Here's a new Tangled story called Outcasts of Old Corona. I wanted to write a story where Varian had his own friends and see what that would do to the plot.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Tangled or Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. I only own my OCs.

Edit: Yes, I combined the first two chapters into a prologue. I was initially going to have Varian and his friends help save Rapunzel, but I changed my mind.

Eight-year-old Varian wasn't going to lie. He was scared.

When he had accepted the dare to go to Old Lady Gothel's cottage, he thought he would just be in and out without trouble. There wasn't supposed to be a terrible storm that would make the other kids run and leave him stranded there.

That last part hurt Varian the most. He thought they wanted to be his friends…

Curling up in the corner of the bedroom behind the bed, Varian started crying.

It was so stupid. He should've known better. Like anyone would wanna be friends with the town menace.

Why couldn't people just accept him for who he was?! Why couldn't he just fit in…?

… Why did his mom have to go? Why didn't his dad love him?

A hard sob tore from his throat as the eight-year-old broke down from sadness and fear, burying his face in his arms.

Varian was so stuck in his head that he didn't hear the cottage door open or the frantic footsteps on the hardwood floor. "Varian!"

The boy looked up, startled. Standing before him was one of the boys who brought him here, Alex. Despite being the same age, he was taller than Varian, with short auburn-red hair and light brown eyes. He was carrying a wooden sword, and his green shirt and dark pants looked soaked.

"There you are!" He sighed in relief, moving toward him. "Come on, let's get out of here!"

When the redhead reached out a hand towards Varian, the shorter boy flinched back, still running on fear from the whole situation.

Alex stopped advancing after that, seeing the tear tracks on Varian's face. He looked down, feeling guilty because he was part of the reason this happened. It wasn't his idea, but he didn't stop it either.

"Varian…" He whispered, getting down on his knees so they were at eye level. "I'm sorry I ran. But I'm here to help. Let's go home."

Alex held out his hand again, waiting for Varian to take it. Varian hesitated, looking between Kevin's face and hand, trying to sense if it was a trick. Slowly, the shorter boy uncurled himself and reached out to accept the redhead's help.

Before he could, however, they heard the front door open. Both boys turned to the entrance before Alex got to his feet.

"Stay here." He said before making his way out of the bedroom, wooden sword at the ready.

Despite being told to wait, Varian followed Alex out. In the living room, he saw the redhead confronting a cloaked figure shorter than Alex yet taller than Varian.

"Who are you?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the stranger.

"… Seriously?" Was all the figure (a girl, probably their age) said. Her face was covered by Varian could feel the deadpan expression underneath it.

Alex was taken aback by the response. "Seriously? What do you mean 'seriously?'"

"You're going to attack me with a dummy sword?"

"Hey, these things can still hurt someone, you know!" Alex retorted before shaking his head. "Never mind that who are you?! You're not from the village, and no one from the Capitol's crazy enough to be all the way out here!"

"I wouldn't think anyone from the village would be out here, either." She replied without missing a beat.

Before Alex could fire anything back, Varian suddenly sneezed, startling them both. Then thunder and lightning cracked, nearly scaring the kids into falling over themselves.

The trio stood silent for a few seconds before the female sputtered a giggle that evolved into a full-blown laughing fit. Soon the boys were laughing along with her as well. None of them knew what was so funny, but the spontaneous laughter caused the tension to bleed out of the room. Once they calmed down, they looked at each other and smiled. If they were gonna be stuck here, at least they had company.

"Name's Alexander Christian," Alex said, pointing to himself. "But everyone just calls me Alex."

"And I'm Katrina Davidsen." The girl introduced herself, pulling back her hood.

Katrina was a young girl with pale skin, long blond hair, and heterochromatic eyes. Her left eye was a golden amber, while her right was a bright red.

"Varian Ruddiger." The other boy nodded in greeting.

Another crash of thunder reminded them of the situation, causing them to tense up.

"Let's see if we can get a fire going," Alex suggested as they all glanced at the ceiling.

"May as well get comfortable," Katrina added. "There's no way any of us will make it home in that rain."

Varian only nodded in agreement, not saying a word.

By some miracle, there was some firewood that was still good to burn, so they soon had a decent fire going. Varian and Katrina were by the fireplace, with the latter's cloak hung up to dry, while Alex shook the dust out of some blankets in another room.

