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“You’re meaning to tell me, you know these dances?” Xander’s tone wasn’t condescending. It never tended to be, when it came to Laslow. It was simply disbelief, if Laslow didn’t know Prince Xander that well, he would’ve thought that he was in trouble, but that wasn’t the case. “These royal dances?”
“Surprisingly, they’re the same ones from my homeland, that’s what caught me off guard. Maybe it’s universal.” Laslow chuckled.
The five stood in the middle of the ballroom of Castle Krakenburg. It had been about two weeks after the war against Anankos was won and the new alliance with Hoshido was formed. Despite the casualties, Lady Camilla thought it wise to celebrate a ball in honor of the fallen in the war, a nice way to remember them, and for the alive to unwind. The only problem? The royal family had been so wrapped up in a war, that they forgot every single one of the traditional dances, having no time to practice them ever.
Odin had the brilliant idea of having Laslow teach all four of them, the dances once again. And idea that Laslow rejected over and over again, until Xander made it an official order. He couldn’t get out of that, and now he was stuck with Lord Xander, Lady Camilla, Lord Leo, Lady Elise, and half the orchestra, just to practice dances that he knew simply because back in their homeland, he was the crown prince of Ylisse.
“Even so, these are dances for the royals to learn and dance with other nobles.” Leo said, raising an eyebrow questioningly. “How would you know them?”
“It’s different where I’m from.” Laslow said almost instantly, and changed the topic as soon as he could. “Shall we start?”
“Of course.” Camilla took a step forward and intertwined both her hands with Laslow’s. Action that made him blush madly. “I’m eager to see the famed dancing everyone’s been talking about.”
“People have been talking about my dancing!?” Laslow said, voice getting higher in pitch before he quickly cleared his throat. Camilla and Elise laughed, as disguised as they could. “I, uhm, it doesn’t matter I- let’s just begin the dancing.” he shook his head, looking away embarrassed.
“Perfect.” Camilla whispered before she untangled her hands from Laslow’s and stood ready.
“Dancing is a simple count from one to eight, every step is counted the same time from one to two.” Laslow said, trying to remember the way his own mother taught him to dance. “You, Lady Camilla, will stand on my right, and raise your arm like this,” he raised his own arm, and Camilla followed suit. Once their arms were linked, he continued. “Now, one step back for you, one step forward for me, four times. One, two, three, four. Again, to my side now, one, two, three, four.”
To say they all spent the entire day learning and practicing was an understatement. Laslow never thought that teaching all four of them was going to be hard, and he was wrong. Especially when Camilla wouldn’t stop teasing him every time they both had to get extremely close. He had never been on the other side of the flirting pole, and even though Lady Camilla didn’t mean it, it was better than what he could do. The night finally made its way closer, yet the lesson was far from over.
“Pull back, now back in, turn- no, turn to the right, no, Lord Leo, my right.” if Laslow was to pick the worst part of practicing the dances with Xander and Leo, was having to play the lady with them. “If it’s your right, my back will be facing the way I have to walk.”
“I don’t remember these dances being so complex.” Leo grumbled.
“Laslow, could we continue tomorrow? I am tired.” Elise said as she stood, hands held behind her back as she did a small jump with her heels. “I feel like a learned, even if Leo still doesn’t know it.”
“Only because your part is easy, Elise, doesn’t mean mine is.” Leo complained. “But, she does have a point, it would be better if we rested.”
Laslow nodded. “Of course, Lord Leo, I have no problem with that. We could continue tomorrow.” Leo left the room, and Elise followed suit, a skip in her step like always. Laslow was left with Xander and Camilla, who both looked at him intensely. “Is anything the matter?”
“I was just thinking, how come you know so much of high class etiquette in a royal ball?” Camilla stood closer, clearly in the mood to tease him and see him flustered.
“Back-“ Laslow cleared his throat and looked around. Making sure Selena was nowhere to be found. Saying simple stuff like ‘the bread back in my homeland tasted better’ would get her angry at them. “Back in my homeland I had a close relation to the royal family. I learned because of them.”
Laslow wasn’t going to say he was the prince of that same kingdom; even he knew when to stop whenever he was feeling homesick.
“It’s rare of you to speak about your homeland.” Xander said, standing a bit more casual than usual, given that it was only the three of them in the room.
