Rapunzel was happy to be home, but she'd barely been back for a day and she was already desperate to get out again. It was very stifling. Her dad was back to being overprotective. He was reluctant to take his eyes off of Rapunzel, and the only way he allowed it was if she had a horde of guards following her.
Rapunzel imagined that if her mom hadn't stepped in, her dad would try to have the guards watch her as she slept. Her mom talked her dad down, arranging it so that not only would Rapunzel have some privacy in her room, but the guards wouldn't stand right outside the door either. They would patrol the halls near her room more often than before, but it was better than nothing.
Rapunzel had never appreciated Eugene's thieving skills more. He snuck past the guards easily and was able to spend the night in Rapunzel's room to keep her company. Even when her dad wasn't nearly as overprotective this never would have been allowed, and there had been multiple times when Cass had stepped in to stop them from spending the night with each other.
Rapunzel understood where they were coming from, and she tried to respect her dad's wishes, but at the same time she was an adult and she and Eugene were practically engaged. They were both responsible, and should be allowed to spend the night together. Especially if they weren't planning on doing anything other than cuddle and talk.
That was just what they did. As soon as they were given privacy Rapunzel curled up close to Eugene and they talked more about what had happened while they'd been apart. Rapunzel told Eugene about how she and Cass came to have more of an understanding with each other, and Eugene told Rapunzel about how he'd bonded with Varian.
It was nice, and very comforting. Rapunzel almost felt more at home here in this room, with Eugene by her side, then she felt with her parents. Rapunzel felt more than a little guilty about it. Her parents were her family, and she loved them, but it was only when she was with Eugene that she felt free to be herself.
Eventually Rapunzel dozed off. It had been a long day, and Rapunzel could have easily slept in until at least eight in the morning. She and Eugene both jolted awake when they heard a knock on the door. They were both light sleepers. Even though they both knew they weren't in any danger they were both wide awake in an instant.
Eugene kissed Rapunzel's forehead. "I guess it's going to be an early day."
Rapunzel gave Eugene a sympathetic look. "I know you like to sleep in."
Eugene shrugged. "I'll take a nap this afternoon. Traveling with the Brotherhood I've gotten used to sleeping during the day. They're real night owls."
Rapunzel smiled and climbed out of bed, making her way towards the door. Behind her Eugene yawned, stretched, and spread himself out on the bed, taking up as much space as he could. Rapunzel was about to open the door when she noticed a note slipped under the door. She bent down and picked it up. She recognized her mom's handwriting.
Rapunzel took the note and went to her window to sit on the sill. It was still dark out, with dawn light just barely peeking out over the horizon. Rapunzel opened her mother's note.
Good morning, Rapunzel.
I hope that your father kept his word and backed off last night. You've just come home, and the last thing I want is to scare you away again. I've informed your father that I was inviting you on a mother daughter walk that could last all day, and that we wouldn't need any guards to accompany us.
The walk was just a front, and you are under no obligation to join me. It was just a way to give you some freedom for a few hours. I thought you would appreciate the day to yourself, without your father or the guards watching your every move. You can relax, or do some work, or even join me on my walk if you so please. The day is yours, and I hope you enjoy it.
Rapunzel smiled and held onto the note. She had the best mom in the world. Rapunzel grabbed her journal, which she always kept nearby, and she closed the note inside of it. Eugene had rolled over on the bed to face her.
"What's that?" Eugene asked.
"A note from my mom." Rapunzel said. "She made it so the guards wouldn't come looking for me today."
Eugene beamed. He never liked the feeling of guards following him everywhere. It didn't matter if he knew that they weren't after him, it made him feel like he was about to be arrested. "Well in that case, what's the plan for today?"
"I was thinking of going to the Demanitus chamber and helping the others." Rapunzel said. "If they're looking for a way to get rid of Zhan Tiri, and they think that I can do something to help, then I should be there." And if her dad wasn't going to come looking for her, like her mom said, then this was the perfect opportunity.
"The Demanitus chamber it is." Eugene said. He sat up and climbed out of bed. "We should probably get some breakfast first, and maybe find some food to bring to the others. Trust me, eating food isn't really the Brotherhood's top priority, and Varian at the very least needs to eat. He's still recovering from being starved."
Rapunzel blinked. She had known that Moonbeam had been malnourished and unwell, and she knew that Varian was Moonbeam, but this was the first time that she actually put those pieces together and realized that Varian had gone hungry. It made Rapunzel feel sick. Criminal or not, Varian was one of her people, and he deserved at least some basic decency shown towards him.
Rapunzel wanted to deny to herself that Varian had gone hungry and sick while he was here. She believed that Corona should treat people decently, and sometimes she forgot that sometimes when people should do something didn't mean that they would. Rapunzel had heard far too much about how harsh Corona was on criminals, so she wouldn't put it past them to mistreat a child.
