The Samaratis Twins

Samaratis was deserted. Not a soul was seen as Jacey and Kaleb Samar walked the streets of their small planet.

“Where is everyone, Brother?” Jacey asked the prince. “I’ve seen no one since we’ve left.”

“I do not know, Jacey,” Kaleb said to his twin sister. “Maybe we should ask Father?” Jacey nodded.

Kaleb and Jacey walked back to the castle they had been studying in for the past month. They have not been outside the walls of the glorious structure until now.

“Father,” Kaleb said aloud as he entered King Hayba’s study without warning. “What is going on? The Samaratan streets are deserted.”

“Grave news, my son,” the king replied. “It seems as though Lord Grayham has declared war. We have cleared the streets and said no one is to be outside unless they have permission from me.”

“War?” Jacey asked her father, appalled. “On what circumstances?”

“I do not know, my daughter,” said the king. “But I do know it is not safe for you here. Your mother and I have discussed that you should leave Samaratis.

“Where would you send us?” Kaleb asked.

“Earth.”

“No!” Jacey said. “That planet is retched and vile. I’m not going.” She crossed her arms and turned away from the king.

“You are,” Hayba retaliated. “You are going. I have already prepared for you a living establishment with earth food and clothing. After that runs dry, you must find more for yourselves.”

“You’ve already prepared it for us?” Kaleb said. “So you’ve been planning this all along? And with a war that we had no idea about.”

“No arguments!” the king said, getting angry and his two children. “You’re going. That’s my final word. You leave tomorrow morning. When the moon lowers.”

“I can’t believe we actually have to go to Earth.” Jacey said in her room to her brother later that night. “It’s a vile planet.”

Jacey and Kaleb we worried. They had never been to Earth. They had studied on it with their tutors, learning it was the only other planet that had living inhabitants that breathed air. They were also worried about what their father had told them about fending for themselves. Their whole lives they had been spoon-fed everything by their parents, servants, and tutors.

“It is going to be horrible,” her twin said. “How do we know how to fend for ourselves? We don’t understand their customs. We don’t understand anything about them. I don’t even know if they speak our language!”

“Oh, Brother,” Jacey said, sobbing. “I don’t want to go. Samaratis is in a war. They need us now more than ever. And what of Mother? She’s sick. Who knows how long it will be until she…” She broke off her sentence.

“No!” Kaleb interrupted, not wanting to hear the retched word. “Don’t you dare say such a thing!” He hugged his sister. “It will be fine. I promise. I will be there and I will watch after you, Sister. We must look at this in a positive manner.”

“What is so positive about this?” Jacey asked into her twin’s shoulder. Jacey, though bright, had a way of looking at the negative.

“We get to see something new for once,” Kaleb said. “We don’t have to be looking at the same thing everyday. And we can do anything we want. No one to tell us what to do or where to go.”

“I guess you’re right,” Jacey replied, smiling a little. “It will be an adventure!” The more she thought about leaving the castle once and for all, the more excited she got. “An adventure that we call our own. Anything and everything can be ours.”

“We should get some sleep,” Kaleb said, laughing at his sister’s spontaneity. “We have a big day tomorrow. Starting at moon down. Goodnight, Sister.”

“Goodnight, Brother,” Jacey said. Kaleb left the room to go into his own.

Later that night, Jacey and Kaleb were awaken by loud thumping noises coming from outside their windows. The palace started to shake as the noise grew louder. Jacey, afraid, ran into her brother’s room.

“Kaleb!” she cried. “What’s happening?”

“I’m not sure,” Kaleb said. They looked out of his window and saw an army of people screaming incomprehensible things. Some were holding torches. Others swords. The one thing they all had in common was that they were wearing armor with the symbol of Lord Grayham.

Grayham was the brother of King Hayba. He was jealous of his younger brother for taking the crown instead of himself. He promised one day, when he was ready, he would prepare an army and take the world of Samaratis away from Hayba and his family.

The twins ran downstairs to the front of the castle where they found their mother and father.

“Mother! Father!” Kaleb shouted. “What is happening?”

“I am not sure, my son,” Queen Vegray replied, followed by a cough.

“You should be inside,” Kaleb said. “You are sick. You should not be out here in your nightgown.”

“I’m perfectly fine,” she said.

There was a noise. Someone clearing their throat. The family didn’t have to look to see who it was who had made the disgusting noise.

“What do you want?” King Hayba said, outraged.

“Perhaps we should talk inside,” Grayham said. “The queen doesn’t look very healthy.”

“Don’t speak of her!” Jacey said, stepping in front of her mother. Though young, the princess was said to have the biggest heart of the family.

Grayham looked at the princess and smiled. He moved closer. “Hello, Princess Jacey. It has been a while.” He took a lock of her hair and tucked it behind her ear.

“Don’t touch me,” Jacey replied. “You have no business being here..”

“Oh, I believe I do have business,” the evil man said. He looked over to the king. “Business with your father.” He looked back to Jacey, and moved closer to the girl in a threatening manner.

Kaleb moved forward and moved Jacey and his mother out of the way, and slapped Grayham in the face. “You speak to no one in this family. You do not speak to my mother, my father, or my sister. If you do, I will kill you. That is a promise. Leave.”

“Oh,” Grayham said. “I’m not finished, yet.” It was then that the royal family knew that one man could change their world forever.

People started yelling and running towards them. “Kaleb!” the king yelled. “Take your sister and mother and get out of here!” Then he whispered, “Go to the tower. There, you will see a veil. Go through it. Do not look back. Keep going. No matter what happens.”

“Yes, father,” Kaleb replied. He grabbed his sister by the hand, who grabbed her mother. They ran as fast as they could. They went up stairs that seemed to be endless. They ran as fast as Kaleb could drag them.

Jacey was running in between her brother and mother when she felt a tug on her hand the queen was holding. She turned around to see a soldier holding her mother by the arm. There was a look of pain on the queen’s face. Jacey looked down to her mother’s stomach, which was spilling with red liquid.

“Let her go!” Jacey cried. But it was too late. Her mother tumbled down the stairs, knocking some of the soldiers chasing them out of the way. “No!” Jacey yelled. “Mother!”

“Jacey!” Kaleb cried. “Let’s go! There is no time!” He tucked on her had, begging her to come with him while they still had a chance to get away.

“But Mother,” Jacey started. She had started to cry, trying to get away from Kaleb to get to the queen, who could be seen at the bottom of the stair, laying motionless.

Kaleb replied, “There isn’t time to worry about it now! Come on!” He tugged on his sister’s hand, willing her to follow, which she finally obeyed.

They got to the veil soon afterwards, and stopped to examine it. “We need to go through,” Kaleb said. “It is the only way.”

“Are you sure?” Jacey asked. They could hear the cry of the soldiers that were following them.

“Yes,” Kaleb said. “And there is no time. We must go now. On the count of three.” The twins grabbed each other’s hands. “One. Two. Three!” They ran into the veil as fast as they could, narrowly escaping the hands of two soldiers, who, when trying to go after them, ran into nothing but a wall that seemed to be hidden behind a blanket.

The twins were in a world they didn’t know. A world that would change their lives forever.