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free-for-all-fics · 2 years ago

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Tanz der Vampire/Dance of the Vampires and Dracula Musical Prompts! These are written with the German productions in mind, but really any adaptation could work. Pls tag me if you’re inspired by any of these ideas and I’d love to read it! ❤️🩸

1. You’re Count Dracula’s daughter/son and Graf von Krolock’s wife/husband. Describe what your immortal life and marriage is like. You may have been addressed as Countess/Count Dracula while you were still unmarried and later Countess/Count von Krolock after your marriage, but as the biological daughter/son of Count Dracula, you’re still technically a Princess/Prince. Your father was a Prince of Wallachia in his mortal life and later became the King of Vampires, after all. You’re vampire royalty; your beauty, charm, family name, etc. made you highly sought after by men and monsters alike. But there was no better a match for you than Graf von Krolock. He’s a handsome and charismatic nobleman with a flair for dramatics. He’s technically lower in status than you, but you don’t care. You love him for reasons far more important than rank, so you’re not too bothered with the fact that you married down.

In all your centuries together, you’ve never for a moment regretted your choice to take him as your husband and eternal mate. Moving from Castle Dracula to Castle Krolock was easy since it immediately felt like home. You’re no stranger to acting as Mistress/Master of the Castle; you loved making Krolock Castle your own and adding your own personal touches, whether it be the interior of the castle or the garden/cemetery outside. Maybe it’s because you wished to have a son or daughter that your husband later turned Herbert and adopted him as yours and his son. If you wanted an heir, he would kidnap anyone of your choosing from a human village and turn them at your request. Herbert may not be yours by blood, but he would be your son in every other sense.

2. Beauty and the Beast AU: You’re Sarah’s sibling and Graf von Krolock is fixated on you instead of her because he believes you to be the reincarnation of his beloved husband/wife/lover. You look and act exactly the same, it’s uncanny. He kidnaps you, maybe half mad with grief and delusional from his centuries of black melancholy and loneliness. While you’re technically a prisoner in his castle, he doesn’t treat you like one. The castle is your home now so he lets you explore freely. You may go anywhere you wish, except for one locked door. That room is forbidden. You can’t leave the castle grounds or go beyond the garden/cemetery. He won’t let you. If he’s not watching you, there’s always another vampire or servant who is.

“What’s the story with the locked room upstairs?”

“It belongs to the late Graf/Grafin. We don’t go in there.”

“It might help me figure out what’s going on if I could take a look inside.”

“Best of luck. That door locked itself up tight the day of his/her funeral. There’s not a key in this world that’ll open it. Many have tried - myself included, I regret to say. If you’re really going to try opening that cursed door, if you’re really going to try breaking in to explore the late Master’s/Mistress’s room, the only advice I can offer you is this: Don’t let the Master catch you. Do you understand? Don’t let him catch you.”

During your captivity, you’re haunted by nightmares of lying dead on a stone bench deep within the castle’s chambers. The chamber can be accessed only through the window, set high in Krolock’s castle wall. A large bat flies in and hovers over the bench, regurgitating blood onto your dormant body. Your corpse starts to interact and bond with the dripped blood. Within seconds, you’re once more resurrected as a vampire. You wake up in a cold sweat from these night terrors. You either wander the castle halls in the dark and get lost, only to later be found by Kukol or Krolock himself. Or the Count is either lingering in your doorway or leering at you from over your bed, watching over you and waiting for you to awaken.

He lets you partake in the annual Dance of the Vampires, a celebration when the undead come to life in the cemetery and the castle again lives its former glory for one night only. He gifts you a beautiful suit/dress and protects you from the other vampires. He’s made it more than clear that only he or Herbert are allowed to dance with you. Are you truly his long lost love reincarnated or has the Count‘s mind succumbed to madness from centuries of existential pessimism? Are you truly a flickering light of hope in his shroud of black melancholy? Whether you remember your past life or not, could you ever find it in your still beating heart to love him despite him being your captor? Would you let him damn your soul and give you his vampire kiss so you can join him in eternity and save him from this inhabitable hell of loneliness?

3. Graf von Krolock was once deeply in love with you, Dracula’s daughter/son. You were his beloved wife/husband and eternal mate, but something happened where you were either killed by vampire hunters or died tragically. Your father was devastated by your untimely death. In his grief, he blamed your husband. Count Dracula and/or Graf von Krolock may have avenged you by hunting down, brutally killing and sucking the blood of the humans that took you away from them, but it didn’t make either vampire feel any better. They were still hollow. Even if your death wasn’t murder and was an accident, they’d still set fire to the villages and instill fear in the humans for what was done to you. Blood was spilled and heads rolled. No man, woman, or child was safe from their wrath.

Your father and husband never reconciled their relationship following your death. No matter how drawn out or excruciatingly painful they made the deaths of the hunters that slayed you or how many centuries passed, nothing could numb the pain your absence brought upon them. Your husband has never remarried; no mortal nor vampire could fill the void you left behind. No matter how beautiful, smart, etc., no one could ever hope to take your place. You were his mate, his one true love. Your old bedroom doubled as your personal study and it was one of your favorite rooms in the entire castle. It’s still exactly as you left it. Torn apart with grief, Krolock either keeps it locked up tight and has Kukol hide the key out of his sight so he’s never tempted to step foot in your room ever again. Or he’s the only one who’s permitted to hold the key and enter. He personally sees to keeping it clean and orderly, free of any dust or signs of decay. You wouldn’t want your favorite room to be neglected and left to rot away with time, so he keeps it pristine for you. He knows you’ll never step foot in this room or his castle again, but cleaning keeps his mind busy and helps him cope with your loss. This room brings back once happy memories of you now marred by tragedy, but it makes him believe for a few fleeting hours that you’ll come home.

“What’s the story with the locked room upstairs?”

