Chapter Text
Varian tapped his pencil on the desk, keeping a soft rhythm as he waited for the familiar gears to turn in his head. He glanced over to the blueprints he had made for his current project, now weeks old, and sighed. He’d been working on yet another addition to the water pipes, and he hadn’t had a single idea that would improve the current design. This typically wouldn’t be so crucial, but Varian had been coming up dry for almost a month now. He looked back at his paper, nonsensical scribbles all over it, all of which were crossed out at some point. He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t think of anything; in his three years of working for the Princess, he’d never had this problem before.
Varian stood up, grabbing the blueprints before slipping them into his bag. He did a quick scan of the room, chuckling when he saw a small tail poking out behind a cupboard.
“I can still see you, Ruddiger,” Varian called out, the raccoon giving a huff before sauntering over. Varian frowned, reaching to pick him up. “You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.” Ruddiger chittered in response, almost pouting as he crawled onto Varian’s shoulder.
Varian smiled as he left his lab, shutting the door behind him with a click as he moved up the stairs to the main floor. The King and Queen were kind enough to spare a room for him, and though Rapunzel and Eugene always reminded him that he didn’t need to stay locked up in the lower floor, he actually preferred it. Made him feel more at home, in a way.
“Hey Pete! Hey Stan!” Varian waved over to the pair, who paused their argument to greet him. Something about gray hairs, he thought. If he was being honest, they looked exactly the same as they had years ago. They never seemed to age.
“Off to see the Princess, huh?” Stan asked, Pete nodding as the two took turns shooting glares at one another.
“Yeah,” Varian nodded, tapping his foot for a second as he once again thought through his plan. “I think it's best that I talk to her about the machines. I haven’t really been coming up with anything.”
“Well, if there’s anyone who can help, it’s Rapunzel,” Pete offered, kindly. Varian smiled at him. It was funny to think this was the same guard who had taken him into a cell with pity. He always was so genuine, that was just the kind of people Pete and Stan were. They could be silly from time to time, but honestly, who wasn’t?
“Thanks Pete!” Varian tried not to laugh, hearing Stan and Pete dissolving back into their argument as he walked away. It was funny, he’d gotten used to the sound. At this point it was almost comforting to hear them fight. Sometimes, when he’d get really frustrated with some equation, he’d hear the two bickering upstairs. It was faint, but it was a distraction. And Varian could use a good distraction every now and then.
Varian passed a few other people as he continued to make his way to the Throne Room. He saw Old Lady Crowley mopping --he tried to ask how her day was going but she yelled at him to go away instead --and he acknowledged a few other maids who had always been kind to him. It was strange how forgiving Coronans are. Their future king was an ex-thief, after all.
If there was anything worth worrying about, it was seeing the King and Queen. There was nothing more excruciating than presenting yourself in front of those large chairs as you were overseen by those who could easily send you straight back to jail if you made a wrong step. Luckily, that wasn’t always the case.
Ever since Rapunzel saved Corona (again,) she had been carrying out most of the typical, Queen-like duties. She wasn’t Queen yet, she’d decided that she wanted to wait a few more years, but honestly, she really was one. Whether she wanted to admit it or not. Varian, while occasionally being confused by this, was still thankful for what she was offering. Since she was typically the one overlooking most of the people, she was in charge of his work. It proved to be a little bit difficult though, since she was more often his friend than his instructor. This is why he still got nervous when he went to see her, especially on his own. He knew that the friendly part of Rapunzel wouldn’t mind his problem, but that wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He needed more structure with her, since he didn’t always have the best system going for himself.
The guards saw him coming, giving a quick nod as they made room for him to enter. He paused as he waited at the door to the Throne Room, trying to remember what he’d been rehearsing in his mind for the past few days. He wanted this. He wanted her help. He wanted some direction. But as he gently opened the door, a part of him wanted to run right back to his lab. There was a flaw in his plan with talking to Rapunzel, he didn’t really know what to say.
“Varian!” It was too late. She was getting up from her seat, running towards him. Smile , he told himself, If you smile, maybe this’ll be easier . She hooked him into a hug before he was able to get a word out, squeezing him tightly as she reminded him how happy she was to see him. Once she finally pulled back, she had one of her goofy smiles on her face. “You know, I think you actually might be taller than me.”
Varian snorted.
“I’ve been telling you, I have been taller than you for a year now,” Varian reminded her, crossing his arms. “Two and a half centimeters. Not that anyone’s counting, though…”
“I’m pretty sure the boots count for half of that,” Eugene stated matter-of-factly as he walked out from behind Rapunzel. “Not to mention your hair.”
“That-- You know that has nothing to do with that!” Varian snapped as they laughed, his face warming up as he looked away. He cleared his throat, remembering why he was here. “So, uhm, anyways-- I wanted to talk to you about the pipe systems.”
“They are working great , Varian! Seriously, I’ve never had so many warm baths back-to-back!” Rapunzel laughed, her smile fading slightly as Varian tugged at his gloves. She knew when he was nervous, darn it. She saw right through him. “What’s up?”
“It’s nothing, really,” Varian assured her, but the looks she and Eugene exchanged meant his words weren’t really doing anything. He held his hands behind his back as he tried his best to elaborate. “I just haven’t been coming up with any improvements as of lately. My mind’s been kinda… blank.”
“That’s okay, Var.” Rapunzel placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a comforting smile. “I get it. Sometimes I have art block for a few days, and can’t seem to get anything out. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“But I haven’t been having it for a couple of days, Rapunzel, I haven’t been working for weeks.” Varian looked away as he spoke, he wasn’t sure whether they’d react badly or not. Of course, they wouldn’t be upset with him, they’d instead give him those sympathetic looks they only made when he messed up. “I know I was supposed to report back to you guys about all of the developments this week, but I haven’t… I can’t think of anything.”
“Oh.” Rapunzel brought her hand to her chin, her lips puckered out as she did her signature ‘thinking face.’ “Well, maybe all you need is a break. I always find it easier to work after I’ve taken some time off.”
“But isn’t that what I’m doing?” Varian’s brow knit together, he had practically been taking a break for the last month.
“What Sunshine means is that you need to do something else,” Eugene clarified, Rapunzel stepping back to loop an arm around him. Secretly, Varian always admired their affection towards another. Yes, he’d relax with Rapunzel every now and then, and didn’t mind the occasional ‘being-scooped-up-by-Lance’ routine, but there was something about Rapunzel and Eugene’s relationship that he yearned for. “Go spend some time back in Old Corona, hang out at the Ugly Duckling, watch Atilla bake, heck, maybe even go take another trip to Neserdnia!”
“Now it just seems like you want me to leave,” Varian laughed, but the serious looks on his friends' faces stopped him.
“We want you to be happy , Varian,” Rapunzel said slowly, giving her more time to sound as certain as possible. “If that means sending you off on a vacation, then that’s what we’re gonna do.”
“But I don’t need a vacation,” Varian said, confused. “That’s a little ridiculous, don’t you think?”
“Not if it means you get back to work,” Eugene stated simply. “Besides, everyone needs a break every now and then anyways. Think of this as a good time to relax.”
