Siblings of Corona B1:Life In the Tower

Chapter 3

Note: just the first half of the song.

Good night!  It's so hard to wait to publish one chapter at a time now that I've started!  I want to just do it all at once, but I will do my best to only do a chapter a day.  But bc we're at the beginning, I'm posting a third chapter.

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"Ready?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yeah." Cassandra looked at the ground nervously. She stepped off the edge and felt herself slowly being lowered to the ground. Her heart was pounding. All she had to do was call up to Rapunzel and say she changed her mind, but she was too stubborn.

C:So close to the world and I'm halfway to it
Look at it all, so big, do I even dare?
Look at me-there at last! I just have to do it!
Should I? No.
Here I go!
'Cause I know
This is where my life begins!

Cassandra sang to herself quietly as she came closer to the ground. Once her feet touched the ground, she wasted no time to move over to the other side of the tower where it would be less noticeable. Her heart was thumping in her ears, feeling as if she would pass out at a moment's notice.

She found a beautiful purple flower and dug it up. She gently put it in the pot. Seconds later, she was on her way back up the tower, Rapunzel's hair acting as an elevator.

Cassandra was sitting on the windowsill and handed Varian the flowers. "There you go."

"What was it like?" Rapunzel asked anxiously.

"It was... it was nice. I liked it down there," Cassandra admitted.

"Oh, no! Cassie, your dress is covered in dirt. How will we explain that to mother?" Varian panicked.

"Woe, hey. Vari. Calm down. Breathe. I know just how to do it and we won't even have to lie or tell her the truth either," Cassandra assured him.

The fourteen year old gulped, but breathed slow breaths as she had told him to. He swallowed and gave her a weak smile. "Thanks, Cassie. I owe you."

"Don't mention it. It's what big sisters are for, right?"

He grinned and hugged her. "I couldn't ask for better sisters. Both of you!"

~~~~~~~~~~

"Rapunzel! Let down your hair!" 

Varian could hear his mother call. He stopped his experiments and hid the plant before going up the latter. By the time he closed the trap door, Gothal was sitting on the windowsill.

"Hi, mother!" the three teens chimed in unison.

"Hello, dears... Cassandra? Why are you in your night clothes?" Gothal asked her oldest child in surprise.

"Oh, it got wet, so I have it drying."

Her mother groaned. "Must you always drop the bucket of water on your dress so often?"

"Sorry, mother."

"Well, no harm done, so we'll leave it in the past." Their mother set her basket on the table.

"Mother..."

"Yes, Rapunzel?"

"Tomorrow's Cass's birthday."

"What? No, can't be. She had one not too long ago," Gothal answered.

"Yeah, they like to sneak up on us when we're not looking. She's going to be eighteen!" Rapunzel laughed.

"I see-" Gothal stopped as a loud sound boomed in the air.

Varian's eyes widened as he turned towards his room. Smoke was leaking through the door. He swung the trap door open and jumped to the floor. A small fire ate away at his desk.

"Varian!" his mother yelled harshly.

Cassandra came barging into his room, dumping water on the fire. It was extinguished before too much harm was done, apart from the air being thick with smoke. It caused the two to start coughing. 

"I don't understand!" he wheezed. "I wasn't doing anything that would cause such a reaction. It shouldn't have-" he was cut off by a hand grabbing his arm and yanking him up to the main living area. Cassandra was standing by the window, gasping fresh air.

Varian coughed again. When he stopped, he felt his mother gripping both his upper arms. "What were you thinking?" she screeched.

"Mother I-"

She began to shake him. "You could have gotten hurt, could have gotten killed! You could have killed your sisters with your recklessness!"

Varian gasped. "Mother! I'm sorry. I didn't know it would do that! It wasn't supposed to do that!"

She stopped shaking him. He was trembling and trying to hold back sobs. She let him go. "Varian, I have told you time and time again not to do anything so stupid!" she suddenly stormed into his room and returned, holding a gold and white book.

"Mother?"

"This is the last time, Varian! I will not allow you to continue to endanger your sisters' lives!" She held the Flynn Rider book over the fireplace.

"M-mother..." Varian choked on a sob. He reached his hand out toward her.

With that, Gothal threw the book into the fire. "No!" he screamed and he tried to retrieve his book. His mother trapped him in her arms, holding him back. "No!" he cried, watching his beloved book vanish in the flames.

Cassandra's head was still hanging out the window, but her face was pale at seeing the scene. Moments ago, everyone was so cheerful and happy, but now, all that vanished. She could see Rapunzel standing next to her, her own eyes wide with terror. Mother had never lost patience enough to do something like this. Of course, it was probably justified, mother was always right; but it still hurt to see their brother so upset.

By the time Gothal had released him, the book had been reduced to ash. Varian was sobbing uncontrollably as he buried his face in his hands. He could feel his mother set  gently her hands on his shoulders and rub them soothingly. "Shh..."

Varian turned around and buried his face into her chest, arms around her waist. She was turned away from her daughters, so no one could see the look of annoyance pasted to her face. She patted his back.  Once she got her face situated to the right expression, she lifted his chin. "Blue bird. I need you to understand that you have to be punished for when you do wrong."

He sniffed as he nodded. She sighed. Those eyes. She was a woman of stone, but it was as if his eyes were like magic that gave you a pang of guilt when they were as sad as they were. Lucky for her, guilt was always short lived when it came to her. Only lasted for a second. "I love you dear."

"I-I love you t-too m-mother..." his voice cracked.

Cassandra felt like she could breathe again. She moved from her spot in the window and leaned against the wall to recompose herself. Something told her that the next day was going to be rough and awkward. She wasn't one for fancy birthdays anyways. In fact, that hadn't crossed her mind. All she could think about was her sobbing brother. It bit into her heart. She hated it.

"C'mon now. Let's dry those tears and wash up for dinner, alight?" she said.

He nodded and left to do as bidden. Gothal looked at the two girls. "You too."

They nodded before following their brother. Their mother went upstairs and went into her room to spruce up a bit. Once her door was closed, Rapunzel hugged her brother who had been wiping a tear off his cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He shook his head. "No, I should say sorry. I could have gotten you killed!"

"Hey," Cassandra put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's forget it happened. Don't worry about it."

He didn't answer.