Author's note:

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this story. It's going places that I never expected!

I know my last chapters have been pretty bleak, but I did an attempt at some comedy for this chapter. I consider myself to be a pretty funny person, but written humor is a lot more difficult since you don't have vocal inflections. Maybe that's why J.K. Rowling is such a phenomenal writer!

Enjoy the chapter! For some reason, they keep getting longer!

Tangled: The Series

A Speculative Continuation

Part I: The Road to Redemption

Chapter 4: Of Grief and Sorrow

The gentle morning breeze blew into kingdom of Corona, carrying the melodious tunes of the songbirds. Nothing could disturb the pleasantness of the breaking dawn, except—

"RIDER!"

Eugene sprang upright. The door was violently shaking under the Captain's fearsome hand. Struggling to get out of bed, Eugene collapsed on the floor in a tangle of twisted sheets. With great effort, he unraveled himself from the cloth and staggered groggily towards the trembling door.

"Hello, Cap! I didn't realize that I asked for an alarm! How sweet of you!"

The Captain of the Guard glared at him. "Rider! Do you know what time it is?"

"Is it time to shave your mustache! Cap, I know I've been telling you the mustache is the past and the goatee is the future, but you didn't have to wake me up!" Eugene yawned.

"Don't get lippy with me, Rider! It's time for you to teach the guards!"

"Hang on one sec." Eugene shoved his little finger into his ear and twisted it around before pulling it out. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you muy bien. I thought you said I had to teach the guards! Such a silly thing to say, especially when I'm on vacation!" He gave a cheeky grin to the Captain.

The Captain raised his eyes and gave a silent prayer for patience. "Very funny! Unfortunately for you, vacation ended when you came back to Corona. Here, we don't get breaks!"

Sighing, Eugene looked back at his mess of a room. "Okay, Cap. I'll be out there in a moment." He closed the door and yawned again. He trudged towards his bed, picking up the wad of sheets on the floor. "Honestly, it's been two weeks since we've gotten back and now he wants me to return to work!" He kept grumbling as he cleaned up his room and got ready for the day.

When he finally made it to the training grounds, he was surprised at how many guards there were. Usually there was only a handful of men during the early morning session, but today the numbers were doubled. They were lined up perfectly, awaiting their instructor.

"Well look who finally decided to show up!" The Captain growled. "I was beginning to think I would have to cancel class, since the professor ended up in the stocks!"

Eugene winked, "I know it's been awhile since you've taken off your helmet, Cap, but some of us have to brush our gorgeous locks in the morning!" Then in a whisper that only the Captain could hear, "Why the sudden influx of guards? I know my classes are interesting, but shouldn't some of them be at their posts?"

The Captain sighed, "Ever since what happened at Old Corona, we've been heavily recruiting. We need more men to defend the kingdom. Don't worry about the posts, Rider. We have them covered."

"Well at least I know you're doing your job! Don't worry about this? The Honorable Professor Fitzherbert Esquire is in the house!" Eugene struck a heroic pose, his hands on his hips and his head tilted upwards.

"Enough with the titles! Just teach them what you've been teaching the rest. Pete and Stan are here to help. I'd stay, but I have more patrols to check on." He marched away, leaving the former thief to begin his instruction.

Meanwhile, Cassandra was struggling with the batch of new recruits.

"No! Why would you actually try to cut off his leg! He's your sparring partner, not your enemy! Now go through the exercise, slowly! And try not to kill each other!"

Massaging her temples, the newest officer in the Royal Guard, made her way through the groups of sword-wielding soldiers. She nearly tripped as a guard fell over.

"Stuart! Stay on your feet! In a real fight, the moment you fall over is the moment you say your prayers, especially with the skill you've been showing me this past week!"

Struggling to stand up, Stuart apologized, "Sorry sir, I mean ma'am, or—what am I supposed to call you?

"I don't know, solider! Do I look like a man?"

"No."

"Then figure it out!"

With a loud gulp, the solider shouted, "Yes, Ma'am!" His eyes grew wide. "Sir!"

