The first thing Lexander discovered upon returning home was that everyone had apparently survived without him.
The second thing he discovered was that they had done so by creating enough work to keep him occupied for the next six months.
He stood in the middle of his office, staring at the mountain of papers covering his desk.
There were letters stacked in uneven piles.
Reports.
Requests.
Complaints.
More reports.
Three sealed messages from neighboring territories.
A bill for repairs to the eastern watchtower.
Another bill for repairs to the western watchtower.
A letter informing him that the eastern watchtower had somehow been damaged while they were away.
Lexander picked up the letter.
He read it.
He read it again.
Then he looked at Io.
“How?”
Io leaned against the doorframe.
“How what?”
“The eastern watchtower.”
“What about it?”
“It was damaged while we were gone.”
“Yes.”
“By what?”
Io shrugged.
“Does it matter?”
“It matters to whoever is paying for it.”
Lexander looked at the bill.
“I am.”
“Then I suppose it matters to you.”
Lexander sighed.
He dropped the letter onto the desk.
“I’ve been home for five minutes.”
“Seven.”
“You counted?”
“I was watching.”
Lexander pointed at the desk.
“This is ridiculous.”
Io smiled.
“You missed your paperwork.”
“I did not.”
“You’re smiling.”
“I am not.”
“You are.”
Lexander tried to look serious.
It didn’t work.
After everything they had been through, sitting in his office surrounded by ordinary problems felt almost comforting.
No monsters.
No ancient gods.
No armies.
No mysterious assassins.
No collapsing bridges between realms.
Just paperwork.
Thousands and thousands of pieces of paperwork.
He picked up the first report.
“What’s this?”
“Grain shipments.”
“And this?”
“Tax collection.”
“This?”
“Dispute between two merchants.”
“And this?”
“Someone wants permission to build a new mill.”
Lexander stared at the paper.
“Can I deny it?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because they already built it.”
Lexander slowly lowered the paper.
“Of course they did.”
Io laughed.
For the next several hours, they worked.
Lexander handled the reports that required his personal attention.
Io helped organize correspondence.
Atreyu went through military reports.
Mara inspected the city guard and discovered that three officers had apparently decided that regulations were suggestions.
Lisbeth reorganized the supply stores with terrifying efficiency.
Loki disappeared.
Nobody knew where he went.
Nobody was particularly surprised.
Thor, meanwhile, had found the kitchens.
She returned an hour later carrying an enormous plate of food.
Lysandra followed behind her.
“You ate half the kitchen,” Lysandra said.
Thor looked offended.
“I did not.”
“You did.”
“I ate a reasonable amount.”
“You ate enough for six people.”
Thor shrugged.
“I am very hungry.”
“You’re a god.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t gods have divine food?”
Thor smiled.
“Why would I eat divine food when this place has pie?”
Lysandra considered that.
“Fair.”
Thor offered her a piece.
Lysandra took it.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
They sat together on the steps outside the kitchen.
There was no romance between them.
No hidden tension.
No growing attraction.
Just friendship.
The kind of friendship that could form between two people who had spent enough time together to become comfortable with one another’s peculiarities.
Lysandra had quickly discovered that Thor was powerful, impulsive, stubborn, surprisingly kind, and possessed of an almost supernatural ability to find food.
Thor had discovered that Lysandra was sarcastic, fiercely loyal, stubborn in an entirely different way, and completely unimpressed by divine reputation.
They worked well together.
Mostly because neither one expected the other to be anything they weren’t.
Lysandra nudged Thor with her elbow.
“You know, when you first arrived, I thought you were going to be unbearable.”
Thor nodded.
“And now?”
“You are.”
Thor laughed.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It wasn’t.”
“I’ll still take it.”
Lysandra smiled.
“Good.”
Inside, Lexander was rapidly losing the will to live.
“I need a break.”
Io looked up from her papers.
“You’ve only been working for three hours.”
“Exactly.”
“You’ve been gone for weeks.”
“Which means I deserve several weeks of rest.”
“That isn’t how leadership works.”
“Then leadership is poorly designed.”
Io smiled.
“You knew that when you accepted the position.”
“I was younger.”
“That was only a few years ago.”
“I’ve matured.”
“Clearly.”
Lexander leaned back in his chair.
“I think I need to escape.”
Io looked toward the window.
“There’s a balcony.”
“Perfect.”
He stood.
Io followed.
They stepped outside.
The afternoon sun was warm.
The city below them was alive again.
Merchants were reopening their stalls.
Children were running through the streets.
Guards were returning to their posts.
People were going about their ordinary lives.
Lexander rested his hands against the stone railing.
“I missed this.”
Io stood beside him.
“The city?”
“All of it.”
He looked at her.
“Home.”
Io smiled.
“So did I.”
There was a long silence.
Then Io’s expression changed.
