Happy Easter! I'm gonna try and stick to the schedule of Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday uploads! I know that people are probably busy today but I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Happy Easter 2020 Everyone!

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Arianna went back to the dining hall and sat down with a sigh.

"That was harsh, Fred," she said as she looked at her husband.

"I... I have to keep her safe, Arianna. We lost Rapunzel... I can't lose Aquaria too..."

He put his head in his hands, knowing that he had gone a bit overboard with Aquaria's punishment.

"You didn't even want to hear why she was sneaking out," Arianna said as she put a hand on his arm gently. "She has been going to Old Corona to see Varian."

"What? She's way too young to be sneaking out to see a boy!" Frederic looked at her and she shook her head.

"Varian is her only friend, love. She only gets to see him once a year so she started sneaking out to see him since you never let her go to Old Corona," Arianna explained and he frowned.

"And I just made it so Varian won't even be able to come to her birthday... I'm sorry... I just don't want to see her hurt or taken or... I just want to keep her safe..."

"I know you mean well, darling, but she is an eight-year-old girl who only has one friend that she almost never gets to see except for when she sneaks out." Arianna took his hand and he sighed softly.

"I'm going to apologize to her," he said as he stood up and took Aquaria's plate. He walked out of the room and went to his daughter's room.

He knocked on the door gently. "Aquaria?"

He carefully opened the door and saw a lump under the covers. He frowned and walked over, setting the food on her nightstand as he sat on the edge of her bed, not noticing one of her windows was open.

"Sweetheart, I want to apologize. I know you wanted to see Varian. I should've let you go to Old Corona to see him, but I just don't want to risk losing you like I lost Rapunzel. I will allow you to go to Old Corona from now on as long as you have guards with you. Okay?" He looked at the lump and frowned when she didn't say anything. "Aqua?"

He pulled back the covers to see pillows forming the lump and he gasped.

"Aquaria?!" He started to panic and searched the room.

"Sire, is everything okay?" A guard peeked into the room and saw the distraught king.

"No! Alert Captain Steve! Aquaria is missing!"

The guard nodded and ran to alert the captain.

Frederic ran to the dining hall and Arianna frowned when she saw her frantic husband.

"Fred? What's wrong?" She asked with concern.

"Aqua, sh-she left! This is all my fault!" He started to cry, knowing that he was the reason their daughter had run away.

"W-what? M-maybe she went to see Varian," Arianna said, trying not to break down in a panic.

"I'll go to Old Corona and see," the king said immediately and Arianna nodded.

"I'm coming with you. I don't care what you say. I'm coming," she said before her husband could protest.

In mere minutes, they and a few guards were riding off to the village on the mainland.

🧪

Quirin was eating dinner with Varian when there was a banging on the door. Quirin got up and opened the door.

"Your majesty," he said as he quickly bowed. "We weren't expecting you."

"Has Aquaria been here tonight?" Frederic asked with worry.

Varian perked up when he heard his best friend's name.

"No, she has not. Why?" Quirin asked, seeing the fear on both of the royals' face.

"Aquaria has gone missing. She has been sneaking out to see your son and I snapped at her when I found out. I was way too harsh with her and she has run away. We thought maybe she would've come here," the king said and Quirin looked back at his son who cowered a little under his father's angry glare.

"You were letting the princess over without telling me? What if she had been killed coming or leaving here?" Quirin snapped at his son.

"Don't be angry at him. It's my fault. I never let Aquaria come to Old Corona so she only got to see Varian on her birthday and he is her only friend. I basically told her tonight that she would never get to see your son again. If you are going to be mad, be mad at me," Frederic said and Arianna gently rubbed his arm, seeing that he was on the verge of tears.

He was terrified that he had lost his second daughter, but this time it was his own fault.

"I'm not really sure but she may be out at sea with the Nokk," Varian spoke up quietly. "I don't know for sure though..."

"He's right. The Nokk may have her," Arianna said to Frederic.

"Yes. Thank you, Varian," Frederic said and Quirin looked confused.

"The Nokk? Those are just myths and why would a water spirit have Aquaria? What would it want with her?" Quirin questioned with confusion on his face.

"To protect her. The Nokk is what brought Aquaria to us. She's... she has a gift. She can control water. We have kept it a secret from the kingdom because we fear that it may put her in danger if someone wanted her gift or if the kingdom came to fear her," Arianna explained and Quirin hummed softly.

"I will help you look for the princess," he said and Frederic nodded.

"I will stay here with Varian until you return," the queen said to Quirin who nodded.

Varian ran over and hugged his dad. "I love you, dad. Please be safe and make sure Aqua is okay," he said and Quirin picked him up.

"I love you too, son. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I will make sure Aqua comes home safe," he said and Varian nodded. They hugged for a moment before Quirin set Varian back down.

After Quirin left with King Frederic and the guards, Varian went into the living room, unable to finish his dinner.

He curled up on the couch and Arianna hummed softly, sitting beside him.

"Are you alright, Varian?" She asked gently.

"I should've told her to stop coming... I knew it wasn't safe, but I just wanted to spend more time with her... what if she never comes home? She's my best friend... I don't want to lose her forever... I wanna play and keep doing science experiments with her... none of the other kids wanna play with me and they always make fun of me for my science... Aqua is the only one who helps me and plays with me and makes me feel better..." Varian sniffed as he thought about Aqua never returning, leaving him alone with no friends to turn to.

Arianna hugged the saddened boy and rubbed his back gently. "I know you're worried, but we will find her, I promise. And when she is home I will make sure that you two can play whenever you want. I can even give you some things for your science experiments," she said to comfort him.

"But my dad is mad at me now too..."

"He won't be anymore, trust me. You and Aqua are both too young to never have a friend to play with so if anything it is my fault for not pushing Fred to allow Aqua to see you. A part of me wanted to keep her in the palace too. After we lost Rapunzel, everything has changed and Aqua is so precious to us. We only want what's best for her," Arianna said softly and he sniffed sadly.

"I hope you're right," Varian snuggled into her side and thought about his friend. He wanted to play with her so badly. He fell asleep in the queen's arms, dreaming about running around and playing tag with Aquaria.

Arianna sighed softly and looked out of the window before saying a soft prayer to the water spirit, "please bring her home... we can't lose her too..."