After a lot of work, here's the new chapter seven. I'll post chapter eight after this, and then we'll be back to where we were before.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Tangled. I only own this story idea.
Pascal ran through the castle halls as he played hide and seek with Rapunzel. Looking around, he quickly hid as the Princess rounded the corner to chase after him. She walked past several decorative pieces, where Pascal was on top of a bronze horse statue in disguise. Suddenly, Rapunzel reappeared out of nowhere. "Boo!"
"Aah!" Pascal squeaked in shock as he fell comically from his perch. The Princess laughed, causing the lizard to look up at her in annoyance. Getting to his claws, Pascal blew a raspberry at them before scurrying underneath the Princess, who smirked as she took off after him.
The lizard ran down the corridor, passing Rapunzel's parents and Eugene as the blond chased her. The King and Queen looked at each other happily before their daughter came back and hugged them. Rapunzel turned to Eugene and kissed him on the cheek before running off again. The man chuckled awkwardly at the look her father gave him.
Rapunzel's search led her to her room. She opened the door, looking for Pascal, but gasped in shock when she found something else. There was a mysterious figure in her room, standing by her window. They wore a hooded cloak, and their back was turned, so Rapunzel didn't know who it was… until they spoke.
"Hello, Rapunzel."
The figure turned around and threw back their hood, revealing themselves to be Mother Gothel. She looked exactly as when Rapunzel last saw her before her hair was cut. "Did you think I was gone forever?" The older woman smirked as she sauntered over to the Princess, causing her to stiffen in fright. "What's the matter, dear?" She taunted as she circled Rapunzel, stroking her face and lightly touching her hair like she used to. "Aren't you happy to see your mummy?"
Gothel returned to the window before spinning around, throwing her hands up as the black rocks burst through the ground. Rapunzel flinched back with a sharp gasp, terrified as the rocks surrounded her. She tried to run away but was quickly cornered.
Suddenly, a gloved hand grabbed her wrist and tugged her in another direction away from the rocks. She looked forward and saw the Moonlight Phantom ahead as the black rocks closed in around them. Then, without warning, he threw her forward ahead of him. She hit the ground and rolled before looking up just in time to see her view of Phantom blocked by the black rocks surrounding him.
Rapunzel scrambled to her feet and ran forward, her hair glowing as she placed her hands on the rocks. Her braid burst apart as the black rocks shattered around her. She gasped in alarm as she saw the masked boy lying on the ground and ran to kneel next to him. Rapunzel helped him push himself up as her hair drifted into the air, pointing toward the sky.
"And look! Your hair has returned! Ooh, Isn't it wonderful?" Gothel laughed mockingly, causing Rapunzel to look up as reflections of her kidnapper appeared in the rocks. "Come now, dear. Let's get you back to your tower, where you will be safe and secure."
"Rapunzel…" Moonlight groaned, making Rapunzel look back down at him with concern.
"Phantom." She whispered.
"RAPUNZEL!" Gothel yelled as her rocks burst apart with a bright flash…
Simultaneously, Rapunzel and Varian awoke with a start in their bedrooms. The Princess's hair defied gravity above her bed while small black rocks poked out of Varian's walls. Pascal awoke with a gasp moments before Rapunzel's hair fell to the floor.
Varian looked around in shock at the rocks as he panted from his nightmare. If this continues, he should start wearing his gloves to bed. Getting up, Varian walked towards the nearest rock. Taking deep breaths to calm his nerves, he focused on the rock, willing it to disappear. As he did, the rock sunk into the wall, leaving a hole behind from where it was.
Varian smiled slightly before glancing out his window pensively. These nightmares had been going on ever since the coronation. It was the same thing every time. Varian would be having a peaceful day before his rocks started appearing everywhere, and he was suddenly in his Moonlight Phantom disguise. He would see Rapunzel running from them, and then he would try to lead her to safety. When Varian realizes only one can escape, he sacrifices himself to ensure Rapunzel gets away, leaving him trapped in the rocks. Then, he hears a voice, never quite able to make out what it says before he starts to feel weaker and collapses. Suddenly, the rocks would burst apart, and Rapunzel would be by his side while a new voice was speaking, taunting the Princess as her hair glowed and drifted to the sky. Finally, the rocks would burst apart again before he woke up.