“It’s rare for Selena too. In fact, Selena doesn’t even mention it.” Camilla said, taking one of her hands to her chin, thinking. She looked at Laslow with a shimmer in her eyes. “Maybe you could tell us more. If you were, as you say, close to the royal family, you must know a lot about that kingdom. Don’t hold back anything.”
“I’m- I’m sorry, Lady Camilla.” Laslow shook his head. “I’m afraid talking about my home would just make me feel even more homesick than I already am.” it wasn’t necessarily a lie, but he couldn’t say ‘If I tell you anything, it will jeopardize the mission’.
“That’s a shame, I was expecting a little more.” she pouted.
“That’s enough, Camilla, you got him flustered to no end.” Xander said, placing a caring hand on Camilla’s shoulder. The princess smiled, and left the room without another word.
Xander and Laslow were the only ones left in the room, yet the silence couldn’t be more awkward. At least, for Laslow the silence felt awkward, Xander was simply deep in thought. Looking at Laslow, whenever he spoke about his home or family, he tended to look sadder than Selena and Odin. He had left something important back there… if only he could get it out of him, maybe Laslow would feel better. Yet, he had promised Laslow to never pry, or force him to say things he didn’t want to. A deeper part of him, desperately wanted to know where the man he held such deep emotions for came from.
He offered his hand to Laslow. The shorter man just looked at him confused. “They left, but I haven’t. Maybe you could continue to teach me the dance, now that it’s just the two of us, the lessons might pass quickly and effectively.”
“Sounds wonderful, milord.” Laslow took his hand and got ready. “Should I still say the steps, or do you feel you have them memorized.”
“Saying it won’t hurt anyone, will it?” Xander smiled, as he got ready too, doing exactly what Laslow told him.
“Very well. We curtsy to the lady, and straighten. Hold out your left hand, and once she takes it, four steps to the right, circular motion, and now…” Xander had to admit, that the Laslow he saw whenever he was dancing was completely different from the one he was used to. The mercenary, skillful and strong with a blade, womanizer to no end. Whenever he dance, he looked happy, nostalgic.
“Who taught you to dance?” Xander interrupted, yet the dance never stopped. Laslow looked at him and smiled, he kept dancing too.
“My mother was a dancer, milord. Dancers aspired to be her, I dreamed of being a dancer myself, when I was much younger.” Laslow was opening up. A rare sight. “But, male dancers are not… common.” Laslow grimaced.
“If your mother was a mere dancer, how are you in close relations with your homeland’s royal family?”
“I don’t know, if Niles was a mere thief, how is he in close relations to Lord Leo, a prince of Nohr?” Laslow’s answer was quick, a proud smile behind his remark. Xander smiled back.
“I see your just as quick with words as you are with a blade.” was all Xander said, and went back to the dancing. A swift step behind Laslow, and his hands rested on the man’s hips, lifting him up just a little before setting him back down and twirling him. The way Laslow moved was so graceful. That’s when Xander realized that the reason Laslow’s swordsmanship was so precise and perfect was the dancing. Fighting was just another dance to him.
“I don’t tend to talk about my homeland all that much, mainly because Selena would have my head if I were to so much mention a name of a friend back home.” Laslow muttered, looking down.
“Since when do you follow orders from Selena?”
“They were not Selena’s orders, they were someone else’s. She’s just been enforcing them, rather harshly if I may add.” Laslow joked twirling from Xander’s hand and few steps away from him. The dancing felt natural to Xander. He had never felt more at ease in the past ten years than he was now, dancing with Laslow.
The feelings scared him. There he was, with feelings deep for his retainer, and every time they spoke, he knew that whoever his retainer was, whoever this Laslow was… it was not the real him.
“And why is that? Why can’t you speak about it?”
“You wouldn’t understand, milord. It’s- It’s not that easy… and even if I told you, I doubt you’d believe me.”
