Varian felt like a mess of fury and despair. It was exhausting to deal with, and he had no idea which one he hated more. Varian didn't like how he had a tendency to break into tears when he was upset, and his sadness made him feel drained and not in the mood for doing anything. He had much more drive and energy when he was mad, but his anger kind of scared him.
He'd seen from Hector, and a bit from Adira and King Edmund, just how dangerous somebody could be when they were motivated by anger. Varian had just a small taste of lashing out and hurting people because he was angry, and he didn't want to end up like that. He didn't want to hurt anybody.
But he also really didn't want to be in Corona. He didn't want to be continuously ignored by Horace. He wanted to go home, and he wanted to be strong enough to bring Horace back to where he belonged. He should be able to do his job and bring Horace back, but really pushing for it would just irritate his friend, and Varian didn't want to get on Horace's bad side.
The prince was the only friend he'd ever had, though Lance was really starting to wear down Varian's walls. The boy wanted Horace to be happy, but he just wished that he could be happy back home, where they belonged.
Varian was holding onto the hope that Horace would finally have enough adventure and want to come home. Surely Corona couldn't be so great that he could stay around for much longer.
Varian yawned and laid back. He'd been sleeping much more than he normally did, and yet he felt so tired all the time. He'd only woken up a few hours ago, and he was already ready for a nap. Varian grabbed Ruddiger and pulled him close.
"It'll be okay, Ruddiger." Varian said quietly as he pet his raccoon. "Horace has to get tired of this kingdom eventually. And when there's nothing keeping him here, he can come home, and everything can go back to the way it was before." Varian sighed. "I'll finally have my friend back."
Ruddiger looked at Varian. The raccoon's eyes had an odd green glow to them, though Varian was sure that it was just a weird trick of the light. The boy took in a shuddered breath and curled up close to his raccoon. Logically he knew that things weren't going to be better after he woke up, but he still felt like if he just went to sleep then Horace would be right here when he woke up, and he could pretend that these past few months had all just been a bad dream.
As Varian was dozing off he heard a familiar, hated voice in his head.
"Oh, young, naive, Demanitus," A quiet girl's voice said. It was almost like someone was whispering straight in his ear. "Do you honestly believe that everything will go back to normal?" Varian grimaced and curled into a tight ball as he slipped into a dream.
Varian shivered. The surroundings of his dreams seemed blank. The only thing he was completely aware of was the cold chill that seeped right down to his bones. He thought he was well-adjusted to the cold, as the Dark Kingdom was always on the chilly side, but this cold was a lot more than he thought he could handle.
"Poor, little alchemist." The girl said. It was completely surrounding him. "You are so trusting towards one who doesn't deserve it."
Varian wanted to tell the voice, whoever it was, to shut up, but he couldn't get a sound out. He was just frozen.
"Do you honestly think your prince cares for you?" The girl asked. Her voice was a cross between patronizing and pitying. The girl chuckled, which sent even more shivers down Varian's spine than the cold did. "Do you want to know exactly why your so-called friend is so reluctant to leave? Corona?"
Varian did want to know, but he didn't want the girl to tell him. Suddenly he heard something that made him feel even more uneasy than the girl's voice did. It was Horace's voice. "I have friends, real friends, for the first time in my life"
Varian felt his insides freeze, and it had nothing to do with the chill in the air. Horace couldn't have said that. There had to be another reason why he was so insistent on staying in Corona. A reason that Varian just didn't understand right now, but would make perfect sense someday.
The girl sighed. "You're so smart, young Demanitus. Too smart to be deluding yourself like this." Varian felt an anxious pit in his stomach. He wasn't lying to himself, he just didn't want to believe the worst of Horace because of one persistent voice in his head...even if the voice hadn't let him down yet. No, if he was going to believe something like this he needed some evidence to back it.
The girl hummed thoughtfully. "If it's evidence you want, I can give it to you."
"H-how?" Varian asked, finding his voice again.
