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"And what was this again?"
"For the last time", Hugo said, not raising his head from the screw he was tightening, "it's an automatic book reacher, or ABR."
"Looks like a waste of funding to me", Eugene complained. "If this thing doesn't work, Glasses, I have a nice prison cell waiting with your name on it."
"Just don't drown in your tears when it actually works", Hugo said, stood up and brushed his blue jacket that belonged to his royal librarian uniform. "No more falling down from those eternal shelves and breaking wrists, this thing will get us every book we need."
"And how does it know which book to get, oh smart one?"
Hugo flashed him a smile that made Eugene's eyes narrow with irritation. "Oh, you know. With faith, trust and pixie dust. Or maybe just plain old science that will fly way over to your simple old head."
"I'm not old, you nuisance, I'm thirty-three years old. Gods, why didn't Varian leave you to the gutter where he found you I will never understand -"
"The day they almost hung you remains the saddest of my life", Hugo replied and turned around to see a number of people coming to the library, "because they failed."
"Your funding just got to zero. Hear it Glasses? Zero. You might want to tell your boyfriend why you don't get any more money to fund this place-"
Eugene paused mid-sentence, watching all the color leave Hugo's face. He frowned. "Glasses? You good?"
Hugo turned to look at him and Eugene saw a flash of fear in his eyes before it was replaced with a familiar smirk. "Yeah", Hugo said and hurried his steps. "Hurry up, old man, or do you need a cane?"
"Why, you little-"
When they reached the entrance of the library a number of people were already waiting there. Rapunzel, Varian (his arm in a sling after an accident with a particularly high shelf) and a number of royal engineers, professors and members of SSDK (Society of Science in Seven Kingdoms. Hugo had always thought it to be a stupid name).
"Good morning", he said and flashed a smile to the group of men and women. "Thank you all for joining us here in the library, and thank you all for your endless work for adding more and more information we can gather here. During the last year me and the royal engineer of Corona", he smiled at Varian who smiled back, that smile that always made Hugo blush a little, "have worked endlessly to make the knowledge here in the library easier to access. We're happy to share our work with you all."
The people applauded, they always did. Hugo waited patiently for the silence and then continued. "If you please follow me, I'll show you the installments we have made."
The group followed him, docile like a bunch of sheeps. Hugo caught Varian's relieved glance and grinned. His fiance hated large groups, especially if he had to talk in front of them. Hugo however, was thriving. He felt the same buzzing feeling he used to feel in the middle of a heist. This was just as fun but legal.
He started to go over the new installments that turned the library from a wild jungle to an easily accessible place: maps, alphabetized catalogues and of course, ABRs. Hugo could hear Eugene grumble at that one and hid a smirk to his sleeve.
When the tour was over and Hugo felt he had gathered enough oohs and aahs from the group, he turned to them with a blinding smile. "Thank you all for your interest. Me and the royal engineer will now answer any questions you might have."
"Which parts of the library are still uncharted?" asked a big, moustached man dressed in black robes the alchemists in SSDKs headquarters wore. Hugo had to stifle an urge to roll his eyes.
"Well, sir, that's hard to say knowing that information from thousands of years is stored here. That means this place is almost as big as Koto or, say, Ingvarr. According to my calculations we currently have mapped 1,5% of the whole library but since new information is constantly added, we can barely maintain this number. But", Hugo flashed another smile, "thanks to generous donations, we have been able to train a new set of librarians to help with cataloguing and mapping and I'm certain we will have much more to offer in just half a year".
Cataloguing and mapping, indeed. So far Hugo had let only one of their new employees go search the library on their own. When they returned with scratches in their arms and a black eye, he banned everyone else except him and Varian to go anywhere but the safe, red-carpeted parts of the library. Some parts of it were a jungle and he meant that literally.
"How many visitors do you allow in a year?" asked a woman dressed in Galcrestian uniform. Hugo liked her, she usually got straight to the point.