“That doubt shouldn’t stop you, Laslow.” Xander reached for Laslow’s hand and pulled him closer. “I told you, it doesn’t matter where you’re from or who you really are, I still trust you with my life. You are my retainer after all.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Laslow-“
“My lord, please!” Laslow pulled away. His face staring down, hands besides him shaking. Maybe Xander shouldn’t have pressed on with the topic. The prince realized his mistake. He had promised Laslow to never press the topic, to trust him unconditionally no matter where he came from. Yet he couldn’t help his own desires, and kept asking no matter how distressed it was making Laslow. He felt like pure shit at that moment. Laslow’s hands were shaking, like he was restraining himself. “Please,” his voice broken. “It’s hard enough that I can’t share the truth with you, don’t make it harder.”
“Laslow-“
“If I may be excused, I am not feeling too well, I will be taking my leave.” and without another word, Laslow left. Hurrying for the door, trying not to run towards it. Xander was left alone in the hall, not wanting to go after Laslow. He wanted to give the man his own space.
Laslow walked out of the room, no direction in his mind of where to run to. He just needed to leave. He wanted to go back in there and tell Xander everything. From how he was a prince back in his own kingdom, about how he went back in time to stop an evil dragon from resurfacing, about his parents, his sister. The story of when Anankos himself asked them to save his kingdom, and transported them to another world. From the risen, to Naga, to Grima… everything. He needed to let it all out, and he couldn’t. If Selena found out, she was sure to have his tongue cut off by her.
He had been walking so in a hurry, that he found himself at the door of Odin’s room. He stood, not knowing whether to knock or leave. Odin was his cousin, or at least, back home he was his cousin; if he wanted to speak of these things, who better than Odin. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to knock. He didn’t want to be a bother because he was, once again, feeling sad and homesick.
“Stacking Odin, are we?” that voice.
“What do you want, Niles?” Laslow asked, no bitterness in his voice, but he just wasn’t in the mood to deal with Niles and his antics. “I’m not in the mood for this right now.”
“Oh I heard, the way you spoke to Lord Xander?” Niles smiled devilishly, that stupid smirk. “Might I say it was sacrilegious?”
“Why were you listening to our conversation!?” Laslow turned around and looked at Niles. Eyes open wide in disbelief. Why was he in disbelief? It was Niles, he should expect that from him.
“The way the three of you refuse to say anything about where you are from is getting a little bit tiring.” Niles wrapped an arm around Laslow’s shoulders. “At first it was fun, a little secret to uncover, and you know how I love discovering new things, especially if they involve the three of you.” Niles was so close that his lips grazed Laslow’s cheeks tauntingly, Laslow could feel him smirking. It wasn’t uncommon for Niles to do this. He had said it himself, he loved how Laslow recoiled in embarrassment every single time. That time was no exception.
Laslow squirmed himself out of Niles’s arm and looked away, cheeks pink. “I, uhm- Why don’t you leave? I wanted to speak with Odin, not you.”
“Who said I wanted to speak in the first place?” his little drawl as he stretched his hand to lift Laslow’s chin was sure to make desperate men and women swoon. It just made Laslow want the ground to swallow him whole in his embarrassment.
Laslow pushed Niles’s hand away slowly. “It’s been four years and you still annoy me to no end.” Laslow whispered. “Please leave, Lord Leo is sure to be looking for you.”
“I annoy you? Like I haven’t heard that one before.” and with that annoying little taunt, Niles started walking away. Laslow sighed, thankful that Niles was leaving, when he spoke again. “And if you’re looking for Odin, he’s with Selena, on the balcony of the fifth floor.”
Laslow turned and quickly started walking that way. Away from Niles, and over to Odin. Maybe he could finally tell them that he was going to tell Xander. They fulfilled the mission, nothing bad was going to happen now that they did what they were supposed to do. They dealt with dragons, invisible kingdoms, and floating rocks. Saying that they were from another world wasn’t that weird compared to what they all had seen.
As he reached the fifth floor, he bumped exactly into the person he had ran away from in the first place.
Xander.
Laslow breathed deeply, about to say his thousand sentence apology, but Xander spoke first. “I am sorry, Laslow. I shouldn’t have pressured you into saying stuff you did not wish to say, it was insensitive from my part, and-“
“No, milord, I-“
“Please let me finish, Laslow.” Xander raised his hand, stopping Laslow from even continuing that sentence. “This is important, I know that-“
“My real name is Inigo!” he blurted out, closing his eyes as if bracing for a hit. He couldn’t believe he just did that, but apparently, it was the only way to get Xander to listen to him. He took a deep breath, eyes still closed. “My real name is Inigo, and I’m from another world.”
