Romance Fan Fiction ❯ Enemy of the Stars (A Stars Above Sequel) ❯ Chapter 20: Cherish Every Moment ( Chapter 20 )

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

Once Rapunzel and Cassandra stepped through the door, something changed in the air. It felt as if a big weight was suddenly lifted off of their shoulders. While they were beyond the other side of the door, the place made them feel dazed, confused, and lost, even in the sewer system as well. But on this side of the door, the air was lighter and less… suffocating. “Woah, it is so much easier to breathe out here,” The princess suddenly said, taking a deep inhale of much-needed fresh air. After all, she had been in there for a couple of days. She didn't even know that the air in there was as stuffy as it was. Cassandra nodded in agreement.

 

“Only proves that he was using an illusion to keep us there.” The warrior turned to the princess. “So, what do we do now?”

 

Rapunzel gave her a sheepish smile. “Uh,” She responded hesitantly. “To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to be able to convince you to come this far.” 

 

Cassandra fixed her with a deadpan expression. “So you mean to tell me that you scolded me then dragged me out here and now were heading towards a blood-thirsty demon and his lunatic girlfriend and you don’t even have a plan?” The warrior shook her head. “And you say you want to be included in the decision-making.” The warrior shot her a teasing grin to show her that she wasn’t really serious. Well, she was about the first part, but in the second part, she was only teasing her.

 

Rapunzel huffed and shoved her, making Cassandra snicker. “Plans are usually your thing,” 

 

“That's because someone has to come up with a plan. You usually run head-first into danger, no questions asked, without thinking about the consequences." 

 

Rapunzel shot her a half-glare but it was still playful. “You have no room to talk this time, 'Mrs. I’m going to take on a demon that has dark magical powers with only a sword and not listen to my wife who warned me about the place in the first place. Multiple times, in fact. And yet, you called me 'dramatic' and didn't listen to a word I said. You rushed forward with a second thought and almost got yourself killed." She said maybe a little too bitterly. 

 

Cassandra couldn't help but wince at that one. “You’re never gonna let me live that down, huh?”

 

“No,” Rapunzel responded, her teeth clenched. “We could’ve avoided all of this if you had just listened to me.” 

 

“Maybe but then we would have never known about the women and children that are stuck here.”

 

“Just a second ago, you were so keen on leaving them behind, so you don’t get to use that.” 

 

“But am I wrong?” The warrior smirked in triumph when Rapunzel tried to argue only for her to realize that she was 100% right. Rapunzel looked away and mumbled a couple of curse words under her breath. 

 

“Just shush and let’s get this over with,” The princess said, grabbing her hand once more and started to drag her again. Cassandra chuckled but otherwise followed. 

 

They walked for a bit before coming to another hallway. As soon as they reached said hallway, something about made it feel ominous and.. off. Both women could feel it as they shared a worried look. But they pushed forward anyway because they had no choice. The farther they walked, the more the hallway seemed to stretch. They didn't even realize when fog started to surround them but when it started to fill the room, Cassandra finally said something. 

 

“Raps, I think we should go back. Something about this doesn't feel right.” But she received no response. She looked to her side and realized that the princess wasn’t there. Cassandra stopped in alarm. “Rapunzel?” She called out but she still received no response. “Rapunzel!” Nothing. “No, no, no, no, no… not again, please not again..” The warrior panicked in her mind before she started to frantically search for the princess in the blinding fog. 

 

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“Cassandra?” Rapunzel called out only to receive no response. A second prior, she realized that the warrior wasn’t with her anymore. How did they get separated again? The princess started to frantically search before she saw a familiar silhouette not too far ahead of her. A smile formed on her face as she let out a sigh of relief. “Cass!” She yelled, running up to the warrior. She had her back turned. She started walking towards the warrior. “You had me worried for a sec,” The princess said. “I really th-”

 

“It’s all your fault,” Rapunzel heard the warrior respond in almost a whisper.

 

“I- What?” She asked in confusion, stopping in alarm. 

 

Suddenly, the warrior spun around and Rapunzel gasped at the sight of her, her eyes widened. Cassandra had blood running down her head, her clothes were drenched in blood, almost her entire body was covered in blood, scratches, and dirt… and she held her arm tightly against her chest. Rapunzel got a good look at it and she backed up in alarm. Her entire arm was nearly burnt to a crisp. 

 

“C-Cass, what-”

 

“You did this,” The warrior spat venomously.

 

“W-What? No, I would neve-” 

 

“Why do you not want me mommy?” Another voice suddenly wrung out. Rapunzel spun around to see her daughter. Her young daughter… who was also holding a tiny charred arm close to her body. Rapunzel slapped a hand to her mouth in horror. “Why do you want to hurt me? What did I do?” The little girl's voice shook, her eyes full of tears, fear, and pain. 

 

"Y-You didn't do anything, sweetheart. B-But I-I would nev-”

 

“Oh but that’s what’s going to happen,” She heard another voice. She tensed. She knew that voice, she hated that voice. Her ‘daughter’ and ‘Cassandra’ suddenly disappeared and left in their place was Azriel walking towards her. “If you stay alive, that is.”

 

“I would never hurt my family.” Rapunzel hissed. “I can control my powers just fine.” 

 

Azriel smirked. “Can you?” He started to walk around her, his arms behind his back. Rapunzel kept her guard up and watched him circle her, her eyes following his every move. “Because you don’t even know where your new ‘powers’ came from, much less how to truly control them.”

 

“Don’t underestimate me,” Rapunzel narrowed her eyes.

 

Azriel suddenly stopped in front of her, an evil smirk plaguing his lips. “Oh honey, it’s me who you shouldn’t underestimate.” With a flick of his wrist, Rapunzel’s wristband that was withholding her powers suddenly broke. She was confused as to why he would do this but that confusion didn’t last long. Azriel snapped his fingers and the shadow with red eyes appeared. Rapunzel tensed. The red-eyed shadow started to stare into her soul and she stared back. She couldn’t look away. Her gaze was stuck.

 

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“Rapunzel!” Cassandra yelled for like the 30th time. She was about to yell her name again but she heard a voice in the distance. 

 

“Cass?” 

 

Cassandra perked up and started to follow where the voice came from. A sudden silhouette appeared not too far in front of her but the fog was hiding who it was. It only became apparent when Cassandra got close enough to recognize the silhouette. “Raps? Is that you?” She asked, walking towards the person. The closer she got, the more the fog started to lift around her. Then lone behold, there was the princess. Cassandra smiled in relief. “There you are!” She fixed her with a confused look. “Where’d you go?”

 

“I’m sorry,” Rapunzel responded but something about her voice seemed… unfamiliar? Cassandra shook her head and ignored it. It was probably just her imagination. “I must’ve got distracted and lost you in the fog.”

 

Cassandra rolled her eyes with a small smile. “Sounds about right.” She grabbed Rapunzel’s hand. “Now come on, we need to-”

 

“Wait, Cass,” The princess suddenly said. Cassandra looked back at her in confusion. There was no time for waiting, they needed to get this done as quickly as possible and get the hell out of there. 

 

“What is it?”

 

“It’s just…” Suddenly, Rapunzel wrapped her arms around her neck and pressed her body flushed against hers. “...I missed you so much.”

 

“I, uh…” Cassandra responded hesitantly. What had gotten into her all of a sudden? She knew that the princess was affectionate but now was probably the worst time to act on those feelings. “...missed you too. But I thought we already went over that?”

 

Rapunzel nodded. “I needed to say it again,” She whispered before the princess suddenly went on her tippy toes and slowly started to push her backward until her back hit a wall. Her lips brushed over hers as the princess ran her hands sensually down Cassandra’s shoulders. Cass stiffened. Something about this didn’t seem right… It didn’t feel right. 

 

“Uh, Rapunzel, I don’t really think now is the time for this…” Cassandra responded hesitantly, a light blush on her cheeks, as she turned her head away from her lips.

 

The princess pouted. “Why not?” She asked. “I just want to show you how much I love you…” Rapunzel mumbled, slipping her hands under her shirt.

 

Cassandra stiffened again. Her hands felt… cold and not like the warmth she usually felt whenever Rapunzel touched her. It conflicted the warrior. "But what about the people?”

 

The princess gave her a confused expression, her eyes blank as she tilted her head. “People? What people?”

 

“....The people who we're supposed to be saving?”

 

Rapunzel’s eyes opened wide in realization. “Oh, right, those people!” 

 

“....What people did you think I was talking about?”

 

Rapunzel gave her a suggestive grin as she slipped her hands even farther up her shirt. “I guess I just got distracted…” She purred, her voice sultry as the princess seemingly ran her hands over her toned abs. While usually when Rapunzel did that it got her excited and sent lightning bolts spreading throughout her body but for some reason… it didn’t this time. Actually, it disgusted her and that caught her off guard. “We can worry about the people later, right now…” She pushed her hands even farther up.

 

“Raps, we- Wait,” Cassandra paused. “Hold on, say that again.”

 

Rapunzel gave her a confused expression. “Say what again?”

 

“The thing you said before.” 

 

“The part where I got distracted?”

 

“After that. The thing you said about the people.” 

 

Rapunzel’s eyes turned suggestive again. She trailed her hands even farther up, now just barely under her breasts. “I said let’s worry about the people later…” The princess smirked. “And have some fun.”

 

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed. Before she could trail her hands even farther up, Cassandra grabbed them roughly and pushed her away. “You are not Rapunzel.” The warrior said confidently, unleashing her sword and pointing it at the imposter.

 

‘Rapunzel’ tilted her head ‘innocently’. “What? Nonsense, of course I am. You’re probably just tired love, after all you did get stabbed.” ‘She’ tried to walk towards her again but Cassandra held up her sword and pressed the tip of it to her chest. ‘Rapunzel’ immediately stopped.

 

Her eyes narrowed even more. “Rapunzel would never put others second, especially where it concerns saving them. Not even for me." She hissed.

 

‘Rapunzel’s’ eyes suddenly changed. They went from innocent to dark to evil in a matter of seconds. “Fine, you caught me.” The imposter said, turning back to their normal self. And who was it? The queen, of course.

 

“Ah, so you show your true colors,” Cassandra spat, pressing her sword even harder into her chest, drawing a little blood. She had her pinned. “Did you really think that I was gonna fall for that?” 

 

The queen suddenly smirked. “No,” She responded honestly. “But you weren't supposed to anyway.” Before Casandra could ask what the hell that meant, an explosion could be heard not too far away. The fog around her started to dissipate completely and the queen jumped away the moment Cassandra was distracted. The warrior spun around towards where the sound came from and her eyes widened at what she saw. 

 

The red-eyed shadow was staring into Rapunzel’s eyes, locking her in place. Cassandra could already tell that she was losing control because the surrounding area was surrounded by deafening wind and the ground beneath her turned to ash. Azriel just stood there, smirking. “No,” Cassandra whispered before she started to run toward the princess. Shadow people tried to stop her but she was able to get around them, or rather, through them. She wasn’t able to get too close to Rapunzel though because the ground beneath the princess and even farther than that started to turn ash black. It looked like the power was reflecting on the ground and spreading throughout the area. The more Rapunzel started to lose control, the farther it spread. So, if she got too close, if she touched it… she would be a goner.

 

“Rapunzel!” She yelled over the deafening wind. The princess didn’t even consider her. She couldn’t look away from the red-eyed shadow. Dammit, she needed to get to her. She tried to run forward anyway and take the chance only for the queen to suddenly appear in front of her, bringing her to a quick halt. 

 

“I don’t think so,” The queen said darkly, holding up her generally large sword. Cassandra narrowed her eyes and raised her sword as well, not even the littlest bit intimidated even though the queen was trying so hard to do so.

 

“Get out of my way!” Cassandra shouted with clenched teeth. “I need to-”

 

“Wither and decay,” Cassandra heard the words that she hated most over the deafening wind. Her eyes widened as she looked past the queen. Rapunzel slowly stood up, her eyes completely black, and her hair in the same state. Green-like veins ran throughout her hair. “End this destiny…”

 

“Rapunzel!” Cassandra yelled and tried to run toward her again, only to be kicked in the stomach, causing her to fly backward and collide into a wall, knocking the air out of her. Cassandra groaned when she hit the wall as her body slowly slid down it. Once she hit the floor again, she fell to her knees and wiped her mouth, only for blood to come back on her hand. Cassandra looked down at her midsection and could see a dark red patch starting to form under her bandages. “Shit…” She mumbled. The queen reopened her wounds. She didn’t have time to think about it because the queen started to walk towards her again, coming out of the fog like a true villain, her eyes dark and menacing. Cassandra tried to get up but the pain in her stomach was overwhelming so she fell back to her knees. 

 

The warrior quickly looked around for her sword and realized that it was only a couple of feet away. But there was no way that she'd be able to move fast enough to get to it because she could barely move. She looked up only to see the queen stopping directly in front of her, successfully trapping Cassandra between her and a wall. She scooted back as far as she could only to be slapped across the face. Cassandra struggled to get up as she growled but the queen beat her to it and picked her up by her shirt before throwing her back down. She laughed. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment,” She said with a dark tone, raising her sword above Cassandra. “I’m surely going to enjoy this.”  Cassandra tensed and waited for the inevitable. 

 

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Rapunzel eventually was able to squeeze her eyes shut to try and stop the transformation but it was no use. The shadow had complete control over her. She felt herself coming to her feet, she felt the power surge through her. She couldn’t control her body or her movements. And then she started to repeat the words she hated most. “Wither and decay,” She said, her voice emotionless. Rapunzel couldn’t control her body but she was still in a conscious enough state to realize what was going on which was new. Unlike before, where she went into a complete trance and lost herself entirely, now she could see and hear what was happening. But she didn't know if that was a blessing or a curse. She was watching herself get ready to do horrible things and she could do nothing about it. 

