Determined to take control of their fates, Arjen and Arien escape Derolina Castle at the age of sixteen after their cruel mother dies. They adopt new names and find a home in the city of Aramore, while the Emperor of Yuriana searches for his missing...
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The following days were a mix of anxiety, wonder, and disappointment. As the twins went about the city to find work, there were times when they felt they were in over their heads. They had read about many of the customs within the Yuriana Empire, but they hadn't taken into account that Aramore was somewhat of a melting pot of nations, being a port city with many ships coming and going from other countries. There were many cultures under the empire's dominion. The twins knew little about them.
In one instance, Arjen and Arien had gone into what they thought was a mercantile or store. They had tried speaking to a man at the counter, but he acted as though he didn't speak the imperial language well, and then promptly kicked them out when they did something to offend him, although they didn't know what. It had left them confused, and they only got more confused when they wandered into other cultural enclaves. In spite of it, they found the different cultures fascinating. Some cultures were comparable to those from the twins' past lives. Others were entirely foreign. In one neighborhood, very few spoke the imperial language, and another didn't take well to outsiders. In another quarter, as the twins sought out something to eat, a group of men sitting outside a restaurant glared at them. Arjen noted they had similar markings on their clothes and figured they might be a gang, so he took Arien away from that place.
As the sun set on their third full day in Aramore, they found themselves in a small square. They had just come out of a shop after asking about work, but the shop didn't need any extra help. It had to have been the t wentieth place they'd tried that day. They went to sit on the edge of a fountain that was topped with a statue of a man on a horse. Arien swept her hand through the cool water and Arjen considered where they should have dinner.
"There's always the docks," Arien reminded him. "We haven't tried that yet."
He shook his head. "I doubt they would want us. Seems no one around here does. I thought this would be easier."
"It seems we've been saying that a lot lately."
Arjen smiled bitterly.
"Aramore is huge, and we've barely put a dent in it," said Arien. "There are still a lot of places we could try."
"But our money is going to run out soon. Maybe I should've packed more, but I thought we'd be able to find something as soon as we got here."
"Don't be so pessimistic. We only just got here—"
"It's hard not to be pessimistic when we've faced nothing but disappointment our whole—" He stopped and shook his head. "I'm sorry. You're right." He looked out over the square at the people walking around. "I guess we do have one reason to be optimistic: We made it to Aramore."
"We're trying our best."
"I know."
"And if we keep trying, we'll find where we belong."
Where they belong? He knew that had been their goal from the start, but their experiences over the last few days had planted seeds of doubt in his mind. Was it possible for them to belong here when they were so different from everyone else? He remembered the nights they spent watching the imperial palace from afar. He never told Arien this, but sometimes he felt drawn to that place. Truthfully, he felt his home was there, not at Derolina Castle. He had allowed those feelings to eat him up inside until he learned to detach from them. He and Arien were different from the imperial family. They did not belong in the palace. They would have to find another place to belong.
