In a world unlike any other…
An old window waits with a star-filled sky for a special doll to return to its maker.
The doll was old, in a fancy poofy dress of crush violet purple, with pretty pink trim, ribbons, and laces. Her hair was made of smooth hazel brown as it was long and flowing underneath a dress-matching hennin. The buttons were black, as is traditional for a doll but painted with rouge. One of the finest works.
But now it was time to start again for the creator.
With trusted shears meant for the fabric, the pair of needle hands began to cut away the old fabric used and stuffed it away into the recycling bin. The same with the pretty shoes, princess hat, and other girly accessories that were made as no girly things were needed.
Next came to the hair, it was lovely hair that can be imagined by a princess, but no longer needed in this work and thus began to pull away from the lovely yarn as the details to the hair came undone in a memorizing way. The old yarn that had been collecting dust could be reused and so was placed in a cupboard for a project for another day.
Then the buttons as the scissors carefully cut the thread holding them and were plucked from the doll's head. These button eyes would never do as black would not be befitting the doll any longer than it did. No, no. These buttons were damaged by time and broken over the years, thus they must be thrown away.
Now, the last undoing of the doll's previous appearance was to simply cut open the stitched together mouth. It made a noise that sounded that the bounds of the fabric were undone as the mouth opened to reveal its cottony inside. Cotton was flat, and unwanted in the project as the hands made of needles plucked it out of the doll with ease.
With a quick flick of the wrist, the creator turned the doll inside out to redo the doll's image as it was carefully settled.
The doll's mouth was wide open as sawdust poured into its mouth, filling it up with a softer detail to the toy. Sawdust was a much more manageable filling for the doll as it provided a more delightful style to the innards of the doll. A true craftsman would make a doll that gave what is wanted by the intended person.
Now that the doll was perfectly filled with sawdust, it was time to close the mouth with thread. Carefully, the needle-like hands stitched the mouth closed, making it form a charming grin. The doll's smile should be pleasant.
Then, the choice of buttons would do. Something more elegant and unique than black. Through the different shapes and colors, the creator chose the perfect pair. Large and pretty blue eyes that were brand new were the right pick. They were sewn in with care and made symmetrical as the thread was flying in the air with the needle-like hand and the needle.
Next was the hair as that was the tricky part. This hair was incredibly unique. It must be jet black with a teal steak. Carefully tucked into the hole to create the hairstyle of a boy with bangs and a teal streak down to the tip. Of course, to add a bit of hair for the back to make it somewhat wavey with the dolls' neck.
Compared to the hair, the goggles would be an easy task. With leather and tinted glass. A small pair of goggles were added to the doll to be movable and yet sewn in. Quite an interesting little doll it was becoming. It has been a long time since the creator needed to create such individuality but there would be no complaint here.
Then the clothes were made. A collared beige long-sleeved shirt with a maroon vest, a dark hazel brown belt with a bronze buckle with little things, beige brown pants, gloves with straps and dials, boot, and a cute little apron.
The final touches were the freckles and the buck-toothy grin, and the doll was complete.
Now, it was time to send it back from whence it came.
"See you soon." A voice whispered as the doll drifted into space and the creator closed the window.
Now all that was needed to do was wait.
In Corona nine days later…
An empty room was discovered in the castle and would soon be placed into use as a ballroom for people to mingle, (Rapunzel's idea).
The guards and servants were helping stylize the room to make it presentable. To really get people's interests, the King and Queen even had a miniature Corona placed upon the mantle of the fireplace. Eugene and Lance were giving their creative impute. Mrs. Crowley was arguing about having the room boarded up again as she showed great displeasure, even more so than usual.
The chubby raccoon known as Ruddiger was watching as the room was being restyled, then turned his head as his dear human companion was coming out of the laboratory for the first time in weeks. Varian was the type of fellow who did not enjoy the current attention to be had, the negative kind. Though he was doing his best to make amends, somehow it was never enough, and even though things between him and the princess were better, he still felt alone.
With everyone busy in the mystery room, he thought it would be a good time to seek out and get some fresh air. If they asked or rather demand where he went, he could say he went to search for the oldest well in Corona to get some well water for his project. He snuck out of the castle, away from the town part of the kingdom, and into the forest to find the well. He soon spotted his buddy Ruddiger climbing in the trees and called for him.
"Hey buddy, how's it going?" Varian asked as his raccoon made noises while being petted, "Yeah, I just needed to get out for a bit without someone breathing down my neck right now. I swear, lately, I'm either being pushed away or given the evil. I-I know I've made bad mistakes but-."
