You know what, maybe life as an exiled royal wasn't that bad.
Ever since Alexandra had been forced out, she found her new quiet life in a cottage far away quite endearing. She spent each day humming to herself as she watered her little garden. It wasn't much right now, as she had only arrived last week, but she couldn't help but imagine what splendidness would soon emerge from the dirt. Her entire cottage would be covered in lovely flowers, decorating the rooftop. She even planned to buy some ivies to adorn her walls for that nature aesthetic that Alexandra had long since dreamed of ever since she had read about it in the Royal Library.
Guards still came around to check on her from time to time, but Alexandra noticed that as the days went by, their appearances became fewer and fewer. Before, she would probably have freaked out from the lack of security, but now, in her cottage, she enjoyed the newfound peace. She was alone, free to do whatever she wished.
She hobbled back home, bags of groceries in her hands, stuffed to the brim with bread. She found that she liked simple commoner food. It wasn't flashy or savory, but there was just this homely feeling about it. Though, she might have to cut down on the buying soon. The money that Alexander had left for her was quickly dwindling. Maybe she could find a job somewhere? She had no experience though.
Alexandra hauled the bags onto her tiny wooden table, opening them and biting into a piece of warm bread, fresh from the bakery. Mmm... This was better than anything Alexandra had tried in the palace. She adored bread.
The night was coming, though, so Alexandra knew she had to get ready to end yet another peaceful day.
She walked to the windows, her hands on the curtains, but she stopped. Even from here, miles and miles away from her former home, she could still see the faint silhouette of the palace in the distance.
A pang in her heart. Where was Eva? Was she still in the Selection? With the rising prices of newspapers and the delay (plus inaccuracy) of word-of-mouth, she might not know until weeks later. She hoped, with her entire heart, that Eva would get her happy ending with Alexander. Sure, it might not be the most loving marriage, but it was the best for both of them. Giavanna was a nightmare, and Julia was too stubborn to have at least a bearable life with him.
She should have helped Eva more before she got exiled. Even though she wasn't as powerful as Alexander, she was still the Princess. She could have done something. But no, she allowed Eva's parents to ruin it all.
How could such despicable people raise such a kind daughter?
Alexandra sighed, closing the curtains and turning back to her new life. She should be grateful. She was alive, and now living such a happy life. There was no reason for her to keep dwelling on the past, which she could not change.
She finished the bread and stashed the rest in her pantry, making a mental note to finish the eggs tomorrow, or else they'd go bad very soon.
She made her way to her room, which was infinitely small compared to her old one. In fact, the entirety of the cottage was smaller than her royal bedroom. Oh. She was doing it again, wasn't she? She was thinking of the past again. Alexandra hit herself lightly and blew out the candle on her nightstand, settling into her bed and looking up into the ceiling.
Maybe she could ask the butcher for information tomorrow. She was starving to know what had happened after her departure.
With that, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, letting the dreams of her past overtake her mind.
The siblings sat in their tutor's room, their laughter echoing through the walls. Alexander was busy boasting about some random thing he had just done to a listless Alexandra and an excited Annalisa, and Elaina sat in the corner, quietly reading a book.
"Children?" Tutor Winston called, stepping into the classroom. "Your Highnesses… I hope you did your homework. Please hand in the worksheet I asked of you to me right now…"
Alexander audibly groaned, whispering to his twin sister something. Her eyes narrowed.
"Tutor Winston!" she said, raising her hand.
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Alexander didn't complete his homework. He just asked me for the answers."
Tutor Winston sighed. "Alexander, you do this every day. I even gave you less work than your siblings. They had three questions, I gave you one. And you still couldn't complete it?"
"Don't patronize me!" he snapped. Annalisa ooohed.
Tutor Winston sighed in defeat and turned to Alexandra. "I assume you've completed your work, Your Highness?"
"Yep. I even wrote another paragraph describing how Gysterf responded when-"
"I'm afraid we're in a bit of a time crunch today. Your father wants to bring you to the Schmidt's for their daughter's birthday. I'll have to read your entire essay later." Alexander scoffed and Alexandra grinned.
"Princess Elaina?"
