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Chapter 57

On the steps of the palace, Varian gazed at the wobbly carriage shrinking away in the distance. He failed to understand why he felt a pang in his heart, why his breathing hitched and his vision blurred. He could do this. She wasn't leaving forever. She would be back before he knew it. So why did he feel he was being abandoned again ?

Varian clenched his fists. He wasn't a kid anymore. He had to fight the urge to run after her.

A hand on his shoulder reminded him that he wouldn't be alone either. Varian sucked in a deep breath and looked up to meet Phil's eyes.

"Are you all right ?" asked the guard with concern as he saw the teen's watery eyes.

"Yeah… I mean… sure…", he managed, but his quivering voice betrayed him. "I… I have a job to do, you know, so um… might as well get it over with." he added, quickly changing the subject. Phil nodded, indicating he remembered about the chores Varian for the guard squad. Varian himself understood how puny community service was compared to the pain he caused, but that was the least he could do.

Phil suddenly felt Varian shiver a little under his touch as the teen recalled the reproachful glare of the Captain as he left. It seemed to Varian that the older man was able to pierce his very soul. As agreed with the Queen, the Captain never mentioned his daughter, more precisely, the fact that Varian tried to kill her in the grip of his machine, but Varian could feel the resentment and the anger under the thick eyebrows more than with any words.

In a way, Varian was grateful that the Captain left with the Queen. He cast a last glance at the town below. The carriage was now lost somewhere in that maze of stone walls and rooftops. Catching sight of something, Varian's melancholic eyes turned into a frown.

"Is that ?... Is that Alden walking this way ?", asked the boy, as he took a couple of steps forward.

Phil scrutinized the lower plaza and saw the familiar figure.

"You're right ! That's him ! That's odd, he's still supposed to be off. Looks like his arm hasn't completely healed yet."

Indeed, the man's arm was resting in a sling. Great, thought Varian bitterly. Another injury he was responsible for. Another reminder for his past mistakes.

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The trip to Epoisses was uneventful, not to mention boring. Because of the carriage, the small party couldn't go into the thick forest nor take the scenic route. It would be longer but safer to stay on the main road.

Hours seemed to drag away to be as long as days. Despite herself, Arianna sighed for the umpteenth time. Every minute that passed seemed to be an utter, unbearable waste of time.

"It's been a long time since we last saw the Duke and the Duchess of Epoisses, isn't it, my dear ?" Frederic ventured, hoping to distract her from a certain boy he knew she was thinking about.

"Oh, oh yes, of course, that's a lovely idea, darling," Arianna replied, her arm resting on the carriage door and her gaze lost in the landscape, looking at nothing in particular.

Frederic hummed, frowning slightly. He loved his wife and couldn't even be angry at her for not listening, but he couldn't help but be deeply concerned. He knew how difficult it was for her to leave.

After his conversation with Varian in the morning, the King had started to get a better understanding of his friend's son, how behind the sassiness and the anger, there was a lonely, desperate boy who had been through too much pain for his young age. But right now they had duties to attend, and trivial as it may seem, festivals and events such as the one about to take place in Epoisses took a huge part in political relationship building between the different kingdoms.

Sometimes, it was hard for a King, or a Queen, to be a ruler who had their duties coming first, and a person with their own feelings. He knew that very well, especially since that fateful day when he let the husband and father in him take over and chose to use the flower, even though as King, he knew there would be consequences that wouldn't involve just him.

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Phil and Varian hung around with Alden for a while to catch up. Varian kept uncharacteristically quiet, casting side glances to Alden's sling from time to time, guilt gnawing at him but unable to find the courage to talk about it.

It was about five when the three of them made their way to the guard headquarters. A few other guards were there, chatting while scrubbing a blade or polishing an armor. Alden went over to greet them, and he was welcomed with warm smiles and pats on the back.

"So, Varian," Phil said as they watched the happy reunion, "ready to luster some boots ?"

Varian shrugged. This wasn't a fun job, but it was useful – and obviously, he couldn't be assigned to the sword or dagger cleaning.

"So ready," he replied, not without a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he saw the many, many boots lined up next to a bench for him to take care of. He was never happier to have his gloves on right now.

