Song are not mine / Ready as I'll ever be (solo rewrite) as performed by Sedgeie ; Answer by Sarah McLachlan (both slightly edited)!
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"You had to save the kingdom. You did what you had to, but you can help me now."
That day... its details are still so hauntingly present in Varian's mind. As if all that had happened just a moment ago. It keeps playing back, with its sounds and colors. The colors of the sky during that sunset, the sound of small waves hitting against the moist wood of the boat.
"Yeah, but even if the flower is here, I don't think we can just ask my dad to hand it over."
"Oh, I know we can't. Which is why we have to steal it."
The look on Rapunzel's face, when he convinced her to steal the Sundrop flower with him.
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After everything that happened, everything Varian had to go through the past weeks, he shouldn't feel bad about something as small as that. Compared to everything he had to endure, this was nothing.
Or at least, it's what he keeps telling himself. And yet... there's this heavy weight lying on his chest.
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Varian shakes his head forcefully, hoping to shake off these unwelcome thoughts as well. He can't afford to let his memory distract him.
In the background, there's Lashanie's soft humming, while the blue-eyed boy carefully measures the chemicals for his special serum.
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"Rapunzel, you got what we came for. Come on, let's go!"
"Taking the journal, stealing the flower... Varian, these are all acts of treason."
"This may be my dad's only hope. This... may be Corona's only hope. Rapunzel, Corona needs our help."
Well, he wasn't lying then. Not entirely at least. Sure, he didn't care too much about Corona at this point, but what he said, was no lie.
Slowly the chemical he's heating runs through a pipe and starts dripping into a beaker that's halfway through filled with a bluish liquid.
Drip, drip, drip...
And the rustling of fabric and straw mixes with Lashanie's lovely humming.
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"We're getting closer to the surface. We don't wanna alarm the guards."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure they and everyone else have their hands full. Heh."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"N - nothing. Uh, it's just - uhm... they have their hands full every day. Heh. Corona, you know? Heh, busiest kingdom on earth."
Was that a lie really? And why does he even bother about it? It doesn't matter anymore how many lies he told before, not with what he said to Rapunzel in the royal vault. Does it?
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His eyes wander over to Lashanie, who's patiently sewing a puppet for him, stitch by stitch. Just like he asked her to do.
Why is his mind trying to guilt-trip him over Rapunzel, when he even lied to her, his best friend? And next to Ruddiger the only one he had left.
Slowly and with a tiny splutter, the chemical from the beaker and the one dripping from the pipe, begin to mix. The blue liquid starts to change into a bright green color. It's working...
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"That was too close. You are sure this flower is worth it, right?" It's Corona's only hope?"
"It should be. But, uh - I'm not really concerned about Corona."
"You don't care about Corona?"
"Uh, oh - I mean, of course I'm concerned about Corona. I love Corona. I just meant right now, I'm really concerned about how it's gonna help my dad. Corona too."
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Drip, drip, drip...
It's almost done. Just a few drops and his new serum should be perfect. Which would bring him one step closer to implement his plan. Absentmindedly, Varian's eyes follow the blue inside the beaker fading into green.
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"You said you were just gonna take one petal."
"But what if one petal is not enough to harvest what I need?"
"Varian!"
"What difference does it make? It's just sitting here rotting anyway!"
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The last drop drips down into the beaker. The serum is ready, but there's no time to rest now, no time to lose. Varian's still got enough work to do, enough things need to get prepared before he'd set his final plan into action. This time, everything must be perfect, he can't afford another failure. But time keeps running against him relentlessly and if he doesn't hurry now...
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"Oh, do you honestly expect me to be concerned about the welfare of Corona?"
"But you said you-"
"Rapunzel, I used you!"
Something deep inside Varian still flinches at the echo of his own words. But what's done is done and he can't take back what he said. And he sure can't let this stop him.
Resolutely, the teen reaches for another one of his many chemicals. Next, he would need to prepare a sedative or even better, a sleep potion. Maybe something, that would work even from some distance, something he wouldn't have to force down his target's throat. Something like... Varian's eyes scan the room, searching for an idea, when his glance falls to his mask. Yes! A fine powder.
The teen's lips form a soft smirk, satisfied that his mind still works quite well, even with all those annoying memories repeating themselves over and over again.
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"I begged you and this kingdom for help. Everyone turned their back on me! It has to be this way."
"I defied a direct order from my father, the king, because I trusted you. We both broke the law. Give me the flower, Varian. We can find a way to fix all of this. The - the rocks, your dad, everything. I promise you. I promise! Just... this is not the way. Please!"
"Sorry Princess, but I know firsthand how well you keep promises."
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Cautiously, the young alchemist adds a binding chem to the green fluid in front of him. And with more he adds, the fluid begins to flocculate. This time, everything seems to go right according to his plan. Unlike that useless flower.
One petal has proven itself just as useless, as the whole thing. It had long lost it's immense powers and turned into nothing more, than a dead, dry plant. But on one thing Varian's sure - that power is still there, just not inside the flower. Energy doesn't get lost, it only changes form. And in this case, the powers must complete have been passed on to Rapunzel. So it's not over yet, even if his plan of using the flower to shatter the amber has failed.
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And while it was just another failure in a history of many, this one still weighs so much heavier.
When Varian made the plan to steal the flower, he was so sure, it would be the solution to all his problems. He really thought, with its help, he could finally free his dad and once this was done, even though he had to do bad things to get there, everything would be alright somehow. But it was all for naught.