 

Azriel smirked. “Yeah, that’s it,” The demon said with an evil grin. 

 

“...end this destiny..” The princess rephrased the same incantation over and over again. She could see the ground below her start to turn black. It wasn’t long before she felt her mind slipping too. She tried everything not to give in to the darkness but it was just too strong. Although the shadow still had complete control over her, the princess could see an oddly shaped key placed at Azriel’s hip. That was it. But how to regain control and grab it was a whole other problem.

 

She tried her absolute best to stay in control but it was no use. She could feel herself slipping… slipping into the darkness, slipping away from her mind… She vaguely heard Cassandra scream her name over the deafening wind. “I’m so sorry Cass, I’m not strong enough.” Rapunzel thought, squeezing her eyes shut as tears came to them.

 

Azriel smirked. “Almost there… let the darkness consume you, princess. Finally give in and claim your destiny!" The shadow’s eyes glowed brighter and brighter…. And Rapunzel could feel herself slipping even farther into the darkness. Any second now and she would lose all control completely and be a mindless toy for Azriel to use to his heart's desire. She felt herself start to give in, she felt the power consuming her; she felt it surging throughout her body. The memory of Cassandra, her friends, Nova slowly started to fade from her mind…

 

But then she heard a scream. A familiar scream and her mind immediately started to come back to her as the princess snapped her eyes open in alarm; searching around from where the scream came from. She could barely see anything due to the shadows circling her, the wind surrounding her, the fog, and her slipping mind… but barely, through the shadows and the fog, she saw Cassandra, the queen approaching her slowly, sword in hand. Rapunzel panicked. Why wasn’t she getting up? She was gripping her stomach tightly, blood running down from her mouth as she glared at the queen.

 

"Cass..." She said weakly and was surprised to realize that it came out of her mouth instead of just in her mind. 

 

“What?” Azriel asked in alarm. The black started to disappear from her eyes and her hair started to return to its normal mocha-brown state. Azriel snapped his head towards the shadow. “More!” The shadow’s eyes narrowed in response as their eyes glowed so bright, it illuminated the area. And just like that, Rapunzel felt herself slipping once more. She needed to regain control. She needed to focus. She could do this, people were counting on her. She was strong enough.

 

She closed her eyes and ignored everything around her. For a moment, the sound of the wind disappeared and so did the deathly battle before her. It was silent. She took a couple of deep breaths and thought about everything - everyone - that she loved; she thought of what she was fighting for. Memories of her and Cass since the very beginning began to fill her mind; all the pain, the heartache, the fun, the memorable moments, the endless nights of warmth, protection, and passion… 

 

Then she remembered her friends, her family, from Corona and she remembered Nova. She remembered her new friends that she's made since they started this journey together. As memories of her loved ones filled her mind, a slow smile formed on her face. She focused on that for a second and kept holding onto those thoughts. Then slowly, the sounds of wind and the raging battle filled her ears once more as her mind started to come back to herself. She snapped her eyes open and Azriel was surprised to see that they weren't normal, they were still pitch black, but there was complete recognition in them.

 

Azriel backed up in alarm and he signaled his shadow to try even harder, making it’s eyes glowing impossibly bright, but as long as she had such memories flowing throughout her brain, the red-eyed shadows attempt was useless. “What? But how is that possible??” Azriel asked in disbelief. “I showed you-” 

 

“I don’t care what you showed me,” The princess responded, her voice dark and threatening. In the corner of her eye, she could see the queen gaining on the warrior, just inches away from her, who was still struggling to get up. She saw the queen strike her and she saw red as she looked at Azriel with venom and fire burning through her eyes. “You think you know me,” Rapunzel said slowly. “But you don’t.”

 

Azriel’s surprised expression turned into a smirk. “And you do?” Azriel responded, using her insecurities to his advantage like he always did. But the jab didn’t work this time. 

 

“No,” Rapunzel said honestly. “But I know that this isn’t who I am.” Rapunzel clenched her teeth. Although the princess knew that she couldn’t hold control for very long, she knew that she could do one thing before the shadow regained control over her: She blasted Azriel backward, which caused a horrified, pain-filled scream to leave him.

 

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The queen's eyes snapped up upon hearing her lover scream. She turned towards the area in concern only to see Azriel be blasted into a wall by the princess, a crack echoing throughout the corridors. Cassandra took the momentary distraction to reach as far as she could to grab her sword. Thankfully, eventually, she felt her hand grip the handle so she quickly forced herself to her feet, wincing in the process, before running her sword straight through her stomach. The queen's eyes snapped back to hers in surprise, her eyes wide, as she gurgled blood.

 

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Azriel glared at the princess, holding onto his now ash-burnt stomach. “You’re gonna pay for that!” Azriel responded darkly, an anger in his eyes that Rapunzel had never seen on him since he's been chasing them. But before he could attack… he heard something in the distance. Snapping his eyes in that direction, he watched as the warrior impaled his love, his eyes going impossibly wide.

 

“No!” He screamed and by doing so, his power over the shadows lost concentration and Rapunzel was able to free herself. She could still feel the power surging through her but it was slowly disappearing. So before it completely disappeared, she blasted Azriel backward once more and he hit a wall again, this time causing him to drop the key that Rapunzel saw at his hip earlier. He rubbed his sore head as blood ran down it and he glared at the princess. He tried to get up but Rapunzel trapped him in a barricade of black rocks. How? She did not know considering she thought that was only a power for the moonstone. But she didn't dwell on it. Perhaps it was just the author too lazy to actually come up with a different power strike at the moment. 

 

The power was zapped from the princess soon after as her eyes and hair turned to normal. She staggered, using so much power plus her injuries causing her to almost pass out, but she steadied herself and quickly grabbed the key. Azriel struggled to escape and knowing that he was a demon, Rapunzel knew that it was only a matter of time before he did. Rapunzel quickly ran over to Cassandra, wincing with every movement, and helped her to her feet. The princess and the warrior didn’t share any words, just quick concerned glances for each other, as they started running like crazy. They reached the door they came in through and swung it open. They were both surprised to see that the walls and hallways were normal, and the air was normal as well.

 

“You must’ve broken his illusion,” Cassandra said and Rapunzel’s heart clenched at her raspy, wheezed breathing. But she knew that there was nothing they could do about it now. They needed to grab the prisoners and leave. 

 

“Makes it easier for us,” Rapunzel responded quickly before grabbing her hand and took off running again. Once they got close to the door, Rapunzel yelled: “Juniper!” Immediately, the little girl appeared in the doorway. “We need to get out of here now, get everyone ready, and let’s go!” Juniper didn’t say anything but she nodded and jumped down. 

 

Rapunzel quickly unlocked the door and the lock clattered to the floor before an unseen force field slowly disappeared from around the doorway and she swung it open. Both of their hearts clenched at how truly horrible the women and children looked. It was a lot worse than how it seemed when looking through the window. Rapunzel and Cassandra quickly rushed the group as some of them helped the others. “Go down the hall, turn right, then look down. There’s a sewer system that’ll lead to the outside. Head towards the trees, my horse is waiting there. Wait there for us.” Cassandra instructed the women and children that were well enough to get out without them. They nodded. Now that the illusion was broken, Cassandra knew exactly how to get out of there. With that, the women and children started to make their way down the hall, each limping and barely standing but they pushed through. 

 

The warrior and princess were about to leave too when they heard Juniper’s voice. “Come on, you gotta get up!” Juniper cried, shaking an older-looking woman. She had the most scars and looked the worst out of all of them. She definitely looked like she had been there for a long, long time.

 

“Just go on deary, get out of here. Go home.” The older woman said kindly, giving Juniper a kind, pained smile. 

 

“No! I am not leaving you!”

 

Juniper’s panicked eyes turned towards Rapunzel and Cassandra. “Please, you gotta help her!” Juniper cried. Rapunzel rushed forward to help but of course, Cassandra hesitated. The woman was a decent size… it would take both of them to carry her out, maybe all three of them and that’s to say if their injuries even allowed them to do so. They’d never make it out in time. Rapunzel bent down and placed a soft hand on the little girl’s back. Tears were streaming down the poor kid's face. “Please, she’s been here for 30 years. She deserves to go home too.” Juniper said softly, her voice panicked. 

 

The older woman placed a hand on the side of Juniper’s face and smiled. “It’s alright sweetheart, this old hag has had a good run. I'll only slow you down. Get out of here and live your life.” 

 

Juniper shook her head quickly. “No! I am not leaving you! You can’t stop fighting now! Not when we're so close to being free again!”

 

The old woman’s face dropped. “There’s no point dear, there’s no one out there for me anymore anyway.”

 

“Y-You have me!” Juniper argued. “A-And my momma! She’ll let you stay with us! We’ll be your family!”

 

The old woman gave her a saddened smile. “That’s sweet Juni but it’s already too late for me. If I go with you, there's a chance y'all won't even make it out in time." 

 

“I’ll help you!” Juniper responded as she tried to get the woman to her feet. Rapunzel tried too but the older woman immediately let out a pained yelp and fell back to the floor. She was too heavy.

 

She was panting. “I’m sorry Juni, I can’t.” 

 

“N-No! You gotta fight! Please, come on!” As Juniper and the older woman argued and Juniper tried everything to get her to get up, Rapunzel looked back and met Cassandra’s eye contact. She begged her with her eyes, seeing the hesitance in her own.

 

“Please…” Although Rapunzel could see her determination and hesitance hold strong, the warrior eventually sighed and walked towards them.

 

The warrior walked forward as she bent down next to the princess. “Like I said before, everyone is getting out of here.” The princess gave Cassandra an appreciative smile which the warrior rolled her eyes to, clearly aggravated by this change of events. 

 

“I can’t walk dear,” The older woman said, her voice weak.

 

“I know,” Cassandra responded. “Come on.” Cassandra bent down towards the woman.

 

The older woman shook her head. “I’ll only slow you down.”

 

Cassandra gave her a determined look. “No one’s getting left behind.” She repeated, her eyes slightly harsh and demanding. "Not if I can help it. You were promised that we were going to save you guys and if one gets saved, you all do. We’re one for all and all for one." She narrowed her eyes. “Now get on before we all die.” Even Cassandra’s demanding attitude made the older women slowly nod. 

 

She tried to get onto the warrior’s back but it was much too painful and she was too weak to raise herself. “Raps, help her.”

Rapunzel was about to do just that but then she noticed how even with the slightest bit of pressure, how Cassandra winced and wheezed (even though she tried to hide it). “Cass, maybe I sho-”

 

Cassandra snapped her head and glared daggers at her, very clearly aggravated with Rapunzel that they were actually doing this instead of just running away. “Just do it and let’s go.” She said through clenched teeth. The princess knew that when she used that tone with her, it was best to do what she said and not argue. Especially not now of all times.

 

Sighing, she placed one arm around the older woman’s torso and helped her onto the warrior’s back. Once she was on and secure, Cassandra got to her feet, almost nearly falling back down in the process as she took a deep inhale of breath at the shooting pain the added weight brought. Juniper nor the older woman didn’t seem to notice considering Cassandra tried to hide it but Rapunzel did. 

 

“Cassandra, seriously, you shouldn-'' The warrior completely shrugged her off and ignored her, immediately walking ahead and out of the room. Rapunzel sighed and followed after them.

 

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Azriel finally escaped from the rock prison. Instead of going after his nemesis, he ran towards the barely alive woman laying on the floor in a puddle of her own blood. Azriel quickly picked her up in her arms. 

 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Azriel said quickly, placing his hand on her cheek. “Stay with me, Ky.” He responded, saying her name for the first time, or at least part of it. 

 

The queen looked up at him with dull, distant eyes. She raised her bloody hand towards him. She looked like she wanted to say something but suddenly, her hand fell and she took her very last breath. “Ky?” Azriel called out, shaking her. Nothing. “Kyra?!” He tried to shake her awake but she remained motionless. “Don’t you dare leave me!” But it was already too late. She was gone. Azriel held her close, his eyes covered by his hair. He bared his teeth as he squeezed her tightly. With that, he let out an ear-deafening scream; the surrounding area around him exploded into black shadows, the ground below him turned to dust, showing the true extent of his powers.

 

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They ran as fast as their injuries and the heavy women upon Cassandra’s back could let them. Azriel would be no doubt almost free by now if he wasn’t already. They found the sewer sealing which was already open and jumped down. They ran like their lives depended on it, which it did. They eventually reached the exit, which consisted of climbing up a ladder. “Alright, Juniper, you go first. Go grab some of the women to help carry her to where the rest of the group is located. Rapunzel, you go after Juniper and help pull her up.”

 

Both Juniper and Rapunzel nodded. Just like she was told, Juniper went first and immediately started booking it towards the trees. Rapunzel went next and reached down. Cassandra lifted the older woman as best as she could. She struggled but it proved to be enough as Rapunzel pulled her up and as soon as she did, Juniper came back with some of the larger members of the group. They immediately grabbed the older woman and took her away. “Okay, now you,” Rapunzel said, reaching her hand out toward Cassandra.

 

Cassandra reached up and grabbed it but as soon as she tried to pull herself up, she let out a pained yelp as a shooting pain shot throughout her body, and she let go of Rapunzel’s hand, staggering. “Cass?” Rapunzel asked worriedly only for the warrior to fall to her knees. “Cassandra!” She jumped down, immediately kneeling in front of her.

 

“Hey, aren’t you two coming??” Juniper asked, peering down. 

 

“Just go without us!” Rapunzel yelled back up. “There’s a cave just up the way. They won’t be able to reach you there. You think you can find it?” How the hell Rapunzel even remembered that, she didn’t know. Juniper nodded. “Good. Lead the others there.”

