by K. Lyn Hill
“Aer!" Only one person ever called her that. Elias. Her Elias.
“Aer!” Her name sounded again. This time she frantically spun, searching out where the voice was coming from.
"Aer!" Shouted louder this time. She turned only to come face to face with her best friend.
"Eli!” This time she knew it was him, shrieking at the two guards dragging him toward the square’s center.
Picking up her skirts she raced towards him. "Eli!" She screamed again, reaching the guards. "Please put him down right now." Calming her racing heart, she eyed the guards distrustfully. After the attack, few people received a different reception.
The guards shifted their gaze back and forth, determining whether to heed her command. Finally, one spoke through clenched teeth. "We already have our orders, My Lady."
"From whom?" She forced her voice calm and steady.
"I'm not at liberty to say. Just that we have to follow em."
"Where were you taking him?" Panic seized her chest.
"He consorts with the devil. He has a date with the noose."
Despite her growing anger, she kept her gaze neutral. "Where did you get such foolish information? What did he do to be guilty of consorting with the devil?"
The other guard piped in. "He took on the face of the general, My Lady. That can only be from the power of the devil."
These sniveling ignorant fools. "Listen to me and listen very carefully. You will release him at once and he will be in my custody. I will take his punishment in my own hands."
Suspicious glances confirmed the guards weren’t going to give in easily. Who gave them the orders? Now she's getting really pissed off. "You dare to defy your future queen?!!! I said, release him!"
Eli’s eyes widened at her declaration, the guards appearing just as shocked. They both scrambled, dropping into a wobbly bow. "We didna know who you were, Princess. Our apologies, Your Highness."
"It's quite alright. Just uncuff him please."
"I’m so sorry but we still can't disobey orders."
"What seems to be the problem here gentleman?" Siel finally caught up and joined them. The image of Siel as a guardian angel came into her head at that moment and she almost rolled her eyes. Dramatic much?
The guards shifted from their left foot to the right one nervously, leaving marks on the muddy ground. "Prince Sir, we have orders to hand over the prisoner."
"Aaaaand?" Siel drawled.
"And the Princess wants him released.” The guard began to stammer. “Butttt we can't disobey our orders, sir."
Siel glanced at Aerity with a smile and a cocked eyebrow. Oh, this arrogant bastard was going to make her work for it. Well then, groveling it is but not without a fair degree of sarcasm in the mix. "Oh, Sir Prince Sir, kind sir man." Grabbing hold of his arm, she begged. "If you would please exercise your undeserved kindness on such a lowly one such as me, it would be so highly appreciated."
Siel’s mouth twitched, trying to refrain from laughter. "I don't know. It would be awfully inconvenient. How much do you wish for the prisoner to be released?"
She was so going to kill him for this later and by the glint in his eyes, he knew it too. "I would be forever in your debt Prince sir." She didn't like the scheming expression on his face.
"Enough to kiss my boots?"
Yup. He was most certainly dead. "If you really need me to kiss your boots." The warning rang clear.
Siel pinched his lips together. "Release the prisoner on my authority." Both guards grappled with the keys. It was a surprise they didn't drop them with how much their hands were shaking. Once Elias was released, he thankfully knew better than to rush and hug her.
Whispers sounded from behind them as they walked. “They saved a commoner.”
“Why does he look like the General?
“Is he from the devil?”
“Why would she let him go?”
Pushing their words away, she strolled demurely towards the edge of the village. The moment they entered the privacy of the castle walls, Siel close in tow, Eli crushed her in a crippling embrace. "Oh my God Aerity. I can't believe I found you!"
His touch tightened and she squealed. "Ahhh Eli, I won't be alive much longer if you keep cutting off my air supply."
Immediately he released her, grabbing her cheeks in his palms. Shifting his eyes over her, he inspected for any damage. Once convinced she was unharmed, he released a breath of relief and took a step back. "Aer, do you know what's going on?" His suspicious eye slid to Siel and back again. Speaking quieter, he continued. "You were missing and I was searching everywhere! The whole police station is going nuts trying to find you. I had no clue where you were and then I woke up here with no memory of how I got here. I was wandering the woods all day. I spotted the town and then someone grabbed me, claiming I looked like someone else.” His panic-stricken voice emphasized the weary lines around his mouth, making him appear older than his mere twenty-three years. He ran his hand through his hair. The strands of his normally composed hair, now a scattered mess.
"I woke up the same as you. With no recollection of anything that happened the night before. I was tied up as well, but your face was what I woke up to." She replied.
He sucked in air. "What?"
"It was you, but it wasn't you. Same name, same face, except he wasn't like you at all. The army’s general." She took a seat on the bench willing Eli to follow. "He hated me. Kept spewing about how I was a selfish princess who ran from my wedding with the Prince." Eli’s eyes were glued to hers now. "I don't know what happened and it sounds crazy, but I think we are in some different world where everyone has a look alike from ours."
Eli released a harsh laugh and gave her a look like she was a silly child waking from a nightmare. "Aerity that’s insane. You've read too many books."
"Then how do you explain it? Eli...." Not sure how to say it, she decided to just spit it out. "I saw your sister.”
