It was surreal. They had never seen anything like it, and yet there was nothing remarkable about it. How was it that something so ordinary could seem so foreign?

Arjen and Arien walked down the rough country road, taking in the wide open spaces of the farm fields and rolling hills dotted with clusters of trees. The warm, muggy air shimmered on the horizon, and the odor of freshly spread manure touched their noses. The blue dome of the sky, both vast and deep, contrasted with the vibrant greens and rich browns of the fields and crops growing next to the road. Columns of clouds expanded upwards in the sky, appearing like castles drifting through the heavens.

"It's..." Arien began. She squinted as she thought. "It's...not Derolina Castle."

Arjen pulled his gaze away from the rows of sunflowers in a field to look at her. Even after all their planning and research, it still didn't feel real. They were really outside of Derolina Castle, a place he had thought would be their tomb. This countryside, although plain in many ways, was probably the most beautiful landscape he had ever seen, a thousand times better than the garbage pile that was Derolina.

He stared at her. "I still can't get used to this."

"Neither can I. You look so different." She took up a lock of her hair. "This won't last but three months, right?"

"Right."

"And then we'll have to renew the spell."

They had turned their hair brown using magic, and changed the color of their eyes as well. Arien had insisted upon blue eyes because she always thought they were the prettiest.

"We wouldn't be able to disguise ourselves like this if we hadn't found those books in that hidden library," she said.

"And we never would've been able to read them had it not been for Jamila."

At the mention of the name, they became downcast. It hurt to remember Jamila. She had been the only servant at Derolina to show them kindness. She had taught them how to read the imperial language so they could read the books they got from the library. She hadn't cared that they were illegitimate children, let alone illegitimate children of the emperor. They hadn't known much about her, but Arjen suspected she may have secretly been illegitimate herself, and that was why she took to them so well.

But once Rurahel found out that Jamila favored the twins, she immediately banished her from the castle, and the children never saw her again.

They owed Jamila a great debt.

As they continued down the road, a wagon came trundling towards them, sacks of produce piled high in the back. The driver, most likely the farmer, tipped his hat at them as he passed, although he gave them curious look. They were two teenagers walking alone in the countryside with heavy packs. Arjen worried the man might become suspicious of a couple of non-locals. It was something he had taken into account before they left Derolina, but he had learned through some of the books in the library that it was not uncommon for people to migrate while looking for work. Perhaps the twins could pass off as migrants. As long as the magic held on their hair and they didn't turn blond, they should be fine, right?

Arjen reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He opened it and examined the various lines, dots, and scribbles inscribed on it. It was a map compiled from information he had learned from the books. "Let's see... We are somewhere around here." He pointed at a line indicating the road they walked on. "This is Derolina Castle." He flicked at a black square at the bottom left corner of the map. He traced his finger along the line of road to a dot in the upper right corner. "And this is where we're headed: Aramore."

"I can't wait," said Arien, her blue eyes sparkling. "It's the sea! We've never seen the sea before."

"It may take us a while to get there, but we'll have to move fast. The emperor will be looking for us once he realizes we're not at Derolina, if he isn't already looking." Would their disguises be enough? Arjen had heard the emperor was intelligent and shrewd. He might be able to see through the magic. But did he care enough to try finding them? That was a big question the twins had contemplated before leaving the castle.

"We have enough money, right?" asked Arien. "We had talked about staying at inns along the way."

"I found what I could in Rurahel's room after she died." Arjen had found plenty of coins hidden in a box behind a false wall in Rurahel's bedchamber. Unfortunately, most of it had been gold coins, the largest denominator, something a couple of commoners weren't likely to have. He tried gathering smaller denominations more than large ones.

"We really don't have a lot, though," he admitted. "Just enough to get us to Aramore and stay there a bit." Too much money would've been too heavy for their packs, especially when they needed to carry other supplies, like food, clothes, and books to use as reference about the empire. They also had some blankets in case they needed to camp out under the stars. Most importantly, they carried two kitchen knives and a dagger for protection.

"Hmm," said Arien. "And starting today, we won't be calling ourselves twins anymore."

"Yep. You'll be a year older than me."

"But I'm younger than you."

He smiled. "By what, a few seconds?"

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

They had decided not to tell anyone they were twins so they could better hide themselves from the emperor. Should he come sniffing around Aramore, no one could say they knew a certain pair of twins. Saying they were a year apart was believable enough to deceive people.

"And my name shall be Nellie," Arien said. "And you, my brother Daniel." The most regular names either of them could come up with, perfect for two commoners who were definitely not twins. They had picked them out of some random books.

Arjen tapped his chin. "But should we abandon the names we have now and take the new ones?"

"Did we abandon our names from our past lives?"

"I don't even remember those."

"I don't remember much of anything, except that we had past lives and we were eighteen when we died."

They stopped and stared at each other. Even though the emperor had named them, they found it hard to abandon the names they had been calling each other since birth. It was something they hadn't considered during planning.

Arjen shrugged. "I guess we don't have to change our names yet. But we should get used to the new ones. If the emperor comes looking for us, he'll use our real names."

"We're almost eighteen now." She readjusted her pack and winced at the weight. She hadn't taken it off since they left the castle. "So it's like we've almost caught up to where we left off."

"Two more years," Arjen said wistfully. His thoughts drifted to what would happen between now and then. In the past, it had been hard to imagine what life would be like outside of Derolina Castle. He hadn't been sure they could leave, so he had kept his dreams restrained. Now, the future seemed a bit overwhelming. The whole world lay before them. They'd had very few choices growing up, of what to eat, wear, or places they could go. Starting today, that would all change. The cruel adults who had made their lives hell were suddenly gone, blown away like smoke in the wind. Arjen stared up at the endless sky, his soul like a feather that could drift away. Was this what freedom felt like?

