Heyyyyy it's been a while since I've updated this book (I'm sorry)! This one shot was requested by DisneyReferenceQueen . I hope you all like it!

Genre: supernatural, angst, modern au

Warnings: a little blood

Spoilers: minor; season 3
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Varian's POV:

My heart felt as if it was going to burst out of my chest. The rest of my body felt the extreme heat radiating from all the nearby buildings.

"Varian, this way!" Rapunzel's cries were more frantic now.

Still, I forced my burning legs to keep moving forward. I needed to follow the princess.

However, my body felt otherwise as my running pace began to decline severely. I clearly wasn't in good shape. Thankfully, Rapunzel let me catch up before grabbing my hand.

"Try and stay with me, alright?" Rapunzel pleaded.

I nodded, which was my signal for the princess to continue running. Only, this time she held my hand tightly.

"We have to find Eugene and the others." Rapunzel pushed Varian into Xavier's shack and frowned when she saw that the entrance to his secret layer had been completely blocked off.

"What do we do now, Princess?" I asked nervously.

"We'll just have to find another way," Rapunzel decided. "We'll get out of this, I promise."

"Not so fast, kiddos."

I could feel my body freeze at the sound of Andrew's voice. I slowly flipped around and saw Andrew gripping a sharp sword tightly. It was pointed at both me and Rapunzel.

"I won't let you escape just yet." Andrew smirked. "As soon as I give the word, the entire kingdom of Corona will be destroyed."

"I can't let you do this!" Rapunzel fumed.

"Oh, but I will," Andrew scoffed.

Before I could say anything, the ground began to tremble. The brief sounds of explosions could be heard coming from town.

"What the-- what's happening?" Andrew cursed.

Rapunzel grabbed my hand once again and we dashed around the scattered debris.

"No matter what it takes, I am going to keep you safe," Rapunzel declared. "You can count on that!"

Everyone was screaming and crying all around me and it was painful to listen to. The people of Corona were scared because of me. It was all because of me.

"Varian, look out!"

Before I could reply to Rapunzel's cry, something hit me in the back of my head as a massive combination of sounds exploded in my eardrums.

I guess we couldn't make it out on time, huh?

The next thing I knew, I had blacked out.

Y/n's POV (two centuries later):

"Alright, class, please follow me this way," my teacher, Ms. Brown directed.

I, along with the rest of my classmates, obeyed what she had said and followed her to thr ruins of some sort of ancient castle.

I had no idea an antique castle like this was even close to my neighborhood, I thought.

"This right here, class, is what's left of the kingdom of Corona," Ms. Brown explained. "Long ago, there was a battle between Corona and their neighboring kingdom, Saporia. What happened during the battle remains a complete mystery, but we do know the outcome. Corona lost and was left in complete shambles. Now all that's left is the ruins that we see today."

As my classmates briefly glanced at the ruins with uninterested looks on their faces, I examined it all closely. The stone walls were cracked and falling apart, vines and other plants were growing around it, and there were many antique china and furniture displayed nearby.

"Please don't touch anything alright," Ms. Brown instructed. "These are all antique artifacts that are only meant to be looked at."

As I continued to walk around the castle ruins, my urge to come back later that night grew stronger by the second.

So I decided to go.

Time Skip

The owls were out and hooting as I cautiously explored the castle ruins once more. Everything that Ms. Brown had explained was incredibly interesting, so why wouldn't I go? This was the perfect time to find out more!

I shone my flashlight across the ancient pottery and gently grazed my finger against it. This was for sure ancient pottery, judging by the texture and small cracks.

As the walk continued, I couldn't help but feel sad for whoever was living in this kingdom before. They must've been devastated when their home turned to dust. If only this hadn't happened to the poor citizens of Corona...

A gush a cold air brushed my uncovered shoulders.

"I wish I had brought a jacket," I muttered. "I didn't think it would be cold tonight."

"You're right, it isn't supposed to be cold tonight," an intimidating voice spoke.

"Who's there?" I brought my fists up to my face in case I would need to use self defense. "Show yourself!"

As soon as I had said those words, a tall figure crept-- no, floated!-- out in front of me. His body appeared to be transparent and blue.

"What the-- how are you-- what are you?" I stammered.

"My name is Andrew and I am a citizen of Saporia," the ghost drawled. "It's been so long since a living human came to visit this wretched place. Now, I'm going to kill you."

"Why would you kill me?! I didn't even do anything to you!" I raised my fists a little higher.

"I just have an itch to kill, that's all. I'm going to fulfill that now." He drew a long and pointy sword from a sword holder that fit around his waist.

I quickly dodged Andrew's first swing and rushed to get away from him. Andrew chased me, with his sword in hand, shouting curses at me and such.