The truth serum, he modified from the mood potion he found and gave to everyone in the castle.
"You'd be surprised, what people will tell you for a cookie."
Tricking Rapunzel to help him, to get that flower.
"I trusted you."
Well at least taking the route through these tunnels wasn't in vain. Or else, he would have never gotten the chance to observe that Automaton.
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Drown in thoughts, Varian lets his glance wander across the room, as he keeps pouring more of the binder into the sleep potion. Eventually, Lashanie catches his eye once more.
When she came there today, Varian had to tell her the truth. Just one look into her bright, lime yellow eyes, and he knew, that rumors must have spread like a wildfire. And she came there to hear from himself what happened. What he did.
But when he was sure, that this would draw the line for her, that Lashanie would surely have enough of him now, she only put her arms around him, to hold him in a tight embrace.
Varian's got no idea, why she still wants to be with him and the longer his eyes rest on her, the bigger grows the weight on his chest.
The compassionate girl doesn't have the slightest clue about Varian's plans. She doesn't suspect him to be lying again. No, she doesn't even know, what that puppet she's sewing is good for. Or about the chaos Varian's present for Rapunzel's birthday must have caused at the castle by now. He's plotting his final plan, while she's sitting there, humming this peaceful melody.
If she knew about the Automaton, or the other ones he's prepared, resting underneath the village, if she knew what he was going to do, would she still be there?
"I trusted you."
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Varian squints his eyes shut, before he puts his attention back to the work in front of him.
"Wha - no!"
And finally realizes, that he kept pouring the binder into the sleep potion the entire time, ruining it completely by that. Now there's only a big useless clump sitting on the plate.
Lashanie jumps up from her seat and walks over to Varian's workspace. "What happened? Can I help you somehow?"
With raised brows, she examines the oddly appearing green mass on the table, before Varian just gently shoves her away. "No. No, I'll handle this."
"Well, the doll's done anyway, so..." Looking over her shoulder, she gestures at the puppet. "Though I really wonder what you need this for. Because it's definitely too cute for a scarecrow."
One delicate smile from her lips and even at a time like this, she makes his heart pound.
She slightly tilts her head. "Let me help you."
If he could actually tell her, what he was working on, he'd probably let her help, but this way...
Varian shakes his head and insists. "No, Birdy. Really, I - I got this!"
A little puzzled, Lashanie knits her brows but agrees with a shrug eventually. "Alright. If you say so."
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This is just perfect! As if he wasn't short on time anyway. The last thing he needed right now, was a lag like this.
"Not again Varian.", he hears the voice of his dad echo in the back of his mind.
"Don't worry. I won't let you down. I'll make this work." the boy whispers to himself.
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A tiny, repeating noise, a tinkling, draws Varian's attention away from the sleep potion. Irritated, he looks up, finding that noise to come from the little bell Lashanie's wearing. The brunette's playfully feeding Ruddiger some apple slices she's cutting for him.
All right. Calm down and focus, Varian silently commands himself.
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But there's still one thing, he has to figure out. How can he make sure, that Lashanie won't get involved? He can't let her stay here, because he couldn't guarantee her safety. But would she really be save in Corona? A tricky situation.
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When Ruddiger fails to catch an apple slice, Lashanie holds up, and the chubby raccoon instead tumbles down the table, the girl lets out a tiny giggle. "Oh, Rudy!"
And Varian darts her a glare. "Lashanie, please! I'm trying to concentrate."
"Right, sorry." she pays him an apologetic smile, before she puts her fingers to her lips. "Psst, Ruddiger."
The alchemist rolls his eyes. He could just send her home, tell her he needed some peace and quiet to work. And he wouldn't even have to tell a lie.
Again the little tinkling of the bell, now mixed with Ruddiger's excited, loud chewing noises.
He sighs.
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Varian keeps repeating all his former steps the result isn't what he expected and the boy can feel his body tense up. Instead of a powder, the binder turns the potion into goo. That can't be. He's done everything just exactly like he did before.
Tinkle, tinkle
Maybe when he adds a bit more of the binding chem and stirs the mixture.
Tinkle, tinkle
But that does only make it worse. The goo only grows thicker, now sticking to the stirring rod.
Tinkle, tinkle
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The noise Lashanie bell causes and the fact, that Varian isn't able to create the substance he needs, are enough to make him bolt over to his friend.
Ungently, he grabs her arm and barks "I said I can't concentrate with all that noise! You just ruined my work! How am I supposed, to get anything done like this!?"
Her bright eyes widen in shock. She doesn't move an inch. Just like Varian.
It's the look on her face, that immediately melts his anger. He perfectly remembers the last time, he's seen her like this. It was when her cousin Ben had decided, that hurtful words weren't enough anymore, when he violently threw her to the ground.
Shocked by this flash of anger himself, Varian loosens his grip. But before he can completely let go, or maybe even say something, Lashanie severely pulls her arm away.
She doesn't say a word. Only her sharp eyes let him know, that he's gone too far.
Varian opens his mouth, wanting to say something, anything to let her know, that of all people, she was the last one, he wanted to hurt. But the words won't come out. Though that look on her face leaves him no doubt, that she's just waiting and hoping for him to say sorry, he remains silent.
It's just a few seconds, but they stretch torturous.
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Varian lets the chance to apologize pass him by. He just watches as she gets up and turns to leave. And while the voice inside his head screams for him to say sorry, to make her stay, he instead lies bitterly, "Yeah, leave. Fine by me."
