Chapter Text
The group that housed Arianna, Frederick and the prison cart and ensemble arrived back at the palace. Two guards roughly dragged Varian from the cart, forcibly removing Ruddiger and no longer allowing the poor racoon to go back to his boy. Arianna approached the racoon, picked him up and shouted after the guards to "be careful, he is still a child."
Frederick, having heard his wife, ordered for Varian to be put in a cell nowhere near other prisoners and followed his wife into the castle.
They arrived back at their bedroom and Arianna had placed Ruddiger on her dressing table and was brushing him with one of her old brushes that she hadn't gotten rid of it. The racoon, although stressed, was starting to fall asleep due to the treatment. Frederick ran a hand over the racoon's head and turned to his wife.
"How should we sentence him?" he asked his Queen. Arianna turned to Frederick shocked.
"I thought you would just simply throw the book at him and forget about him?" she asked, although she knew that although the teenager had kidnapped her, all she wanted to do was help him.
"Something in me is telling me to do just that, but I firmly believe that that would solve nothing. And in the event his father is ever free from the amber, having Varian back to being a member of society would be the best for both of them" said Frederick, "and since you were the one he impacted and you are the one who possibly spent the most time with him other than this racoon, you probably know more about what could be going on in his head."
Arianna hummed and lifted Ruddiger, placing him on her chaise sound asleep.
"I want him to be our ward," she turned to her husband. The king was in shock.
"Our ward?" he asked, "but he still needs to be punished." Arianna nodded.
"Yes, but he needs parental guidance. And with Rapunzel leaving for her journey in a week's time, we would be parents without a child and he is a child without parents. I say we leave him in his cell for a week whilst we get him a room set up. That also gives us time to set up a timetable for him. Before that, we need to get him a doctor" Arianna nodded as she returned to her dressing table and grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and started writing down. Frederick leaned over her and watched as she noted what she had planned to do over the week.
"We tell Rapunzel nothing of this," said Frederick. Arianna nodded.
Three days had passed since Varian had been arrested and the Queen had been able to get much done. Varian was left alone in his cell – a doctor had attempted to see to him but Varian had attempted to bite the poor man – and told nothing of what was going to happen to him.
In those three days, Arianna had found a set of rooms. It appears that it was a suite with a living room, kitchen area, bathroom, two bedrooms and an en-suite second bathroom attached to the main bedroom. It was on the same level as the royal chambers but far enough away that Varian would not know the way.
It was perfect.
She had placed one of the guard's bunks into the living room, filled the kitchen with food and utensils and set up the bedroom per the racoon's requests.
Yeah, the Queen of Corona was taking orders from a racoon. This happened when Arianna had two guards and some servants bring a bed in. She felt that setting up the bed next to the window would allow Varian to get some sunlight, but Ruddiger clearly disagreed. The small animal had even tried to move the bed himself before one of the servants realised that the racoon did not want the bed next to the window. Instead, the bed was at the opposite end of the room. A desk had been placed at the window. The guards had found this amusing, but it seemed like Ruddiger knew exactly what they are doing. Arianna mused that that might be why he hadn't tried to escape the prison more than once.
The room was complete with a bed, desk, chair, and a small library and the en-suite bathroom was filled with whatever Varian and Ruddiger may need. Arianna looked down at the list that she wrote that very first night.
- Find Varian rooms
- Set up the rooms
- Find him a job
- Find him therapy
- Find him a doctor (who is prepared to be attacked)
- Find guards willing to live with him
- Set up a timetable for him to follow
- Set him up for community service
Arianna was proud that she had gotten so much done in three days while spending time with her daughter and doing this behind her daughter's back. Frederic also had his list, but he agreed to show her once he had finished.
She had found Varian two jobs. He had a morning shift with Monty at his sweet shop. The cookies may have been laced with truth serum, but Stan, Pete, and several others had told her they were delicious. Xavier had also come forward once her talks with Monty had been done and asked if Varian would be allowed to be an apprentice. So he had an afternoon shift with Xavier. The shift with Monty was only two hours and the shift with Xavier with also two hours but an extra hour had been added for apprenticeship work.
The Queen left the room, handing the keys to Stan and Pete (the two guards who had immediately offered to be Varian's guards claiming that they felt guilty) who were settling into their room and made her way back to her room. Ruddiger followed behind her, proud of the work he was doing.
Arianna arrived back at her room to see her husband holding a slip of parchment and a worried look on his face.
"Honey?" she asked, stepping into the room and closing the door.
"I have my list of demands," he said, handing her the parchment and petting the racoon that had made himself comfortable on his bed. Arianna sat down beside the racoon and read through the list. Much of it was quite surprising.
- He has dinner and breakfast with us
- Guards with him at all times
- He has schooling
- Regular visits with the doctor and therapists
- Fixes what he broke in the tower (Eugene-shaped hole being an example)
Arianna nodded.
"This is not what I was expecting," she said. Frederic sighed and sat down next to her.
"I just thought what I would want Quirin to do if the roles were reversed," he said, "and that I am doing this so when Quirin is freed, he'll have a son to come back for."
Arianna rested her hand on her husband's shoulder.
"That is what I want to do. Stan and Pete have already agreed to be his live-in guards. I have also started setting him up rooms down the hall from us. Monty agreed to have him as a worker and Xavier practically demanded him as an apprentice" she said, holding out her notes, "the community service can be him fixing the castle and once that is complete, we will have to think of something new."
"Yes, when the time comes. If he is well-behaved, then we might not even have to give him more community service. Some chores may work."
"He can see a doctor and therapist once a week, but on separate days. Xavier has agreed to teach him but I am guessing that you had another idea in mind?" she teased Frederic.
"Yes, actually. He is a very intelligent young man. I have been in talks with a tutor who is willing to teach him maths, history, literature, and alchemy" Frederic looked at Arianna.
"Alchemy?" she asked, confused. Maths, history, and literature she had been expecting but allowed alchemy seemed a step too far for her husband.
"Theory. For at least a year. If he can be trusted then practical under supervision" Frederic explained, "while he is still a criminal and still needs to be punished, we have both agreed to take him under our care as our ward and that means making him happier. He is still a child. A child that we failed."
"It wasn't just us, Frederic. I feel like all of Corona failed Varian. That would explain why Monty and Xavier both seemed very willing to take him in as workers, why the servants have agreed to treat him like one of our own…"
"Wait, wait" Eugene interrupted. Irritated his future in-laws looked at him.
"What is it?"
"One of your own? Does that mean that they have been treating him like a prince?" Rapunzel asked. Quirin looked curious at these questions as well.
"For the most part. One of our servants, Friedborg, even asked for permission to be his servant although Varian fought it, a lot, Friedborg never gave up" The Queen laughed while Eugene frowned.
"And he hates it, being treated like a prince," said Frederic.
"The reluctant prince" whispered Rapunzel while Quirin stood there in shock.
The royal couple frowned but their daughter looked back at them and asked them to continue their story\.