If You Only Knew Me

Once I Was Hopeful

Frederic arrived in Corona to find that the sun was shining brilliantly on this cold day. Frederic was grateful for the break in the weather; the first two weeks he had spent in Arendalle had been snowy and miserable, and from the reports it seemed the storm had made its way to Corona next. It had been a stroke of thankful luck he had managed to sail the short trip with no serious complications.

He shifted his papers in his lap as the carriage to the castle bumped along to the castle. It was a more concise reading of what he had discovered in Arendalle, which would be most helpful if he should ever need refreshing. While he had been interested in the alliance between Arendalle and Corona expanding, he would be lying if he said his true interest wasn't in the rumors of magic held by the eldest princess.

It had turned out the rumor had been unfounded for the most part, Frederic hadn't been able to spend enough time with the royal family in completion to know. But just from the portraits and the little he saw of the young girls, he knew neither of the princess of Arendalle were his little lost princess.

It had been a disappointment of course, but what else was new?

They arrived at the palace soon enough, and Frederic was greeted by the sight of Nigel and a few miscellaneous guards. Nigel had a somewhat tight smile as he approached, slipping the papers into a bag over his shoulder.

"Nigel, wonderful to see you after so long," Frederic greeted, his crow's feet crinkling up in a smile.

"It has only been a month and a half, Your Majesty," Nigel said with the barest hint of humor in his voice. Frederic chuckled and fell into step with him as they made their way into the palace.

"Much can happen in a month and a half," Frederic said. "Speaking of which, what of note has happened since my departure?"

Nigel fidgeted for a moment, which Frederic took as a sign something had happened while he was away. Nigel eventually shook his head and moved a bit ahead of him and lead him down the hallways for personal rooms.

"Queen Arianna made her way through some of the newest tax legislation, and she wishes for you to look them over before you enact them," Nigel said. Frederic nodded in understanding. That was the most logical thing to go – get two sets of eyes on it, make sure it's fair and just.

"Is that all?" Fredrick asked.

"Yes, well, not exactly," Nigel said uncertainly, coming to stop at the edge of the hall. Frederic's eyes darkened when he came to realize what door they had landed on and turned towards Nigel with a blasphemous expression.

"Why have you brought me to Rapunzel's room?" Frederic demanded. If this was some joke Nigel wished to pull...

Nigel gulped and pulled at the collar of his shirt. "I believe it is best if Queen Arianna explained." Nigel reached over and pushed open the door lightly before bowing as a parting, and quickly rushing down the other direction of the hall. Frederic lingered on him for a moment, finding his behavior most peculiar, before pushing the door open a bit more.

He heard the sound of a baby's laugh and for a moment, the laws of time did not matter. His heart forgot what his mind knew – that it was four year's later, that so much time had passed there was no way she could be a baby, but still his first thought was Rapunzel. Rapunzel had returned.

He thrust the door open within the second, and found Arianna sitting in a chair in the corner. In her arms was a baby, arms reaching up to touch her face with a whimsical laugh. Arianna was smiling down at the child, taking one hand in her own gently.

"Arianna....?"

The brunette looked up at the sound of his voice and quickly rose to stand, adjusting the baby so that it was resting in the crook of one of her arms. The rush of hearing the baby was quickly dissipating and Fredrick was noticing all the things that did not make the baby Rapunzel.

The age was the biggest indicator. Rapunzel would be just a few months shy of her fourth birthday now, not still an infant. And this child had piercing blue eyes, and not the jade green ones forever fixated in his memory. The hair, as well, Rapunzel had golden hair that cascaded around her small body, while this child had hair the color of a dark midnight save one blue streak in his curls.

"Arianna...I –"

"Frederic, I can explain," Arianna said, her feet clicking against the floor as she crossed over to him. "Two weeks after you left, Varian was left on the steps of the palace. He had nowhere else to go and he needed a family."

"Varian?" Fredrick said. "Arianna, why didn't you write to me? Let me know?"

"By time I wrote it and it arrived in Arendalle, you would have returned here to Corona," said Arianna. "Besides, what could I have said? 'Frederic, I've decided to adopt a –"

"Adopt?" Frederic asked. He shook his head and frowned at his wife. "Arianna, we can't go around adopting every orphan in Corona."

It may make him seem heartless, but it was the truth. Adopting a child would create a huge shift in the political dynamics of their royal line – would the child have any right to the throne? Would it befall to someone else? And all royal business aside, by adopting one orphan they sent a message to their kingdom that this one child was more important than all the rest. What would they say to the young, hungry eyes they saw every day? This child was different and deserved our attention?

"Fred..." she murmured softly, hugging the child to her chest. "This is Quirin's son. He asked us to take care of him."

Frederic's breath hitched. Quirin was their oldest friend and distant memories flooded his mind's eye. Dark capes riding in the dead of night, the sound of swords clanging in the heat of battle, the sound of brotherly laughter from the adrenaline of a battle well-fought, and even tears over the pain and strife they shared. Both had feared the far off someday when that past came back to ruin their lives, but even as it approached they had pushed it off and said it wouldn't be for several years.

But Varian's appearance in his wife's arms told him that Quirin's ship had finally came in, and he had just managed to secure a life line for Varian before it swallowed the both of them whole.

"Arianna....it won't replace the one we lost," Frederic spoke in the gentlest voice he could manage. Arianna looked at him, aghast written across her features.

"I know he won't," Arianna said sternly. "But regardless if Rapunzel was still here or not, my position would be the same. Varian deserves a home and a family that loves him. Quirin and Maria are gone. We are all he has left."

Frederic knew that there was no way he could convince Arianna to let the child go, and Frederic couldn't really bring himself to try anyway. After everything he and Quirin had done, he supposed he owed it to him to look after his son.

Frederic sighed. "As a favor to Quirin...I suppose we can keep him." Arianna smiled brightly, and Frederic raised a finger in warning. "But know that Varian will never truly be our son."

"He already is!" Arianna said earnestly. "It's only been a month, but I already know he's going to fit right in here and he's so beautiful –"

"No, Arianna." Frederic crossed his arms stoically across his chest. "No matter how much we care for him or look after him, they will eventually come for him. And there will be nothing we can do. I only hope you are prepared to lose him too."

It was a low blow and he knew it. Bringing up Rapunzel was a line neither crossed, an unspoken amendment to their marriage vows. Love, honor, cherish, never bring up the worst days of our lives. But it was a necessary evil he had to say. Because losing Varian was a truth Arianna would have to face.

"Until then, he will be our son," Arianna insisted. Arianna held out Varian too him, who was staring up at him with wide eyes as a small laugh escaped his little lips. Frederic shook his head at the invitation and took a step back.

Unlike Rapunzel, he would prepare himself for the loss.

"Excuse me," Frederic said, turning away from them and towards the door. "I have some tax legislation to overlook."

And then Frederic took his leave, in the distance leaving a small child and his wife, who watched with a sad smile as the light laugh of her son rang in his ears.