Soo, this is another chapter!

I don't own tangled obviously.

Ok! I am still alive! Just been super busy with school. Plus...well...laziness but most of it is school. There was a bit of a writers block when it came to trying to write a few of the conversations in this chapter but the good thing is a lot of those conversations are supposed to be awkward for the people talking so I hope it comes off as a good awkward if it is you know, awkward to read.

Thank you all for supporting this story and liking it!

Onto the chapter!

Rapunzel smiled as she walked through town, happily greeting the townspeople as they came forward to greet her in return. Many of them thanked her for saving them, for coming back to them. A few of them asked how she was doing or asked after her parents which she could only reply with a strained smile and a small "they are being looked after" to the questions. Really, a lot of the questions had her internally cringing and she had to fight the urge to go right back to the medical chamber and take her place next to Varian's side.

Any time this happened, Pascal would gently nudge her from his spot on her shoulder and Eugene would catch her eye to give her an encouraging look. She would smile in response, relaxing a little, before turning her attention back to the citizens.

"I'm glad the Saporians hadn't been able to do too much damage." Rapunzel sighed as she watched her people scurry about, getting back to their daily lives. Sure, a few people were sweeping up what must have been a small amount of debris from the explosion, but over all, there wasn't that much damage done to either the town or its people.

"Yeah, the worst damage physically seemed to come from the one wall that had been exploded during our first fight, and then any debris that remained from the giant explosion from the airship." Lance answered, his hand gesturing around the streets as they walked. "Plus, most people were either still in the mines that they had been getting the...ores from or were in their homes, so no one seemed to get hit by any of the debris either."

"Were there any lasting effects from them all mining for so long?" Rapunzel asked, a frown coming to her lips at the reminder of what her citizens had been forced into doing while she was gone.

"Just some soreness, bruises, nothing that the local physicians couldn't handle once everyone was able to come back to town." Eugene answered with a wave of his hand. Rapunzel continued to watch her citizens bustle around her, many of them calling out a greeting or waving at the sight of her. She returned each greeting as well, smiling when a familiar group of girls ran up to her offering flowers.

This was nice, to see that after all the chaos there is still some normality, some calmness still in this world. Even still, Rapunzel could see a bit of weariness in some of the adult's eyes when they looked up to the castle, worried for their king and queen. Afterall, it had taken Varian a few days to actually wake up, and in that time Nigel had gone up with Rapunzel at one point to make the announcement that, at the moment, Rapunzel would be the head of the kingdom as the king and queen were still recovering. Not wanting to worry the people too much, they did not say that the two royals currently had no memory of present events, just staying that it would be a while before they took charge of the kingdom.

From there Rapunzel had left most things to Nigel, too sick with worry for Varian to think about anything else. But now, seeing her people healthy and living their lives once more, a small weight lifted from her chest

The group continued to move throughout the town, Rapunzel talking here and there with one of the citizens, inquiring about her own state and she of theirs. Eventually though she and the others began to make their way back to the castle, Lance splitting off before they reached the doors. Once inside, Rapunzel began to walk the now very familiar track to the medical chamber, only to freeze at the soft gasp from before her. There, standing in front of her, was her mother, who still looked at her without recognition in her eyes but was nonetheless giving a soft smile.

"Oh, uh...hi...mom." Rapunzel greeted awkwardly, a small wave coming from her hand as Eugene and Pascal moved in closer to her to offer their support.

"Hello...Rapunzel, right?" Arianna questioned, the look she had showing she was just as uncomfortable as Rapunzel.

"Yes, uh…"

"Would you mind if we took a walk together? In the gardens, that is, if you aren't too busy?" Arianna asked, her head gesturing in the direction of the royal gardens.

"Uh...I," Rapunzel looked helplessly at Eugene but knew he could not make this choice for her. He could be there for her, for whichever she decided, but he could not make the choice. Rapunzel then looked down the hall that would take her back to the medical ward, back to Varian's side where she knew she should be after everything that happened to him, but at the same time, the chance to talk with her mother, despite the memory loss, was pulling her in that direction.

"It's alright if you have previous plans." Arianna spoke up, no doubt noticing Rapunzel's hesitation.

"No, no, it's just…I want to, really-"

"Here, sunshine, how 'bout this. You go with your mother and I'll keep an eye on Varian for you, ok?" Eugene proposed, noticing the war in her eyes.

"Yeah...yeah that, that's fine." Rapunzel replied, her words still catching on her hesitation but she knew that Eugene was just trying to help her out with all these decisions. With that, she handed Pascal to Eugene, listening to him walk away as she approached her mother. Soon, the two were walking through the luscious royal garden.

