Chapter Text
The fields are enveloped by the night, only illuminated by the moon’s soft glow. A gentle wind shakes the grass followed by harsh footsteps which crush the autumn leaves and disturb the quiet. A man runs, carrying a boy in his arms. A woman follows them, she keeps up with them easily and isn’t planning on stopping anytime soon. Long strands of her black hair are seen under her red cloak.
“Don’t worry son. सब ठीक होगा,” The man, Quirin, whispers to his child. Quirin runs as quietly possible, firmly holding the young boy in his arms. “We just need to get to the castle, okay? Then my friend Frederick will look after us. वो कैसा लगता है? You’ll get to stay in a nice big castle.”
“मेरी चीज़ों का क्या होगा?” Quirin hushes him gently. “We can worry about your things later, alright? We’ve got to get to safety first”.
“Isn’t our house safe?” The boy meekly asks.
“Not anymore.”
The woman is on their heels and Quirin catches a glimpse of her face. He knows who she is. Knows why she’s here. And he would rather die than let her take his son. His pride and joy. Gothel must have seen them at the river, must have watched as his boy manipulated the water like the moon controlling the ocean’s tide.
The rest of the trip is silent and Quirin allows himself the belief that they will make it. Then a blade hits a nearby tree. “Varian, I need you to listen to me son, I need you to run to the castle, alright? I’ll meet you there, I promise.” He quickly sets Varian on the ground and pushes him forward.
“But dad- “. Another blade whizzes past. Quirin hastily wraps his cloak around the boy and fastens his bag onto Varian’s shoulders. “Son, please. I need you to go!” Hesitantly, Varian begins his way forward. “आपका वादा?” Varian looks back to see his father unsheathe his sword from its scabbard. “I promise you, Varian.” With that, Quirin turns and engages with their pursuer.
Varian runs as swiftly as his little legs will take him until he finally reaches the gate. He jumps onto the back of a rickety merchant cart and rides it all the way to the castle, there he desperately pleads with a group of servants to bring him to his dad’s friend. Hearing the little boy’s cries, one servant, an older woman with thick hair tied back in a braid and a long navy dress brings the boy to the great hall where the king and queen are eating at a grand table. The king sits at the head of the table with the queen at his side. The silence in the room is broken by Varian’s sniffles.
The queen looks up from her plate to acknowledge their arrival when her eyes fix on Varian. His clothes are ruffled and he’s covered in dirt, he looks exhausted.
“Maeve dear, why have you brought a young boy?” She drops her fork next to her plate and gives the pair her full attention. her eyebrows have knitted and her lips have quirked into a frown as she sees the boy’s tears.
“He appears to be lost your highness; he came running up to me begging to meet his father's friend.” Varian looks between the two women. The woman sat at the table is dressed in silks and long brown curls compliment her hazel eyes. Her face is pinched in concern, he can see that she eagerly wants to wrap him up and keep him safe.
“Is that so? Come here, sweetheart.” She gestures for Varian to come forward, the king casts a concerned look towards the boy. He has also stopped eating.
“What’s the matter, honey? Do you need help? It’s quite dark out, you must’ve been out there for hours!” She brushes his bangs out of his face and encourages him to come closer.
“It- it’s my father. Someone chased us, he told me to run to the castle and find his friend. He said he’d give us shelter and- and protect us.” He stammers a bit, not used to speaking Coronan.
“What was your father’s friend called? Did he say?” Queen Arianna asks.
“Frederick.” At this, the king speaks up.
“Quirin’s boy?” Varian nods.
A search party is sent out that very minute. News comes an hour later. Quirin of Old Corona was found with multiple stab wounds and succumbed to his injuries moments after the initial attack. With no living relatives that they know of, a six-year-old Varian is taken in as the King’s ward.
“Come on, Cassie! You aren’t even trying!” The young lord practically flies past her, his steed surpassing Cassandra’s and riding farther and farther forward. He rides a grey horse which bares a navy blue saddle, much like the navy blue cloak the little prince is wearing. Varian had wrapped it around him quickly during his hurried escape. He loved sneaking out of the castle and getting fresh air. The castle atmosphere was always so suffocating no matter the occasion. He had just finished up a history lesson when Cassandra told him his schedule was cleared until King Malcom’s arrival at noon. So, Varian had taken off his waistcoat, grabbed his cloak, and ran towards the stables. Narrowly avoiding servants passing by with trays and laundry. The castle staff were all used to Varian’s antics and got out of the little lord’s way with knowing smiles on their faces.
“I am! It’d be easier if someone didn’t sic his oversized cat on me!” Varian giggles at her misfortune and urges his horse on further.
“I’ll have you know Ruddiger is much more dignified than an average street cat! He’s the most intelligent raccoon in all of Corona.” She huffs at him.
“If we miss King Malcom’s arrival because of you Nigel will have your head, y’know!”