 

“But-”

 

“Just go!” Rapunzel yelled and Juniper immediately nodded and ran off. 

 

Cassandra groaned and almost fell forward if not for Rapunzel catching her. “Woah, woah, hey, Cass, I got you.” The princess said, leaning Cassandra against the wall. That’s when she saw her entire midsection covered in red. Shit, her queen did open her wound and it had been bleeding for quite some time now… 

 

“Raps, you need to get out of here,” Cassandra said weakly.

 

Rapunzel snapped her eyes up to meet hers. “Don’t even try that because you know for a fact that I'm not going to leave you behind."

 

“I can’t walk Rapunzel,” Cassandra argued. Before Rapunzel could respond, a distant scream could be heard. A horror-filled scream. Cassandra knew that scream… she knew because she had screamed the same scream once. A scream full of pain and heartache… a scream full of horror… she knew it well. She also knew the untamed rage that came with it. “R-Rapunzel, you need to get out of here…!”

 

“I am not leaving you! Like you said, everyone is getting out of here and that includes you!” Rapunzel shouted back. She would carry the warrior but she knew that she wasn't strong enough to pull herself up and Cassandra. “You need to get up!”

 

“I can’t-”

 

Rapunzel glared at her. “Yes, you can. You can beat this, come on,” She tried to lift Cassandra only for the warrior to let out a pained yelp and she fell back down. The pain was just too bad.

 

“I-I’m sorry, Rapunzel, I-I can’t... I’m... I’m not strong enough…” 

 

Rapunzel huffed and tightly gripped her shoulders, her eyes angry and determined but Cassandra could also see fear and desperation hidden in her golden-green hues. “Listen to me, Cassandra,” She started, her voice harsh. “We did not fight so hard for you to give up now. Nova is not going to lose a parent. She’s not gonna lose either of us, not if I can help it. I refuse to let you quit now. Now, get your ass up, push through it, and let’s go!” Not used to Rapunzel talking to her like that, Cassandra nodded weakly and slowly started to push herself up, wincing and groaning with every move. 

 

“There you go,” Rapunzel said as she slowly got to her feet with her, her arms around her to help her. “You can do it, Cass, that's my girl.” The warrior was panting but otherwise got herself to her feet. She grabbed onto the ladder with shaky, bloody hands and slowly started to climb. The princess followed behind her to make sure she didn’t fall. As soon as both women reached the top, a strange blast of shadows filled the tunnels below them; the entire place was covered in complete darkness. 

 

Not wanting to find out what that meant or how close Azriel really was, Rapunzel placed an arm around the warrior’s waist as Cassandra instinctively placed an arm around her shoulders. They both quickly rushed away from the prison towards Fidella. As soon as they were far enough, a blast of black flew out the windows, blowing the place to pieces. Neither wasted a single second as Rapunzel helped Cassandra onto Fidella and then off they went. Rapunzel directed the horse towards the hidden cave where she told Juniper to lead the others too. And thankfully, they were all there. Rapunzel led the horse in there with a barely conscious Cassandra. “Someone help me!” She yelled, panicked.

 

The women immediately jumped into action and helped the warrior down. They placed her gently against the wall and moved back as Rapunzel quickly got in front of her. She unwrapped her bandages with shaky hands and gasped at how bad the wound really was. She pressed a rag to it to stop the bleeding but it wouldn’t stop. But what worried her the most was the fact that Cassandra barely responded to the rag being placed on her clearly painful stab wound. “I-It’s not stopping,” Rapunzel said quickly, tears coming to her eyes. Cassandra’s eyes were slowly losing light, they were slowly losing life. They were going dull, barely even focused on her. Rapunzel grabbed her cheeks, causing Cass to snap her eyes open more in alarm but almost immediately, they slowly started to close again. 

 

“Come on Cass, you need to stay with me.” She whispered. Cassandra didn’t respond, her eyes were dull as they stared back at her. But she could tell that they weren’t staring at her… but rather through her. “Somebody help! Please!” She cried, looking at the group of women, begging and panicking for someone, anyone to help. They all shared guilty expressions, no one knowing what to do.

 

But one woman thankfully stepped forward. “I’m a doctor,” She said. “...Or at least I was.” She quickly rushed towards them and knelt in front of the rapidly fading warrior. She inspected the wound. “How is she even alive?” She asked the princess, wincing at how major the wound is. 

 

“Because she’s strong and she’s going to stay strong,” Rapunzel responded, shooting a glare toward Cassandra. Cassandra vaguely heard her as her vision started to blur. “C-Can you help her?”

 

Thankfully, the women nodded. “I need supplies, I’m gonna need to stitch the wound. Immediately.”

 

Rapunzel quickly nodded and ran towards Fidella. She grabbed the first aid kit and ran back to her. “H-Here,” She handed her the first aid kit, hoping it would be enough. 

 

The woman took it and opened it. Thankfully, there was a needle and medical thread but unfortunately, there was no medicine to block out the pain. She sighed before she looped the string through the needle. “Alright princess, I’m gonna need you to keep her awake, okay? And make sure she stays still. There’s nothing here to block out the pain so try to keep her distracted and her attention off of what I'm doing.” 

 

Rapunzel nodded and sat down next to the warrior. “H-Hey Cass,” Rapunzel said softly. Her half-open, distant eyes thankfully snapped to hers. Rapunzel resisted the urge to just break down crying, she needed to stay calm. The women immediately got to work once Cassandra was distracted. “I’m gonna need you to do me another favor, okay? I’m gonna need you to stay awake and keep talking to me.”

 

Cassandra let out a weak chuckle. “Always asking for favors…” She mumbled, her voice weak, pained, and barely above a whisper. But it was the first thing she had said since she collapsed so Rapunzel took it as a good thing. 

 

Rapunzel’s heart clenched in fear but she kept herself calm anyway. She needed to stay calm. She smiled at the warrior as best as she could given the circumstances and sat completely next to her, laying her own back against the wall as she grasped her hand. “I know, I know,” She responded. “But this is the last one, I promise.”

 

Cassandra let out another amused smile, her eyes closing ever so slightly. “I seriously doubt that…” She mumbled, her words almost incomprehensible. 

 

Rapunzel shook her gently again which caused her eyes to reopen once more. “P-Probably not,” She stuttered and continued anyway, trying to keep her emotions in check while she tried to keep her talking. Fear gripped her heart because Cassandra was barely awake and was quickly losing consciousness. It was becoming increasingly harder to keep herself calm and her voice steady. “B-But, hey, when we get back… We’ll make up for the time that was lost these last couple of days, okay? But you need to stay with me and stay alive. Can you do that for me?”

 

“For you?” Cassandra asked weakly before saying with a weak smile: "Anything.” Rapunzel smiled at her and pressed a kiss to the top of her hand. 

 

“Everything is gonna be okay, okay? You’re gonna be just fine.” She then glared at her. “You cannot stop fighting, you hear me?”

 

Cassandra nodded, her words starting to slur. “...I’ll always fight for you..” She mumbled.

 

“I-I know, I know. But you gotta fight for yourself too, alright?” Cassandra didn't respond but she weakly nodded. Rapunzel kept talking to Cassandra, keeping her awake as best as she could. The warrior continued to respond but with each response, the weaker she sounded and the harder it became to stay awake. The more her sentences became… incomprehensible. But she was staying awake, although barely, just how Rapunzel had asked. The group watched with broken hearts as they watched one of their savers barely hang onto life and the other desperately try to keep her alive. After 20 minutes of this, the lady that was working on Cassandra signaled for the princess to follow her. Rapunzel nodded before she gave Cassandra a sweet smile and moved her bangs aside to press a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

 

“...Uh-huh...” Cassandra responded absentmindedly, her eyes distant, as the princess got up and followed the older woman.

 

“So, is she gonna be okay?” Rapunzel whispered hopefully.

 

The lady gave her a frown. She didn’t like that look. “I’ve done everything that I can." And she definitely hated that sentence. "Whether she survives the night or not is up to her now. But the chances that she’ll even survive…” She trailed off, her voice guilt-filled.

 

Rapunzel’s hopeful look immediately fell. “So, she’s going to die?” She asked, her voice already pained and numb. 

 

“I didn’t say that,” The woman responded. “She’s already survived this far with a wound as bad as that, while moving around, running, and riding a horse. If she can survive all of that, I’m sure she can get through the night.” The woman looked her up and down, taking in her bruised form. “What about you?” 

 

“I’m fine,” Rapunzel mumbled but it only came out in a pained wheeze.

 

“You’re wheezing. That could mean you have broken ribs or something impaled your lung… Or worse.” 

 

The princess slowly shook her head. “I’ll be okay. You should check on all the other women, and yourself, you guys are in even worse shape. Especially that old woman back there,” Rapunzel peered behind the woman to look at the older woman that Juniper was currently fretting over. 

 

The woman fixed her with a concerned look. “Are you sure, princess?”

 

Rapunzel gave her an exhausted smile and directed her attention back toward Cassandra. She was out but she was still breathing. “I’ll be okay as soon as I know that she’s gonna be okay.” The older woman nodded and sighed, understanding that. She knew the feeling. “Come on,” The princess said, smiling at the doctor as they made their way back to the crowd.

 

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

 

The doctor had taken a look at everyone and helped them as best as she could. Most of their injuries couldn’t be treated with the limited supplies that they had but it was enough to keep the ones who were seriously injured alive for the night. Rapunzel had started a fire and all the women and children had sat around it, chatting to each other, smiling and laughing with each other probably for the first time in a long time. But at some point, most of the women passed out from exhaustion and all of the children except Juniper were out as well. 

 

Rapunzel had been chatting with them as well. Ever since the princess sat back down about an hour ago, she scooted against the wall and wrapped her arm around Cassandra so that the warrior was laying her head on her shoulder. She had been sitting like that for the whole hour, gently holding the warrior’s hand in her lap, stroking the top of it gently with her thumb. Cassandra still hadn’t stirred, she remained asleep, but she was still breathing, although it mostly came out in wheezes. But Rapunzel was thankful that she was even breathing.

 

“So, you know our names,” Rapunzel started. “What are yours?” She asked with a sweet smile. 

 

Juniper answered for them as she started counting off her fingers. “Over there are Jewel, Raiske, Leina, Craw, Cory, Charlotte, Zezy, Luara, Iggy, and Zach.” She pointed to all the sleeping children. “And then there’s Raine, Layla, Hect-”

 

“Juni, you don’t need to name everyone.” The older woman gave her a teasing smile. Then she looked back at the princess. “I’m Carla,” She said with a sweet smile.

 

“And I’m Serenity,” The doctor that helped Cassandra chimed in.

Rapunzel gave them both a sweet smile.

 

“It’s really nice to meet you three,” She then looked around. “All of you.”

 

Carla let out a small laugh and something about it seemed so genuine... “It’s us who are happy to meet you two,” She then gave the princess a sweet, exhausted smile. “You did us a great deed, dear.”

 

Rapunzel blushed lightly. “It was just the right thing to do… We couldn’t just leave you there.” She looked down, sighing. “I’ve been in one too many situations like that and I can only imagine the suffering you guys had to go through.” She gave them an empathic look which caused them to look away. She then looked towards Carla. “Juniper said you were there for 30 years…” She signaled to the little girl but when her eyes landed on her, the little girl passed out, laying in Carla's lap.

 

Carla’s sweet smile fell as she nodded. “Indeed I was,” She responded solemnly. 

 

“....And you also said that you had no one waiting for you.” 

 

Carla nodded again. “I’m an orphan,” Carla responded, surprising Rapunzel. “I found the village when I was in my 20’s because Azriel had chosen me as his next ‘victim’.”

 

“...What happened?” Rapunzel asked hesitantly. Carla hesitated, a pained expression filling her face. “Y-You don’t have to ta-”

 

“I wasn’t always alone though,” She continued and Rapunzel stayed quiet. “I had a wife.” She said, a distant, pained smile on her lips. It surprised Rapunzel. When she and Cass began their relationship, the world pretty much disowned them. She couldn’t even imagine what it was like back then… “We had a relationship much like you two, actually,” Carla said with a smile, looking down at the sleeping Cassandra. The warrior let out a small groan and the princess pulled her into her gently so that she was now sitting in her lap. Cassandra immediately nuzzled into her, laying her head against Rapunzel’s chest; letting out a sigh of contentment. Rapunzel gave a small smile and pulled her closer. Carla couldn’t help but smile at the scene but then it fell. “...But..” She trailed off. 

 

“..But?” Rapunzel asked hesitantly. Carla sighed. 

 

“The world didn’t agree with it,” She continued. Rapunzel knew that feeling well. “We were kicked out of our home and we left in search of a new one." She frowned. "It wouldn’t be the first time. After a while, we bumped into Azriel and he told me that he needed me for something. My wife went to protect me.” A pained expression filled her face. “...A-And..”

 

Rapunzel stopped her, getting what she meant. “...Azriel killed her, didn’t he?” She whispered, afraid of the answer, but already knowing it. Carla slowly nodded and Rapunzel’s heart clenched. 

 

“She told me to run,” Carla said, her voice growing desperate. “...And I did. I left her…” The older woman squeezed her hand into a tight fist. “...I left her there to die..” 

 

Rapunzel’s eyes softened as she leaned over and grabbed the older woman’s hand. She gently pushed her hand into hers, uncurling her fist in the process, before holding it  gently in her own hands. “It wasn’t your fault,” She whispered. “If that’s what you think then you’re never going to be able to heal or move forward. She told you to run and you did just that. Her sacrifice wasn’t for nothing.”