He stopped as he noticed he had found the location of the secret well. Now, he just had to find it. The best way to do it was to check the soil itself without his gloves to feel the moistness. The alchemist noticed strange plants but didn't make much notice of them as he was looking for the well. Then he nearly jumped out of his skin as he encountered the nervous made, Faith.
"Oh, sorry Miss.-." Varian apologized.
"Faith, please just Faith. Sorry for scaring you." Faith apologized.
"It's okay, Ruddiger and I were just looking for the secret well," Varian explained as he took another.
"You're right on top of it and if you stomp too hard, you'll fall." Faith warned as Varian quickly stepped back and noticed the mushrooms growing around the cover.
Faith then showed him the pit that was the well.
"See? This well has been around since Corona first started. It's supposed to be so deep, that if you even climbed for a hundred years, you would never reach the top." She added as Varian made a mental note to keep away from the well for a while.
"Oh, thank you." Varian thanked as he held out his hand for a handshake, but Faith didn't take, "Oh, yeah. I guess you wouldn't trust me either-."
"No, no, no! It's not that. It's just… Your hand is covered in poison Ivy."
Varian gasped as he tried to rub off the poison Ivy onto his pants. Great, now he was going to get a rash.
Later at the Castle…
Soon Varian returned with some well water and itchy hands while his father and the royals waited for him.
"Varian, where have you been? No one could find you anywhere." The King demanded as Varian sighed at his tone.
"Forgive me, your highness, I was just getting some well water from the secret well," Varian explained as he showed the vial.
"Varian, that is very dangerous. You could've fallen in and we would have never found you." Quirin scolded his son, "Next time ask someone to get you things than just wandering off."
"But-."
"Varian."
The Alchemist sighed again as he bent his head down.
"Yes Dad."
Noticing the sadness in the boy, the queen spoke up.
"Err… Varian, why don't you help Rapunzel in the new ballroom? She wouldn't mind having an extra hand." The Queen suggested as she tried to lighten the mood.
Varian sighed and left.
"Why did you offer?" Fredric asked his wife.
"Fredric, we were being a little bit too rough on the boy and lately I've noticed how down he's been. If we really want to see Varian be a better person, we need to show trust rather than just kicking him down." She advised as Varian overheard.
Even the Queen had her doubts and was hiding it, great.
In the Ballroom…
The Ballroom was nearly done as Varian quietly walked in to see Rapunzel giving the final touches to the ballroom.
Varian felt uncomfortable as the servants glared at him. Eugene picked up on this and acting as Captain of the Guard.
"Alright, back to work. The King wants this Ballroom finished soon." He scolded as the servants hopped to it, "Varian, how's it going Hair Stripe?"
"Oh, the Queen thought I could be of help here," Varian explained as Eugene looked around.
"Well, we're actually almost down. But there is something you could do. Can you count everything in this room? You know, windows, doors, stuff like that." Eugene offered as he soon got back to work.
Varian sighed and before he got started, was stopped by Rapunzel and Faith.
"Hey Varian, I heard you went to the well today and got some…" Rapunzel began as Varian knew what she was going to say, "Is it okay if I see it?"
"Sure."
Varian took off his gloves to show the rash from the poison ivy. Rapunzel had them bandaged to keep them from spreading, hoping it would heal in a couple of weeks. But as quickly as she came, Nigel called for her in need of princess' duties and she left. Faith then approached him.
"Hey, Varian." Faith greeted as it felt nice to have someone new treat him better.
"Hey Faith, how's the decorating going?" Varian asked.
"Going good and I also found something cool. It looked familiar and I thought you should have it."
She then handed him a wrapped-up gift as Varian tore away from it to reveal a doll that looked like him.
"A little me? That's weird." Varian responded as he held the doll.
But before he could ask Faith where she found this, her mother dragged her away to do more cleaning, leaving Varian alone. Well, back to window counting with his new little friend. Eventually, he ran into Lance, Red, and Angry. They were not bad, just very annoying, and always messing with his stuff.
"Hey, V, man, made a doll of yourself? That's kinda weird." Angry pointed out.
"No, Faith gave it to me," Varian explained as he set it on the table.
"Awe~, Varian's got a cute new girlfriend?" Lance teased as Varian rolled his eyes.
"She's not my girlfriend, I hardly even know her." The Alchemists protested as he reached for the doll but noticed it was no longer there, "Hey, where did it go? Red, Angry, did you take it?"
"Oh, sure, blame the former thieves and best pranksters in Corona." Angry scoffed in a humorful tone.
