POV: KIERAN SOLIS
Timeline: Two days after the meeting
Location: Nocterra Castle
"I have a twin now," I announce at breakfast.
Ravion looks up from his reports. "Yes. You met him two days ago. I was there."
"No, I mean—" I gesture with my toast. "I have a twin. That's so weird. Like, there's another person with my face just... existing."
"Technically, you have his face."
"Semantics."
"Important semantics."
"You're missing the point!" I take a bite of toast. "I should get him a birthday present."
Ravion sets down his quill. "Why?"
"Because we share a birthday! Probably! We're twins!"
"You're twins separated by two hundred years and born in different timelines."
"Still twins!"
"I don't think that's how time travel works—"
"Do you know how time travel works?"
He pauses. "No."
"Then I'm getting him a birthday present."
"What would you even get him?"
"I don't know! What do you get someone who's literally you but also not you?" I'm spiraling now. "Do I get him something from 2025? But he's in 1811 so he wouldn't understand—"
"Kieran."
"—or do I get him something from here? But then it's not special because he already has access to 1811 things—"
"Kieran."
"—maybe I should ask Nyx what he likes but that feels like cheating—"
"KIERAN."
I stop. "What?"
"You're overthinking a hypothetical birthday present for a twin you met once."
"...Fair point."
"Eat your breakfast."
"You're very bossy in the mornings."
"You're very chaotic in the mornings."
"Same thing."
He throws a grape at me.
I catch it. Eat it. "Thanks for the snack."
"I hate you."
"You love me."
"Unfortunately."
---
Later that morning, I'm in the library when Elara finds me.
"There you are, dear!" She bustles over with what appears to be a massive photo album. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Uh oh."
"Oh hush." She sits beside me, opening the album. "Now that you've met your twin, I thought you should see the family history!"
"Grandmother, I don't think—"
"Look! Here's His Majesty at age five!" She points to a painting of a tiny, scowling Ravion. "Aren't he adorable?"
He looks like a very small, very angry potato.
"Adorable," I agree diplomatically.
"And here he is at ten! He'd just conquered his first kingdom!"
"At TEN?!"
"He was very precocious." She flips the page. "Oh! And here's his awkward phase!"
The painting shows teenage Ravion with longer hair and what can only be described as unfortunate fashion choices.
I'm trying so hard not to laugh.
"I can hear you laughing."
I spin around. Ravion stands in the doorway, looking betrayed.
"I'm not laughing!"
"You're absolutely laughing."
"I'm—okay I'm laughing a little—" I dissolve into giggles. "You had LONG HAIR!"
"It was a phase!"
"You look like a goth romance novel cover!"
"I was FIFTEEN!"
Elara is beaming. "Isn't it wonderful? I have the whole collection! Would you like to see his portraits from age sixteen to twenty?"
"YES!"
"Grandmother, NO!"
"Too late!" She's already flipping pages. "Oh look, here's the one where he tried to grow a beard—"
"I'M LEAVING!"
"IT'S SO PATCHY!"
Ravion storms out, face red, shadows literally flickering with embarrassment.
I'm crying from laughter.
"Thank you," I gasp to Elara. "That was the best thing ever."
"I have more," she says cheerfully. "Should I show you the one where he got stuck in a tree?"
"THERE'S A TREE STORY?!"
"GRANDMOTHER!" Ravion's voice echoes from down the hall. "STOP TRAUMATIZING MY HUSBAND!"
"Never stopping!" I call back.
---
That afternoon, I decide to write to Kaelis.
Because we're twins now and twins write letters, right?
That's definitely how this works.
I sit at Ravion's desk—technically my desk too but I still think of it as his—with fancy paper and a quill that I absolutely do not know how to use properly.
---
Dear Kaelis,
I cross that out. Too formal.
Hey twin,
Better.
It's been two days since we met and I'm still processing the fact that you exist. Not in a bad way! In a "holy shit there's another me" way.