“It belongs to the late Graf/Grafin. We don’t go in there. Ever. Only the Master would be allowed to go in and out. It’s best not to ask questions or go poking around.”

“It might help me figure out what’s going on if I could take a look inside.”

“Best of luck. That door locked itself up tight the day of his/her funeral. There’s not a key in this world that’ll open it. The Master likely carries it on him or keeps it somewhere hidden. I wouldn’t even try, if I were you. You’d be dead the second he caught you snooping around in places you weren’t supposed to be.”

To this day, Count Dracula refuses to have anything more to do with Krolock, citing what he believes is your husband’s failure to protect you. They haven’t spoken since the day of your funeral. Dracula is unyielding in his belief that Krolock could’ve or should’ve done more and that your death is your husband’s fault, even if it’s not actually true. You were his only surviving child and heir, and he only wanted the best for you. He didn’t approve of your choice in husband. If you had listened to him and never married Krolock, maybe you’d still be here. But you went against his wishes and married him anyway, and now you’re gone.

The King of all Vampires has held onto his grudge against your husband for centuries and isn’t going to ever let go of it unless, by some miracle, you’re brought back. Speaking of which, a group of humans are spending the night in the abandoned ruins where you supposedly died. They’re here to tell scary stories and urban legends, but get much more than they bargained for after they inadvertently resurrect you with their blood. The first thing you do upon awakening is kill and feed from the humans closest to you. You’re so weak and feel like you’ve been starving for centuries. You can’t be bothered to chase the others while they scream and flee in horror upon realizing you’re more than just a legend. First, you want to find and reunite with your father and husband. What happens next?

4. You’re Graf von Krolock’s beautiful and enchanting daughter, but have no interest in men. While Herbert has fallen in love with Alfred, you’ve been trying to claim Sarah’s heart. Neither you nor your brother understand subtlety; it’s in neither of your vocabularies. You’re both laying your seductions on thick, uncaring if your approach makes Alfred or Sarah feel awkward and uncomfortable. Awww, they’re both so cute! Herbert is very playful and fun. He loves playing games and chases Alfred all over the castle. The poor man is scared half to death as he tries in vain to run away and escape your flamboyant brother. Once Herbert finally catches Alfred, he holds him tightly in his strong embrace and carries him off to his bedroom, where he will read him poetry and tease him all night. He wants to take his sweet time seducing the boy before he bites him. He wants to make love to Alfred first. He wants Alfred to want him, to give in and reciprocate his love.

Meanwhile, you’re obsessed with Sarah and constantly interrupting her many baths to spoil her with extravagant gifts such as a beautiful red dress and matching red boots. You’d love nothing more than to join her in that tub and explore her naked body. You can tell she’s been sheltered her entire life and has never experienced the touch of a man nor a woman. You doubt she’s ever touched herself and would love to show her how to do it. She’s so innocent and naive; you want to corrupt her so bad and show her the sins of the flesh, just as Herbert wants to do with Alfred. But you’ll be patient for now and turn up the vampire charm once she arrives at the Vampire Ball, wearing your gifts. You’ll dance with her all night and you’ll bite her to turn her into your heart’s companion. She’ll be your mate, your lover for all eternity.

Krolock either steps back and lets you and your brother handle it, or he actively encourages you both to pursue your romances but leaves you to bite your lovers yourselves. He’s too wrapped up in the Vampire Ball or his own existential pessimism to watch over you or your brother’s activities. There comes a time when each vampire must turn their first human, and there’s no better time to learn than now. Either way he’s not going to come between his children and their newfound paramours. Despite your differences and his serious disposition, your father loves you and Herbert more than anything. He’s just too fucking exhausted all the time, wrapped up in the festivities or crushed by his own black melancholy. He can’t be bothered to always get involved with your and your brother’s whims or…whatever this is. He’s raised you both well enough over the centuries that he trusts you know what you’re doing.

5. You’re just trying to donate blood but your lovers/husbands, Count Dracula and Graf von Krolock, are acting like total weirdos. They’re both leering over you the whole time and have no concept of personal space. If you have a fear of needles, they’re running their long fingers through your hair and scratching your scalp with their long nails as they kiss your forehead to comfort you. They’re making sure you have plenty of snacks and water so you don’t pass out. But they’re both eager to taste that sweet, sweet blood. You knew you should’ve left them at the castle, but they were stubborn and insisted on coming with you. Bringing vampires to a blood drive is like bringing them to an all-you-can-eat buffet. If they leave your side, it’s because they’re bothering the other nurses trying to take blood, insisting that it shouldn’t be that hard to find a vein. They’re asking inappropriate questions about where the blood is stored and if they could have a bag or two to go. No, they can’t have any blood bags. This blood isn’t for them, it’s for the countless humans that need it. The poor patients and nurses look nervous and probably think the vampires are going to eat them.

You knew being a human and having two vampire lovers/husbands was going to be incredibly awkward and uncomfortable, but they seriously have no chill when it comes to blood. Even after their centuries of vampirism, you have to bribe them to behave with promises of letting them bite and drink from you once you fully recover and your blood replenishes. If your arm wasn’t stiff from having a needle or tube in it, you’d face palm so hard. This is the last time you’re bringing them with you when you donate blood. These Counts are lucky they’re so handsome, charismatic, and amazing lovers in bed. Sometimes you don’t know what you’d do with them otherwise. They love having you sandwiched between them every night so they can lay their heads on your chest and listen to your heartbeat. It’s like music to their ears. They can almost dance to the beat. It’s one of their favorite sounds, apart from the noises you make when they make love to you. Hopefully when they finally turn you into a vampire, life with them will be less chaotic. Spoiler alert: Eternal life with them is even more chaotic than it was when you were mortal.