Cassandra growled, stopping only when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw her father, the Captain of the Guard, smiling at her.

"Dad! I mean—I mean, Captain! How can I help you?"

Silently, he beckoned for her to follow him. They walked to the edge of the training grounds, watching from a distance the chaos that was unfolding.

"How are the recruits coming?"

Cassandra groaned. "Horrible! I've taught them the basics and while they know the rules and protocol, I've never met a more inept group of individuals!"

Just then, Shorty ran across the field, chased by his sparring partner. In awestruck silence, they watched as he bobbed and weaved between the practicing soldiers, the goat, Milton, relentless in his pursuit. Finally, Shorty broke free from the mass of people and headed straight for Cassandra and the Captain. Milton caught up to him and with his horns, flung the short man into the air. Shorty's flight ended abruptly when he luckily landed in a cart full of hay. Cassandra and her father rushed towards the wagon to check on him.

Shorty popped out of the hay and mumbled, "And that is how you fly!" He stood up and took one step, only to collapse and start snoring.

Cassandra turned to look at the goat. Having "won" the fight, Milton had taken to chasing the rest of the recruits. She took a deep breath and exhaled, watching the twenty men she was supposed to be training to become highly efficient and skilled fighters, scream as they ran across the field to escape the mad goat.

Seeing her disappointment, the Captain put a reassuring hand around her shoulders and gave her a tight squeeze. "At least they'll be in good shape!"

"Dad! I've been training them ever since I got back and the only one that poses a genuine threat, is the goat, and even he is too unpredictable to train!"

The Captain chuckled. "It is true that I've always thought that Corona's mammal population seems to be far more effective than everyone else." Then sobering up he said, "Cassandra, what you're doing is incredibly difficult. I know you want to show me that you are a capable leader, but I already know that! When I was hurt during the attack on the castle, you stepped up and showed me the leader that you already are! I know the recruits are hard to train, but that is why I gave you this responsibility. It'll challenge you, but I knew I could trust that you would give everything to getting them where they need to be."

Cassandra gave her father a thankful smile and hugged him. "Thanks, Dad. I'll get them in tip-top shape! You won't find better defenders of Corona after I'm done with them!"

She saluted her father and ran over to her students. They had barricaded themselves in the stables, cowering as the goat charged the doors.

From her bedroom window, Rapunzel could make out her friends training the Royal Guards. Cassandra had successfully turned the chaotic morning into a more hopeful one. Having chased the goat out of the grounds, she had gotten the recruits to return to the field and replace their swords with a safer alternative: staves.

Way to go, Cass! Smart choice. Better start small.

On the other side of the fields, Eugene was teaching a lesson that appeared to be, how to sneak up on a thief. At least that is what it looked like. The guards were attempting to quietly approach their partners and tie a rope around their feet without being caught. Rapunzel thought it looked more like Eugene was teaching the guards how to be accomplished thieves, but she wasn't the expert.

Maybe there is something to learn.

She turned away from the window and went back to her bed, where a large collection of papers was strewn about: case notes on Varian's trial, prison behavior, and escape. It wasn't a pleasant read.

Accused

Varian, son of Quirin

Male

Fourteen years of age

From Old Corona village, Corona

Charges

Four accounts of high treason

Stealing the Sundrop flower from the Royal Vaults

Attacking the castle

Kidnapping Queen Arianna

Attempting to murder Queen Arianna and Princess Rapunzel

Unlawful experimentation upon a living being

Three accounts of attempted murder

Queen Arianna, with alchemical solution and by crushing

Princess Rapunzel, by experimentation and by crushing

Lady Cassandra, by crushing

Behavior in Court

Defendant was caustic and unrepentant.

Accused King Frederic of betraying his people, for withholding information regarding the rocks.

Accused Princess Rapunzel for having thrown him out into the storm, after denying him help.

