Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Dad! I’m going to go get help!” Varian moved to rush out the door, only halted by his father’s thunderous voice.

“No! Varian, we need to talk. I should’ve told you more about the rocks, your mother, everything. Give me a chance to tell you now before time runs out.” Varian turned around, shaking slightly.

“W-what? Dad, is now really the best time? You need help!” Quirin sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumping. The amber made its sinister presence known, creeping up his body.

“Varian, I don’t think I’m making it out of this one. At least let me tell you what you deserve to know.”

Eyes growing moist, Varian shook his head furiously. Denial coursed through his system like a powerful poison.

“No...no! Dad, I promise I can figure this out, I just need to find the right formula, or know more about the rocks...” Quirin’s voice softened as he looked at his fretful son in sorrow and concern.

“That curiosity, you really do get it from your mother. But...her desire for knowledge, it lead to her leaving home one day, and never coming back. It’s always made me afraid to let you experiment with the same things she did.” Varian knelt down, looking at him curiously as thin trails of tears ran down his cheeks.

“But...that curious mind of hers, it also saved your life.”

“Really?” Quirin nodded.

“There was a point in your first months that you got very sick. Every doctor told us that there was nothing they could do, that we should prepare ourselves for the worst. But your mother wouldn’t accept that. She suggested that we try what the royals of Corona did, and use magic to safe your life.”

Varian’s eyes widened, nearly forgetting their current predicament as he became drawn into his father’s tale.

“So...we ventured to my home kingdom. There’s a very important source of magic there, the Moonstone. I’m not exactly sure what your mother did, but when she came out of that chamber, you were completely healthy, with only that discoloration in your hair to show for the experience.”

Brows furrowed in thought, the gears in Varian’s head running like a well oiled machine. His fingers moved to twirl the stripe in his hair. Quirin knew that look too well. His son was planning something.

“Wait, if the power of that stone could save my life back then, then maybe it could be used to save you! I’ll find it, I can save you!” Both watched in muted horror as the amber crept up Quirin’s chest.

“Varian, that’s far too dangerous for you! At least...far too dangerous to go on your own. If you’re thinking about such things, I need you to at least promise me that you won’t go alone.” The boy gulped, nodding with a fierce determination.

”I promise.”

“Right. One last request, I need you to ask around for an Adira or a Hector. They’re old friends of mine, and if you get a hold of one of them, they’ll be able to tell you what I’ve lost the time to now.” The amber hungrily crept higher, reaching the man’s neck. Varian began to panic, fresh tears bursting in like a flood.

“Wait! Dad, I’m not ready!”

“You shouldn’t have to see this son. Go upstairs, into my bedroom. If you open the large dark wood chest, you’ll find your mother’s journal, alongside some old things of mine that might be useful.” He grunted in pain.

“Go! It’ll be okay Varian. My brave boy, remember  that I’m proud of you, and I love you very much. I know now I should’ve told you that more often. Now go!” And with that, Varian screwed his tear-filled eyes shut, running up the staircase as the amber encased Quirin completely.

Chapter Text

Rapunzel sighed while looking at the painting of her dream. Varian had looked so scared, so frightened and sad. She feared for what had become of his father. The Princess was so lost in her stormy sea of thoughts that she almost missed the heavy wooden knocking on her doors.

“Come in!” She watched as Pete shuffled in, looked rather frazzled with his wrinkled attire and helmet askew by a fraction. The man adjusted his helmet, trying his best to look as professional as possible.

“Princess? There’s someone asking for you. He says it’s urgent.” And oh did Rapunzel have a sinking suspicion who that was. Sure enough, Stan burst through the door, trying his best to hold back a struggling Varian.

“Sorry Princess, I didn’t think I’d be able to hold him back much longer.” The guard set the panicked boy down, causing him to sprint to Rapunzel’s side. Through heavy gasps, the boy tried to explain himself to the young woman.

“Rapunzel! My...Dad....help! He’s been e-encased by the rocks!”

“What?”

Rapunzel began to sum up Varian’s appearance. Covered in sweat, combined with his deep eye bags and swaying body made him look like a man fresh out of war. But the most eye-catching part of his appearance had to be his hair. One side of his  face was now framed by two separated strands of hair, each wrapped with some kind of twine and patterned with stunning beads that glowed a brilliant blue. She idly wondered if he had used some kind of alchemy to make the beads shine like that. Now clearly wasn’t the time, but she hoped she could find an opportunity to tell him how gorgeous it looked.

She gently coaxed the boy into sitting on her bed, putting her hands on his shoulders.

“Varian, I need you to slow down, okay? Just take a few deep breaths and explain it to me, can you do that?” His breath hitched slightly, but he managed to nod, taking a few seconds before starting again.

“It’s my fault. I tried experimenting on the black rocks; I just wanted to figure out a way to help! But... it didn’t go well. One of my solutions reacted badly to the rocks, and now they’ve...they’ve encased my father.” The Princess gasped, a look of dawning realization passing over her face. Her dream was true then.

“Varian, I’m so sorry! That’s horrible, is there any way I can help? I promised you that I’d help you. Do you need a place to stay? Because you know you’re always welcome here, we can find you a place in the guest rooms, I’m sure my parents won’t mind!” Varian waved her off, a sad but warm look on his face.
“Thank you Rapunzel, but I need help with something...different than that.”

“You mean your father? Varian it’ll take time, but I’m sure we can figure that out too!”

“That’s just the thing Rapunzel. I think I have found a solution. It might be connected to the black rocks as well.” Her eyes widened.

“Really? What is it?” The boy unfurled a small ripped piece of a scroll. It was filled with an unrecognizable written language, and striking images of the sun and moon.

“My dad told me some things before he—“ he cut himself off, holding back tears.

“There’s a counterpart to the flower that gave you your hair. It’s called the Moonstone, and it’s in a place called the Dark Kingdom. The only problem is that it’s really far away. Like—really far. But—I think the journey would be worth it. This could save my father, and possibly the whole kingdom, our home.”

Rapunzel looked conflicted.

“I like the idea Varian, but if it’s that far away, I can’t see my dad agreeing to it. I’ll try asking him though.”

“Thank you Rapunzel, it means a lot.” Casting a smile at the boy, she watching in concern as his eyelids began to droop.

“How about you take a nap on my bed while I go talk to him? Oh, I guess you’re already doing that.” Her face softened into a fond expression as she looked at the snoring boy on her mattress.

The door creaked open once more, Eugene quietly entering with the soft footsteps of a master thief.

“Rapunzel? Pete and Stan were a bit worked up talking about something involving you, I just wanted to check in on you. And... there’s a child in your bed.” His girlfriend ran to him, rushing into his arms to melt into his warm embrace. The man started to worry as Rapunzel’s body began to quiver, her breaths quickening.

“Eugene...this is all my fault! The black rocks...why can’t I stop them? Why can’t I stop people from getting hurt? Varian’s practically an orphan now, and it’s all because I’ve been to weak to fix any of this!”

Eugene’s heart broke for Rapunzel as he watched her break into soft sobs, clutching onto him like a lifeline. Orphan. That word always struck a chord with him, reminding him of his troubled past. But it hit worse now, because this time the word was being applied to someone he knew. He didn’t exactly know Varian well, but he knew him well enough. He was the boy who loved Flynn Rider just like he did, who was quirky and curious, who always wanted to help, regardless of how many times he’d mess up. Eugene...really didn’t like the idea of Varian being an orphan. That kind of thing jaded you, exposed one to the harsh truths of the world. Eugene feared that the bright-eyed boy he met would be irreversibly changed.

“Rapunzel, what happened?”

She separated from him, wiping tears from her eyes.

“I’ll tell you later okay? I just...can you look after Varian while I’m out? He needs someone to be there for him right now.” Eugene moved over to the bed, then looked back to Rapunzel, who was now at the door.

“But where are you going?” The woman took a deep breath.

“To talk to my Dad.”

Chapter Text

“Please, I know you want to keep me safe, but the Dark Kingdom might hold the answers to the rocks! What kind of princess would I be if I didn’t try to find the solution to this thing that’s hurting our people?” King Fredric let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Rapunzel, I know that you want to help, but you belong here in the kingdom, where you’re safe.”

Rapunzel stamped her foot down, bare skin on cool marble making a reverberating slap.

“Dad, as much as you love me, you can’t let that become selfish! Can’t you see the people need us? These rocks are destroying farmland, homes, livelihoods! My hair is connected to them somehow, which means it’s my responsibility to figure them out!”

“Sweetheart, I know this seems like the solution, but it’s far too dangerous. I don’t want you leaving the kingdom.”

“But dad, this is serious! If you would just listen to me—“

“No! Rapunzel, you are not leaving these walls!”

“You are not leaving this tower! Ever!”

Rapunzel froze, feeling cold, corpse-like fingers running through her hair possessively. A ringing rose in her ears, until all she could hear was her own quickening heartbeat, like a horse going from a canter to a gallop. Everything was too bright, too loud. It felt like insects were crawling on her skin, and the fabric of her dress was too scratchy, the seams too tight, like chains. Chains! She was struggling against chains, she was powerless, Eugene was hurt! Heal him, HELP HIM! But she couldn’t see anything, it was too bright!

Rapunzel rushed into the hallway in a fearful frenzy. Wait, hallway? There was no hallways in the tower. Where was she, what was she doing? Where was Eugene, where was Mother? A cool hand grabbed her arm. Claw-like fingers stopped her in her tracks. Minuscule sounds of terror escaped from her throat, and she slowly raised her gaze. To be met the the face of Gothel; Mother, with shriveled skin, bone-white hair, and hollow, pitch black eyes. A hoarse whisper came from the woman’s cracked lips.

“Why would you kill your own Mother? You murderer.”

Rapunzel screamed, closing her eyes and thrusting her arm out to toss off the grip on it.

“Get the hell away from me!”

“Raps?” Rapunzel opened her eyes in horror, the image of Gothel now revealed to be Cassandra, sitting on the floor with a hand rubbing her red and swollen cheek.

“Oh my—Cass! Cass I’m so sorry! I don’t know what came over me...” her breath came out in panicked, shallow pants.

“Raps, it’s okay, try to calm down. I know it was an accident.” A tear dropped into the Princess’s hand. She was crying.

“I-I need Eugene. Please Cass, I need to see him.” Cassandra looked into her friend’s pleading eyes.

“I- okay. He’s in your room, right?” The Princess nodded, trying to shake all the dangerous thoughts from her head.

—///—

Eugene watched as Varian slowly stirred, coming into wakefulness. He hoped the boy would feel rested, as he knew that the ones like him always forgot the importance of sleep.

“Mmmn...did I fall asleep? S-sorry Princess, I didn’t mean to pass out on your bed...oh! Fly—Eugene!” The former thief grinned at him.

“Oh, look at that! You’re starting to get the name right! Good on you kid.” Varian gave him a smile in turn, leaving Eugene to observe how it didn’t quite reach his eyes like it used to.

“You know we’ll do everything in our power to help you, right? We’re not going to let you be alone in this.” The ‘not like I was’ was left unsaid.

The door burst open, Rapunzel running in with an intense look on her face, Cassandra trailing behind.

“Eugene!” She ran to him, a rush to his side that sent them sprawling on the bed. Rapunzel laid her head on his chest, her ear tuning in his heartbeat. Eugene was alive. Eugene was okay.

“Is everything okay Blondie? Rapunzel?” His love gave him a small squeeze with her hands. That was a no then.

Varian stood up, moving to the side. Rapunzel’s gaze snapped up to him.

“Varian...I couldn’t convince my father. I’m sorry. B-but I’m g-going to keep t-trying, alright?” He looked to the shaking Princess. He smiled, and the thing was so obviously fake it almost hurt.

“That’s okay Rapunzel. I think I’ll head back to Old Corona for now.” The group immediately looked opposed.

“What? Varian, you should stay here, you shouldn’t be alone right now!” Heading to the door, Varian waved them off.

“I’ll be fine, my place is in Old Corona anyway, with my lab and stuff!” As his voice wavered, he slipped out the door and slammed it shut, leaving the others to stew in concern.

