The Twins • Book One • Wattys2017

Chapter 6- The Portal

Author's Note: I hope you like my story! Feel free to voice your opinion, ask any questions and point out any mistakes.

Saber's POV

I catch Nia before she falls to the floor, and cradle her gently in my arms as I walk to the living room to place her on the couch. Her aunt and uncle follow me, worried about Nia. I hope she'll be okay with all of this information. To find out about Meredith and Alaric is a massive surprise for me as well, I've seen them as family for my whole life. I wonder if my parents knew.

"Saber, is she okay?" Meredith asks me. I look to her from Nia, slightly confused.

"As far as I can tell, yeah, she's fine. She didn't hit her head or anything like that." Meredith stares at me and explains

"I mean emotionally."

"How am I supposed to know?" I ask.

"You must have discovered it by now, surely! It's so obvious." Alaric exclaims.

"What are you talking about?!" I yell, frustrated and confused still.

"You have a connection with Antonia!" Meredith finally says. I shake my head in disbelief, thinking that no way could it be possible.

"No. No way. Not possible."

"You know as well as we do that it is possible for one of royal blood to get a connection with someone they are very close with, or even love. The kings and queens of Gato Reino often have connections with each other, but choose to hide it to surprise their enemies and not have it used against them as a weakness." Alaric elaborates further.

I sink down to sit on the floor in shock. Nia and I always joked about it, knowing it wasn't possible, thinking it's just myth anyway. But having it be possible, and real, is another thing entirely. I have a connection with my best friend, the woman I have loved for years. There's a chance that she returns the feelings, or at least cares for me deeply. The connection goes both ways, both of the participants have to care for each other deeply for it to exist... apparently.

"So I'll ask again." Meredith says gently, letting me absorb the new information. "Saber, is she okay?" This time I don't only look with my eyes, but I imagine a line connecting our two brains, and I follow it, going to the part of the brain for emotions. I... I can feel her emotions, I can sense what she's feeling.

She feels overwhelmed, betrayed, scared, angry, and sad. It hurts me to feel these negative emotions coming from her so strongly, but underneath them all I feel a tinkling of happiness. Maybe it's because she finally knows the truth. I exit her mind and turn to look at Nia's aunt and uncle.

"She feels overwhelmed, betrayed, angry and sad, but she'll be fine with some time to cope."

"Thank you Saber." Meredith murmurs. They both walk out of the room, not talking to me any further. I turn to look back at Nia, still with some disbelief. No way can this be real, it has to be a dream. No way can this be my new reality.

Antonia's POV

I wake up and slowly blink my eyes, trying to get used to the bright lights above me.

"Nia, you're awake!" I hear Saber exclaim somewhere nearby. I moan as I notice the sharp, pounding pain in my head. "How are you, are you alright? Do you feel dizzy? Do you need some water, or some food?" Saber endlessly pesters me.

"Calm down Saber, I'm fine, I just have a headache. I could use some food though, that'd be nice."

"Okay!" Saber says enthusiastically and runs off to the kitchen. I sigh and shake my head. Saber is crazy sometimes.

"So, are you ready for us to go to the portal to find your sister?" Saber asks after I finished eating.

"What? What do you mean by us? You are not coming with me." I state. "It might be dangerous!"

"Exactly why I'm coming with you! You can't stop me, and I'll be able to find you wherever you go." Saber exclaims. I roll my eyes.

"Not this connection thing again Saber, it's not..." I freeze, realizing it actually is possible now. I start to panic, thinking Saber might really like me for this connection to have been made, but no.... no way can he feel towards me the way I feel to him. I hide it and bury it deep inside, before the traitorous emotions show themselves.

"Nia, are you okay?" Saber looks at me concerned.

"Yeah, fine." I stand up. "So when are we leaving?"

"As soon as you're ready! Alaric and Meredith gave me directions." He replies enthusiastically. I roll my eyes, and pause.

What about his parents?

"Wait, Saber, what about your parents?" He turns to look at me with a hint of sadness in his eyes that quickly vanishes and is replaced by a wide grin. The happiness doesn't reach his still somber eyes. I have always been able to read his eyes.

"Your aunt and uncle are going to tell them about it. Apparently they knew you were the princess and that we most definitely have a connection, which we do." Saber's whole face lights up at the thought of our connection, and I blush lightly. Sighing, I start to move towards the front door.

"If you're sure you want to come with me, then what are we waiting for?" I wickedly smile and run out of the door, quickly turning into a leopard. I was never told where the portal to the human realm is, but I just feel it. It's like I can feel my twin on the other side of the portal, pulling me towards her.

Saber quickly catches up to me - partly because I let him, and partly because he's bigger than me anyway. We run together until night starts to fall. We then search for a suitable place to sleep for the night, turn into tigers and curl up together on the forest floor, back to back. We've done it before, but now the connection makes it feel awkward... and the fact that I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with Saber. In my slumber, I drift off into a dream.

I run north through the forest and come across a white light between two trees that is slightly shaped like a door. With uncontrollable excitement, I leap into the light eagerly. I land in a pine forest on the other side. Moving west, I end up on a road. I turn into a human and continue going in the same direction, following a different street to the one I first came across. I pass other side roads, houses and buildings while I walk, but I don't stop. These other buildings and streets in this town don't interest me at all, just this one street and the one foster home I'm looking for. It's the Knight Foster Home, and it houses kids while they finish high school. One of these people is my sister, Ivory.

I will find you Ivory. We will be reunited. I will follow the path laid out to me in my dream, and I will find you at the end of the path, I swear.