Good day to you all! As of posting this chapter I'm happy to announce that I have finished the rough drafts for the rest of this story. It will end at chapter 35 or 36 which is the epilogue (that epilogue was gigantic I may have to split it up.) making this a 62-63 chapter series all together. That's…that's a lot. While first plotting this thing out I had only intended it to go half as long but as you can see…it got away from me.

I had toyed around with the idea of writing a season three but honestly I didn't really have a good story and the end of season two felt like a good place to stop. I didn't want it to end up like some of those shows or animes that had a planned ending but got popular and continued on anyway.

I still have a lot of pictures to finish before I'm officially done but some of those are going to be really fun ones and I've been itching to draw.

Again darker themes for this chapter. Thanks to everyone who has read up to this point and I hope you'll stick with me until the end.

Content warning: Disillusionment, madness, attempted murder of a child, past murder, altered history, abuse of power, gaslighting, victim blaming, loss of limb, permanent injury, brainwashing, attempted brainwashing, enslavement, confirmation bias, strangulation and more.

(this is not a happy chapter)

Chapter 28

The Madness of King Frederic

As the group headed toward the museum Cassandra was not happy. Not if their plan revolved around Varian bonding with the Moonstone to make it complete. The kid had attacked two kingdoms and they were supposed to believe he had changed his ways because he said he was sorry? She subconsciously hugged her chest remembering how her ribs cracked under the strain of the metal claw and her lungs were denied air.

She remembered hearing her father cry out as that brat's pet tore into him. She then looked around at the rock infested city. Perhaps Varian wasn't responsible for all of that destruction but the thought of him having full control over the stone and being able to do this much damage terrified her.

She acknowledged that perhaps he had been treated unfairly when he was left on his own after the blizzard or when he was falsely accused of attacking Rapunzel but his actions afterward only seemed to prove them right.

The bottom line was, Varian was dangerous. He may look like a cute little kicked puppy but one wrong move and he goes on the attack. And with the power of the Moonstone in his hands she didn't trust him to simply give it up so it could be neutralized along with the Sundrop. Not while his father was still trapped in the amber.

As she was about to go into the Museum she stopped. She thought she saw someone watching them. Cautiously she slipped away from the crowd and followed the unknown figure to the side of the building out of sight from the other. The moment they were alone he revealed himself to her.

"Yo-your Highness?!" she quickly bowed but even though it was a brief look she was horrified by the state he was in. "What happened to you?" he gestured for her to rise.

"It is a long story Cassandra and we have very little time." He was wearing a cloak which he drew back revealing he had possession of the Moonstone. "I had to take the stone to prevent Varian from reuniting with it."

"I'm sorry you're highness I had planned to take the stone as ordered but Rapunzel was lured in by Varian and I had no choice but to follow-"

"I know. I was trying to follow her myself and…" he paused, touching his blind eye. "Was detained by another version of Varian who had the full power of the Moonstone. He was absolutely mad with power." It was everything Cassandra had feared. She was glad the king had gotten to the Moonstone first. In Varian's hands it would have been a disaster.

"What are your orders my king?" he smiled.

"I have very few allies left that haven't been swayed by the boy but I have a plan to fix everything." He handed her a note. "I must go on ahead and prepare. Follow the instructions I have commanded and we'll not only save Corona but Rapunzel as well."

With that he slipped away as Cassandra quickly read her instructions. She was to subtly make herself even more suspicious. With all eyes on her hopefully no one will notice that the Moonstone has already been taken.

She was also to test how much Rapunzel trusted Varian vs her own father. Something she put to the test when she hinted at taking the Moonstone instead of Varian. It was clear Rapunzel was losing faith in her father and trusted Varian way too much. Something must be done.

The plan went off without a hitch as the King restrained The Brotherhood along with Eugene and Lance. When Varian and Rapunzel confronted her the King finally made his appearance.

She was at last content, everything would alright now.

