"So..." Lance began, his voice a low whisper. Varian was as good as asleep, "he's pardoned. The townsfolk clearly aren't afraid of him anymore, and he can roam free. What's the next move?"

"Well, he certainly needs a lot of time to heal, but the next move should be freeing Quirin" Adira said. Her voice was tight, trying to keep the emotion at bay. Before the trial, she and Hector were told that what happened to Varian went far deeper than physical abuse. She thought that physical abuse was already horrible enough, but now, knowing what those guards did to her nephew? She wanted to kill them both, "the next logical step of course, is to make sure my sword can actually cut through the amber. It would be a real disappointment if it couldn't."

"Oh, I didn't even think about that possibility" Rapunzel frowned, "what are we going to do? If it doesn't work?"

"Be there for him. Help him find a solution, run tests with him, and assure him to never give up hope...even if we have" Hector said, "this kid's a genius. And I know that with our help, he'll be able to get Quirin out in no time."

"You should probably test it" Cassandra said, "like..make sure you can actually get a crack in it before we haul him all the way back to old corona. Meaningless bumpy carriage rides won't make for a very steady recovery."

Adira hummed, "if my sword does work, why don't I just bring Quirin back here?"

"I think...that Varian would want to be there the moment he got out" Cassandra said, "and this is very complicated. How do you think Quirin's going to react if you show up alone?"

Adira thought for a moment, "very poorly. Alright then, perhaps I can go now, while he's sleeping. Where is his father being kept?"

"In Varian's little workshop next to the house where he does all of his alchemy" Rapunzel told her, "in old Corona, it'll stand out. You can't miss it, really."

She nodded, "yes, i've been there. I'm just surprised he hasn't upgraded. I'll check it out. Hector, i'm trusting to leave you here. Please be good" she dead panned, "do not scare the child. I'll see you all later."

Hector scoffed and with that, Adira used her strength to rip the padlock that Cassandra had put there a few days ago off of the balcony doors, and jumped off of the edge.

Cassandra rolled her eyes, "she is just so dramatic, I swear."

Rapunzel giggled a little, before looking over at Varian and sighing, "how do you think he's feeling?" She asked quietly, "that trial was a lot to go through. Especially since he had to face the people who did this to him. He was shaking like a leaf up there, the poor thing" she frowned.

"Maybe we should talk to him about it? I mean, what he said up there. What they would do to him. It was terrifying. It was horrible" Lance said.

Rapunzel ran a hand through the boys hair, sighing deeply. Maybe the gesture was comforting to him, even if he was asleep. She was snapped out of her thoughts when a knock sounded on the door.

"Blondie" Eugene said as the door opened for him, "our presence is required in the throne room."

"Oh boy" Rapunzel muttered, getting up from the bed, "let's go then, I suppose."

"Is this something the lady in waiting has to be there for?" Cassandra questioned, raising a brow. Being called to the throne room so quickly after the trial was suspicious.

"No, I was told that they're just releasing someone from a position. Since I have to be there it's probably me" Eugene said.

Cassandra snorted, "firing you but not Lance? Man, you must be worse than I imagined!"

Eugene squinted his eyes, "no, Cassandra, obviously i'm being released from my position because i'm going higher up the ranks!"

The woman rolled her eyes, "sure, Fitzherbert. I'll babysit these two while you're gone" she jabbed her thumb in the direction of Hector and Lance, who both shouted in protest.

—————————————————————————

Rapunzel and Eugene entered through the throne room quietly. They came in and stood on the side, the captain of the guard standing before the king and queen, bowing.

"Your majesty" he addressed.

"What ever do you call this meeting for, Captain? Is everything alright?" The king questioned.

The Captain smiled lightly, taking off his helmet, "I'm fine, your majesty. It's just...well, i've called this meeting to retire my position. As...as captain of the guard."

Rapunzel and Eugene's eyes bulged as they gasped. Rapunzel placed a hand over her mouth and grabbed Eugene's arm.

