Chapter Text
It has been two years since the defeat of the ancient evil warlock Zhan Tiri. The people of Corona were thriving and were much happier than before. Buildings were being remade, new trade routes were open, and everyone’s lives were better than ever.
The Saporians were transported out of Corona on a prison barge a year ago. This brought a sense of comfort and relief to everyone knowing they won’t have to keep them in their kingdom anymore.
A few months after the Saporians' departure from the kingdom, Rapunzel was then crowned Queen of Corona. Although she was still unsure of her newly placed role, she still managed to act with grace and compassion. All the traits of a great Queen.
Speaking of Queen, Eugene was now King. Yes, they finally managed to have a wedding after what felt like forever. Their wedding was the party of the century. Everyone was having a blast and it was perfect. Although there was a little mishap with the rings, but Pascal and Max managed to figure it out.
Moving on from the two loverbirds, Lance, Angry, and Catalina were doing great. They still have their Flipping Flapjack Fridays. And man does Lance make some real good flapjacks. Angry and Catalina still manage to hang onto their troublemaker streak but that isn’t necessarily surprising. The two girls have become like sisters to Varian and would often come visit him in the lab every so often. It was rather nice.
Cassandra was still on her journey of traveling across the Seven Kingdoms to find out her destiny. She writes to Rapunzel about her tales and what she had been up to. She also asks how things in Corona are with her and everyone else. She even visited a few times but lately she hasn’t been around as much. Varian believes she still feels guilty after everything. Although she was forgiven and pardoned, that guilt never leaves you. And he knows that better than anyone.
Speaking of Varian, his life as Royal Engineer was what he had always dreamed of and a little bit more. He had access to materials that made his experiments and inventions much more efficient and reliable compared to the materials he used in the past. He was able to refine his boilers and was able to bring hot running water to the people of Corona. He was quite impressed with himself since Corona was the first of the Seven Kingdoms to have hot running water.
Varian tends to dabble with his alchemical experiments whenever he has free time from his duties. Recently, Varian had been designing a type of a self-defense system to put on top of the castle’s walls in case a threat were to come. He could build his own cannons and use some black powder from Bayangor to ignite the machine to release some of Varian’s alchemical bombs to whatever target the machine pointed to. With that, Varian couldn’t have been more grateful for the life he had been given.
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The sun is shimmering from its place in the east. The rays of light illuminate the capital of Corona as well as Varian’s new lab in the castle. In his new lab, he was testing out a new formula for his alchemical bombs. A type of dried ice he could use to slow down anyone who stepped on it. He knew he most likely wouldn’t use it because Corona was at peace but he enjoyed creating new reactions for his bombs.
He just had to make sure he hid them well so Angry and Catalina didn’t find it if they snuck into his lab. Or else it would be another Goo-Tastrophe all over again. And he would not be taking the blame for one of their little pranks again. Not a chance.
Varian had grabbed a pipette from Ruddiger and was just about to put a drop into this very delicate solution when all of a sudden the door burst open.
BANG
Varian stumbled and accidentally released a few too many drops into the solution. He scrambled to find his neutralizing component as fog started pouring out of the beaker. Varian managed to grab it and neutralize the solution before another explosion could make a mess of his lab. He was in no mood to clean again thank you very much.
He turned around and shot an angry glare at the intruder. Eugene stood in the doorway giving a sheepish smile.
Varian let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Did you not read the sign on the door?” Varian asked with an exhausted look.
Eugene looked at the door and then back at Varian.
“What sign? Trust me kid if there was a sign I would’ve seen it. I've got the eyes of a hawk.”
Varian raised an eyebrow and walked over to the door. He opened it and pulled off a piece of paper that was attached to the front of the door. He walked over and pushed the piece of paper into Eugene’s hands. He stepped back with his arms crossed and gave him an exasperated look.
Eugene looked at the piece of paper and sure enough was a warning in big lettering. The paper read, “EXPERIMENT IN PROGRESS. PLEASE KNOCK BEFORE COMING IN.”
He let out an awkward laugh, “Sorry kid must have missed it. Hey everything worked out though.”
Eugene then proceeded to ruffle Varian’s hair who in response began swatting away the offending hands.
After shooing away Eugene’s hands, Varian’s mouth turned into a playful smirk and looked down at his fingers aiming for nonchalance.
“Guess I have to make the sign bigger then. Your eyesight seems to be getting worse with your old age Eugene. You sure you don’t need glasses?” he said in a playful tone.
Eugene let out a mock gasp and raised a dramatic hand to his chest.
