Katherina stared out with the curiosity of a cat from atop of her balcony. The sky was blue, bright, and brilliant with a hint of something else in the air. There was an electric feeling that Kate couldn’t quite pinpoint as to where it started and ended. Her large, amber eyes watched every movement that was made in the town square, darting up and down. Large, colorful tents were put up to cover the merchants from the sun, and to offer their customers respite to cool off. The sun was high up, overlooking the city. Katherina knew there was not a chance of the sun waning soon, but she enjoyed the feel of the sun on her skin as the heat warmed her cold flesh. It didn’t compare to the island sun, but there was no place quite like home in her opinion. Shop owners in aprons and foreign merchants in different color robes bartered animatedly with their hands as if they had the most valuable items in the palm of their hands. The markets in Helios traded anything from precious silks to spices from the four corners of the world to servants and slaves.

A sweet, fresh smell waft and tickled her senses; and awakened her stomach, making it grumble loudly. She looked around, blushing a bit. Kate hoped no one had heard her crying stomach. The aroma of fresh, roasted cinnamon bread sent signals to her stomach to rumble once with hunger and it was even louder this time! She clutched her stomach, glancing down to see which stall it was.

“Hungry, Kate?” said Charlie sleepily. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, and he yawned; however, no sound escaped him from. There was a hint of amusement in his voice as he sat down on one of her trunks to the side. His brown hair was ruffled and sticking up in the strangest fashion. Her brother’s lean arms glistened in the light. His sword was placed against the wall, but the golden hilt glimmered in a mesmerizing fashion as the light had hit it just right, blinding Kate temporarily. He had an eternal boyish charm, lacking their father’s stoic eyes and hard looks. Charlie was gentle, kind, and so very soft spoken, but his mind was incredible. It worked in ways she couldn’t quite comprehend. Her younger brother, by a few minutes, was already taller than her too.

The corner of her mouth curved up, and it was a very indulgent smile as she took in his sleepy appearance.

“Yes, Charlie,” answered Kate with a light laugh. “Let’s go get some breakfast. After all, we arrived in town just after midnight.”

“Shall we wake Milli?” asked Charlie as he fashioned his green cloak onto his shoulders, securing it in place with a silver feather pin. His blue-purple eyes were no longer sleepy, and there was a clarity in them as he gazed out of the window.

“Let her rest,” yelled out Kate from her bedroom. Her hands were pulling her long, golden tresses into a high ponytail. She wrapped an emerald ribbon at the base then tied the ribbon into a bow as she glanced into the crystal mirror. After deeming herself presentable, Kate quickly exited her spacious, unpacked room and closed the door.

The twins exited the townhouse, and the locking mechanisms built into the wood-iron door whirled, ticked, and wheeled into place. It would take a tremendous effort to break down the door, and picking the door was not an option for people who wanted to pick the lock. There was a failsafe mechanism that would release a toxic gas from the hole if there was an attempt of a lock picking. All the townhouse’s windows were made with tempered glass from Ora, and they could withstand the force of arrows, the pounding of fists, and sword handles.

They didn’t have to walk very far to find fresh, baked goods as Kate’s townhouse was right in the center of Helios. Hanging gardens were a sight to behold as they decorated every corner, and the sidewalk that they walked on was incredibly clean. There were intricate, jeweled designs of the sun laid down into the bronze sidewalk every ten steps they took. Every carriage that passed them by were made from the finest Cherry wood from the Phillips Forest up to the north eastern regions of Lingettes. There were some carriages that were marked with a family crest, and there were some that were of equal quality, but there were no symbols or any sort of moniker that would suggest who owned the fine vehicle.

“Let’s grab some pastries, bread, butter, and milk,” said Kate, leading the way through the crowd. Her amber eyes flashing with utmost curiosities as she took in every color, dish, item her eyes could feast upon. “Do you think they will have coffee?”

“Perhaps,” replied Charlie. He kept his focus on his sister’s shorter frame. He did not want to lose her in the crowd. “Ora trades with the Mainland too.”

