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The Forest was quiet; in the days before everything. Harsh sun broken up by layers of leaves, heat muddied by shade. Sound eaten by the branches, which grew thick and twisted on the weight of it. The Forest meant death for the villagers who lived on it’s border. Tigers, cobra, and spirits lurked under its bows. It ate people, and resisted axe and fire and plough. Villegers passed through it like trespassers, along a single dirt track, to fish and fetch water from the Holy River, but nowhere else. For there was nowhere else to go.
Naturally, no one had told the Twins.
“Eughh!!” The boy makes a rude hand gesture as he scraped mud out of his hair. The gesture was their own, private, and fluid from practice. His sister giggles and dodges as the smelly globs miss her, and she skitters up the mud bank. Rich, smelly mud oozed its way down his forehead and he squeezed his eyes shut.
“You should duck more, dummy!.” Double happiness gurgles in his gut as he scoops up more mud and throws it.
“Missed!” He wipes his eyes enough to see her stick her tongue out, mud all over her face. “You’re so clumsy!”
“Am not!” He pouts, runs, leaps- and tackles her to the ground, rubbing more red mud in her hair. It took only a moment for her to flip him. they’re evenly matched and they roll down the bank together, pelting each other with mud and leaves. They wrestle and shriek until they fall over from exhaustion, not two paces from the river path. The tree cover brakes and they laid there, panting in the dappled sunlight as the mud dries to a crust. Both twitching at the phantom itch from the others skin.
It made sense to them, of course, they knew no different. Besides, if there was an earthquake, or a famine, or a flood they both felt it. So why shouldn’t they feel the others emotions too? They had been born together, though they had no memory of it, so why should they not be evenly matched in all things? Even fighting, even language- after all they spoke them all.
Their gift for language in particular made the adults around them happy, and the twins were welcome in every village and city they went to across the whole land- which was so vast as to be a world unto itself. And they knew of no other land beyond the rise of the mountains in the north or seas to the south- and where to young to care even if they did. Instead they floated from place to place by a silent agreement that they could not explain.
Occasionally, as humans are want to do, they named them. The twins were alike in every respect - except one, which they did not understand and did not see as important. Still, adults around them attempted to observe what small differences might exist so as to devine their names, like those of the other avataars. Some settled on ‘East and West’ on the basis that perhaps one was marginally more sensitive to one area than the other- though every mystic disagreed as to which was which. Still others chose ‘North and South’ though with even less justification. Left and Right had excited the twins curiosity for a moment - shocked by the observation that the boy was left handed whilst the girl favoured her right. But within the week the excitement had dulled as the twins, enthralled by the others dexterity, learned to use their other hands too, and so became ambidextrous.
In thought and word and deed the two were evenly matched and barely distinguished. And so, in the end, the difference they did not understand was the one that named them.
“Sister,” the boy whines, carding his fingers through the soft leaves of the undergrowth. “I’m bored.”
The girl rolls her eyes, though she feels it as well. Suddenly the boy sits bolt upright and a jolt of contagious excitement goes through her.
“We should go on an adventure! We should find some treasure! Or rescue a princess! Or fight a tiger!” He bounces happily, then feels a burst of worry. He turns to Sister.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ehh.” She stays flopped spread eagled on the leaf litter. “I’m too tired, let's go back- I want food.”
A grin spreads over Brother’s face, and he says in a sing-song voice. “You’re scared aren’t you?”
Sister blushes. “No! You are!”
“Scaredy cat! Scaredy cat!” Brother gets up and starts dancing around her, sticking his tongue out. Sister lets out a yell, jumps up, and gives chase.
Bare feet scrabble across rocks and thorns and mud, running helter-skelter until the trees give way to shrubs and long grass. They’d had sandals earlier in the day, but they were now sitting in a puddle in the forest. The children had no need of them anyway, as they’re feet had already grown hard from running barefoot no matter how many times a grown up grabbed and shod them before turning them loose again.
They only froze when they ran straight onto the road. They gasp in unison, before jumping straight back into the long grass, and hiding. Even Sister, for all her grousing, didn’t want to go back to the village yet. A fate that would be unavoidable if they were discovered on the path. Especially covered in mud as they were.
