Trigger warnings: panic attacks, mentions of violent injuries, nightmare
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"...So then he says to me, 'That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Make Adira do it!'"
"He did not!"
"Did too. Your dad was like that. Always insulting the amazing plans we made and trying to 'fix' them."
"Did it work?"
"...Usually, yes. Anyway, then Adira says, 'why should I do it? This was all Hector's idea!' Ad Quirin says, 'Well, weren't you the one bragging five minutes ago how you were the most agile out of all of us?'"
They had been traveling for several hours, with Hector regaling Varian with tales of the Brotherhood. The three had been troublemakers in their youth, apparently. Varian was in awe at the contrast the stories presented between Quirin of the Brotherhood and the father he thought he knew. Throughout the stories, though, he could still see the same calm, collected figure who had been there his entire life. Time may have changed him some, but not completely.
The current story was a narrative of a time Hector had been captured by bandits as a child, and Adira and Quirin had decided to go after him themselves instead of getting the adults to help. As Varian listened to how Quirin had recklessly thrown himself at a man twice his size when he saw Hector's injuries, he couldn't help but wonder what his dad would have thought of the way he was treated in prison. He had always staunchly defended Varian, even if he was constantly disappointed in him. The alchemist had always known he was safe as long as Quirin was around. But for the worst days of Varian's life, he had been gone. And it was Varian's fault.
He blinked away tears and tried to focus on the story. Ruddiger, who sat in front of Varian on Kiki's back, curled around Varian's right hand comfortingly. The alchemist smiled. He had missed his friend. He couldn't pet him right now—his hand was gripping Kiki's fur tightly to keep from being thrown off, and his left arm was in a sling—but he refused to be separated from him. He had already apologized profusely for getting Ruddiger involved in the first place.
Being separated from Ruddiger was one of the worst things they had done to him. He had been scared and alone, and they had taken the only friend he had left from him. It wasn't enough that he no longer had his dad. No, they just had to make it worse. Ruddiger had been there to help stave off the nightmares that plagued him. He had been there to remind Varian to eat and sleep and drink water. During Quirin's absence, Ruddiger had stepped up to take responsibility for the distracted alchemist. And they had taken him away and left Varian to suffer the nightmares alone, to fall into the darkness of his mind that reflected the darkness of his cell.
He had no way of knowing what would have happened to him if Hector had not rescued him. The never-ending agony had threatened to shatter his mind, and the guards had promised to shatter his body. Without the luxury of a trial, he had no clue what they were planning to do with him. Would they have left him forever in that hole, tormenting him at their whim, or would he have eventually been given the sweet release of death?
He was distracted by his thoughts and almost failed to notice when the bearcats slowed to a stop at the crest of a hill. He looked over at Hector questioningly.
"There's a town just past here. Vardaros, I think it's called. Coronans usually don't come out this far, not even the guards. It would take them almost a week, so we should be safe to spend the night. If you don't want to risk it, we can camp out again."
Varian considered the question. "Is it safe?"
"It's Vardaros. The answer is no. But you've got me with you, so you'll be fine."
"Okay."
They raced on. As the town came into view, Varian tried to hide his nervousness. He had only just escaped; there was no way anyone here knew that. But what if they'd heard of him? What if they recognized him and tried to have him arrested?
"Easy, kid," Hector growled. "I can feel you panicking from here. Put this on." He reached into a bag and pulled out a cloak, tossing it over to him.
Varian took the cloak but froze when he recognized it. "This...this was my dad's."
"Yeah. I told you I grabbed one of his."
He stared at it for a minute more before pulling it around his shoulders. He remembered putting it on several months ago as a way of feeling closer to Quirin. It had hung loose on him then. Now it felt like a blanket. His tiny frame had shrunk even further thanks to malnourishment.
As they passed the archway at the edge of the town, Hector went rigid. "What the dickens?" he muttered.
