Story Summary: A short story focusing on Rishi, Avani's twin brother, set about a season after the birth of Avani and Leon's twins.

Attribution: The photo for the story image is by Dan Hancock https://www.flickr.com/photos/despotes/1188632388/ and is available through the Creative Commons License CC BY-NC 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/. I have modified it from the original.

**************

"My Lord Rishi," began the young soldier, bowing deeply before the Prince of the Ventuani. "Prince Arthur requests your presence in Selphia at your earliest convenience. He has news that he believes will be of interest to you." He turned to the fair-haired lady who stood behind him and bowed to her as well. "He likewise requests your presence, My Lady Sharmila, if you are able."

She smiled at him, massaging her rotund belly. "Well, as our little man isn't due to arrive for a little time yet, I think I should be able to accompany My Lord. Besides, it'll give me a chance to see the twins again."

Rishi's expression was wistful as he replied, "Yes, it would be nice to see them.... All right, Sergeant...?"

"Hugo, sir."

"Then, Sergeant Hugo, will you wait and travel with us, or return immediately?"

"My orders are to return at once and inform the Prince of your reply, My Lord."

"Good. Then please tell Arthur that we will arrive as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir." And with that, the soldier again bowed, then turned and departed quickly.

"I wonder what Arthur wants?" Rishi mused as he sat for a moment, drumming his fingers on the table top before him. "I doubt that he would request your presence, too, if it concerned politics or business. But if it's a purely social visit, surely he would have simply come here himself, not sent a guard to ask us to come to him."

"I suppose we'll find out soon enough, beloved," she replied, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as she smiled down at him.

"True," he replied, taking her hand and kissing it before he rose with a sigh. He stepped cautiously, but his servants were meticulous in insuring everything stayed in its place in his rooms, so that he might walk through the large house unassisted. Pausing in the hall, he called for the head servant, who hurried down the hall a moment later.

"Yes, My Lord?" she asked, bowing before him.

"My Lady and I will be leaving shortly for Selphia. I do not know how long we will be away at this time. Please inform any visitors or petitioners accordingly, and see to things in our absence. Oh, and will you please summon Jagathi immediately? We will be in our quarters, preparing for departure."

"Yes, My Lord. You may place your faith in me," she replied, turning and bustling back down the hall.

"Thank you, Usha. I know I may," he said with a smile, speaking more to himself than to her as she disappeared around a corner.

**************

After placing a deputy in charge in his absence, Rishi and Sharmila teleported to the airship dock in Selphia. Together they strolled down the street to Arthur's offices, breathing in the crisp fall air of the northern town. Inside his rooms within Porcoline's manor house, they found Arthur sitting to tea with Avani, Leon, Jones, and a strange woman. Arthur rose when they entered the room, and greeted them with a smile.

"Ahh, Rishi, Sharmila—I'm very glad you could come, especially on such short notice. I've asked Avani and Leon to join us, as well Dr. Jones and a colleague of his. Please, be seated," he said as he gently guided the blind prince to the table. He offered them tea and cakes, and once they were settled comfortably, he turned to the physician. "Jones? Will you explain the purpose of this meeting, please?"

"Oh, certainly," he replied, clearing his throat. "I admit that I was greatly intrigued by your case, Prince Rishi, meaning both your blindness and your shared sight with Avani, that is. So when I attended an international conference of physicians and healers in the capitol last month, I made some discreet enquiries. Everyone I spoke with, to a man, suggested I speak with Ms. Shelby, a renowned ocular specialist from the Republic of Eucraft. Fortunately, she was also in attendance, so I sought her out and told her about you. As a result of our conversation, she agreed to come and see you for herself—if you are willing, that is."

The stranger then spoke, her voice low and deep and soothing. "Prince Rishi and Lady Sharmila? I am Ursula Shelby, but please just call me Ursula. Jones explained your case to me, but I am afraid I must confess that I am not altogether convinced. He said that you were born all but blind, but that instead of external vision, you were born with a gift of internal sight that, for whatever reason, only allows you to see through the eyes of your twin sister. Is this correct?"

"Yes, that is correct. It is a very rare trait among our people, often vanishing for centuries before reappearing once more. When it does appear, it only appears in multiple births, and most often only in one sibling, though I did find a record from long, long ago of a triple birth where two of the three were affected."

"I see. And you are completely blind?"

"No, not completely. I can see vague, blurry shapes of color with my own eyes, though I can see quite clearly when I see through Avani's eyes—as well as she herself can see, I imagine. However, I cannot see well enough to walk unassisted through unfamiliar terrain, for example, let alone to read a book or write a letter."

