#Also I don’t imagine Varian as quite the terror I made him out to be in this post

[antiquepearlss]

Wouldn’t it be really funny if Rapunzel just, forgot about Varian’s whole villain arc in convenient moments?

Like Varian is suspected by some villager of conspiring with criminals and she’s just like “Why would Varian be around criminals lmao?” Or he commits some petty crime (against someone who totally deserves it) and when he’s accused she’s just like “Varian has never done anything wrong in his entire life!”

Varian: pranks Frederic by putting thumbtacks on his throne, puts blue dye in Nigel’s shampoo, steals classified documents for shits and giggles, sneaks in fake documents within real documents, replaces the guards swords with inflatables, blackmails uppity nobles, goo bombs Kiera and Catalina’s treehouse, dyes all of Lance’s clothes hot pink, and steals Eugene’s makeup.

Rapunzel: Varian is such a silly little guy. What a sweet lad.

[codynaomiswireart]

“Gauze in the Wound” - Part 18

“It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.”

- Screwtape, The Screwtape Letters

One of the troublesome things with doing anything out of spite is that nine times out of ten you regret it immediately afterwards.

Varian found himself facing this predicament as he watched the solitary pinprick of light fade away to almost nothing above him, and his heart immediately leapt into a panic as he found he could do nothing this time to stop his rapid descent downwards into the all-encompassing darkness.  Though Varian couldn’t honestly say that his bitter feelings towards Rapunzel had changed in that moment, he did find – for his own sake at least – that he keenly regretted letting go of her hand, and he felt a flare of anger at himself for not letting her help him up and out of the hole he now plummeted down into.  Yet even with this degree of regret, Varian was unable to do anything about it as he found he wasn’t able to navigate that space like before.  It had become an emptier sort of space than before, and no matter how Varian flailed his limbs about in an attempt at a swimming motion, he could not slow his fall as the galaxy-filled sky faded away above him; like a star being snuffed out in a moonless, pitch-black sky. 

Varian wanted to scream in terror as he felt the cool air go whooshing past his helpless form as his fall approached terminal velocity, but it was as if both panic and pride had paralyzed his voice in this throat.  The idea of hitting at any moment now a solid surface that he could not see made him freeze in that fear of being badly hurt (or even killed) upon impact, while at the same time the small tinge of pride he had left in him also didn’t want to let out any sort of sound that may have indicated such helplessness.  But he didn’t need Rapunzel, he told himself.  He didn’t need her help, and he wasn’t going to let any sort of pathetic yelping or crying from himself be his own voice’s final argument against the point.  Varian had no idea what would happen to him now, but he knew for sure that whatever it was that the princess-

“Desine.” 

The familiar word echoed in the air around Varian, interrupting his thoughts, and presently, greatly to his surprise, Varian found himself slowing in his rapid descent, and with a small thud, he landed on his back on what appeared to be another flat and solid surface.  For a moment, Varian just lay there, trying to recollect his shaken senses like when he had emerged onto the celestial plain from before.  But unlike the celestial plain, this new surface he was on felt like it was covered with a thick layer of dust or dirt instead of a thin layer of water, and there was no blazing firmament dancing above him, but only an inky blackness to be seen overhead. Varian coughed and spat as he felt some of the dust around him get into his mouth as a slight, stale breeze stirred the topsoil, and Varian rose to his feet gingerly in an effort to get to cleaner air up off the ground. 

“Care for a drink, Puer Lunae?”

Varian didn’t know how much more panic his heart could take, but he felt another sharp jolt of it surge through him from chest to gut as he heard a voice speak again from somewhere in the darkness behind him.  Whirring round, Varian saw the unexpected sight of a small campfire that glowed a deep pink color, and a cloaked figure sitting beside it holding in one hand a long staff with a green light on the end, while in the other it held a flask with some sort of liquid substance in it, which the stranger seemed to be offering in Varian’s direction.

“Well?” the figure spoke again, its voice deep, silky, welcoming, and even almost gentle as it addressed Varian.  “You must be quite thirsty by now I imagine, yes?”

Varian blinked back in response, noticing how dry his throat had indeed become as he swallowed hard, but remained where he stood as he eyed the flask offered to him with suspicion.  “Wh-who are you?” Varian managed to ask in a hoarse, defensive voice, and he strained his vision to try to make out a face from within the shadows of the stranger’s hood.  But the pink light of the fire wasn’t quite bright enough for that, so any expressions on the stranger’s face were an enigma to Varian.  “What do you want?”