“But I don't--” Varian cut himself off as he saw Rapunzel’s pleading puppy dog eyes. He hated it when she did that. He sighed, kicking his leg back as he awkwardly went “...okay.”
Rapunzel and Eugene cheered at that, easily more excited for Varian than he was. They soon began to pitch their ideas for him, all of which sounded the same. It didn’t matter where he was, he’d still be doing the same thing. Nothing. And there was something more guilty about doing nothing than coming up with nothing. But no matter how many times he tried to change his mind, his friends did not fail to keep him on this plan. After way too many pointless decisions, Varian settled on staying a week in Old Corona. (Which he usually did anyways, but this time he wouldn’t be going into his lab. That was probably safer anyways.) Rapunzel assured him that his absence wouldn’t change much, but if there was any situation that she’d make sure to contact him.
Varian didn’t have much to pack up before leaving, since he had a second set of his supplies back home so that traveling back and forth wouldn’t be as tiring. Varian usually spent a couple days with his dad any time he couldn’t figure something out. Quirin was pretty good at calming his nerves. Varian had hoped that Quirin would stay with him at the castle, but he was very clear about wanting to continue helping out back home. Even though Varian wanted to convince him otherwise, he knew that Quirin would be happier with the simple life.
As Varian left the castle, he made sure to say goodbye to as many people as he could. This was his routine. Even though he wasn’t always the most sociable person, he made sure to be as friendly as he could to those he wasn't as close to. It took a while to gain everyone’s trust back, and he wasn’t going to let some uncomfortable conversation ruin that. His most successful parting was with Old Lady Crowley, who just huffed out something about ‘one less mess to clean up.’ He was pretty sure that was Crowley for ‘miss you too.’
Usually Varian would walk back to Old Corona, but today Rapunzel gave him the okay to take Fidella. He wasn’t sure if it was because of how calm she was or that Ruddiger didn’t pick fights with her, but he really loved that horse. Every time he was allowed to ride her was like a treat. When he was younger, Varian was never allowed to ride horses. But in his defense, how was he supposed to know that they weren’t a fan of minor explosions? Anyways, he really cherished any time he travelled with Fidella. She set a pretty high bar for what a horse should be like.
It usually took around half a day to walk from the palace to Old Corona (if he was trying to get there fast,) but with Fidella it only took a few hours. It was already getting dark when he arrived back home, but he could see his dad, who appeared to still be working. He was cutting out some of the final groups of watermelon, and seemed to have an endless barrel of strawberries beside him. He perked up when he heard the trotting of Fidella, and a soft smile split across his face.
“Varian,” Quirin said as he stood up, walking over to Varian to give him a hug. He was covered in soil from the day, and though to others it might appear unpleasant, it just reminded Varian of home. “I didn’t know you were coming back so soon! Change of plans, huh?”
“Yup,” Varian nodded as Quirin moved to finish his work. “Rapunzel decided it’s best that I take the week off.”
“Still haven’t been able to work?” Quirin asked, reminding Varian that he’d complained to his dad about his lack of motivation the last time they talked.
“Yeah… They think taking a ‘vacation’ is the best solution,” Varian laughed, but Quirin seemed to agree with that. He stood up, puting the last watermelon into a basket as he dragged them back to the house. “Do you need any help with those?”
Quirin laughed. “How come now that you’re finally out of the house you decide you want to be useful?”
“I guess it took me a while to realize that being stubborn didn’t get anything done,” Varian shrugged, earning a light shove from his dad.
“Oh, please. This is coming from the boy who won’t take a break, even if the Princess orders him to.”
Varian gasped at that, bringing a hand to his heart.
“How dare you think that! I haven’t even thought of going against her wishes!” Varian held onto the strawberry filled barrel as he pulled it towards the house. “But if I didn’t take a break, I hope you know I got that from you!”
“And your mother,” Qurin added, the two going silent after that. It was like that whenever they mentioned her. They’d be filled with love until they remembered she wasn't there.
Quirin cleared his throat.
“We can have supper in a few hours. If you wouldn’t mind, I have some catfish that needs to be seasoned.” He looked over to Varian, a smile splitting across his face. “Since you’re willing to be helpful,” Quirin practically sang, which made Varian smile. After they had reconciled after the Amber and, well, everything, they’d not only restored their relationship but had also improved it quite a lot. Varian discovered a goofier version of Quirin that didn’t seem possible under his very serious and structured exterior, and Varian wasn’t afraid to speak out anymore. However, he knew not to go against what Quirin asked him.
“Okay,” Varian nodded, rolling his eyes playfully as he put the strawberries with the other fruits. It had been a really good summer; Quirin always had the best harvest of the season. Not to mention, now that Varian was earning more, he could chip in to make things easier for the farm. Quirin was very resilient with getting help, but he didn’t complain about the nicer tools he got to use either.
Varian restrained from the urge to go into his lab once he got inside. Instead, he unpacked his bag, and joined Ruddiger as they snacked on some fruit. There was no doubt; Old Corona had the best apples. Eventually he ended up preparing the catfish (apparently Quirin trusted him with cooking it, which didn’t happen often) and got out some cider he’d bought while in the Capitol. Quirin had protested, but Varian reminded him that he was in fact an adult now, and there wasn’t anything stopping him. This was a vacation , after all.
Besides the addition of alcohol, there wasn’t much of a difference in their routine dinner. Varian talked about the random requests he received from people with their machines, and Quirin lamented about the ridiculous things he had heard about the harvest.
“And Meyer didn’t even put in the effort to vote,” Quirin sighed, this time complaining about how the other farmers had gone against his plans for the next planting season. “I told them, ‘if you don’t plant those seeds right now, you’re going to get some real appalling pumpkins.”
“Not everyone is as passionate about pumpkins as you are, Dad,” Varian teased, taking a slow sip from his drink for emphasis, giving Quirin two things to be annoyed with. “But I understand. Nigel won’t take my advice on the withdrawals either.”
“I can’t stand that man,” Quirin huffed, causing Varian to laugh. Quirin furrowed his brow, a powerful glare in his eyes. “I’m not kidding! I can’t believe the nerve he has. ‘Acting like he--” He paused, shook his head, then smiled. “Forgive me, Son, but I believe I still have a little bit of resentment left over from the last time I saw him.”
Varian nodded. After Quirin had heard what occurred while he’d been encased in the Amber, he was lost, then angry, then sad, then a whole other number of emotions. Luckily, Varian shared them, and they were able to talk through it and understand each other. They handled it fairly well. But once Zhan Tiri had been banished and Cassandra left, there was a lot going on. Varian tried not to remember when Quirn had argued with Nigel about how absurd it was that they just let her leave. Of course, Nigel didn’t have much to do with the situation, but he had made some comments that didn’t come out in the friendliest way. Did that mean that it was okay for them to lash out? No. But it was understandable. In summary, everyone said some things that probably were best to keep away, which led to some semi-awkward gatherings after. But everything was better now, and that’s all that mattered. Quirin still stayed away from Nigel, though.
