(Chapter warnings: Reference to past near drowning, reliving past memories.)
Rapunzel moved deeper into the cave, and Varian followed. He noticed paintings on the far wall, and went to look at them.
"These drawings look a little bit like..." he started, and then Rapunzel and Pascal came to see for themselves.
"... you, Pascal," finished Rapunzel, holding Pascal up to a drawing. Suddenly, angry shouts of leaf people echoed through the cave. Varian, Rapunzel, and Cassandra sprinted to the side of the cave, while Pascal changed colors to look like another statue. Then the three quickly crawled behind the altar. The leaf people walked in the entrance a moment later, spears in hand.
"You know we can still see you, right?" asked one of the leaf people. Varian looked to see Rapunzel's golden braid sticking out from behind the altar.
"Gosh darn it!" He exclaimed.
"Language, freinfloofer," said another leaf person.
"Hah, you found us!" Rapunzel said as the three of them stood up and held up their hands in surrender. "You guys must be really good at hide and seek." Varian gave her a look as if to say "not the time." Pascal then returned to his normal color, and a few of the leaves in front yelped or gasped in awe.
"They do know he's just a chameleon, right?" Varian asked Rapunzel out of the side of his mouth. Rapunzel shrugged. Then, one of the leaf people held up a torch, which made Pascal's shadow grow until it matched a large painting of a regal-looking lizard on the wall. "Oh," said Varian quietly.
"It's Lizardus!" One of the leaf people in front exclaimed. All of the leaf people immediately fell on their faces in a bow. Varian turned to Cassandra and raised an eyebrow, hands still in the air. Cassandra shrugged as well. Pascal looked side to side, confused. A few of the leaves stacked on top of each other so one could climb up to where Pascal was sitting. "Lizardus, it is you!" He said happily, and then bowed.
"Lizardus?" Varian asked, throughly confused. The leaf people stacked on top of each other until they were as tall as him. The one on top addressed him.
"Indeed. We Lorbs have been waiting for Lizardus Rex for centuries," the leaf person, which Varian guessed was a Lorb explained. "For he is our Glupenhogen! Our king!"
"But that's just Pascal," Rapunzel said, gesturing to Pascal.
"Yeah, he's a chameleon, not a 'Lizardus Rex,'" Varian agreed.
"No!" The Lorb on top interrupted. "He's Lizardus, we are the Lorbs, and you are the freinfloofers!"
"Is that what you called me earlier?" Varian asked.
"Yes. You do need to watch your language, little freinfloofer," another Lorb spoke up.
"That's not even a bad word..." Varian said, exasperated.
"You are so cute!" The top Lorb exclaimed, putting his hands on Cassandra's cheeks. "I just want to pinch you three on your shmoovenfeezens!" Varian scowled. The Lorb stack walked back over to Pascal, and the top Lorb jumped off to land in front of him. "Lizardus, you must return with us to Lorbvida, so that the others can honor you!" Varian facepalmed. He had a pretty good idea of where this was going.
"That sounds terrific!" Rapunzel exclaimed. Varian looked up, startled.
"Rapunzel..." he said out of the side of his mouth. "I wouldn't do that. I don't trust them..."
"I do!" She replied. "And I'm a pretty good judge of character." Varian decided not to mention how she had been completely wrong about his character last year. Rapunzel turned to the Lorbs. "Oh! Show us the way!" The lead Lorb got right up in her face.
YOU ARE READING
Secrets of an Alchemist
FanfictionI was rewatching Keeper of the Spire randomly the other day, and I had an idea. What if Hector broke Varian out of jail? What if Varian trained with Hector and then tailed Rapunzel's group until they were attacked by the Kirlok at the Spire? (Calli...
