I'm Done Holding Back

Chapter Five: Unexpected Travelers

But as Cassandra exits the room, Eugene stands back up and follows after her. "I'm going."

"Going?" Cassandra repeats. "Going where? To the Dark Kingdom?"

"No, to Pittsford. Of course to the Dark Kingdom, CassAndra!" Eugene replies.

"But Eugene, I can't go," Rapunzel informs him. "I'm the queen. I have duties to attend to right now."

Eugene turns around to face Rapunzel, gently stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. "I know, Sunshine. But... I have to go."

Rapunzel's eyes grow misty, but she nods. "I understand. Just, please be careful."

"Whoa, hold on," Cassandra says. "Don't I have any say in this?"

"Nope," Eugene tells her. "I'm coming, Cass, whether you like it or not. I have to find out what happened to my father, and if there's any way to save him."

"I'm sure if there is, I can figure it out on my own," Cassandra says.

"You don't understand," Eugene tells her. "I have to be there for him..."

Oh, joy... a trip with Fitzherbert, Cassandra thinks. She can come up with about a hundred other things she'd rather do, but she knows she can't do anything to change his mind. And honestly, he can't be much more annoying than Abhu...

Finally, Cassandra heads back to her room as the others begin to search the castle for Varian. Again, she feels an urge to join them. But she fights against it, believing that it is for the best.

A while later, after she settles in for the night and falls asleep, she hears a frantic knocking at her door and someone calling her name. Wait, not just someone... Varian.

     With a yawn, she hops out of bed and opens the door. She finds, to no surprise, Varian standing there with his pet raccoon. "Where's the fire?"

     "When are you leaving Corona?"

     Cassandra blinks a few times. "Geez, I just got here! You in a hurry to get rid of me?""

     "What? No! You're misunderstanding. When you leave, are you going back to the Dark Kingdom?"

     "I was planning on it. That dome is super weird. I'm gonna try to figure out exactly what it is and where it came from."

     "That's what I was hoping you'd say... I'm coming with you."

     Cassandra sighs. Another unexpected traveler joining her. "Honestly, I'm surprised it took you this long."

     "What?" Varian says.

     "Fitzherbert already beat you to the punch," she explains. "He's coming, too."

     "Without Rapunzel?" Varian asks, sounding shocked.

     "Yep. Crazy, I know."

     "Cass, are you okay? What's with all the shouting?"

     And cue Abhu... Cassandra thinks with a groan.

     Once Abhu spots Varian, he stops. Varian turns to face him, and raises an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Varian, Abhu. Abhu, Varian," Cassandra says hurriedly. She is still exhausted from her trip and would love nothing more than to get some shuteye.

"Ah, okay. The wizard," Abhu says, extending his hand. "I've heard a lot about you, Varian."

"I'm an alchemist, actually," Varian corrects, hesitantly shaking Abhu's hand. "And you are...?"

"Just a friend of Cassie's from Arendelle," Abhu replies.

Cassandra rolls her eyes. "I told you to stop calling me that!"

Abhu chuckles. "She pretends to hate that nickname, but she really loves it," he says to Varian.

Cassandra notices how annoyed Varian seems to be. "Yes, I know. I called her that first," he says.

What is happening? Whatever it is, it's the last thing she wants to deal with right now. "Great! Now that we all know each other... let me get some sleep." She slams the door shut before either man can protest. She crawls back into bed, and she believes she can hear a whispered conversation between the two of them through the door. But she throws a pillow over her head to drown them out, and before long she is slumbering peacefully.