Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The wind whistled, carrying a river of snowflakes the size of ping-pong balls with it as it flickered through the air. Dark clouds circled above, covering up the only sliver of sunlight for what seemed like miles.
Running, running, running. Occasionally, he would falter, slipping on the snow and ice or sinking into the slush.
Time was slipping by. Varian had no idea how much longer his father had, but everything would be okay soon. It had to be. Princess Rapunzel, his best friend (well, besides Ruddiger, of course) would find a way to help him. She has to. She promised.

Still, Varian hated himself for being so careless with his chemicals, blaming himself for the terrible fate that would await Quirin if he didn’t hurry.
All he ever wanted to do was make his father proud, and as much as he wished for it not to be the case, Varian knew that there was no way Quirin would ever see past this. Varian fulfilled the sad prophecy his father and so many others set up for him: make too many mistakes.
Sure, the water boiler incident was bad. Okay, it was very bad, but it’s not like anybody got hurt then. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cassandra were there to make sure of that.
But this was different.
His entire life, Varian was warned to keep his experimentation under control, and it finally happened.
The amber came from a chemical of Varian’s own design; it was his fault people are in danger—that his father is in danger.

There still was so much he didn’t understand. It was clear that the black rocks were what caused the amber compound to react so severely, but what he couldn’t understand was why.
That’s where the princess comes in. Her hair and the rocks are somehow connected, so she, or someone she’s close to, has to know something about where they come from and what they’re made of.
Once he learns the truth, not only would Varian be able to free his father, but prove to him that he is more than capable enough to help defend Old Corona.
That is, if the storm doesn’t absolutely destroy him before he gets to the castle.

Varian pulled his coat tighter around him, shivering.
Come on, Varian, he willed himself. You have to keep going.
Varian sighed, and slowly started pushing forward. A sudden gust of wind yanked his hood off and knocked Varian onto his side. He hit the ground hard. It took all of him not to break down in tears right then and there.
Varian wanted to give up. He worried that he might not even make it to the castle in time to save his father, and to make matters worse, he was not sure that his frail little body could take the conditions of the storm for much longer.
He laid there in the snow for a minute, letting himself succumb to the turbulent winds and heavy snowfall.

What are you doing? You’re wasting time! Varian thought furiously. You have to get up. Please, please, get up.
He pushed himself back up with the strength an unexpected jolt of adrenaline provided for him. The crisp air stung his cheeks and nose; he squeezed his eyes shut and sneezed, despite his efforts not to.
Varian didn’t realize how cold he really was until right then, but it didn’t matter— it couldn’t matter.
The last thing Varian wanted was to deal with anything else that would get in the way of his father’s rescue.
All of Varian’s remaining energy was struggling to compensate for the despair that was driving his mission; but there were no words to describe the ice he felt coursing through his veins. It was freezing.

Varian shivered again, clutching his hands into fists underneath his gloves. He deserved this. He deserved to feel the icy wind blow him around like a twig, and to stumble around in the snow—which he predicted would accumulate to half his size by nightfall. It was only fair.
After all, Varian had done something terrible, something he promised himself he would never do. Varian let his experiments spiral out of control.
Sniffling, a now frustrated Varian pulled his hood back on and kept moving. There was no other option.
Nothing would stop him from rescuing his father. Not the strangely relentless blizzard, which appeared to be worsening by the second, or the cold Varian could already feel himself catching from being out in the weather for too long.
He would soon reach the castle, find Rapunzel, and she would make everything okay. She has to. She promised.

-

Princess Rapunzel started pacing back and forth across the floor, tripping over Ruddiger for the fourth time.
“Come here, little guy,” said Eugene, reaching down to pick up the raccoon. He gently placed him on the bed beside him, not taking his eyes off Varian once. “Blondie, why don’t you come sit down?”
Rapunzel shook her head, mumbling to herself and still pacing in circles around Varian’s rather messy bedroom.
Eugene sighed. There was nothing he could do to calm her down.

Not a week ago, Eugene and Lance were dangling from a cliff, putting their lives at risk to rescue the king and queen of Corona from the horrendous blizzard that was still melting nearly five days later. The same blizzard that rocked poor Varian to his very core and put the entirety of Corona in grave danger.
Eugene bit his lip, desperately trying not to imagine what might have happened if he and Lance couldn’t have gone out to search for the royal family… If Maximus had not returned that night… If Cassandra didn’t go with Varian to Old Corona to help him when he arrived at the castle.
He shuddered at the thought. Eugene hated snow, but he had no idea how much damage it could truly cause.
It still haunted him, seeing the look of absolute terror on Rapunzel’s face as she watched Varian’s head collide with the hard floor. Finally seeing them, seeing that they were here and that he was no longer alone after what must have felt like an eternity must have just sent Varian over to the edge. They had gotten to him just in time.
Varian had already been through so much, what with finding the amber encasing his father and the weak and fragile state the storm left him in.
Varian’s a good kid, a smart kid, who never meant for any of this to ever go this far. He didn’t deserve what was happening to him. It isn’t fair.

Rapunzel finally sat down beside Eugene, taking the small hand on top of the blanket in hers.
“Poor Varian,” she whispered, letting her head fall onto Eugene’s shoulder. “Thank goodness Cassandra was able to go with him during the storm. I don’t even want to think about what might have happened.”
Eugene nodded in agreement, planting a kiss on Rapunzel’s cheek. “We were able to pull together in a really tough spot. I’m proud of you, of all of us.” “Varian especially.”
“Yeah. Kid’s got hella guts for coming to you guys for help like he did. Still, being out in that storm really did a number on him.” He was silent for a moment. “He’s gonna be okay, Sunshine. It’s gonna be alright.”
Rapunzel smiled and nuzzled her face closer to Eugene’s. “I know. I know. It’s just so scary thinking about what might have—”
“Rapunzel, don’t. There’s no point in getting yourself all worked up.”
“What do you mean?”
“What might have happened doesn’t matter, because it didn’t happen. Life is what it is now, and we have to accept that. We’re together, aren’t we? Your parents and Cass and Lance are all safe, and look— Hairstripe’s still here, isn’t he?”
Rapunzel nodded. “I mean, that’s true.” She gulped. “But what about…” She brushed a strand of her golden hair out of her face and sighed. “There’s just so much to explain.”
Eugene shook his head. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Varian may look small, but I’m sure he’s stronger than he looks. Hopefully.”
“Eugene.”
“Come on, you know what I meant. He’ll be fine.” He paused to reach over and grasp Rapunzel’s hand in his. “And if he isn’t, we’re going to be right here for him every step of the way. That’s a promise.”

Almost as though he could sense the conversation happening around him, Varian rolled over in bed and slowly sat up. He blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to the midday sun.
“What happened?”
Rapunzel sighed deeply and exchanged a smile with Eugene. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, Varian. You fainted again.”
“P-Princess,” he managed between raspy coughs, “you’re still here?”
Rapunzel smiled and squeezed his hand. She and Eugene have been sitting at Varian’s bedside for almost three entire days now, but she didn’t care. She loved Varian too much to leave him alone.
“Of course,” said Rapunzel softly. “I promise, I’m not leaving until you’re all better.”
Varian shrugged. There was no telling how long that would take.

Eugene poked his head from behind Rapunzel’s and rolled his eyes playfully. “Come on, kid! What am I, chopped liver?”
“Flynn—! I mean, Eugene! You’re here too?” Varian’s eyes widened. He coughed again and pouted.
He really did hate getting sick, especially considering what the exposure to so many chemicals has done to weaken his immune system. Being an expert alchemist did come with a price.
“That’s right, buddy, I’m here,” Eugene said. He gave Varian a quick hug, but Varian cut it even shorter so that he wouldn’t sneeze directly in Eugene’s face.
Luckily for the three of them, Rapunzel was one step ahead, and was already holding a handkerchief out for Varian.

“Th-thanks, Rapunzel.” Varian quickly accepted the handkerchief.
“Gesundheit,” said Eugene. The last thing he wanted was to catch this, especially considering everything that happened. Still, he had a job to do—keeping Varian company while he recovered—and it wouldn’t be right for him to abandon such a noble cause.
After waiting out another string of sneezes from Varian, Eugene reached across the bed and bent over to retrieve a book from the floor. “You alright, kid?”
“I’ve been better.” Varian answered as honestly as he could manage without complaining, and shrunk further down into his blankets. “I just feel kind of bleh.”
Eugene smiled sympathetically. “Well, then, how about some good old-fashioned Flynn Rider and the Lost Treasure of Scotia?”
Varian nodded and scooped Ruddiger into his lap. “Okay.”
Usually, he minded being doted on like a small child, but given the state he was in, it was impossible to resist. Besides, this might be his only chance to have Flynn Rider himself read a Flynn Rider book to him.
Eugene smiled. “You remember how it starts?”
Varian nodded excitedly, his stubbornness melting away almost instantly. “Of course. The best quote of all time…”
“If something is impossible, it is not worth doing.’”

Varian listened intently to the adventures of the swashbuckling thief for a while, but soon, not even the exciting tales of Flynn Rider could distract him from the underlying tension in the room that everyone seemed to be ignoring.
It scared him to death, but sitting here in silence any longer, not knowing, would end up driving Varian crazy. He had to say something.
“Rapunzel? Eugene?” He asked, trying his best not to sniffle so loudly.
Eugene stopped reading immediately, letting the book fall into his lap. He looked over at Rapunzel, who had right away stopped her unsuccessful attempt at tidying up Varian’s bedroom.
Oh, well. She had only gotten but so far anyway.
“What is it, Varian? Are you okay?” Rapunzel was concerned. “Do you need another blanket? Something cold for your head? A snack, or some water?”
Varian shook his head. “No, no, that’s not it.” He took a deep, shuddery breath. “Where’s my dad?”

Rapunzel froze. She started to say something, but stopped. Her lower lip trembled.
Varian took one look at the princess’s face and suddenly realized that he didn’t have to ask to know that something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
“Eugene?”
There was something about the big, blue eyes looking up at him that made it impossible for Eugene to even attempt to form words. He just sat there, quickly averting his gaze down to the book in his lap. It was selfish, but he didn’t want to be the one to make those eyes fill with tears. He cleared his throat and drummed his fingers against the book nervously.
Varian sniffled. Whether it was a sick sniffle or a sad sniffle was unclear, but the lack of responses from his friends said it all. His face crumbled as he started to piece everything together.

“Varian, I was able to use my hair to shatter the amber with a black rock,” said Rapunzel slowly, struggling to maintain composure, “You were there, remember?”
Varian did remember. A few hours after the king and queen were found, Rapunzel and Eugene traveled to Old Corona, where Cassandra was waiting with Varian, neither of whom were unable to do anything about Quirin, who by then, was entirely encased in the amber, frozen like a stone statue.
Varian remembered how exhausted he was after nearly crying himself to sleep after finding his father in the state that he did, and how dark and lonely the night felt despite being surrounded by his friends. Not to mention how poorly he was feeling after trekking through the blizzard for as long as he did.

-

“Varian!” Princess Rapunzel burst through the door, doubling over to catch her breath and scanning the room for any sign of the young alchemist. After not receiving an answer, she moved to break into a run, but stopped short when she noticed jagged protrusions poking through the floorboards.
“What…?” Everywhere she looked, something sharp and black was sticking out of a corner or through the wall, glistening in the moonlight that shone in through the window.
Eugene stumbled into the doorway after her moments later, nearly jumping backwards when he registered the situation. “Oh no…”
“It’s the black rocks,” Rapunzel gasped. “They’re everywhere. Varian told me things were bad, but this… I don’t understand. I’ve never seen them do this. They’re connected to my hair somehow, so why… Why would they grow so sporadically? And why here?”
“Blondie…” Eugene slowly stepped forward, trailing an orange glow that seemed to be seeping into the room from the next. “What is that? And where are Varian and Cassandra?”

“Rapunzel!” Seemingly summoned by the mention of her name, Cassandra sped into the room and raced over to the princess, taking her hands to pull her further into the house. “They’re in here.”
Cassandra, Rapunzel, and Eugene followed the amber light into the back room, all three of them freezing in their tracks upon seeing it. Varian’s father, Quirin, motionless, encased in a golden compound that appeared to have sprouted from a massive black rock that had shot up through the floor and into the center of the room.
A few feet away was Varan, standing at a desk with his face buried in scrolls and parchment, furiously scribbling something into a notepad and noticeably swaying like a branch in the wind.
“Varian…?” Rapunzel called softly. “We’re here to help.”

At the sound of the princess’s voice, Varian shoved his research aside and turned to look over at her, wincing at the sound of all his supplies clattering to the floor and again when he caught the sight of the bright amber encasing of his father in his peripheral vision.
“P-Princess, you're ‘ere,” he slurred, ambling over to join them. “My dad, you’ve gotta h-help. It’s all mby fauldt… The rogcks… they’re encasidg ‘im, and—”
Varian barely got a sentence out before his voice gave up on him completely, and only took a few steps forward before his vision went black and he felt his head hit something hard.
He could feel someone place a hand on his forehead, then try to shake him awake, and then later on, he felt Eugene pick him up and carry him somewhere softer than what he could only assume was the floor. All the while, Rapunzel first whispered, then cried for him to get up. He wanted to, but it hurt too much to try.

