Work Text:
The wind was whistling past his ears, and he couldn’t feel his face anymore, but none of that mattered. Varian burst through the door of his home, attempting to simultaneously catch his breath and share the results of his trek back from the castle.
“Dad, I’m back!” He called, shaking snow from his coat and slamming the door against the howling snow. “The princess refused to help, but I--” Varian trailed off as he turned and saw Quirin, completely encased in the yellow solution of Varian’s own making. The world spun underneath his feet as he staggered over what had once been a living, breathing man. Time seemed to slow, and Varian couldn’t swallow around the large lump in his throat, transfixed by the sight of his father.
“Dad? Oh no, no… No, Dad! No, no, no! Dad!” He gasped, pounding his fists in anguish on the unyielding yellow amber. Quirin was frozen, trapped….because of him. The painful realization burned into his heart as he reached up to place a gloved hand over Quirin’s face, sobs ripping from his chest.
“No, no….” Varian crumpled to the ground, oblivious of the cold floor stained with chemical burn marks. The room was silent, broken only by the desperate cries of a broken, desperate boy.
_______________________________________
Varian didn’t know how long he sat there in the shadow of his father, who’d been suspended in the result of Varian’s failure.
“I will get to the bottom of this, Dad.” He managed brokenly, squeezing his eyes shut, then opening them to stare at Quirin’s blank face. “I promise.”
This is your fault. A sinister voice whispered in his head. You’re the reason he’s trapped.
No. He had tried, harder than he’d ever tried in his life to make things right. But it hadn’t been enough. He hadn’t been enough, not this time. That would change soon; he'd make things right, he wouldn’t fail a second time.
“I will make you proud,” Varian continued, wiping a forearm across his streaked face. He knew Quirin couldn’t hear him, but regardless, his feelings boiled over inside of him, spilling into vehement words and frenzied oaths. “I’ll get the answers and set you free. Don’t worry, Dad. Whatever it might take, I will find a way.”
In the midst of his chaotic emotions, one thought lanced through his mind with a clarity he’d sorely lacked the past day. It was Rapunzel. She had broken her promise to help him. She was to blame for this fiasco. It’s all her fault. Varian’s breathing grew heavier and more labored, as he shakily rose to his feet, using the hardened yellow substance to pull himself up.
“And I swear right now, that no matter what comes of me,” He vowed passionately, striking the rock to emphasize his point and ignoring the burst of pain that followed. “Anybody who stands or has stood in my path is going to pay!” The menacing words rang out in the large chamber, echoing off the stone walls with the force of Varian’s wild shout.
The oil lamps, the only source of light in the darkened room, sputtered and cast a deep shadow across the young alchemist’s face. Ruddiger the raccoon crouched underneath a nearby table, frightened by the ominous atmosphere and Varian’s disquieting mood.
Varian had stilled after his heartfelt outburst, and a terrifying calm settled around him like a thick cloak. His eyes were baleful and black, sending shivers down Ruddiger’s furry spine.
The air tensed with electricity, like the quiet moment before disaster strikes and the maelstrom explodes.
Varian tightly curled his fists, feeling his fingernails even through the thick leather gloves.
“They...will...pay.”