Varian's nightmare is not over, it will come back to haunt him (ha ha…). His old man self didn't actually became a wizard, he's still on alchemy only, but I like the irony that as a very old man, he would end up looking like Rapunzel imagined him the first time he was mentioned to her.

A new character is being introduced (but is he really a new character?... who could he be ?…)

And trigger warning for mild eating disorder in this chapter.

Chapter 36

Dawn came, after what seemed ages for the boy who couldn't get any more sleep after the nightmare. It left a bitter taste on Varian's tongue and he couldn't stop thinking about it. It reminded him being there, hiding near the castle only to reach the Queen's apartments (at least something useful came from his helping Cassandra with her chores on the day of the expo, he knew his whereabouts in the castle hallways). Then, when he used a special concoction that put her to sleep, he didn't think twice of the person he was going to abduct. Like he said, she was merely bait to force the Princess to come back to Old Corona. Leverage. End of story.

And yet, his thoughts couldn't stop reeling. Now he was getting to know the Queen better. Before all this, she was just a member of the royal family, a pretty sight in official events with little to no power, because that was how it worked in Corona. The King alone owned supreme power.

Now… now she was more than that. She didn't have to, but she would be there, taking care of him when he was more dead than alive. She would be there to play the harp to soothe him, to prepare a picnic and to cradle him in her arms while he was crying uncontrollably. All that time, she would be there with her soft gaze on him.

No, no. Get a grip, Varian, he scolded himself, resting the palm of his hand on his forehead. All he did, she deserved it too. She could have… she should have watched her daughter, make her go and help him after the storm at least, make her keep her promise. She could have sent some guards, or even come over herself. Why did it take his imprisonment (as well as the beating and the poisoning that went with it) to make her realize he was there ?

Gritting his teeth, he tried to block the flow of his memories, but they keep intruding into his brain. They made him feel sick inside and his guts were torn, so much that he had refused to eat anything since he woke up. Varian knew he should have felt hunger gnawing at him, but his appetite was gone. The bowl sat on his nightstand, untouched, despite Remyus' coaxing.

It's their fault, Varian's mind was screaming inside him. They made him do this. Taking the Queen away from Rapunzel and the King, tying her up and then threatening to encase her in the same amber that was still encasing his father and crushing her in his automaton's grip, it was all their doing.

He had no choice. This had to be done to make them hear him. He did nothing wrong.

So why did he feel so bad as he kept repeating this to himself ? His mind was a nothing but a huge mess, overwhelmed by emotions darting in every direction.

He clung even tighter to the bedsheet (when did he start clenching his hands ?) when he heard the Queen's footsteps. He heard her greet the two guards that the King, true to his word, had appointed at Varian's door.

One of them was a fairly new guard who stood out with his red hair and long sideburns. He had arrived in Corona only a few weeks ago, and had managed to be hired as a royal guard. All he ever said about himself was that he was from some place further south. The second one was Phil, the young guard who unfortunately let Nigel come into Varian's cell after the boy was arrested. Still gut-wrenched with remorse, he had himself requested to the King the privilege of making up for his mistakes by being part of the alchemist's protection squad.

"Good morning, Varian" said Arianna casually as she entered the room, carrying pile of clean and neatly folded clothes that the boy immediately recognized as his own. On the top was resting a small book with a dark leather cover.

Arianna glanced at the full bowl of soup next to Varian and then to Remyus. The old physician shook his head, concern in his eyes.

Varian noticed their brief and unspoken conversation and frankly, the last thing he wanted was to talk about it. He didn't dare look at the Queen, so he simply rolled on his side, facing the opposite wall, nearly sending Ruddiger tumbling down on the floor in the process.

Arianna let a soft sigh pass her lips, barely audible. She knew she had to think of another approach. She put down the clothes on a table, keeping only the book in her hands. Then she pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed.

"Varian, I brought something for you", she stated. "You might not want to use it straight away, but I'm asking you to keep it at hand just in case."

Her words caught Varian's attention, the boy being unable to keep his natural curiosity at bay. He turned his head, just enough to look at her over his shoulder.

"This book is filled with blank pages. You can write in it, take some notes or draw. Use it as you want. It's yours."

She held out the journal to him and waited to see how he would react. Varian looked at her and then at the dark cover, his expression unreadable. Suddenly, he frowned and said :

"And what do you think I should call it, Your Majesty ? How to kill the Royal Family with ten automatons or less ?"

The sass was full back on. The anger in his eyes too. He didn't add a word as he turned back to the wall.

Arianna stood up abruptly, barely containing herself. With the few words he spoke, the boy managed to cross a line and get on her nerves, rather than taking the hand she held out. A bright, but still immature boy.

Arianna took a deep breath, frustrated for not being able to reach him. She knew that there would still be anger within the boy, his reaction when he recovered his memories said as much, and she half-expected that he would reject her. But she couldn't let him go wild and give in to his frustrations without a second thought for the consequences. After being alone for such a long time, Varian needed limits more than anything.

"Varian, you have a job to do today. I was planning it for later, but I think we should start right now. I'm giving you thirty minutes to eat something, wash and get dressed."

Varian's eyes widened, but he said nothing. What was she talking about ?

"Whether you do these things is entirely up to you, but you should know that I am dragging you out of this room in half an hour, ready or not."

And with that, she turned her heels, leaving a confused and irritated Varian. She was the Queen, all right, but it would take more than that for Varian to comply willingly.