After barely surviving several more booby traps, Varian and I finally reach the room right below the royal vault. Seven large pillars circle the grand room, and a hatch that leads to the vault is placed in the middle of the ceiling.
"That's our way in," I say, pointing to the ceiling.
Varian frowns. "How are we going to get up there?
I slowly look around and notice a large Corona sun painted on the floor. In the middle were seven smaller pillars. "Seven pillars..." I mutter to myself.
"Like the seven kingdoms?" Varian suggests.
I shrug. "Maybe. But Corona hardly associates with the other kingdoms-unless you want to count the Contest of Crowns- it doesn't make sense." I pull one of the little pillars and it begins to move. "Can you help me turn this?!" I grunt.
Varian nods and runs over to join me. I smile with delight as the hatch in the ceiling opens and a ladder is revealed. "How do we get up there?" He asks.
I suddenly notice a bright green light shining behind me. I turn around and gasp. A large metal machine was standing there. "What the heck is that thing?!" I shout in fear.
Varian gazes at the machine in awe. "Fascinating...I believe this is an automation!" He looks at me with sparkling eyes. "A marvel of ancient technology, really. I've heard about them but to see one in person-"
I notice the automation raises its metal fist in the air, ready to crush Varian. "VARIAN, WATCH OUT!!" I shout, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the way.
We hide behind one of the pillars and Varian grins at me. "Don't worry, (yn). I've got this." Varian reaches into his pocket and pulls out a couple of multi-colored vials as he runs towards the metal monster.
Varian chucks the vials at the automation causing huge explosions to erupt on the beast. "Way to go Var!" I cheer. Varian hits it with another explosion, and the automation falls back into one of the pillars. Cracks form in the pillar and I notice it's only moments away from crumbling onto Varian. I quickly run over to him and push him out of the way. I'm able to dodge the falling debris, but unfortunately, so is the monster.
The automation stands up and swings its arm at Varian, sending the boy flying across the room. I cringe as Varian smacks into a pillar and I darted over to him. "Are you okay?!"
Varian slowly sits up. "Despite the excruciating pain and the fact that I'm about to pass out, the science at work here is spellbinding!!" Varian exclaims with stars in his eyes.
I try to hold back a laugh as I help him up. "We need a plan if we're going to stop this thing," I say.
"Like what?"
I look around and an idea hits me. "I'll lead it in between those two pillars. Once I'm out of the way, use your alchemy to blow them both up. The force of both falling on it should be enough to take the automation out."
"Got it." Varian nods and darts away.
I wave at the automation to get its attention. "Hey, bolts-for-brains!!" I run over to it and dash in between its legs. "Over here!" I lead the metal monster towards Varian. Once I'm out of the way Varian sets off the explosions, causing the pillars to collapse onto the automation.
"Do you think it worked?" I nervously ask, not taking my eyes off the pile of rubble.
When nothing happens, Varian speaks up. "I think it's destroyed. Sad to see such a beautiful piece of science destroyed though..." He sighs.
I shoot the alchemist a glare.
"I was joking!" He quickly says, not making eye contact. "(yn), Look!" He points to the ladder, which has lowered down to the floor.
"How did that happen?"
"It must've been since we defeated the automation."
We both walk to the ladder and climb up. I gasp in awe as we step into the grand royal vault. "It's beautiful!"
In the center of the vault is a small terrarium that's holding the now withered sun drop flower. In my fourteen years of living in the palace, I had never seen the flower with my own two eyes. I gaze at its beauty. This was the flower that saved my mom...that saved my sister. I feel a strange pull to it, as though I was connected to it as well.
I'm snapped from my thoughts as Varian snatches the flower and shoves it into his bag. I feel a bit taken aback. "Varian!"
"What difference does it make? It's just sitting here rotting anyways!" He says walking away.
I cross my arms. "Would it kill you to have a little respect?"
Varian sighs. "Look, I'm sorry. Can we just get out of here?"