For a moment, Lashanie stops in her motion, as if she was to turn back around at his words. But she doesn't...
With a heavy heart, Varian watches her walk out of the room.
And while it's hurting him like hell and he can feel a big lump in his throat, he also thinks, it might be better this way.
Once he's taken his next steps, she would have left him anyway. She's gone through enough with him already. In a few hours, he'd make it impossible for her, to stay by his side. Better to end this now and spare her the burden of his friendship.
Sorrowful he croaks to his raccoon, "Come Ruddiger, it's only the two of us now."
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The fuzzy animal stares at the door, his ears hanging down. And with a sad chitter, he trots over to his human, to cuddle up against his legs.
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The road home is long and her feeling so extremely down, doesn't help to get there faster either. It takes Lashanie till afternoon, to finally reach Corona.
A thousand times, she wanted to turn back and a thousand times, she resisted that impulse. As much, as she hated to leave him like this, she thought that it was best for both of them, to calm down first. She knows Varian didn't mean to hurt her, but she's been so shocked... she simply couldn't stay. Tomorrow, she would go see him and hopefully, he still wants to see her too.
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Lashanie walks the street home, her wrist still hurting. She kept ignoring the pain on her way, but it was there, an unfriendly reminder, that Varian really was close to the edge. That he's in the need of help much more than she thought. Help she alone might not be able to give.
Once again, like they did many times on the way, tears start to flow in her eyes. And once again, she fights them back.
All she wants to do is to help Varian, to comfort her friend. So why isn't she able to do this, when she's never wanted anything more in her life? When she is trying so hard?
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The young girl has been so lost in her own thoughts, that just now, she realizes how strange everything seems.
People should be celebrating Rapunzel's birthday, but they all appear to be in a state of shock. Is it because of Varian stealing the flower? But as far as Lashanie knows, the festival hasn't been canceled. And earlier, when she left, everyone was busy preparing for the celebration.
Walking past some people, Lashanie tries to grasp parts of their conversations. But it seems, the folks she walks by, lower their voices when she's near. Everything she's able to understand, is something about an incident at the castle.
"Another one?", she asks herself silently.
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Suddenly, a dressy woman glares at her, hissing "His little friend." She covers her mouth with her hand, as if she's sharing a secret. The others from that group turn to Lashanie instantly, darting her a similar glare as that woman.
It's the first time, people act like this towards her and it leaves her a bit surprised. But even though it's unpleasant, Lashanie's made her choice. She would stand by Varian's side and if the consequence would be, that people would judge or shun her, so be it.
Also, this makes her wonder, how it even must have been for Varian when he still came to Corona...
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Soon enough, the girl escapes the crowded streets. Her new home lies in a secluded backstreet, cramped between other small houses. Normally, this place is too lonely for her liking, but today, the teen is unutterable grateful for that.
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Coming closer, Lashanie prays for her parents to not be at home. The last thing, she feels able to do now, is to explain to them, especially her father, where she's been. Or why she still goes to him. She already knows, her parents don't understand and she's got no words to change that.
With heavy steps, she pushes ahead. The young brunette's almost reached the front door, when a child runs past her. It brushes her arm and the little golden bell gives out a loud tinkle. Without slowing down, the young one shouts "Sorry!" with their squeaky voice, and all of a sudden, Lashanie feels tears burning in her eyes again. Tears, she's unable to hold. There's a huge lump building in her throat.
Hastily, she dashes inside, leans against the door, and pushes it shut this way. A single tear falls to the wooden floor with a tiny plop.
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A moment passes, where she's waiting to see if anybody's home. But the house remains silent. At least, she's in luck with that.
Slowly, the teen stumbles through the empty house, the small rooms all drowned in twilight.
As soon, as she's reached her room, a chamber that hardly fits any furniture, Lashanie throws herself on the bed. She's stopped fighting the tears and just lets them come. Her thoughts keep endlessly circling around Varian, while one question keeps burning on her mind. How did it all come to this? How did everything get so bad?
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He's right on time. Perhaps a little later than he had originally planned but now, he's quite happy with it. The dark of the night will only play into his hands.
On the back of Ruddiger, of the creature his small raccoon became through his new serum, it's been a stone's throw to Corona Castle.
"You know what you've got to do, Ruddiger." Varian nods at his animal friend before he pours two different chemicals into a barrel.
Immediately, a thick fog forms. It crawls over the streets over Corona and the castle square. Everything's going just as he planned. The alchemist grabs a speaking tube he built. He has to make sure, that he will be heard.
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"Hello, Corona. Something dark is coming for you. Our king has refused to acknowledge it. In the hopes of keeping his secret, he has lied to you and vilified me."
Somewhere there in the fog, Varian can hear the king ordering more man. And he can hear the guards following his order. They've got no idea, that this is exactly, what he was hoping for.
"In a matter of days, Corona, this island, and the castle itself, will be overcome by this growth. It has already overtaken the outskirts of the kingdom. The key, to stopping this destruction, is Princess Rapunzel herself. I have asked for help and have been ignored. I will not be ignored any longer. And to make sure I have your attention, I've developed a new serum and created something special for you all."
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While Ruddiger disappears into the fog, distracting everyone including the guards, Varian can use this chance, to easily make his way into the castle. It seems his plan's working into every single detail.
No one is inside the castle, at least no one to stop him. Everyone's outside, kept busy by Ruddiger. Everyone but...
