Chapter Text
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Long ago, tragedy struck the people of The Dark Kingdom when their young prince went missing with his tutor and the palace gardener.
They searched all fall, through winter…and then, stopped in spring.
The good king Edmund was distraught, but after a year, decided not to marry again.
He only had one wife who had been lost when his child was a babe.
One son missing and believed gone.
So he instead took the son of his most trusted and loyal knight and made him his heir.
At age three, Varian, son of Quirin was made into the crown prince.
Quirin and Edmund celebrated with the other six kingdoms, one among them ruled by Queen Donella and her own heir, Hugo. The five year old walked to the cradle where Varian rest after the ceremony and grinned at the blue eye boy, holding out a brass locket. Varian giggled and kicked his feet, reaching up and taking it in his hands before giggling again at Hugo, who laughed back.
It was then when Donella and Quirin, old friends from a lost love, had the same idea.
Hugo and Varian would be brought together each summer in hopes they would fall in love and join their kingdoms forever.
But unknown to others, was another plan.
That of the evil Zhan Tiri, a sorceress, planned to take the king’s kingdom, by means of the forbidden arts.
But before the assault, Edmund, his knights and Donella had stopped the assault and Zhan Tiri’s powers lost to darkness.
Despite calls for her death, the Enchantress was only banished.
She cursed all three that everything they owned, everything they loved would be hers.
Some, such as Donella and Edmund’s second and third knight believed him too kind, but Edmund left Zhan Tiri to her exiled fate.
And in time, all threat of Zhan Tiri was forgotten.
And all hopes turned to that not so distant summer, when Hugo and Varian would meet.
*
Lance stood at the watch tower, rubbing his hands together and grinning.
“Oh! Here they come!” He ran in place excitedly. “Ooh!”
He called down to Quirin and Hector, six year old Varian pressing his back into his father’s leg and hiding under his cape as Lance tooted a horn to announce their arrival.
A small band of horses trotted through the gate, Donella riding a large white horse with her own son sitting at her front and looking around in wonder.
“Edmund. Quirin.” She called. “Pleasure to see you again.”
“Donella. Lovely as ever.” Edmund called, holding out his one hand to assist her down, despite the woman patting it with a smirk and hopping off, Hugo sitting on one of her arms as she lowered him to the ground.
“And who is this strapping young man?” She asked, nodding at Varian. “Prince Varian, no doubt?”
Varian waved shyly at her.
Quirin stepped back, exposing his son from his cape, Varian standing straighter, looking at the ground.
“Welcome to our Kingdom.” Edmund said. “And to you, young Prince Hugo.”
Donella pushed Hugo forward. “Go on, Hugo.”
“Mother…” He whispered loudly.
“Hugo.” She whispered back.
Hugo trudged to Varian.
“Pleased to meet you, Prince Varian.” He said.
Varian looked at his nodding godfather, Edmund smiling as he bowed to the blond.
“Please to meet you too…” He trailed off as Hugo walked away.
Donella fixed him with a glare, and he walked back, bowing back.
Hugo huffed and looked away from the smaller boy, disappointed to have to be with him all summer.
He looked to young to wrestle, hunt or fight.
Varian wrinkled his nose in distaste before both his parental figures gave him a look.
“So happy you could come.”
“So happy to be here.”
How he’d like to run.
Both agreed this was not their idea of fun.
*
Donella watched the now eight year old Varian chase Hugo with a wooden sword, the blond boy yelling for help.
“The children seem to get along quite nicely.” She hummed.
“We’ll join our lands if this arrangement clicks!” Edmund agreed.
Quirin watched them as the two kept discussing the match and politics.
He stepped in and scooped up Varian as he tried to jump on a fallen Hugo.
*
“Good Heavens, Child! Don’t dawdle! We can’t keep Hugo waiting!”
“I’d rather stay with Rapunzel and Uncle, I get seasick!” Ten year old Varian yelled down.
Hector grabbed him by the back of his shirt, the boy reaching out for his cousin-in-law, who touched Hector’s hand.
Hector paused and saw her big pleading eyes, he sighing and letting the boy down to hug the teen.
“I don’t want to go.”
“It’ll just be summer. I’ll still be here when you get back.” She said. “Mom and Dad said I can stay as long as I want.”
She smiled sadly and shrugged.
“Perks of being a widow, I guess.”
“Trade you.” He huffed.
Rapunzel taped his nose with her finger.
“No thanks! I only have one love and he will come back!” She said with a bright hopeful smile.
“He will. And he’ll kick Hugo’s butt for me!”
“Next summer I’ll be here to have you’re back when he visits.” Rapunzel promised. “But, try this time?”
He nodded and hugged her a final time before sighing and letting Hector pick him up again, this time sitting in the crook of his bodyguard’s arm. He turned and waved at Rapunzel.
The whole boat ride he sulked until they docked, Edmund happily meeting Donella.
Varian gasped when he felt something cold and mushy hit his cheek, seeing Hugo with a slingshot and next to a tomato vender, who shuffled away in fear.
He got some satisfaction seeing Donella’s right hand suddenly tower over him and Hugo look sheepish, throwing the slingshot down.
Varian sighed, taking a rag Hector held out to him, the older man looming over him like a beast over their pup. The knight turned guard locked eyes with the wall of a man.
Varian was confused at the men’s stare off, more so when Hugo noticed and wrinkled his nose, looking disgusted.
The young Prince did his best to keep up with Hugo all summer, cursing the blond’s now longer legs. Hugo sprinted away, sliding down the banister and outside as Varian slipped and clutched the rail.
He was up in a treehouse when Varian found him, confused on how poorly it was constructed.
“This really isn’t fair!” He huffed to himself, hearing Hugo laugh from above and shout down
“I really couldn’t care!”
