Once more I apologize. At this point, I'm starting to see that my goal will have to be to post sometime between Monday and Wednesday. I've only got about 5-6 more pre-written chapters, and that's when the schedule's going to get really wacky, so we'll see how it goes!
Trigger warnings: touch aversion, mentions of previous torture, sickness
--------------------------
"What's that?"
Varian looked up as a shadow passed over him. The princess was standing nearby, looking down at the picture in his hands. Adira stepped closer, having been tasked with watching him while Hector and Kiki rooted through the Tree to find anything that could be salvaged. "My family," he answered.
She tilted her head. "Aww, they were so cute!"
"Did you want something, princess?" he asked bluntly.
She stepped back. "No, just to see what you were doing."
Varian leaned up against the tree and closed his eyes, Ruddiger warm against his side. Almost too warm. Despite the natural coldness of this region, he was burning up in the afternoon sunlight. Adira still didn't want him to go to sleep, so the best he could do was try to relax. Easier said than done. He didn't feel safe without Hector here, his new injuries stung, he had a headache, and he could feel eyes on him. Some, like Cassandra, were glaring. Others cast looks of pity in his direction. He wanted to scream. But that would be undignified. If he was going to be stuck with these people for the foreseeable future, he was going to maintain his composure, blast it!
Hector climbed back over the edge of the cliff and set a bag on the ground near Varian. The boy started digging through it as his uncle hopped back over the edge. So far, Hector had salvaged the picture, Varian's bow and arrows, his staff, a few books, some clothes, a few of the travel bags they kept packed and ready in case of an emergency, and Quirin's sword. Everything he found went in a spare chest the princess had graciously provided. Varian placed the new bag with the rest of their supplies, pausing for a moment as he placed the picture on top.
"How much longer?" Cassandra growled, walking over to the princess. "The sooner we get moving, the safer we'll be. Crazy Rhino Guy may change his mind and still kill us."
"He has a name," Varian growled.
"I really couldn't care."
He straightened up and pointed at her. "Listen. I get that we all hate each other, but if we're going to travel together, we could at least try to be peaceable. You don't see me going around calling you Violent Sword Lady, do you? Or hey, I could always call you Short Hair like Ms. Adira does."
She smirked. "You call her Ms. Adira?"
He shrugged. "I respect her. I could call her Aunt Adira. Would that make you feel better?"
"I regret saying anything."
"Get away from him." Hector stalked over to them with more baggage. "Touch him and die."
"I didn't," she grumbled as she backed off. "Yeesh, you're as crazy as he is."
He sneered. "Don't insult me by acting like I'm not at least twice as crazy. I'm on my best behavior right now."
Lance looked up from where he was loading the caravan. "This is your best behavior?"
"I haven't killed you, so yes." He placed the bags in the chest with the others, his hand lingering over the leather scabbard of Quirin's sword.
"We'll get him out," Adira murmured, seeing his distress. "We'll bring him back to the Dark Kingdom and place him in the Hall of the Brothers."
Hector nodded.
"Is that everything?"
"For now. There's more to salvage, but we need to travel light. We'll come back later and get the rest." He held out a piece of cloth to Varian. "Found this."
Varian took it. The cloak was coated in dust, and it was ripped in several places.
"We'll patch it up," Hector offered, sensing his distress. "It won't be good as new, but we'll fix it. And I think the queen's was in one of the bags I grabbed, so there's that."
Surprised at the tears filling his eyes, Varian buried his face in the cloak. Grit scratched against his face, and his fists clenched the material tightly.
"Caravan's ready!" Fitzherbert poked his head out from the inside. "Still smells like it sat in a river overnight, but hey, better than some of the places I've stayed in the past. If you two are riding with us, we'll have to double up on beds."
Hector grabbed the chest and took it over to the caravan. Varian turned back to the cliff and looked at the remains of the broken Tree. First Old Corona, now this. It was like he was doomed to forever seek new refuge, to never have a home for more than a short while. Or anything, for that matter, if the tattered garment in his hands was any indication.
"Varian?"
Great. What did she want? He turned to the princess, brushing the last few tears from his eyes. "Yes, your highness?"
"You don't have to call me that," she insisted.
"Very well, Sundrop."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know what you meant. We're not friends, princess. Do you honestly think just because you saw what I look like now, and are at least trying to make an effort to not act like you despise me, that we're okay? I know you haven't forgotten what I did."
The air seemed to come out of her sails at that. "I know," she responded. "And I'm still mad at you. But... I don't know, maybe we can try to get along?"
"We are. You're not letting Cassandra kill me, and I'm not running away. Seems like we're doing a lot better than I expected."