During the rest of the meal Varian explained his current plan for his ‘vacation’: He would catch up on some of the books Xavier had lent him. He couldn’t lie, most of his legends were quite riveting. Varian was ecstatic when he heard that Xavier had a fairly large collection of printed versions. He had practically devoured most of those books. He was still living in Old Corona back then, so he even got busted a few times for staying up way longer than he had for any textbook. Not that he wasn’t used to being caught for staying up late, but there was something more humorous about it being for a work of fiction. Anyways, Varian wanted to read a few that he hadn’t given back yet. He was sure he’d get an earful from Xavier about that.
After dinner, Varian took his usual spot under the large oak in the field, flipping through one of the books he’d left half finished. Like many of the traditional legends he’d read, it was about French folklore. Varian especially loved these not only because they were in French, but also because he really enjoyed how poetic most of the stories were. The current legend was about the fanciful Durendal, a ridiculously powerful sword. Though he didn’t remember much of the first half of the story, he did remember plenty of fighting and truly messed up people. That’s how most legends went. You had the occasional innocent and wholesome tale, but the lot of them were about corruption and greed and plenty of other terrible things. In a way, Varian related to them. Maybe it was because of his past as a villain, or maybe it was because of all of the fighting he’d either witnessed or been a part of. Either way, he really enjoyed reading them.
This is why Varian barely noticed when the sun slowly set behind the house and the village closed up for the night. When he finally looked up from his book, he was surprised to see the giant, radiant moon above him. It was definitely late. He wondered for a moment why Quirin didn’t call for him, but then he remembered how many times he’d reminded him of his age. It didn’t matter, though. He gently picked Ruddiger up from his resting spot, placing him on his shoulder as he went back inside the house. Luckily, he had mastered the art of sneaking back into his room. He placed Ruddiger down on his bed, and moved to the library.
The library wasn’t that large, if anything it was more of a closet. Even so, Varian had managed to cram two bookcases along the edges. One for Quirin, and one for him. Quirin’s books were the lengthy (and to Varian, quite boring) manuals and tips around farming, and most of Varian’s consisted of research-related information. It was funny how Varian now dedicated an entire shelf to all of Xavier’s books that he’d procrastinated on. He put the book back, and was about to leave when he noticed something peeking out of the corner of his eye.
Next to one of the many traditional books on pumpkins was a thin, teal covered book. Varian was confused, as he never remembered seeing it before. Out of pure curiosity, he reached over and grabbed it. When he opened it, all of the pages were blank. Before he got a chance to question why his father would have a single blank book, he heard a soft click come from inside the bookcase.
“What in...” Varian started, then suddenly, the familiar sound of gears reached his ears, and the bookcase began to shake. He panicked, wondering how on earth he could have triggered such a reaction. As the bookcase continued to shake, the walls of the column where Varian had taken the book began to separate. Now he was definitely panicking.
“Dad?” Varian called, but he didn’t get a response. He bit his lip, watching as a small path formed behind the bookcase. It was narrow, but still had enough space for someone to climb through. He wondered if Quirin knew about this; the house used to belong to some Lord that looked over what at that point was just Corona. So perhaps it was a secret passageway that they’d never been informed of. Some kind of Herz De Sonne would have made that. Yeah. That made sense.
After a moment of debating whether it was a good idea to climb through a dark and probably ancient pathway, Varian decided that he might as well take a look. If he was Rapunzel, he’d probably already be halfway through it by now. So, after taking a deep breath, he stepped up and squeezed into the clearing. For a minute or so, he awkwardly walked in darkness, before he realized he still had a few flasks of glowing substances in his pockets. He took one out, shaking it before finally illuminating his path. He was surrounded by the same stone walls as the rest of the house, but these were far more dusted and were probably more fragile than he’d accounted for. He made sure to watch his step, reminding himself that he couldn’t be clumsy if he was really paying attention.
It didn’t take long to get to the end of the pathway, it was only about four meters. Where he was expecting there to be a door was instead a slot in the wall. Inside was an average wooden box, with a tiny, metal lock on the outside. Strangely, the lock was open.
“That’s weird,” He mumbled to himself. That took away the purpose in the first place. He was too eager to leave it untouched, so he picked the box up, and clicked it open. At first, Varian was very confused as to what's inside. There was a book nearly identical to the one he was already holding, except a little bit thicker. The second thing that confused him was that on the inside of the top of the box, the initials U.R. were carved into the wood.
“Mom,” He breathed out, eyes wide. Those were his mother’s initials. He tried to push that aside, surely there were plenty of people back in the day with the same ones. He picked up the book inside, which was covered in a thick layer of dust. He tried to blow it off, only managing to irritate his lungs instead. He lightly turned over the cover, quickly realizing it was upside down. He turned it over so that he could read the text (which wasn’t some ancient language) and had to squint in order to read what was inside.
June 12th
I’m about to leave Old Corona. I know I have only been home for a few years, but Blum and I have decided that we are going to finish our quest to enter the Eternal Library. I know that Quirin is devastated, but he is a strong man and I have no doubt that he will do just fine without me. Blum says that we will be back in a year. I hope she is right. I will miss writing with you. Blum has advised that I leave you here. She wants me to move on. But I can’t, and I shall miss the memories I have left here. For no adventure has been greater than my one with you.
Alles Liebe,
Ulla Ruscher
Varian lost track of how many times he reread the entry. It was too much to take in. If the passageway wasn’t weird enough by itself, the fact that it was his mother’s passageway was definitely throwing him for a loop. He didn’t know how he was supposed to react. He fixated on his mother’s signature, he’d never seen it before. How had he never seen it before? He sat the book down, not bothering to read any more. He couldn’t.
Varian knew virtually nothing about his mother. She had red hair, loved her family, and liked to make people smile. That’s all he knew. Quirin mentioned her every now and then, but it was never enough for him to have a clear picture of her. That’s why this sudden peak into her life felt wrong. If she locked it away, it was definitely for a reason. This was private. He wasn’t supposed to see it.
He felt lightheaded as his mind swirled with questions; he was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t realize when he bumped into the wooden box, causing a loud, booming noise to rattle through the empty hall.
“Varian?” Quirin’s voice came, and suddenly Varian panicked. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to see this. “Varian? Is that you?”
Varian rushed to try and pick up what he had dropped, hastily placing the book back inside the box and shoving it back into the slot. But Quirin was there before he had finished. He could see the shadow he made, a candle close to his face.
“ Varian ,” Quirin repeated, his voice far quieter now, which sent chills up Varian’s back. As Varian walked over to Quirin, his dad stayed completely still. He couldn’t read his expression. Once Varian had finally crawled out from the passage, Quirin sat his candle down on the shelf, and stared down at Varian. “Why did you-- How did you go down there?”
“I… I’m not entirely sure,” Varian tried to laugh, but he felt far too uncomfortable. “I took out this book and then it kinda just... clicked open.”
“Really?” Quirin asked, and Varian nodded with as much confidence as he could muster. Quirin shook his head, a hand squeezing his temple as he mumbled “you weren’t supposed to find that.”
Varian froze.
“You knew about this?”
Quirin looked down at Varian, fear in his eyes. “Well, I--”
“You knew this was here the whole time and you never told me about it?”
