Despite protests from the infirmary staff, the Captain wanted to be present to see to it that the boy was securely locked away. So, when the cart drew up to the palace, the Captain was there awaiting its arrival.
When it came to a halt, the Captain peered inside through the bars. The dim lighting made him difficult to see, but in a crumpled heap at the back of the crate, sat Varian. The boy who had just caused so much pain, fear and chaos now looked young, small and afraid. Varian's expression remained a solid scowl, and he averted eye contact with any of the guards. But if you looked a little harder, you'd notice his chained hands trembling, the pools in his eyes threatening to spill over, and the little raccoon trying to comfort the troubled child by purring into his side.
Two guards, Pete and Stan, joined the captain at the back of the cart. They opened the door and stepped inside to roughly grab Varian by his underarms and pull him to his feet. Varian's expression faltered for a moment at the jarring interaction, but when he regained his balance, he regained his composure too. Ruddiger was ignored by the guards, but he stayed close to Varian. He weaved around his boy's ankles with each step, unwilling to leave Varian's side.
.
.
.
.
The dungeon was a massive place, and Corona was a peaceful kingdom, meaning there were only a few occupied cells. Varian was placed at the far end of a completely unoccupied corridor. The only source of light came from a tiny rectangular window at the top of the wall where the stone wall meets the stone ceiling. The dungeon was dark, damp and cold. When he arrived at his cell, one of the guards opened up the wide barred door and the Captain pushed Varian in and then stepped in himself. The Captain picked up the end of a steel shackle and chain that was mounted into the back wall of the cell, and he clamped it around Varian's ankle, as tightly as it allowed. Varian winced when it pinched his skin. The Captain ignored his discomfort and tugged the shackle around to ensure it was secure. Then, the Captain pulled Varian's goggles off his head, unbuckled his apron from around his neck, pulled off his gloves, and then even took Varian's boot from his feet. All of his personal items were placed in the doorway and collected by Pete. Varian was patted down, head to toe, searching for anything the young prodigy may have hidden on his person. The captain only found what appeared to be non threatening junk in Varian's pockets, but he took it all away regardless. It wasn't until this point when the Captain left the cell, now waiting on the other side of the barred door. Stan entered and took the original shackles off Varian's ankles and wrists. Varian instinctively gave each of his wrists a soothing rub where they were red from the ever tugging shackles, but other than that he stayed very still as the guards exited the room.
"Cap, what do we do about the racoon?" asked the skinnier of the two guards.
The captain turned his answer to Varian first. "The racoon can stay for now." he said, looking at the teen, who kept his eyes to the ground. "But, it too will be considered a prisoner, no coming and going. The animal is not guilty of anything so if it wants to leave, it can, but it won't be welcome back." The Captain barked and Varian's heart thumped with guilt.
He knows he should tell Ruddiger to leave, or tell the men to take him and find him a nice place to live… but the selfish side of Varian doubts that he'd even make it through the night without Ruddiger here with him. Ruddiger was all he had left, he was the only thing Varian had left to lose. The one thing that gave him any shred of sanity. So Varian stayed quiet and still, eyes glued to the floor, too anxious to ask any questions or even to say something spiteful. Varian didn't feel angry now, as he had for so long. Now he just felt… empty.
The guards stomped back down the long empty corridor. They were out of sight before they were out of earshot. Varian waited until they were obviously a great distance away to let down his guard. When he was finally sure he was alone (except for Ruddiger of course) Varian allowed some of the tension in his body to release. He quickly scanned his soundings. Stone walls that were visibly damp. A cot attached to the wall with chains, topped with a flat pillow and a thick and rough looking wool blanket. A thick chain, securely mounted into the back wall, and on the other end securely shackled to Varian's slim left leg. A tiny window, allowing a slit of moonlight to shine in, far above Varian's sightline. And well… not much else. Varian took a couple steps back and leaned against the wall before sliding to the floor and wrapping his arms around his shaking knees. Ruddiger nudged Varian's elbow up and scurried into his lap. When Ruddiger cuddled close, Varian's damn broke. Tears poured down his youthful cheeks, and dampened Ruddiger's fur. Varian let out heartbreaking sobs, not bothering to try and conceal them, because nobody was around to hear him anyway. Varian cried for a long time. How long, he did not know. He hadn't bothered to try and track the time. It didn't feel important. Varian cried and cried. He cried for himself, he cried for his father, he cried for the people he had hurt and the people he had scared, he cried for the opportunities and the life that had been taken away from him… no. The life he had thrown away. Varian's head pounded vigorously, his cheeks were raw from all of his hot tears, and his back and neck ached from his unmoved posture, not to mention all of the aches and pains he had acquired from events over the last few days. The physical pain, though ever present, was not something Varian could bring himself to care about or try to solve.
