Lance insisted on carrying Varian as they traveled, despite how long they'd been going and how many times Horace offered to take the kid. He partially did this because he didn't trust Horace to not run away with the kid, and he partially did it because Horace's leg was hurt. Walking was already putting unnecessary pressure on the leg, there was no reason to make things worse by having him struggle to carry Varian too.
They walked for a few hours, and though Horace didn't say a word of complaint Lance knew that he had to be in agony. Eventually they started to approach a farm, and it wasn't a moment too soon. Lance suggested that they take a break for a little bit, and Horace was quick to agree. They walked out of sight of the path, and Horace laid down under a tree with a groan.
"Elevate your leg." Lance suggested.
"I know." Horace said as he rested his leg on a fallen tree trunk. "This is nothing. Trust me, I've had worse."
"That doesn't really make me feel better." Lance said. He was definitely most concerned about Varian, but he couldn't ignore that Horace had been hurt by his family just like the boy had been.
Horace snorted. "You know, our family really isn't as bad as it seems. Like, it can get pretty extreme and exhausting sometimes, but we support and help each other."
"I know." Lance said quietly. "Varian told me a lot about the good stuff, but I can't just ignore the bad."
"It's not normally this bad." Horace said. "I just complicated things."
"They're adults." Lance said. "Like, actual adults. They shouldn't get this worked up just because you do something they don't approve of." Lance was still at the phase of being a younger adult where he still felt like he was a kid, and the only thing separating him from actual children was that he had more options and received less sympathy.
From what he could tell about Horace, he was in that same phase, with the added pressure of being a near guardian for somebody who was only ten years younger than him.
It was an awkward phase to be in, because the world expected you to be put together when you really have no idea what's going on. It was an unspoken fake it 'till you make it situation. It was even worse for Horace, because while he was expected to be an adult, he was also still treated like a child who needed to do what he was told.
Lance sighed and set Varian down next to Horace, elevating his leg. The kid was still asleep. At least he was catching up on all of the sleep that he'd been missing out on lately.
Lance reached into his bag and pulled out some rope. He gave Horace an apologetic look. "I need to pick up some stuff, but I can't take an unconscious kid into town with me, and I can't just leave you alone with him either."
"Let me guess." Horace said tiredly. "You're going to tie me up to make sure I don't run off?"
"It'll just be until I get back." Lance said. "I don't want to tie anybody up. It wasn't my idea for you to come."
"No, no, I know." Horace sighed. He adjusted himself to put himself in a more comfortable position. Lance walked behind the tree he was leaning against. Horace reached his arms around the tree without needing to be told, and Lance tied them together in a knot that was hopefully not too tight or painful.
"I'll try not to take too long." Lance said. He took Zmeya and laid her under Varian's head to make him more comfortable. "You want me to take Ruddiger with me, or do you want him to stay here where you can keep an eye on him?"
Horace thought about it for a long moment. "I think…I want Ruddiger to stay here."
"You got it." Lance took the raccoon off of his shoulders and laid him down next to Horace. He knew that Horace was probably hoping that if he got Ruddiger and Zhan Tiri away from him, then Lance would change his mind about what he was doing and they'd all go back to the Great Tree. That hope was apparently stronger than his concern that Varian might have another nightmare.
It wasn't the worst hope to have, but Lance knew that Horace was going to end up disappointed. Zhan Tiri may have been the one to put this idea into Lance's head, because she had brought to his attention something that he hadn't even thought was possible. But that didn't mean that he didn't want it.
Lance was out to achieve something that meant a lot to him, even if he'd only recently realized it.
After making sure that Varian was asleep and Horace was secure he made his way to the nearby farm, though he couldn't help but feel like he was making a mistake every step he took. Not because he was intending to steal from the poor farm's folk, because he'd gotten over his guilt of stealing years ago. No, there was just a voice in his head telling him that tied up or not, leaving Horace alone with Varian was a mistake.
Lance had never had a very strong conscience. When he'd started having those occasional whispers in his ear telling him to do something, he'd thought it was just his conscience. Now he knew that it was Zhan Tiri's nudging, and he wasn't going to listen to it if he could help it.
Yes, he was doing this whole thing because she had suggested it, but just because he was taking her advice once didn't mean that he had to listen to everything that she ever had to say.
When Lance reached the farm he went to the barn and grabbed two of the sturdiest looking horses. Work horses may not be the fastest, but Lance hoped that they would be stronger and have more endurance than horses that were just built for speed.
Maybe it was cruel to be stealing some important work steeds from a farming family that probably relied on them, but they needed faster transportation that would provide some relief for both Horace and Varian's hurt legs. Lance couldn't exactly afford to pay for horses, so he had no choice but to resort to stealing. Or, as he preferred to see it in this instance, extended borrowing.