“Lexander.”
He looked at her.
“I have to leave.”
The words hit harder than he expected.
He had known.
Of course he had known.
Io had a kingdom of her own.
People who depended on her.
A throne.
Responsibilities.
A life that existed beyond this city and beyond him.
Still, knowing something was coming didn’t make hearing it any easier.
“When?” he asked.
“Soon.”
“How soon?”
“A few days.”
Lexander looked out across the city.
“I suppose I knew this was coming.”
“I did too.”
“I’m not very good at goodbyes.”
Io smiled faintly.
“Neither am I.”
Lexander turned toward her.
“Will you come back?”
“As often as I can.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Io met his eyes.
“I’ll come back.”
Lexander nodded.
“Good.”
She looked at him carefully.
“You’re quiet.”
“I’m thinking.”
“That is usually dangerous.”
He smiled.
“Probably.”
That evening, Lexander made a decision.
He didn’t tell anyone.
Not Atreyu.
Not Lysandra.
Not Thor.
Not even Loki.
Especially not Loki.
The next morning, he asked Io to meet him after sunset.
She arrived at the gardens behind the palace.
She stopped when she saw what he had done.
The garden was illuminated by hundreds of small lanterns.
They hung from the branches of the trees.
Some floated gently above the flowers.
Others lined the stone path.
At the center of the garden was a small table with two chairs.
There was food.
Wine.
And flowers.
Io looked around.
“What is this?”
Lexander smiled.
“Dinner.”
“You’ve never done this before.”
“I know.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Possibly.”
She laughed.
They sat together.
For a while, they simply talked.
About the journey.
About home.
About the people they had met.
About how absurd their lives had become.
Io told him stories about her kingdom.
Lexander told her about the first time he had accidentally set fire to an important document.
She laughed so hard she nearly spilled her wine.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I was sixteen.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“I was attempting to impress someone.”
“Did it work?”
“No.”
“Good.”
They continued talking until the candles had burned low.
Eventually, Lexander stood.
Io looked at him.
“What are you doing?”
“Something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time.”
He walked around the table.
Then he stopped in front of her.
Io’s smile slowly disappeared.
Not from fear.
From realization.
“Lexander…”
He reached into his coat.
He withdrew a small box.
Io stared at it.
He opened it.
Inside was a simple ring.
It wasn’t enormous.
It wasn’t covered in jewels.
It wasn’t designed to impress kings.
It was elegant.
A band of silver surrounding a small stone that caught the candlelight.
Io looked at him.
“You…”
Lexander smiled nervously.
“I had a speech.”
“You did?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to it?”
“I forgot most of it.”
Io laughed softly.
“That sounds like you.”
Lexander took a breath.
“I’ve spent a long time thinking that home was a place.”
He glanced toward the gardens.
“A city. A kingdom. A castle.”
Then he looked back at her.
“But after everything we’ve been through, I’ve realized that home isn’t really any of those things.”
He took her hand.
“Home is the person you want beside you when everything else goes wrong.”
Io’s eyes began to glisten.
“And you’ve been beside me through things I never thought anyone would survive.”
He smiled.
“You’ve saved my life more times than I can count.”
“You’ve saved mine too.”
“I know.”
He laughed softly.
“And that’s why I don’t want this to be goodbye.”
Io looked at the ring.
“Lexander…”
“I know you have a kingdom.”
“I do.”
“I know you have responsibilities.”
“Yes.”
“I know that you’ll have to leave.”
She nodded.
“And I’m not asking you to abandon any of it.”
He squeezed her hand.
“I want to be part of it.”
Io stared at him.
“I want to build a life with you.”
He lowered himself onto one knee.
“Io, will you marry me?”
For several seconds, she didn’t answer.
Lexander’s heart pounded.
He had faced armies.
Monsters.
Gods.
Things that should never have existed.
None of them had frightened him as much as waiting for Io’s answer.
Then she smiled.
“Yes.”
Lexander blinked.
“Yes?”
“Yes.”
He laughed.
A genuine, relieved laugh.
Io wiped away a tear.
“You look shocked.”
“I was preparing for a dramatic speech.”
“You already gave one.”
“I had more.”
“I know.”
He slipped the ring onto her finger.
Io looked down at it.
Then she looked at him.
“I love you.”
Lexander smiled.
“I love you too.”
They embraced beneath the lanterns.
For once, the world seemed quiet.
No danger.
No prophecy.
No gods arguing.
No armies.
Just the two of them.
The next morning, Io announced her engagement.
The palace erupted.
Lysandra screamed.
Atreyu nearly choked on his breakfast.
Thor immediately hugged Lexander hard enough to lift him off the ground.
“I knew it!”
Lexander struggled to breathe.
“You knew?”
Thor set him down.
“No.”
“Then why did you say that?”
“Because it sounded appropriate.”
