Horace knew that Varian didn't like him a lot right now, and he couldn't really blame the kid. It hurt, but Horace knew that if he wanted to get back on Varian's good side he would have to work for it. That was fine. Horace wasn't afraid of a little effort, and they had a long journey ahead of them during which he would have plenty of opportunities.
Horace didn't want to push Varian too far. For the first several days of their journey he gave Varian his space. He didn't exactly avoid Varian, but he didn't go out of his way to strike up conversations with him either. He wanted to give Varian time to get used to his presence. And selfishly he also wanted to enjoy seeing Varian relaxed and happy, which only happened when Varian knew exactly where he was, and yet Horace wasn't bothering him.
It was an odd balance to try to find.
Horace wanted to spend time with Varian, of course, but he had to plan it out. He needed to think of something fun enough that Varian would willingly tolerate his presence to do it, which meant that whatever he planned couldn't involve other people, as Varian definitely wouldn't enjoy that.
Two years ago Horace would have been able to confidently say that he knew Varian better than anybody else, except maybe Quirin. Now he felt like he couldn't think of anything to do with Varian to reconnect with him.
If they got along with each other Horace would suggest that they spar for a bit. It would probably be good to get back into the habit of training, as he'd probably gone soft after his time in Corona, but he didn't really want to give Varian an excuse to express his frustration through violence.
Horace didn't really mind getting beat by Varian in training, but he would rather not get any broken bones today. And he was worried about how Rapunzel would react if she saw Varian hurting him. She'd already hurt Varian once because she was worried for Horace's safety. They'd been working on that, so that nothing like this would happen again, but Horace wasn't going to take that chance.
Horace knew that Varian enjoyed alchemy, but they didn't have a lot of safety supplies out here on the road, and Horace wasn't about to encourage Varian to do experiments without the proper equipment. The kid would just end up blowing them all up.
What Horace really wanted to do was maybe read a chapter or two of one of the Flynn Rider books, and maybe reenact one of the scenes just like they used to when they were younger. He thought it was a surefire, foolproof plan to get on Varian's good side, but when he was excitedly telling his idea to Rapunzel, Lance overheard and immediately told him it wasn't that great an idea.
"The kid's kinda weird about Flynn Rider." Lance had said. "I've tried to read it with him, and he wouldn't hear a word about it. He has too many bad memories about it."
Horace had no idea what kind of bad memories Varian could have about their favorite book series. It took him a lot of thinking, and some pointed comments from Adira, for him to realize that it wasn't that Varian had bad memories about Flynn Rider, but he only had good memories about him, and now he felt like all of those good memories had been a lie because things were so bad between him and Horace at the moment.
Horace felt terrible. He thought that he knew how many different ways he'd messed Varian up, and yet here he was learning that he'd ruined the kid's favorite books on top of everything else.
How was he supposed to begin to make things right?
Horace felt like Lance knew Varian better than he did right now, and it hurt. He was glad that Varian had somebody that he trusted, but the fact that it was a man that he'd only known for a few months instead of him, even though he'd known the kid his whole life.
The solution was so obvious, but Horace was reluctant to go with it, just because he was jealous, and he wasn't afraid to admit it. Horace wanted to get Varian to warm up to him again, but the kid almost felt like a very familiar stranger. If Horace wanted Varian to feel comfortable with him, then he needed to go to Lance for advice about the best way to do that. Lance was all too happy to help him.
"Varian's homesick." Lance said. "He likes to talk about the myths and stories of your people, and if I could do anything that reminded him of home then he would cheer up nine times out of ten."
Lance crossed his arms, looking thoughtful, and just a little bit intimidating. "He's really into singing, and he likes to help me cook. I've tried to make some stuff from the Dark Kingdom before, with Varian's help, but it never really worked. I bet I can convince the kid that if you join us then it will turn out more like how it should."
Horace brightened. "So we can cook, talk a bit about home, maybe sing a bit to brighten the mood…you know what? I think that sounds like a great plan." As much as he didn't want to share Varian's attention, he knew that the kid would be at his most relaxed if Lance was there. And it was nice to have some support in this plan.
"You just need to be patient." Lance warned him. "Sometimes Varian immediately lightens up, and sometimes it can take an hour, or he doesn't end up relaxing at all. You can't rush or pressure him though. This needs to happen at his own time."
Horace nodded. He didn't mind going at Varian's pace.
Lance suggested that they wait until Varian was in a good mood, when he'd be more open to doing something with Horace. Another few days passed after they'd made this plan before Lance gave Horace a significant look as they stopped for the morning after a long night's journey.
"Hey, kid, you want to help me make breakfast?" Lance asked Varian, who had just started to get out the journals that Rapunzel had gifted to him. The boy paused and looked up at Lance. "I picked up some things while we were in town yesterday, and I thought I'd give another try at making pancakes the way they do in the Dark Kingdom."
