As promised, here's the third chapter of Phantom of Corona. I promise to stop changing the title now.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related Danny Phantom or Tangled. I only own this story idea.

The group went through an entrance at the back of the tower and walked up the stairs to a trapdoor. They climbed out, Rapunzel first, followed by Danny, Varian, Cassandra, and Eugene. Maximus came through and closed the trapdoor after him.

"Whoa…" Danny breathed as he looked around.

The main room of the tower was a mess. Almost everything was covered in a layer of dust, with various items on the floor and shards of broken glass from a mirror.

One of the main things that grabbed Danny's attention was the ropes of unknown material everywhere. If he didn't know better, he could've sworn it was hair. The second thing was when he glanced in the broken mirror and saw his reflection. Running through his hair was a snow-white streak that hadn't been there when he entered the portal.

"Wha…" Danny questioned, bringing a hand up to his head to lightly tug at the strand.

"Right…" Varian murmured behind him as he caught his breath. "Okay…"

Before he could explain anything, he gasped when Rapunzel suddenly smothered him in a bear hug.

"Thank goodness we were there!" She gently held his shoulders, looking at him anxiously. "Why didn't you mention the men attacking you?! That was just as important as Danny's safety!"

He shook his head. "No, I'm not half as important as Danny or the graphtyc."

"What do you–?" Danny started to ask before being caught off by his rumbling stomach, which was echoed by Varian's stomach.

"Oh! You're both probably hungry, huh?" After setting her cloak over a chair, Rapunzel went to the kitchen while the others looked around.

"Is this… hair?" Cassandra asked, nudging at the ropes on the ground.

"Uh–huh!" Rapunzel said, looking over something in the cupboards.

"Wait a minute, what?!" Danny looked at the hair in shock, following its trail around the room.

"Yeah, these are still good. Should be able to make something." Rapunzel murmured, not hearing his surprise.

"Maybe we shouldn't do any cooking," Cass cautioned. "We don't want anyone to see the smoke–"

"If that was a concern, I would have been rescued from here years ago." Rapunzel said flatly.

Varian's eyes widened, and he took a good look around. "Wait… this is that tower?"

"Uh-huh."

Danny's own eyes widened as well as the pieces fell into place. Her name sounded familiar, and now it was making sense. Rapunzel was the name of a princess with really long hair who was locked in a tower by an evil witch before being rescued by a prince.

But that was just an old fairy tale… right? Once again, Danny was wondering where the heck he was.

"Yeah!" Eugene chirped before leading Max around the tower. "This is where she hit me with a frying pan for the first time! Little known fact, the blow actually improved my hairline."

Danny stared at him before looking at Cass. "A frying pan?"

"He's not making that up," She confirmed. "I've seen her use it."

Off to the side, Varian was staring quietly at the floor, something that worried Danny. He didn't know Varian well but given how talkative he was with him before Rapunzel got there, this was concerning. Looking Cass, he could see she felt the same way.

Danny walked over to the alchemist. "Varian? You okay?"

Varian looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself, glancing away from him.

Seeing the conflict in his eyes, Danny placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to coax him to look him in the eye. "Varian?"

The teen looked up, meeting Danny's eyes. They were light blue like his own and held such an honest concern for someone he barely knew. Closing his eyes briefly, Varian bit his lip, feeling a familiar lump in his throat. Reacting on impulse, he surprised Danny by hugging him around the waist.

"I'm okay now…" He whispered, his voice breaking slightly despite his best efforts. "Now that I'm out of there…."

Danny looked at him with a sad, sympathetic look, before he returned the hug. Danny would admit that he wasn't really a physically affectionate person, but he could tell this was something Varian needed.

The others looked at the teens when Varian's voice caught. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cass watched them with the same concern Danny felt. This wasn't the Varian they had come to know… and part of them said it was their fault for not coming sooner.

Cass walked over to the boys, crouching down to look him in the eye.

"Varian?" She spoke, getting the alchemist's attention. "How long have those men been in Old Corona?"

Varian took a deep breath as he pulled away from Danny. "Since a week after the storm. A week after the rumors started."

"Rumors? What rumors?" Rapunzel asked, confused.

"A lot of them, really, but the main one that upset people was that I attacked you the night I came to the castle to find you." Varian frowned, eyes widening a fraction when he realized something. "You didn't know?"