Lysandra laughed.
“Congratulations.”
Io smiled.
“Thank you.”
Loki appeared from nowhere.
He looked at the ring.
Then at Lexander.
Then at Io.
Then back at Lexander.
“You actually did it.”
Lexander frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Loki smiled.
“I didn’t think you had the courage.”
“I fought a dragon.”
“Yes.”
“A dragon.”
“I know.”
“And you’re saying proposing was harder?”
“Much.”
Lexander sighed.
“Why is everyone so irritating?”
“Because we’re your friends.”
“That explains nothing.”
“It explains everything.”
Later that day, Mara found Atreyu sitting outside a small tavern near the eastern gate.
He was already holding a drink.
She approached.
“You started without me.”
Atreyu looked up.
“You’re late.”
“I had work.”
“So did I.”
She sat down.
The tavern was quiet.
Not empty, but peaceful.
For once, neither of them had a report in front of them.
No soldiers needed orders.
No battlefield demanded their attention.
No ancient prophecy required solving.
Just two tired people and a drink.
Mara lifted her glass.
“To surviving.”
Atreyu clinked his glass against hers.
“To surviving.”
They drank.
After a moment, Mara smiled.
“You know, I still don’t remember everything Loki said.”
“About you being Brynhildr?”
“Yes.”
“At least he believes it.”
“That may be the problem.”
Atreyu laughed.
“You know, I’ve fought wars with fewer complications.”
Mara looked at him.
“That’s because wars are simple.”
“Simple?”
“Someone wants something.”
“And then?”
“You stop them.”
Atreyu nodded.
“Fair.”
Mara took another drink.
“What do you think of Lexander’s engagement?”
“I think he’ll need someone to keep him organized.”
“You mean Io.”
“Yes.”
Mara laughed.
“Good answer.”
They sat quietly for a while.
It was the first peaceful drink either of them had shared in a very long time.
Meanwhile, outside the tavern, Thor and Lysandra were walking through the marketplace.
Lysandra had discovered a shop selling weapons.
Thor had discovered a shop selling pastries.
Naturally, they had gone in opposite directions.
Thor returned first.
She was carrying a paper bag.
Lysandra returned carrying a newly sharpened dagger.
Thor looked at it.
“New weapon?”
“Yes.”
“Nice.”
Lysandra looked at the bag.
“More food?”
“Yes.”
“You just ate.”
“That was hours ago.”
“It was twenty minutes.”
Thor shrugged.
“I’m hungry.”
Lysandra laughed.
“You really are impossible.”
“And yet you’re still walking with me.”
“That’s because you’re entertaining.”
Thor smiled.
“Friends?”
Lysandra extended her hand.
“Friends.”
Thor shook it.
“Friends.”
There was nothing complicated about it.
And perhaps that was why it worked.
That evening, the entire group gathered for dinner.
For the first time since they had returned, everyone was together without an immediate crisis.
Atreyu and Mara arrived from the tavern.
Loki appeared carrying food nobody had seen him acquire.
Lisbeth sat beside him.
Thor and Lysandra argued over who had eaten more pastries.
Io sat beside Lexander.
Her new ring caught the candlelight.
Lexander looked around the table.
These people had become his family in ways he never expected.
Some had been friends before.
Some had been strangers.
Some were gods.
Some were legends.
Some were people carrying memories of lives they barely understood.
Yet somehow they had all ended up around the same table.
Lexander raised his glass.
“To coming home.”
Everyone raised theirs.
“To coming home.”
They drank.
Loki looked at Thor.
“So when are we going back across the Rainbow Bridge?”
Thor grinned.
“Whenever we need to.”
Lexander immediately pointed at him.
“No.”
Everyone laughed.
“No more magical bridges.”
Loki nodded.
“I agree.”
Thor frowned.
“You were the one who didn’t want to use it.”
“Yes.”
“And now you agree?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Loki looked at Lexander.
“Because I have discovered something.”
“What?”
“Lexander is much funnier when he’s complaining.”
Lexander shook his head.
“You’re all impossible.”
Io leaned against his shoulder.
“And yet?”
He smiled.
“And yet.”
Outside, the city continued moving.
The work would still be waiting tomorrow.
There would be reports.
Problems.
Arguments.
Responsibilities.
Io would eventually have to return to her kingdom.
Lexander would eventually have to follow her.
There would be more dangers.
More mysteries.
More old legends awakening.
And undoubtedly, more disasters.
But tonight there was none of that.
Tonight there was food.
Laughter.
Friends.
Family.
And the promise of a future none of them had expected.
Lexander looked down at Io’s hand.
The ring caught the light.
He smiled.
For the first time, the road ahead didn’t frighten him.
Whatever came next, they would face it together.
And after everything they had survived, Lexander thought that might be the greatest adventure of all.
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