Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

King Fredrick stared down at the child before him, a little boy just a few days old. His wife, who held the little one, looked anxiously up at him. They were in their bedchamber, and despite the warm fire, silk covers, and the quietly sleeping baby, the two of them couldn't help but worry.

"Fred, I promise, this time it will be different, we have twice as many guards on patrol, and his crib is in the most secure room we have, we've even kept the entire pregnancy a secret."

He shook his head, gripping her hand tightly.

"But what if it's not enough? We've already lost our daughter, I don't know if I could bear to lose a son as well, look at him!" 

Fred caressed the baby's head in his hand, lingering on the small, but apparent blue stripe in his already long black hair, the same color as Fredrick's.

" If he didn't have hair that was so clearly abnormal, then I wouldn't be concerned, but, I just know he disappear, just like our little girl, and it will be our fault for-"

"For what Fred? We're doing everything we possibly can!" The child shifted, disturbed by his parents talking, perhaps a little too loud. Arianna , lowered her voice to a whisper.

" What would you have us do?"

The king sighed, avoiding her pleading gaze.

" I do have an idea, it has its risks, but I believe it to be for the best."

He hesitated, looking back down at the baby, his son. If they went through with his plan, they would never be the perfect family he had always dreamed about in the early years of his marriage. He had been so niave then. A young man, eager to rule his kingdom, oblivious to the hardships, and struggles that came with the position. He had made countless bad decisions, things he could never reverse, and the whole kingdom had paid for it.

Would they pay for this one as well? 

" The head of Old Corona, my friend Quirin, he, and his wife are without child."

Arianna gasped, "Fredrick! What are you saying? You can't possibly mean-"

"Yes, Arianna, I think it will be the best outcome for everyone. The baby will be kept a secret, he will be safe."

His wife clutched the child closer to herself, burying her face in the blankets wrapped around him.

"My baby.." 

Frederick sighed, " My dear, I know this will be difficult, I have no wish to send him to old Corona either, but at least we would know that he was safe, and had loving parents."

" But they wouldn't be us, Fred, he wouldn't know.."

'' Not at the moment, but when he comes of age, he shall be told his true heritage, and be started in his training. Being the head of the village's son, I expect he will already know much of what he is to learn. Until then, we cannot risk him knowing. Do you understand, my dear?"

Arianna nodded, in her heart of hearts, she knew he was right, this would be the most secure method of keeping her baby safe, his safety was more important than her happiness.

"Alright, Fredrick, if it is what is necessary, then we must do it."

The king nodded, "I will send for Quirin straight away, I expect he will take the child before tomorrow."

Arianna didn't reply, he wasn't sure if she had even heard him.

"I love you, Arianna ." She gave him a small smile.

"I love you too, Fred."

The next morning, the king and queen sat in the throne room, in the earliest hours of the morning, before anyone else had awoke. Arianna held their son in her arms, whispering to him over and over how much she loved him.

After a little while, a tall, strongly built man, and a red headed woman, tiny compared to her husband, came through the side door. They approached, kneeling before the royal family.

"You wished to see us, my king?"

Frederick nodded, and gave them a quick explanation of his plan. The couple took it well, and Ulla seemed overjoyed at the prospect of raising a child, she hadn't been able to conceive at all, in her many years of marriage, and becoming a mother had been her only wish for the longest time.

Quirin was tentative at first, but agreed heartily to do so, after seeing his wife's excitement.

"We will take him right away, your majesty, our neighbor's son just grew past babyhood, and will be willing to lend us the supplies."

Arianna stiffened at the mention of the borrowed clothes, she couldn't stand the thought of her son wearing used, probably torn and stained clothing.

"That will not be necessary, Quirin, We will give you enough to buy the needed items."

Ulla came closer, trying to get a closer look at the baby, squealing softly with joy at the sight of him.

" Oh isn't he just the most beautiful baby in all the world!"

The child cooed happily at her compliments, and she continued to admire him. Arianna smiled at the sight, she trusted Ulla and Quirin more than anyone else to raise him, she was smart, kind, and innovative, he was protective, and had the common sense his wife occasionally lacked. 

" May I hold him? Your majesty?"

Arianna was taken aback by this question, she knew that after she handed him over, she would never hold him again. After a moment of hesitation, she started to move the baby towards Ulla, then stopped, she knew she wasn't supposed to make any more connections with him than was necessary, but she just couldn't let him go without naming him.

"Varian."

"Your majesty?"

Arianna placed Varian in Ulla's arms.

"His name is Varian."

The woman smiled, " It's a wonderful name, means liable to change, doesn't it? Considering the circumstances, it certainly fits him."

Arianna nodded, the name fit her baby perfectly, he had been born a prince, would change to a farmer, then change one last time, to a king, the greatest king that would ever rule over Corona. 

Chapter Text

Four years go by…

Quirin stood at the entrance of the old house, the first castle of Corona, now his and his family's home.

"Varian!"

He called out the child's name, then waited, the boy didn't come, that was strange, Varian was usually absentminded and overly curious, causing him to often wander off, but he had never been gone this long. 

He knew letting a four year old go off on his own was a terrible idea, but Ulla had convinced him to let Varian spend some time alone.

" If he is going to be king, he needs to learn about independence as soon as possible."

That had been her reasoning, and Quirin had trusted his wife on that, she was a scientist, she was supposed to know these things, right? 

Despite that, he had ignored her advice many times, keeping a close eye on Varian at all times. Who knows what the king would do to them if the kid got hurt. But Ulla had let Varian go off on his own a few hours ago, while Quirin had been in the fields.

"Varian! Where are you?!"

Still no response, the small kindle of worry that resided in him at all times, grew slightly. Varian was trouble enough  at home, nearly killing himself with those chemicals and bottles that he kept sneaking from Ulla, he'd lost count of the explosions that had nearly blown the kids head off.

Ulla hadn't helped the situation either, getting Varian an apron and a pair of tiny goggles to match hers. They spent hours together, on their "Alchemy"

" If he's going to be an Alchemist, he might as well learn how to do it right." She said. Quirin disapproved of this,  Varian wasn't going to be an Alchemist, he was going to be a king. 

"Ulla, I'm going to look for him!" He left the house, walking through the kids favorite places, fields of various plants and berries, small corners of the woods, where he hid some of his own Alchemy supplies that he had collected himself.

He wasn't anywhere, and Quirins concern grew with every empty place. Different scenarios played out in his mind, Varian had fallen into the river and drowned, he had been eaten by wild beasts, gotten hopelessly lost, or even kidnapped by ruffians, there had been many of those around recently, and it wasn't a complete impossibility. 

"He's not leaving again, if I find him, he's staying on the farm, until he's old enough to take care of himself, and I will judge when that will be, not Ulla."

He loved his wife dearly, but her parenting theories were questionable.

He came out of the woods, nearly five miles from the house, he could see the entrance to the city only about a thousand  feet away. Could it be possible that Varian had wandered inside? It couldn't hurt to look.

He walked through the gates, and scanned through the crowd, trying to spot the mess of black hair with the odd blue stripe.

"There!" The small boy was sitting on a wooden crate, with a royal guard standing in front of him. Quirin pushed through the crowd to get to him, relief washing over him at the sight of the boy.

As Varian spotted him, he waved what looked to be a huge lollipop at his foster father.

"Daddy! Varian gotta lolly!" The guard chuckled, looking from Quirin to Varian.

" Is this your kid? I found him walking around with that lollipop."

Quirin nodded, scooping up Varian in his arms. "Yes sir, he wandered off."

The guard nodded, then departed, leaving the two alone.

"How did you get here Varian?"

"I walked a whole bunch of steps." Varian was confused as to why this was even a question, it was pretty obvious wasn't it?

"Yes, I can see that, but why?"

"Cause I wanted a lolly."

Quirin sighed, and shook his head, Varians proud smile fell.

" Is daddy angry at me?" He placed a small hand on Quirin's cheek, worried blue eyes staring into his caretaker's. 

"I'm not angry, just very disappointed, why would you think wandering off like that would be a good idea?"

The boy glanced at his lollipop, ashamed.

" I'm sorry daddy. "

He kissed Varian on the top of his head, he was only a child after all, wasn't he? Children made mistakes.

"That's alright, I'm just glad you're safe."

The boy smiled up at him, " when we get home, mommy and me are gonna study the lolly's chemical makeup!"

"Study the what?"

" The different components that combine to make it yummy!"

Quirin stared at the kid for a moment before sighing. That's fine, but afterwards, I have some things I need to work on with you, such as the basics of shooting a bow, and diplomacy."

"No! Varian will make another sticky bomb!"

He was quieted by a stern look from Quirin.

" You cannot spend all day fooling around with your chemicals, I expect big things from you young man."

Varian nodded " I will make you proud daddy!"

"That's the spirit, now come along son, we've got quite a ways to go."

They started back, Varian perched on Quirin's shoulders. He fell asleep only a mile down the road, head resting on the man's, lollipop still clutched in his little hand.

He loved this boy, far more than he should. Varian would be gone, training to become king, in the castle in only 14 more years.  It didn't feel like enough time to spend with the boy, but he would cherish every moment, every smile, every "daddy"  

He had never expected to be a father, Quirin had already been in his late thirties when he had married Ulla, and they had both given up hope when they reached 40. But then Varian had happened, a miracle. He had tried to keep himself distant from the boy emotionally, treating him more like a guest than his son, but his defences had been almost completely toppled. Quirin realized, with a jolt, that he had actually called Varian, " son" it had been so natural he hadn't even noticed.

No, this wasn't his son, this child was the son of a king, and Quirin couldn't take away that title, no matter how much he wanted to.

 "Remember who you are, and who Varian is. You made the decision to take him, to raise him, and then, to break your own heart."

Chapter Text

The Queen looked out from the balcony overlooking the courtyard, where the Exposition of Sciences was taking place, Arriana secretly hoped to see her son down there, from what she had heard from Quirins reports, the boy had become a young genius, with many inventions, though many of them caused chaos, such as a few months ago, when nearly the entire town had been destroyed by some of his machines. fortunately no one had been seriously hurt, but her poor boy had been labelled as dangerous, depriving him of any friends. 

She didn't blame Quirin, or Ulla, may she rest in peace. No, she saw herself in Varian, her recklessness from when she was younger, it made her yearn to speak to him even more, but Fredrick refused to let her. 

She fought back against it, Rapunzel had returned, there was no risk anymore, and no reason to keep Varian in the dark. But Quirin loved the boy so, and without Ulla he was dreadfully lonely. So, she had relented to letting Varian stay there for four more years, like they had first agreed.

Arianna stood there, desperately trying to pick him out, but she couldn't see him anywhere. Would she even know him if she did see him? The last time she had seen Varian had been years ago, at Ulla's funeral. She and Fred had stopped by to offer their condolences. Arianna had seen him then, only six years old, crying, while clinging to Quirin's sleeve, beautiful blue eyes red from tears. It had broken her heart to see him that way. She longed to hold him, to love him, to tell him it was all right, but she couldn't. All she could do was watch from a distance.

Arianna turned to walk inside, heart heavy, when a voice spoke loudly from down below. 

"Who's ready for the expo!?"

