Finally, I got this chapter done!
I'm sorry it took so long. Because this was an AU, I had to rewrite the episode entirely. But now it's ready, and we finally have Hugo.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the "Tangled" franchise. I only own the story idea and any minor OCs I make up.
Pascal and Ruddiger were running through the castle halls. Looking around, they quickly hid as Rapunzel and Varian rounded the corner to chase them. The step-siblings passed several statues, with Pascal atop a bronze horse statue in disguise. Ruddiger was hidden in the bowl next to him, cautiously poking his head out to see if the coast was clear. Suddenly, the teens reappeared out of nowhere.
"Boo!"
"Aah!" The two pets squeaked in shock as Pascal fell comically from his perch. The siblings laughed, causing the lizard to look up at them in annoyance.
Getting to his claws, Pascal blew a raspberry at them before scurrying underneath the princess. Ruddiger jumped down and ran after him, the humans smirking before following them. The pets ran down the corridor, passing the siblings' parents and Eugene as their humans chased them. The King and Queen looked at each other happily before their children came back and hugged them. Rapunzel turned to Eugene and kissed him on the cheek while Varian hugged him. The step-siblings then ran off as the man chuckled awkwardly at the look their father gave him. At the end of the hallway, the pets split up, with Rapunzel's search leading 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 her hood, revealing herself to be Mother Gothel. She looked exactly as she had when Rapunzel last saw her before her hair was cut. "Did you think I was gone forever?" The older woman smirked as she sauntered toward 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 Varian ahead of her, looking as frightened as she felt 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 Varian 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 Varian lying on the ground and ran to kneel next to him. Rapunzel pulled him close 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. In fact, let's take Varian with us, shall we?"
"Rapunzel…" Varian whimpered in her arms, making Rapunzel look back down at him with concern.
"RAPUNZEL!" Gothel yelled as her rocks burst apart with a bright flash…
Rapunzel and Varian jolted awake in their respective bedrooms. The princess's hair hovered above her bed, seemingly defying gravity, while small black rocks protruded from the stone of Varian's walls. Pascal and Ruddiger also gasped when they awoke, just before Rapunzel's hair tumbled to the floor.
Varian surveyed the rocks in shock, still panting from his nightmare. He realized this had not occurred since he was very young… Varian slowly exited his bed, his legs unsteady as he made his way to the nearest rock. Breathing deeply to calm his nerves, he zeroed in on the rock, willing it to disappear. Gradually, the rock sank into the wall, creating a hole where it once was.
A small smile crept onto Varian's face as he succeeded, but he soon glanced out his window with a frown. The nightmares had plagued him since the coronation, repeating in a relentless cycle. Each time, he'd start with a tranquil day in the castle that quickly devolved into chaos as rocks appeared everywhere. He would spot his sister fleeing and try to guide her to safety. As he came to the painful realization that only one could escape, he sacrificed himself, allowing Rapunzel to get away while he remained trapped among the rocks. He would then hear an elusive voice, its message always just out of reach, before he began to weaken and ultimately collapsed. Suddenly, the rocks would shatter, and Rapunzel would appear beside him as a new voice mocked her while her hair shimmered and floated skyward. Finally, the rocks would explode again, and he would awaken.
With a sigh, Varian flopped back onto his bed, cradling his head as Ruddiger approached. This is why he favored science over magic; science was predictable. Determined to have some solitude, Varian cleared the rocks from his room before stepping out to gather supplies from Xavier.
(Outside)
At the garden terrace, King Quirin and Queen Arianna ate breakfast at the table. However, something was on Quirin's mind as he was silent the whole time, which didn't go unnoticed by Arianna. "Quirin?"
"Huh?" He looked up at her in confusion.
"You haven't touched your food." She glanced at his entire plate of oranges, toast, and eggs.
"No, no, I've touched it. I've moved my eggs from here to here, you see? Hm." He hummed in amusement, but Arianna wasn't fooled.
"Oh, Rin, it's been nearly a week," She placed her hand on his. "Everything's fine."
He sighed slowly. "Do you think I handled the situation well?"
"You did a lot better than my late husband would've. Knowing Fred, he would've confined the kids to Corona under martial law," she chuckled a bit. "If that's a parent-child conversation, I would hate to see what a talking-to is."
"I just hope I'm making the right decision," he responded, looking back at his food.
(Meanwhile)
A young man with a box had just walked under the arch towards the front door. He was a tall, lanky teenager with broad shoulders, long legs, and light skin. His diamond-shaped face featured flushed cheeks and a freckled nose. Behind round glasses with thin brown rims were his bright green eyes, which appeared vibrant against his naturally dark eyelids. His thick, angled eyebrows were brown and included an eyebrow slit on the right side. He sported chin-length, strawberry-blonde hair with a messy ponytail and a dark blonde undercut. Although his bangs were usually messy and parted on the right, they were pinned beneath his hat. His ears held two piercings: a gold orbital on the helix and a silver one on the earlobe. His straight, sharp nose had a raised tip. He wore a muted dark green long-sleeve shirt with rolled sleeves and a gray vest for clothing. His pants were teal, and he completed the look with tall, brown boots. A dark brown cap obscured his eyes, and he had a pouch strapped to his left leg, accompanied by an orange-brown piece of cloth.
Getting up the stairs, the blond glanced around as if he were looking for something. "You'd think there'd be more guards around…" he muttered when the entrance hall was empty. Taking one last look around as he walked down the hall, the blond opened the box, revealing a map drawn on the lid. The intruder soon found what he was looking for deeper in the castle. He stopped at a large double door, setting down the box and map he no longer needed. Judging from the sign that said 'Caution: Alchemist at work,' it was assumed to be Varian's lab.
The blond reached out and tested the doorknob. "Locked," he muttered when it wouldn't open. "Good thing I've got what I need for this." He removed his hat before pulling the pins he used for his hair, letting his fringe fall free. He then straightened the pins and started picking the lock. It only took a few minutes, but he was on edge the entire time, listening for footsteps. He had watched the castle's comings and goings for a week but couldn't see inside. Given what little he knew, the delivery act was the best he could come up with.