"We can test your prince." The girl said. "If he truly cared about you and considered you a friend, then he would drop everything to help you if you were in trouble, correct?"
"...Yeah," Varian agreed reluctantly. Horace certainly claimed that he would do anything for him, and back in the Dark Kingdom he had put himself in harm's way to save Varian. The boy had lost count of the number of times that Horace had ended up getting burned because he'd pulled Varian away from one of his more volatile alchemical experiments. Things may be a little different now, but Varian didn't see why that had to change.
However, he wasn't comfortable with just where this girl was going. "I'm not going to throw myself into danger just to get his attention."
"Don't worry about that part," The girl said. Varian could hear the smirk in her voice. "I'll take care of everything." He really didn't like the sound of that, but before he could protest he felt the cold around him get even worse. He shivered and ducked his head to try to find some shelter. He whimpered and tried to ignore the sound of the girl laughing maliciously.
Varian suddenly jerked awake, and somehow it was hours later than it had been when he'd first dozed off. Varian gasped and shuddered. He wasn't cold anymore, but he couldn't shake the chill in his soul. He felt really weird, and didn't know why. He'd had a dream, and he didn't remember anything about it. It had all slipped right out of his mind. When he tried to think about it, the only thing returning to his memory was the sound of Horace's voice.
"I have friends, real friends, for the first time in my life"
Varian shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself. Ruddiger cracked an eye open, and Varian was inexplicably relieved to see that it was back to its normal black. The raccoon chirped in concern and nuzzled close to Varian. The boy pet him.
"It's nothing," Varian assured him. "I just...I just had a bad dream."
"You alright, kid?" Lance asked. He knelt in front of Varian and offered him a canteen of water, which the boy gladly took.
"Y-yeah." Varian said. He heard the echo of the girl's laughter in his head. He grimaced and curled in on himself.
Lance gave him a look of disbelief. "Are you sure about that, Varian? 'Cause no offense, but you look a little traumatized."
Varian rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up a little more. "I'm fine." Varian said. Maybe if he said it enough he would start to believe it himself.
Lance gave him a small smile. "If you say so." The man ruffled his hair. "I'm thinking of going back to the capital, check in on your prince. It's been a week or two since we last heard from his royal pain in the butt."
Despite his unnerved feeling from his nightmare, Varian couldn't help but chuckle. Hector used to call Horace that when he was especially annoyed with him. It felt kinda nice to hear that nickname again. Lance relaxed a little when he heard his small laugh.
"Do you want to come with me?" Lance asked. "We can sneak into the castle kitchens and snag some rich person food."
Varian snorted. "What would be the point of doing that?" If they were hungry it would be a lot easier, and a lot safer, to just buy some food in the city.
"For fun." Lance grinned broadly. "And you can't tell me you aren't even a little tempted to do something petty against the princess that is taking all of Horace's attention."
Varian grinned back at Lance. That did actually sound like fun, but when Varian thought of talking to Horace he just heard the words from his dream ring in his head, and his mood would plummet.
"I don't know if I want to talk to Horace right now." Varian said quietly. He felt a little bad. He felt like he was abandoning Horace by avoiding him, but the prince had started it. Varian just needed some space from him.
"Fair enough." Lance shrugged. He stood up. "Why don't you keep Ruddiger with you this time? I'll take the demon deer with me."
"His name is Nelovko." Varian said. "Horace told me it means 'awkward'."
Lance let out a hearty laugh. "I like that name so much more now." Lance ruffled Varian's hair. "Alright, Nelovko it is. We'll head over now, and hopefully we'll be back before dark." Lance reached into his pocket and grabbed some coins. "Now, I know you're not a big fan of going into town, but promise me that you'll go get yourself dinner and treat yourself to dessert too."
Varian accepted the coins. "I will." Lance knew him well. He knew that Varian took his promises seriously. If he promised he would do something, he would.
