Romance Fan Fiction ❯ Enemy of the Stars (A Stars Above Sequel) ❯ Chapter 9: Celebration ( Chapter 9 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Cassandra groaned as the brightness from the sun blazed down on her face. She slowly opened her eyes and yawned, stretching a bit. She looked around the brightly lit room and realized Rapunzel wasn’t there. She didn’t have to wonder where she was for very long because she appeared in the doorway. “Morning Cass!” She said with a bright smile.

“Morning,” Cassandra responded, rubbing at her eyes. “You’re up early. Usually, I’m up before you.”

Rapunzel grinned and walked over to the bed. “Well, it is your birthday, so I had… preparations.”

Cassandra raised an eyebrow with an amused smile. “Preparations? What kind of preparations?”

“Well, they-” Rapunzel was about to tell her but then she stopped and narrowed her eyes. “Nice try. They’re a surprise.”

Cassandra chuckled. “Whatever you say.”

It was then that Nova came in with a flower crown. “Happy ’thday momma! I made this for you!” The little girl presented the flower crown to Cassandra with the widest of grins. Cassandra couldn’t say no to her.

“Aww, thank you, sweetheart,” She responded as the younger girl placed it on Cassandra’s head. Usually, she hated these things but she’d do anything to make her daughter happy. The little girl let out a squeal of excitement before running to the other room.

Rapunzel giggled. “She’s been waiting to give you that for the last two hours. I had to stop her from jumping on top of you.”

Cassandra laughed. “I can see that.”

Rapunzel was unable to contain her excitement as she grabbed the warrior's arm and pretty much hauled her off the bed. “Now come on, the longer we sit here, the faster the day goes by!”

Cassandra laughed as her wife dragged her. “Alright, alright!” The princess dragged the warrior out to the living room. Cassandra was surprised to see Carina sitting on the floor, looking bored out of her mind, while young Nova talked her head off. “Uh, what is Carina doing in here?”

Rapunzel turned around and smiled. “I invited her in.”

“You… what?” Cassandra blinked in surprise.

“Wiiiith a few rules.”

“A few is an understatement,” Carina spoke up with a roll of her eyes. “She gave me so many of them you could practically make a rule book out of them. I didn’t think it was possible to come up with so many. And I thought you were uptight…” She mumbled under her breath which earned herself a glare from Rapunzel.

“And I expect them to be followed.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, princess. You’re already making me babysit, take away the rest of my freedom why don’t ya.”

“Wait, you’re letting her babysit Nova?” Cassandra asked Rapunzel in surprise and slight worry.

“She threatened me.”

Rapunzel glared at her before looking back at Cassandra. “I did not threaten her.”

“I’m pretty sure your exact words were ‘if anything happens to Nova, I’ll stab you 33 times then tie you to a heavy rock and throw you into the ocean never to be seen again’.”

Cassandra raised an eyebrow towards Rapunzel. Rapunzel laughed nervously. “Okay, maaaaybe I threatened her. But for good reasons!”

“You’ve been hanging out with me for too long.” Cass teased.

“Yeah, so it’s your fault.”

“Mhm, whatever you say snowflake,” Cassandra smirked which earned herself a huff from Rapunzel.

“I’m only letting you get away with that since it’s your birthday.”

“Oh, so that means I have free range?”

“Don’t push it.”

“Can you two shut up and either kiss or leave so I can get this babysitting job over with?” Carina asked, looking between the both of them.

“Fine,” Rapunzel responded with a huff before grabbing Cass’s arm and practically dragging her away.

“Wait, where are we going?” Cass asked, a little hesitant.

Rapunzel looked over her shoulder and smiled. “You’ll see. Now come on.” Something about the way Rapunzel’s eyes lit up for the first time in a long time made Cassandra move. “Be good Nova! And make sure Carina doesn’t do anything she’s not supposed to.” Rapunzel said with narrowed eyes.

Nova saluted her with a confident smile. “Yes, mam!” Carina merely rolled her eyes.

“Try to hurry back quickly.” The warrior grumbled but they were already out the door.

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Rapunzel practically dragged Cassandra through the forest. “So, what’s with all the secrecy?”

Rapunzel merely turned around and smiled at her. “Close your eyes.” Cassandra gave her a confused expression so Rapunzel added: “Just trust me.” Cassandra gave her a skeptical look but otherwise closed her eyes. Rapunzel smiled and grabbed the warrior's hand, leading her god-knows-where.

