Tangled After The Series - There's No Such Thing As 'The End'

Chapter 14: Look for hope

     Rapunzel sat on her Mother's throne, surveying the crowd assembled before her. Lance, Kiera, Catalina, Xavier, Monty, Feldspar, Attila, Big Nose, Shorty, Ulf, Vladimir, Nigel, Old Lady Crowley, Pascal, Ruddiger, Maximus, Pete, Stan, the other guards, Freiborg and the other servants. They were still waiting for the old Captain to return from the inn with Adira and Hector and Cassandra to come back with Fidella and Varian.

     Eugene stood next to her. He bent down to kiss the top of her then murmured in her ear, "When we were out there and saw..., did it suddenly hit you how it must've been-"

     "For Varian? Back then and now?" Rapunzel sighed, "He was all alone, that must have made it feel so much worse." Eugene squeezed Rapunzel's hand. Suddenly, the doors at the back of the room creaked open and the buzz of chatter silenced. Cassandra stood there with her cloak in hand, her face impassive. The she stepped aside to reveal Varian behind her. Eugene sighed with relief, "Thank goodness," Rapunzel muttered and the two of them made their way down the room to Varian.

     Cassandra walked away to give them some privacy, Fidella following her. Varian looked down at the floor awkwardly, but Rapunzel enveloped him in one of her bear-hugs. Eugene walked around and wrapped his arms around both of them. "I'm so sorry that you have to go through this," Varian said,

     Rapunzel held onto Varian's hand. "When I came back to Corona I told you that I understood why you were frustrated with me after what happened with Cass...but...this is...something very different," she eventually concluded, Varian dipped his head and closed his eyes.

     "We can understand why you weren't exactly yourself after this situation," Eugene said,
Rapunzel raised a hand to lift Varian's chin up, "I'm so sorry that you had to face this alone. But you're not alone Varian, not anymore." The three of them hugged again, "Never again, I promise."

     They walked back to the thrones. Rapunzel sat back down, Cassandra stood to one side of her, Varian on the other. Lance and the girls stood next to King Fredrick's throne, Eugene pacing in front of it. "Don't worry Hairstripe, they'll pay for this, I'll make sure of it." A rumble of approval rippled through the room.

     Anybody who stands or has stood in my path, they're going to pay! Eugene's statement alarmed Varian. "No." The incredulous looks from the whole room bore into him, "Eugene, it doesn't matter how much you or anyone else punishes them, it will never be enough. The damage has already been done, nothing that we do or say will ever change that. The right thing to do is work to free King Fredrick, Queen Arianna, King Edmund and my Father and make sure that the criminals are locked back in the dungeons where they belong."

     The room was still. The Eugene smiled proudly and said, "Mistakes like these are difficult but you can't stop to dwell on them when you can fight for a good outcome – an important lesson that Dad taught me." Rapunzel and Cassandra shared Eugene's proud smile.

     Lance walked up to Varian and ruffled his hair, "Hey! Look who grew up!" Varian laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

     "Can't say I'm extremely fond of the new garden statue," all eyes turned to Adira and Hector striding into the room led by the old Captain. Cassandra tensed beside Rapunzel and it was then that the Princess realised that Cassandra hadn't seen these two since the Battle of Zhan Tiri. "Long time no see, not-so-short-hair," Adira nodded at Cassandra, "Seems like we got ourselves a situation Princess." The strained atmosphere between the two Brotherhood members and Cassandra seemed to roll right off their backs. Cassandra sagged a little, relieved that nothing had turned awkward but even after everything, she wouldn't count Adira and Hector as her friends.

     Rapunzel took control, "Indeed Adira, that's why we are all here. We are going to lay out the circumstances as we know them and try to put a rough plan together." Rapunzel explained the whole story to the crowd, every fact from who had escaped to what they had stolen from Varian. "Henceforth," she said when she had concluded the story, "My first question, and please don't be offended, goes to Cassandra and Varian. What do you think they will do next so that we can try and counterattack it?"