jumping off Fidella as quickly as possible, she ran up to them. They raised their swords, ready for a fight. Cassandra quickly took out the letter and basically shoved it in their faces. "I was called here by the future king. Now let me in!" The guards exchanged a look but otherwise moved aside. Smart men. If they hadn't, they'd probably be in a casket right now. Nothing was gonna stop her from getting to Rapunzel.

She wasted no time running through the corridors. She ran past the meeting room, towards Rapunzel's room, only to be stopped. "Cass?" She knew that voice. Eugene.

She whirled around. "Alright Fitzherbert, what's-" She stopped mid sentence. He looked horrible. There were bags under his eyes, his usual bright eyes were darkened and what worried Cass most of all was the fact he didn't respond back with some teasing remark. "...going on?" Something was seriously, seriously, seriously wrong.

Eugene sighed and waved at her to follow him. She did. Eugene led her to the dining room. "You might want to sit down." 

Cassandra didn't like the sound of that. But she did it anyway.

"Alright Eugene, what the hell's going on? Because if Rapunzel's hurt and you're making me waste time, I swear I'm gonna-"

"She's not hurt. Well, not physically at least." Eugene 

responded, his voice quiet and mellow.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Eugene then looked up at her and what she saw in his eyes was nothing like she's seen on him before. Pure pain. Pure sadness. Worry. And most of all, exhaustion. Were those tears in his eyes? Cassandra couldn't tell. "Rapunzel's not hurt, Cass. But..." He swallowed. "..Pascal's dead."

Cassandra stopped in her tracks. Before Eugene could so much as utter another word, she was already getting up. "Cass, wait-" Eugene grabbed her arm.

"Let me go Fitzherbert, I got to-"

"Please." She never heard Eugene beg before. It surprised her so much, she let him pull her back down to a chair. Once Eugene realized she wasn't moving, he continued: ".....I called you here because I didn't know what else to do. She told me not too, she told me not to bother you and to leave you alone, but I didn't listen. I'm sorry... for bringing you here and not giving you a reason why. But I had to make sure you would come. She won't talk to anyone else. She won't let anyone in. She's been in her room ever since I sent you that letter, nearly a month ago. She won't eat and the food that she eventually submits too, it's not much at all... She rarely ever sleep and often wakes up in the middle of the night if she can get some sleep. No one can even get her to talk. At all. She's just mute. When she let's people in, that is. She's quick to anger or doesn't respond at all. There hasn't been any other emotion in her eyes besides pain, anger and agony ever since he passed. She's just not... not Rapunzel. The light that we all use to see in her eyes, it's gone. The sunshine of this town, the sunshine that she is, it's gone. When I finally do get a chance to see her... she doesn't smile. She hasn't smile ever since he.... passed. I tried everything. Lance, Varian, her parents, we've all tried everything. She won't open up to anyone or so much as let them in. My last resort was to call you. You're her best friend, she always opens up to you. She always lets you in. I don't know what kind of power you have, but I, we, need it. There's nothing else we can do. I'm afraid... she's gonna end up starving herself to death or.. or doing something that she'll regret. I've caught her... agh, I've caught her on multiple occasions trying to hurt herself, or... or.." Eugene shook his head, unable to say it. Cassandra got the memo, her eyes were wide. "....I don't know what else to do. She's unpredictable right now and I can't protect her. You're our last hope. You're her last hope. If there's anyone that she's gonna let in, that's going to save her, it's you."

Cassandra was honestly in disbelief. If Eugene admitted all that, then it must be serious. Cassandra began to stand up. "I'll do everything in my power to help."

Eugene gave her a tired smile. "I know you will."

Cassandra couldn't help but give him a small smile back. "Get some rest Eugene." With that, she walked away. Cassandra made her way down the path to Rapunzel's room. The path that she knew well. It was crazy being back in Corona, being in these halls, but she couldn’t focus on that. All she was focused on tight now was Rapunzel.

Reaching her door, she gently knocked. "Raps?" No response. "Raps, please, it's Cass. Open the door." She waited another minute and she was literally about to kick down the door when it slowly opened.

"Cassandra?" Rapunzel appeared from the other side. She looked even worse than Eugene. He was right, the light that was once there was gone and all that remained was pain and agony behind those beautiful emerald hues. From what Cass could see, her room was destroyed. Canvases destroyed, paint everywhere, broken glass and other broken stuff on the ground. It was dark, cold and depressing. It broke Cassandra's heart to see her best friend like this.

