This was no ordinary father to Varian. This was Quirin. Tears began to fill her eyes as well. She wiped them away quickly and went over to Varian.
The boy looked up in shock and fury, tears in his eyes. Suddenly, he buried his face in his hands and burst into sobbing.
"Varian-" Abigail started to say.
"No! Don't try to comfort me!" Varian exclaimed, lifting his head up and looking at her. "This- this is all your fault!"
"My fault?" asked Abigail.
"If you only got us back here quick enough- or maybe even to the princess- it's her fault! She never came! She should have come with me to try to save my father and now he's like this!" Varian exclaimed. "Maybe-"
"Maybe what? Who are you blaming next? You're blaming everyone but yourself!" exclaimed Abigail. "You haven't even realized that the reason your father is in amber is because you tried to solve a problem by yourself instead of getting help! If you asked the whole guard or even the princess earlier, maybe then thing's wouldn't have even gotten this far! Think about that, and when you realize that, well, come find me!"
Abigail turned around and started to storm out of the cave.
"Wait. I'm sorry. You're right."
Abigail stopped to listen to what Varian was trying to say.
"I'm sorry. You're right." Varian replied "It's- I tried to get help."
Abigail turned around to look back at Varian.
"But- my dad was going to run away. Leave all our problems behind. I was trying to solve the problem because he wouldn't even let me ask." Varian told her, tears filling his eyes again. "And I thought maybe if I solved this problem, he would finally be proud of me. He never is. All I do is mess things up. I couldn't even follow the career I want without him judging me."
Classic Quirin. thought Abigail.
"I know I shouldn't focus on making him happy- but then I keep thinking that if he's not proud of me, who can be?" Varian continued, his tears starting to stream down his face. "I'm always to blame for not being like everyone else. For the choices I make! For not being the son my father wants! For being like my mother! And belive me, the village is not the only thing he wants to run away from!"
Varian was trying to hold back his tears.
"I'm sorry all the time! For everything I do! I just want someone else to be sorry for a change! I'm sorry!" Varian exclaimed through his tears.
Abigail ran over to Varian and hugged him, the boy sobbing into her jacket for a few minutes.
"Varian- if I can tell you one thing is that your father is very proud of you." Abigail replied. "Maybe he just hasn't ever told you. Because you have a lot for people to be proud of you for. And you have quite a talent there. You're smart, brave, maybe a bit stubborn and unmoral, but you never give up. And I'm not letting you give up on saving your father."
"But- how am I going to even figure this out by myself?" asked Varian, wiping the tears from his eyes.
"Not I." replied Abigail. "We."
This is Alice Foreshadow, heading back down the rabbit hole!