Chapter Text
As her bare foot splashed in a rancid puddle at the bottom of the stairs, Rapunzel was struck by the realization that she’d never been to this part of the dungeons before. Making a mental note to discuss the prison conditions with her father, she wrinkled her nose in disgust and did her best to shake what she hoped was just water off her foot.
Looking back up, Rapunzel clenched her fist tightly around the master key she’d... “borrowed” from the guardroom. What she was doing was risky; if anyone discovered the key was missing, her little escapade would be—
Rapunzel shook her head to clear out the nagging thoughts. No good would be done dwelling on the what-ifs. All she could do was focus on the task at hand and hope that everything turned out alright.
With that knowledge fixed firmly in her mind, Rapunzel regarded the cellblock before her, studying the dank, dark cells that housed some of Corona’s biggest threats. A shiver of… well, it wasn’t apprehension exactly, but something akin to it ran down her spine. Rapunzel took a moment to steel herself, slipping into the confident princess role expected of her. Then, with her head held high, she began striding down the aisle, keeping her eyes staring straight ahead the whole while. She told herself it was just part of the facade, but, really, it was so she didn’t have to look into any of the cells, didn’t have to meet the gazes of the people she locked in this cold, gloomy place.
However, when her presence was only met with silence, Rapunzel chanced a quick glance around despite herself.
Everyone was asleep.
She could’ve kicked herself. Of course, everyone was asleep, it was nearly midnight! Releasing a breath and relaxing the rod of tension holding her spine rigid, Rapunzel let out a silent laugh. She’d gotten herself all worked up over nothing. She’d been so preoccupied with mentally preparing herself for all the lashing tongues and biting insults she normally received that she’d forgotten just how late it was.
Rapunzel hesitated then as another thought took shape in her head. Maybe she should return in the morning. That way, she wouldn’t have to wake up a prisoner who’d already be unhappy to see her.
But it would be harder to sneak down here in broad daylight, and all the other inmates would be up.
But she didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot by waking up someone who was already holding a grudge.
But—
Before Rapunzel could come to a decision, a small noise from one of the cells a little way down the hall caught her ear. It was very quiet, almost completely inaudible, but still there: the sound of struggle.
A crease of worry formed between Rapunzel’s brows. She forgot all about the argument she’d been having with herself in favor of carefully creeping toward the corner cell where the sound had originated.
Peering around the bars, Rapunzel only just managed to swallow the gasp that tried to slip past her lips.
Because within the cell, was the very person she’d come to see. But they weren’t alone.
Facing away from Rapunzel, Andrew of Saporia had the other prisoner’s arm wrenched painfully behind their back while he held their front pinned against the stone wall furthest from her. He whispered something harshly in his cellmate’s ear.
Even in the relative darkness of the cellblock, Rapunzel could clearly see the tension in Varian’s limbs as he squirmed futilely against Andrew’s grip. It only took the alchemist a few seconds, however, to recognize the lost cause for what it was. Letting out an audible huff, he ceased his efforts and turned his head toward the cell door.
Rapunzel ducked instinctively, and a long moment passed while she waited, frozen, hardly daring to breathe, for Varian to call her out. But when nothing happened, she carefully allowed herself to peek back into the cell.
Varian didn’t appear to have noticed her. Instead, the alchemist was busy trying to twist his head around to face Andrew.
Judging by the raised eyebrow and long-suffering expression, the Saporian was well-used to waiting out such pointless attempts.
Eventually, Varian gave up and resorted to simply glaring up at the older man from the corner of his eye, the whites of which seemed to glow in the dull moonlight streaming through the cell’s tiny, barred window. Andrew held the teenager’s gaze easily, looking bored by the apparently routine interaction. Several minutes of tense, prickling silence passed before Varian averted his eyes, drawing forth a knowing smirk from Andrew. Varian glanced back at the Saporian briefly and then quickly looked away again with an annoyed huff.
