Summary: Past. Present. Future. Rapunzels' parents won't rule forever. Soon it will be her turn to face the burden of the crown. Cass has been back for a while and so has Varian after he finished his studies of alchemy around the 7 Kingdoms. Also, Eugene is as handsome as always.
The blue sky was filled with sunshine and it couldn't have been a better day. Varian hummed satisfied. Down in the dark of the royal laboratory chemicals shimmered happily in glowing vials. His latest experiment was a complete success. Proud of his progress he pushed his goggles up and stretched his stiff shoulders. It was time for a break. With a skip in his step, he made his way upstairs. Maybe a short visit to the kitchen was in order to celebrate. If he was lucky a cupcake or two were still waiting.
"Congratulation everyone! You all did splendid!" Varian heard Rapunzel's cheer while passing the throne room. The entrance stood wide open. Curiously he poked his head through the huge doorway. It seemed like some sort of event was in full swing. A small crowd had gathered and the halls were filled with lively chatter.
The princess was about to say something else when their eyes met. Instantly she smiled.
"Varian!" Her voice fell over with excitement. " Come in! You're right on time." She hopped from a little platform to drag him to her side. Seeing her enthusiasm Varian felt laughter bubbling up.
"What's going on?" He asked bemused.
"This," she pointed with a wide grin to the colorfully decorated podium "Is Coronas first Consulting-Contest!"
Cassandra, Eugene, and Nigel seemed to be the last man standing. Also somehow Shorty had made it into the mix.
"You're lucky, we are just about to start the last round. Wanna join?"
"Uhm, I don't know. I probably shouldn't …" Varian sounded a tad conflicted.
"C'mon! It's gonna be fun," she insisted eagerly. A thought flashed up in her head and her eyes were shining mischievously. "It's like a riddle."
The alchemist's interest was peaked.
"Well, I suppose I have a little time to spare," he winked, well aware of what she was doing. But he couldn't say no to her anyway. Infected by the princess's high spirit the corners of his mouth rose and he let her pull him on stage.
Eugene and Cassie didn't seem to mind and Shorty was blissfully toying with his fingers.
"Not fair," Angry and Lance simultaneously complained. Both didn't make the final cut and were reduced to simple onlookers. However, there was no heat behind their words. Just for the heck of it, Varian stuck his tongue out. At least now nobody would win.
In the sea of people, he saw Catalina waving her hand in greeting. He smiled in return and she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
"And here he gets special treatment yet again. Who would have thought?" Nigel remarked icy, crossing his arms displeased over his chest.
Rapunzel rolled her eyes in annoyance. There was nothing new with Nigel giving Varian a hard time. He never really overcame the resentment he harbored for the young man. Albeit lately his passive-aggressive attitude got significantly worse.
"Don't sweat it, kid. Whispers say the winner is gonna be the next royal adviser. So all his feathers are pretty much ruffled to the max," Eugene semi-helpfully explained.
"If it's -," Varian started.
"Guys, guys, calm down!" Rapunzel interrupted. "Varian had work to do earlier so he couldn't be here. No more delays, let's begin! Here comes the last question."
She felt the weight of Varian's attention resting on her. He watched her every move, analyzed every word. It was like a switch had been flipped and now he was on.
"So, uhm, hypothetically..."
"Hypothetically?" The alchemist raised an eyebrow, idle curiosity in his voice.
"Purely hypothetically."
Varian just stared at her skeptically, but Rapunzel was not to be deterred.
"There is a kingdom - not Corona! - and rumor has it, the neighboring kingdom is about to attack. The enemy has an army of, uhm, 3000 men, the kingdoms own is 5000 strong. There are 2 possible points the invasion could land. What's your advice in this situation?" She asked the tiny group.
"Attack," Cass answered impulsively.
Nigel sighed like he had to deal with a particularly slow kid. "Split your army to guard the 2 entries."
"Maybe just talk it out?" Eugene offered.
A loud snore came from the corner. Shorty had fallen asleep, thumb in his mouth, and blissfully ignorant to his surroundings.
Rapunzel looked expectant at Variant.
"It's quite the loaded question," he laughed at her none existing poker-face. "May I have some time to think about it?"
"Lives are at stake. Every minute counts," the future queen urged.
"Even more reason not to blindly rush into it." Varian kept his cool.
Rapunzel thought a moment about his request before her lips curved upwards.
"Very well."
"Your highness, you can't be serious he -"
"Enough Nigel! It's getting rather late anyway. Let's meet up tomorrow for Consulting-Contest part 2."
.
.
