That day, if our positions were switched... would our fates be different? Would I have your life, and you mine? -- Anon Guest
Twenty-three years ago, twin brothers were born holding hands. Great fortune, the Goodwives were wont to say. A great boon. So long as both siblings were raised as together as they were born, and cared for as equally as if one had not been born a Tiefling. Were it any other way, the Viceroy Apprehension "Loyalty" Merrimine might have been foisted off to a foster family or orphanage before the next dawn. Because of that change in fate and fortune, the younger brother -by twenty minutes- was always the lucky one.
His inevitable riposte, because he looked like a cartoon's idea of Tiefling kind, was, "Lucky in all but love." It was a family joke. Among a very small unit of the Merrimine noble family. That is, a joke among the twin brothers. The rest of the court didn't find it very funny.
All through their lives, they saw it. Jubilation was welcomed eagerly into any caregiver's arms while Apprehension was met with more hesitation. It left a mark. Especially since both brothers felt the other's pains. Even the emotional ones. Another joke between the two was that Jubilation was one of the very few Humans who understood exactly what it felt like to be a Tiefling.
They were sent away for allegedly impartial schooling when they were eight. The assassins found them when they were twenty-two. An assassin shooting at a silhouette had their arrow catch on one of Loyalty's horns. Both brothers yelped at the pain, and reasoned that staying still in one place was not an option. If an assassin could shoot a bolt at a student of Grimwall Academy, then they could probably kill the headmaster and escape without a scratch.
They were smarter than to travel under their own names. Loyalty already had that covered. All he had to do was not mention his last name. Jubilation might have made a mistake in calling himself Julian, because the assassins managed to find them even though they were adventuring their way back to Merrimine. One party. One round of dessert. Nobody who lived in that little town had motive to hurt either of them, and especially not to poison the Tiefling who had taken the most risks to save them all.
One greedy hand... or they both might have died. Jubilation lingered, but they had a Pocket Tent and a way to smuggle him out whilst simultaneously faking his death. Let the assassin believe they got it wrong.
Now, holed up in the most inaccessible corner of the house they'd won as part of an adventuring team, whispering lest others hear them, Loyalty was trying to work out how to get what they both needed. Living on ginger and chicken soup was no picnic, but it beat the alternative.
"That night. If our positions were switched... would our fates change?" wondered Jubilation. "Would our fates change at all? Would I have your life and you mine?"
Loyalty checked his brother's temperature. Not feverish. Just host to random thoughts that bordered on insanity. It came from lingering in weakness and feeling his brother's hurts as their adventuring career had come to only one of them taking all the risks. No wonder he was going insane. Though he could feel everything Jubes felt, he couldn't think inside his brother's head. "Which night are you talking about? The dark and stormy night we were born? The night the assassin came? Or the other night the assassin came?"
"Can't help thinking... 'f you came out first... Father'd have to care. He'd have to worry. He'd have to stay in contact."
"I thought of that," said Loyalty. "That's why I sent a message off to him. No big details, just that you were poisoned and clinging to life. He should have got back to us by now. Two weeks, and the most we've seen is a few bounty hunters spinning stories about what a horrible criminal you are. Thank the gods nobody else knows you're here."
"But if he's after both of us..."
"We have a surprise baby brother, yeah. A very normal, unsullied by weirdness baby brother. Either he waited until the kid's grown past the age of risk, or he's put all his eggs in one basket. Either way... we have to foil our father or claim the crown or both."
"And cure me while we're at it," sighed Jubes. "No pressure."
"Hardly any pressure at all," breezed Loyalty.
The rain fell on the roof of the only room with no windows and a solid lock and bolt on the door. While they breathed, there was a hope. Even if it was merely the hope of taking the next breath.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / the_guitar_mann]
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