When the alchemist spoke, his voice was low and hoarse. The sheer amount of exhaustion suffusing his words was jarring. Never before had Rapunzel heard Varian sound so utterly defeated. From the moment she’d first met him, there’d always been this unwavering note of steel in his tone, promising that he was not one to give up, even when there was nothing left for him to give.
That steel was gone now.
The distant, faded memory of an ambitious young boy drifted to the forefront of Rapunzel’s mind. That boy’s confident, animated words were but a muffled echo ringing faintly within her skull as his hazy figure bowed politely and introduced himself with sparkling eyes.
“Andrew,” Varian whispered back in the present. The sound of his broken voice tore the memory of the innocent boy to shreds. “The princess has already r-returned. There’s no point in trynna con… convince me to do your dirty work anymore. With or without my help, whatever you do… you’re n-not going to be able to get ‘way with it.” His words were slightly slurred. He must’ve been tired, Rapunzel’s reasoned. Varian paused for a moment, dragging in an oddly shaky breath, before meeting Andrew’s now furious gaze and stating, “M’not doing it. En- End of discussion.”
The Saporian’s face contorted into a snarl, and he growled something in Varian’s ear that was too low for Rapunzel to make out. As if a switch had been flipped, the boy’s light blue eyes widened. He started to struggle again, stuttering out a protest.
“Wait, no— You don’t—”
A sharp crack echoed through the cellblock as Andrew yanked on Varian’s arm, pulling it right out of the socket. The sound was instantly followed by a high, choked whine that was just short of a scream as Varian fought to keep from being too loud.
Rapunzel was paralyzed. The pop of Varian’s shoulder leaving its socket repeated in her ears, effectively scattering her thoughts. Only when Andrew released Varian, allowing his quietly whimpering form to slide to the damp floor, did she manage to free herself from her frozen state.
And she was vibrating with fury.
Leaping to her feet, Rapunzel tossed the master key to her other hand and pulled her frying pan from her satchel. “Andrew!” she snarled, no longer caring about waking up the other prisoners.
Understandably dumbstruck, Andrew could only stand and gawk as she unlocked the cell door and charged in. The Saporian never even got the chance to return to his senses before his face was violently introduced to cast iron.
Breathing heavily, Rapunzel turned her back on the newly unconscious man to see Varian, still sitting on the ground, gaping at her with his dislocated arm held awkwardly in his lap.
Getting her first good look at the boy in nearly a year, Rapunzel noticed several progressively more appalling details in rapid succession.
Firstly, Varian’s usual apron, gloves, and goggles were missing, leaving him in what was likely the exact same ragged, thread-bare outfit she’d last seen him in.
Secondly, that very outfit, which should’ve been too small since Varian was older and therefore presumably bigger, now hung off his rail-thin frame even more, reminding Rapunzel of laundry on a clothesline.
Thirdly, his face was horrifyingly gaunt, and the skull-like pallor of his skin made his freckles stand out like splatters of ink on fresh parchment.
And lastly, his light blue eyes, sunken and ringed with dark circles that spoke of many sleepless nights, were shining bright with fever.
She took all of this in over the course of a few seconds. Thankfully, instead of shutting down as she had earlier, Rapunzel managed to remain calm and focused.
After carefully stowing her frying pan in her satchel where it would be out of sight but still be well within reach, Rapunzel approached the alchemist. She held her hands out in a gesture of peace.
“Varian,” she started; however, she never got to finish.
Varian suddenly staggered upright. His dislocated arm hung forgotten at his side as his wide eyes darted around the cell. They landed on the open door.
“Ruddiger,” he gasped hoarsely.
Oh no.
Before Rapunzel could move to block the opening, Varian bolted.
The sight of a fellow prisoner escaping acted as a catalyst for the all other inmates who had woken up in response to all the ruckus. Up until then, they had been silently, sleepily watching things play out. No longer.
The sudden uproar was deafening, startling Rapunzel. She’d completely forgotten about the rest of the prisoners. Thinking quickly—or perhaps not thinking at all—she ran out after Varian, but not before locking Andrew’s senseless body in the cell behind her.
