Hey y'all!
I know it's been roughly 2 mouths since I touched this, but I've been dabbling in other stuff. But this one is longer than the last chapter, however, it is a lot more dramatic.
This chapter takes place during various parts of the episode 'Once a Handmaiden...'
The Goodwill Festival wasn't being held as it was usually celebrated, but it was still better than not having it at all. And so far, things were going smoothly.
Doing the Gopher Grab in the courtyard was certainly different, but it was easier to keep an eye on everything and keep everyone safe.
As captain of the guard, Eugene was stationed outside the gate of the outer castle wall, mounted on Maximus, both on the look-out for Cassandra. Beside him, Varian was mounted on Fidella, with Project Obsidian on his back.
The young alchemist really didn't want to hurt Cass, but if she attacked them, he was gonna defend his home with everything he had. After everything he did to Corona in the past, it was the least he could do. This was his redemption. Using his knowledge and skills to protect and serve Corona.
"Son!"
Varian turned his head and saw Quirin walking toward them, waving his arm.
"Dad, you're here!" Varian yelled back happily, then gave Fidella a light nudge. The mare stepped forward, greeting the older man kindly. Behind him, Max came closer with Eugene.
"Of course. I'd never miss the Goodwill Festival, especially this year," he replied, admiring the festival decorations around them for a moment.
While the young alchemist believed his father's words, he couldn't help but notice the sword in a scabbard attached to his belt.
"Because we might be attacked? Is that why you brought that with you?" he asked knowingly. One usually doesn't bring weapons to a festival. Unless they intend to use it.
Quirin looked down at his sword and grinned. Nothing escapes his son's sharp eyes. "Well, if the castle is attacked, I won't leave my son to fight without me right there beside him."
"Don't worry, Quirin," Eugene cut in. "If anything happens, I'll be here to protect hair-stripe," he promised.
Varian laughed. "Protect me? I'm the one with the chemical shooting cannon that turns black rocks into amber," he said proudly, reaching behind him to pat his new weapon. "The power of alchemy will be protecting you and everyone else at this festival."
Eugene chuckled lightly at his young friend's confidence.
"Of course, it will," Quirin agreed, drawing their attention back to him. He walked up closer to Fidella's side and gripped his son's arm. "I'm so proud of you, Varian. You're doing a great thing. I know you'll help keep us all safe," he told him.
Varian grinned again, touched. "Thanks, dad."
"Quirin!" the unmistakable outburst of Edmund called out from by the front archway. Their heads turned to see the old king approaching them, a plate in his hand and white powder in his beard. "Have you tried this funnel cake? It looks nothing like a funnel, but I can not stop eating it!" he exclaimed enthusiastically to his old friend before shoving another piece of the sweet confection into his mouth. "Hello, son!" he greeted Eugene through his chewing. "Varian!"
"Hey there, dad," Eugene replied, a bit weirded out.
"Uncle Edmund. Glad you came," Varian greeted him back.
Finally, Edmund swallowed. Then a grim expression fell over his face. "Any sign of that opal-thief?" He of course meant Cassandra.
"Not yet. But we'll be ready," Eugene assured him. Max stood a bit straighter, showing he was indeed ready as well.
"Yeah. Once she gets a look at Project Obsidian, she'll think twice about springing up any black rocks at us," Varian boasted again. Hopefully, that would mean she wouldn't attack them and maybe they could actually talk to her. Get her to listen and help her resolve whatever qualms she had with Rapunzel. Fidella whinnied in agreement.
As he brushed the powdered sugar off his beard, Edmund gazed proudly at the two youngsters on horse back before him; his son and his old friend's son. The captain of the guard and brilliant alchemist.
"Just look at this, Quirin. Would you just look at this," he said, wrapping his arm around Quirin's shoulders heartily, then gestured up to the two young men. "Our sons, side by side, on guard and ready for action. Ready to jump in and defend their home and each other," he stated, overjoyed. "Brothers-in-arms…just like we once were."
Eugene and Varian looked at Edmund, then at each other.
"I can't tell if he's talking to your dad or just thinking out loud again," he said to the younger lad. His father had a weird habit of speaking words he means to only think.
"I'm doing both, son. While also expressing how proud I feel to see you both," Edmund answered him. He knew he often spoke his thoughts by accident, but this time, he meant for them to hear it all. "Come, Quirin. Clearly these two valiant soldiers need to stay vigilant. Which is hard to do with two old timers like us jabbering on," he told his old friend, turning them around to head through the castle gate to go enjoy the festival. "Now, please explain to me how this 'Gopher Grab' works."
As their fathers walked away, Varian and Eugene looked at each other again, and started chuckling.
Dads. Am I right?
But they loved them anyway. No matter how annoying or overprotective they were.
Brothers-in-arms indeed. They were there to fight for Corona. Together.
Just as they had feared, Cassandra attacked the castle.