"And no training while I'm gone." Lance said. "If you do, I'll know. Ruddiger will rat you out."
Varian didn't doubt that. His raccoon was really loyal to him, but sometimes that involved getting him in a little trouble if it meant keeping him out of big trouble.
"We'll just read for a bit." Varian said. He hadn't brought many books with him, but Lance had been supplying him with things to read. The man did everything he could to bring a little joy to Varian's life. The boy didn't know how he was ever going to be able to make it up to him, but it was a little reassuring that Lance would never ask for something in return.
"You'll be fine, kiddo," Lance said. He seemed to be trying to reassure himself as much as Varian. "We'll see you later." Lance made his way to Nelovko. The saiga glared harshly at him, and the man decided to just walk and guide him instead of riding him. Varian watched them go before he sighed and leaned back. Ruddiger got up and ran to grab one of Lance's books. It wasn't something that he would generally read, but Varian was more than happy to read anything.
Varian got so invested in his book that he didn't notice when it began to snow.
By the time Lance reached the capital it was snowing quite a bit, which was more than just a little odd. Corona was the kingdom of summer and sun. Lance had grown up here, and though winters could get pretty chilly he'd never actually seen snow in Corona, especially this early in the year. It was barely September.
The snowfall wasn't particularly heavy or concerning, but there was enough that it was sticking to the ground instead of melting immediately. Between the snow on the ground and the pleasant amount of snow falling, this was the perfect weather to play in the snow. Maybe after Lance got back to Varian he could convince the kid to let loose and play some snow games with him.
Lance just hoped that the weather didn't get any worse. The snow had come in really suddenly, and while it may be calm now Lance wouldn't be surprised if it got worse just as suddenly. He would just have to keep an eye on the weather. If things started getting too bad, Lance needed to make sure to get back to Varian.
Even though the snow wasn't too bad, the ice and snow on the ground made it a little harder to traverse. Nelovko had no issues travelling in snow, but Lance had to go a little slower to avoid slipping and falling. He got to the castle later than he normally would. It was well into the afternoon by the time he got there. If he wanted to get back to Varian before it was too late he would need to wrap things up here really quickly.
There were a lot of people in the castle courtyard, playing in the snow and having fun. Lance immediately spotted the princess, as her long hair was difficult to miss. He was a little surprised to not see Horace right at the princess' side. He didn't think he'd ever seen Horace not glued to her side. It took a minute, but eventually Lance saw the prince standing in the corner looking absolutely miserable.
Lance chuckled and approached the prince. "Your highness, have you finally found something about Corona that you don't like?"
"Don't call me that," Horace said.
Lance chuckled. He found way too much pleasure in irritating Horace just a little bit. "You afraid of a little cold?"
"I'm not afraid of it." Horace scowled. "I just don't like it very much." Horace wrapped his arms around himself. "The Dark Kingdom is always really cold. We don't get a whole lot of snow at the castle, but this kind of chill just reminds me way too much of my kingdom of death and darkness."
Lance frowned. "Do you really hate the Dark Kingdom that much?"
"I don't hate it," Horace said. "It's just not the nicest place in the world." Nelovko walked up to Horace and nuzzled against him. The man smiled fondly and pet the antelope.
"Varian told me that the people are really nice." Lance said.
Horace chuckled. "The Brotherhood aren't exactly the most traditional kind of nice, but you warm up to them." Horace looked around the courtyard. His face fell in disappointment. "I guess Varian didn't come with you today?"
"Not this time," Lance said.
"Tell me, on a scale of one to ten, how much does he hate me?" Horace asked. His eyes were sad, and Lance couldn't help but feel a little bad for the guy. He still thought that Horace was a jerk who was making things much harder for Varian than they needed to be, but he could tell that he really cared about the kid. He just wasn't very good at showing it.
"I really don't think he hates you." Lance said. Varian wouldn't be nearly as hurt by what Horace was doing if he didn't care about his opinion. "He just doesn't want to talk to you right now."