He intended to return the horses, it would just take a few weeks. It wasn't really harvesting or planting season, so maybe the farmers would be okay.
Grabbing the horses had been his main goal, but that didn't mean that he had to leave without anything else. Some basic tools and food would be useful.
To Lance's luck, the farmers seemed to be gone, probably in town to do some trading. He had no problem sneaking into the house and spending just a few minutes grabbing some food and trinkets that looked valuable. He finished up as quickly as he could and got out of the house in just a few minutes.
Riding on one of the horses while leading the other along, it wasn't long before Lance got back to where he had left the others. He hadn't been gone for very long, but as he came closer he heard Varian before he saw them. The kid was awake. Lance picked up the pace. He expected to see Varian untying Horace so they could make their escape.
It took Lance a long moment to realize that Varian's tone was way too gentle and casual. He couldn't possibly know about being kidnapped, or that Horace was more or less a prisoner. When Lance actually saw the others he actually saw why exactly Varian didn't seem to know anything.
The kid was still lying on the ground, and his head was turned pointedly away from Horace. He and the prince were just chatting. Lance could tell by Horace's wide eyes that he was stressed and trying very hard to keep his tone casual. Horace actually sounded relieved to see him.
"What's going on here, guys?" Lance asked.
"I was just telling Varian how our fathers said that we should look around the towns near the Great Tree to see if the black rocks have gotten worse since the moonstone was brought there." Horace said quickly, looking at Lance with wide eyes. They both knew that he was lying so that Varian could go a little while longer without knowing that Lance had betrayed his trust. Lance appreciated the lie, but it all went down the drain in an instant when Varian looked at Lance. He immediately noticed the moonstone.
Varian gasped, sitting up. "Why do you have the moonstone?" He didn't sound angry or defensive yet, just confused.
Lance could be pretty good at coming up with a lie on the spot, but he couldn't do it. Not to Varian. The kid deserved so much more than that.
Lance sighed and knelt to bring himself to Varian's level. "It just kinda happened. You were scared, and hurt, and I didn't know what else to do to protect you from that beast back there."
"Y-you used the moonstone to help me?" Varian asked. He sounded upset, but not mad. Lance wished he knew what was going on inside his head.
"I've told you before, I'd do anything for you." Lance said.
"My family's not going to be happy." Varian said. That was an understatement. "I wanted them to like you."
"I think we're past that point." Horace muttered. Varian looked over his shoulder to finally look towards Horace. He looked confused at first, though his expression quickly turned to a look of shock, and then horror, until finally settling on a cold mask. Varian staggered to his feet.
"You said that I shouldn't look at you because your leg was bleeding really badly, and you didn't want me fainting." Varian said stiffly. Lance couldn't help but notice that Varian had been talking very casually for somebody who believed that their friend was bleeding badly right next to them. How regularly did the two of them get hurt growing up that Varian probably saw it as a normal thing to not be concerned about?
"W-well, I just…" Horace stammered. Varian didn't give him the chance to come up with an excuse. He limped towards the tree and started getting to work at the knots.
"You lied to me." Varian growled as he untied the rope, freeing Horace.
"I was trying to protect you." Horace said quietly. It was a true excuse, but still a weak one. He'd been trying to spare Varian's feelings.
Varian tossed the rope aside and glared at Lance. "Why was he tied up?"
Lance grimaced and stood up. He didn't want to do this, but he'd already started with this honesty thing, he might as well just continue on with it. "Okay, this is going to sound really bad, but I didn't want him running off."
"You kidnapped him?" Varian said, his voice cracking slightly.
"Not exactly." Lance said.
"I came here on my own." Horace said. "He wasn't stopping me from leaving, he was stopping me from leaving with you."
Varian blinked rapidly, looking between Horace and Lance. "You…you kidnapped me?"
"Kidnapping is such a strong word." Lance said. "But I guess technically yes, but-"
"Stop." Varian snapped. His tone was so cold that Lance couldn't help but shut his mouth. "Five words. I'll give you five words to explain yourself."
Lance grimaced. That was very little to work with, but that was probably the point. Varian knew Lance well enough at this point that he probably knew all too well that he knew his way around words. He didn't have the most silver tongue in the world, but Lance could talk his way out of trouble. This word limit was Varian's way of making sure that Lance couldn't spin a pretty tale.
It still made things hard.
"Your family's mean to you." Lance said the first thing that came to his mind that would stay in Varian's limits. The kid's expression darkened.
"So you kidnapped me," Varian pointed to Lance before rounding on Horace. "And you lied to me about it because you're both trying to protect me? To spare my feelings? Do you guys really think I'm so fragile that I can't handle anything?"
