He didn't know how long they stood there, kissing deeply, their tails entwined. All too soon, a familiar voice interrupted the moment, "Chrys. Chrys!"
Aurus broke away from the other mer and turned to see Jaden appear from behind a giant anemone. Jaden was Chrys's twin, but even if they looked a lot alike, they weren't identical. Unlike Chrys, Jaden's hair and eyes were green and his tail shone in gentle tones of emerald. And yet, Aurus didn't feel attracted to Jaden at all. Or at least, he didn't think so.
"What is it, Jaden?" Chrys asked, panting. Jaden looked away from them, his face flushed. He remained silent, looking embarrassed. "Jaden?" Chrys insisted.
"It's Father," Jaden said, taking a deep breath. "He's looking for us. He seems angry."
Chrys nodded and Aurus's heart fell. Chrys turned to him and their lips met in a brief peck. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
A dark premonition suddenly swept over Aurus. He gripped Chrys's arm, stopping him. "Don't go," Aurus said. "Something's wrong."
Chrys gave him an apologetic look and freed himself from Aurus
'
s hold.
"
I can
'
t
not
go. I
'
ll see you later, al
l
right?
"
Aurus wanted to say something else, to stop Chrys, but nothing came out. Chrys blew him another kiss, then he and Jaden disappeared beyond the corals. For a few seconds, Aurus stared at the spot Chrys had vacated. He wanted to go after them, but what could he do? Going against Lord Malach would make things worse when he didn't yet have an actual solution.
That night, the rumor reached his ears. Chrys and Jaden had been banished from the court. They would not be allowed back into Atlantis until the curse was broken. Aurus had lost them both.
* * * *
Five years later
"They're a disgrace to our people. You have to push them into turning, or I will."
"But, my King… they're young, still. It's just a slight delay."
"You've told me that a million times, Malach. A slight delay is one, two summers. They're already twenty-two and they're still nulls."
Hidden behind the large doors of his father's office, Chrys winced at the anger in the king's voice. It was unprecedented for a member of the royal family to visit a minor noble. And yet, the king had come. That spoke volumes of the seriousness of the situation.
Chrys and Jaden had just recently celebrated their birthday. They were at an age where they should be engaged in courtship and training to join their army. Instead, they remained hidden at their father's estate, away from the eyes of their world, a disgrace, like the king said, and all because their powers simply refused to manifest.
The strange thing was that their mother had foretold them having magic. Childbearing parents could sense the power of their unborn babies, and she'd said that one of her precious twins would have power over jade and the other over chrysocolla. But she'd died while giving birth to them. In his dark moments, Chrys felt almost thankful for the fact that she hadn't lived to see her sons end up with this curse upon them.
Jaden gave him a frightened look. "What are we going to do, brother?" he whispered, his tail twitching nervously.
"I don't know," Chrys replied. "If Father doesn't manage to convince His Majesty…"
"Even if he does, it's only a matter of time until a summons comes once more," Jaden said. "We've run out of time, Chrys."
Chrys sighed and nodded. "This is such a disaster. Why us, Jaden? Why us?"
Mermen came into their powers in their early years. Their names, chosen at birth according to the element they would later control, depended on what the childbearing parent said. But Jaden and Chrys had reached twenty-two summers with no sign of their magic manifesting.
Their father, Malach, chose to call it a delay. Others, like the king, thought it brought shame on the entire Atlantean nation. Most of the mer called it a curse, and refused to have any contact whatsoever with Jaden and Chrys.
In general, mer folk didn't like twins much. It wasn't entirely unusual for them to be born, but they were never identical. The fact that Jaden and Chrys couldn't use their powers only cemented their belief that something was very wrong with the two brothers.
It was absurd. Chrys knew if they'd just be given a chance, they'd manage to awaken their elements. One method to nudge them into attaining their powers lay in the lessons soldiers took to control their shifting abilities. 'Lessons' was a bit of a euphemism, though. Mer could only learn to change their tails into legs through sexual tutoring. Unfortunately, that was off limits for both Chrys and his brother as no one wanted to touch a cursed twin.