"Yeah, I thought so." Horace sighed. "You know, I didn't mean to stay away for this long. I'd just meant to visit Corona for a little bit, but I hadn't counted on meeting Rapunzel."
"You really care about the princess, don't you?" Lance asked.
Horace got a dopey grin on his face. "More than I've ever cared about anybody."
Lance smiled knowingly. He'd seen this kind of look on people's faces before. He didn't think that it was actually that Horace actually cared about Rapunzel more than anybody else, but he loved her in a different way than he loved his family. Lance had seen romantic interest make people do absolutely crazy things.
It could sometimes feel like the world revolved around the person you were interested in. It took practice to remember that the world was bigger than just you and the person you liked. If this was the first time that Horace had ever felt this way about somebody, it would make sense that he didn't have a lot of experience with this kind of thing.
"You know, I was thinking of asking Rapunzel to marry me." Horace said quietly. Lance gave him a look of shock.
"Is it really that serious?" Lance asked. He didn't know why he was surprised. Horace nodded. "Well, why haven't you?"
Horace grimaced. "I really don't think it would work out. I need to go back to the Dark Kingdom, and as Corona's princess, she belongs here."
"Have you talked to her about this?" Lance asked.
Horace shook his head. "I haven't been able to figure out how to tell her that I'm a prince. I know I should, and I can't hold it off for much longer, but It's really hard."
"Why can't you ask the princess if she'll come visit the Dark Kingdom?" Lance suggested. "I'm sure she'll love to see more of the world, and if she loves you the way you love her she'll probably be ecstatic to see where you grew up."
"The thought has crossed my mind." Horace said. "It's really tempting, but I can't ask it of her. Rapunzel has just been reunited with her parents. It wouldn't be fair to ask her to leave them."
Lance frowned slightly. "But it's okay to ask Varian to leave his dad?"
Horace flinched. "That's different."
"Maybe, but it's still similar enough." Lance said. "How long has it been since Varian has seen his dad?"
Horace frowned. He was quiet for a long moment. "What is the date?" Lance told him. Horace paled.
"What's wrong?" Lance asked. "How long has it been?"
"A-a year," Horace said quietly. "It's been more than a year. We left just after Varian turned fourteen." Horace ran a hand through his hair. "I've been here having the time of my life, and Varian had to celebrate his birthday alone."
Lance had been with Varian for quite some time, so he thought there was a good chance that he had been with the kid when he'd turned fifteen, but he knew what Horace meant when he said the kid had been alone, so it was still a fair statement.
"I really don't think the kid celebrated his birthday at all." Lance said. Even if Varian had turned fifteen before Lance met him, he doubted the boy had been aware of it. Varian struggled to keep track of time. The kid probably had no idea how long it had been.
Horace groaned and hid his face in his hands. "That's even worse." Lance couldn't help but feel a small amount of pleasure when he heard the guilt in Horace's voice. "I know we need to go home soon, but I can't right now."
Lance crossed his arms. "What's the excuse this time?
Eugene gestured to Rapunzel. "Blondie's parents are out of the kingdom for a trip. She's acting queen while they're gone, and that's a lot for her to handle on her own. I promise, this is the last thing. We'll head back after this."
"I'm going to hold you to that." Lance said. "I really don't think Varian can take much more disappointment from you."
"Lance!" Rapunzel called out cheerfully. She waved to him, and he waved back. "What are you doing here?"
"Just dropping in to say hi." Lance said. "You guys look like you're having some fun in the snow."
"I've never played in the snow before." Rapunzel said as she bent down and picked up a bundle of snow. She packed it into a ball. "It's a lot of fun."
"There are so many other things I'd rather be doing." Horace said.
"I'm not that big on the cold myself." Lance said. He'd been exposed to far too much bad weather growing up to be able to appreciate snow and rain. It was beautiful, yes, but also far too dangerous.