“Varian--”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Varian didn’t understand why his eyes were welling up. Just a second ago he was petrified, but here he was, angry tears ready to fall at any moment. “Mom’s been gone my whole life , and you didn’t think to tell me about the only thing she left behind?”
Quirin furrowed his brow. “What did you see?”
“Does it matter what I saw?” Varian asked, ignoring how squeaky his voice sounded. “Whatever she put in there, you hid it from me!”
“I didn’t want to hide it from you!” Quirin’s voice raised, and Varian ignored the way his chest tightened. “It was for your own good!”
“My own good?” Varian raised a brow, extremely perplexed by his father’s reasoning. “So lying to me about her was for my own good? Not telling me anything about her life was for my own good?” Varian paused, a wave of despair going over him as he realized something. “You said she was sick .” His voice broke, and a hand flew to his mouth. He held back the sobs that were reaching the surface, reminding himself that he was supposed to be angry right now.
“She was sick, Varian!” Quirin yelled, which caused Varian to step back. “She was doing just fine until that friend of hers pulled her back and drove her insane! She left us, Varian! For some ludicrous trials that ended up getting her--” He stopped, looking away. Varian didn’t know what to say as Quirin slowly tried to steady his breathing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t... I just don’t want you to go down the same path as her.”
Varian was stunned into silence. It was the first time they’d really talked about her since he was a kid, and Quirin was making her out to be some terrible person. What happened to the kind, loving woman in the portrait down the hall? Was that truly her? He just assumed that his mother was some perfect, compassionate figure he’d eventually grow to be. But if Quirin was telling the truth, that means the mother he’d been missing his whole life wasn’t even real.
Varian bit the inside of his lip, a habit stemmed from needing to check his mouth. He looked down for a moment, trying to reason with himself. But he just couldn’t seem to accept what he was being told. He turned around, walked back down the passageway, and grabbed his mother’s box.
“Varian, what are you doing?” Quirin asked, and Varian pushed himself to look his father right in the eye.
“I need some air,” He explained, passing Quirin and heading to his room. He ignored Quirin’s calls as he kept walking. Ruddiger glared at Varian when he began to pack up his things, clearly annoyed by how Varian woke him up. He tried to smile. “Sorry Bud, but we have to go.”’ Ruddiger then frowned, tapping Varian’s arm with his paw. Varian scooped the raccoon up, ignoring the concerned look in his eye. “Don’t worry, we’ve got this.”
Once Varian got outside, he untied Fidella from her post, apologizing to her as well after he woke her up. He got onto her back, ignoring the guilt that swelled in his gut as he heard Quirin’s voice shouting for him to come back. He leaned forwards, grabbing onto Fidella’s neck. “Let’s go, Girl.”
As they left Old Corona, Varian thought back to his mother’s box, and everything he had read. He wasn’t sure what she meant yet, but he was determined that he could figure it out. For the first time in weeks, he knew exactly what he needed to do.
***
“Varian, what in the Seven Kingdoms dragged you here this early in the morning?” Xavier asked, crossing his arms as exhaustion tugged at his eyes. He was still in his nightwear, and was reasonably upset with being awoken by Varian’s insistent knocking.
“It’s morning already?” Varian genuinely asked, earning a sigh from Xavier.
“Come in, my boy, come in.”
It had been a while since Varian had been inside Xavier’s house. He couldn’t deny that it was cozy. You’d assume the heat from all of his work to be irritating, but in all honesty Varian found it quite comforting. Varian followed the blacksmith as he moved to the small, woolen couch that he only saved for their talks. After the two’s experience during the race for Herz De Sonne’s treasure, they had grown fairly close. Xavier was a very wise man, and could see through any walls Varian put up. They’d had so many deep, sentimental conversations in this room. Varian was thankful that one of the most intelligent people in Corona also happened to be one of the kindest.
“I do hope you are here to finally return the books that you borrowed last year,” Xavier said, and Varian looked down, embarrassed.
“Well, no,” Varian admitted before reaching into his bag, pulling out his mother’s box. He clicked it open, revealing the book. “But I do have something else.” Varian held it up, and Xavier blinked for a moment before taking it. He skimmed through the pages, a baffled look on his face.
Varian had taken the time to read a few more entries on his way to Corona. He still felt like he was invading his mother’s privacy, but his craving for answers outweighed that guilt. Most of the entries were the same. They’d mention her day with Quirin, and occasionally she’d comment on Varian himself. It was strange, hearing her talk about them. For someone so ‘sick,’ she really seemed to care about her family. The only strange thing was that she never mentioned the most confusing parts of the final entry, like the ‘Eternal Library’ and her friend, Blum. If it was enough to make her leave, then it was definitely important. He just had no clue as to what it was about. This is why Xavier was the perfect person to go to.
“Do you know what it means?” Varian asked after Xavier had finished looking through it. “What is she talking about?”
“I have heard many tall tales about dangerous trials and alchemical marvels, but the Eternal Library is one I didn’t expect to be true.” Xavier stood up, leaving for a moment before coming back with a large, golden covered book. “From what I know, before Lord Demanitus had constructed the portal to the Lost Realm, he had made one other portal.”
“Demanitus?” Varian’s eyes shot open. He’s not sure as to why he was surprised, anytime some crazy thing happened Demanitus was rooted to it somehow. “How did he know how to find it?”
“Well,” Xavier opened the book, flipping through it before he came to a page where a large, demon-shaped outline stood before a young Demanitus.
“Zhan Tiri,” Varian mumbled, the name sounding strange on his tongue.
Xavier nodded. “Lord Demanitus had many ways to outsmart Zhan Tiri, but when it came to banishing her permanently, he had no way of causing her harm. That is why he knew that if he was going to end her reign over Corona, he needed to find a way to get her out.” Xavier turned the page, revealing an almost heavenly depiction of what the Eternal Library was supposed to look like. Tall, seemingly infinite bookcases with no end to what you could find. “So when Demantius heard the legend of the Eternal Library, he knew he had to find it. After many years of effort and hardship, he was finally able to construct a device to travel to this place.” Xavier turned the page again, which showed a small, metal device that resembled the other portal. “With the knowledge he received, Demanitus found the perfect way to craft a portal to the Lost Realm.”
“But in my mother’s entry, she said that she needed to complete these trials. How could Demanitus access the Eternal Library without them?” Varian asked.
“Well, Demanitus was the one who created those trials.”
“Of course he did.” Varian shook his head, smiling.
“After creating his portal to the Eternal Library, Demanitus knew that it was going to be very popular among those seeking the same research. But the knowledge inside of the library was not something he could let go into the wrong hands, so he created the Seven Trials.” The next page of the book showed the same device from before, yet it was pulled apart into separate pieces. “One trial for each kingdom. The Fire Trial for Bayangor, the Water Trial for Koto, the Air Trial for Galcrest, the Earth Trial for Pittsford, the Dark Trial for Neserdnia, the Industrial Trial for Ingvarr, and the Light Trial for Corona. Each one would require a varied and rigorous set of skills that would ultimately lead to receiving one individual part of his device. Demanitus knew that if anyone could complete all seven trials, then they would be worthy of accessing the Eternal Library.”
