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Chapter Text

When Hector had joined the Brotherhood he had made three oaths. He had sworn to protect the moonstone, the Dark Kingdom, and his fellow Brotherhood members, in that order. It had been nothing less than treason when Adira and Quirin had abandoned their sworn duties. Adira claimed that she was working to save the Dark Kingdom, and Quirin, the natural protector, was probably doing something incredibly similar, but it didn't matter. The moonstone was supposed to be their number one priority, that was the oath they had made, and yet they put the kingdom above it, and that was something that Hector couldn't forgive.

Still, Quirin and Adira were his brother and sister, and even if they weren't fulfilling their duty to protect the moonstone they weren't actively threatening it either. So over the years when Hector received a rare letter from Quirin, or when Adira dropped by for a visit he would reign in his animosity at least a little bit.

He never wrote Quirin back, but he didn't rip up the letters the second that Hamuel, who was on his way to give King Edmund something about Prince Horace, dropped them off. When Adira dropped by they always ended up fighting, both with words and with weapons, but they hadn't killed each other yet, so Hector considered it a success.

It had been nearly twenty-five years since Hector had made his home in the Great Tree. Despite what his sister seemed to think, he wasn't lonely. Hector enjoyed isolation from other humans. He much preferred the company of his animals.

Sure, there were some days when he missed bickering with Adira, or teasing Quirin, but just because he missed the brotherhood didn't mean that he was lonely. Hector was far too busy to be lonely. Anytime he started missing Adira and Quirin he would set out to explore the Great Tree and memorize all of its secrets. If that didn't work Hector would go patrol the area around the tree. Chasing off or killing trespassers who were far too bold for their own good was a good way to ease his stress.

Of course, not all trespassers who came to the tree were humans.

"What do we have here?" Hector picked up the squirming little beast that had somehow made its way to the middle of the tree and had been ransacking his food supply. The raccoon was chirping and trying to get away, but Hector had a tight grip on the scruff of its neck. "A sneaky little thief."

The raccoon growled and tried to bite him, but it couldn't reach him. Hector chuckled and sat on the ground. Keeping a one-handed hold on the thief Hector grabbed the fruit that the raccoon had been munching on and set it in front of him. He pulled out a dagger and cut the fruit in half. Hector handed the half that already had scratch and bite marks on it to the raccoon. He saved the other half for himself, because such a small animal didn't need so much food, and Hector wasn't about to let anything go to waste.

The raccoon gave Hector a doubtful glare. It hissed at him before digging into the fruit. Hector raised his half in a toast before eating himself.

"I thought you killed all trespassers that came your way." A voice remarked from above him. Hector was immediately on his guard. He dropped the fruit and pulled out the blade at his wrist. He turned to glare at Adira, who was staring down at him in amusement. She jumped off a branch and walked towards him, not even caring about his blade. Hector snarled at Adira's calm nature. She wasn't even wielding her weapon. She was so confident that he wouldn't harm her.

"I defend the moonstone, no matter the cost." Hector said. "I doubt the raccoon cares about stealing anything besides a meal."

"You've always been much more gentle with animals than with humans." Adira said. She bent down and picked up the fruit that Hector had dropped. She clicked her tongue and held it out to the raccoon. The traitorous beast perked up and scurried to Adira. It tried to climb up her leg, but she gently picked it up and set it back on the ground. She handed it the fruit.

"Still don't like being touched, I see." Hector lowered his blade, though he didn't retract it. "What're you doing here, sister?"

"Is it now against the law for me to drop in for a visit?" Adira asked.

Hector shot her an unimpressed look. "You haven't dropped in for seven years. So, what do you want?"

"I was in the area and hoped that you had relaxed a little." Adira frowned. "I see my hope was unfounded."

Hector growled and lowered the tip of his blade to the ground, so he could hide the way that his hands were shaking. "I swore an oath years ago, and I'm not going to break it just because it's hard. Unlike some people, I'm a man of my word."

Adira's expression turned sad, making Hector seeth. He recognized the look as pity, and he didn't appreciate it. He'd dedicated his life to keeping the oaths he had made. He had made his decision, Adira and Quirin made theirs, and that was fine. He didn't need his sister's pity just because she looked down on him for doing his job.

"It doesn't have to be like this, brother." Adira said desperately. It was the same tone she had used the first few years after she had abandoned him and their work. Hector had thought that she had moved past trying to sway him to his treasonous ways. "The sundrop-"

"Enough with the fairy tales, sister!" Hector raised his sword again, just in case she got any ideas about approaching him. Adira didn't enjoy physical contact, but that didn't stop her from getting in people's personal spaces.

"It's not just a story." Adira said.

"That's what you said eighteen years ago." Hector said. "What happened to that lead?"

"She went missing before I could confirm what she was." Adira said. "But she's back, and I'm sure she's the sundrop."

Hector tilted his head at Adira. "You make it sound like the sundrop is a person."

"I suspect that she is." Adira said. Hector could hear the hope and plea in her voice.

"Suspect?" Hector scowled. "You abandoned the brotherhood based on a suspicion?"

"I didn't abandon anything." Adira said calmly, as though the past twenty five years hadn't served as direct evidence that showed otherwise. "This sundrop could save our home."

"I've heard your stories before." Hector said. Adira had only just arrived and they were already back to the same song and dance

"If you would just listen to me-" Adira was starting to lose her patience, which Hector was actually relieved about. Once Adira lost her temper it would only be a matter of time before she left again and didn't visit for several more years.

"I have nothing to hear from you." Hector said. "I've heard it all before." If Adira opened her mouth one more time he was going to cut her tongue out. It wouldn't be the first time he had used such a method to keep someone quiet.

"Quirin's in danger." Adira said bluntly, and Hector was too off guard to make good on his promise to himself. Not once, during all of Adira's visits, had she even mentioned Quirin. Adira took advantage of his stunned state "The black rocks have been spreading, destroying everything in their path, and they're headed straight for Corona."

Hector wanted to get mad and yell at her, say that he couldn't care less about a random kingdom or town or whatever this Corona was, but then he remembered something from one of Quirin's letters. The man had settled somewhere called Old Corona, and as far as Hector knew that was where he still lived with that son of his.

Hector liked to think that Quirin was smart enough to leave this Corona as soon as he saw the black rocks. He knew better than anybody just how devastating those rocks were. There was no way to stop them. Quirin wasn't one to leave behind people in need. As long as there was a single person in Corona that he thought he could protect, Quirin would stay right where he was.

Hector took a deep breath, and then another one, just like Quirin had taught him. He rarely felt the need to calm himself down, because he had come to learn that if he used his fury instead of hiding from it he could better protect the moonstone. People were more frequently scared off by an angry, wild man than they were of somebody who asked them politely to go away.

However, he wasn't scaring anybody away right now. The moonstone may be his number one priority, but Hector had still made an oath to protect the brotherhood. If there was something that Hector could do that didn't involve abandoning his post, he would do it in a heartbeat, but he couldn't do anything until he got more information from Adira. So, at least for now, he had to play nice.

"What do you expect me to do?" Hector forced out through clenched teeth as soon as he thought he wouldn't start yelling at Adira again.

"If we find the sundrop, we can-" Adira began, but Hector didn't give her the chance to finish.

"Enough with the sundrop already!" Hector shouted. "You say I'm obsessed? You're chasing after a legend when our brother is in danger."

"At least I'm not hiding in the shadows and wasting my life away." Adira said coldly, and there was that anger of hers. It didn't feel nearly as satisfying to bring out as Hector had hoped it would be. "You were once a great warrior, and now look at you. Sulking and growling like a dog that's been abandoned by its master, waiting blindly for something that isn't going to happen."

Hector became so stiff that he felt like he wouldn't be able to move his muscles again. He stared at Adira blankly, not understanding what she had said, or hoping that he had somehow misunderstood it. There was no mistaking it though. Her message rang loud and clear.

"A dog, sister?" Hector asked quietly, barely audibly, though that didn't make his tone any less dangerous. "Is that how you see me? As a wild animal that either needs to be tamed or put down?" Adira's eyes widened and there was that look in pity in her eyes again. Hector hated that look.

"I-no," Adira said sternly. She took a step towards Hector, but he growled and bared his teeth, warning her to keep her distance. If she saw him as a dog, fine, he would show her what a wild animal really was. "Hector, that's not what I meant." She reached a hand out to him, and he swung his blade, narrowly missing her fingers.

"Leave, sister." Hector said. "You're no longer welcome here." He had tolerated her presence, but if she was going to turn on him, turn on Quirin, then she truly was no longer their sister.

"Brother-" Adira tried to plead with him, but Hector wasn't willing to hear another word from here.

"Leave!" Hector screamed. Adira gave him another longing, pitying look. It was not something he needed to take from her. Hector glared at her before turning and walking away. He would normally never turn his back on an enemy, but he knew she wouldn't attack him unprovoked. He was too tired to keep fighting with her. He already felt the need to slink back with his tail between his legs so he could lick his wounds.

Adira didn't like when people abandoned a conversation before she thought it was finished, but his loyal bearcats, who never wandered far from him, prowled in and snarled at her. Adira knew that his animals wouldn't hesitate to attack, so she wisely left, leaving Hector on his own once again.

He waited until he knew Adira was gone before letting out a gut-wrenching scream. He didn't care when he could feel his throat straining. He wasn't afraid of a few days of raw pain. In fact, in a way he welcomed it. Pain was a reminder that he was still alive, which would be a relief from the numb cold that he usually felt after Adira's visits.

Hector shouted out all of his anger and hurt as he started slashing his blade at the vines and plants. He knew that they would quickly grow back, even just within the next few hours, as the tree still had some lingering magic in it. He wasn't truly destroying anything, but he didn't care. He just needed to attack something, and at least if he hurt the tree he wouldn't come to regret it later. As furious and hurt as Hector was, he would never forgive himself if he hurt his rhino or bearcats.

Hector hacked away at the tree until his body couldn't hold him up anymore. He finally collapsed to the ground and gasped for breath. He felt like he was going to be sick. He'd been able to ignore it while he worked himself, but now that he was finally resting he didn't think he'd be able to move at all for several hours.

He didn't regret a second of his workout. He was still furious, but anger took energy, and he was far too tired for it.

Hector closed his eyes and laid on the ground. He was tempted to just fall asleep then and there, but then he heard the anxious chattering of an animal, and he knew for a fact that it wasn't his bearcats. A moment later he felt a light weight settle on his chest. Hector opened an eye and tilted his head to look at the culprit, and he didn't know whether he was surprised or not to see the thieving little raccoon.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hector asked. The raccoon looked at him and chirped. It put its front feet on his face and gently pushed to encourage him to lay back down again. Hector rolled his head and rested his head against the ground. He wasn't in the mood to get his eyes scratched out if he didn't do what the raccoon wanted. The creature purred contently and nuzzled up against his face.

"You're far too affectionate for your own good." Hector said. This wild animal was going to get itself killed if it behaved this way around predators. The raccoon almost looked proud at his words, and Hector found himself wondering how this creature had grown to adulthood. Not only did it cuddle with beings that had already shown that they weren't to be taken lightly, but it didn't seem to understand when a weakness was being pointed out.

"Get off." Hector growled. Most animals, including humans, would be scrambling to get away from him after hearing that tone, but the raccoon just shook its head and nuzzled closer. Hector had been around animals enough to know when they were trying to comfort him. What he didn't know was why the raccoon would be so determined to help somebody that it had been trying to steal from.

"You're well on your way to getting yourself skinned alive." Hector said in annoyance. "I hope you know that." The raccoon chirped and put its hand against his mouth, effectively shushing him. This raccoon was a brat.

Hector couldn't do anything but lie there and let the raccoon try to coddle him. If the animal was a human he would have already torn them limb from limb. He had a soft spot for animals though. They were more genuine than humans more.

Eventually the raccoon pulled back and settled on his lap, allowing Hector to sit up. Itstill demanded to be pet, but at least he wasn no longer being pinned down by something that only weighed eight pounds.

"What are you still doing here?" Hector asked. The raccoon gave him a judgemental look and pushed its head harshly against his head. Hector couldn't exactly speak raccoon, but he got the gist of what it was saying. The raccoon had been trying to make him feel better, though Hector still didn't understand why.

"I'm fine." Hector said. "You can leave now." The raccoon just shook its head and made itself more comfortable on his lap. "You're ridiculous, you know that?" The raccoon nodded and nuzzled closer to Hector. The man frowned and picked the raccoon up. He placed it on the ground and stood up, nudging the raccoon away when it tried to scamper up his leg. "Knock it off."

The raccoon tilted its head and chirped. It ran back towards where Hector had found it in the first place. It stopped and chirped, clearly wanting the man to follow him. Hector narrowed his eyes at the raccoon, but he reluctantly decided to follow it. What harm could come from following an odd raccoon?

The animal looked happy that Hector was following it. It ran in a small circle before bolting towards its destination, occasionally pausing and chirping at Hector again. The raccoon led Hector straight towards the entrance of the tree. His bearcats were hanging around the entrance, on guard duty. They looked more irritated than usual.

"Is she gone?" Hector asked. The last thing he wanted was for Adira to jump down from the trees and mess with him again. His bearcats nodded in confirmation. If they weren't upset because of Adira, something else was going on with them.

Sure enough, one of his bearcats came towards him, holding a small scroll in its mouth. Hector recognized Adira's style. He didn't want to leave her note, but he knew that she didn't write messages like this unless it was something really important. She would somehow know if he didn't read her note, and probably come back to give him her message herself, and Hector didn't want Adira anywhere near him or the tree again.

"Alright, show me what she's got" Hector said. His bearcat dropped the scroll in his hands. Hector opened it and read the message. With every word he read the more irritated and angry he got.

It was ridiculous and more desperate than Hector had ever seen from Adira. The note talked about the sundrop, of course, because Hector was beginning to think that the woman was incapable of speaking of anything else at this point. Not only did Adira insist that the sundrop was real, but her most recent claim was that it resided in a young woman, which just wasn't possible.

Hector didn't think the sundrop was real in the first place, and yet Adira was expecting him to believe that it was a person. That just wasn't possible. Hector didn't care what Adira's scroll said about the sundrop girl's mother somehow absorbing the power of the sundrop and passing it on to her daughter. That just wasn't possible.

If the power of the supposed sundrop could just be transferred like that, then one would think that the same would be true of the moonstone as well. After all, Quirin had been exposed to the power of the moonstone, but his son certainly hadn't been born with the powers of destruction.

Although…

"No." Hector scowled. He clenched the scroll in his fists, crumpling it. "They're fairy tales, nothing more." None of this was possible. The sundrop didn't exist. A girl didn't have magic healing powers. And as much as Quirin complained about his son's experiments always taking a violent turn for the worst, he wasn't the moonstone. The opal was safe in the Dark Kingdom, and Hector was going to make sure that was where it stayed.

But if there was even the smallest chance that something, or someone else out there had the catastrophic powers of the moonstone, wasn't it Hector's responsibility to make sure nothing happened? He had sworn to protect the moonstone because they couldn't afford to let its powers get in the wrong hands.

Hector sighed and tossed the crumbled scroll to his bearcats, who were all too happy to tear it up for him. "Maybe I'm just as crazy as Adira seems to think I am." Hector muttered. He knelt on the ground and held a hand out to the raccoon, which purred and nuzzled against him. "You seem like a friendly little guy. Are you friendly enough to do me a favor?"

The raccoon tilted its head at him curiously. "Look, I'm really busy here, and I can't afford to just leave the tree and abandon my duty." Hector said. "My duty might be pulling me elsewhere, but I can't leave until I know for sure. If you can serve as my eyes though-" Hector trailed off when the raccoon tilted its head the other way. It was still confused. The raccoon was smart, but it was still just an animal. Hector needed to tone things down.

"It's really easy." Hector said. He took out one of his hair ties. He reached into one of his many hidden pockets and pulled out one of Quirin's letters. He had been carrying them around with him for years, because the tree was too wild and dangerous to leave any valuables just lying around, and these letters were some of his only belongings that he cared about. Though Hector hated to do it, he ripped off a bit of the letter, the part that had his name on it.

"My friend here will take you to Old Corona." Hector nodded towards one of his bearcats. It obediently came forward. "I want you to find Quirin and Varian and keep an eye on them." Hector used his hair tie to tie the part of the letter to the raccoon's back foot. I think they live on a farm, so there will be lots of food for you to steal there."

The raccoon chattered excitedly. At least it was willing to cooperate. Hector couldn't let the raccoon leave quite yet though. There was one more very important thing that he needed it to know.

"Have you seen the black rocks that have been showing up everywhere?" Hector asked. The raccoon's ears flattened and it shrunk back. That answered that question. "If Quirin is threatened by the black rocks, or if something weirder than usual happens involving Varian and the black rocks, find your way back here and let me know, okay?"

The raccoon nodded, far too eager to do as he asked. It must be pretty excited about the farm that Hector had promised. "It's a long ways to Corona." Hector said He picked the raccoon up and set it on his bearcat. "You'd better get going."

The bearcat growled and set off so quickly that the raccoon screeched in alarm and clung on for dear life.

Adira's rubbing off on me." Hector scowled. He didn't like wasting his resources for something that he didn't know for sure would pan out. If he hadn't happened to have a clingy raccoon at his disposal, he would have pushed the threat to Quirin and the miniscule possibility that his son had moonstone powers to the back of his mind. He would have forgotten about it completely.

Hector just hoped that he never saw that raccoon again. He may miss having Quirin around, but if their reunion only happened because the boy's power was dangerous then it would be better for all of them if they remained separated.

"Come on," Hector said to his remaining bearcat. "Just because your sister is going on vacation doesn't mean you get the day off. We're going patrolling." It didn't matter how sore his body was. All the aggression he'd gotten out by slashing at the tree was back with a vengeance thanks to Adira's note and the thought that even after all the years he had spent keeping the moonstone safe, the powers might still be out there causing troubles.

After days like this Hector was almost glad that he was alone in this tree. Dealing with people was exhausting, painful, and just not worth the effort.

Chapter Text

Quirin sighed and rubbed his forehead to try to ease the migraine that had been building up for the past few days. His head was pounding away like a drum, or like one of Varian's inventions. Everything was far too loud, which was annoying enough on a regular day, but made even worse after the disaster that had been Varian's water heater failure.

The explosions around Old Corona and the angry complaints of the citizens had sounded like roaring in Quirin's ears, and by the time he could finally make his way home he felt like he was going to be sick. It was still fairly early in the evening. Quirin would normally spend the next few hours making dinner and keeping an eye on Varian, who wasn't allowed to be in his lab after dark.

Varian put himself, and the entire village, in enough danger as it was. Quirin didn't need fatigue and darkness to increase the risk of something going wrong. And if the worst happened, Quirin would rather it be in the middle of the day so he could quickly step in before Varian really hurt himself, or he could evacuate the inhabitants of Old Corona, if the disaster was wide-spread enough like it had been that day.

And, though Quirin hated to admit it, he was starting to drift from his son. He knew he was too harsh with the boy, but he had a lot of responsibilities to take care of, and balancing them all was just getting harder and harder, and Quirin sometimes let his impatience get the better of him. He hoped that by setting aside time every night to just be with his son that they could keep things from getting any worse between them.

It worked to a certain extent, but Quirin's pounding headaches weren't making things easy. All too often Varian's failed experiments would trigger a migraine, and by the time Quirin was done cleaning up the mess he was in no state to spend meaningful time with his son. Between Quirin's exhaustion, the sharp pains in his head that made it hard to think, and the nausea he felt after a day like this all he could bring himself to do was climb into bed and hope that his head felt better in the morning.

Quirin knew this wasn't helping his relationship with Varian, and he regretted it. He frequently scolded his son immediately after his alchemic or engineering failures, but he rarely got around to the softer part of the discussion about what had happened.

Quirin really wanted to talk to Varian, who had looked so disappointed and hurt when he'd last seen him, but he could barely focus enough to walk back to his house. Any discussion he wanted to have with Varian would have to wait until tomorrow. And this time, Quirin swore, it would happen. No more putting it off until something like this happened again.

When Quirin finally got home the sun had just set and darkness was starting to fall, and yet their manor was still dark. There were no lights or candles that he could see. Quirin sighed. He knew that this could only mean that Varian was still in his lab. Even if the boy had turned in early he would have left a candle out to meet Quirin when he came home. The only reason why he wouldn't have done it was if Varian hadn't left his lab since he'd retreated there.

Unless, of course, Varian had run off to find himself a new sanctuary, but Quirin hoped that wasn't the case. His head felt like it was doing its very best to kill him, and Quirin didn't want to stay up all night to look for his son. He would, of course, without hesitation, but he didn't want to.

For what must have been the first time in his life Quirin was relieved when he found his son in his lab, mixing together those chemicals of his. Varian looked far from happy, but at least he looked better than he had before. Quirin was so relieved that he didn't immediately bring up the raccoon that was curled up on his son's lap. Oh, he would be sure to have words with his son about it, but he didn't want to tackle more than one problem at a time.

Quirin waited until Varian had set down the chemicals in his hand and reached for something else. After accidentally spooking Varian once, causing the boy's hands to slip and add too much of a particular chemical, making his mixture explode in his face, Quirin had learned to not bother his son while he was working. He had been responsible for Varian getting badly burned once, he didn't want to do it again.

"Varian," Quirin said once he thought it was safe. Sure enough Varian jumped so much that he disturbed the sleeping raccoon. The boy turned to face him.

"D-dad." Varian picked up the startled raccoon and stood up. "Hey. What, uh, what are you doing here?"

It was obvious that Varian was nervous. What Quirin didn't know was whether the boy was nervous because he was hiding something else that would be potentially dangerous, or if he was really shaken by Quirin's mere presence. He didn't know which one he was more afraid of.

"It's dark out." Quirin said simply. "You know the rules."

"Oh," Varian shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry, I just didn't notice, I guess."

"Come on," Quirin gestured to the exit. Varian sighed, but he set down the raccoon and put the stoppers on his beakers and tubes. He wasn't working on anything that was time-sensitive. Quirin figured that his son wasn't experimenting as he was just trying to relieve stress and pass time.

"Okay, dad." Varian said quietly before he perked up. "I was just trying to figure out the scientific properties of the princess' hair. She says it's magic, but I don't-"

"Please, stop." Quirin held a hand out to his son and brought the other to his head. He felt a twist of guilt in his gut at the crestfallen look on Varian's face, which didn't sooth his nausea. "You know I love your enthusiasm, but can you just...just stop?"

"O-oh." Varian's voice shook slightly with uncertainty, and the pain in his eyes was still there, but there was also a look of understanding. "Is it your head again?"

Quirin started to nod before he thought better of it. "Yes."

Varian was quiet for a moment. "Do you want me to get the solution I made?" His voice was soft, though Quirin didn't know if it was because he was uncertain or because he was trying to be considerate of his situation.

Quirin only hesitated for a moment before answering. "Yes." One of Varian's very first alchemy experiments had been something that would help sooth Quirin's headaches. He'd made countless remedies, some of which had nasty side effects, or didn't work very well, but for the most part they helped more than they hindered, and beggars couldn't exactly be choosers.

Varian brightened. "Okay, I'll go get it. I'll meet you upstairs." Varian knelt next to the raccoon and stroked its fur. "Keep an eye on my dad for me, will you buddy?" The raccoon chattered and nodded, which just confused Quirren. Where had this creature come from, what was it doing here, and why was Varian treating it like the family dog?

Once Varian had left the lab the raccoon turned towards Quirin. It scurried to him and nudged his leg like a cat that wanted to be pet. Quirin sighed and knelt so he could grab the animal. It wouldn't do to leave the raccoon to mess with all of the fragile chemicals and tools that Varian kept in his lab.

He started making his way upstairs, but paused slightly when he felt something on the raccoon's leg. It felt like a piece of paper had been tied to him. "Did you have a run in with a cruel child?" Quirin tried to pull it off, but it was tied on really well. He would need both hands and a little more light to work with.

"Hang on," Quirin sighed. He went upstairs to find that Varian had already lit some of the lamps. He had put some covers on the lamps to dim the brightness, which Quirin appreciated. He sat on his chair in the main room and set the raccoon on his lap. He didn't want to be as domestic with the animal as Varian had been, but he wasn't going to just let an animal go around with something tied to its leg.

The raccoon sat perfectly still as Quirin untied the paper from its foot. When it was free it chirped appreciatively and leaned against him. Quirin gave the raccoon a small smile and stroked its fur. He supposed he could wait a few minutes before setting the creature outside.

Quirin moved to set the note aside but he caught a glimpse of what it said, which made him freeze. He pulled the note fragment closer to the light so he could read it better. There was just one familiar word on it, written in very familiar handwriting. His own.

"Hector." Quirin said breathlessly. He looked at the raccoon, which was watching him curiously. "Did...did my brother send you?" Hector held up his note. The raccoon perked up and nodded eagerly. Quirin leaned back against the chair, his breath getting caught in his throat. After all these years of reaching out to his brother, trying to stay connected with him, this was the first response he'd gotten.

Why now? And, perhaps more importantly, why like this?

"Dad," Varian came running down the stairs carrying a box with a dozen different small vials in it. "Okay, what are your symptoms this time?" Varian set the box down and started to sift through the vials.

"Nausea, irritability, and a harsh pounding in my head." Quirin said.

"Is the pain sharp or dull?" Varian asked. "And does your neck hurt, or your arm feel numb?"

"Dull, no, and no." Quirin said. He grimaced and rubbed his forehead in a vain attempt to sooth the pain. The raccoon chirped sadly and jumped onto the back of the chair. It nuzzled against Quirin's head.

"Ruddiger, get down." Varian said. He held two vials in his hands. He looked from one to the other before he decided on one. He returned the other to the box.

"Ruddiger?" Quirin frowned. "You named the raccoon."

"Heh, yeah." Varian said sheepishly. He handed the chosen vial to Quirin. The boy then picked up the raccoon and pulled him away from his dad. "I-I know we can't keep him, but he just kept showing up and I got tired of just calling him pest." Varian pet the raccoon's fur. "He's really determined to stick around."

Quirin hummed to himself as he swallowed the contents of the vial. It tasted bitter and made his throat burn. He was curious about how his son made these remedies of his, but he didn't dare ask.

Quirin clenched his hand around the scrap of paper with his brother's name on it. If Hector really had sent this raccoon, he had done so for a reason. And if Ruddiger was anything like Hector's other animals it wouldn't abandon whatever job it had been given.

Quirin had never wanted any pets, especially one that was a wild animal, but he couldn't just send away the first sign of communication from his brother in twenty five years. Besides, Varian looked so content and comfortable with the raccoon. Quirin couldn't remember the last time his son had felt comfortable and safe around anybody. He was always so awkward around people.

Perhaps Varian was one of those people who felt more comfortable around animals than other humans, like Hector was.

Quirin remembered when he'd first met Hector. The boy had been wild, completely out of control, and he had been quick to snap at anybody for the smallest little thing. Hector would come up with any excuse he could think of to not work with or help Adira and Quirin, even though they were supposed to be working together.

Hector only warmed up to them when Quirin and Adira had agreed to help him save a baby rhino from a travelling circus. The rescue had almost resulted in them getting enslaved themselves, and the then Prince Edmund had been absolutely furious with them, but after that day Hector had decided that Quirin and Adira were worthy to be his brother and sister.

They'd been inseparable after that, until the incident with the moonstone. Now Quirin hadn't seen or heard from his brother for a quarter of a century, and he only ever caught a glimpse of Adira every few years or so. It hurt that things were like this when they used to be so close, but there was nothing Quirin could do about it. He had a son to think about. He couldn't get involved with the moonstone and sundrop any more than he already had.

Quirin had let his relationship with his siblings fall apart, he wasn't about to let the same thing happen with his son. Even if it meant allowing Varian to keep a wild animal as a pet.

"If the raccoon wants to stay, he can." Quirin said. Varian looked at him in shock, and Quirin himself could barely believe the words coming out of his mouth. "I don't want to see it ruining anybody else's crops though. And if you're going to have it in your lab I expect you to teach it some basic safety rules." Maybe it was ridiculous to expect a raccoon to learn rules like that, but Quirin could tell that it had a higher than average intelligence. The raccoon seemed to understand what was happening around it.

"O-of course." Varian said. There was a spark of hope and rare joy in his eyes, and just from seeing that look Quirin knew that he wouldn't be backing out on this. That happy look was becoming increasingly more rare as Varian got older and their relationship became more strained. Quirin would do anything to keep that look in Varian's eyes.

"Have you eaten anything this afternoon?" Quirin asked. His head was still hurting, but it was a little less harsh than before and the nausea had gone down. He felt like he could stay up a little later and make sure his son was okay.

"Yeah," Varian grinned and pet the raccoon. "Ruddiger kept on bringing me apples and nuts. He wouldn't stop bugging me until I ate them."

It wasn't nearly as much sustenance as the boy needed, but it was more than he would have had if he'd been left on his own. Quirin gave the raccoon an approving look. "I'm liking you more and more with every passing minute."

Ruddiger had kept Varian company and possibly kept him from spiraling after the failure of his invention. It had made sure that Varian ate something, and it brought word of Hector. Granted, it was just a single word, but it was more than Quirin had thought he would ever get. Perhaps allowing his son to have this companion would turn out better than he thought it would.

Varian gave a little snort of a laugh and cuddled slightly with Ruddiger, which chirped happily and nuzzled against him. "Thanks, da-ow!" Varian flinched when Ruddiger grabbed onto his hair stripe and pulled on it. "No, no, Ruddiger, stop it."

"Take it from me, little one, that stripe isn't going anywhere." Quirin said. They'd tried to trim and dye it, but the teal stripe was stubborn. The best that they could do was have Varian grow out his bangs so the stripe didn't stand out so much. Varian said that he liked the longer hair, which Quirin was fine with, except it always got in the way of his alchemy and experiments.

Quirin had lost track of the number of times that Varian's hair had caught on fire or gotten caught in his machines, and he was sure that there were even more instances that he didn't know about. Fortunately Varian hadn't gotten too hurt yet, but Quirin knew that it was only a matter of time.

Quirin turned the hair tie and paper over in his fingers. When they were younger, just after Hector had opened himself up to them, Adira had braided his wild hair a little bit, just enough to keep his hair out of his face. As far as Quirin was aware Hector still wore his hair that way.

"Here," Quirin reached for a nearby chair and pulled it closer to his seat. He gestured for Varian to sit down. "We're going to try something new."

Varian looked curious, but he did as he was told. He sat very still as Quirin leaned forward and started to braid Varian's bangs just like he used to for Hector. The boy waited patiently as Quirin worked, only occasionally grimacing when he accidentally pulled on his hair a little too harshly. After a few minutes Quirin took the hair tie to keep the braid in place.

"How's that?" Quirin asked. Varian frowned thoughtfully and poked at his braid like it was a new specimen for him to examine. "Do you think that will help keep your hair out of your face?"

"Yeah." Varian grinned. "I think so." Varian had been trying to find ways to keep his hair away from his experiments. It was too short to just pull back and expect it to stay there. He'd tried headbands, but they always got tangled up with his goggles. Quirin hoped that this method would be a little more successful.

"How's it look?" Varian asked.

Quirin felt a pang in his chest. Between the braid the raccoon on his shoulders, and the excited gleam in his eyes Quirin could almost pretend that he was looking at a younger version of his brother. Varian was a lot different than Hector, but it was undeniable that there were similarities as well, which Quirin didn't fully understand. How could his son resemble an uncle that he wasn't related to by blood and had never met?

"You look great, kid." Quirin said. Ruddiger chirped and nodded in agreement.

"This should really help." Varian said. "Thanks, dad."

Quirin grinned and ruffled his son's hair like he used to when he was really young. "No problem. Now, I'm going to turn in early. Don't go back to your lab, and make sure to find some proper dinner."

"Yeah, okay." Varian said. He frowned slightly and seemed to have something on his mind. Quirin sighed.

"What's on your mind?" Quirin asked.

"I, uh, about today-" Varian grimaced. He looked like he was really bothered by what had happened, and Quirin knew that he really wanted to talk about it and make things right, but he didn't know if he was ready for that particular conversation. Quirin felt a little better than before, good enough to spend some quiet time with his son, but not nearly well enough to be able to address the incident.

"Not tonight, Varian." Quirin said tiredly. He tried to ignore the way his son flinched and hunched his shoulders slightly. He didn't want to let Varian down, but he knew that if he let this discussion happen now his pain would get the better of him, he would lose his temper, and Varian would just get hurt.

Still, he didn't like to see his son disappointed. "How about tomorrow you help me fix things up and we'll talk about it then, okay?"

Varian gave him a shaky smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Y-yeah, we can do that."

"I'll see you in the morning." Quirin would put his hand on Varian's shoulder, but the raccoon was still sitting there. Instead he scratched behind Ruddiger's ears and gave Varian as gentle a look as he could manage.

"Night, dad." Varrian muttered.

"Goodnight." Quirin said. He made his way to the stairs, though as he left he heard Varian whisper to Ruddiger, who chirped comfortingly. Quirin felt bad, but at least his son wasn't completely left alone. Hopefully this raccoon would be good for him.

And who knew, maybe Quirin would get lucky and Varian would start to be more careful in his experiments now that he had a small animal to worry about.

Chapter Text

Ruddiger was terrified. He'd been terrified for months, ever since the accident that had gotten his boy's dad trapped in amber. What had happened was terrible, and Ruddiger kept on getting nightmares about Varian being the one who got trapped instead. Ruddiger may not have known the boy for very long, but he'd do anything to protect him. It was because of this that he had stayed at the boy's side as he'd started to spiral out of control.

Ruddiger had hated seeing Varian in that state. He'd been so angry and vengeful, and nothing like the boy that Ruddiger had come to see as his own kit, but the raccoon still didn't leave him. Ruddiger knew that if he left then Varian would have nobody, and he would never willingly subject the boy to that.

Unfortunately, Ruddiger didn't always have the choice to do what he wanted.

He whimpered and tilted his ears back. He scratched at the door that led to the castle dungeons, where they had dragged his boy. Ruddiger could hear Varian screaming and crying out for Ruddiger. He almost sounded as desperate and terrified as he had been when he'd first found his dad trapped in the amber.

It hurt to hear Varian sound so scared and distressed. Ruddiger had already thought that the Coronan guards were cruel and incompetant puppets who all shared a single brain cell that was controlled by the king. They had fed into his boy's paranoia and anger for months, tormenting a lonely child. Ruddiger hadn't thought that it was possible for his opinion on the guards to get any lower, and yet all of them pretended to be deaf to Varian's heartbreaking cries.

Ruddiger imagined that the only reason they were unaffected was because none of them had any hearts to begin with.

As much as Ruddiger hated hearing Varian's probably tearful cries, he became even more horrified when the cries started to dim as the boy was led deeper into the dungeon and farther away from him. Ruddiger would take Varian at his most furious, murderous, and most desperate as long as he was at the boy's side.

Ruddiger had thought that this couldn't get any worse, but just before Varian was dragged out of hearing range he heard a deep, painful-sounding cough. Ruddiger had heard this exact sound far too many times these past few months.

Varian had never been very good at taking care of himself, but it got even worse after his dad's imprisonment. Running to the capital and back in the middle of a blizzard had left Varian weak, but he didn't give himself time to properly rest. The boy had jumped right into trying to free his father, and his health had suffered for it.

Varian had been sick on and off for months, and it had only been getting worse. Ruddiger did what he could to make the boy rest and eat properly, but it wasn't enough. Varian still overworked himself and only stopped for more than a few hours at a time when his body couldn't take any more.

Ruddiger had been afraid of what mental state his boy would end up in without him there to lend a listening ear and a comforting touch when he had nightmares. Now though Ruddiger was also terrified of how sick Varian would get without Ruddiger there to get him to take care of himself. Ruddiger could smell the dampness and filth in the dungeon from here. The dungeons wouldn't be doing Varian's health any favors. Ruddiger thought that the only thing that would be more detrimental to Varian's health than the dungeon itself was the guards.

Ruddiger scratched at the door again and screeched at it, begging to be let in. His screech got louder when he felt someone pick him up. He tried to squirm out of their grip, but their hold just tightened.

"Hey, hey, little guy, calm down." A gentle sounding voice said, but Ruddiger wasn't fooled by the mask. He recognized this voice as one of the guards, a man named Stan. He wasn't as cruel as some of the other guards were, but he'd still been a part of the torture that Varian had been through these past few months. Stan hadn't done anything to help Varian when the boy was obviously sick. Now Stan was keeping Ruddiger from standing at his boy's side when he so desperately needed help.

Stan may act nice, but he wasn't nice to Varian, which meant that in Ruddiger's eyes he wasn't a good person.

"Sorry, buddy," Stan said as he turned and started walking away from the dungeon. Ruddiger whined and reached desperately towards the door. He couldn't leave his boy. He couldn't abandon him. Why were these guards doing their best to make Varian's life a living Hell? Why did they hate his kit so much?

"I know you want to be with the kid, but it just can't happen." Stan said quietly. Ruddiger refused to believe that his tone was truly sympathetic. "Prisoners aren't allowed to have pets, especially one as smart and loyal as you. You might try to help him escape, and that's not a risk that we're willing to take.

Ruddiger seethed. He wasn't Varian's pet, he was his companion. And of course he would try to help Varian escape. Being in the dungeon was just going to make him sick and make his mind go to darker places than they already were. Varian needed to be taken care of, not locked away and forgotten about because that was most convenient.

Stan the guard brought Ruddiger outside. As soon as the man set him down Ruddiger tried to scurry back inside, but he was just grabbed again. "Come on, the kid will be just fine." Ruddiger growled and bit the guard's hand. Unfortunately, his gloves were thick and strong enough that his teeth couldn't penetrate them at all.

"The dungeon is no place for an animal like you." Stan said. Ruddiger just glared at him. The dungeon should be no place for a child, and yet here they were. "The kid used you as a science experiment. You'll be better off on your own."

Ruddiger hissed. How dare this guard say such a thing. He knew nothing about Varian. The only reason why the boy had gotten so dangerous was because of guards like Stan and lying royalty.

Ruddiger would fight Stan and the entire guard battalion to be with his boy, but he knew it would all be in vain. Ruddiger was just one raccoon, there wasn't a lot he could do. Even Varian, with all his alchemical and mechanical knowledge, hadn't stood a chance against the guards.

Ruddiger would love to still try, but he had seen for himself just how quick the guards and royals were to condemn Varian. For all Ruddiger knew, anything that he did would be taken out on the boy, and he wouldn't hurt that kid like that.

Ruddiger wasn't going to just abandon and forget about his boy, but he knew that he had to be smart about this. If he wanted to save his boy, he needed some help.

Ruddiger remembered the sad feral man that had told him about Varian in the first place. Hector had told him to keep an eye on Varian and his dad, and he had failed. Hector had said to come get him if the black rocks hurt Quirin, or if weird things happened with Varian and the rocks.

The amber wasn't technically a block rock, but it had come from them, so Ruddiger thought it was safe to say that Varian's dad had been hurt by them. As for the black rocks doing weird things, they never stopped being weird. Even though the rocks were spreading throughout Corona, Ruddiger didn't think they hit anywhere as hard as they did Old Corona. And they didn't just hit the town once and move on, they stayed there.

And when Varian had been fighting Rapunzel the rocks had sprung up like weeds. Ruddiger had heard the princess and her friends talk about the rocks like they had been responding to her, but that didn't feel quite right. Ruddiger felt like the rocks had been reacting to Varian's anger until the princess had touched them and taken control.

Ruddiger knew that he might just be thinking that the rocks had reacted to Varian because that definitely qualified as weirder than usual, so Hector might come and do something to help. Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions that weren't there. Varian definitely wouldn't approve of it, but Varian wasn't here, and if making assumptions was what Ruddiger needed to do to get his kit back then he would gladly do it.

When Stan the guard set Ruddiger down again he resisted the urge to run back inside. It felt wrong to be leaving his boy in the dungeon, but this was the only way that Ruddiger knew to get him out. He was doing this for Varian's own good. So Ruddiger ran away from the castle, away from his boy, to try to find his way back to the Great Tree.

Unfortunately, Ruddiger didn't know where the Great Tree was. He'd only been there once. All he knew was that it was far away. How was he supposed to get there? He was just one little raccoon.

Not knowing what he was doing, Ruddiger ran back towards Old Corona. He knew that Quirin used to write to Hector, so maybe there was some clue back at the mansion as to where exactly the Great Tree was.

Besides, with Varian thrown in the dungeon there was nobody back in Old Corona to make sure that nothing had happened to Quirin. The amber seemed pretty solid, but Ruddiger had seen the black rocks pierce through all kinds of things, and those rocks had been popping up all over the place during Varian's confrontation with the princess.

Ruddiger knew that Varian's dad was probably as safe as he could be while trapped in amber, but he still had to double-check. If the worst had happened and the rocs had somehow pierced through the amber and harmed Quirin, Ruddiger couldn't leave. Varian would be destroyed if Quirin got hurt while he was trapped, and Ruddiger couldn't let that happen.

Old Corona was in even worse a state than Ruddiger remembered it being. The town looked completely destroyed, and Varian's home looked like it was barely standing. Ruddiger trilled anxiously and ran towards the lab. He almost reached the doors when he heard a desperate squawk.

Ruddiger froze in his tracks. He had thought that Old Corona was completely abandoned, not just by humans, but by the animals as well. Who could still be here, why had they stuck around, and did they need help?

Ruddiger wanted to check on Varian's dad, but if there was an animal here that needed help he couldn't just leave them on their own.

Ruddiger chirped and ran towards the sound. He found a black bird that looked similar to the crows that bothered their crops, except it looked a little bigger. The bird was stuck in some of Vraian's pest-catching sticky solution. The boy must have forgotten about a sphere he'd left behind and the bird had gotten a little too curious and gotten itself stuck.

The more the bird struggled the more stuck it got. Its feathers were getting caught in the solution, and it was going to get them ripped out if it struggled much more. Ruddiger whined and ran up to the bird. He held up his front feet in what he hoped was a calming gesture.

'It's okay,' Ruddiger chirped. 'I can help you get out, but you need to hold still.' The bird didn't calm down at all, so Ruddiger knew he had to work quickly before it hurt itself. Fortunately, Varian had taken to keeping a vial of the neutralizer near his spheres, just in case Ruddiger got himself stuck in the serum.

Ruddiger grabbed the small vial that was tucked between some nearby tree roots. He tipped the neutralizer onto the sticky serum and freed the bird. It screeched appreciatively and tilted its head so it could lean on Ruddiger in an awkward version of a nuzzle.

'Thank you, weird cat wizard'. The bird squawked.

'Raccoon,' Ruddiger pushed the bird off of him, but it just went right back to leaning on him. 'And it's alchemy, not wizardry.'

'Where did you learn magic?' The bird asked

Ruddiger sighed. He didn't think he'd be able to convince the bird otherwise, so it seemed he'd have to leave it be. 'My boy taught me.'

'You have a boy?' The bird tilted his head at him. 'I have a boy! Actually, he's my king's boy, but that means he's mine. Hey!' The bird shrieked so loudly that Ruddiger jumped. 'Have you seen my prince?'

Ruddiger blinked. This bird was even more scatter-brained than Varian was. 'Corona doesn't have a prince.' Unless, of course, the bird was talking about the princess' boyfriend, but Ruddiger doubted that was the case. Nobody would ever look at Flynn Rider, or Eugene, as he liked to be called now, and mistake him for a prince.

'No, not Corona's prince.' The bird said. 'The prince of the Dark Kingdom'

'The Dark Kingdom?' Ruddiger frowned. 'I've never heard of it before.'

'It's a secret.' The bird said. It hopped onto one of the black rocks, looking completely comfortable with it. Ruddiger had never seen anybody, human or animal, not be completely terrified of these things.

'A secret kingdom with a lost prince?' Ruddiger was starting to wonder if it was a requirement that young royalty go missing.

The bird nodded and hung off the black rock. He stared at Ruddiger for a long moment. 'I'm Hamuel!'

Once again Ruddiger was caught off guard by the suddenness of what the bird, Hamuel, had said. When Ruddiger got over his surprise he straightened and climbed up the rock to join Hamuel. He didn't know what to think of this bird, but if Hamuel was going to be polite enough to introduce himself then he could return the favor.

'I'm Ruddiger.' The raccoon held a front paw out to Hamuel, who took it with his claw. 'Why are you looking for your lost prince all the way out here?' Ruddiger didn't know a lot about the kingdoms outside of Corona, but he liked to think that he would have at least heard of somewhere called the Dark Kingdom if it was anywhere near Corona. The Dark Kingdom must be pretty far away.

'He was near here when I lost him.' Hamuel said quietly. 'I couldn't find him though, so I thought I would see if the knight has seen him.'

'What knight?' Ruddiger had never seen any knights near Old Corona, unless Hamuel was talking about the guards.

'The knight in the castle.' Hamuel gestured to Varian's house. Ruddiger stared at Hamuel like he had lost his mind.

'There's no knight in there.' Ruddiger said. 'The only humans that live there are Quirin and Varian.' Sure, neither of them were exactly living in the large house at the moment, but that didn't mean that a knight had snuck in.

Hamuel perked up. 'Quirrin, yes! Knight Quirin.'

Ruddiger grimaced. Quirin wasn't a knight, he was just a farmer, Varian's dad. Except, no, he knew Hector, and probably also that warrior woman, Adira. Ruddiger could believe that those two were knights, could it be possible that Quirin was as well?

It sounded impossible, but it was getting easier and easier to believe, which just irritated Ruddiger. How many lies had Varian's father been keeping from him? Why was it that the whole world seemed to be conspiring against his boy?

'Quirin can't help you find your prince,' Ruddiger said. 'He's trapped, and so is my boy. I was supposed to go to Hector and get help from him.'

Hamuel flapped his wings excitedly. 'You know Hector too! The Dark Kingdom has another ally!'

Ruddiger didn't know if he would call himself an ally of the Dark Kingdom, but the humans that he knew best and cared most about all seemed connected to the kingdom in some way, so maybe he was.

Besides, if he called himself an ally of the Dark Kingdom maybe Hamuel would be more likely to help him get back to Hector so he could help his boy.

'I need to get to the Great Tree, but I don't know where it is.' Ruddiger said.

'Oh, I do.' Hamuel said, just as Ruddiger had hoped he would. 'As the raven flies, it takes about three weeks, maybe less.'

'What about how the raccoon walks?' Ruddiger asked.

Hamuel tilted his head at him. 'Shouldn't matter. We're flying.'

'I can't fly, birdbrai-agh!' Ruddiger shrieked when Hamuel grasped his fur with his talons and lifted him into the air. He started flying, and Ruddiger was terrified. He wasn't made for flying. If he was supposed to fly, he would have been born with wings. 'Put me down!'

'It'll be a lot easier to get you to the Great Tree like this.' Hamuel said. The bird flipped around so it was flying upside down. Hamuel adjusted its grip on Ruddiger so he was sitting upright. It was still frightening to be off the ground, but at least there was something solid under his feet.

'You can't possibly carry me all the way to the Great Tree.' Ruddiger whined as he clung tightly to Hamuel's claws. If this bird dropped him he would kill him.

'If I can carry a book all the way back to the Dark Kingdom, I can take you to the Great Tree,' Hamuel said. Ruddiger was sure that he was larger and heavier than most books, but Hamuel didn't seem to be struggling at all to stay in the air. Ruddiger doubted that the raven would be able to carry him the whole way, but any distance they could go was that much less that Ruddiger would have to travel blind.

'If it's going to take three weeks, then let's get going.' Ruddiger said. It was far longer than he felt comfortable being away from his boy, but it couldn't be helped. The sooner they got there the sooner he'd be able to get back to Varian's side and help him recover from the mess that the guards and royals had forced onto him.

Chapter Text

Time had very little meaning for Hector. Every day was basically the same as the one before it. Hector only knew how many years had passed because Quirin mentioned it in almost every single one of his letters, and Adira rarely failed to bring it up either.

Hector could probably track the time if he wanted to. As a citizen of the Dark Kingdom he was always aware of the moon. Almost every month he would sit and watch the full moon for hours on end. It was the only time that he allowed himself to relax and not worry about his work. It would be easy to use the full moons to keep track of how many months and years had passed,, but it was too much effort and not something that he cared a lot about.

Hector didn't think that time really mattered to him. The fact that twenty five years had passed didn't change his duty. Whether it had been twenty five years or a thousand, it didn't matter. Hector needed to protect the tree and the moonstone. As long as he drew breath, this was where he would be. Unless, of course, the moonstone was in danger.

Hector was so diligent in his work that he barely ever took breaks, even for sleeping. Ever since he was a child Hector never slept for more than a few hours at a time. He would much rather take several short naps throughout the day instead of leaving himself vulnerable for such a long period of time. Hector had been in the middle of a nap when he was awoken by some familiar squawking. Hector enjoyed his sleep when he got it, but he didn't let his guard down. As soon as he heard Hamuel's squawking he shot to his feet and forced his fatigue back.

Hector tilted his head in confusion when he saw Hamuel flying around upside down with a raccoon sitting on his feet. He'd seen Hamuel do many odd things, but this was pretty high up there.

"Hamuel!" Hector called up to the raven. "Get down here."

The bird cawed and flipped around, making the raccoon squeal in fear. It clung tightly to Hamuel as it was hanging upside down, but the raccoon's squirming and clawing was just making the raven's grip slip. Hector whistled and snapped his fingers. Hamuel may be Edmund's bird and only had loyalty towards him, but Hector had been able to teach him a thing or two.

Hamuel flew towards Hector and dropped the raccoon into his grip. The poor creature was terrified. The raccoon squeezed its eyes shut tight and clung tightly to Hector's arms. It would take a minute to recover from the flight that it clearly hadn't wanted anything to do with.

Hector looked at the raccoon and he realized that he recognized it. "Oh, I remember you, little thief."

The raccoon looked up at him and chirped. It nuzzled into his arms. Hector scowled and pulled the raccoon away by the scruff of its neck. "Hey, don't do that. You may have gotten cuddles from Quirin's kid, but you're getting none of that from me."

To Hector's shock and slight concern the raccoon looked sad and almost a little scared at his words. The raccoon whined and squirmed until Hector put it on the ground. It ran around frantically and chirped desperately. Something was really bothering it.

"Hey, hey, calm down for a second," Hector knelt and grabbed the raccoon by its tail to stop it. "Just calm down and tell me what happened."

The raccoon took a deep breath and started drawing on the ground. Hector had thought that the animal was smart from the start, at least smart enough to understand what was going on around it. This was something else though. There were many animals who understood humans, but not a lot of them were interested in or capable of trying to communicate with them.

"I guess Quirin's kid has been rubbing off on you." Hector muttered as he watched the raccoon draw. It nodded, but didn't look up from its work. A moment later the raccoon stepped back to show a drawing of a stick figure man. The symbol of the Brotherhood was drawn on its chest. Quirin. What concerned Hector was that the raccoon had drawn jagged points surrounding Quirin.

Just from looking at the drawing Hector wouldn't be able to guess what had happened. However, he already knew from Adira that Quirin had been in danger from the black rocks. Those must be what the jagged points represented.

"Is Quirin trapped by the rocks?" Hector asked. The raccoon seemed to cheer up slightly, relieved that it had been understood. It nodded and started to draw another picture in the dirt. It was another stick figure, smaller than Quirin's. It looked like it was wearing goggles.

"I guess that's Quirin's kid?" Hector said. The raccoon chirped sadly and drew a box around the small figure, with vertical lines cutting through it. The meaning was immediately clear. "He's in a cage." Hector seethed at the thought. The boy, Varian, was just a kid. He couldn't have possibly done something to get him thrown behind bars.

Hector didn't know if this cage belonged to slave traders or a city prison, but it didn't matter. Hector felt sick at the thought of anybody, even those he considered to be his enemies, being imprisoned and locked away in a box. Humans shouldn't be treated like animals, no matter how much they may act like them. The thought of it happening to Quirin's kid, Hector's nephew, made him want to tear apart the people responsible for this.

His first instinct told him to find the kid and get him out. Maybe he could even find Adira and convince her to let him borrow her black rock sword so he could see if he could free Quirin. The Brotherhood was Hector's family, and he was loyal to them.

However, he had sworn an oath to protect the moonstone. It had to be prioritized over everything, even his family. It hurt, and Hector knew that he would be having nightmares about it for years, but he couldn't just leave his post to help his brother and nephew. The moonstone had to come first.

Then Hector remembered why he had sent the raccoon to Corona in the first place. Partially to keep an eye on Quirin and Varian, and partially to look into the impossibility of the kid inheriting powers from the moonstone. It couldn't be possible and Hector didn't really believe it, but if there was even the smallest chance then maybe it was worth looking into.

Hector just needed a single clue, the smallest thing that suggested that Varian had the moonstone powers, and he would see it as a good enough reason to free the kid from whatever cage he'd been thrown in. He'd be able to protect his nephew and keep the powers of the moonstone out of the hands of those who would misuse it. He'd be able to kill two birds with one stone.