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He can see her from afar, looking through a window into the castle square. Carefully, Varian shortens the distance between him and Queen Arianna. He brings himself close behind her, before he finally draws her attention to himself.
"Hello, Your Majesty."
Shocked, she turns around to face him, just as he expected. The moment her wide-opened eyes meet him, he throws a handful of the sleep powder at her.
"Sleep!"
Protected by his mask, the powder can't affect Varian himself.
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Queen Arianna stumbles to the floor and the young alchemist can catch her just before she hits the ground. She's quite a bit heavier than he thought and Varian puts all his strength into taking her to one of the servant entrances.
In the end, it paid off, that he took Cassandra's handmaiden duties for one day. He knows exactly where to go.
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He would have to lie, to say it was easy but at last, he arrives at the entrance with the queen. Now he only has to wait for Ruddiger to come here.
Silently, he keeps hiding in the dark, slowly starting to grow nervous as he wonders if something has happened to Ruddiger. If that's the reason why he takes so long.
Just when Varian's about to head off on his own, Ruddiger turns the corner. His friend is back to his normal size and happily chewing a stolen apple.
"Ruddiger! We got no time for things like that!", Varian scolds, a little upset that Ruddiger would let him wait like that for an apple. But at the same time, immensely relieved that his friend did finally show up.
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"We have to get back to Old Corona and we have to get there fast."
The dark-haired boy pulls a tube with more serum from one of his pockets.
"One more time, all right buddy?"
Ruddiger swallows down the last piece of his apple, before he closes his eyes so that Varian can pour the substance from the tube on him.
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With Ruddiger's help, Varian has been able to get back to Old Corona in no time. It's almost been too easy, to kidnap the queen. And now he's still got enough time left, to get preparations done for the guest he's expecting.
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Even though it's only her hands which are enchained, the queen isn't giving him any problems. He wonders, if she's afraid and waiting to be rescued or if she still doesn't see him as a threat. Does she even understand, how serious this is?
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Varian stands by his table, going through his notes again, while he can hear Queen Arianna fighting with her bonds.
With his back still turned to her, the teen explains "Don't worry, Your Majesty. You are merely bait...", he slightly turns his upper body to her, "...to lure the princess here."
With a wipe of his hand, Varian cleans his notes from the flower dust. "Only the power of her unbreakable hair, can shatter the amber and free my father. I tried asking for help in a civil manner, but was denied by everyone in Corona."
That tiny voice in his mind nags, Not true. Not by everyone.
But that doesn't change a thing... not anymore. And as good as he can, Varian ignores that voice, as he walks past Arianna, heading for the amber. To this moment, it's covered, so that Varian wouldn't have to see his dad like this all the time.
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The boy climbs over a low edge of the amber and pulls away the cover, to reveal his encased father to Queen Arianna. "So, unfortunately, this is my only remaining recourse."
A loud, shocked gasp escapes from her mouth. But the shock doesn't last long.
"And after you've freed your father?"
"After?" Varian chuckles sneeringly. "Oh, well, I'm afraid Corona will pay for turning their backs on me." His face darkens in anger. "And that's when you should start worrying, Your Majesty."
His words have just the effect he was hoping for, when the queen's eyes widen, as she lets out another shocked gasp. A satisfied smirk shows on Varian's face. They're only right, to be afraid.
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"But enough of our little talk. There are some precautions to take. After all, I do want to give our dear princess a most fitting welcome."
At a brisk pace, Varian walks over to Arianna and takes her by the arm. "If you don't want me to hurt your precious daughter, you will do as I tell you!"
When the queen doesn't show any sign of resistance, he takes this as silent agreement and leads her into the back corner.
"Sit down!", he orders.
For a moment, the queen doesn't move. She only stares back at him. "Varian, please..."
But the alchemist only grins. She can try as much as she likes, she won't change his mind.
"I'm sorry. I know you're not used to such poor treatment, Your Highness. But you will have to put up with this only for so long."
He motions with a tilt of his head, for the queen to finally sit down on the floor.
"You are making a mistake Varian.", she tries to reason, as she takes seat on the ground.
Varian chuckles amused, while he puts a chain to her ankle. Now that she's unable to run, he takes off the bonds from her hands.
"No, Your Majesty, you and all of Corona have made a big mistake. And now, you're going to pay for it."
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The sun has long gone down and there's no light left in Lashanie's room. She got the blanket pulled over her head, unable to sleep and unable to get back up.
It's the sound of the front door swinging open, that pulls her out of her thoughts. Slowly, the slim teen lifts her head off the pillow, that's soaked with her tears.
Only a few seconds later from the noise, and to Lashanie's surprise, her mother storms into the girl's room. Her eyes filled with a mix of relief and worry.
"Thank goodness, you're here!" Anne slides down on the bed and throws her arms around her daughter. "You're alright!"
All of this leaves Lashanie incredibly confused. Gently, she tries to escape her mom's tight embrace.
"Yes - yes, I am. Why wouldn't I be?", Lashanie whispers, her voice hoarse from crying for hours.
It seems her dad notices that something's up with her. "Where have you been all day?", he asks. Softly, but with a certain undertone.
When Lashanie still considers, to simply tell him what he most likely already knows, she takes note of him staring at her arm. A red mark has formed where Varian held her. A mark, that's easy to tell as a handprint. For a second, their eyes meet, before Lashanie lowers her head. Her dad knows, she could clearly see it in his eyes. And she knows, no matter what she'd say right now, he would never understand. So she remains silent.
