Horace knew that he loved Rapunzel, but throughout the week following the kidnapping incident he grew to love her even more. She was far too good, and Horace had no idea what he had ever done to deserve someone like her.
Rapunzel was so patient with Horace. He didn't like the thought of Varian being in the dungeon, especially not with the guards that had hurt him. Rapunzel didn't trust Varian, but when Horace voiced his concerns she immediately spoke with her father. She was able to convince him to allow Varian to stay in one of their small servant rooms instead. The room would be guarded at all times, but he wasn't in the dungeons, which was a vast improvement.
Rapunzel would go with him to visit Varian, though she always waited in the hallway. She knew that Varian probably didn't want to see her, and she was respecting his space. She also thought that Varian would be better receptive to Horace's presence if she wasn't around. Despite this, Rapunzel went with Horace to offer him support when he left Varian's room, more often than not dejected and disappointed.
Varian felt conflicted about Horace, that much was clear. Sometimes he was happy and relieved to see Horace, like he hadn't really believed that he would go out of his way to see him. Much more frequently though were the times when Varian would give him the cold shoulder and refuse to acknowledge him at all.
Once or twice Varian had screamed and shouted at Horace. It hurt, but Horace let him say whatever he needed to get off his chest. He'd done far too much of ignoring Varian this past year.
Worse than the times that Varian yelled at him or ignored him were the times when Varian would just break into tears and latch onto Horace tightly. He begged and pleaded, asking what he had done wrong, and it was heartbreaking to hear. Horace tried to assure Varian that it wasn't his fault, but the boy wouldn't be consoled by him at all. The only one that could calm Varian when he was like this was Adira
She was at Varian's side as much as the guards allowed, which was the majority of the time. Very few of the guards were brave enough to try to tell her what to do. When Adira wasn't with Varian she was with Horace, teaching him more about Zhan Tiri and coming up with ideas of what they could do to save Varian from the sorcerer.
Adira was clearly upset with Horace, and she made no effort in hiding it, but she knew how to work with people that she was furious with. Anybody who didn't know her well probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but Horace knew his aunt enough to know that she was not going to forgive him until both Varian and Quirin did.
"My brother is already furious with you." Adira said after Horace finished telling her exactly what had happened. "We were all under the impression that you had dragged Varian off when you ran away. If Quirin knew that you had left Varian alone, and he's been wandering on his own for all this time, even Edmund wouldn't have been able to keep him in the Dark Kingdom."
Horace grimaced. He'd never considered that the Brotherhood would have been unaware of just what had happened. Then again, until Varian had caught up to him in Corona he hadn't even thought that Varian had followed him. Horace should know his family better than this. They were the only people he'd known for his entire life.
"Eugene!" Rapunzel came running into the room. She looked happy and excited, more so than usual. She leapt into his arms and embraced him tightly. "He said yes, he finally said yes!"
"Blondie, slow down." Horace chuckled. "Who said yes? Wait a second." He pulled away from her, not daring to hope. "You're not talking about your dad, are you? Don't mess with my head like this."
Rapunzel smiled broadly and giggled behind her hands as she bounced on her heels. "I am. Me, Mom, and the captain have all been talking to Dad and we've finally worn him down. He says you can take Varian home."
"Sunshine!" Horace laughed and spun Rapunzel in his arms. "You're absolutely incredible, you know that? Have I told you that I love you today? Because I do. I love you so much."
Rapunzel nuzzled against him. "Dad still wants one of his best guards to escort you, to make sure that Varian faces justice."
"I can live with that." Horace said. "Did you break it to him that you're wanting to tag along?"
"I did." Rapunzel said proudly. "He's not very happy, but when I lost my temper and said that if he keeps on trying to keep me locked up in my own home then he's not much better than Gothel, Mom put her foot down. So I'm good to go." Rapunzel's enthusiasm diminished slightly. "That is, if Varian is okay with it. Have you talked to him about me coming with you guys?"
Horace grimaced slightly. "I actually haven't told him that we would be going." He hadn't wanted to get Varian's hopes up if King Frederic hadn't actually allowed them to leave. "I should probably go do that now." It had been a few hours since he had talked to Varian anyway.
"I'll come along." Adira said. She refused to allow Horace to be alone with Varian. She spent so much time with the boy though that it had taken Horace several days to realize what she was doing.
