Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Finally. It was over. They were home. Well, most of them. No one wanted to say it, but it still hurt. Cass betrayed them, betrayed Corona, betrayed HER. It hurt. They had gotten so close in the few years she had been there. They were like sisters. Well, turns out they were both raised by the same woman, so that made the sisters, kinda. It wasn't her fault she was kidnapped as a baby! Why was it her fault! Did Cass really hate her so much that she... she...

No. No!

She was home. Her parents were on the other side of that door! She couldn't let it get to her right now. She just had to go in and hug them. Yeah! that would make her feel better. What could go wrong!

---

So much. So much went wrong. In fact, everything went wrong. Her parents didn't remember her, she got dragged to the dungeon by the guards, and then she was told Andrew was here. Just great. That's... THAT'S... THAT IS FU-

"What just happened?" Eugene's voice cut off her thoughts. Oh, right. The others were here with her.

"Well, the Saporian dudes are back." Lance. Wow, hearing their voices really calmed her down. She should join in.

"And they wiped everyone's memory of us and locked us up." She hoped she didn't sound too upset, but she didn't really care about tone right now.

"So you are telling me, the creepy terrorist dude is out of prison, and he somehow got his hands on a memory eraser! How did he.. even..." Eugene trailed off, staring wide eyed behind her. She swiveled to see a racoon run past the hall into the cell across from them, carrying and apple. Not just any racoon. Ruddiger. He was skinnier and less well kempt, but it was him. But that would mean...

"Thanks little buddy." A voice whispered from the unlit cell as Ruddiger ran off. A very familiar voice. Though now it was raspy, and sort of... broken?

"Varian!?" Eugene was the first to say the word on their tongues. She doubted she would have been able to voice it.

"Took you long enough to find me." The teen laughed coldly.

"V-Varian, why are you here?" She gasped, realization donning. "The Saporians. That is how they are wiping peoples minds. They put you here so they could use your experiments. Didn't they?" She hissed.

"Well, you are mostly right. The memory altering compound was my design. And they are keeping me here for that reason." He approached the bars, stepping into the light. "But, they didn't put me in here. That was all Fredrick." As he stepped forward, he became visible. He was barely taller than the last time she saw him, his hair was shoulder length now, and he had dark circles under his eyes. Like, darker than normal, by a lot. Wait what had he just said?!

"N-no, he promised to help you! He.. he lied?" She chocked back her horror.

"Why are you so shocked? He did it all the time before, why would this be different, blondie?" He LAUGHED at that. "Well, listen, I want out. Out of here, out of your hair, and out of Corona. You help me, and I'll help you. I help you free Corona and defeat.. him. Then you let me go. Ok?"

"Y-yeah." Eugene said, he was holding her now, when did that happen?

Just then, heavy footsteps filled the hall. Varian vanished into the shadows. She swore she saw FEAR in his eyes then. A torch light got her attention. Andrew was here.

___

"Andrew!" Geez, she sounded pissed. If he wasn't already backing away, he would be scared to get caught in that crossfire. Eugene had been shocked about seeing Varian, the all had, but it was a pretty shocking day. He was more glad to have the kid on their side. Though, more than that even, he was scared for the teen. It was hard to see in the dark, but he looked BAD. Darker than dark circles under his eyes, long hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in.. a LONG time, and he swore there were some dark stains on the kid's shirt. He never would have thought that the 'help' the king promised to get him meant, well, this. What had happened.

"Hello, ex-princess. Hope you are settling in well." The creep, Andrew grinned. "I intend to pay you back for all the time I spent rotting down here. After I remake Saporia a-new that is."

"We won't let you get away with this! I won't let you hurt anyone. Not Corona, not my parents. Not Varian!" Shoot, blondie, don't bring the kid into this.

"Oh. I see you've met my old cell mate!"

