We run through the woods laughing. Yllis’s fingers are intertwined with mine, and when he looks over, the love in his eyes makes my breath catch. My heart is so full.
Eero is behind us, thundering through the underbrush. I do not have to turn to sense my brother tripping over a root that Yllis and I had jumped over. It would be funny to let him fall, but it is not his fault he has no Song and cannot feel the forest around him the way we do. In the blink of an eye, I sing a spell to lift him back upright and set him on his feet. He stumbles a bit but rights himself, his emotions confused for a moment, before refocusing on the competition.
We clear the tree line, and Eero races ahead, beating us to the water’s edge. He dives underneath and swims out a little ways, shouting, berating us for our slowness. Yllis and I splash into the waves, soaking each other, and I think this is the happiest I have ever been. The two people I care most for in this world are here, and it is the most beautiful day I could have dreamed.
Yllis said he would not let it rain on Eero’s and my birthday, and he did not. I shall bring the clouds back myself tomorrow to keep things in balance, but for today, watching the smiles on his and Eero’s faces as the sun shines down on us is the best present ever.
Later, the fire crackles before us, and I lean back into the strong hold of Yllis’s arms around me. Eero sits just across from us, roasting tubers on a stick. His melancholy calls to me and I yearn to soothe it, but long ago he made me promise not to sing away his moods. I endeavor to respect his wishes, though it is difficult to see my twin so sad.
“What ails, Eero?” I say to him.
He continues to stare into the fire, his eyes faraway. I disengage from Yllis and move around to sit beside him. “We celebrate our birth today. Why are you downhearted?”
I nudge his shoulder. His mouth quirks slightly in the beginnings of a smile.
“I do not aim to diminish any happiness of yours. I only wish…”
I remain patient as he forms his thoughts. Words are not always easy for him, but they eventually flow. I do not push.
“I wish I could sing, as you do. As Father did.”
I reach out to him, placing my hand on his. “And I wish I shared Mother’s talent at drawing the way you do. The pictures you create are unequaled. Everyone’s talents lie in different directions.”
“Yes, but to control the earth and the sky? It is magnificent.” Wonder fills his voice. I feel ashamed for taking for granted the Song that swells within me, the feeling of oneness that I have with the life energy of the world.
“We are different,” I say. He looks pointedly at my hand, still on his arm, an example of the difference clearly displayed by the contrasting hues of our skin. Mine like our father and the other Songbearers with our dark hair and dark eyes, his the shade of Mother’s and the other Silents, with eyes of vivid golden copper. “The blue of the day’s sky and the black of the night’s are different, but one is not better than the other. We need both. If I could give you part of my Song, I would, so you could feel what it is like. And perhaps you could give me some of your talent so that I could paint the murals that bring such delight to all who see them, and it will equal out.”
He pulls away from my touch and stands, offering me his roasted tuber before turning to look at the water. “We will never be equals, Oola.” My name on his lips has never sounded so hopeless.
My twin walks toward the water, and I move back to Yllis’s arms.
“He offered for the daughter of the Head Cantor,” Yllis says as I watch Eero’s retreating form. “She turned him down for one of the Healers.” A fissure forms in my heart.
“I did not know. He tells me little of his love life. Once upon a time, we were close as heartbeats.” I shift to face Yllis. “Do you think there is a way?”
He leans his forehead to mine, his Song dancing at the edge of my perception, offering solace and comfort. I do not reach for it, but I am glad it is there.
“A way for what?” he says.
“To share my Song with him?”
A thoughtful look crosses his face. His studies with the Cantors are progressing; he is learning much about new spells, new ways to funnel and control the massive energy of Earthsong. “If there is a way, we will find it. I promise.”
His lips slide to mine. The kiss is not all-consuming, it is simply a reminder that he is here for me and that any problem I face, he faces as well. My worries flee. I would do anything for my twin, and if it is a Song he desires, I will do all I can to give it to him.