Things here are good. Ravion is being his usual overprotective self. I'm recovered from the poison. The castle is quiet for once.
I wanted to ask: what's it like in the Tidelands? You said you were learning magic but you didn't elaborate. Are you good at it or are you like me and barely functional at everything?
Also, does Nyx have embarrassing childhood stories? Because Ravion's grandmother just showed me paintings of teenage Ravion with long hair and I need leverage for the next time Nyx and Ravion argue.
Write back when you can. It's weird having a twin but also kind of nice?
— Kieran
P.S. I'm still getting you a birthday present. You can't stop me.
---
I seal it with wax—making a complete mess in the process—and call for a courier.
"Magical delivery to the Tidelands," I say, handing over the letter.
The courier looks at it. "Your Majesty, you've sealed it backwards."
"...What?"
"The seal goes on the back, not the front."
I look at my letter. The wax seal is indeed very prominently on the front.
"I'm from 2025," I say defensively. "We use email."
"What's email?"
"Never mind. Can you still send it?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
He leaves, definitely judging me.
Whatever. I'm a king now. I can seal letters however I want.
That's definitely how monarchy works.
---
Dinner that evening is interesting because Ravion is still sulking.
"You're being dramatic," I say.
"I'm not being dramatic."
"You've been brooding for three hours because I laughed at a painting."
"I'm not brooding. I'm thinking."
"About revenge?"
"...Maybe."
I kick him gently under the table. "Come on. It was funny. Admit it."
"It wasn't funny."
"Your hair was down to your shoulders!"
"I was going through a phase!"
"A long-haired goth phase!"
"I was embracing my dark aesthetic!"
"You looked like you belonged in a vampire romance!"
"I—" He stops. Considers. "Actually that's fair."
I laugh. "See? Funny."
He tries to maintain the sulk. Fails. A smile cracks through.
"I looked ridiculous," he admits.
"You looked like baby vampire royalty."
"That's worse."
"But accurate."
He throws his napkin at me. I catch it.
"You're terrible," he says.
"You love me."
"Unfortunately." But he's smiling now. "Did Grandmother show you the tree story?"
"She mentioned it. Want to tell me yourself before she does?"
He sighs. "I was seven. There was a cat. I tried to rescue it."
"And?"
"I got stuck. The cat jumped down on its own. I was stuck in the tree for two hours before the guards found me."
I'm trying so hard not to laugh.
"It's okay," I say. "We all have embarrassing childhood stories."
"What's yours?"
"Oh, I have several. There was the time I accidentally set my dorm room on fire trying to cook ramen in a coffee maker—"
"How is that possible?"
"That's what the fire department asked! There was also the time I got locked in a bathroom for four hours because I couldn't figure out the lock—"
"For four hours?!"
"I panicked! And there was the incident with the inflatable pool, the roof, and campus security—"
"I need details."
"Absolutely not."
"Kieran."
"Nope. That story dies with me."
He leans closer. "I can make you talk."
"Is that a threat or a promise?"
"Both."
We're grinning at each other across the table like idiots.
"We're disasters," I say.
"We're disasters in love," he corrects.
"Is that better?"
"Marginally."
---
Later that night, we're getting ready for bed when there's a knock.
"Your Majesty!" A courier's voice. "Reply from the Tidelands!"
I practically run to the door. Ravion follows, amused.
The courier hands me a letter sealed with blue wax that shimmers like water.
I tear it open immediately.
---
Hey yourself,
Holy shit you actually wrote. I was half expecting you to forget I exist after two days.
Things here are CHAOS. Nyx is trying to teach me magic and I'm terrible at it. Like, really terrible. Yesterday I accidentally flooded three chambers and turned a training room into a whirlpool.
Nyx says I have "potential." I think he's lying to make me feel better.
But yeah, I'm getting better? Maybe? I can lift water without exploding things now. That's progress, right?
Re: embarrassing stories—NYX HAS SO MANY. Apparently he once got into a fight with a Storm God and lost. To a STORM GOD. His own element and he lost. I've been holding this over him for days.