"Cell.. mate.." The thought disgusted him, made his stomach churn. Though he didn't know why. Varian, alone with a grown man, in a cell. Just then, Andrew moved the torch to light up Varian's cell. There he was. Curled in a corner, hair down to his shoulders. No he could see it better now, it was longer just mostly tied up in a messy ponytail. His white prison uniform was covered in stains. A few dark red ones here and there, sun he hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. A rope wrapped around his ankle, tying him to the cot. His goggles had been haphazardly shoved to cover his left eye. The look of terror in his face as he watched Andrew... poor kid.

"Its all thanks to him that this is possible. He was hesitant to listen at first, but I convinced him to help me out." Andrew chuckled.

"What did you do?" If looks could kill, Rapunzel would have been a murder 10 times over right now. Andrew didn't even answer. He just left. Might of just been him, but Eugene was pretty sure everyone in that room was ready to kill that creep. Yep, Varian's plan sounded really good right now. Well first step then, figure out what it was the kid had planned.

___

Varian was running. He was stupid and he was running. Why had done it again? Why had he trusted her again? That stupid princess and her stupid promises go him again! So he ran. He ran from her. He ran from all of them. He ran from... the explosion. He didn't care anymore. He didn't care. They hurt him. Over and over again, the hurt him. They deserved a little hurt back. The Saporians lost, the ship exploded, someone got hurt. At least it wasn't him. At least-

He was pulled from his thoughts as he crashed into something, hard. He couldn't help but groan as he hit the ground. The fresh gash on his shoulder ached. He must of hit a tree. Or a rock. He couldn't see well enough to tell. Darn his stupid tears. He rubbed them away. When his vision cleared, he looked up to see...

"C-Cass?"

---

Rapunzel stood on the balcony. Lost in thought. The Saporians were defeated. The ship exploded in the air and the town wasn't hit. Her parents' memories were back. She should be happy, but she couldn't. Varian betrayed them. He ran away when they needed him most. And worst of all, it was her fault. She promised to keep him safe. To keep him away from Andrew. She promised he wouldn't get hurt. But she used him as bait in the end. But she let Andrew get him. But SHE let Andrew hurt him. She lost Cass cause she couldn't be bothered to pay attention to her feelings. She lost Varian because she put his worth below hers. This was her fault.

---

"What happened to you kid?" Cassandra had been doing her rounds, she couldn't let anyone find her, when Varian of all people rammed into her. She would have been more upset if she wasn't worried. She hadn't seen the kid since his arrest, now here he was crying in the woods. And he didn't look to bee in great shape. His clothes were definitely a prison uniform, but they were way to big for him. His pants would have covered his feet and then some, if the bottoms around hiss ankles weren't torn to shreds. His hair was tied back into a messy ponytail while some sat loosely draped over his shoulder. His face was pail and his eye bags were pretty darn dark. Worst of all was the red stains in his clothes, and a growing one on his shoulder. "Seriously, what the fuck happened to you?"

"I could s-say the same." Right, he hadn't seen her like this. With the moonstone. "H-hair looks nice."

"Yours too. But enough small talk. Why are you running through the woods bleeding and crying?" She wasn't thrilled to see him again after everything, but he was a child, so worry was mandatory. At least that's what she told herself.

"I-I um... I was running, from Rapunzel." Guess he heard of her betrayal.

"Well. You better get back to that." She didn't have time to deal with him. Someone else could do it. The boy stood up, brushed himself off, and went to sooth his pained shoulder. Only to pull his hand away covered in blood. His eyes went wide and he... passed out. Fuck. Well, should at least make sure the kid didn't bleed to death. She moved him to lean against a tree. She removed his prison shirt. Sun, that thing was in bad condition. The large gash on his shoulder would need stiches. His other wounds were only scars and red shirt stains now. Holy heck, that is a lot of scars. She turned him over, to check his back for any wounds. She had to hold back a gag as she saw it. Scars painted an ugly picture on his back. She learned how to identify scars from her d- the royal guard. Nail scratches, cuts, but most worryingly, whip lashes. She felt the rocks around her grow as her rage boiled. She had been planning on leaving him here after stitching his shoulder. After seeing those scars though, she was not gonna leave him to be thrown in prison again. If she had ever doubted her hatred for Corona, Fredrick just sealed the coffin. Guess he was coming back with her.