She looked back down, spotting a boy with a small cart, he was speaking to Rapunzel's lady in waiting, Cassandra, who was helping out with the expo.

She inspected the kid more closely, then smiled, 

"yes! I've found him!" 

His blue hair stuck out, making him easy to identify. She watched, hardly daring to breathe.

The two spoke a little bit longer, although she couldn't make out the words, he took her place at the top of the ladder, while she followed a guard out of the courtyard. 

" What is that girl doing? She should be working, not playing guard, I will have to speak to her later about it."

For now she continued to watch.

Her heart skipped a beat, when Rapunzel approached him. It was the first time she had seen both her babies in the same place, although it seemed they already knew each other. 

He was soon gone again, heading off in the direction that Cassandra had run off to.

Arianna sighed, she had gotten a look at Varian at least, even if it had only been for a few moments. She departed from the balcony, bumping into Fredrick on her way to the servants quarters. 

"Oh! Fred, what are you doing here?"

"Checking up on the kitchen, seeing if the cooks are up to parr.

He smiled and stuffed a currant cake deeper into his pocket.

"Frederick, you know you aren't supposed to eat in between meals," She plucked the cake from his pocket and walked by him, winking as she took a bite.

Further along the hallway, she heard a set of wheels squeaking, thinking nothing of it, (it was the servants quarters, there would certainly be laundry carts coming to and fro) she stood closer to the wall, as to let the owner of the cart go by without trouble. And indeed, in a few moments it came, slowly down the hall, stuffed with dirty laundry and accompanied by an exhausted sounding voice.

"Alright, Varian, just a few more rooms"

Her heart froze, and she watched as he pushed the cart by her, oblivious to her existence. 

what in the world was Varian doing cleaning the bedrooms? That was Cassandra's job!

Arianna couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger. He was a prince, not a lowly servant.

The cart disappeared around the corner, and Arianna followed behind it. Keeping an eye on Varian, she wasn't stalking him or anything, she was watching over him, like any good mother would do.

The Mother and son continued on, eventually getting to the hall in which Rapunzel had her room. Arianna paused at the entrance of the hallway, for Rapunzel had just come from her room, and was speaking to Varian, for the second time that day. Arianna watched, smiling. The two seemed to be friends.

He continued on, pushing the cart, and threw open the door to the staircase down to a wine cellar.

She winced as he fell, yelping in pain with each thump. 

Rapunzel called down to him, asking if he was alright, and he responded with an assurance that he was fine, mostly. Her daughter departed, in search of a cold cloth for any injuries he might have gotten during his fall.

Arianna crept out of her hiding place, and made her way down the narrow steps, despite her husband's voice in her head telling her to stay away. She just had to make sure her boy was okay.

He looked up at her as she approached. Varian was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, rubbing his head.

Realizing who she was, he scrambled to his feet and bowed, causing his goggles to fall off of his head. She chuckled softly, and knelt, picking them up off the ground, handing them back to him.

"Hello, Varian."

He gave her a perplexed, and slightly flattered look.

"Y-you know my name?"

Arianna reprimanded herself, the first thing she had said, and she had already made a mistake.

"Oh, well, I heard my daughter talk about you, are you hurt at all?"

She took him by the shoulders, and moved his face, left and right, checking for any bruises on his head. He took the check over without resistance, if a bit awkwardly.

"I'm fine your majesty, really."

She still held onto him, gazing at his face, it looked so much like hers. 

"Um, your majesty? Are you okay?"

She broke out of her trance and let go of his shoulders.

"I apologise, I just wanted to make sure you were alright, you took quite the tumble."

He laughed, oh, that laugh was the most endearing thing she had ever heard, so full of life and youth.

" Thanks, that happens more than it probably should, I'm not the most elegant person."

She smiled down at him, oh how she wished she could give him a hug, hold him in her arms, and keep him safe from all the evils of the world. 

"Varian, I-" She started, nearly confessing the truth to him. But before she could ruin the secret, they heard Rapunzel's voice call from above.

"I've got it! Don't worry Varian, I'll be right there!"

Arianna sighed, "it was nice talking to you, Varian."

She departed through a side door, praying that Rapunzel wouldn't see her.

Shutting the door behind her, she ran through the empty hall, until she reached her own quarters. Collapsing into a large armchair. She sat there, a few tears streaming down her cheeks.

"He's so perfect, my little boy.."

Soon she was lost in thought, replaying the last hour in her mind over and over. She had seen Varian, been so close to him. How she regretted it. The next four years would be so much harder now that she knew him.

Chapter Text

 few months later…..

King Fredrick sat in his study, doing what he liked to call his "kingly duties." The less exciting parts of his job. Raising the taxes slightly, not enough to cause an uproar, but the black rock situation had started to get out of hand, and the guards deserved more pay. He signed his name at the bottom of the document, and dipped the royal seal in bright red wax, pressing down near the top of the sturdy paper. The door slammed open behind him, causing his hand to flinch. Which in turn smeared the stamp. Frustrated, Fred turned to see who had caused the commotion, and was met by a finger in his face.

"Frederick! How dare you?!" It was his wife, and he knew what she was talking about, shoot. Fred had hoped she wouldn't find out.

"Arianna, trust me, it was the best decision I could have made in that situation-"

"The best decision? You are keeping your son prisoner in his own home!"

"I need to keep Rapunzel safe! And the kingdom!"

His voice had raised, and he glared down at her. Fred paused. Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were a sorrowful red. The finger still stuck in his face was trembling.

"Rapunzel? How will this help her? I certainly don't see how it will help the kingdom. Hiding the truth will do nothing, Fredrick."

"I can't let Rapunzel know, she is my daughter and I need to keep her safe!"

Her trembling finger turned into a hand, which then slammed the king in the face, leaving it with a painful sting, Arianna looked weak, but stars, she was strong.

"And Varian is your son! You have two children, Fred, not one, you want the best for Rapunzel? Well so do I, but treating Varian like a criminal is not the way!"

"The boy knows too much."

Fred turned away from Arianna, and walked to the large window that covered a large portion of the wall, he looked out into the night. The same way he had nearly every night Rapunzel had been gone.

" I love Rapunzel more than anything, I hardly know the boy, and what I know of him isn't good, he is dangerous."

" Dangerous? He's a kid, what could you possibly be so afraid of?"

Fred turned back to Arianna, fists clenched as he remembered the report from Nigel.

"He attacked Rapunzel, assaulted her at the time of the storm. He is unpredictable, and willing to lash out if he does not get his way. I am sorry to say it, but I believe Quirin has failed in raising him."

"He attacked her? But why?"

Fred shrugged dismissively.

" He was asking for help, something about Quirin."

He prayed she wouldn't pry further, if she discovered what had happened to Quirin, she was sure to become furious. Well, more furious if that was even possible.

"Quirin? Is he alright? Now that I think about it, I haven't heard from him in ages, is he imprisoned as well as Varian?"

"You could say that."

"Frederick,"

her words had become dangerously quiet.

"What happened to Quirin"

" This conversation is over."

He walked out. Shutting the door to her protests.

"Thank goodness that's over."

He stormed down the passageways until he arrived in the throne room. A few guards as well as Nigel and some visiting royalty, were already there, talking amongst themselves. He had only just managed to calm down, when the door slammed open, revealing, not his wife this time, but Rapunzel. Holding a graphtic in her hands

"You lied to me."

his day was only going to get worse.</p>

Chapter Text

He knew he wasn't going to survive. The strange rocks surrounding and slowly entombing Quirin weren't slowing down, if anything they were even quicker than before.

What an ironic way to die, he had spent his life trying to avoid strange rocks. And here he was, being buried forevermore inside one.

Quirin had many regrets that came back to him in those few moments. Abandoning his king so many years ago. Getting married so late, too late to have any children. Giving Varian such high expectations. Quirin had treated the boy as he would a prince, with the same chores and exhaustingly long days of learning laws, equestrian skills, and the basics of ballroom dancing.

Even in his deadly state, the large man couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled the awkward clumsiness Varian exhibited when trying to dance, hardly able to stay upright. Varian had many skills, but dancing was not one of them.  

This had all put a huge amount of strain on the kid. For all he knew, this was what was normally expected of a child. Varian was convinced he wasn't good enough for Quirin, that he was an embarrassment to his father.

That stung Quirin's heart more than he could ever express. So he simply didn't. Varian kept his feelings to himself, and Quirin did the same. Now he wished he had said something, "You mean more to me than you will ever know" "You are enough" More than anything, He longed to tell Varian that he was so, so, proud of him. 

It was too late now. Varian would never know. His son was out in the storm, trying to get help for his disappointment of a father. Quirin prayed he would be alright. 

"Please keep him safe"

Who knows what could happen to him out there. 

The boy was skinny, he had no protection against the cold other than that old coat. If he was out there any longer, he might...No, no, he couldn't think of that, Varian would be okay, he had to believe it.

The amber had reached his shoulder, catching ahold of the large wooden table Varian used for experiments. His feather quill and a fresh sheet of paper began falling off of it and it tipped. Quirin hastily caught them, pressing the parchment against the table, and the quill against the parchment.

What would he say? These were his last words, and Quirin had too many things to say, then could possibly fit on this paper. 

"Dear son" 

The words flowed from there, he wrote the truth of Varian's family, and how sorry he was that they had lied to him. And that Frederick and Arriana would take good care of him, that he would surely learn to love them, that he would never be lonely again. 

He told him the truth of the rocks, about the dark kingdom, and that he only ever wanted to keep him safe from the rocks. He had realized however, that Varian was a young man now, no longer a boy, and deserved to know the truth. 

 He finished the letter, simply writing how proud he was of his foster son, and how much he loved him, more than words could possibly describe.

He grabbed the paper, reaching upwards with the last of his strength. The world muffled as his face was covered. And a few moments later, his hand, as well as the letter were covered. The last thing he saw was the yellowish or orange of the amber, before the world faded to black.

Hours, or moments later, Quirin couldn't tell. A voice, young, familiar and sorrowful pierced through the darkness, muffled, but there nonetheless.

" Varian" his heart flooded with relief, his son was alright. It gave him more joy to know that, then the fact that he, himself although trapped, was not completely dead. 

The next moment the feeling was replaced with concern. He knew that Varian would be sad, but seeing it come to fruition, hearing it without being able to be there and comfort him, hurt more than any blade or rock ever could.

. 

Chapter Text

What had happened? Arriana stood at the window of the study, concern and anger fighting in her mind, one thought stood out, repeating over and over through the turmoil.

" This is all Fredrick's fault." The chaos down below in the courtyard, it could have been prevented if he had fulfilled his duties as a king and as a father.

Not only had he neglected to solve the problem of the black rocks, causing all who lived in old Corona to take shelter in the capital, causing supplies to run out far more quickly, and crime to skyrocket. He had the audacity to claim it was out of love for his child, to protect Rapunzel. Now the poor girl had been stuck in a tower, again. The kingdom was in chaos, and the boy who he had abandoned, and who he had refused to call his son was the one put at fault. 

He had always struggled to admit his faults, this was pushing it too far, people were getting hurt.

Varian was at fault as well, she knew, though it pained her to admit it. She didn't know exactly what had happened in the last year, but nothing could excuse attacking Rapunzel with a giant robot. Violence was never the solution to solving problems of any kind.