"You've held this position for many, many years..." King Frederic said with some shock in his voice, frowning, "and served Corona with the best of your abilities. If this is what you really want, I thank you for all of your service, but captain..."

The Captain shook his head, "after what happened with Varian, I just can't allow myself to continue. I was already mulling over retirement, but this just pushed me over the edge. No captain should ever allow something like that to happen. Ever. My duties have been swamping me lately, I suppose I just got too busy, unable to manage everything."

The King frowned, "My friend, you are not all to blame.." he sighed, "Though, if you're sure...then I release you. Thank you for your decades of service to the crown."

"May I recommend my replacement, your majesty?" He bowed.

"Of course" King Frederic nodded.

"Eugene Fitzherbert" he said simply.

Everybody in the room gave him a look as if he was crazy, none more than Eugene himself.

"He has put his life on the line for this kingdom many times" the captain began to explain, "the lengths in which this man will go for the crown, for Corona, for your daughter. He went from public enemy number one, to a man loyal to this kingdom, enough to risk his life in the deadliest blizzard known to man, to save the king and queen, knowing that doing so was quite possibly a death sentence."

The king nodded along, "I suppose he did..."

"I've been observing him all this time. First out of suspicion, and then out of surprise. It's remarkable, really, how far he's come. Constantly at Rapunzel's side, protecting her, helping out the citizens, doing what he knows is right, no matter what. I've seen him training the new recruits. He can be serious and strict when need be. I believe he'll run the tightest ship Corona's ever seen."

"W-what?!" Eugene finally sputtered, snapping his head between Rapunzel, who had the widest grin ever on her face, and the Captain, who looked serious as ever, "do you really think that's a good idea? I mean, I—I—i'm—"

"A changed man" the captain finished for him, "and I know that you can do this."

A few moments passed, and when Eugene didn't protest, the king cleared this throat, "Well, I have no problems with this request. Do you accept, Eugene?" The king questioned.

And Eugene didn't know what was crazier. The fact that the Captain recommended him or the fact that the King seemed on board.

He thought the craziest part, though, was when he accepted.

"Yes, your majesty. I vow to serve this kingdom with all that I have" Eugene told him.

—————————————————————————

It's safe to say that as soon as that meeting was over, Eugene ran, bursting into Varian's bedroom to boast about it. On the way, the reality of the situation hit him. He was the captain now. Thankfully, the boy was awake so Cassandra's ear piercing scream didn't startle him, "I'm the new Captain of the Guard!" He exclaimed upon arrival.

"WHAT?!" Cassandra exclaimed, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened in an expression of shock, "my father quit?!"

Eugene smirked, "I know it's a lot to process, that daddy can't hide bodies for you anymore, but don't worry! I'll still help you out" he joked, poking her lightly with his elbow.

She glared at him, crossing her arms, "I just can't believe he would quit! It's a shock to me!" She cried, before shaking her head with a sigh, "but I suppose recommending you as captain wasn't such a terrible idea."

Eugene's jaw dropped. It was his turn to look shocked, "what?! I thought you'd be more—more not happy about this!"

Cassandra shrugged, "i've seen you with the guards. You'll fit right in as a mindless bonehead. And...I think that you're fit to lead. You were a good pick, Eugene" she gave him a small smile.

"WHAT?!" He yelled, "and now you're being nice about it?! I think—I think I might faint! Well, if Cass believes in me, then I have to believe in me too!" He ran a hand down his face, "thank you" he said more genuinely.

"You're welcome" Cassandra said, "now no more of that, I think i'll throw up."

Varian crossed his arms, "I don't like it. Now he's going to start spending more time with them instead of with me."

"Um, how do you think I feel??" Rapunzel questioned.

"Sucks to be you guys!" Lance laughed, "this just means i'll see him even more!"

"Because of the crime?" Varian muttered.

Lance gasped in shock and Cassandra doubled over with laughter.

"What?! I—I haven't stolen anything in days!" Lance argued.

"Lance!" Eugene cried, "you what?!"

"It was an impulse, i'm sorry! I returned it, obviously" he pouted.