 

Carla let out a shaky sigh. “It was for nothing because I got captured anyway, years later, in search of revenge. She shouldn’t have been ‘sacrificed’ in the first place.” The older woman stated, her voice shaking. “She was such an amazing person… kind, loving, compassionate… all the things that I… wasn’t. I begged her to run with meq so we could be together but she told me that she’d find me and everything would be okay. I went back to look for her when she never showed up, once I knew the demon was gone, and…”

 

“...It was already too late.” Rapunzel finished for her, looking down at the sleeping warrior. 

 

Carla nodded. “I tried to save her but her wounds were just too critical.”

 

Rapunzel watched the warrior for a second. The princess eventually looked back up and met Carla’s eye contact. “H-How did you… feel? After she…” She trailed off. She didn’t know what caused her to pose this question. Maybe she wanted to hear what Cass had to go through when she ‘died’ from another point of view; from someone else who went through the same experience. Someone else who… never got their other half back. Or maybe she just wanted to know what it would’ve been like for Cassandra if she had never been brought back to life. Or perhaps it was both. “...Do you still… miss her?”

 

Carla fixed her with a serious, pained expression. “Every day,” She responded softly. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about her.”

 

Rapunzel was unsure about this next question. She didn’t want to bring the woman any more pain than she had already gone through nor offend her but her curiosity got the better of her. “....I-It didn’t... Subside over time? The pain?” 

 

Carla slowly shook her head and answered her question nonetheless with understanding and patience. “When you lose someone that means the world to you,” She started slowly. “You never forget them and you never forget what they meant to you. The pain never leaves. It’s like…" She trailed off, trying to find the words. "...There’s a hole forever engraved into your heart, an emptiness, and no matter what you do or how you move forward, it never gets filled and never gets any easier.” 

 

Rapunzel was looking down at Cassandra with a look of pain. “Is that right…” She mumbled, her expression guilty. How many times did she tell the warrior to just ‘get over it’? And that since they were in the future, her ‘death’ was in the past? How many times did she ridicule the warrior for being over-protective and assertive towards her? How many times had she discarded her feelings about that time, saying that she should just move on? Move forward? How many times over the last couple of years had she yelled at her for fretting over her when she was hurt or sick? How many times had she yelled at her in the last year, calling her selfish only because she was worried about her well-being? How many times had she pushed her away, pushed her aside, or turned her down when she only wanted to be there for her? Too many, that was for sure. The princess’s heart clenched in sorrow and guilt at this realization.

 

Carla knew that look. “It happened to you guys too, didn’t it?” Her question was answered when Rapunzel’s eyes snapped to hers in alarm. “...Who?” 

 

Rapunzel sighed. “Me,” She responded, confusing the people around her. “I was killed a couple of years ago. I jumped in front of Cass and took a blow before dying in her arms.” She said solemnly, rubbing a thumb over her hand in a loving manner. “I was given a second chance,” Rapunzel said, still looking down at Cassandra. “And two months ago, I almost gave that second chance away.”

 

Rapunzel never understood why she was given a second chance to live when people like Carla had to suffer without their loved one. She was given a second chance to live, a second chance to start over. And she almost threw all of that away. She had never felt more guilty in her life. Guilty for always pushing Cassandra’s protective feelings aside; thinking that since she had moved past it, Cassandra needed to as well. Guilty for almost giving up the miracle she was given when Carla had to live forever without her soulmate and so many others just like her. She told the warrior to ‘get over it’ and called her selfish. When in reality, she was the selfish one, wasn’t she?

 

She thought that since it’s been years, Cassandra would be over it by now. Rapunzel barely even remembered it happening. She wasn’t around so she could easily move forward. But Cassandra, on the other hand, had to live days without her and carry a whole kingdom. She had to go through that pain and push forward and kept pushing forward until Zhan Tiri was defeated. 

 

She started to feel even worse upon remembering all the horrible things she had said, and did, to the warrior over the past year. Having to literally pry a knife from her hand, merely seconds away from losing her again… it must’ve been so hard. So traumatizing. And of course, Rapunzel hasn’t heard Cassandra talk about that day much at all. Or how she felt. The last year she’s been so focused on her, to the point where it almost cost Cassandra her life on more than one occasion… The warrior had to lose her.. she had to go on without her... and Rapunzel had been treating her like shit. And even despite that, Cassandra still dropped everything to be there for her when she needed her; even if it meant taking blows that she knew must've hurt. 

 

Rapunzel groaned upon this realization. “God, Cassandra, I’m so sorry…” She mumbled to the warrior despite knowing that she wouldn’t hear her. 

 

“If there’s anything that I’ve learned,” Carla spoke up, making Rapunzel snap her eyes back to her. She forgot that she was even there. “It’s that you can’t focus on what happened or how it happened. You can only focus on what came out of it.”

 

“What do you mean?” Rapunzel asked, genuinely curious.  

 

Carla gave her a small, sorrowful smile. “People make mistakes,” The older woman started. “People make dumb decisions, people have hard times. It’s what makes you human. The only thing that matters is how you rise from it and how you grow. You can either fall,” The older woman paused. “...Or you can stand up, face the day, and treat every day like it’s your last.” Her smile fell. “Because you never truly know when it may be. Death is a scary thing but it’s also a wonder. One day, you can have your loved one with you; talking with them, smiling with them, laughing with them… and the next, they could be gone in a blink of an eye; leaving an empty hole in their place.” She took a shaky breath before giving Rapunzel another smile. 

 

“You need to treasure every moment that you can, make every moment count; make every moment important. Treasure the miracle that you were given and make sure your loved ones know just how much you truly love and appreciate them.” 

 

Rapunzel looked down at Cassandra. She brushed the warrior’s bangs out of her eyes, causing her to cuddle even closer, and Rapunzel couldn't help but let out a smile. “Yeah…” She said softly. “...I think I'm finally starting to understand now."

 

Carla smiled at her. They both noticed that they were the only ones awake. The older woman leaned more against the hard wall, her eyes becoming heavy from exhaustion as they started to close. “Promise me something, Rapunzel.” Rapunzel tilted her head in confusion and slight curiosity and nodded with no hesitation. “Promise me that you’ll cherish every moment. Promise me… that you’ll cherish the miracle that you were given from this point forward. Promise me that you will never give up.” She paused before whispering: “Promise me that you’ll do this for me... And for my wife.” 

 

Rapunzel nodded, looking down at Cassandra again. “I promise.” She then looked up and gave Carla a sweet smile. “And when I promise something, I never break it. Ever.”

 

Carla gave her a sweet smile as her eyes slowly drifted shut. “Good, good…” She said slowly, her voice slurred and… distant. A small smile formed on her lips... “Don’t waste it. Always remember who loves you, Rapunzel, and never take that for granted.” Her eyes drifted shut and she fell into a slumber. 

 

Rapunzel, being the only one awake now, sighed as she held the warrior closer. She put out the fire and after that, she watched Cassandra for a second before saying: “Don’t worry, I’ll never forget that again.” She responded softly before she slowly started to drift asleep herself, her promise to Carla and herself fresh on her mind.

 

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

 

Cassandra groaned as the sunlight hit her face. Her eyes slowly opened as her blurred vision tried to figure out where the hell she was. She realized that she was placed in the princess’s lap, who was still sound asleep. She gently shook the princess awake. “Raps?” She asked, her voice hoarse.

 

“Mmmm..” Rapunzel mumbled before her eyes slowly opened. Her eyes immediately met Cassandra’s and that’s what startled her awake. “You’re alive!” Rapunzel said with a smile as she hugged her close to her, causing a wince to follow from the warrior. Rapunzel loosened her grip but otherwise kept her close, smiling ear-to-ear.

 

Cassandra chuckled. “Of course I am,” She teased. Rapunzel shot her a smile but before they said anything more, they saw the group of women surrounding… something; each having a pained expression on their faces and mumbling words neither could hear. 

 

Rapunzel and Cassandra shared a worried glance before the princess got to her feet, bringing the warrior with her. Cassandra struggled as Rapunzel placed an arm around her waist to steady her. Cassandra shot an appreciative smile towards her and Rapunzel returned it. They pushed through the crowd and what they saw… Rapunzel slapped a hand over her mouth, her smile immediately evaporating. There lay Carla, lifeless. Juniper was crying over her, tightly gripping onto the shirt that used to be white but was instead now black, covered in dirt and splotches of blood. 

 

Rapunzel turned to Cassandra with a horror-filled expression, her hand still over her mouth. Cassandra didn’t look at her but her lips were in a straight line. Serenity stepped forward and bent down to her. She frowned. “Looks like she died from internal bleeding,” Serenity said solemnly, pressing a gentle hand to her midsection where she felt fluid building. 

 

Cassandra watched the scene but then she heard something she wished that she didn’t. She heard the sound of the wind. It was far but also close. Too close. She placed a gentle hand on Rapunzel’s shoulder. “Raps, we have to go,” Cassandra whispered, her voice guilt-filled. Cassandra didn't want to leave the poor woman but they had no choice if they wanted the rest of them to make it back to the village alive. 

 

Rapunzel met her eye contact and the look Cassandra's eyes told her all that she needed to know. She slowly nodded. Cassandra’s heart clenched at the tears in her eyes. Even she didn’t want to just leave Carla there, lifeless and not given a proper burial; but they needed to go and getting the rest of them home safe was what was important right now.

 

Rapunzel walked over to the little girl and bent down, gently placing a hand on her back. “Sweetheart, we need to go.” She said softly.

 

Juniper only held onto the lifeless body tighter, tears streaming down her face. “No!” Hiccup. “I won’t..” hiccup. “...leave her..!” hiccup. 

 

Rapunzel tried again but Juniper wasn’t budging. She tried to softly talk to the little girl but nothing worked. Cassandra sighed as she turned to Serenity. “Get everyone out here and head towards the village. You still know the way right?”

 

“Like the back of my hand,” Serenity responded. “But what about…”

 

“We’ll be okay,” Cassandra cut her off quickly. “We’re not gonna leave the kid behind. Now go,” Serenity slowly nodded and signaled for everyone to follow her. The others reluctantly obeyed but otherwise did just that. 

 

Cassandra slowly walked over to Juniper and Rapunzel and bent down next to them. Rapunzel was still trying to coax her into coming with them but she wasn't successful as the little girl continued to stubbornly refuse. Rapunzel had a hand placed on her back as Juniper continued to sob over Carla’s body. Rapunzel turned her gaze towards Cassandra, her expression worried and almost panicked. 

 

“Help me.” Her eyes begged her. 

 

Cassandra pressed her lips into a line. If Rapunzel couldn’t convince her, how was she going to? Sighing, she realized she had to try something. Even if she had to be a bit ‘mushy.’ “Juniper, sweetie,” Cassandra started softly in her ‘motherly’ voice as she moved to sit next to her so that she could see her face. 

 

“I’m not leaving her!” Juniper responded with. The same response she had been giving. 

 

“I know, I know,” Cassandra responded softly. “But she’d want you to get out of here.” Juniper quickly shook her head. Rapunzel and Cassandra shared another worried glance before the warrior tried again. She placed a gentle hand on her back and rubbed ever so slightly. It seemed to calm the little girl only a little. “I know that you’re scared and confused,” She started softly. “And I know that you feel like you’ll never feel happy again.” She mumbled. Rapunzel watched her in curiosity. She could tell that she was speaking from experience by the way her voice got so sincere… “And you won’t.” She answered honestly. “Not for a long, long time. But she’d want you to be brave, right?” Much to their surprise, Juniper slowly nodded. It was working! 

 

“...It hurts so much.” She whispered, breaking both of their hearts. “...Why does it hurt so much?” Rapunzel swallowed to try and keep herself from crying at the pain being reflected in Juniper’s voice… the poor kid. Cassandra even had to hold back tears.

 

“I know…” Cassandra said softly, a pained expression of her own placed upon her features, most likely from remembering how she felt when it happened to Rapunzel. “I know it does. But she’d want you to live your life and to be happy… and to return to your mother.” 

 

“...Why now?” Juniper asked, looking at Carla with desperation. “After everything… We finally escaped that hell hole. She fought so hard for so long… why did they have to take her now after we finally escaped?”

 

“Yeah, I asked myself that same question over and over again too,” Cassandra mumbled softly, surprising Rapunzel. 

 

Juniper snapped her eyes to her. “Did you lose someone important to you too?” 

 

Cassandra’s eyes trailed up to meet Rapunzel’s eye contact. “....Briefly. And trust me, it was the worst experience I’ve ever experienced.” She mumbled. She held her eye contact. “And it always will be, no matter how much time has passed.” She said softly and held Rapunzel’s eye contact for a second longer before looking back at Juniper. Did Cassandra hear everything that was said last night…? 

 

“Will the pain ever go away?” The heartbroken little girl asked.

 

Cassandra frowned and sighed. “No,” She answered honestly again, slowly shaking her head. “It will always be there. But that’s okay, it means that you’ll never forget her; it shows how important she was to you. It’s okay to be in pain… and to miss someone. It's okay to grieve. It’s only how you deal with that pain that matters.” 

 

Juniper sat back on her knees and looked at Cassandra. “How do I deal with it? How can I be happy if she’s not with me?” Juniper whispered, her voice full of a pain that no little girl should ever have to experience; that no one should ever have to experience.

 

Cassandra gave her a sweet smile and placed her hand on the side of her face, moving her dirty bangs aside.  “You can cherish the memories that you shared, even if they weren’t… at the best circumstances. You get up, hold your head high, but remember that it’s okay to grieve....” Again, Cassandra looked up to meet Rapunzel’s eyes. This time, she smiled. “...and to not be okay. It’s okay to feel angry and feel like the world is against you… it’s okay to be confused… and scared. It’s okay to feel all those things and it’s okay to express them. Actually, you should express them. Just remember that you’re not alone,” She said, staring Rapunzel directly in the eyes. “And that you have people who love and care about you and who will always be there for you when you need them." The warrior paused. “But most importantly,” She said softly as she continued to hold the princess’s gaze. “It’s okay to ask for help and it’s okay to need it.” Rapunzel’s eyes softened to their own accord. 

