Tangled After The Series - There's No Such Thing As 'The End'

Chapter 3: There's no place like home

-- Half an hour later, noon, at the castle gates --

     "Right, where we headed?" Cassandra asked her princess. Cass was riding Fidella at the front, holding onto her mane, with Varian behind holding the reins. For some reason, the space - or lack of it - between them made her stomach feel fluttery. What was wrong with her? Maybe she was coming down with something. Of course, another totally irrational part of her brain told her it was because of the currently close quarters shared with her and Varian. No, now she was being completely ridiculous. Varian was her friend; she had no reason to feel awkward around him. Cassandra just had to forget these weird feelings - at least until she knew what they meant. 

     Owl was hovering next to her and Rapunzel was riding Max, Pascal dutifully perched on her shoulder and Ruddiger sitting on Varian's own.

     "I thought maybe the outskirts of the woods beside Old Corona?"

     Cassandra grinned, "Perfect."

     "Oh, I know that look," Rapunzel chuckled. "Hold on Pascal!" she said to the chameleon,

     "You too Var!" Cassandra called over her shoulder, not noticing the nickname she used,

     Varian looked slightly alarmed, "Wait, what?! W-what do you mean?"

     "Hold on tight to those reins and don't let go!" Rapunzel said the same thing to her riding companion, only told him to hold onto her shoulder. "3!" Cassandra shouted,

     "2!" Rapunzel shouted back at her,

     Together they finished, "1! Go!" and they raced towards Old Corona. The riders were crying out in delight and exhilaration. Both girls were remembering the previous times that they had raced through the woods and loved doing it together again.

     It was a fifteen-minute ride to the outside of the woods at the edge of Old Corona. Three minutes into their race, Rapunzel lent forward to whisper in Maximus's ear, "Slow down a bit buddy," the horse was confused but obeyed and slowly, Cassandra and Varian pulled out in front. Pascal was looking at Rapunzel concerned, "I think that we should give them a little alone time," Rapunzel said with a comforting glance at Pascal and a stroke on Max's neck.

     "I think we're winning!" Cassandra shrieked,

     "Well this is fun!" Varian cheered,

     "Of course it is!" Cassandra laughed, "Have you never done this before?"

     "Nope. Never." Varian answered,

     "In that case we might have to this more often!" Cassandra sneaked a glance over her shoulder. Their eyes locked for a while until Fidella whinnied, they had reached the boundaries of Old Corona, and Cassandra found it hard to break his gaze.

     Varian spoke again, "Back at the gate...'Var'?"

     Cassandra's eyes widened, she'd never called Varian by a nickname before, "Oh, I didn't even realise, sorry, I won't-"

     Varian laughed. "Hey, don't worry about it. I've got a nickname for you, only fair you have one for me. Just, no one's ever called me that before, hardly anyone has ever called me by a nickname – only Eugene, Lance, Kiera and Catalina. I like it, I could get used to it."

     Cassandra smiled back at him, "Alright then...Var."

     Rapunzel came galloping up to them, "Well looks like I lost! Come on! Let's go through then find a good spot!"

*~*~*

     "But really it was so beautiful, you would have loved it Raps!" Cassandra had just finished telling the group about one of the countries she had visited. They had finished lunch and Rapunzel and Varian wanted to hear about one of her adventures. Max was picking apples from a tree and he and Fidella were feasting on them, the ones that Ruddiger wasn't stealing that is. Pascal seemed perfectly content to be running around in the grass chasing flies. Leaves were being carried on the wind and birds were chirping all around, everything was so peaceful.