A fellow Cassarian shipper hosted a Cassarian Month in August 2023, and I decided to turn my entries for it into a month of different AUs! So here they are, along with short stories to go with the art!
AU: Varian and Cassandra are the same age and grew up together (continuation of Day 11).
After the day at the fountain, when Varian helped to cheer up a crying Cassandra, the two of them became close friends. Varian always joined his dad on trips to the castle, just so he could spend time with Cassandra. As he developed more of an interest in alchemy, and she started chasing her dream of joining the Royal Guard, they always supported each other's goals.
As they grew, so did their friendship. After a while, though, Varian begins to realize that he wants more than just a friendship. Cass is the most important person in the world to him, and he can feel himself falling in love with her.
But, does she feel the same for him?
One day, a science expo is held at the castle. Varian arrives with a new invention, but he doesn't tell Cass about it because he wants it to be a surprise. However, he does show it to Princess Rapunzel.
"I present to you, the Elemental Remogrifier!" Varian says, eagerly showing her the machine.
Rapunzel has known Varian as long as she has known Cassandra. Since Cass is her handmaiden, and Varian is Cassandra's best friend, the alchemist is around all the time. And of course, he was the first person the two girls went to when Rapunzel's long hair grew back.
"Ooh, such an elegant name!" Rapunzel says excitedly. "What does it do?" This isn't the first wacky invention of his that she has seen.
"You'll have to wait until the presentation," Varian tells her with a smirk. "But I believe it'll be a shoo-in for the first prize in the contest, if I do say so myself!"
"I can't wait," Rapunzel says. "Let's, uh, just hope this one doesn't blow up like the last one."
Varian rolls his eyes. "It was only a minor explosion... in ten different locations," he mutters.
Rapunzel laughs. "I'm teasing, Varian. I'm sure it'll be fantastic! And I'll bet Cass will be really impressed, too." She gives him a subtle wink. His feelings for Cassandra are extremely obvious to everyone who knows him... Everyone, that is, except for Cassandra.
After leaving Rapunzel, Varian finds Cassandra preparing for her guard duties. "Hey Cassie! I know you're busy, but you're gonna be there during my presentation, right?" He asks.
"Considering I've been assigned as the master scientist's personal security detail, I should be there," Cassandra replies.
Varian's eyes widen. "You're his personal security detail? That's amazing!" He gives her an eager embrace. "Congrats!"
"Thanks," she says, tucking her hair behind her ear. "It is a pretty big deal for me."
Finally, the contest begins. Varian prepares his machine, and when his turn arrives he presents it in front of the curious crowd.
At first, everything seems to be going well. His assistant, Shorty, pours sand into the machine, and Varian turns it on. He pulls out a shiny, purple stone that glistens in the sunlight. He reveals that he calls this new element... Cassandrium.
Cassandrium.
The name touches Cassandra's heart. He named an element after her! It is unbelievably sweet of him, and quite possibly the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for her.
But then, things take a turn for the worse. Shorty falls over and causes the machine to collide with another scientist's invention. The friction of the two machines creates a vortex that begins sucking everything up in its wake. Cassandra, Varian, and Rapunzel work together to stop it, but not before it injures the master scientist, gets Varian disqualified, and ruins the expo.
Once the danger is quelled, Varian takes in the destruction. His machine caused all of this. He can't believe he screwed up again... Dejected, he begins cleaning up the mess.
In the wreckage, on the other side of the courtyard, Cassandra finds the 1st-place blue ribbon Varian was working so hard to win. As she holds it in her hands, Rapunzel approaches her.
"He wanted to win this so badly," Cassandra says, starting at the ribbon.
"It wasn't the ribbon he really wanted," Rapunzel tells her. "All he's ever wanted was to impress you."
Cassandra raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Come on Cass, don't you know he has feelings for you?" Rapunzel says.
Cassandra is taken aback. "He... what? No. We're just really good friends. He couldn't..." But as she ponders the princess's words, and recalls Varian's actions over the years, she realizes that it is quite possibly true. Her gaze falls upon Varian, who is still working to clean up the courtyard. Rapunzel pats her shoulder encouragingly, and then walks away to find Eugene.
Cassandra comes up behind Varian, and holds up the blue ribbon. "Here, this was meant for you."
Varian turns to face her, and she pins the ribbon onto his apron. "Thanks," he says with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "This isn't exactly how I imagined things turning out, but... I made this for you."
He hands her a necklace, with the sparkling Cassandrium hanging as the pendent. She immediately puts it on, and stares at it fondly.
"I can't believe you named an element after me," she says. "This is really incredible, Var."
For a brief moment, she can see the genuine joy in his eyes. But his expression becomes downcast once again. "I'm sorry I ruined your big job opportunity today. All I seem to do is ruin everything..."
"That's not true and you know it," Cassandra says. "If it weren't for you, the entire kingdom would've been sucked into that vortex."
"But if it weren't for my machine, the vortex never would've happened in the first place."
Cassandra shakes her head. She hates seeing Varian upset, especially when he's upset at himself. She has never been the best at consoling others, though. Usually it's the opposite; Varian is the one consoling her, just like the day they first met.
The day they first met...
"You know, years ago in this very courtyard a wide-eyed little boy cheered up a crying young girl," Cassandra says, recalling that day with a soft smile. "Well, now it's my turn to cheer you up."
"I'm not sure how you're gonna do tha—" Varian starts to say. But he freezes in shock when Cassandra suddenly gives his cheek a tender kiss. Her lips linger long enough for him to blush furiously.
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"Did that work?" Cassandra asks, pulling back.
Varian nods, gazing at her with a giddy grin that gives her butterflies. All the anxiety and discouragement he was feeling melts away. "I'd say that did the trick..."