 

Having gotten her message across, Cassandra looked back toward Juniper and pushed some of her hair behind her ear, giving her a small smile. “She wouldn’t want you to sit here and cry over her. She’d want you to live your life and to keep going. She’d want you to spread stories about her and make sure she’s not forgotten.” She caught the little girl's eye contact. “Don’t you want that?”

 

Juniper slowly nodded. “Of course I do,” She whispered. “She was my hero. She kept me safe, for the most part. She kept the hope alive in me even when she had none herself. She saw something in me that no one else did.” 

 

Cassandra smiled and this time, she didn't look at Rapunzel, but instead responded with: “Yeah, I know the feeling.” Rapunzel was watching her intensively, a new emotion in her eyes that even she couldn't describe how she was feeling. "Then the world needs to know, right?” Much to their relief, Juniper slowly nodded. 

 

“Yeah…” The little girl mumbled. Juniper then hugged Carla tightly, whispering an ‘I love you’ and a ‘thank you’ before pulling back with a shaky breath. She looked at Cassandra and Rapunzel expectantly. “I think I’m ready.” But instead of getting up, she just threw herself into the warrior’s arms. Cassandra hesitated and was taken off guard by it considering kids usually took to Rapunzel better. But she stood up with her nonetheless as the little girl clung onto her like her life depended on it. Cassandra signaled to Rapunzel that it was time to go and she nodded, getting to her feet as well. 

 

Cassandra walked over to the exit of the cave, still holding onto Juniper. But Rapuznel hesitated. She turned back around and slowly knelt down to the lifeless older woman. She reached into her pocket and pulled something out: the picture that kept her going while she was trapped in Azriel's prison and so many other nights over the years; the picture of her, Cassandra, Eugene, Pascal, and Lance. She looked at the picture hesitantly as Cassandra watched in curiosity. What was she doing? She hadn’t parted with that picture for years now; it was her favorite one. That picture meant so much to her…

 

Rapunzel suddenly smiled, having made up her mind, and placed the picture into Carla’s hand. She placed it over her heart and that’s where it now rested for as long as nature let it remain there. Rapunzel then stood up. “Rest in peace, Carla.” She said softly. “And I promise you, I won’t forget the promise that I made you.” With that, she turned around and walked over toward Cassandra. The warrior gave her a confused, slightly worried, expression. 

 

“You love that photo, it means a lot to you.” The warrior stated. “You haven’t parted with it since it was taken… Are you sure that you want to give it to her?”

 

Rapunzel looked back at Carla before a smile filled her lips. She placed a hand onto Cassandra’s shoulder. “I don’t need it,” She said softly. “I know who loves me and I know where my home is, I don’t need a reminder.” She looked back at Carla. “Besides, she needs it more.” She whispered before looking back at Cassandra. “I made her a promise.” Cassandra was about to ask what that ‘promise’ was but they could hear the wind getting closer so she decided that it was for a later discussion. 

 

“Come on,” Cassandra said, lending her hand out to the princess as she held the now-sleeping Juniper with one arm. Rapunzel smiled and grabbed it. 

 

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

 

The women and children weren’t able to make it all the way there by themselves so the warrior and princess were able to catch up to them. Together, they walked back to the village. Everyone was injured and exhausted, especially the power couple, but they kept going nonetheless. It didn’t long before they were able to make it to the village. The women and children stopped and just stared at their long lost home. 

 

Cassandra and Rapunzel turned around in realization that they weren’t following. “You guys coming?” Rapunzel asked.

 

“Sorry,” Serenity said, sounding breathless. “It’s just... None of us ever thought that we’d ever see this place again.” Cassandra and Rapunzel shared a smile before the princess grabbed Serenity’s hand and slowly started to pull her toward the village, causing the others to follow close behind. With each step, each move, the women and children joined hands as they walked back to their home; the home that they thought they would never return to ever again. Cassandra and Rapunzel walked in the middle, Cassandra still holding the sleeping little girl. 

 

It wasn’t long before they reached the busy parts where the people roamed. What happened after that was… magical… and sudden. The people took notice of them almost immediately. How could they not? Each one was covered in dirt, blood, and bruises; their clothes were dirty and torn. As soon as their eyes landed on them, all hell broke loose. A good type of hell. They heard screams of joy before the women and children ran to their loved ones, embracing them tightly. Cassandra and Rapunzel watched, on the bridge that connected the land to the outside, as people reunited with those they thought they would never see again. 

 

There wasn’t a dry eye in the entire village; Cassandra and Rapunzel included. Well, more so Rapunzel, but the princess could tell that the scene got Cassandra emotional too even though she tried to hide it. 

 

Cassandra briefly met her eye contact and the princess gave her a knowing smile, only for Cassandra to quickly look away with a slightly embarrassed blush. Rapunzel slowly shook her head with a smile and rolled her eyes before focusing back on the beautiful scene before them. Seeing them being reunited with each other after so many years... Brought a smile to both of their lips and a warmth that spread throughout their bodies. 

 

It was then that they heard a gasp and a “Juniper?” Juniper slowly started to wake up at her name being called before her eyes landed on someone she thought that she would never see again. Tears filled her eyes as she jumped down from Cassandra’s arms. 

 

“Mommy!” The little girl screamed, running into her mother's awaiting arms. Both Rapunzel and Cassandra followed their gaze and couldn’t believe at seeing who her mother actually was. It was the captain, the one Cassandra almost got into a fight with, the one that was so cold and stoic without a look of softness in her eyes. 

 

They watched with wide eyes, or at least Cassandra did but a smile formed on Rapunzel’s face as she watched the stoic women fall undone as soon as her baby was back in her arms, tears streaming down both of their faces as they nuzzled each other. But then Juniper told the women something and pointed to Rapunzel and Cassandra or, more like, she Pointe at Cassandra. The captain looked up and met their eye contact. She met Cassandra’s and nodded towards her. Cassandra swallowed and nodded back to her; a share of mutual respect and appreciation. The captain then directed her attention back to her daughter.

 

“Mommy, momma!” They heard a familiar voice. They both spun around to see their own daughter running toward them. 

 

“Nova!” They yelled in unison before they both dropped to their knees and opened their arms. Nova immediately ran into them. Cassandra had both her arms wrapped around her family, smiling at the fact that they were finally together again and that they were okay. 

 

But after 10 minutes, The little girl seemed to be distracted by something else, most likely by one of her new friends calling her name, and giggled before letting go and doing what most toddlers do; run off in search of something new and wondrous. Cassandra laughed watching her go as she slowly stood up again. 

 

She turned her attention back towards Rapunzel and she was about to say something when the princess suddenly leaped into her arms, her legs wrapped around her midsection, and pressed her lips against hers. Cassandra smiled and placed her hands under her bottom and kissed her back; tears streaming down both of their faces. The orange trees that the wind blew behind them and the breathtaking scenery made the moment even more magical. 

 

Dried blood still stained the princess’s face and small blotches of blood could be seen on her torn shirt. But she didn’t care. Now that the danger was over, at least for the time being, all she could think, feel, see, and hear was Cassandra as she pressed her lips even harder against hers; tears streaming down her face, her hand hiding into the warrior's hair. 

 

Tears were streaming down Cassandra’s face too as the warrior smiled and pressed back. After a minute of this, they finally pulled away. Rapunzel unwrapped her legs from Cassandra’s waist, not wanting to hurt her more than she probably already did (she was just too happy at the moment to remember Cassandra’s wounds before she jumped into her arms). She choked back a sob as she pressed her forehead to Cassandra’s, a happy smile plaguing her lips. 

 

“Looks like we just survived another 0 chance of survival situation,” Cassandra whispered with a teasing grin.

 

Rapunzel couldn’t help but let out a watery laugh as she pressed her forehead more firmly to the warrior’s. “I think at this point it’s a norm for us.” Rapunzel teased back. 

 

“I don’t think I can take any more near-death experiences; from either of us.” Cassandra groaned. 

 

Rapunzel giggled. “Me neither. If you nearly die on me again, I’m gonna have a stroke, I swear. Or a heart attack.” 

 

“I guess I’ll just try not to die then.” She nuzzled her, causing Rapunzel to giggle again.

 

Rapunzel then pulled back and fixed her with a slight glare. “Yeah, and you better stop running head-first into dangerous situations without me.”

 

Cassandra chuckled. “I promise. I’ll bring you with me next time so that you can get stabbed in the gut too.” She responded with a sarcastic, teasing smile. 

 

Rapunzel huffed and gently shoved her at her joke, causing a laugh to arise out of Cassandra. But then a shooting pain shot through Rapunzel's midsection as she let out a hiss, nearly falling if not for Cassandra catching her. She had one eye open because of how horrible the sudden pain was as she fixed Cassandra with a pain-filled smile to try and reassure her due to her worry-filled expression. It didn't work, Cassandra's expression only grew more worried. “Kinda already feels like I got stabbed in the gut.” 

 

“You didn’t have Serenity take a look at you?” She asked, her voice laced with concern and even a little bit of fear.

 

Before Rapunzel could respond, Serenity came out of nowhere from behind them. “No, she didn’t,” Serenity said with a reprimanding look; the type of look you receive from your doctor when you don’t do the things they ask. Rapunzel jumped in surprise. Where the hell did she even come from?? She also received a reprimanding glare from Cassandra. That one worried her more as she looked away from it.

 

“Of course, she didn’t,” Cassandra responded sarcastically, glaring at her. 

 

“You were my first priority, I needed to make sure that you were gonna be okay…” 

 

Instead of Cassandra responding, Serenity did. “Don’t try that, princess.” Serenity said seriously. “I offered to check on you after she was taken care of.”

 

Rapunzel shot her a glare. "Shut up. You're gonna get me into even more trouble than I already am." She thought bitterly and she was right. Cassandra shot her another glare but this time, she narrowed her eyes. Rapunzel quickly looked away. When Cassandra narrowed her eyes like that, it was never a good sign. The warrior then rolled her eyes and sighed before wrapping her arm around her shoulders.

 

“Come on, we’re going to the hospital.”

 

“But I’m-” Rapunzel tried to intervene only for Cassandra to shoot her a ‘no arguments’ type of glare. Rapunzel immediately shut her mouth and mumbled under her breath but otherwise allowed Cassandra to help her. 

 

“Thanks for telling me,” Cassandra said sincerely before she passed Serenity. She shot the princess with another glare. “She tends to forget to take care of herself when there are others that need to be taken care of first.” Rapunzel looked away again. 

 

Serenity shot her a smile. “Yeah, I see you two share that trait.”

 

Before they could respond, the queen suddenly appeared, walking towards them. The people of the town, upon seeing her walk toward them, bowed. Cassandra and Rapunzel would have bowed but they could barely stand let alone bend. “It’s us who should be thanking you two,” The queen said, placing a hand on Serenity’s shoulder. Serenity smiled up at her. She was the only one who hadn’t bowed. Considering Rapunzel and Cassandra knew that well, they knew the reason for that. It was only proven when the queen grabbed Serenity’s hand. “You rescued our missing friends and family and brought them home to us. This town will never forget that.”

 

Rapunzel frowned and looked down. “We weren’t able to save everyone.” She mumbled.

 

The queen frowned. “Ay, so I’ve been told.” She then smiled and grabbed both of their hands. “She will never be forgotten, I promise you that. Carla was one of our first founders and a very dear friend of mine.” The queen let out a shaky breath before smiling again. “We are forever in your gratitude.”

 

Instead of Rapunzel responding, Cassandra smiled instead and grabbed Rapunzel’s hand. “You don’t owe us anything,” Cassandra said. 

 

Rapunzel suddenly remembered something. “Actually…” She looked at Cassandra and the warrior immediately knew where her mind went.

 

Cassandra sighed. "We… were wondering if Nova can stay here for a while." 

 

The queen gave them a confused expression so Rapunzel stepped forward, letting go of Cassandra's hand. "I believe that there's a way to permanently stop Azriel so that no one will ever have to fall victim to his brutal ways ever again."

 

The queen and Serenity shared a worried expression before the queen sighed and looked back at them. "People have tried for centuries to defeat him. Wizards, witches, people with untold powers, even the original holders of the Sundrop and the Moonstone." Amaris and Helios… "The best they could do was trap him and that didn't even stop him for very long."

 

Before Rapunzel could respond, Cassandra stepped forward. "Stopping evil forces and doing the impossible is kinda our thing." She said with a smile. 

 

"And I believe that Azriel has some kind of connection to me, unfortunately, " Rapunzel added before whispering: "We have to try. No one should have to go through what you all did." 

 

"...Or you." Serenity added. Rapunzel didn't respond to that. 

 

The queen sighed and nodded. "Nova can stay here for as long as she needs to." She then shot them both a glare. "But I expect you both to return to us, you hear? I will not allow Nova to be an orphan nor will I allow such amazing, heroic, kind-hearted people like you to die. People like you two don't come often." 

 

They both blushed slightly at the compliment but Rapunzel nodded. "We won't let that happen," Rapunzel said confidently. 

 

Cassandra nodded as she grabbed Rapunzel's hand again. "Nova will have both of her parents by the end of all this." 

 

The queen nodded hesitantly. "When are you planning on leaving?" 

 

Cassandra was about to respond but then she remembered her promise to the princess about including her in the decisions. Rapunzel was also expecting her to respond because she always did without confiding in her, but the response she gave surprised the hell out of her. "That's something we're gonna need to talk about," Cassandra shot her a smile. "Together." Rapunzel couldn't help but smile back as she gently squeezed her hand in appreciation. 

