A piece of speculative fiction I wrote after seeing the promo for The Alchemist Returns. It didn't end up being how things panned out, but was fun to jot down in any case.

"VARIAN!"

Varian's muscles tensed as the princess threw her arms around him, the surprising comfort of her embrace nearly making him forget his bitterness towards her for the briefest of seconds as she squeezed him close to her, one of her hands rubbing and patting his back with tender, almost motherly reassurance. It hadn't struck him until then just how bereft of friendly contact he had been up until that point. Under any other circumstances, it would've made the boy hug her tightly in return, relishing the moment of a good friend being so relieved to see him alive and well, and reassuring him that everything was going to be ok.

"Everything's going to be ok. I promise."

But as it was…

Varian remained stock still, arms hanging straight down by his eyes, fists clenched, and eyes downcast in a confusing mixture of indifference and sadness while Rapunzel's words poured out like water at his shoulder, her voice threatening to break as she went on.

"Varian, I…I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean for any of this to happen! Really! To Old Corona! To you…To Quirin…"

Rapunzel's voice trailed off, Varian frowned hard, eyes still downcast, as Pascal gave a melancholy croak from his perch atop Rapunzel's head.

"Varian, really I…I am so sor-"

"Stop," Varian whispered tersely, feeling Rapunzel pause in response. "Just…stop."

Rapunzel nodded, pulling away and rubbing at her eyes on the verge of tears, but doing her best to compose herself as she waited for Varian to speak. Again, Varian nearly forgot his bitterness as for the first time since that terrible day as he looked her in the eyes. There he did see how truly remorseful Rapunzel was…but any compassion for that seemed to be really struggling to break through the crust he had been forming carefully around his heart ever since the guards had dragged him from the castle; his emotions turning as cold as the ice he had been so callously cast out into.

…It could not have been easy, he knew, for Rapunzel to make the decision that she did those several months ago. He'd had enough time to think of that by now (and to have heard the stories of the Demanitus Device). But if he were honest, that didn't really change the way he felt. It didn't change the fact that his father was still encapsulated in an amber chrysalis back in the lab, that Varian was left with the horrible wondering of whether he was still alive or long dead, and that Varian had to dodge his way around the king and his guards (both figuratively and literally) in order to get any sort of progress done on solving this horrible mystery. It didn't change the fact that the rocks continued to wreak havoc across the kingdom, and that they all could be left with a situation that could never be rectified.

…It didn't change the fact that he had his own stinging regrets to deal with…

"I told you to stay away from those rocks!"

"VARIAN WATCH OUT!"

"NO! STAY BACK!"

"DAD! DADDY! NO NO NO NO NO!"

Varian flinched slightly, coming back to himself as he cleared his throat, willing the tears that threatened to break through back behind the dam that was his resolve.

"Rapunzel," Varian began, his voice sounding hollow. "You remember that in my note I said I needed your help now more than ever, right?"

"…Y-yes," Rapunzel replied.

"Well it's true," Varian said, his gaze fixed hard back into the princess's. "I think I know where we can find the solution to getting rid of these rocks. But it's somewhere deep in the old caverns of the kingdom." Varian paused, forcing his next few words to come out. "And I need you to come with me."

Rapunzel bit her lower lip, eyes turning away as Pascal made a concerned chirping noise, and her gaze fixed on the portrait of her father hovering on the wall above the two of them. Varian's heart began to beat hard as he waited for her answer.

"Varian, I…" Rapunzel said meekly, her countenance telling him everything he needed to know.

"He's forbidden you, hasn't he?" Varian asked sternly, his fists clenching tighter at his sides, anger boiling in his blood at how unfair it all was!

"Well he-"

"PRINCESS!" Varian nearly shouted, Rapunzel jumping in fright at his harsh tone, and Pascal diving to hide behind her hair. "ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO GO BACK ON YOUR PROMISE AGAI-!"

Varian stopped, cringing hard, remembering what he had read in his father's note…

No. If he was going to have Rapunzel's help, this was NOT the way to go about it, however he might feel.

"Listen, Rapunzel," Varian tried again, though the edge was still not gone from his voice. "I know you don't want to go against your dad. I get it. But the kingdom is in danger. This isn't just about us anymore. Believe me, if I could do this on my own I would. Because…"

Varian took a deep breath. "…We're not friends."

Rapunzel swallowed hard, shrinking a bit at Varian's words, but remained silent as he continued.

"Not now anyway. Not after what you did…What you didn't do…I can't forgive you for that. Not right now anyway…" Varian felt his own voice waver a bit as he said these words, the bit of fondness he still felt for his friend seeming to cry out to him from somewhere deep under the crust that ached with the force of its protestations. Yet his bitterness held on, feeling both sticky-sweet and utterly deplorable to him as he knew how much his words stung Rapunzel.

"But," Varian managed to continue, "like I said, this isn't just about us anymore. Something bigger than us is going on here, and we're the only ones who can do anything about it. If…if my dad is going to have any chance – if Corona is going to have any chance – I'm going to have to hold you to your word. Again."

Varian held out one of his hands. "Princess Rapunzel, will you help me put an end to this?"

Rapunzel looked between Varian's hand and his face, and then back to her father's portrait.

"Varian, I-"

"Rapunzel!" Varian snapped again, his patience wearing thin, but something about Rapunzel's conflicted face caused his voice to soften, even just a little bit. "Corona…needs…our help."

A moment of silence passed, Rapunzel going over Varian's words in her mind. Finally, with a deep breath, brow furrowing in determination, Rapunzel took Varian's hand in her own, the two of them exchanging a firm shake between them.

"Where do we start?" Rapunzel asked, Varian offering a court nod in return, his expression working hard to hide the immense relief that washed over him unbidden in that moment (along with a glimmer of hope that perhaps…things could go back to the way they were, before this whole mess).

"You can count on me."

"Follow me," he said as the two of them turned down the castle corridor. "We're going to need to get some supplies first."