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“Cassandra we’re done talking about this, drop it.” Mother snapped, not even looking up as she packed her satchel. Getting ready to leave, again, like she always did. Leaving Cassandra trapped in this stupid tower. Like she always did.
“It’s not fair!” Cassandra shouted, “I’m sixteen now Mother, I want to go do things! I want to see the city! Learn how to fight! Go explore! I’m sick of being trapped in here all the time, why do only you get to go out?”
Mother turned to look at her and Cassandra suddenly felt very small as she loomed, tall and dark.
“I can’t believe you would be so selfish.” Mother hissed. “Why is everything always about what you want? You’re a spoiled brat Cassandra, if you left then who would take care of your sister? And what if someone caught you and found out where we lived and came for her? Do you really want Rapunzel hurt? Do you want her killed because of your selfishness?”
“No!” Cassandra swallowed, “I just-”
“I, I, I, there you go again.” Mother snarled.
“Mama, don’t yell at Cass, please!”
They both turned as a blonde twelve year old girl came running into the room, Rapunzel’s long hair trailing behind her on the ground as she ran up and hugged Mother, looking up at her with tears in her eyes.
“Mama don’t be mad!” Rapunzel said, her tears starting to run down her cheeks.
“Now look what you’ve done. You’ve upset her.” Mother said, shooting Cassandra a look like she was a smudge on the floor she hadn’t cleaned up yet. Mother crouched down and took Rapunzel’s face in her hands, her expression and voice instantly becoming warm and soft. “Oh flower, don’t worry precious, Mother won’t let anything happen to you or your hair.”
Cassandra could feel her face getting hot with tears she was not going to cry as she looked away. She did her very best to pretend she didn’t care that she couldn’t remember the last time Mother had spoken to her that way. Something she was very good at pretending.
Because Cassandra had been waiting for as long as she could remember. Patiently, quietly, dutifully. Waiting for Mother to return home to their little cottage on the ground. For her to have time for or even acknowledge her. At least when it had just been the two of them she must have had better chances, but once Rapunzel had been born it was over.
Cassandra could barely even remember a time before she was always playing babysitter to her golden haired sister. Without Mother around most of the time someone had to care and clean up after the baby. Someone had to teach her how to walk and speak. Someone had to watch from the top of the stairs most nights as Mother cooed over her and her stupid magical hair every time she came home to visit.
Cassandra’s fists were clenched so tightly that she could feel her nails digging into her palms. Because what was the use waiting for something that was never going to come? But she was finally done waiting.
Or rather, she only had to wait a few hours longer.
“Cassandra,” Mother said sharply, making her look up. “I said apologize to your sister.”
“I’m sorry Raps, I don’t want you to get hurt, honest.” Cassandra said, forcing her expression to be as emotionless as possible.
“And?” Mother pushed sternly.
“And I’m not going to leave the tower.” Cassandra lied, the falsehood tasting somehow bitter and sweet at the same time.
“That’s right.” Mother said, standing and patting Rapunzel on the head before turning back to the last of her satchel packing. “Now I'm going to be gone for a couple of days so the two of you had better behave yourselves. Cassandra I expect you to have this tower gleaming by the time I get back and Rapunzel to be in good spirits.” Mother leaned down to kiss Rapunzel's head, stroking her golden hair lovingly. “I’ll bring you back something nice, how about that my little flower?”
“And something for Cass too?” Rapunzel asked, rubbing her arm and looking over to Cassandra.
“I don’t want anything.” Cassandra said sulkily, turning and climbing the stairs two at a time to the second floor.
“See?” Cassandra could hear Mother say below. “This is why I love you Rapunzel, you’re always so sweet and quiet, nothing like your sister. I have no idea where she gets that nasty temper, always trying to make me the bad guy...”
Any other night Cassandra would probably have shouted down the stairs at Mother to try and defend herself, but tonight she could take strength knowing that at least this was the last time she’d ever have to endure it again.
***
It was easy enough to curl under her covers for the rest of the evening, not moving when Mother called up to her that she was leaving. Not responding when Rapunzel tried to get her to come out and play.
It was only when all the candles had been snuffed out, the moon well up, and the tower completely quiet that Cassandra carefully pulled back the covers. She was already fully dressed in the blue and white cotton dress she hated, but that she thought would last the longest. She pulled out the bag she’d been hiding behind her pillow for weeks now, stuffed with bits of food, needles and thread, a few coins squirreled away from Mother’s bag, and whatever else she’d thought might be useful.
Cassandra slipped the bag’s strap over her shoulder and slid out of bed, creeping past where Rapunzel was sleeping in hers. Cassandra snuck over to Mother’s bed and eased open the drawer of her bedside table to retrieve the last thing she needed.
The long dagger with the jeweled hilt Mother always kept there. The only weapon in the tower Cassandra had ever been able to find, something she’d borrowed on countless lonely nights when Mother was away. She’d never been able to actually use it on anything, but being able to swing it around with increasing dexterity downstairs while moonlight washed through the window had been some of the only good times Cassandra had had in the last couple years. Now when she handled the dagger it felt like an extension of her own arm.