Sighing tiredly, Varian dropped back onto his bed, holding his head in his hands.
(At the castle)
Later that day, Rapunzel was sitting at the breakfast gazebo, doing some writing in her new journal.
The Princess tried to talk to Cass about her dreams, but the other woman was worried about someone overhearing her. If word got out that Cass snuck Rapunzel and Varian outside the castle walls, she could get in a lot of trouble.
The biggest thing was that they couldn't tell Eugene about any of this. He was notoriously bad at keeping secrets, something he proved right in front of her in the discussion. Even though Cass had a point, it was still stressful for Rapunzel to keep this from her boyfriend since they told each other everything.
Backing up a bit, Rapunzel wondered how Varian was doing. She hadn't seen him since the coronation, and it was a bit of a trek to Old Corona.
"I was just thinking about your hair," Rapunzel looked up as Cass approached her, sitting beside her. "Maybe there's a way we can discreetly try to get some answers, just the two of us. We actually know someone who can help."
"I still think you're being unfair about Eugene," Rapunzel said as she closed her journal before crossing her arms with a smirk. "But, um, who are we talking about?"
"Remember our friend, Varian?"
"Mhm." The Princess nodded.
"According to rumors, he's actually some kind of wizard."
Rapunzel gasped in awe, covering her mouth. "Wow! A real wizard?!" Pascal squeaked in excitement, too. "Do you think he'll have one of those pointy hats and, like, a robe and a staff and cast spells?"
"No, I do not," Cass answered, Pascal sagging in disappointment. "Very little is publicly known about Varian and what is, isn't good. Some say he's dangerous."
"Cass, I think those may just be rumors," Rapunzel argued. "I mean, we spent time with him. Did he strike you as someone dangerous?"
"Truthfully, no. Even so, he may be our best bet to getting answers."
Rapunzel and Pascal shared a glance before the human sighed and got to her feet with Cassandra. "Well, let's go see our resident wizard."
(In Old Corona)
A week after the coronation, it was business as usual for Varian and Quirin. Their fancy clothes were set aside, and they resumed their daily lives. Quirin worked on the farm and attended to the town, and Varian got into alchemy mischief while secretly practicing with his powers.
Over the past week, he had discovered that his control over the rocks had improved. He learned he could shape them into anything he wanted, hide things in them (Objects–he didn't want to try living things), and look through them to see the area around them. The last one was useful for monitoring a major project he was working on.
"Okay, if this works as planned, then it should create a liquid-like compound that will harden to secure anyone caught in it," He murmured as he filled a glass ball with the alchemy solution he just finished. It was designed as a humane trap for the critters stealing from the gardens–rabbits, raccoons, and the like. However, it could also be helpful in a fight if he needed it.
Speaking of fighting, Varian had been thinking about the coronation battle. While everything worked out, transforming with people still around was risky. He needed to consider learning how to fight without his powers. He had some archery skills from an attempt to bond with his dad (which sort of worked). Maybe he could find a way to attach his alchemy to the arrow tips… He hummed in thought, setting up a test trap before returning to work.
Varian noticed something outside his window and paused. Looking closer, he saw Rapunzel and Cass were in town. Smiling at the unplanned visit, Varian pulled the lever to open the door for them and waited for the girls to come in.
"Varian? Are you here?" Rapunzel called as they opened the door to his lab itself. Before he could reply, they tripped the goo trap. Varian watched in embarrassment as it activated, engulfing them in pink smoke before it solidified around them. Judging by the confused chitters, he guessed that the raccoon lurking around was also caught.
"Sorry about that," Varian apologized, walking up to them. "I forgot I set that up."
"Oh, it's fine," Rapunzel sighed in relief as both women relaxed. "No harm done. What is this stuff, anyway?"
"It's a chemical compound I just finished." He reached into his apron and pulled out a small vial. He lightly sprinkled the contents on the compound, dissolving it. "We have a bit of a critter problem out here, so through the miracle of modern alchemy, I've found a humane way to solve the problem." To emphasize his point, he walked over to the raccoon that got caught and did the same thing. He then picked him up and took him to the door, tossing him outside before shutting the door. "There. That one, in particular, keeps getting into my lab. I decided to test the compound here before I offered it to be used around the farms."