“I suppose,” Kate said, grabbing three apples before giving the plump woman a gold coin. Her eyes were shocked, and she looked for Kate, but Kate and Charlie were already long gone as the apples were safely placed inside the woven bag. “The war continues North, and I hope it stays that way. However, as long as the war stays on the Mainland – I, for one, am not too concerned with the state of the world.”

“I still think you should come home,” Charlie said as he placed two large loafs of bread onto the counter. “Home is safest.”

“I can come home, but that means I will have to endure his presence.”

Charlie stopped walking and then looked up. His placid eyes suddenly became sharp with acid. He nodded, “Yes, I suppose you can stay away for a bit longer.”

Kate laughed, and her eyes crinkled into joyous slits. Suddenly, she fell sideways, gripping the wall for support as her body collided with something else. Her footing finally stabilized, and she looked up. Charlies was already by her stand, and ready for a brawl – his shoulders squaring up. Her temper flared until her eyes met apologetic brown ones.

His eyes went from apologetic to shock to apologetic again. He looked incredibly young.

“Terribly sorry, miss,” he said softly. His voice held a musical quality to it. His hair was wavy and fell across his face. “I apologize. I wasn’t looking where I was going. Please accept my apologize.”

Kate immediately nodded, and then replied, waving both of her hands, “Of course! I am sorry too. I should have been more careful.”

He nodded, and then began following his companions once more. The man stopped in his tracks, and then turned around, letting his eyes settle on the backs of the twins. Could she be…? He thought. He brushed the thought away, and he quickly caught up with his squad.

Nikolai had a mission to complete.

The door whirled to life, and the lock’s cogs and wheels were unarmed as the silver skeleton key twisting the correct combination into place. Charlie pushed the door open, and in the middle of the receiving room was Millicent Hafner. She looked rested, and tiny wisps of hair escaped and framed her long face. Although she tried looking stern with an unrelenting scowl and furrowed brows, upon seeing the twins’ faces, she broke out into a relieved smile.

Millicent Hafner was a young woman with bright, warm eyes as her brown b0bbed hair swept to side-to-side. She was fashioned in the Izarian fashion of plain, brown wool spun tunic and rough cotton trousers. Standing up, she bowed and lowered her head to the ground in greeting.

Milli’s back became straight as a rod after her greeting finished.

“Welcome back,” said Milli, grabbing the woven bag from Charlie. “Though I wish you two had woken me up.”

“Come now, we weren’t gone for more than 15 minutes,” Kate said, grabbing the chair and settling her bottom against the velvet cushion. “Besides it was only breakfast… do we have a status update on the hiring process of a housekeeping team?”

“We do have an application for the cook position, but it seems no one wants to work for the household unless it includes room and board.”

Kate sighed, twirled a finger through her hair. She then said, “Raise the payment rate to two silver coins for a weekly cleaning. I rather not have them linger in the home without our supervision.”

Milli nodded and wrote down the instructions on a loose piece of parchment with an ink pen. The sea-foam green drapes were open, letting in the sunlight to bathe the emerald walls, the plush furniture, and the paintings in warmth. Kate then turned her attention to her brother. Her brother was in the kitchen, cutting up the loafs of bread and apples. He placed some of the butter into a crystal dish before placing it on the round tea table, joining the two ladies. The townhouse was newly renovated and there wasn’t much furniture yet, but it would be Kate’s home for the next two years.

Charlie had also prepared tea, placing the ceramic china cups in front of his sister, his friend, and himself. He opened a canister of premium Blue Apricot Lily White Tea, and the floral notes instantly filled the room with scents of bitterness, honey, a fruity sweetness, and something that was lemony and ripe. He then placed a stone plate off to the side before setting down an empty bowl next to the plate. Shuffling back to the kitchen, Charlie carefully carried a medium-sized pot of hot water by the handles and gently sat it on the stone plate. Next to the pot of hot water was a wooden ladle. He scooped the hot water and poured into his cup, swishing the content around in a swirl over and over before dumping it into the empty bowl. He continued repeating the action for each cup, and then after the last cup was rinsed with the hot water – he grabbed the tea canister and using a metal measuring spoon, he scooped out two teaspoons of tea and poured it into the water. After waiting for three minutes, Charlie used the wooden ladle to grab the tea, placing a delicately, round metal wire mesh over the tea cups and began pouring the tea.

