Chapter Fourty-Two

1K 38 19
                                    

"Rapunzel!!!", Eugene yelled as he ran through the trees, "Rapunzel!!"
Eugene's mind was swirling with hope and despair.
He needed to get to Rapunzel before it was to late.
"Please don't be to late, please don't let me be there to late!", Eugene prayed under his breath as he vaulted over the Coronan wall.
Eugene heard his friends calling out to him on the other side but he continued on without them.
They would have to catch up on their own.
He had a princess to save who needed to save them all.
"Cassandra!!", Eugene heard Rapunzel scream from down below the cliffs.
Eugene hurriedly rushed over and peered over the edge, assessing the situation.
There he saw Rapunzel and Cassandra next to the sacred place of the Sundrop flower.
Magic swirled overhead as lightning cracked through the dark windy clouds.
Suddenly, a bright gleam caught Eugene's attention as his eyes were pulled down back to the earth.
A bright blood-red crystal glimmered sickly in Cassandra's hand as she held it aloft in the air as magic seemed to envelop her in darkness.
"You can't do this Cass! Zhan Tiri won't spare anyone or anything! It's all a bunch of lies!", Rapunzel reasoned as her hair blew around wildly.
Eugene watched as Cassandra turned around and smiled wickedly before blasting her with the crystal's dark energy.
"Rapunzel!", Eugene yelled but his voice was lost in the wind.
"Your time is running out Raps. Soon you will be nothing.", Cassandra said as Rapunzel fell to her knees.
"Wha.. what are you doing to me!?", Rapunzel cried out panting.
Lime green and blood red magic surrounded her, draining her energy and her hope.
"I'm only taking the Sundrop power Raps, it won't kill you.", Cassandra said laughing, "Or maybe it will, who knows? Either way you'll be reduced to nothing and Zhan Tiri will have a nice present when he comes through the portal."
Eugene managed to snap himself out of his shocked and horrified paralysis and shook his head.
He had to get in there and save Rapunzel and stop Zhan Tiri's return, otherwise they'd all be screwed.
Rapunzel screamed out in pain and Eugene just jumped down in instinct, only thinking about saving his sunshine.
Drawing his sword, Eugene attacked.
Swinging his sword expertly, Eugene caught Cassandra off guard, allowing him to deliver a blow to her wrist.
Cassandra growled in annoyance and pain, the crystal dropping from her hand and rolling to the ground.
"Taught me that one Cassandra, should have seen it coming.", Eugene winked, "But sometimes the student surpasses the teacher."
"You!", Cassandra growled angrily.
Eugene backed up and ran in front of Rapunzel, shielding her from Cass.
"I mean really, I think you're overreacting Cassandra, but as the blue venomous snake-lady, you're naturally a drama queen.", Eugene commented casually while pointing his sword at her.
"Fitzherbert!", Cassandra yelled as angry blue and black waves started swirling around her injured wrist.
Rapunzel stood up and ran between the two, holding her arms out toward Cass out pleadingly.
"Please, don't! Just stop!", Rapunzel cried her voice shaky.
Suddenly Cassandra blasted Eugene and Rapunzel, sending them tumbling to the hard rocky ground.
Cassandra walked over to them fuming, "You ask for to much Rapunzel. You have to much as well.", she was glowing dangerously now as her eyes practically smoked with power.
Eugene sat up and held Rapunzel close protectively as she neared, her aura of dark magic clearly emanating from Cass.
"But that's all about to change and there's nothing you can do to stop me Fitzherbert.", Cassandra said gravely blasting Eugene away from the golden haired princess.
Eugene yelled out in pain and fear as he went airborne and sailed over the edge of the cliff.
Screaming out, Eugene grabbed a ledge right before he would have gotten swallowed by the waves.
He desperately clinged on to the edge of the jutted cliffs as the crashing waves and harsh winds threatened to make him fall.
"C'mon! You can do this Eugene! Do it for Rapunzel!!", Eugene pep talked himself clawing his way up.
He heard Rapunzel cry out in pain and climbed up even faster, his heart pounding in his chest a hundred miles a minute.
As his head cleared the cliff side, Eugene saw to his horror that Cassandra had resumed her crystal ceremony.
He watched as magic tendrils wove their way around Rapunzel and seemed to penetrate her hair and drain her life-force.
It was horrible, but Eugene knew it would get worse if he didn't hurry and help Rapunzel.
Eugene scrambled up back to the surface and looked around.
He needed a plan and he needed time, but unfortunately he had neither.
"Dirt bomb!!!", a familiar voice shouted as said dirt bomb hit Cassandra in the face.
Cassandra spluttered in disgust and looked for the offender angrily.
Suddenly a while volley of dirt bombs came crashing down on the angry girl, distracting her from Rapunzel.
From Rapunzel...
Eugene hit himself on the forehead and realized his friends were giving him time.
Running over, Eugene kicked Cassandra and swiftly knocked the red crystal out of her grasp again.
"I'll take that!", he said catching it and pocketing it one clean motion while grabbing Rapunzel with the other hand.
King Edmund rushed over and took Rapunzel in his arms, "I got her! Let's go son."
Eugene nodded as the wind howled around them and lightning flashed, making it hard to see.
They ran away from the area quickly before Cassandra could catch up to them easily, hoping the bad weather and conditions might buy them a few precious seconds.
"Pssst hey! Over here!", Aunt Willow whisper shouted waving at Eugene while holding a couple of dirt bombs.
"Willow! Hey thanks for the diversion!", Eugene thanked quickly as the group headed for the wall of Corona.
Aunt Willow smiled, "No problem! It was nothing."
Max snorted and looked at the sky in worry.
"Yeah, you're right Max, the weather is getting worse.", Eugene commented looking at the black clouds and lightning forked sky, "We need to hurry and get Rapunzel out of here."
"Yes Fitzherbert, you should.", Cassandra said calmly walking up towards them.
Everyone tensed as she came forward and they went around King Edmund and Rapunzel in a protective circle.
"Beat it Cass, no one wants you around.", Eugene warned drawing the rock dagger from his belt.
Cassandra face grew grim, "Thanks for reminding me."
Then without another word Cassandra pinned Eugene to the ground and took the crystal back, blasting Rapunzel again somehow and draining the rest of the Sundrop magic from her.
"No!!!", Eugene screamed as the sickly red glow brightened in the crystal at the same time Rapunzel's face paled.
He tried getting up but was surprised when he couldn't.
Gravity weighed down on him harshly, pulling him to the ground even though the wind was stronger then ever before.
Cassandra seemed to be immune to the gravity and harsh winds as she smiled wickedly at the glowing crystal in her hand.
"Zhala kan! Thama xhan! Telthep e gwanji demantii unn!!", Cassandra chanted holding the crystal up as the portal widened.
"What the heck you saying? Is that even English?", Aunt Willow yelled over the wind.
Eugene didn't even hear her as he watched in horror as a dark silhouette appeared in the purple red portal and reached one long tentacle through the space.
"Zhan Tiri return, I release you from your prison!", Cassandra finished as magic opened the portal as big as the Corona castle.
A wave of energy boomed, cascading over the kingdom as demons flew through the air as Zhan Tiri himself stepped out of the portal.

Power of the Moon (a tangled Fanfic)Where stories live. Discover now