The sun rose from its slumber, greeting the kingdom of Corona as its light slowly overtook the sky.
Stan and Pete sat in the front of the wagon, feeling bruises begin to develop as they made their way back to the castle. Even though one would've thought that saving the Queen would bring back the cheeriness that would always surround them, an unnatural silence hung between them.
Neither of them said anything, but they both knew what the other was thinking; what could've happened if the rocks hadn't shown up? What if the kid's plan worked?... What if they just checked on Varian instead of chasing him?
Though their minds came up with all of the possible scenarios, neither of them said a single word.
They soon arrived at the castle, both of them hopping off the wagon and making their way to the back. They stood on either side of the wooden door, waiting anxiously for what would happen next.
The King and Queen soon arrived on horse, stopping a few yards away from the wagon.
Fredric helped Arianna down, glancing back at the wagon for a moment. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"
"I will…" Arianna looked back at the wagon, "Just remember your promise."
King Fredric gave her a reassuring smile before placing a soft kiss on her knuckles, "Of course."
Queen Arianna then made her way inside the castle to get some much needed rest.
Fredric watched as she left, only turning to approach the wagon once she was out of sight.
The King stood in front of the door, giving the guards a firm nod.
Stan opened the door, both of them ready to pull him out, only to see the kid sitting in the back. They exchanged nervous glances, before Pete stepped inside the wagon.
Varian sat there with Ruddiger in his lap, not even giving the guard a quick glance as he got closer.
Pete grabbed him by the arm, forcing the alchemist to stand up before leading him out of the wagon.
Once the two stepped out, Stan grabbed his other arm, adding more assurance that he couldn't escape.
Varian kept his eyes fixed on the ground, feeling Ruddiger climb on top of his shoulders.
King Fredric looked down at Varian, various conflicting emotions hidden behind his eyes. "Varian, son of Quirin."
Varian looked up at the King upon hearing his father's name, giving the man a cold glare.
"You have been found guilty of theft, kidnapping, attempted regicide, and most of all, treason," Fredric listed the crimes, knowing that the regular sentence for each of them would add up to something worse than a life sentence. But he was a child; and he promised Rapunzel that he would help him.
"So the punishment for your crimes shall be time in prison. Though the amount of time you'll spend will be determined by weekly evaluations," explained Fredric.
Varian continued to stare at him, not giving him any new reactions.
"I know you have reasons to doubt me, Varian, but I made Rapunzel a promise to help you... and I won't let my mistakes ruin your life."
"Well… your family isn't known to keep their promises," Varian stated coldly.
King Fredric looked up at Stan and Pete. "Take him away," he ordered, his calm demeanor holding strong.
The two began dragging Varian towards the castle.
"Guards."
Stan and Pete stopped in their tracks, looking back at the king.
"Be careful with who you put him with," Fredric warned them, not wanting anyone to poison the kid's mind when he's supposed to help him.
The door separating the prison from the rest of the castle opened. Stan and Pete led Varian down the dank hall.
As they walked, Varian took note of the musty smell that surrounded them, making him wonder if it was the stench of his soon-to-be fellow inmates, or if something was growing between the stone walls.
The guards stopped in front of one of the cells, and Stan adjusted his grip on the alchemist while Pete slowly unlocked his shackles.
Varian glanced around the cells, taking note of the other prisoners. In the cell to the left of him sat a lanky man with brown hair and a dark hood; the only thing he could make out about his cellmate was one of those fancy black shoes with the buckle on top. In the cell to his right was a man whose features were similar to a rat who slouched. The only person he recognized was the red haired woman in the cell behind him, who seemed somewhat intrigued by his presence.
"Arresting them while they're young I see," remarked Lady Caine.
Pete ignored her as he took off the shackles, turning to unlock the cell door behind him.
It was then that Varian noticed the prisoner inside was a girl, seemingly close to his age. She had long brunette hair and a tan complexion, mostly dressed in black, aside from her dark brown boots and waistcoat.
Once Pete opened the door, Stan shoved Varian inside while Ruddiger clung to his shoulders.
The alchemist looked back as the door slammed shut, and Pete locked it once more.
The two guards gave him one final look before walking back down the hall, ready for the day to end.
"So you're the one the guards were all riled up about."
Varian looked over at the girl, who seemed to be studying his appearance. Before he could respond, she made a 'tsk' sound.
