The Twins

Adeline explored the countless novels and research papers that decorated the walls of the secret library. She squinted, reading titles and authors' names. Adeline had decided that to make her decision, she needed to do her research first. She already had three books in her arms, one about Valethar, one about the power of the evil twin, and one about the history of Astrean.

Adeline found the book about the power of the evil twin buried away with other unwanted books. She figured that maybe there had been twins before her and her sister and wanted to know more. Adeline continued her search, looking for titles that had any keywords she was searching for.

She pulled out book after book, flipping through the pages as dust filled the air. She was constantly fanning dust out of her face and coughing up the particles that drifted into her nose. This library was a lot more fun as a child. When someone would consistently clean it. And when the books held a magical sense. Now they're all dull and dry because she has read them all.

Sometimes Adeline would write her own stories about the kingdoms, just to entertain herself. Her top theory was that the kingdoms used to be united, as one, but some evil power separated them. But she had read every book in this library and none of them said something as silly as that. She did wish it was true because it sounded more fun to her than everyone being separated.

Adeline moved along the wall when a specific book made her stop. This book was dark blue and had an elegant velvet fabric. She tilted her head when she noticed that this particular book had no title on the spine. She slowly lifted a finger and pulled, wishing to see if a title was on the cover. But as she pulled the book, the bookshelf holding it began to creak.

Adeline squealed and jumped back. The shelf's hinges groaned as the hidden door revealed a long, dark hallway. Adeline peered down at it, scared of what might be lurking in the dark. She reached for the torch that hung on the wall beside her and pulled it off. She held it out toward the darkness. It revealed nothing but dirt and dust.

It intrigued Adeline so she stepped into the hallway. Her singular footstep echoed off of the walls, which seemed to be made of stone. As she continued walking slowly something appeared slightly in the bright light of the fire. There looked to be metal bars not far down the hall. Adeline tilted her head, observing the peculiar sight.

As she got closer to the bars, she realized what it was. It was a cell. For a prisoner. Adeline knew it had to be a dangerous person or creature to be locked away in a hidden dungeon.

"Hello?" she called out, her voice bouncing off the walls. She could hear the slight sound of dirt moving and feet planting on the ground.

"Have you come to give me supper?" a voice called from deep within the cell. It sounded like an old man, raspy and frail.

Adeline stepped closer, holding the light up to the cell. Once she got close enough, the fire revealed a skinny, pale man with frail and gray hair.

"You're not Malaki," he said, angrily, crawling back to the dark of his cell.

"No sir, I am not," Adeline said, worriedly. Malaki. She had heard the name before. Perhaps only once or twice but it was not unknown.

"Who are you?" she asked, stepping closer to the cell. The old man jumped from the darkness and clung to the bars.

"No light!" he yelled, hissing.

Adeline gasped and stumbled back. "Ok, ok. See? You're all right," she said, facing the flame away from his cell. The man panted as he returned to the center of the dirt patch.

"Can you answer my question now, please?" Adeline asked, softly.

He looked at her slowly and nodded.

"I am Niklaus,"

"Alright, Niklaus. Can you tell me what you are doing down here?" Adeline asked, making sure to keep the fire away from him.

"Why, Queen Isa sent me here almost an entire decade ago, maybe even longer. Time seems to work differently down here than it does up there," he pointed above his head.

Adeline's eyebrows furrowed. "Queen Isa? Why did she put you down here?" Adeline was careful with her words; she did not want to reveal the wrong piece of information to the wrong person.

"Well you see, I am a warlock. She wanted me to serve her but she wanted no one to know I was helping her. So she locked me away,"

Adeline's questions only grew with the man's words. "Alright, and who is Malaki?" she asked.

"He is one of Queen Isa's guards. He brings me food and water. Just enough to keep me alive. The Queen used to, but she has stopped for whatever reason. So she sends Malaki instead,"

"The Queen is dead," Adeline said, straightforwardly.

"Oh. Oh, my," the man said, huffing laughs in between each word. He began laughing hysterically.

"Enough!" Adeline shouted, moving closer and pulling the flame up to his face. "You will not disrespect a fallen Queen as such!"

The man seethed and spit on the ground in front of Adeline as he scurried back to the darkness of his cell. Adeline scoffed, wishing she could tell him he had just spit on the Queen. But she would not yet reveal such things to a manic man.

