Angel: I got a couple of questions last chapter and from my messages, asking or suggesting Varian not be a chicken, and that's unfair. Yes, he could've been another animal, but when I'm rushed like I was last chapter, I'm not motivated to write stuff like that. It just gives me writer's block since rushing me doesn't make me as focused.
Could I have written him as a raccoon or a rooster? Sure. Do I feel it's necessary to do it now that people are pointing it out? Honestly, no. I just thought he'd be funnier as a chicken, and let's not forget he was a monkey and a bird in my last story. That's just my opinion. *shrugs sheepishly* Besides, I'm not trying to treat him too bad given what he went through in this story and my last Tangled one.
Sorry it took me so long to get this out, I left Georgia last week, so I wasn't doing much writing because I was too busy preparing for that. Also, jebens1 from DeviantArt has drawn Chang! He also drew Ann and Lily from my Rise of TMNT story! And he also got asked for the previous series to be made into a comic...
Alright, so for that particular story, I'm not gunning for anyone to do that. And it's not like it's in popular demand. It'd be cool, but that takes time and effort and care that I'm not sure anyone would take up upon. I'm not saying I hate the story, I LOVE it. But I've since moved on from that story, and if anyone would actually wanna do it, I'd support it. Though, I'd only support a comic or a fanfic from that universe if the people involved really WANT to do it themselves with no influence from others.
I put a poll to decide who would be best for Harmony's voice actress, I got several people putting in their own choice, especially from those who send me stuff regarding this OC. We'll let fate decide from there XD I put my own two choices as well, and I'm not good at picking voice actresses for my OCs, so maybe you guys can help me decide! And if you want, you can add in your best choices by letting me know! But just remember that they have to be a voice actress and a singer. So far Liz Callaway is in the lead!
It was a new day as the group were in their camp, miles away from the Changeling Forest and Madame Canardist. It would take them a few hours to reach Koto as they were fairly close by. Harmony wasn't too far away, packing up the girls' tent with Chang and Daisy. Yong was gathering up stray cloths or leftovers of food while Hugo was packing up the boys' tent. It seemed that Rapunzel had thought of everything, because she left packs of s'mores-a bunch of 'em, in fact. But she also packed croissants, some blueberry pie, and some cookies. Sometimes it made Harmony wonder just what Rapunzel did in her backpack while she was preparing to leave...
Someone snuck up behind Harmony and Chang smiled a bit. Suddenly she was hugged from behind, slightly lifted up into the air.
"Ahh!" She giggled as Varian was the culprit. "Vari! Come on, unfair!"
"All's fair in love and war, m'lady," He kissed her cheek lovingly. Hugo rolled his eyes while Yong just continued packing his backpack. The two felt closer than ever before after their talk, and it was a good thing. If they had to spend the whole journey the way they did, Hugo would've interfered and done it a lot sooner.
"Hey lovebirds," Hugo called out and they looked over to him. "Koto isn't gonna be there forever!"
Varian rolled his eyes at him. He could tolerate Hugo now that they were on this trip together. Yong still didn't trust him, and Harmony didn't either for that matter. In fact, the only one who did trust him was Chang, but only because she was biased in her opinion.
"Look, if we're gonna be working together from now on," Harmony stepped up to him. "There's gotta be some ground rules. The totems will be still there, the only people who know about them are us. There's no hurry right now, and it makes me wonder why you're even in a rush. And two, no stealing from us!"
She swiped away her necklace from his hand and he whistled innocently. "Just reminding you of what I bring to the table," He winked at her.
"Keep talking like that, and you'll eat those words," She pointed her frying pan at him and he held up his hands in defense. "I'm not afraid to use this thing, you know! My sister can teach a mean concussion."
"Got it! No need to use the cooking tool," He gently pushed it away and she tossed it over to Varian. He caught it and put it into her bag. Hugo stared at Scarlett's journal as Varian gave it one last look, closing the bag.
"Second trial...you can do this, Varian," He whispered to himself before standing up. "Are we all ready to go?"
Harmony walked over to her bag as he handed it to her. An apple core fell right between the two and they looked up to see Ruddiger lying on a branch with a big belly full of eaten apples. He had tried to eat it when he dropped the thing.
