Originally posted on AO3. Based on a headcanon by @rta.songs.rewritten on Instagram that Hector and Adira would absolutely HATE Freddy for what he did to their nephew.
Trigger warnings: attempted murder, PTSD
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Of all the things Varian expected from a Coronan victory celebration, attempted homicide (regicide?) was not one of them.
And it wasn't even him this time.
Everything was going wonderfully up until that point. Zhan Tiri had been defeated, Cassandra was off finding her destiny, and Varian had spent the last week getting to know his extremely eccentric extended family.
Adira and Hector, while adamantly opposed to the idea of settling down, were trying to plan what they would do now that the Moonstone was gone. They had been with Varian and Quirin a week now, sharing old memories and getting into more trouble than the exasperated Quirin could keep them out of.
Varian loved every minute of it.
The first few days had been spent recovering from the attack. They sat around and swapped stories about the past, cooked, and generally ignored each and every responsibility in favor of taking a much-needed staycation.
The next few days had been spent committing what Quirin referred to as "absolute atrocities" and "minor felonies." Hector had clapped back that two of the four had already committed treason. Adira had punched him. That started a brawl that resulted in "severe property damage."
Yeah. Varian loved it.
He knew his dad loved him and was proud of him, but Adira and Hector were the only people he knew who could match his exuberant personality. He had shown them his lab the first day, and Hector had yet to cease pestering him for a concoction to change the color of Adira's face paint.
Over the course of that week, Varian questioned many times if they were sure the three weren't related by blood. Somehow, he fit perfectly into the little nook that was this family. Quirin was mature and responsible, the one who always made sure everyone ate and tended to the various injuries received after a day of shenanigans. Aunt Adira was the classic "eccentric aunt," showing Varian her meditation techniques, helping him devise shenanigans that resulted in injuries Quirin had to tend to afterwards, and teaching him the best ways to pester Hector. Uncle Hector was absolutely feral and was just as likely to be found relaxing on the rooftop with his bearcats as anywhere else. He was usually the reason their shenanigans ended in injuries. And Varian was entrenched firmly in the middle, the perfect combination of his dad's maturity (it took a while, and he was still working on it), Adira's strangeness, and Hector's childishness.
And not only did he love it, he was loved. His tiny family of three (including the ever-faithful Ruddiger) had grown to include him, his dad, Ruddiger, Aunt Adira, Uncle Hector, two bearcats, and a rhino. The two warriors had promised that no matter what they decided to do after this, they would write letters as well as come to visit as much as possible.
And when Varian woke up screaming in the middle of the night from a nightmare, he found himself wrapped up in three pairs of arms instead of one.
Everything was great.
Until the day he heard a knock on the door.
He and Hector were down in the lab. "Now, if my calculations are correct, this alchemical solution should create a phosphorescent ink that will be completely invisible until it gets dark."
"And Adira won't feel it?"
"She shouldn't. I also made some medicinal compounds for you, because I can guarantee you'll feel whatever she does to you when she notices."
"Perfect."
When the knock came, Varian, who still retained several unfortunate instincts from his time trying to survive after the blizzard and from prison later, jumped in surprise. Hector, who had absolutely no inside behavior at all, flicked his wrist to unsheathe his sword.
Varian forced his rapid breathing back down to a moderate pace and went upstairs, Hector right behind him. The warrior motioned Varian away from the door. Then he swung it open and pointed his sword at the two unfortunate guards standing there.
"What do you want?" he growled.
Varian's breathing quickened again at the sight of the guards. He clenched his fists and tried to remember Aunt Adira's tips on control. He was fine. He wasn't in trouble. They weren't here to arrest him or threaten him for information.
The guards, whom he now recognized as Stan and Pete, cowered in front of Hector's blade. The mustached one held out a paper. "F-For Quirin and Varian of Old Corona and Hector and Adira of the Dark Kingdom," he rushed out quickly.