“Oh ho ho that’s low Goggles. I’ll have you know my body is like a temple,” he said gesturing to himself, “And to be clear my age is not old at all. No no it is perfectly reasonable age. If anything it’s on the young side. Thank you very much,” Eugene said in mock offense.
Varian let out a giggle and gave him a playful eyeroll.
“Fine, fine I’m sorry for mentioning your ‘old’ age,” he said in finger quotes.
Eugene narrowed his eyes before he gave him a grin.
“I’m gonna choose to ignore those finger quotes but that’s more like it.”
They both let out a laugh. Once they got it all out, Varian looked back at Eugene.
“Not that this hasn’t been fun but did you need to tell me something or did you come to bug me?” Varian questioned with a teasing tone.
Eugene put an arm around Varian’s shoulder.
“What do I need an excuse to come check up on my kid brother?” Eugene snickered.
He then removed his arm from around Varian’s shoulder then looked back at the door before realizing what he actually came here for.
“But I actually came here to tell you that Rapunzel wanted to talk to you in the throne room. And I,” he gestured to himself, “am your royal escort Goggles.”
Varian let out a laugh.
“I think I know my way there.”
Eugene wore a playful grin on his face.
“What don’t want to hang out with me? It’s okay, it’s okay, you can tell me. I promise my feelings won’t be hurt,” Eugene said in a playful tone.
Varian raised a brow.
“You sure about that?”
Eugene rolled his eyes with no hint of actual annoyance.
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go Mr. Know-It-All.”
Eugene and Varian left the lab after Varian locked the door and ensured nobody would mess up his work while he was gone.
They walked together down the halls playfully teasing one another and asking the other question. Eugene would ask how his experiments were going while Varian asked about the guard.
On their way to the throne room, they passed some servants and maids who they greeted and they greeted them in return. After a bit of walking they made it there at last.
Eugene opened the door for the other. Varian walked in with the other following right behind him. In the room, Rapunzel was there with Nigel and some other staff members holding some fabrics. At the sound of the door opening, Rapunzel looked up and a huge smile spread across her face as she laid her eyes upon Varian.
“Varian! It’s so good to see you,” she said.
She gave Nigel a look. He nodded in response. He and the other staff members in the room left the three alone to fulfill their own tasks.
Varian gave her a soft smile as he made his way over.
“It’s nice to see you too Rapunzel.”
When they got closer in distance they both gave each other a hug. After a few seconds, Rapunzel stepped away a bit and put her hands on his shoulders.
“How are things with you? I feel like it’s been forever since we’ve talked,” she asked.
“It’s been really good actually. I’ve been checking in on the boilers each week to tighten some bolts, check to see if there is any rust, and to make sure the pressure is stable. Oh! I’ve also been getting some more ideas for the invention I was telling you about.”
“That’s so great, Varian! I’m so proud of you!”
Varian's smile grew larger and a light blush dusted his cheeks at the praise. After his cheeks changed back to their original color he took notice of Rapunzel. She seemed much more enthusiastic than she usually was. And she was shifting her weight as if she was excited for something.
Varian gave her a questioning look.
“You seem happier than usual. Something on your mind?”
Rapunzel let out a chuckle.
“You caught me. There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while.”
He nodded and waited for her to continue. Eugene slid up right next to Rapunzel and placed his arm around her shoulders. They both shared a look and turned their attention back on Varian. That only made Varian all the more curious about the news.
“Okay, so you remember that Science Exposition you participated in a few years back right?”
Varian shook his head in agreement. He definitely remembered that. It was the day he and Cassie became friends. He still had the blue ribbon she gave him in his room on a shelf as a reminder of that day.
Rapunzel smiled at that.
“Well, I’ve recently been in touch with the other kingdoms and they agreed to an idea that I had.”
“What idea?” he asked with curiosity laced in his tone.
“Okay, so the idea was to create a Science Expo between all the Seven Kingdoms. We were gonna call it the Interkingdom Science Exposition. Shockingly, we never had one before.”
Varian’s eyes lit up so much. His smile was so bright that it could rival the sun. A chance to show other scientists what he was capable of. And a chance to meet other people like him! This was great news!
“Really? This is just—Thank you Rapunzel!” he said before giving her and Eugene a big hug.
Rapunzel and Eugene returned the hug immediately. After a couple of seconds they broke it off.
“Of course, you deserve something you can do for fun after all your hard work,” Rapunzel said.
Eugene nodded in agreement.
“We all know you have a competitive side so we thought this could be a way you can take a break from your work but still doing something you love. And hey maybe you can meet some other nerds like you,” Eugene said in a teasing tone.
