On the Wrong Foot

by Tatami_Hokes

Summary:

Hugo meets Varian and instantly dismisses him as a spoiled brat after a brief taste of adventure, but as they journey together, he thinks that maybe there's more to him than meets the eye.

Varian tries to pretend he didn't just fall for the first tall blonde he found on the road.

Chapter 1: The First Night

Notes:

I'm going to be slowly updating and replacing this fic with re-written chapters before I continue with the story! My writing had improved (or at least I think it has) and I want to make sure everything is all up to date :) enjoy!

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Hugo hated everything about this.

Donella, the scheming old bat that she was, had told him this would be an easy job. He should have known that was a lie. She’d never made anything easy for him, and after all these years working for her, Hugo was disappointed in his own stupid oversight. Of course this job wouldn’t be a simple case of lifting a dusty old artefact out of a dusty old cave before anyone else could get their hands on it. The two idiots he’d run into on the trial had certainly tried.

He had played them both, and easily. Especially the younger of the two, the little Fire Kingdom kid; he’d been gullible as a newborn babe. But the older one… The alchemist. There had been a spark of something in his eyes, behind his thick glass goggles.

Hugo still wasn’t sure what it was that he’d seen. Knowing, perhaps. Or, recognition. Like he’d seen something in Hugo that he was all too familiar with. Like he’d read right through him the moment they’d met. Which was strange, since the alchemist had been almost as trusting as the little brat. He’d all but given Hugo the exact directions to the totem itself. He seemed to have some kind of manual on the thing. Then, the alchemist kid had actually acted surprised when Hugo had taken the totem for himself and left the two of them in the dust.

Still, Hugo had to admit the strange pair had roused some spark of interest within him. Enough that he’d reported it back to Donella. He’d known, even as he’d taken the fire totem back to her in their industrial Kingdom of Starksilber, that it wasn’t the end of the job. He’d known then that the job had gone too smoothly, that familiar sinking feeling had poisoned his gut. His suspicions were cemented when Donella’s eyes widened in interest at his report.

“And…what of the child with the book?” Donella had asked with a sharp tone, leaning forward.

Hugo had felt pinned under her icy gaze. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before. He was from a rich kingdom, I could tell that much from the cut of his clothes.” Hugo swallowed, “Fit him like a well-tailored glove.”

“I didn’t ask about his fashion proclivities. I asked about the book.”

“It had instructions. On how to find the totem. I don’t know anything else.” Hugo had tried to replay the meeting in his mind, to recall the crazed scribblings in the margins of that boy’s book. But he couldn’t.

Donella had stopped listening already. Her face had lit up with unguarded joy, a rare expression for her. Under the candlelight at the dark tavern, she had looked downright conniving. “It’s him.” She whispered. She had looked back up to Hugo with a smile. “Follow that boy. Find the other totems. I promise you, this will lead to riches greater than you could ever know.”

“What? Follow that kid, th-that sheltered kingdom idiot, and then what?”

Donella’s expression had sharpened again. He’d said the wrong thing.

“I mean, I can do it.” He said hurriedly, “Just be nice to know why.”

Donella pushed the fire totem, which was wrapped in cloth and placed on the table between them, towards Hugo. “Foolish child. The one with the book has to be Ulla’s offspring. That book is full of her notes, guidance on how to pass each Kingdom trial. The book alone would be worth more than your life.”

Hugo had flinched.

Donella softened her tone. “I only say this so you understand the importance of this task. Trust me.”

“I do, Don.”

“Then listen to my words. I ask of you a single task, however this will be the most important of any job you’ve ever completed for me. I want you to keep an eye on Ulla’s child, to help him retrieve the totems, and to steal them away when I tell you the time is right.” She jabbed a finger at the fire totem between them. “Return this to him and gain his trust.” Her hand was a claw, firm over his shoulder. “Do you understand?”

He had nodded reverentially in reply, but it was hardly a ‘single task’. In fact, it was three. Three tasks that would prove to be much harder than Donella had let on. Though, perhaps she had known that. If the task was so damn important, why didn’t she just do it herself?

That was how he found himself here, a week after the trial of fire, standing before the little alchemist brat and his companion.

They’d made a brave and yet misinformed attempt at a fire, which was impressive for an alchemist and a kid whose home kingdom was actually named after the stuff. Hugo had clocked their camp from miles away, the black smoke of a poorly fuelled fire made them easy pickings for any common thief on the road. Luckily for them, Hugo wasn’t a common thief. And he was here for the long game. Apparently.

“Hey!”

Hugo feigned his surprise at being spotted.

“We’re camping here, and I’m not afraid to use—“ The alchemist was standing in the shadows of the trees, one hand outstretched beside him to shield the younger brat from view. Recognition suddenly flickered across his features. “You!”

Hugo smiled. “Yeah. Me.”

“You stole from us.” He accused, jabbing a gloved finger at Hugo.

The fire kid appeared from behind him, frowning. He looked tired. “Why are you back? You already got the totem. We don’t have anything else to give.”

“So quick to give up!” Hugo said, spreading his arms, “I’m here to help, naturally.”

“Yong, get back behind me. He’s just a thief, like the others. We can handle petty thieves, can’t we?”

Hugo’s eyes narrowed. “A petty thief? Really. You think I’m just some highwayman, come to cut your throats and your purse-strings? Honestly!” He chuckled theatrically, “No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. I’m a scholar, just like you.”

“Oh yeah?” The alchemist arched an eyebrow at him. “And what field do you study? How to count stolen coin?”

Hugo didn’t miss a beat. “I’m an alchemist.”

This time, the older kid was thrown for a loop. He frowned at Hugo. “I’m an alchemist. You could say I’m quite a well-known one too—and I’ve never seen you. What did you say your name was?”

“Hugo.” Hugo said, holding out his hand, “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, formally.”

He looked at Hugo’s hand with a measure of disgust. “I’m Varian, if you must know. And I’m not trusting you. You stole the fire totem right from under us!”

“Varian? Never heard of you. Can’t be that famous, eh? Oh, and I didn’t steal it.” Hugo felt around in his pack until he found the totem, and pulled it out for them both to see. “Here.” He tossed it at Varian.

Varian caught it deftly despite his shock. “Wha—why are you giving it back?”

Hugo shrugged. “Because, I want the same thing you do. And I can’t do it alone. And, in case it hadn’t already occurred to you, neither can you.”

“We’re doing fine.”

“I passed five bandit camps on the way here. You were honestly doing miraculously well so far to avoid being further robbed blind, but your luck won’t last forever out here. I get it, you’re sheltered kingdom village folk who aren’t used to the roads out here. That’s where I come in. I’ll help you get to the trials, and—”

“And in return, you’ll let us collect all the totems just to steal them for yourself.” Varian said in a disinterested drone.

Hugo had to stop to compose himself. How…aggravating. Why had he made that connection so quickly? Did Hugo really look so untrustworthy?

“Oh, I’m sorry, was that not the answer you expected?” Varian said sharply. “We had thieves in our backwater villages. And basic education. We’re not as stupid as you think, Hugo.” He said Hugo’s name like he’d meant it as an insult.

“I’m only surprised you would think so lowly of a fellow scholar.” Hugo said, hoping to recover quickly. “The Eternal Library has been a dream of mine for so long—of course, I believed it to be a myth. But when I met you, I knew it must have been true. I admit, I took the totem for myself initially…but I see now that was a mistake.” Hugo bowed his head, “Whatever I can do to make you trust me, I’ll do it. Just give me a chance.”

“Sure.” Varian said.

Suddenly, Hugo felt his arm wrenched behind his back. Through inertia, his whole body slammed with force against a tree. His cheek ground painfully against the bark. His glasses had tumbled from his face and hit the floor, rendering the surrounding forest into a dark green blur. A small curl of fear snarled in his chest.

Varian’s voice came close to his ear. “This is tipped in truth serum, so I can have the whole story whether you want to tell it or not. I don’t want to use it, but if you’re here to hurt us, I will.” It became clear to Hugo that the little brat had had run ins with undesirables already.

Hugo looked down, and sure enough, there was a small dagger, barely a letter opener, resting just under his ribs. “If you wanted to get under my shirt, you could've just asked. No need to cut through.” He knew a nick from the dagger would have him spilling his guts about Donella, and he couldn't have that. Still, how…unexpected to be attacked like this. Certainly not how he’d planned this meeting to go.

Varian didn’t relent. “What do you know about the Eternal Library? It’s not a common myth. I think you might simply be a good liar.” He reinforced his words by pushing his weight behind Hugo’s shoulders, forcing him to turn his face to avoid breaking his nose against the tree.

“Maybe it’s not common knowledge where you’re from,” Hugo said through gritted teeth, “but in Starksilber it’s a bedtime story. Come on, you know I can help. You can cut me loose anytime if you have suspicions. But you know, deep down, I’m just an alchemist looking for a solution. Like you.”

Varian’s grip eased on his arm.

“Atta boy.” Hugo said, taking the opportunity to remove himself from the tree. As Varian’s arms fell away, Hugo scooped his glasses from the floor and replaced them on his nose.

“Fine. You have one more chance, and mostly because we could use some protection.” Varian’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “But you’ve misjudged me. If I have suspicions of you, I won’t be cutting you loose so you can run for backup from your kingdom or wherever hole it is you’ve crawled out of.”

“Okay…then what?” Hugo asked, once again robbed of words from Varian’s reaction.

“Well, I don’t know what they do to thieves in your kingdom…” Varian said, slowly running his finger over his apparently poisoned dagger, “But, in mine, they cut off a finger. And perhaps I’ll take a finger for each totem.” Varian shrugged lightly, strapping the dagger to his hip. “I don’t know, depends how I feel.”

Hugo looked at Yong, who looked quite pale. “Quite a violent friend you’ve got there, kid.”

“He’s joking.” Yong said cheerily, but he didn’t sound entirely convinced.

“Anyway, now that you know I can be trusted, would you get your cat off of me!” Hugo added, shaking his foot where a small furry creature had latched on to him.

“His name is Ruddiger, and he’s a racoon.” Varian said sternly, and held out an arm. The creature scampered up his arm and settled around his neck like a big wooly scarf.

“Ah, of course. Vermin. And you've named it. Fabulous.” Hugo smiled wryly.

Later, when Hugo had silently fed their fire with seasoned wood and they’d gathered around to finally rest, it seemed the pair were too tired to continue in their distrust. Yong had already started drifting off to sleep, propped against his bedroll. The pair looked like they were run ragged from their journey already, which was understandable for two city kids trying to stick it on the desolate roads of the unforgiving countryside. Varian really must’ve been desperate, because he chose to allow Hugo to join them. It was clear he didn’t trust him, and perhaps never would, which was fine by Hugo. He only needed to string them along till the last totem.

“So, Hugo. Where did you learn alchemy?” Varian asked, rousing him from his thoughts.

Hugo leaned back, warming his boots at the fire, “Starksilber, Kingdom of Industry.”

Varian scoffed, “I meant, how did you learn it?”

“I was taught.” A grin twisted his mouth.

“Well I was hoping for more than that.”

“Oh! Sorry.” Hugo put up a placating hand, “Someone in Starksilber taught me. Does that about clear things up for you?”

Varian glared at him, “Okay! That’s fine! No talking, then, or I might slip up and accidentally strangle you.”

Hugo’s amusement bubbled up in the form of uproarious laughter, “Okay, city kid! Maybe if you start practicing now, you might be able to strangle me when I’m 80.”

