/this house says my name like an elegy/ oh my, oh my/ echoing where my ghosts all used to be/ oh my, oh my/ there's still cobwebs in the corners/ and the backyard's full of bones/
-curses, the crane wives
The very first thing Y/n did when she had deposited (H/n) in the stables was rush to her rooms to find her winter clothes, shivering the entire way there.
She made a brief stop in the kitchens, swiping a mug of hot chocolate before she continued her trek through the hallways.
The second she found her rooms, she darted inside and shed her wet clothes, frantically searching her closet for anything warm.
She decided on an outfit similar to the one she had first met Varian in- warm black trousers, an off-the-shoulder white blouse with long sleeves, a dark (f/c) corset and her (f/c) boots, as well as her (Y/n)rium necklace around her neck.
Y/n also found a warm coat in the depths of her closet- it was long, down to her knees, and black with a velvet (f/c) inside and (f/c) lining on the hems. She slipped it on quickly, and found a fresh pair of fingerless gloves- warmer this time, obviously.
Once she was sufficiently warm, Y/n picked up her hot chocolate from her dresser, and began walking towards her door, before stopping in her tracks and turning around quickly, trying not to spill her drink.
Y/n walked over to her desk, pressing gently on the side panel and lifting her vial of Flynnoleum from its compartment. She looked at it for a long moment, glowing pale green in the dark of her room. With a smile, Y/n tucked it into one of the inside pockets of her coat and left her room, closing the door quietly behind her.
She couldn't explain it, but keeping the vial on hand made her feel safe. While Y/n had been given basic self-defense training, she was forbidden from carrying any weapons, and the feeling of being powerless disgusted her. Having the Flynnoleum with her, even if it couldn't trigger without another compound, just made her feel... secure.
Unsure of what to do, Y/n sipped her hot chocolate and took note of a series of open doors leading towards a balcony. Knowing that no one responsible would have left them open, she walked through each one, making her way to the balcony to find who awaited her.
Just as Y/n had predicted, Rapunzel and Eugene were having a conversation on a balcony in the cold air. Y/n lingered next to the door for a minute, quietly observing their conversation.
"...it's not tomorrow I'm worried about." her sister was saying. "Someday, this is gonna be my job every day, and I'm..." Rapunzel sighed dejectedly. "I'm not sure I can handle it all."
No, she can't. Y/n thought coldly. She hasn't worked a day in her life for this. You could do better. You would do better, if a single one of your citizens even remembered your existence.
"Blondie, come on." Eugene's back was to Y/n, but she could hear the smile in his voice. "Look at all the amazing things you've done since leaving that tower."
Like stealing her sister's birthright? Y/n took a sip of her hot chocolate as she stewed in the doorway.
Eugene walked over to her sister. "Do you think you would've been able to do any of them if you'd stopped to worry about how you were going to do it?"
Yes?! thought Y/n with confusion. That's called thinking through your decisions? What kind of advice is this guy giving her?
"I know you didn't choose this," said Eugene, putting his hands on Rapunzel's shoulders, "but you of all people should know that when life hands you lemons..."
Eugene trailed off, and Rapunzel raised an eyebrow, confused. "...Yes? Finish that thought."
"Oh!" exclaimed Eugene. "Well- uh, no, it's not so much a thought as much as an expression..."
"Because you can do a lot with lemons." Rapunzel pointed out, clearly not getting the point. "Make lemon meringue, soften your hair... uh, clean tough stains, juggle..."
Y/n moved from her place by the door, announcing her presence. "Maybe make lemonade?" she commented, exasperated, barely holding back an eye roll and raising her mug to her lips.
"Oh! Y-Y/n!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "Uh, you know, not a fan. Of the lemonade, that is."
"Right. Uh... you." said Eugene, before turning back to Rapunzel. "Okay, my point is that you, more than anyone I've ever known, are able to take any situation and make the best of it."
