Romance Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction ❯ Cassunzel Short Stories ❯ Forever ( Chapter 14 )

Cassandra groaned as she started to come too. She barely remembered the events of a couple nights ago, but she does remember being attacked on her way to Corona. With her eyes still closed, she went down the list. Her whole body ached and she felt like shit so she wasn't dead. From the feel of it she was in a bed. She felt bandages cover her body so she must've gotten herself to a doctor of some sort before everything went black.

Slowly opening her eyes, she surveyed the room. She recognized it immediately. She was in her own room back in Corona. Blinking a couple times in confusion, Cassandra tried to remember how the hell she got there. From what Cass could remember, she was about 4 miles away from Corona when she was attacked. It was much too far in the outskirts that the guards would be patrolling there, or at least they didn't when Cassandra left, so she must've walked. Or rather, limped her whole way there. She mentally snorted. Damn, did she have some determination. Even when dying, she still found a way to keep going. Wait a second - Why wasn't she dead? Before her thoughts went black, she was pretty sure she was done for. She knew she got pretty banged up and by how bad her injuries were, she most certainly wasn't going to make it. Especially not by walking 4 miles. But, somehow, she did. But how?

"Cassandra! You're awake!" Ah. That's how. Cassandra squinted as she spotted, standing in the doorway, was a very-relieved looking, disheveled, as well as worried, pissed off? Princess. A princess she knew well. Before she could even say a word, she went into a coughing fit, her throat dry. Rapunzel was by her side in a second, pressing cool water to her lips that she gratefully drank. It felt good going down. But it also felt so painful. Cassandra tried to say something again, but Rapunzel immediately started quickly cluttering out words. "I found you nearly dead on the outskirts of Corona - and-and you weren't breathing, you lost... so much blood - the doctor said you wouldn't make it and I knew you would, you always do, or at least that's what I tried to tell myself but I was so scared and you weren't waking up or responding to any treatment and yo-you.. they started to give up that you would wake up at all but then you started getting better - but then it got worse! An-And I thought I was going to lose you, they were going to give up but then I came in and you were awake and-and-and..." Rapunzel was pretty much in tears after her long rant. She was breathing hard and fast, practically hyperventilating, but whether it was because she just spoke really fast for nearly a minute without stopping or the fact that she was upset and scared, Cassandra didn't know. It might've been a mixture of both.

"Woah, woah Raps, slow down. I'm okay." Cassandra placed her hand on top of Rapunzel's to try and reassure her friend. "I'm okay." She said much softer this time.

Apparently, it did nothing to reassure the princess but rather made her more upset. "B-But you weren't going to be! I came this close," Rapunzel showed with her fingers, pressing them nearly together. "To losing you again!" This time, tears were running down her face. "What happened out there, Cass??"

Cassandra tried to pick through her memories to try and remember what happened. "I was coming back to surprise you," She started before blushing and adding: "...And the others. But I got caught off guard and was attacked by... 5, 6 men? I think."

"I'll tell the guards to-"

"No need. I took care of them. Think I look bad? You should take a look at the other guys." Cassandra said with her usual confidence. "Guess I didn't escape without a few cuts though, huh?" She tried to brighten the situation but her attempt only made it worse.

"A few?! Cassandra," Cassandra had to hold back from gulping. Rapunzel only used her full name when she was really mad, worried or upset with her. Cass was in deep waters as far as she could tell. "...When I found you, you were hardly alive! T-There was so much blood that it could barely be seen that there was a person under all of it!"

"Oh come on Rapunzel, don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" Cassandra realized too late that that was the wrong thing to say. Rapunzel fixed her with a glare that sent a shiver up her spine.

"Cassandra, you've been in and out of consciousness, if you can even call it that, for 3 weeks!"

Cassandra had to keep herself from nearly choking on the water she took another sip from as she stared at Rapunzel with wide eyes. "3 weeks?!"

"Yes, now do you think I'm being 'dramatic'?" Rapunzel said the last word with such venom that it made Cassandra want to scoot away. If she could, that is. Cassandra couldn't think of a time where she saw Rapunzel this pissed, not even during their fights back in the Moonstone days. If she didn't know any better, she would actually be scared for her life. And that was saying something. Even she knew not to trifle with Rapunzel right now as she ranted and raved for what felt like hours. Dealing with an emotional Rapunzel was one thing, but an emotional-pissed-off Rapunzel was another.

