The Dustin twins, for the umpteenth time managed to endure their presence in the same place and at the same time.
It was strange how their relationships had suddenly changed.
As children they had always been together, they had a stronger bond, more than two normal siblings could have.
No, they weren't just brothers, they were the Dustin brothers, born at the same time, raised together.
But their relationship had drastically changed from the moment Abigail, their cousin, had confided to them her secret pregnancy.
Since then the first manifestations of disagreement had appeared in the twins, it was a rare thing, it never happened before.
From that moment the relationship between the Dustin brothers had drastically worsened, they rarely spoke to each other and sometimes could not bear the idea of seeing their images reflected in the mirror for fear of looking too much alike.
But they could not do anything, they looked the same, so much that their own parents had to respectively sew the initials of their names on the clothes they wore to differentiate them.
On the other hand, for their father it was not a big problem, he was blind, he couldn't see them, at least not anymore.
He hadn't always been that way, their father, he wasn't born blind.
Blindness was a disease brought to him by old age, an incurable infection of the retina that struck man at the age of eighty, when the twins were already ten.
Their father was now eighty-eight.
Their mother, however, was much younger than their father, at least forty years.
In fact, Countess Dustin was now beginning to enter her fifties.
She had married her husband when she was only sixteen and had given him five children, four boys: Preston, Warren, William and Dickon and one girl: Meredith, the middle child.
In any case, the last birth and the most dangerous and difficult one for the woman was that of the twins.
It was known at the time that twin births were the most complicated and tiring as a woman had to push not for one but for two children, the mothers lost a lot of blood and often died.
But their mother was still alive, she had made it and from this difficulty in her birth, her predilection for her younger children was created.
Anyway, it wasn't going to be their family that appeased their dislikes, it was something they had to work out, so they had to fight alone.
They were now in the great royal garden, in the part closest to the castle, near the great garden of red roses.
They sat on two distinct benches of white marble, one in front of the other but in any case a few tens of meters away.
They read a book, the same, identical cover, identical words.
It was a bit like them, identical outer cover but completely different words, these were the twins.
They exchanged no glances, no words.
Their dark leather shoes rubbed their soles on the small white gravel stones.
They thought they were alone.
They found comfort in the shade of tall trees, under the green leaves of those, it was now the end of June.
The leaves of the trees were blown here and there by a weak wind, kind of like the red hair of the Dustin brothers.
-Have you heard of the revolution of the 20th June? - Dickon ventured for a few seconds, half-closing the hardcover of his book and giving his brother a look with his brown eyes.
He looked at the face of the twin, he was pale, but in that pallor a strong blush had taken his cheeks, his face was covered, on his cheeks by dark freckles, he ignored him.
It looked exactly like him as if they were the same person reflected in the mirror.
Only the initials, sewn on each of their dresses, were able to differentiate the two identical twins.
William in turn granted a small snort from his tight lips, he looked up as if he wanted in any way to avoid a further conversation with his brother.
-I heard about it, yes, a bunch of scoundrels...I bet you were the first to fight for them...against monarchy- William commented forcefully giving his brother a more determined look -they should throw you in prison, brother, so that I am no longer forced to see you every day...-.
Dickon turned pale, he did not understand why William was so bad with him, on the other hand he had done nothing to deserve it, nothing except once in his life to distance himself from his ideologies.
-In any case, just by looking at yourself in the mirror, you would see me too, we are twins after all...- Dickon ventured diverting his gaze away, towards the low and white gravels of the courtyard.
The other laughed weakly, his brother must have been really naive believing that he was unable to distinguish himself from the other.
William let an arrogant chuckle come out of his lips.
-You do not know anything at all- commented the one returning to rest both his eyes on the words of the book "renunciation" he read the word slowly and over and over again, it was what he wanted, to kick his twin out of his life.
-You are nothing without me, you would not even be able to make a decision or a choice, you are a coward Dickon, if you believe so much in the ideals of the revolution, then take part in it! No one will stop you...- commented the other slowly placing the closed book next to him.
"Accept" Dickon read the words on the page of the book, he had to accept himself, what he believed in and for this he had to be strong first, to end once and for all the thread that led him to his brother.
He got up from the marble bench, his pale face was reddened, furious with rage, he threw the book on the ground, on the gravel, dropped it, as the pages remained exactly intact and open.
-I'm not like you! You dick!- the one protested, slowly approaching the place where William was sitting - I'm not selfish! I don't think the world is mine like you do! At least I help those in difficulty and I support those who care for me...- transparent tears began to form and heavily descend on the young man's face.
-I...I'm not like you- Dickon admitted as the tone of his voice began to take a slower and more desperate course.
William saw his brother cry, he was satisfied, he could use it to his advantage, to humiliate him even more.
He left the pages of the book open to the sky beside him and in time he got up, confronting his brother directly, looking into his eyes.
-You fucking crybaby!- William scoffed passing a few centimetres away from the brother and slowly continuing to stare into the humid eyes of that one -what are you going to do crybaby?! Do you want to go back and hide behind our mother or maybe protest your anger with our father? What will you do to punish me?Coward!-.
Dickon was angry with him, with the world, he hated to see his brother, how he saw his evil version of him in him and how William saw in him the weaker version of himself.
It was hard for both of them, but Dickon felt he had to do something, he closed his fists tightly, held them down, wasn't ready to attack yet.
