This part got a lot longer than I anticipated, but hopefully it was well worth it! Some action and intrigue for you guys in this one. Enjoy!

Inspired by C. S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

As they got closer to the bandits raiding the trade caravan, Cassandra both felt and heard Varian take a huge inhale through his nose and mouth. Rumblings and hissings both began to vibrate through his gut as he readied the fire in his belly for an attack as they drew even closer.

"Now!" Cass signaled, and Varian opened up his maw, a bright blue streak of flame shooting down at the unsuspecting masked thieves. Of course, Varian didn't want to actually set anyone aflame, so he targeted his fire carefully so as to send it like a warning shot between the bandits and the trade carts lined up down the middle of the path. Both bandits and tradesmen cried out in shock as the jets of bluebell flames poured down from above, their surprised and then frightened faces turning up to see the winged reptile from whom it came. (Originally, Cass and the others did all that they could to keep Varian from being noticed by other travelers and townsfolk on their journey, but this was an emergency, and there was no time to be discreet.)

"I got these guys!" Cass called to Varian from his back, aligning several arrows at one time onto her bow string, then letting them fly at just the right moment to pin several of the criminals to the nearby trees by their hoods.

"Ha!" Varian let off a dragonish crow of delight. "See how they like that!"

But Varian and Cass had no time to celebrate, for by now the bandit archers had collected themselves, and now had their glinting arrow tips pointed upward at the exposed belly of the dragon above them.

"Watch out!" Cass yelled, and clung to her saddle tightly as Varian rolled over in midair, the arrows of the enemy archers just missing the both of them my mere inches. Both Cass and Varian retaliated the attack – Cass with her own arrows, and Varian with another stream of flame from his wide-open mouth.

Cass was glad that Varian was so competent in handling his dragon's fire. Given his past, it wouldn't have surprised her if he had set multiple things on fire most every day by this point in their journey. But it also seemed that in becoming a dragon, Varian had taken caution to the up-teenth degree, and had used his fire sparingly, but with extreme accuracy whenever he dared use it. It seemed that his discipline was not paying off, as with almost surgical precision Varian continued to break up the fight below them, and Cass warded the bandits off with her own hale-storm of arrows.

"Take them down!" Cass and Varian could hear the men shout below them.

"Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!"

"Get the girl!"

"Archers, shoot at the- Ah!"

Cass quickly looked to see Owl attacking the face of one of the bandit leaders, the man flailing his arms about as the tawny bird swiped at the air right in front of his eyes, Owl dodging the man's blows with the grace that only a bird of prey could pull off. Cass couldn't help but give a small smirk, proud of how her little avian friend was employing his training.

"Gah!"

Suddenly, Varian had rolled again in midair, dodging another flurry of arrows, though Cass had been unready this time, and had found herself lifting out of the saddle, barely managing to hang on by one hand as her bow fell spinning down below her.

"Oh no, Cass!" Varian cried, quickly righting himself and gently circling around, realizing that given his current speed and their current situation, there was no way for her to climb back up quickly enough. "Hang on, I'll-I'll let you down!"

Again, Cass couldn't understand Varian's words, but his actions and signals were enough for her to get the point. Adjusting her grip, Cass gave Varian an affirmative nod, and as they swooped back around, Varian flew fast and low over the crowd below, with Cass timing her dismount just right so as to land square on one of the bandits attempting to escape with one of the trade cart's horses.

Picking herself back up – the bandit she had landed on lying unconscious at her feet – Cass drew her sword, and immediately began taking on the villains in hand-to-hand combat, most of them not knowing what hit them until it was too late to retaliate Cass's attacks. By now, some of the tradesmen seemed to understand Cass's intention to help, and began joining her in the fray, with Varian and Owl continuing to provide aerial support as the bandits began to retreat, far too confused and scattered to think of regrouping now.

"Yeah, that's right you scoundrels, run!" one of the tradesmen shouted at the bandits' retreating backs.

"And don't come back!" a lady merchant yelled, sending a throwing knife just shy of hitting one of the bandits in the shoulder, and instead landing smartly into a tree trunk a few yards away.

