Chapter 31: Varian Dilemma

So here's more chaos incoming. I hope you approve, AiLinhD. So glad you notice all the details. It's a bit longer this one, but I saw no reason to cut it in two. I gotta be honest, not sure if I'm satisfied with this chapter, I don't know if I could have made this any different. Well well... Here goes nothing.

Queen Arianna was a beloved member of the Royal Family among the Castle staff. Even though she could act strict when needed, she was by no way a mean tyrant who pushed them to their limits, and if anyone had an issue, they were free to tell her, and she would adapt the situation the way it was possible. Although whenever things really did go wrong, she expected an explanation. And this was no exception.

Although it was a bit different this time. Even though things had gone as wrong as it could this day, Her Majesty remained calmed, but her face exposed her concern. This time things had gone wrong indeed, but now it was the Queen who gave them and explanation.

At the moment, the who staff stood lined up, like during an inspection. They were already worn out and scared by rumors and fear, but bursting to know what was going on.

"Dear friends." she begun as she started walking past all of them, slowly and controlled. "I think you all know why I have gathered you all here. There has been a dreadful thing going on today, and I want to clear things out in order for you all to calm down. In fact, many... horrible things has happened, and it's a miracle we managed through it."

They all tensed, but she kept going.

"Now, we must say it as it is; this day hasn't gone quite according to plan. Many unexpected things came up today, and some of them shouldn't have happened under any circumstances. But apparently..." she drew her breath. "...they were not to be prevented. We're not blaming anyone in particular; it is nobody's fault that it became this way. But now we must try our best to move on and continue as before."

Arianna discreetly drew her again breath before she went on. "I know there has been spoken of an escaped prisoner. Here in the Castle corridors."

There were gasps among them all.

"Well, this is true. A prisoner did escape, and not just any prisoner. He was.. dangerous indeed. But he has been found and taken care of. He was wounded during his escape attempt, and is currently under the care of Court Physician Phineas, who returned to us this very day. Now, there is no need to worry. And even though there is no... immediate danger that he will try anything, as his condition prevents him from doing so, there will nevertheless be guards outside the doors and he will be under constant watch. So there is no longer any reason for alarm. We know that this has been traumatic to many, but we ask you all to keep going as normal."

There were many reveled sighs to be heard among the staff, but Arianna noticed that Violet got more tense than relieved. Having been one of them who had a direct interaction with Varian, along with young Karen, it was no wonder why she felt uncomfortable. But Arianna had a feeling there was more, and decided to have a talk with her later.

"So now, let's go on like before. Do not speak about this, not even among yourselves. We don't want our guests to worry. Especially not Princess Annabelle and young Prince Danie.. We have seen today how much worry a rumor can cause, so we will do what we can to preventthis from happening again. The guests from South Corona were another unexpected happening, and on short notice, they are going to stay for a while. We will figure out how to interact with them in time. Princess Annabelle is going to marry soon, and we must make sure not to upset her. And Prince Daniel..." she paused herself as she recalled the boy from earlier and suddenly felt uncertain, reccalling his wild tautrum from earier. "Well, we will come back to him."

"But... Your Majesty." a male servant asked just as Arianna past him. "Wouldn't it be safer for everyone, including the royal guests, to move the prisoner back to the dungeons?"

"Alas...I am afraid not." Arianna turned back and faced him with the best of understanding as she could. "The damage that was done on him were so... severe that the physician insisted on keeping him under close observation, and he won't leave the sick room for at least two weeks. And until he gives other orders..." Arianna swallowed to moisture her throat, but she feared it ended up rather chocked. "... it must be so!"

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Phineas walked through the corridors, his hands folded under his wide sleeves, with an absentminded smile. As he approached the royal library, he stopped outside the double doors, where two middle aged guards. He stopped in front of them and made a bow.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen."

"Phineas! You really have come back." one of the guards said.

"What a relief. At least one of the rumors were true." the other one said.

"I would recommend you not to put trust in rumors, as they often appear to overrate." the wise old man said stiffly. "Has His Majesty with company arrived?"

"Yes, the red haired Princes were the last one, and they arrived about ten minutes ago."

"Thank you very much." he said before he grabbed the handle of the right door and walked in.

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While Arianna were speaking with the staff, the King had gathered to a meeting in the library where they could speak in private. Besides from Fredric and Nigel, the Captain, Prince Lars and his brother Jonas were present. Jonas, who was the last to learn about this, were patiently listening to the story of Varian and how he got to the sick room, and of the current state he was in. The Captain were horrified when he heard that Prince Daniel had been near him. Nigel pulled the collar of his shirt nervously, as if he got chocked, and were barely able to hold his tongue as the King explained to them why nothing of the bare truth could be reveled to Varian.