"Please describe what you see before you right now, with your own eyes, Your Highness."

"Please, call me Rishi. I can see blobs of white and brown and blue and green nearby, and behind those, larger blobs of brown and white, and a smaller blob of blue."

"All right," she said, making some notes in a small notebook. "Next I would like you to describe a scene that you see through your sister's eyes. To test this, I will select a book from Prince Arthur's shelves and hand it to your sister, who will then open it to a plate and look at it. You will then describe what she sees to me."

Rishi nodded understanding, and Avani and Ursula both rose and walked to the back of the office. Ursula pulled a book at random off a shelf, flipped through until she found a drawing of a grand clipper ship with the caption "The H.M.S. Sea Queen: the sailing vessel of the Noradian Royal Family, the House of Lawrence, launched in the fourth year of the reign of King Gilbert."

"All right, Avani, please look at this image. Rishi, please tell me what she sees. Describe it as clearly as you can, including any text you can read."

"I see a pen and ink drawing of a sailing vessel," Rishi began, speaking slowly at first. "It has many sails on it, though I do not know ships well enough to tell you what kind it is. It appears to be quite large, though. I count one... two... three..." he paused for a moment, though his lips moved very slightly. He let out a low whistle a moment later. "Thirty-five. I count thirty-five sails on that ship. As I said, I do not know ships well, but it seems to me to be quite a large, beautifully crafted vessel. There is a caption below that reads 'The H.M.S. Sea Queen: the sailing vessel of the Noradian Royal Family, the House of Lawrence, launched in the fourth year of the reign of King Gilbert.' There is more text on the page, but as Avani is not focusing on it, I cannot read it."

Ursula grunted as if deep in thought, then she pulled the book from Avani's hand and glanced over the image again before closing the book. She replaced it on the shelf and carefully selected another volume. Again she opened it and placed it into Avani's hands. "Once again, if you please."

"The book is open to a page of color plates—four of them. The top left plate depicts leopards and tigers, male, female, and young of the normal coloration of each, as well as a black leopard, a white tiger, and a golden tiger. The top right plate depicts wolves, jackals, foxes and wild dogs—do you want me to name each species shown? All right, then the lower left plate depicts an assortment of mongooses, civets, and martens, and the lower right plate shows wild boars—different genders, ages, and colorations."

"Hmmm. Very interesting, Rishi. One more test, if you will please humor me? I will write a note and ask your sister to take it upstairs to open and read it, then I will ask you to read it using her vision." She opened her little notebook and scribbled something on a page. Then she tore the page out, folded it into thirds and then halves, and handed it to Avani. Avani nodded, then she turned and ran lightly up the stairs to the second floor. Ursula turned to Rishi and said, "Whenever you are ready, Rishi."

Rishi sat for a moment, his brow drawn in concentration. Then he smiled, and said, "She's just unfolded it now. Your note seems to be a quote: 'Smooth seas do not make skillful marinars.' Although, if you will pardon my mentioning it, you misspelled 'mariners'—that should be an 'e', not an 'a'."

Ursula smiled a slow, broad smile and raised her hands. "Well, Rishi, I have no choice but to believe you. You even picked up on the spelling error—deliberate, of course. Now all that remains is for me to perform a physical examination, and then consider what may be done to cure your blindness." Then she walked to the staircase and called Avani back down.

"Cure... did you say cure my blindness?" Rishi said, his mouth dropping open in shock.

Sharmila sprang to her feet. "Cure... cure him? Doctor, I mean, Ursula, do you mean it? You can heal him?"

Turning to Sharmila with a solemn look, she replied, "I am not, in fact, a doctor. I am a scientist and an engineer with a particular interest in visual impairments. The eye is, to me, a mechanical marvel. As a result of my research, I have achieved many successes with my methods.

"As to your question... I cannot say for certain just yet. I will need to perform an examination, and an exploratory operation will very likely be necessary before I can propose a plan of action. If you wish me to proceed, I will gladly do so, for I must say your case intrigues me. Never have I come across the exact symptoms you exhibit.

"I will need an assistant for the exploratory surgery as well as any subsequent operations. Would your personal physician be willing?" she asked, looking at both Rishi and Sharmila inquiringly.

"I would be delighted to assist Ms. Shelby, if you and your own physician do not object," Jones spoke up, looking eager.

"We do not employ physicians. We have healers, and the priestesses also have some more advanced spells. We do use some basic herbs and potions, but we primarily utilize magic," Rishi replied, dazedly.

