Varian was depressed, and Lance was worried.
The whole time he had known the kid the boy was much more sad and angry than any teenager should be. Lance had been able to cheer him up and encourage him, so Varian didn't start to spiral out of control in his despair and loneliness. Lance hadn't really been the best at helping Varian, but he'd been able to do at least a little bit.
Ever since he'd talked with Horace though, The poor kid had been falling deeper into his grief than before. Varian had gotten his hopes up that he would finally be able to go home after all this time, so when he learned that he had to wait even more his spirit seemed to shatter. His homesickness got worse. He couldn't even talk about his home or family without bursting into tears and getting angry with himself for it.
Varian lost interest in the things that Lance had been doing to cheer him up. Varian would still cook with Lance, and tell him about his alchemy experiments, but it didn't seem to bring him as much excitement as before. Varian seemed to be going through the motions, just doing things to get it over with so he could go back to his rock and wait for Horace in peace.
The only thing he put his energy into was his training. Varian had always kept up with his training, working on things so that he didn't lose his skills, but he was putting even more energy into it than before. Varian spent hours training on his own, exhausting himself, and causing more than just a few injuries.
Lance sighed as he wrapped up Varian's ankle, which he'd twisted after a bad fall from a tree. "You need to be careful, kid."
"I'm fine," Varian said with a wince as Lance shifted his foot so he could have easier access to his ankle. "This is nothing."
"If I hadn't had to step in to stop you from bleeding out yesterday, I might believe you." Lance said.
"I wasn't bleeding out." Varian huffed. "It was just a small cut on my head. Head injuries always bleed a lot."
"You were unconscious." Lance pointed out. Varian's face went red with embarrassment.
"That wasn't...it wasn't really because I was hurt." Varian said sheepishly. "My body just shuts down when I see blood, even if it's just from a papercut."
If that was supposed to make Lance feel better, it really didn't work. "So you actually could have bled out and not even have been able to do anything about it?" He didn't like how Varian kept on getting himself hurt, but it was even more terrifying now that he knew that the kid could easily find himself unconscious and vulnerable.
"Okay, new rule," Lance said. "No more training unsupervised. I want to be here when something bad happens."
"You don't have to do that." Varian grimaced, though Lance didn't know if it was from the pain or because he really didn't like the request.
"Yeah, I do." Lance insisted. "Though I'd rather you didn't hurt yourself at all. Why don't we find you another hobby? A safer one? I hear Corona has some nice libraries. We can check them out."
Varian scowled slightly and pulled his foot away from Lance as soon as he was finished wrapping it up. "I'd rather not." The kid sighed. "I'm fine."
"Varian, you are a lot of things," Lance said. "But fine isn't one of them."
"Well, I will be." Varian pushed himself to his feet, even though he should probably be resting his ankle. The boy put a little pressure on his foot, seemingly satisfied. "It's just for a few more weeks."
Lance frowned. Varian had said that nearly two weeks ago. Horace should be wrapping up whatever he was doing, and yet they hadn't heard a word from him. Lance was starting to doubt that the prince would be keeping his word, but he didn't say anything about it to Varian. The kid was stressing enough as it was. He didn't need Lance's doubts to fuel his own.
"Yeah, sure, kid." Lance said quietly as he watched Varian jump right back into his training. "Just a few more weeks.
Those few weeks came and went, and still no sign of Horace. After hanging around the woods for just over a month Varian made his way back to the capital to talk to Horace. This time he made sure to tell Lance where he was going. The man had volunteered to go with him, but Varian declined his offer. He said this was just between him and Horace, so Lance let him go. He was hoping for the best, but mentally preparing himself to comfort Varian should he get more bad news.
A few hours later Varian stumbled back into their little clearing of the woods. Just by taking a look at his face, and the way that the kid was dragging his feet, Lance could tell that his discussion with Horace hadn't gone as well as he had wanted.
"Oh, kid." Lance held his arms out. A month ago Varian wouldn't have been quick to give him a hug, but he didn't hesitate to lean into the man's hold. Lance was always a big hugger, and this time he hugged the kid like he could protect him from everything that the world had been throwing at him.
"What happened?" Lance asked.
"...He's not ready to go yet." Varian said.
"I thought he just wanted to provide moral support to his princess friend until she got recognized as royalty." Lance said. "Everybody in Corona has been talking about the princess' return for weeks now. What else is there for your prince to do?"
Varian shrugged. "He said that Rapunzel's having a hard time adjusting to life as a princess, and he wants to show her the ropes for a bit longer."
