Redemption Citadel

Burning Desire part 2

  Cassandra was walking next to Rapunzel; it had been a long and tense morning. She had made up her mind about Varian's proposal, and she was hovering between anticipation, and nervousness, butterflies filling her stomach. She had found it hard to settle at any task, her mind distracted, she hadn't been able to read, her morning exercise was cut short by the subtle ache that was still there in her leg, and the wet nurse had shooed her away from baby Quirin when she'd gone to check on him because apparently he was picking up on her nerves and he wouldn't sleep properly. She had stroked her baby brothers head and handed him back.

She had been unsure when Rapunzel had asked her to go with her to visit the doctor in his little clinic in the town, on the one hand, being out and about would calm her down, on the other it might make it longer before she actually got to talk to Varian. In the end she had agreed, she wanted to try and be as involved in the Princess's pregnancy as she could be, she wanted to prove to her that this time she would be there for her.

Rapunzel seemed in a brighter mood than she had in weeks, not that she had been in a bad mood as such, just distractible, but today as she walked on the balls of her feet through the forest Cassandra recognised the teenage girl she had first met, the one who was just excited to be out in the world. Rapunzel walked in front of her then turning to walk backwards whilst talking to Cassandra.

"SOOO..."

"So?"

"Varian?"

"Did you actually ask me to come because you were nervous? Or did you just want to pry into my private affairs?"

"A little from column A, a little from column B."

"I'm going back." Cassandra said turning around.

"No, no, no." Rapunzel said running after her and grabbing her hand.

"I am really nervous Cassandra, since that woman died a few weeks ago, I've been getting scared again."

Cassandra sighed, and took Rapunzel's hand. She knew that Eugene had tried to hide Angelica's death from his wife, they had never actually met so Rapunzel hadn't been upset over that, but hearing of a pregnant woman dying when you were pregnant was going to affect you, she understood, childbirth was a dangerous thing and birthing twins even more so.

"You're not going to die Rapunzel."

"I'm sorry, I know you don't want me prying into you and Varian's relationship." Rapunzel said. "It's just exciting, it's distracting me from how scared I am. I know it was just one date, and it's not like you're in love with him... Wait, you are?"

"I didn't say anything."

"There was a look."

"There wasn't a look." Cassandra said, wondering what it was her face had done to reveal her thoughts.

"There was definitely a look."

"Why are you so interested?"

"Why would I be interested in the man I consider to be like a little brother, and the woman I consider to be a big sister getting together and living happily ever after? As if we were actually one big family? Yeah, why would I be excited about my best friend moving back to Corona? Wait, what was THAT look?"

"There was no look." Cassandra said. Though she knew there had been, because at Rapunzel's mention of her moving back to Corona Cassandra's heart had skipped a beat in the sudden realization that she would have to explain to her friend that she had no intention of moving back. She knew the younger woman would be upset, but it was a conversation they would have to have at some point so might as well just get it over with.