But just a few moments the truth would be revealed and Cassandra would regret everything.

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Nigel paced frantically in his room. The Queen was on to him; he just knew it. She was also planning something but he didn't know what it was. She went out of her way to avoid as many people as she could today but he knew she was keeping an eye on him.

Not to mention his mistress was enacting a new plan without him and dealing directly with Mathews. He clenched his fist, he was the one who gave Mathews the opportunity to impress their mistress and this is the thanks he gets! After catching his reflection in the mirror and seeing how unhinged he was getting he forced himself to calm down.

He had played the part of Royal Adviser for many years in many different forms. The power given to him by his mistress allowed him to take on new identities. Not just simple shape shifting but altering his appearance so that it would be semi permanent and not at risk of reverting.

He had always placed himself in the position of adviser and was very good at his job. The more trustworthy and competent he was the easier it was to fool whoever was ruling Corona at the time. And if his mistress finally succeeded in obtaining the power of the Sundrop and Moonstone then Corona would simply fall, helped by all the weakness he's added over the years.

But something felt different this time. It felt as if something was about to change. Despite his…miscalculations he had been a loyal servant for years and that should still count for something. He would maintain his post but he had to prepare an exit strategy as well.

He was always good at adapting.

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Varian reacted on instinct as he quickly sent up several rocks to keep Frederic away while opening the passage and freeing the others. He would have been pretty impressed with himself if he wasn't so terrified. Vari, now Kujaku, ran into the room to join the brotherhood ready to take on the King of Corona but he was not prepared for what happened next.

"Now now, let's all play nice." Frederic held up his stolen treasure from the evil King Varian's office revealing the Mind Trap Stone. "Obay." In an instant Hector, Adira and King Edmund dropped their stance and their eyes glowed blue.

"I don't know what just happened but this can't be good." Eugene muttered, eyeing the Brotherhood with apprehension.

"Restrain them please." And like giant living puppets each of them went after their target.

Edmund grabbed Eugene first placing an arm under his neck ominously. Adira easily subdued Lance and while he wasn't too unhappy about that but then remembered how she hated being touched. He felt offended on her behalf that she was being forced to do so against her will. In the meantime Hector secured Varian. Varian was hesitant about trying to use his moon powers not confident he had enough control not to hurt anyone.

Seeing all her allies being taken out Rapunzel ran to Vari while taking down her hair ready for a fight.

"Looks like it's just us but don't worry, I'm sure we can-" her words were cut off as Kujaku grabbed her as a beetle-like sentimonster crawled up, securing her hair like a giant hair clip.

"Vari, let me go!"

"He'll only do as I command." Frederic said as he walked around the room observing his captives. "As long as I possess the Moonstone while wielding the Mind Trap Stone any member of the Brotherhood is at my command." He then turned to the only one in the room not secured.

"Good work soldier." he said to Cassandra.

"Cassandra?" Rapunzel cried out. "Please help us!"

"I am Rapunzel." she said not quite able to look her in the eyes. "This has gone on far enough."

"Quite right." Frederic said, causing both Eugene and Varian to become extremely upset.

"You highness, what's the deal? Why are you here and what's up with you just hijacking the Moonstone?" He struggled but couldn't move very well in his father's grip.

"Come to finish what you started?" Varian said as his hair started to glow.

"Before you foolishly try anything boy, there something, or rather someone you should see." He waved his hand and a section of rocks descended revealing a man in a black rock cage.

"Gabriel!" Varian shouted but ceased his struggle. He wasn't in good shape. He had a dark bruise on his forehead caked with dried blood, several cuts on his face, broken glasses, and rips all over his suit. He looked up when he heard Varian's voice.

"Varian?" he sounded groggy like he was struggling to wake up. "Wha…what happened? Are you al…alright?" He looked around but it was hard to focus with his cracked glasses. "Where's Adrien?"