Rapunzel nudged Eugene with her elbow. All three of them laughed at that.
“Anyways, the contest will be here in Corona in a few days. We just wanted to give you heads up and let you know how we’re so proud of you and your accomplishments.”
Varian lit up at the news. His brain was already running hundreds of ideas and possibilities for what inventions he could showcase.
Once again, Rapunzel and Eugene share a look.
“Okay, Goggles, we can see the gears in your brain turning. Go on and get to thinking. But for the love of Demanitus make sure you sleep please. I don’t want to see you with any of those bags under your eyes because you decided to pull an all-nighter because of how excited you are.”
Varian gave him a dramatic eyeroll but without a hint of malice. He ran to them again and gave them one last bear hug.
“Thank you again. I couldn’t be more thankful for you guys.”
“And we couldn’t be more thankful for you,” Rapunzel said, “Now we’ll see you soon. Good luck, Varian!”
They broke the hug and Varian runs back to his lab. As soon as he unlocks the door, he bolts into the room and immediately grabs a notebook. He starts jotting down any and all ideas he could think of at the moment.
A few hours had passed by as he busied himself in his work. Before he knew it, night started to creep in. But he hardly noticed.
So many ideas were filling his head about what exactly they plan on doing for the contest. With those ideas came a bunch of questions as well.
Will the contestants be able to choose what they make like they did a few years ago? Will they be given a prompt on what they have to make? How long will the contest last? A day? A few days? So many questions and not enough answers. What if the other scientists are far more skilled and intelligent than he was? What if he wasn’t ready for this?
Just as those thoughts of doubt crept into his head was the moment a knock at the door sprung him out of his thoughts.
Varian shook his head to rid himself of any remaining thoughts that were left over.
“Come in,” he said.
The door opened and Eugene took a few steps before leaning on the door frame with a lazy smile.
“How are things coming along?” Eugene asked.
Varian tried to put a smile on his face to try and hide what he was feeling but based on Eugene’s face morphing into one of concern, Varian clearly didn’t sell it well. Eugene walked over before stopping a few feet from Varian.
“You okay, kid?”
Varian looked back up from where he had been staring at his desk. He let out a defeated sigh.
“Eugene, what if the other competitors are so much more talented than I am and I end up making myself look like a fool? I was so excited because I thought, hey maybe I can show everyone just how capable I am. But, what if—what if I’m not good enough.”
Varian’s eyes were watering but he refused to let out tears. Eugene gave him a soft look before kneeling down in front of where Varian was sitting. He placed a gentle hand on Varian’s shoulder as a means to ground him.
“Kid, you have done some incredible things in your life. Some of which I had never thought would be possible. When we met, I thought you were a sweet, smart and very accident-prone kid.”
Varian let out a chuckle at that, as he sniffled. Eugene smiled as he continued.
“But you showed me how much more there is to you. Varian, you are extraordinary. You’re kind, compassionate, innovative, smart, and I mean super super smart. If there is one person who deserves to be competing it is you. So what if there are other smart nerds there? You shouldn’t let it discourage you. Instead let it motivate you. You will make mistakes but that’s a part of life. And when you do, you will have so many people there to support and love you. Whether you win or not.”
Varian let the tears pour out as he tackled Eugene with a hug. Eugene returned it and they sat there embracing for who knows how long.
After a while they broke apart. Varian used his sleeve to wipe away the remaining tears.
“Eugene I—thank you.”
Eugene pushed himself up. He lent a hand down to Varian who graciously took it.
“Of course, kid, we’re family now. You will always have someone here to care about you. That won’t change. Now let’s go get some food in your stomach. Everyone’s waiting for you since you didn’t show up for family dinner.”
Varian’s face widened at the realization.
“Shoot! It completely slipped my mind. I didn’t mean to make you guys wait for me,” Varian rubbed the back of his neck guiltily.
“No worries, kid, you’re not the first to be late and you definitely won’t be the last.”
Varian chuckled. Eugene gave him a gentle look.
“You sure you’re up for it. Or do you want me to make up an excuse so you can ditch?”
“No, no, I think I’m okay now thanks to you.”
“Good, because it wouldn’t have been the same without the other half of Team Awesome there,” Eugene said with a grin.
Varian laughed with him.
“Okay, but seriously let’s go eat because I am starving,” Eugene said as he made his way to the door with Varian following right behind him.
They both walked in sync down the hall to the dining room in silence. It was a comfortable kind of silence that made Varian feel at ease. He looked over at Eugene who was walking confidently and with a smile on his face. That made Varian smile as well as he returned his attention to walking. He couldn’t ask for a better big brother.