Hector snatched the paper. "Get lost." They did so quickly. The warrior turned back to his nephew, who was holding his wrists painfully. "You okay, kid?"
"Fine, fine," he answered much too quickly. "What's it say?"
"Hm. 'Quirin and Varian of Old Corona and Hector and Adira of the Dark Kingdom are hereby cordially invited to a celebration in the courtyard of the royal palace to commemorate the defeat of Zhan Tiri at 6:00 tomorrow evening.' Sounds stuffy. Not our speed."
"We should go." He surprised himself when he spoke.
"You sure?"
"Yeah." He released his wrists. "Why not? We fought Zhan Tiri and won. The Sundrop and Moonstone are gone. I think we deserve to celebrate." He grinned up at his uncle. "There'll be food."
"Okay. Sound good. What's the dress code?"
"Would you follow it if there was one?"
"Absolutely not."
When they got to the palace the next night, Adira and Hector immediately ran to raid the dessert table, Ruddiger right behind them. Quirin and Varian stopped to greet their friends, and Varian quickly found himself sucked into a conversation with Eugene about making some strategic "upgrades" to the palace. After informing the captain that giant confetti cannons were not strategic upgrades, the young engineer looked around at the cleared wreckage of the former battlefield.
"The place got cleaned up nice," he commented.
"Yeah, no thanks to you," his friend retorted childishly. "We're doing all the heavy lifting, and what were you doing? Goofing off with your family?" He stuck his tongue out.
"Hey, Rapunzel said we weren't doing anything till after this week. We almost died, remember? We're tired."
"Yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses. Seriously, though, I'm glad you got to spend time with your family. And even more glad you kept them out of my perfectly-styled hair. Speaking of..."
Varian groaned and turned to where his aunt and uncle had already started a brawl with several of the Pub Thugs. "Nope. Can't see anything, sorry. I've suddenly been struck with selective blindness." He sighed in relief when he noticed his dad go over and separate the fighters.
The rest of the night went well. Varian spoke to Rapunzel, Xavier, and even Ms. Crowley (Eugene teased him for being the only person aside from Rapunzel polite enough to not call her Old Lady Crowley). The courtyard had been cleared of rubble, but the rest of the castle didn't look so good. All renovations would be waiting until after several decent nights' sleep, Rapunzel informed him. Varian had already started making mental notes on the upcoming renovation and how he could help. He was in the middle of such musings when he accidentally bumped into someone.
"Sorry," he said immediately. "I'm sorry—" His apology was cut short as he turned to see who he had bumped. That face, full of cold indifference, still haunted his dreams. Cold indifference would turn to burning hatred, and he would wake up screaming in his family's arms, still convinced he could feel the cold metal shackles enclosing his wrists.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," he quickly bit out before he could lose his nerve. No matter how long he hung around the palace, no matter that he had tried to restore the royal couple's memories, he never got over the fear that struck him upon seeing the king's stony face. It always sent him back to those horrible weeks before the attack, when masked guards haunted his every step, or back to the year he spent in prison.
"Varian," the king greeted with barely-restrained hatred.
A quiet hush fell over the crowd, quickly replaced by a frightened murmur. Varian turned quickly to see two giant warriors striding towards them, murderous intent written in their eyes.
Adira reached for the sword strapped behind her back. Hector unsheathed his blade with a careful flick of his wrist. Their glares were directed towards the man behind him. Varian immediately recognized their intent. "Oh, no."
He stepped directly into his family's path. "Aunt Adira! Uncle Hector! What are you doing?"
Adira's gaze never wavered, but she spoke coldly, "This is the king who villainized you?"
"I beg your pardon?" the offended king retorted. Two guards rushed up to stand protectively in front of him.
Adira and Hector kept walking. Varian planted himself in his aunt's way, but she kept moving. When he braced his arms against her abdomen, he found his feet sliding as she didn't even slow down. "Aunt Adira, stop! It's fine!"
"Oh, so he apologized then?"
