27.

Freed

"Is he okay?"

"I wonder if she might have accidentally cast a sleep spell on him. Vitals are stable. Nothing else seems particularly out of the ordinary."

Amalia's squeal brought him fully into consciousness. "My… baby…"

"She's alright, Ienzo. Hit you with some magic, is all. And so soon." Even helped him sit up. He was sopping wet-had he wet himself? No, he'd been giving her a bath, that was why.

Something felt odd. Off. His vision… had he hit his head? But wouldn't Even say if he had a concussion? Ienzo blinked. It was violet. Why? He felt so dazed, something stirring so hesitantly inside of him, and he could hear himself panting.

"...You sure he'll be alright?"

"...Ienzo, how do you feel, love?"

An almost painful prickling in the pit of his being. "...Sick…"

"Lean over the tub. There's a dear."

He vomited. Even held his hair back. The prickling worsened. As he looked down at the sick, he realized-"Even?" he stammered.

"How do you feel?"

"She healed me."

He frowned.

The oddity in his vision was the presence of depth perception for the first time in thirteen years. "My eye. I can see with it. And I suspect…" Nausea rolled over him again, and he heaved. "I think she may have… jumpstarted my magical field's recovery."

"Oh. Quite. Quite. That is… fascinating…" His eyes became distant, the way they did when he was thinking hard. "I've never gotten to study the intersection of a royal child and they who gave birth to them…"

Ienzo swatted at the hair in front of his eyes. The world was painfully clear. He felt… stronger. "I need to clean up this mess."

"I shall handle it. You need rest."

"No. I don't think I do. I feel… fine." A giddiness overtook him. If he had this magic back… perhaps he could fix the soulbond. "I feel good ."

Even pressed a hand against his forehead. "Well at least there's that much."

There was the growing pain of his magic, which he had not felt since puberty. There was a certain volatility to it that he previously had under control. He found himself struggling to remember the techniques. But having it back made him feel a little less awful. He could feel the connection between himself and Amalia again. In his rare moments alone, he trained in an old courtyard. It was so nice not to have to fight to hide it anymore. An intense relief. It would take time to get back to his previous level of power, if it happened at all. But it gave him some small shred of hope, knowing me might be able to fix what was between himself and Demyx.

One late spring day, he and Ansem went on television. Freeing the media had unleashed the true horrors of what had happened while the city was under siege; but at the same time, there was an avenue for expression, and it was a way for them to learn what needed to be fixed.

Ienzo knew that in an alternate life he would've had a very different relationship to the press. Tabloids and paparazzi would've eviscerated his every move. He was aware he had missed a lot of so-called royal "milestones"; his twenty-first birthday would've signified his acceptance of his duty, in essence a sort of coronation. And of course, everything surrounding the birth of his child. There would've been announcements, a baby shower, a presentation of her as the new heir to the public. He likely would've gotten married. Ienzo had never particularly missed these things, but being in this castle, and finally being able to accept his role, meant that a lot of those things would be coming back. He had to get used to being called "your highness" in daily conversation.

They were interviewed by a journalist that had been previously jailed. Ansem had coached him on some things, but told him for the most part to simply be himself, to be honest, because the populace could feel that sort of thing. He wore a suit that had been dressed down enough to be somewhat casual.

"Forgive me, your highness, but this has all been terribly confusing," the journalist said. The lights in the study were hot, and Ienzo felt himself sweating in the jacket. "One moment you're a woman, and dead , and the next, you're you , and alive, and declaring allegiance with the enemy of the state. Frankly, there are some out there thinking you're a decoy."

"I can only imagine how overwhelming it's all been. Where have we been hiding? Why haven't we been helping sooner? The thing is… for the longest time the situation has been out of our hands-mine, and my father's. It was only through extraordinary circumstances I ended back up here, in this castle. I was taken from my family. At the time, it seemed best… that I try to undermine Xehanort the only way I knew how-manipulation. Subterfuge." He cleared his throat.

"Is it true you were the one to personally take him down?"

"It… is." He swallowed. "He harmed the one I cared for most, in front of me. My power… went wild."

"So you did not want him dead?"

