Chapter 27: Explaining to Varian
Okay... so the series are over. In a way it's kind of a relief so we don't get it going on forever and then would have gotten itself ruiend, a fate many good series have suffered when they are draw out too long. I hate when that happens. Although, I am deeply disappointed as we are left with so many unanswered questions; Varian's hairstripe; Varian's mother, Eugene's mother; Quirin's note; Heck, did Quirin even learn about Varian's actions during his amber-state? It's not likely something like THAT would stay hidden like nothing. The whole Kingdom hated him, for goodness sake.
Speaking of, I feel a need to explain myself to my latest review. Note! This is no offence, I just feel a need to clear out something. I don't know if you have followed this story long, but I begun writing this already during last summer and published it in about September 2019, when we had yet to learn of Varian's fate. And I know when first episode of S3 were released it said Varian ended up as Andrew's cell mate. But really; When King Fredric had promised to help him, I find that a little... I just found it disturbing and unlikely that Fred would put him in a cell with another bad buy. That's the last thing he needed. So in my story, he had no cell mate, only Ruddiger, and the story went on as it has so far. And as a fanfiction, I feel allowed to take liberties to let it develop according to my own will, and therefore I choose not to follow any timeline, or at least twist it for my own use. That's what fanfiction is for; there really is no need for timeline. You can do whatever you want with it. I hope this helps sorting things out. Now, let's go on.
"May I interfere here?"
Both the worried monarch and the concerned teenager turned towards Phineas, and found the old Physician smiling calmly at the boy.
"I must apologize, Varian. I am afraid I might have frightened His Majesty with your condition, and therefore he fears to say anything more. You might have understood already that I have held something back from you?"
"You don't have to say it, I think I know what it is." Varian said as he lowered his gaze. "I... I don't remember what it's called, but... eh... Karen said it was... beginning of May. And it is, right? Because the science expo has obviously been, and... I've just missed out... allot." He carefully leaned back on the back of the bed, but turned his gaze upwards to face him. "That's why you covered the windows... so I wouldn't see what time of year it was... Right?"
Phineas nodded as a reply. "Yes, Varian. Don't be frightened now, but Karen is correct. It is May, and not September as you thought. You are missing parts of your memory. It's called Amnesia.* But I should have known someone as quick in the wits as yourself would figure it out by himself." he smiled, and the slight portion of recognition helped to put a small smile on Varian's concerned face. "I wasn't done examinating you yet, so I didn't dare to reveal too much for you at once. I feared you might get a grand shock if you got it smashed right in your face. You've had enough for that for one day it seems." He let his fingers gently glide across the bandage on his head.
Varian shivered a little at the touch. For a while he had actually forgotten his bandaged head.
"And I told His Majesty to be a little careful with this, and He has taken this rather seriously, as he fears he'll cause more damage to you."
"He... He does?" Varian blinked and turned around to face His Majesty, still half hidden behind his knees.
The King looked embarrassed, but when he looked up, he smiled warmly. "You see, son, I... I would never forgive myself if something happened to the son of an old dear friend of mine. Especially if I were to be blamed... for it." His Majesty looked away, not really able to face the boy at those words.
"Wow, that's... I don't know what to say." The boy looked smiled and overwhelmed and moved. "That's really... Wait wait wait!" Varian suddenly interrupted himself and stared at the King with wide eyes. "Your Majesty knows my dad too?"
"Yes, we're old friends. Long time ago, before you and even my daughter were born." Fredric said and arched an eyebrow. "Hasn't he ever told you... about that?"
Varian shook his head confused. This made Fredric confused as well. "He... he hasn't?"
"Nope!" the boy replied. "I guess I would have remembered something like that. Unless of course it happen between... September and May, if I got that right... That's quite a huge... gap." he giggled nervously and twisted his hands as he spoke. "But then again..." He sank back to the bed frame again. "He doesn't tell me much."
"Really?" Fredric arched an eyebrow of this. Was this the same boy that would go to the length of kidnapping a member of the royal family and commit treason against the kingdom for the sake of his father? "But I had the impression that you two were very... close?"
"Eh... I don't know where His Majesty's gotten that from, but... without going into details... he doesn't bother me with... much. I mean... He doesn't often... It doesn't matter. But speaking of it... I suppose Your Majesty has already hard this a billion times, but..." Varian suddenly became eager and lowered his knees, an easy sign that the boy was lowering his guard, crossed his legs halfway and faced Fredric. "It must be fantastic to have her back! The Princess I mean, Your Majesty's... daughter. It's so... I don't even have words for it. I think it's so great, and... And imagine that Flynn Rider saved her, and... " His huge blue eyes got sparkly at sudden and his smile widened and he looked at him the same way a dog looked at you when hoping for a treat. "Is it really true that he lives here at the Castle?
"Eh..." Fredric was a little whipped off the branch by the boy's sudden excitement about both his daughter and her boyfriend.
"You know; Flynn Rider! He hero of the books! Boy, I would DIE to meet him in person! Although not like this... I hope I..." He grabbed a hold on his shirt, suddenly recalling how he looked like. "Gosh, I hope he hasn't seen me like this..."