"No." Rapunzel shook her head before looking at the others. "Eugene? Cass? Did you know about this?"

They both shook their heads. This was news to them, too. Pascal and Max looked as confused and concerned as she did. Owl had his head tilted in a confused manner as Ruddiger patted Varian's cheek soothingly.

"Did they hurt you?" Danny asked, remembering how scared he was earlier.

"No… not often, at least." He mumbled. "My injuries have all healed."

"How often did that happen?" Eugene asked.

"They honestly don't. If I'm not trying to run away or approach the Princess, they usually leave me alone and just watch. They started breaking into my house after I found the graphtyc."

"'Run away?'" Danny frowned.

"The King wanted me kept in town, for whatever reason."

"What?!" Eugene and Cass's eyes widened.

"My father?!" Rapunzel gasped.

Varian nodded, rubbing at his eyes. "'By order of the King,' they said. Whoever those men are, they work for the King."

Rapunzel was shocked, horrified by what she just heard, but she needed to be a leader. Taking a shaky breath, she said, "Okay, don't worry, Varian. I'm going to get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, we need to find a place for you to stay where you're safe."

"Is there anywhere else you could stay?" Danny asked. "Anyone you could lay low with?"

Varian sighed. "No where the King wouldn't be able to find me. Plus, no would help me before, no one's gonna help me now with the rumors."

"Well, for tonight, you can stay here and we'll figure out something more concrete in the morning," Rapunzel before heading back to the kitchen area to focus on dinner. "Cass, can you go get us some water from below?"

"On it," Cassandra said, heading for the trap door.

With the girls either distracted or out, Eugene wanted to talk to Varian about something he had been wondering about since they left Old Corona.

"Hey, White Stripe? Could you give Goggles and me a moment, please?" He asked Danny.

The newcomer hesitated before looking at Varian. The shorter teen nodded that it was okay, so he headed for the kitchen to see if Rapunzel needed a hand.

Once he was semi-gone, Eugene lead Varian over to a couple of chairs for them to sit down. Eugene then looked Varian in the eye with an earnest, concerned expression. "Kid, I'm gonna ask you pretty heavy question and you don't have to answer it if you don't want to…"

Varian nodded, having a feeling about what he was going to ask.

"Do you know where your dad is? I may not know him well but I know for sure that he wouldn't be letting this happen. King, friend, or not."

The younger man looked down at his lap, his bangs obscuring his face and hiding the tears that were starting to form.

"It was… all my fault," Varian said numbly, guilt and sadness making it hard to talk. "If I has just listened to him…"

He clenched his fists in a vain attempt to keep from sobbing as his shoulders shook. Ruddiger stroked his cheek with his paw soothingly, and Eugene took one of his trembling hands in his.

"What happened, kid?" The older man asked gently.

"I was trying to find out how to get rid of the rocks and… and then they started to change after I tried something new. Then my dad suddenly pushed me out of the way, and his arm was caught. I ran for help, but no one… no one helped me, not Rapunzel, not anyone! I came back, and he was–"

"So, that thing covered by a tarp was…!" Eugene's eyes widened as he figured it out.

"If I'd gotten the help I went for, we could have saved him!" Varian exclaimed, his voice rising a little as his anger came out.

"Varian…" The ex-theif said softly. "It was an accident. You couldn't have known."

The teen took a shuddering breath, trying to calm down.

"… Does anyone else know about what happened?"

Varian shook his head. "Everyone evacuated after the storm and left Corona entirely when they realized help wasn't coming. Then the men came to keep me contained… I just… I just want my dad back…."

He couldn't hold it in anymore and cried for what felt like the hundredth time.

Eugene's heart broke as he watched the once happy and excitable teen meltdown in front of him. He felt sick knowing that this kid looked up to him as a role model… and he'd let him down. Not knowing what else to do but wanting to give Varian some comfort, Eugene got down next to the teen's chair and reached forward, wrapping his arms around the smaller male in an awkward hug. He held him as close as he could, releasing a small breath when he felt Varian hug him back.

Cassandra had come up just as the scene started. She stood by the trap door while Rapunzel and Danny watched from the kitchen with heavy hearts.

The girls were feeling the same quilt Eugene was feeling, Rapunzel the most. She couldn't help but wonder if she had done something different that day, could she have saved Quirin?