And she expects him to ask again, to insist for her to tell him the obvious answer. But instead, he takes Anne by the shoulder and motions her to get up, before he orders Lashanie "You too. You have to get up. We must head back to the castle."
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Puzzled, the young girl looks at her dad. It's the middle of the night. What business could they have at the castle, that can't wait till morning? And why would she have to go with them?
And as if he could read her mind, Ludwig answers her unspoken questions.
"The guard, they could use your help, your gift. This is your chance to show what you can do."
Now Lashanie's even more confused than before. But one thing's for sure, something terrible must have happened at the castle.
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"Any moment now, Your Highness."
Any moment indeed. They will be here soon, Varian's sure. And he'll be ready. It's just some final touch-ups to his preparations.
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Believe me, I know
I've sunk pretty low
But whatever I've done you deserved
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"Varian..."
"Quiet!"
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I'm the bad guy, that's fine
It's no fault of mine
And some justice at last will be served
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"Please listen!", Queen Arianna begs as Varian continues to get his construction done - a huge Automaton.
He's been welding the open seams and now climbs a ladder standing by that monstrosity, rung by rung until he's reached the top. There, he pulls a hammer from his apron, and with repeated knocks, he brings the last lose nails in position.
All this, while he's still trying to fight any remaining remorse and to ignore Queen Arianna's attempts to fuel the doubts that last somewhere deep inside him.
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Now it's time to step up
Or it's time to back down
And there's only one answer for me
And I'll stand up and fight
Cause I know that I'm right
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And I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready
Ready as I'll ever be
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One more time, Arianna tries to get through to him. She pleads "Varian, think about what you're doing. There must be some way I-"
"Must be what!?" Varian harshly interrupts her. "You - you had plenty of time to help me! This is all your fault!"
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And now it's time to rise up
Or it's time to stand down
And the answer is easy to see
And I swear, though I'm flawed
I'll no more be ignored
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Cause I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready
Ready as I'll ever be
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No. No matter how hard she tries, she will not stop him. He won't fall for her insincere caring.
Slickly, he fills the liquid for his goo-bombs into its vessels. He tosses it in the air, then weights it in his hand. And just like he's done before many times, he loads his automatic mechanism with the orbs. But this time, the target isn't going to just leave this place again after being caught.
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"Varian, please, reconsider. What does any of this achieve?"
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I never wanted to do this
But I'll do it if it guarantees
That you will hear me
You'll never stop me
I'll save my only family
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Now the line's in the sand
And my moment's at hand
And I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready
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Varian watches his modified Automaton being lowered into its stash beneath the floor by his lifting device.
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Ready as I'll ever be
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The streets are empty, but that's nothing unusual, that late in the night. And yet, there's a strange sensation Lashanie can sense clearly. It's like a tension filling the air around them.
When they got on the horses, she didn't ask what exactly happened, simply because she didn't really want to know. All she wanted to do at this point, was to lie in her bed until all of this would be finally over. Until her life could be back to normal. But now that she's sitting on Balwin, her father's horse, and getting closer to the castle so fast, Lashanie wishes she knew what's awaiting her there. A bad feeling is growing bigger inside her, heavily weighing on her chest and intensifying with each passing second.
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Arriving at the castle, they're received by one of the guards. He's wearing visible, bad bruises and finally, Lashanie gathers the strength to ask the question, she's been avoiding until now.
"What happened here? What caused all this chaos?" Her eye falls on fruits that are scattered on the ground and shattered stands and booths from the festival.
"We've been attacked, young Lady."
Carefully, Ludwig gets off the horse, to lend Anne a hand.
Lashanie knits her brows at the guard. "Attacked? But who's crazy enough, to attack the castle?"
"Varian.", her dad responds plainly, while holding her mother.
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Shocked, Lashanie's eyes wander between her father and the guard. She expects this to be a bad, inappropriate joke or a lie. Anything but the truth.
But the guard only nods in agreement and assures. "But don't worry, young Lady. Everyone who's still able to fight is on their way to Old Corona. The queen will be rescued and safely return here and the boy will receive his punishment."
Instantly, the apathy she was drowning in since she's left Varian earlier that day, is all gone at once. Her heart is hammering in her chest like crazy. Now she finally knows where that bad feeling came from. And she would have known much earlier if she wouldn't have been so busy with bathing in self-pity.
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Her dad walks back to her and reaches out, to lift Lashanie off the horse. And finally, she realizes, that she must move, that time around her didn't just freeze.
She takes Balwin's reins and holds them firmly. Ludwig gives his daughter a questioning look and Lashanie whispers "I'm sorry." before she heads off.
Behind her in the distance, she can hear her father shout "Lashanie, come back here! Lashanie!"
But his words are of no use. She's got only one thing on her mind now - Varian.
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A deep regret, that she's left him earlier, clenches its cold fist around her heart. But she'll make it up to him! She will be there for him and nothing will stop her.
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I will be the answer at the end of the line
I will be there for you while you take your time
In the burning of uncertainty, I will be your solid ground
I will be the balance if you can't look down
.
Quickly, through the empty streets of Corona, Lashanie drives the horse. She can barely hold on to the big animal, but she will get to Old Corona, to Varian.
Determined, she leans forward, her light brown hair flying in the wind, the bell on her wrist tinkling constantly. And every tinkle only strengthens her resolve.
.