Varian smiled, “Or, I could just build an automaton programmed to strangle specifically your neck.”

“You really have a creative mind for violence, you know.”

Varian frowned, as though offended. “I was joking. I wouldn’t—Just, eat your food and shut up.”

Hugo’s mouth twisted at the pitiful rations he’d been given. Hard cheese, hard tack, hard bread.

“We should stock up at the next kingdom.”

“We have loads of food. Prometheus is carrying it.”

“And…Prometheus is…?”

“My pack donkey.”

“Of course he is. Pack donkey, cat called Rundigar. Any other animals I should know of?”

“Ruddiger. And no.”

The raccoon hissed at Hugo like a cat.

“Right.” Hugo murmured.

This job would be painful. The Eternal Library, or more aptly the riches within, had better be worth it. As he settled down to sleep that night he silently cursed Donella. The sooner this was over, the better.

---

It continued on like that for the next two weeks that were spent travelling to the next kingdom. Bickering and progress made slowly between arguments. Hugo knew he wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, his long list of enemies spoke to that, but for some reason he clashed with Varian almost constantly. Yong attempted to keep them from killing each other, but more often than not he was focussing on not getting lost.

When the Kingdom of Delphius finally came into view, it was a blessing. It was a city perched on a mountain like the nest of an eagle the size of the sun. White marble spires erupted from the mountain-top, so far up that they pierced the veil of clouds. In fact, they seemed to hold the thick layer of rain clouds back like some sort of forcefield. Like a great net strung between the stone spires, the night sky inexplicably was visible above the kingdom, even by day. From this distance, it looked like nothing Hugo had ever seen; certainly nothing like his own kingdom, whose sky was rendered almost black by a thick miasma of smog. And, unlike Starksilber, Delphius was surrounded by old stone ruins that marked its long history.

“Woah.” Yong said as they passed a crumbling chapel with brilliant azure stained-glass windows. The windows which remained mostly intact depicted constellations, star showers, and a noble looking figure eclipsed by a bright yellow moon.

“Woah, indeed.” Hugo agreed between puffing breaths. They’d been travelling uphill with a constantly chattering child and an elderly donkey, who seemed to have slowed to such a pace that he was almost going backwards.

Varian seemed to have endless energy, apparently motivated purely by the need to put Hugo to shame. Yes, Hugo was street smart, and an extremely talented alchemist, but when it came to physical fitness, he was severely lacking. He was good for short bursts, but anything that required stamina exhausted him. He wished he’d taken Donella’s training drills more seriously.

“The sooner we get there, the sooner you can prove that I wasn't an idiot for letting you come with us.” Varian called back from the front.

“Think I’ve already proven my worth, but…to prove you’re not an idiot?” He clucked his tongue, “That would be a challenge.” Hugo replied cheerily, trying to hide the fact that his breath was now coming in short gasps. It was true, though, that Hugo had already proven himself. They’d already almost been attacked by thieves twice on the road, but unfortunately for the attackers, Hugo was a better thief.

Varian and Yong didn't seem to be able to see what was so obvious to Hugo. While a felled tree in the middle of the road was coincidence to them, to Hugo it was an obvious stage for a stick-up. All it took was for Hugo to pull them onto a different path, and they avoided a meaningless fight. It was the way Donella had taught him to approach his battles.

“Not much further now,” Yong said, “I hope there’s food there, I’m so bored of fish and crackers.”

“Of course there’s food there, it’s a city. What, do you think they eat rocks?” Hugo said irritably, because the hill was only getting steeper.

“They might! I’ve never left my kingdom, there must be people who eat rocks out there somewhere.”

“Never left your kingdom? Never’d guessed.” Hugo said, earning himself a glower from Varian.

Soon enough, they reached a point where the path levelled out. Hugo heaved a few deep, steadying breaths, then motioned for them to follow. They were almost drawing level with the city gates of the Kingdom of Delphius.

“You should let me do the talking.” Hugo commanded.

Guards in navy and purple uniforms stared down at them from wooden watchtowers on either side of the gates. It put Hugo on edge, standing out here exposed. The crossbows they were holding could easily put a swift end to this whole merry quest. They just had to say the right thing. Perhaps a bribe would work?

Hugo felt around in his pockets. He was mercilessly light on coin, certainly not enough to sway even the most disloyal of guards.

“Uh, no.” Varian said, striding out ahead of them. “I’ll do the talking, and you do the shutting up.”

“What? No, don’t be an idiot, they’ll kill y—“

“I have a token from my queen.” Varian said loudly. He pulled a small slip of silk from his pocket and let it unfurl as he held it up to the guards. “It allows me to move freely between kingdoms. And by extension, my companions too.”

One of the guards made a face and stomped down the rickety wooden stairs from his watchtower, meeting Varian at the gate. His crossbow remained aimed at Varian’s legs, set to cripple if one of them tried to run.

Hugo peered at the token Varian has produced. He didn’t recognise it. A purple swatch of fabric, with a hand-stitched sundrop flower.

But the guard had seen the token and dropped his crossbow to hang loosely at his side. His expression had turned suddenly friendly. “Welcome.” He said, and unlocked the gates.

When Hugo turned back to Varian in disbelief, the damn kid was already shooting him a very smug look.

“What the hell was that?” Hugo hissed as they walked through the gates.

Varian shrugged, already tucking the token back into his pocket. “That’s one of several reasons that you need us more than we need you. Don’t forget it.” He shot Hugo a nasty grin and sped up to stride out ahead of the party. He seemed to be excited to see the kingdom before the rest of them.

Hugo wasn’t thinking about how pretty the buildings would be. He was thinking that there was a trial around here somewhere, and it would bring them a step closer to the Eternal Library. It would bring him a step closer to Donella’s approval.

He just hoped he didn’t screw it up because of these two brats.

Get closer, learn more, but don’t get attached. Take what’s useful and leave the rest. That’s what Donella had told him. He just needed to be trusted by them, enough that they wouldn't see it coming when he took everything from them. Kids like them were so easy to steal from, he almost felt bad for them.

Varian smiled back at them, “Come on. Let’s find some food.”

Chapter 2: The Celestial Princess

Summary:

Varian and company meet Nuru, and face the trial of air. Hugo is bad at talking to people without flirting or antagonising, Yong has a refreshing beverage, and Varian is starting to think this quest could be harder than he'd initially thought.

---

Varian handed the stable-master a stack of shining gold coins.

“Look after them.” He said, trying to see past Prometheus and Ruddiger’s betrayed stares. Upon seeing the state of the centre city of Delphius, he’d quickly ascertained that the animals needed to remain somewhere safe.

The three boys walked out into the city, Varian feeling exposed without Ruddiger at his shoulders, to look for a place to rest and eat. Yong had been right. The hard preserved food Varian had stocked up on had been sensible—it had kept them going this far—but fresh fruits and vegetables were sorely needed. Varian missed home, where he could reach out onto the castle balcony and pluck a ripened apple.

As they walked, the state of the city became more and more apparent. The roads were pocked with craters, which they had to cautiously skirt around to avoid falling in, and even the stretches that were unmarked by destruction were temporarily built with wooden slats to prevent the citizens from stepping in mud. Around them, workmen dotted the buildings, all in various stages of construction. Though, for the sheer amount of labourers, it didn’t seem a very productive city. Most of them were leaning against the buildings, some of them absently hammering at windows and doors, but it was clear their hearts weren't in it. Almost all the buildings, like the roads, were build from wood frames straight on top of the stone ruins of the destroyed city underneath.

Despite this, there was something elegant about it all. To Varian, at least, he could see the hallmarks of an ancient city. The precious few stone buildings which weren’t entirely destroyed were covered in centuries of moss and ivy. Hewn into the stone, smoothed by years of rain, were depictions of a humanoid figures and stars. It was strange to see these historic carvings, next to hastily constructed wooden buildings. Between them all, the citizens seemed to tread lightly, not stopping in one place for too long.

And above the city, the brilliance of the perpetual night sky hung over everything. On the very edges of the city, the normal cloudy day was visible, but when Varian looked directly upwards, the stars were all he could see. A blue-lit comet streaked across the sky. A few citizens slipped back into their houses at the sight of it.

An elderly woman passed Varian and shot him a confused glance at his open admiration at the sky, before she hurried into the darkness of one of the stone buildings.

“Wow. This place is so nice!” Hugo gazed around in apparent wonder.

“Really?” Varian asked. Was it that bad in Starksilber that Hugo thought this was nice?

“No.” Hugo said, “Of course not, the place is a dump. Use your melon, genius.”

Varian led them to an inn that looked like it had the structural integrity of a house of cards.

“After you.” Hugo said cordially to a woman who’d approached the door at the same time.

The woman rolled her eyes in tandem with Varian, and entered before them reluctantly. Varian watched Hugo watch the woman’s hips sway. He was starting to think he couldn’t have picked a worse travel companion if he’d thrown a dart in the Corona cellblock and chosen whichever petty criminal it had stabbed.

They sat at a table near the window, through which a freezing draught blew across them all. Varian hiked up his jacket and waited to be served. Hugo shook his head disbelievingly, and immediately abandoned them to order an ale. Or to hit on the guy tending the bar. Varian could never tell Hugo’s intentions. His gut twisted in irritation.

Yong asked if he could have a drink like Hugo’s too, so Varian had experimentally bought him the only child-friendly-looking drink on the menu: Carambola juice. It came with a little wedge of the star shaped fruit on a cocktail stick, and Varian hoped to the gods it wasn't alcoholic. The last thing Yong needed was more energy. When he’d asked, the gruff barman refused to confirm or deny the contents of the drink, though he was clearly feeling a little harassed from Hugo’s line of questioning.

They sat back down at their table. Yong sipped his drink cheerfully as Varian retrieved his mothers journal from his satchel and let it fall open on the table between them. The journal was well-used, and had clearly been thumbed through a thousand times before Varian ever cracked it open. The pages fluttered to a stop to the entry on ‘The Celestial Kingdom’, the second trial. Delphius.

“You’ve read that a millions times. You must have it scorched into your brain by now.” Yong pointed out, chewing the end of his cocktail stick.

“Yeah, well, if my mother’s anything like me, there’ll be hidden clues all over this journal. We still don’t know exactly where the trial grounds are, or how to gain access.” He said, pointing at a wall of text written in another language. “Look. This could be something, if only I could read it.”

Yong twisted to read it, a frown carved between his brows. “Hm. It’s in another language. I heard people talking funny on the way in. Maybe they speak and write differently here.”

Varian looked at his younger companion in shock. He’d been too distracted by the architecture to notice how people were speaking. The bartender spoke the common tongue, but that made sense at an inn.

“Yong, you’re a genius.”

“I know.” He said easily, taking a huge gulp of Carambola juice.

“So, we just need to find someone who can read this…” Varian said thoughtfully.

“What’s the deal with the city? Did your Mom write about that?”

Varian wrinkled his nose, “Not much. She didn’t seem to spend too much time researching the city itself, just the trial itself. And look at this.” He angled the book towards Yong, to show him the hole burned into the Delphius pages.

“Missing stuff.” Yong observed.

“Yeah. Missing stuff.” Varian agreed. He felt another peel of annoyance as he heard Hugo’s reedy laughter from across the inn. He twisted in his seat. “Hugo, would you stop schmoozing for one minute and help? Remember, that’s what you said you were here for? To help me on this quest that I’m kind of hoping won’t take our entire lives?”

Hugo downed the last dregs of his ale and spun on his heel to face him, “I am helping.” He turned back to the barman, “Would you kindly tell my vertically challenged companion over there what you just told me?”