"Ruddiger," Varian chuckled knowingly at him. "Let's just be thankful you didn't touch our own supply of apples."
Harmony whistled for Daisy, who flew over and landed on her shoulder. Yong put on his backpack as Chang stood up, all of them prepared. Varian walked over to the tree where they tied Prometheus and Silver, untying them both.
"You know, one of these days we oughta find some more space," Varian murmured to himself, as their group had grown larger, but they only had two horses...a third one would just add more to pet maintaining, as Ruddiger and Prometheus already caused enough trouble. Maybe he'll figure it out by the time they got there.
But this second trial did have him a bit worried. After their first one, he had no idea what to expect. Though, he was going to be a little bit more careful from now on. He underestimated the first one, and that ended up dealing with things...he really thought wouldn't come back so soon. And that was only the start of the trials. If the rest were going to be like that, he definitely had to keep an eye out...
And also make sure that he could fully trust Hugo. If he so much as ran off with this next totem, all bets were off.
"I'll take Silver," Hugo walked over to him, but the horse huffed in his face, causing him to step back and fall onto the ground. Varian bit back a chuckle.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Harmony went over to the horse, petting him. "He's kinda touchy about who he lets ride him."
"Is that so?" Hugo replied sarcastically as the horse snickered. Harmony jumped onto the saddle, Varian jumping behind her. Chang held out her hand to Hugo.
"Come on, you can stay with me."
Yong rolled his eyes as he jumped behind Varian. Hugo took her hand and she helped him up. "Thanks," He murmured awkwardly at her being so nice to him. He almost wondered why she wasn't as hostile as the others. Harmony glanced up at Varian, sliding off her horse.
"Chang, can we talk?" Harmony placed a hand on her shoulder, leading her away. "Look, I know you have...an interest in Hugo for reasons that I'll never understand. But just remember that he's the same one who stole the totem from us before we met you."
"I know, but...he must've done it for a reason, right?" Chang rubbed her arm sheepishly. "Maybe there's more to him than what you and the others believe."
"I'm not saying he's...entirely bad," Harmony glanced away, not having much faith in that statement at the moment. "I'm just warning you. The rest of us have reasons not to trust him, and Varian...well...let's just say they haven't started off on the right foot."
"I get it. Thanks for the advice," Chang nodded at her, both of them unaware that Hugo was listening in on their conversation. He rubbed his chin. If he was going to collect the rest of the totems with them, he had to find a way to get into their good graces...Varian was probably going to be the hardest, given their personalities and conflict. Yong and Harmony he could handle, and Chang was too easy.
Harmony and Chang walked past him as the archer jumped back to land in front of Varian. She snapped the reins and Silver took off. Chang did the same and Hugo stared after him, sure that he'd have a chance to prove himself soon.
Varian had the journal open while Harmony was leading the way, holding the map that their fathers created for them. However, Hugo had insisted he knew a shortcut, but obviously the three didn't let him show it. Varian was looking at the description of the second trial.
If you are reading this, congratulations. You have managed to overcome your own inner demons. You have now started the second trial. To continue this journey, you must locate the Sky Temple of Koto. To find the temple, you must look to the stars. You must have clarity in the dark to guide you, and then you will be tasked to figure out what you must give up. And remember, resurfaced memories must be learned.
"What?" Varian murmured in confusion, not knowing what that meant. Did that mean they had to wait for the stars to come out? They didn't have that kind of time.
Prometheus caught up with them as Hugo had a sly smirk. "Whatcha reading, Freckles?"
"It's Varian," The alchemist corrected him in annoyance. "And none of your business."
"Well, let's see. You refuse to trust my shortcut, and I have nothing else to do to bide my time, so...yeah, it kills my boredom knowing."
"Good luck trying to find out," Varian remarked to him, snapping the book shut. Hugo frowned a bit. If he wanted to get closer to getting those totems, he had to do better...
