This was supposed to be a oneshot but it kinda turned into a little more. Although I will admit this is on the heavy side when it comes to exposition because I simply can't afford another large project to show the previous three years.

"Okay, Xander, one more song, then bed time, all right?" Katerina smiled at her three-year-old son who nodded, letting out a small, affirmative noise. Her fingers floated over the ivory keys, her son's soft voice humming the lyrics just above the piano's volume. Soon enough, the song ended and she closed the key cover, hearing Xander yawn. She picked him up and started back to her room where Garon sat on the bed. "Garon? It's awfully early for you to be here." She wasn't complaining about seeing him but—

His single glance at Xander quieted her and she understood.

She placed her son on the bed and pulled the covers over him. Thankfully, he was so worn out from attempting to sing all day he'd fallen asleep on the way from the music room.

Garon led her to his chambers and he ran a hand through his hair, letting out a small sigh. "Rina, I'm worried about Xander. He's three and yet—"

"I know; I am too. It almost seemed like he was going to sing today but… He just won't . No matter what I do, I can't get him to say anything." Katerina sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest.

The past three years had been difficult on both of them. Within nine months of Xander's birth, it had been apparent something was wrong. He didn't cry like other babies. He didn't babble. In three years, he hadn't spoken a single word. It had forced Katerina off the throne because she didn't trust the nannies to give him the patience and understanding he obviously needed. They were empathetic, well trained, and experienced, but nobody understood a child like his own mother. She just… She couldn't let her son suffer under a stranger's care while she rooted out corruption and went on delegations.

"I don't know what to do." Katerina was at the end of her rope. She loved her son dearly, but she was out of options. They'd developed a rudimentary system of communication through various noises, but it wouldn't suffice in the long run. There was no doubt in her mind Xander wouldn't be able to take the throne with how sensitive his temperament was. The slightest unfamiliar thing upset him, so politics would wreak havoc on his psyche.

She'd even consulted Ikona and Sumeragi through letters, but even they'd come up as empty as her.

She felt Garon wrap his arms around her and silence cloyed the air for several moments. "…As loathe as I am to let you go again, perhaps your grandfather would have some ideas?" Katerina blinked and looked up at him.

"That's it!" She couldn't believe it hadn't crossed her mind before. She knew the whistle language Nohrian woodsmen used to communicate with each other and draw their trained hawks in. She wished she could have been confused as to why she didn't think of it before, but given that she'd been so worked up about Xander, she hadn't been in the best state of mind to think about i.

Garon blinked, a little confused, but he smiled regardless and placed a kiss on her lips. "Well, I suppose you'll want to head out in the morning, but for tonight…" Katerina's eyes glinted and she grabbed the front of his shirt, her lips melting into pure fire as she pulled him onto the bed.

Katerina slipped out in the wee hours of dawn to the barn where she patted Taro's nose. "Look, I know you don't like anybody be or Gramp handling you, but I have a son now." He snorted and flipped his ears back, giving her an incredulous stare. "Xander is very shy and sensitive. I will turn you lose again if you do anything to scare him." His eyes blanked, his ears falling almost dead. After all they'd been through, it wasn't a threat she'd make lightly. She loved him dearly, but her sone would always come first from now on. He let out a soft snort and nuzzled her hand, getting a gentle smile out of her.

"Thank you." He scraped the ground and looked away with a huff. Katerina just laughed before heading into the castle and scooping Xander up, holding him tight.

"Your world is going to change forever after today, my baby bird. We're leaving the castle for a little while to go meet my grandfather." She smiled down at him through his eyes widened, his skin ghastly. She knew he hated anything unfamiliar and new people especially, but there wasn't much choice here. Plus, he would have to leave sooner or later as she needed to return to the countryside to help the farmers with their crops.

She just kissed his head and sat him down on the bed, starting to pack.

It was going to be a long journey.

Katerina took in a deep breath as the heavy evergreen must wreathed around her, her eyes bright. Taro relaxed and she allowed him free rein to carry them to the cabin. It would still be half a day until they reached her grandfather's, she was fine. As much as Castle Krackenburg had become home, her heart would always belong to this place.

Wingbeats filled her ears and she held out her hand, a crow landing on her forearm. "You're a new face… Aha, you're Serba and Akrim's hatchling, aren't you?" Keeping track of all of the animals in the forest was an impossible task with how long she'd been away, but she could still recognise some of them.

The black bird ruffled its feathers and held its head high, making her chuckle. Xander's eyes rounded in amazement and the crow looked at him, then Katerina uncertainly. She smiled and patted its head. "There's a new member of the family. He's my son, so he's trustworthy. Just no cawing around him, all right?" It extended one wing slight in affirmation. She threw it into the air, though, knowing it wanted to carry its message to the flock.

Xander let out a small cry, shrinking against Katerina and she wrapped an arm around him. "There's nothing to be afraid of, my little fledgling. The animals in this forest will be your allies for as long as you live." She'd have to introduce him, but with the crows spreading the word, it wouldn't take long for him to be accepted.

As they traveled through the forest, the animals ran up along the trail, calling greetings to her. She raised a hand and many of them returned it in whatever way they could. After four years of absence, it felt good to return home. She couldn't recognise most of the animals and their lineage now, but she didn't mind since her grandfather would have it down.