Lance gave a small cough. "Well, you are crying right now." He wasn't wrong. Tears were falling from Varian's eyes, and his voice was frequently cracking.
"Because you guys are jerks." Varian clenched his fists. "I can handle myself, and right now that's all I want because I don't want to be around either of you." Varian tried to storm off as best he could with a hurt leg. Lance and Varian stared at each other for a long moment as Lance tried to figure out what he was supposed to do and Horace seemed to dare him to do what they both knew he was planning on doing.
Lance sighed and easily caught up to Varian, grabbing his arm. The boy yelped and tried to twist away, but Lance's grip was stronger.
"Kid, c'mon, don't make it harder than it has to be." Lance said. "This isn't permanent. We just need to go to the Dark Kingdom to pick something up really quickly, and then maybe we can get you back to your dad."
"Maybe?!" Varian sounded equal parts terrified and furious. "Let me go!"
"Kid, calm down." Lance said.
"No!" Varian shouted. "How can you tell me to calm down when you're taking me from my dad?"
"I'm just trying to-" Lance started to explain himself, but Varian didn't let him get very far.
"I don't want to hear it." Varian growled. The hot anger in his tone was starting to die down, bringing him back to the cold fury that Lance really didn't like. "I don't want to hear another word."
Lance really didn't want to just leave it there, but if Varian wasn't in a good space to listen to him, Lance couldn't really force him. Varian needed time to work out how he was feeling. Maybe after he calmed down he'd be in a good mindspace to talk about it, but if he wasn't that was his right too, and Lance would just have to learn how to be okay with it.
"Okay." Lance said quietly. He looked behind them, half expecting to see the Brotherhood following them. He gently pulled Varian back to where Horace was watching them. "Let's just take care of your cuts, and we can get going."
"Can't wait." Varian grumbled dryly. It didn't take a genius to know that the kid was using sarcasm to hide his hurt. Lance tried to clean his bite, but Varian growled at him and pulled his leg back. He wasn't going to be letting Lance anywhere near him. Eventually Lance gave up and turned to bind and clean Horace's cut.
"Thanks." Horace said, even though Lance was the reason why he was hurt in the first place. He looked at Varian, and then at Lance. "Let me try."
"Knock yourself out." Lance sighed as he tossed the bandages to Horace. He wasn't so proud that he would refuse to let Varian's leg be taken care of unless he was the one who did it himself.
Horace took the bandages and approached Varian, kneeling in front of him. Horace said a few things in a quiet tone too low for Lance to hear. Varian refused to look at him, and when Horace reached for his hand the boy scowled and yanked it back, but after a minute he let Horace reach his leg to bind it.
At least they had that much going for them. Lance could tell that this was going to be a really long journey though.
When both of their legs were taken care of Lance thought that it was time for them to get going. "I have two horses, and there are three of us. So, Varian, who do you want to ride with?"
Varian huffed. "I'll walk." There wasn't even a moment of hesitation or consideration. Lance knew that Varian meant what he said. If he was given the chance he really would walk just to avoid having to rely on Lance or Horace.
"If you don't want to ride with either of us then I'll walk." Lance offered. It was the very least he could do. Besides, unlike the others Lance's leg wasn't hurt. He would have no problem walking.
Varian glared at Lance. "I don't need you, or anybody, to protect me. I can handle myself. If I say I can walk, then I can walk." Now it wasn't just a matter of hurt, it was a matter of pride. Varian wanted to prove, both to them and to himself, that he could take care of himself, even if it hurt. Lance didn't think the kid was right, but Varian was stubborn, and Lance didn't know if this was the hill that he wanted to die on.
Lance sighed. "Okay, kid." He hoisted himself onto one of the horses while Horace reluctantly got on the other. Lance took the reins of both horses and tied them together, so that Horace couldn't ride off. He didn't think he had to worry about Varian running off on his own. If there was one thing that Lance had learned about the kid it was that he was loyal to Horace, no matter how mad he was at him. Varian wouldn't run off while Horace was here.
And even if Varian ran off, Lance was on a horse and could effortlessly catch up to the kid before he got very far.
This was definitely not going the way that Lance wanted it to, but he was sure that it would all work out. It had to. If it didn't, then all of this had been for nothing, and Lance couldn't allow that. He already knew that the others wouldn't think that this was worth it, and he couldn't afford to think the same thing. He'd come so far, and he was doing this for a very important reason.
He was doing this for Varian. The kid may not want Lance to do anything for his sake, but that didn't change the facts. Lance wasn't kidding when he said that he would do anything for the kid, whether Varian wanted him to or not.