Varian was excited, and absolutely terrified. He felt like he couldn't breathe. This was it. Everything that he'd worked for for the past year and a half had all been for this. He was finally going to free his head.

Varian tried not to worry about everything that could go wrong. If he stopped to think about the possibility that this might not work, then he might stop himself before he even tried, because he didn't want to walk away disappointed. And if he thought too much about how furious his dad could be with him after everything he'd done, he might get too scared to go through with this.

Varian couldn't worry about what-ifs. The only thing he could let himself think about was that he would finally be able to see his dad, after all this time. He could hug his dad, and tell him that he loved him, and actually talk to him. He wanted to talk to his dad about what it was like growing up, and his interest in astronomy. He wanted to learn about where his dad's interest in farming had come from, and why he had come to Corona in the first place.

Varian didn't really care about what exactly they talked about, he just wanted to talk to him.

Varian fiddled with the moonstone as he slowly walked down the stairs and stepped into his lab for the first time since the battle of Old Corona. That had only been a year ago, but it felt like a lifetime. Varian didn't feel like he'd changed that much since he'd left Corona, but looking back he felt completely different from the desperate and angry boy he had been. He barely recognized the boy he had been.

"So, do you have a plan?" Eugene asked quietly. He was right behind Varian, close enough to offer support if it was needed, but far enough away to provide privacy.

"It's not really a plan." Varian admitted. The words sounded so odd coming out of his mouth. Varian took a deep breath and lifted the hood of his cloak. "I was just going to follow my instincts and see where that takes me." Hector had helped Varian figure out how to use the powers of the moonstone. Varian wished that he was here, but he wasn't going to let Hector's absence stop him.

The man had taught him how to follow his instinct and trust himself, and that was what Varian was going to try to use now.

The boy slowly approached the amber. He pulled off his gloves and placed his hands directly on the amber. He couldn't help but remember the countless nights when he had found himself in this exact position, desperately reaching for his dad who was so close, and yet felt so far away.

Varian closed his eyes and reached for the now familiar power of the moonstone. He could feel the power in the amber. They looked different from the black rocks, but it was still similar enough that Varian could sense the connection they had to the moon. It was weak, but maybe it would be enough.

Varian grabbed onto that power and tried to pull it back. He tried to make the amber disappear back into the ground or shrink like he could make the black rocks do. To Varian's disappointment nothing happened.

That was fine. There was something else that Varian wanted to try. He was a little scared to do it after what had happened last time, but something in his soul told him that this was right. This would work. He just had to trust the moon and its power.

Varian swallowed thickly, effortlessly remembering the words he had been stuck repeating for so long back in the Great Tree.

"Wither and decay." Varian said quietly. His voice shook, but he forced himself to continue. "End this destiny. Break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free."

Varian felt like something deep within him awakened. Last time this had happened he had repeated those same lines over and over again, but he felt no such compulsion this time. He felt prompted to continue, but not in a loop.

Varian pressed harder against the amber and opened his eyes. "Hiding in the dark," Varian sang quietly. "Shadows grow in me. Cast away the light, and set the spirit free."

"Please," Varian whispered almost inaudibly. "Set him free."

Varian bit his lip as he saw the amber smoke and steam as it slowly started to melt away. It was working. It was actually working. Despite the steam and melting, the amber felt cool to the touch.

Remembering what kind of trouble had followed when Varian had got caught in the loop of this incantation back at the tree, he didn't want to repeat it even once. He stood in silence and watched hopefully as the amber continued to melt away. Before too long Varian's dad was released from his amber prison.

"Dad," Varian said breathlessly. He felt tears gather in his eyes. "Daddy!" He ran towards his dad, running right into him. His dad was unsteady and terrifyingly unresponsive for a long moment, but soon Varian could feel his dad lift his arm and wrap it around him. Varian's dad pulled him close.

"You're okay." Varian muttered, more to himself than to his dad. He didn't quite believe that he finally had his dad back. His mutters were to just try to convince himself. "You're alive."

"Varian," His dad said. He sounded as vulnerable as Varian felt. "My son. My boy." Quirin pulled back to look at him. His eyes widened in shock. Quirin's eyes were glued to the moonstone sitting in the middle of the Brotherhood symbol. "I-is that."