She tilted her head and looked at the cloak in his hands. "Wow. That's a little... ruined," she noted in a pathetic attempt to change the subject. "We can get you a new one. I think Eugene has a spare."
He clutched the material tighter. "I don't need a new one."
"But that's—"
"My dad's." He didn't meet her eyes. "This is one of the only things left I have of him." He shuddered, and angry words that he had been trying to keep back for too long flooded his mind and escaped his mouth before he could stop them. "So what if it's ruined? So is everything else of mine you've touched. Is it ever going to be enough? How much do you have to take from me? You've already destroyed both of my homes. Old Corona, and now the Great Tree. Are you ever going to let me live in peace? Will I ever have a home you don't rip away from me?"
She threw up her hands defensively, Pascal squeaking from her shoulder. "I didn't destroy Old Corona! And the Tree was an accident!"
"Didn't you?" He turned to look at her. "Why did the black rocks come, huh? Because you just had to stormin' touch them! Then you did nothing about them. I took the fall. I bore the consequences. And did you have to use that incantation? There were other options!"
"I don't control the rocks," she reminded him. "Just once, and that was an accident. And my dad told me he was dealing with them!" She sighed. "...Like he told me he'd get you help. I suppose I should know better than to take what he says at face value."
"Yeah."
She reached out a hand to him. He pulled away. "I didn't mean to destroy the Tree. I'm sorry."
"You're apologizing?" Well, it looked like miracles did happen every once in a while.
"Yeah. I knew the incantation was dangerous. I just couldn't think of another way to save Cassandra."
"Hm. You know this is the second time you've used the Moonstone's power to stop someone, right? Hey, at least you were actually concerned about her." He gave her a knowing look. "She's lucky to have your friendship."
She winced, picking up on the thinly veiled insult immediately. "Varian—"
"I need to go help Uncle Hector." He turned back toward the caravan, where Hector most certainly did not need his help. Placing the cloak in the chest, he picked up one end while Hector grabbed the other. They carried it inside and placed it in the corner.
"You okay?" Hector watched him with concern.
He shook his head. "No. But I will be eventually."
The man nodded. "I've got your back."
"Thanks." Varian hugged him, letting go a bit sooner than he normally would. His nerves were still tense and probably would be for a while. He mentally fussed at himself for that weakness. He was supposed to be recovering, blast it, and here he was trying to keep from freaking out at physical contact again. Did Cassandra even have a clue the kind of damage she could have on a person? Probably. She more than likely didn't care. "I'll go get the animals."
Outside the caravan, Artemis was glaring at Cassandra's owl from atop Kubwa's head. The rhino was chewing on the long grass by the roadside. Riki and Kiki were growling at Ruddiger, who had stolen an apple away from them. The raccoon scampered up Varian's shoulders and screeched at them. The boy gasped and tried not to flinch. Ruddiger noticed his discomfort and purred softly, hopping off and darting into the caravan.
"C'mon, guys, time to go," he told the others. The three who had lived at the Tree the longest exchanged miserable looks. "Yeah, I know. I'm sad, too."
Kiki and Riki brushed up against him as they passed, trying to comfort him, apparently. He stroked their fur and followed them over to the others, stopping to look back once more. The Great Tree, once a proud bulwark and a safe haven, standing boldly against the horizon, was now a shattered hull, a grim testament to Varian's own instability and inability to find solid ground in the turbulent sea that was his life.
"You coming, brat?" A hand touched his shoulder. Reflexively, he grabbed it and twisted, spinning to pull Cassandra's arm behind her back. She yelped in surprise. "Ow! Let go!"
He gasped and let go. "Oops." Then he crossed his arms. "Doesn't feel good, does it."
She rolled her eyes. "If you weren't a murderous psychopath, I'd say I'm impressed. So are you coming, or are you going to stand here moping like a child?"
"He's coming," Hector growled as he walked over, a glint of mischievous pride in his eyes at Varian's behavior. "And maybe I wasn't clear before, so let me reiterate: put your hands on my nephew again AND I'M GONNA CUT 'EM OFF!" He turned and walked away, Varian following.
He had to jog to keep up with Hector's long strides. "Nice," the warrior told him. "You're getting better every day. Make sure you keep your other hand on her shoulder." He knelt and boosted the boy onto Kubwa's back. Adira hopped onto the top of the caravan as the others climbed aboard.
They started moving, plodding on at the horses' pace, the bearcats playfully running circles around Kubwa. Hector, sitting behind Varian, suggested, "I'll get some thread from Adira and patch the cloak for you."