"I wanted him to pay for his crimes."

"Do you suppose he has?"

"No. Not quite. Not even close. The earth was being poisoned. If something hadn't been done to him, who knew how long it would've been before we all… suffered for it? Starved, fell to darkness, worse?" He had to close his eyes for a moment. "I am cognizant that it will take time for everyone to forgive me. I hope I can be a good ruler." Ansem nodded once in encouragement. "I am here to listen to you , to serve you . Not the other way around. We've developed a system to hear your needs. Please do not hesitate to reach out. I know my ascension back has not been… typical. I know there's uncertainty around it, and a lack of trust. But I hope to earn that trust."

"I'm sure that will be widely utilized." A smile.

"Moreover, I can… prove, I am the real deal." He got up and crossed over to the spot they'd set Amalia down. He brought her gently into his arms. "This is my daughter." It physically pained him to show her to the cameras. "Her name is Amalia."

"She does look just like you."

"So know that I am not lying when I say I am devoted to the improvement of this country. I want my child-and yours-to be safe, happy, and want for nothing." He offered a small smile. "But to get there we have to work together."

Keeping track of everything took immense effort. But there were some things Ienzo had to know for sure. Questions he still had. There'd been so much buildup to his coup only for it to happen quickly and, to a degree, involuntarily. Trying to sleep at night, he saw Demyx bleeding in his mind's eye, felt the crunch and snap as his knife cut into Xehanort. Ienzo wished he felt guilty about it, but honestly, if given the chance, he'd do it again.

He needed to see Braig.

The man had been placed on a sort of house arrest. Nobody could define his crimes for sure, other than having broken his royal oath to the crown by becoming Xehanort's guard. But given that he had assisted in the assassinations and helped restore the crown, it was hard to say if he was guilty. Or if he felt that way. Several royal lawyers and investigators were trying to determine what-or if-there was a case.

The rooms he were being held in were comfortable, but sterile. When Ienzo entered the room, he dutifully got up. "Your highness," he said, bowing. "To what do I owe the pleasure."

Ienzo fought to keep the scowl off of his face. "I'd like to talk to you," he said. He gestured vaguely at the sofa in the room. Ienzo sat. "Has your stay been comfortable?"

"These rooms have been mine for years. This is as comfortable as it gets." He marked his place in a book and sat back in the opposing seat. "Looks like you've been causing quite a stir. They let me have the papers. First out trans royal. First royal in seven hundred years to have a kid before marriage. First royal to commit an assassination." He ticked them off on his fingers. "The list goes on, I'm sure."

Ienzo took a deep breath. "About that. I have some questions."

He slung one leg over the other. "Shoot. I ain't got anything better to do."

"If you knew what Xemnas and I were planning, why didn't you help us sooner? Your intelligence could've helped us immensely. Could have kept them alive long enough to be tried. We could've done this... in a civil way."

Braig cocked his head. "Ain't nothing "civil" about what the old man did," he said. "That fucker wasn't going nowhere without force. What he was doing... way I see it, three bodies are a hell of a lot better than the millions-more-that would've resulted if the planet fell. I saw an opening. I took it."

"You could've been helping the resistance for years."

He raised his eyebrow. "Ienzo, let's be real. The resistance, before you were finally allowed to do something, wasn't doing much more than hiding you and your dad and gathering information. Hiding out. Keeping secrets. If Xehanort had gotten wind before he had of what you'd done, he would've crushed it like that." He snapped his fingers. "It was kinda luck that he didn't know what breaking that bond would do to you."

"How did you-"

"I felt it," he said tiredly. "You know I worked alongside your dad and Even for years. I was there when they decided to go through with it."

Ienzo felt very cold.

"You know they framed it as an arranged marriage? The royal-sorry-princess, and a young merman from Destiny Islands. They hoped the match would bring unity. But then the riots eviscerated the colony. Maybe I didn't know the whole extent of what the soulbond would do. But I figured it would be more than what was bargained for." He exhaled. "Besides. A life working for the resistance is no kind of life. I could scrape by here... or risk my life. I had to wait for an opportunity to "help." One I felt when your little baby was born."

