Chapter 2 - Chapter 2 - A Link

After a few months of royalty, Rapunzel felt completely worn out, but at least she got to connect with Varian, well, she believed she was clicking with her new brother but she wasn't sure how the Prince viewed her, he seemed distant toward his older sister, but he probably just didn't like change, after all, meeting a sister he never even knew he had and growing up thinking he was going to inherit the throne only for someone he barely knew of just to step in, it must have been hard for him to adjust with the weight on his shoulders now being carried by her. "Maybe I could get Cassandra to check in on Varian.." Rapunzel thought. She didn't know a lot about her lady-in-waiting Cass, but she DID know that she had a special understanding with Varian than anyone else. "I'll ask her." Rapunzel whispered to herself with certainty. Later that evening, Cassandra was helping the Princess get her hair nice for the eve of her coronation when Rapunzel asked her for a favor, "Cassandra right?" She started. "Yeah, is something wrong Princess?" Cass asked suspiciously. "No, not at all, it's just, would you check up on Prince Varian? I feel like that he just doesn't like me and if he doesn't, I would want to know why.." Rapunzel explained. Cassandra looked at Rapunzel through mirror saying, "Of course I can Princess, but I'm sure he likes you, if it helps, I like you.. Rapunzel." Rapunzel looked over shoulder and smiled softly at Cass, saying, "Thank you, it means a lot Cassandra." Cass smiled back and told her, "Please, you can just call me Cass." She then walked out of the room, for she was done helping the Princess. Rapunzel tucked a hair behind her ear, grinning to herself, thinking that she might have been making her first true friend (I mean, a HUMAN friend). Cass walked throughout the palace halls and saw faint blue glowing coming from under Varian's bedroom door, Rapunzel's question replaying while looking down at the shine, 'Can you check on Varian?' She took a deep breath and entered the room to see Varian leaning against one of the walls as he looked at black rocks growing from the floor, almost surrounding him, and he seemed frightened by them as the glowing shimmer of the rocks intensified. "Prince Varian??" Cass asked in concern. He looked around the room until his lost eyes met with Cassandra's. "Cassie??" He asked, his voice broken and shaky. "Hey, easy, I won't give up on you Vari." She comforted. Varian took deep, soothing breaths as the rocks stopped glowing and they shrunk down until they were gone. The two didn't think much of why the rocks vanished when Varian calmed down and Cass just asked, "Are you okay Sir?" Varian still shivered but he said, "Yes.. Yeah I'm alright Cassie, but these rocks keep taunting me, why me, what did I do for them to be drawn to me??" Cass started, "Well, maybe the rocks are ma.." That was when Cassandra was interrupted by a distressed Varian, "NO! Do not use that excuse, magic doesn't exist, it just doesn't, I am a boy of alchemy and science, not magic." He protested. He calmed himself and stammered, "S-Sorry Cass, I didn't mean to come off like that, it's just that these rocks aren't going away and I've just been really stressed out." Cass assured him, "No, it's fine, it really is Prince Varian, I understand why you'd be unsettled by these rocks, there's something about them that makes me feel a little on edge too, but we can work through this together, okay?" He smirked softly at Cassandra and nodded while saying, "Okay, I'm glad you weren't upset, but you can't tell anyone about this, not even the Princess.." Cass's eyes widened hearing Varian talking about his sister, "Why wouldn't you want Rapunzel to know?" She asked. "Something is.. off with her, I've been seeing the rocks since her arrival and it's just like I'm destined not to trust her, even though I feel that I want to, she's like you, she is someone who makes me feel accepted." Varian explained. Cass nodded when she changed to subject, standing up, reaching her hand out to Varian and saying, "It's almost time, are you ready Vari?" He hesitated but he took her hand and replied, "Ready as I'll ever be." TO BE CONTINUED..