You know, for an idea that was supposed to be a short story, this took a LOT longer than it should have.

Woops.

. . .


. . .

Severa doesn't shriek.

She yells, screams, and gets angry, yes, but she does not scream. Others may have differing opinions, but none of those opinions are hers. Therefore, they're all wrong and she is right. She never shrieks.

Especially not now as she was tumbling through the sky and towards that ground at a speed that was most definitely fatal. There was a sound, her voice, that was being loosed from her mouth as she fell, but it wasn't a shriek. She'd pummel anyone whoever thought so.

"TIKIII!"

"WHAT?!"

Her father and the Divine Dragon, on the other hand…

"WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"THE PORTAL WORKED!"

Severa couldn't see it since, judging from the direction of the voice, Robin was directly above her, but she was one-hundred-percent sure that he was rolling his eyes. His next few words further cemented that thought.

"REALLY NOW?! WHAT I'M ASKING IS WHY WE'RE FALLING! WE'RE GOING TO DIE AT THIS RATE!"

There was a brief silence.

"Maybe you would," Tiki replied. Severa could feel the cheek in her voice. "But I'm a manakete, remember?"

A second later, a bright flash engulfed the falling group accompanied by a few gasps of awe from the ones who never saw Tiki transform before, though Severa didn't know why they were so surprised. A transformation was a transformation, and everyone had seen Kana and Corrin transform countless times.

An emerald blur shot past her as Tiki, now in her dragon form, caught Inigo and Owain in her claws and managed to get Lon'qu and Lissa on her back.

"I can't grab anyone else!" Tiki yelled over the rushing winds, her voice mildly distorted from her transformation. "Good luck, everyone!"

"AND HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO MANAGE?!" Corrin yelled back.

Severa's head snapped towards him and smacked him on the arm. "Transform, you dunce!"

"Huh?!" Corrin looked at her as if she sprouted a third head. Then it dawned on him. "Oh, right. I can do that." He reached up and grabbed a sapphire gem that was dangling from his necklace. "Kana!"

"Right!"

There were two more flashes of light and Severa soon found herself in the familiar, draconic claws of her husband. Azura was in the other claw and she heard a soft "Oof" from Beruka as the ex-assassin landed on Corrin's back.

"Friggin' showoffs! I can't transform!" Robin whined. "Grima, you useless piece of Risen excretion! Why didn't you give me the ability to be a dragon, you twat!?"

Severa rolled her eyes and Corrin followed Tiki down towards the earth. It didn't take long since, in their dragon forms, Corrin and Kana were able to fly at ridiculous speeds, and her feet touched the solid earth a minute later. A heavy thud announced Kana's arrival as well as she released Shigure and Ophelia from her claws and Soleil slid off her back. Two flashes of light later, Corrin and Kana were back in their human forms.

A breeze passed through the area, sending a chill that seeped past her light armor. Now that she wasn't falling to her death, Severa realized that the clothes that she wore underneath her armor were wet. Not completely soaked, but just damp enough to be an annoyance. A quick look around told her that everyone else was in the same predicament as her.

"S-Someone wanna make a f-fire?" Soleil asked, rubbing her arms.

"At your demand, dear cousin!" Ophelia exclaimed, taking out a tome from her robes. Covering her face with one hand and dramatically waving the other, a fireball landed on the ground at a safe enough distance that no one would get hit. "Behold my majestic flame! With my will as its source, it shall be burn for as long as the fires within my soul is alive!"

"You have our thanks, Ophelia," Shigure said with a soft smile.

"You are most welcome, fellow kin of divines!" Ophelia beamed.

Another breeze blew by as everyone started to gather around the flame. This time, however, the breeze lingered and seemed to stay right on them instead of leaving.

"You guys are assholes."

Severa looked up to see Robin hovering in the air above them. A swirling sphere of wind could be seen around him, and everyone else who couldn't be a dragon was in the wind bubble. For an intangible element, it had no trouble keeping everyone inside it afloat.

"That's…new…" Inigo muttered, staring at the magical wind. "When did he come up with that?"

Robin looked over his shoulder at Morgan and nodded, and both of their bodies visibly relaxed. The bubble of air dispersed, and the two of them, along with Cordelia, Chrom, Olivia, and Lucina, dropped onto the ground.

"I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that your dad can use spells without the aid of a tome," Soleil said to Severa.