I look down at the ground. This kept feeling more and more wrong. Wasn't this what was right? I couldn't back out now, I told Varian I would help him. He needs me. I feel a pang in my chest. My family needed me, too. But what about my kingdom? Isn't it my job as a princess to look out for my subjects? What's even the right choice anymore?
A loud banging can suddenly be heard from outside the doors to the vault, and Varian looks at me with panic in his eyes. "They've found us!"
Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cass barge into the room. "There he is!" Eugene shouts, pointing at Varian.
Rapunzel makes eye contact with me and gasps. "(yn)?"
"He's the one that kidnapped her!" Cassandra scowls. "Let her go, Varian."
Varian looks at me, and then at my sister. He tightly wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close to him. I look at Rapunzel who was staring at me with tears in her emerald green eyes. I could tell how worried she had been about me.
Varian throws a pink smoke bomb onto the ground, and we make our getaway.
I'm sorry, sis.
:-:-:-:
I slowly grind up one of the petals of the sun drop flower and hand the bowl of burnt-yellow liquid to Varian. I kept trying to reassure myself that everything would turn out fine and that the old Varian would come back to me once his dad was free. I knew the Varian I fell in love with was still there somewhere...he had to be.
Varian laces the metal drill with the ground-up flower. He doesn't say anything as he pulls his goggles over his eyes and activates the drill.
Please let this work... I silently beg.
The drill makes contact with the amber and lets out an ear-shattering screech. "Work...work...please work..." Varian mutters under his breath, not looking away for even a second.
The tip of the drill suddenly shatters, and Varian turns off the machine.
I quickly rush over to him to see if he's alright. "Var...?"
The alchemist only stares at the broken drill and doesn't even look at me. Almost like I wasn't even there. "No...no...no...NO!!!" He shouts, shoving the drill to the side. He storms over to his desk and throws his papers and books in the air with one fell swoop of his hand. "THIS IS USELESS!!"
I flinch and back away from the boy, as he continues to break down.
"It's like it no longer holds the sundrops power!" He exclaims, staring at what remained of the precious flower. Varian stares at his desk in silence for a moment, clearly deep in thought. I slowly approach him as he picks up the flower. "The sundrop isn't the flower anymore..." He crushes the flower in his hand and lets the dust of the plant sift through his fingers and onto the table. "...It's Rapunzel."
I gasp and place my hand over my mouth in horror. "No...no...Varian, you don't mean..."
He looks at me and chuckles. "Oh, I do."
I shake my head. "You can drag me into your plans, convince me to steal from the king, but you cannot hurt anyone."
"And why not? This kingdom turned its back on me! Rapunzel turned her back on me!"
"I won't let you do this."
Varian grins. "And just how are you planning on doing that?"
"I'll warn Rapunzel; the royal guard will put a stop to your plans." I soften my tone as I look back at Quirin inside of the amber. "Look, Varian, we'll free your father, but hurting innocent people isn't the way to do it. Try to understand-"
The boy slams his fist on the table and I flinch. "It's you who doesn't understand! If Rapunzel cared about helping my father, she would've done so a long time ago! I'm going through with this plan, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" Varian yells.
I cower away from Varian. For the first time in all my years of knowing him, he had scared me. It didn't take some crazy machine he invented to do it as he feared, it only took himself.
That's what scared me more than anything.
I look at Varian with sad eyes. I had finally reached my own breaking point. "Then I guess this is goodbye."
I begin to head to the door as Varian rushes over to me. "Wait! (Yn)!" He gazes at me with his blue eyes, and I could almost see the blue eyes I had come to know and love tucked away and hidden from view. He looked sad...broken...hopeless. "I'm sorry," he whispers.
I gasp as Varian blows a green powder into my face. A wave of drowsiness floods my senses as I inhale the substance. I slowly fall to the ground, feeling my body go limp with exhaustion.
The last thing I see is Varian leaning over top of me, watching as I fall asleep against my own will.