𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕥 {𝕍𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕒𝕟 𝕩 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣}

-Chapter Eleven- Curses

/this house says my name like an elegy/ oh my, oh my/ echoing where my ghosts all used to be/ oh my, oh my/ there's still cobwebs in the corners/ and the backyard's full of bones/

-curses, the crane wives

The very first thing Y/n did when she had deposited (H/n) in the stables was rush to her rooms to find her winter clothes, shivering the entire way there.

She made a brief stop in the kitchens, swiping a mug of hot chocolate before she continued her trek through the hallways.

The second she found her rooms, she darted inside and shed her wet clothes, frantically searching her closet for anything warm.

She decided on an outfit similar to the one she had first met Varian in- warm black trousers, an off-the-shoulder white blouse with long sleeves, a dark (f/c) corset and her (f/c) boots, as well as her (Y/n)rium necklace around her neck.

Y/n also found a warm coat in the depths of her closet- it was long, down to her knees, and black with a velvet (f/c) inside and (f/c) lining on the hems. She slipped it on quickly, and found a fresh pair of fingerless gloves- warmer this time, obviously.

Once she was sufficiently warm, Y/n picked up her hot chocolate from her dresser, and began walking towards her door, before stopping in her tracks and turning around quickly, trying not to spill her drink.

Y/n walked over to her desk, pressing gently on the side panel and lifting her vial of Flynnoleum from its compartment. She looked at it for a long moment, glowing pale green in the dark of her room. With a smile, Y/n tucked it into one of the inside pockets of her coat and left her room, closing the door quietly behind her.

She couldn't explain it, but keeping the vial on hand made her feel safe. While Y/n had been given basic self-defense training, she was forbidden from carrying any weapons, and the feeling of being powerless disgusted her. Having the Flynnoleum with her, even if it couldn't trigger without another compound, just made her feel... secure.

Unsure of what to do, Y/n sipped her hot chocolate and took note of a series of open doors leading towards a balcony. Knowing that no one responsible would have left them open, she walked through each one, making her way to the balcony to find who awaited her.

Just as Y/n had predicted, Rapunzel and Eugene were having a conversation on a balcony in the cold air. Y/n lingered next to the door for a minute, quietly observing their conversation.

"...it's not tomorrow I'm worried about." her sister was saying. "Someday, this is gonna be my job every day, and I'm..." Rapunzel sighed dejectedly. "I'm not sure I can handle it all."

No, she can't. Y/n thought coldly. She hasn't worked a day in her life for this. You could do better. You would do better, if a single one of your citizens even remembered your existence.

"Blondie, come on." Eugene's back was to Y/n, but she could hear the smile in his voice. "Look at all the amazing things you've done since leaving that tower."

Like stealing her sister's birthright? Y/n took a sip of her hot chocolate as she stewed in the doorway.

Eugene walked over to her sister. "Do you think you would've been able to do any of them if you'd stopped to worry about how you were going to do it?"

Yes?! thought Y/n with confusion. That's called thinking through your decisions? What kind of advice is this guy giving her?

"I know you didn't choose this," said Eugene, putting his hands on Rapunzel's shoulders, "but you of all people should know that when life hands you lemons..."