"I'm OK Gabriel, and Adrien's safe, I promise." Gabriel was still struggling to focus but his boys were alright at least for the moment. He would need some time for his head to clear.

Cassandra getting a bit concerned. Sure this was the evil wizard who has been terrorizing this city for months but this was a bit excessive. But it was fine, the king surely had a plan and it looks like keeping him in custody was keeping Varian from using his Moon powers.

"And just to be sure you don't try anything else-" he yanked the goggles off Varian's head and handed them to Cassandra. "Secure these once we're done here." Varian was now looking at her pleading for her to do something, anything, but she just nodded.

"Yes sir." Seeing all eyes were on him the king knew it was time.

"I'm sure you all have many questions and I think it's time my daughter learned the truth." Rapunzel already knew whatever she was going to learn was not going to be pleasant.

"Dad I don't understand, why are you doing this?" He came up to her and attempted to put a reassuring hand on her soldier but she recoiled. He sighed and pulled his hand away.

"I'm sorry it has to be like this Rapunzel. Normal you would have grown up and learned everything you needed to know over time. This won't be an easy thing to learn. When I did, it was so hard for me to accept that I jeopardized everything. But I won't let that happen to you." He commanded the rocks to create a throne that rose above them all once he sat down. "It's time you learn what it truly means to sacrifice for your kingdom."

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Bunnyx had returned after delivering her message to Ladybug. As expected she was confused and wanted to know why but that was something Bunnyx couldn't tell her if she wanted to protect the timeline as well as the dimensional barrier.

"How did it go?" Her guest asked, seeing her downtrodden expression.

"About as well as can be expected." She looked back at the still flickering timelines. "Are you sure your plan will work? I can fix the timeline but if the dimensions themselves collapse," They sighed looking at the same mess Bunnyx was dealing with.

"Provided there are no unexpected variables…" he tried sounding confident but this whole situation was like a cracked mirror that could shatter at any moment.

"This is so frustrating!" Bunnyx exclaimed, going from window to window. "We can't do anything else until the conflict is resolved…one way or another. Any more interference we'll only make things worse." They thought for a moment looking at one screen in particular.

"We'll just have to wait and see." I was all they could do.

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With a literal captive audience Frederic began his tale.

"Have you ever wondered why Corona has been so prosperous over the years? It is because of sacrifice. For Corona to grow and prosper others have had to suffer." No one knew what Frederic was talking about but by this point everyone wanted answers.

"For generations now our family has had to sacrifice for the prosperity of our kingdom. A pact was made long ago with a being of great power. The being promised wealth and prosperity to the land but for a price.

"Every ruler of Corona was made to offer up a sacrifice, something that they loved dear…someone that loved dear." There was a collective gasp coming from the group but Frederic ignored it and continued.

"If the sacrifice was made the Kingdom flourished but if not disaster would fall on both the house and the kingdom. Our ancestor King Herz Der Sonne, rejected the sacrifice when he refused to kill his sister and that's when the war with Saporia began. The longer he fought the more the war had cost him. It was only after the brave princess, who was only 12 years old, offered herself to her brother was the kingdom saved." Everyone was horrified by this, especially Rapunzel.

"Tha…that's crazy!" exclaimed Rapunzel looking at her father praying this was some kind of metaphor. "Dad you can't believe this…ritual is real. Herz Der Sonne and Shampanier loved each other. That's why the war ended!"

"I take it you are referring to the journal. The man wasn't in the best state of mind after losing his sister so he convinced himself he was in love with the general. He told a romanticized version of the surrender and a political marriage. That is what the real historical texts tell us. Of course that wasn't something we could tell the public so we put his journal on display to keep the former Saporian citizen at bay while we absorbed them into Corona."

Cassandra kept a stone face but inside she was screaming. What the hell was the King rambling about? Was Andrew…right? It sounded like the king had just admitted to falsifying history? There had to be more to this, there just…had to be.

