Trials of the Heart

Chapter 6

Rapunzel carefully moved closer to the silver rock. Ashley immediately ran and got her after they had recovered from the shock. Cassandra made sure to be ready to tackle Rapunzel if the rocks reacted and protect her from them.

"So you had a weird dream, and your hair stood up and your eyes were glowing," Rapunzel clarified. "Then this thing sprouted up?"

"Yes." Varian nodded, obviously still shook by the events that had just taken place.

"But this doesn't make since! Raps, you destroyed the Moonstone and the Sundrop!" Cassandra rubbed her temples.

"Not exactly... I put them back in the heavens. I might have made a mistake and magic is left here still..."

"How can there still be magic left? What did we do wrong?" Cassandra rubbed her chin in deep thought.

Rapunzel looked directly at Varian. "Has your hair always been blue?"

"Yeah?" Varian replied.

"Wait I thought you used those hair paints-" Cassandra started.

"Hair dye," he corrected.

"Hair dye that you made. You know the one that turned mine pink?"

"They come out over time. I've been in prison for years. There is no way my hair would still be blue," Varian pointed out.

"Cass, my hair is naturally blue too," Anya cut in.  "Not to mention my different eye colors."

"But you don't have a connection to strange rocks."

"True." Anya looked at Varian.  "So how did you get moon powers?" She rubbed her forehead.

"I don't," Varian said. "I would have reacted to the black rocks and freed my father if I did-"

"Well..." Rapunzel began. "Not necessarily. Just because I had the sun powers did not mean I was i able to free your father. I had to find a special incantation. Without it, it would not have worked."  Something flickered Varian's eyes.

"Let's bring this up to Xavier.  He usually has some sort of idea on these sort of things.  Maybe a legend or a warning," Anya said.

"Varian, is that ok?" Rapunzel asked.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because it's about you.  You should he able to make the choice.  I'm not about to force you to go on a hunt for answers.  It's something I think that you should be the one to decide what we do."

Varian had to think for a moment.  He hadn't really be in control of what happened in his life in years.  It almost felt like a game or a multi choice story now that he was given the chance.  It should feel normal, but it felt foreign.  Finally, he let out a sigh.  "I would like to know if Xavier at least has some sort of answer or story."

"Ok," Rapunzel began.

"But," Varian cut in, "I do not want to followed by a fleet of guards.  If we do this, it has to only be us that goes."  He crossed his arms.

"That's fair," Rapunzel agreed.  She understood all too well what it was like to be forced to be followed by so many guards against her will.

Ashley frowned but she didn't vocalize any of her disagreement since Cassandra didn't seem opposed.  It went against protocol, but if Rapunzel requested it, then she had nothing to argue about.

The five of them went to Xavier's Blacksmith shop.  "Hey, Xavier.  You here?" Rapunzel inquired.

"Ah, princess, what brings you here?" Xavier inquired.

"About the Moonstone and the Sundrop," she began.  "Do you have any information about it that we might have missed?  I put them both back into the sky, but I'm wondering if I only returned part of the magic."

"Why is that?"

"Well, Varian started sprouting silver rocks," Cassandra said.

"He had a bad dream and he woke up to accidentally causing rocks to sprout out of the ground," Anya offered.  "Could there he any chance that Varian could have a relation to the Moonstone?"

Xavier rubbed his chin.  "I suppose it it's possible-"

"You suppose!"  Varian stepped forward.  "You sound like you expected this!"

"I didn't expect this, but I have to admit I'm not actually surprised.  After all, your mother was probably the person with most contact to the Moonstone in her lifetime."