After a bit of walking, they entered the dining room. Rapunzel, Lance, Catalina, and Angry all greeted them when they walked in.
“About time you came V, we’ve been waiting a million years so we could eat,” Angry said dramatically.
Catalina gave her a look from beside her. Lance on the opposite side of the table only shook his head in a way that said this isn’t the first exaggeration she had today. Varian laughed.
Varian made his way to one side of the table so he could sit by the girls while Eugene sat next to Rapunzel and Lance on the other side.
“Sorry I got distracted,” Varian said with a sheepish smile while also rubbing the back of his neck.
“Yeah with your nerd contest we know,” she said with a teasing tone.
Catalina elbowed her.
“Sorry about her. How’s that going anyway?” Catalina asked.
Out of the two mischievous girls Catalina was definitely the more respectful one. He knew Angry never meant any of it so he didn’t take anything she said to heart. Varian had grown to think of them as the little sisters he never knew he wanted. Even if they did trash and make a mess of his lab whenever they dropped by for a visit.
“Yeah, little man, tell us about it,” Lance said.
Varian had a smile on his face. He began telling them all of the many ideas he had running in his brain. Rapunzel asked some questions about a few things and he gladly answered them. Varian also managed to ask her a few questions he had about the competition.
Before he knew it, it was already late. Everyone began tidying up the room by picking up plates and taking leftovers back to the kitchen. Once everyone was settled they all started saying their goodbyes.
“It was good seeing you guys,” Rapunzel said as she hugged the girls.
“It was good seeing you too,” Catalina said.
Angry nodded in agreement. As the girls were off to the side saying their goodbyes, Lance, Eugene, and Varian stood in a corner nearby.
Lance looked over at Varian with a grin plastered on his face. Eugene saw it out of the corner of his eye and before he could ask what that look was about, Lance started talking.
“So little man,” Lance said.
Varian looked over at him as he waited for him to continue.
“You’re 18 right?”
Varian raised a brow.
“Yeah I am,” he responded with a hint of skepticism in his tone.
“I was thinking maybe this week when all the other nerds are here we could set you up with someone. Help you find that special lady. Or a special guy,” Lance said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
Varian’s face turned bright red.
“I—what—I don’t think—” Varian sputtered as he was clearly at a loss for words.
“Lance buddy, I’m gonna stop you right there. My kid brother will not be dating anyone anytime soon. Nope. No sir. Besides I bet you he doesn't want to,” he said.
Eugene paused for a moment, clearly thinking. After a few seconds he continued.
“Or unless you do?” Eugene looked over at Varian who was still bright red and looked like he was about to choke.
“I—I don’t know. I never thought of it before,” Varian said truthfully while playing with his gloves.
Eugene and Lance gave each other a knowing look before they both put a hand on each of Varian’s shoulders.
“Well you, my little friend, are in luck. We are the best people to ask for advice in the lovely world of dating. My fine fellow beside you managed to land a charming sunny princess because of the suave he is. While I may not be in any relationship as of now, I still have plenty of advice to give out to dazzle a lovely lady or gentlemen.”
Varian managed to wiggle his way out of their hold before backing up to the door.
“As much as I appreciate whatever offer that was,” he gestured to them, “I think I’m—um—good for now but thanks,” he rubbed a hand on the back of his neck and pointed a thumb behind him at the door.
“I’ll catch you later.”
He turned around and rushed out the door before he could hear anything more from the two former thieves.
Rapunzel and the girls looked at the door that Varian ran out of and then back at the guys.
“What was that about?” Rapunzel questioned as she gave them a knowing look.
“We were just offering him some advice about maybe wooing someone at the competition. Nothing too crazy,” Lance said with a smile and a shrug.
Rapunzel gave him and Eugene a flat look. Eugene raised his hands in surrender.
“In my defense, I had nothing to do with that. I’m a bystander who gave my input.”
Rapunzel let out a sigh at their antics.
With that the five left the dining room. Lance and the girls left the castle to return to their home while Rapunzel and Eugene made their way over to their rooms.
Back in the lab, Varian was writing down some last minute ideas on some piece of paper. Thoughts of the competition still roamed around his head. According to the questions he asked Rapunzel the competition would be over the course of a few days rather than just one. The contestants would also be given prompts of what they would have to invent or build. She also said there would be three prompts in total. That means Varian would need to win at least two in order to get first place. This information settled some nerves he had for the contest.
Once his mind eased away from the competition, his mind began thinking back to the conversation he had with Lance and Eugene. Meeting someone? As if. Varian was quite happy with being single thank you very much.