It was her dagger really, far more than it was ever Mother’s. And now it was coming with her.
Cassandra eased the drawer shut, crept down the stairs, and quietly made her way across the floor of the living room. Straight to the wrong floor tile.
Having swept this same floor for years and years Cassandra had noticed long ago a certain stone in the floor that had thin gaps between it and the other stones that swept dust always escaped down through. Experimentally whacking it with the handle of the broom always produced a hollow echo, therefore, there had to be a way out through the floor. Mother always said the only way in or out was the rope at the window that she and Rapunzel let down for her, but Cassandra reasoned that whoever had built the tower must have had a way to get up and down before the window was even built, right?
She knelt down and tan the tip of the dagger around the edge of the stone, knocking loose bits of old crumbling mortar that fell down into whatever space existed below the floor. Cassandra could feel her heart racing as the floor stone started to budge and shift as she worked the blade of her knife deeper, working carefully to get leverage, scrambling to catch the rising edge of the stone when she got it.
There were a few tense seconds where she thought she was going to lose hold of the stone, it was far heavier than she’d expected, but with a heave she pried it up and out of the floor, panting as she scraped it aside.
There in the floor in front of her lay a patch of utter darkness, Cassandra could see several stone steps leading down into the inky blackness before they disappeared. She had no way of knowing what lay on the other side.
After a life of doing nothing at all, the thought sent eager adrenaline coursing through her.
“Cass?”
Cassandra jolted, spinning to see Rapunzel standing behind her, the little girl clutching a blanket as she watched with wide eyes.
“Go back to bed Raps.” Cassandra snapped, moving to block her view of the hole in the floor.
“Are we leaving?” Rapunzel asked, her gaze moving from the floor to Cassandra’s bag to the dagger in her hand. “Are we going outside?”
“No.” Cassandra said, gritting her teeth. “You’re going to bed now.”
Why did Rapunzel have to ruin everything? If Cassandra had managed to sneak off without her knowing then Mother might have though any number of things about what had happened to her. But leaving behind a chatty and naive eyewitness ruined everything. Even if Cassandra put the floor tile back and tried playing it off there was no guarantee that Rapunzel wouldn’t let the secret slip and then who knew what Mother would do?
“Are you mad at me?” Rapunzel asked, her voice getting shaky. “I’m really sorry, please don’t be mad Cass. I’m sorry Mama was yelling earlier, I tried to make her stop!”
“Just leave me alone, okay?” Cassandra said, putting the dagger in her bag and looking away. “You always ruin everything. Just go to bed and don’t say anything when Mother comes back, got it?”
She knew she was being harsh, she didn’t really like being mean to Rapunzel, but it often didn’t feel like she had any other way to let out a bit of the anger always clawing at her inside.
“Are you leaving?” Rapunzel asked, voice panicky as her eyes widened.
“Yes.” Cassandra said shortly, swallowing as she set her foot on the first stone stair leading into the darkness. It held her weight.
“No, no no you said you weren’t leaving!” Rapunzel said, rushing up to her and tightly hugging her waist. “Cass I have to come with you, please? I can help! I want to see outside too! Let me come?”
“Stop it Raps,” Cassandra said sharply, trying to pry her off. “You can’t come, it’s dangerous outside remember? All those ruffians and thugs Mother always talks about? You’d be too scared.”
“But what if you get hurt?” Rapunzel asked, looking very much like she was trying her hardest not to cry. “If you get hurt you can use my hair! I promise I won’t make you mad anymore, please let me come?”
Cassandra sighed through her nose. “You don’t even know where I’m going, what if it’s someplace you don’t want to come?”
Not that Cassandra herself actually know where she was headed... Somewhere big and loud with people. Maybe like the city Mother used to tell her stories about, the one with the royal palace. If she could manage to get there then maybe she could even find work there, meet people and do things and finally have a real life.
“If you want to go there then so do I.” Rapunzel said stubbornly.
“Don't you want to stay home with Mother where it’s safe?” Cassandra asked dryly.
“No.” Rapunzel said simply, closing her eyes and burying her face against Cassandra. Her voice became very quiet. “Everything would feel wrong if I were here and you weren’t. Mama doesn’t count. I want to be with you.”
Cassandra groaned, rubbing her face as if she could dispel the emotions creeping into her heart.
Because as much as she hated Rapunzel sometimes, they’d still been together every minute of Rapunzel's entire life. Cassandra liked to believe she could just walk away from her and this stupid tower forever without a second glance, but the longer Rapunzel hugged her hopefully the less sure Cassandra was that she actually could.
Rapunzel was old enough to do everything for herself...but what if something happened to her anyway? It would be Cassandra’s fault. And what if Cassandra really did find the city and she never saw Rapunzel again?