Footsteps sounded behind her, light, barely noticeable, perhaps a young servant going by. Arriana took no notice, until the voice came from behind her. 

"Hello your highness."

Varian? She turned to see a masked figure, covered in a heavy coat. Before she could say a word, mist rose around her, tugging at her eyelids, begging them to close, to rest, she fought the feeling, but to no avail. Her eyes shut and unconsciousness took over her body.

The sound of clanging awoke Arriana, and she opened her eyes to find herself in a musty, dark room with a large foreboding object covered with multiple blankets stitched together. She pulled slightly at the chains that bound her to the floor, it wouldn't be of use to struggle, the craftsmanship of the links was professional. Looking towards where the sound of banging metal came from, she saw Varian, pounding away at another robot, identical to the one that had attacked Rapunzel before. 

She could see the fury in his eyes, as he slammed again and again against the metal, securing each nail inside the machine. The expression was so different from the innocent, carefree boy from the Expo, she barely recognized him. 

"Varian?" She said, her voice weak. He paused for a moment, glancing over at her, a brief look of guilt crossing his face at the sight of the woman, slightly bruised, tired and helpless. It vanished in a moment, and he went back to work. 

"Varian! Why are you doing this?" 

He paused again, staring ahead into the panels of steel. 

" This is the only way to get you to listen, I asked for help, and was turned away, I have to do this." 

His fist tightened around the hammer, and he lifted his arm to resume work. Arriana interrupted.

"No, Varian, you don't, stop now before it's too late."

" It's too late to stop. I've gone too far to go back."

His voice shook slightly, only for a moment. Although it was enough for her to realize that he wasn't just angry, he was scared. 

" It's not too late, Please, come back with me to the castle. You'll be safe there, we can figure out the rocks together, you don't have to be alone anymore." 

 He needed guidance more than anything else, that was something she could give him. If she could just get him to come back with her to the castle…

"Why should I believe you? I have a hard time believing you would have offered any help if you weren't at my mercy. I could kill you right now if I wanted to."

He came down the ladder and approached her, glaring down at the Queen.

" But you don't want to, you don't want to do any of this." 

She looked back at him, meeting his eyes. 

" I can help, you won't be in danger anymore, it's warm there, at the castle, clean." She smiled a little, tilting her head in the direction of the mess of a room.

He turned to look at the lab, seemingly just noticing the clutter. 

" I don't have time to clean, I've been busy." Varian spoke defensively. 

Arriana sighed, "I can see that, it must have taken you a long time to build those metal knights."

"Automaton" he corrected her. 

"Oh, right, Automaton. They're quite impressive, I must say."

His face brightened into a proud smirk. And for a moment she could see the boy he had been, not too long ago.

" Really? I only had a moment to look at them in the Vault, they're like giant music boxes, it took me a few weeks to get the first prototype to work but-" 

Varian stopped and shook his head, the smile disappearing. He turned to walk away, embarrassed by his happy outburst.

" That's Interesting, tell me more." 

He stopped again and he peered over his shoulder at her, suspiciously. She met his gaze with a warm, curious smile.

"Well... finding the metal was easy, I got it from the heaters in the tunnels." He turned back to her, and continued.

"The music boxes were probably the hardest to build, there's so much detail work that has to go into them."

He paused again. " Are the chains too tight?" He nodded to her bindings.

"A little."

Varian thought for a moment, " Wait here." He stood up and ran to another room, returning a few moments later with a short length of rope.

"Hold out your hands and don't move." He commanded, Arriana obeyed silently. Her chains were removed and replaced with the rope. It was still tight, but not nearly as uncomfortable as the cold metal.

"Thank you, Varian." He didn't respond at first.

" Did you mean what you said... about it not being too late?"

"Yes! Of course! Come back with me." She walked towards him. 

 He stepped away from Arriana, tense. He was still wary of her. 

Just a little more, and they would both be safe.

" Varian, it's going to be ok, I promise."

His expression froze and twisted into anger, he pushed her back, away from himself. Her hope plummeted. 

" Really? Your majesty? I'll admit you had me going there for a second, but I'm not falling for your trick."

No, no, no! She had been so close? What had she said wrong?

"No! Varian, I promise! It wasn't!"

"Shut up!" He yelled, rage burning in his voice, pure hatred. She flinched back. It was no use trying to convince Varian to stop any longer, anger like that could not be quelled easily. 

"I know how much promises mean to the royal family."

He moved away to the table filled with bottles and chemicals, searching until he found what he had been looking for, a flask with greenish, yellowish foreboding liquid. Varian held it tentatively, his breath shaky as he stared into the shimmering color.

"W-what are you going to do to me?" Varian set the flask down, and turned to her with a dangerous smile.

" Don't worry, your majesty, you are only bait to lure the princess here."........

Chapter Text

"You gave him a bed right? With a mattress?"

"Yes, Arriana" The pair walked down the dark hallways of the castle side by side. The battle had been merely two days ago, and the kingdom was still recovering from the shock of the disaster. Yet his wife was still concerned with the comfort of the horrible boy. 

"And warm blankets? Pillows? You gave him a lantern too I hope? It gets awfully dark in the prison.." She spat the last word, "Prison" in disgust. 

He sighed, she was still annoyed that he hadn't given Varian a room in the castle. Though he disliked making his wife upset, what was he expected to do? The boy was a criminal who needed to learn that trying to murder the royal family had it's consequences.

" He is serving time for his crimes, Arriana, not staying at a luxury resort."

"I know, but he's still a child. " She paused. "May I visit him?"

He thought for a moment then nodded. 

"Very well, but do you really think he wants to see you?"

"Perhaps not, but solitude won't do him any good."

"Whatever you think is best, dear."

The queen looked up at him, suprised.

"Whatever I think is best? Last I checked, you were the one with all the bright ideas, and my job was to shut up and obey." Frederick took her hands in his, pressing them to his lips, and murmured.

"Please forgive me, Arriana, I have been blind this last year, nearly losing you made me realize how wrong I was. I value your opinion more than anything, Love."

She smiled and kissed his rough forehead. Arriana loved this man, and could certainly forgive him. She was proud that he had finally decided to admit to his fault. 

They continued down the hallway, their arms around eachother, her head resting against his chest. Listening to the low, deep, comforting rythm of his heart, drowning out the hallow echo of the dark chambers. 

After a few minutes, Fredrick spoke. 

"I can't believe our little girl is leaving again."

"She's a woman now Fred, strong, independent, with a heart of gold."

"I'll miss her, so much.." his voice wavered, and he held more tightly onto her slender arm.

"It will only be for a little while, we shall soon see her again, as for now, spend as much time with her as you can, play games, go for a ride, these will be the moments you remember most when she's gone."

Frederick nodded, she was right, rather than lament the whole week leading up to his little girls departure, he would spend it repairing their relationship that had taken such a downward tumble. 

"I will go find her now, thank you, Arriana." He kissed her, then departed back down the hall to find Rapunzel."

The queen looked after him until he dissapeared. Sighing, the child she was going to see would likely not take as kindly to their parent as Rapunzel. 

After collecting a fresh loaf of cranberry bread, as well as a pat of bright yellow butter, and placing them in a woven basket, covered in a blue plaid cloth. The Queen made her way down into the dungeon, shivering as she made her way through the cold rows of cells. She reached her destination, and nodded to the three guards blocking the entrance. They parted for her immediately, unlocking the cell for her to enter. 

She slowly walked in, silently noting the small boy huddled in the corner opposite the bed. He didn't bother to look up as she came into the cell, he simply curled further into himself. 

Arriana sat on the bed, it was clean and soft, with fresh blankets as she had requested, although there was no lantern to be seen. 

"Are you hungry?" Her question was met with silence. So, she tried again.

" I hope you have gotten some sleep, growing boys need their rest." She watched as the figure stirred.

"Has my father been freed yet?"

He was talking, good.

"Not yet, dear, we're still working on it, don't worry, it's only a matter of time." A long period of silence followed, she sat patiently, waiting. Eventually he began to speak again.

"Why don't you hate me?" Varian spoke more quietly this time. His voice was rough and broken, he had undoubtedly been crying.

"Why would I hate you?"

"I tried to kill you, and the princess...isn't that a good enough reason?" 

"That wasn't the right way to ask for help, and I was scared then, but no, I still don't hate you."

He raised his head slightly, peering at her with tired, sorrowful eyes.

"I still hate you, you know. Don't think that I like you all of a sudden."

Arriana nodded, "that is to be expected, it's alright if you don't like me."

Varian turned away again, facing the wall. After a few hours of continued silence, she stood up. 

"I must be going now, would it be alright if I came to visit you tomorrow?"

He shrugged. 

" I'll be by tomorrow then, the bread will be here whenever you're ready to eat, I'll see you later."

She departed, leaving the basket behind on the bed.

Her visits continued daily, she sat in the bed, asking simple questions occasionally about how he was doing, if he had been getting enough to eat, if he was too cold, etc. And every time he remained in the corner, and asked if his father had been freed yet. She regretfully informed him, that though efforts had been made, Quirin was still trapped.

The first basket of food she had left, had remained untouched, but she continued to bring Varian treats from the kitchen, and two weeks into her visits, the food started disappearing after she left. 

Nearly two months after he had been imprisoned, Arriana sat on the mattress, watching Varian. She could tell something was bugging him, as he glanced up at her far more often than usual.

"What is it? Is there something wrong, dear?"

He thought for a moment before responding.

"What's in the basket this time?"

She smiled and answered.

"Blueberry muffins, fresh from the oven."

"Oh." He sat up straighter taking a deep breath, as the scent of cinnamon and sugar wafted over.

"They smell really good.."

The queen selected one from the basket and took a bite.

"Mmm, they are good, I think the cook added extra blueberries this time."

He looked longingly over at them.

"They're always cold by the time you leave."

"You could always have one now, no one is stopping you."

She moved over a little, making space for him beside her.

Varian didn't refuse the offer, after all, he was a teenage boy. And what boy could refuse the temptation of freshly baked treats?

He sat next to her, warily, staying as far from her as possible without falling off the edge of the bed.

She handed him a muffin, and he took a hesitant bite, before brightening and hurrily finishing off the rest.

Arriana held in a laugh, and dropped another into his hands. Varian finished that one off quickly as well.

Stomach full, he seemed more in a mood to talk.

"Why do you keep visiting me?"

"Because I like your company."

"Even though I hate you?" He looked doubtful.

"Yes," she gave him a warm smile, and he returned it with a small grin of his own, before turning away.

"Maybe, I don't really hate you anymore.." he spoke softly.

"That's good to hear."

" I still don't like you though." His heart obviously wasn't in his words.

"Of course not, like I said before, you don't have to like me." Her smile grew as she said the words.

He sat by her side a while longer, relaxing and moving closer to her. Tentatively, she reached an arm out, around his shoulder. He didn't make any moves to pull away, and instead, nestled his head into her chest as she pulled him near. 

"Are you cold, dear?" She murmured.

He nodded, and with her free hand she drew a loose blanket off the bed, wrapping it around her baby. 