Everything that happened next was a blur. Varian heard something shatter; Cassandra and Eugene yelling at each other about a broken sword, then about the storm, then about him; Rapunzel singing the healing incantation over and over and over before she eventually started screaming it; he heard himself sniffling and coughing and wheezing, then crying, then choking. He barely remembered Eugene rushing over to turn him over onto his side, patting him on the back and gently stroking his hair while he sobbed.
He remembered Rapunzel repeatedly asking him if he was sure. He remembered her begging him to be honest, because she wouldn’t do whatever it was without his permission, and he remembered assuring her, through sniffles and sobs, that she had it. What she was going to do, however, Varian couldn’t seem to remember.
Then he heard something shatter again. Something heavier than glass or metal. The whole house shook, and something hit the floor.
Varian remembered Eugene holding him close, turning him around to either shield him from the impact or shield him from seeing something he shouldn’t. He remembered fighting back, trying to wrestle free.
He managed to break from the protective embrace, and saw Cassandra and Rapunzel, the two of them collapsing onto the ground holding each other. Eugene leapt up, yelled at him not to move, and then everything went black again.

-

“You were there, remember?”

Varian looked up, his eyes darting nervously around the room before finally landing on Rapunzel. The memory of that night was so fresh in his mind, yet already full of holes. Still, he had to answer the princess. “Uh-huh.”
“You remember everything?”
He didn’t. He didn’t want to. Somewhere deep inside, he knew. He didn’t remember, but he knew. And he didn’t want to. “I… I don’t know…”
Eugene bit the inside of his cheek and inhaled shakily. He wasn’t sure how to tell him. “Listen, Varian, you see… your dad—” He stopped short, trying to force down the lump in his throat.
You have to tell him. Varian has to know. He has to.

“Varian… with your permission, I used my hair to shatter the amber by growing a black rock. You remember that? Okay, good. Well… I… I tried to…” Rapunzel choked back a sob and continued. “It was too late. Oh, Varian… I—”
Varian started to hyperventilate. No, he thought angrily. This isn’t happening.
He knew better, but wished more than anything that he didn’t.
Unable to say anything else, Rapunzel started to cry silently. She buried her face in her hands and cried.

The book hit the floor. It slammed shut.
Varian felt his throat tighten. His head was growing heavy, and his stomach was in knots. What? What does she mean, too late?
He knew what she meant.
He tried to say something, anything, but no sound came out. Rapunzel reached out and grabbed his hand.
Varian pulled away angrily. Still unable to speak, he stared at Rapunzel and Eugene with a look that demanded answers.
Eugene took Rapunzel in his arms. He blinked back his own tears. “Kid… I’m so sorry.”

Chapter Text

Everything stopped. Time and reality stood still.
No. There was no way any of this was real. This couldn’t be happening.
It was very much real, and it had happened. Quirin had died. He suffocated to death inside the amber.
Varian felt his entire body go numb. The memory of the night it happened came flooding back to him all at once. Rapunzel had begged for his permission to use her hair to grow a black rock to crack the amber. He had agreed. The rock shot up through the floor right beside Quirin’s motionless figure, shattering the amber instantly. The whole house shook, and Quirin’s body thudded to the floor. Cassandra rushed over to Rapunzel, who had been ridden inconsolable after one look at Quirin’s lifeless body. Quirin’s lifeless body was what Eugene had shielded Varian from seeing. Quirin’s lifeless body.
Tears streamed down Varian’s flushed cheeks, and he struggled to look up at Rapunzel and Eugene one more time before dissolving into a full-blown panic attack.

Eugene stood up and shook his head. Tears rolled down his face. He couldn’t look at Varian or Rapunzel. If either of them saw him getting worked up… it would only make things worse. That was besides the point that if he let himself start to cry, he isn’t sure if he could ever stop.
He knew hearing those words would completely destroy Varian from the inside out, but for some reason, his reaction scared Eugene. He was no longer sure if Varian would ever stop crying and rocking back and forth.
None of this should have ever happened. Maybe if he decided to go out and search for the king and queen sooner… or if he had just gone on his own … no.
Eugene shook himself. Even though it felt like the most responsible thing to do in this situation, blaming himself wasn’t the answer. Varian needed a family right now.

“Breathe, Varian,” said Rapunzel for the eleventh time, stroking Varian’s mop of messy black hair. “It’s okay.”
Varian choked back a sob, only to be met with a fit of coughing. These hysterics really were doing nothing for his cold.
“It’s… my f-fault,” he whimpered. “The amber… I’m… It was m-m-my chemical that… that…”
“No, no, it’s not your fault, Varian.” Eugene returned to his spot on the bed beside Rapunzel.
Varian only cried harder. Eugene slowly helped him sit up straight and held his face in his hands.
“Hey, hey, it's gonna be okay,” he said softly, trying his best to maintain direct eye contact. “Look at me. Look at me, Goggles. None of this is your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. Everyone did whatever they could.”
“It wasn’t enough!” Varian cried, cringing a little at the sound of his voice, or rather, lack of voice.
He moved closer to Rapunzel and reached out for a hug, no longer concerned with how much like a child he previously felt he was acting.
The princess understood completely, and pulled Varian even closer. “Come here, Varian.”

-

It was hard to say how much time had passed since that moment, but Varian had somehow managed to stop crying and was now laying on his side, clutching Ruddiger to his chest like his life depended on it.
Eugene and Maximus had gone back to the castle to send for Cassandra, the king, and hopefully, a doctor or professional of some sort who could help them deal with the Quirin problem. Rapunzel forgot to mention that to him, but just hoped that Eugene had enough common sense to bring one back.
She gently sat down beside Varian again, and handed him a cup of juice. “Here.”
Varian reluctantly sat up and took the juice.

“So,” Rapunzel tried to start a conversation. This was the first time she has had to deal with a situation such as this, but the princess was certain that it was imperative Varian didn’t bury his feelings. She figured that keeping Varian’s mind occupied with other things, at least for now, was the best course of action.
“How’s your cold?”
“A little better,” mumbled Varian. He didn’t look at her. “Definitely not one hundred percent yet, but… I’m… getting better.”
“That’s good.” Rapunzel smiled. “I still think you should take things slow for a while. Until you’ve gotten all your strength back up.”
“Uh-huh.” Varian still avoided her eyes.
Rapunzel sighed. It was obvious that Varian didn’t want to talk. “Well, I’m going to go downstairs for a minute, okay? If you need me, just ring that bell I gave you and I’ll be right back.”
Varian nodded. He watched Rapunzel leave the room and walk down the hallway.
After he was sure she was gone, Varian turned around and furiously started throwing his bed pillows and blankets onto the floor.
It was satisfying for a moment, but not so much once Varian realized that he was out of breath already. Panting heavily, he laid back onto the now empty mattress and came to the conclusion that he was just too unwell to be angry.

-

Varian…

A voice cut through the silence, causing Varian to jump a little. It sounded like something, or rather, someone, was saying his name.

Varian…

There it was again. The voice. It was familiar this time.

Varian…

“Wh-what? N-no.” Refusing to believe what he heard— Quirin’s voice calling out to him, Varian frowned and turned over on the bed, forcing his eyes shut. He wasn’t ready for this— whatever this was.
Varian knew that he couldn’t be hallucinating, for his fever had already returned to normal. Was he just so desperate to hear his father’s voice one final time that his brain was making him hear it?

“Varian!”

It turns out that it wasn’t Quirin calling out to him after all. It was just Rapunzel, gently shaking him awake from what seemed to be a fever dream. Turns out Varian had only imagined that his temperature had returned to normal as well.
“Hey, it’s okay,” said the princess softly, letting Varian rest his head on her shoulder. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”
Varian sighed heavily and aimlessly flopped back onto the empty bed. He prayed one final time that all of this misery was a dream, but he knew that it wasn’t. He started to cry again.

Rapunzel shook her head and forced down the sob she felt rising in her chest. She set aside the tray of fruit she had brought for Varian from downstairs and started gathering the pillows and blankets scattered across the floor. She made the bed as best she could without disturbing Varian too much, then sat down on the bed beside Varian.
Poor little thing, Rapunzel thought. It hurt so much to see Varian in the state he was in. It isn’t fair.
Rapunzel and her parents got their happily ever after, so why couldn’t Varian and Quirin have theirs?

It was at this moment that Rapunzel realized that she did not know very much about Varian at all. She knew that he and his father were having some difficulties communicating with each other and seeing eye to eye prior to the storm, but that was all.
Why did Quirin want to keep the black rocks a secret from her father when he already knew? Did Quirin know that he knew? Why did the black rocks grow so fast in Old Corona? Whatever happened to Varian’s mother? How did Varian become so well versed in alchemy? Was there something Quirin was hiding from his son?
Varian didn’t deserve this. He’s just a kid who didn’t deserve for his father to be taken away from him so soon. He didn’t deserve to be lying in bed, unsure about what his future would be. It just shouldn’t be this way.
But it was this way, wasn’t it?
Rapunzel knew the truth, and she hated it. She wished her hair would respond to the healing incantation like it used to. She wished she could save Quirin and put an end to Varian’s misery, but she couldn’t, could she? And Rapunzel hated that.

Varian looked up at Rapunzel. Tears blurred his vision, but not enough to hide the fact that she was crying too. She should be crying. The whole world should be crying.
When Eugene uttered those words; those four horrible words: “Kid… I’m so sorry”, Varian half-expected the clouds to burst; for the sky to start crying with him. He honestly was still a little angry that it hadn’t.
“Varian,” Rapunzel whispered, trying her best to calm down. It would be better for Varian if she and everyone else were as calm as possible. “Eugene and Cassandra should be here soon. My father is coming with them, and hopefully they’ll—”
“No!” Varian suddenly exploded. His cheeks turned a shade of red he didn’t know existed.
“The king knew about the rocks! He lied to you and he lied to me! He lied to everyone! It’s his fault my father’s—” he paused, his lower lip trembling. “It’s all his f-fault. I-It should have been him!” Varian gasped. He knew he was wrong the second he spoke the words. “Rapunzel, I…”
Rapunzel looked like she was about to cry again.
Varian grasped her hand. “Please, no, wait. I-I’m sorry.”
Rapunzel frowned and sighed deeply. “No, no, It’s okay. I’m mad at him too.” She sat up and held him close. “Varian, I’m here for you. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

Varian smiled weakly. It was the first time he had smiled in days. He didn’t truly understand why Rapunzel and Eugene were being so kind to him, but he was grateful. “Thank you, Rapunzel. I don’t know what I would do without you.” He exhaled sharply and blushed a little. “I’m really happy we’re friends.”
Rapunzel smiled back. “Me too, Varian.” She scooted closer to him and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “I need you to promise me to always know that you’re not alone.”
“I’ll try,” said Varian.
Rapunzel smiled. “Good.”
For a brief moment, Varian wasn’t weighed down by his grief. He was able to push everything that had happened with his father to the back of his mind and enjoy this sweet little moment with Rapunzel.
Varian was almost happy. All he wanted to do was sit there with Rapunzel forever, safe in her arms.

However, that moment of near-happiness was short-lived. There was a knock at the door. Rapunzel leapt out of bed. “Eugene!” She turned around to address Varian. “You wait here. If you’re feeling up to it, I left a snack over on your nightstand. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Varian waited until he was sure Rapunzel wouldn’t see or hear, then he slowly made his way outside his bedroom and over to the top of the staircase to watch.

Rapunzel, unaware that her little patient was not following orders, raced down the stairs and hurried to get the door.
Eugene and Cassandra were standing beside each other. Eugene’s face was red and puffy from crying, and Cass was rocking back and forth on her heels. It was the first time Rapunzel had seen them in such close proximity without fighting.
“Oh, you guys!”’ Rapunzel exclaimed, pulling both of them into a hug.
Cassandra pulled away after a moment. She swallowed hard, visibly trying to fight back tears. “Rapunzel, about your father… he isn’t here. Fitzherbert tried to talk to him, but he said he couldn’t face Varian after what happened… or you.”
Rapunzel nodded slowly, a little disappointed in herself that she expected a different outcome. Her expression was blank. “Oh.”
“But the captain and a couple of the guards are here,” cut in Eugene, “and we brought the royal doctor too.”
“Okay, good.” Rapunzel sighed. “I’ll guess I’ll go get Varian.” She turned around and started to walk up the stairs, then gasped as she felt someone start to follow her.
“Raps, don’t.” Cassandra grabbed her hand and pulled her back. “He shouldn’t see this.”
“He can’t,” Eugene agreed, “It would destroy him.”
Rapunzel bit her lip. “Shouldn’t we at least ask him? I think he’s old enough to make that decision on his own. This could be his last chance to… to see Quirin.”
“Sweetheart, trust me on this one. He’s not ready,” insisted Eugene. He put an arm around her shoulders.