"Raccoon, I need you to listen to me carefully." Hector said. The raccoon sat still and attentive. "The black rocks are weird, we all know this. They do weird things. But, did you ever see them do anything weirder than usual around Varian? Maybe they appeared more often around him than anybody else, or more of them showed up when he was upset or something." Hector was just making things up at this point. The moonstone wasn't supposed to have a human host like this. That just wasn't how it worked.

However, something he said seemed to make sense to the raccoon. Its ears perked up a little and it almost looked hopeful, though there was still a twinge of fear in its eyes. It nodded, paused, and then made a so-so gesture with its hand. It was far from solid evidence, but at that moment it was good enough for him.

Well, then, I guess we'd better go get him out of there." Hector said. The raccoon chirped happily and climbed onto Hector's shoulder, and he let it. "Let's go find my rhino and get to Corona." He was tired, and the raccoon seemed exhausted, but they didn't have time to waste. Hector had a brother and nephew to save.

Time had little meaning for Varian, and it had been that way since the blizzard.

At first he had methodically tracked the passing of days. He had promised himself to not go through the motions. Freeing his dad from the amber was incredibly important, and every day that he didn't manage it was another failure. He couldn't afford to take his time and be safe about it. His dad was trapped, and Varian had been worried that the longer he was in the amber the lower his chances of survival got.

Varian was able to track the passage of time until day sixteen, which was when he got really sick. He'd been feeling off since the blizzard, and had to stop and rest for a full day multiple times, but it had been manageable. On the sixteenth day though it got worse. His body shut down on him, his brain felt like it was eternally stuck in that half-asleep and not fully aware phase.

This had lasted for several days. Varian had felt like he was dying, and Ruddiger's anxiety and concern showed that the raccoon had similar worries. Ruddiger had stayed curled up at Varian's side, refusing to leave him, while the boy had curled up next to the amber, equally reluctant to leave.

He had known that the cold of his lap wouldn't help him recover any quicker, and the hard ground made it hard to sleep comfortably, but Varian couldn't leave his dad, no matter how sick he got.

Varian's health eventually improved enough for him to get back to work. He didn't return to tracking the days though. It was just a painful reminder and unnecessary destruction for what he needed to get done.

Even now that Varian was thrown in the dungeon he didn't return to tracking the days. It just didn't matter anymore. He'd kidnapped and nearly killed the queen, he'd threatened the people of Corona, and, probably what was seen as his biggest offense of all, he'd dared to question the king's word.

Varian hadn't been given an official sentence. He'd just been thrown into the dungeon without a trial or a word about what his punishment would be. For all Varian knew this was a life sentence, just a place for the royal family to toss him so they could properly forget about him and ignore his cries for help.

He shouldn't be surprised. Rapunzel had not only ignored his pleas during the blizzard, she'd then apparently forgotten about him immediately afterwards. The king looked the other way when his citizens' lives were being uprooted by the rocks, and then he punished anybody who demanded justice. Varian didn't know the queen well enough to know if she was just like her husband and daughter, but he suspected that she was.

Varian knew that he wasn't just going to be set free. He didn't even think that escaping was a real possibility. He was put in the high-security area of the prison. There was always a guard right outside his cell, and they didn't like him at all.

If Varian was too loud, he was threatened. If he was quiet for too long or looked like he was scheming they would throw a bucket of water at him. Of course, Varian was a deep thinker by nature. For as long as he could remember his thoughts were running wild and there was no way to make them stop. Varian never really stopped thinking, which meant that he was rarely ever dry.

Varian was miserable. He'd been able to fight through the sickness that had been plaguing him since the blizzard through sheer determination and fury, but he couldn't rely on those anymore. He was in prison, his dad would probably remain stuck in the amber forever, and nothing that he could do would change things.

For so long Varian's mind had been teetering on the edge between rage and depression, and now the scales had tipped. His dad was gone. He had no friends. Everybody in the kingdom hated and abandoned him. Even Ruddiger had been taken away from him. Varian was alone, and oh so tired.

He stopped trying to ignore or fight the sickness that had always been waiting for the right time to strike. He just didn't see the point anymore. He couldn't get away from the cold. He couldn't eat better. The beds were far too uncomfortable for him to get any real sleep. There was nothing that Varian could do to stave off the illness, so why bother?

Varian didn't bother trying to get dry or warm after the guards threw water on him. What would be the point when they would just be doing it again in fifteen minutes? He didn't eat any of the food that was brought to them. Just the smell alone was enough to make him feel like he was going to throw up. He knew he wouldn't be able to stomach the food, so why waste the energy?

Varian started to feel the way that he had when the sickness had first hit him back in Old Corona, except it seemed worse this time. There was no dad to curl up close to and pretend that he would protect him. There was no Ruddiger to keep him company. There was no ultimate goal that motivated him to keep fighting. There was nothing.

It got to the point that Varian couldn't even bring himself to drag himself out of bed. He was sore, tired, and felt like he couldn't move at all. If he got up to try to stretch his legs or get some water he would just get dizzy and collapse after taking one step.

It was infuriating, and humiliating, but to be expected. After all, Varian had been betrayed and let down by everybody else, why not by his own body?

It was a lot easier to just stay on the slab that he'd been given for a bed. There wasn't anything he could do but wait. For what, he didn't know. Maybe he was waiting for the sickness to pass like it had before. Maybe he was waiting for his body to finally give out on him so he could finally rest.

He was scared. Varian didn't want to die, but he was just so tired. Everything hurt, and he didn't see an end in sight. What made it worse was that nobody seemed to care. The guards had to have noticed that he wasn't eating, but they hadn't said or done anything to make him eat, and neither had his cellmate. Varian had mentally prepared himself for them forcing him to eat something, and he was shocked and scared when it never happened.

Apparently the guards couldn't care less if he starved himself, and it was scary. Varian knew that people had gotten hurt during the battle, but he hadn't expected just how much people would end up hating him. Varian had thought that he was used to the feeling of people hating him, as the people of Old Corona hadn't been his biggest fans, but none of them had ever wanted him dead before.

He kinda wanted to eat something, just to spite the guards who apparently wanted him to starve to death. It just took so much effort, and he didn't want to do things to get back at someone else anymore. It hurt, and it only ever ended up blowing up in his face. If he ate something, sure, it would spite the guards, show them that he couldn't be taken down so easily, but it would also mean that he would live longer, which meant more pain, and it just wasn't worth it. Not anymore.

Varian moaned and rolled over. He somehow felt too cold and far too warm at the same time. He felt sweaty and gross, which made it even harder to get comfortable. He almost wished that the guards would throw some more water at him. Logically he knew that in the long-run it would just make him feel more miserable, but he was too uncomfortable at that moment to really care about anything besides immediate relief.

His cellmate, Andrew, groaned in annoyance. "Don't you ever stop whining?"

Varian shuddered and curled in on himself as much as he could. He didn't want anybody to be mad at him. Anger meant pain, and he was already so sore. "S'rry," Varrian muttered before breaking into a coughing fit that rattled his chest. It hurt, and when he tried to make himself stop it just made it worse. He couldn't seem to bring in as much air as he needed. He felt like he was choking on his own breathe.

Varian couldn't stop coughing, and it wasn't long before his coughs mixed in with sobs, which made it even harder to breath. He heard Andrew or the guards yell something and then a sudden wet chill as someone threw water on him, but he still kept coughing and crying.

He was scared. He couldn't breathe. He just wanted to go home. Why had they taken him away from his home? Why did everybody hate him so much? It wasn't fair. He wanted his chest to stop hurting. He wanted to be able to sleep for more than an hour. He wanted all of this to stop. He wanted...he wanted…

...he wanted his daddy.

Varian closed his eyes and tried to ignore the tears streaming down his cheeks. He didn't know if he was crying because of his coughing or because he was scared and upset, but it didn't really matter. All the hurt was just starting to blend together at this point.

He was vaguely aware of a loud crash, soon followed by screaming and yelling. At first Varian thought that he was being yelled at again. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd gotten in trouble for being too loud for something that he couldn't help. He grew tense and expected the pain to come any second now, but it never did.

He heard Andrew say something, though he couldn't understand what it was. Their guard answered, and he almost sounded afraid. The screaming and shouting got closer and closer. It got so loud that Varian felt like his ears were ringing, like it was all happening right in his ears. He whined between choked sobs as he curled in on himself and put his hands over his ears. He wanted the noise to stop, and then all of a sudden it did.

Varian flinched when he felt strong hands on his shoulder. He tried to push them away, but he was still covering his ears with his hands and he just ended up nudging them. Varian froze in terror. He wasn't supposed to attack the guards, even if he was just defending himself. He was in so much trouble. They were going to hurt him, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Varian's breath quickened and got caught in his throat. His chest was burning as his coughs grew harsher. He heard someone talking to him, but he couldn't understand the words. He didn't even recognize the voice. All he knew was that they sounded irritated, and Varian knew from experience that meant pain was coming his way.

He froze when he felt something furry nudge gently against his face and then lick at the tears on his cheeks. He recognized the feeling, as it was something that he'd grown so used to back in Old Corona, but he hadn't thought that he'd ever feel it again.

"R-ruddi…" The word was covered up by Varian's coughing. He heard the stranger holding him growl in anger. The hand on his shoulder disappeared and a moment later he felt a cold cup brush against his lips. Varian instinctively opened his mouth and let the cool water in. It immediately soothed his throat and he suddenly realized how thirsty he was. Varian tried to grab the water and drink it quickly before it got taken away, but he started sputtering and coughing even more. Varian was scared and frustrated. He just wanted a drink. Was that so hard to ask that he do it without choking?

The unfamiliar voice said something else. Their tone was quiet and almost gentle. Varian couldn't understand a word they said, but the gentle tone was a nice relief. Varian didn't think he had heard someone be gentle and genuinely concerned about him since before his dad got trapped in the amber. Varian didn't know who this voice was, or what they wanted from him, but he trusted them.

When the cup was brought back to his mouth Varian kept his hands to himself and let the strangely very slowly drizzle it into his mouth. He let them pull the cup away when he had a particularly bad cough, because he trusted that they would bring it right back when the coughing calmed down a little.

It felt like it took several minutes, but finally Varian drank enough that his throat didn't feel so dry. His cough had calmed down and he could breathe again. Varian took in a deep breath, barely caring about the way it made his chest burn. He opened his eyes. Though his vision was blurred by tears, he was able to recognize Ruddiger.

"H-hey, buddy." Varian said weakly. Ruddiger chirped and nuzzled him. Varian's face scrunched up and he let out a sob as he wrapped his arms around his friend and squeezed him a little too tight. Varian started crying harder than he had since his first night in prison, when his circumstances and failures really hit him.

Varian was so overwhelmed and relieved to have Ruddiger back that he almost forgot about the stranger that had helped him. He jumped and felt a spike of panic when he felt the hand return to his shoulder. Varian looked to see who was in front of him and for a minute he was sure he was hallucinating. The man was far too tall, and it looked like he had fur.

"By the moon, what did these guys do to you, kid?" The stranger bent down and effortlessly picked Varian up. The boy yelped as he was held tightly, almost possessively, against the man's chest. His instinct told him to squirm away, but Varian was just so tired. The fur over the man's shoulder was so soft, and Ruddiger seemed completely unconcerned about the situation Varian had found himself in, so maybe it wasn't so bad.

"W-who are you?" Varian asked.

"Hector." The man said. "I'm a friend of your dad, and I'm breaking you out of here."

Varian blinked rapidly and stared up at the man who was looking back at him with the same amount of curiosity and caution. "M-my dad?" Varian's chest tightened as another sob broke through. He buried his face in Hector's fur. "I-I want my daddy."

Hector sighed and Varian cringed. He had annoyed the man. He'd upset his dad's friend and he was going to get hurt because of it. When Hector spoke though there was no anger in his voice, just sadness.

"I know, kid." Hector said. "I'll get you to him. Where is he?"

"H-home." Varian said quietly. He wondered if this was a dream. It seemed impossible that somebody seemed to care about him, and that they were going to take him home. He was going to be able to be back at dad's side. It was too good to be true.

If this was a dream, Varian didn't really want to wake up. This was a lot nicer than being ignored and pushed around by the guards.

"Home it is," Hector said. He adjusted his grip on Varian, and the boy felt truly safe for the first time in forever. "Let's get you to Old Corona."

Chapter Text

The kid was a lot smaller than Hector had thought he would be. He knew that at least part of that was because of his mom. Varian was young, and there was a good chance that he still had a bit of growing to do, but not a lot. Hector doubted he would ever get as big as the people in the Dark Kingdom were prone to being.

At any other time Hector would be a bit annoyed about this. The Dark Kingdom was a dying culture, and Varian's small size felt like just another way that their people were getting lost. At the moment though Hector was far too concerned about the kid himself to be upset about their culture.

Varian was light and skinny, and Hector was sure that it was only partially because of his naturally small size. The kid was clearly sick, and looked like he had been for a while. Hector would be surprised to learn if he had eaten anything in the past several days. He needed help, and Hector didn't think he was the right person to do this.

He wasn't a nurturing guy. None of the Brotherhood were very good at it, which was why Hector had been surprised to learn that Quirin had a kid, and not at all surprised when the most recent letter said that he had a hard time connecting with Varian.

Quirin cared about people, but he didn't do soft and gentle. Quirin could solve all the problems in the world that didn't involve talking about feelings. As soon as emotions were brought in Quirin had a tendency to duck his head and wait for things to resolve themselves. Sometimes it worked, usually it didn't.

Despite this, Quirin was still Varian's dad, and Hector imagined that the kid would be more comforted by his dad's presence than a stranger's. So even though Hector knew that Varian needed food, medicine, comfort, and a dozen other things,he thought that the most important thing was to reunite him with Quirin. The man would be much more suited to taking care of Varian.

Hector showed a rare level of restraint when he'd freed the kid. He had gone out of his way to not kill anybody as he'd gone in and out of the dungeons. If it was a small town prison, he would annihilate all of them. This was the royal dungeon though, which meant that Varian's imprisonment was, somehow, a kingdom matter. Hector knew that if he killed all of the guards then it could be seen as an act of war, and he couldn't drag the Dark Kingdom into that kind of thing. It would be a little difficult to protect the moonstone if he led an entire kingdom straight to it.

Even though Hector was furious at the way that his nephew had been treated, and he knew that he would only become more angry as he came to learn the details, he let the Coronan guards live, though he made sure to knock out or harm any of them that he passed. The last thing he needed was for them to be followed and caught.

The trip to Old Corona was a short one. Hector held Varian close as they rode his rhino down the beaten paths. They followed the raccoon, which Varian had called Ruddiger. The small animal seemed to know exactly where they were going, and Hector had no reason not to trust him.

Varian wasn't unconscious, but Hector knew that he was completely unaware of what was happening. The kid, who Quirin went on and on about how curious he was, didn't say a word about the rhino. He didn't ask more about who Hector was. He just curled against him, occasionally coughing or groaning, but mostly he just sobbed silently.

When they finally got to Old Corona Ruddiger led them to a large house that almost looked like a castle. Hector was a little surprised to see it. He knew that Quirin liked his space, but did he really not think that this was a little bit excessive?

Ruddiger ran straight through a massive hole in the wall. The black rocks were everywhere, ripping through the building, but Hector got the feeling that this particular hold had been caused by something else.

It didn't really matter to Hector though. Whatever had caused the damage was obviously gone by now. This castle, and the entire town, were abandoned. They were the only ones there. Hector got off his rhino and walked into the building, only to freeze when he saw the giant amber mound in the middle of the room. More importantly though, he noticed Quirin's frozen form trapped within it.

"By the moon," Hector shuddered and tightened his grip on Varian. "Brother, you...you…"

"Daddy," Varian turned away from Hector to look towards the amber. He looked far too relieved for somebody who was looking at his imprisoned father. "Y-you're safe."

"I think the two of us have different definitions of safe." Hector said. Varian didn't seem to understand him. He just reached weakly for his dad. Hector would be content to keep his distance from the cursed amber, but he couldn't deny the kid when he was so desperate. He brought Varian closer. As soon as the kid's fingers touched the amber he broke into tears.

Hector grimaced and put the kid next to the base of the amber. He didn't do well with tears. It just made him feel awkward and out of his depth. What was he supposed to do, hug the kid? Reassure him with empty promises that he definitely wouldn't be able to keep? Ignore him until he calmed down on his own?

Hector knew that the last option was probably the worst, but it was the one he felt most comfortable with. He pushed down the feeling that he was messing everything up and took a few steps back. He would give Varian the chance to get all this crying out of his system, and in the meantime he would go looking for some food or water. The kid was half-starved and dehydrated, and unlike crying those were problems that Hector knew how to fix.

"Stay with him." Hector said to Ruddiger, who was watching him cautiously. "I'll be back soon." Hector quickly left through the hole in the wall. He stopped for just a minute in front of his rhino. "Keep an eye on the kid and don't let anything happen to him."

Once he knew that the kid would be as okay as he could be at that moment Hector ran away from the castle. He couldn't even tell himself that he was just looking for things to help the kid, because he knew that the best place to look was in the abandoned house itself. Hector just couldn't look at his brother's frozen body for one more second. He had to get away from there.

Hector went towards the trees and ran until he couldn't see any sign of the town behind him. Only then did he stop and scream out all of his fury and pain. His brother was trapped, possibly dead. His nephew was sick, possibly dying. How could this have happened? Didn't Quirin leave the Brotherhood because he wanted a safer life for his family? This couldn't be the 'safe' that he had in mind.

It wasn't fair, and Hector was not ready to be dealing with this stuff. He wanted to go back to his tree where everything was simple. He had one job there, protect the moonstone. None of this try to figure out what exactly the problem is and then stumble around to try to fix the problem, only to ultimately make it worse.

Hector would never understand why somebody would prefer this kind of complicated life. It just hurt so much, and he'd only been exposed to it for a short period of time.

Hector allowed himself to scream and rant for a few minutes before he decided to do something productive. He picked a few apples from the trees surrounding him. He didn't know whether Varian would be able to eat any of it, but he had to at least try to get the kid to eat some fresh fruit.

Hector slowly made his way back towards the town, passing by a stream on his way. He bent down and filled a canteen. The kid needed as much water as he could get. It would probably also be smart to give him a quick wash. Varian was sick enough as it was, he didn't need the muck and grime from the dungeons to make it worse.

Hector could just imagine Quirin's shock and Adira's smug expression if they knew that he was advocating for good hygiene. They would never let him live it down.

When he got back to the rundown small castle Hector didn't immediately return to the room with the amber. He wasn't ready for it yet. Instead he went into the main building and started to have a look around Quirin's new home. It looked lonely and unfamiliar, even considering the fact that it was the home of a man who didn't really believe in personal belongings.

Hector was easily able to identify the things that belonged to Varian. There were formulas, books, and a whole bunch of stray notes that Hector couldn't understand a word of. He walked over everything and wandered around until he found himself in the kitchen. There was some more water in here, but it looked stale and mossy. There was no way that Hector was going to be giving this to the kid.

Hector found a small pot that looked at least somewhat clean. He went to the fireplace and easily started a fire. It would take some time to really eat up, but that was okay. Hector had plenty of things to do to pass the time. First things first, Hector poured the canteen of water into the pot and placed it over the fire.

The river had looked fairly clean, and for someone who was healthy it would probably be just fine. Varian was really sick though, and he couldn't afford to be exposed to any more germs, so Hector was taking the time to purify the water.

After getting the water going Hector looked around the kitchen, hoping to find any food that had survived through however long their imprisonment had been. Unfortunately the kitchen was scarily bare. There wasn't even any rotting foot.

It looked like they were going to be having apples for dinner.

Hector was relieved when he was able to find some very familiar smelling mixtures. Quirin may have tried to leave his past behind him, but he hadn't completely forgotten about where he had come from. Hector would recognize Adira's healing remedies anywhere. At least some of these should help in lowering his fever and whatever else was bothering him.

Hector continued searching through the kitchen for a few more minutes. He told himself he was looking for something to help the kid, but really he was just stalling. He didn't want to go back to the amber room. He couldn't really avoid it though, and the kid was only going to get worse, so finally Hector worked up the nerve to swallow down his pain and check on the kid.

Hector hadn't been gone for too long, but he was still confused and concerned when he saw Varian right where he had left him. He was still curled up right at the base of the amber. He looked like he was sleeping, and Hector didn't want to wake him up, but he had to. Sleep was important for the kid, but so was food and warmth.

"Come on, kiddo." Hector picked up the boy, grimacing when the kid groaned and turned towards him. It was a sad day indeed when somebody turned towards Hector for comfort. He was sure he was going to let the kid, and Quirin, down, but he had to at least try.

Ruddiger glared at Hector with mistrust. He returned the glare easily. "Do you want the kid to get better or not? Because I'm tellin' ya, it's not going to happen down here." Ruddiger still didn't look happy, but he nodded and allowed Hector to carry Varian out of the amber room and back into the main area of the house.

Hector laid Varian on the ground right next to the fireplace. He unclasped his cloak and put it over Varian, shifting the fur around so the kid's head was resting on it. The fire was still warming up, but the water was starting to boil. Hector decided to give it a few more minutes.

"Hey, obnoxious thief," Hector tossed an apple towards Ruddiger, who was lying on Varian's chest. The raccoon caught it, but it didn't immediately start digging in. Instead Ruddiger pushed the apple towards Varian's mouth, nudging his face, trying to encourage the sleeping kid to eat.

"Knock it off," Hector said. "I haven't forgotten about the kid, but does he look like he can eat a tough apple right now? I'll do something else for him." The raccoon hissed at him before taking a bite out of the apple.

Hector got to work. The water was boiling now. He poured most of it back into the canteen and set it aside to cool. He wasn't about to force boiling water down the kid's throat. He kept the rest of the water in the pain and put it back over the fire. Hector grabbed a few more apples and started cutting and peeling them.

Hector tossed the apple pieces into the pot with the remaining water. He wasn't very good at cooking or mixing things together, he would much rather just eat things raw as he found them, but special circumstances deserved special work.

Hector let the apples cook and soften until he was able to mash them down and mix them with the water. He'd never been a big fan of applesauce himself, but he thought it would be a lot easier to get Varian to eat this than a whole apple. Hector put the mushy mixture into a bowl. Now he just had to get Varian to eat some of it.

"Hey, kid," Hector shook Varian's shoulders. The boy groaned and turned his head to the side. "I know you're tired, but ya gotta eat something, alright?" It took a long moment but Varian eventually squinted his eyes open. Just that small thing seemed to take a lot of effort.

"Wh-what?" Varian whined.

"Just hang on," Hector sat behind the kid and helped him to sit up. The only reason Varian didn't fall was because he was leaning on him, but it was still a step in the right direction. "There we go. You hungry?" Varian shook his head and Hector scoffed. "Well, that's too bad, because you're getting food anyway."

Varian groaned and tried to resist, but he was too weak to put up any real fight. Hector was easily able to coax the kid into eating the hot apple mixture. He wanted to get Varian to eat all of it, but he didn't know when the last time the kid ate anything was. He didn't want to give him too much at once and make him sick.

When Varian whined and tried to resist eating again, Hector stopped and left him alone. He'd let his stomach settle for a bit, and then give him some more food and some water.

"How're you feeling?" Hector asked.

"Like my body hates me." Varian mumbled. He buried his face in the fur of Hector's cloak. Ruddiger whined and crawled onto the boy's shoulder. The raccoon nudged Varian's face until the boy smiled weakly and pet it.

"Yeah, you may feel like that for a while." Hector scowled. He was not very happy with the mistreatment that the kid had gotten in the dungeons. Varian had seemed so scared of him when he'd first showed up, and yet he'd also been a lot quicker to trust him than was probably safe. This told Hector that Varian had been hurt, and he saw the smallest sign of kindness as a reason to trust somebody.

Not to mention the fact that the kid was incredibly sick and clearly malnourished, which should have never happened to somebody who was being constantly watched. Hector also hadn't missed how wet Varian had been when he'd pulled him out of the palace dungeons. Somebody had decided to waste precious water, and Hector wouldn't be surprised to learn that it had been done out of sheet pettiness.

He had half a mind to march right back to the castle and destroy anybody who had dared to lay a hand on Varian, but he held himself back. Losing control would just bring more heat on them, and it would mean leaving Varian unattended, and that wasn't something that Hector was willing to do.

Varian was quiet for a few minutes before he reached for the bowl of applesauce. Hector smirked and handed it to him. At least the kid had found at least a bit of his appetite. Varian only ate a few bites before he grimaced and pushed the bowl away. That was fine. A little bit of progress was better than nothing.

"W-water?" Varian asked. He immediately cringed and drew back, squeezing his eyes shut tight like he expected to be hit for such a simple request. Hector scowled. These Coronan guards had no honor, and he doubted their royalty was any better.

"Sure, kid." Hector grabbed the canteen. He could feel the heat through it. "It's hot, so don't go burning yourself. And take it slow." Hector would willingly give the kid water himself, but he wanted to encourage Varian to push himself and regain his strength and independence. If he couldn't do it then Hector would help, but he wanted the kid to at least try first.

"Doesn't matter." Varrian muttered. He took the canteen with shaking hands, holding it in his hands for a long moment as he relaxed and just enjoyed the warmth. Finally Varian brought it to his lips and, to Hector's relief, slowly began to sip. It was clear that Varian was showing restraint and was desperate to drink it all at once, but even while sick his smarts were stronger than his survival instinct.

Hector had remembered Quirin mentioning in one of his letters that Varian was too smart for his own good, and frequently disregarded the gut feelings that were the body's way of keeping someone safe from danger. Quirin had said it like it was a bad thing, but Hector thought that right now it was what would help Varian recover.

Varian sipped the water for a few minutes. He leaned slightly away from Hector and sat up on his own. He looked unsteady, but he didn't fall. If he did, Hector was still right there to catch him. Varian slowly turned and looked at Hector. His eyes were unfocused and he looked confused. He blinked several times, as though he didn't understand what he was looking at. Varian frowned at him.

"You...you're not Coronan." Varian commented, though it sounded like a question.

"Nope." Hector said, and he'd never been more proud of that fact. "Never even been here before."

"You know my dad," Varian looked down at the cloak still draped over him. He fingered at the clasp holding it together. "I've seen this before."

"That's 'cause your dad has it on his hand, same as I do." Hector pulled off his glove and showed Varian the back of his hand where the symbol had been branded into his skin. "It's the mark of the Brotherhood."

"Wh-what's the Brotherhood?" Varian shivered and tried to pull the cloak tighter around him. Hector slowly, so as to not scare the kid, leaned forward and pulled the fur up over Varian's head.

Hector frowned. Either Quirin hadn't said a word about the Brotherhood to his son, or Varian was so sick that he couldn't remember it. Hector didn't know which one would be worse.

"The Brotherhood are the knights who have dedicated their lives to the Dark Kingdom and the moonstone." Hector said.

"Moonstone?" Varian tilted his head curiously. Even sick he was incredibly curious.

"It's exactly what it sounds like. A stone that's said to come straight from the moon." Hector said. "It's where these black rocks came from."

Varian shuddered and a weird look came into his eyes. "Black rocks. Dad...dad knew about them? The whole time?"

Ruddiger chirped and looked at Varian in concern. The raccoon nuzzled against him, not stopping until Varian pet him. Something was really bothering Varian, though Hector didn't know what. He watched the kid for a minute before continuing.

"Considering he swore an oath to protect the moonstone and keep something like this from happening in the first place, yeah, he knew about them." Hector gestured to the black rocks that had broken through the nearby wall. Varian's face went blank. He tightened his grip on Ruddiger, who looked almost panicked.

"He-he knew how dangerous they were, and he just...he didn't…" Varian let out a pained growl that sounded equal parts pained and furious. The kid curled in on himself, almost like his stomach had started hurting.

Hector recognized the kid's fury. The raw, pained frustration that came with knowing you were right but constantly being told you were wrong was painful, and infuriating. Hector didn't know what had happened between Varian and Quirin, but there was clearly something there.

Hector knew that anger could be useful, but Varian clearly wasn't in any state to harness his feelings into something useful. He was just working himself up and making himself feel worse. Hector had to distract him from whatever was bothering him.

"You feel like eating more?" Hector asked. Varian quickly shook his head. "What about more water?" Varian made a sound that was a cross between a groan and a growl. He shook his head again. "That's fine." They could always come back to that. "Whether you like it or not though, you're taking some medicine. That's non-negotiable."

Varian grimaced as Hector stood up and went to the medicine cabinet. He grabbed a cup and poured some of the fever reducer and sleeping serum into it. He knew that the kid would probably fall asleep without medicinal help, but it would be a restless sleep , and he might wake up at any time. For what Hector had in mind, that wouldn't do. He needed the kid to sleep for at least a few hours. It would give them the chance to get the head start they needed.

"Here," Hector handed the cup to Varian. The kid accepted the cup and took a drink from it without question. Hector hoped that the blind trust was just because had used things from Varian's own home, and because the kid was too sick to properly consider how easily Hector might be taking advantage of him. If the boy was always this trusting then Hector would have to do something about it. Trust opened you up to vulnerability, and Varian was vulnerable enough as it was.

A few minutes later Varian nodded off and fell asleep. Hector adjusted the cloak around him and picked him up. Ruddiger chattered and hopped onto his shoulder. He watched Hector cautiously.

"Don't worry, I ain't gonna hurt him." Hector said. "But we both know the guards will if they get their hands on him, and this is gonna be the first place they'll look." Hector had come here with every intention of freeing Quirin, but he hadn't known the nature of his imprisonment. Hector had no idea how to get his brother out of there, and even just by glancing at Varian's scattered notes he knew that the boy hadn't been able to figure it out either, and they didn't have time to experiment. Not when the guards could be right on their tales.

As much as Hector wanted to save his brother he had to make sure that Varian was okay first. He could always come back when they had a proper plan and Varian's health wasn't as fragile.

Hector tossed Varian over his shoulder to free up his hands. He grabbed the bottle that still had a bit of fever reducer in it. He wasn't about to let the applesauce that he made go to waste, but he didn't have a way to carry it with them. This bottle could manage that, as well as making the fever reducer a little more palatable.

Hector poured the applesauce into the bottle and sealed it. He carried the bottle and his unconscious nephew outside. His rhino was waiting obediently for him. It lowered itself, allowing Hector to drape Varian across its back. Ruddiger joined his boy, sitting protectively on him. Hector put the bottle in the saddle bag before turning back towards the house.

He grabbed a bucket that was just lying around outside and filled it with dirt. He brought it into the kitchen and poured the dirt over the small fire, smothering the flames. Hector then grabbed his canteen of water and the remaining apples and some of the healing remedies. He had everything they needed to leave, but it didn't feel right.

Quirin and Adira had left him with barely a goodbye. They'd gone on their separate paths, and that was fine, but Hector had never appreciated how they had both left without a word to him beforehand. They knew that he was going to disagree and argue with them, so they'd taken the coward's way out and avoided it completely.

Hector wasn't like his siblings. He wasn't going to leave without a proper goodbye. Especially when he was taking Varian with him and depriving the kid of the chance to say goodbye to his father. The least that Hector could do was find a keepsake for him.

Hector did a quick search of the house. He found the room that obviously belonged to Varian. The kid would probably appreciate some personal belongings of his. Hector wasn't the type of person to encourage objects that were purely sentimental, so he grabbed the first things that looked like they might be useful: Some thick gloves, protective goggles, and a heavy leather apron. They weren't exactly fashionable, and were a far cry from armor, but they clearly belonged to Varian, and any amount of protection was better than none.

Hector left Varian's room and went to the next one over. The belongings and placement of things made it clear that it was Quirin's room. It was organized almost exactly like he had kept his room back in the Dark Kingdom.

"I guess some things never change, huh, brother?" Hector ran a hand over the open chest. Quirin's Brotherhood belongings were in there, collecting dust. Hector didn't know the full contents of the chest, as most of it was buried or covered up. That was fine. They could sort through the chest later. For now, Hector thought that it was exactly what he'd been looking for.

He tossed Varian's things in the chest and closed it. He put the apples and canteen in his pockets to free up his hands. He hefted the chest onto his shoulders and gave one more longing look to the empty, lonely looking room.

"I hope you were able to find peace with your choices, brother," Hector said. He looked at the painting of Quirin with the woman that must have been his wife and an infant Varian. They looked happy, and not at all like what Hector had seen had become of Quirin's family.

"I know you never approved of my decisions, and you'd probably throw a fit if you knew what I was doing," Hector glared at the painting like it had personally offended him. He tried to ignore the way that his eyes were burning. He hadn't cried over his brother for twenty five years, he wasn't about to do it now.

Hector took a deep breath and dragged his gaze away from the painting. "But I've done the best that I know how, and that's what I'm going to keep doing." Hector adjusted his grip on the chest and turned his back on the room. "Goodbye, brother."

Chapter Text

They had been on the road for a week, and Hector didn't think that Varian's health had improved at all. If anything, it had gotten worse. Varian barely stayed awake for longer than half an hour at a time. Hector didn't have to fight to get Varian to eat and drink whenever he was awake, but that was the only improvement made.

Varian's fever only got worse, even though Hector regularly gave him fever reducer. The kid seemed to throw up everything he ate. Even though he was always asleep he barely seemed to get any rest at all, and only got more exhausted.

They hadn't had any truly good days yet, just days that were less than completely horrible. Days where Varian might be able to stay awake for an hour at a time, and wasn't always plagued with nightmares when he slept. On those days Hector was able to get to know the boy a little better, and Varian was able to get to know him a little bit too.

Varian had a lot of questions about the black rocks. He frequently asked the same question multiple times, occasionally during the same conversation. Hector had pointed it out to the kid once, only for Varian to become frustrated, confused, and somewhat scared. The boy shut down after that, and Hector didn't point it out when it happened again.

Hector answered what questions he could, but he didn't actually know that much about the black rocks, let alone their scientific properties. He just knew they were connected to the moonstone, they were nearly unbreakable, and they destroyed everything in their path.

Even though Varian was the one who asked these questions he always seemed bothered by any discussion about them, so Hector did what he could to steer the conversation away from the rocks. He doubted that Varian would be so easily distracted while he was healthy, but when he was sick he could barely pay attention to what the conversation was about and didn't notice at all when Hector abruptly changed the topic.

Hector much preferred to talk to Varian about the Dark Kingdom and their culture. They may be a dying kingdom, but they were a proud one. This was the kid's heritage, and he deserved to know about it. Varian seemed to like the stories well enough, and he usually seemed comforted whenever Hector so much as mentioned his dad.

Hector looked at these 'good' days as a sign that maybe Varian's health was slowly improving. It wasn't until about midafternoon on the seventh day of travel that Hector saw just how bad Varian's condition had got. Varian had been awake for about forty-five minutes, and they'd actually been having a conversation.

With everything that Hector told Varian, the kid had a dozen questions about it. The boy seemed to ramble on and on about everything. It was actually a little funny. Hector didn't always understand what Varian was saying, and he didn't know if it was because the kid was using fancy scientific terms or because he was mumbling and slurring his words so much that they wouldn't be understandable to even the smartest people. Hector didn't care though. At least Varian was talking.

His relief collapsed in an instant when he heard one particular question. It had come in a series of rapid-fire questions, and Hector had hoped that he'd just been hearing things, but he had to be sure. Hector looked down at Varian in shocked concern. Ruddiger looked almost alarmed as he did, which was worrying. Maybe the raccoon had heard the same thing as he had.

"What was that?" Hector interrupted Varian. His voice was a bit more of a growl than he'd originally meant. Normally people would run away screaming when he addressed them like this, but Varian didn't even seem concerned or startled. "What was that last question?"

"Uh…" Varian blinked multiple times. He looked confused, like he didn't even know for himself what he had asked.

Hector scowled and clenched his fists. He felt like shouting and hitting something. He had to take several deep breaths to calm himself down. "You asked something about your dad."

"Oh," Varian brightened. "Where is he?"

"Where is your dad?" Hector frowned. Varian nodded. Ruddiger chittered anxiously and buried his face in Varian's chest. The boy frowned in concern and pet the raccoon. Hector sighed. He didn't like the look of this. "He's back in Old Corona."

"Oh, yeah." Varian said sheepishly. Hector felt hopeful that it had just been a small slip, but then Varian continued. "When will he join us?"

Hector froze. He pulled his rhino to a stop so abruptly that Varian would have fallen off its back if Hector didn't steady him. He turned the kid around so he could face him. Varian looked a little shocked at the intensity in his eyes, but Hector didn't back down.

"Varian, I need you to listen very carefully." Hector growled. "Why do you think your dad's in Old Corona?"

"He's working." Varian said with confidence that scared Hector. "He-he's busy helping others, but he'll find us when he's done, right?" When Varian saw Hector's silence and Ruddiger's nervousness he started to look worried himself. Varian went from confident to panicked in a matter of seconds. "Right?!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Hector said quickly. Internally though he was cursing at every deity he had ever heard of. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. "Why don't we take a break? There's a stream nearby, and you could use a bath."

"I'm sorry." Varian's scared expression didn't go away. He leaned away from Hector. "I-I'll do better." The kid had been reluctant to willingly get himself wet. Thanks to the Coronan guards Varian associated being wet with punishment. He took it as a sign that he had done something wrong.

"This isn't a punishment, kid." Hector said. He pulled Varian into his arms and slid off the rhino. "Remember what I've been telling you? Water is your friend." Hector had been trying to help the kid break past his fear. They frequently stopped at streams and rivers, just for a few minutes, so Hector could ease Varian into the water. Ruddiger tried to encourage the boy to play splash games with him. Neither of their strategies had been getting anywhere, but Hector wasn't about to give up.

Hector set Varian on the ground and handed the canteen of water. "Drink something. I've gotta do something real quick." Varian nodded and obediently drank the water. Hector turned back to his rhino and started unloading the saddlebags and Quirin's chest. Hector stroked his old friend's horn.

"I need you to try to find Adira." Hector said quietly. "Bring her back here." Hector knew that it would take time. Adira was always traveling and moving around. She could be just a few hours away, or several weeks. It didn't matter though. Hector needed her help. Varian's condition had gotten way out of his control, and Adira had always been better at healing and medicine than him.

"Don't worry about how long it takes." Hector said. "Just get her to me." He and Varian would stay here for a few days, maybe not travelling would improve the boy's condition, before they moved on. If his rhino hadn't returned by then Hector would sneak into a nearby town and steal a few horses so they could continue on. He knew that his rhino would be able to find them wherever they were.

The rhino nodded in understanding and huffed before charging away. Hector turned his attention back to Varian, who was watching him curiously.

"Two questions," Varian said a bit too quickly. His tone and the unfocused look in his eyes made it look like he had wandered too close to the flesh eating flower in the great tree and was hallucinating.

Thinking of that flower Hector made a mental note to himself to see it when he got back. He was normally really vigilant and focused when he patrolled the tree, but every once and awhile things got too much for him and he needed to relax. On very rare occasions, just a handful of times in the past twenty five years, he would restrain himself, tell his bearcats to watch him carefully, and purposefully wander too close to the flower so he could experience the hallucinations and relax.

If there was ever a time that Hector needed a high it was now.

Varian was looking at Hector expectantly and it took the man a minute to realize that the kid was waiting for permission to continue. Hector sighed. "Alright, what's on your mind?"

"One, who's Adira?" Varian asked, even though Hector had to have told him all about her this past week. "Two, why's your horse going after them?"

"She...hang on." Hector raised an eyebrow at Varian. "Horse?" Was Varian really so sick that he mistook a rhino for a horse and completely forgot that his dad was trapped in amber? Hector had no idea just what kind of hallucinations the kid was dealing with.

"You know what, forget about the horse thing." Hector said. Varian was clearly having a difficult time understanding things right now. Hector needed to pick and choose his battles. "Adira's my sister. She's a knight of the Brotherhood. She knows a thing or two about healing. She'll be able to help you."

"Oh," Varian nodded, though Hector doubted he understood him at all.

"Don't worry about it." Hector said. "You ready to go for a swim?" He didn't give Varian the chance to answer. He picked up the kid and carried him towards the stream. Usually Hector tried to slowly pull Varian into the water one toe at a time. This time he decided to take a different approach.

Hector took his cloak off and soaked it in the stream. He picked it up and laid it on the ground next to the stream with the fur resting in the water. He set Varian to lie on the cloak and wrapped it around his torso and feet. He tried to help the kid be as comfortable as possible. If Varian associated water and being wet with punishment and being in trouble, then he was going to have to give him a different association. He wanted Varian to connect water with being cool and comfortable.

"Just relax," Hector said. He had Varian lean his head back and soak his hair in the stream. "You'll be fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Varian hummed and closed his eyes. Hector didn't think that the boy was actually relaxed, but he was just too exhausted to fight and try to protect himself from something that he felt threatened by.

Hector was more than happy to let the kid get some sleep, but he didn't want him to sleep quite yet. Hector sat in the shallow stream in front of Varian. He brushed his hands through the boy's hair, untangling it and soaking it in the water. Hector paused when he took in the blue streak in the kid's hair. He had seen this streak in the portrait back in Quirin's room, which had shown Varian as a baby. Hector didn't think this streak was an aesthetic decision.

"What's with your hair?" Hector asked. He hoped that the boy was coherent enough to be able to answer him.

"I, uh, don't know." Varian said. His words were slurred. He sounded half asleep. "It's always been like that. It won't go away. Can't cut it, can't change it." Varian before he tilted his head back so he could look at Hector. The boy seemed to study him for a minute. Hector started to feel a little uncomfortable. What was the kid focused so much on? Was he actually looking at Hector, or was he seeing something that wasn't really there?

Varian sluggishly lifted a hand and pulled on one of Hector's braids. "Dad did that once with my hair."

"He did?" Hector pulled his hair out of Varian's grip. He put the kid's arm back under the cloak.

"Uh-huh," Varian nodded. He seemed to snuggle against the fur that his head was resting against. "Got it outta my face." Varian closed his eyes and smiled. "I liked it."

Hector grinned. As he rinsed out the kid's hair. "It's a good way to keep it out of your face. I can braid it if you want me to."

Varian hummed to himself and smiled at Ruddiger, who was curled up next to him. "Yeah. That'd be nice."

Keeping the kid talking seemed to be a good way of keeping him awake. Hector was curious about how long that might last for. Now seemed as good a time as any to test it out. "Quirin told me a lot about you, but you're still not quite what I was expecting."

Varian blinked and burrowed himself into the wet cloak. "Better or worse?"

"Well, your health's definitely worse, but that's not your fault." Hector said.

"Wha-what about the other stuff?" Varian asked. He looked at Hector curiously, though there was a look of pain in his eyes.

"Well, you're a lot more talkative then I was expecting," Hector smirked. Varian chuckled slightly in embarrassment and ducked his head. "Your dad mentioned you're passionate, but he made it sound like it was in more of a private and reserved kind of way."

"What?" Varian tried to sit up, only to fall back with a groan. He rested for a moment before rolling onto his stomach and looking at Hecter with pained confusion. "That's...I'm not…" Varian took in a shuddered breath. He looked distressed. "That's not me at all."

"Yeah, I figured." Hector said. Varian looked far more bothered than Hector thought this conversation warranted. "What's the big deal?"

"My dad, he...he told you that I'm...but I'm not. Why would he-?" Varian trailed off. He wrapped the cloak around his shoulders and shivered. Ruddiger whined and nuzzled against Varian comfortingly. "Does...does he know me at all?"

"From what he told me in the letters, no." Hector said bluntly. Varian's eyes shot wide and he looked panicked. Ruddiger shot Hector an annoyed look. Varian whimpered and hunched in on himself. It took Hector far too long to realize that maybe pointing out that the kid's dad didn't really know him wasn't the nicest thing.

"He tries, though," Hector said awkwardly. He wasn't used to being comforting and reassuring.

"But...but he doesn't." Varian whimpered. He looked like he was breaking down. "I-I try to talk to him, but he doesn't...he never…" Varian buried his head in the fur of Hector's cloak. He looked like he was trying to smother himself. Hector couldn't allow that.

"Ah, kid," Hector sighed. He stood up and walked onto the shore. He sat next to Varian and pulled the kid up onto his lap. Varian whined and leaned against him. Hector grimaced and awkwardly put an arm around the kid's shoulder. He wasn't fit to be dealing with a sick and distressed teenager, but he was starting to wonder if Quirin was much better.

Hector loved his brother, and Quirin was great at a lot of things, but emotional support had never been one of them. Hector had learned how to see the little ways that Quirin showed he cared, but it had taken him years. If Quirin's cold distance was the only thing that Varian knew he might question whether his dad cared about him at all. Maybe on a normal day when Varian was in a decent state of mind he could handle it, but not when he was sick and so emotionally vulnerable.

Hector knew that when Varian was upset when they talked about the black rocks Hector would distract him by switching the topic of conversation to the Dark Kingdom and the Brotherhood. Varian was upset about his dad this time though, so that wouldn't quite work. Against his better judgement Hector decided to do the opposite of what he normally did.

"You've been studying a lot about the black rocks. Right now I think you might know more about them then I do." Hector said. "Why would you want to study something so dangerous?" Hector slowly started to braid Varian's bangs. He hoped that it would help the kid relax and remind him of one of the times when Quirin had shown that he cared.

"I, uh, I wanted to understand them." Varian said. "I didn't think they were magic. Still don't. I thought if I could figure out what they were I could figure out how to make them go away, so I studied them. I...I…" Varian's eyes widened in alarm and he pulled away from Hector so quickly that the man ended up pulling on the kid's hair. Varian didn't seem to notice.

"Dad!" Varian looked around frantically. "Dad. I didn't...I just...the rocks!" Varian's breathing quickened. He was panicking. "Where's dad?"

"Don't worry about your dad right now." Hector said sternly. He wanted to comfort the kid, but he couldn't just tell him that his dad was fine because he definitely wasn't. Varian would probably forget this conversation after a nap, but Hector still wasn't going to make him any empty promises. Varian deserved better than that.

"You're okay," Hector said. He pulled Varian to lean back against him. He returned to braiding Varian's hair. "Everything's fine. Just, I don't know, besides how destructive the rocks are, what do you think of them?"

"They're...incredible." Varian sniffled. "They're indestructible."

Hector frowned as he braided the boy's hair. "Like your streak?"

Varian chuckled weakly. "Yeah, like my hair stripe."

Hector hummed thoughtfully. Varian's hair wasn't normal. It wasn't the most ridiculous thing Hector had ever heard of, but he had come to learn that even the most seemingly innocent looking oddity could be a sign of disaster.

"I don't know why I'm so drawn to the rocks." Varian said quietly. "I couldn't resist it. Even just the thought of forgetting about the rocks and ignoring them made me feel sick. I felt...I don't know."

Hector knew that Varian wouldn't remember this conversation, but he himself wouldn't forget a single worse of it. This was far too important. "Would you say you felt connected to the rocks?"

"Uh, I guess so." Varian shrugged. He didn't seem convinced. Hector knew how ridiculous it sounded. He could barely believe what he was suggesting himself, but Hector had seen first hand just how odd and impossible the power of the moonstone was. It seemed impossible that Varian was connected to it, but by now Hector wasn't naive enough to completely disregard the idea.

Maybe he should take Varian to the Dark Kingdom and see what King Edmund thought of the possibility. That man knew even more about the dangers and properties of the moonstone than Hector did. King Edmund had been right there when Quirin had been exposed to the moonstone's power. If anybody could know whether or not Varian had somehow inherited some of its powers, it was him.

First things first though, Hector had to make sure that Varian was healthy and well enough to travel. "Do you think you can stomach some food?" Hector asked.

"I don't know." Varian muttered.

"Well, let's give it a try." Hector said as he finished up the braid. He stood up and pulled Varian to his feet. The boy was a little unsteady on his feet, but Hector helped to keep him balanced and focused. "Come on." Hector used one hand to balance the kid and one hand to grab his cloak and pull it out of the water.

Hector led Varian to the shade of some nearby trees. He handed the kid the canteen of water. Any chance he could get to get the kid rehydrated he was going to take it. Varian watched as Hector pulled some dry wood and flint out of the saddle bags. He always carried around things for putting together an emergency fire. They hadn't really camped out at all this week, only stopping long enough to give his rhino a quick break so it could keep going. Now though Hector didn't think they could afford to not let Varian rest properly, at least for a day or two.

It only took a minute for Hector to get the fire going. Varian handed the canteen to Hector, who took a drink from it himself. They would have to boil some more water for drinking.

"Let's see if we can get you to eat something more filling than a snack," Hector said. "What's your favorite food?" He hoped that if he gave Varian something that he liked then he would eat more than just a few bites. There was no guarantee that he'd be able to keep all of it down, but they at least had to try.

"I like ham sandwiches." Varian said. Hector nodded. It was a simple enough food. They still had some leftover bread that Hector had snagged from a town they'd passed through. The ham would be a little more difficult to get their hands on, but Hector thought he'd be able to find a wild boar nearby. If not, maybe he would be able to find another wild animal that he could kill to trade for some ham in the next town they passed through.

Either way, it was time to go hunting.

"Watch the fire for me, would you?" Hector asked Varian. He knew the kid would probably be nodding off in the next few minutes, but he also knew the raccoon would keep an eye on the boy and the flames. Hector didn't want to leave the kid unsupervised, but he couldn't constantly babysit him. Varian would be fine for half an hour.

"Okay." Varian nodded, staring at the fire. A long moment later he furrowed his brow and lifted his head to look at Hector in confusion. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna see if I can find us some ham." Hector said. He ruffled Varian's hair. "Stay here. I'll be back soon with a feast."

Varian pulled his legs to his chest and rested his head against his knees. He yawned, already starting to drift off. "Okay, Uncle Hector."

The man froze. This wasn't the first time that Varian had called him 'Uncle Hector', but he didn't think he would ever get used to it. It had started on the second day, when Hector had referred to Quirin as his brother. Varian had come to the logical conclusion that Hector was his uncle. The man had been shocked the first time he'd heard it, and only more and more shocked every time he was called 'Uncle Hector'.

Varian forgot most of their conversations, sometimes before the conversation even ended, and yet the Uncle Hector thing seemed to stick through everything. It was weird, and Hector didn't understand it, but he wasn't going to complain. If Varian saw him as an uncle already, if he trusted him, well, that just made Hector's job easier.

"I'll be back soon, kid," Hector said. He brought out his blade and stalked into the trees. He knew he probably wouldn't be able to find a board, but there was no harm in trying. It may be the middle of the day, but maybe the moon would show some mercy and decide to bless them anyways. The moon's blessings were few and far between, but Hector had dedicated his life to serving it, and Varian may or may not have been cursed with the powers of the moonstone. If anybody deserved the moon's blessing, especially one as simple as finding a wild boar, it was them.

Chapter Text

Adira saw herself as a patient person. She was a woman of action who wasn't afraid to put in the effort to make changes happen, but she recognized that sometimes the necessary action was to sit and wait. Acting too rashly could make a sensitive situation even worse. This was a lesson that the Brotherhood had drilled into their heads so much that even reckless Hector knew to think before acting.

Despite this, Adira couldn't help but be anxious with every day that passed since the sundrop and her friends had set sail. That had been weeks ago, and Adira hadn't seen nor heard about them since.

She wasn't worried for their safety. They may be amateurs, and a classic example of the blind leading the blind, but what they lacked in experience they somewhat made up for in creative ingenuity and brazen confidence. No, Adira was sure that the princess was alive and well. They'd probably just gotten stalled or sidetracked...again.

It was mildly frustrating to deal with the princess. She was aware of her destiny as the sundrop, and she seemed willing to do whatever she could to find the moonstone and save both of their kingdoms, and yet they were taking so long to get anywhere. The trip was long enough as it was without the princess stopping for several weeks in every single town that they passed through.

The Dark Kingdom was dying, and Corona was clearly heading in the same direction. This wasn't a vacation, this was serious business that deserved one's undivided attention. Adira knew that the princess cared, but it certainly didn't seem like she was acting like it, and she was starting to get sick of it.

Adira wondered if this was how Hector felt about her. In her eyes she hadn't abandoned anything. Yes, she had sworn to keep the moonstone safe, but she had seen for herself that the opal had a decent natural defense system. It had nearly killed King Edmund.

Adira had other duties. She had sworn to protect the kingdom, and the biggest threat to the Dark Kingdom was the moonstone itself. Their queen was dead because of that stone, and their prince was missing. The royal family had served the moon and protected the opal for generations, and in a matter of moments it had almost demolished their monarchy.

Their people had to be sent away from the Dark Kingdom for their own safety. A whole kingdom had become refugees overnight, all because of the moonstone. If the sundrop could counteract the destruction of the opal, if it could finally put an end to this legacy of death and pain, why shouldn't Adira encourage that?

Hector didn't understand, and by now Adira had given up on the hope of ever being able to sway him. He was just as stubborn as she was. It was a trait that Adira admired, even if it was infuriating when their pride and values pulled them directly against each other. Adira loved her brother. She didn't want him to be her enemy. But he had a very clear idea of what was the rightpath, and it wasn't an idea that she shared. If that put them at odds with each other, so be it.

Adira had long since come to terms with the fact that her relationship with Hector was probably irreparable at this point, but she wasn't going to give up on him. Because of this, when she saw Hector's rhino running towards her, far from the Great Tree, her first thought was one of concern. Not for herself, or for her quest to help the sundrop, but for her brother.