Kate clapped, and then said jokingly, “Wow, so talented! As expected of our Academy’s Ace!”

Charlie didn’t reply; instead, he continued fixing his tea with white sugar cubes and a scoop of honey.

“Thank you, Charlie,” Milli said, bringing the cup to her lips. She took a sip before immediately pulling it away as the scalding hot tear burned the tip of her tongue.

Kate thanked her brother too and he simply smiled at the women before him. He then calmly drank his tea, pulling out his book while Kate stared outside of the window, looking down at the bustling street.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come home?” Her brother’s soft, somber voice asked.

Milli decided to study her nails and her cup of tea.

Kate didn’t turn to look at him. Instead she stared at his reflection and saw his concerned gaze. Kate then said, “I don’t want to come back just to get married. I don’t want to dress up and engage with the gentry just because I know I must. Eventually. I rather stay away a bit until the celery stick gets married.”

“You could say no,” Charlie offered, shrugging his shoulders.

Kate smiled, and tilted her head. Then in a quiet voice she replied with a bit of sardonic sadness, “You never know when you need friends.”

Charlie then decided to change the subject, and he asked about her activities planned in Helios. He talked about taking a stroll in the Butterfly Gardens then spending the afternoon at the Diamond Coves before he began his journey back home. A loud shout broke their conversation as they turned their heads over to the sounds of people shouting for the crowds to make way. Bloodied soldiers were carried in on carriages.

Worried blue eyes turned over to Kate, and Kate could only slightly shrug as she took a sip of the cooling tea. The gold ring she wore on her fingers glittered in the sunlight, and she then spoke quietly.

“Well, this is a neutral city so those who are caught in the crossfire are given refugee status here; and I want to help them however way I can. There is a medical school that is short on experienced hands, and I figure I can help them.”

“Kate…” Charlie said. His lips were no longer gentle and free; instead, it transformed into a straight line tinged with worry.

“We are far from the frontlines,” Kate explained, hoping to placate Charlie’s questioning eyes. “There is no harm coming this way, and I have Milli here. There is naught to worry about, Charlie.”

Kate turned to Milli, and Milli turned to Charlie. There was a determination in Milli’s blue eyes as she addressed Charlie, bringing her hand over her heart. Her voice was full of promise as she swore on her life, saying, “I swear on my life that I will do anything to keep Kate safe.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Kate quickly cut in, waving away Milli’s stunned face as she grabbed a piece of buttered bread. “However, I don’t want – or rather, I don’t think it will ever come to that point Milli.”

Charlie stared at his sister, and he ruffled a hand through his hair. He took a moment to collect his thoughts as he rubbed his temples. He then got up from the table and walked over to the balcony. He stared at the colored tents, the different people trading, and the medical district over by the West Wing parliament building. He broke the silence with a reluctant sigh. He then said, “At least, it is not etiquette school.”

Kate gasped, turning to her brother with wide, mock-hurt eyes. Her hands covertly grabbed the pillow cushioning her back, making sure her eyes did not lose her younger brother’s shaking, laughing body. It was mostly not to alert her brother’s quick senses. Her fingers grasped the edge, quickly turning her hand up and pulling her arm back. She leaned forward, moving her entire body to release the pillow-turned projectile.

Charlie simply moved to the side, grinning at his sister as the cushion made a dull plunk sound as it landed on the balcony. His brown hair was messy and short, moving with the wind. His eyes were crinkling and became narrow slits as he smiled wholeheartedly, but his eyes were full of conflict.

Kate then smiled and look at her brother as he stayed outside on the balcony. Charlie was dark haired with sun-kissed skin compared to his sister’s golden hair and milky skin. They did not share a single identical trait at first glance, but if they stood next to each other, you could see that they had their mother’s round eye shape, and their father’s tall nose bridge. Or you could see that their mouth was round and plush.

