[Okay, so here's a quick summary of what happened before.
Varian was in prison while Rapunzel and the others set out on a quest to find out where the black rocks led. After Cassandra betrayed the group and took the moonstone for herself, Rapunzel sent a letter to her parents, begging for aid. The king and queen decided to send Varian, along with all the guards. Varian, who regretted his actions and wanted to make up for them, agreed. What he didn't know, is that the king was actually planning on using him as a sacrifice to make Cassandra surrender. After a trip to his old home to get some supplies, Pete the guard suddenly fell sick. The medics are unable to find the cause of his illness, and therefore blame Varian for poisoning him somehow. Varian is hurt by their distrust and storms out of the infirmary.]
***
The whole room fell silent. Then queen Arianna blurted out: "Why can't you just give him a chance!" and she stomped out of the room. Leaving an even heavier silence.
Maybe I make things a mess
And maybe you're right to have doubts in me
It didn't take her very long to find out where Varian went. She found him sitting on Eugene's bed, staring at his hands. He didn't make any sound, but she could see the tears streaming down his cheeks.
He didn't look up, so Arianna kneeled down in front of him. For a while, Varian remained quiet.
Maybe, but nevertheless
Just when Arianna decided to break the silence, he said softly:
"I lost my mind. One time. But no one is ever going to forgive me."
If you for once could just trust me!
He sounded defeated. "It's no use. I don't know why I even bothered to try and help Rapunzel."
Arianna was at a loss for words. After a minute, she found her voice again and tried to comfort him.
"Varian, I want to trust you... can you look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't poison Pete?"
Just this once, let me come through for you
The way that you want me to
He looked up for the first time, surprised. "Would you believe me?"
Let me make you proud
Let me show you the best in me
Her soft but determined "yes" threw him off guard. He was now staring directly at her with his bright blue eyes.
Let me give you a reason to believe that I can stand tall
"I didn't."
He looked down again. He nervously fidgeted with his sleeves, unsure what to expect.
"I believe you"
Okay, to be honest, he didn't expect that.
"You do? Why?"
"Because I know you're not insane. I know you're a sweet, caring boy who wouldn't do anything to harm people. And Rapunzel will believe that too."
Varian laughed bitterly. "I don't know about that. I hurt her so much. She probably doesn't want to see me ever again."
"I'm sure she does want to. If I know my daughter, she is probably thinking about you right now."
Varian stared at her in disbelief. "What are you trying to say?"
"You have to go help her."
Varian saw her pleading eyes and considered her words. Sure, he was dreading to face Rapunzel after everything that had happened, but this might be his very last chance to prove that he had changed.
And when I return, and I'm more than you dreamt I'd be,
Maybe then you will realize that you never actually knew me at all.
At length, he spoke. "Fine. If the king will still let me go, anyway."
"NO!" Arianna's sudden outburst earned her a puzzled look.
"I'm sorry, what?"
The queen was at war with herself for a moment, but then decided to tell him everything. She hissed: "the king cannot be trusted, and the Captain of the guards neither. I overheard them. They won't let you go free. You must leave at once, escaping right now is your only hope." She paused. "I'll help you."
Varian needed a few seconds to process this. "Help me? B- but your Highness, that's treason!"
"Ssh, I know. But it's the right thing to do." She put a comforting hand on his knee. "Do you trust me?"
Varian hesitated. This was going to get extremely dangerous, and not only for him. But one glance at Arianna's face made him realize she was willing to take that risk. For him. The boy who kidnapped and almost killed her.
"This is crazy. But I guess you're not gonna take no for an answer."
"You're smart. Come on, we have to hurry. Follow me."
Varian quietly wiped the tears from his face and stood up to follow the queen. From a small chest behind the door, she picked up a pair of handcuffs. Varian looked at her questioningly. What could she possibly want with those?
She caught him staring, and quickly said "don't worry. I prepared everything as soon as I heard about the king's plan. We don't want to draw any attention, so you should wear these in case anyone sees us."
Varian shook his head. Yup, this was absolutely insane. But did he have another choice? He smirked.
"Very well then. Shall we get started?"
It was out before he knew it. He saw that Arianna winced at his remark, and instantly regretted it. He stammered:
"I... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"
She quickly composed herself. "No, it's okay. I know we don't have a history of trusting eachother." She carefully put the handcuffs on. Varian closed his eyes, his head suddenly spinning. His mind flooded with flashbacks from when he was arrested. A shiver ran down his spine. Why did he react so strongly? He'd been in prison for almost a year. He had gotten used to this, right? Then he had another flashback. He was back in his lab, chaining a half-conscious Arianna to a steel ring in the floor. Varian understood how she must have felt, defenceless and at someone else's mercy. Now, the tables had turned.