If it takes my whole life
I won't break, I won't bend
It'll all be worth it, worth it in the end
'Cause I can only tell you what I know
That I need you in my life
.
Old Corona isn't far from here. By horse, she should be able to make it there on time.
The cold wind blows harshly in her face, but she doesn't bother about it. She can hardly feel it. There's a strength blazing up inside her, a strength she can only guess where it's coming from.
.
If it takes my whole life
I won't break, I won't bend
It'll all be worth it, worth it in the end
.
Not much further, she'll soon be there.
.
Cause I can only tell you what I know
That I need you in my life
When the stars have all gone out
You'll still be burning so bright
.
And she will do anything to save her friend. To save her Varian.
.
From his window, Varian can see them coming. They're walking his village among the black rocks. And of course, he knows they're trying to trick him. As if he would fall for a disguised Shorty to be the princess. And as if he didn't figure they'd come up with a plan like this.
It would take them much more brains to outsmart him. With an amused, satisfied smirk, he turns to Arianna.
"What a happy family reunion this will be. For both of us."
.
Everything's prepared and everything's going just as he thought.
Before Varian takes a hiding spot, where he couldn't be seen from the trapdoor, that leads from the tunnels into his lab, his eyes brush the doll Lashanie sew for him. If she knew, he's using it to lure Rapunzel into a trap... But he promised himself, he would not let anything stop him.
.
A creaking sound, coming from the ladder underneath the laboratory, tells him of Rapunzel's arrival. He looks at Arianna and puts a finger to his lips, before he whispers quietly, "Not a single world."
.
Slowly, his intruders enter through the trapdoor. Not only Rapunzel, but the king as well.
It's almost funny. All of them refused to acknowledge the need of help Old Corona was in. They all could have done something before, but they choose to ignore him instead and now, in the end, they still found their way here to finally see what their ignorance has caused. Granted, their appearance was not quite voluntary, but what of it.
.
As he expected, they head straight for the puppet, that looks just like him, without paying further attention to their surroundings.
Gruffy, King Frederic takes the doll, he thinks to be Varian, by the shoulders. Only when he turns it around, to see the front, the king notices he's been fooled. He throws the puppet to the ground. "What is this!?"
Just at this moment, Varian's mechanism fires the goo-bombs, trapping Rapunzel and her father where they're standing. Varian laughs out loud. This was just perfect!
He walks towards his royal visitors, to reveal himself. With a big smile, he faces them. "Welcome back ... Rapunzel."
.
The young blonde gasps, before her pretty face takes an offended look.
Unimpressed, Varian lifts pascal off her shoulder and puts him in a small cage, while the king tries to order him around.
"Varian, I demand you release us, and tell me where the queen is."
But the alchemist sure won't take any orders from him. Why would he?
With a smack, he puts Pascal's cage down on the table. "Your Majesty, I know it's hard for you, but for the first time in your life... you are in no position to demand anything. But in the spirit of compromise..."
.
Wearing a smug grin, Varian walks backward to the heavy curtain that divides the room. "How 'bout I meet ya halfway?" The skinny boy pulls the curtain aside, revealing the queen, who's still chained to the floor.
"Mom!"
Calmly the queen responds to her daughter's worry, "I'm okay, Rapunzel."
"Let her go, Varian! Please!", his former friend calls.
He's got her right where he wanted. And he's gonna make the best use of it. "First, you're going to do something for me."
"What do you want?", Frederic interferes, holding his beloved daughter.
"Oh! So now you care about what I want." Varian chuckles bitterly, before he let out a sarcastic laugh. He kneels down by Arianna's side and grabs her shoulder. "All it took was threatening the things you love the most."
Now, they will finally understand, that he's serious, that he's making the rules now and they have no other choice but to go with it. Finally, they have to listen to him.
.
He just glares at them, before he gets back up again and walks to the opposite side of the room, to bring a cart.
"What are you going to do Varian?", the king asks.
"Yeah, I'll - I'll spare you the details about the Sundrop and darkness, blah, blah, blah, and get to the good stuff."
By pulling away the blanket he used as cover, Varian reveals a drill he's constructed. Rapunzel and her father pay him a questioning look, so he walks over to a cluster of black rocks and knocks against them "Unbreakable." before he approaches Rapunzel and takes her braid "Unbreakable. To put it plainly, with assistance from my drill, Rapunzel's hair should be able to shatter the amber... and free my father."
His eyes fix on the amber. On his dad. He can only hope he's right and this will work.
.
With an angry undertone, King Frederic asks, "What do you mean, should?"
"Oh, I suppose it's just as likely, the amber shatters Rapunzel." the teen replies with a sardonic smirk. "I mean, the properties-"
Frederic doesn't let him finish his deliberations. Incensed he draws his sword and growls "Absolutely not!"
But Rapunzel objects "It's not your choice, Dad."
Varian can't deny, he's somewhat enjoying this. He leans against King Frederic and pushes down the sword. "She's right, Dad.", Varian sasses, before he walks back to Queen Arianna. "Oh! And I almost forgot, we're - uh, kinda on a time crunch here, so I'm gonna need to speed things along."
As he's walking over to the queen, Varian pulls a tube, containing the chemical that causes the amber to grow from the rocks. He spills the entire substance across one spike near Arianna. Immediately amber starts to grow from the reaction.
"Varian, stop!" Princess Rapunzel shouts as she realizes the danger her mother's in.
Now that he's sure, Rapunzel's got no choice but to help him, he releases the young blonde from the goo.