Cass chased the last few off with the flat of her sword, and this done, sheathed her blade as she turned to face the group of merchants, now beginning to cluster around her in wide-eyed wonder, Owl landing obediently on the wrist she held out to him, and Varian landing with a heavy but balanced thud behind her. The closest of the merchants shrunk back in fear as Varian landed on the ground, but Cass raised a reassuring hand.

"It's ok everyone," she said calmly. "He's a friend, and you're all safe now."

"A friend!?" Varian thought, freezing for a second with first shock and then delight, trying hard to keep a surprised sound from escaping his throat. Did Cass really just call him a friend!?

Cass also seemed to suddenly realize her words, giving Varian a quick, awkward glance over her shoulder before clearing her throat, moving things along hurriedly before she could think about it all too much. "Ahem, sorry if we frightened you all, but we figured you needed our help. Is everyone ok? Anyone hurt?"

"I…I think we're all fine Miss," said one of the merchants in a panting, friendly tone, whom Varian took to be the leader. "Thanks to you and your…um, your dragon, yes?"

"Y-yeah, he's a dragon," Cass answered with a slight stammer, trying hard to not look at Varian. "Though, he's not mine."

"Oh, is that so now?" the man asked…Varian suddenly not sure if he liked the man's tone…or the way he began to look at him.

"Yeah," Cass continued…also starting to feel oddly apprehensive, though not quite sure why. "Well, if everyone's all right, then we'll leave you to your travels then-"

"Oh, but wait!" another lady merchant chimed in. "We surely must give you something for aiding us in our time of need. Right lads?" A hearty cheer of agreement went of from the crowd around them…but Cass, Varian, and Owl exchanged glances between each other, all of them feeling that something was off…but not sure of exactly what.

"Oh, that's not really necessary," Cass finally replied with a feigned smile, moving to get back onto Varian's back and reunite with the others as soon as possible. "Thank you, but we were just doing our duty. And now if you'll excuse us-"

"Oh but please Miss!" the leader interjected eagerly. "Please! You would do dishonor to us, and our clan, if you did not accept our thanks for your gallantry just now! Please, allow us to at least give you a token of our gratitude before we part ways! It's the least we could do for you."

Cass paused, one foot in the stirrup as she looked again at Varian, both of them uncertain. Cass thought hard, lowering her foot back down to the ground. Something still felt off…but what was it? She looked back at the crowd of merchants. They seemed harmless enough. By now none of them had any of their weapons drawn, and she, Varian, and Owl did just save them from a bandits' raid. Perhaps they were only looking to express their gratitude, despite their curious nature.

Finally, Cass gave a formal nod. "Ok," she said. "But make it quick. We have to get going."

"But of course!" the man replied cheerfully, signaling to several of the other merchants over his shoulder, who began opening the side door of one of the trade carts.

Then-

"NO! WATCH OUT VARIAN!"

Both Varian and Owl started, their heads pricking up at the sound of someone calling Varian's name from somewhere nearby. But who!? It wasn't a voice Varian recognized. Was he hearing things?

Noticing his movements, Cass gave him a quizzical look over her shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong Varian? Are the bandits-?"

"IT'S A TRAP!"

Before Cass knew what was happening, Varian had suddenly shoved himself into her, both of them crashing to the ground as a flurry of crossbow bolts were launched from between the opening doors of the trade cart, several of them embedding themselves in the tree that had been directly behind where Cass had stood only milliseconds before.

"Whoa, what the-!" Cass cried out, immediately drawing her sword again as Varian remained hovering over her protectively. "It's an ambush! Why you-!"

"I wouldn't make another move if I were either of you!" the leader barked at Cass and Varian from where they knelt on the ground, one of Varian's wings remaining between Cass and the crowd of now hostile poachers, the black membrane quivering slightly in fear…and in pain, as several crossbow bolts were seen protruding through it to the inside.

Cass gasped at the wounds, giving Varian a quick look of bewilderment as his icy-blue eyes met hers, his countenance clearly pained and scared.