As much as she trusted Rapunzel, Cass hated having her guard down. Minutes later, Cassandra said: “Raps, I don’t thin-”

“Okay, open them.” Cassandra did what she was told and when she opened her eyes and saw the sight before her, her mouth nearly hit the floor.

“Woah.” She said in bewilderment. The scene before her was nothing short of extraordinary. It was secluded, even more so than the Lost Lagoon. Actually, it reminded her a lot of the Lost Lagoon but there were minor differences. Somehow it was even more beautiful than the Lost Lagoon and she didn’t think anything could be more beautiful. Apart from Rapunzel, of course. The scene before her was dim, almost as if the sun was setting despite it being morning. It was surrounded by a series of rose-like flowers with all different colors; colors Cassandra didn’t even think flowers could have. There was a magical feeling in the air that made Cassandra feel warm, protected, relaxed, and safe. The lake was quite literally glowing as it lit up the area, making the aesthetic appear even more magical. There were a lot of magical things about this place that Cassandra couldn’t even explain. It was seriously a sight to behold.

She realized she had been quiet for quite some time but she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from the scene. “How-”

Rapunzel smiled and stared at the scene herself. “I found it the night I was avoi- I-I mean… exploring... Yeah, yeah that.” Cassandra was too much in awe to catch that.

“It’s…” She started, taking a deep breath. “...magical.”

Rapunzel tilted her head and smiled. “I knew you’d like it.” She paused before continuing. “Before we left Corona, my plan was to take us to the Lost Lagoon. But since things didn’t end up that way, this place was the closest I could find.”

Cassandra finally tore her eyes away and gave the princess a teasing grin. “How’d you even end up here? This place is more hidden than the Lost Lagoon.”

Rapunzel scratched the back of her neck awkwardly and chuckled nervously. “I kinda just found myself here. I was walking and all of a sudden I was here.”

“You really need to stop zoning out. It’s dangerous.”

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. “Oh, shush, and come on,” Rapunzel responded, grabbing the warrior's hand and leading her deeper into the area.

“I’m just saying…” Cassandra mumbled but she let the princess lead her.

Rapunzel turned around and smiled at her. “Stop worrying for once and enjoy the day.”

“I’ll try,” Cassandra responded. “But it’s in my nature, sooo…” She teased.

“I swear, I will shove you into the water.”

“You do that and you’re coming with me.”

“We’ll see about that…”

“I dare you to try.”

“Okay but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Not a second later, Rapunzel shoved the warrior into the water but true to her word, she brought Rapunzel along. As soon as both women made it back to the surface and they met eye contact, they burst out laughing. Rapunzel splashed the warrior and Cassandra did the same. They played like kids on a summer day in the water for what felt like a lifetime.

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It was merely 45 minutes later and Cassandra and Rapunzel lay side-by-side staring up at the sky. They were dressed in their underclothes as their regular clothes dried. They lay in comfortable silence for the majority of the time before anyone spoke. “Hey, uh…” Cassandra started, catching Rapunzel’s attention as she turned towards her. “...Thanks. For doing… all this. You didn’t have to.”

Rapunzel smiled and interlocked their fingers. “I know,” She responded. “But I wanted to. You deserve it.” Rapunzel looked away. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more. I had a whole thing planned back in Corona but then everything happened and I had limited resources...”

Cassandra smiled. “All this is already enough. The fact that you even remembered and planned for it means a lot to me. I still have no idea how you did remember. I told you my birthday like once, shortly after we first met because you wouldn’t leave me alone about it.” She elbowed the princess, making her giggle.

“Yeah, well, it’s kinda my job to know these things. Besides, I needed an excuse to spoil you because you never let me.”

“Oh, so is that what this is?” Cassandra teased. “Trying to one-up me, Raps?”

“Maaaaybee…”

“Yeah, just wait until your birthday.”

“That’s nearly a year away.”

“Never too early to start planning.”

Rapunzel giggled, making Casasndra smile. “Alright then.”

Cassandra’s teasing smile then turned sweet as she ran her thumb over Rapunzel’s knuckles. “Honestly, this is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

Rapunzel gave her a surprised expression. “Wait, really?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Didn’t your dad ever have birthday celebrations and stuff?”

Cassandra shrugged. “When he had time. It was hard at first cause he didn’t exactly know when my actual birthday actually was so for the first couple of years, it was awkward. But after the fact, when he actually figured it out, I guess we had some celebrations. But for the most part, he was always working, so we never really got to celebrate much. And I didn’t have any friends so basically just ignored my birthday for the longest time. It's usually just a normal day for me.” Cassandra smiled. “This is the first year in a long time that I actually celebrated it.”

