King Frederic wanted to send the entire guard force to go after the queen. It took Eugene a long time to convince him otherwise. He insisted that he knew who they were dealing with, and he knew the best way to face them. It took a lot of arguing between the two of them. Fortunately, Eugene had a lot of experience fighting with a stubborn king.
He may not have won very many arguments with his father, but it gave him the experience he needed to not back down from the king of Corona. Eventually they came to a compromise. The king would send his guards, but Eugene would take the lead, and the guards wouldn't get involved unless it was absolutely necessary.
Eugene had wanted to go by himself, to talk to and reason with Varian, but Rapunzel and Cassandra insisted on being at his side. Rapunzel wanted to see for herself that her mother was okay, and she wanted to be there to support Eugene. Cassandra, on the other hand, didn't want Rapunzel to go anywhere without her there to protect her.
Ruddiger whined and nuzzled against Eugene's shoulder. He pet the raccoon, taking care to not irritate his still injured paw. Eugene would have preferred to leave Ruddiger somewhere safe and out of the way, but he didn't trust the raccoon with anybody back at the castle. He only trusted Ruddiger with himself.
"So, Eugene," Rapunzel rode up next to him. "What's the plan?"
"I'm going to talk to Varian, and we're going to get your mom back." Eugene said. He took a deep breath. "And when this is all over I'm going to head back home."
"What?" Rapunzel's eyes widened. "You...you are?"
"I have to," Eugene said, even though the thought made his chest tighten. "I should have gone home a long time ago." If Eugene was being honest with himself, he never should have left home in the first place.
Rapunzel's face fell, and Eugene hated to see her look upset like this. "Come on, Rapunzel, we both knew this was coming." They had talked about this quite a bit. Eugene had yet to tell her that he was a prince, but ever since the snowstorm he had been telling Rapunzel that as soon as he talked to Varian he would have to leave with him. Rapunzel had been understanding, but after so long of Varian ignoring and avoiding Eugene she had started to relax and get used to him being around.
"I know, I just...I don't want you to leave." Rapunzel said quietly. She gave him a small smile. "Maybe I can come visit you sometime."
"You know I would love that." Eugene said, and he meant it. He wanted to show Rapunzel his home, and the beauty of the moon and night. The Dark Kingdom didn't really accept guests, but Eugene was sure that his father would allow an exception for Rapunzel. Not only was she Eugene's girlfriend and princess of another kingdom that could potentially be an ally, but she was also the sundrop.
"But the Dark Kingdom's really far away." Eugene said. "It took months for me to travel to Corona. And I don't think your dad will be very happy with you coming with me."
Rapunzel looked devastated. She looked like she wanted to convince Eugene to stay, or let her visit, and he couldn't hear it. Not now. "Sunshine, we can talk more about this later, but right now we need to focus on the matter at hand."
Rapunzel sighed and steeled her expression, putting on her game face. "You're right." She flicked Max's reins to push him to go a little faster. He still wasn't quite fast enough to keep up with Nelovko. The saiga dashed faster than he ever had. He leapt over rocks and logs, weaving through trees like they were nothing. Finally they reached the clearing where he was supposed to meet Varian in the first place, and there the boy was, sitting on a rock, calm as anything.
"Horace," Varian said coldly. Eugene ignored Rapunzel and Cassandra's noises of confusion.
"Varian," Eugene said. He hopped off of Nelovko and walked closer to him. "It's been awhile. How are you doing?"
"Cut the pleasantries." Cassandra snapped. "We're not here to make friends." Eugene scowled and looked back towards her.
"I'm going to say this once and only once," Eugene said, bringing out his princely tone. "Shut up." Cassandra looked equal parts stunned and furious, but Eugene couldn't be bothered to deal with her. He looked back to Varian. "Are you okay?"
Varian's stony expression faltered for a second before his eyes narrowed and he slipped the mask back on. "I will be, just as soon as this is all over."
"At least that's something we can agree on." Eugene said. He kept his tone calm and even. "Where's Arianna?"
Varian eyed him for a moment before he looked towards the trees and nodded. There was rustling in the bushes before Lance came out, looking like he would rather be anywhere else. He gently pulled Queen Arianna out behind him. She looked a little startled, but not all that scared or frightened, considering she had been kidnapped. She looked more surprised than anything. She didn't seem to understand just why she had been kidnapped by a child.
"Lance?" Rapunzel's voice shook in betrayal. "What are you doing?" She didn't know Lance very well, she just knew that he claimed to be an old friend of Eugene's. Between Lance and Varian it was a wonder that she didn't already think that this wasn't about her family, this was about him.
"He insisted on helping me." Varian said. His cold mask slipped slightly as he sent a small smile in Lance's direction. The man was tense, but he returned the grin.
"Right or wrong, you need someone on your side." Lance said. He gave Eugene a harsh look, and he found himself withering just a bit under his gaze. He knew that Lance was right. Varian shouldn't have been alone. Eugene had been faltering these past few months. He needed to be better.