“But once someone completes all of the trials, and they make the device, doesn’t that mean no one else can visit the library?”
“Demanitus only accessed the Eternal Library for so long,” Xavier started, flipping a few pages as he searched for something. “He knew that if someone was inside of the library for so long, it could drive them mad.” He pointed at a drawing of a ghost-like figure, the whites of their eyes an electric blue. “So Demanitus ensured that once the device was assembled, it could only be used twice. Once to get in, and once to get out. After the device is used the second time, all of the pieces return to their respective trials.”
“Magic, huh?” Varian asked, and Xavier nodded. “I always forget Demanitus worked with that.”
“Demanitus used plenty of magic throughout his lifetime, and his work on the trials was no exception. However, that also means that the journey to the Eternal Library was not one easily completed,” Xavier closed the book, looking back down at Varian sympathetically. “If your mother had left for it and never returned, then it is very likely that she didn’t survive. I’m sorry, Varian.”
Varian wasn’t sure as to why those words stung so badly. He knew she was gone. He knew he’d never meet her. For a brief moment he really, really thought he could. But then he thought of something. He looked over at Xavier, with a sudden sense of determination.
“But I can,” Varian started, looking over to Xavier. “ I can survive it!”
“Varian, I don’t think you understand--”
“No, Xaves, I do! My mom left her journal here for a reason! She knew that if she couldn’t complete the trials, maybe I could!” Varian smiled, standing up with more confidence than he’d had in months. He picked up the journal, holding it in front of him. “ This is her legacy, Xavier! This is what I need to finish!”
“I think you are ignoring the point of this story, Varian,” Xavier pointed out as he walked over to him. “There is a reason as to why no one has entered the Eternal Library since Demanitus.”
“And that’s because no one has been as experienced as us!” Varian grabbed his bag, hastily walking towards the door. Ruddiger slowly trailed behind him, looking up at Xavier with the same sense of worry. “We built another portal to the Lost Realm, and survived it! We went against Cassandra several times , and ended up fine! Heck, we even went head-to-head with Zhan Tiri !”
“But you were not alone then, Varian! There’s no telling what could happen to you if--”
“I’ll have Ruddiger,” Varian interrupted, which caused Xavier to frown.
“Varian,” Xavier sighed, placing his arms on Varian’s shoulders as he furrowed his brow. “These trials are not something to be messed with. Even as someone who has gone through as many of your own battles, you are not invincible. It would be foolish putting yourself in so much danger.”
“But what if that’s what it takes?” Varian asked. “The people who are smart enough to take the risks are always the ones who stay back. It’s like they think that they’re being wiser, that they’re above it somehow, but what they really need is to take that chance! Demanitus never would have gotten anywhere if he hadn’t been able to do that.”
“I see the truth in that Varian, I really do,” Xavier assured him, but Varian could tell by his expression that he wasn’t going to be changing his mind anytime soon. “But you do not realize how unwise it would be to complete these now, on your own. You are too young, Varian. It wouldn’t be safe.”
“My age has nothing to do with what I can do, Xavier. You know that.”
“Of course I do, Varian,” Xavier sighed, stepping back and crossing his arms. “I have no doubt that you are more than capable of taking on even the most complicated of Demanitus’ inventions. But you have a whole life ahead of you. I simply can’t let you put yourself in jeopardy, I’d never forgive myself.”
“But this is my choice, Xavier. It’s not your fault I’m too stubborn to let this go,” Varian laughed, but it came out as more of a choked sob. He didn’t know where this sudden punch of remorse came from. One side of him was more than ready to go out on another adventure, yet the other was screaming at him to stay put. Ruddiger rubbed the side of Varian’s leg, his big, worried eyes looking up at him. Varian frowned, picking his friend up before looking back at Xavier. “I… You know what, how about this-- I’ll give myself some time. I need to think about this. Maybe my conscious will finally kick in and tell me this is a dumb idea.”
A smile formed on Xavier’s face, and it was relieving to Varian. He was safe for now.
“And if I decide to act on this, I will take as many lectures afterwards that you deem necessary,” Varian joked, and Xavier just shook his head.
“That does sound oftly compelling,” Xavier admitted before leading Varian outside. “But I really do hope you make the right decision, Varian. You know your skills far better than anyone else. Even though I want you to take my warning into consideration, you should choose whatever you believe is right.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Varian said, the words ‘I promise’ lingering in his head as he instinctively began to pet Ruddiger. “I know you’re just looking out for me.” Varian couldn’t help the giant smile that split across his face. “Not to mention, I’ve got an endless selection of advice from all of your legends.”
“I told you they would be useful one day,” Xavier chuckled. “Well, I hope that before you start thinking, you get some rest. You need some.” Varian wanted to disagree, but he couldn’t deny the drowsy feeling that was poking at him. He nodded, smiling warmly as he moved to hug Xavier.
“Bye, Xaves.” Varian said, Ruddiger chittering as well. “Thanks for putting up with all of this.”
“You know I don’t mind,” Xavier assured him as he pulled back. He had a soft smile as he turned to go back inside. “Goodbye, Varian.”
Varian waved, before hopping onto Fidella. As he made his way back to Old Corona, he couldn’t help but wonder how all the people in Corona happened to be such good huggers.
***
Quirin paced back and forth, a hand behind his neck while the other held a small, green covered book. His brow was knit together as he turned and looked up at the family portrait. He sighed, looking down at the book in his hand.
“Dad!” Quirn’s eyes widened as Varian sprinted into the hall, Ruddiger running behind him. Once Varian was in front of him, he paused for a moment, clearly out of breath. “I… Uhm, I wanted to apologize.”
Quirin shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize, Varian.” Quirin looked back at the portrait once more, his gaze lingering on Ulla’s smiling face. “I should have told you sooner.”
“But I shouldn’t have reacted like that,” Varian stated, holding his hands together. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I was just upset… I didn’t mean to act out like that.”
“It’s okay that you were upset,” Quirin assured him. “It’s better that you reacted rather than keeping it to yourself. We know what happens when we push things down.”
Varian smiled at that, looking down before taking a breath. “I went to Xavier about the Eternal Library.” Quirin was silent, and Varian decided to push on before he could intervene. “He told me about Demanitus, and the trials. He… He said that Mom probably didn’t make it.”
Quirin stared at Varian for a moment, before he sighed and looked back down at the book in his hand. “Varian… Why don’t we sit down?”
Varian hesitated to respond, before he finally managed to nod. Ruddiger climbed onto his shoulder as they sat down, and he noticed how Quirin kept running his hand over the book.
“Before I moved to Old Corona, your mother and I had spent some time together in the Dark Kingdom. I had met her while she was trying to sneak into the castle,” Quirin laughed, shaking his head with a sad smile. “Edmund was close to sending her out, but I convinced him otherwise. There was just something about her. The way she wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself, how she was able to outsmart anybody she needed to. She was a lot like you, in that way.”
Varian smiled, setting his arms on his knees as he continued to listen.