Rapunzel looked down. “I’m sorry, Cass. That... must’ve been hard.”

Cassandra shrugged. “Eh, not really. I never really had a ‘birthday’, per se, so I didn’t really miss it. What about you?”

Rapunzel tilted her head to the side. “What about me?”

“Did Gothel ever do celebrations will you?”

“Uh…” Rapunzel rubbed the back of her neck nervously. “Sort of. She would sometimes go out and get me art supplies, but other than that, she was rarely even home to celebrate. I usually just had my own little thing with Pascal. But the best part was always the floating lights. They made me feel… special somehow. Comforted. They made me wish for a better future, hoping one day I could leave and follow them.”

“Those lanterns really mean a lot to you, huh?”

Rapunzel gave her a sad smile. “Well, yeah. They were what led me to Corona… and to you. They were my first actual taste of freedom.”

“....Were you planning on going back?”

“Hm?” Rapunzel asked in confusion.

“Like - after Eugene took you to see the lights, were you planning on returning back to the tower?”

Rapunzel shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know. A part of me wanted to live my dream but the other part didn’t want to leave… her… alone. Especially considering I left out of nowhere. She always use to tell me that she couldn’t live without me and that if I ever left, she’d be ‘very, very sad’.” She sighed. “If only I knew..”

“...So you were going to go back to living in isolation for her?”

“She was all I knew. Sure, I knew Eugene, but she was my ‘mother’ and I was still young, I didn’t want to lose her. So I felt trapped. I tried to ignore it…”

“There’s a surprise.” Cassandra teased sarcastically. Rapunzel huffed and elbowed her, making the warrior laugh. But then her expression turned thoughtful. “You know, sometimes I think about what would have happened if I found you instead of Eugene. When I was young, all anyone could talk about was ‘finding the lost princess' and as I grew older and I watched my father try and try but to prevail, I promised myself I find her… you… and bring you home when I became an adult.”

“...Where were you the day I came to Corona? I don’t remember seeing you anywhere.”

Cassandra shrugged and gave her a lop-sided smile. “Training.”

Rapunzel shook her head with a smile. “Of course you were.” But then her smile turned slightly shy. “I think about that too. If you found me before Eugene... But honestly?” Rapunzel scooted closer to the warrior. “...I like how things happened and I wouldn’t change any of it.”

Cassandra smiled sweetly and wrapped an arm around her, bringing her closer. “Yeah,” She responded. “Me too.” Then her smile turned teasing. “But I still can’t believe a criminal found you before the actual guard.”

Rapunzel giggled. “It wasn’t on purpose. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“...What was your first time outside the tower like?” The question was so sudden and random, it caught Rapunzel off guard.

Rapunzel tilted her head and gave her a teasing smile. “What’s with all the questions all of a sudden?”

“I want to learn more about you. Apparently, there’s still a lot I don’t know.”

Rapunzel’s heart skipped a beat at that statement. “Speak for yourself.”

“It’s my birthday so you gotta answer them.” She said before adding: “Please?”

“I don’t know why you wanna know but if that's what you want…” Rapunzel pushed herself up to a sitting position, and Cassandra followed suit.

“Being outside for the first time… The best way I can explain it is a baby taking its first steps into the real world. It was scary but exciting, it was foreign but somehow felt right. I didn’t know anything about the real world other than what Gothel had told me but that didn’t stop me from leaving. Everything was new and everything intrigued my interest. I was curious about everything.”

Cassandra snorted. “Yeah, no kidding.” She teased, earning herself a soft elbow to the rib which made her laugh.

“I wasn’t that bad.”

“Are you kidding? You got into more trouble in one week than anyone I had ever met. Apparently, curiosity comes with recklessness.”

“I was not reckless.”

“I beg to differ. Within the first couple months of knowing you, you ‘bungee jumped’ off of a cliff. Without the bungee.”

“It wasn’t that reckless.”

“You jumped off of a cliff, Rapunzel.”

“Oh please, I was fine, wasn’t I?”

“Yeah, 1 torn dress, 3 bandages, and a serious amount of laundry later. I took one hell of a beat down from your father.”

“Wait, you did?” Rapunzel asked, turning her attention towards her.

Cassandra shrugged. “I was supposed to be protecting you but you got distracted as soon as my back was turned and I got blamed for it.”

Rapunzel looked downward in guilt. “How much did I get you into trouble?”

Cassandra gave her a smile, hoping to show her that she wasn’t mad about it. At least, not anymore. “A lot.”

