Chapter 2

Cassandra has returned, and while Rapunzel is thrilled to see her best friend again, not everyone will be so welcoming to the woman who nearly destroyed their entire kingdom. (Warning: contains a brief scene of corporal punishment, whipping to be precise)

Rapunzel turned from her mirror toward the voice and, sure enough, Cassandra, her best friend and former lady-in-waiting, was standing by the window to her balcony. She was dressed exactly as Rapunzel had last seen her before she left in the aftermath of Zhan Tiri’s destruction, though her outfit was a bit tattered and its colours were somewhat faded. Her hair was the same black with steel grey highlights, if a little messy, and her skin was a little more tanned than before. Clearly she’d spent a lot of time on the road.

“CASS!” Rapunzel leapt from her chair and ran to the other woman, grabbing her in the biggest hug she could give. “Oh Cass! It’s so good to see you! I’ve missed you so much!”

Cassandra returned the hug just as tightly. “I missed you too, Raps,” she said, her voice heavy with emotion. It was a year almost to the day when she had left Corona, and this reunion with the princess hit her harder than she thought it would.

Rapunzel was giddy with excitement. “Is it really you? When did you-? What did-? Why-? HOW?”

Cass chuckled at the onslaught of questions. “Breathe, Raps. Breathe,” she said as she gently stroked her friend’s cheek. “Yes, it’s really me. I arrived last night. Snuck in through some of the old tunnels and simply avoided the guard patrols. Speaking of which, you should have a conversation with that Captain of the Guard of yours, it was way too easy for an exile like me to make it here.”

“I’ve got so much to ask you!” Rapunzel continued. “What have you been up to all this time? Where did you go? How come you’re back? Is everything okay?”

Cass put a finger to Rapunzel’s lips to stop any further questions. “I’m back because I felt it was time. As to the other questions, they can wait. There’s some important business to take care of before we can really have a good long talk.”

Eugene, meanwhile, had returned to see if Rapunzel was finished getting ready. From the other side door he could hear his wife talking with someone, so he knocked before opening the door. “Hey Blondie, hope I’m not interrupting.” When he entered he was surprised to see Rapunzel was alone, though she did have a weirdly excited expression, as though she was barely able to hold back something. “Everything alright, honey? You look kind of-”

The door slammed shut behind him, startling him.

“Fitzherbert,” Cassandra said with a frown from her hiding spot behind the door.

Eugene let his shoulders slump and let out an exaggerated sigh. “ ... Cassandra,” he deadpanned.

The two could only maintain the dourness for a few seconds before they both cracked a smile and gave each other a heartfelt hug.

“It’s good to see you,” Eugene admitted.

“You too,” Cass said, “You’ve been taking good care of my girl, I trust?”

“I’m a little insulted you even have to ask. Not that Rapunzel needs taking care of, but yes, she’s in good hands. But Cass,” he added with concern, “you do remember you’re considered an exile for your part in Zhan Tiri’s attack, right?”

The smile left Cass’s face as she became more serious. “I know.” She held her hands out, wrists together. “Do what you must, Captain.”

Rapunzel looked at them in shock. “What? No! Eugene, you can’t arrest her!”

“It’s okay, Raps,” Cass said. “I knew what coming back would mean, but I had good reason. I’ll plead my case before your father as soon as he can see me. I would have gone straight to one of the guards to turn myself in but I really wanted to see you first.”

“You don’t have to do this, Cass,” Eugene said, pushing her hands down. “Nobody else knows you’re here, right? We can pretend this meeting never happened.”

“Thanks, but no. I’ve been avoiding paying for my crimes for long enough.”

“You were being manipulated!” Rapunzel nearly shouted. “Zhan Tiri lied to you! The Moon Stone was influencing you!”

“Maybe. But the Moon Stone hadn’t corrupted me so much that I wasn’t in control of myself. My ignorance of what Zhan Tiri was doing is no excuse either. While I was away I had time to think, and though you may have forgiven me, there still needs to be healing between me and the people of Corona,” Cassandra explained. “Speaking of healing,” she added, then pulled off her right glove.

Cassandra’s right hand was whole and healthy. The last time Rapunzel had seen it, it was still black and withered from when it was damaged when she used the Decay Incantation for the first time. Since then, it had caused Cassandra a lot of pain and made everyday life that much more difficult as her dominant hand was practically useless. That wound was the catalyst for Cassandra’s eventual betrayal, and Rapunzel had never forgiven herself for causing such trauma to her friend. To see the hand returned to normal nearly overwhelmed her.

“Oh Cass, your hand! It’s okay!” she said, almost in tears.

“Yeah, all better. That healing power of yours really does work miracles, doesn’t it?”

“Tell me about it,” Eugene joked, having been brought back from death itself by that same power several years ago.

“But when you left it was still ... damaged,” Rapunzel pointed out. When she used the Healing Incantation that final time, Cass was brought back from death but her hand had remained as it was.

“Maybe it was because it was due to the Decay incantation, or maybe because it wasn’t a fresh wound, but the healing process seemed to be gradual,” said Cassandra. “It took a few weeks before it was back to normal.”