“Come with me.” was all Xander said. He took Laslow’s, or well, Inigo’s hand, and started dragging him to his private chambers. Inigo followed as fast as he could, but it was hard to keep up with Xander’s long strides. Xander’s answer wasn’t much of an answer, and it had Inigo beating himself up over and over in his mind. Maybe he made a mistake, telling Xander so soon. What if Selena and Odin found out? What if this doomed their chances of ever making it back home.
They reached the door to Xander’s room, and once they were inside, Xander locked the doors and turned to Inigo.
They stood in silence for quite some time. Inigo couldn’t bring himself to look at Xander’s eyes, he looked at the floor, the window, the bed, the table, the books, anything that wasn’t Xander. Xander, on the contrary, had his eyes fixed on Inigo.
“Your real name is…”
Inigo let out a sigh, might as well say everything before he repents the mere thought. “Inigo. I am Inigo, and I’m from an entirely different world. We came here through Anankos, or at least, his soul. He gave us different appearances, I mean, my actual hair is blue!” Inigo laughed, but it wasn’t a joke. Maybe it was relief, maybe keeping this in secret from Xander was a burden he didn’t even knew he had.
“Anankos? You mean, the dragon we had to-?” Xander asked, taking his hand up to rub the corner’s if his eyes.
“Yes. Or, at least, his soul. He took us from our lands, and told us to protect his daughter, who turned out to be Corrin.” Inigo walked over to the wooden chair and sat down. A part of him was telling him to stop, that he shouldn’t be saying this things. The mission was completed, the curse over Valla was lifted, he could speak freely. Yet, he felt like all the information was to be kept hidden.
“No, start from the beginning.” Xander stopped him mid explanation, and sat in front of him. “Who are you? As a person, back in your world.”
“I come from Ylisse, a kingdom of which I am the…” Inigo cleared his throat, not really knowing how he was going to do it. “of which I am the prince.”
The Xander that engulfed them was torture for Inigo. If he thought that whatever Xander said was going to be bad, he didn’t brace himself for what would happen if Xander said absolutely nothing.
“You’re a prince?” Xander looked at Inigo, expression as blank as he could muster it. What was he supposed to say? Of all the things he expected, it was not for his retainer to be of noble blood, much less royal blood. “Please, continue.”
“I’m a prince. My father is the current Exalt of Ylisse, making me a prince of Ylisse.” Inigo sighed. “My mother wasn’t nobility, though. Just a dancer from one of our allies up north, she joined my father’s militia, and once they got married, they had my eldest sister, and me. It wasn’t until I was barely a child, that they both died at the hands of a foul dragon and the Risen, the undead. I grew up in that hellscape, until Lucina, my sister, came up with an idea. Go back in time and fix that apocalypse. So we did, and it worked.” Inigo let out what could’ve been an ironic chuckle, if his eyes weren’t close to tears. “I-It wasn’t,” his voice wavered, “It wasn’t long until Anankos approached us with the wish to save his kingdom. Both me… Odin and Selena.”
“I’m guessing, Odin and Selena aren’t their real names?”
“No, milord, but I do not wish to impose on their wishes of their identities and real names being kept a secret. They’ll reveal them whenever they feel comfortable, but I, I could not keep it hidden any longer.”
“Inigo.” Xander whispered the name. He liked it. It felt right. It felt right for him, and it felt wonderful, the way it easily rolled off his tongue. “I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that you are a prince, for someone who embarrasses easily, I do not see you in the life of royalty.”
“I guess even the lives of royalty are different.” said Inigo, finally raising his head and looking at Xander. “And, to the topic I’ve been avoiding…” Inigo’s smile fell. “I am soon to leave, my mission is over, and we are to go back home.”
Silence fell between them, none of them speaking a word. Inigo looked at Xander for some sort of reaction, he had already told him that he would leave some day, yet, he left out the part of not being able to come back ever again. It was torture of the highest order for Xander.
“I take it that once you leave, you won’t be able to come back.” Xander looked at Inigo, sadness reflecting in his eyes. Inigo felt a lump on his throat. How could he do this to Xander? Was he that heartless? But he also couldn’t leave him family, his kingdom! He was a prince, for Naga’s sake. “It’s a shame.”