"Then I will accept Jones' offer of assistance, if that meets with your approval," Ursula said with a satisfied nod. "If you are free this afternoon, I would like to proceed with the initial examination immediately, as well as to set a time for the exploratory surgery."

Sharmila stared, unblinkingly, at the specialist for several long moments, then turned and looked at Avani where she stood frozen and wide-eyed on the last step but one.

**************

"But Rishi, my love, it's the chance of a lifetime!" Avani exclaimed as she took Hope from Sharmila to lay her down for her nap with Ray. "You can't possibly pass this up! How could you even think otherwise?"

Rishi sat, eyes closed, and did not reply immediately. At last, with a sigh, he said, "Try to imagine it from my perspective. All my life I have had no vision to speak of, as if I've been trapped in a mist since birth. All I've ever had was my link to you and your vision. It brought us so much closer together than if I hadn't been so... so utterly dependent on you, my love. There were so many times in my youth when I felt that I had nothing worthwhile except you and that link between us."

Avani nodded in understanding as she sat on the arm of the chair where Leon sat listening thoughtfully. Looking shrewdly at his wife's twin, he said, "And you fear that this surgery will rob you of that, is that it?"

Rishi turned towards them. "Yes. I fear that more than I fear blindness, which at least is familiar to me. And most of all, I fear that the surgery will not merely rob me of that link—that precious link, which has meant so much to me all these years—but that it will fail to cure me, too, leaving me more truly blind than ever before. That is what I fear most."

Avani looked at Leon, her eyes troubled and uncertain. Sharmila glanced at them, then laid one hand on her belly and the other on her husband's arm. "Beloved, won't you at least consent to the examination? Perhaps she may be able to help you without surgery; perhaps she may not be able to help you at all. Either way, isn't it best to gather as much information as you can before you reach a decision?"

Rishi paused, considering, then nodded his head. "Yes. You're right, love. I will follow your advice, and afterwards I will make my decision."

**************

"Your vision is severely myopic," Ursula said as she took a seat next to Rishi's bed in the clinic. Sharmila sat in a chair on the other side of his bed, and Avani and Jones stood at the end, watching and listening.

"Myopic?" Rishi asked.

"Yes—short-sighted. You see at ten paces what a person with normal vision can see at approximately two hundred paces."

"Oh," he replied, sinking back on his pillows.

Sharmila looked down at him as she gave his hand a squeeze, then looked at Ursula. "Can you do anything?"

"Well, normally myopia is due to either a defect in the cornea, the transparent cover over the eye's lens, or else to an elongation of the eye itself, resulting in imperfect focus.

"However, I've examined his eyes, and I believe that the failure isn't due to either of these. I believe instead that the fault is neural. I can't even begin to guess what the mechanism is, though if there is a history among your people—however rare—of such defects, then it may be hereditary in nature."

Instinctively placing a hand protectively over her rounded belly, Sharmila stared at her for a moment. "Then... is there nothing that can be done after all?"

Ursula smiled at her. "I didn't say that. The nerves are there and at least partially functional, or he wouldn't see at all. But I believe that they have atrophied, or more accurately, they never properly developed in the first place. Something interrupted that stage of his development, promoting this alter-vision instead.

"While I have not had occasion to do so myself, many of my colleagues have had good success in treating nerve impairments with electrical stimuli. I propose that you permit me to attempt to reawaken the dysfunctional nerves in this manner."

"Electrical stimuli? What do you mean? You mean... you want to shock his brain? Like with lightning?" Avani asked, chewing on her lip and looking worriedly at her brother.

"Yes, in a manner of speaking. But the electricity used for such treatments is nowhere near as powerful an energy as your wild magics. It may be uncomfortable; it should not be painful."

"Will it sever this bond I have with my sister, if I allow you to attempt to heal my sight?" Rishi spoke at last, and though his voice was calm, his sister and his wife both felt the underlying tension in his question.

Ursula considered for a moment. "That I cannot say, as I have never before had a patient with this particular... condition. If it is independent of your physical sight, then it may persist even once your vision has been healed. But if not...."

Rishi nodded slowly, wincing a little from the residual discomfort of his recent examination. "I see. I would like some time to think it over, to discuss it with my wife and my sister, before I make my mind up."

She nodded her head. "Of course. It's not a decision to be made lightly. And I cannot guarantee that your vision will be restored to you. Though I've had good results with other treatments and others have had good results with neural stimulation, your case is rather unique."

"I understand. Thank you, Ursula. Will you be in town much longer?"