She handed him her papers wordlessly. He gave her a slight nod.
"Annalisa?"
"Alexander tried to steal my work, so I had to chuck it out of my window!" Annalisa complained. Alexandra grimaced from how terrible of an excuse it was.
Tutor Winston sighed. "Very well. Right, we shall start our lesson today, this time on the sword of Lord Ares. Alexei, Fallon, Gertrude, Julia, you can join us if you wish…"
Three children burst from the shadows at once, sitting down next to their respective royals. Gertrude was missing, though it wasn't much of a surprise. She was just as quiet as her principal.
"The sword of Lord Ares was commissioned by Justin Ares after Gysterf was defeated. It has been wielded by each Lord Ares since, with the exception of Erica, who stole it from her brother to defend herself. It is one of the most important objects of Ethica, aside from the Aetux signet ring, which, as Alexander knows, grants the wearer complete power over Ethica and marks them as the Kingdom's heir… instead of an heir, the Sword of Lord Ares is wielded only by Lord Ares. A Lord Ares may, however, give this to their heir once they feel that their time has come, though most Lord Ares die not of natural causes, of course."
A raised hand.
"Julia?"
"What if Lord Ares doesn't die, but they've already given the sword?"
"Ah, a debacle. Lordship would be transferred to whoever is in possession of the sword, so unless Lord Ares gives the sword back to their father, the former Lord Ares has abdicated his role."
"Can't someone, like, just steal it?" Fallon said in the most obnoxious voice possible.
"Raise your hand before speaking, Fallon. But yes, in theory, one could become Lord Ares by simply taking it from the owner. But just like the Aetux signet ring, it's mostly symbolic, and it probably wouldn't last. Besides, unlike royalty—I apologize if this is offending—Ares provides much more security, and stealing such a valuable item from the most skilled Ares in Ethica would be almost impossible."
"That is, indeed, very offending," Alexander said.
"Only because your ego is so fragile," Alexei teased. He turned to glare at him.
"Really? You think that-"
"Oh, stealing from you is so easy." Alexei's grin spread as he raised his hand, revealing the shimmering red ring. Alexander's jaw dropped.
"Give that back!"
"Not unless you apologize for spilling juice on Julia."
"That was THREE MONTHS ago!"
Alexander lunged forward to grab the ring, but Alexei spun out of his grasp, whipping out his sword and pointing it straight at Alexander's throat.
"Alexei, please don't use real swords in my class," Tutor Winston said boredly. "We don't want anyone to get hurt."
"Oh, come on! He was bullying Julia!"
"You heard him," Alexander gloated, though the fear in his eyes directly contradicted his confident tone. "And me. Put that down."
Alexei rolled his eyes, jabbed at his throat ever so carefully (which ruined the coolness of the whole debacle), and sheathed the sword, sitting back down on his desk.
The Prince's hand grazed his throat gently, making sure his best friend hadn't hurt him, before narrowing his eyes. "The ring! Give me back the ring!"
"The Prince is correct, Alexei," Tutor Winston said. "Give it back. I thought we had a whole lesson illustrating how important it is?"
"Fine…" He chucked the ring back to him. Alexander fumbled with it, finally slipping it back onto his finger.
"I don't get why we have to learn all of this," Annalisa whined, her eyes sparkling with fake tears. "Alex and Xandra are turning eighteen soon. They don't have to sit through these lessons anymore."
"Yes, but Alexander will be our King one day—and, god forbid something happens to him—Alexandra will be Queen. A monarch must have a thorough understanding of our Kingdom's history."
"Alexandra won't ever be Queen," Alexander complained. Tutor Winston sighed. "Why does she have to be here? She's annoying."
"Many a cunning Prince has stabbed his king in the back," Tutor Winston recited calmly.
"What is that supposed to-"
Alexei reached over and covered his mouth, a pointed look on his face. "Alex. You know what that means. Now let the old man do his job."
Alexander huffed and turned away.
Alexandra looked down at the vial in her dress.
"Now," Tutor Winston coughed. "As I was saying…"
"Your Highness."
Alexandra stood at the Crown Prince's door, her eyes finding his.