Ignoring the babel from the inmates, Rapunzel whirled around, stuffing the master key into her satchel as she tried to locate the runaway alchemist. After a few stressful seconds, the faint sound of staggering footsteps somehow reached her ears through the din, and she made a beeline toward it.
Skidding around the corner, Rapunzel caught a glimpse of Varian scrambling up the stairs before she was distracted by the confused shouting of guards from around the opposite corner. She ignored them and continued charging after Varian.
The boy was over halfway up the stairs and glancing somewhat groggily over his shoulder when he saw Rapunzel closing in. His bleary eyes widened. He put on another burst of speed, disappearing over the top of the stairs before she could reach him.
“Varian!” Rapunzel shouted desperately, trying to keep her voice from sounding threatening. “Varian, stop! I just want to—” Rapunzel cut herself off. She just wanted to what? Talk? Help? Lock him back in that cell with Andrew?
Well, definitely not the last one. She didn’t care what hoops she’d have to jump through or bargains she’d have to make, Varian was not going back there.
The alchemist ignored her and ran down the castle hall as fast as his unsteady legs could carry him. “Ruddiger?” he called, his raspy voice echoing down the corridor.
Rapunzel was lucky the castle was mostly deserted. Still, she was going to have a hell of a time explaining how Varian had escaped his cell, let alone why she’d been in the dungeons in the first place. She didn’t even know why she’d wanted to visit him anyway. The urge had just been so sudden and strong that she simply hadn’t been able to push it aside.
So, under the pretense that she was tired from all the travel, Rapunzel had excused herself from the city-wide welcome home celebration that had been thrown for her and her friends. Naturally, her parents were concerned by her uncharacteristic “lack of enthusiasm,” but they eventually acquiesced after she assured them that the last few days had been rough—which wasn’t a lie—and she really was just tired.
On her way out of the main square, Eugene, being the loveable worrywart that he was, had caught her hand and asked if she wanted company. However, getting the feeling that he probably wouldn’t approve of her desire to visit an unstable teenager with a grudge, she’d declined as gently and unsuspiciously as possible before bidding him a quick goodnight and taking her leave.
After that, one thing led to another, and suddenly she was chasing a sick, injured, and delirious boy through the castle halls.
“Ruddig— Uhff!”
A muffled grunt sounded from around the corner, and Rapunzel picked up her pace when a familiar voice exclaimed, “Varian?!”
---
Varian fought wildly against the man’s iron grip on his arms.
“Ruddiger!” he cried, twisting around to try and escape. “Ru—”
Fire fire fire!
Varian yelled out in pain as burning flames suddenly rippled through his arm.
“And- Andrew!” he gasped urgently, knowing his cellmate was nearby. He always was. Waiting to pounce when Varian let his guard down. Waiting with his smooth tongue and honeyed words. Waiting with his handsome face and ugly scowl. Waiting waiting waiting.
Waiting for him.
“Andrew, the fire— Put it out!” he finished as the searing tongues continued licking his shoulder.
“What—” the man restraining him began to ask before another voice cut him off.
“Varian!”
No no no no no!
“No!” Varian shouted at the Princess. “No, leave me alone!”
The man’s grasp tightened further, bringing forth a sudden realization.
Andrew Andrew Andrew! It was Andrew! The man was Andrew!
Varian let loose a frantic scream. “Let me go! Leave me alone!”
“Varian, we’re not trying to hurt you!” the Princess exclaimed.
Lies lies lies!
“Liar!” Varian yelled. “You’re both liars! Just leave me alone! I don’t want your promises!” He broke off to gasp for breath, feeling strangely winded, before resuming his struggles with renewed vigor. “Let me go, Andrew!” he shouted furiously.
“Andrew?” Andrew echoed in confusion.
Varian didn’t fall for it. He continued squirming in his cellmate’s grip, fighting to escape with everything he had. However, tears rose unbidden in his eyes when his efforts gained him no ground and only made the flames consuming his shoulder bite deeper.