"What's wrong?" Varian looked around to try to find the cause of his companion's confusion. Nothing seemed to stand out as odd. It looked like a normal town, if not a bit worse for wear. Several buildings appeared to be under construction. A few of the townsfolk wandered around, chatting amicably. The place was clean and seemed respectful enough.
"Something's not right," Hector grumbled. "Just stick close. Don't look anyone in the eye. And put that hood on."
Varian flipped the hood over his head and followed Hector. The bearcats drew stares as they rode through the street. Finally, Hector came to a stop at what looked like an inn.
The stablehand looked more than skeptical at the presence of the bearcats, but the sight of the gold pieces Hector gave him was enough for him to overcome his hesitance. Ruddiger hopped onto Hector's shoulders, as Varian was still too injured to accommodate the raccoon. The travelers entered the inn (Varian's steps still stumbled, but the comfortable boots Hector had picked up from his room helped) and were immediately met by the innkeeper, a cheerful woman with red hair. She smiled wearily at them.
"Hey, strangers. What can I do for you?"
"We need a room for the night," Hector responded. "A hot meal would be nice, too. And a warm cocoa for my nephew, if you have any."
She nodded and motioned to a table. "Have a seat. I'll get y'all something to eat."
Varian nearly had a heart attack at Hector's words. Nephew! How had he missed that? This man was Quirin's brother, even if not biologically related. Varian had been so panicked at the thought that Hector would hate him for what happened to Quirin that he had somehow skimmed over the fact that he was his uncle!
Hector, for his part, seemed oblivious to Varian's existential crisis as they made their way over to the table. He kept glancing around the room as if something was severely wrong. Varian decided to try asking again. And perhaps try an experiment at the same time. With Ruddiger curled up in his lap now, he took a deep breath and started, "Hey, Uncle Hector?"
Hector jumped like someone had stabbed him in the back. "What did you call me?"
"S-sorry! I won't—"
"No, no, it's good. Just surprised me, that's all. I kinda like it, actually."
"Really? O-okay. Why are you worried? What's wrong?"
Hector glanced around as if scared they were being eavesdropped on. "As weird as it sounds, this is too nice. Vardaros used to be a dump."
"How long ago were you here last?"
"Maybe two years? I don't get out much. But something happened here."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"It's a weird thing. It may mean new management in town. And that may spell bad news for us. Especially if Corona's involved in the 'upgrades.'"
"Oh." He hadn't thought about that. "Is it safe for us to be here?"
"Hmm. Depends. We'll ask and see what's going on."
When the innkeeper brought out plates of food and a mug of hot cocoa, much to Varian's delight, Hector asked. "What's going on around here? I noticed some renovations going on. The place looks good."
The lady grinned widely. "It's wonderful, huh? Ever since the princess came through, she cleaned the place up, and Vardaros has been blooming! She tossed the Baron and his goons out! We've even got our old sheriff Quaid back!"
Varian's blood ran cold. "Princess Rapunzel?"
She nodded. "That's right!"
"How long ago was she here? She's not still here, is she?"
"Nah, she left a few weeks after she got here. Why, did you want to meet her?"
He tried to control his shaking. Hector saw his struggle. "Eat your food, kiddo, 'fore it gets cold. Time for admiring royalty later."
As the lady left, Varian tried to eat, but his stomach was in knots. Then again, that may also be because the food was more than he could handle at the moment. He'd only eaten a few bites at breakfast and lunch at Hector's urging.
Mostly it was because of Rapunzel.
Every nerve in his body was screaming. How could this be happening? Why had she been here?
Hector sensed his discomfort. "You okay, kiddo?"
His breathing had quickened. He dropped his head into his good hand. "She—she's the one I was fighting."
"I know. Got the story in Old Corona. Do you want to go ahead and leave tonight? We don't have to stay."