"They'll pay for that!" Cass thought with clenched teeth, and she and Varian waited tensely for what would happen to them next.

Meanwhile, Owl had taken off from Cassandra's wrist right as Varian had knocked her out of the way, Owl also managing to avoid the worst of the surprise attack. Quickly, the swift little bird got himself out of range of the archers in the trade cart, and quickly made to fly back to Rapunzel and the others. If Cassandra and Varian were to stand a chance now, they were going to need backup, and fast!

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, dragon!" the leader snapped at Varian, having noticed the dragon begin to charge up another fire blast as the crossbowmen began to exit the trade cart and form a perimeter around Varian and Cass…and – to Varian and Cass's even further astonishment – were joined by some of the bandits who had reemerged from the foliage nearby. It had all been a setup! (And now explained why the merchants had just kept on missing them with their own arrows and throwing knives.) Varian let off a warning growl, warning them to not get too close. He began to charge up a fire blast again.

"PLEASE VARIAN, DON'T! THEY'LL HURT YOU!"

That voice again! It had to be coming from somewhere in the crowd, Varian was almost sure of it. But who was it!? Varian stopped charging up his fire, listening hard.

"Ah, so it's true," the leader said, clearly amused by Varian's reaction to the voice. "You can understand the speech of other creatures when in that form!"

"When in that-…what are you talking about!?" Cass asked angrily from where she knelt on the ground, holding her sword at the ready in front of her, beginning to be worried about just how much these merchants seemed to know about Varian, given the leader's statement.

"Oh, but of course!" the main said, face-palming himself in a clearly exaggerated manner. "Where are my manners? I take it you would want to see your old friend again, yes?"

With a snap of his fingers, the leader signaled for a small wooden cage to be brought forward, a small tarp covering it. As his assistant brought the cage to his side, the leader pulled the tarp away with a flourish.

Varian could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the little creature that lay curled in a frightened, fluffy ball inside of the cage.

"RUDIGER!" Varian cried out in alarm, disbelief, and even the smallest trace of delight at seeing the little friend he had missed O so much!

"Varian!" Rudiger called back, grasping the bars of his cage with his small black forepaws, a tone of both tension and relief also present in his voice.

His voice! So that was who had been calling to him this whole time! Oh the brave little creature! He had tried to warn them!

"Oh Rudiger!" Varian breathed. "I-I was so worried about you! You're not hurt are you? I'm so sorry! I should've listened to you! You tried to stop me, and-and I never should've left you behind! But I just…I couldn't-"

"It's ok Varian," Rudiger interrupted gently, his chubby raccoon cheeks pressed against the bars of his cage, trying to get as close as he could to his master. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you. I've missed you!"

Varian let out a small, dragonish chortle at this, hardly believing he was hearing his best friend talk to him in his own voice like this. "I missed you too buddy-"

"Alright, that's enough," the leader finally interjected, covering up Rudiger's cage again with the tarp, not even so much as flinching at Rudiger and Varian's growls and hissing of protestation, the crossbowmen raising their weapons in response. Meanwhile, Cass watched dumbstruck at the exchange that had gone on between the two animals, her mind struggling to recall seeing Varian so happy in his dragon form as he was in that moment when he got to exchange a few words with his most loyal friend.

But wait, that was a thought…how did these guys know-?

"It was you!" Cass hissed at them under her breath, all eyes now turning to her. True, Cass had little to no idea of exactly how Varian became a dragon in the first place, but this much was now made plain to her by the fact of them having Rudiger in the first place, and knowing to bring him out for Varian specifically to see. "You did this to Varian, didn't you!?"

There was a moment's stunned silence that followed, Varian also feeling his blood run cold at Cass's words, the pieces beginning to come together in his mind, too. Then, the leader chuckled and grinned wickedly at Cass. "Oh, hardly my dear," the man began as he dared to take a few steps closer to the two of them. "He did it all himself! We just…shall we say, gave him the means to do it."

Cassandra gave Varian a quick glance, noting the horrified (and ashamed) expression in his eyes as the man's words began to sink in. Cass still wasn't entirely sure what the leader was going on about, but the likely the answer had to do with one thing.