Weakness weakness weakness! Don’t show weakness, he’ll use it against you!
But Varian couldn’t stop the tears from spilling over.
No!
“Varian, you’re alright! It’s okay!” the Princess promised.
Okay okay okay. Everything is going to be okay, I promise.
I PROMISE.
“No!” Varian shrilled, tears still streaming down his cheeks. “No more promises!”
“Kid, calm down!” Andrew commanded, growing frustrated.
Varian flinched violently, dropping down to escape the oncoming blow.
“What are you—?” Andrew broke off with a yelp when Varian surged forward, throwing his body at the man’s legs and sending him tumbling to the floor.
The grip on Varian’s arms disappeared as Andrew attempted to catch himself.
“Varian!” the Princess called.
Varian scrambled to his feet. He shut out the Princess and her false promises and resumed running toward the large doors at the end of the hall.
“Ruddiger!” he yelled. “Ruddiger, where are you?”
The fire was still clawing its way through his shoulder—Fire fire fire!—but he needed to find Ruddiger.
That plan, however, was momentarily put on hold when he burst through the double doors and found himself outside, actually outside, for the first time in… a long time.
Varian stumbled to a halt, forgetting all about his pursuers.
Faintly, the sounds of laughter and conversation drifted through the air from somewhere farther away. A cool breeze fluttered against his warm, tear-stained face.
...Ruddiger Ruddiger Ruddiger…
Varian jolted back to reality. “Ruddiger!” he resumed shouting.
Once more intent on finding his friend—friend friend friend his only friend—he returned to his search. Just then, however, the large doors at his back flew open with a loud, angry bang.
Varian’s eyes widened in dismay. He spun around to see the Princess rushing toward him with Andrew at her heels.
Too late too late too late...
---
Rapunzel flung the doors open wide, barely breaking stride as she sprinted outside as fast as she could.
Only to stop short when she saw Varian just… standing there.
The boy’s pale, tear-streaked face was flushed red with fever and exertion. A sheen of sweat glistened on his brow. He stared at her and Eugene with unfocused eyes that were round with fear and hollow with defeat.
The breeze picked up around them, carrying the sounds of the party up from the main square. Varian swayed with it, his thin frame leaning to the side at a precarious angle. It was startling how quickly the boy had deteriorated. In a matter of minutes, he’d gone from at least relatively coherent all the way to… this.
Eugene took a cautious step forward, his hands splayed out before him in a placating gesture. “Varian,” he began coaxingly.
Immediately, Varian staggered back, shaking his head. His dislocated arm swung limply at his side. “No,” he croaked, his hoarse words slurring. “No more, Andrew. I’m not- n-not helping you. Rapunzel’s back. Back with her f-fake promises…”
---
Anger flared through Eugene when Rapunzel flinched at Varian’s fevered words; however, he pushed it down. Anger would accomplish nothing right now.
“Varian,” he tried again, edging closer to the clearly sick alchemist.
The clearly sick alchemist who should’ve been in the dungeons.
What was Rapunzel even doing down there?
Eugene sighed internally. Whatever the case, he couldn’t fault her for wanting to help Varian—he assumed that’s what she’d been trying to do when the boy got out. It was obvious he was in bad shape. The waves of heat that Eugene had felt radiating from his alarmingly bony frame were well past the point of merely concerning.
And Eugene would be sure to address just why the alchemist was in such poor health at a later date. Right now, he had to focus on convincing said alchemist that he wasn’t… Andrew?
Which brought on a whole new volley of questions.
Suddenly, a quiet chitter sounded to Eugene’s left, and Varian froze for a split-second before tentatively slurring out, “R-Ruddiger?”
There was answering chatter followed by rustling from one of the topiaries in the courtyard below them.
Varian lurched toward the sound with surprising speed, staggering down the stone staircase quicker than Eugene thought his wobbly legs would’ve allowed.
