Behind His Eyes

Chapter 3: In the Absence of Hope

I do not own Tangled the Series, the characters, or the picture. Thank you

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The Present

The second the throne door flew open, Rapunzel had sprint towards her parents and wrapped them into her arms in a powerful bear hug. Both of her parent' s were caught off guard since they did not know she would be returning. Arianna's eyes began to water, and Fredrick could feel something in his chest stir. They were overjoyed to see their daughter. 

It didn't take long for them to notice something was off. 

First things first: Cassandra was no where to be found. Second: Eugene looked like actual crap (to put it mildly). Thirdly, Rapunzel's naturally radiant and sparkling personality seemed forced. 

Something wasn't right. 

Eugene and Lance were a little surprised that Rapunzel had kept it together. She didn't cry. Even though she was overwhelmed with emotions, she didn't shed a tear; however, she did admit to her parents that she was exhausted and would like to go to her room and sleep before telling them what happened. Despite the king's protest, the queen immediately granted her daughter's request, even though she too yearned to know what had caused their sudden return. 

Arianna offered to take her daughter to her room, which Rapunzel drowsily accepted. Before they left, Arianna whispered to Eugene, "I'll save my questions for later, but please tell me. Is Cassandra okay? Is she dead?"  The queen's voice faltered when she said the last word. 

"No." Eugene avoided her eyes, "But when Raps tells you, you might wish she was." 

Unsatisfied, Arianna gradually escorted her tired daughter to her bedroom. Pascal had to admit, he was quite sleepy himself. All the traveling, the emotional heartbreak, and his worries about Rapunzel had caused the tiny creature to feel overwhelmingly worn out. Arianna's mamma bear was showing as she helped her daughter undress and fit into a clean nightgown. Rapunzel let out a long sigh as she sat on her bed; she had forgotten how soft it was. The princess had grown accustomed to the various, harsh places to sleep on the road and hadn't realized how much she missed her bed. 

"Sweetheart," Arianna smiled softly, sitting next to Rapunzel, "Is there anything you want to get off your chest before you go to bed? Is there anything I can do to help you sleep?" 

Rapunzel weak smile did not reach her eyes, "I'm really grateful for you Mom. I missed you so much." The two embrace, something told Arianna that her daughter would need a lot of hugs in the weeks to come. Still holding on to her mother as though it was her lifeline, Rapunzel spoke quietly, "I don't think I want to talk about it just yet." She wanted a distraction, something else to think about anything other than her best friend. Suddenly the events of the day flooded into her mind and Rapunzel thought of something (or rather someone). "Is Varian okay?" 

Taken aback, Arianna eyes widened but her tight arms around her daughter did not falter. The queen thought about her next words very carefully. "Um, well. Truth be told I haven't visited him in awhile. Don't worry though. Nigel and the Captain have been keeping a close eye on him. They give me weekly reports on how he's doing and the progress he's been making. Nigel says he still has a long way to go before he will be completely reformed, but he's well on his way." Holding Rapunzel's shoulders arm lengths away from her, Arianna studied the princess's face, "Rapunzel, don't be worried about him. I'm sure he'll be okay. He's in good hands." 

With that, Arianna tucked her daughter in bed and kissed her cheek goodnight. It was a sweet sentiment since neither had experienced this kind of intimate mother/daughter relationship before. For obvious reasons Arianna never got to play the role of a loving mother to a little girl, and Gothel refused to humbled herself enough to tuck in her stolen Sundrop. Once Arianna had left, Rapunzel closed her eyes and prayed that a dreamless sleep would take her away from her broken heart.