Destined Couple

Listen Up

It was raining today. And not ordinary rain, either; heavy rain. Villages close to the river had to put up protective walls to combat the rising water and people were being advised to stay inside.

And where was Varian's beloved destined one at this moment?

Outside in the rain.

Varian sighed as he filled a crate of goo bombs and then placed his hands on the worktable. "...I need to go find her." He said, closing the crate and walking over to open the door to his lab.

"Oh, Varian!" He was greeted by King Frederic. "Have you seen Rapunzel?"

"Not since she went out for a walk in the city, I was actually about to go looking for her myself." Varian shook his head.

"Mm..." he looked conflicted.

Varian frowned. "What is it, Your Majesty?"

He sighed. "...Can I talk to you about something...troubling?"

"Of course." Varian assured him. "Shall we go to your study?"

"Yes...I think that will be best." He nodded.

They went to King Frederic's study and sat on the couch. "What's happened, Your Majesty?"

Frederic sighed, looking grim. "I went to Rapunzel's room to ask her about which of my portraits I should mount in the main hall," he gestured to a couple paintings nearby, "but she wasn't there. Instead, I found her journal sitting open and, well, I decided to take a little peek." He took the journal out of his coat and handed it to him. "I turned the pages, just wondering what she got into since she doesn't...talk to me much, and I found..." he opened it to a specific page, "well...I found out how she got out to the Sundrop Monument that night."

Varian accepted the book and looked at it. The image depicted Rapunzel and Cassandra out by the rocks surrounding the Sundrop Monument. "'What are these rocks? What is my connection to them?' Well, she knows now." He looked up at him. "So, it looks like she and Cassandra went out together. That's not surprising, considering how close they are."

"Yes..." He sighed and then turned more pages. "I'm...worried about her. I know that she has you and...Eugene and Cassandra, but she gets into so much trouble, so much danger."

Varian placed his hand on Frederic's. "She's not a little girl anymore, Your Majesty. She can handle herself." He assured him. "You weren't there to see it, but she did very well in the Challenge of the Brave." He turned the page to that one, which had an image of Rapunzel in the middle of the dance that made her step out of the ring, with Varian missing his helmet and the words "He's so dreamy...and such a good dancer, wow!" written on it, as well as a "Eugene wasn't very happy about Varian being there..." blurb at the side. "She's resourceful and smart and you don't need to worry about her so much." He smiled fondly at the picture.

Frederic smiled softly. "...I suppose...you're right." He closed the book. "But, I would still feel more comfortable if you were with her right now."

"I was actually on my way out to find her when you stopped me." Varian chuckled. "But, I'm sure that, wherever she is, she's fine." He got up and looked over at the paintings. "...Neither of them, by the way. Get one with you smiling. You have a really nice smile." He smiled and walked over to leave the study. "And put her journal back in her room, just the way you found it."

Frederic looked at the paintings. "...Hm. I suppose a smile would be better..." He looked over at the door. "Maybe I should've mentioned that I already tightened security and send the Royal Guard after her..."

–

It was rainy, it was cold, it was windy, and his armor didn't do much for protecting him from the elements. Still, it allowed him to move quickly, controlling the rocks to speed faster than his running pace.