___

He felt dizzy. Really dizzy. His head was spinning. What had happened? Where was he? Had he passed out? Oh, right. He was bleeding. He had to repress the bile rising in his throat at that thought. Strange though, he felt like he was moving. If only he could open his eyes. It was no use, no matter how much he willed his body, he couldn't open them. He was so, so tired. Maybe he could sleep a little longer.

---

Suns, this kid was light. Cass had seen just how malnourished he was when she had stitched his shoulder up, bit still. They were back at her camp in no time. She set it up near the old tower. The one SHE lived in.

"What are you doing?" No matter how many times she heard that voice, it was always nails on a chalkboard. Her 'friend', she still didn't know her name. That doesn't change the fact that she is the most trustworthy person she has. She is helping her reach her destiny. "Who is he?"

"Someone I knew. found him injured in the woods."

"Why bring him back?" Trustworthy doesn't mean she isn't creepy though.

"He is in a similar boat as me, and he might be useful."

"Oh, the alchemist. He is younger than I expected."

"Still beat the entire Coronian military."

"Didn't he lose?"

"Only cause Raps had the black rocks then. She doesn't now."

"W-what do you mean she doesn't?" Crap, kids awake. Time for some explaining.

---

Well, of all the things Varian expected to wake up to, he had not expected laying shirtless, wound on his shoulder stitched closed, next to a fire with Cass as she talked to herself. And what DID she mean when she had said Rapunzel didn't have the rocks anymore. This was, very confusing.

"Finally awake, eh?" Cass turned her attention to him. He only nodded in response. "Well, I would say we both have some explaining to do. Why don't you go first. Since I already stitched your wounds AND brought you to safety, I think I deserve the full story."

She wasn't wrong. "W-well. I, um... escapedprisonwithrapunzeltohelpthemstopthesaporiansinvasionofthekingdomandthenrapunzelbetrayedmeandigothurtsoiranandthatsswhenifoundyouandyeah."

Cass sat in silence, shocked, before saying, "So, let me get this straight. The Saporians lead an invasion, put raps in a cell, you all escaped prison together, stopped the Saporians, she... betrayed you, you got hurt, and then you ran into me." Well... she did ask for the full story.

"S-so, what about.. you?" She looked at him questioningly. "Why are you helping me? Why aren't you with the princess? What's with the new look?" Now that he had the chance at a closer look, she changed more than her hair. Her irises had a teal tint to them . Her clothes looked like they were made of some shiny black metal or..... rocks... black rocks. Rapunzel didn't have control of the rocks anymore. So does that mean... Cass does? Could she help his dad...

___

Varian was always a quick learner. And he learned a lot in his first day at Cass' side. The first being, no Cass does NOT want to talk about it. His attempts to ask how she ended up in this situation were met with... odd responses. Often Cass would stare at a blank spot, before telling him it wasn't his business. He was still embarrassed about spilling his guts like that earlier. It wasn't his fault she was the first semi decent person he could talk to about it. Her powers seem to emanate from a stone on her chest. That is as far as he got when it came to Cassandra's secrets though.

The second thing he learned was, he really wanted to do alchemy. It had been so long since he had done anything other than to 'help' the Saporians. He wanted to do something new. He exceptionally wanted to learn about that stone Cass has. He can't help but stare. He tried to ask to touch it, but she really didn't like that. It wasn't Varian's fault. Being near it made it feel like there was an ich in the back of his brain. He missed alchemy.

Third lesson was one he had gotten used to in prison. Everything had to be earned. Cassandra only shared food cause he couldn't get it himself without her having to watch him. Cass let him borrow her old shirt since she didn't need it, but that was it. He had to build his own shelter. He had to walk on his own when they moved campsites to avoid the guards. And, most importantly to Varian, Cass would only help free his dad IF he could prove his loyalty. He would say he was lucky, since she gave him a way to do so, but he hated this way. He had to fight for her. Yep. When they got caught, he would be the one fending off the attackers. Which meant he needed sword and hand to hand training. Varian was pretty sure this was more for her to vent than to teach him, but he couldn't argue. Training was where he was now.