Varian shot Hugo a look that he hoped appropriately conveyed his despondency.

The barman shrugged, “I said that, if you folks are lookin’ for something, I’d go ask at the marketplace. Gotta friend there, Tholo, he sells information. He’s got his fingers in all the pies, that one. He’ll know what you need.”

Hugo grinned, “Thank you, Jerome, much appreciated.” He pushed away from bar with a slick wink and slunk back to the table.

“Oh yeah, that sounds real trustworthy.” Varian hissed at him. There was no way he was going to buy information from some shady street dealer they’d never met, who was the trusted source of a barman that was also a stranger ten minutes ago. There was absolutely no way.

A short walk and a few questions later, they found Tholo.

Varian stared daggers at Hugo’s back as he led them through the market, “Just so you know, when we get kidnapped and robbed, it’ll be your fault.” He grasped his bag close to him. The market was so crowded that he had to grasp Yong’s shoulder and steer him through, lest he get trampled.

“Ah, that’s gotta be him.” Hugo pointed.

“Tall.” Yong breathed.

Tholo was indeed a very tall man, but decidedly less beefy than his barman friend. He stood at a market stall which appeared to be peddling carved wooden objects, though the way his fellow vendors had given him a wide berth when placing their own stalls spoke volumes. Varian doubted he earned his money selling wooden ducks. Still, Tholo did look strangely friendly. He had keen eyes and a slight hunch with a merrily red face.

When he spotted them, he sprung into motion like a motion-activated trap. He threw out his arms in greeting.

“Hugo!” Tholo greeted, “So good to see you again! What are you after this time, hm? Floor-plans to the palace?” Tholo laughed good-naturedly, slapping Hugo’s shoulder. “So rare to see you outside of the old Starksilber. So far from home, hm?”

“You know him!?” Varian snapped. He figured he shouldn't really be surprised. They’d met Hugo when he’d been in the process of stealing from him, it wasn’t much of a stretch to believe he was on good terms with other criminals. “Why did you ask the guy at the bar then?”

“Oh, I wanted to look like I was doing something, and I made you look stupid, so that’s a plus. And I didn’t know Tholo was here. He’s a travelling businessman—I just asked for an information broker.” Hugo said offhandedly, “What good luck it is that it was Tholo here that we would meet—it’s like destiny. Tholo, my friend, we’re here to look for a trial. My…friend here has a book which tells us it should be around or just outside the city. Any ideas for me?”

Tholo chewed his lip for a moment, then nodded, “Of course, I’ve always got ideas, you know this about me. But you know you’ll have to pay.” He shook a thick finger in Hugo’s face like he was a child.

If it offended Hugo, he didn’t show it. Hugo looked back at Varian, holding out his hand, “I think we can cover the fee.”

“Uh, right.” Varian dug into his satchel, feeling very much out of his depth, and slightly offended that it had to be his gold. Hugo’s eyes sparkled, daring him to argue. He swallowed his pride. He didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of starting an argument. He’d found in the few weeks they’d travelled together that arguing with Hugo was like wrestling a pig. He always got dirty, and Hugo just seemed to enjoy it.

Hugo handed over Varian’s gold, and Tholo said, “Very good,” and tucked the small pile into his pocket. “A trial, you say? Sounds a little like the training grounds of The Warriors of Sarin. They’re training right now, if you wanted to go talk to them. They’re not very friendly though,” Tholo rubbed his head, as though he’d recently met the ire of the warriors, “but they're meant to help any citizen who comes to them. If that’s not what you’re looking for, I’m sure they’ll point you in the right direction.”

“Thanks so much.” Varian deadpanned, and looked towards the large, extremely obvious training grounds to the left of the market. A banner hung over the entrance to the grounds announcing: ‘Warriors of Sarin Training Grounds - Guardians of all of Delphius.’ People in light blue jumpsuits with purple sashes sparred with wooden weapons, which clacked loudly. Some of them ran through obstacle courses built from the same wooden slats which made up the rest of the city. All of which Varian could see perfectly well from where they were standing.

“Well, it’s a start.” Hugo pointed out.

Tholo tapped his lip thoughtfully, “Come to think of it, the princess should be training with them today.”

Princess? She would most likely know of the trial. At the very least, point them in the right direction. Well, maybe Tholo wasn’t a complete waste of gold, then. Though Varian’s pockets felt considerably lighter.

“Thank you, Tholo, my man.” Hugo said jovially over his shoulder.

Tholo grinned widely, passing the stack of gold coin between his hands.

They turned and headed under the banner.

“Hey, was that man a thief like you Hugo?” Yong asked.

Hugo’s eyebrow twitched in irritation. “No. Tholo is an information broker. It’s a very reputable business. They make the world go round, fire kid.”

“I don’t like it when you call me that.”

“Well I don’t like it when you call me thief. You know, because I’m not one.” Hugo punctuated his words by jabbing Yong’s shoulder.
“Well, I don’t know about you,” Varian said, “but personally I like to call a spade a spade.” He shrugged, “But whatever helps you sleep at night, thief.”

Hugo’s mouth twisted, “You know, I really don’t like you.”

“Oh good. We can finally agree on something.” Varian laughed bitterly.

“Hey! You three!”

Varian looked up.

A girl with a sleek black bun was staring at them from the entrance to the training grounds. She had walked out to meet them as they’d approached.

“What are you doing here? You clearly aren’t citizens of Delphius.” She stated, a hand on one hip. She, like the other warriors in training, wore a blue cotton jumpsuit which was wrapped closed with a purple sash. Her trousers billowed out and were tucked into purple leg-wraps. Her feet were covered with delicate leather slippers. She didn’t look like any warrior Varian had ever seen.

“How do you know?” Hugo said.

“Because that shady guy you were talking to has been here for weeks. Any Delphian citizen would avoid that scam artist like the plague.”

“Artist?” Yong said, “I thought you said he was a businessman?”

Varian motioned at them both to zip their lips. “I’m so sorry,” He said turning back to the girl. “We’re looking for someone to help us find the Celestial Kingdom’s trial…we were told perhaps the princess would know. And that she could be found here.”

“Oh good.” The girl said, “Another group of yokels here to chat up Princess Nuru. She’s not looking for candidates right now, and even if she was, she wouldn’t choose boys like you.”

“I-I’m sorry, candidates?” Varian asked uncertainly.

“She means marriage candidates, idiot.” Hugo said, punching his arm.

“Marriage? No, we’re not here for that. The trial. Just, look—” Varian produced his mother’s journal.

“I’d marry the princess.” Hugo said, clearly lost in imagining. “Riches upon riches. And imagine the view.”

The girl’s eyes widened in rage, “I will have you removed—”

“The view from the castle. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

Varian glared at Hugo. “I am literally begging you to shut up.” He turned the book around to the girl. “Look. This language. Can you speak it?”

The girl frowned at the page. “Some of us can.”

“So, can you help?”

“Don’t know. You’re strangers. Why should I let you see the princess?” She pointed at Hugo, “I should’ve hammered his teeth through his skull when I first saw him. Not so sure I can trust the rest of you either.”

Varian looked around, “Your kingdom is clearly suffering. Trust me, if you help us on this journey, we could find a solution to help you. All I’m asking is for a chance.”

The girl watched him with dark eyes. “I’ll let you in. It’s up to the Princess what to do with you.”

It was there, on the training grounds of The Warriors of Sarin, that they met Princess Nuru.

The girl led them to her. She pointed to one of the girls in the sparring ring. “That’s her.”

The princess was was the youngest there, by far, but she was holding her own against the stocky woman with a long ponytail that she was sparring with. Her hair was pinned back with a star clip, and she wore one of the same jumpsuits, but with a royal blue sash embroidered with golden constellations which glittered under the starry sky above the city. She definitely looked the part of a princess.

“She’s the princess? She doesn’t look like much. Just one of those rich types. The sort that like pretending to be one of the common folk.” Hugo said, and Yong hummed in agreement, much to Varian’s despair. He didn't want Hugo to become a bad influence on him.

“You will not speak in such a way about Princess Nuru,” A woman having a water break near the entrance had heard them, and was cracking her knuckles menacingly.

“Sorry, Gods. Someone pissed in her breakfast this morning, am I right?”

The girl with the bun who led them in whirled on Hugo, her fist drawn back. Hugo put his hands up placatingly and skittered away from her like a startled horse.

“Hugo—“ Varian started to scold, hoping that Yong didn’t pick up Hugo’s way with people as well as his opinions.

“Hey!” The woman shouted, and drew up to her full height, abandoning her water. She stepped into their path. “Who are you? Grace? You allowed them in?”

The girl with the bun held up her hands and retreated. “As I said, I’ll leave it up o Princess Nuru to decide what to do with them. They’re on their own.”

“I won’t let you near the Princess. Grace was too lenient to let vermin approach her.” The woman pushed Varian back with one hand. He stumbled back into Yong.

“Oi, watch the goods!” Hugo said, though she hadn’t touched him.

The woman scowled, “You look like a bunch of thieves if you ask me. I should call the guards.”

“Oh, just him!” Yong proclaimed, pointing to Hugo, who groaned and slapped his hand over his eyes. Varian tried not to laugh.

“Okay, that’s it—!” She started to rush at them, but was stopped by a small hand on her arm.

“Dina, it’s okay.” Princess Nuru stepped in front of her, and something about her instantly resolved the tension, like balm on a burn. Varian even saw Hugo relax slightly. Then her expression became stormy, “What do you want with my warriors?” She demanded.

“Your warriors?” Hugo said, once again being rude at exactly the wrong moment.

To Varian’s surprise, Nuru didn't get angry, just a little sheepish, “Well, okay, they’re not mine yet, but one day I’ll lead them! After years of training…”

“You really are the princess.” Yong said reverentially.

Princess Nuru bobbed in a semblance of a curtsy. “Historically, The Warriors of Sarin are usually led by a female member of the royal family of Delphius. I-I mean, that’s what my dad told me…”

“Amazing! Do you have special powers?” Yong asked, “I’m good at inventing, and fire.”

Hugo rolled his eyes, “How can you be good at fire?”

“Princess Nuru, it’s so good to meet you, and The Warriors of Sarin. I’m Varian.” He bowed, but she just laughed and shook her head.

“Just Nuru, please. So, what did you need?”

Varian stood up from his bow self-consciously, aware of the blood rushing to his cheeks, “Well… we’re actually here to face the trial of your Kingdom. Would you have time to speak with us?”

Nuru grinned. “The Celestial Trial, eh? Yeah, I’ve been through that a few times, when I was a kid. Sometimes I still use it as practice. Some of the girls have even been through the drills a few times. Right, Dina?”

Dina nodded, “The trial’s great to warm-up before a session in the sparring ring.” She rolled her broad shoulders.

Hugo stepped backwards.

“Come on.” Nuru said, motioning for them to follow her.

She led them back to a bunkhouse at the back of the training grounds. Inside, it was sparse and looked barely lived-in. Nuru asked them to sit at a wooden table, currently covered in maps. Varian took the seat beside Nuru, as it was furthest from Hugo, who was looking around the room as though wondering how to steal the building from beneath them.

“What are these?” Yong pointed at the maps. Specifically, to the scribbled red circles around parts of the map.

“Impact zones.” Nuru said lightly. She sat and looked to Varian.

“Your kingdom is plagued by meteor showers, isn’t it?” Varian said.

“He’s gone mad. So quickly, too.” Hugo said.