—///—

“It’s alright, Rapunzel tried to help, she just has her own stuff to deal with. I can just take care of this myself.” He turned back to the book he was reading, looking at the heavily inked word on the top of the page.

‘Mercenaries’

Chapter Text

Varian nervously search around the dark outskirts of Corona, searching for the area the man at the tavern had mentioned.

“Mercenaries, eh? Well if I remember correctly, some groups like to gather around the outskirts of Corona this time of year. I’ve heard that they’ll do most anything if you pay them.”

“Where do I find them?” He remembered asking.

“I’d say somewhere slightly outside of the castle walls. Look for the blind spots of guard posts.”

And so, Varian found himself searching for every blind spot lining the edge of the walls. And at long last, he found it. A cluster of tents, with faint lights illuminating their insides. As he walked closer, he could hear intermingling sounds of idle chatter and weapons being sharpened. He held his small sack of coins tighter, walking towards the dispersed group of what he assumed were the mercenaries. A large, burly man walked towards him, bending down.

“Oy pipsqueak! You get lost from your mummy?” Varian groaned internally. He had seen this coming, given his age and stature he would likely not be taken seriously. Thankfully, he had prepared for a situation like this. He heard another deep voice.

“Well, just drop that money boy and I think we can let you go unscathed.”

Varian steeled himself, hoping to channel as much cold, Cassandra energy into his next statement as possible, with a side of Eugene confidence.

“Well you see, I brought this money to negotiate with, but if that doesn’t work, you’ll find I can be very persuasive in other ways.” And with that statement, the alchemist pitched a small glass vial at a nearby black rock, watching in satisfaction as mercenaries stumbled back in alarm to avoid the golden substance that extended several feet before ending with sharp, twisted edges.

The teen smirked, placing his chin on the back of his hand.

“Oops! I guess my hand slipped. But even a child like me should know that actions speak louder than words, yes?” A murmuring broke out amongst the swarm of people, and a few weapons were drawn. The crowd then fell into a silence as a slow clapping echoed through the camp. People began parting as someone started walking towards Varian in a straight path.

The first thing Varian noticed were his eyes, framed by round glasses. They were a striking green that reminded him of a description of jade he had read in a book. They matched his verdant attire, contrasting nicely with his muted blonde hair. Varian’s mind came to the conclusion that this guy was an example of what Eugene was getting at when he’d overheard him talking about “The merits of the ‘Roguishly Handsome’ look”.

The blonde looked around the group of mercenaries.

“You know, you’d think you all would learn by now that you should never judge by appearances.” As the newcomer reached him, Varian put most of his effort in standing as firm and tall as he possibly could.

“And you! Wow, that was really impressive! What’s your name? Mine’s Hugo, pleasure to make your acquaintance I’m sure.” Now that they were up close, Varian could tell that this ‘Hugo’ could hardly be a year older than him. It suddenly made Varian rather self-conscious. He was an introvert at heart; he never really talked to any people his age that often.

“V-Varian. That’s uh, my name. Yeah. It’s Varian. D-did I already mention that’s my name? Ahahah sorry...”

Hugo elbowed him gently as he started pulling him aside.

“Where’s all that moxie from before? You get nervous or something Beads?”

“Pfft, ‘Beads’?” The other teen shrugged.

“The glowing things in your hair? First thing I noticed when I saw you. Hence, nickname.”

“So what, I should call you Cat Eyes or something?” Hugo grinned wide.

“Awww, you noticed my eyes first? That sounds like something straight out of a cheesy romance novel.” Heat rose to Varian’s cheeks.

“Shut up! Glasses always make you notice the eyes first! Maybe I should call you Four-eyes instead.”

Hugo playfully shoved him with his shoulder.

“Relax, I’m just messing with you!” As they broke into laughter, a loud, raspy ‘Ahem!’ sounded behind them.

“Hugo, nice to see you’re getting along well with the client.” Hugo’s laughter seamlessly switched to a smirk.

“What can I say Don? I’m naturally charismatic.” The woman sighed. Varian’s heart began to fill with hope.

“Client? Does that mean you’ll help me?”

“It depends on what you have to offer.”

She led them into a large tent, moving around a large table.

“Alright, show me what you have.” Varian dropped the small pouch of coins on the table, letting the currency slide out.

“I’m sorry I don’t have much, I’m not from a very high income household, and my father hasn’t been...well enough to help with the farming lately. I mean, I’ve seriously employed my pet raccoon to help me do the chores, but that’s beside the point! I can pay you back later, I’ll do anything!” Hugo gave him a look that resembled pity. ‘Don’ simply pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Look boy, as much as we can sympathize with your situation, the facts are that this money doesn’t even add up to a quarter of what we get paid for jobs here.” Varian instantly felt his hope begin to dwindle like a dying flame.

“However, I am a scientist. We tend to trade in information alongside riches. Do you have any information, anything you think might be of value?” Hugo took the opportunity to interject.

“If I may, you saw the the chemical weapon he used earlier. Maybe he could give you the formula?” Chemical weapon...

“NO! I mean...I’m sorry, but it’s too dangerous to be public knowledge.”

“Well do you have any other options?”

Varian reached into his bag, feeling the worn leather of his mother’s journal. He had yet to open it; he hadn’t the heart to. But he knew it was likely filled to the brim with valuable research notes. But could he really give it up? It felt like a betrayal to his mother. But as much as he loved her, Varian didn’t know Ulla as well as he knew Quirin. His mother was long gone, but there was still a large chance that his Dad was alive. His mom would understand. He just had to believe that.

He pulled the book out, setting it down on the table.

“It’s my mother’s research journal. I haven’t read any of it yet, but I know she was a scientist like you. It’s probably full of valuable information.” For a split second, Varian thought he  might’ve seen recognition flash in the aged woman’s eyes. She did a cursory scroll through the pages, the looked to Varian then back to the journal, then back to Varian again.

“You’re Ulla’s son?”

—///—

tacked on art!https://pin.it/42RKynz

Chapter Text

Rapunzel sighed, crumpling up another piece of parchment and tossing it to the littered junkyard that used to be her floor. So much for attempt 42 of “Speech to Convince My Dad to Let Me Leave”. Rapunzel nearly retched at the familiarity of this scenario. This was way too reminiscent of the days leading up to her eighteenth birthday. She looked back to her boyfriend, blissfully dozing on her bed. He’d refused to leave her side ever since her ‘episode’ a few days ago. Maybe she should take a break. She’d been wearing herself down to the ground. Maybe she just need to relax for a few minutes and come back with a fresh perspective later.

She had just felt such an urgency after Varian had come. If what happened with his father was any indication, these rocks weren’t just a minor disturbance anymore. They were starting to harm people, posing a real danger to the safety of her kingdom. And now that her younger friend had practically dangled a possible solution in front of her face, she couldn’t get the idea out of her head. The Dark Kingdom, the Moonstone, if they could be the answer to all of this with the rocks, she simply couldn’t give up on going to them.

She clambered onto the bed, making a slight rustle of sheets that caused Eugene to stir slightly and open his eyes to look at her. This was actually a large improvement from when he first started living in the castle. It had taken a while for them to figure out how to wake Eugene in a way that didn’t trigger his fight or flight instincts. As a former wanted criminal in the kingdom, it seemed that the smallest sound was able to wake him, making him alert and ready to flee. But he’d improved so much over time, and it seemed that his instincts were almost certain now that he was safe in the castle. It made Rapunzel’s heart swell with joy and pride.

“Hey Sunshine, finally realized that breaks are a good idea?”

“Har har, very funny. Seriously though, I really want to be able to get my dad’s support on this. It will be really hard to sneak out, and it’ll make the journey that much harder.” Eugene inched himself closer to her, placing his hand on her’s gently.

“You know I’ll support you no matter what you do, right? If you want to sneak out, you have your master of sneaking right here.” Smiling softly, Rapunzel pulled him close.

“Thank you Eugene. You may have given up your thieving ways, but you’ll always be the thief of my heart.”

“Aww, Rapunzel...I thought I was the wordsmith here!” She laughed, a sound that always gave him a rush of euphoria.

“Well I come with plenty of surprises, don’t I?”

“Ugh, I can smell the sappiness from all the way over here.” Cassandra stood in the doorway, a dramatized look of annoyance her face, though her casual smile took away most of the effect. Rapunzel winced at the sizable bandage on her friend’s cheek. She hadn’t realized she had done so much damage. Guilt crawled in her gut like a spider with extra legs.

“Anyways Raps, the King is asking for you. He wants to meet you in the courtyard.” Her eyes widened.

“He does?” Cassandra nodded, then put firm hands on her shoulders. Rapunzel had always liked the contrast between Cass’s touch and Eugene’s. While Eugene’s touches were soft and comforting, Cass’s were firm and assuring. Both always made her feel loved and supported.

“I get it if you’re not ready though. I can just tell him. Though I think he wants to apologize. If you decide to go, I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“Thanks Cass. I think I’m ready.”

And as she entered the courtyard with Cass, sure enough, there he was. He sat by a small table, setting up a chess set. His attention flitted to her.

“Rapunzel! You came.” The Princess took a deep breath.

“I did. I think we need to try this again. Talking.” The King nodded.

“I wanted to apologize for earlier. I let my temper get the better of me, and hurt you in the process.”

“You...did hurt me, and I don’t think I can forgive that yet. But I accept your apology, and I’d like to talk again.” Fredrick smiled sadly, putting down the last piece, the King.

“Do you know how play chess?” Rapunzel rested her silky fingers on a rook piece.

“Yeah, Pascal and I played together in the...uh, that place. We you know, had a lot of time on our hands...” an awkward silence stretched on for a few moments, before Fredric tried to break it by pulling out a basket of purple cookies. He pulled one out and took a quick bite before asking Rapunzel if she’d like one.

“I’m alright, Eugene already brought me a bunch of cupcakes earlier today. Probably reached my sweets limit for the day, huh?” The king’s brows furrowed.

“Who told you that? Rapunzel, you’re allowed to have as many sweets as you want. Granted you might get sick if you have too many, but I’m sure you know to pace yourself.”

Rapunzel was taken aback. She remembered always being somewhat self conscious when Gothel would call her ‘chubby’, so it was refreshing to hear her father so clearly tell her things like that. She thought back to their disastrous previous conversation. Even though their phrasing was incredibly similar, her father wasn’t Gothel. Sure they were both protective, but Gothel’s protectiveness was a dragon hoarding it’s gold, while Fredric’s was the lead stallion that circled the herd, the first one  to find the danger and alert the rest. And sure, she continually learned more and more of his flaws, but if there was one thing she respected about the man, it was that despite the fact that he liked having her where he could see her, he tried his best to give Rapunzel freedom and choices.

One of the first things the Lost Princess had asked her father upon getting accustomed to the kingdom was if he approved of her and Eugene, especially with him having a past criminal record. For a moment, the king was silent, and Rapunzel had feared that it was a sign of disapproval. But then he turned to her, crouching down to eye level with her. There was something almost...sad in his eyes as he spoke again in a warm voice.

“Rapunzel, love doesn’t deserve to be stopped by things like the illusion of status. If anyone disapproves of you and young Fizherbert, they’ll heard it straight from the king. It’s clear how much you love each other. I’m glad you have that my dear.”

The girl had been taken aback at the time, the moment of sincerity from the man feeling special.

Back in the current moment, Rapunzel looked back to the King, who was dusting crumbs from himself.

“It was nice of your little engineering friend to give your mother and I these baked goods. He’s a rather considerate boy, isn’t he?”

“You mean Varian?” Fredric made a noncommittal sound of affirmation.

“Yes, Quirin’s boy. I truly wish I had an easier time talking to the child. It almost hurts how much he reminds me of Eustace sometimes.”

Rapunzel paused at the unfamiliar name.

“Eustace?”

“Did I say that out loud?” He looked confused for a moment before continuing suddenly.

“When I was your age, I had a manservant named Eustace. He was like my Cassandra and Eugene. He’s the one who taught me how to play chess actually. He always used to say...”

