We all know what happened to Varian in the first season of "Tangled: The Series." He became the villain, was defeated by Rapunzel, and thrown into prison for a whole year. Yes, he redeemed himself and returned for the third season, but the lack of h...
Varian is slightly taken aback, knowing she is referring to his accidental love confession. "But Rapunzel is your best friend. You really should talk things ou—"
"Look, I don't want a lecture," Cassandra interrupts. "Now, help me find something that will undo the memory wand!"
Varian sighs, and reluctantly helps Cassandra dig through the apothecary cart. He discovers a book that explains the wand, and shows it to her. "Maybe this'll help?"
Cassandra takes the book, and flips through the pages. "'The Wand of Oblivium can be reversed with a simple potion as follows'..." She reads aloud, actually smiling. But as she continues to flip through the pages, her smile disappears. "I might have called it simple if it had fifty-two fewer ingredients, but hey, to each his own." She slams the book shut.
"Rapunzel could be a big help collecting those ingredients if you told her the truth," Varian suggests.
"Nope," Cassandra replies. "Trust me, collecting them while we 'lead her home' is our best bet. We'll undo the spell, and she never has to know." She strides toward Rapunzel as Varian and Owl follow.
"Are we ready to get back to the tower?" Rapunzel asks. But when she notices Varian, she jumps back in surprise. "Who are you?!"
"Uhhh..." Varian says, glancing at Cassandra who is giving him a warning glare. "Um, my name is Varian. I'm a friend of Cassandra's, and I want to help you get back to your tower."
"Oh, okay," Rapunzel says. "Well, a friend of Cassandra's is a friend of mine! It's so nice to meet you, Varian. I'm Rapunzel." She takes his hand and shakes it eagerly, making him feel even more guilty than he already does about this situation.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Come on, let's get going," Cassandra says as she begins to head out of the village. Varian and Rapunzel follow, but the princess stops at the edge of the woods where the path ends and the grass begins.
Rapunzel stares ahead, looking terrified. "It's just... I've never walked on grass before," she says.
Honestly, this thought never occurred to Varian. Being stuck in a tower for the first eighteen years of her life, she wouldn't have ever come to know such simple things everyone takes for granted, such as the feel of grass between your toes. He now has even more sympathy for the traumatic experience Rapunzel went through.
"Well... I'm sure you'll do great," Cassandra tells her, gesturing for her to come towards her.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Rapunzel takes a deep breath, and hesitantly puts one foot forward. When she realizes how soft the grass is, she moves her other foot forward and absorbs the new feeling happily.
"Come on," Cassandra says, grabbing her arm and gently pulling her along.
"Wait!" Rapunzel shouts, stopping again. "There's no lava around here, right?"
Lava? Varian thinks. What exactly did Gothel tell her?
"No, you're good. Lava-free," Cassandra replies patiently. "Now come on, let's keep moving."
Varian can't help smiling as they walk. He still doesn't approve of Cassandra's plan to continue lying to Rapunzel, but he is happy to see this side of Cass. She is being understanding and sympathetic with Rapunzel, and it feels like old times again when the two of them weren't angry at each other. She is even protective of the princess, as she and Varian search for the ingredients to the potion.
At one point, as Cassandra collects an ingredient and Varian marks it off the list, they hear Rapunzel scream. Cass and Varian quickly draw their swords, and rush to the princess's defense. But to their relief, Rapunzel's scream was one of excitement rather than terror. She is pointing to an adorable bunny she found in the bushes, totally in awe. "It's so cute!" She squeals. Cassandra and Varian sheathe their swords, sighing.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
But they continue having to keep an eye on Rapunzel. As they travel along the path, she excitedly points to and touches all the amazing plants she has never seen before. She is about to touch one, when Cassandra notices and grabs her wrist to stop her.
"Whoa! Poison ivy," Cassandra warns.
Later, Cassandra climbs up a tree in an attempt to get the next ingredient: a bird's egg from a nest. She grabs it from under the sleeping mother bird, and is about to climb down when Rapunzel rushes through shouting loudly, "This is so fun!" Her shout awakens the bird, who notices Cassandra. The bird attacks her, causing her to drop the egg. Varian catches it, but Cassandra loses her balance and falls on top of him. He groans in pain as she stands up quickly, but he hands her the egg which is unharmed.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Farther in the forest, Cassandra and Varian continue collecting ingredients as Rapunzel enjoys her freedom. The princess uses her long hair to spin around and around a large tree, having the time of her life. "Woo-hoo! Best. Day. Ever!"
Cassandra pauses for a moment, and actually smiles watching Rapunzel have fun. Varian grins too, happy to see the princess like this but even more happy to see Cassandra in a good mood again.