"You'll never get away from me, little girl!" Andrew threatened.

I made the mistake of looking back because I crashed into a castle wall. I felt lightheaded and my head stung badly from the gash in it. I collapsed to the ground and tried to keep myself from falling unconscious as Andrew loomed over me. He raised his sword above his head and grinned psychotically.

"Any last words?" Andrew swung his sword towards me, but I was fast enough to snatch an old piece of metal from the rubbage nearby. I was so grateful that it was reachable.

"Stop!" I screeched.

Andrew laughed. "This won't hold me off for long! You might as well accept your inevitable death."

"No! I won't... let you..." My strength was declining as Andrew put a lot of pressure against the metal with his sword.

Maybe this is how I'll die... Should I give up?

Without warning, a long bunch of what looked like hair smacked away Andrew's sword.

"What the--?" Andrew whipped his head around and glared towards the direction the hair came from.

"Let her go, Andrew!" A woman with ridiculously long, blonde hair had spoken. She looked angry.

Beside her stood a few more people: a tall man with a goatee, a bald man with a beard and an earring, and a boy my age with long, black hair-- with a blue stripe-- and goggles that rested on the top of his head. They all appeared to be ghosts; just like Andrew.

"Why should I? This is my prey," Andrew growled.

"She is not your prey, Andrew. Let her go or else I'll lock you up," The woman warned.

"So? It's not like you can do much, Princess. We're all dead, so we have as much freedom as we please," Andrew scoffed. He raised his sword. "Which is why I have to do this."

He hit his sword against the back of my head and everything went black.

Varian's POV (small time skip cuz idk how to write battle scenes ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ ):

As soon as we had gotten Andrew under control, my first instinct was to check on the mysterious girl who showed up her for some unknown reason.

Why would she come here anyway? It's not like this place is interesting or anything. It's just a bunch of ruins.

I floated beside the girl and examined her features. She had long/short h/c hair, pale/tan/dark skin, and wore a Tshirt and jeans. I had never seen anyone so beautiful before!

Remembering why I had floated to her in the first place, I nudged her until her e/c eyes shot open.

"What happened? Where's Andrew? Am I dead?!" The girl rambled frantically.

"It's ok, it's ok!" I spoke a little too quickly. "My name is Varian and I'm not here to hurt you."

The girl tilted her head slightly and stared deeply into my eyes. "Varian? Are you the boy who was standing by the lady with the long hair?"

"You mean Rapunzel? Yeah, I was with her. In fact, she's still here." I turned my head towards Rapunzel, Eugene and Lance. They all noticed this and floated to where I was.

"I'm so sorry about Andrew," Rapunzel apologized. "We just locked him up in the dungeons downstairs. We honestly should've done that forever ago. I'm Princess Rapunzel and this is Eugene and Lance."

Both Eugene and Lance greeted the timid girl.

"And you go by...?" Eugene prompted.

"Y/n," the girl introduced. "Thank you for saving me. I really appreciate it!"

"It's our pleasure, Y/n," Lance smiled.

"Do you need any help getting up or anything?" I asked.

Y/n stood up. Her legs were a little wobbly. "I think I'll be fine getting home by myself. Although, my head really hurts..."

She placed her hand on her forehead to prove her point.

"I can bandage your wounds," I offered. "I'm very skilled at it."

"You would do that? Thank you.".Y/n smiled warmly, making me blush.

"It's nothing, really," I mumbled as I rubbed the back of my neck. "Follow me this way, please."

Y/n followed me to the castle's medical room, and she sat down in a nearby chair as I rummaged through the drawers. It had been a while since I'd been given the opportunity to heal anybody's wounds. Finally, I had found a first aid kit.

"I found the right things needed for this procedure," I informed Y/n.

"You sound like a surgeon," Y/n laughed. "I don't need to have a surgery, right?"

"Oh, of course not! I have no idea why I even said that," I lied. The truth was... I wanted to sound like a professional.

"Are you a surgeon?" Y/n asked as I took out some bandages and ointment.

"No, I was an alchemist," I answered. I squirted a little bit of the disinfectant ointment on the tip of my finger and rubbed it into Y/n's cuts. She flinched slightly, but remembered to stay still.

"Was? Aren't you still an alchemist?"

Man, she's starting to ask such deep questions!

"Once I died, all my equipment was destroyed along with me," I explained. "I haven't been able to practice alchemy since." I carefully wrapped the bandages around her arms and head, making sure they were tight enough. "That should be all. You can get home on your own, right?"

Y/n nodded and stood up, preparing to leave the room. "Yep! I can't wait to see you tomorrow night."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" I stopped her from leaving. "Tomorrow night? Aren't you done with this castle all together?"

"Why would I not come back? You would be lonely if I just left you here."

