Author's Note:

Adira and Khutalun are not the same character. I created Khutalun before Season 2 began and so my creation of Khutalun is simply based on what we saw of her in the Season 1 finale. I may draw future inspiration from Adira, but Khutalun has her own story planned. I chose the name Khutalun and so it will remain Khutalun and will not change. It bothers me that their names are the same, but I can't help what I didn't know.

I finished writing this chapter a while ago, but I was annoyed at how unpolished it was. However, I realized that I simply didn't have the time and energy to go back and polish it up and so I figured, better to publish it and continue the story then wait forever for me to someday clean it up. Still, it covers what needs to be covered, even if it isn't presented with the eloquence I'd prefer.

Tangled: The Series:

A Speculative Continuation

Part II: The Path in the Shadows

Chapter 15: Unpleasant Reminders

Greta peered intensely into the telescope's lens. During the day, she had only been able to barely make out the planet Venus, but with dusk quickly approaching, she hoped to be able to spot other celestial lights. However, it was still too light for her to spot any of the constellations that were charted all over the observatory. Groaning, Greta slumped into her wheelchair just as Varian emerged from the first floor. She turned to face her friend and was surprised to see him covered head to toe in copious amounts of dust.

"Did someone dump a year's worth of dust on you?"

Varian's chuckles were cut short by a coughing fit. "UH! Mr. Uhr's stuff collect so much dust! He had me clean out the workspace today and believe me, if you think I'm bad, you should see his place!"

"Well you do leave things strewn about rather haphazardly. I'd have thought an alchemist would be more careful with his concoctions." She smiled cheekily at him; however, instead of their normal playful banter, Varian's remained silent, but underneath all the dust, Greta noticed his face had paled. In an attempt to dispel the sudden gloom that engulfed the room, Greta continued. "But you're always dusting, Mr. Uhr's things. Don't tell me that's all you do over there."

Varian shifted, stretching his shoulders and taking a large breath. His ribs had finally healed enough that he was able to inhale deeply without feeling any remnant of the injury. "No, he also had me design some music boxes for a couple of clients."

"What! That's amazing, Varian! It's about time he let you draw some. You're a really good artist!"

The alchemist blushed at the praise. "I wouldn't say I'm a great artist, I've just practiced drawing things that I see."

Greta rolled her wheelchair down the ramp Varian had built for her. "Yeah, you're a great artist. I can't draw to save my life! So, tell me about your designs!"

The two snacked on some ham sandwiches that Varian had brought for them, while he described to her in vivid detail the various rough drafts he had sketched for Mr. Uhr. Greta listened as much as she could, but she couldn't help but stare closely at Varian's face, studying him. Despite knowing Varian for many weeks, she felt as if there was something plaguing him. He was normally quite cheerful and easily excitable. There was a warmth and thoughtfulness to him. He spotted a need and was quick to fill it. The ramp to the telescope was proof of that as were the numerous inventions and chemicals that Varian had given her mother. The Sternberg Inn had never been as spotlessly clean. What used to take the family hours to sweep, mop, and scrub sparkled moments after Varian threw one of his curious blue marbles onto the wooden floors. Varian was one of the kindest people that Greta knew and yet the simplest comment would make him freeze and withdraw into himself.

"This one gentleman wanted a music box with a small fairy with long hair decorated with streams of flowers. That one will be hard. I don't even know what a fairy would look like, so how am I supposed to draw one?"

Greta shook her head. "What about that picture of that girl you have? She had long hair and seemed really nice. She could be a good base for a fairy."

Again, an uncomfortable silence fell over the friends. "What do you mean, "She seemed nice."" Varian eyes had turned a frightening icy blue. "What do you know about her?"

Greta silently rebuked herself. She had been careless. Her mother had told her not to mention a word about the girl to Varian. Given from his tonal reflection, Greta could tell that whatever happened between the girl and Varian, it did not go well. Stumbling for some way to redirect the conversation, Greta stuttered, "Oh well nothing. I don't know anything about her other that she looks nice from your drawing. Who taught you to draw?"

The alchemist wasn't having it; instead, his intense stare only hardened. "When and where did you see her? Who was she traveling with and-," his voice lowered menacingly, "did she say anything about me to you?"

