Thanks for your reviews ! It's always to hear about your feelings and thoughts ! :) Also, I know we haven't had a lot of Varian in a while, but I'm certainly not forgetting him on that bed ! This fic is getting quite long, so thank you for bearing with me !

Chapter 10

Phil was fidgeting while on duty at the top of the dungeons staircase.

He knew that he should have told the Queen that he had let a person down in the cells. But he was afraid. He had been so naïve, or maybe so eager to be a perfect soldier that he had obeyed without questions. The thing was, nobody said he was supposed to obey blindly to a hidden face ! He should have known better. Being young and inexperienced was no excuse. Especially when the consequences were for a 14-year-old to be beaten up.

So when Alden arrived to start his duty in the evening, Phil didn't what to do or what to say at the senior guard.

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Fredric's first concern went immediately to his wife. She probably was at Remyus' for a reason. Pain ? Headache ? Insomnia ? Stress ? There were so many possibilities after all they had been through.

"Darling, I hope you are feeling better. Has Remyus been of any help for you ?" he asked, genuinely worried, but not wanting to sound too intrusive.

"I. am. fine" she replied coldly. "And I believe you have a few things to tell me." she added through gritted teeth.

Fredric was confused to say the least. But everybody have their moods, right ? And since he wasn't sure she had gotten some sleep at all (even though she did take a nap, it wasn't quite enough for those dark circles under her eyes to fade), not to mention he knew she was a bit upset with him because he sent Varian to prison when they made it back to the castle.

But now she wasn't a bit upset. She was very upset.

How stress can change people, he thought. Better carry on. He cleared his throat, as he always did before an important announcement.

"Uh, well, yes, I do, I certainly do. See, I'm sure that what the boy needs is to be taken care of"

"Taken care of, really ? Is that how he calls it ?", Arianna thought, so enraged her voice was stuck in her throat.

The King turned around to face the window and proceeded as he gazed outside, not noticing her wife's tense features.

"We know that unfortunately, his father couldn't be with him these past months to teach him right from wrong. We need to, in a way, set a frame for his son, so he has limits and boundaries. And we happen to have the perfect subjects to help us."

"Perfect subjects ? The Stabbington brothers ?" Arianna's mind was racing. At that moment, it seemed the floor was moving under her feet.

"Of course, I don't expect the boy to be enthusiastic from the start. He does have some guts, and even some… sassiness too" he said, remembering Varian's bold behaviour towards him when he had the upper hand.

"Has he ever thought of the child's feelings ?" She couldn't believe it. Was that the man she loved ? the King she respected ? The man she thought she knew ?

"I know what you're going to say : it may not be a good idea, since we don't want another cookies incident"

"Cookies ?"

"But I'm sure Monty and Attila will keep an eye. And having a few guards outside wouldn't hurt either. And since the boy has a knack for mixing things up, like when he does with his alchemy, he might find baking and sweet making quite rewarding in time", finished Fredric as he turned to her again.

Arianna swayed again on her feet, but this time it was from being hit by realization. Fredric rushed to her to help.

"Oh my darling, you must be so tired. You need to sit down."

"I'm fine", she replied, in a much nicer way than earlier. She was just so angry at herself right now. She should have known ! She should have trusted her lifelong love ! She couldn't believe she had been so mistaken about his intentions. And yet there she was a minute ago, ready to jump at his throat like a she-wolf. What was happening to her ?

"Did you have Remyus to check on you earlier ?"

"Yes… No. Look, I think your plan is great, and I know that you have been thinking about it while keeping in mind what would be best for Varian… but… that will have to wait a little. She looked at her husband with sorrowful eyes that got him to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

Arianna let out a long sigh and grabbed his hand. "Come with me".

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"My shift now, Phil. You go and get some rest, looks like you need it", joked Alden. "Long day, uh ?"

Phil only looked down as he searched his mind for words. "I… I think I need to talk with the Captain."

"The Captain ? He's still recovering from yesterday's attack, remember ? Look, if that's because you think your shift was too long for you, we can…"

"No !" shouted Phil, making Alden practically jump backwards. "No, it's not about my shift, Alden. I… I did something terrible. I didn't want this ! I swear !"

"Hey, hey, calm down, pal ! What's going on ?"

"Sorry, Alden", replied Phil after a few seconds. "I need to talk to the Captain and the Captain only."

Phil did appreciate Alden as a friend and colleague. But if today had taught him one thing, it was that he should not trust anyone until he knew who was hiding under that hood.