Sentence

Solitary Confinement for an indefinite length of time

Additional detail

Pet raccoon permitted to stay with the accused

Visitation permitted only by those authorized by the King

Rapunzel didn't know why she had read the court proceedings; she had been there. Hearing Varian's angry accusations of betrayal had almost been too much for her. The pure hatred radiating from the small boy was both terrifying and tragic. It was with a heavy heart that her father past his sentence, with a promise to try and help the boy come back to his senses. That night, Rapunzel had cried her heart out.

The details concerning his behavior in prison were less complete. She remembered signing her name to record when she had visited and the general nature of the visit, but there wasn't a complete description of what was said.

Rapunzel picked up the paper where the visits were recorded. During the month that Varian had been there, he had only had three visitors: Rapunzel, Queen Arianna, and Xavier.

Turning to Pascal, she said, "Well, Xavier's still in Old Corona, but I guess I should go talk to Mom about this." She motioned towards the chart in her hand.

Pascal nodded in agreement. He crawled up Rapunzel's outstretched hand and settled down on her shoulder. With a sigh, she rolled the paper into a scroll and left her room to go find her mother.

Since her return to Corona, Rapunzel had felt that she had been all over the place. The first few days had been difficult for her. Her parents had been eager to learn about what she had done, once she left Corona. She couldn't blame them; she was their only child. Between juggling diplomatic events and spending time with family and friend, Rapunzel felt like her role as a princess and daughter were overshadowing her responsibilities as a friend.

She had made a promise to do what she could for Varian, but no one, except Pascal, had seemed particularly interested in helping her. She was forced to find all the reports concerning Varian on her own. She thought it would have been a quick undertaking, but since she was constantly being pulled in every direction, what was originally a simple and easy task, became an incredibly difficult one.

The day after her return, her parents had sat her down and asked her to tell them about everything she did. She was happy to do so and made sure to keep the tale as simple and safe as possible. She told them all about Batavia and how beautiful it was. The food was divine, the people pleasant, and the landscape breathtaking.

"Once we reached the English Channel, I wanted to swim across it!"

"Swim?" Her father asked with a troubled look on his face.

"Don't worry, Dad! Eugene told me it wasn't a good idea. Besides, I don't think I could have made it far with my hair. Thankfully, it's not too heavy on my head, but I think it would have weighed me down."

King Frederic whispered in his wife's ear, "Glad he went with her."

"Oh! But on the way back from the ocean, we ran into some bandits that were robbing a caravan of performers! We made quick work of them and helped the travelers. They were so thankful that they performed for us that night!" Rapunzel jumped up in excitement. "They breathed fire, danced, and performed all sorts of acrobatic moves! They even taught me how to walk on a tightrope!"

Queen Arianna smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm. "That's wonderful dear! Did you write it all in your journal?"

Rapunzel smiled, "Of course I did! I tried to capture how amazing everything was!"

King Frederic shifted uncomfortably, "I'm glad your travels were a positive experience, Rapunzel, but did you find out where the rocks led?"

Rapunzel sat down in between her parents. "No. We started following them eastward, but we soon realized that they would be leading us far away. I knew you both would want to see me by the end of the month and so Eugene suggested that we travel to one of his favorite places. That's why we turned around and headed to Batavia."

"So, what of the rocks?"

"That's something I've been meaning to tell you. Once this whole fiasco with the prison escape dies down. Eugene, Cassandra, and I plan to follow the rocks. I don't know where they will lead us or how long we will be gone, but I wanted you to know. I don't want you to worry about me."

Queen Arianna put a hand on Rapunzel's shoulder. "Sweetheart, we'll always be worried about you! That's part of being a parent, but," she looked at her husband, "we trust that you'll take care of yourself."

Rapunzel glanced up at her father. "My dear, I trust you. This is something you'll have to do and I'm thankful that you returned to tell us."

They hugged each other and she left her parents feeling relieved to know that she had their blessing to continue on with the mystery of her connection to the rocks.

