The Forest

-24-

"They're from Ernwood, aren't they?"

He wasn't sleeping, but he had heard nothing but quiet and seen only the black of his arm for hours. The voice cut through the glaze. Lucius lifted his face from his arm.
"Darius?" He croaked. His voice was sticky.

His brother leant a shoulder against the doorway, arms crossed. Lucius hadn't heard the lock. Bree and Viridis seemed to have hidden themselves though, so it must have clicked. By the solemn expression on his face, he supposed Darius had heard the discussion between him and their father.
He lingered in the doorway. "Can I come in?"
Lucius rested his face on top of his knees and turned away. "Sure." He would barge in whatever the answer was.

There was the snick of the door as it closed, the pad of Darius' feet across the floor, switching from clonking to soundless shuffles when he stepped onto the carpet. The bed creaked with weight and Lucius knew his brother had sat beside him. He didn't turn.

"Are you alright?" Darius asked tentatively.
Lucius watched the hedge moving at the end of the grounds. It encircled the building and the land his family owned, stretching on and on until his eyes couldn't find it anymore. "I'm just tired."
Darius didn't say anything. Lucius could feel him looking at the mark on his face. He supposed that him and Elnora probably both thought he deserved it. Nobody spoke to their father like that.

Lucius dug his nails into his arms. He didn't want to talk anymore.

"Ernwood Forest. Your..." he searched for the word, "Friends..."
"They live there. Why?" When he turned, Darius was perched on the corner of the bed. He had changed clothes since Lucius last saw him, swapping the grey jumper for a buttonless shirt. It suited him in a way it could never suit Lucius.
Darius looked around the room. There were no tiny people in sight.
"Are they here?"
Lucius discreetly shifted himself in front of the pillow. "They're hiding."
"Ah."
Bree watched Darius like a hawk watches a mouse, with him none the wiser to her withering glare. Viridis maintained a wary grip on her arm. There was silence between Lucius and his brother.

"I will take them back for you, if you want."
It was the last thing he expected to hear. Lucius sat up, "What?"
"I will take them back to their forest, so they are safe."
"I..." but for once, Lucius was lost for words. The proposition has come out of nowhere. And it was ridiculous, he wouldn't trust Darius with lighting a match, let alone Vids and Bree's lives. But how long could they stay here before someone else found out about them?
"Why would you do that?" He narrowed his eyes at his brother. Knowing Darius, he was plotting something.
Darius looked away. "I don't understand what they are... or how on earth you've come to know about them." Lucius was unsettled to see his brother's hands knitting. Darius didn't fidget, it was a sign of a weak character that their father loathed. "But, I suppose that no animal should be kept from its home. Least of all creatures as small as them. Quite obviously they don't belong here..." He hesitated. "It's the right thing to do."
"Yeah, great. What's the real reason?" Lucius glared. He wasn't buying this whole change of heart shit. Darius was many things, but he wasn't an empath. This was the same guy who had responded with not my problem to Viridis' injuries not a few hours ago.

His brother smiled awkwardly.
"I want things to back to normal." He admitted. The truth came easier than the lie, "I'm happy you're back, Lu. I was worried about you." He tried to take Lucius' hand, but Lucius tucked it against his stomach. Darius paused for a moment, then continued, "We're lucky you're not in trouble from all those things you did. Enough is enough now, no more... playing pretend. I will take them back to their home. Tomorrow morning, if you want." His eyes were firm. "And then you have to stop acting like this."
"Like what?"
"Talking about tiny people and camps in the woods, arguing with father. Just be normal."