"The moonstone, yeah." Varian said. He shifted uncomfortably. "A lot's happened while you were…trapped."

Varian was relieved when he didn't see anger or disappointment in his dad's eyes. He just looked confused. "How long-"

"A year and a half." Varian said weakly. His chest tightened. He felt upset and young, and far too much like he had when this had all started. Varian whined and leaned against his dad, seeking comfort. He was relieved when his dad tightened his grip on him.

"Please," Quirin said quietly. "Please don't tell me you were alone for all that time."

Varian flinched. "I wasn't alone the whole time." He hadn't been alone while in prison, though he could barely remember those days. Then he'd been found by Hector, and he had been in his uncle's company almost constantly. When he wasn't with Hector, he'd been with Adira and Edmund. The only time Hector had been alone had been during those first few terrible months.

Quirin made a wounded sound as he adjusted his grip on Varian. "It's been a year and a half. A growing boy like you is supposed to get bigger after that time, not smaller." Quirin let out a shuddered breath. "You're so skinny. Have you been eating? Who was taking care of you?"

Varian wanted to protest and say that he didn't need anybody to take care of him, but if there was one thing he had learned during all this time it was that he wasn't very good at taking care of himself. Not only did his own health fall, but he attacked people around him. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Varian needed somebody to make sure that he didn't take things too far.

"Will it make you feel better if I say that I'm doing better now?" Varian asked. He tried to keep his voice light and almost humorous, but the way his voice cracked showed his vulnerability. "I was so much worse a year ago. I was starving, and sick, and…and…and I deserved it." Varian tried to pull away from his dad, only for him to tighten his grip.

"Don't say that." Quirin growled in a low, protective voice. "Never say that."

Varian shook his head. "You don't know what I did." He'd hurt people. He'd lashed out and attacked the citizens of Corona, dragging them into his mess with the royal family. He didn't really regret targeting the royals, though he now thought that he shouldn't have taken things as far as he had before. He'd never wanted to hurt people though. The citizens shouldn't suffer because the king was a tyrant. That wasn't fair.

"Kid," Varian stiffened when he heard Eugene's voice. He'd nearly forgotten that he was there. "Your dad may not know what you did, but I do, so trust me when I say that you don't deserve any of what has happened to you." Varian turned his head to look towards Eugene, looking for even just a hint of a lie, but all he saw was sincerity.

Eugene really didn't think that he deserved this pain. As Rapunzel's boyfriend, Varian had thought that Eugene would be biased against him. If he was willing to give Varian a chance after everything that had happened, maybe Varian deserved it after all.

"What happened?" Quirin asked, sounding pained. Varian was frozen as he tried to figure out what he should say. He'd never really thought this far ahead. He'd been too busy worrying about freeing his dad, and then not getting into a fight with him about things that were now in the past, he hadn't really considered how he was going to explain everything to his dad.

But Varian wanted to tell him. Secrets between the two of them had almost destroyed their relationship, which was the last thing that Varian wanted. If he expected his dad to be honest with him, then it was only fair that he return the favor, but where was he supposed to begin? At the beginning, where trauma and sickness had caused his months of loneliness to all blur together? When he'd kidnapped the queen, though his memories were blinded with rage and terror? When he'd been thrown in prison, even though he could barely remember it?

Honestly, this past year and a half was all a big blur of one thing happening right after another. He wanted to tell his dad about it all, and he would, but he didn't think he wanted to do it alone. Uncle Hector had said that he would be here with Varian when he finally talked to his dad, acting as a mediator between the two of them. It wasn't that Varian was afraid of talking to his dad, but he wanted his uncle to be there.

"C-can we go back to the others?" Varian looked to Eugene. To his disappointment and fear Eugene grimaced and looked uncomfortable with the suggestion. Varian knew that something was wrong with Hector, but why wouldn't Eugene tell him what it was?

"I don't think that's a good idea, kid." Eugene said quietly. "My dad was very insistent that you shouldn't be there. He was worried you'd get hurt."

Varian scowled and felt his temper rise. "Uncle Hector wouldn't hurt me!"