---
The fire had spread. His shoulder still burned horribly, but that was the least of his concerns. Because now the rest of him was burning along with it. The flames lashed across his body without restraint, writhing through his muscles, boiling his blood, scorching and scalding every inch of his being. Varian knew it would never stop, not until there was nothing left of him but a charred, empty husk. He would hold on, though, because Ruddiger was here. His loyal friend had found him at last.
“Ruddiger?” he called again.
Abruptly, a grey and black object shot out of the topiaries, leaping straight toward his chest. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs and left Varian wheezing. His arm moved out of habit to support the weight of whatever was clinging to his shirt. Something warm and furry nuzzled against his neck, vibrating slightly as a faint purring noise drifted up to his ears. All at once, Varian felt safe and content, satisfied with the knowledge that he was with his friend once more.
“Varian?” a voice asked from behind him.
Varian stilled.
No no no no no…
Ruddiger chittered warily, eyeing Varian’s tormentors over his shoulder as they came closer and closer.
As they came… came to…
Oh, no, they were coming to take Ruddiger away, weren’t they?
“No!” Varian shouted, whipping around to face Andrew and the Princess. He clutched Ruddiger tightly to his chest with one arm while the other continued burning uselessly at his side. “You can’t take him away! N-Not again! I won’t let you!”
The Princess feigned puzzlement. “We’re not going to take him away,” she said.
Her deceptive words grated against Varian’s ears like a sword against a grindstone.
Take him away take him away take him away…
“You’re sick,” Andrew told him. “We just want to help.”
Help help help. Help him. Get him help.
The flames eating away at Varian’s body suddenly flared hotter than before, and he snarled, “I don’t want your help! Your help hurts! It doesn’t work, it won’t work— It never works!”
Work work work! Why won’t it work?
“N-No more!” he shouted, his cracked voice pitching just below a scream. “I’m done! No more promises! No more help! Just leave me— Leave me alo… alone…”
In that moment, an overwhelming wave of searing heat consumed Varian’s entire body without warning. His vision blurred horribly as the world tilted on its axis. He felt his jaw become loose and achy. The world spun again, briefly going dark before Varian found himself lying on his back with a sour taste on his tongue.
For several seconds, he stared blankly at the hazy streaks of light smeared across the night sky, pondering the unusual taste. Then he turned his burning head to the side to see an odd, sickly-smelling discoloration on the blurry cobblestones next to him. Beyond that, he could also make out a short, fuzzy, grey shape cautiously moving toward him.
“Vvvvvvvaaarrrr……rrriannnn?”
“Variiiii……aaaann?”
Garbled voices buzzed and slurred in his ears, impossible for him to understand.
Suddenly, the grey shape was right in his face, and Varian recoiled in surprise, making the colors swirl together in a nauseating display.
After a moment, the world sharpened again, and the grey shape became familiar. “R...Rudd’ger?” he mumbled.
And then there were hands on him. Strong hands. Heavy hands. Warm hands. Warm… Too warm… too warm— They were too warm! Too much! Too many! Too warm!
As if in response to Varian’s panicked thoughts, a strange noise filled the air. It was long, low, and strangled sounding, like the keen of a dying animal.
Ruddiger backed away in confusion, his ears flattening against his skull. It was that which made Varian realize the noise was coming from himself. Before he could think too much on it, his throat was suddenly flooded with fire. Varian blinked before lurching onto his side. His stomach jumped, pushing the fire up through his esophagus. The flames scorched and stung the walls of his mouth as they surged over his tongue. Distantly, Varian noted that the fire tasted sour.
---
Rapunzel scrambled back when Varian suddenly rolled over.
Not even a second later, that awful noise he was making came gurgling to a stop as a fresh stream of vomit gushed from his mouth. It splattered onto the cobblestones beside his head, adding to his first puddle of puke.
Eugene cursed quietly beside her and stooped down at Varian’s back.
Rapunzel quickly followed suit. “What should we do?” she asked. Her hands hovered over the sick alchemist like jittery hummingbirds, unsure of what to do, how to help.