"Your Highness," their father said, "courtship is difficult in this situation. I need more time."
Even without seeing Malach, Chrys could hear the misery and dejection in his sire's voice. He closed his eyes at the pain that shot through him. They'd been the one to cause that sorrow.
The king laughed. "Courtship? Who would willingly take one of your offspring to their bed? Pay someone, ask a servant. I don't care. You've had enough time."
Chrys barely managed to suppress a gasp. The king couldn't be serious. A merman's first time was vital for his or her future development, almost sacred. They couldn't just choose a random person to do it. And even if they did, it was doubtful the man or woman would agree.
A new wave of pain swept through Chrys. He knew who he wanted to show him the magic of the shift. There were two persons in his mind when he dreamed of swimming to the surface, and one of them, Jaden, was his dear twin. The other, Aurus, haunted every second of his days and nights, like an impossible fantasy. The man didn't even know Chrys existed, not anymore, after all these years. He had hundreds of beautiful men and women vying for his attention. How could Chrys compete with that?
If only Jaden could teach him… but no! Jaden was his twin. Such a thing couldn't exist between brothers. Chrys shouldn't let despair get to him and taint the feelings he had for Jaden.
Jaden's low voice snapped him out of his musings. "Brother, come. We can't stay here any longer."
Jaden sounded even more alarmed. What had Chrys missed while lost in his thoughts?
"Jaden? What's wrong?"
His twin pulled him away from the door and out into the corridor. "Didn't you hear? The king wants Father to teach us. Tonight."
This time, Chrys couldn't contain his horror. "What?" he asked, voice trembling. "That's… that's not possible." He couldn't even fathom his father touching him… like a lover. Just the thought nearly made him lose his breakfast.
"I know," Jaden replied with a choked sob. "It's horrid."
A sense of urgency filled Chrys at the mere thought of such a thing happening to them. "We need to leave. We can't stay here any longer."
Jaden nodded, and together, they swam faster. "I'll go to the kitchens to grab some supplies," Jaden said. "You pack something. We don't have much time."
Chrys's heart thundered as his twin disappeared in the direction of the cooking area. Pushing his terror back, he rushed to the sleeping area. His first stop was their father's chambers. He slipped inside, thankful the king's retinue kept everyone distracted. Shame and guilt swept over him as he scanned the room. He hated what he was about to do, but he didn't have any choice.
Chrys detected his sire's stash of gold with reasonable ease. He'd seen Malach retrieve coins from there many times. He grabbed the purse, mentally apologizing to his father.
Moving as quickly as possible, he left the bedroom and headed toward the quarters he shared with his twin. Nobody stopped him on the way and he guessed all the servants were busy in the receiving area. He hoped his brother wouldn't have too much trouble in the kitchens. This might be their only chance to stop the king's atrocious plan.
Mind whirling, he proceeded to pack a few essentials. Their blades went into the bag, along with the purse of gold, a map, and a few items of clothing. The waters were warm in this area, but the gods only knew where they'd have to swim to get away from his father's guards. There were dangerous creatures out there, but they'd have to chance it.
Seconds after he finished, Jaden burst in the room. He carried a bottle of sweet juice, a few algae breadsticks, and some fruit. That would have to do. They could forage easily enough once they got far enough away. Hunting would be harder since they'd have no means of cooking the fish.
"Ready?" Jaden asked.
Chrys nodded. He hastily packed their supplies into another bag then locked the door and blocked it with a table. Perhaps it would stall their pursuers.
Jaden opened the window and Chrys swam to his brother's side. He swallowed nervously. Guards surrounded their small villa, and beyond the transparent dome the ocean surrounded them, silent and dark, both welcoming and gloomy. Could they even survive out there?
His remaining hestitation dissipated when he heard his father's voice in the corridor. Jaden gasped. "Hurry. Perhaps we can sneak past the soldiers unseen."