 

The queen seemed to sense the change in them as she smiled as well. "Very well then." She paused before adding: "And after you return, you'll always have a home waiting for you here." She smiled. "You two are now a part of us too and are members of this town. Our heroes, actually."

 

Cassandra gave her a teasing smile. "Eh, I prefer the 'star-crossed lovers' who saved the day." She paused. "...again." Rapunzel giggled, causing Cassandra's smile to widen.

 

The queen chuckled, shaking her head slowly with an amused but happy smile, before saying: "Alright, now off to the hospital you two go." The queen then narrowed her eyes and looked between both of them. "And I mean both of you." She said, meeting Cassandra's eyes as well. The warrior looked away. 

 

"Yeah, Cassandra," Rapunzel said with a smirk, clearly enjoying the fact that it was being turned around on the warrior too. "She means both of us." The warrior shot her a half-glare. 

 

"Oh, don't worry, I'll make sure they get checked out." Serenity said, looking between both of them. 

 

The queen gave Serenity a smile neither had ever seen on her before. Now that they were looking… The queen's eyes appeared brighter, less tired… less stoic, and less numb. "I know you will." Serenity smiled back. With that, Serenity pretty much dragged them to the hospital. 

 

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

 

Both Cassandra and Rapunzel were given full exams. Serenity's stitches were perfect so Cassandra didn't need much done other than changing her bandages and making sure that the wound wasn't infected or if she made it worse by leaving the hospital to save the princess.

 

Rapunzel, on the other hand, had some serious injuries. She had two broken ribs, which if she waited for any later on, it would've punctured her lung. They were able to catch it just in time before it became fatal. She also had some internal bleeding but thankfully, it wasn't enough that it caused fatal damage. She also had a serious concussion, bruises all over her body, second-degree burns on her wrist, and imminent exhaustion as well as dehydration and malnutrition. How she was even walking around, let alone running around was a wonder to everyone. Although, they shouldn't be surprised considering the warrior walked out and fought with a literal hole in her gut. 

 

But then again, the other people that were saved from Azriel's lair weren't any better off. They had either even worse injuries or similar to the ones Rapunzel had. 

 

After the doctor, that doctor being Serenity, gave the run-down of her injuries, Cassandra hadn't stopped scolding her since they were able to get a hospital bed, which was 2 hours ago. 

 

"And another thing-" Cassandra said harshly but Rapunzel had finally had enough. 

 

"Ugh, Cassandra, I get it." The princess said, annoyance and aggravation in her voice but also genuine appreciation and understanding. Whether Casasndra noticed it or not, she wasn’t sure. The warrior was clearly severely pissed. But she knew that the warrior was only scolding her because she was worried about her and she loved her. "It was stupid and selfish and dangerous and whatever else you’ve said in the last two hours." The princess repeated Cassandra's phrases, waving her hand in the air nonchalantly. 

 

Cassandra huffed. "You're not taking this seriously." 

 

"And you're taking this too seriously," Rapunzel responded. "I'm alive and I'm in a hospital. There's no point in fretting over it now."

 

Cassandra narrowed her eyes. "You could've died. You should've let Serenity check you."

 

"Please, I felt fine."

 

"Feeling fine and being fine are two different things."

 

"Are you talking about emotionally or physically?” She joked with an annoyed tone. 

 

"Both." Rapunzel rolled her eyes. Cassandra narrowed hers. "I saw that." She said in warning. 

 

“Oh, I’m so scared,” Rapunzel responded sarcastically, her aggravation, exhaustion, and annoyance getting the best of her.

 

Cassandra merely narrowed her eyes even more; the way she did when the princess fucked up. In other words, she fucked up. “You’re damn lucky that you’re in a hospital bed.”

 

But before the princess could respond, Serenity walked in. "She's right, you know," The older woman said, checking her 'stats' and stuff. Rapunzel tensed, hoping she wasn't referring to that last thing Cass had said. She hoped that she didn't hear that. But instead, she followed up with: "Any second later and your injuries could've caused fatal damage." Rapunzel let out an Internal sigh of relief. 

 

Cassandra shot her look. "See?!" 

 

Rapunzel rolled her eyes again. Ever since they returned, Serenity had been acting almost like an… older sister to her. She had been scolding her along with Cassandra. She was nowhere near as bad as the warrior but they kept ganging up on her. Between the both of them fretting and scolding her for the last couple of hours… It was really starting to drive her up the wall. She appreciated it, she did, and although she didn't know Serenity that well yet, she felt like she found a sister that she never knew that she needed. 

 

And she loved Cassandra for worrying about her. But she couldn't take their constant nagging and she most certainly couldn't take them ganging up on her anymore. 

 

Rapunzel sat there as they both continued to nag her. She sat there, leaning on her elbow and stayed quiet so that she could let them get it out of their system, looking bored and aggravated out of her mind. She eventually groaned when it continued on non-stop for another 10 full minutes. "God, if you two don't shut up, I'm kicking you out." 

 

"You can't do that, I'm your doctor." Serenity said, placing her hands on her hips. 

 

"And I'm your wife, so," Cassandra piped in. 

 

"Yeah, well my 'doctor' and my 'wife' are driving me crazy. So either you two leave and give me some peace or I will walk out of here right now, find the queen, and make her force you to leave me alone." She glared between the both of them. She then met Cassandra's eye contact and narrowed her eyes. Cassandra knew what that meant. As much as she didn't want to leave, she knew that if she stayed, Rapunzel would end up exploding eventually, and it would start a huge fight. Which was probably the worst thing for her right now if she wanted to recover quickly. She also knew that the princess meant that threat.

 

"Ugh, fine," Cassandra said, eventually looking away from her eye contact as she started to get up from the chair that she was sitting in. Her expression was angry, aggravated, and annoyed but she walked towards Serenity anyway without saying a word. 

 

Serenity snapped her eyes toward her. "What? But-" Cassandra gently grabbed the older woman by the shoulders and started to push her toward the door. 

 

"Come on, we can fetch some more supplies. I noticed that you were running low." Cassandra said, quickly making up an excuse, using her observation skills to her advantage. Serenity seemed to understand why they were leaving by the look the warrior gave her. Sighing, Serenity nodded and walked out the door. 

 

Before the door closed, Cassandra narrowed her eyes and pressed two fingers to her eyes before pointing them back at Rapunzel. "Do not go anywhere." She demanded.

 

 Rapunzel resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Where the hell would she even go? She knew that Cassandra's demands were mostly out of worry and love. Due to the realizations that she's had in the last couple of days, she decided to let the warrior be overprotective from time to time. But not all the time like she seemed to love doing.

 

Rapunzel chuckled. "I won't," She answered sincerely, pushing her intrusive thoughts down to respond sarcastically. "Thanks, Cass." She smiled before saying genuinely: "I love you."

 

Rapunzel did that for a reason. She loved seeing how Cassandra's eyes shifted between demanding and assertive to loving and sweet in just a couple of seconds. 

 

Cassandra's eyes softened ever so slightly, just as she expected. "I love you too." She said softly. And just like that, assertive and over-protective Cassandra was back as her eyes hardened again. "I'm coming back in 15 minutes tops!" She yelled, shutting the door behind her. 

 

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and cuddled into her pillow. "Finally, some peace and quiet." She mumbled, her eyes slowly starting to close, all the emotional turmoil and fear from the last couple of days catching up to her. God, she was exhausted.

 

-------------- 

 

Just as Cassandra promised, she was back in exactly 15 minutes. She opened the door and was about to tell her wife that she had food but she found her asleep. 

 

The warrior looked outside the door to see if anyone was around to witness her 'tough-girl act' dissipate and when she realized that there was no one around considering it was pretty late at night, Cassandra slowly shut the door with a soft click then locked it.

 

With that, she walked over to the bed and gently scooted the princess over, being extra careful not to hurt her nor wake her then she gently climbed into the bed next to her. She stayed sound asleep. Poor thing must be exhausted, Cassandra knew that she was. She carefully placed her arms around the princess and pulled her into her body. But the movement must've been too much because suddenly she let out a small 'hmm?' and she felt Rapunzel shift slightly. Cassandra mentally cursed herself. 

 

"Sorry Raps, did I wake you?" Cassandra asked softly, her voice much softer and calmer from earlier. 

 

"Mmmm... " The princess responded as she raised her hands to grip the warrior's shirt. "Yeah, but it's okay…" She mumbled, her voice sounding barely awake. "Sorry about earlier…" Her voice was barely comprehensible due to it being slurred and tired. 

 

"Don't be," Cassandra responded. "I know I can be a little… overbearing sometimes." 

 

Rapunzel's mouth curled up into a half-smirk, her eyes barely open. "Sometimes?"

 

Cassandra huffed. "Okay, maybe all the time." She admitted with a roll of her eyes. Rapunzel giggled and pushed away from the warrior so that she could raise herself and place her head on the pillow so that she was facing her.

 

"It's okay," Rapunzel said softly. "I think it's sweet. But… just a little much sometimes, you know?" 

 

Cassandra chuckled as she nuzzled her, causing Rapunzel to giggle again. "Yeah but you know I do it because I love you." She said, pressing her forehead to Rapunzel's. 

 

Rapunzel smiled and closed her eyes, leaning into Cassandra. "I know." She responded in a whisper. 

 

They pulled back and they shared a quick smile before Rapunzel leaned forward to catch her lips into a soft kiss. Cassandra was taken off guard at first because it was so sudden but immediately melted into the kiss as she pulled the princess closer. The kiss only lasted a couple of seconds but to them, it felt like an eternity. 

 

Rapunzel was the first one to pull back. She smiled at her and then giggled. "What's so funny?" Cassandra asked with a lopsided smile. 

 

"It's just," Rapunzel started. "How do we keep surviving these near-death experiences? I'm getting too old for this." 

 

Cassandra laughed. “Because we keep running towards it.” She paused. “Or rather, you keep running towards it.”

 

“Oh right, like you didn’t try to take on a demon with only a sword. And in case you forgot, I’m the one who warned you in the first place but you didn’t listen.” 

 

“How was I supposed to know that Azriel was going to show up?”

 

“Because I told you that if we went in that direction, there was a 99% chance that something bad would happen,” Rapunzel responded. “But you said I was just being ‘overdramatic’, twice, and that I was ‘overreacting’.”

 

“Actually, you said that you were overreacting.” Cassandra then gave her a teasing grin. “But I did call you overdramatic.” Rapunzel huffed and gently shoved her due to her lack of energy and strength at the moment, making Cassandra let out a laugh. 

 

“Let’s not forget that you also said ‘what’s the worst that could happen’. I mean, come on, nothing ever goes right after someone says that. You basically sealed our fate and jinxed us.” 

 

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "You've been reading too many story books lately," Rapunzel narrowed her eyes at that response so Cass sighed and continued: “They’re just words, Rapunzel. I doubt they had anything to do with what happened.”

 

“Anyone who says that something bad always happens.” 

 

“It was just a coincidence.” 

 

“Just like how our path was blocked by a fallen tree which led us to a canyon that looked exactly like the one from my dream? Oh, and let's not forget, the dream that I only had a couple days prior.” Rapunzel asked bitterly, maybe a little too bitterly, and looked away. So, she was clearly still hurt and angry at the fact that Cassandra didn't listen to her. But the warrior could hardly blame her, she knew the feeling.

 

Cassandra tried to re catch her eye contact but Rapunzel continued to avoid it. “Come on Raps, don’t be like that.”

 

Rapunzel looked down before remeeting her eyes; genuine hurt could be seen in them. “You didn’t trust me,” Rapunzel said softly, her voice shaking; showing Cassandra just how much this really was affecting her. 

 

Cassandra sighed and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I know,” She responded softly. “I should have.” She looked down. “...I got a bit too… comfortable. I thought that as long as we were by that village, we would be safe. You would be safe. I let my guard down.”

 

“But why?” Rapunzel asked. “That’s just so unlike you. You rarely ever let your guard down like that.”

 

Cassandra placed her hand on her cheek, Rapunzel leaned into it. “I guess I was just happy that I was finally getting you back and I blocked everything else out.”

 

“You also think that you’re invincible,” Rapunzel added, worry in her eyes. “And that you can take on any battle that comes your way.”

 

“I can-”

 

Rapunzel slowly shook her head. “No, you can’t. You’re strong Cassandra, really strong, and you can win most battles but everyone meets their match and there’s always gonna be someone that's stronger than you. You can’t win every battle, Cass, and if that’s what you think, you’re gonna end up getting hurt again.” Rapunzel whispered, running her warm hands over her bandaged midsection. Now, there was the warmth that she always felt… It was much different from when the queen's cold hands touched her. 

 

“...Or worse. We keep getting lucky but one of these days that luck is going to run out. We learned that lesson when it happened to me." Cassandra looked down and away immediately at the topic. Wanting to not bring that up just yet, Rapunzel continued: "Just promise me that you won’t run into every battle, every challenge, that comes your way. And if you do, at least let me help you so I can watch your back too.” She paused before whispering: “I can’t keep almost losing you. I can’t take it anymore, it’s literally tearing me apart. I’m terrified that one of these days…” Rapunzel looked down, a pained expression on her face. “...that you’re gonna enter a battle you cannot get back up after.”

 

Cassandra frowned as she hooked her finger under Rapunzel’s chin and slowly lifted her head. She looked into her worried, fearful eyes for a second or two before she leaned forward and caught her lips into a soft, loving kiss. The princess immediately melted into it, wrapping her arms around Cassandra’s neck. Cassandra was the first to pull away as she pressed her forehead to Rapunzel’s. “I promise.” The warrior responded softly, surprising the princess that she actually did promise. When she said it, she didn’t expect Cassandra actually to agree; she expected her to argue like she always did. But she didn’t, not this time. 