Varian had thankfully stopped heaving his guts out at that point, though he still left behind a sizable pool of vomit beside his head. It seemed to contain more stomach bile than any actual food, but the smell was no less nauseating.
The alchemist, meanwhile, appeared to be hovering somewhere in between consciousness and unconsciousness. He didn’t react to their presence, but his eyes continued drifting around beneath half-closed lids.
Sounding somewhat stressed out, Eugene said, “Well, firstly, we should probably keep him from being covered by his own barf.” He gestured to where the vomit was slowly seeping into the cracks between the cobblestones and streaming toward Varian’s face.
“Right.” Rapunzel moved to pull the teenager’s limp body back from the puddle, only to stop when Ruddiger unexpectedly hissed at her from Varian’s other side.
At the noise, Varian moaned softly. His hand twitched by his chest as if to grab something that wasn’t there. The wall of heat surrounding him was becoming increasingly worrying, and Rapunzel wasn’t sure how much longer he could last before he reached the point where there would be no recovery.
“Ruddiger,” she appealed. “Varian is very sick, he needs—”
Rapunzel didn’t even have to finish the sentence before Ruddiger’s defensiveness crumbled. Despite wanting to protect his boy, even he couldn’t seem to deny that Varian might be in serious trouble if he didn’t get help soon.
“Thank you,” Rapunzel said, relieved that he’d backed down so quickly.
“Here, I got him,” Eugene told her. He leaned forward to gather up Varian’s splayed-out limbs before heaving his skinny body off the ground, being mindful of his dislocated shoulder. The man stumbled back when he straightened, but while he regained his footing quickly enough, his face took on a deeper expression of alarm.
“What? What is it?” Rapunzel asked fearfully, flying to her feet.
Eugene’s brow furrowed as he stared down at the fevered boy in his arms. “He’s just a lot lighter than I was expecting,” he admitted, trailing off for a moment before emphasizing, “Like a lot lighter.”
Rapunzel pursed her lips, glancing at Varian anxiously.
“Come on,” Eugene said, starting back toward the castle entrance. His strides lengthened into a fast walk so as not to jostle Varian too much.
Ruddiger and Rapunzel followed right on the man’s heels. An oppressive silence descended over the group as they re-entered the castle and headed for the infirmary.
Inevitably, Rapunzel found her gaze drawn toward Varian’s face. She studied the way his sunken eyes darted around beneath fluttering eyelids, the way his shallow breaths looked more like labored pants as they huffed past his chapped lips, the way his sharp cheekbones jutted out and caught the torchlight, throwing deep shadows across his features and making him appear even more emaciated.
“How could my father let this happen?” Rapunzel finally blurted out, shattering the heavy silence in an instant. “He said he would get Varian help!”
At her own words, Rapunzel recalled the young alchemist’s fevered ramblings at the offer of help.
“I don’t want your help! Your help hurts! It doesn’t work, it won’t work— it never works!”
“What happened?” she whispered.
---
Eugene sighed, his gaze dropping to Varian’s flushed, sweaty face. He shifted the feather-light boy into a more comfortable position in his arms before giving Rapunzel his honest answer. “I don’t know.”
Rapunzel huffed in annoyance, though Eugene knew it wasn’t directed at him so much as at the situation itself.
“I just— Urgh!” Rapunzel tugged at her long, golden braid. “I don’t even know— I-I shouldn’t even care! I mean, he—” She gestured helplessly at Varian. “He attempted to turn my kingdom against me! He kidnapped and threatened my mother! He tried to kill Cassa—” Rapunzel broke off with a strangled noise before rephrasing in a slightly weaker voice, “He tried to kill us.”
The princess sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping as she continued twisting her fingers through her braid. “I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t care.”
Eugene desperately wanted to put a comforting hand on her shoulder; however, his arms were currently full of teenager, so he resigned himself to using his words. “But you do,” he prompted gently.
“But I do,” Rapunzel agreed with another sigh, finally releasing her hair and casting another look at Varian.