Varian nodded, Kubwa's rocking motion aggravating his leg. He was sore and achy, and his new injuries protested the move. He pulled one of the books they had salvaged out of his bag on Kubwa's side and started reading. He needed to get his mind off everything.
Doubtful, as the book he had found was The Adventures of Flynnigan Rider.
Crap.
O‴O‴O
"We need to talk."
Hector looked up at Adira. They had been traveling for less than an hour. The lady warrior was giving him a look that said he wasn't going to enjoy this conversation. Standing up on Kubwa's back, he jumped over Varian and landed on the roof with his sister. "What?"
"I want to know what happened."
Hector glanced back over to Varian. "How much can I tell her?"
"Do you trust her?"
He raised his eyebrow at Adira. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Tell her whatever." He stretched out on the rhino's back.
"Don't fall asleep." Hector hopped down onto the back porch of the caravan. Adira followed. "Where do you want me to start?"
"The beginning's a good place."
"You're not going to like it."
"I need to know. I've been working with these people for months, and none of them told me about Quirin. What else don't I know? What did they do to Varian?"
Hector leaned against one of the posts and slid to the floor. "Back when Quirin was being stubborn—"
"That's anytime from a year ago to fifty years ago."
"Do you want to hear the story or not?"
"Sorry."
Quickly, he explained the promise the princess made to Varian and the result. He told of the rocks, the blizzard, the abandonment and interrogation, the imprisonment and escape, and their nephew's turn to villainy. He explained the details of the fight and arrest, and he told what happened after (plus or minus a few ugly details).
With every word, her face got darker and colder. Hector knew Adira well, and he knew when something made her killing mad.
She was killing mad now.
Her expression softened as he told of Varian's rescue. Hector's voice halted as he detailed what his nephew had been like all those months ago. The frightened, broken, timid child who thought every moment that Hector would leave him. Who ran away to avoid that pain. Who took a leap of faith to trust a man he had known for all of two weeks and tell the painful truth.
Who had started to heal. Who had learned to trust again. Who smiled and laughed and goofed off and occasionally set things on fire. Who make a blasted good hot cocoa, though Hector wouldn't admit it was as good as his. Who dove into the scrolls and forgot to emerge for food until Hector bribed him.
Who was still only a shell of himself, if Hector had to guess. "I wish I could have seen him then," he sighed. "Back before they broke him. When he was still..."
"Innocent?"
His lips tightened. "I won't let them hurt him. Not again. They'll have to go through me."
"Both of us."
"What?" He tilted his head. "I thought you were all about helping your little Sundrop."
Her eyes narrowed. "My duty to the Sundrop is just that: duty. If she is what you say, then I don't owe her anything beyond bare aid with the Moonstone. Varian is my nephew too. I promised I'd protect him."
"Don't make promises. He doesn't do well with that word."
A small smile graced her lips. "You know him well, don't you?"
"Yeah. He doesn't ever sit too close to a campfire because it reminds him of the times they'd burn him. He loves ham sandwiches and hot cocoa and working till he drops. He sleeps on his right side so he can see better if anything happens unless he's around someone he trusts. He talks nonstop if he's excited, then he stutters and apologizes until I tell him he's okay. He faints if he sees blood, but he's a pretty good hunter." He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. "I can't let anything happen to him. It would kill me."
"I understand."
"Do you?"
"I do." She crossed her arms and leaned back self-confidently. "I never expected you'd be loyal to something above the Moonstone. You were even willing to kill me for it. But Varian means more to you than it ever could. He's your everything. I saw how you look at him. You think of him like he's your own kid, not Quirin's. You denied yourself everything—love, happiness, a family of your own—all to protect the stone, and now Varian's the one thing you care about more than that."
Hector looked back to his boy, who had his eyes closed. "Don't go to sleep," he called.
Varian gave him a thumbs-up. The warriors had kept their voices low, so hopefully he hadn't heard their conversation. The last thing Hector wanted was to dredge up bad memories.
"He... opened my eyes. I thought I had to sacrifice everything to guard the stone. But I didn't." He shook his head again. "Even now I'm terrified that I may have to make that choice one day. And I'm afraid I'll make the wrong decision. I don't even know what the right decision would be."
"I think you'll know when the time comes." She smirked. "Parents have a way of knowing."
He groaned and leaned his head against his knees. "I'm not his dad."
"You love him like you are. And I think you're doing a great job."
"I let a tree get dropped on him."
"That wasn't your fault." She shrugged. "Hey, maybe Quirin's still alive somehow and you won't have to worry about figuring out how to be a parent to a traumatized child."
