Glad to hear some people appreciated a bit of a reprieve in the last chapter ! Now is it going to last ?... (no spoilers, but, hey, you know me by now)

Mild warning for a description that might be a little too graphic (no blood involved, but still)...

Chapter 39

Arianna tiptoed out of the bedroom, opening the door with extreme caution and then closing it just as carefully behind her. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and looked up to meet the two guards' eyes.

"He's sleeping," she informed them. "May I ask that one of you goes and get the King for me, please ?"

"As you wish, Your Majesty," answered Hans readily with a respectful salute. Any opportunity for him to be noticed by the King was not to be neglected in his schemes. He left promptly.

Arianna started to walk to a chair so she could sit down for a moment in Remyus' main room. Her interview with Varian about the dungeon events had been emotionally straining for her, even if it was probably a grain of sand in the desert compared to what Varian was going through. She had never imagined there would be raw terror in the boy. Before today he had never let on to which extent those events had affected him.

"Your Majesty ?", came Phil's voice before she could grab the chair.

"Yes ?"

"Erm… I… I'm sorry Your Majesty, I – I don't mean to pry, but…." he stammered.

"You can speak freely, Phil. I'm listening," she said reassuringly.

Phil cast a thankful look to the Queen and went on :

"Well, despite the closed door, some of the words the boy cried reached our ears. This was… this was about the beating, wasn't it ?"

"Phil," Arianna ventured softly, "you are not responsible for what happened back there. As King and Queen of Corona, the blame is ours."

"Forgive me, Your Highness, but I am responsible for this !" Phil was practically yelling at that point. "I am the one who let Nigel…"

"And we have been living under the same roof as this man every day for countless years and we never were suspicious of him. We never thought he would do such a thing, or that anybody would. You couldn't have known," she replied with a soft, calm voice, refusing to name the traitor for fear she might not control herself so well if she did.

Phil went silent. He wasn't quite convinced.

"Phil… You are a good man. You are young, and maybe as you grow older you will see that the world isn't all black and white. Besides, you did a great job back there in the hallway. Varian started to fix the wall and to eat again, but on the top of that, I heard you too chatting as I arrived."

"Is that important ?" Phil wasn't sure where the Queen was going with this.

"Absolutely. Varian needs help in more ways than one. Everyone can make a difference. You see, he's been alone for months and refuses to trust anyone. I want him to be able to trust and love again. He will have to cast his anger aside, but he can't do it by himself. We have to be the ones who hold out our hand until he's ready. And I believe you have started that."

"Wow…" Phil was feeling very awkward now. He liked the way the Queen was seeing things. How they could work together for Varian's future instead of dwelling on the past. "Th.. thank you, Your Majesty. Not as much as you already have, though."

"When the time is right, I'm sure the two of you can talk about what happened. For the moment, I don't think Varian knows the details of Nigel's sneaking into the dungeon. Better let it be for now, if you agree."

Their conversation came to an abrupt end when a little girl burst into the room.

"Oh, hello, Your Majesty," she curtsied. "May I see Varian, please ?"

Arianna bent her legs and rested her hands on her knees so her eyes were looking directly into hers.

"I'm sorry, Elora, but he just fell asleep. I'm afraid you will have to come back later."

Elora couldn't repress a pout of disappointment.

"Not fair ! He already fell asleep last time when I was reading the story! We'll never reach the end !"

Arianna laughed softly. "You will. You just have to be patient, Mademoiselle !" she teased, touching the tip of Elora's nose lightly. "He's still recovering, you know."

Elora was about to retort when a scratching sound was heard behind the Queen. Guessing immediately the reason for this, she opened the door ajar to let Varain's chubby raccoon join them.

"Ruddiger !" Elora exclaimed with joy.

"I'm sure he would be happy to go for a walk. What do you say, Elora ? Do you think you can take him outside for a little while ?"

"Of course, Your Majesty. Come on, Ruddiger !" And the little maid dashed off as quickly as she came in.

"You see, Phil, that young girl is another person that could make a difference for Varian. She couldn't fonder of him if he were his brother. And believe me, he now cares for her more than he would admit. He needs people around him, Phil. People who care and show him the way."

"Erm, yes, right. About that, Your Majesty…" Phil didn't like Hans' behavior towards Varian earlier and he decided he should let the Queen know. But as he began, said guard proudly came back with the King.

"His Highness, the King !" announced Hans in a more formal manner than needed.

"You sent for me, my Darling ?" asked Fredrick, coming closer to take her hands in his.