In the palace of Koto, specifically in the throne room, a dark-skinned girl with light brown eyes stood in front of the king. A small mole rested to the side of her left eye. She had black, short slightly messy hair with a star barrette to the left side of her hair. She had a black choker with a star charm around her neck, and a silver bracelet around her left arm. Her outfit consisted of a light ΒΌ sleeved blue dress with a yellow bow around her waist. The design of the dress insisted entirely of stars, and they were also glimmering. A light yellow shawl rested over her dress, some parts of it cut out to show some of the shirt and her top. She had on black tights and dark purple ankle boots.
The girl did not look pleased to be there, for her own reasons. "Nuru, my child. As you know, it's almost time for the meteor shower. We've stored away the food, evacuated the people into the shelter, and we covered up the castle."
Nuru glanced around at some holes poking from the ceiling and some of the walls. The castle looked really run-down and it had seen better days.
"Dad, this happens every year. Why can't we just find a way to stop it?"
"We've talked about this before, Nuru," He sighed, a hand on his forehead. "This has happened for decades now. There is no way to stop this."
"But our people can't thrive if we have to rebuild everything every year!" Nuru gestured to outside. "Take...Corona for example. They were targeted by an evil sorceress for years before they finally defeated her. Why can't we do the same?"
"Enough!" He slammed down his staff and she clamped her mouth shut. "My daughter...I admire your passion for Koto. I really do. But there is nothing we can do. All of our ancestors have endured this for many years. We must do the same."
She frowned as she left, looking towards the ground. This meteor shower had plagued Koto for as long as she could remember. No one knew why or how, but that was the general acceptance from the kingdom. However...the kingdom could never grow because of the meteor showers. They had tried everything to prevent major damage, but it was never successful.
She had to figure out what to do...
The group were almost at their destination as the horses walked up a small hill. It had been mostly silence, and Hugo was largely ignored by everyone except Chang. And it was honestly getting old. Sure, he didn't give the right first impression, but he figured that they would at least be a little more cooperative towards him.
Harmony looked up and gasped. "Guys, we're here!"
"Would've gotten here faster if we used my way," Hugo muttered, a hand on his cheek. Chang just gave him a sympathetic look.
"Wow..." Yong murmured as they looked up ahead. The horses came to a stop on the hill In the distance was a kingdom that was slightly in ruins from all the meteor showers in the past few years. Everything was locked down, and everyone was in hiding as no one was out in the town unlike the last kingdom. The sky was starting to grey, and even the houses looked a bit run down. There was a fountain in the town center, but it looked like it was breaking apart. "It looks so...inviting..."
"What happened to this place?" Varian murmured as the horses moved further down the path. They eventually reached the entrance and entered the kingdom. All of the shops were closed for some reason.
"I know this is only the second kingdom, but I can honestly say this is the most unnerving one," Harmony told them, and that was saying a lot given what she, Varian, and Yong went through in the last one. The town did not feel as welcoming as Bayangor. It was honestly jarring and a little unnerving.
"The last time I was here, it wasn't this bad," Hugo glanced around.
"Geez, it almost feels desolate," Chang commented, the horses walking slower as they felt uneasy going further. Daisy and Ruddiger hide in Varian's backpack in fear.
"Let's just find this temple," Harmony turned around to Varian, who furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Where do we go?"
"There's this you must look to the stars stuff and have clarity in the dark, but there are no stars out," Varian told her, pointing to the page. "I don't get it, what are we supposed to find to reach this temple?"
A faint whistle was heard and they looked around, trying to locate where it was coming from. It seemed to get closer and closer the longer they listened.
"That sounds like a..."
Harmony finally looked up to the sky and let out a yelp of shock. They looked in her direction to see a giant meteor heading right towards them!
"Look out!" Varian cried out as the horses quickly moved out of the way, the meteor landing between the two groups.
"D-Did a meteor just fall from the sky?!" Harmony exclaimed in shock and confusion. There were blue skies on their way over here, and no sign of a storm over there. So why was Koto any different? She looked towards the hill, and she saw that she was right. Over the hill in the distance were blue skies, and no grey in them.
Hugo rolled out of the way and Prometheus neighed in fear as he swayed to the side, avoiding another one. Silver also got frightened, ending up dropping the others on the ground.