-Come on, react! Hurt me!- William provoked the twin pushing hard the shoulders of the one backwards -you are nothing but a stupid coward!- and at those words, already mocked Dickon decided to react .
He quickly left a strong punch on the pale cheek of the other, which left a red mark on the freckled cheeks.
He stood still for a few seconds, he could not believe this had happened, William had been so humiliated, he could not accept it, he closed his teeth, like a dog that growls and let out from his lips.
-You fucking son of a whore!- he screamed feeling almost bad and guilty of having offended their own mother, but he could not do otherwise, it was a matter of honour.
William grabbed tightly at his brother's red hair as Dickon in turn reacted, slowly creating a real brawl.
It continued for several minutes, maybe even half an hour, they rolled on the ground, beat themselves up to the point that on the white gravel fresh and red blood started creating.
It didn't take long before this was noticed and as a duty of the guards, they went to separate the two quarrelsome.
At the same time and under the same hot sun, Baron Juniper Whiteblossom was taking a walk, alone, on the gravel paths of the royal garden.
He was calm, relaxed, everything seemed to be going well, at least before he found dozens of attendants surrounding the violent scene.
-What is happening here?- Juniper ventured, pushing away from his forehead some blond curls that had slipped there, he was curious, impatient to know what that gathering was due to.
-The Earls of Ireland, the Dustin twins, are beating each other bloody, some of us tried to stop them, but no one got out of it without at least a few scratches- quickly explained an attendant too caught up in the scene to be able to respond calmly -in any case the royal guards are arriving on the spot to separate them...-.
The Baron slowly made his way through the crowd, he wanted to see what was happening.
But once he reached the front rows he could not help but notice the two brothers beat each other violently, rolling on the white gravels that covered the ground of the royal garden.
Everything seemed to be under control before he saw William pull a pointed golden dagger from his pocket.
Time stopped, for Juniper, for Dickon or all those who had the chance to witness the scene over time.
William couldn't seriously kill his brother, his twin, he didn't really want that, right?
The unexpected action scared Dickon so much that he left him for a few seconds with his guard down, so that the brother had plenty of time to act.
William took thrust in his own feet and with the greatest strength he had he threw a strong kick adjacent to the belly of the other.
Dickon fell, rolled shortly on the hard and stony path, before he could no longer stand up or react.
Everything around him became colder and scarier for a few seconds.
He could not see himself around, nor what was coming towards him, he was afraid, so afraid that he began to panic, to tremble and cry.
The leather sole of his brother's shoes landed firmly on his chest, pressed hard on his lungs.
Dickon found it hard to breathe, so much so that to stay alive or at least search he had to use his mouth.
Juniper could not stay there, could not watch as William pressed more and more on the chest of his twin, he could not stand there simply to watch as his heart slowly crushed.
Dickon let out a strong cough from his lips, although with his mouth open, it was becoming more and more difficult for him to breathe.
-I beg you...- Dickon said as the transparent tears running down his freckled cheeks quickly ended up wetting the ground and the stones -please William, I can't breathe! I can't breathe!- he complained trying in vain to move his body, crushed on the ground, from there.
He closed his eyes, he was afraid, he was only eighteen, he was too young to die as his brother was too young to commit fratricide.
All of a sudden, with great relief, William's foot detached from his chest, he let out a further cough from his lips, his throat was dry but the air that entered his body again was fresh and pleasant.
He opened his eyes and forcefully managed to get into a sitting position on the white gravels of the garden, now stained with red blood.
The Baron, Juniper Whiteblossom had succeeded in a quick attempt to press William's hands behind his back, thus dropping the knife heavily to the ground.
-Let's see how much more harm you can do now that you are blocked- the young Baron teased him, William wriggled but was unable to move.
Dickon looked at Juniper enchanted by his strength, a stupendous beauty decision, his curly golden blond hair, his blue eyes, only two mighty and white wings were missing to further resemble the archangel Michael.
That scene, in fact, slightly resembled the devil's expulsion from heaven, in a scenario where obviously his brother was repainted as the devil.
-Leave me alone!- the Count ordered further wriggling, he hated Juniper, he hated him deeply -I haven't finished with my brother yet-.
William's red hair moved angrily in the air as his white teeth were closed in an aggressive growl.
Juniper tightened his grip, harder.
-There will be no need- the Baron whispered slowly into the ears of his prisoner -if you don't want me to report everything to Princess Isabelle, my cousin-.
Juniper's blonde curls were also blown by the wind, they were delicate, soft.
At those words, however, the Baron released and loosened his grip letting William free, but as soon as he saw the avaricious hands of that make aim for the dagger on the white gravel, Juniper did not hesitate to press a foot on the dangerous object.
The opponent snorted, his face was red with fatigue and anger.
William couldn't even take the dagger again now, so he just left the royal garden full of anger and resentment.
Dickon did not know where his brother was going and did not even care, he had tried to kill him and this event would have marked his life forever.
Juniper walked over to the wounded man, placed his hand, smiled, it was a sincere smile on his pale face.
The blond curls in the wind, his blue eyes observed the wounded man curiously, scrutinized him, made sure he was well.
-Here, take my hand- he begged him -I will help you get up-. Dickon blushed lightly taking the Baron's hand to get up.
The wind blew cool, making the air more breathable, slowly filled with the sweet smell of red roses of the garden.
Dickon nodded, blushed, he was grateful, grabbed the hand of the angel who had saved him from a horrible death shortly before.