Blood of my Brother

What Once Was Mine, pt. 3

Hello, I live! Sorry about the delay again. I have no excuse except I forgot.

I had to listen to "Ready As I'll Ever Be" on a loop for an hour and a half just to get into Varian's head for this chapter. That's what I get for writing someone who's smarter than me.

This chapter was a disaster to write, and it took about four rewrites and polishes to get it correct. Enjoy.

Trigger warnings: Panicking, piranhas, warfare a la Varian

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His breaths came in short gasps as he tore through the woods, trying to see through the darkness and the tears. It didn't help that one entire eye was useless. He yelped as a branch struck the right side of his face.

The moon lit his way as he emerged into a clearing. He stopped for a moment to gain his bearings. Judging from the way the caravan had been facing, off towards the west, going east was his best choice. Old Corona couldn't be that far away, could it? Maybe a few weeks? If it was any longer, he'd have to get a new plan. He didn't know how long he could hide from these people, especially if the bearcats or the warriors were good trackers. And Eugene—the rotten traitor—definitely was, given his history as the infamous Flynn Rider.

He put a hand over his mouth to stifle a cough. His chest ached like crazy; him being sick was at least one thing Hector hadn't lied about. Listening back the way he had come, he heard nothing. Maybe they hadn't noticed him gone yet, but it wouldn't be long. Hector was too watchful. The best Varian could do was get as much distance between them as possible and find a place to hide. Taking exactly 2.4 seconds to rest, he started running again.

Why had he been foolish enough to trust Eugene? Of course they were all on the same side! He'd been deceived by their supposed "truce" and the fact that Hector and Adira didn't seem to like the others. Why had he taken that to mean the others were any better?

Their lies, of which he'd kept a growing list, had been too obvious to ignore, yet he had anyways. Why? Because of some sense of friendship with a man who read the same books? Because a princess seemed to have faith in his talents? He'd seen the way they looked at him. They didn't trust him. At times, they almost looked afraid of him. Why? Had his explosion scared them that much? Why had they brought him, then?

It had all been too much. He couldn't take listening to their lies and waiting to see what they did to him with that serum. He had to get away before it was finished. In hopes that maybe he was wrong, he'd given Eugene one last test—asking him to keep watch on Hector—and the man had betrayed him. Told Hector exactly what Varian had said.

That's when he'd run.

He brushed tears out of his eyes as he ran. There was no doubting it now; they were all in league with each other. And all of them wanted something from him. The only person whose arms he could flee to for safety was his dad; thus, his desperate need to get to Old Corona as soon as possible. Quirin would fix this. He always did.

O‴O‴O‴

"VARIAN!" Hector's sword slashed through the branches in front of him as he ran. "Varian, talk to me! Where are you?"

How had he been so stupid? He'd seen the way Varian looked at him. He didn't trust him. Why, in the name of all that was good and holy, had he taken his eyes off the kid? Why had he turned his back and let him have a chance to run? Again?

He tried to still his panicking mind. There were no Coronan guards around this time—unless he counted the handmaiden—so they didn't have to worry about him getting snatched up like the last time he'd run away. All they had to do was find him and—what? What were they supposed to do then? There was no way Varian would listen to anything they said after this. And they still had a few hours before the cure was ready.