Katrina's outfit under the cloak consisted of a hand-sewn pink sweater with white star designs on the chest and shoulders, a blue skirt, and brown shoes. She has also been carrying a basket of wild herbs she had picked for her grandmother.

Turns out, Katrina lived with her grandmother and older sister in the Melodieux Forest, the woods around Old Corona. Katrina knew she wouldn't make it home when the storm came, so she went to the cottage, knowing it was closer and empty.

Once Alex was done, he returned to find the other two had fallen asleep by the fireplace. Smiling, he set the blankets down and draped two over Varian and Katrina. He then took the last throw and settled on the window seat to watch the fire and the rain.

Alex looked at the others, noting that Varian looked smaller without his science gear. He thought he saw the weird stripe in Varian's hair glow, but when he blinked, it was gone.

He shrugged and looked out the window. Given the time, they would have to spend the night. Since he was part of the reason one of them was here, the least he could do was keep watch to ensure they were safe.

"Good night, you two." He whispered before focusing on the world outside.

None of them realized it at the time, but this meeting would be the beginning of a life-long friendship.

(Timeskip)

Years passed since then, and before anyone knew it, Varian, Katrina, and Alex were twelve. After their night in Gothel's cottage, the three started to hang out together and became close friends.

They knew everything about each other. Their home lives, families, hopes, and dreams.

Varian was the son of Old Corona's Mayor, Quirin Ruddiger. He had a passion for the art of alchemy, something he inherited from his mother, Ulla, who had disappeared on an alchemy-based journey three years before they met. Varian was also an inventor, always making things to try and help his village… which didn't always work. Things between Varian and his dad weren't always the best, especially when one of Varian's experiments blew up and caused damage, but he had Alex and Katrina to turn to when he needed it.

As mentioned, Katrina lived in the woods with her grandmother, Naohm, who they called Gran, and her older sister, Virginia, who was almost always called Ginny. Her father, Rasmus, was killed when she was little, and her mother, Elisabeth, had also gone on a journey and never returned. Her older sister was the primary provider for the family, being a seamstress apprentice and working at a flower shop. To the boys' surprise, Katrina was a real witch, able to cast spells and make potions. Varian and Alex were the only ones who knew of her abilities and would help her with some of her spellwork when they had the time. She even introduced them to some other witches she knew. Her main passion was astrology, studying the stars and constellations. Since she was often up most of the night, the boys tended to not see her until sometime in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Alex was a farm boy interested in being a member of the Royal Guard. His father, Lucas, was the second-in-command of the village. Whenever Quirin had to go to the city, he would leave Mr. Christian in charge of the town while he was gone. Alex's mother, Wanda, was a dutiful farmer's wife. Alex was one of the popular kids in town but hadn't hung out with the other kids since that night at the cottage. After one of them made fun of Katrina, he cut off ties with those kids and played with Varian and Katrina only, much to his parent's chagrin. Since Alex dreamed of joining the guard, he usually spent his free time practicing his swordsmanship and fighting skills. He even taught Varian archery (mostly because Quirin didn't want Varian to try sword-fighting).

"I still can't believe you got kicked out of school," Alex said as he observed Varian pour an alchemy solution into a glass ball that would create an alchemy bomb, a weapon that was easy to carry and easy to use. Katrina was standing next to him in case he needed an extra hand. "That mess wasn't even your fault."

Alex was taller than he was when they were eight. His red hair reached just past his chin, and he was dressed in a green shirt similar to Varian's shirt, black gardener's gloves, russet brown pants with suspenders, and black boots.

"It doesn't matter," Varian responded, putting a cork in the glass.

"You didn't need that school anyway," Katrina said reassuringly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're already smarter than most of the adults here anyway."

Katrina's hair was shorter than before, reaching to her mid-neck. She wore a pink short-sleeve shirt under a black and white dress and black shoes.

"Thanks, Katrina," The alchemist smiled a little before wrapping up his work and cleaning things up. "Xavier, the blacksmith, offered to tutor me personally. Besides, we're almost done with school anyway."

"I still say it's wrong," Alex stressed, unwilling to let the matter go.

"Just forget it, Alex," Varian insisted, turning off the burner, knowing they weren't getting anywhere with the matter. "I need to get started on dinner anyway. You guys wanna stay?"