"I know I've been failing you lately," Eugene said quietly. He approached Varian, who cringed back slightly and narrowed his eyes at him as though he was a threat. "I'm going to try to fix things, but you need to let Arianna go first." He didn't normally call Rapunzel's mother by her first name, but he hoped that if he did so then he would be able to remind Varian that the queen was a person who didn't deserve to be dragged into their disagreements.
"I didn't want to take her." Varian said almost desperately. He was clearly trying to be strong, but Eugene was struggling to think of a time when he had seen the kid look more vulnerable. "But I didn't know what else to do."
"Can you tell me why you took her?" Eugene asked as he took another step towards Varian. He was glad that Varian was still sitting on the large rock. They were at eye level with each other. Eugene didn't want to make Varian feel like he was trying to loom over him. "If you wanted to talk to me we could have just talked. I've been trying to talk."
Varian's expression darkened. "I didn't want to hear any more of your excuses. You always come up with reasons to stay in Corona, so I needed to give you a reason to leave, so here it is. If you come home with me now and stop playing these games of yours, then I'll let your precious kingdom's queen go. If you try something like this again, well, so will I."
Eugene wasn't used to this level of fury and detachment from Varian. He didn't sound anything like the kid that Eugene had known for all these years. He didn't even know where the kid picked up this tone from. Growing up Varian had learned how to mimic the Brotherhood when he wanted to be more intimidating, but Eugene had never heard any of them talk this way. He sounded more like a stranger than an old friend.
Eugene worried that either Varian picked up this tone from someone dangerous that he'd met during his journey, or if he had just slid into this while he'd been on his own. Eugene didn't know which option he feared more.
"It didn't have to come to this, Varian." Eugene said. At this point he was close enough to the kid that he could reach out and put his hand on his shoulder. Eugene held back. He didn't think that Varian would appreciate the familial contact. "I've been wanting to talk to you for weeks now, you know I have. We could have worked this out without involving anybody else."
Varian scowled at him. "I've tried talking to you. All it's gotten me is empty promises." The kid clenched his fist and ducked his head, though not before Eugene saw tears start to gather in his eyes. It just about broke the man's heart. He'd never been able to handle seeing Varian cry.
"I've waited for you." Varian said. His voice caught in a small sob. "Ever since you left the Great Tree I've done nothing but wait for you. Even when I've gone after you I was still waiting for you to come back. I was just trying to shorten the distance for you, make it easier, but you never came."
Varian swallowed thickly. "Even after I got here I was still the one going after you. We would agree to meet up, and you wouldn't come. It was up to me to go to you, only for you to ask me to wait a little more." Varian was shaking. "I've been waiting just a little bit longer for so long, and I can't do it anymore. I-I just can't."
Eugene grimaced. This was painful. "I know. I'm not asking you to."
Varian made a sound that was a cross between a sob and a scoff. "But you do. It's all you ever do." Varian rubbed at his eyes, wiping away his tears before he glared at Eugene. "I'm done waiting. If I'm going to always be going after you, then I'm going to make it so you won't leave again."
Varian slid off the rock. Even though he was now at a shorter level than Eugene was, Varian still carried himself like he had all the power in this situation, and he wasn't wrong. "So what will it be, your highness?" Eugene flinched. He couldn't remember the last time Varian had referred to him with that title. It was concerning. Had he really hurt Varian so much that he was trying to distance himself like this?
"Of course I'll come home with you." Eugene said. Varian looked shocked. He'd gone to all these unnecessary lengths, and he was still surprised that Eugene had agreed so easily? How much of this had actually been a proper plan, and how much had been Varian just wanting to get back at the kingdom that he thought had stolen his prince?
"Y-you will?" Varian sounded suspicious, like this was a trick. Eugene knew that he had hurt him, but he hadn't known it was this bad. He should have though. He should have known that something was seriously wrong as soon as he'd noticed that Varian was avoiding him. Eugene wasn't trying to trick him, but Varian really didn't have any reason to trust him. Eugene had taken all of that trust and thrown it away.
He didn't know if he'd be able to win that trust back, but he had to at least try.
"Yeah, I will." Eugene said. "If you let the queen go, I will go with you." Eugene would be going back to the Dark Kingdom anyway, but he had to make sure that Rapunzel and her family were safe. Queen Arianna had only been dragged into this because Varian was trying to get his attention. Well, he had it now.
"I won't run away again." Eugene said. "I'll never try to escape from my responsibilities."He knelt on the ground, just like he used to when he needed to get to Varian's level. The kid had grown while they were gone, so now he stood over Eugene. As soon as he lowered himself though Varian's walls seemed to crumble. He looked scared and small, so much like that little boy who had been dragged into the Brotherhood far too early.
Eugene took Varian's hand, the one with the brand on it. He clasped the hand tightly with both of his own. "Just leave Corona alone, and you and I can go home, just like you want. Everything will be the way it was." It would take some work, but they'd get there eventually. "I promise."
Eugene heard Rapunzel let out a pained, nearly panicked gasp behind him, but he pushed that out of his mind. He needed to give Varian his full attention right now. It was the least that the kid deserved after all this time.