“I’m so sorry, Cass,” Rapunzel said for the millionth time, a tear trickling down her cheek.

Cassandra used her healed hand to wipe away the tear. “Don’t be. Unlike what I did, this wasn’t your fault. Neither of us knew touching you would have done that. And look on the bright side, now that I have both hands again, I’m ambidextrous.”

To demonstrate, she grabbed a few small trinkets from around the room and began to juggle, first with both hands, then with just her left, followed by her right, then with both again but each juggling independently. When the demonstration was over she bowed, and her small audience gave an enthusiastic applause.

Cassandra returned the items and then once again held her hands out to Eugene. “Now back to the matter at hand,” she said.

Eugene hesitated. “Cass, are you sure?” She nodded, so he reluctantly placed her in cuffs. “I guess it’s down to the dungeon until the king calls for you.”

“No,” Rapunzel interrupted. “She’s not spending one second down there if I can help it. We’re going to bring her to my dad right now and get this sorted out.”

It was a surprising sight for the people in the castle, seeing Princess Rapunzel with a determined look marching down the halls, with the exile Cassandra following in cuffs, being escorted by Captain Eugene. Gossip spread and before the trio even made it to the throne room most of the people on the grounds knew of Cassandra’s unexpected return, and word was already spreading to the town.

When they did finally arrive at the throne room quite a crowd had gathered behind them, eager to see what was going to happen next. Rapunzel threw open the doors, interrupting a conversation her father and mother were having with Nigel, their advisor. They all stared when they saw who was behind the princess.

“Cassandra!” the king exclaimed, surprised at her unexpected entrance.

The three friends continued to approach the throne while the murmuring crowd trickled in, keeping to the back of the room. When they reached the stairs Cassandra dropped to her knees and lowered her head to the floor.

“I throw myself at the mercy of the king,” she declared. “I have done grievous harm to this kingdom and her people, and am here to atone.”

The king looked down at her from his throne. For minutes he just sat there, staring at her. Thinking.

“Dad,” Rapunzel began after a long moment, but her father held up a hand, silencing her.

“Stand,” he commanded. Cassandra complied, though kept her head bowed and eyes lowered. “You are aware that, even though you left on good terms with my daughter, that you technically fled the country before you could be tried for your crimes against Corona, and are currently in exile?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And that now that you’ve returned you must pay for those crimes?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Frederick stood, and looked to Cassandra, then his daughter, and on to the crowd. “Treason,” he began, “has only one punishment.”

“No!” Rapunzel shouted as she placed herself between Cassandra and the king, arms outstretched as if to shield her friend.

“Rapunzel,” he said, before being interrupted.

“You will not execute Cassandra!”

“Rapunzel,” he tried again.

“If you so much as think about killing her I will renounce you and this kingdom and you will never see me again!”

“PRINCESS RAPUNZEL,” the king shouted, finally succeeding in getting her to listen. “If you would let me finish,” he continued in a much more measured voice, “you would see there’s no need for you to make such drastic statements.

“Yes, Cassandra committed treason, of that there is no doubt, and yes, the punishment for treason is death. But,” he continued, loudly enough for all to hear, “Cassandra has already paid that price in full. She died helping you defeat Zhan Tiri. Just because the healing power of the Sundrop brought her back doesn’t change the fact that she did give her life to save us.”

The protective anger flowing through Rapunzel vanished at the king’s declaration and she collapsed to her knees in relief. Eugene and her mother both rushed to her to make sure she was okay.

Cassandra swayed but stayed on her feet. She had been reasonably sure she wouldn’t be condemned to death should she return, but to hear it declared was a great weight off her shoulders. However, there was still the fact that she broke her exile and the people of Corona would still want their pound of flesh. She finally looked up at the king. “Sire, words don’t come close to expressing my gratitude, but-”

“I do hope you’re not trying to take advantage of my mercy,” he warned.

“On the contrary, Your Majesty. I’m asking for punishment.”

“Oh really? Why is that?”

“As you said yourself, I’ve violated my exile, and though I may have paid for my actions against the crown, I destroyed homes, businesses, and caused terror and hardship to the good people of this kingdom. They deserve justice.”

The king looked to Cassandra, and then to the crowd at the other end of the room. He could see that many of them wore expressions of fear or anger directed at the woman who nearly caused their destruction, and he could certainly sympathise with them. Cassandra had been practically family, having lived most of her life in the castle, serving with excellence in everything she did, and her betrayal stung deeply and personally. Had her actions actually caused the deaths of any of his citizens he doubted the people would allow him to grant any mercy at all, but thankfully everyone had survived the conflict.

“You speak true, Cassandra. What you did may not have hurt this kingdom physically, but it did emotionally and economically. It will take years for us to recoup the money spent to repair the damage, and the fear and sleepless nights some have suffered since have negatively impacted people’s mental health. And since there is no way for you to repay your debt financially, you will pay physically.”

The crowd stirred, mosty with approving nods and calls of agreement, but a significant minority were clearly uncomfortable with the ruling. They knew Cassandra personally from before she went rogue and even now found it difficult to believe she was wholly responsible for her actions.