They stepped aside, letting the captain pass by and enter the house. “Listen, you three. King Frederic couldn’t be here because he is having some… some trouble processing what has happened,” he said slowly, directing six guards inside. “I’m sure you’re not unfamiliar with the notion that he and Quirin had a history of friendship prior to what happened. However, he has requested an audience with you later this evening, Princess.”

Rapunzel frowned and glanced back at the stairwell, causing Varian to back up against the wall where no one could see him.
Eugene looked over at Rapunzel. “Sunshine? What is it?”
Rapunzel shook her head. “Nothing. Just worried is all.”
The captain sighed. “He’s suffering through a lot right now. Just... try to give him some time to fully compose himself.”
Eugene took Rapunzel’s hand, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Not about my father, about Varian,” Rapunzel muttered under her breath. She tried to hide how angry she was.

Varian, who could hear every word from atop the staircase, felt nausea creeping up his throat.
Give the king time? He’s the one responsible for all of this! How could anyone be concerned with the king’s feelings after what he did?
Why didn’t anyone understand? He leaned back on the wall for support. What was going to happen when the king finally did emerge from his fortress of lies and confront the situation that he knowingly created?
How would Varian even be able to stand breathing the same air as the man who is responsible for the death of his father? It made him feel even sicker than he already was.
He watched as a tall woman in a white coat entered the house, following close behind the line of guards. She was clutching a satchel under her left arm, which Varian assumed to be filled with medical supplies.

“Princess Rapunzel,” the woman began, “Your father sent me.”
Rapunzel shook her hand without looking directly at her. “Thank you for coming. I’ll show you to the… to the… the b— well, you know what it is.” She could not say the word. Body. It felt so final, so morbid, so real.
The doctor sighed. She understood completely. Even though she had just recently come into the medical field, she knew of the horrors that this job could have from time to time.
It was scary, but she couldn’t show it. She smiled a kind, sincere smile, and followed Rapunzel into Varian’s lab.

Varian wanted to follow, but he couldn’t. For some reason, his body had rooted itself to the spot at the top of the staircase, preventing him from moving at all, let alone going anywhere.
Maybe it was for the best. He thought about what he overheard Eugene say. Varian wasn’t sure if he was ready for what his friends would encounter on the other side of that door.

The doctor stepped to the right, emerging from behind the princess, and gasped. Right away, she saw it. There he was. Quirin was lying there, looking strangely peaceful and content for someone who was, well… dead.
Rapunzel let out a soft whimper and Eugene squeezed her hand. Cassandra leaned closer to her father and fought back tears. Everyone watched the doctor examine the… it.
She held an instrument to his chest and listened for a heartbeat, for some reason was disappointed when she didn’t hear one. She exhaled sharply and pulled out a notepad from her jacket pocket. She scribbled some notes down before motioning for the guards to move in with the stretcher.
Stan and Pete were holding on to opposite ends while the four other guards carefully lifted Quirin onto the stretcher.
The captain sighed and gave his daughter a quick hug before rushing off to help the guards.
Cassandra, Rapunzel, and Eugene watched as the guards, the doctor following closely behind them, moved the… Quirin outside to the carriage.
Only it wasn’t a carriage. It was a hearse.

Varian caught his breath. He wanted to turn away, but his head wasn’t moving. He leaned over the railing, clutching his hands into fists and taking long shaky breaths.
Seeing the body made it real, made everything real. Quirin was dead. His father was dead.
Varian watched as Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cassandra walked back into view.
He grabbed onto the railing and furiously tried to fight off another panic attack. It wasn’t working.
Sensing that he, Rapunzel, and Cassandra were not alone, Eugene turned around. Varian was standing at the top of the staircase.
“Varian? What are you doing?”

Varian’s vision blurred. He tried to take a step, but could not. He felt his heart skip a beat and his head collide with one of the wooden stairs.
“Varian!”
He couldn’t tell whose voice it was, but someone was gently shaking him by the shoulders.
“Varian, please wake up!”
Varian did not want to wake up. He just wanted to lie there, sprawled out on that stair, forever.

-

Rapunzel sat next to Varian, playing with his goggles. “I should have stayed upstairs with him.”
Cassandra shrugged. “It’s not your fault, Raps. Maybe he wanted to see, you know, to make peace with it or something.” She paused. “Don’t touch that, Fitzherbert.”
Eugene rolled his eyes. “Relax, Cassandra. I’m just trying to help the kid. Now let me see…”
”You’re not a doctor, Eugene,” snapped Cassandra.
“Oh-ho-ho, and you are?”
“Just give it to me!”
Rapunzel sighed, standing up. She didn’t know what Cass and Eugene were fighting over, nor did she care enough to find out.

“Stop yelling, please… ” Varian mumbled, slowly sitting up. He sniffled softly and opened his eyes. He was lying on a bench near the bottom of the staircase. “Hey-hey, what are you doing with my microscope insert?”
Cass shook her head. “Oh, so that’s what this is.”
“I told you,” Eugene said proudly, even though he knew that he absolutely had not. Varian seemed to know it too. He snatched it back and shoved it in his pocket.
Everyone was silent for a moment.

“So…” Rapunzel tried to break the tension. “Varian, I’m not sure how much longer you want to stay here, but I don’t think it’s good for you to be in this environment right now, especially not alone. I’m supposed to go to some stupid meeting with my father tonight, but I’m not sure if I want to. You’re more important.”
Cassandra shook her head. “Raps, get to the point.”
“Right, sorry.” Rapunzel nodded slowly, trying to mask how annoyed she was with herself for bringing up the king in front of Varian, given how he reacted earlier. “Well, I guess what I’m trying to say is: what do you want to do, Varian? Because whatever it is, we’ll do it.”
Varian sighed. “I don’t know. Being here just feels… wrong. I want to stay, but this house is… It doesn’t feel like home anymore. Not to mention that the growth of the black rocks has made it pretty much uninhabitable at this point. I don’t know where I’d go, though. I don’t have any other family I could stay with.”
Eugene smiled warmly. “What do you mean? You’d come home with us.”
“And live there? In the castle?”
“Well, we haven’t worked out all the details yet, but for now, you can move into a spare room in the guard tower or servants’ quarters, and we’ll look out for you.”

Guilt festered in Varian’s stomach. “That’s not… you really don’t have to do that. I don’t want to put the royal family out like that. They already aren’t big fans of mine.”
Eugene frowned. “What? Why not?”
“Well, for one, there’s the destruction of public and private property,” said Varian matter-of-factly. “Remember what happened at the Expo?”
“That wasn’t your fault!” Rapunzel insisted. “Doctor St. Croix was the one responsible for your machine malfunctioning!”
“But I built it. And in your father’s eyes, that makes me responsible for the fallout.”
Her father. Again.
“I don’t care!” Rapunzel was near tears. “I don’t care what my father said. We care about you, so we’re going to make sure you’re taken care of.”
Eugene nodded. “This kingdom needs to do a better job of caring for its orphans. And we’re doing what we can, but for now, there is no way I’m letting you go through what I did. You’re staying with us, case closed.”

Orphan. It’s a scary word, one that made Varian all the more aware of the severity of his circumstances. Scary as it was to hear, it’s the truth. Varian is an orphan now. He furiously scrubbed a stray tear from his cheek.
Eugene understood almost instantly. “Oh… Varian, kiddo, I’m sorry.” He sat down beside him and ruffled his hair. “This is such a terrible situation. I’m so sorry that this happened. I promise you though, we’re not going to let anything happen to you from now on. You’re important to us.”
“So important,” affirmed Rapunzel. “Right, Cass?”

Cassandra shrugged. She truly did share in Rapunzel and Eugene’s sentiment, although not to the same extent. It sounded like Eugene all but wanted to adopt him. What’s more, emotions are not exactly her strong suit. Still, she had to say something. “That’s right. Varian. We’ll try to do whatever we can to make you as comfortable as possible—”
“Cassie?” Varian interrupted.
Cassandra stifled an eye roll. How many times was she going to have to say it? “Kid, I already told you. It’s just Cass.”
“Cassandra…” Rapunzel folded her arms.
Cassandra sighed heavily. “Yes, Varian?”
Varian looked down. “I… I just wanted to thank you. You know, for coming back here with me. During the storm, I mean. I know Rapunzel couldn’t come, but you didn’t have to either. I just wanted to tell you how much it means to me that you… came anyway.”

Eugene and Rapunzel looked at each other, then over at Cassandra, who looked like she was in shock.
Cassandra wasn’t sure what to think. She certainly didn’t expect this from Varian, especially now. It was obvious that he just said what he said because of his stupid crush on her, but for some reason, Cassandra didn’t feel the usual urge to push him over. She listened to what he had to say, and appreciated it.
“No, no, don’t worry about it,” she said as nonchalantly as possible. “You handled this whole thing pretty maturely, so… I guess what we’re all trying to say is that… we’re proud of you.”
“Absolutely,” added Rapunzel.
Varian felt his cheeks flush warm. He stood up and gave Cassandra a hug.
She sighed, but didn’t try to pull free just yet. This would be the first and last hug Varian was ever going to get from her, so she wanted to make sure he was satisfied with it.

Rapunzel laughed softly as Cassandra peeled Varian off of her. “Anyway, if we’re going to leave, we should do it sooner rather than later. The guards and doctor took the…” she looked over at him, a layer of concern lacing her voice.
Varian closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Now that he had seen it… his father, it was nearly impossible for him to avoid words that might make him think of what happened. “It’s okay, Rapunzel. You can say it.”
Rapunzel nodded slowly. “Well... they took the hearse back to the castle, but they left the carriage outside for us to travel in.”
Eugene stood up and stretched. “Come on, kid. I’ll help you pack your stuff…”
His voice trailed off as he led Varian up the stairs and into his bedroom.

“Raps, let’s go get the carriage ready.” Cassandra turned to leave, but stopped when she noticed that Rapunzel wasn’t following her. “Rapunzel? Are you coming?”
Suddenly, Rapunzel couldn’t look at her. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “My father. He lied! He knows something about the rocks, something he still hasn’t told us. I can feel it. And Varian? He was right! I mean, I don’t understand why Quirin lied to him about the rocks in Old Corona, but still!”
“So, what are you gonna do?” asked Cassandra.
“I’m going to go to that meeting tonight… and demand answers.”

Chapter Text

Varian shivered underneath the thin carriage blanket the princess had given him, watching Old Corona grow smaller and smaller as they rode away. Soon, it was merely a silhouette of wooden rooftops and jagged spikes; a nearly indistinguishable sight from the quaint farming town it once was. The black rocks turned it into something else—a haunted and fruitless plot of land that to Varian, although it was the place he once called home, had been reduced to no more than a trigger for memories he’d rather forget. It was only a matter of time before everyone else started moving away, much like he was now. There’s nothing left in Old Corona, for anyone.

Even the blizzard had taken its leave; the only thing that remained of it were the splotchy patches of half-melted ice along the road and relentlessly bitter winds. Varian fumbled around in his pocket for the handkerchief Rapunzel had given him earlier that day, and upon pulling it free, used it to dab at his runny nose. Despite wearing not one, but two of Eugene’s winter coats on top of his own, the chill persisted. It had graduated from the tingly numbness in his face and fingertips to a sharper, icy feeling that seemed to come from inside his bone marrow, rocking his fragile body each time a shiver ran through his spine. Varian had not yet decided which one was more miserable.
After hiding a sneeze behind it, he folded up the handkerchief and shoved it back into his pocket before curling up into a ball on the carriage bench.
Ruddiger peeked his head out from inside the cardboard box of Varian’s belongings and climbed out, snuggling up beside Varian. He softly pawed at his forearm, almost as though he was trying to comfort him. Varian smiled weakly. He appreciated the critter’s sweet little gesture, even though it was useless in the grand scheme of things.
A particularly strong breeze washed over the carriage as it passed through a narrow trail, and Varian shivered again, wishing, for just a moment, that he had never been born.

Cassandra craned her neck to steal a glance at Varian from the driver’s seat of the carriage. After having been helped upright by Eugene due to a coughing fit some time ago, he was finally laying down. Hopefully he’d be able to get some rest before they arrive at the castle, where there would no doubt be a great deal of commotion.
Before turning back around, Cassandra made eye contact with Eugene. “How is he?” She tried to conceal just how worried she was.
Varian flinched ever so slightly as Eugene reached over to the opposing bench and gingerly patted him on the back.
“Hang in there kid,” he said softly, and the tension in Varian’s shoulders relaxed. “We’ll be there soon.” Eugene directed his attention back to Cassandra. “He’s alright. We’re just going to have to keep an eye on that cold of his.”
Cassandra nodded her acknowledgment, having already spun back around to steer the horses. She paused before asking a second question. “How… How’s Rapunzel?”

