Desires Of The Heart

Chapter 33

"Xyzer do you want to build a snowman?"

Ever since they were kids, Zyfer had never failed to make Xyzer laugh. He was still young but he knew how to shield his younger twin from the dark side of the society. He wanted the other to believe that everything in the world was full of nice things and that the household they grew up in was full of love.

It was a naïve thought process but as a kid, Zyfer knew it was for the best.

He could not bear to see the other sad, hurt, or anything that could break his heart. He just wanted him to smile. The smile that lifted his spirits. The smile that made his day brighter.

Growing up with expectations from everyone around him had numbed the young heir. Zyfer was so used to acting as the "perfect son" and it suffocated him. Criticisms thrown out at every move, smiles too fake, and being the best at everything was tiring.

Xyzer is out of the spotlight. Honestly, that was what Zyfer wanted the most. Not because he wanted to hog all the attention for himself, but because he does not want to taint the childish innocence of the younger. Fortunately, Xyzer was fine with that.

If Zyfer was outgoing (more like forced to), Xyzer tends to be quiet and reserved. He would vanish for hours at most, which did not earn any attention. After his "lessons", Zyfer would always find him curled up at the library. Multiple books were on the floor, forming a mess around the sleeping figure. Without fail, the older twin would scoop him up and bring him back to their shared bedroom.

Maria, their mother was probably the sweetest individual throughout the land. Though she was from unknown origins, multiple suitors would swoon whenever she passes by. She was charming, kind, and a cheerful person. No wonder the duke would fall for her at first sight.

Thanks to his efforts, Maria became the duchess and bore twins a year later.

Maria is a very good story-teller. She would tell tales about dragons, knights, and princesses causing the twins to have a very active imagination. Xyzer always had been enraptured at her story-telling while Zyfer would be more reserved.

The whole land rejoiced at the happy family.

Things spiraled out of control a few years later.

The twins turned five, and Maria came down with a sickness causing her to be bed-ridden. The duke called multiple doctors to come and diagnose his wife. They all came up with the same diagnosis. They had no idea what was happening to the young duchess.

She was confined to a tower, the duke paranoid at everyone who would dare approach her. No wonder the young woman descended into insanity.

Maria would tell tales of the demon kingdom which was far from what the humans had believed. She was labeled as a heretic by the church plunging the whole land to chaos. The fight with the demons had been increasing as it became harder for the duke to guard his territory from the forest beyond the walls.

The duke rejected his wife. He refused to acknowledge the person she had become. Instead, he would focus on territory matters more and more, neglecting the twins in the process.

Amidst the turmoil brewing, the twins were still fine. The most important thing is that they still had each other.

What was more surprising is that Maria stayed sane when the twins would visit. She would repeatedly tell them to stay strong and asked them to promise her that they would be there for each other. She would then sing them songs from her homeland with incomprehensible lyrics, lulling them to sleep while stroking their hair gently.