Quietly, she began to hum, a lullaby she had sung to him so long ago, when he was just a small infant, new to the world. He clung to her, and she saw the lonely sad boy he had been for so long, the anger gone. 

"I'm sorry, your majesty, I'm so, so sorry, I hate what I did, and would take it all back if I could." His eyes filled with tears, and she brushed them away gently with her hand.

"I forgive you, dear, how could I not? I love you dearly, my own, sweet boy."

He sniffed and looked up at her face, gazing down at him.

" Y-you do? Really?" The queen nodded, and rested her head against his, continuing to hum. He said nothing else, still in wonder. 

He remained, cuddled up against her, until he drifted off into much needed rest. She didn't mind. Her heart was singing. Her baby, the one she thought she would never hold again, was here in her arms. She wished she would never have to let him go again.

Arriana began to sing the words of her lullaby, softly rocking her son.

Sleep, my little prince, sleep,

The sheep and the birdies rest,

The garden and the meadow are quiet,

Not even a little bee buzzes anymore.

Luna, with a silverly glow

Looks in through the window,

Sleep by the silvery glow,

Sleep, my little prince, sleep,

Sleep, sleep.

Chapter Text

Arriana made her way, humming, down the steps to the dungeon. 

It had been four months since Rapunzel had left on her journey. Two months since Varian had begun to warm up to her. It still hurt her to see him in the cell, but the bright smile that greeted her every time she came was wonderful. He had been sentenced to another year of imprisonment, which had angered her greatly, she was determined to have him free within the month. 

He had been moved to a split cell, shared with a man named Andrew. Arriana had been concerned at first, but once she visited and saw a wall of bars between them it was less worrisome. They had become friends as far as she could see. Chatting together before she arrived and after she left. 

Varian was waiting when she arrived, sitting on the bed with a nonchalant look. He grinned at her as she came in. And the guards departed to give them privacy. 

"Hi, your majesty." She went over and gave his long hair an affectionate tussle. 

"Hello dear, how did you sleep?"

"Fine" 

"Did you get enough to eat?"

"Yes your majesty."

"That's good," she nodded in greeting to Andrew, who gave her a smug grin in return. An strange expression for someone in prison, but he had always been odd. 

She sat next to her son, setting the basket on his lap. He hesitated to dig in. Something was troubling him.

"Your majesty?"

"Yes, dear?"

"If you did something really bad, that changed your life completely, for the worse. How far would you go to make everything go back to the way it was before? To turn back time?"

So this is what was the matter, She thought for a moment before answering, putting an arm around the boy.

"Well, going back is impossible. So instead of thinking of what has been, I would look towards the future. I would do my best to make up for what I did, earn forgiveness and learn to trust again."

"Forgiveness? I don't think anyone will ever forgive me.."

He looked towards the ground, staring at the stone in frustration.

"I did, and I think everyone else will too."

Varian shook his head.

" You're different, even when I captured you, you still tried to help me. You barely knew me and you still tried to help, why?"

"Because I saw someone who needed help and I couldn't just leave you to ruin yourself."

He shrugged and gently pushed her arm away, uncomfortable at the loving gesture in front of Andrew. It was amusing, and a little concerning how much he looked up to the criminal. He had been less welcoming to hugs and affection since the saporian had been with him.

 " Your majesty...I-"

His voice broke, and he clenched his fists avoiding her gaze.

" What is it?"

Varian ignored her and looked to Andrew, as if for reassurance. The man nodded and the young boy stood up, face still looking away from her. There was something there, a hidden expression of what? Regret? 

"Varian, what's the matter?" Her voice rose anxiously.

"I'm sorry your majesty, but this is the only way, I-I have to make them forget. I have to make you forget."

Before she could react, he had pulled a wand from inside his glove pointing it towards her. Andrew watched, grinning.

"Varian! What are you doing!" The queen reached to grab it from him, but before she could, a burst of pink light shot out from it, covering her. Everything started to fade, memories blurring into each other and dissolving.

She was half aware of her body collapsing to the floor. A concerned hand rested on her shoulder, calling her name, distorted just like everything else in her world. 

Arriana clung to her memories, but they faded away until nothing remained.

She awoke several hours later in a large, luxurious room. A young man standing over her looking worried.

"Where? Who?" She sat up looking around.

He bowed to her. 

"Your majesty, it's good to see you awake."

"Who are you?" 

" Your royal advisor, your majesty." 

Chapter Text

4 years later…….

"Um, Rapunzel? Are you ok?" The princess had asked to work with Varian today, and he had gladly agreed. He enjoyed her company, but Varian's lab assistant had been acting off all day. Not super obvious, but her usual giddiness had been a lot more, well intense.

"Yeah! Of course! W-why would you even ask that?" She gave him an unnaturally wide smile.

"Alright, if you say so." He handed her a small flask of colored water to hold onto. It's not that he didn't trust her with the dangerous chemicals Varian was using to build the updated Project Obsidian weapon, but given Rapunzel's mood, her probability of blowing something up on accident was higher than his. 

He hadn't touched the weapon in two years, but tensions with the New Saporians had risen in the last few months and he had been commissioned to create something to provide protection as well as an offensive device. 

"So, Varian, anything special planned for today?"

The princess tried to lean over him, resting her elbow on his shoulder, like she had done for years. He felt a surge of triumph when she couldn't reach. Sure, he wasn't anywhere near six feet tall. Sure, the princess was only a few inches shorter than him, but he had definitely grown a considerable amount in the last few years.

Rapunzel gave up with a huff, and flopped down on a wooden chair, shoving several tools off of it first. 

His lab hadn't gotten any cleaner, although it was a lot larger. His equipment had doubled, lining the walls of the palace basement, and metal tables filled the center with shelves underneath for storing bottles and chemicals. He had a sectioned area in the west side with a comfortable bed, side table and shelf. 

He glanced over to her at the question.

"No? Should I?"

Her jaw dropped and she stood up, marching over to him.

"You don't know what today is?"

A small jolt of panic shot through him, Varian had clearly forgotten something important, was it an anniversary today? A birthday?

" Of course I know what today is! I just...wanted it to be a surprise."

She raised an eyebrow.

"A surprise?"

" Yeah, to surprise the person who this day is about."

Rapunzel stifled a giggle with her hands.

"Varian! I can't believe you right now! You really don't know!" Varian felt his face burn red, he was feeling slightly like an idiot.

"Alright, fine, I don't know." He grumbled, carefully adding a few drops of the liquid Amber into a tiny capsule. 

" What's so special about today?"

"How about I show you! Come on, let's go!" She grabbed his arm, sending a jolt of panic through Varian as a drop of greenish liquid fell, spilled from the dispenser by the sudden movement. It passed the gun and landed on the steel table he was working on. A flash of memories hit him all at once. The rocks, the amber, his father trapped.

"Whoops!" Rapunzel laughed, poking the small crystal formation that had grown on the table, it was only a few inches tall. He reprimanded himself for such a dramatic reaction to something so small. It must have been from his lack of sleep in the past week.

Varian's heart was still beating frantically, he was in no condition to continue the task at hand of filling the capsules, so he obliged Rapunzel who was still trying to pull him away.

She dragged him up the several flights of stairs and hallways, far above the basement. She definitely had a goal in mind and was determined on getting there. After a while, they stopped at two large doors leading to the throne room. Why this place? Was there a visiting royal that he had forgotten about? 

"Princess, I really don't see what this has to do with-"

He was cut off as she flung the doors open, leaving him staring in shock at what lay behind them.

Two massive tables stood in the center, filled with all kinds of wonderful looking treats, as well as a massive two tiered cake, laced with blue frosting. Dozens of people stood around them, a mixture of servants and townsfolk. He could spot Lance standing with Catalina and Keira. Arriana stood up from her throne as the doors opened, alongside her husband.

His father and Eugene stood next to each other at the front, both giving him proud smiles. Although something seemed off with his Dad, he was smiling, but something else was radiating off of him, something almost sad. What was it?

Before he could think anymore of it, the room had burst out into cheers, with shouts of "Happy birthday!" Echoing throughout. 

"Oh" he had completely forgotten his birthday, thank goodness everyone else had remembered! Although this seemed to be a bit of an overreaction. It was just his birthday, definitely not a big deal in his opinion.

He managed to push through the shock, awkwardly trying to thank everyone. Varian calmed down slightly when his father came to his aid, resting a hand on his shoulder and steering him towards a less crowded area of the room, where Eugene stood with Varian's closer friends.

Lance lifted him up in a happy bear hug, nearly crushing the air out of him. Followed by less suffocating hugs from his adopted daughters. 

"Hey, Varian! What are you gonna do now that you're an adult?"

Kiera nudged him slyly.

"Oh, um, I don't really know-"

Catalina grabbed onto his arm and giggled.

"Who are you gonna marry?"

"Uh, what?"

Lance laughed and picked the girls up by the back of their collars like naughty kittens.

"Girls, just because he's old enough to get married doesn't mean he will right away, besides, I'm not letting either of you marry him yet" 

The former Thieves' faces both shifted to bright red and they yelled out protests of "no way!" And "eww" 

"Quite the lady's man, eh?" Eugene spoke with mild amusement at the interaction.

"Eugene!" Varian grinned at his friend. The two had become close in the last few years, keeping the title of Team Awesome, no one else had joined their little club, not even his wife.

"Happy birthday, Kid" he ruffled Varian's hair grinning.

"Why all this?" Varian gestured to the filled room.

"Why not! You're an amazing person, you deserve it."

"Really?"

"Sure!" Eugene pushed him away from his circle of comfort, and further into the crowd.

"Now go and meet your fans!"

He stumbled through the crowd, feeling claustrophobic all of a sudden. He squeezed through the crowd, that was way smaller than he had first thought. Less than fifty people. Although it was still too large for his taste. 

"Varian!" Arriana waved to him from her place at the throne, he smiled and waved back, making his way over to her. 

"Your majesty! Who arranged all this? Was it Rapunzel?"

The queen laughed, "Yes, she had the idea of throwing you a surprise party."

He nodded, looking around. 

"Where is she? I lost track of her."

"Oh, she's getting another surprise ready, one I hope you will appreciate." 

Next to her, Fredrick shifted uncomfortably, and Arriana glanced over to him, giving him a stern look that Varian didn't understand.

"Why don't you go and talk to some of your guests?" She said, indicating that she and her husband were going to have some sort of discussion that the Alchemist wasn't a part of. 

He nodded, taking the hint and searched the crowd again for his father, spotting him near one of the corners, standing alone with that same forlorn expression. 

Varian hurried over, keeping to the sides of the massive room and out of sight. 

He greeted his father for the second time that day. Throwing his arms around the much larger man who still towered over his son.

Quirin seemed slightly surprised by the sudden hug, but returned it after a moment of hesitation. The two worked together in Varian's lab occasionally. Although with Quirin's duty as head of Old Corona, he hadn't had much time to do so. Leaving the father and son separate most of the time.

"I can't believe how old you are." Quirin muttered, almost to himself.

"I don't feel any different than I was yesterday, nothing is too different. I wouldn't have even known I was 18 if the princess hadn't reminded me."

His father chuckled." You forgot your birthday again? I thought you had stopped doing that."

He paused a moment before digging into his pocket and pulling out a small, long box. 

