Varian And The Seven Kingdoms (One Shots)

Prologue

When he looked at him, he couldn't help but see bits and pieces of someone he used to know, someone he used to love dearly. It hurt him deeply to see him struggle socially so much. As a parent his one and only duty was to ensure his safety, to make sure he thrived. But their relationship has never been the same... not since he was unleashed from the amber prison. It had improved, that is for sure. But he knew Varian was hiding something from him. From the way he avoided eye contact when the topic came up, to how he quickly stirred the conversation away from anything related to that day, or anything before his release. Almost as if he were trying to convince himself it hadn't happened at all.

Rumors around the kingdom fly fast, and as much as he tried to ignore them after two years it was becoming an impossible task. It didn't help that Varian unintentionally kept the rumors alive, by cooping himself up for weeks on end sometimes even months, avoiding anyone and everyone who wasn't Eugene, Rapunzel or Xavier. He didn't have friends his age, and that makes people talk more than anything. The rumors ranged from probable to utterly ridiculous; from people claiming he has left science behind to pursue a career in writing, to speculations about his love life saying that he is still obsessed with "Princess Rapunzel ex-handmaiden", and that he writes letters to her every single day. While others say they've seen him at the castle eying the soldiers as well when he thought no one was looking. (He really couldn't care less about that). But the real crazy rumors are about his son slowly descending into madness in the outskirts of Corona, plotting an evil scheme to turn the whole kingdom upside-down. Again.

Obviously, all of these wild rumors flying around the kingdom of Corona, were no more than village gossip. But still Quirin couldn't help but wonder... late at night when restlessness settled into the sheets. He couldn't see it happen again, not to his own son. He simply couldn't lose him to a force he didn't understand.

Slowly he got out of bed and rummaged at the back of his closet until he felt around the smooth edges of the wooden box. He placed it on the bed, sitting next to it not really being able to look at it, let alone open it. He remembered what was inside, but he would much rather forget it all, forget how her eyes shimmered with unhinged curiosity; how she would make him laugh even when he didn't get the joke; forget how she had been consumed by something Quirin didn't understand.

So, in order to avoid any problems, to avoid the same fate, in order to protect his son, he knew what he had to do.

Tell him the truth. 

It was time.

Time to give him the Journal.