"Well. Shall we get started?"
.
Of course, it doesn't need more, to convince her. Unlike when it was about his dad, the thought of her mother getting encased in the amber is helping a lot, to bring Rapunzel to help him. But that doesn't surprise Varian anymore. He's long realized that she never cared about him.
He prepares the drill, so that the tip is wrapped in Rapunzel's magical hair. This way, it should work... It must work!
.
As he brings himself in position, Rapunzel begs, "Varian, if this doesn't work, and something happens to me, please, please, let my mom go."
But Varian isn't able to show any sympathy for her. Not when he begged for help, begged for her to save his dad, and has been thrown out of the castle in response.
"I can't make any promises, Princess."
By finishing this sentence, Varian puts on his goggles and starts the drill. Rapunzel groans with pain, as it pulls her hair.
But even when the magical glow adds to her blonde head of hair, and no matter how hard Varian tries to push the drill's tip to get through the amber, nothings happens. He can't even cause it a scratch.
"What? Why?" Varian shouts angrily, pushing his goggles back to the top of his head.
Again, he puts the drill to work and pushes it against the amber's surface, tries to force it to break, to let him be successful in his plan.
.
But the longer he's making usage of her hair, the weaker Rapunzel becomes. She falls to her knees, drained of her strength.
"Stop it! She can't take anymore!", the king pleads for his daughter's safety.
For a moment longer, Varian still keeps running the drill anyway. Only when Rapunzel's already lying on the ground, he stops the machine.
"I just - I, I don't understand! Why won't it..." He rushes to the amber and desperately throws his fist against it's hard, cold surface. "Her hair! It - it should've cut through it! Why didn't it work?"
.
While the realization, that he's just lost his last chance to free his dad, slowly seeps in and Varian sinks down to his knees, his prisoners can free themselves.
"No! No!" the teenage boy cries. "I wasn't wrong! It's not my fault! None of it is!"
He's left with nothing - no home or family and Rapunzel... she will walk out of here with her parents as a happy reunited family...
Varian wipes his face and turns around to see Rapunzel in the arms of her mom and dad. While his only family is still trapped inside the unbreakable amber. They refused to do anything, refused him help, and now it seems that it's too late for his father. And slowly, Varian's sorrow turns into deep anger. "It's her fault!"
And there's no reason for him, to fight this anger anymore. If he can't free his dad, then he will at least make sure, they will pay for their ignorance and inactivity. They won't get away just like this.
Varian rushes underground, where his controllable Automaton sits waiting for him to use it. He gets inside the machine and with its enormous powers, he breaks through the floor.
"Sorry Princess! We were in this together! But if I can't have a happy ending, then neither can you!"
.
Under loud shouting, driven by his anger, Varian throws the machines huge fists at Rapunzel and her family. Lucky for them, they manage to escape this strike. They haste to the door.
But that's fine by Varian. They can run alright, but they won't escape. He won't let them! They made him do this, they left him no choice and they will pay!
.
It's worse than she expected. Without waiting for Balwin to come to a halt, Lashanie jumps off his back and stumbles across the battlefield.
She wonders, what are those machines? Did Varian build them? And where is he, where is Varian?
.
None of the others seem to have taken notice of her yet. They're all busy fighting. But over there, not far from her, Lashanie spots Eugene. He just knocked over one of the machines and threw his opponent into a cluster of rocks, causing it to explode. "All right! Who's next?"
Hastily, she rushes over to him. "Eugene! Varian, where's Varian?"
At this very moment, the door to the alchemist's house swings open and Rapunzel gets outside, together with her parents. Lashanie feels a glimmer of relief, it seems they're unharmed, so it might not be too late for Varian yet.
.
But that hope, she can hardly keep up, when only a few seconds after the princess, another one of those machines, even bigger than the one's, the others have been fighting, comes crashing through the wall.
It's only a small window at the head of the construction, she can see him through, but there's no doubt - Varian's controlling that thing from inside.
.
"Sorry Buddy, but there's a line.", Eugene jokes while Cassandra doesn't hesitate to attack Varian.
Lashanie shouts from the top of her lungs, "No, wait!"
But it's too late, Cassandra already throws herself at the Automaton with a drawn sword.
Yet, her attack fails. With the machine's hand, Varian can catch her with ease.
"Hello, Cassandra. I always knew, I could sweep you off your feet.", the boy taunts.
And the queen loudly demands "Let her go, Varian!"
But this way she only manages to draw Varian's attention back to herself. With the free hand, he grabs her as well.
"Arianna!"
"Mom!", her family shouts, as she's being lifted into the air.
But before the alchemist can decide what he's going to do with them now, a frying pan hits the glass of his window.
Rapunzel bravely treads down the steps in front of Varian's home. "That's enough, Varian."
"It's not enough, until you endure the same amount of pain and agony I have!"
Varian doesn't care about the damage he might cause anymore. He's got nothing left and he'll make sure, she will neither.
.
He's about to squeeze his captives in the Automaton's merciless grip, when someone stands in his view, her arms spread wide.
"You must stop, please!"
Varian pauses his rampage. "Lashanie?", he asks quietly before he shouts "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!"
The brunette folds her hands, as for a prayer. "Please, Varian. I know you're hurting. I know you feel lost, but I-"
"No, you don't know! Don't try to tell me you understand!"
"I do, because I know you, Varian. This isn't what you want. This is not you. You are not like this!" She motions to the chaos surrounding them, the battlefield he's turned their village into.