Eugene could feel Varian's hand shaking in his own. The kid's face crumbled and he slowly moved his other hand towards Eugene's clasped hands. He was just about to take Eugene's hands when Rapunzel cried out desperately. An instant later Varian's face fell into an expression of pain as his hand was whipped back. His wrist was encased in a shock of blonde hair, which was also wrapped around the large rock, pinning Varian's wrist in an uncomfortable looking position.
Varian and Eugene turned to see Rapunzel staring at them in wide-eyed alarm. She looked nearly as desperate as Varian, if not more so.
"Blondie," Eugene said breathlessly. He was terrified. This was not how this was supposed to go. Eugene had been so close to getting to Varian. This kind of force wasn't necessary, not at this point. "What are you doing?"
"Y-you can't go with him." Rapunzel said tearfully. One look at her face and Eugene knew that this was more than just her not wanting him to leave. She looked sincerely scared, just like she did after she had a nightmare about Gothel, but why would she be that way now?
"Eugene, please," Rapunzel whimpered. If it wasn't for the tight grip her hair had around Varian's wrist Eugene might have looked at her and thought that she was frail, almost weak. Her hold on Varian was anything but weak. "You can't go. Y-you can't."
Varian looked at his wrist, his eyes dilated alarmingly. Eugene knew this look. This was Varian's response to what he thought was a serious threat. He was either about to lash out and attack back, or completely panic, and neither of them was ideal.
"Varian, no," Eugene said just as Varian started to try to yank his wrist away from Rapunzel's grip. All he managed to accomplish was to put more strain on his wrist. Rapunzel's hair was unbreakable, and Eugene didn't want to see what would happen if Varian continued trying to resist it. "You need to stop before you hurt yourself."
The kid didn't even react to his pleas, he just continued to struggle. If Varian's pained expression was anything to go by, his resistance was only making the unbreakable grip around his wrist tighten.
Eugene reached for the hair around Varian's wrist, hoping to untie it. Before he could reach the hair another strand of Rapunzel's hair wrapped around Eugene's forearm, firmly, but not painfully, pulling him away from Varian. He couldn't have been pulled more than just a few feet away from Varian, but that was enough to set off the kid's rising panic.
"No!" Varian cried out as Eugene's hands were pulled out of his. Varian screamed in desperation as he lurched forward to try to get to Eugene. That scream quickly turned to one of raw pain as a sickening crack filled the air. The sound echoed in Eugene's ears. He sat on the ground, frozen, as he saw Varian curl in on himself as much as he could with his wrist still pinned. Eugene was alarmed to see that the skin under Rapunzel's hair was red and already swelling, while the fingers of that hand were pale.
"Let the kid go, your highness." Lance said coldly. Eugene had almost forgotten he was there. He forced his eyes away from Varian to see that Lance had tightened his grip on the queen and was now holding a dagger far too close to her neck. Now the queen looked frightened.
When Rapunzel didn't immediately react, Lance's eyes narrowed and he brought the dagger closer, touching it against Queen Arianna's neck. "I won't say it again, princess. Let him go. Now!"
Rapunzel gasped and finally loosened her grip on both Varian and Eugene. The kid fell to the ground, holding his wrist, which was bent at an unnatural angle, to his chest with a whimper. Eugene moved towards him, but he was shoved out of the way by Lance, who had dropped his dagger and let go of the queen as soon as Varian had been released from Rapunzel's grip.
Eugene sat there numbly on the ground, trying to figure out what had just happened. So much had happened so quickly, and he didn't understand any of it. He thought he'd been making real progress, and then in a matter of moments it had all fallen into a disaster.
Eugene didn't come back to himself until he saw the guards storm into the clearing, led by Cassandra. About half of the guards made their way to the queen and Rapunzel, who Eugene hadn't even noticed had joined her mother. The rest of the guards made their way to Varian and Lance, and Eugene knew what was coming.
"No, don't!" Eugene tried to scramble to his feet, but his legs were shaking so much that he just fell back down again. He couldn't do much but watch as the guards forcefully pulled Lance away from Varian and harshly put iron cuffs on both of them, completely ignoring Varian's probably broken wrist.
As the guards tried to pull them away Eugene forced his way to his feet. Stumbling past the shaking he went to the guards that were man-handling Varian.
"Let him go!" Eugene practically growled. He was just moments away from pulling out his dagger, anything to get Varian away from danger, when he felt a familiar, gentle touch on his arm.
"Eugene?" He reluctantly turned to see Rapunzel watching him tearfully. "Are you okay?"
No, he was far from okay. His constant companion for almost ten years had kidnapped the mother of the love of his life, who had then broken his wrist. It felt like everything was falling apart, and Eugene didn't know where to begin to make things right...no, that wasn't quite true.
Eugene may not be able to do anything, but there was a lot that Prince Horace, heir of the Dark Kingdom, could do. It was about time that he finally put those diplomatic lessons to good use.
A/N: I swear, this isn't supposed to be an unsympathetic Rapunzel story. Was she right in her behavior? Oh, absolutely not. However, take a good look at what Eugene was saying to Varian. is it any wonder that Rapunzel freaked out a bit?
I am having so much fun writing Eugene battling with himself though. And I hope I was able to actually explain just why Varian felt the need to kidnap the queen. He's just a desperate child who has no idea what he's doing.