Finally, the blond unlocked the door and went inside, closing the door behind him. "Okay…" he breathed, bringing a hand to his eyes. Muttering unknown words under his breath, he lowered his hand and blinked, his vision piercing the darkness perfectly. Seeing a wire a few feet in front of him, the "delivery boy" moved forward, stepping over the wire before looking around. "Now, to find what I came for…" He walked over to the workbench before he started rifling through the cupboards.
Suddenly, the room brightened, and he yelped, blinking the spots out of his eyes. "What the–"
"You're not supposed to be in here."
Stiffening, the blond turned just in time to see annoyed blue eyes before something green was hurled at him. He coughed and dropped to his knees, growing more fatigued with every passing moment until he collapsed entirely on the floor. The final thing he perceived before losing consciousness was someone standing above him.
(Rapunzel's Room)
"Come on, Cass! Those dreams are trying to tell me something!" Rapunzel insisted as Cass, in her lady-in-waiting uniform, redid the decorations in her hair. "Ever since that night–"
"Ugh!" Cass hissed in pain, rubbing her arm.
"You okay, Cass?" Rapunzel looked back at her.
"Yeah…" she groaned. "Just stiff from the past week…"
The princess looked down guiltily, remembering Cass's punishment. "I'm sorry, Cass. I swear I didn't tell my dad. I have no idea how he found out."
"It's fine, Raps, really," Cass assured her. "I was expecting to be sent to a convent, so this is no big deal."
Rapunzel was relieved Cassandra wasn't mad at her. She then glanced down before turning to her friend. "Cass, I really think we should let Eugene know what's going on."
The older woman hummed uncertainly. "I don't know, Raps. I'm not sure how I feel about him knowing."
"The whole reason we kept it a secret was to keep you from getting in trouble, which has already happened," the blond argued. "There's no point in keeping it from him anymore."
Cass stared at Rapunzel for a minute before sighing. Her personal feelings about Fitzherbert aside, she knew the blond was right. "Alright…" she said, taking Rapunzel's hands. "If you really want to tell Eugene…"
"Tell Eugene what?" The girls turned to see the man in question standing in the doorway. "Oh, come on, you guys keeping secrets?"
"Not exactly…" Rapunzel crossed her arms nervously as he approached them. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something. Cass, could you…?"
"Yeah, I'm going," the handmaiden said, climbing off the bed to leave the room. "I have other chores to do anyway."
When she closed the door behind her, Eugene sat beside Rapunzel. "So, what's up?"
"Well, first, I wanna apologize for keeping a secret from you," she said, knowing how worried he had been when her hair returned. "From now on, no more secrets. I promise."
"What about Cassandra?" Eugene asked, looking at the doors as if the woman were behind them.
"That's between me and her. Besides, there's no reason to keep this secret anymore," the princess responded before taking a deep breath. This was going to be a long story. "Okay, you know how I said I just woke up with my hair, and Varian woke up with his moon powers?"
"Yeah." Her boyfriend nodded. While Eugene wasn't the most intelligent person in the world, he had enough brains to know people didn't just wake up with lost powers suddenly restored.
"Well, that's not what happened. The truth is that the night before, Varian and I snuck out of the castle… with Cass's help."
"Oh, I knew it!" Eugene exclaimed. "I knew she was behind this somehow! Oh, she's gonna get in so much trouble!"
"Actually, her punishment just ended," Rapunzel mentioned offhand. "I still don't know how Dad figured it out so quickly…"
"Oh… great…" The former thief muttered, disappointed but didn't want his girlfriend to know. "Moving on, you were explaining how this got your hair back…"
"Oh, yeah!" Rapunzel remembered, getting back on track as she started speaking excitedly. "You should've seen it! It was a crazy night! Cass took us beyond the wall and showed us these black rocks, the same ones Varian summoned during the coronation. I know it's gonna sound weird, but I think they're what caused my hair to grow back and for little bro's powers to come back."
"Blondie, I'm dating a girl with seventy feet of magic hair with a brother with moonlight powers. Not much is weird to me anymore," Eugene couldn't help but comment.
"And after we touched them, they started chasing us," Rapunzel continued.
"Rocks chasing you? Okay, I take it back. That's weird."
"Well, Max was there, and once we got across the bridge, they stopped growing."
"Sounds like it was a wild night, Blondie."
"Which led to an even wilder coronation the next day," Rapunzel chuckled before looking at Eugene apologetically again. "Anyway, like I said in the beginning, I'm sorry I kept this a secret. We were worried about Cass being sent away if anyone found out that she was the one who helped us sneak out."
"It's okay, Sunshine, I get it," he said, understanding. "While I don't get along with Cassandra, I know you see her as a friend, so we're good."
The princess smiled at her boyfriend as the two hugged, glad they could talk this out. "How's Hairstripe doing with all this?" Eugene asked once they pulled apart.
"I think he's adjusting," Rapunzel guessed. "He wasn't happy at first about getting his powers back, but he's not isolating himself this time."
"That's good to hear…" Eugene said, relieved. "Speaking of Hairstripe, where is he?"
(Meanwhile, in Varian's lab)
Varian was unhappy to find an intruder in his lab. At Xavier's, he was puzzled when the blacksmith said he had given his order to a delivery boy. Although Varian rarely went out, he did so for alchemy ingredients or materials, preferring to manage them himself to prevent damage. He sensed something was wrong and returned to the castle to discover a box with a map outside his lab, and the door was unlocked. Armed with knockout dust, Varian entered quietly, summoning bright orbs of moonlight. The illumination startled a blond boy his age, who jumped back in surprise. The rest was history after that. Now, Varian had a stranger tied up in his lab as he lit the torches he used for light. Instead of ropes, he had the blond handcuffed with his rocks and kept in a black rock cage he had managed to summon. (Varian had to admit he was proud of himself for this)
He had gone through the blond's pockets and found a couple of dark glass orbs. Varian tested one of them and realized they were smoke bombs when they released a thick cloud of dark smoke. Recognizing that they were alchemy bombs like Varian could make, he deduced that the thief was also an alchemist or at least familiar with the practice. He also found a small pocket mirror for some reason. Not giving it much thought, Varian assumed the guy cared about his looks as Eugene did. And he was kinda cute… Varian quickly shook his head to ignore those kinds of thoughts. Now was not the time or place for that. Confiscating the other teen's supplies, Varian stuffed them into a sack before setting them aside.
