I hated them so much, Dipper. So much.

[And yet he's the only person currently alive who could decipher them all and still knows all of them off by heart. Because someone had to study the damn things and that someone was him. Super.

Varian nods, guilt starting to blossom in his chest. This is never an easy story to tell, he always runs the chance of losing a friend for good to it. ]

I did, yeah. I knew the sundrop flower, what was left of it, was in the castle. I figured maybe some magic was left in it and I could use it against the amber. I created a truth serum and drugged the guards with it- found out where it was being kept. [Just...casually made a truth serum. ] I convinced Rapunzel to help me steal it. She- she knew it was treason to take it but I told her I wanted to help the kingdom. That was a lie at that point, I only wanted to save my dad. When we got it, I told her as much and ran with it, leaving her to take the fall for the theft.

[A sad chuckle escapes him.]

It didn't do me any good. It didn't work. The power was all in her- the flower had nothing left in it.