Cassandra’s smile did nothing to reassure Rapunzel as she looked downward again. “I really was a nightmare.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Cassandra replied, leaning back on her hands. “All the adventure was a lot of fun.”

“But the consequences that I never had to face…” She trailed off before shaking her head. “I really didn’t think about the consequences my actions brought other people; especially for you. No wonder you were so mad all those years ago.”

Cassandra gave her another smile. “Don’t worry about it. Your father and I never saw eye-to-eye in the first place, even before you returned to Corona. I never understood why but I do now. Besides, as you said, you were new to the world; you were trying to experience the childhood you never had.”

Rapunzel shrugged. “I guess.”

Cassandra sighed and placed her hand over hers, causing Rapunzel to look at her. “Really, it’s fine. Don’t let it bother you.” Rapunzel tried to open her mouth to argue but a reprimanding look made her snap it shut. “Don’t even try it. I know you. We were both new to the whole friend thing and sure, we had some, uh… obstacles... But who doesn’t? We’ve both grown a lot since then.”

“Have I, though? I still jump head-first into dangerous situations without thinking about how it would affect you. Or anyone for that matter.”

“You have flaws, so what? That doesn’t mean you haven’t grown. I mean, 9 years ago, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

That caught Rapunzel off guard. “Wait, have we seriously known each other for 9 years?”

“Well… there was the first year you were in Corona, then the journey to the Dark Kingdom took about a year, the whole moonstone fiasco was half a year, I left for 4 years and when I came back, we left and didn’t return back until about a year and a half later and it’s been two years since then so… yeah, about 9 years.”

“Wow… I can’t believe it’s been that long. It feels like only yesterday that you were in my room, trying to get me ready for the day as I talked your ear off.”

Cassandra chuckled. “Yeah, me neither.”

“It really has been an adventure.”

“Tell me about it.” Cassandra rolled her eyes with a smile before she wrapped an arm around Rapunzel’s and pulled her into her so that her back was pressed against her chest, making her let out a cute squeak of surprise, and she was placed in between her legs. “The adventure of a lifetime and one that I’ll never forget. It shaped us into who we are today.”

Rapunzel smiled and leaned into her. “Well, our adventure is not over yet and we have a lifetime of more to come.”

Cassandra’s heart warmed at that. A couple of days ago, Rapunzel wasn’t looking toward the future but rather focusing on not wanting to be here. Maybe it was the magic in the air or the fact that it was her birthday but she hoped that this was the first step toward the road of recovery for her. “Yeah,” Cassandra responded softly, pulling her closer. They fell into a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes as they listened to the soft sounds of the water and just enjoyed being in each other’s company.

“Hey, Cass?” Cassandra made a ‘hm’ sound in the back of her throat to let her know she was listening. “Have you ever… been in love before? I mean, before me. Before us.”

Cassandra was quiet for a second as she really thought about it. “I’ve had a couple of flings but they didn’t end well. But no, I uh... I’ve never been what one would consider ‘in love’ before you. I’ve had crushes, sure, but never in love. For a long time, I thought that true love didn’t even exist. Or at least, I told myself I would never find it. As I was growing up, I saw my peers falling head-over-heels for someone and I never understood it. They would go on and on about boys; about how they thought they found true, undying love. Some of them are still together to this day, others fell apart. They talked about ‘butterflies’ and how amazing their partner made them feel. Among other things. I could never relate with them because I never found ‘that person’ or had a connection with someone and I thought I never would. I didn’t know what they felt because I never experienced it.” She paused. “...Until I met you and my perspective on, well... everything changed. You made me feel important, and wanted… and as time went on, my feelings became deeper and deeper until it pretty much hurt; you being with Eugene and all… I knew that I loved you but I also knew that I could never have you. So, when we finally admitted to each other… I finally understood what being in love actually meant and it was unlike anything I ever felt before. I always feel a constant state of… warmth, knowing that I have you and you’re mine. Sometimes I still feel disbelief of the fact that you are mine and that you chose me. I thought that I would never find what I have now; a family. A growing family. And every day I thank my lucky stars for letting me feel these wonderful things, and for bringing you to me. My life has completely changed since I met you, especially after we finally started dating, and I wouldn’t ask for a better life that I get to share with you and Nova. It makes me feel important. I have someone, someones, to protect, someone to call mine, something to fight for. So, I’ve never been in love before you. I never even fell in love with anyone besides you, even when I wanted to, not even with Carina. What we have.. It’s true and real.”

Rapunzel was quiet for a second before she responded: “Wow..” She said in disbelief. “That was… that was beautifully poetic.”