"Hmph. Pretty sure that's like the only good thing that came out of my dad being Grima's Heart," Severa replied. "To quote the dragon-bastard, "Dragons are not bound by the limits of man. Humans are too fragile." Stuck-up prick."

"Oof, that's some nasty language there," Inigo laughed.

"Shut it, lover boy," Severa snarked.

"Lover man," Inigo corrected with a grin on his face. "I'm married now, remember?"

Severa shot a glare at him that promised pain. Unfortunately, she was unable to follow up on said promise, her mother asked a relatively important question to no one in particular.

"Where are we?"

Everyone in the group, Severa included, began to look around. There were in a plain of sorts with lush greens and a clear sky. A few trees dotted the area and a few stray chasms split the ground. Large bridges were built over the chasms, making it possible for people to walk across the area.

What Severa found strange, however, was the fact that the place looked familiar despite the fact that she never came across such a place in Hoshido or Nohr.

"I…don't recognize this place…" Corrin muttered, voicing her thoughts.

"Neither do I…" Inigo said in agreement.

Svera didn't either, but there was something strange that poked at her in the back of her mind. She never came across this scenery during her time in the lands of Hoshido and Nohr, but somehow, the area looked familiar.

"The Bottomless Canyon…" a quiet voice said.

Heads turned to Beruka, who was wearing a brilliant poker face. She slightly raised an eyebrow in return.

"We're at the Bottomless Canyon," Beruka repeated.

"What?!" Ophelia's jaw dropped. "Surely you jest!"

Beruka's eyes darkened. "Do not doubt my memory. I may no longer be an assassin, but my skills have not faded."

"It is not your words that we doubt, my love," Owain quickly interjected. "It is only us that are to blame, for our minds fail to comprehend your words!"

Severa looked around again, comparing the scenery with that of her memory from years ago. If she stretched the connections, then she could just make out the similarities, but even then, her mind couldn't wrap around the fact that they were at the Bottomless Canyon. A dark and cold canyon was a far cry from a warm and lush plain.

"I…believe she is correct," Azura quietly said. "There is an…energy here that I recognize from Valla. It is faint, unbelievably so, but it is there."

"That's…hard to believe…" Kana muttered.

"Guys!" There was a sudden gasp from Soleil as she pointed at one of the bridges. "That bridge! I recognize it! That's where we jumped off to enter Valla!"

Severa looked over at the aforementioned bridge. She didn't recognize it.

Then again, the last time that she was on the bridge was when the bridge was old and worn down with time. The bridges here were much newer and didn't look like they were going to snap anytime soon.

"Are you sure?" Corrin asked Soleil.

The girl nodded in return. "Yup! I know because it's where I asked Sophie out for the first time! That little pillar of land with the tree right there…" She pointed to some vague area with her finger which was not helpful in the slightest. "…was in the background as I asked her and the sunset made for a really nice backdrop!" Then she scratched the back of her head. "Shame she turned me down though."

"You asked someone out when we were about to head into Valla?" Shigure asked incredulously.

Soleil nonchalantly shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"If this place is where two lands were connected by an ancient magic, then I can believe that," Robin said as he gazed out into the plain. "The air here… It's brimming with it."

"You and your over-observant tendencies," Cordelia smiled, nudging him with her shoulder.

"To be fair, I didn't really look for it. You can blame Grima for making me a little sensitive to all things magical." His brow then furrowed as he looked back out into the distance. "By the way, do you think that people will still remember your faces even after all this time? Like…common soldiers and whatnot?"

"Maybe," Corrin replied. "Why do you ask?"

Severa followed her father's eyes and noticed the problem. A few others in the group noticed as well and they visibly tensed.

"Because there seems to be a group of soldiers headed in our direction," Robin answered.

"Ah…" Corrin slowly nodded. "This…might be a little difficult to explain…"

. . .

A wise king must always think ahead. Whether it be during times of conflict or in times of peace, foresight was always a good thing to have. A kingdom with a short-sighted ruler was bound to fall even without outside influences.

Foresight was also necessary during combat as well. To know your enemy and to plan ahead to bring your enemy to their knees was something that any commander should know, and any competent leader would expect their enemy to do the same. But if one were to think far enough ahead, even the enemy would be at a loss.

Which was exactly why a tiniest of smiles, one that was most definitely not smug, appeared on Xander's lips as he watched his opponent struggle on his next move.

