Lost (Trequel to "Sight")

Found

Rose's gaze flickered between the woman and Varian as they stared at each other in silence. Was someone going to say something? Or were they just going to keep gazing at each other, speechless?

"V-Varian?" the woman asked, finally breaking the tension. "Could it really be you?"

Tears formed at the corners of Varian's eyes. "Are you... are you Ulla?"

"Yes. Oh, yes." The two embraced, tears running down both of their faces. Rose didn't know what to do, so she just watched them with a small smile. They had done it. They'd finally found Varian's mom.

"Why-why were you gone for so long?" Varian asked, looking his mother in the eyes.

Ulla stroked her son's hair. "Oh, there's so much to explain. Why don't you tell me about everything I've missed while I was gone?"

It took a little while for Varian to explain everything that had happened to him throughout the past thirteen years. His mother was quite shocked when he told her about the events of him turning evil, but she didn't completely freak out. Instead, she was understanding. She was especially proud when he told her about Zhan Tiri and how he had helped defeat her.

"And now I'm the Royal Engineer!" he ended with a large grin.

"That's amazing!" Ulla replied. "You're living the dream I've always wanted." She turned to Rose. "So, who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Rose. Varian's girlfriend," Rose explained.

Ulla put her hands up to her mouth. "My son has a girlfriend?" She put a hand on Rose's face and studied her eyes. "Oh, you are beautiful."

Rose's face redden in embarrassment. "Oh, thank you."

"How long have you been together? Was it love at first sight?" She gasped. "Have you kissed?"

"Mom!" Varian yelled, his own face growing red.

Ulla chuckled. "Fine, fine. But you guys are so cute together."

The two teens gave each other a small smile, staring into each other's eyes. Ulla squealed. "So cute!"

"So, can you explain to us why you've been gone for thirteen years?" Varian asked, turning back to his mom.

"Alright, get settled down, 'cause this is going to be a lot." She took a seat across from her son and his girlfriend.

"First of all, I want you to know that I loved both you and your father very much. I never really wanted to leave you guys-- nonetheless for so long. But when the opportunity came up, Quirin supported me all the way. So, I left."

"What opportunity?" Varian quizzed.

"You see, there are these two necklaces, and they're very powerful. So, the queen and king asked me personally to retrieve them, before they fell into the wrong hands. But years and years passed, and I wanted to return home. But I still hadn't found either of the necklaces. I didn't want to return home as a failure, and make my family laughing stocks. So, I stayed here, in a quiet town that almost no one knew about."

Varian blinked a few times. "So... you didn't return because you didn't get some necklaces?"

"No, I wanted to save you and your father from humiliation. The king and queen had trusted me to retrieve these necklaces and I had failed. Who knows what they would've done to me if I had returned with nothing. Who knows what they would've done to you." She stared at the floor, sighing. "It was safer to assume I was dead."

"But I lost thirteen years of my life without you. Without a mom."

Ulla put a hand over his. "But we can make those memories now. We can stay here and-"

"Stay here?" Varian asked. "What about returning to Corona?"

Ulla shook her head. "After what I just told you? There's no way I could return now. Especially not after hiding for thirteen years."

"The king and queen aren't as scary as you might think," Rose told her. "Well, okay, King Frederick is a little scary, but don't tell him I said that."

"And plus, Princess Rapunzel is there now," Varian added.

Ulla's eyes widened. "The princess has returned?"

"Yeah. A few years ago, with her boyfriend Eugene," Rose explained. "She's the sweetest person you'll ever meet. She's sure to vouch for you."

"Are you sure..."

"Of course!" Varian exclaimed, a large smile on his face. "Oh, Dad's going to be so excited to see you again!"

Ulla seemed to stare into space, her eyes twinkling. "Oh, it's been so long since I've seen Quirin. Do you think he'd forgive me?"

Varian squeezed her hand. "Of course he will."

"Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ulla stood up.

"Love your enthusiasm, Mom, but there's some friends we still have to wait for. Lazy bums are still sleeping," he chuckled.

Rose smiled and nudged him with her elbow. "Well duh they're still sleeping. It just became eight!"

"You have others with you?" Ulla asked, sitting back down.

"Yeah. A couple friends from Corona, some we met on the way here." He gasped. "Oh, and I found my cousin! She was your sister's daughter!"

"Olympia?" Ulla inquired. "Wow, I haven't seen her since she was probably two."

"Olympia? So that's her real name?" Rose inquired aloud.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't you know her real name?" Ulla quizzed, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

"Well, Musica- I mean Olympia is part of a secret network called the Society," Varian explained. "They don't use their real names and go by aliases."

"Huh. Interesting." Ulla stroked her chin. "How'd you find out about this Society?"

"Oh, we were just looking for a necklace for this guy named Oskar-"

"Oskar?" You could clearly see the panic in her expression. "Wh-what was he looking for?"

"Just this necklace. Why?"

Ulla dug into a pocket stitched to her apron, bringing out a folded piece of paper. She handed it to the teens, who exchanged a look before unfolding it.

There were two drawings on the paper. One was a necklace with a thin, silver chain and a light blue crystal hanging from it. The other was another necklace, but with a gold chain and an onyx hanging from it.

It was Oskar's heirloom.

"How-how does this all tie in?" Varian asked. "This is the exact necklace we salvaged for Oskar. Right before he stabbed us in the back." That last part was muttered under his breath.

"Oh, that is not just any necklace." Ulla stared the two teens in the eyes. "That is one of the two Heirlooms."