Meanwhile, Danny felt his heart aching for the other teen. He didn't understand the whole situation, but what did get was that something happened to Varian's dad that may have been partly Varian's fault. He couldn't imagine the guilt Varian was going through and he hoped his friends and parents back home weren't feeling the same way either.

(A short time later)

By the time Varian had calmed down, Rapunzel and Danny had finished dinner. Everyone had something ate while stories were shared by the different parties.

Since Danny was now involved to extent, the group knew they needed to fill him in. Starting from Rapunzel's years in the tower, they explained her rescue, the chaos of her coronation, and her powers being restored by those black rocks. They also explained Rapunzel's father, the King's overprotective nature of his daughter and how he reacted when he found out Rapunzel has snuck outside the kingdom. Rapunzel had suspected her father knew more than he was letting on and today confirmed it.

(Hearing the story made Danny think Jazz should be here. The whole royal family needed therapy in his opinion. Varian, too.)

In repayment for finally be told what's going on around here, Danny told the group his story. He explained his parent's work, showing their latest invention to his friends, and finding out the hard way that it did work. Varian filled in the parts he couldn't remember very well, such as pulling himself out of the water and Varian carrying him back to Old Corona.

By the time the stories were done, night had fallen. The group had decided to wait in the tower until morning, knowing it was too dangerous to head back in the dark.

"So, let me get this straight," Cass said as she and Rapunzel cleared the table. "Your parents study ghosts and they were trying to build a portal to the afterlife?"

"Dad calls it the Ghost Zone, but yup." Danny said. "But it didn't work at first."

"But while you were showing it to your friends, the portal turned on with you inside it." The handmaiden summed up, almost not believing it. "What, was the on switch inside the portal?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what happened," Danny said, leaning his face in his hand. "That sounds a lot like something my dad would do… Anyway, that's how I got here and I don't know how to get back"

His parents may be absorbed in their work sometimes, but even they would notice if he was missing. Sam and Tucker watched the portal incident happen. They must be freaking out, wondering if he had been killed the night before.

"Well, if you want, once we get a better idea of where Varian's going to stay for now, you could stay with him." Rapunzel suggested.

"If Varian's okay with it." Cass added.

The teens looked at each other for a moment before Varian smiled slightly, feeling a little better than before. "I wouldn't mind the company."

Danny smiled back. "Then, I guess we're good."

The Princess smiled at the boys before getting back to work with Cass.

While the girls finished cleaning up, the boy stayed at the table. When they were finished, Rapunzel came back over to where the boys were sitting while Cass explored around the building a little more.

"Hey," The blond said softly, putting her hand on Varian's. "How are you feeling?"

The alchemist sighed tiredly. "Not better, but at least I think I'm done crying. For now, anyway."

"No sin to cry, kid," Eugene assured him.

"How about you, Danny?" Rapunzel turned to the other teen.

"About the same," He answered. "I'm worried about my family and friends, but there's not really anything I can do about that at the moment."

"We'll figure something. You managed to get here, there's gotta be a way to get you home."

Danny mimicked Varian's sigh. "I can only hope right now."

The group became silent momentarily before Rapunzel turned to Varian. She didn't want to upset him again, but she needed some of her questions answered. "Varian. I know it's been an emotional day for you, but I need to ask you about a few things you mentioned earlier."

"Okay." Varian nodded after a minute.

"Thank you," Rapunzel said gratefully before taking the graphtyc out of her bag. "The main thing I want to know is what is so important about this thing? And why is my father so desperate to keep it from me?"

"I think it's because of what it says," Varian answered, holding out his hand to take it. "Did you get the key I sent with the letter?"

"Yes." She took the key out of her bag and handed both to him.

He stuck it into the slot and turned it, slowly pulling out a piece of paper with unknown writing. Looking at it, there was a picture of the sun, golden drops, and a flower, possibly depicting the creation of the Sundrop. There was also another picture showing the moon and blue drops.

Cassandra came over to see what they were looking at. "What's that?"

"It's some kind of scroll…." Rapunzel deduced.

"It is," Varian nodded.

"What language is that?" Danny asked, tilting his head slightly.

"I wasn't sure at first but after some mix-and-matching, I realized it was a code. It's different characters from different languages that whoever wrote this used to hide what they had written."

