Stolen Sunlight

Fractured Memory

Notes:

This is a fic I started writing many many years ago, during the hiatus between Tangled seasons 1 and 2. I intended to post it way back then, as a long one-shot. I continued to occasionally work on it over the years, however, it's proven one of the hardest fics I've ever written to edit, (mostly due to the amount of internal monologue).

I finally decided that probably the only way to get it actually edited and posted is to break it up into multiple chapters, despite the fact that it's essentially only one scene, and I feel like that messes with the format. Hopefully it'll help me edit, and end up making it easier for people to read too XD I might post the full version of this, unbroken up, too after I finish it. But I finally got fed up with my editing process and decided this was the only way.

I'm aware that plenty of other people have written Varian and Arianna fics over the years, but at the time I started this there weren't that many yet, and I worked so hard on this, I still wanted to post it, even if others have done things like it. Plus, I'm not sure how many people have written it this heavily from Arianna's perspective.

I hope you all enjoy it, either way! Please don't hesitate to leave a comment to let me know, if so!!

******

Sun splinters through the castle windows, designing reflections on the newly polished floor.

When she walks into the library, her mouth drops open; The entire room gleams. That Corona sunlight bounces between the tiles, tables, and shelves like a little boy full of energy, laughing as he leaps around the room.

It may be a royal library, but there's usually still a layer of dust draped over everything, sealing up the gaps, and clogging up the stories. The servants try their best, but it's hard to get into all the crevices between the shelves, the cracks between the pages.

The tiles glitter, the shelves look new, the books don't cough up dust when she lifts them, even a few of their bindings are mended.

She stays a while to admire it before heading back for her room, and as she does, Arianna smiles, her gait almost dreamy—so like her daughter's.

Who would take such care to polish her library? She appreciates the gesture more than words can express, but she would like to say 'thank you' at least.

A curious sight down the hall interrupts her wondering; a laundry cart, moving on its own.

A very full laundry cart, that is...Cassandra doesn't usually fill them so much.

"May I...help you?" she walks up to the cart, tilting her head, strands of hair falling to the side.

"Oh, no, it's fine! I got this!" the laundry cart replies.

The ventriloquist reveals himself: a boy steps out from behind it. She guesses he must be one of Rapunzel's friends, since she doesn't remember seeing him here before, and he doesn't exactly look like a royal servant, (despite the fact that he's performing one of their jobs).

He pushes back his hair—black, with a streak of turquoise at the front—and smooths out his apron. Upon seeing her, his eyes widen with shock.

"Oh!" he stumbles, attempting to bow too low, too quickly, "Your majesty! I-I am so sorry! I didn't realize—!"

She laughs, holding out a hand to steady him.

"Don't worry. Please. I'm Arianna."

"Oh—O-Okay. That...seems to run in the family," he mutters beneath his breath. "I'm Varian." He leans confidently against the laundry cart...which starts moving, so he pulls it back with all his strength before it gets out of hand.