"Xander." Leo walked up to him with a stern look on his face. Surprisingly enough, his button-up shirt was on correctly. "Are you sure that we should've just sent or regular soldiers to check that pulse? I am not doubting our men, but we are at the Bottomless Canyon. If the rift between our world and Valla has opened again - "

"If the rift truly has opened, then we would have been told of it," Xander calmly replied, his eyes remaining locked on his opponent. "Our mages have been keeping a tight watch on the canyon, Orochi and Nyx included."

Leo took in a deep breath and slowly released it. "I hope you are right, brother. If Anankos has risen once more, then it will be very difficult to defeat him without Corrin and Azura." He then looked at the chessboard for a couple of seconds before smirking. "White Knight to G6. You can take out Xander's Rook without any loss to your own pieces unless he wants to lose his Queen and Bishop."

Xander's opponent looked up at Leo with surprise evident in his eyes. A small smile rose to his face and he turned his attention back down to the chessboard while Xander looked at his brother in betrayal.

"You have my thanks," Ryoma said as he followed Leo's instructions. "I was too focused on keeping my King safe that I was unable to see that opening. This blasted game is more complicated than shogi."

"Traitor," Xander grumbled, not bothering to comment on the fact that chess was many times simpler than shogi. That game always gave him a headache.

The grin on Leo's face only grew. "It was to my belief that you wanted a challenge, brother. How will you grow by playing against someone who is still new to the game? I am only leveling the playing field, so to speak."

"Is Xander bullying Ryoma in chess again?"

The three men turned their heads as the rest of their siblings entered the room. Even Takumi, despite his attempt to look like he didn't want to be here, was present.

"I am not bullying him, Elise. I am teaching him," Xander said in his defense. "One does not grow without a challenge."

"By playing against him in a game that you've been playing for almost your entire life?" Hinoka asked with a playful grin.

Xander opted to not reply, turning his focus back onto the game of chess. He chose to ignore the incredibly smug and victorious grin on Ryoma's lips that was not deserved in the slightest.

As he thought on his next move (he had to scrap his previous ideas due to Leo's betrayal), he glanced over at Camilla. The last few years were harder on her than anyone else in the royal family. He and Leo may have lost one of their retainers after the defeat of Anankos, but Camilla had lost both of hers.

It was a hard blow on all of them when they found out that Selena, Laslow, and Odin were from a different world. The idea was so far-fetched that Xander almost disregarded it at first, but then his earlier talks with Laslow - rather, with Inigo - came into mind. And being the pragmatic person that he is, he took his retainer's words as fact, even before Inigo told him about his past.

That being said, Camilla was not as understanding. Xander had watched as she went through the stages of grief.

Shock, for having being told that her retainer was from a different world and that both of them were leaving her.

Denial, thinking that it was all some elaborate joke, even though Selena, or Severa, had done her best to recall their past conversations about her leaving.

Anger and guilt, for Camilla began to frantically ask what she had done wrong for them to leave her alone.

Bargaining, as she made promise after promise, saying that she'd grant them anything that they wished for should they stay with her.

And once they left, depression and acceptance had hit Camilla so hard that she didn't leave her room for over a month straight, despite everyone's best efforts.

It was painful for Xander to see his sister, the proud and powerful princess of Nohr, to be reduced to such a state. Even after she began to leave her room, her complexion was sickly and her hair had lost its luster. Her state was one that the Camilla of the past would have never let herself be in.

It wasn't until two years later that she began to recover, and one more year for the spark to return to her eyes. Three full years, but Xander still worried that she'd never return to the person that she once was. If it ever happened, it would be many years down the line.

Even now, Camilla didn't have that spark as she spent her time with Sakura and Hinoka. The two princesses of Hoshido had grown close as the years went by. Their relationship was further closened by as they became in-laws as Camilla was now the Queen of Hoshido, having married Ryoma, and Hinoka being the Queen of Nohr, having married Xander.

For all his power as both a king and warrior, there was very little he could do to help his sister, and a deep sigh escaped Xander's lips. Such action would never have been done in public, but as he and his family were on vacation in their private manor by the Bottomless Canyon, he had no need to uphold his image of Nohr's stoic ruler.

"Is something the matter, my friend?"

Xander looked up to see Ryoma peering at him. His brow was furrowed ever so slightly in concern.

"You have been still for some time now," Ryoma said.

He blinked once before lightly shaking his head. "It is nothing. My mind was simply occupied by past dealings and recurring thoughts."

