Power of the Moon (a tangled Fanfic)

Chapter Thirty-Four

"You're what now?!?", Eugene yelled breaking the shocked silence.
Eugene then laughed putting his hand to his face, "That actually explains a lot! The venomous snake lady's parents are Gothel and you, the crazy rhino man! How did I miss it?! It all makes sense!"
Lance went over to Eugene and tried to shake him back to his senses as he laughed hysterically.
Rapunzel shook her head in disbelief, "You're Cass's father?", she asked Hector.
Lance slapped Eugene in the background as Hector answered.
Hector sighed, "Yes princess, I am. Or I believe I am."
"Wait, what do you mean?", she said her eyes blazing, "How could you not know your own daughter?!? And how could you leave her?!?", Rapunzel yelled as angry tears went down her face.
"Do all you princesses cry so much?", Hector asked annoyed, "Because you seem to cry every five minutes."
Rapunzel slapped him and the glade was filled with more shocked silence.
"Tell me.", Rapunzel ordered staring at his face with wet eyes, "Tell me why you abandoned Cass."
Hector touched his cheek and sighed, "I'll admit you surprised me princess and that's not an easy thing to do.", he complemented, "And I had a feeling you'd want some answers if I told you I was Cassandra's father."
Rapunzel stared at him defiantly as Hector looked down at her.
"So I'll guess I'll tell you my story, but if I do you'll need to listen to me to.", Hector wagered shooting Adira a look.
"Fine.", Rapunzel said, "But I'm going to hear both of your opinions and I'll choose which I'll listen to. I'm in charge of my own decisions and no one is going to control me."
Hector smiled a little, "Fine by me princess."
Hector leaned against a tree and looked at the group, "Where to start my story...,well let's go back before the brotherhood departed and the dark kingdom still stood.
"Well, at that time I would still patrol the outer borders of the kingdom and wander outside the kingdom. Times were happier and more carefree then, unlike now.
"At one of those adventurous wanderings I came to meet Gothel.
"I was suspicious of her and knew there was something off about her and I demanded to know who she was.
"She told me her name and nothing else and soon disappeared into the trees. This continued every week until we somehow started to talk.
"She told me her some of her past, but left out several good bits and bobs that would have awoken my better judgement. As it were though, I fell for her as the younger fool I was then.
"We soon got close and I had forgotten all my suspicions of her. We before long then had a child.
"A baby girl, who I had picked the name for on her birth.
"I named her Casanova.
"Well not long after her birth, Gothel started to act different. She didn't care for the child and acted like she was a burden and piece of junk.
"Gothel would always go on a trip a couple times a month, but she left more and more often until she was hardly ever there.
"This continued as I took care of the child for the next couple of years and over that the last few months, Gothel has left me and Casanova, until King Edmund sent everyone away.
"I was going to leave with my daughter and as I tried getting her, she was gone.
"Gothel had taken her away and I was never able to find her again.
"I looked for Casanova but I could only go so far from my duty and I thought that she was good as dead.
"Until of course princess when you and your friends came in.
"After meeting you, I realized how much your lady in waiting looked like Gothel.
"She had her eyes and she had the same hair as my little girl.
"So I did some digging around after you destroyed the great tree and found out about your old friend.
"I found out about how she had an adopted father and how the guards found her stranded in the woods.
"I also realized her name was pretty close to the original and she did at her young age have trouble pronouncing it.
"So that's how I believe I'm Cassandra's father, cause if you see here, I'm not a hundred percent certain.
"I didn't leave her, she was taken and I never knew my daughter had the chance of being alive until you came along.", Hector finished.
Everyone was in shock from Hector's story and didn't know what to say.
Aunt Willow then looked at Hector, "So are you a good guy or bad guy then?"
Hector shook his head, "The world isn't black or white, hippie. And neither are it's people.", he answered.
"So you would have never left Cass then if Gothel didn't take her? Right?", Rapunzel asked quietly.
"To be honest, I might have in a sense. I would have taken care of her, but my duty to the dark kingdom would have come first.", Hector said shamelessly.
"Meaning Cassandra would have later been ignored.", Adira said crossing her arms.
Hector looked at Adira annoyed, "No, it means she would have just gotten some tough love. And considering her adopted father is the Captain of the guard she would have still been fine."
Rapunzel looked at Hector, "You need to tell Cass that your her dad! Maybe some part of her will listen to you!"
"It isn't that easy princess, life's no fairytale fantasy and life isn't fair.", Hector said shaking his head, "She's corrupted by the moonstone and she's out of reason. You're just going to have to accept that princess."
Rapunzel glanced at Eugene out of the corner of her eye and sighed, "She's still in there, Hector."
Hector laughed, "Nice belief princess but your friend ain't there anymore.", he said while sharpening his blade.
He then looked up at her, "Also how do you plan on stopping Cassandra? By sweet talking her?"
Eugene put a hand on Rapunzel's shoulder protectingly, "We can still fight Hector."
"That's cute you think that.", Hector scoffed looking down at Eugene.
Rapunzel glared at Hector, "Listen, we will figure out a way to stop Cass from destroying everything and it's all of us against her. She's outnumbered."
Hector just shook his head and took a flask out of his belt, "That's not what I heard princess.", he said while taking a sip, "Rumor has it she's teamed up with the Separatists of Saporia and Varian."
"What?!", Lance spat shocked.
Rapunzel shook her head, "But how? Varian's in jail and Cass would never..,"
"Think again princess.", Hector interrupted, "You thought your friend wasn't capable of many things and here we are as she's proved you wrong time and time again.
"I'd be careful of what I'm saying if I were you.", he advised taking a final swig of his drink.
Rapunzel's shoulders drooped, "But that means..,"
"Yup, we're outnumbered and if I'm right, outpowered. Those Saporians know dark magic.", Hector said bluntly.
"So what is your plan princess?", Hector asked putting his flask away.
"Adira's my plan.", Rapunzel said staring straight at her, "I know she'll tell me how to save everyone when the time is right. I trust her."
Adira's eyes widened and she turned away from Rapunzel's gaze quickly.
"Meanwhile until then, Eugene is right. We can fight and we will if we have to. I'm the Sundrop I'm sure I can figure out how to stop the darkness.", Rapunzel said determined.
Hector raised an eyebrow, "Well, never let it be said you don't have a can-do attitude, but are you telling me you don't know how to defeat the moondrop?"
He looked at Rapunzel and her friends and ran a hand over his face, "Seriously Adira, I knew you've kept them in the dark but never this much.", he muttered.
"Alright, let me just tell you point blank princess. You're going to have to kill Cassandra.", Hector said as King Edmund let out an outraged squeak.
Rapunzel's face immediately paled, "What? No, that can't be right!", she protested weakly.
"It's the truth.", he said staring straight into her green eyes.
"You weren't supposed to tell her! I ordered Adira to remain quiet!", Edmund sputtered angrily.
"You ordered Adira, not me, Edmund.", Hector pointed out, "So just chill already. I'm sure princess over here can handle it."
He then turned and stopped down to Rapunzel's eye level, "Can't you?", he smiled.
Rapunzel stared back and involuntarily took a step back from Hector.
Eugene held her close as Hector stood upright again and looked at the entrance of the glade.
"Someone's coming, and I'm pretty certain it isn't no friendly character.", Hector warned making both swords unsheathe.
"What are we going to do?", Lance asked nervously readying his sword.
Rapunzel took a shaky breath as she looked at the cave entrance, "We wait."