"I've seen better," she commented.
"Yeah, well," Varian looked back at the hall, "I almost brought this kingdom to their knees… and they were going to pay."
"Well, you better stop this vengeance stuff real quick," she advised.
"And why's that?" Varian snapped, not knowing how he can stop when his father's still trapped in that amber.
She narrowed her eyes at him, "Let's just say that it's best to keep your head down around here. Got it?"
Varian remained silent.
Ruddiger chittered softly, seeming to agree with his cellmate's advice.
Varian gently petted the raccoon's tail, as he moved toward the right side of the room, sitting down on the empty cot.
As he returned his attention to the hallway, his mind began to wander back to the thoughts he had on the way here.
The plan was perfect, he predicted all of Rapunzel's moves, and made excellent counter moves… but it didn't work. His dad is still trapped in that amber, and he's…
Varian's head rested against the stone, as tiredness slowly started to take over his mind. The hours he spent awake began to come down on him, as he felt his body become heavy. Varian tried to focus on the hall, wanting to stay alert, but his eyes were too heavy.
Maybe if he closed them for just a second, then maybe they'll become lighter. "Just for a second," Varian thought to himself.
He closed his eyes, feeling some relief once they were shut. "Maybe, just a second longer…"
Varian sat with his eyes closed, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Varian abruptly woke up to the sound of clanging chains.
"Rise and shine!"
He looked over to see his cellmate stop whacking the chain of her cot with a wooden spoon, while holding a bowl in her other hand.
"Seriously?" Varian let out an exasperated sigh.
"Guards take the food back after twenty minutes, and you slept through the first few minutes," she explained, as she sat back down on her cot.
Varian furrowed his brows before standing up and grabbing the bowl that sat by the cell door. All that was in the bowl was plain porridge, which made sense. No way the king would provide prisoners with anything extravagant.
Ruddiger spun around a few times, trying his best to go back to sleep after waking up so abruptly.
As he ate, Varian looked out at the hall, catching one of the guards making his rounds. He was a burly guard, slightly bigger than Stan, and even though his eyes were brown, his gaze seemed cold as stone.
Lady Caine glared at the guard, her eyes following him as he passed their cells.
Once the guard was out of their sight, the two made eye contact. Caine seemed to study the alchemist, trying to figure out what threat he could have possibly posed to the kingdom.
Varian looked down at his bowl and continued to eat.
After a while, the guards came and took the empty dishes, and Varian was left with nothing to do.
Ruddiger had curled up on his master's lap once he woke up, wanting to stay as close to Varian as he could in these new surroundings.
His cellmate looked over at the raccoon, then up at him. "What's his name?" she asked.
Varian hesitated for a moment, before telling her, "Ruddiger."
She let out a thoughtful hum, tilting her head slightly as she glanced down at Ruddiger. "And yours is?"
He looked down at Ruddiger as he continued to pet him, ignoring her question.
"I get it, you're new here and there are certain characters you don't want to affiliate yourself with," the girl stated. "But given the ruckus you seem to have caused, you're probably going to be here for a while, so I'm bound to learn your name at some point."
Varian remained silent, even though he knew that she was right.
"My name's Alex."
He looked up at her, seeing how Alex waited intently for his response.
"Varian," he finally answered.
Alex's eyes widened a little, before leaning forward a little. "You're the alchemist that attacked the princess?" she said in a hushed tone.
Varian sighed, "I didn't attack her… not at first at least." As he thought more about it, he hadn't really caused any direct harm to Rapunzel.
"Ah-huh," Alex glanced down at the stone floor, unsure if she should believe him or not.
"Alright! Everyone stand away from the cell doors!" the Captain yelled.
Varian furrowed his brows, "What's going on?
Alex looked out at the hall then back at her cellmate, "They're taking us to the yard."
Varian then watched as a large group of guards walked down the hall, two to three guards stopping in front of certain cells.
The guards who stopped at Varian's cell were Stan, Pete, and the burly guard.
Alex stared coldly in their direction, as they unlocked the door.
Stan and Pete stepped inside the cell, each of them holding a pair of shackles, while the burly guard stood in front of the door.
"Stand up and hold out your arms," Stan instructed, as he approached Varian, who reluctantly followed his instructions.
Varian glanced over at Alex while Stan put on the shackles, seeing that Pete was doing the same with her.