Adira stood up from where she was meditating and approached the rhino. She wasn't the least bit nervous about walking up to a distressed, clearly exhausted, and somewhat frustrated massive animal.

"Where's Hector?" Adira asked as she stroked the rhino's horn. "Is he alright?"

The rhino huffed and nudged roughly against her. It was trying to push her back towards where it had come from, back towards the west, towards Corona. Why had the rhino been back there? Adira didn't think she had seen it more than ten miles away from the Great Tree in twenty five years.

Adira knew her brother. She knew that it wouldn't leave the Great Tree unless under Hector's direct orders, and he wouldn't send it so far away unless it was a real emergency. If the rhino wanted Adira to follow it, then she knew that it had to have a good reason.

Adira glanced towards the sea, hoping to see a sign of the sundrop and her friends. They really should have reached this side of the sea by now. Traveling over the waters wasn't the only way to travel from Corona to the Dark Kingdom, but for a group their size it was supposed to be the fastest way. Adira should not have been able to get to port ahead of them. How could the princess have possibly gotten distracted in the middle of the ocean? There was nothing out there.

Adira wanted to wait for the sundrop, to make sure that she was progressing on her quest, but she knew she wasn't accomplishing anything by just sitting here. Waiting for the princess wouldn't make her arrive any faster. Right now the person that needed her help was Hector, and Adira wasn't about to abandon her brother when he finally decided to reach out to her after all these years.

"I'll come with you." Adira said. The rhino huffed and knelt on the ground to let Adira onto its back. The second she was situated the rhino roared and charged towards its destination. Adira didn't know where they were going, or how long it would take to get there, but she trusted the beast. She'd known it since it was just a calf. It was loyal to Hector, and wouldn't hesitate to attack her if she aggravated her brother, but she hadn't done anything to earn its ire.

The rhino didn't seem to know exactly where it was going. It frequently switched directions, and occasionally paused and sniffed around. The rhino seemed to know what it wanted from Adira, but it didn't know exactly where that was. She was patient with the beast. If Adira could lose the sundrop, then a rhino could lose whatever it was looking for. She was confident that it would be able to find it again though. Hector wouldn't have kept an animal at his side for so long if it wasn't able to do basic tracking.

Adira travelled with the rhino well into the night before they stopped for a break, and they only did so after long coaxing from Adira. Hector's rhino was incredibly stubborn and determined. It was willing to push itself beyond its capabilities, and Adira was here to see to it that it didn't hurt itself.

They rested all night, but at dawn's first light the rhino was insistent that they continue on their way. They travelled at an exhausting speed for about four days before the rhino ran off the path and headed towards some nearby mountains. As they got closer Adira could see the glow of a fire in one of the caves. Someone was camping out, and Adira had a fairly good guess as to who it was.

"Brother?" Adira hopped off the back of the rhino as they approached the mouth of the cave. She saw Hector, though it took her a moment to recognize him. He wasn't wearing his cloak and he'd taken his braids out. He looked smaller, younger, and more vulnerable than Adira could ever remember him being.

Hector looked towards her, and the relief in his eyes was more concerning than anything else. Something was wrong. Hector looked behind him and said something too quietly for Adira to hear. He adjusted his cloak, which was bundled up on the ground, and reluctantly stepped away from it.

Hector joined Adira outside the cave. "Sister,"

She opened her arms. She didn't enjoy physical affection at all. It made her skin tingle uncomfortably. Even the smallest amount of physical contact made her feel trapped and vulnerable. She rarely allowed herself to feel weak in that way, and her brothers were always the exception.

Hector eyed her cautiously, like he was afraid of getting too close to her, and it hurt. Of the three of them, Hector had always been the one who thrived with physical touch. If he cared about and trusted somebody, he would cling to them and refuse to let go for anything. It had been a pain to deal with when growing up, because Adira would either have to force herself to bear through his touch, or she had to hurt her brother by depriving him of what he was so desperate for.

Now though, seeing Hector hold himself back from accepting the clear invitation for a long-overdue embrace, especially when he was so clearly lost and distressed, it stung. It made Adira feel like she had failed her brother.

She was just about to put her hands down when Hector lurched forward and practically launched himself at her. Adira staggered back and was immediately on her guard. It took her far too long to realize that Hector wasn't attacking her, he was accepting her offer for an embrace. She could feel him trembling against her. Adira was shocked at the reminder of how much smaller than her he was. The height and weight difference may not seem like a lot to an outsider, but to Adira it felt like a world of difference.

Adira forced herself to loosen up. She wrapped her arms around her brother's shoulders and allowed him to nuzzle against her like one of his animals. Adira was hyper-aware of every point of her body that was in direct contact with his. It felt awkward and uncomfortable, and she wanted nothing more than to pull away, but she stayed put. She hated this, but it was clear that it was just what Hector needed.

Every second seemed to drag on and on. It felt like they were there for an eternity before Hector pulled away. Adira was all too glad to let him go.

"What happened?" Adira asked. "I can barely remember the last time I saw you leave the tree."

"I don't even know where to start." Hector sighed. "So much crap has happened, and I don't even understand half of it."

"So why don't you start with what you do understand?" Adira said. "Why did your rhino bring me here?"

"I need your help." Hector said bluntly. There wasn't even the smallest amount of embarrassment or reluctance in his voice. Adira didn't think she had ever seen her brother so willing to admit that he needed help. "You're a lot better at throwing together those magical herbal cures of yours than I am."

"They're not magical." Adira said. She simply knew how to utilize the natural healing properties of plants and herbs around her. Adira eyed her brother with alarm. He looked tired and almost unwell. "You're not sick, are you?"

"Nah, not me." Hector said. "It's the kid."

Adira frowned. "What kid?"

Hector gave her a look that was a shadow of his usual playful smirk. "Come on, I'll show you." Hector led Adira into the cave. The roaring fire illuminated everything. Adira could see a trunk with the Brotherhood symbol on it pushed against the wall. There was some kind of animal fur draped over the chest. Adira might be mistaken, but it looked like it was a boar. When Adira smelled the stew cooking over the fire she knew that it was definitely a boar.

"Feel free to help yourself." Hector said. "I made too much for just the two of us, especially when he'll barely eat anything, but I couldn't let the last of the meat go to waste. We're lucky it lasted this long."

Adira gratefully grabbed a cup that Hector handed her and served herself some stew. It had been quite some time since she'd had a warm meal. She watched as Hector walked towards the bundle of his cloak. He lifted the cloak a little and looked underneath. He said something quietly that Adira couldn't hear. There was a whimper and quiet mutter in response. Hector smiled with surprising gentleness.

"Come on, kid," Hector said quietly. He lifted up the entire cloak and carried the whole thing towards the fire. Hector sat down next to Adira, pulling the cloak next to him, with the hood resting on his lap. There was a moaning sound from inside the cloak. It shifted and the fur fell, revealing the pale face of a young teenager.

Adira stared at the boy in shock. She hadn't known what she had expected when Hector had mentioned a kid, but it hadn't been a literal child. The boy stared at her with just as much concerned curiosity as she looked at him.

The boy turned his head to look up at Hector. He muttered something that Adira couldn't understand. They didn't resemble words at all, and yet Hector seemed to understand what was said to him.

"Yeah, her face is actually red." Hector said with a small chuckle, though there was a strained look in his eyes. "This one's not a hallucination. It's just Adira being a weirdo. And don't worry, it's not blood."

The boy nodded, though he didn't look like he completely understood. He closed his eyes and looked ready to drift off. Hector grimaced and gave the kid a small shake. "Hey, come on, you just woke up. You know the rules, no going back to sleep until you've had at least some water."

The boy grimaced, but he let Hector sit him up. A raccoon crawled out from the cloak and walked to the corner. It grabbed a canteen and brought it back to Hector. The man brought the canteen to the boy's mouth. He drank slowly, only to immediately begin coughing. Hector sighed and pulled the water away. He rubbed the boy's chest as he continued to cough weakly. Hector looked up at Adira, a pleading look in his eyes.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." Hector said.

Adira set down her cup and leaned closer to get a better look at the boy. He looked familiar, though she couldn't place why. He was pale, but his face was flushed. He looked unfocused, miserable, and completely exhausted. Adira put the back of her hand against his forehead and wasn't surprised to feel that he was burning.

"How long has he been like this?" Adira asked.

"I don't know." Hector said. "He was like this when I got to him almost two weeks ago."

This was concerning. Two weeks was a long time to be sick, and it was worrying that it had probably been even longer. "How's his appetite?"

"Non-existent." Hector said. "It's hard to convince him to eat anything, and impossible to get him to keep it down. He's not as dehydrated as he was when I broke him out of the dungeon, but that's not really saying much."

Adira frowned at the boy, who had stopped coughing but was now breathing deeply like it was a challenge for him. "I'll see what I can do. But first, I want to ask you something." Adira looked at her brother. "Why do you care so much?"

Hector sighed and ran a hand through his tangled hair. He sounded frustrated. "There's a few reasons, and I don't really know which one's the real reason and which one I'm just using as an excuse."

"Well, what are they?" Adira asked. Hector frowned and brushed back the boy's hair, which was done up in a braid so similar to what Hector normally had.

"This kid is Varian." Hector said quietly. "Quirin's boy."

Adira's breath got caught in her throat. She'd heard about Varian, but she'd never properly met him. Quirin had never wanted Varian to have anything to do with the Brotherhood, which meant that whenever Adira visited Old Corona Quirin would refuse to meet with her until after dark, after Varian was already asleep.

Looking at the boy she could see a few small ways that he resembled Quirin. He must have gotten most of his looks from his mother though, because while the resemblance was there between Varian and Quirin, Adira only saw it when she knew to look for it.

Adira felt a pit of dread in her stomach. "Where's Quirin?"

Varian whimpered and drew closer to Hector. The man gave the kid a sad look, though there was a familiar angry fire in his eyes.

"He's...not able to be here right now." Hector said. "It's complicated."

Adira crossed her arms. "So he was okay with you just walking out with his son?" Quirin wouldn't even let Adira meet Varian. There was no way he would willingly sit to the side and let the sick child go with Hector.

"He wasn't really in any state to stop me." Hector scowled. "And I wasn't about to leave the kid alone. He'd just be caught by the guards and locked up again."

This was a lot to unpack. Hector mentioned breaking Varian out of a dungeon, and him being alone. Before Hector had arrived Quirin, for one reason or another, hadn't been able to keep his son safe and healthy. Something had gone horribly wrong, and Adira was terrified of what it might have been. She wanted to know, but she was afraid to ask.

She'd known that Quirin's home had been threatened by the black rocks. She had seen the aftermath of the destruction in Old Corona. She'd been worried about Quirin and his son, but the princess had soon gone on her quest. She had needed to go after the girl. She hadn't had time to look for her brother or nephew. Now she regretted not checking on them.

"What was the other reason why you've been taking care of Varian?" Adira asked. She knew that her brother cared about their nephew, but she also knew that just that wouldn't have been enough to convince him to abandon the tree. Adira hadn't left her duty to check on Varian, and Hector was even more dedicated than she was. Adira didn't want to think that her brother had ulterior motives, but she knew that there was something more behind his actions.

Hector grimaced and stood up, putting a hand on Varian's shoulder when the boy started to fall without the support behind him. "Hey, kid, Adira's gonna make some really good medicine for you, but we're gonna have to go get the ingredients. Stay here and I'll be back soon, okay?"

Varian blinked slowly and looked at Hector in confusion. After a long moment the boy nodded. Hector sighed and rustled Varian's hair before turning to the raccoon on the boy's lap. "Keep the kid out of trouble, alright?" The raccoon chattered and nodded. It leaned against Varian, who smiled and pet it.

Hector walked towards the mouth of the cave and Adira followed him. They really did need to look around for some local herbs and flora that she could make into a remedy, but she knew that wasn't the main reason why they were going out. Hector wanted some privacy before they continued their conversation.

Adira followed Hector down the rocky paths. She carefully examined every plant they passed, telling Hector which ones they needed and which parts of them they needed. They worked in near silence for a few minutes before Hector sighed and found his nerve.

"I feel so stupid for even considering this," Hector scowled. "I think your belief in fairy tales has rubbed off on me, and now I can't shake it."

Adira narrowed her eyes at Hector. She knew that he didn't believe in the power of the sundrop the way that she did, but she'd never appreciated the mockery he'd made of her work and beliefs. She had to fight down the urge to start a fight with Hector. As soon as they started fighting they soon went their separate ways. Hector had come to her for help, and Varian obviously needed as much help as he could get. If Adira had to keep her mouth shut for now, she would.

"I'm probably looking too deeply into this, reaching for things that aren't there," Hector continued slowly. "But I can't help but wonder if Varian has any side-effects or powers from the moonstone."

Adira stumbled a bit. She turned towards her brother. There wasn't a hint of mockery or teasing in his tone. He was completely serious.

"You think he's the moonstone?" Adira asked. The same way that Rapunzel was the sundrop? Adira liked to think that one of them would have realized what was going on, even if it had just been Quirin. He may have been trying to put his past behind him, but surely Quirin knew that if his son had the powers of the moonstone he would have told them. Unless, of course, this was the exact reason why Quirin didn't want them to know Varian.

Hector groaned and threw his head back. "I don't really know. I haven't really seen anything to confirm it for sure, just small moments here and there."

Adira didn't know Varian nearly as well as Hector did, but she didn't think that he was like Rapunzel. The princess' powers were obvious and hard to miss. The moonstone and sundrop weren't at all subtle. However, Adira wasn't about to point it out to her brother.

This was the first time she had seen Hector leave the Great Tree in twenty five years, and one of the few times that he had shown concern and devotion towards something that wasn't the moonstone. Adira had been trying to get Hector to ease up on his duties for years. She wasn't about to do anything that would push him right back into isolation again.

"Well, does it really matter why you want to help Varian?" Adira asked. "Whether he's the moonstone, or if he's just our nephew, you're clearly protective of him. You care about him."

Hector flinched and looked pained, like he didn't appreciate it being pointed out that he wasn't the cruel, cold warrior that he tried so hard to convince others that he was. "...Yeah, I guess I do."

"That's not a flaw, brother." Adira said. "And it's not a weakness either."

"Anything that can be used against you is a weakness." Hector said. He took a deep breath and looked at the herbs in his hand. "But I like having the kid around. If that means making myself vulnerable, so be it."

Adira gave her brother a small smile. "So tell me what Varian's like. Is he the chaotic mess that Quirin said he was?"

Hector chuckled. "Oh, you have no idea. Once I get the kid talking he doesn't shut up. Even sick he has so much passion. He's going to be a handful when he finally has the energy to keep up with his own mouth."

Adira smirked at the thought. Hector had been quite the handful himself when he was a teenager. It had been exhausting to keep up with him, and Adira had only been assisting Quirin all those years ago. She would love to see Hector getting a taste of his own medicine.

Speaking of medicine…

"I think we have enough for me to throw something together for Varian." Adira said. She would have to make more, but it didn't all need to happen now. Adira knew that Hector would be making his way back to the Great Tree, and that was where Rapunzel would be heading too to get to Dark Kingdom. Adira could travel with her brother and nephew while she waited for the sundrop to show her face again. She could spend some proper time with her brother, actually get to know her nephew, and make Varian the remedies that he needed for his health to improve.

"When Varian's fit for travel, I hope you don't mind if I tag along." Adira said. "Somebody has to make sure that the kid is taken care of."

"What, you don't trust me?" Hector gave her a predatory smirk.

"You don't trust yourself." Adira said. It was why Hector had brought her here in the first place. Her brother chuckled and shrugged. This was the brother that Adira had missed. "I know the circumstances aren't the best, but it's nice to see you again. I know we didn't leave under the best of circumstances, but-"

Hector flinched and Adira saw a flash of pain in his eyes before he turned his back to her and made his way back towards the caves. Adira frowned. She knew that she had accidentally hurt with her comments, but that had been several months ago. Was he really still bothered by it?

"Hector-" Adira followed her brother, but he quickened his pace to keep himself out of arm's reach of her. It was never a good thing when Hector didn't want to be touched.

"I've gotta check on the kid," Hector said tensely. "We leave in the morning. Come with us if you want, or go chase after your precious sundrop. I don't care."

"I'm not leaving you." Adira said firmly. Hector stopped in his tracks. Adira stopped as well a few paces back from him, giving him his space. After a long moment Hector turned to look over his shoulder to glare at her. His eyes were dark and his expression was shielded.

"It wouldn't be the first time, sister." He spat the word that normally gave her so much joy to hear and made it sound almost like an insult. Hector returned to the cave. Adira took several moments to calm herself before she followed behind him.

She felt like she couldn't do anything right for Hector. She had gone out of her way to not pick a fight with him, and yet she'd ended up hurting him anyways. Hector was upset and angry, and Adira was distressed. Normally after such an interaction with Hector she would call it a day and leave before they tried to kill each other. She couldn't leave this time though. Not when Varian needed help. Not when Hector was trusting her.

Adira just hoped that she didn't mess up again. She couldn't afford to. For her brother's sanity, her nephew's health, and her own peace of mind Adira needed to make this work, and she was determined to not fail.

Chapter Text

Varian grimaced and curled in on himself. His stomach was hurting, which wasn't anything new. There had been very few moments these past few months when his stomach hadn't felt like it was trying to kill him. Varian was so used to the pain by now that it took him a long moment to realize that it felt a little different this time.

He didn't really feel like he was going to be sick. He felt hungry...huh. He actually wanted to eat something, and he didn't feel like he was going to throw up at the very thought of having more than a few bites of food.

Confused, Varian sat up, causing a heavy cloak to fall off his shoulders at the movement. Varian shivered at the sudden loss of warmth. It was just barely dawn and still fairly chilly. Varian grabbed the cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders to get some warmth back. He looked around the unfamiliar surroundings.

He was sitting at a camp that felt really familiar and safe to him, but now that he was looking around he realized just how odd it was. He didn't recognize the terrain at all. The plants that he saw around them weren't native to Corona, which meant that they weren't anywhere near his home.

It made sense. Varian knew that they'd been travelling for the past few weeks. He'd been aware of being on the road. For some reason though it hadn't really registered in his head until now that they were travelling away from Corona, away from the only place he'd ever known. It was exciting, and terrifying, and a huge relief because Varian knew that there was nothing waiting in that deceptively bright kingdom for him except for coldness, grief, and pain.

Varian noticed the animal they'd been riding on this whole time, and he felt like such an idiot when he saw it. Up to this point whenever Varian looked at the beast his mind would tell him 'horse'. How he could ever mistake a rhino for a horse, Varian didn't know.

Sure, Varian hadn't really seen a rhino before in his life, not even a proper picture of one. Varian had only read about them, and those were some embarrassing memories in and of themselves.

Varian had first read about rhinos when he was eight or so. The book didn't have any pictures along with it, so when the book had said that the rhinoceros was of the order perissodactyla, the same order that horses were a part of, he had thought that rhinos looked more similar to them. Varian had imagined a horned horse, like a unicorn.

It wasn't until Varian's dad had drawn him a picture of a rhino did Varian have a better idea of just what the animal looked like. His dad's art skills left something to be desired though, so Varian stared in awe at the odd animal sleeping in front of him. He would have to ask Hector where he had gotten it.

...Hector.

Varian looked next to him, where his uncle was sleeping. It was really odd to be looking at him. Varian didn't feel like he knew this man, but despite this he didn't feel like a stranger. Varian didn't know a lot about this man, but what he did know was enough to trust him. Varian remembered being broken out of prison and being taken home. He remembered Hector trying to help him not be afraid of the water.

The past few weeks were a bit of a blur for Varian, but everything that he did remember had been gentle and comforting, and Hector was always right there. Varian had trusted the man when he was sick, felt safe enough around him to call him his uncle, and he didn't see any reason to start being afraid of him now.

"Uncle Hector?" Varian said, surprising himself. He hadn't really meant to call him that, but it felt so natural. Hector opened an eye and looked at Varian.

"What's up, kid?" Hector asked. He sounded tired, but not all that annoyed and unwilling to help. "How're you feeling?"

"...a bit better." Varian said. He still felt lousy, but he would take feeling a little tired and confused over feeling like he was dying. "I'm hungry."

That woke Hector up. He shot up and stared at Varian in shock for a long moment before he grinned broadly. "Seriously? You're not messing around?"

Varian nodded. "Yeah, seriously."

"That's great!" Hector leapt to his feet and picked up Varian like he didn't weigh anything. He swung him around like Varian was just a little kid. It was a little embarrassing, and being spun around quickly made him feel even more dizzy, but Varian couldn't help but find himself laughing right along with Hector. They were both relieved that his health was starting to improve.

Hector eventually put Varian down. So, what do you want to eat? Whatever you want I'll make it happen." Varian thought for a second. He wasn't all that picky of an eater, but there was one kind of food that he was really craving. He hesitated to say it though, because it had been so long since he had been able to just request something.

Hector raised an eyebrow at him. "What're you thinking, kid?"

"I-" Varian shut his mouth before he could even think of asking for anything. "I-I'll eat whatever."

Hector snorted. "Come on, kid, just tell me what you want. The worst I can do is say no."

Varian stiffened. No, much worse things could be done to him. Varian knew this all too well. He could be given a disappointed look for asking for more than he deserved. He could be deprived of food entirely because he was being picky and ungrateful. He could be forced to kneel on all fours and eat sloppily from a bowl like the begging dog he was. He could…

"Kid!" Varian jumped when he felt Hector's hands on his shoulders. He flinched back, but Hector didn't move his hands. If anything his grip tightened. "Take a deep breath, okay? I'm not going to hurt you. You trust me, don't you?"

"Y-yeah." Varian said quietly, and he was surprised about how much he meant it.

"I'm not Coronan." Hector said. "And I'm not your dad either. I'm not going to get mad at you for asking for something."

"O-okay." Varian took a deep breath. He knew that Hector hadn't lashed out and hurt him out of annoyance yet, and if Varian hadn't pushed him to his limit with his feverish rambling and neediness, asking for some simple food shouldn't be the last straw. At least, Varian really hoped it wasn't.

"I kinda want something sweet." Varian said. He didn't exactly have much of a sweet tooth, but he hadn't had anything super sweet since Dad had been trapped in the amber. Even back then Varian hadn't had a whole lot of sweets, as his dad wasn't in the habit of making treats or spoiling him.

It had been far too long since Varian had even had the option of having something really sweet just because he wanted it. Varian wanted that luxury, even just as another reminder to himself that things weren't the same now as they had been in the dungeons.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Hector said. He stretched. "You know, I think I have just the thing in mind. It's a nice treat, but it's also used to treat sore throats in the Dark Kingdom."

That actually sounded really nice, and Varian had a pretty good idea of what Hector was talking about. "Gogol mogol?"

Hector grinned. "Well, what do you know? I didn't expect fancy schmancy Corona to make it."

"They don't." Varian said. "My dad, he always...he used to make it for me when I was sick, or having a hard day." Varian hunched his shoulder. "It's been a few years since he did it though."

Varian looked to the ground, feeling a pit form in his stomach that had nothing to do with his hunger or lingering sickness. He was horrified at the thought that his dad was trapped in the amber and that he'd left him behind in Old Corona, abandoning him. What really hurt at that moment though was that he knew he had lost his dad long before he'd trapped him. Varian had slowly been losing his dad for years, all culminating into this nauseating mess. It hurt, and Varian wanted it to stop.

"Hey, it's okay, kid." Hector said. He adjusted the cloak around Varian so it was resting solidly on his shoulders. It was way too big for him, and really heavy, but Varian didn't mind it. The weight felt a little bit like being hugged, except without the threat of having a person there.

"We don't have the stuff on us to make gogol mogol, or a decent breakfast." Hector said. "There's a town nearby though. What do you think? You up to doing a bit of shopping, or do you want to stay here and relax while we make Adira do it for us?"

Varian swallowed thickly. He definitely didn't want to go into town. He didn't exactly have the best track record of interacting with large groups. He always inevitably did something wrong, and then everybody hated him. He hadn't noticed it when he was younger, or even several months ago before the whole mess with the black rocks happened, but he was definitely aware of it now.

People didn't trust him, and the second he did the smallest thing to justify that distrust they hated him. He was always being watched by people who were just waiting for him to do something wrong so they could get mad at him for it. Andrew had done it. The guards had done it, both in the dungeons and when they'd been watching him in Old Corona. The hack of a judge at the science expo had done it. The princess, the king, Cassie, they'd all done it.

Varian wouldn't be surprised if his dad had just tiredly expected him to screw things up all the time. He tried not to think about it though. Varian was responsible for his dad being trapped in amber. This whole thing was his fault. It wasn't right to think bad about his dad when he was stuck because of him.

Sometimes Varian wondered if everybody would have been happier if his dad had let him be trapped in the amber the way he was supposed to be.

It wasn't that Varian wanted to be imprisoned, and he definitely didn't have a death wish, but he wasn't a fool. He knew that people didn't really like him. If something had happened to him the only one who would really be upset was his dad, and Varian knew he would get over it eventually. After all, his dad had gotten over his mom leaving, which was why he never talked about her, and he'd gotten over leaving his siblings behind, or else he would have at least mentioned them.

Varian knew that his dad would be upset if something happened to him, but he would lock those feelings up and move on as if they had never been there in the first place. In a few years his dad would be acting like he hadn't even had a son in the first place.

He would probably be a lot happier if he didn't have to clean up the constant messes made by his needy disappointment of a child.

"Whoa, whoa, kid, what're you...what's wrong?" Hector said awkwardly. Varian sniffled and realized in horror that he was crying. He whimpered in pain and humiliation. He buried his face in his hands.

"I-I w-want my dad." Varian said. His stomach grew even more twisted and he curled in on himself. He was acting like such a little kid. Why was he acting like his dad being here would fix everything? He would probably just be disappointed about everything that Varian had done, like he always was.

Hector sighed. Varian's first instinct was to grow tense, because disappointment was never a good thing. It took him a long moment to realize that wasn't what the sigh meant. It sounded different from his dad's sighs. This was one of sadness and just a touch of frustration.

"Yeah, I know, kid." Hector said. He pulled Varian in and hugged him, and the boy leaned against him. Hector wasn't as big as his dad was, but his hug felt just as firm and protective. Varian felt safe in his arms. He knew that he wouldn't let him get hurt.

They stayed like that for a long minute before Hector pulled away, though he still kept his hands on Varian's shoulders. "Tell you what, we'll send my sister to find stuff for breakfast and the two of us will find a river or something and relax for a bit. I've told you about what it was like for me to grow up with Quirin, and I'm dying to know what it was like for you."

Varian flinched ever so slightly and Hector raised an eyebrow at him. "Or you can tell me what exactly they did to you in that dungeon, and whose genius idea it was to put you in there, because I really want to know just who I need to kill."

Varian could tell that Hector was completely serious, and he probably shouldn't find that comforting. Hurting and killing people was bad, and it was even worse if it was done on purpose out of anger, but a big part of Varian still felt like they deserved it. The people of Corona had hurt him. They'd allowed him to suffer, and he couldn't have been the first person that this had happened to.

Varian knew that the king was selfish. He only cared about himself and his family, not about all the citizens who sacrificed everything for him. King Frederic was barely shy of being a tyrant, and he would only get worse if someone didn't knock him down a few pegs and put him in his place. More people were going to get hurt until those who had been hurt stood up and did something about it.

Varian had tried to fight back against the oppressive kingdom. He'd tried to show them what they had put him through, and he'd tried to hurt them to force them to be more empathetic to those that they had power over, but he'd failed. Varian hadn't been strong enough.

Hector though, he was a trained warrior. He had no sentimental feelings towards Corona to hold him back. He could bring the kingdom to its knees, but the best part about that was that he would do it. Hector would fight whoever Varian asked him to, and just the fact that he was willing to felt really comforting.

Varian had almost forgotten what it felt like to have someone who had his back so much that they would do absolutely anything for him.

Varian didn't know if he wanted Hector to kill anybody, but it was nice to have the option.

"Don't encourage him." Adira muttered from where she was laying. She rolled over and stared at them. There was an annoyed look in her eyes.

"You telling me you don't want to get back at the people who could have killed our nephew?" Hector threw an arm over Varian's shoulder.

"They didn't make him sick." Adira sat up.

"No, they probably just sat back and let the kid's body do their dirty work for them." Hector scowled. If you ask me, that's even worse. It shows that they're not only ruthless, but lazy and cowardly too."

"You can't judge people you've never met, brother." Adira said.

"Oh, I definitely can." Hector's expression grew dark. "Neglect is a punishable crime in the Dark Kingdom. It really shouldn't be too much to ask that the bright kingdom of Corona have the same basic standards about treating people decently."

"Their king doesn't care about anybody but himself." Varian wrapped his arms around himself. "He's just really good at tricking people into thinking he does."

"So this goes all the way to the top." Hector smirked, a murderous look in his eyes. "You know, I've always wanted to try to overthrow a king, just to see if I could.

"Hector, stop." Adira said sternly. "You're being a bad influence on Varian."

"I'm being a bad influence?" Hector let his arm fall from Varian's shoulders. He stormed over to Adira and poked her in the chest. The annoyed look in her eyes became furious. "You're trying to discourage the kid from standing up for himself."

Adira harshly smacked Hector's hand away. Varian watched them cautiously, unsure of what to think. Was this normal for them? Varian could feel real tension and animosity between those two. It almost felt like they saw each other as enemies. Was this just the sibling rivalry that Varian had heard kids in Old Corona talk about?

"That's not what I'm saying at all." Adira said. "But there's a difference between him standing up for himself and staging a coup."

"Not when the person we're standing up to is the king." Varian crossed his arms. Adira gave him a disappointed look that reminded him so much of his dad that he felt a pang in his chest. Varian stiffened and squared his shoulders. He glared at his aunt. He didn't think she was in any place to judge him. She didn't know the people of Corona. She barely knew Varian. She had no idea what he'd been through. Was it really so wrong of him to want to make things better so that this kind of thing didn't happen to people like him in the future?

Adira sighed and walked towards Varian. She knelt so she was closer to his level. "Varian, I know you've been hurt. I'm not going to tell you what happened was okay, because it wasn't. You deserved to be taken care of and cared for, but getting revenge on the people who hurt you isn't going to fix things. It won't make the pain go away, and then you'll start to hurt more and more people, hoping that if you take it far enough that everything will get better, and it won't."

Varian shifted uncomfortably. He...he wasn't trying to hurt people. Yes, he wanted to make the king and Rapunzel pay, and maybe some of that was for revenge, but not all of it. Varian just wanted them to finally look at the people they ruled over and see them as more than just pawns that they could use and throw away whenever they desired.

"What do you want me to do?" Varian tried to sound intimidating and angry, because he'd found that people were much more attentive to what he had to say when they saw him as a threat. However, his voice cracked and he knew that he came off as vulnerable and desperate, and he hated it.

"I-I won't just lay down and let them walk all over me." Varian said. "And the only way they'll listen to me, or anybody else, is if we make them."

"I'm sure that's not true," Adira said gently.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Varian seethed.

"If you really don't don't think the king would be willing to listen to you, that's fine. Perhaps you could talk to Princess Rapunzel instead." Adira said. "She seems reasonable enough."

Varian felt his climbing anger suddenly freeze. He felt a little horrified. He shook his head and took a step back from Adira, who was watching him with concern. "P-princess Rapunzel?" Varian shuddered as he thought about Rapunzel, with her fake concern and empty promises. As far as Varian was concerned, she was even worse than the king. Rapunzel pretended to be your friend, but the moment it became an inconvenience for her she would drop you with an insincere apology. She would try to make you feel guilty because she was letting you down. It was sickening, and Varian refused to make himself vulnerable to that. Never again.

"I tried talking to her." Varian said. "I went to her for help, and what I got instead was a door slammed in my face, a face full of snow when they threw me into a blizzard, and a dozen guards watching my every move, just waiting for me to give them an excuse to arrest me."

Adira looked like she'd been slapped in the face, and Hector looked like he desperately wanted to kill something.

"That...that can't be true." Adira said.

Varian flinched and took another step back from his aunt, only to back into Hector. His uncle put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him behind him, stepping almost protectively in front of him.

"You calling the kid a liar, sister?" Hector hissed.

"Of course not." Adira said. "I'm just saying that there may be more behind what happened then what you may think."

"I don't care." Varian said. "If none of them are going to bother thinking about why I did what I did, then I'm not going to give them the benefit of the doubt." As far as Varian was concerned, it was only fair.

"Why are you so desperate to defend a prissy princess that you've never even met before?" Hector asked.

"I have met her." Adira said. "I've been helping her to fulfill her destiny."

Varian shuddered and ducked behind his uncle. He didn't want to think about Rapunzel, and he definitely didn't like the thought that she had tricked his aunt into helping her, just like she had tricked Varian into studying the black rocks.

"And what destiny is that?" Hector growled.

Adira gave Hector a cautious look. She sighed. "She's the sundrop."

Hector stiffened. He flicked his wrist and brought out a blade. Adira didn't look surprised or upset. Hector looked like he was about to attack her. Adira held her hand up defensively. "I'm not here to fight, brother. Right now I'm here to help you and our nephew. I'm willing to stick to the truce if you are."

Hector didn't look convinced. Varian stared at his aunt. He didn't like the thought of her helping Rapunzel, but he didn't want Adira and Hector to fight right now. If they fought, he might get caught in the middle of it, or they might turn their lingering anger towards him, and Varian didn't want to get hurt again.

Varian grabbed Hector's arms. He wasn't strong enough to actually hold him back, but Varian hoped that the touch would be a good enough reminder for his uncle to hold himself back. "Please, don't fight."

Hector huffed irritably and pulled his arm out of Varian's grip, but he didn't attack Adira. He lowered his blade. "Fine, but you're walking on thin ice, sister. I don't want to hear any more about the sundrop."

"I would also like to not talk about Rapunzel." Varian said. Adira didn't look very happy, but she nodded.

"I can do that." Adira said. "Do we have plans for breakfast?"

Varian blinked. This was a very quick change in conversations. Hector seemed unphased about it. Maybe this kind of thing was normal for the two of them.

"Yeah, we got plans." Hector smirked. "I was going to send you to pick up some stuff in town while me and the kid kick back and relax."

Adira gave him an unimpressed look. "You want me to be your errand girl?"

"I mean, unless you want me to go." Hector said. "I'm a pretty good negotiator. I'm sure I can convince the merchants to lower their prices."

Varian snorted. He didn't know which was funnier, the thought of Hector threatening poor townsfolk for some eggs, or the fact that he was holding this over Adira's head to convince her to go into town instead.

Adira crossed her arms. "Fine, I'll go. Varian still needs rest, and that won't happen if you bring the local authorities down on us."

"I knew you'd see things my way." Hector said. Adira rolled her eyes and grabbed a small travel pack. She left without another word. Varian watched her leave cautiously. He didn't really see her as a threat, not like he saw the Coronans, but he didn't know or trust her nearly as much as he did Hector.

Once Adira was out of sight Hector retracted his blade. He sighed tiredly and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, that went better than I thought it would." Varian honestly had no idea if he was kidding or not.

"Thanks for believing me." Varian said quietly. Everybody else, including Adira, seemed much more worried about Rapunzel, and her motives and feelings. It felt really nice to have someone on his side.

"What, did you think I was going to trust the word of a princess that I've never met and have never even heard of before now?" Hector snorted. "I only trust what I can see with my own eyes. I saw you in the dungeons, and I saw how sick and desperate you were. Hearing that you got thrown into a blizzard sounds right along the lines of what I've seen. So yeah, I'm going to trust that over Adira's blind faith in the supposed sundrop."

Varian smiled shakily. He could definitely understand the reasoning behind Hector's words. Varian had a similar philosophy when it came to trust. If somebody gave him a reason to believe in them, then he did. If they betrayed that trust, then he wasn't going to let himself be fooled a second time.

"So, you wanna tell me more about what this sorry excuse of a king did to you?" Hector asked, and Varian found that he did. He desperately wanted to talk through what he'd been through. He'd never been able to just talk about what he went through without fear of being judged, scolded, or hurt for it. It would be nice to just get everything off his chest.

So Varian told Hector everything, starting from the day he'd first met Princess Rapunzel up to when he'd been thrown in the castle dungeon without a trial. Varian could feel all the emotions that had been building up for months, fear, betrayal, fury, pain, justice, all come out as he ranted and rambled.

He knew he was probably being too emotional, but Hector didn't seem bothered by it. If anything, the man got mad right along with him. Varian felt more and more confident as he continued his story. His uncle's approval and understanding helped him to feel better about all of this. It justified Varian's feelings. He'd been wronged, and finally somebody else was agreeing with him on that.

Varian didn't know what he was going to be doing with his lingering feelings of righteous anger. For once he didn't have a plan of action in mind. He still wanted to get back at the princess and her precious kingdom that she claimed to care so much about, and he definitely wanted to free his dad, but he no longer had an idea of how to do that. He was wandering blind. Despite this, Varian wasn't afraid.

The boy looked at Hector as he loudly proclaimed that he would happily burn Corona to the ground, just to see what the king and princess would do then. Varian smiled to himself. He may not know exactly where he was going right now, but at least he knew he wouldn't be walking this path alone anymore.

Chapter Text

Hector was relieved when Varian started to get better, but he didn't completely relax. Yeah, he didn't have to worry so much about the kid, but that just opened up space for him to worry about other things, such as the moonstone. He didn't like being away from the Great Tree for so long. He trusted his bearcats to do their job, but Hector would feel much better about it if he was there for himself.

Especially now that Hector knew that something was up with the supposed sundrop. Adira had mentioned helping her find her destiny, but she wouldn't say exactly what that meant. Hector had the terrible feeling that it had something to do with the moonstone. He didn't like the thought of his sister leading somebody straight to the moonstone, especially not somebody who, according to Varian, only really thought about herself. After twenty five long years though, Hector wouldn't put it past Adira.

Like they'd been taught in the Brotherhood, be prepared for the worst, and then be pleasantly surprised if the best should happen.

He really shouldn't feel betrayed and terrified of the thought that Adira would betray the Brotherhood like this. She had abandoned the Brotherhood and her oaths, was it really all that shocking that she would take things a step further and spit in the face of everything they had sworn to protect. She had abandoned them. Hector shouldn't be surprised that Adira might have tried to use her knowledge to help somebody do the very thing they had sworn to never let happen.

He shouldn't be surprised, but he was, and it hurt.

So Hector did his best to not think about Adira or her plans, whatever they may be. He couldn't completely avoid Adira, as she was still travelling with him and Varian, but Hector couldn't bring himself to fully trust her. He didn't know what she was up to, and he had no idea how long she would stay with them. Hector liked having his sister around, as it made things feel just like the old days, but he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Sooner or later Adira was going to leave and betray him. It was what she always did. Hector refused to open himself up to being hurt by her again. He'd learned from his mistakes.

Hector tried to play nice with Adira, just for Varian's sake. The kid's health was steadily improving, but he still needed Adira's remedies. Varian had a hard time trusting people. Hector thought it was pretty fortunate that he trusted the two of them, but the smallest thing could change that. If Hector and Adira continuously fought, Varian might grow more cautious of Adira and not trust her remedies, which was something they couldn't afford right now.

Hector had worried that it might get awkward between the two of them, that they wouldn't be able to put aside their differences around the kid, but it came a lot easier than either of them thought it would. When they were talking to Varian they avoided all conversation about the black rocks or Princess Rapunzel, because they knew that those things would just upset the kid. Of course, that meant not talking about the moonstone or sundrop, which were the things that they always ended up fighting about.

Without their main reason to fight, they got along better than Hector thought they would. They would reminisce about the past, and laugh about how much they drove Quirin nuts. Varian seemed to love to hear any stories they could share about his dad. Hector thought that the kid was just happy to hear that he wasn't the only person who was constantly disappointing Quirin. The man was just such an easy guy to let down.

Sometimes Hector wondered if Quirin had ever deeply cared about somebody and hadn't ultimately been disappointed by them. Maybe the kid's mom, but considering she wasn't really around Hector doubted that was the case.

Everything was going really well, but Hector couldn't make himself relax. He desperately needed to get back to the Great Tree. He had to make sure that everything there was still good. Hector tried to rush them as much as he could. He only stopped for breaks as much as his rhino needed them. He didn't even want to stop to sleep or eat. Hector saw no reason why they shouldn't be able to take turns sleeping as they travelled. His rhino was certainly large enough for it.

Adira had no complaints about the rushed pace. Hector knew that she was used to travelling quickly and efficiently. Varian seemed to be having a difficult time adjusting to riding the rhino, but he didn't complain, so Hector assumed that he would be alright. He thought that if he had any real problems then he would say something.

A little more than a week after they had set this demanding pace Varian had fallen oddly quiet. He had barely said a word all day. Hector knew that it was out of character for him, but he wasn't too concerned. Everybody had their odd days, and Hector knew that when he needed space the last thing that he wanted was for others to push themselves into his personal bubble. He thought that Varian might be the same way, so he left him alone.

Adira had a different strategy.

"Your dad told me all about your alchemy." Adira said with forced casualness. Hector groaned and Varian eyed her somewhat cautiously. She had been asking Varian questions and trying to encourage him to engage in conversation all afternoon. On most days Varian would be all too happy to ramble about anything at all, but it was clear that he just wasn't feeling it that day, no matter how many times Adira tried to get him to talk.

Varian's only response to Adira's questions were to nod, shake his head, or shrug and mutter that he didn't really know. He clearly didn't want to talk, no matter how much Adira tried to coax him.

When they stopped about two hours before sundown, just to take a small break, Varian jumped off the rhino and quickly ran off, mumbling something that could have been about taking a leak, but could just have easily been about gathering firewood. Hector let him go, knowing that this might be the very break that Varian needed.

Adira watched him go with a concerned look in her eyes. She looked like she wanted to go after him. Hector held his hand up to stop Adira.

"Give the kid some space." Hector said.

Adira glared at him, and Hector saw a look in her eyes that reminded him so much of Quirin. "He's clearly hurting right now. I'm not going to just ignore him."

"What, you think I like feeling useless right now?" Hector crossed his arms. "I have no idea what's bothering him, and I don't know how I'm supposed to help him. He knows himself best. If the kid needs something from me, he'll ask for it. If he doesn't, I'll trust him to figure it out on his own."

Hector wasn't Varian's dad. He'd only known the kid for a few weeks. He really didn't think he was the best person to try to provide comfort and soothing words. He had given that to the kid when he was sick and clingy, because it was obviously what he had wanted, but now that Varian was doing better Hector didn't know if he would still appreciate it.

For all Hector knew, Varian would feel the same way about being forced to talk when he didn't feel like it the same way that Adira felt about physical contact. Hector didn't want to drive the kid away when he was already clearly upset. So until Varian indicated otherwise, Hector would back up and give him the time and space he needed to calm down himself.

Adira's disappointed look deepened and mixed with a look of distress. She seemed to think that Hector was horribly wrong, and she was saddened by it.

"Brother, Quirin didn't know how to talk to Varian, so he often didn't." Adira said quietly. Hector nodded. He'd gathered as much from the letters and what Varian had told him about his relationship with his dad. "You know as well as I do how much that messed up their relationship. That boy feels like he's been abandoned by everybody. Don't let him add us onto that growing list of people that he thinks couldn't care less about how he's feeling."

Hector scowled and crossed his arms. He hated it when Adira was right. "What do you expect me to do about it?"

Adira gave him an unimpressed look. "Talk to him."

Hector grimaced. He wasn't one for talking about these kinds of feelings. He was fine with hugging things out, and he could rant for hours about all his fury and anger. He could also listen to Varian talk about everything that frustrated him. Hector understood anger, and he was more than happy to lend a listening ear, but this kind of distress was completely foreign to him.

The Brotherhood had taught them to shove down their fear and sadness, or turn those feelings into anger. Fury gave them a drive and made them stronger. They could use it. Sadness though was a distraction and a weakness.

"Look at it this way." Adira said. "Our brother struggled with this. If you can figure out how to connect with Varian right now, imagine how satisfying it will be to rub it in Quirin's face someday."

Adira knew him too well. Hector wasn't one to back down from a challenge, especially one that would let him prove that he was better in one way or another than his siblings. Hector knew that it was a very real possibility that Quirin was dead in that amber, but even if he was Hector would probably still find pleasure in one-upping him. He didn't see the point in pretending that somebody was flawless just because they were dead.

Hector still hoped that Quirin was alive, but he was mentally preparing himself for the worst. He was also trying to prepare himself for the day when Varian might realize the possibility of his father's death. The boy was devastated and traumatized enough as it was. Hector wasn't looking forward to how horrified the kid would be if he ever stopped being in denial about his dad's circumstance.

"What if I go to talk to him and he shuts down?" Hector asked. Varian had been refusing Adira's questions all day. Why should it be any different with Hector?

"He knows you better than he knows me." Adira said. "He trusts you."

"Yeah, yeah." He had never hated the name 'Uncle Hector'. He'd liked that the kid saw him as family, no questions asked, but now he was realizing that the title of uncle came with responsibility, and he didn't really like it.

"I hate you so much, you know that?" Hector scowled at his sister. She just looked pleased with herself. She gestured towards where Varian had run off. Hector responded by slipping his thumb between two of his fingers and gave Adira the fig sign. She wasn't the least bit upset by the vulgar sign aimed at her. She just looked amused, which frustrated Hector even more.

Hector had thought that Varian would only go a short distance away, just far enough to get some privacy. He was concerned when he didn't immediately find the kid just past the trees. The only reason Hector wasn't freaking out was because he saw Varian's clear tracks. It definitely didn't look like he'd been attacked or ambushed, he'd just decided to walk quite a bit further away than Hector had expected. The kid must be even more upset than he had first thought.

Hector heard Varian a lot sooner than he saw him. He was sobbing, just shy of wailing. Hector wanted to turn right around right now and talk to Varian when he wasn't crying anymore. He didn't know how to deal with tears.

However, it wouldn't feel right to just walk away when he knew for a fact that there was something really wrong. As uncomfortable as Hector was, he knew that Varian felt much worse, so he kept going. He found Varian sitting in a pond. The water reached midway up his chest. The kid's legs were drawn close to his chest and his head was buried in his knees.

Varian's sobs were loud and raw. There was so much unrestrained pain in his cries that Hector felt some of his discomfort be replaced by a fierce need to protect. Varian wasn't just having a bad day, he was finally releasing all of the hurt that had been building up for a long time. This was the result of a series of bad days, and only now did he have the chance to let it all out.

Hector sighed and stepped towards the river. Varian seemed oblivious to his presence. Ruddiger, however, who was curled up on Varian's shoulders and nuzzling him comfortingly, turned to look at him.

"Varian?" Hector said quietly. The kid flinched and curled further in on himself. "Do you want to talk?" Varian rapidly shook his head. "Well, do you want some company?" Varian shook his head again, and Hector really didn't know what he was supposed to do at this point. He was way out of his depth. Varian looked more vulnerable now than he had been when Hector had first broken him out of that cell, and that was saying something.

Ruddiger looked at Varian in alarm. It looked from the boy to Hector. It jumped off of Varian's shoulders and ran to the man. He bit his pants and tried to pull him towards the water. Varian clearly didn't want him there, but Ruddiger didn't want him to leave. He didn't want his boy to be left alone.

Hector wanted to respect Varian's wishes, but right now he thought that maybe what the kid wanted wasn't what he needed. Hector could hear Quirin's voice in his ear, telling him that being in charge sometimes meant making the tough choice and doing what was best for those you were responsible for, even if they hated you for it.

Hector reluctantly followed Ruddiger to the water. He walked into the water and knelt next to Varian. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the kid's bare back. Varian must have taken his shirt off before getting into the river, and Hector realized with a start that this was the first time he had actually seen Varian not wearing his shirt. It was an alarming sight.

Hector had known that Varian was skinny, but he hadn't realized how bad it was. Varian's back was bony, with his spine sticking out far too much to possibly be healthy. He had a little bit of loose skin, making it clear that he had lost too much weight too quickly.

"You okay, kid?" Hector asked. Varian whimpered and tightened his grip around his legs. He shook his head. "What's going on?"

Varian was quiet for a long minute, and Hector was starting to think that he would refuse to answer him when the kid started to slowly uncurl himself. Varian lowered his legs and shifted them around so he was kneeling. His arms were wrapped tightly around his chest like he was trying to hold himself together.

Another long moment passed before Varian took in a shuddered breath and turned to face Hector. He lowered his shaking arms, showing off his chest, and Hector was equal parts horrified and furious.

Varian's ribs were sticking out even more than his spine was. He was so malnourished, Hector almost felt sick at the sight. Going by Varian's wide, terrified, tear-filled eyes he was sure that he felt similarly.

"It's bad." Varian said quietly. "I didn't realize it was this bad."

"Neither did I." Hector said. He stared in terror at Varian's ribs. The kid flinched and let out a short sob. Hector's eyes widened in slight panic. He was supposed to be making Varian feel better, not confirm his fears. "It's okay though. You're getting a lot better."

Varian shook his head. "This...this isn't better." The kid put his hands against his ribs. He looked terrified when he could feel his fingers easily dig beneath his ribs. He really shouldn't be able to do that.

"It'll take time to fix this." Hector said. "But just because it doesn't look like you're doing better doesn't mean you're not. You're getting your appetite back, you've stopped coughing."

"But my chest still hurts." Varian said almost desperately. "And I'm still so tired all the time, no matter how much I sleep." Varian curled in on himself again, seeming to try to make himself as small as he could. "Everything hurts, and I just want it to stop. I can't...I can't…" Varian whined and let out another sob. "I c-can't do this a-anymore, but i-i-it won't end. It just keeps going a-and going, and I d-don't want to do this."

"Ah, kid," Hector sighed. He put a hand on Varian's arm, surprised but very relieved when the kid lurched forward and leaned against him. Hector put his arms around Varian protectively, like he could keep him safe from anything that could do him any harm. He knew he couldn't protect Varian from his own mind, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying.

"You're so strong, kid." Hector said. Varian started shaking his head, but Hector tightened his grip around him to make him stop. "No, I mean it. You're the toughest kid I've met." Sure, Hector hadn't met a whole bunch of kids or teenagers, but he doubted that most adults would be able to deal with all the crap Varian had been through without completely shutting down. Varian struggled, and he was clearly having a hard time, but he kept going, which was more than Hector thought most people could say.

"I'm not going to pretend to understand everything you're going through right now." Hector said. "And I'm not going to promise you that it's going to get better, because I don't know for sure that it will. But I can promise you that you are strong enough to pull through this." Varian was stubborn, smart, and extremely dedicated to things that he set his mind to. If Varian could deal with being ostracized by his whole community, nearly overthrow a kingdom, and survive being in a dungeon where kids weren't supposed to be in the first place, then there wasn't a doubt in Hector's mind that the kid would be able to get over this hurdle that his body was throwing at him.

Especially since Hector and Adira were going to be right there to make sure he ate and continued taking the remedies that he needed to strengthen his body.

"Is there anything I can do to help you, kiddo?" Hector asked. "Just say the word and I'll figure out how to make it happen."

Varian shook his head and buried his face against Hector's chest. The man frowned in concern. He could tell that Varian wasn't saying that he didn't need help, he was saying that he wasn't going to ask for it.

"Come on, kid, what's going on?" Hector said quietly. "I swear, I won't say no." Regardless of what Varian asked for, if it was within Hector's capabilities of helping him, he would.

Varian stiffened beneath him. "You will." Varian said confidently. He sounded upset, but not mad. "Or you won't but you'll end up wishing you had."

Now Hector was just confused. What could the kid possibly ask for him that he was so sure he was going to refuse? "Well, at the very least I'll hear you out." Varian still didn't answer him. "Would you rather talk to Adira?"

Varian shook his head harshly. He took a deep breath. "I want...everything's just happening so fast. It's just a lot to deal with, and it keeps coming. I just need...I want…" Varian sighed. "I need a break."

Hector frowned. "We'll be at the Great Tree in two weeks, tops. You can rest then."

Varian deflated. He tried to push himself away from Hector. "Forget it."

"Whoa, whoa, hang on." Hector took Varian's arms and pulled him back against him. "Just...look, it's really important that I get back to the Great Tree as soon as possibly, but maybe...maybe you and Adira can hang back for a bit and meet me there. You can go at however slow a pace as you need to."

Varian was still for a moment before he lifted his head and gave Hector a curious look. "I thought you didn't trust Adira."

"Oh, I don't." Hector said bluntly. "At least, not when it comes to the moonstone and that precious sundrop of hers. When it comes to you though, there isn't a doubt in my mind that she'll keep you safe and out of trouble." Hector and Adira had their issues, but he knew that she cared about their nephew. After all, she had agreed to travel with them for his sake.

Varian relaxed slightly. He still looked far too upset for Hector's liking, but at least he wasn't bawling anymore. "...And you won't be mad if I go a little slower?"

"Not at all." Hector said, and he meant it. He would probably be concerned and on edge until Varian reached the great tree, both because he wouldn't be able to keep a personal eye on his nephew, and because he still had no idea if the kid had the powers of the moonstone or not. Iv Varian was stressed though, and they didn't give him the chance to really process everything he'd been through, he would just start to spiral.