Varian smothered under the weight of his turmoil all night until sunlight shone through his tiny window, and the sound of echoing boots bounced between the walls of the long corridor once again. Varian peered down the hallway and saw a shadow emerge. Varian choked back the sobs he had left in him and rubbed away his tears using the back of his hand. He then turned his face away from the unknown visitor and buried it in his arm. Varian wondered who was approaching him. The footsteps were too heavy to be a woman or a young person. So by process of elimination Varian concluded that it must be a guard. He tried not to think about some of the possible reasons said guard would be heading toward him. Except, one possibility rang in his mind. Had they freed his father and were coming to let him know? Or… maybe the footsteps WERE his father! Varian dared to peek out through the bars again, and quickly wished he hadn't. It was a guard. One he hadn't seen before, and he was carrying a tray of food. If Varian hadn't looked, he could have continued believing that it was Quiran coming for him. Varian thought about his father, and how disappointed he would be right now, but also he thought of how if his father were here, he could simply place a hand on Varian's shoulder and his hands and knees would stop trembling, his head would stop pounding, and he'd feel okay again. But Quiran was not here, and Varian would not feel okay again. Locked up in here, and his father… well, you know… he would never have the chance to make him proud.
Varian jumped from his thoughts when he heard the steel tray scrape the stone as the guard pushed it into the cell through a slit in the bottom of the door. Varian, who had wanted to shrink out of sight, just to avoid facing any other person, now stared wide eyed from the guard to the tray and back.
"Breakfast, kid. Eat up now, I can't leave the tray here." The guard said firmly.
Ruddiger looked into Varian's eyes, willing him to go eat, but Varian was frozen. Ruddiger wordlessly understood this and hopped out of Varian's lap and over to the tray. With great effort, and a less than great ear piercing scrap, Ruddiger pulled the tray up to Varian's side. Varian scratched his little buddy's head, and then looked to the tray. Oatmeal and a bowl of grapes. To Varian's surprise, it didn't look terrible. When Varian tried to recall the last meal he had eaten, he couldn't. He had neglected to eat much of anything since the incident with his father. Even having had an empty stomach for so long, the thought of eating anything made Varian's stomach do a flip. His stomach was in knots with anxiety and adding food to the mix seemed nauseating. Still, for all Ruddiger's effort in bringing him the tray, Varian shakily picked up a grape and ate it. He ate about five or six grapes, nearly the whole bowl, before his stomach started to churn just as he had predicted.
"I can't eat the rest, you have it buddy." Varian whispered to the little racoon, who squeaked happily before chowing down on the oatmeal and the remaining grapes.
When he was finished, and had licked everything clean, Ruddiger brought the tray back where the guard had placed in, and squeaked what could only have been a "thank you" to him, before hurrying back to Varian's side.
Using all the courage he could muster in this dark time, Varian cleared his throat, gaining the guards attention.
"Um… has anything come of my father…?" Varian muttered, his voice high and cracking.
The guard sighed. "No, sorry kid." he said, before turning on his heel and stomping back down the corridor, tray in hand.
Varian had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep from crying out while still in earshot of the guard. Varian knew that at this point, there was no way his father could still be alive in there. Varian felt the heavy guilt like a weight on his chest. Ruddiger purred and nudged Varian, and then circled around him to hop onto the cot. Varian understood, but shook his head. He did not want to move. Ruddiger Chittered loudly. Varian rolled his eyes.
"Okay, okay. Fine." Varian gave in and slowly, using the wall for support, got to his feet.