“Princess?”
Startled by the new, unexpected voice, Eugene nearly tripped on the ornate rug he was speed-walking across. Luckily, he caught himself and whirled around to see Nigel’s overlarge nose and incredulous expression.
Ruddiger hissed angrily at the man, hackles rising along his spine as he arched his back.
With the blood draining from their faces, Eugene and Rapunzel both glanced at Varian and then back up at Nigel, who recoiled from Ruddiger before following their gazes.
The advisor’s jaw dropped, his incredulity morphing into shock followed swiftly by fear, frustration, and anxiety. Only after a long moment of gawking did he appear to remember himself and quickly pasted on his usual look of thinly-veiled irritation.
“Princess,” he began, his lip curling. “May I ask if this is what it looks like?”
Eugene felt like a deer caught in a wagon’s path: wide-eyed and frozen as his mind went unhelpfully blank.
Rapunzel, however, was able to pick up the slack.
“I don’t know what it looks like, Nigel,” she said, leaning forward. “Why don’t you tell me.”
Eugene wasn’t sure he’d ever heard the love of his life sound so… aggressively passive-aggressive. Her words were as sharp and venomous as a viper’s strike but still just innocent enough that Nigel couldn’t call her out on it.
The King’s advisor spluttered for a moment, his face purpling indignantly before he finally managed coherency. “Well,” he hissed, “it looks like you are aiding in the escape of a dangerous criminal.”
Ruddiger snarled furiously at Nigel, and the man flinched but stood his ground.
Rapunzel raised an eyebrow and cast an unimpressed look over her shoulder at the limp body hanging from Eugene’s arms like a sack of… well, not meat, more like just bones.
She turned back to Nigel with a deadpan expression. “Yes,” she told him flatly as if answering the most idiotic thing she’d ever heard. “I’m aiding a dangerous criminal’s escape.”
Nigel looked like he’d sucked on a lemon.
“Now, if you’ll excuse us,” Rapunzel continued with barely disguised derision, “this sick, injured, half-starved ‘criminal’ needs medical attention.”
With that, she grabbed Eugene’s elbow, pulled him around, and promptly resumed their journey to the infirmary. Ruddiger hissed at the advisor once more before scampering after them.
Once they’d turned the corner and Nigel didn’t follow, Rapunzel let out a heavy breath and released the tension in her shoulders. “He’s probably going to go tattle,” she muttered with uncharacteristic bitterness.
When Eugene didn’t comment, Rapunzel glanced over, her expression becoming confused at his dumbstruck look.
“What?” she asked.
“…I didn’t know you had it in you,” he admitted.
Rapunzel blushed before abruptly looking worried. “It wasn’t too much, was it?” she asked.
Eugene huffed a laugh. “I think it was just enough,” he assured her.
Rapunzel smiled faintly; however, her smile dropped quickly enough when Varian let out another moan, reminding the two of the situation.
Ruddiger looked up at his boy, chittering anxiously.
“We should probably hurry,” Eugene said, his forehead creasing with worry as he was once again made aware of the heat emanating from the teenager. And with the heat, came the sour smell of sweat and sickness.
Eugene wrinkled his nose and readjusted his grip when Varian’s dislocated arm threatened to fall down. “By the way,” he added as they picked up their pace, “what happened to the kid’s arm? And why does he think I’m Andrew, of all people? I mean, sure, I guess the guy was kind of handsome, but no one could compete with this.” He briefly freed one of his hands to motion toward his face. “And as far as I know, Varian’s never met Andrew.”
Rapunzel’s expression darkened for a moment, and she clenched her jaw. “Andrew was his cellmate,” she said tersely. “He was trying to get Varian to help him with something. And as you can see—” She gestured to Varian’s dislocated shoulder “—Varian refused.”
Eugene pursed his lips, unable to come up with a response. A heavy silence fell between them, only broken by their footsteps and Varian’s labored breathing.