The three of them went to Varian's room. The guards immediately allowed Horace and Adira in. Varian was curled up in the corner of the bed, trying to make himself as small as possible. He'd been fine a few hours ago, but now it was clear that his thoughts had not been treating him well during the time that he'd been left alone.
"Go 'way." Varian said quietly. Ruddiger, who was resting on Varian's chest, sat up and hissed at the two of them. At least, at first Horace had thought that he was glaring at him and Adira, but when she approached Varian, Ruddiger didn't have an issue with it. As soon as Horace took another step in, Ruddiger growled and looked ready to attack him.
"Alright, alright, I get it." Horace lifted his hands defensively. "I'll give Varian some space." He looked at the boy, who had turned his back on them. "Will it cheer you up to know that King Frederic's given his okay for us to go home?"
"I don't care anymore." Varian muttered. Adira frowned and climbed onto the bed next to Varian. She pulled him close to him, practically onto her lap. Varian whimpered and curled close to her. Horace felt like he was intruding on a private moment. He shifted his feet awkwardly as he watched Varian sniffle and begin to sob against Adira's chest, and she allowed it. She didn't even look uncomfortable with the close contact like she normally would.
"I think you do care, young on." Adira said. "You care so much that you've tried to convince yourself that you don't because you're hoping it'll hurt less if you end up disappointed."
Horace grimaced and rubbed the back of his head. He took half a step closer to Varian, but he stopped himself when the boy flinched and drew closer to Adira. Varian feeling conflicted about Horace was nothing new, but him being afraid of him was not an experience that he wanted to repeat.
"I'm not going to disappoint you." Horace said. "We really are going to go home."
"But how long will that last for?" Varian asked. "You'll probably just drop me off, make sure I can't cause more trouble, and disappear again."
"I won't." Horace said. "I pro-"
"Don't you dare." Varian growled darkly. Horace didn't like the fury in the boy's tone. Varian was supposed to be cheerful and curious, not mad and bitter. "I never want to hear you make a promise to me again."
"O-okay." Horace said. "I won't." He'd messed up in a lot of ways. Horace didn't know exactly when Varian had grown to resent his promises, but he would do his best to respect that. The last thing Horace wanted was to anger Varian when all he was trying to do was assure him
Horace felt like he should leave now and give Varian some space, but Adira spoke up before he could take a single step. "Your highness, I think you had something you wanted to ask Varian."
Horace glared at Adira, but she just returned the look with a smug smirk. Horace knew he needed to talk to Varian, but he'd wanted to give him just a little bit of space after angering him. Horace wanted Varian to be in a good mood, though he knew that if he waited for that to happen then they would be in Corona for a long time.
"Yeah, thanks." Horace said dryly to Adira before he looked at Varian. "So, here's the thing, we will go back to the Dark Kingdom, but Rapunzel was wanting to come along with us." Varian flinched slightly and held his hand close to his chest. Horace quickly continued. "She'll only come if you feel comfortable with it. So, what do you think?"
That was not at all the way that Horace had wanted to ask. He'd wanted to ease the question onto Varian, not throw it in his face and make him feel pressured to answer a specific way.
Varian stared at Horace for a long moment. "Do you want her to come?"
Horace had to keep himself from groaning. "It doesn't matter what I want."
"All that matters is what you want." Varian said. "You ran away because you wanted to. You stayed in Corona because you wanted to. If the princess comes, it'll be because you want her to."
"What I want is for you to feel safe." Horace insisted. "I don't think that Rapunzel will try to hurt you again, but I understand if you don't have that same confidence. If you don't feel safe around Rapunzel, then I won't ask you to force yourself to be around her."
Varian was quiet for a while. Horace recognized Varian's thoughtful expression. He was planning something. Varian pet Ruddiger as he stared at Horace, a determined look on his face. "If you really want me to feel safe, let Lance come with us."
Horace was surprised about this request, though he probably shouldn't have been. He knew that Varian was fond of Lance, who was protective of the boy. It was just a little odd to hear Varian say that he felt safe around anybody, let alone somebody that he'd only known for a few months.
"Lance makes you feel safe?" Horace asked. He tried to sound just curious and not too shocked, but whatever Varian heard in his tone he didn't seem to like it. The boy glared at him.
"He's been there for me while you were off playing pretend." Varian said defensively. "The only reason why he's in the dungeon was because he was helping me, and he only did that because he didn't want me to be alone. I'm not just going to leave him in the dungeons while I walk free. If I'm going back to the Dark Kingdom, Lance is coming with me."