Everyone's just tensely waiting. Waiting to see, if that girl might be able, to get through to him and stop this fighting.
.
"I beg you, please stop. It's not too late" With her open palm, Lashanie reaches her hand out to him. "Let's go home, Vary."
"Can't you see!? There's no home for me to return to. I got nothing left." He glares at Rapunzel and growls, "Because of her!"
"That's not true. You got me! I'll be your home, together we'll fix all this. Just - just give me a chance."
Varian hesitates. He really wishes she was right. But then he glances at the people surrounding them, the people of Corona, the royal guards, Rapunzel's friends, and family and Rapunzel...
No, none of this can't be fixed and what happened can't be undone. They pushed him to do this. They came here to fight him, to fight the threat, they turned him into and so be it!
"Sorry Birdy, but you're wrong. You can't fix this."
.
With the Automaton's heavy mechanical arm, he gives her a push, to get her out of the way. To make sure, she won't get involved in this conflict more. But he underestimates the blow.
The slim girl's being thrown off her feet and falls to the ground, where she hits her head. And suddenly, she doesn't move anymore.
Ruddiger sprints to her side. The raccoon nudges her cheek again and again, but she still doesn't move. And Varian snaps.
"No! No! This is your fault!, he screams at Rapunzel. "You made me do this! It's all your fault!"
.
Driven by his anger and despair, he tightens the grip around Cassandra and Queen Arianna. The two women groan loudly in pain. And while Rapunzel's watching, frozen in shock, the rocks rise to surround the princess all of a sudden.
Varian can't see what's going on with her, but when the rocks reduce back into the ground, new spikes of them start to immerge around them and begin to take down his Automatons all over the battlefield.
.
The Princess takes a few steps towards him and he follows suit. If she wants him to end this now, he'll gladly do her this favor.
But Rapunzel's face doesn't speak of fear or concern. And Varian can hardly believe what's happening in front of his own eyes. The rocks - Rapunzel can control them!
She stretches her palms above the ground and two spikes rise as if summoned by her. And when she clasps them in her hands, a wave of power pushes Varian away. His machine's being knocked over and it's fists open, releasing Cassandra and the queen.
.
After shaking off the first shock, Varian quickly forces himself and the Automaton back up. Even with those fancy new tricks of hers, she will not stop him!
One after another, Rapunzel takes down the other remaining Automatons with the rocks. But that doesn't matter to Varian anymore, he doesn't need them, he only has to reach her.
.
Madly, he operates the machine to hasten at Rapunzel.
The rocks tear off one leg - no loss. He still can move!
They hit its torso, throw the machine in the air this way and tear off the other leg. But that's also no problem - the fall still brings him closer to Rapunzel as the Automaton's sliding on the ground. And all it takes is just one hit.
He glides further and finally, he's close enough. He operates the machine's arm, reaches out for the princess. He's almost got her, just a bit, a tiny bit closer...
.
But this does not happen. A spike of the rocks harshly pierces through the mechanical hand, ending this fight for Varian at last.
"Argh!" Furiously, the boy pushes and pulls the controls. Refusing to accept his defeat, he tries to get his machine to move again.
Another huge spike ultimately pierces through the middle of the machine and destroys the engine. The Automaton's energy dies away and it stops running.
"No!", Varian screams painfully. It's over. He's lost everything. He couldn't free his father, he could not take vengeance for him and now it's all over. Rapunzel... she's won.
.
Her lids flutter and she can hear the sound of a beating heart. Lashanie slowly opens her eyes, to find herself to be supported by the white horse from the guard.
A terrible pain explodes inside her head and the girl feels her temple, the spot where she got hit. Lightheaded, she examines the tips of her white gloves, which are soaked with blood. And slowly, she starts to remember what happened.
Lashanie shoots up from Maximus' side, receiving a nagging neigh. She knows very well, she shouldn't move too fast right now. The dizziness that immediately sets in, is by far enough to tell her.
But she has to.
.
"Varian!" Her bright eyes search the area for the alchemist. And when she finally finds him, the teen can feel her heart drop.
Varian is wearing handcuffs and the guard is leading him to a prison carriage.
"No! No, please don't!", Lashanie shouts, attempting to run to her friend, when someone pulls her back by the arm. She turns around and looks in the face of her father.
He must have followed her there. And she notices at first glance, that he must have been terribly worried for her.
But Lashanie tries to pull away still. "Please Dad, he needs me!"
Her father only shakes his head and with an unexpected soft voice, he says "No, Lashanie. No, he doesn't."
Ludwig reaches out, to wipe away the blood, that's running down his daughter's face, but Lashanie flinches hardheaded and turns back to Varian.
.
Just then, Ruddiger jumps to the alchemist's side. He climbs to Varian's shoulder and wipes away a single tear from the boy's cheek. The raccoon sadly glances at Lashanie, as Varian speaks to himself, "I will make you proud of me, Dad... if it's the last thing I ever do."
Before he's being taken away, Varian's blue eyes meet Lashanie's one last time, for a short, painful moment.
.
The carriage sets off and Lashanie shouts out as loud as she can "I won't give up on you, Varian! I will never give up on you, no matter what!"
The distance between them grows and Lashanie whispers to herself, as her voice breaks "I promise."
.
Her dad finally lets go of her arm and she falls to her knees, sobbing desperately. She doesn't care what anyone might think about her.
For the first time in her life, the morning feels even darker than the night.
-x.ღ.x-
