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“What are you doing?” Inigo asked as the servants dropped the large chest in the center of the room.
“Kat was asking about our wedding,” Xander said as he carefully knelt before it. His knees did not work as well as they once did. “I wanted to see what we still had from it.”
“You spoil her.”
“She is the future Queen of Nohr; she should learn about the past,” Xander responded, though he could not deny he had a soft spot for his granddaughter. She was still very young and had much to learn, but she worked as hard as her father did, and Xander saw great promise in her.
The chest contained things from their wedding and the first few years of their marriage. Xander found old and out-of-date clothing, jewelry, souvenirs Inigo had collected, ornamental blades, pressed flowers, and other knickknacks they had saved. “Look at this.”
Inigo stood up gingerly, leaning heavily on the cane he depended on. The years of hard battle and dance had finally caught up to him. Though it had been difficult for Inigo in the beginning, especially not being able to dance anymore, he started teaching both dance and his unique style of swordsmanship, and found a lot of fulfillment from it. “What is it?”
“It is sheet music of some kind,” he said, handing the pages to Inigo. You will have to let me know what it is.”
Inigo looked over and smiled, “It is one of the dances at our wedding. It was a pretty little thing but never got popular.”
Xander nodded and pulled out a book. “I think this is one of our wedding records.”
There was an official one in the library with the others, but this one had been a little more personal. “Kat would find that interesting. See if any drawings were saved in there.”
As Xander dug deeper, he found a strange necklace. It was a simple and rather plain thing with a single crystal hanging from the chain. “What is this?”
Inigo gasped and lunged forward as best he could, “Don’t touch that!”
Xander dropped the necklace in shock and gazed at his husband with confusion. He was unsure if he had ever heard such a tone from him. “Inigo?”
Inigo covered his mouth and closed his eyes, “Forgive me…I didn’t realize that was in there.”
“What is it?”
Inigo remained silent for a moment and then said, “It is the crystal that would send me back to Ylisse, if it still works.”
“You don’t know if it does?”
“It has been 40 odd years, who knows?”
Xander had not thought about Ylisse in years. Sometimes, he forgot that Inigo was anything besides another Nohrian man. He looked at the necklace, “You stored it in the chest?”
Inigo shrugged, “I guess I did.”
He sighed, “We should probably put it somewhere safer. I don’t want one of the children to find it accidentally.”
“Good idea.” Inigo said with a guilty wince.
Xander carefully picked it up, and the crystal shined in the firelight. This was a path back to Inigo’s home. Inigo had spent far more time in Nohr at this point than in Ylisse, but did that take anything away from his Ylissian side? Xander did not know.
***
Xander went back to the jewelry box the next day and pulled out the crystal. It was such a simple thing for something he could not get out of his mind. He had slept poorly the night before as he thought about the crystal and what it meant to Inigo.
Inigo had never even asked about him going with him to Ylisse. It made sense; Xander was the future King of a fractured and struggling Kingdom. He could not, would not abandon his duties to his people and family. Nohr needed him. Yet, that was not the case anymore. He had ruled as well as he could, and though there had been setbacks and were still some dissenters, Nohr was thriving. Peace had been established with their neighbors, and trade between the countries had flourished. There was food on the table, and streets were safer than ever before. People actually walked outside, shopping at small markets that started dotting the different squares. Xander was proud of what he had done for Nohr, but he knew he would have been unable to do it without the support of his family and Inigo.
Inigo had long been the sugar to his medicine. He helped soften difficult messages, understood what the common person really needed, and worked to improve the image of the Crown to the people. The work had been hard on him since he never lost his shyness, but he had struggled through it for Xander and their children. It had been a huge sacrifice to remain by Xander’s side, and perhaps it was time to repay it. They could go to Ylisse with that necklace.
Siegbert was ready to rule and could take it over at any time. There had been moments when Xander wondered if it was time to pass the Crown over to Siegbert. However, he thought of their grandchildren. His heart panged at the thought of leaving them. Soleil’s youngest was still a baby, and the idea of not seeing him grow hurt, and he knew Soleil and her wife wanted at least one more.
However, the idea of possibly going to Ylisse intrigued him. He was curious about the place Inigo was from. Inigo had told them all about Ylisse and Regna Ferox. He knew Inigo had gone through hell fighting for its peace, and he never got the chance to enjoy that peace. Perhaps, it did not even have to be a one-way trip. However, he needed to know if Inigo was even interested in going back.
It was later that night, when they were both settled in for the evening that he finally asked. “Do you want to go home?”
“This is home,” Inigo said softly, but there was a note in his voice that Xander had not heard for many years.
“Ylisse is your home, too… isn’t it?”
Inigo looked at him quietly. “I don’t know.”
It was a fair answer to a complicated question. Xander asked instead, “Do you want to go to Ylisse?”
Inigo remained silent for a long moment and then said, “No, our children are here, and you are the King; we cannot leave.”
Xander considered his words and then admitted, “…I don’t have to be the King for much longer.”
“What?” Inigo sat up and looked at him, “What do you mean?”
Xander sighed, “Siegbert is 36 years old now with his own family. He is older than I was when I took the throne, and he has Soleil to support him as well, along with my siblings. Even if we don’t go to Ylisse, it might be time to pass the Crown on to him, anyway.”
Inigo closed his eyes, “Are you serious?”
