Ch. 2 : United At Last

The next few days flew by and I was soon waiting for the carriages that would take my sister and I to the Fafner Royal Palace. Our luggage was piled up and separated near the front door with a maid standing watch against both walls. I was still waiting in my room while my sister very loudly talked and passed out in the hallway. She finally stopped when the family butler came to get her, telling her that both carriages were here as well as her handpicked Knight.

I tensed when I heard this, looking out my window at the pouring rain and wondering if my brother would make it in time.

Arden had been made to leave the estate six months ago for added Knights training by our father and stepmother. They had been shipping him off for long periods ever since we moved in, always claiming that they did it to better his skills and honor his dream of being a Knight. But we both knew the truth. They wanted us separated for as long as possible since everyone knew that twins grew stronger whenever they were next to each other. And with my brother being a Wolf-Shifter like our father, stepmother and half-siblings, they wanted to keep him weak, not wanting him to outshine them in any way since he was the illegitimate son. So he would get sent away for months at a time and only get to spend time with me for a short while before being sent away again.

Thankfully, because of the Queeness competition I was able to pick a Guard to accompany me and I picked my brother without hesitation. And the timing worked out great for us too because he would be finishing his mandatory training just as I would get sent to the Palace. But now that the carriage is here and he’s yet to arrive, I was beginning to wonder if something had happened to him.

“My Lady?” Ivy poked her head into my room as I got up from my desk, slowly making my way to the door. “It seems that some information was left out in the latest letter from the Palace.”

I stopped, sighing as I waved for her to enter my room. “What do I need to add now?”

“A Handmaid.” Ivy said sadly, wringing her hands as she looked at me. “You’re supposed to bring your Handmaid with you to provide comfort and ease while you stay in the Palace.”

This time I smiled, closing the distance between us and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Then you’d better get your things if you want to leave on time.”

Her eyes widened and I couldn’t help but laugh at her shocked reaction. I continued to watch as the wheels began to turn in her eyes, those warm brown orbs lighting up once it all clicked for her.

“They can’t stop me from going with you… not with the Palace escorts here….” She took my hands in hers and started jumping up and down, her smile growing wide as her honey colored hair swung around in its long braid. “I can be your Handmaid! I can help you! I can go with you to the Palace!” She finally let go and turned around, rushing out of my room and muttering about how she needed to quickly pack, looking over her shoulder to tell me that she’d meet me by the door in a short while.

I laughed some more as she raced out, grabbing my cloak and slipping on the stupid charmed bracelet that I was told to always wear around company.

Glaring at it as I rested on my wrist, cringing as I felt the wave of glamour magic cover me completely. The Duchess had had this made for me when I first moved in at nine, insulting my hair and eyes as she explained that no one outside the family could ever know that my brother and I were illegitimate. It would embarrass them and their family name to have other Noble families know of our fathers dirty little secret. So she had this thing made to help hide that fact. The thin, cheap silver bracelet changed the color of my hair, turning it gold like the Duchess and her daughter. And it also changed my unique amethyst eyes into pale blue ones that were the signature color of the Du Pleasant family.

As I made my way out of my room and down the stairs I toyed with the bracelet, smiling as I thought of the when would be the perfect time to reveal the truth of my identity. My brother had a similar charm made, only his was a leather cuff that he wore on his wrist. And I knew that, like me, my brother would be eager to show the other Nobles the truth, and the best place to do it was at the Palace. In front of all the other Noble candidates, the Royal Knights and the Royal family too. That’s why, when the Royal physician arrived I had changed my personal information, revealing myself to him as I went from being a Du Pleasant to a Delphia on paper.

“My dear sister!” I cringe as Rosanna beams at me with excitement, her pale eyes shining with malicious intent as she walks up to me. “Aren’t you excited! We’re going to the Palace now!”

“Of course.” I respond calmly, glancing over at the four Palace escorts who stood at the ready, their black and gold uniforms letting everyone know who they worked for. “It’s undeniably exciting to join in such a time honored tradition.”

She nodded and grabbed my arm, pulling me forward and into the sitting room that was beside the front door. I barely paid attention to the presence of others that were in the room already, trying to look out the windows to see if Arden had arrived.

“We must say our good-byes to mother and father before we go, don’t you think sister?”

I finally turned and instantly became stiff as a plank of wood, my body turning cold and a buzzing feeling entering my head.

My father and stepmother were indeed standing in the sitting room in their elegant clothes, each standing close to each other with calm expressions on their faces as they spoke softly. They didn’t turn to look at us for a short moment, but when they did my chest tightened even more. The Duchess sneered at me, openly turning up her nose as she glanced between me and the other person in the room. My father became even more distant, all expression leaving his face and his pale blue eyes turning cold when he looked at me.