Eugene sighed. Rapunzel was asleep beside him, her cheeks stained with tears. He could only imagine how terrible she must be feeling. The blizzard, her parents, Quirin— all of that happened under her temporary rule. The often twisted and unfair realities that came with the responsibilities of leadership were obviously not something the princess was expecting to have to deal with so soon. It has definitely rocked her optimistic worldview.
“She’s resting right now,” he answered finally, moving closer so that her head could rest comfortably on his shoulder. “I think she’s gonna have a lot to say to the king, though. He owes her a pretty big explanation.”
Cassandra scoffed. “He owes everyone an explanation. My dad didn’t say anything about it while we were in Old Corona, but he’s actually kind of pissed. The guards have been kept out of the loop just like the rest of us, and the rocks have started to become a problem for them, too.”
“I…” Eugene shook his head. “I just don’t get it. I don’t understand what he’s hoping to accomplish by lying to everybody! What is he really hiding?”

-

The castle was cold and dark. The servants quietly went about their duties, not daring to even look at the king, who slowly marched down the hall to the throne room, his head held high.
Nigel, the castle steward, stood at the front of the double doors. He pushed one side open, then quickly scurried off, far enough away that he wouldn’t be seen, but close enough to the throne room to eavesdrop.
If Nigel were to help the king make a decision about whatever was to come next, of course it would make sense for him to at least hear what Princess Rapunzel and her father were discussing. Besides, who doesn’t like a bit of juicy gossip?

Queen Ariana greeted her husband at the door. “Frederic,” she began, not looking directly at him, “she’s back.”
The king sighed. “She’s alone?”
Ariana nodded. “At the moment, yes. She arrived with Eugene and Cassandra, but has since gone off to her room to prepare for the meeting.”
“Hm.”
“There’s something else.” Ariana swallowed hard and wrung her hands. She wasn’t exactly sure how her husband would react to what she was about to say next. “They… Well, they brought the boy.”
Frederic caught his breath. “The boy…”
“Yes, Dear.”
“…Quirin’s boy?”
“Quirin’s boy.”
“I see. What’s his name again?”
“Varian, if I’m not mistaken. Apparently she’s been with him all this time.”
“Why? And why did she bring him here?”
Ariana let her hands fall at her sides in exhaustion. “I don’t know, Honey. I haven’t had the chance to have a conversation with her yet… and I won’t, not until you have said everything you need to say to her first.”
Frederic drew in a deep sigh and let his eyes fall shut. He really had no idea what to say to his daughter, or what she might say to him.
“You’ll be fine. Just be honest and speak from the heart. She’ll appreciate that.” The queen gave him a kiss on the cheek, then headed off in the opposite direction, leaving Frederic alone in the dark hall.

Princess Rapunzel slammed her hand onto the light switch, illuminating the room in a warm yellow glow as she entered the room.
“Your majesty.” She didn’t make an effort to cloak the anger in her voice, something she knew her father would most definitely point out. “I have some questions for you, and I’m not leaving until you give me an answer to every last one. The truth.”
King Frederic drew in a long breath. He should have seen this coming. “How can I help you, Rapunzel?”
Rapunzel felt an indignant flush spread across her cheeks, and she rapidly blinked back tears of rage. This blatant disregard of her emotions was somehow more insulting than the patronizing comment about ‘having an attitude’ that she expected.
She walked forward, dragging a stool along in her hair. Once she was close enough, she motioned for Pascal to move the stool over to her and stepped up in order to meet her father at eye level.
“Rapunzel—” Frederic began, but stopped abruptly when his daughter held up a hand in protest and cleared her throat.
“I’m only asking you this once,” she warned.
Frederic looked on expectantly.
“What are the black rocks, and where did they come from?”
The silence was frightening. The king stared at his daughter stone faced, and Rapunzel fought the urge to scream. “I’m not going to say it again.”
Frederic looked down. “Rapunzel, I—”
“Tell me!”

The king started walking over to the front of the room, and Rapunzel followed. He fell into the largest of the three elegant thrones and shook his head. Slowly, he began to finally tell his daughter the truth.
“Right before your mother gave birth to you, she became very ill. There was a very slim chance that she would survive. In order to save my wife and child, I sent my guards on a search for what many believed to be an impossible solution.
“The sundrop was a manifestation of pure solar energy— a single golden flower with the power to heal the sick and injured.”
Heat crept up the back of Rapunzel’s neck. “Don’t waste my time! I already know this,” she interjected, unable to fight back against the fury clouding her mind. “You’ve already told me this story. It’s the story of how I got my hair… what does any of that have to do with the black rocks?”
King Frederic stood and started pacing in place. “If you let me finish, you’ll hear about it, but allow me to make myself clear on one thing: Continue to be disrespectful and this conversation is over. Do you understand me?”
There it was. It was only a matter of time before the king would revert to speaking to her like she was a child.
Rapunzel ran her fingers through her bangs impatiently. They were so far beyond the issue of respect, but she knew that arguing further would solve nothing.
“Fine,” Rapunzel conceded reluctantly. “I’m sorry.”

“The sundrop could not exist without its cosmic counterpart— the moonstone, an opal filled with pure lunar energy that possessed the power to decay and destroy,” Frederic continued. “When I had the sundrop flower uprooted and converted it into an elixir to heal your mother, I had knowingly created a magical imbalance. Removing the sundrop caused the moonstone to react, and it sent the black rocks to locate the sundrop, which, since the flower was converted into the elixir to heal your mother, has become a part of… ”
“... me,” Rapunzel concluded.
Her mind was racing. Did her mother know about any of this? If so, why hasn’t she done anything about it? Was she planning to?
Did Quirin know?
“That’s why my hair grew back when I touched one of those black rocks, and why they’ve been following me.” She swallowed hard. “But why?”
Frederic sighed. “Because one day, the sundrop and the moonstone must be reunited, or the magical imbalance will persist.”

Rapunzel nodded slowly, taking everything in. For a moment, she said nothing. Then, the anger returned, stronger than before.
“Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“I… I was ashamed.”
“You should be!”
Frederic shook his head. “Rapunzel, you’re still too young to understand this—”
“Don’t talk down to me!”
“As you wish: I was ashamed that I wasn’t ashamed.”
“What does that even mean?” Rapunzel demanded.
“I knew I was throwing the world out of balance when I uprooted that flower, but I chose my family. I chose my family and I would do it again. I always will. Choose. My. Family. I will always choose you, Rapunzel.” The king moved to embrace his daughter, but she jerked away.
“No! You don’t get to use that excuse anymore! You always choose me? If that’s the case, how could you leave me in charge of Corona without telling me the truth! You put people’s lives; the whole kingdom in danger!”

King Frederic was silent.
Tears streamed down the princess’s cheeks. “And what about Varian?”
“What about Varian?” The king demanded. “What does he have to do with any of this?
“Because,” Rapunzel cried, “You’re responsible for what happened to him! You’re responsible for ruining his life! The black rocks you lied to me about completely destroyed Old Corona and killed Quirin! Varian’s just a kid, and he lost his father because of you!”
Frederic raised his voice. “Now just a moment, young lady! When Quirin approached me that morning, he didn’t mention a word about the rocks. If he knew about them and didn’t ask for help, wasn’t that his mistake?”

Rapunzel held back an angry shriek. Why did her father have to make this so difficult? Why didn’t he understand the gravity of what happened? It was infuriating.
“He wouldn’t have had to lie if you didn’t pretend like nothing was going on! You want to talk to me about maturity? If you had just been mature enough to suck up your pride and address the problem, none of this would have happened! The blizzard? Xavier told me that it struck because Corona was at its most vulnerable, and he was completely right! I spent so much time blaming myself, but it had nothing to do with my filling in as queen at all. The rocks are invading this kingdom!”
“Listen to me, Rapunzel,” the king warned icily. “If you had done what I asked and remained within the borders I set for you, this may not have happened. You are the trigger for the moonstone’s power, so where you go, the rocks will follow.”
“Are you serious? You can’t be serious.” Rapunzel shot back. “You are such a hypocrite!”
“Rapunzel!”
“I’m not made of glass, Dad. I have to be free to make my own choices and explore my kingdom! Dangers or no dangers, I cannot stay confined in this castle for the rest of my life. Otherwise I might as well be a prisoner! I won’t do that again!”
“Excuse me?”
“You are not the first person to lie to me and tell me that I’m not ready for the real world.” Rapunzel felt her stomach twist as soon as the words escaped her lips, but in the moment, she couldn't hold back. If she expected it from her father, it was only fair that she speak her own truth.
The king nearly fell backwards, the words clearly taking him by surprise. “How… How dare you? How dare you compare me to that woman?”

“What is going on?” Queen Ariana demanded, barging into the room and abruptly putting a stop to the conversation between the king and princess. “Why is it that I can hear the two of you from down the hall?”
Upon seeing her mother, Rapunzel burst into tears. Desperate for comfort and understanding, she jumped down from the stool and raced over to her, falling into her arms.
“Oh… Oh, Rapunzel.” Ariana stroked her daughter’s head, slightly taken aback by her outburst. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Rapunzel. You’ve been through so much. You’re so young, and you’ve been through so much. What I think we all need—” she paused to flash her husband a disapproving look, “is a little patience. Now, I can tell there’s something you need to say, isn’t there?”
Rapunzel slowly lifted her head and nodded. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she turned around to face her father. “Yes, there is.”
“I thought so.” Ariana gave her daughter a consoling squeeze before addressing Frederic again. “Don’t talk. You do so much talking, Fred. Just listen to her.”

“I… I couldn’t save him,” Rapunzel admitted tearfully. “I used my hair to free Quirin, but it was too late. He was… already dead.”
“Oh, Sweetie…” Queen Ariana placed a hand over her heart. “That must have been awful.”
Rapunzel nodded somberly.
“…Good heavens,” the king said slowly, genuine horror reflected in his eyes. “Rapunzel… I didn’t realize you went through that.”
For a moment, she thought her father might actually start to understand where she was coming from and maybe even see the error of his ways.
“Nevertheless, Quirin didn’t—”
Never mind.
“I’m not interested in discussing what Quirin did or didn’t do,” the princess retorted. “It doesn’t matter anymore. He’s gone. And… w-well, we couldn’t just leave him alone. We couldn’t leave Varian.”

King Frederic’s eyes went wide. “No. Absolutely n—”
“It’s already been decided,” Rapunzel declared, folding her arms. “Varian is going to stay with us for the foreseeable future.”
“Ariana, you’re okay with this?”
The queen sighed. “I am. We have no other choice, Frederic! The child is alone and afraid, and I quite frankly don’t feel comfortable sending him into the system.”
“There’s nowhere else he can go?”
“No, there isn’t,” Rapunzel snapped. “He wants to be with us. With me and my friends.”
King Frederic huffed indignantly, then turned to his wife in hopes that she might argue in favor of his position. “Ariana?”
The queen smiled blankly in response. “You heard our daughter. He’s staying.”

Rapunzel opened her mouth to add something, but before she had the chance to get a word out, the king straightened his jacket and stormed past them out of the doors and down the hall.
“Stubborn fool,” Ariana muttered under her breath. She glanced over at Rapunzel, who looked as though she might explode. “I’ll talk to him.” She gently tucked her daughter’s hair behind her ear. “I hope you know that you’re doing the right thing.”
“Of course, I do!” Rapunzel blurted. “But it’s… you have no idea how hard this has been! Eugene and I have spent the better part of a week taking care of Varian while he’s been sick in bed! He was so sick, Mom. So sick that I was afraid to leave him alone for more than half an hour at a time!”
“Rapunzel…”
“And then we had to tell him about his father—that we couldn’t save him. Just looking at Varian is a reminder of that failure, of my failure! And none of it would have happened if Dad had just told me the truth!”
“Rapunzel!” Queen Ariana pulled her daughter into an embrace. After a moment, she pulled back a bit to look into her eyes. “Listen to me. You have such a tender heart, Rapunzel, but I need you to remember to take care of yourself. Nothing that happened is your fault. You need to give yourself some grace. Neither your father nor I decided to tell you about the moon rocks. We hold the responsibility.”
“I don’t blame you, Mom.”
“I admit that I didn’t know the full extent of what they are and what they do, but I could have told you what I did know.”
“Everything you knew, I probably knew too. I had been researching the rocks with Varian before all of this happened.”
The queen smiled. “Forging your own path, are we? That’s good. In time, your father will come to see that he’s wrong. You just keep doing what you’re doing. Just remember to give yourself the grace you deserve.”
Rapunzel exhaled deeply, stepping out of the hug. She held her face in her hands for a moment in an attempt to reel her emotions back in before eventually turning back to the queen. “I will, I promise. Thank you, Mom. I’m going to go get things ready for Varian.”
“Okay.”

-

“Hey, Varian. It’s time to get up,” Eugene said softly, gently shaking him by the shoulders. “Let’s get you inside.”
Varian sat up slowly, huddling deeper into his three jacket layers as soon as the temperature registered with his body. “Where are we?”
“In the courtyard, right outside the castle. Now come on.”
“O-Okay.”
”All right.” Eugene flung open the carriage door, and Varian climbed out, coming face to face with someone he didn’t recognize.
The man standing beside Eugene was tall and kind-faced, with a muscular, stocky build that reminded him somewhat of his father.
Varian tried to say something, but a sob caught in his throat when he realized that only days ago, he very easily could have mistaken the silhouette in front of him for Quirin.
Eugene’s heart sank, and he crouched down beside the boy. “Varian, it’s okay,” he reassured him, placing an arm around his shoulders. With his free hand, he gestured to the other man. “I want you to meet Lance Strongbow, my best friend. He’s here to help us with… well, you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. There’ll probably be some days where Rapunzel, Cassandra, and I won’t be around to look after you, so Lance here is going to help us out.”

