Chapter 21
"Cassandra, they're gaining on us!"
Cassandra and Rapunzel were playing pirates and mermaids, a game they played together often in their makeshift sailboat while their mother was away.
"I'll stop the pirates!" Cassandra bravely declared, as she pulled out her pretend sword and easily fought off every last imaginary pirate that tried to take over their ship.
"Yay, Cassandra!" Rapunzel cried out. "I'll go save the mermaid!"
Rapunzel then went to the pirates' boat, which was really just a giant hole in the yard, and set their mermaid doll free from the ropes that imprisoned her.
"I did it!" Rapunzel called to Cassandra while she made her way back to her boat.
"Oh no!"
The pirates had trapped Rapunzel and her mermaid on their ship!
"Cassandra! Save me!"
"Don't worry, Rapunzel! I'll save you!"
Cassandra used her swinging rope to swing over to the pirate ship and knock every pirate off of their feet, like dominoes falling to the ground one after the other.
"Yay! You did it, Cassandra!"
"Eh, it was nothing," Cassandra shrugged. "Now, who else needs saving today?"
–
"Run!" Cassandra yelled to the horses, who were way ahead of her.
The once-beautiful flowers had meticulously morphed into giant, spider-like creatures that made victims into anything and everything that foolishly dared existing on their path.
Cassandra continued to sprint away from the Drexis, her breath quickly increasing its pace, as she tried to think of another plan.
"Adira was right, their fangs are as big as chubby toddlers!"
Cassandra then looked back to see that Max and Fidella had been spun into sticky cocoons, with no way to move or escape the Drexis, who soon came after Cassandra, hoping to force the princess into the same fate as her beloved horses.
"I'm not gonna be eaten by some stupid flower spider bat thing!"
Cassandra grabbed both horses, who were both still encased, and brought them to safety. Who knew being in a crisis situation by yourself brought about superhuman strength? She then drew her sword and tried fighting off the Drexis, but there were too many of them for her to hold off.
"There's still too many of them! What do I do?"
Cassandra had almost slipped back into the confines of self-loathing, but had fortunately noticed a land pit on the other side of the tree huddle she was trapped in.
"The land pits! Max, Fidella, we have to jump in that hole!"
Cassandra began to charge toward the cocooned horses, who were unsure about Cassandra's plan, but weren't able to protest, considering they couldn't even move. Cassandra mounted both horses on her back once more and raced towards the land pit, somehow dodging every Drexis that came her way.
When she finally made it to the land pit, Cassandra got ready to throw the horses in.
"Alright you two, are you ready? Set, brace yourself!"
Cassandra then threw both horses into the land pit before leaping over it, slicing a tree down, and jumping into the land pit herself just in time for the tree to fall on top of it, making it so the Drexis couldn't follow her into the unknown.
-
After Cassandra had untied the horses' binds that disabled them from movement, the three continued walking, with Cassandra soon realizing they had left the caravan with the Drexis, but knowing there was nothing she could do about it now.
"Well, that was quite the adventure".
Cassandra and her two four-legged friends continued marching on before noticing the exit to the forest off in the distance.
"Look, there's the exit! And look, right next to that tree is another clue!"
Cassandra had been one of the few people who had made it through the Forest of No Return alive, and now, she had her next clue to finding the treasure!
"To find the next clue, though it sounds absurd,
Go to the Forest of Tea and Birds," Cassandra read aloud to the two-horsed crowd.
"Tea and Birds? What does that mean?"
Just as Cassandra had tucked the clue back in her pocket, she heard someone calling her name from behind.
"Cassandra!" It was Rapunzel.
"Rapunzel!" Cassandra called back. The two sisters scampered towards each other, both going in for a tight embrace, and Rapunzel shedding a tear or two.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Rapunzel choked while still holding tightly to Cassandra.
"I'm okay, Raps," Cassandra reassured her as they slowly let go of each other. "How was the forest?"
"It was alright," Rapunzel responded as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Eugene became a little overbearing after you left-"
"I did not! I was being assertive!" Eugene defended as Adira rolled her eyes.
"But Adira helped us out!" Rapunzel finished. "Did you see the Drexis?"
"Yes! I had to jump into a land pit to escape, but we all made it! Did you?"
"Yep!" Rapunzel confirmed. "It was just like Adira said, with fangs the size of a chubby toddler".
Cassandra laughed in agreement, thankful she'd never have to face anything as terrifying as the Drexis again (are you sure about that?).
The girls continued catching up, sharing all the adventures they had in the Forest of No Return, as they made their way out of the forest.
"What's that?" Rapunzel then asked her sister, gesturing to the little piece of paper barely peeking out of her pocket.
"I found the next clue," Cassandra filled her sister in as she pulled it back out of her pocket while they continued walking.
"That's great, Cass!"
"Yeah, and it says we have to go to 'The Forest of Tea and Birds'. Do any of you know where that is?"
"I don't know," Adira shrugged.
"Beats me," Eugene agreed.
"I've never heard of it before. But I'm sure if we keep following the path we'll find it eventually," Rapunzel encouraged Cassandra.
The group continued making their way on the path they believed they were to follow, chit-chatting as they went, all of them wildly relieved to be out of that monstrous forest.
"So, short hair," Adira signaled for Cassandra, making her confident approach to the young woman. "You made it out of the Forest by yourself?"
Cassandra chuckled timidly. "Yeah, I guess I did".
"You know, very few people have made it out of the Forest of No Return alive. I'm impressed".
Cassandra smiled back at the older woman. "Thanks, Adira! But I'm still keeping my eye on you!" Flattery still wouldn't work with Cassandra, unsurprisingly.
"Look! There's the caravan!" Rapunzel cried out with enthusiasm.
"The land must have shifted it over here!"
The group looked to the caravan, and Cassandra was so glad she hadn't been responsible for losing it, which she hadn't even told Rapunzel about yet, and now she wouldn't have to. It's not like Rapunzel would've been upset, as Cassandra did what she had to do, but now everyone would still have their belongings as they made their way to the next clue.
"Well, this is where I leave you," Adira informed the group, ready to make her leave and embark on her next exciting adventure.
"Thank you, Adira," Rapunzel thanked the adventurer.
"For ev-" Cassandra tried to say.
"Everything?" Adira finished Cassandra's sentence. "I know, I'm amazing," she bragged. "Once again, I have conquered the forest of no return and single handedly pulled you out of a dire strait. And I still have bronchitis! Which I didn't even tell you about because let's face it, I'm a champion!"
"Show off," Eugene muttered once again, rolling his eyes to the back of his head.
With that, Adira and Cassandra's clan went their separate ways, and the group continued navigating the caravan in the way they believed they should go.
"You know, for the record, I'm pretty confident I could have gotten us out of there eventually. But I figured, let Adira have her moment in the sun, you know?" Eugene boasted, his chest puffed out as he drove the horses along the path.
"That was very nice of you, Eugene," Rapunzel complimented the young man, patting her hand on his puffed-out chest. "Now, Captain Cass-" Rapunzel then remembered the argument she had earlier with Cassandra about her title as "Captain". "Oh sorry, I mean Cassandra".
Cassandra smiled at her sister with a beaming pride, now knowing her true worth as leader.
"Call me Captain, I deserve it," she instructed Rapunzel.
Rapunzel smiled back, so happy for Cassandra and proud of her newfound confidence.
"Aye aye, Captain! Onward we go!"