After about a week of traveling, Varian and his animal companions finally came upon where the Forest of No Return was supposed to be according to his map. He could see trees from afar, but something was off.
Varian pulled the reins on Eden to get her to stop before leaping down so he could survey the area. He's heard stories of the Forest of No Return. The name was from the fact that no one had ever returned from going inside. Well, except Adira and his friends.
He remembered sitting with Rapunzel, Eugene, and Lance as they told him all about their travels and all they had seen. He had felt a little jealous at the time...but now that he's experiencing it himself? He was a bit glad he missed out on that trip.
True, he liked to study and learn about new things. The thrill of adventure made his skin tingle with excitement, but he also enjoyed the snug, isolation of his lab. It brought him comfort. His lab was his space to be himself and relax in. Being out in the open, alone without the distractions of his experiments, it caused his mind to wander to dark places and memories he wished he could forget. He thought he was doing better, but with the new nightmares that plagued his sleep...
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He could do this. He had Ruddiger and Eden, and he had his alchemy supplies...all that is missing is the map that is supposed to help navigate him through, but he was sure it wasn't too bad. If his friends could get through, so can he!
"Where is the swamp that covered the entrance?" he mumbled under his breath, looking around but seeing nothing but vibrant long meadows all around. It even had bright red flowers that just made him want to lay down and nap for days...poppies! He glared at the offending plant. He was already tired after weeks of traveling, but the last thing he needed was to be seduced to sleep by a flower.
"I can do this," he whispered as he felt Ruddiger jump onto his shoulders and wrap his tail around his neck to give him some comfort. He petted the Raccoon's head gently and grabbed Eden's reins. "Here we go."
"There's a journey ahead," he started to sing as he entered the field, "A journey ahead, to bring back the moon to lighten the night!" he lifted his gloved hand to his nose to make sure he wouldn't breathe in the pollen from the offending flower.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, they crossed the meadow and were at the entrance of the forest. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, taking in the fresh, pollenless air.
"There's a journey ahead." he sang again as they stood there, staring into the dark, mysterious forest. He licked his lips nervously before pushing his shoulders back, he could do this. "to bring back the moon to help us win this fight!" he pulled on the horse's reins once more and guided her inside.
He took out a couple of his beakers from his bag and tied it to the end of a stick, hoping to use the chemical reactions as a source of light. He held it up in front of him and felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the name "Forest of No Return" written on the tree.
He ran his hand over it and looked around. He felt his breath leave him when he saw the entrance they had just gone through disappearing before his eyes.
He took out his compass in hopes that it would help him find his way through the dark forest. "There's a journey ahead," he tapped the compass, trying to get it to stop spinning, but it only turned faster, "A long, dangerous journey."
He closed his eyes and let out a growl of frustration as it just kept spinning. He preferred to have a map or some sort of guidance to follow, but in a place like the Forest of No Return, he was going to be forced out of his comfort zone and just act on impulse.
"I have to complete this big maze, or I'll be stuck here for days" He sang, throwing his head up to look for any sign or direction to follow, but only saw trees. "Please! I have a journey ahead!"
Taking a deep breath, he leaped onto Eden's back and looked at the different paths. After thinking for a moment, he decided to listen to his gut and follow the one on the right with a small but smooth road.
Ever since the incident, when he was younger, he tried to think things through before running headfirst into things. His emotions got the best of him and turned him into a monster. A monster he's been fighting and running from ever since.
"For so long I have been running," Eden jumped over a large blue flower with big, sharp-looking teeth that snapped up right after she landed safely on the other side. He let out a laugh of relief and petted Eden gently on the neck. "Aching to find my way home,"
"But a voice deep inside just keeps mocking with snide" He sang, moving his staff left and right, looking for any sign of a clearing or a way out. "That I will forever be alone."
Riding a little farther, he heard the sound of a rush of a river and moved Eden in that direction. Maybe they could follow the river to a way out of there?
"In the way that I feel." he urged the horse to go faster, causing her to jump over vines and logs. Or things he assumed were vines and logs. He didn't want to dwell on it. "In the way that I think,"
They were almost there! He could feel the air getting colder, and the air seemed to have more moisture in it. "OH! No one sees me as real! My past is dried with ink!"
He reached where the water was supposed to be and frowned when he found nothing there. He felt Ruddiger crawl on top of his head, looking around. "The more that I think, my spirit just sinks…"
"Will I prove I belong? To have my face close to the sun?" he reached up and pulled Ruddiger down to sit in front of him, not wanting the Raccoon to get hurt. He hopped off the horse to look around, hoping for another clue or sign to find his way out. "Sure, I'm no moon, but there are stars that shine too…" He trailed off, the path had disappeared, and he, Eden, and Ruddiger were lost.
This was all his fault! He clenched his fists with anger and frustration. "With a kingdom to save, oh, how can I be brave?" he sniffed, after all that happened in the last few weeks, he suddenly felt overwhelmed, and he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"With fear of who's still alive or who's dead..?" his voice hitched as he sang that part before wiping his eyes and looking up at the big bushy trees that seemed just to keep getting bigger and bigger. "There's a journey ahead." with that final note, he and his animal friends were sucked into a land pit.