"I already mourned him. I read the final rites. I'd love it if he was alive, but it's not something I'll pin my hopes on. And it'd be even harder for Varian to deal with, so don't suggest that to him. I don't want him to get hurt again."
His sister nodded. "I need some time to think all this over." She stood and started to walk to the edge of the porch. "If the king denies the Sundrop access to the Moonstone, and she tries to take it anyway, I'll help you fight her."
"Serious?"
"She's done enough damage. I won't let her do any more."
"Is this because of Varian?"
"Yes." She turned and flipped back up onto the roof.
Hector slumped against the post. What was happening to him? In six months, he had gone from being a cryptic warrior to being a tired dad figure for a hyper teenager. Was this normal? Is this what Quirin went through? And did he even have the right to try to fill his brother's shoes? Maybe it was best for him to not even consider that. Varian probably wouldn't appreciate it, anyway.
He looked back at Varian. The boy's eyelashes fluttered gently. He smiled over at his uncle.
Footsteps sounded on the wooden floorboards inside the caravan, and the door creaked open right before Varian's eyes widened in alarm. Hector sighed. "What do you want, lady-in-waiting?"
"To talk." She sat down against the door. "Is that illegal?"
Varian was still watching them in fright. Next to him, Ruddiger growled. Hector motioned to them to show he was fine. "Not illegal. Just unwelcome."
She didn't leave. He groaned. "Fine. What do you want to talk about? You've got five seconds to convince me before I kill you."
"I want the truth."
"Okay, fine. You're obnoxious, rude, cruel, and generally unpleasant to be around."
"Very funny. I meant the truth about Varian."
"So does everyone else, apparently. The real question is, what are you going to do with it? Ignore it? Argue about it? You already know Varian got abused. You didn't seem to care."
She glared. "Look, I won't sugarcoat it. I hate you. I hate him. But I've never seen a kid that looks like that. And maybe you're all lying and he actually got hurt sometime after escaping. And maybe, just maybe, you're telling the truth."
"It's the sad truth. He looked like that when I found him. Worse, actually. Imagine that but covered in bruises and a lot skinnier."
"He's already a twig."
"Exactly."
She frowned as she looked over at the child in question. "I'm trying to understand. Corona's sort of a... cheerful place. Sickeningly so. I just don't see how this could have happened. How anyone would have allowed it."
"You tell me. You're the one who was knocking him around. Don't think I forgot about that bruise on his face."
"He did bite me. Although I suppose he was panicking, so I can't blame him. I'd probably panic too if I was getting arrested to be sent back someplace where I'd been hurt."
"Now you're starting to see it. Remember, in great beauty there is also great evil."
"What?"
He shrugged. "Has my sister given you her Drexis talk yet?"
"Yeah, we even met the stupid things."
He straightened and fixed her with a cold gaze. "Like the Drexis, your kingdom is beautiful to look at. But under the surface, a darkness sleeps. Varian fell prey to that darkness and the people who thrive in it. To the people who cultivate it."
"Corona's literally the Sunshine kingdom. How does something like this, this kind of evil, happen in a place of so much... annoying positivity?"
"The same way it's the exact opposite for the Dark Kingdom. Or was. The king is the only one to set foot in there for many years now. But back when it was alive, the people knew of the Moonstone and the dark power that it contained. But instead of giving in to it, they took every chance to make our kingdom great. They wouldn't let the stone or its legacy distract from what mattered, so they intentionally made an effort to keep alive the beauty, the true beauty, of the land. The darkness only made them that much more determined to find the light.
"Corona is the opposite. Its people celebrate their kingdom's beauty because of the light they see. They ignore what's brewing under the surface in favor of throwing parties and flaunting their goodness. Evil is allowed free reign, as long as it stays out of sight. The people do nothing because they're so certain Corona's perfect and that nothing like this could ever happen."
"That's..." She rubbed the back of her neck with her good hand. "Intense."
He nodded. "Sorry to have to break the hard news this way. Better than finding out for yourself like he did."
"I still don't get what happened with him. He was so helpful, so nice. A bit accident-prone. Then he snapped and tried to kill me and the queen. Stole the Sundrop flower. Used Rapunzel."
"You still don't get it?" He shook his head. "How are you this impossibly daft? You and your pretty little Sundrop abandoned Varian in a blizzard. Let the guards throw him out. Would you have cared if he died? And when the guards held him prisoner for a month unjustly, where were you? Where was she? Yeah, he snapped. He was a fourteen-year-old orphan being kept by force in a house with his father's encased body and regularly getting the dickens beat out of him. He learned to only rely on himself after that."