Cassandra chuckled. “Don’t ask unless you want an honest answer.”

Rapunzel turned around in her arms so that she was facing her and smiled. “I expected an honest answer. But that was just… wow.” She repeated. “You know, you’ve grown a lot too. Before I could barely get a word out of you and now you’re giving me full-on essays.”

Cassandra laughed which made the princess grin. “I guess you unlocked the softer side of me.”

“And you unlocked the... The unsofter side of me.”

Cassandra raised an amused eyebrow. “Unsofter? You know that’s not a word, right?”

“Alright, Mrs. Literature.” Rapunzel tilted her to the side and smiled. “Have you ever thought of becoming an author?”

Cassandra chuckled. “Not really. But I wouldn’t be able to put it down on paper anyway. And I think my thoughts are only for you to hear.”

Rapunzel’s smile widened. “Yeah, I like that better.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Thought so.”

“Seriously though Cass, that was not what I expected when I asked that question.”

Cassandra tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “What did you expect?”

Rapunzel rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly with a shy smile. “I have no clue, honestly.”

“Why did you ask the question in the first place?”

Rapunzel smiled. “I want to learn everything about you, too. We don’t talk much about what you did or who you were before you met me.”

Cassandra shrugged. “There’s not much to tell, really. My life was boring without you around causing mischief.” Cassandra elbowed her, making the princess giggle.

“Still. I want to know everything about you.” Rapunzel repeated. The statement made Cassandra’s heart warm. “I mean, it had to be more interesting than mine. My day-to-day life in the tower consisted mostly of the same things over and over again.”

Cassandra groaned. “God, I don’t know how you handled being stuck in that small tower for 18 years. I would have gone crazy.”

Rapunzel smiled and shrugged. “I didn’t really know the difference so it made things easier. Usually, I would just paint, read, bake, draw, dance around, paint again and repeat.”

Cassandra gave her a teasing smile. “So basically what you do on a day-to-day basis anyway?” Rapunzel huffed and swatted at her, making the warrior laugh.

“This isn’t supposed to be about me, it’s supposed to be about you. Stop changing the subject.” Cassandra looked away at being caught.

“Whatever happened in the past doesn’t matter, Raps.”

“It matters to me.”

Cassandra sighed. “You really aren’t gonna let this go, are you?”

“Nope.”

She groaned. “Fine. What exactly do you want to know?”

Rapunzel smiled. “Everything. For example - what was your job before you became my lady-in-waiting?”

Cassandra shrugged. “Didn’t really have one. I kinda just did small jobs around Corona every now and then, helping out when I could. And then one day you showed up at my doorstep and suddenly I had a full-time job. And most of the time, it wasn’t really a job considering we hung out outside of work.”

Rapunzel giggled. “You were not happy to be my lady-in-waiting.”

Cassandra smiled. “At first, it felt like I had my freedom stripped away from me considering I didn’t really have a choice. I tried to keep it as simple as possible and get done as soon as possible. Walk in, get you ready, then leave. But you never stopped talking and I couldn’t just leave. Within a couple of days, I realized you weren’t as bad as I first thought you were.”

“Gee, thanks,” Rapunzel responded sarcastically but with a teasing tone.

Cassandra chuckled. “Hey, you gotta admit, you were a little… much. You were trying so hard to be my friend and get me to like you that you quite literally turned the castle and my room into artistic gifts that I still have no idea how you were even able to make.”

“Persistence,” Rapunzel responded with a teasing smile. “And the need for a friend.” She shook her head. “And let me tell ya, it took forever to finally break through to you.”

“Persistence,” Cassandra repeated with a teasing smile of her own. “And the need to be alone.”

Rapunzel tilted her head to the side. “Why did you want to always be alone? Being alone really sucks.”

Cassandra shrugged. “Yeah, maybe, but it seemed a lot easier. If I was alone, I couldn’t grow a connection with someone and as long as I didn’t, I couldn’t get hurt... again.”

“You’ve never really talked about how or who hurt you…” She huffed. “I would like to have a talk with them.”

Cassandra raised an eyebrow with a teasing smile. “A talk?”

“Yeah, no one can hurt you and get away with it.”

Cassandra shook her head with a smile. “You didn’t even know me then, Raps. And it was a long time ago.”

“I don’t care,” She responded simply. “It still happened and people need to pay.”

“Yeah, well, they already kinda did. They aren’t uh... Around anymore.”

Rapunzel gave her a surprised expression. “Did you..?”

“What? No! There was an attack on Corona. A lot... Of people died.”