"Yeah, Raps. It's me."

"What are you doing here? I-I told Eugene not to call you.." For the briefest moment, she could actually see Rapunzel's eyes grow mad and upset. An anger Cassandra had never seen in her eyes before. Rapunzel's voice lacked it's usual cheery tone and only sounded cold, harsh and painful.

"I'm glad he did," Cassandra resorted quickly. "You should've called me as soon as..." Cassandra stopped before continuing. "You should have been the one to send me a letter. You made me promise to tell you whenever I was in pain, it doesn't go just one way. And this," She gestured to her and her room. "Is not supposed to be taken lightly."

Cassandra didn't know what the hell happened or what she said, because as soon as those words left her mouth, some type of realization lit up in Rapunzel's eyes, as well as tears, and before she knew it, her arms were full with a sobbing princess. Cassandra's heart broke even more. She wrapped her arms around Rapunzel and gently brought her with her into her room, shut the door, and moved to sit on Rapunzel's bed, never letting her go. Cassandra didn't think Rapunzel even noticed that they moved.

Cassandra brought both of them onto Rapunzel's bed and she sat against the bed frame. Opening her legs so that Rapunzel was placed firmly in her lap, she brought the princess even closer and slowly rocked back and forth as the princess sobbed into her chest. She was gripping so tightly onto Cassandra's shirt, that her knuckles were turning white. It was almost as if she thought that the moment she let Cassandra go, she would disappear.

Cassandra rested her head on top of Rapunzel's and rocked her back and forth until her sobs slowly turned into small whimpers. "You should have told me as soon as you.. knew." Cass whispered after some time, her voice soft.

"I-I'm sorry," Rapunzel responded, her voice hoarse. "It's just... I didn't want to bother you. Y-You deserved to come back on your own time when you were ready... Before you left, you went through so much and... and I didn't want to add to that. I didn't want to burden you."

Cassandra sighed. "Oh Raps, you've never burdened me. You were there for me when I needed you most and I am going to do the same. If something like this happens... I would like to know immediately. Next time, I don't want it coming from Eugene." Cassandra's voice was stern but soft. Rapunzel only nodded. Cassandra pulled her even closer. "You have to start taking care of yourself, Raps. You're going to end up killing yourself."

"I don't care..." Was all she heard.

"I know you don't mean that."

Rapunzel pulled back. "I do! Everyone keeps telling me what I need to do -- everyone keeps telling me it's going to get better -- everyone keeps telling me that the pain will fade. But it hasn't and it won't! P- H-He.. He's gone and there's nothing I can do to bring him back! I-If I still had the sunstone then maybe I-I could have..." Rapunzel trailed off. "...maybe I could have saved him.." Rapunzel looked back up at Cassandra. "Chameleons are only supposed to live 8 years. I kept him alive much longer because of.. because of my hair. I would heal him every couple years, giving him more time. Once I lost my healing abilities, I.. I knew that it was only a matter of time before he.. he.." Rapunzel shook her head. "I knew it was coming. But I didn't expect it to be... so soon. I-I thought he would be with me forever. I thought that he would always be by my side. But... But.." Cassandra could see the beginning of tears and she pulled her back into her arms.

"I'm so sorry…" Cassandra squeezed her eyes shut.

"W-Why are you sorry?" Rapunzel tilted her head up to look at Cassandra but Cass wouldn't meet her eyes.

"If I hadn't.... If I hadn't taken the sunstone, you still would have had it now... and you would have been able to..." Cassandra shook her head, her own tears forming. "I'm so sorry Rapunzel." Here she was, supposed to be taking care of Rapunzel and being there for her, comforting her, while breaking down herself. Making it about her. God, how selfish could she get?

Rapunzel's eyes softened. In her eyes there was another emotion other than pain and agony for the first time in nearly two months. Empathy. Rapunzel reached up and gently rested her hand on Cassandra's cheek. "It's not your fault, Cass. I wasn't going to have it forever. The whole point of the journey was to reunite the sunstone and moonstone... The stones were much too powerful and dangerous to be on Earth anyway. If they ended up in the wrong hands, like Zhan Tiri... if we hadn't stopped her.. it would have been disastrous. We'd have to give them up eventually." Cassandra didn't miss the fact that Rapunzel said 'we'. She also didn't miss that Rapunzel didn't count her as 'ending up in the wrong hands'. "...I only just wish he had more time."

