Sister. I hope you are well. A lot has happened these past few days. I can only hope that things begin to calm down. I would take the mundanity of the past twenty five years over the eventfulness of yesterday alone. Not everything that happened was bad, but the horrible that occurred was nearly bad enough to overshadow the amazing blessings.
We have finally reached Corona. I know it may take some time for you to join us, but I ask that you hurry as much as you can. We need you. Hector needs you.
There's been a bit of an incident. Don't worry, nobody is hurt, but it came close. Hector was tricked and manipulated by the demon, and he attacked Varian. The boy is well. The moonstone protected him, and no lasting damage was done. The same cannot be said for Hector.
Our brother is in the same state that he was all those years ago. I'm sure you know what I speak of. Lance and I were able to prevent things from getting too bad, but we couldn't restrain Hector forever. I fear what might have happened if Quirin didn't show up.
Perhaps that is something I should have mentioned first. Quirin is freed from his amber imprisonment. He was able to do so much more to protect Hector than I could. I'm glad that Quirin is well, but I regret that I wasn't able to help Hector myself.
Hector is currently asleep. He has been plagued by nightmares from the demon, but Quirin was somehow able to convince her to allow him to sleep. Perhaps it's still too early to tell, but I believe that Hector's dreams truly are safe. Just in case, I'll be keeping a vigil through the night.
Eugene has found some information we could use to defeat Zhan Tiri. We believe that we'll be able to capture the demon the same way that Demanitus did, but using the combined powers of science and magic. Specifically, the magic of the sundrop and the moonstone.
I ask that you talk to Princess Rapunzel. I suspect that we'll need her and Varian to work together and combine their powers to imprison Zhan Tiri again. If they can't put aside their differences then it would be best if they kept their distance, and we'll find another way to fight Zhan Tiri. The demon wants the sundrop and moonstone to be in opposition. We can't afford for them to fight.
Speak to Rapunzel. We'll speak to Varian, and then we can know where we stand.
I hope to see you soon. If you can't be here relatively quickly then I ask that you have Princess Rapunzel write a letter to her father to reassure him that she'll be home soon. I worry for Varian's safety in this kingdom if King Frederic let's his concern for his daughter cloud his judgement.
Your brother, Edmund.
Adira lowered the letter with shaking hands. She'd been happy, but also concerned, to see Hamuel flying towards them with a letter. It had been some time since she had heard from Edmund. She'd been a little disappointed to not hear a word from him, but she was able to convince herself that no news was good news. The others were probably so busy traveling that Edmund didn't have the time to reach out to her unless something absolutely terrible had happened.
Adira was glad that they reached Corona, and she was relieved that Quirin was okay, but she was horrified to hear about Hector. Adira had been worried that something like this would happen, but it was one thing to worry for the worst and another to hear that it nearly happened.
"A-Adira?" She felt a soft hand touch her arm. Adira stiffened as she felt chills run up her arm. Her skin tingled and she felt completely unsafe. Acting instinctively Adira wrenched her hand roughly away from Rapunzel's hand. She knew that the princess was just trying to comfort her, but comfort was about the last thing that Adira felt.
"Don't touch me." Adira snapped. Rapunzel grimaced and pulled her hand back.
"Sorry, I just…no, no excuses, I'm sorry." Rapunzel shook her head. She rubbed her hands together nervously. "It doesn't matter how much I find comfort from touch, you said you didn't like to be touched, and I should respect that."
Adira sighed. "It's fine." She reached out and stroked Hamuel's feathers. He cawed and nuzzled close to her.
"I-is everybody okay?" Rapunzel asked. "You look upset. Is something wrong?" Rapunzel looked panicked. "Is Eugene okay?"
"He's fine." Adira said. She was sure that if anything had happened to Edmund's son then he would have mentioned something in his letter. "It's Hector. He…he's hurt right now. I need to get to him." Adira pocketed the letter and made her way to the caravan. Rapunzel followed behind her at a respectful distance.
"Oh no." Rapunzel sounded genuinely sorry, even though she didn't know Hector well and what little she'd seen from him had not been a very good first impression. He'd sneered at her, attacked Cassandra, and worked with Varian to take the very thing that Rapunzel had gone on her entire journey to find. Rapunzel had every right to not trust or like Hector, and yet she sounded upset that he was hurt.
Adira imagined that either Rapunzel was upset because she knew that Adira cared about Hector, or she just didn't like the thought of anybody being in pain. It was a sign of just how kind-hearted she was.