"Good. I'll be over there helping with the weapons," Phil pointed out. Varian took a deep breath, grabbed a rag and went to sit on the bench. Thoughts had been whirling around in his mind during the whole afternoon, not only about the guards he injured, but also about what he learned from the King in the morning. His father didn't lie to him, but there still was that secret about the rocks he knew, but wouldn't share with him, his own son. It had to be something big. Did it have something to do with the scroll Varian deciphered ?

Varian let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. These past few days had been emotionally strenuous to say the least, and he was tired. He just wanted to keep his hands busy and focus on a menial task that required no over-thinking.

The room was fairly quiet, if you could ignore the voices of the guards, talking, joking and even laughing from time to time. In the far end of the room, Varian patiently took one boot after the other, scrubbing and wiping until the leather shone, never taking his eyes off each boot he was working on and merely content to be somewhat by himself for a while.

After an hour or so, Varian lost count of how many boots he thoroughly cleaned, but his sore arms sure knew it had been quite a lot. Wiping a bead of sweat running down his forehead, he felt a sense of achievement and at least his heart felt lighter than before. He was now looking forward to going to bed early in the evening. He could use the rest, for sure.

The young alchemist was about to grab the last one when a pair of muddy black boots came to a stop right in front of him, the heels thumping menacingly, loudly enough to send a shiver down the teen's spine. Varian paused, a hollow feeling in his gut and looked up.

Of course.

Mr. Sideburns.

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"Do you remember when we last visited them years ago ?", the King tried again after a while. "They just had a baby. A girl, if I am correct."

The word "baby" seemed to catch his wife's interest and wake her up from her daydream.

"Oh, you're right." Arianna remembered clearly the sweet and sour meeting with the little girl. During all those years when Rapunzel was missing, it hadn't been easy to fully rejoice over new-borns. Especially girls. "She must be 6 or 7 now," she countered with a soft smile. "The Duke and the Duchess had claimed for years they were too busy to have a baby, but in the end, they were blessed with a daughter. I'm so happy for them, and I can't wait to see her again."

Frederic smiled fondly at his beloved wife. At least, she now had something to look forward to about that visit to the Epoisses rulers and would hopefully stop being so worried.

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Hans grinned as he looked down on Varian. It was obvious the boy clenched his jaw to hide his fear, and the man seemed to enjoy that in a twisted way.

"What are you looking at, kid ?, "he berated in a low voice. "You're here to clean the boots, aren't you ? Well, guess what, I was told yesterday that mine were too dirty for this castle. Oh, wait, she's a friend of yours, I believe. That insolent little brat of a maid… Anyway, you wouldn't want me to walk around and spread dirt all over the carpets, right ? You don't want to give the girl more work than she already has."

Varian remained silent during Hans' speech, his eyebrows pulled into a tight frown. He never liked Hans, and he knew that Hans couldn't stand him. He was itching to reply with a biting remark of his, but he knew better than getting into trouble.

"Well, what are you waiting for ?" said Hans impatiently as he sat across Varian and crossed his legs so his right boot was lifted up. "Get to work."

Varian breathed out and his hand tightened the piece of cloth in his hand. He looked down, glad to hide his eyes from Hans under his bangs. His nose wrinkled. The boots were covered with mud, straw and other unpleasant things from the stables. Well, he said to himself as he started to work, what are two more boots to clean, after all ? Then he'll be gone and he'll leave me alone.

"Are you going to just caress the leather ?" Hans asked, looking annoyed. Slowly, the man bent over so he could whisper in Varian's ear. "Down on your knees, boy, so you can put some muscles into it."

Varian looked up again and glared. He could feel Hans was trying to test his patience. But part of him couldn't let that despicable man humiliate him like he was a sort of slave.

Hans held Varian's gaze, and unexpectedly, his mouth stretched into a lopsided grin. He leaned further and grabbed the boy's chin with his gloved hand, tightly enough to prevent Varian from pulling away.

"I'd get on with that rag if I were you. If I'm not satisfied, I'll make you lick them until they shine like a mirror."

Varian's blood froze in his veins. There were times when threats had to be believed. His small frame started to shake. No, not now. He couldn't let Hans see he was afraid. Swallowing his pride, Varian looked down, indicating without words that the man could let go. Clenching his teeth, he lowered himself to the ground, his knees cold against the hard stone floor. He took the boot in his hands and started to scrub it with all the strength he had left, hoping he would be done soon.

Hans chuckled in satisfaction and leaned back comfortably.

"That's a good boy."

Please don't hate me ! XD