Chrys took a deep breath and slipped out the window, his twin following behind him. The small villa was surrounded by picturesque corals, and somehow they managed to find hiding spots and dodge the guards' vigilant gazes. Escaping through the actual gate would be impossible, but Chrys and Jaden knew of another route, through the coral garden and down into the caves beneath the villa. They'd snuck out that way before, although on those days, the guards had been less numerous. Damn the king for his cruelty.
Chrys squeezed his twin's hand, finding comfort and strength in Jaden's presence. "We'll get out of here, brother," he whispered. "We'll escape."
Jaden offered him a small smile and Chrys focused on their mind link. As twins, they shared a bond more powerful than any elemental magic. Together, they sent out a call to the sea creatures, asking them for aid. They waited together, hidden in a small niche of coral and occasionally taking a peak outside. Acutely aware of each second that passed, Chrys knew that soon, their father would find them.
To
Chrys
'
s
relief, their call was answered. A huge
shroin
whale suddenly appeared, its humongous form shadowing the small villa. Dangerous sea creatures rarely ventured in
to
close proximity of mer homes, so the guards became alarmed.
Chrys heard them try to reach out to the magnificent leviathan, to convince it to stand down. All mer could speak to the children of the sea. Generally, whales did not attempt to attack settlements and were quite cooperative with their people. However, Chrys and Jaden's bond with the creatures went beyond that of usual mermen. Chrys thought it was the Sea Mother's way of compensating for their lack of magic. He knew the whale wouldn't leave. She'd come to help them and, until they escaped, she would brave the danger of the mer soldiers.
The whale let out a bellowing cry, so loud it shook the dome surrounding their home.
"
You
'
re free,
"
she said to them.
"
Go.
"
Chrys focused on his mind link to the sea creature.
"
Thank you, friend,
"
he replied.
Together with Jaden, he snuck out of their hiding spot while the
large mammal distracted the guards.
They swam to the coral garden and found their way inside. Once safe, they spoke to the whale again,
"
Go. They will hurt you if you stay much longer.
"
The whale cried out once more, making Chrys smile. "At least we'll always have the Sea Mother," Jaden whispered.
"Yes, little brother," Chrys replied. "We'll always have her—and each other."
Sorrow weighed on his soul as he glanced one last time to the house. He shook himself and pulled Jaden away and into the passage. It would be better this way. Their father wouldn't be forced into doing something abominable. Perhaps, with luck and the help of the Sea Mother, they'd find a way to be free of their curse.
* * * *
Jaden sighed as he leaned against a rock and absently nibbled on a piece of cheese. He grimaced at the taste, never having been a real fan of processed algae. Of course, such trivial things didn't matter now. They were lucky enough to even have a little bag of supplies and to have escaped their home in one piece.
Jaden shuddered at the thought of what could have happened had they not been able to leave the mansion. The very idea of his father tutoring him made him sick to his stomach. The king must be beyond furious with their situation if such a thing had occurred to him.
At that thought, Jaden felt a surge of shame. If the king had suggested Jaden and Chrys touch each other instead, Jaden would have gladly done it. It was sick that he even considered it, but he couldn't help it.
He stole a guilty look at his twin, sweeping his gaze over Chrys's body, so much like his own, yet so very different. Thankfully, Chrys looked in a different direction, scanning their surroundings for any approaching intruders. Little did Chrys know that his worst enemy, the wickedest mer out of all of Atlantis, was his own twin.
Not that Jaden would hurt Chrys, at least not physically. If Chrys ever found out about Jaden's cravings, they'd be forced to separate, which would automatically hurt them both. Jaden would do anything to keep that from happening.
Anyway, he knew Chrys would never look at him that way. His twin would never even consider that Jaden might want such a thing. Chrys was too wrapped up in his feelings for Aurus to think about that, a fact which made Jaden both very happy and exceedingly sad.
Of course, Aurus was also out of Chrys's reach. If only they hadn't been separated five years ago… Jaden felt certain his twin would have, at least, broken free of this peculiar curse by now.