“...You’re a big oaf that needs to learn some intelligent activities besides swordplay! Hopefully you’ll like chess. It’s a combination of strategy, adaptivity, and wit! Think that head of yours can handle it?” Fredric smiled.

“Only if you’re patient enough to handle me.” The blonde servant laughed, smirking.

“A challenge, huh? Bring it on.” And a challenge it was. The prince of Corona was a natural when it came to combat, but the same couldn’t be said for chess.

“You said the horse moved in the shape of a farming tool!”

“Yes, a farming hoe, not a whole ass scythe!”

“Why can’t it just move in lines like the other ones do?”

“The knight is a unique piece Ed. It moves in a different way than the other pieces, making it unpredictable. But mastering that unpredictability is essential in gameplay. It’s a lot like you actually.”

“What, because I can never do what’s expected of me?”

“What? No, because you always find an unpredictable way to turn the tide of the fight! Have you been listening too much to the king again? That bitter old man knows nothing about how amazing of a crown prince you are!” The prince flushed, hushing his voice.

“That’s my father you’re talking about! Talk like that could be considered treasonous you know.” The endearing sound of Eustace’s laughter made its way to Fredric’s ears, sending a burst of warmth spreading inside him.

“Like you’d actually rat me out.”  Making a show of exasperation,

Fredric half-heartedly chucked a pillow at his friend’s face.

“So, you actually do watch my combat training? I’m flattered, really.” The manservant turned as red as the fresh tomatoes in the market, and Fredric felt the plush embrace of a pillow hitting the side of his head.

“S-shut up!”

Rapunzel observed the warm look on her father’s face as he spoke of his friend. She was honestly stunned that her father was being so open. This conversation alone had already made her feel like she had gotten to know her Father more. Why couldn’t he be open like this more often? It made him seem easier to relate to now, knowing that he had a friend like hers.

“He sounds like a really nice guy. Could I meet him sometime?” The king’s face darkened, and he looked like he was lost in a different time.

“I would have loved you to, but he isn’t...around anymore.”

Rapunzel’s face fell, a creeping suspicion coiling around her heart.

“Oh...c-can I ask what happened?”

The prince struggled in the grip of the guards, tossing them off and running to his former manservant. The young man was being led out of the city by a few other guards, his feet dragging along the ground.

“Eustace! Don’t go!”

“Ed, you know that I don’t have any choice in the matter.” Fredric’s heart was pounding.

“Then let me come with you! We can run away together!” Eustace shook his head sadly.

“I would love that, but no. Your place is here. The people are going to need you to be their king.” A waiver made itself present in the prince’s throat.

“I c-can’t do this without you Eustace! I love you, please, you can’t leave!”

A look of longing passed over Eustace’s face, quickly replaced by melancholy.

“I love you too Fredric, but I have to leave, and you need to stay. You’re going to become a wonderful king someday, even if I won’t be there to see it. I love you, and I’ll never forget you.” And with that, the man left the castle gates, leaving Fredric to wipe silent tears from his face, standing alone. An imposing figure walked up behind him.

“Don’t worry son, the boy can’t corrupt you anymore with his twisted ideals. Now, let us return to the castle.” The prince bowed his head.

“Y-yes father.”

“Eustace was caught and found guilty of organizing treasonous protests against the king...and courting the Crown Prince despite having no noble bloodline. My father...he  lightened the sentence for my sake. Instead of being sent to be executed, he was banished from the kingdom. I never saw him again.”

Rapunzel was left nearly speechless. She hoarsely replied.

“D-did you ever look for him?”

“Once I became king, yes. I searched for any reports of him around the seven kingdoms. My search was fruitless for many years, until a single report came from the Iron Kingdom. He apparently had a son, but died a few years later in an accident. Your mother and I wanted to find the boy and take him in, but he had gotten lost in the orphanage system. But...I was at least glad to hear that we had both found love again, and that he had settled down in a kingdom where he could pursue what he enjoyed. It’s why your friend reminds me so much of him you see; Eustace always loved working with mechanics and technology.”

Rapunzel frowned as the conversation mentioned Varian again. She couldn’t get the idea that her friend was all alone in Old Corona now, with only his raccoon Ruddiger for company.

“Eustace was my king piece all those years ago, so when I lost him, I thought my game was over. But then you and your mother came into my life, and suddenly I had a king again. If you were to fall Rapunzel, I don’t think my heart could handle it.” Rapunzel took her father’s large hand in her small ones.

“But Dad, you only sabotage your own game if you never let the king move around the board. You’ll never win that way.”

Fredric sighed, putting his head in his hands.

“It pains me to admit it, but you’re absolutely right. If I really want to show you that I love you, I need to set you free. I-I’m not banishing you. You just want to get out there. I need to remind myself of that.” Rapunzel’s eyes lit up.

“So you’ll let me go? To the Dark Kingdom?”

“We’ll need to talk to your mother of course, but I’m sure she’ll agree to it. This isn’t just a royal decision, it’s a family one.” The Princess broke into a large grin, pulling the king into a tight hug.

“Thank you dad. This means a lot to me. And...I liked this talk. I hope we can make our talks more like this one.” The Princess then ran off in excitement, most likely to tell her own personal servant the good news.

—///—

more art https://pin.it/2IYGWdP

Chapter Text

“You knew my mom?” Donella nodded.

“Yes, Ulla and I were research partners back in the day. A majority of those notes are from our travels together most likely.” Varian listened with rapt interest, but then looked concerned.

“Oh...does that mean the information isn’t valuable to you? I’m sure I have something else of value...uh most of my formulas are pretty mediocre though. Wait! Uh, I recently developed a truth serum! I used what I made to help a friend of mine so I don’t have any on me, but I know the formula! That could be useful to you, right?” He was well aware of how desperate he sounded, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Anything to convince this woman, this friend of his mother’s, to help him in his quest.

“No way, you made a truth serum? That’s incredible! How even—“ Donella held up a hand to silence the elder teen.

“Varian, it is Varian, right? I believe that’s what Ulla told me...” Varian signaled his affirmation silently.

“Right. Varian, just getting a copy of your mother’s notes will be a well enough payment. She was an incredible scientist, and her research is near invaluable.”

Varian was left gaping. He didn’t get to hear much about his mother, so such a statement was like getting a precious material.

“So, what service do you need?”Varian shuffled nervously. Right, he was yet to tell them why he needed a mercenary in the first place. Hand resting on Ulla’s journal, he voiced his request.

“I need an escort to the Dark Kingdom.”

—///—

“A journal?” Rapunzel rested her hand on the carved wooden cover of the rope bound notebook. The king smiled at her.

“Consider it a...parting gift of sorts. It’s filled with notes from my travels and quests from when I was young. We discovered a few things related to legends revolving around the sun and moon, so it could possibly be of help to you.”

“Wow...thank you dad. I’m glad that you agreed to this. I know it wasn’t easy.” The Queen walked up behind them, placing a hand on Fredric’s back.

“Well, we have to let our little bird fly free, yes?” Pulling them into a hug, Rapunzel grinned wide, her expression as radiant as the piece of the sun she embodied. The king let out a hearty chuckle, leading them to the doors.

“Now, all of Corona is waiting to send you off. We all believe in you Rapunzel. Just don’t take the responsibility lightly.” Right. Rapunzel couldn’t treat this like some game, could she? If there was one shortcoming that the Princess absolutely knew she had, it was her maturity. Well, the lack of it that is. It wasn’t like she was outright childish or immature, but she hadn’t a chance to grow into the harsh truths of the world like those close to her had. Cassandra being raised into a soldier’s lifestyle, Eugene going from his orphan beginnings to an infamous thief, Varian watching his home and family get destroyed by the black rocks, and even her own father, reaching for an expectation of perfection he would never achieve in his years as prince.

Rapunzel hadn’t had that in her tower, she had been sheltered, surrounded by a rose tinted bubble. Her life was whatever the tower offered her. The tower was her shelter, and Mother would always keep her well fed and provided for. She  had nothing to fear except the outside world. But then her eighteenth birthday happened, and the image of reality she had painted herself began to crack and splinter as the truths of the world began bashing themselves in. Ruffians and thugs could sing and have dreams. Someone as kind-hearted and funny as Eugene could get hanged just for stealing. Naive people like herself would be taken advantage of and used, even by people she thought loved her.

Rapunzel was trying her best to adapt, but it was a hard pill to swallow, knowing that everything was different than what she thought. She thought of Varian again. She had used to think that promises were something that as long as she believed hard enough, she would never break. But it was harder than that. Promises took sacrifices and hardship, struggle and loss. Old Corona would definitely have to be their first stop.

She felt a hand take hers, looking up to Eugene’s smiling face.

“You ready Blondie? Cassandra’s all done packing your things!” Rapunzel ran her thumb over her love’s soft knuckles, heart speeding in nervous excitement.

“Yes! I’m ready.”

—///—

“The Dark Kingdom? Well I can definitely see why you’d need an escort, that’s a long journey filled with several troublesome areas you can’t go around. Why do you want to go there? Are you looking for something? More about your heritage? I heard Quirin was from there, and I believe Ulla named you after some of the old legends...”

“W-well it’s mostly because I want to find a solution to the black rocks in Corona. But lately...it’s been something else too. It makes no real sense, but I feel like someone’s calling to me from there.” Donella hummed, starting to reach for something on her belt. Hugo shouted in alarm.

“Donella? What are you doing?!” The dagger cleanly sliced off one of the wrapped pieces of hair, letting it drop to the ground like a dead fish. No later than a few seconds after the hair was cut, a fresh strand swiftly grew in its place, powdery blue and glowing like moonlight reflected in the dark water of a lake. Varian flushed and looked to the ground in embarrassment. Hugo was hit with a realization; the beads were clear.

Donella smirked, observing the radiant strand.

“Ah, there’s the stripe. Could hardly recognize you without it.” Varian ran his fingers through the hair.

“So uh, what were you saying about my mom naming me after legends?”

“I suppose she never had the chance to tell you. If I remember correctly, she and your father named you after Prince Valiant and his wife Dorian.”

“Va—rian. Oh. But who were they?” His mother’s old friend sighed.

“Does it look like I have time to tell you stories? I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to ask Hugo when you two are traveling together.”

She paused, taking in the flabbergasted expressions of the boys.

“Oh, I suppose I forgot to mention that part. Hugo, you’ve been asking for a real job, here it is. Take Varian to the Dark Kingdom, and I’ll know that you’re serious.” The pair of teenagers looked at each other, then back to Donella.

“What?!”

Chapter Text

“So, who was Prince Valiant?”

“Some guy with a magic fish. Look, I can tell you the story later, but not while you’re packing, got it?”

“Right. Sorry.” Varian returned to putting supplies into his bag as Hugo adjusted the straps on his own. The door to the house swung open, and Hugo gaped as a miniature wheel barrel rolled in, being pushed by a raccoon.

“Ruddiger! Is that part of today’s harvest? Good job buddy! Thank you so much.” Varian’s escort muffled a bout of laughter.

“You made your raccoon a tiny wheel barrel?” Varian crossed his arms and huffed.

“If he’s helping with the chores, he deserves his own tools.”

The raccoon happily scrambled up to Varian’s shoulders, chittering faintly in his ears. Varian picked up an apple, turning to Hugo.

“Apple?” Hugo took the offered fruit.

“Oh, uh sure. Are you about ready to go?” Varian placed his sack of coins his bag, proceeding to close it and fling it onto his back. Grinning with Ruddiger on his shoulders, he replied.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

—///—

Rapunzel ran from the sprouting black rocks, looking fearfully at the glowing red moon above her, shedding a sinister ruby light upon her surroundings.

“Dad, dad, no no no! Please don’t leave me!” Rapunzel looked to the familiar voice in horror. Varian was knelt in front of a cluster of black rocks, a golden substance extended from them and imprisoning his father. Then another voice rose from her opposite side.

“Mom, mom! Why did you leave me! Why didn’t you choose me?”

