Chapter 15

The return to Corona means a return to normal. For the most part. It also means Rapunzel finally has the chance to have that talk with Cassandra that she’d been putting off, with quite the unexpected result.

The return to Corona occurred with little fanfare, though the king was waiting for them when they landed and eagerly hugged his wife as soon as her feet were back on solid ground. “Welcome back, Sweetheart,” he said, embracing her tightly. “How was your trip?”

“Very enjoyable,” the queen said. “Although there were some couples related activities that others engaged in that I unfortunately had to pass on. The next time you and I let Rapunzel take over and have our own vacation, I wouldn’t mind going back again so that we could have a turn ourselves.” She spoke with such a calm and steady voice that no one listening would ever have thought that she had spent the last several days completely nude, or that the activity she was referring to was actually sex. The other vacationers had a difficult time hiding their own reactions to Arianna’s statement, but managed to restrain themselves enough that the king didn’t notice anything amiss.

“I’m sorry you had to miss out,” he replied, “but you know I had duties I couldn’t escape from. Next time I’ll make sure we can go together.”

The light of day was already fading by the time everyone had solid ground under their feet again, so they had a small, late supper while the staff saw to properly stowing the balloons and delivering the luggage to appropriate rooms. Everyone was tired from the journey so conversation was minimal during the meal and as soon as they were done eating everyone headed to bed. Those who lived in the castle were able to enjoy their own rooms once again, while the rest went to guest quarters, sparing them from having to travel any further in a single day.

Once again life began to drift back to normal. Lance, Catalina, and Kiera went back to the Treehouse, and Varian returned to his own home in Old Corona. Willow’s wanderlust had her wanting to head out again, but before she did so her sister brought up the subject of settling down and having a family of her own. “Your own niece is already married and you’re going to be a great-aunt before you know it. Don’t you want to have kids of your own one day? You’re not getting any younger, you know,” Arianna said.

Willow gave her sister a heartfelt embrace. “I know, Sis. Don’t worry. I’ve got a couple prospects in mind, but the timing isn’t right yet. Though if things do eventually work out, you’ll be the first to know.” So with a smile and a wave Willow was gone until her next visit, whenever that would be.

Eugene resumed his job as Captain of the Guard, relieving Max who once again was a stellar fill-in while he was gone, and Rapunzel continued the lessons that would prepare her to one day take over the throne. Her training wasn’t that intense or involved, which gave her a healthy amount of time each day to pursue her own interests. She divided up that free time between painting, mingling with the townsfolk, and translating Gothel’s diaries alongside Cassandra.

They had already been back from their vacation for several days before Rapunzel finally worked up the nerve to talk to Cassandra about the more extreme things that happened while on the island. “So Cass ... about what happened while we were on vacation...” she began slowly.

“A lot of stuff happened,” Cassandra pointed out.

“Yeah, that’s true. I mean ... the sex,” Rapunzel finally managed to get out. “You watching me and Eugene have sex.” She blushed fiercely upon actually saying it out loud, looking around the room, again, to check to make sure they were alone.

Cassandra also blushed, mirroring Rapunzel. Knowing that this conversation was eventually going to happen didn’t make it any easier now that it was. “I hope you know I didn’t mean to. I thought you two were far away along the beach, like you said you’d be. I didn’t expect you to be near the waterfall.”

“I know. I’m sorry about that. Eugene and I ... had our fun down the beach and were coming back to the waterfall to, um, clean up, when the mood struck us again. It never occurred to us that you might be nearby,” Rapunzel admitted.

“Obviously.”

“But, um, that wasn’t the only time you saw us, right? There was that time right after you returned to Corona when you walked in on us ... getting into the mood. And you’ve overheard us a number of times, right?”

“I have,” Cassandra confessed. “Though that time in the jungle was the first time I really saw anything worth mentioning. The incident in your room was too dark, and you weren’t really doing much of anything yet. But why are you bringing this up?”

Rapunzel took a moment to think about what to say. “You ... you’re not creeped out, are you? Seeing Eugene and I at our most intimate? That’s not something that’s supposed to be seen by others, right?”

“No, it’s not. But I’m happy for you, Raps,” Cassandra said. “You and Eugene are able to love each other so freely that even being seen isn’t enough to stop you.”

“Well if it was anyone else, it would have been.”

“Huh?”

“If it was anyone but you who saw us, I never would have continued,” Rapunzel clarified. “And I definitely wouldn’t have asked them to stay.”

