As I stand here listening at the screaming match between my parents and my older twin, I sigh, I step into the mess main hall, “ALEX!”, I command, lacing the word with some wind magic to get everyone’s attention, the trio quietens as they look at me, despite the three’s stares I approach my sibling, putting my hand on their cheek, I smile, “Alex, my dear twin, I thought you knew, I’ve told all so many times, when it comes to humans our parents are Roow headed fools”, I stop for a second catch my breath, “if you wanted to use the human machines, then you shouldn’t have to..”
“that’s enough!!” father roars, annoyed at having my speech interrupted I turn around to see our parents standing red faced and stunned, ‘I have never seen an elf go that shade of red before’, I muse to myself, “a, what, Al, YOU” my mother flustered stutters then glares at me and tries to yell
“a, what Al, ME”, I interject smugly, cutting her off before she can start her crap, I turn around again, Alex is standing there, eyes watering, trembling, even I can see their on the verge of tears, ‘I’m gonna need to fix this like usual, aren’t i’ I realize. I hug them and softly whisper, “go to our room I’ll sort this out”, Alex breaks away and takes a few steps before stopping giving a nod and leaking quiet a
“okay”, and heads to the stairs,
“We’re not done here” declares my father, thinking we his approval just to breathe,
“you are, keep going” I Reaffirm them, Alex stiffens up unsure but ultimately listens to me an continues on,
“if you’re going to your room than you can pack your bags, you’re leaving the village tonight, Alex we don’t need a son like you” he sneers, ‘annnnd this went exactly the way I thought it would’, I turn around and try to follow Alex back to our room, but I get about three steps in before “don’t think you can leave too dark, we are most definitely NOT done here!”, he tries to order,
“yes we are, old man, what ya gonna do? Kick me out too, then you would have no heir, since you’ve kicked Alex out, you need me you can't afford to lose us both right” And I continue on, when I reach the room, I find my twin laying on their bed hugging a bag and bawling their eyes out. Alex rolls over back facing me so I lean over the edge of their bed and hug them from behind, I whisper softly into their ear “if I force them to forgive you can you forget about using the human tech, can you find an elven way?”
“force?, dark, what are you going to do?” they quietly sob
“doesn’t matter, answer the question!” I deflect the question,
“dark wha..” they try again
“ALEX! YES OR NO, can you find an elven way to do it” I harshly request, their expression shifts; first sad, then confused, to conflicted, until finally, for the first time I can remember Alex’s expression is determined.
“Yes!” he declares, seemingly more to him self than to me, “so dark how are you going to calm down father?” he inquires, I start casting a paralysis spell
“easy, I say, father could never tell us apart, you remember right, how I used to pretend to be you and attend your ‘training’ to be father’s heir, while you went and played dress up with the tailor’s daughter, well I’ll just pretend to be you and leave, in your stead” I reveal
“da..” he starts, but interrupted as I release my spell, I continue,
“You’ll have about four days until the old man notices the difference, I suggest you move in with that tailor and his daughter, since I know that those two care for you almost as much as I do, they will protect you” I finish monologuing, and cast a dispel illusion enchantment on finger as I lick it ‘for dramatic flair, these can have a radius of 2 meters’
“dark, no one has ever survived outside the gate” they struggle, I turn them over and run my finger over their cheek, dispelling the illusion of a scar ‘they’ve always hated that’ I remember, I take a step back, “we don’t know anyone who’ve survived outside the gate, ‘cause if you leave this place, you’re not going to want to come back”
“da.., wha..” they gasp,
I pack the only five items of clothing I own into my storage bag, with my stuff I go to leave, as a reach the door I turn around, “sorry Alex but, father wants ‘you’ out, you know how much he hates the talk of human machines, someone needs to take the fall this time Alex, and we both know you can’t fight, that you won’t survive past the wall”
“that’s not your choice! Don’t do this, dark! We can make dad change his mind! Do go!” they plead.
“father has never changed his mind, he’s a stubborn old fool” I say as I turn and leave,
Outside
As I approach the gate, “Alex, please wait”, screams, Rose, the tailor’s daughter as she sprints towards me, when she gets close she launches in and hugs me, I position my mouth next of her ear and whisper softly, “I’m not Alex” she breaks away looking surprised, then she looks me up and down, her expression shifts into a solemn one, ‘she understands’, I note, I step away and take a few steps before looking over my shoulder, and saying “if ‘dark’ come to visit then can you look after my twin for me”, I can see it in her eyes, she understands what I’m asking, to hide them from my father, ‘she is smart she has wanted to help them for a long time’, with my last request made I head out leaving the little town that has always sheltered me, past the gate and in the grand forest, a vibrant forest of green, blue and purple trees, I am on my own now.