Cassandra. The Princess turned to see her friend with fat tears rolling down her face, clutching a dark piece of fabric close to her chest like a lifeline. It was a tattered cloak, reminding Rapunzel of the ones Mo-Gothel used to wear.

Her heart broke as she looked at her friends in such emotional agony. Their heads suddenly snapped to her, fixing her with twin glares.

“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”

Rapunzel stumbled back in shock, tears pricking in her eyes.

“My dad is gone because of you!”

“My mother is dead because of you!”

She began stepping back further, quivering body making the movements a battle.

“I’m sorry! I...”

Something large rose behind the pair, and Rapunzel whimpered in fear as fierce red rocks began rushing towards her. A foreboding clicking sound echoed in her ears. Clicking became a chorus of whistling shrieks.

Her eyes widened as they fixated on the large creature looming over Cassandra and Varian. It was some kind of sea creature that shone an ethereal blue, sporting a black and white pattern on its slick skin.  Razor sharp teeth lined its jaws, contributing to its menacing appearance. As the creature moved to rush toward her, she heard the shrill cry of a bird before her vision flooded with red.

“No!”

Rapunzel shot awake with a start. And found herself suspended several feet in the air, again. Caught by Eugene, again.

“Hey sleepwalking beauty, you alright? Must’ve been one heck of a dream!” Rapunzel shuddered, clutching her boyfriend closer.

“Yeah...” Eugene spoke as he readjusted her on the caravan.

“Well we’re almost to Old Corona, so try to wake yourself up! I’m sure Varian will be happy to see you!”

“My dad is gone because of you!”

Rapunzel shuddered.

“Yeah...” Cass looked over to her from her position leading the horses.

“You alright Raps? That sounded like a nightmare if I’ve ever heard one...” Rapunzel sighed, looking over Cassandra. It was frightening to think about, but her friend really did bear a sort of resemblance to Gothel if you knew how to look.

“Yeah. Hey Cass, can I ask you a sort of personal question?” Cassandra looked a bit discomforted, but replied in kind.

“Fire away I guess.”

“Do you know anything about your Mom?”

The eyes of the dark-haired woman widened a fraction.

“Wow um, didn’t see that one coming. Well, I don’t really remember anything about her. All I have is a vague memory of black hair and a music box. Captain Hughes is the only family I’ve ever known. And I’m alright with that. If I never knew her, why should I try to hurt myself by caring?” Rapunzel looked down to her bare feet.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. The Captain is a good man, isn’t he?” Cassandra smiled.

“He may have a rough exterior, but he’s the best dad I could ask for.”

“I’m glad you have him Cass.” Her friend nodded.

“So, what brought this on? Kind of came out of nowhere.” The Princess shuffled nervously, gut squirming in guilt as she wrung out a lie.

“Oh, I was just curious, that’s all.”

Chapter Text

Varian read the large wooden sign in front of him. ‘Corona Borderland Stable.’

“Mind telling me why we’re at a stable Hugo?” His newfound friend held out his sack of coins.

“Well Don didn’t want your money, so I thought we could put it to good use! And what better use would there be than to get a majestic four-legged mode of transportation?” Varian looked at the money in Hugo’s hand incredulously.

“When did you even—“ Brimming with smug energy, Hugo sighed and shook his head.

“Varian my friend, an important lesson you must learn is that you should never pack your money at the top of your bag. That’s just asking to get robbed!”

Varian groaned in spite of the relaxed smile on his face. This felt nice, having a friend his age. Not that he didn’t love having the Princess of Corona and her friends as his friends, but there was a certain connection that didn’t exist with being friends with sizably older people.

“So, you want to buy a horse?”

Hugo rubbed his finger under his nose in bashfulness.

“I was thinking one or two depending on what kind of bargain we can get. You don’t really want to go to the dark kingdom by foot, do you? Is it okay with you? To get a horse I mean.”

“Well you’re not wrong, it would speed up travel significantly. And I do have a certain urgency to this quest. Do you know how to ride?”

Hugo went bright red.

“N-no...I’m from a very industrial kingdom, okay? We don’t really do horses there, so I never got a chance to learn.” Varian put his head in his hand.

“I guess I’ll have to teach you then.” Hugo’s eyes widened.

“You know how to ride? Varian nodded, taking his turn with the smug aura.

“Hugo, I hail from a village that revolves around agriculture. Why wouldn’t I know horseback?” Hugo dropped his head into his hands, feeling the heat in his cheeks warm his palms.

“Right, that’s a given. Silly me!”

Varian grinned at him sardonically.

“So, ready to get a horse Kitty-cat?”

“Really? Of course I’m ready! Trust me, you won’t regret this decision Moonbeam.”

“Moonbeam? Who sounds like something fresh out of a romance novel now?” Hugo averted his gaze.

“Oh shut up.” He snarked lightly. And oh was Varian’s laugh a fuel to Hugo’s spirit.

—///—

Cassandra glanced over the note for the third time.

“Hey Raps? You’re going to want to see this.” The Princess scrambled over to her handmaiden, snatching the note out of her loose grip.

To Rapunzel,

I hope that you’re able to convince your dad. Actually if you’re reading this, you probably did. Hooray! I kind of might’ve given your parents a basket of pastries laced with truth serum. Sorry! I know it’s wrong to drug people, but a little honesty can go a long way, yeah? Actually if you’re reading this, that probably proves me right. Anyways, I figured that it might take you a while to get to this point, and unfortunately I can’t afford to wait. So I’ve taken matters into my own hands and hired a mercenary. His name’s Hugo, he’s the apprentice of an old friend of my mom’s. He’s really cool! He’s close to my age, and he’s into science like me! I really think we’re going to get along well.

So uh, yeah. Don’t worry about me, I’m in good hands. Maybe if you made it quick enough, you can meet up with us and we can travel together. I don’t know, maybe that’s just a hopeless dream. Help yourself to any of the dried apples in the cellar; trust me, we have a lot. Alright, I have to go now. Rapunzel, if you get the chance to read this, I want you to know that I’m really grateful that you’ve been working so hard to help me. I know it must be really hard to stand up to your dad. You’re really brave, and I’ll always admire that about you. And, I don’t blame you for what happened to my father. Sure, I’m still holding some bitter feelings towards you now, but it’s not your fault. I’m angry, but not at you. I’m angry at the situation. But, now we have a chance to fix this, and I’ll sooner die than give that up. I hope to see you soon.

Signed your friend, Varian.

P.S. Hugo wanted me to write down the question ‘Is Flynn Rider still shi terrible at math?’ I’m not exactly sure what that’s about, but whatever.

Eugene fumed.

“Oh that little shi—“

The women chimed in unison.

“Language!”

Chapter Text

“Looking for a horse eh? And a cheap one? Well, a lot of wealthy folk who come here aren’t into rescues if you’re alright with one of those. Pompous ar—jerks who come round here are only looking for the professionally bred ones. So if you’re alright with a horse that has a bit of...background, I’ll be sure to give you a bargain.” Rescues...background...it was almost poetic, Varian buying a horse that had gone through hardships just like he had. The stable owner led them to the paddocks where a varied plethora of horses roamed.

His gaze was drawn to a pair of horses that stayed close to one another, standing with relaxed postures in the warm sun. One was a stallion, sporting matching  russet hair and eyes. It’s underbelly and neck were covered in old scars, but otherwise the horse looked completely physically fit. The mare next to it looked rather timid, standing close to the larger horse at any given moment. Her coat looked like the night sky, a rich black speckled with white. They were perfect.

“How much for those two?”

The man looked to the horses that Varian was gesturing at.

“Ah, Bree and Windy? Bold choice. Not many look at them, so I might be able to take those coins your friend has there as payment.”

“Really? It’s not much, are you sure?” The elder man smiled sadly.

“Young man, horses are my livelihood. It pains me to see kind creatures like Bree and Windy get ignored because of scars and lack of formal training, so I’m glad you’re expressing interest.”

The boys were both handed leads as the old man guided them to the horses. Varian moved to Windy first, cautiously approaching the mare from the side. She looked nervous, but wasn’t showing any signs of going into a panic, so Varian took it as a good start. Hugo almost looked like he might be more anxious than the black horse.

“V-Varian, what do I do?” Right. While Varian had done this before, his traveling companion hadn’t.

“You have to attach the lead to the halter—the thing around his face. Here, let me just help you with it this time.”

Varian took his friend’s hand in his own, guiding it to where the lead should be attached. He looked to the older boy’s flushed face.

“Hugo, you don’t have to be embarrassed about it! Trust me, I didn’t know anything when I first started working with horses either.” Hugo snapped back to attention, trying to regain his composure as he gripped the rope.

“Oh, right! The horses...yeah...haha...” The stable owner looked to Hugo and winked.

“Ah, they do say riding is a good bonding activity.” Hugo buried his heated face into his new horse’s mane.

“Awww, they’re getting along already!”

—///—

“Hey Eugene! You’re gonna want to hear this! You remember that kid that swindled you out of most of the profit from that one heist?”

“Ugh, how could I forget? That brat tried to act like some smug know-it-all. ‘Well 90 percent is 15 percent 6 times, and that’s around as many times I saved your squishy backside.’” Eugene snarked out an imitation.

“Well get a load of this, I heard old man Sato talking about this pair of boys that bought some horses from him. And one of them suspiciously matched the description of that Hugo kid...We should totally prank him on the way to the Dark kingdom!”

“No way...good old Lance! You unintentionally gave me just the information we need!” Lance gave him a confused look, struggling to mentally process.

“I did?”

“Yup! Hey Sunshine! You hear that? Varian’s little mercenary was around these parts just a few days ago! And if he was here...”

“That means Varian was too!”Rapunzel exclaimed.

Cassandra looked up from the map she was investigating.

“Then we’re on the right track. Lance, you said you wanted to meet here to join us?”

The bald man nodded.

“Can’t let my old pal go without his favorite travel buddy!”Eugene grinned and elbowed his friend playfully. Rapunzel looked to the direction of the forward path.

“Just you wait Varian. I’m keeping my promise.”

more sketch stuff at link below—

https://pin.it/4tcbVRR

Chapter Text

Varian gently hefted the saddle onto Windy’s back, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

“Hey Cat-eyes, how’s it going over there?” Hugo called back over in turn.

“The saddle’s supposed to be by the little shoulder hump thing, right?”

“The withers? Yeah, that’s right! Let me come over and check before we put on the girth.” He walked over, ignorant to the look his travel companion was giving him. Hugo’s gaze quickly snapped back to the leather straps under the smooth flap of the saddle.

Wow. He hadn’t expected Varian to have much muscle in his arms with that beanpole appearance of his. It made sense when he thought about it though, farm chores did take at least some muscle. Great, now the guy was taller and just as strong as him. Of course Varian didn’t know that yet; Hugo made a habit of wearing platform boots to make himself look around a somewhat average height. Ugh, that was going to be an embarrassing conversation when Varian would eventually figure out that he had around two inches on the blonde.

Varian began adjusting the saddle blanket and picking up the long fabric of the girth.

“Oh wow! Hugo, that’s really good for your first time! So the girth, I’ll do it for now, but basically you’re going to put these buckles on the leather straps, higher holes are for if it’s going to be tighter. Bree has those scars on his belly, so I’m going to make the girth a bit looser for him. He then pulled down the stirrups and with a few more adjustments, he looked to the new rider.

“Alright, I think you’re ready to get on!” Hugo gulped in anticipation.

“Here, I’ll give you a leg up! Just make sure to swing your leg over to the other side.” He looked down at his raven-haired companion, who was kneeling on the ground, looking up to him expectantly. The teen felt red rise to his cheeks.Why did he keep getting embarrassed when Varian looked at him like that? Wait. Was this a crush?

Oh no. Hugo definitely did not have time for a crush. He didn’t have time to think about how endearing the way Varian’s eyes crinkled was when he smiled, or the way his whole body became animated when he would get excited about something. He didn’t have time to feel his heart race when Varian’s hands held his. This was supposed to be his first serious job, he couldn’t have pesky feelings getting in the way! Then again, he remembered what Donella had said to him before he left with Varian.

