Things are getting better for Varian (at least for now…), but a lot of questions are left unanswered, like, what will Arianna do about his memory loss ? Will it be truth or lies ?... Thank you for sharing your ideas, I love to hear about people getting involved in the story and sharing their thoughts. I will give you no clues/spoilers for now (it wouldn't be fun !), just know that I have a lot planned in my head for the unfolding of the story and I'm looking forward to write the next chapters.

Chapter 18

As Arianna approached the King's work room, a strange feeling rose in her guts.

Although they both live in the castle, as it is the case most of the time, this time, it seemed she hadn't seen him in forever. In a way that was true. Even since she found Varian unconscious in his cell, Arianna had neglected most of her royal duties, and she had neglected her husband. Not to mention that their last conversation had been an emotional strain, one putting everyone's safety first, the other only seeing a young boy in need.

In the middle of all this, there was Varian.

Of course, Arianna hadn't forgotten the terrible things that had happened on Rapunzel's birthday. They had been lucky in the end. They managed to avoid a complete disaster in the nick of time. The boy seemed ready to go as far as killing people, out of spite and rage.

But also grief. Immense grief. And probably fear. They tore his heart and shut out his logic and judgement. They took the best of him, literally.

Why wouldn't her husband understand that ?

After Rapunzel's abduction, they both grieved. A lot. But Fredric also decided on a witch hunt, sending a lot of people to prison, whether it was justified or not. Out of rage. Out of grief.

It didn't bring Rapunzel back. It didn't make Fredric feel any better.

She took a deep breath.

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"There. That's a good boy, Varian."

Ethel kept coaxing the injured boy to eat, because she could tell it was only a matter of minutes until he would take no more. He was weak, his head was wobbly, and his stomach probably wouldn't be able to keep a lot down. It had been too long since the kid last ate. They had to help his body get slowly used to having food again. But he also needed to take enough fuel to start getting his strength back.

Elora was doing her best to keep all of the liquid mixture in the spoon, and to give them to Varian at a regular pace. She couldn't be too slow or too quick. At least, she wasn't as scared of Ruddiger as before. Not to the point of reaching out a hand and petting him yet, but she was fine with being in the same room as him now. She knew he was important for Varian, and was even starting to marvel at their incredibly close relationship.

In other circumstances, Varian would have protested, embarrassed by the whole ordeal. Relying on other people for something as trivial as eating was downright unusual and awkward. But he couldn't use his hands or even seat upright without support. Each one of his limbs seemed to weigh a ton. Holding his head up was a torture.

Open mouth. Swallow. Repeat. Even these actions were awfully exhausting. But he had a strong will to live deep inside, so there was no choice for him. He just had to eat, no matter what. He just wished his body would stop hurting, with little to no energy to endure the pain. He wished his father were here, tears brimming in his eyes.

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"So let me get this straight", said Fredric. He had seen the Queen enter his work room, pleased and dejected at the same time to see her. He missed her beyond words, but he didn't know what to expect, since he knew she wasn't pleased with his decision to keep Varian shackled to his bed. The worst part being that they hardly talked to each other anymore. "The boy doesn't remember the whole thing, the storm, the flower, the amber, his betrayal…"

"You make it sound so bad" she replied with a scoff.

"It's the truth", he retorted, trying to keep his voice void of anger.

"Fredric, he is going to ask questions. As far as he knows, he came for the expo and has done nothing wrong. How are we supposed to explain this to him ?" She was shaking despite herself, so she took a calming breath. "He's also in such a bad condition, he is not going anywhere. He can't get up, can't even sit by himself. Couldn't we forget about the shackles for a few days ?"

"I can't ignore that he had endangered so many people's lives, Arianna. If we have no idea when or if he will remember, there is no telling what he would do if he could."

Arianna remained silent for a while. When she finally spoke, it was on a dead tone, like someone who had lost hope and faith.

"He didn't choose to forget his past. For someone who does well in ignoring things, I thought you would be more understanding."

Her reply was like a punch in the King's stomach. He instantly knew she was referring to the black rocks, and how he tried to ignore them, hoping everyone would do the same.

There was an awkward silence in the room. Fredric had dismissed all the counsellors he was working with, as well as the guards, when the Queen came. It was just the two of them. Or so they thought.

Nigel was among the counsellors, as usual. When the King asked everyone to leave, he used the back door, pretending to close it, but doing so with enough strength for the door to bounce back and stay slightly open.

A perfect spot for eavesdropping.

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As Ethel had predicted, Varian's head turned away from the spoon Elora held, indicating he would take no more. He gathered whatever courage he had to say a soft "thank you" to the little girl. Elora put the spoon back in the half-full bowl, putting on a smile, but her eyebrows still showing her concern. Would that be enough ?

Somehow, Varian knew how she was feeling and what she needed to hear.

"Later. I'll eat some more later, okay ?" he tried. His head was feeling slightly better, thanks to the painkiller he took earlier, but he still needed a lot of rest.

Elora nodded, and her smile was genuine this time. Remyus came back at that moment to retrieve the kettle from the hearth. He poured some hot water in a cup and added some herbs.

"We are going to change your bandages now, Varian, and then you can drink this before you go to sleep. It is herbal tea, it should help you sleep through the night."

Varian groaned in frustration. He would have gladly laid back down straight away, with Ruddiger curled up next to him and know nothing else.

Remyus smiled. If the kid was starting to protest, it was definitely a sign that he was getting better.