“No need to worry boy,” the stranger answered as he set the flask down beside him, and then extended his free hand in a gesture of invitation.  “I am a friend.  Please, sit.”

On instinct, Varian stepped back a few paces.  Despite the apparent lack of hostility in the man’s voice and demeanor, Quirin had taught Varian to know better than to engage with some stranger who randomly offered him food or drink – let alone some stranger in a mysterious place that Varian knew nothing about. 

“Um, n-no, no thanks,” Varian stammered from his place at the edge of the firelight, shifting his weight from one foot to the other nervously as his mind raced for what he ought to say and do now.  “I-I just need to-”

“To find your way out of here,” the stranger said, more of a statement of fact than as a question.  Varian bit his bottom lip, and his eyebrows scrunched together tightly at the man’s finishing his sentence.

“Yes, I know all about that,” the stranger continued, his voice lullying and coaxing as he managed a small huff of quiet amusement.  “In fact, I know a lot about you, Puer Lunae.”

Puer Lunae.  Moon Child.

Varian’s eyes narrowed at the repeated use of this title…though now his piqued curiosity made him shuffle just one step closer into the circle of firelight as he asked, “W-why are you calling me that?  My name is Varian.”

“Yes, I know that too,” the stranger said (just before Varian could begin mentally kicking himself again for divulging personal information about himself to a total stranger like that).  “And your father’s name is Quirin, and you hail from Old Corona village.  You are a first-class alchemist, you are one of the two men who were able to successfully craft Demanitus steel for the first time within the last three hundred years, and you are currently the kingdom of Corona’s most notorious convict.  You also love ham sandwiches, and you’re goals in life are to free your father and make him proud of you.” 

There was a long pause as Varian blinked at the cloaked man in disbelief, and shuffled back another step.  How did he know all this about him?”

…It was creepy, and Varian would’ve surely made a bolt for it (to where exactly in this darkness who could say?), had it not been for what the man said next as he continued.

“What you do not know, however, is that your father hails originally from the Dark Kingdom – from the court of King Edmund to be precise – far to the east of here.  It’s this very place where the princess of Corona and her comrades are currently journeying.  But they do not know what your father knew about it.  He was one of the few left in the world to know about the great secrets that that kingdom holds – one of those secrets being the legendary Moon Drop, and the great power that it was known to wield.”

Here, the cloaked figure appeared to be look directly at Varian, and Varian was now able to just make out the faint glimmer of eyes that peered out at him from under the stranger’s hood.  Varian wasn’t sure if it was the man’s next few words, the look in his eyes, or both that sent shivers down Varian’s spine in that moment as he said, “And some of its great power resides in you…Puer Lunae.”

Shaking his head in disblief, Varian began retreating back again a few steps, and he felt a desperate sense of denial blossom in his chest, as he didn’t want to accept any of this new information just given to him.

“N-no, you’re lying!  You’re lying!” Varian snapped at the man.  “It’s-it’s not true!  None of this is!  You’re making it up!  It’s not real!  It’s not-!”

“Oh?  Isn’t it?” the man interrupted with a small smile in his voice, and leaned casually against the staff he had planted perpendicular in the sandy ground.

“N-no, it’s not!” Varian insisted back.  “It’s-it’s all just in my head, right?  You, this place; it’s all just a bad, vivid dream!  I’ll-I’ll wake up any moment!  You’ll see!  And then all of this will-” 

“All of it?  Are you sure?” the man questioned confidently, with a slight purr in his voice. “Then tell me boy, how else would you explain what happened to you when you fought the Seperatists of Sapora just a few hours ago?  For that was most certainly an event that happened in the waking world, was it not?”

Varian paused, swallowing hard again as the point sank in.  “I…I don’t know about that,” Varian mumbled back pitifully, his confidence clearly shaken.  Yet despite this, he rallied, and still attempting to recover himself he stated quickly,  “B-but there’s a logical, scientific explanation I’m sure!  I’m positive there is!  I mean, th-there’s no way that all that was-!”

“Magic?”

