I am proud to announce that ymiry36 is currently translating this story into Korean language! Thank you, ymiry36 for your dedication and hard work ! The first 2 chapters are already on line on post/3014875

Thanks again for your messages, it's great to read your reactions on the spot !

Without further ado… (because Varian is in a nasty fix after all...)

Chapter 45

The wind was toying with Varian's overgrown bangs and taking his breath away.

From the cornice he was standing on, his back pressed against the wall, the teen could see the stables below, much smaller than he thought they would be.

Varian gulped before going on, walking sideways like a crab. He could feel his heart beating fast in his chest and pounding in his ears. Beads of sweats were making their way down his face, their coolness on his skin emphasized by the wind.

"Ok, kid, turn around slowly," came a soft voice from behind, barely audible over the wind.

Varian tensed and froze. Turning his head towards the window, he saw Alden's face, fear in his eyes although the older man tried his best to conceal it.

"I'm not going back,", Varian yelled with a mix of irritation and desperation in his voice. "I… I have to…"

"To what ? Run away and be tracked down for the rest of your life ? Or fall and crash down below ?" asked a younger voice as Phil climbed on the windows sill in front of Alden. He had removed his helmet, and secretly hoped he had the time to remove part of his armour as well for better balance, but he couldn't waste time. He had to get close to the boy before he was out of reach.

"What ?" recoiled Varian, confused by Phil's sudden change of tone with him.

"Phil, what are you doing ?" asked a bewildered Alden.

"Just sayin'," Phil replied calmly, setting one foot on the cornice, trembling a little as he did so. The last thing he wanted was to take a stroll over the void but he still went on. "that either you manage to escape and you become a rogue forever – although you probably will be arrested before you reach the castle gates anyway – or you lose your balance and end up crushed on the ground. You know, I thought you were smart, but this looks like a silly plan, if there is a plan at all. How hard have you thought it through exactly ?"

Varian locked his jaw, his eyes flashing with anger (or was it because he felt hurt in the tiny speck of pride he had left ?) and turned around to go on alongside the wall, away from the two guards.

"You don't understand," he replied coldly as he was looking away. "I have to do this."

"For who ? For your father ?"

Varian froze.

"Tell me, Varian, which one of these outcomes will help your father best ? If you're lucky, you may not end up dead, but sent back to the dungeon. For a very long time. Her Majesty the Queen is giving you a second chance, you are not getting another one, kid."

Varian was standing still, the only movement on him being his hair flowing in the wind and the rise and fall of his chest, more visible than usual due to his heavy breathing.

"Come on, I'm sure you realize how foolish this is. Come back and we'll talk when we're safe inside."

"Why… why are you doing this ?" asked Varian like he was out of breath, still looking away from Phil. "I don't need your help or your protection."

"Says the boy on a cornice," replied Phil ironically. "But you are stuck with me, whether you like it or not." He swallowed hard. "I made a vow."

Varian's head snapped up as these words hit home. He had taken a vow too. A vow to his father, the vow to free him and make everyone pay, no matter what would come of him. And that's exactly what he was going to do.

"You see, when you were found badly injured in your cell, I made the vow I would protect you and help you with all my might. There is something you don't know, Varian, and that I need to tell you."

"What ? What are you saying ? Why are you talking about what happened that day ?" spat the boy, too angry to look at Phil, who was getting closer step by step.

"It was my fault," the guard admitted.

Varian felt his heart skip a beat and there was a long silence. Only the cries of the wind could be heard.

Unbeknownst of Alden, Phil and Varian, a pair of eyes was watching them from below. A man who had stopped his task as soon as he recognized the boy's voice up in the air. A man who had been assigned against his will to what was in his opinion the most detestable chore, since it brought back some bad memories : cleaning the stables.

Hans wasn't a good loser. He was still bitter from his defeat in Arendelle because of two girls he should have overpowered easily. Being downgraded from a royal guard to a stableman because of a spoilt fourteen-year-old was not going to improve his mood.

Part of him just gazed at the whole scene hoping a foot would slip and send the brat break his fragile bones against the unforgiving ground.

"Now you know," Phil's shaky voice broke the silence after a while, "and I want to tell you that I am very sorry for what happened. I keep telling myself I could have – I should have done things differently to prevent Nigel from getting at you. But what's done is done. The only thing I can do from now on to try and make it up to you."