It made sense. Lance didn't know everything about what went into being the heir to a throne, but even still he knew that there was more to it than just sitting around and doing nothing all day. Horace may have grown up in an isolated kingdom, but he had still been raised as a prince. It would make sense for him to assist the princess, but Lance saw a big issue with this new plan of his.
"How long is a bit longer?" Lance asked. Varian stiffened and buried his face in the man's chest.
"He didn't say." Varian said.
"Of course he didn't." Lance frowned and gave Varian a small squeeze. The kid definitely needed some cheering up. "Do you want to go into town and find a bakery or something?" Like with most kids, sweet food was nearly a surefire way of cheering Varian up.
Despite this, Varian shook his head. "I'm not hungry." He pulled away from Lance, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm really tired. I think I'm just going to turn in early." Varian picked up Ruddiger and walked off. Lance watched him go with a small frown. It was more important than ever that he cheer Varian up, but he didn't really know how to do that.
What Varian needed was his dad and Horace, and Lance really couldn't give him either of them.
Over the next few months Varian would frequently go to Corona to talk to Horace, and every time he would come back with some new excuse.
Horace was helping the princess prepare for her coronation as heir apparent.
There was some weird emergency with Rapunzel's hair that Horace was trying to help with.
Corona had another festival coming up, and Horace was helping to set things up.
Horace had been recruited to help the Coronan guards learn how to better deal with thieves.
Horace was helping to set up a really important competition in the kingdom.
They were decent enough reasons to procrastinate most things, but Lance didn't think their situation was one of them. Horace was a prince. Even Lance knew that heirs couldn't just up and leave their kingdoms for months at a time. The people of Corona may constantly need some small help of some kind, but there had to be better people to provide that than a prince.
What Lance cared about more though was that Horace was frequently brushing Varian off. Lance had been told by the kid that Horace kept on offering for him to just stay at the castle, which had a lot of space, but Varian kept on refusing.
Lance really didn't understand why anybody would pass up the chance to stay in a castle, especially if it would bring them closer to the person that they were wanting to be around in the first place, but he didn't question the kid. If Varian didn't feel comfortable in the castle, then he shouldn't have to go there.
Every single time Varian went to the capital, he would return more rejected than before. There would also be a longer wait he next went to talk to Horace. Still, Lance had been pretty good at predicting when Varian would next go to the capital, based on his general mood. If the kid was getting more antsy than usual, he was going to ask if Horace was ready to go yet.
Lance had thought he'd been really good at guessing it, but he had thought that Varian would be heading to the castle three days ago, and yet Varian didn't look like he was going to be moving from his sleeping mat anytime soon.
Lance sighed and knelt on the ground next to where the kid was resting. He had thought that Varian was sleeping, as it wasn't too unusual for Varian to sleep in later, as he liked to stay up late into the night. He quickly saw that Varian was awake, petting Ruddiger. The kid was just lying there, clearly lacking the motivation to get up.
Lance grimaced sympathetically and took the kid's hand. "I'm guessing you're not going to the capital today?"
Varian whimpered and curled in on himself, pulling Ruddiger closer. "What's the point? Horace isn't going to come." The kid buried his face in his raccoon's fur. "He's never going to want to come back to the Dark Kingdom, and I'm getting tired of trying to convince him. He won't listen to me, and it just hurts to keep trying."
Lance gave him a small, hopefully comforting, smile. "Do you think maybe he'll listen to someone else? I've been told I'm pretty persuasive when I want to be."
Varian blinked and gave Lance a confused, hopeful, grateful look. "You...you'll talk to Horace for me?"
"Yeah, 'course I will," Lance said. He ruffled Varian's hair. The boy let out a shuddered sigh as he leaned into Lance's touch. "Look, why don't you just stay here, relax, and I'll take care of everything, alright? Unless you want me to stay with you, because I can totally do that. I can always talk to Horace tomorrow."
Varian shook his head and sat up. "No, I want you to do it today." Varian said. "Take Ruddiger with you."
Lance and Ruddiger both gave Varian a concerned look. "Uh, you sure about that? You look like you need his company more than I do." Lance didn't think that Varian should be alone right now, and from Ruddiger's alarmed look he thought the raccoon felt similarly.
"I'll be fine." Varian said. "I have Nelovko here." The saiga, which was resting on the other side of the clearing, lifted his head when he heard his name. "Besides, if Ruddiger is with you then Horace will know that you're there representing me."
