Varian had been impatient and eager to find Horace and bring him back home. They'd both been gone for far too long. Now that he'd found him though he was willing to wait a little longer before he insisted on going home.
The hardest part was done. Varian had found Horace. They were free to go home at any time. Varian would prefer it if they immediately went home, but Horace had something that he really wanted to do. Varian could bear to stay in Corona for one more day if it meant Horace was more happy to go home with him. There was no point in trying to drag Horace back to the Dark Kingdom kicking and screaming if he was just going to sneak back here because he had some unfinished business or something.
Varian let Horace have his day. While he waited for Horace to return Varian tried to get some rest, but he couldn't get more than a small nap in. His nerves were too frayed for him to sleep. Instead he stayed in the forests near Corona's capital, keeping an eye out for Horace's return.
Varian was tense all day. Lance and Ruddiger did their best to cheer him up. Lance tried to drag him into singing with him, and normally he would be all for singing around a cozy fire, but he wasn't in the mood today. Eventually Lance tried to move onto a new strategy. He tried a few things, including dragging Varian into helping him make lunch, or trying to get him to talk about his alchemy.
Varian knew what Lance was trying to do, and he appreciated it, but he couldn't be easily distracted. Lance's most successful distraction attempt was when he suggested a small challenge. It was like a game of hide and seek. Lance still wanted to see Varian's tracking skills in action. Despite his large size, Lance insisted that he was incredibly skilled at hiding and avoiding detection, and he wanted to know which of their skills were stronger.
Despite Varian's thoughts about Horace, he couldn't help but wonder about the same thing. He reluctantly agreed to join Lance in his game. It ended up being a better distraction than he'd thought it would be. It was also fairly fun.
The main reason why this was such a good distraction was because it demanded all of his focus. Varian couldn't just go through the motions to find Lance. He could easily find the man's hiding place, but Lance saw him coming and carefully slipped off to hide somewhere else, starting their game over.
Not only did Varian have to focus to follow Lance's surprisingly well-hidden tracks, but he also had to sneak and hide himself so that the man didn't see him coming and sneak off before he could find him. They played this game for more than an hour without coming to any real conclusion. Varian was always able to find Lance, and Lance was always able to slip away from him at the last second. Varian couldn't truly catch Lance, but the man couldn't have a moment's rest. It almost became more of a game of will and stamina than raw skill.
Eventually, when they were both exhausted, Lance called off the game. He claimed it was because the sun was starting to set and it was too dangerous to play in the woods after dark. Varian knew that Lance was just trying to cut the game short early because he knew that he was losing.
Varian wasn't completely relaxed, but he felt at least a little better than before. He felt good enough to hum along to Lance's singing as he put together some sandwiches for dinner. Though they were ready to eat right then, Lance wrapped the sandwiches up and dragged Varian to the edge of the trees. They could see the castle very clearly from here. It was only here that Lance brought out the sandwiches and allowed them to eat.
"What are we doing here?" Varian asked.
"I thought you might want to see what Horace is up to." Lance said.
Varian frowned. "I don't want to go to some dumb festival."
"That's just the thing, you don't have to." Lance said. "I grew up in Corona, and knew all about this particular festival. The parties were always nice, but the most memorable part involves no human interaction at all."
"What is it?" Varian asked.
"You'll see." Lance gave him a mischievous smirk. He sounded so much like Adira when she was up to something. Varian felt a familiar twist in his gut at the thought of home. He sighed and pulled his legs up to his chest. Lance's smile dimmed into a look of concern. "Hey, kid, you okay?"
"Not really." Varian admitted. He didn't think he'd been okay since he'd left home. Sometimes he wished that he had just gone home like Horace had meant him to. One of the others would probably be better at dragging Horace home, and Varian wouldn't be alone.
Lance gave him a sympathetic look. "Tell me more about the Dark Kingdom. You said that everybody's most active at night. I've heard that the night sky looks different in other parts of the world."
Varian nodded. "The moon's a lot brighter, and the stars shine so clearly every night."
"Were constellations easier to see in the Dark Kingdom?" Lance asked. "I keep on trying to look for them out here, but no matter how many times they're pointed out to me I can never seem to get it."
"Well, the stars were easier to see." Varian said. "I was never very good at constellations though. I could easily find the stars and their patterns, but I always had a hard time with the images they're apparently supposed to represent."
