Shon gritted his teeth as he stepped from Nabila’s room, careful to close the door quietly behind him. He didn’t know how Amy had managed it, but for the past three days, she’d been nowhere to be found. On the rare occasions he’d caught her in Nabila’s chambers or in the library, she’d instantly had an excuse handy before flying from the room, leaving him alone again with his battered heart.

He couldn’t understand it. After everything they’d shared, the only thing he wanted was to spend more time with her. All his time, in fact.

Of course, there was one person who might be able to solve the mystery of Amy’s sudden shyness—the one person in the castle who cared about her whereabouts almost as much as him. He had to find Tahvo. With a heavy sigh, he charged down the royal hallways so quickly he nearly bulldozed the woman walking directly toward him. He stopped short and the silver tray in her hands clattered before he reached out to steady her.

“Dalia?” He furrowed his brow as she blinked up at him. “It’s late. Why aren’t you in the harem?”

She nodded and kept her eyes on the ground, as all servants were trained to do when speaking with a member of the royal family. “Special dispensation from the king, Your Highness. Mint tea to soothe the queen’s stomach. The pregnancy has caused her a lot of distress.”

“Of course.” Shon nodded, ready to walk off again, but then he paused. “You don’t happen to know where Tahvo is, do you?”

“I saw him in the garden on my way here,” Dalia said.

“Thank you. Sorry for almost knocking you over!”

Shon didn’t wait for her reply. He just hurried down the hallway even faster, but this time taking better care to watch where he was going. He found Tahvo sitting on the edge of the fountain in the center of the garden, staring down at the water with a deep frown etched into his features.

Shon sat next to his brother. “We need to talk,” he said simply

Tahvo nodded solemnly. “I’ve been thinking that too.”

Shon paused, unsure where or how to start. He’d never seen the lines of his brother’s face so clearly defined or his frown so deep and unyielding. For a moment, he considered asking what was on the other man’s mind, but of course he already knew.

“Amy is an amazing woman,” Shon said, studying his brother’s face as he spoke. “I’ve never met a woman like her before. So headstrong and passionate.”

Tahvo’s mouth twitched slightly as he nodded.

“She inspires me,” Shon continued. “I’ve been writing sonnets and poetry and ballads. I can’t stop thinking about her and I want to spend every single moment with her. The waking ones, the sleeping ones, I don’t care. I…” Shon searched for the words, desperate to make Tahvo understand, though he suspected his brother understood all to clearly. “I never thought this would happen to me, but I think this is what love feels like.”

Tahvo nodded again, his gaze never moving from the churning depths of the fountain’s water. “It is. I know because I feel exactly the same way. Her dedication to doing the right thing makes me want to become a better man. I’m sick of living a life of debauchery. I’m sick of being a stereotype. I want more. I want…her.”

Shon leaned closer to Tahvo and whispered, “Me too.”

They sat together quietly for a few minutes, gaining strength from each other, as they had since birth. Where once Shon might have been jealous of Tahvo’s feelings for Amy, he felt only empathy. They were both confused and hurting. Everything had changed, almost overnight. Now what were they supposed to do?

“We should talk to Aziz,” Tahvo finally said. “If anyone will know how to handle this, it will be Aziz.”

“Not a bad idea.”

Neither spoke as they sought out the king’s most trusted advisor in his office. They didn’t need to. Their bond had always been so strong that they often sensed the other’s emotions. Since the same emotions were churning inside both of them at that very moment, they didn’t need to even try.

They found Aziz behind his desk, reading an ancient scroll. He smiled up at them and motioned for them to sit in the plush leather chairs across from him.

“What can I do for Your Highnesses?” he asked pleasantly.

Shon and Tahvo took turns telling their story. They each left out the gory details of their private encounters with Amy, but their problem revolved more around their feelings than their acts. When they finished, Aziz sat back in his chair and studied them.

“I see,” he said, pursing his lips in thought. “Well, it seems pretty clear to me you both are in love. I think at a time like this, we must remember the story of Queen Dya.”

“Who?” Shon frowned and glanced at Tahvo, who shrugged.

“Queen Dya was the first queen to rule Adikar in her own name. Loved by her people, she was a patron of the arts and she spearheaded the movement toward women’s sexual liberation here in Adikar.”

“What do you mean?” Tahvo asked.

“Dya had two lovers,” Aziz explained. “She loved them both unconditionally, and they loved her in return. Unable to choose between them, Dya decided that if it was legal for kings to take multiple wives, queens could do the same. On the same day she decreed such unions legal, she took both men as her husbands. It’s not a common arrangement, but it is legal.”

Aziz looked from Shon to Tahvo, silently asking the question they could never ask aloud. They had spent their lives sharing everything—were they willing to share a wife too?

The twins turned to each other, speaking their silent twin language. After only a moment, and at the same time, they grinned.