"Do you need to go ahead?" Rapunzel asked as Adira grabbed some travel bags and filled them with necessities. "It will be fine if you do."
"That was the plan." Adira said. "But it won't just be me." She looked at Rapunzel. "I'm not leaving Short hair unsupervised, and the sooner we can get you to Corona the better. How do you think your father will feel when he sees Fishskin and Earring have returned, but you're not with them."
"Yeah, he'll probably be pretty mad." Rapunzel said quietly. She brushed her hair behind her ears.
"And what if he finds out that Varian is back in Corona?" Adira said pointedly.
Rapunzel's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, yeah, that…that would be bad."
"This caravan is not the fastest way to travel." Adira said. "Your horses are smart. Let them bring it back to Corona, and we'll go ahead on Hector's rhino." It had joined up with them a while ago, but it had kept its distance so as to not spook the horses.
"O-okay." Rapunzel said. She took a deep breath and began to gather some of her things. "You're right, we probably need to get back."
"There's something I need to know first." Adira narrowed her eyes at Rapunzel. "King Edmund believes that the key to defeating Zhan Tiri is through the power of the sundrop and moonstone. It would mean that you would have to work together with Varian. I'm not asking if you can be friends with him. You can work with somebody even if you hate them." It was a skill that Short hair needed to learn if she wanted to be a respectable warrior. "Will you be willing to cooperate with him, as long as he makes the same effort?"
"I…yes, of course." Rapunzel said. Adira eyed her for a long moment. There wasn't even a moment's hesitation. From what Adira knew about the princess though, she was determined to make friends or at least be kind to people. She felt like she wasn't allowed to have negative thoughts about people, and Adira understood why.
She'd learned as much about the sundrop as she could, including her upbringing. From what Adira had gathered, Rapunzel had grown up believing that everybody was a terrible person. Now that Rapunzel saw that most of the world was good, she was scared to see the bad aspects in people because she was scared that would mean acknowledging that Gothel had been right at least a little bit.
Adira knew that Rapunzel did her best to get along with people, but when she did so with people who were cautious or dubious around her, like Varian surely would be, it could come off as patronizing, which was not the best way to encourage someone to warm up to her.
"I'm serious, Rapunzel." Adira said. The princess looked stunned that she was calling her by her name. "This is to stop Zhan Tiri. To save my brother. If you and Varian start fighting, even just a little bit, it could make everything so much worse. If there's even a chance that you two could let your bitter feelings come between you, it would be better if you kept your distance. So, can you swear to me that you can work with Varian, even if he doesn't regret what he did to you and your family?"
Rapunzel was quiet for a long moment as she actually thought about Adira's words. Finally she straightened her back and nodded, a look of determination in her eyes. "I would promise you that I won't fight Varian, but I know how he feels about my promises, so instead I'll just say that I'll do everything I can to not fight him, even if he tries to start something first."
Adira nodded, satisfied. "I don't think he will. His previous anger at you was a projection of his fears about his father, but now that he has Quirin back hopefully at least some of that anger has vanished."
Rapunzel's eyes brightened. "Quirin's back? Varian's dad is okay?"
"He is." Adira confirmed. Rapunzel breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness." Rapunzel said, her voice shaking.
The door to the caravan opened and Cassandra stepped inside. "What's going on in here? You two looked like you were in a hurry."
"We are." Adira tossed a bag to Cassandra. "Pack up the essentials. We're leaving."
"I'm sorry, what?" Cassandra raised a challenging eyebrow. Adira did not have the patience for this. Cassandra questioned everything she did or said, even if Adira was just repeating what they already planned on doing. Adira knew that if Rapunzel had been the one to say that they needed to leave Cassandra would very gently ask if she was sure, and then go along with it.
"We're taking Hector's rhino back to Corona." Adira said.
"Why should we?" Cassandra crossed her arms. "We're already headed there, and we're making better time than we did on our way out." Of course they were making better time. They weren't stopping for several days every week to go on an adventure. "We'll be back in Corona soon."
"Not soon enough." Adira said. "My family needs me."
"And why should that be our problem?" Cassandra asked, gesturing to her and Rapunzel, who was watching them anxiously. "Why should we do anything for your family? You've told us they're these mighty warriors. If that's true, then they should be able to take care of themselves."
