Tangled After The Series - There's No Such Thing As 'The End'

Chapter 7: A few surprises

     Cassandra didn't bother with the formality of knocking when she burst into Rapunzel's room seconds later. The princess was crouched on the floor by the foot of her bed, she kept trying to grab onto the ottoman and hauling herself up, but she was too shaky to get much farther than up onto her knees.

     "Rapunzel!" Cassandra and Varian shouted together. 

     "Cass? Varian? Ow!" Rapunzel pressed her hand to her forehead and screwed her eyes as tightly shut as possible.

     "Talk to me," Cassandra said, already kneeling down beside Rapunzel and pulling her close so that Rapunzel could rest all her weight on her. Varian peered down the hallway, saw no one and clicked the door shut behind them. "What's going on?"

     "My head burns Cass," silent tears were creeping down Rapunzel's face.

     Cassandra snapped into action. "Varian! Next door to your left. Cold rag. Now." Varian left without a word. "Anything else?"

     "Everything's spinning so fast, it's making me nauseous." Cassandra pulled over the waste basket from beside Rapunzel's art easel.

     "Just in case," Cassandra comforted, brushing Rapunzel's hair with her fingers.

     "I...I couldn't keep standing...this time," Rapunzel stammered,

     "Hey, I know, it's ok, I'm here now," Cassandra hushed just as Varian came back into the room. He hurried over to them, sat on the ottoman, and handed Cassandra the rag. "Thanks," she mouthed then turned back to Rapunzel and held the rag over her forehead.

     The silence was stifling. Only broken by Rapunzel's occasional hiccupping or sniffing from crying. Cassandra couldn't keep the look of fear off her face, so she didn't look at her princess. Five minutes passed before Rapunzel lowered the hand that Cassandra was using to hold the rag. Cassandra threw it into the waste basket then hugged Rapunzel tight. She then hooked one arm under Rapunzel's arms and lifted her up enough to sit her on the ottoman between her and Varian. Cassandra kept that arm around her, and Varian placed a hand on her knee.

     "Rapunzel, Demanitus knows I'm not Eugene's biggest fan, but you need to tell him. He would want to know."

     "I can't." Rapunzel breathed,

     "We can understand that it would be difficult," Varian countered, "So maybe take tonight to prepare yourself and tell him tomorrow?" the Princess nodded along,

     "You're right," she sighed.

     Speak of the devil, Eugene walked through the door at that second. Everyone tried to appear as relaxed as possible: Cassandra removed her arm from underneath Rapunzel's shoulders and reclined against the bed with her arms behind her head and Varian sat on the floor on a pile of pillows.

     "Afternoon Sunshine!..." he noticed the others in the room, "And greetings to Varian." Varian laughed a little and Cassandra rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. "A raven from Dad just arrived saying that they set off from the inn an hour ago so they should be here before quarter past five and I think that we can expect Lance to be fashionably late and arrive at half past."

     Rapunzel blinked blankly. "Umm...what are you talking about Eugene?"

     Eugene just laughed at the question. "You crack me up sometimes Sunshine, you really do. Yeah like you could forget the dinner that you've been planning for weeks that you've been so excited about,"

     Rapunzel grinned, "Aww! I thought I had you there!"

     Eugene ruffled her hair affectionately, then he ruffled Cassandra's to annoy her. "I'll leave you to get ready, I'll see you in the throne room at five." Rapunzel's smile didn't shift until he left the room.