"Okay…" he murmured, grabbing a crossbow he kept in his lab for emergencies. He gestured for Ruddiger to watch the blond, who nodded in understanding. Varian picked up a vial of smelling salts from his bench and tiptoed to his captive, slipping his arm between the bars. He held the salts under the blond's nose, watching closely as his face twitched before pulling back, putting the chemicals down as he backed up.
The blond groaned, waking up from being knocked out. His head was killing him as he blinked his eyes open before what had happened registered in his mind, causing him to snap fully awake. "Wha–?!" He glanced around, seeing that he was still in the Prince's lab. Feeling a weight on his wrists, he glanced down and saw that he was handcuffed with a weird set of black restraints. He also noticed that he was trapped inside a cage made of the same material as the cuffs. Lifting his hands to his face, the "delivery boy" started inspecting the restraints for a lock to pick.
"That's not going to work…" a voice said, catching the blond's attention. He glanced around and saw a figure in the shadows of the lab. "Especially not without these." The figure set a small sack on another bench next to them. The bag spilled open to reveal several dark orbs and a couple of twisted pins. The blond's eyes widened when he realized those were his. "Now…" he looked back as the figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing the Prince of Corona himself. "What are you doing in here?"
The blond's jaw dropped as he gazed at the prince. He had received broad descriptions, making the striped hair an immediate clue to the identity of the other teenager. However, nothing had prepared him for this in-person encounter. Beneath the torchlight and within the lab's shadows, the prince appeared… stunning. The blond felt his cheeks warm slightly at the thought.
"Answer me!" Varian demanded, snapping the blond back into focus as he positioned his crossbow. "What are you doing in my lab? You were clearly looking for something since you were rummaging around my worktable."
"Uh…" The blond started before clearing his throat. "You're the Prince of Corona…?"
"Whose lab do you think this is?" The prince quipped back, wondering why the blond was staring at him the way he was.
Glasses blinked a couple of times. "I gotta say, you're… not what I expected."
"What were you expecting?" Varian narrowed his eyes.
"… Someone taller?
"I'm still the guy with the crossbow and the magic rocks. Don't make me angry." The prince retorted with a deadpan expression.
"Sir!" the blond squeaked, sitting up a little straighter.
At this point, Varian decided to change tactics. Lowering his weapon, he began to speak more casually as he paced in front of the cage. "You know, I'm a little hurt. You're clearly an alchemist or at least a fellow science lover. If you had asked me honestly, I would've shown you what you were looking for. I'm happy to share my recipes and blueprints with other scientists as long as they don't take credit for my work."
"Honesty's not my style," the blond responded. "Besides, I doubt you would've shown me your truth serum."
Varian paused and glanced back at the thief. "How do you know about that?"
"I didn't," he smirked. "It was mostly a rumor, but my boss believed it enough that they wanted me to find it. Thanks for clarifying."
Varian narrowed his eyes, knowing the blond was playing his game. However, the game was still young, and Varian liked a good chess match. "Well, you wouldn't have found it even without me interrupting. There are just some things I don't keep lying around my lab."
"So, if I had asked nicely, you would've shown me," Glasses mocked him subtly.
"Hm, it would've taken some convincing…" Varian ignored the blond's remarks as he turned back to him with suspicious eyes. He returned to the cage and continued, "I don't know you, I don't know your boss, I don't know your motives. For all I know, you guys are planning to use it against my kingdom, and as Prince of Corona, I can't have that."
"Relax, your royal hair stripe," the thief rolled his eyes. "My boss doesn't do anarchy. It's purely business."
"And what business is that?" Varian questioned, narrowed blue eyes staring into green ones.
The blond stared back at him with surprised eyes. For all the attitude he had shown earlier, he still remembered that the boy in front of him was more dangerous than he appeared. After a minute, he sighed before saying, "I don't know what she wants with it, okay? She says, "Jump." I ask how high. I don't ask questions; I just follow orders."
Varian stared at the blond momentarily, looking for any signs of deception. After a minute, he backed away before moving over to where Ruddiger was sitting to talk with his raccoon. "What do you think, buddy?" he whispered.
The raccoon chittered a response. "Yeah, I think we've gotten all we can out of him too."
Another chitter. "No, I think he's been honest enough."
Chitter again. "I heard a slight accent in his voice, so I don't think he and his boss are from here. From the sound of it, I think he's here and not the mysterious boss."
Ruddiger chittered with a questioning expression. "I have an idea… It may seem crazy, but…" He glanced at the blond. "How often do I get to talk to another alchemist?"
Ruddiger gave him a look, not liking where this was going. "Don't worry, buddy," Varian petted him reassuringly. "I've got this."
With their conversation over, the alchemist stood up straight and squared his shoulders, putting on his game face. "Okay–" He paused before turning back to the blond. "What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't." He replied. The prince gave him a look, and the thief rolled his eyes again. "It's Hugo."
"Okay, Hugo, here's your situation," Varian continued, walking back over to him before leaning on the cage. "While you didn't steal anything from me, I have you on the hook for trespassing and breaking and entering. Combined, you'd be looking at the next twenty-four hours in the dungeon." Hugo's calm demeanor slipped slightly as the prince stared him down. "However, I'm willing to offer you a deal," Varian continued, backing up as Hugo's expression became confused. "Technically, your only crime was against me, so I don't see a need to involve the Guard or my parents. So, I'm proposing that instead of the dungeon, you help me with alchemy for the rest of the day."