"Maybe it fell under the table," Red suggested as they looked underneath but found nothing.
"Alright, Little Varian, where are you hiding?" Lance asked as Varian noticed it hiding behind a knocked down painting.
Varian walked over to the painting and noticed something behind it. He pushed the painting to see a very small door that was painted over.
Nigel soon walked over.
"What on earth are you doing?" The advisor demanded.
"Relax, V just found a cool new door." Red rolled her eyes at the man.
"Doesn't matter, I do not want you in here alone." Nigel scolded the boy as the princess and the new captain walked by, following Pascal the Chameleon.
"What's going on? Nigel, are you bother Varian?" She asked him.
"What? No, your majesty. I just-erm…" Nigel tried to explain himself as he knew the princess ordered the advisor to leave Varian be.
Varian decided to save his butt.
"I found a door, but we don't have a key for it," Varian answered.
"Well, little buddy, maybe it's around here somewhere. I'll go look for it." Eugene offered as he was getting kind of curious as well.
He soon found the key in a small cupboard. It was an odd-looking key, looked like a needle with a hand for the body and teeth, but a large black button on the end.
"I think this is it," Eugene spoke as Nigel insisted on unlocking the door, pushing Varian out of the way.
He used the key to cut the paint on the wall from the door, so it could open, then unlocked the door. Varian and everyone was looking at the small door with excitement while the doll stared with empty eyes. To their disappointment, it was blocked off by cobblestone.
"I don't get it," Varian whined as the advisor sighed.
"It must have been blocked off ages ago when there was another part to the castle. Now, please, stop wasting everyone's time." Nigel sighed as he was soon scolded at by Eugene and Rapunzel.
Varian sighed and closed the door.
In the medical wing at night…
When Quirin heard about the poison ivy, he scolded his son for not telling him and insisted that Varian be taking to the Castle's doctor.
The Doctor advised for Varian to stay for the night as the boy was not allowed a word in. His father would soon leave for home but stopped at the door for a moment.
"Varian…" Quirin began as his son looked to him.
"Yeah, Dad?" Varian wondered, giving hopeful eyes.
"… Get some sleep tonight and I'll be here in the morning to check up on you." Quirin finished as Varian drooped with disappointment.
"Oh, okay. Goodnight Dad." Varian sighed.
"Goodnight son." Quirin sighed as well, but with disappointment in himself then closed the door.
Varian sighed as he cuddled with Ruddiger, who was fast asleep.
"Goodnight, Ruddiger." He whispered then turned to the doll version of himself, "Goodnight, Little Me."
As the boy slept in the night the door to the Ballroom opened with paper cutout drawings of chameleons appearing.
In the Medical Wing…
Varian was fast asleep until he heard the strange noises of a Chameleon.
"Pascal…?" Varian spoke in a raspy voice as he slowly woke up.
Soon, he took notice that the sound was coming from under his bed. Was Pascal playing a game with him? The Alchemist then looked under the medical bed to see that it was not Pascal, but a different Chameleon as it continued to make noise before bolting out. Nagged by his curious nature, Varian carefully placed Ruddiger on his bed, while he still slept then followed the chameleon while his doll counterpart watched.
It was a fast, little animal, but always stopped to make sure Varian was following. Down the halls and steps with no guards or servants in sight, the color-changing creature squirmed into the new ballroom as Varian followed. Varian was thankful no one saw him as everyone would think he was mad or being a pest. The teal streaked boy looked around for the chameleon until he heard it squeezing into the small door.
"Gotcha," Varian whispered as he slid himself on his knees to the door and threw it open to catch the Chameleon.
But the Chameleon was not trapped by cobblestone, in fact, the cobblestone was gone. It was replaced by a tunnel of beautiful fabric as it led to another door on the other side that opened up to him.
"Woah." Varian breathed as a small gust of wind blew gently on his face as if to welcome him.
Varian was not allowed to go on his own… But as long as he returned to the medical wing before anyone notices, he'll be fine and how can a man of science refuse such a wonderful opportunity to explore. He crawled into the fabric made tunnel, the softest and smoothest thing he ever felt in his life, then traveled down its mystery.
Through the Magical Tunnel…
As he crawled, he noticed its beauty and lights that swirled and danced around him.
When the young Alchemist made to the other side, he found himself back where he started, or so he thought. At first glance, everything appeared to be the same, until he looked at the portraits that were once serious and sullen, were cheerful and vibrant.
Then Varian began to smell something really good and hear someone humming. As his stomach growled, he followed his nose to the source of the smell. He was soon in the kitchen to see that someone was cooking.
