**Disclaimer: I do not own Tamora's characters, but I own Leila, her father, etc. I am not trying to infringe on anyone's rights, blah, blah, blah.**
**Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed—I'm forever grateful!**
*A/N: I just read Page, and I saw that there's a character named Kieran, but he has nothing to do with my Kieran. Just thought I would clear that up.
"I think I know what happened," Buri said excitedly, "but I should check with Numair first. Come along."
Leila and Kieran followed Buri to Numair's quarters in the palace. Buri knocked on the door, and when Numair answered, she asked, "May we come in, Numair? I think we have an exciting discovery here."
At hearing that, Numair's face brightened and he quickly ushered them in. "So, what's this discovery?" he asked eagerly.
Leila and Kieran explained the whole story to Numair, and as they finished, that same look of understanding came over Numair's face as it had for Buri. Buri smiled at his expression. "You thinking what I'm thinking, Numair?"
"Well…if you're thinking that they're twins, then I would have to say yes."
There was a moment of silence as Leila and Kieran looked at each other with astonishment written all over their faces.
"But we *can't* be twins! I mean, look at us! Do we look in any way similar?" Leila burst out.
"Well, not really," Numair admitted. "But what else could it be?" There was silence. "That's right, nothing. So you'll just have to take my word for it and catch up on everything."
"Well, thanks," Kieran said.
"Oh, any time, any time," Numair assured him, waving them out the door. He and Buri watched amusedly as the two long-lost twins walked out the door.
* * * * *
"Wow, Kieran said. "Can you believe all this, I mean, really, what are the odds that we would be separated at birth and find each other again sixteen years later?"
"I know what you mean," Leila said thoughtfully. "You know, this puts things on a whole new perspective."
"How so?"
Leila blushed, and said, "Well, I don't know about you, but I was beginning to…well…find you attractive."
Kieran smiled. "You too?"
"Frankly, yes," Leila admitted, relieved. "I mean, you're handsome, smart, funny…."
"Oh no, don't stop," he protested in a joking tone. "I don't mind having my good attributes spelled out to me—especially as there are so many," he added with a wink.
"Very funny," Leila replied dryly.
They walked to the girls' dormitory, leaving the door open so no one would have reason to be suspicious.
"So, Kieran," Leila said carefully, knowing that this had the potential to be a tender subject, "tell me about *your* childhood."
There was a pause, and then Kieran began his story.
"Well, my first memory was that of an orphanage. That's where I lived from the time I was separated from you until I was about nine. Then a woman came to the orphanage and claimed to be my mother."
Leila interrupted. "That's when my mother was supposed to have died from the plague!" she exclaimed. "My father was lying to me all along!"
Kieran nodded, then went on. "She knew a lot of little things about me that no one else would've known, so I was handed over to her. I guess she really was my mother, after all. We went to Corus, and we lived there, happily for the most part, until she died two years ago. I lived by myself for a year, until I was fifteen, when I figured I could join the Queen's Riders to make a living. And here I am today, beating people's behinds at hand-to-hand combat." Leila burst out laughing, shaking her head. "How about you? What was your childhood like?"
Leila began, still smiling, "Well, I lived with my—our—mother and father until I was nine, then my father told me that my mother had died from the plague. I was only nine, so I believed him. I lived with my father until just a month or so ago when he told me that I would have to give up archery or he would disown me. I didn't, so I left to be a knight. Of course, I was too old to do that, and I'm not even sure now if they accept people from other countries. It was suggested that I join the Queen's Riders, and so here *I* am today."
Suddenly, the female trainees came flooding into the room. Aspen, leading the way, stopped dead in her tracks, surveying the scene before her. A mischievous light came into her eyes, and she singsonged, "Leila and Kieran, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S—"
Leila blushed, and cut her off. "Aspen, you're not gonna believe this, but me and Kieran are twins."
Aspen's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?" Then she slowly smiled. "Wait—does this mean that he's available?"
It was Kieran's turn to blush. "Oh for Goddess's sake, Aspen," Leila exclaimed. "Is that all you have to say?"
Aspen shrugged. "Well, pretty much, yeah."
Leila got up off the bed, and threw an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Aspen, we're gonna have to work on you."
* * * * *
And that was how Leila came to be a Queen's Rider, and reunited with her twin brother.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Ya know, now that I've FINALLY finished this story, I realize that it doesn't have much of a plot. Lol. Oh well, what can you do? Please review!