When he reached his full height he felt a wave of dizziness, and had to wait until it passed before making another move. Upon recovering from the dizzy spell, Varian dragged himself onto the cot. His chain jingled noisily with the movements, causing Varian to cringe. He now sat on his hard cot, and propped his leg up in front of him. His ankle was sore, as the shackle was still pinching and irritating. He groaned when his attempt to adjust the shackle was unsuccessful. Giving up, he laid down and rolled onto his side facing the wall and Ruddiger scurried to curl up near Varian's chest. In a matter of quiet, lonely minutes, the exhaustion overtook him, and Varian was finally asleep.
.
.
.
.
.
"Good afternoon, your majesties." said the Captain with a bow, upon entering the throne room.
"Captain, Good afternoon!" said Queen Ariana with a smile.
Ariana was a kind hearted woman to everyone, and most certainly had a 'glass half full' view on life, much like her daughter. King Fredrick however, although always fair and noble, struggled to find the bright side in a lot of situations, unlike the rest of the small royal family. At this time especially, his upset was observable. The King and Queen, and the Captain had just bid their children farewell before they left Corona for a long and potentially dangerous journey. The King always preferred to have a tight leash on his daughter, and having to take the leash off had affected his mood quite significantly.
"Captain. Thank you for coming. I'd like an update please. Have all my all of my requests been executed?" The king asked quickly.
"Yes sir. Letters have been sent out to the list of individuals who you believe may have the key to destroying the amber, a clean up team is working hard throughout Corona and Old Corona, and all civilian's needs are being met." Listed the Captain.
"Excellent, Captain. Thank you. And how is Varian?" asked the Queen with concern.
"He is secure in our custody, your highness." said the Captain.
"Oh, yes, that's good Captain, but what I mean is, how is he? Has anyone been to speak to him? I would imagine he may be very frightened down there." she explained.
King Frederick spoke before the Captain had a chance to answer. "Ariana, please. That boy is not an innocent child. He does not deserve your compassion." the King said.
"No Fredrick, he is not and innocent child, but he is a child. A very bright child, who acted simply out of fear and grief." The Queen stated firmly.
"Your majesty, I will pay him a visit myself and make sure he is doing okay." the Captain said, before the King could argue with his wife again.
"Thank you, Captain." Ariana said with a smile, once again.
"Very well. Thank you Captain, that will be all." the King said, dismissively. The Captain respectively bowed and exited the throne room.
When the door clicked shut, Ariana turned to her husband. "Fredrick, we need to discuss what the next steps are for Varian." she said.
"Yes dear, I have already thought about this, and I think the plan will be quite simple." Fredrick said, not daring to look his wife in the eye. The Queen gaped at him.
"Fredrick, if you think for a moment that you can order a fourteen year old to be executed-" the Queen began, but was promptly cut of by the King.
"Ariana of course not. I know very well that that is not an option. Varian will remain in custody until he turns eighteen, and will be executed at that time." Fredrick said, coldly. Ariana shook her head.
"No, Fredrick! That is nearly just as cruel. Think about this! That is Quiran's son, your friend's child!" Ariana fought.
"Yes, and the boy encased him in an unbreakable amber." he said in rebuttal.
"Oh please, you know that was a terrible accident, you cannot possibly blame him-" Ariana argued, but was once again cut off.
"Ariana! Think of what he is capable of! Think of what he tried to do to you! To us! To Rapunzel!" Fredrick said in frustration.
Ariana sighed, understanding her husband's thought process. "You know, Fredrick. The last time a crime was this personal to you, was when Rapunzel's Tiara was stolen. We had so few things to remind us of her, and one was stolen from us. You ordered Eugene executed, no questions asked. If that execution had been successful, we would never have gotten Rapunzel back, and the world would have lost a bright, funny, kind hearted man. A man who makes our daughter feel like the luckiest woman in the world." Ariana said, calmly, with her hand on her husbands.
"Ariana, how is this all relevant." Fredrick asked, shaking his head.