"We can't just bring strangers to the Dark Kingdom." Horace tried to say gently. He looked at Adira for support, but she was just looking at Varian in quiet curiosity.
"He's not a stranger to you though, is he?" Adira said. "He's your friend."
"He's more than that." Varian said. He was only looking at Adira, and Horace felt like the boy was blatantly trying to ignore his presence. "He's my brother."
Horace felt a pang in his chest. He had seen Varian as a little brother for several years. They were both part of the Brotherhood, but it was more than that. While Horace saw Quirin, Hector, and Adira as extended family, aunt and uncles, he considered Varian as close of family as King Edmund was.
In fact, Horace thought that he was closer to Varian than he was to his dad. Horace loved his dad, but as his father was king he was incredibly busy, and they frequently found it difficult to find the time to really get to know each other. On the other hand, Varian had been Horace's constant companion for ten years. They had always been able to confide in each other.
Horace knew that Varian had every right to be upset with him after all he'd done, but it was only now, hearing the boy say that he felt safe under the watch of someone else that he called brother, did it really sink in for Horace that he might have lost his relationship with Varian for good.
No more sneaking out of bed first thing in the morning to try to catch the sunrise before the sky became overcast like it did every day. No more staying up all day to read the Flynn Rider books, and then waking everybody else up as they role-played what they'd just read. No more training together in secret to try to come up with strategies to beat Hector or Adira in a sparring match.
Varian would barely look at him, let alone talk to him, and Horace was beginning to doubt that time and sincere reassurances would fix that. Their relationship was never going to be what it had been before, and Horace had no one to blame but himself.
Horace took a deep breath and turned away. He hated seeing other people cry, but more than that he despised the thought of someone else seeing tears in his eyes. He had to get some air.
"I'll arrange things." Horace said stiffly. "I'm not going to let you stay here, but I'm not going to take you away from your brother either."
"Your highness," Varian said quietly, curiously. "...Horace, are you-"
"Try to get some sleep." Horace said, interrupting Varian before he could ask if he was okay. Horace was far from okay, but he wasn't about to burden Varian with that knowledge. The kid had enough on his mind. "We have a long journey ahead of us, and I know you've been having a hard time sleeping lately."
Horace backed up and made his way towards the door. "I'll see if I can arrange for Lance to come visit you. The captain says he's been asking about you, and if he's going to be coming with us he'll have to get out of the dungeon."
Horace was about to show himself out when Varian called out to him. "Wait!" He turned just in time to see Varian rushing up to him. Varian faltered slightly before he leaned against Horace and held him tightly. Horace was taken aback, but he returned the hug. He hadn't expected a hug, but he was going to enjoy it while he could. There was no telling when Varian would let him get this close to him again.
"Thank you." Varian said quietly. "And-and Rapunzel can come, if you want her to."
"Are you sure?" Horace asked quietly. "I mean it, I don't want you to agree just because you think it's what I want."
"I'm sure." Varian said. He held tightly to Horace for another minute before he sniffled and pulled away. "You-you probably have some important things to do."
"Right now, nothing's more important than you." Horace said. Everything important he was trying to do revolved around Varian. "I'll come back soon." Horace brushed some of Varian's hair behind his ear. The boy liked to keep his long bangs in front of his face, but after being with Rapunzel so much Horace had gotten into the habit of making this motion as a way of saying 'I love and support you, no matter what'.
Horace left the room, still feeling down, but a bit better than he had a moment ago. He knew that his and Varian's relationship wouldn't go back to the way it was before, but maybe they'd be able to build up something new.
Horace left the room, closing the door behind him. Rapunzel was right there waiting for him, like always. When Rapunzel saw him she could immediately tell that something was wrong.
"Eugene, what happened?" Rapunzel asked.
"Nothing." Eugene said. "I've just been hit by everything."
Rapunzel gave him a sympathetic look. "I know the feeling." Eugene knew she did. There had been many days when Rapunzel got overwhelmed with how much her life had changed and how much had happened to her in such a short period of time. Eugene had been by her side each time, and now she was returning the favor.
"Do you want to take a break?" Rapunzel asked. "We can go for a walk." Horace understood what Rapunzel was doing. She was trying to distract him from everything until he'd calmed down. He appreciated the effort, but Horace didn't think now was the best time to take a break. He had said he would get Lance. He wasn't going to let Varian down just because he was having a hard time coping.
"I'd love to, but I can't." Horace said. "Not now." He gave Rapunzel a small kiss on the forehead. "The good news is that Varian's okay with you coming."