Also he tried to court someone like 500 years ago and they rejected him. He still gets sulky when it's mentioned.
Use this information wisely.
Tidelands is weird but also kind of beautiful? Everything glows. The fish swim through air. Nyx floats instead of walking which is both cool and annoying.
Write back. This is actually fun.
— Kaelis
P.S. You don't need to get me a birthday present. We don't even know if we share a birthday. But if you do get me something, make it ridiculous. I want to laugh.
---
I'm grinning so hard my face hurts.
"What did he say?" Ravion asks.
"He's a disaster. He flooded three chambers yesterday."
"Of course he did."
"And Nyx apparently lost a fight to a Storm God."
Ravion's eyes widen. "He WHAT?"
"Lost. To a Storm God."
"Oh, I'm using that." He's already plotting. "Next time he gets smug about being all-powerful—"
"You're going to throw the Storm God thing in his face?"
"Absolutely."
"You two are children."
"He started it."
"He's been alive for millennia! How did he start it?!"
"Irrelevant."
I shake my head, still smiling. "I have the weirdest family."
"You have me, your chaos twin, a sea god who loses fights, and a grandmother who shows embarrassing paintings." Ravion pulls me close. "Yes. Your family is weird."
"Our family," I correct.
His expression softens. "Our family."
We climb into bed, and I'm still holding Kaelis' letter.
"This is nice," I say quietly.
"What is?"
"Having a twin. Having someone who gets it." I look at Ravion. "Having you. Having a home that feels like home."
"Even though it started with kidnapping?"
"Even though." I kiss him. "We made it ours."
"We did." He pulls me closer. "And for what it's worth—I'm glad you're the one who fell through that portal."
"Even though I'm not the prophecy prince you wanted?"
"Especially because of that." He presses a kiss to my forehead. "You're better than any prophecy."
I fall asleep in his arms, Kaelis' letter still tucked under my pillow.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, I'm not just surviving.
I'm living.
---
KAELIS' POV
"You're smiling at that letter like a lunatic," Nyx observes.
"I'm bonding with my twin!" I wave Kieran's letter at him. "We're having correspondence!"
"Correspondence?"
"That's the old-timey word for texting, right?"
"I don't know what texting is."
"Letters! We're writing letters!"
"I can see that."
I reread Kieran's letter for the fifth time. "He wants to get me a birthday present. That's so weird. I have a twin who wants to get me birthday presents."
"You've said that seventeen times."
"Because it's WEIRD!"
Nyx is definitely trying not to laugh. "Are you going to write back?"
"Already did!" I show him the reply I sent. "I told him about you losing to the Storm God."
His expression goes flat. "You what."
"He needed ammunition for the next time you and Ravion argue!"
"That was THREE CENTURIES AGO!"
"Still counts!"
"I was having an off day!"
"You're the SEA GOD! How do you have an off day with STORMS?!"
"They're technically different elements—"
"YOU CONTROL WATER! STORMS HAVE WATER IN THEM!"
"That's not how it works—"
"That's exactly how it works!"
We're both shouting now. Draven pokes his head in.
"Are we fighting or flirting?" he asks. "I can't tell anymore."
"FIGHTING!" we both yell.
"Sounds like flirting." He disappears.
Nyx and I look at each other.
"We weren't flirting," I say.
"Definitely not."
"Just arguing."
"Completely different."
"...Want to make out about it?"
"Absolutely."
Three seconds later we're kissing and I've completely forgotten what we were arguing about.
---
When we break apart, Nyx is smiling.
"You're happy," he observes.
"I have a twin who writes me letters. Of course I'm happy."
"That's... surprisingly wholesome."
"I can be wholesome!"
"You flooded three chambers yesterday."
"THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"
"You did it on purpose!"
"I did it ACCIDENTALLY on purpose! There's a difference!"
He's laughing now. Full, genuine laughter that makes him look younger.