Hector realized that Varian hadn't really had a chance to just stop and breathe in what had to be months, since before his dad had gotten trapped in the amber. Varian was right, he desperately needed a break.

"If you're nervous about Adira, I've got some friends that'll be more than happy to come around and keep an eye on you." Hector said. "My dear sister knows better than to mess with my bearcats."

"Bearcats?" Varian's eyes shone eagerly. "I-if you think Adira can be trusted, then I guess I trust her too. I'd like the company of the bearcats though."

Hector grinned. "No problem." Hector finally released his grip on Varian. "You ready to go talk to Adira? Or, if you want, I can talk to her."

"I-I kinda wanna stay here for a bit." Varian sat back in the water, looking about as close to content as Hector thought he could be right now. "I'll come back soon though."

"Okay." Hector stood up. :Take however long you need." He no longer felt weird about leaving Varian on his own. The kid was obviously still upset, and he would probably cry for a little longer once Hector was gone, but he no longer seemed completely broken down. Now Hector thought it was safe to give Varian a little bit of space.

Hector left the water, giving Ruddiger a small pet as he got out. He would talk to Adira. He trusted his sister, but there were a few basic guidelines he needed to put into place.

By the moon, if Quirin could see him now he would never let him hear the end of it. His brother was always going on and on about responsibility, and here Hector was, finally doing what he said. Quirin would be proud...or very confused. No, considering how long it had been since they'd even seen each other Hector thought that his brother might wonder if he might have hit his head really hard, or been possessed or something along those lines.

All it had taken for Hector to really try to listen to his brother was to be forced to walk a few hundred miles in his shoes.

Chapter Text

Adira had come to learn that there was a lot that she didn't know about Varian. She thought that she'd learned plenty about the boy from Quirin's letters. She'd learned that he was very inquisitive and curious, even from a young age. He was probably the most intellectual person in Old Corona, which had made Quirin both incredibly proud and very concerned.

Quirin had made it seem like Varian's curiosity and knowledge was dangerous, both to himself and everybody around him. Adira had been picturing someone like Demanitus from the old legends. She'd expected somebody wise beyond their years. Varian certainly wasn't that.

Oh, he was very smart, and he had an extremely curious mind, but he was still just a child. He had unrestrained passion, uncontrollable fury, and lacked the maturity and experience to know what to do with his scattered thoughts.

Adira could see why Quirin would be concerned about Varian, but she was nothing but amused. The boy's naivety contrasted so much against his knowledge, and it was surprisingly entertaining to see these two traits at odds with each other.

As Varian started to recover from his illness Adira got to see more and more of this excited side to her nephew. He still had his moments where he withdrew in on himself and became more subdued, but it usually wasn't long before he jumped right back up and started asking those endless questions of his, and providing usually needless but always interesting commentary.

Adira enjoyed getting to know her nephew, but she was still cautious and a little on edge when Hector went on ahead to the Great Tree, leaving the boy in her care. A part of Adira was excited. Not only would this give her the chance to create a real relationship with Varian, as Adira always had an easier time connecting with people when it was one-on-one, but this might also give her the chance to fix the shattered relationship between her and Hector.

Her brother was trusting her with something that he cared about. Adira didn't think he had ever even trusted her to babysit his bearcats for the evening when they were younger, and yet here he was, putting the life of their nephew in her hands. Adira was honored, but also just a little bit terrified.

Hector was unpredictable and furious. The smallest thing could set him off, and Adira had seen signs of Varian being the same way. She didn't want to unintentionally hurt Varian and Hector, not when their trust in her was already so fragile.

When they were on the road they talked a lot, as there wasn't much else to do when walking. Varian seemed much more relaxed than he had been while riding on the rhino. He was all too happy to tell Adira about all of his experiments, and it was fascinating to have a glimpse of his thought process. He truly was a mind beyond his time.

Adira had never even considered the possibility of having a heated water system, or a way to light up an entire room without the use of a flame. Varian had apparently gotten that idea from his mom. The only memory he had of her was that when he was really young and afraid of the dark she would use her alchemical expertise to make a glowing solution, which she then put in a vial next to his bed. It hadn't glowed brightly, but it had illuminated things enough that young Varian hadn't been so scared.

Varian had a lot of ingenious ideas, but Adira thought her favorite idea of his was his humane method of trapping animals. She wondered if Hector knew about this particular experiment of Varian's, because she knew that he would definitely approve. Hector loved animals, probably more than he liked humans. He would probably be ecstatic that he and Varian shared a gentleness towards animals.

There were a few topics of conversation that Adira deliberately avoided. She would love to hear more about what had happened between Varian and the princess. She didn't want to discredit Varian, or brush aside his experience, but she had a difficult time believing that the sundrop had pushed him aside and been completely oblivious of his feelings.

Adira didn't know Rapunzel all that well, but she thought she had seen enough to have a pretty good idea of her character. If the princess could humor Fishskin when he was absolutely obsessed with proving himself, then she could certainly figure out how to handle the concerns of a panicked and grieving child.

However, Adira didn't want to upset Varian when they were getting along so well with each other. Rapunzel was clearly a sore topic for him, so at least until they knew each other better Adira refrained from asking about it.

She also didn't talk a lot about Quirin. Adira knew that Varian was curious about what his dad had been like with the Brotherhood, and Adira was curious about how Varian felt about his relationship with his father. Adira wanted to know if Quirin had actually changed so drastically, or if Varian just didn't understand his quiet nature the way that Adira did.

Varian got really emotional whenever he thought about his dad. There was always a bit of anger, but mostly a lot of grieving. It hurt Varian to think about his dad, and he emotionally shut down and became nearly unresponsive for several hours. This was a big change from when Varian had loved nothing more than to talk about his dad, but grieving was a process, and Varian seemed to have reached the next stage.

Varian tried to avoid or ignore any thought about his dad, because it was too hard for him to deal with. Adira knew that it wasn't healthy for him to avoid all thoughts about his father, but if this was the way he needed to deal with his feelings then Adira needed to let him work things through, just so long as it was a temporary solution.

She would support him, and do anything she could to help him get past this difficult time in his life, but she couldn't fight this battle for him. People grieved in different ways, and Adira didn't know Varian well enough to know how to best help him. This was something that Varian had to figure out on his own.

As much as Adira and Varian talked while they travelled, there was barely a word said between them when they stopped to rest, which they did frequently. Sometimes they walked for three hours before Varian was too tired to keep going. Other times Varian would get antsy and need a rest when they'd just been traveling for fifteen minutes.

Adira didn't say a word about the inconsistency. The whole reason why she and Varian were travelling together while Hector went ahead was because the boy needed some sense of control in his life. Varian was also the only one who knew how he was feeling, both mentally and physically. He was the only one who knew if he was feeling overwhelmed.

Whenever they stopped for a rest Varian would wander off to the closest lake, creek, river, or pond. He didn't tell Adira what he was doing, but whenever he came back, sometimes after five minutes, sometimes after more than an hour, he always looked more relaxed and refreshed.

While Varian did whatever it was that he did when he was gone, Adira would find a large rock and meditate. It was a good way for her to really take in any new information she had learned. She also enjoyed the chance to process any frustration or fear she may be feeling so she could figure out what was truly at the root of her problems. It was quite soothing.

When Varian was in a better state of mind Adira would have to invite him to join her for meditation. Quirin had always struggled with it. He usually ended up spiraling instead of finding closure. As for Hector, he was far too impatient and brash to sit down to try to resolve his feelings. But however much Varian reminded her of Hector and Quirin, he was still his own person. Just because they struggled with something didn't mean that he would too.

On their tenth day of walking together Varian needed breaks more frequently than normal. His mood was a little bit more subdued than normal, but it wasn't as bad as it could be. Adira hoped that the reason why his mood wasn't worse was because the breaks were working the way they were meant to.

When they stopped for the dozenth time that day Varian moved towards the nearby river, but then he stopped and looked shyly towards Adira. "Can...can you braid my hair like Hector's?"

Adira smiled gently and followed Varian. "Of course, Moonbeam."

Varian's shy look was replaced with one of bewilderment. "Moon what?"

"Moonbeam." Adira said casually. "It's a nickname."

Varian looked equal parts amused and confused. "Why?"

"Why a nickname, or why moonbeam?" Adira asked.

"Both." Varian said. He looked a little calmer than he had just seconds ago. Varian seemed to relax a little now that he was asking questions. His curiosity seemed to comfort him just as much as it tortured him.

"I give everybody nicknames based on a defining trait or characteristic." Adira shrugged. "I find it a lot easier than dealing with names."

"Why?" Varian asked. "You'll still have to remember all of those nicknames."

Adira smiled. People didn't normally ask about the nickname thing beyond her first explanation. They certainly complained about it, but very few people had ever tried to understand more. "Well, for one thing, what if I want to address someone if I don't know their name? Should I just call them 'you'?" Varian seemed to consider her words. "And there are many people who change their names, or titles, and then get upset if they aren't addressed properly. Nicknames make things simpler."

Adira smiled. "Besides, using nicknames catches people off guard, and when they don't expect a lot I'm able to have the element of surprise."

Varian tilted his head. "What if you run into identical twins who look and act the exact same? How will your nicknames help you to tell them apart?"

Adira had to think for a second. It was an interesting question that she'd never considered before. "Well, I would just have to try harder to find appropriate nicknames."

Varian gave her a shaky smile. It seemed like the closest he could get right now to laughing and being genuinely joyful.

They had reached the river's edge by this point. Varian gave Adira a cautious, almost frightened look before he squeezed his eyes shut tight. He slowly took off his shirt, revealing how skinny he was. Varian was stiff for a long moment, probably expecting comment or judgement, but Adira didn't say a word. Hector had warned her about the boy's poor state of health.

When Varian was only met with silence he took a deep breath and stepped into the river. He sat down in the water and looked like he was trying to meditate or gather himself.. This looked like a regular thing he did. Adira suspected that Varian did something along these lines whenever they stopped.

"What are you doing?" Adira asked. She found a large rock at the edge of the river and sat down on it.

Varian grimaced. "Trying not to freak out." He slowly waved his arms through the water. "The guards in the dungeon made me afraid of water. It was a punishment, or a warning of punishment that was going to come."

Varian slowly leaned forward, curling in on himself slightly, and submerging more of himself into the river. He swallowed thickly. "Uncle Hector tried to help me get over it. He told me that water was my friend. I'm still scared, though. I can't shake the feeling that I'm in danger, or something bad is going to happen."

Varian raised his head to look at Adira, his gaze guarded and tired. "Pretty pathetic, huh? I've been doing this for almost two weeks, and I'm still afraid of a little water." Varian looked down and flinched when his gaze fell on his chest. "And I'm even more afraid of this." Varian poked at one of his ribs.

"I don't think it's pathetic at all." Adira said honestly. "In fact, I admire your strength." Varian snorted. "No, I mean it. You're afraid of water, and the reminder of how fragile you feel you are, and yet you've been going out of your way to expose yourself to these fears several times every day?"

"Well, yeah," Varian frowned. "But I'm still afraid. I thought I would have gotten over it by now."

"If you ask me, the very fact that you're afraid is what makes you so strong." Adira said. "Most people go out of their way to avoid their fears, and you're facing them head on. You're conquering your fears and learning how to cope even when you're surrounded by what scares you."

Varian looked sheepish and a little pleased with himself. He seemed to be taking what Adira had to say to heart. He took a deep breath and plunged forward, submerging his head in the water. He immediately surfaced, gasping for reasons that Adira knew how nothing to do with him holding his breath. Varian took a minute to calm down before he dove back in. He stayed underwater for about five seconds this time before surfacing.

Varian repeated this process several times, holding his breath a little longer each time. He was able to last for about thirty seconds before he seemed to have enough. Varian half swam and half crawled towards Adira. He climbed onto her rock and sat next to her.

"Are you ready for the braid now?" Adira asked. Varian nodded. He closed his eyes and laid his hands flat on his chest, right up against his ribs. He flinched and looked like he was going to be sick, but he didn't move his hands. He just closed his eyes and took several deep breaths as he tried to calm himself.

Adira shifted her position so she was facing Varian. She got to work on the braids in his bangs. They were quiet for several long minutes. Adira took her time, knowing that Varian needed the support. Besides, Adira enjoyed the experience quite a bit herself. Even though she didn't like touching people, she actually enjoyed the feeling of someone's soft hair under her fingers. She hated it when people tried to touch her own hair, but Adira would be content to sit and comb her hands through someone's hair for several hairs.

It used to be her and Hector's favorite bonding experience. His long hair was always getting tangled up, which was part of the reason why he started using braids in the first place. Adira had been more than happy to put in the time and care to detangle Hector's hair. It had been one of the rare times when she was more than happy to give him the physical affection that he thrived on.

Varian eventually calmed down enough that he almost looked relaxed. Adira knew that there was a lot on his mind still, but he was able to at least pretend to be calm. This was exactly what Adira had been talking about. Varian was scared, but most people wouldn't be able to tell as much by looking at him. His mask wasn't perfect, but it was decent enough, especially considering everything he was trying to hide.

"S-so," Varian said, the shakiness of his voice barely noticeable. "Where did Moonbeam come from?"

Adira smiled. "For one thing, your little hair streak. It looks like a moonbeam in the night sky." Varian gave a small amused huff that was very nearly a chuckle. "For another thing, you're the first person in twenty five years who has been able to drag Hector out of the darkness that he's been sinking into. I was starting to think that he wouldn't ever find purpose outside of the moonstone, and I'm very happy to be proven wrong."

There was also the fact that Hector believed that Varian had the powers of the moonstone. She didn't mention that part though, because she didn't want to worry Varian about potential powers that he may not even have. She also didn't want him to start thinking that Hector only cared about him because of the moonstone. Adira knew her brother well enough to know that wasn't the case at all, but Varian would probably not be able to see it that way.

"Does Hector have a nickname?" Varian asked.

"Of course." Adira said. She grinned to herself before a bitter memory hit her so suddenly that she felt ill. Adira wasn't one to linger on the past, but she couldn't help but remember the raw, wounded look on Hector's face months ago when she had compared him to a dog, without truly thinking of the consequences.

Adira really hadn't meant to say that she saw her brother as an animal, because she certainly did not, but Hector had taken it that way anyways. She had accidentally hurt her brother, and Adira knew that at least some of that hurt and bitterness was still lingering now.

Varian looked at her in concern and curiosity. "What is it?"

Adira sighed. "Before I tell you, I need you to promise me that you won't tell Hector." SHe didn't think there was anything wrong with this nickname, but she hadn't actually used it in front of Hector, and she doubted he was in any state of mind to understand that she wasn't trying to hurt him with it. If Varian told Hector about this nickname, it could shatter their fragile relationship.

Varian's expression darkened dangerously. He pulled away from Adira and glared at her. "I'm not going to promise anything." Varian said the word with so much disgust, like it was the dirtiest insult he had ever heard. "And I won't help you keep secrets either."

Varian pushed himself off the rock and started pacing on the ground. "Is that something the Brotherhood were taught to do? Lie and hide things from everybody?" Varian scoffed, and Adira was alarmed to see tears in his eyes. "Or do you just do it to people you claim to care about?"

Adira quickly got to her feet. She reached out to put her hands on his shoulders, as she thought that the physical contact might ground him the way that it often did for Hector. He flinched back away from her, and Adira didn't push it. She knew how it felt to be touched when she didn't want it. The touch would make any negative feelings she already had multiply tenfold. Varian may usually thrive on physical contact, but every rule had an exception.

"I admit, the Brotherhood is a very secret group." Adira said quietly, calmly. Varian's eyes flashed. "We were trained to keep the existence of the moonstone a secret, and it can be difficult sometimes to not let those habits bleed into other aspects of our lives. However," Adira crouched so she could be closer to Varian's level. "I have a very good reason for not wanting my brother to know what nickname I have given him. I'll tell you the reason, and if it's not good enough for you then I won't say another word of it."

Varian glared at her in distrust, but he slowly nodded his head. Adira sighed and took a step back to give him a little more space.

"Hector has always been different from most people." Adira said. "He has a hard time connecting with them, and he has a tendency to lash out and attack when he feels threatened." Varian nodded. He already knew this about Hector.

"When we first met, when we were all about your age, maybe a few years older, Hector was even more out of control than he is now." Adira said. "He was lost, confused, and very defensive. If anybody got too close he would start screaming and trying to attack them. There were rumors that he was possessed by an angry spirit."

Varian's mouth thinned at the suggestion of spirits, but he didn't say a word as Adira continued.

"After one particularly eventful day Hector got scared, lashed out, and actually bit our instructor." Adira said. A small smile appeared on Varian's face. He seemed amused by the imagery. Adira had to admit, she'd found the whole thing funny herself, until what had come afterwards.

"Our instructor was furious." Adira said. "She took the matter straight to the king, insisting that Hector be expelled from the Brotherhood." Adira took a deep breath. "She called him a wild animal, a dog, and said that he was too unpredictable to be trusted with such an important duty. Fortunately, the then Prince Edmund didn't listen to a word she said."

Varian looked like he was trying to stay angry, but sorrow was overwhelming his expression. "But he's...he's a person."

"I agree." Adira said. She had never had an issue with that particular instructor up to that point, but after that day she had hated her and gone out of her way to defy her authority. Hector was Adira's brother, and even back then she hadn't been one to just stand to the side and let someone get away with hurting her family.

Varian looked scared. "What's your nickname for him?"

"Watchdog." Adira said simply. "Not because I see him as a dog or wild animal, because I don't. No, he's like a watchdog in the sense that he is loyal, vigilant, and willing to do whatever is necessary to fulfill the job that has been given to him. I don't mean it as an insult, but I know my brother, and I know that the nickname would just cause him unnecessary harm."

Varian was quiet for a long moment before he made a sound that was a cross between a sigh, a grunt, and a whine. He wrapped his arms around his chest. "I-I won't tell him."

Adira felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, though she couldn't bring herself to be relieved. Her nephew was now carrying this burden.

Varian was quiet for a long moment. "Wh-what about my dad?"

Adira started. Varian hadn't said a word about his dad for a week. Perhaps he was getting to the part of his grieving where he could talk about his father again. Adira thought that might be the reason why Varian was needing more breaks than normal today.

"I called him Guardian." Adira said. "He was always a protector at heart. He wouldn't hesitate to put himself in harm's way if it meant protecting someone else."

Varian sniffled and rubbed his eyes as tears started to fall. "I-I know." He soon started full-on crying. "It...it was supposed to be me. It should have been me." Varian whimpered and tightened his grip around himself. Ruddiger chattered nervously. He climbed onto Varian's shoulders and started nudging him comfortingly. Ruddiger licked at the boy's tears.

Adira frowned as she gave Varian a concerned look. "What should have been you?"

"D-dad's trapped in amber because of m-me." Varian gasped. "I-it was a-a-all my fault."

"No, Moonbeam, no," Adira said. "From what I heard, it was an accident. You couldn't have known what was going to happen."

"H-he told me not to touch the rocks." Varian's voice cracked. He hunched his shoulders and looked at the ground. "I should have listened to him." Varian clenched his fists. "And I-I might have if he'd actually talked to me. I should have listened, but how could I when he was hiding things from me? How could I have known to trust him? It's not...it's not…" Varian's voice broke. "It's not my fault."

Adira didn't think that it was anyone's fault, but she didn't think that Varian would be open to hearing it from her. Possibly Hector, or Quirin, but he didn't know Adira well enough to truly trust her, and he'd had too many bad experiences with authority figures using their influence over him to lie and make false promises. Adira didn't want to contribute to that, even accidentally.

That didn't mean that she wasn't going to help Varian though. "Have you ever meditated before?" Adira asked. Varian was still for a long moment before he shook his head. "Do you want to give it a try?" Varian hesitated before he nodded. Adira returned to the rock and gestured for Varian to join her.

"I want you to close your eyes." Adira said. "Try not to think about your dad, the dungeons, or the Sundrop. Don't worry about all the uncertainties of the future. Right here, right now, this is all that matters."

"Consider your surroundings." Adira said. "Feel the life-giving warmth of the sun on your skin. Feel the gentle wind blowing through your hair." Adira looked at Varian, who was grimacing, almost like he was in pain. "What else can you feel?"

Varian took in a shuddered breath. "Ru-Ruddiger." Varian held onto his raccoon companion. "His f-fur's so soft."

"What can you hear?" Adira asked.

"The...the river." Varian said quietly. "I didn't...I never thought about the sound that water makes."

"Is it scary?" Adira asked.

Varian was quiet for a long moment as he thinked about it. "N-no. I-it's nice." Varian smiled slightly. "It's like rain." Adira didn't think that falling rain sounded anything like a flowing river, but perhaps Varian wasn't talking about the sound itself, but the way he felt while listening to it. Adira had always enjoyed listening to falling rain. It was how she had first started meditation before she'd even realized what it was.

"Just focus on the river." Adira said. "Nothing else matters right now."

Varian took a deep calming breath and stroked Ruddiger's fur. With every passing minute he became more and more calm. Ruddiger relaxed enough that he fell asleep on Varian's lap. Adira wanted to meditate herself, but she refrained. It would be all too easy for Varian's mind to slip and spiral into his anger and grief. It would be Adira's responsibility to pull Varian out of his own thoughts if he ended up going too far, so she had to pay attention.

They sat there for about half an hour before Adira heard a sound that didn't fit in with their surroundings. It was the distant neigh of a horse, and muttering of people. Adira frowned and got to her feet, instinctively reaching for her sword, just in case there was a threat.

Varian finally opened his eyes and he looked at her in concern. "Aunt Adira?" It was the first time he had addressed her like this. Adira was pleased to hear the term, but she pushed her pleasure to the back of her mind. She had to think about the approaching potential danger.

"Stay here," Adira said quietly. She crouched low and walked towards the main path. She was careful to stay as still as she could, and remained behind the trees. Her goal was to see without being seen.

Adira saw a caravan in the distance, and she suddenly realized that there was no need for her to be so cautious with these people. She had long since realized that they wouldn't notice a threat until it was right under their noses, and even then they only noticed it about half the time.

Even from far away Adira knew whose caravan that was. There was no mistaking that driver's long blond hair.

"Who is it?" Varian asked quietly. Adira started and turned to look at her nephew.

"You were supposed to stay by the river." Adira ducked away from the trees. In her urgency she gently grabbed Varian's arm and pulled him back. "What are you doing?"

"I was worried." Varian said.

"I appreciate the concern, but I can take care of myself." Adira looked back towards the trees. The Sundrop had finally left the ocean and was back on the path to finding her destiny. This should be fantastic news, but it was the absolute worst timing.

Adira had sworn to bring the princess to the Dark Kingdom, but she'd also made an oath to her brother, and herself, that she would stay with Varian and keep him safe. She really couldn't do both. Even if she and Varian travelled with the Sundrop and her friends, Adira knew that it might be detrimental to all the progress her nephew had made. He was still angry with the princess, and just seeing her could push him back to how he'd been back in Old Corona.

But Adira truly believed that the Sundrop was the solution to their moonstone problems. She could get rid of the moonstone for good and finally end this plague of death and destruction. Adira's kingdom, her people, could finally be free from the moon's curse.

If Rapunzel was going to get to the Dark Kingdom she would have to go through the Great Tree, and Hector would never let that pass. He wouldn't let that happen in the first place, just out of a sense of duty, but now that he knew about Varian's rocky history with the princess Hector wouldn't hold back at all. Stopping Rapunzel would be personal to him now.

Adira had to accompany them to the Great Tree, or else all would be lost. She needed to be there to distract Hector so the Sundrop could get to the Dark Kingdom. However, she also had to stay with Varian. She had told Hector she would get him to the Great Tree, and she fully intended to keep that promise.

"Varian," Adira said in a hushed, serious tone. "Moonbeam, I need to ask you a very, very important question, and I need you to be honest with me, alright?" Varian looked a little afraid. He nodded.

"I know how you feel about Princess Rapunzel." Adira said. Varian's eyes darkened dangerously when he heard that name. "But I need to know, if you saw her today would you be in any kind of danger from her or her friends."

"W-what?" Varian paled, his eyes wide. Any sign of anger was gone, replaced by disbelief and fear. That was enough of an answer for Adira. Whether Rapunzel was actually a threat to her nephew or not didn't matter. Varian was afraid of her. Even if that fear was unwarranted, that didn't make it any less real.

Varian looked like he wanted to run, though Adira didn't know whether it was away from Rapunzel or right towards her to attack. His fight and flight instincts were warring in his head, and Adira had a decent idea of which one would win out. She had seen it for herself.

Varian hadn't run from his fear of the water, or his discomfort about his malnourishment. He'd faced them head-on, and Adira was confident that he could do the same now. She just had to make sure that Varian only fought back against his fear, and not the object of his fear.

"Moonbeam, do you trust me?" Adira asked. "Truly trust me?"

Varian was still for far too long for Adira's comfort. He was staring blankly over Adira's shoulder. Finally he turned his head to meet her gaze. He nodded.

"I swore to get you to the Great Tree and reunite you with my brother." Adira said. "But I also have a duty to help bring the Sundrop there as well, and I need to keep her safe from Hector. I'm not the kind of woman to back away from my oaths, so I intend to follow through with both of them."

Varian took a small step back. He looked afraid. Adira desperately hoped that he wasn't afraid of her. "How are you going to do that?"

"If you're okay with it, we'll join the Sundrop for the rest of the journey to the Great Tree." Adira said. If Varian didn't need frequent and unpredictable breaks, Adira would just return to her old habit of keeping an eye on the Sundrop from a distance. Varian's odd needs made it difficult to guarantee that Adira would stay ahead of the princess' group. Adira either needed to reach the Great Tree before they did, which was completely possible, considering how frequently they got distracted, but it wasn't a sure thing. The only way to be sure that she could protect them is if they travelled alongside them.

Varian looked terrified. "I-I...you want me to travel with her?"

"It's only temporary." Adira said quickly. "You won't have to interact with them at all. They won't even know who you are." She took off her tunic and handed it to Varian. She took her red sash and wrapped it around Varian's hair, covering all of his hair except for his braided bangs. Adira took the ends of the scarf and wrapped it around Varian's lower face, covering his mouth.

Varian shook his head. He looked like he was shaking. "I don't think I can do this."

Adira frowned. She wouldn't force Varian to do anything. "If you really don't want to, we can figure something else out, but this is the simplest solution." Varian didn't look assured. "I'll do everything I can to keep them away from you. If you need a break, you just tell me and I'll clear out that entire caravan. Everybody can stretch their legs while you get the rest you need."

Varian seemed to consider what she was saying carefully. "You...you'll go out of your way to help me." He tilted his head at her. "More than that, you'll make them go out of their way for me. But you'll still help them."

"I told you, I made two oaths." Adira said. "And I will do everything I can to keep my word. I will keep you safe, and I will get the sundrop to the moonstone."

Varian took a deep breath. He whispered something to Ruddiger, who jumped off his shoulders. Varian put Adira's tunic on. It was far too big for him, and looked more like a cloak or long coat. It did its job of disguising Varian though. Adira doubted that the princess and her friends would even consider the possibility that this was Varian. Oh, they would wonder who Varian was, and Short hair would definitely be suspicious, but Adira wouldn't let any of them lay a hand on Varian.

This may be a general compromise, but one thing that Adira wasn't compromising was Varian's health, safety, and happiness.

"What about Ruddiger?" Varian asked. "What if Rapunzel recognizes him?"

"I have a simple disguise for him too." Adira reached into her pocket and grabbed a pouch full of black powder. It had a lot of uses, but she mostly used it to distract and confuse people. She only used it when absolutely necessary, because the black powder stained everything and took forever to wash out. Now they were going to use that to their advantage.

Adira opened the pouch and poured a fair amount over the raccoon. It took a long moment for the dust to settle, and when it did Ruddiger stood in front of them, black from head to toe. The raccoon whined and shook himself off, trying to get off the powder. Lots of stray dust flew off of him, but the color remained. Ruddiger scurried to Varian and climbed onto his shoulders. To Adira's relief, the black coloring didn't spread.

"Say hello to your new cat, Moonbeam." Adira said.

Varian pet behind the raccoon's ears. "I guess you'll have to be Ruddy for now." Ruddiger nodded and snuggled against Varian.

"Are you ready to meet up with our new companions?" Adira asked.

"No." Varian sighed. "Let's go."

Adira smiled and led the way back towards the roads where the caravan would soon be. It was time to join the Sundrop.

Chapter Text

Varian was terrified, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't bring himself to calm down. He wasn't ready to come face to face with Rapunzel. He knew that she wasn't a scary person. She was far too naive and trusting to be a real threat, but every time he thought of her his mind went to the things that he wanted to avoid thinking about.

His father trapped in amber, there because of Varian's mistake, and stuck because he couldn't figure out how to clean up his own mess. He thought about Rapunzel's father, a cruel tyrant hiding behind a friendly face. King Frederic was willing to get rid of anybody who so much as looked at his family the wrong way.

Varian knew that in some ways he was like that too, but the big difference between him and King Frederic was that the man was king. He had so much power and resources, he could do whatever he wanted and never have to worry about the consequences of breaking the rules because he was the one who made the rules in the first place.

Varian knew that Rapunzel wasn't her father, but in a lot of ways she reminded him of him, and that was what scared him so much. Rapunzel had no idea how much power she had over everybody around her.

"Are you okay?" Adira asked suddenly. Varian jumped. He looked at Adira with wide eyes. He reluctantly nodded. Adira raised an eyebrow at him.

"I-I don't know." Varian admitted. He looked towards the caravan that was slowly but surely approaching them. All too soon Rapunzel would be upon them and Varian wouldn't be able to avoid her anymore. "I don't have to do what she says, do I?" Varian didn't want to be under the power of the Coronan monarchy. Never again.

"Not if you don't want to." Adira said. "As far as they're concerned, you're a citizen of the Dark Kingdom. The Sundrop doesn't have any legal power over you."

Varian let out a breath that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. He didn't know how citizenship in the Dark Kingdom worked, but Varian's father had been a member. His aunt and uncle were in the Brotherhood. The only family that Varian ever knew, the only people that cared about him, were from the Dark Kingdom. Varian would much rather be a part of there rather than be a Coronan.

Varian and Adira were waiting behind the trees. When the caravan finally caught up to them Adira stepped out from behind the trees. Varian quickly followed close behind her. He was scared to see Rapunzel, but even more afraid of not having Adira at his side to protect him. Varian was going to stay by her side as much as he could.

"You finally managed to get across the ocean." Adira commented. "I was starting to wonder if you had all drowned." The caravan pulled to a stop, though Rapunzel was jumping off of it and running towards Adira before it came to a full stop.

"Adira!" Rapunzel opened her arms for a hug. Varian flinched and drew back behind his aunt. Adira frowned unhappily and stepped aside away from Rapunzel's reach, though she was careful to keep herself between Varian and the enthusiastic princess.

Rapunzel stopped, looking sheepish. "Right, sorry, you don't like being touched." Rapunzel smiled broadly at Adira like they were old friends. Varian seethed. He hated that smile. It certainly looked sincere, but he knew for himself just how deceiving it could be. Rapunzel may be happy now, but that could change in an instant.

"Sundrop," Adira nodded at Rapunzel and then looked towards the others with a slight smirk. She looked amused at the way that Cassandra was staring at her like she was an enemy, one provocation away from drawing her sword and attacking. "I hope you're ready to take your destiny seriously. The road ahead is not an easy one, and any doubts you have will only make it harder."

"Oh, I'm so ready." Rapunzel said. Varian rolled his eyes. He had no idea how it had taken him so long to realize just how flighty and distracted the princess was. He now knew that just because Rapunzel was excited and enthusiastic about something didn't mean that she took it seriously. It just meant that at that moment there wasn't anything else around to steal her attention. The moment that something else came up though, that's what Rapunzel paid attention to. It was exhausting and infuriating.

"I should hope so." Adira said. "But just to be sure I'm planning on travelling with you, at least until I get you safely past the Great Tree. Trust me, you're going to need my help."

"We don't need anything from you." Cassandra scowled and glared at Adira. Varian scoffed. Had Cassandra always been this stubborn and aggressively mistrusting? Thinking back to their first meeting where she had all but threatened him to keep a secret that wasn't entirely hers in the first place, Varian decided that yes, she was. He couldn't believe he'd found those traits admirable. Now he just saw them as annoying, and more than just a little frightening.

At Varian's scoff Cassandra turned her attention to him. She narrowed her eyes and jumped off the caravan. She stalked towards them, her eyes deadly serious. Varian tried to hold his ground, but when Cassandra drew her sword his resolve fell. He whimpered and scrambled back, tripping on a tree root. Varian hit the ground with a harsh thud, though he was too unnerved about the way that Cassandra was looking at him, like she was waiting for the smallest excuse to tear him apart, to be embarrassed.

Adira blocked Cassandra in her path, giving Rapunzel the chance to approach him. Varian froze when Rapunzel, with concerned eyes and a gentle smile, held a hand out to him.

"Are you okay?" Rapunzel asked. Varian's breath got caught in his throat. He knew better than to trust Rapunzel, but seeing her standing there, looking at him in the way that she had when they'd first met, back before everything had gone wrong, a small part of him wanted to take her hand. He wanted to take advantage of the fact that she didn't recognize him and start their relationship all over again.

He wanted to be her friend, and he'd never been so afraid of a desire in his life.

"No!" Varian harshly knocked her hand away. He wasn't going to let himself be lured in by her kindness. Never again. Everything was tense for a moment that seemed to drag on forever. Varian stared at Rapunzel's hand in horror. He had just hit her away. Not only was it incredibly rude, and Varian could just imagine the lecture he would have gotten from his dad if he were here, but he had once again done something that others might see as attacking the princess. He was going to get in trouble again, and this time there would be no escape from it.

Varian was pulled from his spiraling so harshly that he thought it might have been kinder for him to be left alone to lose himself in his own thoughts. Varian stared in terror at Cassandra, who had grabbed him harshly by the scarf, almost tugging it off his face. He felt like he couldn't breathe. Cassandra's grip on him only lasted for about a second before Adira pulled her away and pushed her back.

Varian sat there on the ground, dazed and more than just a little confused as Cassandra and Adira started yelling at each other. Varian had never heard Adira yell. She got mad, and she was really good at sounding stern, but she wasn't one to raise her voice. Varian was curious about just what she was saying, but he couldn't focus. All the shouting just sounded like ringing in his ears. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"-ey...hey!" Varian jumped when he felt a gentle touch on his arm. He flinched and drew back, staring with wide eyes at Flynn Rider...Eugene. He had said his real name was Eugene. The man gave him a gentle smile, and Varian couldn't help but relax a little bit. Logically he knew that this man was a threat, but Eugene was also a lot more of an open book than Rapunzel was. He didn't keep secrets. If there was something on Eugene's mind he shared it. Varian couldn't help but believe that if the man looked concerned then he was being truly sincere.

Varian and Eugene sat there, looking at each other for a moment before the boy was able to get his breath back under control. "There you go." Eugene grinned. "Are you okay?"

Varian swallowed thickly and shook his head. He really wasn't okay. Far from it. Eugene chuckled and stood up. Varian hadn't even noticed that he was kneeling in front of him. "Yeah, Cassandra's ice queen act takes a lot of getting used to. I'd say she warms up to you, but I don't think that lying is the best way to make a good first impression." Varian let out a quiet huff of a laugh. Eugene wasn't wrong.

The man held out a hand to Varian, who very reluctantly took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. Eugene looked surprised. He narrowed his eyes at Varian and tightened his grip on his hand ever so slightly. He gave Varian's arm a small yank, pulling the boy closer. Varian wanted to pull back, but he couldn't help but freeze when he felt Eugene's other hand on his back.

The man was looking at him critically, like he was searching for something. Varian didn't dare to breathe. This was it. He was going to be found out. He was going to be locked up and sent right back to Corona.

Finally Eugene's gaze softened and there seemed to be a look of concern in his eyes. "You hungry, kid?"

Varian was so thrown off that he couldn't come up with an intelligent response. All he could manage was, "Huh?"

"Food." Eugene grinned. "We were just about to stop to eat. You and Adira are more than welcome to join us."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, Fitzherbert." Cassandra glared at the two of them. "Who gave you the right to speak for the group?" She pointed harshly at Varian, who drew back behind Eugene, who stepped subtly in front of him, shielding him from Cassandra. "We don't even know who the kid is."

"He's my ward." Adira said. She came up to Varian and carefully looked over him. "Are you okay?" Varian knew that she wasn't just talking about his physical well-being either. She looked concerned and more than a little guilty. He was putting himself through this for her, and she would blame herself if he got too overwhelmed.

"I…'m fine." Varian said quietly, barely audibly. Ruddiger climbed onto his shoulders and gave him a nuzzle. Varian smiled and pet Ruddiger's ears, glad for the comfort. Adira didn't look completely convinced. Varian took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "I'm fine, really."

"If you're sure." Adira said. She looked back towards the others in the group. Cassandra was glaring at them both with mistrust. Rapunzel looked confused and concerned. Eugene gave Varian an encouraging smile, though there was a sad look in his eyes. "I trust there will be no more issues?"

Cassandra looked like she wanted to say something, but Rapunzel beat her to it. "Of course not." The princess said. "You're both welcome to join us. The more the merrier." Rapunzel gave Cassandra a pleading look. The lady-in-waiting rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, clearly unhappy, but she nodded.

"I'll behave as long as they do." Cassandra said begrudgingly.

"Great!" Rapunzel said cheerfully. "We're happy to have you, Adira. And...uh…" She gave Varian a pointed look, obviously expecting him to introduce himself. Varian crossed his arms and kept his mouth shut. There was no way he was giving her his name, and he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of providing an alias either. He would much rather remain silent.

"I call him Moonbeam." Adira said. Eugene snorted, but quickly smothered his laugh. Varian wasn't insulted. He also thought that Adira's nicknames were amusing.

"Moonbeam it is." Rapunzel grinned. "My name is Rapunzel, and that's Cassandra and Eugene." Varian nodded. He already knew that, but he wasn't about to say as much. He knew better than that.

"So, kid, we were just talking about what to make for lunch." Eugene said, ignoring Rapunzel's questioning look and Cassandra's glare. They'd obviously been talking about no such thing. "Got any suggestions? A favorite food, maybe?"

Varian narrowed his eyes at Eugene. The man was up to something, that much was clear. He just didn't know what.

"He likes ham sandwiches." Adira said. Varian turned his glare to his aunt, frustrated with her betrayal.

"Ham sandwiches!" Eugene grinned broadly. It somewhat resembled Rapunzel's forced excited look. "You know, I haven't had one of those in forever. That sounds like a great idea." Eugene's smile became softer, more sincere. "You wanna help us prepare them, kid?"

Varian gave a slight head shake. He liked making ham sandwiches, it was something that he thought was fun, but he hadn't done it since the day he and his dad had gone to the capital for some help with the black rocks. The day that his dad had lied to the king. The day that everything went wrong.

Varian didn't want any reminders of that day. He had enough on his plate right now, he didn't think he would be able to handle any more.

Adira put a hand on his shoulder, centering him. "Moonbeam needs some rest. He's recovering from a really bad sickness."

"Oh, well, you're more than welcome to use our caravan." Rapunzel smiled at Varian, who barely kept himself from growling back at her. "There's not a lot of room, but it's not so bad once you get used to it."

Adira nodded her appreciation and led Varian towards the caravan. There were some men that Varian didn't recognize lingering around it, but with one look from Adira the bald man was pushing the others out of the caravan. Adira opened the door for him, and Varian was only too happy to retreat inside. He'd only been around Rapunzel and her friends for a few short minutes and he already wanted nothing more than to escape from them.

"Well, it hasn't been an ideal start, but all things considered I think it went pretty well." Adira said when the door was closed and they were alone. Varian groaned and sank down on the closest bed.

"If this is your idea of things going pretty well, I'd hate to see what you would consider things going wrong." Varian said. His heart was thumping, and he felt the strong need to either hit something or run away and never talk to another person ever again. Maybe both.

"Well, nobody recognized you." Adira said. "Short hair is suspicious, but I believe she's always like that. I'd admire her caution if she wasn't so stubborn and unwilling to change her initial thoughts about a person. She's almost worse than Hector in that way."

Varian chuckled as he lowered his face covering. It was oddly reassuring to hear other people say these things about Cassandra. At least Varian knew that she wasn't just that way towards him.

"I thought that Eugene might have recognized me." Varian said. "But then he started acting nicer than Rapunzel, and he wouldn't do that if he knew who I was."

"I'll be keeping an eye on Fishskin." Adira said. Varian snorted at her nickname for Eugene. Adira brushed Varian's bangs out of his face, though the braids just fell right back into place. "Relax, calm down, and I'll be back to check on you soon. And I'll do better at keeping them away from you."

Varian nodded, though he was careful to not get his hopes up too high. Adira was just one person. She was an extremely capable warrior, but even she couldn't be two places at once. Varian knew that this wouldn't be the last time that Rapunzel or Eugene would be able to get close to him because Adira was distracted by Cassandra.

Varian hoped that as he got used to being here he would be able to relax at least a little bit around the princess. He didn't think he'd ever be on friendly terms with her again, but he didn't want to have a panic attack any time he saw someone with long blond hair.

Adira left the caravan, closing the door behind her, and Varian was alone, save for Ruddiger. Varian was tired and he kinda wanted to take a nap, but he didn't feel safe enough to let his guard down that much. He would sleep tonight when he was back at Adira's side. For now there were other things he could do.

Varrian looked around the caravan, which was actually quite large. Varian had seen caravans that belonged to people who actually lived in them all the time that were smaller and less cluttered than this one. Varian wasn't surprised that a princess might see this roomy caravan and think that it was crowded, but he still couldn't help but be just a little bit disgusted. Rapunzel hadn't even known that she was a princess for the majority of her life and yet she already thought that anything less than far too much was not enough.

Varian rolled his eyes at all of the nicknacks and useless trinkets that he saw. He didn't think there was anything wrong with having items that served no other purpose than holding sentimental value, but there was a time and place for everything. As much room as there was in this caravan it was still much smaller than most houses, and one should use its space up well.

Varian really didn't think that three different swords hanging on the wall were completely necessary. The furnace was just a fire hazard, and the full size painting easel was just silly. They were travelling on a bumpy road. Painting would just be difficult and overly frustrating in these conditions. It would be better to stick with a basic sketchbook...like that one.

Intrigued, Varian picked up the sketchbook. Before he even opened it he recognized Rapunzel's style. Maybe it was rude to look through someone else's sketchbook without permission, but he honestly couldn't care less about respecting Rapunzel's boundaries when he doubted she would return the gesture.

Varian unashamedly opened up the sketchbook and started flipping casually through the pages. Rapunzel was a decent artist, that was clear. Varian quickly noticed that there were written comments in the sketchbook, making it more like an illustrated journal. Varian couldn't care less about the comments. He didn't give them a second glance.

Varian was just going through it casually but he froze when he saw a drawing of him. The date on it was one that Varian knew all too well. It was the day after the blizzard. Varian seethed when he saw the drawing, and growled to himself when he saw the comment next to it. It was uncomfortable to see a drawing of him looking so sad and desperate, a visual representation of the worst day of his life. Worse than the drawing though was the writing to the side. Rapunzel said that she regretted not being able to help Varian, and that she hoped he was okay.

Varian had thought that he couldn't get more frustrated with Rapunzel, but here he was. Not only did she lie to others about how she felt, but she wasn't above lying to herself either. If she had really wanted to help him she could have found a way to do it, but she hadn't. She'd pushed him aside, she hadn't even bothered checking up on him afterwards, and yet she was claiming that she hoped that he was okay.

If she'd really cared she would have helped him, but she hadn't, so she clearly didn't.

Furious, Varian quickly turned the page, not caring at all when he ripped the page a little bit. He growled to himself when the next page was about the day of the blizzard as well, and the page after that. Finally Varian was able to find a sketch that had nothing to do with the blizzard. He took a deep breath and, with shaking hands, slowly started turning through the pages again, only to pause when he saw another drawing of him, though it took him a long moment to recognize himself.

The drawing showed him with dark, sunken eyes. He didn't look angry, exactly, but resentful of everything and everybody. Varian was a little unnerved when he saw the picture. Was that really how he had looked when he'd been spiraling out of control? This drawing looked unstable. Varian was still mad and terrified that they'd seen him as a big enough threat that they would lock him in the dungeon, but seeing this picture he could somewhat understand why they thought it was necessary.

Varian still didn't like it, but locking him up definitely wasn't the most confusing decision King Frederic had made.

Looking at the drawing, seeing the way that Rapunzel saw him, it was distressing and brought up feelings that Varian couldn't identify and didn't want to think about. He started to close the sketchbook journal, but then he laid eyes on the date at the top of the page.

Varian felt his breath get caught in his throat. This picture had been drawn before Varian had kidnapped the queen. Before he'd even stolen the flower. Varian hadn't even done anything criminal at that time.

Varian dropped the sketchbook like it burned him, but he couldn't stop staring at it. Why? Why had Rapunzel drawn him like that? Did she...did she believe the lies about him attacking her? She'd told Varian that she didn't, that she hadn't even known that people were saying that, but had that been a lie too? Just how much had this princess been hiding from him? Had she known about the black rocks, just like his dad and the king?

Varian took a step back and wrapped his arms around himself to try to keep them from shaking. He felt like he was going to be sick. At the time that Rapunzel had drawn this picture, Varian had been on the fence about her. He'd wanted to be her friend, but he had known better than to trust her blindly. Meanwhile, Rapunzel had apparently already seen him as a bad guy, and why? Because he'd dared to ask her for help? Help that she had previously promised to give to him.

Varian bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut tight to try to keep any stray tears from falling. It wasn't fair. What had he done wrong to make her doubt and hate him? How could he have been so blind to have thought that they had ever been friends? She was the princess, and he was just a poor alchemist boy who was in way over his head.

Varian felt a dark pit of hurt in his stomach, and he hated it. He hated Rapunzel. He didn't want to be her friend. So why did it hurt so much to know that it had been a lie from the very start? Hurt, angry, and desperate to make these feelings go away, Varian let out a raw scream and kicked the book as hard as he could. It did nothing to make him feel better, which just made him more frustrated. He just wanted all of this to stop.

"Hey, kid?" The door was slowly opened. It was Eugene. Why did he have to be here? Varian staggered and quickly covered his face. They couldn't see his face. Who knew what would happen if he did? "Moonbeam, are you alright in here? I heard a scream." Footsteps came closer, and Varian panicked. He made a sound that was a cross between a yelp and a shriek and stumbled back, trying to put some distance between them. Varian flinched when his back hit the wall. He couldn't back up anymore, and his legs chose that moment to buckle, sending Varian to the ground.

He couldn't leave, he couldn't move, and the threat was only coming closer. Varian whimpered and drew his legs close to his chest to try to make himself as small as he possibly could. The footsteps stopped.

"Hey, are you okay?" Eugene asked quietly. Varian lowered his hands enough to see Eugene kneeling in front of him, concern in his eyes. Varian swallowed thickly and nodded, before stopping and shaking his head. "Yeah, I thought so. Do you want to talk about it?" Varian quickly shook his head before Eugene even finished asking the question.

"Okay, that's fine." Eugene said. He was quiet for a moment. "Do you want me to get Adira?"

Varian considered it for a second. He would feel safer around his aunt, but he didn't want to rely so heavily on her. Besides, being around Adira would mean being around Rapunzel again, and he really didn't think he'd be able to handle that. Eventually Varian shook his head.

"...Wanna be alone." Varian said quietly

"Alright, I can respect that." Eugene said. "I can bring you some food, so you don't have to join us for lunch if you're not feeling up to it."

Varian frowned slightly, confused. "Why would you do that?" Varian asked. As far as Eugene was confused he was a complete stranger, but he was going out of his way to help Varian to feel comfortable? Varian was confused to see that kind of behavior from Aunt Adira. Seeing it from Eugene was even more confusing.

"Because I know how it feels to think that you can't trust anybody." Eugene said. "I want to give you the chance to warm up to us, but I know that's not going to happen if you're forced out of your comfort zone."

Varian didn't think he would ever feel fully comfortable about Rapunzel and her friends again, but he appreciated the effort.

Eugene frowned, a sad look in his eyes. "I also know how it feels to be a starving kid." He gave Varian's thin wrists a meaningful look. Varian's face went red and he did his best to hide his wrists, while still keeping his face covered with his hands. He'd always had bony arms, so he hadn't noticed how much smaller they were now. It made him wish that he was wearing his gloves.

Eugene settled in front of Varian. "Does Adira know? Do you trust her?"

Varian nodded. "She's helping me." He was quiet for a moment. He was reluctant to trust Eugene, but the man seemed genuinely concerned, and because of his past he might be able to answer a question that neither Adira nor Hector could properly answer with more than false hope.

"Does it actually get better?" Varian asked quietly. "I've been doing better, I know I have, but I don't feel like I have." Varian glanced down at his chest.. Even though it was hidden under Adira's tunic, Varian still felt like he could see all of his ribs sticking out. "I don't feel like my body's filling out better either."

Eugene sighed. "This kind of thing takes time, and consistency, which I knew isn't really possible for everybody." He gave Varian a concerned look. "Adira said you were sick. How much of that do you think is because you caught a small bug and your body was too weak to fight it off, and how much of it was because you were starving?"

Varian frowned thoughtfully to himself. His time in the dungeon, and the months leading up to it, were a bit of a blur. Varian couldn't remember how the sickness had started, and why it got worse. However, Varian remembered a bit more about the recovery. He hadn't had an appetite while he was really sick. He hadn't been able to stomach eating until after he started to get better, but it wasn't until after he had started to eat more that he had really started to get his energy back.

"I think about half." Varian finally said. "It all happened at the same time."

Eugene looked alarmed. "How long were you sick for?"

Varian shrugged, trying to ignore the twist of panic in his stomach at the fact that he didn't actually know how long his sickness had lasted for. "On and off since the blizzard." Varian said without thinking. His eyes widened in alarm as he realized what he had just said.

"The blizzard?" Eugene frowned. "The one in Corona?" Eugene looked hopeful, and Varian felt like he was going to panic. "Are you Coronan?"

"My family's from the Dark Kingdom." Varian said quickly.

"Your family," Eugene nodded. "But not you?"

Varian could hit himself. He hadn't wanted Rapunzel or any of her friends to know anything about him, and yet he had gotten careless and practically told Eugene that he had been in Corona during the blizzard. He could scream in frustration and anxiety, and Ruddiger seemed to know how upset he was. The raccoon climbed onto his shoulders and curled up against him, nudging and nuzzling him comfortingly.

Varian took a deep breath. "I'm okay, buddy." He wasn't, but he would be eventually.

Eugene grimaced apologetically. "Sorry, kid. I guess interrogating you isn't exactly the best way to earn your trust." He stood up. "I'll find some food and bring you something." He gave Varian a reassuring smile before he left the Caravan, leaving Varian alone.

The boy sighed in relief and exhaustion. He felt completely drained. Perhaps he could give another thought to taking a nap. Maybe he'd have a little bit more control of his emotions if he wasn't so tired.

Varian crawled onto the closest bed, sinking into the covers. It was really comfortable. A far cry from the hard ground he'd been sleeping on lately. Varian looked at Ruddiger. "Will you keep an eye out for me? I don't trust the others."

Ruddiger nodded and sat on Varian's chest, staring intently and completely focused at the door. He was ready to attack at the smallest sign that he would need to, and Varian appreciated it. He closed his eyes and gave Ruddiger a small pet.

"Thanks, bud." Varian said tiredly. He trusted the raccoon to either wake him up or go get Adira if there was any trouble. Ruddiger had already shown that he would do anything to keep Varian safe. He trusted him. Varian still felt far from safe, but he was exhausted enough that he could at least try to get some rest despite it.

Varian just hoped that the disaster that was today wasn't a sign of how terrible things could go. Hopefully things will only go up from here.

Chapter Text

Adira was a confident person by nature. It was one of her greatest strengths, as well as one of her biggest flaws. On the one hand, Adira rarely doubted her own skills. She couldn't remember a time when she had doubted how amazing she was. Her lack of doubts allowed her to decide to do things that would scare off most people, which just gave her more experience and skills and increased her confidence even more.

On the other hand, Adira's confidence easily became pride, or could come off as arrogance. It had been the reason behind many of her fights with Hector, and even Quirin and Edmund once or twice. However, Adira wasn't so proud to think that she was infallible. She made mistakes, and as soon as she realized she did she apologized and tried to move on and not think about it. Lingering on the past led to doubts, and doubts led to making more mistakes. It was a cycle that Adira would rather not get caught in the middle of.

One thing that Adira was incredibly unfamiliar with though was uncertainty. As far as she was concerned, she was either strong enough to do something, or she wasn't. Adira very rarely dabbled in the middle ground of not knowing, and she didn't really like it very much. In some ways, uncertainty was even worse than complete doubt. At least with doubt Adira could know just how she could improve. With uncertainty she just didn't know anything. She felt more lost than the first time she had traversed the Forest of No Return.

Adira was feeling such uncertainty now. She had no idea whether she had made the right decision or not with bringing Varian to the Sundrop and her friends. She knew that it was the only real choice she'd had at the time. Adira needed to see to it that Hector didn't hurt the Sundrop and stop her from fulfilling her destiny, and travelling with the princess was the only way to ensure that.