Hugo blinked. "Huh?"
"Think of it as a community service option. I have a pretty significant project I plan to work on today. While I'm sure a couple of the servants would be glad to help me, I prefer to work with someone who can keep up with my science jargon. I might even compensate you if you do a good enough job and stay on your best behavior."
The blond stared at him momentarily, absorbing what the other teen had just suggested. This had to be a joke, right? Was the prince really suggesting that he work for him to pay off his crime? Clearing his throat, Hugo finally spoke. "Let me get this straight. You want me to help you with your science projects for the day, and then you'll just let me go?"
"As long as you keep your sticky fingers out of things that aren't yours," Varian remarked. "If you steal anything, the deal's off, and I'll yell for the guards."
Hugo was quiet again as he thought over the deal. While he wasn't fond of playing nice with a royal, he didn't like the idea of a jail cell either. Sighing heavily, the blond caved as he said, "Alright, we have a deal."
Varian smirked subtly as he set his crossbow down. He removed his gloves and placed his hands on the rocks, concentrating as the cage disassembled and sank back into the floor. Hugo watched in awe as Varian used his magic. He had heard about the Moonstone's power through rumors, but seeing it up close was something else.
Once semi-free, the blond stood up, watching the prince closely as the shorter teen held up his hands. Remembering the cuffs, Hugo held up his bound hands and watched Varian make them disappear.
"Wow…" Hugo whispered, amazed.
"One more thing to keep in mind…" Varian said, getting the blond's attention. The prince stared at him sternly, pointing as he said, "Alchemist. With a crossbow. And magic rocks. Don't try anything funny."
"Threat received," Hugo nodded.
"Then let's get started," Varian said. "I should have some extra goggles in here…"
The taller boy glanced at his sack of stuff on the table as Varian went to find some goggles for Hugo. Looking between it and the other alchemist, he started to step toward the table when he heard a hissing sound. Looking down, he saw a raccoon glaring at him threateningly.
"Oh, yeah, I have a guard raccoon, too," Varian mentioned. Hugo watched as Ruddiger gave him an 'I'm watching you' gesture with his paw before he padded after Varian. The blond watched him leave, wondering what he had just agreed to.
(Meanwhile)
After talking with Eugene, Rapunzel decided to go outside for a bit. She was sitting at the breakfast gazebo, writing in her new journal, when Cass walked up. "So, how did it go with Fitzherbert?" she asked, sitting beside the princess.
"It went well," she answered, closing her journal. "I told him what happened, and he understood why I kept it a secret. We promised to be more open with each other in the future."
"Glad to hear it," Cass responded. Even though he still didn't like Eugene, she could see Rapunzel was glad not to be keeping secrets from him anymore. "So, what do you want to do today?"
"I was actually going to look for Varian," Rapunzel answered. "I haven't seen him yet today."
"He's probably in his lab," Cass said.
"Oh, yeah, his punishment ended today, so he probably has stuff he wants to work on."
"That actually gives me an idea. Varian's really into science, so if he's up for it, maybe we can find some answers about your hair."
"You think so?"
"It's worth a try."
"Well," Rapunzel said as they got to their feet. "Let's go see our resident alchemist."
(Back with Varian)
"And… that should do it…" Varian said as he finished tightening a bolt. Once done, he climbed off the machine he was building and stopped beside Hugo. "Now, let's head back. We'll come back in fifteen minutes to check the gauges."
"You sure having it in these tunnels is a good idea?" Hugo questioned as they walked down a passageway, Varian lighting the way with a lantern. "Aren't there booby traps down here?"
"Don't worry. I studied the map carefully, and there aren't any traps around this section," Varian explained as they reached a ladder going up. "This spot is meant to be more of a storm shelter for rough weather."
"So, what are you going to do once it's finished?" Hugo asked as the Prince climbed up before following him.
"Well, first, I want to see what maintenance it would need over time, like the rust rate, how often it will need to be cleaned, weather effects, and things like that," Varian explained as the boys came through a trapdoor in a storeroom the prince used for his work. It was full of different beakers, mechanical parts, and other devices Varian made but didn't need in his lab. "Once I know that, the first place I'm going to set these up is in my old village. There are tunnels under the town, and that area doesn't have traps, so they'd be a perfect place to set those up."
"What about here in the city?" Hugo couldn't help but ask as the moon prince set aside the lantern, and they left the store room.
"That's going to be a little trickier," Varian admitted. "Because of the traps, we'd have to make smaller, above-ground units, and not all would be the same size. If I ask Monty or Xavier, one of them may let me build one for them as an experiment. Plus, if other kingdoms and towns want it, I'd need to see the structural layouts of–"
"Wait a second," Hugo stopped suddenly as he realized something. "You would just… give this away? Without asking for any payment?"
"Yes?" Varian paused, looking back at the blond in confusion. "Like I said, I'm willing to share my work as long as other people don't take credit for it."
"And you don't care who it is?" The boy with glasses questioned, as if he couldn't quite believe it.
"No," the prince shook his head. "I've always wanted to build things that improve people's lives. Being a prince gives me the resources to do that. Plus, as a prince, I have a duty to help not just my kingdom but other kingdoms, too."
Hugo stared at him briefly. "You are either the most generous person I've ever met… or the most naive. I haven't decided yet."
"Very funny," Varian rolled his eyes before gesturing for him to follow. "Now, come on, I'm hungry, and you probably are, too. It's after breakfast, so there might be leftover pancakes and cinnamon buns in the kitchen."
"Huh?" Hugo blinked in surprise.
"What, did you think I wasn't gonna feed you while you were here?" Varian looked over his shoulder as he kept walking.
The blond didn't respond and just followed the prince.
(Back at the lab)
After changing into her casual clothes, Cass led Rapunzel to Varian's lab. "So, this is Vari's lab?" the princess asked as they approached the door.
"He hasn't shown it to you yet?" Cass said.
"No. I guess with everything else going on, he forgot," Rapunzel replied.