"I got you a present, it isn't much but I hope you like it."

Varian took it, lifting the lid off the box, revealing a small steel dagger. One that had belonged to Quirin since his days in the dark kingdom. The symbol of the brotherhood was engraved into the hilt, polished to near perfection.

"Thank you, Dad! This is amazing!" He lifted the dagger from the box, holding it as carefully as he would a bottle of explosive chemicals. 

" It's a reminder, no matter what happens, or how old you get. You are my son, and that I'm so proud of you, and always will be." 

Varian set the knife back into the box, placing the lid back over it. Quirin gave him one last hug, before turning and making his way out the door. Varian looked after him holding the box to his chest. Concern welling up inside of him. Before he could dwell on it any more, he was swept back up into the festivities by a younger maid, who pulled him into a long conversation about next to nothing, simple smalltalk that Varian hated. 

After nearly an hour of this, that felt more like an eternity. 

Eugene called for cake, and Varian was placed in the center of the room to blow out exactly 18 candles and make a wish. He didn't believe in birthday wishes, being a man of science. But he obliged, wishing to be more able to help and protect Corona, and for his father to be alright.

He received a few more gifts, none as special as his father's dagger, but he always appreciated anything his friends gave him. He especially liked the carton of exotic plants and minerals from Rapunzel. Eugene's "How to get a date 101" book was less enjoyable, though he agreed with Lance, who had given him a set of comfortable blankets for Ruddiger, that it was a decent joke present.

The raccoon had enjoyed his life in the castle, and spent most days wandering the hallways, returning to Varian at nightfall, where he would spend a couple hours with his master before resuming his exploration.

Right now the animal was under the table, stuffing his face with cake.

Most of the guests had left, leaving just Eugene, Lance and the girls and Rapunzel who had returned before the cake. She wouldn't tell him a thing about the surprise, saying that she didn't know much either.

"Varian, Rapunzel, We need to speak to you alone." Arriana and Fredrick approached the group, who had been standing together, having their own sort of after-party.

The two who had been addressed looked at eachother, confused, but walked over to the royal couple together, leaving everyone else to go their own ways.

"So, you know the surprise you were preparing?" 

Arriana said, with a hint of nervousness. 

"Yeah, the box." Rapunzel answered, "do you want me to go get it?"

Fredrick nodded, and the princess ran over to the throne, grabbing a decorated box from behind the largest one, belonging to the king.

Unlike Quirin's plain, wooden box. This one was covered in gold plating and encrusted with jewels. It was painted as well, clearly the work of Rapunzel, with small Alchemy bottles, a raccoon, and dotted with a blue color that perfectly matched his own hair stripe.

"Y-your majesty's, what is this?"

The queen took it from Rapunzel and placed it in his hands. 

"Open it"

He did so, hesitantly, revealing a pointed silver crown, with Corona's symbol made of diamonds on the front, it was absolutely beautiful, but he didn't understand why it was being given to him.

"Your majesty, this is incredible! But...why did you give it to me?"

Rapunzel seemed just as perplexed, she had definitely told the truth on not knowing what the "surprise" was.

Frederick nudged Arriana, "you were the one who wanted to do this, so I'll let you explain."

She sighed and then smiled at Varian.

"I'm going to tell you a story, alright? Please don't interrupt until it's done, that goes for both of you."

They nodded, and Arriana began

" When Rapunzel was taken, the king and I were devastated as you know, and when another child came along, we were terrified for its safety."

Another child? Rapunzel and Varian both began to say something, but the queen held up a hand.

" We were terrified, and so, to keep him safe, we sent him into hiding, until his 18th birthday."

Her voice shook and she reached out a hand, resting it on his shoulder.

"Varian, we sent you to Quirin the day after you were born."

Varian stood, frozen.

"No, no, no, no, no, no" he whispered, this couldn't possibly be happening. 

" We are your Parents, Varian. I am your mother."

His world was falling apart, nothing made sense anymore, what was going on? 

"Varian, you are the prince of Corona" 

Chapter Text

Varian ran. He had no idea where he was going to go, he just needed to get out of there.

The Queens shouts, pleading with him to come back were ignored. 

His head was pounding, a million thoughts rushing into his mind all at the same time.

Why? Why wouldn't they tell me?

And how dare they, after everything they've done to me and dad.

He froze, stopping in his tracks. Quirin wasn't his dad anymore, was he? No, he had never been his father, it had all been a lie. Varian felt sick, Quirin had known, he had known all about this, and he hadn't told him.

"Varian! Wait!" He heard a shout coming from around the corner, it was Rapunzel. She was probably the last person he wanted to see right now.

He moved quickly, rushing down the hallway and spotting a storage closet near the end of it. Varian opened the door, (thanking whatever higher power might be out there, that it wasn't locked.) And shut it behind him, curling into a silent ball next to a broom and feather duster.

The place was cold, dark and a little musty, with the smell of cleaning chemicals surrounding him. It was strangely comforting, reminding him of his first lab back in old Corona.

"Alright, Varian, it's going to be ok." He whispered to himself, it did nothing to calm the anxious, angry storm inside him. 

"They were trying to protect you, at least give them that."

He scoffed at his own argument.

"If they were trying to protect me, how would refusing me help me when my guardian was in a life or death situation, throwing me into the storm, attacking me, accusing me of crimes I didn't commit, keeping me prisoner, throwing me in jail, how would that help protect me?"

The anger at Rapunzel and the king and the queen that he had kept deeply hidden inside of himself for years, tucked away inside a bottle started to leak. He buried his face in his arms, taking a few deep breaths. 

Varian had barely managed to calm down, shoving the angry feelings back into their bottle, when he heard a gentle knock at the door.

"Varian?" It was Rapunzel.

He stiffened, edging further away from the door. He did not want to talk to the princess right now, or maybe ever. 

"This is a huge surprise, huh? " She waited for a response, and continued on when none came.

"You know what this means, right?" Again, no response.

"You and I are siblings! Varian, you're my little brother!"

The sick feeling washed over him again, as the reminder that his world had been flipped upside down came. Was this some kind of sick joke the universe had played on him? He had always been happy with his dad, but Varian wished to have a complete family, his mother back, and a sibling as well. His wish had come to fruition it seemed, and he longed for it to have never happened. 

"Please," he whispered, quiet, but loud enough for her to hear. 

"Go away,"

He didn't hear anything else for a minute or two, then the sound of her bare feet on the stone floor started moving away down the hall. 

He shut his eyes, mulling over everything that had happened in the last half hour. 

The first thing he had to do was talk to Quirin, he dreaded the idea of facing his, well, Varian didn't even know what to call him anymore. 

He heard another knock at the door, this time it was Eugene. 

"Hey, Kid, are you ok?"

Varian wasn't sure if he wanted to answer, so he simply waited.

" Would you mind if I came in? We don't have to talk if you don't want to, I just want to see if you're alright."

Varian nodded slightly. "I guess so"

The door cracked open, and Eugene peeked in, frowning at the sight of the Alchemist huddled on the ground. 

He sat down beside him, saying nothing, but Varian felt a little better having his friend with him. 

After a few minutes of silence, Varian spoke up.

"It's crazy, huh? Finding out you're part of the royal family"

The Captain chuckled. "Tell me about it, it's a bizarre experience."

Varian felt a flash of embarrassment. He had almost forgotten Eugene's own experience, and how he had discovered his family in the dark kingdom.

It had been hard to think of the former thief as a prince for a long time. To Varian he had always been "Flynn Ryder" the hero of his childhood. Eventually however, he had realized how well the captain fit the role of a prince. With his charisma, natural leadership, and what the maids called 

"A dreamy face" Although always in whispers, and never around Eugene's wife 

"How did you get through it?'' Varian looked up at him, desperate for any kind of guidance.

"I spent way too long avoiding it, that made it harder for when I did."

He chuckled, "I would say not to do that, but I suppose you don't really have a choice, eh?"

Varian didn't respond, staring at Eugene with an unamused expression.

"Sorry, Kid, I guess the best thing you can do is face it, but take it slow. Try to understand things from their point of view."

Varian glared at the ground, the hate rising back up, like bile. 

"What is there to understand? They practically abandoned me! Apparently doing it once wasn't good enough for them!" 

He slammed a gloved fist into the wall, trying not to ridicule his "Family" too much in front of Eugene. 

The captain rested a hand on Varian's shoulder. 

"Hey, it's going to be ok." 

The Alchemist nodded, unclenching his fist, and letting it drop, resting on his lap.

"Who else knows?" Eugene didn't have to ask what he meant.

" Lance and the girls know, Rapunzel told them when they asked why you ran away."

"Oh" Varian went back to looking at the floor.

"They were impressed, didn't believe it at first except for Catalina, she said that you had always looked like a prince." 

He nudged Varian slightly. 

"Y'know, I think she likes you."

Varian shook his head, dismissing the insane idea outright.

" Fine, we'll talk about that later, for now we should probably find you a good first step, how about talking to Quirin?"

"I really don't want to."

"Oh?"

"He's lied to me my whole life, how can I possibly face him?"

"I don't know," Eugene rested his head on a hand. 

"I'm afraid I can't really help you with that, I didn't have a parental figure. I would say to ask Rapunzel, she knows a thing or two about that, and please remember, this is just as new to her as it is to you."

"I guess that's true." Varian thought that it wasn't nearly the same for his sister as it was for him, but he wasn't in the mood to correct him.

His sister, the concept was so strange, Varian dwelled on it for a moment, then a small smile crept across his face. 

"Eugene, I just remembered something!"

"What's that?"

"Rapunzel is my sister, that would make you my brother!"

Eugene returned the grin. 

"Well dang, Look at that! I have a little brother, nice! I've always wanted one."

The two remained there in the closet, silently enjoying each others company. The weight that had been on his chest since the revelation lifted slightly, how could it not?

He was related to Flynn Ryder. 

Chapter Text

It was late by the time Varian started back to his laboratory. He and Eugene had spent another hour in the small dark closet discussing what to do next. They had both decided that tomorrow he would speak to Rapunzel, then Quirin. Talking to his birth parents would come last. He dreaded all of it, but he couldn't put it off forever.

He reached the large wooden door, passing by the large signs warning those who entered about the hazardous materials inside. 

Varian shoved the door open, and made his way down the dark spiraling stairs, hand resting on the damp wall as a guide. 

He froze halfway down the steps, an echoing of voices came from below, he recognized only one. 

"Nigel" he grimaced. Varian despised that man, almost as much as the king. The feeling was mutual as was evident by the disgusted looks the advisor gave him. Nigel still thought of him as a traitor, and Varian had decided that he really didn't care, proving anything to Nigel was a waste of time. But that didn't explain why he was in Varian's lab. This was meant to be his escape, the one place he didn't have to deal with the distrust and hate he got from almost everyone, despite helping to save their lives multiple times. 

Varian turned around on the stairs and started back up the steps, there was no way he was dealing with this right now.

Upon turning around, he came face to face with a young maid about his age, a little older maybe. She froze and stuttered out a few incomprehensible words. 

He sighed and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Before opening them again and watching the girl silently while she tried figuring out how to talk. Apparently she couldn't grasp the concept. 

