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Chapter Text

Varian Schuler clung onto the mast’s side rigging, keeping his focus on reaching the crow’s nest, his breathing deep and measured. Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead, sliding down his face, stinging his eyes, but he kept on climbing, making his way into the crow’s nest, slightly panting from his efforts, sitting down to rest his legs. He gazed up at the azure blue sky, a soft smile spreading across his face as his eyes fluttered shut. From up here, it was easy to believe that he had his dad back, that the black rocks hadn’t destroyed his village, that his would-be support system hadn’t given up on him….

“Varian?”

Varian sat up straight, sighing heavily. So much for getting some alone time on this Godsforsaken ship. He got up and made his way back down the side rigging, landing on the deck. The Queen of Corona, Arianna Der Sonne, had been chatting quietly with one of the sailors, her brows furrowed with worry, before she spotted him and let out a sigh of relief. Varian did his best to keep his facial expression neutral, even as she approached him and knelt down to his height, asking him if he was alright.

“I’m fine, Your Majesty,” replied Varian. “I had climbed up to the crow’s nest to get a bit of fresh air. The cabins below deck are too stuffy for my liking, you know?” He chuckled nervously, rubbing his upper arm.

“I understand perfectly, honey.” Arianna fixed Varian’s appearance as she spoke: adjusting his shirt collar, retying the drawstring on his apron, and smoothing down his shaggy hair. “I had gotten worried when Captain Herrmann had informed me you had left your cabin, and I wasn’t sure if you had fallen overboard by accident.”

“Believe it or not, Your Majesty, I know better than to lean over the side to observe the sea. Smelling the air and feeling the waves are enough for me.”

Arianna chuckled at Varian’s snarky response. “At least you’re handling this better than Frederic. He’s still battling a bout of seasickness in our cabin, and no matter how many times I offer him an acupressure band or candied ginger, he still insists that he’s fine.”

Varian tilted his head in confusion. “Doesn’t His Majesty the King travel by sea when he needs to travel to coastal kingdoms?”

“Not often,” answered Arianna, straightening up, leading the teenager to two wooden barrels. They took a seat on the barrels, Varian leaning forward to listen to Arianna. “Frederic is prone to seasickness, so he hardly travels by sea. That’s usually why he takes the lead in discussing politics with more land-based kingdoms like Pittsford. With coastal kingdoms, either the reigning monarchs sail to Corona, or we sail to that kingdom.”

“Since we’re on a ship, it’s fair to assume that Arendelle is a coastal kingdom, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, it’s fair to assume that. Arendelle also has mountains, which is where their primary export comes from.”

“What’s their primary export, Your Majesty?”

Arianna knew that Varian was intelligent enough to figure out that Arendelle’s primary export was ice, but she figured that he needed human interaction that was more positive than neutral or negative. “Arendelle’s primary export is ice,” she answered.

“Did Arendelle and Corona ever establish a trade agreement?” inquired Varian, placing his hands on his knees to steady his upper body, as he leaned forward more, his interest piqued. “Did Corona ever supply Arendelle with the harvests from Old Corona? Oh, maybe the sovereign of Arendelle ate one of the pumpkins during dinner! Isn’t that exciting?”

Arianna smiled softly at the teenager, whose light blue eyes brightened with excitement. “Sadly, there hasn’t been much information about Arendelle in the history books for thirteen years. The gates had been shut for that long, and hardly anyone knew why until July 29th, 1843.”

“Why were the gates shut?”

“I’m not entirely sure as to why. I do have a theory from what Rapunzel and Eugene told me from their visit.”

Varian raised an eyebrow in his confusion. “From what Cassandra was informing me before she joined the princess’s traveling group, the princess had never been on an adventure outside of Corona.”

“Well, between you and me, Rapunzel said that she and Eugene agreed to not consider their visit to Arendelle an adventure due to the strange events that occurred.”

“What happened?”

“The Queen of Arendelle accidentally caused a severe winter that lasted four days. She most likely was born with ice magic, and thirteen years' worth of pent-up anxieties and fears just erupted.”

Varian didn’t respond to the Queen’s statement and prompted her to continue speaking.

“Thankfully, the winter was reversed, and Rapunzel and Eugene made it back to Corona safely.” Arianna placed her right hand over her heart, as if she’d relived the night where Rapunzel had been abducted by Gothel all over again. Simply hearing about what had happened in Arendelle terrified Arianna, and she had ensured that the two hadn’t fallen ill or gotten hurt.

“Your Majesty, could I ask the identity of the Arendellian council member who suggested that my trial be in Arendelle?” asked Varian, his voice having grown soft.

A knock on the door startled Kristoff Bjorgman as he adjusted his vest and tucked a few stubborn strands of his dirty-blond hair behind his ear. Even after almost a full year in the castle, he still hadn’t gotten used to the servants’ footsteps being so quiet. “Yes?” he called out, not daring to approach the door until he heard a familiar voice.

“Lord Bjorgman, it’s Geir. I’m informing you of the arrival of the Coronan guests. The lighthouse keeper spotted the purple flag with the sun emblem sailing towards the docks from his position in the lighthouse. He informed one of the guards, who rushed to the castle to inform Kai.”

Kristoff made sure that he didn’t have any reindeer fur on his clothes before he walked towards the door. His eyes darted all over the room, purposefully avoiding his reflection in the mirror. He stepped out into the hallway, smiling softly at Geir. Geir had a dream of making it as a royal guard one day, but he had settled for being a servant in the castle as a stepping stone for his career. While it hadn’t been ideal, he said, it was better than nothing. Kristoff understood Geir’s desire and worked with the young man whenever he had a bit of free time from his lessons. Elsa’s council seemed quite interested in helping him integrate into the world of royalty, nobility, and gentry (which he’d finally gotten the definition of the word “gentry” down, at last!). Geir grinned back at Kristoff, plucking a bit of fur from his shoulder.

“If I may be so bold, Lord Bjorgman, would it be possible for us to get a sparring lesson after you meet our Coronan guests?” he asked as the two headed to the meeting room.

“Of course, Geir.” Kristoff kept his hands at his side, standing up straight, and bit the inside of his cheek. He would’ve been lying to himself if he’d said that he wasn’t a tiny bit nervous about how the alchemist’s trial would go. While he trusted Elsa and the royal council, he wasn’t sure if the king consort of Corona would find a way to fix the entirety of the blame on the alchemist. When Kristoff and Geir arrived at the council chambers, the young man sent the blond a soothing smile before he headed down a different hallway to resume his duties.

Kristoff took a deep breath and entered the council chambers, taking note of the members that smiled and waved at him, waving right back. He met up with Lord Asulf, who had been put in charge of military operations during the late King Agnarr's reign. Nowadays, he was mainly the man the highest-ranking member of the guards went to for approval for major events, but he knew how to navigate the world of royalty and politics better than anyone else, so Kristoff felt he could trust Lord Asulf a bit more.

“Good morning, Lord Asulf. How are you?” Kristoff asked him politely.

“I'm well, Lord Bjorgman, thank you for asking. How are you?” Lord Asulf replied.

“Nervous,” admitted Kristoff. “I've never met the alchemist before, but I've never met the King and Queen of Corona before.”

“When it comes to events like this, there's always going to be initial nervousness. You can tell yourself that this is another lesson, a way to study how different monarchs interact.”

“Thank you, Lord Asulf.”

Before Lord Asulf could reply, Elsa and Anna entered the council chambers, and everyone bowed to the sisters, including Kristoff. This was a formal event, which meant he had to be respectful. Elsa gave the nod for everyone to straighten up, and they began to get settled into their seats. Lord Asulf had suggested that they begin the process right away so everything would be resolved quickly. Kai announced the arrival of the guests, and he opened the door to let them in.

Here we go, thought Kristoff.

Chapter Text

Varian hated the weight of the cuffs around his wrists; it hurt his shoulders as he couldn’t move them back to where he was comfortable. Ruddiger had snuck onto the ship before they left Corona, making his way to Varian, climbing to where he could offer the teenager some comfort. He smiled at his best friend, wanting to scratch him behind his ears, but the cuffs didn’t allow for much movement, which had been the intended purpose. Queen Arianna kept a hand on his shoulder, offering him a kind smile, which eased his nerves a bit. Varian kept his gaze away from King Frederic, who insisted on sending him a harsh glare. If he’d had his way, Varian would’ve been locked up in a prison cell in Corona, his father wouldn’t receive the help he needed, his village would have remained destroyed by the black rocks….

Don’t think like that, Varian scolded himself. You know where that will lead you. Just focus on the next step in front of you: Get through the trial.

“Your Majesty, why is Arendelle not one of the Seven Kingdoms?” Varian asked Arianna, wanting to keep his thoughts from running away with him.

“Arendelle is close enough for travel but not close enough to be part of the Seven Kingdoms,” answered Arianna. “Corona and Arendelle are trading partners.”

“Why does Arendelle seem like such a small kingdom?”

“Arendelle is located near a fjord, making it a viable trading center.”

Varian looked around at the Arendellians walking around town, chatting happily. He wanted very much for the cuffs to be removed so he didn’t stick out, but he knew what the answer would be if he were to ask. Ruddiger stroked Varian’s cheek with his paw, letting him know he was still there. Varian was grateful that Ruddiger didn’t become ill on the voyage; he wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if his best friend had gotten sick and possibly died on their way to Arendelle. They entered the castle, where the overseer and steward introduced himself as Kai. He was particularly kind towards Varian, although his eyebrows furrowed when he saw the cuffs on his wrists. Kai did greet King Frederic, Queen Arianna, Captain Casper Herrmann, and the other Coronan guards and treat them with respect while he led them to the council chambers. Ruddiger caught the attention of an odd sight, which had been a snowman that was somehow walking and talking.

“Your Majesty, did you see the snowman as well?” Varian asked Arianna as quietly as he could.

“Yes, I did, Varian. Don’t worry,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

That helped Varian relax a bit, but the snowman had now become the least of his worries. How would Arendelle’s council handle his trial? Would they listen to his side of the story? Would they only hear out King Frederic? Focus on what I can control. I can control my breathing, I can control my reactions, I can control myself. Varian could only hope that everything with the trial proceeded smoothly. If it didn’t go well, Varian wasn’t sure how everything would happen after that.

Varian had been seated close by Queen Arianna since Lord Asulf had immediately taken note of how calm he seemed to be around her. He didn’t complain as long as he was kept away from King Frederic, who seemed like he was about to argue against the lord’s decision but decided against it, keeping his mouth shut. The teenager eyed each council member, unsure of whether or not he could trust them, and then he locked eyes with a young man who didn’t appear to be part of the council. For some odd reason, Varian’s worries ebbed away when they met each other’s gaze. The young man’s tawny brown eyes contained genuine concern, but there was something else hidden that Varian couldn’t identify. Was it a sense of not belonging in this world, or was it something else entirely? The young man sent him a kind smile as a means of saying, “I’m on your side,” which prompted the teenager to return the sentiment with a tiny smile of his own.

The Queen of Arendelle cleared her throat, getting the attention of everyone in the room. She stood up and said, “I understand that our Coronan guests have traveled for a long time, and we all wish for you to get some rest. Shall we get started?”

Varian immediately remembered when he’d said that himself, and he’d said that to another blonde royal. “Well, shall we get started?” He clenched his fists in his lap, attempting to calm his nerves.

Lord Asulf agreed with the Queen of Arendelle, beginning with the questioning. He asked King Frederic about the black rocks, and the amount of information that he’d had about them surprised Varian more than it should’ve. The fact that the rocks had been sprouting up ever since before Rapunzel was returned home shocked him, and his fear surrounding King Frederic and his harsh punishments was alleviated and immediately replaced by anger at how he attempted to ignore the rocks and expected every Coronan citizen to do the same damn thing. Well, Varian hadn’t ignored the rocks; it had been impossible for him to do so since they’d sprouted up in his village and destroyed every single house, prompting every citizen to have to leave their homes and lives behind.

Every citizen except himself and his father.

His father couldn’t leave Old Corona, even if he wanted to.

Varian couldn’t leave his father behind. He wouldn’t leave his father behind. He’d do anything to get back the only family member he had left. He needed to make up for what he’d done. 

After King Frederic finished speaking, Lord Asulf turned to Varian. “What’s your side of the story, young man?”

“Could you call me Mr. Schuler? At least for the trial,” requested Varian.

“Of course, Mr. Schuler,” answered Lord Asulf.

Varian nodded, taking a deep breath. It was now or never. He began to share his side of the story.

Kristoff kept his hands clasped in his lap, listening to the alchemist discuss his story. He made sure he didn’t send King Frederic a glare due to how he could be both incompetent as a monarch and cruel as to ensure a child was constantly put in danger because he didn’t want his daughter to feel bad. If you’re ruling a kingdom, your kingdom comes first if there’s a major problem that can harm or even kill them, he thought. When I heard about the alchemist, I figured he was an adult. I didn’t expect to see a child.

Kristoff wasn’t sure how old this kid had to be. From his height and build, he presumed this kid wasn’t any older than fourteen or fifteen. He had gone through so much in just three months; it had been no wonder that he’d had an emotional and mental breakdown when his final attempt to save his father had failed whereas Princess Rapunzel had been reunited with both her parents yet again. Gods forbid that anyone show a child some empathy! Elsa called for a recess after Mr. Schuler had finished speaking, wanting the council to discuss a course of action. Anna held Kristoff’s hand as they joined Elsa and the various lords and ladies in a different room.