"Okay." Katrina nodded. "I'll help you get started."

All three turned when they heard the door to the lab open, seeing Mr. Quirin walk in. "Oh, Katrina. Alex."

"Hi, Mr. Quirin." Katrina smiled.

"Sir." Alex nodded in greeting.

"Hey, Dad, can the guys stay for dinner?" Varian asked.

"I suppose so," Quirin said after a minute. "As long as their families are okay with it. Alex, can you come and help me with the cow?"

"Yes, sir." The redhead nodded before moving past him up the stairs, the other two following him.

Varian stopped to hug his dad, who smiled down at him.

After the kids left, Quirin's smile dropped as he sighed tiredly. He looked at his son's lab, formerly his wife's, where the kids had been most of the day.

He had heard about what happened at the schoolhouse and the aftermath of Varian being expelled, and Alex got into a fistfight with a couple of other boys. Quirin wasn't sure if the teacher's account was the most accurate since he had heard Alex ranting to the other two about how the man was "targeting" Varian, whatever that entailed. Plus, it wouldn't explain why Alex would get into a fight.

Quirin sighed again as he ran his hand down his face. This was one of those times he wished Ulla was still here. She would know what to do.

(Timeskip 2)

Varian woke up on the morning of his fourteenth birthday. He stretched before he grabbed his clean clothes and headed for the bathroom.

"Dad?" He called, receiving no answer as he exited his tower bedroom. "Must be out in the fields already…."

This wasn't uncommon. Varian and Quirin didn't celebrate the former's birthday ever since he was four… when they learned his mother was gone. They treated it just like any other day.

Sighing, Varian continued to the washroom. When he reached the kitchen, he stopped short at what he saw.

Katrina was in his kitchen, cooking something that smelled good on the stove. She turned to him with a smile like it wasn't weird she was cooking in someone else's kitchen.

Despite all three of them being the same age, Katrina looked younger than they did. She was now the shortest of the group with a rectangle body build and flat-chested. Katrina had big round eyes, chubby rosy cheeks, a small button nose, and pale skin. Her hair was long again, reaching her upper back, but now she styled her bangs to cover her red eye (Over the years, she had gotten more self-conscious about people seeing it). She was dressed in a cobalt blue and pale pink dress that stopped just below her knees with elbow-length sleeves and a matching checkerboard apron around her waist. She had flat black shoes and a pink ribbon in her hair.

"Morning, Varian," She greeted him. "Happy birthday!"

"Uh, hey, Katrina," Varian blinked. "Not to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

"Cooking." She replied like it was apparent.

"No, I got that. I mean, why are you at my place this early?"

"Well, today's your birthday, so Alex and I planned something special for you," Katrina explained, returning to check on the food. "First, we're gonna have some breakfast together. It'll mainly be you and me since Alex ate with his family. Maybe your dad if he shows up. After that, I thought you and I could hang out and do some alchemy until Alex gets here. Then, we're gonna spend the day in the city, get some food, you pick out a present, Alex's offering to pay–."

"Uh, you guys remember I don't celebrate my birthday, right?" Varian reminded her.

"I know, but…." Katrina sighed, giving Varian a sad yet kind smile. "It's been ten years since that day, so in a way, this birthday is kind of a milestone. So, we wanted to make your day a little special. I mean, we already do that, but we wanted to make it extra special this time. Maybe even convince you to start celebrating again…."

She wasn't wrong. They usually did something for Varian on his birthday, something small that made the day a little happier. Katrina would make cupcakes, and Alex would do whatever Varian wanted to without complaint. (He supported Varian's alchemy, but he got bored quickly when Varian got invested in a project)

Even so, this was different. The guys were practically planning a whole day for him.

"Believe me, Varian, I know how painful it is to lose someone you love, especially when you don't know what happened to them. But, while I didn't know your mom, I personally believe she wouldn't want you to spend your birthdays grieving over her. She would want you to be happy."

Touched, Varian wiped his eyes as they started getting misty before smiling at his best friend. He knew she was right. Maybe it was time to move forward.

"Thanks, Kat."

The teen witch smiled back before speaking again. "Now, I've prepared a warm bath for you– sorry if that sounds creepy– The food should be done soon, so don't take too long, okay?"

"Okay." Varian nodded, then headed for the washroom.