Right now, Rapunzel was approaching her parents' room again. She knocked on the door. She faintly heard her mother tell her to enter. Opening the door, Rapunzel saw Frieborg brushing her mother's long brown tresses. Through the mirror, Arianna saw her daughter.

"Rapunzel! I'm surprised to see you so early!" Queen Arianna touched Frieborg's hand and smiled at her. "Thank you, Frieborg. As always, my hair looks lovely. Now would you excuse my daughter and I?"

Frieborg gave a small curtesy and left the room, shooting her typical off-kilter grin at Rapunzel.

Arianna turned to face her daughter. "Did you sleep well?"

Rapunzel collapsed on the bed. "To be honest, I didn't sleep at all last night."

The queen laid down next to Rapunzel. She softly brushed the wisps of hair out of Rapunzel's face, a look of concern in her eyes. "What's the matter, darling?"

Sitting up, Rapunzel held up the visitation records. "I can't get Varian out of my head, Mom. I've been pooling together every bit of information that there is on him and trying to figure out what happened. I found this record and it says that you spoke with him. What did you talk about?"

After a moments hesitation, Arianna took the paper from Rapunzel. She briefly skimmed the notes and looked back up at her daughter.

"Rapunzel, I talked about a lot of things. I talked about the weather. I talked about the struggles of having a kingdom. I talked about the grief I felt when I lost you." Arianna hung her head. "But he barely spoke. I learned quickly that I wasn't to talk about you and I wasn't to talk about him or his father. He snapped at me for that."

"What did he say?"

"He kept telling me that Corona had let him down. I tried to reason with him, but that's when he would shut me out. I thought I wasn't going to get anywhere with him, but then about a week before he escaped, he asked me something, that caught my attention."

Rapunzel leaned in closer. "Yes!"

"Usually whenever he spoke, his voice was cold and sarcastic, but this time he sounded so timid and hurt. He wanted to know how I had handled the grief I felt when you were taken from us."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him that when we lost you, my grief was so intense that I fell ill again. The thought that something horrible could be happening to my precious little girl sickened me. I kept blaming myself for letting that woman take you. If only I had woken up sooner or kept you closer. I thought it was my fault and I was driving myself mad from with "what ifs". The only reason that I didn't was because I had my husband. We comforted each other. We grieved with one another. We hoped together. But, as patrol after patrol returned empty handed, I knew that I had to confront my pain. I had to tell myself over and over again, that there was nothing I could have possibly known that would have prevented it. In the end, I had to accept that it wasn't my fault. It was a harrowing experience, but I came to terms with what happened and prayed that wherever you were, that you would be happy. That helped me find peace."

Rapunzel wiped away a tear. "That must have been so difficult for you." She smoothed out her dress. "Do you believe what they say about him? Do you believe he killed the guards?"

Arianna looked out the window. "The mother in me says no. He is just a young boy that is in need of love and help. But, I can't deny that things don't look good for him, dear. He did things that no one would have imagined. He was willing to kill and so, while I want to believe that he wouldn't have killed the guards, he already tried to kill me. To answer your question, I believe him to be quite capable of such an act, but as to whether he would have done it, I'm inclined to say no, he wouldn't have."

"Thanks, Mom. I'm going to keep looking over all this to see if there is something I missed, but everything you've told me has been so helpful."

"Let me know if you find anything out, okay."

"I will." Rapunzel stood to leave, but her mother caught her arm.

"Rapunzel, I just want you to know, that even though I was denied the chance to raise you, I am so grateful that you've become such a kind and mature young woman."

Rapunzel gave her mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek. As she walked out the door, she looked back and said, "And I'm grateful that you're my mother."

Additional Note:

Editing works! I wrote this chapter and was dissatisfied with the ending (Rapunzel and Arianna's discussion of Varian), but when I reviewed over it, I spotted the errors and was able to come up with a far more poignant reason, for Varian to reach out to Arianna.

While I was thinking of where I want my story to go, I came up with some crazy ideas. I can't share them with you yet, because they are pretty spoilery, but they made me excited for where the story will end up. I hope you find them just as cool as I do!