Varian ignored him. Nuru nodded slowly. “You’re not the first visitor to notice that we aren’t exactly…at our best.”

“The craters in the road, the hastily thrown up buildings, and the citizens fear of the night sky above us…I had no idea something like that could happen.” Varian admitted.

“It’s been going on for a few years now. There’s no way to stop it.”

“Take down those columns holding up the night sky.” Hugo suggested, “No space, no meteors.”

Nuru looked shocked. “We’d be crushed. The Pillars of Sarin are the only thing keeping us alive. My ancestors worshipped that sky. What you just said is…blasphemy.”

“It’s safest to pretend he hasn’t spoken.” Varian recommended.

“Right.” Nuru squinted at Hugo, as though trying to read his mind. “Uh, the trial—how can I help?”

Varian leaned in, setting his mother’s book between them. He explained why they had come, his mother’s notes, and the need for the totems. When he mentioned the Eternal Library, she sat upright.

“Father told me about that!” She said. “He’s sent out many search parties, to find the library, but with no luck. You’re saying your mother found it?”

“Apparently so. I’m trying to retrace her steps. According to her journal, we need the totem of the Celestial Kingdom. But if you know where the trial is—”

“I know about the trial. But I’ve never seen a totem before. What does it look like?”

“Usually the trials are easy to find, but the totem itself is locked behind a challenge of sorts.” Varian pointed at the foreign text in the journal. “My mother wrote something here. I think it’s in the Delphian language, but I can’t read it.”

Nuru traced a finger over the words. “You’re right. This is written in my mother tongue.”

“So you can read it?” Yong asked.

“Yeah. My family speaks in this tongue. Not many people do anymore, other than scholars.” She frowned, “But, it’s gibberish. Random words. Fish, bowl, star, flame, candle, flute. See? It all goes on like that.”

Varian leaned back in his chair. “How frustrating. There must be something else. We’re missing something.”

Nuru shook her head. “Maybe not. Let’s wait until I show you the trial. Perhaps it will make sense.”

“Right. Let’s go.” Varian said.

“Uh, no. You guys can’t face the trial right now. You look exhausted, and you’ll need to give it your all. Trust me.”

Hugo groaned, “You ladies made it sound a piece of cake. You think we can’t handle it?”

“Us ladies have been taking the trial for years. You boys haven’t. Trust me. Rest. We’ll regroup in the morning.” Nuru said. “You can take the beds in the bunkhouse. I’ll tell the girls who usually sleep here to go home tonight. You won’t be disturbed.”

“Shame.” Hugo said.

“Feel free to use the facilities. Make yourselves comfortable.” Nuru said.

Hugo clearly felt snubbed at having been ignored, so he added loudly, “Oh, good. The princess has put us up in commoner’s digs.”

Nuru turned to him with a sweet smile. “The castle I sleep in is just as ruined as everywhere else. You’re more than welcome to lay your head against cold stone. I only thought you might want a softer place to rest that big head of yours.”

“Haha! She’s right, Hugo, you do have a big head.” Yong laughed loudly.

Hugo bit his lip and stalked away towards one of the bunkbeds.

“Thanks Nuru.” Varian said earnestly.

“Don’t thank me yet. The trial could be a bust. But, hopefully not. See you guys in the morning—see if you can teach the blonde skinny one some manners overnight.”

Varian grimaced, “If that was a possibility, I’d have done it already.”

After Nuru left them to their own devices, Yong almost immediately collapsed into one of the bunks. It had been weeks since they’d slept in a bed. Varian felt for him, being the youngest of them. He often wondered if he’d done the right thing in allowed Yong to come along.

Varian laid in his own bunk next to Yong and read his mother’s journal by the phosphorus green light of a vial of chemicals.

“You look kind of evil in that light, Goggles.”

“Goggles?” Varian asked, looking up to where Hugo was presumably lounging in the bunk above him. He hadn’t heard nor seen the taller boy climb up there, but he had been distracted.

Hugo’s face appeared over the side of the bunk. He made circles of his thumbs and forefingers and placed them over his eyes. “You’re always wearing those things.”

Varian reached up to touch his goggles, currently being used to push back the hair from his forehead. “I’m an alchemist.”

“Yeah. And like I keep saying, so am I.”

“Uh huh. Well I’m an alchemist who would like to keep his eyes intact. Hence, goggles.”

“Safety first.” Hugo saluted, then swung back onto his bunk and out of sight.

Varian sat in silence for a moment, then the words made it past his bitten tongue. “Why are you so difficult?”

“Hm?” Hugo hummed, that same teasing tone sneaking into his voice. Like everything was some huge joke.

“You act like you hate every moment with us.” Varian said, “And yet you all but begged to come along. I still don’t understand what you get out of this.”

“Maybe I have a kingdom to save too, ever thought of that?”

“Do you?”

Hugo laughed, shaking the bunk. “Nah. Starksilber isn’t a place for saving.”

“Then what do you want?” Varian asked the darkness.

In a small voice, one that Varian had never heard from him, Hugo said, “I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I said, I don’t know. I don’t have a grand goal like the rest of you.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Varian snorted.

“How many times—I’m not trying to steal from you. I made a mistake, I’ll admit that, but for once, I want to use my skills to do something good.” Hugo’s voice was flat and serious. “When I met you guys, I didn’t believe the Eternal Library could even be found. I was gonna fence the fire totem as a fancy relic, nothing more.”

“…And now?”

“Now, it seems like we might really do it.”

“What do you want with the Eternal Library anyway?”

Hugo sighed. “I want what any alchemist wants. Knowledge.”

Varian rolled over and placed his mother’s journal back in his satchel. “Really.” He said flatly.

“Yeah, I know it isn’t noble. But I have to try.”

Varian let the honesty in Hugo’s voice wash over him. Perhaps he’d misjudged him. Perhaps he really did just want to find the library.

“Okay. Fine. Just, try to stop being such a pain in my ass. And don’t twist my words into a dumb joke.” He added hurriedly.

“Alright, Goggles. As long as you promise to stop being such a stick in the mud.”

Varian rolled his eyes. There was no winning. “Good night, Hugo.”

“Night, Goggles.”

---

Nuru woke them early—it seemed the princess rose with the city, whereas the boys had grown accustomed to rising with the sun. Though, Varian thought looking out the window, there was no sun to be seen in Delphius. Just that strange blanket of celestial sky. He had wondered how Delphian’s told the time.

“Sleep well?” Nuru asked.

Varian rubbed sleep out of his eyes. “Better than we usually do.”

“Sure beats sleeping on the ground.” Yong said.

“Eh, that sort of stuff’ll put hair on your chest, little guy.” Hugo said, clapping his hand over Yong’s shoulder.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Makes you more manly. Sleeping out under the stars, eating old dry rations, it’s all man stuff.”

“Sounds like caveman stuff, if you ask me.” Nuru said, her voice deceptively polite. “Come on, let’s get moving.”

Varian and his party followed her out of the training grounds, where the Warriors of Sarin were already starting up today’s drills, and through the city. Nuru chattered about her city’s history as they walked, pointing at the rubble and crumbling stone buildings with vigour.

“All the buildings used to be stone. My ancestors thought the city was here long before we were—there’s a saying in the Delphian tongue…The hands of stars carved our homes. A reminder to always be thankful for the stars above us.”

“Stars don’t have hands.” Yong pointed out.

Nuru smiled leniently. “I know. But, at the time, my people thought the stars were like gods. They looked like people.” She pointed at one of the stained glass windows that Varian had noticed the day before. “See, the figure in the moon? She is one of the gods my people used to worship.” She motioned down at a few sprigs of herbs and flowers below the window. “Some still do. It’s difficult, living here. It’s hard not to think the very sky above us wants us dead. I can’t blame them for seeking solace in old gods.”

“Why do you stay?” Hugo asked, “If an angry god was hurling meteors at me, I’d leave sharpish.”

“It’s our home.” She met Hugo’s eyes, and Varian saw a wisdom well beyond her years echoing in her dark gaze. “Delphian’s would never leave their home.”

Hugo nodded, and dropped the subject. Varian wondered if their talk the night before had had some bearing on the way he acted. He also wondered bitterly how long it would last.

They were silent as Nuru led them away from the heart of the city. They were moving upwards, ascending the mountain which Delphius was built onto. There were stairs hewn into the rock, and most of them were surprisingly intact, even after the meteor showers.

“How much longer?” Hugo panted, no longer hiding how exhausted he was after a few steps.

“It’s about fourteen thousand steps all in all.” Nuru said.

“And how many have we done?”

Nuru stopped on the step above them and tutted, “You’ve barely done ten.”

Varian rolled his eyes, “Come on. Don’t think about it, just keep walking.”

“Easy…for you to say.” Hugo gasped.

It took them a few hours simply to make it to the trial grounds. Nuru trotted ahead, light on her feet, stopping every few minutes to stand above them and wait for them to catch up.

Hugo dragged behind, but he seemed to have found some kind of rhythm. Varian peered up and saw a tall building just a few more flights above them. Its roof reached into the roiling celestial sky, meaning it was all but invisible unless standing right in front of it.

“The Celestial Temple.” Nuru announced. “It’s the grounds of the trial. And lucky for you, I have the only key inside.” She reached beneath her warrior uniform and pulled out a leather cord, from which a small iron key dangled.

“Lucky us.” Hugo said, collapsing beside where Varian had stopped on the steps.

“Come on, no time for resting. We haven’t even started the trial yet.”

Varian followed her upwards once more. When they drew near to the door to the temple, he asked, “Is this a place of worship for those old gods you mentioned?”

Nuru nodded, “It used to be a holy pilgrimage, to come up here. Closer to the stars. Maybe they thought up here the gods could hear our prayers better.” She shook her head, “They don’t seem to have heard mine.”

Varian shot her a look of sympathy. “If there’s anything we can do to help—”

Nuru smiled, “Nah. We’ll find a way. Delphian’s always do.”

They entered the temple. Nuru led them through a simple place of worship, where marble pews rose from the stone floor. Beyond that, there was a door out into a courtyard. It became clear that here was where the trial started.

It looked like a more murderous version of the training grounds below. Except, the obstacles were built of stone, or in some cases, a midnight blue crystal which reminded Varian of the black rocks which had plagued Corona all those years ago. Rope hand-holds and bridges led up and up, right to the very pinnacle of the mountain. He had to squint to make it out, surrounded by the endless maw of the night sky.

“We’re not climbing that, right?” Hugo said.

“Yep.” Nuru grinned. She suddenly spun into action, vaulting up onto the first huge rock face. “Come on, I first did this when I was like three years old.”

“What are they putting in Delphian food?” Hugo stood aghast.

Varian pushed past him and scrambled up the wall. It wasn’t nearly as elegant as Nuru had approached it, but at least his lessons with Cassandra had given him some physical prowess. Well, better than Hugo, who was still staring at them all dumfounded.

“Here.” Varian said. “Grab my hand, I’ll pull you both up.”

Yong was easy enough, and Nuru helped to pull the smaller boy over the edge onto the platform. Hugo went limp like a cadaver and refused to put any effort into helping himself up, until Nuru jabbed him in the side and told him to stop joking around. Though, from the look of his exhausted expression, Varian didn’t think he was really joking.

“Right. After this it’s just a hop over the stone pillars, up the rope bridge, scale the cliff face up there and find your way to the upper platforms.” Nuru said.

“Yeah, just hop, skip and a jump.” Hugo groaned.