“Ugh, this is the strangest request I’m ever going to give you, but try to be his friend, alright? I...I think it’d be good for the both of you.”

“Okay Mom, I’ll be sure to have a nice play date with your friend’s kid.” He felt a half-hearted punch to his shoulder, which of course still hurt, because this was Donella.

Hugo had joked at the time, but decided to take the request in stride. He already wanted to be friends with Varian from the moment he met the other teen, so it was a win for him either way. Yes. Varian was his friend, that was the goal. So he would be the best friend he could possibly be. He just had to get over this stupid crush first.

~\\\~

“He asked you to marry him again, huh?” Rapunzel flushed, closing her journal in a panicked flurry.

“Rapunzel, I know you guys well enough by now, he totally asked you.”

“I-I guess maybe he did...”

“So? What did you maybe say?” Rapunzel sighed, hanging her head.

“I didn’t say anything...I guess I didn’t know what to say.”

Cassandra looked to her friend’s journal, then moved it aside for the larger one below it. She picked it up, opening the wooden cover and scrolling through a few pages before stopping.

“Hey, I was reading some of your dad’s travel book the other day...and it looks like he wasn’t the only one who wrote in it.” She handed Rapunzel the book, open on a page full of writing.

So today was the day! Fredric proposed, just like Ulla said he was going to. Yeah, she’s terrible at keeping a secret, but it came in handy this time. Because man do I know that can’t happen right know! Oh, don’t worry whoever’s reading this, he asked me in private; we all know what would happen if we got caught!

Actually, that’s exactly why I knew couldn’t accept. If even the smallest word got out that the Crown Prince was betrothing himself to his own servant...

Well, the king would have me dead in a day!

This in mind, I didn’t want to outright say no, you know? So uh, Ulla and I came up with something together. So when Ed proposed, I didn’t exactly say no. I told him not yet. I took the ring, and promised I would give it back to him when I was ready, when the kingdom was ready. He seemed a little disheartened, but we worked it out. Now I hold this gorgeous ring, and the hope that there is a day where we can share our love with Corona.

Rapunzel finished reading the entry, eyes wide.

“See Raps? Even your parents had trouble with it! Romance is a weird thing. But it worked out for them, right? So I’m sure you and Eugene can find a way.”

The Princess rested her hand on the organized handwriting. No, this wasn’t her mother’s entry. So no, it didn’t work out for them. But...the idea was the same. Eustace had figured out how to reach common ground with her father, having a plan for the future, even if life ended up having other plans in the end.

She and Eugene’s circumstances were different than Eustace and her Dad’s. So maybe she had to try to work with Eugene to find common ground.

~\\\~

Hugo yelped as he caught himself from lurching forwards once more.

“You’re too stiff! Let your arms be loose! And don’t forget what I said about gripping with your legs—“ Hugo groaned, trying his best to adjust himself once more. All they’d been doing on the horses was walking, and somehow the blonde still wasn’t doing great at it. Thankfully Varian was a good teacher; Hugo definitely would have fallen off by now if it wasn’t for his patient and careful instruction.

“Hmm...I think that you might be overthinking it Hugo. This is just walking, it’s mostly just about getting in the same flow of movement as your horse, with steering being the important thing to put thought into. Maybe we need to get you thinking about something else. Hey! How about you tell me about Prince Valiant now?!”

Hugo smiled knowingly.

“You’ve just been looking for an excuse to get me to tell you, haven’t you?” Varian scratched the back of his head.

“Was I that obvious?”

“Yeah, I won’t lie to you there. Alright, I’ll tell you what Donella told me when I was younger. But uh, I’m not great at telling legends, sorry. It basically goes something like...”

‘There was once a young prince born into a struggling kingdom. He watched as his home was constantly attacked by bandits and thieves, wishing he could do something to stop it. The prince would often go by the ocean shore to calm down when the pressures of life got to him. One night, he saw something dive into the ocean from the night sky. He then watched as a large Orca rose from the waves, towering over him. The prince was terrified by the intimidating predator, but stood his ground. Inspired by his courage, the Orca of the Moon offered to give the prince a piece of her power to liberate his kingdom from the bandits, as long as it stayed within the borders of his kingdom. He agreed, and with the power of the moon on his side, the prince formed a brotherhood of loyal knights to retake the kingdom. He made the Moon’s stone the center of his new kingdom, which he named Umbra. This kingdom is now known as the Dark kingdom.’ 

“...and uh, that’s basically the most abridged version I can get. Satisfied?” He glanced to Varian, who had been intently listening the entire time.

“That’s amazing! Thanks for telling it to me Hugo.” The thief’s voice rose several octaves as he began to speak again.

“N-no problem! You wanted to hear it right? So I told you! What’re friends for?”

Great,

Hugo thought to himself.  Now I’m bad at both horseback and handling perpetual crushes.

Chapter Text

They had been walking on foot when they saw them, giving both the horses and Hugo a break. The bespectacled teen groaned as his muscles protested the movements.

“Ugh, how can sitting on a horse even make me sore? It’s literally sitting!” Varian laughed, gently patting Windy as Ruddiger curled up on the mare’s saddle.

“Yeah, you’d be surprised, riding takes a lot of strength and...” Varian stood cemented in his tracks. Hugo looked at what his friend was facing. Further down the path was a large caravan being pulled by two horses. By the horses and the vibrant colors alone, Varian knew immediately that it must be...

“Rapunzel!” They must not have heard him, because they continued heading into the woods ahead.

“Rapunz—ack! Hugo, what are you doing?” His escort’s hand firmly held him back.

“Varian, we can’t go into those woods!”

Varian watched in dismay as the woods closed before his eyes, blocking the clearly Coronan caravan from view.

“No, no! Those were my friends, I swear, that was them! We have to follow them!” Hugo looked at the closed off section of woods, looking over to Varian in pity.

“Varian, that’s the Forest of No Return. If they don’t have a guide, they aren’t making it out of there, I’m sorry.” Something painful clenched Hugo’s heart as he watched his friend’s eyes fill with wild desperation.

“No! We have to follow them, please! They’re my friends, they’ve never given up on me, I can’t give up on them!”

Varian tried to shoo Ruddiger off of Windy’s saddle, but the raccoon stood firm, giving him a concerned look. Panicked tears began welling in the alchemist’s eyes, and he began to shake.

“No...they came because I told them about this...then...it’s my fault if they die in there!”

“What? Varian, you’ve been with me the entire time! Nothing about them going in there is your fault!” Varian simply hid his teary face in his palms and cried. For a moment, Hugo didn’t know what to do. What was he supposed to do? Well, the caretakers at the orphanage would hug the younger children when they cried...maybe he could do the same thing. Hugging was a friend thing, right?

Varian felt warm arms wrap around him, pulling him close. A hug, his mind supplied to him as he trembled in the embrace. Hugo’s arms were warm, like putting on his winter cloak after having it heated and dried by the fire. He tried to speak, but found himself listening to his friend’s heartbeat instead. It’s skipping pattern betrayed its nervous, accelerated beat, but it was somehow still comforting despite that. Maybe it was the fact that it meant Hugo was just as nervous and scared as Varian was, but was still sticking by him. It could just be that he needed to stay for the job, but...Varian liked to think it was because their friendship was growing closer.

He completed the hug by winding his arms around Hugo’s waist. It felt right, holding him like this. Varian should really make more friends; between Rapunzel and now Hugo’s hugs, the teen was certain that he was already becoming a happier person. Though, Hugo’s hug was something different. It made a foreign but not unwanted feeling rise in within him, blossoming in his chest and merrily running to the tips of his fingers and toes. The hug wasn’t the sturdy and relaxing thing that his father’s were, but there was something else comforting about this, and it was just what Varian needed in the moment.

“Varian...” Hugo began, but was cut off by a piercing howl. The boys’ heads snapped up to the sound. Hugo muffled a gasp, while Varian simply stared. For slightly ahead of the path before them was a large wolf, standing on a rock outcropping. Windy nickered nervously, and Ruddiger climbed onto Varian’s shoulders, curling into himself. There was something almost akin to an aura rolling off of the massive canine, echoing in waves that sent shivers up their spines. This only contributed to the wolf’s otherworldly appearance; large glowing rocks extended from it’s body as if they were a part of it, and small grey stones floated around it, seemingly ignoring the laws of gravity. It howled again, and Varian spoke.

“She says her name is Ladrita, and she wants to help.”

~\\\~

Rapunzel turned back , looking at the closed off entrance. She could’ve sworn she heard someone calling her name...shaking it off, she shifted her gaze to Adira, who seemed to be bickering with Eugene. The woman had showed up a few days ago, telling them that she was their best bet of getting to where the black rocks were leading them, the Dark Kingdom. She moved a little closer, trying to get a closer look at the symbol on the warrior’s hand.

Where had she seen it before? She could’ve sworn she saw it before, maybe on an article of clothing? Varian. She had been so focused on the situation at hand at the time that her brain barely registered that her friend was wearing a completely new outfit. Even then, the glowing beads had earned most of her attention. But if she thought back...there had been a belt. Going down from his wrapped hair, he wore a powdery blue kerchief around his neck that complemented the beads. Below that was a faded red vest over a white shirt with long sleeves. Then the part she wanted to remember, a small belt around his waist, with what she swore was the same symbol on the metal buckle that was on Adira’s hand.

“Hey Adira...what’s the symbol on your hand?” Adira paused, clearly hesitant. She rubbed her thumb over the emblazoned mark.

“It’s the symbol of the Brotherhood of the Dark Kingdom, which I am a part of. We’re sworn protectors of the kingdom and the moonstone at its center. What brought you to ask?” Rapunzel weighed her options. Could she trust Adira enough yet to tell her about Varian? Well, it couldn’t hurt to test the waters, right?

“Um, a friend of mine, Varian, he wore the symbol on his belt, just like yours.” Adira’s eyes widened.

“Quirin’s boy?”

“Yeah...do you, know him?” The warrior sighed.

“Something like that. I only saw  him as an infant and toddler, when there was still opportunities for Quirin and I to stay in touch. He was...another member of the Brotherhood you see. But when the Dark Kingdom fell, he went to go live with a traveling researcher we met when we were younger. I suppose they fell in love, because a year after he left he wrote me to say he was settling down. Say, how is he doing these days?”

Adira’s face fell as she watched the Princess’s cheery posture deflate and the rest of her group avert their gazes.

“Oh. Did he...” Rapunzel moved to place a comforting hand on the woman’s shoulder, then withdrew, remembering what she said about not liking to be touched.

“There was an incident involving the black rocks. We think there’s a chance we can save him, but we’re also preparing for the worst. H-how well did you know him?” Adira sighed, lowering her head.

“The Brotherhood...we were like family. Recent events may have caused us to split apart, but nothing will truly change that.” Rapunzel felt her soul ache. They had just met this woman no more than a week ago, and now she was here, practically telling her that she was the reason her friend was dead.

“Princess, I don’t blame you for whatever happened with the rocks. I’m just grateful you’re here to do something about it now.”

“Right...”

~\\\~

Hugo stared around the large cave incredulously. An intimidating pack of wolves lined the craggy rims, surrounding them and the ethereal wolf.

“So you’re telling me that this wolf, wants to temporarily change us into wolves, so that real wolves can help us through the forest? Am I the only one who finds this a little crazy?”

“Don’t forget the part where in exchange for her help, we won’t turn back until we free her friend.” Hugo was starting to lament getting dragged into a journey sure to be filled with magical shenanigans like this.

“Varian, I’d like to trust your judgement and all, but doesn’t this seem a little... risky to you? I’m not sure I like the chances of betting on a magical solution. Can we even trust her?”

Varian glanced at Ladrita again, her powerful presence reaching out to him. His hand went to his wrapped hair, vibrant blue shining through the beads.

“I don’t know how, but...I feel connected to her somehow. Like...we’re each a part of something.” Hugo moved closer, flicking the Coronan’s hair.

“Probably because the magic glowing stuff you’ve got going on Moonbeam.” Varian felt his heart skip a beat at the unexpected movement from his friend. Huh, weird.

