Varian was sitting in Aquaria's room after his Quirineon exploded.
"I can't do this without you, Aqua... I need you..."
He looked up from the drawing in his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks.
He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, but he couldn't.
Varian was sat on Aquaria's bed with her between his legs, resting against his chest as he held her close.
"Sweetpea," Varian said softly and Aqua shook her head.
"Nope."
"Honey bunch? No, I refuse to call you that," Varian said as he thought hard on a nickname. "Beautiful?"
"I mean, that's just a fact," she joked and he chuckled lightly, kissing her cheek.
"That is true. You are very beautiful," Varian agreed.
"And you are very handsome, Var," Aqua said as he rested his chin on her shoulder.
"I am so glad that we are together." Varian sighed in content and Aqua smiled.
"Me too. Together forever," she said softly as she put her hands over his that were resting on her stomach.
"Together forever," he confirmed happily.
Varian wiped his tears, only for new ones to fall. He felt so guilty.
"We were supposed to be together forever... now we might never be together ever again... she has to forget... she will never forgive me... she'll hate me forever..."
Varian stiffened when he heard the door open.
"Varian, the princess is caught. She thought she could sneak back in," Andrew said and Varian forced himself to stop crying.
"I'm coming. Let's take her to the dungeon," Varian said before walking out with Andrew.
When they got to the dungeon, Rapunzel was just being locked in.
"Varian, how could you do this?" Rapunzel was furious with the alchemist.
"I want you to know I wish it didn't come to this," Varian said calmly as he knocked on the bars before grabbing them. "But when someone trusts you, and you betray them, well, this is what happens."
"My kingdom needed me. I couldn't do anything about the amber and I had to stay."
"Aquaria didn't have to," Varian shot back.
"Aqua did. She wasn't allowed to leave the palace grounds except for when I called for the evacuation. Aquaria went to find you as soon as I gave the evacuation order. She was found unconscious in the snow outside of your lab because she was trying to get to you," Rapunzel said and Varian nearly froze. "But I never meant to break my promise to you, Varian. We were friends."
"That's the beauty of my plan. In the end, when your memory has been erased, we can be friends again," Varian said as he started to walk away from the cell.
"But you're only making it worse. None of these people did anything to you," Rapunzel said as she grabbed the bars of her cell and Varian turned to look at her.
"It's not what they did to me. It's why I did to them," Varian's voice faultered as he spoke and turned away, clenching his eyes shut. "And there... there is no way that they will ever forgive me." He held his picture of him and Aqua, tears forming in his eyes.
"How do you know if you don't give them a chance?" Rapunzel didn't want to believe that Varian was bad. She knew that he was truly good, just misguided.
"I took their queen and princess prisoner, I-I threatened you, I helped these guys take over their kingdom! You think anyone's gonna give me a second chance? I don't think so. No, making them forget is the only way to fix what I've done," Varian said as he walked over and looked at her before looking back down at the drawing. "It's the only way I'll ever get Aquaria back..."
"Yeah, there's been a slight change of plans, buddy," Andrew said as he walked up behind Varian, grasping his arms. "Now that she's back, we don't have time for you to get your memory formula right."
"We are still using the formula you've curated. Quirineon explodes! It will turn Corona to ashes," Clementine added.
"Wha- no! No! We agreed nobody would be harmed!" Varian shouted as he pointed at Andrew.
"Relax, Varian," Andrew said as he pushed the kid's arm down. "You don't wanna end up on the wrong side of history. You understand, buddy?"
Varian looked at Rapunzel who looked at him desperately. He looked down at the drawing in his hands.
"You're right," he put the photo in his pocket before pulling his hand back out with a blue orb. "So I'm gonna have to ask you to step inside that cell." He held the orb out at them threateningly.
"Are you betraying us, boy?" Clementine glared as the Saporians backed up.
"I'm getting on the right side of history."
"Take him out!" Clementine ordered before Varian threw the orb which exploded into bubbles and suds.
"Oh... sorry, guys. That was uh... yeah, that was a bath bomb..."
Before he knew it, Varian was locked in the cell beside Rapunzel.
"He's made his choice. Let's move. We launch the airship in twenty," Andrew said before leaving with the Saporians.
Varian sat down and pulled out his picture of him with Aqua.
'It's over... I'll never get her back... I lost her forever...'
He curled up on the cot against the wall as Rapunzel tried to break through the bars of their cell. He tried to cover his face with his bandana as tears threatened to spill from his eyes.
"All I ever wanted was for my father to be proud..." He let his bandana fall. "Of course it he were free from the amber now and saw everything I've done, well, he'd be ashamed..." Varian said and he stared at the drawing in his hand. "And I'm an embarrassment to Aquaria..."
"You know, standing up to Andrew just now was pretty brave," Rapunzel said quietly as she sat down on the other cot. "Look, I know how much it hurts to have someone you trust let you down. I mean, after you go through something like that, how can you ever trust anyone again?"
"I don't know," Varian murmured as he stared at the smile on Aquaria's face in the drawing. He would give anything to see her smiling again, not just in the drawing.
Rapunzel was looking at the opposite wall, thinking about Cassandra.
"Tha-that's why I thought maybe if-if I could make you forget everything that happened, we could be friends again. Learn to trust again," Varian said as he looked over at Rapunzel. "And if I could make Aquaria forget, she could fall for me again and I could be with her again. She wouldn't remember all the awful things I said and did... but I guess life doesn't really work that way..."
Varian looked down at the photo before looking back at Rapunzel. He gave a little smile which she returned.
"Okay, this is very sweet, but honestly, I'm offended. I can't believe you were going to break into something and you didn't even ask me! It's kinda my thing."
Varian and Rapunzel turned to look at Eugene opening the cell door with Lance and Max with him.
"Thank goodness your here!" Rapunzel ran into Eugene's arms.
"And where do you think you're going, little man?" Lance stopped Varian from leaving the cell. He looked down sadly, but was startled when Lance rubbed off his fake goatee that he had drawn on.
Lance, Maximus, and Eugene laughed a little at Varian's defeated expression.
"Guys, we're going to have to trust him," Rapunzel said to her friends.
"After everything hairstripe here has done, you're going to trust him?" Eugene questioned as he went to unlock Pascal from his restraints.
Varian clenched his eyes shut.
"No... h-he can't hate me... this is just a bad dream..." Varian heard Aquaria whimper and start to hyperventilate from the other side of the curtain.
"Honey, calm down. It's gonna be okay," Arianna said and Varian clenched his fists, wanting so badly to take back what he had just said. He did love Aqua. He could never truly hate her.
"No it's not! H-he hates me! I made him hate me!" Aquaria sobbed.
Varian was pulled out of his thoughts when Rapunzel spoke.
"Yes, he's the one that made the formula that the Saporians are about to drop on Corona." Rapunzel grabbed Varian's shoulders gently. "We need him."
Varian gave a small smile as he looked Rapunzel before he was dragged off.
Maybe he could get Aquaria back. He really hoped that she could forgive him... that she could still love him...