"Perhaps the two learned to love each other in time but who can say. From then on the rulers offered up their sacrifices without fail. That is, until it was my turn." He paused as if it took him considerable effort to voice this memory out loud.

"I was told this by my father and stressed the importance of the ritual but I was weak. My mother had died when I was young and I had no siblings. I was very shy as a child so making friends was hard for me. When I met your mother and fell in love I feared I would be asked to end her life but my father, the wise man that he was, offered his own life so that I might have a happy start to my marriage. In the end I could do it. The look of disappointment on my father's face was nearly unbearable. He died of a heart attack shortly after our wedding. I should have seen it for the sign that it was but I still pretended everything was fine and everything would work out in the end."

Besides being horrified Rapunzel was reminded of her own indecisiveness. It scared her to know this is who she got it from.

"I even had another chance to complete the ritual. I had made a dear friend, one who I would have given my life for. Unfortunately the thought of having to take his life left me just as queasy as with my father. And again my inaction had consequences, he was later struck down by his foolish son." Varian's eyes went wide and so did many in the room.

"W-wait." Varian stuttered. "You don't mean?"

"I do!" Frederic snarled viciously. "A better man there never was, he deserved more than a cursed child for a son!" Eugene was floored by this revelation. He had been warned by the king about Varian and given his history with the boy it seemed understandable at the time. But this…

"Your majesty, I know Varian can be reckless but what happened with Quirin was an accident." The king scoffed.

"It was no accident…it was further punishment. When I had decided not to kill my best friend Arianna became pregnant with Rapunzel and not long after she fell ill. My adviser warned me the sacrifice must be made but Quirin had no knowledge of the ritual and I couldn't bring myself to do it. So I sought another way.

"As I researched a miracle cure I discovered the legend of the Sundrop and the healing properties it had. It was ironic that the man I sought to protect was my strongest opposition. He told me about the Sundrop and the Moonstone and how disturbing one would upset the balance. I should have told him the truth then, he may have even offered himself to save my family but again I was a fool.

"You all know what happened next. I found the Sundrop, cured Arianna…and I lost you." the king turned back to Rapunzel. "It was my fault for not being strong enough and failing to complete the ritual. Everything bad that happened to you was because I was too weak and instead of doing what I was supposed to I made it worse.

"The being visited me in a dream and said I was too late to perform the ritual and would be unable to fix things. Worse yet I upset the balance and would be cursed by the moon for years to come. Still I kept on hoping and praying I would see my little girl again. I knew the sacrifice would no longer work for me and Quirin was the only one who had knowledge of the Moonstone and would know what to look for in the future.

"From that point on I strived to made Corona as safe as I could. I hunted down and punished all those who dared to darken my fair city. All the while hoping against hope one of those scoundrels would lead me to my lost child but if they couldn't help then they were useless to me."

Lance and Eugene looked at each other the best they could. They knew Corona had a reputation for being hard on criminals and even though they suspected the King was strict because of what happened to his daughter this was a whole nother level. The king turned his loving gaze from Rapunzel to Varian morphing into hatred.

"When Quirin sired his own child I was happy for him at first. That is until I realized he was hiding something from me. I didn't discover what it was at first but the moment I saw you I knew, I could feel it. The unnatural color in your hair the way he was reluctant for anyone to see you especially at night. I knew you were somehow cursed with the power of the Moon as Rapunzel had been blessed by the Sun.

"Over the years rumors of your destructive nature grew as you aged. Quirin was quick to cover for you and your experiments especially after your mother died on that foolish quest of her. I knew you were trouble but for Quirin's sake I ignored you and let you be. But I never seem to learn, ignoring a problem just allows it to grow.

Rapunzel was once again reminded of how much she had unknowingly inherited from her Father. And it scared her.