Katrina sighed, watching him go. She was worried Varian wouldn't have wanted them to do this. It was nice to see him smile on his birthday for a change.

After Varian washed up and got dressed, he rejoined Katrina in the kitchen. The blond was using her magic to set the table. Items were surrounded in a light turquoise aura as they levitated to their spots before vanishing.

"I'm done!"

"Great!" Katrina chirped, wrapping up her work. "Let's eat. We'll go to the city to pick out your birthday present once Alex gets here!"

He beamed at her and sat down eagerly as the two started eating.

A few minutes later, Quirin came in from the fields. Like Varian, Quirin was also surprised to see Katrina there so early.

"Katrina, hello," He greeted her kindly. "What brings you here so early?"

"Oh, just wanted to see Varian," Katrina waved off. "We have plans to hang out with Alex today, and we'll probably go over to my place."

They kept their plans vague because they knew Mr. Quirin wouldn't let them go into the city alone if he knew. He was… a little overprotective of Varian, to put it lightly.

"I see…" Quirin said after some hesitation.

Varian had to fight an eye roll at his dad's response. He knew his dad wasn't too happy about his friendship with Katrina. He didn't hate her, but her magic made him nervous for some reason, especially when he was at her place in the woods for several hours.

It was one of the many things his dad wouldn't give a straight answer on. Even so, his father may have a lot of weird rules in place, but Varian drew the line at letting them dictate who he was friends with.

"I made plenty of pancakes if you want some, Mr. Quirin," Katrina said, trying to distract him.

"Ah, thank you." The village leader said before getting some food.

The three of them ate in relative silence, which may or may not have felt awkward. Once done, Katrina and Varian cleaned up while Quirin returned to the fields. When the kids were finished, they hung out in Varian's lab before Alex showed up.

"Sorry, I'm late," The redhead said when he arrived. "Figured I go clean up a little before heading into town."

If Katrina looked younger than the boys, Alex looked older than the other two. He was tall for his age with a toned, athletic build from farmwork and battle training. His auburn hair was kept short in a military-style cut, and he had sunkissed skin from being outside often. Typically, Alex wore a hunter-green pull-on shirt, black pants, suspenders, and gardening gloves, but right now, he was wearing a hunter-green short-sleeve tunic over a long-sleeve burgundy shirt, navy blue pants, and black boots.

"You're just in time," Katrina responded. "Mr. Quirin just headed out to the fields, and as far as he knows, we're gonna be at my place all day."

"Okay," He smiled before turning to Varian. "Is there anything in particular you want?"

"Uhm… I'm not sure." Varian admitted, thoughtful, before grinning. "I mean, I'm already pretty happy!"

"You know Varian. 'I'll know it when I see it,' right?" Katrina smiled at him fondly, and Varian chuckled.

"Yeah, pretty much." He nodded.

"Well, then," The witch held out her hands. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Varian cheered, taking one hand while Alex took the other.

Once they did, Katrina summoned her power, and the trio disappeared in a flash of magic.

(The Capitol of Corona)

It wasn't often that the friends got to go on outings to the city, much less by themselves. More often than not, Varian's dad, Alex's dad, and/or Katrina's grandmother/older sister went with them.

Even so, Varian was having fun with his birthday for once. Especially since his friends let him stop at Xavier's to pick up more alchemy supplies since his dad wasn't around to stop him.

His interest in alchemy was a… significant source of tension between Varian and his father. It was something they fought about sometimes.

"Sometimes" being "every time Varian caused trouble with his inexperienced alchemy skills…" which happened more often than he'd like to admit.

And by "fighting," he meant "Quirin would give a disappointed sigh and ignore Varian until the mess was cleaned up, then give him a lecture and grounding."

It wasn't always his fault. His last solution would've worked great if he hadn't gotten pushed by that kid and spilled most of the beaker. He was good at his alchemy as long as things went as planned.

"Anything else you want, Varian? Maybe a new book?" Katrina asked as they left Xavier's blacksmith forge. Alex was carrying a small crate of alchemy supplies Varian wanted.

(Alex had to remind them not to completely break his bank. He had his eye on a few daggers, and he still needed money for that.)

"Sure!" He nodded.

The trio started walking to the bookstore, but Varian stopped and looked up at the mural in the town square. Katrina and Alex stood beside him, and the magic user gently squeezed his shoulder.