Cass was about to knock when the door creaked open slightly. "That's weird… Varian always keeps his lab locked…" Glancing at each other, the girls decided to walk in carefully. "Just watch your step, Raps," Cass warned her as they entered the room.
"It doesn't look like he's here," Rapunzel glanced around in concern. Suddenly, Cass stepped on a wire without looking, triggering a fireplace blower. It moved a tiny cart outfitted with a match that ignited after scraping against a piece of sandpaper. The cart stopped under a vial where the heat from the flame caused the solution to flow down a spiral tube into a little orb sitting on a spring. The spring lowered before the orb launched off it, bouncing toward the girls. Rapunzel gasped in alarm as both girls flinched back when the orb exploded, unleashing thick purple smoke. The girls coughed as the smoke cleared, realizing their feet were trapped in a purple, sticky substance. "Fine. A booby trap!"
"Raps, everything's gonna be–" Cass started to say.
"Who's in there?!" a voice demanded angrily, causing them to turn toward the door.
(Elsewhere)
Eugene was walking through the halls in a good mood. He and Rapunzel had talked about what was happening with her and Varian, and it felt good not to have that secret between them anymore. Eugene decided to check in with Varian to see how he was doing.
"Hey, Hairstripe!" he greeted the prince as he opened the door to his room. "How're ya–" He stopped when he realized the room was empty. Looking around, Eugene noted the holes in the walls but figured they weren't something serious if no one sounded an alarm. "Hm, I wonder where he is…" he murmured.
(Meanwhile)
The boys returned to the lab from the kitchen after having their snack. "Thanks for the food, Hairstripe," Hugo said after a minute, trying to get his words together. "It was, uh, good…"
"You're welcome." Varian smiled back as they walked. "Like I said, as long as you behave yourself, I'll treat you like a guest in the castle."
Hugo smiled slightly before saying, "You're definitely not like the royals from back home…"
"And where is home for you?" Varian asked curiously.
"Nope! Sorry, Hairstripe, I don't do backstories," Hugo stopped him. "Although I am starting to become very interested in yours. Now, I know I'm not supposed to ask about the powers…"
"Nope," Varian stated.
"Or the sister…"
"Uh-uh."
"Frankly, I'm too scared to ask about the cat…"
"Raccoon," Varian corrected.
"Nuance. Here's my question, though. If you weren't going to show it to anyone, why did you make that truth serum in the first place?"
"Eh, I was bored." Varian shrugged, walking on as Hugo stopped in surprise.
"… You made a truth serum because you were bored?" the blond said slowly as if he hadn't understood it the first time.
"Well, when you spend most of your day in the castle, there are only so many books and conventional experiments to keep you entertained." Varian looked back at him like it was apparent.
Hugo stared at him briefly before saying, "It's official: you are the strangest person I've ever met."
"I've been called worse," Varian responded, not fazed by his reaction.
As they approached the lab door, they stopped suddenly when they heard a loud gasp as purple smoke leaked from the open door. "Who's in there?!" Varian called, running to the door with Hugo behind him. Throwing open the door, Varian was ready for a fight… only to stop short when he saw his step-sister, and Cass stuck in his lab trap.
"Hi." Rapunzel waved sheepishly, though she was relieved Varian was okay. "Sorry for barging in. The door was unlocked, and we thought you were here…"
"I knew I forgot something," Varian muttered as Hugo looked through the doorway behind him. "Sorry about that. We just stepped out to grab a snack."
"'We?'" Cass questioned.
"Uh… hi," Hugo spoke up, his eyes still on Rapunzel as he stepped into view. Like Varian, he had heard of Rapunzel and her abilities as well. While skeptical of these magic claims, he began to have second thoughts about that stance after seeing Varian in action.
Pascal looked at the other teen skeptically. "Who's this?" Cass pointed at him, turning to the prince.
"Oh, this is Hugo," Varian explained. "We met this morning when he stopped to deliver a package to me. We talked, and when he mentioned he was interested in alchemy, I invited him into my lab." Hugo's eyes widened as he listened to Varian lie to his sister and her friend.
"Got it. Well, it's nice to meet you, Hugo." The princess smiled at him kindly, although Cass gave him a suspicious look.
"Uh, you too, Your Highness," the thief responded, glancing at the other girl nervously.
"By the way, what is this stuff?" Rapunzel lifted her foot to refer to the goo.
"Oh, it's a chemical compound of my own design. I made it to be a safe, humane critter trap for the farms, but I decided to test it in my lab to see if it could also be an alarm system," he explained as he walked over to Ruddiger, who was also trapped. He reached into his apron and pulled out a small vial, lightly sprinkling the contents on the compound and dissolving it to free the raccoon. "Sorry about that, buddy." Varian smiled at his raccoon, who chittered fondly as he returned to his post.
"Well, it seems to work great," Rapunzel said as he did the same for her and Cass before looking around with interest. "Look at all of this! Did you make all these?"
"Uh-huh!" he chirped, walking over to her. "So, what brings you to my lab?"
"Well, we were wondering if you would like to learn about my hair and your moonlight powers. But we won't interrupt you if you and Hugo are doing something together."
Varian glanced at the other boy before smiling, not seeing any problem. "It's fine. We can do some digging."
"Great!" the princess beamed before hugging her brother. "Thank you, Varian!"
Hugo walked closer to the siblings when Cass suddenly blocked his path. "Listen, kid. You can help, but let me make something clear. What happens here stays here," she pointed at his chest before pulling him up slightly by his shirt. "You got it?"
"Cass! Put him down!" Varian stepped in, and she set him down. He turned to the other teen as he dusted himself off. "Sorry about her, Hugh. Cass is a little… overprotective."
"It's fine–" Hugo started to respond before realizing something. "Did you just call me 'Hugh?'"
"Uh, yeah, I did." Varian blushed slightly. "Sorry if you don't want me to call you that…"
"No, no, it's fine," Hugo waved off his surprise, his face blushing as well. "I don't mind…"
The boys smiled at each other before walking further into the lab. The two women stared after the teenagers, Rapunzel happy that her brother had a new friend while Cass remained suspicious of the new boy.