"Well, it seems to work great," Rapunzel said, looking around with interest. "Look at all 'this! Did you make these?"
"Uh-huh!" He chirped, walking over to her. "So, what brings you all the way out here?"
"Oh, right," She remembered. "I was hoping to ask you about my hair. I mean, since you're such a magic expert–"
"Oh, not that rumor again," Varian groaned before explaining. "There's normally a line between science and magic. Alchemy falls into that area where they meet, but I mostly handle the science aspect. The most I've ever crossed over into the magic side was when I bought a book of alchemy solutions that included some potion recipes."
"Oh, I see." Rapunzel understood, though she looked disappointed.
"But," Varian continued. "I might still be able to help. Maybe not with finding out why it grew back, but we'd have more answers than now."
"Great!" The Princess perked up. "Thank you, Varian!"
"Thanks a lot, kid," Cass smiled before becoming serious. "Now, this goes without saying, but no one can know what we talked about down here."
"Don't worry. If anyone asks, it was just a visit between friends. Though, next time, you might want to take the back roads. Outside farming, there's not much to do in this town, so people gossip to pass the time." He warned them before muttering, "Especially about me."
"Got it." Cass nodded.
"Also, for future reference, you might wanna send a messenger bird to let me know you're coming over. Sometimes my projects need to be watched to make sure they work."
"Noted."
"Alright," Varian said, sitting at his lab table. He picked up a pocket notebook and pencil before turning to Rapunzel. "Let's get started. First, let's go over what happened again."
"Okay," Rapunzel agreed, sitting beside him while Cass leaned on the wall beside her. "So, my hair got really long again after I touched these strange rocks by the Sundrop Monument."
"Right." Varian nodded as he wrote that down.
"And now it's indestructible."
"I have fifteen broken weapons and a busted table for evidence," Cassandra added.
"Uh huh," Varian put his notebook and pencil down before getting up. He gently lifted Rapunzel's large braid into his arms. "And was your hair indestructible before?"
"No, it was easily cut before," Rapunzel said, watching as he unfastened the beads keeping her hair in a braid.
"Can you still heal with it?"
"I… don't know. We haven't tried that yet."
"Well, let's try now. The magic starts when you sing, right?"
"Right…" Rapunzel looked at them, closing her eyes as she started singing the song he knew by heart. "Flower, gleam and glow.~ Let your power shine.~ Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine…~"
Everyone else was silent as they watched her hair closely, waiting for something to change. Pascal looked around in expectation before his expression fell when he realized nothing was happening.
"Bring back what once was mine, what once was mine.~" She stopped singing and looked at the others. "Well?"
"Nice singing, but aside from that, nothing happened," Cass responded.
"Huh," She stared at her hair in confusion. "My hair should've at least been glowing…"
"Well, silver lining: We've acquired some data about your hair. It no longer possesses its legendary healing powers. So, progress. Let me check something…" He grabbed some of her hair and brought it to his table, where he put it under a microscope. "Hmmm."
"What?" Rapunzel and Cassandra asked in unison.
"I think I've seen something like this before."
That was an understatement. He had seen something like this before.
Himself.
"Really?" Rapunzel asked, eyes widening.
"Maybe, but I'll need to run the same tests to be sure," Varian murmured, hand on his chin in thought. He then walked to the back and removed a blanket covering a large machine with surgical tools. "Haven't used this in a couple of years…"
"What is it?" Cass questioned.
"This machine can analyze any substance for chemical make-up, bitopic composition, and urgu-structural integrity." He elbowed it, and a medical bed unfolded. "I built it myself."
"Nice!" Rapunzel commented with a smile, though Cass looked skeptical.
"If I'm right, this should tell us more about your hair," Varian said, stepping up to the controls.
"Raps, are you sure you wanna–" Cass started to ask before realizing the Princess wasn't next to her anymore. "Rapunzel?!"
"Let's do this." She was already strapped into the machine.
"Okay," Varian grinned before turning to Cass. "Don't worry; I've put someone through this before. It's perfectly– well, mostly harmless. 'Stings at some points."
That didn't reassure Cass very much. "But that's the worst of it! Plus, Rapunzel's hair is longer than that person's hair was, so she may not even fill it," Varian assured her before turning back to the Princess. "Still wanna go through with this?"