“Yes, at least, it is not etiquette school,” Kate said flatly. She tried pouting at his joke, but the glimmer in his eyes made the corners of her mouth turn upwards in the end. “Oh dear, if I have to listen to Nurse Joy about how to properly hold a fan… Life would simply end for the likes of me, brother.”

He rose a brow, returning to his seat at the table. Kate’s amber eyes strayed back down to the marketplace. He opened his mouth to speak, but Charlie was cut off before he could continue...

 

Helios was a city-state ruled by the Archduke of Helios, Azer O’mna. The cobblestone streets were clean and wide. Thousands of rubies were embedded into the sidewalk and the lampposts were made of silver and gold. Every building in the city possessed stain glassed windows, depicting stories of valiant knights and important historical Helian figures. The political status of the city officially was neutral, but from Kate’s standpoint – they seemed to linger towards the Alliance rather than its official neutral stance.

Archduke Azer O’mna was an explosive man. He wore gaudy clothing spun with threads made from Gold Spider silk. Every finger was decorated with a rings and jewels that were the size of thumbs. He was tall and handsome with greedy eyes, taking anything, anyone he saw and liked without a single thought about repercussion. He was without an heir despite the many ladies-in-waiting he kept in his Garden of Starlight.

“Hm,” Kate began, walking ahead of her brother. She dressed appropriately for the outing: she wore boots instead of silk slippers, her dress was exchanged for a red, fitted tunic and black breeches. Her hair was put up into a bun. “Such an opulent city, Charlie. Do you not agree?”

There were horse statues made from large emerald stones the size of boulders. The benches were solid gold and silver while the lanterns made of the finest silks hung on manicured trees that bloomed purple flowers the size of Kate’s fist. Every building they had passed was purposely beautiful with colored stained-glass windows and structures made from Comcen bricks and Ash wood. The siblings looked for signs of poverty, sickness, or some sort of anything that suggested otherwise about the beauty of the city center they were in, but it didn’t exist. At least, they did not find it.

Charlie was dressed similarly to his sister. However, he wore a blue tunic instead of a white one. “I agree. It’s quite an eye-catching view.”

Kate handed the street merchant a few coins, thanking the woman dressed in linen. In Kate’s hands were two large hollowed breads with minced meat and vegetables in the middle. They sat down at the eating area, watching the people go by.

“Chili?” asked Kate. She opened the bread and gave a pleasurable moan. She picked up the cover of the little chili pot and spooned a large amount of chili onto her meats and vegetables.

“Um,” Charlie began brusquely, and he made a face as he saw that the spoon of chili was coming closer and closer to his plate.

“No, no, no, little miss,” said a gruff voice. Kate looked up and saw a large man hovering over them. He had a rough shadow of stubbles and his skin was the color of dark sand. His dark hair tamed and slicked back with some sort of oil. He possessed a handsome face, but Kate felt unnerved by the man’s presence. “Yogurt! You should only eat it with yogurt!”

Kate’s back straightened up, and she gave the man a cold smile and a withering glance that made him hesitant. She then said curtly, “Thank you for your input. It was so… lovely of you to say so. If you’ll excuse us…”

The older man smiled kindly, and then said, “Now hold on missy,” he paused. His hands were tanned and dark and rough like her brothers. “You two must be new in town, but this is how people with good taste eat the dish correctly.”

“Is that so?” Kate couldn’t help, but raise her brow at him, letting out a smile that was simply contemptuous. “Well, thank you very much for your suggestion.” She said, not leaving any room for further conversation. She began gathering her things, and she stood up. She was almost the stranger’s height

Charlie stayed quiet, keeping his eyes on the stranger’s sword hilt. It was a familiar looking hilt. The sword did not have the standard plain hilt nor was it decoratively gilded with filigree. It was eye-catching, and the iron was blackened, curved into the heads of dragons with blue stones for the eyes. Although the stranger smiled friendly enough – Charlie couldn’t help but have a sinking feeling about the man. Perhaps it was not smart to let his sister stay in this city…

Soon it would be dark…