.
The team was back on stage, however this time it felt more private.
"What's your verdict, Varian?" The future Queen of Corona demanded beneath a mask of delight and curiosity. Obviously, she was more than interested in what the alchemist had to say.
"All above, this was nothing like a riddle," Varian cleared his throat. "Anyway, I have to agree with Eugene. Communication would also be my choice of action."
"Well that was anticlimactic," Cassandra muttered.
Though, Varian wasn't finished. "A kingdom usually has more than one neighbor. So an outright war would most likely aggravate the others and possibly force their hands towards, uhm, more radical measures - aka not an option. Splitting the army is equally stupid." He gracefully ignored the miffed huff to his left. "It unnecessarily reduces its strength and when push comes to shove the numbers would not be favorable. Besides, what greater offense than soldiers camping at your borders is there? You're basically asking for trouble."
"Buzz-kill," it snickered in the audience.
"Best course of action is to check if there is anything to the rumor in the first place. Go visit them, do politics, maybe even become friends." Subtle he nodded at Rapunzel, fully knowing that she would like nothing better than to get chummy with basically the whole world if it were up to her. "Most importantly, make them feel safe. Boost their confidence. Let them be a part of the kingdom. People often fear what they don't understand. You could include them in the economy. A little leeway with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade might be in order."
Rapunzel smiled proudly at the pacifistic approach Varian provided.
"Leaving the borders unprotected means the nearby villagers will be slaughtered when they attack," Nigel made his point.
"If they attack. A big army marches slow and word travels fast. We could meet them halfway and give order to evacuate if necessary."
"We are talking about hundreds of innocent lives lost before we'd even notice."
"And if you provoke a war it will be way above thousands." Varian sighed. "Listen, I am not asking to sacrifice anyone like lambs brought to the slaughter. Just be honest with your people. Tell them about the rumor and that you're working on a peaceful solution, so the villagers can make an informed choice to stay or leave."
Nigel glared at the young alchemist, but Varian wasn't backing down. The air was so thick it scratched unsettlingly at the silence. Both had said their piece, still, something was brewing between them.
"Ergo I win!" Eugene intervened loudly with a butt-load of boisterous charm and a huge fake grin on his face.
Varian rolled his eyes at his attempt to lighten the mood and the world returned to normal.
.
.
.
The sun was setting when she heard a soft knock on the door of her chambers.
"Your highness."
"Nigel?" Rapunzel was confused to see him but nevertheless invited the man in.
"Is everything all right?" He looked tense and rather upset.
"Please listen, I must insist not to put your trust into the likes of him," he started without a warning. "As Queen of Corona, it is your duty to protect your subjects."
"Huh?"
"Don't you see? You let him already weasel his way back into the castle, don't allow him inside your head too."
"Are you talking about Varian?" She asked in disbelief.
"He is dangerous! Dangerous and selfish. He fools with magic far beyond his comprehension."
"Alchemy," Rapunzel corrected him automatically while trying to process what in the world was going on. Where was this coming from?
"Who knows what he is scheming? The kingdom could be -,"
"This is absurd." As soon as she got the gist of it, the princess tried to interrupt the paranoid rant. "Varian has proven himself time and time again."
"With all due respect, he is as sly and cunning as they come. He manipulates you. Everyone, in fact."
"Stop, this isn't…," still ambushed by Nigel's outburst her words lacked their usual confidence, sounding weak even to her own ears.
"He twists and turns reality just how it suits him. Make any excuse you want, but don't you dare think he does anything out of the goodness of his heart," he carried on with his tantrum. "For him, there is always something to gain, always something he's after. The needs of Corona will never come before his own."
Liar! A part of her snarled defensive. Her own anger started to rise. Rapunzel did not take kindly to people who talked bad about her friends.
"Don't be fooled your highness, there is more to his words than meets the eye." Nigel's voice ebbed out with a desperation and sadness Rapunzel hadn't expected. Suddenly she could see the years wearing down on her mother's most trusted adviser.
The princess took a deep breath. Silently she prayed for lots of patience as she reminded herself over and over that his words came from a place of deep love and care for his country.
She had to handle the situation like a ruler - with respect and kindness, but firm when it mattered.
"It's okay Nigel, please calm down," Rapunzel put her hands on his shoulders to ground him and offer the stability he temporarily struggled to find. Capturing his gaze with her own, she lowered her voice. "I do hear you. And I will take your words into consideration. But I also need you to trust my decisions. Do you understand?"
