"One of them is Miellyn, my twin
sister. Kyral climbed the steps of the Great House by claiming us both
as his consorts. He is our father's son by another wife."
That explained much. Brother-and-sister marriages, not uncommon in the
Dry-towns, are based on expediency and suspicion, and are frequently,
though not always loveless. It explained Dallisa's taunts, and it partly
explained, only partly, why I found her in my arms. It did not explain
Rakhal's part in this mysterious intrigue, nor why Kyral had taken me
for Rakhal, (but only after he remembered seeing me in Terran clothing).
I wondered why it had never occurred to me before that I might be
mistaken for Rakhal. There was no close resemblance between us, but a
casual description would apply equally well to me or to Rakhal. My
height is unusual for a Terran--within an inch of Rakhal's own--and we
had roughly the same build, the same coloring. I had copied his walk,
imitated his mannerisms, since we were boys together.
And, blurring minor facial characteristics, there were the scars of the
_kifirgh_ on my mouth, cheeks, and shoulders.
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