Varian groaned to himself, though it was more out of boredom than anything. Yes, his stomach was still hurting, and his eyes felt heavy, which Varian hadn't even known was possible. He was tired, but he was so sick of sleeping. He felt like he'd been doing nothing but sleeping for forever, and he was done with it.
Varian yawned and pushed the blanket off of him. He moved to climb out of bed, only to be grabbed and pulled back before his feet even hit the floor. Varian yelped as his dad pulled him back under the covers and wrapped his arms around him like Varian was a plush bear.
"Daddy, no!" Varian squirmed to try to get out of his dad's grip, but the man just rolled over, bringing Varian with him.
"Go back to sleep, Varian." Quirin muttered. He sounded half-asleep, but he was aware enough to not loosen his grip on Varian at all.
"No!" Varian whined. He'd had enough rest these past few weeks to last him a lifetime. "No more sleep!" His throat was sore from illness and underuse. When Varian raised his voice his throat tickled and made him cough. It wasn't too bad, but as soon as he started coughing Quirin sat up and lifted Varian into an upright position.
Varian watched as his dad poured some water from the pitcher that he'd started keeping on the small table next to the bed into a cup. Quirin didn't give Varian the cup. Instead he brought it to his lips like he was a baby who couldn't drink on his own. Varian was annoyed about this. He wasn't a baby, but his dad had been treating him like one ever since he got sick. Varian hated it. How was he supposed to show his dad that he could take care of the prince if he couldn't even convince him that he could take care of himself?
Varian wanted to insist on drinking by himself, but his dad still had a tight grip around him, which would make grabbing the cup awkward. Besides, Varian really was thirsty, and fighting with his dad about this would just delay him getting water. The boy reluctantly kept his hands to himself and let his dad give him the water.
"Are you okay?" Quirin asked anxiously.
"I'm fine," Varian pouted. He tried to push his dad away, but he just pulled him in closer. "Dad, I'm fine!"
Quirin chuckled and brushed Varian's hair out of his face. "I know you are, but just humor me."
"No more." Varian glared at his dad, trying to copy the scary look that Hector was so good at. He'd been behaving himself and doing what his dad wanted for so long, and he was ready for it to stop. "Please?"
Quirin sighed and set Varian down in front of him so he could look him in the eyes. Varian didn't know whether this was a good thing or not. Sometimes his dad did this when Varian was in trouble, but sometimes he did it when he was trying to apologize for something or when he had important news. His dad talked to him like this when it was something really important.
"I'm just worried about you," Quirin said. His gaze went to Varian's hand, where the mark of the Brotherhood was. "You almost died because you were trying to do something that you shouldn't have had to do."
Varian stiffened and he felt a tightening in his chest that had nothing to do with the lingering sickness. "It's my 'spons...sponsta…" Varian's face scrunched up. He knew this word, he did, he just couldn't remember it.
Quirin closed his eyes. He looked pained and tired. "Responsibility."
"Yeah, that!" Varian sat up as tall as he could. "It's my job to keep Prince Horace safe, and I did."
"But you shouldn't have had to." Quirin growled. The pain in Varian's chest only got worse. He kept himself from flinching back. He hated when his dad got mad. "You're just a child."
Varian blinked rapidly. He could feel his eyes become wet, but he didn't want to cry now. His dad wouldn't take him seriously if he started crying. "I-I can do it." Varian had thought he had proven to his dad that he was good enough to protect the prince. Why did his dad still think he was weak?
Quirin sighed and put his hands on Varian's shoulders, and the boy relaxed a little bit. This was a sign that his dad wasn't actually mad at him, but just wanted him to listen to him, though Varian didn't know why.
"It's not about what you're capable of," Quirin said quietly. "It is about what you should be doing. There are age appropriate tasks within the Brotherhood, and keeping his highness in line isn't one of them."
"This is another matter in which we shall just have to agree to disagree," King Edmund's voice said from the doorway. Varian jumped and turned around so quickly that he would have lost his balance if his dad didn't catch him. Quirin picked him up and held him almost protectively, though Varian didn't know who he was protecting him from. It was just the king.
"Your majesty." Quirin stood up and bowed to the king. Varian nodded his head to bow as much as he could.
"How is young Varian faring?" Edmund asked.