"No, she's gone... I didn't even know she wasn't in Corona still! Why was she here? Where is she now? If she's still out here somewhere, if she finds me, she'll send me back! I can't go back... Or Cassandra may just kill me on sight! Honestly, that might be better...Or she might send her owl back to Corona with a message for the guards—" He shuddered and clutched Ruddiger close with his right arm.
"Hey. Kiddo. Varian. Look at me. Does your brain always do worst-case-scenarios as a first resort?" Varian looked up. "It's okay. We probably won't even see her. And if we do, she'll have to take you back over my dead body. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you. I'll protect you. I promise."
The word which should have been comforting sent Varian's mind reeling. "Do-don't promise. Please."
Hector blinked in surprise. "Okay. Okay, I won't. But I meant it. You're going to be okay."
Varian's head tilted slightly. He still could not understand why Hector was so determined to protect him, but there was a feeling in his bones that felt strange and familiar at the same time. It took him a minute to identify it. When he did, he was baffled but happy.
The feeling was safety. For the first time in months, for the first time since he'd last felt his father's arms around him, he felt safe.
O‴O‴O‴
Hector wanted to scream.
Of course a simple road trip would turn sour the first day. What the dickens was the princess doing out here? This was the last thing Varian needed! He was already in a bad enough way as it was.
After the incident at supper, Varian seemed to recover okay. They were in the room now, and the kid seemed absolutely in awe by the bar of soap sitting next to the basin of water. Hector shouldn't be surprised, of course. The poor thing hadn't exactly had access to such novelties in prison. Currently both he and Ruddiger had what looked like an impossible amount of soap suds in their hair. Ruddiger looked like one of those stuffy politicians with the stupid wigs. Hector had never understood those people. Did they think looking like idiots boosted their social standing? But hey, the kid and his pet were having fun, so he wasn't complaining. Varian was actually laughing! The sound never ceased to amaze the warrior.
Varian shook water out of his hair and turned to Hector. "Uncle Hector?"
That was another sound he was enjoying. His nephew was calling him Uncle Hector! After the Brotherhood split, he had given up any hope or desire for a family. The Brotherhood was all he ever needed. He had almost managed to ignore the crushing loneliness he felt without them.
And now Varian was here. His nephew! His nephew who trusted him to protect him, who needed him to protect him.
The thought scared him. Of all the things he had been tasked with protecting in his life, Varian was by far the most important.
"Yeah, kid?" he responded, keeping his voice casual to not betray the mini-crisis he was having.
"Why did you come to Old Corona in the first place?"
"I heard about the fight. Wanted to visit Quirin. See if he was okay." Crap! Varian was making that face again. "That's not what I meant! Sorry."
"No, it's—it's good. Really." He gave a weak smile. Then he sighed and curled up on the second bed. "I miss him. I've missed him so long..." He looked up at Hector. "It hurts."
"Yeah. I know." Hector gritted his teeth. If only there was some way to help bear this burden! All he could do was be here for Varian for as long as he needed. He was older and more hardened. He had dealt with loss for years. Quirin's death hurt like nothing he had ever felt. But Varian didn't have the luxury of being a battle-hardened warrior who could compartmentalize his emotions. He was suffering, and Hector couldn't even put a hand on his shoulder, couldn't hug him, couldn't be a shoulder for him to cry on. All thanks to the Coronans.
They had taken a broken child and thrown him in jail. They had beaten and abused him and broken his spirit. Instead of offering condolences for his loss, they had offered scorn and rejection.
And now that princess, the princess who fought against Varian, the princess who was flawless according to the people he had spoken to in Old Corona, was out in the world. And Hector knew exactly where she was going.
He had heard the reports from the villagers. She had controlled and manipulated the rocks. And she had unleashed them against Varian. As much as he hated to admit it, Adira might have actually had a point. The thought made him shudder. Whatever the case, he needed to get back to the Tree as soon as possible. For both his mission's and Varian's sake.
But could he take Varian back to the Tree if the princess was going that way? Was it worth the risk of bringing the two of them face to face if it meant he got to keep his nephew with him?
