The Third Power: TTS AU

Chapter Three

Zhan Tiri hummed as she approached a secluded cave deep in the woods, hidden by a magic only the Sundrop, Moonstone and she herself can sense.

She passed through the barrier and walked through a tunnel. After a few minutes, she reached the end and found herself stood in an open chamber.

The chamber was just the sight where one of her magic trees had once stood. She'd taken it and filled it with books and scrolls on all the magical knowledge she possessed. She even had the odd bits and pieces of Demanitus' work.

She'd decorated the cave, filled in the roof to keep the elements out, and added a fireplace and a few chairs and a table for comfort and warmth.

In short: she'd made her own little library.

Zhan Tiri moved around the library now, selecting anything she thought would be useful on her quest to find out what sort of magic Varian had.

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"Cassandra."

"Varian."

Varian stared up at the blue-haired warrior and she stared right back. They held eye contact for about a minute then Cassandra kneeled down in front of the cage so that she and Varian were roughly eye level.

Varian watched as she brought her arm from behind her back. What could she have on her? A weapon? No, why would she need a weapon? She already had her sword which was securely in the sheath on her back. So what then? What if-

He stopped his train of thought and realised she'd placed something in front of him: a plate. A plate with a few slices of bread and butter.

"You should probably eat something," Cassandra said with an emotionless tone. "Who knows how long it'll be before that princess gets here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Varian asked, his tone becoming defensive. "She's coming."

Cassandra smiled at the alchemist. It wasn't a nice smile but at least she didn't look expressionless.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked. "She betrayed you once. Who's to say she won't do it again?"

"I- you-" Varian tried to form a sentence but found he was failing miserably.

Cassandra wasn't exactly wrong. Rapunzel had betrayed his trust before. Who was to say she wouldn't do it again?

No! What was he thinking?! Of course she was coming! Rapunzel was his friend and he was hers. Varian knew the princess wouldn't just abandon a friend who was in danger! Maybe she was taking a while to get here and that's ok. She's probably busy with princess duties or trying to think of a good plan. She would come and he would wait. Besides...
He looked down at the plate of bread and butter.

"Where'd you get this?" he asked Cass. He hadn't noticed a kitchen while he was being taken through the fortress.

"Stole it," Cassandra told him bluntly, signifying she didn't want to be pushed for details.

Varian felt his anger growing.

"I'm not eating stolen food," he told her.

"Don't be stubborn, Varian," she told him. "Say the princess does plan on coming. How long will it be? It's not worth anyone's time to come here just to take home a corpse." She pushed the plate closer. "Now eat."

Varian started pushing the plate back.

"I'm not eating stolen food," he repeated.

Cassandra, before Varian had time to react, grabbed the alchemist's wrist and held it firmly in place, preventing him from moving it back through the bars or to continue pushing the plate. At the same time she grabbed her sword from her back and reached through the bars to point the tip of its dark blade towards the boy.