Which is why, he was on the ground, face down, limbs sore, and spare sword they found in the wood next to him. He lost for the 5th time. It wasn't exactly fair though. Cass had training, he didn't.

"Ha. If it helps, you did better." Her words were nice, but her mocking tone said otherwise.

___

The woodland creatures ran as the sound of swords rang out through the woods. It had been hours and yet the noise made no sign of stopping. Ruddiger wasn't sure if he should hope it was his boy or not. Swords were not Varian's thing, he could get hurt, but the racoon had been searching for him for days. Ever since he discovered Varian ran away. That sword racket made his head pound as he drew closer. Finally, Ruddiger entered the clearing it came from to see... Varian!

It was his boy. He looked tired. His shirt was new. A gray turtle neck with a lighter folded collar. Varian had a few worrying scratches on his face. He was wielding an old sword and panting heavy. Something about his smell felt... wrong. The person with him even more so. But most importantly, his boy was ok.

---

Varian fought to regain his breath. He had gotten better with sword fighting over the past few days, Cass even let him gather food for himself now, but it took a lot out of him. He could keep up with Cass, but never once has he beat her. His muscles ached from the strain, and lack of rest. He couldn't afford to slack off now. The guard has been getting closer and closer to their camp every day. He needed to be ready when they found them. He needed to be ready to fight for his dad.

A familiar chittering came from the forests edge nearby. "Ruddiger?" Varian turned his head to see his old friend. The racoon stood at the end of the clearing. Their eyes met and the critter began to run to him-

WHAM!

A flat edged sword blow to his back drew him back to the fight.

"CASS! I was distracted!" He whined indignantly.

"Then pay attention." Cassandra stated, wiping the sweat from her brow. "We can stop here for the day. You take watch, I'm gonna clean up."

As she walked away, he crouched to meet Ruddiger's approach.

"Buddy! How'd you find me out here?" He paused, realization dawning. "I-I'm sorry I left you back there. I... panicked. But you can stay with me now, ok. I'm sure Cass won't mind. Just don't steal her food."

___

Cass wasn't paying attention. She was aware of everything around her, yeah. She was aware of Varian ranting about some chemical junk, even when she was listening it was in one ear and out the other. She was aware of the racoon, a rather new addition to their rag tag crew, sleeping at the kid's side. She was aware of the eyes of that girl boring into the back of her head, even if she couldn't see her. She was aware of the black rocks she had been growing and shrinking under her hand as she sat. She was aware of the fire she had lit between her and Varian. That was what was on her mind. That fire. They never lit fires, even if Varian needed all the warmth he could get- kid was frickin sickly. It was to high risk, what if someone saw the smoke. Sun knows how many guards are out for their heads right now. That fire, however, was vital to their plan.

They hadn't done much thanks to Varian's poor health. This would be their first step towards getting their dues. They had to be caught. They would light fires every night till someone showed up. From there, they would interrogate them for news on the kingdom. It wasn't anything big, and by no means as much as she wanted to do, but they needed intel.

To say this was all Cassandra had on her mind would be a lie. It was more a distraction from other thoughts. Thoughts of Varian. She didn't want to think about the way his laugh made her skin crawl. The way his face and voice brought her back to that day. To the cold metal crushing her breathe from her lungs. She had wanted to hate him, to make him squirm the way he had done to her. She just couldn't bring herself to hate him. So she avoided him. They talked, but more him ranting and her giving curt advise or sword tips. She spent most days ignoring him. Her friend, however, did not. She wanted Cass to send him away. To leave him for the guards. She always talked about how 'he couldn't be trusted' and 'he is just using you for the moonstone'. Cass was tempted to believe her. To be rid of this boy in front of her. This boy who lied, who stole, who manipulated everyone. This boy who hurt her, who almost killed her, who almost over threw Corona. This boy who would do ANYTHING to save his father... This boy who had no one. This boy cuddled racoons, who ranted about science, who lit up at the slightest complement... This boy.. who flinched from her touch, who scolded himself and called himself stupid for talking 'to long', who's little sleep was plagued by nightmares, who was covered in scars, who cried for his dad when he thought no one was around. This kid... who needed her help. She couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't bring herself to think about it. To think about what his scars meant. So instead, she thought of the fire.

