Just a bit of canon divergence angst while I try to get over writers block

"You little imp!" Zhan Tiri screamed. Thanks to this... this... child, her plans were ruined. She couldn't destroy Corona anymore. He'd somehow taken away her power.

The demon turned on him, her eyes blazing in fury. She may no longer have the power to destroy Corona, but she could still kill him.

He looked at her with a smug smile. "Good luck trying to hurt anybody without your magic."

She grinned. Oh she would make him suffer for this. "I don't need magic to kill you."

He backed away, terror coming to his eyes as she stalked towards him. She would relish that look in his eyes for centuries to come.

"Any last words?"


They found him hours later, a knife embedded in his chest, and Zhan Tiri nowhere to be found. They didn't know how long he'd been dead, just that Zhan Tiri was the one who killed him.

"Varian..." Rapunzel felt tears coming to her eyes as she took in the horrific sight. Blood, his blood, stained the surrounding stone a bright crimson color. His pale body laying limply on the ground. And, his lifeless eyes that Eugene had to close with a shaking hand. Their friend was gone.

Cass collapsed to her knees by his side. She still had the moonstone. She was the reason he was dead. "No... I didn't want this."

Eugene wordlessly pulled the knife from his chest. He let the silver blade clatter onto the ground as the reality of everything set in. Varian was gone. Killed ruthlessly in cold blood by a demon. Why him? Why did it have to be him?

Rapunzel gently lifted his head onto her lap. She didn't want to let him go. She didn't want to let her little brother leave her. But she was to late. She was always to late when it came to things like this.

Then a thought.

My hair. I'm still the Sundrop. I could still save him.

She'd used the Sun Incantation at the tower. Why couldn't she use the Healing Incantation now?

With a shaking hand she brought her hair to his chest. The first time she'd done this with Eugene, he'd only been dead for a few minutes. It had been a few hours. Still, it was the only thing she could try.

"Rapunzel? What are you doing?" Cassandra asked.

Rapunzel ignored her and began to sing.

Flower Gleam and Glow

Let Your Power Shine

Make the Clock Reverse

Bring What Once was Mine

Her hair began to glow a soft yellow and light weaved in and out of the strands. It was working. She kept going.

Heal What Has Been Hurt

Change the Fates Design

Her voice began to tremble with tears. What if this didn't work? What if her hair couldn't heal him?

Save What Has Been Lost

Bring him back. She thought. I have to bring him back.

And Bring Back What Once Was Mine

What Once Was Mine

The song ended and the glow faded and for a terrifying, achingly long moment, nothing happened.

Everyone waited anxiously, breaths hitching in anticipation as they waited for something, anything, to happen.

Then they heard it. A soft, barely audible gasp. Then she noticed his chest moving. He was breathing again. It had worked.

She slowly removed her hair and saw the whole in his chest was gone. Then he was weakly grasping her hand.

"Rapunzel?"

She laughed and brushed his hair away from his face. "Varian."

She couldn't stop smiling. He was back. She brought him back.

Cass became so overwhelmed with the joy that he was alive and okay that she forgot why he'd been dead in the first place. "Varian, you're okay."

His reaction to her voice surprised her. He smiled.

"Hey, Cassie." His own voice was weak and hoarse but that didn't matter, because he was alive.

Cassandra felt a warmth in her chest. He'd called her Cassie again.

Everything was going to be okay.


Zhan Tiri watched from the shadows. Rage filled her soul. That princess always ruined her fun. Still, watching the light in his eyes go out had been amusing.

When the princess inevitably lost her magic again, she would kill him. And this time, he'd stay dead. But until then, she would just have to wait.