Rose stood with Varian in his lab, trying to figure out where the black rocks had come from, and what they're made of. Varian had told Rose about how his father had lied to the king, and how Rapunzel had promised they would find an answer to the black rocks. It surprised Rose to find out that Quirin had lied to King Frederick. He didn't seem one to lie to royalty.

"Running away isn't going to fix the problem," Varian said, breaking Rose from her thoughts. "These rocks must be stopped."

Rose nodded in agreement as Varian paced around a table.

"Okay, so what do we know about them? They're unbreakable, they're somehow connected to the princess, and--worse yet-- they are growing at an exponential rate. Within a matter of months, they will have reached the castle."

"We have to find a way to stop them," Rose said.

Varian nodded, picking up a potion. "Now, physical force has no effect on these rocks, but they have yet to reckon with the awesome power of alchemy!" He poured a tiny drop of the substance onto a black rock, and it immediately went up in blue flames. Rose jumped back in surprise.

"Yow! Whoa! Oh, uh," Varian looked around, then picked up a blanket, wrapping it around the flames.

"Varian!" Quirin yelled from upstairs. "Son, are you okay in there?"

"Yes, Dad! Yes, yes! I just dropped a book." The flames exploded, causing Varian's hair to bunch to the side. "One of my-one of my big boo-books."

"Never give up, Rose." Varian said, mixing a new potion together. "So, our last formula didn't deliver quite the reaction we'd hoped. So what?" He bent down next to the black rock, slowly pouring the compound onto the rock. "The important thing is we got a reaction."

Quirin suddenly stepped through the door. "Son. I just want to-"

"Oh! Oh!" Varian turned to face his dad, pouring the compound all over the rock.

"Varian, I told you to stay away from those rocks!" Quirin scolded. Rose felt awkward standing there, as Quirin yelled at Varian.

"Um, yeah, okay. I-I know what you said, but-"

"Then there should be no misunderstanding!" Quiring shouted. "Now listen to me. You-"

"No! No, you listen to me, Dad," Varian interrupted. Anger rose in his voice. "Our village is dying. You think running away from the problem is gonna fix it? No! These rocks aren't going away."

"I know, Varian," Quirin said. "But there is more to them than you can possibly imagine."

"Then why don't you tell me? Dad! I just-- I deserve to know."

"I am sorry, son. You are not ready."

While watching the two argue, Rose hadn't noticed the growing amber around the black rock. She opened her mouth to say something, but Quirin got there first.

"Varian, watch out!" He leapt at Varian, pushing the young boy away. By the time Varian had gotten back up, his dad's arm was already trapped in the amber.

"Dad! Dad! Oh! Hold on, Dad. Hold on. I'll-I'll get you out." Varian took a step towards the amber. Rose pushed her back against the wall, trying to get as far away from it as possible.

"No! Stay back," Quirin exclaimed. Varian stood gaping at his father before grabbing his coat.

"I'm gonna go get help," Varian said, then turned to Rose. "Please, stay here with him and try to do anything-- anything!-- to help him."

"No, son. Don't." Quirin said from the amber.

Rose watched as Varian sprinted out of the house and into the blizzard outside, then turned to Quirin. She took a few steps forward.

"No, Rose, stay back. I don't want the amber to get you, too," Quirin told her. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, then started writing a note. Rose frantically searched around for something to help, but all she could find were potions, and she didn't know what any of them did. Tears started forming in her eyes. How could she possibly save Quirin?

Finally, after what felt like hours, the amber had entirely encased Quirin. Rose stood next to Quirin, who now looked like a statue, and sobbed. What would Varian think if he saw his father was totally encased, and Rose hadn't freed him?

Varian rushed through the door, out of breath and covered in snow. "Dad! Dad! I'm back! Dad! Dad, the princess refused to help, but I..." He turned around, his eyes widening in fear as he saw his father trapped in the amber. "Dad? Oh, no."

He ran to where Rose stood, putting his hands up to the amber. "No, no. No. No! No! Dad! Daddy. No! No, no, no, no. No." Tears crawled down his face, and he hung his head limply. Rose couldn't help but cry as she watched how crestfallen he was.

After a few minutes, Varian looked back up again, searching Quirin's face. He sniffed a few times. "Don't worry, Dad. I will get to the bottom of this. I promise."

He took a deep breath, and the next thing he said surprised Rose. She'd never heard him sing before, and was shocked at just how amazing he was. "I will make you proud. Get the answers and set you free. Don't you worry, whatever it might take, I'm finding a way. And I swear right now: that no matter what comes of me, anybody who stands or has stood in my path, they are going to pay! They. Will. Pay."