Hector wasn't allowed at the royal breakfasts anymore. Eugene wondered if that had been his plan the whole time, and he confronted the man about it. Eugene scolded him, saying that Corona was tense enough as it was and he wasn't helping things. Hector hadn't really cared, but the second that Eugene mentioned that his job was ten times harder if the king was having a bad day, he immediately looked contrite and apologized.

Eugene had been too stunned to say more. He didn't think he had ever heard Hector apologize. It didn't seem like him, and yet he seemed so sincere.

Eugene didn't know what to think of the man. He'd been so quick to stab at people who came too close to a tree. Eugene didn't trust people easily, and he didn't know how to trust people who left such a terrible first impression. But one thing that seemed clear about Hector was that he seemed sincere in everything he did. He seemed to want to get to know Eugene. He listened to what he had to say.

Eugene didn't understand why Hector was doing these things, but he didn't think the man had an angle or an ulterior motive. He was an open book. It just wasn't a story that Eugene knew how to read. Fortunately, he knew somebody who was.

Eugene had hoped that things with Hector would settle down after a few days, or maybe he would feel satisfied and just leave, but he had no such luck. After three days of Hector tailing him as he worked, distracting him from his patrols with more games that got them in trouble, and threatening the guards who were just trying to do their job, Eugene needed a break. More than that, he thought the castle needed a break from Hector.

Usually Eugene waited until he received an invitation before going to Old Corona. Today he took matters into his own hands. He told Rapunzel that he was taking the day off. She was beyond understanding. She didn't demand an explanation. She just kissed his cheek, took his hand, and told him to do whatever he needed to do.

Maybe he was taking advantage of the fact that he was dating the princess. Maybe the Captain of the Guard shouldn't leave the capital on such short notice. But he was going to give himself gray hairs if he didn't take a day off every once and awhile. Besides, in a way getting Hector away from the capital was doing his job, because he was keeping an unstable man away from the royal family.

Hector was ecstatic to be going to Old Corona, and he seemed happy about the small detour they made. Eugene had had a long couple of days, and he wanted to get some stuff off his chest, so they decided to see if Lance and the girls wanted to join them for the day.

Angry and Catalina were far too excited to see Hector, and he returned their enthusiasm and matched their energy. Apparently they had gotten to know Hector a bit when they'd all hid away from the banquet. Angry and Catalina were excited at the idea of Hector's bearcats and rhino and wanted to see them in person. And Hector apparently liked the two girls immediately, even though Eugene was convinced that he didn't like anybody.

"I don't get it." Eugene said. He and Lance rode their horses behind the others, watching as the others laughed as Hector showed the girls how to ride his rhino. "I don't know how to talk to that guy at all, and the three of them are acting like they'd known each other all their lives."

"Hector's really not that bad." Lance said. He had a fond smile on his face as he watched his girls.

"He tried to kill us." Eugene said. It was weird that he kept on needing to remind people of this fact.

"Lots of people have." Lance shrugged. "However, he's also doing something that nobody else can."

Eugene frowned. "What?"

"That." Lance gestured in front of them where Angry was now holding the rhino's reins while Hector and Catalina sat behind her, snarling at each other, but still looking like there was nowhere else they would rather be.

"I still have a hard time getting the girls to open up to me." Lance said. "Let alone a complete stranger. But they don't see Hector as a stranger. He's a kindred spirit. He understands why Angry needs both a home and her freedom, because he's the same way. And Catalina, she actually talks to him about the Wolf. The man is feral, and kinda scary, but he's able to understand the Curse in a way that I don't."

"He does?" Eugene tried to take a closer look. It almost seemed like he was teaching Catalina how to better tap into the Wolf without shifting. Eugene didn't know if that was a good idea, but she looked comfortable and safe in a way that he'd never seen her before. And so did Hector. Was there something about their beastial nature that he was missing?

"Maybe you should give the guy a chance?" Lance suggested. "You might like him."