"I like pancakes the way you make them." Varian said. "They're so fluffy."
"But they don't have the crisp edge that you said you liked." Lance said.
Varian shrugged." I don't know how Uncle Edmund made them both crispy and fluffy."
"I do!" Horace said loudly. Varian jumped and Lance snorted. Horace rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Sorry, I just…I know how my dad does it. And I also know my mom's old recipe for raspberry jam." Horace gave Varian a small smile. "Of course, if you don't want me to help I don't have to." They could always come up with another plan.
Varian stared at Horace for a long minute before he gave him a small smile. "You can help."
Horace let out a sigh of relief and Lance gave him an encouraging look before setting them to work. Lance built up a fire and worked on getting it to the perfect size for cooking. Varian and Horace went to grab the ingredients and cooking supplies from the carriage.
"So…cooking?" Horace looked at Varian. "Where did that interest come from?" Varian hadn't had much of an interest in actually cooking back home. He would rather leave that kind of thing to his father.
Varian chuckled. "It came from Lance wanting to make sure that I actually ate." Horace didn't know what was so funny about that. The thought of Varian starving and not taking care of himself was not a humorous one.
"How'd you meet Lance anyway?" Horace asked. "And how did you convince him to come with you to Corona? When I met him that seemed to be the last place he wanted to be."
"Lance found me wandering around in a storm." Varian said. He tried to pick up a pan, but it was too heavy for him to easily hold with one hand. Varian moved his hurt hand like he was going to use it to help hold the pan. Horace quickly took the pan from him. Varian reluctantly let him carry it.
"When Lance heard I was going to Corona he immediately insisted on coming with me." Varian said. "He didn't want to leave me alone."
Horace vaguely remembered Lance saying something about having a soft spot for kids when they had first met. It had to be more than just a soft spot if he was willing to upend his entire life for the sake of one boy. Horace couldn't be more grateful.
"He's a good guy." Horace said. "We're lucky he found you." Horace may be jealous, but he wouldn't ask for things to be different. It was Horace's own fault that things were weird between him and Varian. Lance had nothing to do with it.
Varian grabbed one of the fresh raspberries from their bag and popped it in his mouth. He and Horace brought the things to Lance. While Varian and Lance started making the pancake batter Horace got started on the raspberry jam. He didn't make it often, as he didn't have the patience for cooking, but he had the recipe committed to his heart.
He couldn't remember his mother, as she'd died when he was just a baby, and his dad didn't like to talk about her because it hurt too much. What little Horace knew about his mother had come from the Brotherhood. He'd heard from Adira had good a warrior she was, and Hector said she'd always been kind to animals, and Hamuel had actually been her companion before he'd been Horace's father's.
Quirin, who was the most interested in plants and fruit of all the members of the Brotherhood, had been the one to teach Horace his mother's raspberry jam recipe. Because they couldn't easily grow food in the Dark Kingdom they often turned their fruit into jams and jellies, to better preserve them and make them last longer.
Horace had heard that his mother was about as much of a cook as he was, but when she'd been pregnant with him she had started to crave raspberry jam. She hadn't wanted to burden the cooks with her cravings, so she'd made the jam herself through a lot of trial and error.
Quirin, one of Horace's mom's close friends, and one of the few people in the Dark Kingdom who could claim to be a farmer, had supplied her with the raspberries and basil that she requested. His field was small and was found a few miles away from the borders of the kingdom, since nothing could grow in the Dark Kingdom, but he was more than happy to help her.
Horace was pretty sure that it was during one of these farming trips that Quirin had first met the woman that would eventually become his wife, Ulla.
Maybe it was silly for Horace to be so fond of a jam recipe that his mom had only had for about a year, but a small part of him felt like she had been making the jam for him. And if it weren't for his mother wanting to make jam, Quirin wouldn't have farmed nearly so much during that time, and he might not have met Ulla and eventually had a kid with her.
As Horace worked on the jam he heard Varian laugh about something. He turned to see Lance with flour on his nose, a stunned expression on his face. Varian looked like he was having fun.
"Oh, you're asking for it." Lance grabbed an egg and gently smashed it on Varian's head. The kid gasped and cringed as egg yolk began to drip down his hair. Horace shuddered sympathetically. Varian shook his head and wiped some of the egg out of his face. Varian grabbed the cup that they had poured some buttermilk into for the pancakes, and he threw it at Lance, drenching him. Varian quickly followed it up with another attack with flour, which stuck to the milk, making more of a mess than before.
"Okay, okay, I yield." Lance said before Varian could make use of the rest of the ingredients. "We have to get the food in the actual pancakes, or else we won't have anything to put Horace's jam on."
Varian giggled and brushed most of the egg out of his hair. He looked like he was going to return to working on the pancake batter, but Horace couldn't let him do that. He couldn't stand the thought of just letting Varian walk around with egg in his hair, getting everything sticky.
