Hi all ! For Megan Guess (and everyone else who uses tumblr), I have changed my username on tumblr so now it's "mycove" (instead of former mycove01) like on fanfiction. Sorry if the transition messed things up. I have opened an ask box there (you will need an account to send an ask though) or you can PM me on ff if you wish. Hope that helps.

Back to the story ! You may have thought that things were going to be easier now Varian has shown genuine remorse towards Elora and Ruddiger… Well, I wouldn't be so sure...

Ah, and about the hand… let's just say it's a seed I'm planting for later in a possible sequel :)

Chapter 35

With Varian resting under Remyus' watch, Arianna decided to spend the rest of the day with her husband. The royal couple didn't usually get that chance too often on a regular basis, and those moments had been awfully scarce since the boy was in the castle.

"We are going to keep it the same way", Fredric decided. "I am not going to have Varian shackled to the bed again, but as a precautionary measure, I will appoint two guards at his door permanently. He is unpredictable, and you must understand he is technically still a prisoner until his trial."

"I do, Fredric", agreed the Queen, although she knew her reasons were quite different from her husband's. He wanted to protect the world from an unstable alchemist. She wanted to make sure this grieving child would be safe from the world now. And most importantly, she had come to realize that above all, Varian needed to be protected from himself. For the time being at least.

What was going to happen in Varian's head now ? She wasn't sure. He accepted her help and care at the start, but that was when he suffered memory loss. Then he was poisoned, and too sick for a heart-to-heart talk. And as soon as he could walk, he messed things up with Elora and Ruddiger during an outburst that spelled clearly how upside down his world was.

She could only wish she had enough time to demonstrate that there would be people who were going to be there for him, no matter what.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sun was setting on Rapunzel's birthday, enveloping the Corona Castle in increasing darkness.

It was time.

From his satchel, Varian pulled out two large vials of colourful compounds of his making. All he had to do was mix them together to create the fog that would invade the courtyard.

This has to be done, he repeated himself. No going back now. He put on a mask designed to protect his nose and mouth.

Gloved hands smashed the vials on the ground, and a grey fog swelled quickly, reaching the castle in seconds.

Soon it will be on them. Soon they will regret to have turned their back on me. They are going to pay.

The courtyard was already swarming with guards, led by the Captain and –isn't this perfect ?- the King was there too. At the bottom of the highest tower of the castle, Rapunzel and her friends were already gathered, trying to figure out a plan to stop the rogue alchemist he had become. Cassandra in tow, of course. Even Maximus was with them.

Oh but it's already too late, Princess. You and all the people you love are already doomed. My special fog will not spare one soul in this courtyard.

Within seconds, nobody could even see the person standing at arms' length anymore. It was like a dark cloud of dust had fallen upon them. It didn't have any particular smell, which didn't make breathing seem dangerous.

"Eugene ?" Rapunzel called out. "Stay next to me"

"Everybody, gather up. Stay together !" insisted Cassandra.

"Blondie !" came Eugene's deep voice. "Blondie, where are you ?"

They both reached out their hands, following each other's voice, and finally managed to find each other's arms.

"Eugene ? I'm… I'm feeling dizzy"

"You know what ? Me too. I must admit, I did not see that coming. I… Blondie ?"

Eugene's heart started to race as he felt Rapunzel sag to the ground. His own arms felt like jelly, and he fell to his knees, barely managing to catch the Princess.

"I… I am feeling weird, too. Sleepy… I… no… Blondie ?"

No answer came. The whole courtyard fell incredibly silent.

With his mask still on, Varian stepped into the fog. As it got thinner, he was able to find the two forms, holding each other on the ground. They were, like everybody else in the courtyard, plunged into a deep slumber. To Varian's satisfaction, even the mighty King was helplessly lying, face down in the dust.

So what are you going to do, now, Rapunzel ? You didn't keep your promise, you didn't come and help me when I so desperately needed you. You didn't even bother to check on me after the storm. You were like dead to me. Well, now, there you are. Dead to me. You and your friends are going to sleep for one hundred years. Corona will know the same agony I've been through. And when you wake up at last…"

He never finished that sentence. Tap. Tap. Tap. A sharp regular noise, like something was repeatedly hitting the ground. Someone… someone was there ? How was it possible ?

Varian whipped around and saw the bent figure of an old man with a long white beard. He was wearing a long ragged robe, and a frayed pointy hat. He was wearily shuffling his feet and he was leaning on his staff that made the noise that got Varian's attention earlier.

Attached to the staff, a few vials were tied with a string, their colourful contents dancing as the old man walked.

Although Varian was not a believer in magic, he decided at once that the man had to be a kind of wizard.

He held his breath, still puzzled by the fact that a person could walk through his fog without being affected by it.

The wizard stopped when he reached the middle of the courtyard and grabbed two of his vials from his staff. Clicking glass against glass a couple of times, he finally smashed them on the floor in one swift motion.

A pink fog emerged and spread everywhere, covering Varian's grey fog. Soon afterwards, the bodies lying on the ground started to move slowly. Soft moans and stuttered words could be heard as everybody started to regain their senses.

All this time, Varian could only stare at the whole scene, bewildered.

Rapunzel and Eugene were waking up as well.

"Eugene ? Are you okay ?"

"Blondie ? Guys ?... What… what happened ?

"That was a trick of Varian's, no doubt" snarled Cassandra. "But what…?"

She fell silent as her eyes fell onto the wizard.

Rapunzel shuddered. A real wizard. At least, this was how she had always imagined wizards, because this was how they were described in her books. His head was bowed, and she couldn't see his face, hidden under the large hat.

"Who ? … Who are you ?... Did you just save us from the fog ?" she asked as she took a few wobbly steps towards the old man.

Varian's eyes were locked on the wizard, who nodded slightly before lifting up his gaze to the Princess.

Rapunzel and Varian's hearts skipped a beat at the same time.

There was no mistake whom these deep blue eyes belonged to, even if they were now tired and surrounded by wrinkled skin.

Varian opened his eyes in a split second with a gasp. There was no fog around him, just moonlight on his bed and the worried face of Ruddiger close to him.

The boy stayed for a while, lying there and staring into space with shock. That was his future self he saw, and the vision was still very clear in his mind. Shaking, he sat up slowly and put his head into his hands. Ruddiger pawed his lap gently, but the boy didn't respond.

Varian was overwhelmed by panic and fear. It was a dream, just a dream, and yet it felt so real. He knew it wasn't the truth, because back then, his fog only provided a diversion (as well as some kind of protection for Ruddiger in his monster's form), while he could kidnap the Queen.

In his dream, his anger and his bitterness had led him to create a compound with an entirely different purpose. The Varian in his dream wanted to see the Princess, the King and all the gang dead to the world, just like his father was. The thought sent a cold shiver down his spine. Sure, he hated them. Yes, he wanted to make them pay. They had it coming anyway, all of this was their fault, from the beginning. But he could still feel the pure rage he felt in his dream. It was like, instead of turning Ruddiger into a monster, he had become the monster himself.

And why would that old version of himself show up ?

Varian ran his hands down his face which was wet with tears, and exhaled deeply, trying to regain his senses. He glanced down at Ruddiger.

"Hey, Ruddiger… sorry I woke you up."

Tenderly, he scooped up the plump animal in his arms and buried his face into his fur, letting more tears roll down his cheeks.

"I'm glad you're here, Ruddiger. I don't know what I would do without you…"