Eugene sighed, "oh boy, please don't tell me i'm going to have to arrest my best friend."

"I'm going to arrest both of you if you don't shut up, look" Cassandra whispered, pointing towards Varian.

"Awe" Lance murmured, "he's dozing off!"

Varian glared, "I just woke up!" He rubbed his drooping eyes, "I am not falling back asleep, especially not now, after that news!"

He fell asleep.

—————————————————————————-

Adira came back through the window half an hour later, a solemn expression on her face. Rapunzel looked at her expectantly, wide eyed, and the woman just shook her head.

Rapunzel sighed, staring at the sleeping boy in front of her, "oh, Varian will be so disappointed when he wakes up..."

The boy suddenly snapped his eyes open and sat up fully, "what—wh—oh. Oh, just a dream. Gosh, you guys have to stop waking me up like that..."

Eugene gaped, "so all we have to do is say your name and wake up in the same sentence and that works too?! This is a really weird quirk, Varian!"

"My dad would be happy to figure that out. Once I fell asleep, he couldn't wake me up for anything" Varian chuckled.

Eugene tensed and glanced at Rapunzel.

"Yes, well..." Adira began, "about Quirin."

Cassandra shook her head solemnly as the kid looked to her in a panic. She simply grabbed an ice pack and helped Varian sit up, allowing the boy to ice his bruised ribs.

"What about him?" Varian mumbled, not liking the direction this conversation was going.

"My sword was not able to penetrate the amber" Adira told him, a frown set on her face, "I'm sorry."

A look of shock and fear overcame Varian's features before he hardened his gaze and nodded, "thank you for trying. It means a lot" he said, his voice scarily small.

"Varian..." Rapunzel whispered, "will you be okay?"

The boy nodded slowly, "I just...need time to think. I...uhm. By myself, if that's alright?"

The princess nodded, before shooing everyone out of the room, "we'll leave you alone then."

Varian mumbled out a thanks. As soon as the door closed he balled his hands into fists and put them over his eyes, biting his lip so hard he drew blood.

And then he began to cry.

—————————————————————————

Hello.

I just had a mental breakdown for a while but I think i'm good now.

Never mind some tears are getting on the pages. Sorry diary.

So you know how I told you about Adira? How we thought that her sword had the power to cut through the unbreakable encasement of amber I trapped my father in? Yeah, that one?

I know you're probably tired after the trauma dump about Frank and Jefferey I gave you after the trial, BUT HEAR ME OUT.

I just want him back.

I want him so bad it hurts me.

And what hurts even worse is not knowing if he'll still accept me afterwards. Still think of me as his sweet, clumsy son after all i've done. All i've been through and put others through.

Rapunzel says i'm over exaggerating and that what I did wasn't that bad in comparison to what happened to me. But I think she's just trying to make me feel better. And I guess in a way, she's right.

I want my dad alive. I want him to be alive so bad, but a small part of me is WORRIED that he'll be alive. Is that bad? Is that selfish?

Of course it is.

I'm able to push that part of my feelings aside, because I know deep down it's just a small part of my fears, that he'll reject me from our home.

He wouldn't want a filthy son. How is he going to marry me off? Nobody wants a man who's already been used. By two men, at that. Everybody knows what's happened to me, and not just in Corona. Papers across the seven kingdoms are being issued, and gossip spreads quick.

I know I didn't want what they did, but I can't help but feel dirty. I was quick to give up fighting. To just lay there and let it happen.

I wish I was better.

Better for Dad.

—Varian

P.S Eugene is Captain of the Guard now.

The boy closed his diary and fell asleep with it close to his chest.

...Only to be woken up seconds later to the sound of his door opening. He figured if he pretended to be asleep, whoever it was would just go away. He understood that it had been a long day for everyone and that maybe they wanted to talk to him about what happened, but he was emotionally exhausted. But maybe if he woke up and started crying he could get pity points and be cuddled all night.

As he mulled over whether or not to give in to his manipulative tendencies, he was quick to find out that he wouldn't have to be making any decisions, because a blindfold was placed in front of his eyes and he was grabbed.