"Tell me, sir. Why did the Queen wish for you to serve her? You are just a shriveled man that is bound to die any day now,"

The man laughed. "I cannot tell you such things if you wish to continue to insult me! And even if you had not disrespected me, any information would come at a price,"

Adeline rolled her eyes. "I sincerely apologize, sir. Whatever your price is, name it. Gold? Servants? Food? Anything you wish, I have it all," she tried to limit the sarcasm in her voice.

"No, no, no. I wish not for your little trinkets. What I wish for is simple. I want every letter that Queen Illia has sent to this very castle and every letter she will ever send,"

Adeline tilted her head to the side. The man could see the shadow of her head cocked and grinned. "No questions asked, m'lady. I will give you any information you wish to know. All I ask for are silly little letters. Even if I were to use these to cause damage, it is quite hard to do any damage from inside these walls," he knocked on the stone walls of the cell.

"Fine. I will get you what you desire. But if you defy me, and do not give me any information worth my time, I will have your head on a spike," Adeline said as she turned from his cell.

"We have a deal!" he called after her.

Adeline smiled but continued walking forward. She walked out of the secret door and pushed the book back in. The door slowly shut as Adeline walked up the spiraling staircase.

She shut the door to the library and made her way to her bedroom where the letters were. As Adeline continued walking, she passed the guard's quarters. She looked back and decided to see if Malaki was there. It was odd because she had not seen a man named Malaki but she had heard the name.

"Excuse me," she said to the guards. They all shot up and bowed. Adeline waved a dismissing hand and stepped further into the room.

"Have any of you seen a guard named Malaki?"

The guards looked at each other, confused. "Um, your Majesty…Malaki has not been a guard for three years," one of the guards spoke, walking toward Adeline. "Queen Isa fired him,"

"Oh, thank you," Adeline smiled and walked back out of the room casually. He must still be in this castle if he is feeding the old man every day. But the only question was: if he was fired, why would he continue to care for a man that he could have let die?

Adeline wanted to check the servant's quarters and see if he might be taken home there. She walked up the stairs and opened the door to the quarters. It was hard to know who Malaki was when she had never seen him before.

But, all of the servants were old men or women so she knew to look for someone younger. She peered around the room, looking under beds, closets, and bathrooms. All of the servants were off to work in different parts of the castle. Adeline was just about to give up hope when she saw a slight crack in one of the closet doors.

She squinted her eyes and slowly stepped toward the door. She put her fingers on the door and quickly pulled it open. And standing in front of her, hiding in a closet, was a young man who looked to be about Adeline's age. He was wide-eyed as Adeline pulled him out of the closet.

"Are you Malaki?" she asked him, holding him by the arm. She didn't know how but he had managed not to turn skin and bone. Even the servants who were given food were not too plump. But this man had muscles and fat.

"I'm sorry, I cannot say," he said, standing tall.

Adeline rolled her eyes. "I already know it is you, there is no point in lying to your Queen,"

His head slumped. "Fine, I am Malaki," he confessed, not wanting to be hanged.

"Good," Adeline said. She wanted to figure out what he knew and why he kept the old man alive all of these years before she banished him.

"Sit," she pointed to a chair behind him. "Tell me why you have kept the old man alive all these years,"

Malaki sighed. "I knew that one of the twins was bound to find him at some point and I wanted to keep him alive so that you could know the truth,"

"Well, unfortunately, he is a scheming man and will not tell me what I want to know without giving him something in return. I was on my way to get that very thing when I figured that I would see if I could find you first,"

"Well, you've found me. Happy?" Malaki said sarcastically.

"No, my sister is still out there, trying to kill me,"

Malaki perked up with this. "Illia is alive?"

Adeline's head turned to the side. "Yes. How do you know my sister?"

"I saved her. That day when the guards tried to rip her from her home three years ago, I took down the guards and let her go,"

Adeline huffed a sarcastic laugh. "She is a murderer. A criminal. Why on earth would you let her go?"

"I saw it in her eyes. She was genuinely scared of what would happen to her,"

Adeline blinked slowly. "So you just let a criminal go?"

Malaki laughed. "She was no criminal, Your Majesty. A prophecy that has yet to come true does not warrant a banishment away from your family,"

Adeline just looked at him, unsure of what to say.

"Why did my mother hire you to take care of the old man?"

"Because she needed him, but she needed me more. She did not initially hire me to feed an old man, but to watch over you and your sister. She knew of the prophecy before you even brought it to her. So she assigned me to watch over you and your sister and the feud between you both,"

Adeline froze, her whole body going numb. "She knew? The whole time she pretended not to know?"