“What should we do?” Lord Asulf asked everyone once the door was shut behind them.

“The black rocks aren’t in Arendelle, so I’m unsure of how we’d be of much use to Mr. Schuler,” said Lady Dahl.

Kristoff remembered that Lady Dahl was the one who discussed issues involving crops with Elsa. Lady Dahl didn’t quite like him at first, but she wanted to help him learn how to adjust to living in the castle nevertheless. The other lords and ladies debated on whether they should’ve gotten involved in the first place, Elsa stepping in to keep the conversation civil, Anna supporting her sister. Kristoff quietly slipped out of the room, not wanting to be in there just in case it turned into an argument. He hadn’t expected a raccoon to approach him, gazing up at him curiously.

“Gah! Ruddiger, get back here!” Kristoff heard Mr. Schuler exclaim as the child came rushing up to the raccoon.

Ruddiger disregarded Mr. Schuler’s command and proceeded to climb onto Kristoff’s shoulders, making himself comfortable. Mr. Schuler sent a tiny glare at his pet, which prompted Kristoff to chuckle. This was the alchemist that had been a major threat to the kingdom of Corona? He seemed harmless.

“I am so sorry, my lord,” said Mr. Schuler. “Ruddiger likes to cause some mischief.”

“I don’t mind,” replied Kristoff, scratching Ruddiger behind his ears. “You also don’t need to worry about using titles with me.”

“But … aren’t you part of the council?”

“Not exactly.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m the princess’s boyfriend.”

“So, you were invited to sit in on all this as a way to help you navigate the politics of this world?”

“You’re correct. You’re very intelligent for a young man of..?”

“Fourteen. I’m going to turn fifteen on June 28th.”

“That’s a week after the princess’s 19th birthday.” King Frederic sent masked guards after a fourteen-year-old child to keep him quiet about the black rocks?

Mr. Schuler nodded. “I don’t know how intelligent I am compared to other people my age.”

Ruddiger made a noise that sounded similar to a scoff, prompting the teenager to stick his tongue out at the animal. Kristoff chuckled again.

“I’m guessing he’s telling you to not be so modest?” Kristoff asked.

“He is. His advice isn’t appreciated right now,” the teenager snarked.

“You built an entire army of automatons after you saw only one. I’d say that takes some brains.”

“Thank you,” stammered Mr. Schuler, blushing a bit from the compliment.

“It’s true.”

Mr. Schuler beamed up at Kristoff, his smile seeming so much brighter.

“What’s your name, kid?”

“I’m Varian. And you are?”

“Kristoff Bjorgman.”

Kristoff offered a hand for Varian to shake, and Varian did just that.

Chapter Text

The recess for the council to deliberate had been incredibly nerve-wracking for Varian. He couldn’t stay still the whole time he’d been seated, and Ruddiger stroking his face wasn’t as soothing as it had been when they’d walked through the town towards the castle. When Ruddiger had begun to sense Varian’s discomfort, he’d jumped off Kristoff’s shoulders and onto Varian’s, wanting to be there for his human. Kristoff did his best to keep Varian calm by chatting with him about the history of Arendelle, which the latter found incredibly fascinating. It’d been one thing to read about the kingdom and to hear about it from Queen Arianna, but to find out more from a resident gave him more of an understanding of the culture. King Frederic didn’t enjoy seeing Kristoff talking with Varian, but the blond just sent a kind smile in the direction of the Coronan monarch and waved “hello.” Varian knew far better, though, because every so often, when King Frederic’s back was turned, Kristoff sent him a glare.

“I never knew anyone who would be brave enough to glare at King Frederic when his back was turned,” commented Varian.

“Well, he’s pretty much earned my dislike,” replied Kristoff. “I haven’t even formally met him, and he’s earned my dislike. How just one man can do that in such a short amount of time is very … ”

“Fascinating,” said Kristoff and Varian in unison.

Ruddiger chittered in Varian’s ear, prompting him to narrow his eyes at his best friend.

“Quiet, you,” he scolded the raccoon.

“What did he say?” asked Kristoff.

“He made a remark about our being in unison,” answered Varian, “which was uncalled for.”

Ruddiger chittered again, which only prompted Varian to narrow his eyes more. Kristoff chuckled at the teenager’s interaction with his pet before he looked at the cuffs around his wrists, the way Varian was struggling to stand up straight due to the weight, the possible strain on his shoulders. He clearly didn’t have anything on him that could be used as a weapon; if he did, he would have found a way to flee by now. He definitely needed to talk with someone about getting those cuffs removed from Varian’s wrists. Would Queen Arianna be the best person to speak with about the topic? Kristoff made eye contact with Queen Arianna while Varian grew distracted by his conversation with Ruddiger, and she noticed the cuffs on the alchemist’s wrists as well, nodding at Kristoff as if she knew what he was asking. She then approached the Captain of Corona’s guards, whispering something in his ear.

“Is everything okay?” Varian asked Kristoff, noticing the way the blond was distracted.

“Everything’s okay,” said Queen Arianna, walking towards the duo, the Captain of Corona’s guards in tow. “Lord Bjorgman is simply wanting Captain Herrmann and I to remove the cuffs from your wrists.”

“But … What about the trial?” asked Varian.

“Don’t worry about that,” responded Queen Arianna. “We’re wanting to make sure you’re comfortable as well.”

Captain Herrmann knelt down to Varian’s height, unlocking and removing the cuffs from his wrists. Varian rubbed his wrists and said, “Thank you, sir.”

“I only wish I’d helped you in your quest to save your father instead of following King Frederic’s orders,” replied Captain Herrmann.

“You were doing your job,” muttered both Varian and Kristoff.

Ruddiger chittered once more in Varian’s ear while Queen Arianna seemed to come up with an idea of her own. When Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, Lord Asulf, Lady Dahl, and the other council members reentered the room, Queen Arianna approached Queen Elsa and Princess Anna.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, it’s wonderful to see you both are doing well.”

“Likewise,” said Queen Elsa politely.

“How are you enjoying Arendelle so far?” Princess Anna asked.

“I’m enjoying the weather. There’s still a bit of a chill as we’re transitioning from spring to summer, which is preferable to Corona’s climate. Thank you for asking, Your Highness. If I may ask a favor of you both, is it possible for Lord Bjorgman to be seated by Mr. Schuler for the remainder of the trial?”

Princess Anna looked over at where Kristoff and Varian were standing, smiling at the sight of her boyfriend bonding with the alchemist. Kristoff had made sure that Varian had gotten a plate of food and a glass of water, slipping Ruddiger some apples. The teenager seemed far more relaxed, and he even laughed at something Kristoff said. Queen Elsa set her eyes on the same scene Anna was looking at, weighing the pros and cons of the decision.

“Elsa, there’s no harm in it,” whispered Anna in Elsa’s ear.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. If Mr. Schuler was a threat to Kristoff, he wouldn’t have been spending the recess with him.”

Elsa considered Anna’s words before she met Queen Arianna’s gaze. “Yes, it’s possible for Lord Bjorgman to be seated by Mr. Schuler for the remainder of the trial.”

When the council was called back to order, Queen Arianna sat beside King Frederic while Kristoff was moved to be beside Varian. Ruddiger scrambled off of Varian’s shoulders, choosing to lay on the floor beside his human’s feet. Everyone grew quiet as Lord Asulf stood up from his chair, speaking to Varian.

“Let me speak for my fellow council members and myself that we are sorry you had to endure such treatment for months, Mr. Schuler. No one should ever have to go through what you had to go through. We would like to take this moment to formally offer you sanctuary here in Arendelle, if you’d like.”

Varian snuck a glance at Kristoff, who sent him a soft smile. It made him feel more confident when he said, “Yes, I accept your offer of sanctuary, my lord. Thank you.”

Lord Asulf maintained his composure (although Kristoff swore that he saw a tiny glimpse of a grin on his face) as he spoke to King Frederic now. “No monarch should ever put the welfare of their family above the welfare of their kingdom. No matter whether you ascend to the throne or marry into a royal family, when you take a vow to protect and serve your kingdom, you live by that vow until the day comes when you pass the throne down to your children, however that occurs. Your failure to protect your kingdom is best illuminated by Mr. Schuler here, whose story is a shining example of what happens when you fail to uphold the vow you took. As a result, we have offered Mr. Schuler sanctuary and will allow him to continue his research to find a means to free his father and save his village. This will save Corona and possibly the rest of the Seven Kingdoms from further destruction.”

“Who will keep an eye on Mr. Schuler, then?” King Frederic asked Lord Asulf. “Captain Herrmann can’t be around him all the time.”

“If no one volunteers, the council will appoint a guardian to watch over Mr. Schuler as he continues his research.”

Kristoff raised his hand. “If I may speak, my lord, may I volunteer to be Mr. Schuler’s guardian? If it isn’t alright with Mr. Schuler, disregard my question.”

“Mr. Schuler?”

“I would love it if Lord Bjorgman were to be my guardian, my lord.”

“Let the record show that Lord Kristoff Bjorgman is Mr. Varian Schuler’s guardian while the latter continues his research. If no one else has anything to add, this trial has reached a natural stopping point. This meeting is over.”

As everyone left the meeting, Varian asked Queen Arianna about sleeping arrangements. Since he was offered sanctuary, he was hoping to not spend his evenings in a prison cell. It seemed as if Queen Arianna hadn’t thought that far ahead because she couldn’t answer his question right away.

“Varian can stay in my room with me until he gets settled into a room of his own,” said Kristoff. “You can sleep in the bed, and I can sleep in an armchair.”

“No, it’s your room,” said Varian. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your space.”

“It’s alright, Varian. You wouldn’t be intruding. Besides, you’re not asking to stay in my room with me. I’m offering.”

“Lord Bjorgman has a point, Varian,” agreed Arianna. “At least until we get you situated in a room of your own.”

“Okay,” conceded Varian.

Ruddiger helped Varian stay awake as best he could as Kristoff showed him the way to his room. The teenager gaped at the size of the room when they got there, and he took notice of the different ways in which the blond tried to make it his own: The colorful crystals sitting on his desk, all varying shapes and sizes, the way the furniture was arranged in front of the fireplace, the books on the bookshelves and how they were organized. It was slightly chaotic, but this chaos worked for Kristoff. It worked for Varian, too, as his bedroom back in Old Corona was regularly an organized mess. A yawn overtook Varian as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Sorry,” he said instead.

“You traveled a long way. Get some sleep. I’ll come wake you up and get you when it’s time for dinner, okay, kiddo?”

“Okay.”

Varian crawled underneath the blankets (the softest blankets he’d ever felt in his life!), and Kristoff ruffled his hair a bit. “Sleep tight.”

It was certainly weird that Varian felt so safe around Kristoff, and in such a short time. Dad would like him. When Varian’s head hit the pillow, he fell asleep rather quickly. Ruddiger sleeping right beside him.

Chapter Text

When Varian woke up the next day, Ruddiger wasn’t by his side. It wasn’t odd for the raccoon to wander off on his own; he hadn’t always been Varian’s companion, but he’d become grateful for Ruddiger’s presence in his life. Especially during the last three months, Varian desperately needed someone to care about him, and since his people had to flee Old Corona, Ruddiger was pretty much the only other living being he could rely on and trust. Ruddiger’s absence in this moment, however, bothered Varian; where could the raccoon have gone? Varian sat up in bed, yawning and stretching out his arms. Wow, I must have been far more exhausted than I thought, he told himself as he rubbed the last bit of sleep from his eyes. He got out of bed, quickly remaking it and smoothing out any lumps when there was a knock on the door. “Yes?” called Varian, tensing up, reaching into his pocket for one of his alchemical solutions.

“Mr. Schuler, my name is Geir. I’m one of the servants here in the castle. May I come in?”

“Of course,” said Varian slowly.

The door opened, and Ruddiger scurried inside, holding an apple in his mouth. He climbed onto Varian’s shoulders before he happily munched away on his treat. Geir held a serving tray and placed it on the table set between two armchairs and a sofa. He passed a note over to Varian. “Lord Bjorgman requested that I give this to you.”

Varian accepted the note and read its contents:

Varian,

I didn’t have the heart to wake you up when it was time for dinner, so I set aside a plate for you to eat when you woke up. I hope you enjoy the food, and I hope you slept well.

Kristoff

Varian smiled, folding the note and slipping it into his pocket. It was nice to know that someone cared about him and was looking out for him. A part of him still couldn’t trust Kristoff completely. He’s kind and caring. He could have treated me like a criminal, but he didn’t. Is he genuinely wanting to help me, or is he wanting something from me the way Rapunzel did? No, no, don’t compare Kristoff to Rapunzel. They are very, very different from each other.

Geir had set up Varian’s meal while the latter had been lost in his thoughts. “Lord Bjorgman also set up a breakfast plate for you since you slept for so long,” he said when Varian looked at the two plates inquisitively. “It seemed like you really needed to sleep.”

“I did,” admitted Varian, chuckling awkwardly. “Avoiding the guards and trying to keep myself alive prevented me from adhering to a decent sleep schedule.”

“Well, here’s to hoping that your time in Arendelle can help you out with your sleep schedule.” Geir smiled, bowed to Varian, and left the room to let the alchemist eat in peace.