"I'm trying, but I don't know how." Eugene said. He had to admit, he did have fun with Hector. The man had interesting stories about his time in the tree. He always seemed to know when Eugene was overwhelmed with his work, and that was when he would step in and make him get some lunch or just sit for a few minutes.

Eugene had seen how soft and gentle Hector could be when the man groomed and brushed down his animals. He did it as though there was no task in the world more important to him.

And then there was the other night when Hector had woken Eugene up and taken him up to the roof to show him the full moon and the stars. It had been a pretty sight, and Hector told stories about the night sky with so much passion that it was hard to admire. But because Eugene stayed up all night he didn't wake up in time for an important meeting he was supposed to be having with the king, and Frederic had not been impressed. Eugene got quite the lecture for it.

That was the problem that Eugene had with Hector. The man was nice enough, but he didn't look past what was right in front of him. Eugene didn't know if Hector just refused to see the bigger picture, or if he didn't know how, but the outcome was the same. Trouble.

When Hector took food from the kitchen to feed his animals, the cooks didn't have what they needed for dinner that night. Eugene told Hector he couldn't do that, so instead he took food from the stables for his animals, which meant there wasn't much to spare after the palace horses ate.

Hector trained outside, and even if it wasn't wet or rainy out there he seemed to always track mud inside the castle, giving the maids more work to do. And that was to say nothing about the trouble he caused for the guards.

It was as though Hector made it his life goal to get in the way of the castle guards. He fought with them. He showed up at their training sessions just to show them up and humiliate them. And the other day Eugene had received a report that Hector had gotten in the way of some guards arresting a thief in town.

When he confronted Hector about this, hoping it had just been a misunderstanding, the man had nodded.

"Yeah, 'course I helped him get away." Hector said. "He was hungry. He wanted food, so he got food. What's wrong with that?"

"He was stealing." Eugene said. "It's against the law."

Hector just looked confused. "It's against the law to help a hungry man?"

"It is when he steals." Eugene rubbed his hand over his face. He couldn't believe his life had led him here. Five years ago he would have been in Hector's shoes, or more likely the shoes of the thief. Why did he have to fight on the law's side now? "He should have paid for it."

Hector snorted. "If he had money, he would have." And that was where Eugene and Hector didn't completely agree. Eugene knew that a lot of people stole because they were hungry and felt they had no choice, but he knew just as many people who stole because they got a thrill out of it, even if they had the resources to avoid stooping so low.

"Look, just…don't get in the guard's way." Eugene said. "If you think someone is arrested unfairly, talk to me and I'll see what I can do. That's my job. And if someone looks like they need help, just give them the money so they can buy food instead of helping them steal it."

Hector gave Eugene an odd look, but he shrugged and said that he would see what he could do. And that was that.

Eugene hoped that Hector would relax after spending some time with his brother, and maybe Quirin had some tips on getting him under control. Eugene just didn't feel comfortable ordering Hector around. He knew the man obeyed him, but it didn't feel right.

When they got to Old Corona, Angry and Catalina slid off the rhino's back, almost getting trampled in the process, and ran to greet Varian, who was fortunately not in his lab. That boy was accident prone enough as it was when it came to his alchemy. Throwing two energetic girls who dismissed the risks of alchemy into the mix was just asking for trouble.

Quirin had been working in his garden. He stood up with a stretch and approached Eugene. "You look like you haven't slept in a week."

"It's a little hard to sleep when I'm worried about what a certain knight will do if I take my eyes off him for two seconds." Eugene dismounted his horse.

Quirin smiled fondly. "Oh, I know the feeling well." He chuckled and gestured towards his home. "Come on. Coffee helps."

Eugene followed Quirin inside and sat down at the table. He watched Quirin as he got to work. Maybe he should offer to help, but he knew from experience that Quirin liked to do things on his own. He liked to have that bit of control. Eugene could respect that.

"I suppose I don't have to ask how Hector's adapting." Quirin said. Eugene sighed.