And Rapunzel knew that Hector was protective of Varian. He never would have let the boy go that hungry under his care, which meant that he had to have gotten sick while he was still in Corona.
Rapunzel's people had hurt Varian, or at least they hadn't helped him when he'd clearly been hurting, and that wasn't okay. Varian wasn't faultless, but neither was Rapunzel. She had to make things right with him, even if what she was making up for wasn't what he was mad at her for.
Rapunzel straightened her dress, which had gotten wrinkled during the night since she hadn't bothered to change. Maybe it wasn't proper for a princess to sleep in her day outfit, and then walk around in wrinkled clothes, but she didn't really feel like being a proper princess right now. She just wanted a bit of an adjustment period. Was that so wrong?
Rapunzel followed Eugene out of her room and followed his lead as they snuck towards the kitchens. It was actually kind of fun to evade the guards and not be noticed. It was like a game. Rapunzel would probably enjoy it even more if she wasn't distracted with thoughts about Varian and how to fix things with him.
The cooks were already working in the kitchen, but they'd already made it clear that she was free to work in the kitchen whenever she wanted. As long as she cleaned up after herself and didn't get in their way, Rapunzel could do whatever she wanted.
While Eugene gathered some food Rapunzel made a quick batch of cupcakes. It had been so long since she had done any baking, and she had really missed it. It took some more time than they could have spent in the kitchen, but that extra time was just what Rapunzel needed to calm down and get control of her emotions.
Finally she and Eugene were ready to go. They packed up the food, reminded the cooks and servants of their desire for discretion, and made their way towards the sewer entrance to the tunnels under the castle. They both grew tense when they saw a cloaked figure and a horse approaching the same entrance that they were. Eugene relaxed a lot sooner than Rapunzel did.
"Quirin." Eugene approached the man. Quirin jumped and grew on guard when he was addressed, and when he saw who they were he didn't immediately relax.
"Your highness." Quirin nodded at both Eugene and Rapunzel. It was hard to tell just who he was addressing.
"What are you doing out here?" Eugene asked.
"I needed to pick up some things." Quirin said. He pet the horse's neck. "And I thought I would get Domino off the streets before she attracted some unwanted attention." Quirin eyed the two of you carefully. "What are you two doing?"
"We thought you guys would be hungry." Eugene said as he gestured to the large basket full of food.
"And I was hoping that there was something I could do to help." Rapunzel said. "I know that Varian doesn't trust me, but I want to make things right with him."
Quirin looked like he desperately wanted to refuse her, but after a long moment he sighed in defeat. "I don't want anything to do with your family, but we really do need help right now. The situation with Zhan Tiri has gotten worse."
"What?" Eugene looked as alarmed as Rapunzel felt. Whatever had happened had to be really recent if Eugene didn't know anything about it.
"Is Hector okay?" Rapunzel asked. She hadn't forgotten what Adira had said Hector had been driven to do. Rapunzel may not know the man all that well, but she didn't want to see anybody hurt like that.
Quirin grimaced. "He's trying to cope, but he's far from okay. The sooner we can get rid of Zhan Tiri, the better he'll be."
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Rapunzel said with forced positivity and optimism to try to hide the pit in her stomach. If she let her anxiety get the better of her then she would end up running back to her room, getting out her paints, and just forgetting about all of this. She couldn't do that though. She'd hurt Varian once before because she had let her own desire to avoid issues stop her from checking up on him when she knew he needed help. She wouldn't make that same mistake again.
They entered the tunnels together. Rapunzel didn't think that the ground would be very good for a horse, but Domino seemed unbothered by the rough ground and tight tunnels. She was probably used to this kind of thing, considering she was used to the Dark Kingdom.
They walked in silence, following Eugene's lead. Eventually they reached the Demanitus chamber. Rapunzel had expected the Brotherhood to be on guard as soon as they saw them. The sight that she saw was a pleasant surprise.
Varian was curled up in his fur cloak, nuzzled against Hector, who curled over him protectively. Hector was sound asleep and looked more peaceful than Rapunzel had ever seen him. Lance was sleeping nearby in the most uncomfortable looking position. Adira and Edmund were the only ones awake, and they were talking quietly to each other, so as to not bother the others.
Quirin gave Hector a concerned look. "Has he woken up yet?"
Adira shook her head. "He stirs every few hours, but he's quick to go back to sleep. He's desperate for relief."
"I don't blame him." Quirin sounded heartbroken.
"What's wrong with him?" Eugene asked. "Is this like before?"
"Fortunately, no." Edmund said. "It hasn't gotten that far yet."
"It won't get that far." Quirin said stubbornly. "We won't let it." Hector continued sleeping, but Varian shifted and moaned slightly. He sleepily opened his eyes.
"Dad?" Varian sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He saw Rapunzel and stiffened in a way that she wished he wouldn't.