Varian sat down and looked at the plates of food. He’d have to take it slow when he started eating; all of this food seemed like it’d disagree with his stomach because it was an entirely different cuisine. He took a tentative bite and found that he liked the food. It’d take some getting used to, but it’d be an adjustment period. I think I’m going to like it here in Arendelle. As Ruddiger continued to munch on his apple, Varian ate his food, feeling far better now that he’s slept and eaten.

Kristoff completed his task of setting up Varian’s lab, wiping his brow with a rag. He was far more used to wiping his brow with the back of his hand, but he usually had on his gloves from when he was working up on the North Mountain. Corona’s guards brought in Varian’s supplies from the ship, and Kristoff took care in setting everything up carefully, making sure nothing broke. Elsa entered the room just as Kristoff finished making his final adjustments.

“This is really good,” said Elsa.

“Thanks.” Kristoff smiled at her, and Elsa smiled back at him.

“Hey, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Could you help me set up Anna’s birthday party?”

“What have you done in terms of Anna’s birthday party?”

“I got the cake ordered, I have the tablecloths, the furniture is all ready, and I have the gifts prepared to hide around the castle.”

“I suppose you want to set up the party the day of Anna’s birthday so she doesn’t find out?”

“Exactly.”

“I’ll help you out. Don’t worry.”

“You know you and Sven have to take a shower for the party.”

“Sven and I’ll deal with that when it comes.”

“Deal with what when it comes?”

Varian entered the room as he heard the tail end of the conversation.

“We’re discussing Anna’s birthday party, Varian,” said Kristoff.

“The princess’s birthday is coming up?”

“Her 19th on June 21st.”

“Is there anything I could do to help?”

“Well, I was thinking of putting up a banner that reads ‘Happy Birthday, Anna,’” said Elsa. “But I’m not sure if we can prepare the banner without Anna finding it.”

Varian took a few minutes to think about something. “What if there’s a way to make quick-drying paint? If you want the banner to be set up the day of the princess’s party, the paint would need to dry quickly. That way, the paint doesn’t drip onto any of the tablecloths or the furniture.”

“Would it be easy to do?” Kristoff asked Varian.

“Logically, it should be. It wouldn’t be hard to make paint quick-drying.”

“Thankfully you have a lab to work in.”

Varian took the time to look around the room, gaping at the way his new lab had been set up. The tables were set up to where he’d be able to maneuver around the room, there was a chalkboard to where he could write out his work, and there were paints set up by an empty wall to where he could have a bigger space to work if the chalkboard wasn’t enough. “This is amazing,” he said, awestruck. “Who did all this?”

Kristoff eyed Elsa, who smirked at him and nodded towards the teenager. Tell him, her eyes said. Kristoff shook his head “no.” Elsa raised her eyebrow at him.

“I did,” admitted Kristoff. “You needed a space to work, and this lab is big enough for what you need.”

Varian looked at Kristoff, unsure of what to do to thank the blond. He wanted to give Kristoff a hug, but he hadn’t been sure of Kristoff's intentions by doing this for him. “Thank you,” he stammered out, a grin breaking out on his face.

Kristoff’s face heated up, both from the gratitude and from being the center of attention. “It’s no problem.”

“Maybe you can work on the quick-drying paint while you continue your research on the black rocks,” said Elsa. “Whatever you need, Arendelle will be happy to provide.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“It’s no problem. And don’t worry about using my and Anna’s titles. Just call us by our names.”

Varian looked at Kristoff.

“Elsa is Her Majesty the Queen’s name,” said Kristoff.

“Thank you, Elsa,” said Varian to Elsa.

Elsa smiled softly at him, leaving the lab.

“Would it be too much to ask if you would like to be my assistant?” Varian asked Kristoff, not meeting the blond’s eyes.

“It wouldn’t be too much to ask, and yes, I’d like to be your assistant,” answered Kristoff, kneeling down to meet Varian’s height, looking him in the eye.

Varian smiled at Kristoff, feeling far more at home now.

Chapter Text

The quick-drying paint had been one of the first projects Varian and Kristoff worked on together. The blond had been very helpful when it came to research, and the alchemist ran his experiments on how quickly the paint dried on surfaces like the wall and paintbrushes. The paint drying on the wall was fine, but the paint drying on the paintbrushes was an issue. Kristoff suggested finding a way to make the paint easy to remove, and while Varian had been reading a chapter in a science book, Kristoff had added a drop of one of the alchemical solutions Varian had used in Corona to the quick-drying paint, mixed it up, and tested it out on the wall where they’d been running their experiments. It removed the paint Varian had put on the wall without damaging anything else. That had been a fun discovery.

“When I used that purple one on the black rocks, a purple flame appeared! I had to cover up a tiny explosion with a blanket! How did that one solution work for this?!” Varian ranted, pacing back and forth in front of the freshly cleaned wall. “How? How? How?!” He kept on ranting, being careful to avoid stepping on one of Ruddiger's paws.

Kristoff had to hold onto an armchair to keep himself upright because he was trying not to laugh. He may have only known Varian a short amount of time, but the teenager ranting about this just was funny for some reason. Ruddiger eventually wandered towards Kristoff, rubbing up against his calves similarly to a cat, which prompted the ice harvester to pick him up and place him on his shoulders. Ruddiger snuggled into Kristoff, feeling content with the human looking out for his human. Kristoff scratched behind Ruddiger's ears, a few chuckles slipping out as Varian continued to rant. Eventually, Varian made eye contact with Kristoff, and they both lost their composure and started laughing, Varian clutching his stomach, Kristoff tightening his grip on the armchair.

“I've never heard you laugh before,” said Kristoff when he caught his breath.

“Yeah, it's been a while. Feels pretty good,” admitted Varian, wiping some tears from his eyes, smiling at Kristoff. Kristoff smiled back at him.

Since that day, Varian didn't stray far from Kristoff's side unless Kristoff headed up to the North Mountain. In those cases, Varian completed more research into the black rocks while he remained by the stables, awaiting Kristoff's return. Not one member of the castle staff minded Varian being by the stables because he kept quiet and was kind to them when they got to work in the stables. When the staff members reported to Anna and Arianna about how Kristoff and Varian were getting along, they often mentioned how much brighter the alchemist seemed to be when he was around the ice harvester. Arianna especially seemed happy to be told that Varian had been growing to trust Kristoff.

What Varian had been noticing, however, was that Kristoff seemed off every time he came back from the North Mountain. Whenever Anna made a flirty comment towards him, he grew a bit pale and found a way to shut the conversation down before he started a new one. It wouldn't have bothered Varian in the slightest if Anna hadn’t told him that this had been occurring for a while now. The princess had been concerned when she had told him this, an uncharacteristic frown on her face.

“Has he talked to you about it? At all?” Varian had asked Anna.

“No. Whenever I bring it up with him, he smiles and says that he’s handling it just fine on his own,” Anna had replied. “I don’t think he is, but I can’t force him to talk to me about it, you know? What kind of girlfriend would I be if I did that?”

“Boundaries.”

“Boundaries.”

Now, on the morning of Anna’s nineteenth birthday, Varian had been helping Kristoff set up the banner while the reindeer (whose name was Sven, Varian had learned) that Varian had seen on his first day in Arendelle had been eager to hold the buckets of paint on his antlers. The alchemist couldn’t help but observe the ice harvester’s behavior, noting how he was far more relaxed today. Varian couldn’t help but relax as well, enjoying the feel of the sun against his skin, taking a deep breath, feeling content with how things had been going for him so far.

“Okay, okay. Here we go.” Elsa twirled her fingers, creating a small ice sculpture of Anna standing alone on top of the cake. “So lonely.” She twirled her hand, making a sculpture of Anna and Elsa in their coronation dresses. “Stiff.” She waved her hand, making a sculpture of Elsa crying over Anna’s frozen body from the eternal winter. “I can’t do that!” She waved her hand again, making a sculpture of Anna and Elsa ice-skating together. “Come on, Elsa, this is for Anna. You can do this.”

“Relax!” Kristoff called out to Elsa, finishing up the last bit of the banner. “It looks great.”

“I just want it to be perfect,” said Elsa.

“Speaking of perfect,” said Kristoff, tying the rope keeping the banner up with a sailor’s knot, showing off the completed banner, “check this out.”

Varian grinned at how the quick-drying paint worked wonderfully as Elsa turned around and saw the banner. She chuckled awkwardly, approaching Kristoff as he climbed down from the ladder.

“Kristoff, are you sure I can leave you in charge here?”

“Absolutely.”

Elsa wiped a bit of paint off his face, and Kristoff made sure there wasn’t any paint left on his face as the queen adjusted minor things, wiping her nose with her sleeve.

“Because I don’t want anything to happen to this courtyard.”

“What could happen? It’s all set.”

“Olaf, what are you doing?”

Kristoff, Varian, Elsa, and Sven looked at Olaf, who had taken a bite out of the cake.

“I’m not eating cake,” he claimed, his mouth being full, light blue frosting on his lips.

“Olaf …” said Elsa kindly, walking towards the snowman.

“But it’s an ice cream cake!”

“And it’s for Anna.”

“And it’s for Anna.” Olaf put the bite of cake back on and hopped down from the chair he’d used as Elsa saw the time.

“Oh, it’s time!”

“It’s time! For what?” Olaf asked.

“Okay,” said Elsa, looking at Kristoff, Varian standing beside the ice harvester. “You sure you got this?”

“I’m sure.”

“Don’t let anyone in before we’re ready.” Elsa turned the running fountains into beautiful ice sculptures as she backed into the castle.

“I won’t.”

“And don’t touch anything.”

“I’m just gonna stand here,” said Kristoff, laughing a bit.

“I’m probably gonna walk around a little,” said Olaf, wandering around the courtyard.

“And keep an eye on that cake!” Elsa said before she shut the doors behind her.

“Does she think you’re an idiot?” Varian asked Kristoff.

“She thinks you’re an idiot,” said Kristoff, speaking for Sven.

That had been interesting for Varian to learn. Kristoff spoke for Sven, which did seem odd to Varian at first. When the ice harvester had explained that he and Sven had been close ever since they were both young, Varian had thought about his close bond with Ruddiger. Whenever Ruddiger had chittered in his ear, Varian had always felt like he could understand what he was saying, too. The alchemist didn’t judge the ice harvester at all for this, and the discussion actually helped Varian feel like he could trust Kristoff more.

“Well, clearly she’s wrong,” finished Kristoff, bumping into the table where the cake was sitting, making sure nothing else was wrong, standing the sculpture back up.

“Hah!” Varian exclaimed, laughing at the irony of Kristoff’s statement.

“What? It’s fine,” said Kristoff, trying to save face.

Varian stood the chair back up as Olaf added, “I can’t read. Or spell,” when he’d been staring at the banner.

Kristoff made sure Varian stayed warm as they made their way up the North Mountains, the Snowgies breaking the silence of the trip. Olaf had taken on the task of naming his little brothers, and one of the Snowgies kept climbing onto Kristoff, trying to get under his dark bobble-hat. The blond ended up assisting the tiny snowman with his task, wrapping a blanket around the alchemist’s shoulders. No matter what Kristoff did, however, Varian couldn’t stop shivering and eyed the snow around them warily, scooting in closer to him. It hadn’t been because he was cold, Kristoff realized, but because he was afraid. The blizzard that had occurred during Princess Rapunzel’s time as the acting Queen of Corona had taken a major toll on Varian, it seemed. Kristoff put one arm around Varian to comfort him as best he could, which helped the teenager relax a bit.

When they reached Elsa’s ice palace, Varian gaped at how intricate the exterior was. “Wow,” he said breathlessly.

“Flawless,” agreed Kristoff, helping Varian get up the stairs carefully.

Olaf was right behind them, the Snowgies following him. Kristoff knocked on the door, and Marshmallow opened the door, seeing them. Olaf happily went into the castle, leading his little brothers inside, calling a few of them out by name. Kristoff’s bobble-hat moved, which prompted him to lift his hat, letting the Snowgie that had wanted to be underneath the thick fabric out to join his brothers. Marshmallow stared at the Snowgies before he gazed at Kristoff and Varian, clearly wanting an explanation for what had happened.

“Don’t ask,” sighed Kristoff.

“Never let Elsa catch a cold ever again,” piped up Varian, clinging to Kristoff more at the sight of Marshmallow.

Olaf had taken it upon himself to explain everything to Marshmallow, who understood that the Snowgies needed an older sibling to watch over them. When Kristoff, Varian, Olaf, and Sven made their way back to Arendelle, Varian relaxed more once they reached the forest. Kristoff understood Varian’s trauma surrounding the snow perfectly well. He’d gone through two snowstorms, but only one of those snowstorms had resulted in him seeing the love of his life turn into an ice statue. Kristoff involuntarily shivered and shut his eyes against the memory, the helplessness he’d felt back then flowing through his veins like poison as he remembered seeing Anna turn and run as best she could to protect Elsa from her ex-fiancé, seeing her turn to solid ice in front of him….

“Are you okay?” Varian asked Kristoff, bumping his arm with his shoulder.

Kristoff opened his eyes again, taking a deep breath. “I’m okay. Are you okay?”

“I’m not the biggest fan of the snow,” admitted Varian sheepishly, his cheeks turning red.