His eyes flashed as he grabbed hold of her arm, the movement slightly shaking her. "What are you talking about?!" His eyes burned with a fierceness Aerity didn't think she had ever seen from him before.
"She's here in the court. Same name, looks the same but she's different." Placing her face in her hands she sighed, all the stress of the situation crushing into her. "I don't know how else to explain it."
His gaze still burned into hers as he reached out his hand to steady himself on the bench. "You've seen Maria?"
He had never spoken so softly before. The hope on his face stampeded on her soul. "She's not the same person. Here she's...." her voice trailed off as she tried to find the correct words, but he tilted her face, forcing her to look at him.
"She's what?"
"Your sister was kind and loving..." She raised her eyes to meet his. "Here she's not."
She knew Eli was desperate for an explanation, but she would have to have one in order to give it. Which she didn’t.
His spark fizzled out as he placed his forehead against hers like he'd done a million times before. "I need to see her, Aer.”
She kept her voice low, resisting seeing the heartbreak swimming in his gaze. He and his foster sister were close before the accident. "I know."
“I thought I lost you. I was so worried.” He choked with emotion. She was busy basking in his presence just as a deep brutal voice rang out in the silence.
∞∞∞
Siel
Their conversation repeated in his head. He thought back to when Aerity first arrived. How different she was. Her laughter was contagious, her smile constant. Warm light filtered through in her eyes, creating a beacon that drew people in.
When he had originally met the princess, her coldness chilled him to the bone, although the girl before him could melt a glacier in the dead of winter. No matter what she experienced, she took it in stride and found good in it. The memory was still fresh from that first day with her as she played cards with his men. The story she told them while silently begging them to believe her. Now, h
e witnessed her and Elias reconvening like they hadn’t seen each other in years. It was like ice cold water splashing over his body.
As ridiculous as it sounded, the puzzle pieces seemed to fit.
The general had treated her like she carried the plague, not even stomaching the thought of being in the same room as her. The man Siel saw before him embraced Aerity with so much affection, it was impossible to ignore. His nickname for her, the way he pressed his forehead to hers as if it was the most common thing in the world to do. Of course, the entire idea of another world seemed preposterous, but there was no denying his own two eyes. The man in front of him looked identical to the general but was clearly not the man he grew up with. Elias was away for business purposes this week. It was unlikely that he would arrive early but even if he did, the guards had also assumed this man was a pretender. Dark forces may have the power to deceive, but Siel had a difficult time believing that as much sunshine as Aerity produced, that she could ever be a part of an evil scheme.
Siel found that he believed her. The words she spoke. The stories she told. He trusted every single word she said.
His brother’s voice echoed across the courtyard and Siel cringed. Although Siel could see the way Aerity and Elias held each other was an embrace one would give a family member, not a lover, his brother wouldn't look upon it the same way. Damien's proud stifled heart was too damaged to see beyond his own misfortune. He would use harsh words to a girl that didn't deserve them. Not that Aerity couldn't handle herself. Siel wished he had been there to witness the moment she pulled Damien’s own knife against him. She was fearless. Fighting amongst their men as if it was where she was destined to be. One of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, inside and out.
He wished he had some snacks for the scene that was about to play out for his amusement. Aerity wouldn't want a man stepping in. She always did love proving her strength. Who needed to pay to go to the theater when he had a performance right here in his own courtyard?
Now it was time to just sit back and watch the show.
∞∞∞
Damien
“Elias, what is the meaning of this?!" Anger seized his lungs with each step he took leading him closer to the couple in a lover’s embrace. First it was his brother. Now his fiancé was with his best friend who had claimed to hate her. Who was next?! Yet another man wrapped around his future wife.
Calmly, as ever, Aerity lifted her head and stared at him. No embarrassment. No regret. Nothing to hint to the fact she was caught. Even his own brother stood patiently in the corner of the lover’s reunion. If someone else found them he would be yet again a laughingstock. All this time, Elias had played the part of hating her. Was it all so he could steal her away?
Aerity opened her mouth making it so much worse. "Hello my Prince."
The man who he knew as his previously trusted general, blanched. "This is the crowned Prince?!" He hissed under his breath.
Aerity rolled her eyes. "This is Elias. Not the one you know. I don't know how to explain it to you, but they aren't the same man." Did she think him daft? That was the explanation she was going with?
"Clearly. Because the man I know would not be draped over my fiancé." His voice echoed in the courtyard and he almost cringed at his tone. It couldn’t be helped. His anger was once again taking control. A main occurrence when Aerity was near.
Elias started."Woah woah! Hold right there! First off dude!" There was that strange word Aerity was always using. "I was not staking a claim on Aer. She's my best friend. And she was just telling me my dead sister is alive here. So take a chill pill! We grew up together. And what do you mean engaged?! NO ONE is marrying her without my consent, so you better start charming the pants off me!"
