Varian wasn't nearly as excited about their journey as Horace was. He was looking forward to it, and he knew that the next month or so was going to be a lot of fun, but he'd never had as much of an issue with the Dark Kingdom as Horace had. Varian liked their home. It was isolated, and safe, and they did important work there to keep the world safe.
Varian didn't really get lonely either. He had Horace around all the time. He had his dad, and his aunt and uncle, and even King Edmund. Everybody that Varian knew cared about him. What more could he ask for?
However, this was something that Horace really wanted, and had wanted for as long as Varian could remember. The boy was more than happy to do whatever he could to make his prince happy. Horace was the only friend that Varian had ever had, and probably would ever have. Varian was content with this, and he wanted Horace to be content with it too, so he did everything he could to show the prince that he was a good enough friend. If Varian could make Horace happy maybe he wouldn't want to leave so much.
He didn't just do this for Horace though. Varian was a little curious about the outside world. He wanted to see how the world worked. He'd never met people outside of the Brotherhood. He couldn't even remember his mom or anything about her. It would be interesting to see how 'normal' people functioned and interacted with each other.
Maybe Varian could even learn exactly why people outside of the Dark Kingdom were so inactive at night. He'd heard that as soon as the sun went down, for most people, that was when all work and plans for the day ended. Varian had lived his whole life in a kingdom that worshipped the moon and protected its opal. They thrived in the darkness and shadows. Night time was when they came to life.
They ate their evening meals all together as soon as the sun went down. Whenever it was the full moon they would have a midnight feast, which was Varian's favorite time of the month. Even King Edmund relaxed during this time. All of their sacred ceremonies and ritualistic practices took place at night. And even though the Dark Kingdom didn't have a lot of celebrations, their two biggest ones were the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, and the night of the harvest moon.
Their kingdom revered the moon and the night, and the thought of most people not doing the same thing was a foreign one to Varian.
Even though Varian was interested in watching people and how they interacted with each other, he wasn't in too much of a hurry to get to a town. He was having a good time just travelling with Horace.
The prince could spend hours talking about everything that he wanted to do while they were gone. He wanted to try sunbathing, though Varian didn't see the appeal to it. Horace wanted to meet a girl and just spend the night with her. The young man tried to be vague about what exactly he wanted to do, but Varian knew. He had grown up around Hector, after all, and that man had absolutely no shame when it came to talking about intimacy.
Horace also talked about all the different foods he wanted to eat. He said he wanted to see the ocean, but Varian wasn't sure if they were going to accomplish that one. He didn't know if there was an ocean between the Dark Kingdom and the Great Tree, but they could always check in with the townsfolk when they eventually stopped in a town.
Horace went on and on until he finally pulled Nelovko to a stop a few hours after the sun had risen. The plan was for them to stop for a quick breakfast break, and then they'd get back on the road for a few more hours until midday. They would stop and rest for the afternoon so they could sleep and avoid travelling during the hottest hours of the day, and then continue on when evening fell.
Varian knew from the Flynn Rider books that travelling at night wasn't exactly the safest practice for most people. There could be bandits, and other people with ill-intentions. However, Varian knew how to defend himself, and so did Prince Horace. The teenager almost felt bad for anybody that tried to rob them.
When they stopped for breakfast Horace brought Nelovko to a nearby river so he could get a drink. While he did that Varian got out the ham sandwiches that he had prepared for a small meal. Ruddiger scampered off into the trees. Varian knew that he would be back. The raccoon was just having a little fun climbing. It had been a few years since Ruddiger had had the chance to explore the trees.
Once Horace had made sure that Nelovko was taken care of he sat on the river bank. Varian handed him two of the sandwiches. "So, kid, got any big plans while we're out and about in the world?"
Varian gave Horace a curious look. "What do you mean?"
"We both know that I have a lot of plans and expectations." Horace said. "You always have so many thoughts going through that big head of yours, I seriously doubt that there is nothing that you want to do."
Varian smiled at the thought of his plans. "Well, I want to see if I can make a map of the Great Tree." Hector had told him multiple times that the Great Tree was almost impossible to map out properly. According to legend, the tree used to be a sentient being of good. It was no longer sentient, and it had been corrupted by the enchanter Zhan Tiri, but there were lingering signs of the being it used to be.
