The Third Power: TTS AU

Chapter Fourteen

"Ok let's take a break," Cassandra said as she let her backpack fall from her shoulders and leaned it against a tree.

Varian followed suit, dropping his bag then leaning against a tree, letting himself slide down it until he was sat on the soft earth.

"How long have we been walking?" he asked as he pulled his knees up to his chest.

Cassandra looked up at the sky.

"I'd say... maybe three hours? Give or take a little."

Varian nodded. That felt about right.

He and Cassandra started prepping a small lunch. Varian got the fire going while Cass rummaged in her bag for food.

"Varian?" Cass said as she found a few tins of beans.

"Hm?"

"Are you ok?"

Varian didn't answer straight away. He had been hoping Cassandra wouldn't notice.

"I was just thinking," he said quietly.

"About what?" Eclipse asked.

"About if... maybe I should have explained things more to Rapunzel and the others? Or should have gone back or-"

"Varian," Cassandra said sharply. "You're with us ok? With me and Eclipse, not that princess and her blindly loyal group."

"But..." Varian trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"But what?" Both Cassandra and Eclipse asked.

"But... Rapunzel is still my friend. You guys are too, of course, but I... I never doubted that Rapunzel would come and help me.

Eclipse raised an eyebrow and moved closer to Varian, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't sound like you mean that," she said not unkindly.

The alchemist shrugged her hand off (or should I say out) of him and rubbed his arm.

"I do mean it," he told her firmly.

Did he?

It went silent in the little camp for a while. Cassandra and Varian continued prepping lunch, an awkward tension starting to grow between them.

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"This is..." Rapunzel stared at Quirin as she tried to find the words. "This is... a-amazing! Varian has powers!"

Quirin didn't share her enthusiasm. Nor did anyone else at the table.

"It would be more worthy of celebration if it wasn't for the fact that Varian's powers are dangerous," the retired warrior said.

Rapunzel's smile faded.

"Define dangerous," Eugene said as he leaned on the table.

Quirin sighed.

"It was the day after the incident," he started. "I'd taken Varian to a small lake a bit away from Old Corona to let him see what he could do."

"What happened?" Fredrick asked.

Quirin laughed bitterly as the memory came back to him.

"I'm not even sure how to explain it. It went something like Varian forcing all of the water to rise into a sort of... pyramid shape I think. He looked annoyed, as if that wasn't the shape he wanted, and every drop of water evaporated within seconds."

They all stared, shock all too evident on everyone's faces.

"That's not even the weirdest part," Quirin continued. "I questioned out loud what we were meant to do with the new, giant hole in the ground and Varian turned to me, said not to worry, and filled the hole in with these... glowing rocks."