Cassandra chewed her lip, looking around the tower. As much as she loved the idea of leaving, actually thinking about what would happen to Rapunzel with her gone was really dampening everything. Rapunzel would be alone and trapped.
But most importantly, Rapunzel would feel abandoned by Cassandra. Just like Cassandra had always felt abandoned by Mother.
“It really is going to be dangerous Raps, if you come you have to do everything I tell you to, alright?” Cassandra said, looking down sternly.
Rapunzel’s eyes lit up and she smiled, letting go of Cassandra and starting to jump up and down. “I promise! I promise! We’re going to see outside!”
Cassandra looked out the window to the moon. It was probably about one in the morning, and if Rapunzel was coming too there wasn’t really any reason they couldn’t wait until morning. Mother would be gone for a couple days and leaving in the daytime could be a good idea...
But the thought of staying a minute longer made Cassandra want to scream. Besides, the farther they could get by the time Mother returned, the better.
“Is there anything you need to bring? We aren’t coming back.” Cassandra said, looking back to Rapunzel.
“Wait, we aren’t?” Rapunzel asked, no longer jumping. “We’re never coming back? But what about Mama? Won’t she be sad?”
“She won’t care if I’m gone.” Cassandra said sourly. “And I never want to come back, I’m done being trapped in this tower. I’m done waiting for my life to begin, I’m going to go out and find it myself. I’m not coming back ever.”
Rapunzel bit her lip, holding her blanket tight again. “Is it okay if I come back though? I don’t want Mama to be sad. She’ll get sick if I can’t help her with my hair, won’t she?”
“Sure, whatever.” Cassandra said, trying very hard not to think about how much Mother needed Rapunzel’s hair. “But you’ll have to go by yourself.”
It only made things more complicated and she wanted to leave now. Mother could find other ways to be healthy, she would probably be fine. If Rapunzel really did want to come back Cassandra couldn’t actually see herself making her go alone, but for now all she wanted was to get out of here now.
“Are you coming or not?” Cassandra asked, impatiently taking another step down the stairs.
“I’m coming! Just one minute!” Rapunzel cried, turning and dashing up the stairs, her hair trailing after her.
“Grab some ribbons while you’re up there, we’ll need to braid your hair up!” Cassandra called
Rapunzel’s hair had been thirty two feet long the last time Cassandra had measured it and showed no signs of stopping. Cassandra’s own hair only ever reached past her waist despite having grown it out since Rapunzel was born. She couldn’t remember how many times she’d wanted to cut it, but Mother had always forbidden her.
And what if Rapunzel wants to cut her hair then too? You can’t give her such terrible ideas Cassandra, if she ever cut her hair her magic would be lost forever and you’d be no better than the men who tried to take it from her as a baby.
Cassandra looked at the knife in her hand, then up at the full length mirror facing her. She chewed her lip for an instant before grabbing her hair back in a ponytail and slicing through it in one hard slice.
It was just hair, but Cassandra couldn’t breathe for the moment it took it to fall away to the floor, leaving her with hair so short it barely reached her chin. She felt a dazed grin come to her face. Well she was really in it now, Mother would never forgive her for even this much if she caught her now, Cassandra had made her choice and there was no going back.
She heard a squeak and turned to see Rapunzel coming down the stairs with her mouth open wide. On her shoulder perched Pascal, the little chameleon she’d adopted a couple years ago and had hidden from Mother ever since. In her hand was a bundle of hair ribbons and a cast iron frying pan.
“You’re bringing a frying pan?” Cassandra asked, skipping over the questions she knew Rapunzel wanted to ask about her hair. Already she could feel a breeze from the window tickling across her neck in a foreign and exciting way.
“It’s so we can be protected from ruffians.” Rapunzel declared, hefting the pan closer to her chest as she handed Cassandra the ribbons. “Why did you-”
“You better be sure you really want to bring the pan before we leave,” Cassandra said, stepping behind Rapunzel and getting to work braiding, years of practice quickly working down the golden length. “Because I am not going to carry it for you when your arms get tired.”
“I can do it.” Rapunzel assured her, standing still as Cassandra worked. Within a minute or two the full length of hair was tucked and woven into a heavy braid the swung at Rapunzel’s back, no longer touching the floor.
Cassandra tucked the last of the ribbons into her bag and took Rapunzel’s hand. She looked down at the stairs disappearing into the darkness of the floor.
“Well...” Cassandra said, her voice suddenly a little dry. Something about bringing Rapunzel was making this all feel so much more real. Too real.
Rapunzel squeezed her hand, looking up at her with a smile. “This is going to be the best ever. Thanks for letting me come too, Cass.”
Cassandra squeezed Rapunzel’s hand back. “You can make it up to me by keeping up and not slowing us down, got it?”
Rapunzel nodded enthusiastically and Cassandra managed a smile. She took a deep breath, lit a candle from her bag, and started forward. Down the stairs, Rapunzel in tow, into the unknown freedom they would find at the bottom of the tower.
And whatever it was, they would discover it together.