"Well, I'm already all strapped in!" She chirped, not noticing the tools above her hair glinting in the faint light.
"Then let's get started!" He pulled a lever, starting the machine up.
The device started to shake, causing Pascal to jump off. Rapunzel glanced around with second thoughts before the machine started spinning her around rapidly. "Ah!"
"Don't worry, it's supposed to do that!" Varian assured them as Cass stared anxiously when Rapunzel was put in different positions.
"Whoa-kay! Whaaa!" She was upside down one minute, with her hair pulled in all directions before being wrapped up like a mummy. After the next spin, she was right-side up again, with the machine's arms pulling at it before everything stopped. "Whoa!"
A bell went off on a timer next to the machine. "And there we are! Done." Varian concluded as Rapunzel panted.
"Alright. Not super fun, but it's over." The Princess laughed nervously.
"Oh, sorry. I meant done with the first test," Varian rubbed the back of his neck. "But don't worry; there are only eighty-six more to go." He pushed another lever as the timer started counting down the remaining tests. The table laid Rapunzel out flat before a buzzsaw popped up.
"Uh…" Cass said, seeing this test.
"Don't worry," Varian repeated. "If I thought it was dangerous, I wouldn't have suggested it."
"Okay…" They then see that the saw isn't cutting Rapunzel's hair.
"Wow!" His eyes widened as he stepped aside when the saw went flying, knocking off a piece of the control panel. Pascal peeked over the device with an open-mouthed expression. "I know we talked about this, but this is still amazing!"
Suddenly, Eugene burst through the door. "Here's something less amazing! Let her go!"
Varian and Cass looked at him as the machine sat Rapunzel up to face him. "Eugene! Hey!" She smiled nervously as the device kept pulling on her hair.
"Blondie, you're okay," he chuckled in relief before his look turned stern. "You wanna tell me what's going on here?"
"Uh, you invaded my home, for starters." Varian raised an eyebrow. "I can forgive them for coming unannounced, but you're just being rude."
While calm on the outside, Varian was beaming and slightly embarrassed inside. He knew Rapunzel's boyfriend was the famous Flynn Rider, someone Varian idolized. He was happy to meet Mr. Rider again, but it happened while the Princess was strapped into one of his machines. It would have been awkward, beyond belief, if he had seen the test with the buzzsaw.
Rapunzel cringed, remembering what Cass had told her earlier. Looking at the woman, she saw Cass's unhappy look, prompting Rapunzel to laugh nervously and not say anything.
"Oh, wait, wait, I remember you now," Eugene realized, looking at the kid. "You're from the coronation."
"Yup," Varian nodded, walking over to him. "Your girlfriend's fine, by the way. She's just doing a test to determine her hair's new properties." He looked back at Cass. "Miss Cassandra, can you watch the machine? I need to check on another project I'm working on and grab the spectrometric press. It's the only way I can read the test results."
"Sure." Cass nodded, watching a stone being banged against Rapunzel's hair. "And Cass is fine, Varian."
"Wanna come, Mr. Rider?"
"'Mr. Rider?'" Eugene looked startled.
"Uh, yeah." He chuckled and ran over to a dark green curtain, pulling a tassel to reveal several books and a wanted poster of 'Flynn Rider.' "You are the great Flynn Rider, aren't you?"
"Hey, now." Eugene grinned. "Flynn Rider, nice to be met."
"I used to see your wanted posters all the time. You're my hero." Varian grinned right back. "Seeing you in fancy clothes threw me for a loop."
"Well, hero is a bit much," Eugene chuckled. "But, uh, it's 'Eugene,' now."
"Varian." He gestured for him to follow him. "Come on, l wanna show you something."
"Wait, but I should be with–"
"One person watching is enough for the test."
"Just go, Fitzherbert." Cass said.
"We'll be fine, Eugene," Rapunzel reassured him.
"Come on." Varian walked out the door. Eugene sighed and followed behind him.
As they walked outside, Eugene ran to catch up with Varian. "What do you need to check on?"
"It's a surprise," he grinned. "And a secret. Can you keep secrets, Mr. Rider?"
That caught the older man's attention, his eyes lighting up. "You want to tell me a secret?"
"Sure."
"Yeah!" Eugene nodded.
"Hope so. Because this is a big one." They walked to a storage shed, and Varian looked around the shelves. "Let's see, where did I put the press… I know I put it in here, Flynn."