"I didn't... I guess I didn't think about it like that. I was so caught up in everything else—making sure Rapunzel was okay, dealing with guard stuff..."
"If you ask me, it's about time people stopped worrying about if the princess is okay or not and start paying more attention to the people who actually need help. Like orphans who have to run through a snowstorm."
"Yeah. She's already told me she doesn't exactly need me to take care of her, even though it's literally my job." She put her hand on her hip. "Are you just saying this so I'll let my guard down and you can kill her?"
"If I wanted to kill her, I'd do it. No offense, but you won't exactly be able to stop me. No, I agreed to the terms of the truce. I won't kill any of you until I get the king's permission. Unless you try to hurt Varian again."
Cassandra started to push herself to her feet, struggling with her broken arm. Hector stood and offered a hand. She stared warily for a moment before accepting it and allowing him to help her up.
"I suppose you'll need time to think things over?" he noted.
"How did you—"
"You and my sister are more alike than either of you care to admit." He smirked. "Between the two of us, though, you've got a long way to go."
O‴O‴O
They made camp that night, Hector and Varian keeping their distance from the others, along with the animals. Adira joined them after a few minutes of talking to the Sundrop. The princess and her cohorts sat around a fire, chatting cheerfully. Lance tried to invite them over, but Varian shook his head and scootched further away, though he did accept the offered plate with only mild hesitance after sniffing it to make sure it wasn't drugged.
Something was up with Cassandra. She was abnormally silent, a pensive look across her face. He'd spent a lot of time learning to analyze people, especially when his neck was on the line, so it wasn't too hard to recognize that something was bothering her, even if he hadn't known her all that well to begin with. If he dared to talk to her, he might have asked her if she was okay.
"I'll keep first watch," Adira offered. Varian was steadily getting used to her presence, though he still wasn't quite as comfortable with her as he was with Hector. She seemed okay, though. "You two get some rest."
"How do we know you won't end us in our sleep?" Hector grumbled.
"I thought you trusted her." Varian shrank away as if Adira would suddenly turn and kill them. Was she not on their side? Would she let the others take him again? She'd said she would protect him! Maybe she lied.
"I do. I'm still going to complain."
"I'm used to it," Adira assured him. "Just like he's used to hearing me call him a scrawny, flower-spined weasel face. Now get some sleep."
Varian curled up on his pallet, Ruddiger by his side. If Hector trusted Adira, so would he. "Night, Uncle Hector. Aunt Adira."
He missed the look the warriors exchanged over his head, as he drifted off.
O‴O‴O‴
Hector checked Varian's forehead again. "I don't like this. Adira, can you—" Before he finished, Adira handed him a wet cloth. He placed it on his nephew's scalding face. "Thanks."
"We're out of fever medicine," she informed him. "We can treat the infection, but the fever will have to run its course unless we can find or make more."
They had brought the boy inside the caravan after he'd fallen from Kubwa's back a few hours earlier. Not two days into their trip and they already had to deal with this.
Hector sat propped up against the wall on one of the bunks, Varian held gently in his arms. The boy alternated between shivering like he was back in that blasted blizzard and thrashing around to get the blankets off him.
Hector didn't know what to do. Back when they were kids, he'd always been shooed out of the room if his siblings were sick. When they were older, Quirin and Adira still didn't react quite like Varian was reacting now. And with no medicine to help...
All he was able to do was hold the boy. Fortunately, Varian didn't seem to mind. Then again, he was out of it at the moment and probably didn't notice. During his cold spells, he snuggled up against Hector like that was the only thing keeping him warm. Ruddiger huddled next to him, his little raccoon brows knitted in worry.
He hadn't said anything. Varian had been in pain and hadn't said one word. Of course he wouldn't, not in front of the others. He set his jaw and kept moving, ignoring the infected wound on his leg that Hector had somehow failed to treat properly, because to show weakness in front of an enemy was unacceptable. No, he had to keep smiling and pretending to Hector that everything was okay, because even Hector wasn't enough to help him overcome the feelings of danger that being vulnerable would bring. Not that he blamed him. He'd done a pitiful job of protecting him from them so far. He couldn't even tend to his injuries correctly.
Adira had stepped up for Varian ever since Hector had told her the truth. She hardly ever spoke to the others unless she needed to, and she stayed by their nephew's side. The two adults still bickered constantly, but they acted peaceable around Varian while he was sick.
"What we need is to get him to a doctor," Adira suggested.
Varian jerked suddenly, arching his back at a painful angle and trying to struggle out of Hector's arms. "NO, PLEASE! No, I'm sorry! Don't, please! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll be good!"