“It’s not for everyone.”

“You handled it pretty well.”

“I work in it.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m an ice harvester by trade.”

“So, you’re one of the people who supplies both Arendelle and other kingdoms with ice all year?”

“Yes.”

“That’s got to be a rough business to be in.”

“It is. But I’ve been an ice harvester since I was a kid, so it’s easy for me.”

Varian nodded. “Hey, could I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“I know I can come talk to you about anything that’s bothering me.”

Kristoff nodded, letting Varian continue.

“I’m just wanting to check in with you. Is everything okay on your end?”

“Everything’s okay on my end.”

“Are you sure?”

While Kristoff had been fully prepared to say “yes,” he hesitated. He wasn’t sure why he hesitated. “Yes. Everything’s okay.”

“You hesitated,” said Varian.

Kristoff would’ve denied it if it were anyone else. “I hesitated.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’m just going through some stuff, but when I figure it out, you and Anna will be the first ones I tell.” Kristoff looked Varian in the eye, smiling kindly at him. “Trust me.”

Varian smiled back, although his worries didn’t go away. What’s going on that you’re trying so desperately to hide?

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you want to spend your fifteenth birthday continuing our research?” Kristoff asked Varian as the two walked down numerous hallways, making their way to the library. “You’re absolutely positive?”

“Yes,” confirmed Varian.

“Okay.” Varian and Kristoff entered the library, looking around at the numerous books. “Where do we start?”

“I guess we’ll try to find any information on where the rocks came from.”

“Let the search begin.”

Varian and Kristoff began to search the bookshelves for books discussing every location that the black rocks could’ve come from. Kristoff held onto the ladder while Varian climbed up to reach books on higher shelves. Eventually, they found a lot of books discussing kingdoms whose histories faded with time. As Varian began to make his way through the stack set up on a table, Kristoff kept on scouring the titles on the shelves, finding one that mentioned a kingdom named Celimene.

“What about this one?” Kristoff asked Varian.

Varian looked up at Kristoff. “What’s it about?”

“A kingdom named Celimene,” answered Kristoff. He got down from the ladder, showing him the book.

“The name isn’t familiar to me.”

Kristoff sat down in a chair, reading the first chapter out loud. “Centuries ago, a single drop of moonlight fell from the heavens and transformed into an opal, carrying the power to destroy and kill all who tried to claim its power. To prevent this from happening, a kingdom was created around the opal, and the rulers took an oath to keep the Moonstone’s power from destroying the rest of the world. The responsibility of protecting the Moonstone was passed down from generation to generation among the Kings, and statues were built for each of the past rulers for fulfilling this duty.”

Varian nodded for Kristoff to keep reading.

“Centuries later, the kingdom was ruled by King Edmund Selenite and Queen Alexis Selenite, who gave birth to a baby boy. However, the black rocks, the creations of the Moonstone, began to ravage Celimene, transforming it into a wasteland as they continued to grow and spread all throughout and even within the castle. King Edmund couldn’t bear the situation anymore and tried to destroy the opal. However, his attempts failed, causing a catastrophic event of massive shockwaves and an earthquake that nearly destroyed Celimene. King Edmund survived the calamity, but his attempts to destroy the stone cost him the loss of his right arm and the life of Queen Alexis, who had been recovering from giving birth to their son. In the aftermath of the tragic events, King Edmund realized, with the Moonstone still existing, Celimene was no longer safe and ordered his subjects to evacuate and never return for their own safety. King Edmund also made the difficult decision to send his son away with a servant woman to protect him. He then advised his most trusted and skilled warriors, known as the Brotherhood, to leave the castle and keep anyone from finding the Moonstone.”

“Does it mention who the members of the Brotherhood are?”

“Adira Alcmene, Hector Artem, and Quirin Selenite.”

Varian did a double-take when he heard his father’s name. “My dad’s last name has been Schuler as long as I’ve been alive.”

“Apparently, Quirin and King Edmund are brothers. While Edmund became the king, Quirin led the Brotherhood.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know why some siblings in royal families enter military service.”

“Why would my dad hide this from me?”

“He had lost his sister-in-law and had been told to leave the only home he’d ever known. It would make sense that he wouldn’t want to revisit that part of his life.”

“That makes sense.” Varian leaned back in his chair, groaning. “This doesn’t tell us how to destroy those damn rocks.”

“Amber isn’t unbreakable.”

Varian looked at Kristoff. “This might sound like a stupid question, but could you elaborate, please?”

“Amber’s not unbreakable. It’s an organic gem, not a crystal or a mineral. It’s a fossilized resin that came from ancient trees. It’s been used for centuries for its healing and protective properties. It’s associated with the sun. For the amber to form on the black rocks, something had to happen to cause it.”

“Dad and I were fighting about the state of Old Corona when the amber started to form on the black rocks.”

“What happened after that?”

“Dad got me out of the way when the amber threatened to trap me, getting trapped himself.”

“Maybe the amber was meant to signify something else.” Kristoff looked through the rest of the chapters. “Here’s a chapter about the Goddess of the Moonstone, Lady Nur.”

“What’s her story?”

“She and Lady Esmat, the Goddess of the Sundrop, had once been balanced, but Esmat seemed to want more from their dynamic. Nur didn’t mind as long as they never became imbalanced. Over the centuries, Nur began to realize that the dynamic she had with Esmat had become imbalanced, reducing the amount of time spent with the Sun Goddess. With her free time, Nur developed her magic more, coming up with incantations to harness the powers of the Moon. One such incantation had been the Decay Incantation, which had been intended for the usage against possible enemies. However, Esmat used the incantation, not understanding its purpose. When Nur attempted to stop Esmat, she touched her arm, burning her hand. This had been one of many conflicts that arose between the two goddesses. The last conflict had been due to Esmat not understanding why Nur grew angry with her and lost trust in her. They used their magic against each other, which sent a shockwave through the heavens. The powers of the sun and moon had been sent down to the earth, and the goddesses’ souls and bodies had been sent to the source of all magic, Ahtohallan.”

“Ahtohallan?”

“I’ve never heard of Ahtohallan before.”

“What do the black rocks signify?”

“I suppose in terms of Esmat and Nur’s dynamic, the black rocks mean an embodiment of anger and distrust. From what I gather from the rest of the chapter, Nur first created the black rocks when it formed as armor on her body, offering her injured hand extra support.”

“So, the amber might’ve been a reaction to what the black rocks deemed to be a threat.”

Kristoff nodded.

“Anger and distrust leave a deep mark. I understand Nur’s anger.”

“I get it, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“I remember being angry at someone named Gustav when I was twelve years old. He was a bully of mine from my time at Arendelle’s orphanage. When I went to human school, he had gotten worse. I had Sven and my family to keep me from going down a dark path, but I know not everyone has that support system.”

“Human school?” Varian questioned, scooting his chair closer to Kristoff’s chair.

“My family isn’t traditional.”

“Will I ever get to meet them?”

“One day.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

Varian smiled. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Kristoff smiled back at him. “If I break that promise, I will not be mad if or when you find a way to kick my ass.”

Varian laughed. “I’ve never heard you swear before.”

“I watch my language around Olaf.”

“What does the rest of the book say about the black rocks?”

“Aside from what we've read, not much.”

“What could destroy the amber?”

“What if we tried to reverse engineer the solution that created the amber?”

“That could work.”

Varian and Kristoff put the books they found back on the shelves, heading to the lab after they left the library.

“You know, I’ve started considering you my little brother,” admitted Kristoff.

“Really?” Varian asked.

“Yes. I understand if you don’t see me as anything other than your guardian and lab assistant, and that’s okay. It’ll take time for you to trust anyone.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Kristoff ruffled Varian’s hair in response. Varian grinned, lightly pushing the blond’s hand away, trying to ignore the warmth he felt in his heart when the ice harvester called him his little brother.

Chapter Text

Nur hummed a cheerful melody as she twirled around her chambers, a content smile on her face. A light breeze blew in through the window, and she shut her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out. Her hair began to glow a bright blue as she attempted to channel her magic to create something new. Nur’s grin spread as her floor shook, but she lost her concentration when someone opened her door, the shaking coming to a stop. “Who is it? Oh, yes, Esmat, please come in,” she said, doing her best to keep her tone in check, as she turned to face Esmat.

“What were you doing?” Esmat asked Nur, leaving damp footprints behind her.

“I was testing my magic, that’s all,” answered Nur. She shrugged her shoulders lightly, her hair going back to its normal shade of jet black. “What were you doing?”

“Aalto was practicing his powers by creating puddles, and I was jumping around in them to see how much stronger he’s gotten,” explained Esmat, squeezing water droplets out of her golden blonde hair.

Nur’s smile never budged, but she narrowed her eyes slightly as the water drops landed on one of her tomes. “I can see that. I’m glad his power’s grown,” she said diplomatically.

“So am I,” said Esmat. “Come on! The sun’s going to be rising soon for the mortals!” 

“Esmat, I was focused on doing something for myself. I very rarely get a chance to practice my magic, and I would like to get some time to focus on that every once in a while.” 

“Oh, forget practicing your magic! We have a job to do! Besides, we work better as a team, but you won’t be as powerful as me.” Esmat rushed out of Nur’s chambers after she said that.

Nur shut her door so she could change out of her nightgown and into her usual outfit. So much for getting some much-needed time to herself to practice her magic on her own terms. Ever since Nur and Esmat began working together to bring day and night to the mortals that lived on Earth, Esmat had started to change and took more and more of Nur’s time so the Moon Goddess could help the Sun Goddess with very mundane tasks. Nur never minded assisting Esmat with anything, but she always did her best to make it clear that her downtime was precious to her as that involved magic practice. Nur wasn’t as powerful as some of the other deities that lived in the heavens, and she was working on gaining more strength and power. Esmat always said that she understood, but every task she needed Nur’s help with always ran over the Moon Goddess’s allotted time for her practice sessions. It had gotten to the point where Nur had to stay up during the night to practice her magic. So far, she’d gotten to the floor shaking as if something wanted to sprout up, but every time she got close, Esmat came in at the worst time, distracting her with talk of “doing their jobs” and whatever tasks were on her to-do list for the day. It frustrated Nur to no end, but she kept quiet and pasted a smile onto her face to conceal her negative emotions.

When Nur finished changing, she left her chambers and headed down the hallway, humming her melody. Lately, that had been in her head, and she couldn’t get it out of her head. She decided to work with the earworm when she discovered that the melody had actually helped her magic grow. All she needed to do was figure out the words to go with the melody, and she’d have a song to help her. She found the room she needed to be in, entering and approaching the podium where Esmat had been waiting for her. It seemed like nobody said anything about the blonde’s appearance: Her damp hair, her wet feet, her water-spattered dress. If Nur showed up looking disheveled, nobody would let her live it down. Since Esmat was the Sun Goddess, she apparently got more liberties than Nur did, which was just ridiculous. She hid her clenched fist in the folds of her dress, telling herself to calm down before she screwed something up and was lectured about how a Goddess composes herself in every situation, no matter how frustrating or distressing it became.

“Are you ready, Lady Nur?” Esmat asked Nur as they prepared to do their job.

“I don’t get ready. I stay ready, Lady Esmat,” responded Nur, calming herself down.

After Nur and Esmat caused the sun to rise, the Moon Goddess realized how exhausted she was. She exited the room, walking back to her chambers, stifling a yawn. She desperately needed a nap before she did anything else. Hearing footsteps behind her prompted Nur to rush to her chambers, shutting and locking the door behind her. A set of five familiar knocks helped her relax, and she let Aalto in. “Hello, Lord Aalto,” she said politely.

“Hello, Lady Nur,” replied Aalto. He waved his hand and brought up every water droplet Esmat left behind, creating a small cloud out of them. “I can sense you’re tired, so I won’t take too much of your time.”

“What do you need?”

“I just need to tell you to get some sleep and take care of yourself. Yes, your job matters, but you matter, too.”

“Thanks.”

“Anything for my baby sister.”

“We’re the same age.”

“I’m only a few months older than you.”

“Semantics.”

Aalto prepared to leave the room when he saw her iris flower wilting. “Didn’t Esmat give you that iris?”

“She did.”

“I wonder why it’s wilting.” His tone indicated that he knew why the flower was dying. “Get some sleep, Nur, okay? I’ll keep Esmat distracted so she won’t wake you up.”

“Thank you, Aalto.”

“Sleep well.”

When Aalto left the room and shut the door behind him, Nur changed back into her nightgown and lay down in her bed, humming her melody. When she spotted her iris flower wilting even more. That gave her an idea, and she quickly got up to grab a quill, ink, and some parchment. She began to write out words to flow with the melody, her inspiration drowning out her tiredness. When she finished writing down the lyrics, she set the parchment down to let the ink dry before she lay down once more, falling asleep. Some time passed by when Nur jolted awake, feeling far more refreshed than she had earlier. She didn’t hear the usual hustle and bustle of the gods, goddesses, and deities going about their day. In fact, it was far too quiet for her liking. Nur got up, seeing her iris flower completely dead.

That wasn’t good.

Nur rushed out of her chambers, not caring that she was barefoot and in her nightgown still. She ran into the main hall, where so many immortal beings were gasping for air. The lack of oxygen began to impact her as well as she scoured the room, searching for the source. Esmat was standing in the middle of the hall, having dropped a piece of parchment--

Did she sneak into my chambers and take my song?! Nur couldn’t help but scream in her mind as she sped towards Esmat, hearing her repeating the same verse over and over again, Wither and decay, end this destiny, break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free….