Slowly it dawned on Nigel what he had done and how out of line he'd behaved around the future Queen of all people. This wasn't like him. He looked slightly abashed. "I am sorry, your highness. Yes. I didn't mean to…"
He was about to retreat, Rapunzel could tell, but this wasn't quite over. "Nigel, you can always come to me with anything," She prominently paused - a chance for him to speak up again. When nothing followed she added, "And thank you for sharing your thoughts."
"You're welcome." He gave her a court nod before the door finally closed behind him.
The princess sighed. Her mind begun to wander. Did she miss something? Initially, she wanted to dismiss Nigel's worries but Varian had also another side she couldn't quite deny. Doubts filled her and there was only one answer.
.
.
.
At last, the soft and fading light crossed the west-horizon. The night began. Long gone was the sun and the moon claimed its rightful place on heaven's throne. High above between a million sparkling stars the silver crescent smiled mysteriously.
Walking along gentle shadows, Rapunzel continued her way down the lonely staircase. Step by step it took her further into the dim cellar. The air felt moist and stiff, not disturbed in centuries - which was absurd because Varian was a constant resident. Maybe by now, he had become part of the hidden tunnels and chambers just like the velvet darkness surrounding her.
A green glow framed the ancient entrance. Swallowing the tight lump in her throat, she didn't hesitate and opened its wings. Rapunzel wanted answers. Defeat was not an option.
The cracking of wood and the careful sounds of fabric shifting were the only indicator of her arrival. As expected Varian was still lost with his current obsession.
Ruddiger raised his head at the intruder but otherwise didn't budge from the worn purple pillow he had declared his own. Reassured by the steady rhythm of Varian's metallic lullaby, he yawned and returned to the lands of dreams and slumber. The young engineer was completely in his element, and the content and relaxed atmosphere gradually lulled her in as well. Not willing to disturb the peace just yet, she watched on as Varian tinkered with his invention. The scene was surprisingly soothing for her tense nerves. There was something honest, almost childlike about him with his focus solemnly reserved for the machinery in front of him. His clever fingers never wavered, never stopped the effortless dance of handling the fragile instruments, both with care and confidence. She held her breath, afraid to break the spell, and the alchemist simply continued tuning the screws until she was ready to talk. He could wait.
"Still busy with the fire detector thingy?" Rapunzel chose a safe topic to start. It was a rather neat idea of him, considering that one of his chemical solutions had almost burned down the castle last week. Nobody had been hurt and she didn't think it was that big of a deal. After all, where wood is chopped, splinters fall, but Varian took it extremely personal.
"Um actually, it detects smoke not fire," he replied without missing a beat.
His back was still facing her. Not in the slightest concerned about the future Queen's late-night-visit, he kept his gaze glued to the task at hand.
"Ah… How does it work?"
Rapunzel was stalling - the two of them were well aware, though, Varian didn't seem to mind. Happily, he rambled about the finer details of the device, getting wrapped up into the aspects of its inner workings and so on.
"Why?" She finally asked.
Varian raised a brow, implying that she had to be a tad more specific.
"There was more to your answer wasn't it?" She folded her arms.
Varian smirked sheepishly as he caught up to her train of thoughts. "Well, some very interesting minerals are locked up behind those borders. If the trade-agreements were to be loosened I would have had a lot more toys to play with."
In thick waves, disappointment radiated from the princess. Was she really trying to guilt-trip him over something as trivial as this?
"Oh, don't look at me like that," Slightly annoyed the alchemist sighed. He put his tools down and finally turned around. "Your highness, good advice always comes at a cost and my motives don't make my reasoning any less true."
He got to be kidding. "It doesn't make it less true," she agreed. "But that doesn't mean it makes it right either. Varian, I can't - I don't wanna wonder what's in it for you whenever we talk. Aren't we past this?" Rapunzel countered unsatisfied. "If you needed more resources you could have told me." The princess looked sad and angry at the same time.
"I don't need anything from you," he snapped irritated. Crap, this sounded harsher than intended. Great now Varian did feel guilty. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I have everything I could ask for. It just seemed like a good opportunity, that's all." His stomach squirmed. "I didn't mean to upset you. I am sorry. If I require help I will come to you. Always."
"I believe you," she said with her eyes kept on the ground.
Varian studied her closely before speaking again. "Rapunzel," he called gently, and to his relief, she did raise her gaze at the mention of her name. "Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer… even though sometimes we wish we didn't. Why are you here?"
Silence filled the air, as his words spun and swirled around her. She paused to let their meaning sink in. Why was she truly here? It pulled and bit at her conscience and she thought about the worries that had steered her into his direction. Slowly it dawned on her.