He let out a blood curdling scream, and before he knew it, he was already out the window with two people whispering harshly to one another, and Rapunzel screaming as she ran into the bedroom and saw two hooded figures leave through the balcony with him.

"Who are you?! What are you doing?" Varian screamed, his heart racing as the two figures ran, feet stomping heavily into the ground. Before he knew it, the stomps became wet and padded underneath what Varian could only assume was mud, and he heard the wind howling and branches falling. They must have been in the woods.

Varian continued to writhe against whoever was holding him, until he was set down, and his blindfold was removed.

"Shh, kid it's us!" Adira called quietly.

Varian nearly started crying from pure hysteria, "why did you—that was so dramatic what was the goal here?!" He sputtered incredulously, panting from exertion and anxiety, "You couldn't have told me it was you before I thought I was about to be murdered?!"

"We wanted to hang out!" Hector said simply, "it was my idea."

"Based upon his facial expression, I don't think that's something to be proud of" Adira said quietly.

"You kidnapped me to hang out?! We could have just—just played a game or something! Why are we in the woods?!" Varian cried, looking around as he clung to Adira, who was still holding him in her arms.

"For fun. And to cheer you up" Adira told him, "ah—wait. Short hair did mention that taking children wasn't normal."

"Yeah, it's a crime called kidnapping!" Varian hissed.

"Just a tic off the checklist at this point" Hector shrugged, "now come on, we didn't come out here for nothing!"

Varian was gently sat on top of a rock, and watched them with narrowed suspicious eyes as Hector began talking, "now. Me and Adira are going to show you some moves and forms, then we will spar together! Simple. I want you to watch and take note" he explained.

Varian nodded, clasping his shaking hands together politely, still trying to calm his heart from beating a million times per second.

"Alright! First move is called the dragon's style" Adira said, "it was named this because the technique can come off as harsh, making your opponent think you have no etiquette" she began to lunge at Hector, her movements seeming random and unstrategized.

"Though dragons are smarter than you think. Every move, while sloppy, is intentional. And like the dragon, the moves can surprise your opponent. When they let their guard down, you become graceful, smooth, and elegant" She finished, gliding her sword swiftly down, her movements becoming smooth.

Varian let a puff of air out of his cheeks, anxiety filling him as he watched them sword fight. They were both just so good. "Woah" he breathed, watching Adira and Hecotor jump up, their swords clashing before the woman was able to disarm the man and land firmly back onto the ground, a smirk on her face.

"No fair!" Hector whined, "you always get an advantage because of that stupid rock sword!"

Adira let out a laugh, "well Varian certainly seems impressed!"

Varian nodded rapidly, "That was awesome! I wish I could try, but I couldn't pick up a sword right now, even if my life depended on it."

"Oh, that's alright! I wanted a rematch against Adira anyway" Hector said, getting into position.

Varian laughed, "my money is still on Adira!"

Adira laughed, clearly proud, "Ha! I see our nephew has a favorite!"

—————————————————————————

"Varian!" Rapunzel screamed, watching two hooded figures escape from her window, into the night. She ran to it, leaning against the railing, her hair whipping in the wind as she watched them scale down the side of the balcony with Varian, her heart beating so fast she thought it might explode from her chest, "no. No. No nononononono!"

She ran out of the room, screaming, "Guards! Guards, Varian has been taken! Follow them! Follow those people!" She screamed down the hall, pointing towards the room frantically, trying to get the attention of anyone she could.

Guards immediately started running towards the window and screaming directions as they saw the kidnappers begin to fade out of sight, "the woods! They went into the woods! After them, men!"

Cassandra, Lance and Eugene filed into the room, Eugene immediately taking charge and yelling out orders.

"What happened?!" Cassandra exclaimed.

"He was taken! He was taken, and now he's gone!" She cried, her chest rising up and down, "what are we going to do?!" Tears began streaming down her face as she sobbed, "C-Cassandra, there are people who still hate him! People who still think he should have gotten the death sentence!"

