Power of the Moon (a tangled Fanfic)

Chapter Fifty-Two

Rapunzel felt like all hope was lost.
Again, here she was left with a horrible decision to make. Just like that one cursed wintery night when she was queen.
She had never felt so weak in her life.
She felt so tired and broken, her heart aching from all the lives that were counting on her to save them.
She saw all her friends waiting on her answer and the ones who lay hurt on the ground before her.
Andrew who lay on the ground dead from his fight with Zhan Tiri, a battle he was never destined to do or win.
He died alone with no friends by his side.
And Cassandra, her former best friend, manipulated and drained from Gothel's greedy takeover.
She lay on the edge of death herself, pale and quiet.
People who had already been hurt and there was sure to be more.
Pascal squeaked in empathy as he felt her distress and tried to comfort her.
"Rapunzel, you can't do this, you can't!", Varian said shakily as he cradled Cassandra gently, "You can't possibly think it's okay to sacrifice us to save hundreds, can you?"
Rapunzel looked at him, "Of course not Varian! I wouldn't do that, every life is important!"
"I mean, I'm glad to hear that and I've kinda forgiven you for the past, but my Dad was almost sacrificed in order to save Corona.", Varian responded, "You had to make a choice and you couldn't save everybody."
She blanched.
She knew that had been the case; she had saved everyone except his father.
There was always a sacrifice.
Rapunzel was scared of what her final choice would do, what impact would it make on her kingdom? What would it do to her friends? Maybe even the world?
"Varian, I'm not going to do anything that would endanger you and Cassandra along with me. That would be unfair pulling you into my fate, but the problem is there doesn't seem to be any other way.", she said putting her face into her hands, "I hate to say it but it seems like no matter what I do there will be blood on my hands.", she sobbed.
Eugene held her close, his warm comforting hands helping her calm down.
She felt like his strong hands could do anything, support anything, but she knew this was her burden to carry and hers alone.
Rapunzel felt a soft kiss on her forehead and she looked up to see Eugene's sad sweet face.
"Eugene, I, I don't know what to do.", she said hugging him.
Pascal cuddled her silently as her boyfriend gave her a long warm hug.
He then broke away from her, "I'm sorry Rapunzel, but all I can say is you should follow your heart. You're on your own on this decision.
"I would take it from you if I could, but you and I both know I can't. This is your destiny.", Eugene said.
Rapunzel nodded slowly, "I do know, but what I don't know what is the right decision to make. And the longer I try to figure it out, the more Zhan Tiri will destroy everything!"
Her aunt came up to her, "Maybe that smart old wise blacksmith can help us,", she suggested, "he might know some things to help us."
"Xavier! Aunt Willow that's a great idea! But, we're running out of time and...", Rapunzel pulled her hair over her face in frustration, "He might not even be at the shop! This is to much!"
"Princess, you need to pull it together!", Varian demanded, "We can't have you falling apart on us!"
"It's just.."
"No! No more excuses! Pull yourself together right now!", he yelled angrily his blue eyes shining, "We're all depending on you to save us and you can't do that if you're freaking out!"
Rapunzel blinked at Varian.
He had grown.
"Right. I need to keep it together.", she said nodding trying to calm her beating heart down.
Varian nodded, "Good, now get over here 'cause Cassandra is waiting."
"Wait, Cass is up now?", she asked immediately rushing down beside the two.
Rapunzel looked at her friend's pale face and saw that Cassandra was conscious, her pale grey green eyes looking back at her weakly.
Rapunzel hugged her hard, "Cass, I'm so so so so sorry for everything! I didn't mean to hurt you, I never realized I was always taking from you, stealing what could have been yours. I've been so selfish and I realize that now!
"I've always thought I was a giving person but never did I think that I would become so greedy and selfish. And I've always pushed myself to hard on you and fought to get my way. I should have listened to you when you gave me advice but I ignored it cause I wanted what I wanted and I didn't care about or think of the consequences.
"I, I was never the friend that I wanted to be to you Cass, I wanted to a good friend who listened and cared and helped, but instead I caused you hurt and pain.
"None of this would have ever happened if I didn't force you into being my friend and if I had never touched those rocks.