"Hang on, kid." Horace carried the small pot of raspberries over to the fire so he could heat them up before adding the sugar. While the raspberries softened Horace went to Varian. "We're washing your hair out now before it becomes a messy disaster."
Varian whined. "I'm fine."
"Yeah, no, I don't think so." Horace said. "When was the last time you washed your hair? Like, actually washed it, and not just got it wet?"
"Go on, kid." Lance said. "There's a river right there." They always tried to stop near water so they could water the horses and refill their canteens while they rested.
Varian grumbled and muttered to himself, but he made his way over to the river anyway. Horace joined him, kneeling on the ground by his side.
"Why do you act like being clean is a chore?" Horace asked as Varian knelt over the water and dunked his head in the river, soaking his hair. He tried to rinse away the egg, but it was difficult to do when he had just one good hand. Horace watched Varian struggle for a moment until the kid almost fell into the water. Horace grabbed the back of Varian's shirt and pulled him back.
"Lay down before you hurt yourself." Horace said. "Let me help."
Varian gave him a long look before he reluctantly laid down and let his hair soak in the water. Horace bent over and began to run his hands through Varian's hair. It was very reminiscent of what Varian used to do for him. The tables had turned.
Varian was tense, but he gradually began to relax. "I can see why you like this so much."
"It feels nice, doesn't it?" Horace smiled. He continued rinsing out Varian's hair for a few minutes before he began humming an old song of their people. Varian began to hum along with him before he quietly began singing.
"Hey, your highness, I hate to interrupt, but were you going to help me cook these things?" Lance asked. "And you might want to come take care of your berries."
Horace grimaced. "Right." He'd almost forgotten that he was in the middle of something. Horace reluctantly got up. Varian sighed and pulled his hair out of the water. He stood up and followed Horace back to where Lance was working.
"Cut up some basil for me and mix it with the sugar I measured out." Horace said to Varian. He stirred the raspberries, which Lance had thankfully taken off the fire, so they weren't burnt, but they were cooked down.
Horace, with Varian's help, made the jam while telling Lance how to cook the pancakes in a way that they would in the Dark Kingdom. "You've gotta put plenty of oil at the bottom of the pan." Horace said as he stirred the sugar and basil in with the raspberries. This was probably a faster process of making jam than most people had, but it was how his mom's recipe went. When she had her cravings she didn't want to wait.
"You'll want to wait until the oil is hot and sizzling." Horace said. "But not too hot. You want to cook the outside faster than the inside, but not so fast that the inside doesn't get cooked completely."
"So I'm frying the pancakes?" Lance asked.
"I think so." Horace said. He'd only watched his dad make them. He'd never actually made these pancakes for himself. His dad, and occasionally Hector, were the only ones who made them.
Lance burnt the first few pancakes he tried to cook, and the insides of the next few were practically raw, but he eventually figured it out and soon they had hot pancakes and jam, and they were ready to eat.
Adira, Rapunzel and the captain had all been kind enough to leave the three of them on their own as they made breakfast. Now that they were ready to eat they all sat together. Varian looked at Horace before sitting down to join him, with Adira on the boy's other side. Horace was unspeakably excited about the progress they'd made so quickly. It had been so long since Varian had even tolerated his presence, let alone chosen to be near him.
This was a big deal, and Rapunzel knew how much it meant. She gave Horace an encouraging smile and went out of her way to sit away from Horace, so as to not get too close to Varian and make him nervous.
"So, how is it?" Lance sat next to Rapunzel so he could be right across from Varian.
"It's good." Varian said with his mouth full. He'd learned his table manners from Hector, which meant they were practically nonexistent.
"It's not exactly like it is at home." Horace said. "I guess my dad will have to show you how to make them." He took another bite. The kid was right though. The pancake was good. Fluffy on the inside, and crisp on the outside.
They ate in peace for a few minutes before Varian's eyes suddenly widened in alarm. He stood, dropping his food as he did so. He muttered something about having to check something before he ran to where their belongings were, on the other side of the carriage and out of sight.
Horace and Lance stared at each other, confused and concerned about Varian. What had he been thinking about, and what had he so suddenly realized was potentially problematic? Horace wondered if he should go after the kid when he called out.
"Lance, can you come help me?" Varian asked, his voice cracking in panic.
"Yeah, I'm coming." Lance didn't hesitate to go after Varian. Horace and Adira exchanged tense glances before Horace stood up himself and crept around the carriage. He didn't want to be seen by Varian, but if there was a problem then he wanted to know about it.
Varian was whispering harshly to Lance. What Horace heard between the two of them was concerning, terrifying, and filled him with equal parts dread and hope. This was serious, but Horace could see a possible solution to the impossible problem he'd been worrying about since he'd first learned about it.
Horace didn't want to follow through with this plan. He knew it would break Varian's heart, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt the kid, but if this was the only way to protect him then so be it. Better that Varian hate him than for him to suffer for somebody else's mistakes.