Tangled: Stardust and the 12 Zodiacs (Varian Fanfiction)

Chapter 50: A Familiar Face

"So, um...why are you here again?" Kiera asked as Soul and Rapunzel prepared hot cocoa for everyone. The group was resting up a bit from the events that happened earlier, warming up inside the caravan. Well, as warm as they could get.

"Where to begin? Well- oh! Thank you." Lalo stopped, grabbing the cup of hot chocolate Soul placed in front of him, taking a small sip before continuing. "I was doing my usual rounds one morning. I think it was December four or five? I can't remember, but as I was heading towards the other side of the village, black smoke started to fill my sight. The next thing I know, I was tied up on the floor in Gene's house with Shrau'n in front of me. He explained that he planned to delay you guys, take the orbs, and bring them to Zhan Tiri."

"Ooooh- so that's why we didn't see you at all in a couple of days." Lance said as he placed his mug down. "No wonder you were also acting strange when we left." 

"His plan wasn't very stable." Rapunzel commented, sitting down by the table, right in front of Eugene's bed. 

"I agree, it's a dumb plan."

Lalo nodded at this. "It really was. The plan fell apart immediately after my double failed to stop you all from leaving the village."

"He never really tried to stop us or anything. More like, he only asked if we wanted to stay longer. He wasn't much of a fight." Soul stated, taking a seat on her couch. A cup of her own hot chocolate in one hand as her other hand was running through Flick's fur.

"That's a good thing they didn't." Lalo sighed, taking another sip. "It's a good thing that all of them are idiots. If they were all like Shrau'n, well, I don't even know if we'll even be safe anymore."

"Wait! If you're here, and there's a shadow double of you back in Aurora Village. Aren't you worried about what's happening there?" Varian asked, concerned for the village.

"I'm very worried. Far more than you would know. But alas, I don't have the means to contact them to see if everything's alright. I just hope that Lana and Philip have handled whatever situation happened there." The man replied, fiddling with the handle of his mug. 

KNOCK KNOCK. "HOOT! HOOT!"

"An owl! Awwww, what's an owl doing here? Are you lost, little fella? Come on in!" Soul cooed, letting the owl in before quickly shutting the window. The owl hooted as if to say thank you, ruffling its feathers to shake off the frost from her wings. "She's beautiful." Soul complimented, gently petting the bird.

Upon spotting the bird, Lalo's features lightened up. "Iris!" He called, catching the bird's attention.  Seeing who called her, Iris let out a loud hoot, flying towards her master. Lalo then held up an arm, allowing the owl to perch on it.

"Is she yours?" Rapunzel asked, watching Lalo stroke the owl's head.

He nodded. "Iris is a family owl, named after my ancestors." Iris hooted happily, bringing her head closer to Lalo's finger. "What brings you here, girl? More importantly, how did you know I was here?" Iris lifted a claw, revealing a rolled parchment tied on it. Lalo raised an eyebrow, taking the paper off, letting Iris fly off his arm as he opened it.

Everyone was silent, anticipating the news the owl brought the man. Lalo, on the other hand, hesitated to read the letter, hoping for the worst. Sucking up a breath, he finally read it. After a few seconds of reading, his once stressed and scared expression turned into that of relief.

"What did it say?" Lance asked, eagerly leaning towards the man. 

"Does anyone have a quill or anything I can use to write with?" Lalo asked. Varian dug his hands in his belt bag, pulling out a pen and giving it to the man. Lalo flipped the paper, writing on its empty side. Once he was done, he rolled the parchment and tied it back on Iris' claw. "Send this back to the village, alright?" Iris hooted, flying off.