And in some ways travelling with people closer to his age was good for Varian. Adira frequently saw Fishskin and Earring talking to the boy, and the boy seemed fairly content in their presence. He was far from happy, but it was nice to see him calm for once. When Varian was talking to the young men, Adira could almost convince herself that the boy wasn't traumatized and ill. She could pretend, if just for a few minutes, that Varian was just a normal boy.

Better than that though was that Adira noticed that her nephew was slowly becoming more comfortable in his own skin, and she knew that it had something to do with Fishskin and Earring. They were a good influence on the boy, and Adira couldn't bring herself to regret any decision she had made that led to this.

At the same time, Adira saw many reasons why it might have been the wrong decision. Varian was a lot more anxious than Adira thought he would be. If it was just the anxiety Adira could walk him through it, but Varian had the tendency to lash out when he was scared. He was a lot like Hector in that way.

Adira would know how to handle this kind of behavior if it weren't for Short hair. That woman hadn't trusted Varian the moment she'd laid eyes on him, and after he had panicked and knocked the princess' hand away Short hair had been doing her best to watch him like a hawk. Adira tried to protect Varian from her gaze, but this just made Cassandra more suspicious of both of them.

The more cautious Cassandra was about Varian, the more anxious the boy was around her. They'd been travelling with the princess and her friends for about four days, and Adira could count on one hand the number of times she'd seen the boy truly relaxed.

Adira had hoped that Varian would calm down as he got used to the way that things were, but if anything the opposite happened. With every passing day Varian became more and more reluctant to seek out personal space when he got overwhelmed. By the time the evening of the fourth day had rolled around it had been twenty-four hours since Varian had said a word about having a moment of privacy, and Adira decided to take matters into her own hands. The boy was far too on edge for his own good, and Adira couldn't in good consciousness let this continue on.

Adira waited until Short hair and the princess retreated into the caravan to get ready for bed before she went to talk to Varian. The last thing she wanted was for Cassandra to see them talking and confront them. Varian would be nervous enough during this conversation, he didn't need the additional anxieties from Short hair's accusations.

Varian was sitting near, but not right next to, Fishskin. He was close enough that they could comfortably talk, but far enough away that he wasn't in arm's reach. Varian was still suspicious of the others, and if Adira was honest with herself she was as well, to a certain extent.

Adira recognized the look in Varian's eyes. He was uncomfortable, but trying to pretend that he wasn't. Varian was quiet and barely said a word to Fishskin, only speaking when he was asked a direct question. It was reminding Adira far too much of how Varian had been when he'd been at his most uncomfortable around her and Hector. The boy was letting himself get lost in his own mind, and it was causing him to spiral.

"Moonbeam," Adira looked at the boy. "Can I have a word with you?" It was phrased as a question, but it really wasn't. When Varian gave Adira a cautious look she knew that he recognized that the request was more of an order

Varian sighed and got to his feet. Ruddiger, who was curled up at Fishskin's feet, jumped up and followed Varian. The little animal was one of the most loyal creatures Adira had ever met, and that was saying something, considering all of Hector's animal companions.

Varian followed Adira away from the caravan until they were just out of earshot, but still in eyesight of the others. Varian bent down and picked up Ruddiger. He held him close to his chest. He didn't even know what Adira wanted to say, and he was already cautious.

"Why haven't you been taking the breaks you clearly need?" Adira asked, getting right to the point. "I told you we wouldn't be compromising that."

"I know, I know, I just...I don't know." Varian slowly pet Ruddiger's fur. The raccoon snuggled close to his chest. "Cassandra kinda hates me right now. Everything I do is wrong in her eyes, and I don't want to do anything to make her even more suspicious."

"Why do you care about what she thinks?" Adira asked. Most of Varian's face was covered by Adira's scarf, but she could still see a red tint creeping up his cheeks. He looked equal parts furious and embarrassed. He glanced to the side.

"It's just some lingering stuff." Varian muttered. "I'm disillusioned about her, but I used to really like her, and that stupid feeling is stubbornly not going away."

Ah, feelings. They weren't quite Adira's forte.

"Your wellbeing is more important than whatever Short hair might think of you." Adira said sternly. "If you need a break, you need to take one."

"But I'm fine." Varian insisted. Adira raised an eyebrow at him. "Really! I can do this, I just need to...I need to stop freaking out about every little thing."

"Varian, you taking a step back and calmly dealing with your thoughts before they spiral out of control is what's keeping you from freaking out." Adira pointed out.

Varian grew tense. "But I don't want to do it anymore."

Adira frowned. "I'm not going to force you to do anything. You're the one who wanted space in the first place. What changed?"

Varian flinched slightly, though Adira hadn't meant to be accusatory. She was just trying to understand how Varian was feeling so she could best know how to help him.

Varian glanced towards the caravan, though he quickly ducked his head and looked away when he saw Fishskin watching them curiously. "It's hard." Varian said quietly. "I've been so mad at them for so long, and now it's just so confusing. Eugene's being really nice to me. Rapunzel's trying to be my friend." Varian grimaced and tightened his grip on Ruddiger. "And seeing Cassie is just making me feel all kinds of things that I would rather forget about."

"Why are you so afraid of giving them a second chance?" Adira asked. "And what does your mistrust have to do with giving yourself the space you need?" She couldn't understand how they were connected.

Varian narrowed his eyes. "None of them even gave me a real first chance. Why should I make myself vulnerable to them hurting me again?"

"You don't know that they will." Adira said.

"Yeah, I do." Varian said coldly. His gaze was hard, though there was a shadow of pain in his eyes. "When we first got here I saw something. Proof that they never trusted me. Rapunzel has seen me as a bad guy before I even did anything wrong." Varian was trying to sound angry, but his voice broke, showing just how vulnerable he was feeling. He was in a lot of pain.

"Now every time I try to take a break, I start thinking about it." Varian nuzzled his face against Ruddiger's fur. "My mind jumps from thinking about everything they've ever done to me, to thinking about everything that made me think we were friends in the first place."

Varian swallowed thickly and tears were starting to gather in his eyes. "I think about how Eugene never trusted me from the moment he laid eyes on me, but I also think of the way that he's trying to help me now, even though he knows nothing about me. I think about the way that Cassie used me to help her get what she wanted, and the way that she glares at me now like I'm no better than the dirt under her boot, but I also remember the times she's saved my life."

Varian took a deep breath. "And Rapunzel...she abandoned me. She acted like she cared, only to turn around and stab me in the back with a smile on her face. A warm, comforting smile that makes me feel like everything's going to be okay, even though I know that it's not." Varian shuddered. "I don't want to be her friend, but at the same time I want it more than anything in the world. More than…" Varian choked on his words as he let out a short sob. "...More than I want to save my dad."

Varian hunched in on himself so much that he was nearly in a standing fetal position. "I feel drawn to her, and I don't know why. I don't understand any of this, and it hurts." Varian whimpered. "It hurts so much, and I just want it to stop."

Adira was quiet. She'd had no idea that Varian was suffering like this, and she should have. She should have talked about this earlier. She could have helped walk him through meditations again, save him from spiraling in a way that did more harm than good. Varian's private moments were supposed to help him, but he was in such a bad state of mind that it was just making things worse, and Adira should have recognized it before.

And now Adira's uncertainty about whether joining Rapunzel and her friends was the right thing to do or not was gone, replaced with doubt. Varian was clearly not doing well with their presence. They were reminding him of things that he just wasn't ready to think about, and forcing him to face them head-on was proving to be detrimental to his recovery.

Adira was more than a little concerned about Varian's view of Rapunzel. His words about her being a bright light that he was drawn to sounded very familiar. Everybody seemed to think that the Sundrop lit up any room that she walked into, including Adira. She sometimes wondered whether this was just a part of the princess' personality, or if this was part of the magic of the sundrop.

Varian, though, wasn't comforted by her light, but hurt by it. Rapunzel's warmth and brightness was too much for Varian and it was burning him, sending him into the shadows of his own mind. Adira hadn't really given much consideration to Hector's theory about Varian being influenced by the moonstone, but now she was having second thoughts.

If Rapunzel's light was because of the sundrop, and Varian had some of the moonstone's power, then it would make sense that he was both drawn to and repulsed by her. The moonstone was the sundrop's opposite, its reflection. They belonged together, but at the same time they were also meant to be separated from each other. Light and dark existed in tandem, but they couldn't exactly mix with each other. They either had to be in perfect balance, or one of them would start to swallow up the other.

Adira didn't know if Varian hosted the moonstone's power, but if he did then maybe being around Rapunzel wasn't the right thing for him. Adira knew for a fact that the moonstone itself was still in the Dark Kingdom, and it still had powers. If Varian was a part of the moonstone, it was only a small piece of it. Adira believed that the sundrop and moonstone could balance each other out, but not now. Not like this. If Varian had powers, they were far weaker than Rapunzel's, who was the sundrop herself. Varian's small light would only end up being swallowed up by Rapunzel's overwhelming brightness. Being around the sundrop could very well destroy Varian if this went on for long enough.

Adira knew that there was no proof that Varian had a piece of the moonstone, or that the potential piece was too weak to withstand the power of the sundrop, but she didn't need to be completely sure. Even the smallest possibility that Varian was in danger was too much for Adira, especially when there was little she could do to protect him. She could keep him safe from Short hair's ire, but how was she supposed to protect him from his own thoughts?

Adira knelt so she was much closer to Varian's level. He reluctantly met her gaze. "Tell me how I can help you." Adira said quietly. "What do you need?" She'd tried to encourage him to take time for himself, because at the time that was the best way to cope with things. Now that wasn't the case, and they had to find a new way for him to deal with things that overwhelmed him. And they had to do it soon, because Adira was worried that if Varian's thoughts went too far then he would be so desperate to make it stop that he did something that he would end up regretting.

Varian shifted uncomfortably. "I...I don't know." The boy set Ruddiger on his shoulders and wrapped his arms around around himself. "I just...I don't know if I can be around these guys anymore." Varian squeezed his eyes shut tight. "I'm not strong enough."

"You are plenty strong." Adira said sternly.

"But I want to run away." Varian said. "You said that facing my fears made me strong, but I can't face them."

Adira felt a pang in her chest. She hated it when somebody took her words and twisted them around to mean something that she hadn't intended at all. She couldn't blame Varian though. She understood why he had taken that leap in logic.

"It also takes strength to recognize your limits." Adira said. "Have you ever heard of a tactical retreat?"

Varian nodded. "But it's not the same thing?"

"How so?" Adira raised an eyebrow at the boy. "It all comes down to leaving so you can fight another day." Not that Adira wanted Varian to actually fight the sundrop or her friends, but it was the concept of the matter that was important. Varian wasn't in a good mental state to tackle his fears, so he needed to take a step back, gather himself, and come back to it with a clear head.

"B-but I can't leave." Varian said desperately, though there was a look of hope in his eyes. "You said we have to stay with Rapunzel."

"That was the simplest solution, but not the only one." Adira said. "If we need to, we can borrow a horse from the sundrop and ride ahead. We should be able to beat them to the Great Tree by a day or two. I'll be there to distract Hector so the sundrop can get through, just like I planned, and you don't have to see the princess at all. There are plenty of places in the tree for you to hide until they've passed through."

Varian looked dubious, but hopeful. "You'd do that for me?"

"I said I would keep you safe," Adira reminded him. "And that means not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. So, do you want to leave here and meet up with Hector ahead?"

Varian sniffled slightly as his tears finally started to fall. There was a look of relief in his eyes. He nodded. "Yeah." Varian said quietly before he continued with more conviction. "Yeah, I want Uncle Hector."

Adira gave Varian a small smile and got to her feet. "Then I'll make that happen for you." She started to make her way back towards the caravan, but before she had made more than a few steps Varian suddenly lurched towards her in a motion very similar to Hector. Varian wrapped his hands tightly around Adira in an embrace. She froze, stiff and uncomfortable at the unexpected contact, before she got over the shock.

The tension slowly eased out of Adira's shoulders. She put her arms around Varian, hugging him back. He felt so small and fragile in her grip. This boy needed to be protected, and Adira was determined to do everything in her power to be able to provide that protection.

"Thank you, Aunt Adira." Varian's voice cracked. "I'm sorry for being such a burden all the time."

"Nonsense." Adira said. "Despite what you and Hector seem to think, caring about somebody and taking care of them isn't a weakness, or a burden, or anything else like that." Adira tightened her grip on Varian, letting him duck his head against her chest. "It's an honor to be able to protect someone that I care about."

Varian let out a watery chuckle. He held onto Adira for a long moment before he finally let go and took a step back. Adira put a hand on his shoulder, to show him that she wasn't upset with him for invading her personal bubble without permission. She always preferred it when people asked first before touching her, but in extreme circumstances she could look past it. Considering she'd never talked to Varian about her dislike of physical touch, she could certainly forgive him this time.

"Do you want to join me to talk to the sundrop about borrowing a horse?" Adira asked. She knew that her nephew would feel most comfortable at her side, but he was also most anxious around Rapunzel and Cassandra. Being near the young women, even with Adira right there to help him, might be overwhelming for the boy.

Varian thought about it for a minute before he shook his head. "I'll stay with Eugene and Lance." Adira nodded in understanding and led Varian back to the caravan. Earring had joined Fishskin, and they both looked concerned when they saw Varian.

"Hey, kid," Fishskin said quietly, sounding like he was talking to a scared small child, or an animal. Adira knew that tone well. Quirin used to use that tone with Hector all the time when they were young. "How're you doing?"

"I've been better." Varian wiped away his remaining tears.

"Well, I don't know about you, but when I'm having a bad day what always cheers me up is some good food." Earring said. "It's hard to be upset on a full stomach."

Adira gave Earring an appreciative look. He and Fishskin had many, many flaws, but they were observant and concerned enough to recognize that Varian was far too small for his age, and they were helping him try to get past that. Adira was grateful for it.

Varian relaxed ever so slightly. They may have only had dinner a short time ago, but if the boy wanted to eat Adira was all for encouraging that. He needed to get some meat back on his bones, and that wasn't going to happen if he constantly monitored when he ate.

"I'm going to go have a word with the princess." Adira said. "I'll be back sooner." She gave Fishskin and Earring a stern look, silently warning them to keep an eye on her nephew. Fishskin chuckled nervously, but Earring just gave Adira a smile that he probably thought was charming.

Adira went to the caravan. If she was in a polite mood she might knock on the door, just to alert them or her presence, before letting herself in. She was far from patient right now though, so Adira just opened the door.

The sundrop was lounging on her bed, sketching in that journal of hers. She was talking casually with Short hair, who was sharpening her sword. They quickly noticed her, and they both reacted immediately. Rapunzel brightened and set aside her journal. Her lady-in-waiting, on the other hand, scowled and pointed her sword at Adira.

"What do you want?" Cassandra demanded.

"I wanted to ask a favor." Adira said. She tried to keep her tone as non-confrontational as she could. "Moonbeam isn't doing well in this environment, and I think it would be best for everybody if I take him ahead to the Great Tree."

Short hair set her sword aside and crossed her arms. "First you insist on coming with us, and then you want to leave without a word?"

"I am giving you a word." Adira frowned. She didn't understand Short hair's irritation. The younger woman didn't want her there in the first place, but when Adira expressed plans for leaving she still got annoyed? Was there any winning with this girl?

There was a hint of disappointment in the princess' eyes, but her expression was mostly concerned. "Is he okay?"

"No." Adira said bluntly. Varian was far from okay.

"What's his problem?" Cassandra asked, almost challengingly. Adira narrowed her eyes at her. She'd never heard someone sound so confrontational when they were told that a child wasn't doing well. Adira could understand why Varian was a little afraid of Cassandra.

"That's none of your concern." Adira said shortly. "Now, I have something to ask of the princess. You're free to join us, but if you can't keep yourself from questioning and attacking every word that comes out of my mouth, then I must ask you to leave." Adira expected that Short hair would be resistant to her borrowing one of their horses, even though their stallion should be strong enough to pull the cart the short distance to the Great Tree. Short hair could easily convince Rapunzel to not even consider her request.

Cassandra seethed and got to her feet. Rapunzel quickly put a soothing hand on her arm. "Cass, why don't you make sure that Max and Fidella are settled for the night while I hear Adira out?"

Cassandra gave Rapunzel a challenging look, but the princess didn't back down. Finally the lady-in-waiting sighed. "Fine." She gave Adira one last warning look before she stormed off outside.

"So," Rapunzel sat up and adjusted her dress. "How can I help?"

Adira opened her mouth to answer, but then she heard Cassandra's furious shout from outside. Adira didn't hesitate before making her way back towards the door.

"Adira, wait," Rapunzel said calmly. "I'm sure nothing's wrong. Cass just kinda yells at Eugene sometimes. It's fine."

Considering Varian, who was terrified of Short hair, was right next to Fishskin, it certainly wasn't fine. Cassandra was irritated with Adira, and she might just take it out on Varian. It had been a mistake to ask her to leave the caravan. Adira hadn't been thinking, and she was regretting it now.

Adira ignored Rapunzel's reasoning. She threw the door open just in time to see Cassandra throw a bucket of water at the fire. She drenched Earring, who was starting to heat up a small snack over the fire. The food was ruined, but what Adira was most concerned about was that a good amount of water hit Varian, and Adira had never seen him look so terrified, even when Short hair had been threatening him directly.

Adira reacted instinctively. She grabbed Cassandra's arm and wrenched her back so harshly that she might have twisted or dislocated something, but she didn't really care. Adira had someone else to be concerned about. She tossed her back towards the Caravan, as far away from Varian as she could get right now.

Adira approached her nephew, who was sitting on the ground, his eyes wide and blank. He didn't glance at her at all, and Adira imagined that he was currently seeing something that wasn't truly there. Varian even seemed to be oblivious of Ruddiger at his side. The poor raccoon was panicking, chattering frantically.

"Moonbeam," Adira knelt in front of the boy, who still wasn't really looking at her. "Moonbeam!" There was no response. Adira was starting to get truly worried. Something was seriously wrong.

Adira reached out and touched Varian's arm, and he let out a scream like he was being tortured.

"No!" Varian flinched back and curled in on himself. He put his arms protectively over his head. "P-please, no. I'm sorry, I'll be good. I'm sorry, I'll be good." Varian started repeating these five words over and over again, like they were a mantra. He seemed to be terrified that somebody was going to hurt him. Adira was terrified for her nephew, and furious at whoever had done this to him.

Adira recognized this kind of behavior. When Hector had first joined the brotherhood he'd been incredibly similar. Hector had frequent moments where he was convinced that he was somewhere that he wasn't, in danger when he couldn't be more safe. The smallest thing could set Hector off. He could be fine one moment, and panicking the next. It had been difficult for Adira to see her brother go through it, but it almost hurt more to see the same thing from Varian.

He was just so young. Sure, Hector had been about the same age when he'd been going through the worst of this, but Adira had been young as well, too young and proud to recognize that they were, in fact, still children. Now that Adira was older she had a better appreciation of just how young Varian was.

Adira wished that Hector was still here. He would have a better idea of how to help the boy. Adira could do nothing but sit there numbly, feeling more useless than she had felt in a long time.

After far too many long moments of inaction Adira heard a low, familiar growl. There was rustling in the bushes, and suddenly an angry bearcat came bounding out of the bushes. Adira had never been so relieved to see one of Hector's vicious beasts.

The bearcat pounced gently on top of Varian, pinning him down to keep him from hurting himself, but also shielding him from anybody that might want to do him harm. The bearcat growled at anybody who came too close.

"Get off of him!" Rapunzel took her hair out of its braid. Her eyes were fierce and protective, and she looked ready for a fight. A very small part of Adira was glad that the princess was willing to fight for her nephew's sake, even if she didn't know who the boy was. A much larger part of her didn't want to see a fight happen at all. Not when they would all be fighting for the same thing.

"Don't attack." Adira glared at Short hair and Fishskin, who looked as ready for a fight as Rapunzel was. "This animal belongs to a friend of mine. It's here to protect him."

Fishskin paused, but Short hair wasn't convinced, which just annoyed Adira. That woman's actions were the reason behind Varian's sudden panic, and now she was acting like she wanted to protect him. She had no right.

"Stand down." Adira repeated more sternly. She looked at Rapunzel, who still looked scared and unconvinced that the bearcat wasn't a threat, but the sundrop slowly nodded, showing her trust. That was all Adira needed. The princess would be able to keep Short hair from attacking, at least for a bit.

Adira looked at the bearcat, who stared right back at her. After a long moment the bearcat whined and crawled off of Varian, curling up behind him instead. The bearcat was still in a protective position, but it allowed Adira to approach Varian again.

The boy was blinking rapidly, staring at the bearcat in shock. He seemed to not understand what he was seeing. After a long minute Varian lowered one of his arms and began to pet the bearcat's fur. His eyes slowly became clearer.

"U-uncle Hector." Varian muttered. The bearcat's ears perked and it looked at Varian curiously. "Y-you're his. He sent you for me." The bearcat nodded. Varian let out a short, relieved breath. He leaned closer to the bearcat.

Now that Varian was calmer, Ruddiger relaxed. He nuzzled against the boy and began to lick his face, possibly to try to get him to calm down, or possibly to dry him off.

Varian was still for a long moment before he finally lifted his head and looked at Adira. "A-aunt Adira."

"What happened?" She asked. She didn't even think about asking if he was okay, because it was clear that he wasn't.

Varian looked at his wet clothes. "Water...guards…" He whimpered and buried his face in the bearcat's fur. "Danger."

Adira seethed. She'd expected something like this, but that didn't make it any easier to hear. Somebody had hurt this boy, and done it often enough that he began to associate water with pain. It was no wonder Varian was afraid of being wet.

"Moonbeam?" Rapunzel took a step towards them. Varian flinched and whined. He burrowed closer to the bearcat, who growled threateningly at the princess. The Sundrop stopped.

"Don't talk to him." Adira said coldly.

"Don't speak to the princess like that." Cassandra glared at her.

"She's not my princess." Adira reminded her. She gave respect where it was due, and as far as she was concerned Cassandra certainly didn't earn it, and when it came to Varian Adira didn't trust the princess much either.

Adira took a deep breath. She clearly needed to get Varian away from the others. "Sundrop, I need to borrow one of your horses."

"What?!" Cassandra looked furious at the mere suggestion, but Adira paid her no mind.

"Why?" Rapunzel asked. She looked cautious, but still far more willing to listen than Short hair was.

"Because I need to get Moonbeam to the Great Tree." Adira said. "With a horse, I can make sure to get there before you, so I'll be there to help you deal with Hector when you arrive."

The Sundrop grimaced, looking apologetic. "We...I'm sorry, but I don't think we can afford to spare one of our horses." Rapunzel said. "Our caravan is heavy. I don't think one horse is strong enough to pull it."

"I don't know." Fishskin said in a forced casual tone, though he gave Varian a worried look. "Max could probably handle it."

"But Fidella couldn't." Rapunzel said. "If you take any horse, it would have to be her."

"Absolutely not." Short hair said. "Fidella is my horse, and I'm not letting a couple of weirdos just walk away with her." Adira glared at Cassandra, who returned the glare with ease. It was just their luck that the horse they needed belonged to the one person who was unwilling to let them use it. And Rapunzel cared too much about her friend to directly order her to do something that she didn't want to do.

They were without a horse, which meant there was no way for Adira and Varian to get to the Great Tree ahead of the others. Adira was getting discouraged, but then she took a look at Varian next to the bearcat. The beast was larger than Varian. Adira suspected that the bearcat would easily be able to carry Varian on his back. The animal was also fast and had great endurance. The bearcat would easily be able to get Varian to the Great Tree as quickly as a horse could, possibly even faster.

Adira couldn't ride on the bearcat the way that Varian could. She could move fairly quickly on her own, but she knew from experience that she couldn't quite keep up with the beast, especially over the course of several days. If Adira went with Varian, she'd be slowing them down, but she'd also be able to keep the boy safe.

She considered it carefully before Adira eventually made a difficult decision. She knelt in front of the bearcat and gave it a small pet. "I need you to get him back to the Great Tree. Back to Hector." Adira said. "Get him there as quickly and safely as possible."

The bearcat nodded and stood up. It nudged Varian, trying to encourage him to climb onto his back. Varian looked at Adira with wide eyes. "Aunt Adira?"

"I'll just be a few days behind you." Adira said. Her calm voice hid the turmoil she was feeling. "You'll be okay. The bearcat will keep you safe."

Varian looked scared, but there was a hint of relief in his eyes. He didn't want to be away from her, but more than that he didn't want to be near the princess and her friends. He climbed on top of the bearcat's back, with Ruddiger clambering on behind him.

Varian gave Adira a small smile and a wave, but that was all he had time for before the bearcat was bounding away. Adira watched them go until they were out of sight before she turned back to the others. Earring looked concerned. Fishskin and the Sundrop were sad. Short hair seemed conflicted, but Adira couldn't find the energy to try to figure out what about.

"It looks like you'll be able to enjoy my company for a few more days." Adira said. Rapunzel flinched.

"Adira," The princess ran her hands anxiously through her hair. "I'm sorry. I don't-"

"Don't worry about it." Adira said. She wasn't really in the mood for hearing empty apologies that had no real action behind them. As far as Adira was concerned, apologies meant nothing if they didn't come with a change in behavior. She would rather not receive an apology at all than get one that was just half-baked.

"Get some rest." Adira said. "I'll take first watch." She walked to the edge of the campsite and found a good spot to meditate at. She didn't really want to be near the others at the moment. She still had a duty to help the Sundrop, and she was still planning on following through with it, but at that moment Adira wanted to leave this particular duty behind her and take care of her family. They were the ones who truly needed help.

Adira took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind, but it was proving to be rather difficult. She couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened that evening, wondering how so much could have gone wrong. Things had spiraled out of control.

Adira wasn't in the habit of regretting things, but at that moment she wished that she hadn't seen the Sundrop and her caravan travelling on the road a few days ago. Maybe then none of this would have happened.

Chapter Text

Hector didn't like being around people, but when he found people that he liked he always ended up latching onto them. When they were younger, Quirin, in a rare teasing moment, had once said that Hector saw them as his pack. Adira had clung to that sentiment, and while they'd been in their training she would frequently remind him of it.

It got annoying sometimes, but Hector couldn't help but admit to himself that they were right, to a certain extent.

Hector definitely saw his rhino and bearcats as part of his pack. They understood each other, even though they didn't speak the same language. They had a bond that most people couldn't understand. However, Hector also had an incredibly similar relationship with Adira and Quirin. There were a lot of things they didn't understand about each other, and they definitely had their differences, but they still worked well together.

Even after so long of barely even talking to each other their relationship had barely changed. It was all too easy to jump back into how things were before they'd separated. And now that Varian was thrown into the mix he fit right in, like he'd always been there. Hector still struggled with his relationship with Adira sometimes, but even his bearcats fought with each other sometimes. When creatures were close to each other they knew just what buttons to push.

So Hector saw the Brotherhood, including Varian, as his pack, his clan, his family. He'd been in denial about this for a long time. He'd only been willing to acknowledge this potential weakness when he left them.

Hector should have been relieved to be back in the Great Tree, back to his sworn duty, but he wasn't. He felt on edge, anxious, and impatient for Adira and Varian to join him already. Hector had lived alone for so long, with only his animals for company, but after just a short time with his sister and their nephew he couldn't imagine going back to his solitude.

Hector spent most of his days patrolling the Great Tree. Not only did it help him to keep focused on the task at hand, to keep out intruders, but it also allowed him to keep an eye out for his family as well. He knew they would be arriving at some point, but he really had no idea when.

Adira was a fast traveller, even when just on foot, but Hector had no idea how quickly she could move when travelling with a kid who wasn't used to this kind of thing. Especially when that kid was recovering from a really bad sickness, and needed to travel at a slower pace for his own sanity. They could be here in a few weeks, or it could take them several months. Hector honestly didn't know.

Despite his lack of true knowledge on the matter, Hector still had enough of an estimated time range that he was more than a little shocked to see the bearcat that he had sent to join Adira and Varian running towards the Great Tree. It had barely been a week since Hector had sent it off in the first place.

Hector's confusion turned to relief when a second guess confirmed that Varian was on the bearcat's back. His nephew was here. They had made it. That relief was short-lived though. As they got closer Hector began to see just how exhausted Varian looked, and there was a distant look in his eyes that he really didn't like. Something was wrong.

Hector didn't hesitate to leave his lookout point. He hopped off the ledge that looked out over the path, landing just in front of the bearcat. It jerked to a stop, and Varian was barely able to keep his balance on it. The bearcat looked surprisingly happy to see him, or at least as happy as it ever looked.

Ruddiger screeched in alarm and clung anxiously to the bearcat's fur. Varian didn't look at all surprised to see him, which was actually a little concerning. Anybody in their right mind would be at least a little startled to see someone jump off a cliff ledge and land practically on top of them. Which meant that Varian must not be in his right mind right now.

"You doing okay there, kid?" Hector asked. Varian wordlessly climbed off the back of the bearcat. He stumbled a little bit, a sign that he'd probably been riding on the bearcat for too long and had to find his balance again. Varian didn't give himself even a moment to properly recover. He just staggered into Hector and leaned against him. Hector instinctively put his arms around Varian's shoulders. He held the boy protectively. He could feel Varian shaking.

"What's going on?" Hector asked. He looked around a bit and frowned when he didn't see Adira around. "Where's my sister?"

"She...she's not here." Varian said quietly. "I don't know where she is."

Hector's eyes widened. "Not here? She left you alone?" He'd asked his sister to do just one thing. He hadn't thought it was that complicated a request. Keep an eye on the kid, and get him safely to the Great Tree. Hector had trusted Adira with their nephew, and yet she had left him alone, and that wasn't okay.

Sure, he'd made it to the Great Tree safely, but Hector knew that it was thanks to his bearcat. Adira hadn't had anything to do with it.

Hector wanted to figure out just what had happened to the kid and where in the world is sister was, but he wouldn't do that out here. Hector was tense, Varian was terrified. Neither of them were in a good mindset for an interrogation. They needed to get into the safe confines of the tree.

"Come on," Hector said. "I think you'll like the Great Tree. There are so many mysteries around it. I've lived there for twenty five years and I still don't know everything about it. You like mysteries, don't you?" Hector felt awkward and completely out of his depth to be reassuring the kid, but he had to at least try.

Varian took a deep breath and nodded. He let Hector pull him towards the Great Tree. The man started talking about any little thing that came to his mind. He told Varian about the ancient scrolls hidden within the depths of the tree. He talked about the traps and mazes. It was like the tree naturally grew to be a deathtrap to ward off trespassers.

Varian barely seemed to be paying attention to him, but he slowly started to calm down. By the time they got to the Great Tree itself Varian looked about as close to calm and content as he could be at the moment. Hector brought Varian into the tree itself and the kid let out a relieved breath.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, because trust me, I am, but what are you doing here?" Hector asked. "What happened after I left?"

"E-everything was fine for the first ten days or so." Varian said quietly. He fiddled with the sash wrapped around his neck. For the first time Hector noticed that Varian was wearing Adira's tunic., and it made him look even smaller, which he hadn't even thought was possible.

Hector wanted to ask about the change of clothes, but he decided to let Varian continue on his own. He was willing to talk, but that could change at any minute if Hector distracted him.

"But then we ran into…" Varian trailed off and swallowed thickly. He looked pale. "I-I tried to stay with her, but I couldn't...I couldn't…" Varian whined and shook his head. "It was too hard."

Hector felt a cold fury wash over him. "Who? Adira?" Hector was absolutely going to kill his sister. Either she'd done something to Varian, or she's allowed something to happen, and neither of those were okay.

Varian shook his head. "No. P-princess Rapunzel."

"Who?" Hector frowned. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. He wasn't all that good at names, or faces. Unless he had a direct connection with somebody he just couldn't put in the effort to learn about them. He had better things to do than remember the name of some random princess.

Varian wrapped his arms around himself. "Adira calls her the Sundrop."

Hector froze. Now he knew why that name was so familiar. This wasn't just any princess, this was Corona's princess, the one that Varian had put his trust in, only to have that trust thrown back in his face. That princess was the reason why Varian had ended up in this ridiculously unfair situation.

That princess had hurt Varian, and now it seemed she had done it all over again. What was most infuriating about this was that it never should have happened. Adira should have been right there to keep Varian safe from just this kind of thing.

"Where is Adira?" Hector growled. If Varian didn't say that she was disposing of the princess, Hector would make his sister wish that she'd never met the kid.

Varian bit his lip and grimaced slightly. He looked uncomfortable. "She...I don't think you're going to like this."

Hector scowled. "Then it's even more important that you tell me."

Varian sighed. "Well, Aunt Adira's travelling with them now." The kid gave him an apologetic look. "She's leading them here."

"She's doing what?!" Hector was beyond furious. This was the opposite of what Adira was supposed to be doing, both with the moonstone and for Varian. Instead of keeping the moonstone a secret and their nephew safe, Adira was leading the supposed Sundrop right towards them.

Hector flicked his wrist and brought out his blade. "I'm going to kill them."

Varian's eyes widened. "W-wait, no!" He lunged forward and grabbed Hector's arm. The man froze. The kid was way too close to the blade for his liking. "You can't kill them."

"Why not?" Hector scowled. "Adira betrayed us, and this princess is a threat."

"Please," Varian practically begged. He looked pained, and far too young. "I-I don't want anybody to die because of me."

Hector scowled. "I thought you wanted to get revenge on the princess."

"I do." Varian insisted before he flinched. "I mean, I thought I did." Varian rubbed his arms. "I don't know what I want. I-I want the pain to stop. I tried to make them pay for what they did to me, and it just made everything hurt even more.

Hector took in a deep breath before slowly letting it out. "I can't just let the Sundrop waltz into the Dark Kingdom and do what she wants with the moonstone."

"I don't expect you to." Varian said. "But you don't have to kill her to stop her."

Hector sighed. He wasn't one to give leniency to anybody that he saw as a threat, and this princess was worse than most potential thieves. However, the kid was upset enough as it was. Hector didn't want to do anything to make it even worse. If he had to at least pretend to play nice, fine.

"And Adira, she protected me." Varian said. His voice was stronger and with more confidence than Hector usually heard from him. "She disguised me so they wouldn't know who I was. She tried to not let them talk to me. When I started to spiral she tried to help me. And when she saw I wasn't doing very well around Rapunzel and the others she convinced me to go ahead."

Hector lowered his arm, but didn't retract his blade. As far as he was concerned, there was still a threat out there. "But she still put you in that situation, and that never should have happened."

Varian gave him a small smile that was more of a grimace than anything, but it was better than nothing. The kid seemed relieved. "I missed you."

"Yeah, I missed you too, kid." Hector said.

Varian's smile became a little more relaxed and natural. "You mentioned some ancient scrolls. You think I can see them?"

"Maybe a little later." Hector said. "First thing's first, you need some food and sleep." Knowing Varian, the kid would get so engrossed in the scrolls that he would forget to do anything else, and proper rest and a hot meal were too important for Varian's still fragile health to be ignored or put aside.

Varian was disappointed, but he followed Hector deeper into the tree where his living quarters were. Most people would probably take one look at the rudimentary bed and dented pots sitting near the small fire pit and think that it was far too simple and crude to be a proper living space for anybody, but this was Hector's home, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Varian didn't say a single word about Hector's simple living conditions. He just collapsed on the bed and groaned in relief. After sleeping on the ground for so long anything remotely soft would feel absolutely incredible. Hector knew that from experience.

"I've got a little something for you." Hector said. "The Dark Kingdom is pretty chilly, so we tend to wear furs." Hector gave a little tug to his own fur cloak. "I know how much you like my cloak, so I thought you might want something of your own." Hector reached into Quirin's chest, which he'd set next to his own, and pulled out his recently completed project.

It was a cloak made of dark material. It was trimmed at the top with rough boar fur. From the very same boar that Hector had miraculously found when he'd needed it to get some food in Varian, back when the kid's sickness was at its peak. Because of the curse of the moonstone, the Dark Kingdom had very little resources, so they had learned how to use everything that they had as much as they could.

If they killed an animal, they ate its fur, and made clothes out of its hide. That was especially true now, when the boar was a blessing from the moon. A boar didn't have the softest of fur, but beggars couldn't be choosers. If the moon gave them a boar to help Varian, then Hector was going to use the whole thing to help the kid.

Hector tossed the cloak to Varian, who fumbled with it a bit as he tried to catch it. Varian looked at the cloak in near awe, brushing the fur. "This...it's for me?"

"Of course it is." Hector scoffed. When Varian didn't put the cloak on right away Hector took matters into his own hands. He sat Varian up and wrapped the cloak around the boy's shoulders. He did up the clasp and adjusted the cloth. "Alright, let's see it." Hector said.

Varian frowned slightly, but he stood up and held his arms out to show his new cloak off. Despite his reluctance, Varian looked pleased. Hector was pretty happy with the cloak himself.

"How's it look?" Varian asked.

Hector grinned. "You look like you belong in the Dark Kingdom.

Varian gave him a small smile, but then his expression fell. "Is….do you think my dad would be upset with me?"

Hector couldn't help but scowl. "Why would he be?" Hector knew Quirin to be a bit moody and closed off sometimes, but was it really so bad that Varian couldn't help but expect a negative reaction from his dad, no matter what he did?

Varian shifted uncomfortably. "He never told me about the Dark Kingdom. I don't think he wanted me to know about it, and yet I'm here, learning about the culture of the Dark Kingdom and the Brotherhood."

Hector sighed. He really hoped that Quirin could be freed from the amber, because Hector wanted nothing more than to hit him in the face. Varian wasn't doing anything wrong, but he still expected disapproval.

"Look, kid, Quirin may have high expectations that are impossible to meet, but I have a lot of experience with letting him down, and it's not actually that bad." Hector said. "He gets over his disappointment really quickly. He spends a lot more time trying to help you fix whatever mess you've gotten yourself into than scolding you for winding up there in the first place."

Varian fiddled with his cloak a bit. "I...yeah, I guess so."

"Knowing my brother, he didn't want you involved in the Dark Kingdom because this stuff is dangerous." Hector said. "The only reason I'm involving you is because it's not any more dangerous than the mess you've been thrown in."

Hector put a hand on Varian's shoulder. "Kid, if your dad knew everything you've gone through he would be absolutely furious, not with you, but with the situation." Hector grinned at his nephew. "In fact, I think if he saw how much you've improved and how hard you're fighting he would be proud of you."

Varian's eyes widened. He looked in shock. Hector was terrified for a moment that he'd said something wrong. The kid's eyes were wet. He wrapped his arms around Hector and embraced him tightly.

"You okay, kid?" Hector asked. Varian sniffled and nodded his head.

"You...you have no idea what that means to me." Varian whimpered. "I...I just wanted my dad to be proud of me."

"He is." Hector assured him.

"How do you know?" Varian asked.

"His letters." Hector said. "He wrote all about you." Hector came up with an idea. "Do you want to read the letters yourself? You might be able to see a new side of him that you've never seen before." Hector didn't think that Quirin ever directly said that he was proud of his son, but he knew how to read between the lines.

Varian gave him a shaky smile. "I think I'd like that."

"'Kay," Hector pulled away from Varian and returned to the chests. He was easily able to find all of the letters. He handed them to the kid. Varian settled on the bed and started to read them, starting with the oldest letter.

Meanwhile Hector went to the fire pit and started a flame. While Varian read Hector started making dinner. It wasn't anything fancy, but it would be hot, filling, and hopefully delicious. Sometime Hector wanted to get Varian to help him with the cooking, see just what Quirin had taught the kid. It would wait until later though. For now he would let the kid read his dad's letters and unwind in peace. Varian more than deserved it.

Chapter Text

Being at the Great Tree didn't immediately fix all the damage that being around Rapunzel had done, but Varian still got better quicker than he normally would. Varian felt safe here, even though he knew that Rapunzel and her friends were currently on their way here. The tree was so large, and it was practically a labyrinth inside. Even when the princess arrived Varian knew that he wouldn't have to see them at all. He trusted his Uncle Hector to deal with them.

Varian had trusted Aunt Adira to keep him safe when they had joined the princess, and he knew that she had done the best she could. It hadn't been quite enough, but Varian didn't resent her for it. Still, he couldn't help but be relieved to be back with Uncle Hector. The man didn't have conflicting interests. He wanted to protect the moonstone, and Varian, and as far as the boy could tell they could be accomplished the same way, by getting rid of the princess.

Hector probably had a lot of things to do to prepare for Rapunzel's arrival, so Varian was shocked when he didn't seem to do any of it. Instead of increasing his patrols and setting up traps Hector started to spend most of his time with Varian, training him.

It was odd. Varian had been spending so much time trying to regain his health and get back to normal, that he hadn't even considered trying to improve himself beyond that. Hector was determined to teach him though. According to him, the Brotherhood were warriors, and it was his birthright to follow in his father's footsteps.

Varian had never really thought about being a fighter. Old Corona was a farming community. The people were strong and determined, but they weren't warriors. Sometimes Varian still had a hard time reconciling his humble farming father with the knight that Hector and Adira insisted he was.

Varian had thought that he wouldn't be a very good fighter. He was too small, too weak, but Hector taught him that those could be just as much of an advantage as a vulnerability. According to the man, being small could lead people to underestimating you, which could give one the element of surprise.

Most of what Hector taught him was how to disarm an opponent, though he also spent a fair amount of time showing him how to keep his cloak from becoming a liability.

When Varian asked Hector why he was doing this when he probably had so many other things to do, the man had just given him an annoyed but fond look.

"Kid, nothing I can do right now is more important than teaching you how to defend yourself." Hector said. "I don't want you anywhere near that princess, but if the worst happens then I want to give you the best chance you can get."

Hector smirked and swung his blade around. Varian reached instinctively by raising the staff he'd been given. He didn't try to meet the blade directly, as it would easily be able to cut through the wood. Instead Varian ducked his staff under the blade and whacked it harshly against the side of his elbow, a spot that Varian knew to be sensitive.

Hector grimaced in pain, but Varian didn't allow himself to stop. His uncle had taught him to go harder than he thought he should. In the moment where Hector was in pain and too sore to strike back Varian struck again. He swung the staff back around and hit it harshly against Hector's head.

The man grunted and staggered back. His pained groan quickly turned to a laugh of amusement and pride. Varian grinned to himself and lowered his staff, though he made sure to keep a tight grip on it, just in case Hector decided to continue their spar.

"There you go." Hector said triumphantly. "If you can attack an ally, you can attack an enemy." This was one of the few times when Hector's training was more focused on the offensive rather than the defensive, and Varian had an easier time with it than he thought he would.

Hector retracted his blade. He pulled a small vial out of his pocket. The vial had a crushed herb salve in it. It was just a simple way to soothe bruises and sore muscles. It didn't do a lot to heal the injuries themselves, but Varian still appreciated any relief from the pain.

Hector used the salve to help Varian first before he treated himself. "You've made a lot of improvement in just a week."

Varian felt proud, though he was still unsure. "I still don't feel like I'll be very good against someone who isn't holding back on me."

"Hey, just because you won't be going toe-to-toe with a seasoned warrior doesn't mean you can't get a good hit in." Hector smirked. "And in fights where it really counts, one good hit can be all you need."

Hector stretched and rolled his shoulders. "Have you gotten anywhere with those scrolls of yours?"

Varian grinned. "In fact, I think I have." The boy rolled his staff in his hands. "It's actually quite fascinating. I can show you if you want."

"Yeah, sure." Hector shrugged. "I've got time to spare." His tone made it sound like he had nothing else to do and this was just a way for him to pass the time, but Varian knew that wasn't the case. There were a lot of things that Hector could do besides babysitting Varian. The man spent time with him because he sincerely wanted to, and Varian really appreciated it.

He couldn't remember the last time somebody sought out his company without having any ulterior motives. It was an amazing feeling.

"I've been trying to decipher the scrolls. Varian said as they walked towards the scroll chamber that Varian was beginning to think of as a sanctuary. Not only was it one of the few safe rooms in the chaos of the Great Tree, but it was also a place where he could relax and feel like his regular self.

"One of the scrolls have already been translated," Varian said. "I've been using it as a key to translate the others and read the writing on the walls. It's slow, but I think I'm starting to make some progress."

Hector gave him a curious look. "There's a translated scroll in there?" Varian nodded, surprised that Hector didn't know. It hadn't exactly been hidden. Maybe Hector just hadn't paid attention because he wasn't interested in scrolls and mysteries as Varian was. "What does it say?"

Varian frowned slightly in realization. "I...uh, I actually don't know." He felt more than just a little embarrassed. Varian had been so caught up in translating the rest of the scrolls that though he'd spent a lot of time looking at the key he hadn't looked at it as a whole. He'd been so busy looking at each individual element that he didn't really know what it was actually saying.

Hector chuckled at the sheepish look on Varian's face. He harshly ruffled Varian's hair. "For such a genius child, you're real stupid sometimes, you know that?"

Varian laughed and brushed Hector's hand away. "Shut up." It would be all too easy for him to look it over today.

They had almost reached the scroll sanctuary when one of Hector's bearcats came bounding towards them. Ruddiger perked up happily and greeted it cheerfully. The raccoon seemed to like the bearcats, but especially this particular one. Usually the bearcats were more than happy to play with Ruddiger just a little bit, but this time it ignored him.

The bearcat went straight to Hector and started growling at him. Hector frowned and looked at the bearcat curiously. "Aren't you supposed to be out patrolling?" The bearcat nodded. Hector's eyes darkened and he smirked dangerously. "Don't tell me we've got company."

The bearcat nodded. Varian froze. Rapunzel was here. They had run out of time. Varian was a little scared. Hector just looked excited.

"About time," Hector said. He gave Varian a concerned look, though that fiery look of adrenalin was still in his eyes. "I gotta go deal with these pasts. Take your little thief and hide down in the darkest areas of the tree." Hector gave him some directions, and Varian committed it all to memory.

"Adira wouldn't dare to go near the heart of the tree." Hector said. It's the most sacred and dangerous part of this place."

Varian felt his chest tighten. "So why am I going there?"

"Because it's also the safest place to hide." Hector said. "The Sundrop won't find you. As long as you don't touch anything, especially not the heart itself, you'll be just fine." Varian wasn't completely convinced. Hector gave him a reassuring smile. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Yes," Varian said without a moment's hesitation."

"I'll come get you as soon as I take care of our guests." Hector said. Varian opened his mouth to say something, but Hector waved off his comment before he could even start saying it. "Don't worry, I won't kill anybody. Seriously maiming is still on the table, but I'll give them mercy just this once, just for you."

Varian grinned at his uncle, grateful. Perhaps maiming shouldn't be considered merciful, but Varian knew first-hand that people could recover from injuries and bad experiences. It was hard, and maybe you didn't come out the same person as you were before, but recovery was at least possible. You couldn't really recover from death.

Varian actually wanted Hector to hurt the others, at least a little bit. It felt right that they finally had to feel the pain that came as consequences for their actions, instead of somebody else taking the fall for them. A deeper part of Varian though, the part of him that kinda wanted to be friends with them again, wanted them to get roughed up a bit so they might have a better idea of everything he'd been through.

Varian had gone through so much suffering that never seemed to end. He didn't really want other people getting hurt, but he also wanted people to understand him, and they really couldn't unless they'd gone through something similar. Sure, they could feel sorry for him, but Varian didn't want anybody's pity. It wouldn't do him any good. For once in his life, Varian wanted to be truly seen. Maybe not necessarily by Rapunzel or her friends, but by somebody.

Hector ruffled Varian's hair before giving him a small push. "You'll be fine, kid. Just keep your head down, and I'll come find you as soon as I can." Varian took a deep breath and nodded. He was still a little nervous about this whole thing, but Hector's ease and confidence made him feel a little better. Besides, it wasn't like he would be all on his own. Ruddiger would be with Hector's instructions were very clear.

Varian grabbed the small satchel that he'd been keeping the scroll and his notes in. Ruddiger jumped off of Varian's shoulders and scurried onto the shelves. The raccoon grabbed the sealed vials that glowed colorfully. Varian liked to keep those vials tied to his staff, but he'd taken to taking them off when he sparred with Uncle Hector.

"Thanks, bud," Varian said as he took the vials. He tied them to his staff. He didn't like to attach and detach them too frequently, but if they were going to the deepest parts of the tree Varian would feel a lot better with some light to illuminate his path.

Varian adjusted his cloak, smiling slightly at the rough feeling of the boar fur. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but the coarse fur was grounding. It helped Varian to focus in a way that being too comfortable really couldn't.

Varian and Ruddiger set out towards the heart. Varian remembered Hector's directions well, but he sometimes let himself get distracted and take a wrong turn. Two or three times it was only thanks to Ruddiger's warning cries of alarm that Varian didn't step too close to a dangerous plant, or trip over a large root.

Varian knew he should focus on his surroundings, but he was too busy staring in fascination at individual elements that he'd never seen before. Varian had been at the Great Tree for a week, but he'd barely seen any of it. Hector insisted that the tree was too dangerous to just wander around. This was the first time that Varian could explore without his uncle's supervision. It was a little exciting.

Somehow Varian was able to stumble his way to what had to be the heart of the tree. The boy was careful to keep a fair distance away from the heart itself. He was curious about the slight glow, lighting the crevice despite how deep and dark it should be. He would also like to understand why there was a staff sticking out of the heart. With restraint that would have impressed his dad, Varian didn't look twice at the heart. He just sat on the ground with his back to the heart. He set his staff down and pulled the scroll out of the satchel.

"Alright, let's figure you out." Varian muttered. He unrolled the scroll. Instead of paying attention to which letter or sound was associated with which symbol, Varian only looked at the words that the letters and sounds made. It was a little odd to be reading from top to bottom, instead of from left to right, but Varian adjusted fairly easily. He started to read the translation out loud.

"Flower gleam and glow," Varian read slowly. "Let your pow...wait a second." Varian frowned and narrowed his eyes at the scroll. He recognized this incantation. Everybody in Corona knew about the song that their princess used to use to activate the so-called magic of her hair. Varian had even heard Rapunzel try to use it herself when he first tried to study her hair.

Varian had thought that Rapunzel had created the song herself, but apparently not. Why would Rapunzel's incantation be on a scroll in the Great Tree? Then again, from what Varian could tell from his translations so far the scrolls , and the writing all over the walls of the sanctuary, were all about the sundrop and the moonstone.

Varian had thought that most of the writing was about the myth around the two contrasting magic. He thought the writing covered the origin of the legend, and details about what the sundrop and moonstone were apparently capable of. This translation looked like it had an incantation that was meant to activate that power.

Actually...no, not one incantation, but two. Varian hadn't realized it when he'd been using the scroll as just a translation key, but the writing wasn't one single point, but two separate parts pushed together. There was the healing incantation, but Varian was more curious about what came after it.

"Wither and decay," Varian muttered. He lifted the scroll a bit higher to get a closer look. "End this destiny. Break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free." The room grew darker around them, but Varian didn't notice because the air just around him almost seemed to brighten.

Varian frowned and tilted the scroll, hoping it would reveal something more. He saw additional symbols that hadn't been translated. The mysterious incantation felt incomplete, because it was. Only half of it had been translated. Why would somebody go to all the effort to translate the strange symbols, only to stop half-way through? It was such a waste.

Varian wanted to translate the rest of the second incantation. He wanted to know just what it said, and maybe learn why it had been abandoned. However, Varian instead found himself going back and reading through the parts of the mysterious incantation that he could read.

He didn't know why he read it again. There was no need for it. He felt this odd compulsion to continue though, similar to the feeling he'd had when he'd felt the need to investigate the black rocks. It almost felt like his desire to get close to Rapunzel and bask in her burning light.

Far too many things were happening where Varian felt like he had to do something that he should be capable of leaving alone. He didn't like it, but he couldn't stop it either.

"W-wither and decay," Varian clenched his teeth and closed his eyes tight. He didn't want to do this, but he felt like he didn't have a choice. "End this d-destiny." Varian heard Ruddiger chatter in concern. The raccoon nudged against Varian's head and scratched at his cheek a little, but Varian couldn't help but continue.

"Break these earthly chains, and-" Varian coughed. His chest hurt. It suddenly felt like it had when he was still sick, and Varian didn't know why. He felt tears gather in his eyes. He was scared. "A-and set the spirit free."

Varian gasped, or at least he tried to. It felt like he couldn't bring in nearly as much air as he needed. He was already starting to feel lightheaded. He needed to breathe, but he couldn't. He felt like he lost what little amount of control he had of his body. His shoulders fell and he went completely lax. The scroll fell from his hands.

Despite how breathless he was Varian found himself speaking the incantation once again. He felt compelled to keep going, even though he wanted nothing more than to stop.

Ruddiger screeched in alarm and pulled on Varian's bangs, but the boy kept going. He was only vaguely aware of it when Ruddiger jumped off his shoulders and ran off. The only things that Varian was completely focused on at that moment was this deep fear, and the way that he had started singing the incantation to a haunted tune that sent shivers down his spine.

"Wither and decay."

He couldn't breathe.

"End this destiny."

He was scared that this was going to keep going on and on for the rest of his life.