As the man whispered the word, Varian froze as he felt the air around them began to prickle with some sort of energy that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and a small, purple flame came alight in the man’s free hand a moment later.  The flame hovered just a few centimeters above his open palm with no discernable fuel source for it (which made Varian’s mouth open part way in astonishment), and with a quick flourish, the man sent the tiny flame shooting upwards into the air over their heads.  Varian’s eyes followed it to where it burst quietly in a shower of green sparks, with the effect very much resembling that of a kind of a festival firecracker.  As a few of the hot sparks rained down about them, Varian shielded his face with his arms as he heard them hiss into quietness as they hit the cold, sandy turf, and Varian could see that they left a few ashen marks where they scarred the ground.  That was definitely not a mere illusion of the eyes. 

“Yes, Puer Lunae,” the man said as Varian shakily lowered his arms from his pale, bewildered face.  “It was all indeed magic, and that magic resides in you, whether you like it or not.  But you may grow to like it, for it is indeed a great power that you possess, and one that can help you fulfill your life’s dreams.  If…” here the man pointed at Varian, who shrank a little underneath the gesture.  “If you know how to use it to its full potential that is.  And fortunately for you, I can help you with that.”

For several tense seconds, Varian stood frozen to the spot; quivering with anxiety as what the man was telling him began to seem horribly plausible, and he felt as if he were being swallowed up again by another kind of black hole from which there would be no escape as his brain was becoming overwhelmed by this revelation.  Varian’s pulse quickened even more, and he struggled not to let his breaths crescendo into hyperventilation as he tried to process it all.  Fortunately, Varian’s skepticism saved him from being swallowed into that overwhelming gulf, and he managed to clear his dry throat as he made to speak.

“Heh, y-you make a very bold claim,” Varian said, trying to inject some appearance of self-confidence in his tone, despite being keenly aware of how his voice cracked a little with the effort.  Even so, Varian made an attempt to stand up a little straighter as he continued.  “The Separatists said as much too, in their own way, and look where it got me.  But then you knew that already, apparently.  So wh-what makes you think that I’m gonna listen to you on the basis of a mere fireworks display?  How am I supposed to know that I can trust you?  You still haven’t told me who you are, and I’m not about to trust some faceless stranger.”

��Mm, yes, quite right,” the man replied.  “Those are all very good questions.  You really are quite perspecatious, Puer Lunae.  Though of course, I wouldn’t expect any less from one of my own descendants.”           

There was another deep pause as Varian’s eyes widened upon hearing this.  “Wait…y-you’re what now?” 

“Oh, I know Quirin didn’t want you to know,” the man said with a sigh.  “He was trying so hard to protect you naturally, as any good father would.  He definitely takes after his own father he does, and his father’s father, and his father’s father’s father, ad infinitum.  And of course…”

Here the figure finally pulled back the hood of his cloak.  Upon seeing his face, Varian felt as if he had just received a hard punch in the stomach, his heart felt like it had cracked and begun to bleed, and a sharp yelp of alarm escaped his mouth before he could cover it with both of his gloved hands as horror and whole slew of other emotions began to stir within him as he saw that face in that eerie pink and green light that highlighted those O so familiar features.

For the man’s face bore almost the exact mirror image of his father, Quirin!

“…He took after me – your great-great grandcestor, Lord Demanitus.”

Arianna rubbed her eyes as she finally came to after a good many hours of much needed sleep.  With a bleary glance at the clock on the mantle, Arianna could see that she had slept until just before eleven thirty in the morning.  It had been years since Arianna had slept in so late, but O did it feel so good to so today. 

After putting on the bathrobe and slippers Sabine had supplied for her, Arianna made her way to the kitchen to find herself something for breakfast.  She may have been a queen, but Arianna was by no means opposed to doing her own cooking every now and again when the need arose.  And while Sabine was a gracious hostess, Arianna felt that there was no need to have her go out of her way to make breakfast when Arianna was perfectly capable of doing it herself.  After all, Sabine had other guests that needing tending to, and the last thing Arianna wanted was to get in the way of that.

“Oh, good morning Xavier!” Arianna greeted the blacksmith kindly as he too had woken up by now, and was currently in the process of finishing off some toast with tea and honey as Arianna came in.

“Oh, good morning your majesty,” Xavier greeted in return as he made to stand as a lady entered the room. 