"Y-your majesty, we came to, um, escort you to your room"

Your majesty, Varian glanced behind himself in an already dead hope that some other royalty was there to be taken to a fancy room in the castle, but of course there wasn't, there was only him, and the maid who was looking all the more nervous following the explanation to why she was here. 

"Sorry, but I already have a room."

True, his lab and bedroom were being raided at the moment, but he could wait until they left, or sleep in Eugene's old room like the captain had offered. 

The girl shook her head. 

"Your belongings are being moved," she hesitated "your majesty"

He sighed, "please stop saying that."

"Oh, of course, your ma-" she shut her mouth hurriedly. 

"Just Varian is fine, they're moving my things?"

"Y-yes, until they can get your new clothes made, your old ones will be moved to a more suitable room, as well as the rest of your personal items." She puffed with slight pride at managing to get out so many words, then she noticed his angry expression and backed up the stairs a little. 

"I-I'm sorry." She squeaked out. 

"Who ordered you to do this?" 

"The king, um, Varian. "

A jolt of fury shot through him. 

"That piece of trash?!"

She yelped at his outburst, and he took a breath, sighing. 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be yelling at you."

"T-thats ok, I'd better get going…" 

She ran past him down the stairs, and he looked after her for a few moments, before turning back and retreating up the steps and into the dark passageway, continuing on onto the more brightly lit and decorated halls where the royal family's living quarters were. Anger and determination pushing him towards the king's study. 

His plans of delaying the conversation with Fred had changed. Deep inside himself, Varian knew he was going to regret this decision, but the Alchemist had never been one for thinking things through. 

……………………………………

Fredrick sat at his desk, a smug grin of satisfaction spread across his bearded face. He had officially claimed Varian as his son today, and though he hated the thought of that criminal being his own flesh and blood. The king had thoroughly enjoyed seeing the horror and confusion in the boys face upon hearing the news. It was almost worth Arriana's despair at her child running away at the revelation. 

The woman had been crying in her room ever since, cradling the stupid crown she had made for her son. 

No one made his wife cry and got away with it, so Fredrick had vowed to make Varian's life as horrible as he could, without making it too obvious.

He had started with the most reasonable change, one that would be expected of him, moving Varian into the fanciest, most extravagant room in the castle, and as a bonus, providing him with several manservants who were to never leave his side. Fredrick had just happened to choose the three who especially despised the kid, a simple mistake of course, one that he was sure Varian wouldn't complain about. He was too much of a coward to do so.

At that moment, as if just for the sake of contradicting the king's thoughts, the door slammed open to reveal the young man, wearing the stupid gloves that he never seemed to take off. 

"Get your servants out of my room." He demanded immediately, with not so much as a bow or word of respect. 

"What is this?" Fredrick stood up, glaring down at him.

The boy continued. "Leave my laboratory alone, do you want me to build your machines or not? Your majesty."  

Speaking the title with the most impertinent, mocking tone imaginable. 

"You will still be working on your commissions, you will simply be sleeping in a different room, "son" 

Varian grimaced, turning away for a second. He was sensitive, just like his mother. Of course he would have inherited her annoying traits. 

"You do realize that moving me to the royal quarters would make me lose almost a full hours worth of work daily, I won't be able to complete the commissions as fast." 

Fredrick thought for a moment, then smiled, looking in the boy's furious eyes. He was almost surprised to see the pure hate in the light blue eyes, a near perfect copy of his own. He hadn't seen such rage in him since...well, since he had kidnapped his entire family with an army of Automatons. 

"Very well then, we can't let your new position interfere with your duties as the Royal Engineer."

Varian looked at him in complete shock, he clearly hadn't thought the king would agree with him, the prince opened his mouth to speak, but halted when the large man spoke again. 

"Therefore, I am stripping you of your position of Engineer, you will devote all your time and energy into learning the skills you will need for your new life." 

The former Engineer froze, staring at him blankly for a moment, then his face twisted in complete anger. 

"No! You can't!" He clenched his fists. "Your majesty, you can't take this from me! I'm the best you have!"

"Best I have?" Fredrick laughed, " Xavier will take over and can use your blueprints if he wishes," He walked around his desk to get to Varian, looking down at him. The king grabbed his face and forced the boy to look at him. 

"But understand this, Varian, you are completely replaceable. The only reason you were pardoned and given that position instead of being thrown into a cell again as you deserve, was because of Rapunzel," 

he scoffed. "She thinks of you as a pet, something to amuse her. That's all you are." Varian was struggling to get out of his grasp, but the king's strength far outweighed his. 

"You are nothing but the princess's little pet." He dropped Varian, who stumbled backwards, holding the side of his face where the king had grabbed him. 

Fredrick turned and moved back behind his desk, settling back down in his large cushioned chair.

"Guards!" He called, and almost immediately several armed men rushed inside the study. 

"Take the prince and bring him to his new room, keep him there until he learns to appreciate what he has been given."

They nodded to him, then grabbed the boy by the arms, leading him, then dragging him when he refused to budge, out of the study, ignoring his protests. 

" Wait," he pointed to a taller, rather scrawny guard, who halted at the doorway and turned back.

"Yes your majesty?"

"Gather his old clothes and burn them."

The guard paused, glancing back in Varian's direction.

"All of them your majesty?"

"Yes," Fredrick smiled. " We can't have our prince wearing peasant clothes, now can we?"

The armored man nodded, "I would guess not your majesty."

"Indeed, he has a new life now, and it would be best if he got used to it, fast." 

Chapter Text

Varian had been right, going to talk to the king had been the dumbest thing he could have possibly done. 

Maybe if he hadn't been an idiot and done that, he would be sleeping in his own small but comfortable bed, rather than this oversized mattress, with far too many blankets, and pillows fluffy enough to suffocate him while he slept. 

He hadn't dared lay down on it, in fear he would enjoy it, and the thought of liking anything the king had forced upon him made Varian want to throw up.

So, he had sat on the floor all night, and even that was more comfortable then his bed in the basement, having been covered in a rug that his boots sank into about an inch.

The worst part of it however was the huge portrait of King Fredrick hanging over the bed, staring at him with those cool blue eyes and stern face that made Varian want to tear it to bits, he had come close to doing so, but although he hated to admit it, he was scared of the king as well, and felt an equal desire to hide under the bed to avoid the lifeless gaze.

"Whole stupid place is like an evil marshmallow." 

Varian glanced at the dagger lying forgotten on the bedside table, put there when he had first come in. The last thing he had been given by his "Father" and felt a stab of guilt. He hadn't even stopped to consider how Quirin felt about this whole thing. Varian had acquired an entire family, and Quirin had lost the only person he had left. 

"How selfish" he almost laughed. He was more like his family than he thought. Forgetting the person who needed the most comfort and help, in his own self pity. 

"You'll fit right in"

He picked up the dagger, gripping the hilt tightly in his gloved hands. He hadn't bothered taking them off the night before. He needed to see Quirin, whether he wanted to or not, although, Varian realized, he did want to see him, more than anything. His breathing faltered and he had to force himself not to start crying and acting like a child. Crying because he missed his daddy, how immature could he be?

"Please let me in, I demand to see him!"

Varian's head shot up at the sound of Rapunzel's voice outside the door. He wasn't surprised she was up so early, the princess usually awoke at six, and sometimes even earlier, as was proven by the fact that it was barely after five, and here she was shouting at the guards outside his room. He listened to the argument silently, gaze still on the knife. Maybe shouting was an exaggeration, she hadn't really raised her voice, at least not yet. She had become a lot calmer and less prone to sporadic bursts of energy since the wedding. Marriage had definitely been good for her.

"I guess he didn't really say we couldn't let anyone in.." one of the guards relented, 

"Just don't stay too long, I don't want to get into trouble."

The door cracked open, and the princess stepped in, giving him a small sympathetic smile. 

"I'm sorry dad did this to you," Varian gave her a shrug in reply.

"I was expecting something like this, it wasn't surprising at all"

Rapunzel made her way across the room to him, sitting down beside her brother and putting an arm around him. Varian didn't object, although he was anything but comfortable. 

"You know, he locked me up once too, after you, um"

She trailed off. 

" Attacked you with the Automaton? I heard about that."

"R-right," she giggled, "Crazy times, huh? Kind of fun though" 

He nodded, agreeing with her was far easier than explaining how not fun that time in his life had been, terrifying and miserable would be better words for it, but he couldn't blame her for trying to lighten the mood. 

" He locked you up to keep you safe, or so I've been told, not quite the same."

"Well, the uh, townsfolk aren't super happy about you becoming a prince.." 

Varian sighed, leaning back on the bed frame. 

"Figures" 

The princess gave him a comforting squeeze. 

" You'll win them over eventually."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. 

"Of course! You'll just have to work at it a bit more."

"Work at it a bit more??" He laughed. 

"I've given these people everything I've got! Hot running water, top notch defense systems, fireless ovens, bug sprays. What else do they want of me?!"

"I don't know, Varian, maybe they just need more time?"

"Maybe." It was a weak consolation, but what other reason could there be?

"Regardless, Dad only put you in here because he cares about you, everything he does is out of love, a very wise woman told me that once."

" He has a funny way of showing it" Varian rubbed his jaw idley, it was still a little sore. 

"He took away my job."

She looked down at him with a surprised expression.

"What! Why? He knows you love that job!"

"Bingo, he took it away because he knows I love it."

Rapunzel shook her head, grabbing the Prince by his shoulders, making him look at her. 

"Don't be silly, there has to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this, he wouldn't do that, he cares about you!"

He met her eyes, they looked surprisingly desperate. She knew the truth, she just didn't want to face it. 

"Keep telling yourself that lie, Princess, but you know, he hates me, and will do anything to hurt me, no matter how cruel it is, he cares for no one but himself, and if he needs to bring his kingdom to ruin for his own personal wants, he will. Mark my words." 

Her face turned from desperation into anger, and she pushed him away, standing up.

"Don't you dare talk about my father that way, our father. He is a wonderful man, and you just can't let go of a silly grudge from years ago!" 

" A silly grudge? He let his kingdom fall into chaos! People died, princess." Her eyes went wide.

"D-died?"

"Yes, died, there was a famine that the king ignored, people starved. Not to mention the rocks, they sprung from the ground so quickly, and were incredibly sharp, they grew in houses, fields, everywhere. One minute you were safely sleeping in bed, and the next…"

She paled as the words sunk in. 

"N-no, you're lying! I'm not going to listen to this anymore!"

In a moment she was gone, the heavy door closing behind her. Leaving him alone in the luxurious, but lonely room. 

Chapter Text

"It's like an assembly line of royals." Varian sighed. The queen was outside this time asking to see him. 

Who knew what she was here for. To give him a talking to about making her daughter cry he guessed. 

"Just what I need," he sighed. Standing up reluctantly as the door swung open, revealing the Queen, smiling sadly at him. 

"Hello, dear."

He gave her a curt bow. 

"Your Majesty."

"I am incredibly sorry for throwing all of this on you so suddenly, I realized too late that I should have thought of your feelings more, rather than just my own." 

He bolted upright, trying to hide his shock.

"Your Majesty?"

"I came here to ask for your forgiveness, and to possibly...well, it may be too soon for that."