Y/n's words sparked something in me; something warm and happy. She didn't want for me to be alone. That was something that I had longed for ever since I had died.

Companionship.

Y/n's POV (time Skip):

Several weeks had passed, and I made sure to sneak out of my house that night to go see Varian again. I wanted to get to know the young alchemist better, along with Rapunzel, Eugene, and Lance.

Before I left, I placed my f/p (favorite pet) inside my backpack, knowing that he/she would've wanted to come with me. Plus, who knows if my new ghost friends love animals just as much as I do?

I then set off on my journey to the Coronian ruins. Rapunzel and Eugene were waiting just barely inside the gate for me.

"Hi, Y/n! I'm so glad you came back!" Rapunzel beamed.

I smiled at her cheerful personality. She must've been a very well-liked princess when she was alive.

"I'm glad I came back too!" I agreed. "Do you know where Varian is?"

"I may be wrong, but I'm sure I saw him on the roof," Eugene told me. "However, I'd be careful if I were you. The roof might be a little unstable."

"Thanks, Eugene! I really appreciate it," I smiled. I waved goodbye to the two as I made my way to the castle rooftop.

As soon as I spotted Varian, my eyes lit up. "Varian, there you are! I've been looking all over for you."

Varian was sitting on the decaying roof with his knees in front of him. He appeared to be deep in thought-- that is, until I startled him. "O-oh, hi, Y/n! It's great to see you again."

He gestured for me to sit beside him. I obeyed.

"Varian, guess who I brought!" I quizzed while patting my backpack gently.

"Who did you bring? I don't see anyone else here." Varian rubbed the back of his neck.

I opened my backpack and pulled out my f/p. "I brought P/n, my f/p! Isn't he/she adorable?" (P/n means Pet Name)

I allowed Varian to hold P/n and he smiled shyly. "He/She is super cute! I didn't know that you had a pet."

"Do you have a pet?" I asked.

Varian's smile fell. "I did have a pet. His name was Ruddiger and he was a raccoon. Before the kingdom was destroyed, he managed to escape and I haven't seen him since. I wish that I had the chance to say goodbye before... before I died. I'm sure he's long gone by now, but I hope he wasn't sad without me."

A tear trickled down Varian's cheek and he brought his knees closer to his mouth, trying to hold his feelings in. I held Varian close to me. His body was freezing cold compared to mine.

"I'm sorry, Varian," I apologized. "He sounds like a wonderful companion, and I know he misses you. Maybe someday, you'll be able to reunite with Ruddiger."

Varian sniffled. "You really think so?"

"I know so."

Varian returned my hug with open arms. Despite Varian being a ghost, I think I love him. He's easy to talk to, very interesting, and so adorable. However, there was still one more thing I wanted to know: what happened when the kingdom was destroyed?

"Y/n, you look like you have something on your mind. What's wrong?" Varian asked.

"How did Corona end up crumbling like this?"

Varian at first hesitated to answer, but soon gave me an answer: "Before this even happened, I had plans to take over Corona myself as part of my revenge plan. The reason for that was because I was stupid enough to blame Rapunzel for leaving my father in an amber-like substance that I got him trapped inside. I was so fueled by anger and grief that I created this gas called Quirinion. This gas exploded whenever it was exposed to oxygen. Andrew, at the time, was my partner in crime, and he ended up betraying me and taking the Quirinion for himself. I warned Rapunzel and we told the rest of the kingdom to evacuate. However, Andrew had us cornered before we could escape in time. That gave the Quirinion its moment to explode all over Corona, killing everyone that hadn't escaped. I was one of them, and now I'm here."

There was an intense trace of sadness and guilt in Varian's bright, blue eyes. I had no idea what to even respond with. Now that I knew the truth, it was almost too much to take in.

"I know... it's a lot to take in," Varian sighed. "I bet you hate me now, knowing that I was an evil criminal. I hurt... so many people."

Finally, words came to me. "I don't hate you, Varian. I never did. Just because you made a mistake doesn't mean you're not worthy of redemption. I think of you as a sweet, interesting, and talented person, and don't you dare think otherwise!"

Varian cracked a smile. "Thank you, Y/n. I could say the same about you. I think you're very unique and kind person, and that's why I fell in love with you."

It took a hot second to process what Varian had just said. "You... love me?"

Varian blushed furiously (if that's even possible ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ ) once he had realized what he had just confessed. "I am so sorry, Y/n! I-I have no idea what i was thinking!"

"I love you too, Varian."

Varian now had the courage to look me in the eye. "You do?"

I nodded.

Varian smiled wide and wrapped me up in the biggest bear hug anyone had ever given me. "Please promise me you'll never leave me."

"I promise."

Word Count 2887

Happy October! I hope you liked this one shot!