Cassandra tightened her hold and rested one hand on the back of her head, tangled it in her hair and gently combed through it. "Me too, Raps. Me too."

The room was silent for a couple minutes. Only the sound of ragged breathing could be heard. "Cass..?" Rapunzel asked eventually, her voice quiet.

"Yeah Raps?"

Rapunzel pulled away from her so she could look her in the eye. For a second, she looked away and gently bit her bottom lip. Something she always did when she was nervous. Rapunzel then looked up to meet her eyes again. "W-When.... When you were hurting, all those years ago... Did you ever think about..." Rapunzel stopped as if contemplating whether she should continue. "....about wanting to die?" The question caught Cassandra so off guard that she had to pull away a bit. Her eyes were wide in surprise. Rapunzel quickly looked away. She knew that those wounds were still fresh on Cassandra. It was a seriously personal question and Cassandra never talked to her about her feelings anyway. Why would she start now? "You know what? I-It doesn't matter.. forget I said anything."

"Yes," Cassandra responded after a couple seconds. Rapunzel snapped her eyes back up to meet hers in surprise. Cassandra's face was almost pained but it was also... distant? But calm and mellow. She wasn't looking at Rapunzel, but rather staring straight ahead with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Yes, I did. I was... I hit rock bottom. I was at my lowest. So, yeah, I did have.. thoughts about that. When everything became too much.... I almost.. I almost did kill myself. But.. my anger fueled me and instead, I focused on that. It was better than the alternative. But, then again, I became.. Careless with my own health and safety. I stopped eating and sleeping. In the long run, it started making me sick but I couldn't find it in myself to care. I was growing weaker, skinnier, paler. But I didn't care. Although the moonstone made it so I didn't need those things anymore to live, my body wasn't used to it. I felt so alone.. I was scared. Hurt. And I didn't know what was going to happen. What was going to happen to me. I already had screwed up everything I worked for, I already had screwed up my friendship with you. I had no one. There was nothing left for me. I didn't have anything left to lose. After our first fight in my tower, I realized I didn't care anymore. I had already lost you, so there was no point in hanging on. I had already lost everything, so there was no point in anything. But the moonstone took me over. I was so clouded with grief, betrayal and rage that... I gave up and let it take me over. But I realized too late that I couldn't control it anymore. Before I knew it, I had destroyed my home, nearly killed my best friend, and let loose a rage-filled demon upon Corona with no way to stop her. I had never felt more weak in my life. Never felt more ashamed. And it stayed with me for a long time. It's still with me. I gave in. I lost from the beginning. From the moment I gave in and let the moonstone and Zhan Tiri control me, I had lost. And because I gave in, because I let my rage fuel me... the cost was..." Cassandra looked down and met Rapunzel's eyes. "The cost was almost your life. If I had gone through with it, if I had let that happen because I was too damn weak to fight against myself... I never would have forgiven myself.."

Rapunzel was staring up at her with a sorrow-filled expression. Cassandra had never, not once, shared so much about her feelings before. In a way, it brought a little light back into Rapunzel's life. But not enough to keep her thoughts from turning dark. Rapunzel eyes always told how she was feeling, they always told her story. Anyone who knew her like Cass did, her eyes could tell her everything she needed to know. This time wasn't any different. Cassandra's eyes hardened with pain, worry and something else she couldn't quite explain. Fear, perhaps?

"Oh, Raps," Cassandra responded before pulling the princess into her chest once more. Squeezing her eyes shut, Cassandra responded: "Please. Please don't do that to me."

"I don't know what else to do, Cass." Rapunzel whispered. "It.. hurts so much..."

"I-I know, I know. But we'll get through it together, okay? I'll be here for you every step of the way, no matter how long it takes."

Rapunzel sighed and closed her tired eyes. "I can't ask you to do that Cass."

"You didn't ask me. It wasn't a request, it was a promise." Cassandra paused. "But you need to promise me that you won't.. won't let it consume you to the point where... you give up."

"I can't promise that, Cass." Rapunzel whispered.

"Rapunzel, please, I-"

"I can't promise something if I’m not sure if I'm going to break it or not."

