Chapter 18: Ruddiger is found

I apologizes to have waited with this for so long, but reality kept me occupied. But I hope this will be satisfying for those who enjoy.

Millicent were a little shaken off the branch by the meeting with the nobleman, but tried to ignore it as she still had to find Karen. But she was stricken at sudden once again when she was about to ass the next corner.

The Captain of the grads didn't even notice she was there before he ran past her in a hurry, but she was just in the way for Nigel, the royal advisor, who had been dragged along by the Captain in his arm in the desperate chase of Ruddiger, but who couldn't avoid to run right into her against his very own will.

The Captain was slightly dragged to his side when this happened and was forced to let go on Nigel's hand. He was about to get angry, but went all silent as he realized his mistake. He barely knew how to react

"Oh my... I am so sorry, Miss Millicent! I-I-I didn't see you there..."

Nigel, still a little numb from the second bump of the day, struggled a short moment to get his surroundings clear, but when he saw the frown on Millicent's face, he got sudden strength to get up o his feet faster than a blink.

"Oh, Millicent!" Nigel gave her a hand and helped her up. "Captain, you must watch where you're going! That shouldn't have happened at all and the Captain apologizes, right, Captain?" the advisor said and gave the Captain a glare and an arched eyebrow.

"Eh... I am sorry indeed. That eh... shouldn't have happened. " the Captain cleared his throat. " But I have to ask you...Is there any chance that you have... by any chance seen a... eh- a raccoon passing by?"

The look in her eyes made him regret the question immediately. Nigel covered his eyes with one hand and shook his head in desperation for how horribly wrong this whole day had gone.

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Varian sat amazed and listened to Lars and Daniel telling about all their many brothers. At the moment the father was given a lecture by the son about the correct number of cousins he had.

"No Dad. You're messing it up again." Daniel scowled his father, putting his hands to his hips like it was the father talking to the son. "Uncle Harold is the one who has three sons. Uncle Franz has four sons."

"No, Daniel. You see, Franz's wife has been married once before and had a child before she got married to Uncle Franz, so Perceval is not his son. Only his stepson."

"But Annabelle isn't uncle Walponce's daughter either, but he is her father. You said so! She calls her father all the time, and he calls her his daughter!" the boy said strict with a nod.

"Yes, but there is a difference, son." Lars tried to explain. "Annabelle was his stepdaughter when her mother married him, but he decided to adopt her as his own daughter. He chose to do so. Franz on the other hand hasn't chosen adopted Perceval, and so he is only a stepson."

Daniel stood silent a moment to let it sink in, and then he crossed his arms with a frown. "Well, he should have. Then it would be right!"

"Yes Daniel, it would be right of him to do that. But Uncle Franz... well, he has something to learn." Lars rolled his eyes.

Varian gave a small cough. "You must excuse me, but I think I fell off again."

Daniel's frown faded and broke into laughter, as did his father. "I think we should take a break before I give you another concussion with my family tree." Lars said smiling. "No one managed that in one day."

Varian too couldn't help but laugh. "That... can't be easy. I mean, with so many siblings... How is it possible with so many princes on such a tiny place? Are there even room for them all? Do you all have an island of your own? How many feels left out?" While being unaware of his past actions, Varian was quite back in his normal talkative mood, like he always was whenever he was curious or exited about something. Then he would go on forever before someone stopped him. But Lars didn't seem to be bothered by this.

"Well, that's why we're married aaaall over the continent." he said, almost sarcastically. "They all, at least maybe of them, believe they would be able to get a throne by themselves by marrying a princess abroad. Or they marry for political alliances. My own marriage was for a political alliance with Corona. I was married to King Fredric's cousin."

"Momma said she didn't like to go to that place." Daniel said, and his frown returned.

"But your mom isn't here?" Varian asked.

"Eh... she... passed away some years ago." Lars said quietly and looked away.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I... " Seeing how uncomfortable Lars became when the mother were mentioned, and the look on Daniel's face told Varian that the mother clearly was a sensitive subject. He looked at Daniel, his body getting more and more tense. "If it helps... I lost my mother too."

This made Daniel react, and his frown faded as he faced him. "You did?"

"I am so sorry, son." Lars said and gave him a compassionate look.

Varian felt a wave of embarrassment run over him and he laughed it nervously away. "Hey, don't sweat it. It's many years ago. Truth is, I barely remember her."

"Wow..." Daniel said low, then got all silent.