"Again, it's Eugene."
"Here it is!" Varian removed a cover from a small printing press before bending down to check it over. "And once the tests are done, it'll print the results on parchment paper–"
"That's muy interesante, but I'd like to talk about what the Princess told you–" He was cut off when the ground started shaking before it stopped after a few minutes. "What was that?"
"I believe I promised you a secret…." He moved Eugene aside to open a trap door. Varian climbed the ladder, and Eugene followed him into an underground tunnel. "Now, if my dad knew I was down here, he'd kill me," The alchemist laughed sheepishly as he led the way, holding a lantern. "Of course, if he knew what I was actually doing down here, he'd probably be impressed, or at least, I hope he'd be impressed. These tunnels run through my entire village, which makes them perfect for my project."
"What project?" Eugene couldn't help but ask.
Varian led him to a chamber with a large machine, multiple pipes, and various glowing dials. A couple of familiar black rocks were also in different parts of the room. "This project." He gestured to the device.
Eugene looked at it in awe before becoming bored. "I don't get it."
"Through the miracle of alchemy, not magic, I have found a way to heat this entire tank of water with a single drop of my newest yet-to-be-named compound." He walked over to a table and picked up a beaker with a green liquid. "I was thinking of calling it 'Flynnoleum,' after you."
"I still don't get it," Eugene repeated in confusion.
"I'm gonna surprise my village by bringing people hot, running water!" Varian chirped as he gestured to the machine, which let out some steam. "I've constructed five of these babies all throughout the caverns."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Eugene waved his hands, realizing a connection. "That–that tremor, your machines caused that?"
"No, it wasn't the machine," Varian assured him, taking a dropper from the beaker of Flynnoleum. "It's the reaction triggered by the machine's chemicals." He added a drop to a barrel of glowing liquid, and it let out a short yet fiery explosion, causing him to lean back to avoid it.
"And no one else knows you're doing this?" Eugene asked, walking over to him. "Okay, listen, kiddo, I'm no expert in… whatever this is, but anything that can cause earthquakes can't be safe."
"Don't worry, I'm keeping a close eye on the heaters," Varian said, checking a gauge reading. "Closely monitored, everything should run smoothly."
"'Should?'"
"There are no definites in science."
"We've gotta warn people about this!" Eugene pointed to the machine, not trusting it at all.
"No, we can't! Okay?!" Varian protested. "You gave me your word you'd keep it a secret! I'm keeping an eye on it, so let me handle it! Everything's perfectly fine!"
Another tremor happened as a bolt from the machine shot between Varian and Eugene before embedding itself into a wall. The older man looked at the alchemist with wide eyes. "It's fine." He brushed it off, but he did glance at the screw with slight worry.
(Back at the lab)
Rapunzel was still going through her tests as the table vibrated. "Only twelve more tests to go!" She looked towards the birdhouse counter. It dinged to signal the end of the test as the table stopped shaking, though she was still shivering slightly. "Yaaaaaay…"
"We're baaaack!" Varian announced, arriving with the press in his arms as Eugene followed him. "Thank you for your patience, especially you, Princess. I know these tests aren't the fun-est thing in the world."
"Oh, no, it's been plenty fun!" Rapunzel laughed, waving it off.
The machine suddenly shot electricity through her hair, causing Eugene, Cass, and Pascal to flinch. The chameleon's scales even matched the color.
"Okay, that wasn't fun." Rapunzel retracted, her hair a mess.
Varian set the press up by the machine, giving it a slight kick. "In a minute, this little guy will give us all the answers we need."
"Woohoo! Answers!" Rapunzel cheered.
Eugene looked a bit antsy, glancing at the door nervously. Cassandra noticed and walked over to him. "What's wrong?"
"I, uh… the kid's got… uh…." He cleared his throat. "Nothing, sorry, can't tell ya!" The ground shook as another earthquake occurred, causing debris to fall from the ceiling.
"Another earthquake?" Cassandra cringed.
"They're getting to be more frequent," Rapunzel said with concern as Varian looked up from the press. They heard a ding and turned to the countdown to see only eight tests left.
Eugene watched Varian's reaction and noticed that he was starting to look concerned. Good, at least the kid was taking the problem seriously.