Eugene walked over and sat next to Rapunzel, taking her hands in his. Guess they just think you're... not here then?
"You're the queen!" exclaimed Eugene with a laugh. "Go with it!"
Y/n glanced up at the sky, and a small smile crossed her face as she saw tiny white flakes beginning to fall from the clouds.
"Ugh! Snow?" grumbled Eugene in a whiny voice.
"Oh my gosh!" Rapunzel exclaimed with a gasp, standing up. "I've... never actually been outside when it snows!"
"Well, I have. And, you know, I'm not a fan." Eugene crossed his arms and huffed. "I mean, it's cold, it's a pain, it ruins your day.... It's like Cassandra, but warmer." He glanced at Y/n and raised an eyebrow. "Or like Y/n, but more fun."
Y/n resisted the urge to say a very unladylike word, and merely rolled her eyes instead.
Rapunzel didn't seem to be paying attention, and was just spinning on the balcony. Oh, for the love of- could she get a hold of herself?
"Where are you going?" called Eugene as Rapunzel ran off into the palace.
"To enjoy life's lemons!" she shouted back.
"That's my girl!" Eugene cried after her, and Y/n just sighed as she slipped silently through the palace doors. Eugene was close on her heels, mumbling something about hating snow, and ran off after her sister. With one last look outside, Y/n closed the doors, set down her mug, and followed.
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
"Loyal subjects of Corona!" shouted Rapunzel to a crowd. Y/n leaned against a wall on the balcony along with her sister, Eugene, and Cassandra, who were all dressed for the cold.
"As your temporary queen, I officially declare today..." Rapunzel paused for dramatic effect. "A snow day!"
As the crowd cheered, Y/n looked at her sister with equal shock and revulsion. Rapunzel hadn't studied for this at all, had she?
She should be taking precautions! There's protocol for this- you memorized it all!
She needs to be protecting infrastructure, evacuating civilians from high-risk areas, taking steps and using salt to keep roads free of snow and ice... not- oh, for the love of Demanitus- declaring a snow day.
Still, the crowd cheered, and Rapunzel walked off with Cassandra. Eugene stepped up to the balcony. "And, as your temporary king, I..." his voice trailed off as he realized that no one was paying attention, before a snowball hit him in the face.
Y/n walked over to the railing and peered over to see a small group of girls, giggling at the target of their assault. Y/n smiled, before looking back to Eugene, who looked positively miserable. "Nice shot, kid." he muttered with a false laugh, although his friend Lance's laugh was very genuine. Y/n had to hold back a chuckle herself.
Eugene began to walk down the ramp tentatively, nearly slipping on the ice. "Alright... easy... one step at a time..." he muttered to himself. Y/n watched him, barely suppressing her laughter as Rapunzel slid past him with a cheer, followed by Lance, who was screaming "pick it up, Eugene!"
Y/n watched as he stepped into the middle of the ramp, before instantly slipping and lunging for the railing again with a groan. "Oh, is there anything worse than snow?"
With perfect timing, Cassandra slid down the ramp with her legs crossed, stopping behind Eugene. "Hello, your royal travesty." she said smugly.
Eugene sighed. "I spoke too soon."
Y/n gently slid down the ice on her boots, stopping a few feet from Cassandra as she continued to speak. "Playing make-believe king isn't panning out like you'd hoped, is it, Tiger?"
"It's working out just fine. Thanks." snapped Eugene indignantly, taking his hands off the railing and standing up, before slipping. He waved his arms frantically as he slid to the bottom, landing in a massive snowbank with a grunt.
Cassandra delicately removed herself from the railing and slid down with ease, looking down at Eugene. Y/n followed, having nothing better to do. "You know," said Cassandra, "it's not like this king thing gives you any actual power."
"But even if it did," she continued, "it might be nice to stop trying to exploit it and start trying to put it to good use."
Y/n walked off, and Cassandra followed behind her as Eugene pulled his head from the snow. "Yeah, no, that's okay. Don't help me up."