“I guess...I normally don’t like putting my trust in things of magical nature either, but...this just feels right. So...are you willing to try? For me?” Hugo flushed. Varian definitely didn’t know the effectiveness of the statement he just used. Stupid crush making him rely on stupid magic. Stupid!

“Whatever. I don’t think I have a real choice in the matter anyway.” He felt arms fling themselves around him.

“Great! Thanks Hugo!” Then realizing what he was doing, Varian retracted the embrace.

“Sorry, I think I’m picking up Rapunzel’s hugging habit a bit!” The dark-haired teen found himself idly wondering why that was so embarrassing.

~\\\~

Varian found that his hearing was now being oddly sensitive, but in a way that was almost...awakening.

‘So wait, they’ll be able to understand us now?’ The voice was new, but it sounded almost...familiar somehow.

‘If I remember correctly, the spell helps translate common deciduous.’ Another voice, deeper and more mature sounding.

‘Oh goodness, I hope I sound alright , my common deciduous isn’t very good...’ a softer voice spoke, carrying a strange accent.

‘You’re doing fine kid.’ spoke another accented voice.

Varian groaned and eased his eyes open, jumping when the sound came out like a growl.

‘Varian? Can you understand this?’ He observed the furry face in front of him. It looked like...

“Ruddiger?”

‘Ha! He speaks! Though, is that a yes or a no?’ Varian blinked, brain only beginning to process what he was seeing in front of him.

“Ruddiger, you’re talking to me. You’re talking to me?” His friend’s face lit up.

‘Well I guess I am! This is incredible, right? I actually get a chance to hold a conversation with you!’

“This is so weird...but also amazing! I’m, talking to my raccoon, and you’re actually talking back!”

‘Yes, that’s what a conversation is Varian.’

“Wow Varian, I think your raccoon inherited your sass.” Varian looked to his side, hearing Hugo’s voice. His gaze was met by a golden wolf, fur almost having a slight greenish tint to it due to the bluish glow of the cave. A tooth flashing grin was sent his way.

“How do I look?” Varian moved to give his friend a thumbs up, forgetting that his arms were now indeed another pair of legs holding him up. He felt his face meet the dirt, hearing literal barks of laughter. The pack of wolves filling the cavern started moving closer.

‘Ha! What a hoot! Who knew the Champion would be such a clutz!’

‘Whitefang don’t be rude!’

Varian shook himself off, rising to look around the group of wolves. Their gazes were all fixed at him in interest. Though, something they said struck him as strange.

“Champion?”

‘The Greater wolf Ladrita speaks to you, surely you must be the Moon’s champion, yes?’ A murmuring passed across the pack. One by one, Varian watched astounded as the wolves lowered their heads to the ground before him, like bows.

‘We are honored to assist you, Chamion of The Moon.’

Chapter Text

At the display of reverence,Varian froze. He knew something strange had been happening with him and a connection to the moon, but having it so plainly brought out like this, it was intimidating to say the least. He was just some kid from a farming village, and now these wolves were bowing to him like he was royalty...yeah. Not ready for that kind of thing.

“Alright alright, enough with the fanfare, Varian and I just need help getting through the woods, and you offered, right?”

‘Correct.’

Varian looked to the speaker, recognizing the same deep voice from when he was first waking up. An imposing figure stood before him. The wolf’s fur was a deep gray, peppered with white, possibly indicative of age he supposed. His golden eyes burned with an aged wisdom.

‘Ah, I’ve yet to introduce myself. I am called Elyan, I’m the leader of this pack. Whitefang here is my second in command. Varian, yes? It is our honor to lead you and your mate through the forest.’ Hugo felt his hair—no, fur, stand on end.

“I think something got lost in translation here. I’m Hugo. Varian’s friend! Get that? Friend.” Varian looked to him, perplexed, but quickly dismissed it in favor of the situation.

Hugo felt a light shove to his side, looking over to see Whitefang giving him a wolf’s grin.

‘Well Hu-go, we’ve got plenty of capable young wolves that would be willing to throw down with you to show your “friend” your fighting prowess.’ Hugo grumbled in embarrassed aggravation, turning away as the wolf laughed while walking back to his place with Elyan. Apparently that wouldn’t be the end of his embarrassment, because the golden wolf heard yet another voice echo in his keen ears from above.

“You know kid, maybe this is a good omen! They do say that wolves often mate for life.” Hugo looked up to see the face of the very animal he had been riding on but a few hours before.

“Wow, so my horse can talk to me, and the first thing you do is tease me for my love interest?”

‘Someone has to. If I’m going to be put in charge of two hormonal human foals, I’m going to get my enjoyment out of it.’

“Who said you were in charge?” Bree snorted, looking down at him fondly.

‘Act as grown-up as you want, at the end of the day you’re still children. Your little bouts of adolescent pining only help prove that point.’

Hugo fell embarrassment roll through him in waves, along with a warm feeling. It seemed like nothing was too strange for him anymore. Having a horse want to take care of him? Nothing new here! Ugh, the worst part was that Hugo found that he almost liked the idea that this animal cared for him, that maybe this circle of people that actually gave a damn about him was starting to grow.

“Ugh, yeah, whatever.”

‘Well, my pops always told me that the keys to mating season are confidence and straightforward action. Luckily for you as a human, every day is mating season for you! You can go for it anytime!’

Hugo dropped his head in a sigh, shaking his head.

“Am I seriously taking flirting advice from a horse?” Bree let out a long snort, almost sounding like laughter.

‘Well, we tend to work it out after some kicking and screaming, so I can’t think of any reason why you shouldn’t. Never understood why you humans make it so complicated.’ Hugo looked to the other horse in the vicinity, hearing her speak softly.

‘If it’s any consolation...I’m rooting for you Hugo!’ The teen warmed slightly at the encouragement before slumping in defeat.

“Ugh...why does every animal here want to get involved in my love life?”

—///—

Rapunzel could hear the monstrous shrieking, taste the sickening coppery smell of blood...feel a dulling pain in her abdomen...what had happened? Where was Eugene? Everything was beginning to fade...The last thing that her eyes registered was a golden figure...an animal? Where had everything gone so wrong...

“Eek! Rapunzel’s on fire!”

“What? Lance what are you—“

Rapunzel shook herself, taking in her surroundings. Cass appeared to be...patting her down with a shirt?

“Ok...I think I stopped it. You okay Raps? I don’t see any obvious burns, but if you’re feeling anything...” Rapunzel felt around her midsection. The pain was gone, as if it had never existed in the first place.

“I—no...Wait! Where are the drexis?

“Dre—the things Adira was talking about? Raps, I don’t think those are actually real. Adira was probably just exaggerating...” The Princess shook her head furiously.

“N-no...I swear they’re real! They looked like flowers...”

“Like these pretty flowers?” They heard Lance’s voice dreamily drift over to them, to where the man was staring at a bizarrely patterned flower, seeming to be completely enamored by its beauty.

Golden hair whipped around the tip of the ‘flower’, swinging it into a nearby tree trunk. An animalistic shriek echoed through the forest, causing the group to huddle closer together.

“That’s it! Those flowers are the drexis!”

“Oh geez, I am so glad I didn’t touch that.” Yet like a sinister performing troupe of death, the rest of the ‘flowers’ began unfolding into a mass of drexis, all ascending into the sky in unison. Beats of large wings sent whip-like streams of wind rushing through the trees. Closing in, the creatures eyed them hungrily. Lance spoke again with a new squeak in his voice.

“I spoke too soon didn’t I? We are so fu—“

“Don’t give up yet!”

The group’s faces lit up as Eugene and Adira swept in, bating away the bat-like creatures with their swords.

“I leave you all alone for five minutes and you get cornered by vicious bat-flowers! Typical.” Cassandra hacked at another drexis with her own sword.

“Well as wonderful as it is that you’re here now, I think we’re still outnumbered by these things!” Rapunzel cringed. Her friend was right. They may be in a better position now, but their small group wouldn’t be able to fend off the swarms that were coming at them forever.

“What do we d—“ Rapunzel was cut off by a chorus of howls, capturing her attention.

 The group looked up to find a large pack of wolves cresting a hill above them. Rapunzel’s eyes became transfixed on a particular wolf at the front, golden pelt shining in the fragments of sunlight that dived in from the trees. A wolf. The golden animal she had seen was a wolf. As the pack of wolves began rushing the drexis, she found that she was barely surprised when the gold wolf spoke.

“Hey Rider! Never expected I’d be saving your ass again, but I must say, this does put a smile on my face.” An odd look passed over Eugene’s expression.

“Blonde Brat? Is that you? Gotta say the new look is throwing me off a bit!”

“Oh yeah, trying out a magical glow-up, totally in the works though!” Eugene smirked with his reply.

“Well it’s certainly not doing any favors for your size!”

A growl rose up Hugo’s throat as he tackled away another drexis.

“You did not just start that again.”

“Oh? Getting short tempered already, are we?”

“Why you—“ Cassandra interrupted with a shout over to them.

“Focus on the fight Fur-face! You can throw down with Fizherbert later!”

Thankfully, the pack of wolves seemed to be the last push needed to drive out the swarm of drexis. The entire group heaved out a sigh of relief as the last of the spider-bat creatures fled into the obscure reaches of the woods. Rapunzel fell to her knees, gulping in deep breaths of air. Everything went fine. Everything was fine. Then why...why did it feel so wrong? What she experienced before...was that a dream? But it felt so much like a memory...

“Rapunzel!” Before her thoughts could continue to spiral, a dark bundle of fur barreled into her. Bright blue eyes looked into hers joyfully, and she found she could recognize them immediately.

“Varian?” The ebony colored wolf nestled himself in her arms.

“Rapunzel, I’m so glad you’re alright! You are okay, right?” The Princess forced a small smile, letting the lie roll off the curve of her lips.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.”

Chapter Text

They were pleasantly surprised to find the horses and caravan outside of the forest through another land pit already, despite Eugene’s annoyed comment of

“Oh so we nearly die several times but the horses get a free pass?”

“Oh wow Fitzherbert, jealous of horses now are we?”

“Oh can it Cassandra, or need I remind you who saved who back in that forest?” Hugo slid next to Varian, speaking up smugly.

“Actually, I think that one goes to us Rider.” This seemed to snap Rapunzel out of her dazed stupor slightly, since she looked down at the two unique wolves with a smile.

“So...Varian, friend of Varian? You going to introduce us?”

The black wolf startled a bit at being the center of attention, but seemed happy to speak up about his friend.

“Oh! This is Hugo! I think I mentioned him in my letter, he’s been helping me out a bunch, and he’s really nice, and smart, and—“ Hugo cut him off with a nudge to the side.

“H-hey, cut that out, you’re embarrassing me!”

“But it’s true!”

The group watched the two with a marketplace’s variety of expressions. Rapunzel seemed fond while Lance and Cassandra wore looks of amusement, though whether they were more directed at the boys or Eugene was hard to tell. Eugene’s face was quite amusing to watch at the moment. If you were to look at it, it’d be like a game trying to pinpoint exactly what particular emotion his features were trying to express. It was as if his eyes were trying to be grumpy while his mouth refused to be anything but dumbfounded. His lips seemed to mouth the phrase—

‘No way...’

Adira took a deep breath and turned to the group.

“I’m afraid this is where we must part ways. Varian, I’m sorry we don’t have time to talk now. I know there are many things you need to be told. But our paths will cross again. Varian nodded, a small smile flitting across his face like a whistling songbird.

“Right!”

They allowed Varian and Hugo to curl up at the front of the caravan, figuring it would allow them to rest their legs a bit. The pack of wolves had departed slightly after Adira, giving Varian a fond farewell and best wishes. Rapunzel sighed and opened her father’s travel log. Seeing Varian and his friend as wolves had reminded her of a certain page she had seen.

There were no words, only breathtaking drawings with an air of mystery around them. One, a chillingly familiar black and white sea creature surrounded by three wolves; One a vibrant phoenix surrounded by three other birds. She felt Varian climbing onto her lap, and following her urge, she brought her fingers to the top of his head, stroking soft, dark fur. Her friend didn’t reject the touch, so she took it as permission to continue. Eyes landing on the page, Varian let out a faint gasp.