Upon arriving at the main courtyard, Varian had Project Obsidian aimed at the ready, but Eugene had told him to hold his fire. It looked like Rapunzel was trying to talk to her former lady-in-waiting, and it almost looked like it was working.
They were hopeful for a moment that something was finally going right.
…until something went horribly wrong.
Project Obsidian fired, hitting Cass, and incasing her in amber. Fortunately, she was able to break herself free barely a few seconds later and appeared to be okay. Unfortunately, she was even angrier now.
Varian swore he didn't push the trigger. Thinks it malfunctioned or something, but Cass didn't care about that. So, she knocked Rapunzel out with some potion cloud and started attacking, full force.
Eugene was able to get the unconscious princess on Max's back and told him to get her far away from there, then tried to fight Cass as well. Varian continued to fire at the blue-haired traitor, trying to at least slow her down—he felt less hesitant while firing, knowing his weapon wouldn't actually hurt her as he had feared.
With more and more black rocks ripping the courtyard apart, the citizens tried fleeing into the castle for shelter, only for their path to be blocked by Adira and Hector, along with his angry rhino and vicious badgers. Their faces were stoic and devoid of any expression, and their eyes were glowing a creepy light blue.
Lance was happy to see Adira at first, but became sad when she drew a sword and started attacking him.
"Be careful, Lance! It looks like she and Hector are under the influence of the Mind Trap Talisman!" Eugene shouted to his friend. The captain stayed by Varian's side as he continued firing at Cass from the courtyard. Cass blocked every shot with more black rocks. They shattered on impact, but she just summoned more and more to shield herself.
With a heavy heart, Lance raised his sword and defended himself from the woman he was smitten with. Simpering apologizes with every swing. While his rhino and badgers went after the citizens and guards, Hector raised his sword to his king. Luckily, Edmund had brought a sword too.
"And they're not the only ones," Cass muttered to herself, holding the talisman in her hand with an evil smirk.
As mad as she was at Rapunzel for approving of such a weapon against her, she also felt great fury to the one who built the thing in the first place.
She wasn't planning on using him until later—a sort of Trojan horse—but she already had another guy for that. It was a bit cruel, but she needed to take out that accursed weapon. It didn't hurt her when she got incased in amber and she was able to break free almost instantly, but it was still an attack. And she did not want to be hit again. She just needed a clean shot at that weapon to destroy it.
In one way or another, she thought Varian sort of deserved what was coming.
Varian continued firing at the big cluster of rocks Cass was hiding behind. He was focused, but then, out of the corner of his eye, a familiar figure approached him. The young alchemist stopped firing for a minute to turn his head. There beside him, stood his father.
"Dad! There you are. I'm glad you're okay," Varian said enthusiastically. But his smile slipped away when his father did not respond to him. He just stood there, his head tilted down with his eye lids shut. "Dad?" he tried again, taking another step closer to him. A second later, Quirin raised his head and his eyes snapped open. They were glowing light blue too. Varian's eyes widened in fear. "Dad!?" he exclaimed, stepping back.
"Silence!" Quirin roared before drawing the sword from his belt. The brainwashed Brotherhood warrior swung his sword, but his son stumbled back just in time for the blade to miss him.
Varian fell to the ground on his bottom, Project Obsidian landing in his lap. The lad looked up, helplessly watching his own father approach him with a weapon drawn to strike.
"Dad! Dad, it's me! Snap out of it! Please!" he wailed, hoping to make him stop. Quirin, however, did not waver.
He raised his sword over his head, blade high up to deliver a striking blow to the one before him. Varian was paralyzed where he sat. "For Cassandra!" Quirin hollered, bringing the sword down.
Varian closed his eyes, waiting for the blow. But it never came.
He opened his eyes and saw Eugene between him and his father, blocking his father's sword with his own sword.
"Varian, keep firing!" the captain told him, some strain in his voice from holding Quirin back. Eugene pushed harder on his sword, pushing Quirin back a bit. But he came back, with swing after swing of his sword.
Varian slowly stood up, his breathing labored, his vision slightly blurry, his heart beat in his ears.
His father…attacked him.
He…He could have…he almost…
The chaos around him soon snapped him back to the present. He remembered what Eugene had asked him to do. With shaky hands, he tried to aim Project Obsidian back at the big cluster of black rocks.
From behind the safety of her barrier, Cass smirked at the kid's distraught figure. There was no way the kid could focus and operate his stupid weapon now. "I don't think so," she said to herself. She touched the ground with her hand, sending a barrage of rocks out towards the fumbling alchemist. In his haze, Varian didn't notice the rock coming at him until it was too late. It pierced his invention, slicing it in two.
The force pushed Varian back to the ground, on his hands and knees. He looked down at his ruined invention, then back up at Eugene sword fighting his father only a few feet from him.
An overwhelming wave of hopelessness, failure, and dread took over his body. His muscles shook, his eyes became blurry with tears, but he tried to force them away.
Close by, Eugene still stood with his sword drawn, trying his best to at least keep Quirin away from Varian. But instead of continuing to attack, Quirin turned and bolted back toward the castle. On the balcony, he could see Adira and Hector had retreated up there as well.