6. Dracula didn’t kill Van Helsing’s wife, Roseanne. Instead he turned her into a vampire and put her under his thrall, either as revenge against Van Helsing or because he was in love with her too and felt spurned when she decided to marry Abraham.

7. Underworld AU: Roseanne was a vampire and Dracula’s biological daughter. She fell in love with Abraham Van Helsing, a human man. Even though it was against vampire law, she and Van Helsing continued their secret love affair, whether or not he ever knew she was a vampire. They eloped and Roseanne later became pregnant with a Dhampir child. Upon discovering her pregnancy, Dracula killed his own daughter. He loved her, but the abomination growing in her womb was a betrayal of him and the entire vampire race. He did what he had to do to protect the species. Since his wife’s murder, Van Helsing has sworn revenge on Dracula and has dedicated his life to vampire hunting, determined to slay the Vampire King himself.

8. You’re Professor Abronsius’ grandchild and either Krolock or Herbert are in love with you. Instead of Sarah, you’re the one who gets seduced and kidnapped by vampires. Your grandfather is so busy with taking his notes or exploring the Count’s library that he gets easily distracted and sometimes forgets what he’s doing. Wait, why is he in this castle again? Oh yeah! To rescue you from the bloodthirsty vampires. Right, right. He loves you, never doubt that. The moment he realized you were gone, he was desperately searching for you. But it’s no surprise you were kidnapped right from under his nose in the first place. Even if you had kicked and screamed, he was probably deaf to your cries for help, having blocked out all noises. He often forgets the world around him.

When he does finally come to rescue you, he’ll probably ward off the vampires by lecturing and admonishing them. Poor Abronsius never even realizes it, but it’s already too late for you. Krolock or Herbert has already bitten you. By dragging the newly transformed you out of the castle, your grandfather didn't exactly save mankind from the vampire plague. You can’t return home with him. Krolock’s castle is your home now. The Count and/or his son will come after you to bring you back. Your grandfather walks off singing about his "victory” while you’re starving. That young assistant of his looks so appetizing. Just one bite won’t hurt.

9. Count Von Krolock spends a lonely and melancholy life in his old castle in the mountains, in the company of his son Herbert and his servant Koukol. Krolock has never been the same ever since he lost you, the love of his mortal and/or immortal life, to an unforeseen tragedy. Your untimely demise was so long ago that the Count has lost track of time and can no longer remember when exactly you died. Your body has since been laid to rest in a beautiful mausoleum near his castle cemetery. He’s given you only the best. The most beautiful coffin/casket, flowers from his garden, etc. The epitaph on your grave has worn down with time and is practically illegible. But he still remembers the words he had lovingly engraved underneath your name. Ever since your death, The numbness and loneliness of his existence is interrupted only at the annual Dance of the Vampires when the undead come to life in the cemetery and the castle lives again, for one night, its former glory.

You’re not a vampire, but you rise from your grave with the rest of the undead. For one night only, your body is magically restored and you become flesh. You’re just as beautiful as you were the last time Krolock saw you alive, before you were taken from him. Your voice is the same, your hair is the same, your scent is the same, etc. You and your beloved Count make the most out of the few hours you have together. You dance the night away in each other’s arms before the Count escorts you back to your beautiful resting place. He holds your hand as he helps you climb back into your coffin/casket and gives you one final kiss before you return to your annual slumber. He closes the lid just before the night ends. Just before sunrise, your body decays once more. He can never bear to watch you change back. But he can still hear it. It’s just as unbearable, or maybe even worse. He retreats back into the castle before the sun can burn him.

“Until next year, my love.”

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pizzahorse · 6 years ago

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Better To Have Loved

Title: Better To Have Loved

Fandom: Tangled: The Series

Description: Rapunzel and Cassandra have a much needed heart to heart after the events caused by the Wand of Forgetting.

[Read on AO3]

"Do you think if you had found me in the tower instead of Eugene, I would have fallen in love with you?"

Cassandra had been keeping first watch again. She heard everyone go off to bed, and assumed Rapunzel had joined them, until she appeared next to her. Her legs were curled up to her chest, and the princess was uncharacteristically silent. Cassandra theorized Rapunzel probably had a nightmare shortly after falling asleep, and just wanted some company until she grew tired again. They'd frequently gone through a similar routine at the castle, before they set off to follow the Black Rocks. The quietness normally suited Cassandra, but with Rapunzel around, it felt a little weird. Her question several minutes later did not make things any less weird.

"Anything is possible, Raps," she replied, trying to appear nonchalant despite the fact that she had wished more times than she could count that she had been the one to rescue Rapunzel.

"So you do think we could have-"

"Yeah, maybe. I don't know," This really wasn't a discussion she wanted to have, especially not after she had gotten a glimpse of an alternate reality where her secret dream came true.

"Do you think it's too late for us to?"

"What?"

"Fall in love."

Cassandra whipped around, heart fluttering in her chest as she tried to process what she had just heard. She must have fallen asleep while on watch. This was all a dream. Just another fantasy her subconscious had conjured. Wake up, wake up, wake up! her brain yelled, as her gaze settled on the princess. Her chin was nestled into her knees as she stared out at the forest. She looked gorgeous in the moonlight. She looked gorgeous in the sunlight, too. Cassandra shook her head, trying to clear it of delusional thoughts. Rapunzel was always curious about the world around her, and this was probably just another passing fancy that she simply wanted to explore.

"What about Eugene?" The reminder of Rapunzel's current romantic and nearly betrothed partner helped steady Cassandra's nerves and bring her back down to Earth.

Rapunzel stretched out her legs, letting them dangle towards the ground. Her hands fidgeted in her lap for a moment, before her fingers moved to trace patterns in the smooth rock where they were both perched. "Ever since you used the Wand of Forgetting on me, everything's been really confusing. Eugene was the first person I can ever remember meeting, besides Moth- Gothel. But now I have memories of you being the first person I ever met. Experiencing the world for the first time, not with Eugene, but with you.