"Well, if you're sure." Lance carefully picked up Ruddiger, who didn't look very happy to be away from his boy. He still didn't think this was the best idea, but this whole situation was between Varian and Horace. Lance was just along for the ride. "We'll be back soon."
Varian nodded and rolled over. He looked so small. Lance hated to see the kid like this. He didn't really want to leave him on his own, but if Horace could cheer the boy up, then Lance could go get him.
Lance stood up and looked towards Nelovko. "Alright, weird demon deer thing, keep an eye on the kid for me, alright? We both know he needs it." Varian huffed, a sound that was like a cross between a scoff and a chuckle. Nelovko stood up and walked towards Varian, curling up next to him.
"Alright, rodent, let's go." Lance pet Ruddiger and started the short walk to the bridge to the island. They'd been staying close to the capital for convenience sake, and Lance appreciated that now.
He had thought that it would be difficult to get to Horace, as the man was staying in a castle, and those things were surrounded by guards, but sneaking into the castle ended up being shockingly easy.
The Coronan guards were a joke. Lance had experience slipping past guards and such, but he thought that even amateurs would be able to slip through the cracks in their defenses. Lance only had to watch their rotation for about fifteen minutes to get a feel for the pattern. He and Ruddiger walked right past them and just waltzed through the servant's entrance. After that it was just a matter of holding his head up high and acting like he belonged here. In his experience, people didn't question those who had enough confidence.
Lance only had to ask a handful of people about where he could find the princess' friend, Eugene, before he was pointed in the right general direction. One very useful servant girl told him that the prince consort was with the princess in the dining hall near her room. Lance raised an eyebrow at this.
"Prince consort?" Lance asked. "I thought that was the title of the person married to the princess." Lance hadn't heard a word of the princess being married. Then again, it would certainly explain Horace's reluctance to leave Corona. Lance hoped this wasn't the case, because he didn't want to figure out how to tell Varian what was going on.
As Lance approached the dining room Ruddiger grew more alert. He chittered and crawled onto Lance's shoulders. He probably heard or smelled the prince. This was far too easy.
Lance didn't bother knocking on the door, he just let himself in. There were only two other people there. A girl that Lance assumed was the princess, and the man he recognized to be the pretty boy he'd met briefly. The two of them looked really close, and Lance found himself wondering if Horace really was the prince consort of Corona.
Ruddiger chirped excitedly and jumped off of Lance's shoulders. He ran towards the couple. Rapunzel noticed him first.
Oh, aren't you a cutie." Rapunzel knelt and reached for the raccoon, who hissed and ran behind Horace's legs. The man frowned and picked up the raccoon.
"Ruddiger," Horace gave the raccoon a small scratch. "You here with Varian?"
"Not today, I'm afraid." Lance said. Horace and Rapunzel turned to look at him, noticing him for the first time. The princess gave him a gentle smile, while Horace just narrowed his eyes at him.
"Eugene, it's been awhile." Lance said as he approached the prince. Horace crossed his arms, looking suspicious. He probably didn't recognize Lance from their one-off meeting.
"Who are you?" Horace asked.
"We have a mutual friend." Lance said. "Isn't that right, Ruddiger?" The raccoon nodded. Horace's eyes widened.
"You know Varian?" Horace asked. "How is he? Is he here? Where is he?" Lance raised an eyebrow. Horace certainly sounded very concerned about someone that he'd been pushing aside for quite some time now.
"Can we talk for a minute alone, your highness?" Lance asked, looking directly at Horace. The man stiffened and squared his shoulders. Rapunzel was oblivious to the tension between them.
"Oh, sure," Rapunzel said. She seemed to think that Lance had been addressing her, which was what he'd been going for. Rapunzel kissed Horace's cheek, making him relax a little bit, before she left the room. As soon as she was gone Horace gave Lance a cautious glance.
"You know." Horace said simply.
"That you're Prince Horace of the Dark Kingdom? Yeah, I know." Lance said. "Varian told me."
"So you're the friend he's been telling me about." Horace said. He looked like he didn't know how he felt about that.
Lance nodded. "My name is Lance."
"What are you doing here?" Horace asked. "Where's Varian?"
"He didn't feel up for coming today." Lance lowered his voice. "The kid's really not doing well."
Horace's eyes widened in concern. "What's wrong with him?"
"In a word? You." Lance crossed his arms and tried to make himself look as intimidating as he could. "Do you have any idea what you've been doing to that boy? He's homesick. He's depressed. He's been putting so much thought and energy into trying to keep an eye on you that he hasn't been taking care of himself."