It was his father.
His father was cooking.
His father could never cook, it always becomes burnt and always roasted meat.
"Dad? What are you doing in the castle in the middle of the night? I thought you were supposed to take me home-."
Varian then stopped when the man turned around with a smile. This man looked exactly like his father in all but one area. The eyes, there were not normal eyes, they were buttons. Sewn and round, black as the night.
"Ah, my sweet little Genius, you're just in time for supper." He greeted warmly.
Varian was stiff as he could not believe what he was seeing.
"Is there something wrong, dear boy?" The man that looked like his father asked kindly.
"You-you are not my father." Varian pointed out, "My father doesn't have b-b-b-."
"B-b-buttons?" He chuckled a bit as he tapped the button with his nail, "Do you fancy them? Of course, I'm not your father because I am your other father. Welcome."
"Other Father?" Varian repeated.
"Of course, now how about you go tell Other Eugene and Other Rapunzel that Supper will be done soon, while I get the others?" He requested in a cheery tone that he has never heard from his original father.
Varian still looked confused.
The other Father gives him a kind look.
"Go on, they'll be in the Music Hall. They a surprise for you." Other Quirin encouraged the boy, who slowly left.
In the Other Music Room…
Varian soon heard a few notes playing as he opened the door.
He then saw Rapunzel and Eugene there or Other Rapunzel and Other Eugene.
"Um hello?" He spoke as the two turned around.
"Hey, Varian~." Other Rapunzel cheerfully greeted as did Other Eugene, both had black button eyes like Other Father.
"Hey there, Kiddo. Want to hear our new song for you?" The man who looked like his Eugene offered with as much enthusiasm as the Other Rapunzel.
"I didn't know Eugene could play the piano." The Alchemist uttered as Eugene laughed a little.
"No need to, little guy. With a bit of engineering…" Eugene smiled, then two white gloves with contraptions in them appeared, surprising him.
"This piano plays him." Other Rapunzel finished as the gloves placed themselves on Other Eugene.
Then music filled the air as Rapunzel and Eugene sang.
"Making up about Varian~."
"He's so smart, he's so nice, he's an eleven out of ten~."
"He's as darling as a doll to everyone who laid their eyes on Varian~."
"When he comes around painting and inventing~."
"No one will ever be forgetting~."
"Everyone will cheer for Varian~."
Then the song ends on a cheery note.
"Thank you for the song. Um, he wanted me to tell the food is ready." Varian shyly explained as the two of them smiled at him.
"Ooh, some food sounds good." Other Rapunzel grinned.
"Yeah, who's handsome and starving, raise your hand." Other Eugene joked as the machinery in made him raised his hand as Other Rapunzel and Varian laughed.
Though Varian was having a good time, he couldn't help but feel that something was off.
What on earth was this place? Why are their doppelgangers of his father and his friends and what is with the buttons?
At the Dining Room…
The Others led Varian into the dining room where he was being greeted by the Other Guards, the Other Servants, the Other Nigel, and even the Other Royals.
"Varian, my good man! We've have been waiting for you! Please sit down!" The Other King greeted as he offered him a seat at the royal table.
Usually, Varian was never granted a seat, just sits at the kiddy table while the King glared at him. It was so weird to see them so welcoming. Varian sat next to the Other Father as they bowed in grace.
"We asked for thanks and others blessed for our Father's golden chicken breast." Queen Arianna joked as they dug in.
Varian was introduced to mouth-watering flavors as he was given chicken, corn, mash potatoes, sweet rolls, cakes, and tea. Then once his plate was cleaned, he was given a massive cake as the words magically appeared.
'Welcome Home"
"Home?" Varian asked as everyone smiled at him.
"We have all been waiting for you, Varian." Other Father explained.
"For me?"
"Yes, it wasn't the same without our esteemed alchemist. You should visit more often; we wouldn't mind your arrival." Other Fredric answered.
"I didn't even know I had another Father, or there be another Corona," Varian responded.
"Everyone does, Varian. An Other Father is there to help when things are not right in your world and the Other World makes it right here." The Other Father explained.
"Really?" Varian asked in a surprised tone.
"Yep, and when we were done eating, we were thinking about playing a game." Other Rapunzel added as Varian notice his Other Father tapping his fingers on the table at the mention of a game.
"Like… Hide and Seek?" Varian wondered.
"Good idea! We can go into the forest and play Hide in Seek in the rain!" Other Father suggested.
Rain?
"What Rain?" Varian questioned as there was a sudden clap of thunder and the rain came down, startling him.
