Takuya woke slowly the next morning, the ordeal of the night before leaving him tired. As he looked around the workers quarters, he could see that many of the men had left already, presumably up with the dawn. He turned over to look at where the twins were preparing themselves silently for the days work.

Did I dream them too, or did they really help me? Takuya sat up slowly, and was rewarded by Kouichi hurrying over to sit on the edge of his bed with a look of concern on his face. Kouji scowled and moved to sit with his brother, tossing his head as if to say 'It's your fault we didn't sleep.'

Takuya smiled, and brushed his hand lightly against Kouichi's. "I'm okay. It was just a bad dream, that's all. Didn't mean to scare you."

Kouichi smiled back, evidently not about to speak where others might hear, and slid off the edge of the bed. Kouji glared once at Takuya, then followed his twin.

Takuya stretched slowly. Wonder why he glares at me so often? Kouichi seems so open and happy, so why is he different? He shrugged, then reached to the shelf behind his bed and removed his shirt from it, tugging it over his head. He then moved his hands to his eyes, brushing away the remnants of his unhappy night.

As his vision cleared, he saw Jeb standing at the foot of his bed.

"Now boy, you can't spend all day lazing about in your bed. We've all got work to do."

Takuya grinned and bounced out of his bed. "Okay, okay, I'm up. Just takes me a while to wake up."

Jeb snorted. "You want first-meal, you make that bed up quick, before Tony comes." He glared at Takuya, jokingly, and wagged a finger at him. "Otherwise, no food." He shrugged. "Old man Farrow is a strange one in his rules, but it keeps order on the farm, so I guess I've no real complaint."

Takuya grinned. "Well if you don't hurry you will have one complaint. All the others will have eaten, and there'll be none left for you." He started to fix up his bed.

"Aye. But less of your cheek, Takuya," replied Jeb, starting out of the hut. "I'll get some for you and the twins too."

Takuya heard a rustling noise, and looked up from his work to see Kouichi and Kouji leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting for him. Kouji glared at him.

"Okay okay, I'm hurrying, geez," moaned Takuya, hurriedly making his bed. After a few moments he was satisfied with the result and turned back to them. "Come on, or we won't get to eat."

Kouichi looked nervous, then moved to walk just behind Takuya, Kouji walking alongside him. Again as they stepped into view, most of the workers turned to stare. Takuya flushed hotly, unsure whether it was curiosity over the twins or pity over his having to watch them that made the workers stare so. He took some bread and fruit, and sat at the table to eat. Unsurprisingly, the twins sat along from him, and Kouichi mirrored his movements as he ate.

Is he worried their disguise is slipping? Because I'm sure most of their idiocy is an act. One that they drop around me. I wonder why?

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

Takuya eyed the sack of grain nervously. "Are you sure I can carry that, sir?"

Tony nodded, lifting the sack lightly. "If those two misfits can, I'm sure you can too. Just take it down to the mill by the river, and fetch the flour they grind back. To and fro all day, got it? Stop to rest when you like, but make sure you get it done at a reasonable pace, or Farrow'll not feed you." He grinned at Takuya. "So get to it, lad. And I'll see you tonight." He left the barn, leaving Takuya to continue eyeing the sack warily.

Kouji watched him and snorted.

Takuya grinned back at him. "Think you can do it, then?"

Kouji raised his chin, in defiance, then walked over to the sack and lifted it one-handed to rest against his back, before looking at Takuya and raising an eyebrow.

"Che," replied Takuya. "Anything you can do, I can do too." He took the next sack and was surprised that the effort to lift it almost bent him double.

Kouichi laughed, then hoisted his own sack of grain as easily as his brother did.

Takuya grinned back. "No fair, you got the easy ones." He started off, staggering a little until he got used to the weight against his back. They walked together to the orchard, and Takuya heard the slight rustle again that had plagued him since he arrived on the farm again behind him, and turned to see Kouji's lips moving in time with the sound, his face turned slightly towards Kouichi's. He stopped in shock.

"Are you… Talking?"

Kouji stopped, and looked shocked, then annoyed.

Takuya put his load down and looked at them both. "Is that your language?"

The twins looked at each other, communicating silently before Kouichi spoke up.

"Yes. We talk."

Takuya shook his head. "But you're so quiet. How can you hear the words?"

Kouichi just shrugged, the movement made lopsided by the weight he carried. "You shout."

Kouji rolled his eyes and started walking again.

Takuya struggled to lift his sack, until Kouichi helped him resettle it on his back. "Why don't you speak more? I'm sure the other workers would help you learn."

"Kouji said no."

Kouji slowed his pace to let them catch up.

"But surely you don't do what you're told? Is it because he's older?"

Both the twins reacted to that. Kouichi laughed while Kouji merely snorted derisively.

"I am older," explained Kouichi. "He should listen, but will not. Bad Kouji." He wagged his finger at Kouji, in a copy of how Jeb scolded Takuya that morning.

Takuya laughed. "I have a little brother too. He never did what he was told to by me. My mother and father always had to tell him to do his chores."

Kouichi tilted his head slightly. "Why are you not with mother and father?"