“She kept returning to the castle, always asking me for information she knew I didn’t have. At first I thought she was just trying to get my attention, but eventually I realized that she was after something. She wanted to know where the trial was for our kingdom,” Quirin sighed. “And she wasn’t going to leave without an answer. I tried to tell her about how dangerous it was there, but she didn’t listen. Eventually, she managed to get my help. For a while, I assisted her with her research, and we even had the occasional dinner together. But then she came to me one day, and said she had to leave. That she had more research to do elsewhere,” Quirin looked over to the Brotherhood sword that stood next to the fireplace. “I knew I couldn’t leave the Dark Kingdom, so I let her go. It wasn’t until the Brotherhood split up that I saw her again.”
“So you really just let her leave?” Varian asked, smirking. “You met the love of your life, and you let her leave?”
“You know how the Brotherhood is,” Quirin reminded him. “They weren’t going to let me leave regardless of what happened. But once we all had to relocate, what I chose to do was all up to me.”
“She was working on the final trial, wasn’t she?”
“That’s right,” Quirin nodded, smiling fondly. “Apparently it was in the mountains near Old Corona, and I was more than welcome to provide any assistance she needed. But she was different then; lost. When I asked what was wrong, she said that she was unsure of whether she wanted to finish the trials. She was overwhelmed. After a while, she wasn’t coming to me for her research anymore, she was coming to see me. And eventually, she just stopped talking about the library altogether. It wasn’t long until I finally had the confidence to tell her I loved her. We got married, and a few years later we had you.” Quirin smiled, but then his expression twisted into something more painful. “But then she started talking about the library again. She kept disappearing late at night. And when she came back, she always looked so… hollow . It was like the woman I married wasn’t there anymore. And before I knew it, she left.”
Quirin looked down, trying to steady his breath. “I heard nothing from her for months. I didn’t know how to raise you without her. After a while I found her journal, and I couldn’t believe that she had decided to finish the trials. She always said that she didn’t want to go back to that life, that she cared more about our life here. After over a year of her disappearing, she...” Quirin sighed, tapping the book in his hand before reaching over to give it to Varian.
“What is this?” Varian asked, even though he was fairly sure as to what the answer was.
“It’s the last thing I have from her,” Quirin murmured, his eyes closed shut. “Her friend said it was all that was left of her. That she hadn’t survived.” He shook his head as Varian opened the book, recognizing his mother’s handwriting. He looked back up at Quirin, who was rubbing his eyes. “I guess I should’ve expected it. She was so brave… it made her careless.”
“I’m sorry,” Varian said, quietly. He looked down at the journal. “I didn’t realize…”
“It's alright, Varian. You aren’t responsible for any of this,” Quirin assured him.
“I guess it’s a good thing Xavier stopped me before I ran off,” Varian laughed, awkwardly.
Quirin's eyes widened in realization. “You were going to try and complete the trials, weren’t you?”
“ Well ,” Varian laughed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’m still a little on the fence.”
“You really want to attempt the very thing that got her killed ?” Quirin asked, and Varian was struck with a pang of guilt.
“When you phrase it that way it sounds a lot worse.” Ruddiger pawed at Varian’s arm, a knowing look on his face. Varian sighed, keeping his gaze on Quirin. “But yeah, I’m thinking about it. I know it’s dangerous, and probably not the smartest decision… but I can’t help but want to. I feel like it’s no coincidence that I found her journal, Dad. Maybe this is my own journey to take. My… My new dream.”
Quirin was quiet for a moment. So quiet that Varian began to bite the inside of his cheek anxiously. So quiet that he was almost certain that he was about to be scolded. But what came next was much different than what he expected.
“You really want to do this?” Quirin asked, looking at Varian as if he was searching his eyes.
“I…” Varian looked down, thinking about all of the risks he would be taking. He thought about how desperately he’d wanted a mother. How lost he’d been feeling. But he had a sense of direction now. He hadn’t been this confident in himself in years. He had severely missed the exciting feeling that swelled as he thought about the opportunity of entering the Eternal Library.
Varian met Quirin’s gaze, hesitating for a moment as he wondered if he was making the right decision. He took a breath, before sounding more self assured than he ever had before.
“I do.”
***
Fidella neighed as she galloped over to Maximus, who was eagerly waiting outside the castle. The two trotted around each other as they appeared to catch up. Right behind FIdella was Varian, who was looking down at the large sack of goods that he was holding.
“You think this is too much, Bud?” Varian asked Ruddiger, who shook his head. Of course the raccoon wouldn’t mind a surplus of apples and pastries. “Maybe Raps and Eugene will have a better idea of what we should pack for the trip?”
“What trip?”
Varian almost jumped when Eugene came from behind him.
“You scared me,” Varian sighed, which caused the Captain to chuckle.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help but drop in. You must be going on one heck of a vacation if you’re taking all of that.” Eugene looked into the sack. “Looks like you went to see Atilla, which is a good choice, I must say. And don’t worry, I won’t tell Rapunzel that you saw Uncle Monty.”
Varian laughed, before remembering the reason he came back to the castle in the first place. “I actually wanted to talk to you guys before I left.”
“That’s sweet, Kid,” Eugene smiled, before gesturing behind him. “Rapunzel’s actually in her room with Lance and the girls right now, so you came at the right time.”
“Great!” Varian said, ignoring the anxious feeling at the back of his head. He felt the same way he had a couple of days ago when he’d told Rapunzel about his problem, which now seemed ridiculous in comparison. He couldn’t see them being upset about him wanting to go on his own adventure, but at the same time, they might counter that he needs to stay in Corona. As he had discussed his departure with Quirin, they kept coming back to what would happen if they needed his help. Despite how compelling it was to go out and attempt the trials, he also knew that his responsibilities could easily outweigh that. This conversation was the final chance for Varian to back out on his decision.
After greeting his friends and partaking in a few senseless discussions, Varian eventually managed to get their full attention. Though he was anxious, he managed to very briefly explain what he had seen in his mother’s passageway, as well as what Xavier had told him about the trials and the Eternal Library. And finally, how he had decided after talking to Quirin that he wanted to complete the trials himself.
Varian was nervous as the group in front of him was silent. They exchanged concerned and confused looks before Angry finally broke the silence.
“So you’re leaving us for a library ?”
“ Angry ,” Lance scolded, putting his hands on his hips.
“What?” Angry asked, crossing her arms. “Am I the only one who thinks this is kind of weird?”
“It is a little weird,” Catalina agreed with a nod.
“I can’t believe there’s another hidden structure from Demanitus near Corona,” Rapunzel laughed, but Varian could tell by the way she held her hand close to her cheek that she was worried. “Do you think that the trials are still stable after all these years?”
“I won’t know until I see them for myself,” Varian said, noticing quickly that his statement didn’t make his journey any more enticing. “But I’d assume that they’re still intact. It’s only been like twenty years, so it can’t be much different than when my mom saw them.”
“Is it safe, though?” Lance asked. “I mean, any time we go somewhere that Demanitus has been, the odds aren’t usually in our favor.”
“I’m not expecting for there not to be any danger,” Varian started, which caused Lance to shoot Eugene a concerned glance. “But that’s just one factor of the trials. They’re not supposed to be completed easily.”