Rapunzel must've paced the room nearly a biggillion times as Cassandra watched her while propped up on her hand. Her face looked one of boredom as she watched the princess pace back and forth, drag her hands through her short brunette hair at least a thousand times, and pretty much scold her for 30 minutes straight.

"I mean, how did you get caught off guard? That’s so unlike you!  You promised you would take care of yourself! You need to be more cautious with your own safety! You scared me half to death!" Rapunzel scolded, all the while not stopping to look at her as she continued pacing. Cassandra followed her with her eyes. She soon found herself starting to drift off. A minute or two later, she heard: "Cass? Are you even listening?"

"Huh?" Cassandra snapped her eyes open to see an even more pissed off princess looking at her. She straightened herself to make it look like she was listening. "Oh, yeah, cautious with my own safety, got it."

Rapunzel groaned in annoyance and ran a tired hand down her face before walking over and plopping in the seat next to Cassandra's bed. Cassandra turned her head and couldn't help but grin at Rapunzel's behavior. She was sounding more and more like her every day. 'Oh, I'm so proud. She’s growing up so fast' She thought then mentally snickered to herself.

"I see that grin, Cass." Rapunzel stated in her 'princess voice'.

Cassandra immediately cleared her throat and looked at Rapunzel with a serious expression. "Grin? What grin? I don't know what you're talking about." In all honesty, she was trying to get a laugh out of Rapunzel. Or at least a smile. Anything other than the anger, worry-filled eyes staring back at her. She hated seeing her best friend so upset. Especially where it concerned her.

It worked. Just a little. Rapunzel let out a small laugh. An annoyed one mostly, but at least it was a laugh. Cassandra couldn't help but give her the type of smile that she normally wouldn’t show around others. The type of smile that would usually have Rapunzel melting and make her stop being mad at her. Again, it worked. Sort of. Rapunzel's eyes softened but her face was still stern. "That's not gonna work Cass. I'm still mad at you."

"Aw, why not? I'm fine, aren't I?"

Rapunzel groaned and rubbed at her temples. "That's not the point Cassandra. You should have told me that-"

"Then it wouldn't have been a surprise, would it?" Cassandra gave her a lopsided grin. "I wanted to surprise you for your birthday."

Ah-ha. Her plan worked. Rapunzel's eyes softened as she sighed in defeat as she slumped in the chair. She tried to cover it up, but Cassandra could clearly see the brightening smile hidden in her eyes. Rapunzel shook her head with a small smile. "You're going to be the death of me, you know that?"

"Says the one who went jumping off cliffs like the first four months you arrived here."

"I was curious!"

"You. Jumped. Off of a cliff, Rapunzel."

"Okay, well, I was fine, wasn't I?"

"Yeah, five bandages, two repaired dresses and 5 late princess duties later."

"Oh please, there were just a couple scratches. You were just overreacting."

"You literally had a gash on her knee that was seeping blood."

"So?"

Cassandra shook her head. "And you weren't the one that had to brush 70 feet of messy hair and repair and clean the dresses, which took hours. Or get chewed out for not having you ready on time and letting you out of my sight."

"You try living in isolation for 18 years, then we'll talk." It only took two glances at each other before both women burst out into laughter.

 "I really was quite a troublemaker, wasn't I?" Rapunzel asked some minutes later once they started to calm; their laughter only small giggles now.

Cassandra groaned. "You have no idea. I had trained for the guard my whole life, fought criminals, and you still gave me a run for my money. Keeping up with you was not easy."

Rapunzel shook her head with a smile. "But you got it done and still somehow got me ontime to places. You really were the best lady-in-waiting I ever had." Rapunzel smiled before she added: "Not that I would ever want you to be my lady-in-waiting again! I prefer you as just Cass." Rapunzel smiled and Cassandra returned it whole-heartily. "It's just that - all the lady-in-waitings I’ve gone through haven’t... felt right, you know? It felt like they were taking your place. I think my dad is getting really annoyed considering I've gone through probably nearly a hundred these last 4 years. They're all so... blah. Boring. Hard to make friends with or have a conversation with."

"Princess Rapunzel not able to make friends?" Cassandra let out a fake, over-exaggerated gasp. "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

Rapunzel laughed which made Cass grin. "I think my dad did that on purpose. Besides, like you said all those years ago, there's a one in a million chance a princess and a lady-in-waiting will become friends. I'm just lucky I had that one." Rapunzel smiled and placed her hand over Cassandra's. Cassandra's heart soared as she smiled back. "Besides, I think I've decided I don't want another one anyway. I can take care of myself and I don't want... anyone to ever feel like you did, Cass."