"We allow twenty visitors a day, six days a week. All visits must have been approved by me beforehand and they have to include a reason why it would be necessary to visit the library. We also offer post service and are able to answer most of the questions sent for us. If we can't find the information ourselves, the sender is welcome to visit the library, of course. But I'm glad to say we're usually successful."
Lots of questions indeed. Every single day a bag full of letters arrived at the library and Hugo spent hours every day sorting through it. Somebody wanted to know if any of their ancestors were noble, others who really owned the land they had been renting for years. Hugo's favorite had been a letter where somebody wondered if brown-haired men had lower IQ than blonde. Eugene had sulked a week when he read that one out loud.
"I'm confused", asked one of the alchemists S.S.D.K had sent. She was looking at the map Hugo had drawn of the library. "I see you have a bottom floor."
"Yes. That's….that's our swamp floor. One minus."
"So why call it that? What don't you call it zero?"
Hugo flinched.
"One minus just felt like a better idea then", he said finally. A couple of seconds too much had stretched between the question and his answer and some of the alchemists shared confused looks.
"How do you plan to search the whole library?"
Hugo felt himself relax. The dry tune the question had been asked was familiar, and he knew how to answer it.
Ingvarr's royal engineer listened to his answer patiently even though she surely knew the answer already. Hugo had explained it to her several times before and she had helped to make a layout of the place.
The awkward moment passed and Hugo felt himself gaining his confidence back. He answered the last questions and then ushered the group out, still smiling, and handed them over to the princess who promised refreshments in one of the sitting rooms.
When the herd of scholars had successfully been ushered out, Hugo let out a long sigh. He thrived among people, but sometimes they were too much, even for him.
Varian came closer to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. "We have to go up soon", he mumbled, kissing Hugo's neck.
"Mmm."
Varian tilted his head and looked at him through his black bangs. "Are you okay, love?"
Hugo chose not to answer, opting to lean closer and stealing another kiss. He could feel Varian melt against him but the black-haired alchemist broke the kiss a lot faster than he would've liked. "Are you sure you're okay? You look pale."
"He's fine", a clipped voice said behind them. "If you two lovebirds are ready, we would appreciate your presence upstairs."
Hugo groaned mournfully. "Don, you're cruel."
"I thought that was obvious at this point", the woman said calmly. Hugo could see a small smile twist her lips. "But if you want to miss a chance to get new donations and gloat to that captain then by all means."
"We need to go", Hugo said quickly and grabbed Varian's arm. He laughed but let herself be pulled to the entrance.
"Varian, you go", Donella said suddenly. "I want to show Hugo what's wrong with his machine."
"You mean ABR?" Hugo asked, frowning. "What's wrong with it?"
"That's what I'm about to show you", Donella said, arching an eyebrow. "Varian, go."
Varian looked slightly confused but did as he was told, only stopping to press another chaste kiss to Hugo's lips. Hugo watched after him longingly, already missing him.
He could feel Donella's eyes on him but didn't want to face them just yet. He started to walk towards the machine instead.
Then he could feel strong, thin fingers wrapping around his wrist. "What's wrong."
Hugo tried to look confused even though he knew he was failing miserably. "Nothing?"
He didn't need to turn to see Donella's disapproving gaze. "It was that question about the bottom floor, wasn't it? It upset you."
Hugo let his shoulders slump. "It's so stupid", he whispered.
"It's not", Donella answered. Her voice was calm, unwavering, and Hugo clutched it like a lifeline. "Somebody hurt you, Hugo. It's…understandable it left a mark on you."
Hugo didn’t know what to say to that. They have been better lately, he and Donella: after opening the library and freeing Ulla, something deep inside Donella finally healed. Old wounds scarred after bleeding for so long and she started to look to the future instead of clinging to the past.
Two days after opening the library Donella told Hugo the first time she was proud of him.
And now she had apparently decided to keep doing this, talking about things they would have thought too difficult to talk about before. And Hugo was grateful, but also panicking, because this isn't something they did. They shared sarcastic remarks together and laughed to feelings and he didn't know how to handle this because she never taught him how to and he certainly never did-
Slender fingers grabbed his wrist again and he took a deep breath. The touch was familiar and grounding and he felt like she had caught him mid-fall: happy to be on the ground again but still shaky from falling helplessly to his doom.