"Whoa, calm down!" Harmony looked up at the scared horses. Prometheus threw Chang off and the two ran out the entrance, taking Ruddiger and Daisy with them.
"Ruddiger! Daisy!" Varian shouted in slight worry.
"Silver! Prometheus! Wait!" Chang called out, but the two disappeared.
"That's just great. Now we're stuck here," Hugo gave a deadpan look towards them.
"Yeah, with you," Varian turned to him.
"Obviously you have a problem with me, Freckles," Hugo turned around to him. "But whether you like it or not, I'm here to stay!"
Varian was about to argue back when a meteor fell between the two.
"Can we not talk about this in the middle of a meteor shower?" Yong raised a hand and Harmony waved them forward.
"Come on!"
They ran for the entrance, but then a meteor fell in front of the entrance, blocking them out. Chang ran towards a door, knocking on it rapidly.
"Hello? Let us in! There's a meteor shower out here!"
However, no one answered, as everyone at this point had gone off to their own shelters in their homes.
Nuru was heading her way with several guards to the palace's shelter, and they walked past a window. She glanced outside and then paused as she saw the group of five dodging the meteors. They definitely were not natives, given their clothing. Judging by that alone, they were travelers that just happened to arrive. And they could really use her help.
She glanced at the guards that were supposed to protect her should a meteor fall on them (and that had happened before), and slipped away from them. She ran down the hall, determined to make sure they wouldn't get hurt. Her father would've told her to leave them, but something in her felt like they had the answer to her problems. Perhaps it was because of their presence...
The five had formed into a star shape as they ran, with Harmony and Varian up front.
"If you're so street-smart, maybe it would've been important to point out about a meteor shower before we got here!" Varian glanced at Hugo behind him with a glare.
"Hey, I'm just as surprised as you are!"
Harmony looked up at a meteor heading right towards them. Her blue stripe glowed as she thrusted up her arms, creating a black rock to smash it to bits. Varian stared at the sky as another one came flying in. He took a vial of Quirineon from his sleeve and threw it, causing the meteor to explode. Another one came in from behind, sliding against the dirt to come towards them. The five glanced behind them.
"Oh come on!" Harmony exclaimed at this.
"What do we do?" Chang hollered over all of the craziness.
Hugo glanced to the youngest boy. "Yong! Give me one of your fireworks! Harmony, when I say so, give me one of those black rocks!"
"What? Why?" Harmony asked in confusion as she summoned another one, blocking a meteor that was coming for their heads.
"Just trust me!"
She glanced to Varian, who nodded in agreement reluctantly. "Alright..."
"Here!" Yong tossed him a firework and Hugo caught it in his hand. He gripped it as he looked towards the brunette.
"Now!"
She lifted up her hand and a black rock appeared up ahead. Hugo ran as fast as he could, picking up a smaller rock. He reached the black rock and struck the smaller rock with it, creating a spark to light up the firework. The fuse slowly continued and Hugo threw the firework behind him, causing the meteor to explode into pieces. The effects of the blast caused all of them to fall onto the ground, but they were otherwise okay.
Varian panted as he glanced up at Hugo, surprised by his action. "You...you saved us."
"See? I can be a team player, Freckles," Hugo winked at him and Varian grunted a bit, standing up. He looked up to the sky as everyone else got onto their feet.
"Everyone okay?" Harmony asked them, dusting herself off.
"We are thanks to him," Chang smiled a bit at Hugo and Yong rolled his eyes.
"Chang, get a grip..."
She stuck her tongue out at him and he returned the favor.
"There's nowhere we can go?" Harmony walked up to Varian, who shook his head.
"No. How are we gonna get out of this?"
Nuru finally arrived, waving them forward. "By following me. Come on, I can get you somewhere safe!"
The group glanced to each other. It might be because of the meteor shower or because she was the only one willing to help, but they felt like they could believe her. She could be their only option at this point, it was just like when Harmony had to debate whether or not using the healing incantation.
"Okay!" Harmony nodded in agreement and they ran after her. They continued dodging meteors along the way as they followed her all the way to the palace. She opened the door, ushering them inside. She slammed the door shut, padlocking it. Then she boarded it shut with a plank, hammer, and a nail.
