I was rewatching Keeper of the Spire randomly the other day, and I had an idea.
What if Hector broke Varian out of jail? What if Varian trained with Hector and then tailed Rapunzel's group until they were attacked by the Kirlok at the Spire? (Calli...
(Hi! I will be putting more pictures in from now on, so my chapter releasing might slow down a bit. Also, see if you can spot Varian's other scar (besides his wrists.) I totally wasn't listening to a Into/Across the Spiderverse playlist while I drew the pictures. 😜)
(Chapter warning: Arguing with self.)
Varian quietly crept through the hallway and into Rapunzel's room, his glowing hair stripe lighting the way.
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Just get the totem and get out, he reminded himself. It's easy. Oh, and don't get caught. Varian shook his head. Why was he doing this? He had sworn that he would never commit a crime again if he could help it, and here he was! Varian shook his head once more and pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes. No, this is important, I have to save them from the idol. I have no other choice, he reassured himself. He dropped his hands back by his sides and continued forward. Are you doing this to help them? The little voice in the back of his head asked, the voice that always tried to mess him up. Or are you just doing it because a criminal is all you are?
Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps behind Varian. He whirled to see Cassandra sneaking in through the door. She froze when she spotted his face, illuminated by the ghostly green of his hair stripe.
"What are you doing in here?" She asked angrily. Varian suddenly felt a feeling of deja vu from the first time he had talked to Cassandra after the Battle of Old Corona. She had asked almost the exact same question. Before Varian could respond, there was a loud crash from above Cassandra and him. Varian dove out of the way as Hook Foot, who had been sitting on the roof and had broken through the ceiling, fell right on top of Cassandra. "Ow!" Cassandra exclaimed. "Watch the hook, klutz!" Varian heard the pattering of footsteps and turned to see Rapunzel standing in the doorway.
Great, he grumbled to himself. There goes any chance of getting the totem. Cassandra kicked Hook Foot off of her and began sprinting towards the door, somehow having grabbed the totem. She ran into Rapunzel, who promptly grabbed on to Cassandra's other arm.
"Hey!" Rapunzel yelled. "You give that back!" She tugged on Cassandra's arm, making Cassandra stumble forward.
"Hello, ladies," Lance's voice came from the edge of the balcony. Varian turned to see Lance holding a bouquet of flowers that were almost identical to Eugene's. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
Perfect, Varian thought. They're distracted, so I can snatch the totem!
"But, uh..." Lance continued, then looked at his hand, mumbling to himself. He gave a startled yelp as Cassandra elbowed him.
"Would you get out of here?!?" She exclaimed.
"Fine, fine," Lance relented, turning around. "I can see when I'm not wanted." He began walking away. Varian noticed a glowing lump in Lance's shirt and darted forward, snatching it.
"Thief!" Cassandra yelled, pointing to Varian.
Crap! He thought, and then took off down the stairs. Lance, Cassandra, Eugene, and Rapunzel ran after him. He crashed through a group of bushes, and he could hear all the others behind him. Running once again, the voice in his head said. Shut up, he told it. He heard an angry neigh behind him and turned his head slightly to see Max the horse closing in on him. He gave a small yelp and ran faster, but Max was still faster and tripped him, sending the totem flying.
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"I got it!" Eugene yelled, jumping in the air to catch it. He gave a small laugh, but Max raced over and kicked it out of his hands. Varian quickly sprung back to his feet and turned, charting the totem's path mentally. Eugene flew backwards, and the totem flew straight up. Max leaned his head backward and opened his mouth to catch it. Hook Foot leapt forward and tried to pry the statue out of Max's mouth.
"Gimme that statue, you nag!" He yelled as Max swung him around in a circle. Cassandra leapt onto Max's back and tried to snatch the totem as well.
"That belongs to me!" She yelled, snatching it. She held it up, but Lance ran over and grabbed hold of it.
"I ripped it off fair and square!" Lance protested. Varian ran over and began tugging on the statue.
"I stole it from you!" He added. Eugene dropped onto Lance's shoulders and began grabbing at the statue.
"Using my gimmick!" He yelled. Shorty flopped onto the top of the pile and Max bit Varian's sleeve, trying to pry him off. They all tussled back and forth for a while, each trying to snag the totem.
"Stop!" Rapunzel suddenly yelled. Varian let go of the totem and dropped to the ground, exhausted. He quickly sat up, remembering his goal. Everyone let go, and Shorty, who was in the center, fell to the ground, holding the totem.
"Thank you for the bath, my good man," he said, eyes glowing green. "It's been ages." Rapunzel gave a sigh and dropped her hands.
"That's better!" She exclaimed. "Look at what this has done to us! Yesterday we were celebrating and today we are throwing punches at each other!" The group collectively hung their heads.
I was just trying to save them... Varian thought to himself. Yeah, sure, the voice in his head replied skeptically. And look what good that did.
"The only sensible solution is to get rid of this statue once and for all," Rapunzel continued. She walked forward, and Shorty placed the totem in her bag.
Wait, what? Varian thought, eyes snapping up to Rapunzel. She-she's under the influence of the totem! It shows everyone what makes them the happiest! Why would she want to get rid of it? He wondered. That is suspicious, the voice in his head agreed.
"And since it was me who found it in the first place, I think I should be the one to get rid of it," Rapunzel finished. "I will not like it, but nothing is more important than our friendships. Yeah?" The group gave a collective nod. "Thank you," Rapunzel said, turning towards the bushes. "I know that wasn't easy for any of you, but, this has to be done." With that, she walked into the bushes.
You're right, this does have to be done, Varian agreed, following her. But I have a feeling that you're not going to do it.
(Hello! It's been a little while! Originally, I was just going to make the voice in Varian's head the skeptical side of him, but I had a better idea. 😏 Ciao for now, enjoy the drawings!)