Cassandra had been growing more at ease as the conversation continued, but Rapunzel bringing up this particular detail had her blushing again. “Why did you? Ask me, I mean.”

Rapunzel shook her head. “I don’t know. Why did you stay?” she asked, looking Cassandra in the eye.

“I don’t know,” Cassandra replied, returning the gaze.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence as the two women looked at each other, before they blinked and shyly looked elsewhere.

“So, um, you really weren’t creeped out seeing us make love?” Rapunzel eventually asked.

“Creeped out?” Cassandra thought back on what she was feeling at the time. “Not really, no. Were you creeped out by me watching you?”

“I guess not. I was embarrassed at first, but creeped out? No.”

“If anything I felt I was intruding on your privacy,” Cassandra added. “That I shouldn’t see it, because I knew it’s not something you’d want me to see.”

“But then I went and told you to stay.”

“Yeah, that was weird,” Cassandra said with an embarrassed grin.

“It definitely was!” Rapunzel tried to laugh off the nervousness, to little effect. “But you stayed anyway. And you ... began to play with yourself. Did ... did watching us excite you?”

“Do you really have to ask that?” Cassandra said, though she couldn’t look at the princess as she spoke. “Do you honestly think anyone watching a beautiful woman and a handsome man having sex wouldn’t get turned on?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never watched someone else have sex.”

“Well, thanks to you, I have! And yes, it is a massive turn on!” Cassandra could hardly believe she admitted that. Both women again locked eyes. They remained motionless for just a moment before looking away, the blush returning to their faces in full force.

This conversation was becoming a little more heated than either had planned and so they refocused on the task of reading and translating the diary. Eventually Rapunzel spoke again. “Being seen is kind of exciting, too,” she quietly admitted.

Cassandra couldn’t help but laugh. “You don’t say! Whatever would have given you that idea, Raps?” she asked sarcastically. “Maybe the fact that being naked all the time made you and Eugene so wound up that you had to have sex how many times a day?”

Rapunzel laughed too. “Okay, I guess it was more than ‘kind of exciting’,” she admitted.

The laughter released a lot of the tension in the air and the two girls smiled. Another moment of silence passed before Rapunzel spoke up again. “Um, Cass, is it alright if I ask you a question?”

Cassandra cocked an eyebrow. “It depends on what the question is about.”

“It’s nothing strange,” Rapunzel assured her. “ At least, it probably shouldn’t be, considering everything that happened lately.”

“Well then, spit it out. You’re making me nervous beating around the bush like that.”

“Um, you know how I love to paint, right?”

Cassandra just gave Rapunzel a look that said, ‘Really?’

Rapunzel gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Of course you do. Well, in looking for ways to improve my own techniques, I’ve been looking at a lot of the works of different artists. And, um, I noticed something.”

“Which is...?” Cassandra asked when it was clear Rapunzel was hesitant to continue.

“They all at one point or another did nude paintings.”

“Um,” Cassandra began, immediately understanding where this conversation was going.

“Can I practise with you?” Rapunzel asked before Cassandra could say anything more.

“Hold on, there,” Cassandra said. “Are you saying you want to paint me? Nude?”

“Yes?” Rapunzel said shyly. “Considering we spent a whole week naked together, I figured you would be my best option. You or Eugene, but he’s too busy with guard stuff.”

Cassandra fidgeted a bit, slightly uncomfortable with some of the prospective issues that could come about. “It’s not that, Raps. I wouldn’t mind being your model, really. But what happens to the painting itself? I don’t want my naked body on display for just anyone to see.”

“Then I’d give any such paintings to you, so you would have full control over who gets to see them. Or I’d destroy them if that’s what you’d prefer.”

“Every painting you’ve ever done is special to you,” Cassandra said. “I’d never ask you to destroy one of them.” She thought for a minute, weighing the pros and cons of Rapunzel’s proposal. “I suppose if I had total control over those paintings, at least for those where you can tell it’s me, then, yes, I’ll be your model, Raps.”

Rapunzel let out a squeal of delight and gave Cassandra a big hug. “Thank you so much, Cass! I promise you’ll love it!”

Cassandra smiled awkwardly. “So, um, when did you want to start?”

“I would like to say today, but there’s still too much to get ready. Are you okay with tomorrow? We could do it in your room if that would make you feel more comfortable.”