They gave it their best go. Nuru led, tiptoeing deftly from one pillar to the next, ignoring the threat of the drop below her.

Varian reached into his satchel and pulled out a small canister filled with orange liquid. He threw it against the middle pillar, and the glass canister smashed and sprayed the liquid outwards. As predicted, when the liquid met air, it turned into a dark amber crystal. It formed a thick platform, and effectively fused all three pillars into one crystalline pathway.

“That’s cheating!” Nuru shouted at them from the other side of the pass.

“I’m an alchemist. It’s called bending the rules!” Varian grinned. He walked across the pathway he’d formed, with no need to balance atop the pillars. Behind him, Yong followed hesitantly.

Hugo was last to cross, a deep frown carved into his brow.

They climbed the rope bridge next, which was barely more than tailor’s thread strung up between a stone ravine. Below them, Varian could see the temple receding as they climbed further upwards. They had taken the bridge in turns, as Nuru had sounded uncertain of the integrity of the rope holding their combined weight. Varian made it onto the next platform, and turned to watch Hugo scale the bridge last.

His hands shook as he led himself along each step. Whether he was tired or shaking from the sheer height, Varian couldn’t tell. His face was grey.

“You can do it!” Varian shouted.

Nuru looked at him with a frown. Hugo didn’t acknowledge Varian’s encouragement, but his steps sped up slightly.

“I thought you hated that guy.” Nuru said quietly, before Hugo joined them on the next platform.

“I don’t like him. But I need him.” Varian said. “He knows something we don’t.”

Nuru’s expression only grew more confused, but Hugo had come within earshot.

“Climbing next.” Nuru pointed at the sheer cliff face. There were golden hand-holds set into the rock in the shape of stars, which seemed a little impractical, if not beautiful.

As with the other obstacles, Nuru scampered up the rock in a few seconds and sat down at the top, swinging her legs over the side.

“You got any fancy solutions to this one, Goggles?” Hugo said with a hint of desperation.

Varian shrugged. “If we had a few hours, I could create a pulley system with a counterweight to take us all up to the top at once.”

“Why don’t we do that?”

“Because sometimes the hard way is the road you’re meant to take.” He said, and grabbed the first handhold.

“You just made that up to make me feel better.”

“Yeah, maybe. Just, watch out for Yong.” Varian said over his shoulder as he scaled the cliff.

Varian’s muscles screamed as he pulled himself up, one hand-hold after another. He daren’t look down at Yong to make sure he was okay, not with the sheer drop beneath them. He could no longer see the temple at all. He looked up, instead, at Nuru.

She was looking out at her kingdom, a grim but determined smile on her face. She had made her mind up on something. He wasn’t sure what.

“These stars are sharp!” Hugo’s voice came up from beneath him. “Who would invent a trial like this?”

“The gods!” Nuru cackled from above them.

Varian pulled himself up over the edge and collapsed next to her. He saw why she had been drinking in the view. From this height, the kingdom looked whole. They couldn’t see the destruction.

“What next?” Varian asked.

“We fight.”

Varian looked at her, “We what?”

Nuru got up and offered her hand to Yong to pull him over the edge. Then she spun and pointed at a series of wide stone platforms, inexplicably hovering in the sky with no anchor to prevent them from falling. Varian wanted to study the mechanics of it, but Nuru was already striding onto the first platform.

Varian knelt to help Hugo up over the edge and grimaced at the state of him as he rolled onto his side gasping for air.

“I’d get up if I were you. Nuru said we’re fighting next.”

“Of course we are.” Hugo said, his voice muffled from his arm thrown across his face.

Nuru was right, though. From seemingly out of the stone itself, a tumble of air whipped up the dust. For a moment, Varian had thought it was only the wind, until the circle of air spun faster and faster. Out of the tiny tornado, a humanoid figure emerged.

“Air golems.” Nuru said, as though it was common knowledge. “They’re the last leg of the trial. One will spawn for each of us. You can defeat them, or go round. Up to you. The final platform is above.”

Varian followed her gaze up a few meters to a floating marble platform. It had to be where the totem was hidden.

“I’m going around mine.” Hugo walked out ahead of them. Another air golem appeared from a twist of air, and roared as it faced him.

“Hey, watch out!” Nuru warned, “Don’t just blunder in there!”

The air golem drew back and rushed at Hugo, both of its great fists reared back. Varian winced, waiting to hear it make contact with Hugo’s face. To all of their surprise, Hugo dropped to a knee, dodging the blow aimed at him, and rolled out of the way. He moved quickly, as though he hadn’t been puffing his lungs out a second ago.
Varian watched as he spun gracefully just out of arms reach as the golem snatched at him. His blonde hair trailed behind him, grazing the fingertips of the golem. Hugo suddenly broke into a sprint and vaulted himself up to the next platform. The golem snatched at his ankle. Hugo kicked spitefully at its face, freeing himself.

Once it became clear the golem couldn’t reach Hugo, it shimmered and faded back into the breeze as though it had never been there at all.

“One thing about me, Princess,” Hugo called over to them, “I never blunder in.”

Nuru didn’t reply. Her mouth had set in a firm line. “A true warrior would face his opponent, not run.” She said quietly.

She rushed in, attacking her own golem with a ferocity that only came from years of training. It was over in seconds. She joined Hugo up on the platform.

“You go, Yong.” Varian said, “I’ll cover for you.”

Yong nodded, a little fearful. But he ran in without hesitation. An air golem appeared to face him.
Yong put up a weak battle—his strongpoint wasn’t combat. He held up his arms in defence.

“Punch!” Nuru shouted. “They’re super weak! Just don’t get hit.”

Yong’s arm shook as he formed a fist. He aimed a punch at the golem, but it moved as he tried to strike. The golem threw up its arms, moving to attack.

Varian raised his arm and threw a few small capsules at the golem. They clattered against the stone. They activated immediately, as intended. The capsules burst open, dispelling a thick steam. The golem lost form, its faceless figure caught in a shocked pose.

“What was that?” Yong asked.

“Ah, they’re anti-cloud capsules. I usually use them to dispel rainclouds, but I thought it might work here too. And I was right!” Varian grinned.

“Cheating!” Nuru yelled as she pulled Yong up onto the next platform.

“Alchemist!” Varian yelled back.

But his own golem was already forming. And he’d used the last of the capsules on Yong.

The golem caught him hard across the chest immediately. It felt like revenge for its friend, though he knew that couldn’t be possible. Varian was winded, stumbling towards the edge of the platform.

“Careful!” Nuru shouted. “Don’t get knocked off.”

“Yeah, that’s the aim.” Varian murmured.

The golem ran at him again. He tried to duck, but he wasn’t agile like Hugo. Cassandra had taught him defence, not evasion. The golem slammed him into the stone floor. His head glanced off of the platform.

“Help him!” He heard Yong’s terrified voice.

“Move, Goggles!” Came Hugo’s voice.

Varian rolled away from the next blow, and the golem crashed into the rock next to him. He sprang to his feet, despite his ringing head, and charged at the golem while it was still getting up. He pushed it, finding its body to be strangely corporeal, and pushed his weight behind it. The golem stumbled backwards, towards the edge. Varian let up suddenly, allowing the golem to stabilise.

Then he ran and tackled the golem with his shoulder. It was a move he remembered practicing with Eugene, Cassandra watching over them both. The aim had been to push Eugene out of the ring. This was similar, except Eugene wasn’t a wind creature.

The golem teetered on the edge, snatching at Varian’s jacket to haul itself back up.

“It’ll take you with it!” Nuru called.

He pushed again. The golem fell. It grabbed one last time at Varian’s jacket, but only managed to snag a buckle which it took with it as it tumbled away. Varian watched it fall, and eventually unwind into a gentle breeze like the others had.

He met the others on the next platform.

“Well done.” Nuru said, patting him on the back.

“You need to learn when to run, idiot.” Hugo said sharply.

“Let’s just get this over with.” Varian said, dusting himself down.

They climbed up another platform, and another, until they reached what Nuru swore was the pinnacle.

In the middle of the top-most platform was a podium, just like the Fire Kingdom. Except, there was no totem balanced on the top.

“There has to be more.” Varian said. “The journal says there’s a totem here.”

“Maybe it’s already gone.” Nuru said. “It could have been knocked off the podium by one of the meteors.”

“No. It can’t be.” He pulled out the journal and opened the pages to the Delphius spread. “My mother wouldn’t have written this here for no reason. We’re missing something.”

To Varian’s surprise, Hugo leaned over with a thoughtful look on his face. “You’re right. The podium is taller than the one in the Fire Kingdom. And look at this.” He traced a finger over a seam that ran over the top of the podium. “Maybe whoever put these here hid away the totem so that it wouldn’t be knocked down by a meteor.”

Nuru frowned. “You’re right. The showers have been going on for years. It’s only recently they’ve begun to occur so frequently that we have no time to rebuild. Oh, and there’s something carved here.” She crouched at the base of the podium.

Varian knelt next to her and looked. “Fish.” He said. He tapped a finger against it, and the carving pulsed in a blue light.

“The writing was a code!” Nuru said excitedly.

Varian shoved the journal at her. “You’re the only one who can read it. Call out the words, and we’ll push the symbols. You two, look around for more carvings.”

Yong and Hugo set to work immediately.

“Okay…so, it goes fish, bowl, star, flame, candle, flute.” She said the words slowly, allowing one of the boys to step on or press the corresponding symbol on the rock.

“Then, bowl, flute, flame, candle, fish, star.”

Again, they followed her instructions. Varian pushed the last star symbol and looked up.

Nuru wasn’t saying anything else, and yet the podium remained as it was.

“What else?” Varian prompted.

“One more. Moon. But, I can’t see a moon symbol.”

“Me either.” Yong said, and Hugo shrugged in agreement.

Varian looked around. Then he rushed to the edge, an idea occurring to him.

“What are you—”

Varian pointed. “There.”

They followed his gaze. On the side of the platform, the moon symbol glowed with a fierce yellow light. It wasn’t flush with the wall. It was like a button, needing to be pushed in.

Varian dropped to his knees and reached over the edge. Even when he went down onto his stomach and stretched as far as he could, he still couldn’t reach the symbol. He shuffled further over, so that only his hips and legs remained on solid ground.

“Grab his other leg.” Nuru commanded, and Varian felt hands encircle his ankles.

“I need to go lower.” He said, pulling himself further over the edge.

“No, we can’t hold you.” Nuru said.

“Just a little longer.” Varian said. His fingers quivered in front of him. The symbol was inches away. Just a stretch further. He shunted forward, feeling the grip on his ankles weaken. He slipped over the side, his shins scraping over the rocky edge.

“Varian!” Yong yelped.

Varian caught the moon symbol button with both hands, his fingers screaming in pain as momentum took him. His full weight slammed against the rock. His feet scrabbled for purchase.

He looked up. Three heads peered over the edge, all with equal looks of horror.

“I can’t hang on.” Varian said, his voice coming much calmer than he truthfully felt.

“Give me your hand.” Nuru said immediately. She leaned over the edge and offered out her hand.

It staggered him, how fast she was in her trust. How fast she was to risk her life for him. She reminded him of Rapunzel.

But he didn’t have time to wonder. He was slipping. He threw out his hand and caught hers. He remained holding onto the button. There was no way she could take his weight.

“Hugo, grab his other hand. Varian, you need to let go and grab Hugo’s hand when I tell you to.”

Hugo looked at her. “But, he needs to push that button, otherwise we won’t get the totem.”