"Any idea what it says?" Cass asked.

"It took me a while to translate this old writing, but from what I can tell, those black rocks are actually some kind of ancient darkness. Its destructive power can only be stopped by its counterpart, the Sundrop."

"You mean the flower?" Danny questioned.

Varian nodded.

"But my dad said it was long gone." Rapunzel argued.

"No offense, Princess, but would you say your dad has been a reliable source of information?" Varian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's kinda got a point, Blondie," Eugene said.

Before Rapunzel could respond, Maximus neighed in alarm, and they looked over to see him by the open window. Cass immediately ran over to check before turning to others with orders. "We're leaving! Douse that fire!"

Eugene jumped up and took care of that. Varian rolled up the scroll and removed the key, shoving both in Rapunzel's bag.

The Princess closed her satchel and then moved to the window to see outside. The masked men had found the tower. Two were climbing up the side with arrows while the rest stood guard at the bottom.

"You've gotta be kidding!" Rapunzel exclaimed in disbelief, walking away from the window.

"What do you wanna do, Blondie?" Eugene asked.

"No more running, no more hiding," She declared, earning smiles from her friends. "These guys just ticked off the wrong princess."

"That's my girl," Eugene smiled at Rapunzel, spinning a frying pan.

Rapunzel clenched her fists. If they were going to get out of this without losing Varian or Danny, they had to do something different.

"Sorry, Eugene, frying pans are great and all, but…." She said, making him frown in confusion when she turned back to them. "It's time for an upgrade."

Rapunzel started untying the beads holding her braid together as she stepped towards the window again.

"Rapunzel, what are you doing?" Cassandra asked as she passed them.

"Letting down my hair…." She said with a low growl.

Rapunzel tossed her hair out the window, allowing it to drape over the ledge. It flew past the men climbing up, brushing against one of the rocks at the bottom. A bright blue light followed by an explosion blew everyone back, inside and outside the tower. Even the men climbing the wall were knocked off.

When the light was gone, Rapunzel looked out the window with a gasp. Before anyone could gather themselves to make an escape, a black rock suddenly burst out of the earth. Knowing what was coming, Rapunzel frantically pulled her hair up and opened the trapdoor.

"What's going on?" Danny asked nervously.

"Come on." Eugene prompted, taking hold of Rapunzel's hair before jumping down after her. Cass followed him with the boys going after her. Max took up the rear after squeezing through the door.

However, the rocks began growing faster up the wall and stairs. They were soon inside the tower, forcing the group to stop short as they ran down the stairs when the rocks blocked their exit.

"Um, I did not expect the rocks to follow me all the way up here…!" Rapunzel admitted nervously.

"Well, what did you expect them to do?" Eugene asked as they showed no signs of stopping.

Knowing they couldn't go out the way they came, Rapunzel ran back up the steps. "Come on!"

The others followed her back into the main room, scrambling through the trapdoor. Cass jumped through the entrance to avoid the rocks that sprouted through the trapdoor, tumbling head over heels to her friends' feet. Another cluster burst through the floor, reminding them they're not safe yet.

Rapunzel ran to the window, but a large rock burst out and blocked her way. She looked around for another exit when she saw Owl flying around to avoid the rocks. He landed on a lever that opened a hatch to the roof.

"That's the only way out," Rapunzel said, looking up at it before running towards the stairs. "Let's go, come on!"

The rest of the group followed her, Eugene scooping up her hair again so it wouldn't get caught on anything. They fled up the steps as the rocks followed their path. At the landing, Rapunzel swung her hair like a lasso before tossing it up to loop over a rafter.

Rocks were still coming out of the wall below them as the group started climbing. Cass went first as Eugene set down the hair he was carrying. Danny started climbing after the handmaiden, surprising himself with how he was almost able to keep up with her. He would admit that he wasn't the most athletic person in the world, so he guessed the adrenaline of the situation was giving him a boost.

Eugene gestured for Varian to get on his back before the two started climbing after Danny, with the former thief noticing Max climb up the other strand of hair.

"So, horses can climb, now. That's a thing." He joked before he continued moving.

The rocks worsened below them, starting to catch up with the group as Rapunzel went last. She started climbing as the rocks began to surround them all the walls. Eugene pushed Max out of the hatch before going through himself with Varian following after him as Rapunzel reached the top.