Cassandra slid forward on the ice, stopping and falling into pace with Y/n. Y/n looked up at her, confused. Why would Cassandra be talking to her?
The two walked in silence for a moment, getting out of range of Eugene, before Cassandra spoke with a smirk. "So, you and Varian, huh?"
Y/n choked on air, turning bright red and sputtering. "Wh- wh-" she managed to recover her voice, before looking at Cassandra. "What?!"
Cass grinned at her smugly. "Just because no one else noticed you were gone doesn't mean I haven't."
Y/n was mortified. "B-but... who said I was going to- to see him?" she stuttered.
Cassandra raised one eyebrow. "Where else would you be going?"
Y/n had no response for this, and just stood there with her mouth open until she managed to regain some slight control over her brain. "We're just friends!" she shouted, her blush getting stronger by the second. "It's nothing like that!"
"Don't worry." Cassandra said with a laugh. "I won't tell." She looked away, her smile fading slightly. "I'm... not sure why exactly you don't like Rapunzel, but I do know that she has no idea. It's not... it's not her fault that they ignore you. You know that, right?"
Y/n looked away bitterly. Of course it was. It was all her fault. Still, she managed to fake a weak smile and look back at Cassandra, despite the mess of emotions inside her. "Right." she lied, digging her nails into her gloved palms and biting down on her tongue.
Cassandra smiled and walked off as Y/n stood in the snow, her hair waving in the wind behind her as she tried to get her face under control.
Were she and Varian like... that?
Well- sure, she might have feelings for him, and maybe he felt the same way, but neither of them had said anything! They were still nothing more than close friends!
Besides, Varian hadn't actually told Y/n he had feelings for her- she had just deduced it from his behavior. Could she be overthinking this?
They were just seeing each other as often as possible, thinking of each other, holding hands...
No! Friends! That was it! No matter what else they might be feeling! Neither of them had said anything about their emotions! They were just. Friends.
...right?
Y/n groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, walking off to find something to do, ready to blame her blush on the cold to anyone who may have asked.
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
As night fell, the snow had not stopped. If anything, it had gotten worse. Y/n waited by a fire, and glanced over to Rapunzel, who had fallen into Eugene's arms. "Whoa!" she was shouting. "Oh! Thanks, Eugene." her sister said gratefully.
"Guess I'm still getting used to this weather. Does it always snow this much?" asked Rapunzel.
"Only once." said a voice next to Y/n, and she looked up to see Xavier. "At least, according to legend."
Y/n smiled. Other than Varian, Xavier might be the only person in this kingdom that she could stand.
He hadn't forgotten about Y/n, and after the initial shock of her sister's return, and the fading away that followed, he had been willing to listen as she ranted to him about her situation.
She had sat in his blacksmith's shop and just talked for a good long while, and he listened patiently, working on some tool or other. Afterwards, Xavier had told her a story- the thing he could always be counted on to do.
Xavier had told her the story of Queen Evelyn. For hours, Y/n had sat on a stool as he told her the story of a princess, one who had been cursed by an evil witch. The witch had cursed Evelyn, saying that everyone who had ever met her would forget her instantly, trying to prevent her from claiming her throne.
Y/n had listened closely, hearing how the princess had slain the witch with an enchanted sword, revoking the curse and reclaiming her throne, returning the memories of her people.
She had loved the story, if only because, just maybe, it meant that Y/n could have a happy ending too. She didn't know if Rapunzel was the witch, or Eugene, or if there was even a witch at all in her own story. Still, it had made her smile to know that at least someone cared, and Y/n had held a fondness for Xavier since that day.
Xavier held a torch in the air as Rapunzel hesitantly asked, "Legend?"
Everyone who had been enjoying the snow now began to form a circle around Xavier.
"The Legend of Zhan Tiri." began Xavier with a smile, tossing his torch into the fire as he began to speak.