There was absolutely no way he was leaving the kid alone. He'd hide him somewhere if the princess came to the Tree. And this Cassandra person Varian had looked terrified of would have another thing coming if she tried to kill him!
Speaking of taking care of Varian... "Hey, kiddo, we need to get your bandages changed."
"Hm? Okay." Varian sat up on the edge of the bed and wrapped his good arm around himself. It was a gesture Hector had noticed he repeated often. The warrior-turned-medic rooted through the bags and pulled out a roll of bandages and several medicines.
"You need help with your shirt?"
He could see the inner war going on in Varian's mind. The child was incredibly independent. It burned him to need help. Hector could relate to that. But a busted-up arm made it very hard to be independent. Plus taking his shirt off was a sign of vulnerability. Finally, Varian nodded. Hector helped him slip the shirt off and unwrapped the bandages.
He had to control his anger when he looked at Varian's torso. It was badly discolored from bruising and broken ribs (thank goodness the bearcats ran smoother than horses—Hector could well imagine what putting the kid on a horse in his current condition would do to him!). Several severe wounds, some of which Hector had treated for infection, broke the skin. He could easily identify marks from both blades and whips. Some of the wounds were from burns. And some of those scars...
"Hey, kid?" Hector tried for a nonchalant tone as he applied medicine to the injuries.
"Yes sir?"
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I'm curious about these scars. I've never seen anything like them."
Varian shuddered. "I don't want to talk about it." His voice had suddenly become strained, and his shoulders hunched slightly.
"'Kay. No problem." He finished taking care of Varian's chest and moved on to his arms. Each scar told a story. Hector, having been a soldier, could read most of them. It was those unidentified marks that gave him concern. So far, none of his treatments had bothered them, but he was worried about treating them wrong. The last thing he needed was to aggravate them more. But he would not push Varian for information before he was ready.
After tending to the boy's feet and legs, Hector reached into the bag and pulled out another vial of medicine. Varian groaned as he recognized it. "No complaining," Hector ordered. "Your fever's going down, but you still need to take your medicine."
Varian pouted but reluctantly swallowed the medicine. "That stuff tastes like what it feels like when my foot falls asleep. Plus rotten fruit."
"Yep. Old remedy I learned back in the Dark Kingdom. Get some sleep, huh?"
"Yes sir." The boy curled up under the blanket with Ruddiger beside him. The raccoon was being incredibly gentle with his human. Varian's eyes fluttered gently as he started to drift off. Hector sighed and tapped his chin.
"Shut your mouth. Bad habit."
Varian shut his mouth and smiled softly. Within seconds he was blissfully asleep. Hector shook his head and crashed on the other bed. How had anyone been cruel enough to hurt this child? It made no sense.
Idly, he picked up one of the books he had grabbed at the house. It seemed interesting enough. Some adventurer was going off on a journey to find a lost blah blah blah... It reminded him of some of the stunts he and his siblings used to pull years ago. They never would have been such amateurs, though. Rider got himself caught because he didn't hide his horse well enough! Seriously? If this was what Varian was learning from, Hector had a lot of teaching to do.
He rolled his eyes as he read through a dramatic fight scene. His trained eye immediately picked up seven errors just in the first few paragraphs. Yes, Varian was definitely getting trained by a proper knight. He'd probably start him off with a staff, then get him a practice sword. He would also need to learn basic hand-to-hand combat, just in case. One could never be too careful.
Ironic, he thought, that he of all people would be worried about being careful. He could hear his siblings dying of laughter. But hey, taking care of a kid did that to a person.
About twenty minutes after picking up the book, he dropped it suddenly. Varian was twitching violently, his teeth clamped down on his lip to keep from making noise. Hector crossed over to him as Ruddiger shot up and chittered frantically. The raccoon patted Varian's face in an attempt to wake him up. Instead of helping him, it caused Varian to whimper and curl up further.