“Please, remain seated Xavier,” Arianna said kindly as she noticed the slight grimace that crossed Xavier’s face as he had tried to stand, and she also noted the wooden cane that leaned against the table at his side.  Arianna knew that Xavier’s feet had been aching him something terrible by the end of last night’s journeyings, and while he really did quite well for someone his age in a lot of respects, she knew that all of what he had been through must’ve still taken its toll on him physically.  He would need time to recover as well from whatever aches and pains he was now experiencing, and Arianna didn’t want him agitating things further just for the sake of courtly manners.  With a grateful nod, Xavier remained in his seat as Arianna went about the kitchen getting her own light breakfast ready. 

“How are you feeling this morning?” Arianna asked him over her shoulder as she poured herself a cup of tea from the kettle that had remained hot over the hearth, and put together a small plate of fruit, yogurt, and toast with marmalade.

“Rather achey, but nothing I can’t handle,” Xavier replied as he gingerly massaged the bandages that had also been applied to the puncture wounds on his neck where the stun darts had been used on him yesterday.  Arianna’s eyebrows scrunched together at this, and she bit her bottom lip hard as she felt anger boil in her blood again at the thought of the Saporian spies knocking Xavier out like that and dragging him away captive.  The kettle over the fire could hardly have been more of a mood for her in that moment.

“How are you doing your majesty?” Xavier asked in return.  “Were you able to send your letter to the king?”

“Yes, yes I was,” Arianna replied as she sat down across from Xavier with her own meal.  “Sabine’s eagle friend was kind enough to deliver it himself last night.  Though since we haven’t been able to make the jump over to Corona just yet, it may be while before he arrives there.  I’m still waiting for a reply.”

Xavier nodded, for he too knew of the mysterious magic of that house that could allow it to warp to other locations.  Of course, Sabine’s Safehouse couldn’t warp to just anywhere.  That really would’ve been silly.  Xavier remembered how years before Sabine had explained to him how the magic of that house worked – being able to go between particular checkpoints created throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and how the house was specifically constructed to be able to do so.  The very wood, stones, and mortal of that house were made from the trees and land pits of the legendary Forest of No Return after all.

And the enchanted astrolabe by which that magic was harnessed and made stable…?  Well, Sabine’s only response to that question had been a bit of a distant look in her remaining good eye, a wrinkled hand hesitantly stroking across the purple strip of cloth that covered the other, and her cryptically saying, “All magic comes with a price…”

“Have you seen Sabine at all this morning?” Arianna now inquired as she ate up a spoonful of yogurt with some blueberries.

“Not yet I’m afraid,” Xavier said with a shake of his head.  “Though under the circumstances, I’d imagine she’s quite busy.” 

“So I take it you haven’t been in to see Varian yet today either?”

Xavier shook his head wordlessly as his answer, and also become very somber at the mentioning of Varian and his condition.  Arianna frowned sympathetically, and a thoughtful silence settled between them again as Arianna continued to much on her meal.

“Um…y-your highness?” Xavier asked with a slight stammer some moments later, to which Arianna looked up puzzled, but listened intently.  “If I may make so free as to ask you a question?”

“Yes of course Xavier,” Arianna replied with an encouraging smile as she took a gentle sip from her teacup.  “What is it?”

Xavier paused again, swallowing hard, then finally forced the words to come out.  “Why did you come to get me with Varian yesterday?”

Arianna’s small smile vanished as she slowly set down her teacup at this question, feeling as if she should begin to brace herself for some reason.  “What do you mean Xavier?”

“O your majesty, please!” Xavier said with a tone both pleading and with an edge of frustration in it.  “You know what I mean!  You should not have done what you did!”

“And why not?” Arianna retorted back, her voice beginning to turn sharp and queenly as she began to feel hurt at Xavier’s unexpected terseness with her, and apparent lack of gratitude for having been rescued.  “We couldn’t just let them take you Xavier!  I know you’d be willing to go to any length to keep Corona safe, noble man that you are, but I too am willing to go to any length to ensure the welfare of my citizens, and that includes you.  We all love you Xavier, and we couldn’t just let anything further happen to you!  And Varian and I were able to do something about that.  What else were we supposed to-?”

“Just because you could do something your majesty, doesn’t mean you should have!”

“And again, why not?  We were successful weren’t we?  We’re all here after all!  We’re safe now!  And-!”