"All I am saying is, with a situation this close to us personally, I think we should bring in a third party judge, and hold a trial for Varian. From my motherly point of view, I see a child who deserves a second chance, and from your fatherly point of view, you see a threat to your family. We need someone outside of the situation to come in and help us make sense of this, and hopefully help us to meet in the middle somewhere." Ariana insisted.
King Fredrick took a moment to process the idea. Normally, the King and Queen were in charge of the final decisions regarding criminals, and trials were rare unless it was a special case or complicated situation. This, can be considered both of those.
"Fine, a trial can be arranged. But I want my concerns and my suggestions heard." Fredrick decreed.
"Yes, mine too." Ariana said, concluding their discussion.
.
.
.
.
Varian slept restlessly, and plagued by nightmares for only a couple of hours, maybe less. When he awoke to the sound of boots once again marching down the echoey corridor, Varian peered through the bars of his cell to see the shadow of a guard emerge from the dark. Varian decided that the guard could not have seen him looking, and to pretend to still be asleep. Varian wanted to limit any encounters with the guards. He felt ashamed and embarrassed, not to mention anxious about the power they had over him, or what it could mean each time his cell was visited. So Varian layed down facing the wall again, and brought his knees close to his chest, willing himself to shrink away. Ruddiger cuddled in as he had been before, assuming his boy would be going back to sleep. When the footsteps got closer though, Varian squeezed his eyes closed, and Ruddiger poked his head up curiously, watching as the Captain of the guard approached.
When the footsteps came to a halt, Varian heard a man clear his throat and then call out his name.
"Ahem. Varian?" the Captain called.
Varian squeezed his eyes more. 'Be asleep. Be asleep. Be asleep.' he repeated in his mind.
"Varian, wake up please. I'd like to talk." The Captain said, hesitantly.
Varian's heartbeat quickened with anxiety. He instinctively curled in on himself tighter.
"I know you're hearing me. Sit up." the Captain said, a little less gentle than he had been before.
Varian did not want to dig himself any deeper, so he nervously shifted to sit up, jingling his chains as he moved, which once again made the alchemist wince. Ruddiger hopped from the cot and scurried to the bars to give the Captain a good sniff, before running back to sit on Varian's lap. Varian stared at his feet, not willing to let the Captain see his still tear stained face.
"Thank you. I just thought maybe, uh, we could talk a little bit. Um, how are you feeling?" The Captain said, as awkwardly as if he were fourteen as well.
Varian was surprised by the manner of the Captain's visit, and the question caused him to take a moment to evaluate himself. He still had a pounding headache and achy muscles. He was cold, his ankle hurt and he felt rather lightheaded. Even so, Varian just shrugged his shoulders.
The Captain was not satisfied with that feeble answer. "Come on, kid. Talk to me." the Captain prompted.
Varian exhaled. "I'm okay. Head hurts." he said in a voice barely above a whisper.
The Captain slowly nodded. "Hmph. I heard you barely touched your breakfast, might be why your head hurts."
Varian shrugged again. "Wasn't very hungry." he said, still not daring to meet the man's eyes.
The Captain moved his weight from foot to foot. "Well, make sure you eat at dinnertime." he said. Varian nodded. "Is there anything you want to talk about? Um, do you have any questions?"
There was so much Varian wanted to say, to anyone who would listen, and he had countless questions floating in his head. What is happening with his dad? Is Cassie okay? Are Rapunzel and the Queen okay? Is anyone else hurt? Am I going to be executed?
As these questions flowed through his mind, the last one came out of nowhere. Varian could not recall that question being on his mind before, or maybe it had been there but he just kept pushing it to the back. Would he even mind if he was going to be executed? There is nothing left for him here, and who is to say he doesn't deserve that.
Instead of asking any of these burning questions Varian just shook his head, suddenly feeling sick.
"Alright, well if you um want to talk or you think of any questions, you can ask any guard who is by, or you can ask them to send me down, I'll come. And, uh, make sure you eat, oh and drink water too. Um, sorry I woke you up. You can go back to sleep now if you want to." the Captain rambled awkwardly. His job description never said anything about compassion, and so with anyone beside Cassandra, compassion was avoided at all costs. The Captain practically ran back down the stone corridor.