"Wha—no, no—it's fine, really!"
"If he didn't apologize for what he did to you, it's not fine." She kept walking.
This could not be happening! His aunt and uncle were about to commit regicide, and there was nothing he could do! Briefly, he wondered if this was what Rapunzel had felt like on that horrible day over a year and a half ago. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his dad striding towards them. Thank goodness!
Quirin planted himself firmly in Hector's way. "That's enough."
This seemed to get through to his siblings. "Enough?" Hector snapped as he finally stopped walking. "Is it 'enough' that this man terrorized our family and suffers no consequences for it? Is it enough that his title makes him untouchable? We're not Coronans, brother. We can hold him accountable."
"And what exactly do you want me to answer for?" the king suddenly snapped coldly.
Varian bit back the angry words that threatened to flow from him. He had been holding them back for so long it was second nature by now.
For Adira, it wasn't.
"What do we want you to answer for?" She bit angrily. "You allowed my nephew to be ruined by a false rumor. You sent guards to terrorize him. You destroyed any chance you had of working things out peaceably then threw Varian in prison with a terrorist when he understandably snapped. You kicked him when he was down and acted shocked when he bit back." Then she said the words that shattered any possibility of mending this rapidly deteriorating situation. "My nephew wakes up screaming in the middle of the night, thinking his wrists are shackled, and you want to know what I want you to answer for? I want you to answer for being a tyrant and an abuser!"
"Adira, that is enough!" Quirin barked fiercely.
Hector whirled on him. "Is that all you can say, brother? Enough? Why won't you stand up for your son?"
"ENOUGH!"
Everyone froze. The word hadn't come from Quirin.
It came from Varian.
"Stop it!" he snarled. "Just—everyone stop!" He looked up at his family with a crazed look in his eyes. "This has gone far enough. I said it's fine! Okay, so maybe I still get nightmares, but hey, that's not the worst thing in the world! So what if he didn't apologize? Everyone pretty much got over everything! We've moved on! Please, just let it go. We're all fine." Off to the side, he could see Rapunzel and Eugene staring in shock.
Adira and Hector looked at each other and seemed to come to a conclusion. "Fine," Hector growled. "When these people stab you in the back again, remember who's trying to protect it." The two turned and stalked off.
No one moved. Everyone stood silently, not sure what to do next. Varian put his head in his hands.
"Varian?" Rapunzel was the first to break the silence. "Are you okay?"
"I..." He was shaking. The room was spinning. Or was it just his head? "I... I need air."
He felt Quirin's hand on his shoulder. His dad was guiding him away from the crowd off to the edge of the courtyard. He collapsed on a stone bench and ran his hands through his hair. Ruddiger darted over and climbed into his boy's lap.
"Did that just happen?" the alchemist whispered.
"I'm afraid so." Quirin knelt in front of him and took his hands. "Are you okay?"
He shook his head. "No. I don't think so."
"Okay. Take your time." The talk among the crowd had started to spring back up again. Most everyone appeared to be in mild shock. This evening had most certainly not gone as expected.
"What just happened?" Varian rasped. "We were doing okay! It wasn't great, I admit, but we were getting by fine!" Quirin sat beside Varian and pulled him into his arms. The boy buried his face in his father's shirt. "This is bad. He's going to take it out on me!"
"I don't think he'll try that, actually." Quirin pulled back and looked Varian in the eyes. "As foolish as he can be, he's a politician. He knows how to test the currents. Anything he does to you could result in him getting killed. But again, he's a politician. He'll be diplomatic about the entire situation. You'll have to watch out for that."
Varian nodded. Diplomacy was something he had come to learn about the hard way in the last few years. "This is not going to end well," he muttered.
"It will end, though. We'll get through it. One day at a time. Just like everything else."
He nodded shakily. One day at a time. "Yeah. We got this."
They did not "got this."