"Rain." Other Arianna giggled.
"B-but what about being dangerous?" Varian asked.
"Oh, Varian, I know you are very capable and take care of yourself quite well. Plus, with the rain there is mud and it is great for poison ivy." He explained as Varian was shocked that he knew about the ivy.
"How did you-?" Varian gasped, "I-I like to stay, but I have to get back to my other father in other Corona."
"But I'm your Other Father." The Other Father pointed out.
"And this is Other Corona." Other Fredric added.
"I mean my other, other father. You know, Dad number one." Varian explained as he bumped into other Nigel, who greeted him with a wave, "I think I should head back to bed."
"Of course, a growing young man like yourself needs plenty of rest and we can't have your growth stunted." Other Quirin agreed as he and other led Varian to a room.
"But-." Varian began.
"Come on, Sleepy Head." Queen Arianna encouraged as they opened to the Other Room of Varian's guest room.
It was beautiful as the ideas, trinkets, and drawings came out to greet him.
"Hello, Varian." The mechanical message birds he blueprinted came and flew around him.
"Hi." Varian greeted as he was introduced to the softest bed in the entire world.
It was warm, soft, just… perfect.
But before he went to sleep, Other Father came in with a Jar of Mud.
"Oh, the Mud," Varian uttered as the Other Father smeared the mud onto his hands.
Then Varian drifted to sleep.
"See you soon." The others said as Varian slept.
The next Morning…
Varian opened his eyes as he felt relaxed and at ease for the first time in a long time.
Then he realized that he was back in the medical wing. Disappointed that it was not real but knowing through the intelligence of his brain that it was just a dream, wishful thinking. But it seemed so real and he was really happy. Ruddiger licked his cheek to cheer him up.
"I had the weirdest dream, Bud. I was-."
Then he noticed that the poison ivy was gone!
The Ballroom…
Varian rushed to the small door to see if it had that tunnel, but it was cobblestone again.
He touched the cobblestone as one of the guards came into the room.
"There you are. The King and Queen were looking for you, your dad is here. Come on, it's time for breakfast." The guard rudely spoke as he led the boy away from the door.
In the Dining Room…
Varian was sitting in the kiddy table with his doll as Quirin was looking over his poison ivy to be sure it was really gone.
"Varian, did you use alchemy on yourself? You know how I feel about that." Quirin questioned his son as he finished telling about his dream to Rapunzel and Eugene.
"No, it was gone when I woke up. It was weird because the Other Father said the mud would clear up the poison ivy." Varian answered as his father and the royals gave him a questioning.
"Other… Father…?" Quirin questioned as he did not like the sound of that.
"Varian had a dream last night about another Corona," Rapunzel explained.
"Yeah, a one where everyone had buttons for eyes," Eugene added.
"It was an awesome dream. You were cooking this big feast, Eugene and Rapunzel wrote a song for me, and everyone… everyone really listened to me and cared about what I had to say. The others were… nice to me." Varian marveled as his eyes lit up from even talking about it.
Quirin felt jealous about that.
"Buttons for eyes? That… is quite disturbing, child." Fredric scoffed as he was enjoying his tea.
"Varian, you only dreamed you ate all that chicken. I told you before about skipping your meals. You're going to get sick." Quirin warned as Varian sighed.
The light went out for his eyes again and it brought pain to Quirin's heart. Did the dream bring more joy to Varian than reality?
"Buttons for eyes? I wonder what I would look like for Buttons for eyes." Pete wondered as he tried to think about the image.
"How can you even see with them? Maybe through the holes. Do you think I could have an Other Father that gives me stuff?" Stan wondered as Fredric sighed and shook his head.
Great, this dream will become the talk of Corona and it will get annoying very fast.
"Varian, why not have Pete and Stan take you to the Snuggling Duckling to talk more about this… Dream?" The King suggested for the boy.
"Dad, we can take Varian to the Snuggling Duckling. Besides, I want to hear more about this dream. It sounds fun." Rapunzel assured him.
"Actually, your majesty, you and Eugene are needed here to discuss plans on how to defend Corona against Cassandra," Nigel spoke up as the two of them looked at Varian with an apologetic look.
"Look, I can go there by myself. It's not a big deal." Varian sighed as he stood up from the table.
"Varian, we need to keep an eye on you for… security reasons," Arianna spoke up as Varian sighed.
"I can handle myself just fine and I'll be at the Snuggling Duckling." The young alchemist assured them, looking to his dad for support.
"Actually Varian, it may be best that you are with someone. You were kidnapped last time and I want to make sure you are in good hands." Quirin spoke as his son looked down with disappointment.