"Eons ago, an evil warlock, Zhan Tiri, had a deep hatred for Corona, and cast a spell which caused a blizzard to sweep across the land." Maybe she was hallucinating, but Y/n could have sworn she saw Xavier's story reflected in the embers of the fire.
"The storm destroyed everything in its path. All would have been lost, had it not been for the ancient engineer and inventor..."
Y/n gasped as she heard the name of her role model, the hero she had read countless stories of. "Lord Demanitus."
"Using both magic and science, Demanitus built a massive subterranean machine, deep in the Corona mountains." Y/n had always admired Demanitus- he was the only person she had heard of who managed to find a balance between the physical sciences and the ethereal forms of magic. While Y/n was never particularly fond of magic, she still thought it was amazing for someone to master it, as well as being a renowned inventor.
"This mighty device had the ability to change the direction of the wind, and it pushed the flurries out to the sea."
"The day was saved. Zhan Tiri had, indeed, been defeated. But some say the curse of the storm lives on... and is simply waiting to strike again."
"Waiting?" asked Rapunzel with a confused expression. "For what?"
Xavier stoked the fire and looked up with a grim expression. "For Corona to be at its weakest."
"For Corona to be at its weakest." repeated Rapunzel, sounding uncertain. "But it is only a legend... right, Xavier?"
Xavier chuckled. "My dear... every legend is born of truth."
A stranger in the crowd began to clap slowly as everyone in the circle stared at Xavier with a variety of expressions. Y/n, however, was smiling.
"Bravo. Wow." said Eugene dryly. "Way to keep the party going, as always, Xavier."
A strong gust of wind swept the courtyard, and Y/n pulled up the collar of her coat as the fire went out, casting darkness across the courtyard.
"Whoa!" shouted Rapunzel. "Okay, um, I think for everyone's safety we should all head indoors."
Y/n stayed behind the group, lingering for a moment and staring at the embers of the fire.
She contemplated Zhan Tiri's role in the story Xavier had told them. Had Corona deserved it? Was Zhan Tiri merely an unreasonable evil, or... had Corona hurt the warlock, just as it had hurt Y/n?
Y/n knew she was probably unusual for thinking like this. Most people would have accepted Zhan Tiri's evil and celebrated Demanitus's victory without a second thought, but... despite her respect for Demanitus, Y/n couldn't help but wonder.
As she pondered this, Y/n snapped her head up, hearing the sound of a horse coming from the courtyard's entrance.
Taking a closer look, Y/n saw one of the white palace horses walking dejectedly towards them, its head down. This one was... Max, wasn't it?
"Maximus!" cried Rapunzel, rushing straight past Y/n to the horse. She was closely followed by the Captain as she ran.
"What happened? Are you okay?" asked her sister, taking Maximus's face in her hands, before her voice transitioned from concern to something more serious.
"Maximus, where are my parents?"
Y/n paused, taking a few steps closer as the horse nickered sadly.
The Captain took one of the straps of Maximus's harness, which appeared to have been torn off. "It looks like there was an accident up on the mountain."
"Accident?" Rapunzel cried, rushing over to the Captain.
"Rapunzel..." said the Captain, not even bothering to address Y/n, "I think your parents are in grave danger."
As her sister's eyes went wide, Y/n looked away, her eyes tracking the movement of the snowflakes drifting to the ground.
This was a bad situation. The kind of thing everyone would fear when their parents went away.
For all intents and purposes, this was the worst case scenario. It was tragic, shocking, and any emotional reaction would probably be justified.
So...
Why didn't Y/n feel anything?
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
thank you for reading! no Varian appearance in this chapter, unfortunately, but he'll be back soon... although, you can prepare for things to be a bit different with him from here on out, for reasons that we're sure you can already guess.
we're so glad that you're enjoying the story- and thanks for 2k reads, that's amazing! we appreciate all of your support!
-leviathan and yuki