Lance chuckled. "I can see that."
"My dad tried to use the constellations to teach me the stories of our people." Varian said with a small smile. "Even though I never see a bear or swan when I'm looking at the stars, I always remember the legends I was told about them."
"What was your favorite story?" Lance asked. Varian was quiet for a second as he thought about it.
"Do you know what the Aurora Borealis is?" Varian asked. Lance gave him a blank look. "I don't know if it happens out here, but back home on the darkest nights of the year, in the middle of winter, we could sometimes see the sky light up with bright colors." Varian waved his hands out, gesturing at the heavens above them. "It was like seeing waves of green, blue, and purple dance across the sky. It was amazing."
"Oh, yeah, I've heard of that." Lance grinned. "I've always wanted to see it."
"I've only seen it a few times." Varian said. "They didn't appear near the castle. We had to travel a few days away to see the lights. My dad didn't often take me to see them, but when we did go it was absolutely incredible."
"Did he tell you stories about them?" Lance asked.
Varian nodded. "In the old traditions, waves of colors were fires that contained the souls of our people. There is so much death and darkness back home, it just came with being the moon's people." Varian hadn't told Lance about the moonstone itself, but he didn't see an issue with telling the man at least a little about their connection with the moon.
"According to the stories, when our kingdom was first founded our first queen gave her life in service to the moon." Varian said. Though he'd only seen the Aurora Borealis a handful of times, he knew the story by heart. "To repay her, the moon took the fire of her soul and cast it into the sky. Since then, it's been said that all of our kingdom's mightiest warriors join the lights when they die. They had given their lives for a kingdom of shadows and death, and yet their souls live on, lighting up the night sky, bringing beauty where there was just destruction."
Lance was quiet for a moment. "That's beautiful."
Varian smiled. "I've always liked that story. I'm not sure how much I believe it, but it's still nice to think about."
"What other stories do your people have?" Lance asked. Varian was more than happy to tell him about anything that didn't involve the secrets of the moonstone. It was nice to talk about home, and Lance was a very enthusiastic audience. Varian probably could have talked about home all night, but in the middle of one of his stories Lance held up his hand.
"They're starting." Lance said. He gestured towards the castle across the water. Varian frowned and tried to figure out what he was talking about. He couldn't see anything. A moment later Varian began to see lights starting to rise from the island. It started with just a few, and then there were dozens more. Before too long the island seemed to be covered with lights, all of which were rising higher and higher into the sky. There were even lights rising up from boats on the water.
"What are they?" Varian asked.
"Floating lanterns." Lance said. "Corona has been doing this every year for the past eighteen years. It's in memory of their lost princess, who was kidnapped as an infant."
Varian felt a twist in his stomach. He felt bad for the young princess and her parents, as this wasn't something that anybody should have to go through. However, he couldn't help but see the irony about the situation.
"Horace cared so much about going to a festival centered around a missing heir?" Varian scowled. Lance flinched slightly and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah, not the most thoughtful thing he could have done." Lance said. Even he recognized how messed up it was that Horace was joining a kingdom in mourning their missing princess when he himself was a missing prince.
Varian sighed and picked at his sandwich. He'd barely touched it. He'd been so busy talking to Lance earlier that he'd only taken a few bites, but now that he had the time to eat he really didn't feel like it. Varian didn't think he could stomach it right now.
Lance gave him a sad, almost pitying look. "Do you want to call it a night and find a place to sleep?"
Varian shook his head. "I don't think I could sleep right now." He pet Ruddiger, who was curled up against him. "I'll feel better when we're finally on our way home." It was just one more night. Horace would be done by tomorrow morning, or possibly even later tonight. It was just a matter of waiting now, and then they could put this whole adventure behind them.
Horace didn't show up that night, or the next morning. Varian had been waiting impatiently the day before, but that was nothing compared to how he felt now. He sat on a rock where Horace said he would meet him, and he refused to move from that spot all day. Lance tried to cheer him up and distract him, but Varian refused to move, and he didn't really feel like talking much either. He just sat there.
As the sun was starting to set Varian heard the sound of someone approaching. It sounded like hooves, but they were too light to belong to a horse. Varian sat up and looked towards the trees. He saw a very familiar looking antelope walking towards him. Varian smiled in relief and, for the first time all day, got up from his rock.
