Once they returned to Corona, Demanitus set to work on his hot air balloon while Rapunzel went to talk to her father. Their lovable ruffians went back to their lives and Rapunzel figured it might be best to not take them for the balloon ride and...final battle.
There was something that really bothered her about that word. "Final". Like there was nothing after, like a rematch was completely out of the question.
It told her that, if she lost, she would lose everything. She shivered and hugged herself on the way to her father's study, where she found him looking over papers.
"Father." She greeted, looking in.
"Oh." He looked up. "Rapunzel." He beckoned her in and she walked inside, closing the door behind her before she walked over to sit across from him. "How is the, uh, destiny going?"
"I'm going to the Dark Kingdom soon. Father, please, tell me that Varian's wrong. Tell me that you didn't say you planned to use him as a weapon." She pleaded.
"I never said anything about a weapon. I was talking with my advisors and we were discussing how useful his black rock spikes would be for various things and I made a joke about having him use that other ability of his to take care of any pest problems. I guess he greatly misunderstood..." He looked at the papers. "Now there are people sending me messages, threatening riots if I didn't come out and own up to 'all the falsities'."
"I'll tell Varian the truth. Surely he'll change his mind when he hears the truth!" She insisted.
"Will he?" King Fredric looked mentally exhausted. "Did he listen when you tried to warn him about Zhan Tiri?"
"I..." She faltered.
"The boy is...stubborn. It is hard to convince him that he is wrong. He's at that difficult age." Fredric stood up and rubbed at his eyes. "Don't worry about me, Rapunzel. You just focus on..." He faltered. "Don't lose."
Rapunzel nodded. "I know."
--
The hot-air balloon soared easily through the air, carrying the small group towards the Dark Kingdom. They set down at the beach that Varian had come out at and he stepped out, looking out over the sea.
"So...there's a Kingdom here?" Andrew asked.
"Where is it?" Lance asked curiously.
Varian stripped down to just his armor and walked towards the water, holding out a hand towards It. He started to sing, his entire body starting to glow a blue color.
"Moonlight, shining low,
Let your power shine.
Raise what lies beneath,
Let me pull back the tide."
The earth started to violently shake and they stepped back, Lance gathering up Varian's discarded clothes as they went back to the hot-air balloon. Varian sang on, unaffected by the shaking as a wave of energy blasted out from his body towards the sea.
"Return what now is gone.
Change the fate's design.
Rise from where you lay;
Let me pull back the tide.
Pull back the tide."
"Oh...my..." Lance breathed as they saw land come out of the ground as Varian repeated his spell a few more times. The wave continued rippling towards the land as Varian sang again and again, his young voice echoing in the silence as the earth continued to shake around them.
Cassandra wondered how strong this earthquake was, if they were feeling it over in Corona. If Rapunzel was feeling this.
The submerged land connected with the beach and attached and then Varian finally started to fall back, the glow fading. Andrew, who was closest, ran and caught him before he hit the ground and Varian let out a happy but tired chirrup as he looked at his handiwork.
"Found it." He said, giving Andrew a cheeky grin.
Andrew smiled and helped him up. "Well, then. Let's go lay claim on it."
Varian nodded. "To the castle!"
"YOU!"
Varian looked over and saw Hector was struggling to get up from the ground, his human body covered in scales just like Varian and Adira. "Oh." He walked over and knelt in front of him. "What's the matter? Didn't you want to be human again?"
"Hh...nngh..." Hector scrabbled a bit trying to get up and Varian stepped back from him.
"Pathetic. How did I ever fear you?" He used the black rocks to wrap around his arms and lift him off the ground to pin him against a boulder. "You'll stay here until the princess comes. You'll tell her that I'll be at the castle. Once she arrives, I'll let you go." He paused and walked up to him, covered his fist in black rocks to make it bigger, and slammed it into the man's gut. "THAT'S for doing the same to me." He said as Hector let out a choked cry of pain and started coughing.
He nodded firmly, retracted the rocks from around his hand, and walked back to the balloon, accepting his clothes from Lance. "Let's fly to the castle, everyone." He smiled at them as he redressed. "The Mad King is waiting."
Hector glared up at them as they lifted into the air and flew overhead. "Yeah...he's waiting, alright...little brat..."