 

Rapunzel smiled and closed her eyes as she leaned into her. They fell into a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes before Rapunzel pulled away. “Thank you for not jumping ahead in a decision earlier.” 

 

Cassandra smiled and pulled back. “I promised you that I would include you if we made it out, didn’t I?” She nuzzled her. “I don’t break promises.” Rapunzel giggled. 

 

“Yes, but you tend to forget those ‘promises’ sometimes,” Rapunzel teased. Cassandra huffed and playfully shoved her, causing a laugh to bubble out of the princess. Rapunzel stared into the warrior's eyes for a moment or two before she leaned forward and caught her lips in another kiss. Cassandra pressed back, placing her hands on her hips as Rapunzel wrapped her arms around her neck again.

 

They didn’t pull away so quickly this time as Rapunzel deepened the kiss, pressing her body flushed against hers. Cassandra knew where this was heading and although it took everything she had not to, she pulled away. “Rapunzel, we can’t.” She said softly, her face already flushed and her eyes already filled with desire. But she wasn’t gonna risk hurting her all over again. The princess moved her arms from around her neck to tightly grip her shirt as she pulled herself closer, her lips brushing against the warriors. God, Rapunzel hated when she said that. 

 

“Please?” She asked, her eyes begging her. “We can take it easy, I just…” She trailed off as she pulled herself even closer until her body was pressed even tighter against the warriors. “A-After everything, I just need you. I need to feel you.” She paused and responded with something that she knew would get the warrior. Her voice barely above a whisper and sultry, Rapunzel added: “I want you.” She was right. She saw the change in Cassandra’s eyes, eventually causing her to sigh. How could she say no to her after that? And Rapunzel knew that otherwise, she wouldn’t have said it that way. 

 

“Fine,” Cassandra responded softly, her lips brushing against Rapunzel’s. “But if we get into trouble, it’s your fault.” 

 

Rapunzel pulled herself closer if that was even possible. “That’s okay,” She responded softly. “I’ll take the blame, I don’t care.” The princess grabbed Cassandra’s hand and placed it over her breast. “...I just need to feel you. I need you.” She repeated. 

 

Cassandra sighed and pressed a kiss to her lips before pulling away again. “You’ll let me know if I hurt you, right?”

 

“Of course,” Rapunzel responded. “But only if you do too.” Cassandra nodded. With that, talking went out the window as Cassandra caught her lips in a fiery kiss; the first passionate kiss they shared in days. Cassandra pulled her against her before she gently thrust into her. Rapunzel pulled back with a moan. The warrior attacked her neck; leaving kisses, nips, and trail marks. Eventually, Cassandra moved from next to her to above her and she started to kiss her like hell.

 

Rapunzel pulled away after a couple of minutes, panting softly, her eyes dark and glowing in the dimly lit room. “Looks like I’m not the only one who needs this.” She teased.

 

“Shush, it’s been a long couple of days,” Cassandra mumbled against her lips. 

 

“And you wanted to stop.” Rapunzel teased softly, staring into her desire-filled eyes. 

 

“Yeah, well, your well-being is more important to me than my sexual desire.” 

 

“Mmmm…” Rapunzel hummed, pressing her nose against the warriors. “Sexual contact from my wife is good for my ‘well-being’.” 

 

“Your physical well-being.”  Cassandra corrected. Rapunzel merely rolled her eyes and kissed her again. The princess eventually slipped her hands under her shirt and although most of her midsection was covered in bandages, she still gently ran her hands up it, barely touching to make sure she didn’t irritate her wound. Cassandra let out an involuntary shiver as her warm hands passed over her exposed skin.

 

"Does this mean we gotta wait a bit before we go 'rough' again?" Rapunzel mumbled against her lips. Cassandra gave her a 'what the hell do you think?' look. 

 

"You literally broke your ribs and had internal bleeding, not to mention all the weight you lost again."

 

Rapunzel groaned. "And I just finally gained all that weight back." She then gave Cassandra a grin. "At least it wasn't my fault this time." 

 

"Completely." Cassandra teased. 

 

Rapunzel huffed. "Nu-uh, this time you can't blame me for being put into danger because I didn't run towards it this time." She paused, before adding: "...At first. If anything, it's your fault." 

 

"Hey, I didn't make enemies with a demon." She teased. 

 

"Actually, you did. Zhan Tiri, remember?" 

 

Cassandra smirked. "Yes, but I also joined her side at first." 

 

"So what you're telling me is that I need to join Azriel's side?" Rapunzel almost laughed in triumph when the warrior's smirk fell and she huffed. Ah, how the tables have turned. 

 

"I did not say that," She responded. 

 

"Aw, why not? It could be fun~."

 

"Says the one who was all about rescuing the civilians he imprisoned," Cassandra grinned. "That's not very 'villain' like of you." 

 

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "Everyone else had their villain arc, why can't I?" She continued the tease. 

 

Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "Villain arc?" She asked before following up with: "You sure you're not in it right now?" Rapunzel snapped her head towards her and shot her a glare and roughly, but gently, shoved her, causing Cassandra to laugh. 

 

"If I was, we wouldn't be sitting here. I'd be doing…" She paused, unsure of how to finish that sentence. "...Villainy things?" 

 

Cassandra raised an amused eyebrow. "'Villainy things'? You can't even come up with a proper 'villain' thing to do?" 

 

"I'm not a villain so it's not like I think about it. Can you?"

 

"Oh yeah," Cassandra answered honestly, maybe a little too quickly. "I can come up with many reasons as to what I'd be doing if I were a villain."

 

"That's because you were a villain at some point."

 

"I call it misguided brutal actions caused by resentment, anger, and manipulation."

 

"Whatever you say," The princess teased before tilting her head. "What would you be doing as a villain?"

 

Rapunzel let out a surprised squeak as the warrior suddenly pulled her in by her pants, a desire-filled, hot smirk filling her face. She pressed her nose against hers. "I'd probably kidnap the princess of Corona," She responded, her dark eyes suggestive. 

 

Rapunzel's eyes darkened. "And what would you do to her?" 

 

Cassandra's smirk widened as she pressed a ghost of a kiss to her lips. "I can't do exactly what I would do, I'll save that for when we're healed." She pressed her lips against Rapunzels before pulling back again. "But I can most certainly show you some of what I have in mind." 

 

"Should I act the part orrrr…?" Rapunzel asked with a goofy grin. 

 

Cassandra's 'dominant' behavior disappeared for a split second because she couldn't help but laugh at her joke. She pressed her nose to hers again and nuzzled her. "Nah, just be yourself." 

 

"Technically, I was already gonna be myself."

 

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "I mean yourself now."

 

"Aw, I was getting ready to play the kidnapped victim part," She 'pouted' before saying with a lop-sided grin: "I've had a lot of practice." 

 

Cassandra, although surprised, couldn't help but laugh at her dark joke again. "What's with all the jokes tonight?" She asked with an amused, but happy, smile. 

 

Rapunzel gave her a small smile and shrugged. "I don't know, it's just…" She trailed off, looking away. "I know it sounds crazy considering all the trauma, heartache, and pain we just had to go through but…" She finally slowly met Cassandra's eye contact with a soft look that nearly made the warrior's heart stop. She hadn't seen that look in a long time. The princess reached out and pressed her hand to her cheek with a soft, loving touch. Another thing she hadn't felt in a long time from the princess. Not like this. A small smile started to form on her face. "...This is the happiest I've been in a long, long time." She finalized with a whisper. 

 

Cassandra smiled and turned her head so that she could press a kiss to the hand that was still placed on her cheek. She looked back to meet her eye contact. "I'm glad," The warrior said softly. "You deserve to be happy." 

 

Rapunzel wrapped her arms around Cassandra's neck and pulled her closer until their faces were barely an inch away. "It's still all because of you." Rapunzel said softly. Cassandra opened her mouth to argue but Rapunzel beat her to it. "I know," She stopped her. "I'm strong and I was able to pull myself out of the funk I was in, I see that now." She paused before a sweet smile formed on her face. "But if it weren't for you, I would have never been able to do that." 

 

Cassandra sighed and looked down in guilt. "You would've gotten there a lot faster if I had just stopped and listened to what you needed instead of what I needed." 

 

Rapunzel gave her a sweet smile as she traced a scar on her chin. "Sweetheart, I didn't even know what I needed, only what I wanted." The princess looked down. "I thought I did and I fought with every fiber of my body for that misconception and it just ended up sending me spiraling." 

 

"B-But… because of me, you got hurt. More than once." Rapunzel looked back up and was surprised to see genuine fear and guilt in her eyes. Rapunzel hadn't seen that look since the night Nova was taken for the first time all those years ago; when she had to basically corner and guilt-trip Cassandra. "I-I was so caught up in what I needed to do that I missed every possible sign. You tried to talk to me about how you didn't trust Carina and I didn't listen. When you tried to defend yourself, I yelled at you and threatened you. Then I left and because of me, you…" The warrior tightly squeezed her fist, unable to say it as the memory of finding Rapunzel hidden behind a tree, cradling a bloody arm to her chest entered her mind. But what she remembered most, what she'll never forget, was the numb, panicked, almost fearful look on her face staring back at her. The look she gave her… the numbness… the genuine fear.. and the look of pain and hurt in her eyes… there was so much pain… and so much hurt... She'll never forget it, it was engraved into her brain. "T-Then after… I still treated you like shit and called you names."

 

Rapunzel tried to stop her but the warrior continued and even though she wanted to stop her, she let her continue. After all, Cassandra had never mentioned how she felt during those times. Even if most of the things Cass was saying were untrue, it was still how she felt during that whole ordeal. 

 

"And then when you tried to tell me that you saw something, I completely discarded that and treated it like it was nothing, causing us to get cornered and attacked. Then b-because of me, you felt like you had to…" She swallowed, unable to say it. God, Rapunzel wanted nothing more to stop her because that simply wasn't true. Well, not in the way that she saw it. "Then what do I do after something like that?" She asked bitterly. Rapunzel wasn't sure if she was even talking to her or herself anymore. But she could see the gathering of tears. It broke her heart but she let her continue. 

 

"I blow up at you when you need me most. A-And then I turned my back o-on you, said horrible things, and left, k-knowing that it wasn't your fault th-that you said those things about Nova nor me. Knowing what you were going through…" As each word passed, her voice became even more distraught. Rapunzel eventually had to finally stop her because she was starting to give herself a panic attack. 

 

"Woah, woah, hey, Cass.. breathe," Rapunzel said softly, grasping both of her cheeks to get her to stop talking. The warrior took a couple of deep breaths as she tried to focus on the feeling of Rapunzel's soft, warm hands on her face. It calmed her. She wiped away the falling tears with her thumb. "None of what happened was your fault, Cass." She started slowly. Cassandra opened her mouth to argue but Rapunzel pressed a finger to her lips. "Just because I was in a bad place, it didn't give me any right to say things like that about Nova or you. You can't blame yourself for my actions, Cass. You tried time and time again to help me but I kept pushing you away, you couldn't control that."

 

Cassandra looked away and Rapunzel tried to catch her eye contact again. Eventually, though, Class's eyes met hers and her heart broke at what she saw. They were filled with tears and held so much guilt and pain in them… Rapunzel hadn't seen that look from her since after she first lost the Moonstone and they finally reconciled trapped in a rock dome. 

 

"It's just…" Cassandra started, her voice was watery and shaky. "W-When I was going through hard times, l-like when I had the Moonstone, you showered me with love and affection… and patience and support. Even when I pushed you away and attacked you, you still kept fighting for me." Her eyes fell downwards. "And as soon as I get the chance to do the same…" She shook her head and pulled away from the princess. Rapunzel knew that move. The warrior wiped her eyes. "Ugh, never mind, i-it doesn't matter." She was shutting herself down and Rapunzel was not having that. 

 

She could tell that the warrior was trying to escape and begin to get up but Rapunzel didn't let her get any farther away as she gently pulled her back down. Cassandra, knowing that she wouldn't get off that easily after literally just spilling her guts out of stress, was expecting her to pull her back down. She let her, she didn't have the energy to resist it anyway  

 

"It matters to me," Rapunzel said softly. "But Cass…" She trailed off as she traced the same scar that she traced earlier. "You have no idea how wrong you are," Rapunzel whispered. 

 

Cassandra gave her a confused look. "What? No, I-" 

 

"Yes, you weren't perfect and there were some… intense moments. But I was being difficult and we were under a lot of stress, especially you. And sure, you didn't do things the way I did back then but… you're not me." 

 

Rapunzel said with a smile. "And just because you didn't do things my way doesn't mean that you weren't patient or supportive… Or even affectionate and loving. Because you were all those things and so much more." She interlocked their fingers and held their hands up. 

 

"You couldn't control everything that happened, how I acted, or even how I reacted. You didn't listen to some of the things I said but I can hardly blame you. I wasn't very.. trustworthy at the time and I was slipping into a darkness I never even knew existed. I pushed you away, time and time again, I yelled at you, called you names, even accused you of things… and yet, you still were there with me every step of the way. Not once did you turn your back on me and that time with Nova doesn't count." She added when she saw Cassandra's mouth open again. It closed after that.

 

"You had to plan an entire journey by yourself and keep us safe plus having to constantly watch over me because I was a risk to myself and even to you and Nova. You could've walked out, you could've just given up. But no matter what I said or did, you still held me, sang to me, took care of me… And because of my negligence, it cost you your health because you were too focused on me to take care of yourself. And that one mistake almost led me to losing you again…" She took a shaky breath before continuing. 