As soon as Varian had calmed down, he and Quirin made a graceful exit. Quirin apologized for his siblings' behavior and assured the royal couple he would be talking to them about that. Varian had stayed silent the entire time his father was saying goodbye, only bothering to wave at Rapunzel and Eugene. Then they headed back for Old Corona (Hector had courteously left one of the bearcats for them to ride so they wouldn't have to walk in the dark).
When they reached home, Varian stormed into the house, past Adira and Hector sitting on the counter in the kitchen (for who knows what reason; they had just eaten), and into his room, slamming the door behind him. That left Quirin to deal with the aftereffects. One look at his face was enough to let his siblings know where they stood.
"Outside. Now."
They obediently followed him outside, stopping under a tree far enough away from the house to hopefully not disturb Varian. "What the dickens was that?" the irate father snapped.
To no one's surprise, Hector was the first one to speak up. "That, brother, was us standing up for our nephew. That was what you should have done. Why haven't you? After everything he went through?"
"Because he asked me not to!" Quirin took a deep breath. "Varian asked me not to get involved. He wanted to take care of everything himself. He's on a good standing with the princess and the captain. Even the queen is fond of him. The king is the only member of the royal family who doesn't forgive Varian, and he's also the one with the most say in what happens to him if he decides to get back at him! The last thing Varian wanted was to get on his bad side again. He was willing to put up with him for the sake of peace."
"Quirin," Adira interjected. "I can't see how you let it go on like this. You were always the first one to defend your family. To defend us. Why do you allow this man to get away with everything he did? Varian shouldn't have to 'put up with him.' He should be given an apology."
"You can't make someone apologize, sister. You can force him to say the words, but you won't change his heart. He will only despise Varian more if you try."
"Quirin's right," Hector added.
"Thank you."
"He shouldn't apologize if he doesn't mean it. He should be punished, though."
"Hector!"
"What?" The youngest sibling crossed his arms and leaned against the tree. "He abused our nephew! He treated him like a criminal before he did the first crime, then he acted like the situation was completely Varian's fault when he did become a criminal! And you're right. He probably hates Varian even more now."
"And whose fault is that? Did you even stop for a second to think about how what you did will impact Varian? No. I suppose that would imply you actually thought."
"Ouch."
"Listen. I'm going to smooth things over with the royals. With any luck, this will get swept under the rug, especially if I can get the princess on my side. She's fond of Varian."
Adira mumbled something about "could've showed it before he got arrested."
"Knock it off. They had a rough time. They've made up."
"After he spent a year in prison," Hector reminded him.
Quirin's glare silenced him. He had long ago mastered the art of the "stern parent" look. It had stopped the mighty Hector and Adira in their tracks many times in the past. "Anyway, I'm going to get this taken care of. The two of you are going to think long and hard about what you did. If you decide you feel remorseful, you can apologize to Varian in the morning for getting him into this situation."
"The fact that what we did get him into this situation should be enough of an indicator that something's wrong! If the king wants to hurt him for what we did, that just proves our point." Adira put her hands on her hips.
"Maybe so. And for what it's worth, I think you're right. But this is Varian's call. And he wants us to drop it. So drop it." With that final word, he left them standing there and went back inside.
He knocked on the door to Varian's room. "Son, can I come in?"
There was a pause for a few seconds. Finally, Varian answered, "Yes sir."
He opened the door and saw Varian sitting on his bed, launching throwing knives at a target set up across the room. The knives were a gift from Hector, who informed Quirin that they were simply not a practical weapon for combat and he wanted to get rid of them and this was most certainly not about giving Varian a weapon to use at long distances since he wasn't a close-range fighter and the bow and arrows he had given him were also completely coincidental, thank you very much.
Quirin sat on the edge of the bed. Varian sighed and looked up at him. "Are they mad at me?"
"Adira and Hector?"
He nodded.
"Of course not. Varian, they love you. They just hate to see you mistreated. And believe me, they'll admire your backbone even if they don't agree with you. If it makes you feel any better, I told them to leave it alone."