Varian had been told that the only reason the Brotherhood could navigate the tree was because it let them. Hector said that it was all too easy for intruders and strangers to get lost within the Tree. According to Adira it wasn't nearly as unforgiving as the forest of no return, but the tree was still fairly dangerous and unpredictable.
After growing up in the Dark Kingdom and seeing the power of the moonstone first hand, and hearing about the Great Tree and Zhan Tiri, Varian knew that he couldn't really deny the existence of magic. However, he refused to admit that just because something contained magic meant that it couldn't be understood.
Varian was determined to solve the mysteries of magic. He hadn't made any progress with the black rocks, and after what had happened the day before maybe it would be a good thing to take a break from that particular line of experiments, at least until he figured out what had gone wrong and how he could prevent it from happening in the future.
He wasn't going to give up on all of his experiments though. Varian was going to figure out how to navigate the Great Tree, even if it took him the whole two weeks to do it.
Horace rolled his eyes. "That's great and all, but I'm talking about while we're in town and around other people." Varian shrugged. "Oh, come on, there's gotta be something."
"Not really." Varian said. Horace didn't look content with his answer at all. Varian wracked his brain to try to think of something he could say that Horace would be satisfied with. "I mean, I guess it would be cool to see an actual library." The Dark Kingdom had a royal library, but most of the books were related to the moonstone and the history of the Dark Kingdom. What few science books they had had been brought in by Varian's mom before she had left.
"Oh, I also want to find an apothecary." Varian said eagerly. Actually, what he wanted to find was some more tools for his alchemy and mechanics, but he'd heard from the others that most towns wouldn't have the specialty shops. An apothecary was the best place that Varian could think of where he could find some vials and herbs that he could use for his experiments.
"You have the most boring set of errands, you know that?" Horace said with a teasing smirk. "You're such a nerd."
"So you've said." Varian grinned. He knew that Horace wasn't really insulting or making fun of him. This was just the prince's way of showing admiration for something that he really didn't understand. "And you're one to talk. You can't tell me that you don't want to find a new Flynn Rider book."
Horace looked a little alarmed at being called out. A moment later he chuckled and gave Varian a shove. The teenager laughed and lunged at Horace to tackle him to the ground. Horace set his sandwiches to the side and wrapped his arms around Varian to turn him around and pin him down. Varian yelped. He was told that he was decent at wrestling, but it was really hard to do anything against people who were twice his size. He'd never been able to beat anybody in a wrestling match...at least, not when he was playing fair.
Varian twisted his hand uncomfortably in Horace's grip. He wasn't able to pull away completely, but Varian was able to dig his fingers into the mud. He twisted his hand again and spread the mud on Horace's wrist. The man flinched and loosened his grip on Varian's hands just enough for him to pull away, and that was all the opportunity that he needed.
Varian grabbed more mud and then grabbed at Horace's hair, dirtying it. The prince made a sound that had a mix of horror and outrage. He took most of his weight off of Varian, who took that chance to crawl out from under him and roll into the river. The cold water was shocking, but Varian could deal with a small chill. He held his breath and dove under the water. He kicked at the sandy ground to muddy the water so Horace would have a harder time seeing him.
Varian swam behind a nearby log before he finally brought his head above the water, though he kept himself as close to the surface of the water. He listened carefully to Horace, who was ranting and swearing up a storm on the banks. Varian brought his hand to his mouth to bite his fist to keep himself from laughing out loud.
"You are such a brat," Horace said angrily. "I know what you're up to." There was a short pause. "Don't think I don't know your plan. You're just playing dirty now." Another pause. "Kid, if you don't surface right now I'm going to have no choice but to tell your dad that you've been spending way too much time around Hector."
Varian rolled his eyes. Hector was far from the only member of the Brotherhood who didn't hesitate to take any means necessary to win a battle. Varian's dad was quite a dirty fighter himself, he just preferred to fight that way with words rather than swords. Adira fought dirty in a way that was a mix between Hector and Varian's dad.
Even Horace's dad, king Edmund, did his fair share of fighting dirty. Varian knew that Horace didn't really fight with honor himself, he just got so angry when fighting dirty was used against him.
There was a long moment of silence before Horace spoke again, and his voice was a lot more frantic than before. "Kid, I'm not kidding around here. Kid? Varian? Varian?!"