"… Okay, sure." Varian sighed as he left with the two guards to the Duckling.
He did not even see the saddened looks of his father, Rapunzel, Eugene, or the queen.
At the Snuggling Duckling…
Lance and the girls were singing at the Snuggling when Varian came in with the guards as they settled Max and Frida to the outside stables.
Even here, he was given glares, until Stan asked Varian, "So, what do I look like with button eyes in your dream?"
That got people's attention and soon everyone gathered around to hear about the dream from the guards, but not from Varian. This would lead to massive gossip and conversation.
"Button Eyes? How can you see with button eyes?"
"The Other Corona sounds like heaven to me, like to have some of that chicken."
"A piano that makes you play perfectly. Count me in."
"I want an Other Father too."
"It sounds magical."
Then Varian was tapped on the shoulder by Shorty, the nutty man of Corona.
"Hey Victor, mind if I borrow some apples from you? The horses asked me to find some." Shorty asked as Varian corrected him.
"Shorty, we've been over this, horses can't talk and stop feeding them. They are on a diet." Pete sighed as Angry, Red and Lance came up to Varian.
"So, V, what did we look like as other people?" Red wondered as Varian rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, you weren't there…"
"Wait, there wasn't an Other Lance? Now that's just plain rude." Lance huffed as the kids laughed, while Varian rolled his eyes.
He thought it was time to get back to the castle.
Outside…
After dragging the knights outside with him, he began to walk back to the castle with the horses when they were stopped Shorty's shouting.
"Hey, Victor! Hold up, I need to tell you something!" Shorty shouted as they turned to him, "The horses told me to tell you something."
"The… Horses?" Varian asked as he tilted his head.
"They said, 'Don't go through the little door'." He told him as Varian gasped, "Do you know what they mean?"
"The… One in the Ballroom? But there's only cobblestone there."
"Oh, sorry, the horses seemed nuttier than me." Shorty apologized as Max huffed at him, "They even told me that your name was Varian, not Victor."
Then the strange little man walked away.
It was odd…
In the town part of Corona…
As the Guards were leading him back to the castle, there was a commotion on the streets.
It seemed a fortune teller was in town with her psychic monkey. Pete and Stan wanted to go see but Varian wanted to head back to the castle. But as they were about to leave the woman came out.
"You there, dear boy with the knights! Vigor wishes to tell your future!" Madame Canardist called out as they stopped in their tracks.
"Sorry, Miss but I am a man of science. I don't really believe in fortunetelling." Varian refused but the guards insisted on it as they wanted their fortunes too.
Varian was sent in the tent with the guards as Madame Canardist listened to the monkey.
"Varian, my dear, dear boy. You are in terrible danger." She warned him.
Varian looked unnerved by the sound of this.
"Danger, what danger?" Varian questioned the old woman.
"Vigor foresees a hand, a terrible, terrible hand, reaching out." She warned the boy.
"So… What should I do?" Varian asked, playing along with this drama.
"Stay away from new wonders boy. They are lies." She warned then gave the boy something, "Take this Adder's Eye. It will help you in the near future, to see the truth within the lies."
In the Castle…
After the fortune-telling from the batty woman and monkey, Varian decided to head into the garden to relax for a bit with his Raccoon Ruddiger after setting the doll down in the medical wing near a window.
As luck would have it, Faith was there too, tending to the roses.
"Hey, Faith," Varian spoke as he surprised the girl.
"Oh, hey Varian. Hey, I have seen that chubby Raccoon around." Faith pointed out as Ruddiger growled at her for calling him chubby.
"He doesn't like being called chubby." Varian pointed out.
"Well, he looks chubby to me."
Ruddiger glared at her and climbed to a tree.
"So, that doll. Did you have made to look like me?" Varian wondered.
"Oh no, I found it that way. Mrs. Crowley said it's been around since she was a little girl or even as old as the castle." She explained.
"Faith, it has my black hair and streak, goggles, apron, boots, and gloves," Varian explained as he was skeptical.
"She says that weird things have happened in the castle, that it all starts and ends with that room. That why it was boarded up in the first place." Faith explained, "She doesn't want any kids in that room."
"Why?" Varian wondered.
"She thinks it's dangerous."
"Why?"
Ruddiger then listened with interest.
"Well, when she was a kid, there was this duchess she was friends with, the youngest girl of thirteen perfect daughters, never getting attention. One day, the little duchess girl disappeared and was never seen again. Mrs. Crowley said she was stolen." Faith explained.