“But you took Varian with you!” Xavier almost shouted at her, with Arianna taken aback at having never seen Xavier so angry with her before.  (Heck, when had she ever seen him angry before?  …Well, perhaps save during the battle last night of course.)  But Arianna restrained her own frustrations as she listened carefully to Xavier’s own.  “Please your highness, explain to me, why?  Why would you risk his safety like that, as well as your own?  If you wanted to get me back, why did you not send someone else?” 

“There was no one else Xavier,” Arianna replied as calmly as she could.  “The entire capital was on lockdown, the guards were spread thin as it was, and I wasn’t about to just sit by in my tower and not do anything to help you.”

“Then why take Varian with you!?  Surely his majesty never would’ve allowed it!  And even if he had, why would you risk Varian’s safety like that!?  Why take him with you!?” 

Arianna knew that perhaps now was not the time to inject any sort of levity into their conversation, but she couldn’t help but have a small smile grace her face as she thought back to how she had found Varian underneath the table in the palace kitchens that evening, as he was gearing up for a rescue attempt on his own, regardless of whether he was going to get any help or not. 

“Actually Xavier,” Arianna said, looking into her friend’s bewildered eyes, “I guess you could say that it wasn’t I who took Varian on this rescue mission.  Not exactly I mean.  If anything, he was the one who took me, in a way.  We only ended up coming together after Friedborg had informed me that he had escaped the guards’ watch, and that he was more than ready to carry out a rescue mission all on his own if need be.  Believe me Xavier, I didn’t want Varian to be in danger any more than you did.  But…” 

Arianna looked down into her teacup as she continued.  “There really was no one else Xavier; no one else who stood a chance like we did anyway.  We were running out of time, as you well know, and we were indeed capable of doing something about it.  And…”  Arianna sighed, sadly.  “I really do believe that Varian needed this, Xavier.  He needed you.  He had to try to save you.  I understand if you’re mad at me for doing what I did.  I won’t argue and say that there wasn’t some foolishness in it.  Indeed, I feel awful at the idea of how we nearly did fail, had it not been for what happened with all that magic.  But I do believe it would’ve been far worse for you and for Varian if I had taken him back to be locked up again – if I had treated him like a criminal again.  He wanted – he needed – to do something to save you.  He needed help, and I was…Well, I was…”

The queen’s voice trailed away at this, and she frowned hard at her reflection in her teacup.  Xavier had every right to be angry with her, and she was sure that Frederic, the Captain, and many others back at home felt no better than he about what she had done.  But Varian had needed her help, and that help couldn’t be found in deterring him from this mission he had set himself on that day.  She needed to show him that he had support in his desire to do the right thing.  He needed someone to not treat him like a criminal, just as Xavier had done.

“…You’ve forgiven him?”

Arianna looked up in surprise as the unexpected question left Xavier’s mouth.  The expression on the blacksmith’s face was hard to read for once, but Arianna thought she could detect something of knowing and anticipation in it.  Arianna opened her mouth to reply to this question…but the answer wouldn’t come.  All at once, everything that Varian had done on the day of the Battle of Old Corona came back to her.  She remembered the muffled, metallic sound of his voice creeping up behind her, and a burst of sparkling green dust before all went black.  She remembered the feeling of the cords that cut into her wrists, and the weight of the shackle around her ankle.  She remembered hearing Rapunzel’s desperate pleas with Varian to spare the lives of her friends and family, and the pain and weariness from her that resulted form Varian forcing her to use her magic for his plans (though the ultimately failed).  Most vividly of all, Arianna remembered the sight of the amber extending hungrily towards her as she was chained helplessly in its path, with their conjuration being of Varian’s own, well-knowing, willing hand, and the feeling of those huge metallic claws closing around her ribcage as if to snap her in two like a brittle twig.

“No,” Arianna wanted to say.  “Of course I can’t forgive someone like that!”

…And yet…

[“So unfortunately, this is my only remaining recourse.”

“WHAT!?  WHY!?”

“I-I DON’T UNDERSTAND, WHY WON’T IT-!?  HER HAIR, I-IT SHOULD’VE CUT THROUGH IT!  WHY DIDN’T IT WORK!?”

“…He was hurting, Frederic.  He was grieving.  He had no one…”

“He had comforted you.”