He was a splitting image of her, and her of him. The same brown eyes. The same brown hair. The same long nose. Yet their lives were so different.
"I suppose you've come here to apologize."
Alexandra clenched her fists. "I wish you a happy birthday, Alex. Eighteen is a great age."
"Thanks," he said, taking a sip of tea. She eyed the cup.
"May I come in?"
"Sure."
She made her way to the extravagant purple divan in which he lounged, indulging himself with tea and grapes. She sat next to him wordlessly.
"You haven't apologized yet," Alexander said, turning away from her.
"I'm sorry," she said, staring at his cup. "For defying you. I should have followed your orders from the start."
"Good. And?"
"You are the Crown Prince." Her words felt so wrong from her mouth. "And you are the ultimate authority."
He turned back to her and said, "fill my cup."
She obliged, the hours of her etiquette lessons kicking in as she poured the tea into his cup without a drop out of place.
He grabbed it, splashing a bit on himself as he took another sip. "Clean it. Now."
He was doing this on purpose, wasn't he?
She grabbed a napkin and dabbed on his clothes. They were his casual wear, so it wasn't much… but still expensive, of course. She could see the elaborate designs on each inch of the silk. It must have cost thousands upon thousands upon millions.
He smirked, turning away again.
Her hands reached into her dress, closing around the vial. She took it out.
The liquid was clear. He wouldn't suspect a thing. Alexei wasn't here, either. She had planned this, and knew when his guards were changing shifts. She only had a few minutes, though, when Alexei's guards came back. She would have to be quick.
She opened it. A single drop would do. After all, the teacup was barely more than the size of a mandarin.
"Alexandra…"
She panicked, quickly tipping the vial over so that the poison would fall into the cup. The liquid dropped into it, creating a slight ripple. She closed it and stuffed it into her dress as soon as he turned back. Her heart pounded against her chest. It was done.
It was done.
He was done.
She was now Crown Princess.
"Look. I know you were angry."
"Yeah?" She glanced at the teacup nervously.
"And… well, it wasn't very fair for me to threaten you like that."
Alexandra's jaw dropped.
"Don't get me wrong," he laughed, seeing her face. "I'm not apologizing. But… you were right. To some extent. So… is everything okay between us now?"
No. No, it wasn't. Because the poison was already in his cup.
"I…" Alexandra could barely find words.
"Okay, okay, I get it. We're twins, remember? I know what you're thinking." No, he didn't. "I never take responsibility for my actions. But Elaina came to me just now, and… you know what, you were right." He looked at her. "So… okay, fine. I'll apologize. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for threatening you. Happy now?"
She stared at him, like deer in the headlights.
"Right… you're probably super shocked. Well, I'll let you process it." He reached for the cup.
She froze, her breath hitched in her throat.
He raised it to his lips.
Dead.
The Prince, dead.
Her, the Queen.
He tipped the cup, the tea slipping into his mouth.
Him, dead.
Her twin brother, dead.
Her, alone.
"NO!"
She lunged forward, tackling him to the divan, sending the cup flying. It crashed, shattering into a million pieces onto the floor, the poisoned drink spilling onto the fragments of the cup.
"What?" Alexander's eyes widened in confusion.
"Did you drink it?" Her voice was desperate, so desperate.
"What?"
"The tea," she said, her voice cracking. "Did you drink it?"
"Well, I was going to before you-"
She let out a sigh of relief, enveloping him in a hug, feeling his chest rise and fall with each breath, that would have stopped if she had… if she hadn't…
"What happened?" Alexander asked, frowning. "Xandra?"
"No," she said, trying to push back the tears that threatened to spill out onto her face. "I just… I'm glad you apologized."
She pulled back, looking into his eyes. They, in a way, were her eyes. Looking at him almost felt like looking into a mirror. They were twins, after all, parts of a whole. And Alexandra had almost killed her other half. She had been so angry that she had…
No matter how arrogant he was, no matter how terrible he was, he was still her brother. The executions he had ordered and the lives he had ruined from his reckless orders didn't matter. They had done everything together, and she had almost killed him.
It didn't matter that she would be a better Queen. It didn't matter what Ethica needed. For once, Alexandra gave in to what she wanted, not the people. For once, Alexandra embraced her brother.