Sure enough, within a few minutes they heard voices.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that where humans settle they will build, and where they build they will cause trouble for the neighbours. And the village was no exception.
It was a small place, and it’s people had come from far away to settle on the banks of the Holy River. And, operating within the right and proper boundaries they had found peace and a certain contentment. But still there were those who wanted to cross, to explore the land on the other side.
There was only one problem.
“Ai! I don’t know why they bother, the monster won’t let them cross- it tipped over Pripi’s boat yesterday and it will tip over their boat today, and then we will only have two boats in the whole village!” The Leader sighed. She was beautiful and strong, but her ire was more fierce than anything. The twins, who were staying in her house and had heard much of her views on mud and dirt of all types, push themselves lower into the grass. The Leader and her daughter draw level with them- they hold their breath.
“You are curious though? About what’s on the other side?” Her daughter sounds wistful, but her mother's voice is sharp.
“Will curiosity build new boats? Will it soothe the cries of the next family to lose a child? No. We are better off on our side of the river.” Her daughter stops in the middle of the road, head hanging in shame. The Leader’s voice softened. “I understand your curiosity, daughter mine. But until that creature is soothed or expelled all efforts to cross will be as worthless as trying to make water run uphill. When you lead the village, you must learn to be content with what we have, because it all rests on you.”
And with that, the pair walk away- the daughter despondent, and the mother resigned.
Sister looked at Brother.
Brother looked at Sister.
They broke into identical grins and run towards the river- crowing in unison, “We’re going to find a monster!”
The Holy River is ten thousand lakh long, and home to gods, spirits, beasts and men. It has ever poured down from the mountains to purify the land beyond it. It was rich with magic and danger. No sensible person would ever go here. But again, the twins didn’t know this, never doing as humans did, because they simply were not human.
But it had never played host to monsters.
Perish the thought.
“Brother~? Have you found anything yet?” says Sister, pulling away another heap of river plants. “Oh a frog!”
“No! But we’ll find it soon, definitely!” says Brother, pulling apart some reeds. A bird, offended by the intrusion, squarks and he stumbles back, tripping and splashing into the muddy water. For a moment he just watches as the reeds sway far above his head as the bird flies away.
“Sorry…” he mutters to himself, the bird way out of earshot. The twins were both deep in the reed beds, thigh deep in rich brown mud, hidden in the plants and far from the village path. Brother just turns as Sister comes up to him from behind. They can’t surprise each other, so she doesn’t even try, just presenting the frog to him like a prize.
“Sister, we’re looking for a monster! Not a frog.” He pouts again.
She rolls her eyes. “I kno~ow. But look how cool his spots are!”. Brother looks. His spots are indeed, very cool. It croaks at them.
Then a rustle, right behind them. They freeze. The rushes rustle again. Carefully Sister puts down the frog and picks up a big muddy stick. Brother does the same, but can only find a slimy, fist sized stone.
“Do you think it’s the monster~” whispers Sister. Brother nods. On an invisible signal, they both move forward, weapons raised. When the rustling reeds are close Brother reaches out and pulls them aside. The Twins pounce. And stop before they can land a blow. Because it’s not a monster.
It’s a baby .
There is no one way to describe the type of creature that this baby was, or that the twins were. They are born when the time is right, and may not grow for hundreds of years or may shoot to adulthood in a single generation. They are immortal, apart from when they aren’t, and feel the emotions of their people as acutely as their own.
They could be fast or smart or strong, or have a voice like honey, or hidden power singing in their veins. They are uniformly beautiful. But each is as unique as the people they are bonded to - and if that bond is ever severed they wither into dust, their true ages coming upon them in an instant.
So there was no way truly, for the Twins to tell how old the baby was, only that she-
“She’s like us.” The Twins breathe in awe. They had met others of their kind, but despite being younger than the Twins in real years, they had sprouted into adulthood and towered over them in their maturity. Too old for them to talk to. They had never met one that was younger than them before.
“GoogAA!” The baby squarks on her lilypad, waving a podgy hand in their general direction.
“Do you think a villager left her behind?” says Sister, voice quiet with reverence. The Twins knew you had to be quiet around babies, or else they might start to cry. Brother shakes his head. If there had been another one of them in the village, surely the Twins would have felt it.