Cassandra wrapped Rapunzel in her arms, "Raps, it'll be okay. We will find him. I promise."

"H-how can you be so sure?" Rapunzel sobbed, wiping her tears away.

"The kid's cheated death multiple times. What's one more?" She smiled gently, "come on, Eugene won't let them get away with this."

—————————————————————————

"Wonderful job, Varian!" Hector clapped, smiling brightly.

How Varian ended up with a large stick and was doing simple arm moves because he couldn't stand up was beyond even him, but hey, it was fun. If Eugene was there he'd have a heart attack.

"Wait—Rapunzel and everyone knew you were doing this, right?" Varian questioned, letting out a puff of air as he dropped the "sword," letting it clatter on the ground.

"No" Adira said blankly, "I wanted to see if we could evade the royal guard."

"The what?!" Varian cried.

"I hear voices! Men, this way!" A guard yelled.

Hector gasped, "I hear them! Let's go!"

Adira nodded. Hector picked up all of their things, and Adira grabbed Varian. Both of them put their hoods on.

"There! I see them, and the boy!" The guard yelled.

"Varian, play damsel in distress. For effect" the woman whispered to him.

"Help!" Varian shouted, getting a spike of adrenaline, hiding a smile. He may as well have fun. When would he get another opportunity like this? He screamed, reaching out to the guards, "help me! T-they're hurting me!" His voice cracked.

And with that, Adira and Hector began to run as fast as they could through the woods, and once they didn't hear the guards anymore they began to jump up the trees.

Adira let out a sigh, smirking as she looked down to see the guards run right past them, "that was great, kid. First the swords moves, now the tricking people—you know, your father was the best at it, making people look like fools."

"Like father like son" Hector nodded.

"Up there!" A voice shouted. They looked down. It was Eugene. They put their hoods on and jumped down.

"Varian!" Eugene shouted once the boy was down, snapping his fingers. The guards detained the hooded figures and he scooped the boy up, holding him close, "kid—oh, hairstripe, are you okay?" He asked, concern in his eyes as he hugged Varian close, resting a hand atop his head.

"I was until you ruined uncle aunt and nephew fun time" Varian pouted, a small smirk on his face. He did feel guilty for causing everybody to panic so late at night, but this was the most exciting thing he'd done in two years.

"Honestly, bringing the whole guard into a family matter" Adira said, rolling her eyes, as the captain unhooded her and Hector, "classic nosy Eugene."

"What?!" Eugene shouted, "you guys—you kidnapped him?!"

"We were trying to cheer him up" Hector shrugged.

"You brought him into the woods! He can't even stand up on his own!" Eugene shouted.

Adira completely ignored Eugene as she squinted her eyes at the guard behind her, "you know, I don't like to be touched."

With one sweep of her leg, the guard behind her was knocked to his feet and she had her arms in front of her, "you can drop the act now, Hector."

He too took the guard out, and more came running up. She placed a hand in the air, "please don't humiliate yourselves. We could take all of you out with our hands tied behind or backs."

Eugene sighed, rubbing his eyes, "stand down, men. They aren't dangerous."

Stan stuttered, "are you sure???"

—————————————————

"Oh—oh Varian!" Rapunzel cried once he was safely returned, "Varian, look at me, are you okay?" She began to check him over for wounds from where he was, cradled in Eugene's arms, "Who took you? Did they hurt you?"

Varian kind of felt bad when he saw Rapunzel's eyes red and puffy, her cheeks stained with tear tracks, "Rapunzel, i'm fine, I was with Adira and Hector."

Rapunzel blinked slowly, processing the information before snapping her head up to glare at the two, "you just caused an entire royal guard search at two in the morning!"

Adira shrugged, "we were bored."

"Just wait until Cassan—"

"YOU GUYS ARE THE ONES WHO TOOK VARIAN?!" A voice screamed. They whipped their heads over. Cassandra slammed the door open and burst into the room, Lance hot on her track.

"Oh, shit—" Hector began, spinning on his heel and turning in the opposite direction as Cassandra flew after him.