There we are ! I started this fic 2 years ago ! I can barely believe it and I can't thank you enough for being on the ride with me !

As announced last week on tumblr, I'm going to send a post about this, so please check tumblr in the next hours if you'd like to celebrate with me !

It's 2:45 am, so I'm off to bed and get back to you soon ! And as usual, feel free to share your thoughts about the story ! I love to read about you !

Take care, friends !

CHAPTER 91

Varian was slowly emerging from the peaceful realm of unconsciousness. He felt like he was somehow floating in mid-air, and as he tried to move forward, he found out that no matter how hard he tried to walk, he could only slide at a very slow pace. It was as if the very air around him was allowing him to take support, but barely. Although the whole situation didn't make any sense from a scientific point of view, Varian wondered if he was dreaming. It was as if his brain had lost touch with reality. It didn't matter, since he realized he hadn't felt so light-hearted in ages.

He was pulled out of this fleeting moment as he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and a voice calling his name. Varian registered that his body was squirming under the steady touch. Since when ? He had no idea.

"Varian ? Varian, time to wake up. It's a dream, child, only a dream."

Varian's eyes fluttered open, and his mind clicked in as every memory came back at the forefront, hitting him like a cart at full speed. Just like he had done with Alden earlier, he gasped and tensed, his eyes effectively seeing the wrinkly ones of Remyus but failing to recognize the old face as a friendly one. He tried to scramble backwards by pushing himself into a sitting position, his strength a bit better than before, but his coordination still not on his side.

"Varian, calm down. No one's going to hurt you. Look, I'm not even touching you, see ?", the physician explained patiently, raising in hands in front of him to show Varian that he was safe.

Varian's breathing hitched and his steel blue eyes scanned his surroundings. Behind Remyus was Ethel who was wringing the hem of her apron in her hands with worry. On their sides, he recognized Alden and… why was Phil looking like he had entered the bath tub with his clothes on ?

Varian opened his mouth but a raw sound came out. He had to clear his throat before he could speak.

"I, um, I… okay", he croaked.

"How are you feeling, my boy ?" Ethel inquired, unable to conceal her concern whatsoever.

"I'm… okay, I guess", he replied in an unsure tone, as if trying to convince himself.

"Do you remember what happened ?" Remyus asked.

Varian's gaze suddenly lost focus and the boy seemed miles away from the bedroom. That was to be expected, the physician knew. After a few seconds during which no one dared to breathe, the teen closed his gaping mouth and simply nodded.

"You are safe now, Varian. I need to tend to your wounds now. We've got to do something about the cut on your face."

Varian automatically drew his hand to his right cheek and winced even though he wouldn't touch it directly. The simple memory was enough to make him feel sick again.

"Varian, I've cleaned it while you were unconscious, but I'm afraid I'll have to make some stitches so it closes completely as much as to prevent infec-"

"No, please !". The cry tore from the boy's painful throat as he began to panic. He now realized why there would be so many people at his bedside and his whole body started to shake. He couldn't take having a needle repeatedly driven into his skin, so close to his eye, with several people latched on to his body to hold him still.

"Varian, you have to be reasonable. It will be quick, I assure you", Remyus coaxed.

"No, wait… wait… please stay back, I…. I can fix it myself", Varian begged. His head was foggy, both from having just awakened and from stress but he knew, he was sure he had another way. Think, Varian, think !

"Son, you can't possibly…." the physician began.

"Please…. Let me…. All I need is… a few ingredients. Just… give me a minute… I've invented something when I would get hurt during my experiment, I didn't want…"

He trailed off and hung his head.

"I didn't want my father to fuss over the injuries I sometimes get out of my clumsiness. Look, I can make a sort of gooey substance that replaces the stitches", Varian stated, getting more and more confident as he was gradually to wrap his mind around this.

Remyus, though, looked doubtful.

"I'm not sure I can allow you to perform alchemy on yourself, Varian. You're under my responsibility, and I've never heard of anything like…"

Varian frowned. "My face, my choice," he insisted desperately, surprising everyone in the room. His huge eyes softened a little, glistening with tears that threatened to fall. "Let me try it my way, Remyus. Please."

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"So you gave up the chase, Captain, is that what you're saying ?", King Frederic almost shouted, exasperation clear in his voice.

The Captain of the Guards bowed before answering, as much to show respect as to hide his shame.

"I'm afraid, Your Majesty, that Hans has managed to escape indeed. We have searched everywhere but there was no trace of him, not a clue for us to know where to look. He's probably far by now."

"Get your men ready again and keep searching !" Frederic's voice boomed. "The man is dangerous and unstable ! I want him behind bars until he faces his trial."

There was obviously no room for argument. The Captain knew resuming the manhunt was useless, but he couldn't defy the King's orders.

"Yes, Sire."

Once he was left alone in the throne room, Frederic plopped himself on his throne and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was only a matter of hours before his still recovering wife would learn what Hans did to the boy she had been standing up for for weeks now, and he really didn't want to be the one to tell her that the madman was on the run.