"Nelovko," Varian walked towards the antelope. The saiga sniffed at him and nudged him fondly. Varian pet him. "Where have you been? I missed you yesterday." Varian stroked Nelovko's snout. "Can you find Horace? I have no idea where he is."
Nelovko nuzzled against Varian before taking a step back. It started sniffing the ground and looked towards a nearby path. Varian hoped this meant he had the prince's scent. The boy gripped Nelovko's saddle and lifted himself onto the saiga's back. Ruddiger leapt onto Varian's lap. Nelovko was off on his way.
He briefly considered telling Lance where he was going, but he didn't have the patience. The man had gone off into town to grab some food and give Varian some space. He'll surely be back soon, but Varian didn't want to wait. He just wanted to find Horace and go home. He'll apologize to Lance later.
Nelovko ran through the woods. Varian just held on for his life. He knew that Nelovko could run fast, but he'd never ridden on him faster than a mild trot. It was equal parts terrifying and thrilling. From the way that Ruddiger was clinging to him, Varian knew that the raccoon was scared out of his wits. He would probably not be eager to ride on Nelovko again any time soon.
They ran towards the capital. The closer they got the more nervous Varian felt. Why had Horace stayed away for so long? Was he in trouble? Was he just procrastinating?
Varian did his best to ignore the odd glances he was given from the people on the street. He just wanted to find Horace. The sooner he found the prince the happier he would be. Eventually Nelovko stopped in front of a building near the castle. There was a large white horse standing near the door, almost looking like he was guarding it.
Nelovko huffed at the horse and lowered his horns towards it. The horse neighed irritably and stomped its feet. The two animals looked ready for fight, and Varian wasn't in the mood to deal with it.
"Nelovko, don't." Varian snapped. The antelope threw its head back, almost whacking Varian in the face. "Nelovko!" What was the saiga's problem? It was just a horse.
Nelovko tried to approach the door, but the horse neighed loudly and blacked him. Nelovko rear back, and Varian almost fell off. He yelped and clung tightly to Nelovko's neck.
He heard the door open. "Max, what's going on out here?" What're you...Varian?"
"Horace," Varian was happy to see the prince, and not just because he'd been waiting for him all day. "Make them stop." His voice sounded like more of a whine than he would ever like to admit, but he couldn't help it. Sitting on the back of an irritated saiga was scary.
Horace stepped between the two animals, not caring that the horse was stomping and Nelovko's horns were lowered and ready to be used to attack. "Nelovko, Max, knock it off. I know you guys got off on the wrong foot the other day, but that was all just one big misunderstanding. Are you really going to let that be the reason why you endanger a child?"
Varian wanted to protest and say that he wasn't a child, but he didn't think anybody would listen to him after looking at how tightly he was clinging to Nelovko's back. Horace walked to Varian's side and lifted him off of Nelovko. If the boy clung to his friend just a bit too tightly, nobody had to know.
"Are you alright, kid?" Horace asked as he looked Varian over.
"I'm fine." Varian said, though he couldn't keep the tremble out of his voice. He didn't think that Ruddiger was the only one who wasn't looking forward to riding on Nelovko again.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting." Horace said quietly.
"What are you doing here?" Varian pouted. "I thought you just wanted to go to the lantern festival yesterday."
Horace grimaced. "That was the plan, but some things have happened. I can't leave yet."
"What?" Varian's eyes widened. He felt his chest tighten. "Why not?"
Horace knelt to bring himself closer to Varian's level. "Did you hear that Corona had a lost princess?" Varian nodded. "Well, I'm pretty sure I found her. You remember that new friend I told you about, Rapunzel, she thinks she's the lost princess, and I believe her."
"But what's that got to do with anything?" Varian asked.
"Rapunzel wants to reunite with her parents," Horace said. Varian nodded, understanding that much. He wanted to reunite with his dad too, and he hadn't been away from him for eighteen years. "The thing is, it's not as easy as just waltzing into the castle and claiming that she's the princess. There are procedures, and precautions, and it's just this whole mess. It may be some time before Rapunzel's even allowed to meet the king and queen, let alone convince them that she's their missing daughter."