"Break these earthly chains,"

A tear fell down Varian's cheek as he stared blankly ahead, unseeing.

"And set the spirit free."

He wanted to go home.

Chapter Text

For the first time since returning to the Great Tree Hector felt back to his old self. He didn't have to worry about Varian, because now he knew exactly where the boy was. He didn't have to stress about whether Adira would keep the boy safe, because she clearly hadn't. Hector could lean back on something he was very familiar with, anger.

Adira had let him down. No matter what Varian said, she'd endangered him, and Hector couldn't just let that slide. He would do his best to not kill her, just because it seemed to matter so much to Varian, and as mad as Hector was, Adira was still his sister. He still had to teach her a lesson though, or else Adira would do this kind of thing again.

Hector was going to make his sister pay, and it was his determination and anger that kept him going. He had long since learned how to use his fury as a driving force. It focused him on the task at hand, which was to protect the moonstone as well as his nephew.

Hector followed his bearcat to an alcove that overlooked the entrance to the tree. He looked out over the ledges that led straight to the entrance. If his guests were coming in they would have no choice but to come this way. He'd be able to catch them before they even set foot in the tree itself.

Hector only had to wait for just a few minutes before he saw a caravan approaching. Even though Adira wasn't wearing her usual outfit Hector recognized her right away. He would know his sister anywhere. Hector smirked wickedly and took out his weapon. It was time that he and his sister had a little talk.

Hector crouched and watched the caravan approach. He was here for a fight, and he would have a much easier time ambushing them if he waited for them to reach him instead of running after them and giving them time to put their guard up.

Hector eyed his opponents, trying to get a feel for them. Even from this distance Hector could see that there was some tension in the group. Adira walked separately from the others, and she would increase her pace if anybody got within ten feet of her. Hector had the feeling that this was more than just Adira's normal aversion to people.

As they got closer Adira started to look more and more on edge, as well as eager. Someone unfamiliar with her might not notice the subtle change in Adira's body-language, but Hector was incredibly familiar with his sister. She was expecting trouble.

Well, who was he to keep her waiting?

When the caravan was close enough that Hector could hear them talking he decided to get the fun started. Hector leapt down from the alcove, landing just feet in front of Adira. The horses pulling the caravan whinnied in alarm and skittered back. Hector smirked and stared darkly at his sister. While her new friends were shouting in alarm and panic, she just stared evenly at him.

"Brother," Adira greeted him stiffly. She didn't pull her weapon sword out, but she looked just as ready for a fight as Hector was. She didn't seem to want to fight, but she wouldn't be afraid to defend herself and strike back if Hector went after her. That was fine, Hector could use a challenge anyways.

"Adira," Hector growled. He could feel the fury rising just from looking at her. He had to try to pull it in a little bit. He knew how to use his anger, but he could sometimes lose control if he got too furious. Against any other opponent this wouldn't be a problem, but Adira was a skilled warrior. He would need complete control to go against her.

Hector took a deep breath. "I've been expecting you. A little child of Likhoradka told me you were coming." Likhoradka was a spirit of disease in the Dark Kingdom. Before they understood that the moonstone was responsible for all the plague and sickness in their kingdom, they had attributed sickness to the possession of spirits.

Hector didn't know if Likhoradka were real, or if they were just a legend made up from terrified people who were just trying to make sense of things they didn't understand. Whatever the case, he thought it was a decent way to refer to Varian without Adira's new friends knowing just who he was talking about.

Adira smiled slightly. "Child of Likhoradka? Is that what we're calling him now?"

Hector raised an eyebrow at his sister. "What else do you want me to call him?"

Adira's smile broadened. "I've been calling him Moonbeam."

Hector couldn't help but chuckle at that. "And here I thought you didn't believe my theory." He was still furious with his sister, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy some healthy banter.

"Hey!" An impatient girl with short hair glared at them. She drew her sword. "Who are you?"

Hector snarled and started to raise his own blade, but before he could knock away the girl's weapon and teach her a lesson or two about just how outmatched she was, another girl with long blonde hair rushed past her and Adira. She leaned close to Hector, a curious, concerned look in her eyes.

"You know Moonbeam? Is he here? Is he safe?" The girl asked quickly.

"Forget about the kid, Princess Sundrop." Hector glared at her. "He's none of your concern."

The princess frowned slightly. "My friends are always my concern." Hector and Adira both gave her a cold look. She had no right to refer to Varian as a friend. "And you know, you can just call me Rapunzel."

"Pass," Hector said. "Trust me, I've got a lot of names to call you. You're lucky that I'm settling for Sundrop." Hector gave the princess a harsh push, both to get her out of his face, and to show her that he wasn't some new friend.

"Back off, feral man," The short haired girl aimed her sword at him. Hector just rolled his eyes. She said it like it was the worst insult she could think of. It was sad.

"Why don't you make me, little girl?" Hector smirked when he saw her fume. This was way too easy. "I'd like to see you try."

"Cassandra, no," The princess said sternly. She actually reached out and put a hand on her arm to pull her back. "We don't want a fight."

"Maybe you don't, but I definitely do." Hector said. This princess had nearly killed his nephew through her inaction. Hector fully intended on making her pay. "If you think I'm just going to let you waltz through my tree and steal the moonstone, you're bigger fools than I thought you were."

"What is your problem with us?" A young man stepped up to the princess. He looked infuriatingly like King Edmund when he'd been young and arrogant. Hector respected his king now, but when they were young he couldn't stand the vain prince. Seeing this young man, who looked and sounded so much like a young Edmund, it got under Hector's skin in a terrible way.

"Where to even begin," Hector glared at them all. "I could tell you, but I think it'll be easier to just kill you here and now." Hector stalked towards them, chuckling when the princess' friendly expression fell to a look of fear. He wasn't really going to kill them, as he'd told Varian he wouldn't, but they didn't have to know that.

"Hector," Adira stepped in Hector's way, intercepting his path. "Enough."

"Oh, sister," Hector pointed his blade at her, and when Adira was focused on it he lurched forward and kicked her in the chest. Hector chuckled darkly, letting his anger and frustration, as well as his protectiveness for Varian and sense of duty towards the moonstone, wash over him. "I'm just getting started."

Adira sighed. A look of determination and regret came over over. She finally pulled out her blade. She was ready to meet him head on. Before they really got at each other Adira glanced back towards the princess. "Get going. Stay on the path and you'll get through to the other side."

Hector scowled. He ducked past Adira and raised his blade. He wouldn't be letting these people take one step closer to the tree. He didn't know why they were interested in the moonstone, and he didn't care. They wouldn't be getting anywhere near it. And he wasn't about to let them get close to Varian either.

Adira got in Hector's way, swinging her sword at him. Hector had to raise his blade to block the attack. Adira kept going at him, and Hector had to focus all his attention on fighting her off. He couldn't do anything but watch as the princess and her group got back on the caravan and, with a few reluctant glances, retreated into the tree. Hector snarled, more than just a little infuriated.

"Why are you helping them?" Hector growled at Adira as he began to move on to the offensive. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his bearcat follow after the caravan. It would hold them off until Hector could take care of them himself. "How could you lead them here?" Hector slashed his blade across Adira's arm, cutting in fairly deeply. She didn't even flinch. "How dare you betray the Brotherhood? Your king?"

"I never betrayed anybody." Adira said, frustration slipping into her tone. She ducked under Hector's blade and slammed her sword handle into the back of his elbow, which was still sore from the hit Varian had landed earlier. Hector groaned and staggered a little bit. He swung his blade wildly to try to hit her, but thanks to the pain and his building fury his aim was off.

"No?" Hector snarled at her. "So you don't think it was a betrayal of Varian's trust to take him anywhere near the princess that had hurt him?" Adira flinched like she'd been hit, and Hector took that chance to punch her harshly in the stomach. When she doubled over ever so slightly he grabbed onto her hair and gave it a harsh pull, feeling a rush or pride and justification at the pained cry she gave.

"You don't think you betrayed me when you broke your word that you'd keep our nephew safe?" Hector asked, his voice low and dangerous. "You left him alone."

"I had no choice." Adira said sharply. "I did the best I could." She tried to pull away from Hector's grip, but it just caused him to tug on her hair more. She swung her sword towards the hand gripping her hair, but Hector retracted his blade, freeing up his hand, and gripped Adira's wrist. He pulled it behind her back and squeezed it so tightly that her grip on the sword loosened.

"Well, your best wasn't good enough." Hector said. Adira let out a pained and angry noise that sounded much more like the kind of sound that Hector made. Shocked, Hector let go of Adira's hair. She pulled away from him and glared at him, her eyes alarmingly wet. She didn't pick up her weapon, and Hector didn't bring his back out again. They just stood there and stared at each other for a long minute.

"I know," Adira said quietly. She swallowed thickly and straightened her back. "I know that I can't give Varian what he needs."

Hector shifted uncomfortably. This was all wrong. This was supposed to feel right. He'd come here to try to make Adira realize the error of her ways. Here she was, acknowledging that she'd messed up, and it didn't feel as satisfying as Hector had hoped it would.

"Well, neither can I." Hector admitted quietly. "If he was just with me he would still be sick." Hector sighed and tilted his head back. "From what the kid's told me, Quirin wasn't all that great at it either." Hector wrapped his arms around himself. Keeping the moonstone safe was hard, but at least it was a lot simpler than this disaster that trying to take care of a teenager was turning out to be.

Adira gave him a very small, pained smile. The Brotherhood may have taught us how to protect the kingdom and moonstone, but those skills don't translate very well to protecting individuals." Adira almost sounded amused. Hector was too frustrated and discouraged to find the amusement in it. Varian was hurting. There wasn't anything funny about that.

Hector sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It was far too tangled. Hector frequently lost his hair ties, so he'd taken his braids out and used some of those ties to braid Varian's hair. The boy seemed to find comfort from having his hair pulled back. Hector was willing to make the sacrifice of having his hair in his face if it meant Varian could find at least a little bit of comfort.

Adira grinned at Hector, a teasing look in her eyes. "Here, let me help you with that." She came up to Hector, and when he didn't back away from her, she started running her fingers through his hair. Hector closed his eyes at the familiar feeling. He could feel all the stress rolling off him. He knew he should go back into the tree and stop the princess, but it felt so nice here.

He'd easily be able to catch up to the princess. He could afford a few minutes to unwind.

After Adira finished untangling his hair she started to braid his hair. Instead of going down she started braiding it towards the back of his hair, so the braid went along the side of his head. Adira held the braid there with one hand while she used the other to take out one of her own golden hair ties. She secured the braid and pulled the rest of Hector's hair back into a ponytail.

"There," Adira said proudly. "How's it feel? It's not too tight, is it?"

"No," Hector said. He touched the ponytail, frowning slightly at the unfamiliar style. Without the hair tie, Adira's own hair fell slightly over her shoulders. It was still kept out of her face, but Hector couldn't remember the last time he'd see her hair undone this much. "You didn't have to do this. I'm more used to having my hair in my face than you are."

"A little hair isn't going to hurt me." Adira brushed her hair back over her shoulder. "I only keep it back just in case I need to be ready for a fight. Today the only person I was expecting to fight was you, and I hope that we're past that point."

Hector looked at the ground. He was still rearing for a fight, but he was also completely drained and felt like he wouldn't be ready to fight anybody.

Adira sighed. "I don't want to fight you, brother.

"So why were you helping the princess?" Hector asked. She had to know that every part of him was dying to stop the sundrop. If Adira didn't want a fight, then why was she helping somebody when she knew it would just aggravate him?

Adira eyed him carefully before she seemed to decide that he genuinely wanted to know. "Well, I believe that the sundrop will be able to neutralize the moonstone. I don't intend to let her steal the stone, and I'll be right there to keep things from going that far, but if she can somehow contain the powers of the moonstone then I believe we can bring our kingdom back to its former glory."

Hector couldn't help but huff slightly. "It's not going to work."

"We don't know that," Adira said. "And what could it hurt to try?" It was a foolish question. They had both seen just how terrible things could go if the moonstone was provoked. Their king had almost died because he'd tried to do the very thing that Adira was trying to do herself.

Hector didn't want to allow anybody near the moonstone, especially not some princess that he doubted cared about anybody outside of her little circle, but he was tired. He didn't really want to do this anymore. He could protect the moonstone, and he could fight with his sister, and he could even try to help his nephew as much as he could, but he didn't think he could do all three of them at the same time. It was tearing him apart.

Hector didn't really know what he wanted.

"We could work together, Hector," Adira said quietly. "We always used to be such a good team."

"We also always fought." Hector frowned. "You insist on doing things that infuriate me, and I can never seem to do things going enough for you."

"That's not true," Adira gave him a pained look. "Brother, you know that's not-" Adira was cut off by a panicked chattering sound that they both recognized. Adira and Hector turned to see a terrified Ruddiger running towards them.

All of Hector's conflicted uncertainty about going after the princess and fighting with Adira vanished in an instant. All that mattered was Varian. The little thief raccoon wouldn't be so terrified unless Varian was in trouble, and if the boy was in trouble Ruddiger wouldn't have left his side unless it was really bad.

Hector swore loudly and ran to meet Ruddiger. As soon as the raccoon saw him coming he turned and ran the other way. He could hear Adira running behind him, but he didn't pay any attention to her. Varian was his priority right now.

"Hector," Adira caught up to him. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back, but he didn't stop. "Brother, stop."

"Let me go, sister," Hector growled. He didn't have time for this.

"Where is Varian?" Adira asked sternly. When Hector didn't immediately answer, her expression darked. "Hector, where is he?"

"At the heart," Hector tried to wrench his arm away, but Adira's grip just tightened.

"What is he doing at the heart?" Adira sounded equal parts furious and terrified, and Hector felt about the same.

"It was the only place where I knew the princess wouldn't go." Hector said, trying to justify it to himself as much as to Adira. "Now do you want to keep interrogating me, or do you want to make sure the kid doesn't get himself killed?"

Adira gave her his best impression of Quirin's look of disappointment, but she let go of his arm. Hector darted off towards the heart, praying to the moon that he wasn't too late. Adira muttered curses at him, but Hector heard her follow behind him anyways.

Hector knew the Great Tree like the back of his hand. He was extremely familiar with every deathtrap, dead end, and shortcut that led to the heart. He heard the princess' caravan in a path ahead, but he didn't need to go that way so he didn't give it a second thought. The princess wasn't his concern right now, his nephew was.

Hector ran for several minutes until he reached the crevice where the heart was. He allowed himself to feel relief for a short moment when he saw the spear still in the heart. That relief disappeared in an instant when he took in the sight of Varian.

The boy was kneeling on the ground. He looked drained of all his energy. Hector thought that Varian was only upright because of some unseen power. Varian was extremely pale. He looked worse than he had when Hector had first seen him in the dungeons of Corona, and he hadn't even thought that was possible.

Despite his sickly appearance Varian was speaking confidently and clearly. There was power behind his words, a power that wasn't his. Hector recognized a spell or incantation when he heard it.

Varian's eyes were blank, but he was crying. Whatever magic he was doing, the power was out of his control. Hector knew that there was magic here, but if he hadn't recognized the subtle signs before he would definitely know as soon as he looked at the kid's hair. Varian's dark hair was even more black than it usually was, except for the blue streak in his hair, which was a vibrant, glowing blue.

Adira froze and stared at Varian in shocked distress. She didn't know what to do. Neither did Hector, but that wasn't going to keep him from trying. He approached the kid, and the closer he got to him the more drained he was beginning to feel himself. This was some dark power here, the moon's power. Hector would be able to recognize its draining power anywhere.

The magic was sucking the life right out of Varian, and if Hector got too close he started to get drained too. He needed to act quickly before Varian's very life was drained, but he also had to be smart about this, or else he wouldn't have the energy to help Varian at all.

This should be simple, as they were in a tree. Life was everywhere, except in this crevice. The only plants near the heart were dead. Somehow the sealing of Zhan Tiri's power had the after effect of killing the life of the heart of the tree itself. It wasn't happy, but sometimes bad things had to happen to bring about some good.

Without even realizing what he was doing Hector's gaze drifted towards the heart. Never before had he ever considered removing the spear, but now the temptation was there, and it wouldn't go away. Time seemed to slow down. Hector thought he might have heard a voice in his head, though it might have just been his own loud thoughts.

You can save your nephew if you give the incantation something else to focus on. Hector felt shivers go down his spine. All you have to do is pull out the spear.

It was a terrible idea, practically suicidal, and yet Hector found himself walking towards the spear without even thinking about it. He heard Adira shouting out to him in alarm, and Ruddiger was chattering in a panic, but Hector barely heard them. The only thing he heard that he actually registered and understood was Varian's repeated incantation which was ringing in his head.

Hector only felt in complete control of himself again after he had his hands wrapped around the spear. He froze and stared in fear at the heart. He couldn't do this. This spear was here for a reason, to keep in the power that was far too dangerous to be unleashed onto the world. Could he really set it free just for the chance to save his nephew?

It was terrifying just how obvious the answer was to him. The alternative wasn't even a possibility.

"Forgive me," He muttered to himself, to his king, to the world. He knew he didn't deserve forgiveness though, not after what he was about to do.

Hector squeezed his eyes shut tight and gave the spear a strong pull. It slid out with alarming ease.

For a long moment nothing seemed to happen, but then a cold breeze ran through the tree and green vines burst out from the heart. Hector watched them in terror and awe, yelping in alarm when they began to wrap around him. He started to resist it at first, but then he heard a voice that definitely didn't belong to him.

"Well done." The sickly sweet voice said right into his head. "I suppose I owe you for freeing me, so tell me, what is it that you want?"

That was simple. "To save my nephew." Hector said. He doubted he could trust this voice, and he had an idea of who it belonged to. There were only so many forces contained within the heart of the Great Tree.

The voice chuckled darkly. Hector felt a sick feeling in his chest. This was trouble, and probably a mistake, but he had to do what was necessary. He had a choice, but it wasn't one he was willing to make.

"Very well." The voice said. The vines wrapped around him got even stronger. Their grip was almost suffocating. The vines around his arm pulled on him and made him point the spear towards his nephew. The vines followed the staff's point and wrapped around Varian. The vines around Varian slowly started to wither and die, but they were soon replaced by more vines.

Color very slowly started to return to Varian's skin. The boy, who had been gasping for air, eventually had his breath even out. He was doing a little better, but he was still in a trance-like state. Hector needed to knock him out of it.

"Very well." The voice said darkly. The vine's grip around him tightened even more, squeezing him. Hector grimaced in discomfort, which soon became a groan of pain. The pressure built and built until Hector felt like he couldn't take any more. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. It was far too much for him.

Despite his restraint and control the pressure became too strong that Hector couldn't keep the pain in any more. Hector's groan grew to a yelp, and then to a scream of pain. Hector's vision started to darken. He thought he saw awareness return to Varian's eyes, but he could have easily been imagining it. Hector tried to force away the darkness creeping up on him. If Varian was okay he had to confirm it.

Hector was determined to fight off unconsciousness, and the vines seemed to know this. They gave him one final squeeze, Hector thought he heard something crack, and then everything went dark.

"Hector!" Adira called out to him in alarm. Her voice sounded far away.

"U-uncle Hector?" He thought he heard Varian cry out in fear, though it might have just been his imagination. Hector finally couldn't fight it anymore. He slumped and finally let the darkness overtake him.

Chapter Text

Adira was going to kill her brother. He was a reckless fool who had nearly gotten himself killed. He'd saved Varian from whatever had been happening to him, but at what cost?

Adira didn't know what had been going through Hector's head when he'd grabbed the spear and pulled it out of the heart of the tree. They'd been taught to protect the secrets of the tree just as much as the existence of the moonstone, and yet Hector had done the very thing that they'd been told to stop others from doing.

Adira wanted to be furious with him, but she couldn't forget that in a way she was doing the same thing. They'd been taught to keep others away from the moonstone, and yet Adira had decided to lead the Sundrop straight to it. The Dark Kingdom was dying, its people were suffering, and Adira could no longer just sit back and watch it happen. She'd gone against the laws of her kingdom to save it.

And now Hector had taken the spear from the heart, unleashing its evil back into the world, but he'd done it to save their nephew's life. It was difficult to stay mad at him for that. She could forgive him for doing something so dangerous just as soon as she made sure he hadn't killed himself in the process.

When Adira had heard the familiar and terrifying crack of bones breaking she felt a fear that she rarely ever felt. She knew that Varian was just as alarmed and worried about the sound as she was, because awareness immediately returned to his eyes. Varian gasped in alarm and looked towards Hector, who was now hanging unconscious from the vines.

Adira reacted immediately. She ran up to her brother and grabbed the spear that had fallen out of his grip when he'd lost consciousness. Adira picked up the spear of Demanitus and stabbed it into the largest vine that was holding him up. It withered away and died, just like the vines that had gotten too close to Varian.

Adira quickly stabbed through the rest of the vines that held Hector. She was able to catch him as he fell before he could hurt himself even more. Adira gently lowered him to the ground and looked him over. He was breathing, at least, but she needed to figure out just how injured he was.

Varian whimpered slightly and came up to Adira. He stood close to her, almost hiding behind her back. She wasn't entirely comfortable with how close he was to her, but he was young and he'd just been through something traumatizing. Adira couldn't bring herself to be annoyed that he was looking for comfort.

"Is he okay?" Varian asked quietly. Adira put her arm around Varian's shoulder and pulled him close. He sniffled and leaned against her.

"Hector will be just fine." Adira said. She let Varian hold onto her for a minute before she pulled away. She needed to check on Hector. Adira knelt next to her brother and slowly started to run her hands down his arms, legs, and chest. She knew from the harsh crack that Hector had probably broken a bone, and she needed to find it so she could treat it and keep him from doing anything to aggravate it even more

Hector's arms were red from the pressure that the vines had put on them, and he would probably have terrible bruises for a few weeks. Despite this she couldn't feel any broken bones in his arms. This changed when she reached his shoulder. At the point where Hector's shoulder met his neck she felt an odd shift.

Hector grimaced in discomfort and shied away from her touch. Adira didn't want to cause him any pain, but she had to know if this was where the issue was. Adira put her hand back on his shoulder. She applied more pressure, looking for that same shift. She found it, and this time it was accompanied with an uncomfortable grinding sound.

Hector whimpered, which Adira had never heard him do before, even when they were kids. She was so startled that she pulled away from him, not wanting to cause him more pain. Adira sighed and shifted her position to be more comfortable. She carefully lifted Hector's head and rested it against her legs.

Varian was watching her curiously, a look of longing in his still tear-filled eyes. Adira gave him a sad smile and gestured for him to join them. Varian curled up against Hector, laying his head on his chest. Adira didn't have to ask to know that the boy wanted to listen to Hector's heartbeat. It was the same reason why Adira kept her hand against Hector's neck, so she could feel his pulse and remember that he was just unconscious.

They just sat there for a few minutes before Hector shifted uncomfortably. Adira and Varian watched with bated breath as he slowly started to wake up. Hector groaned and squinted his eyes open. He stared at Adira for a moment before he turned his gaze to Varian.

"...kid." Hector moved to sit up, only to groan in pain as he shifted his shoulder. Hector swore harshly. Adira was sure that even though Varian didn't speak the language of the Dark Kingdom he was able to get the gist of just what was said.

Varian leaned away from Hector, an alarmed look in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm still trying to figure it out." Hector said through gritted teeth. He slowly sat, doing his best to not agitate his shoulder. "What about you, kid? What happened?"

Varian bit his lip. "I don't know. I-I started reading from that scroll, and then I just couldn't stop. I couldn't breathe." Varian shuddered. "I was so scared."

Adira frowned and went to pick up the scroll. She immediately recognized what was on it. "Hector, these are the sun and moon incantations."

"What?" Hector tried to push himself to his feet, but he grimaced and stumbled. Adira gave him a sharp look and Hector reluctantly stayed put. Adira returned to his side and handed him the scroll. Varian leaned away from the scroll, like he was worried it was going to hurt him.

Hector quickly scanned the scroll. He looked as confused as Adira felt. "But people have read the incantations before and they never did anything. The words alone aren't enough. They're said to only work through the power of the sundrop or the moon...stone…" Hector lowered the scroll and looked at Varian with wide eyes.

Adira looked at their nephew as well. He was starting to look uncomfortable from their attention. Ruddiger whined and climbed onto Varian's lap. The boy pet raccoon. "Wh-what are you looking at me for? What's happening?"

"I think your theory may be right after all." Adira said to Hector.

"Yeah, you think?" Hector sounded panicked. He stared at the blue streak in Varian's hair. It was no longer glowing, but Adira was sure that hadn't just been her imagination. Varian somehow had the power to use the incantation, but not enough to control it. The only reason he had been snapped out of his trance was because Hector's cries of pain and his collarbone breaking had shocked Varian enough for him to regain control of himself.

Varian narrowed his eyes at them. "This isn't funny. What's going on?"

Hector looked reluctant to say anything, and Adira couldn't exactly blame him. How did one go about telling their nephew that he had magic? Perhaps this wasn't something that should be explained through words.

Varian was a boy who believed in facts and evidence. They couldn't just tell him about his apparent connection to magic, they would have to show him.

Adira took the scroll back from Hector and held it out to Varian, who flinched away. "I want to try something." Adira said. "There are two incantations on here. You've read the moonstone's, now I want you to read the sundrop's."

Varian's eyes widened in alarm. "I'm not touching that thing again."

"Sister, are you insane?" Hector hissed.

"The healing incantation really shouldn't do any harm," Adira said. It wasn't in the nature of the sundrop to cause harm. "If things go wrong we'll bring you back, just like before."

Varian paled. "I don't want you to do that again."

"It doesn't have to be as bad as what Hector did." Adira said. "I believe you got pulled out of your trance because you were shocked out of it. We just need to catch your attention."

"Why not just knock him out?" Hector suggested sarcastically. He scowled when Adira seemed to consider his idea. "Adira?"

"What? You know it's possible to do it without causing any real harm." She gave him an odd look. "Since when do you have any qualms about knocking someone out?"

"Since we're talking about our nephew." Hector said.

"Uh, actually, I don't have to get hurt to get knocked out." Varian said quietly. "I faint really easily." Hector and Adira looked at him. They'd both known him for a decent amount of time, and neither of them had seen him faint once,not including the times when he had been sick and his body had been far too exhausted to keep going.

"Why is this the first we're hearing about it?" Hector demanded.

"It never came up." Varian said defensively. "And...and it's embarrassing. You guys are great warriors, and you've been helping me to get stronger. I didn't want you guys to look at me like I was weak because I faint every time I see blood."

Hector grimaced and gave Varian a confused look. "I know that tons of people are afraid of blood, but fainting? Does it really freak you out that much?"

"I can't help it." Varian crossed his arms. His cheeks and the tips of his ears went red with embarrassment and shame. "Every time I see blood I start sweating, my ears ring, and then everything goes dark."

Adira frowned slightly in concern and confusion. "Does Quirin know about this?"

Varian snorted. "Of course he does. He spent years trying to help me get used to the sight of blood, help me to build a tolerance, but nothing worked. I don't feel afraid of blood, but as soon as I see it my body shuts down." Varian's tone was light and he seemed to be trying to make a joke of it, but his voice shook slightly. He was afraid that they would judge him for something he couldn't help.

Adira knelt to bring herself to Varian's level. She tilted his head to make him look at her. "There's nothing wrong with you. It's a bit concerning, and I wish you had told us sooner so that we could know what to do if this happened earlier. I don't think you're weak because of it though."

"You...you don't?" Varian asked. Adira shook her head.

"You think we would?" Hector rolled his eyes. "Kid, we don't think that Quirin's weak when he gets those headaches and can't do anything. Why would we think you were weak for this?"

Varian let out a short laugh of relief and hid his face in his hands. "I-I don't know."

Hector gave Varian a teasing nudge, but in doing so he irritated his shoulder. Hector cringed and hissed in pain. He brought a hand up to the point between his neck and shoulder to try to soothe the pain. Varian watched him in concern and guilt.

"You know," Adira said slowly. "The sundrop incantation is supposed to be used to heal, just like the moon was meant to hurt."

Hector glared at her. "Sister…" He said in warning. Adira didn't pay him any mind. Her attention was on Varian, who looked tempted.

"You think I can heal him?" Varian asked hopefully, though with a fair amount of disbelief in his tone.

"I think that trying won't hurt." Adira said.

"Don't you dare." Hector growled. Varian ignored him. He picked up the scroll, though he handled it with a fair amount of caution.

"So I just read this?" Varian asked.

"Kid, don't." Hector said.

Adira hadn't seen the sundrop in action, but she's done her fair amount of research. She knew that back when Rapunzel's powers worked she would wrap her hair around the injury before singing the incantation. Varian's hair certainly wasn't long enough to wrap around anything, but they had ways to get around that.

"Lean against him." Adira said. "Try to get your hair as close to the break as you can without hurting him."

"My hair?" Varian frowned and gave his hair streak a small tug. "Really?"

"Just try it." Adira encouraged him. The boy shrugged and did as he was told. He leaned against Hector, who just glared at Adira. After making sure that the boy's hair, especially his streak, was close to the break Adira nodded at Varian, gesturing for him to continue.

Varian took a deep breath and awkwardly pulled the scroll to a place for him to look at. "F-flower gleam and glow, let your powers shine," Perhaps it was Adira's imagination, but she thought that she saw his hair streak brighten. "Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine."

There was no mistaking it. Varian's hair was glowing. It wasn't nearly as bright as it had been before, but it was still glowing significantly brighter than normal hair should. Hector stared at the hair streak in quiet awe before he returned to glaring at Adira.

"If something goes wrong I'll never forgive you." Hector said.

"I'll never forgive myself." Adira said truthfully. She believed in the good that could come from the powers of the sun. It just made sense to her that the counter to the destructive moonstone could be nothing but bright and good.

"Heal what has been hurt," Varian continued, his voice sounding relaxed and natural. Adira took this as a good sign. Hector's eyes widened and he gave Varian a slightly panicked look.

"Varian, stop," Hector said. The boy continued on like he hadn't heard him.

"Change the fate's design."

"Kid!" Hector shouted.

"Save what has been lost," Varian said. He sounded far too calm, compared to Hector's panic.

"Enough," Hector pushed Varian away from him. The man reached out for the spear, which Adira had abandoned at his side. Hector slid the palm of his hand harshly against the tip of the spear, drawing blood.

"Bring back what once was mine," Varian said as Hector basically threw his hand into the boy's face. "What o-once was...was…" Varian swayed slightly before he whined in discomfort and fell back as he fainted. Hector caught him.

"What was that for?" Adira asked as Hector gently laid Varian on the ground. "The incantation wasn't hurting him."

"Think again." Hector turned Varian's head towards Adira. She was alarmed to see that his face was even more red than it had been when he'd been embarrassed. His forehead also looked like it had been burned.

"I think it's safe to say he's got the powers of the moonstone," Hector said. "But the sun is a lot brighter and stronger than the moon."

"So Varian can't handle the healing incantation," Adira took note of this. "That will be important to remember for next time."

"There had better not be a next time." Hector growled. He pulled Varian towards him protectively. "There shouldn't have even been a this time."

"We had to be sure," Adira said. "And does your shoulder feel better?"

Hector paused. He looked shocked. Hector slowly rolled his shoulder back. He cringed slightly, but he didn't look nearly as pained as he had before. "Huh, you know, it kinda does."

"May I?" Adira gestured to his shoulder. Hector shrugged. Adira moved closer to him and carefully ran her hand over the place where the break was. Hector flinched but didn't pull back or make a sound of pain. Adira poked and nudged at the break and was relieved when she couldn't hear the grinding sound again.

It clearly wasn't perfectly healed. If Adira had to take a guess she would say that the bone had just started to heal. It was still fragile, but his healing would now take several weeks less time than before.

"It's definitely better." Hector said. "But he still never should have done this. Easing a bit of my pain was not worth the risk."

Adira wasn't sure whether she agreed or not. On one hand, she didn't want to put Varian in danger. On the other hand, Hector had been healed a decent amount, more than Varian had been hurt. Adira didn't think she would be doing this again, but she didn't quite regret what she'd encouraged Varian to do.

"Clearly it's too risky to just experiment with Varian's potential powers," Adira said. "But we can't just pretend that his powers aren't a thing. What if he accidentally activates them again?"

"We need to figure out just what this means." Hector agreed. He was quiet for a moment. Do you think that maybe King Edmund has some information about the moonstone that might help?"

"You know, I think he might." Adira said. "Do you want to take Varian to the Dark Kingdom?"

"I think it might be best," Hector said slowly. "Do you know what King Edmund's like after all this time?"

"No," Adira said. She didn't have a good feeling about it. Hector hadn't handled the solitude of twenty five years very well, and she couldn't imagine Edmund doing much better. The man had lost his wife, his entire kingdom, and his son all in a short period of time. He'd been a grieving man, and suddenly being alone couldn't have made that much better.

"We'll just have to be careful," Adira said. "Between the two of us we should be able to keep Varian safe."

"Against Edmund?" Hector raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you nuts?"

"Your confidence is overwhelming." Adira crossed her arms. "So, are we going?"

"Yeah, we probably should." Hector shrugged. "Before I change my mind." Hector stood up and moved to pick up Varian, but Adira stopped him. His shoulder may be better, but it was still not healed.

"I'll take Varian." Adira insisted. She easily picked up the boy and threw him over her shoulder. Hector scowled, but he picked up the scroll, the spear, and Ruddiger.

"Do you think we'll beat the princess there?" Hector asked.

"Knowing her? Definitely." Adira said. The sundrop and her friends took so many detours that Adira wouldn't be surprised if she and Hector somehow got to the Dark Kingdom before the princess and her friends even left the Great Tree.

Adira hadn't forgotten about her goal to unite the sundrop with the moonstone. But taking care of Varian and making sure that Hector didn't kill himself in any more noble attempts to protect the boy took priority. Adira cared about the well-being of her kingdom, but most of her concern came from the fact that it was the home of her family. There would be no point in saving the Dark Kingdom if she lost her family in the process.

After twenty five years Adira finally felt like she had an actual relationship with her brother and nephew. It was far from perfect, but it was better than nothing, and Adira wasn't ready to give it up, even for the sake of her kingdom.

Chapter Text

They left the Great Tree as soon as it was dark out. The Brotherhood had always done its best travelling at night, and the moon was bright enough to illuminate their path. Hector, Adira, and Varian all climbed onto the back of Hector's rhino as they started to ride towards the Dark Kingdom. It was a fairly straight-forward journey, and there should be very little to worry about, but Hector couldn't bring himself to relax.

Hector knew that there would be consequences to his actions. He had set free the dark power of Zhan Tiri. The dark sorcerer's power was out in the world, and it was unrealistic to hope that nothing bad would happen. However, Hector hadn't expected to be so directly affected.

At first Hector thought it was his own imagination and paranoia getting the best of him. He started seeing shadows everywhere, even when there was nothing to cast them. He heard malicious, terrifying laughter echo through the breeze. He'd thought, or maybe hoped, that he was just getting concerned about nothing.

Hector was usually pretty good at hiding his fear, but Adira had gotten just as good at looking past his mask. Since he had an injured shoulder Adira paid even more attention to him than before. Every time he jerked his head towards a shadow he saw out of the corner of his eye, or when he would shudder from the faint giggles he heard in the wind, Adira would be right there, watching him with her sharp eyes.

Almost every time Hector would give a strange reaction, or Varian would start to show signs of being stressed and overwhelmed, Adira would suggest that they stop. Hector didn't appreciate the coddling. He'd never known how to accept somebody caring for him, even when they were younger and his relationship with his siblings was at its best.

Not knowing how else to react, Hector got annoyed with his sister's attention. Still, he wasn't going to complain. Adira was travelling with him and Varian to the Dark Kingdom, instead of staying at the Sundrop's side. She cared a lot about her self-appointed mission, and yet she was devoting her attention instead to her family, to the Brotherhood. Hector didn't want to scare her off by getting defensive and starting a fight just because he didn't know how to deal with these kinds of feelings.

After several hours of jumping at his own shadow Hector finally admitted to himself that he wasn't just seeing things. Something, or someone, was following them, and for some reason Hector was the only one who was aware of it. The shadow and laughter didn't cause any harm, but Hector still viewed it as a threat. It felt far too similar to the power he'd felt at the heart of the Great Tree to be some benign force.

Hector had a pretty good idea of what he was seeing and hearing, but he desperately hoped he was wrong. The powers of Zhan Tiri had been trapped for a thousand years. If it was finally free after all this time, why would the first thing it did be to haunt him like this? Hector didn't understand it, but he would never claim to understand an evil sorcerer.

They travelled on until just a few hours after dawn, just when the sun was starting to heat up the land. It was at this point that Adira decided they should stop for a good meal and a proper rest. Adira sent Varian to go find some firewood and fresh water. Hector didn't like the thought of Varian being on his own, but both of his bearcats were accompanying him, so at least he wasn't completely defenseless.

Once Varian was gone Adira made Hector sit on the ground and practically dragged his shirt off of him. Hector knew better than to protest. When Adira was in a protective mood there wasn't anything that could change her mind.

Adira examined his shoulder. "How does it feel?"

Hector opened his mouth to say that he felt the same as he had an hour ago when she'd last asked him, but then he saw a familiar shadow. Hector stiffened and whipped his head around to look towards the figure. He froze when he was actually able to get a good look at the shadow, which wasn't a shadow at all.

A ghostly figure of a small girl was standing there in the treeline, just staring at him. Hector hadn't known just what he was seeing, but this was definitely not what he had expected.

"Brother?" Adira asked in concern. Hector barely heard her. He was too focused on staring at the little girl. Something felt incredibly wrong about her. The girl was still for a long moment before her mouth widened into a wicked grin. She gave him a small wave. Hector flinched and shuddered, feeling shivers go down his spine.

"Hector!" Adira's sharp tone broke him out of his daze. He turned back towards Adira, who looked almost afraid. "Are you alright?" She brought a hand to his forehead, possibly feeling for a temperature. Hector pushed her hand away. He didn't have a fever. If anything, he felt a small chill.

"I'm fine." Hector said. "I just-" He glanced back towards where he'd seen the girl, but there was nobody there, and no sign that there ever had been. This unnerved Hector almost as much as seeing the girl in the first place had. "I just thought I saw something."

Adira narrowed her eyes at him. "You've been seeing and hearing things all day. Is this normal for you?"

Hector scowled at his sister. "No, it's not normal for me to hallucinate."

"Don't get defensive." Adira said. "I was just curious. You've isolated yourself for twenty five years. It's not unreasonable to think that your mind would go to extreme lengths to cope with the loneliness."

"I'm not lonely." Hector growled. He didn't need his sister's pity. "I'm fine."

"Then why are you jumping at shadows?" Adira asked.

Hector considered whether to tell her or not. He didn't want to lie to his sister or hide anything from her, but what would talking to her accomplish? She might think he was crazy, or think that he deserved to be seeing ghostly images of creepy girls. Maybe she didn't believe him and thought that it was just his mind playing tricks on him. What if she thought that he wasn't in his right mind to safely be around Varian?

After internally debating it Hector sighed. "I don't want you to worry, but if it gets any worse I'll tell you, okay?" He thought it was a pretty good compromise. Adira didn't look completely happy, but she sighed and nodded.

"I'm going to hold you to that." Adira said. She took some of her healing salve and spread it generously over Hector's shoulder, and then spread it around the worst of the bruising on his chest and arms. Hector sighed in relief. It felt really nice.

Once Adira was content that Hector was okay she ordered him to get some sleep while she got started on some food. Once again, Hector did as she said. He really was tired after travelling all night, and an hour or two of sleep would help him to have the energy he needed to be on the first watch while Adira and Varian got some rest.

Hector fell asleep quickly, but it was restless. Hector rarely ever had dreams, at least not ones he could remember, but he had a dream today. It might be more accurate to call it a nightmare though. Everything was dark and cold, and it felt incredibly wrong. The laughter that he'd been hearing in the breeze all night was now ringing in his ears.

Hector was stuck in this unnerving cycle until Adira shook him awake. Hector jolted up with a small gasp. He could still feel the chill from his dream, and hear the echoes of the girl's laughter. At least it wasn't dark anymore.

"Sleep well?" Adira asked in a teasing tone, though there was concern in her eyes as well. She could tell that though he'd been able to rest he couldn't relax. Hector gave her an annoyed look and gave her a small shove. How many times did he have to tell her that she was fine? He'd dealt with much worse than some laughter and a ghostly child, and he'd dealt with it all on his own.

"Here," Varian handed Hector a sandwich. He didn't know where the kid got the bread or the meat, but he was too hungry to care. They ate in silence. Normally Varian would talk his mouth off about an experiment that he would want to try if he was given the chance, or he would ask about the Dark Kingdom. Varian didn't say a word though, and he'd barely spoken since they'd left the Great Tree. He hadn't even asked why they were going to the Dark Kingdom in the first place.

Hector would normally be concerned about Varian, but he was too distracted by what was going on in his head. He barely noticed that something was bothering the kid. And Adira was so worried about Hector that she probably didn't notice much either.

By the time Varian was done eating he was having a really hard time keeping his eyes open. Varian curled up under a tree and wrapped his board cloak around him. Varian was soon fast asleep. Adira didn't show any indication that she was planning on getting some sleep any time soon, but Hector could see the fatigue in her eyes.

"Rest, sister." Hector said. "I'll watch over you two."

"And who will keep an eye on you?" Adira raised an eyebrow at him. He could tell she was concerned, and possibly just a little suspicious.

"I can keep an eye on myself." Hector said. He could tell that Adira didn't believe him. He sighed. "Tell you what, I'll wake you up at the first sign of trouble, okay?"

Adira nodded, satisfied. "You'd better." She finally settled down, leaning her back against the same tree that Varian was sleeping under. She looked at peace.

Hector watched his sister and nephew for a long moment before he stood up and stretched. He started going through some basic training exercises to stretch his shoulder. He knew if he didn't move it enough it would become stiff, even after it was all healed.

Hector was sore all over, and he was still a bit shaken from his nightmare, but focusing on his exercises, something he was familiar with, helped him to balance himself again. Hector could only manage these exercises for about half an hour before his body really started to protest and he had to take a break.

Hector sat next to the fire. It was too warm for them to need the fire now that they weren't cooking something, but he didn't want to put it out. Hector would rather be uncomfortably warm than chilled to the bone.

Hector stared at the dancing flames when they suddenly flared up, almost burning him. Hector flinched and drew back. What had just happened.

"Careful there," A familiar and spine-chilling voice said. Hector whipped around to see the ghostly girl from earlier looking at him. Her gaze was cold. "We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." Her tone suggested that she didn't think it would be much of a shame at all if he got burned.

Hector scowled and flicked his wrist, pulling out his blade. He didn't know what good it would do against a spirit, but he felt better with it anyway.

"What are you?" Hector growled. "And what do you want with me?"

The girl smirked widely. Everything about her was unnatural. "I think you already know the answer to that."

Hector scowled. He hated non-answers like this. If he knew the answers, he wouldn't have asked. He may have his suspicions, but he wanted to know for sure.

"Don't look so angry, my pet." The girl floated closer to him. Hector seethed.

"I'm not anybody's pet," Hector snapped. "Let alone yours."

The girl chuckled, and the sound grated against Hector's ears. "We shall see." She came even closer to him, and Hector unconsciously took a step away from her.

"Leave me be, sorcerer." Hector snarled. The girl's smile widened even more, which Hector hadn't even thought was possible.

"See? I knew you weren't as dumb as your sister thinks you are." The girl clasped her hands together. Hector gave her a smirk of his own and raised his weapon.

"I won't let you turn me against my sister." Hector said.

"Oh, I don't need to do anything for that to happen." The girl waved off his words. She gave him a crooked look, and he felt like she was gazing right into his very soul. "You've done a fantastic job at doing that all on your own."

"Shut up." Hector said. He knew the girl was right, but he would never admit it to her. She seemed to know how to get under his skin, and Hector wasn't about to let her win. He turned his back to the girl and returned to staring at the fire. He heard her talking to him still, but he ignored her words and did his best to block her out. He didn't need to listen to her toxic words.

Despite Hector's best efforts, he couldn't completely avoid hearing the girl. He tried not to pay attention, but then she started saying things that he couldn't help but let get to him.

"You know, you really shouldn't ignore me." The girl said. Hector could practically hear the pout in her voice. "I'm just trying to help you. I have a lot to say that you might be interested in."

Hector scuffed. "Yeah? Like what?" He really shouldn't have answered her. The girl just took this as an invitation to continue.

"Such as the location of your nephew." The girl said smugly. Hector stiffened, and this time it had nothing to do with the unnerving girl.

"What?!" Hector snapped around and looked past the girl towards the tree where Varian and Adira were supposed to be sleeping. His sister was still out, but the boy was nowhere in sight. Hector felt his breath get caught in his throat. He levelled the ghostly girl with a murderous glare. "Where is he? What did you do to him?"

"Me?" The girl blinked with faux innocence before she smirked. "I haven't done anything yet, but I know where young Demanitus is. I can take you to him, if you want." She held out her hand.

Hector stared at her hand before he groaned and shoved his hand through her incorporeal one. They both knew that he wouldn't truly be able to take her hand, but that wasn't what this was about. This was a gesture of submission and giving up control. This was a sign to the two of them that as long as he thought that Varian was in danger, Hector would follow her lead.

The girl grinned, looking far too pleased with herself. She floated along and led Hector towards the trees. Hector was cursing himself under his breath. He was supposed to be keeping watch, but Varian had slipped away right under his nose. Or, even worse, somebody else had slipped in and taken Varian away from them.

They walked for about ten minutes before Hector saw Varian standing in a clearing. His head was tilted back and he had his arms wrapped around himself.

"Varian!" Hector ran towards the kid. The boy had no time to react before Hector wrapped his arms around him.

"U-uncle Hector?" Varian sounded surprised Hector growled and pulled away from the kid so he could hit him over the back of the head.

"What are you doing out here?" Hector snapped. "You can't just sneak off like that."

"I-I tried to tell you before I left." Varian said quickly as he rubbed the back of his head. "You didn't answer."

"I…" Hector looked back over his shoulder to where he had left the ghostly girl, but she was nowhere to be seen. She had left again. Hector was really starting to hate her. "I was distracted."

Varian's eyes widened in concern. The kid had never seen Hector space out like that. "Are you okay?" Varian asked.

"I'm fine." Hector said. He was just furious with himself. He'd been so busy trying to push the spirit child out of his mind that he hadn't been paying attention like he should have been. Something horrible could have happened. "What about you? Why'd you leave?"

Varian grimaced and looked at the ground. "I don't know. I just...I needed to think."

Hector sighed tiredly. "I'm all for giving you whatever space you need, but you know you can talk to us if you need to, right?"

"I know." Varian gave him a small smile, though it looked strained. I'm just trying to figure things out." Varian brushed his hair out of his face. His fingers lingered on his hairstreak.

"Is this about the magic thing?" Hector asked. He knew that Varian still had a really hard time believing that he could access the powers of the moon. The boy had seen it for himself, and he'd lost himself to its influence, but he had lived his whole life passionately denying the existence of magic. Even now that magic was staring him in the face and it was impossible to deny Varian still tried to reason his way through it.

Varian grimaced. "A bit." The boy admitted. He bit his lip slightly. "Do you think my dad knew about this magic?"

Hector frowned slightly. Quirin definitely knew about the power of the moonstone itself, but he didn't think that was what the kid was talking about. "You mean the magic you get through your connection to the moon?"

Varian flinched ever so slightly. "Y-yeah, that." Varian hunched his shoulders a bit. "I didn't understand why my dad cared so much about me avoiding the black rocks. I mean, yeah, they were dangerous when they were just popping up out of the ground, but once they were there they were stable. They were just like any other rocks. You told me that the entire Dark Kingdom is covered in them, so they have to be at least a little safe, right?" Varian looked at Hector with wide, desperate eyes.

Hector slowly nodded. Varian was correct. The reasons why the black rocks were dangerous was because they showed up suddenly, piercing through anything in their path, and they were almost impossible to destroy. The best way to counter the black rocks was to adapt to them. Quirin should have known this, and he also should have known that somebody couldn't adapt to something if they ducked their head and avoided it completely. There was a necessary risk that came with the trial and error of adapting.

Varian started pacing. "Now I know I shouldn't have experimented on the black rocks, because o-of the amber, but my dad couldn't have known that would happen. Why was he so sure that my alchemy would cause a dangerous reaction? It was just as likely that my alchemy wouldn't do any good against magical rocks."

Hector watched Varian pace and ramble with fascination and concern. The kid was getting himself worked up, and Hector didn't know whether it would be best to pull the kid out of it before he really upset himself, or let him talk through what was bothering him so he could get it all off his chest.

"Why was it so important to him?" Varian gave his hair a small pull. "He didn't tell me to not experiment on them, he told me to stay away from them completely, and I don't know why. And it was just me. He never said a word when the townspeople tried to dig up the rocks, or when the other kids climbed all over them. Why did he just care that I stayed away from the rocks?"

Varian stopped in his tracks. His eyes were slightly glazed over. He looked equal parts furious and terrified. "D-did he think I would be able to make the rocks more dangerous? When Rapunzel touched the rocks they would react to the powers of the sun and kinda lash out. What if he told me to stay away from the rocks because he knew about my powers and didn't want me to make that kind of thing happen?"

Hector shrugged. Varian's thought process was a little dizzying. How could the kid deal with it all the time? "Makes sense to me."

Varian's expression darkened and Hector realized that maybe encouraging the kid to really explore the root of what was bothering him wasn't the best idea.

"More secrets," Varian growled. "Every time I think I've learned about all of them I find something else that he was hiding from me!" Varian let out a raw shout of pain and fury. Hector could hear the tension it was putting on the kid's throat. "Why wouldn't he tell me anything?!"

"Kid, you don't know that he knew about the magic." Hector said. Varian continued on like he hadn't heard a word he said.

"I can understand why he didn't want to tell me about his past in the Dark Kingdom." Varian said. "I don't like it, but I get it. This though," Varian whined and clenched his fists tightly around his hair, giving it a sharp pull that had to be painful. "This isn't a secret about him, it's a secret about me. I had a right to know about this, and he never told me anything!"

Hector believed in the cathartic feeling that came with yelling and ranting about things that were bothering you, but he didn't like seeing Varian so upset. When he saw tears starting to fall from the kid's eyes he thought they should call it a day. He could deal with an angry kid, and he could figure out what to do with a crying boy, but he didn't think he could deal with angry crying.

"Hey, hey, calm down." Hector said. He pulled Varian back into his arms, just because he didn't want the kid to hurt himself. He may just be pulling his hair, but he was still harming himself and that wasn't okay. "It's okay, kid."

"No, it's not." Varian sniffled and buried his head against Hector's chest. "He kept secrets from me, he might have lied to me, and I'm so mad at him, but...but I don't want to be." Varian shuddered. "I-I miss him. I just want my dad back, but what if, when I finally get him out of the amber, I'm still mad at him? What if he's still mad at me?" Varian whimpered. "It's been so long since I've seen him, and I don't want the first thing we do to be fighting."

"I'm sure that won't happen." Hector said. Varian shook his head.

"But what if it is?" Varian said quietly. "What if...what if we're both so mad that we both just fight, and yell, and hurt each other, and then we don't talk to each other for twenty five years?"

"Wh-kid, that's not going to happen." Hector looked down at Varian. "That is way past a worst case scenario. Where would you even get that idea?"

"You haven't seen my dad or talked to him in twenty five years." Varian said. "You barely saw Adira, and you told me that any time you saw her you two just fought." Varian gasped slightly. "I-I haven't even been alive for that long. I don't want to lose my dad, but I'm still so mad at him and I don't know how to make it stop."

Hector sighed and ran a hand through Varian's hair in what he hoped was a calming way. "You're not going to lose your dad."

"You don't know that." Varian said in a shaky voice.

"Yes, I do." Hector insisted. "Because I won't let it happen. If you and your dad start fighting that bad, which I really don't think you will, I'll lock both of you in a small room until you can work things out."

Varian let out a wet laugh. "You-you really would, wouldn't you?"

"Absolutely." Hector smirked. "I can't tell you how many times Quirin did that kind of thing with me and Adira when we were growing up. It's only fair that I put him through the same thing.

Hector sighed. "Trust me, I know it's not fun to be so mad at somebody that you care so much about. You want to love them, but a part of you also hates them so much. I feel that way about Adira." Hector was still trying to find the balance between his conflicting feelings. "It takes a lot of work, and sometimes it doesn't feel like it's worth it, but you can love and miss your dad and still be rightfully angry at him."

Varian pulled back from Hector and looked up at him. "Y-you think I'm right to be mad?"

"Oh, definitely." Hector snorted. "He didn't tell you about your family, or your culture, or apparently your powers that he might have known about. Those are really important things that you deserve to know." Varian seemed to relax slightly, now that his feelings were finally being validated. Hector knew that the kid may not like how he was feeling, but that didn't make his emotions any less real, and trying to pretend that they weren't there was just going to do more harm than good.

Hector rubbed Varian's back in what he hoped was a comforting way. "When I was little, I used to think that Quirin was the master of communication. He always seemed so wise and in control compared to me and Adira. It's kinda funny, in a really sad way that he has somehow managed to screw things up so badly with you."

