Behind His Eyes

Chapter 35: Father

I do not own Tangled the Series, the characters, or the cover. Thank you.

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The countryside isn't calming like Varian remembered it. It's alluringly piercing and eerily dreary. It was the embodiment of a ghost town, which, much to Varian's dismay, sent chills up his spine. He had grown up here. So, why did it feel so foreign? Much had changed. He had changed. 

As if painting a picture, the moon's light seemed to be brushed along the winding hills and dirt paths of Old Corona. The stars were cowering behind the clouds, leaving the brilliant, blueish white colors of the moon to be the only source of light in the darkened sky. As Varian continued to trudge along the dirt paths, the young wizard became aware of his bare feet and the textures of the ground. 

He didn't like it. 

Noticing the rags he had been wearing for God knows how long, Varian became disgusted. It was a pointless, trivial thing to worry about clothes and shoes, but the young wizard was fed up with looking and feeling like a victim easy to conquer. His appearance hadn't changed in months, and yet he was an entirely different person. It didn't match, and he decided to change that. 

Stopping his steady pace, Varian allowed the black rocks in the ground to rise up and curl around his feet, creating smooth, sturdy shoes. Deciding not to stop there, Varian closed his eyes and let his imagination take hold as it transformed his appearance into something knew. He felt the rocks race up his body creating a magical fabric fit for a king.

King? Ha! 

No. It was fit for a god. 

There was a harsh breeze roaring in his ears and ripping against his dry skin, but Varian no longer cared. He wasn't cold anymore. His head felt warm, as if heat was being created from his hair. How strange. He thought. Pushing himself forward again, Varian made his way to his home, feeling oddly refreshed. 

Unfortunately, his home was in the back of Old Corona (nearest to the walls that bordered the kingdom). This meant the walk there was twice as long. For some unknown reason, Varian didn't care if any civilians saw him. He wasn't scared if they would try to drag him out of his house and throw him on some cross. In fact, there was a spark in him that secretly wanted them to attempt the same deed. Boy, would they be in for a rude surprise! Everyone had caused him so much suffering here, Father saved or not, Varian would have revenge. 

How dare they throw stones at him? How dare they kick him out of a store when he was starving? How dare they blame him for a crime he didn't commit? How. Dare. They. 

By the time his mind had finished ranting, the young wizard wasn't sure who exactly "they" were. But whoever he was implying, he knew he hated them. 

In the distance, his dilapidated house reared its ugly face. Everything about the house was... wrong. So, so, wrong! The way the roof's edges dipped into the house, how the walls seemed to be falling apart, the horrendous absence of the front door, and the risky base of the house, hardly holding up the disgraced building. It was a heartbreaking mess. 

But nothing Varian couldn't handle. 

If the average person was given the power of the black rocks, the situation would have turned out vastly worse, luckily, Varian was an expert at alchemy and engineering. Skillfully weaving the black rocks around the house, it only took a few moments before the young wizard had securely set his home in place. It definitely didn't look as good as new, but for now, it would suffice. 

He knew the makeover wasn't necessary, but something about seeing his home broken apart... he couldn't stand it. With ease, he created a front door which opened as he walked through and closed behind him. No hands necessary. Now, finally indoors, Varian expected to be greeted with the familiar smell of his childhood home. Oh, how wrong he was! Everything smelled of ghastly metal, musty mildew, and damp wood. It was disgusting. Wincing at the smell, Varian advanced towards his father's bedroom, weaving through the broken down flooring. When he finally reached the precious room, he gasped upon seeing a figure staring back at him. The person was his height, but he looked so different. Familiar, and yet, indecipherable.