He didn't know what to say.

"Sorry, kid, but that's the truth. Stay alive and wait for something concrete... or help the resistance and get myself killed."

"Right," he said numbly. He thought of all the times Braig had played with him. In the end... it had just been a job. "Thanks for telling me all this." He stood.

"That's all you've got?"

"Yes." He turned. "Though I guess I must thank you. Your assistance was critical to control of the capitol. That will be noted."

Braig stood and bowed again. "Your highness."

Ienzo was exhausted, but he could not sleep. It had been another long day of politics, of listening to citizen's concerns-of which there were many, and while most were valid, the small minority was infuriating-of trying to parent his daughter through all of it. Traditionalists had railed into his interview in the papers, openly wondering if he were capable of ruling a population he had hid from so long. They criticized his child out of wedlock, his lack of a degree. Some of the bolder, crueller ones had asked if he could be trusted if he couldn't even decide on his gender (as though this was a recent change).

But at the same time… a certain type of support. People his age were open to change, wanted someone at the helm more like them , more willing to make these seismic changes to tradition and bring the monarchy into the post-Xehanort age. It was a massive responsibility, and he was feeling the pressure.

He was standing out on the balcony of his quarters. It was a full moon, its light feeling good on his skin. He was getting stronger, but not quickly enough.

"...Come here often?"

The voice startled him. Demyx was standing there in his robe, a glass of some kind of drink in either hand. "...I needed some air."

Demyx offered him the drink. "I was making one for myself, and I thought… well. Doing what you do, you need one."

"...You're quite right." He smiled a little.

"One of the perks about this place, huh. The booze." He joined Ienzo at the railing.

"...Is Amalia alright?"

"Out like a light. Why?"

"...You scarcely talk to me anymore unless it's about her."

He sighed heavily and swilled the liquid around in his glass. "I've been thinking a lot, about, well, everything. I want to talk. Even if we have to get really drunk to do so."

His lips twitched into a hesitant smile. "Alright. I'm game." He tossed back the drink; it burned all the way down. Without a word, Ienzo went back inside, over to the small tea and alcohol table in the main room. "What are you having?"

"Moscow mule?"

"Excellent choice."

It didn't take long for him to start feeling it; even with the magic, his pregnancy had vastly decreased his tolerance. He found himself sitting on the floor by the fireplace, leaning heavily against the couch.

"I used to be able to… fuckin… pound four or five shots and be fine ," Demyx mumbled against the couch cushion. "Is this, like, superbooze?"

"Blood loss can reset tolerance, so I've heard." He hiccupped. "Lay it on me. Tell me everything."

He considered. "I'm such a fucking coward," he said. "Like… I know you didn't want to go. You didn't want to leave the… baby. But I… you left me alone with her. And that just made me… when he cut us off…"

"It made you resent me."

He sniffled and took a sip of his drink. "Yeah. It's fucked up. And then I couldn't even just talk to you about it like a human cause I was so butthurt."

"...I think "butthurt" is unkind to yourself. You're a seeker, Demyx, and you lost part of that. It seems as though this was a cumulation of a lot of loss. Your memory, your form."

"I looked for you for so long and he took you from me."

"...I know."

"And he took the feelings, and then all of a sudden we're here and you're trying to go back to normal. Well it isn't normal. I don't know if it ever will be."

"Why would we want normal?"

"Cause I loved you. And despite how fucked things were, when I loved you it didn't matter how bad it was. And I'm sitting in a fucking castle complaining about it."

"Do you think you could love me again?"

He looked at him hazily. "I want to. I want to so bad. But I jus…" He pressed his face against the couch cushion. "Will that love ever be the same? Or will we just feel empty?"

"Do you feel empty now?"

He swallowed. "Yeah. And I just… all of a sudden it's royal this and royal that and I'm not ready."

"I'm not either. There's a country, Demyx, a country that I have to take care of. I'm only twenty-one. I dropped out of college after my first year because I got pregnant , for gods' sake. And now I can barely take care of my baby? I just used her as a prop for PR."

"Mmm. A little."