"I love you," he says suddenly.
My heart does that stupid flutter thing. "I know."
"I'm serious."
"I know that too." I lean into him. "I love you too. Even when you're annoying."
"I'm never annoying."
"You literally float everywhere instead of walking."
"That's efficient!"
"That's showing off!"
"I'm a god. I'm allowed to show off."
"Insufferable."
"You love it."
"Unfortunately."
We sit there in comfortable silence, and I'm still holding Kieran's letter.
---
"Thank you," I say quietly.
"For what?"
"For letting me have this. The twin thing. I know it's complicated with you and Ravion but—"
"But nothing." He kisses my temple. "Kieran makes you happy. That makes me happy. Even if it means dealing with Ravion."
"You two really hate each other, huh?"
"We've been rivals for centuries." He pauses. "But for you and Kieran, we'll be civil."
"How generous."
"I thought so."
I snuggle closer. "I'm writing him back tomorrow. Telling him about the time you tried to court that mermaid."
"Don't you dare."
"Too late. Already planning it."
"Kaelis."
"What? It's funny!"
"It's embarrassing!"
"Exactly! That's why it's funny!"
He tackles me onto the bed, both of us laughing, and for a moment everything is perfect.
---
I have a twin. A family. A home.
And a sea god who loves me enough to let me tell embarrassing stories about him.
Life is weird.
But it's also pretty fucking great.
---
The next morning, I'm writing another letter to Kieran when Draven appears.
"Your Majesty," he says with exaggerated formality. "A situation has arisen."
I look up from my letter. "What kind of situation?"
"The kind where you accidentally created a sentient water sculpture that's now terrorizing the eastern wing."
I blink. "I did what?"
"Yesterday's practice? When you were 'just trying something'?"
"Oh no."
"Oh yes." He's trying not to laugh. "It's currently chasing servants and singing."
"SINGING?!"
"Very badly."
I drop the letter and run.
---
Sure enough, in the eastern wing, there's a vaguely humanoid shape made entirely of water, floating through the halls and singing what sounds like a very off-key sea shanty.
"KAELIS!" It spots me. "CREATOR! FATHER! MAKER OF WATERS!"
"I am not your father!"
"YOU GAVE ME LIFE!"
"I GAVE YOU AN ACCIDENT!"
It lunges for me. I dodge.
Nyx appears, looking exhausted. "This is why I said no practicing unsupervised."
"I WAS SUPERVISED! Draven was there!"
"I was asleep," Draven admits.
"NOT HELPFUL!"
The water creature is now chasing three servants down the corridor, still singing.
"Fix it!" Nyx commands.
"I DON'T KNOW HOW!"
"You made it!"
"BY ACCIDENT!"
"THEN UNMAKE IT BY ACCIDENT!"
---
I focus on the creature. Try to pull the water back.
It splits into two smaller creatures.
Both singing.
"KAELIS!"
"I'M TRYING!"
This goes on for twenty minutes.
Eventually, Nyx just absorbs all the water back into the environment, the creatures vanish, and I'm left standing in a very wet corridor, surrounded by very traumatized servants.
"I'm sorry," I say to everyone.
"It's fine, Your Highness," one servant squeaks. "Very... entertaining?"
"That's one word for it," Nyx mutters.
After the servants leave, I turn to Nyx.
"So..."
"So?"
"That was... bad?"
"That was a disaster."
"But like... a funny disaster?"
"No."
"A little bit funny?"
He's trying not to smile. "Maybe a little."
"See? Progress!"
"That's not progress! That's chaos!"
"Same thing!"
---
Later, when I'm finally finishing my letter to Kieran:
P.S. - I accidentally created sentient water creatures today that terrorized the castle. Nyx is never letting me practice alone again.
Your life is probably way more normal.
---
I seal the letter and send it off.
Somewhere in Nocterra, my twin is probably having a peaceful, drama-free day.
Definitely not creating chaos.
We're totally different that way.