The Dark King

Boulders and Bars

"Do you know what day it is?!"

Cassandra moaned as she pulled her pillow over her head trying to escape the sudden lantern light.

"Go away!"

"Do you know what day it is!" The all to cheery for this time of the morning voice shouted again, the bed beginning to bounce up and again.

"It's not your birthday till tomorrow!" Cassandra growled.

"I know! That means that today is the last day I spend in the valley, and we're going to do all the best things the valley has to offer today."

"And what are we going to do with the other twenty-three hours? What time is it?"

"Six."

"Six? SIX! Why on earth did you get me up at six?"

"To watch the sunrise over the cliff tops, and tonight we'll watch it hide below them again. This is my last day here and I want to make sure I remember everything."

"You've been here over sixteen years; I doubt you'll forget. Wait, who let you in here?"

"Your Dad."

"Lords WHY?" Cassandra sat up throwing the pillow at the brunette girl as she did so. "Listen Rapunzel, do you know what tomorrow is?"

"The day I leave here."

"Yes, the day you leave for a really long journey, full of perils."

"Ooohh, perils, wow. I can't wait." Rapunzel said clasping her hands together in excitement.

"That is not the response of a sane person." Cassandra sighed collapsing back onto the bed.

"Look, I'm just trying to say that you might want to rest up before the super long journey."

Rapunzel looked thoughtful for a moment, some of the excitement disappearing from her face as she looked up at Cassandra shyly.

"But, tomorrow everything changes."

"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing, you've been waiting for your life to begin for years, remember... you wrote a song about it. Don't start singing! It is too early for singing."

"Yes, but.. it also means that It'll be the last day that it's just us, all of us here together. Tomorrow we all split up, we all leave."

"I'm coming with you Rapunzel, we're not splitting up."

"I know, but it's never going to be the same, is it? We're going to be travelling and then I'm going to be married. Varian is going to be back with his Dad, and my parents will leave to return to Corona, and all the guards and ladies will move out of the valley and go on with life. Everything will be different. This is the last day when we just get to be us, as we are now."

Cassandra gave a soft smile at the words.

"Well then." She finally said. "Guess we have to make it the best day ever!"

***

Cassandra was filling a paint pot with water from the stream, Rapunzel was putting the finishing touches to a painting of all the occupants of the valley, she'd been working on it for months but now was running around to each person making sure she had them exactly how she wanted them. For each person, Rapunzel had prepared a small handmade parting gift, and cookies, there were a lot of tears that day as people bade goodbye, told tales of their fondest memories and wishes for the future. Standing up Cassandra glimpsed some fabric behind the waterfall. Sighing she put the pot down.