Quirin jolted. "Hector?" He finally let Varian pull away from him again. Quirin examined Varian's outfit. He gave the cloak a small tug with a smirk. "Do I even want to know how you met my brother?"

"He broke me out of the dungeon." Varian said bluntly. He really didn't want to dance around any of these issues. He told himself that if his dad asked him anything, he would answer it as directly as he knew how.

Varian's dad looked slightly ill. "The dungeon? You…what were you doing there?"

"Because I kidnapped the queen." Varian said before he had the chance to get nervous and talk himself out of being honest with his dad. His dad still didn't look mad or disappointed. He was far too confused for that. Maybe there was something to this speaking bluntly thing.

"...Do I want to know why?" Quirin asked.

"I was mad because Rapunzel broke her promise to me, and her dad was lying to everybody because he knew about the rocksthe whole time, but he never did anything about it because he cared more about his family than his kingdom." Varian said in a single breath. Eugene looked just as stunned as Quirin did, though Varian thought it wasn't because of what he was saying but how he was saying it.

"It was also the only way I could think of to convince Rapunzel to help me." Varian said. "Her hair's unbreakable, so I thought it could break through the unbreakable amber, but it didn't, so I got mad, and then I got sent to the dungeons."

Quirin was quiet for a long moment before he spoke. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"That was around the time when Varian started to go through the sick and starvation thing he mentioned." Eugene commented. "I think that might have affected his judgement."

Varian could finally see anger in his dad's eyes, and he started to feel nervous. Was he about to be yelled at? Was it going to be more of a cold shoulder kind of anger? That would almost be worse.

"Are you telling me that my son was hurting and the people of Corona didn't notice?" Quirin asked. That was cold fury all right, but Varian was comforted to hear it. His dad wasn't mad at him. He was mad on his behalf.

"They noticed." Varian said. "At least, the guards that the king sent to keep an eye on me to keep me under control noticed. They just didn't care."

Quirin's face darkened. "And why would the king need to keep you under control?"

"Me and Rapunzel were going to look into the black rocks together." Varian said. "Old Freddie didn't like that very much, so he sent the guards after me to make sure I didn't tell Rapunzel, or anybody, about what I might have found about the black rocks."

"Did he now." Quirin took a deep breath. Varian was alarmed to notice that he recognized that tone. He'd heard that kind of voice from Hector when he was talking about Zhan Tiri. He'd even heard it once or twice from Adira and Edmund when they were especially furious. "I'll have to have some words with my old friend."

"Uh, as much as I understand your frustration, I think we have other things to worry about right now." Eugene said quickly. He was probably desperate to keep Varian's dad from committing treason and killing the king of Corona. "I think Hector needs your help right now. He wasn't doing very well when we left."

Quirin still looked furious, but he seemed to be warring with himself for a long moment before his concern reluctantly won out. "How bad is it?"

Eugene gave Varian a cautious look. "Bad enough that my dad seemed really freaked out."

Varian blinked. "Edmund doesn't freak out." Varian had seen the king of the Dark Kingdom concerned for other's safety, and he'd seen him furious and protective, but he didn't think he'd ever seen the man actually freaking out.

Quirin raised an eyebrow at Eugene. "Edmund is your father?"

Eugene rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm still getting used to that." Eugene shook his head. "Forget about that. Look, I don't think Hector's okay. I don't know what's wrong, but whatever it is my dad said you were better at handling it then he was."

Quirin paled, and Varian started to feel really freaked out himself. "Dad, what's going on?" Varian asked. "What's wrong?"

Quirin gave him a long look before he gave him a short, firm embrace. "Do you trust this young man?" Quirin asked quietly in Varian's ear, soft enough to not be overheard. "Will you be safe with him?"

Varian's breath got caught in his throat. He clung to his dad. "You…you can't leave. I just got you back. I can't lose you again."

Quirin kissed his forehead. "You won't lose me, but I need to go. I can't lose my brother, and I might if I don't go to him now."

Varian felt like his insides froze. "What's wrong with Uncle Hector?" His dad had a pained expression. Varian knew this look all too well. "Dad, please, no more secrets. I can't handle any more secrets between us."

Quirin sighed. "It's complicated, and will take too long to explain right now. I will explain everything, I promise, but not now. I need to focus on Hector. Once I've made sure he's okay, I'll come back and we'll talk about everything, okay?"