The third person that was standing apart from everyone else was in a Knights uniform. A uniform that was a soft blue color with dark green trimmings and a rose-gold insignia pinned to his chest. The insignia was an intricate circle design with a rare flower in front of a sword at its center: the Du Pleasant family crest.

“Oh, where are my manners?” Rosanna jumped forward and waved at the Knight, bringing him closer as she spoke. “Amara, you know Sir Kaliden right? Well he’s the Knight I picked to Guard me during the Queeness competition.”

My stomach did a violent flip at her words and my hands became clammy with sweat as I fully realized what this meant. I wanted to run out of the room at that moment. I wanted to slap this bastard as hard as I could. I wanted to scream and hit and punch everything in sight. Instead, I met his calm jade eyes with cold ones of my own.

“Good day Sir Kaliden.” I gave him a tiny little curtsy, forcing a bitter smile to the sister that was enjoying my pain before turning away.

“Speaking of Knights.” I stopped, turning to look at the Duchess who had the same pleased look on her face as my sister. “I thought you had picked one already Amara… Where is he?”

I stayed frozen in place, unable to answer as a tornado of chaotic emotions started to grow in intensity inside me. My hands trembled and I tried to keep my anger bottled up by biting my lip. But just as the mounting silence started to weigh on me, another presence stepped into the room and spoke for me.

“Good day everyone.”

That warm tenor quickly washed away all the hurt, the rage and the cold from my body. And I nearly tripped on my shoes as I turned to face the intruder.

“Arden!” His name left me without a care for the company around us and I launched myself at my dear brother who instantly tightened his hold on me.

His chuckle made his whole body move and his warm breath brushed past my ear, making me smile as I tried to hold him even tighter. Slowly I began to realize that he had gotten taller since the last time I saw him, my feet supporting me on nothing but my toes that soon started to ache.

“Let me get a good look at you.” He said softly, pushing me back and tilting his head down at me.

He was definitely taller than before, his body more toned and packed with muscle beneath his Knights uniform. I quickly glanced down and glared at the leather cuff on his wrist, hating that I could only see the mask of blond hair and blue eyes that covered my real brother. And since we were in front of others we couldn’t remove them.

“Everything is ready My Lady, Oh!” Ivy walked in then and jumped back at the sight of my brother. “My Lord! Welcome back!” She beamed a bright smile at him as he chuckled, nodding to her.

“It’s great to be back Ivy, thank you.” He pointedly looked at her plaid green outing dress, silently wondering why she was out of uniform.

“She’s my Handmaid brother.” I whispered, watching his smile grow as two Royal escorts stepped in.

They announced that all the luggage was loaded onto the carriages and that they were ready to depart. One of the escorts pulled out a small clipboard with papers pinned to it, asking us the names of our chosen Guard and Handmaid so they could add them to the records. My smile grew tenfold as I announced my people, seeing the Duchess and Rosanna’s faces twist with anger. They glared at my Ivy who was blissfully unaware of their hostile stares, clearly wanting to punish her for helping me and taking my side.

Soon we all made our way out into the pouring rain, letting my brother guide me by the hand as we made our way to my carriage with Ivy close behind us. Once all three of us were inside we waited just a moment for the escorts to get into place before we started moving. My brother was glaring out the window as we moved, his eyes locked on the other carriage after he had finally seen who Rosanna’s Guard was.

“Why is that lying bastard coming with us to the Palace?” He asked coldly, ripping his eyes away from them and glaring at the floor.

“Because Rosanna wants to torment me with anything and everything she can.” I answered, nudging him and smiling when he looked up. “But don’t worry so much, I plan to make her suffer just as much while we’re at the Palace.”

Ivy nodded excitedly, clasping her hands over her lap as she looked between us, backing up my claim while my brother raised an eyebrow at me.

“Really? And how will you do that?”

I reached out and took his cuff in my hands, undoing the clasp and pulling off of his wrist, revealing his dark brown hair and deep amethyst eyes.

“By letting the world see who I really am… and who our real family is.”

His smile was even brighter than it had been, and he pulled me in for another hug as I laughed, catching sight of Ivy who was fighting back tears.

We spent the next six days talking, joking and catching up with each other, making plans for when we all escaped the Du Pleasants grasp. We asked Ivy to join us, of course, happy to have her along with us as we day dreamed of a distant future. A future where we could be and do anything we wanted without anyone stopping us. A future away from this city, this Kingdom and country. A future so far that no one in our biter present could hurt or find us.