Author's Note: Hey, guys and gals! I hope you liked what you have read so far. Sorry, I wasn't able to post a new chapter last week. I was really busy with my college classes for a while now. But, I will try to post a new chapter every week. That's not a promise, but a reassurance that I will not give up on this story. Again, there will be some talk about spanking. Just talk, nothing more. Yet. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

The two men soon came upon a large clearing near the edge of the town. A small wooden house was placed in the center of the plot of land. The dwelling had quite a few scorch marks on the walls, but the building still seem to be standing strong. To the right of the house, there was a small outdoor forge with just a roof to cover it. Pieces of metal and random inventions lay in either nearby bushes or trees. To some people, this home may look chaotic, but to Eugene, it looked like a . . . real home.

Eugene lived in an orphanage for most of his life. After he took on the life of a criminal, he was always on the run. He never stayed in one place for long, lest he be caught. Even now, he only lived at the castle because Rapunzel was his girlfriend. When he first brought her to the castle, he was pardoned of all his crimes since Flynn Rider was the criminal, not Eugene Fitzherbert.

He assumed the room he was given was only for the week of celebrations for Rapunzel's return. When he tried to find a place to stay, Rapunzel started to tear up because she thought he was leaving permanently. So, the Queen told Eugene he's welcome to stay forever. The King was a bit reluctant at that idea, but allowed it when he saw how happy his daughter was with Eugene staying. Though he had a stern conversation with Eugene about . . . personal space. Though Eugene had a place to stay, it wasn't going to be home till Rapunzel accepted his proposal.

Eugene was quite puzzled about how Varian can have such a cozy looking home and still have family problems. 'Well, I can't exactly compare. I don't know much about having a family,' the young man thought to himself as he and Quirin took off their boots to cross the threshold. The older man offered the young adult a seat as he started a fire for dinner. While Quirin doing that, Eugene looked around the house from his seat at the dining table. Many random knickknacks littered the small household.

When Quirin started on making some kind of stew, Eugene got up to help. Contrary to what others may think, Eugene's actually a good cook. Years on the run forced him to learn how to cook his own food. Quirin, who's been widowed for a year now, was not that good of a cook. So, he allowed Eugene to be in charge of the recipe while he helped him with gathering the ingredients. The two worked together in synch with each other. Quickly, a pot of stew was cooking on the hearth along with a loaf of bread.

With dinner cooking, Quirin washed his hands as he talked, "I'm going to go talk to Varian while you wash up. I will first explain that situation he is in and how you are going to be responsible for him for the next few months. Then, I going to bring Varian down stairs for his punishment. While I spank him, I don't want you to interfere. You're going to be do'in the same thing to him in just a few weeks, so pay attention. Understand?"

Even though Eugene was unwilling about this whole situation, he knew it was important to respect how Quirin raised Varian. 'Hmm, maybe I won't need to . . . punish him because he sees me as his idol,' he thought to himself. So, the young man replied, "I understand." Quirin nodded his head at him before going upstairs to his son's room, making a small pit stop along the way.

In Varian's room, the young boy was nervously pacing around his bed. When he realized his father was not going to his room straight way, he hide the vials of the unstable compound in a more guarded niche. He could hear the sounds of a chat going on downstairs, but was unable to understand any things because they wood floors muffled the resonances of the voices. So, all the young teen could do was anxiously wait for his impending fate to come.

Soon, the he could hear his father's heavy steps echo through the small hallway near the stairs. Varian didn't know to be relieved that he doesn't have to wait long to hear his verdict or to be worried about what was to come. Before long, he heard the dreaded knock on the door. Knowing how his father expects to be invited in, the young boy was able to croak out the words, "Come in."

Quirin soundlessly entered the room, eyes scrutinizing the living space before landing on a pair like his own. Varian looked a lot like his mother. He had her slightly tannish skin and soft facial features. The only difference were his grey-blue eyes and raven black hair. A few streaks of greys and browns colored his hair like it did his mother's auburn locks. Quirin hated to do this to his son, but he promised his wife that he will always protect Varian, even from himself.

Varian's father sat next to him and pulled him into a hug. He softly whispered, "I almost lost you today." Varian's guilt rose even more after hearing his father's words. He pulled away from his father's tight hold and pleaded, "Please Dad! Don't take away my alchemy! I promise I won't do anything like this ever again! Just don't take away my alchemy!" Varian's eyes started to tear up at even the thought of giving up his life's ambition.

Quirin gently pulled him close as he started to reassure his only son. "Varian, I will not be taking away your alchemy. Instead, you be spending the summer with a mentor to guide you. You know how busy I am at the forge. The blacksmithery will be even busier now because of the damages to the town. I can't spend every moment looking over your shoulder. I don't want to send you away, but it is your only option other than giving up alchemy. Do you understand, son?"

Varian was thankful that he did not have to give up his scientific activities, but he was also uneasy about leaving the village. He's never left the village before, so he was apprehensive about going to live with another person. Nonetheless, he had no other choice left. He had to do this unless he wanted to stay grounded all summer and lose permission to do alchemy for at least four more years. 'Besides, how bad could this summer be with a mentor? It's only one summer" Varian thought to himself. He finally came out of his thoughts and said, "I understand. I chose to have a mentor for the summer."

Quirin gave his son one last smile before grimacing, knowing what he had to do next. "Good choice, son. Now, let's get on with your punishment." Varian's father got up and started to lead a worried Varian downstairs. "Wait, Dad! Who's going to be my mentor?" the adolescent asked as he tried to stall his punishment. Quirin, not deterred for even a moment, merely replied, "Eugene Fitzherbert is going to be your mentor. You might know him as Flynn Rider." He then continued to escort the now stunned boy towards his imminent sentence.