“I think she’s new.”
The wind whispers through the reeds as the children stare at each other.
“Let’s get back, she’s probably cold.” Immediately distracted from thoughts of finding the monster, Brother takes his shirt and puts it on the baby. Sister nods seriously. The baby splashes in the mud, completely unconcerned at her nakedness until the Twins wrestle her into a shirt, starting to squeal and cry at the fuss. Brother picks her up.
“Hey baby, don’t cry.” Brother says as Sister shushes her.
But the baby does not stop crying. She squirms and wriggles, writhes and twists, snot dripping down her face. Eventually Brother has to put her back down on the lily pad, which didn’t even bend from her weight. She stares at them, face dripping wet and leaking on Brothers oversized shirt, aggressive pout firmly in place. The twins stare back.
“What do we do now?” Sister whispers. “She’s gonna get cold.” The baby stares back, completely unmoved.
Brother scratches his head, he doesn't really know why Baby is upset, he loves being picked up. After a moment's thought he fishes around in the water until he finds a stone and washes it. It’s pretty boring, so he gets another, and another, until he finds one he thinks is pretty. It’s mostly grey and worn smooth by the river itself but it has gleaming streaks of red and white. He gave it to the baby.
“I’m sorry we picked you up, we just want to be your friends.” Baby looks at it and breaks into a little smile.
“aGaah!” she flaps the hand with the stone in it so it sparkles in the sun. Brother looks at Sister. Sister looks at Brother. He smiles.
“She might come with us.”
“You think?” She turns back to Baby. And yelps.
Baby is gone.
“Where’d she go?” Immediately they search the surrounding reeds- nothing. By the rock- nothing. In the roots of the big banyan tree that hung over the river like and old fisherman. Nothing and nowhere. The two were just beginning to panic, thinking the baby had fallen into the mud and drowned, when Sister looked out over the water and gasped. “There!”
And there she was, sitting all the way out in the middle of the river like nothing was wrong. With a yell the twins leap into the river- fully confident that she’s not so far out. The River is icy cold and powerful but they are strong swimmers- but the ground retreats quickly as they swim right into the middle, and a powerful cold current batters at them, making them gasp and flounder. But Baby sits on top easily. And now they are nearer they can see why.
She’s sitting on a giant snake, a Naga, gleaming gold under the water.
Bold and strong- the Twins had met Naga before and had never had any reason to fear. But the Naga who allowed them to trapeze through their kingdoms in search of flowers and rocks and caves were not the same folk as those proud people who live in the Holy River. And they had not bothered simply any Naga in this river, but the Nāgakanyā.
And her name was Ulūpī
But because they were not human, and this was the time before things had their proper names, they did not know this. They barely even knew the word ‘royalty’.
Brother reaches out and grabs Baby.
Immediately the snakes coils seize around her as she wails in fright. Sister yells and they grab the Naga’s scaly tail. Her head rears up to hiss and her fangs extend- beautiful, powerful, human body framed by rich jewels and anger. For a moment Brother is bound by her brutal gaze.Then she lifts the end of her tail, and dangles the twins above the river, higher and higher, before slamming them back down.
“Ahh!” Brother only hears his sister yell for a split second before water fills his lungs. Then air as she lifts her tail, then water again. In between they kick and yell and try to grab Baby -who is now giggling securely in the naga’s arms. He only has a few breaths before being slammed back down into the river.
“Let go, you foolish children!” Brother chokes on a mouthful of water. He can hear Sister gasping desperately right at the end of the tail.
“Never!” They yell.
With a growl the naga dives beneath the surface, giving a final flick of her tail, throwing Sister off. Brother watches her crash into the river near the far side of the bank. But only for a second as the naga plunges into the depths.
Brother doesn’t let go.
He can feel the throb of fear from Sister as he is pulled under and sends her a flash of determination back. The Naga must be what is stopping the villagers from crossing! And now she has a baby too! He hangs onto her scales as she dives down to the river bed.
She drags him under and sweeps her tale in a powerful motion, smacking him against some rocks, but he hung on. She dives through weeds that tangled in his feet and tried to pry him loose but he hung on. She swims so long he feels his throat burn and thinks he might drown. But he grips his fists hard onto her rough scales and hangs on.