"Thank you," Chang told her gratefully as they were out of breath. Nuru turned around, allowing them to catch their breath as she examined them. Looking closer, they definitely were not natives to Koto. Varian and Harmony looked somewhat familiar to her, but she didn't recognize them right away. The other three she didn't remember seeing at all, but there was just something about all of them that had her think that they were different. They were definitely not like any other visitors.
"Okay, what the hair is going on here?" Harmony asked calmly, pointing towards outside. "A meteor shower out of nowhere?!"
"And why is no one willing to help us?" Varian questioned curiously. "We tried to ask to be let in, but no one answered."
"To really get an understanding of everything around here, we should meet up with my father. He must be worried sick," Nuru stepped past them and they decided to follow, as they wanted answers to everything around here. They glanced around the halls, most of which was run down due to the previous years. The palace really looked past its prime, even the portraits looked damaged.
"Guys, look at this," Yong tugged on Harmony's skirt, pointing to the left. She turned and the other three looked to see a portrait of Nuru and her father. Chang's eyes widened as she glanced between the picture and then at the girl.
"She's the princess?" Hugo whispered to them and Varian waved them forward.
"Come on," He took the lead and they continued following her. They eventually reached a door, which Nuru opened. They stepped into the garden area, where the flowers had been trampled on, and a gazebo was missing stones. A step from a stair was missing, and there was a meteor on top of a fountain. The leaves had been strewn all around the ground from past meteors falling on hedges and tress.
Nuru walked over to a cellar door closeby and unlocked the padlock with a key. She opened the double doors to reveal a staircase.
"Is all this really necessary?" Hugo raised a brow.
"If you wish to know everything, my father has to know that I'm alright. I...snuck out to help you, and he gets really overprotective," Nuru rubbed her neck, and the others glanced at each other.
"How overprotective are we talking?" Harmony crossed her arms and Varian winced a bit. Both of them knew what overprotective felt like. After all, Harmony got locked up in her room for 14 years of her life and then again after Varian himself became more of a threat to the kingdom. Which...he didn't want to do that to her, but she seemed to be over that for the most part.
Suddenly a whole bunch of swords were pointed at the four, and they were surprised to find a bunch of guards around them.
"Release the princess!"
The king was standing behind them, arms crossed as he did not look happy at all.
"Sending the guards overprotective," Nuru smiled sheepishly.
After explaining to them that she was not kidnapped, they eventually let them go, and the king allowed them to stay in their meteor-proof hidden shelter. The four sat on boxes in front of the two royals, and they had explained everything to them.
"So, wait," Chang started off once they took it all in. "Your kingdom experiences meteor showers like this all the time? And you have no idea why?"
The two shook their heads no. "For centuries, my ancestors had been plagued with this...blemish on our kingdom," Etoile, the king, explained to them. "We had been searching for an answer for years until it was accepted. It has just been natural."
Nuru frowned and they could tell by her look that it wasn't accepted by her. "I must apologize for our citizens. They have always feared the meteor showers, and every year we must rebuild, but...it has proven futile in our case. They're usually hiding in their own shelters at this time of day."
"And you never came to a conclusion as to why or how this happens?" Varian wondered and Etoile rapidly shook his head no.
"As king, I must worry for the sake of our people rather than an occurrence that refuses to stop. But now that we are here, and you travelers are safe, may we ask for your names?"
"I'm Yong!" Yong smiled, waving to them and Chang chuckled.
"And I'm Chang, his sister."
"Hugo's the name," Hugo put one leg over the other.
"My name is Harmony," Harmony smiled, gesturing to herself.
"And I'm Varian," He nodded, frowning a bit. "You haven't seen four animals around here, have you? Two horses, a raccoon, a duckling?"
The two royals glanced to each other and the king waved a hand. Two guards brought in the horses, who had the two pets with them. They saw their owners and beamed, going over to them.
"Ruddiger!" Varian beamed as the raccoon went around his shoulders.
"Daisy! You guys are okay," Harmony opened her hands to let her friend land on her hands.