Alexandra woke up with a start, her heartbeat pounding against her chest. She looked around. She was in her room, the small farming village outside her modest window.
It was a dream. No. No, it was reality. It was a collection of memories, played inside her head while she slept. It was what once was, in her former life.
But why? Alexandra sat up, groaning. Why was she remembering all of this now? Did she really miss them so much?
Surely they missed her too. Maybe she could write a letter to them. An apology, maybe. But was that even possible? Would they allow her to do that?
She would ask the guards the next time she saw them.
She sighed, laying back down on her bed and closing her eyes once more.
Princess Annalisa wasn't happy.
She wasn't happy at all. She missed Xandra, and she couldn't believe she would have done such a thing. Why would she have that… death juice? Why did she have to be exiled? Though maybe Annalisa could see her again. After all, Alex had done what she had begged and pleaded for him to do, and Xandra had survived.
Still…
"Boo."
She smiled and turned, completely unfazed. "You lost the bet?"
Luke blinked. "Whoa. You weren't surprised."
"I've learned to not be surprised when you're around," she quipped.
"How did you know I was around?" he asked.
"No one else says 'boo' to me. It's usually me who boos everyone else."
"Oh!" Annalisa watched as his face slowly fell. "Oh."
"So, you didn't get arrested?"
He shrugged. "Nope. I did get good money for it, though."
He pulled out a bunch of coins and clasped her hand. Annalisa couldn't help but notice how warm they were. He dumped the coins onto her hand.
She looked at them.
"Why are you giving them to me?" Annalisa asked.
"It's your money, after all. Your jewelry."
She stared at it, then shook her head. "I don't need it."
"I know," he said simply.
"You should keep it," she said.
"I know," he said again.
She blinked. "Then why-"
"It's alright," Luke said, sitting down next to her. She shook her head, trying to return the money, but he retracted his hands. "That could buy me a month's worth of food. I wouldn't steal that much from you."
She didn't understand. "But-"
"I want to provide for myself, without anyone else helping me," he said. "But thank you. It was fun."
Silence.
"I wish I could've come with you," she said softly, rolling the coins around in her hands. They clunk against each other and her rings.
He laughed. "You wouldn't have survived a moment in the market."
"How do you know?"
"Are you challenging me?" Luke raised his eyebrows. She grinned.
"Maybe I could."
"No. I'm not bringing you to the market." He pushed her playfully and she rolled her eyes.
"It could be fun."
He eyed the coins in her hands. "Are you going to put them anywhere?"
"You're changing the subject."
"You can't just keep them in your hands the whole day."
She sighed, standing up and walking around, trying to find a suitable place for the money. "I don't even have a place to put it. Everything in this room is already filled with jewelry and riches and stuff like that."
"In that box?" He pointed to her third jewelry box in the corner of one of her many golden-brimmed desks.
"It's already full."
He stopped, surprised. Annalisa stared. It usually took a lot to shock him. "Oh. Oh, right."
She leaned down to open the cabinet underneath the desk. "I can put it in these, maybe."
She took out a box full of sapphires decorating the outside, clicking it open. It was only half full.
She put the box on top of her desk and tilted her hand, letting the coins spill gently into it.
When her hand was empty, she pushed the door shut, only to find that a singular coin was sticking out on the top of the pile, blocking it.
"What's going on?" Luke asked.
She took the coin, examining it. It was made only this year, the face of her father etched so prominently on the front side.
She flipped it.
On the back was her face, with the words "Glory to Ethica" marked on top of her head.
She closed the lid of the box, now with nothing to block its journey as it shut and locked. She placed the box back inside the cabinet and made her way back to him.
"Here," she said, handing him the coin.
He shook his head. "Anna-"
"No," she said. "Look at it."
He looked down at the carving of her face.
"Think of it as a gift," she said. "A keepsake. Not as money."
"How common is your face on these coins?" He spun the coin around, examining the other side of it, where her father looked forlornly to the edges of the coin.
"I… I don't know. I've never handled money before," she admitted. "Don't you use money every day?"