Alchemy.

"And who is this we that you speak of?" Cass continued to question, partially to try to satisfy her own curiosity…and to stall for time as Owl had fled to go get help.

"Why, haven't you guessed?" the man asked with a smirk. "My dear, we are among the Separatists of Sapora!"

At the mentioning of their faction's name, the crowd around them let out a cheer and displayed a quick salute, before falling quiet again.

"Oh, you guys again," Cassandra mocked, both trying to give an air of courage and continuing to attempt to stall them. "I knew you all were idiots and madmen, but doing this to a child?" Cass hissed, gesturing to Varian's dragon form (him growling, "I'm not a child," in response, though of course Cass didn't understand him). "That's a whole new level of low, even for you lot."

"Oh, but I just told you my dear," the man continued arrogantly. "We did not turn your friend into this great beast. He did that himself. Of his own free will. We just gave him the crushed dragon scales needed to carry it out."

"But why?" Cass inquired, doing all she could to not look at Varian's stricken (and increasingly angry) face. "Why him? And what use do the Separatists have for a dragon?"

"Ha!" the man guffawed at Cass's questions. "What use? What use!? Did you honestly ask that question!? Just look around you! If it weren't for your dragon, there's no way you could've taken on these dozens of operatives all on your own. The creature is practically a one-man army all on its own! Who wouldn't want such a weapon at their disposal?"

"But why Varian!?" Cass shouted back, struggling to control her temper now. "His offenses are against the kingdom of Corona, not you. What harm has he ever done you that you should instigate such a thing against him!?"

"Precisely m'lady!" the man stated, his eyes glancing wickedly at Varian's own. "The boy never did any harm to us, true. In fact, quite the contrary. He showed us one very important thing – that it was indeed possible to defeat the kingdom of Corona!"

Another cheer rang up from the crowd around them, Cass shaking her head in disbelief. These guys really were all idiots!

"Hey, meathead!" Cass called to the leader again over the din of the crowd. "What the heck do you mean 'defeating the kingdom of Corona'? Varian was…" here Cass paused, cringing hard, making every effort to not look at Varian's face before forcing herself to finish her thought. "…Varian was defeated that day, in case you didn't know."

"Oh, we know about that," the man continued with a dismissive wave of his hand, Varian's eyes narrowing hard, not liking at all at being reminded of his past blunders, nor where this next chapter in his life seemed to be heading. "But never in the history of all our years had anyone ever gotten so close! Perhaps he did not succeed, but he did show it was possible. And that was all the motivation we needed!"

"Oh, motivation to do what?" Cass asked angrily. "Turn a 14 year-old boy you don't even know into a dragon!? That doesn't make any sense!"

"It does," the man said with a horrid smile, "when you take into account that he was one of the few minds within hundreds of miles who could even read such a formula as the transfiguration elixir."

Cass's eyes went wide. So it had been alchemy after all. Cass finally dared to look at Varian's face…though finding his expression hard to read as he listened intently to the troupe's leader, Cass finding an inadvertent shiver pass through her as she saw the look in his eyes.

He wasn't seriously thinking-!

"Yes, dragon!" the man continued, now addressing Varian directly. "You see? We never meant you any harm. We just gave you the means by which to exact revenge on those who wronged you! And to offer our services as your allies as well, of course. We can take them all down together! Form a new kingdom! One where the royals do not betray their subjects over petty matters."

Murmurs of affirmation when up among the group around them…Varian's eyes softening in response.

"Varian, no, don't listen-!" Cass tried to caution, feeling a familiar, horrible feeling begin to rise in her gut at the thought of yet another betrayal from the boy, but she was interrupted as the leader went on.

"What have these lackies ever done for you that you should serve them?" the leader questioned, gesturing to Cassandra. Varian nearly followed the motion with his eyes, but refrained from looking Cassandra in the face as he continued to listen. "I must say dragon, it wasn't very logical of you to have sought them out after your liberation from that tower. What prisoner runs back to their jailors, hm? Though, to be fair, I'm sure you were plenty shocked by what happened to you, and our operatives in the capital did so struggle to track you after you had flown off. But now, here we are! We have found you, and are ready to admit you as one of our own, brother!"