Varian pouted slightly. "I'm glad you're finding humor in my misery."

"I don't find it humorous." Hector clarified. There was a difference between a funny situation and a humorous one. Hector just thought it was ironic, something he would never have believed as a child. He definitely planned on having a few words with Quirin about how he interacted with his son. Of the three of them, Hector should not be the member of the Brotherhood who best handled Varian's strong feelings.

"I just think I'm going to have to mediate your conversation with your dad." Hector said. He didn't want to leave Varian in any environment that he didn't feel completely safe in.

Varian gave him a strained smile, though his eyes were pained. "We'll have to figure out how to save him first."

"I think I know how you can do that." Hector flinched when the little girl returned. He didn't want to listen to her, but she'd known where Varian had gone. This ghostly form of the ancient sorcerer had to have a lot of knowledge, even about things that appeared impossible.

Hector raised an eyebrow at the girl, wordlessly asking her to go on. The girl smirked wickedly. "The amber is just another form of the black rocks. They're a creation of the moonstone, which has always been a lot better at destruction than creation."

Hector narrowed his eyes at the girl. What was she saying. She sighed impatiently. "We both know you're smart enough to figure this out. Don't deny what you know just because you're frightened of it."

Hector refused to admit that he was afraid of anything. He thought about just what the girl had said, and a moment later his eyes widened in realization. The moonstone had powers of destruction. The only things it created, such as the black rocks, could only be destroyed by other celestial powers, such as the power of the sundrop, or other black rocks.

Or the moonstone's incantation.

The girl grinned as soon as she recognized that Hector had caught on. "There you go."

Hector subtly shook his head. He didn't think that Varian, as he was, had enough powers of the moonstone to successfully harness the powers necessary to destroy the amber. If the incantation was to work at all, it would have to be through the full powers of the moonstone. Hector refused to selfishly use the moonstone. He'd sworn to protect it. He couldn't just abandon everything he'd dedicated his life to, not even for his brother's sake.

"We shall see, my pet." The girl said. She disappeared from Hector's view, but he still heard her voice in his ears. "We shall see."

Hector scowled and turned away from where the girl had been, just in case she decided to show up again. "Let's head back. Adira's going to be furious if she wakes up and finds we're gone." Varian nodded and allowed Hector to lead them back. The man had another motive. He didn't think he could handle much more of this ghostly girl.

Perhaps it was time he talked to Adira about this. She may not be able to make the girl stop, but she might be able to stop Hector from doing something that he would regret. He'd already released the powers of a demon sorcerer, he really couldn't afford to mess up more than this.

Chapter Text

"Shut up!"

Adira jerked awake when she heard Hector shout. It wasn't that unusual for her to hear Hector shout and scream in anger, but he sounded more terrified than anything. Adira quickly jumped to her feet and got in a fight-ready stance, only to find it was unnecessary. There was nobody there. The only person she saw was Hector, glaring angrily at absolutely nothing. There weren't even any trees or rocks that a potential threat could be hiding behind.

What alarmed Adira most was that Hector's eyes were red. He didn't look like he'd slept, but Adira was sure that while that could explain the redness in his eyes it couldn't excuse away the tear tracks on his cheeks.

"Brother?" Adira asked quietly, cautiously. Hector jerked and looked towards her with alarm. For a long, tense moment he didn't look like he understood that he was looking at her, but then his expression dropped. He looked tormented.

"Adira," Hector's voice was painfully quiet. Adira didn't think she could remember a time when he'd looked so vulnerable. What had happened?

Hector lurched forward, and Adira knew what he needed. She didn't hesitate to take him into her arms. Just because she didn't like physical touch didn't mean that she was going to just sit there and watch as her brother suffered.

Hector leaned so close to Adira that she could feel every shudder that went through his body. It almost felt like he was going to fall to pieces in her arms.

For the past several days, since leaving the Great Tree, Hector's well-being had slowly started to decline. Adira had been watching him in concern, but she didn't say a word about it to him. Hector was a proud man, and he would surely just get defensive if Adira talked to him about something he wasn't ready to discuss.

He'd assured her that he would tell her if whatever was going on with him got any worse. Adira could tell that it had gotten much worse, but he hadn't said a word to her yet. There had been many times when Adira thought he was going to say something to her, but then he would suddenly pause, pale, and mutter an excuse before walking away.

Adira wanted to give him the time and space he needed, but she couldn't just let him suffer anymore. Adira wanted to help him, but she needed him to open up to her and tell her what she could do.

"Hector," Adira said after holding him for a few minutes. "Whatever is going on has gotten a lot worse. Do you remember what you promised me?"

Hector took in a shuddered breath. "I know." His tone was something between a growl and a whimper. "I know. I've wanted to, but she...she…" Hector sighed and all the fight seemed to drain out of his body. "She won't leave me alone. She's always watching me, talking to me, and I've tried to ignore her, but she's always there. I can't even escape from her in my dreams. Any time I fall asleep she's right there, waiting for me."

Adira frowned, equal parts concerned and confused. "Who?" Adira hadn't seen anybody around.

Hector flinched, and for a terrifying moment she felt like he wouldn't answer her. Finally he groaned and pulled away from her. He refused to meet her gaze. "Zh-Zhan Tiri...or at least the sorcerer's power."

Adira stared at him in shock, sure that she had misheard it, but Hector's guilty expression and tortured expression said otherwise.

Adira wasn't even sure how to respond to this. She was scared that the ancient sorcerer was plaguing her brother. She was furious that he had kept this from her. A very small part of her felt like this served him right. He took the spear from the heart of the tree, and now he had to deal with the consequences. An even larger part of her felt guilty for even considering that. Her brother was hurting right now, and he didn't deserve this pain, no matter what he had done.

Adira had so many thoughts and reactions swirling in her head, warring with each other. For a long moment she didn't do anything, and Hector took that chance to continue.

"I wanted to tell you, but the demon child, she got into my head." Hector brought his hand to his long hair and gave it a harsh pull. He squeezed his eyes shut tight. "S-she said that you would be mad at me, or think that this is no more than what I deserve. She said that if I said anything then I would push you away, and I c-couldn't do that." Hector curled in on himself, trying to make himself as small as possible. "I can't lose you. Not again."

"You won't." Adira insisted. "I wouldn't leave you." Not when he was so vulnerable and needed support more than ever.

Hector chuckled darkly and shook his head. "You would if you knew what she wanted me to do."

Adira blinked and her concern spiked. She had thought that Zhan Tiri, or whatever this was, was just tormenting Hector. She hadn't thought that it actually wanted something from him. Why were they trying to use her brother like this? What did they want?

Adira wanted to ask Hector the details about what this voice was saying to him, but she knew he was far too afraid to actually tell her. If she brought it up, Hector might put up his guard and close himself up to her.

Instead of interrogating her brother, Adira pulled him close again. She rarely initiated physical contact, but she knew that he needed it. Hector leaned against her. She ran her fingers through his hair, and after several long minutes he eventually started to calm down a little. Just when Hector's mood seemed to improve he suddenly stiffened and let out a small whine. He moved his hands to cover his ears. Adira had never seen him like this before.

Is she talking to you?" Adira asked. Hector nodded.

"She won't stop." Hector whimpered. "I know she's wrong, I know she is, but it's getting harder and harder to remember. I'm just so tired. I can't think straight, and more and more when she talks to me it sounds like my own voice. Sometimes I can't tell when my thoughts are hers, and when they're mine, and it...it scares me."

Adira stiffened and it took everything she had to keep herself from flinching. He was worried enough as it was, and she didn't want to add to that by letting him know just how nervous this whole thing was making her. Adira had known that Hector was scared, that much was obvious, but hearing him admit to it was almost more frightening.

Hector was a proud man, and one of the bravest people she knew. He could stare a charging rhino down without a second thought. He had tamed bearcats that were far too large for their species. He had never let himself be intimidated by anybody, and yet he was breaking down in front of her. Adira couldn't believe that she had let it get this bad. She should have stepped in and done something to help Hector much sooner, before he'd reached his breaking point.

Adira held onto Hector. She looked around, hoping to see some kind of answer jump out at her. How was she supposed to help her brother when she didn't know just what he'd been dealing with for the past few days?

Adira didn't know if she could do anything about Zhan Tiri and whatever the sorcerer was saying to him, but that was just one thing that was bothering him. He hadn't been getting nearly enough sleep, which certainly couldn't be helping him cope. Fortunately, Adira knew a thing or two about encouraging a dreamless sleep.

"Hector, do you trust me?" Adira asked, though she almost immediately regretted it. Hector stiffened, and Adira understood why. They both knew far too well that Hector didn't trust her, at least when it came to some matters, such as anything involving the Sundrop, or Varian's well-being. Adira shouldn't have mentioned it, as it would just put them both on edge.

To Adira's shock, Hector nodded. "With my life, yes, of course I do."

It took Adira a long moment to recover from her surprise. She gave her brother a grateful smile. Hector may not trust her with everything, but he knew she would look out for his well-being, and for now that was good enough.

"Just wait a minute." Adira said. She slipped an arm away from Hector and reached for her small bag. She always kept a couple of simple remedies and cures on her person, just in case. She knew how to make more, but these were some of the simple ones that could be used when time was of the essence, like now.

Adira pulled out a small vial with a basic herbal sleeping solution in it. It wasn't the fastest way she had to knock someone out, but it was the most painless, and one that almost guaranteed an undisturbed, dreamless sleep.

Of course, Adira didn't know if it would help with dreams caused by a supernatural being, but it was worth a shot.

Adira brought the vial to her brother's mouth, and he drank it without hesitation. He made a face at the bitter drink, but obediently took it all. It took several minutes for him to start dozing off, though it felt like much longer. Hector was tense, and he would frequently flinch, growl, or whine. The demon sorcerer was talking to him.

Finally, Hector relaxed as sleep overtook him. After he was still for about ten minutes Adira finally allowed herself to relax. Hector was asleep, and hopefully he would remain that way for a decent amount of time. He had a lot of sleep to catch up on.

Adira could have watched Hector sleep for a long time, but they needed to get going. They were close to the Dark Kingdom, and if they really pushed themselves, hopefully they could get there by the end of the day, before Hector woke up.

Adira stood up, gently laying Hector on the ground. She moved towards Varian, who was curled up with Ruddiger and snoring lightly. She shook the boy's shoulders. He quickly woke up. Varian looked scared for a moment before he registered his surroundings.

"I'm sorry about the rude awakening." Adira said. She knew that Varian was easily startled. She would normally avoid aggravating him when she could, but they needed to get going.

"It's okay." Varian rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He looked towards Hector and seemed relieved to see him sleeping. "It's been awhile since I've actually seen him sleep."

Adira grimaced. "There's a reason for that. Hector's really not doing very well."

Varian's eyes widened in alarm. "Is he okay?"

"He will be." Adira said. "But the sooner we get to the Dark Kingdom, the sooner we can find answers." The Dark Kingdom had a lot of resources about the Moonstone, but Adira knew there had to be at least a few things that addressed Zhan Tiri. Maybe they could find something to keep the sorcerer's power away from Hector.

Varian nodded and got up, even though he'd only been able to get a few hours of sleep. Varian started to gather their things while Adira went to get Hector. She carefully lifted her brother and brought him to the rhino. She lifted him onto its back. Varian handed over some of their bags, and then climbed onto the back of one of Hector's bearcats. Nothing else was said or done, they just set out.

They travelled quickly, faster than they'd done together. Before they'd reached the tree, Varian's sickness and mental well-being were prioritized over speed. Since making their way towards the Dark Kingdom, Hector's unease had slowed them down quite a bit, though none of them had really taken notice of it. Now that Hector was sleeping and Varian had something to drive him on, there was nothing holding them back.

They rode silently for several hours before they saw the dark clouds and black rocks that made up the Dark Kingdom. They had made it. Now it was just a matter of getting to the castle.

The Dark Kingdom was a drab place. There wasn't much to look at, and yet Varian seemed absolutely enthralled.

"This is where my dad grew up?" Varian asked quietly.

"We were all raised here." Adira gestured to the castle in the distance. "We grew up within those cold walls."

Varian's mouth twitched upward in a small smile. "I always wondered why my dad didn't ever feel like our home was too big and lonely. I guess he just got used to living in abandoned castles."

"The kingdom wasn't quite abandoned when we lived here," Adira said. "There were servants, and other knights. But yes, it was fairly isolating."

Varian looked around the kingdom, though Adira didn't know just what he was looking at. There was only so much to see in the barren wasteland of the kingdom she used to call home.

"I've never seen somewhere that has no plants." Varian said. "If things don't grow here naturally, I guess farming isn't a huge thing here."

Adira shook her head. "People have tried and failed to bring agriculture to our kingdom. All of our farmers had to work outside the borders of the kingdom, and even then they struggled a lot."

Varian looked a little sad. "My dad loves farming back home. I can't even imagine him living somewhere where he can't grow his own food."

Adira smiled slightly. "I think that was what drew Quirin to Corona in the first place. From what I hear, that kingdom's crops practically grow themselves. He once told me that if the Dark Kingdom ever welcomed home its people, he wouldn't hesitate to return home and try to use his farming knowledge to bring proper agriculture to our land.

Varian stared at her. "Dad...dad wanted to come back here?" Varian looked around again, a new look in his eyes. "I could have lived here someday?"

"I know it's not much." Adira said. "But there's a lot more to the Dark Kingdom than appearances suggest."

Varian beamed brightly. "Are you kidding? I like this place better than Corona already."

"From what you told me, that wasn't a high bar to pass." Adira said. Varian snorted and nodded.

The boy narrowed his eyes at the earth as they passed, which was made up of more rock than dirt. "My dad's a pretty good farmer, but he always tells me that the farmer's work can only get so far. He relied on the land. How was he hoping to farm here when the land is so, well, dead?"

"Believe it or not, he was planning on using your help." Adira smiled. "He told me that he was sure that your alchemy could find a way to bring out the fertility of the land."

Varian looked shocked. "He...he said that?" Varian's voice was quiet and full of longing, and more than a small amount of joy. "He believed in my alchemy?"

"Of course he did." Adira said gently. "Your father admired your alchemy so much."

Varian's eyes lit up, though his smile fell a little bit. "But he was always telling me to stop."

Adira shook her head. "You lived in a small town, surrounded by people who didn't understand alchemy. Out here, there's nobody around to get in your way and interfere with your experiments. It would be safe for you to experiment all you like."

Varian was quiet for a long moment. "...H-he really believed in my alchemy?"

"He believed in you." Adira said. Varian's face went red and he quickly turned his head away from her to try to hide it. Adira decided to drop the topic for now, though she fully intended to bring it up again in the future. Varian was clearly desperate for his father's approval. He needed to know just how proud Quirin was of him, even if he didn't always know how to express it.

As they approached the castle Hector began to stir. He was still asleep, but he was starting to get restless. Hector groaned and whined slightly. He was either about to wake up, or he had been thrown into a nightmare and was being bothered by that demon sorcerer.

Fortunately, they were really close to the castle. Unfortunately, they had one more obstacle in their path.

As they went towards the gondola that would take them straight to the castle they found an imposing figure waiting for them. Adira sighed and stopped their group. She slid off the rhino and gestured for Varian to stay back.

Adira approached the figure. Even though they were wearing a bear hood over their head, Adira knew exactly who it was.

"Your majesty." Adira said. "It's been a long time."

King Edmund was stiff for a long moment before he slid his hood off. Hamuel flew down from the sky and landed on the king's shoulder. Edmund must have been alerted by Hamuel that they were approaching. Adira must have been too distracted with her brother and nephew to notice the bird, which must have been really bad, as Hamuel was far from sneaky.

"Adira," King Edmund said slowly. He leaned slightly to look past her. "Is that Hector? I never thought I'd see him leave the Great Tree."

"Neither did I." Adira admitted.

King Edmund frowned slightly. "Did Adira finally have enough and kidnap him?"

Adira blinked. "I didn't kidnap him."

King Edmund looked taken aback. "You...you heard that?"

"Why wouldn't she have?" Varian spoke up from behind Adira. King Edmund's attention went to the boy, and Adira muttered a swear under her breath that she had heard from Hector. She didn't think that Edmund would hurt Varian, but the king was intense and didn't handle surprises well.

"A child?" Edmund looked curiously at Varian. His gaze shifted to Adira, and then back to Hector. "These two never struck me as the parental types."

"He's not either of ours." Adira said quickly. She loved Varian, but the thought of having kids of her own was uncomfortable and overwhelming. She would accidentally traumatize them for sure. Just look at Varian. Quirin was the most nurturing of the Brotherhood, and his son still had far too many issues for a kid his age.

Adira waved Varian to come towards her and closer to King Edmund. Since the man had already noticed the boy it would be good to properly introduce him. Varian shyly approached, staying close to Adira's side.

"This is Varian," Adira said. "He's Quirin's son."

"Oh," King Edmund nodded in understanding. "And where is Quirin?"

Varian flinched. "He...he's…"

"He couldn't be here." Adira said. "Me and Hector are watching Varian in his stead."

"And why did you bring him here?" King Edmund asked. "The Dark Kingdom is no place for a child.

"It's a long story." Adira said. She would be more than happy to explain everything that had happened to Quirin and Varian, and the boy's odd powers, as well as the approaching Sundrop. That would all have to wait just a little longer though. At this moment, Hector was tossing slightly in his sleep, and Adira needed to make him her priority.

Adira went back to the rhino and put her arms around Hector, lifting him up. He grimaced in his sleep and leaned into her touch. Adira turned to face King Edmund and Varian, who were both looking at Hector with slight fear. Neither of them were used to seeing Hector this vulnerable.

"Hector's in trouble right now, and I need to help him at least for a few hours." Adira said. "Your majesty, could you watch Varian for us while I keep an eye on Hector?"

"What?!" Varian and King Edmund exclaimed at once. Adira didn't know who sounded more panicked.

"Varian's an independent child." Adira said to Edmund. "Watching him is just a precaution." She then looked to Varian. "King Edmund may look frightening, but he's a protector, just like your dad. If you need it, he'll help you."

To Adira's alarm, Varian paled slightly. "The king...will help me?" Adira didn't know why he sounded so scared. Something was bothering Varian, and Adira wanted to tackle whatever issue it was, but she had already decided to help Hector. She didn't know just what kind of influence the demon had over Hector, and until she knew more she wasn't going to risk exposing an anxious Varian to that. The boy had enough on his mind as it was, he didn't need to worry about Hector on top of everything else.

King Edmund stood up tall, a determined look in his eyes. "I'll watch him as though he was Horace."

Adira felt a small pang of sympathy in her chest. She knew how much it had hurt Edmund to let go of his son. She wondered what had happened to the young prince. Despite the painful reminder behind Edmund's words, Adira was still reassured. She trusted her king to watch over Varian in her stead.

"You'll be okay." Adira said to Varian. "I promise."

Varian's eyes widened in alarm and he looked somewhat pained, but Adira couldn't stay around to make sure he was alright. She nodded in appreciation at King Edmund before she carried Hector towards the gondola. If it weren't for the rhino and bearcats, they would all be able to ride in the gondola. As it was, Adira needed to move ahead with Hector to get him settled and safe. King Edmund and Varian would have to go the long way around to the castle to bring the animals.

Adira didn't necessarily want to leave Varian behind, but she had to trust that he'd be safe in King Edmund's capable hand.

As the gondola started to creep towards the castle Hector's eyes fluttered. He groaned and opened his eyes. He stared at Adira for a long moment before he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Put me down." Hector all but growled. Adira happily complied.

"How are you doing?" Adira asked. It took everything she had to keep her voice casual so Hector didn't feel like he was being patronized. "Do you still see...whatever it is you've been seeing?"

Hector glanced to the side. Adira couldn't see anything there, but Hector glared viciously. He was seeing someone or something that Adira couldn't. "Yeah, she's still there." Adira wasn't happy that he had only just woken up and was already being plagued by the sorcerer, but at least he'd been able to get a few hours reprieve. And even though Hector was still being bothered by whatever he was seeing, he wasn't breaking down nearly as much as he had been.

"But are you going to be alright?" Adira asked. She almost hoped that Hector would scoff and roll his eyes, but he was quiet for a long moment before he sighed.

"I don't know." Hector said quietly.

"Well, from now on please just talk to me if there's something I can do to help." Adira said. She didn't want to let things get really bad again.

Hector looked thoughtfully out the gondola towards the Dark Kingdom around them. "Actually, I think there might be something you can do."

"What?" Adira asked.

"Don't let me take the moonstone." Hector said. "No matter what I say."

Adira stared at her brother in shock. She didn't know just what she'd been expecting Zhan Tiri to be trying to convince Hector to do, but this was not what she had expected at all. "What does the demon want with the opal?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know." Hector said. "But it can't be any good, and I don't want to play into the brat's hand." Hector looked around, confusion and slight panic in his eyes. "Speaking of brats, where's Varian?"

Adira gestured towards the other side of the ravine, where they could still see Varian and Edmund. "He stayed back with our old friend. They'll meet up with us at the castle later."

"King Edmund and Varian?" Hector grimaced. "You really think his majesty is going to be able to handle the kid?"

"You could do it." Adira pointed out. Hector chuckled.

"Alright, fair enough." Hector yawned and rubbed his eyes. As much sleep as he'd gotten, he still seemed really tired. Adira would have to make more of that sleeping serum of hers to help Hector get some sleep. In the meantime, their first stop would be the royal archives. If there was any information to be found about Zhan Tiri, it would be there.

And maybe they'd be able to find information about the moonstone and Varian's powers as well.

Chapter Text

Varian didn't always used to be afraid of men who were bigger and broader than he was. His dad was a fairly large man, after all, and Varian had never been afraid of him before. At least, he hadn't thought he was, but then Varian had heard his father lie to the king about the state of Old Corona.

They'd fought and disagreed with each other before, but that moment felt so much worse. Usually when Varian's dad was upset with him he just seemed disappointed and tired. During that fight he'd been truly angry, and for more than just a fleeting moment. Varian had been too mad himself to notice it at the time, but as he'd started to think back to that day he couldn't help but remember the way his dad had looked at him.

Varian had never seen his dad look so mad. He'd never been dismissed so harshly. At the time, it had been frustrating. Later, it hurt. Now when Varian thought about it he couldn't help but feel a rush of fear.

Part of it was because he'd learned how strained and distant the Brotherhood's relationships had become. Varian knew from experience that one terrible experience with a person could be enough to drive a permanent wedge between them, ruining whatever relationship they might have. That fight had felt different from any of their others, and Varian was afraid that it would be the final straw.

Another reason why Varian was scared now when he looked back on that day is because he now knew just how easy it could have been for his dad to have physically harmed him. Varian had never been hurt by his dad, and growing up he'd never had to worry that it was even a possibility. Even now he knew that it was unlikely that his dad would ever harm a hair on his head, but the fear was still there, and he hated it.

Varian had always known that his dad was strong, as physical labor wasn't for everybody, but he'd never imagined that his dad was capable of hurting anybody. Now, he knew better. Hector and Adira were two of the most accomplished fighters he'd ever met, much better than any of the Coronan guards. According to them, his dad was just as good as they were.

Varian had seen Hector and Adira fight with fists and swords much more than with their words. It just came easier to both of them. Varian didn't know if that was just the way they were, or if it was something ingrained in them from the Brotherhood. He was afraid to ask.

If the Brotherhood had all been trained to fight with actions more than words, then Varian could have been hurt by his dad. Someday he might have taken things too far, tested his dad's patience just a bit too much, and gotten himself hurt, and just the thought that something like that might have happened was absolutely terrifying. It didn't help that Varian now couldn't help but remember just how much force was behind his dad's push when he'd shoved Varian away from the amber. Varian could be seriously hurt by his dad without the man even putting in very much effort at all.

But if the Brotherhood hadn't been trained like that, if Varian's dad didn't have violence ingrained into him, then the boy would have been judging him unfairly. His dad had been good to him, had never hurt him even though Varian had tested his patience to the limit. His dad was trapped in amber because he'd saved Varian from his own carelessness. And how did he repay him? By being afraid of him for something that he'd never even done, just because there was a chance that it might have happened.

Varian couldn't help but remember when he'd looked in Rapunzel's sketchbook and seen that picture of him, the one that practically showed him as evil even though it was before he'd ever done anything. Varian had been so hurt by that picture, because he felt like he'd been judged unfairly, and yet here he was, doing the same kind of thing to his dad. Varian felt sick with guilt.

He wanted to get his mind off of his dad, so Varian did what he always did when he needed a distraction. He asked questions.

"Why do you talk to yourself?" Varian asked. King Edmund, who was leading the way around the large trench between them and the castle, turned to face him. The king had been muttering to himself the whole, only occasionally turning to address Varian. The boy really didn't know what to think of the man

"I do?" King Edmund frowned slightly in confusion. "I hadn't even noticed." The king hummed to himself. "I suppose I have been alone for twenty five years. There isn't really anybody else to talk to."

Varian gave a small smile. "I guess I get that." Before he'd gotten Ruddiger, Varian had talked to himself in his lab. Sometimes when he hit a block in his research he could figure it out just by talking through the problem. That had especially been a problem when Varian had been left alone for the months after the blizzard. He could understand why the king would fall into this habit after so many years.

"Why isn't there anybody else here?" Varian asked. A place couldn't exactly be a kingdom if there weren't citizens. He remembered Adira saying that the kingdom had been all but abandoned, but she hadn't really explained why.

King Edmund took a deep breath. "Our kingdom has always been dangerous, but twenty five years ago the moonstone lashed out, and I decided that it wasn't safe for my people. I sent everybody away."

Varian tried not to think about the moonstone. If it was dangerous, then what did that make Varian? He knew that Hector and Adira had brought him here so they could learn more about his supposed powers, so he could have more control, but he didn't like the thought of having powers that were so dangerous that they were too dangerous for anybody to be around.

"Why did you stay?" Varian asked. "If it's too dangerous to be around, wouldn't it be better to get rid of the threat?"

"I thought the same thing, and that's why it attacked." King Edmund said quietly. "The moonstone can't be destroyed, but it can't be abandoned either. Somebody has to stay behind to keep it out of the hands of those that would abuse its power. As king of this land, the responsibility falls on my shoulders."

Varian hummed to himself and gave Hector's rhino a small pet. He didn't know how long it would take to get to the castle by going around the trench. It seemed really deep and wide, so it would probably take a fair amount of time. Varian didn't normally mind long trips, as it gave him the chance to think things through and explore his thoughts, but he didn't really want to think too hard about his thoughts. The way he avoided thinking about it was by indulging his curiosity.

"Hey, who's Horace?" Varian asked. King Edmund stiffened and stopped in his tracks. Varian's breath got caught in his throat and he shrank back. This was a mistake.

King Edmund had seemed pretty nice and okay with Varian's questions up until this point, but that was no reason for him to let his guard down. Varian didn't know if the man was part of the Brotherhood the way that Hector and Adira were, but he certainly looked really big and strong. Even with just one arm King Edmund would probably have no issue snapping Varian right in half, like a twig.

What was even more terrifying though was that Edmund wasn't just bigger and stronger than he was, like his dad, but he was the king of the Dark Kingdom. Varian knew all too well what kings did if somebody started asking questions that they didn't want to think about. They got rid of the problem, and back in Corona, and possibly here in the Dark Kingdom as well, the problem was the one asking the questions.

"I'm sorry!" Varian said quickly and loudly. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest. He could feel it pounding in his head. A voice in his brain was telling him to calm down, that he was safe. King Edmund wasn't King Frederic. Adira had assured him that he was safe.

The much stronger part of Varian was panicking far too much for him to consider calming down. Adira hadn't just assured him, she had made him a promise, and Varian knew just how easy it could be for someone to break a promise, just because it was out of their control.

She may have told Varian that King Edmund would help him, but King Frederic had said that he'd help him as well, and just look at what had happened. Varian had been tossed into the palace dungeon, not given a chance to defend himself, and they'd thrown away the key. He'd been scared, hurt, and abused for months. If that was what it looked like to receive help from a king, then Varian didn't want anything to do with it.

King Edmund turned towards Varian. The boy flinched and ducked his head. He refused to look at the king. He didn't want to see the fury in his eyes, or the disappointed look on his face, like what he was about to do was all Varian's fault, for not knowing his proper place.

Varian squeezed his eyes shut tight, but he could still tell that the king was approaching him. Each slow, heavy footstep echoed in Varian's ears. It felt like a countdown to his sentence, and this time there wouldn't be any Uncle Hector to pull him out of the shadows.

"Boy?" The king sounded far too close. "Are you alri-" Varian flinched and whimpered when he felt a hand touch his knee. He jerked back, only to start falling as he went too far and started to slide off the rhino's back. Varian cried out in alarm and started scrambling for something to grab onto before he hit the ground head first.

Varian felt something tightly clasp around his ankle, stopping him before he could fall further. The grip was strong as iron, and was just a bit too tight, pinching and hurting a little. Varian felt like he couldn't breathe. Was he being shackled again? No! He didn't want this! He was going to be locked up again, never to see the light of day. Never to see his aunt and uncle.

He wouldn't ever see his dad again. He wouldn't be able to apologize for all the times that he'd messed everything up.

A choked sob escaped Varian's throat as he was pulled and lifted back over the rhino's back, only to be pulled back down the other side. The grip on his foot went away, only to be replaced by a hold on his shoulder, with a hand so large that it felt like it could crush him. The grip wasn't all that gentle, and Varian was sure that it really was going to crush him. Slowly, painfully.

Varian's breathing sped up. He felt like he couldn't get enough air, and the pressure on his shoulder, making it harder to take a deep breath, as well as his occasional sobs, weren't helping.

He couldn't help the thought that it might have been kinder for him to just fall on his head. At least then he wouldn't be hyper aware of all the possibilities of what could be done to him.

Varian tried to pull away from the grip on him, but it just tightened. "No! No, no, please, j-just let me go." Varian felt tears start to fall, and once they started he couldn't keep them in. "P-please."

"Varian," The king said. His voice was surprisingly quiet and gentle. He almost sounded like he actually cared about how Varian was feeling. "Are you hurt? Are you alright?" The king was quiet for a moment before he started to mutter to himself, speaking his thoughts out loud. "I don't know what to do with a crying child. Do I leave him alone? Do I comfort him? I was never taught what to do in this situation."

If Varian weren't so panicked, he might be baffled by hearing the king talk to himself. As it was, while he heard the words being said, he didn't really understand them. He was too far in his own head and panic to focus on what the king was saying to himself.

The two of them stood like that for what felt like several minutes. Varian cried to himself, choking on his tears as he tried to keep himself from being too loud, which only made him cry more. The king stood in front of him, silently. The grip on Varian's shoulder was still firm, but it didn't hurt nearly as much. Every once and awhile the king would rub Varian's shoulder in a way that reminded him of what his dad would do sometimes when he was trying to comfort him.

Eventually the king sighed and adjusted his grip on Varian. The boy's breath got caught in his throat, as he expected that this was the moment when the other shoe would drop, but the grip didn't become any more painful or forceful. The grip moved around Varian's back and the boy was pulled against the king's chest.

Varian's crying got worse as he realized he was trapped. He squirmed to get away, but the king didn't let him go. Varian was terrified. He whimpered and tried to make himself as small as he could, but that just made the king feel even larger in comparison, which scared him even more.

Varian whined and squirmed to try to get away, but it accomplished nothing except making him feel tired. After several minutes Varian exhausted himself. Still crying, Varian stilled and just leaned against the king's chest. He could feel it rumbling. It took him a long moment to realize that the man was still talking to him.

With nothing else to do, Varian tried to listen to what the king was saying. He was almost afraid to hear it. What if the king was sentencing him to whatever punishment he was going to give him for whatever Varian had done wrong? Varian didn't want to hear that, but he also didn't want to be caught off guard.

As he listened, he only felt more and more confused. It didn't really feel like the ing was talking to him, but he didn't seem to be just voicing his thoughts either. It sounded like the king was telling a story. Varian listened to him for a few minutes before he realized that this was a story that he recognized.

"F-Flynn Rider?" Varian said weakly. He tried to pull away from the king to look up at him curiously, and to his surprise the man allowed him to do this.

"Ah, Varian," The king gave him a relieved smile. "You've come back. Are you alright now?"

"Y-you know Flynn Rider?" Varian asked. He'd never met an adult that was familiar enough with the stories of Flynn Rider to tell one from memory, and the fact that this adult was a king was even more shocking.

The king's smile broadened, though his eyes became sad. "I am very familiar with the stories. Those books were my one escape out of the kingdom for all these years." The king, Edmund, rubbed Varian's back.

The boy was confused. King Edmund sounded really concerned about him. He seemed really nice and gentle, but he was a king. Varian had thought that all kings were the same, that they thrust their power all over the place and held it over everybody's heads. He definitely hadn't expected a king to ever hold Varian for several minutes as he panicked, telling him a child's story to try to comfort him.

"I-I'm sorry." Varian rubbed his eyes to try to brush away the tears.

"You are not the one who should be apologizing." King Edmund said. "I don't know what I did, but whatever it was I have scared you, and for that I apologize."

Varian was taken aback. Adults rarely ever apologized to him, let alone when they didn't even know what they had done wrong. And yet here was a king, humbling himself to a stranger, a boy who was barely more than a child. If Varian had a hard time differentiating King Edmund from King Frederic in his head, he didn't think he had that issue anymore. He couldn't imagine Corona's king ever being willing to admit he was wrong, let alone to a young commoner like Varian.

"I-it wasn't you." Varian said quietly. "Another king, he...he…" Varian shuddered. He didn't want to think about the tyrant that reigned over Corona with a plastered smile and an iron fist.

King Edmund frowned. "A king has hurt you."

"Nor directly." Varian admitted quietly. "I was never important enough for that." The only time King Frederic went after him himself was when Varian had kidnapped the queen. "He just sent his guards after me, and told them to hurt him." If King Frederic had never given the direct order that Varian should be mistreated in prison, then at the very least he'd never given word for them to stop. Varian found it hard to believe that King Frederic hadn't been well-aware of what he'd been going through in the dungeons. The man had been far too furious about what Varian had done to just forget about him completely.

"That doesn't make it better." King Edmund said. "A king's job is to take care of their people, not hurt them. I doubt a child could have ever done anything to warrant such treatment."

Varian normally hated to be referred to as a child, but he didn't mind it so much this time. Being called a child meant that someone didn't think that he was able to take care of himself, and right now Varian would really appreciate having somebody take care of him.

Varian shifted uncomfortably. "I kidnapped the queen."

King Edmund gave him an odd look. It wasn't judgmental, just confused. "Why would you do such a thing?"

Varian seethed at the thought. "The black rocks had been taking over our kingdom for months, and everybody, including my father and the king, were pretending nothing was wrong. Nobody was listening to me or taking me seriously, so I made them listen."

King Edmund sighed and pulled Varian close again. His embrace was just as strong as before, but it didn't feel as terrifying anymore. Varian felt safe in his grip, like he did with his dad. "That never should have happened." King Edmund said. "It is the king's responsibility to put the needs of his people above everything else, even their family."

Varian thought about King Frederic, who'd been so determined to keep everybody oblivious to the dangers of the black rocks just because he'd been trying to keep Rapunzel in the dark. According to King Edmund, this was the opposite of what he was supposed to do. It was incredibly comforting to hear a king condemn the actions that King Frederic took. Varian had started to feel like he was just naively misunderstanding the complexities that came with being a king.

"I don't know if I'd be able to do that." Varian admitted. He had been ready to turn his back on Corona, a kingdom that had already turned its back on him, all to save his dad.'

King Edmund chuckled, though it was a really sad sound. "It is a very difficult thing to do. It breaks your heart, but you have to keep going, because you have an entire kingdom looking to you for guidance."

Varian frowned slightly. King Edmund really seemed to know what he was talking about. "Have you put your kingdom above your family?"

"In a way." King Edmund sighed. He sounded lost. It almost reminded Varian of how he'd been for those first few weeks after his dad had been trapped in amber, before he'd spiraled into desperation and fury. "I had a son when tragedy struck and I had to send my people away. Horace was sent away with them." So, Horace was King Edmund's son. No wonder he'd gotten so tense when Varian asked about him.

"I didn't see my son grow into a fine young man." King Edmund said sadly. "The kingdom wasn't safe for him, but I couldn't abandon it. I had little choice but to put the good of my kingdom, my people, and my son, over my own happiness."

"That sounds terrible." Varian said.

"That's what it means to be a king." The man said. "At least, a good, just king."

Varian grimaced and buried his face in King Edmund's chest. "I wish I'd grown up here instead of in Corona."

He felt King Edmund stiffen. "I'm glad you hadn't. The Dark Kingdom is not a safe place. Even before everybody left it was a poor place to raise a family."

Varian didn't agree. Corona was basically the opposite of the Dark Kingdom, which one would think would make it the perfect place to raise a family, but it had been terrible. Everything was so sunshiney and happy, but if anything or anybody didn't quite fit into that perfect little mold they were treated like outsiders, even if they'd lived in Corona their whole life.

The Dark Kingdom, on the other hand, may be a desolate place, but that was the very thing that brought the people closer to each other. Since the environment was against them, the people of the Dark Kingdom had no other choice but to rely on one another. They were connected and united in a way that Corona could only hope to be.

At least, Varian assumed that was how the Dark Kingdom had been. If Hector and Adira, who were so similar and yet so different, and always fighting with each other, could so naturally put aside their differences to work towards a common goal, then maybe the whole kingdom had been like that. Or at least the Brotherhood.

"It doesn't seem so bad," Varian pulled away from King Edmund and walked towards a nearby black rock. Somehow they felt less malicious than they did back in Corona. Varian actually thought he could see some beauty in these rocks. In Corona, these things had been invading and ruining everything, but he couldn't really say that they were invading anything here. He'd been told that the Dark Kingdom had been built up from the black rocks.

Varian reached a hand out towards the black rock. He didn't really know why. He felt drawn to the rocks, just like he'd felt drawn to experimenting and investigating them. When Varian was about to touch the black rock he was pulled back sharply by King Edmund.

"What are you doing?!" The king's sharp tone was startling. Varian jumped back, instinctively reaching out to the black rock to steady him. As soon as Varian's hand touched the rock it took on a blue glow. All of a sudden a half a dozen or so black rocks burst out of the ground in a straight line, creating a bit of a barrier between him and the king.

"Varian!" King Edmund called out. Varian was shocked at how similar he sounded to his dad. King Edmund started to run around the line of rocks, but when he reached the end and started to reach out towards Varian the boy flinched and drew back. Another line of black rocks appeared, blocking him again.

Varian stared at the black rocks in shock. They'd come out of nowhere. Varian knew that all of the black rocks were unpredictable, but these felt different, somehow. It was too organized, and they'd conveniently showed up to block King Edmund from getting to Varian, right when the boy was startled and cautious about the man.

Looking back, this wasn't the first time that something like this had happened. Varian had been thinking about wanting to investigate the black rocks back home, and soon afterwards a large number of them had burst out of the ground in the middle of his lab, far more than he normally saw in one group. Varian had just seen it as a happy coincidence back home, but now he wasn't so sure.

King Edmund looked over the rocks. He stared at Varian in shock and a fair amount of fear. "How are you…" King Edmund shook his head. "Boy, let go of the rock."

"W-what?" Varian frowned. He looked to see that he was still holding onto the black rock, which was still glowing, and it wasn't the only thing that was glowing. The braid in Varian's hair fell in front of his face and he saw that his hair streak was glowing, just like it had been back at the tree when he'd lost control of the incantation.

Varian pulled his hand back quickly, as though he'd been burned. He was breathing deeply. He stared at the black rock like it was going to bite him. He was barely aware that King Edmund had made his way around the rocks and had gone to Varian's side. He pulled the boy away from the rock.

"Are you alright?" King Edmund asked.

"I-I don't know." Varian said numbly. He was staring at his hair, which had dimmed back to its normal color. "I didn't try to do that. It was an accident."

"By the moon," King Edmund gave Varian a look that was equal parts awe and terror. "You can control the rocks. I thought that someone could only do that if they held the moonstone."

"I can't control anything. Varian said desperately. "I can't control these powers. That's why Hector and Adira brought me here, to try to find more information."

King Edmund frowned slightly. "Hector and Adira know about this?"

"I think they knew way before I did." Varian said. "My dad might have known about it too, though I'm not positive about that one."

"I've never seen anybody that's been blessed by the moon like this." King Edmund said. He stared intensely at the streak in Varian's hair as though he was expecting it to start glowing again.

"I'm not sure if I'd call it a blessing." Varian muttered. He wasn't about to forget about the way that he had lost all control of the moon incantation, and the way that the healing incantation had somehow burned him. Varian hadn't known that words could literally burn. "Right now I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse."

King Edmund nodded "I have felt the same way about the moonstone for many years.

"A blessing?" Varian was just confused. He'd only heard bad things about the moonstone. "How can destruction and plague be a blessing?"

"The stone is far more than that." King Edmund said. "Just as the moon is ever changing, the stone brings constant change. Just when you think you've grown comfortable with how things are, the moonstone changes phases."

"What do you mean?" Varian asked.

"Millenia ago this land had been uninhabited." King Edmund said. Legend goes that the moonstone enjoyed its solitude for a time, but it eventually tired of that and began to tempt and lure travellers. A kingdom was built, and though we didn't thrive in the traditional sense, we found sanctuary in the shadows. We protected the moonstone, and it protected us."

"And then it changed its mind?" Varian wondered if this was all a metaphor or if the moonstone was truly sentient. At this point, he didn't think that anything would surprise him.

"Perhaps the moonstone got crowded, or perhaps it just wanted a change of scenery, but it made the land not just risky, but hazardous to live in." King Edmund said. "I can only hope that the moonstone's ever changing ways shift again soon."

"So the moonstone isn't really good or bad," Varian said as he looked at the unpredictable rocks in front of him. "It's change."

King Edmund nodded. "At least, according to our people."

"But Adira once mentioned that you tried to destroy the moonstone." Varian pointed out. A look of sorrow and regret came over the king's face.

"I had just been faced with a change that I wasn't ready to accept." King Edmund said. "In my grief, I became afraid of change."

Varian didn't know if he could relate. When he'd been grieving, change was the very thing he'd been looking for. When his dad had been trapped in amber, Varian had set out to change Corona's ways. Even back when Varian was younger, after his mom had gone missing, he'd never wished that things would go back to the way they were before, he'd hoped that they would become better. Even many of Varian's inventions were inspired by a desire for change.

Varian didn't know if his desire for change was just a part of who he was, or if it was because of whatever his connection with the moonstone was. Perhaps there wasn't really a distinction between the two. Varian was a little scared to find out just how much of who he was came from the moonstone, but at the same time he was incredibly curious, and, as usual, his curiosity won out over any unease he felt about potential answers.

"Can you tell me more about the moonstone?" Varian asked eagerly.. King Edmund chuckled.

"You remind me so much of Quirin." King Edmund said fondly.

Varian was taken aback. He'd never heard anybody compare him to his dad, except to talk about just how different they were. "I do?"

King Edmund nodded. "He was quite inquisitive when he was younger."

"What?" Varian was shocked. "My dad? Really?"

"Of course," King Edmund said. "He was always asking questions as a child. He toned things down as he got older, because he was too busy keeping Hector and Adira out of trouble. But whenever he could manage it he would volunteer to help me with my studies. I think he enjoyed learning about a prince's duties more than I did."

Somehow, this surprised Varian a lot more than when he had learned that his dad was secretly a warrior knight from a distant kingdom. His dad had liked to learn, just for the fun of it? He was like Varian? It was so odd to think about, and Varian didn't think he believed it, but why would King Edmund lie about something like this?

Varian was sure that he had learned more about his dad since he'd been trapped in amber than in all his time being raised by the man. It was bittersweet. Varian loved having the chance to learn more about his dad, but he would like it a lot more if his dad was the one to be telling him these things.

Growing up Varian had always been sure that his dad didn't understand a thing about him. From what little he remembered about his mom he knew that she was a bit of an alchemist, just like he was, so he assumed that he'd gotten all of his curiosity from her

Except she'd never been around to feed that curiosity. That had been all his dad. When Varian was younger and he'd argued with the teachers at the local school his dad had pulled him out, saying that he needed the extra pair of hands at the farm. Varian had been so upset at the time, but now he could see that his dad taking him out of school was probably the best thing he could have done for Varian's curious mind.

The next time his dad had visited the capital he'd come home with some simple alchemy books, as well as some sturdy gloves that had clearly been custom made. He showed Varian some of his mom's old alchemy supplies. His dad had taken the time to explain the books to him, which meant that he'd had enough of an understanding about alchemy to teach the basics.

As Varian had learned more and gotten to the level where he knew how to find any answers he didn't know, his dad had backed off and let him experiment independently. Varian had appreciated it at the time, as he felt more comfortable experimenting if there was nobody around to judge him for his more extreme ideas. Now, however, he wished his dad had continued working with him. Varian would have loved to do alchemy with his dad, and his experiments and inventions might have been safer.

Maybe, when Varian eventually found a way to free his dad, he could ask if they could do something like that again. He knew he hadn't properly bonded with his father for several years, but maybe that was a little bit his fault too. Varian could have put in a bit more effort too.

He was still a bit mad about all of the secrets that his dad had kept from him, especially since he had no way of knowing if there were more of them. The anger came and went though, and right now it was quiet enough that Varian allowed himself to just miss his dad and hope that things could not just go back to the way it was before, but be even better.

Varian still wanted to learn more about the moonstone, but after King Edmund had mentioned his father's curious nature that was all Varian wanted to hear about. "What kind of things did my dad like to learn about?"

"Anything he could get his hands on, though there was one subject that he enjoyed above any others." King Edmund said. He put a hand on Varian's shoulder. "We're still a fair distance from the castle. Let's get going again, and I can tell you about Quirin's fascination with astronomy."

Varian smiled. He'd never known that his dad was interested in the stars. It was so strange to think about, but also kinda nice. It made his dad feel more human. Not that he'd ever thought that his dad was anything else, but sometimes it was hard for Varian to remember that his dad was more than just the stern leader of Old Corona. His dad had fears and interests, just like anybody else.

"I'd like that." Varian said quietly. King Edmund smiled broadly, and there was something very familiar about that look, though Varian couldn't quite put his finger on why. It felt important, and a deep feeling in Varian's gut told him that the reason was nothing good. He shook his head and pushed those feelings down. He could return to them at a later time. For now, he wanted to focus on nothing else but listening to stories about his dad.

Whatever it was that made King Edmund feel uncomfortably familiar, Varian would worry about it later. It was probably nothing anyways.

Chapter Text

Hector's head ached. He was exhausted, and just wanted to get some sleep, but he didn't dare to. It was hard enough to ignore Zhan Tiri's voice when he was awake, but hearing her in his dreams made it almost impossible. She had far more control of his dreams than he did.

Hector wished he had more of Adira's sleeping aid. Those few hours of dreamless relief had helped a lot, but now that he knew what he was missing out on he just wanted more. Hector knew that Adira was planning on making some more, but she hadn't gotten around to it yet.

As soon as they had reached the castle she had brought him up to the Brotherhood's old chambers and practically ordered him to get some rest. Adira had assured him that she would be back soon, that she was just going to check on the moonstone and briefly look for some old books or scrolls that had more information about Varian's newfound powers or Hector's tormentor.

Hector was fine with being left alone, but he insisted that Adira lock him in the room. If he was going to be left unsupervised in the Dark Kingdom, when it would be far too easy to slip into the moonstone chamber, then he needed something to keep him from doing something insane.

Adira hadn't been happy about it. She kept on telling Hector that he wasn't a danger to the moonstone, and there was no need for him to treat himself like a criminal, but he would rather be safe than sorry. Eventually Adira had reluctantly agreed, and she'd locked the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, Zhan Tiri had showed up.

"You're making this far more difficult than it needs to be." Zhan Tiri said. Hector sighed and rolled over so his back was to the demon child. She just floated in front of him again. "This can all end if you just do what I ask."

"No chance," Hector sighed. "Find someone else to torment."

"Oh, my pet," Zhan Tiri chuckled in a patronizing way that made Hector seeth. "Do you honestly think you're the only one I've been giving attention to? You're not that important."

As much as Hector loathed it, he gave her his attention. "What are you talking about?"

Zhan Tiri grinned widely. He was really starting to hate that look. "As fun as you are, and as sure as I am that your stubbornness won't hold out forever, I have backup plans. If you won't take the moonstone, somebody else may, and believe me, you would not like what happens then."

"Why do you want the moonstone so much?" Hector asked. "There's gotta be other ways to destroy the world."

"If that's what's holding you back, I can swear to leave most of the world alone." Zhan Tiri said. "I can even make a binding oath."

Hector snorted. "Oh, most of the world? What does that mean, that you'll only destroy humans, but all of the plants and animals will be left alone?" If Hector was in Zhan Tiri's shoes, that was just the kind of loophole he would use.

"Of course not." Zhan Tiri gave him an amused smile, and somehow Hector liked it even less than he liked her devious smirk. "But I love the way your twisted mind works." She shook her head. "No, I was thinking more along the lines of just destroying Corona, and possibly the surrounding areas."

Hector frowned slightly. "Corona, huh?"

"Young Demanitus is not the only one that wants to destroy that kingdom." Zhan Tiri said. Hector gave her an odd look.

"Why do you call Varian that?" Hector asked.

"Let's just say that he reminds me of an old friend of mine." Zhan Tiri said. "That boy is quite extraordinary. I believe he could become even greater than Demanitus one day, just as long as he's given the chance to reach his potential."

Hector scowled. "I swear, if you say another word about him claiming the moonstone-"

Zhan Tiri held up her hands. "I won't say another word on the matter. But remember, you're the one who wanted to bring the boy here so he could control those wonderful powers of his. What could give him greater control than the moonstone that had gifted him these powers in the first place?"

Hector snarled and picked up the chair at the side of the bed. He threw it at Zhan Tiri, only for it to phase right through her. "I said not another word."

Zhan Tiri didn't look startled or annoyed with his anger. She just seemed amused. "So, my pet has a bite to go along with that bark of his."

Hector growled. "I've told you to stop calling me that. I'm not your pet. I'm not a wild animal. I'm-"

"A watchdog?" Zhan Tiri smirked. Hector was taken aback. Her tone implied that there was more to her words than just another stupid nickname. She was watching him, waiting for him to give a reaction.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Hector asked.

"You don't know?" Zhan Tiri gave him a look of mock sympathy. "Why don't you ask your beloved sister?"

"Stop trying to turn me against my sister." Hector said.

"I'm doing no such thing." Zhan Tiri said. "I'm just saying that if you trust your sister so much, then there should be no harm in asking her about this."

"I'm not listening to you." Hector said. Even if Adira knew something about this guard dog thing, Hector was sure that Zhan Tiri was trying to make him think that it was worse than it was.

"Perhaps," Zhan Tiri said. Her smirk was back. "But even the most disobedient of pets can be tamed."

"I'm not your pet!" Hector shouted. Right then he heard a thump against the window. He turned but didn't see anything. He had a pretty good idea of who was responsible though. Hector approached the window and looked out it. A moment later a familiar black bird flew up in front of the window.

Hector grinned to himself and opened the window. "Hamuel," The bird flew in and landed on Hector's shoulder. It cawed and nuzzled against him. "Yeah, it's good to see you too, birdbrain." Hamuel cawed in agreement before his gaze shifted to the corner of the room where Zhan Tiri was standing, watching Hector as she always did.

Hamuel squawked in alarm and shot into the air. He circled Zhan Tiri before diving down to attack her. Just like the chair, he phased right through her and crashed into the wall. Hector stood in shock for a long moment before he rushed to grab Hamuel.

He wasn't worried about the bird having hit the wall. He had hit his head and rammed into things so often now that Hector didn't think that he could become any more damaged than he already was. Hector just didn't want the bird anywhere near Zhan Tiri.

"Hey, hey, calm down." Hector said as Hamuel squirmed and cawed anxiously and tried to pull out of his grip. "I know, the creepy demon child is not the funnest person to be around, but you're just going to hurt yourself if you try to attack her."

"Says the mutt that tried to throw a chair at me." Zhan Tiri huffed. Hector felt his blood turn cold. He was used to Zhan Tiri calling him her pet, but being referred to as a mutt somehow felt so much worse.

Hamuel squawked furiously and glared at Zhan Tiri. Hector tightened his grip on the bird. He appreciated the defense, but he didn't want Hamuel to antagonize Zhan Tiri any more than he already had. Hector just wanted to ignore her and hope that she went away.

"Hamuel, stop," Hector said tiredly. "It's not worth it."

The bird stopped just so he could turn and give Hector an odd look. Hamuel may not understand very much that happened in the world around him, but he still knew that it wasn't like Hector to advocate for reigning in one's anger. He was always the type of person to attack first and look for an excuse later.

It just wasn't the same to attack somebody who was noncorporeal. Everything he tried to do just went right through her, and let her know that she was getting to him. Hector's strategy, at least at the moment, was to try to ignore the sorcerer, or possibly sorceress, as much as possible. Maybe she would get bored of him and leave him alone.