“He’s not going back there,” Rapunzel suddenly said, her voice full of that same conviction Eugene had always admired. She glanced sidelong at him, looking for support.
Eugene was happy to give it. “Of course not,” he said. “Not if we can help it.”
Despite his encouraging tone, Rapunzel faltered at his words. She glanced away and began tugging anxiously on her braid again. “What if he doesn’t want our help?” she asked softly. “What if he’s still…” She trailed off, but Eugene understood.
“What if he’s still angry with you?” he finished.
Rapunzel nodded sadly, still worrying at her hair.
“Well,” Eugene said, “if he is, then I guess we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. There’s no use in agonizing over it now.”
Rapunzel only gave him another half-hearted nod.
Eugene bumped her shoulder. “Hey, Sunshine, let’s just worry about getting him fixed up first, okay?” he suggested. “And who knows? Maybe he’ll be so grateful for our help he won’t be angry anymore.”
Rapunzel appeared slightly cheered by the thought, so Eugene took it as a win and cast her a smile.
Abruptly, the princess’s hands stilled, her fingers freezing within her long locks of golden hair. She looked up at him, her face shining with sudden energy. “Eugene, I think I know how to free Quirin!” she exclaimed.
Eugene’s brow furrowed at the non sequitur. “But… ”
“The Decay Incantation!” Rapunzel explained, the confidence in her gaze solidifying.
Eugene felt his eyes widen. “That… That might actually work,” he said, almost unable to believe that, after all this time, they just might’ve discovered a solution.
Suddenly, Eugene’s feet stopped moving, and he found himself halting in front of a pair of double doors. They’d reached the infirmary.
Rapunzel glanced at Varian before pushing the doors open. Eugene nodded his thanks when she held them for him.
“I’ll get the physician,” he heard her say as he hurried over to the first open cot he saw and carefully lowered Varian onto the pristine white sheets. The plush mattress seemed to swallow the teenager’s frame, putting far more emphasis on his gaunt features than Eugene was comfortable with.
Ruddiger chattered and hopped up onto the cot before promptly sitting down next to his boy as if to hold vigil over him.
“What’s this about a sick boy?”
Eugene glanced over his shoulder to see the old court physician bustling over. She was a portly woman by the name of Millie and had a sense of intuition keener than her surprisingly sharp eyesight. True to form, it took her less than a second to realize who was on the cot.
For a long moment, Millie didn’t say a word as her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. However, when she finally did speak, it was only to ask, “So what can you tell me?”
Eugene released the breath he’d been holding before answering. “His shoulder’s dislocated, he has a fever—”
The physician cut him off with an impatient wave of her hand. “Yes, yes, I can see all that,” she said. “But what can you tell me about his symptoms?”
Rapunzel jumped in then. “Vomiting and, uh, confusion,” she said.
“Disorientation,” Millie corrected distractedly as she went to feel Varian’s forehead.
“That’s the same thing,” Eugene said.
“No two words are ever the same,” the woman replied. “That’s why they’re two different words.”
Millie reminded him way too much of Calliope.
Just then, without warning, the doors to the infirmary burst open. “Rapunzel, what is the meaning of this?”
Eugene and Rapunzel spun around to see King Frederic bearing down on them, as angry as they’d ever seen him.
Eugene was intrigued to note, however, that there was a hint of apprehension—Or was it fear?—in his eyes.
Millie remained at Varian’s side. A mortar and pestle had appeared in her hands at some point, which she used to begin grinding up something that was hopefully going to help the sick teenager.
A moment later, Queen Arianna rushed into the room as well. “Frederic, what is going—” She broke off with a gasp, her hand flying halfway to her mouth when she caught sight of Varian’s fevered body lying on the cot. “What happened?” she whispered, looking to her husband for an explanation.
The fear in the King’s eyes increased.
Eugene felt Rapunzel release a heavy breath beside him, and he placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.
They both stepped forward, blocking Varian from King Frederic’s view.
“That’s what we’d like to know as well,” Rapunzel said, locking eyes with her father in a silent challenge.