"Does Varian know?" It's a good question. Hugo wished he could answer differently.
"No."
"You should tell him."
Hugo sighed and closed his eyes, letting himself savor the rare touch when Donella's fingers brushed his cheek. "I will. Tonight."
And may Demanitus grant him courage for that.
He should do it.
He really should.
He danced around the subject all evening when they entertained their guests first with refreshments and then with dinner: Rapunzel, a blessed being, took them to a walk in the gardens between the events to give Hugo and Varian a moment to breathe and change thoughts.
Hugo watched Varian walk around in their quarters, changing from his comfy engineer uniform into a much more uncomfortable dinner suit, all while complaining about the protocol. He combed Varian’s hair and pinned it back with a couple of well-hidden hair pins and then changed himself, all while trying to find a good way to bring up his talk with Donella.
Hey, Goggles, remember when I insisted I didn’t want to call the bottom floor zero? There’s actually a reason for that, funny story, that’s what my former mentor used to call me-
No. Bad idea. Very bad.
So he kept quiet.
The only silver lining was that Varian hadn't seemed to realize anything was wrong yet, his head too full of the details of this gathering and anxiety because of the dinner. He hated formal dinners, stiff etiquette and protocol and more than anything he hated small talk. Rapunzel had wisely seated him down next to Eugene since Hugo had to be seated on the opposite side to do some more mingling.
How Hugo wished he could skip dinner and crawl to bed. He and Varian could spend an eternity there, curled up under the covers, talk about everything and nothing, and Hugo would never have to talk about him again.
But the world had never been nice to him so it made sense it didn’t start now. He put on his dinner suit and then followed Varian out of the room, forcing neutral expression into his face.
The dinner calmed him down a little: the food was fancy and there was not enough of it like always, but these dinners were not about eating. They were about connecting and this was something Hugo knew how to do. Varian might hate this kind of thing but Hugo felt like a fish in the water. He complimented the ring of the Neserdnia’s royal engineer who was known for his vanity, said a few praising words about the way Galcrest had solved their problem with alkaline soil that threatened the crops and showed up his knowledge about airships in discussion with two SSDK:s engineers who were specialized in automobiles and other vehicles.
“While I do appreciate specializing”, he said to one of them when dessert was served, “I do still find it important to keep up with everything that happens in the field. Right now the library takes most of my time of course, but I also have several projects on the side and I still work closely with the royal engineer…”
“I personally don’t believe in polymaths”, one of the engineers said firmly. He was young, only a year or two older than Hugo himself. “When I’m focused on something, other subjects don’t interest me. None. Zero.”
Hugo stared at his dessert spoon. To his surprise it didn’t start shaking.
“I believe being interested in several subjects keeps the mind sharp”, another voice joined the conversation. Hugo raised his head and to his surprise saw Fitzherbert looking at him curiously. “Hugo, didn’t you build a prototype of a flying vehicle last year?”
Hugo let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Yes.” He let a smirk creep into his face. “A bit more than a prototype in fact. It works. Perhaps I could show it to you tomorrow, if you would like some fresh ideas. I heard your last attempt fell apart, didn't it?”
He turned innocently back to his dessert and caught an approving nod from Donella. Balancing between insults and politeness was something he had learned from her and he liked to think he had been a good student.
Finally they had finished coffee and small pastries and could leave the table. Most of the guests were tired after a long trip and excused themselves quickly, knowing they still had a whole weekend to mingle and share ideas. Hugo exchanged a look with Varian, nodded and braced himself to spend two more hours with other alchemists who were mostly idiots. All the smart ones knew your best ideas came in sleep.
But Hugo was nothing if not good with this. He danced himself through the complex dance that was mingling with noble young men who had mostly gotten their titles because of the money their parents had poured to SSDK and not by their own talents, and when he finally left the billiard room he had two more foundation deals in his pocket in exchange of a promise not telling anyone how much those men had lost over a friendly game of poker.