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Remyus couldn't help but witness with almost childlike wonder Varian work on his mixture. Without any notes nor books, the kid was opening vials, pouring liquids and mixing different solutions with practiced ease. It had taken quite some time to gather all the ingredients, not all of them available from Remyus' shelves, and the final product required slow and long heating, while stirring constantly. Under the experienced yet amazed physician's gaze, Varian's compound gradually thickened until it became something between a liquid and a solid. It had an unusual, pink color that turned into a deep purple.

"I've developed this substance so I'd be able to patch myself up, initially working with the goo I invented to solve our critter problem. You see, I couldn't stand to see the poor things injured or killed by traps and snares anymore. This version is on the sticky side, so when applied to the skin, it stays and at the same time keeps its softness and flexibility, ensuring that it follows the movements of the muscles without breaking."

The young alchemist was rambling about his invention as naturally as breathing air. For a moment at least, Varian was solely focused on alchemy and not the trauma he had experienced. While he seemed fine on the outside, Remyus wasn't fooled that easily. He kept an eye on his patient's state, mentally taking notes of him avoiding to make eye contact and deflecting each question about the attack itself or his actual feelings.

Ethel had decided that she would be more useful in the kitchen, and headed off to prepare a snack for the boy. Alden was standing against the back wall, watching Varian waltzing around in the room. Phil was nowhere to be seen, not that the boy had noticed, fully absorbed by his task as he was.

The young guard had quietly excused himself from the room to change clothes. If he were honest with himself, he could use some time alone. He couldn't shake the feeling that the reckless decisions he seemed to constantly make, such as running after Hans on his own, didn't make him a valuable member of the team. He could still feel the scolding gaze of the Captain crushing him, and he probably would have to account for this to the King himself before long.

Phil sighed as he reached his room. Maybe he wasn't fit to be a guard after all ?

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Once the mixture was cool enough, Varian went over to the mirror hanging on the wall, a flat wooden stick in one hand and the beaker with the purple goo in the other. He cringed as he saw the cut for the fist time. It was deep red in the middle, and the skin was pink and swollen around it. He inhaled deeply, steeling himself. His hand was shaking slightly as he dipped the stick into the mixture and drew two lines parallel to the gash and as close to the cut as he dared. Then, getting more goo on his stick, he applied it across the cut this time, going from one of his first lines to another. Every time the goo seeped into the fresh wound, Varian would hiss between his teeth. It was stinging badly, but it was not as bad as a needle pierced through his skin, he tried to remind himself. Luckily, the goo dried off pretty fast and in moments, the deep cut was all covered nicely, leaving only a numb pain lingering for a while.

Varian put down the beaker and immediately leant onto the table, steadying himself with both hands as he tried to get control over his shaking legs.

Remyus strolled over to him and gently nudged him to sit back down on the bed. He noticed how the boy's shoulders tensed from the touch.

"Well, I must say, Varian, I'm very impressed by your invention. I can't wait to see how the healing will go on this. It actually might be a great progress in injury care", he said, looking at Varian's cheek from every possible angle. As a scientist too, he needed proof to fully trust the new process, but he couldn't help but gawk inwardly at the boy's intelligence.

"Oh… thank you, Remyus…" Varian could barely believe that such a great physician was praising him, "thanks, it means a lot."

"I mean it, you know. Now, Varian, would you like to talk about what happened ?"

Varian immediately sulked and dismissed the subject.

"No, I'm good. It's over now, right ?"

"Yes, Varian, you're right, but after an event like this, you might experience some flashbacks, anxiety, or even nightmares. That's why –"

"I said I'm fine !", the teen snapped. "I don't need to talk about it, and I don't need your advice. I just want to rest now", and with that, he threw the covers over his head.

Remyus knew the boy's words didn't reflect what his heart wanted to say, but the emotions were clearly too strong for him to acknowledge them now.

Under the cover, Varian's frame was trembling. The skinny boy squeezed his eyes, trying to regain control over himself. He wanted to cry, he wanted to shout, he wanted to punch a wall, if only Remyus and Alden would leave, but no, they wouldn't, so what was he supposed to do ? He started to hyperventilate again, not knowing what to do with the turmoil inside. He felt the urge to feel pain again, like it would be the only thing that would calm him down. He hugged his knees and started to rock back and forth.

Something may have happened in the room, as it seemed to Varian that he could hear some noise at some point, but he couldn't really make a coherent thought out of it. He hid his face in his knees, the pressure on his injured cheek reminding him of what he desperately wanted to forget.

Then he felt the covers being slowly pulled away, and he curled in on himself even more, as if he could disappear if he was small enough. Soft fingers brushed a lock out of the way along his temples, revealing the goo and the scar underneath. There was a gasp and a murmur that weren't coming from the people he last saw in the room.

"Oh, Varian…."

The boy lifted his head, his eyes already brimming with tears but searching, yearning for the confirmation of what he heard.

His ears didn't deceive him. She was there. Back to him, back to being there for him and calming down his fears. She was pale and tired and sitting in a wheelchair that was pushed by Friedborg, whose face was unreadable, but then again that was…. Friedborg.

Arianna drew a wan smile, and with that, Varian simply and plainly foundered and threw himself into her arms, sobbing into her robe and letting his raw cries fill the room. He felt her slender arms close in around him, securing him from Hans, from harm, and from the world.