As Phil finished his sentence, Varian heard the dreadful click and the too familiar feeling of metal around his left wrist. The young alchemist whipped his head around only to see Phil clasp the other end of the shackles around his own right arm. How did he not hear him pull these from his belt ?

Then to Varian's horror, the young guard undid the ring of keys secured on his belt and tossed it away. The precious metal tools fell to the ground and landed somewhere in the bushes below. Words were stuck in Varian's throat, but his terror-filled eyes locked with Phil's.

"I will make up to you, kid," Phil continued, more confident than ever. "Even if that means that if you fall, I fall."

Varian just stared at Phil, speechless. Phil held out his hand.

"Your move, Varian."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Elora was running in the hallways, chasing Ruddiger who was more than excited to see his boy again. Turning around a corner, she saw the Queen who was walking in a much more lady-like way towards the library. Ruddiger caught up with her first and ran in circles happily around her long purple skirt a couple of times.

"Why, hello there, little fellow !", Arianna chirped. She couldn't say when she started to have a soft spot for the chubby raccoon and the little animal made it easy to love him anyway. He was always in a good mood, a little greedy at times and above all, it was his absolute loyalty to Varian she admired the most.

"Your Majesty…", panted the young handmaiden as she ran after the Queen, "are you headed for the library ?"

"I am, Elora. We still have time until lunch, but I'm pretty sure Varian is the kind of reader who doesn't put down his books easily. I just want to tell him to be ready soon."

Elora giggled. "You are right, Your Majesty. Although…" her lips made a pout. "He prefers to read books about science and alchemy. I liked it better when I was reading fairy tales with him."

"Yes, he likes these topics a lot, I guess he was missing that kind of reading. Be patient with him, sweetheart. At least these books keep his mind busy, and he needs a break from….". Arianna suddenly hesitated and decided not to go into details. "Well, he just needs a break from time to time you know. We all do, don't we ? "

"I… guess, Your Majesty,", Elora carefully replied. She may be young, but she could get that Varian was an emotional mess, that he felt alone without his father and that he was angry for being ignored. Why did all the adults act like she didn't know better ?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Time seemed to have stopped for the two young lads standing in mid-air outside the castle. Leaning out on the window sill, Alden could only watch, holding his breath and clutching his halberd in his shaking hands.

A million thoughts were filling Varian's mind, twirling and overlapping and crashing, impossible to control. He didn't want to let his father down, and he didn't want to step back inside and have all these people allegedly trying to help him. But he didn't want to be alone and hunted down again, nor die. He didn't want Phil to be in trouble or die because of him.

Varian realized that not so long ago, he wouldn't have cared at all about Phil. Revenge was all that mattered.

Now, things were different. Phil was there for him, putting his own life in jeopardy. The same Phil who made a terrible mistake at first. He apologized to Varian for it. And was still trying hard to help.

Was it truly possible to recover from one's mistakes ?

Realization hit Varian and his eyes suddenly shone with a new glint. Despite the guilt and the sadness, Phil just got back up and kept moving forward. All he could do was do try to be a better person and hope for forgiveness. The rest was in Varian's hands.

The alchemist let out a soft laugh and for a moment, Phil thought the boy had gone insane.

"Phil," he sighed, speaking his name for the first time. "You don't have to be sorry for what happened. You had no way to know, and you never meant for me to be hurt. If anything, it was my punishment for what I did."

Phil had to stop himself from tugging at the chain to show his disapproval.

"Don't you talk like that ! You didn't deserve this !" he shouted back.

"How can you be so sure ?" Varian sneered. "Or maybe you agree that the royal family had to pay ?"

"You can't mean that, Varian. Not after all the Queen has done for you."

Varian's body tensed as he started to flail his right arm in his air in exasperation. "She has no idea what I– Aaah"

The boy yelled as he lost his balance. His foot slipped, but there was nothing for him to hold on to. He fell into the void, face forward, and would have hit the ground if it weren't for his left hand secured with Phil with the shackles. Unfortunately, he was dragging the guard down with him.

Alden saw the whole thing and reacted quickly. Holding his halberd by the top just below the blade, he pressed the long shaft against Phil's chest to prevent his fall. But light as it was, Varian's dangling frame was enough for Phil to lurch forward and lose his balance.