"So…, what did you want to talk about?" Rapunzel asked, hands moving to clasp together out of nervousness.

"Nothing in particular, just, I haven't gotten to see you much these last few days what with everything...that happened." Arianna said, giving a small smile. "But, even though I can't remember, you are my daughter and I want to get to know you."

"And I want to talk to you too." Rapunzel returned the smile. "I just didn't know where to start. I wasn't going to avoid you, I wasn't even trying to. In fact, talking with you guys might even help your memory, I was just waiting for everything to stabilize for a little bit before trying to tackle that. I know that Nigel has taken care of a lot of the responsibilities, but I still need to be there every so often to help handle things or talk with the townspeople, plus today was the first time I walked through the town and some people were still cleaning up after the explosion, then there's also Varian-"

"Ok, take a deep breath." Arianna broke in which made Rapunzel realize she had started rambling, her hands moving up to tug on a loose strand of hair. "It's alright. I know ruling can be hard, but that's what you have Nigel for. Besides, it sounds like you're doing what you can in such an overwhelming situation." She sighed. "I wish your father and I could help you, but with our situation Nigel thinks it's best you run the kingdom for now."

"What happened wasn't your fault." Rapunzel stated firmly, a hand leaving her hair to reach out and comfort her mother. "Besides, you should focus on getting your memories back rather than running the kingdom. It wouldn't be good to overwhelm you guys or risk something happening just because you are missing some information."

"I understand that, but it doesn't make me wish I could help you any less."

"It's like you said though, right? Nigel's taking care of a lot of it. He would know more about what is going on currently as well as how to handle the situation than I would."

Arianna nodded. "Yes, in fact, he's also been keeping us updated on everything currently, as well as informing us a bit of who everyone is."

"Oh?"

"Yes. After all, there are a lot of people around that neither I nor Frederick recognize, so we needed to be updated on who everyone is. Obviously he's told us about you and your boyfriend, Eugene, though he did not seem too fond of him. He's let us know about the few no longer criminals that stop by, who the Saporians really were, who Varian is."

At Varian's name, Rapunzel winced a bit and quickly looked at Arianna. "I hope he hasn't been just telling you bad things. Trust me when I say that Varian is a good kid, he just...wasn't given the support he needed. I promise Varian isn't up to anything bad. And, he even got hurt to save Corona from the Saporians."

"While Nigel hasn't mentioned much about him, and what he has mentioned isn't exactly...good, he did mention that Varian helped bring the reason why the airship blew up, though that was after he mentioned Varian created the chemical to do so in the first place."

Rapunzel shook her head. "No, he never created the chemical to hurt anyone. He was just looking for a second chance the only way he thought was possible. If there is anyone who should be blamed for all of this, it's Andrew. He's the one who messed with Varian's head."

"Well, I don't know that much about him, and almost everything I have gathered about him is from another person." Arianna said. "At most, I knew he was a good person when he...pretended to be our advisor. Despite needing the people to mine for him, he still wanted to make sure they had everything they needed to remain healthy. Outside of those meetings, I didn't see much of him, and whenever I did Andrew was there too."

"That doesn't surprise me." Rapunzel sighed. "Andrew probably wanted to keep an eye on Varian. Especially around you."

"Me? Why?"

Rapunzel shrugged, "I can't say. The most I know is that you visited Varian when he was in prison, trying to help him. Maybe Andrew wanted to make sure talking with you wouldn't make Varian turn against them."

"Maybe, but if I don't remember this, how would I turn Varian against him?"

"Maybe Varian would feel guilty, turning against you like this, but I don't know. At the moment, only Varian would remember why you visited him."

"Well," Arianna huffed, a smile twitching onto her face. "I guess I'll just have to visit him again, then."

"Huh?" Rapunzel gasped, looking in surprise at her mother, who shrugged in response.

"Well, I obviously visited for a reason. Besides, he was sweet when I could talk to him, so I wouldn't mind getting to know him a little more. Maybe it will help with my memories. Plus, I don't want to make any final decisions about the boy until I know everything for myself. Just hearing about the things he's done doesn't mean I know if he's truly good or bad. If I could remember, I'm sure I would know already how I feel about him not being locked up, but until then, I will withhold my judgement."