Nur grabbed the parchment from the ground and placed her hand on Esmat’s arm--

The searing pain that shot through her entire being was too much to her to bear--

The bright blue flames that spread up her right arm left her skin burnt--

The scream that tore from her throat sounded completely and utterly human --

“Nur! No!”

Nur collapsed and fell to her knees just as Esmat seemed to wake up from whatever trance she was in and everyone around them started to breathe properly again. Nur couldn’t speak, couldn’t look at anyone or anything other than her hand. It was now pitch black, and tears welled up in her eyes at the sight. Esmat tried to touch her, and Nur pulled away, keeping her song and her injury close to her chest.

“Nur, are you okay?” Esmat asked.

“I’m fine,” hissed Nur.

“Nur …”

“I said I’m fine!”

Everyone around them looked at each other worriedly. No one ever heard Nur snap at Esmat like that before. Nur stood up, her legs trembling, nausea pooling in her stomach, so much anger and hatred flowing through her veins that it threatened to overwhelm her.

“But you’re hurt,” said Esmat.

“I know, but it won’t happen again.” Nur stalked out of the main hall, making certain to slam the door shut behind her, making the walls rattle. On her way back to her chambers, everything negative she’d ever thought about Esmat ran through her mind, the dam she’d constructed beginning to crack at the foundation and fall apart. How dare Esmat use an incantation that Nur herself had never even tried?! How dare Esmat believe she can simply enter someone else’s chambers without permission?! How dare Esmat disregard every single boundary Nur ever established?! When the Moon Goddess entered her chambers once more, she slammed the door shut, locking it. A crack in the floor startled her, and she turned to see a bright blue rock sprout up beside her dead iris flower. The light faded, leaving a singular black rock behind. Nur touched it with her left hand -- her good hand -- and couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Was this what she could do? How long had she spent holding back because of Esmat? Well, that wasn’t going to happen any longer. From now on, Nur was done with trying to become close with the Sun Goddess. She was done with having to drop everything to help Esmat. If she was burning a bridge, she’d let it burn, but she was crossing the line. As for her and Esmat, if their bond was simply professional, that was fine. Nur was crossing the line.

Chapter Text

“Zhan Tiri! This is your last warning! Give up this foolish quest for power!”

“This quest for the Sundrop and Moonstone was both of ours!”

“It was … until you made it about something darker. You made it all about gaining power for yourself.”

“If anyone turned their back on what was right, it was you! You’ve painted me as the villain to justify what you’ve done!”

“If you’d just make your way back towards the light, all will be forgiven! We can be partners again! Everything will be the way it once was!”

“Do you mean when you disapproved of me using magic to improve the lives of my people?!”

“The Saporians are our people! You using dark magic put them in harm’s way! You’ve always done this! You’ve always put your own ambitions and goals ahead of the safety of the people around you!”

“You’re one to talk about putting ambitions and goals ahead of the safety of the people around you! I wasn’t the one who sided with the Coronans! You saw them steal my people’s land, culture, heritage, everything! You saw them pretend that everything the Saporians had had always been part of Corona’s history! You knew that I wanted the Sundrop and Moonstone to get everything that had been stolen from my people back! What did you do for my people?! You sat back and let the Coronans steal everything from the Saporians! You turned your back on them! And you turned your back on me! I swear to you, as long as I live, I will never stop until I have that power!”

“I know.”

“This is far from over! I will have that power, and when I do, I will destroy your beloved Corona! I promise you!”

A light sheen of sweat coated Kristoff’s brow as he woke up with a start, the geography book he’d been reading falling to the floor with a slight thud. His breathing started to quicken, his heart was pounding like he’d been running through the snowstorm that had almost destroyed his home, trying to find Anna and save her despite the odds being stacked against him, his worry threatening to overwhelm him, the utter despair he’d felt when he’d failed to save her…. He couldn’t afford to think about that. He needed to be calm and composed for Varian’s sake. Varian needed someone to rely on, and Kristoff couldn’t let him down. So many people had let Varian down in the past, and Kristoff wouldn’t be one of those people. Varian deserved better than that.

Kristoff and Varian had spent a few days reverse-engineering the amber solution to create an alchemical solution that would most likely cut through the amber and free Quirin. Destroying the amber meant that Varian would have to go back to Corona. If the amber could be broken, and Varian’s father could be freed, then everything would be fine, right? Hopefully, the black rocks that Varian and King Frederic discussed during the trial would also be destroyed. Old Corona would be rebuilt, and the people would be able to go back to how their lives had been before their village had been destroyed. Did that mean that Varian would be moving back to Old Corona and go back to how he had been living before everything had gone to Hel? Varian had spent three months trying to keep himself alive, avoiding the guards who had been hunting him down, and trying to free his father, so he had become distrustful of other people and their intentions. Seeing how hurt and angry Varian had been, seeing the suspicion in his eyes, the way he tried to not accept someone’s help no matter how much he needed it … how could one teenager go through so much and have no one in his corner?

Kristoff looked over at the bed, where he could make out the bright blue hair stripe despite the dim light from the smoldering embers of the fire. He was still asleep, which was a good thing. The kid needed to sleep after everything he’d gone through. Kristoff stood up from the armchair, picking up his book, setting it back down on the table. Everything with the amber and the rocks just needed to be resolved, and then they’d figure everything else out. It was just a matter of how it would all happen. What if King Frederic tried to throw Varian in prison? What if Quirin was freed but was discovered to be dead? Oh, Gods, why couldn’t his thoughts just shut up for a few minutes? Kristoff left the room as quietly as he could, making his way down to the kitchens to make himself a mug of warm milk to keep himself busy. On his way down to the kitchens, he started thinking about his own problem that he’d been dealing with for about a year. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering at the thought of having to see the cause of the problem on a daily basis. Everything that he was going through was beginning to build up and cause issues for him in his personal life, which he didn’t want to happen. While Anna never said anything, Kristoff knew she was concerned about him, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her yet. He could handle everything on his own for a bit longer. He needed to keep it together.

He made it down to the kitchens and prepared his mug of warm milk. He had been so focused on his task that he hadn’t noticed Arianna’s arrival in the kitchen. The Coronan queen remained quiet as she sat down at a small table, wanting to keep the ice harvester company. “Hello, Lord Bjorgman,” she said once she didn’t see anything in his hands.

“Hello, Your Majesty,” he replied, turning around to face her. “Were you unable to sleep?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to walk around and explore the castle.”

“Make sure you don’t get lost while you explore.” Kristoff began to prepare another mug of warm milk as he spoke, placing the first mug in front of her.

“Are you doing okay?” asked Arianna once Kristoff sat across from her with his mug of warm milk.

“Could I be completely honest?” Kristoff asked. “I’m terrified that King Frederic is going to say or do something to get Varian arrested if the only way to free Lord Schuler is to go back to Corona.”

“I’m worried about what my husband is going to say or do to get Varian in trouble, too. He was too quick to throw Varian into a jail cell with an adult who was the leader of a terrorist organization.”

“Please don’t remind me of that,” hissed Kristoff.

“Calm down. Varian isn’t locked up. He’s here safe and sound because of you. You showed him the kindness he needed.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“I do have a plan to make sure Frederic doesn’t do anything that puts Varian in any more danger.”

“What is it?”

As Arianna explained her plan to Kristoff, the worries that plagued him vanished, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“Do you want to help me out and make sure this goes smoothly?”

“Absolutely, I do.”

As Kristoff headed back to his room, he felt much more at ease with Arianna’s plan in mind. He could only hope that her plan would work and that it would be effective in protecting Varian from King Frederic’s anger. Kristoff could only have faith and trust that everything he was doing to help Varian would be enough. All he could do was be there for Varian and show him that someone cared about him. What he’d told the teenager about his time attending human school had been true. He hated thinking about his time at human school and about how Gustav had made him feel. Who could Kristoff have become if he didn’t have Sven and his family by his side? To know there had been a scared, angry kid who had been abandoned and neglected by the people he was supposed to rely on …

All Kristoff could do was continue to be there for Varian and hope that everything he’d been doing to help was enough to make a difference.

Chapter Text

Okay, I’ll be going back to Corona, and I’ll be able to free my dad. That sounds easy enough. Varian stretched out his arms as he looked at his belongings scattered on Kristoff’s bed. He just had to pack up all of this into his bag to take on the ship back to Corona. That was one task he could cross off of his to-do list once he got it started and finished it. The only question was, how should he pack all this? Varian opened his bag and started packing, eventually struggling to fit everything inside. Good thing that the alchemical solution that might free his father was packed up and on the ship already, safe and sound.

“Come on! Get into the bag!”

“Having trouble?”

Varian turned to look at Kristoff, who put his own bag on the floor and approached the bed.

“Is it that obvious?” Varian asked, chuckling, unpacking his belongings.

Kristoff shook his head fondly at Varian before he assisted the alchemist with packing his bag properly. When they completed the task, Varian saw how much space there was for any extra items that he needed to pack last-minute. There was a better system for how everything was organized than how he’d packed before he left Corona for Arendelle. 

“Wow, how’d you make sure there was still room in the bag?” asked Varian, placing his bag on his back.

Kristoff got his bag and swung it over his shoulder. “With how often I’ve packed for ice harvesting trips, I’ve learned to utilize as much space as possible to make sure I don’t leave anything behind. Every piece of equipment, every article of clothing, every supply is important.”

“Heh, you’ve done this a lot, I’m guessing?”

Kristoff nodded. “It’s my job. No matter how often I do it, I love it.”

“So, do you have to go to the North Mountain today? Would you not be able to say ‘goodbye’ to me at the docks?”

“We’re not saying ‘goodbye’ just yet, crescent moon,” said Kristoff, leaving the room.

Confused, Varian followed the blond out of the castle and down to the docks. He saw Anna, Elsa, Sven, Olaf, and Ruddiger waiting for them, which sparked more questions than answers. He finally drew the conclusion that …

“Are you coming to Corona with me?” Varian asked Kristoff, jogging slightly to keep up with the blond’s stride. “Please don’t lie to me.”

“Yes, I am,” answered Kristoff. “Would I lie to you about something like this?”

Varian couldn’t conceal his excitement when he cheered, “Yes!” When some sailors on the dock turned to stare at him, he cleared his throat and said, “I mean, that-that’s-that’s great. I can’t wait to show you around Corona, heh.”

Kristoff chuckled at Varian’s glee. The smile on his face was just so contagious that it was so hard not to grin as well. A small part of him couldn’t help but worry about how everything would go if Quirin wasn’t freed from the amber. Everything he’d told Varian about amber had been true, but from what he’d heard about the black rocks in Corona and the amber that encased Quirin, what if something went wrong? What if the amber was able to be shattered, but Quirin was dead? Everything Varian had done to get his father back and save his village would have been for nothing, and it meant that Varian had gone through so much over the course of three months for nothing. Oh, Gods, he hoped that Arianna’s plan would work because if it didn’t, Kristoff didn’t know what he’d do. Ruddiger hopped onto Kristoff’s shoulders from his position on Sven’s back, chittering in his ear.

“I’m okay, Ruddiger,” said Kristoff softly.

Ruddiger grabbed an apple from Kristoff’s bag and munched on it after he hopped onto Varian’s shoulders. Anna hugged Kristoff as tightly as she could, burying her face into his shoulder, as Kristoff embraced her. He understood what she was feeling without her needing to say anything at all. She was terrified about him traveling by ship to Corona. Whether that fear extended to Varian, he didn’t know, but with how Anna and Varian seemed to be friends, she definitely must’ve been scared for him as well. With the way her parents had died because of a storm at sea, he didn’t blame her for being scared for any of her loved ones that were still alive. Kristoff kissed her forehead once she looked up at him.

“We’ll be okay, feisty pants,” he said to her.

“If there’s a way you can let me know when you get to Corona, please send me a letter,” she said.

“I’ll see if there’s a way I can send you a letter when we get to Corona,” replied Kristoff.

“If only there was a way for you to let me know almost immediately when you get to Corona’s docks,” sighed Anna. “It’d make me worry less.”

“Hey, we’re going to be okay,” said Kristoff.

“I know,” said Anna.

She and Kristoff shared a quick kiss before she approached Varian. While Kristoff went to say “goodbye” to Elsa, Sven, and Olaf, the redhead placed her hand on the alchemist’s shoulder.

“Please make sure he’s safe,” said Anna to Varian.

“I’ll make sure he’s safe, Your Royal Highness,” said Varian. “I promise.”

Anna smiled softly at Varian, hugging him briefly before she ruffled his hair. Varian gently pushed her hand off of him, grinning at her.

“Good luck, Varian,” said Elsa.

“Thank you, Queen Elsa,” said Varian.

Varian and Olaf shared a hug, and the alchemist pet the reindeer, scratching behind his ears. Sven brayed, licking Varian’s hand, licking Kristoff’s face afterward. Elsa hugged Varian quickly before she hugged Kristoff, who hugged her back. Olaf hugged Kristoff’s legs.

“We’re not going to be gone forever, Olaf,” said Kristoff.

“Could I go with you?” Olaf asked.