He heard a splash, making it clear when Horace dove into the water to find him. Varian slowly and quietly lifted himself onto the log. He could see Horace looked frantically for him. The prince's back was to him. Varian slowly stood up, careful to not slip and fall. That would not only ruin everything, but it would hurt quite a bit too.
Letting out a battle cry, Varian dove towards Horace. The prince turned towards him at the last minute. His eyes widened in alarm just as Varian landed on him, pushing them both under the water.
Horace coughed and sputtered as he surfaced. He had a strong grip on Varian as he pulled him towards the shore. As soon as Horace could stand comfortably he lifted Varian over his shoulders and carried him to the land. Varian yelped and then grunted in pain when Horace dropped him harshly on the ground.
"You're a real pain, you know that?" Horace seethed. He frantically tried to fix his hair, but between the mud and water it was an absolute mess. Varian knew that they would probably be staying by this river for a longer amount of time that they'd originally planned, so Horace could properly fix his hair. He'd probably make Varian help him, which was always such a pain, but it was worth it.
"I've learned from the best." Varian smirked and crossed his arms. Horace gave him an unimpressed look. He clearly thought that Varian was talking about him. The teenager was actually talking about Hector and Adira, who his dad often said made an art of being pains. They both found a certain amount of enjoyment riling others up a bit. Varian took after them in that way, at least when it came to Horace.
"Yeah, shut up and eat your sandwich." Horace grabbed one of the sandwiches from the ground and threw it at Varian, who caught it with a chuckle. Varian brushed the dirt off the sandwich and took a big bite. He enjoyed his breakfast as he cheerfully watched Horace try to wash the mud out of his hair.
Varian took his time with his food, but when he was finished he stood up and approached Horace. "Lay down. I'll take care of it." Varian jumped back into the water. Horace laid down on the banks and leaned his head back to soak his hair in the river. Varian knelt and gently ran his fingers through Horace's hair, untangling it and rinsing it through the river.
Horace sighed and closed his eyes as he relaxed. Even though the Dark Kingdom wasn't a traditional kingdom, Horace was taught how to present himself like a traditional prince, just in case a day came in the future that he would have to work with people of other kingdoms. In recent years Horace had taken these lessons in looking and acting proper to another level.
At times he could be a little vain, but Varian found it more funny than annoying. Horace was still nice, and he always put his concern for others above his concern about how his hair looked. Still, Varian had fun teasing him, and he even somewhat enjoyed helping Horace wash his hair out like this.
He was more than capable of grooming himself. Horace wanting Varian's help had nothing to do with him showing off his authority over him, or because he was too lazy and spoiled to do things for himself. Varian knew that Horace asking for help was a sign of trust between them, the same way that Varian asking Horace to be an extra set of hands in his lab was.
Varian didn't necessarily enjoy helping his friend groom, but he liked what it meant between the two of them, so he did it without complaint. Besides, it was a good way to get back on Horace's good side after annoying him.
It only took a few minutes to clean and untangle Horace's hair, but they continued doing this for about a quarter of an hour before Horace finally sat up. He held a hand out to Varian to pull him out of the water.
"Not bad, kid." Horace grinned. "Now let's get you cleaned up."
Varian looked down at his wet and slightly muddy clothes. "They'll dry in the sun." Wet clothes were far from comfortable, but Varian didn't see the point in dirtying another one of his outfits just because he was a little wet.
Horace crossed his arms and eyed his muddy sleeves and rumpled shirt. "Yeah, I don't think so." Horace put his arm around Varian's shoulder and pulled him towards Nelovko, who was watching them lazily. "We should reach a town tonight, and we're not going to make a good first impression if you walk around looking like a drowned rat."
"I don't look that bad." Varian pulled out of Horace's hold. "And who says we have to make a good first impression? Everybody's going to be asleep by the time we reach town. Nobody'll even see me."
"Better to be safe than sorry." Horace went to their bags and started pulling out clothes for the two of them. He offered clean pants and a shirt to Varian, who crossed his arms and glared at him. Varian honestly didn't care one way or another about changing clothes, he just planned on not doing so because it was more convenient this way. However, he definitely didn't want to change just to potentially impress random strangers. If somebody was going to look at a boy with a slightly muddy shirt and judge him, then Varian didn't think they were a person that he wanted to impress in the first place.
Horace looked disappointed and almost upset. "Look, kid, I know you don't really care about how people perceive you, but I do."