Rapunzel shouldn't be surprised. From what her parents told her before they lost their memories of her, Arianna was just like her. Adventurous, loyal, caring towards everyone. Seeing that these qualities were still very present in her mother, Rapunzel was able to relax a bit. Subconsciously, she had been afraid that, with their memories gone, her parents wouldn't be the same, wouldn't want to get to know her, their daughter who had only been with them for a short amount of time in comparison to how long they should have had her, or the situation. She was afraid that they'd take everything Nigel said for the truth and Rapunzel wouldn't get enough time to plead a case for the boy. Yes, she still didn't know how her father was going to respond, but with her mother on her side, a weight was lifted from her chest.

But overall, she was afraid she would lose all connections with her parents.

"Now," Arianna spoke up, breaking Rapunzel from her thoughts. "Why don't we get to know each other a little more, hm? I would love to know who my daughter is."

Rapunzel laughed, but nodded. From there she and her mother started to talk, once again learning all about each other.

Even though he couldn't feel it, Varian knew there was soft fur beneath his bandaged hand. He could feel the nose against his cheek that puffed small breaths against his skin. Even though he couldn't hear the soft noises made by his friend, he could feel the vibration of every purr and every chitter that Ruddiger gave in an attempt to comfort him while he sobbed. Even when the tears had slowed to the occasional drop, Ruddiger stayed, as close as Varian's injuries would allow.

"Rudd'er…" Varian slurred again, hand tightening on his friend, ignoring the small pain that shot up it from the small amount of burns on it. "I...thou-t...n'ver see.."

Ruddiger pressed closer to Varian at those words, silently saying he would always be there for Varian.

"N'...ream?"

A shake of a head.

Varian almost started crying again. To think he hadn't lost everything and everyone he cared about. He had been thinking that Ruddiger had truly left for good, that Varian had finally ruined the last remaining relationship he had. His father trapped in amber, erasing the queen's memories, Rapunzel and Eugene hating him, and then finally Ruddiger chased away after finally having enough of Varian's desperate attempts at getting help. Even after he woke up, and processed everything, he was sure that he'd be alone, at least even more so since even the Saporians would no longer be there. Sure, he never considered them real friends, but he had thought they were there for him.

Turned out they'd just been using him. More people he had faith in ripping his trust into scraps. Sure, Rapunzel had helped him, but that was mainly because it was his chemicals, his mess. Rapunzel had even told the others that they needed him. They needed him to get to the Saporians, to fix the chemicals he made that was it. Sure, he thought that maybe he and Rapunzel had gotten somewhere in that cell, reached an understanding, but did they? Did one talk undo every horrible thing he had done? He doubted it was enough. Again, the reason she took him with them was because they needed him, not because they wanted him.

Yeah, he was in the medical ward, but that was because Rapunzel was too nice to let him die, no matter who they were or what they'd done. Maybe there were a few smiles when they were fighting, a truce before the time came to once again judge his actions, but that must have been it, a truce. The reality was that while maybe Rapunzel understood him, somewhat in that prison, he still endangered her people (funny Varian once thought he had been one of those) once again. But, maybe if he was in the medical ward, that was a sign they'd be merciful? Or, this was his payment for helping clean up his mess. Healing for his help, but after that it was up in the air.

His blurry eyes focused on the raccoon besides him. He wonders if they'd let Ruddiger visit him if they sent him back to prison.

Eugene whistled a bit as he made his way through the halls, though he couldn't help his mind wandering to Rapunzel. He hoped everything was alright. Not that he thought Arianna would do anything bad, but with everything that happened, Rapunzel needed some good news, not whatever emotional weight that would be added onto her if things went poorly between the two of them. He could feel Pascal on his shoulders shuffling a bit, no doubt just as worried about Rapunzel as he was.

"I know frog, but hopefully everything turns out fine." Eugene huffed.

"Sir Fitzherbert?" A voice called and Eugene turned to see one of the servants approaching him.

"Yes? And you can just call me Eugene." He replied. He never really liked being called by his last name but none of the servants ever seemed to care.

"I've come to inform you and her highness that Varian is currently awake and aware in the medical chamber. Uh...where might I find her highness Princess Rapunzel?" The serving boy asked, looking around as if Rapunzel would spontaneously appear, which in his defence, could happen.

"Oh, uh, she's in the gardens with the queen." Eugene said, frozen at first as he processed what he just heard before answering.

"Thank you." The serving boy said with a bow before taking off down the hall. Eugene himself did not wait as he took off in a run down the hall in the opposite direction of the serving boy, toward the medical chamber.

He got a few odd looks as he sprinted but he didn't care. The kid was finally awake after all this time, and he didn't want to risk missing it and seeing how the kid was after all this time.