Before Varian had the opportunity to respond, Lance excitedly pulled him into a hug. “Nice to meet you, little buddy!”
“Lance, take it easy,” Eugene advised. “He’s still not feeling well.”
“Oh!” Lance immediately released Varian from the tight embrace, then moved to gently cup his face in his large hands. “Don’t you worry, we’re gonna take good care of you!”
Varian sighed and stifled a cough. “H-How old do you think I am?”
Lance paused for a moment, feigning serious thought. “You don’t look a day over… sixteen,” he said finally, smiling proudly.
A blush spread across Varian’s cheeks, and he allowed himself to smile. “Actually, I just turned fourteen in March.”
“Get out of here! You look so grown up!”
“Really? I always thought… I thought th-that—” Varian tried to talk through it, but the sudden tightness in his chest forced him to abandon the conversation altogether. He quickly thrust his face into the crook of his arm, furiously trying (and failing) to fight off the series of painful coughs that seemed to tear at his lungs.
“…S-Sorry,” he rasped finally, avoiding both Eugene’s and Lance’s eyes.

Eugene shook his head. “Let’s go Varian, now. You’ve got to get inside and back to bed,” he directed.
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Without warning, Lance scooped Varian up into his strong arms, holding him like a baby. “I gotcha, little man.”

Chapter Text

“D-Dad?” Varian didn’t recognize the fragile, shaky voice that escaped his lips, or the spinning colors that clouded his vision and sent his stomach into knots. Still, he managed to fight back against the urge to be sick and lift his head ever so slightly in an attempt to make sense of his current predicament.
“Dad,” he rasped again stupidly, and upon allowing his eyes the time to focus, quickly found that Quirin was not the subject of his gaze.
“Flynn Rider?”
Flynn smiled warmly and reached over to swipe Varian’s messy bangs out of his face, pausing when the back of his hand brushed up against Varian’s flushed and damp forehead.
“You’re burning up, kiddo.”
Before Varian had a chance to respond, a blur of purple and gold raced back and forth across his field of vision.
“Oh, Varian!” The blur cried, finally coming to a stop beside Flynn Rider. Another moment of intense focus revealed the blur to be Princess Rapunzel, who was staring down at him with wide, worried eyes. “Varian,” she cried again, bending over to pull him into a hug so tight it elicited an unexpectedly painful cough.
“Blondie, give him some space,” Flynn warned.
“Oh! Sorry…” The princess awkwardly retreated back into herself, but couldn’t seem to stay away for longer than fifteen seconds. Moments later, she crouched down to Varian’s bedside, hovering over him like a magnet drawn to an ionic pull. “Varian, I was so worried!”

“Why?” Varian shuddered and, despite having no memory of getting into bed, pulled the blankets tightly around his scrawny frame, leaving only his face peeking over the edge. Sure, he was cold, tired, and a little dizzy, but he could easily chalk that up to getting caught out in the blizzard for as long as he had. Even so, it most definitely didn’t warrant the level of panic coming from the princess. “What happened?”
It was clearly the wrong thing to ask. Flynn Rider went pale, and Princess Rapunzel looked like she might cry.
“You… you still don’t remember?” She asked softly after an uncomfortably long silence.

Still? Had they had this conversation before?
Varian shook his head, trying his absolute best to ignore the sudden chills that overwhelmed his body. “N-N-No,” he managed, embarrassed at how little he was able to exert control over his chattering teeth.
“Varian, are you cold?” Flynn Rider placed his hand on Varian’s forehead again, exchanging a rather obvious glance with Rapunzel.
Just as he was about to answer, Varian was suddenly overcome by a sequence of sneezes that left him breathless, red-faced, and thoroughly humiliated.

“Whoa, boy.” Flynn winced, then chuckled softly to himself. “Well, you know what they say— they come in three… fi-no, nope. Sevens. Seven! Now, that, I have not seen.”
“Eugene!” Rapunzel chided, “Would you please stop cracking jokes and make yourself useful?”
“Way ahead of you, Sunshine.” He produced a handkerchief from his vest pocket and extended it to Varian, who tentatively accepted it, reluctantly pinching it over his face.

Varian had several questions. He was not entirely sure who “Eugene” was, when he had gotten so sick, and most of all— why Rapunzel and Flynn were so frenzied.
“Hey, so, Varian, how about we try this again, shall we?” Flynn Rider kneeled down, joining Rapunzel at his bedside, wearing an expression that in no way succeeded in concealing the stress practically radiating from his every movement.
Try what again? How many times had they had this conversation?
“Uh… okay. But can I… ask a question first?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
He wasn’t entirely sure how to approach this. “Is everything… I mean, why are you both so freaked out? I’m not, like, dying or anything, right?”

Flynn exhaled sharply, giving a nervous laugh. “No, no…” he hesitated. “Nothing like that. This is just the longest you’ve been awake in the last couple days.”
“Days?”
“Well, it was only two days. Barely fifty-two hours. But you haven’t been well, and have pretty much been sleeping the whole time.”
“And you’ve just… been sitting here?”
“We haven’t just been sitting around, bud. Who do you think brought you all these?”
Varian followed his gesture, and his eyes widened in surprise when he spotted the half a dozen tea mugs lined up on his desk.

“You don’t have to do this,” Varian mumbled, his face going bright red. He was grateful, but their kindness was beyond comprehension.
“We’re not going anywhere, Varian.” Rapunzel forced a weak, although not artificial smile. “Of course, we don’t have to, but we want to help you recover… and remember.”
Remember.
“Remember what? Is it important?” Varian asked.
Rapunzel gulped. “Yeah… it really is. Can you tell us the last thing you remember?”
“…From when?”
“From the… well, from the last time you saw us.”

All of Varian’s very limited energy was directed towards simultaneously fighting against the desire to sob and the stinging in his nose from the raw frigid air, but he was able to piece together a few segments of memory from his clouded mind and delivered an answer through short, wheezing breaths.
“M-My dad. There was an accident with one of my experiments… and the black rocks started encasing my dad.”

Rapunzel gasped, then quickly tried her best to compose herself after catching a glimpse of Varian’s woeful expression.
“Ahem. Um… that’s… right! Yes. That’s right. That… did happen.”
“Rapunzel.” Flynn put an arm around her, then turned his attention back to Varian, who stared back at him innocently. It absolutely broke his heart. “Oh God,” he muttered under his breath before addressing the boy with as much genuine positivity he could muster. “All right, kid. So, do you… remember anything else?”
“Snow,” Varian said softly, shivering even more than before, as though speaking the word itself prompted another wave of chills. “There was more snow than I’ve ever seen. You couldn’t… Rapunzel couldn’t help me, so Cassie and I came back here. There was nothing either of us could do, so we waited. Then you guys showed up and… a-and—” Varian sneezed again. “Ugh… I’m sorry.” He rubbed at his nose and sighed. “Just—”
“Cold?”
“Yeah.”

Flynn reached over and gave Varian a squeeze around his narrow shoulders. “Come here, kid. It’s okay; we’ve gotcha. Promise you won’t feel this crappy forever.”
Varian fell into the hug, then craned his neck to stare up at him for a little too long.
“Thanks… Eugene.”
“Hey, there you go!” Eugene smiled and tousled Varian’s hair. “Things are starting to come back to you now.”

-

That was before the worst of it. Eugene stood beside Rapunzel while she made Varian’s bed and started unpacking his very few belongings, silently remembering. He remembered the moment Varian finally started calling him by his real name, and hoping that it would be a turning point in getting him to remember what had happened to Quirin, but over the days that followed, Varian’s condition only worsened, and all the progress he made in restoring his memory went with it.
It seemed like months had gone by before everything came to a head earlier that day.
That day?
Eugene shook himself. It hadn’t even been a full day since they broke the news to Varian that Quirin had died, but it truly felt like weeks ago.

“Eugene!” Lance, who had also apparently been standing there, nudged him. “Princess is talking to you.”
“Oh, uh, yes? What is it, Rapunzel?” Eugene turned to face her.
Rapunzel took his hand and started leading him towards the door, holding her other finger to her lips. “Varian’s asleep. We should go.”
Eugene paused and stole a quick glance over his shoulder. “Night, kiddo,” he mouthed to no one in particular.

Lance pulled the door shut behind the three of them. “So… What now?”
Rapunzel sighed heavily. “I don’t know. My father doesn’t want Varian to stay here. My mom and I let him know that our decision was final, but I don’t know if he’s actually going to abide by that. He thinks he’s dangerous or something.”
“What? Why?”
Eugene smirked. “You’d be surprised how much trouble that kid manages to get himself into.”
“But he doesn’t mean any harm!” Rapunzel argued.
“No, no, of course not, Sweetheart. But do your parents know that?”
Rapunzel was indignant. “Are you saying that you’re on their side?”
“No! Hell no.” Eugene shook his head. “It’s just, your folks have got a lot of reservations about trusting people, especially after what happened to you. it took them a minute to warm up to me, remember? And Lance, too.”
“Well,” Lance shrugged, “Helping save their lives probably helped with that.”

Rapunzel held her face in her hands. “I hear you, but how does that help Varian right now?”
“I don’t know, Sunshine,” Eugene replied honestly. “I really don’t know.” He took a moment to think before realizing that they had yet to unpack anything else that Rapunzel and her father had discussed. “Oh! Did your father at least tell you more about the black rocks?”
She huffed. “Yeah. It’s just… it’s all so frustrating. None of this would have happened if he had just told not just me, but someone, anyone the truth. We might have been able to put a stop to this before anyone got hurt.”
Eugene nodded slowly. “Did he say anything about… Quirin?”
“You know what? It was kind of weird whenever I brought Quirin up. I mean, my father is obviously conflicted about what happened, but he kept saying… I don’t know. I think Quirin might have known something about the rocks.”
“If he knew something, why didn’t he say anything to anybody?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe he had been trying to communicate with my father and was being ignored. Or what if he wanted to say something, didn’t bother because he didn’t think anyone would listen?” Rapunzel bit her lip. “Although… there is one way we could try to figure out more about Quirin.”
Lance winced. “You want to ask the kid?”
“I’m not going to enjoy it, but if Quirin told Varian anything or if he was able to learn anything about the rocks through his experiments, I need to know.”

Eugene wrung his hands. “I don’t know, Rapunzel. I understand where you’re coming from, but I don’t know if that’s the best idea right now. Varian’s not ready yet. I’d give it at least a week before bringing this up to him directly.”
Rapunzel’s face fell. “…You’re right, Eugene. I just… Is there seriously no one else who we can talk to about this?”

“Talk about what?” Cassandra walked up to the group.
“Quirin,” Rapunzel replied. “I feel like there’s still information we’re missing.”
“Did your conversation with your father not go well?”
“As well as it could. How did it go with the guards?”
Cass shrugged. “Fine. They’re also due to get an explanation from the king, but I filled them in on everything we knew.”
“That’s good,” Rapunzel said with a sigh.
“But…?”
“I don’t know where to go from here. It’s very possible that there’s more that my dad hasn’t told me, but there’s no getting anywhere with him, at least right now. If my mom knew something, she would have already told me. I… I can’t stay stuck like this. I deserve answers, and Varian deserves closure. Somebody has to know something!”
Cassandra put a hand on Rapunzel’s shoulder. “Hey, Raps, calm down. Maybe someone does know something. Working as castle staff has given me access to more information than I ever thought possible, even before I met you. The handmaidens especially are known to gossip, so I guarantee that at least one of them or one guard has heard something that the king doesn’t want everyone to know yet.”

“But what if they don’t?” Rapunzel whispered.
“Then I guess we’ll have to do things the hard way and ask your father directly,” replied Cassandra matter-of-factly. She paused and looked over her shoulder at the door a few feet away from them. “Or ask Varian. How is he doing?”
“Fine. Better. He’s sleeping now. He’s more upset than unwell at this point, which is to be expected… I just wish there was more we could do for him.”
“Have you given any thought to… funeral arrangements for Quirin?” Eugene asked softly. “I don’t know if it’s our place, but I know if I were in Varian’s position, I’d—”
“It’s not her job, Fitzherbert,” Cassandra cut in. “That’s something the king should take responsibility for.”
“He’s not going to!” Rapunzel snapped suddenly. “You didn’t see the way he was acting when I brought Quirin up. I’m almost… no. I am positive that something happened between the two of them, and I have a feeling it was something bad. The last thing he’d want to do right now is draw attention to Quirin’s passing. Especially if he considers himself responsible.”

