Elián;

The swing creaks softly beneath me as I push off the ground with the tips of my feet.

It’s an old thing, made from pale wood and braided vines, hung beneath a wide-spread tree whose leaves rustle like whispers even when the wind travels through them.

I like it here. The rhythm is steady. Forward, back. Forward, back. It helps when things slow down, especially when my thoughts start tangling in on themselves.

My eyes lock keenly on my stomach as I swing.

Sometimes I forget there’s life growing there... and other times, it’s all I can think about.

A year ago, if someone had told me a baby would be growing in my body, and that I would be excited about it, I would have laughed and probably helped the person get checked into a mental asylum.

Yet, here I am.

Pregnant. Imagine the stir this would cause back on Earth. Earth... Am I ever going to return?

Do I even want to?

I’m mid-swing when I feel her presence.

Gently like warm light on hard ice. I look up, and find her dressed in a gorgeous, flowing black dress with silver embroidery at the base, like stars choosing to pool together at her feet. Her hair is held up in an exquisite bun, and she looks exactly like what she is.

Royalty.

I slowly drag my heels till the swing stops, and she smiles at me.

"May I?" Queen Selthia asks gently, and I smile back.

She doesn’t sound like a ruler when she speaks to me. She never does, maybe that’s why I instinctively trust her.

I nod and I watch as she takes the swing beside mine.

She starts swinging softly, and I stare at her in silence as she lets her inner child have a few seconds of mild freedom.

Her smile deepens into something precious. I can’t help but mirror it until she turns to me.

"How are you feeling today?" she asks at last., and I look away from her.

I consider lying. A lot of times, I do. But something about the way she looks at me makes it feel pointless. She’ll read through me like an open book.

"Tired," I admit, and she nods.

"But I feel lighter than yesterday," I add, and her lips curve into a gentle smile.

"That is progress." She says, and I glance at her, then away again, as my toes start nudging the dirt.

The tree above us seems to sigh softly, and I look up at it. Suddenly wondering what lie woul be like if I were a tree.

Is it offended that we’re swinging from its branch, or is it happy that we’re spending time with it?

Does it even want to be here?

"The way your mind works... fascinates me." Elien teases, and I roll my eyes and pout.

"It’s a very normal thing to wonder about." I snap back and he scoffs.

"Yeah! When you’re in bed, your brain won’t let you sleep. Not in broad daylight!" He replies, and just then, Queen Selthía speaks beside me.

"How is Elien? He’s still there... isn’t he?" She questions, and my breath catches.

I don’t look at her... or move, as my heart starts racing.

Ever since she helped me get Elien back, we never had any conversation related to him. She never asked or probed. I guess she was waiting for me to come to her, but I just didn’t have the courage or words to open up to her about this topic.

There is only one way that doesn’t leave me looking like a lunatic when I talk about this, and that way is not talking about it.

"He’s okay, right?" She questions, and I let out a breath.

"Yes, he’s... he’s fine," I whisper.

She simply nods, as though I’ve confirmed something she already suspected, and I hold my breath.

"If you don’t mind, darling. I’d like to properly understand this..." She begins, and I slowly lift my gaze to see her.

"So, there is the one who sits before me..." She begins and I blink at her.

"And there is another. Quieter... Older in sorrow. Sharper at the edges." She speaks like she’s questioning, but we both know she already knows.

She’s not asking. She’s telling me what she knows.

My fingers curl into the rope of the swing, as awe fills me.

I’ve never heard anyone describe it so plainly.

"Does it frighten you? Or does it feel... familiar?" She questions this time, and I swallow.

"It used to terrify me," I say honestly, and she remains silent.

"Now?" She asks and my smile grows.

"Now it just feels... complicated," I add, and she hums thoughtfully.

Then, before I can second-guess myself, she lifts her hand and traces a slow sigil in the air.

The atmosphere around us shifts.

Not visually, not completely... But sound dampens, the leaves overhead stop as though held in place and the space around us tightens gently, like being enclosed in a bubble of warm water.

"A privacy ward," she explains calmly.

"No one will hear us and no one will intrude." She adds, and my chest tightens.

Not in fear, but in relief.

The fact that I have been given a chance to speak about this... even though she may not believe me, I... just letting off my chest is a tempting offer.

"You may speak freely, Elian... Only if you want to, of course. If you’re not ready, I can get rid of the ward. It is not my intention to pressure you." She explains further, and the swing sways once as I exhale.

"I don’t... know where to start," I confess, and she shrugs.

"Start Anywhere," she says with an encouraging smile.

"I am listening." She adds as she reaches to pat my back, and the words crack something open.

"I’m not from here," I begin, with my voice barely steady or audible.

"Not originally. I mean... my body is. But I wasn’t..." I begin but stop.

"I know this sounds crazy, but Elien is the real owner of this body. He’s the one who’s from this world and... I’m... more like... an intruder? A guest??" begin but stop.

I pause, waiting for disbelief, or mockery, or some laughter... but it doesn’t come.

So, I continue.

"There was an accident. In my world. A trailer crashed into me and threw me over a bridge." I continue, but swallow as the memory comes back. Sharp even now.

"I should have died. I did, I think. But when I woke up... I was here. In this body. And I wasn’t alone." I explain further, and gulp.

My hands tremble, so I press them together to get a bit of strength.

"There was already someone in this world who looked exactly like me. His name is Elien." I continue and this time I muster the courage to look up at Queen Selthía.

Her brows are slightly furrowed, but it doesn’t look like doubt. Instead, it’s concentration.

"He was... broken," I continue, and I feel Elien shifts in offense inside me, but I keep going.

"He was hurt in ways I don’t fully understand. And somehow, instead of one of us disappearing... we stayed. Together." I continue with a soft, humourless laugh this time.

"It was like the universe didn’t know which of us to choose," I add, and her eyes soften.

"And Bram..." I begin again, but the name feels like a stone in my mouth. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"He was... someone I trusted," I explain.

"In my world. He hurt me. Used me. Even tried to kill me. And when I came here... he followed. He was also woken up in his look-alike’s body. He became worse. More dangerous. More... hungry to hurt me."

My voice shakes now, but I force myself on.

"Elien remembers things I don’t. This world. This pain. And I remember things he doesn’t. Another life. Another pain." I add.

"So... that’s it. My truth. You can... call me crazy now. The only other thing I need to admit is that I do love my Alphas. I want families with them and I will not give that up for anything." I conclude l, and silence stretches between us.

Then Queen Selthía exhales slowly.

"I believe you," she says, and I freeze.

The words hit me harder than anything else she could have said.

"You... you do?" I ask, stunned as I look up at her, and she nods.

"Magic leaves patterns. So does truth. And you carry both." She whispers and tears sting my eyes.

"I was afraid you’d think I was mad," I confess and she smiles sadly.

"Sanity is often a matter of perspective." She adds and I close my eyes.

"May I ask something... delicate?" She then asks, and I nod.

"Would it be acceptable if I spoke to him?" She asks, and my heart stutters.

My heart stutters.

"Elien?" I whisper in confusion and she nods.

"Yes." She says, and I hesitate.

Inside me, there’s a subtle shift. A presence stirring, wary but attentive.

"Do you want to?" I ask him silently, and there’s a pause.

Then, he replies faintly.

"If she already knows... then hiding is pointless."