"But that doesn't have anything to do with you." Varian said. This sounded like it was Rapunzel's problem. And yes, it was sad, and Varian felt bad for her, but he didn't understand why Horace was acting like this was just as much her issue as it was hers. This wasn't his responsibility.
"I don't want to just leave her." Horace said. "She's been isolated her whole life. She's still trying to understand people. A lot of changes have hit her life all at once, and it would be overwhelming for anybody. I just want to be here for her while this whole thing happens, offering moral support. You understand, don't you?"
Varian wanted to say that no, he didn't understand. He didn't understand why Horace was going back on his word again. But he couldn't, because the thing was that Varian did understand a little. At least, he knew what it felt like for one's world to be completely flipped on its side, with no one there to catch you. That was how Varian had felt these past few months, or however long it had been. It had been really hard, and Varian wouldn't wish that on anybody.
Varian sighed and rubbed his arms. He didn't like this. The thought of staying in Corona for another day made him feel sad, scared, and furious all at once. But the thought of making Horace leave his friend, abandoning her when she really needed someone, made him feel sick to his stomach.
"...How long?" Varian asked. Horace gave him a small smile, his eyes apologetic.
"I don't know for sure," Horace said. "We've been talking to some guards, and thanks to Max believing us they seem to think that we have at least some credibility."
"How long?" Varian repeated, his tone firmer, more cold. Horace's smile vanished as he gave Varian a sad look.
"It shouldn't be more than a few weeks." Horace said. He brushed some of Varian's hair away from his face. "You can stay with us, if you want. Rapunzel really wants to meet you."
Varian frowned slightly. "You told her about me?" He wasn't sure how he felt about that..
"Of course." Horace said. He got to his feet and took Varian's hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you." He started to pull Varian into the building, but the boy pulled his hand back.
"I, uh, don't think I'm up to meeting new people right now." Varian rubbed his arm and looked at the ground. "I'll just wait at the rendezvous spot."
"For a few weeks?" Horace looked slightly panicked. "Kid, you can't be in the woods on your own for that long." Varian couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of hurt and annoyance.
"Why not?" Varian asked, his tone hard. I've been doing it since we left the Great Tree."
Horace paled. "Varian, y-you-"
"I'm fine." Varian said, and he meant it. He didn't really need Horace to watch him all the time. Yes, he would like to be around Horace, but that wasn't the same thing.
"I don't want you to be on your own." Horace said quietly, desperately. Varian waited for Horace to say that he had changed his mind, that he would be joining Varian now after all, but the prince said no such thing. Varian felt his heart sink.
"I won't be on my own." Varian said. "I'll be with my friend." After running off so suddenly, Varian wouldn't be surprised if Lance refused to let him out of his sights again.
Horace grimaced slightly. "I'm glad you've made a friend, but how do I know that he's actually, you know, real?"
Varian stared at Horace in shock. "What, do you think that I've made him up?" Varian clenched his fists and scowled. "You think I'm lying?" Horace should know how much Varian valued honesty.
"No, kid, no," Horace reached for him, but Varian stepped out of his reach. "I just-"
"I'll see you later, Horace," Varian turned and started walking back down the streets. He ignored Horace calling out to him. He ignored the people in town looking at him. The only things he paid attention to were Ruddiger's comforting chattering and the pounding of his head as his anger warred with his distress. Varian had just reached the bridge that led to the mainland when he heard a familiar huff behind him. He turned to see Nelovko following him.
"Did Horace send you after me?" Varian said irritably. Nelovko tilted his head at him and nudged Varian, almos knocking him over. Varian couldn't help but feel some of his anger slip away. He was still upset with Horace, but there was no need to take it out on the saiga, and he really did appreciate the company.
"Thanks, bud," Varian said quietly. He didn't want to get on Nelovko's back, so he just took his reins and started leading him back towards the woods. The walk was a lot longer than the ride was. Varian had expected his thoughts to start wandering, but they did nothing of the sort. For once his mind was quiet as he walked numbly back.
The sun had well and truly set by then, and Varian was wandering in the forest in the dark. He couldn't really see where he was going, so he let the animals take the lead. Ruddiger's night vision was a lot better than Varian's was, and Nelovko's sense of smell was good enough to get them back to where he had found them.
Varian had just started to recognize their surroundings when he started to hear frantic yelling. Varian took Nelovko and started to make his way towards the shouting. He needed to satisfy his curiosity. Not many people would wander into the woods after dark, but to do so and then start yelling? That was just begging for a predator or bandit to target you.