Nuru spun on him, clearly struggling with Varian’s weight. “You want your friend to die?”

Hugo gaped at her.

“If I push it in now, I’ll fall.” Varian said, his voice high with pain. His fingers were numb. He couldn’t hold on much longer.

Hugo looked between Nuru and Varian, his eyes wide. He was caught in indecision. He seemed to shake himself out of it quickly, because he dropped to his knees and stretched his hand out to Varian.
Varian released the button, and Nuru took his full weight for a split second. She growled in pain, until Varian caught Hugo’s hand. Between them, they pulled Varian upwards. As they pulled, Varian kicked the button in with his foot.

Behind them, the podium opened. Varian could see it above the edge of the platform.

Hugo had noticed too. His eyes went wide, “The totem.” He said, and dropped Varian’s hand.

“Hugo, what are you doing?” Nuru demanded as she again took on the full brunt of Varian’s weight.

Varian caught the edge of the platform and tried to take some of the burden, but he was so exhausted from holding himself up.

Hugo returned, this time with the totem in his hand. He grabbed Varian’s arm with his free hand and heaved him over the edge.

“…thanks.” Varian breathed out as he rolled onto his back.

“You okay?” Hugo asked, dropping to one knee beside him.

“Yeah.” Varian pushed himself up into a sitting position. He felt bruised all over.

“No thanks to you!” Nuru cut in. “How could you let him drop like that?”

Hugo didn’t look away from Varian’s eyes. “I heard the mechanism inside the podium. Look. It’s closed again already. That button was on a timer. If I’d left it, it would have closed and I’m not sure it would have given us another chance.” Then, he did something bizarre. He reached out and placed his hand against the back of Varian’s head, carding his fingers through his hair. Forcing Varian to look at him. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have let you drop.”

The words were sincere.

Varian couldn’t look away. He stared into Hugo’s bright blue eyes, and wondered for perhaps the tenth time in the last hour about his true intentions.

---

Nuru led them back down into the city. After another night of rest in the bunkhouse, they’d risen the next day at least partially refreshed, and Varian had ushered them out. Nuru had tried to persuade them to stay for a while, but Varian had insisted that they start on the next leg of the journey.

After they reached the city gates, Nuru finally broke the silence, “Where are you guys headed next?”

“The Water Kingdom, Sudalind. My mother’s journal says we can find the next totem there.” Varian said.

“That’s so far! Do you know the way?” Nuru twisted her sash around her fingers.

Varian shrugged, “I’m sure we’ll work it out.” He knew they’d probably struggle to find it, but they’d need a long rest and time to build up their alchemical repertoire before they could face another challenge. He just hoped the roads were easy to navigate.

“The roads that way are a labyrinth.” Nuru said, then noticed Varian’s despair, “Ah! But don’t worry, I can get you there. That is… uh—well, I wanted to come with you guys. If you really are trying to find the Eternal Library, that is.”

Hugo nodded. He’d seemed subdued since the trial had ended, leading to a merciful lack of sarcastic comments. Though, it did seem very unlike him.

“Well, if there’s a chance there could be a solution to my kingdom’s plight, I have to try, right? It’s better than sitting around and praying things will solve themselves.”

“You really want to come?” Varian asked. “It won’t be very…suited to princess’s.”

Nuru rolled her eyes. “I’m a princess by name. At my heart, I’m a citizen of Delphius and a servant to my people. I’ll do anything to help them. Please. Let me come with you.”

“Well…okay then. Of course you can come. But it’s a long journey. I don’t know when you’ll be back.”

“I’ve got an emergency go-bag. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this for ages. I’m gonna go say goodbye, and I’ll meet you back here in a bit. Okay?”

“Sure.”

Nuru reappeared at the city gates after three hours. By then, they’d begun a game of noughts and crosses in the dirt, which Yong was currently winnning. Hugo sat with his back against the gatepost, his arm draped over his face in the illusion of sleep. Nuru dropped her knapsack onto their game with a thud.

Yong seemed as though he might protest, but reconsidered. Nuru had changed into a beautiful blue dress. Varian wanted to tell her that she looked lovely, but Nuru looked like she was waiting for someone to comment, and that whoever did would get a fist in the face. She seemed much more comfortable in her Sarin jumpsuit.

“It’s practical.” She explained, “Delphian’s rely on the stars to get around, we always have. I can read star-maps to navigate. I had them embroidered on my dress so I didn't have to keep pulling out paper maps.”

“That’s amazing. You can read that?” Yong was already pulling the fabric this way and that.

Nuru just smiled benevolently, like an indulgent mother. Varian thought she must have younger siblings that she cared about and felt glad Yong would have someone else to look out for him.

“How long to Sudalind?” Hugo asked. He sounded frayed.

Nuru made a face, “It’s just under a month’s journey by foot. We don’t have too many horses in Delphius, I’m afraid. The roads aren’t suitable…”

“Let’s get it over with, then.” He muttered and started stalking towards the stables. “Goggles, go get your cat. I’ll grab the goat.”

Nuru shot them a confused look.

“Raccoon. Donkey.” Varian corrected.

Once they’d retrieved Prometheus and Ruddiger, along with the rest of their luggage, they started the first steps into their long journey to the Water Kingdom of Sudalind. Varian knew it would be the longest they'd been on the road so far, possibly the longest he’d ever been travelling without proper rest, but he couldn't help but feel like they were so much closer now. Ruddiger chittered on his arm.

Closer to the Library, to his mother, to returning to his father with something to be proud of.

Notes:

I gave Nuru a band of warriors because...it's what she deserves.

Also I think i'm spelling Ruddigers name wrong but at this point I'm too scared to check

Chapter 3: On the Road

---

Two weeks on the road since leaving the Celestial Kingdom of Delphius had taken their toll on the group. Varian’s doubts about leaving home to follow his mom’s dusty almanac were starting to grow too huge to ignore. What had he been thinking? Why couldn’t he just settle for normalcy? Why did he need an adventure?

He’d almost died fighting through the trial of air. All of them could have died, really. And if anyone had been hurt, it would have been his fault for bringing them into this. Yong was just a kid. They were all kids, really, even if Varian had thought reaching eighteen had made him wise. It had just made him reckless.

Now he had a group, friends who would follow him into danger without question. They trusted him.

If only they knew the whole truth of me. The memories of his mistakes in Corona were scratching around at the back of his mind, more and more these days. They wouldn’t follow me if they knew. He shook himself. There was no point dwelling on his past mistakes. He’d long since made his peace with them, long since found forgiveness for his faults. It was only his fatigue and doubts that brought it all crashing back. He would have to try to work past them, or they were going to hold him back.

The journey just felt so endless, and when they were all tired and in a low mood, it felt even longer.

Though Princess Nuru had joined them, making the navigation of the labyrinthine roads much faster, it didn’t make them any easier to traverse. Yong complained at almost every step, so Varian had helped him onto Prometheus’s back, though he now had to carry his own luggage.

Nuru was doing her best to keep everyone going. She told stories of her home in Delphius, of the Warriors of Sarin, and taught them how to navigate by following the path of stars, but everyone was too exhausted to really take anything in.

“I think we should set up camp soon,” Nuru said, uncertainty edging into her voice, “There’s an awful fog setting in, I won’t be able to navigate for much longer.”

Varian nodded numbly; she couldn’t continue to guide them without the aid of the stars. “We’ll stop at the next clearing we find.” He mumbled.

Nuru shot him a questioning look, “Really? You’re normally the one who wants to keep pushing on!” She made goggles of her hands around her eyes and said in a bad imitation of his voice, “The trials wait for no one, and there is so much we have yet to learn from my mother’s journal!”

“Science! Alchemy! And all that.” Yong piped up, happy to join in despite his exhaustion.

Varian tried to shake his dark mood. It wasn’t fair to them, they’d left their homes to follow him. He had to keep his head up, for them. He snorted, “I’ve never said anything like that in my life. And, we can keep going if you want…but I thought you guys were tired?”

Yong blustered, “I need sleep! I refuse to walk another step.”

“You’re not even walking, Yong.” Nuru pointed out, tapping his foot which rested in Prometheus’s stirrup.

“Next clearing, then.” Varian smirked. “Is that okay with you, Hugo?”

There was no reply. The fourth member of their party had been stormy for a couple of weeks now. Since they’d left Delphius, pretty much. Varian rolled his eyes. He knew he’d have to talk to him, but something about asking Hugo of all people to talk about feelings left a sour taste in his mouth.

Nuru rolled her eyes, “He’s too busy scheming, or planning out his smarmy quips. I know that’s all that goes on in that head of his.”

He watched Hugo, walking in shadow on the very edge of the path.

In his mind, Varian replayed falling over the edge of the platform at the trial of air.

He remembered how the world had tipped up, up, up, as he went over the edge and away from the podium. His fingers scrambling at the button, trying not to fall. He remembered Hugo’s indecision. Had he really been trying to retrieve the totem before the mechanism snapped shut, or had he been waiting for Varian to fall?

But the look in his eyes hadn’t been scheming. It had been fearful. It must’ve only been a matter of seconds that Hugo hesitated, but to Varian it felt like an age. Tears had sprung into his eyes as the effort became too much to bear, unable to think through his screaming muscles and blinding panic.

Hugo’s hand had at last closed around his wrist. The look of terror had vanished from his eyes, replaced with one of determination and guilt. Varian had grappled at him in desperation, letting himself be pulled back up.

He replayed again and again Hugo’s eyes on his, his hand in Varian’s hair. The true look of regret in his eyes. The fact that he’d said sorry. What had transpired between them that Varian hadn’t seen? Why wouldn’t Hugo talk to him?

Varian roused himself from the memory of the last trial and looked away from Hugo, instead turning his mind to the road ahead. He tried to mentally prepare for whatever awaited them in the next kingdom’s trial, but his eyes kept betraying him and slipping back to watching Hugo. He must’ve felt Varian’s eyes on him, because he looked over abruptly.

Varian shot him a vague smile and turned back to the road, hoping Hugo didn't think he’d been staring at him. The last thing he needed was for Hugo to know that he hadn't been able to stop staring at him since the trial. He couldn’t stop thinking of Hugo’s almost desperate touch as his fingers had curled into Varian’s hair. What was that? Why had he—

“Hey.” Hugo had dropped into step next to him, his face turned to the dense forest.

Varian feigned surprise, hoping Hugo would assume he’d just been lost in thought about the next trial, “Hm?”

“Can I talk to you-“ His hand went up to scrub over his stubbled undercut, “Are you…?”

Varian frowned at him. He’d never seen him so hesitant, so uncertain. “What is it?”

Hugo met his eyes glancingly, “I, uh—well don’t get used to this, but I wanted to apologise. ”

“About what?” He said, though he once again thought of Hugo’s eyes as he stood over him, watching Varian’s fingers scrape the edge of the podium.

Hugo sighed, “You know exactly what, you’re just too damn nice to call me out. What I did back there…I’m sorry.”

“You already apologised.” Varian pointed out.

“I know, but…I did hesitate. It wasn’t just the mechanism. I shouldn’t have even cared about that. I should have helped you first. Any normal person would have. And I’m sorry for it. It wasn’t—it wasn’t about you.”

It had been a spur of the moment reaction, and the touch hadn’t been meant for Varian at all. He couldn't tell if he was relieved or not.

Hugo continued, “I was thinking about—I mean—I didn’t mean to hesitate like that. I froze up, I was stupid. You’re annoying, Gods are you annoying, but you didn't deserve that.” He snatched a leaf from a tree as they passed it, crunching it between his thumb and forefinger, “So, I’m sorry.”