“DO NOT FINISH THAT SENTENCE!  TELL US WHERE THEY’VE TAKEN HIM RIGHT NOW YOU SCUMBAG OR I’LL-!”

“Shhh, there there big guy. It’s all right. It’s me, remember?...There’s a good boy.  It’s all right.  You’ve got this.  You’ve been so brave Ruddiger!  You did great!  There’s a good boy.  Yeah, you’re a good boy…”

“What the –hair!?”]

“Well, I…” Arianna began, though her mouth had suddenly going rather dry, as she felt some other force begin to squeeze it’s way around her wrestling heart as she struggled with how exactly to answer such a question.

…Had she forgiven him?

“I-” 

But just then, Arianna was suddenly interrupted by footsteps making their way hurriedly down the hall towards them, and both she and Xavier looked up to see Sabine come into the room, her expression urgent.

“Oh, you both are awake, good!” Sabine said a little breathlessly.  “I need you both to come with me right away.  It’s about Varian.”

Both Xavier and Arianna exchanged a worried glance with each other as they quickly got up and followed Sabine back down the hall, with Xavier’s cane making a steady thumping noise as he limped along as quick as he could with his aching limbs. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Arianna asked in earnest as they made their way into Varian’s room, where Arianna could see Varian sweating rather profusely from where he lay on the recovery bed, his face more flushed than before, and also the phenomenon of a slight glow pulsating along the blue streak in his hair.  Ruddiger – nearby as always – looked near terrified as he was treading his paws anxiously into the covers from where he sat at Varian’s side, and Pontus’s head was extended into the room through the open window.  The stag nuzzled his nose into the frightened raccoon’s side to try to comfort him, though was careful to avoid disturbing the dressings still covering the wound there.

“What’s happening to him?” Xavier asked in alarm as he saw Varian’s distressed state. 

“I’m not entirely sure,” Sabine began to explain, “but early this morning Pontus alerted me to the presence of some dark magic within him, which apparently had been the barrier that prevented me from rousing him last night.  Pontus couldn’t tell me the source of it, or even who or what was conducting it, but he said he was certain that whatever it was meant no good, and that we may not have much time before it does something even worse to Varian.  So far, it’s only been keeping Varian unconscious from what I can tell; keeping his mind isolated.  But anything beyong that is unknown to me.”

“What about the fever?” Arianna inquired, feeling her own distress grow more and more at this news. 

“Undoubtedly, that would be Varian’s system trying to fight off this intrusion.  Some of it may be simply due to his body being so exhausted from everything which – dark magic or no – he would still be running a temperature to try to fight.  But as his own powers are now responding a little as well, I get the feeling that there’s more going on within him right now than just a fight to stop a typical infection.”

“What do we do then?” Arianna asked with a slight hitch in her voice.

“We can continue to do all we can to try to bring him back round from our end.  I’ve already spent most of the morning hours trying to do that through whatever magic and remedies I know, and have barely gotten anywhere I’m afraid.  Although…”  Sabine paused for a moment, her eyebrows scrunching together in deep reluctance.  “Pontus had another idea that may be worth a try.  But it could be incredibly risky.”

“What idea is that?” Xavier inquired, his voice surprisingly steady, but his expression indicating both deep worry and steely determination to do whatever was necessary for Varian (and to possibly throttle whatever or whomever was trying to hurt his apprentice). 

At this question, Sabine turned and placed a gentle hand upon Ruddiger’s head.  “Varian may be well out of our reach, but Pontus seems to believe that Ruddiger could possibly get to him, seeing how strong the bond between the two of them is.”

“Right.  So, how would he do that?” Xavier asked. 

Sabine’s expression turned grave as she answered.  “Pontus could loan Ruddiger some of his powers as a familiar – that is, a powerful animal guardian – and he would be able to reach Varian’s psyche that way.  Pontus already made an attempt overnight himself, and nearly had him back to us.  But the attempt ultimately failed, and Varian’s consciousness is even deeper buried now than it was before.  Given his bond with Varian, Ruddiger could possibly be able to reach him that far down, but there’s no guarantee that the two of them teaming up will be able to pull off the operation successfully.  And if the dark presence within Varian is possibly incredibly powerful, Ruddiger especially would be taking an enormous risk in this endeavor.”  Here, Sabine did her best to not look at Ruddiger directly as she made the situation plain.  “It might be he who would not wake up again.” 

