#Var is just tired and distressed and Eugene is like Hey Blondie look at this neat fidget spinner

[finnoky]

DKAU - Part  2 ( Movie and Season 1)

These are drabbles and ideas but a vague idea of how the Kingdoms work in this AU (There will be more parts for my own sanity)

So... Enjoy

PART ONE

In this Eugene was raised as a prince in the Dark Kingdom, alongside Varian as a little brother figure. ((The anticipated part 2 because I have a lot on my mind.... Part 3 will need a lot of work))

Eugene and Varian get to see all the sights as they travel to find the Sundrop - luckily navigating the Great Tree without much trouble (And to the delight of Varian who takes some of the scrolls for good measure to study later) Adira assists them at some points like the Forest of No Return and generally acts as the wise but eccentric guide. Varian and Eugene are both capable warriors and have some luck against rogues. In Vardaros they reconnect with an Ex-DK resident, Lance, who had previously been forced to leave the DK a few years prior due to being ‘At risk of tainting the Prince’s loyalty’ as well as the Orphanage he’d been residing in evacuating. Eugene is delighted to find his old friend again and the trio spend a fair amount of time in Vardaros! Cue some antics into a small life of crime which they unwittingly help out on before leaving the city. Lance is arrested soon after they leave.

Around 6 months into their journey the dynamic duo get seperated. Seeking shelter, Eugene goes up the tower and finds Rapunzel. Conflict remains by Eugene being mistaken for the notorious Flynn Rider… a guise he initially keeps because admitting he's the DK prince would probably be bad, after all Edmund has told him how much the Kingdom is hated, especially in Corona. Until he finds out Flynn Rider is wanted etc Movie drama with more fluff about discovering the world… they bond more over their experiences. Eugene recognizes Rapunzel can solve all their problems and once they see the lanterns they can run back to the DK. He wants to impress this girl so he keeps his suave persona and pretends to be someone else until he dies. During the campfire scene he runs into Adira again, who is happy by the news but vaguely reminds him they don't know what'll happen when the stones reunite leading to Eugene worrying a lot more. 

Meanwhile Varian is mulling around and protecting Eugene from the shadows. He loses him frequently, much to his annoyance. On the eve of the lantern festival he comes across his Mum's old home in Old Corona, now abandoned. Quirin is also there, having tracked his son down. He tells Varian not to come back, they decide together to hide in Old Corona since Varian doesn't really WANT to be a knight, Quirin wants some semblance of freedom, and their home is dead… Quirin states Varians mother would have wanted a better life for him and he's finally ready to provide that chance for his son. Seeing him sworn into knighthood for life just didn't sit right with him.  Thus, Apple dad still exists, Chaotic good Alchemist does too. 

The movie ends like normal - Eugene saved from taking the fall for the crimes of Flynn Rider. Then Eugene almost died thanks to Gothel. He realises the Sundrop is gone now by his own hand and that he's kinda… doomed his kingdom, but doesn't want to lose what he's only just found. For a while he's selfish and indulges in the life he's found here.  Which, to be fair, is what Varian and Quirin seem to be doing too. Adira leaves again, since the Sundrop is gone, though irritated she's once again the only one looking for a solution. 

Eugene isn't recognized by Fred as the prince - Rapunzel's return leads to him reluctantly apologising to Quirin and allowing him a tiny amount of power in the form of being the vassal of Old Corona, though he still believes the DK had some part in his daughter's disappearance.

All three get carried away enjoying their new lives. Especially Varian and Eugene who forget their quest, sure the sundrop has disappeared. Eugene finds Varian again in 'What the Hair' and finds he's been thriving being a normal kid. Eugene is still hiding the fact he's a prince of the infamous Dark Kingdom since it's still feared and now it’s a secret he doesn't know how to break, thus his relationship with Varian must stay a secret too since he and Quirin are notably from the DK. Varian says that they'll find out sooner or later. Quirin advises Eugene that the journey back will be dangerous and no one can really be sure what will happen when the stones reunite. Plus the reaction the rocks had to Rapunzel already don't bode well. Eugene decides to think some more since it'd be a whole mess. 