“Oh please! Nigel’s just pissy that a, as he so eloquently put, ‘Dirty farm boy’ is going to be crown prince!” Varian laughs.
Nigel advised the king against the decision since Varian wasn’t royal blood. Normally, King Frederick would listen to Nigel’s every suggestion. But not on this. Varian was practically his own flesh and blood, plus the kingdom adored the little prince. Varian had initially declined the king’s offer but, since it annoyed Nigel, eventually accepted. The thought of actually ruling the kingdom was terrifying, but that was a problem for future Varian. Right now, all he was worried about was beating Cassandra to the border. Without any other kids his age at the castle Varian made it his mission to befriend his personal guard and, after two long years, succeeded. Cassandra had eventually warmed up to the little prince and his eagerness for approval. He was pretty adorable. And also, a complete pain. Her job mostly consisted of stopping Varian from sneaking out of castle, and if he did sneak out, she had to drag him back to the castle kicking and screaming. It was worse when he was new to the castle.
He was nervous and stuck to himself, hiding behind pillars and staying in the shadows. He’d only come out when there were feasts or he had to greet visiting dignitaries but even then, he never spoke. Some tried to talk to him, but he’d simply nod politely or shrug apologetically. It took a good year for him to come out of his shell. He was only comfortable talking to queen Arianna and her handmaiden, commonly being seen following her around like a lost puppy and hiding behind her skirt during court. He’d sometimes whisper suggestions to her whenever Old Corona or farming was involved but mostly just listened. The kid was loved by all the castle staff, maids would coo over him, the chef would sneak him his favourite treats, even the guards were smitten with the little boy letting him get away with anything. Which also made Cassandra’s job a lot harder since the other guards would simply cover for him whenever he was avoiding feasts or meetings.
He grew out of it around 11 but would still hide whenever certain lords and kings visited. Varian wasn’t shy anymore, simply played into the act to avoid consequence when he ‘innocently’ insulted a noble to their face. He hated most nobles. They were all so intrusive and eager to pinch his cheeks or they would try to not so subtly suggest things to him in hopes he would pass it on to the king or queen. They never counted on the fact he was smart and not very easily manipulated. The kid knew what he was doing and could spot their tactics from a mile away.
“Varian? You alright?” Cassandra slows her horse down next to where Varian has stopped.
“I’m… I’m nervous. I know it’s still a month away, but I just don’t think I can go through with it. When I first accepted it was to annoy Nigel but now it’s all so... real. Nobles are arriving, preparations are being made, the tailor has fitted my coronation outfit… What if- what if I mess it all up?” Cass puts a firm hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, the king wants to crown you for a reason. The kingdom believes in you and the future you could create. I believe in you. You’re going to change the world someday with those inventions of yours. I trust you, kid. You’re like my little brother, y’know? Plus, you’re how old? Fifteen? You have your whole life ahead of you. Anything could happen from this point to when you actually rule the kingdom. So, stop worrying about it. You’ll be fine.” Varian looks at her and gives her a small smile.
“Thank you, Cassie.” He turns Max around and begins the journey back to the castle, Cassandra right next to him.
“My lord, if I may,” Varian cuts him off with a loud groan, tipping his head back until it hits the wall behind him.
“You may not. If I hear that one more time I swear I’m going to lock myself in my room. Or commit a crime. I’ll decide later.” Hugo laughs at him, raises his hands in mock surrender and leans against the wall opposite him.
After Quirin’s passing Varian, the queen, and some knights had gone to his home in Old Corona and gathered his things for him to furnish his bedroom and rebuild his small lab. At age thirteen he finally got to have a proper lab. He did have to be supervised but a victory was a victory. Plus, the supervisor was Hugo. A guy his age who was interested in engineering, so Varian could talk about alchemy and engineering with somebody who could actually follow the conversation and help out. Hugo was blonde and pale, his hair shaved into an undercut and always tied up. Hugo originally came to Corona when Varian was eight as an apprentice to Ingvarr’s head engineer, Donella. Hugo, being a bit of an egocentric nine year old, initially brushed Varian off as an ‘annoying kid’ but eventually they formed a solid friendship. It was rare to see one without the other. He returned seven years later to overlook the shipment and installation of Donella’s lights throughout the castle.
“Alright, alright. Calm down. That bad?” Varian gives him a humourless laugh and slumps down the side of the wall. He had hid in this alcove the second the Duke of Kerring started walking towards him. The guy had been trying to convince Varian to tell the king to give him more land for the past three years. So, Varian legged it. He had ran down the hall and hid. If you could even call it hiding. In actuality all Varian had done was pull back a tapestry, duck into the hidden alcove, lean against the wall, and start reading the latest volume of Flynnigan Ryder.