"Varian!" Hector shook him gently as the raccoon screeched in panic. "V, it's okay. You're safe. We're not going to hurt you."
"No doctor! Please!" Tears streaked down his cheeks.
"'Kay, fine. No doctor. It's okay. I won't take you to a doctor. Shh, you're okay." He continued to speak gently, making shushing noises until Varian calmed down. He sagged weakly against Hector's hold.
"What was that?" Adira hissed.
"Don't know. That one's new. That word hasn't come up in conversation since I found him." His blood was boiling. What had they done to him? What else wasn't Varian telling him about their abuse?
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "He asked if I was a—a physician when we first met. I don't think he even knew he'd react this way. Maybe fever delirium?"
"Probably didn't think anything of it when he asked you. Like I said, he was doing better."
"I might know what the problem is."
They both looked up at Cassandra, who stood in the doorway. She hunched her shoulders under their intense gaze but continued. "Back when I was a kid, hanging out with the other guards, there was this joke they used to tell to scare me. They said if I misbehaved, they'd get the doctor after me and he'd... he'd make me better. He'd take the bad blood from me."
Varian started twitching again. He moaned and mumbled something under his breath.
"What?" Hector leaned closer.
"Bad blood... I have bad blood..."
"No. No, kid, you're fine. There's nothing wrong with your blood." An ugly picture was starting to form in his mind. Turning to Cassandra again, he began, "When they said that..."
"I didn't know what they meant. I asked Dad what they were talking about, and he made them stop. He told me later they meant bloodletting. To literally try to cure someone by draining their 'bad blood.' It's arcane and barbaric. But it's not done in Corona. Hasn't been for decades."
"Well," he growled. "I think somebody decided to revive the practice." Fury flooded his veins once more. His nephew—this precious, kind-hearted child who already regretted his actions without them having to tell him he did wrong—had been subject to bloodletting, despite his hemophobia. And there was no way his abusers didn't know of his fear. Not with the way he had looked back then.
He looked back over at Cassandra. Her mouth was fixed in an angry scowl, but for the first time, it wasn't directed towards Varian. She turned and stalked off.
"Think she'll side with Varian if push comes to shove?" Adira asked. "I heard you tell her what happened."
"Not a chance. She may stay away from him, but she's not an ally to any of us." He would want to keep an eye on her. This didn't bode well for any of them.
O‴O‴O‴
"Here." Lance came over with a bowl of soup in his hands. He was the only one of the princess's entourage whom Hector didn't consider killing every ten seconds. "Think he can eat it?"
He nudged Varian. "You awake, kiddo?"
Varian gave a noncommittal humph. Hector took the bowl with thanks and lifted it to his nephew's mouth. He managed two swallows before groaning and turning to hide his face in Hector's chest. He mumbled what might have been a thank you.
Hector pulled the blanket up over him. "I don't like this," he grumbled again. "He needs medicine."
"I might have an idea," a perky voice interrupted. Hector growled and looked up at the princess, who stood in the doorway between the two sides. "There's a town near here. West Ipsil. It's not far out of the way, about a day with the caravan. Maybe they have something there."
"It's a plan," he grumbled. "Fine. Just get us there."
O‴O‴O‴
Not only did the princess decide to go to town to fetch medicine; she also decided they'd take a break to travel with an old friend to a music gig the next day. Hookfoot's brother, apparently. No wonder it had taken them so long to get to the Great Tree in the first place, given their complete inability to avoid every detour possible. Varian was too tired to care, though it bothered him that he couldn't muster up any energy. All he could do was lay still and try to ignore the aching of his feverish body, trusting that Hector would deal with any situation that arose. He was in no condition to defend himself.
Currently, he sat up against the warrior's chest, letting the medicine work while he read. Hector was offering helpful pointers over his shoulder.
"'Kay. What did Flynn Rider do wrong right there?"
"A reverse dagger grip. Aesthetically pleasing, but impractical."
"Could you two stop it?" Fitzherbert grumbled from across the caravan. He had chosen to ride with them, as he apparently had a rocky history with the princess's old acquaintance. That meant he was subjected to the two of them ripping the Flynn Rider books.
"Nope. Why is it impractical?"
Varian grinned weakly at Fitzherbert's dismayed expression. "It's too easy to block, and it doesn't do much damage if one does actually manage to get a hit in.
"You guys are impossible." He held a pillow over his head.
Varian laughed, though it made his chest ache. He fell into a coughing spell, Hector holding his arms to support him. Tears pricked at the boy's eyes as he shuddered, feeling like fire was shooting through his lungs.
