The crystal blue sky spans across the atmosphere like a soft blanket. The fresh morning air is still crisp from the leftover chill of last night's rainstorm, and small droplets of dew are scattered across the grass. One of my favorite things about being free from the palace is still the clean smell of the country air. It gives me a sense of freedom and peace.
I twirl in a small circle as I walk, closing my eyes to appreciate the way the breeze ruffles my (hc) hair. Even now, the beautiful world around me makes me never want to return to the confines of the palace.
I'm suddenly pulled out of the moment by my sister, who has been strolling beside me. "(Yn)? Are you in there?" She giggles.
I sheepishly smile. "Sorry sis. I guess I just got caught up in the moment, you know? It's just such a perfect morning."
Rapunzel gives me a grin that tells me she's been in my shoes before (well, technically not because she doesn't wear shoes, but you get the idea). "Believe me, I completely understand." She nods. Our strong sense of freedom has always been one of our most connecting qualities.
I smile as I see Old Corona enter my sight. As the citizens of Old Corona go about their day, we weave through the crowd of people, careful not to bump into anyone. The kingdom's annual Goodwill Festival is approaching, and everyone is out and about preparing. After all, due to...unforeseen circumstances...last year, the event was canceled, so this year is the first Goodwill Festival in two years. Nobody in the kingdom wants to miss this, hence the sea of Coronians.
Rapunzel and I finally make it off of Main Street and begin walking along the dirt road that leads to Varian and his father's home. "What do you think the guys are working on?" Rapunzel asks, her green eyes glistening in excitement.
"Varian said it was some sort of device to help protect the kingdom from Cass," I reply.
My sister giggles a bit in response.
"What's so funny?"
"It's ironic; we were fighting against Varian a couple of years ago, and now he's one of the leading forces of protection for our kingdom." She shakes her head a bit.
I gaze up at the sky and the vastness it has to offer. "It's nice to have him back."
"I think so too-" Rapunzel trails off as she notices Varian and Eugene up ahead, appearing to be shooting amber guns at wooden cutouts of Cassandra. "What are they doing?"
As we approach them, I hear Varian's familiar laugh. "Project Obsidian is a success!!"
"'Project Obsidian?'" Rapunzel asks, looking around at the various clusters of amber that have been created from Varian's new invention.
Varian grins. "Project Obsidian." He clarifies. "It's a device that can destroy Cassandra-" Eugene suddenly jabs the alchemist with his elbow, and Varian quickly tries to redirect his sentence. "-'s self-esteem!!!"
I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat. "What?"
"Eugene!" Rapunzel gasps. "We are not attacking Cassandra."
"Of course, we're not going to attack her, Sunshine, but I'm captain of the guard now, I have to be prepared to protect our people from any contingencies," Eugene assures. Noticing his girlfriend's horrified look, he softens his tone. He slowly pulls out a scroll for the future Queen to sign. "But I won't use this thing without your approval."
"Princess, believe me, I don't wanna hurt Cass either," Varian speaks up. "But we can't promise that she's not gonna try to hurt us."
I gently place a reassuring hand on my sister's shoulder. My stomach turns into knots at the thought of Cassandra getting hurt, but I know Var is right; we have no way of knowing if Cass is planning on hurting us. We need to prepare for the worst. "Varian's right...Raps, Cassandra has always been like a sister to me." I feel my heart pang and I place my free hand over my chest. "I would never want to see her get hurt and I know you feel the same, but it's our Royal duty to protect the citizens of Corona. We need to take proactive measures to keep them safe."
Rapunzel slowly nods, knowing that Eugene, Varian, and I are right. "Okay...I will sign it to protect Corona. But we won't need it because I know the Cass we love is still in there somewhere."
All that I can do is pray that Rapunzel is right.
:-:-:-:-:
Later on in the day, the kingdom's citizens gathered in the royal courtyard for an announcement from my dad. While my mom stands to his left, Rapunzel and I stand to his right. I steal a glance at my sister, who looks unusually gloomy. I can only assume that she's still upset about Project Obsidian.
I'm suddenly pulled from my thoughts as the king clears his throat and begins his announcement. "I regret to inform you that in light of recent events, I have decided to exercise caution, and cancel the Goodwill Festival this year."
The Coronians let out a chorus of disheartening groans, all clearly upset with the news. Rapunzel, noticing the response of the people, quickly steps in. "Unless anyone has any objections?"
"Rapunzel...we talked about this..." Dad mutters under his breath.
"Dad, the kingdom needs this. With everything that's going on, everyone could use a little cheering up." I reply, quick to defend my sister.
Rapunzel smiles. "We still need to let the people decide."
Dad sighs. "Very well."
Once she's given the green light, my sister turns back to the crowd. "If the Goodwill Festival is important to you, speak now or forever hold your peace."
"I'm with you princess!" A voice quickly chimes in. It's then that I notice the voice belongs to a castle maid, Faith, which greatly surprises me. I only met Faith a couple of years ago when my existence became known to the people, but from what I know about her, she's incredibly shy and soft-spoken. It seems odd that she's suddenly speaking in front of the whole kingdom.
"Faith, really?" Rapunzel beams, also surprised by Faith's response.
Eugene places his hands on his hips. "Whoa. Really coming out of her shell."
Faith laughs a bit as she makes her way through the crowd and approaches us. "Look, we don't always have control over what happens to us, but we can choose how we respond to it, right? So when tough times come to Corona, Corona fights back by doubling its good cheer. That's why we're gonna make this the greatest Goodwill Festival ever!"
I brightly smile at Faith's reply as the Coronians cheer in response to her speech. I can hardly believe Faith was capable of such a brave act of courage, and it makes me so overwhelmed with pride to see her speak up.
The king smiles a bit. "Well, it looks like the festival is happening after all!"