"He's still recovering," Quirin said. Varian frowned and opened his mouth to disagree, but his dad gave him a warning look and he kept his mouth shut. His dad already seemed to be a little mad at him, and Varian didn't want to make it worse. The boy whined and buried his face in his dad's neck. His dad gave his back a comforting rub.
"Well, the pelts are ready." Edmund said. Varian didn't know what he meant, but for some reason his dad was really bothered by it.
"Is this really necessary?" Quirin asked. "He's just a boy."
"Age has never had anything to do with this tradition." Edmund said. "It may seem cruel, but you know why we do this. You understand what it means. The whole point of this ritual is to keep this very thing from happening again."
"I know." Quirin sighed and adjusted his grip on Varian. "Everything is prepared?"
King Edmund nodded. "All that is left is the ceremony itself."
Quirin brushed Varian's hair out of his face and put him down. Varian looked up at his dad, who looked really sad. Even King Edmund looked a little upset, though there was a hint of pride in his eyes.
"What's happening?" Varian asked. His dad took his hand and gave it a small squeeze.
"You'll see soon enough." Quirin said. "Are you ready to go see Horace?"
Varian brightened, almost completely forgetting about whatever was upsetting his dad. "Yes!" Varian hadn't seen his friend since he'd gone out after him, and everything from that day was a little fuzzy in his memories. Varian wished that Horace had visited him, but at least he would get to see him now. "Where's he been?"
"Horace has been busy working with Hector." Edmund said. "I think you'll like what they've been working on."
Varian was getting more excited. Hector's surprises were usually really fun, even if they were also really scary sometimes too. Hector was the only one who didn't treat Varian like a little kid.
"Then come along, little one." Edmund stepped out the door. Varian looked at his dad, who was glaring at the king's back. Quirin took a deep breath and steeled his expression before following the king, leading Varian alongside him.
They made their way up the stairs and down the cold hallways. Varian was surprised when the king led them into the throne room. Horace and Hector were already waiting for them. As soon as Varian saw them he knew that whatever was going on was really important. With all of them in here and Adira at the Great Tree, nobody was watching the moonstone. This only happened when it was a big deal.
Hector was standing next to the throne, a fancy looking chest at his side. Horace was kneeling in front of the throne, his head lowered. He was really still and quiet, which wasn't like him. Edmund walked up to Horace and put a hand on his shoulder. Neither of them said anything, they just stayed like that for a moment before the king continued on to the throne. Varian's dad brought him right next to Horace and then let go of his hand. Varian watched as his dad went to the throne and stood opposite of Hector.
Varian turned to look at Horace, who was staring at the ground. His eyes looked sad, just like Varian's dad's were. He was stiff and didn't look at the boy at all.
"Horace?" Varian's voice shook slightly. Something was wrong, and it was starting to scare him. Normally when Varian was upset Horace was quick to give him a broad smile and quick reassurance. This time though he closed his eyes and ignored Varian completely.
"Horace, Varian," The king addressed them. Horace lifted his head and looked at his dad. He didn't even glance in Varian's direction. Varian looked at his friend for another long moment before forcing his gaze away and looking towards the king.
"The Dark Kingdom was built from destruction and shadows." King Edmund said, using his royal tone. "Because we live in a kingdom surrounded by death, we recognize the importance and sanctity of life. Sometimes it is unavoidable to take the life of one to preserve the lives of many, but we do not do so lightly. When a life is taken, it must be remembered"
Edmund nodded at Hector, who picked up the chest and brought it in front of the king. He opened it. Varian caught a glimpse of what looked like black and orange stripes inside.
"For generations our kingdom has had a sacred tradition," Edmund continued. "When you kill someone you carry that weight with you for the rest of your life. Because of this after someone kills their first animal they wear a reminder of it.
Varian looked at the king's long fur cloak, and the hood of Hector's cloak. Varian had asked them why they wore them, but they'd both just told him that he would understand when he was older. Varian guessed that 'older' had come today.
Hector grabbed something in the chest and pulled it out. Varian gasped and froze when he saw the familiar pattern of tiger fur.
"I-is that-?" Varian's legs shook under him. Was this why Horace was kneeling? Because he'd known what was going to happen and didn't want his legs to shake? Horace was a lot older than Varian was. He probably already knew about the whole making clothes out of dead animals thing. Was that why Horace hadn't come by to visit him and why he wasn't looking at him? Was Horace mad at Varian for poisoning the tiger?
