Reunion at Sea

The Return of the King

Green.

There was so much green.

Vines surrounded him, encased him, glowing as he stared blankly through half-lidded eyes. He could distantly hear voices...and then the vines shifted, loosening, unwrapping from around his body. Above him, an unfamiliar man looked down at him. His eyes glowed green.

With a soft groan, the once-encased man raised a hand, pausing when he saw it was glowing. A familiar face appeared before him, gently taking his hand in his own.

He knew this man. Lucas.

He slowly blinked and then groaned as everything came back to him, closing his eyes.

Corona.

Rapunzel's birth and kidnapping.

Grief, loss, anger. RAGE.

JUSTICE.

Rapunzel's return, magical hair cut.

Black rocks, Rapunzel's hair returned.

Varian.

Black rocks. Truth serum.

Varian.

Arianna's kidnapping. Automatons. Black rocks.

VARIAN.

Rapunzel standing by his side, the boy clad in black rocks with a crown atop his treacherous head. A cold, triumphant smile as he took everything from Frederic.

Everything.

He saw red.

"Frederic?"

His brow still furrowed, his scowl slowly eased off his face and he opened his eyes and focused his gaze on the man before him. Lucas. His ally.

He gripped his hand and the man slowly helped him sit up. People were surrounding him, all of them wearing robes. He was wearing a similar robe.

Disciples of Zhan Tiri.

He looked at his hand, surrounded by a green glow, and slowly opened and closed his fist.

"How are you feeling?" Lucas asked gently.

How was he feeling? Angry. Vengeful. But also... "...Hungry." He admitted.

"Well, we have some food for you." Lucas assured him. "Besides that, how do you feel?"

He looked at his hand again, watching as green sparks came from his fist before a fire formed around it. He gasped and shook his hand and the fire vanished.

"Don't worry, we'll train you up." Lucas assured him. "Can you stand?"

Frederic felt offended at the question and moved to step down off the altar. He felt a bit woozy, but was determined to not appear weak and so shook it off and set his feet firmly on the ground. "...How long have I been asleep?" He asked him.

"Around 34 days." Melina assured him. "You've been asleep for around a month, brother."

"This is Melina." Lucas introduced her. "Beside her is Selina, and over here is Tromus. Unfortunately, most of us have been sealed up, but when we free Zhan Tiri, we'll be able to free them."

"Hm." Frederic nodded. "Not many of you...us left, is there?"

"All because of that Saporian warrior." Selina hissed. "Mother and Father Feather were sealed up while you slept, as was The Jester. Regulus and Gothel betrayed us, and Sugracha is with our Mistress, trapped in another world because of the Sundrop's friends disrupting a ritual to free her."