"Everything was so frightening. Seeing a world outside my tower for the first time. But you were there, and your smile was so warm and comforting, I didn't feel like I had to be afraid. Even though I had no idea where I was or what danger lay ahead, I knew you would take care of and protect me. You made it not so scary," Rapunzel offered up one of her not-so-rare smiles, thinking of the alternate memories of her first taste of freedom.

"I know you aren't normally very affectionate, but I distinctly remember you letting me lean up against you by the campfire, without protest. And I felt the same feelings I first felt with Eugene coming to the surface every time I looked at you. I thought about how nice it was to talk to and bond with another person. You looked so beautiful under the starlight, right before I figured out you were taking me the wrong way."

"Raps, I am far from beautiful," Cassandra smiled wanly, "But I appreciate the sentiment. I'm sure anyone looks good when you've been cooped up with Gothel all your life," the small hint of positive emotion left as her face fell. "I'm still so sorry I cast that spell on you. You didn't deserve to relive all that fear and uncertainty again. I try so hard to protect you, and I was the one who put you in danger. I put this entire mission in jeopardy, because I let my emotions get the best of me," she growled as she balled her good hand into a fist, still beating herself up over her mistake.

"Would it be bad if I said I think I'm glad it happened?"

"What? Why?"

"Because it helped me realize I've always thought you were beautiful, Cass," the princess ignored her friend's previous denial, "but I just thought it was in the way one girl can appreciate another girl who is attractive. Since the memory incident, I've been wondering... If you had found me first, why couldn't it have been you I fell in love with? Random chance brought Eugene to the tower, and it could have just as easily led you there. How would my life- our lives- be different?

"At first, I thought the feeling would go away. I know I'm not going to forget what happened, but it isn't reality. It's how things could have happened, not the way they did happen. But they... did happen, in some way. I was there and you were there. You're always there for me, Cass.

"Even though you didn't find me in the tower, you did find me in the castle. You found me in your own way. You were my first best friend. Every time I look into my future, I see you right by my side. I can't imagine going a day without seeing you, without spending time with you. I don't just want you by my side, I want you by my side. Close to me, like-" Rapunzel blew a puff of air at some stray hair, knocking it out of her eyes. It seemed to be an excuse not to finish her previous train of thought.

Cassandra felt dizzy. Rapunzel was typically very upfront about her feelings, and though Cass was getting most of the gist, the princess was being unusually dodgy about what she was trying to say. Normally honest, never-wanting-to-keep-a-secret Rapunzel would spout exactly what she was thinking, often without prompting. This whole being cryptic and analytical thing was new.

And it was confusing for Cassandra too, because it wasn't like she had never thought about the princess in… more intimate ways. No one could guess that behind her cool and collected exterior, her interior was soft and mushy for one golden-haired lady. Not that Cassandra ever thought she'd have a chance to express those feelings. Rapunzel was very happy with Eugene, and someday they'd be married and have children and Cassandra would fade out of the picture. Probably go and make her own life. Hopefully get over her feelings and find some other woman to settle down with. Heartache was a normal and necessary part of life, and Cassandra had accepted long ago that her heart would always ache for Rapunzel, but never find respite.

"That's when I realized maybe the feeling isn't going away because it's always been here," Rapunzel's voice cut through Cassandra's inner turmoil. "Maybe it just took me awhile to understand it. Maybe getting Eugene out of my head and my life for a minute opened me up to new possibilities. Possibilities I had never considered."

"So you've been thinking a lot?" was all Cassandra could muster. As if it wasn't obvious by the volume of words Rapunzel had just spilled out. She really couldn't think of anything better to say. This, whatever this was, was really happening. Rapunzel was, more or less, confessing her feelings for Cassandra, romantic feelings, in the most roundabout way possible. If her confession was genuine, where did that leave Eugene? Cassandra certainly wasn't his biggest fan, which was obvious to everyone, but she would never hope for any permanent damage- physical or emotional- to befall him.

Rapunzel nodded, glancing up to see her friend staring down at her. Even when Cass tried to remain stoic, she could always catch a glimpse of concern behind those hazel eyes whenever she looked at her. If Rapunzel thought about it, Cassandra didn't look at anyone else in the same way. She had previously chalked it up to Cass being her best friend, but now...

"You were the first real friend I made in Corona, and you've been by my side almost as long as Eugene has. You've helped me on this journey just as much, if not more. You helped me adjust to royal life, you were there to answer all my questions and show me around and teach me all there was to know about the world. You helped me over the last several months to stop believing in the lies Gothel told me all my life.

"You didn't have to do any of that. You weren't even required to join me in following the Black Rocks, but you did. I am so grateful to have you here, and I don't think I've properly told you how much it means to have you with me. How much it means to me that you're in my life. You always have my back and I always want to have yours.

"I'm really glad to hear you say that, Raps," Cassandra turned, offering the princess a smile. "I was starting to think-"

No. No. This was all wrong. Cassandra was not a feelings person. Actually, she did have a lot of feelings, but those feelings stayed locked up inside and never saw the light of day. Especially not her feelings for the long lost princess of Corona, Rapunzel. She had a job to do, a duty to her kingdom and her country. She came on this journey to protect the princess, because protecting her meant protecting Corona's future. She was a soldier on a mission, nothing more. She just had to keep telling herself that until she believed it.

"Starting to think what?" Rapunzel prodded.

Cassandra recalled the mess she'd made the last time she'd told Rapunzel to forget about something. The super recent last time that was currently the topic of their conversation. She knew all too well Raps wasn't one to let things go. If she didn't talk now, it'd be non-stop nagging until she did. And Cassandra certainly didn't want another accident happening on account of her hiding things from the princess. Also, she couldn't say no to Raps' inquisitive puppy-dog eyes.