"Thanks." Varian petted Ruddiger, who was curled up by his side. "I... I'm glad they want to help me. I love that I can count on them to protect me. But I can't cause problems again."
"I know." It burned him inside that Varian had been taught to believe that standing up for himself was a problem. If it was anyone other than the man who had the power to make his son's life a nightmare, Quirin would have put a stop to the situation immediately. For now, though, he could only respect Varian's wishes. He took the boy's hand. "If you want, I'll talk to the princess. She can help calm her father's temper. Is that okay?"
Varian nodded again. "Thanks."
"Of course. And if you ever decide enough is enough, you have us here to support whatever you decide."
The next morning, Varian was working in his lab when Hector and Adira joined him. They hopped up onto a table he had specifically cleared for them to sit on when they visited. They waited awkwardly until he reached a stopping point and turned to them, an annoyed look across his face.
"So..." Adira began. "Look, Varian, we really weren't thinking last night. We got mad and acted irrationally. We're sorry."
"About putting you in that position," Hector added. "Not about what we said. We were right."
Adira elbowed his ribs.
"Umph! Right. I meant sorry."
Varian sighed. "You're forgiven. For the record, I'm glad you guys have my back. It's just... confronting him like that is a bad idea. Trust me; I know. I've been there. It doesn't end well."
"Doesn't that bother you?" Hector looked up from where he was playing with a small machine he definitely had no business touching. "That he gets to do whatever he wants with no consequences?"
"Of course it does. But he won't be king forever. Soon Rapunzel will be the queen, and she's—well, I've had problems with her, too, but we've talked it out. She's not like him. She'll be a good queen."
The warriors looked at each other. "How long do you think that will be?" Adira asked.
Hector elbowed her. "That's insensitive!" he gasped dramatically.
"Like you care! You were thinking the same thing!"
Varian turned his back on them as they started bickering. As long as they stayed in the space he had assigned them, they shouldn't break anything too important. As he kept working, he reached over to put something in the analyzer and groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."
They stopped fighting. "What?"
"I left the spectrometric press in my lab at the castle." He sighed. "I'll have to go get it before I can keep working on this."
"Is now a good time to do that, all things considered?" Adira crossed her arms.
"Probably not. But I need to get this finished. It's a compound to increase the strength of glass. Corona's not in a good place right now, and we need to get the castle repaired before someone decides to take advantage of our weakness." He grabbed his backpack. "I'll be back later tonight. Don't touch anything."
"Do you want us to go with you?"
"No. No offense; just—bad idea."
"Right."
He met his father outside. Ruddiger who had been snoozing by a pile of apple cores underneath a tree, yawned and hopped up onto his shoulders. "I've got to go to the palace to get the spectrometric press."
Quirin nodded. "Do you need me to come?"
"Please?" He had turned his aunt and uncle down, but he needed his dad with him if anything went wrong. Quirin had gone out of his way lately to spend more time with him and support him.
The man set his wheelbarrow against the wall of the house and put an arm around Varian's shoulders. "One day at a time," he reminded him.
Varian steeled his nerves and nodded. "One day at a time."
Adira and Hector watched them go from the window.
"How long?" Adira asked.
"Hour and a half there, hour and a half back, ten minutes to get the spectrowhatchamacallit."
"And for us?"
"We take it slow, get there just after them. Less than an hour to get back."
"And then?"
Hector met her black eyes with a smirk.
Varian had at least expected to make it to his lab before anything went wrong.
He was never that fortunate. Today was no exception.
Passing down the hall to his lab, he was one corner from his place of refuge when a door behind him opened. "Varian," a familiar voice called.
He and Quirin turned around and saw the king walking towards them. "Your Majesty," Quirin said politely as he bowed. Varian copied the movement but said nothing. He fought down the wave of nausea that accompanied any confrontation with this man. On his perch, Ruddiger hissed.
"No need for formalities, my friends." The king motioned for them to rise. "I'm glad to see you. I had actually hoped to speak with Varian."