"Kid? Hey, Varian, look at me. I need you to wake up, okay?" Hector hovered over Varian, hesitant to touch him. "Come on, V, look at me!" Unable to hear him, Varian remained trapped in his nightmare. Hector gritted his teeth, scooped Ruddiger up into his lap, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Varian, kiddo, I'm here. I don't want to touch you, so I need you to help me out, okay?"
It wasn't working! Usually with his siblings, he would either just let them sleep through it or shake them slightly. Neither seemed like a good option here. If Varian was having a prison dream, the last thing he needed was to keep sleeping. And Hector wasn't sure how he would react to being touched, much less shaken.
He had to do something, though. If Varian kept thrashing, he would mess up his arm and ribs. "Sorry, kid." He reached out a hand and gently nudged Varian's shoulder. The child moaned and twisted away from Hector. "Crap. Okay, I'm going to regret this." He took a deep breath and shook Varian's shoulders more aggressively. "Varian, wake up!"
With a terrified gasp, Varian's eyes shot open. They were hazy and unfocused. He scrambled away from Hector in a panic.
"I'm sorry!" Hector hissed. "I'm sorry! Are you okay?"
The boy's breathing was erratic, and his gaze dodged around the room as if unable to comprehend where he was. Tears coursed down his face. Then he noticed Hector and Ruddiger. He gave a wild cry and lunged forward, clutching Hector's fur-lined cloak with one hand and pressing his forehead against his leather breastplate. Ruddiger chittered soothingly to the child. Meanwhile Hector sat frozen, unable to do more than blink in surprise.
His first instinct was to put his arms around the child, but he refrained. Varian reaching out to him was one thing, but he still didn't think touching him would go over well. So he sat still and allowed the child to cry. After a few minutes, Varian's breathing slowed, and he pulled back and brushed his hand across his eyes. "So-sorry," he whispered.
"You're okay. Really. Sorry I had to wake you up."
"Thank you." He shuddered. "For, um...waking me up—thanks."
"No problem." Big problem, considering the second mental crisis he had just had, but he certainly wasn't telling Varian that! "Do you need to stay up for a while, or..."
He shrugged. "Usually I only get one nightmare at a time." His voice held a forced casualness to it that Hector didn't like. "I'll be fine."
"Are you sure? Do you need me to get you anything?" Why does the kid analyze his blasted nightmare habits?
He shook his head. Then he pointed to the book Hector had dropped on the floor. "A-actually, can you read to me, please?"
"Sure." He picked up the book and flipped it open. As Varian pulled the blanket back over himself, Hector started to read, stopping occasionally to throw in sarcastic commentary on what the writer did wrong. He glanced over at Varian after a few minutes and saw the boy's frown. "You okay? What's wrong?"
"I'm good. Just..." He sighed. "I met a guy once who used to go by Flynn Rider. We, uh... didn't get along."
"Do I need to stop?"
"No, no, it's good. 'S not like he was the real Flynn Rider or anything."
"'Kay." He kept reading. After a few minutes, he looked back down to find Varian and Ruddiger fast asleep. He closed the book gently and put it on the nightstand. Then, ever so carefully so as to not wake him up or even touch his skin, Hector brushed Varian's bangs away from his face. "'Night, kiddo."
Varian mumbled something in his sleep that might have been "Good night." Hector put out the lamp burning beside the bed and crashed on his own again.
How the dickens did this situation escalate so quickly?
Soon, they would reach the Great Tree. They would discover the princess's plan. And Hector would do everything in his power to make sure no royal or guard ever caused his kid to get nightmares again.
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For the record, I'm doing my best to estimate how long it would take for regular people to travel as opposed to how long it takes Hector to travel. Time is sort of strange in the series, so please let me know if I get something wrong. It took the gang about a week to reach Vardaros, but since Hector has the bearcats and also a wanted criminal nephew, I'm assuming he'd book it and maybe reach Vardaros in about two days.
As always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Thank you and God bless!