With all the hubbub, she simply smiled when she heard the sound of a pegasus' wings some hours later. Xander let out a small cry and cling to her cloak when he saw the grizzled woodsman on the untamed creature. Taro flicked his ears in greeting and Berand grinned. "Well, I'll be damned, Kitten. I wondered why ya suddenly stopped visiting and only kept writing. So what's the little fella's name?" He smiled at Xander and it faltered when the little boy hid himself under her cloak entirely.

"He's…why I'm here actually. I'll explain fully later, but his name is Xander." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his head, falling silent. Berand took off and she arrived at his tiny cabin as dusk set in. Xander's head bobbed and she looked at Berand who nodded, slipping off to care for Taro.

She sat on the bed, weaving a gentle lullaby in Vallan that would ensure Xander's slumber through the night. After feeling his slow, steady breaths, she removed her cloak, wrapped it around him, then sat him on the bed before slipping over to the table and eating. The simple meal warmed and brought a smile to her face as she reminisced about her childhood. It was still hard to believe a simple woodsman's granddaughter rose to queen. Her younger self wouldn't have even considered it.

Hell, she still had a hard time believing it at times.

"Done walking down memory lane, Kitten?" She jumped a little but smiled and chuckled as she nodded.

"Yeah."

Katerina sat her silverware down and her smiled vanished as she sighed, casting a glance at her son. Berand placed a hand over hers and she brushed some hair behind her ear. "I don't understand his behaviors; they're not typical for a child even so young. He's very bright and keen especially when it comes to music, but he hates any sort of change no matter how minor. He hides when he meets new people. He dislikes trying new foods. He struggles with eye contact. The thing that worries me the most is that he doesn't speak . He's three but he's not said a single word." She closed her eyes and dropped her face into her free hand, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. Where had she gone wrong as a mother? Had it been leaving him to wet nurse while reassuming some of her duties or—

"Kitten." Berand squeezed her hand and smiled at her, shaking his head. "It's nothin' you did; I promise ya. I think have an idea just from yer description." Katerina blinked and looked over at him. Was it really so easy…? But she hadn't…

"Over here in Nohr, we call it 'changeling syndrome.' Not sure about Hoshido, but I'm gettin' off topic.

"Symptoms are unique to each an' every person an' it can range from low to high. People with much more mild cases tend to be able to function quite well, perhaps struggle in a few areas, an' just seem a little quirky to others. On the more severe side of things are cases like what ya described fer Xander and where it gets its name.

"People on the more severe end end up much like a changeling, meanin' they often retain a childlike mindset and need extreme amounts of help to even function. I saw many cases during my travelin' days." He rested his chin in his free hand and Katerina furrowed her brows.

"Why have I never heard of it then? I traveled just as much as you did if not more ." Sure, she hadn't seen as much of Nohr as he had due to spending four years in the Hoshidan court, but she'd still spent nearly a decade of her life on the road with nothing but her violin, voice, Taro, and what little she could carry.

"That's because people don't liketa talk about it. It seems to run in families, though there doesn't needta be a history of it." Katerina's brows furrowed further as she nodded a bit. Honestly, looking at Garon it made sense. Xander had inherited his disposition, but it was far worse. Garon was nervous and shifty and had trouble standing up to the corrupt court. He often lapsed into silence when stressed. He did his best to work for the people and it made him popular among them. Unfortunately, the court hated him, so it had essentially stagnated.

Until she'd come into the picture.

He had a much better time with her backing him. But she was a more effective ruler when it came down to it.

Katerina rested her head in her hands and closed her eyes. Everything made so much sense now. She had known Xander had inherited his father's disposition and difficulties, but she hadn't expected to what extent. But if it was some sort of disorder…

Her head spun and she felt Berand press a kiss to her hair. "Get some sleep, Kitten. It's a lot to take in, so let yer mind rest and we can discuss everything in the mornin'."

"I won't argue with that." She opened her eyes and settled on the bed, wrapping her arms around Xander and passing out like a light.

If "changeling syndrome" sounds suspiciously similar to autism… Then you're right about that.
There's…a reason Xander has been conspicuously absent from Reflections if you're reading this after coming off the heels of that.
I was looking at the actual diagnostic criterion from the DSM-V and, from what I was reading, it seems very likely that my interpretation of Xander has it. It's a very complex disorder that I don't understand well and I'm not pretending I do. He just displays a lot of symptoms that line up with what I do know.
You'll see a lot more of his actual behaviors in the couple of chapters this offers.
All I can hope is that I treated this with the respect and tact the situation in a high-fantasy world can offer. As far as I can see, there's nothing particularly demeaning or offensive in the way Berand describes it. Obviously, he's from a world where this sort of thing isn't super well known, studied, understood, and all of that, so he doesn't know what we do today.
I know this particular interpretation of Xander is going to be very, very controversial and off putting for many but it's just how my muse for him developed. I can't change him. It would completely wreck my universe and I'd have to reevaluate and rewrite everything I've built from the ground up. Yes, changing him would be that drastic for my world.