The alchemist swallowed painfully and clutched his right arm with his left hand behind his back. "What about, Your Majesty?"
"Ever since your... pardon, you've put your skills to good use serving the people of Corona. Your record is quite impressive. Considering that, I've decided to make you an offer. How would you like to be Corona's first Royal Engineer?"
Varian froze. Royal Engineer? As in... using his skills for the good of Corona with support from the royals themselves? To have his talents seen and respected? To no longer feel the need to hide his talents for fear of being viewed with hatred and scorn?
Two years ago, he would have jumped at the offer.
He examined the king's face skeptically, noting the tightness of his smile and the ever-present disdain behind his cold gaze.
This man hated him. There was only one reason he'd offer something like this.
He's a politician. He'll be diplomatic about the entire situation.
Varian kept his face neutral and his voice under control as he responded, "With all due respect, Your Majesty, I'll keep my family off your back. I don't need your payoff. It's an insult to both of us. Have a nice day." He turned and kept walking, the perfect picture of calm composure.
Inwardly, he was shaking like a leaf. Had he really just done that? After months of strained politeness and avoiding eye contact, had he really just snapped off? Accused the king of bribery?
He was so doomed.
"Got it!" He pulled the press out of the corner in which he had shoved it last time he was here. The lab had been one of his safe havens in Corona, as no one dared to disturb the mad scientist who had a tendency to blow things up when startled or threatened. Even the king avoided this place. He looked around sadly. "Do you think I should take it all home?"
"What for?"
"I mean, I said some pretty harsh things. It's probably for the best if I don't come around for a while." He sighed. "Did I do the wrong thing?"
"No." Quirin leaned against a table. "I'm proud of you. You stood up for yourself."
"I accused him of trying to bribe me for his own safety! He's too arrogant to take that."
"It's what he needed to hear. If you didn't say it, I might have."
Varian smiled sadly. His dad had been trying so hard to be cordial like the alchemist had asked, but he could see how it grated on his nerves every time he had to speak to the king. Which, admittedly, wasn't often anymore given the current circumstances. Better safe than sorry. Iron restraint could only go so far, and Quirin wasn't above murdering someone who messed with his son.
"I'll bring a cart back later and get the rest of this," Varian suggested. "I wouldn't put it past him to try to destroy it and blow the entire castle to Equis."
Quirin picked up the press—Varian assured him he could carry it, but he insisted—and they stated back through the castle. At the gates, Varian suddenly gasped. "I meant to ask the princess for the plans for the reconstruction of the archway! I'll be right back."
"Want me to wait for you?"
"No, it's okay. I'll catch up." He ran back into the palace and through the halls, stopping to ask a guard where Rapunzel was. Being informed she was in the library, he started that way. A sharp scream brought him to a halt in his tracks, his nerves standing on end. He turned in the direction it had come from and started running.
He found a panicked maid, standing over a vase she had dropped in fear. When she saw him, she gestured weakly down the hallway, muttering something about "the eyes..." He kept running, terrified that he knew what had scared her.
His blood rushed in his ears. What was he going to do? He didn't have any weapons, just a few alchemy bombs! Hopefully, he wouldn't need them. If it was them...
The throne room or the study? It was mid-afternoon. Probably the throne room. He charged through the doors, past the unconscious guards, and into the long hall.
Sure enough, the two warriors stood there, swords in hand and pointed at the defenseless king.
He reacted immediately, grabbing one of the pink bombs from his bag and throwing it at their feet. They yelled in surprise as their feet adhered to the floor, trying to pull free. He darted in front of them, putting himself between the king and them.
"What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled, his heart pounding in his chest.
The warriors stopped their futile struggling. "Varian, let us go," Adira hissed quietly.
"No! Not until the two of you start talking. What are you doing here?"
"Getting you justice," his uncle growled, yellow eyes flashing with a dangerous light. "It's time this tyrant answer for his crimes."