Cassandra's eyes softened as she squeezed Rapunzel's hand. "For the record, although it had its downfalls, being your lady-in-waiting was probably the most fun and best times of my life."

The smile that Rapunzel gave Cassandra nearly made her heart stop. "Being your friend was the best time of my life. It still is. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Cass."

Cassandra's heart pounded as she blushed deeply and hoped that the limited lighting in the room hid it. "W-What about Eugene?" She mentally kicked herself for stuttering. She hoped Rapunzel didn't notice or at least, didn't bring it up.

"I love Eugene, I do. But... you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." Rapunzel repeated.

"Even after..." Rapunzel immediately knew where Cassandra was going so she stopped her.

"Yes, Cass. Especially after that." Cassandra gave her a confused look, so Rapunzel added: "Honestly, after everything we've done to each other.... It's a miracle we're still as close as we were before. No, even closer."

"Well..." Cassandra started. "Like you always say - If you can get through the hardest moments of life, there's always light at the end of the tunnel waiting for you." Rapunzel didn't miss the metaphor as she couldn't help but give Cassandra one of her best smiles.

"Yeah," Rapunzel responded. "Yeah, there always will be." Cassandra and Rapunzel shared a brief smile before Cassandra moved over slightly, wincing. "Cass, what are you-"

"Can you uh.." Cassandra blushed. "Lay next to me?" Rapunzel was honestly surprised at the offer. She noticed how Cassandra looked away while blushing madly and stared at a nonexistent object at the end of the bed. She looked like a flustered puppy. It was adorable.

She didn't know what's gotten into the 'I hate affection and everything else with it’ Cass, but she wasn't about to waste the opportunity. Realizing she took way too long to respond, Cassandra was about to say probably something like 'forget I said anything' or 'nevermind' but Rapunzel didn't wait to hear what she was gonna say. She was already climbing into the bed and promptly plopped herself comfortably next to Cassandra.

Cassandra was surprised that she actually accepted the offer. Wait, why was she surprised? This was Rapunzel for god's sake. She turned to her side as best as she could to face her and although she was still probably blushing like a madwoman right now, she brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and pushed it behind her ear before pulling her hand away, but not completely. She reached down and gently intertwined their fingers, properly holding her hand. Wait, was Rapunzel blushing? No, no she was just imagining it. She was giving her a surprised, but happy, look though. Cassandra chuckled, "What's that look for?"

"It's just... When did you become so affenionete? N-Not that I'm complaining! I.. I like it. But it's just so unlike you."

Cassandra shrugged, "I guess 4 years of only having the company of an owl and a horse makes you miss human contact. Besides, I missed you."

The smile that Rapunzel gave her nearly stopped her heart. Again. "I missed you too, Cass. A lot. Like - a lot, a lot. Things just didn't feel the same without you here."

"I was gone for months before that, Raps, when I had the moonstone. You should've been used to me being gone."

Rapunzel gave a small frown. "I'll never get ‘used’ to it. When you were gone when you had the moonstone, I was too worried about you to focus on anything else. About how things just weren't normal without you around. Then when I finally got you back, you.. left almost immediately. Which is fine! I get why you did. It's just - I felt like we were just starting to mend the rift that was set between us and then when you left Corona - I didn't... know if I was ever gonna see you again. I didn't know if you would... forget about me. I mean, you were free, you could go anywhere. There were a thousand possibilities! There is so much for you out there! I want to be in your life, even if it’s only a small part, but I didn't know if... there was any room for that anymore. Maybe before everything happened, but after all the pain I caused you, I didn't know if you wanted to... move forward and put me in the past with everything… else that happened. Like, someone you loved once, but have to move on and let go, leave it behind, to better yourself, so you can heal and focus on what is ahead."

Cassandra's eyes softened, she reached forward and gently directed Rapunzel's eyes back to her with her fingers. "I could never forget about you. You're the reason I was able to be out there in the first place. You let me go even though you knew that I wouldn't be by your side anymore and that it was going to hurt. And that overrides everything else that happened. It meant - means - the world to me. You will always be my best friend, no matter where I go or how long I’m away. And I will always, always come back. And I will never, ever, want to leave you behind in the past with everything else. Because..." You're my better half. My everything. My heart and soul. Is what she wanted to say. But instead, she said: ".....You're my best friend."