"So... he escaped just as we arrived?" Jonas said, but seemed more impressed than shocked. "That I must say..."

"But do I understand it correctly, Your Majesty, that we are not to tell the very reason of why he is here?" the Captain didn't hide how frustrating he found this situation.

"He doesn't, and we will not tell him either. There is too much of a chance to cause more damage if we do." the King said.

"I still think it would be safer for everyone if we moved him back to the dungeons." Nigel said with his nose raised.

"Nigel, have you even listened to a word of what we have said? We can't just put him in a dungeon when don't recall what he has done. But there is no reason to alarm. In the condition he is now, he's barely able to stand on his own feet, so it's not likely he's getting anywhere."

"But if he doesn't recall his crimes...?" Nigel asked with concern in his eyes. "How can we then put him to trial?"

"That will have to wait, I fear." sounded another voice, and they all turned to find Phineas approaching them.

"Ah, there you are, Phineas."

"I'm sorry for the delay. It took some time to convince the shy young man to have a bath." He chuckled. "In that age, they are so easily embarrassed."

"But... he's not alone, is he?" Nigel gasped with wide eyes.

"I left Xavier to watch over him." the physician said.

"Phineas, tell me." the Captain said. "You can't seriously mean that just because he has forgotten everything? He should at least have an iron ball or..."

Phineas raised a hand to silence him. "Captain, be reasonable. He doesn't even remember meeting the Princess. So... this is rather serious."

"The greatest traitor in Corona's history has forgotten his own crimes..." Nigel looked like he got trouble breathing.

"And he managed to slip under your right very nose." Jonas said with a chuckle. "Now, I am extremely curious at how he managed to do this."

"So am I, actually." Phineas said, turning to the King. "I believe that detail has slipped me."

"Now you see..." Fredric cleared his throat. "It's kind of... if your gentlemen recall that we had a... cat at lunch?"

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The two guards who stood outside the door to the library where the meeting was taking place used the chance to lean to the wall. Both were rather tired after the hunt for Varian and were glad to get some hours just standing there.

"What a day, huh?" one of them said.

"Yep. I'm glad the worst is over with." the other one replied. "I wonder what will happen to Pete and Stan though..."

"I bet there'll be potato peeling on them for a while." the first one said. Or boot polishing."

"I must say, what were they thinking with..."

Their conversation were interrupted by the sound of someone inside the library laughing loud. The guards looked at eachother with arching eyebrows.

" I must say, whatever is going on in there,?" the first one said.

"I hope it's not us they laugh at..." the other one said concerned. "If people knew what happened in here today, we would be the laughing stock at all of Corona."

"Well, let's hope that they meant it when they said that this is to be kept a secret."

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"I must say, with all due respect, Your Grace..." Nigel said as he watched Prince Lars leaning on the shelf and Jonas bending over the couch, both laughing loud and hysterically. "I cannot see anything comical about this at all! This is absolutely nothing to laugh at!"

Prince Lars had to gasp for air to be able to reply, and still the answer came as a loud cry. "Yes, it is!" His face was about to get as red as his hair as he kept on laughing. His brother looked like he was going to give a reply, but he had to give up as he wasn't able to utter a word.

Everyone in the room exchanged looks and arched eyebrows. After three more minutes with loud, uninterrupted laughter, Lars managed to sniffle some words while he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I... I thought that... Daniel... was the only one... playing with pepper."

"Oh boy... Has he met his match or what?" Jonas gasped through his giggles. "Hadn't I known better... one could almost believe he had given him the idea..."

This comment made them crack down again, and Lars broke into another round of hysterical laughing and joined his brother by the couch as the act of standing became difficult.

"Gentlemen..." the King cleared his throat loudly as he begun to find this frustrating. "I do believe now that it you who owe us an explanation. Lars...! Get a hold on yourself!"

Both brothers wiped their eyes and straightened up at the King's strict tone. Jonas still pressed his lips hard not to laugh, while Lars looked up and faced them. "I'm... terribly sorry to tell you this but..." he cleared his throat a few times and tried in vain to sound serious. "You might as well be prepared, because I bet you will all be..." he sniffed, "...affected somehow in the future."

"And that means..." Fredric asked.