“That looks like Ladrita...the wolf that helped us!” Hugo perked up, peering over his friend’s shoulder.

“Crazy magic wolf? Oh wow, fancy picture. So there’s more? Maybe one of them is that friend we have to free to turn back?”

Rapunzel brushed her petite hand across the image of the three wolves around the strange sea creature. Her emerald eyes fixated on its striking black and white figure.

“I saw this in a dream...” Hugo looked to the Princess and then back to the drawing.

“The orca?”

“Is that what it’s called?” Varian’s eyes lit up with recognition and rushing rapids of ideas.

“Orca...Hugo, when you told the legend of the Dark Prince, you said that the Orca gifted him the power of the moon, right? What if the Orca is reaching out to you Rapunzel?”

The Princess paused, a flurry of emotions passing over her in a rippling wave of expressions on her face.

“I...the dream wasn’t a good one though. It was frightening, like the Orca was threatening me.” Cassandra, who had walked into the conversation a few moments before, added her own interjection.

“Maybe it’s mad? It could be connected to the black rocks.”

Both Varian and Rapunzel seemed to curl into themselves at the mention of the black rocks. The golden-haired woman tensed, then ran off into the nearby woods.

“Raps! Eugene, come on, let’s find her!” The two companions of Rapunzel darted into the dense trees after her. Varian looked near ready to bolt as well, which lead to a decision by Hugo. A decision to toss aside the embarrassment for a moment for the comfort of the boy he cared for. He curled himself around the darker wolf, burying his head in thick fur.

“H-Hugo, what are you—“

“Hey, it’s going to be okay Varian. We’ve come out here to fix it, right?” Varian nuzzled closer in turn.

“Right. Thank you Hugo, you’re the best friend I could ask for, you know that?” Hugo lifted his head slightly, smiling shyly.

“Geez Varian, are we to that point already?” And the response he got? A bright smile that warmed his heart, making Hugo realize that he didn’t care that he’d get no cash for this task. He only cared for that smile, shining more brilliantly than any gold.

Chapter Text

Eugene and Cassandra found themselves batting through the trees, calling out Rapunzel’s name. Cass hung her head, a long sigh interrupting her calls.

“Ugh, I can’t believe I brought up the rocks when she’s been more sensitive about it lately...” Eugene looked to her.

“Cass, you’re not at fault for that. This journey is all about the black rocks, we can’t just shy away from them.” The handmaiden scoffed.

“You’re taking my side on this? Wow, I sure hope the world isn’t ending!”

“Cass, just because she’s the Princess and my girlfriend, doesn’t mean I’m going to blindly agree with her on everything. I’ll be here to support her on her fears and distress, but...we also have a responsibility to our kingdom. I know she would want me to help her work through this.” Cassandra nodded firmly.

“Right. Let’s go find our Princess.”

The two had come across a clearing eventually, stopping to catch their breaths.

“Hey Fitzherbert, you’re the king of the wild, right? Are there usually random trippy looking houses in the middle of the woods?” Eugene paused, taking a moment to look at what Cassandra was speaking of. Sure enough, they found themselves in front of an almost tackily colored house, bright colors making it stand out awkwardly.

“Yeah I’ve seen the occasional wacky hermit cottage, but this definitely takes ‘weird’ to a whole new level.”

It was then they heard the voice of the very person they were searching for.

“Eugene! Cass! Come over here!” She beaconed them over, Cassandra lowered her voice and hissed to Eugene.

“Great, just like Rapunzel to trust the first wackos she finds in the woods. Stay on guard.” He nodded curtly.

“Hey Blondie! What’s going on here?” His girlfriend smiled, taking a small sip of tea.

“Oh, it’s great guys! I was all stressed out, but these guys offered me some calming tea! You should try some, it’s really good.” Eugene and Cass looked at each other, than to the table with the tea, then back to each other. An internal conversation seemed to be going on there. Eugene pointedly coughed.

“Well I’ll try some first, but I’m sure Cass likes her tea just as cold as herself, so she might take a minute.” Cassandra nodded, and blew on her tea, gaze never leaving Eugene’s. The man took a sip as to be polite. The tea was surprisingly good, in a way that made him feel light and airy inside.

“Oh, this is actually good? And doesn’t taste like any distasteful herbs. Not sure it would be up to Cass’s tastes though, maybe she shouldn’t have any? She might be allergic.” Right. So the tea didn’t seem to be poisonous, but it’d still be risky for all of them to have it.

“Aww, Cass, I’m sorry you’re missing out! We’ll find something for you at some point too.”

“Well Lady Cass, I’m sure you might be more interested in the tea once you see it’s magical proper-teas!” The plump woman and tall man shared a laugh as the Coronans shared a cringe at the joke.

Eugene turned to Cassandra.

“I am now suddenly jealous that you’re the only one who didn’t drink that tea.” The two strange people were quick to interject.

“Oh no no, you won’t regret it! The wonderful power of this teapot... will turn you into a bird!” Rapunzel paled.

“What? We don’t have time to turn into birds!” Of course, as she uttered that phrase, she felt herself shrink, the world becoming larger as she felt her body structure distort. She moved herself around, looking at her new wings in front of her.

But the most horrifying part? This felt right. She felt more at home, more herself in the avian form. Like this was who she was meant to be. Something in her immediately screamed, “No, don’t change back, that’s wrong!” She thrusted her wings downwards a few times, feeling herself burst into the air with a rushing breeze. With the lull of the warm sun on her feathers, she hardly registered Cassandra’s frustrated yell.

“You tricked us! Turn them back!” A twisted smile crept up the woman’s mouth.

“Oh? But your friend seems to be enjoying it!” Eugene grumbled, clearly struggling with his new body.

“Well I’m certainly not!”

Cassandra swiped forward with her sword, a threat playing a melody on the sharp blade as it sliced through air.

“Turn them back, now.” The woman in white stood up, radiating something fiercer, setting the group on edge.

“I’m afraid we can’t do that dearie. Now drink the tea and no one gets hurt.”

“What? Do you really think I’m that stupid? There’s no way I’d—“ She cut herself off upon looking at the table. There was a slick white bird that she immediately recognized as the tall man. But it wasn’t his sudden change that shocked Cassandra into horrified silence. It was Rapunzel, pinned down to the table by the larger bird, talons holding her neck in a dangerous position.

“Cass...d-don’t listen—“ Eugene moved to attack the other bird, but stopped when the grip on Rapunzel tightened.

Rapunzel paused, a wildfire of thoughts going through her mind. One terrifying thought began to stubbornly stick, leaving her paralyzed with fear and resignation. But...it looked like it might be the only option.

“G-guys! Don’t worry about me! Don’t drink it Cass!”

“Raps, what are you saying?” The golden bird began to intentionally struggle, trying to break free of the intense grip.

“RAPUNZEL!” The last sounds she registered were her friends terrified voices, then a sickening snap.

—///—

Lance looked to Varian. He’d never really been introduced to the boy before, so it was somewhat strange to get this first interaction with a talking wolf. But he did pride himself in being good with reading people. And boy was Varian an open book, whether he wanted to be or not.

“What’s wrong kid?” Hugo’s head snapped up from its lazy lull, eyes curiously fixating on his friend. Varian’s expression was indeed very strange. He looked confused, but also scared? Hugo could feel him shaking slightly.

“Varian...” the dark wolf shook himself off.

“S-something feels wrong...and I think it has to do with Rapunzel?” Lance’s brow furrowed in concern.

“Rapunzel? Didn’t she run off into the woods?” Hugo rose to his feet, looking Varian directly eye to eye.

“Varian, if you want to go look for her, I’m with you every step of the way.” The younger alchemist paused, looking up at his golden friend. Had he always been this large? Had he always stood this tall? He shone like sunlight reflected in glass, so bright that Varian almost had to look away. Ugh, what were these strange feelings he kept getting around Hugo? Was he supposed to do something about it? It was times like this that Varian wished he was more socially adept.

‘Hey Varian, you realize you could probably use your nose to find her, right?’ The pair of wolves jumped slightly. Ruddiger. The two had almost forgotten the fact that the animals could communicate with them now. Varian turned to his raccoon friend.

“You mean like...tracking her scent? Could we do that?” The striped rodent shrugged.

‘I don’t see why not. You got a whiff of her, right?’ The two nodded their confirmation.

‘Then be a wolf, and find her!’

“Right! Thanks Ruddiger!”

—///—

Rapunzel looked at her hands in front of her. Oh, she was human again. But then...why was she in the air? And why did the sun feel warmer than usual? Actually, everything felt warm. Rushing from her heart, into her bloodstream, fire coursed though her veins. She looked down upon her friends and enemies. The two owners of the teapot cowered, eyes wide and pleading. Good, they should be scared. She was the Sun, and they were going to regret hurting what she held dear.

Chapter Text

Cassandra and Eugene stood in shock. The woman had long ago scooped up the small bird in her arms, holding him close. Eugene looked scared, feathers tightly pressed to his body, making him seem almost smaller. Whether it was more for them or for Rapunzel was unclear. Probably the latter. If there was one thing that she admired about the former thief, it was his unconditional love for Rapunzel. Oh who was she kidding, despite the fact that she would likely die before she told anyone, there was a lot she admired about Eugene. His confidence, the way he could be honest and sincere when it mattered, the way he ignored what others might think of him...yeah, Eugene was infuriatingly someone she admired.

“Hey Fitzherbert, concentrate! So Rapunzel has another weird magic thing going on, it’s Rapunzel, we’ve got to get used to it!” Eugene shuddered, a small chirp coming out of him like a hiccup.

“Okay, so my girlfriend is flying, just another day in the life of Eugene Fitzherbert!” Cassandra’s eyes widened.

“Eugene, that’s it! You can fly too! Go get Raps to come down, I’ll handle these nut jobs.”

‘Cass, I think that might be harder than it sounds, these wings feel like riding a horse for the first time!’

“I don’t understand tweeting Fitzherbert, just go help your girlfriend!” And with that, Eugene forced his wings to obey him, thrusting himself into the sky.

Up in the air, he was able to get a closer look at his Princess. He recognized the familiar golden glow of her hair, though now it was streaked with the fiery colors of the sunrise. Emerged from her back was a set of massive wings, each feather looking like an individual flame, bursting with the rainbow of fire.

‘Hey Blondie! Strawberry Blondie? I’m loving the new look, but can you come down with me?’ Heavy breaths came from the woman, chest heaving as she looked to him, gently nodding. The two gently alighted on the ground, startling when a large white bird slammed into Rapunzel, causing her to slide backwards a few feet. Eugene attempted to call out her name, only getting out a birds call. Cassandra looked back from where she was forcing the man back with her sword. With a quick hit from the pommel, he fell like a ragdoll. The woman turned bird quickly followed suit, being thrusted into the side of the house with terrifying force.

Rapunzel staggered slightly, falling to her knees in exertion as the warmth left her. Cold sweat began drying as Cass rushed over to the two of them.

“Okay, that’s taken care of, what now?” Eugene winced as if his head was paining him, falling to the ground. Rapunzel scooped the bird up into her hands, eyes filling with concern.

“Eugene? What’s wrong?” After several twittering attempts, Eugene finally managed to pull out human language, though it looked to be a painful challenge.

“My mind...it feels like it’s fading. Damn, I’m sorry Rapunzel, I wish I could be strong here, but this is terrifying...” The Princess shushed him softly.

“D-don’t push yourself...we’ll figure this out. Just h-hang on, alright?” Her boyfriend gave a weak nod, shuddering slightly.

Rapunzel looked to Cassandra, eyes shining with unshed tears. A silent question swam within them...”What do we do?” The dark haired woman marched back over to the dazed white bird, lifting her up to the sharp edge of a sword.