And by the bank, Sister watches him be taken.
After an indeterminate amount of time and an impossible number of caverns and dead ends, Brother is tossed onto the cold floor of a cave. At first he can’t breathe, and he rolls over to throw up water. Blessed air.filled his lungs straight after. All around him is nearly black, barely any light to see the edges of the walls. As it is it’s more like feeling with his eyes than true sight.
Ulūpī slips deeper into the cave, taking Baby with her. The girl is giggling and cooing, having been protected from drowning by the Naga’s magic. As they fade from his limited sight Brother pulls his aching body to its feet and follows them.
The main room of the palace is blinding. He freezes as he blinks away the bright spots, from all the flameless torches. Then he freezes from awe. Lapis lazuli crusts the ceiling, shot through with looping cables of gold to create swirling, bewildering, patterns. The pattern inturn interrupted by diamonds, which stud the ceiling like stars. Eight jewels are placed in a circle evenly around the roof- diamond, emerald, yellow sapphire, cats eye, blue sapphire, hessonite, coral, pearl. And in the centre a giant ruby gleams in the pale light that seems to emanate from the walls themselves.
He shudders with sudden familiarity.
“Ulūpī! My dearest daughter what have you brought with you? I sent you out with one baby- not two!” Brother snaps his head to the man with the booming voice. And freezes again. Along the wall were snakes of every shape and size, and Naga too. And on a gleaming gold throne sat the Nagaraja - for with his broad chest and many heads he could be no one else. Brother drops to his knees with respect.
“Oh Father, I assure you it was not intentional.” Ulūpī bows, setting the baby down on the cold hard ground. She squeals and squirms but is quickly distracted by a beautiful shell that Ulūpī hands to her. Baby immediately waves it like she was playing with a toy boat. The Nagaraja gives both a fond look before slipping over with grace and nobility. He towers over Brother like a mountain.
“And what, small child, possessed you to trespass on the Kingdom of Kauravya?” Brother comes out of his bow and swallows.
“I’m here to rescue the baby! And to stop you turning over the villages fishing boats, they only have two left and they need to be free-”
King Kauravya’s laugh booms through the hall, and is echoed by his subjects. “Rescue! Freedom! Tell me boy-,” he waves a bejewelled arm to Baby, “-does she looks like she needs saving? And those villagers...would we need to turn over their fishing boats if they did not trespass in our kingdom?” He takes his hand, which was as big as Brother’s whole face, and gripped his chin between his finger and thumb. Brother scowls as the Nagaraja turns his face from side to side. “So why, pray tell, are you here?”
“You own the bank on the other side?” Brother says, confusion coiling in his stomach, because he hadn’t thought that there were any Naga beyond the Rivers limits. He hadn’t thought there was anything. The Nagarajas human eyebrows shoot up.
“No, but this part of the river is ours- they should be grateful we let them fish in it.” Brother opens his mouth.
“But if you don’t own the far bank then why should you stop them going there? I mean you’re a powerful king and it would not hurt you at all!” King Kauravya scowls.
“It is a kings divine right to grant leave wherever he will- and to take it wherever he will not, child.” He sniffs, and one of his many snake heads descends to eye level and flicks its tongue in Brother's face. “You are a very rude. Who’s been raising you all this time? And where is your sister?”
Brother’s own eyebrows crease in even further confusion.
Suddenly there is coughing and spluttering behind them and the wet slap of running feet. The King draws himself up to his full imposing height as he lets go of Brothers chin. Free at last he whirls around.
“Stop!” Sister cries, resplendent in water weeds and soaked to the bone. “Release them you - you-” She coughs and splutters, hacking up globs of water. “You villians!”
Brother hears a deep sigh behind him as Sister continues. “And you will stop sinking the villages boats!”
Silence.
Brother carefully backs away as Sister runs to his side and looks him over, a flicker of her concern warming his heart. The Nagaraja just shakes his head, disappointment written all over his face.
“Take them away.” He waves forward a guard who grabs them by the arms and pulls them backwards. They struggle and fight but it’s no use, the guards grip is like thick rope, cutting into them. Suddenly there's a screeching sound - Baby is sitting up and crying. Everyone stops. Then, concluding there’s nothing wrong with her, the guard starts to move them again and she cries- clinging onto the shiny rock Brother had given her.