"After Rapunzel was finally returned home you showed your true colors." He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder slowly moving it towards his neck. "I know Quirin warned you to stay away from the rocks and what did you do?" His hand was now on Varian's neck and he was too afraid to move. "You sent those blasted rocks of yours after him and now Quirin is gone!" he suddenly squeezed and Varian was left choking for air. Rapunzel was screaming at him to stop and the others quickly joined in. But surprisingly it was Cassandra who got through.

"Your Majesty, it might not be too late to save Sir Quirin." He paused and took his hand away leaving Varian gasping for air. "Varian was able to release an animal who had been sealed within the Amber for weeks. It came out alive and unharmed." He looked at her cautiously.

"Have you seen this animal?" she nodded.

"Yes, I saw it in person."

"Now you know why it hissed at you." Eugene added as he kept one eye on the current traitor and one on Varian who was still wheezing a little. As mad as he was at Cassandra he was thankful she took the focus off Varian for the moment. The deranged king smiled.

"This is good news. If Quirin is still alive then I can free him with the power of the Moonstone." Lance snorted.

"Yeah he's going to be really happy with you after he finds out what you did to his kid." But Frederic was not deterred.

"It won't be the first time history will have to be rewritten for the greater good and once the latest sacrifice is complete Corona will be blessed once more." Varian bravely looked up at his attacker.

"Y-you just said your stupid r-ritual wouldn't work any more." He had to pause to draw in some additional air. "You're j-just looking for a-a way to justify all the crazy shit you did to me and everyone else you executed or locked up and l-left to rot." The king smiled and it sent shivers down the spines of everyone in the room.

"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. The sacrifice isn't for me." Before he even said the next line everyone's eyes darted to Rapunzel who had just figured out what he meant.

"No." she said quietly. "Dad you…you can't be serious." Frederic actually looked concerned at that moment when he went back to his daughter.

"I know this is hard to hear Rapunzel. I wish I had more time to prepare you for this but I won't let you make the same mistake I did. I love you far too much for that."

"NO!" she screamed louder. "There is no way I'll ever kill anyone, especially someone I care about! I'll find a way to break whatever crazy deal our ancestors made but I won't hurt anyone again if I can help it." He looked at her sadly as if he expected this answer.

"Don't worry I'll make it easy for you like I tried to do before."

"Tried…Dad what did you do?" He glanced back at Varian who recoiled involuntarily.

"He was supposed to be weak, near dead when you arrived home from your journey." Cassandra was glad the king was looking away when she heard the news. She was sure, so sure Varian was lying about his treatment in prison or at least how he got those scars. She was also now realizing why the king wanted him alive.

"It would have been a mercy killing, you would have put a dear friend out of his misery." Cassandra wanted to throw up and from the looks of it Rapunzel did too.

"You…how could you? You promise to look out for him! I didn't want to believe what he said but…oh God!"

"The Moonstone would always be a threat to the Sundrop unless someone took possession of it. As long as that boy is still alive that can't happen. When you complete the sacrifice and Corona possesses both the power of the Sundrop and the Moonstone nothing will ever be a threat to our kingdom or our family again."

Cassandra was pail as a ghost. He was insane, good lord he was actually insane. And she helped him! She defended him when the evidence was right in her face. Oh God what had she done? She had wanted to be seen as a good soldier in her father's eyes; she had let herself be blind to everything else. But what could she do? There wasn't much she could do…at least not alone.

Seeing how distraught Rapunzel was gave her an idea. It wasn't a great one but this was her only chance.

"Your Majesty." She said as calmly as possible. "If I may make a suggestion, the princess probably needs some time to process all of this; perhaps she should be left alone for a while." the king though for a moment.

"As much as I'd like to give her that comfort I'd rather not risk her safety." Damn, she thought, it was a long shot but still worth a try. Plan B then.

"Maybe we should relocate the other prisoners. She might feel self conscious doing the deed in front of an audience." He seemed to like the idea but was reluctant for his Brotherhood guards to leave. "This palace still has a dungeon. Let me escort them for you."