"We don't fit," she whispered in a devastating realization. "Nigel and I."
Varian snorted. "Tell me about it. He is still grumpy with me because I enslaved the kingdom. Legitimately not my finest moment but I mean come on, I was what? 15? And I only did it once. Just get over it!"
Raps snickered at how ridiculous it all still sounded even after this many years.
"It's just, neither father nor mother ever had problems with this kind of stuff"
Varian snorted but let her finish.
".… reigning, royal-decision-making…it shouldn't be so hard." Rapunzel could still remember how all of her previous ordeals had ended in a complete and utter disaster and even though she got better she was far from ready. "Soon I will be responsible for a whole country. I have to pick the right person for the position of adviser or else - "
"Why?"
Now it was her turn to be confused.
"Why what?"
"Why only chose one?" Varian chuckled at her baffled expression. "If you are so torn about it why not elect a council? Certainly, it fits with your style of running the Kingdom," he shrugged. "Wisdom recognizes many truths, and it never hurts to take a page or two from different kinds of books." An early lesson he had not only learned from Xavier, but was also reaffirmed by his own journey. "It doesn't have to be one or the other. Keep your options open. Who knows… Dare I say it might even be fun having some friends around during those dire meetings of yours." He waggled his eyebrows and looked nothing short of ridiculous.
Rapunzel was a little overwhelmed. At times she was truly blind. Why hadn't she thought of it? She already had everything she ever needed. A big smile emerged on her face as she imagined the wide array of new possibilities. What a wonderful idea!
"Varian, you are a genius!" Without a second thought, she rushed towards him, embracing her friend in a giant bear-hug.
"So, I guess you'll consider...," he exhaled as the oxygen was pressed out of his lungs. Oh man, how was the woman this strong?
"You know you do make a pretty good adviser even if you sound like a fortune cookie at times," the princess gushed.
"Oi!" Varian pouted. Her compliment made him smile nonetheless. "Alchemy comes first," he replied easily, feeling the déjà vu ripple through him.
"Why only chose one?" Rapunzel grinned like a Cheshire cat, fully recovered to her usual energetic, happy go lucky self.
"Touche." For the first time that day, Varian laughed genuinely and she just had to ruffle his hair.
The alchemist turned to continue his work and for a brief moment, Rapunzel thought that this was it, she had finally gotten the last word. In between the chaos of notes he searched for something else on his workbench. Ready to move on she was about to leave the royal laboratory behind when Varian's voice suddenly chimed up again.
"So how is Edmund doing?"
At the seemingly innocent question, Rapunzel stopped dead in her track, shock written all over her face. "How did you-"
"That part is quite simple. For you see I am not an idiot. Obviously, you put this whole charade together because you wanted Eugene's opinion on a matter you couldn't ask him directly - at least not without him worrying," the young inventor cut in. "He only has one touchy subject."
"Right, obviously," the princess repeated, voice dripping with sarcasm. Sometimes Varian was way too smart for his own good, Rapunzel thought.
"If you put one and one together it's rather easy."
Well, now he was just showing off.
"Besides your description fit perfectly."
"Um, yeah, there had been trouble in the dark kingdom. And I do feel bad for intentionally hiding the truth from him," she confessed while regaining her composure.
"You should - it means you're clearly doing something wrong." The pot called the kettle black.
There was a concerning casualness in his tone and she wondered if he was able to see past his own double-standards. After another second he teased sheepishly, "Also, you suck at lying."
"Gee. Thanks," Rapunzel grumbled. Not everyone could have it down to a T like him. Well, two could play this game! As his self-proclaimed big sister, she had to even the score. After all, it was her honorable duty to mess with him. Time for some good-intentioned revenge and a not so subtle change of topic.
"Now, you and Catalina…?" She asked sweetly. Her smile only stifled by sheer force of will, but the smug spark in her eyes betrayed her as usual. Of course, she'd noticed the alchemist's greatest weakness - gray fluffy animals.
Varian nearly dropped his screwdriver. "What?" He felt his face heat up as he glared at her and desperately hoped it wasn't turning red. It couldn't have been that apparent, or? Shaking his head in disbelieve he fumbled with his words. "We're not! We… she… uhm."
The princess just laughed as the supposedly greatest mind of the century failed to form coherent sentences.
Struggling to recover his cool, he playfully shot back, "Oh, low blow Punzy. You truly are your mother's daughter."
Rapunzel wasn't sure if it was an insult or a compliment, but his voice was filled with fondness so she continued laughing.