Tangled: Stardust and the 12 Zodiacs (Varian Fanfiction)

Chapter 12: Virgo's Orb

"Hoo." Sir Hoots-a-lot jolted awake as he felt a tingle in his feathers. It usually happens when his human friend uses her magic. The owl has been with the astrologer's family since he was an egg. The owl's mother used to belong to Soul's father, and when Sir Hoots-a-lot hatched from his egg, it was around the time Soul was born so the owl was given to the girl as a birthday gift. Hoots is an incredibly smart owl. His memory is as sharp as a dolphin. He has seen a lot of things going on in the girl's life. If only he could speak, he would have told the girl the truth about what happened to their parents. And what happened to her.

"What's wrong, Sir Hoots? Did Flick and Ruddiger wake you?" Catalina cooed as she gently petted the owl's feathers. Sir Hoots-a-lot hooted, shaking his head in an attempt to say no. The red-head giggled at the owl's actions as she left Hoots alone and went to where her sister and adoptive father was.

"What's for lunch?" Kiera asked as she sat down by the table, swinging her feet, excited to eat.

Lance did not answer, scratching the nape of his head nervously.

"Lance, what's wrong?" Catalina worriedly asked as she sat down next to Kiera. The grown man gulped as he turned to face the two girls waiting patiently by the table.

"Well." He started. "The good news is, we still have food!" He exclaimed as he held up two loaves of bread.

"What's the bad news?"

"The bad news is, these two are the last bit of food we have left."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"OH, COME ON!!!"

"EEECCKKKKK!!!!"

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Fluttering her eyes open, Soul woke up, wincing as she held her head. For a second, it confused her as to where she was, until memories of what happened came back to her.

That's right....I passed out after trying to stop those boulders from falling on us...

She doesn't know why every time she tries to use more of her intense spells, it would always take a huge toll on her. She figured that maybe it was because she wasn't a witch or a mage by blood, that's why it's attacking her stamina instead of her mana. But the true reason? She doesn't know.

"Glad to see you're awake now. You've been out for at least 30 minutes now." A voice spoke beside her. Turning her head to the side, Soul's face heated up as she saw how close she was to the alchemist. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked, concern evident on his face.

The lavender-haired girl nodded her head, sliding back to put a little space between them. The two teens said nothing until Varian coughed, attempting to break the heavy atmosphere.

"So..um, thanks for saving me." He started, scratching his cheek awkwardly as he heard the girl beside him hum in response. Silence lingered the tunnel once more until Soul spoke.

"You weren't supposed to know." She whispered, bringing her knees close to her. Varian glanced at the girl when he heard small sniffles next to him, his eyes widening when he realized she was sobbing quietly as she hid her face between her knees. "You weren't supposed to know, but... I had to save you. If I...If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to...to live with the guilt of letting you die when.... I could have saved you." She confessed, her voice quavering as she spoke.

Soul lifted her head up as she wiped the tears on her face when a handkerchief was held out to her. She looked at the handkerchief confusedly before looking at Varian to see him holding it out for the girl to take.