Another wave of approved noises made its way through the crowd, Cassandra beginning to feel desperate, unsure of where this was all going to end up. Varian still refused to look directly at her, instead setting his eyes to a small patch of earth a few yards away, clearly thinking hard.

"No…" Cass thought in alarm, shaking her head in hurt and disbelief. No! Was he seriously thinking about joining them!? After all that happened!? Was he really that bent on revenge that he would join this rebel group to destroy Corona!?

Varian made a few muttering noises under his breath, like one nattering to themselves over a decision, the noise casual, and barely loud and high enough to be heard by the human ear.

"Wait…that's it!"

At that, Cass did all she could to hide her relief, knowing to be ready any moment to once again fight for their lives.

They were getting close!

"Oh hurry Max!" Rapunzel whispered urgently to the stallion as he galloped as fast as he could down the pathway Owl was leading them on. Of course, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Lance had seen Varian and Cass dive downward out of the sky as they had gone to the aid of the caravan, and feeling something to be wrong, had begun to make their way in that direction. On the way, Owl had intercepted them, signaling them to follow him carefully. It was quickly agreed that Rapunzel and Eugene would go ahead first on Max, with Lance coming up on foot. Max was a strong horse, but he would get along faster with just two to carry, and if anything should go wrong for them, Lance would still be available to provide backup. Plus out of the three of them, Lance was the fastest on his own. It would only take him a few minutes to catch up with them.

As they began to draw closer, Rapunzel and Eugene began to near shouts coming from up ahead, Cass's being one of the voices they could hear. Quickly coming to a halt, Maximus lowered himself carefully to the ground, Rapunzel and Eugene dismounting, and then the three made their way cautiously forward, Owl keeping watch overhead.

As they drew nearer, Rapunzel could hear a man's voice going on and on about some sort of liberation from a tower, the 'capital', and admitting someone as a new 'brother' into some sort of society. As she and the others came up to a line of shrubbery overlooking the scene, Rapunzel had to struggle to withhold a gasp at the sight that greeted them. Varian and Cass were surrounded by dozens of people – most of them men, but some women in the crowd too – and many of them aiming their bows and crossbows at them.

"Why haven't they flown away!?" Rapunzel whispered urgently to Eugene, who subtly pointed at one of Varian's wings in response. Rapunzel cringed hard at the sight of several crossbow bolts having embedded themselves into the delicate black membrane.

"What do we do?" Rapunzel whispered anxiously, not sure if the three of them would be able to take on the force that stood before them, even with a frying pan in hand.

"I don't know-" Eugene began to say, but then stopped short as something caught his eye. Or rather, the lack of something caught his eye.

"Where's Pascal?" Eugene asked Rapunzel, having noticed the little reptile's absence from her shoulder.

"What?" Rapunzel asked in alarm, nearly beginning to turn frantic as the little lizard was nowhere to be seen, and having to fight the urge to call his name out of habit.

But before Rapunzel could get too frightened, Maximus gave her a soft, reassuring chuff from behind, gesturing for the two humans to watch the crowd down below.

"Are the rest of them here?" Varian asked Pascal, who had revealed just enough of himself outside of his camouflage for Varian to have spotted him underneath one of the carts.

"Almost," Pascal replied. "Lance is still on his way, but everyone else is here."

"Good," Varian replied, though his tone far from relieved or cheerful. "Rudiger, once you're free, I need you to get out of the way as fast as you can, alright?"

"Aye," Rudiger replied quietly from under the tarp. He didn't want to ruin the animals' plans by letting on that he and Varian were actually communicating with one another.

"Pascal, tell Maximus to begin the charge on my signal."

Pascal gave a quick salute, before vanishing again, scurrying as fast as he could back up to where Rapunzel, Eugene, and Maximus awaited him.

"Well!?" the man finally asked Varian harshly, Varian feigning the action of snapping out of deep thought. "What do you say dragon? Will you join us?"