Thanks to Cyrus Hugo had never lost in poker, not even against Fitzherbert.
“Hugo?”
He stopped in his tracks, letting his shoulders slump. Here comes the devil. “Yes, captain?”
“What are you doing here so late?” Fitzherbert asked and came closer. Hugo wondered idly if this was the time he was going to get killed and his body thrown in the sea. Fitzherbert certainly had thought about it once or twice, if menacing glares thrown over the dinner table were anything to get by.
“Why, I had a friendly game of poker with our guests”, Hugo said and watched how Fitzherbert’s face scrunched with irritation. It was too dark to see but he was pretty sure it turned into a shade of beetroot as well.
“You cheated them out of their money didn’t you.”
Hugo flashed the most innocent smile he could muster. “Your lack of trust wounds me.”
“We’re together in the dark hallway, Snicket.” Fitzherbert sounded tired. “One more word and you’ll spend your night in the dungeons. Try to explain that to your boyfriend in the morning.”
Hugo huffed but was too tired to argue. Spending time with stupid people and with their even more stupid expectations had worn him out. One would think entertaining alchemists would be less tiring than nobles but with the latter there were less expectations which meant less disappointment.
They stood in silence for what was probably only a couple of seconds but enough to make Hugo wary. Why didn’t Fitzherbert just tell him to leave or even better, leave himself? Why was he here anyway? What-
“Are you okay?”
Hugo stared at the man like he had grown fangs. “What?”
“Are you okay?” Eugene repeated, frown appearing on his face. “You’ve been acting weird all day. Ever since the presentation in the library.”
Hugo felt like he had been hit in the stomach with Cyrus’ iron fist (that had happened a couple of times during his training: gods, the man was strong).
First Donella, then Fitzherbert. Was he really so easy to read?
“Peachy”, he said and forced a smile into his face. He knew Fitzherbert didn’t buy it, not really, but was thankful the man didn’t push it.
“Whatever you say. Now go to bed, if I find you wandering around in the hallways again I will arrest you.”
“Spoilsport”, Hugo muttered but hurried his steps. If he was lucky, Varian would still be awake and he could get some cuddling after the long day.
But the Fortune, cruel goddess, wasn’t on Hugo’s side today. Varian was fast asleep by the time he got to their quarters, sprawled in the middle of the bed like he owned the world.
Hugo sighed and got rid of his clothes. He probably needed a shower but that was a problem for future Hugo. Present Hugo didn’t want anything else than to pass out next to Varian and catch as much sleep as he could before starting the day of mingling and socializing all over again.
Varian sighed when Hugo slid to the bed next to him and put a tentative hand on his back. “Hugo?”
“No, this is Max the horse.”
Varian snorted and turned around so he could nuzzle against Hugo’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Did you have fun?” he mumbled, still more asleep than awake.
“Very”, Hugo answered with a groan. “Conned us so much money.”
“Hugo, we’ve talked about this”, Varian said sleepily. “No more conning people.”
“I’m sorry Goggles, that’s what I do for a living.”
“You’re the librarian in the Eternal Library, for goodness’ sake-”
Hugo laughed quietly and pulled Varian closer so he could wrap his arms around him. Varian came willingly, rubbing his head against Hugo’s chin. His black and blue hair tickled his cheek. “Hey, Goggles”, Hugo whispered in his ear.
“Yeah?”
I love you. This is what Hugo should say, this is what Varian deserved to hear. But other words, darker and uglier, threatened to burst forth and for once in his life, Hugo let them.
“Did you know I had another mentor before -before Donella.” There it was now, the truth Hugo didn’t want to hide from anymore. He had invited the man here, in their dark quarters, and he couldn’t send him away, not before he made peace with things. “He -he wasn’t very good.”
Varian raised his head and looked Hugo in the eyes, curious and concern dancing on his own. “How come?”