Varian kicked the poorly placed support beam, yelling as the tree house came down, a few books from within pelting him. The bottom board was suddenly caught by Cyrus, and Hugo himself caught by Hector among the debris and shielded with Varian under him.
Despite this, they both were still injured and the scuffle they got into left Varian with a black eye and concussion while Hugo sported a sling and couple missing teeth.
Hector sported a broken leg and few scratches, quiet as Edmund gave Varian a disappointed look, Donella’s voice carrying as she lectured both Hugo and Cyrus.
Still not his idea of fun, he huffed, eager to get back home.
*
Thirteen year old Varian sat by the fire with Rapunzel.
She was painting as he read a book out loud.
“I don’t really like this.” He said and closed it. “Poetry is so…flowery. I’ll never understand it.”
“You will when you fall in love.” She said.
He looked at her painting; a frog standing against a golden ball Rapunzel carried around.
“Tell me the story again?” He asked, going to sit with her among the cushions and hugging one.
“I’ve told you so many times.” She said with a smile, but nodded. “When I was very young, I was to be wed to Eugene…He liked that name better than Horace.”
Varian hummed at his cousin’s name.
“He was kind and adventurous. He would call me princess and was kind but let me play the knight and save him.” She said. “One day, before he went missing, he gave me a golden ball and kissed my cheek, saying he was happy he would wed his best friend…”
Her eyes dimmed as she put her brush down, hands on her lap.
“But then he was taken away from us.” She said. “And on top of that, my best friend had disappeared the winter before…I cried in the garden and in anger threw the ball and it fell down a well. Oh…I cried so hard I fell asleep right in the grass, only to wake and see this…”
She held a hand over the frog.
“His eyes…were so kind and understanding and I…I felt like I saw Eugene…Like he had sent me a sign.” She shut her eyes and pulled her hand back to her chest. “I loved him. I think I always have and always will…”
She looked at him sadly, cupping his cheek and stroking a thumb over his freckles.
“I can remain a widow, never to marry as Edmund did if you marry Hugo. You don’t have to.” She said.
Varian nodded.
“I’d do anything for you. You’re like my sister. I love you.” He said sincerely.
“It shouldn’t be your burden.”
“You’re not a burden!” He said and hugged her. “He’ll come back. If my love is a fraction of his, he’ll come back!”
Rapunzel hugged him back.
“I don’t want you to leave…” He said. “Stay here in winter and spring!”
“I have to go back, or my Parents will be sad. I’ll be back before spring ends, I promise!”
Varian sighed and laid in her lap, Rapunzel petting his hair.
*
Varian watched Hugo flirt with some maids, the sixteen year old throwing him and Rapunzel a wink.
“He’s always flirting with the maids and guards!” He hissed.
“I think you secretly like him, fess up.” She teased, nudging him.
“I’d like him better if he didn’t cheat at cards.” He said with a blush, watching Hugo play with a bracelet he had won off Varian.
It was a small woven thing from when Rapunzel had made he, Edmund, Hector, her personal guard Adira weave bracelets during a lazy day where Quirin and her parents were having a outing. Just a small green and blue leather bracelet with white, black and brown beads he had woven in for his uncles and aunt.
Rapunzel easily stole it back when Hugo and Varian returned from a carriage ride through the kingdom.
When Hugo left, he checked his pocket, making a disgusted face when his hand jostled a bottle and it’s top exploded, pink mush dripping from his pants. He glared at Rapunzel and Varian who looked away, trying to contain their giggles, Varian waving, bracelet on display for Hugo to seethe over.
*
A flood, drought and political affairs let Varian stay home for the next three years to Edmund’s dismay and Donella’s annoyance.
But now, everything was roses and the eighteen year old hated it.
Edmund tried to come in his room, no doubt to talk up Hugo again, but Varian pressed the door shut, yelling he was naked.
He leaned on the door.
“For as long as I remember, I’ve been told we’d wed…” He sighed to his pet raccoon, picking him up and hugging him. “Every June until September…”
He heard Hector bang on the door and sighed.
Before long he was in Ingvarr again.
He was led to a door, hearing a voice.
“I can do much better, I am sure!”
Hector shoved him in, taking his cloak, revealing his white shirt, a crisp teal pinstriped vest with arm bands he had to remove from his lab, clean gray pants and his steel toed boots. He adjusted his ever present goggles and looked up at Hugo, ready to call him immature when he saw how he had…changed.
Hugo was a little taller than him by a few inches. He was more freckled and had several piercings that made Varian’s knee buckle a bit. He wore a form fitting button up coat and VERY form fitting brown pants with tall boots. He blinked through his glasses, and Varian saw how messy and choppy his blond hair was, secured in a ponytail.
He saw Hugo swallow as he seemed to mirror his look, looking Varian up and down in disbelief.
“S-So happy to be here.” He said and held out a hand to shake.
Hugo rushed to take it, kissing it.
They kept eye contact despite a commotion going on in the other room, then Edmund coming in and leading them into a decorated room.
They blushed and smiled at each other as Hugo held his hand a little tighter.
“Arrange the wedding…” He sighed softly, Donella sighing in relief as Edmund cheered.
Varian blinked and pulled his hand away.
“Wait.”
“What?” Hugo asked, taking his hand again. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted. You’re beautiful.”
“And?” Varian asked. “What else?
“What else?” Hugo asked with a confused look. “What else is there?”
Varian blinked and took his hand back, then walked out of the room, Hector stalking after him, pausing at the door to glare at Donella and Cyrus before following his Prince.
Quirin looked from the door to Edmund and Hugo and back, then ran after his son, Donella covering her face in anger.
Edmund hung his head with a sigh.
And left the room and the blond Prince looking shocked at his own words.
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