Ruddiger climbed on top of Varian's shoulders, as the guards led them to the door. Stan allowed Pete to exit with Alex first before exiting the cell with Varian.
The burly guard shut the cell door behind them before following Stan as they all left the cell block.
It was a long line of guards and prisoners that made their way up the stairs and down corridors. As they walked, Varian wondered if this was too much of a risky move on the guards' part, before realizing that they might have false confidence in the guard to prisoner ratio.
They walked through a large wooden door, which led to a big open area outside that was surrounded by tall stone walls.
Once the door was shut and locked behind them, Stan removed Varian's shackles before joining the others guards, who were either lining the walls or exiting through the other door.
As Varian took in his surroundings, he noticed how the foliage to be seen, other than grass, was a couple of flower bushes near the corners of the wall. Other than that and the prisoners, this outdoor prison was as empty as a desert.
After Pete removed her shackles, Alex made her way over to the alchemist. "Welcome to the yard," she motioned to their new surroundings.
"And its purpose is?" Varian inquired.
"It's one of the effects Princess Rapunzel had on the kingdom," Alex explained, "King Fredric thinks that an hour or two outside will help 'rehabilitate' the prisoners. Though there ain't much to do out here."
"Seems a bit risky, transporting prisoners just for a weak attempt at rehabilitation," Varian commented, as he observed who all was brought out.
"Yeah," Alex sighed in agreement. "They were at least smart enough to have guards both standing on top and lining the walls, while also making sure that only certain prisoners get brought to the yard."
Varian's eyes narrowed in confusion, wondering what exactly determines who gets to go to the yard if he was brought here. There were many criminals that he didn't recognize, and few he only recognized from wanted posters but couldn't remember their names. Which was kind of good, since he wouldn't want to have any bad interactions with someone like the Stabbington brothers.
Varian then noticed that Lady Caine was also in the yard, who was basically a mastermind amongst simple thieves.
"How come Lady Caine is out here, and not the Stabbington brothers?" He questioned.
"Because the Stabbingtons have tried to escape before," Alex answered simply.
"Didn't Lady Caine also try to escape?" Varian pointed out.
"Right, the horse incident," she muttered, as if it was a forgettable memory. "Well, the difference is that the Stabbington brothers had murderous intent when they tried to escape."
"Oh," Varian looked back at the prisoners, as the King and Captain's decision slowly began to make sense to him.
"Well, good luck," Alex said.
The alchemist looked back at her in confusion to see her walking away, either to talk to a friend or just mingle with the other prisoners.
"Okay then…" Varian muttered, unsure of what to do.
He soon decided to sit down in one of the corners of the yard, close enough to the wall so that he wasn't awkwardly sitting in the open, but far enough not to be bothered by the guards' presence.
Ruddiger climbed off the boy's shoulders, settling down in his lap.
The morning sun beat down on Varian, and even though it was hot, he took a moment to appreciate the sunlight since he won't get much of it in his cell.
As he sat in silence, Varian thought about how differently he thought this day was going to play out. The plan was supposed to work, Rapunzel's hair and the drill was supposed to work… and his father was supposed to be free, enjoying the morning sun instead of still being stuck in that amber.
Varian quickly pushed his emotions back into the depths of his mind, focusing his attention on Ruddiger. The raccoon chittered softly, sensing his master's sorrow.
Once he calmed his mind, Varian looked up, spotting a few prisoners staring at him. The stares seemed to have no malicious intent behind them, instead they were in the range between curious and calculating.
Varian gently stroked Ruddiger's fur, trying his best to ignore them. He knew they would stop once they got used to his presence, he just hoped that they wouldn't start asking questions about how he got here… and how he failed.
The alchemist felt a new pair of eyes staring at him. Varian ignored it at first, but couldn't help stealing a quick glance at the person. He was the brunet dressed in brownish blacks and greys Varian had saw last night.
His glance lasted a bit longer than he planned when he noticed that Alex seemed to be talking to the man. She was definitely annoyed with the way he was blatantly staring at her cellmate.
Upon seeing that Varian had noticed the not-so-subtle stare, Alex quickly yanked the prisoner's arm, turning him away from the alchemist.
Varian furrowed his brows, unsure about what they could be saying about him. He decided to ignore it as he looked back down at his furry companion, "I guess we've got a lot of adjustments to make, Bud."