"They still haven't found her, huh?"

"No." She shook her head. "She'll be eighteen this year. Can you believe it?"

"I still think she's being held someplace close by," Alex speculated. "There's no way someone could've gotten too far with a baby on foot."

"Do you think she's okay?" Varian looked between them.

"Like Gran says, we can only hope. Come on, Var, let's not think about this today." Katrina took his hand and led him to the bookshop, Alex following them. "Let's focus on your special day."

The alchemist nodded as they continued on their way.

He picked out the latest Flynnigan Rider book since he hadn't gotten it yet, and an encyclopedia and atlas, which Katrina put into a basket she'd brought with her. Then they walked down the street towards Monty's Sweet Shoppe and got something sweet to eat by the fountain while they took a break.

As they sat silently, Varian's mind returned to the Lost Princess as he looked at his lollipop thoughtfully. "Hey, Katrina, uhm, do you think you and Gran could use your… you-know-what to find her?"

"If we could, we would've found her by now." She shook her head. "Gran tried after it happened, but even with the lock of hair left behind, it didn't work. I tried when I was old enough to learn the spell and got nothing. Something stronger than both of us is blocking the locator spell."

"Maybe we can get the wolf pack in Ingram Forest to help us out," Alex suggested, half-joking.

The other two laughed before quieting again, enjoying each other's company.

"We'll find her someday," Katrina said, looking at the clouds passing by. "Whoever took her can't keep her forever."

"If she's still in the kingdom, the lanterns must have gotten her attention by now," Alex added.

Varian nodded with a broad smile, then looked thoughtful. "Where do the lanterns go, anyway?"

The redhead shrugged. "Who knows? No one's ever followed them."

Varian chuckled. "Well, maybe this year will be the year she comes home!"

Katrina smiled as well before standing up. "Well, if we're done with our snacks, how about we get some real food?"

"Sounds good!" Varian smiled as the friends started on their way again.

They walked together to a café and got some food and drinks. They smiled, laughed, and all-in-all had a great day.

This was Varian's first happy birthday since losing his mom, and he hoped his friends would be there to have more happy ones with him in the future.

(Timeskip 3)

It was time for the lantern festival a month and a half later. The lantern festival, as it did every year, celebrated the Lost Princess's birthday.

In Old Corona, all the farmers worked until noon and then took the rest of the day off. Then, for anyone who wanted to attend the festival, some of the men hitched up carts to bring people to the city.

Varian, Katrina, and Alex were going to ride with Quirin to the Capitol while Mr. Christian took some of the other kids to the festival in his cart. Usually, the trio would ride with Gran, but she had told Katrina the other day that she wouldn't be able to this year and Ginny would stay with her.

The friends piled into the cart and set off for the city, Varian chatting the entire time.

"And I heard a rumor that Flynn Rider was seen here yesterday, and I thought it'd be cool to meet him, wouldn't it? So, I went out looking before it got dark, but I didn't see him." He sighed. "I guess you can't trust the rumor mill."

"Probably for the best," Katrina said. "You could've ended up trampled by the Royal Guard."

Quirin sighed. He wanted to tell his son not to idolize a criminal, but he had been the one to get him interested in "Flynn Rider" to begin with, hoping it would get him into swords instead of alchemy. Just his luck that his son was interested in one and decided to take up a bow instead.

He glanced at his teenage son and friends, specifically the redheaded male. He wasn't sure why Alex was riding with them instead of his father, but given how he ignored his father earlier, he could take a guess.

It wasn't a secret that the young man and his parents had disagreements about the… company he kept. Hopefully, the festival will help them calm down and relax.

(At the Capitol)

"Come on, come on!" Varian said excitedly as he hopped down from the cart.

His friends got down with him, and his father parked by the other guarded carts before joining Wanda and Lucas in the town square as they saw Katherine and the other kids off.

Lucas was a tall and well-built man, though less built than Quirin. He has short brown hair with gray streaks and brown eyes, similar to his son. He was dressed in a brown shirt with black pants and farming boots.

Wanda was a beautiful red-haired woman with long hair and blue eyes. She wore a pale green dress with a white apron, black shoes, and a white bandana around her hair.

