Chapter Text
If there was anything Andrew could honestly say he was an expert at, it was mind games. It definitely didn't take much to mess with his fifteen-year-old cell mate's head. Since the kid's mental state was not in the best shape, the separatist could take full advantage of that at any time. Andrew was already aware of Varian's suffering from loneliness before his incarceration where the teen was unfairly heckled and assaulted by Coronans for "attacking" the princess during the blizzard. According to Varian, there would be days where he would go without food or water because he was too young to get a job to make money and buy those essentials. His father Quirin was the only family he had left and with him out of the picture, Varian was basically an orphan. He was desperate for a parental figure in some shape or form to assure him that he won't be alone. Andrew was not afraid to pull that card out of his deck if he gets rough with the boy if it means keeping him in line.
It hadn't too long since Varian and Andrew's break from prison and the Saporians had taken over Corona. King Frederic and Queen Arianna had been locked in the dungeon to keep the Royal Guard from advancing on them. But, the citizens of the kingdom would surely act in retaliation if it meant rescuing their monarchs. Varian knew from experience that when the people of Corona work together, they can become a force to be reckoned with. Well, Andrew sure did a good job at putting the idea of the Coronans being incapable of forgiving the kid's actions back when he was public enemy number one in Varian’s head. The separatist deduced that if the Coronans can't forgive, they'd all have to forget. And the Saporians had just the object to do the job: the Wand of Oblivium. Now anyone who knows Varian well enough knows that the alchemist would absolutely refuse the use of magic in a heartbeat. But, a small part of the young boy hoped that that little stick could actually have the power to make people forget. After all, that was all he wanted; right?
"I still don't see how the wand's power is going to affect so many people." Varian brought up as he and the separatists met in the castle's war room. "I mean, you could get at least two individuals at close range; sure. But remember Corona has dozens of citizens and it would be tedious to go door-to-door and zap small amounts of people."
"That's where you come in, buddy." Andrew stated, draping an arm over the young alchemist's shoulder in a casual way. The gesture alone made the boy freeze up and his blood frost over. He never liked it when the Saporian was way too close for comfort. However, he had swallow his nerves because of his discomfort showed, Andrew would not take it lightly.
"Ho-how am I s-s-supposed help?" Varian stuttered as the Saporians stared him down.
"Surely, that big brain of yours can come up with a way to magnify the wand's magic."
The teenager was not fond of Andrew's condescending tone, but the peer pressure of the Saporians' silent glance replaced that annoyance with fear once more.
"Well, I guess I could convert the power of the Wand of Oblivium into a gaseous state which in turn, will affect more people on a wider radius." Varian stated rather uncomfortably.
"See, I told you all this egghead was good for something." Andrew loudly told his comrades, the boy flinching at the volume of his voice. "Soon, the dawn of New Saporia will be upon us! Long live New Saporia!"
"Long live New Saporia!" the other separatists cheered in unison. All the while, Varian gulped as he looked on nervously as the terrorists continued to whoop. He knew that this plan unethical if not flawed in logic, but his alignment with his "new friends" meant that he couldn't get out of it even if he wanted to. He would be brutally punished by Andrew if he attempted to bail.
Days passed and Varian was working in a room in the castle that he designated to be his lab. The Saporians just picked a room at random for their young ally to set up shop. It wasn't much, but at least he had all the materials he needed. Quirineon. That was the name of the element that was going wipe everyone's memories clean. It was actually Andrew's idea to name the mineral after his father. That way (and these were Andrew's words,) it would be like his dad is with him in this endeavor. Varian was supposed to be comforted, but that statement left a bad taste in his mouth. If his dad was here to see what he was doing, he would surely be disappointed. No, disappointed would be an understatement. If his father father knew about this, he would probably be grounded for life.
"Hey friend, what are you doing?" Andrew greeted Varian, trying to sound chummy as he barged in without warning. The boy flinched, not exactly appreciating the sudden surprise visit.
"Just trying to perfect the Quirineon. But there are so many calculations I need to readjust, it's too overwhelming!" Varian answered quickly, his face fell into his arms which were resting on the table. He mumbled something incoherently as he did this. Immediately, Andrew's friendly facade dropped when he heard the noise. He took that as a sign of talking back and marched over to the kid's work station.
"Wanna run that by me again, buddy?" he asked in a sickeningly sweet tone.
Varian immediately shot up from his spot and fearfully looked the separatist in the eye. He instantly knew that he just treaded in hot water and there was no way out of it.
"I-I-I'm sorry, sir." the teen alchemist apologized, nearly fumbling his words.
"You're not thinking of backing out, right?" Andrew asked as he sat on the table with his arms crossed and he stared Varian down. The young boy darted his eyes about, avoiding eye contact as he struggled to find the right words to say. His superior was expecting an immediate response and when he didn't get that, an intense glare formed on Andrew's face and he marched over to the clearly sleep-deprived kid. He forcefully grabbed the boy's chin so that he could make direct eye contact. "Right?"