"Your highness?" Varian asked. He sounded surprised, and ever so slightly unnerved, but he didn't sound scared, so at least it was a step in the right direction. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to help." Rapunzel said. "I don't really know too much about alchemy, but I dabbled at least a little bit with science when I was younger, so maybe there's something I can do."
Varian studied her for a long moment before he gave her a shy smile. "I could always use another set of hands."
"I can do that." Rapunzel said. "Where do we start?"
Varian's smile broadened. He began to talk about his spheres, and this theory he had about making them work on something incorporeal. Rapunzel didn't completely understand the specifics, but she picked up on the basic concept.
"I didn't get a lot of material." Quirin pulled three vials out. He handed them to Varian. "That's mercury, and melted down gold and silver."
"Wh-where did you get these?" Varian stared at the vials in awe.
"I got them from an old friend." Quirin said simply. "Xavier has been worried about you."
"He…really?" Varian asked. He looked pained. "After everything I've done."
"You made mistakes." Quirin said. "Everybody does. And you know that Xavier believes that everybody deserves a second chance. That includes you."
Varian's face went red and he fiddled with the vials for a long moment. "This…this should be enough for a sphere. I have to make sure I get the theory right before making it." Varian quickly walked away towards his work table. Quirin watched him for a bit, looking conflicted, before he walked up to join him.
Rapunzel decided to give the father and son some privacy. She thought about joining Eugene, Edmund, and Adira as they started eating the breakfast they'd brought, but her gaze moved to Hector.
He looked okay right now, but Quirin had said that he was hurting, and the Brotherhood seemed so worried about him. Rapunzel didn't know exactly what was wrong, but she didn't need to. She just knew that Hector was hurting, and that was enough to tug on Rapunzel's heartstrings.
Rapunzel brought her hand up to her ear and pulled some of her hair to fall in front of it. She fiddled with her hair, brushing it with her fingers. It was a nervous habit that she had been trying to drop. She wished there was something she could do to help. She had spent the majority of her life healing people, either with her hair or with her optimistic attitude, but that couldn't help Hector right now. Rapunzel hated not being able to help someone.
Well, even if she couldn't do something she had to at least try. She wasn't going to let her uncertainty lead to inaction, because that could be just as harmful as actively hurting somebody.
Rapunzel took a cautious step towards Hector, and then another until she was standing right next to him. Rapunzel knelt on the ground next to him, accidentally nudging his shoulder. Hector immediately jerked awake. He was an even lighter sleeper than Rapunzel and Eugene were.
"P-princess, wh-wh-" Hector cut himself off with a growl. He squeezed his eyes shut and clutched at his hair, pulling it sharply. Rapunzel didn't know what was wrong, but whatever it was it obviously bothered him. Rapunzel reacted instinctively.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." Rapunzel grabbed Hector's wrists and tried in vain to pull them away from his hair. "It's okay." Hector didn't respond at all, as though he didn't hear her.
Rapunzel didn't know what she was supposed to do, but she couldn't just sit back and do nothing, so she did the first thing that she could think of.
Rapunzel leaned closer to Hector, resting her forehead against his. He stiffened and seemed to hold his breath. Rapunzel didn't know whether he was just startled, or if he was incredibly uncomfortable with the touch. She would give it another minute before backing off and trying something new.
When Rapunzel was very sad or extremely happy she would sing. It cheered her up and made her feel hopeful, and gave her a chance to express her feelings in a way that just talking couldn't. When she was younger and wanted to help someone that was hurting, she would sing her healing incantation. The incantation didn't work anymore, but it was still part of Rapunzel's instinct.
Rapunzel sang the familiar song. Her hair didn't glow, but she didn't really think it would. She wasn't doing this because she thought that it would actually work to heal Hector, she was doing this because it was what she was familiar with, and even if the song didn't heal maybe at least the sentiment would come through.
Rapunzel knew that support couldn't fix everything, but, at least for her, it made things easier to handle. She just wanted Hector to know that even if they were close friends she was still concerned and she was there for him, if he wanted her help.
Hector was still tense, but he wasn't pulling on his hair or growling anymore. He just sat there, completely still except for his harsh breathing. When he started to calm down a little bit Rapunzel loosened her grip on Hector's hands and started to pull away. Hector whined and leaned in to her touch. Rapunzel stayed where she was, continuing to give Hector the physical affection he was looking for.
Rapunzel couldn't do a lot for Hector, especially since she didn't know what he needed, but at the very least she could do this. Rapunzel knew what it felt like to feel alone and isolated, and she had sworn to not let anybody else feel like that when there was something she could do about it. Hector may not like her very much, and he was practically a stranger to her, but he didn't deserve to suffer.
"I'm not going anywhere." Rapunzel said quietly. Hector didn't say anything, but that was fine. It would take a lot more than a lack of response to scare Rapunzel away from being there for somebody that needed her.