"Stolen?" Varian questioned as Ruddiger's eyes went wide and he growled at the doll looking outside, "What do you think happened to her?"
"I don't know, maybe she ran away. She wasn't really looked over and was very unhappy with her family. Look, I have to go."
With that, the young maid left before Varian could speak to her.
At the Medical wing at night…
Varian was to sit for another night to make sure he was okay from the poison oak.
He managed to sneak some cheese for the Chameleons to return and quickly went to bed with Ruddiger and the doll in the same chair.
Late at night…
While Varian slept, he soon heard a familiar sound.
With a smile on his face and sparkles in his eyes, he looked underneath him to see three Chameleons running away. They took the cheese that Varian left out for them and with great haste, the Alchemist followed them. Empty as before, Varian ran after them through the halls and steps until the reached the Ballroom.
From there, the Chameleons squirmed through the door with their prizes as Varian followed them. Like before, the doorway opened up to him for the Other World called to him, like a siren in the night. Varian with a smile crawled down the tunnel and entered the other Ballroom.
The Other World…
He soon heard the same melody hummed as he walked into the Ballroom.
Following the song as he had done before; He sees his Other Father cooking for him again. With a cheery tone and a couple of eggs, he makes his omelet.
"Welcome back, Son." The Other Father greeted warmly the boy as he continued to make the meal for him.
"Hi." Varian squeaked shyly as he approached the man who looked like his father.
"Thank for bringing me this delightful cheddar. How did you know that I would be making you the best omelet in the world? You have such wonder tastes for cheese." Quirin thanked the confused boy who looked closer.
"Cheddar?" Varian wondered than noticed the cheese, "Oh, the Chameleon bait."
"Now you wouldn't want to watch this silly old farmer cook, now, would you? Especially since Rapunzel and Eugene have a surprise for you in the lab." Quirin offered.
"You mean Other Eugene and Other Rapunzel." Varian clarified.
"They may be others but they are a good company to had and they have a very good gift for you alone." Quirin encouraged.
Before Varian could speak, the Quirin with button eyes places a strawberry in his mouth as exotic flavors danced on his tongue.
"Now hurry, if we continue to speak, I'll spoil your surprise and this surprise is a good one." Other Father spoke as he had a voice of excitement and encouragement.
This piqued Varian's curiosity.
If his Other Father was being so hush-hush on his surprise, then it must be something worth checking out.
Outside the Other Lab…
He walked to his lab, or rather the Other Lab, and opened the door to a beautiful world of possibilities. This lab was his dream come true as the garden was endless and placed on one side, beaker illuminating the ceiling with alchemy bubbling within as glowing with beauty, and all of his blueprinted and made inventions were right in front of him, in perfect synchronicity.
It was a dream come true.
He then noticed golden blond hair and knew it was the Other Rapunzel and Other Eugene, traveling by in the garden with turkey-shaped machinery that grew the plants instantly.
"Hey~!" They greeted the boy.
"I love your lab!" Varian shouted back.
"Our Lab, Varian! You designed it, we just built it~!" Other Rapunzel explained as everything grew behind them.
Then, bursting from the soil were snapdragons as they began to tickle Varian.
"H-hey, no! Stop! Stop! Tickling me!" He laughed as they were playing with their new friend.
"Ah oh, our darling Alchemist needs a hand." Other Eugene grinned.
"Honorary Brother in distress~." Other Rapunzel added as she used a Blue Daffodil as a trumpet in a jazzy manner.
The snapdragons soon stopped tickling when Other Eugene and Other Rapunzel approached and turned around.
"Tickle no more you, Snapdragons." The Other Eugene proclaimed as the robotic turkey cut the Snapdragons but their stems and were caught by the Other Rapunzel.
The Other Princess then handed the flowers that were still alive and slightly snapping in the air to Varian.
"Thanks. Um, Other Father made breakfast… lunch… dinner… food?" He spoke nervously and chuckled a bit.
"Hop aboard, we have something we want to show you." The other Eugene offered as Varian sat between him and the other Rapunzel.
Then the robot turkey took to the air and lifted them high above the lab to reveal that the lab was shaped into Varian's face.
"Wow, I can't believe you could do that. That is the best gift I've ever gotten." Varian marveled at the sight.
"Your father said you liked it, for he knows you like the back of his hand." Other Eugene smiled at Varian.
"Really?" Varian asked.
"Of course, it's a father's job to know about his son and what he likes." Other Rapunzel answered with a grin.
It was touching that the Other Father knew so much about him.
But why was there that nagging feeling in the back of his mind?