Eugene, Cassandra, and Lance looked back and forth between one another.
“Do you consider him responsible, Princess?” Lance asked timidly.
Rapunzel angrily wiped a tear from her face. “I don’t know,” she answered slowly. “But I know Varian does.”
Cassandra folded her arms close to her chest and exhaled shakily. “I’m just glad he doesn’t blame himself. It was terrible. Seeing him like that. Varian. When we traveled to his house after he came to you during the storm. I’d never seen anything like it, and there was nothing I could do. ”
Rapunzel pulled her friend into a hug. She said nothing, just gave her a consoling squeeze on the arm before Cassandra started walking down the hall towards the guard tower.

“I think I’m going to go to bed,” said Rapunzel gloomily. She leaned over to give Eugene a gentle kiss on the cheek before turning around and walking in the opposite direction.
“I’ll be there in a little bit,” Eugene called after her. “So we can talk.”
“That’s okay,” she answered without looking back. “I don’t really want to talk right now. Goodnight, Eugene.”
“Night.”
Eugene’s brain swam, desperately searching for the ability to decide what his next course of action would be, but to no avail. For three minutes, he stood there in silence, unable to take a step or form words.

“Buddy,” Lance finally spoke. “You look like you need to talk. How about we go sit down somewhere?”

-

“He’s so cute! Can we keep him?”
Eugene fell backwards onto his bed with an exhausted sigh, then abruptly sat back up after fully realizing what Lance had just said.
“What? Who? Varian?”
Lance nodded excitedly.
“Lance, he’s a human being, not a puppy,” Eugene responded coolly. “And this isn’t exactly a happy time for him. Or for any of us.” He looked over and saw tears welling up in the other man’s eyes. “Dear God, Lance…”
“I know, I know. He’s just so… so small. So fragile. ” He paused, sitting down beside his friend and putting an arm around him. “And the little guy really likes hanging around you and the princess.”
“He does.”
Lance cleared his throat. “I don’t know if this is the right time to ask, but you… you wouldn’t happen to know why he… well, why he kind of freaked out when you introduced me to him, would you?”
“Oh… yeah, that. I think it might be because you kind of reminded him of his father.”
“Uh-huh…” Lance furrowed his brow. “I mean, how could I not? We look so much alike. Tall, pale, and graying up top…”
Eugene allowed himself to smile slightly despite himself. “Not like that, dumbass. When I asked him earlier, he said your silhouettes are similar; that you carry yourselves the same way, I guess. He likes you, though.”
“Oh. I’m glad.”

The pair was quiet for a moment.
“I can’t stop thinking about what Cass said. I can only imagine how hard it must have been on you. Telling him, I mean.”
Eugene shrugged. As quickly as it appeared, his smile had vanished, and he was suddenly blinking back his own tears. He had initially resisted, but finally gave into Lance’s friendly embrace before quickly uttering an answer. “Uh, y-yeah. That’s one word for it.”
“I remember you telling me that he had a head injury. Did he remember anything? About that night?”
“I don’t know. He was really out of it; the poor kid was the sickest I’ve ever seen anybody before. He said he didn’t, but it’s hard to tell.”
Another beat of companionable silence blanketed the room for a little over a minute.
Lance shook his head. “But you want to. I know you want to.”
“What?”
“You want him to stay.”
“I do.” Eugene found himself speaking the words before he was completely aware of them. “I know Rapunzel does too, but she doesn’t understand just how messy the system is. I refuse to let Varian suffer any more than he already has.”
“You don’t want him to go through what we did. Of course, you feel that way.”
Tightness rose in his chest, and Eugene’s walls started to crumble even more. He brushed a stray tear from his cheek and raked his hands through his hair. “Exactly! I know we talk a big game, but… but sometimes…”
“It was hell,” concluded Lance. “Buddy, I’m right there with you. It’s not right how Corona just lets this sort of thing happen to kids who don’t have anywhere else to go. I know I don’t know him like you do, but if we have to fight to keep Varian here, I’m more than willing to fight with you. Especially after… after Angry and Red.”

That did it.
Everything that he had been holding in since the night Maximus returned to the castle without the king and queen was finally burst out, and Eugene buried his face in his hands and sobbed while Lance sat beside him.
He didn’t know when it happened, but sometime between their first visit to Old Corona and the events of the last few days, Eugene had changed. He never cared very much for kids before, but spending time with Varian and especially with Angry and Red was like being forced to stare into a mirror that reflected back his own childhood.
And it hurt. It hurt so see the same cycle of neglect, suffering, and descent into a life of crime continue to manifest in a new generation of Corona’s orphans. And like Lance said, he was willing to do whatever it takes to prevent the same fate from stealing Varian’s future, like it nearly stole his own.

“Look, man,” Lance said finally, patting Eugene on the shoulder, “I don’t know much, but I know that if anyone can make some good out of a situation like this, it’s you.”
Eugene looked up slowly. “I-I know. I know Rapunzel and I will figure something out, but I… I’m just so tired. I haven’t gotten much sleep since that night we took the search party out to look for the king and queen. I mean, I had to prepare myself for a reality where we didn’t find them… or worse, one where we did. There’s everything that’s been going on with the black rocks and now with Varian… and I… I haven’t stopped thinking about the girls since they left.”
“I know.”
“How could you possibly know that?”

Lance went red in the face, and an unfamiliar quality entered his voice; it was a mix of frustration and heartbreak that Eugene had only ever heard once before. “Because I haven’t stopped thinking about them either! Why do you think I haven’t left the castle yet? And it’s not just because the princess lets me stay here rent free.”
He stared daggers at Eugene for a moment, then allowed his face to crumble when he saw the realization set into his eyes.

Eugene sighed, cursing himself internally as the memory came rushing back.
It all happened so quickly. The two of them were only a little younger than Varian, but had made plans to run; hoping to realize the childhood dream of becoming daring rogues like Flynn Rider. Days before they intended to leave, word had broken that Lance was to be adopted, foiling the boys’ plan in its entirety. Not even a week later, the offer was rescinded, and the two left the orphanage for good, but not before Lance swore that when he grew up, he’d adopt any child that needed him.
“You’re waiting for them to come back,” Eugene said finally. “Lance… I’m so sorry. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own feelings—”
“Eugene,” Lance cut in, “How could you not? Like you just said, there is so much going on.”
“I didn’t realize how much they meant to you. How much they mean to you.”
“You mean like how much Varian means to you?”

Chapter Text

Varian’s eyes fluttered open, and he aggressively yanked off the quilt Rapunzel had tightly wrapped around him. Still waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he felt around on the bed until he found Ruddiger, then picked him up and held him to his chest.
A street lamp flicked on outside the window, sending a streak of light into the room. Varian sat up and looked around, stopping abruptly when his eyes landed on the framed portrait of King Frederic hanging up on the wall a few feet away from the bed.
“You…” Varian grumbled under his breath, narrowing his eyes at the king’s unblinking stare. He paused, slightly taken aback by how rough he sounded, but also somewhat impressed by the quality of his tired and cold-ridden voice. He sounded mature and angry and rugged, like he had been through hell. Because he had.

Varian slowly climbed out of bed, letting Ruddiger leap out of his lap. Legs that didn’t feel like his own carried him across the room to the desk, where Rapunzel had left a glass of water for him. After taking a drink, he paused to look around. Rapunzel had cleared away most of the art supplies she previously kept there to make room for Varian’s things, but there was still one glass jar sitting in the corner containing a few essentials: pencils, pens, ink, a pair of scissors, and a letter opener with the words ‘King Frederic of Corona’ inscribed onto the handle.
“You…”
In a moment of pure hatred, Varian snatched the letter opener from the jar and raced back over to the king’s portrait, driving the point of the tool straight through the canvas and ripping it down the center. Then on the left side. On the right side. Across the top and bottom edges. Through the king’s crown. Then right across Frederic’s neck.

After doubling over to catch his breath, Varian inched backwards to take a proper look at his work. The canvas was completely shredded, so much so that it no longer resembled Frederic at all. The letter opener clattered to the floor as his arms went limp.
Tears started rolling down his cheeks, and Varian threw himself back onto the bed. Destroying the portrait was supposed to be cathartic. It was supposed to help him release at least some of the fury and despair he was holding onto. But it didn’t. It wasn’t enough.
It was becoming harder by the minute to push down the anger. Things were supposed to get better after leaving Old Corona. Rapunzel, Eugene, Cassandra, and Lance were being so kind to him. It was supposed to be enough. Varian knew it had only been a day since he received confirmation of his father’s death, but he was supposed to be grieving, not scheming.

But he couldn’t help it. Varian just hated him. He wanted him to grovel and beg him for forgiveness, and Varian wanted to refuse. He would relish in refusing to forgive him. He wanted him to be tortured by his decisions, to live in shame and regret, to live in fear. Fear of what Varian might do if he ever pissed him off. King Frederic deserved to suffer.

Sensing his distress, Ruddiger leapt back onto the bed and trotted in a circle before settling into a spot and nuzzling his snout against Varian’s shoulder.
After taking a moment to scream bloody murder into one of the pillows, Varian flopped onto his back and laid there in silence for about a minute before rolling over and giving the raccoon a few gentle pats.
“I-I’m going to make him pay,” he whispered. “I don’t know how, Ruddiger, but he’s going to pay.”

-

“Well done, lads, you’ve bested me again.”

Stan sighed heavily as he handcuffed the young thief. “Rottewange, it’s four in the morning, and we’re all tired. So, please, stop talking.”
The blond boy just smirked.
“What?”
“We’ve run into each other nearly a dozen times now. Don’t you think we ought to be on a first name basis? Stan?”
“How did you even get back into Corona, Hugo?” demanded another guard. “I thought you were serving community service in Vardaros.”
“I was… but then I got bored. So, I hitched a ride on a trade caravan bound for Equis. And well, I made the rest of the way on foot from there. You know how lazy they are about patrolling those borders.” Hugo paused, pretending to be lost in thought before breaking into a smug smile. “Come to think of it, so are you, considering how I was able to waltz right back into Corona.”
He adjusted his round glasses and turned a sly grin over at the group of guards that stood on his right. “Any questions?”

“I’ve got one.”
The captain of the guard marched up to the commotion and thrust a finger right between Hugo’s eyes. “What were you doing at a location closed for investigation?”
“A crime scene?” Hugo questioned, lacing his voice with faux innocence as he pushed the captain’s hand away. “I am a thief, you know. You’re going to have to be a bit more specific.”
“Not a crime scene. The house. In Old Corona. Did you not see the signage stating that it was under royal investigation?”
“That empty one? With the lab? What happened there? Place was a bloody mess…”
“That’s none of your concern!” The captain barked. “What did you take from that lab?”
Hugo shook his head, his cheeky expression unwavering. “You see, captain, that’s none of your concern. You have every right not to explain yourself to me, but don’t expect me to explain myself to you.”

The guards passed a collectively weary expression amongst one another. Hugo Rottewange had been a pain in Corona’s side for nearly a year. No one knew where he came from, but one day, he just appeared, and suddenly, keeping him off the streets became the guards’ main objective. The captain especially had developed a particularly strong dislike for him given how much his antics reminded him of Flynn Rider at that age.
“Just forget it,” the captain snapped, waving an arm dismissively. “Put him away. I can’t argue with him right now. There’s too much going on.”
He stormed off, peeling off his helmet to anxiously run his hands through his hair.

“He seems more uptight than usual,” Hugo observed, not bothering to resist as the guards started to lead him off towards the castle prison. “As do the lot of you, actually. What the hell is going on?”
Pete sighed. “Hugo, please. We are under strict orders from the king not to discuss this matter with anyone. So just… stop asking.”
“Why would you tell him that?” Stan chastised.
“I didn’t tell him anything, just that we aren’t allowed to discuss it!”
“That’s only going to make him more suspicious!”
Hugo turned over his shoulder and grinned at Pete. “He’s not wrong, you know.”
“Shut up.”

-

“What in the world?” Rapunzel didn’t intend to scream, but the words tumbled out of her mouth before she could think about how loud she was being.
“Blondie!”
“Rapunzel!”
Eugene and Cassandra came rushing over and awkwardly pushed each other through the doorway before coming to stand on either side of her.
Cassandra had a hand on the grip of her sword, but slowly released it as she took in the scene in front of them.
“Uh…”
Ruddiger sat on the ground in front of what used to be King Frederic’s portrait, batting around pieces of canvas.

“Rapunzel,” Eugene began slowly. “What exactly happened here?”
“Looks like Varian’s pet shredded up the portrait,” Cass said, reaching down to grab a piece of torn canvas from the ground. “Somehow.”
“Do raccoons have sharp enough claws to do that?”
“They do,” Rapunzel answered, crouching down beside Ruddiger and giving him a few pats on the head. “And they can climb relatively high and jump a decent distance, so it’s not impossible for him to get up to where the portrait was.”
“Are there any scratches on the wall?” Eugene pressed.
Cassandra stepped around the commotion and ran her hand over the wall around the frame. “Yeah, a few. It’s likely that the raccoon jumped from either the bed or that little stool,” she paused and gestured to it, “and got its claws stuck in the canvas—”
“—shredding it up before Varian was able to get him down,” Rapunzel concluded.
Eugene nodded slowly. “That makes sense… but why would Ruddiger be leaping onto the painting in the first place?”