"Yeah, but I don't pay attention to every coin I get." He smiled, placing the coin in his pocket. "Do you even know what money is?"
"Of course!"
"What is it?"
She blinked. And again. And again.
"It's like… You trade it to buy stuff…"
"Okay, okay!" He held his hands up in surrender. "You win. You're not as dumb as I thought."
"Really?"
They both stared at each other and burst into laughter.
"Princess!" someone yelled from the hallway. Annalisa stood up abruptly, the sound of her ladies spurring her into motion.
"You have to go," she said, giving him her hand. He took it and stood. She noticed, again, how warm it was.
"I know," he said. But he didn't move, keeping their fingers intertwined.
"Your Highness, there's-"
"I'll be right there!" Annalisa yelled. "I need to change!"
"Oh, do you need hel-"
"No!" she yelled. "I'm fine! Give me a moment!"
"Alright, Your Highness!"
"You have to go," Annalisa said again, withdrawing her hand and looking away.
"Okay, Princess," Luke said. "But… Anna?"
"Yeah?"
"The next time I see you, we won't be alone," he said, his eyes darting to the side. "Don't go to the throne room when Prince Alexander announces his wife, alright?"
"What?" Annalisa frowned. "What do you mean?"
He stopped, debating whether or not to tell her, before shaking his head. "I'll be going."
"Wait-"
But he bolted for the door, hopping into the hallway.
She ran after him, her hand on her door, trying to see where he had gone…
But he had disappeared.
She stood in her doorway, staring into the halls, wondering what he had meant.
This feeling was so complex and confusing, that Julia couldn't quite pinpoint it.
She was sad, of course, that her father was suffering, yet still wildly cathartic. Then she was guilty for feeling glad that her father was dying. What kind of daughter was she? But then she felt guilty for feeling guilty, remembering all the years she had spent under his harsh words and punishments.
In short, she was conflicted. Huh. Maybe that was the feeling. She wasn't good at recognizing emotions after all.
After she had finished Madeline's orientation (she didn't know where the armory was), she started making her way to the other side of the huge palace, to her father's room.
The halls were strangely mellow and empty. Peaceful. Tranquil. Nothing like the usual din of the servants and the rustling of the leaves outside. It seemed that everything had gone still, waiting.
Then… she saw him.
Luke.
He was hopping into the "secret" passageway that Julia had explored so many weeks ago. Ha! She got him! She took out her knife and hurled it at him.
He cried out, dropping to the floor. She walked closer, eyeing his wound. It struck him in the upper leg. Not fatal, but very effective at slowing him down.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Have a death wish?"
"I was on another mission to kill the Prince," he lied smoothly. Julia glared at him.
"You've made me look like a lunatic!"
"Exactly," he said. "I knew no one would believe you."
"Then why bother telling me?!"
"For fun," he said, shrugging infuriatingly casually. "You caught me while I was gathering intelligence. Might as well have had some fun while on the job."
"Intelligence, huh? Is that why you're here?"
He opened his mouth, then closed it, narrowing his eyes. "It's none of your business."
"You're in no position to argue with me right now," Julia warned, taking out another knife. She had hidden at least five in her skirt, anticipating this very moment. She couldn't lose now. "I can kill you."
He didn't reply, instead kicking her in the leg. She stumbled. Dang it! She got too close!
He scrambled down into the passageway, though she could see that his wound made him limp.
She jumped down after him. He might have reinforcements, but she was an Ares, for goodness' sake. She could take a five-to-one fight.
She sent another knife flying towards his neck as he ran down the darkened passageway. He wove out of its reach and the knife clattered to the floor. Surprisingly, he didn't stop to retrieve it.
They came to the dead end, and Julia smirked. "I've got you now, you-"
Then he slammed his entire body on the wall, and the ground beneath him shuddered and collapsed, sending him falling straight down. Her eyes widened. How- what-
"Wait!"
She didn't know why she told him to wait. Of course he wouldn't wait. She was trying to kill him.
She stopped short, looking down at the gaping hole in the floor, trying to see where it led to. It was so dark—no torches, no lanterns, just pitch black. There was no way she could catch him here.
She turned and ran back up to the Palace.