--
The land had been restored. His humanity had been restored. Which meant only one thing: Varian was back. Quirin waited until he felt steady enough and then gathered up clothes that he'd stored away for when this day came. He had to go to the castle, before Varian did something he could never take back.
He didn't want any more blood on his son's hands.
--
King Edmund sat in his throne, where he'd been since before the earthquake started, and looked at his restored body. It wasn't exactly the same, he was covered in scales still, but he had legs again. He reached for his scepter and slowly stood up, testing out his legs. It had been...so long since he last stood. He didn't realize how difficult it would be.
"Hn..." He grit his teeth.
Black rocks suddenly burst into the throne room and he gasped, dropping back onto the throne. The doors across from him opened and a group of people walked in. He recognized Adira and no one else but the leader, the boy he'd once locked away and ordered to do what he'd just achieved.
"Hello, Your Majesty." Varian said, walking up to the throne.
"Show some respect, boy." He said firmly. "Bow before your king."
"Mmm...nah." Varian chuckled. "You see, I outrank you."
"Excuse me?" Edmund frowned.
"You're a king..." He walked closer and Edmund felt black rocks creeping up to bind his legs against the throne so he couldn't get up. "But, I'm a god." He chirruped in delight. "Ergo, I outrank you." He snapped his fingers and Edmund gasped as his legs released and something shoved him forward, off the throne and onto the floor at Varian's feet. "So, you will bow to me."
"Why...are you here?" Edmund demanded, his body shaky as he barely help himself up on his hands and knees.
"Isn't it obvious?" The arrogant boy walked past him and sat himself down on Edmund's throne. "I'm taking what's rightfully mine. For centuries, this Kingdom has worshipped the moonstone." He spread his arms in a dramatic gesture. "Well, the moonstone has decided that it's time to take control. Never again will it be used by greedy humans."
Edmund looked up at him. "You..."
"So, here's how it gonna be." He crossed one leg over the other, clearly much more confident in his use of legs than Edmund was. Ironic, considering he had never been human until now. "You're going to swear fealty to me and beg for forgiveness for locking me in a cage, and then you're going to spend a few days in a cell until I feel like forgiving you."
"I will not beg you for anything." Edmund said furiously.
Varian stared down at him and laced his fingers together. "The alternative is that I kill you. And I won't be nice about it. I'll make sure it's drawn out, that you scream the entire time."
"You cocky little—"
"I'll give you some time to decide. Adira, you know where the cells are?" He looked at her and she nodded. "Good. Show Cassandra and Andrew where they are. Cassandra, Andrew, lock this trash up."
They moved forward and Edmund tried to push them away but he was easily hauled along by the two humans, being unable to walk himself. Adira looked down at him, her grip on the staff he used to help herself walk tight, and then she turned and led them out.
Varian was joined by the only other human in the group and Edmund scowled at them as he was hauled away. "Once I learn how to use my legs again, you'll be the one begging!" He roared.
A child's mocking laugh was all he got for his trouble before the doors closed between them.
--
Varian sighed and looked around at his new throne room before he looked at Lance and smiled. "So? What do you think?"
"Mmm, bit dreary. Could use some color." Lance said, leaning against the throne casually. "But, that's easily amended. How do you feel?"
"Justified." Varian nodded, smiling.
Madam Tiri appeared next to him. "That was an easy takeover."
"Easy when the King can't even fight." Varian scoffed, rolling his eyes. "But, this room will be good for the final battle."
"Yes, I believe it will suffice." Madam Tiri agreed.
Varian smiled and nodded to her. "Soon, very soon, you'll be free."
"Oh, you're talking to Madam Tiri!" Lance realized.
Varian chirruped. "I keep forgetting you can't see her. Sorry."
"Eh, it's alright." Lance shrugged. "I'll see her soon."
"You will." Varian nodded, smiling. "And, don't worry. I won't kill the princess."
"You won't?" Lance looked relieved.
"Of course not. I'm just going to battle her until Madam Tiri is freed and then I'll cage her and force her to watch as I destroy Corona and kill her father." Varian said with a smile.
Lance sighed a bit. "...Okay, Varian."
--
Rapunzel slowly took her hand off the wall as the shaking subsided. "What...was that?" She breathed. "It felt like...a ripple of earth." She went to look out a window. "Varian, what did you do?" She gripped the windowsill tightly and then looked down at Demanitus hard at work on his hot-air balloon. "Why am I so...apprehensive?"