Chapter 2
Waiting
Ruddiger tried his best, yet he couldn't do anything.
No matter how many times he waved his claw in front of Varian's face...
Varian was still in a trance of love.
Ruddiger sighed, not this again...
Varian watched Cassandra from the rooftops with loving eyes, how he wished he could officially meet her one day, but alas... He was a street rat, a thief, scoundrel... He was everything that Corona despised, and he'd definitely get arrested if he stopped anywhere nearby that castle.
Ruddiger finally smacked Varian on the forehead and it snapped Varian out of his little trance, "Ow hey!" Varian glared at Ruddiger, "What was that for?"
Came from that, was a series of chatters from Ruddiger.
Varian just rolled his eyes and then turned back to Cassandra, only to realize she was gone. Varian frowned and then laid back down on the rooftop grumpily. Varian couldn't think of any other way to go and meet Cassandra without the royal guards being on his tail.
Ruddiger crawled onto Varian's arms and held it into a hug. Varian smiled and pet his head, "We should get some sleep, it's getting late." Varian said to Ruddiger with a caring voice before sitting up to grab his blanket out of his backpack and laying back down to wrap up with it.
"Raps, I'm telling you, I know what I saw." Cassandra crossed her arms at the long-haired, blonde princess. This princess was the Princess of Corona, she had been lost for 18 years and she was clueless and naive. "Cass, you're being over reactive, they're just children! How could they steal that much stuff in one sitting!" Rapunzel leaned on her bed upside-down, which made Cassandra appear like she was standing on the ceiling. Rapunzel thought that was funny.
"Raps!" Cassandra barked, "They literally had bags of loot from where they stole from Feldspar, Uncle Monty and various other shopkeepers!" She glared coldly at her.
"...Oh, um." Rapunzel tried to figure out another excuse, but alas, she couldn't find anything to say about the two girls that had been stealing in the streets.
"We can't put children in jail, Cass." Rapunzel beat around the bush.
"If they're problematic or wanted enough, yes we can." Cassandra shut her down quickly.
Rapunzel sighed and rolled over, upside-down Cassandra wasn't making her laugh now so she had might as well just stare at Pascal in his little hammock. "I'm sorry, it's just how it works." Cassandra recrossed her arms and said to her carefully. "I know..." Rapunzel closed her eyes sadly.
"Anyway, I'm going to take this up with dad, he'll know what to do. Raps, please stay out of this." Cassandra calmly told her and then walked out of the bedroom and headed to the royal guards' office, where her father and his guards were...
"Put him down! So help me, I will-" Varian was thrown back by one of the older kids, into the brick wall, as the others held Ruddiger in their arms, pulling on his tail, his ears and claws. Varian shakily tried to stand up, but one of the kids kicked him back down, but instead of Varian being held up by the wall, he fell to the ground instead.
Ruddiger chattered uncomfortably and tried clawing and biting the kids, but he couldn't quite get a good attack in. Varian felt tears build up in his eyes, "Be gentle with Ruddiger, please!" He shouted. The kids laughed and continued to shake Ruddiger, throw him and various mean things.
Finally, when the kids had enough being mean to Ruddiger, they started in on Varian next. They kicked and grabbed Varian, talking bad about him right to his face.
Two of them kicked Varian in the side while the other one punched Varian in the face multiple times until they were tired. Ruddiger got on one of the kids' backs and angrily chattered and hissed at them until he fell off. The kids eventually got bored of abusing Varian, so they forcefully grabbed his bag and backpack and dug around in it, looking for things to sell or eat.
Varian tried to get up, but he hurt too badly at the moment to do anything. "Stop it!" Varian shouted weakly. "Make us!" The kids laughed at him. "You deranged wizard!"
Varian couldn't count how many times he had to correct them, he wasn't a wizard, he was an alchemist, and he didn't use magic, he used science.
They took out some bread and cheese, then took the handful of coins that Varian managed to find (not steal) off the side of the road. They threw the bags back at Varian and scurried off with what they had taken from him. Ruddiger crawled over to Varian and sadly chirped.
"I'm okay..." Varian whimpered, his nose starting to bleed and his face red. His clothing also had been torn due to the impact with the alleyway's ground.
Varian tried not to look at the blood that came from fights in the alleyway, mainly because if he did, he'd faint at the sight of it because he was just like that. He sat up with a few winces and then picked up Ruddiger and held him close. "I guess I'm going to have to find more food and currency, Ruddiger..." Varian pet Ruddiger, who felt as lethargic as Varian did...