"Why don't we leave these guys to make snowmen while we go find something to eat?" Horace suggested.
Lance happily agreed. A hot meal always helped him feel more comfortable with bad weather. And he had promised Varian some stolen rich people food, he might as well do that now. "I could eat," Lance said. "Maybe you can help me find something to bring back to Varian."
Horace gave him a small smile. "We can definitely do that." The prince pet Nelovko. "Stay out here. I'll bring back some herbs for you." He looked at Lance. "Come on, let's get some food."
Lance already knew where the kitchen was from his previous visits to the castle, but he let Horace take the lead anyway. The kitchen was surprisingly empty. Nobody was preparing dinner. , though there was plenty of food prepared. They must be setting up in the dining room, though Lance had thought that was the job of other servants.
Horace immediately started making some hot chocolate. He and Varian seemed to share their love for the sweet drink. Horace handed a cup to Lance, who gladly took some. After his walk through the cold he appreciated something to warm him up.
"How's Varian doing?" Horace asked. "Is he doing any better?"
Lance shook his head. "The kid is sleeping more than he's awake, and he keeps having these nightmares, though I don't think he remembers them at all." Lance was quiet for a moment. There was something else about Varian that he was curious and concerned about. He'd been meaning to ask Horace about it, but he was almost afraid of the answer.
"So, uh, has Varian always heard weird voices in his head, or is that a recent development?" Lance asked.
Horace shot him a look of alarm. "Varian's been hearing what?!" So, Horace didn't know. That probably meant that it was new. Lance didn't know whether that was a good sign or a bad one.
"I don't know." Lance shrugged. "He said a voice, which may or may not come from Ruddiger, has been talking to him every once and awhile, giving him advice, telling him how to find you and such."
"V-Varian's been listening to some random voice in his head?" Horace sounded like he was going to be sick.
Lance raised an eyebrow at him. "He was travelling alone for months, with just a raccoon for company. Who did you expect him to listen to?"
Horace sighed and set down his hot chocolate. He didn't look like he wanted to drink it anymore. "He shouldn't have been alone for so long. I...I shouldn't have left him alone."
Lance gave him a small smile. "No, you shouldn't have, but it's nice to hear you acknowledge it."
Horace started going through the pantry. Lance didn't know what he was looking for, but he didn't know if Horace knew what he was looking for. He may just be looking for something to do with himself, a way to feel useful.
"Has he still been avoiding people?" Horace asked.
"I have to practically drag him kicking and screaming into town." Lance said. "What's his deal?"
"We just had a few bad experiences when we first left home." Horace said. "His warrior instincts are great, but he hasn't quite been taught that there are times when they need to be reined in."
"Yeah, I figured that much out." Lance said. "It's been hard to get him to trust me, but I think we've got there."
"That's good," Horace grimaced. "He needs to trust somebody, and I don't think that's me anymore."
"It could be," Lance said. "If you stop doing things to push him away."
"I'll work on that," Horace said. "Does Varian still like zefir and kissel?"
"I have no idea what those are." Lance said.
"They're treats in the Dark Kingdom." Horace said as he started to grab some fruit. "Crops don't grow very easily back home, so fruit is a bit of a luxury. Zefir and kissel are traditional treats made from fruit." Horace looked around the kitchen curiously. "Let's see if I can remember how to make them."
Lance was far from a master baker or chef, but he liked food enough that he was at least a little familiar with how to make basic food for himself. Between his knowledge about the kitchen, and Horace's knowledge about what they were actually making, they should be able to put together something that at least somewhat resembled their goals.
It was a little difficult, but eventually they had a hot, thick fruit drink that was surprisingly bitter, but still pretty good, and a batch of light and airy treats that reminded Lance a bit of frosting that he had seen on some fancy cakes.
"How's the taste?" Lance asked as he took a sip of the hot drink.
Horace smiled fondly. "It tastes like home." Horace sighed with content. "I hadn't realized just how much I missed the flavors of the Dark Kingdom."