Making his way to the main door, he paused a bit to catch his breath but a squeak from Pascal got him moving again.

"I know, I know." He grumbled at the chameleon before pushing open the doors. Once it was open, it was easy to find that familiar bed that they had all been stopping by since they'd been allowed to see Varian. There, though still laying on his side, Eugene could see the way Ruddiger was pressing up against the boy and the hand that lay over the raccoon's fur, softly gripping it between the bandaged fingers.

"Ah, Mr. Fitzherbert. I am to assume her highness has also returned?" The voice of the head physician broke Eugene away from the sight and saw Cynthia standing next to him, hands crossed behind her back.

"Oh, ah, yes...she's probably on her way now. She was just talking with her mother."

Cynthia's brow creased. "Oh, I apologize if the news interrupts them. I did not know that her majesty would be with her highness."

"No, no, it's fine." Eugene said, waving away the apology. "Trust me when I say she'd rather you tell her about Varian now than later."

"Understood."

"So...is the little guy alright? I mean, Rapunzel told us what happened before she left…"

Cynthia sighed, her own gaze falling on the boy in the bed before looking back to Eugene. "It's not great, but it could be worse. I examined him when he woke up to get an idea of his hearing, mental capacities, and anything else we could only do once he was awake. He seems to be aware of most of the pain, as I needed to know if there was any extensive damage to his limbs but it seems as though in that case it is merely the burns that are the worse. Of course, we have not yet tried to see how well he could walk but that will come up when his burns heal a little more. As for his head and hearing, I can confirm that he has lost his ability to hear at the moment. Whether that returns or not depends on time. I believe he also has a concussion and there could have been some more damage to the brain though it is hard to say at his current state, especially since he just woke up."

"I...see." Eugene said, words failing him as he processed everything that was said.

"You can visit him, if you'd like." Cynthia spoke up, holding out a piece of paper and a charcoal stick. "You just need this in order to speak with him. He can still read, it might just take him a little to process it and respond. I also don't know how long he'll be able to stay awake for, so don't be alarmed if he drifts off. His body is still healing after all."

"Right, uh, thanks." Eugene said, flashing a smile as he took the paper and stick from her. With a nod, Cynthia then turned back to one of the other patients in the room. Eugene stood there for a few minutes, still processing everything, before taking a deep breath and made his way over to Varian's bedside.

Ruddiger seemed to perk up at his approach, moving his head away from Varian's cheek only long enough to draw the kid's attention to it before moving it back. Varian, at the movement, seemed to let his eyes flicker up and away from Ruddiger before very pointedly looking away from Eugene as he approached, but Eugene could tell from the occasional flick of his eyes that he was still subtly keeping track of him in a way his ears no longer could.

"Oh, kid." Eugene sighed once he was in front of him, his body relaxing slightly at the sight of the boy awake. "It's great to see you awake, like really great. I mean, I of course knew you would wake up, especially since you're so stubborn and all, nothing can really ever keep you down, right? I'm sure you'll be up and exploding things all over again as soon as you're able to, though you might want to hold off for a bit considering-"

"What?" Varian's voice suddenly croaked, making Eugene freeze mid sentence and look away from his gesturing to the boy laid out before him. Varian was staring up at him with confusion swimming in his eyes and across his face. Those blue orbs flickered between Eugene's face and the paper clenched in one of his hands.

"Oh! Right sorry, I was just...you know I'm not used to this and I got a bit caught up the moment and…" Eugene flushed. "And I'm doing it again...uh...one moment."

Smoothing out the paper, Eugene put it down on the small open table next to the bed, no doubt cleared enough of the medications that were needed nearby so that anyone would be ready to write for Varian's sake. Bringing the charcoal stick down to the paper before Eugene hesitated at what to write. Everything he had just said, rambled really, was just him...not really knowing what to say to the kid. Yes, Eugene was happy to see the kid awake, but that did not mean the air wasn't heavy. It was heavy with the general sorry state of the kid, something Eugene still wished had not happened. It was heavy with the overall guilt Eugene had at the fact that the last time he really spoke with the kid was him explaining how they should not trust him, how they should have just left him in that cell (like everyone else had). It was heavy with the general awkwardness of having to write out what he wanted to say.

It was awkward from the obvious wary gaze Varian directed at him and the way his hand continued to tightly hold onto Ruddiger.

And it wasn't as though Eugene could just ramble out anything on the paper like he could when speaking. Yes, he could make a joke or two, but he still had to think about what he would be transferring onto the paper from his mind, something that never seemed so difficult before now.