Varian flinched ever so slightly. "You care about what people think of me?" Varian adjusted his sleeves, spreading the mud a little bit more. "What, are you embarrassed of me?"
"What? No, no, never." Horace knelt to be closer to his eye level. "I just…" Horace sighed. He was definitely upset. "You know, when I was younger my dad would try all kinds of things to convince me to not run away. One of his favorite strategies was to try to scare me. He told me how cruel people could be, how they could do absolutely terrible things to each other. He told me that people would look for the smallest flaw in each other, and when they found it they would tear each other apart over it."
Varian grimaced. "Your dad told you that?"
"I refuse to believe everything he said." Horace said. "I know that he was just exaggerating to scare me, but I've heard some stories from the others, especially from your dad and Hector, and I think it would be dangerous to ignore the warning completely." Horace closed his eyes. He looked pained. "I just don't want anything to happen to you."
Varian's eyes widened. "You...you're worried that people will try to hurt me?"
"They probably won't." Horace assured him. "But I don't want to take any chances when it comes to your safety. So please, just try to lie low, for me."
Varian sighed and reluctantly accepted the clean clothes from Horace. He didn't know why it was so important that he change now when they probably wouldn't be running into people until tonight, if at all, but this was apparently really important to Horace, and Varian didn't want to upset him.
Horace looked far too relieved when Varian took his dirty shirt off and put on the clean shirt, which he noticed was an old shirt of Horace's. It was too big for Varian, and felt almost uncomfortably soft and nice. He didn't like it, and he didn't like that Horace had probably chosen it because he didn't think that any of Varian's own shirts were nice enough to just visit a small town.
He didn't have the will to fit Horace on this, so he just stood still and didn't complain as his friend replaced Varian's apron with a basic sash. Varian was just glad that Horace didn't make him take off his gloves or goggles.
"Can we go already?" Varian asked tensely before Horace could find something else about his outfit that wasn't good enough.
"Yeah, just give me a second." Horace took off his own wet shirt to replace it with another that was dry. As he changed, Varian went to the trees and called out for Ruddiger. He heard a chatter in response, but he didn't see his raccoon buddy immediately run towards him. It was a minute before Ruddiger come out from behind some bushes, his arms full of as many apples as he could carry, as well as one in his mouth.
Varian laughed and knelt. He took some of the apples from Ruddiger, who was surprisingly willing to let them go. "Don't you think that's too much for one little raccoon?"
Ruddiger shook his head and handed another apple to Varian. The boy was shocked. "You...you're going to share?" Ruddiger nodded. "Aw, that's really sweet, buddy." Varian raised an eyebrow at the raccoon. "This wouldn't happen to be a bribe, would it?"
He'd known Ruddiger long enough to know that he was a very mischievous raccoon. He was always getting himself into trouble. At first Ruddiger would try to play innocent, but after Varian had caught wise to him he had changed strategies. The raccoon had started to try to bribe Varian instead. It didn't normally work.
Ruddiger shook his head and climbed onto Varian's shoulder. The boy nuzzled against him, clearly in a really good mood. Varian grinned and pet Ruddiger. "Alright, I'll take your word for it, for now. However, I'm watching you."
Varian brought the apples to Nelovko's saddle bag. He tossed one of the apples to Horace, who had just finished getting dressed. He caught the apple with ease.
"I'm not going to be attacked by a possessive raccoon, am I?" Horace asked.
"Not this time." Varian said.
Horace grinned. He took a big bite out of the apple even as he bent down to grab the dirty, but probably still edible sandwiches that he'd set aside earlier. "Then we should probably get going again. We're burning daylight, and I don't want to do a lot of travelling once it gets hot out."
Varian took their wet clothes and shoved them into an empty saddle bag. They would properly clean them and set them out to dry tonight when they got to town this evening. Varian then lifted himself onto Nelovko's back. Horace soon pulled himself up to sit in front of Varian. Horace pulled on the reins and led the saiga away from the river and back on the path.
They barely got started travelling again before Horace turned to look back at Varian. "It's going to be a long day. How about a story to help pass the time?"
Varian grinned, all too happy to agree. He reached into his personal back and pulled out their well-worn and loved copy of Flynn Rider. Varian adjusted his position to hold the book more comfortably. He started reading out loud as they rode along the path.