Varian was starting to get a feeling in his stomach, the kind he got when danger was near. He had just checked the heaters, but maybe… Shifting slightly so that he was out of sight, he acted like he was checking the press as he slipped off a glove. Focusing, he looked through the rocks he had set in front of his machines, checking various dials for their readings. They were higher than they should be. What could've gone wrong?
Slipping on his glove, Varian got up and walked for the door. "I need to double-check something. I'll be right back."
"What was that about?" Cass wondered aloud once Varian was gone.
Eugene looked at the door before turning to the girls. "I'll go help him. Wait here for us, okay?" Not waiting for a response, the ex-thief ran out the door after the younger male.
(With Varian)
Varian ran through the tunnels, his anxiety through the roof. When he hit the shed door, he removed his gloves and used moon orbs to light the way instead of grabbing a lantern.
Reaching the first machine, he immediately knew something was wrong. The metal was turning red hot, and steam was pouring out everywhere. Looking through the rocks, he saw two other machines were the same, and the last two were heading in that direction.
Varian wanted to fix this; he had worked so hard on these, but there wasn't time to get around to all five, especially since he didn't know what was wrong. At this point, it was too late to shut them down manually, so he would have to destroy the machines and rebuild them later.
Varian held out his hands and focused on his magic. Picturing what he needed to happen, his hair turned blue with a white stripe, and his eyes turned solid blue. The black rocks re-angled themselves so that they were pointed towards the devices. Thrusting his hands in a crossing motion, they stabbed through the instruments like spears, ending the tremors for good. Then he focused and drew them back into the ground like they were never there.
Varian collapsed to his knees as his body stopped glowing, panting from the amount of power he just used. Despite getting stronger, controlling the rocks still took work. "Well, back to the drawing board, I guess." He sighed, catching his breath.
"What the hair…?" A stunned voice asked behind him, causing Varian to tense up. He slowly turned around to see Flynn Rider staring at him in shock.
He had seen that.
He had seen that.
Varian suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe, not noticing smaller rocks appearing around him in response to his distress. He could hear his heart beating loudly, deafening in his ears. His vision was starting to blur as a hundred horrifying scenarios ran through his head.
"Kid?"
Reacting to his panic, Varian tried scrambling away from the older man. His back hit one of his rocks, which had grown slightly taller. He clutched at his head, not sure if he was trying to protect himself or will his powers to calm down.
"Hey, hey, Varian, it's okay," Eugene said, recognizing the signs of a panic attack. "It's okay. It's just me."
"Don't… Don't hurt me." He whimpered.
"No one's going to hurt," Eugene assured him, kneeling in front of the rocks. "Varian, I need you to count with me, okay? Take a deep breath through the nose, and count to seven. Then breathe out through your mouth and count to five."
Varian did his best to follow instructions, and Eugene kept his voice calm and even. Slowly, the teen alchemist started to uncurl as he calmed down. The rocks receded into the ground, leaving holes in their place.
Eugene hesitantly scooted closer, trying not to scare the kid. "There you go. Now, do you want a hug, or do you want space?" Instead of answering, Varian launched himself into Eugene, wrapping his arms around him. Eugene returned the gesture, keeping a comforting hold on the kid.
"So, are you the…?" Eugene didn't finish the question. Only one person summoned black rocks like that.
"Don't tell anyone…"
"Hm?"
"Please, don't tell anyone about this," Varian begged, holding tighter. "It's… not safe."
"The power's not safe or…?"
"It's not safe for anyone to know I have magic."
"Why not?"
"Flynn… Eugene, you didn't grow up here. You didn't see how bad things were while Rapunzel was gone."
"What do you mean?" Eugene asked, confused and concerned.
Varian sighed, pulling back to look the man in the eyes. "Eugene, Lady Caine's story isn't unique. The King went on a rampage. It wasn't just criminals he locked up. Orphans got arrested for stealing an apple because they were hungry. Some never left prison at all. People suspected of knowing magic disappeared and were never seen again. One of those people was a neighbor who practiced apothecary. She was in the middle of treating a patient when she was taken, and that person died since she was the closest thing we had to a doctor at the time. My dad may be friends with the King, but I don't think that would be enough to protect me."