Varian felt a need to change the conversation and looked at Lars again. "Mind if I ask, your grace... I mean Lars... Lars- What title comes when you're... not the heir? Is there... many titles into that? I have always... wondered about that." he said mostly to change the subject.

"Well, that depends." he smiled dryly. "Sometimes, they get different titles from how well they marry. But to say it shortly, the end up like Earls, Dukes, Counts, my younger brother Harald is a Sea Captain... the list goes on. Me myself, I am a Duke, but I prefer to call myself an historian."

"Oh gosh..." Varian leaned his head backwards in amazement, but forgot his wounded head and hit it on the back of the bed, giving him a painful reminder of his own state as he reached to touch the bandaged wound with both hands. "Owtchoutchoutch..."

Lars got a concerned look on his face and rose towards him. "Easy now, son. Are you alright?"

"Sure..." Varian hissed, but smiled bravely. "I'll live!"

"He got a frying pan in his head, Dad." Daniel explained, proud of what he had just learned. "That's what you make breakfast with."

"Yes Daniel, I eh... know that." his father replied. "But honestly, it looks like you've been through more than a bump in your head, son. Whatever has happened to you?" he said, ignoring the disappointment of his son.

Varian sighed heavily. "No offence, but I'm getting a little tired of saying this..." he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't remember how I got here. I woke up in the kitchen, or apparently in the royal kitchen..." he flung up his eyes, flicked them around the room a couple of times and raised his head to face Lars. "Please Lars, I need to know. Are we... really in the..." he looked around before meeting his gaze again. "...the royal palace?"

"Eh..." Lars blinked insecurely, but decided in the end to be honest with him as he realized that maybe the boy were more aware of his state than he realized. "Yes, we are!"

"Seriously! Oh no... This is not good. This can't be good!" Varian's huge blue eyes became almost twice its size as he bit his teeth together and raised his hands to his head, grabbing his hair with both hands, pulling it a little as he got worried. "I must reeeally have screwed it up this time! Or maybe... No! that can't be it. It's too unlikely, and we're too far away, and... Can it possibly be that I've blown up something at the Castle? No, how can I have done that? Whatever wuld I DO by the Castle? Unless it was the science expo, but that's not untill..."

"Varian..., Varian listen..." Lars said and touched his shoulder, trying to push him down on the bed again or simply get a connection with him. "Maybe you should lay down a bit. You..."

"No, I can't!" Varian said, sitting up again and sliding his legs do the floor. "I-I-I have to go! I can't stay here!"

"But you promised the doctor to stay right there!" Daniel said determinant, and pointed to the bed as strictly as he could.

"I know, but I can't. My dad's gonnaaaahh..." he rose up in such a hurry that he got dizzy, and for the second time in the day, he lost touch with the world around him as everything, once again, went black.

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"Look, there he is!"

Both men stopped to look around. "Daniel?" Jonas said.

"Where?" The King also woke up from his deep thoughts and looked around.

"No, not him. Ruddiger!" Karen said and kneeled down. "He's under there!"

Both men followed her example and suddenly they realized what she meant. Underneath a bench below the windows, they could spot the shape of something dark moving in the shadows with different palettes. Karen carefully crawled forwards as she spoke with soft voice. "Here, sweetie. It's okay, you don't have to be afraid."

Fredric kneeled down on his knees, relieved that they had found him before the Captain and Nigel. "Oh, Ruddiger, I'm sorry I..."

"Wait. I think maybe she'll have a better chance." Jonas stopped him by kneeling to his level and holding out a hand in front of him. "A cute little girl isn't as scary as two grown men. I know what I would have preferred." he smirked and let Karen go to action.

"Come on, there's nothing to be afraid of." Karen kept on as she carefully laid down on the floor and reached out a hand for him to sniff. The critter wasn't actually in the mood for more strangers and wanted to stay hidden, but then his huge black nose caught the cent of something interesting and he carefully stretched out his head and sniffed her hand.

"That's it. Come on now..." she almost sang to him. "Come now..."

Ruddiger were all of a sudden awfully curious at her arm and carefully peeked out from his hiding place and sniffed her upper arm and then her shoulder. Then at last, he was so far out that she dared to put her other hand on him, giving him a gentle pat on his back.

"Now that's a good critter. Very nice critter, Ruddiger. You're so good, so good."

The sound of his name made Ruddiger somehow certain on this strange being, and when Karen all of a sudden lifted him up, he didn't mind, only kept sniffing on her neck, making her giggle as his whiskers tickled her.