Takuya looked at the ground. "I did something… terrible. They wouldn't forgive me, so I left."

"Was that what happened in the night?" asked Kouichi.

"Kinda…" replied Takuya. "I don't want to talk about it…"

"Makes you sad?"

He nodded. "Sad. And afraid."

"We will help."

Kouji scowled back, as if he didn't like being volunteered by his twin. Then he and Kouichi both sped up their pace.

"Hey," called Takuya. "What's the hurry?"

Kouichi turned his head slightly to call back, not changing his pace. "The big stone has stopped. We'll be in trouble."

"What?" Takuya started to jog slightly to keep up with the twins' ground-eating pace. "I don't understand. Are you sure you're saying it right?"

Kouji rolled his eyes again.

Kouichi glared at him, and then turned back to Takuya. "At the mill. The big stone that takes the seed is stopped."

"Wha?" Takuya shook his head and slowed. "You can't know that! It's gotta be a way yet, I can only just hear the river."

Kouichi stopped. "We hear. The stone stopped. And the men will be sad that there is no seed."

"You can hear the mill? And that the grindstone has stopped?" Takuya shook his head. "No way." They cleared the orchard, and Takuya could see a stone building by the river, supporting a huge waterwheel. "It's got to be a few hundred meters away in the mill house."

Kouichi grabbed his arm, forcing him to walk faster. "We can hear." Together they jogged up, only to be met by Mathew glaring down at them, arms folded across his chest.

"What kept you?"

Both the twins kept blank expressions on their faces, like they didn't understand the question.

Takuya spoke up. "Took us a while to start. Tony had to tell me what I was doing, and I didn't find the mill right away."

Mathew pointed into the mill. "Hurry up and put them down over there, and fetch the flour from the other side." None of them moved, worried that he'd give more instructions. "Get moving! And don't make us stop again, else I'll get Farrow to dock your pay!"

Takuya scurried in quickly, leaving his sack by the large grain hopper, then moving to pick up one of the sacks of flour. The twins followed close behind, not wanting to anger Mathew further, and together they fled with sacks of flour that Takuya was dismayed to find weighed more than the sacks of grain.

Once they were well away from Mathew's wrath, Takuya spoke to Kouichi again.

"Could you really hear that they'd stopped?"

Kouichi nodded slowly. "We hear well, yes."

"But that's impossible!" replied Takuya. "I've never heard of being able to do that. How can you?"

Kouichi paused, and chose his next word carefully. "Is normal for our home, to hear good." He shrugged, as if to say 'That's just how it is.'

Takuya nodded, and continued to chatter away, trying to teach them both more of Common when they were alone, even if Kouji didn't seem so interested as they walked to and fro, carrying the sacks back and forth.

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

As morning became afternoon, the boys settled in the orchard, leaning against the sacks they carried, to eat mid-day. Takuya chose to sit apart from the twins, giving them privacy to talk together without him, as he didn't think his patience would last long, now he knew what the whispering sound he heard was. He lent back, determined to enjoy the dappled sunshine, and closed his eyes, feeling warmth spread through his frame as the twins rustled to each other.

"Do you think he knows?"

Kouichi looked at his brother. "I don't know. I don't think so, after all, judging by the story Jeb told yesterday, we're a myth. And not a very nice myth either."

Kouji sighed. "And the people-of-the-trees aren't that complimentary about the dirt-folk, either you know."

Kouichi winced a little. "Do you have to call them that? They chose the name 'Humans' for themselves."

"I haven't seen any skill or culture that suggests they shouldn't be called dirt-folk," replied Kouji. "I really don't understand what our honoured-father saw in them."

Kouichi ate some bread. "He didn't see it in them, he saw it in her. Whatever 'it' was. I'd like to see what he saw."

Kouji snorted. "Her. That's the whole reason we're stuck here, learning, isn't it? Stuck among savages."

Kouichi glared. "And our people are so benevolent to disown us? I feel there's more in common than you realise, brother."

"And what if there isn't? What if our accident of birth never happened?" asked Kouji. "What if we were worthy?"

"We're not, but only in their eyes," replied Kouichi. "And guessing the pass will do us no good. The Lady allotted us this life, we just have to make the best of it."

Kouji nodded towards Takuya, dozing gently in the sunshine. "And what of him? Think he'd be so friendly if he knew our true nature?"

Kouichi followed his brother's gaze. "Yes," he replied simply.

"Yes?" repeated Kouji. "Why do you say that?"

Kouichi smiled. "Because appearances are deceptive. Look."

Kouji looked, and was surprised to see a heat haze surrounding Takuya's body, distorting his image. "Surely it is not that hot in this grove to distort the air?"

"It isn't," agreed Kouichi. "Not by nature anyway."

"Magic?" asked Kouji. "One of the dirt-folk has magic?"

Kouichi nodded, still watching Takuya. "Wild, uncontrolled, and young. But magic none the less. Not people-of-the-trees magic either," he turned to look at Kouji "but then, you'd understand that, through your own corruption."

Kouji looked back. "But they can't hear, so how is it that magic is there?"

Kouichi smiled. "As I said, the humans are not as different as you think."