Ryoma nodded in understanding. "A feeling I know all too well."

Xander opened his mouth to reply when rapid footsteps approached their room. At the same time, a shadow dropped from the ceiling and the room's door was flung open.

"King Xander!" "Ryoma-sama."

A woman with wild blue hair with pink tips stood at the door while the shadow that dropped down revealed itself to be a woman with long, dark hair.

"Peri?" "Kagero?"

The two kings cast worried looks at their respective retainers. Peri looked absolutely panicked while Kagero's face was much calmer, but her entire body was tense.

"K-King Xander! At - At the gates!" Peri began waving her hand down the hall. "They're here!"

A frown formed on his face. "Who's here?" he asked.

"Laslow! And Azura and Corrin and Selena and Odin and everyone else that left!"

Complete and utter silence fell upon the room. Any and whatever held the royal families' attention prior was disregarded immediately, and eyes slowly widened in shock and disbelief.

"Wh-What…?" Xander's voice was nothing more than a whisper.

Kagero, from her kneeling position, raised her head slightly to look at the two kings. "It is true. The scouts that were sent to investigate the pulse that our mages felt, and they have returned with those that accompanied Selena, Odin, and Laslow years ago."

"Are…Are you sure?" Ryoma asked.

"Yes," Kagero replied. "I stayed at the gates long enough to make sure of it myself. While they have been aged by time, they are most definitely the very same people. However…"

Xander inched forward. "However?"

"They are accompanied by people that I have never met before in my life in garments not native to any of our lands."

Xander met Ryoma's eyes and they both nodded, coming to the same thought. They rose from their seats, leaving their chess game unfinished, and began walking out the door.

As Peri stepped aside to make room, Xander's eyes flicked over to Camilla. In that brief moment, he was able to catch a large number of emotions going through her, the most prominent ones being doubt and hope. In all honesty, Xander felt the very same way.

"Come on, Camilla!" Hinoka ushered the Camilla out the door, causing the Nohrian princess to stumble slightly. "If they truly are back, we are going to meet them at the gates! Not in our lounge!"

There was no answer as Camilla followed Hinoka with Leo, Takumi, Elise, and Sakura right behind her.

As they walked through the halls, Ryoma asked Xander a question. "What are the chances that they truly are back?"

Xander didn't reply for a few moments, taking in a deep breath instead. "…I do not dare hope. Despite that, I cannot help but do so."

The talk he had with Laslow was one that he remembered in full clarity, and not a day went by in which the memory resurfaced. Only now, instead of it being bittersweet…

"Forgive me, milord, but I'm afraid I have to yield my position as your retainer."

It was those words that dimmed Xander's world. Crass he may be, but without a doubt, Laslow had lit up the lives of all those that he had entered.

"I'm very sorry, King Xander. It has been an honor serving you."

"This is more than just your resignation, I take it."

"…"

"This is goodbye, isn't it?"

Xander was a pragmatic man. Despite this, despite the evidence that he was able to gather, there was a small part of him that hoped that Laslow's words on that day was part of an elaborate joke. A joke that he'd be punished for, but a joke nonetheless.

While he wasn't present when it happened, he was more than sure that Odin and Selena had a similar conversation with Leo and Camilla respectively. And if his siblings were anything like him, then they were most likely reminiscing about said conversations as they made their way through the halls.

As they neared the main gates, Xander heard shouting and he almost froze in his steps. It wasn't the yelling nor the noise itself, but the voice - the tone, rather, that made him catch his breath. A quick look over at Camilla and he was absolutely sure that it was her. Unbeknownst to him, his steps quickened and his strides became longer. The voice became louder and clearer with every step he took. When he arrived at the large terrace in front of the gates, he saw two of his knights, Effie and Ignatius, escorting a rather large group of individuals.

His feet slowed to a crawl before ultimately stopping. His eyes slowly began to scan the group in front of him. There were a number of faces that he never saw before in his life, but he could some familiarities in all of them, but his eyes were drawn to those that he recognized.

Azura, Shigure, and Corrin looked almost the same as they did when they left, the only difference being them having aged a couple of years. Although Corrin did lose the last bits of his baby fat that he always seemed to have retained before.

Kana, Beruka, Soleil, and Ophelia all grew taller and no longer looked like the teenagers that they once were…excluding Kana. She was the one that had the most growth, only standing a little shorter than the girls beside her.