"Take it easy, kid," Hector ordered as his breath returned. "Need to rest?"
"'M fine." He picked up the book from where it had fallen in his lap.
Adira stepped inside. "We're arriving. I assume you two want to stay here?"
Hector nodded.
"Fine. I'll bring you some cake. The gig's a wedding. Come on, Fishskin."
Fitzherbert grumbled but followed her. Varian turned back to his book.
"Give the happy couple my congrats," Hector called after them.
O‴O‴O‴
The others returned later that day, the princess gushing cheerily about... seals? And a dance-off? Hector decided he didn't want to know.
"So Hookfoot's no longer with us," Cassandra noted.
Varian gasped slightly. Hector looked up at the others. "My condolences."
"What? No!" The princess exclaimed. "He's okay! He's just traveling with Hookhand, that's all. They're going on tour!" She squealed happily.
Varian and Hector shared a skeptical look. "Dare I ask?" the boy muttered.
"Hookhand plays the piano, and Hookfoot dances!"
"This is great and all," Cassandra drawled, "but we really do need to be moving." She stalked out, and the caravan started rolling a moment later.
Lance came over to where they sat. "Good news is, we don't have to double up on bunks anymore! Though I will miss that man. How you doing, Hairstripe?"
"Don't call me that."
"Right, sorry." The princess and Fitzherbert had joined Cassandra up front, and the old man had fallen asleep, so that left only Lance and Adira. The warrior lady sat on the edge of the bed.
"Did you bring cake?" Hector asked.
"Nope. It was made of fish. And King Trevor fell in it. I did bring back some shrimp, though." She handed her brother a plate.
Ruddiger chittered happily and attempted to snatch the seafood. Hector held the plate out of reach but handed him a few shrimp. "Why would a wedding cake—"
"Seal wedding."
"I regret asking."
O‴O‴O‴
"Check it out!"
Varian groaned and sat up. His head was throbbing, though his fever had finally broken. Next to him, Hector grumbled.
"Can't let us sleep for more than five minutes, can they?" he growled. "You were up all night coughing. Go back to sleep. I'll deal with them." He shifted Varian to gently lay his head on the pillow rather than the warrior's arm and stood. Varian shivered as the source of heat disappeared and curled into the warm space he had left behind. Ruddiger snuggled up against his back. In the distance, he could hear Hector fussing at the princess for waking them up and did she "have to be so blasted cheery at seven in the morning with sick people right next door?"
"Morning."
Varian growled and pulled the blanket up over his head. Lance was undeterred, however, and tapped on his arm. "You need to take your medicine."
Varian rolled over and took the vial. At least this stuff tasted better than Uncle Hector's sludge, even if it was much less effective. He drank it and handed the vial back with mumbled thanks, dimly aware that he wasn't supposed to be alone with any of the others.
"Can we talk?" Lance asked, sitting on the edge of the bunk.
Reluctantly giving up on any chance of getting back to sleep, he nodded.
"I want to know what happened. You didn't get to tell me the other day because Hector sort of snatched you."
"Coffee first," he grumbled. "Then talking."
"Right! Give me one second." He stepped outside for a few moments. It hadn't taken Varian too long to figure out who was the one to go to for this. While he waited, he pushed his bone-weary frame off the bed—Ruddiger hissed as he moved and buried himself under the blankets—and stumbled over to the chest, retrieving some of the root Aunt Adira had given him and chewing on it.
He noted with interest it no longer bothered him to think of calling her that.
Lance returned with a fresh cup of coffee and sat next to Varian as he climbed back under the covers, nudging Ruddiger aside. The boy set the remainder of the root down—he'd brush his teeth properly later; coffee was more important at the moment—and took the cup. After a cautious sip, he looked up at the man, having noticed him staring at his scarred bare feet as he walked over. "What do you want to know?"
Lance shrugged. "I want to know what really happened. Cassandra said she thought it was bandits, but I think that option's out the window. You said they abused you?"
"Yeah." He left it at that.
"Look," Lance sighed. "I'm not some pampered palace pet. I mean, not that the others are, but I've been around the block a few times. You? You look like you ran face-first into the block. And then got run over by the block. Then got buried under—"
"Okay, I get it. I'm ugly."
"No! That's not—I just meant you don't look like a normal fourteen-year-old is supposed to look."
"Fifteen. I was fourteen when they did this."
"Point still stands. You're just a little kid."
"What did you expect?" He lowered the cup. "I attacked the royal family. Kidnapped the queen. Stole the Sundrop flower. Did you really think they'd go easy on me? The king hates me. Yeah, he tortured me. Or had them torture me, I mean. He wouldn't dirty his own hands that way."