(With Eugene)
"Ugh! Where is everyone?" Eugene groaned impatiently. He had been walking around the castle for a while and had not seen any sign of Varian or Rapunzel. He had gone looking for his girlfriend when he couldn't find her brother, and now she was missing. "I hope they didn't sneak off again…" He understood they wanted space but would appreciate being told if they went out. He couldn't call himself a good boyfriend or brother figure if he didn't worry.
"Something wrong, Eugene?" Stan asked as he walked by.
"No, nothing," the former thief sighed before turning to the guard. "Have you seen Rapunzel or Varian?"
"Oh, I saw the Prince earlier walking out of the kitchen," Stan answered. "He had a kid with him I'd never seen before, and they were heading toward his lab."
"Another kid?" Eugene asked.
"Yeah. Male, blond hair in a ponytail, glasses, tall and skinny."
A flash of concern crossed Eugene's face. That description sounded familiar… "Where is Varian's lab?"
"It's just a few halls from the kitchen. Here, let me draw you a map." Stan pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil and started drawing. After a minute, he handed the final product to Eugene. "Here you are."
"Thanks, Stan." Eugene nodded before walking away, trying to hide the worry he hoped he was mistaken.
(Back at the lab)
"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 sat before him while Cass leaned against the wall beside her, and Hugo did the same behind Varian. "So, my hair got long again after I touched these strange rocks by the Sundrop monument. Rocks that you later told us had a connection to your powers."
"Right." Varian nodded as he wrote that down.
"And now it's indestructible."
"We 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 that kept her hair in a braid.
"Can you still heal with it?" Hugo asked, causing the others to look at him. "I've heard the story."
"I… don't know." The princess answered. "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 she 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," Hugo 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."
"I wonder…" Varian grabbed some of her hair and brought it to his table, where he put it under a microscope. "Hmmm."
"What?" Rapunzel, Cassandra, and Hugo asked in unison.
"I think I've seen something like this before," he explained. That was actually an understatement. He had seen something like this before…
"Really?" Rapunzel asked, her eyes widening.
"Maybe, but I'll need to run the same tests to be sure," Varian murmured, hand on his chin in thought before walking to another part of the lab. He then removed a blanket from over a large machine with surgical tools. "Haven't used this in a couple of years…"
"What is it?" Hugo 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.
"Amazing." Hugo stepped closer.
"Thanks…" Varian smiled at him bashfully, clearing his throat before stepping up to the controls. "If I'm right, this should tell us more about your hair."
"Raps, are you sure you want to–" Cass started to ask before realizing the princess wasn't next to her anymore. "Rapunzel?"
Rapunzel was already strapped into the machine. "Let's do this."
"Someone's eager," Hugo smirked, crossing his arms.
"Okay," Varian grinned before turning to Cass. "Don't worry, I've put someone through this before. It's perfectly– well, mostly harmless. It 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 strapped in!" She chirped, not noticing the tools above her hair glinting in the faint light.
Hugo and Varian glanced at each other before the prince said, "Then let's get started!" He pulled the levers, and the device started to shake, causing Pascal to jump off her shoulder. Rapunzel glanced around, second-guessing herself before the machine began spinning her rapidly.
"Ah!" she yelped as Cass stared anxiously.
"Don't worry, it's supposed to do that!" Varian assured them as Rapunzel was put in different positions.
"Whoa-kay! Whaaa!" She was upside down for one minute, and then her hair was 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, 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 buzz saw popped up.
"Boy, I hope no one walks in on this," Hugo muttered with a slightly crooked smile.
"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!" The royal alchemist's eyes widened as he and Hugo 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 walked in and gasped at the sight. "Ah! Blondie!"
Varian, Hugo, and Cass looked at him as the machine sat Rapunzel up to face him. "Eugene! Hey!" She smiled as the device kept pulling on her hair. Hugo's eyes grew wide in horror at the sight of him, turning his face away. Of all the people, why him?!
"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 lab, for starters." Varian raised an eyebrow. "I can forgive them for coming in unannounced, but you're just being rude."
"Don't worry, Eugene," Rapunzel assured. "I'm just taking some tests to see what's changed with my hair."
Varian turned to the handmaiden. "Cass, could you watch the machine? Hugo and I need to check on another project we're working on. Plus, I need to grab the spectrometric press. It's the only way we can read the test results."
No one noticed Eugene's eyes widen at the mention of Hugo's name. It couldn't be…! "Sure." Cass nodded, watching a stone being banged against Rapunzel's hair.
"Wanna come, Eugene?"
"Shouldn't I be with–"
"Just go, Fitzherbert," Cass said.
"We'll be fine, Eugene," Rapunzel reassured him.
"Come on." Varian walked out the door. Hugo was close behind him and avoiding Eugene's gaze. Eugene eyed the blond boy before following them.
As they walked back into the hall, the older man ran to catch up with Varian. "So, Goggles, who's your friend?"
"This is Hugo," Varian said, not noticing how tense the blond was. "He dropped off a delivery for me, and we stopped to talk. When he mentioned he was interested in inventing and alchemy, I showed him my lab and let him help me as my assistant for the day."
Eugene looked between the two boys before asking, "Okay. Now, how did you two really meet?"
"What do you mean?" The prince responded, confused.
"Do you wanna tell him our history, or should I?" The former thief glanced at the younger thief.
Hugo groaned, knowing he was caught, before giving Eugene a look with crossed arms. "Hello, Rider."
"You two know each other?" Varian looked between the two of them.
"We pulled a job together once," Hugo said. "It didn't go well."
"And whose fault was that?" Eugene asked, glaring at the teen.
"Yours."
"Yeah, well, you still made off with half the treasure and my coin purse. And that was after you tried to drop a piano on me!"
"Oh, yeah…" Hugo murmured, a smirk on his face. "That part was fun."