Varian ignored it and continued to look at the gift.
Later back at the kitchen…
Everyone was eating as the Snapdragons were in a vase.
"So good." Varian swooned while the Other Father fed the Snapdragons chocolate.
"I love breakfastlunchdinnerfood." Other Eugene proclaimed, "It's really good for this muscular frame."
"So, Varian, Uncle Monty had invited you to the sweet shop for a performance with him and some of the townsfolk." The Other Father spoke with a grin.
"Really? The regular Mr. Monty wouldn't let me anywhere near his shop, or anyone else in town." Varian mentioned in a sad tone.
"Well, you're welcomed greatly in this world, my good man." The Other King assured him as the Other Father stood up.
"We'll clean up, while you and your other friends can enjoy the show." The Other Quirin announced as Varian was a bit confused.
"Other friends?" Varian wondered as the Other Father revealed an Other World version of Faith, Lance, Red, and Angry.
"Great, there is another three of them. Hey Other Faith… Other Lance, Other Red, Other Angry…" Varian greeted.
"Hello, Varian." The Other Faith smiled back while the three Other only waved, not saying a word.
"Um, hello? Are they okay?" Varian wondered as the Other Father approached.
"I thought you liked these three a little more if they spoke a little less. So, I fixed them a bit to be the perfect friends, minus the chatter." The Other Quirin announced.
"Fix them?" Varian asked.
"Yes."
"So… They can't talk at all?"
"Not a pip."
"Hmmm… I like it." Varian admitted as the Other Friends led the way.
In Other Corona's Street…
Everyone was waving and greeting Varian as the Other Feldspar offered to make him boots, but Varian politely declined.
"You guys are awful cheerful, despite not being able to talk." Varian took note as the Other Faith chuckled.
"Of course, why wouldn't they be?" The Other Faith grinned.
"It… didn't hurt when he-."
Then the Other Red pointed to the candy store, which looked more like a gingerbread house with candies and sweets and a syrup moat with a chocolate drawbridge.
The Other Monty's Sweet Shoppe…
The entered inside and noticed the sign.
'Everything is candy and free to eat. Take what you like.'
So, they began to take some of the candy that was around, and Varian helped himself to some of the cocoa from the hot chocolate pounds with marshmallow koi. Then he turned around to see that Other Angry discovered a chocolate candy that shoots fairy floss and was covered in it.
"Look at you." Varian laughed as he was soon dragged to the peppermint tent as the show was beginning with a small balloon entering the tent.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls. I, Uncle Monty welcome you to the stupendous, spectacular, crazy, Gummy Chameleon Circus Show!"
The Chameleons appeared from the balloon that burst like fireworks and spelled out Varian's name!
Then they began to play a song as the leader Chameleon was balancing himself on a ball as they made several interesting shapes and designs in perfect formation with their colorful and see-through gummy bodies.
Then a fun spire appeared that looked like a birthday cake, as the leading chameleon rolled the ball down as the other chameleons jumped off. Then revealing himself from the spire was a giant version of Uncle Monty with button eyes in a colorful costume.
Varian cheered for the circus.
"That was so cool, Uncle Monty!" Varian cheered.
"Thank you so much, my good man." The other Uncle Monty thanked as the leading Chameleon led the other Chameleons into the Other Uncle Monty's shirt, while it balanced himself on the ball, rolling on top of Other Uncle Monty's head, who put on his hat soon after.
"I love it, Uncle Monty! It was so… so…" Varian complimented as he was trying to think of a word.
"Ah…" Other Uncle Monty cheerfully voiced as he waited for the boy's response.
"Amazing!" He squealed then laughed.
"You are too kind; Varian and I thank you for your Balloon gadget and candy gadgets for my store. You are always welcome to see another show and have some sweets. You and your funny friends. Goodnight, Varian." He thanked as he gave Varian's hand a kiss.
In the other Guestroom…
Varian was soon in bed as the Other Father gave him a kiss on the forehead.
Once again, the Alchemist drifted to sleep as the Others watched him and Other Eugene plucked some cotton candy from other Angry's head.
The next morning…
Varian awoke in bliss then realized he was back in the real world.
He groaned with disappointment at being back here. Then he noticed that the cheese was gone, and he decided to check the door.
In the Ballroom…
Varian reached the Ballroom for the little door, hoping the Other World was there but when he tried to open it, it was locked.
"Varian." A stern voice from behind spoke.
The boy turned around to see his father, the King, the Queen, Rapunzel, and Eugene.
"We need to have a talk," Quirin demanded in his authoritative voice.