Hector stalked back into the room. "Go back to bed."
"Can't. Had coffee."
He stared daggers into Lance. "You gave him coffee? He needs to sleep!"
Lance stuttered defensively.
Hector rolled his eyes. "Fine. Breakfast?"
"Sure." Varian stood and almost fell. Hector caught him.
"I'm going hunting. Adira's here. Stay with her. The others are outside making pancakes. I'll be back in an hour or so." He left, taking Riki and leaving Kiki to guard Varian. Ruddiger screeched happily at the mention of pancakes and followed him.
"Soo..." Lance muttered.
"If one more person says 'so,' I'm going to scream." His expression softened. "Sorry, by the way."
"For what?"
"Everything. What I did. It wasn't your business, but you ended up getting involved, and you could have been hurt, and I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around himself. "I'm so sorry... I hurt so many people... and you're so nice, and you don't act like you hate me, even though you could, because I hurt your friends—"
"Whoa, slow down, kiddo!" Lance held up his hands. "Apology accepted. And I forgive you."
"Y—you do?"
"Yeah. You said it. You paid for what you did. And I'm not going to hold it against you."
"Really? B-but you're fr-friends with the princess!"
"Can't I be your friend, too? And between us, I don't think she'll hold it against you either. Not if the two of you talk it out."
"Yeah, that didn't go so well last time. We don't exactly understand each other. And she's still mad at me for what I did, and I'd apologize, but—" He sighed. "I don't know, 'kay? She hurt me, too. And I tried to tell her, but she just keeps saying she didn't or that it was my fault. I'm... I'm afraid. If I apologize to her, I'm afraid she'll just leave me to suffer. Again. I'm afraid she'll let Cassandra hurt me, or just pretend she's perfectly innocent and I'm the only one who messed up. I'm afraid I'll forget that I had a right to be mad at her. I'm afraid I'll just end up back under her control, and I can't do that; I can't go back to being her tool! And I can't go back to prison!" He ran his hands through his hair, missing the feel of his goggles even after a year.
"Hey, easy, easy!" Lance made to touch Varian's shoulder but wisely stopped. "It's okay. You don't have to explain. I get it."
Varian sat on the edge of the bunk. "Am I a monster? Why can't I apologize? Why am I not strong enough?"
"Hey, don't think of it like that. Just think of it like... like you're getting ready. Mentally preparing yourself. That's not a bad thing. It's okay to take time. And it's okay to be afraid, as long as you don't let your fear define you. Be bigger than your fear."
"I... don't know how. I wish I could just talk to her! I don't want to be mad at her. I tried that once, and all it did was hurt me. I just want to move on. Stop holding grudges."
"Maybe you can just talk to her!"
"What?" Was he crazy?
"Let me help. Maybe the two of you just need a chance to actually talk. On even ground, not while you're tied up."
"Do you think that would work? She hates me. And she's got Cassandra." He hunched his shoulders.
"We can fix that! All you two need is an opportunity."
"I... don't know."
"Couldn't hurt to try."
"Yes, it very much could!" He sighed. "Just give me some time to think about it."
"No problem! Now come on. There's a plate of pancakes with your name on it."
O‴O‴O‴
"I can't do this." He'd been thinking about it for a day and had finally prepared himself to talk to her now that his illness was starting to abate, but he was losing his nerve.
"You don't have to," Adira assured him, having agreed to accompany him since Hector was a bit... overprotective and would likely kill either or both of the girls. He'd griped about it endlessly, though. "If you're not ready, you can wait."
"No, I—I need to. I'm ready. I think. No, I'm not." Varian turned to run.
Lance blocked his path. "We won't make you do this, but don't sell yourself short. Adira and I will be right there."
He turned back to look at the girls, who had gone exploring. They were standing in the middle of what looked like a ruined, abandoned town. A lone cart stood upright, which they were examining. With a deep breath, he started down the hill towards them...
--------------------------
The reference to Varian sleeping on his blind side was a reference to whoever mentioned that Zuko in ATLA only sleeps on his unscarred side if he's around people he knows and trusts and sleeps on his scarred side to hear better if he's not, so credit to the person that noticed it first.
IMPORTANT NOTICE! Please please please check out this one-shot right here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28994775. "Cyclorama" was written by violetsaren_tblue on AO3 and is set during this chapter of my fic. And when I say I can't stop rereading it, I mean it! If you like Varian angst and Lance being an angel (and of course Hector being Hector), PLEASE check it out!
As always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Thank you and God bless!