"You would have been a guard and would have won the Challenge of the Brave. And none of this mess we're in would be happening right now either.", she apologized in one big gush of sorrow and guilt.
Cassandra hugged her back weakly, "It's my fault for becoming your friend and sneaking you out Raps, so don't put all the blame on yourself.", she said smiling a little.
Rapunzel let go of her, "What??"
She watched as Cass sighed and looked at her apologetically, "It isn't your fault you were born Rapunzel and you had no control over my mother's actions. "Furthermore me being assigned as your lady-in-waiting wasn't really your fault and it was a step up from being a common servant. I snuck you out when I shouldn't have and done my fair share of wrongdoing.
"And when my hand got burned, that was my fault for not trusting you like I should have.
"And I also let my jealousy get to me so I could be manipulated and tricked by Gothel. That was my fault and not yours Rapunzel.
"Sure, maybe I have good reasons to be mad at you and maybe you've done stuff worth me hating you over, but it's my sole fault for seeing with the eyes of revenge and letting myself become lost in hatred and bitterness.
"So it is I that is truly sorry for all my mistakes Rapunzel, you shouldn't feel as strongly as you do about all of that.", Cassandra apologized resting her head back down on Varian's lap.
Rapunzel shook her head as tears came in her eyes, "Cass, I don't know what to say..."
"There is nothing to say, we both are guilty in this, but I'm the one who acted on my impulses.", Cassandra said.
"That is so not true! I acted on my impulses since the day I met you!", she argued.
"Well you didn't let a demon possess your very soul and steal a powerful moonstone which is now in Zhan Tiri's hands!", Cass shouted, "All because of some jealousy because my friend trusted a weirdo lady more then me!"
Rapunzel blinked, "Cass..."
"I was afraid you trusted her more then me, that you would decide to leave Rapunzel. I thought I lost my best friend.", Cassandra blinked as tears threatened to form.
Rapunzel then grabbed Cassandra's hands and held them tightly, squeezing them lovingly.
"I never stopped being your friend Cass and I never knew that's how you felt this whole time, I didn't even realize that I was pushing you away like that and again I'm so sorry. I hope if you ever want, that we can be friends again someday.", she said as Pascal squeaked in agreement.
"Why someday instead of right now?", Cass smirked.
"Wha-,", Rapunzel smiled wide, "You don't mean you do want to be friends again do you Cassandra?!"
She watched in bubbling joy as Cass nodded.
She squealed happily and squeezed her tightly and then let go of her, "I'm still mad at you though, even if it wasn't you."
Cassandra laughed, "I guess that's to be expected isn't it.", the She got real serious, "Alright, Listen Rapunzel, the whole reason I wanted to talk to you was to apologize and to tell you something."
"Tell me what?", Rapunzel asked looking at her concerned.
"While you were talking Cassandra and I made an agreement.", Varian said gravely as she looked up at him as he spoke, "You will have no right to object us if we tell you."
She looked at the two rapidly, "What are you guys saying? What was your agreement?"
"Are you sure you want to know Rapunzel? Ignorance is something you have little of left.", Varian asked.
Rapunzel nodded, "You guys can tell me!"
Varian took a deep breath, "I have decided and so has Cass, that we will sacrifice ourselves along beside you for the incantation."
She stood up, "Are you guys crazy?! I'm not doing that!"
"It's a request and when I mean request, I mean a demand. You will do it.", Cassandra broke in, "It's the right thing." Her face then softened, "We'll do it together, as friends Rapunzel. We fight together and fall together."
"I won't do it!", she shouted at the two on the ground, "I won't!"
"Do you hear yourself, you're just being childish!", Varian said propping up Cassandra she could sit up, "We are willing to give our lives to help save the world and you're saying you won't do what needs to be done! Or are you to scared to do it because you want to save your own skin?!", he shouted angrily.
She backed up as Eugene held her gently, "Listen kid, but you will not go insulting Rapunzel like that!"
Rapunzel saw Cassandra and Varian and everyone else look at her as her mind swam.
She felt like the ground was spinning beneath her as Varian's words sunk in like a knife.
What if the whole reason she truly didn't want to do this was not for her friends sake, but her own?