"And the bad news?" Rapunzel asked. Horace shook his head.
"Not bad news, exactly." Horace said. "Just complicated news. Varian wants Lance to come."
"We can do that." Rapunzel said without a moment's hesitation. She took his hands. "You don't have to do this alone."
"I know." Horace said. He appreciated Rapunzel's help, even if a part of him felt like he deserved to deal with this alone. "I was going to talk to Lance, if you wanted to come with me."
"I'd be happy to." Rapunzel said. "I've been thinking for a while now that I should know the conditions of the prisoners in the dungeon. They're my people too, after all."
Still holding Rapunzel's hands, Horace led the way down to the dungeon, though they stopped first to see the captain. Horace was glad for Rapunzel's company. The captain couldn't just allow prisoners to leave their cells just because another prisoner really wanted to see them, but exceptions were always made when it was a member of the royal family who was asking. After just a few words from Rapunzel the captain was escorting them to Lance's cell.
The man looked incredibly forlorn. As soon as Lance saw Horace he shot up off the slab of metal that was his sorry excuse for a bed. Lance approached the bars and clung tightly to them.
"Where's Varian?" Lance asked. "Is he okay?"
"He's fine." Horace said as the captain came up to the cell and unlocked the door. He put handcuffs on Lance's wrists. "Thanks to Rapunzel, he's been staying somewhere more comfortable. He's anxious to see you though."
Lance let out a breath of relief. Horace felt a little bad. Lance probably hadn't seen Varian since he'd been brought out of his cell to get his wrist taken care of. That had been a week ago. That was a long time to not know the state of your friend, or brother. Horace felt like he should have made sure that Lance knew what was going on sooner.
Horace wanted to tell Lance about the hope that he could come with them to the Dark Kingdom, but just like with Varian he didn't want to announce anything until everything was set. Right now he just wanted to reunite Lance with Varian. Maybe if Lance was there Varian would finally be able to relax.
The captain escorted them back to Varian's room. Lance looked excited. Horace believed that at least part of that excitement was because he was excited to be out of the dungeon. When they entered the room and Lance saw Varian curled up on his bed, snoring lightly, the man's happiness and relief increased even more. Lance was so worried about Varian and relieved to see that he was okay that Horace could tell in an instant that the feelings of brotherhood did not go only one way.
"Is he actually asleep?" Lance asked. "Or is he just faking it again?"
"He's really asleep." Adira said as she brushed some of Varian's hair out of his face. The boy must be truly exhausted. Horace had only been gone for maybe ten minutes at the most. It was barely enough time for Varian to fall asleep.
Horace put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Take care of him."
"That's what I've been trying to do." Lance said. He pulled up a chair next to the bed and began to pet Ruddiger. Horace felt even more like he was intruding than he had before. Varian was with Adira, Ruddiger, and Lance. He had a support system here. He didn't need, and probably didn't want, Horace.
"I've probably got to go start packing." Horace said awkwardly. Lance paid him no mind. Adira gave him a look that was hard to understand, and he looked away before he could get the chance to interpret it. He turned away, squeezed Rapunzel's hand, and once again left Varian's room.
Rapunzel frowned slightly at Horace. "Is everything okay between you and Varian?"
Horace shook his head. "I don't think it's been okay for a long time." Horace said. "Varian just recognized it a lot sooner than I did, and my denial is doing nothing but hurting him."
"Everything will be okay." Rapunzel said. "You can work things out."
"I don't think we will." Horace said.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to be optimistic enough for all of us." Rapunzel said with a small smile. Horace chuckled. Rapunzel never failed to look on the bright side of things, even when it seemed like there was nothing but darkness. "So, do you actually need to pack, or was that just an excuse?"
"Oh, it was definitely an excuse." Horace said. "But that doesn't mean that I don't need to start packing. The sooner I have everything gathered, the sooner we can leave."
"Well then, I guess we'd better get started." Rapunzel said. She didn't have to say that she would be keeping him company. That much was understood between them.
As Horace and Rapunzel went around the castle, picking up things that he might have kept lying around, or that she felt they might need during their journey, everything started to feel more real. They were getting ready to leave. After more than a year this adventure was finally coming to a close. It was time to go home.
A/N: This will be the last chapter of this particular story. The next part will either be the start of the journey back to the Dark Kingdom, or a short interlude about what the Brotherhood have been up to during all this time. I haven't decided yet.