"I just feel like I can't help anyone. Me, you, her, all of the thousands of people that live here, that are hurting. And I…" He took a deep breath. "I killed people, and I don't even feel a little bit sorry."

Demyx blew a raspberry. "You killed Xehanort. Why feel bad about that?"

"I dunno, cause Even feels bad about killing the older one?"

"Listen, Ienzo, Even's fucking weird."

He chuckled a little.

"Like, I love him. He's great. But he's not good at feelings. It's just like, there there." He patted Ienzo's shoulder. "What, that didn't help?"

The chuckle became a laugh. Ienzo felt heavy. "Try going through puberty with him in the house. He helped me transition. But that doesn't mean he understood any of it."

Demyx laughed too. Then, sobering a little. "I guess we get a choice," he said softly.

"We do."

"What do you want?"

"I meant what I said, when I said I loved you. I want… in the Forecast, we were apparently together. I want that. I want…" His eyes watered. "I want to have a perfectly boring life with you, Demyx. I want us to fight over what to make for dinner and take our daughter to the park and go on road trips, and have a house with a stupid chore wheel. I want to be able to visit friends and I want to maybe have another baby. Someday. I want you to be able to do your music and I want her to grow up happy because we love each other, and we love her."

He sniffled. "I want… I want it too." He swallowed. "I'll try. I'll try, okay?"

It took time. Weeks of talking, of figuring things out. Of getting to know each other in earnest. Weeks of moments stolen between Ienzo's endless meetings, after they put their daughter down. Of dinners, and walks, seeking and finding.

Things began to calm in the west, the new initiatives redeveloping the trust in the monarchy. They all went on a few diplomatic trips, to oversee the reconstruction, literally and emotionally. The people were shattered. Ienzo brought the baby with him, when it was safe to do so; she seemed to help raise morale. He and Ansem sold off some of the royal treasures-hoarded by Xehanort's youngest son-to help pay for this infrastructure. Things were just things. Ienzo did not need accoutrement to do his job.

There was also the matter of Xemnas.

He was working hard, in earnest, wherever he was allowed to be. Ansem had offered him some amnesty, but he didn't seem to want it, content to live in his quarters and advise where he could. He helped Even work trying to heal the remaining living victims. With Kairi's magic, they were able to wake many of the catatonic. They began to understand hearts, what made them work.

It was good to have friends.

It seemed to cheer Demyx a great deal, to see them again. Everyone wondered over the baby. They would sit and talk for hours and hours. Riku told them the stories of working in the resistance, of helping something resembling peace be restored.

With the calm in the west, Aeleus and Isa came back; so did Dilan. Isa had a limp, and Aeleus had a long scar on his forearm. "It is good to be home," Aeleus said. "You've done well, Ienzo."

He sighed. "Not really. Not hardly."

"The people have hope. They didn't before. The world is healing."

"I just hope for a little peace. Especially for you. I can only imagine the horrors you've seen."

He smiled, but it was sad. "It hasn't been easy. And I am tired."

"Stay here, Aeleus. With us. I could use a guard."

He drew him into an embrace. "You don't need to ask twice."

Isa and Xemnas served as subjects for study, to see if something could be done about their degradation. They were not the only ones who had been "enhanced," but the rest just seemed to have disappeared, giving Ienzo anxiety of another coup. Even was optimistic that he could at the very least prolong their lives, and was trying to devise a way to give them replica bodies. The only good thing about all that human experimentation was that progress had been made on them.

How odd, to settle into something like regular life, despite its constant grind. Summer came to the city, and to celebrate her first birthday, Ienzo and Demyx took Amalia to the beach.

She was growing so fast. Not so long ago she'd taken her first steps, and Ienzo had actually been there to see it-she'd stumbled, so hesitantly, right into his open arms. Her little vocalizations sounded more like words-she'd looked him right in the eyes for that perfect "dada."

It was an overcast July day, and the water was warm. "Okay, moment of truth," Demyx said, wrangling her in her little pink swimsuit. "Zo, you ready?"

"Always."

"Alright. One, two-"

They brought her into the waves, and she seemed to be having the time of her life, yelling "ya!" over and over again at the top of her lungs.

