THE SEVEN KINGDOMS (DISCONTINUED)

the legend

Varian sighed, letting out a frustrated grunt as he tinkers with the final parts of his invention. A machine that washes clothes on it's own would surely be helpful to someone... right?

Before he's given more time to ponder the thought, he hears a knock on his door. "Come in." Quirin walked in, a gentle smile plastered on his face. "Hey dad." Varian greeted before going back to fiddling with the machine, fixing up the loose screws.

"Son, we need to talk." That got Varian's attention. The raven-haired boy immediately ceased his actions and turned to face his father. "What is it dad?"

The man handed his young adult son a book that was badly tattered and withered. It was clearly a loved book that had been used time and time again. "This," He pointed to the book, "Is your mothers work, Varian. Your mother was a very brave woman and she went on a very long journey and studied alchemy." Varian was intrigued. He had always wondered about his mothers work and what she had done. "Your mother documented everything she had ever learned about it here. She would focus on every detail. It was her personal journal. She would... want you to have it." He smiled at his son as he finished.

Varian looked down in awe at the journal in his hands, briefly (but carefully) skimming over the pages with the flick of his thumb. "Dad... Thank you." He smiled, standing up and hugging his dad, his father warmly returning the embrace.

They both pulled away and his father smiled again."Well, I'll leave you some privacy so you can read." Varian nodded his head in appreciation and turned as soon as his door closed to read through the journal.

He skimmed his fingers over the rough cover of the journal for a few moments before finally opening it. He began to turn page after page just soaking in the penmanship of his mother's work. The pages may have been old and torn but his mother's writing and organization skills still shone through.

He spent minutes, maybe even hours, reading the journal until he came across something that caught his eye. "The seven trials?" He whispered out loud. The section very briefly documented her journeys attempting to complete the trials but nothing in depth. He quirked a brow. That's it? No details about what happens or what it's about? That can't be right! There's gotta be more!

Varian sighed and picked up the journal, walking around his room in thought until an idea came to mind. Why didn't he just ask Xavier? Xavier was always in the know about quests, journeys, and old folktales. It was worth a shot, he decided and began to walk out his door. He was going to get answers.

_________

Varian walked through town, sun beating down on him. It wasn't even too far of a walk to Xavier's from his room in the castle. Yet, sweat ravished his body from the warm sunlight as he carried on.

Finally, spotting Xavier in the distance, he broke into a brisk walk to get to the man. "Xavier!" He shouted.

"Ah, Varian!" The man replied in a chipper tone. "Good to see you! Is there anything I can help you with?" The man bore a big grin.

Varian nodded, hastily pulling out the journal his mom had left behind. "I need to ask you about a legend, a specific one." He flips through the pages, opening to spot he bookmarked. The page had "The Seven Trails" written in proud, bold letters at the top. "This." He simply said, turning the book around to shoe Xavier.

"Ahhh, the seventh trials! I haven't talked about this one in a long while." Despite his calm tone, Varian could tell Xavier was practically bubbling over with excitement. "The seven kingdoms all have trials of their own, each teaching a lesson to those who do them. At the end of each trial you will be rewarded with a totem. Each totem is a piece of the Demanitus Device. After completing the Demanitus device it will unlock a mysterious place known as the eternal library. This library is home to all information of Demanitus' alchemy and even the magic he used to imprison Zhan Tiri. Demanitus was a great man but he still needed help to get where he was and with the Demanitus device, he was able to do so. It allowed him to travel to other planes of existence to gather the great knowledge he had." Xavier punctuates the end of his sentence with a grin, staring down at the younger male.

Varian stared back, eyes wide with wonder and intrigue. "My... My mom tried to complete those? Huh..." He hummed in thought. "Thanks, Xavier! You've given me a lot to think about."

Xavier chuckled heartily. "Of course! While you're here, would you like to hear the legend of--"

Varian quickly cut him off with a "No!" then cleared his throat and answered again in a less frantic tone. "N-No thank you, Xavier. I've got some thinking to do and work, y'know? Life at the castle gets really busy."

Xavier nodded in understanding. "Well, good luck!"

The raven-haired boy nodded and hurriedly ran back to the castle, eager to write down what he had learned from Xavier. He sat down at his usual spot, opening the journal to the back where there were a few blank pages. He hesitated for a moment. Did he really want to write in the journal his mom had spent years writing and documenting her journeys in?
He paused, taking a moment to think before deciding to go through with it. His mom was gone, but it'd be like he and his mom had worked on something together, even if his mother was no longer with him. He quickly jotted down the information Xavier had fed him, his penmanship looking messy in comparison to his mother's neat cursive. Next, he wrote his speculations about what the trials could possibly be, the things he'd have to do to get through them, and how he would do it if he was correct. He wrote for hours and before he knew it the sky was dark and it was late. He sighed setting aside the journal, careful to not damage it beyond what had already happened to it.

He slipped into his bed, and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He dreamed of the trials and his mother.

_________

The next morning Varian sat up with a sudden jolt. He thought of his dreams he had... It was almost like a sign that he had to go. A sign that he should finish his mothers work.

He quickly got out of his bed and shuffled over to where the book was sitting, skimming over it again quickly before rushing out of his room, searching for his father.

After mere moments of searching he had found him. "Dad! I-I have to do this! This seven trials thing! Mom wrote about it and-and--"

"Whoa, Whoa, son... Calm down and speak more slowly."

"Mom. She was doing something called the seven trials, she went to each kingdom completing a trial and getting a piece of something called the Demanitus Device. Dad, with this device I could know so much more about alchemy and... and maybe even mom." He looked to his dad desperately hoping he'd say yes.

"Varian I..." His father trailed off but then smiled. "If this is truly what you want then you're going to need a way to travel. Come with me."

He followed his dad back to their home, where his dad presented to him, a stable. "Come on." His dad waves his hand in a motion that meant he wanted Varian to follow him. They walked in and his dad stopped before one of the sections. "Here." He opened the door, showing a donkey. "This is Prometheus. He's going to help you travel."

"Wow... Dad... I don't know what to say... Thank you."

His father nodded. "Well... " He hugged his son tightly. "If you're going to get going you should go say goodbye to everyone." He pulled away and looked Varian in the eyes. "I'm proud of you, son." Varian softly smiled.

"Okay, Okay, I'm going to say goodbye to everyone..." He quickly hugged his dad once more. "I'll be back eventually." and with that, Varian had left for the castle to tell everyone.

_________

His goodbyes had gone smoothly... Well about as smooth as telling your best friends goodbye can be. Eugene was confused but happy for him and while Rapunzel was happy for him as well she was a bawling mess. Over the past few years they had practically become siblings and Rapunzel was sad to part with him, but he knew it had to be done.

He had tried to say goodbye to Ruddiger but the small raccoon was absolutely insistent that he come. In the end the raccoon had won that battle.

He let out a long breath, looking at the distance. He stood on the outskirts of Corona, staring off at the sun in the sky and the long path before him. Today he started a journey that his mother had never finished. Today he made history. First stop was the fire kingdom. He gave a brief glance to his map, mounted Prometheus, picked up Ruddiger, setting him behind him on the donkey's back and headed off into the distance.