It's all dandy until the rocks reappear. Now Destroying Varians new home he gets very upset and determined to solve the problem once and for all with Alchemy. Quirin discourages this as he thinks Varian should know better and it leads to a rift in their relationship. Quirin is tired of Varians constant experiments, Varian is tired of the new shady attitude Quirin had adopted to bow down to Fred with. Quirin still acts canon with Fred as the worries regarding the rocks are the same. 

Eugene tells Varian to keep experimenting while he feigns some ignorance to how dangerous these rocks are. He's happy in Corona, it's comfortable, returning to the DK is daunting. At this point be feels he can't dig himself out of the hole he's in and thus tries to wait for the perfect time to tell Rapunzel he knows more than he's letting on… after all, reuniting her with the stone could be deadly… and he's not ready to return to his fathers wrath yet. He attempts to keep things light with his normal shenanigans until Varian can conclude how these rocks will react to Rapunzel, though Fred is growing suspicious.

With tension rising, Eugene and Varian start to have little spats about what to do. Varian is starting to feel cast aside for Rapunzel and is keeping secrets for too many people at once. The wear and tear is starting to get to him, as well as the failures of his experiments and attitude from Quirin. Eugene tries to reassure him that it’ll work out. Old Corona will be ok, it has to be! They’re team Awesome and they never fail. Varian agrees to keep going and asks for 5 weeks solitude to translate the scrolls and find some stable experiments. 

Eugene isn't aware of what happens to Varian during QFAD so he doesn’t go to check on him and continues his regular life. When Quest for Varian happens he is suddenly shocked into realising how bad everything has gotten. His brother is missing and chased by secret police, his uncle presumed dead,  it's a mess. and tries to keep Rapunzel away from them, afraid that she might shatter if she holds them. Rapunzel notices how devastated Eugene is by the state of Quirin and Varians disappearance, which he explains by giving some insight into the fact that he's seen this happen before… well, partly.

Varians actions in 'The Alchemist returns' leads to Eugene and Varian getting into another argument. Varian accuses Eugene of not caring about their home anymore, Eugene says Varian didn't either and he shouldn't blame him for what happened to Quirin. Eugene accidentally tells Varian that the kid 'ruined everything' by messing up with the rocks and now he's worried about Rapunzels demise. He calls Varian a villain who needs to be stopped. Varian feels… betrayed. He realises Eugene doesn't care about him or Quirin anymore and that these rocks are his problem alone. Eugene wants to wait but Varian knows they can't, he knows this 'waiting' won't go anywhere. After being isolated and chased for months, now being rejected by his brother, he sets out to enact his plans. 

However their argument does ignite a light in Eugene. He realises that yes, they need to do more about their problems. He tells Rapunzel about everything which leads to initial anger. He says he wants to go back to the DK with her to see what they can do, but omits the part of it potentially being deadly due to the fact that he's not really ready to face that himself. Rapunzel needs some space. She’s annoyed he was lying for so long and asks what, if anything, was genuine. He insists he has been genuine with her. Their relationship continues but they need some time to talk and work it out… which they do. After an entire night of conversation they agree to be more open with each other.

Then! Secret of the Sundrop time. Eugene is more apprehensive to help in an attack against Varian but knows he's gone too far. Attacking Rapunzel and setting a monster onto Corona were feats he never thought Varian would take and fails to recognize his little brother in this new Varian. He also acknowledges he should have checked on Varian earlier but that’s not an excuse for all this. The battle of Old Corona happens as usual. Varian is even more bitter at how he’s lost his entire family and grabs Eugene instead of Cassandra. Eugene tries to talk to Varian before the quest to the DK but it's hard. He sees how his brother has fallen and how broken and alone he seems.

Varian is bitter and resentful, telling Eugene it’s all his fault and he hopes his happy life was worth it. They have a very tense conversation, Eugene promises he'll come back for Varian when it's over, but Varian did step out of line. Varian pretty much refuses to speak and only addresses Eugene by saying ‘Yes, Your highness’ in a harsh tone. Eugene blames this all on the moonstone… He needs to prevent its destructive nature in anyway possible.