But...but he hadn't had a choice. He had to protect the prince.
Hector carried some of the tiger fur towards them. Varian's dad grabbed some more of the fur out of the chest and brought it over. It looked like there was a lot of it.
Hector stepped in front of Horace and held up some of the fur. There was some leather mixed in with it. The man gestured for Horace to get to his feet. Hector took the fur and draped it over one of Horace's shoulders. Now that he was wearing it Varian could see that it looked like a cape that only went over one arm. The fur was attached to a leather top that covered both his shoulders and the top of his chest. Hector tied the leather in place and stepped back.
Horace looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Was the fur really that heavy? Hector also handed Horace a satchel that had tiger fur on the flap.
Varian stared up at Horace until his dad cleared his throat. Varian looked at his dad, who was kneeling in front of him. "We don't have to do this," Quirin said quietly so only Varian could hear this. "I can tell the king that you're too young."
Varian took another look at Horace, who was stroking the fur of his half cape, which went down to his knees. He didn't look very happy. The fur was a sad reminder for Horace, but he wasn't the only one responsible for killing the tiger. Varian had poisoned it. He deserved this just as much as Horace did.
"No, I want to." Varian said. His dad gave him a small smile. He took some of the fur which looked like it had been folded over and attached to a belt. Quirin wrapped the belt around Varian's waist. The fur felt a little chunky and awkward, but Varian understood why it was folded over like this. Varian was still small. With the fur like this it would be easy to adjust it to be something he could wear as he got bigger too, all he would have to do was unfold the fur.
The fur hung down from the belt, reaching Varian's mid-thighs. It felt a bit like he was wearing a tunic that opened in the front. Before Varian could take a good look at the belt his dad gently grabbed one of his wrists. He put a leather bracer on Varian's arm. It was lined with folded over fur. Varian watched in silence as his dad tied it in place, and then offered his bare arm so he could put the matching bracer on.
The fur felt weird. Varian couldn't decide whether it was really soft or incredibly scratchy. He thought he could get used to it though. He'd gotten used to seeing the brand on the back of his hand, he could get used to the stripes on his arms and waist.
"There you go," Quirin took a step back. There was still a sad look in his eyes, but Varian thought he saw something else there. He was probably just imagining it, but he liked to think it was pride. Quirin put his arms around Varian and hugged him, and even though the boy had been embraced and held by his dad so much while he was sick that it felt a little suffocating sometimes, he still leaned into the hold.
Glancing to the side Varian could see King Edmund embracing Horace as well. Varian couldn't remember the last time he had seen Horace and his dad hugging. It always seemed like whenever Horace looked like he wanted a hug from his dad, he was busy being a king, and when Edmund wanted to hug his son Horace felt too awkward to allow it.
Varian watched them for a moment before Quirin pulled him aside. "Give them some privacy, son." Varian didn't understand how they could give anybody any privacy when they were standing in the same room. He considered at least trying to listen to his dad anyways, but he couldn't just forget about Horace's stiff stance and shaking shoulders. He was really upset. And, looking at the way that Horace seemed to be avoiding him, Varian thought it was safe to say that he was upset with him.
Varian swallowed thickly and took in a shuddering breath. He looked at his dad, who was watching him with concern. "D-did I do something wrong?"
"No, of course not." Quirin said. He stared at Varian in shock, like he had said something completely ridiculous. He brushed Varian's hair out of his face. The boy wished that he was wearing his goggles, but they felt too tight around his already sore head.
"But...but why-?" Varian glanced at Horace, who had turned his head to look at him. When their eyes met Horace flinched and turned his gaze away. Varian bit his lip and sniffled slightly. It was getting harder and harder to not cry.
"Varian," Quirin picked him up and Varian couldn't hold it back anymore. He was tired, his chest hurt, he was wearing a reminder that he had helped kill an animal that had probably just been hungry, and his only friend wouldn't even look at him. A few tears fell from Varian's eyes, and once he started crying he couldn't stop.
He sobbed into his dad's shoulder, wailing for relief. Quirin rubbed his back and just held him close. "Why what?" Quirin asked. "What's wrong?"
It took several moments for Varian to be able to speak between sobs. "Wh-why is H-Horace mad at m-me?"