Behind him, the king had stood to his feet. "This is treason," he snarled.
"We're not your citizens," Hector shot back. "We do what we want. And right now, that means taking you out of the picture."
"What?" Varian's pounding heart skipped a beat. "What are you talking about? I told you yesterday to leave it alone!" He turned to look at the king out of the corner of his eye. "Your Majesty, you should go."
To his credit, the king obeyed. He started for the side door but stopped as a dagger whizzed past his head and lodged itself in the wood.
"That was a warning shot," Adira informed him. "I won't miss next time. I'd prefer you alive to answer for your mistakes, but I'll settle for your head."
He froze, looking back and forth between Varian and his family.
The alchemist's panic gave way to rage. "Stand down," he ordered coldly.
"We're doing this for you," Hector insisted. "Once he's gone, the princess can rule. She'll do a better job than him. You'll be safe. You won't have to look over your shoulder constantly."
"I'll definitely have to if you murder him! You do this, and I have to deal with the backlash!"
"That's the problem! You're not responsible for everyone else's actions. And you shouldn't be punished for what everyone else does. It's his fault you have been! Aren't you tired of it?" Adira demanded. "Aren't you tired of the constant boot-kissing and pretending everything's okay, even while you wake up screaming? Aren't you sick of being the only one to take responsibility for all the problems he caused?"
"Yes!" he screamed, his voice breaking. "Yes, I'm sick of it. Yes, I'm exhausted! I am fed up with pretending I'm okay, because I'm not. I hate that I'm the only one who paid for my actions and everyone else didn't. I hate that I had to beg for forgiveness from the person who will never give it to me and only leaves me alone because his daughter protects me! I hate that I don't dare defend myself against him! And worst of all, I hate myself that I can't extend forgiveness to him even though I've been forgiven more than I deserve!" He took a deep breath. "I'm not okay. But it doesn't matter." He held up a hand to stop their protests. "It doesn't matter, because I have what does matter. It matters that my dad is safe and healthy. It matters that I'm learning to heal and forgive. It matters that I've proven myself after all the mistakes I made. And it matters to me that I have a family that loves me and only wants what's best for me. I love you guys. And that's what matters." Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.
The warriors looked at each other, then back to their nephew. "Var." Hector held out a hand and pulled the boy into a hug. Ruddiger hopped off his shoulders to avoid the man's crushing grip. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I knew you'd try to do something stupid like kill the king if I did," he laughed through his muffled sobs. "Please don't, by the way."
Hector ruffled his hair, knocking his goggles off. "Whatever. Maybe we did get a bit ahead of ourselves. Not saying I won't still do it, but maybe we could reconsider."
"He still needs to answer," Adira reminded them. "It's unfair that he should get away with what he did because he's the king. If no one holds him responsible, nothing will ever change."
"We can fix that," Varian insisted, wiping his eyes. "I'll... I can talk to Rapunzel."
"You think she'll do anything?"
"I don't know. It can't hurt to ask." He pulled the neutralizing particle out of his bag. "I'll let you go if you promise not to murder the king."
They exchanged another one of those looks that Varian was quickly learning to translate. "Fine," Adira answered. "This time. If he messes with you again..." She left the threat hanging.
Varian released them and turned back to the king. "Your Majesty. I can't apologize for my family, but I can apologize for not realizing what they were planning. Please don't hold this against them. They were just trying to help me." He picked up his goggles and turned to go, ignoring the cold glare on his back, and found himself encompassed on both sides by the towering knights. They formed a protective barrier, keeping him sheltered, No one would dare try to attack him, but Varian found he didn't mind. For now, he would appreciate being protected by his family. As long as they didn't try to murder anyone, he was fine.
He was fine. Not perfect, not even great. But here, with his family, he was fine.
Two days later, he was back at the palace. Adira, Hector, and Quirin were helping him load his supplies in a cart. Varian looked around the walls of the lab, empty and clean and giving no evidence he had spent nearly a year working in here. He'd claimed the space during the Saporian takeover, and Rapunzel had let him stick around. It was more than he deserved. Now he wondered if he would ever work within these walls again.
