The Heart Of Alchemy

Younger Big Sister to the Rescue

After the incident in the market, Varian didn't speak for the rest of the day. It was as if the younger alchemist refused to do so, yet no one knew why. Everyone except him.

Hugo and Eugene tried talking to him earlier, but the boy didn't budge. The only problem was that no one actually knew where he went. Hugo tried to remember the passageway Varian went through before to try and get into the boy's bedroom, but he couldn't remember at the moment. Eugene asked Rapunzel if she knew, but all she said was that "he's safe" and that was all.

While Yong was trying to search for Varian, along with Hugo since Eugene had to help Rapunzel with royalty things, Nuru was the only one who knew where the boy went. Maybe it was because she was basically the adult of their little group, and therefore the most responsible of the four. It also could've been that she remembers the way Varian acted when Hugo betrayed the group.

And only one thing would make him feel better.

After the assistance of a few guards, the star princess made her way down the halls of the castle. Few moments later did she reach her destination, the castle's catacombs, and she could hear the pelts of water dripping on the ground. Another turn at a corner, and she'd found her missing friend.

The room was nothing more but dark and dreary like she expected it to be. Stone coffins laid orderly

The boy's hair was messier than before, and his fingers were interlocked in the strands. His eyes glowed a pure white light as a worried Ruddiger rubbed himself against his friend's legs, which were pulled up towards the boy's chest. His breathing was labored as well, each breath stuttering.

Nuru froze but quickly took a step forward anyways. She continued doing so until she was mere inches away from the boy. Slowly she sat herself on the ground next to him, her hands calmly making their way to the boy's own.

Once she touched the boy's hands, Nuru carefully untangled them from his hair, gently lowering them down till they were in the boy's lap. Removing a hand, she tapped the ground a few times, nails clicking with the stone flooring. After a few moments she heard a few taps in response coming from the boy. She couldn't help but smile.

"You with me, Varian?" she asked in a quiet tone, one hand still placed on Varian's own.

Varian nodded a tinge, eyes growing dimmer till the sockets were like before, calming baby blue eyes. His gaze was downward, but not on his and Nuru's hands, rather on the dusted floor. Like an old toy he maneuvered a hand to the ground with stiff-like motions, fingers lying flat on the surface before twirling in the dust.

Curiosity got the best of the star princess as she peaked over what Varian was doing. His fingers were tracing in the dust--dancing, in a way. They made small intricate lines for a few moments before being lifted off the ground. The dust covered his gloved hands, and a sort of symbol was etched into the ground, but that wasn't what caught Nuru's attention the most.

It was a tear, and it splashed onto the imagery like rain. More and more constantly falling after another until what once was there was gone. There was nothing left but a dampened flooring in a room for the deceased.

"Do you recognize that symbol?" Varian croaked out.

The sudden question caught Nuru off guard. "Wasn't... wasn't it from a kingdom from long ago?"

Varian nodded mutely, still refusing to look up at her. The girl looked at the boy's dusty hands with a look of puzzlement before her eyes became as wide as dinner plates.

"That's the symbol of Saporia, isn't it." It wasn't a question, though, but a definite answer the princess knew just by the look on Varian's face. "The... the people who took over the kingdom those few years back- they're coming back, aren't they, Varian?"

Varian curled in himself a bit closer, and Nuru's mouth gaped open. "They're coming back for you..."

"Betrayers of Saporia pay with their lives." Varian looked up at her with somber eyes. They weren't in their usual panic-like state Nuru had grown used to, nor were they filled with the joy the boy had for alchemy. Instead, they bellowed silence as numbness spread through the atmosphere. "And I am unmistakably a traitor."

A sudden urge made Nuru want to hold the alchemist in her arms. She wanted to whisper kind words into his ear and tell him that everything would be alright. In a way, she wanted to mother the boy, despite him being older than her.

Their relationship felt like that on some days. A parent figure and their child bonding in the smallest of moments during their lowest of times. Nuru couldn't help but being reminded of the time she had a nightmare of her kingdom being destroyed by meteors, which wasn't out of the ordinary, but her people, her parents, they were taken with the destruction. That night it was Varian who understood the loss of those closest to you, and he stayed up that night to help her through that nightmarish crisis.

Right now, was no different.

Instead, Nuru grabbed Varian's hands and planted them in her lap and raised her one hand to the boy's head, stroking his hair as a way to calm his breaths. "You once told me that you'd help me protect my home, now it's my turn to help protect yourself from those invading yours."

Varian leaned further into her touch, earning a smile from the young girl. They continued to stay like that for a few moments longer. The soft hums provided by the princess and comforting chitters of Ruddiger being the only sound they cared for. Once satisfied, they separated from each other, Varian giving the girl eyes that pleaded thank you.

Soon, the two found their way coming out of the catacombs--neither of them having dry eyes--yet neither felt ashamed either. But one thing was for sure, and that was that the group would need to have a meeting with one another. Tonight.

I'm back! Sorry if these next few chapters aren't on par with the others, I'm trying to get back into writing my stories more frequently. Have a wonderific day/night! 😊

~ Brooklyn