"Okay, that's enough," Varian stepped between them before a fight could break out. Sighing, he turned to Eugene. "Okay, I found him in my lab looking for one of my formulas. He didn't actually steal anything, so I thought he could work off the sentence he would've gotten by helping me for the day. Now, can we move on?"
Hugo snuck one last smirk at Eugene before following Varian, the former thief facepalming as he walked after the boys. "Okay, so what do you need to check on?"
"It's a surprise." Varian grinned at him, already over his irritation from earlier. They walked to a storage room, and Varian looked around the shelves. "Let's see, where did I put the press…."
Eugene glanced at Hugo, hissing, "Okay, Glasses, what are you doing here?"
"Goggles already told you, Rider, Fitzherbert, or whatever name you're using now," Hugo whispered.
"So help me if you take advantage of him–!"
"Here it is!" Varian removed a cover from a small printing press before bending down to check it. "And once the tests are done, it'll print the results on parchment paper–"
"That's muy interesante, but getting back to Glasses being here–" He was cut off when the ground started shaking before it stopped after a few minutes. "What was that?"
"We're a little late on the check-up," Hugo said, checking the time.
"Then we'll grab the press second." Varian moved Eugene aside to open a trap door before grabbing the lantern. The boys climbed down the ladder, and Eugene followed them 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 with Hugo next to him. "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 under the whole castle, which makes them perfect for my project."
"What project?" Eugene couldn't help but ask.
Varian and Hugo led him to a chamber containing a large machine with multiple pipes and various glowing dials. "This project." Varian gestured to the device.
Eugene looked at it in awe before becoming bored. "I don't get it."
"Through the miracle of alchemy, I have found a way to heat this entire tank of water with a single drop of my new yet-to-be-named compound." He approached a table and picked up a beaker containing a green liquid. "I was thinking of calling it 'Flynnoleum,' after you."
"Please don't boost his ego…" Hugo muttered, stepping closer to the machine to examine it.
"I still don't get it," Eugene repeated in confusion, making the blond facepalm at him.
"I'm gonna surprise the Kingdom by bringing people hot, running water!" Varian chirped as he gestured to the machine, which let out some steam. "I built this one specifically for the castle before taking it to other parts of the city."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Eugene waved his hands, realizing a connection. "That–that tremor, was that from your machine?"
"No, it wasn't the machine. It's the reaction triggered by the machine's chemicals," Varian assured him, taking a dropper from the beaker of Flynnoleum. He added a drop to a barrel of glowing liquid, and it let out a short yet fiery explosion, causing him to lean back slightly.
"And no one else knows you're doing this?" Eugene walked over to him. "Okay, listen, Varian, I'm no expert in this science stuff you do, but anything that can cause earthquakes can't be safe."
"Don't worry; we're keeping a close eye on the heaters," the younger male said, checking a gauge reading. "Closely monitored, everything should run smoothly."
"'Should?'"
"There are no definites in science," the boys said together.
As much as Eugene wanted to believe Varian, he didn't trust this. "Look, Varian, you're probably the smartest person in the castle, but I really don't think this is safe."
"Eugene, it's okay! We're keeping an eye on it, so everything's fine." Another tremor occurred, causing Hugo to jump back as a bolt from the machine shot between Varian and Eugene before embedding itself in a wall. The older man looked at the prince with wide eyes. "It's fine." The alchemist brushed it off, but he did glance at the screw with slight worry.
Eugene sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe I'm asking this, but what do you think, Ponytail?"
"… I think this reading doesn't sound right," Hugo responded after a minute, squinting at a gauge.
The other two looked at him before Varian walked over to the blond. "What do you mean?" Hugo just gestured to the dial he was talking about so Varian could take a look. When the prince saw it himself, his eyes narrowed in concern. "Yeah, this doesn't look right…" he murmured. Reaching into the toolbox they left, Varian pulled out a wrench and adjusted a bolt on top of the gauge. Then, he moved over to a valve and started turning it until the machine shuddered.
"Okay, now it's where it should be," Hugo confirmed when the needle changed.
Varian came back over to check it before making a plan. "Okay, let's go set up the press. It should only take ten minutes at most, maybe less. Cass has been around my inventions enough that we can leave her to watch the tests while we come back here to see what adjustments need to be made."
"Yeah, that could work…" Hugo nodded in agreement.
Eugene watched the boys work, almost unable to believe how easily they got along, given Eugene's experience with Hugo. He wasn't sure if their connection was a good thing or a bad thing.
(Back at the lab)
Rapunzel was still going through her tests as the table vibrated. "Only twelve more tests to go!" She looked toward 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 and Hugo followed him. "Thanks for your patience, Sis. I know these tests aren't the funnest thing in the world."
"Oh, no, it's been plenty of fun!" Rapunzel laughed, waving it off. The machine suddenly shot electricity through her hair, causing Eugene, Cass, Ruddiger, and Pascal to flinch. The chameleon's scales even matched the color. "Okay, that wasn't fun," Rapunzel retracted, her hair messy.
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 more frequent," Rapunzel said with concern as her brother looked up from the press. They heard a ding and turned to the countdown to see only eight tests left.
Varian turned to Hugo, the blond looking back at him with concern. They had just checked the heaters, so it should be fine. Still… Varian got up and walked to the door with Hugo behind him. "We need to double-check something. We'll be right back."
"What was that about?" Cass wondered aloud once the teens were gone.
Eugene looked at the door before turning to the girls. "Okay, there's something you need to know…"
(With the boys)
Varian and Hugo dashed through the tunnels, with Varian's anxiety increasing as he chose to illuminate their path with moon orbs instead of taking the lantern. Upon arriving at the machine, they quickly realized something was amiss. The metal was glowing red hot, and steam billowed in all directions.
"Well, that escalated quickly…" Hugo said unhelpfully before the ground shook again.
"Okay, we need to shut this thing off," Varian declared as they ran to the machine. As much as he wanted to fix it, he knew there was no time, especially since he didn't know what was wrong.