“Stop.” The Nagaraja waves his hand imperiously. Again, Baby stops crying. “Put them down.” His voice sounds contemplative, and he rubs his chin for a moment before slithering away to consult with his daughter. As he did so his eyes slip from the Twins to the baby and back again. In tandem, the Twins swallow from nervousness.
“Bring them to me.” He says, slithering to the raised plinth and sitting down on his golden throne. The twins are picked up bodily and dumped at it’s gleaming feet. His coils surround them as he glowers down, head resting on his hand. “Consider yourselves lucky, children. I have decided to give you a chance to prove yourselves. Succeed and you will have your demands, fail...and I will keep you here until you are ready for your duties.”
The twins look at each other in confusion, but immediately bow to the King. “We’ll prove ourselves, we promise!”
He raises his eyebrows and smiles, before scooping Baby up onto his lap, where she coos and plays with her stone. “But first, young heros-” he says it with a laugh, “what are your names?”
The Twins look at each other again, then back to the king.
“Sister.” Says Sister.
“Brother,” says Brother.
King Kauravya closes his eyes slowly and mutters something under his breath that sounds a little like ‘humans’ . The twins share another confused look, their shared bewilderment resonating to make their stomachs twist themselves in knots. The Nagaraja clears his throat.
“Fine. Listen closely then, nameless children.” The Twins bristle, but a look quells them. “My challenge is this, beyond my doors is a maze of perfect complexity. Without a guide most adults would get lost and die. I challenge one of you to take,” he rubs Baby’s shoulder, “my youngest foundling, and swim through the maze, to freedom.”
The twins nod immediately, then pause. Sister bites her lip, shooting a guilty look to Brother. “But how are we to find our way out again? And how is the baby going to breathe?” Brother looks up, eager for those two answers- for his Sister could always tell where he was, and visa-versa, but the maze was made by the Naga, and should be impenetrable to humans.
The King scowls again. “Do you really think me so foolish as to risk my youngest? She is protected by this.” He fishes under the shirt Brother gave her and pulls out a thin thread with a bead on it. “As for the maze, it is true- if I were to let you depart now, you would surely drown. But-” his eyes flash, “-consider this-” he gestures towards a glowing pool in the corner. “One of you will stay behind and read the map at the bottom of this pool, it’s magic will let you communicate.” He sniffs. “If you are worthy.”
The Twins look at each other, Brother’s stomach churning with worry as Sister’s lips thinned. She stands and faces King Kauravya. “How do we know you’ll let us go if we win.” The Kings booming laugh split the chamber.
“Consider it a matter of faith, little Bulbul” Quietly she kneels again, but when they speak together, their voice is strong.
“We accept your challenge King Kauravya!” The Nagaraja just laughs, handing Baby to Sister as Brother walks over to the magic pool. At the bottom is a map carved straight into the stone, a central jewel sitting where the throne room would be. He breathes deeply, glancing at Sister - she nods. He plunges his head into the water.
Images flash inside his head- everywhere from the far south to the deep forests- he yanks his head out, choking on water. The King surveys them from his throne. Cowed, Brother plunges his head back in. The flood of images surrounds him, but this time he finds his sister's eyes. She yelps as the boundaries between them grow even thinner. He yanks his mind bank in defence.
“There is nothing in there that you two do not already possess. Go on. Prove yourselves.” The Nagaraja's eyes bore into his skull, before turning back to Sister. She glances back at him and runs into the entrance. When she dives into the water, the cold of it runs up Brothers spine. He takes a deep breath, and plunges his head back into the pool.
This time he finds her immediately, and they see through each others eyes like they’re their own. He can feel Baby clinging to her neck, and the icy cold of the river. They can barely see in front of her nose, the light in his eyes blinds them. Still, she goes down, he traces his finger along the rock map. They go left, right, then left again.
It’s hard, twice they nearly miss a turn in the passage because his or her fingers miss the tiny gap where they could slip through. And Brother struggles to keep one hand moving forward ahead while the other tracks Sister. Once they miss a turning and have to double back, but Sister grips strongly onto Baby, and swims into the narrow passage they missed. Her determination drowns out his worry. Their lungs start to burn.