“How do we turn him back? Tell us!” She was simply met with a stubborn glare, beady eyes with human intelligence swearing itself to silence. She went to threaten the bird again, then tensed at an earsplitting shattering sound. It repeated with fainter cracks and splits, and Cassandra gasped as the bird disappeared from her arms. Not a moment after did the rest of the area disappear, The house, the toadstools, the tree holding up the birds.

:*!!!*:

She was scared to turn around. Fearful of what she’d be facing if she did. But she had no choice. Sure enough, there was Rapunzel, standing tall with outrage rolling off her in waves. She fought back the bile rising up her throat as she spotted the porcelain shards slicing into her friend’s feet, fresh blood seeping into the earth below, staining the grass. The wind picked up, rattling the branches which seemed to shiver.

:*!!!*:

Cassandra’s eyes darted to the small cowering bird by the base of a nearby tree. Rushing over, she caught it in her hands. The bird chirped nervously, shifting in her hands. She’d seen this look in Owl. There was an intelligence, a personality there, but it wasn’t human anymore. It wasn’t Eugene. The bird looked up to her, tilting its head as if to ask if she was alright. And with that, Cass felt something within her heart break inside. Something wet hit her hand like a droplet of rain, more gradually following. Oh, she was crying.

—///—

Varian almost got a sense of vertigo the second he felt his four-legged gait turn to two. It seemed to be just as jarring for Hugo, seeing as the blonde fell flat on his face.

“We’re human again? But didn’t we have to free someone or something?”

“Maybe it happened without us?” Hugo groaned.

“Well how are we supposed to follow their trail now? Varian paused in thought. Yeah, the timing was rather inconvenient...

He clutched his head in a sudden pained stupor, feeling something strong come in full force. It was shattering glass, hurricanes of screams with rains of tears. It felt like his skull was splitting, it too much!

“Varian? What’s wrong?” Varian grit his teeth, attempting to concentrate on Hugo’s voice. He huffed out a few words.

“Eugene...something happened to Eugene...” His companion paused.

“You mean Rider?” Varian gave a tight nod.

“Yeah...and R-Rapunzel’s really mad...”

“Ummm...does that mean more magic shiii—enanigans?Because if so I think I know which direction to go!”

“What do you mea—woah!” He stumbled to keep his balance as a gust of wind crashed into the two. The forceful blows increased in intensity, knocking the boys to the ground. Varian shook himself, pushing against a weight on top of him. The weight quickly lifted, and Varian realized it was Hugo, fallen atop him, now looking down at him from slightly above. Oh...they were really close, weren’t they? He could feel his friend’s warm breaths tickling the tip of his nose. Oh geez, was this supposed to be so embarrassing? The two quickly scrambled off of each other, faces heated.

There wasn’t much time to focus on that though, for wind refused to die down. Varian could faintly recognize Cass’s voice from a distance, screaming out Rapunzel’s name. Hugo looked to Varian with a tired expression.

“We have to go into that cyclone, don’t we.” Varian nodded sheepishly, a forced grin on his face.

“Sorry, you don’t have to follow me if it’s too much...”

“What? No way! Varian, I agreed to be your escort, and I’m going to be the best escort possible. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth if you ask me to.” Varian snickered softly, though it was mostly muffled by the strong winds.

“The earth is round you dummy.”

A smile spread across Hugo’s face.

“Then I guess I’ll have to do the impossible for you, huh?” The two shared a grin before continuing to crawl towards the source of the slicing air.

And Varian caught it. The flash of golden hair, the carefree dress now whipping round in the spinning twister. With a renewed burst of energy, he pushed himself towards his friend. Hugo clung to a tree a few feet behind him, clearly battling to manage another step. Varian’s mind supplied the fact he should probably be struggling more than Hugo, but something felt like it was giving him strength, pushing him forwards, towards Rapunzel. He needed to get to her, and no wind was going to stop him.

Hugo strained against the wind. It felt like gravity had multiplied on him, forcing him to the ground, though in this case, the ‘ground’ was the firm trunk of a tree. He strained to keep his eyes open, focusing on Varian. And what a sight he was. He knew that his friend had some kind of magic connection to the moon, but this took it to a whole new level. The hair was radiant as ever, though now there were were silver rocks at his feet, blossoming into the sky. He looked almost otherworldly, ethereal. But it wasn’t just what Hugo was seeing. It was what he was feeling.

It somehow brought back a fragment of an old memory, one he knew his mind was trying to stuff away, bottle up. There was the kind face, the golden eyes and dark hair, the lilting voice that held wisdom and sweetness. But for once, the near forgotten voice in his mind formed words.

“My darling Hugo...the fates show me a great future where you stand at the Moon’s side. I am only sad that I won’t be there to see it.” Then, the part Hugo dreaded and despised. The fire, the screams, arms holding him back and dragging through a doorway.

He snapped back to awareness, looking to Varian, his moon. Right, he would stand by Varian! Close to the ground once more, he began snaking his way towards his friend and the distraught princess.

—///—

Rapunzel couldn’t feel anything. At least, nothing besides a festering outrage. Each passing moment felt wrong, unreal. Eugene was gone, again. She couldn’t accept it. That was wrong! So when she felt someone sharing her anger, her pain, she latched onto it. She wasn’t going to let go. So she felt the fury rush through her, much of it not even her own, until...

“Rapunzel!” There was a small pair of hands gripping onto one of her own tightly, sending a small pulse of warmth to her.

“What...V-Varian?”

“R-Rapunzel...I’m not sure what happened, but you’ve gotta calm down, okay?” Rapunzel looked into his pleading eyes, the desperate expression on his face  growing an awareness inside her. Her voice cracked slightly as she replied.

“I c-can’t...” A small flame rose within Varian’s eyes and voice.

“You can! Rapunzel, you’re one one the strongest people I know. You can do this, you just need to take deep breaths, okay?” The Princess gave a small inclination of her head, taking a stuttering inhale.

—///—

A relieved smile brushed it’s colors onto Varian’s face, his fearful paleness beginning to wash away as the gales began to die down with Rapunzel’s calmed breathing. He crouched down to her level when she began to break into soft sobs.

“Varian I...Eugene...I...I...” She let out a small breath as Varian crashed into her, inciting a tight embrace. The woman attempted to hold herself strong, but slowly relaxed and held Varian in return. Though it only lasted a few moments before Varian felt a light tap on his shoulder.

“Hate to interrupt this, but we’ve got a giant bird above our heads?” The two Coronans rose to their feet.

“A what?”

“You heard me.” Taking Varian’s head in his hands, he turned it towards the sky before quickly withdrawing from the intimacy of the gesture, filled with the warm steam of embarrassment.

Sure enough, looming above them in the sky was a massive bird, likely slightly larger than Fidella. Ivory feathers glimmered with blue from the sky, reflecting it like warped mirrors. Varian felt something inside him want to call out to the creature. Was it the source of the winds? In the end, Rapunzel was the one to reach out.

“Caltus? That’s your name, right? I felt it back there...that was your anger, wasn’t it? You were mad...because those people trapped you and used you. I know we shared our anger before, but I hope we can share peace now instead.”

The bird landed before the Princess, staring intensely into her eyes. Slowly, cautiously, Rapunzel held out her hand, letting a small smile pass over her as the animal brought its feathery head into her palm. It felt like a warm breeze running through her fingers.

“You’re not really bad at all, are you?” She took a deep breath.

“Please Caltus, your power was what caused this, right? So...you must be able to reverse it! Please...” The bird glanced around, at the shards of the teapot, the variation of odd birds cowering in nearby tree branches, the bird in Cassandra’s arms.

It’s gaze returned to Rapunzel, looking into her evergreen eyes. It let out a piercing cry, and the surrounding humans braced themselves as another strong burst of wind rushed through them, though...it felt warm this time, like a warm gust in sails. Confused voices began rising around them, and several snapping tree branches could be heard as birds returned to humanity began falling out of nearby trees while others climbed down. Rapunzel turned around hopefully.

“Eugene!”

—///—

Where were his wings? Wait, wings? He felt oddly exposed without feathers. Something dark and wiry brushed under his chin. Hair? He was being hugged, wasn’t he? As soon as the contact started, it was released, and Eugene felt a swift punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of him.

“Don’t you ever worry us like that again!”

“Cass?” Eugene looked up at a tear filled face twisted in frustration.

“Y-you’re family Eugene. And family doesn’t leave each other behind, got it? So think carefully before you try leaving m-us again!”

“Cass...” The woman averted her gaze, cheeks red.

Eugene felt another hug crash into him, gold flashing in his vision.

“Rapunzel?” She spoke no words, only buried herself in his strong arms. Although she clearly wanted to stay with him much longer, the Coronan Princess stood to face the bird once more.

“Thank you Caltus. I won’t forget this.” The shining bird simply ascended into the sky with several powerful beats of its wings, disappearing with a song in the wind.

Rapunzel’s radiant smile remained on her face as she turned back to her friends. Varian and his new companion stood to the side, glancing at something one the ground before turning to her. Eugene and Cass looked to her for a moment before looking to each other. The handmaiden startled slightly when the man put a hand on her shoulder. He spoke softly, looking directly into her eyes.

“If it means anything to you Cassandra, you’re my family too.”

Chapter Text

Lance was confused. Scratch that, he was bewildered beyond compare. It wasn’t that the two new additions to their group were now human teenage boys; no that was jarring, but he knew that was what was going to happen eventually. Rapunzel was being oddly clingy towards Eugene, which was somewhat of a common occurrence after dangerous situations, so that was just concerning, not bewildering. No, the mind boggling part was that Cassandra looked concerned. Cass, who would continually bicker with and complain about Eugene without end, now almost looked as if she was fretting over him, at least by Cassandra standards. She’d look over at him when she thought none were looking at her, eyes scanning for anything amiss. Then an instant pop back to watching the scenery whenever she thought one could be watching.

If Lance didn’t know any better, he’d almost say she looked...concerned for Eugene? Okay, something terrible must have happened for Cass of all people to be showing emotion. But Eugene looked...perfectly fine? He was smiling and laughing, probably jibing at that Hugo kid based on the teen’s fuming form. Taking a few strides, Lance met the group halfway.

“Hey guys! The caravan is surprisingly safe! Oh, what am I saying, of course it was safe under the watch of yours truly. The most action we saw was Shorty getting a case of the zoomies. I swear that man is more feral than any of the animals here.”
“Shorty?” Hugo looked away from Eugene to ask.
“Homeless man that somehow is a constant in our lives. You’ll learn not to question it.” And with that the group all milled to take a breather. A lot had happened; there was going to be lots to process tonight. Lance of course, didn’t know this. All he could do was trace the terse atmosphere in confusion, grasping for clues. He found himself coming to one conclusion. If he wanted answers, he was going to have to talk to Eugene.

—///—

“I’m going to go set up our tents, okay Varian?” Hugo gave his friend’s shoulder a brief pat before walking off. Varian gave a small hum in a lazed response. He then shuffled over to Rapunzel, who seemed to be nursing a small flame to life. She looked at the flame intently, focused as the growing fire brought light to her eyes. Making his presence known, he knelt down next to her, attempting to be subtle in his concern as not to interrupt her.
“Hey Varian.”

The acknowledgement was soft and short, almost meek. It was unnervingly out of character for the Princess Varian knew. Then again...how well did Varian really know Rapunzel? Sure, she’d immediately rushed him out of formalities when they’d met, but most of the other times Varian had spent time with her were in public spaces or with other people. Varian had met and gotten to know the friendly young woman that most Corona citizen’s knew; the bubbly and loving princess that always seemed to carry hope. But then...back when he’d asked Rapunzel for help the second time, he felt like he saw something he shouldn’t have.

The Rapunzel he saw that day wasn’t like the girl he’d known in public at all. It felt wrong, being there in such a vulnerable moment, seeing her holding so desperately onto Eugene, shaken and distraught with terrified eyes and clenched fists. There was some kind of control, posture, something missing from when he usually saw her. Varian had been so shocked by it in the moment that he believed his repeated requests had overwhelmed her, when in reality...maybe that was just her on high emotion.

After all, it had happened again in that clearing, though this time with a lot more magic involved...