Adira saw red. Hector was one of the strongest warriors she knew, both physically and emotionally. He may struggle sometimes and need help, but in Adira's eyes that just made him even stronger. She knew how difficult it was to accept help. Adira believed there was darkness in everybody, in one way or another, and it was hard to fight against that natural darkness. Hector had to fight that darkness multiple times, and though it had come close he had yet to lose.
Hector may need help, but he was strong. How dare this insolent girl even imply otherwise?
"You have no idea the torture my brother has been through." Adira said lowly as she glared at Cassandra. "We're all going because I said we are." Adira didn't need to explain herself to Cassandra, and even if she did she knew that the younger woman would just get riled up and start another fight.
"Cass," Rapunzel said quietly. She began to reach for Cassandra's arm, but she stopped herself. "I'm going with Adira. We might have a way to stop Zhan Tiri and seal her away again, but they need my help." Rapunzel smiled. "And it'll be nice to be home again after so long."
Cassandra stared at Rapunzel for a long moment before she sighed. "Alright, fine, but I'm not doing anything for your family."
"I don't want you anywhere near my family." Adira said coldly. She didn't trust Cassandra around Varian. What if she tried to take the moonstone from him again? Adira certainly didn't want Adira near Hector. Zhan Tiri was always around her brother, and Adira knew that the demon had already gotten under Cassandra's skin. She didn't want the demon to be given another chance to twist Cassandra's selfish desires.
"Listen to me, and listen well." Adira said. "Have you heard from Zhan Tiri again? Even a small whisper?"
"No." Cassandra said. Adira found herself reluctantly believing her.
"Good." Adira said. "If that changes I want to know the moment that happens. I can respect that you want your privacy, but when it comes to the demon privacy is a luxury that we can't afford."
"I don't need your help to ignore a demon." Cassandra scoffed. "I know what she is now. I won't be stupid enough to fall for her tricks."
"It's not about your intelligence." Adira said. "Zhan Tiri has been around for millenia. She's manipulative, and patient, and is not afraid of playing the long game. Hector has been dealing with her for months, and he has a lifetime of experience fighting his own personal demons, and yet, because of Zhan Tiri, he hurt Varian and then tried to kill himself."
Cassandra's eyes widened in alarm. Rapunzel gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. They both looked horrified.
"Is Varian okay?" Rapunzel asked, her voice trembled.
"He is." Adira said. "Thanks to the moonstone. As for my brother, well, he's alive, but I'm not about to give Zhan Tiri the chance to try again. So, can we stop talking about this and get going?"
"Yeah, okay." Cassandra said quietly. She began to pack her own bag before helping Rapunzel. Feeling like a weight had been taken off her chest, Adira left the caravan. She whistled and Hector's rhino immediately came to her. Hector preferred that his wild animals keep their naturally wild nature, but by Edmund's insistence he'd taught them basic commands.
"I hope you're ready to join back with Hector. We need to get back to them as soon as possible. Can you take us?" Adira asked. The rhino huffed and nudged against her. Adira pet its horn and got to work putting the bags she'd packed on the saddle. About fifteen minutes later, ten minutes longer than she would prefer, Cassandra and Rapunzel came out of the caravan with their own bags.
"Let's go." Adira didn't want to waste any more time. She took their bags and tied them to the saddle. Adira helped Rapunzel and Cassandra onto the rhino's back before lifing herself onto it behind them. It wasn't the most comfortable seating position, but the rhino was more than large enough to carry them.
Rapunzel looked towards the caravan where the horses were watching them curiously. "Max, we need to go ahead. You're in charge of the caravan. Bring it back to Corona and we'll meet you there." The white horse neighed and nodded. Max knew how to finish a job that he was tasked with.
"Hold on tight." Adira said. "It's going to be a rough ride." She nudged the rhino and it immediately dashed off. Rapunzel yelped and instinctively clung to Cassandra, who for once didn't mind the tight hold. Cassandra seemed to want the support as much as Rapunzel did.
Adira knew it would take the two young women a long time to get used to the feeling of riding a rhino, but they didn't have the time to ease them into the experience. They needed to get back to Corona.
Adira knew that Edmund had said that Hector was alright now, but she wouldn't believe it until she saw it for herself.
"You'd better be okay, Hector." Adira said quietly. She was sure that Rapunzel and Cassandra couldn't hear her over the sound of their yelping and screaming. "You're so strong. Just be strong for a little longer."