It only gets worse as they turn- right, left, right again. It’s seering now, and Sister’s muscles are aching from swimming. Brother traces all around for air bubbles. He finds one, next t a statue. Sister has a flicker of recognition, and turns around. No! Panic from Brother. Yes! Equal certainty from Sister.
She swims up into stagnant air, and Brother yanks his head back to really breathe, rotten egg stench still fresh on his tongue. Being alone in his body- as much as he’s ever been - is as much of a shock as air. It makes him shiver- he only stops when he can feel the gasping breath and burning muscle again. He presses his head against stone- she’s still there.
“Well?” Says the King. Brother snaps his head round. And straightens up at his arched brow, chin up, back strong.
“We’re fine!” He plunges his head back in the water. Sister is already there.
A flicker of sorry comes through- but it doesn’t matter- because he doesn’t know where they are- which does. It takes a full twenty seconds to realise she’s taken a wrong turn in the dark, and another ten to find the turning and go right. Baby is heavy as lead in her arms, even though she squirms and tugs at Sisters hair. Her lungs are already straining.
He traces the rock maze, and suddenly runs into sand. He traces again. Same. A third time, just to be sure. Confusion flickers down his spine. We’re nearly there! He replies. She surges forward. Nearly there! Left, right, straight down, through a narrow, plant choked, lef-
Yank!
They can’t move. Sister pulls her leg and goes backwards, she starts to kick and thrash, but the vice around her leg tightens again and again. Weeds float in front of her eyes, she can’t see the end of the passage, is it even there? It’s slipping over her face, she kicks again and again. But it only tightens. Her arms hurt. Her lungs burn.
Stop! Stop! Against the weight of her fear it’s nothing. He can’t see, can’t think, can’t breathe. He grips the rock of the maze. Stop! Pain in their- her - ankle. He opens his eyes-when had he closed them? And pulls his head out.
He feels her distant wail of fear in his bones. He takes two deep breaths, plunges his head back in and projects. Clear head. Full lungs. She stops.
Together, they feel down her leg with one hand and untangle the weed around her ankle. They can feel her lungs screaming, but he over rides it. They’re fine. Then she’s free- she bolts forward, then she shoots out of the passage. He traces the remainder of the tunnel. Left, right, right again-
But she’s ahead of him. Wait, no, behind. The burning in her lungs and muscles is excruciating- she’s slowing down. Keep going! He thinks.
I am!
Finally he feels mud under her fingers as she drags herself free. Up! Up! He thinks. Up! Up! They echo each other- the burning is unbearable- both their bodies are shaking. He can’t even feel Baby in her arms, only the burning in her shoulders, back and legs in the dark. Why isn’t it getting any lighter? Her eyes are open and burning, why can’t they see anything? A flicker. Then another- her eyes are closing.
No! Keep going!
Then she breaks the surface and breathes blessed air, sweet and light. They drink it in desperately. Sisters lungs relieved. Brother breathes in water.
He throws himself back from the pool, hacking and spluttering, and throws up. A well of Sisters fear opens up inside him, but nothing else- he dips a hand in the water and almost crumples as her emotions wash over him. I’m fine. She relaxes.
For a while he just lies there, drinking in thick, thick air. He doesn’t even care about the sick. Eventually he sits up. The Nagaraja is staring down at him with something like pride.
“We have completed your task!” Brother snaps. For a moment there is silence. Then the Nagaraja throws back his head and laughs.
“That you have, little hero.” He waves a bejewelled hand and a servant, decked in beads and silk, hands Brother a large bolt of cloth. Brother wobbles a moment under its weight, muscles screaming, but held himself still. He ran his hands over its vibrant red surface- smooth but stiff, and rough beneath his fingers. The Nagaraja cleared his throat, Brother looked up.
“This banner bares the symbol of our kingdom, and all who see it shall know that the barer has the leave and protection of King Kauravya to cross the river.” His lips lift into an almost invisible smile. “I believe that fulfills the terms of our arrangement.”
Brother nods, eyes respectfully averted.
“Now depart young one, and join your sisters.”
