Child of the Moon.

~Chapter Five~

Adira slid through a large shell-shaped doorway, her Shadow Blade drawn, keeping her back pressed against the cold wall. Hector followed closely, his own wrist-mounted sword at the ready. The Dark Kingdom siblings continued to skim the tall walls of the House of Yesterday's Tomorrows, searching for Rapunzel and Eugene.

"You think the doubles already got them?" Hector questioned in a whisper.

"No," Adira responded just as quietly. "Rapunzel's smart.  She wouldn't let that happen, especially when she knows there are still people that need her help. She's an extraordinary person in that way."

"Don't have anythin' nice to say about Pompous?"

"He's useful some of the time."

Hector smiled at his sister's statement, but quickly dropped it when he heard footsteps drawing near. He was about to mention it to Adira before she covered his mouth with her hand and shook her head. Hector waited angrily for her to take her hand off of him. She didn't. Apparently, she thought her brother couldn't keep quiet even after centuries of battle and war in which he'd always been perfectly silent during stealth missions. Hector badly wanted to bite down on her hand but figured she wouldn't take kindly to that.  Instead, he shoved her hand away in disgust.

The footsteps grew closer and closer while Adira and Hector waited with both their weapons drawn, tense, pressed against the wall by the large door frame. Just as a small and slim figure put one foot through the door, both warrior siblings pounced, pinning its seemingly delicate limbs to the ground and placing their blades at its throat.

Struggling beneath Hector and Adira was Princess Rapunzel, or what looked like Princess Rapunzel. Once she'd recognized the faces of her captors, Rapunzel said angrily in an oddly low tone of voice,

"Shouldn't you two be trying to find the lizard with the rest of us?"

Hector and Adira looked at each other, conveying the same thought.

A double. And she thinks we're one, too.

"Yes," Hector responded confidently, releasing the princess. "We should be, but precautions are never unreasonable. You startled us, so we attacked you. Apologies."

"Your apology is accepted," Rapunzel said curtly, brushing herself - or itself - off.

It seemed as if the double was about to leave, but it suddenly turned back, addressing the two siblings again.

"Would you mind telling me how exactly you caught the ones from the Dark Kingdom?" the double of Rapunzel questioned. "I don't seem to remember... feeling them enter the mirror."

"We captured them both at their weakest," Adira answered without hesitation. "While they were bickering. Apparently, they both blamed each other for what happened to the rest, and they were so busy arguing, they didn't even notice us preparing to pull them into the mirror."

"Ah, I see," Rapunzel responded absently, turning to leave.

"What about you?" Hector questioned, running in front of her. "How did you capture the princess? I seem to remember that when Rapunzel was interrogated, she turned out to be the real princess. When did you take her form?"

"I... Wait... Remember? You were there during the interrogations? That wasn't really Hector?"

"Yes. Those fools were the first to look into our mirror. Now answer."

"B-but, then how did you know the answers to Adira's questions?"

"Simple," Adira said, joining her brother in front of Rapunzel. "We both were doubles."