Eugene looked into Varian's eyes and saw the genuine fear held within them. It was a far cry from the headstrong confidence he had seen earlier. "How long have you had your powers?"
"I think I was born with them, but I didn't learn about my powers until I was eight. I became the Phantom when I was twelve."
"But if you know the danger, why do it?"
"Because someone had to stand up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves. The laws didn't protect people anymore, so… I did. And I still do." Varian took Eugene's hands, looking him square in the eye. "Eugene, no one can know about this! Not Cass, not Rapunzel, no one! Rapunzel may be okay with it and keep my secret, but Cass is a member of the Royal Guard, and her dad is the captain! I don't want to believe she'd turn me in, but I can't take that chance! And I don't want to make Rapunzel lie to her best friend."
Eugene stared at Varian before smiling, understanding. "You got it, kid. I won't tell a soul."
Varian sighed in relief, smiling back before hugging the older man again. "Thank you."
"No problem," Eugene said, pulling the other to his feet. "Now, we should get back to the girls before they come looking for us."
"Right." Varian nodded.
"Sorry about your machine, kid," Eugene said, placing a hand on his shoulder as they walked back down the tunnel. "I know that wasn't an easy decision for you."
"Well, at least everyone's safe," the alchemist conceded before changing the subject. "So, are you…?"
"Sorry, Goggles, but I'm not the same Flynn from the books," The older man apologized. "But, I am a fan of the series. Which story's your favorite?"
Varian smiled as they headed up together, discussing the Flynn Rider books.
(Back at the lab)
The tremors had stopped, with hardly any damage to the town. The tests ended, so Cass helped Rapunzel out of the machine just before the boys returned. Varian came in, gloves back on, and gave Rapunzel a reassuring smile, but it looked pained.
"What happened?" She asked with concern.
"One of my inventions… malfunctioned. I had to shut them down." He sighed and glanced to the side. "At least the goo works…"
"What was it supposed to do?" Rapunzel walked over.
"Well…" He sighed. "It was supposed to be a surprise, but I was trying to bring hot, running water to my village."
"Varian, that sounds wonderful!" She said encouragingly.
"Yeah, but something went wrong…." Varian sighed.
"Varian?" He looked up as his father came in, looking concerned. "I heard that there were tremors." Quirin walked over and knelt to examine him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he assured him, glancing away. "It's… It's nothing. An invention of mine got… out of hand. I took care of it without any trouble."
His father pursed his lips and sighed, placing his hands on his shoulders. "You're alright, though?"
"Yeah, everyone's fine. No one's hurt." Varian assured him.
"That's not what I mean." His father sighed. "I mean…"
"I'm fine," he said again, then looked up at Rapunzel. "But good news: Rapunzel and Cass came to visit."
"It's nice to see you again, Sir Quirin." Rapunzel smiled politely.
"You as well, Princess."
"Rapunzel, we should probably be getting back," Cassandra said. "It's getting late."
"Okay." Rapunzel nodded.
"Come by and visit again?" Varian asked. She nodded, and then she headed out with Eugene and Cassandra. Eugene gave Varian a wink and took Rapunzel's hand as he left. Varian just smiled back and walked to the door to watch them go.
"Well," Quirin sighed. "I suppose I should go see what damage those tremors caused. Varian, please, take a break from alchemy for today?"
Varian nodded. "Alright."
Walking back to his lab, Varian checked the results they didn't get to read. It was probably for the best. Eugene only knew his secret, not the one he shared with the girls.
Reading the parchment, he realized his suspicions were correct. Rapunzel's hair was the same as his hair stripe. If that wasn't a sign they had a connection, he didn't know what was. Even so, that didn't answer one question.
"What does it mean?" Varian murmured, looking out the window at the sky.
(Meanwhile)
Eugene kept their conversation to himself as they rode back to the Capital, though it was bugging him. Varian said things about people vanishing and orphans never leaving prison, which hit close to home for him. He understood that the King wanted to get Rapunzel home and keep her safe, but to target someone because they knew magic? The idea of the kid being dragged away by guards after seeing how scared he looked made his stomach turn.
Eugene may have been bad with secrets (and he'd never admit it), but this was one secret he was determined to keep.
(Elsewhere)
Beyond the Corona walls, another black rock grew out of the ground…
Okay, I'll be right back with the next chapter, and we'll be caught up.