Malaki nodded.

"I have to go. I will find the letters and give them to Niklaus. I will deal with you later," Adeline said, rising from her seat. She swiftly left the room, leaving Malaki the perfect opportunity to escape, but she prayed he didn't. He was still useful to her.

She walked loudly down the halls, stomping upstairs and bursting through her bedroom door. Adeline slammed her door shut and began throwing things, looking for the letters. She looked over to her vanity and saw a piece of red wax peeking through the pile of other letters. She clapped her hands once and rose from the floor.

Adeline strode over to her vanity and rifled through the pile of papers and makeup. She exclaimed as she pulled a couple of letters from the pile.

Adeline clutched the letters in her hands, making sure not to lose them. She made her way out of her room, hastily walking down the halls and staircases. She passed numerous servants and guards who all turned their heads to look at her.

She smiled and nodded, slowing down when she would pass people, then speeding up when they were out of sight. Adeline finally reached the oak door leading into the library and opened it, checking her surroundings to be sure she was not followed.

Adeline saw no one so she entered the staircase and ran down. She reached the bookshelf and picked up the torch on the wall. She held it up to the spines of the books and found the nameless, blue one.

She held the letters in between her fingers that held the torch and pulled the book with her other hand. The door creaked open Adeline was sure to keep the flame beside her, instead of shining it in the man's face.

"Ah, you have returned. I am assuming you have my letters?" Niklaus croaked from inside his cell, crawling to the front.

"Indeed. I assume you're ready to tell me what my mother's business was with you?"

Niklaus nodded, smiling maniacally. He reached two fingers outside of the cell, making a gap in them so that Adeline could put the letter's in his possession.

Adeline stepped forward, slowly, holding the letters out. He snatched them as soon as he touched them. Adeline quickly pulled her fingers away from his cell and took a few steps back.

He smiled and breathed out a deep breath. "Yes, yes. Alright, whatever questions you have I will answer,"

Adeline paused, holding the fire away from his face but close enough to where she could see.

"Why did Queen Isa wish you to serve her?"

Niklaus put the letters down. "I helped her come up with schemes and plans. I helped her figure out what to do with her daughters,"

Adeline stepped closer. "What do you mean 'figure out what to do with her daughters'?"

"Well, her daughters were constantly fighting and she knew someday there was to be a war between lands and she wished for me to figure out how to stop it,"

"There has been no war," Adeline added.

"Aye, not yet at least. There will be. This war between the Queen of Astrean and the Queen of Veraxin will kill thousands of people from both kingdoms and will cause a ripple effect of tragedies across all five kingdoms,"

Adeline looked to the floor.

"Tell me this. Who is the Queen of Astrean now?"

"I cannot tell you such things, sir," Adeline lifted her head and stood tall.

"I have one more question for you," Adeline said, taking one more step closer. Niklaus nodded, intrigued.

"Why did Queen Isa pretend to not know of the prophecy?"

Niklaus giggled. "Oh, that is simple. Because she created it,"

***

"Scurry on, boy!" one of Adeline's guards shouted, throwing Malaki by his arm onto the dirt outside of the golden gates.

Malaki grunted as he rose from the ground, picking up the bag of his things that the guard threw with him. He looked at his foot and touched it, noticing its swollenness and purple color. He must have sprained it when he was thrown. He winced, holding it. Malaki dropped his ankle and limped his way down the path that led directly to the castle of Veraxin.

He limped as the dirt below him softened. Malaki had been banished, but he figured that since he knew the Queen that she would welcome him into her castle. Maybe.

Once he managed to stagger to the front gates, the guards looked him up and down and laughed.

"You looking for some housing, lad?" one of the guards chuckled, looking at the other one.

"You won't find refuge here, boy. Go on to the city and find some bored housewife to mother you,"

Malaki rolled his eyes. "Just tell the Queen that Malaki is here and wishes to see her,"

"If she does not recall such a name, I have permission to toss you over this bridge," the guard pointed down to the foggy abyss.

Malaki held a hand out. "Alright then,"

The guard took his hand and shook it, smirking. He nudged his hetheret the other guard, signaling for him to go tell Illia that Malaki was here. The other guard nodded and opened the gates, walking in.

Malaki walked over to the walls beside the gates and sat down against them.

The guard that was going to talk to Illia reached the doors and opened them. He walked through the halls and up to the bedrooms.

He knocked on Illia's bedroom door quietly, wishing not to anger her. The door flew open and Illia was sitting on her bed, reading. She peered over her book and lowered her eyes at him.