The person was still shouting, which made it very easy to find them. As he came closer Varian recognized what was being yelled. It was his name. As soon as he recognized that he realized that he knew just who was crazy enough to be wandering around these woods at night.
"Lance!" Varian called out in response. The shouting fell silent for a moment before it returned in earnest.
"Varian!" Lance called out. "Kid, are you okay? Talk to me."
Varian sighed. "I'm fine, I just went for a-a walk."
Lance stumbled into the thicket of trees that Varian was standing in. He looked terrified, which was a little unnerving to see. Lance was normally so calm and collected, in his own special way. For such an emotional and easily excitable man Lance was usually strangely calm in stressful situations.
Lance ran towards Varian and pulled him into a strong hug, forcing the air out of him. Varian coughed slightly. "L-Lance, too tight."
"Too bad," Lance said. "You can't just vanish on me and expect me to ever let you out of my sights again." Lance pulled back just so he could look at Varian. The boy was incredibly familiar with the look in the man's eyes. He saw it all the time from his dad. He was far too familiar with this kind of disappointment.
"I-I'm sorry." Varian said quietly. Lance sighed and pulled him into another crushing hug.
"Just don't go doing that to me again. I know you're your own person, and you don't answer to me, but next time can you at least try to tell me next time you disappear for so long? I was so worried."
"I...Yeah, I can try." Varian said. A part of him didn't like being treated like a little kid, especially by somebody that he'd only known for a short period of time, but for the most part he didn't really mind it so much. In fact, Varian really appreciated having somebody around that cared about how he was doing.
Varian sniffled and buried his head in Lance's chest. The man made a sound of shock. He started to run his hand through Varian's hair, and the boy, to his alarm, started crying.
"Whoa, hey, kid, it's okay." Lance said. "I'm not mad."
Varian shook his head and whimpered. That wasn't what had been bothering him. "H-Horace isn't coming today."
"What? Why not?" Varian could hear the frown in Lance's voice. "Is that where you went? To see Horace?"
Varian nodded. "He...he has something else to do. He thinks it might be a few more weeks."
Lance made a sympathetic sound. "Oh, kid," He didn't say any comforting words and empty reassurances about how everything was going to be okay. Lance just stood there and held Varian, letting him cry. It was several minutes before Varian started to calm down, though even after he'd stopped crying he still stayed with Lance, because this felt really nice.
Varian stayed in Lance's arms for a few more minutes before he took a deep breath and pulled back. "I just want to go home."
"I can't blame you." Lance said. "You know what though? We can make the best of a bad situation. Corona is a really beautiful place, and there are some nice sights to see that involve no human interaction at all."
Varian rubbed his nose. "I can't ask you to stay with me. I know you don't like Corona a whole lot, and it's not your job to babysit me."
"Well, that's the beauty of me being the one to suggest it." Lance grinned. "You're not asking me to do anything. I'm asking you to let me stay with you. Really, I swear, you'd be doing me a favor if you let me make sure that nothing terrible happens to you."
Varian didn't want to accept his offer. He didn't want to owe anybody any favors, and he was worried that if he let Lance spend more time with him he'd come to see how prone he was for trouble and decide that it wasn't worth the effort. He felt like he'd ostracized one friend of his, he didn't want to do it again.
More than any of that though, Varian really didn't want to be left alone.
Varian nodded. "Please," He said quietly. That was all he could handle saying, but it was more than enough for Lance.
"Come on," The man said as he slung an arm over Varian's shoulders. "I picked up some hand pies while I was in town. Normally I'd say that you need to have dinner before dessert, but I think it's okay to make an exception just this once. Times like this call for something sweet."
Varian tried to give him a small smile, though it came off as more of a grimace than anything. "You don't have to do all of this for me."
"I know." Lance said cheerfully. "But I want to." It didn't make Varian feel much better about everything going on with Horace, but at least he wasn't completely alone.
A/N: I wasn't planning on giving this chapter so much Varian and Lance bonding, as it was supposed to center around Varian's whole thing with Eugene, but Lance was demanding that he be given the chance to give Varian the attention he needs, and who am I to deny them?
I also really enjoy making up Dark Kingdom culture stuff. It's one of my favorite things.