“An attack? What kind?”

“An enemy kingdom. It was never really clear which one but it was brutal.”

Rapunzel tilted her head to the side. “How old were you?”

“Uh… 16, I think.”

“Wow… that must have been... Really stressful and scary.”

Cassandra shrugged. “I already had hand-in-hand combat skills and I could fight with a sword so I was able to help. Not everyone made it, though…” Cassandra looked away. Rapunzel recognized that look.

“Was there someone… you cared about that didn’t make it?” The look on Cassandra’s face told her all she needed to know. “...Who?”

Rapunzel was surprised at the fact that Cass didn’t even hesitate to answer. “Her name was Mary. She was kinda shy but we clicked. Not as much as you and I but she was the only other friend I ever had before you and the others. We were only friends for a short amount of time but…” She paused, taking a shaking breath.

“Cass, if this is too hard, you don’t have to talk about it…”

“No, no it’s okay. It’s… been a while. I’ve never told anyone this. Honestly, I forgot about it. I guess I made myself forget over time.” Rapunzel waited for her to get her thoughts in order. “I was helping get the citizens to safety. She was in front of me and then we lost each other in the panicked crowd. I tried to find her but…” She swallowed. “..when I did…”

“...It was already too late.” Rapunzel finished for her. Cassandra nodded. “...Is that why you’re so overprotective?”

Cassandra nodded. “It nearly broke me. Sure, we weren’t that close, but she was my only friend. I vowed to myself that I would never get close to anyone ever again and If I did… I wouldn’t let the incident repeat.” She paused. “...And it did..” Rapunzel knew exactly what she was referring to. “...And it hurt so much more than anything I could have ever imagined.” She sighed as she placed her hands on the princess’s hips and pulled her closer. “We were lucky enough to get a second chance.”

“What if…” Rapunzel didn’t want to get all depressed on her birthday but she was curious. And her curiosity always got the best of her. “...we didn’t?” Cassandra tilted her head in confusion. “Like - what if Amaris and Helios didn’t bring me back?”

Cassandra was caught off guard by the question. “...Why?”

Rapunzel shrugged. “I don’t know, just curious about how… different things would have been.”

“I’ve already told you before, Raps.”

“You didn’t give me very much. Now, years later, it should be.. Old news so it’s easier to talk about?”

Cassandra shook her head. “It’s never gonna be easy to talk about. I’m still shaken up about.. what happened.”

“...How? It’s been like two years..”

“So? It was one of the scariest moments of my life. Just the thought… of not having you around, in my life… it still makes me feel.. empty. I’d rather you hate me and ban me forever from your life than have you gone from this world.. forever. At least you’d be alive. When I tell you that you dying broke me, I mean that it completely shattered me. I could barely function. It was like a part of me was drastically ripped away and left in its place was an empty, cold, shallow hole. Without you, I wasn’t me. I fought, sure, but that’s because I was running on adrenaline. I wanted to give up so bad and I mean give up, give up. If they hadn’t brought you back, as soon as the battle was over, I would have. Living a life without you was just too painful.” Cassandra gave her a reprimanding glare. “And if you ever do something like that ever again, I’m gonna kill you myself.”

Rapunzel giggled softly. “I don’t think that’s how that works.”

“That’s how I say it works.”

“Alright, my lordship.”

“That’s right and you better remember it,” Cassandra responded, tickling her sides a bit. Rapunzel let out a laugh.

“Cass, stop it!”

Cassandra merely smirked and positioned them so that she ended up on top of her, tickling her sides in the process. “Nah, I don’t think I will.” Cassandra had her pinned to the ground as she tickled her. Rapunzel tried to push her off but she was laughing so hard that she couldn’t.

“Caasss, I can’t breath!” Cassandra eventually took pity on the poor girl and stopped, leaving the princess gasping for air, but Cassandra didn’t move from her position above her. Rapunzel gasped for air. “You’re lucky…” She wheezed. “...that you’re not ticklish.”

Cassandra smirked. “And I’m lucky that you are.” Cassandra then flattened out her hands and trailed them up softly, her warm skin brushing against Rapunzel’s. Rapunzel shivered. “Hey, let’s say we have some birthday fun, hm?”

“But we didn’t bring…” Rapunzel stopped when Cassandra directed her eyes toward the bag she brought. “...And you brought it.”

“Of course I did. You never know when…” She trailed her hands more sensually up her body. “...we’re gonna need it.”