"Has he always been so bad with people?" Eugene asked. "Sometimes it's clear that he does things on purpose, but other times I feel like he actually doesn't know any better."

Quirin shook his head. "That sounds like Hector. He's always struggled with people. Edmund and I tried to help him, to nudge him in the right direction, but it was clear from a young age that he would never really meet society's standards."

Eugene frowned. "What's wrong with him?"

"I used to wonder the same thing when I was younger." Quirin looked out the window. Eugene followed his gaze to see the others outside. It looked like Hector was trying to show the kids how to use swords. Fortunately the kids were holding branches instead of blades, and Hector was just going over forms and stances instead of encouraging them to actually fight.

"Things changed after Varian was born." Quirin said. "In some ways, Varian reminded me of Hector. He doesn't think like everybody else does. Neither of them do. Varian's struggles aren't the same as Hector's, but seeing Varian try so hard to be accepted, only to be shunned, has shown me what I should have realized with Hector years ago."

"What?" Eugene asked. If it helped him to understand not just Hector, but also, Varian, Eugene was all ears.

"That there's nothing wrong with them." Quirin said. "They're different, but I don't think that's a flaw that should be punished. I think the real problem is with society, for their unrealistic demands."

"I don't think it's unrealistic to ask someone to not steal." Eugene muttered. Quirin gave him a careful look, and Eugene had the feeling that he'd said something wrong.

"Perhaps." Quirin said. "But people aren't born with that knowledge ingrained in their head. It's something they learn. If somebody was never taught to not steal, or if they didn't understand the lesson when they were taught, can they really be blamed for stealing?"

Eugene felt his chest twist uncomfortably. He didn't know how he felt about this conversation. It still didn't quite make sense that somebody could be so oblivious of something that was common knowledge. But Eugene had seen Varian's genuine confusion when someone asked if he had double checked if his alchemy would explode. And he'd been right at Rapunzel's side as she struggled to learn things that came so easy to people.

Even now Rapunzel didn't wear shoes, even though it was a societal expectation, it was one that she didn't understand, so it was one that she didn't follow. The only reason people didn't give her a hard time about it was because she was a princess. Hector and Varian didn't have that luxury.

"I hadn't thought about it like that." Eugene muttered. He supposed he could try to be a bit more patient, guiding Hector instead of scolding him. "But he definitely antagonizes the guards on purpose. That's not him not knowing any better."

Quirin looked like he didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed. "What exactly has he been doing?"

"The guards say he antagonizes them when they're just trying to do their job." Eugene said. "He starts fights for no reason. Apparently he'd been trying to sneak into the dungeon, and-"

"Why?" Quirin cut in. Eugene blinked.

"What?"

"Why is he going to the dungeons?" Quirin asked slowly.

"I don't know." Eugene admitted. The guards hadn't thought it mattered, and Hector had been in a really bad mood when he'd been caught, so Eugene hadn't bothered asking. "Does it matter?"

Quirin was still for a long moment before he shook his head. "Maybe it doesn't. I'll speak to Varian about it." Eugene had no idea what the boy had to do with this situation, but before he could ask Quirin continued. "As for the other problems you mentioned, I'm curious about the fact that these vague descriptions were from the guards. Have you not witnessed any of this for yourself?"

Eugene opened his mouth to answer, only to lose it when he realized that there was nothing he could say. He'd noticed that Hector was tense around the guards, and they all seemed either angry or nervous when they saw him, but Eugene hadn't actually seen any of their confrontations. He'd only heard about it, and he'd only heard it from the guard. Maybe he really didn't have the full picture. It was something he would have to look into.

There was a darkness in Quirin's eyes. When he looked like that the family resemblance between him and Varian was clear. "If this is a continuous problem, and it happens when you're not there to see it, then it makes me wonder if Hector is really the problem here."

Eugene understood what he was saying. He knew that if Hector was going to pick a fight with the guard, he would do so whether Eugene was there or not. If Hector had a problem with someone, he made his issues clear and spoke his mind.