A knock on the door sent three knights reaching for their weapons, Ruddiger growling, and Varian flinching. He forced the tension out of his shoulders as he walked over to see who it was. Rapunzel smiled at him as he opened the door.
"Hi!" She flitted in with her usual enthusiasm, but her eyes held a sadness to them they didn't usually have. The four bowed respectfully. "You don't have to do that. I just wanted to tell you I talked to my dad."
"Dare I ask?"
"He didn't take it well, actually. But he's grateful you saved his life, so he agreed to make a public apology both to you and the people who got hurt because of the rocks. I'm just sorry I didn't talk to him about this earlier."
Varian shrugged. "I don't want him to apologize if he's not sorry. But at least he won't be hiding his actions anymore. I'm sorry I caused problems between you and your dad."
"You didn't cause this," she assured him, then turned to Hector and Adira. "I don't even blame you guys. This was a long time in coming. I didn't want to disturb the peace by talking to him about it sooner."
"I know what that feels like." He turned back to his lab table and finished putting the chemicals in the box. Then he placed it in the cart.
"One more thing. My dad told me you turned down his offer to be the Royal Engineer."
"I love you, Rapunzel, but I can't work for your dad. That's a disaster waiting to happen."
"It was my idea."
He turned to look at her. "What?"
"I recommended it to him. I didn't know he was going to try to bribe you with it. But the offer still stands. I'm going to be queen one day, and I'll need people like you by my side. You're my friend, and you're a brilliant inventor and alchemist. I trust you with my life. I don't want you working for my dad; I want you working for me. I want you working with me."
He looked around the room, then at his family, then back at her. "Thanks, Rapunzel. Out of curiosity, how long does that offer stand?"
"What do you mean?" She twirled a finger around a strand of her short brown hair.
"King Edmund dropped by yesterday. He wants us to come back to the Dark Kingdom with him and help rebuild. And... I said I'd go."
Her eyes widened, and she put a hand to her lips. "For how long?"
"I don't know. I just can't be in Corona right now. Maybe just for a few months. Maybe a year." He shrugged, trying not to show how tense this decision had made him. He had gotten absolutely no sleep last night thinking of it. "Dad and I might move there."
He hated the way her green eyes shimmered with unshed tears, especially when she tried to smile. "That's... that's great! You'll love it there!"
He sighed and held out his arms. She crushed him in a bear-hug. "I'm not leaving forever, Rapunzel. I'll be back to visit. And we haven't decided on living there or not. I might be back for good in a bit."
"Whatever you decide," she sniffed. "Ooh! I can throw you a going-away party!"
"Please don't."
She pouted. "Fine. A small going-away party. Just you guys and me and Eugene and Lance and the girls. And Xavier, because he'll miss you. And Maximus will want to come. Oh, and we could have it at the Snuggly Duckling and invite all the thugs!"
"Rapunzel!"
She held up her hands. "Okay, okay, small. When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow."
"What? That doesn't leave any time to plan! I'll manage. Meet me here tomorrow at nine. Or I could come to your place?"
He groaned, seeing he wasn't going to win this fight. "My place. Small."
"Got it. Small." She turned to go. Then she rushed back to grab him in another hug. "And yes, that offer stands however long you're gone." She let him go and walked out, mumbling under her breath about streamers and confetti.
As soon as she left, Varian found himself encircled in his family's arms again. Even Adira wrapped him up in her embrace.
"Am I making the right choice?" he whispered.
"That's for you to find out," Quirin informed him. "For what it's worth, I think so. But I'm biased since I'm your father."
He took a deep breath and smiled. "One day at a time, huh?"
He didn't know what the future would hold. But as long as he had these six arms to hold him, these six shoulders to cry on, these three hearts beating in sync with his, he would be okay.