Chapter Text

His brain felt numb. Buzzing filled his head and pushed out any chance at thought. His eye's fluttered open slowly. His eyelids felt like lead. Where was he? Certainly not camp, if the purple sky was any indicator. Varian scrambled to his feet with a start. Purple sky! No, no! The sky should not be purple! This must be a dream, cause there is no way he is really on a floating rock right now. That's it, a dream.

"Ah, your here." He spun around to meet the unfamiliar voice. The sound was soft, but it felt like nails on a chalk board to his brain. The voice's owner even more so. She- as it appeared to be a little girl- wore and elegant dress and had her hair up in two buns and some braids on her head. She was short, and child like, but she felt so.. WRONG. Her head too big, eyes reflecting too much light, smile far too wide.

"Wh-Who are you?" He tried hide the fear in his voice, as Cass had been trying to teach him to, but it was clear through his stuttering and urgency. The girl simply grinned at him, tilting her head to the side.

"A friend of a friend." She walked- no, FLOATED- over to be just a feet away from him. "I would like to be your friend as well, if you'd allow me?"

---

Cass couldn't sleep. She hadn't even felt like she wanted to since she got the moonstone. But sun, did it make the night boring. The kid had stayed up with her a few times, but he was too sick to do it often. Speaking of Varian, she should check on him. He dozed off at some point, so she put out the fire and went on her rounds to check the perimeter. She had just made it back to camp now. He was still in his same spot, but had un-curled from the position he went to sleep in. His racoon was cuddled into his chest, asleep as well. In the position, you almost can't tell he was the same kid from the battle.

Hm.

He was too cold. She decided grab the blanket from her bag and lay it over him. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to get attached. As Cassandra adjusted the blanket, she noticed something. His goggles. He always wore them slanted, covering his left eye. He refused to take it off. She had gotten him over the apprehension about taking of his shirt so she could tend to his scars, but the goggles stayed on. He was similar about the gloves, but this felt different.

He was out of it right now. She knew it was an invasion of privacy, but she couldn't help it. What did the kid want to hide?

So, she gently removed the goggles from his head.

...

Someone just signed a death warrant.

A black eye. He had been hiding a black eye using his goggles. Who the hell gave the kid a black eye?!

Screw secrecy, she wanted answers now!

---

Varian felt firm hands grip his shoulders, shacking him awake. His brain was foggy, like he had a dream he didn't remember. His eyes became focused and he found Cass, standing above him with a look of pure rage. Great. He was dead.

"Who was it?" The sheer coldness in her voice sent chills down his spine. So he wasn't in trouble, but someone was? Why?

"W-What?"

"Who did that?" She was louder this time. What was she talking about? Who did what? Varian rubbed his face sleepily. That's when it hit him. He didn't have his goggles.

Crap.

"It's nothing.." He muttered turning away. This was one story he wasn't gonna let slip. Especially not to Cass.

Chapter Text

“Nothing! Kid, it's a black eye!” Cass shouted, she felt the energy crackling in the moonstone in response to her anger.

“So! Maybe I just tripped. What do you care?” His voice shook as he spoke.

“Children shouldn't have black eyes! And don't give me that nonsense. Who did it?” The familiar sound of a black rock emerging came from behind her.

“It doesn't matter! I'm not a kid! I am the most dangerous villain in Corona!” Varian pulled at his hair as he spoke.

“It does matter. You did bad things, but you are a kid. Now tell me who did it!” She was getting really sick of this.

“No! No no no! It doesn't matter! I'm a villain, I deserve it!”

…

Did he really think that?

When Cass thought about seeing him again. She had pictured a spiteful, unrepentant criminal. Not the shaking kid sitting before her. She wasn't expecting him to say he deserved… this.

“Fine.” Her voice was colder than she meant it to be. “If you think that, fine. But I want to know who is responsible for it. So you tell me, or I can just drag you back to the castle and leave you there for them to deal with.”

