"Len!"
"Rili!"
"ALLEN!' Tears covered her face.
"RILIANE!" He struggled as hard as he could, a loud snap making him stop long enough for him to be gone.
"How many?"
"One."
"But the bo-"
"I said ONE," He roared.
'Yes, your highness," The jester said, backing away in a bow.
"The tower-"
"Until sundown."
"Rili..." He whispered.
"Where is he! TELL ME!" She screamed.
"Who, Princess?"
"ALLEN! MY BROTHER!" She wanted to wake up, this had to be a dream. 'Please... Let it be a dream.'
"Yes, Elluka-Sensei," Allen bowed.
He hadn't seen his sister in nine years. Long, dragging summers and cold, brisk winters, but he kept working, studying, training. He never quit. Why? His sister, he did this all for her. To return, just to be with her.
He walked back to his room, the work Elluka had given him under his arm as he fingered a necklace. It was the snap, it was what made him stop struggling, his sisters necklace.
"Twins forever, right?" Riliane held out her pinkie finger.
"Forever." Allen said, locking the his pinkie with hers and they kissed their thumbs.
The spoke in unison,
"A promise is a promise,
meant to be kept.
Never to forget,
or the sentence is death."
They finished, giggling and pretending to cut their necks with their fingers.
"Allen! Look alive! What if someone was trying to kill you!?" The swordsman spat, lunging.
Allen easily blocked, "The true question," continuing his swordsman training, "is what if- Agh- someone was trying to kill," he sidestepped, "Rili." He finished, the sword being knocked from his opponents hand.
"That's three times in a row," she smirked, "there's not a better swordsman than you," she bowed.
"Thank you, Sensei," he bowed.
"Look!" The twins had just turned five, still excited from the party.
"What is it, Len?" Riliane used his nickname, the one only she could use, made up when she couldn't say Allen.
"Come here!" Allen was hidden behind a shrub.
Dawdling over, Riliane screamed in joy and hugged her brother, "Len! How did you get it?!" She asked, examining her new orange prize.
"Sh-h! It's a secret, He chuckled.
Riliane nodded, greedily peeling the skin and popping the slices in her mouth.
"Princess!" A maid exclaimed.
"Oh, hush! Daddy won't know! Besides, it's one, count, ONE banana."
"But you need to meet your new guard today, and you need to knight him!"
Riliane groaned, "But it's some stupid person with no class that probably wants to marry my flat chest for money!" She was furious.
A chuckle came from the doorway, causing Riliane to jump and stand straight, "Who goes there!" She hissed.
"You're not that flat." He stated, stepping into view.
The room fell silent, banana forgotten on the floor.
Riliane took a step forward, another, then broke into a run, tears bursting from her eyes as she glomped the person. "L-Len.." She whispered, taking in all of him.
"I'm home, Rili... Home," He hugged her will all his force, wishing for the past nine years back.
'Len... I-I'm not dreaming?" She had spent the past nine years wishing she was, but at this one moment, with her twin, she wanted reality.
He shook his head, reaching his handkerchief and wiping her tears, offering a weak but kind smile, "I promised, twins forever," softly, he whispered.
Riliane smiled and recited, her twin joining in,
"A promise is a promise,
meant to be kept.
Never to forget,
or the sentence is death."
Riliane gave a smile, stopping her brother from wiping her tears and just holding his hand to her cheek.
"I won't leave you again, I swear." He smiled brighter, looking determined as he grasped her into another hug.
"The sentence is death," she giggled.