Chapter summary: Arianna is given a basket found on the steps of the palace, and finds herself a little more than shocked at what it is.

Arianna twirled a strand of her brunette hair as she wrote on the paper in front of her, not really all that sure what she was writing down.

She supposed she should be paying more attention to the legislation's finer points, but she really couldn't bring herself to leave her stupor. Nigel had been sure to go over the finer points with her earlier in the day ad nauseum which managed to keep her guilt about it had a minimum, considering she at least had a working knowledge of the ordinance she was drafting. Not that she would completely ignore her job or what she was responsible for, but still, a bit of distance from it had come to be the expectation.

She hadn't meant for it to be this way. Being Queen was an important duty that she had trained for and one that she didn't take lightly. But ever since that day, things hadn't been quite the same. Ever since Rapunzel had been stolen away, the only thing she could think of was her baby girl, lost and alone in a world.

That fear for Rapunzel and the hope that she would return one day was omni-present in her life, and she supposed her husband's as well. It had slowly gotten easier to bear, but it was always there. In the back of their heads, at the forefront of their lives, in the face of every little girl they saw, it was all-consuming and frightening.

Even now as she sat in her study, all her mind could drift back to was her little girl. She had had held her a grand total of three times before some madwoman in the dead of night stuck a claim on her. The way she felt in her arms was forever imprinted on her, the emerald gaze of her daughter seared into her brain.

After an hour of trying and failing to get through this tax revision, she eventually resolved to work on this later. Frederic would wish to see it as well after her returned from his diplomatic trip to Arendalle, so she could always just finish it when he returned. The brunette stood with a sigh and shuffled the papers into the corner of her desk.

A gust of wind blew open the window in the corner, dragging a few flakes of snow. Arianna shivered as the wind crept onto her and she hurried to shut the glass. Arianna rubbed her hands together and considered going to get her coat – it was due to get colder as the night dragged on, and one could never be sure when it came to warmth.

"Your Majesty," came a knock on the door. Arianna turned to see it opening, Nigel and a palace guard entering the room. Arianna smiled at the image of her and Frederic's advisor; although he could far too prim and stuffy for Arianna at times, his insights and understanding over their grief had been invaluable. The transition from his predecessor three years ago had been rocky at first, given that Quirin was their oldest friend and Nigel couldn't be more different from him, but over time her appreciation for the brunet statesman had only grown.

"Nigel," Arianna greeted with a warm smile. Arianna nodded at acknowledgment of the guard; she didn't know his name, but she recognized him as one of the rising stars of the guards. Rumor had it, he would be named Capitan of the Guard with in the next few years. Her brow quirked at the basket in his arms, a small blanket wrapped within the wicker container.

"We hate to interrupt you, I know you're very busy," Nigel said, and Arianna scoffed internally. "But this was found outside with a note."

Arianna pursued her lips in confusion and walked over to the guard and felt her heart stop at the blanket when she saw it move. Her eyes widened as the item inside the basket rolled over, revealing a head poking out of the light blue blanket. Tresses of raven hair and a streak of blue hair lolled over a small face with a button nose and a smattering of freckles.

It was a baby.

"You…. you said there was a note," Arianna eventually said. Nigel nodded. "Let me see it."

Nigel rushed to produce the note from his coat and handed over the her. Arianna took it with shaking hands, finding familiar handwriting scrawled across the envelope. It was addressed simply, bearing only her and Frederic's names, not even title to go along with it.

She opened it slowly and felt her heart break in a thousand pieces as she read it.

Dearest Frederic and Arianna,

I wish this letter never needed being written but I fear my choices are now limited. I left your service as advisor nearly three years ago and I haven't made your company in nearly half that time, the last recollection of our meeting was at the wedding of me and my wife a year ago.

In that time, we have come to have a son named Varian. This unfortunately cost the price of Maria's life, leaving me a widower and Varian motherless.

For the past two months I have cared for Varian as his sole guardian. But the life I had before I was under your employment is catching up with me. I fear that I have only a week left before they find me.

I have no right to ask, and I wish I did not have to, but I ask that you care for Varian. You are my oldest and my most trusted friends, and I know that Varian will be cared for and loved under your care. It is only you I can trust with the truth of my past, and the only ones I can trust to keep Varian safe from it.