“Yes, I have been thinking about it for a little while now.” Xander looked up. “I… don’t know if I want to live in Ylisse for the rest of my life, but I would like to see it at least once.”
Inigo held Xander’s hand. “The crystal came from Anankos. Could we see if Corrin or Leo could figure out a way to make a second one? I don’t want it to be a one-way trip either…but it might be.”
Xander kissed him, “I will speak to them.”
Inigo nodded and then admitted quietly, “If it doesn’t have to be a one-way trip, I would love to see it…one last time.”
***
Corrin looked untouched by the years. He barely seemed any older than that faithful day all those years ago. However, there was a sadness in his face that had never been there before, especially as Corrin looked at Xander. As much as getting older was not fun, bringing all sorts of pains and failings, he could not have imagined, not growing old seemed to have its own challenges he was happy not to face.
“It will be tricky, but I might have something,” Corrin said as he examined the crystal. “But are you sure?”
“Of course.” Xander replied, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Corrin stared at him, “You had never been one to travel, and now you are thinking about giving up your Crown to go to another world.”
“It is time for Siegbert to take over, even if I wasn’t leaving.”
“You are really planning on abdicating to him?” Corrin asked in shock.
“I am thinking about it.” He sighed heavily, “I am tired, Corrin. It is time to let the next generation take over.”
Corrin frowned. “Are you sure? I know Inigo must want to, but you do not have to.”
“I actually suggested it, not him.” Xander replied, “I want to see his homeland. I want to do this with him. He has spent over 40 years in Nohr; it would be nice to get the chance to see Ylisse.”
“But…”
“Corrin, I am 72. Inigo is 68.” Xander said gently. There had been a time when a member of the Nohr royal family would live as long as Corrin probably would, but those days had long passed. He knew his time was getting more limited. “There isn’t much time left for either one of us to do this.”
Corrin’s lips trembled, “I am going to miss you.”
“It is a heavy burden you bear, little Prince.”
Corrin nodded and wiped his eyes, “I will do what I can…it should be possible. Promise you will try to come back?”
Xander laughed, “Done. Our family is here. We both want to return.”
Corrin sighed, “Give me a week, and I will let you know.”
***
The crystal Corrin gave him was safe next to the old one. Corrin had done the best he could on both of them, but there were no guarantees when it came to this magic. Now came the hard part.
“Father, this is a terrible idea. I am not ready to take over for it.” Siegbert argued, looking pale as a ghost.
Siegbert had more confidence now than he was a boy, but Xander was not surprised by this reaction. “No one is ready to take the throne, but you have already taken on a number of the duties; you can do this.”
“You have worked so hard, I know you will be wonderful,” Inigo added gently.
“And I will be here to help you, and so will Forrest and the others,” Soleil said.
Siegbert gave her an annoyed look, “You think this is a good idea?”
“Yep!” Soleil had taken a few years to travel around the continents, so unsurprisingly, she would take the news better than most.
“They might not come back, you know.”
Soleil shook her and said firmly, “No, don’t even speak that way. Uncle Corrin worked on this, and Uncle Leo helped. Of course, the magic is going to work. You promise you will, right?”
“As long as we are able, we will,” Inigo said.
Soleil’s bright smile dimmed a little at that, but she nodded, always the optimist. “Good, then it is no different than going to the beach.”
“In a different world,” Siegbert muttered.
“Going to the beach can be just as dangerous,” Soleil argued.
“This is completely different.”
Xander raised his hand to end the argument. “We aren’t going to be leaving right away. If we are going to do this, it will be months as we deal with the coronation and transition. But we want to do this.”
“Months?” Siegbert relaxed a little bit, “Understood, Father. You will stay for a little while after the coronation, right?”
It was not the best idea. Siegbert needed to stand on his own two feet and not doubt his own decisions. However, if he could support Siegbert, he would—” for a couple of weeks.”
Siegbert’s shoulders relaxed even further, “Alright.”
“Though, I can’t believe you are doing it now when I can’t join you,” Soleil said with a pout.
“Perhaps next time.” Inigo replied lightly, “If it works, I would like both of you to see Ylisse.”
“Yes!” Soleil said excitedly.
Xander was surprised to see Siegbert look intrigued by that. “I…maybe.”
“Really, you want to go?” Soleil asked him.
Siegbert shrugged, looking embarrassed, “I want to see Dad’s homeland too, you know. If we can come back, why not?”
Xander felt something relax in him. He was not sure what he would have done if Siegbert and Soleil really objected to this, but knowing he had their support would make this transition much easier.
***
It took a few months to deal with the abdication and coronation of Siegbert, but Xander had enjoyed it far more than he thought he would. He was excited for the opportunity to take a break from ruling and enjoy his final years. He was not sure he ever felt so relaxed, but removing the Crown lifted a weight he had carried his entire life. Their goodbyes had been said, their belongings packed, and there was nothing left to do. Xander did not know when he would be home or if he could come back, but he was ready.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Inigo asked as he held up the crystal. “We can turn back now.”
“I am,” Xander said.
Inigo gazed at him, “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Xander leaned down and kissed him.
They gripped the crystal as it began to glow, and his heart beat faster. He gazed into Inigo’s eyes. As long as Inigo was with him, he would go anywhere. He blinked, and they vanished from Nohr.