They started moving around the machine, flipping switches and pulling levers to shut it down. As Varian turned a valve, he noticed that part of the ceiling was starting to cave above Hugo. "Hugo, watch out!"
The blond looked up just in time for the ceiling to give. Before he could move, Varian tackled him around the waist, knocking him out of the way just in time. The boys sprawled out on the ground before pushing themselves up. Hugo looked down with a blush as Varian got off of him. "Are you okay?" The moon prince asked him.
"Uh-huh." Hugo nodded dumbly before noticing something on the machine. "Uh oh." Looking back, Varian saw that one of the levers they needed to push to turn off the heater had been damaged. This caused a chain reaction that made the machine start shaking again.
"What do we do now?" The blond turned to Varian, knowing they couldn't shut it off manually now.
Varian looked at the machine before glancing at his hands. There was one idea he had left… Steeling his resolve, Varian got up and turned to the device. Yanking off his remaining glove, he 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 became solid blue. Hugo watched the change in awe as Varian clutched his arms inward. Thrusting them outward, sharp black rocks burst from the ground in response. They stabbed through the heater like spears, ending the tremors for good. Varian collapsed to his knees as his body stopped glowing, panting from the amount of power he had just used.
Hugo inched closer to check on him, genuinely concerned for the prince. "Are you okay?"
He nodded as he caught his breath. "Well, back to the drawing board, I guess."
A sudden cracking sound drew their focus as the blond assisted Varian to his feet. They glanced up just in time to see another piece of the ceiling crumble above. There was no opportunity to evade; they could only duck and shield themselves, hoping it wouldn't be fatal.
After that, everything faded into white noise, drowning out a shout and hurried footsteps until the boys heard the sound of stone shattering. Yet, after a moment, they noticed that the noise didn't come with the agony of being buried beneath debris. As they opened their eyes, Varian and Hugo gazed up in wonder, discovering themselves enveloped by radiant yellow hair, with Rapunzel kneeling before them.
Despite the situation, the blond boy couldn't help but notice how beautiful Varian looked in the golden glow combined with the blue shimmer from his hands. Hugo blushed slightly when the prince looked at him for being caught staring.
When the light stopped and the hair fell away, the boys turned to the princess as she opened her eyes and looked at them with relief. "What the hair…?" Hugo breathed in shock.
"My thoughts exactly, Glasses," Eugene said from behind them. Cass was beside him with an odd-looking sword device in her hands. (Hugo remembered seeing that in Varian's lab, too. He had said he was trying to recreate a magical sword from a book he had read. Probably something else he did because he was bored…)
Without a word, Rapunzel lunged at the boys and pulled them into a hug, startling Hugo with the sudden contact. Eugene and Cassandra joined the hug, overjoyed that the boys were okay. Pascal and Ruddiger also joined in. "What is this?" Hugo couldn't help but ask.
"Just go with it," Varian responded.
After sitting on the floor like that for a few minutes, the group headed back upstairs. As they climbed up, Rapunzel stuck close to her brother, with Hugo not far behind. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked with concern.
"Yeah, I'll be fine…" he replied, tired from summoning so many rocks at once. "At least the goo works…"
"You'll figure it out, kid." Cass looked at him fondly as they stepped out into the hallway. "You always do."
"Varian?!"
They looked up as the king ran up to him with a few guards behind him, looking concerned. "We felt tremors." Quirin came over and knelt to look at his son. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he assured him, glancing away. "It's… it's nothing. Just an invention of mine that got… out of hand. I took care of it."
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.
"Not what I mean," his father sighed. "I mean…"
"I'm fine," he said again. "I just think I need to go lie down."
"I'll get him to his room, Dad," Rapunzel offered.
"Thank you, Rapunzel. Varian, take a break from alchemy for the rest of the day, alright?"
Varian nodded. "Okay." The prince leaned on his sister as she led him toward his chambers, Cass and Eugene following them. In the excitement, no one noticed Hugo had disappeared.
(Later)
After getting to his room, everyone left Varian alone so he could rest. They told him that after the boys left, Eugene informed them about what was happening, and they came to help him (Eugene mentioned to Varian that he hadn't told them who Hugo was). They also had to break his machine to get Rapunzel out of it, but it wasn't anything he couldn't rebuild. They never got to read the test results, but Varian suspected they would've said Rapunzel's hair was the same as his blue stripe. Plus, the hair shield they discovered more than made up for it.
"Well, this was a heck of a day," he murmured, lying on his back in bed.
The one thing he felt upset about was that Hugo had run off. He had honestly hoped the other alchemist would stick around a little longer. "You think we'll see him again, buddy?" Varian looked at Ruddiger. The raccoon just shrugged before curling up next to his human. The prince smiled at his little friend before nodding off, the day catching up with him.
Once he fell asleep, the air shimmered nearby, and Hugo reappeared. Unbeknownst to others, Hugo possessed a few magical tricks of his own. He had turned invisible when the king arrived to avoid being noticed. After everyone departed, he quickly collected his belongings from the lab before joining the group en route to the prince's chambers. He wouldn't admit it, but he was also concerned about Varian's well-being. Hugo couldn't help but smirk slightly when he heard Varian wish to see him again. Guess he left an impression on the prince…
"We'll meet again, Hairstripe," he whispered, climbing out the balcony window. "Count on it." If anyone asked Hugo, he'd just say he still had a job to finish. However, that was starting to become his excuse to stick around Corona. The truth was Varian had left an impression on Hugo, too. He was so different from anyone, much less a royal or alchemist he had ever met. He had everything Hugo envied, yet he was humble and giving.
Prince Varian was a puzzle to Hugo, one the blond wanted to solve.
Giving the prince one last look, Hugo started climbing down the roof to get to the hideout he was using. Something told him he was going to be in Corona for a while.
Meanwhile, beyond the Corona walls, another black rock grew out of the ground…
And with that, chapter three's done. Hopefully, it's to everyone's liking.
I'm going to post one more chapter for this story before moving on.