Reunion at Sea

Heathens

Varian stopped mid-sentence as a feel of dread washed over him. Rapunzel looked at him with concern. "Varian?" She asked., gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Ruddiger..." Varian got up from his chair. "Something's happened to Ruddiger!"

"Varian?" Clyde got up and took his hand. "What do you mean?"

"I-I don't know, I just...I can feel it, something has happened to him!" Varian cried, looking towards the door. "We have to go! Now!"

"Varian, we still don't have a plan of atta—" Elsa started.

"I don't CARE! Ruddiger is in trouble, I'm going! Come on!" He ran out and Clyde shrugged at his father helplessly before he followed him, the Brotherhood and Cassandra not far behind.

"Well, without knowing the layout of the ever-changing place, we've done all the planning we can do!" Rapunzel said, getting up. "Let's go, everyone!"

–

Maximus was relieved to see that Princess Anna was okay,, fast asleep on a bed, and he walked over to kneel down and lifted her into his arms. "Let's get you back to your sister, Princess."

"Ahhh, sorry." He heard Ruddiger say, and he looked over to see him standing in the doorway next to Lucas, "can't have you running off with the hostage. We still need to give the hosts reason to come, after all."

Maximus' brow furrowed. "...Ruddiger?"

Ruddiger looked confused, then looked at Lucas. Lucas chuckled and said, "'Ruddiger' is what the Moonstone host called you, when he kept you as his pet."

"Oh." Ruddiger nodded and turned his gaze back to Maximus. "Sorry, no. Name's Regulus, Regulus Dziedzic, of the Iron Kingdom."

"'The Iron Kingdom'?" Maximus frowned. "Ruddiger, it hasn't been called that in centuries. It's Ingvarr now."

"Ahhh, yes." Ruddiger walked into the room. "Ingvarr, the land of warrior women that treat men like me like property. It's disgusting what's become of my homeland. I fully intend to go back and make things the way they were before, give men back their rights and restore equality." He chuckled and stopped in front of him. "You're from Corona, right? Your armor has its sun."

"Ruddiger, it's me." Maximus set Princess Anna back onto the bed and placed his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Maximus."

Ruddiger looked at his hand like it was something filthy and then pulled one of them off his shoulder before the other, holding his hand with two fingers like they were pieces of trash. "I don't recall being friends with any Coronan guard dogs."

"Horse, actually." Maximus said numbly.

"Excuse me?" Ruddiger raised an eyebrow.

"I...I was changed into a human, on your suggestion, to protect me from the Disciple Melina's control." Maximus reminded him shakily.

Ruddiger looked back at Lucas. "Is this true? This guy is a horse?"

"Yep." Lucas nodded. "A rather handsome stallion, as I recall."

"Huh." Ruddiger looked back at Maximus. "...Well, you make for a pretty handsome human, too. And, hey, apparently I've spent hundreds of years as a raccoon, so who am I to judge?"

"I—uh--thank you?" Maximus' brow furrowed, confused.

"You should stay human." Ruddiger winked at him, then walked past him to look at Princess Anna. "So, this is the Arendellian princess with a sister complex?"