"Can't I come with you?" Varian asked. He didn't want to be left behind. Not only did he not want to be away from his dad, but he didn't want to sit here uselessly if Hector was in trouble. If Varian really needed to he could use the healing incantation. It may hurt him, but it still worked. He could help.

Quirin shook his head. "No. Edmund's right about one thing. If you see Hector right now you'll only get hurt. Especially if I'm not fast enough."

Varian's hands were shaking. "Dad, you're scaring me."

Quirin grimaced and rubbed the fur of Varian's cloak. "I'm scared too. That's why I have to go. So, will you be okay with your friend over there?"

Varian sniffled and nodded. "E-Eugene will keep me safe." He may have barely trusted Eugene back in the Dark Kingdom, but their relationship had improved quite a bit during the journey. Eugene was on the short list of people that Varian trusted.

"The others aren't far." Eugene said. "My dad's horse, Domino, knows the way. She'll get you there fast."

Quirin nodded. He gave Varian one more firm squeeze before he stood up and quickly left the lab. Varian stood alone there with Eugene, trying to understand everything that had happened.

Eugene slowly approached Varian and put a hand on his shoulder. Varian's face scrunched up. He turned towards Eugene and hugged him tightly like he was the only thing keeping him grounded. Varian buried his face in the man's chest, trying to stop himself from starting to bawl right there and then.

It was all too much. He'd gotten his dad back, and his dad didn't seem to completely hate him. He was starting to fix things. This was exactly what Varian had wanted, and way more than he ever thought he would get, and it didn't feel real. And now his dad was gone, trying to help Hector before…something. Varian didn't know exactly what was wrong, and that terrified him more than he thought the truth might. Not many things could scare his dad, so it had to be something really bad.

Varian was relieved. He was happy. He was scared. He was frustrated. He wanted people to stop treating him like a little kid. He also wanted to be scooped up into strong arms and told that everything would be okay. He was feeling so many things all at once and he didn't know which one was stronger or most important.

Eugene didn't hesitate to begin rubbing Varian's back. Eugene lowered the hood of Varian's cloak and began to run his hand through his hair.

"It's okay, kid." Eugene said quietly, comfortingly. "You did it. Your dad's out. It's all over."

"B-but it's not." Varian whimpered. He may be able to put the amber behind him, but his family wasn't out of the woods yet. Zhan Tiri was still tormenting Hector, who was hurting right now. Varian didn't know how to help him. He hadn't been very good at helping his dad, but at least he'd had ideas. Varian could fight against alchemy. He understood it. What was he supposed to do against a sorcerer that he couldn't see at all?

Eugene sighed and hugged Varian. His hold was firm and grounding, but in a different way than his dad's hugs were. His dad was so large that being hugged by him was like being enveloped completely. Eugene, while still larger than Varian, was much closer to his size than his dad was. This hug felt a little more like being embraced by an equal. It felt nice. Not really better or worse than hugging his dad. It was just different.

"Tell me what's on your mind, kid." Eugene said. "I know how bad it can get if you're left to wallow in your own thoughts for too long."

Varian clung to Eugene. "I'm scared for Uncle Hector. I hate not knowing what's going on."

"He'll be fine." Eugene said. "Between my dad and yours, they're not going to let him be anything less than fine." Varian chuckled weakly. His dad and Edmund were very stubborn, as well as very protective of those they cared about. They would do everything in their power to help Hector, but Varian knew that just because someone did their best didn't mean that it would be good enough.

"I just wish there was something I could do." Varian said. He caught a glimpse of the blue streak in his hair. An idea came to his mind. "Is Uncle Hector hurt? Maybe I can heal him."

"What?" Eugene pulled Varian away and put his hands on his shoulders. He looked at Varian with wide, concerned eyes. He was all too familiar with this position. He was about to be scolded about safety. His dad used to do this all the time. Varian didn't think he would ever feel relieved to find himself back in this position. It was nice to know that somebody was here that cared enough about him to want to keep him from doing dangerous things.

"Kid, I thought we established that you shouldn't use the healing incantation." Eugene said almost desperately. "You're still way too warm. I can feel it through your clothes, which should not happen."