"I was starting to think you only see me as a servant."

"What? Cass, that's not true! Is this- Did Eugene say something? I know you two argue but if he told you that, that's crossing a line!"

Cassandra hesitated. Rapunzel had made her stance clear about a certain guide who had helped them through the Forest of No Return and the Great Tree. Their friendship, if there was anything left of it, was already on rocky ground after this latest incident. Speaking ill of someone Raps trusted could cause more irreparable damage. But what did she have to lose?

"Adira said something. At the Great Tree. And after you started listening to her and you started ignoring me, I thought maybe I'd made our friendship out to be more than it actually was. I am your lady-in-waiting. I am here to serve you and obey your commands. She just put me in my place. I tried to prove her wrong, to prove I meant something to you and that you trusted me over some stranger. But you proved me wrong instead. You trusted Adira, you put yourself at risk, you didn't let me protect you. I just wanted-" Cassandra bit her lip to keep it from quivering, pushing down the small spark of emotion that was threatening to show itself, "It doesn't matter what I want. This journey is about you and your destiny and I need to be better at listening to orders," she briefly considered getting up right then and there and going for a walk, but a hand grasping at the crook of her elbow made her pause.

"I know you don't like Adira, and she's not very fond of you either. But out here, we need all the help we can get, and as few enemies as possible," Rapunzel trailed her hand down to grab Cassandra's tightly, "Cass, all the decisions I've made out here have been hard. All of your lives are in MY hands. You are all out here, because of ME. Away from your homes and your families, and there's a chance none of us make it back. If anything happens to you, any of you, but especially you, I am responsible. I decided to take this crazy journey and I didn't ask anyone else to come with me, but you did. I don't know how I would have made it this far without you, but it's still terrifying to think that at any moment, something bad could happen. That's why I used the decay spell. Everyone was in danger and I was panicking and I did what I thought was the right thing to do. We are so close to reaching the Dark Kingdom, and I can't let anything happen to anyone. Even if something happens to me, as long as you all make it home safe, that's all that matters."

She was crying now, ever unabashed at wearing her heart on her sleeve. One hand scrubbed furiously at her eyes while the other squeezed Cass' hand ever tighter. Cassandra glanced back at the camp to make sure no one else had woken up, then pulled Rapunzel in close to her chest. Her friend- her princess- needed her now. The same way she'd needed her at the castle when she was overwhelmed with her duties as royalty or when she had nightmares.

"Raps, I know this is stressful for all of us. But we're going to get through it. We're ALL going home. I'll make sure of it," she held Rapunzel a little closer for emphasis.

"Cass," Rapunzel sniffled, once she had calmed herself enough to talk again, "I need you to know how much you mean to me. I need you to know if you found me before Eugene did, I would have fallen in love with you first. I need you to know I'm in love with you now. It just took a little push for me to realize it. You mean so much more to me than I could possibly say with words, and you know I can say a lot of words. You always have. I'm just stupid."

"You're not stupid!" It baffled Cassandra how such a glamourous ray of sunshine could get such a dark cloud over her head. "I'm stupid! I'm the one who cast the forgetting spell and started all this in the first place. I'm the one who fell in love with you. I go above and beyond my duties to you, not because I'm your servant, but because I want to share as many moments as I can with you. Someday, you'll marry Eugene, because you love him, and there won't be room for me in your life anymore."

"Cass, that's not-"

"I want you to be happy. I really do. But watching the two of you have the life I wish could have with you, would be torture. Love is torture, Raps. It's this parasitic thing that worms its way into your brain and then it consumes your heart and makes all your thoughts and hopes and dreams revolve around one person. Even if they're a person you can never have. Stupid, right?"

"No! Not stupid!" Rapunzel pushed away, hands splayed against Cassandra's armor. "Cass, your feelings matter-"

"You just think they matter because of the spell," Cassandra pulled Rapunzel's hands away from her chest and nested them in her friend's lap before letting them go. "You're. In love. With Eugene. Coming between you two wouldn't be right of me."

Rapunzel scooted across the rock, putting distance between them. "What if you're not the one that comes between Eugene and me? What if I'm the one?"

"Raps, what are you saying?"

"Everybody says he loves me, and I think he does care about me. Sometimes I just wonder if he mostly loves the idea of me. If he loves the idea of becoming a prince and someday the king and never having to worry about food or shelter again. He had a hard life. Then he rescued me, and now he has the undying gratitude of all of Corona. And he deserves all of that! But he can have most of it without being married to me.

"Eugene has his own life, his own friends. He had a life before he met me and he still lives it. Which is, not to say you didn't or don't have a life, you're just… always there, with me. You're always the one that offers to come with me when I want to explore or look for supplies or if we get trapped somewhere. You're always willing to risk your life for me. Eugene has been so indispensable on our journey, and I know he'd do the same if I asked, but with you, I don't ever have to ask.

"And that's… he loves me in his own way and that's okay. It doesn't mean he loves me any less because he lets me have my independence and take care of myself. But sometimes, he gives me a little too much freedom. Sometimes it feels like we're so distant, we're drifting apart."

"So you've fallen out of love a little," Cassandra had managed to beat back any affection she had been feeling, and was now focused on helping Rapunzel with an apparent relationship problem. "You just need to reignite the spark. I'm sure this journey has been difficult for you two without having any privacy. But when you get home, everything can go back to normal."

"That's just it. What if I don't want the spark to reignite? What if I want to start a new spark?"

"Rapsl, that's crazy. You and Eugene-"

"Cass, I am not crazy. I've been reflecting a lot on what has happened in my life. Where I've been. Where I'm going. Who I'm taking with me. Not just to the Dark Kingdom, but to my future. My future where I'm queen and I'm responsible for all of Corona and I have someone by my side ruling with me. Who that could be.