One of the rocks clipped Owl's left wing, knocking him off balance. As the Princess climbed out, Pascal and Ruddiger saw him fall toward the black rocks with a cry. The chameleon flicked out his tongue to wrap around the bird's leg, halting his descent. Owl looked up at Pascal, who pulled him back up, narrowly avoiding the rock that appeared seconds later. Owl hooted to him before Max stuck his head back in, whinnying for them to hurry up. The three animals jumped on him before he pulled his head back out.

Not a second later, a black rock burst out the roof, causing them to recoil. Max backed away, rocks following his every step before they ran to rejoin the humans.

The roof started to cave in as the gang looked at the growing rocks, gasping in fear. There was nowhere else to go…

"Wh–What now? The rocks are still coming!" Varian said, looking at Rapunzel anxiously. Ruddiger moved back to Varian's shoulder, where the human clutched his fur.

"Could we try lassoing to one of the walls?" Danny pointed to the cliffs surrounding the gorge.

"Kid, if she could do that, she would have busted out of here years ago." Cass replied.

Rapunzel looked at the rocks chasing them before turning to the ground below them. "There's only one way down…"

Her hair started to glow and drift in the air from the altittude. She touched it slightly before looking towards the black rocks again. They were getting closer, smashing through, sharp, dark, and deadly. If they wanted to get of her alive, there was only one option…

"Guys," Rapunzel started, taking Eugene's hand as they all looked at her. "I think I have a way out, but it's a little crazy, so you're just gonna have to trust me."

The rocks damaged the tower further, causing the structure to break around the middle and knocking everyone into each other.

"Uh, sure, let's go for it," Eugene stated nervously. "I'm up for anything at this point."

"Follow me!" Rapunzel said, getting up and pulling them along as the group held hands.

"Brr, even your hands are cold," Eugene said to Cassandra, who glared at him.

Danny took Cassandra's other hand while Varian took the other teen's opposite hand, Ruddiger tightening his grip on the alchemist's shoulders. Owl rolled his eyes at Pascal as he held out a claw for him, taking it before Max ran after the others.

"Let's go!" Rapunzel yelled, the rocks getting faster as they towards the edge of the roof.

"I cannot believe we're doing this!" Eugene shouted at the top of his lungs as they jumped together.

Rapunzel's hair flashed as they began to plummet toward the earth. Varian squeezed his eyes shut as Danny kept a hold of his hand, bracing for the landing. As they fell, Rapunzel's hair began to move on its own accord, causing Cass and Danny to look at her in surprise as her tresses wrapped around them. When the alchemist opened his eyes, he gasped quietly when he realized what happened.

They landed on the ground harmlessly, bouncing away slightly before coming to a stop with everyone unharmed.

"Uh, did everyone see that?!" Cassandra asked in disbelief as Rapunzel's hair stopped glowing and the ball unraveled. "I–Is that new?"

"Uhh, let's just say it's complicated?" Eugene said awkwardly, no one noticing Rapunzel moving away from them.

Danny was taking deep breaths, trying to get his heart back under control as Varian picked up a bit of the Princess's no-longer-glowing hair. "Fascinating… I wonder what else you can–"

A sound like a crashing stone caught their attention, cutting them off. They looked back to see the tower falling apart.

Rapunzel stared silently as her childhood home slowly crumbled to pieces from the black rocks' damage, a tear slipping down her cheek. She knew Mother Gothel wasn't a good person, but… she still grew up there. It used to be her home… and now it was gone.

Varian slowly got up and walked over to her, taking her hand with a brave face. He'd seen so many homes suffer the same fate. Half of his own house was destroyed. The black rocks destroyed everything they touched, and now… now they had taken Rapunzel's tower.

Her hand tightened in his as the rubble crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that blew past them, causing them to flinch. After briefly covering the area, the silt cleared to reveal a pile of rubble that remained, black rocks poking out of the earth like black trees.

The rest of the group had rejoined Rapunzel and Varian, staring with different expressions at what was left at the tower. Danny, for his part, was stunned at the amount of devastation that had happened in a matter of minutes.

