Tangled After Ever After

Ambush

Varian swiftly dodged, narrowly avoiding the mechanical arm by a mere inch. He bolted away from it with all his might. The guilt and remorse that had been gnawing at him for a year surged towards him like an overwhelming tide. He joined the large crowd who had congregated nearby and approached the exit. Varian pushed and jostled through the crowd, returning to the machine. His creation almost impaled someone with its knuckles that had sharp spikes at its end. It started directing the group toward the center of the room! Varian knew instantly that he had to do something.Varian sprinted ahead of the group, reached into his bag, and quickly rummaged through it to find the cylinder.
"Everyone, back up," he commanded, and they all complied, moving as far back as possible. Varian threw the cylinder at the door, slowly melting away like ice, creating an opening for them to escape. A wave of people pushed past him towards the opening, shoving him to and fro.He turned towards his creation, and to his astonishment, it stood there, not chasing anyone. It just looked at him. Focused.Varian slowly moved his hand inside his bag. To find that it had disappeared sometime during the rush hour. He ran from the monster's concentration and pushed through the crowd, trying to find his satchel. He searched on hands and knees before a strong arm grabbed him by the shoulder and lifted him to full height."Dad?" He hugged him.
"Varian, are you okay?" He let go of me, searching for any injuries."Dad, I'm fine, but we must get out of here."The arm of the creature came right towards us; Screams filled the Throne Room. Varian's father quickly jumped in front of him, blocking the hand."Dad, I'm not letting you get hurt again because of me."
"That's not your decision, Varian."With the help of the crowd, Varian pushed his father away from the hand just as the arm went to grab him. However, the arm lifted him up instead, and he struggled under its rugged grip. He looked into the creature's eyes and saw Juniper through the dimly-colored glass."Traitors to Saporia pay with their lives...But sadly, Andrew needs you alive. I'm sure you got his message he needs you for a little project."Fear struck through him at Juniper's words. As he looked anxiously, he looked to the ground for the bag. He finally spotted it being pushed to and through between the remaining group at the center of the throne room. "Dad!!, the bag."
He waved both his hands, getting his attention away from the crowd. He ran towards it at full speed, grabbing it. Juniper turned around the machine. "Dad, throw the blue vial!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Juniper sprinted towards Quirin, who was frantically searching for something. After a brief moment, he found the light blue bottle he was looking for and pulled it out of his bag. He hurled the vial at the machine, causing it to temporarily freeze upon impact. "What!?" Juniper exclaimed as she started smashing the levers to get the machine moving again. As the machine's grip around Varian began to loosen, he pushed against the robot's hand and watched as the weight fell. Varian quickly jumped out of the way and rolled to the ground just in time. He got back up and watched as the machine fell on its face. Overjoyed, he did a victory dance, circling his arms in front of him triumphantly."Now, that's what I call the power of science," Varian exclaimed. The group quickly fled from the throne room, leaving only the robot, Varian, and his father.
The small door at the back of its head pushed open hard, sending the door across the room, hitting Quirin, pushing him against the wall! "Dad!" Varian made a move towards his Dad when Juniper suddenly appeared from the doors and stopped him. Her face was filled with anger, turning almost red."So, that's how you want to play it... fine." She snapped her fingers, and strong hands grabbed Varian from behind. Varian looked up to see Kia, a large man with tan skin and chestnut hair."Hi," Varian said shyly. As he was pulled up from his stronghold and pushed against the wall, Kia's breath smelled like rotten meat.
"It's good to see you again, Traitor," Kia said."It's good to see you too," Varian replied, smiling but unable to stand the stench as he plugged his nose."When was the last time you brushed your teeth?" His face turned red with anger, and he moved his arm back, muttering "Varian, you idiot" under his breath. He covered his head, bracing himself for the blow, but it never came.
Varian looked up to see a figure draped in a green cloak standing over Kai, protecting him. Though the posture indicated it was a lady, he couldn't see the person's face due to the cloak's shadow. The lady held a frying pan over her shoulders, ready to strike if needed. She lifted her veil, and her bouncing curls revealed her face, which was angelic and serene. Her emerald green eyes met Varian's, and his heart skipped a beat.
She smiled and said, "Frying pans always do the job for you." "Cass?" he exclaimed, recognizing her voice.She was stunning."Hey, Kid." She dropped the frying pan onto Kai's head. Her face frowned for a second, then quickly smiled slightly towards Varian. She stepped over the body and offered him her hand.She seemed different, not just because her hair was longer...happier."Come on, Kid, we gotta get out of here." That sounds familiar. He took her hand, looking towards the machine.