Rapunzel and Varian were both shooting her dirty looks like they couldn't believe she was still going along with all of this. Thankfully that only helped her keep Frederic's favor for the time being. She wouldn't have it for long. She hated that she'd have to leave both Rapunzel and Varian in the hands of that madman but they needed help if they were going to free everyone.

She walked Eugene and Lance down the stairs at sword point with their wrist bound with black rocks. It was a snag in the plan but she was just going to have to wing it. As they reached the stairs that led to the dungeon area to both Eugen and Lance's surprise she kept walking.

"Hey Ice Lady wha-"

"Shush." she glanced around as calmly as possible. "Just keep walking and when I say go make a break for the front door." Eugene raised an eyebrow not fully trusting her after that stunt she pulled.

"What gives, Cassandra? What's your new game this time?" She really wished they'd shut up. If the king suspected what she was doing they were all dead.

"The game is to be quiet so we can get out of here."

"I'm not leaving either Rapunzel or Varian behind. Not again!" Lance sighed.

"She's right Eugene, none of us can stop him, we need someone powerful to back us if we want to stand a chance." Suddenly the rocks started shooting up from the ground behind them.

"The door! GO NOW!" Cassandra shouted, pushing the two ex-thieves as hard as she could. They were almost at the door when the rocks started blocking the entrance.

"GO!" She shoved them both clear and tried to jump out herself. She made it…mostly.

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Ladybug, Chat Noir, Viperion and Azeban were all waiting at the meet up location wondering how the others fared at the Museum. When the rocks started acting up again they guessed not well. At this point they were evacuating Paris and unless they could stop the rocks for good they feared this might be the end of their beautiful city.

Just when they were all wondering if they should head to the museum and investigate the door slammed open.

"Someone HELP!" It was Eugene and Lance and they were awkwardly carrying someone between them with their hands bound.

"Ca-cassandra?" Vee stuttered seeing a version of his friend nearly passed out with Eugene's shirt wrapped around her hand, or, where her hand should be. Luka had to shake him to stop him from having flashbacks but once he calmed down he used several of his alchemy balls and used his bag of tricks to summon a bandage.

Thankful he got over his hemophobia during the last war, he quickly stopped the bleeding. As he and Luka were taking care of her, Ladybug and Chat Noir went up to Eugene and Lance.

"What on Earth happened back there?" Ladybug exclaimed as Chat Noir kept looking at the door where they came in.

"And where is everyone else?" Eugene panted, having run the entire way here.

"It was a trap *pant* evil future father in law was there and he's taken possession of the Moonstone *pant* brainwashed the Brotherhood *pant* and has gone completely crazy!" Lance nodded.

"He also wants Rapunzel to kill Varian so they can have ultimate power or some BS." Chat Noir looked at Ladybug who looked just as concerned.

"Where are they? Didn't-"

"Chat Noir?" Viperion touched his shoulder and handed him Varian's goggles. "Cassandra gave this to me, she said King Frederic still has them. And there's more." Looking at the goggles in his hands knowing Varian was in the hands of the man who nearly killed him last time made his blood boil.

"Whatever it is, we'll find a way to get them back."

"Chat Noir she said he's also taken Gabriel Agreste as a hostage as well." Chat Noir tightened his grip on the goggles to keep from dropping them. His entire family was taken? He may have had issues with both his father and Varian but they were still his family and he wasn't about to let some power hungry crazy king hurt them if he could help it.

He felt a hand on his arm, he didn't realize he was shaking. Ladybug was looking at him intently.

"We're going to need a plan." she looked down at the goggles in his hand. "And I think I know where to start."

To be continued…

With King Frederic wrapped around her little finger Zhan Tiri encourages the mad King to begin the next stage in her plan. Her desire for the Sundrop and the Moonstone is tied to her past and even how she came to be. It will also lead to her glorious return.