"Well, may-maybe we just t-t-talk to Rapunzel; she might-" Varian didn't get to finish that sentence when Andrew smacked him on the side of his face and it really hurt. The sound of the hit resonated. The shocked kid instinctively put a hand to his cheek where he had been slapped. Stray tears managed to escape his eyes.
"You know it hurts me more than it hurts you when I do stuff like that." Andrew spoke, his words laced with false sympathy. "Listen, there's no sense in trying to make peace with the princess. She'll never forgive you for what did. No one else in Corona will, so why would she?"
His expression darkened as he tightened his grip on Varian. "And I could do things much worse than this, you know. My pals and I could kick you to the curb. And then you'll be alone all over again. No one to care for you. Not a friend in the world. Do you really want that?"
It didn't take too long reel the kid back in after that moment of gaslighting. Andrew knew exactly how to play on Varian's fears. It was the best way to keep him wrapped around his finger. And just like clockwork, the teen let the fear sink in and his eyes widened with panic.
"N-no, no! Of course not!" he cried out, his voice cracking slightly.
In an instant, the Saporian's scowl turned into a devious grin and his grip loosened. Varian flinched as he patted his head as if he was a little puppy. The flinching indicated Andrew's thrall on the kid. His tactic worked like a charm. "Good boy. Now back to work."
"I think part of the reason why I can't get the calculations right is because I haven't seen the Wand of Oblivium in action yet." the young alchemist theorized as he tried to regain himself. "Perhaps it would be best to see a demonstration of its power so that I may have a better understanding of how I can convert that into a gas."
"Your right." his superior said, scratching his chin before gasping as an idea popped in his head. "And I have the perfect guinea pigs."
He put a hand on Varian shoulder, once again causing him to flinch at his touch; much to Andrew's amusement. It really brought a smile to his face knowing that he was successfully breaking the kid.
The two of them made their way to the room that Clementine claimed for herself and Andrew knocked on the door before letting himself in, Varian trailing close behind.
"Ugh, what do you want, Andrew?" Clementine groaned. "Can't you see I'm doing a little reorganizing?"
"Listen Clementine, we need your help with that stick of yours." the Saporian leader quickly explained to the little old lady.
"It's called a wand, bonehead." she corrected him rudely.
"Whatever." Andrew rolled his eyes, sighing before directing his attention to the kid. "Our little friend here wants to see a proper demonstration of your little tool. It's time to set our plan into motion."
"Ooh, goody."
"I'm sorry, what?" Varian questioned, completely at a loss in the conversation; partly due to sleep deprivation. Andrew's hand had not left his shoulder since they left his lab. And he didn't have the faintest clue as to what the Saporian meant by what he just said. Frankly, Varian was almost too scared to find out.
"Just you wait, kid." his superior stated. "It's gonna be good. To the dungeon!"
The little alchemist's heart nearly stopped when he heard the word dungeon. Varian had too many bad memories being down there. A firm squeeze in his shoulder roughly reminded the kid to stay focused. Andrew walked on with Varian instinctively following while Clementine was on his other side. But regardless of being aware of their destination, it still didn't answer Varian’s question of what was about to happen.
Once the trio got to the dungeon, Andrew took a moment to cover the boy's black eye with some of his hair. It served as a reminder of what happened recently. At one point, Varian spoke out of turn during a Saporian meeting. That was a big no no and the kid needed to be reprimanded. Being physically disciplined by Andrew if his behavior was out of line had become normal for the teenager. The Saporian always said that he deserved it and Varian was in no position to argue. That would just make things worse.
Soon, Varian and the two separatists arrived at the cell where the king and queen were being held. The couple did not hold back glaring daggers at the threesome. Andrew had finally released his grip on Varian's shoulder and walked off to have a private discussion with Clementine.
Queen Arianna quickly turned her focus to the youngest of the three and felt her maternal instincts kick in. This was the first time since her and her husband's imprisonment that she was getting a good look at Varian. The young boy seemed utterly drained and gazed at her with a blank expression on his face. He looked frighteningly thin and the dark bags under his eyes were highly defining. When was the last time he had a proper meal? Yet despite his physical state, Varian still had the posture of a proper young man even while it seemed like he was in his own little world.
The queen tapped her husband on his shoulder to alert him of her discovery. Frederic noticed the state of the boy on the other side of the bars. And he couldn't help but feel worried for him.
"Varian, sweetie." Arianna spoke softly to get his attention, but the child seemed too dazed to acknowledge her.
"Varian." Frederic cleared his throat and spoke louder, but as gently as possible. That did the trick. Varian snapped out of his self-induced trance and jumped back, causing his hair to fly out of his face.
The couple noticed his black eye and the little alchemist covered it back up with his hair again, but it was too late. Arianna's concern had now heightened and guessed that Varian's relationship with the Saporians was not as healthy as one might’ve thought. But, the queen wanted to hear it from Varian himself before she could jump to that conclusion.
"Varian, are you in pain?" she asked hesitantly. The question definitely caught the teen off-guard to say the least.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he responded, his voice tinted with bitter sarcasm as he narrowed his eyes.
