Gothel's Greatest Gift

Chapter 16: Together at Last

Chapter 16: Together at Last

Cassandra fell unconscious to the floor where the portal once was, with all her friends surrounding her.

"Cass?" Rapunzel touched her shoulder, teary-eyed, trying to find signs of life.

As Rapunzel began to kneel down, Cassandra's eyes fluttered open, and she gasped for air.

"Rapunzel?" Cassandra asked back.

"Cass!" Rapunzel cried while hugging her older sister. The two embraced for several seconds, which wasn't something Rapunzel was used to.

"I thought you weren't a hugger," Rapunzel questioned Cassandra, still unsure if it was really her.

"Well, I am now," she replied genuinely. "But don't get used to it, because I probably won't be later!" she snapped.

Rapunzel giggled at the remark. "That's my girl".

"Cassandra!" Queen Arianna and King Frederick exclaimed, also embracing the young woman.

"Your highnesses! You came! All of you did... thank you".

"Of course, sweetheart," King Frederick replied.

"From now on, we'll always be here for you," Arianna added.

"Thank you both so much. Wait? Where is my mother? Did she come to cheer me on?" Cassandra asked, knowing the answer and trying to hide her disappointment.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry," Arianna sympathized with Cassandra.

"Your mother passed away while you and Rapunzel were on your way to the moonstone," King Frederick explained.

Cassandra couldn't place how she was feeling. While she was disappointed that she could never have her mother's approval or have a genuine mother-daughter relationship with her, she was also secretly relieved. After years of abuse, comparisons, and judgment from your primary caregiver who fed, clothed, and washed you, it's hard to know exactly how to feel about someone after they're gone. All Cassandra knew, or rather, thought she knew, was that her mother would never have control over her and her emotions again.

-

Well, you could imagine what happened next. The kingdom rejoiced, as the lost Princess had returned. That's right, upon returning from the alternate dimension, the king and queen of Corona decided to legally adopt Cassandra, making her and Rapunzel true sisters (not that they weren't before). The party lasted an entire week. And, honestly I don't remember much of it. Dreams came true all over the place. Rapunzel had an eighteenth birthday unlike any other, filled with flying lanterns and budding friendships. Cassandra finally had a birthday party of her own, and it was a celebration worth waiting for. The sisters graduated high school together at the top of their class (since they were the only two in Gothel's Academy) and while Rapunzel went on to further her education in hopes of becoming queen one day, Cassandra had other plans in mind.

Varian was eventually hired as the royal engineer and thanks to him, Corona was the first of the Seven Kingdoms to have hot running water. Xavier's life didn't change much. He was apprehensive towards change, after all. Flynn Rider and Lance Strongbow retired their thieving ways and went on to find more ethical jobs. Flynn Rider began training as a royal guard with Rapunzel's full support, and while Lance tried many different jobs, such as welding, sewing, and baking, he never found something that really stuck. Oh well, he thought. He could always count on Flynn to bring home the dough. Thanks to Maximus, who became Flynn's right-hand horse, crime in the kingdom disappeared almost overnight. As did most of the apples. Pascal, never changed.

At last Cassandra was home, and she finally had a real family. She was a princess worth waiting for, though she hated being called that. But above all, she finally found her true worth and independence outside of what others said about her. And as for me, well, you'll have to guess who I play in this story. I'll give you a hint: I'm just the narrator. My life is pretty boring compared to the people I write about.

And, as the stories go, they all lived happily ever after.

Actually, there's a little bit more.

"Cassandra?"

THE END

I hope you all enjoyed Gothel's Greatest Gift! I'm going to start mapping out the sequel and probably sometime soon, I'll add a sneak peek to this book before releasing it. Thank you all so much for your endless support, it really means a lot to me.