Xavier and Arianna exchanged a horrified look between themselves, and Arianna felt her blood run cold at the idea as she looked at the loyal critter who quivered where he sat curled up by his master, with Pontus giving him small gestures of reassurance.

“Oh surely that can’t be it!” Arianna cried.  “There must be something, anything else that can be done!”

“Calm yourself your majesty,” Sabine said reassuringly.  “While the prospects are not assured for Ruddiger’s victory, neither is it guaranteed that he would fail.  Especially if the bond between him and Varian is strong enough, and the source of the dark magic isn’t so powerful, Ruddiger would indeed stand a chance of being able to reach Varian and guide his consciousness back successfully.  But I wanted to seek your counsel on the matter, as Varian himself is not able to give his approval or disapproval of the idea.  You two are the next closest thing to kith or kin that we have for him right now, and Pontus and I need your approval if we are to make the attempt in a timely manner.”

“And what about Ruddiger?” Xavier questioned.

“He’s already agreed to do it if we’re willing to help him.”

Before now, Arianna and Xavier had a hard time imagining that Ruddiger could’ve proven himself to be any more loyal than he already had.  But now, the both of them looked at the creature as if they were seeing a war hero before them.  He was scared nearly stiff, but he was willing to do what it took to save his best friend, even if it meant a risk to his own life, and Ruddiger’s pleading eyes told them, heartbreakingly, all that the two of them needed to know.

Very gently, Arianna kelt down so that she was even with the little creature at the side of the bed, and gently cupped his furry little head in her hands before placing a queenly kiss of blessing atop of it.  “Bring him home, Ruddiger,” was all that she could say as she felt Ruddiger weakly nuzzle her back in return.

It was all happening so fast, and Xavier was of course scared as well.  He hated feeling useless, and he wished there could’ve been another way, but he knew enough about magic to know that Sabine and Pontus were right.  As Arianna gently pulled herself away from Ruddiger, Xavier too gave Ruddiger a gesture of blessing as he placed his hand atop his head. 

“Be careful, brave Ruddiger,” Xavier said to him, and trying hard not to let his voice crack with emotion.  “You can do it.  We’re all here for you.” 

With one last coo of grateful acknowledgment to everyone, Ruddiger then turned to Pontus, who gently placed the tip of his nose to Ruddiger’s forehead.  After a few seconds, Arianna saw a patch of white begin to expand cross Ruddiger’s head from where Pontus touched him, while at the same time, the white of Pontus’s muzzle began to fade into a deep reddish-brown color.  Though both animals’ ears fell back upon their skulls as if in some discomfort, neighter one cried or flinched in pain, to which Arianna felt some relief. 

A minute later, Pontus – with his muzzle now almost completely covered in reddish-brown fur – withdrew from Ruddiger, and everyone present could see the glowing patch of white that now crowned Ruddiger’s head like a tiny full moon.  After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Ruddiger nodded to Sabine that he was ready.  Gently, Sabine took Ruddiger in her arms, and for a second time initiated the spell for a charmed sleep, and the little raccoon’s eyelids slowly slid shut as the sing-song words were completed.

Arianna couldn’t bring herself to watch that though.  She dreaded the idea of never seeing them open again after that. 

Once this was done, Sabine very solemnly laid Ruddiger down at Varian’s shoulder on the mattress, and everyone present knew that they could only now watch and wait to see what would happen, as the glow on Ruddiger’s head gradually began to pulsate in tandem with that of his master’s.

With a sharp gasp, Ruddiger soon found himself coming to in a dark, dusty place, with a stale breeze flowing through the air around him.  For a fleeting moment, Ruddiger thought that perhaps he was back in the laboratory at home – what with all the dust it must’ve surely collected by now, and in the basement it definitely would’ve been dark.  But no, that couldn’t be right, for dust was one thing, but layers of dirt was quite another.  And there was no glow of any kerosene lamps, or goo balls, or other alchemical compounds in jars or flasks on the shelves.  No, there was nothing but this blackness, and the dim howl of a cold wind that blew across the desolate landscape.

