Blood of my Brother

The Rescue

So, yeah, I am absolutely dedicated to the Uncle Hector vibe. We were cheated out of interactions between him and Varian in the series. So much lost potential!

A lot of this is pre-written, but I'll be spacing the chapters out so I don't lose my mind. Fair warning, this story does get dark in several places, so I'll be adding trigger warnings when necessary. 

Disclaimer: Rights for Tangled the Series belong to Disney.

EDIT [4/7/2022]: This comes as of the writing of chapter 31. I need to put this here as well. More details are explained in chapter 31; however, I want new readers to see this.

I appreciate and encourage comments. I do NOT appreciate or encourage inappropriate, violent, or profane comments. The events described in this story are intense and horrible. If that is not something you are capable of reading and responding to in a mature manner, then please do not express your feelings in the comments. Again, I appreciate comments; I must insist, however, that they remain clean and appropriate. Comments that violate this guideline will be deleted. Thank you, and please enjoy the story.

Trigger warnings: mentions of previous abuse, injuries, panicking, prison

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A shiver ran through his thin frame as he lay limp on the stone floor of his cell. The film of sweat coating his body only worsened the chill. He huddled into a tight ball, mindful of the bruises and wounds covering him, and gripped his tattered shirt with both fists. The thin fabric did nothing to alleviate the penetrating cold.

He flinched violently as a metallic clanking noise sounded from somewhere nearby. His brain was too tired to try to figure out what it was, but he knew it probably meant impending pain. That was all it ever meant. Towards the beginning of his stay in the luxurious quarters that was the Corona prisons, he had tried to analyze every sound, memorize every guard rotation, never sure when this information might aid him.

He wasn't even sure how long ago that was. Time had no meaning down here. He was fairly certain this was intentional, as the guards never seemed to bring their sparse meals on a consistent schedule. There were no windows in the lower levels, so no sunlight or moonlight reached his eyes.

A second clanging noise, this time somewhat recognizable as metal against hard stone, sent him curling further into himself. His aching body protested the movement, and he gave a sharp gasp of pain. He quickly bit back the sound.

His pounding head spun psychotically as he attempted to look up. He groaned quietly and put his head back down. The fever had sprung up sometime yesterday—or was it the day before? The dank, musty atmosphere of the cell pained his lungs, and he alternated between freezing to death and feeling like a fire resided in his bones. The guards had had no mercy for his weakened condition and had continued their harsh treatment of him.

Where, oh where was Ruddiger? His faithful friend had been taken from him upon his arrival. The little raccoon had been a constant source of comfort for him up to and throughout the events leading to his imprisonment. When the blizzard had raged outside his lab, Ruddiger had stayed curled up next to him, providing his own warmth to the frigid child. How he longed to have him here now, to ease the pain and loneliness he suffered from in this living nightmare!

But wasn't that selfish of him? The words of the guards rang through his tormented mind. Selfish brat. Doesn't care about anyone but himself. Willing to hurt others just to get his way. If Ruddiger were here now, he would be trapped in this dark hole just like his human. Maybe the guards had let him out into the woods. Maybe he was relaxing somewhere in an apple orchard. Maybe he would even find a new human, a better one, one who wouldn't mutate him into a beast to further his own plans.