His words only served up a mess of confusion. Grew up together? His consent? Damien’s blood boiled. "She is my fiancé! I do not need consent from you!" How dare he think because he was his friend that he had any say in this. Damien let a lot slide when it came to him but to argue with the crowned prince in public? His friend had lost his mind. Siel continued watching them, his arms crossed in a casual stance like he was at the bloody theater. "And you, Siel! My own flesh and blood stood around watching! What is your part in all this?!"
Siel calmly stepped forward. "He was a prisoner and Aerity so kindly asked me to get him from bondage." He didn't miss the unspoken smirk Aerity and his brother shared. Of course they would be making jokes at a time like this. It’s all they ever did.
"Why would my general be in hand cuffs?!" Footsteps coming up from behind him made him pause and turn around. He froze at the sight before him, feeling unsure. He shook his head to clear his double vision because clearly, he was going mad. He was seeing two Elias’.
"Sir, we have a message from...." his general’s words trailed off, taking notice of their visitor.
Calming his nerves, Damien ignored him and spoke as regally as a king would. "My office...now...." He abruptly turned without waiting for them to follow. The last one in his office was Aerity who was playing with the fabric of her sleeves.
Rubbing a hand down his weary face he nodded his head. "Close the door." Aerity shut the door as told. It was the first time she actually obeyed him. He didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. "Does someone care to explain to me what is going on?" Aerity peered up at Elias' doppelgänger, biting her bottom lip. How could she still look attractive after everything she'd done?
"So you see...the thing is..." she stuttered nervously, her eyebrows scrunching in thought. Then she blurted out. "We are from another world."
Disbelief floated over him. Was she being serious? She was back to this story again? A glance at his brother didn’t help the situation. He seemed enraptured by her words.
"Our world is different...we both woke up here with no clue how we got here." As their story flowed, his anger grew. She was a delightful storyteller; he would give her that. But she was also the manipulative wench he was warned about. His brother however didn’t look surprised in the slightest. "So you see...I'm not the princess and this isn't your general."
Placing both hands on the table, he pushed himself up at eye level. "Do you think me a fool?" Her eyes showed an expression he couldn’t pin down. Hurt? No, it couldn’t be hurt coming from a girl that had no soul.
"How else do you explain this then?" Her small whisper threatened to break his armor, but he refused.
"The devils work with him. You are just a liar."
The quiet girl he just witnessed flew out the window. She stalked to his desk. Placing her small hands directly in front of his on the surface, she too leaned in to be at eye level with him. Their noses practically touched when she calmly spoke, despite the underlying promise of destruction tinging her words. "I am no liar and he is no consort of the devil. You have been around me enough to see I'm clearly not the girl who ran from you and if you do not realize this by now then YOU are the fool." Her eyes continued to blaze. He started to interrupt but she held her finger to his mouth and continued. The desire to lick her finger shocked him just as much as her next words. "I woke up here without knowing anything or anyone and having to pay for someone else's mistakes. My family and friends are in a world that you don't believe in. I'm at a loss for what Your Highness would like me to do in my situation. I have tried to play nice, but you are really starting to piss me off. You want me to prove it? What will convince you of what I say?”
He tried to hide his smirk as the next words slipped out of his mouth behind her finger. “You want me to believe you? Then let's get married right now."
She stared at him with thin lips and a clenched jaw. He only meant to thwart her lies but she wasn’t jumping to defense as quickly as he assumed she would. He could practically see the wheels spinning around that pretty head of hers.
“Fine.” She said as she squared her shoulders and straightened her back. He hadn’t expected that response. In fact, he had expected her to begin kicking and screaming. But she appeared completely serious. After
all that had transpired, she was now ready to wed him as if nothing had happened, simply to prove that what she said was true? Something didn’t add up, but he wasn’t about kick a gifted horse in the mouth.
Her steely gaze was enough to tell him just how serious she was. Was she losing her mind? She genuinely believed her story. Two can play this game. She wanted to pretend? He could too. He will get his bride out of it after all. "Elias."
"Yes." Both men answered at once.
Ignoring the glares each man sent to the other Damien continued, "Please move the wedding date up and make sure my bride is ready. The wedding will be changed to early next week."
He could hear both Elias' hiss in reaction. "Your Highness, you can't be serious? She is obviously touched in the head, not to mention the king hasn't returned yet. You cannot hope to marry without him present."
Turning cold eyes towards his friend, he was pretty sure his words formed icicles in their wake. "The king will understand the necessity of swiftness. Regarding your other concern, I don't care about her head." Wanting to test out her conviction behind the lie, he added. "There's only one thing I care about and it will be fully accessible once she is my wife." Just the words falling out of his mouth made him internally cringe, but he had to judge her motives. He couldn’t be deceived again. The Elias by her side growled and moved to throw his body protectively in front of hers. She held up her hand stopping him.
Aerity’s friend seethed with obvious hatred. "Aer! You can’t possibly be considering doing this! This guys a prick!"
Her motions stilled, her icy glare never leaving him. "I will do what I can for our people, which means marrying this toad. But, Prince." Her words were spoken on a sneer, her hands curling into fists against his desk. "Make no mistake. If you try to take what is not offered, I will make your life a living hell. And the remote chance that I will allow you to create an heir will cease because I will cut off your penis before you even get the chance."