Cassunzel Short Stories

The Party

Cassandra leaned against the bridge while looking into the dark water. She let out a small sigh. This was the first time she had been in Corona since the moonstone incident that was 2 years ago. It was the first time she had seen her friends face-to-face in 2 years. Rapunzel had convinced her to come to Eugene's birthday party. Sure, she cared for Eugene, but she didn't travel 3,000 miles back to Corona for his birthday. She returned because the LAST time he had a birthday, an actual birthday, she crashed it. So she thought it was fair, so she could make amends with that incident.

Rapunzel was of course ecstatic to see her. The others.. not so much. Her friends welcomed her but for the rest of Corona... She wasn't blind. She noticed the fearful stares, the angry looks, the silent talking. As much as she hated to admit it, it bothered her. They all looked at her like she was... like she was some type of monster.

Cassandra groaned and laid her head in her arms. Maybe she was. She destroyed their home, betrayed the kingdom and tried to kill their princess. Her best friend. What type of person does that? Sure, Rapunzel wasn't perfect, but she certainly didn't deserve to watch her home, her kingdom, burn up in flames. She didn't deserve to be targeted and nearly killed all because Cassandra wanted her "own destiny". How selfish is that? Very.

The real reason she left was to exhale herself from Corona because the king wasn't going to do it. She didn't plan on coming back. Rapunzel deserved better and she knew Rapunzel would never admit that, so she made the decision for her. She made the decision for the whole kingdom. She tried to find something for herself out there but nothing ever felt right. So eventually she just gave up and traveled the seven kingdoms. Even farther than that. But now she was back and she was overwhelmed.

"I thought I'd find you out here," A familiar voice said from behind her. As the voice walked to stand next to her, she didn't look up. She couldn't look Rapunzel in the eye. She could never look her in the eyes again. Rapunzel must've noticed her lack of movement and silence. "You okay?" Her voice was laced with genuine concern. God, she really didn't deserve her.

"Yeah," Cassandra eventually responded but when Rapunzel gave her a skeptical look, she continued. "I'm just.. a bit overwhelmed."

Rapunzel nodded before leaning on the bridge as well. "Mind if I stay with you? It's getting a little stuffy in there anyway." Still without looking at her, Cassandra nodded. The silence that followed was awkward for a good 5 minutes before anyone responded. "What's it like out there?"

"Hm?" Cassandra asked in confusion.

"You know, out there? Beyond the Corona walls."

"You've been out there, Raps, you already know."

"You know what I mean, Cass.."

Cassandra sighed. "It's... big. Dangerous. There's muggers, sex-traffickers', thugs, pirates," Cassandra raised her head from her arms and looked out at the glistening water that shined in the moonlight. "But it's also beautiful. It's never boring. There's always an adventure waiting to happen." Rapunzel made a sound in the back of her throat.

"Did you.. meet anyone out there?" Rapunzel tilted her to the side in wonder as she looked at Cassandra.

"A couple people here and there. Not what you're asking though. I traveled with a small group of people for a while before going off on my own again." Cassandra answered truthfully. Rapunzel nodded in acknowledgment.

"How do you feel being back?"

Cassandra shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

"The truth, Cassandra." Damn. She was caught. Cassandra let out an annoyed sigh. She knew she had to talk about it. She promised Rapunzel 2 years ago she would work on talking about her feelings. And she HAD been working on it.. but it doesn't make it any easier.