Twisted Destiny

Fight

Rapunzel and Eugene made it up to the top of the stairs and stepped out into a throne room. There was no sign of Cassandra or Pascal, and they didn't even see her two captives. "Varian?" Rapunzel called, looking around. "Pascal? Ruddiger?" She clutched at her chest. "Cass?"

"Blondie!" Eugene caught her attention and she looked over at him. "I found Varian."

They looked out a thin doorway to the cage where Varian was, apparently, no longer asleep. "Varian!" Rapunzel called to him, and he looked up briefly before looking back at what he was doing. "Don't worry, Varian, we're gonna get you out of there!"

"Not now!" He looked back at her. "I-I found the last incantation! It was hidden with a photoreactive ink!" He looked back at what he was doing. "Hah, obvious, right?"

"Yeah, super obvious." Eugene said, looking equal parts relieved and annoyed as he rolled his eyes.

"The problem is that I need a concentrated beam of sunlight to see it." Varian turned to them fully. "I mean, I tried using my goggles, but they're too scratched up." He started to dig into his bag. "I need...I need something else, like a prism or a glass."

"Or..." Rapunzel reached into her satchel and pulled out the ring box. "A crystal?" She opened it to reveal the ring inside.

Eugene's eyes widened. "Is that a...?"

"Yeah." She smiled shyly.

"For me?" He placed his hand on his chest.

He smiled and took his hand in hers. "You were going to ask me...?" He asked. "I mean, I was going to ask you." He held her hands in his with a loving smile. "All this time, and you still find ways to surprise me."

The tower suddenly shook and Eugene quickly grabbed the ring when it slipped out of his hand. "Uhh, she must know we're here." Rapunzel said nervously. "Okay, get the ring to Varian, I'm gonna go find Pascal and Ruddiger."

Eugene grabbed her shoulder before she could go and gently turned her back to him, cupping her cheek in his hand. "Be careful."

She held his hand in both of hers, then left his side. He sighed and looked towards the cage before slowly stepping out of the doorway.

--

"Pascal? Ruddiger?" Rapunzel looked around as she walked around the throne room. "Are you two in here?"

She heard black rocks shifting and turned to see Cassandra coming out of the floor on a pillar with two cages in her hands. "Yeah, they're here." She set them both down and opened them up.

Rapunzel gasped and knelt down as Pascal and Ruddiger dashed to her and caught them both in her arms. "I was so worried about you two!" She looked up at Cassandra as she created black rock stairs to walk down to her.

"I've been waiting for you, Rapunzel." She smiled coldly. "We both have been. Varian's been out in the cold for quite a few hours waiting for you to show up."

"Cassandra." Rapunzel stood up. "Let Varian go."

"Without a fight?" She laughed. "Not a chance. He's too dangerous to me to let him be an asset to you."

"Varian is not just an 'asset'!" Rapunzel frowned. "He's our friend! Don't you remember?"

"I remember a kid with a puppy-crush that was all-too-eager to do anything people asked of him, just so he'd get a little bit of praise to make up for the fact that his father was emotionally abusive." Cassandra shrugged. "But, no, I was never his friend. We barely knew each other before things went downhill, and he didn't exactly leave a good impression on anyone."