“Corona’s climate is different from Arendelle’s climate, Olaf. Besides, the people might not be too keen on magical snowmen who can walk and talk,” said Kristoff.

“Funny thing, the people of Corona aren’t too keen on guys who attack their princess, heh.”

Varian kept his smile on his face despite how he was reminded of one of his last conversations with Rapunzel that didn’t involve him being vilified by her. He stuck close by Kristoff as they approached the gangplank that would allow them access to King Frederic and Queen Arianna’s ship. The alchemist stood up straight and squared his shoulders, walking onto the deck of the ship with as much confidence as he could muster. Kristoff walked by him, placing his hand on his shoulder to offer extra support.

“I’m with you. King Frederic won’t dare try anything. Not with me here,” he muttered in Varian’s ear.

“I know,” murmured Varian.

“Your Majesty, we’re preparing to set sail!” Captain Arno, the ship’s captain, called out to King Frederic and Queen Arianna.

“Thank you, Captain Arno!” King Frederic replied.

Kristoff and Varian headed down to the cabins to set their bags down, and Varian searched for the cabin he’d slept in during the voyage to Arendelle.

“I know it’s around here somewhere, Kris,” he mused out loud, cursing how each cabin looked completely identical. Why did they look so damn similar?

“‘Kris’?” asked Kristoff. “Nobody’s really given me a nickname based on my name.”

“Anna hasn’t given you a nickname?”

“She’s called me Christopher once, but she didn’t know my name at the time.”

“If you don’t want me calling you ‘Kris,’ I won’t.” Varian rubbed his arm nervously, his eyes darting all around the passageway.

“No, it’s okay. I called you ‘crescent moon’ earlier,” said Kristoff. “It’s only fair you call me ‘Kris.’”

Varian grinned up at Kristoff, finally finding his cabin. He entered the room and set his bag down. “Since you were so kind to share your room with me, would you mind sharing the cabin with me? I’ve actually felt better knowing someone was in the room with me,” he said.

“I wouldn’t mind at all,” said Kristoff, putting his bag down.

They headed back up to the deck, watching the sailors complete their tasks to get the ship underway. They stuck together and made sure they stayed out of the sailors’ way, waving “goodbye” to Anna, Elsa, Sven, and Olaf. As the ship set sail, they watched the waterline and admired the waves.

“Is this your first time on a ship, Lord Bjorgman?” King Frederic asked Kristoff.

“It is,” answered Kristoff politely.

“There’s plenty of candied ginger, and I’ll be happy to give you an acupressure band to ease any seasickness,” said Queen Arianna, cutting into the conversation to keep it civil.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Kristoff to Queen Arianna.

“Have you ever been outside of Arendelle at all?” King Frederic questioned.

“No, I haven’t. We ice harvesters don’t leave the kingdom to sell ice. Larger blocks are sold overseas while smaller blocks are sold locally. It’s usually a three-to-four-man job with two horses,” explained Kristoff.

“And you’re alone. With one reindeer,” said Varian, visibly stunned by Kristoff’s words.

“Yes.”

“This fucking guy,” muttered Varian, Captain Herrmann overhearing the swear word.

“Language, Varian,” said Captain Herrmann.

“Come on! That was so mild!” Varian exclaimed.

“I’ve heard worse, believe it or not,” said Kristoff. “I was twelve when I became an ice harvester apprentice.”

“A twelve-year-old child was around a group of grown adults doing a dangerous job on a daily basis,” mumbled Captain Herrmann. “Oh, my Gods.” He walked away, shaking his head in astonishment.

King Frederic walked away as well, a slight scowl on his face. Queen Arianna smiled at Kristoff and Varian before she joined her husband and Captain Herrmann.

“I think we scared Captain Herrmann off,” Varian told Kristoff.

“I agree. I’m kind of proud of that,” replied Kristoff.

“Same here.”

The two eventually settled into comfortable silence as they continued to watch the waterline. As time passed by, Kristoff noticed Varian’s happiness begin to dim. His shoulders dropped, and he seemed so intent on focusing on the waves as they hit the keel of the ship.

“Hey, crescent moon, what did you learn about the ship?”

“Are you sure you want to hear about everything I learned about the ship?”

“I’m sure.”

Varian smiled at Kristoff before he cleared his throat and began, “Well, the water is hitting the keel of the ship. The keel is the ‘backbone’ of the ship’s hull. The hull is the outer skin of the ship. The distance from the keel to the waterline is the draft, and it’s measured by draft markings located at the bow and the stern of the ship.”

“Where exactly are we standing?”

“We’re standing on the weather deck, which is any deck exposed to the elements. I suppose this might also be considered the main deck, which is the uppermost complete deck on most ships,” answered Varian. “We’re standing on the starboard side of the deck. Starboard is right while port is left.”

As Varian continued to talk, Kristoff took notes on everything he was saying. Eventually, Varian rambled about his hopes and dreams of making Quirin proud of him, of saving his home and family, of being seen as someone who can be trusted. The alchemist never once noticed that the blond was simply listening to him talk, only asking a question here and there. Kristoff did shiver more than once during their asymmetrical conversation, and he stared up at the sky, growing tense, seeing only white clouds and the sun shining down on them, feeling the breeze that kept the ship moving.

“Hey, kiddo, did you feel that chill?” Kristoff asked Varian when the teenager stopped to take a breath.

“No. Why? Is everything okay?” asked Varian.

“I’m not sure. I just get this feeling like something’s going to happen.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. As soon as I figure it out, you’ll be the first to know.”

That answer seemed to satisfy Varian’s curiosity and concern, but it didn’t ease his worries completely. What was it that Kristoff was sensing was going to happen?

Chapter Text

“You’d be surprised what people will tell you for a cookie.”

Kristoff dropped the Flynn Rider book on the deck of the cabin as he yet again had another odd dream. Varian was still asleep, thank the Gods, which made the blond smile. He needed to sleep after everything he’d gone through. Ruddiger woke up and saw the book, going to retrieve it. The raccoon gave it to Kristoff, who placed the book back on the small pile of books that Varian had been able to read on his voyage to Arendelle. The Flynn Rider book had been the first one in the series, so Varian was able to get Kristoff started with the series. The blond couldn’t see Varian as a threat that almost brought an entire kingdom to its knees, so why was he still regarded as a problem by King Frederic? If anything, King Frederic was a hypocrite for taking a magical object that was accessible to everyone and was out of his jurisdiction as king, hoarding medicine from his people, and putting the welfare of his family over the welfare of his kingdom. Princess Rapunzel was no better than King Frederic at the end of the day. She abandoned and neglected Varian for three months, didn’t stop anyone from tossing Varian back out into a blizzard that could’ve killed him, and made him out to be this villain who was selfish for trying to save his father. Saving Quirin meant saving Corona and the rest of the Seven Kingdoms!

Ruddiger hopped onto Kristoff’s shoulders to calm him down, and he started to pet the raccoon. It was no wonder why Varian truly cared for Ruddiger. It was the same way with Kristoff and Sven. There was no limit to how much a pet loved someone.

“I’m okay, Ruddiger,” whispered Kristoff, keeping quiet so Varian wasn’t woken up. “Just thinking.”

Ruddiger settled into his spot, enjoying the pets. Kristoff ceased petting the raccoon once he dozed off, and the blond fell asleep once more.

All Kristoff could feel when he woke up was cold. His teeth chattered, goosebumps formed on his arms, and he couldn’t stop shivering. How’d he get back to Arendelle so quickly? The only place cold enough in Arendelle was the North Mountain, and he always wore layers while he worked on the frozen lakes. Besides, he was on his way to Corona to help Varian! As he stood up, he rubbed his forearms, seeing the skin underneath his fingernails turn slightly blue. “What the..?” he whispered, seeing his breath form as water vapor in the air.

“This is the worst place to meet, and I’m a goddess,” a female voice grumbled.

Kristoff turned to face a young woman seemingly in her young twenties with long hair that matched the color of the night sky, a dress that sparkled and shone like the stars, and one bright blue glove on her right hand. Her eyes shifted from a silver-gray shade to bright blue, matching her glove perfectly. She had a regal air about her, and Kristoff told himself not to kneel down to bow to her. With how cold he was in this strange place, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get back up.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Kristoff, bowing to her as best he could.

The goddess smiled softly at him, curtsying in return. “The pleasure is all mine, Lord Bjorgman,” she replied.

“Nur!”

Lady Nur’s entire demeanor shifted, and her dress changed to armor that seemed to be a combination of the midnight sky and a deep, dark blue. An opal-shaped hole in the breastplate became apparent as the armor formed over Lady Nur’s body. “Esmat, I told you that I can handle this myself,” she spoke tensely.

“I want to help you. Let me help you,” Lady Esmat responded. She also appeared to be in her young twenties with long hair that matched the sun at high noon and a violet dress with white cloud-like patterns all over the skirt. There was also a hole in the bodice of the dress, which meant she was missing something as well.

“If you hadn’t picked a shitty human host for the Sundrop, I wouldn’t be having to do this at all!” Lady Nur snapped at Lady Esmat, blue-black rocks forming around her feet and glowing the same shade of blue as her glove.

“Are you talking about Princess Rapunzel?” Kristoff asked quickly, not wanting there to be a fight.

“Yes, I am,” answered Lady Nur, doing her best to calm herself. “My colleague here believed she was making the right choice when she chose Rapunzel, but the way she treated the son of one of the knights of the Brotherhood for three months is atrocious.”

“I did make the right choice!”

“Then why did she not do anything until I caused those dreams that activated her hair?!”

“Not to mention, it all started when she refused to touch one of the rocks that caused the problem, and it only got ‘resolved’ because she touched and controlled the rocks,” added Kristoff. “I’d make the argument that King Frederic shouldn’t have removed the flower from its spot at all.”

Lady Nur smirked at Lady Esmat. “Someone who knows the whole story. How refreshing.” She turned to Kristoff. “You want to help Varian?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go, then.”

Kristoff followed Lady Nur and Lady Esmat down a passageway, and he did his best to control his shivering. Where were they? They weren’t in Arendelle, obviously. “Where are we?” he asked.

“Ahtohallan,” said Lady Nur.

“It’s real?” Kristoff asked.

“You’ve heard of it?” Lady Esmat asked.

“I’ve only heard of Ahtohallan just recently, same as Varian,” explained Kristoff. “It’s the source of all magic. Whether you’re immortal or mortal.” He shrugged his shoulders lightly. “It’s what I had read.”

They stopped by a door, and Kristoff could’ve sworn he heard Varian’s voice ask, “Well, shall we get started?”

“Hello, Rapunzel.”

“What?”

“I need your father to help me with a little … experiment."

“Rapunzel, help!”

“Get away from him, Varian!”

Varian awoke with a start, his heart pounding as if he’d been running for his life all over again. He felt like he was falling down, landing on the ground, knocking all the air out of his lungs. Ruddiger leapt onto his chest, chittering worriedly. Varian sat up, holding his furry friend.

“I’m okay. Just a weird dream.” He looked around the cabin. “That was a dream. Oh, why couldn’t this be a dream?”

If all went well, and his dad was freed from the amber, what would happen? Corona may have been where he was born and raised, but Arendelle felt more like home to him. Kristoff, Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and Sven were his family. Varian placed Ruddiger on his shoulders, chuckling nervously. “Hey, Kris, I gotta tell you about this dream.”

Ruddiger chittered again. Varian listened to the raccoon, frowning. “What is it, buddy?” The alchemist looked at the ice harvester, taking note of how cold he was. That was not normal. At all.

“Ruddiger, go get Captain Herrmann, Queen Arianna, anyone who can help. Now!” Varian ordered Ruddiger, who immediately did as he was told. “Kris, wake up!” Varian exclaimed, doing his best to wake up the blond without touching him. Who knows what would happen if Varian touched Kristoff without any sort of idea of how to protect himself? What even happened to cause him to be this cold?

“Where are we going?” Lady Esmat asked Lady Nur as the trio kept walking down a never-ending hallway once they had gone through the door.

“We’re going to the beginning of this whole mess,” said Lady Nur. “When Rapunzel reached out to Varian for answers regarding her hair.”

“That far back?”

“Varian already had a reputation at that time,” continued Lady Nur, looking at Kristoff, ignoring Lady Esmat. “His alchemy was seen as magic, so he was considered a magic expert and wizard rather than an alchemist.”

“Some say he’s dangerous,” a female voice that Kristoff didn’t recognize said.

“But if we want answers, he’s our best bet, right?” another female voice asked.

“Is one of those ladies Rapunzel?” Kristoff asked.

“Yes, and the other is her lady-in-waiting, Cassandra,” answered Lady Nur.

“Rapunzel didn’t know that Varian needed help after the blizzard,” Lady Esmat said, doing her best to defend Rapunzel.

“She said that they’d figure out the mystery behind the rocks after her father returned from his and Queen Arianna’s anniversary trip,” responded Lady Nur. “What happened after King Frederic and Queen Arianna returned?”

While Lady Esmat tried to come up with an answer that painted Rapunzel in a better light, Lady Nur rolled her eyes at the Sun Goddess’s efforts to defend the Coronan princess.

“Anyway, Varian showed Rapunzel and Cassandra the black rocks that had started to grow by Old Corona soon after Rapunzel visited the village,” said Lady Nur. “Rapunzel asked Varian to promise her that he’d keep the existence of the black rocks between them, Cassandra, and Pascal, Rapunzel’s chameleon.”