"I can handle being warm." Varian protested. He didn't quite feel like he was boiling from the inside out. He just felt hot, but he was an alchemist. He could deal with little discomfort in the name of the better good. "If I can make Uncle Hector feel better-"

"I don't think that's the kind of pain he's in." Eugene said quietly. "This isn't a physical injury that can be healed with magic. My dad said that Hector's mind is what's hurting him now."

Varian flinched. He knew the feeling. His panic and grief after the blizzard had put him in such a bad state of mind that he'd had a hard time convincing himself to take care of himself. He told himself that he couldn't afford to waste time and take care of himself, not when his dad needed him. He also hadn't felt like he deserved to be okay. Not after what he had done to his dad.

Varian's mind hadn't made him sick, but it made it hard to properly fight off the illness, so Varian felt that his distress had been a big reason why his health had gotten as bad as it did. He didn't want that kind of thing to happen to Hector.

"I just want to help him." Varian's voice shook. Eugene's face fell. He gave Varian's shoulder a small squeeze.

"And you will." Eugene said with confidence. "But not right now. And not with your magic." Eugene eyed the moonstone. "I think you've used enough of your powers for today."

Varian frowned. "Does that mean that I can't get rid of the black rocks in Old Corona?" He would much rather help his uncle, but if he couldn't do anything for him then he at least wanted to help his home. Varian had the power to do so much good and finally make up for the mistakes of his past. He didn't want to sit around and be lazy right now, not when there was so much he could be doing.

"Maybe later." Eugene said. "Why don't we just stop to breathe for a few minutes? It's been a really eventful day, and I don't know about you, but I could use a break. Why don't we find ourselves an early dinner?"

"I'm not hungry." Varian muttered. Eugene gave him a stern look.

"We've talked about this." Eugene said. "You're trying to build up your strength again. You can't skip meals just because you're stressed and eating is the last thing you want to do." Eugene moved to Varian's side and put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. "Come on. I may be a retired thief, but I still remember a thing or two about how to find edible food in homes that have long-since been abandoned."

Varian narrowed his eyes at Eugene. "Does that really count as stealing? If something's really been abandoned and no one's using it, is it actually stealing?"

Eugene beamed at him. "That's the idea. You know, people would be surprised at how much being a thief comes down to finding loopholes and rationalizing that what they're doing doesn't really count as stealing."

"You're talking to the person who stole the sundrop flower and kidnapped the queen." Varian said dryly. "I know how to make excuses to myself."

Eugene grimaced slightly and he looked uncomfortable, and for reasons that Varian didn't understand he thought that his expression was hilarious. Varian burst into laughter. Eugene stared at him for a long moment before he chuckled as well.

"You." Eugene said with a smile. "I don't understand you at all." Varian had heard those exact words countless times in his life, but it had always sounded like an insult. Eugene almost made it sound like it was a good thing.

"Well, if you're such a great criminal mastermind, why don't you show me what you can do?" Eugene said. "Let's play mine and Lance's favorite game when we were about your age. Who can find the best food without getting caught."

"Who would we get caught by?" Varian asked. "Nobody's here." Old Corona had been abandoned when the black rocks had started to get really bad, and it didn't look like they had come back yet. It still wasn't safe.

"So we'll just play easy mode." Eugene said. He started to pull Varian out of the lab. Come on, it'll be fun." Varian really didn't know how much fun it would be to raid the houses of his neighbors, but Eugene was insistent and it was hard to say no to him when he was like this. Besides, he was probably right about Varian needing some food.

And if it could distract him from worrying about his uncle or missing his dad, then maybe this so-called game wouldn't be so bad after all.

A/N: I headcanon that the person who has control of the moonstone would be able to use the decay incantation without losing control. The reason why Varian got stuck in the loop at the Great Tree was because he only had a fragment of the moonstone's power. Enough that he could access the power, but not enough to control it.

I also had Varian complete the decay incantation. Is the second verse I wrote actually how it's supposed to go? Maybe not, but I think when it comes to the incantations someone's intentions are just as important as the actual words they speak (hence why Rapunzel was able to heal Eugene in the movie without the incantation, and the queen was able to get better without the incantation too).