Fredric didn't know how to reply to this. He knew perfectly well that Eugene had created his legacy from the character in the book, Flynnigan Rider, but somehow it seemed like Varian had a little trouble realizing that Eugene really wasn't the character from the book. He found himself mute to this, but Lars chuckled in the background and approached.
"Poor lad. Your damage must be worse than we thought if you're not able to separate reality from fiction."
Varian gave a short overbearing laughter. "S'cuse me, Lars... He said I could call him Lars." he hurried to say to the King before he went on, while Fredric just nodded and smiled. "It's not fiction! Flynn Rider is real! So that!" he made a huge nod to indicate his final opinion. "His posters were all over the Kingdom. I have a huge collection of them."
"Varian..." Lars were unable to keep his laughter back. "You're mixing up the thief with the imagined character from a book."
"Hey, with all due respect... Eh- thee respect, or... with all..." Varian twirled his hands as he stumbled in his own words while trying to get the sentence right, before he looked at the King again, seeking assistance. "How do I say that right?"
The loud sound of Phineas clearing his throat and a hand on his shoulder made Varian silent again as he suddenly got a reminder of where he was. "Before you go on with the hero, my boy, let's go back to the Princess a moment. You see, this is the last subject I need to check on you before we revile more so called 'lost memory' to you. Alright?"
"Eh... Sure! But..." Varian said, a little nervous. "Isn't it a little unfitting to do a check up on me in front of His Majesty?"
"On the contrary, His Majesty cares about your welfare, and I'm sure he doesn't mind."
"I hope it's alright for you, son. But... It would mean allot to me to get fully confirmed that everything is alright with you." Fredric said, hoping to hide his insecurity. "I would feel much better if I were."
Varian blushed a little at the concern, as concern for him was something brand new to him. "Well... If it would help His Majesty feel better, then... Sure." he coughed. "As long as it doesn't involve..." he suddenly blushed hard and looked down.
Phineas smiled when he saw his suddenly bright red face, as the boy most likely feared that Phineas would force his clothes off. "Don't worry. I'm only going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to answer me as directly as possible. Can you do that?"
"Oh... Ehm... Sure. No problem!" Varian replied, slowly losing the blush, obviously reviled. Fredric and Lars exchanged looks and smiles.
"Good!" The Physician said. "It seems that you are known with the return of the long lost Princess. What is her name?"
"Rapunzel. Eh... Princess Rapunzel!" he corrected himself while he gesticulated with his hands.
"Good. When did she return?"
"Not long ago... Oh that's right, it's probably... Not half a year, but..." Phineas short cough snapped him back to reality, and he gave a simple answer. "The day after her eighteenth birthday. And if my memory is correct... Which it's not..." another couch made him focus. "I recall..." He began counting on his fingers. "...about six months, or five and a half... around that." He twirled his hands at the last words, as if to state the word 'around'.
While Varian spoke, Phineas begun walking around the bed, past Lars and ended up beside the King before turning back to the other side of the bed before making another round like that. "Good, good." the physician smiled calmly and kept the boy's look as he went on walking around him. "And, have you by any chance... gotten the opportunity of seeing the Princess for yourself?"
Fredric held his breath at this question. He had a feeling of where Phineas was going with this. About seven months ago, Varian would have encountered Rapunzel himself, six months after her return, like she told him before she left. From what he understood, it was about this amount of time it seemed like he was missing. But he remained quiet and trusted the wise old man to handle it.
Varian on the other hand immediately brightened up at the question. His huge blue eyes became twice their size and his mouth broke up in a huge smile. "Oh-oh yes, I HAVE seen her! Yes yes yes. You know, there was this HUGE party they made for her returning, and it lasted for a whole WHOLE week. And half of my village went to see her, and I begged my dad, I said 'Dad, can we PLEASE go and see her?'" He gathered his hands when he described himself. "But my Dad said 'No son, we don't mingle with royalties.' But i told him 'Oh come on, Dad. We don't have to meet her, I just want to see her.' But he said 'No Varian, we're not going.' " he put his hands on his hips and pretended to be strickt for a moment before describing himself again, "And then I said 'But Dad, please. It's the PRINCESS, the missing Princess everyone has been waiting for, besides everyone else is going, and...'" Varian weren't able to continue when he felt a hand covering his mouth, and looked up to meet the Physician's chuckling face as he took a break from his round and leaned one hand on the edge of the bed.
"I'm glad to hear that the rest of your memory is perfectly intact. You know, if I had your memory, I wouldn't need my journals." He drew his breath before he went on. "But you haven't answered the question. Now did you, or did you not see the Princess with your own eyes?"
While the boy was eagerly describing the conversation with his father, Fredric found himself deeper and deeper into his own mind. Quirin had obviously tried to prevent him from going to see Rapunzel, or for any other reason kept him from leaving the village. A shadow made its way on his face, as he once again were reminded on how the boy's father had been the one who warned him to remove the sundrop flower.
