⇄Chapter One⇄

Varian was furious.

Currently, he scowled ahead while two guards (Stan and Pete, was it?) on either side of him gripped his arms a little too hard, forcing him to walk down a dim, cell-filled hallway of Corona's prison. Behind him, Varian was certain Ruddiger followed close if the little pitter-patter of his paws against the stone floor had anything to tell him.

As they continued to pass the cells, jeering rough voices called out, inquiring how a scrawny boy like himself could've ended up in the toughest clink for the kingdom's most dangerous criminals. Varian clenched his shackled fists.

Earlier, when the guards removed his goggles, apron, and gloves, replacing them with the chains they so thought he deserved, the alchemist knew better than to lash out in a futile attempt to escape; the guards would no doubt overpower him, and he had no desire to make a fool of himself by scrambling about with no forethought of an actual escape.

After all, he would need a plan, and the place he was going would give him plenty of time to think and reflect. At that thought, Varian shut his scowling blue eyes, letting the guards firmly guide him as anger continued to swell within his heart with every passing second.

There was no doubt that she would have to pay dearly for everything. They all would.

After a moment, he was halted, and the 14 year old opened his eyes to see that he now stood in front of a dark, barred cell at the end of the long hallway they'd been walking down. The jingling of keys met his ears as one of the guards came forward and unlocked the cell's door before swinging it open with an eerie creak. Varian was promptly shoved into the dim space.

Only a second after regaining his footing, he watched as Ruddiger raced into the cell after him just in time before the door closed with a loud clang.

Varian then felt the racoon briefly brush against his left leg before disappearing somewhere into the darkness behind him. He sneered defiantly at the two silhouetted guards as they proceeded to lock the cell door. And after a moment, one of the guards spoke.

"All of your crimes will be determined by the Court by the end of tomorrow. If you plead innocent, you will be given a trial."

"In the meantime, we suggest you get comfortable."

The young alchemist rolled his eyes and quietly scoffed as the two guards turned and began walking away, leaving him and Ruddiger alone in the dark room that would be their home for only a little while; after all, Varian didn't intend on rotting away in some cruddy cell forever. That is…if his actual sentence required that and not breaking his neck.

It took Varian a long, foreboding second to realize that his cuffed hands had found his neck on their own. He gulped with wide clouded eyes, his breath hitching as a wave of sudden nervousness washed over him, quickly replacing his bitter anger.

Surely, they wouldn't…

Of course, he'd accepted that it was a possibility the very moment he decided to kidnap the Queen, but now, in the shadow of authority, the possibility of being executed suddenly became very real to him. The boy shook his head, clearing his mind and calming him as he began to pace in the cell, his chains clinking.

No, they wouldn't execute him if his young age had anything to say about it. But then again…Varian deflated slightly as he realized that his age seemed to be the only leverage he had in the situation. Even so, they weren't going to give him a fair trial to defend himself in court anyway since the evidence against him was probably overwhelming. He would plead innocent nonetheless.

All in all, even if they did execute him, he would be humble enough to admit that he deserved it. After all, among a lot of other things, he did directly and personally endanger the Royal Family, which is in and of itself high treason against the entire Kingdom of Corona. Varian's brow then furrowed, his chained fists tightening again in anger.

Likewise, for what they did to him, he would acknowledge that they equally deserved what he did to them. If they hadn't ignored the black rocks, his Village wouldn't be in ruins! If they hadn't turned their backs on him, his Dad would be okay!

In an instant, Varian grimaced at the thought of his father, his downcast eyes clouding over with what resembled sorrow, all other thoughts of his animosity forgotten. This bout was soon interrupted when something unexpectedly rubbed against his leg. It was Ruddiger, his loyal pet racoon and only friend, trying to comfort him. Varian gave a dismal smile.

The boy's eyes then followed Ruddiger to the cot that he'd just noticed in the left corner of the dark room as the racoon circled once then twice before peacefully laying down on the piece of furniture. Sighing, the young alchemist tiredly trudged over to the cot and sat on it, his bound hands resting in his lap, only to find that it unsurprisingly wasn't as comfy as Ruddiger made it out to be. Varian shrugged; it couldn't have been worse than his desk, which he'd accidentally dozed off on for the past few weeks while trying to formulate new solutions and plans to free his father.

Again, he looked to the racoon who now appeared to be asleep, and he smiled with weary eyes. Frankly, Varian was surprised that the guards even let him keep Ruddiger. Maybe they didn't want to deal with them anymore than they had to? Nonetheless, whatever the reason behind them not taking his only friend away was, he was grateful.

As the rising sun peeked through the small, barred window above the cot, the cell, albeit still rather dim, became more visible which allowed Varian to assess his surroundings more easily. It must have been at least 8 by 10 feet, which was quite roomy compared to the other cells he'd passed by earlier. Like the rest of the prison, it was all made from sturdy stone, except for the iron bars, of course. Varian quirked a brow as he noticed that his cell seemed to be more isolated than the others; instead of having cells crammed beside his, there was a lot of stone in between.

He shrugged, it's not like he could blame them. After all, he was now officially the most dangerous "criminal" in all of Corona, he couldn't even be trusted with being in a certain range of other prisoners. Besides, isolation would definitely keep his mind clear of any future misdeeds…or so they thought.

As if on cue, a patrol guard walked past his cell before rounding the corner, out of sight. Varian huffed as the guard's footsteps echoed through the silent dungeon. He acknowledged that authority figures used to not irk him so, but now a simple guard was enough to make his blood boil. Overall, he hated the guards, he hated the Kingdom of Corona, and he hated the princess and her friends. They never cared about him.

Shaking the menacing thoughts off, the young alchemist shifted his gaze down to the manacles around his sore wrists resting in his lap. There was no telling how long they would remain on him, and they were already chafing his wrists to the point where he didn't want to move anymore for fear of them breaking the skin. Not to mention, he wasn't wearing his gloves, which was in and of itself uncomfortable enough. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, but he had worn gloves for as long as he could remember and to have them not on his hands for more than a few hours felt…weird.

He sighed, closing his brooding eyes before fully laying down on the cot, minding where Ruddiger was fast asleep, and shifting to get as comfortable as one can be on an uncomfortable piece of furniture. A sudden jolt of worry began to build in his stomach on account of how he would free his father from a cell, but Varian pushed it to the back of his mind. He would plan a way out soon anyways. He had to.

For his dad.

In the end of it all, his heart was too heavy with the stabbingly-familiar pain of failure. He wouldn't sleep, not for a while, anyway.

A/N:

Thank you all for reading! I wrote this a long time ago and this was originally going to be a one-shot, but I think there will be a few more chapters! Anyways, let me know what you think! Until next time, bye!