 

"You knew what I needed when I didn't," She continued softly, looking Cassandra in the eyes. "And I should have never put you or Nova through what I did. I shouldn't have tried to…" Unable to say it, she shook her head instead. "Because honestly Cass, a part of me was doing it to keep you guys safe. But the other part, a big part, wanted to do it for selfish reasons. I told myself I was doing it for 'the greater good' and for you guys but I was in denial and although there's some truth to that, it's not the reason why I attempted it and I can see that now. I'm starting to see a lot now," She mumbled, rubbing her thumb over Cassandra's hand.

 

"You gave me the truth and even though I fought you on it, you were right, as always." Rapunzel looked back up to meet her eyes as she smiled. "You saved my life, literally and figuratively. You are an amazing, kind-hearted, compassionate person and I feel honored that I get to call you mine." At this point, Cassandra was pretty much brought to tears but she didn't let them fall.

 

Not knowing what to say, Cassandra spoke with her actions instead as she pushed herself forward and caught Rapunzel's lips into a soft, loving kiss. Cassandra wasn't able to hold back the tears anymore as they fell from her eyes. Rapunzel smiled and raised her hand to wipe them. She dug her hand into Cassandra's hair and pushed her even closer. 

 

After a minute, they pulled back. "I love you," Cassandra whispered, her voice watery and shaky. 

 

Rapunzel smiled and pressed her forehead to hers, closing her eyes. "I love you too." She reopened her eyes and pulled back. "Thank you… for being my rock… and everything that I've ever needed."

 

Cassandra smiled and closed her eyes as she pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll always be here for you, no matter what." She pulled back and held up her pinky, giving her a slightly goofy, but genuine, smile. "We're in this together. Forever."

 

Rapunzel didn't even hesitate as she reached out her pinky and hooked it with Cassandra's. "Yeah…" She said softly. "...together." She repeated with a smile. 

 

They shared a smile full of love, admiration, and appreciation… Before Cassandra's eyes grew dark and suggestive again. She pulled Rapunzel into her again. "Now enough with the mushy stuff," 

 

Rapunzel's eyes darkened as she giggled. "You're the one that brought it up." 

 

"Mmm…" Cassandra hummed, pressing her lips against Rapunzel's. "And now I'm bringing it down." She smirked. "And I don't just mean the topic we were talking about."

 

Rapunzel gave her a teasing grin, raising an eyebrow, as a small giggle escaped. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

 

Cassandra rolled her eyes and brushed her lips against hers. “Just go with it,” She responded before pressing the rest of the way forward. The passion was relit rather quickly as they kissed each other desperately. Cassandra pulled her in by her hips and thrust into her gently, causing Rapunzel to pull back with a moan. The warrior started to continuously thrust forward slowly as she kissed her, causing a wonderful friction. 

 

The warrior pulled back. “You’re lucky that we’re injured,” Cassandra whispered, her voice sultry and hot. 

 

“Mmmm…” Rapunzel hummed. “Am I, though? I could really use some rough dominant action.” Cassandra suddenly smirked and pinned the princess’s arms above her head, surprising Rapunzel. 

 

Cassandra leaned forward to whisper into her ear. “Just because we can’t be rough doesn’t mean that I can’t be dominant.” She purred, blowing gently into her ear, causing the princess to shiver involuntarily. Cassandra grabbed her leg and lifted it to put it over her hip then she thrust forward, now having free range. Rapunzel threw her head back and moaned again. Cassandra started to attack her neck, leaving marks and hickeys, as well as kissing every bruise that the evil queen left behind on her. 

 

Since the princess wasn’t wearing a shirt because the bandages covered most of her body, her chest included, Cassandra greedily ran her warm hands over the exposed skin as she recaught her lips again. She pushed her tongue into her mouth and basically ravished it as Rapunzel held on as best as she could. 

 

“...Casss..” The princess whined in her mouth, her eyes begging her. 

 

Cassandra pulled back, already knowing what she needed, but not wanting to give it to her just yet. “I don’t listen to whiners.” The warrior said gruffly before smirking. “How about you show me what you need?” Rapunzel didn’t respond at first as she considered it. But considering it had been forever since she last had sex (even though it's only been like a week), she was already way too worked up to care so she grabbed her hand and placed it between her legs. She was soaked.

 

“Please?” Rapunzel asked, her voice ‘submissive’ as she stared up at Cassandra with pleading eyes. Cass didn’t respond as she moved her hand ever so slightly, barely even touching, but it still caused the princess to moan anyway.

 

Cassandra smirked. “Sensitive, are we?” 

 

“It’s been a while…” Rapunzel mumbled. 

 

“It’s only been like 5 days.” 

 

“You try spending five days in a cell by yourself,” The princess said sarcastically but with a teasing tone. Rapunzel then pushed herself until her body was pressed against Cassandra, their breasts pressing against each other. “To me, it felt like a lifetime.” She mumbled against her lips. 

 

Cassandra made a sound in the back of her throat but otherwise didn’t respond as she pressed the rest of the way forward again. Cassandra started to rub down there outside of her underwear, barely putting any pressure, but causing pleasure nonetheless. She could tell that it wasn’t enough for the princess but she was doing it on purpose.

 

“Show me, Raps,” The warrior whispered hotly as she grabbed Rapunzel's hand and placed it over her own between her legs. Of course, she knew how to pleasure the princess properly but she wanted her to show her. Still nor giving a shit where this was heading, Rapunzel moved Cassandra’s hand, pressing her palm tightly into her before started moving it back and forth. The princess let out a low groan. The warrior suddenly pulled her hand back and instead placed it over Rapunzel’s, doing the same motion she was doing before but rubbing her own hand against her instead. The more the warrior rubbed, the wetter she got.

Rapunzel couldn’t help but groan deeply. It felt good but it wasn’t enough. “Cass, I need more,” Rapunzel whispered against her lips. Cassandra didn’t directly respond but she let go of her hand and took over as she dug her hand into her underwear, immediately entering her with two fingers. Rapunzel threw her head back with a deep moan as Cassandra got to work. She pumped in and out and pressed her palm tightly against her clit, rubbing up and down and putting the slightest bit of pressure. Rapunzel’s moan started to grow in volume, unable to keep hold of her lips anymore. 

 

“Like that?” The warrior asked like she didn’t already know what it was doing to the princess. Rapunzel could only nod, causing a smirk to form on Cassandra’s face at how speechless she was. 

 

“F-Faster.” The princess was able to make out. Cassandra’s smirk widened but she otherwise obliged as she started to work faster; thrusting deeply and fast with her fingers while putting more pressure on her clit with her palm. Rapunzel threw her head back, panting and moaning. “Y-Yeah, yeah... L-Like that..” She moaned which only caused the warrior's smirk to widen even more and work even harder and faster.

 

Rapunzel’s mouth went slack, the wonderful stimulation almost too much. Knowing that she was close, Cassandra thrust upwards roughly, immediately causing an orgasm to follow. The warrior caught Rapunzel’s lips in a deep kiss as she caught her cry of release. 

 

She waited for the princess to come down from her high, which left her panting. The smirk stayed on Cassandra’s face. “God, I needed that.” She said after a minute or two of trying to recover. Cassandra couldn’t help but laugh. 

 

“Well, now you can rest properly, without being 'sexually frustrated'.” The warrior teased. 

 

“Yeah but first…” The princess trailed off before grabbing Cassandra’s shirt to pull her down for another deep kiss. It was so sudden, it surprised Cassandra and took her off guard. Rapunzel then pulled back ever so slightly. “I’m gonna take care of you first.” She purred, her voice hot and sultry as she slipped her hands under her shirt then she slowly started to trail up, causing the warrior to tense. 

 

She thought back again to when the queen disguised herself as Rapunzel and did this. She, once more, took notice of the fact that it caused two different reactions. With the queen, she felt disgusted and uncomfortable but with Rapunzel… it made her feel hot, and with each touch that the princess left on her, lightning bolts followed. 

 

As much as she didn’t want to, again, she pulled away. “Raps, you’re already exerting way too much energy. I’m fine.” 

 

Rapunzel merely rolled her eyes as she brushed her lips against hers and pulled her against her again. “‘I’m fine’,” Rapunzel mocked as she slowly traveled her hand down her body. “If you were fine…” She trailed down even further before placing her hand between her legs over her pants. Cassandra tensed as her legs instinctively spread ever so slightly. "...You wouldn’t be so wet.” Cassandra couldn’t help but groan slightly when the princess rubbed, causing a smirk to form on Rapunzel’s face. “Or sensitive. And through pants, no doubt.”

 

Rapunzel rubbed again, causing Cassandra to throw her head back with a moan. Rapunzel's smirk widened. So her plan was working: messing with her thoughts so that she could continue without resistance. It worked a little but Cassandra came back and although she was panting and Rapunzel could hear her resolve slipping in her voice, the warrior still tried to stop her. “R-Raps, we-” Rapunzel didn’t even let her finish. To shut her up, she quickly pushed her hand into her pants and slipped her hand into her underwear, rubbing directly.

 

It worked. It killed whatever resistance Cassandra had left. “F-Fuck…!” She moaned in surprise at the sudden movement that she was not expecting. 

 

“You were saying?” Rapunzel asked with a suggestive grin as she rubbed up and down, knowing that the warrior couldn’t find it in her to stop her now.

 

“Y-You’re.. not p-playing… f-fair..” Cassandra moaned as the princess continued her tortuous rubbing. Rapunzel's grin widened at her stuttering.

 

“That’s kinda the point,” Rapunzel mumbled against her lips. 

 

“...Y-You..” She panted. “...are still h-hurt.. need to rest..” Her eyes were barely open and Rapunzel couldn’t help but widen her smirk at how breathless she sounded. And the way that she couldn’t even finish a single sentence without stuttering. 

 

“I will,” Rapunzel responded. “But I’m gonna take care of my wife first.” The princess changed her strategy and after that, Cassandra was unable to respond. “Like that, Cass?” 

 

“F-Fuck…god yes..” Rapunzel leaned forward and kissed the warrior deeply. Cassandra tried to return it but she was unable to focus as the princess’s tortuous touching clouded her mind. “A-Ah…” She panted as her head fell against the princess’s shoulder. As the princess worked on her, Cassandra was aware enough to be able to press kisses to her neck and the side of her face. Rapunzel eventually pushed her back, which the warrior was unable to resist, then lifted her other hand and placed it over Cassandra’s breast, rubbing gently, but also harshly. Just how she liked it. 

 

 “....Mmm..” She moaned. The princess lifted Cassandra’s shirt over her head, being extra careful as to not irritate her wounds, and caught her breast in her mouth. Cassandra’s eyes shot open as her back arched instinctively. “A-Ah!” Rapunzel sucked, swirled her tongue, and left little bite marks before switching to the other one, all the while never stopping pleasuring her. When she pulled back, a trail of saliva followed. “G-God, Raps.. mmm… I-I… mm..” Rapunzel’s smirk returned as she rendered her speechless. But she knew what she was saying anyway. 

 

Rapunzel switched her strategy again as she entered her and thrust upwards, pressing a thumb to her clit. “Fuck!” The warrior’s eyes widened slightly before they squeezed shut and her moans started to grow again, her chest heaving. She knew that when Cassandra did that, she was close so she quickened her pace, still sucking onto her breast. Rapunzel's quickened pace triggered an orgasm as the warrior's mouth went slack, she squeezed her eyes shut again, and her body shook. She vaguely felt the princess remove her hand and pull away but she couldn’t focus on it. Her orgasm lasted a full minute before she was finally able to come back to the real world, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

 

Rapunzel only gave her a smirk and leaned forward to kiss her. The warrior raised her still-shaking arms and wrapped them around the princess and kissed back. They pulled away after a moment, just staring into each other's eyes. Rapunzel then smiled at her and kissed the tip of her nose lovingly. Cassandra smiled back and pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling her into her arms. Rapunzel nuzzled and cuddled into her. 

 

“I love you, Cass,” Rapunzel said, her voice quiet and slurred as she started to drift to sleep; the sound of Cassandra’s heart and the warmth of her body luring her to sleep.

 

Cassandra smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head before pulling her even closer, wrapping her arms around her in a protective but comforting manner. She loved when Cassandra did that, it made Rapunzel feel safe, warm, and protected. “I love you too.” The warrior responded quietly, her voice even more slurred and tired sounding than the princess's. 

 

And for once, Cassandra was the one to pass out first. She never let go of her hold as she dug her face into Rapunzel’s hair. Rapunzel knew that she was asleep when she felt her grip loosen ever so slightly and her breathing evened out. Rapunzel smiled as she pushed herself away a little and moved up so that she could see the warrior's sleeping face. Cassandra stirred ever so slightly but she otherwise stayed asleep.

 

Rapunzel smiled as she brushed her bangs from out of her eyes then leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her forehead. She pulled away and looked up at the ceiling. “I will cherish every moment that I experience from here on out and make the best out of the gift I was given.” She whispered, looking up. “And I’ll never take advantage of anything,” She paused, looking at Cassandra. She reached her hand forward and rubbed the side of her face with the back of her hand. “...or anyone ever again and I’ll never forget who's by my side.” She paused again, just looking at the warrior for a second before looking back up at the ceiling. “And I’ll never forget you, Carla.” She said softly. “I promise you all that.” 

 

With that, she nuzzled herself back into Cassandra’s arms again and pressed her face into her chest, breathing in her natural scent. As she drifted off to sleep, she could’ve sworn she felt someone place a hand over her heart but just as soon as she felt it, it disappeared immediately. A part of her wondered if she was just imagining it but another part, deep down in her heart, she knew that she wasn't. Rapunzel let out a small smile before she drifted off to sleep; fully ready to cherish every moment she had for the rest of her life, however long that may be. 

 

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God, I’m finally done! 62 pages later... And all that angst is finally over for now ;-;.