"FINE!" Greta's voice rose, annoyed that she never seemed to be able to keep a secret. She really did try. "It was a couple of weeks ago. Maybe three or four, I'm not sure. She came to the Inn with two other companions, a man and a woman."

"Did she say anything about me to you?" Varian reiterated his final question.

"Nothing more than that she knew you and Rudiger. I realized that she knew you when they recognized your raccoon. She asked after your well-being and I said that you were doing fine."

"Anything else?"

"No. Afterwards Mom sent me to go to some chores with Heidi. I don't know what else was said." Varian was making Greta nervous. Thanks to their time in the observatory they had become quite close. Close enough that Greta nearly had forgotten the circumstances of their initial meeting. Despite all his support and help around the inn and the observatory, Varian was quite capable of cruelty.

Thankfully, Varian shifted his eyes away from Greta and looked over to his lab. When he spoke, his voice was accusatory. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"Mom told me to not mention it to you. I didn't know why, but I think I'm beginning to understand." She mumbled.

"Why would your mom say that?"

Anger welled up inside of her. She had nothing to do with his feud with the girl. "I don't know! Maybe the girl wanted to keep it a secret from you, because she knew you would be so mean!" Greta felt herself trembling. "Honestly, whatever problem you have with her, there isn't a need to take it out on me!"

But Varian wasn't listening. Back turned to her, he was heading towards his laboratory, muttering beneath his breath. Straining her ears, Greta could barely make out the words, rocks and princess, but otherwise nothing made sense.

"What are you talking about?"

Varian whipped around, his eyes somehow more intense and menacing than before. "Nothing major, just that Rapunzel is trying to wrong me again!" He continued growling, "I don't expect someone like you to understand how it feels to have someone you trust wholeheartedly backstab you and leave you to rot."

"It's about your dad isn't it?"

The boy froze in surprise. Greta noticed the flash of fear and hurt that was quickly replaced with mock disinterest.

"What are you talking about?"

"You talk in your sleep."

"Have you ever heard of nightmares?"

"More like night terrors."

"Your point being—?"

"Night terrors often come from something."

Varian waved his hand as if to brush away nonsense being thrown at him. Greta frowned. He was so stubborn and quick to ignore anything that he didn't want to hear, no matter how truthful or helpful the information. Initially, it had been a somewhat endearing trait that hurt him more than anyone else, but now it wasn't so funny and not quite harmless.

"Varian?" Greta resumed the conversation quietly. Like Varian, Greta preferred to keep her past to herself, but in this instance, she hoped that she could calm him from his growing rage. "My father was a traveling merchant. He went about selling various trinkets, fabrics, and other foreign goods, while my mother tended to us at the inn. I don't have that many fond memories of him, but the one memory that I can never forget is—" Her voice caught. Greta thought she would be able to say it without getting emotional, but apparently wounds don't go away easily, no matter how old they are.

Collecting herself, Greta continued. "It wasn't long after the accident that left me like this." She gestured to her lower half. "He left. He just came home after one of his trips, collected some personal items and then left without ever saying goodbye to any of us. There was no explanation or apology. He just left." She gritted her teeth. "It wasn't till a month later that we heard that there was some pretty face in another town that had caught his eye. Apparently, we weren't enough to bring him happiness."

The alchemist had stopped moving. He wasn't staring at her, but the look on his face was enough to give Greta hope that he was listening.

"Mom told us that it wasn't our fault. Heidi and I were blameless and that there was nothing we could have changed that would have made him stay." She began stroking the armrests of her wheelchair. "It didn't matter. I couldn't help but feel that my father left because of me and my condition." Greta flashed a half-hearted smile at Varian. "Course I was young, and I realize now that I was not to blame, but the memory remains, and it still hurts."

Varian had shifted his gaze to meet Greta's. They had lost some of their coolness but were far from warm or welcoming.

"Varian," Greta could feel her heart pleading with her young friend. "I don't know everything that happened between you and the girl. Sometimes I still wish I could make my father pay for making my mother cry; however, doing so wouldn't take away the pain, but only lengthen it and bring us more heartache. I've learned that it's best to just let go."

Turning away from Greta, Varian walked off, clearly done with the conversation. "Yeah, well some wrongs are impossible to just let go."

