Oh, and on another note, the current format is a bunch of short chapters. If anyone would rather have the different POVs compressed into longer chapters, just say so. I own nothing.
"I don't know," said Lukas irritably, "We're safe now. Why would we want to go to war? Guerrilla fighting, fine. It keeps the balance of things, if necessary. I don't want to lose anyone."
"We might not have a choice," warned Mathias, "It's all gone to hell. Have you seen what they're doin' now? We've still got a chance to sort it all out."
"I know," shot back Lukas, "That's the problem. We need to do something, but if we do, we could end up like them. Just take a look at the battlefields."
He took Mathias' arm, and the world around them flickered for a second. Now, they were standing over a battlefield, covered in bodies. They all wore some sort of black, with two different patterns.
The world flickered back.
"Show-off," muttered Mathias.
"Said the pot to the kettle," returned Lukas, "Anyway, you saw what was down there. Do you want that to be us? To be him? Do what you like, but I'm not going to let anything happen to my brother."
"If he even is your brother."
Lukas shot him an ice-filled glare before.
"As I said, you can go right ahead," he said, with an edge of malice, "Now I've got to go talk to the King."
He stalked off down the hallway.
Something was wrong with Lukas. He was even more spiky than usual, and acted more like royalty than the royalty themselves. No wonder Emil was sick of him. Mathias normally had the patience of a rock — well, for most people — but there was no excuse for it this time.
Lukas turned a corner, and breathed a sigh of relief as the halls faded. He'd always like the other world. He could move more easily in and out of it than other people, he found.
Mathias. Something was wrong with him, and it was worrying Lukas. Emil was his normal, prickly self, but Mathias was…on edge. Anyway, Emil had Leon as well as them. Mathias and Lukas only had each other, and even then not all of the time.
He breathed in deeply. The air here was heavy and damp.
Maybe tomorrow it would be better. Maybe tomorrow he would find out who Alice was. Maybe tomorrow he would find a compromise.
Beneath the logic, there were a few more tentative thoughts, that reached out and then pulled back, for fear of rejection.
Maybe tomorrow Mathias will be back to normal. Maybe tomorrow Emil will talk to me. Maybe tomorrow it will be all right again.
A fairy settled on his shoulder before he could get much further. He smiled slightly, and gave it a stroke.
"Maybe…" he murmured absentmindedly.