Varian looked down at Cass, dreading the idea of making her think that yet again he was going to be betraying her like this. But she would forgive him surely? After the plan was successfully carried out? He wished he could tell her what his intentions really were, but he had to keep up the ruse, just a little while longer. It had to look real.

"Varian…!" Cass seemed to begin to say, Varian nearly cringing at her pleading tone. That wasn't like her, and Varian hated to think that anything he was going to do would make her-

Then, a small glint of purple caught his eyes, Cass's fingers toying with something she had tucked away in one of the pouches at her waist.

It was the piece of Cassandrium Varian had given her! She had kept it all that time!

Varian's eyes became surprised as they saw it. He thought for sure she must've thrown that trinket away after everything that happened, or else tucked it away somewhere and forgot about it. But there it was!

But, why would she now be-

Oh!

"I know you have a plan!" she seemed to be saying through the gesture, despite her face hiding the fact (and hiding it very well). "Let's do this together, like that one time!"

With that, Varian put his plan into action.

It was all the Maximus and Pascal could do to make sure Eugene and Rapunzel didn't leap out to come to Cassandra's aid and blow their cover as it began.

"No, Cass!" Rapunzel couldn't help but gasp in shock as Varian suddenly turned on her, sending the warrior maiden rolling across the ground as his tail swung round and hit her. As she rolled to a stop, Cass clutched at her side, glaring daggers back at Varian as she made to rise, and Varian hissed his challenge at her, his one good wing spread high above his head as a display of aggression.

"Oooooh, would you look at this lads!" the leader suddenly shouted, a cheer beginning to rise up from the crowd. "Looks like our new brother wants to show us his stuff! Get his first taste of sweet revenge!"

"Out of the way Max!" Eugene growled angrily and with bewilderment as Max barred his way forward, though by now the commotion of the crowd was too loud for his voice to have been heard by them, and all eyes were on the battle presently being waged before them. "What's wrong with you!? We have to get in there and help Cass before Varian-!"

"Wait!" Rapunzel suddenly cried, dragging Eugene back down behind the brush with her. "Eugene, Cass isn't hurt!"

"What!?" Eugene asked, wondering what in the world could've given Rapunzel that idea as Cass and Varian circled each other, the warrior maiden showing a slight limp as she moved. Eugene knew that Rapunzel had wanted desperately to believe the best in Varian, but this was going too far now!

"Look, Blondie, I know how this must be for you to see, but Cass clearly-!"

"No, Eugene, I'm serious!" Rapunzel interrupted. "She's not hurt! Look! See what she's doing?"

Eugene looked, not understanding what Rapunzel was getting at…until Cass switched directions in circling, her limp shifting to the other leg.

She was faking her injury!

"But, why-?" Eugene began to ask, but fell back into a frightened silence as the two went at each other again, Varian's jaws snapping at Cass as she dodged out of the way, her blade swinging through the air mere inches away from his head, making him leap back. If one hadn't thought to look for it, they wouldn't have realized how fake the combat between these two actually was. In all honesty, Varian was nearly doing his best trying to land a hit on Cass (he had to make it look real), but he knew she was far too skilled for him to accomplish this. It would be Cass then who would see to it that the battle looked real, while also doing it in a such a way where Varian wouldn't be the one getting hurt.

"They're both faking it!" Rapunzel whispered in astonished realization.

"But…why?" Eugene asked, he too now noticing the subtleties of fighting style that betrayed each combatant's lack of aiming to hurt the other.

In answer to his question, Eugene felt Pascal give his sleeve a small tug with his tail, then pointing with his to where Owl had silently swooped towards the back of the crowd, his talons pulling hard at the pale tarp covering what appeared to be a small box.

"What is-?" Eugene began to ask, and then he and Rapunzel's eyes widened as the tarp fell away, and they could see the small raccoon huddled inside.

"That's Rudiger!" Rapunzel exclaimed under her breath. "But…why? What's going on?"

"I'm not sure Blondie," Eugene whispered back. "But I get the feeling Varian isn't so friendly with these guys as they suppose themselves."