"I thought you always wanted to be close by because we're friends and we care about each other. Of course we care about each other. But I started to wonder if things had turned out differently, with the tower and everything, if maybe I would care about you… more. In the way I cared- care- about Eugene.

"Part of me feels like maybe I just got caught up in everything. Having my freedom, meeting another person, discovering the world. Maybe I rushed into things. I keep telling Eugene I'm not ready to marry him, and I tell myself I will be someday. But in all honesty, I can never see myself being ready. I like what I have with Eugene, but maybe I'd like it more if the things I share with him were shared with someone else instead.

"Another part of me feels like I owe him. He rescued me, he saved me, and he reunited me with my family. I should be- I am- grateful for that. I make him happy, and he makes me happy, but I'm worried the ways we make each other happy are no longer the same. I don't want to hurt him after everything he's done for me, for my family, for Corona. I don't know what to do, Cass. I don't think it's as simple as falling out of love temporarily. What if I'm falling out of love with him forever?"

"This is really bothering you, huh?"

Rapunzel nodded, fresh liquid gathering at the corners of her eyes.

Cassandra sighed heavily. She really hadn't expected to be playing comforter or therapist or whatever this was. But here she was, and here Rapunzel was, and here they both were. Spilling their guts out into the night air. Moreso Raps than herself. So maybe it was time to divulge a long-kept secret.

"I have to be honest, I can't say I haven't thought about it. How things could have been if I'd gotten to you first. I've thought about it for a long time, actually. Way before I accidentally cast a spell on you, and way before we even started this journey. I've thought about what it would have been like if I had found you instead of Eugene. I got a glimpse of that, and it was so nice to be so close to you. You were so vulnerable and I wanted nothing more than to protect you. Sometimes it feels like you don't need me at all. But if I'd been there, in the beginning, maybe you'd always feel like you needed me. The way you feel like you need Eugene. And I could always be by your side, protecting you."

"That does sound nice."

The moonlight made it hard to tell, but Cassandra could swear she saw Rapunzel blushing. Time to backpedal. "Yeah, well, we all think about things that will never be reality, Raps. It's not a big deal," she shrugged.

"Cass, your hopes and dreams are a big deal to me! Especially if they involve me. I think about you all the time, but I guess I've been so wrapped up in getting to know my mom and dad and the coronation and figuring out this whole princess thing that I've never considered you might see me as more than a friend. Or that I might feel the same way. Everything is so complicated and overwhelming and on the days when I feel like I'm going to lose my mind, just having you there helps me take a step back and breath. It's like everything feels like it's going to be okay, as long as you're there.

"Eugene is adventurous and I like adventure, but I can't always predict what he's going to do. He proposed to me in front of my parents, and you, and all of the royals in town for the coronation. Maybe he thought I would be ready, and I'm sure a lot of other girls would have enjoyed such a public proposal, but that's not me. And even though it's only been a few months, he almost proposed again during our travels. Maybe he thought I'd say yes if it wasn't in front of as many people. Maybe he's ready to get married and I'm not. He is older and he's had time to get his fill of the world, while my life is just beginning. He's ready to settle down. He is content to lounge in the castle most of the time while I'd rather be out beyond the walls of Corona. I want him to be able to have that relaxed, worry free life. I want him to be happy."

"You deserve to be happy too, Raps. I know you love Eugene and I want you to be happy. I wouldn't wish to take that happiness away from you. No matter what I want, this is your life. And I can't change- I mean, there are a lot of mythical artifacts in the world and I'm sure if I really wanted to I could change who found you first but- that wouldn't be right. Everything played out like it did for a reason. You're happy with Eugene, and taking that away because of my own selfish feelings… Even if you would never know, I would. I'd know what I stole from you. You love him, and he loves you, and I am learning to be okay with that. I don't like him, but I lov- like you. At the end of the day, I just want what's best for you. Even if I'm not what's best for you."

"But you are what's best for me, Cass. I care for you, just as much as I do for Eugene. Maybe more. And that's what I'm worried about. I'm- I'm not worried about caring for you, I'm worried about not caring for Eugene… anymore."

"Oh," Rapunzel's resistance was finally starting to settle in, "You're really serious about this. You're like, sure, sure?"

Rapunzel grasped the fabric of her dress in her hands, playing with it nervously. "I know this all feels like it's happening because of the spell, but it's not. I'm not sure, but I'm almost sure, but I-"

"Don't want to compromise the mission."

"Right," Rapunzel exhaled slowly, like a weight had been lifted off of her chest and she was finally able to breath again.

"I know he can be immature at times. But, he's old enough that he should be able to respect the decisions you make about your life. You said it yourself, he has his own life to live. At least talk with him. You leaving him is like a fantasy come true for me, but that doesn't mean I want there to be any bad blood between him or any of your friends. And I don't want you to make the wrong decision because you're feeling pressured. This is about your life, and your happiness. No one else's."

"But deciding to maybe, possibly, break- not be together anymore, affects him too."

"Staying together is clearly affecting you."

"I know, I know. But I had to be honest with you about what I'm feeling. I've always been able to confide in you and trust you. I want to keep doing that forever. Ha, I'm probably starting to sound like a broken record I just… I want you to know that what I feel for you is real. And I'm glad you opened up about your feelings, too. I know that's difficult for you, and I know it means you trust me more than I could ever comprehend. Please don't say anything to Eugene. I'm still trying to work things out and process them. But more importantly, I don't want to mess anything up before we reach the Dark Kingdom."

"You know this mission is my top priority. I'm not about to do anything to compromise it."

"Thank you. I knew I could trust you."

Rapunzel looked towards the camp and yawned, sleep calling her back to her bed. Traveling was draining enough, and now on top of it she was dealing with emotional exhaustion. The fate of Corona rested on her shoulders, but the burden was easier to bear knowing she wasn't alone. She moved to stand, but just before she did, she leaned over to plant a tender kiss against Cassandra's cheek.