"Soon for what?"

She looked away, and murmured just loud enough for his to hear. 

" To call me Mother, or whatever variation of that you would prefer.."

Varian thought for a moment, out of everyone in the royal family, the queen had been the kindest to him throughout everything, he still remembered and treasured the memories of her visits to his prison cell, the one thing that had kept him from breaking completely. 

"Uh, sure...I can do that." 

"Really?" Her face brightened up considerably. "Thank you, Varian, you have no idea how much this means to me."

He nodded, feeling slightly awkward, it had been so long since he had a mother, he had forgotten how it worked. 

Did he address her the same way he had Ulla?

"Of course, um, Mommy." He immediately regretted it, of course he shouldn't call her what he had called his foster mother, "Mommy" was such a childish term. 

He started to apologize, face red with embarrassment, but was cut off before he could. The queen had already wrapped him up in a hug. Holding him as close as she could. 

"My son," she murmured, her voice broken and trembling, filled with a love that Varian barely remembered from when Ulla had been alive. He didn't realize until he felt a tightness in his chest that he forgot was there, release, and the tears started coming, how much he had missed it. 

She pulled away after a few minutes, smiling at him, tears in her eyes as well. She didn't seem bothered that her shoulder was damper than it had been before.

"I'll get you out of here as soon as I can, alright?"

Varian nodded, unable to speak for fear of crying, again, something Quirin had greatly frowned upon, and would be ashamed if he saw his "son" doing so, especially now that Varian was technically a man. 

He cleared his throat, "Thank you, Mother." 

"Oh? What was wrong with Mommy?" She asked, looking slightly amused.

He averted his gaze to the wall behind her.

"Mother felt more appropriate for my age." The queen nodded. 

"Understood, although I wouldn't mind it if you used Mommy every now and again, I missed that age with both of my children" she trailed off, looking a bit sad as she reflected on the years she had missed. 

"I'll keep that in mind" 

"Thank you" she gave him another smile, "So, I heard you had a talk with your father, how did that go?"

"He told you?" 

"Yes, he did, he told me that you had stormed in there, acting like an impudent brat who thought he owned the place and yelled at him, but I thought I had better get both sides of the story." She led him to the bed, sitting down and motioning for him to do the same.

He obliged, sitting beside her. 

"Now please, explain what happened."

He sighed and began, telling her what had occured, from yelling at the king, to the king grabbing him by the face, to taking away his job, and telling him how worthless he was. 

He repeatedly glanced at his mother as he spoke. Noting nervously how she seemed to quietly grow more and more angry. Fists clenched so hard, her knuckles had gone white, her smile, though still plastered on her face, had turned more into a grimace, and her face flushed. 

He finished quickly, telling her how the guards had been ordered to take him away. He fell silent, eyeing her anxiously.

"Mother, are you alright?"

She shook her head, standing up. 

"Varian, if you would please excuse me, I must have a word with your father." 

She gave his forehead an idle kiss, and without waiting for a response, she left, shutting the door behind her, a bit more aggressively than was necessary. 

He grinned as she left, falling back on the bed. He had forgotten how nice it was to have a mother. No one could ever replace Ulla though, she had taught him everything she had known about alchemy, without her he would have taken far longer to advance as far as he had by now. 

"Would that have been such a bad thing?"

His smile faltered, if Ulla hadn't been there, at 14 he would only have known the very basics. He wouldn't have known enough to even think he could build a hot water heater in the tunnels, or to try and meddle with the rocks. 

Why hadn't the thought crossed his mind before? He wouldn't have nearly as many problems as he did if he wasn't an Alchemist. 

"Because it's who you are." Varian realized, being an Alchemist was the thing that made him happiest, discovering new elements, creating something that seemed so magical, using purely science. Engineering too, thrilled him, turning pieces of junk and metal into incredible machines. 

Heck, he often introduced himself as a scientist, before telling his name. It didn't seem nearly as important. 

Just thinking about it made him want to go to his lab and spend the rest of the day perfecting his recipe for a paste stronger, and far more sticky than the strongest glue available in the kingdom. 

He sat up and sighed. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon, the king had taken it away. 

Varian fell back onto the bed. 

For now it didn't matter, he wasn't going to ruin his own day thinking about it, something incredible had happened, something he hadn't thought was even possible, but had occured right in front of his eyes.

A member of the royal family had apologized. 

Chapter Text

Seven days. 

Varian had been trapped in this hellhole of a room for over a week, despite what his mother had promised. He didn't entirely blame her, she had done everything from begging her husband, to fighting with him. She had even gone so far as to throw a plate at his head. Arriana had been ashamed of that last one, as it had been rather improper for a queen, but she didn't regret it at all, as it had been for her son. 

For Varian or not, it hadn't done any good. He was still trapped in this place.

Rudigger nuzzled his hand, asking for another piece of dried fruit. The raccoon had been delivered in one of the three times that week the queen had come to visit. 

Besides the queen, no one had come to see him, except his new manservants who seemed to hate him more than the usual maid or butler. The food they brought always seemed to be stale or burned, and the new clothes he was forced to wear, ( Fancy garments covered in tassels and embroidered in gold, the Coronian crest stitched to the chest of the mainly white outfit.) Was unbelievably uncomfortable, and never fit right. 

Eugene had slipped many letters under the door throughout the week. Apologizing for the fact that he didn't come in person, but that his wife had been furious at him at the mere mention of it. It seemed Varian's sister was still not over the prince accusing the king of neglect and manslaughter. It was a pity. Varian liked Rapunzel well enough, but her feigned ignorance over her own and her father's crimes could be very off-putting, and had caused more than one fall out between the siblings. 

A small rustling noise got his attention, and he watched the base of the door spit out a folded piece of paper. It was another letter from Eugene. 

Varian eagerly ran over, picking it up and reading the contents. 

Hey, kid, how's life?

The king is throwing a fancy dinner that I wish I could escape

Apparently there's less food made than was according to plan. 

The dinner is taking place rather late at night for my taste, 

At 9:00 

Rapunzel is making me attend anyway, but maybe I can escape through the Left window

It's risky but I know that there's a certain girl, namely Catalina

Who is almost as good at escaping as me, almost. I hope she will be there and will help escape. 

Cassandra sent a letter saying she reached her destination 

Some place called the old village, doesn't hold a candle to 

Janis point. 

Man, that place is creepy, anyways, if the king says I can,

I'll see you tonight. 

Eugene.

Varian sighed, stuffing the letter into his pocket. He lay back on his bed, thinking silently for a few minutes, before sitting up suddenly, alarming Rudigger who fell off the mattress with a squeak.

Hastily he opened the letter back up and looked over it again, almost laughing at his own foolishness. He should have realized it earlier, the letter was so oddly spaced. 

The code was easy enough for a baby to decipher. 

He used one of Eugene's first letters to write it down with a pen and ink he had found in one of the drawers.

Escape plan, 

At 9:00, escape through the left window, Catalina will be there and will help. Destination, Janis point. I'll see you tonight. 

It was a simple matter of every second line being part of the real letter. Instructions on the escape plan that was apparently taking place tonight.

He felt a twinge of guilt at his eagerness to leave.

What would the queen think about her son up and leaving so soon after she finally got him back?

Varian shook his head, there was nothing to be done about it, this was the only way he was going to get out of this place.

Hours later, five minutes before 9:00, Varian stood by the left window that looked out over a steep roof  high enough to make his stomach hurt at the thought of making his way over it in the dark. Rudigger, who sat on his shoulders, patted his face comfortingly

He jumped at the sound of tapping at the base of the window, although he had been expecting it.

He crouched down and peered out the bottom of the window at the red head, who waved at him with a smile. With a bit of work, they both managed to push open the large glass window. 

Catalina held a hand out to help him onto the roof. He took it, stepping out and keeping a hold of her hand, trying to keep his balance. She didn't seem to mind his iron grip.

"Isn't this like a fairytale?" Catalina whispered.

"A-a fairytale?" He glanced down the sloping roof, his heart pounding. Catalina didn't seem to have his balancing problem, she stood with complete ease, seeming as comfortable here as she was on solid ground. 

"Sure, except since I'm rescuing you, I would be the prince and you would be the princess."

He nodded, not quite paying attention to her explanation.

Catalina waited for a further reaction, and when none came, she sighed. 

"Well, the plan is for me to turn into a werewolf and carry you the rest of the way, so you don't need to worry about walking across that." 

Varian nodded again.

She smiled a little. "You'll need to let go of my hand." 

"Right." He released his grip on her slowly, sitting down on the cold rooftop.

Varian watched Catalina as she transformed with the same fascination he had when he first saw it occur. He no longer thought that magic was some sort of elusive form of godly power. It seemed to him now that it was an incredibly complicated form of science that he was determined to one day figure out. 

With her transformation finished, the now large werewolf looked down at him with a nervous smile when she noticed his attentiveness. 

With his permission, Catalina picked him and his raccoon up. Starting the journey, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, then from tree to tree as they left the city. Holding him close while he clung to her. 

Eventually they landed at Janis point, and she set him down, stepping back to let Eugene, who had been waiting, greet his friend with a hug.

"Glad to see you again, Varian." 

Varian smiled with relief, returning the hug.

The both of them were joined by Lance, who had wrapped his arms around the both of them.

"The whole thing was my idea." The large man whispered.

At this, Eugene reached over Varian's head, and shoved his friend's face away. Causing the hug to fall apart. 

The two fell into an argument, both claiming ownership of the plan while Varian watched, not minding a bit.

He had finally gotten away, and he was sure of one thing.

He was never going back. 

Chapter Text

        Varian sat at the edge of Janis point, watching the sun rise. He hadn't gotten much sleep during the night. His princely garb had been irritating him enough that Lance had kicked him out of the tent they had shared to get something different to wear from Eugene. The captain had given him a loose fitting dark blue shirt with a crooked collar and the top front laced with long strips of leather, along with a pair of plain brown trousers that were a bit longer than Varian would have liked, but he wasn't in a position to complain about it. 

       It was a bit dramatic to say that his time in captivity had taken a toll on him, it had only been a week. Besides, it had been the most lavish room in the castle,he had been given great food, even if it had been served poorly. It had been nothing like his prison cell, but the suffocating feeling of captivity had still been there.

     He stared out at the ocean of trees stretching out in front of him, disturbed only by the occasional sprinkling of taverns such as the Ugly Duckling, and odd house here and there. Most noticeably the Schmitz's tree house. It rose above the rest of the forest like some sort of abnormal flower, painted with almost all the colors of the rainbow among a garden of plain green roses. 

      He looked up as Eugene approached him. 

"Hey, Varian, we're heading to Old Corona next. I figured you would want to speak to your Dad." 

Varian refrained from responding for a moment, looking back out across the canopy before nodding slowly. 

"When do we leave?"

"Now if you're ready to go." 

The Prince most certainly wasn't ready to face his foster father. What would Quirin think of him running away from the castle? He definitely wouldn't be happy about it. At this point Varian almost didn't care if Quirin would be happy to see him or not, he just wanted to see the man who had raised him, the man, Stern yet kind, quiet yet friendly, the wonderful parent and leader he had believed for so long to be his real father. Rather than the selfish, cold-blooded tyrant who shared blood with the Alchemist. 