“Well, if that’s the case…” Rapunzel mumbled before grabbing the warrior's shirt and pulling her down to meet her lips. Cassandra was caught off guard but she immediately melted into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around the princess’s waist. Rapunzel wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled herself even closer, deepening the kiss. Cassandra pushed her tongue into her mouth, making the princess groan. Cassandra ran her warm hands up and down Rapunzel’s body. Rapunzel lifted the warrior's shirt over her head, Cassandra doing the same to her, before reconnecting their lips.

Cassandra rocked against the princess, making Rapunzel let out a pleasurable groan. Cass pushed herself up and Rapunzel pulled herself up until she was deposited in Cassandra’s lap, her legs on either side of her. Cassandra put her hands on her hips and pulled her closer, rocking into her. Rapunzel let out a deep moan and she pressed herself closer. Cassandra let go of the princess’s lips before trailing kisses down her neck; biting, nipping, sucking... before reconnecting their lips.

Rapunzel pulled away and panted softly. “I love you, Cass. And I hope you had a good birthday.”

Cassandra smiled sweetly. “The best.” She responded, nuzzling the princess. Rapunzel giggled.

“Glad… I could do something for you for once.”

Cassandra pressed a small kiss to her lips. “You do stuff for me all the time. You always have.”

“Yeah but I wish I could do more..”

Cassandra smiled softly. “I don’t need anything more. All I need is you and Nova and as long as I have that, I’m living my best life. I don't need anything else.”

Rapunzel smiled and nuzzled her. “You’re getting too sweet for your own good, you know that?”

Cassandra chuckled. “I learned it from you.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have taught you then because it makes it impossible to be mad at you when I want to be.” She teased, making the warrior laugh.

“Now you know how I feel. Do you know how many times you sweet-talked your way out of things?”

Rapunzel grinned. “Of course I do. I do it on purpose.”

Cassandra huffed, gently shoving her, making Rapunzel giggle. “I knew it.” She then grinned with mischievous intent as she ran her hands down her sides to her lower hips, making Rapunzel shiver involuntarily. “But unfortunately for you, I have that same power now. I have finally found your weakness, Princess Rapunzel.”

Rapunzel laughed. “Hate to break it to ya but you’ve always been my weaknesses. You quite literally tried to kill me and I still couldn’t even bring myself to be mad at you.”

Cassandra laughed. “I know,” She responded. “That was stupid on your part.”

Rapunzel huffed. “If it weren’t for me, you’d still be running rampage across the lands; still being controlled by Zhan Tiri and the moonstone.”

Instead of responding back with teasing sarcasm, Cassandra smiled instead and rested her forehead against Rapunzel’s. “I know.” She responded softly. Rapunzel smiled softly back and closed her eyes for a second.

“I really do love you. A lot.”

Cassandra chuckled. “That’s apparent,” She teased before smiling and responding back: “I love you a lot too.” Cass then ran her hands down her sides. “Now,” She said softly, her voice hot. “Shall we continue?”

Rapunzel’s eyes darkened in desire as she leaned forward until their lips were barely touching. “Yeah,” She whispered. “We shall.” As soon as their lips reconnected, the passion was relit. Cassandra eventually pushed her down until she was on her back, their lips never leaving each other. Cassandra had the thing set up in a matter of seconds and without a word, she thrust forward, entering her swiftly. Rapunzel threw her head back and moaned as the warrior started pumping in and out of her with a slow burn.

While the princess was preoccupied with trying to focus, Cassandra attacked her neck. She bit, nipped, licked, sucked… everything that drove her crazy. “C-Cass…” The princess moaned. “F-Faster..”

“Anything for you,” The warrior responded with a heated smirk before quickening her pace. Cassandra put one leg over her shoulder and pumped at a different angle. Rapunzel arched her back at the angle, her eyes widening slightly before they became half-opened. Cassandra quickened her pace as she gently gripped the princess’s hips. The warrior gave her a sharp thrust, surprising Rapunzel enough for her to snap her eyes open and widen her eyes.

“A-Ah…!”

“Right there, hm?” Cassandra asked but whether it was to herself or Rapunzel, Rapunzel had no clue because she couldn’t focus anymore.

“C-Cass…” That’s all she needed to say. Cassandra knew exactly what she wanted. Cassandra started to give her harsh, deep thrusts that sent her head spinning. It wasn’t long before the warrior pushed her over the edge. Her body went slack, her mouth fell open and she arched her back. Cassandra fell shortly behind her as she stilled her hips. The warrior was the first to pull away as she pulled out of her, making them both groan at the loss of connection, before falling next to the panting princess. It was silent for a minute or two as both women tried to catch their breath. “...It gets better every time,” Rapunzel said eventually, making Cassandra laugh.