Yet, there was one major difference: Varian trusted Arianna.
"Is everything okay, Varian?" She sounded worried. He opened his eyes, and exhaled shakily. He didn't even realize he'd been holding his breath.
"Yeah... I'm fine." Taking one more deep breath, he added: "I'm ready."
Sure I've made lots of mistakes,
I know that I've disappointed you
Still though, whatever it takes
I'm gonna fix it, just watch me!
Just you wait, I'll make it up to you
If it's the last thing I ever do!
They quickly left the room and started walking down the stairs, trying to appear as calm as possible. "Where are we going?" hissed Varian, noticing that they were walking in the wrong direction. "The exit is the other way"
Before Arianna could respond, they suddenly stood face to face with two guards patrolling the hallway. When they saw Varian, they almost dropped their weapons. Despite everything, Varian couldn't help but crack a smile at their fearful expressions. He kept his head low, so they wouldn't notice.
"Stop right there! Your Highness, what is the meaning of this? Should we call for aid?"
Varian started to panic. Of course the thought of getting out of the palace unspotted had been too good to be true. How were they supposed to get out of this?
The queen put on a stern face. "Thank you for your concern. I can assure you, everything is perfectly fine. I was just escorting this prisoner back to the dungeons. You can go now."
They didn't move. "But, your Highness, he is dangerous!" Arianna raised an eyebrow, then responded coolly. "I can handle myself, thank you. You are dismissed." The guards exchanged a worried glance, but then reluctantly saluted and continued their round.
"Nice one, your Highn-"
"Be silent!" she retorted in an undertone. Varian didn't think much of it at first. Yet, after a while, he noticed that the hallways started to look familiar. They were indeed walking down to the dungeons! Varian's stomach turned. He desperately tried to think of an explanation, but came up short. When they arrived, he couldn't bear it any longer. Smart, he thought, to trick me into coming along voluntarily. It must have been a ploy all along. "I see" he said finally. Should he try to escape? Did he stand a chance? While Varian was debating this with himself, Arianna turned around and swiftly unlocked his handcuffs. "Please stay quiet, unless you want to be discovered."
She stepped inside an empty cell and took out a bag with provisions and tools, which had been hidden behind a few loose bricks. Varian's mind filled up with a thousand questions, but he kept them in. He decided that, for once, he should listen to her warning. Arianna emerged from the cell and beckoned him to follow.
It was only a short walk to the stables, but they were tense and jumped at every sound, terrified of being caught. They wouldn't be able to talk their way out it this time, it was too obvious what they were up to. Much to Varian's surprise, Amber was already saddled and ready for the journey.
"Wow, you planned this out really well."
Arianna smiled. "Well, if it comes down to forming a master plan, I learned from the best." She gave him a teasing wink.
Varian felt his cheeks redden and glanced away. He didn't know how to respond, so he mounted and patted Amber's manes. He looked back at the queen, suddenly feeling extremely relieved.
She gave him a warm smile. "Varian, I wish you the best of luck. Please, save them... and take care of yourself."
Varian gave her a determined look. "I will."
I will make you proud
I will make you have faith in me
I will prove that the way I used to be is all in the past
I will save the day, and come back here triumphantly
Gazing down, he nervously added:
"And, uhm... for what it's worth, I wanted to say... again... that I'm truly sorry about everything."
Though Arianna had known that for a long time already, hearing him say it out loud still made her heart melt.
"I know. And Varian..." she looked into his deep blue eyes. "Your father would be proud of you."
At a loss for words, he only managed to nod. He gave her one last smile, and then turned and rode away. He had to get as far away from the castle as possible in the next few hours.
Queen Arianna watched as she saw his silhouette get smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared behind the horizon. She knew she had done the right thing.
She didn't know someone had seen her do it.
***
As Varian rode away from the palace, the same five words kept repeating in his mind.
Your father would be proud.
Would he be? Varian had been asking himself this question every single day after he got arrested. Ultimately, he'd come to the conclusion that he was a failure, that his dad could never be proud of him. But for the first time, he felt hopeful again. Maybe, just maybe, he could actually fix this...
'Cause I long for that look of surprise, when you see your son rising at last
The pride in your eyes when you see that I'm rising, at last!
***
[Yay, 1889 words! Do you guys like it? Stay tuned for more chapters!
I'm not yet 100% sure if @ChloelynnCaro is okay with me writing an ending for her story. If she isn't, I'll take it off Wattpad.]