"Can we avoid going up in towers from now on?" Eugene asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

Rapunzel's hand slipped from Varian's grip as she knelt down to pick up a piece of building. It was a piece of her lantern mural above the fireplace. She looked at with a mixture of sadness and grim, placing her hand on the picture of herself. The Princess sighed slightly as she looked away, setting it down.

Eugene moved her side, placing his hands on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Rapunzel said nothing as she leaned into Eugene, who held her close in return as Pascal watched them in saddness.

Varian knelt down on her other side. A part of him was still upset at her to a degree, but he could at least share in her grief.

"I'm so sorry, Rapunzel." He said softly.

Rapunzel looked at Varian, seeing the understanding, solemn look in his eyes. It reminded her that Varian had been through this, maybe more than once. Recalling the state of his home, it sunk in that Varian had been facing this all alone for weeks. While she had been hiding in her castle like a frightened songbird…

Tearing up again, Rapunzel pulled away from Eugene and hugged Varian, surprising the teenager. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner…."

Varian sat there frozen for a minute before slowly returning the hug. Danny came closer to join them, feeling out of place but wanting to be supportive.

"Guys?" Cass spoke up, getting their attention as she moved out in front of them. "You wanna have a look at this?"

As they got up, the group saw some of the masked men picking themselves up from the wreckage. They heard moaning as one of them shoved a slab of rubble off of him. The man was on his knees in obvious pain, his mask was missing but his head was bowed so they couldn't see his face.

"Time for answers," Rapunzel said as she walked over to him.

Eugene and Cass shared a look, silently communicating with each other. Cass moved closer to Rapunzel while Eugene and Max stepped closer to Varian and Danny, ready to protect them if it came time for a fight.

The man reached for his mask but Rapunzel slid it away with her foot. He looked up at her, revealing the face of… The Captain of the Royal Guard.

Rapunzel stepped back, recoiling with a surprised gasp.

"Dad?" Cassandra asked in disbelief.

Varian and Danny looked over from behind Eugene, the former gasping, "The Royal Guard? I thought they were just some hired thugs!"

The Captain looked at them painedly as he got to his feet.

"Princess… we had orders to recover the scroll, to keep it and the alchemist from you." He explained as several members of the Royal Guard walked up behind him.

Rapunzel glanced at the boys before turning back to the Captain."Who?! Who ordered you?!"

The Captain and his men glanced at each other, unsure how to break it to her.

"Answer her," Cassandra ordered, stepping forward.

The Captain looked reluctant before closing his eyes. "… Your father."

So, that was it then. Varian's claims were confirmed. For whatever reason, King Frederic had been taking extreme measures to keep Rapunzel away from Old Corona, the scroll, and Varian.

It still didn't make the betrayal any less painful for Rapunzel. Her father had lied to her face and tortured someone she had considered a friend behind her back. The very thought made her clench her fists in anger.

Feeling braver now that his claims were vindicated, Varian stepped forward, looking at the Captain. "Why keep me away?"

"Because of what you knew." The Captain said grimly.

Varian's eyes widened in realization. "She can't read it… but he guessed that I could figure it out."

Danny walked up beside the alchemist, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Rapunzel took a deep breath to calm her anger before getting her game face on. "Okay. Let's head back to the castle."

"Uh, Blondie?" Eugene asked, glancing between Varian and the guards. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"I'm with Eugene." Danny agreed.

"Believe me, I don't like the idea of Varian and my father being in the same place, either," Rapunzel conceded. "But I don't want Varian to be somewhere alone where my father can get to him when I'm not looking."

She walked over to the boys, giving Varian a protective hug before moving to stand between them and the Captain's men. "As of right now, Varian is under my official protection as Princess. If my father tries anything else, I will take him, leave the kingdom, and never come back. And if he tries to lock me up…."

She glanced at the tower's remains behind them as the sun rose. "The last person who tried couldn't keep me caged, either."

Leaving no room for argument, the Princess turned back to her friends. "Let's start heading back."

As they started to leave the grove, Danny saw Varian hug himself as his breathing became shaky again. When he let out a choked sob, Danny took his hand again to try and comfort him. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cass stuck close to the boys in case the men decided to try something, the Princess putting her arm around the alchemist's shoulders.

There were still a lot of questions that needed to be answered, but right now, their first priority was getting Varian and Danny somewhere safe.

And that's the third chapter. I'll be back with chapter four before I move onto another story.