AU: "Cinderella"
Varian is ecstatic to learn of the ball being thrown for the entire kingdom! He digs through his chest of belongings, and discovers his late mother's old dress that he has held onto for all these years.
"I can use the material from her dress to make myself a suit!" He thinks excitedly. "And you can help," he says to his raccoon friend, Ruddiger, who stops in every day to give him company.
Ruddiger nods, and rounds up his animal friends. Before long an owl, a chameleon, and a strangely idiotic raven are in Varian's dreary attic bedroom helping him design a suit for the ball.
"I can't believe I'm going to the ball!" Varian says excitedly. "What if... What if I get to meet the princess?!"
"What makes you think you're going to the ball?" Varian's evil stepbrother, Andrew, says with a sneer as he enters the room. "The ball is only for the elite of the kingdom! You're nothing but a cinder sweep. Cinder-Varian!"
Varian shakes his head. "No, you're wrong. The ball is for everyone in the kingdom. The princess said so, herself!"
"You're so naive," Andrew says. "You are not going to the ball, and that's final!"
Noticing the suit Varian and his animal friends are making, Andrew marches over to it and begins tearing it up.
"No! Please, don't!" Varian cries with tears in his eyes. But there isn't anything he can do to stop his stepbrother.
"Oops! Now you don't have anything to wear," Andrew chuckles wickedly. "Whatever will you do?" Laughing wickedly, he leaves Varian sobbing, cradling his destroyed suit in his hands.
"Please don't cry," an unexpected voice says, causing Varian to jump in surprise. "I can help you!"
Varian spins around to see a woman with long, blonde hair standing in the corner of the room. She is wearing a cloak, and has a wand in her hand.
"W-Who are you?" Varian asks. "And...Is that a magic wand in your hand?"
"It sure is!" The woman says. "I'm your Fairy Godmother! You can call me Rapunzel." She curtsies dramatically.
"Fairy Godmother?" Varian repeats in disbelief.
"Yep! And I can't stand to see someone as sweet and innocent as you cry," Rapunzel says, wiping away an empathetic tear. "So I've decided to help you!"
"Help me? How?" Varian asks.
By getting you to the ball, of course!" Rapunzel waves her wand around him. In a flash of bright colors and sparkles, Varian is suddenly wearing a glistening pantsuit better than he could've ever dreamed of making for himself!
"I... I can't believe it!" Varian says in amazement.
"It is some of my best work," Rapunzel says proudly. "Now, to get you a ride to the ball!"
Rapunzel leads Varian outside. She waves her wand again, and an apple that fell to the ground transforms into a shiny, red carriage! With a few more waves of her wand, the owl and the raven become two beautifully-colored horses, while Ruddiger is turned into a masked footman.
"Et voilà !" Rapunzel beams.
Overcome with gratitude, Varian gives Rapunzel a tight squeeze. "Thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me."
"It's my pleasure," Rapunzel tells him, returning the embrace. "Now, go have fun, Varian! And say hello to the princess for me. But be warned: The magic will only last until midnight."
Varian nods, and hops into the apple carriage. Riding towards the ball, he begins to see the castle coming into view.
"There it is!" He says eagerly.
Once Ruddiger has halted the carriage, Varian jumps out. He takes in the crowd of fancily-dressed people, and hopes that he can fit in with them.
Mesmerized by his surroundings, Varian accidentally runs into somebody.
"Hey, watch it!"
Varian freezes as he realizes he ran into Andrew. But for some strange reason, Andrew doesn't seem to recognize him. He simply scoffs at Varian, and continues on with his night.
Hmm... It must have something to do with Rapunzel's magic, Varian reasons.
After enjoying the incredible festivities, (and avoiding his stepbrother as much as possible), Varian sees a gorgeous woman with short, raven hair stand before the crowd. "I want to thank everyone for coming tonight," she announces. "I hope everyone has enjoyed themselves."
Varian is awestruck by the princess. He expected her to be wearing a loud, puffy dress as princesses usually do. But she is wearing a tasteful suit which, in his opinion... well, suits her. And her eyes... Those amazing, hazel eyes that he could get lost in.
As the band begins to play, and people start pairing up to dance, an idea strikes Varian. "I-I have to ask the princess for a dance! I just have to!"
But it proves to be a more difficult task than he expected. Practically everybody in the kingdom lines up, desiring to ask the princess for a dance. And who should be one of the people to dance with her, but Varian's own stepbrother Andrew. Discouraged, Varian hangs his head and walks outside to the castle courtyard.
After a few minutes, a voice behind him says, "You needed some air too, huh?"
Varian turns around, coming face-to-face with none other than the princess. "Wha— It's you! What're you doing here?"
"These balls can get exhausting," she tells him. "Sometimes I come out here to get a moment to myself."
"Oh... I'm sorry." Varian begins to head back inside to give the princess her privacy, but she stops him.
"Hold on, it's okay," she says. "I wouldn't mind a little bit of company. It's the crowds that really get to me."
Varian smiles, his heart leaping within his chest. The princess actually wants to spend time with him? Is this a dream?
The princess holds out her hand. "Princess Cassandra," she says.
"Yes, I know who you are," Varian says with a smirk, taking her hand. "I'm—"
Before he can tell her his name, their eyes lock. It is as if everything else in the world melts away. Sparkles fly around them, and Varian feels like the universe is telling them they are meant to be.
Until he realizes that the sparkles are actually Rapunzel's magic fading away... Horrified, he gazes at the nearby clock tower and sees that it is about to strike midnight!
"I-I-I have to go!" Varian stammers, pulling his hand away from Cassandra's. Despite everything inside of him screaming to stay with her, he takes off in a sprint across the castle lawn. He doesn't realize that he accidentally leaves one of his white gloves behind, in her hand...
"Wait, you didn't tell me your name!" Cassandra shouts after him. But he disappears too fast for her to catch up with him.
"Princess Cassandra, you must return to the ball," a voice says behind her. "You are the hostess, after all."
Cassandra sighs exasperatedly. These balls are not her thing... But something about the stranger she just met, well... he made her feel calm. He made her feel safe. No one has ever made her feel that way before. And the look they gave each other when their eyes locked... Could it eventually become something like love?
"I have to find out who that stranger is," she says aloud, clutching his glove. "Even if I have to search all of the seven kingdoms! I will find him!"