Varian stood up, and followed Eugene who had given him a reassuring grin at the sight of the young man's worried expression, down past the camp towards Olaf Corona. The others were busy packing, and would meet Varian there in a few hours. 

    Eugene left him to go the rest of the way on his own at the crossroads. He had duties to fulfil back at the palace being the captain and all. He wished his younger friend good luck and the two went their separate ways.

      Varian reached Old Corona a few hours later, and was completely shocked at what he saw. 

The whole village was far more dilapidated than when he had last been there a year ago. Several roofs had sunken in, and were roughly patched up with old boards. The fields that by this time of year were usually filled with seedlings, were nearly barren. The children who played in the streets lacked the flesh of those in the city, these ones clearly hadn't gotten the food they needed over the winter. The usual ruckus of people trading in the small market in the center of town had been completely silenced. With only a few men and women sitting at their stands, quietly watching people pass by the few goods they had.

    Several familiar faces watched him with interest as he walked through the town, the usual distaste was there, no one in Old Corona had ever really liked him, and he had gotten used to it by now, but there was something else there too, some sort of hope. That worried him more than anything else. 

He finally reached the old castle that was now the town leader's home. Varian didn't hesitate to knock, his curiosity and concern far outweighing the fear of his foster father's anger. 

The door cracked open slowly, and Quirin stared down at him in surprise. A moment later Varian found himself inside his old home, wrapped up in a warm hug, too warm.

Varian pushed away from Quirin, taking a closer look at him and resting a hand on the large man's forehead. 

His face was flushed red, and his eyes were framed with dark circles. It didn't take a professional to see that Quirin was in no way well. 

Quirin gently pulled Varian's hand away from his head. 

"What are you doing here?"

Varian shook his head.

"Turns out being the prince isn't as fun as it sounds, now go sit down and I'll get you something to get your fever down. When did you start feeling sick?"

"I'm fine."

"Don't even try that with me, have you rested at all?"

Quirin didn't answer. 

"Varian, I already said I was fine. You on the other hand haven't given me a reason as to why you came, explain yourself."

Varian frowned at him.

"Go get some rest, then I'll explain." He paused then grinned mischievously. "As your prince, I command you to do as I say."

His foster father raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told, retreating back into the house to his bedchamber. Varian sighed, following him in and collapsing into the only chair at the dining table. 

Thank goodness Eugene had him come here, who knows how bad Quirin would have gotten without someone to tell him to actually take care of himself.

It was strange to see him listen to Varian, heaven knows he had almost never done so before. 

Fortunately, Quirin was also one to never disobey the command of a member of the royal family. It was one of the first times Varian had been thankful for the title. 

A few minutes went by, and soon the sound of snoring came from the adjoining room. Content with the fact that Quirin was resting, Varian left the house, traveling across the street to his old laboratory. He was surprised to find the inside nearly untouched, and although that was somewhat nostalgic, some of the chemicals that sat on the old wooden shelves that were now covered in spiderwebs, only got more dangerous the more they sat fermenting in their bottles. If a child were to come in and break one of them, they'd be dead in a moment. Either from some sort of toxic gas or an explosion. 

"Best not to let that happen." 

Varian got to work sorting and cleaning the place. The bottles, metal scraps and vials that were still in good condition he put in the storage area in the back, locking it up and setting up a couple traps, not really for security, more for the fun of it.

Once he had finished clearing out all the bottles and dusting the shelves, mopping the floors, and doing a complete clean out of all his tools, he decided he might as well make something. He hadn't been able to do so all week. He would just have to be more careful now that his gloves and goggles were gone. 

For the next few hours, the Alchemist worked, not really sure exactly what he was making as he fused metal together, connected joints and fixed wiring. 

His hands moved almost without him thinking about it. His mind was too preoccupied with the king, he really hoped that he wouldn't come after him, the last thing he needed was guards after him again. If he did send out patrols looking for Varian there really wouldn't be much he could do about it other than go back, living a life on the lamb really wasn't very fun. If only the king was gone, had never existed in the first place. Or perhaps even better, Varian had the chance to take him down again, destroying the tyrant who had ruined his life over and over. 

He stepped back from his workbench, lifting his metalworking mask off of his face and stared down at what he had created. It was rather large, about the size and length of a barstool. One metal joint sat near the lower half, the other near the end. He slowly started to realize what he'd made. Hadn't he made dozens of these? Repeated the process until it became second nature, less than four years ago. 

He pushed it away, throwing off his mask and turning away from his creation. The heat from the furnace overwhelmed him all of a sudden as his heart beat rapidly in his chest. 

"I need to get out of here." 

Varian shoved his laboratory door open, stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. He left then, going to check on Quirin, leaving the oversized metal finger of an automaton sitting silently on the workbench in his lab. 

Chapter Text

Varian returned to his father's house, meeting the Shnitz's outside the door. He informed them of the situation with Quirin, giving them all a stern warning to stay quiet while they were in or nearby the building. 

They obliged, keeping their usual constant cheerful ruckus to a minimum. 

Eventually after they had settled in, the four lounging in the living room trying to get comfortable, Varian spoke. 

"Lance, I'd like to speak to you." 

The large man nodded, leaving his daughters to follow Varian into the laboratory to talk. 

"What do you need?" Lance asked, glancing in the direction of the large mound of shaped metal sitting on the table.

"How long has Old Corona been this way?" Varian sat on the stool next to the workbench, waiting for his friend to answer. 

"Months, the king hasn't sent any significant financial support to the village in a good while."

Varian sighed and glared at the ground, he wasn't surprised. 

"Why not?"

"Several recent trade deals fell through, he's sourcing everything the kingdom has left to the island."

"But old Corona is the agricultural center of the kingdom. What happens when the harvest arrives and there's nothing there?"

Lance shook his head sadly.

"I don't know, apparently keeping the island in top shape to impress visitors is more important than feeding anyone."

"No." Varian looked up at Lance. "Hasn't Rapunzel been in charge of Kingdom Trade Relations for the last year?"

Lance nodded. " Yeah, she was really excited about that, apparently it hasn't been going well though."

Varian stood up, making his way over to the table, resting his hand on the metal arm. 

"It wasn't only for visitors, I'll bet a thousand gold pieces she thinks she's done a great job."

"How? She clearly hasn't."

"She hasn't seen Old Corona in the state it's in, has she?"

"No, not since it started falling apart."

"As far as she knows everything is going fine, he's lying to her again."

Varian cursed, clenching his fist, hatred clawing at him like a rabid beast that wouldn't leave him alone. 

"Hasn't he realized by now that it benefits no one? The princesses' pride doesn't matter at all in the grand scheme of things." He paused for a moment, then sighed. 

"I really shouldn't be surprised. He's already shown that he values his subject's lives less than the chance of her being unhappy, but I really thought he wouldn't repeat it."

"Hey now, that's a bit of a stretch, isn't it?" Lance frowned at him.

"Is it really? Honestly, it's like a sequel with lazy writing."

Varian turned away from the table and started towards the door. 

"We need to fix this, now."

Lance followed after him, stopping the younger man before he reached the exit. 

"Varian, listen. I don't know what you're trying to do exactly, but please think carefully before you do it."

The Alchemist looked back at Lance, frowning at the urgency in which the man had spoken. 

"What are you talking about, of course I've-"

He stopped and noticed something about where Lance was focusing his gaze. He had been staring at the metal finger on the table. 

The room fell silent for a while, the two looking at the finger.

"No, not like that." Varian finally broke the silence, his tone as reassuring as he could manage. 

"Why did you make it then?" Lance still seemed doubtful.

"I wasn't thinking, I just…" Varian struggled to find an explanation that wouldn't cause any concern. 

"Defensive measures?" He internally groaned. That was a dumb excuse. 

"I see…" Lance stared at him for a moment. "Well, be careful, it might send the wrong signal to the townsfolk, with your history and all."

Varian nodded. "Right, thanks Lance." He sighed in relief, pushing opening the door and making his way outside, heading towards the center of the town. 

"Okay, public speaking. You're good at this, right?"

He quietly reassured himself as he climbed onto one of the empty stalls in the marketplace. Only a few people looked in his direction, and those who did with an air of annoyance directed at the teen. 

Varian stared out at the small crowd for a few moments before speaking. 

"Citizens of Old Corona! I'm sure you all know who I am!"

"Yeah! Quirin's crazy wizard kid who destroyed the village a few years ago!" 

The Prince paused, taken aback at the response from one of the farmers in the small group, he recognized him as Daran Fletcher. Figures, that man had never liked him. 

The comment was met with a few snickers, and any confidence Varian had quickly dissipated, but still he continued. 

"I-I'm here to help, I've seen how the king has treated you, and it's not right!" 

Daran interrupted again. 

"Yeah? How long did it take you to figure that out?" This again was met by laughter. 

Another person, this one a scrawny old woman of short stature spoke up as well.

"More importantly, what are you gonna do about it?"

Varian nodded to her, appreciative of what seemed to be a genuine inquiry rather than plain mockery.

"Rebuild! Repair the houses, plant more crops and find a way to survive through the winter! It's still early in the year, we have time."

This time it was a different farmer who spoke, an older man.

"With what material? With what seed? It doesn't matter how early in the year it is, we have nothing to work with."

"Tha-that's true." Varian laughed nervously, he hadn't thought this far ahead, neither in his plan or speech. He had hoped words would just come out of him like they did for the Princess. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. 

He scratched his head, thinking. 

"I...have something that may be able to help with that!"

Varian jumped down from the stand with a huge grin. 

"I need to get back to the castle."

"Back? You just left!" Lance stared at him like he had just gone crazy. 

"Demanitus's journal, he has hundreds of projects in there. I'd need to have the blueprint in front of me, but I know there's quite a few in there that could help everyone here."

He started towards Quirin's house with a determined expression, completely oblivious to the confused muttering throughout the gathered townsfolk.

Lance and the girls went after him, the older man grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him around before he reached the door. 

"Listen, you can't go back, this isn't going to end well"

Varian patted his friend's hand resting on his shoulder. 

"It's really not that hard, I've already done it, once more won't be too bad."

Lance shook his head.

"No, you're not going."

Catalina peeked out from behind her father. 

"Not on your own that is."

"Catalina!" Lance turned to look at her with a frown.

"Come on, Dad, you know you want to."

"Just because I want to doesn't mean I should."

Varian interrupted the argument.

"Cat, I appreciate the offer, but I don't want either of you going into danger, what if you got caught stealing the book?"

"Get caught? Ha! Look at who you're talking to."

Keira replied indignantly. 

Catalina nodded. "She's right, we never got caught when we were thieves, we'll be fine."

"Now hold on a minute!" Lance grabbed both girls by their arms, firmly but gently, as if they were about to run off at that moment. 

"None of you are going and that's final!"

"With all due respect, you have no say in what I do, I'm an adult, and you're not my father." Varian shrugged apologetically at Lance. "I'm sorry, but I'm going."

Before he could reply, Varian went inside, going to the back door after a quick stop at his room to gather a few supplies. 

He left the house, making his way towards the island, forming a plan in his head as he walked, his confidence growing as he got closer to the town. 

This was going to be fun.