The observatory seemed to darken and the temperature lower. The two friends didn't say another word to each other. Varian listened to the sound of Greta's wheelchair ride down the ramp to the entrance before hearing the front door close. He knew he had been cruel to her. Greta hadn't deserved any of the resentment or callousness that he had given her. Same with her mother, the Sternbergs had been kind and benevolent hosts for him and Rudiger.

As he stared at his alchemy notes, Varian couldn't focus on the equations or drawings within them. Greta's story had moved him, even if he refused to show it. The world was a harsh place with the powerful taking advantage of the weak before abandoning them after they had served their purpose. Nevertheless, the revelation that a certain princess had been in town and had intentionally kept her presence hidden from him had greatly angered him.

"I've finally built myself something of a life here and she comes waltzing in destroying everything!"

Varian felt a twinge of regret. He had built himself quite a comfortable existence, not an ideal one, but it serviced him just fine; however, he had almost forgotten his true purpose. All the knowledge, money, and tools he had been collecting had been to continue his journey to find a way to free his father. He had been far from idle during his stay in Himmel, but a part of him felt that he had let himself become a bit too engrained in the society.

If the princess is out following the rocks, then what am I doing here?

He began making a mental note of the supplies he would need to continue his travels. He would not be as vulnerable as when he had left Heilen. He had been impoverished and wounded, now he was healed and had a means to gather sufficient supplies. Rummaging through his notes, Varian took out the pages associated with his quest and neatly wrapped them up and placed them in his satchel. He continued moving throughout the rest of his laboratory collecting various items that would be valuable on the road.

Doubt began to gnaw at his brain. Greta had mentioned that it had been weeks since the princess and her companions had visited the town. How far along on their journey were they now? Varian paced back and forth, running his hands through his thick black hair. The quicker he moved, the louder his thoughts became until he was practically shouting.

"Her hair didn't help me last time and she was just as clueless as I as to how to break the amber. Am I even looking in the right place? Should I even be following the rocks? What if I'm missing something?"

A painful memory surfaced. Moments before the horrific entrapment, his dad had told him, "You're not ready!" His father knew something about the rocks and their true nature but had stubbornly refused to share it with him. If only he knew what his father had hidden from him, maybe he could make some significant progress.

The natural light entering the observatory started to fade as the sun lowered in the sky. Any darker and Varian would have to wait the rest of the night alone in the building. He lit a candle and walked towards the entrance ramp. Rudiger was nestled inside an open chest downstairs in the lone bedroom. Despite Varian's best efforts to wake his furry companion, the racoon resisted every attempt. His loose folds of skin made it difficult to remove him from within the chest. Finally, after much finagling, Varian managed to get his arms around Rudiger. There was a slight rustling of parchment as he heaved him out of the box. Once the racoon had be fully extracted and carefully laid across Varian's shoulders, the boy returned to investigate the rustling sound.

Strewn haphazardly across the bottom of the old chest were hundreds of sheets of yellowed parchment. Based on the creases, whoever had originally stored the parchment in the box had done so quickly, Rudiger was not to blame for any of the damage. Curious, Varian reached and pulled out the top leaf of parchment. It was thick and unfamiliar to his hand, much heavier then the paper he typically used for his experiments. He attempted to read a passage but to his dismay it was written in a bunch of unfamiliar runes. Turning the page over to see if there was a translation included, Varian froze. He'd seen that symbol before and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that despite being unable to read the runes, they were familiar to him as well. They were from the same writing system as the graphtyc he had found in his father's things back at Old Corona. But the most shocking was that the symbol was the same as the one that adorned the mysterious chest his father had hidden in the stonework of the house: a circle with three curved lines of varying length.

Mind resolved, Varian slid Rudiger off his shoulders and laid him on the bed. The animal yawned and chirruped softly before nestling into the sheets to continue his apple-filled dreams.

Varian smiled softly at his friend and whispered softly, "I guess we're staying here for the night." He bent over the chest and scooped up as many pieces of parchment as he could carry before walking up the ramp to return to his laboratory above. It would be a long sleepless night.

Additional Notes:

I know this chapter is way shorter then the previous ones. I'm sorry for that and I hope you all can forgive me!

Also, night terrors and nightmares are different. If you're interested in knowing more about the difference, I welcome you to research it. It is rather interesting.