Lars managed at last to stop laughing. "Daniel is... I hate to say this about my own son, but..." He drew his breath, struggling to speak, so his brother laid a hand on his shoulder and finished it for him.

"Daniel is simply spoken... a naughty boy. With a dreadful temper, horrible manners and a language that... shouldn't be his age known." He waited a moment, eyeing them all in turn. Nigel and the Captain exchanged looks while the King kept his gaze on them for him to move on. Phineas stood quietly without making any expression.

"You see... Everytime he sees his chance, he plays a prank and does mischief. Very soon you will most likely find pepper in your handkerchiefs, salt in your tea and I won't even dare to imagine what you will find in your pockets. Anything from pebbles to... a frog." He coughed. "If you're lucky that is..."

Fredric widened his eyes at this, barely able to believe what he heard. None of the tree did, although Nigel and the Captain kept giving eachother looks, as thye had been present during the boy's outburst.

"And I recommend that you open the doors and keep a distance before you go through them. There's a chance you'll get something in your head."

"And watch your feet, because you'll never know if there's a string to stumble in." Jonas added and looked at his brother with a smile. "Have we left something out?"

"Hm... We do have his languige..." the older brother marked, raising a hand towards his chin. "Wherever he has picked up such words as he uses remains to me a mystery... anything more?"

"Oh, that's right!" Jonas said and raised a finger. "He spits!"

"Eh..." Lars got a slight blush on his face again, clearing his throat. "Yes... He does."

"So... he's a prankster?" Fredric said and blinked.

"A mild description, Your Majesty... but yes." Jonas replied. "Not to mention the tantrums he thrown when he gets upset. You... saw for yourself, gentlemen." he looked at the Captain and Nigel. "By the way, Your Majesty? I apologize for the vase in the boy's room, and..." he gage an excusing smile. "I'll keep him in my room for the night as... the window of his room is... slightly cracked."

Lars sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not again..."

"What?" Fredric asked wide eyed. "Has he broken the window?"

"Sorry, he didn't liked to be removed from Varian, and now that I understand the reason, I..." Jonas said, and chuckled. "...I don't blame him."

"Why, I must say..." the Captain blinked several times. "If your Grace don't mind me asking, has he... always been like that?"

"Well, it wasn't as bad when Helga was alive, but..." Lars looked up. "She... made such commotion about letting him grow up on Southern Isles, so... we moved back to Corona when he was born. But as she had lost contact with all her friends and she had gotten used to a rather isolated state... As soon as Daniel was born, he became her whole world. She... "

"Brother... She spoiled him, and she barely let you in on him. There is no secret." Jonas put a hand on his brother's shoulder, who looked at him with gratitude. "And you've done what best you could, but there is not to deny that she kept you at distance, so you haven't been allowed to bond at all. And now the poor boy has to pay that price."

"But, if I may..." Nigel interfered. "Wouldn't it be an idea to be... consequent with him?"

"Don't you think I have tried?" Lars said frustrated. "It wasn't until Jonas came that he managed to behave just a little."

"But I think even I have to be aware of my pockets now after I had to put him on place in his room." Jonas said smiling dryly. "This is the first time I've had to act hard on him, and he didn't take that very well."

Lars sighed. "It was too good to be true." But then he lightened up. "But I promised Varian I'd bring Daniel to visit him tomorrow, and I think maybe Daniel too will like that."

"Great idea, brother!" Jonas smiled. "Someone closer to his own age is just what he needs."

"Wha-wha-wha... WHAT?" Nigel stood with his mouth open, all still, just letting an awkward silence come from his mouth. After ten seconds of doing so, the Captain gave him a slap on his back.

"Nigel! Breathe!" he said.

Nigel drew his breath in aloud gasp, shook his head and looked at the two brothers like they had a disease. "But gentlemen... You cannot let the young Prince come near him again! Imagine just what...?"

"Trust me, if I were you, I'd be more concerned with what Daniel would be up to soon rather than Varian." Lars said. "Believe me, both Daniel and I were near him and spoke with him, and he didn't harm any of us."

"I must confess, I want to meet him myself." Jonas said, facing his older brother with a smile. "He sounds like some interesting fella."

"I have a feeling you will like him very much." Lars said, smiling warmly to his brother.

"But what if he remembers something during the night?" Nigel asked. "Isn't there a chance..."

"I will give him something to make sure he would sleep all night through." Phineas replied.

"But what about in the morning?" the Captain said.

"We'll face that when that time comes." Fredric said and sighed. "For now... all we can do is wait."