Brother nods again. “Thank you, your majesty.” He takes a step, wobbles again, and falls flat on his face. For a moment nothing happens. He can feel the eyes of the whole throne room staring at him. His face burns. “I’m ...sorry, your majesty- I’m...not sure I can swim, right now.”
With the blood pounding in his ears it took a moment to hear the Nagaraja’s low, warm chuckles. But he felt immediately when a pair of big, strong hands wrapped around his middle and hoisted him up into the arms of King Kauravya.
“Your majesty!” He yelps. “You don’t need to-”
“Do not spit on my kindness, boy.” His mouth shuts with a click as the Nagaraja’s laugh rumbled through him- this close he could even hear the hissing laughter of his snake-heads. Then King Kauravya spoke to him again. “Simply promise me that when you and your sisters are fully grown you will return once more. I still have much to teach you.”
But before Brother could ask what he meant the Nagaraja handed him over to the arms of his daughter and retreated back to the aloof power of his golden throne. The discussion was clearly over. Brother bit his tongue.
The Nagaraja took a moment to survey his subjects, face perfectly impassive. The golden light played across his strong face and for a moment and Brother felt a memory stir...Then the Nagaraja turned to him and pronounced-
“Now go!”
And the moment was gone.
And the one they called Brother was confused, and why would that not be so? For as far as he could remember the Twins had no kin, blood or otherwise, only an endless stream of hosts and caretakers. And because of that there is no blame in their disrespect, still being of the age where such things lie with their caretakers.
For what kind of father would I be if I took my pride as an excuse to shame my fosterlings?
The journey back was quiet, if not entirely peaceful, due to having to make a detour to collect Sister and Baby from where they had been washed downstream in Sisters exhaustion. As soon as Ulupi had gathered them up in her broad arms, Sister had handed Brother the baby, curled up in the crook of Ulupi’s elbow, and went to sleep.
Brother had waited until he could feel she was properly under before he bombarded Ulupi with questions. She hadn’t even looked at him, let alone deign to give him a response more elaborate than a haughty hmm. He only gave up when Baby, stressed and tired, began to wail- instead rocking and shushing her like he’d seen the women of the village do to their own children.
But other than that, the journey passed in silence.
It’s only when they are in sight of the banyan tree that she speaks. “It is strange, after all these years, to think I would see you again, and have you still be so young.” Brother turns to look at her, though he can only see her chin as she looks at the bank. “Stranger still to think that you have no memory of us.” Her voice- proud, melodic, precise- was strangely sad. Brother frowns and stares at his knees, before looking at Baby and sweeping away a wispy bit of hair from her eyes.
“I’m sorry-”
Ulupi chuckles, and Brother looks up in surprise, to see her dark eyes looking down on him. “Do not worry Brother, I’m sure all will become clear when you two reach maturity.” Her voice faltered. “However long that will take.”
“We’ll be back, we promise.” Brother snaps his head round to see Sister wide awake and staring at Ulupi fiercely. “We mean it.”
Ulupi’s chuckle morphs into a full blown laugh- she sounds shockingly like her father. “Do not mind that,” she said as she places them back on the bank they started at, underneath the branches of the banyan tree. “Just promise me you will care for the little one.” They both nod in sync. Her eyes turn serious.
“Swear it.”
“We swear.” Again in sync, Brother could feel every once of sincerity in them and tried to show it on his face.
Ulupi gave them a long look, turning her head from one to the other. Then smiles. “Then this is where we part ways - farewell, Brother, Sister.” And with a flick of her tail, she vanishes beneath the water.
For a moment the only sound was the wind in the rushes. Then the baby starts to kick and squeal in Brother’s arms. He attempts to shush her, to no avail. Then Sister tries, and also fails. The Twins look at each other.
“Maybe she’s hungry,” says Sister.
“Maybe,” replies Brother. He turns to the baby and opens his mouth. Then shuts it again, and turns back to Sister. “Hey? What should we call her, we can’t just call her the baby” says the boy called Brother. The girl called Sister frowns. The baby continues to squall.
Slowly the twins' eyes were drawn up and they looked out over the Holy River, which stretched so wide they could barely see the bank the villagers had been so desperate to get to. Then they look back at the baby.
“Vanga.” They say with certainty, and Vanga smiles.