This response didn't phase the queen one little bit. She knew that there was a child underneath that armor of anger. A child in desperate need of love and validation. She only wished others would've realized that sooner. All of this had started because of a crime that the boy never even committed. What Varian truly wanted, he wasn't going to get it from Andrew and his entourage. He was stuck with a bad crowd because the castle chose to turn a blind eye during Varian's time of need. She continued to lean towards her theory that he was being abused by the Saporians.
"Varian, are you being hurt by them?" she asked again gently.
And just like that, Varian's confidence diminished and his eyes widened once more. Judging by his reaction, Arianna took that as a yes. The teen said not a word as he backed away like a monster was approaching him.
"Wait, Varian." the queen called out to him, making sure Andrew and Clementine didn't hear her. The child froze in his tracks and stiffened like a board.
Frederic and Arianna were the test subjects Andrew was talking about. Now that Varian was catching on, the thought made him sick to his stomach. Andrew was going to use the Wand of Oblivium to make people his servants. This was wrong. He never wanted this, making the townsfolk do what they say while ruling over them with an iron fist. Varian assumed that they were just going to erase their memories and that would be the end of it. Obviously, that wasn't the case. Varian glanced at Andrew briefly and then speed walked back to the cell and gripped the bars. Arianna was taken aback by the boy’s hasty return. He looked like he wanted to tell her something, but he couldn't form a clear sentence.
"I'm so sorry- I-I can't- there's nothing-" Varian spoke in a frantic state.
The queen turned to the terrorist duo and saw one of them brandish the Wand of Oblivium. She looked the man in the eye and he turned their way.
"Varian, what's the meaning of this?" Andrew asked suspiciously. "I don't recall giving you permission to frarenize with our prisoners."
The boys stood up straight and his eyes widened as the man marched over to him. Varian could feel his posture falter the closer he got, making himself feel smaller.
"Answer the question, boy." Clementine demanded.
The alchemist scowled at the older woman. But soon after, Andrew roughly grabbed his chin and forced the kid to lock eyes with him.
"Get your hands off him!" Arianna ordered from her cell, her motherly instincts at overdrive.
Andrew was taken by surprise, but only for a moment when he turned back to Varian with an icy glare.
"Clementine, take care of these two for me." he told his comrade, referring to the royal couple. "I need to have a friendly chat with Hairstripe here."
The last part of that sentence was dipped in fury as he forcefully grabbed the kid by his by hair as he pulled him away, ignoring Varian's screams and the king and queen's cries to let him go. The separatist continued to drag the alchemist through the castle halls as he screamed "I'm sorry," over and over again, which of course went unheeded. He was soon thrown into a small unfamiliar room, landing on all fours as he stared up at a very angry Andrew.
"Did you really think you could get away with apologizing to the king and queen while my back was turned?" he asked the small boy on the floor. "I'm very disappointed in you, Varian."
"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't do it again. I'll be good, I promise!" Varian tried to apologize, but was met with a hard punch in the nose.
What followed could only be described as excruciating torture. A punch here, a slap there, and maybe a kick or two in between. This went on for a good hour and Andrew seemed to cherish every moment of beating the kid senseless. Varian tried his hardest not to scream and cry because it would only prolong the torment. When the separatist was finally done, he took a step back to look at his work with sickening satisfaction. Varian's battered body lay on the floor as he curled up in a fetal position, writhing in pain. It was early twilight by the time the beating was over. The abuser roughly the collar of the boy's shirt, pulling him to his feet.
"You brought this on yourself, you know." Andrew told him. "You really think they'll accept your sappy little apology? Please, what did you think was going to come out of this? That they'd forgive you? They'd only throw you back in the dungeon again. You need me, Varian. You have no one else. And I won't tolerate disobedience like that. Do you understand?"
Varian squeezed his eyes shut from the pain and nodded fearfully, but that didn't satisfy his abuser. He tightened the hold on the alchemist's collar and shook him vigorously as he repeated himself, "Do you understand?"
"Yes sir." Varian squeaked in fear for his life. He knew it was better to answer verbally than just shaking his head.
"That's what I like to hear." his abuser purred as he dropped the boy, dragged to a closet, and tossed him in. "You'll spend the night here so you can think about what you did."
"W-wait, please no!" It was the only sentence Varian could manage to utter before the closet door was slammed in his face. He ran to the door and banged on it with his fists in vain. Even tugging on the doorknob proved to be useless. "A-Andrew! I'm sorry! Please, let me out!"
The poor child sank to his knees and the tears he had been holding in finally came out like waterfalls. This wasn't the first time his punishments ended like this, but it may not be the last time either. Andrew knew this tactic made Varian more obedient in his favor. And he wouldn't hesitate to use when it was necessary. Sure the separatist would be back in the morning, but that didn't make the claustrophobic loneliness any more bearable.
The minds of the king and queen were wiped clean. Now the Saporians could set their dastardly plan into motion, thus solidifying their conquest over Corona. To Andrew, it was a sight to behold.
Now it was only a matter of time before Princess Rapunzel would return. And boy, was she about to be in for the surprise of her life.