“What are you saying?” Rapunzel frowned. “You don’t think Varian did this on purpose, do you?”
“No, I don’t,” he answered quickly. “I just… worry. Even if the portrait was destroyed overnight, how did he not notice it when he woke up? It’s literally impossible to miss when you’re standing at a certain angle.”
“He probably didn’t—and still doesn’t care,” Cass replied. “You said he’s upset with your father, right?” She turned to Rapunzel, who nodded in nervous agreement. “So, if he saw that his pet ruined something of his, he probably didn’t think twice about it. Yes, it would be the right thing to do, but Varian isn’t obligated to say anything.”

Rapunzel’s eyes went wide. “Oh, the poor thing! Varian probably thinks that we’d be angry with him if we found out. I can’t blame him. I don’t know what I’d be feeling if I was in his shoes.”
“I mean, I know what I’d do,” Eugene muttered.
Cass scoffed. “That has nothing to do with this situation, Fitzherbert. Varian isn’t you. I know he idolizes Flynn Rider or whatever, but he’s not you. I also have doubts about this mess, but quit projecting. It’s not helpful.”
“Eugene,” Rapunzel interjected softly. “I understand your concerns, but this is Varian we’re talking about. He’s probably feeling all the feelings right now, but he wouldn’t do something like this.”
He sighed. “I guess.”

“Where is Varian, anyway?” Cassandra asked, reaching down to collect the rest of the canvas scraps.
“Lance took him into town. Figured some sweets from Uncle M—” Eugene cut himself off upon noticing Rapunzel’s eye twitch and quickly corrected himself. “—Monty’s shop might cheer him up. I also thought Xavier would be a good resource for him regarding his alchemy and inventions and stuff.”
Rapunzel sighed. “That was a nice idea.”
She crouched down and gently scooped Ruddiger into her arms. “I think we should let this little guy outside. The fresh air will do him some good after being cooped up inside, and the more energy he spends roaming around, the less likely he is to do something like this again.” She turned to leave, then stopped. “Bummer about my dad’s portrait though.” A small smile tugged at the edge of her lips.

Eugene and Cassandra exchanged a puzzled glance.
“Right… Sunshine, I’m right behind you. Just going to clean up,” Eugene called after her. He watched her shadow disappear down the hallway before turning to Cassandra in a mild panic.
“Okay… so, uh, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Cass snorted. “I hope not.” She paused, the insult forming in the back of her throat melting away. With a reluctant sigh, she folded her arms and turned a genuinely expectant look over at Eugene. “What is it?”
“Hah… uh, did Rapunzel seem off to you just now?”
“If by off, you mean angry, then yeah. She has a right to be. The king is being a stubborn ass about this whole situation. I’ll admit that it’s a little weird to see her act so spiteful and petty, but I think it’d be weirder if she pretended everything is okay right now. Cause it’s not.”

“But…” Eugene still wasn’t satisfied. “But did she seem to be in denial about anything? About anyone?”
A wave of annoyance rushed over Cassandra, another snippy remark piecing itself together in her mind. “What do you mean ‘in denial?’ Spit it out, Fitzherbert.”
He wrung his hands. “Well, I mean…”
“Dammit, Eugene, what is it?”
The words came out all at once. “So, you and I both know that raccoon didn’t shred that portrait up on its own.”
Cass stared back at him blankly. “Obviously.” She bent down and reached for something under the bed. “I saw this as soon as we walked in.”
“A letter opener?” Eugene stared at the object held up in front of him. “…And it’s got the king’s name engraved into it.” Then the panic returned. “If you knew, why didn’t you say anything to Rapunzel?”
“Why didn’t you? Did you not just say that you were thinking the same thing?”
“Yes, thinking! I was thinking that it might have been intentional. You noticed actual evidence to prove it, and still tried to shut me down when I brought the question up to Rapunzel.”

“Listen, it doesn’t matter,” said Cassandra with a sigh. “It’s not like Rapunzel was going to take that news well from either of us. We have to be thoughtful in how we approach this.”
“I hate to say it, but you’re right.” Eugene shuddered. “God, I hate to say it!”
Cass rolled her eyes. “Can you focus? What exactly are our options here?”
Eugene shrugged. “I don’t know, Cassandra! This is a first for me, too, you know.”
“Well, we could tell Rapunzel, confront Varian directly…”
“…Yes?”
“That’s all I got. I definitely don’t think we should let anyone else in on it, or Varian could get in serious trouble. All I do know is that we have to nip this in the bud right now, before he takes things to another level.”
Eugene swallowed hard. “He wouldn’t…”
“We don’t know that. I know you’re like, his muse or whatever, which is a red flag in and of itself, but we don’t know him. He could be planning something drastic as we speak.”
“…How drastic?”

-

Hugo tossed and turned on the cot in his prison cell, bored out of his mind.
“Staaan,” he called, banging on the wall, “Can you bring me some coffee?”
Stan dragged his feet over to the cell. “You know I can’t do that, Rottewange. Prisoners just get water. You can request it be hot or cold, but it’ll always be water.”
With a huff, Hugo stood up and leaned against the cell door, abandoning his pitiful act entirely.
“All right, you mindless… spineless… droid. How’s about you let me out of here for everything I took from the lab in Old Corona? And I told you to drop the formalities. Let’s not pretend you respect me in the slightest.”
“No. I am not falling for this a third time.”
“Given that you’ve fallen for it twice, can you really blame me for asking?”
Stan stared back at him blankly.
“Worth a shot. What if…” he switched into a sing-songy voice. “I'll tell you what I took from the lab if you tell me what you know~!”
“Not. Happening.”
Hugo sighed heavily. “Can we at least negotiate my sentencing? Or am I just meant to rot in here?”
“Hugo, stop talking as though you’re on death row,” another guard grumbled as he walked by. “You’re serving a mere ten days.”
“It was only supposed to be a week,” interjected a different guard, “until you got mouthy with the captain.”

“The captain?” Hugo laughed. “He couldn’t care less what happens to me. He’s just pissy ‘cause he never managed to land a permanent hit on Flynn Rider.”
“Well, I can’t argue with you there, kid.” The guards took a collective step back as none other than Flynn Rider himself stepped up to the cell and leaned beside the door. He sighed. “Come on out, kid, I know you’ve had that lock picked for almost an hour.”
Hugo grinned and pushed open the cell door with a hip, unable to resist flipping Stan, still collecting his jaw from the floor, the bird.
“I’ll talk to him, boys,” Eugene assured the guards. “I think we’ll be able to come to an agreement.”
“Whatever,” a tall guard replied with a sigh. “Do what you have to do. As long as we don’t have to deal with him anymore.”
Eugene watched them leave before turning his attention to Hugo, who had taken to staring at his own reflection in a jug of water sitting on a nearby shelf.

“So, you’re Flynn Rider, eh?” After tiring of staring at himself, Hugo looked Eugene up and down, puffing out his chest a bit to appear taller. “Gotta say, never fancied a bloke like you the princely type.”
Eugene crouched down slightly. It wasn’t at all necessary, but he did enjoy watching the younger thief’s expression go from smug, to indignant, to absolutely enraged.
“Don’t talk down to me! I’m no child,” Hugo snapped.
“I haven’t even said anything yet!” Eugene argued. “Sheesh. I was going to say how impressed I am, but…” he shook his head with feigned disappointment, “I guess you don’t want to hear that.”

Hugo scoffed and tossed his mop of messy blond hair. “I didn’t say that.” He smirked. “I guess it is pretty impressive. You know, my exploits.”
Eugene nodded knowingly. “I had to meet the guy who’s got the captain so riled up. I’ve gotta say, you’re starting to become a consistent headache for him, Hugo Rottewange. That’s quite an achievement.”
“Oh, well…” Hugo brightened, his ego obviously boosted by Eugene’s praise. He paused, waiting for another compliment, then his smile dropped upon realizing that there would be no further flattery. “What do you want, Rider?”
“Actually, it’s Eugene. Eugene Fitzherbert.”
“Gesundheit.”
Eugene rolled his eyes. “How original. Never heard that one before.”
“Wait, you were being serious? Eugene Fitzherbert is your actual name?”
“Yep.”
“That is mad. I’m so sorry to hear that. What are you, some kind of feudal lord?”
“Can we stop talking about my name? I know it’s not the most…” Eugene physically recoiled with the next phrase, “... not the most attractive name out there. I’ve finally accepted it, and I don’t need some kid tearing me to pieces over it, get me?”
Hugo chucked. “Hit a nerve, I see.”
“Please! Work with me here!”
“All right, sorry.”

“Thank you.” Eugene exhaled sharply. “Now, I have a proposition for you. Instead of spending the next ten days in a cell, I’ve decided to give you another option.”
“Please no community service, please no community service…” Hugo mumbled to himself.
“Community service!”
“Damn.”
“Not mucking out stalls or something like that. This is a different kind of community service. Punishment has nothing to do with it.”
Hugo raised an eyebrow. “Go on…”
“I know you broke into the house in Old Corona. The one with the lab?” Eugene waited for Hugo to nod. “Right. I don’t really care what you took from there, as long as it wasn’t one of those jars of—”
“—it was just a toolbox, I swear.”
“Great. I don’t care. The thing is… something bad happened there. There was a freak alchemy accident, and… now the princess and I are taking care of an orphaned kid not that much younger than you.” He paused. “How old are you again?”
“Fifteen,” Hugo replied, “But I’ve heard I could pass for eighteen in some context—”
“Fifteen! Got it. So, this kid, Varian, doesn’t really know anybody his own age. He kind of grew up secluded in that lab, and I was wondering if you might…”

“Hang on, what kind of community service is this? I don’t babysit!” Hugo crossed his arms. “I’m a serious criminal.”
Eugene tried to hide a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He really did see so much of his younger self in this young thief. “It’s either this or you stay here. Besides, he’s like, a year younger than you. I’m not asking you to babysit.”
“Why?” demanded Hugo.
“Because I…” Eugene felt uneasy speaking the words, but he didn't stop himself. “I don’t trust him to be alone right now. I’m worried he might do something.”
“Wait, you want me to hang around to stop him if he tries to toss himself out a window? I’m confused.”
“Hugo, no!” Eugene drew in a breath to re-collect himself before continuing. “Good grief. I just think… I think the two of you could do each other some good. Look, you don’t have to do it, but… just trust me. I have a feeling you have more in common than you think.”
Hugo ran his fingers through his bangs and groaned impatiently. “...Fine.”

Chapter Text

Varian stared purposelessly out of his bedroom window, the wind whipping at his hair as he leaned forward to rest his chin on the windowsill. He wished he could feel something, anything other than the burning hatred that he had somehow managed to subdue for the past few days. It hasn’t been easy.
The kindness of Princess Rapunzel and her friends seemed to know no bounds. Every day, it seemed like they had new sweets for him to try, people for him to meet, or other activities they devised to distract him from his grief. It was genuinely comforting at first, but Varian has come to dread the walks into town with Lance, picnics with Rapunzel, and reading The Tales of Flynn Rider with Eugene. Cassandra didn’t hang around him too much, but Varian imagined that even her presence would grow irksome after a while.
A particularly strong and icy blast of wind sent a red-faced and runny-nosed Varian retreating back into the room. Even though he had almost nearly gotten over his cold, he was still relatively frail. He fastened the window shut and slumped down against the wall, his thoughts returning to the princess and her friends.

He isn’t used to this. Quirin was a decent parent. He was a bit unsure of himself, stoic and strict, caring but distant, and above all, practically impossible to read. For the most part, Varian didn’t mind his father’s aloofness. Being as curious of a child he was, the independence was freeing, and even though Quirin wasn’t terribly attentive, Varian knew he was loved, despite not always hearing it straight from the source.
Princess Rapunzel, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of Quirin. Quirin was a good man, but a man of very few words, especially when it came to personal or emotional matters. Rapunzel and her friends are almost painfully emotional and earnest. Cassandra less so, but the rest of them certainly make up for her level-headed and solitary nature.
Lance can’t spend five minutes with Varian without letting him know how cute, smart, or little he thinks he is; Eugene tenses up whenever they spend time together, as though he’s afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting Varian; and Rapunzel’s already fiercely caring personality is exacerbated by Varian’s circumstances. The last seven times the two of them spoke, she ended the conversation by offering Varian a cupcake and a joint therapy session with herself and the royal physician, both of which were routinely declined.
It was all so strange. It was all so new. It was terrible.

Varian doesn’t want to feel better. He doesn't want to be distracted from his rage and despair with pastries and inventing apprenticeships (although his conversation with Xavier was very enjoyable). He wants to hate. No amount of spoiling from the princess would be able to suppress, resolve, or deter him from the war path his brain was silently fixed on. He knew it wasn’t the most rational mindset, but Varian wants King Frederic to hurt. He needs him to hurt. He just has to figure out the best course of action.