"Please be careful," Even called from the shore. "Goodness, the last we need is a repeat of what happened to you, Ienzo."

Demyx just smiled and rolled his eyes.

Ienzo had to admit he felt some anxiety himself. It wasn't like she could fully understand that she had to hold her breath, and they weren't really sure she needed to. They both took one of her hands, and after a moment, ducked under the waves.

It was quiet here. Calm. She had her eyes open wide, but she did not seem afraid. Not at all. She just grinned at Ienzo, and a moment later, there her little tail was. Demyx gasped a little, air escaping him, and were it not for the water Ienzo would be sure he was crying. After a long moment, they both had to emerge to breathe.

"Well?" Isa asked.

Demyx held her up. "Look. Look at her."

Ienzo traced the blue-green scales, so like the ones on her back. "Did yours look like this?"

"Yes." He sniffled. "I'm so… I'm so proud of you, sweetie." He hugged her tightly, and she struggled. "She wants to go back in."

"Go," Ienzo said. "Spend as long as you need." Clearly this was an important moment for his culture; he'd learned that seekers tended to reproduce like humans, and introduce the children to their heritage once they'd grown a little.

So he did, and they all watched for a time. There was a warm pride in his breast.

"Maybe the seekers will make a return," Isa said softly.

"It's just the two of them, and they're family," Ienzo said. "We'll have to wait and see if she passes it to her own children." But seeing him, Ienzo realized the horrible dullness had left Demyx's face, had been gone a long time. His heart started. "Her children. Gods."

He chuckled a little. "A likely scenario. Things are so much more… peaceful."

"Not good. But better. We're not so in crisis that I can't enjoy my daughter's first birthday. To think… so much has happened this year."

"And much to come." He smiled. "You bought us time, Ienzo. However small. It is nice to know things are on an upward trajectory… as it were."

"I... I have to thank you, Isa," he said. "For taking care of my family when I was gone. I know I... took that choice from you."

"I offered myself. It was my choice, to a degree. But... working for the light... I'm starting to feel... like I am not all wretched." He looked out towards the sea. "Having bonds with people again, being able to do something good with everything that's been done to me... is more reward than I ever expected."

Ienzo took a deep breath. "I think it's safe to say your debt has been more than repaid," he said.

Isa looked back at him. In the intervening months, the experimental treatments had began bringing his eyes closer to a natural teal. "Thank you for that," he said. "Though I intend to keep this position, debt or no."

"Just know you can leave."

"I know."

The rest of the day was what Ienzo supposed a normal child's birthday might be like, sans the mermaid tail-cake, lots of sand and surf. And the end of the day Amalia was exhausted, asleep in his arms, barely waking to take a bath. She slept before Ienzo could even read her a story.

He felt… strangely at peace.

A hand on his back startled him. "What a day."

"It's amazing. I'm so happy for you, Demyx."

"I mean, I knew, but I didn't know . It's just a reminder that… it's not all lost. For once, I'm actually excited about the future. What she's capable of. What's in store… for us." He looked at Ienzo, and his heart stuttered again.

"You know," Ienzo said softly, "My magic… is recovered to the point where I can repair the soulbond."

"It is?" He squeezed his eyes shut. He laughed a little, and then he reached over to cup Ienzo's face. "I'm… I don't know. I kind of like things the way they are."

He was shaking. "You do?"

"It just feels… right."

There was a moment, a moment of breath-Ienzo leaned forward to kiss him.

They hadn't kissed in some months, not since that horrible day they'd found out the bond was broken. This kiss didn't feel like that. It felt alive. Demyx pulled away with a gasp. "Ienzo."

"What?"

"I feel it. I feel something. You didn't-"

"No. I promise I didn't do anything."

He laughed and kissed him again, and Ienzo pulled him close, and they were kissing long and hard in the cool of the summer night, and he felt like something was waking up, not quite so intense but so steady . Demyx's tongue eased into his mouth. Ienzo pressed him against the glass door. He'd missed the feel of Demyx's hands on him, a warm wanting curling inside of him. Demyx's hand slid down over his ass, and he broke away to kiss at his throat, the taste of him. Ienzo pressed a little closer; he could feel his half-hard dick through his swim trunks and reached to rub at it.