Varian shrugged, trying to stay nonchalant. “It’s okay, we all freeze up from time to time. It wasn’t your fault.”

Something strange had happened with Hugo during the trial of air, something that was eating away at him. Varian intended to find out what. Hugo hadn’t mentioned the part afterwards, and perhaps it was better that they didn’t address it.

“Don’t worry about it.” Varian added.

“Just like that? You could’ve died.” Hugo huffed, “Then I wouldn't have done a very good job of getting you to the Eternal Library in one piece, would I?”

“Man, if you knew how many times I’d almost died!” Varian grinned, “It’s not even the first time I’ve fallen off a cliff.”

“Well…You should probably avoid heights from now on, then.” Hugo snorted. “Don’t want to test the fates anymore than you already have. Your good luck’s gonna run out someday, Goggles.” He looked a little pained for a moment, then tapped one of the lenses over Varian’s eyes with a smirk.

Varian rolled his eyes at that, slipping his goggles up onto his head. He’d forgotten he was wearing them.

“Guys, there’s a little grove up here with enough room for a fire. We should set up camp.” Nuru called from the front of the group. Varian looked up and saw her pointing into the forest.

Yong gleefully jumped down from Prometheus and disappeared into the grove.

“Wait! No, Yong! Not right there—“ There was a small explosion from within the trees and Nuru sighed deeply, “Well, most of the camp is fire now, but it’ll do.”

Hugo brushed past him, “Well, maybe I should…”

“Listen,” Varian caught Hugo’s wrist before he could move on, “I know there was a reason you froze, a—and maybe it has nothing to do with me, but I want you to know, you can talk to me. About anything. You know, or any of us. We’re all on this journey together. We should try to trust each other, if we’re gonna be facing more life and death situations like that.”

Hugo raised an eyebrow, “What’s this? Does this mean you care for me? I thought I was only on this quest because you ‘Needed to keep an eye on me’?” He said with a smug grin, but he seemed to be holding his breath for the answer.

‘Keeping an eye’ on him was indeed one of the reasons Varian had asked first Hugo to join them, after catching him stealing the fire totem. He’d thought Hugo would be much easier to deal with if he was on their side. If he had known at the time that he was setting himself up for months on the road with a snarky thorn in his side, he might’ve reconsidered.

Still, as much as he wished he could deny it, Varian did care for him. He wanted to know him better, even if Hugo didn’t seem to want to be known. He was happy to have found an equal in alchemy, someone he didn’t have to slow down for, someone who understood. He’d never met anyone like Hugo before.

He cared for all his friends, happy to be amongst people who didn’t look at him and see all the wrong he’d done in the past. Even years after the fact, there were Coronian citizens who still remembered him as the criminal, who didn’t accept him as the Royal Alchemist, who came to Rapunzel to ask why he was permitted to walk free.

Varian softly punched Hugo’s shoulder, “You’re being difficult again. I care about everyone in this group equally. We have to have each-others backs if we want to make it to the Eternal Library. I know I can trust you. All you have to do is trust me.” He thought of Rapunzel’s sad eyes as she realised he had betrayed her. No matter what, he wouldn't mess it up with Hugo and the others. He wouldn’t let himself ruin his new friends.

Hugo looked shocked, his face even flushed slightly, but he nodded and murmured, “Yeah, whatever, I got your back too. Man, you really are serious, huh?”

“Hah, well… who else do we have to look out for us? You’re my last option, obviously.” Varian said jokingly. “I’m gonna go help the others set up. That’s an awful lot of smoke…”

Hugo nodded, “Sure. I’ll find some firewood, Yong always burns the fire too hot so all the wood… Well, I need a second to think. I’ll be back.”

“Take as much time as you need,” Varian started to head towards the others at the grove and spoke over his shoulder, “Remember, if you ever need to talk about anything, I’m always here, okay? I meant what I said.”

“Sure.” Hugo smiled vaguely, and disappeared into the dense forest.

Varian joined Yong and Nuru by the fire. Nuru had controlled the explosion Yong had caused, surrounding the fire with rocks. She now knelt, tending the flames with a stick while Yong watched in something like reverence.

“Hi V.” Yong said with a grin, something he’d taken to calling Varian in the past couple of weeks.

“Hey.” He sat beside them. “Do you guys…” He bit his lip, wishing he hadn’t spoken. He didn’t know what he was asking.

“Trust Hugo as far as Yong could throw him?” Nuru asked without taking her eyes off the fire. “No. I personally think you’re an idiot for letting him come along. You know he’s from Starksilber, right?”

Varian frowned, “What’s wrong with that?”

Nuru barked a laugh, “That’s like, thief capital city. They call it the kingdom of industry where anyone can make their riches, but that’s a misnomer. The royals and the ruling class are the only rich ones, and they exploit their own people for labour. Most people don’t earn enough, so they turn to stealing what they need to get by. It’s pretty well known in most other kingdoms.”

“It sounds like they can’t be blamed for what they do to survive.” Varian pointed out.

Nuru made a face, “They steal from each other. They’d gut their own mothers, if they thought it would turn a profit. I sympathise with them, but that doesn’t mean I’d trust them.”

Varian watched her as she spoke, and heard the sentiments of her family in her words. He wondered if she’d ever even met someone from Starksilber, aside from Hugo. He was sure, if Nuru judged him on what he’d done to survive, she wouldn’t trust Varian either.

“I was actually going to ask if you guys thought Hugo was doing okay. He seems upset.” Varian said.

“I don’t know what he’s got to be sulky about. He almost let you die. He didn’t hold his own in the trial. He never pitches in on the road, beside to steer us away from traps and bandit hotspots, and even then he makes it seem like we’re the dumbest people on the planet to not notice it like he does.” Nuru’s voice was spiteful. She had seemed to make her mind up on the weeks on the road that she thought Varian was making a mistake in allowing Hugo in their party.

To Varian’s surprise, Yong spoke up, “Maybe if he came from such a scary kingdom, he doesn’t know if he can trust us yet. The tall man at the market in Delphius said Hugo never really left Starksilber. Maybe we just need to show him that there are good people out there.”

Varian smiled resolutely, “Exactly, Yong. He made a couple of mistakes. And he was scared. But I think he just needs a chance to show his true colours.”

“You told me he was hiding something!” Nuru blustered.
Varian nodded, “I did. And I think he is. But we’re not going to find out what that is, or his true reason for coming on this quest, if we don’t gain his trust.”

“Okay. You’re the boss.” Nuru shrugged. “But trust is earned with time. He’s got a long way to go before he’s got mine.”

“That’s one thing we’ve got—time. If months on the road doesn’t show his true character, I don’t know what will.” Varian said.

“Months.” Yong groaned.

“Yep. Months. But think of all the sights we’ll see!” Nuru breathed.

Varian smiled. He’d find a way to get Hugo to open up. He’d lead them all to the library. He had to.

---

 

Chapter 4: A Walk

Notes:

Just a leetle chapter

---

When Donella showed up, Hugo was going to ask for a pay rise. He didn’t sign up for life-threatening trials. He certainly didn't sign up for talking about his feelings.

He scuffed a boot through the forest floor, sending pine needles and leaves scattering in his wake. He couldn’t believe he’d apologised. He couldn't believe he’d apologised to Varian.

But what he’d done, the way he’d hesitated…It wasn’t right. Varian may be a spoiled brat, a control freak, and a smug know-it-all, but he didn’t deserve to plummet to his death over a totem that may or may not eventually open a library.

Donella wouldn't be happy if Ulla’s child died prematurely. Hugo had thought, however briefly, that things might be easier if Varian didn’t make it to the Library at all. It was a horrible thought, one that brought him back to what his attitude had been when Donella had first found him in the orphanage in Starksilber.

Now Hugo, what use is a dead pawn? She would tell him, over and over. He had been bitter back then, always hellbent on revenge on everyone who had ever hurt him. She taught him to see past his anger, to use it to help him towards his goals. Donella was the one who had always been there for him, the only one he’d ever trusted.

But now…Now Varian was here, saying he trusted Hugo, saying that he wanted Hugo to be able to trust him. It was just so confusing. He thought of Varian’s soft hair beneath his shaking hand, how his pleading voice had grounded him back in the moment. How could Varian have that effect on him? When had he wormed his way into the short list of people who could make Hugo feel so unmoored?

Hugo groaned and sat down amongst the leaves, his back against a thick tree stump. He watched a squirrel dance in and out of sight in the branches of a nearby shrub. He wished he could disappear into the forest, return to Starksilber, and never have to think about this mess of a feeling in his chest.

This was meant to be simple! It was meant to be an act. He was meant to play the part of the street-smart friend who ushered them through the trials, until they got to the end, and he could steal the totems from them. Here he was, actually considering asking Varian if he could talk out what was bothering him, explain why he’d hesitated at the trial.

Donella wouldn't have stood for hesitation. He would've got a cuff on the head for that, and sent back to train for weeks before she trusted him enough to take him on a mission again. Varian had just given him space, and told him he trusted Hugo, like he knew exactly what Hugo needed. He just knew.

Hugo’s lip curled, and he picked up a large rock and hurled it at the squirrel. His anger had risen up like bile in the back of his throat, impossible to shove back down. He heard an alarmed squeak, but didn't watch to see if he’d hit it.

That’s it, He thought, take your anger out on an innocent creature. That’s productive.

He hated that he was this torn up about something that Varian had clearly hardly even thought about. He was so quick to forgive him, he didn’t even ask why Hugo had been so weird.

He heard hoofbeats behind him and tried to reign in his anger again.

He couldn't let himself get so emotional this early on in the trials. He just had to keep pushing through. He would explain himself to Varian, when he could, and then he could wash his hands of it. He had to remind himself why he was here. He thought of Donella’s hand on his shoulder, her proud smile when he brought her the totems. The pile of cash. It would be worth it, in the end.

“Unravelling already, boy?” Donella’s voice came from behind him.

He whirled around, scrambling to his feet. Donella didn’t need to know how confused he really was. “Fancy seeing you round these parts.” His voice, thankfully, came out honeyed and confident. “Out for a hike? Bit too green for you, isn’t it? You don’t really strike me as the nature type.”

Her boot crushed a bluebell in agreement. “You know what I’m here for.”

“Yes.” He didn’t like how quickly he snapped to her attention, like a soldier. “The trial went as expected. We have the water totem. Oh, and Ulla’s kid brought along a princess from Delphius. I looked through her stuff, but she doesn't have anything good on her. Just sentimental stuff.” He tried to reference Varian with disinterest, hoping Donella wouldn’t ask about him.

“This is more important than stealing trinkets from a princess. This is bigger than any riches you’ll ever steal.” Her eyes were silver icy pools. He squirmed under her disapproving glare. “You’ll have no pay, and no home to return to if you get caught for doing something so stupid.”

“Right. Sorry, Don.” 

“Remember what you’re here to do. This group, they don’t know what they’re getting into. The child will only find pain if he pursues this path and retrieves his mother at the end. See that it doesn’t happen.” Donella walked back to where her horse was hitched at a nearby tree. “It may not feel like it, but you’re helping them. You must see it through.” Her eyes narrowed, as though she could see through his chest to the whirling ball of anger and confusion that had taken root in him.

“When will you want the next update?” He called after her as she mounted her horse.

“I’ll find you.” She said in a low voice, “See it through, Hugo.”