“Yeah I guess it’s-“
“It’s a shame I never had the courage to tell you how I really felt… Inigo.” Xander interrupted him. It took Inigo a few seconds to process what Xander had just said. The prince of Nohr, soon to be King Xander of Nohr, had made what could be classified as a confession. How was he supposed to take that? “It’s the one thing I could never bring myself to do, in fear that it would make you turn your back to me. Since you are leaving, I thought-“
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner!?” his tone was a bit harsher and louder than what he wanted it to be. He was overwhelmed with unknown emotions and confusion. “I wouldn’t have walked away from you, it’s simply unthinkable.”
“Laslow, you have to think that I-“
“No, I won’t think it your way! That could’ve changed everything, and now- now I have to go back.” Inigo felt confused, maybe frustrated and angry. If Xander has said anything sooner, they could have been together, enjoy moments, maybe even stayed. He didn’t have an important position in Ylisse, who was to miss him if Selena and Odin went back and explained everything to his family. It would’ve given him time to think!
“You would leave your kingdom for me?” Xander raised his eyebrows. “You being a prince changes everything, Laslow! You have responsibilities! Maybe I could have been able to convince you to stay, but knowing you’re of royal blood…” he let the sentence trail off.
“Then why would you mention it at all?” the sound of Inigo’s voice breaking was enough to make Xander feel horrible, maybe he made a mistake. Watching Inigo’s eyes fill with tears what not how he imagined his confession would end up. “Why would you want to make it harder for me to leave!?”
“I didn’t expect you to feel the same way.”
“You shouldn’t guess what other people feel. Just because you are a prince, doesn’t mean you get to make choices on behalf or by cause of my personal feelings.” Inigo took a step back, hugging himself. Xander reached over, taking Inigo’s hands on his own.
Inigo didn’t look at Xander, his throat bobbing up and down as he held in the tears. For the first time, he wished he wasn’t a prince. He wished he was unimportant back in his world, just so he could stay with Xander; but alas, there was nothing he could do except hate his predicament. And oh boy, did he hate it. The fact that Xander had pulled him close enough to feel each other’s heat emanating from their bodies did not help his feelings.
Inches close from each other, Xander leaned closer to Inigo, his other hand resting on his cheek, caressing it gently. The voice in the back of his head kept saying ‘Stop it. Stop this before you do anything you’ll regret.’ yet, for the first time in his life, he decided to ignore his rational thoughts.
“Don’t make this harder, my lord.” Inigo whispered, looking down at their feet. “It’s already hard enough with the knowledge on its own.”
“If I don’t do it, Inigo, I fear that I’ll live with the regret of not having you close to me while I had the chance.” Xander’s voice was barely a whisper, sentences spoken only for Inigo to hear. “Tell me to stop and I will, but I need to be with you. I can’t live with the regret of letting you go.”
“My lord, I- I don’t think you’re thinking with your head. I told you I am leaving.” Even with all his excuses, he truly did not want to leave Xander’s embrace. The feeling of his liege’s hand in his hip, the caress of his fingers on his cheek, he did not want to forget. He wanted more. “I don’t want you to stop, but we both know that parting will be even more painful.”
“It will be painful either way.”
And with all worries and cares thrown out the window, they kissed. Of all the things Inigo expected when he told Xander the truth of who he was, he never expected to be kissed. Hesitance could be felt from both sides, as Xander’s hands ghosted over the places they already were, and Inigo’s rested on Xander’s chest, not knowing what to do with them.
A simple kiss, lips on lips. The feelings behind it, Inigo could not bear what was to happen later, he would have to leave. His hands gripped Xander’s shirt and tried to pull him closer. If he was to leave, he needed to take in as much of Xander as he could. He needed to remember every second, every single touch, so he deepened the kiss. Hesitance turned into desperation. Tilting his head to fit in more comfortably, and before they knew it. Tongues were involved.
It didn’t take long before both of them were bare, one on top the other. It didn’t take long before Xander was inside Inigo. And it sure didn’t take long before Xander accidentally whispered an ‘I love you’ to Inigo without realizing it. Three simple words that Inigo would not forget.
And it didn’t take long before Xander fell asleep, and Inigo left in the middle of the night. Never to be seen again in Nohr.