Unfettered

Part 1: Chapter 1

"Are you ready?"

Arjen looked over his shoulder at Arien. In the moonlight that spilled in from the open ground-floor window, her face was taut and pale. She fingered the straps from the pack she wore, her red eyes shifting nervously from him to the dark landscape beyond. She swallowed, and he thought she might become sick.

"Yes," she said at length. "For a moment, I wasn't sure."

"I understand," he said. "Even though we've been planning this since the day we were born here..." He also swallowed as he realized they were on the threshold of carrying out their plans, plans they had meticulously crafted for years, factoring in as many worst-case scenarios and other plans-gone-awry that they could come up with. All they waited for was the perfect opportunity. And tonight was the night.

"I do understand," he restated. He held out his hand to her. "As long as we're together, we'll be okay. We'll be happy." He mustered his best smile. "We can find happiness."

Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, but she couldn't smile like he did. Did she cry with relief at his words, or was it fear? Or both?

As she placed her hand in his, he saw the numerous scars on her skin, scars that traced up past her wrist and the upper arm hidden in her dress sleeve. The scars stood as a reminder of why they were doing this, why they had to do this. And they were running out of time here.

A faint shout echoed from somewhere on the other side of the castle, and Arjen jumped despite himself. "They're getting closer. If we don't leave now, they'll find us."

"They're here to kill us, aren't they?" said Arien.

"I think so." He looked out again at the night-clad world in front of them. Out there was the unknown, and if they had been wrong in their calculations, and if they hadn't learned enough about the world beyond the castle walls, their survival would be at risk. They might be discovered, and after that...well, he didn't want know.

"How did they find out so quickly?" Arien said. She glanced back into the room's dark interior. Some of the servants had already fled the castle, having no more reason to remain after their mistress, Rurahel, had died, and they would certainly not remain for the twins. With the lack of supervision, it was easy for the twins to slip into the room unnoticed and open the window.

"One of the servants probably told them," Arjen replied. Maybe the servants didn't want to take care of two illegitimate children in a dumpy castle anymore, so they told the imperial palace about Rurahel's death, and now the knights were here to dispose of the twins. Arjen had thought there was a little more time to put the final touches on their plan. The emperor had never cared about them before, so the sudden response was a surprise. It had only been one day since Rurahel impaled herself on a log's broken branch.

Another shout sounded nearby, closer this time. Then, frantic voices from within the castle rang through the halls. Arjen stepped through the window, and helped Arien do the same. His heart hammered against his ribs. As soon as Arien's feet hit the ground, they ran through the overgrown garden at the back of the castle. They knew exactly which route to take. They had scouted it out over the years. The lights from the castle poured out, allowing just enough light for them to see.

When they approached the line of trees at the start of the forest, Arjen stopped briefly to bring up his palm and summon a small ball of light. He kept it bright enough to see where they would put their feet, and dim enough to prevent anyone from seeing them move through the trees.

As the two of them stood facing the woods, he heard Arien take a deep breath. He did the same, savoring how it calmed his heart for a few seconds. If they failed tonight, there would be no second chances. Even while they stared into the unknown, they could see endless possibilities, but they would have to fight for it, just as they'd had to fight their whole lives since being born into this world. If they died here, would they be reincarnated together in another life? Would they be born separately? Arjen didn't want to find out. Rather, he wanted to do what he could now, in this life.

And what he and Arien could do now lay beyond that forest.