A fellow Cassarian shipper hosted a Cassarian Month in August 2023, and I decided to turn my entries for it into a month of different AUs! So here they are, along with short stories to go with the art!
AU: Varian and Cassandra are the same age and grew up together.
On this sunny day in the kingdom of Corona, young Varian is excited to be traveling with his father. They are going to see the king at the castle! Varian has never gone far beyond his own home in Old Corona. But to have the chance to visit the castle?! It is almost more of a thrill than the four-year-old can handle.
Entering through the large double doors, Varian gasps. Everything in the castle, from the floors to the tall ceilings, is so shiny! And there are so many hallways and doors. There must be a bajillion rooms in here!
"Daddy, can we stay here at the castle?" Varian asks as Quirin carries him towards the throne room. "It's soooo pretty!"
"No son, we can't," Quirin tells him.
"But why?" Varian pouts. "It's so big! I'm sure the king and queen wouldn't even know we're here."
Quirin laughs. "Oh, Varian. You and your imagination."
Entering the throne room, Quirin sets Varian down and bows to the king and queen. The little boy doesn't understand why, but he attempts to copy his father... and ends up tumbling forward and landing on the floor.
The king and queen chuckle with amusement. "Is this your son, Quirin?" Frederic asks.
"Yes, this is Varian," Quirin replies, smiling with affection as he helps his boy stand back up. "This is his first time visiting the castle."
"I wanna live here!" Varian practically shouts.
The king and queen chuckle again. "How old are you, Varian?" Arianna asks.
Varian stares down at his own hand until he can manage to hold up four fingers. "This many!" He announces with glee.
"I guessed you were somewhere around there." Arianna rises from her throne and kneels down in front of Varian, to be more at his level. "I know of a little girl in this castle who is about your age. And she could really use a friend."
"Someone my age?" Varian repeats. "And she gets to live in the castle?!"
"Let it go, son!" Quirin says, but his smile is warm.
"Yep," Arianna replies to Varian. "She hasn't been here very long, but she's really sad right now. Do you think you might be able to help her cheer up a bit?"
Wow, the queen is giving me a mission! Varian thinks. He looks to his father for permission, and Quirin nods. Facing Arianna again, Varian gulps anxiously. "I can try. Do you think she'll like me?"
Arianna stands up, and holds out her hand. "Come with me, and we'll find out."
Varian places his tiny hand in the queen's, and follows her through the castle as Quirin and Frederic begin discussing business in Old Corona. After a few twists and turns through the hallways, Arianna leads Varian outside to a courtyard with a beautiful fountain in the center.
And that's when Varian spots her. A young girl, around his age, with long black hair and sad eyes. She is wearing a green dress, and is sitting on the edge of the fountain with her knees pulled up to her chest.
"Why's she out here?" Varian asks Arianna.
The queen points to a tall man standing at the gates nearby, wearing golden armor. "That's her dad over there, and he's on duty. She must be bored, so you should give her some company."
Arianna gently nudges Varian in the right direction, and watches as he slowly approches the girl. It takes a moment, but the girl finally notices him.
"Hi," Varian says with a small wave. "I'm Varian."
"I'm Cassandra," the girl says, sniffling as she wipes her eyes.
Is she crying? Varian wonders. He wants to ask her what's wrong, but his mission is to cheer her up. So he pretends he doesn't notice.
"The pretty queen told me you live here at the castle," Varian says. "That's amazing! I wish I lived here."
"I guess it's okay," Cassandra says. "But I miss my home in the woods. I lived there with my mommy, and it was much quieter than it is here."
"Maybe you could visit it sometime," Varian suggests, climbing onto the edge of the fountain to sit next to her.
"I don't think so," Cassandra says sadly. "My mommy isn't there anymore...."
When tears appear in her eyes again, Varian starts to panic. He is failing at his mission from the queen! "Please don't cry!" Varian says, gently touching her arm. "I'm supposed to cheer you up."
Cassandra shies away from his touch. "I'm not sure I want to be cheered up right now."
"Sure you do, everyone wants to be happy!" Varian gestures to the humongous castle in front of them. "I'm sure there's tons of things in there that could make you happy!"
He hops off of the fountain, stumbling as he does so. He tries to catch himself, but ends up falling flat on the ground.
"Are you okay?" Cassandra asks. Hopping off the fountain gracefully, she holds out her hand to help him up. He eagerly accepts, but once he is standing he continues to grasp her hand in his.
At first, Varian thinks she might pull her hand away. But when she doesn't, he couldn't be happier. "U-um, Cassandra? Do you wanna be my friend?" He asks nervously.
Cassandra stares at their interlaced hands for a moment, and then looks Varian up and down. Finally, she smiles. "You seem a little silly. But okay, we can be friends."
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Varian is so excited to have a new friend, that he almost hugs her. But before he can say anything more, he hears his father calling:
"Varian! It's time to go home, son."
"Awww..." Varian sighs disappointedly. He has to leave the castle, and his new friend, already?!
"Don't be sad," Cassandra says. "You cheered me up, so you're not allowed to be sad now!"
Varian can't help but smile. "You're right. I don't wanna go yet, but we're friends now. So I know I'll see you again!"
Cassandra nods, and waves goodbye as Quirin picks Varian up and begins walking home. "Thank you, Varian!" She hollers after him. "Come back soon!"
"You two seemed to be getting along," Quirin says to Varian.
"Yep! Her name is Cassandra, and she's my friend now!" Varian wriggles delightedly in his father's arms. "Can we come back tomorrow?"
"I'm sorry Varian, but it's too far to come back so soon." When he sees the disappointment on his son's face, he sighs. "But I promise, I'll bring you back soon."
"Yay!" Varian shouts, throwing his hands in the air. He may only have just met Cassandra, but he can already tell there is something special about her. He can't wait to get to know her better, and play with her in that amazing castle she gets to calls home.