"Take me to bed," Ienzo said. "Now, or else-"

"Being indecent?"

"This balcony is not completely obscured from view-" Ienzo grasped his hand and pulled him inside, but they hadn't even fully gotten to the bed before Demyx was working at his shirt, his own bathing suit, and it had been so long that he could already feel he was getting wet- He pushed Demyx down onto the bed.

"I like you being in control," Demyx said breathlessly.

Ienzo tugged off the rest of his clothing. It felt so good to have his skin touching Ienzo's again, his cock so close to that part of him, that for a moment he couldn't help but grind against it, turning to kiss his chest- Then he saw the scar. A thick, puckered line below his heart, roughened and still pink. "Oh," Ienzo said softly.

"Like I said. Ugly. I can-put my shirt back on-"

"No." He leaned down to kiss it, make his peace with it. Run his tongue along it.

"Ienzo, please-" Demyx slid his hand against Ienzo's thigh, finding his clit, and feeling those callused fingers there after so long had him gasping. His hips bucked a little against Demyx's hand.

"I want…" He could barely get the words out. "I want…" He grasped at Demyx's dick, working it over, and heard him moan.

"Can you-" He helped Ienzo ease it inside of him.

It felt like coming home, like setting down something heavy. Ienzo began to rock against him slowly. He wanted to take his time with this, and being any quicker or rougher would only make it shorter. It was just them in this moment, a real connection. Demyx wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer, kissing him softly. He thrusted against Ienzo more insistently, and the shift made him shudder, grinding against his clit in just the right way. A small sound left him, and then less quietly. He grasped one of Demyx's hands and held it tightly.

The movement had become a little more urgent. He felt Demyx's cock tense inside of him beautifully . He'd needed this, this vulnerability, this time to just focus on each other.

Too soon, Demyx was withdrawing, moving back on the bed. "What are you-"

"Come here."

Ienzo did so without questioning. He was kneeling, so Ienzo straddled him, bringing his dick back inside, and he could feel it so much more comfortably.

"Better?"

"Almost too much so," he muttered. He could barely catch his breath. It was easier to kiss him like this, so Ienzo did, rocking harder. He felt another quiver, this one less faint.

"I-I'm pretty close."

"I can tell." Ienzo ground against him. It all threatened to come apart, and he was trembling, each thrust tightening the knot in him until it was nearly painful. Ienzo couldn't do anything other than hold onto him and try not to drown. He pulled out more of it each time, and he was so , so close to giving in.

"Ienzo… please…"

He tightened his grip on him and took it as much as he could before he felt it happen, warmth rolling through him and making him spasm, and Ienzo tried to muffle this much louder noise against Demyx's shoulder. A fuzzy sort of release flooded his magic, making him so much lighter, a sensation doubled down when he felt Demyx finish.

They collapsed onto the bed, breathless.

"Fuck," Demyx said.

"...Yes."

"I don't think… it's ever felt like that." He glanced over to him. "...Your hair…"

In it, a realization. "I think we pairbonded."

Demyx snorted, and then started to laugh, and Ienzo did too. "We're gonna wake her up."

"If we didn't already." He sat up a little. "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed him. "Let's get some sleep."

They made love on and off throughout the night, reaching for one another whenever they treaded consciousness. It almost felt like making up for lost time. When Ienzo finally got up for real, he felt shaky, sore, and exhausted, but it was a pleasant sensation. He took a long, hot shower and headed towards their daughter's room. Demyx sat on the bed, perturbed.

"I'm itchy," he said in a weird voice.

"...Itchy?"

"...Like…" He bent his arm to touch his back. "Ienzo. Look at it. Look at it."

"I'm coming. Calm down." He grasped his shoulders and looked at Demyx's shoulders.

The skin was just starting to break along the blades. Ienzo traced a finger along them, feeling the barest tips of something harder than skin. "Demyx…"

He clapped a hand over his mouth. "No fucking way." He looked up at him, tears in his eyes. "No way."

Ienzo smiled.