“Because King Frederic had forbidden Rapunzel from talking about the rocks to anyone.”

“I supposed King Frederic must’ve mentioned that during Varian’s trial."

“He did.”

“We collectively are going to figure it out. But I need to know that I can trust you.”

“You can count on me.”

“Varian never should’ve gotten dragged into something like that,” said Kristoff, touching an image of Varian and Rapunzel standing by a patch of the black rocks. He winced quietly, pulling his hand away quickly, as a light layer of frost covered his hand, his fingertips turning blue.

“Right, I should’ve warned you,” hissed Lady Nur. “You mustn’t touch the memories. Because these are memories, these are events that have already happened. If you reach out to touch them, it seems like you’re trying to change the past, and Ahtohallan doesn’t quite like it when someone tries to change the past.”

“Got it,” whispered Kristoff, keeping his hand close to his chest. “Let’s keep moving, huh?”

“Varian, what’s wrong?” Queen Arianna asked Varian as she entered the cabin, Captain Herrmann and the ship’s doctor following her.

“Your Majesty, something’s wrong with Kristoff,” said Varian worriedly. “He’s as cold as ice, he won’t wake up, his hands are covered with frost like he’s freezing!”

“There’s no way that’s possible,” said Captain Herrmann as the ship’s doctor approached the sleeping ice harvester.

“The alchemist is correct, Your Majesty,” said the doctor, looking the blond over. “I have no idea of what caused this, but I might have an idea of how to treat it.”

The doctor asked for water to be heated up and for a guard to retrieve more blankets to keep Kristoff warm. Ruddiger went with Captain Herrmann to ask the cook to heat up some water while Queen Arianna went to get more blankets. The doctor asked Varian to stay in the cabin.

“Stick by him, monitor his state. If it gets worse while we’re gone, let me know as soon as I return,” said the doctor.

“Yes, sir,” whispered Varian.

The doctor left the cabin to get his bag of supplies, and Varian glanced at Kristoff’s hands. The blue in his fingertips was spreading slowly, and the alchemist wanted so badly to shake the ice harvester awake but didn’t for fear of being stuck in the same state. “Please, wake up,” begged Varian, tears welling up in his eyes.

Why couldn’t Rapunzel be bothered to check on Varian after the blizzard? Kristoff asked himself as he saw every memory of the three months Varian had been abandoned and neglected by the people who were supposed to look out for him. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort him, but every time he tried, more ice formed on his hand, and he kept growing colder by the second.

“Nur, his hair is growing white,” whispered Lady Esmat to Lady Nur.

Lady Nur snuck a glance back at Kristoff, and she frowned worriedly. “Ahtohallan might not like him being here.”

“Varian went through so much. How … how am I supposed to help him?” mumbled Kristoff.

“The most you can do is be there for him,” said Lady Nur.

“But … what if that’s not enough?”

“I don’t know,” said Lady Esmat. “I’ve been there for Nur as long as we’ve both been alive."

“And yet you caused this.” Nur brought the blue part of her armor fall, revealing a third degree burn that reached all the way up to her elbow. Kristoff inhaled sharply at the sight, seeing the anger in Nur’s eyes. “Is this being there for me?!”

“I’m sorry,” whispered Lady Esmat.

“‘Sorry’ won’t fix this,” growled Lady Nur, concealing her hand.

“Oh, do you honestly expect me to be concerned about the welfare of Corona?!”

“But you said you -”

“Rapunzel! I used you! I begged you and this kingdom for help! Everyone turned their back on me! It has to be this way.”

“I defied a direct order from my father, the king, because I trusted you. We both broke the law. Give me the flower, Varian. We can find a way to fix all of this, the rocks, your dad, everything. I promise you. I promise! Just, this is not the way.”

“Sorry, Princess, but I know firsthand how well you keep promises.”

“He just needed someone to help him! How was that so hard for her to understand?!” Kristoff exclaimed before he fell onto his knees, shivering uncontrollably. He looked at his hands, seeing how the ice had spread a bit more quickly this time. He tried to stand back up, but he couldn’t move. “Why couldn’t I have been there for him a lot sooner?” he whispered, the same helpless feeling he’d had when he’d tried to save Anna returning in full force.

Varian kept an eye on Kristoff, seeing the ice on his hands spread more rapidly. Tears welled up in his eyes at the sight, all of this reminding him of his father. No, no, no! He already lost his father because of the amber! He couldn’t let his older brother die!

That realization made Varian stop and think about everything that had happened ever since he got to Arendelle.

Kristoff could’ve left well enough alone and not cared about Varian’s fate. Kristoff could’ve not stepped up to be there for Varian. Kristoff could’ve not become Varian’s assistant. Kristoff probably would be back in Arendelle right now! But he put everything he gained at risk to make sure the trial was handled fairly. Kristoff made sure Varian had someone to rely on. Kristoff made sure Varian didn’t do his work on finding a solution to save Quirin alone. Kristoff made the choice to travel to a kingdom he’d never been to just to be there for Varian.

Deciding it’d be worth the risk, Varian reached out and tried to grab Kristoff’s shoulders to shake him awake. His gloves froze on impact and shattered like they were made of glass rather than rubber. “Gah!” he cried, watching his gloves break.

Queen Arianna, Captain Herrmann, and the doctor had all come back to see Varian’s gloves shatter, all three of them gaping at the sight.

“That’s impossible,” whispered Captain Herrmann.

“See if there’s a way you can get Lord Bjorgman’s hands into the bowls of warm water to thaw them out,” the doctor instructed Queen Arianna and Captain Herrmann.

“Varian, what are you doing?” Queen Arianna asked in alarm.

Varian grabbed Kristoff’s hands, holding them as tight as he could, ignoring the way the cold seeped into his skin. He leaned his forehead against Kristoff’s, shutting his eyes, the tears sliding down his face.

“Du ga meg ikke opp. Jeg gir ikke opp deg, min eldre bror,” he whispered. {Norwegian} {You didn’t give up on me. I’m not giving up on you, my older brother.}

“Crescent moon?”

Varian opened his eyes to see that Kristoff woke up.

“You’re awake!”

Varian hugged Kristoff as tight as he could, sobbing softly. Kristoff hugged him back.

“Are you okay?” Kristoff asked.

Varian pulled away and questioned, “You almost fucking died, and you’re asking me if I’m okay?!”

Chapter Text

“Mr. Schuler, I’m trying to ensure Lord Bjorgman is okay.”

“I’m not letting you near my brother.”

“Crescent moon, it’s okay.”

“I’m not leaving your side, Kris.”

“This is going around in circles, Your Majesty,” muttered Captain Herrmann to Queen Arianna.

“It is,” mumbled Queen Arianna.

“Technically, aren’t you a lord, Varian?"

“What do you mean?”

“If your dad was the leader of Old Corona, and he was a lord, you’d be the leader of Old Corona in his absence. You’d be a lord, technically.”

“And Rapunzel was acting queen when I asked her for help and got turned away….”

“Acting queen or not, she was still representing Corona. You already had a reputation. Rapunzel turning you away…”

“Son of a bitch,” muttered Varian, snuggling into Kristoff’s chest, curling up slightly.

“Lord Schuler, language,” said Captain Herrmann.

Varian didn’t say anything in response but narrowed his eyes at Captain Herrmann. When the doctor tried to get closer to Kristoff to check on him, Varian hissed in the doctor’s direction and glared at him.

“I said you’re not getting near him.”

“Did you just hiss like a raccoon?” the doctor asked.

Ruddiger looked up at the doctor, chittering happily. Kristoff sheepishly shrugged his shoulders when the doctor locked eyes with him.

“You’re not getting anywhere near me. Not if Varian has anything to say about it,” said the blond.

“Fine,” sighed the doctor. “I’ll try again later. For now, keep your hands warm, stay bundled up, and stay in your rack.”

Kristoff looked down at Varian, who had cuddled closer to him and prevented him from getting up. “Yes, sir.”

The doctor left the cabin, followed by Queen Arianna and Captain Herrmann. Varian and Kristoff were left alone, Ruddiger keeping them company.

“If there’s anything you need to say, say it now,” said Kristoff to Varian.

Varian sat up and surveyed the ice harvester. He was bundled up in plenty of blankets; he had his hands in bowls of hot water to thaw them out, and Ruddiger had made himself comfortable on the back of Kristoff’s neck. A pair of gloves had been placed on the pile of books beside the rack for when either the water became cold or Kristoff’s hands were thawed out. He was pretty much bundled up like a Godsdamn marshmallow, and even if he wasn’t, Varian doubted that Kristoff would really go against the orders of the doctor. It was weird, everything that happened after the ice cutter woke up. The ice on his hands vanished, but there was still a layer of frost that was slowly melting. The white in his hair faded, and his hair returned to its normal dirty-blond shade. He seemed fine, but the doctor had wanted to make sure everything was fine. Varian just wouldn’t let the doctor get too close to Kristoff.

“Okay,” began Varian. “Could I see the pillow real fast?”

“Alright.” Kristoff handed Varian the pillow.

“Thank you.” Hoping that his brother wouldn’t be angry with him for doing this, Varian swung and hit Kristoff with the pillow.

“That’s all you gotta say?” Kristoff asked, not even remotely stunned by the blow.

Varian swung and hit him again. “Your lack of self-preservation might get you killed one day!” Every word was followed by a swing of the pillow.

Kristoff couldn’t help but laugh. Every time Varian hit him with the pillow, it was followed by an angry ramble. If he wasn’t bundled up in blankets, he’d probably be doubled over right now.

“What’s so funny?”

“I'm sorry! I don't mean to laugh, but if someone was hitting you with a pillow and flying into an angry ramble, you’d probably be laughing, too,” chuckled Kristoff.

Varian thought about it for a few moments before he found the humor in the situation, beginning to laugh now himself. He put the pillow back behind Kristoff’s head, leaning against the blond. For several minutes, laughter filled the cabin, and every time they made eye contact, it only got worse.

Varian wiped some tears away as he caught his breath. “Whoo, I think we needed that.”

“After what just happened, it was definitely needed.”

“Are you okay?”

“Honestly, this isn’t my first time almost dying.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“It’s nothing.”

“You cannot just say that and then back off the topic!”

“I’m clearly fine.”

“Physically, yeah, you’re probably fine. How about emotionally and mentally, Kris?”

“I’ve coped with what I went through, crescent moon.”

“Doesn’t mean that it still can’t affect you.”

Kristoff was about to respond when Queen Arianna entered the cabin once again, carrying two bowls of soup, the steam condensing in the air. “I had the cook make this up for you both,” she said, her soft tone of voice soothing the duo’s nerves.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Kristoff as he and Varian accepted the bowls.

“It’s no problem, Lord Bjorgman. When we get back to Corona, we’ll have the royal doctor look you over,” said Queen Arianna.

Kristoff was about to protest before he glanced over at Varian, who had narrowed his eyes and sent him a tiny glare. “Yes, Your Majesty,” he said instead.

“Well, both of you get some rest. We still have a ways to go before we reach Corona.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said the duo.

“Sleep well,” said Queen Arianna, leaving the cabin, her footsteps quiet.

“Kris, what other times have you almost died?”

“Well, there was a snowstorm during a Polar Nights festival when I was twelve, and I went into the storm trying to save someone. There was the time I fell into the frozen lake trying to go get ice when I was younger. I had even ruined a brand new pair of boots. The ice harvesters called me icicle after that because I looked just like one. Then, there was a snowstorm caused by Elsa’s rising emotions that I ran into trying to find Anna.”

“Did you get to her?”

Kristoff hesitated answering the question for a few minutes.

“Kris?”

“Not in time,” whispered Kristoff.

“Did she ..?”

Varian didn’t even need to finish the question for him to find out the answer. Kristoff’s silence alone said it all.

“Do you hold any resentment towards whoever hurt Anna that caused her to die?”

“Hans had left Anna to die, but he didn’t cause her to have a frozen heart.”

“Elsa caused Anna to have a frozen heart?”

“She accidentally hit her in the heart with ice.”

“Do you not hold any resentment towards Elsa? I think I’d be furious if the sibling of my true love caused them to die.”

“She was afraid. People make bad choices if they’re mad or scared or stressed.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“No, I don’t hold any resentment towards her.”

“What about this Hans fellow? What did he do?”

“He left Anna to die, and he tried to kill Elsa twice, both while her back was turned. I punched him after he tried to go for another blow while Elsa was grieving over Anna’s frozen body.”

“I can’t see you punching anyone.”

“Well, I did, and I probably would’ve punched him again if Anna hadn’t stopped me and handled things herself. She punched him, causing him to fly into the fjord.”

“Into the fjord?”

“Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.”

“Is that from The Mourning Bride by William Congreve, a play published in 1697?”

“Yes. I remember reading it as a suggestion from Anna. She was extremely bored due to being stuck in the castle for thirteen years. She can most definitely give you a lot of reading recommendations.”

“How did she describe that time?”

“She told me that she felt like she was stuck inside a very fancy prison with really good food and a lot of reading material.”

“I bet she’ll love the Flynn Rider books if she hasn’t already read them.”

“It’ll give you two something to bond over.”