Black rocks continued to spring up all around him. Eugene turned back and saw the boy slumped over his destroyed weapon, on the verge of a break down.
Quickly, he sheathed his sword and ran to him, crouching down beside him. "Varian," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder. The distressed alchemist didn't turn his head or say anything. His eyes stayed down at the puddle of chemicals leaking from his weapon, wide and tearful.
"Son! We need to fall back! We can't save a kingdom by being trapped inside it," Edmund yelled from across the courtyard.
More black rocks popped up closer and closer. Acting fast, Eugene grabbed Varian by his arms and leapt back with him.
"Everyone! Fall back!"
At the captain's order, everyone still in the courtyard fled through the gate.
After a bit of shaking his shoulders and yelling his name, Eugene was finally able to get Varian to his feet, slung his arm over his shoulder, and the two ran out last.
The people of Corona, after escaping the castle, retreated to the Snuggly Duckling.
Rapunzel was still unconscious but fine, and resting comfortingly in a corner. Everyone else was relatively fine too. For the most part.
Eugene stayed beside his girlfriend with her parents, hoping to see her open her eyes soon.
Edmund came up behind his son and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Eugene," he said, making him turn to face the husky king. "She'll be fine. But uhhh-" he gestured behind him.
In front of the tavern's fire place sat Varian. Lance was to his left, holding a stick with a marshmallow cooking in the fire. Keira and Catalina sat to his right. He could see Ruddiger's tail hanging off the boy's leg, indicating that the raccoon was in his lap.
Eugene looked back at Rapunzel, his hand holding hers.
"Go on," Arianna told him reassuringly. Fredrick offered him a smile too. They will watch over her. Right now, the kid needed him.
Eugene stood up and made his way over to the small group by the fire.
"Hey," he said. The girls scooted over a bit to make room for the captain. Lance looked at him for a second, but the alchemist didn't take his eyes off the flames in front of him. Eugene sat on the floor next to him. "Varian?" he asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Slowly, Varian finally responded. "He tried to…my dad-almost…" he stuttered. His voice sounded on the brink of cracking.
"Hey, hey," Eugene gripped his shoulder a bit tighter. "That wasn't your dad. I mean, yes, it was him but he wasn't himself," he explained. "Cass is controlling him with this old talisman thing."
"How could she do that?" Keira commented, outraged.
"Make a guy attack his own son," Catalina added, just as disgusted.
Lance, who had been only half listening, pulling the evenly cooked marshmallow from the fire and smooshed it in between two gram crackers and some chocolate. "S'more?" he offered to anyone around him. The three ex-criminals—minus Varian of course—all glared at the big guy, their eyes screaming 'not now.' Lance quickly shrunk back. "Ahhh…maybe later," he muttered, quickly averting his eyes before shoving the gooey treat into his own mouth.
"I-I thought I could stop her," Varian uttered, burying his hands in his dark hair. "Dad-" he lowered his head and hunched over. "I failed…again," cried miserably.
This comment, Eugene wouldn't allow. The captain grabbed the tops of both of Varian's arms. "Varian. Look at me," he demanded, pulling the younger boy's body to turn toward him. Slowly, Varian finally raised his head enough to look him in the eyes. "This is not your fault. What Cass did…she did it to stop you and your weapon. She knows what you're capable of and wanted you out of the way," he told him. Although her method was a bit extreme. She wanted to cross the line—mission accomplished. "You didn't fail. Not yet. You'll help us find another way. I know you will," Eugene said sincerely, offering him a reassuring smile. Seconds later, Varian's eyes flooded with tears. The sobs he had tried holding back came out as he launched himself into his cousin's arms. Eugene wrapped his arms around the kid, letting him bury his face into his chest as his body shook with sobs. "It's okay, Varian," he said, rubbing circles over his back. "We will stop Cass and free your father from her control. I-" Eugene stopped himself, almost using the word 'promise.' He remembered that word would have the opposite affect on the boy. In the past, promises hadn't always been kept and he had gotten hurt. "I'm sure of it," he said instead.
Varian continued to cry as Keira, Catalina, Ruddiger, and Lance—after wiping the melted chocolate and gram cracker crumbs from his face—joined the hug, offering comfort to the distressed lad they believed in.
After all, brothers-in-arms didn't just fight side-by-side. They stayed by the other's side when they needed a moment to fall apart and be their shoulder to cry on.
While I was watching this episode for the first time, during the battle in the courtyard when we saw the Brotherhood members appear and attacking, I just kept waiting fearfully for Quirin to suddenly start attacking Varian. So...yeah, I couldn't resist. DRAMATIC! Not sorry. Plus, I have no qualms about making Cass look worse. I don't like her.
I have one more idea for a story to put here, but I intend to write it in the span of three parts/chapters. So, be on the look out for that.
Till then; stay safe, stay healthy, stay respectful, and stay tuned ;)