The Alchemist's Redemption | Book 2

Chapter XVII

"You're telling me I gotta climb all the way up there?" Varian question rhetorically. "Nobody in their right mind would-"

"Race you to the top!" Rapunzel said and Aqua laughed.

"Oh! You're on sis!" Aquaria jumped onto the rocks and followed her sister.

"Oh, come on." Varian grimaced at his girlfriend and her sister.

"Come on, freckles! You'll get extra snuggles if you beat me!" Aqua tried and he pouted.

"Not cool, blue!"

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Aquaria was right below her sister as they climbed and the chamber was crumbling faster.

She heard Varian slipping beneath her and she gasped.

"Watch out!" Rapunzel warned as some rocks fell and Varian lost his grip.

"Varian!" Both princesses cried out in unison.

Rapunzel jumped and threw her hair. They were both swinging on opposite ends of the long golden hair as it was slung over a bar.

"It's no use, Rapunzel! I can't do this!" Varian cried as he gripped her hair tightly.

"Varian, you cannot let fear run your life," Rapunzel said to him. "Look, I'm afraid too."

"Yeah, you said, princess, but you don't see what I see," Varian said as he looked down, seeing his father encased in amber and Aquaria begging for him to help her.

"That's true. I don't. But that doesn't mean I'm not seeing... other things..." Rapunzel sighed as she looked down and then back at Varian. "I see Corona. It's covered in black rocks. And I see Cassandra. She's conquered the kingdom, destroyed it forever. And you know what the weird part is? What I'm most afraid of is losing Cassandra as a friend... forever..."

"I had no idea," Varian said as he swung over and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I guess we both have trouble talking about what scares us," Rapunzel said with a smile and Aqua smiled.

"I'm glad that you two are having a tender moment but can we please get up to that rock," Aqua piped up before the room started to tremble and crumble even more around them.

"I'll do it," Varian said. "Just uh, give me a lift," he said to Rapunzel.

"One lift coming up," Rapunzel said before she swung and forced herself down so Varian was flung up to a ledge.

"Hurry, Varian!" Rapunzel called up to him and Aqua watched with worry, but she knew he could do it.

"You've got this!" Aqua cheered him on with a smile.

Varian glanced at her and gave a weak smile before he kept climbing. He got stuck and he started to panic, but he breathed.

"It's not real... I can do this... okay," he said to himself and he continued to climb.

Aquaria let out a cry as the small ledge she was on crumbled.

"Aqua!" Rapunzel cried as her sister fell.

Varian looked over and gasped in horror, but Aqua landed on another ledge.

"I'm okay!" She called and Varian turned back to climbing.

Varian grabbed the vial out of his bad and stood as he reached out to pour the solution onto the black rock.

"Come on! Come on!" Varian tried to pour the last drop, but he couldn't turn his arm which was frozen past his elbow. The vial slipped from his grip and he panicked. "Ah! The vial! No!"