"You just have to stay strong, I know you-"

Rapunzel shot back suddenly, her eyes full of anger. "I'm tired of being strong. I'm tired of- of... I'm tired of being the one that has to act like everything is okay, that-- I'm tired of being the one everyone counts on for hope or light... or anything like that. I'm tired of the fake smiles and telling lies and- and... being the one everyone counts on to pick them up and give them something to believe in when I don't even believe that everything is gonna be okay myself. When you were gone, all those months after you took the moonstone, I was so scared... I know I messed up. I didn't know where you were, how you were, I didn’t know if you were alive or not. I was so worried... I-I didn't know if I'd ever see you again and everything just felt so.. dull. All the days mixed together. But I needed to be strong - I needed to reassure the people, our friends, that it was going to be okay when I didn't even know that it was. I needed to be strong because you were hurting and I needed to bring you back. I wanted nothing more but to just give up. But I knew I couldn't. You needed me. They needed me. I'm just so..." Rapunzel ran a tired hand down her face. "...tired."

Cassandra had to bite back her own tears. She was the one that made Rapunzel feel all that. She was the one that made Rapunzel want to give up. She seemed so fine, so put together, that Cassandra didn't look past it. Even if she had known what she was putting her through, the hard truth was that... she probably wouldn't have cared. And that made Cassandra more ashamed than anything had by far. Taking a shaky breath, she placed her thumb under Rapunzel's chin and slowly directed her eyes back to hers. 

"Then stop being strong. Let someone else be there for you for once. Let someone else give you hope and something to hold on to. Let someone else pick you back up and bring you back to the surface. You did all that for me - now it's my turn to do it for you."

Rapunzel actually smiled. A tired one, a sorrow-filled one, but a smile. It was a start. "That's sweet Cass, but I don't know if I have any more fight left in me."

"T-That's okay, I'll fight it for you until you can find that fighting spirit I know is still in there."

"I wish I could.." Rapunzel sighed. "I don't think it's in there anymore." Rapunzel shook her head before meeting Cass's eyes again. "I know you want to help, Cass, and it's incredibly sweet and amazing of you. And I’m very lucky to have you as a friend, as my best friend. But there's no point - I'm already a lost cause. All I'm going to cause you is pain in the long run. I don't want you to fight so hard for something that's... not there."

"You never gave up on me."

"Yes, but-"

"And as your best friend, I'm not going to give up on you no matter how many times you push me away. I don't care if you get mad at me for being overbearing, because I swear I'm going to force you to eat and leave this room, I don't care if you yell at me or tell me you hate me. I'm staying. In here, with you. Especially after what you told me. I am going to be with you every day, every second, I am never leaving your side until we can find that spark. And if we don't, then I'll still be here. You might get tired of me or annoyed at my constant worrying and caretaking but I am not leaving no matter what you say or do. End of story."

Rapunzel knew that when Cassandra had her mind made up about something, there truly was nothing that could stop her. Rapunzel sighed. "You're really wasting your time.” 

"Nothing about you is a waste of time. I want to be here Raps and I'm staying. I swear, I will be your lady-in-waiting again if I have too."

"I don't want you to be my lady-in-waiting. I want you as Cass. Just Cass. My best and most trusted friend."

Cassandra gave her a sweet smile and kissed her forehead which if she wasn't imagining it, Rapunzel was blushing. "Then that's what I'm going to be."

Rapunzel smiled and shook her head. A true smile. "You're so stubborn."

"I learned it from you." Cassandra nuzzled her which made the princess giggle. Cassandra smiled. She missed that sound. "You're a very bad influence, you know that?" Cassandra poked the princess's side which made her giggle again.

"I think you're the best influence here."

"Oh, really?" Before Rapunzel could respond, she was suddenly being tickled. Laughing, she fell back onto the bed as Cassandra tickled her.

"Cass!" Rapunzel laughed. Cassandra stopped her torture and plopped next to her. They were laying face to face as Rapunzel gave her the sweetest smile Cassandra has ever seen on her. Reaching forward, Rapunzel brushed her bangs out of her face. 

"I missed you a lot, Cass."

Cassandra smiled back at her. "I missed you too Raps." Cassandra leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Rapunzel's forehead which made the princess giggle and cuddle into her.

Eugene stood by the door with a small smile as he watched Rapunzel cuddle into Cassandra. He knew that if anyone could bring back the light, it was Cassandra. That same spark that Rapunzel used to carry, Eugene could see some of it returning. At least, the first he’s seen in nearly two months. They still had a long way to go, but Eugene knew that it was truly gonna be alright as long as Cassandra was there.

Even if Eugene would lose Rapunzel's heart to Cassandra in the long run.