At first, Varian assumed that he couldn’t realistically get away with pulling another stunt like shredding the king’s portrait, but its destruction was shockingly a mere afterthought to Rapunzel. She gently reprimanded him about letting Ruddiger run wild around the castle and destroy things, but the object of destruction didn’t seem to matter to her at all.
It was easy. Too easy. If no one cared, why couldn’t he take things a step further? He was able to learn from conversations occurring around him that even Queen Ariana is quite upset with the king, so much so that outside of their royal duties and responsibilities, they are barely speaking to one another.

It’s a sign.
He could take things a step further.
Quirin is dead. King Frederic is responsible. Those are the facts of the matter. Tearing up a canvas that he likely doesn’t yet know or even care about at all is not enough.
Varian wasn’t sure what it would be, but he was certain and steadfast that the king deserved everything coming to him and more.

-

Hugo sat at a bench in the courtyard, mindlessly flipping through his leather-backed sketchbook and stewing. He stared at the mug of coffee Not-Flynn-Rider left for him, watching the steam twist up into the air and disappear.
“Stupid community service,” he muttered to himself. “Don’t know why I ever agreed to it.”
He paused to take a long sip from the mug, then rather aggressively placed it back down onto the arm of the bench, splashing a few droplets onto the ground. “And that…” he cleared his throat, “Is the crappiest cup of coffee I have ever tried.”

Hugo let out a deep sigh and leaned back, letting his head hang back over the edge of the bench. He sat in silence for over a minute, but the boredom was starting to eat away at the very little patience he had left. Although he knew it was inherently juvenile, and that it would damage his reputation as a serious criminal if anyone saw, Hugo balled his hands at his sides and kicked at the ground for a few seconds.
He relished in the release for a moment, but stopped short after he hit something too heavy and warm to be grass.

“The hell?” Hugo scrambled up onto the bench, staring daggers at the plump raccoon that had made itself comfortable in a patch of grass at the edge of the bench’s front legs. It noticed Hugo’s sudden movements and chittered anxiously, but instead of running off, the raccoon stood up on its hind legs and pawed at the bench mere inches from Hugo.
“Go on…” Hugo urged, gesturing in the opposite direction, “Go on, get out of here.” He waited for the critter to comply, but when it started to climb up onto the bench beside him, Hugo could only think of one thing to do.
“Agh! Are you serious? I told you… to get… off…!” With a grunt of effort and just enough force not to cause it any injury, Hugo kicked the raccoon off of the side of the bench and a foot or so away, knocking his coffee mug over in the process.
“Spectacular.” Hugo huffed impatiently and leaned over to collect the mug, not bothering to pick the blades of grass out of the few inches of coffee remaining inside.

“Hey!”
Hugo snapped his head around at the shout, and he squinted at the figure awkwardly approaching from the opposite direction. As they got closer, Hugo identified that their gaze was fixated on the raccoon and not him, so he turned his attention back to the sketchbook he had set aside a few minutes prior.
Still, he couldn’t bring himself to fully ignore the scene unfolding before him. He peeked over the edge of his sketchbook as the figure, a scrawny boy with short black hair and round blue eyes, sped past him and knelt down beside the raccoon, which was cowering beside a bush. Hugo felt a twang of guilt for kicking the poor creature, but that guilt quickly turned to horror as the boy lifted it into his lap and began to dote on it as though it were a house cat, speaking to it softly and giving it gentle pets. Eventually, he let it jump down and stood up, but the raccoon followed closely behind each step the boy took.
Hugo tried to avert his eyes from the rather pathetic display, but the sound of approaching footsteps and the irritated look the boy donned as soon as he started back in Hugo’s direction was confirmation that this interaction was inevitable.

“You know, you really shouldn’t touch those things.”
“I know what you did.”
Hugo and the black-haired boy stared at each other, both annoyed at having spoken at the same time.
Just as he was about to open his mouth, Hugo stood up and wagged a finger at the shorter boy before repeating his statement. “Raccoons, you shouldn’t play with them.”
The black-haired boy just stared up at him blankly.
“They carry stuff, you know… like… like, diseases. They’re not house pets.”
After still not receiving a response, Hugo folded his arms and rolled his eyes. “What is it, short stack? Or do you just like wasting people’s time?”

Finally, he spoke. “I-I…I know what you did.”
“Sorry?”
“I saw you kick Ruddiger,” the boy clarified. “You kicked him so hard he got the wind knocked out of him! And, for your information, yes, he is a house pet. Fully domesticated.”
Hugo just shook his head.
“Well?”
“That thing’s a bloody hazard.”
“Is not!”
“Is too!”
“Is not!”
“Is that so?” Hugo chuckled incredulously. “Look at the state of you, man! I’d say whatever disease that little beast transmitted has already done quite a bit of damage.”
The boy narrowed his eyes at Hugo. “The ‘state of me’? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Kid, you really ought to look in a mirror. Because if you’re telling me you always look this… disheveled, you really ought to fire the guy that cuts your hair.”

“Listen!”
Hugo watched as the boy’s tone quickly shifted from irritation to meek desperation.
“I’m having the worst month of my life, and the last thing I need is you bothering me or my emotional support animal, okay?”
Still, he couldn’t let go of spite. “Emotional support animal? Come off it! He was the one bothering me, and if he does it again, you’re going to need a life support animal, got me, goggles?”
To hammer the point in, Hugo rapped on the rim of the goggles sitting atop the boy’s messy black hair. He stared at him with a satisfied smirk, but reluctantly softened when he noticed the pained look in his eyes.
“Look, I didn’t mean to hurt him or anything. Just keep him out of my sight, alright? I’m not the biggest fan of animals.”

The black-haired boy nodded slowly, his eyes still angry. “Whatever.” He paused. “I haven’t seen you around before. Are you new to Corona?”
Hugo grinned, eager to finally have someone to boast to. “You could say that. You’ve never heard of me? No?”
“No.”
“Well,” Hugo ran a hand through his bangs and posed. “I’m Hugo. Hugo Rottewange.”
The boy shrugged.
“Nothing, really? You’ve never heard of Hugo Rottenwange? The…thief…?”
“Nope.”
“Seriously? They say I’m this generation’s Flynn Rider.”
“And who is ‘they’?”
Hugo scoffed. “…people.”
“If you say so.”

Without waiting for a response, the boy picked up Ruddiger, turned on his heels, and started to walk off.
“Wait!” Hugo called after him. “I told you who I am, so who are you?”
Not even bothering to look at him, the boy slowly and deliberately tipped over Hugo’s coffee mug as he walked past. “Nobody important.”

-

“Hey, uh, Rapunzel?” Cassandra lightly rapped on the princess’ bedroom door before entering. “Can I talk to you about something?”
Rapunzel looked up from the easel she was working at and smiled warmly. “Sure!” She tucked her paintbrush behind her ear and motioned for Cassandra to sit on the ground beside her. “What is it?”
Cassandra obliged and awkwardly sat cross-legged across from Rapunzel. “Okay. So, it’s about—”
“—It’s about Varian, isn’t it,” Rapunzel concluded.
“How did you know?”
“Ever since we brought him here, he’s all anybody has been talking about.”
Cass sighed heavily. “Yeah. Uh… so, there’s something you need to know about him. Do you remember what happened to your father’s portrait? The one that was stored in the room he’s staying in?”
Rapunzel nodded. “Uh-huh. Ruddiger shredded it up, didn’t he?”
“Well, no. No, he didn’t.” Cassandra reached into the satchel that hung across her body and pulled out a small thin object wrapped in a lace handkerchief. She extended a hand to Rapunzel, who looked on expectantly. “Take it.”
“What is it?”
“Open it and see.”
Rapunzel slowly unfolded the fabric and picked up the tool. “It’s my father’s letter opener.”
Cassandra nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“I… I don’t understand.”
“Really?”
She winced. “Sorry.”
Cass snorted. “You’re really gonna make me say it.” She rolled her eyes. “Rapunzel, Ruddiger didn’t tear up the king’s portrait. Varian did. I saw that letter opener under the bed when we went into the room that day.”

Rapunzel’s heart sank into her stomach. “ I can’t believe he would—” She paused and sighed deeply. “…No, that’s not true. I can believe it. It… It actually doesn’t surprise me that would do something like that. I should have been smarter. He blames my father for what happened to Quirin, and completely freaks out whenever I so much as bring him up.”
Cassandra shook her head. “That’s what Eugene and I were worried about—”
“Eugene?” A small frown tugged at the corner of Rapunzel’s lips. “Wait, Eugene knew about this and he didn’t say anything?”
“Look, he wanted to tell you. We both did, but we didn’t know how. We weren’t sure how you’d react.”
“I know.”
“Anyway, I was saying that we’re concerned that Varian might do something like that again.” Cass bit her lip, unsure of how Rapunzel would respond to her next statement. “I… I think he might do something more drastic.”
Rapunzel swallowed hard. “Drastic how?”
Cassandra wouldn’t look at her.

Another wave of unease washed over Rapunzel. “Cassandra, no.” She shuddered, then folded her hands in her lap. “You’re reading too much into this. Varian…” Tears started forming in her eyes. “Varian’s not capable of doing anything… drastic.”
“Raps, we don’t know that,” Cassandrs said softly.
“Varian and I trust each other! Besides… he’s just a little boy. He wouldn’t do that.”
“Rapunzel,” Cassandra tried to be patient. “I know this isn’t exactly pleasant news, but we have to be realistic. He probably wouldn’t do anything drastic in a normal situation, but grief can drive people to make poor choices.”
The princess was silent.
“I know he’s just a kid, but we saw just how destructive he could be the first time we visited Old Corona. And he wasn’t even trying! I just want you to be prepared for a reality where we might have to face that possibility.”

Rapunzel nodded solemnly, Varian’s words from the night she told him about Quirin repeating in her mind.

“The king knew about the rocks! He lied to you and he lied to me! He lied to everyone! It’s his fault my father’s—It’s all his fault. It should have been him!”

“Rapunzel!”
She didn’t realize that Cassandra had a hand on her shoulder and was gently shaking her.
“Oh. Sorry. I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
She still believed wholeheartedly that if Varian did ever take things to the extreme, she’d be able to talk him down, but Rapunzel knew that she’d be lying if she told herself that there wasn’t a possibility that things might get to that point.
“About how you might be right.”

-

“Hey, little buddy, Eugene’s got something to show you.” Lance peeked his head through Varian’s doorway, only to find him on the floor, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. “Uh, Varian…? What’re you doing?”
“Recharging my social battery,” Varian replied matter-of-factly. “I think I met the most annoying person on earth earlier today.”
“Oh?”
Varian rolled over onto his side and sat up. “He’s the worst,” he sighed and rubbed at his forehead. “I’m completely exhausted just from interacting with him for the few minutes that I did.”
Lance chuckled and sat down on the floor beside Varian. “You didn’t get out much when you lived in Old Corona, did you?”
“No.” Varian let his hands fall at his sides. “I mean, I didn’t want to. I had my routine. My alchemy. My Da—” A sharp pain in his heart prevented him from completing the statement, but not before Varian started to tear up.

Lance dropped his gaze, instantly remembering the assignment he received from Rapunzel and Eugene a week prior. He knew from the very first night they brought him to Corona that things would never be the same for them. For all of them.
He had always intended to be as kind as he possibly could to Varian, but the more comfortable Varian became with them, the more likely it is that he’d answer the questions Rapunzel was planning to ask him about what he knows about the black rocks, or whether Quirin knew more than he was letting on.
The past week was full of moments just like this one, with Varian nearly shutting down at the mention of his father. It was clear that he still wasn’t ready to talk about it, let alone answer any of Rapunzel’s questions.

Varian stared at Lance with a puzzled expression, then drew in a deep breath before continuing. “I… Well, I-I kept myself busy. Besides, Old Corona is a pretty small town. Everyone kind of knew each other, and it’s not like there was anybody else my age there. Plus, all the adults thought I was a nuisance. Not that I blame them. I did blow up the water maine. Multiple times.”
“Ah, I see. So, you’re not used to hanging around people your age.”
Varian laughed weakly. “Try people in general.”

“I bet I can fix that!” Eugene walked up beside Varian and put an arm around him. “I’ve got your surprise right outside.”
“Fix what?” Varian slowly stood up, suddenly a bit nervous.
“Your unfamiliarity with people your own age! I think having someone your own age might help you feel more comfortable. Just ‘cause at some point, Rapunzel, Cass, Lance, and I will have to get back to our normal lives, and won’t be able to be with you all the time. ”
Varian shrugged. “I guess.”
Eugene laughed softly. “Come on, don’t be shy. He’s looking forward to meeting you.”

“Oi! Don’t put words in my mouth, Fitzherbert!”
Before either Eugene or Varian could take a step, a tall blond boy with piercing green eyes strolled into the room. “I’m here because the only other option was to sit in prison for the next ten days. You didn’t exactly give me a choice.”
“Hey now, you said you’d work with me here! Can you at least attempt to be friendly?” Eugene frantically looked between the two boys. “Hugo, this is Varian.”
Varian’s eyes went wide in horror, then narrowed in rage. “You!?!”
Hugo smiled and batted his eyes, taking an obnoxiously long time to place his hands in his pockets in faux bashfulness. “Me!”