Glancing towards Varian briefly, Eugene decided to start this off simply, with something he knew he wasn't conflicted over. Scribbling the wording down, Eugene then lifted the paper and held it up into Varian's view, watching as he slowly (so slowly compared to his energy before all of this) read the word written upon the paper.

"I'm glad you're awake."

Eugene could tell when Varian processed the words and felt another stab of guilt to the heart at the tentatively hopeful yet sceptical look Varian had after reading them. Slowly pulling away the paper, Eugene placed it back on the table to write once more.

"How are you feeling?"

Again, Varian took a while to understand what was written before looking back at Eugene with a slight questioning look. However, the way he began working his mouth and the way soft sounds came out said to Eugene this was a better response since the kid was now attempting to reply.

"...Uh…'m….f'ne" Varian mumbled out after a few seconds, brows furrowing in frustration at the way he still struggled to speak.

"Uh...good, good." Eugene said, nodding before catching himself with a wince. Bringing the charcoal back to the paper, he wrote once more, this time hoping to be encouraging to the kid.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be up and talking our ears off in no time."

Another curious look, but that small shine of...something good that remained after Eugene had said he was glad Varian was awake was there with it, though only slightly.

Eugene, though giving a smile at the boy as his eyes settled on him, couldn't help but wince once again internally. Jeez, they really messed up. Just how much trust had they shattered that this kid couldn't look at them without a wary look, like they'd suddenly turn on him when he decided to take their hand? Then again, it's not like they've done much to make up for what he had gone through, not nearly enough that there was still a small glimmer of hope or trust or just...something they could not have earned since they returned. Really, Rapunzel was the only one who gave Varian the trust to follow his plan to take down the ship, offering that first hand back out to the lost kid, but the rest of them? Eugene could not see any things he had done recently that warranted any kind of hope from the kid.

"W...W-heee'r...is R….Rap'nz'l?" Varian's quiet and stuttering speak broke Eugene from his musing to focus back on the person in the bed.

"Huh? Oh...uh..." He quickly brought the paper back to the desk to write his response.

"She's talking with her mom, but she'll be here soon."

Varian hummed and Eugene felt his heart stutter a bit in his chest when he watched whatever spark that had been in Varian's eyes dim a bit as he forced out his next words.

"Do...do...y-ooou kn'w't is...go-o'n...h-happ'n, me?"

Eugene frowned in confusion, not understanding what Varian was asking him. Varian must have seen his face because he was working to speak before Eugene was able to put charcoal to paper.

"Is...am...pr-prison?" The strain to Varian's face showed how hard he was attempting to get his point across. Even Ruddiger was pressing closer with a chitter, offering his support as best as he could. "Is...do you...k-knoooow…s-sen...sen…..pun-p-nishm'nt?"

Blood drained from Eugene's face as he finally registered what exactly the injured boy was trying to ask. The fact that this is the first thing he is attempting to ask of him speaks volumes of the boy's mindset, injuries excluded. The charcoal pencil dropped from his hand and Eugene could only stare in horror at Varian.

Varian himself only continued to look back, confusion and questions written all over his pink face as his breath came out slightly more labored due to his effort to make his words come out as clearly as possible even if he could not hear them.

"Kid-"

Blonde hair rushed past him.

"Varian! You're awake!"

So that was that! Hope it was ok! For those of you wondering, for a lot of the episodes in season three, they will either be off to the side and like mentioned or otherwise not really directly happen. Some are going to happen in different ways, like the regaining of the memory of the king and queen, but things like "Day of the Animals" probably won't happen.

The episode "Be Very Afraid" is still going to happen because it was pretty important to Varian's growth back to acceptance in the show but there will obviously be some adjustments.

For those curious, the end of this story actually is planned to end right before Cassandra's Revenge when Rapunzel entrusts Varian with the scroll. I figured that was a nice end showing trust coming back and the recovery of Varian. HOWEVER, I fully plan to do a one-shot in this universe on Cassandra's Revenge because that will obviously be very different as well. If there are any other episodes or scenarios or expansion on you guys would like to see from this story's effects that are not touched upon in this, feel free to ask and I'll see if I can do it or if I think it will be touched upon. If I say I think it will be mentioned in this story and isn't, then obviously I can see if I can turn it into a one-shot. Probably best to leave these for the end of the story, but I understand excitement.

Anywho, that was that! Feel free to comment or anything else!

Until next time! :D