At the very front of everyone else, however, were the three ex-Nohrian retainers.

Odin had his ever-present grin on his face, but the grin was betrayed by his anxious eyes that danced across the faces of his previous lieges.

Selena had her arms crossed in their usual manner and had a scowl on her face, but the scowl held none of the bite that it once did. Her eyes, unlike Odin's, were focused solely on Camilla.

And then there was Laslow. Xander knew his retainer well enough to see through the attempt at his crass smile. His left hand was tapping against his thigh in a rhythmic pattern, which was something that he only did when he was nervous or anxious.

"Laslow."

Xander's tone wasn't forceful nor was it soft. He called his retainer's name in the exact manner as he used to when he received one too many complaints and reports from the townsfolk about a certain retainer flirting with the women in town, some of whom were in front of their spouses at the time.

He had not meant to use that tone, but it came out in that manner nonetheless. And like the countless times he called his retainer in that tone, the corner of Laslow's lip twitched up into a very familiar smirk.

"Yes, my King?" Laslow responded, even going as far as to wink at him. The cheek on this man…

Xander took a step forward towards his retainer, and another memory resurfaced.

"If, after the war, I were to go somewhere. Somewhere far away If you never saw me again Would you be angry? Would you be able to forgive me for abandoning you?"

"…Yes, I would."

Another step. A nervous step back.

"Oh? Truly?"

"It is not your company I require. Only that you continue to draw breath. I just want you to ensure you live. Whatever your true name or appearance."

Another step was taken forward. Another step was taken backward.

"Milord, I - "

. . .

There were a few things that Inigo feared in life. Severa's wrath was one such fear and his father's rage was another. The evil gleam that would appear in Morgan's eyes whenever she thought of another prank was one more, and the pain-promising-look Robin would give him whenever he used to hit on Morgan was definitely one of the top three.

However, there was one fear of Laslow's that ranked just alongside Robin's glare of promised pain, and that was an angry-looking Xander. Specifically, an angry-looking Xander that had his eyes set on him and him alone.

So when said angry-looking Xander began walking towards him, Inigo couldn't help but flinch and his foot took a step backward. Normally, he'd have a general idea of what he did wrong to earn his liege's ire, but this time, he had absolutely no idea. There was no time for him to even flirt with anyone since no one else was around, so that couldn't have been the case like many times before.

"Milord, I - " Inigo nervously began.

His words stopped when Xander's hands reached up towards his neck…and firmly grasped his shoulders. There was a slight tremble in his hands, almost…almost as if…

"Welcome back, my friend," Xander warmly smiled. It was a smile that Laslow had seen only a handful of times. "I am glad that you have kept your promise."

At first, Inigo didn't know what promise he made. And then…

"Promise me, that if and when you can…"

Inigo's eyes slowly widened as the memory returned.

"…you will return to us."

Pride was something that Inigo wouldn't usually associate himself with. His entire life was full of mistakes and foolish choices, and although he openly flirted with and hit on numerous women, that in itself was a coping mechanism of sorts. He couldn't even take pride in being called a womanizer since that was nothing more than a façade.

However, out of all the emotions that welled up within him, of all the feelings that threatened to burst out, pride was at the forefront.

Inigo was proud. Proud that he was able to save a world from certain doom by Grima's hands. Proud that he was able to fight alongside his parents and friends. He was proud that he volunteered to travel to the ancient lands of Nohr and Hoshido and slay the maddened form of Anankos.

But above all, Laslow was proud to have served Prince - no…King Xander. He was proud that he could call himself as one of the king's retainers. He was proud that he could call, and be called, a cherished friend of King Xander.

Inigo dropped to one knee and kneeled before his king. He felt and heard the ripple of surprise from everyone around him, but it was something that he paid very little mind to.

In a solemn voice, he once again spoke the words that he said countless times after having finished a patrol, albeit with one slight difference.

"I have returned, my King, as promised."

After all, he couldn't refer to his liege as a prince anymore, now could he?

. . .


. . .

Well, that's that. For all intents and purposes, this story is done.

While I do want another chapter to go a bit more in-depth with character relations, mainly about Camilla, I can't think of a way to go about it for the life of me. I also wanted to write some conversations between the Awakening and Fates characters, but I can only think of a few snippets of dialogue that wouldn't amount to anything.

Thank you to all who favorited, followed, and reviewed. I apologize for the fact that this took almost two years to complete given how short it is.