“King Malcolm arrived this morning and he brought his son with him.” Varian dragged the hand not clutching his book down his face and huffed. King Malcom’s son, Prince Lennon, was a very intense person. His tan skin was decorated with freckles, blonde curly hair shone under the sun, and muscles which threatened to rip his sleeves. He looked like he could be the prince of Corona rather than the scrawny, ebony-haired fifteen year old with a peculiar teal hair stripe. If there was such a thing as The Dark Kingdom Varian was convinced he must be the long lost prince.
”Prince Lennon seems nice enough. He’s just- intense. And very ‘manly’. He keeps trying to convince me to sword fight and he will not take no for an answer. I think he just wants an excuse to fight something. He’s like constantly filled with adrenaline.”
“Ah. So, you’re hiding in here to avoid just him or is there more? Talk to me, goggles.” Hugo pushed himself off the wall and sat down next to him, pulling the tapestry down to conceal them in the alcove.
“The Duke of Kerring wants more land so he can raise tax. He wants to build more villages and construct a mansion for his eldest son to live in. Fred’s obviously not going to do it since there’s literally no beneficial reason to so the duke has been bothering me about it instead. He just won’t leave me alone. And he wants me to court his daughter. She seems great and all but I am not interested. Thankfully, he was happy enough with me just dancing with her at the Yuletide ball but I think the more I reject his land proposition the more he’s going to push me into talking to his daughter.” Varian leans more into him and Hugo wraps a sympathetic arm around him. He slowly untangles some of the knots in Varian’s hair.
“मैं इससे नफरत करता हूँ. Nobility is so stressful. I wish I could just tell them all to leave me alone.”
“Can’t say I completely understand what you’re going through right now but I do get it. Back in Ingvarr the nobility hound me to talk to Don for them. It’s the worse.” Varian laughs and shuts his eyes. Hugo continues ranting about Ingvarr, Varian tries to listen but between the comfortable body he’s resting against and the hand in his hair it’s easy for him to just drift off into a peaceful sleep. He’ll worry about the duke and prince Lennon later, for now all that matters is getting a few hours rest.
Cassandra noticed Varian was missing about ten minutes after he had initially ran and had immediately started her search around the castle. The first place she checked was his lab. It was located on the first floor, a large set of double oak doors led into the large space. The walls were dark and covered in equations and blueprints, pages of scrapped ideas littered the floors and journals were placed in a great bookshelf which were organised in a way only Varian really understood. Pipettes, glassware, and tubs of chemicals were placed on the desk he shared with Hugo. Hugo’s scrap metal and blueprints were at the left hand side while Varian’s was at the right.
After the lab turned up empty she checked the Castle’s library. Varian loved spending his time there. He’d pick up a load of books and hide in a little reading nook or sit at the grand bay window and spend the rest of his day reading. The library was impressive, originally filled with history and etiquette books but now held a big collection alchemy and science books due to Varian’s influence. But he wasn’t there either.
He could have been in the palace gardens, he loved taking night strolls through the briars and flowers. There were a number of wooden benches for him to sit and relax on, though most of the time he’d lie in the grass and fall asleep combing through Ruddiger’s fluffy fur. However, this evening was particularly cold and Varian hated enduring cold weather. He’d much rather be in cozy in a blanket, clutching a warm cup of hot chocolate. So, onto the next and last placed he could have gone.
He wasn’t in his room either. His room was a comfortable space which was lit by neon test tubes, Varian was always quite sensitive to the light, much preferring soft illumination compared to harsh rays. So, he had thick curtains placed at his balcony door and bay window which were practically permanently shut over. He would light candles at his desk if he needed more light. His room acted more like a glorified study than a typical bedroom. He had an oak desk which held science books, etiquette books, and language dictionaries. Varian always prided himself on his language knowledge, knowing many both dead and alive. Maybe not fluently, but he knew an impressive amount of languages. Fluently, he knew Coronan, Hindi, and Ingvarrian. Him and Hugo loved talking in Ingvarrian so they could talk bad about nobles in front of their faces.
However, he wasn’t in his room either. So, out of options, she steeled herself for the consequences of losing the prince and made her way towards the ball room where the King and Queen were entertaining guests. She made her way across the castle and down the pale corridors, lit only by candlelight. That’s when she heard soft snoring coming from down the hall. She quietly made her way down the corridor and slowly peeled back the purple Coronan tapestry to reveal Hugo and Varian. Curled around each other and fast asleep. Her suspicious glare immediately soften and she crouched down to gently shake Hugo’s shoulder. He woke up with a jolt and looked up at her, following her gaze, he peered down at the boy cuddled into his shoulder. Hugo smiled, brushed Varian’s bangs out of his face then softly shook him into consciousness.
Varian blearily opened his eyes and gave a big yawn, scrubbing the sleep out of his eyes he began to stand up, offering Hugo a hand up too. They all made their way back to the ball room and with the promise not to leave each other’s sides, enjoyed the rest of the evening. It was when Varian woke up that following morning that the world seemed to turn upside down.
The princess had suddenly returned.