"Thank you for listening."

Cassandra's hand brushed her face where her friend's lips had just been. She smiled sheepishly, ducking her head to try to hide her blush. There were few things in life that could get her flustered, and affection from Rapunzel topped the list.

"Any time, Raps. I could listen to you all day."

The golden-haired princess smiled and nodded, tucking back a stray hair behind her ear. She rocked on the balls of her feet, heart still heavy with words left unsaid, but body too tired to allow her to express them tonight. "Well, goodnight," she lingered a moment longer, taking in the vision of the other woman under the light of the night sky.

"Night, Raps."

It wasn't long before Cassandra found herself alone again. She let out a heavy sigh, almost like she'd been holding her breath the whole time. She was still trying to convince herself that the entire conversation she'd just had wasn't some kind of dream. Rapunzel- Rapunzel- was in love with her! Rapunzel wanted her. Rapunzel chose her! Sure, there were probably more ideal times for her to reveal such information, but at least she wasn't like Cassandra and was able to openly discuss her feelings.

She touched the space on her cheek again where Rapunzel had made contact. Yep, this felt real. No dreams, no weird spells, no wild imaginings. Raps had really beat her to the punch with her confession. Not that Cassandra had ever had any intention of revealing her feelings about the princess. But with her friend so unsure and confused, it felt unfair for her to be the only one sharing.

Well, I certainly won't have trouble keeping watch tonight, Cass thought. Her mind and her heart were both racing, head filled with visions of a potential future with Rapunzel. Those thoughts came often, especially on these lonely watches, but tonight, they were more vivid than ever. There was still no guarantee things would work out, and Cassandra knew better than to get her hopes up. Still, she couldn't stop herself from thinking,

Wow. Dreams do come true.

Support this and other stories! https://ko-fi.com/gemology

#Tangled #Tangled the Series #Cassunzel #Cassandra #Rapunzel #Cassandra X Rapunzel #Punzie #Fanfiction #Better To Have Loved

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tangledcassandra · 6 years ago

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Better To Have Loved

Title: Better To Have Loved

Description: Rapunzel and Cassandra have a much needed heart to heart after the events caused by the Wand of Forgetting.

[Read on AO3]

"Do you think if you had found me in the tower instead of Eugene, I would have fallen in love with you?"

"Anything is possible, Raps," she replied, trying to appear nonchalant despite the fact that she had wished more times than she could count that she had been the one to rescue Rapunzel.

"So you do think we could have-"

"Yeah, maybe. I don't know," This really wasn't a discussion she wanted to have, especially not after she had gotten a glimpse of an alternate reality where her secret dream came true.

"Do you think it's too late for us to?"

"What?"

"Fall in love."

"What about Eugene?" The reminder of Rapunzel's current romantic and nearly betrothed partner helped steady Cassandra's nerves and bring her back down to Earth.

"Would it be bad if I said I think I'm glad it happened?"

"What? Why?"

"I'm really glad to hear you say that, Raps," Cassandra turned, offering the princess a smile. "I was starting to think-"

"Starting to think what?" Rapunzel prodded.

"I was starting to think you only see me as a servant."

"What? Cass, that's not true! Is this- Did Eugene say something? I know you two argue but if he told you that, that's crossing a line!"

"Raps, I know this is stressful for all of us. But we're going to get through it. We're ALL going home. I'll make sure of it," she held Rapunzel a little closer for emphasis.

"Cass, that's not-"

"No! Not stupid!" Rapunzel pushed away, hands splayed against Cassandra's armor. "Cass, your feelings matter-"

Rapunzel scooted across the rock, putting distance between them. "What if you're not the one that comes between Eugene and me? What if I'm the one?"

"Raps, what are you saying?"

"That's just it. What if I don't want the spark to reignite? What if I want to start a new spark?"

"Rapsl, that's crazy. You and Eugene-"

"This is really bothering you, huh?"

Rapunzel nodded, fresh liquid gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"That does sound nice."

"Oh," Rapunzel's resistance was finally starting to settle in, "You're really serious about this. You're like, sure, sure?"

"Don't want to compromise the mission."

"Right," Rapunzel exhaled slowly, like a weight had been lifted off of her chest and she was finally able to breath again.

"But deciding to maybe, possibly, break- not be together anymore, affects him too."

"Staying together is clearly affecting you."

"You know this mission is my top priority. I'm not about to do anything to compromise it."

"Thank you. I knew I could trust you."

"Thank you for listening."

"Any time, Raps. I could listen to you all day."

"Night, Raps."

Wow. Dreams do come true.

Support this and other stories! https://ko-fi.com/gemology

#Tangled the Series #Cassunzel #Rapunzel #Cassandra #Tangled #Fanfiction #home brew

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abigailabbyallen · 7 years ago

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oh hi there.

abby here.

"me, doing what i do best: trampsing through the forest in long effluvious dresses like some sort-of Marie Antoinette-esque faux Bohemian will-o-the-wisp-ish Nietzschian Dionysian desperate hipster. but really, i’m just me, which isn’t much of anybody…not really. Guess the joke’s on me. Good one, abby…good one."

ok ‘abby,’ so what?! who am i and what do i do and why on-earth should you care?

ok, okay. honestly, you probably shouldn’t care. but, on the freakish off-chance that somebody out-there happens to feel, even just mildly intrigued, here’s a bit (ok, a bit more than a ‘bit,’) about what makes me totally amazing…

i’d call myself an amateur dabbler of-sorts in the epic pursuit of creating something, anything that feels actually meaningful, which seems increasingly difficult to achieve in this culturally divisive, label obsessed, social media skewed, generally soul shattered and straight-up surreally apathetic zeitgeist of our current national climate circa 2017-’18.