"I will be in Norad for another week at least—there are some people in the capitol I wish to meet while I am here, since it is not often I travel this far. Should you choose to try to restore your sight, I will want to treat you there, at the Royal Hospital. I will have better access to the equipment I need there than in a small town like this."

"Very well. I will let you know my decision before the week is over."

**************

From his seat in one of the chairs by the crackling fire, the twins snuggled up to him as they gazed at each other in drowsy wonder, Leon looked from Avani to Rishi to Sharmila and back to Avani. "Well?" he asked as Sharmila and Rishi sat on the small sofa. "What did she say? Can she do anything for you?"

Rishi sighed and rubbed his head. "She... she thinks there is a good chance she can successfully restore my vision."

"That's wonderful! Isn't it?" Leon exclaimed, then hesitated as he saw the uncertainty lingering on his brother-in-law's face.

Rishi sighed and buried his head in his hands. "I... I'm not sure. She can't guarantee a cure, naturally, but she also doesn't have any idea what, if any, effect her treatment might have on my link with Avani."

"I see," Leon mused, turning to meet Avani's worried gaze.

Sharmila watched Avani and Rishi for a moment, and seeing the concern of the former and the mute misery of the latter, she rose. "My love, I had best return home and make arrangements for a more extended stay for us here in Selphia. Then you can take as long as you want to think it over, here where you can discuss your concerns with Avani. I'll be back as quickly as I can." She bent and kissed his forehead, then hurried out the door, sending one last meaningful glance to her sister-in-law as she paused in the doorway. Then she was gone.

Avani sat next to her twin and put her arm around his shoulders. "Why don't we take a little walk? I find I think more clearly when I'm out in the fresh air. We can go down to Dragon Lake, if you like, or even to the waterfall in Yokmir Forest. There are only a few monsters along the way to the falls, nothing I couldn't dispatch in my sleep," she said with a smile.

"I'll stay here with the babies, My Lady, so take your time," Leon asked, cradling their little ones snugly as he nodded reassuringly to her.

Rishi nodded and rose, silently allowing Avani to lead him where she would, just as she had done for most of his life.

**************

Once she had determined that no more orcs lurked in the shadows, Avani carefully wiped her dual blades before sheathing them, then led Rishi to a log near the waterfall where he could sit and listen to the roar of the falls and smell the fragrant, earthy, green scents of the woods around them. If he borrowed her vision, he could even see clearly the sun-dappled leaves and mossy stumps and the mushrooms and strange flowers that dotted the shaded grass. He began to do so, then exclaimed sharply. Turning to look at him, alarmed by his cry, Avani saw a tear on his cheek.

"Rishi, my love, what is it?" she said, dropping beside him and holding his hands in hers.

Taking a ragged breath, he said in a low voice, "I've become so accustomed to seeing things through your eyes, to living my life through you. Those years that passed while I had sealed your memory away, when I only rarely borrowed your sight to be sure you were well... those were some of the bleakest years of my life. I felt so... cut off, so isolated in my blindness."

He looked up at her, trying to make out her face from the blur of shadow and color before him. "Avani, my sister, I don't know... I can't bear the thought of living out my life like that, of losing so much. It's such a risk, and for what? I've never needed my sight before, do I really need it so badly now?"

Avani crouched next to him for a moment, deep in thought. Then she gave his hands a squeeze and rose. Turning towards the river flowing past them, she stooped, picked up a few stones, and threw them as hard as she could, one after the other, into the river, watching them as they splashed and sank from view. Finally she said slowly, still looking into the waters, "I can't tell you what you should and should not do, Rishi. This is a decision that you and you alone must make." Then she turned to face him, and though he couldn't see the mixture of pride and pain on her face, he could hear it in her voice as she continued. "But you are a Prince and the leader of our people. We must face the future bravely, my love, and act with courage. There is risk, yes, but there is also a great deal of hope. If we always let our fears control us, what would become of us?"

Once more kneeling before him and grasping his hands in hers, she said, "You asked if you really needed your vision, when you've always had mine at your disposal. But is that how you really would choose to live your life, always depending on me to see for you? What if something happened to me, then what? And besides, given a choice between dependence and independence, wouldn't independence be a better choice every time? The ability to do a thing for yourself, to not require the help of others... isn't that the best thing? Until now, you've had no choice. But now you do. Don't choose out of fear, my love."

