The Twin Warriors II [Fiction]

The drums of war echoed in every corner of Rahzan the following day. Our village was empty, families hurriedly relocated to a neighbouring settlement, except for the king's soldiers and guards. I was leading them.

I didn't know the first thing about fighting but I was a skilled hunter, the best in Rahzan. The looks my men gave me pointed to my inexperience but I put up a brave appearance. The Emir followed the directives of the oracle and made me the leader of the guards. I wasn't going to let him, Mama or the people of Rahzan down.

Our village had been independently standing for centuries and no one would change the course of history while I was breathing, not even my own flesh and blood.

Mama's words rang in my head. “Please, my son. Heed the words of the gods. They promised victory and I believe them and you.”

The scowl on my face deepened as I swung my spear over my head in circles, pointed it towards the sky and bellowed. The guards mimicked my cry and roared. The earth began to tremble as we could hear distant galloping and chants.

Clouds of red dust in the distance heralded the arrival of my twin, Hadiza, and her army. Once the dust settled, so did the chanting. I forced my face into a calm look to hide the shock of seeing her great army. They were armed to the teeth with long cutlasses, spears, knives and swords.

Her soldiers parted in the middle as a majestic brown stallion horse advanced to the front. Hadiza was a feminine version of me—slender, muscled, beautiful with bright eyes and thick, wide jaw. She smirked and climbed down from her horse.

My heart raced in my broad chest as emotions warred within me. Growing up without a sibling almost drove me to my knees, to beg her to end the war and come live with me as a family. But that would be my undoing and the end of Rahzan.

The silence in the village was deafening as Hadiza drew close to me. She stopped a few feet away, sheathed her sword and raised her hands in surrender. “Won't you welcome me home, brother?” She said with a condescending sneer.

Her eyes roamed around the village like a queen gazing at an unkempt place that was beneath her dignity. In that moment, I raced forward in a flash, powered by a preternatural strength I didn't realise I had. Her scream brought on the awareness that my spear had pierced through and sunk into her leather armour to her heart.

She gave me an uppercut that sent me flying through the air, bouncing against trees before I collided with the hard, dusty ground. It was like being swatted away like a fly.

I raised my head and saw my men chanting a war cry before clashing with Hadiza's soldiers, and fighting them. Weapons were swung left and right as bodies dropped on the dusty ground of Rahzan.

I got on my feet and slowly made my way to where Hadiza knelt on the ground, blood stain covering her chest. One hand gripped the end of the spear protruding from her chest. She screamed, trying to pull out the spear but eventually gave up.

“I'll wait for you in the afterlife…this battle is not…over,” she rasped, blood gurgling out of her mouth as she collapsed face down on the ground.

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I was hailed as a hero in the days that followed as Rahzan worked to rebuild part of the village destroyed in the battle.

Deep down, Mama and I were not really happy. Our blood and hearts yearned for Hadiza because she was family. Sadly she chose her path and it did not end well.

But Rahzan was at peace again.

“See you in the afterlife, sister,” I whispered at the unmarked grave I dug for my twin in the heart of the forest.

The End.

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Read the FIRST PART here.

^{Images created by AI in Nightcafe Studio}