Chapter Text
Nobody spoke on the way back to the castle of Corona, the events of the evening having been far too overwhelming. King Fredric and Queen Arianna were both lost in their thoughts, needing some time to recover. How did they come to this ? There was the shock that many lives, including Arianna's and Rapunzel's have been seriously threatened tonight, still strong in their minds. But for the Queen, something else was gnawing at her.
The fourteen-year-old boy had purposely tried to hurt people, and yet, when he had been taken away by the guards, she couldn't help but feel an urge to run after them and ask them to stop. It was wrong, so wrong. Like the King had said once, we can't put children in prison. And yet, this teenager –young, so young – was shackled and put behind bars like any other criminal. For a moment, it didn't matter to her that his actions were wrong. It didn't matter to her that he had committed treason. She had watched him, while she was his prisoner in his lab. His eyes. His eyes were so filled with rage, anger and contempt. A crystal blue stare that made him look so much older than he actually was.
But at times, she was sure she could catch a glimpse of the boy he was, the boy he still might be deep inside. Under all the rage, all the anger, all the contempt, there shimmered doubt, fear, and guilt. This boy, once so loving, so helpful, was never meant to be the bad guy . So how did he become the biggest threat for Corona in years and years ?
When they reached the castle at last, she finally found the courage to speak.
"Dear ?"
"Mmh ?" replied the King absentmindedly.
"What should we do ?"
"You are exhausted, you don't have to worry about anything. I just want you to go to our room and rest so- "
"What about the boy ?"
At these words, the King became silent, lips sealed shut, a frown appearing above his eyes.
"I'll take care of that."
"Why don't you say, I'll take care of him ?"
Another moment of silence. Fredric knew very well what his wife meant, but for the moment, he just wanted her safe behind the castle walls. Away from danger. Away from the boy. He nearly lost her and his daughter, and he just had given permission to the latter to go explore the world, and couldn't protect her himself anymore. So he had to at least make sure Arianna was safe.
"Just go get some rest", he said, separating every word to make it clear, like he was talking to a disobedient child, "anything else is not your concern, Arianna."
But the Queen wasn't going to hear any of that. She didn't want to mention that the mere idea of going back to the very room where she was captured – and didn't really know who her foe was, for all she knew of him was his heavy coat, his mask with big round glasses and his potions that made her feel drowsy and faint. No, this wasn't about her. This was about a boy who went to crazy ends to save his father. That didn't excuse his actions, and it was clear that he would have to answer for those. But still…
She took a deep breath to steady herself.
"So are you just going to send him to the dungeon, after all he has been through ?" she asked the King, meeting his eyes.
Irritated, Fredric opened his mouth, but stopped himself as he knew how stubborn his dear wife could be.
"Look", he managed, "we don't have another solution for now. We all need to take a step back and cool off. Varian isn't going to listen to anyone right now anyway, you know that."
"If I may, your Majesties", said a nasal voice next to them.
It was Nigel. The chamberlain was standing there, straight as could be as usual.
"What is it, Nigel ?" asked the King, slightly embarrassed to have been heard in the middle of an argument between his wife and him.
"You are right, your Highness", said Nigel with a respectful bow, "we all need to rest and to clear up our thoughts. The boy will be kept safe in the dungeons, and we will figure out how to handle his case later."
"Safer… for him or for the rest of the world ?" asked the Queen with a strong look of disapproval on her face. For a reason she couldn't explain, she couldn't bear the thought of Varian locked up in a dark cell.
Nigel just ignored these words as he spoke to the King again.
"I wasn't there on the battlefield, but some soldiers arrived a short time before you, and from what I've heard, you all had a rough evening. This is for the best."
The King looked down for a moment, as if the ground in front of the castle had the most interesting pattern. Then he straightened his back and said :
"Nigel is right, Arianna. None of us can think clearly right now. Besides, you know that the raccoon followed the boy in the cart. Let him keep his pet for the night. Therefore he won't be alone, and I'm sure he can use a good night's sleep."
"If he can get any… " mumbled the Queen under her breath. She felt bad about not being listened to, but she too was exhausted, and for having tried her best to talk to Varian earlier, while they were in the lab, she knew that getting the boy to listen wasn't an easy task.
She reluctantly turned her heels to walk inside the castle, head down, without speaking another word.