So i guess i spend most of my time trying to figure-out how to say something that’s relevant, that at-least feels important, that speaks to people in some emotionally real or soul-stirring way, that would resonate at a frequency that could be felt and so heard by a few finely tuned ears above the din of mostly angry static.

so. what does all that make me, exactly? personally, i’d say it makes me a dreamer, of sorts (quite possibly a delusional one, but still) a dilletante, an idealist, a bit of an agoraphobic hermit, and, once again: a dabbler in the arty-ish-esque pursuit of the visual, creative, and i hope one-day truly meaningful sort, mainly involving drawing, photography, and mixed-media manual mashups of the two.

i like art that shows its fingerprints; some lingering trace of the soul who created it (this “trace” would smell of pine needles, preferably. Or of a match, right-after after its been struck).

i love the way art can often bridge the gap of pleasantries and personna and politeness, to meet at a point where two souls can just sit quietly and reach an intuitive understanding. Whatever this is, this Soul Speak (so-to-speak. ha..)

“i call this creature ‘the Being of Unbearable Lightness’…a winged yet tragically flightless creature typically seen fetally perched amidst the words or glimpsed wandering deeper in the subtext between, the lines of Milan Kundera’s ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” deep in the midst of an existential crisis, paralyzed by life’s seeming lack of meaning, held forever in-place by the great burden of being, and all of life’s just barely endurable beauty and hoping all fraught with subsurface knowing that it is all ever so fleeting- so we’re left half in awe half overwhelmed by the weight of these feelings of being alive and awake to our own fear and trembling, by the simple sound of our own heart’s beating, the sigh of our unspread wings impatiently heaving…. such unbearable weights both the beauty and sorrows of life can become , by such undeserved and immeasurable freedom, our brightness, our lightness our weightless capacity to rise-up in flight, it’s a light that, taken lightly- can both inspire and ignite us, but stared at directly with wide-eyed intensity, it becomes a dark sort of brightness- the kind that will bind us and blind us to the wings we have enfolded behind us, unseen afixed to our backs, and to that which has taken our sight and is holding us back; our capacity for flight kept just out of sight and beyond the brink of our wildest dreaming, and life instead becomes a picture of some living thing captured, a winged being whose chest is still heaving, whose heart is still audibly beating, emanating still a waning sort of fading light, living paralyzed inside a picture framed-in perfect still-life.”

anyway, i just think it is utterly crucial to the honesty and depth of empathy we seek to express and receive in this all-too-human exchange of hearts that beat just beneath the pristine surface in the ancient language that is the secret to all art–

something ancient, forgotten but infinitely innate hidden wisdom that’s held deep beneath the surface of mind, in the depths of every human soul, lost beneath layers of dreams upon blackness upon nightmares upon imaginings upon shadow-figures’ outlines traced in ghost-chalk, held beneath layer after layer of our heart’s bottomless, untamed and unknowable darkness.

and even-though i think We’ve mostly lost touch with-it, there is, every so often for just a little while, that unmistakably “other” sort of silence, that draws-forth our tentative visions from beneath the shadowy-netherrealms of our subconscious, and into the illuminated theatre of our mind’s interior.

Art has the capacity to capture and translate what we can only glimpse or guess-at through our mind’s eye, which is all one very long-winded way of looking at it. Mainly this was just me at my worst: being wordy and tangential in-attempts to sound extremely intelligent. My hoity-toity Stream-of-Unconscious-Gobiligook.

… my somewhat obscure/obscured Point-being: it’s all a matter of how you see things, and what you feel is the best way you can express something deeply and honestly.

And while I’ve seen so-much digitally created art that has taken my breath away ( i marvel at the artist who can look into that boundless techno-void of infinite creative possibility and bring that dream into the light of actual reality…) Because our current technology is pretty powerful stuff- pretty powerful, as in:

“ANYbody! even YOU! possess the power to become magical-God-like-omnipotent-creator-of-virtual-realities-from-pure-visionary-techno-void! All that’s required is some basic computer Know-How and the requisite digital dexterity in-order to press that ‘click’ button!”

But…speaking personally (with way fewer exclamation points) all this apparently very “basic” technology that My Generation is simply expected to have some magical, inherent understanding of,

or at least possess some innate potential for understanding,

or (at the absolute and very least) possess the intellectual hubris necessary to reassure myself that, while theoretically, i totally have all the inherent, intuitive and intellectual hutzpah necessary to develop a highly advanced & thoroughly complete understanding of ALL this technological hooey, if!

If …i felt like it,

the truth is? i DON’T.

Ergo? i DON’T.

instead, i choose to fill my head with whatever i find interesting, such as:

Legends, myths, and figures of ancient Icelandic lore,

apt metaphors and poetic similies that parallel the plight of moths,

Rhymes and imagery relating to the moon,

various metaphors, symbolism, allegories and what have you that embody the nature or capture some elemental facet of the meaning of illumination; including but not limited to such qualities as related to emanation, refraction, reflection, invocation, obfuscation, sfumato, chiaroscuro, projection, bioluminescence, phosphorescence, foxfire, prismatic bifurcation and so-on and so-forth,

other light-related Questions such-as, implications of what it really means to be the kind of thing known to have a particular propensity and/or the inclination to “shine,” …versus the very different sort of thing known for being inherently bestowed with that coveted capacity to emanate from within, i.e. To “glow.”

(This is all important stuff, people)

i also think a lot about eyeshine, a.k.a. “tapestra lucidem,” (i highly doubt that my spelling there is correct, just bytheby) but which essentially translates to mean “illuminated tapestry.” ...which is obviously pretty intriguing because the two things (eyeshine and illuminated tapestries) don't immediately strike-me as being in anyway related let-alone synonymous, so by its very definition alone this idea of eyeshine is weird, in that mysterious, spooky-beautiful & phantasmagorically delicious kinda way...

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