Besides, he was way too busy to even think of being with someone. So what if there would be people who enjoyed inventing like him? That didn’t necessarily mean anything. Even if they did have some common interests, he knew he would never actually meet someone who fully understood him.
Sure he had Rapunzel, Eugene, Lance and the girls but that was different. They all experienced so many challenges and trauma together so they understood each other in that aspect. But, they never understood him when it came to science.
They asked questions about it and he would answer them passionately even if he knew they didn’t understand what he was talking about. He was happy they made the effort though but it still wasn’t the same.
It was the same with his dad. Sure he knew and loved Varian but it was a similar situation to his friends. His dad was a warrior who also liked things simpler. Varian, on the other hand, liked learning and discovering new things. He liked a challenge. No matter how many people he had in his life, there had never been one that understood all of him.
If there was someone in the world who understood what Varian went through and the complexities of science that he was so passionate about then maybe he would consider it. But, that’s a huge if.
As the thoughts started to dwindle, so did Varian’s ability to stay awake. Before he knew it he had fallen asleep on his desk.
Ruddiger chittered as he went over to a basket in the corner and grabbed a blanket from inside of it. After realizing how many times Varian fell asleep in his lab because of how much he overworked himself, Rapunzel insisted he keep a basket of blankets in there in case he did happen to fall asleep. Which everyone knew he would.
Ruddiger walked over with the blanket in his mouth and draped it over the sleeping boy. Once the blanket settled, Ruddiger walked over to the bed and got himself comfortable on his owner's pillow.
A smile slowly formed on Varian’s face at the new warmth on his body. With that the room was filled with the sounds of light snoring and dreams of the new possibilities that awaited him.
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A cloud of smoke coated a kingdom that blocked out any sun that threatened to shine on the land. Machines roamed about this technologically advanced place. Three tiers separated the people of Ingvarr. The first tier was for nobles and those of a higher class. The second was for businesspeople and families who were capable of holding their own. Lastly, the third tier was for those who could barely afford the necessities. A place for criminals and the poor who had to scavenge to survive.
In the first tier, a woman with a silky grey braid sat at a desk looking over some documents. Her office was nothing fancy. Some shelves with books, paperwork spread across her desk, filing cabinets filled to the brim, windows blocking out any sort of light that wanted to come in, and some oil lamps to light the room.
A knock at the door takes her attention away from the paper in her hand. She sets down the paper and fold her hands on top of the desk.
“Come in,” she said with a neutral tone.
The door is opened by a big muscled man with black hair and a scar over his left eye. He gives her a nod and moves over to let a tall lanky blonde enter the room. The door shuts behind the blonde.
He walks in with ease and takes a seat on top of the woman’s desk.
The woman gives the blonde a pointed look.
“Hugo.”
Hugo gives her a grin.
“Hey, Don. Cyrus said you need to talk to me. What is it this time?” he asked with a raised brow.
Her eyes glare into him. A silent message to get off her desk and to sit quietly until he is spoken to. Hugo immediately catches on. He lets out a quiet groan but complies. He takes a seat in one of the two armchairs in front of her desk with his arms crossed as he slouches down.
Donella looks at him for a moment before directing her attention to a drawer. She opens it up and pulls out a file and drops it atop the desk.
“I have a job for you.”
Hugo raises a brow.
“I need you to pack a few bags. You leave on an airship in a few hours to Corona. It’s a long journey there so we need to minimize stops as much as possible. I need you to be there before it starts.”
Hugo's face turns into one full of curiosity but skepticism.
“Be there before what exactly? You want me to steal from the royal vault or something? I don’t know if there’s anything valuable in Corona that’s worth stealing from what I’ve heard. Well maybe the plans for their boilers. Heard they made hot water or something like that," he said with a shrug.
Donella gave him a look before letting out a sigh.
“You won’t be stealing anything. You will be representing and participating in the Interkingdom Science Exposition.”
Hugo gave her a confused look.
“Why would I do that?” he asked.
“I need you to watch someone. He most likely will be participating based on some information from one of my informants. I need you to gather any and all information you can find on this target. You will relay whatever you learn to either me or Cyrus. You will await further instruction from me once I have everything I need.”
Hugo had an intrigued look on his face. His mouth turned into a grin.
“So who’s the lucky person?” he asked.
Donella opened the file she had set on her desk. She took out a worn out poster and placed it faced down on her desk.
Hugo raised a brow and picked up the poster. He turned it around and it turned out to be an old wanted poster. On the front was none other than a 14 year old Varian.
He tore his eyes away from the poster and gave a smirk to Donella who was watching him.
“This should be fun.”