"We caught them stealing one of our few ripe crops," Etoile informed, and the four animals got looks from Harmony and Varian. They just smiled sheepishly and Daisy slowly shook her head. She had tried to convince them not to, but they couldn't resist those apples...
"Thank you for finding them," Varian said gratefully.
"Wait a minute!" Nuru stood up in surprise as she recognized them. "I remember you now! You're the Great Varian and the Queen of Legend Harmony of Corona!"
This revelation earned sharp gasps from everyone around them and then hushed whispers. The two smiled sheepishly and Hugo snorted.
"Is that what people call you now?"
"You saved Corona from the evil Zhan Tiri!" Nuru spoke in awe.
"Well, then it is an honor to meet you two," Etoile bowed to them.
"Please, just Varian and Harmony," Harmony smiled sheepishly. She was a co-queen, she was used to the attention, but they had more important things to focus on.
"I am Princess Nuru," Nuru introduced herself, gesturing to her father. "And this is my father, King Etoile."
Varian looked to Nuru's dress, seeing that there were stars on it, and they were twinkling. "Nuru...your dress...is it-"
"An active star chart!" She confirmed, looking at the material. "My...mother made it for me. We lost her a few years ago to one of the showers..."
The others winced as they took a moment of silence. Nuru looked towards the ground sadly, taking a deep breath before she composed herself.
"Anyway, why do you ask?"
"...Do you know anything of the seven trials?" Varian asked slowly and the two royals flinched.
"I haven't seen anyone travel here specifically for them in years. The last two were named Scarlet and Donella," Etoile told them and Harmony slowly stood up.
"Well...you see, that's why we're here. Scarlet is...is Varian's mother. Her book told us to look to the stars and find clarity in the dark. So...maybe it has to do with you two? We're looking for a temple to access the second trial."
Etoile glanced down at his daughter and then at her dress. "In our family, we've had past queens and princess guide those seeking the temple as is tradition. And Nuru is currently the only one to show you the way."
Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. "Are you sure, Dad?" She wanted to continue her own investigation as to why they got the meteor showers...
"They seek our help, and these two are very well-known," He gestured to Varian and Harmony, who rubbed their necks sheepishly. "Go on, Nuru. We must assist them in their journey."
And so, she found herself leading the way to the Sky Temple, looking down at her dress. How it worked was every dress sewed for the female members of the royal family was a map specifically for the Temple. The Temple's location was constantly changing, similar to how the Forest of No Return's exit was always changing. Luckily, Nuru knew how the dress worked. And there was another thing unique about the Temple that almost no one knew about...
"So how long have you been dealing with these...meteor showers?" Harmony asked awkwardly, holding Silver's reins as they walked there.
"Every year for 17 years," Nuru glanced over her shoulder as she took the lead. She was leading them through some mountains, and they had been walking for about an hour now. "I've spent every day of my life trying to find the reason behind it. So when I saw you, I had hope that you would lead me to the answer. The Temple itself might have a solution."
"Us?" Varian glanced at Harmony.
"Well, we are pretty resilient!" Yong pointed out with a smile.
"Most of us. Freckles doesn't have any fighting bone in his body," Hugo remarked, earning a small glare from Varian. He decided to ignore it, and just when he was gonna thank him for earlier...
"You're very different, yet familiar from the last visitors who sought our Temple," Nuru told them. "I was only a year old when your mother visited us."
"...What was she like?" Varian questioned, since he didn't get to know his mother much before she left.
"Very smart. Very kind. You remind me of her," Nuru smiled a bit, earning a smile from him. Harmony grinned slightly and they climbed up a wall of rock. Harmony used a black rock to get the animals up to the top and they finally, finally reached their destination. Harmony reached the top first, her mouth opening in awe. Varian was next, helping Chang and Yong up. Hugo was the last one up.
"Are we there yet?" Hugo muttered before he got onto his feet, his eyes widening up ahead. "Whoa."
"Everyone..." Nuru stepped forward, gesturing towards the sky. In front of them was an ancient beige temple with a tall staircase and a cloud marking at the top. But what was different from any other temple was that this one was actually in the sky, off the ground and being held by large clouds.
"Welcome to the Sky Temple of Koto."