The Twins

The morning following the celebration was difficult for Kedra; as she opened her eyes, she felt an unpleasant sensation overtake her. Though, to her knowledge, she was healthy in both body and mind, she could not shake off the feeling of unease that washed over her as her eyes opened up.

'Ugh, I feel like shit.'

'Why the hell am I so groggy today? I mean, maybe it's the weather?' 

Kedra stepped out of bed and headed towards the window, opening the curtains and taking in the view from the outside.

The sky was perfectly clear, with only a few clouds scattered around. Kedra noticed, however, that the sun was much higher than it was on any other morning.

'Shit, I overslept; the sugar from the cake must've kept me awake for longer than usual.'

Holding her face in an attempt to combat a very slight headache, Kedra aimlessly stared out of the window. 

Suddenly, from over the horizon, a decorated carriage began making its way in the direction of the residence, accompanied by three guards on horseback.

'What? Who the hell would show up to this dingy place uninvited?'

Kedra began dressing herself, making sure to stock up on the engraved circuits she had created as a precaution.

Meanwhile, the carriage came to a stop, its two passengers exiting out of the side door, each one assisted by a guard. They were twelve years old by appearance and bore a striking resemblance to one another; they both had resplendent red hair and green eyes, much like Kedra's.

The only thing setting them apart was their gender, clothing, and hair length; otherwise, they were practically identical.

Maria came rushing out of the front door, accompanied by Lucie and Mona, the three performing a curtsy to show their respects.

"Lord Ansell, Lady Aline, what brings you over to our residence on this fine day?" Maria was the first to speak up, acting in the deceased head maid's stead.

"We're here to see Kedra!" The young boy spoke first, soon followed by the girl.

"Yeah, it's been so long since we came to play."

Maria shot worried glances at Mona and Lucie. This was not the first time the twins had visited the residence, and the maids knew well of the torment that they had enjoyed putting Kedra through in the past.

Though this time Maria could tell it would not be the same, instead of being worried about her master, she feared what would happen to the two nobles should Kedra lose her temper.

"My sincerest apologies, but I'm afraid we will be unable to comply with your wishes." Maria was resolute in her words, staring directly at the young nobles.

Ansel and Aline were flabbergasted; neither of them had ever been refused something in the past by anyone other than the duke himself. 

"How dare you! Who even put you in charge? Where's the head maid?" As Ansel spoke, his voice was filled with childish anger. 

"The head maid is... occupied; she has temporarily put me in charge of affairs regarding the residence until she is once more available." 

"Well, we won't have it! Let us in at once!" Aline retorted to the best of her abilities, but her childlike mind severely limited her negotiation skills.

"No matter what you say, we cannot receive you at this time." 

"I've had enough! Guards, bring me that peasant's head!" 

Despite Ansell's command, the guards hesitated; they didn't quite want to take an innocent life because of a young child's wishes.

"Come on, do it already! Or should I tell brother Eliseo that you're all incompetent?"

While Ansell was of no threat to the guards, the mere mention of the eldest son of the Deslandes was enough to shake them up. Each one of them knew very well that he favored the twins and would not take kindly to any defiance shown towards them.

Left without a choice, the guards began drawing their weapons and approached the maid.

"Forgive us servants; this is nothing personal."

Maria began to panic; she was not expecting the young nobles to have such a short temper. Looking around for answers, she saw no way out other than running away, but what good would that do when faced with soldiers on horseback?

As the guards walked towards Maria, their advance was suddenly halted by a young yet commanding voice.

"Halt! If any of you bastards lay a hand on her, I'll behead you myself!"

The source of the voice revealed itself to be a young green-eyed child with brilliant curly red hair. Ansel and Aline barely recognized her as Kedra, though she was incomparable to the person they had seen in the past.

She had grown to be almost a full head taller than the both of them; her limbs had grown thicker and her gaze sharper.

Far from the malnourished child they enjoyed tormenting, the girl standing in front of them was terribly menacing.

Kedra was accompanied by Lionel, who had been fully equipped in half-plate armor. Despite his missing right arm, the sight of his tall, well-built frame was enough to make the guards hesitate.

Both the master and student had drawn their respective weapons, pointing them towards the three soldiers.

"Is that really you, Kedra?" Aline spoke in her bratish tone.

"Ah, I was wondering what the fuss was about; dumb and dumber came to visit."

"Wha—how dare you! Are you crazy?!" Ansell shouted in disbelief.

"You heard me, you lout. You're a moron, and so is your sister." 

Kedra did not care to put up airs around the two; something deep within her despised the twins and wanted nothing more than to see them gone.

Ansel and Aline, on the other hand, felt angrier than ever. Ever since their arrival, nothing has gone their way, pushing both of them to the brink of a breakdown. 

"I'm sure the two of you know, but your father really wants to keep me hidden from the world, so I'm guessing you're here against his wishes, right?"

"So what?!" Ansell angrily responded.

"So... if I end up beating the both of you half to death, who are you supposed to complain to?"

"Such impudence! For a bastard such as you to threaten the two lords in such a way!" The guards had shaken off their hesitation, pointing their swords towards Kedra.

"Lionel, if you would."

"I'm on it, Kedra. Ah first, Maria, Lucie, Mona, get inside."

As the three maids rushed back through the front door, Lionel began approaching the closest of the three guards, who had just reprimanded Kedra.

Though the soldier's sword was still outstretched forward, Lionel kept advancing until the tip of the man's sword began scratching against his chestplate. 

Before the guard could act, a single swipe from Lionel's sword cleaved cleanly through the middle of the man's unarmored head, separating the two halves of his jaw.

The upper half of the man's skull limply fell down along with the rest of his body as blood began to spray out of the open wound and onto Lionel's boots.

"Our lady asked for you to leave, and let me tell you, she ain't exactly the patient type. So what'll it be? Are you gonna comply, or do you still want some?"

Both the guards and the young nobles alike were shaken, their combative spirit completely quenched by the sudden display of brutality.

Without wasting a second, the two remaining soldiers began ushering Ansel and Aline into the carriage, riding off without another word and leaving the dead guard's horse behind.

"Dispose of that corpse, Lionel; you're the one who made the mess after all." Kedra ordered as she entered the residence. 

"Is everything alright, Maria?"

"Of course, my lady, worry not; this is hardly enough to affect me!"

"That's good to hear. Ah right, I never bothered to ask, but do you know why it is that those two know about me?"

"I believe the first time they visited us, they let slip that the eldest son, Lord Eliseo, had let them know."

"So they'll probably tell him about this then. Shit, I acted too rashly."

"Don't blame yourself, my lady; I should have let you know sooner."

'Fuck! Seeing how the guards reacted to his name, that Eliseo guy sounds like trouble; I'll need to prepare myself in case he decides to act after hearing about this.'

"Our lessons will be on hold for now, Maria; I need to double up on training."

"Very well, my lady."