Rapunzel had to hold back tears as she smiled. "I love you too, Cass." Before Cassandra could see the deeper meaning in that, Rapunzel asked shyly: "C-Can I kiss you?"

Cassandra was so caught off guard, that her eyes widened and she instinctively pulled back. She realized that Rapunzel would probably take that the wrong way, if her already starting dejected face had anything to say about it, so she quickly rebounded. "Y-Ye.." Cassandra cleared her throat and tried again. "Y-Yeah, I uh... I'd like that." Cassandra probably resembled one of a tomato right now. She could hardly believe what was happening. She noticed that Rapunzel's face was just as red as she started to lean forward. She didn't think she ever saw Rapunzel blush before. It made her beautiful rosy cheeks even more rosy and highlighted her freckles.

Rapunzel placed a hand on Cassandra's cheek and when she was just a breath away, she hesitated for a second or two before she leaned the rest of the way forward and their lips met. The kiss was sweet, soft, delicate and quick. Too quick. Cassandra's eyes fluttered open (When did she close them?) a couple seconds after Rapunzel pulled away. They were still barely an inch away. Rapunzel's mouth was slightly parted, a beautiful blush covered her face, and she wore an expression of wonder and amazement as she stared deep into Cassandra's eyes. They were only parted for a minute before Cassandra placed a hand under her chin, leaned forward, and captured Rapunzel's lips once more.

This kiss was longer than the first one as Cassandra's hand moved from her chin to her cheek and Rapunzel's hand moved to the back of her neck. Although Rapunzel had shared many kisses with Eugene, nothing compared to the way Cassandra's lips made her feel. It sent lightning bolts shooting through her body and it made her feel light and airy. As if she was floating in a sea of clouds. Cassandra's lips were softer and sweeter than she could ever have imagined. They were sweet as candy and moved nicely, softly against hers. 

Rapunzel tangled her hand in Cass’s hair and pulled her even closer. Cassandra made a small groaning sound in the back of her throat that had Rapunzel swooning. When air became too much of a necessity, Cass pulled away as they panted softly. But it wasn't for long. Rapunzel leaned forward and captured her lips for a third time, this time it was more passion-filled. This kept going for several minutes. Or hours. Who knows? The time felt like it was going by in slow motion. When one would pull away, the other would recapture their lips as if they were the air they so desperately needed to live.

Eventually pulling away, for now, Cassandra looked down into Rapunzel's emerald green eyes. They were filled with love, love for her, amazement, admiration, adoration and... was Cassandra imagining it or was there desire hidden in those beautiful emerald green hues? 

Cassandra wrapped her arms around Rapunzel, as best as she could without hurting herself, and pulled her close so that her head was placed under her chin and laying over her heart. "I love you, Rapunzel." She said after some minutes.

Rapunzel let out a quiet giggle. "I can see that." Cassandra had to ignore the fact, or at least try, at how breathless, heated and dazed the younger girl sounded. Rapunzel tilted her head up so that Cassandra could see her face and she gave her a brilliant smile. One so full of love and adoration that Cassandra never tried so hard to hold back tears. She knew it would be futile, because Rapunzel could always see what was hidden beneath her usually guarded eyes. She always knew. This was proven as Rapunzel's smile turned softer and one to understanding as she leaned up and placed a small kiss under her chin. "I love you too, Cassandra." She repeated her earlier statement. "With all my heart and soul." 

This time Cassandra couldn't hold back tears, she found that for once, she didn't want to. She gave Rapunzel a watery smile. She held up her hand to reveal one of the bracelets Rapunzel made all those years ago and held her pinky out. "Forever?"

Rapunzel giggled and she held up her own hand that also carried the other half of the bracelet as she brought her pinky up and connected it with Cassandra's. "Forever." With that, Rapunzel received an absolutely gorgeous smile back and was pulled back into Cass's chest once more. As Rapunzel lay in Cass's strong arms, she couldn't help but start to fall asleep to the lullaby of Cassandra's heartbeat. And for the first time in weeks, possibly even years, she fell asleep into a peaceful slumber. 

Cassandra smiled and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. "Forever." She repeated to herself and to the sleeping Rapunzel as she slowly drifted off into a peaceful slumber herself. One thing that passed Cassandra's mind before she succumbed to the effects of sleepiness was….

She should get hurt more often.