"Kinda odd that fruit is a flavor of home when it doesn't grow very easily there." Lance commented. Horace snorted and nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something, but then Rapunzel burst through the door, her eyes wide with panic.
"Eugene," Rapunzel practically sobbed. She fell against his chance. Horace wrapped his arms around her.
"Whoa, Sunshine," Horace rubbed her back. "What's wrong?"
"T-the storm got a lot worse." Rapunzel said. "It's practically a blizzard out there."
Lance felt a rush of concern. Varian was out there in the snow. It was time to get back to him. Lance was so busy worrying about Varian that he almost missed Rapunzel continue.
"My parents are out there," Rapunzel whimpered. "Max came back without them. I think...I think they're really in trouble."
"Hey, it's okay," Horace said. "Look, I'll head out right now and find them.
"What? Eugene, no, it's too dangerous." Rapunzel said frantically.
"Not for me." Horace said. "I've got an antelope that's the best tracker I know, and I know my way around the cold. If anyone can make it out there, it'll be me."
"Hang on, Eugene," Lance said. "The king and queen have a whole kingdom's worth of guards who can help them. But Varian's also out there in this weather, and he only has so many people to support him."
Lance liked to think that Varian was smart enough to find shelter from the cold, but when he'd first met the kid he'd just been standing in a thunderstorm. And unless Varian went into town to get out of the cold, which he probably hadn't, then he was probably freezing cold right now. The kid wasn't the best at taking care of himself, and somebody had to make sure that he was okay.
Horace looked conflicted for a moment. He knew just as well as Lance did that if the weather wasn't safe for two adults who had the means of bundling up, then it wasn't safe for a child who only had a raccoon and the clothes on his back.
Horace glanced between Lance and Rapunzel. It was taking him a long time to decide what to do. With every second that passed Lance found himself feeling more and more tense. He almost wished that he hadn't mentioned Varian at all, because he thought he knew what Horace was going to do, and this decision almost hurt more than if he hadn't needed to make a choice at all.
Finally Horace sighed and gave Lance an apologetic look. "Varian's received survival training, and he's not lost. I think...I think Rapunzel's parents need me more right now."
"Are you sure?" Rapunzel frowned at Eugene. "If your friend needs help, you should go find him. The guards can find my parents."
"If the storm's as bad as you say it is, I think the guards need to stay here." Horace said. "You'll need them around if the kingdom goes into a state of emergency."
"But what about-" Rapunzel started.
"Varian will be fine." Horace said. "He's smart and resourceful."
"He's a kid." Lance frowned at Eugene. Varian was a tough kid, but he still needed help.
"He'll be fine." Horace said. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself. He'd made a decision, and he still had some doubt that it was the right one. Lance didn't think it was, but the longer he stayed here trying to argue with Horace, the longer he would be away from the kid who needed him.
"You know, if you were the one that needed help, Varian would give it at the drop of a hat." Lance said. Horace flinched and rubbed his shoulder. He had a distant, pained look in his eyes, but Lance didn't stop to see if he would change his mind.
Lance grabbed a few of the zefir and stuffed them in his bag. He took his canteen, drank the last of the water from it, and filled it with the hot kissel. If he hurried maybe it could still be warm by the time he found Varian.
Lance hurried out of the kitchen and back through the castle. The halls were crowded with busy staff and anxious citizens who were seeking shelter from the storm. Lance grabbed a thick blanket from one of the maids. He didn't know where she was taking it, but he thought that Varian needed the help just a bit more.
Lance hurried out of the castle. He shivered when he felt the strong, cold winds blow at him, but he didn't let it stop him. He took the blanket and flung it over his head to get a little bit of cover. He then ran into the storm, uncaring about the way he could already feel the cold seeping through his boots. The only thing he cared about was making sure that Varian didn't freeze to death in this storm. Lance's own comfort came second to the kid's.