“He had lots of kids in his care”, Hugo said, snorting at the man’s idea of “care”. “We were his little students, that’s what he called us. He even had his own system of naming us, based on how 'good' you were. If you were quiet and didn't get caught in your missions, you might be ten or nine. And if you were clumsy, and didn’t bring enough loot in, you were-”
“Zero”, Varian breathed out like he was discovering a horrible truth. In a way he was. “He called you -Hugo I’m so sorry.”
“It was a long time ago”, Hugo said, but that didn’t stop Varian. The younger boy wrapped his arms tighter around him like he thought he could squeeze all Hugo’s broken parts back together.
“That’s why you didn’t want to name the bottom floor in the library with that number”, Varian said and Hugo had to once again be impressed by the speed his fiance’s mind worked. “Where is that guy, I’m gonna kill him, I’ll get Eugene arrest him, I swear-”
Hugo laughed and leaned to kiss Varian’s lips. “Donella took care of that years ago, but thanks.” He leaned back and looked at Varian who was basically straddling at this point. “Thanks, Goggles. Your reaction -means a lot to me.”
“You deserve it”, Varian said automatically. He laid back down and nuzzled Hugo’s jaw. “I love you.”
Hugo choked back a sob. “Yeah”, he said quietly, “I love you too.”
Things didn’t change a lot after that.
Ok so maybe Hugo was a bit happier. Felt a bit easier in his skin. So much in fact, that even Cyrus noticed it in his rare visit, telling him to keep doing whatever he was doing, because it was clearly working.
And maybe he told Rapunzel about the man too when they were working with the pamphlet presenting the library together. To her credit the princess did not look horrified, just listened patiently and then caressed Hugo’s hand and said thank you for telling me with such a gentle voice that Hugo wondered did she ever need the Sundrop to be magical.
He knew Rapunzel or Varian would never tell his secret -they would never do that to him -but something seemed to shift in Fitzherbert too. The man had stopped flinging him threats about the dungeons and while they still had prank war going on, he didn't act just as hostile towards Hugo than he used to. Hugo decided not to worry his head over it. Maybe the princess had just told him to be nice, or maybe he had just tripped and hit his head in one of the night patrols. Who knows.
"Mrs Snicket?"
" Doctor Snicket."
"Doctor." Captain Fitzherbert bowed his head for apology. "Can I have a word?"
"You already had", Donella said but saw no reason to refuse. She was rather curious to hear what the man had to say, after all. For what she had heard, he wasn't so keen on letting Varian date Hugo.
Good. It kept them both on their toes.
Fitzherbert looked around to see if there was anyone else in the library before turning towards her again. "I want to talk with you about Hugo."
"I thought you would", Donella said dryly. She couldn't think about anything else Captain of the royal guards would like to talk with her about. "What is it?"
For a second Fitzherbert closed his eyes, like he was battling against an unpleasant memory. "He was under Tillman's care, wasn't he?"
Just saying the man's name out loud made Donella clench her fists. "Yes."
"I thought so", Eugene said, anger battling with resignation in his voice. "He was in the field for a long time." He watched Donella with much sharper eyes than Hugo had given him credit for. "I heard he disappeared, though. Ten years ago, give or take."
"Did he now", Donella said calmly, thinking about the ragged boy who flinched every time somebody said his old name out loud, whose eyes lit up every time she called him by a new one. "I didn't know."
Fitzherbert was quiet for a second. Then his face jerked into something that was half smile, half a grin, but it didn't last long. All amusement left his face and for once, he looked serious. He's safe here", he said calmly.
"I know", Donella answered. "I taught him well."
Fitzherbert smiled again and stepped past her to open the door for her. "I daresay you did." Then he grinned. "But you should have taught him to check his shampoo."
Bloodcurdling screams echoed through the castle. Eugene smiled like the happiest man in the world.
"Why is it orange?"
"I don't know Goggles, it isn't like I wanted to -FITZHERBERT"
"Eh", Donella said nonchalantly and stepped out of the library, "builds character."
"Fitzherbert, when I get my hands on you, I swear-