Varian's Tale: A Tangled Fan Fiction

Chapter 1

Back and forth. Back and forth. They have to let me out. It's not my fault. They have to let me go!
Back and forth, back and forth I paced. The door to the dungeon opened, and a guard came in. I hurried to the door of my cell as he passed.
"You have to let me out," I said. "Please. Please, I was just trying to save my father."
"Shut up, kid," the guard said coldly.
"Please?" I said. "You can't keep me here!"
The guard walked away.
"No!" I shouted. "Don't leave me! Please!"
The guard walked out without another word.
"No no no no no," I muttered, running my hands through my hair as I paced across my cell. "No no no! You can't do this! You can't! Let me out!" I screamed at nothing.
I'd been there for nearly a week, I think. My voice was going, my throat was raw, and I was hungry, though I guest that was partially my fault for refusing to eat for a while.
I sat on the bed in my cell and hugged my knees. I needed something to do. Any experiment, something, anything, to occupy my mind. You could only sleep so much.
I sat there, curled in that position, counting, for a few moments. I got to three hundred twenty seven when I heard footsteps. That was strange, the gaurds were early. It didn't sound like guards though. The footsteps were lighter. The person stopped outside my cell.
"Varian?" she said. "Are you awake?"
Cassandra! I looked up and sure enough Cassandra was standing outside my cell.
"Hello Cassandra," I said monotonously as I felt Ruddiger, my raccoon, crawl into my lap.
"Varian," she nodded. "I'm coming in."
"Giving me time to plot an escape?" I asked, stroking Ruddiger, only half joking.
"Please," Cass said, rolling her eyes. "I'd catch you before you made it out the door."
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. I blew my bangs out of my face before asking, "What do you want?"
"Can't come down for a social call?" she asked, leaning against the door of the cell.
"You wouldn't," I told her. "So what do you want?"
"Fine," Cass sighed. "You go me. I want an explanation."
I raised an eyebrow at her, still stroking Ruddiger.
"Why you did what you did," she clarified. "Go ahead."
"I don't have to explain anything to you," I said.
Cass raised an eyebrow. "Well in that case," she said. "I guess I'll be off."
"Wait, no!" I cried, hating the desperation that filled my voice. "Don't go?" It sounded more like a question than a statement.
"Fine," Cass said. "Only if you explain."
"Why don't you go ask Rapunzel?" I snapped. "I'm sure she knows exactly why I did what I did."
"Is that my cue?" Cass asked, smirking.
"No," I said. "I just... Give me a second?" I asked hopefully.
Cass sighed. "Whenever you're ready, Varian."
I took a deep breath. "It starts on the day of the storm," I started. "I came for help, and I didn't get any. She, the princess, Rapunzel, she promised! She promised she'd help, and she didn't!"
"Right," Cass said. "Broken promises. It happens all the time."
"But, but. No! You don't understand! You don't get it!" Ruddiger crawled out of my lap and scurried over towards Cassandra. Nice. Even my raccoon hates me. "What would you do, huh? What would you do if your father was in danger, and the only person who could help refused to!?"
"Not kidnap the queen!" Cass shouted, glancing down at Ruddiger as he attempted to climb her legs. She bent and picked him up and I winced, as if a knife had been lodged in my chest. "That was stupid."
"I know!" I shouted, getting to my feet. "I know. I know it was stupid, but it worked, didn't it? I got Rapunzel there, and if her stupid hair would have cut the amber, I would have won! I would have won!"
"That's it," Cass said. "I'm out." She offered me Ruddiger.
"Keep him," I deadpanned. "He likes you better."
She frowned, but backed out of the cell and locked it. She took a couple of steps away before turning and looking at me. "Varian, I..." she started.
"Goodbye Cassandra," I growled.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Goodbye Varian."