And yet... Mingled with their wonder of the outside world, trepidation lurked. The world may be before them, but it was a large one, so large that just thinking about it made Arjen a little dizzy. It was like being released into the wild after being raised in captivity their whole lives. Arjen tried to stuff down his rising fear and remember he wasn't alone, that he and his sister were a team. If they put their heads together, they could survive out there in the wild.

They kept walking. Their next destination was a small village, and it would be the first time they would interact with anyone who wasn't Rurahel or a servant at Derolina. According to various travel accounts they had read, the people in this region were generally friendly, but Arjen and Arien knew better than to trust anyone besides each other. It would be that way for a long time until someone else proved themselves worthy of their trust. Until then, they would need to keep their guards up and lie as much as they needed to.

Small houses began to appear along the road as they approached the village. The twins had prepared for this moment, steeling their resolve and keeping their eyes straight ahead. When anyone greeted them, they returned a quick reply and kept moving. Their ultimate goal was to keep a low profile. They needed to be as unassuming as possible.

The village was somewhat larger than they had anticipated. Many people came from the surrounding farmlands for supplies and other necessities. There were also inns for travelers and small restaurants. A few food stalls stood on the side of the street, offering freshly cooked meals or baked goods.

While not a particularly wealthy area, these were not poor people. Many of the homes were small, but they consisted of sturdy stone construction. All the doors had been painted with vivid colors, and bright flowers hung from window sills in planters. Some of the homes had white fences placed around the edges of their properties. Chickens browsed among the grasses in the yards, and dogs yipped and played with children in the road. The streets were clean and free of trash, and the people appeared genial, smiling and talking with one another like a tightly knit community where interdependence was the norm.

"The houses here look nicer than Derolina itself," Arjen mumbled. "I wish we had lived in one of those instead."

"Yes. I would've liked a small, clean home."

"If this wasn't so close to Derolina, I wouldn't mind trying to settle down here."

"I would have trouble disagreeing with you."

But, no, they had to get as far from the imperial palace as possible. By foot, Aramore would take a week or more to get to. Taking a carriage would cut that time in half, so Arjen worried that Aramore might not be far enough from the palace. How much further would they need to run? Would they need to leave the Yuriana Empire? They didn't know enough about other countries to live in them. Aramore would have to do for now. There were other places they could go if it didn't work out, but they chose the seaside town because it was large enough for them remain anonymous, and it had enough jobs for them to find work. It also had a shipping port. One of their dreams was to visit a far away place when they were able to, and they could take a ship to do that.

Arjen's stomach growled. "It's about time to eat."

"How about one of those food stalls?" Arien said, pointing at one.

They had food in their packs, but the idea of having fresh food appealed to them, so they agreed to spend a little money for a light lunch. But they were supposed to be on the run, so they'd have to make it quick.

With steaming bowls of vegetable soup, the twins sat at a table in front of the stall and stared at their meal, eyes wide.

"This smells delicious," said Arien, her mouth hanging open.

"Better than anything we ate at the castle," Arjen agreed. They'd always had to scavenge their food from the dining table after Rurahel left it, and the food was always cold. Plus, the cook wasn't exactly the best in the empire and food tended to taste bland.

The soup tasted as good as it looked, and the twins ate it up quickly, dipping the bread that came with it into the steaming broth.

"I can't wait to eat like this every day," said Arien as she wiped her hands on a piece of cloth that served as a napkin. "I could almost have seconds."

Arjen chuckled at how simple their dreams were. Good food, decent clothes, a warm bed, and peace at night. No one to come busting into their room to beat them. No cruel servants to hurl insults at them. As the twins had gotten older, they had also become bolder and had started fighting back. It had worked on the servants, and sometimes Rurahel if she was drunk and weak, but if she had been sober, she would try hitting back twice as hard. However, their determination to defend themselves had over time lessened Rurahel's abuse, and more and more she'd simply neglect them, not saying a word to them for days on end. Not that the twins complained about that.

After they returned their dishes to the stall owner, they turned down the road again with full stomachs.

"Let's see if we can buy a ride on a wagon," said Arien. "That should help us get to Aramore faster."

Arjen glanced over his shoulder. He had been so distracted by the new world around them that he had forgotten to keep an eye out for anyone who might've tried to pursue them from Derolina. The emperor would've sent his forces beyond the castle, and they would likely search the main roads as well. The twins had chosen to take a lesser-traveled back road.

As his eyes scanned the people, his attention landed on a small child about four years old standing alone on the side of the road. A young boy looked around frantically, tears spilling over his cheeks. He began to wail. People stopped and took notice, but before anyone could act, a woman ran over and swept him up in her arms. Presumably his mother, the woman hugged him and spoke in soft, soothing tones. The boy calmed and rested his face against her shoulder, his little arms wrapped around her neck. A man came alongside them, likely the father. He rubbed the child's back and seemed to be explaining something to the mother.

Arjen guessed that the boy had probably wandered away and realized he was lost. But the sight of the parents holding their child sunk a blade deep in his heart. He jumped when he felt a hand grasp his, and Arien looked up at him with a knowing expression.

"It looks nice, doesn't it?" she asked, referring to the boy and his parents.

He nodded somberly. The warmth of a parent's embrace... It was something they hadn't known since being born in this world. As memories of their past lives continued to fade over the years, they couldn't quite recall their parents from that time, nor could they remember being held, although Arjen was certain they must've been. He was grateful to have been reborn with his sister. That way they could share affection they couldn't get anywhere else. Without that, Arjen wasn't sure he would've survived the nightmare that was Rurahel.

His sister tugged on his hand. "Come on. Let's go."

They continued down the road, and Arjen resisted looking back at the happy family.