Hector sat down on the bed and stroked Hamuel's feathers, trying to get the bird to calm down. The bird was frantic and distressed, desperate to get away from him. Hector kept his grip firm. He didn't know if Hamuel was going to try to fly towards Zhan Tiri again or if he wanted to fly out the window and flee. Whatever the case, Hector didn't want to let it happen. He didn't want Hamuel to attack the girl again, but he also really didn't want to be left alone right now either.

Hamuel struggled for a few more minutes before he eventually calmed down. The bird whined and leaned against Hector, nuzzling him. The man sighed and closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at Zhan Tiri. She was oddly silent, but Hector knew that wouldn't last. She was building up to something, he just knew it, and he was afraid it was going to be really bad.

About half an hour later Hector heard the door unlock. He knew it was just Adira, but he couldn't help but flinch and try to make himself smaller. He hated this so much. He was a warrior, a fierce fighter, and yet here he was, reduced to a terrified coward just because of a few sleepless nights and a girl who just wouldn't stop talking to him. It was pathetic.

Hector heard Adira sigh as she began to approach. He felt her set on the bed, a fair distance away from him. "Is she bothering you again?"

"Not really," Hector admitted, feeling even more pathetic than before. Zhan Tiri wasn't even doing anything. She was giving him a rare reprieve, and yet he couldn't relax. He was jumping at his own shadow. "She just won't go away."

Adira gave him a sympathetic look. "It certainly sounds like she's bothering you."

Zhan Tiri hummed slightly to herself, and Hector cringed. He knew the peace and quiet couldn't last.

"If you want me to leave you alone so badly, I think we can arrange that." Zhan Tiri said. "How about we make a deal?"

Hector growled to himself and glared at the demon. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in anything you have to say?"

Adira gave him an odd look, but then she noticed that he wasn't looking at her. Her glance turned to one of sympathy. "Is she talking to you again?"

Hector growled in response, and that seemed to be enough confirmation for Adira. "What's she saying?"

"She wants to make a deal." Hector said. "Even though I keep telling her that I'm not getting her the moonstone."

"I had something else in mind." Zhan Tiri said. "I'll leave you alone for twenty four hours, including leaving your sleep untouched, and all you have to do in return is ask Adira one simple question."

Hector was suspicious. It couldn't be that easy. Zhan Tiri had to be up to something terrible. "What question?"

"Oh, you'll like this one, my pet." Zhan Tiri grinned to herself. "I just want you to ask your dear sister about the watchdog nickname."

Hector rolled his eyes. "That again? What's your deal with that?"

"Hector, what's going on?" Adira asked. "What's she saying?"

"Come now, mutt," Zhan Tiri said. Hector scowled at the nickname. "You can't tell me you're not curious."

Hector scowled. Of course he was curious, but he could see what Zhan Tiri was doing. She was trying to drive a wedge between him and Adira. If Hector didn't have the support of his sister sooner rather than later he would lose what little of a grip he had on reality. He would buckle and cave in to Zhan Tiri's demands, just to get some relief.

"Whatever she's saying, don't listen to her." Adira said. She moved closer to Hector, taking his face in her hands to make him look at her instead of Zhan Tiri. "You're stronger than her."

"We both know that's not true." Zhan Tiri said. "I've been kind to you so far, my pet, but that can easily change. If you don't want to cooperate now, I'd be more than happy to try something else."

Hector shuddered. Zhan Tiri already wouldn't leave him alone. If this was her being kind to him, he definitely didn't want to know what would happen if she decided to be mean. She was a demon sorceress. She could easily make his life a living nightmare if she wanted to.

Adira sighed and adjusted her grip on him, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Brother, what does she want?" Hector let out a short, desperate laugh. Adira wanted him to ignore Zhan Tiri, but she also wanted to know just what she was saying. Hector really couldn't do both.

"If I tell you what she wants, I'll be giving her exactly what she wants." Hector said quietly. "She wants me to ask you something."

"What?" Adira asked. "What question?"

Hector sighed. "If I tell you, it will involve asking you the question, which is what Zhan Tiri wants."

"It's just one simple question." Zhan Tiri said. "Don't you think a full night's rest is worth that?"

Somehow Adira ended up saying something similar to Zhan Tiri. "If the demon sorcerer wants to make a deal, what is she willing to give you in return? Maybe it'll be worth it?"

Hector grimaced. He didn't have a good feeling about this, but he was far too tired to think of a different idea. He wasn't a leader, he was a natural follower. He was obedient and did what he was told. He didn't think that he should ever do anything that Zhan Tiri wanted, no matter how small, but having the voices of his sister and personal demon whispering in his ear and saying the same thing was throwing him off.

Maybe it would just be easier to do what they wait. They were both probably a lot smarter than he was.

Hector sighed. "She wants me to ask you about the nickname watchdog."

"What?" Adira stiffened and pulled away from Hector, He was surprised at the terror-stricken look on her face. "Where did you hear that nickname."

"From Zhan Tiri." Hector gave Adira an odd look. He'd just said that. "She's been calling me pet, mutt, and most recently watchdog."

Adira's eyes darkened. She looked furious, much more so than her usual annoyance. Hector couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Adira this mad.

"How dare she," Adira seethed. "She has no right to call you that."

Hector shrugged. "She's far from the first person to call me something like that." Adira frequently defended him, and he appreciated it, but this anger seemed a little intense for her. "Watchdog is new though."

"It really isn't," Zhan Tiri said with a smirk. Hector wanted to tell her to shut up, but when he saw the slightly guilty look on Adira's face his words got caught in his throat.

"...Sister, why did she want me to ask you about it?" Hector asked cautiously.

Adira flinched ever so slightly. It was barely noticeable, but for somebody who didn't have the tendency to flinch, even that small amount might as well be a loud cry to help. Hector narrowed his eyes at her.

"Brother-" Adira began, her voice trembling ever so slightly. Zhan Tiri giggled from her corner of the room, and Hector growled from the back of his throat.

"What's going on with the Watchdog thing?" Hector asked stiffly. He felt like he was seconds away from breaking. Whether that breakdown would be in fury, fear, sadness, or something else entirely, was yet to be seen.

Adira said nothing for a long moment, and Hector was not in a patient mood. "If you don't tell me, the ghost child will."

"Oh most definitely." Zhan Tiri chuckled. "I can't wait to see the look on your face."

Adira sighed. "That's my nickname for you."

"It's your what?!" Hector snarled. He pushed himself off the bed, storming away from Adira's reach. He did his best to ignore Zhan Tiri's cackling, but it was ringing in his ears. He looked everywhere but at Adira or Zhan Tiri. He didn't want to see either of their looks.

"Brother-" Adira said, but Hector didn't let her continue.

"Don't you brother me," Hector snapped. "You only ever call me that when you're trying to get me on your side, and I don't want to hear it." Hector started to pace around. Hamuel cawed anxiously and settled on Hector's shoulder. He nuzzled the man, who barely noticed him.

"Watchdog?" Hector seethed. "So, what, it's only okay for me to be compared to a dog if you're the one doing it?"

"Of course not." Adira said firmly. "That wasn't what I meant."

"Were you just mad that Zhan Tiri stole your nickname?" Hector asked.

"You know that's not why." Adira scowled.

"No, I don't." Hector said. "How could I know that?"

"You know me." Adira said. "I was mad because she's talking to you like you're not human."

"By using your nickname." Hector pointed out. Adira grimaced slightly.

"You're making it sound bad." Adira said.

Hector scoffed. "So it's my fault that I don't want to be called a dog?"

"Stop putting words in my mouth." Adira said. If you would just let me explain what the nickname means-"

"I'm not an idiot, Adira." Hector crossed his arms. "I know what a watchdog is, and I don't want to hear your excuses about why your nickname for me is based on a territorial beast that blindly attacks anybody who comes too close."

"That's not why I chose it." Adira insisted.

"I don't care." Hector growled, just to hide the tremble in his voice. He felt betrayed, and he would rather latch onto the anger that came with that then wallow in hurt. "Get out."

"Hector-" Adira reached out for him, and he just snarled at her, baring his teeth. If she was going to call him a dog, then he would show her the animal that she seemed to think he was.

"Get out!" Hector screamed. Adira gave him a sad look before she stood up and left the room. Hector heard the lock click into place. A part of him was relieved that she was respecting his wishes and making sure he couldn't wander off while unsupervised. The larger part of him was seething that she had locked him in her. Deep down he knew this wasn't what she meant, but he couldn't help but think that she was just locking him up like a dog in a cage.

"That went just as well as I hoped it would." Zhan Tiri said. She sounded far too pleased with herself. Hector grimaced and glared at her. He knew this had been a mistake.

"We had a deal, demon." Hector said.

"Indeed, we did." Zhan Tiri nodded. "You did well, Watchdog." Hector flinched and she grinned widely, clearly amused. "You deserve a treat." She suddenly disappeared into the shadows, like she'd never been there at all. He heard one more echo of her voice. "I'll see you in twenty four hours, my pet."

Hector whimpered and fell on the bed. He finally had the chance to sleep, but he didn't think he would be able to. His chest was hurting, his head was pounding, and sleeping was just about the last thing he wanted.

Hamuel clicked his beak and nuzzled close to Hector, who slowly stroked his feathers.

"At least I can't understand what you're saying," Hector said quietly. He felt so pathetic and small right now. This was why he didn't let himself get close to many people. It just made him vulnerable to being hurt by them. At times like this he remembered just why he preferred the company of animals.

Chapter Text

There wasn't a lot to do in the Dark Kingdom, but Varian never really found himself bored. Adira took him to the training ground that the Brotherhood spent most of their time in. It was odd to imagine his dad growing up here, training and sparring for hours on end, trying to be a good knight for the kingdom.

Adira tried to walk Varian through meditation again, but she always seemed distracted. Varian knew she was worried about Hector, but she wouldn't tell him a word about his state.

They had reached the Dark Kingdom almost a week ago, and Varian hadn't seen Hector at all, and nobody would tell him exactly why. Adira would just say it wasn't safe. After she said a few whispered words to King Edmund, he soon started to say the same thing, but that wasn't good enough for Varian. He was sick and tired of secrets and lies, so he started to pay a little more attention.

Varian had followed Adira a few times to the room that Hector was staying in. She never went in. She would just check the lock, and ask Hector how he was doing. He would just growl and snap at her to go away.

From what Varian could tell, Hector and Adira were fighting. That wasn't anything new, but it was strange that Varian didn't know just what they were fighting about. He'd spent enough time around his aunt and uncle to know that they were never private about their fights. They really let their feelings be known, except apparently right now. The most that Varian could tell was that Adira had said something that hurt Hector's feelings, and he didn't want to listen to an apology.

Varian gave up on trying to learn anything by following Adira herself. Instead he switched to following her trail. The Dark Kingdom had a small library, where Varian spent most of his time. There weren't a lot of books and scrolls, most of them were just about the history of the Dark Kingdom, which was fascinating, even if it had far more magic involved than Varian felt comfortable with.

Adira sometimes went through these books with him, explaining as much as she could about the moonstone and its properties. It was hard for Varian to wrap his head around all this stuff. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the way that he seemed to have powers from the moon. He wanted to understand as much as he could about it, but there was only so much he could learn from a book. This was the kind of thing that Varian learned best from experimenting, but even he didn't dare to mess around with magical powers that he didn't understand.

Adira said that she wanted to show him the moonstone itself, as it would help him understand it better, but they couldn't do that now. Adira said that King Edmund was extremely protective of the moonstone, and wouldn't let just anybody near it. They would have to talk to him, reason with him, but they couldn't do that yet, because Adira was so busy focusing on whatever was going on with Hector.

Every once and awhile Varian saw Adira reading odd books and scrolls that looked like they had very little to do with the moonstone. She never told Varian what they were about, just saying it was nothing, which just made him more curious. So whenever Varian was in the library on his own he would go through these books to try to figure them out.

They were in a language he didn't understand, and it had taken him a long time to just figure that much out, because the handwriting was so poor that it was hard to tell. There were just enough pictures in one of the books that Varian was able to figure out that it had something to do with a cloaked man who may or had fought a goat headed demon or something like that.

Varian didn't understand it. Why would Adira focus so intently on books that looked like they were just telling a fairy-tale? There had to be something going on here, and Varian wanted to figure it out.

He tried to figure it out by himself, but it was getting him nowhere, and Varian couldn't shake the feeling that this was far too similar to when he'd been investigating the black rocks back in Corona. He'd gone behind his dad's back, and look what happened. Varian did not want something like that to happen again, so he swallowed his pride and decided to talk to Adira. She's avoided his vague questions before, but he wasn't going to take no for an answer now.

The day that Varian decided to talk to Adira he found her just as she was heading out of the castle.

"Aunt Adira, I need to talk to you." Varian said. She turned and gave him an alarmed look.

"I thought you were in the library." Adira said. She sounded worried.

"I was." Varian said. "But I needed to ask you something."

Adira looked behind her, towards the exit. She looked conflicted for a moment before she turned her attention back to Varian. She knelt in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders, which really caught his attention. He knew that Adira didn't like touching people. Whenever she did, she really meant it.

"I would be happy to answer your questions," Adira said. "But it must wait until later."

"But-" Varian began. He stopped himself when Adira raised her hand.

"The Sundrop is here." Adira said." Varian froze. He'd known that Rapunzel and the others were on their way, but knowing that they were here was still a shock that he wasn't quite ready for. "King Edmund has gone to confront the intruders to his kingdom. I need to stop him before he seriously harms them."

She rubbed his shoulder before standing up. "I shouldn't be gone long. Hopefully I'll be able to talk Edmund down so we can all sit and talk about this, come to an understanding."

Varian swallowed thickly. "Do I have to?" He didn't want to sit anywhere near Rapunzel. The last time he'd tried to talk to her he'd been labelled as a criminal. He already knew that she didn't want to hear a word that he had to say, and it hurt too much to try.

Adira gave him a gentle smile. "No, you don't have to join us if you don't think you're ready to speak with Rapunzel." Varian let out a breath of relief, though he stiffened when Adira continued.

"However, there is something that I want you to do for me." Adira said. She sounded so serious that Varian found himself feeling nervous. "Don't go near Hector unless you absolutely need to. Don't go anywhere near the moonstone, and especially don't let Hector near the moonstone."

Varian's eyes widened. It was the same basic rules he'd been following up to this point in the Dark Kingdom, but it felt different this time. More serious.

"O-okay." Varian said. Adira nodded at him and, without another word, went out the door to find the others. Varian stood numbly in the halls, just looking at the spot that Adira had been standing. He stayed there for a minute before he squared his shoulders and turned back. He ran back down the hallways, a very specific destination in mind.

He knew he had told Adira that he would stay away from Hector, but Varian still didn't have any specific reason why. The man had been acting oddly since they'd left the Great Tree, and Varian wanted to know why. He deserved to know what was wrong with his uncle, and he intended to find it out.

He knew that Adira had said she would answer his questions, but so far she'd just been dancing around the issue, and who was to say that she didn't go back on her word after being charmed by the princess again? Varian didn't want to chance it.

The boy made his way down the hallways towards Hector's room. He hesitated for just a short moment before he undid the lock and opened the door.

"Uncle Hector?" Varian asked as he came in.

"Kid?" Hector sounded so surprised and tired. His eyes were rimmed with red, which made him look as exhausted as he sounded. Hector gave him a small smirk. "It's been a while since I've seen you. Where've you been?"

"Mostly the library." Varian said. "Adira's been acting really weird lately. What's going on with you two?"

Hector scowled. "She's a big hypocrite, that's what's going on, and I don't want to listen to hear her excuses and empty apologies."

Varian frowned a little. He thought that apologies could do a lot if they were sincere, and Adira definitely seemed regretful, but this fight, or whatever this was, definitely seemed different from their usual arguments. It had to be pretty serious, and Varian knew that the worse that the offense was, the harder it could be to get over it. At some point, apologies just felt forced.

"Where's Adira anyway?" Hector asked. "I can't believe she'd let you in here."

Varian frowned. "She went to stop King Edmund from killing the princess and her friends."

Hector grimaced and glared to the corner, even though nothing was there. A moment later his eyes widened and he looked back to Varian. "Hang on, they're both out? It's just us in the castle?"

"Yeah," Varian said. Hector looked alarmed at that. "What's wrong?"

"They left the moonstone unguarded?" Hector practically shouted.

Varian shifted uncomfortably. He remembered what Adira had said about keeping Hector away from the moonstone. Varian had thought it was an odd request, but now he was wondering what the reasoning behind it was. Why would Hector, who had dedicated his life to keeping the moonstone out of the hands of others, be a danger to it? Or maybe Adira was afraid that the moonstone would hurt Hector? He really didn't know.

Hector groaned and grabbed Varian's hand, pulling him out the door. "Come on, someone's gotta protect the moonstone."

Varian blinked as Hector pulled him along. "Adira doesn't want you near the moonstone."

"At least she's doing something right." Hector rolled his eyes. "Normally I'd agree with her about this, but they can't just leave the moonstone unprotected. Especially when some idiots are right outside the door, just waiting to steal it." Hector glanced to the side and glared harshly. "We won't go into the chamber itself, but me and you are going to guard the entrance to the chambers. If someone thinks they're going to grab the moonstone, they're going to have to get through me first."

Varian grinned to himself, relaxing a little. Hector was just wanting to protect the moonstone. That had to be okay. And though Varian didn't completely understand the powers of the moonstone, he'd seen just what Rapunzel had done with the black rocks, and the destruction was not something Varian wanted to see repeated. She had already shown that she shouldn't be trusted with the powers of the moon, and neither should her father. If Hector was going to stop Rapunzel from getting the moonstone, that could only be a good thing.

Varian had never gone anywhere near the moonstone chamber. The halls were massive, and there were a lot of frightening looking, but strangely beautiful, stained-glass windows and stone statues. Some of these people and scenes looked familiar to Varian from the books he'd read about the history of the Dark Kingdom. It was a lot different to see such massive portrayals though.

Hector, noticing Varian's interest, started explaining the stories behind them. Varian had been somewhat familiar with the stories, but there was a lot more detail in Hector's stories than in the vague books. It was really fascinating.

"Why do the statues look so scary?" Varian asked. He'd thought that statues were meant to honor and revere a person, not to terrify people out of their minds. These statues of the past kings and queens of the Dark Kingdom all looked like they were about to attack him.

Hector smirked. "I don't know for sure, but King Edmund used to say that even after death the leaders of the Dark Kingdom go on to continue serving the moon in the next life. These statues show their willingness to protect the moonstone."

Varian admired the Dark Kingdom's devotion and protectiveness of the moonstone. Back in Corona the people were protective of the sundrop flower, even though it was completely worthless at this point, but they'd been protective because of greed. King Frederic just hadn't wanted anybody but him to have the dead flower. King Edmund and the Brotherhood, on the other hand, protected the moonstone to keep others safe from it. They sacrificed everything for the greater good.

"I want to help protect the moonstone." Varian said. "What can I do?"

"Today, not much." Hector said. "We can work on building up your skills though, so you can do more later."

It wasn't exactly what Varian wanted, but it was better than nothing. He nodded and joined Hector and started going through the hand-to-hand combat practices that had been taught to him back at the Great Tree. Varian was a little bit out of practice, but Hector went easy on him, taking it slow and making sure that Varian did everything right.

They went on like this for a bit before Hector suddenly stopped. He held a hand up, gesturing for Varian to stop. He put a finger to his mouth,silently asking for quiet. Hector glared down the hall, looking focused and on edge. He looked like he was waiting for something. Varian practically held his breath as he watched and waited as well.

After a few tense moments Varian heard something. The echoes of feet, and talking. People were coming. Varian didn't think it was Rapunzel and her friends, as they would be far louder than this.

"Who is it?" Varian whispered.

Hector just shook his head. Keeping an eye on the halls, Hector pulled Varian to the back corner of the wall, where there were plenty of shadows to hide in. "Stay here." Hector said. "Make sure I can see you, but nobody else can." Hector adjusted Varian's boar cloak, pulling the hood over his head. "I'll take care of things."

Varian nodded and crouched on the ground to try to make himself as small as possible. Hector gave him a careful look before he turned his attention back to the halls. He brought out his blade and prepared for a fight.

Their visitors were coming closer and closer. A minute later Varian could see the people coming, and his eyes narrowed when he noticed that he recognized them. It wasn't the absolute worst thing, but it could be much better.

King Edmund was there, talking casually to Eugene of all people, who looked awkward and uncomfortable in a way that Varian wasn't used to seeing from him. Hector relaxed a little when he saw his king, but he didn't retract his weapon.

"What's going on here?" Hector asked lowly.

"Hector, my old friend," King Edmund smiled broadly. "It's great to see you. I was worried about you. Adira made it sound like you were in danger."

"I'm fine, your majesty." Hector said. He glared at Eugene, who was watching him cautiously. "What's with the pretty boy?"

King Edmund grinned broadly. He looked far too happy about a stranger coming into his kingdom, especially when they were so close to the moonstone.

"You will never guess what has happened." King Edmund said. He put his arm around Eugene's shoulder, making the younger man shift a little uncomfortably. "I found Horace."

Hector and Varian both made sounds of shock, though Varian's was much more alarmed. He was sure he had to have misunderstood something. King Edmund had to be talking about a different Horace. Not...not his son, the prince of the Dark Kingdom. Fate couldn't be that cruel. Varian had found a place to call home away from Corona and the terrible royalty there. Did the universe really hate him so much that the heir to the Dark Kingdom's throne was the prince consort for the kingdom that had basically ruined his life? That just wasn't fair.

Varian whimpered to himself. The sound came out a lot louder than he had meant. Eugene frowned and glanced his way. Varian bit his lip and slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from making more noise, but it was too late. Eugene started to walk towards him. Varian whined and pulled back as much as he could against the wall.

Hector growled and grabbed Eugene's arm, yanking him back. Eugene groaned in pain, which turned into a panicked yelp when Hector turned his sword to him.

"Keep away from him." Hector said darkly. "If you touch one hair on his head I'll tear you limb from limb, whether you're my prince or not."

"Is everybody in this kingdom a violent freak?" Eugene asked. He pulled his arm out of Hector's grip and rolled his shoulder.

"Freaks?" King Edmund said in a slight mumble. "That seems a little harsh." Varian could tell by his tone King Edmund was unintentionally vocalizing his thoughts again. The man gave Eugene and Hector disapproving looks, but then King Edmund's gaze moved to Varian's little corner. He looked confused for a long moment. Varian could see the instant that the man could tell that he was there.

"Varian," King Edmund said. Varian's eyes widened in alarm and he whimpered. Eugene wasn't supposed to know he was there. He was going to get mad and blame Varian for something he didn't do. He was going to tell Rapunzel, who would tell her father, and then Varian would end up right back in the dungeons.

"Varian," King Edmund said quietly. He put a hand on Varian's knee. The boy flinched and tried to pull back, but he was already sitting against the wall. There was no escape. "Varian, it's alright, you're safe."

Varian shook his head. He wasn't safe. Rapunzel was near. Her prince consort was right here. If this wasn't trouble, Varian didn't know what was.

King Edmund knelt in front of Varian, blocking Eugene from his sights. Varian stared at the man with wide, alarmed eyes. King Edmund gave him a gentle smile. "Don't worry about anything else. Just think about what's right in front of you. It's just you and me."

"B-but.." Varian said breathlessly. King Edmund just shook his head.

"No buts," The man said. "You're okay. Nothing here is going to hurt you."

Varian's breath got caught in his throat. That wasn't true. He knew that it wasn't true "Eugene will." Varian said quietly. "He hates me."

"Eugene...do you mean Horace?" King Edmund looked behind him. "You know Horace?"

"He's the princess of Corona's boyfriend." Varian said. A look of understanding came to King Edmund's eyes. Varian had told him about his issues in Corona, and he'd been sympathetic. Was that going to change now that he knew that his son had been involved with that conflict?

"I see." King Edmund stood up. He took Varian's hand and pulled him to his feet. The boy didn't want to be anywhere near Eugene, but King Edmund pulled him along towards the younger man. Varian tried to pull back, but the king was a lot stronger than he was. He had no choice but to be pulled closer to Eugene, who looked nearly as alarmed as he did.

Eugene didn't start yelling or attacking Varian, though that may be because Hector still had his blade pointed straight at his chest, ready to strike if he made a wrong move.

"Varian, Horace, I understand that you have your differences, but I think we can get past this." King Edmund said. "Quirin is my brother in arms, which makes the two of you cousins. We're all family here."

Eugene gave King Edmund an annoyed look before he took a deep breath and adjusted his shirt. He looked back at Varian, who froze beneath his gaze. There were a lot of emotions warring on Eugene's face, but the most prominent one was sadness. What was he so sad about?

"Varian," Eugene said quietly. "Moonbeam,"

Varian jolted. "You...you knew?"

Eugene grimaced. "I had my suspicions, though I hoped I was wrong."

Varian tried to take a step back, but King Edmund kept him firmly in place. "Because you didn't want some unstable criminal anywhere near your precious princess?" Varian tried to bring anger into his voice, but far too much of his fear slipped in for his comfort.

"What? No!" Eugene's eyes widened. "I hoped that I was wrong because I saw how starved Moonbeam was. You definitely weren't like that in Corona, which means that you were starved in the months since we left, and that's not okay."

"I-it's not?" Varian had no idea what was happening. Eugene had never trusted him. He'd never liked him. He had been the ones who had practically sent the guards after him after he'd taken the flower, and yet here he was acting like he cared about Varian's health and well-being. The man had been a criminal. He had to know that the dungeons weren't exactly the epitome of sanitary and safe.

Hector growled and stepped between Varian and Eugene. He pushed the man back. "What did you think would happen when you let an already sick child be thrown into the dungeons?"

"The dungeons?" Eugene's eyes widened. "Who said anything about the dungeons? Rapunzel asked her dad to get you help."

Varian narrowed his eyes at Eugene, feeling the familiar anger build up in him. "Are you dense? Or just willfully ignorant? I kidnapped the queen. I was tried for treason. What did you think they were going to do with me?"

Eugen looked like he'd just been slapped. It should feel gratifying. He was actually being listened to. Instead, it just made Varian feel sick. Eugene should have known what had happened to him. So should Rapunzel. The only reason they didn't was because they hadn't asked or thought to look into it. Those chose to push him to the back of their minds because it was a lot easier than considering the consequences to their actions.

Eugene took in a deep, shuddered breath. "Hector said you were already sick. As Moonbeam, you told me that you had been sick on and off since the blizzard. Is that true?" His voice was pleading, like he still desperately wanted to be proven wrong. Eugene wanted to continue living in denial, and yet he still asked. It was a lot more than Varian had expected, and a step in the right direction of what he had wanted.

Varian shifted uncomfortably and nodded. Eugene's face fell. He rubbed his face tiredly.

"You were sick and alone for all that time?" Eugene asked.

"Don't forget terrorized by guards." Hector cut in. "For supposably attacking their precious princess when all he'd done was ask for help." Varian was glad that Hector was there. Having somebody there to defend him made this discussion a lot easier. It made Varian feel validated.

"Why...why didn't you come to us for help?" Eugene asked.

Varian shuddered and Hector growled. "Are you kidding?" Varian asked tightly. "I tried asking Rapunzel for help, and all it got me was stuck in a blizzard."

"And he was sick." Hector glared at Eugene. "Do you regularly ask sick children to travel across the kingdom when they have no reason to trust anybody to help them? Or was Varian just a special case?"

Eugene grimaced. "That's...fair, actually." Eugene sighed. "But why did you kidnap the queen? You took things way too far."

"I didn't know what else to do." Varian said quietly. "The only way I could think to free my father was with Rapunzel's hair, but I knew she wouldn't help if I just asked. Nobody was listening to me, so I did what I thought I had to to get her attention."

Varian knew that he had let his feelings get the better of him when he lashed out and attacked people in anger and grief, and he regretted that part, but he stood by everything else. It had been extreme, but looking back and considering the circumstances, he didn't know how he would have done things differently. Kidnapping the queen was still the only way that Varian knew to persuade Rapunzel to do anything for him.

"I know it might be too little too late, but Rapunzel will listen to you now," Eugene said. "I promise."

Varian flinched. "Don't make promises you can't keep." Even if Eugene was willing to hear Varian out, that didn't mean that Rapunzel was. Varian still had that unshakeable hope in his chest that Rapunzel could be trusted, but he couldn't forget the drawing he'd seen in her journal.

She'd seen him as a villain long before he'd even thought about doing anything criminal. At the time that she had drawn that picture, he'd probably been in his lab, curled up against the amber, too sick, hungry, and depressed to even bring himself to think about doing anything else. If she had assumed the worst of him when he hadn't deserved it, why would she feel any differently now that he had proven to her that he was exactly what she had been afraid he was?

"Why would she listen to me now?" Varian asked. He hated the way his voice cracked. Why did he have to have the urge to be near Rapunzel, to have her approval? It was more than a want, it felt like a need, and Varian hated it with a passion. He didn't want to be around Rapunzel, and yet the thought of not being surrounded by her light made him feel like he was going to be sick.

Varian ducked his head and hunched his shoulders. "I don't even understand why you're listening to me."

Eugene took a step towards Varian, but was stopped in his tracks when Hector harshly pushed him back. Varian flinched and drew in on himself. King Edmund rubbed Varian's shoulder in a firm, reassuring way that reminded the boy of his dad. He couldn't help but relax slightly under the hold.

"Varian," Eugene said quietly. "Look, I didn't listen to you before because I thought you were trouble. Seeing you know though, and getting to know Moonbeam, I know that you're just in trouble. You may have done bad things, but you were desperate, and I know what it's like to feel like the whole world is against you. It doesn't excuse what you did, but I think it explains it enough that you deserve a second chance. That is, if you're willing to give us a second chance too."

Eugene held out his hand. Varian stared at it for a long moment before he looked Eugene in the eyes. "I'll give you a second chance." Varian said. "We'll have to wait and see about Rapunzel and Cassandra."

Eugene grinned and shrugged. "Fair enough."

Varian took a deep breath and pulled away from King Edmund so he could step closer to Eugene. Varian took his hand, and it felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He was cautiously optimistic about this. It could still go badly, but Varian had enough reason to hope for the best.

"So...Prince Horace, huh?" Varian smirked slightly.

Eugene rolled his eyes and let go of Varian's hand so he could cross his arms. "And here I thought that Eugene was bad."

"Horace is a fine name," King Edmund said defensively. "I don't understand why you have a problem with it."

Varian snorted in amusement. Eugene had just found out that he was a prince, and yet the thing that he was hung up on was his name. It was more than a little funny, though from Eugene's defensiveness about his name he didn't find the same amusement in the situation. King Edmund would probably win him over a lot quicker if he used his preferred name instead.

"Do you know what the name Eugene means?" Varian asked quickly, and just a bit too loudly. The three men looked at him curiously. "It comes from the Greek word eugenēs, which means well-born, or noble." Varian looked at King Edmund. "What if you think of the name Eugene as a royal nickname or something until you get more used to it?" Varian knew that was the biggest issue. King Edmund had been thinking of his son as Horace for twenty five years. It would take him some time to adjust to associating another name with his son.

"Well-born, hmm?" King Edmund gave Eugene a thoughtful look. "I suppose there are worse names one could have. Very well, I will strive to call you Eugene, as you wish."

Eugene relaxed and gave his father a grateful smile, which he soon turned to Varian. "Thanks, kid."

Varian shrugged a little sheepishly, but he couldn't help the broad smile spreading across his face. He wasn't used to people thanking him for his contributions. It felt nice.

"Now that we've got that sorted out, we must discuss the moonstone." King Edmund said, suddenly shifting topics. Eugene's face fell into a look that Varian was all too familiar with. He was mentally preparing himself to hear something that he had heard before and didn't like.

"I can understand wanting to protect the moonstone from people who would abuse its power," Eugene said. "But Rapunzel isn't like that. She's the sundrop. It's her destiny to reunite with the moonstone."

Hector scoffed. "I can think of someone who's meant to reunite with the moonstone, and it ain't your princess." Hector didn't look at Varian, but the boy knew that he was talking about him anyway.

"She could rein in the black rocks and stop the destruction in both our kingdoms." Eugene reasoned. "She has control over them."

"No, she has influence over them." Varian said. "They react to her, but they don't always do what she says." Just like what they seemed to be doing for him.

"Which is why she needs the moonstone." Eugene said. "She'll be able to control them then."

"Or the moonstone will control her." King Edmund said. "Far too many people have found themselves corrupted by the power the moonstone offers. There is no guarantee that the same thing won't happen to the sundrop."

Varian thought about his own relationship with Rapunzel, and the way he felt around her. He felt shivers go down his spine. "For all we know Rapunzel wouldn't be able to use the moonstone because she's the sundrop." He looked to King Edmund. "You told me the moonstone lashes out when it feels threatened. What if the moonstone thinks the sundrop's light is too strong and it feels like it's in danger?"

King Edmund looked thoughtful while Eugene just looked confused. Hector looked at Varian with wide eyes. He knew about Varian's conflicted feelings about Rapunzel. Hector looked like he was wondering the same thing as Varian was. What if his battling fear and desire to be close to Rapunzel was because of the moonstone's influence? Whenever Varian so much as thought about Rapunzel he felt like he was being tugged in two different directions, and the uncertainty of it all made him more jumpy and prone to lashing out than normal. What if the moonstone was the same way?

"Your majesty, I think the kid knows what he's talking about." Hector said slowly, carefully. "Me and Adira were meaning to talk to you about this, but the kid has this connection to the moon, and-"

"Ah, yes." King Edmund nodded. "He can summon black rocks."

"You can do what?!" Eugene gave him an all too familiar cautious look. "I thought you said you didn't do magic."

Even Hector was staring at Varian in quiet shock. "Those powers are new."

Varian shifted uncomfortably, not liking this kind of attention on him. "It's not like I tried to do it."

"These powers are just coming out more and more lately." Hector turned to look at the entrance to the moonstone chamber. There was an odd look in his eyes. "If you held the moonstone, would that give you more control or make it worse?"

"We cannot give the moonstone to a child." King Edmund said sternly. "It's dangerous."

"It's dangerous for the kid to have any of these powers," Hector pointed out. "Whatever happened with the black rocks isn't the only thing he can do, but he has no control. He could have seriously hurt himself." Hector glanced to the corner of the room, that odd look back in his eyes. This wasn't the first time Varian had seen Hector star off at nothing, but it was a fairly recent development. "Maybe if he had the moonstone it would help." Varian didn't really like Hector's tone. He didn't know why, but something about it rubbed him the wrong way.

Eugene held up his hands. "Look, we're not getting anywhere like this. Maybe we should find Rapunzel and the others and all talk about it together, because I don't think we're getting anywhere like this."

King Edmund and Hector reluctantly nodded in agreement. Varian didn't know how he felt about the idea. On the one hand, he would be happy to finally have a real discussion about the moonstone and black rocks. It was what he'd been hoping for for a long time. The very thing that had started this whole thing was that he had wanted to find a solution to the black rock problem, and that was exactly what they were about to do.

However, Varian still didn't feel ready to talk to Rapunzel. Things with Eugene were going better than he'd hoped, but he didn't want to push his luck. Maybe he would skip this particular discussion and ask Hector to fill him in later. He knew his uncle would tell him what was going on. Hector was practically an open book. Varian could trust him to not keep secrets from him.

Chapter Text

Hector didn't know a thing about the princess of corona, but he really didn't think he liked her at all. She was frustratingly cheerful. There had been a few tears when she saw Horace or Eugene or whatever his name was, but after just a few short words between them the air was cleared and she looked completely content.

King Edmund suggested that they have a conversation about the moonstone, which was very important and something that Hector would usually love to pay attention to but something else stole his focus.

Zhan Tiri was standing, as she always did, just in the corner of Hector's eyes. He missed the days before they'd come to the Dark Kingdom, where she would just show up every once and awhile. Now she rarely left him alone. Even when she wasn't saying anything, she was still right there.

Zhan Tiri wouldn't shut up about Varian taking the moonstone. Hector knew that whatever the demon child had in mind for the moonstone couldn't be anything good, but she was starting to wear him down. Hector could see a lot of good reasons why it would be good for Varian to have the moonstone.

The kid only had a touch of the moon's power, while the moonstone had its raw celestial energy. Hector didn't know for certain, but he thought that if Varian had the stone, if he had more of the moon's powers, it would be more balanced and natural for him. And if they had to hand the moonstone to anybody, Hector would prefer it to be someone he knew and trusted.

He'd never seen anybody actually use the moonstone, but he'd heard a lot of stories about the kind of destruction that could happen when the moonstone was in the wrong hands. Eugene may insist that Rapunzel was good and kind, but Varian's own accounts about his experience with the princess made it difficult for Hector to fully trust her.

One of the biggest reasons why Hector wanted Varian to have the moonstone was because he couldn't forget about what Zhan Tiri had said about Quirin. The kid might finally be able to free his father from his amber prison. There were risks that came with it, but Hector honestly thought that it would be worth it.

If Hector thought he had the self-control to be trusted with the moonstone, he would be tempted to claim it for himself. He could free his brother, and shoulder the burden that his king had been carrying for all these years. Unfortunately, between Hector's temper, his impulsive brashness, and the fact that he had a demon constantly whispering in his ear, he really didn't think he could handle that kind of responsibility. It took a special kind of person to hold so much power and not abuse it, and Hector knew that it wasn't him.

"I hope you're thinking about everything I've said, my pet," Zhan Tiri said. Hector scowled and glared at the girl, who seemed a little distracted. She'd been acting oddly all day...well, odder than usual. She wouldn't shut up, which was nothing new, but her mind seemed to be in two places. She seemed to be distracted, and as soon as the princess and her companions had arrived he thought he knew just what was distracting her so much.

Whenever Zhan Tiri wasn't smirking at Hector she was staring at one of the princess' friends. A young woman with short hair and a bad attitude. Zhan Tiri stared at the girl with hunger, like a predator that was getting ready to strike. She had something planned for this girl, and Hector had a bad idea that he knew what it was.

Zhan Tiri had mentioned that she had other plans. She had to be trying to convince somebody else to go after the moonstone, and they had to be somebody that didn't know nearly enough about how dangerous the moonstone was as Hector did. If the way that Zhan Tiri was looking at the young woman, who looked far more intense and guarded than any of her companions, was any indication, then maybe she had heard a thing or two from the demon child as well.

The young woman hadn't so much as glanced at Zhan Tiri since they'd started talking, so she probably couldn't see her right now, but that didn't mean much. Hector knew better than anybody just how much this demon could get into your head.

While Rapunzel talked to King Edmund, Hector stood to the side and watched the young woman cautiously. He was waiting for her to make a wrong move. All he needed was one reason to think that she was going to step out of line, and he would knock her right back to Corona.

Hector jumped when he felt Adira nudge his arm. "Are you alright?"

Hector scowled and glared at her. He felt a strong pain in his chest. It hurt more than just a little that Adira was acting like she was concerned about him. All Hector could think about was that stupid nickname she'd given him. It had been a bit of time since he'd learned about the Watchdog thing, but it still hurt as much as when he had first heard it.

"Leave me alone, Adira," Hector said. He saw Zhan Tiri grin in amusement, and it made him feel even worse. He hated how he had played right into her hands.

Adira frowned slightly in disappointment. She'd been trying to talk to Hector for awhile now, but he wouldn't hear a word from her. At least, not about him. "Where's Moonbeam?" Adira asked. That was the one thing that Hector was willing to talk to her about.

"He's safe in another room, waiting for the princess to leave." Hector said. "The kid doesn't want anything to do with her, and Eugene wanted to ease her into seeing Varian again, so we're going to put off that disastrous reunion."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," Adira said. Hector snorted. For somebody who knew him so well, Adira was underestimating just how chaotic things could get when somebody felt backed into a corner.

Adira crossed her arms and watched as Rapunzel and King Edmund tried to reason with each other. Whenever either of them got too passionate and heated about their persuasion, Eugene would be right there to mediate. He wasn't an unbiased party, as he clearly wanted Rapunzel to take the moonstone, but King Edmund was willing to listen to him anyway.

"Why aren't you attacking them?" Adira asked. "You hate talking through issues."

Hector sighed. "Trust me, I would much rather work things out with my fists, but it's not my place. I may protect the moonstone, but King Edmund is its main guardian. This is ultimately his decision. I'm just here to make sure he doesn't let his fondness for his supposed son sway his judgement."

"You put far too much trust in your king," Zhan Tiri said. Hector glared at her, and she just grinned back. "You're running out of time. If you truly want to protect the moonstone, you're going to have to do more than bare your teeth." Zhan Tiri smirked wickedly. "Why don't you show them all why you've earned the nickname Watchdog?"

Hector couldn't help his flinch. "Shut up."

Adira gave him a near pitying look. "Is it Zhan Tiri again?"

"Isn't it always?" Hector said. "She's up to something, and whatever she's got planned it's going to be happening soon."

Adira grimaced. "What are we supposed to do about it?"

"You know what you need to do," Zhan Tiri said with forced casualness. "If you don't want Cassandra to take the moonstone for herself, well, you'll have to get someone else to grab it first."

"Cassandra?" Hector frowned slightly. "Is that her name?" At least he knew now who Zhan Tiri's other play in this sick game of hers was.

Adira gave him a concerned look. "What does Short hair have to do with this?"

"I don't know," Hector glared at Cassandra, who saw him looking at her. She scowled right back at him. "But if Zhan Tiri mentioned her it can't be anything good."

Adira was quiet for a moment. "Do you think perhaps the demon is just trying to get in your head and make you distrust our allies?"

"They're not our allies." Hector growled. "At least they're not mine." He'd never considered that Zhan Tiri was just manipulating this situation. Maybe Cassandra had no plans to grab the moonstone, but Hector wasn't going to take that chance. He would rather trust the word of a persistent demon than let the world fall to ashes because he trusted the wrong person...unless, of course, the demon was the wrong person to trust, which was completely possible, but Hector tried to not overthink it.

They fell into silence and Hector listened casually to the discussion between King Edmund and the princess, not really paying attention to what was being said. He paid more attention when he heard the princess mention something about her destiny.

"The moonstone is a weapon of absolute destruction," Hector said. He finally stalked out of his corner and approached them. The short haired woman, Cassandra, stiffened and reached for her weapon, but Hector ignored her. He stood by his king's side. "It's not a tool to use whenever you feel like it."

"I'm not just doing this for fun," Rapunzel frowned. "My kingdom is being destroyed by these rocks. I can't just sit to the side and let it happen. As the sundrop, I have a connection to these rocks, and to the moonstone. I can make them go away."

"Or you could kill us all in the process of trying." Hector said. "The moonstone doesn't like being threatened, and from what Moonbeam told me, the sundrop is nothing but a threat to it."

Eugene flinched and rubbed his arms uncomfortably. He didn't like the implication that Rapunzel was a threat to Varian, but after he'd heard about even just a small amount of what Varian had gone through in Corona, he knew he couldn't refute it.

Rapunzel's reaction was more positive. She absolutely beamed. "Moonstone? Is he here? I've been so worried about him."

Hector scoffed and Eugene coughed awkwardly. They both knew that while Rapunzel may have been worried about the boy Moonbeam, she likely hadn't had that kind of concern for Varian.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes, not letting go of her grip on her sword. "What's the kid got to do with the moonstone?"

"We think he has a similar connection to the moonstone as you have to the sundrop." Hector said. Rapunzel stared at him in shock, and she wasn't the only one. Eugene and King Edmund looked startled as well, though Hector didn't know why. They'd known that Varian could access similar powers that the moonstone could. Where did they think he got them from?

"It's on a smaller scale," Adira added. "He can use the sun and moon incantations, but he can't completely control them."

"When he uses the healing incantation, it doesn't heal things completely." Hector said as he rolled his shoulder. The break was mostly healed, but it was still a bit sore. "And he starts burning up like he's been out in the sun too long or has a fever."

Rapunzel's hands were to her mouth. She almost looked like she was about to start crying. "He...he can use the healing incantation?" She looked at her boyfriend. ""E-Eugene, there's someone else out there like me. Maybe he really is the moonstone."

"How is that possible?" King Edmund asked breathlessly. "The moonbeam is still in the chamber."

"Twenty five years ago when you tried to destroy it the moonstone retaliated with a blast of its own." Adira said. "Moonbeam's father was right next to you when it happened. It's possible that some of that power seeped into his blood. When Moonbeam was born, he might have inherited that power."

Cassandra looked unimpressed. "Don't you think that sounds really convenient?"

Eugene gave Cassandra an odd look. "Your best friend is magic, glowing hair that she got because her mother drank flower soup. This really isn't much different."

"Where is Moonbeam?" Rapunzel asked. "I would love to talk to him."

"Well, the feeling isn't mutual." Hector crossed his arms. "The kid's been burned by you before, so he's not eager to give you the chance to do it again."

Rapunzel looked stricken. "What did I do to him?" She didn't sound defensive, but genuinely concerned. She didn't seem to like the thought of having hurt someone. She sounded sincere, but Hector had heard from Varian just how quickly she could change face. She could go from worried to furious in the blink of an eye.

"Why don't you think long and hard about it?" Hector suggested.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "I was with Rapunzel every second she was near that kid, and she never did anything to him. If he's hurt, that's his own fault."

Hector growled and began to bring out his own blade. He would show this girl what happened when she talked about things she didn't understand. Before he could though Eugene beat him to the punch. The young man glared at Cassandra with a shocking amount of fire in his eyes.

"Don't talk about what you don't understand, Cassandra." Eugene said. "You have no idea what that kid's been through. Is it fair to blame Rapunzel for everything? Maybe not, but that doesn't mean that everything's on him."

Cassandra looked at Eugene suspiciously. "You know something. Spill it, Fitzherbert."

Eugene bit his lip slightly. "I thought you wanted me to learn how to keep secrets. Or were you just talking about secrets that directly involved you?"

Cassandra looked like she was getting ready for a fight. Rapunzel stepped between the two of them. She gave them a pleading look. "Guys, don't do this now. If Moonbeam needs some space, I'll respect that."

Rapunzel sighed and turned to look at King Edmund. "If Moonbeam is like me, then maybe in the long-run he would be the better choice to hold the moonstone." THe princess squared her shoulders. "But I came all the way out here to save my people. I feel responsible for the black rocks invading my kingdom, so it's my job to take care of them. Please, just let me try, and afterwards we can give the moonstone to moonbeam, or put it right back and leave it alone. Whatever you think is best."

King Edmund considered it for a long moment before he nodded. "The compromise sounds fair, but I insist that a member of the Brotherhood be with you while you're with the moonstone."

"What if I'm there?" Eugene suggested. Hector didn't think that was fair. He may be the prince of the Dark Kingdom, but he was also far too close to Rapunzel to be impartial. King Edmund looked content with the idea though, and it wasn't Hector's place to question him.

"So, I'll have Eugene and Cassandra with me." Rapunzel clapped her hands together definitively.

Hector froze. Cassandra's eyes narrowed in determination, and he saw Zhan Tiri's pleased smirk broaden. This was it.

Hector stepped away from them and stormed towards the room where Varian was waiting. He knew that it was incredibly possible that he was making a really big mistake, but he couldn't afford to stop and think about it. King Edmund may have agreed to let Rapunzel temporarily use the moonstone, but Cassandra wasn't part of that deal. If she tried something, somebody had to be there to stop her.

Hector didn't want to give Zhan Tiri what she wanted, but more than that he really didn't want to sit back and let somebody else give it to her instead.

"Hector, what're you-" Adira reached for him, but stopped when he snapped around and glared at her. Him glaring at her was nothing new, but it wasn't usually the cold, furious, protective glare that he used when he was protecting the moonstone. This was the kind of glare that he sent to people who wandered too close to the Great Tree as he tore them limb from limb.

Varian was pacing around anxiously, fiddling with his coarse fur cloak. When he heard the door open he yelped in alarm and turned to look with wide, panicked eyes. When Varian saw that it was just Hector he relaxed.

"Oh, it's you." Varian gave him a small smile. He seemed oblivious of the tension in Hector's shoulders. "How's everything going?"

Hector put his hands on Varian's upper arms, gripping them just a bit too tightly. Varian's eyes widened in concern and alarm. "Is something wrong?"

"What do you know about Cassandra?" Hector asked. "Is she power hungry at all?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." Varian said. "She's really ambitious. One time she...she promised to help me with my invention, but when she was given the chance to do guard work instead, she broke that promise and went back on our deal, even though I'd already made good on my end."

Hector scowled as he felt a familiar rage burning inside of him. That was enough to convince him that Cassandra was a threat to the moonstone and the Dark Kingdom. He adjusted his grip so he was holding Varian's hand instead of his arm. He began to run back to the moonstone chamber, dragging Varian behind him.

"Uncle Hector!" Varian struggled to keep up with him. "What's going on?"

"Are you finally convinced?" Zhan Tiri asked as she floated alongside them.

"Shut up," Hector snarled. "Before I change my mind." The sound of Varian's whimper was hidden by Zhan Tiri's chuckle as she faded from his view.

Hector didn't see Rapunzel or her friends in the large chamber just outside of the room where they kept the moonstone, which meant that they had to have gone in already. Hector ignored King Edmund and Adira calling out for him. He pulled Varian to the entrance of the moonstone chamber and threw the door open.

There was the moonstone, right where it should be. Rapunzel was approaching it very slowly and carefully, but the one that Hector was most concerned about was Cassandra, who was just a few paces behind the princess. Eugene was still standing near the door. There was no reason for Cassandra to be following Rapunzel's path unless she was trying to make it her own.

Hector saw red. Forgetting that he was still holding Varian's hand, he lurched forward, bringing his blade out to go on the offensive. Varian yelped in surprise and slight pain as he was yanked forward, but Hector barely noticed. He ran along the narrow bridge and slashed his blade across Cassandra's shoulder. It wasn't a deep cut, but it was a long one. Cassandra cried out in pain, catching Rapunzel's attention.

"Cass!" Rapunzel turned her attention to her friend, who had stumbled and was now kneeling on the ground. While Rapunzel was distracted with Cassandra Hector pulled Varian onto the platform that held the stone. He gave the kid a small push closer to the moonstone, but the boy stumbled as though he'd been shoved harshly.

"U-Uncle Hector?" Varian looked at him with wide, terrified eyes. Hector felt a pang in his chest. He had never wanted to scare the kid. He'd been trying so hard to pull back so he didn't take things too far with Varian, but they didn't have time for that now. The moonstone needed protecting.

"Grab the stone, kid." Hector said. He turned around to face the others. King Edmund and Adira had both made their way into the chambers. They were making their way towards him, but Hector's attention wasn't on them.

Cassandra was starting to get up. There was a desperate fire in her eyes. There was something that she wanted, and she wasn't going to stop at anything to get it. Cassandra forced herself to her feet, pushed Rapunzel away, and started making her way towards them. Towards the moonstone.

They were out of time. If he was going to convince varian it had to happen now.

"Do you want to save your dad?" Hector asked quietly, though it was enough for Varian to hear. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Varian was giving him his full attention. "That moonstone is the source of the black rocks. The amber that your dad is trapped in is made from those rocks. If you had the moonstone, you might have the power and control to set him free."

"R-really?" Varian asked hopefully. Hector nodded, but he had to turn his attention back to the others. He heard Cassandra shout in rage and he turned to face her just as she was swinging her sword at him. He easily blocked her attack with his blade. With one flick of his wrist he was able to disarm her, sending her sword flying into the dark below them. This wasn't enough to dissuade Cassandra. She lurched towards him, and he raised his blade to meet her, but before anything could happen a bright light burst from where the moonstone was. A powerful force knocked them away from it.

Hector turned to see Varian, his hand clenched and clutched close to his chest. The glow was coming from his closed fist. The moonstone. Varian had claimed it.

"No!" Cassandra screamed, outraged.

"V-Varian?" Rapunzel's voice was small, broken, and barely loud enough for Hector to hear it. Somehow though it reached Varian's ears. The boy flinched and he looked at Rapunzel with wide eyes. Hector didn't know what the kid saw there, but it must not have been anything good. Varian stepped back, making a black rock burst out from the floor behind him. He jumped and looked at the rock with startled eyes. Varian hadn't meant to summon it. He didn't have full control.

That was fine. It might take some time for Varian to figure out how to use the stone. But that wouldn't happen if he was scared and defensive, which he would be as long as Rapunzel was around, or Cassandra was there to try to snatch away the moonstone for herself. Varian didn't feel safe. It was Hector's job to change that.

"Kid," Hector stood up and reached for Varian, who flinched away from him. Hector paused before continuing, slower than before. "We've gotta get outta here. Do you trust me?"

Varian stared at Hector for a long moment, and for a bit he was sure that the boy would say no. Finally, Varian nodded. That was good enough for him.

"Then hold on tight." Hector retracted his blade and picked up Varian, holding him close to his chest. He quickly but carefully examined the pillar they were on until he found the spot he was looking for. Hector didn't look over his shoulder. He didn't want to see Adira's suspicious and furious gaze, or King Edmund's disappointment. He knew that they didn't approve of what he was trying to do, but he was doing his best, and right now that meant keeping the moonstone, and Varian, away from anybody who might abuse its power.

Holding tightly to the kid, Hector took a running start and leapt off the pillar, falling out of sight into the darkness below.