As they took sips of their soup, they continued to talk about anything and everything, Ruddiger dozing off to their chatter. Eventually, they had finished their soup, and Varian curled up under the blankets, snuggling close to Kristoff, falling asleep as well. Kristoff kissed Varian’s forehead, pushing the teenager’s bangs aside, before he fell asleep himself. All their worries about what would happen once Quirin was freed and what that would mean were forgotten for now. They both just needed to rest.

Chapter Text

Varian awoke with a start when he heard snoring throughout the cabin. He wiped a bit of drool away from his mouth when he sat up, rubbing his eye with his free hand. Ruddiger was still snoozing from his perch on Kristoff’s shoulders, not bothered at all by the snoring. Varian yawned and stretched out as best he could, feeling a bit more rested now that he slept for a while. Slowly but surely, he was catching up on all the sleep he’d lost from the three months he’d been on the lam. Every time he’d looked in a mirror that he’d passed by in a hallway, he could see the bags under his eyes fading. He leaned up against the bulkhead, breathing in and out deeply, the rocking of the ship not bothering him as much as it had used to when he first boarded the ship. His eyes fluttered shut as a soft smile crossed his face.

When Kristoff began to stir, Varian opened his eyes again. 

“You snore very loudly, you know that?” Varian asked Kristoff, smirking a bit.

“I’m aware of that,” yawned Kristoff, covering his mouth with a hand. He pushed the blankets off of himself, starting to fold them back up once he was freed from the pile.

Varian joined Kristoff in refolding the blankets. You almost died, and it was because of me, thought the alchemist. He cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, crescent moon,” said Kristoff, placing the blanket down and looking at Varian worriedly.

“You almost died, and it was my fault! You got involved in my problems, and you almost paid the price for it! How are you not angry at me?!” Varian exclaimed, tears welling up in his eyes. Everything that had just happened reminded him of how his father was trapped in the amber, and that had been Varian’s fault as well. He couldn’t even imagine how Quirin was going to react when he found out about what happened the three months after the blizzard.

“Because getting involved with all this was my choice. There’s more to Arendelle being the neutral party that led your trial than you think.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was my idea. I just … let the council take credit for it.”

“Why not let Queen Arianna know that the idea was yours?”

“They can give me the title of Lord. I can receive all the etiquette lessons in the world. I can catch up on subjects I never got the chance to learn in human school. But, deep down, I’m still … and always will be … the ice harvester that’s dating the crown princess of Arendelle.”

“You clearly had an impact on the council if they agreed to your idea. They wouldn’t be helping you navigate the world of royalty, nobility, and gentry if they didn’t seem to care about you.”

“More like they don’t want a mountain man embarrassing himself because he doesn’t know how to do things the ‘proper way.’”

“You’re a bit cynical, aren’t you?”

“I don’t have the best experiences with people, so my view on them is still fairly negative.”

“I guess that’s something else we have in common. It doesn’t explain why you cared about a complete stranger. You didn’t even know I existed when you came up with your plan!”

“Everyone deserves a fair trial, and everyone deserves a second chance.”

“I did terrible things!”

“You did what you had to to survive.”

“Why do you even care about me?"

“Because everyone needs someone to care about them.”

“You risked everything you gained by helping me.”

“And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You’re my brother, Varian, and I will always stick up for you.”

Why didn’t that statement soothe the guilt in Varian’s heart?

Time passed by slowly on the ship as the crew and passengers continued the voyage back to Corona, and Varian had to admit that he grew increasingly bored the longer they all remained on board the ship. There was only so much someone could do to make the hours go by faster, but once you’ve completed everything fun you could logically do, there wasn’t much else you could do. Varian had read the entirety of the first Flynn Rider book in the series so often that he could most likely recite the entirety of the story from memory. Kristoff enjoyed hearing his rambles about the story, sipping his warm tea that Queen Arianna insisted he drink to help get better. The royal doctor hadn’t found anything wrong after the ice cutter almost died, but the doctor had said that it was better safe than sorry.

Which meant that Kristoff had to remain bundled up like a Godsdamn marshmallow in the cabin most of the time.

The ice harvester had to admit, it wasn’t as bad as when Bulda tried to spoon-feed him mushroom soup when he was little. He used to have nightmares about a troll trying to spoon-feed him after Bulda tried to do that. She was always the type to hover and make sure he ate, took a bath, got his work done when he had attended human school. It was nice having a parental figure in his life since his own parents had died long ago, and he didn’t remember who they were, what they looked like, what their voices sounded like, or anything about them. It didn’t bother Kristoff that much since he had two families. He had the trolls, and he had Anna, Elsa, Sven, Olaf, and now Varian.

As Varian started to read the first Flynn Rider book once again, Kristoff simply listened to the alchemist, enjoying the general peace in the cabin. Overhead, they could hear the shouts and usual chaos on the weather deck as orders were given out to the crew. The time the alchemist and ice harvester spent together just seemed to allow them both the time they needed to catch a break before the reality of the situation in Old Corona weighed down on them once more.

“If only it wasn’t crowded on deck,” remarked Varian as he had ceased reading a passage where Flynn Rider engaged in a duel with an evil king to free the kingdom’s citizens. “We might be able to fence.”

“Do you know how to fence?” Kristoff asked.

“I-I’m self-taught,” answered Varian.

“I’ll teach you in Corona, okay?”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“I know.”

Varian smiled softly, continuing to read the book, while Kristoff ruffled his hair.

“Land ho! Land ho!”

Everyone cheered at the announcement as the lookout climbed down the rigging, leaving Varian and Kristoff up in the crow’s nest. Varian had climbed up there, playfully taunting that Kristoff couldn’t follow him up there, laughing when the ice cutter took the bat and followed him. The lookout had quite the laugh when Kristoff and Varian had their brotherly banter.

“How dare you do something so reckless without me!” Kristoff had lectured.

“I’ve done this quite a bit without getting hurt, and you joined me, so we both did something reckless!” Varian had retorted.

The lookout had eventually spotted Corona and climbed down from the crow’s nest after he made the announcement, so the pair were left alone. Varian could only stare at the castle and the town, seeing the ugliness of the black rocks even from a distance.

“I never thought I’d be seeing Corona again,” admitted Varian softly.

“How do you feel?” Kristoff asked.

“Nervous.”

“You have nothing to worry about. The solution is going to work, you’re going to save your home and family, and you’re going be a hero like Flynn Rider in the book. I know it.”

“What if the solution doesn’t work? What if everything we worked for was a waste of time?”

“Well, in that impossible scenario, you live in Arendelle full-time with Anna, Elsa, Sven, Olaf, and me.” Kristoff’s voice dropped to a whisper as he said in a conspiratorial tone, “Forever.” He ruffled Varian’s hair. “And you get to live your life as best as you can.”

“I wish you were my brother by blood. It’d make my decision about whether I live in Arendelle or remain in Corona easier to deal with.”

“You know what? No matter what happens, no force on Earth, Valhalla, or Hel will ever make me regret helping you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re an Arendellian.”

“You know, I … um … I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, so … you know … thanks for not giving up on me.”

Kristoff smiled kindly at Varian in response.

Chapter Text

As the ship made its way to Corona’s docks, Varian and Kristoff made their way down from the crow’s nest, taking their time with each step they took. Queen Arianna approached them as soon as their feet hit the deck. The queen appeared to be deep in thought about something, settling on a question to ask them.

“Would you like to stop by the castle or go to Old Corona once we go ashore?” Queen Arianna asked Kristoff, looking at the ice harvester. “You’re our guest, and you are the Arendellian diplomat.”

“I’d like to go to Old Corona,” said Kristoff. “The sooner Lord Schuler’s father is freed, the sooner he can receive medical attention.”

“Of course,” said Queen Arianna. “I only wish things hadn’t gotten this bad.”

“You’re making up for it now, Your Majesty,” replied Kristoff.

Queen Arianna nodded, walking away to join King Frederic. Varian and Kristoff headed to their cabin to get their packs, and Varian gripped the straps of his pack so tightly, his knuckles turned white.

“Is immediately going to Old Corona the wrong choice?” Kristoff asked Varian. “If you’re not ready-”

“I just wish we had more of a guarantee that our solution will work.”

“It’s going to work.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I have faith in you.”

He’s placing so much trust in you. Let’s hope the solution works. Varian squared his shoulders as he nodded, and Kristoff placed his hand on the alchemist’s shoulder to offer him some support as they headed back up to the weather deck to go ashore.

The carriage ride to Old Corona was silent. Very silent. Varian kept close to Kristoff as King Frederic sent the teenager a cold look. Kristoff narrowed his eyes at King Frederic, disliking him more than he’d ever disliked Gustav, and that had been when he was a child. The sun glinting off of a black rock spike growing out of the ground blinded the ice cutter for a few moments, and he put up a hand to block the light from his vision, blinking rapidly.

“Are you alright, Kris?” Varian asked Kristoff.

“Momentarily blinded by the sun,” answered Kristoff.

“It doesn’t help that the black rocks have been growing in Old Corona for months,” said Varian.

“The black rocks posed no threat,” said King Frederic.

“Please don’t lie when you admitted in the trial that you knew about the black rocks and expected everyone to ignore them when you ignored them,” said Kristoff to King Frederic. “All because you wanted your daughter to ignore the black rocks. I suppose it worked since she seemed keen on abandoning and neglecting Lord Schuler for three months.”

That seemed to prompt King Frederic to remain quiet since he couldn’t argue against the ice cutter’s words. Varian smiled at Kristoff softly, grateful for the blond being in his corner. The farther they traveled, the more black rocks Kristoff saw. They eventually made it to the village, and Kristoff finally saw the full extent of the devastation the citizens of Old Corona had to endure. Homes were destroyed, there were giant hunks of metal as far as the eye could see, and there were no signs of life anywhere. Kristoff could only hope that the citizens of the village had made it out before the worst had happened. Of course, not everyone made it out of Old Corona. Varian physically flinched at the sight of the hunks of metal that were destroyed by the black rocks. Kristoff held the teenager closer to him, remembering some of the memories he’d seen in Ahtohallan.

“It’s not enough until you endure the same amount of pain and agony I have!”

“I’m here and on your side, crescent moon.”

“I know.”

When the carriage stopped moving, and everyone stepped out and onto the ground, Kristoff took a look around the remnants of Old Corona. Varian led him to the biggest house in the entire village, clutching the straps of his pack.

“No problem, we got this. No problem, we got this. No problem, we got this,” muttered Varian.

“The solution is going to work,” said Kristoff.

“How do you not hate me for everything I’ve done?”

“Because you did it for a reason. You were trying to save your home and family. You still are, and you will succeed.”

Once they made it to the lower levels of the house, Varian let go of one of the straps of his pack and clutched Kristoff’s hand. They entered the only room located in the lower levels of the house, and Kristoff saw the man trapped in the amber first. He couldn’t conceal his shock at the sight, and his face drained of color. Taking a deep breath, he helped Varian approach the amber, and Varian touched it with his left hand.

“Hi, Dad,” whispered Varian.

Ruddiger poked his head out from Kristoff’s pack, chittering softly. Kristoff petted the raccoon, focusing on how they were going to free Quirin.

“I know it’s been a while, but I think I have a way to free you,” continued Varian. “I hope this works.”

Kristoff searched for a ladder, finding it and placing it against the amber. Varian climbed the ladder carefully, rummaging through his bag for the alchemical solution. It stood out, the bright blue shade of the liquid brightening up the darkness of the innards of the pack. Varian pulled it out, clutching the glass and one of the ladder rungs. He looked down and saw Kristoff giving the ladder more support. That comforted Varian slightly, and he pulled out the cork stopper, pouring a drop of the solution onto the amber. He plugged the beaker back up and handed it to Kristoff before he climbed back down. The duo backed up, moving the ladder, and waited for a reaction. For several minutes, they had waited for something to happen. The look of defeat on Varian’s face broke Kristoff’s heart, and the alchemist hugged the ice cutter as tightly as he could, the ice cutter returning the embrace. Varian buried his face in Kristoff’s chest, unable to look at the amber that remained-

Wait-

Was the amber now cracking?

Varian pulled his face away from Kristoff’s chest, and they both stared at the sight before them. The cracks were miniscule, so small that nobody would notice them at first, but then the cracks began to grow bigger. The edges of the amber slowly melted away, the bright blue solution moving towards the edges and seeping through the cracks.

“It’s working…” whispered Varian.

“Oh, my Gods,” whispered Kristoff.

The note Quirin held in his hand was revealed first.

Then a hand.

Then an arm.

More of Quirin’s body was freed, and Kristoff held Varian back from rushing over to his father. Once the man was completely free, he knelt on the floor, groaning and collecting his bearings. Kristoff let Varian go forward a bit as a chill ran down his spine, and Varian turned back to his brother after he heard the ice harvester fall to his knees. He made sure the beaker containing the solution wasn’t cracked or destroyed, putting it back into his pack. Varian wanted to check on Quirin, but Kristoff needed the same support that he’d been giving Varian with asking for nothing in return.

“Are you okay?” Varian asked Kristoff.

Kristoff smiled at him, nodding. Tears welled up in Varian’s eyes as he embraced the ice harvester, whispering, “Thank you.” Kristoff hugged Varian again, and the smile on his face never faded as Varian ran to Quirin, almost slipping in the liquefied amber.

“Dad! Dad, you’re alive!"