Hi ! Sorry I'm pretty slow for my updates at the moment... Writing is hard work, although I'm still happy to do it. And real life keeps me busy. Anyway.
I have an annoucement ! For those who were wondering, there will be a few more chapters to this story, I'm picturing about... 100 in total, wouldn't it be nice ?
Till then, enjoy this one !
CHAPTER 94
Varian's cry was abruptly interrupted as he broke the surface of the water. His mind went blank as all he knew was the brutal feeling of his body being pierced by the cold. Cold, everywhere, creeping on every inch of his skin and seeping right through his flesh and into his bones. It felt like his heart itself stopped as his body went into shock and his mouth opened on instinct, gasping for air. Bad move.
Varian was still under the water and Arianna still sprawled on the ground as she erupted in rage.
"Fred ! Really ? is that your answer ? Yeet him into the fountain ?"
"Well, he started it !", the King interjected, like it was the best reason in the world.
"I don't believe you !", the Queen scoffed, outraged at her husband's stubbornness.
Varian's mop of hair (a very wet mop) shot up from the water and his gloved hands reached out for support. Coughing and panting, he let himself flop down on the stone wall that bordered the fountain. Phil and Alden were rushing to go help him, but they decided against it when the King raised his hand to stop them. He didn't spare them a glance and didn't have to. There was so much tension in the air that, had there been electricity in Corona, the man would surely have shot lightnings with his glare alone.
Frederic gave Varian a few seconds to allow his coughing to subside. The teen was barely starting to get some air back into his lungs when the voice of the King boomed loudly enough to bounce against the castle wall and ring out in the air.
"Now you listen to me, young man. You're going to do as you're told and stay put. You may have forgotten that you're still a prisoner here, and will be treated as such. Also, with Hans on the run, this castle is the safest place for you to be right now. He's not going to walk into the lion's den now he's a wanted man."
For the next seconds, Varian's labored and painful breathing was the only sound to be heard, a sharp contrast against the soft rumble of the waterfall. But his brain was fully aware again, and it was boiling. His heart was racing now, a natural reaction against the cold, but it was certainly not helping him to calm down. He kept his head hanging, hiding his eyes from them all under his soaked bangs, as he clenched his hands hard against the stone and spat out the last bit of water out his mouth.
"Just cut it out, Your "Majesty". You know as well as me that this isn't true," he snarled through gritted teeth.
"I must have misheard…" the King warned and then Varian's head shot up. His steely blue eyes were bloodshot and harsher than ever.
"Oh, come on, you perfectly understood," the teen roared, his fists hitting the fountain wall. He decided to climb over it, but his shivering body wouldn't cooperate. He clumsily fell on the ground on the other side and he let out a cry of frustration. Very quickly, the energy generated by his barely contained rage got him to his feet somehow, water dripping and dirt sticking everywhere on his clothes, hair and face. Yet, no one around him laughed at the funny sight.
"Your men wouldn't find him even if he were standing right in front of them.", Varian spelled out, his voice louder with every word but so shaken with emotion that he could hardly recognize it. "Have they saved your Queen when I sneaked right into your castle and kidnapped her ? Have they been successful in retrieving my father's scroll from me ? Have they been able to even find me during all those weeks when they wanted to silence me about the rocks, on YOUR orders ?"
Tears sprang from his eyes before he finished his tirade and they flowed freely on his cheek. He never cared to stop or wipe them. There was so much he had to say, and he had to say it now.
"How can you still look at yourself in the mirror, Your Majesty, when you know you sent a full garrison of well-trained soldiers after a child, not caring one minute if he was alone in the world and grieving his only parent ? that parent who's also your friend ?"
Arianna got slowly, unsteadily back to her feet, her eyes locked on the trembling boy with some sort of fascination. Before her, it was no more, no less than David and Goliath, the frail farm boy and the grown, powerful man.
"You let the black rocks spread throughout the land, you never did anything about them, and then you tried to sweep your mistakes under the rug ! And you… you blamed me, vilified me ! And even worse, you… the royal family… you let me down… You ignored me, you ABANDONED me ! You are supposed to protect your people, not oppress them ! But I can't remember a time when you didn't ! All you ever do is try to ease your own conscience !"
No, not a boy, Arianna chided herself. Varian wasn't an adult yet, but he definitely was no longer a child. Part of her was so proud, but also aching, knowing how the maturity he was showing had been forced onto him.
"I… I don't blame you for putting your family first," Varian went on, his determination wavering. "Family… is everything. But it shouldn't be at the expense of the people you are in charge of ! Never !"
He choked back a sob.
"So why ? why couldn't I put my family first ? My father… he's all I have… and I.. I put him there, I encased him in the amber…. All I wanted was to help and find a solution about the rocks… nobody was doing anything, so I had to…. I tried to…."
The scene was mesmerizing to Phil and Alden too. With his rage and his distress fueling him at the same time, his strength and his flaws exposed for all to see, Varian was speaking with his heart, standing up to the unwavering king who never showed weakness.
"I had no choice…", Varian finished under his breath, as his shoulders slumped and his hands fell limply by his sides. He suddenly felt very small and tired, and he braced himself for the reaction that was to come, the blow maybe. He wouldn't be surprised if the King boxed his ears right there and then for his boldness.
But there was only silence from the sturdy figure in front of him. Instead, the man locked his hands behind his back, thoughtfully. A moment passed, but that moment seemed to drag on forever.
When the King spoke, his tone was much softer than what Varian expected. It wasn't kind either, neutral, rather, as if he was struggling to control his emotions.
"There is a guest room in the west wing that's being prepared for you as we speak. Phil and Alden will take you there so you can change your clothes."
Not waiting for a reply, Frederic turned and came over to his wife. For once, she was speechless, not knowing what to think or to do. He too remained silent as he took her hand and gently nudged her into the wheeling chair with the other. Once glance between the two of them was all they needed. She saw his troubled eyes, he saw trust back in hers. Arianna nodded and let her husband drive her inside the castle.
"Please go dry off, Varian, we don't want you to catch a cold… or worse," Arianna told the dripping teen not without some motherly concern. "I'll come and see you in a while."
Alden, Phil and Varian just gawked at the couple as they disappeared through the huge doors.
"Huh ? What just happened ?", Alden ventured.
Phil shook his head.
"Beats me ! Whatever it was, the Queen's right, we should get going." The young guard turned to Varian and offered him a smile and a hand. Varian took it and followed the two of them without a word. Had he taken a step too far ?
