Chapter 19
End


Varian sobbed.
That was the only thing he could do.
Ruddiger tried his best to comfort the boy.
He knew this would end up happening, just not like this.

Varian wiped his tears and looked at the floor, hugging his knees. He unhugged his knees and screamed; "Dammit!" He slammed his palms on the bed, startling Ruddiger.

"All I was trying to do was hang out with Cassie! I wanted to impress her, and I wanted to constantly be around her, and I messed it all up!" Varian kept slamming his palms on the bed.

Ruddiger looked at Varian with concern and he chattered at him softly, putting his claw on Varian's arm. He looked at Ruddiger's claw, and sniffled. "Th...Thanks buddy." His voice cracked.

Varian looked towards the dungeon's door, where The Captain of the Guards and Cassandra were speaking outside of. "You can't do this to him, dad!" Cassandra balled up her fists tightly. "He's only a child, he's a kid! He's just trying to survive! He isn't even being hostile!" She pleaded.

"Cassandra, listen, please; he has committed Breaking and Entering; Theft; Trespassing on Private Property, Illegal bargaining tactics and he is also threatening the safety of the Kingdom of Corona with his alchemy." The Captain said to her. Cassandra didn't even realize she was crying until she felt a tear drip off of her nose gently. She rubbed her sleeves over her eyes a couple times and then looked at the Captain of the Royal Guards.

"Please, dad. He doesn't deserve this. Do you think this is what Rapunzel wants?" Cassandra hissed. The Captain paused at the saying of Rapunzel's name. "The Princess probably wouldn't want this... But... It's really up to the King and Queen, and as Arianna is still recovering from her injuries, this leaves Frederic to make these decisions-" The Captain tried to reason with her.

Cassandra screamed; "Then King Frederic, is a jerk, no-good, tyrant!" She ran off, frustrated and angry with the situation. She knew that Varian was only trying to survive, she knew Varian, she didn't know the other thieves which left her to keep her opinions to herself, but it was different with Varian, because she knew him. And he wasn't a bad person.

He didn't deserve it.


Varian was regretting everything.

"Pocket full 'o sage, check..."
"Beat up in the alley by three children taller than me, check..."
"Feral cat that hissed at me while I was walking by, check..."
"Think I have everything."

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...

Bobby pin...
Locked door...
Thief and his raccoon...
Varian and Ruddiger were getting ready to break into someone's house.

"Ruddiger, stop giving me that look. I know it's dangerous."
"...You don't have to keep staring like that."
"Ruddiger."
Varian then just sighed.

Varian could do it, he had to!
He was so close already...
There was no way he could flee.
He was only a few steps away...

Varian knew that this was going to happen.
Taking the vase and the money was a bad idea.
Especially from Lady Caine of all the thieves still active.
Now Caine and Otter were after him.

"Alright, second times a charm Ruddiger!"
Ruddiger gave him that glaring look again.
"Aw com'on, I made sure to peek through the windows for any dogs."
Ruddiger's look faded slightly, but was still sort of there.

There was 4 things on Varian's mind.
Cassandra.
The Sword.
Ham Sandwiches.
(And finally, why the symbol seem so familiar to him.)

The project was taking longer than expected.
Mainly because Varian kept doing his alchemy instead.
Which was fine, but if he wanted to get it sewn up, he'd need to actually work on it.
But his head had different plans, and not just alchemy.

The air was odd tonight, for just about everyone.
Varian suspected it was just because he stayed the night in the building.

When Varian woke up, he couldn't believe his eyes...
The streets he had originally walked on were now white.
There was snow coating it and everything.
Ah, yes, snow... But wait...
It was Autumn?

"Raps!"
"Princess!"
The two called the blondie's name as they ran towards her.
Rapunzel turned around with a confused look on her face, until she saw Cassandra.

"This sword, Ruddiger..."
"Do you think I should, maybe, try...and...uh..."
"Clean it up, add some cool doodads on it and...um..."
"Give it to Cassie?"

Varian closed his eyes tightly, tears rolling down his cheeks. He remembered all of it and he hated he had done any of it now. But then he thought; this would have happened anyway.

Varian opened his eyes and looked at the guards gathered around him...

Varian was on the guillotine.

Ruddiger chirped nervously, he didn't like this...
He didn't want this to happen.

"For Breaking and Entering; Theft; Trespassing on Private Property, Illegal bargaining tactics and threatening the safety of the Kingdom of Corona with alchemy. Varian, the Stress-Streak Thief, is being sentenced to death by guillotine!" The Captain announced to the people watching.

Varian moved his wrists around in the wooden-cuffs, but couldn't get them loose.
This was it. It was the end of the line, the end of the rope...

He saw one of the guards grab an axe and Varian flinched, tears rolling down his cheeks quicker. "No, no, no, no, no..." He said to himself over and over, his voice cracking and wavering.

This was it.

The royal guard raised the axe above the string that kept the blade from falling, and Varian quickly closed his eyes, crying more than he had ever cried before. He felt the air from the axe swing down and the air from the blade falling... Varian wanted to scream, but he was too afraid.

Ruddiger covered his eyes with his claws, terrified...

...But the blade stopped.

Varian opened his eyes, his vision blurred with a series of tears. It stopped. Ruddiger opened his eyes and was relieved to see the blade had stopped, then he looked to see why.

"Stop the execution." Cassandra, with the black sword in between the blade of the guillotine, said darkly. The Captain's jaw dropped. "Cassandra-" He went to scold her, but Cassandra looked at him with a look just as dark spoken. "No." She snarled, "I don't want to hear it."

Varian choked on his tears; it was Cassandra!
"C...Cassie!" He sobbed.

Cassandra swung the sword upwards, causing the blade to shatter into pieces, which terrified everyone; including The Captain. Some of the blade shards did hit Cassandra, scraping her slightly; but she didn't care, she only cared about saving Varian at this moment.

Cassandra put the sword in her sheath; took the cuffs off of Varian, grabbed him, whistled Ruddiger over, and then ran off. "Traitor!"

"Traitor!"
"Traitor!"
"Traitor!"
"Traitor!"

It was constantly being shouted by the people, but Cassandra didn't care.

Varian gasped for air, "Cassie, you saved me!" He squeaked. "Don't flatter yourself kid," Cassandra rolled her eyes and kept running. They didn't stop running until they reached the entrance of the Kingdom of Corona. She put down Varian and Ruddiger, "Run, go as far away as you can! Please!" Cassandra begged him. Varian's eyes watered again; "B...But Cassie!"

"Go, Varian!" Cassandra screamed, it was painful. Not because of the scrapes she had on her arms and face, not because of the catch in her side from all that running...

It was painful because she was letting Varian, her only friend other than Rapunzel, go.

Tears rolled down Varian's eyes and his lip shook.
Varian grabbed Ruddiger in his arms, wiped his tears with his sleeve...

Cassandra told him to run...

So he ran.


(Author's Note):

Thank you for reading this to the end of its first arc!
Please, if you have the time, leave a review! (I would literally squeal if you did that.)

I hope to release the next chapter (going into the second arc) very soon.

~ VarianLeAlchimiste


END OF ARC 1