“And it will keep getting better.”

Rapunzel turned to her and gave her a teasing grin. “Alright, Mrs. Cocky,”

“You’re the one that said it.”

“Stop being so good then.”

Cassandra snorted. “Sure. You wouldn’t last a week.”

Rapunzel huffed. “I would too.”

Cassandra gave her a side-eyed look and smirked. “Right, sure you would.”

“Alright, horn-dog.”

“Fine, let’s make a bet then. If you can’t last a week, then you have to listen to me for a full day. No arguments. No nothing.”

Rapunzel narrowed her eyes. “What if you don’t last?”

“Oh, trust me, I’ll last.”

“You didn’t even last 3 days when I was in the hospital.”

“Fine. If I don’t last then…”

“You’ll let me kick Carina off of a cliff.”

“Yeah, no, not happening.”

“Fine. You’ll let me say whatever I want to her for a full day, whatever it may be, and you can't get mad if we start fighting.”

Cassandra seemed to consider it before she nodded. “Fine.”

Rapunzel held up her pinky. “Pinky swear.”

“Rapunzel, we’re not 5.”

“Just do it.” Cassandra sighed and hooked their pinkies, sealing the deal.

But then Cassandra smirked. “But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna make it easy on you.”

“Yeah, well, two can play at that game.”

“Sure, sure,” Cassandra responded with a smirk, already planning to win.

“You forget that I’m just as stubborn as you are.”

“We’ll see~,” Cassandra said in a sing-song voice but trailed her hands up Rapunzel’s hips slowly. The princess tensed but otherwise pushed her hands away, huffing in the process.

Cassandra smirked but then she chuckled. “We should probably start heading back though. Don’t want to leave Nova alone with Carina for too long.”

Rapunzel groaned. “Do we have too?”

“Yes, we have to. It’s getting dark.”

Rapunzel groaned a second time and sat up, wincing slightly in the process. “Fine.” She grabbed Cassandra’s clothes and threw them at her, making the warrior laugh. Rapunzel grabbed her own and they both started to get dressed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Rapunzel and Cassandra walked hand-in-hand back to their Caravan. They were met with Fidella neighing a hi to them. Rapunzel gently rubbed her snout. “Hey girl, everything all good? No problems?” The horse snorted, confirming that there was nothing to worry about. Cassandra gave the horse an apple before they both went inside and what they saw stopped them in their tracks.

Carina was passed out on their couch, Nova cuddled on top of her. “Huh,” Rapunzel whispered. “Look at that. She does have a heart.” Rapunzel turned towards Cassandra. “Should we just leave them?”

Cassandra seemed to consider it before shrugging. “Yeah, let’s let them rest.” Rapunzel nodded before spotting a blanket on the end of the couch. Rapunzel picked it up and draped it over both of them with a gentle motherly touch. Cassandra smirked and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Look who’s starting to warm up.”

Rapunzel huffed and gave her a half-glare. “I did it for Nova. Not her.” She walked past her to head to their bedroom.

Cassandra rolled her eyes with a smile, knowing full well that Rapunzel’s soft and caring heart couldn’t even resist someone like Carina for very long. Cassandra followed the princess to the bedroom. Cassandra gently shut the door as Rapunzel pretty much plopped onto the bed, hugging the pillow in the process.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow. “Tired much?”

Rapunzel just made a grumbling sound. Cassandra chuckled and switched off the light before climbing into bed next to her half-asleep, slightly grumpy wife. Cassandra didn’t know where the sudden switch in attitude came from but she rolled her eyes and pulled the princess into her body, spooning her from behind. Knowing Rapunzel well, Cassandra knew the princess couldn’t resist cuddles. And she was right. Rapunzel, although Cass could tell that she tried not to, immediately cuddled into the warrior and placed her hands over Cassandra’s which were wrapped around her stomach.

Cassandra placed a small kiss on her shoulder and laid her cheek against the top of her head. “I love you, grumpy.”

Rapunzel grumbled but otherwise replied: “I love you too.” Cassandra couldn’t help but smile as she dug her face into her hair as she smelled her natural scent that she loved so much.

“...And thank you. Really. For… everything today.”

Although she thought she wouldn’t, Rapunzel responded: “...You deserve it, Cass. And so much more.” Cassandra smiled and pulled her closer into a protective hold. Rapunzel let out a contented sigh as she cuddled deeper into the warriors' arms. It wasn’t long before both women fell soundly asleep in each other’s arms.