Lance had been expecting Lance's concern to get stronger, but he just looked confused. "Depressed? Varian isn't depressed."
"How would you know?" Lance asked. "You've barely seen him for several months."
"But he always seems just fine." Horace said almost desperately. He really didn't want to believe that anything was wrong with Varian. Lance could understand that, as it was scary to think about anything being wrong with those you cared about, but Horace's denial wasn't helping anybody.
"Horace, the kid couldn't even bring himself to crawl out of bed this morning." Lance said. "He's not sleeping, he's just lying there, too upset to get up." Lance had thought that this news would really tell Horace that this was a big deal, so he was shocked when the prince just looked relieved.
"Oh, is that all?" Horace gave him a small smile, though there was some sadness in his eyes. "That's fine."
Lance scowled. "I don't know what world you're living in, but I guarantee that this isn't even remotely fine."
"I know it's not fun." Horace said sympathetically. "But it's normal. This kind of thing happened to me all the time when I was younger. It'll pass."
Lance just stared at Horace in shock for a long moment. "That...that doesn't mean that Varian's okay, it just means that you weren't."
Horace still looked unconvinced, but that look of concern returned to his eyes. "What am I supposed to do about it? Whenever this happened to me nothing could ever cheer me up, not even going for a ride around the kingdom with my dad."
Lance frowned. "Varian needs support right now. I can only do so much for him. What he needs is his friend, and his dad. He needs to go home."
Horace sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This is why I didn't want him to come after me. He never should have come here."
"But he did." Lance said. "So what are you going to do about it?"
Horace grimaced, and then scowled. "Why do I have to be the one to fix it?" Horace started pacing. I know, I know none of this is fair to Varian. He shouldn't have to be dragged into whatever I'm doing. But why do I have to give up what I want for his sake? That's not fair to me."
Lance felt a pang of sympathy. His mind went back to his life back at the orphanage. He'd always felt responsible for all of the other kids. He would constantly give up some of his own food to make sure the younger kids had supper that night, or he would take the fall when some of the other kids did something wrong. As Lance got older, he had started to resent the younger kids a little bit because of this.
They'd never asked him to take care of them, but Lance felt responsible for them anyway, and a small part of him had started to blame them for it. He'd been far too young to shoulder that kind of responsibility, which was why he had run away from the orphanage as a teenager and started to keep an eye on just himself.
Now that Lance was older he felt in a much better place to watch out for others who needed some extra help. Horace though seemed to be in the same place as Lance had been eight years ago. He was trying to do just what Lance had done, to distance himself from his responsibility before he came to hate it.
Lance could empathize, but he was also far too worried about Varian to just let him struggle like this. "I know, it's not fair." Lance said. Horace's frustration fell away in an instant. He just looked drained.
"I want to help Varian." Horace said quietly. "I want to get him home, but I also don't want to leave Corona."
"What do you like so much about this place?" Lance asked If Horace just liked the kingdom because it was a different change of pace from the Dark Kingdom, maybe he could work with that. There had to be places outside of the Dark Kingdom, but still close to it, that Horace could escape to when he needed something different.
Horace smiled fondly. "Honestly, my favorite part is the people, like Rapunzel, and Cass." Horace sighed. "I have friends, real friends, for the first time in my life, and I don't want to let them g-agh!" Horace yelped in pain as Ruddiger bit him harshly.
"What was that for?!" Horace gave the raccoon a betrayed look. Ruddiger hissed at him and leapt away from him. Ruddiger ran back to Lance.
"Honestly, I agree with the little beast." Lance gave Horace a disapproving look. Frustration about one's circumstances was no reason to be a jerk to someone that had always been there. Lance knew that Varian saw Horace as his only real friend, but apparently Horace didn't feel the same way, if he was now saying that his first real friends were people he had met in Corona.
Horace didn't seem to understand what Lance and Ruddiger were upset about. "Look, I'll try to wrap things up." Horace said. "I might not make it happen immediately, but I'll try."
Lance relaxed. It was a vague reassurance, but Lance thought that was better than the empty promises he'd been giving to Varian so far. This felt like they were taking two steps back, but also one step forward in the right direction. It wasn't a lot of progress, but it was better than nothing.
Lance nodded at Horace. "In the meantime, I'll try to lift the kid's spirits." It was what Lance had been doing this whole time. He could handle doing it a little longer. Besides, it would make Lance feel better as well. Talking with Horace just left him with a twisted feeling in his stomach. The kid needed a break, and a friend. Lance may not be the person that Varian really wanted right now, but he was the one who was there, so he would just have to make do.