AN: I can bring tears to your eyes, resurrect the dead, make you smile and reverse time - What am I?

As soon, as Varian opened the door his heart stopped.

The candle between his fingers flickered unsteady. Up and down the flame went, mockingly painting even deeper shadows in the scarcely lit room he had entered. Varian barely noticed. His eyes were firmly fixed on the person in front of him. This was a mistake, he thought with rising panic. He shouldn't have come, never been here in the first place. He should have never... All of a sudden the castle walls felt too close, creeping up on him, almost suffocating and always cold. He was trapped again and there seemed no way out. It was too much. Varian wanted to run - to run and hide in the darkest corner of the kingdom. It took him every ounce of strength he possessed to step back, hands shaking and knees weak. Still, he wasn't able to look away. Should he say something?

"Who are you?" the King asked.

What? Varian turned his attention to his right. His eyes immediately caught on the golden emblem on the King's chest.

"Oh your majesty, don't you remember Varian, your most trusted adviser?" Andrew appeared from behind. With a voice smooth as silk, he gently pushed Varian forward.

The King examined the boy.

"Varian," he tested the name on his tongue. "Uhm, of course, I do," Frederic replied, dragging the words out as if he himself wasn't so sure of them.

Varian's gaze returned to Queen Arianna. A frown was on her face as she mustered the young alchemist. Confusion filled her usually calm features. He watched as she desperately tried to remember the answer to a riddle she had heard a long time ago. Something dark and vicious begun to grow deep inside of him. Then he realized.

"Clementine" Varian muttered.

Shame and guilt started to form a tight knot in the depth of his stomach. He couldn't look at her any longer.

"Andrew a word please," they excused themselves to talk in private, leaving king and queen behind.

"What is this all about?" He hardly managed to repress his anger.

"Well, I thought I give you a hand with your little passion project," Andrew grinned. "Didn't you want a chemical that erases memories? Let's see it as the first step," The Separatist put his hand on Varian's shoulder. "With the King under our control, we can get all the materials you need for your experiments. After that comes the rest of Corona. Isn't it what you wanted? For them to forget?" He sounded so pleased with himself it made Varian sick.

"Well yes… but-,"

- but not like this. Never like that. He hadn't thought - hadn't meant... Varian wasn't sure. Logically it all made sense. The pieces fit perfectly, but why did it feel so wrong? This was not right.

Andrew raised his brow. "But what?" He pressed on, suspicion radiating from him.

"Next time you better inform me beforehand," Varian continued with ice in his voice. He clenched his fists. There was no turning back now.

"Sure thing kid," his former cell-mate ruffled Varian's hair.