“And you’re sure you want to go and do this?” Eugene asked. “Not that I doubt your judgement, Kid, but I don’t want this to be one of those times where you end up putting yourself in a life-threatening situation.”
“I can handle myself,” Varian said, confidently. “I know things usually tend to blow up in my face, but this time I know I can do it. It’s like… There’s this feeling inside of me. I just know.”
Rapunzel walked over to Varian. “You really want to do this, huh?”
“Way more than I think I should,” Varian admitted, sheepishly.
“Well,” Rapunzel looked over to Eugene, having a silent conversation for just a second before turning back. She smiled warmly, placing a hand on Varian’s shoulder. “I think you should do it.”
“Really?” Varian asked.
“Of course,” Rapunzel nodded happily. “Varian, I know what it’s like to feel like you’re being called somewhere else. It’s difficult to stay put when your heart is more than ready to go out and see what’s waiting for you! So, of course I think you should do it!”
“That means a lot to me, Rapunzel, it really does,” Varian smiled, rubbing his arm as Rapunzel stepped back. “Honestly, I was expecting you guys to freak out and tell me I was being ridiculous.”
“Oh, we’re definitely freaked out,” Eugene confessed, Lance nodding in agreement. “But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to support you.”
“I think it’s awesome that you’re going on your own adventure!” Catalina chimed in.
“Yeah, you better tell us everything when you get back! It’s been so boring lately,” Angry sighed, causing Catalina to lightly elbow her in the arm.
“What the girls mean is,” Lance started, wrapping his arms around Angry and Catalina. “You have the Schnitz Family blessing.”
“Thanks, Lance,” Varian laughed, but he meant it. He was extremely grateful that his friends were handling his decision so well. He was very lucky to have such supportive friends. He picked up Ruddiger, who was already trying to get into the food he’d picked out. He looked back up with a content smile on his face. “I’m going to try and leave Old Corona before tomorrow night, so if you guys could stop by I’d really appreciate it.”
“You really think we’d miss out on a farewell party?” Rapunzel asked, which caused Varian to chuckle. Rapunzel put her hands on her hips, staring down Varian. “It will be a dark day when I don’t take that opportunity, Varian.”
Varian laughed as he shook his head. “Okay then.”
***
“Do we have the chem set?” Varian asked, looking down at the paper in his hand. Ruddiger chittered in response, poking the beakers and compounds with his tail. Varian nodded, checking it off. “What about the backup gloves and goggles?” Ruddiger jumped into Varian’s bag, popping back out with his own pair of goggles on his head. “Okay… And the food?” No response. Varian frowned, looking back at Quirin, who was wrapping up his supplies for the day. “Hopefully Dad won’t mind us taking some extra apples. But you won’t eat them this time, alright?” Ruddiger huffed. Varian took that as a ‘yes.’
Varian looked down at the supplies in front of him. He knew that they wouldn’t last him long. He made sure to mark as many villages as he could on his map, especially the ones that weren’t so pricey. It didn’t matter how much money he brought with him. If he knew anything from what Rapunzel and Eugene had told him, it was that you needed to be cautious. Especially about what you spent. Even so, Varian made sure to give Quirin more than enough for the food he bought, hoping that it would help if the winter season was rough. He wondered how long he was going to be away. It seemed like it took his mother years to complete the trials, so he couldn’t help but worry.
“Remember not to stress yourself out too much, okay?” Quirin said, snapping Varian out of his thoughts. Quirin shook his head, walking over to their makeshift barn. They had once decided to try and raise more animals, which had gone terribly wrong terribly fast. Only one donkey remained, braying as he saw the hay in Quirin’s hand. As the donkey ate, Quirin looked back at Varian, a pleased look on his face. “I was thinking, I might need to send ol’ Prometheus with you, to keep you in check.”
“Dad,” Varian began, clearly baffled by the suggestion. “Are you serious? I really don't need to, I know how much you love him, and--”
“And what? You plan on walking all the way to Bayangor?” Qurin asked, and Varian didn’t know how to respond. Quirin hummed to himself, giving Prometheus some more hay. “That’s what I thought.”
It took a pretty short amount of time to get everything together, which included cleaning up Prometheus’ saddle and desperately trying to get Ruddiger away from the food. Varian tried to find as many things to do before he left, and even though he was semi-aware that he was stalling, he also wanted to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything. He looked at Quirin, who was petting Ruddiger, reminding the raccoon how cute he was. Varian wondered how long it would be until he did that again.
Varian shook his head, walking over to Quirin. “I think we’re ready to go!”
“Have you double checked everything?” Quirin asked as he stood up.
“‘Triple checked, actually,” Varian stated, proudly. He fiddled with Prometheus’ reins he made his way down the pathway. He could hear Quirin trying to get a stubborn Ruddiger off of the ground, which made him smile.
Old Corona’s border wasn’t far from the house, in fact it probably took less than a minute to get over there. However, Varian had told Rapunzel that they could go to the walls that were closer to them. He knew that Rapunzel and Eugene still rode there every now and then, not to mention how beautiful the scenery was. So Varian didn’t mind the longer walk.
Once they got to the border, Varian tied Prometheus’ reins to a tree, and moved over to the now broken walls. It was funny to him how no one seemed to bother to completely get rid of them. Instead, there were awkward chunks of bricks scattered across the forest floor. Ruddiger jumped onto one of the more level pieces, chittering as he looked at the view. Varian used to spend hours sitting up there, watching the placid streams go by as he let himself seep away into thought. He didn’t have as much time to do that anymore. He walked over to Ruddiger, resting his arm down next to him as they took in the scenery.
“Varian,” Quirin called, nodding his head over to the side. There, dashing towards him at high speed, were his friends.
“We’re coming!” Rapunzel shouted, hoisting up her skirt with one hand as she wildly waved her other hand over at them.
Varian sprinted over to the group, who looked like they ran all the way from the Capitol. However, he saw Max and Fidella trail behind them, so they couldn’t have ran that far. Eugene dramatically waved at his face as he looked up at him. “The things we do for friendship,” he sighed.
“This isn’t exactly how I expected to say goodbye,” Varian admitted with a chuckle.
“We have an explanation!” Rapunzel answered, taking the small satchel off of her shoulder, holding it in front of her. Before she could continue, Angry cut in.
“You’re going to write to us, okay?” Angry said after marching up to Varian. She was extremely close to his eye level now, and her boldness didn’t make her any less aggressive. “We’re going to miss your lame science facts and stupid inventions, so you better at least tell us what’s happening!”
“Of course,” Varian laughed, crossing his arms. “I’ll miss you too, Angry.”
Angry rolled her eyes, but her smirk wasn’t at all hidden. Catalina rested her elbow on Angry’s shoulder, grinning. “You know we’ll miss you. Make sure to watch out for curses, alright?”
“I will,” Varian assured Catalina as he gave her a hug. “You two won’t be all grown up when I come back, right?”
“Well, we will be way taller than you by then,” Angry said confidently as the three shared a laugh. Lance gave Angry and Catalina soft pats on the shoulder before he looked at Varian. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to him as he grinned
“What’s this?”