"Q-queen Illia?" he stuttered, remaining at the entrance of the door.

"Y-yes?" she mocked him, putting her book down.

The guard swallowed. "There is a peasant man from Astrean here to see you. He is called Malaki,"

Illia perked up, that name fascinating her. She remembered the name from when she was a child. She would sometimes come across him training and watching from a distance. He would look at her and she'd smile and walk away. She remembered what he looked like too.

"Malaki," she remembered him and shot up off her bed. He was the boy that set her loose. "Yes, I know him. Where is he?"

The guard was shocked that Malaki was right. "Um, he's down at the gates your Majesty."

Illia smiled and walked with the guard to the front gates. She was nervous and excited all at once. He had saved her life and she wished to see him. Illia hadn't forgotten him. She thought about him every day until her mother died. Then she thought about her mother every day.

Once she reached the gates she took a deep breath before they opened. Malaki stood there, his foot levitating over the ground, his skin dirty, and dirt flaking from his hair.

She smiled softly, walking closer. Once she was standing in front of him, she raised her hands to his shoulders. She knocked the dirt from his clothes. Illia was not a generally sweet or caring person but something about Malaki flipped a switch in her. A switch that made her a kind and caring person. Before lifting her arms from his shoulder, she pulled him into her and wrapped her arms around him.

Illia did not care about the dirt transferring from his skin to hers, or how it would look if a Queen were hugging a peasant. She closed her eyes and held him closer.

Malaki was surprised by such a welcoming invite but he could use any kind of comfort he could get. The guards were too shocked as they watched Illia take comfort in this strange man that came from her enemy's kingdom.

Illia pulled back and held Malaki out in front of her. "Leave us," she told the guards without turning around.

She listened to the guards shuffle off, opening and closing the gates.

"Malaki," Illia said, dropping her hands to her sides and smiling sweetly.

He smiled back. "Queen Illia," his head dipped, bowing as much as he could.

She waved a dismissive hand. "Please, none of that. Call me Illia," Illia looked down at his foot and tilted her head. Malaki looked down at his foot as well.

"Come, let's get this fixed up, yes?" Illia said, walking to his side to offer herself as a crutch.

He nodded and accepted her help. "Your hospitality is much appreciated, Illia,"

She smiled and nodded. "Anytime, for you,"

Malaki leaned against Illia as she helped him through the gates and onto the path. He winced as his foot hit the marble a couple of times.

Illia opened the front door to the castle and led him into the first-floor bathroom. She helped him onto the counter and pulled up a chair.

She gathered a bandage, ice, and a washcloth dipped in water. She held his ankle in her hand delicately and smiled up at him. Malaki smiled back.

Illia began soothing his swollen ankle with the damp towel. She grabbed some healing ointment from the counter and began spreading it on the open wound on his ankle.

Malaki looked from his ankle to Illia's face. "How do you know how to care for someone as you are caring for me?"

Illia looked up from his ankle and met his eyes. "My mother taught me everything I know. She taught me to care for the men that were wounded when nurses were not present," Illia returned her focus to his ankle.

Malaki tilted his head. "But, you are Queen. You are not meant to care for men,"

"My mother believed in kindness and that it was the cure for all evil. So she taught me how to be brave and kind," Illia chuckled. "And look at how that turned out,"

Malaki laughed with her. "Yes, well evil as you may be, you are still a Queen. And a good one at that," he blinked slowly, meeting Illia's eyes.

"You flatter me, Malaki," Illia looked away from him, beginning to wipe the dirt and muck off his skin. "Say, why did you let me go? All those years ago,"

Malaki sighed and looked at the ceiling. "I saw the look on your face. I knew Astrean was not your home, so I set you free,"

Illia paused her hand, the rag slipping slightly from her grip. "Whatever do you mean, Astrean was not my home? I lived there my entire adolescence. My mother taught me in that castle and my sister and I grew up together there,"

"Aye, that is all true. But, it was not your proper home. I could see it in your face. You were scared and you wanted to be set free,"

Illia looked at him once more, resuming her cleaning, but saying nothing.

Malaki clicked his tongue. "Selene knows how that feels,"

Illia tilted her head. "What?"

"She was banished from Astrean as well. Her own sister accused her of treason," Malaki shook his head.

Illia dropped the rag to the floor, its excess water splashing her. "And who exactly was her sister?"

Malaki looked at the fallen rag and then back to Illia. "Queen Isabelle of course."