Lousy Little Pest! | Sequel to Gothel's Greatest Gift

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Gothel was busying herself with makeup, as she always did, when she heard those annoying little footsteps prancing down the hall.

"Mama! Do you like my dress?"

"Cassandra! What are you wearing?" Gothel scolded her young daughter.

"I just wanted to look pretty like you!" she pleaded innocently.

"You'll never be pretty like me! Now take that hideous thing off and, is that my jewelry?"

"Mama-"

Gothel ripped the bracelets and necklaces off of little Cassandra and then sent her to her room.

"I want you to scrub the floors, walls, and fireplaces from top to bottom!"

Cassandra cried and cried as she tried her best to scrub the ashes and cinders from the fireplace, coughing as she went.

"Why doesn't mama love me?"

–

Cassandra, Rapunzel, Eugene, and their loyal animal companions had hit the road, their caravan working like a dream. Rapunzel and Eugene were sitting inside the caravan together, giving each other makeovers so they looked their best for Vardaros, and Cassandra had taken the reins.

"We're almost there!" she called to the two in the back, with her feet kicked up on the footrest. While Rapunzel and Eugene had pampered themselves before the trip and put time into their appearances, Cassandra didn't care what she looked like, as long as she was comfortable. She just wanted to get to Vardaros without any distractions.

Rapunzel, on the other hand, was gleefully happy to be taking her first trip outside of Corona in over a year. She had so much exploring to do! She couldn't help but jump out of the caravan, Pascal on her shoulder, and explore the great terrain.

"Woo hoo!" she cried as she ran through each flower bush, tree, and river that she passed.

"Rapunzel!" Cassandra called out, trying to get her sister to pay attention. Why was that girl so rambunctious?

"Don't worry, Cass, I'll get her," Eugene reassured Cassandra.

"I'm sure you will," Cassandra sarcastically replied with a small smirk across her face. She knew what Eugene was up to. As Rapunzel's older sister, she always knew.

Eugene had to catch his breath from running so much after finally catching up to Rapunzel.

"Ha, Blondie! Wait up!" he panted even harder after stopping for a moment. "Huh! Woah, man, do you have any idea how hard it is keeping up with you out here?"

"Come on, Eugene! It's my first big trip outside of Corona in over a year, and this time, we'll actually get to explore! It's like a whole new chapter of our lives has just begun!" Rapunzel was clearly excited to not only find the keys that unlocked Lord Demanitus's treasure, but also to see the world that she never got to see as a child.

"That's, kind of what I was thinking too," Eugene admitted to Rapunzel. A little over a year ago, Eugene was still living on the streets with Lance, stealing not only as a means of survival, but also as a ticket to fame and glory as Corona's most feared thieves. Now, he was helping his two friends, the princesses of Corona, find an ancient being's hidden treasure, and he wouldn't be stealing it. Life can change so much in just one year.

"I mean, aren't you excited to see where these clues are taking us?" Rapunzel asked excitedly, still jumping in every puddle she found and inspecting every fallen leaf she came across.

"Well, ah, let's see. Excited? To follow a bunch of clues from a creepy old woman out to who knows where?" Eugene actually was excited, but enjoyed acting smug around Rapunzel. Rapunzel just sighed, amused at Eugene's antics.

The two looked back to find Cassandra had also caught up to them, leaving the animals and caravan far behind.

"Rapunzel! ... Do me a favor, and try not to run off like that. Not that I don't think you can handle yourself, but I promised your dad I'd keep you safe, and I'd hate to lose you less than a week on the road".

"Actually, I promised her dad I'd keep her safe," Eugene rebutted, which Cassandra just ignored.

"Has it been that long already?" Rapunzel couldn't believe that they had already spent a week on this life-changing treasure hunt.

"You've got to exercise at least some caution out here," Cassandra lectured her little sister. "Trust me, Raps, the real world isn't all fun and games".

"I mean, technically, our first stop is the City of Fun and Games," Eugene started to say before being met with an intimidating glare from Cassandra. "... never mind".

"I promise I'll be careful," Rapunzel promised.

"Great, now can we please get back to the caravan? I left my shoes behind and my feet are freezing," Cassandra complained.

"Alright," Rapunzel agreed. "Next stop, Vardaros!"

-

When the group made it to Vardaros, they were unpleasantly surprised by what they found. The city was infested with rats, littered in trash, and looked like it hadn't seen a smile in far too long.

"This is Vardaros?" Rapunzel asked genuinely.
"I don't understand, what happened?" Eugene remembered Vardaros to be a dazzling city filled with lights, laughter, and love. It was one of his favorite places to steal from! Not that he had any interest in stealing anymore, but still. What happened?

"Ugh! I knew this was a mistake! We should just head back!" Cassandra didn't handle discouragement well, especially when it came to things pertaining to her mother.

"We can't turn back!" Rapunzel protested. "We have to find Lord Demanitus's treasure! Maybe we just took a wrong turn somewhere?"

"Oh, this is Vardaros, alright," an unfamiliar voice came from inside the city.

"Who was that?" Rapunzel asked the great abyss.

"Get lost".

Rapunzel was taken aback by the city's rudeness.

"Maybe you should hold off on the introductions. Something tells me if word got out that actual royalty were in town, we could be in trouble," Cassandra suggested.

"You know, I hate saying this, but she's right," Eugene agreed, for probably the first time, with Cassandra. "Let's keep a lower profile, Princess. I'll start scoping the area to see if we can find any more clues, and you two can take the caravan back up to the camp. The last thing we need is for anyone to recognize either of you, or me, for that matter".

Rapunzel was disappointed, but understood where Eugene and Cassandra were coming from. Cassandra, on the other hand, just wanted to get out of here. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that this "treasure hunt" was going to end badly. Why did she have to find that letter?

As Cassandra and Rapunzel took the caravan up to their camping spot, Eugene made his way through the city. He tried not to draw too much attention to himself, but unfortunately, being the Seven Kingdoms-famous thief that he was, that was next to impossible.

"I recognize that guy," one citizen whispered. "Spread the word. Flynn Rider's in town".

"Flynn Rider's in town".

"Flynn Rider".

"Flynn Rider's in town".

"Flynn Rider".

"It's Flynn Rider".

"Flynn Rider? Here in Vardaros?"