"W-what?" Horace sounded pained and horrified. Varian whimpered and leaned closer to his dad, hoping that his dad would somehow protect him. Varian knew that he shouldn't need protection from Horace of all people, but he couldn't help it. He may be curious about what he could have done to upset Horace, but he didn't know if he wanted to hear the reason. What if it was because of something that he couldn't change?
"Kid," Horace's voice was closer. Varian flinched when he felt the prince's hand on his shoulder. Horace made a pained sound and quickly pulled his hand back. "Varian, I-I'm not mad at you."
Varian whined and tried to lean closer to his dad, only for the man to pull him away and turn him towards Horace. Varian leaned back as far away as he could. He didn't want to talk to the prince.
"Please, Varian, I promise I'm not mad at you." Horace said. He sounded like he meant it, but Varian knew what he saw.
"Th-then why are you ignoring me?" Varian asked tearfully.
"I-I'm not!" Horace objected before he flinched and glanced to the side, avoiding looking at Varian again. "I mean, I'm not trying to. I just...I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself."
Varian blinked in shock. That wasn't really what he had expected. "You...why?"
Horace sighed. "Because you got hurt because of me. I made a stupid choice, and you're expected to deal with the consequences, and it's not fair." Horace brushed his hand over his fur cape again. "You shouldn't have to carry this burden."
"But I want to." Varian said. His dad and Horace both looked at him in shock. "If people work together to carry something, it makes it easier, right? If I help you carry it, then you won't have to work as hard." Varian didn't know if it was still true with a metaphorical weight, but it sounded right to him.
"That...it's not the same thing." Horace said.
"Why not?" Varian asked.
"It's just not." Horace said, and that answer was not good enough for Varian.
"But why?" Varian asked. He heard his dad chuckle. Quirin usually had little patience for Varian's curiosity, but he seemed to feel different about it when his questions were aimed at somebody else.
"B-because I said so, that's why." Horace said. Varian shot him an unimpressed look. Horace sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that wasn't going anywhere. Look, it's just complicated."
"Just because something's hard doesn't mean it should be avoided." Varian said. It was something that his mom used to say all the time. "I can help, really I can."
"I know you can." Horace sighed. He looked sad. "I just don't want you to pay for me doig something stupid again."
"So just don't do something stupid." Varian said like it was obvious. Horace chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"Gee, why didn't I think of that?" Horace gave Varian a small smile, though he still looked sad. "Alright, genius, I'll work on it, but I'm going to need your help. You're better at seeing small details than I am."
Varian grinned proudly. He was very observant, and he liked being acknowledged for it. "So I can help?"
"Yeah, sure you can, kid." Horace said. "After all, we're a team, aren't we?"
"Yeah!" Varian beamed at his friend. "Team Awesome."
Horace chuckled and held out his fist. "Team Awesome." Varian returned the fist bump with a small giggle. "So I know you're probably sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time, but do you maybe want to read some Flynn Rider?"
"Yes!" Besides Horace's company, reading about Flynn Rider was what Varian had missed most while sick. Varian looked at his dad. "Can I?"
Quirin sighed and looked between Horace and Varian. For a long moment it seemed like he was going to say no. Finally he passed Varian to Horace, who looked incredibly relieved. "Just be careful, both of you."
"We're just going to read a book." Horace adjusted his grip on Varian to make it more comfortable. "What could happen?"
"Knowing you two, I don't want to think about it." Quirin said. "Don't make me regret this."
"Of course not, sir." Horace said. He looked at Varian and didn't try to duck away from his gaze again. "Come on, kid. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a distraction, and Flynn Rider hasn't let me down yet." Varian nodded and held onto Horace as the prince nodded at his dad and left the throne room. He was more than ready for some Team Awesome time with Horace.
A/N: I love exploring and expanding Dark Kingdom culture. I wanted to give a reason as to why everybody in the Dark Kingdom wears fur of some kind, especially since most characters in this show don't wear fur (I think the only other people who do are some of the thugs).
When I first thought of Horace and Varian killing an animal and getting their own fur I looked up most dangerous animals in Russia, and Siberian tiger popped up. Once it got in my head I couldn't shake it. I considered other animals, mostly a lynx, but I drew out a basic idea of what their fur pieces would look like, and the tiger pattern just looked the best.