Once more rising and turning to watch the flow of the river, she said softly, "Think of all the things you might see that I cannot see for you—Sharmila's face next to yours in the early morning light, your child's first steps, little moments such as those that can't be seen for you. And other sights that you deserve to see yourself, and that deserve to be seen by you—your newborn child's face and tiny hands and feet, for instance. Isn't that alone worth the risk?

"You might lose your connection with me, but my love, there's no guarantee that you wouldn't lose it eventually anyway. Life is uncertain—every day, everything we do has some element of risk. So isn't it better to take a worthwhile risk than to wait until fate decides to throw the dice on your behalf?"

Rishi sat, staring at the darkening blurs before him. After a little while, he suddenly stood, saying, "I'm tired. Please take me back now. Sharmila should be back soon, if she isn't already."

**************

"You're quite certain of your decision?" Sharmila asked, pausing with the seal hovering over the slowly hardening wax on the letter before her.

"Quite certain," Rishi replied quietly, and she sighed and pressed the seal into the wax firmly, then called for a servant to deliver the letter with all haste.

**************

"How is he?" Avani asked Sharmila in a whisper. The priestess placed a finger across her lips, then led Avani out the door.

In a low voice, she replied, "We don't know for sure. He hasn't yet woken. Ursula thinks it went well, but there's no way to tell for sure. And this was only the first round—she wants to do another tomorrow, then allow him some time to heal before he attempts to see. Did Leon come with you?"

Avani shook her head. "The twins really aren't old enough for such a trip yet, so he offered to stay behind with them so that I could be here. Of course, he wants us to send word the second we know anything."

Sharmila sighed, looking back at the heavy door before them. "I wish...." Then she turned pale and gasped, clutching Avani's shoulder tightly as she wavered.

"Sharmila?" Avani exclaimed. "What is it? What's wrong?"

As if emerging from the woodwork, suddenly several nurses gathered around them, and before Avani could get a reply, Sharmila was whisked away, and she was left standing there in the now-empty hall, alone and bewildered.

**************

"Sharmila?" Rishi mumbled, his voice raspy. He reached up and felt gingerly at the bandages that covered his eyes.

"Shhh, I'm here," Avani replied, gently taking his hand and guiding it away from his face.

"Avani? Where's Sharmila?" he croaked, attempting to sit up. He was still too groggy, though, and soon gave up, falling tiredly back against his pillows.

"She... she couldn't be here right now. So I'm here instead."

"What is it? Is something wrong?" He again tried to sit up, then stopped, half-risen, and after a moment he moaned and fell back again. "It's gone!" he said with a sob.

"Shh, no, don't cry, Rishi! You need to rest your eyes. What is it? What's gone?" she exclaimed, rising and putting her arms around him to soothe him.

"I can't... I can't see through you. It's gone—the link is broken!" he whispered, and Avani held him as she prayed to Ventu with all her might.

**************

"Well, Rishi. Are you ready for the moment of truth?" Ursula said, taking a seat next to his bed across from where Avani sat anxiously watching.

He hesitated just an instant, then nodded. "Yes. I'm ready."

"Then just one moment while we prepare. Avani, would you please pull those shades down? Thank you. Now come with me for just a moment, will you?"

Rishi heard their footsteps leaving, then the door closed. A murmur of voices reached his sensitive ears, but they were too muffled to make out the words. Then a half-smothered cry, and quick footsteps departing. Soon slower footsteps approached, softly shuffling as if in felted slippers instead of the boots she had worn before. And a strange smell....

Before he could think about it any further, cool hands touched his cheek, just below the bandages, then cold metal slipped underneath. The sound of fabric being cut, and a gentle pulling sensation. Then the bandages were lifted from his face, and a hand was quickly placed over his eyes before he had a chance to open them.

"Keep in mind that if your treatment was successful and your sight restored, you will likely find your eyes very sensitive for a while to lights. So please use caution opening your eyes, and stay in dim or filtered light at first, until you become accustomed to using them and they become accustomed to being used. All right?" Ursula spoke firmly but kindly. As soon as he nodded, she slowly removed her hand.

Cautiously, he opened his eyelids just a fraction—intense light stung his eyes and he squeezed them closed again for a moment. At least he hadn't lost any of the little vision he had, he thought to himself as again he opened his eyes slowly—just an eyelash's breadth at first, then another, and another after that.

At last, feeling somewhat adjusted to the light in the room, he opened them all at once and turned to look at his twin, his expression hopeful.

But instead, where Avani had sat faithfully at his side for the past few days and nights, he instead saw his wife, holding their sleeping newborn son in her arms.

At last, he saw her—saw them—clearly, with his own eyes.