"So full of energy," Wanda said when he joined them, watching Varian, Katrina, and Alex join the other kids in putting down gifts for the Lost Princess.

Varian's contribution was a hand-carved and painted doll of the baby he'd made. Alex gifted a jewelry box while Katrina gave a set of paper and writing quills. Then they went to do something else with the kids.

"Ah, Quirin." Xavier walked up to him. "I see that Varian is as full of youthful energy as always."

"He's as energetic as a toddler." Quirin sighed. "Drives you crazy trying to keep up with him, and then you find him sleeping somewhere when his energy runs out."

Xavier chuckled as Alex's parents wandered off to have some alone time.

The three friends spent the day going from activity to activity, together or alone. They made lanterns, Varian did some chalk drawing on his own, the group painted little boats, said a prayer at the Princess's mural, and then Varian and Katrina joined the group dance while Alex watched from the sidelines.

Through most of the events, Varian kept catching sight of a girl with really long blond hair with a familiar-looking older man. He didn't get much chance to look closer because they were there and gone before he could.

"To the boats!" Someone called once the music stopped.

"Alex's getting the lanterns." Katrina smiled. "Let's meet him at the docks."

"Okay."

The trio met up at their boat and climbed in.

"Huh. Why's Max out here?" Alex wondered as they left the docks, noticing the guard horse.

"And where'd he get the apples?" Katrina mused.

Varian shrugged, not paying the horse any attention, focusing on lighting the lanterns they'd made as Alex rowed them out. Then they watched as the King and Queen released the first lantern and raised theirs to the sky to catch on the wind and lift off.

"Let's hope it works this time," Katrina said softly.

Varian looked up at the lanterns, and the friends watched as they drifted toward the sky. Despite the sadness behind the custom, the lanterns were always a beautiful sight.

As he lay on his back to watch them fly away, he thought about what they had discussed on his birthday not too long ago. Where do the lanterns go after they leave Corona? What's the world beyond these walls like? And is the Princess still in Corona, as Alex suspected, or far away in a distant land?

Coming to a decision, he sat up and looked at his friends. "Hey, guys?"

They looked at him curiously.

"Outcast Pact."

"Ohhh, this is something serious," Alex noted, a mischievous smile appearing.

The Outcast Pact was something the trio made up when they were eight. It was a group promise, one they took seriously.

"What is it, Varian?" Katrina questioned.

"If the Princess isn't back by the time we turn eighteen, why don't we look for her ourselves?" Varian suggested.

"You serious?" Alex said, eyes wide.

"Yes. We have skills, and we'll only get better by then. Plus, we have our own theories about where she could be, so why don't we do our own searching?"

"I'd be up for that." The redhead male nodded, more excited about the idea than he was showing.

"Are you sure our families would even let us go?" Katrina asked. "I mean, I know Gran would be perfectly fine with it, but Ginny would be hesitant. Not to mention your guys' parents…."

She didn't need to finish that sentence. They knew how Quirin and Alex's parents would react, especially Lucas.

"That's why we'll go when we're eighteen," Varian explained. "We'll be legal adults by then, so they can't stop us."

"He's got a point, Kat." Alex agreed.

"But what if the Princess comes back before we're eighteen?"

"We could still go traveling, if only for the sake of getting out and seeing the world," Varian suggested, looking at the lanterns as they soar. "All we've ever known is our village and the Capitol, and if my dad has his way, it'll be all I know. I wanna see where the lanterns go. I wanna see what the Seven Kingdoms and beyond look like, and most of all…."

He looked back at his friends. "I wanna have my best friends there with me."

Katrina and Alex smiled, knowing how sincere Varian could be when he said what he felt.

"Well," Alex said after a minute. "You already know my answer, V. What about you, Kat?"

Katrina nodded. "Let's do this."

"Alright," Varian smiled, sticking out both of his hands.

The other two did the same, stacking their hands to seal the pact.

"That settles that," Alex said as they pulled their hands.

"We'll make better plans when it gets closer to our deadline," Varian said. They returned to watching the lanterns until almost all of them were gone. "Well, it's time to go back."

"Anchors away." Alex joked.

The others laughed as they rowed back to the dock, ready to call it a night. None would know about the drama taking place at that very moment until the next day.

And that's the end of chapter one. Next on the list is Starlight. I know it's still up, but I've made some changes.