Chapter 20: The Midnight Messenger

Some time had now passed. On this night the twins lay asleep, their chambers, their even breathing echoing faintly down the quiet halls. In the lounge, Lucina sat by the fire with a book in her lap, and a cup of tea in her hand. The warm light danced across her calm face.

Upstairs, Solan stood in their chamber, about to take off the belt at his hip when a faint clatter reached his ears. He froze, the instinct of a soldier flooding back in an instant. He crossed to the window, his eyes narrowing into the darkness. A lone cloaked rider appeared beyond the gates.

The rider’s horse was lathered with sweat, its flanks heaving from the strain of a merciless ride. Its breath came in sharp clouds, steaming in the chill of night. The figure atop it swayed slightly in the saddle before forcing himself upright, cloak whipping in the breeze.

Solan’s hand went immediately to his sword. He moved silently down the stairs, boots sounding against stone, the familiar weight of steel at his flank. Lucina looked up as he passed the lounge.

“Solan? What’s the matter?” she asked worryingly.

He gave a curt nod as he stepped past. “ I fear someone approaches. Stay here.”

The heavy door creaked open as Solan stepped into the moonlit courtyard. The iron hinges groaned faintly, the sound swallowed by the stillness of the night. The rider dismounted quickly, bowing low at the gates. “Lord Kazantria,” the man panted. His black horse was lathered with sweat, and seemed exhausted, the rider bore in the kingdom’s royal crest of a golden Phoenix. His voice was rough from the ride. “I bring grave news My Lord.”

Solan opened one side of the gates, allowing the man to step through. Solan kept his grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. “Speak.”

“The King… he has been slain.”

The words seemed to hang in the night air, heavier than the humid breeze. The silence that followed was almost unbearable, the faint crackle of the torches at the gate sounding unnaturally loud.

Solan looked at him, stunned in disbelief, before clearing his throat.

“How is this possible!? How did it happen?”

The messenger shook his head. “We do not yet know all the details, my lord. The palace was attacked in the evening. The King and Queen were assassinated at the same time. However, I’m not certain on the details. Only this is clear: the monarch is dead, and the princess shall be crowned within the month.”

He reached into his satchel, withdrawing a sealed parchment, its wax pressed with the crest of the royal house. The golden phoenix gleamed faintly in the moonlight, though the edges of the parchment were weathered from the hard ride. Solan accepted it, his knuckles whitening as he turned the letter in his hand.

“The coronation for princess Luminaria will be held at the castle in Typhos.

“We will come,” he replied. “Lucina. Bring this man a cup of water please. He looks like he’s about to faint.”

“Thank you, my Lord. Lady,” he bowed taking a sip of the liquid. His shoulders sagged with visible relief, as if even that small kindness gave him the strength to stand again.

The messenger bowed once more, and mounted his weary horse, then vanished into the night, the pounding of hooves fading into silence.

Solan remained still for a long moment before turning to go back inside. The letter heavy in his hand.

He sat down next to Lucina and broke the wax seal.

The words within were formal, almost cold in their brevity:

“By decree of the Crown, the noble House of Kazantria is summoned to the Kingdom’s Capital to bear witness to the Coronation of Her Highness Princess Luminaria Aglia. Your presence is commanded without delay.”

Lucina’s face shadowed. “Should we tell the children?” she whispered.

“Let them rest,” Solan answered firmly. “Tomorrow they’ll know of our summoning and it’ll be a chance for them to finally meet the other members of nobility and socialize even though it may have come under less desirable circumstances.”

“Do we know who the monarchs were murdered by?”

“No… and I have no idea who could’ve managed to do something like this, nonetheless in the castle grounds.”

The fire beside them crackled and hissed, throwing shifting shadows across the walls. Lucina’s hand lingered against the armrest, tightening faintly as her mind reeled. Solan folded the letter again with slow precision, as though sealing away the gravity of the words would somehow lessen them. Yet both knew that this may have just changed the world forever, and their children’s lives would not remain untouched.

The next morning in the dining hall sat Lucina and Solan. The twins padded down the stairs, now twelve years had passed since their reincarnation. Their bodies were now beginning to push beyond childhood.

Lea blinked at the sight of her parents already seated, the letter resting on the table before them. “Good morning,” she said, scratching her hair. “Is something wrong?”

Leo frowned, sensing the tension immediately. “Uhm… Father? Mother?”

Lucina traded a glance with Solan before speaking. Her voice was gentle but solemn.

“There is news from the capital…The King and Queen have died. And soon, the princess will be crowned. We will soon set out towards the capital to attend.”

The twins froze, the breakfast in front of them already forgotten. A hundred thoughts swirled in their minds. The world beyond the manor, the nobles they had never met, the city they had never seen and how all of a sudden the King and Queen are dead.

“The young princess is only about a year older than you two and you’ll get to meet her in the castle,” Lucina said.

“Really? She’s so young and now she’s going to be a Queen!” replied Leo.

“Yes… unfortunately. No child should have to bear so much responsibility at that age but this is how things have played out.” Solan lamented.

“When someone becomes an adult how old would they be turning Father?”

“Sixteen is considered the age of adulthood across the land but some may already have their independence at fifteen. It just depends on the person’s situation.

A few days later they were ready to set out on this three week journey.

“You’ll be gone for a couple of months,” Lilibeth said calmly as she fixed Leo’s cloak. She walked with them outside to the carriage and fixed down one of the chests inside, before she turned, her long ears twitching slightly.

“Behave, both of you. Don’t pick fights with the other aristocratic children, don’t wander away from your parents, and remember your manners.”

Her gaze sharpened on Leo. “And you. Don’t set anything on fire.” Lilibeth smiled.

“That time it was an accident!” he blurted, cheeks red.

One day during practice Leo was testing out a new fire spell and it set one of the garden trees ablaze.

Lea covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “And I had to quickly cast hydrosphere to put it out,” she chuckled.

Lucina came forward, her dress brushing softly against the cobblestones. She touched the elf’s arm with a faint smile. “You’ll keep everything here in order, Lili?”

“Yes, of course, my Lady. The manor will be cared for until your return,” Lilibeth answered, bowing her head. Her eyes, though calm, lingered a heartbeat too long on the twins, as if reluctant to see them go for so long.

Solan approached last, clad in travel gear with his sword already at his side. He shook Alten’s hand before mounting the carriage. “Shall I escort you to the forest’s edge, my Lord?”

“No, we’ll be alright, Alten. Keep your focus here,” he said rubbing Alten’s shoulder.

With a crack of the reins, the carriage rolled forward through the gates. Lilibeth waved at the twins looking back through the window. The sight of the manor began shrinking behind them, then towering trees of Endlost started surrounding them as they rolled through.