"Indeed. Thank you for coming. Let's go in Varian's room for a moment, shall we ?" She slipped her arm underneath her husband's and led him to the back room. Just before she did, she turned around. "I'm sorry, Phil, did you want to tell me something ?"

"No… No, Your Majesty, nothing important," stuttered Phil. And he let the door close behind the royal couple.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The Stabbington brothers ?"

Arianna nodded, her gaze never leaving Varian's sleeping form, her hands in Fredrick's. "The description he made leaves no doubt about it." A pause to swallow the bile building up her throat. "How did we miss this, Darling ? How could we let a person like Nigel roam in the castle when he had no qualms in handing over a helpless child to two brutes, and then tried to murder him ?"

"I don't know, Arianna. If we didn't have the proof he was behind this, I would never believe it myself. But Varian survived this and more. He is strong. He'll pull through it."

"You didn't hear his cries, Fredrick," she replied in a whisper, Varian's broken voice still too fresh in her mind to forget. The bodice of her dress was still damp with the tears he shed. "He is traumatized. By the beating in particular, and who knows what else ? I know he was a very different person back there in Old Corona and that he made bad choices, but he is entitled to justice. I only hope that during his trial, Nigel will tell him why he wanted to hurt Varian so much."

"Arianna…" The King spoke softly. "You realize that when we all meet in the Courtroom, it will not only be Nigel's trial, but also Varian's."

"I know…" She kept her eyes closed, but tightened her grip on Fredrick's hands. "Just… Please just never send him back to the dungeon…", she begged, another pang in her chest pushing a few tears out from underneath her closed eyelids.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Varian wasn't sure where he was.

It was foggy, but there was an eerie feeling about it.

Suddenly, Varian knew why. It was the fog he created as his tool for revenge. Frantically, he ran this way and that, unable to find his way through the mist, until he heard voices and followed them.

As the fog cleared, Varian was able to see familiar forms. Rapunzel. Eugene. Cassandra. The King. And the old man.

Out of breath, legs weak, he stumbled next to the hunched silhouette, his mind needing to understand the logic in all this.

"Wait… Are you… are you the future me ?"

"Varian," Rapunzel tried, only to be silenced by Old Varian's gloved hand. He didn't even turn to the fourteen-year-old boy as he asserted :

"No, I am not. I am the only Varian. You, my boy, are my past self." He raised sad, tired eyes to Rapunzel and her father, his voice full of respect and regret. "It took me a long time, Your Majesties. Much too long, a lifetime's worth, to forget my plans of revenge and use alchemy again to stop this. I am… ". Faltering, he leaned on his staff for support. "I am sorry for your loss, Your Highnesses."

Varian's own words resonated inside his head.

"My special fog will not spare one soul in this courtyard"

Rapunzel and her father were still standing there in shock, eyes wide. Cassandra and Eugene exchanged alarmed glances.

They suddenly all broke into a run and rushed inside the castle.

Varian – young Varian- was frozen on his spot. His blood had run cold in his veins and he had stopped breathing in pure anguish. He was staring at nothing, or was it to the old man he will become ? Or had already become ? Did it matter?

She wasn't in the courtyard. She wasn't in the courtyard, he repeated himself in agony.

When Varian's legs started to move, it seemed it wasn't by his own will. His mind blank, he started to run after the others, already sweating profusely. No, NO, NO ! He was scared beyond reason of what he expected to find, but he had to go on. Hallway after hallway, he kept running in the dark, with only his ragged breath to break the silence.

As he turned a corner, he could see a dim light coming from an open door. Sobs and cries filled his ears.

Varian came to a stop in the doorway, and saw them all, Rapunzel and the King kneeling next to the large, four poster bed and holding each other. Cassandra and Eugene were standing respectfully a few steps behind them.

Varian stepped inside. He went passed his once teenage crush and idol, but none of them seemed to be able to see or hear him anymore. He came closer to the bed, flinching as he did so but unable to walk away.

And then he saw her.

She was lying there, very still and calm, in her favorite purple dress. Her arms were folded on her chest, her skinny hands made her knuckles stick out painfully. Around her shoulders her once brown shiny hair was spread out, now all white and dull like it was made of dust. Her barely recognizable face was gaunt, greyish and wrinkled beyond words. Her cheeks were hollow and her closed eyes were sticking out like they would pop open any second. But she remained still, as cold as death. Deep inside, he knew this was for ever.

And it was his doing.