To be sure, from the moment Varian had seen Rudiger locked up in that cage, the Separatists had lost any chances of gaining support from him. They had attempted to use the little creature as a bargaining chip, and Varian wouldn't stand for that. Not anymore. And if they had thought that their explanations would make up for the fact that they had tricked him into becoming their "living weapon", they would find themselves sorely mistaken.

As Varian and Cass dodged and lunged around each other in mimic battle, Varian kept his ears open for Rudiger's signal that he was free and clear of the battlefield. Owl worked quickly, sliding the tarp off Rudiger's cage silently, and the little raccoon carefully grabbing at the keys that hung around the belt of the man standing right in front of him. As his hand-like paws closed around the clinking metal, Rudiger carefully pulled them towards him, Owl helping him insert the keys one-by-one into the lock, waiting for the right one to click it open.

Finally, they both found the right key, and without a moment's hesitation Rudiger burst out from the cage, just missing being caught by the tail by the man who was supposed to keep watch over him.

"HEY! STOP!" the man called out as his flailing arms attempted to grab Rudiger, the handful of people around him turning to see what he was shouting about, but the rest took no notice. As several others attempted to grab at the creature, Rudiger dodged his way up and down and under and over the arms and hands that tried to grab him. At least, he broke free, and ran as fast as he could up to where Eugene and Rapunzel were waiting with Max and Pascal.

"NOW!" Rudiger shouted down to Varian, who at his call, raised his one good wing again after he and Cass were in place.

"That's our cue!" Max said, signaling for the others to follow him in the charge as he let out a horse's battle cry, charging down the slope as the others followed suit.

The crowd clearly had not expected a surprise attack, and confusion ensued as one moment they turned to meet attackers coming from behind them, and then as streams of blue fire suddenly spewed from behind, setting their trade carts – and the weaponry and contraband inside of them – on fire in a matter of seconds. Cass darted in among the flames, cutting the few horses still hooked up to them free with a few swift strokes of her sword, and Eugene also leaping in to help. Meanwhile, with the use of her hair and trusty frying pan, Rapunzel held off the first few separatists who began joining the fray, Owl and Varian then aiming their attacks at the archers, whose arrows began flying left and right.

"WHY YOU TRAITOR!" the leader shouted at Varian, lunging at the dragon with his own sword, Varian just barely managing to dodge him, and sending out more flames from his wide open mouth. But the leader was too quick for him, rolling out of the way before the flames could do him any damage, and leaping up into the air as he prepared to bring his sword crashing down on Varian's exposed neck.

"VARIAN!" Varian heard Rapunzel call out his name in fright, but it was all happening too quickly, and no one was near enough to help him. Varian shut his eyes in terror.

"Aaargghh!"

Suddenly, instead of the sound of a sword crunching through dragon's hide, the sound of steel on steel sounded above Varian's head. His eyes snapping open, Varian saw the leader get thrust down to the ground like a ragdoll, and Lance standing protectively at his side, his own sword drawn.

"Don't forget about me now!" the former rogue shouted at the leader, again lunging forward to engage him in combat after exchanging a quick nod with Varian.

"Hey, nice to see you finally decided to show up!" Eugene called to Lance from where he was taking out a big man with a club.

"Excuse you!" Lance taunted back, now exchanging blows with the leader, whose scarlet face showed him to be beyond furious at the turn of events. "I just happen to be fashionably late, thank you very much!"

"WHY YOU MEDDLING-!" the leader attempted to shout, but was interrupted by a well-timed blow from Lance, leaving the man winded on the ground, and Lance's blade at his throat.

"I'd call off your men if I were you!" Lance hissed at him, the tip of his sword coming a few centimeters closer. The leader looked around him, noting how many of his crew had already retreated in terror, and the rest of them struggling to hold their ground as blows continued to be exchanged and the fires continued to blaze.

"A-ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!" the leader finally shouted, feeling the edge of Lance's blade make light contact with his skin. "YOU WIN! WE SURRENDER! WE SURRENDER!"