“Just a few recipes for the road,” Lance said, enthusiastically. “I wasn’t sure whether you’d need all these, but you can never be too prepared!” He pulled Varian close, holding a hand up as he whispered. “There might be a few from Atilla in there, don’t tell him I said anything.”
Varian couldn’t help but laugh as he nodded. “Okay, Lance.” He felt himself grin from ear to ear as he hugged Lance, savoring every second. “I’m going to miss you a lot.”
“I’ll miss you too,” Lance replied, wiping his eyes for a moment before giving a final squeeze. “You’ve got a good path ahead of you. Make sure you stick to it, okay?”
“Definitely,” Varian grinned, his eyes then turning to Eugene, who appeared to be sulking. “What’s wrong?”
“I just can’t believe you’re doing this,” Eugene revealed. “It’s like one day you’re almost blowing up Old Corona… and now you’re going off on a dramatic quest of your own.”
“I won’t be gone for too long,” Varian assured him before crossing his arms. “Besides, won’t it be nice without me getting on your case for once?” he joked.
“As blissful as that sounds, it doesn’t make it any easier,” Eugene laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s just a lot, Kid. I can’t believe how worried you make me.”
“I’ll be okay,” Varian insisted, leaning up so he could put a hand on Eugene’s shoulder. “I’ve learned a lot from you, Eugene. Fight tactics, people skills; so much stuff that I’m taking with me. With a friend like you to look up to, I’m pretty confident in what I can do. ...Maybe even the smolder can count.”
“You’d be surprised how useful the smolder is in tight situations,” Eugene reminded him with a smirk. He took a breath, shaking his head for a moment before hugging him. “You mean a lot to us, Varian. I hope you know that.”
“I do,” Varian answered, smiling as he pulled back. He held his fist up before saying “Team Awesome?”
“Team Awesome!” Eugene exclaimed, bumping their fists together.
Rapunzel then lightly pushed Eugene to the side, holding up her satchel once more. She reached into it, pulling out a small paper-wrapped box before handing it to Varian. “Now I wasn’t sure exactly what to get you at first, but after many moments of hard thinking, I finally got it.” Varian looked down at the box, trying his best not to rip the thin, red paper too much as he opened it. After he had gotten the paper off, he looked up at Rapunzel.
“A journal?”
“Yes!” Rapunzel nodded enthusiastically. “I know that being on the road can be really exhilarating, which also makes it pretty overwhelming at times. I’ve found that writing things down can really help me stay together, and I think you’d really enjoy it too.”
“It’s perfect, Rapunzel,” Varian beamed, putting the journal in his bag before she pulled him into a hug. He knew he was going to miss her hugs the most. “Are you sure you guys won’t need me while I’m gone?”
“Believe it or not, Kid, but you’ve finally proved how useful your lectures are,” Eugene stated, which made Varian laugh. He pulled away from Rapunzel, a warm look on his face.
“Thank you. For everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you guys.”
“What are friends for?” Rapunzel asked, before the rest of the group swarmed over to have one last group hug. They stayed like that for as long as they let him, and it was wonderful. Once they finally came apart, Varian looked at his friends, who were still looking at him with kind, earnest smiles. His friends that had taken the time to help him. His friends who had listened to what he had to say, even if he was wrong. His friends that supported him, no matter how crazy his dream was.
Varian brushed away the tears forming in his eyes, cherishing his last moment with them. He tried his best not to start bawling as he smiled at them. “I love you guys.”
“We love you too!” Rapunzel exclaimed, and Varian could tell that his friends were just about choked up as he was as they chorused after her. He could even see Ruddiger, Pascal and Max having some tender form of a goodbye. He looked back at Quirin, who was untying Prometheus’ reigns. He waved to his friends before walking over to him.
“Are you finished saying goodbye?” Quirin asked, leading Prometheus beyond the border.
“Almost,” Varian replied, moving to hug his dad. He looked up at Quirin, who looked back down at him with a warm, genuine smile. “I’m going to miss you,” Varian mumbled, shutting his eyes as he continued to hold onto Quirin. “I’m sorry that I’ve been such a pain,” he laughed.
“You’re not a pain,” Quirin said, shaking his head. “You’re my son. A stubborn one at that, but that’s why I love you. You are kind, loving, and too bright for your own good. And you will always be that, no matter what crazy voyage you decide to partake in.” Quirn pulled back, his eyes filled with love. “I am so proud of you, Varian.”
And there it was. The light prickling along the corners of Varian’s eyes finally let out, tears spilling down his face as he held Quirin closer. “Thanks, Dad.” He said, ignoring how nasally his voice sounded now that his nose had stuffed up. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Varian,” Quirin said softly, stepping back after a perfect amount of hugging. He placed one hand on his hip as the other patted Prometheus. “Are you ready, Varian?”
“I guess I am,” Varian laughed, swinging his bag over his shoulders. He called Ruddiger over, who was in the midst of being chased by Max and Pascal. Ruddiger hopped onto Prometheus, tightly holding onto an apple as he stuck his tongue out at the other animals. Varian shook his head with a laugh as he stepped onto the stirrups, hoisting himself onto Prometheus. The donkey brayed out happily as Varian rubbed the back of his neck.
Varian looked back at Quirin and his friends. His family. He thought back to years before, back when they had befriended him even after he nearly got the whole village killed. He remembered the emptiness he felt while in jail, and the joy and gratitude that came with their ability to give him a second chance. He felt himself reminisce in every moment they had shared; time that he wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. It meant so much to him that they were there, cheering him on even though they were probably more scared for him than he was.
Varian raised his arm, waving over to them. “Bye everybody! I love you guys!”
“We’ll miss you!” Rapunzel yelled as she waved back.
“You’ve got this, Kid!” Eugene cheered, hooking an arm around Rapunzel as the two smiled gleefully.
“If you see Adira, make sure to tell her I said ‘hi’!” Lance shouted. Red and Catalina made disgusted noises in response, which made him laugh. “Stay careful out there, Varian!”
“Don’t forget us, okay?” Catalina chimed in.
“And don’t die, either!” Angry added, laughing when Lance and Catalina glared at her.
“I believe in you, Son,” Quirin called, the rest of the group agreeing in unison. “We all do!”
Varian waved one last time, smiling warmly as he took his final look at everyone. He took in a deep breath, turning around as he took Prometheus’ reigns. “Let’s go, buddy!”
Prometheus brayed, stomping his hooves on the ground for a moment before taking off with an energetic skip in his step. Ruddiger climbed over to Varian, resting on his shoulders as they moved further and further away from Corona. Varian looked up at the forest surrounding him, watching as animals scurried around the trees, filled with the same hope that swelled in Varian’s chest.
There was so much that could happen. For once Varian didn’t have a perfect prediction of what the future had in store. There were so many hidden variables, so many factors that he couldn’t predict. He was really taking a risk here, blindly stepping into the unknown. But he knew that the answers he sought for wouldn’t come easily. If he wanted to know more about his mother, where he came from, he would need to take this chance. Besides, it wasn’t every day that you could set off on a journey to seven separate Demanitus-made structures. There was something terrifying about the unknown, and beneath that there was something so much better, something exhilarating.
Varian looked ahead, not too sure as to where the road would take him.
And that was okay.