He didn't want to consider that the guards were actually the ones responsible for the issues between them. But Hector wouldn't hide this from Eugene. The guards would, and that would explain why he was only ever hearing about it.

"I'll get to the bottom of this." Eugene said. Maybe it wasn't his top priority, but it was up there. If this was what was necessary to keep Hector from stirring up trouble in Corona, then he'd do it.

"I would appreciate it if you did." Quirin brought a cup of coffee over to Eugene. He took a sip. It wasn't the best tasting stuff he'd ever had, but it did the job of waking him up and warming his soul. "Take a few minutes and relax. I'll have a few words with my son and my brother." Quirin went outside.

Eugene took a deep breath and just let himself calm down. He looked out the window and watched as Quirin pulled Hector and Varian aside. He couldn't hear what they were saying. Quirin wasn't shouting though, and Varian wasn't upset. The boy looked shocked and a little guilty. Varian looked from Quirin to Hector, watching as they seemed to argue. Finally Varian said something to Hector, and the man's tense posture relaxed.

Eugene finished off his coffee and went outside to catch the tail-end of the conversation.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." Varian said.

"I'm not going to get hurt." Hector said quietly. "I can handle myself against a few measly guards."

"Please don't fight my men." Eugene said. The three of them turned to look at him. "Look, I don't know what's going on. I'll take care of the guards, but I need you to let me do that." It would be a lot harder for him to find fault with the guards if Hector caused actual problems. If he gave them any reason to justify their actions, Eugene couldn't discipline them for acting within the law.

"Look, if they start causing problems I need you to just take it." Eugene said. "Promise me you won't fight back." Eugene had seen just how harsh and violent Hector could be when he got defensive. Eugene could admit that maybe there were some issues with the guard, but he didn't think it was something they should be killed and maimed over, and they would be if Hector actually retaliated. Eugene wanted to stop things before they got to that point, but he needed time.

Varian's eyes flashed. "You can't ask him to do that."

"I have to." Eugene said. Varian didn't understand. "Maybe the guards are treating Hector unfairly. Maybe they're unjustly suspicious of him. I don't know. I'll figure it out, and I'll talk to them. But I need you guys to let me handle it. Can you do that?"

Varian looked like he wanted to say no. That he didn't trust Eugene, and that hurt. He knew the kid still had some distrust towards the guards, but he hadn't thought it would ever extend to him as well. But Quirin put a hand on Varian's shoulder, calming him.

"Eugene's not asking Hector to not defend himself." Quirin said. "He just wants to make sure that things don't get out of control. You know how quickly things escalate in our family."

Varian huffed and crossed his arms. "Yeah, I do." He admitted reluctantly.

Hector rolled his shoulders. "If you want me to back off, I will." There was a weird look in his eyes. "Is that what you want?"

"Yes." Eugene said.

"M'kay." Hector said. "I won't cause problems."

Eugene breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." He knew the issue wasn't resolved, but that was one less problem he had to worry about. Though now he had another problem on his hands.

Varian was still looking at him with distrust in his eyes. "Just…don't let him get hurt. The guards are….they're not nice."

"They're just trying to do their jobs." Eugene said confidently, though Varian didn't seem convinced. "Don't worry. I'm not going to let anything happen." It was a promise, though he didn't say the words, because he knew that would just make Varian trust him even less. But Eugene had no intentions of letting anything happen to Hector. He was more worried about Hector hurting the guards.

Eugene had had his own issues with the Coronan guards in the past, so he could understand Varian's caution, but he'd gotten to know these guys. They were protectors of the people. They were just trying to serve the kingdom. Maybe they could get a bit single-minded when they were dealing with someone they saw as a threat, and maybe that was what was going on with Hector, but the way to fix that was by proving them wrong. Not by defending yourself so much that you proved them right.

Hector was going to be just fine. This issue between him and the guards, whatever it was, would be taken care of. Eugene would make sure of it. He just needed time to figure it out.