She jerked him upward, seeing the metal giant regain its energy and lift itself from the ground. They ran for the doors, with her dragging Varian pretty much the entire way. The metal beast stepped over them, quickly blocking the door."Not so fast, Varian," Juniper said, visibly upset. She glanced towards Cass with slight surprise as she spoke,
"Cassandra, I'm surprised to see you here. After the little stunt you pulled, I thought the Princess would have banished you from Corona. But here you are, still alive. Andrew would be delighted if we took you into custody as well. Cass squeezed Varian's hand and stepped forward, saying firmly, "That's not going to happen." The metallic hand moved closer to them, and Cass quickly unsheathed her sword, blocking its path in front of Varian. "Varian, go find your father. I can't hold it for long," she said, struggling to keep the hand at bay. Varian hesitated for a moment but soon ran towards where his father had been hit. Varian pushed against the door with all his strength. Only opening it by an inch. Cursing his weak, skinny arms.He returned to Cass. Still struggling to hold her ground.
"Dad?" He couldn't see anything. "Varian, I'm okay."
"Dad, I need-." He held out my bag to him. "Go and help Cassandra."
"But Dad-"
"I'll be alright. I can get out of here, but Cassandra needs your help more than me." Varian hesitantly took the bag from his hand, nodding as he reached for his Dad's hand, squeezing it."Thanks, Dad. I'll be right back."Varian ran back towards the machine. He rummaged through his bag, finding the amber solution. Holding it up to the light of the broken window. Instantly recalling last night's dream, he quickly shook it off, yelling ahead at Cassandra. "Cass! Move!"
She pressed on the hand as she turned to look at him, a smile piercing her lips. She spoke through the struggle, "Okay." she said through her fight, pushing the hand as far as she could, and started to run toward Varian. The machine turned and began to run for her as Varian threw the amber solution, hitting its right leg. Orange solid flames began to erupt around it. Juniper saw the orange flames and jumped from the open doorway. Rolling onto the castle floor. We watched as it encased the whole structure.Juniper turned in shock in our direction. Cass rushed over to her with Varian at her heels, grabbing her by her shirt collar. "Where's the royal family?" Jupiter remained silent, with a giant smile spreading on her face."Answer me!"
Juniper chuckled under her breath. "All your answers will be revealed in time, Cassandra." Crashes suddenly filled the room as more members of New Saporia came through each glass window, surrounding us. Cassandra let go of Juniper's body, causing her to fall onto the ground with a thud. She reached for her shirt collar, pulling it up to fix it before turning around to face the enemy. Varian held a sticky solution beside her while Cassandra held her sword tightly. They positioned themselves back to back, ready to take on the incoming threats. Varian suggested, "You take the ones on your side, and I'll take the ones on mine?" with a smile, hoping to ease the tension in the air. Cassandra responded with a playful eye-roll.
"Listen, Cassandra and...Varian," Juniper said coldly. "Hand yourself over now, and we will allow enough time for every Corona citizen to evacuate...or if you don't, we could just blow this palace up now." She clicked her fingers, motioning two unrecognizable men. They brought forth a giant load of what was assumed to be Quirineon, judging by its specific smell. "Andrew would be disappointed, of course; he was planning something special for Corona, but I suppose he'd learn to forgive us." One of them began to strike a flame! "Stop!" Cassandra and the alchemist both cried at the same time. Sending everyone looking in their direction. Cass leaned over to me, her back still facing mine. "Varian, do you trust me?" She whispered. "Yes?" Varian whispered, slightly confused. She turned back to face Juniper. "Okay, fine, will go with you-""Wait! What!" She turned back at Varian, annoyed. She mouthed. Trust me. He looked at her, shocked for a moment. Then nodded at her as she continued,"On one condition... everyone in the kingdom leaves here safely like you promised."
Juniper smiled, "Why, of course." She unsheathed her sword, pointing it at Cass. "But if you try anything on board, I won't hesitate to burn this place." She paused, staring at Cass, ensuring she got the point. She nodded, tapping the tip of her sword. "Okay, people, let's move it out." The guy in front of Varian turned, grabbed his belongings from him, and proceeded to handcuff him. He faced Cassandra's back, catching the smell of lavender from her hair.Another guy tried to get behind Cass, but before he could get any closer, she whacked him off. Dumping her weapons at his feet, she proceeded to handcuff herself.He gave a look of surprise, "I'd rather handcuff myself than have some weirdo do it for me." He snarled at her.
Suddenly, a giant air balloon floated toward one of the broken windows. The men on the boat lowered the ramp towards Juniper. She stepped onto the ship, heading to the steering. The other men motioned for them to go next. Cass walked in front of Varian, following suit due to the look the guy back there gave him.They were pushed into a corner of the ship. A bunch of guys began giving us dirty looks. Varian looked around the maneuvered ship, seeing many familiar faces from prison. Varian tried covering his face with one of his hands, but it didn't seem to work. They watched patiently as the rest of the men boarded. The last one was Kai as he held his hand to his head. He turned to look at Cassandra and Varian, his face full of anger and embarrassment as he received mocking laughs from the rest of the crew. They pulled the ramp onto the ship, hoisting the anchor, quickly gaining altitude.
Varian turned behind him, seeing the remnants of the throne room, knowing it had been for the best that they had left. His eyes moved to the front of the airship, watching as they headed beyond Corona's walls.