"My word, lass. How did you...? the King asked confused as he rose up at last. "

"He probably recognizes the scent of his master." she said laughing. "I don't think he would have come to me otherwise."

"And you have that on you?" Fredric asked.

"Well, grandma and I had to carry him all the way to the sick rooms, so touching him wasn't to avoid. And.." she wrinkled her nose. "One could easily recognize someone who hasn't had a bath for a while."

Fredric's lips became a thin line a moment. "True!"

"So maybe now we should take you there as well?" she said and gave him a scratch behind his ear, something he seemed to enjoy. "I'm certain Varian would be happy to see you."

"Ehm..." Fredric said. "Why don't you let me do this, since I'm heading that way? After all, you and Jonas still have to find Prince Daniel."

"Eh... perhaps. But..." Karen hesitated and gave him an excusing and concerned look. "Then His Majesty gotta be prepared."

"Oh?" Fredric arched an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Cause..." Karen rolled her eyes and made a face. "He seems like a nice guy, but right now he both smells and looks like he's been living in garbage for at least at least a week." She wrinkled her nose again. "I think maybe that he'll be a little ashamed of himself in... His Majesty's presence."

Fredroc had almost forgotten how poorly the boy had appeared, not to mention smelling after a long time in the dungeons without caring for himself, but said: "I... see what you mean, lass. But it's important that I get so speak to him anyhow. And..."

He stopped when he heard a loud female voice coming from the next corner, yelling something they didn't quite catch, but Karen froze like a statue, still with the critter in her arms.

"Oh no... Auntie!"

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When Varian woke up again, he needed a moment to figure out where he were again. Then he heard a voice speak to him as in far away.

"...ari...arian... Varian, speak to me... are you alright? Varian?"

Hadn't Lars been there to grab him when he blacked out, Varian would have fallen right on the floor. The red haired prince had gently lifted him up and placed him on the bed again. Daniel, who had gotten a little shaken by the sudden incidence, stood all still and didn't say or do anything.

"Easy now, son. You mustn't excaudate yourself." After giving him a few gentle slaps on his cheeks, he finally got his attention again, blurry eyed and unfocused. "Listen lad, if your promise to stay calm here, I will make sure that your father will be informed of where you are. I'll tell the King, and he'll make sure to send for him. Alright?"

"Eh... eh..." Varian swallowed as his dry throat prevented him from responding at once. "Okay... fine. But..." The more he woke up, the more did he realize his situation and looked at Lars. "Lars, wait! I... you don't exactly have to... you know... let the King see me like this, do you? I..." He looked down at himself. "I don't actually look representable." As a reflex, he tried to cover his upper body with his hands, one gloved and one not.

Lars couldn't help but chuckle as he rose. "I'll make sure he don't."

"Phew.." Varian let out a sigh of relief as he managed to lay down on the bed again, a bit more relaxed than before.

Lars said and prepared to leave the bed. "And you, Daniel, stay here, and make sure he remains in bed, ok? Tell him about uncle Jonas in the meantime. I don't think we have mentioned him yet?"

"Right, we haven't!" the boy nodded, glad to finally be noticed.

"Good!" Lars said to his son and then smiled calmly to Varian. "Now, what's your father's name, and where can I find him?"

Varian cleared his throat. "His name is Quirin." he replied at last. "He is the leader in my village in... Old Corona."

"Well, that would be easy enough." Lars begun walking towards the door when he suddenly stopped and turned back with an arched eyebrow and a confused look in his brown eyes. "Old Corona?" Lars gave the boy a surprised look. "But no one is living there now. We traveled past it when we arrived, and that place is completely abandoned."

"WHAT?!" Varian sat up again in a rush. "How can that be?" then he started panting and his eyes once again threatened to pop out of his head. "Oh no, nononono! What's happened? Why...? This is terrible! Not now, right before winter?"

"But it's not that bad, lad. Winter is miles away, and... Oh dear..." Lars covered his mouth with a hand as he recalled the physician's words about the boy's state and hurried back to grab a hold on Varian's shoulders to keep him calm when he was about to climb out of the bed again. "Listen son, don't worry..."

"What is going on? Why am I here, and where's... My dad... DAD!" Varian started hyperventilating as he got a rather panicked look on his face. "Dad! He needs me, I just know it! I-I-I gotta go to him, I gotta..."

"Now, calm down, son. I'm certain your father is doing alright." Lars said as calming as he could, but Varian had begun panicking.

"But where is he?" he cried out. "Where is he?"