He is all I have in this world. Please – this is all I ask, and this is my final wish. Take care of my son. Please.

When the time is right, tell him of me. Tell him how much I love him, and tell him that all I wanted was for him to be safe.

Your old friend,

Quirin

Arianna felt herself want to tear at the news Quirin had sent, but she refused to let herself. Arianna looked down at the basket and felt something grow in her as she stared at the face of the little boy.

"Is it…is it alright if I hold him?" Arianna asked the guard. The young man seemed surprised at being addressed, and looked between the Queen and Nigel, as if asking if it was proper for him to speak with her directly. Nigel inclined his head towards the Queen urgently, a silent order to quickly answer the royal woman.

"Oh, uh, yes, of course," the guard answered. "He hasn't reacted wildly to being held, if that's what you want to know."

Arianna nodded and reached down to pick up the small bundle. It was strange almost, the second nature that took over her. She had held her daughter so little and yet the correct way to hold him came to her, the weight perfectly balanced between her two arms and his neck supported.

His eyes opened barely at the contact, and a pair of bright blue eyes stared back up at her before fluttering closed again in fatigue. She reached down with a single finger, which she used to gently brush against Varian's cheek. His hand sprung at the touch, and he curled his little fingers around her long, slender finger.

She gasped at the contact as she felt the memory of Rapunzel rushing back to her. And then just as quick, the memory began to fade, not to be replaced by this one, but to be considered side-by-side. That feeling that had started to grow suddenly exploded across her chest – making her feel so much lighter and free than a moment before.

"Do we know how long he was outside?" Arianna asked.

"We have no way of no knowing," the guard said honestly. "But it couldn't have been more than a half hour. A rotating patrol caught him on their second go around the grounds."

Half an hour. That's how long this little boy had been out in the cold, flurries falling around him. Had Quirin been here, or had he given Varian to someone else and told them to bring him here? If it had been Quirin, had he hesitated, or had he left his son and ran?

One half hour. In that half hour, Varian's life had come to rest in the hands of a Queen.

"Your Majesty, what would you like to do with the child?" Nigel asked. Arianna looked up at him, conflicted. The envelope was sealed when she gained possession, so Nigel obviously hadn't read it and didn't know the story of how Varian was here, let alone what his name was. To him, this was an orphan thrust upon the steps of the palace.

In her head, she knew she should wait for Frederic to return before making definite decisions on Varian. But in her heart, she knew she couldn't betray the trust of her dear friend like this, by sending away his child in the days he most needed someone.

"Varian will stay with us," Arianna said in a soft, maternal voice as she stared back down at the boy in her arms.

"But Your Majesty –"

"Varian will be staying with us," Arianna said again, her tone a bit more forceful. Arianna turned towards the guard and nodded at him again. "You are dismissed."

The guard gave a slight bow and left, leaving the wicker basket on a table by the door. He shut the door behind him, leaving Arianna with a very indignant looking Nigel.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, you can't be serious," Nigel said. "We have no idea where this child comes from – how you even know his name is a mystery to me – and besides, you have no arrangements to care for him."

"I do, actually," Arianna said gently, brushing away some of Varian's hair. "His father is a dear friend of mine, and it now falls to me to care for him. And I'm sure we have more than enough supplies to care for him."

It had seemed a self-imposed curse, when she had decided to not get rid of Rapunzel's baby items. Enough time had passed that even if Rapunzel returned tonight, she could never use the crib or room Arianna had designed for her forever ago. She hadn't gotten rid of it, out of some misguided attempt to hang onto the time she had had with Rapunzel, but now it seemed they were to finally to be of some use besides painful memories.

Arianna smiled at Varian and promised herself that Varian would be safe her. No matter what it took.

Another Tangled story?...I'm not obsessed at all!

This is a story that literally came after I watched "Great Expotations" and said 'What if Cass and Varian always knew each other?', and thus this kinda was born. If anyone reads my other Tangled content, this is not connected to anything regarding Juliet. She may crop up in the future, but for right now no plans for her to appear. :)

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you'll stick around.

- Princess Chess