The kid froze. Like a still motion. It was almost like he stopped breathing. “I-I… Only if you don't over react.”

“Fine.” Cass never over reacts.

“... A-… Andrew.”

—

If Varian had to describe what was happening, he would say that she was over reacting.

He had heard the two knew each other. He did not know they had ‘dated’. Varian didn't even know Cass knew some of the words she had shouted. It took all his might to stop her from storming off, presumably to kill Andrew.

“I just don't … I know the Saporians took over the kingdom. But how did you… What happened?” Varian was doing his best not to point out the amount of rocks that had been forming at her feet as she paced.

“Right… you don't know.” Varian had hoped she never would.

“Know what?” The look in her eyes made him want to disappear.

“Andrew was my cell mate in prison.”

—

Cass was gonna be sick. Andrew was awful. She hated every second of faking a relationship with him. And Varian was locked in a cell with him. For almost a year.

Don't think about it.

“How did you get a black eye?” The kid practically squirmed under her gaze.

“I told him… that I wouldn't join his group.”

Chapter Text

Varian swore internally. Andrew had won the bet. The guards would take the man for interrogation about the other Separatists the same time every day. Or at least what he figured was the same time. It was hard to tell the time this deep in the dungeons. Andrew wouldn't tell the guards anything, insisting he would escape soon. So they made a bet today. If Andrew wasn't back by the time Ruddiger brought his daily apple, Varian would have to make him one chemical concoction of his choosing. And the raccoon was on time, Andrew wasn't.

The first sign he had done more than escape was the disappearance of the guards. The silence and lack of golden armored brutes suddenly made the dungeon feel somewhat peaceful.

It wasn't until a group of strangers began to crowd around his cell that he truly learned about Andrew's true plan. There were four of them, all varied in appearance. They muttered amongst themselves, Varian catching comments about his age and height. The sound of boots clicking down the hall made the whole dungeon drop silent.

Andrew walked into view. He had changed out of his prison uniform now. He had this haughty look on his face. “Buddy! I'd like you to meet my friends!” He spread his arms wide, motioning to the group behind him.

“Andrew, what's happening?” The alchemist did like the look of this. If he had escaped, why did he come down here? Shouldn't he be trying to get out of dodge?

“Relax kid, I'm just here to collect on our little wagger!”

Unlike the princess, Varian held true to his words. The Saporians brought him the ingredients he needed for their project. It was simple, they had some wooden wand they needed fixed. More specifically, they needed it to be put back together so well that there would be no evidence of the break. It was a little tricky since they refused to let him hold the stick, but he had it done before an hour had even passed. The real trouble came after. The teen had asked them a simple question, why was the wand so important? The short woman, Clementine, explained that it could apparently erase memories. He normally would question that, but not after everything he'd had been through. They planned to erase the king and queen's memories so that they could take over the kingdom. Then the pin dropped.

“You could join us, Var.” Andrew's voice took on a sinister tone as he spoke.

It didn't sound like a bad offer, he would be out of the dungeons. He would be free. Yet, it made him queasy just thinking about it. Being locked in this cell with Andrew was… awful. What would it be like working with him? That made him pause.

“No.”

That one word. That one word made his life even more of a hell than it had been before. Andrew would visit him daily. They never fed him. They just hurt him, all the while trying to convince him to join them. At one point, Varian made a show of his refusal, it wasn't like the guards never tried the same tactic on him before. He called the Saporians old fashioned, washed up. That earned him a fist to the face. That earned him the only hit that bruised.

After that, it wasn't about joining them anymore. It was about helping them. He got tired, weak from lack of food, and begged for them to get him something to eat. Not even Ruddiger came to bring him food at that point. He could only hope they hadn't hurt the raccoon. The Separatists made a deal with him. He would help them design a gas that would wipe the memories of all the people of Corona. If he cooperated, he got food. So he did. He worked away in his cell, making the compound as Andrew watched over his shoulder.

When he spilt a chemical that burned his right hand and left him useless for a whole week they decided to give him back his gloves and goggles. That gave him the only real comfort he had at that time.