But it wasn't just regret and concern that made him wrinkle his forehead. It was curiosity. From what he had heard now, Fredric got the feeling that Quirin had done the same with Varian as he had done with Rapunzel. And even more, it seemed that the boy didn't get out much either. If it turned out that the boy had in general little contact with the world, it could explain why he believed that Eugene was the character in the book. Fredric got a feeling that there might be more to discover with Varian than they had thought.
Varian nodded steady. "Yes! I did see her. Only at distance, when she was dancing with some little girls. I thought for a moment that since it looked like everyone else came to her, maybe she wouldn't mind that I at least tried. But my dad said 'No Varian. We're not to bother the royalties!' But I..." when he faced Phineas again, he laughed nervously. "I lost myself again, right?"
"I'm almost done now. My last question for you." this time he stopped by the end of the bed again and looked directly at him. "What did the Princess look like? Describe her to me, if you please?"
Fredric froze as he heard the last question, and he found himself biting his bottom lip in tension. Lars noticed how tense he became and obviously realized that this was of vital importance.
"Oh oh, eh... She wasn't very tall, a little taller than me, I think. She wore a pink dress and had short brown hair, I heard she had enormously long blond hair once, but that it became brown again when she had it cut off." He laughed at this. "Honestly, I have trouble believing in that. After all, people don't change their hair color like that."
"Oh, don't be so certain of that, son." Fredric mumbled.
"Huh?" Varian quickly turned his head around towards him, startling Fredric a moment, but Phineas broke the awkward tension that would have been.
"At least now we know where his memory ends."
"May I ask, why is Princess Rapunzel so important for my memory..." he stopped himself and gave a loud gasp before he turned to Fredic with an exited look on his face, his huge eyes threatening to pop out of his head. "Did I get to meet her after all... WOAW...!" he cried out as he leaned forwards and would have fallen right on his face hadn't Lars hurried to lean forward and catch him and Phineas grabbed a hold on the back of his shirt.
"Easy now, lad." the physician said as they brought him back in bed. "I thought to recall that you promised to stay in bed?"
The look he gave him was mild, but reminding, and Varian bit his bottom lip as he gave an embarrassing giggle. "Sure sure... Right." he cleared his throat as he suddenly got a tad more serious. "Mind if I ask... Does this have anything to do with my village... being abandoned?"
"Eh... Listen, son... I don't know what you have been told, but..." Fredric looked at Phineas, then at Lars. The red haired Prince had chosen to let Phineas handle the situation, but now he faced them with an excusing look at the physician and cleared his throat.
"I... may have forgotten myself for a moment and... I mentioned that there's no one living in Old Corona now, and..."
Phineas broke him off by raising a hand towards him behind Varian's back so Varian didn't see it.
"Karen... she said there were something going on all over the kingdom... something with rocks, and..." Varian suddenly said, carefully facing the King again. "Y-your Maj-jesty?" he stumbled. "Is there something I need to know about my village? And my dad? Is my dad okay?" he failed to keep his voice from trembling, and to stay polite as he leaned forward towards him with huge, questioning and worried eyes.
Why does he have to look at me like that? Fredric thought to himself as he stared into the boy's right now innocent, blue eyes. At the same time, he hoped the boy didn't see how much he froze at the mentioning of Quirin. To gather himself, and give himself just a slight moment to come up with anything to say, he rose and begun walking around, clearing his voice loudly a moment. "Well you see, son... There has been something going on that has made several places around the Kingdom- Not just Old Corona... uninhabitable. Old Corona has unfortunately been stricken worst, and..."
"Yes, I heard that. But what about all the others? Are they alright? And my dad, what...?" Varian was so impatient right now that he could barely hold himself.
"All the citizens of Old Corona has been moved to another location where they are safe and sound. You don't have to worry about your friends."
"Oh no, they're not really my... I-I mean... G-god to hear." the boy stumbled. "But... I don't understand. If they are somewhere else... why am I... here... And where is my dad?"
Fredric swallowed. He realized too late that he hadn't prepared himself for this. All he had prepared for was to make Varian understand that he could trust him, but he hadn't managed to imagine how to deal with the fact that he was here. "Eh... You see, son..." He had to think fast now. For the moment, anything than the truth. After seeing his reaction earlier, he realized that the actual state of his father would be way too much to handle for him now. He didn't' dare to let him go through another fit like earlier. But what excuse could he possibly use to explain Quirin's absence?
What would Rapunzel have wanted me to say?
What to say about Quirin...
Quirin...
Rapunzel...
The scroll...
As his thoughts were pondering, the scroll came sneaking into his mind like a lightning, and suddenly gave him and idea of what to tell him. It could work, it definitely could work. At least it would be worth trying. He recalled Lars' words from earlier.
It's called holding back the truth until he's ready for it.
If one thing were certain now, it was that Varian was far from ready for the truth. So he turned around and faced him, clearing his throat nervously again before he gave the best explanation he could come up with at the moment, hoping with all his heart it would do.