Carefully, Ruddiger raised himself up on all fours, and as he did so noted the pneumbra of white that seemed to be surrounding him as he looked down at his forepaws, and then his sides and tail.  It wasn’t a very bright light, but it was still quite apparent to the eyes.  But why would he-?

“Oh!  That’s right!” Ruddiger recalled in a flood of memory.  “I’m here to get Varian!”

Looking about him, Ruddiger tried to make out anything distinct in the inky blankness that pressed up on all sides.  Turning around and around, Ruddiger couldn’t see anything beyond the few inches of turf highlighted by the silver light coming from his pelt.  Being a nocturnal creature by nature, the dark didn’t frighten Ruddiger so easily.  But the feeling of being out in an open, solitary place was rather unnerving, and Ruddiger found it difficult to figure out what to do or where to go from there. 

“Perhaps I should try following my nose?” he thought, and with that, Ruddiger proceeded to sniff at the air around him.  After about a minute or two of this, he almost began to despair of getting any sort of clue, but then-

“Ah!” Ruddiger thought in a thrill of triumph, as he detected a scent distinct from the rest of the air.  “There’s something!” 

As quick as he could, Ruddiger scampered his way along the turf, following the smoky scent that wafted over from somewhere ahead.  A little while later, Ruddiger could finally make out a dim, pink light in the distance, and figured that that must be where the scent was coming from.  Ruddiger bounded towards it, and he felt his heart give a great leap as he got closer and could make out both the sight and scent of Varian as he sat near the light, with his back towards Ruddiger, and his form in silhouette against the pink light. 

Ruddiger very nearly called out to Varian with joy as he approached, but he suddenly stopped as he realized that Varian was not alone.  There was a second figure, bigger than Varian, who also sat with his back towards Ruddiger’s direction.  Varian and the stranger weren’t sitting particularly close together, but Ruddiger could see that the mystery figure seemed to be handing over an item to Varian, which the boy took from it (if a bit hesitantly), and Ruddiger could hear the faint sound of voices talking together.  Ruddiger of course recognized Varian’s voice, but something about it was a bit…off, as if somehow muffled.

No, wait.  Now Ruddiger realized.  Varian’s voice sounded like how one does when one is trying to talk with their mouth filled partway with food, and now Ruddiger could also see Varian tilt his head back a little, and apparently down a few sips of some sort of drink.  But as Varian continued talking afterwards, Ruddiger could also hear something else in Varian’s voice that made him uneasy.

There was bitterness.  And anger.

A second later, the stranger also made to speak, and though Ruddiger wasn’t close enough to make out any words, he was able to recognize the sound of the voice.  It was the one that he had heard during the battle yesterday!  The one that had tried to coax Varian into killing the Saporian spy! 

At this, Ruddiger felt the fur stand on end on his back and along his tail, and now throwing all caution to the wind, Ruddiger let out a screech of alarm as he ran directly at the two figures, the both of whom whirled round to look at him over their shoulders, and each expression could hardly have been more of a polar opposite to the other as they each fixed their gaze on the glowing raccoon that bounded its way towards them. 

On one face, Ruddiger could see breaking through the bitterness and rage the signs of recognition, surprise, and finally joy as a wide smile broke out onto Varian’s face (though there was still something a bit wrong with his eyes, Ruddiger thought) as he saw is loyal companion running towards them.  In the other face, Ruddiger saw something like astonishment, then fear (which almost amused Ruddiger, as only his giant feral form had he ever evoked anything like that emotion from anyone), and then finally…hostility.

The question now became: Which would now win out over the other in Ruddiger’s fate as he drew rapidly closer to the two of them?

You'd think after his own escapades that Varian would know better than to accept food from strangers. *facepalm* Don't do it people!!!

Though that part of this chapter was inspired by the scene in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" where Edmund met the White Witch and ate her food. For some reason, I imagined Zhan Tiri having a similar approach to the White Witch in this kind of scenario, though with his own warlock flair of course. (I also imagine his voice sounding a bit like Keith David for some reason. *shrugs*)

Ruddiger's glowing form in the dreamscape/mindscape was also meant to be reminiscent of a patronus. I was also inspired to do the whole "Ruddiger as a familiar/patronus" thing by the scene in the film "The Secret of Kells" where Aisling sends Pangur Bán into the tower to retrieve the key in a kind of spirit form.

"Aisling's Song" scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32DM5tNeHBA