“Your room’s fine. That’s where all your supplies are already, so it would be needless effort to move everything. Just make sure no one other than you will see me or the painting.”

“Aww, not even Eugene?” Rapunzel grinned, teasing her friend.

Cassandra grinned back. “Hey, just because I let him see me naked on the island doesn’t mean I’m okay with him seeing me naked whenever.” She thought for a moment longer then said, “Although, if he happened to see something, on accident mind you, then I suppose I wouldn’t have any real reason to be upset. But don’t you go ‘forgetting’ to keep those paintings hidden when he’s around.”

“Sure. No problem,” Rapunzel agreed. She had no intention to do as Cassandra was implying, but it was still fun to tease her friend anyway.

The next day Rapunzel was both excited and nervous. As an artist, she had never created something so bold or controversial as a nude painting before, and she was really looking forward to the experience. She wanted to try and make this painting more true to life than her normally stylized work, and to see if she could capture the beauty of the human body like those other artists had.

Cassandra was just as excited and nervous as the princess, and for similar reasons. Before their vacation she never would have considered posing for a nude painting, nor would she have thought anyone would want her as the subject of one. She was equal parts scared at the idea of her body being fully displayed in a painting, flaws and all, and thrilled at the idea that Rapunzel considered her worthy of being painted. As a result, she had taken an extra long time in the bathing room to get ready for her session with the princess, washing her hair very thoroughly and making sure to shave off any trace of body hair so that her skin was as smooth as the day she was born. She didn’t bother getting dressed after she was finished, but donned a bathrobe and quickly made her way to Rapunzel’s room. Thankfully she encountered no one on the way, so she didn’t have to worry about anyone wondering why she was so nervous or barely dressed.

“Ah, you’re here!” Rapunzel said as soon as Cassandra entered the room. “Come on over Cass. Give me just a minute to finish getting my easel set up.”

Cassandra noted that Rapunzel had rearranged the room slightly. The privacy screen was moved much closer to the door, cutting off nearly half the room from the view of anyone standing by the door. A couch had been placed close to the part of the wall with the mural, and just behind and to the side of the couch was a small table with a vase full of red and yellow roses. The curtains by the window were drawn back, allowing the natural light of the sun to fill the room with a warm glow. Despite the warmth of the sun, Cassandra shivered as she stood and waited on Rapunzel.

A couple of minutes later, Rapunzel looked over her workspace with satisfaction and nodded. “Good. Okay, Cass. I’m ready if you are.”

Cassandra approached the couch slowly. “What do you need me to do?” she asked.

“Please get undressed and lay down on the couch however you want. I want you to be as comfortable and relaxed as you can be. But please make sure nothing is blocking my view of your ... private areas,” Rapunzel said, blushing slightly. “That would kind of defeat the purpose of doing a nude painting.”

Cassandra took a deep breath and undid the sash holding her robe closed. She looked around the room once more just to confirm that she and Rapunzel were indeed the only ones there, then let the robe fall to the floor. Despite the antics she and the others got up to on the island, standing around completely naked in the middle of someone else’s room still felt very embarrassing. She laid down on the couch as per Rapunzel’s instructions but found it very difficult to relax.

“Come on, Cass. You’re as stiff as a board,” Rapunzel said, noticing. “You’ve got to loosen up. I don’t want to paint you when you look so uncomfortable.”

“Sorry, Raps,” Cassandra replied. “I know you’ve seen me naked a lot, but it still feels really weird. Being naked isn’t as easy as you’d think.”

“Oh, I’ve got an idea!” Rapunzel said with a smile. “Wait right there, I’ll be back in just a second.” As soon as she said that Rapunzel darted out of the room, leaving Cassandra alone and naked. The nude woman lay there, worried, and just as she was wondering if she should put her robe back on or not, the door opened again, causing her heart to jump. “I’m back!” Rapunzel announced. Some of the worry Cassandra was feeling left at the return of her friend.

“Where did you go?” Cassandra asked.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I raided your room,” Rapunzel answered. “Here, put this on.” She held up the necklace that Cassandra kept on her nightstand, the one with the lump of Cassandrium that Varian had made.

Cassandra took the necklace and slipped it over her head. “Um, why do you want me to wear this?” she asked.

“Well, you said it felt weird being naked. Now you’re not.”

Cassandra looked at Rapunzel, who looked back at her innocently. Then Rapunzel’s lip twitched in a smile, and both women began to laugh.