“Yes, Donella.” Hugo said quickly. He watched her ride away, feeling a little less complicated. She’d made it seem simple. Maybe it was. Maybe he was just getting too emotional.

He ground the heels of his hands into his eyes and took a deep breath.

---

 

Chapter 5: Stars Above

Summary:

Varian has a nightmare, Hugo talks about his past.

---

Varian finished boiling some particularly strong acid over the fire, and removed it with tongs. It was the first part of the process of making acid bombs, which came in handy during trials. He took it over to his makeshift work-station, laughing when Yong scrabbled out of his way. “It’s in steady hands, don’t worry. I’ve done this a hundred times.”

Yong shook his head, “I’ve seen you trip over a hundred times!”

“It’s true,” Nuru hummed in agreement. “You are the clumsiest person I’ve ever met, and Yong accidentally sets fire to almost everything.”

“Okay, I am not—“ Varian stumbled over an exposed tree root and fell, launching the beaker of acid into the dark forest. “Ah.”

“Make that one hundred and one times.” Nuru said, trying not to giggle.

“That’s why I always wear gloves. Safety first.” Varian pointed up at them from where he was tangled in tree roots.

He stood with some effort, dusting himself off self consciously. Hugo, who’d disappeared to ‘think’, had returned about an hour ago, once the sun had set. He’d brought some fish back from a river he’d found on his walk, so no one complained about his absence when they built the fire.

Hugo, since returning, had been busy synthesising an explosive serum at his own alchemical work-station, and was now trying to stifle his laughter, “Goggles, acid works best if you keep it in the beaker—Oh, but I’m sure you taught those trees a lesson they’ll never forget.”

“Yes, thank you, Hugo.” Varian ground out, but he was glad to see that Hugo had found his sense of humour again. Who knew a boy could sulk for two weeks about feeling guilty? 

A few, more successful, experiments later and Varian had a small batch of new and improved acid bombs.

Nuru had made a stew of what little supplies they had left, which Hugo had remarked was an interesting skill for a princess to have and received a depressingly small portion for his trouble. Varian grinned as he accepted his large portion, sitting next to Yong and listening to his excitable chatter.

Once the food was gone, they sat back and talked, not about the trials, or about the journey, but stories about home and friends they’d left behind.

Nuru spoke wistfully about her Warriors of Sarin, and their adventures outside of the Kingdom. Yong piped up about his friends and his fire-master. Hugo offered little anecdotes of people he’d stolen from and what riches they didn’t deserve if they couldn't keep it safe from preying hands. Varian’s hands tangled in Ruddiger’s fur, nodding along, keeping quiet.

Once again his eyes drifted up to watch Hugo, even when he wasn’t speaking. He sat stretched on the ground across the campfire, tinkering with a little mechanical mouse. His wireframes were low on his nose, his brow furrowed in concentration. Varian didn’t know what had changed, but suddenly felt like he saw Hugo in a slightly different light. It was like he’d put glasses on and things that had been blurred before were now clear. He noticed things about Hugo that he’d never given a second thought before.

He watched, when Nuru told them to was about time to get some rest, as Hugo methodically wound the mouse up and set it on the log behind him. Its eyes were two tiny yellow pinpricks in the low light. It was there to keep watch. Then he leaned back, balling his jacket underneath his head, and closing his eyes.

Varian was still watching as he started to drift to sleep himself, unable to keep his eyes open any longer.

---

He must’ve only been asleep for a few hours until he was gasping awake, cold and sweaty, heart pounding. He couldn’t remember exactly what he’d dreamt, only that it had been thick with panic and grief. Now that he was awake, he felt strangely guilty, a residual feeling from the nightmare. He couldn't remember specifics, but the guilty feeling was very familiar to him.

He heard a voice from above him. There was a hand on his shoulder. His eyes snapped open. Ruddiger chittered at him urgently from where he sat on Varian’s chest.

He shot upright, upsetting Ruddiger, and almost smacked Hugo in the forehead. Propping himself on his elbows instead, he met Hugo’s eyes in sleepy confusion. “What?”

“I said, are you awake now?” Hugo said in a stage whisper.

Varian groaned and wiped the cold sweat from his brow with the back of his shaking hand, “Clearly.”

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Varian shot him a glare that he hoped conveyed how redundant he thought that question was. His breath still came in short gasps, though his heart had settled down again.

Hugo looked a little embarrassed, which was a new shade on him, “Okay, well, do you want to take a walk? That always helps me when I can’t sleep.”

Varian felt a little off-kilter. This late-night Hugo seemed to be a side he’d never encountered before. There was no sarcastic edge to his voice. He sounded earnest. He wanted to help, seemed to be holding his breath for Varian’s reply.

He looked around and saw the others were still fast asleep, “As long as you’re not going to bury me in the woods, sure. I’ll come.”

Hugo shook his head, again looking strangely sincere. “Of course not.” He offered Varian a hand in getting up.

They were silent as they left the campsite. Hugo led them further into the forest, pointing out tree roots and other obstacles so that Varian wouldn’t trip. They didn’t speak until they emerged into another small clearing. There was a lazily babbling river bending through the middle, and the moon was impossibly bright above them. Somewhere along the walk, his breathing had evened out.

Hugo sat down on a moss-covered fallen log that looked over the river, and Varian joined him. They watched the water flow past, the moon-light shimmering over the surface like a starry sky had been poured into it rather than water.

“Better?” Hugo asked.

“Much. Uh, thanks.” Varian said a little sheepishly.

“You said I could tell you anything earlier. Is that still…on the table? Ugh, that sounded dumb—you just woke up, it can wait. Don’t worry—“

“It’s fine, don’t worry about me. Besides, it’ll take my mind off it,” Varian said quickly, shooting him a quick encouraging grin. “Whatever you need to get off your chest.”

“Okay. Uh, right.” He paused for a long while, composing himself. “It’s about—you know, uh, why I hesitated. I wanted you to understand.”

“Sure.” Varian nodded.

“So, there was this kid I knew, back in my orphanage. I, uh, I didn’t know her, not really, but she had decided she hated me.” Hugo stared out over the water, “So I hated her back, tenfold. She was playing out on the roof one day, with a few of the other kids, and I was watching them. We weren’t meant to be up there, but the matron never checked on us, so we always used it as a hiding place. I was watching her when she pushed one of the other kids. That group always played rough, but she didn’t push him hard. She didn’t need to. They were right near the edge. He fell onto the balcony below and broke his leg. It was an accident, but that didn’t matter.”

“Oh.” Varian said dumbly, shocked by Hugo’s sudden openness. He didn’t think he’d ever heard Hugo say more than a sentence that wasn’t dripping in sarcasm and confidence.

“Yeah.” Hugo’s voice was almost a whisper, barely audible over the river, “The others turned on her, like a pack of wild animals. She was pleading, told them she hadn’t meant it, that it wasn't her fault, but they didn’t stop. A few of them grabbed her and lowered her over the side. They didn’t drop her. They let her catch onto the edge, and then they left her there and went inside for their supper. She wasn’t strong enough to pull herself up, I knew that. We weren't exactly healthy children. I heard her pleading, like a mewling kitten, begging for someone to help her, that she couldn't hold on. She knew they were already gone. She didn’t know I was there, listening.”

Hugo turned to look at him, his eyes wild and misty in the moon-light, “I could have helped her, but I couldn't get past my hatred. I couldn't stop myself thinking that she deserved it, that if only she’d been a little kinder, she would have earned my help. I didn’t tell anyone. I followed the others back inside, and had a nice supper. I tried not to react when the matron told us one of the girls had fallen from the roof and been found dashed, half-dead on the street below.” His voice was bitter with sour remembrance.

“Gods, Hugo…“ Varian stretched out an arm, perhaps to comfort him, but ended up dropping it to the log and picking at the moss instead.

“It was an unlucky fall, she said. Unlucky that she’d missed all the balconies and sloping roofs going down. I thought she’d just break her leg, like the other kid. I-I didn't mean to…” Hugo let out a heavy sigh, like all the life had gone out of him, “It’s why I hesitated, when you fell. I was thinking… Well, I thought you deserved to know.”

Varian didn’t know what to say. He wondered if it changed anything. He wondered if he saw Hugo in a different light now, knowing what he’d done. He found that, surprisingly, he didn’t. “It’s okay, Hugo.”

Hugo looked at him again. Shock was quickly turning to a look of inexplicable frustration, “How can you still say that?”

Varian’s heart skipped as Hugo moved closer. He didn't seem to realise he was doing it. Varian swallowed, “It’s in the past. You were a kid. I won’t hold it against you.”

“But why?”

“Because, despite all that I’ve done, there was always someone there to tell me I could be forgiven. That I wasn't lost forever, that I was—I don’t know—worth something? I want to be that person for you.” Varian said.

“All that you’ve done?” Hugo frowned, disbelieving. “Goggles, you’re the most innocent person I’ve ever met. What, did you kick Ruddiger by accident or something? I’m sorry, I find even that hard to believe. You’re just as goody-two-shoes as the princess.” He snorted a laugh. The sarcasm had snuck back in, and whatever moment they’d just shared had fleeted, just like that.

Varian’s mood turned sour. He pushed away from where they’d been seated and stamped off towards the edge of the river. His boots sunk into the silt.

“Hey, come on—“

He spun round to face Hugo, he felt unnecessarily angry, “You know, every time I think you might understand, you turn around and make everything so much worse!”

Hugo opened his mouth as if to quip back, but seemed to think better of it. Varian huffed in response to his stunned silence and turned back to the river. He was ashamed to feel tears burning in the corners of his eyes. He wouldn't have cried had he been in his right mind, but the nightmare still weighed heavy on him, and they’d been waiting to spill over.

“I’m sorry. I know I always say the wrong thing…” Hugo’s voice had sobered now, unobtrusive. “I just meant that you’re a good person.”

Varian laughed humourlessly, “That’s not true.”

“Well, I’ve only seen you do good. It’s a little infuriating, honestly.” Hugo admitted. Varian heard the leaves crunch behind him as Hugo joined him next to the river.

They stood in silence while Hugo stared at the river and Varian sniffled quietly and thought of home.

“Your nightmare,” Hugo finally broke the silence, “What was it about?”

Varian took a shaky breath, trying to fight off his tears, “I said I was forgiven. I never said I forgave myself. If you really think I’m a sheltered idiot from some backwater village, then you don’t know me at all.”

“Of course I don’t think that. I know you’re smart, so much smarter than any of us give you credit for. Not just with alchemy. I know you’re super annoying, and easy to make fun of. And I know you’re a good person because—“ Hugo rubbed his arm sheepishly, “—well, because you make me want to be better.”

Varian froze, shocked. He didn’t know he’d made that much of an impression on Hugo, to make him want to better himself. “You’ve chosen a pretty lousy role model, I hope you know that.” He laughed shakily, knocking Hugo’s shoulder with his own.

“Yeah, I know. Doesn’t make it any less true, Goggles.” Hugo said.

Varian smile was bittersweet, knowing Hugo wouldn't think that if he really knew. What Hugo had done was an accident, and Varian… “We should head back. The sun’ll be up soon, the others will think—“

“Think what?” Hugo quirked an eyebrow that suggested he’d been thinking about something wildly different to Varian.

“Get your mind out the gutter.”

“Hah!”

They slowly began the walk back to camp, and Varian’s thoughts spiralled. Somehow, despite the turmoil of their late night talk, he felt a little better. “Never knew you were so soppy.”

“Oh, shut up. Don’t tell the others.”

---

 

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of The Good That Will Come Out