Ryssa hated him. She always had.
"I took nothing."
Curling her lip, she closed the distance between them and yanked him up from the floor by his arm. "Where did you put it, you worthless little worm?" she demanded, shaking him so hard it felt as if she'd rip his arm off.
Styxx tried to break free, but she was too strong for him. "Put what?"
"The toy horse Father gave me for my birthday. I know you collect them and I know you stole mine. Where is it?"
"I haven't touched it."
"You're such a liar!" She threw him toward the ground then went to search his things again. "Where have you hidden it?"
Styxx met Acheron's gaze. "Did you take it?" he whispered to his brother.
Acheron shook his head.
Then who?
"What are you doing in here?"
All of them froze at the sound of fury in their nurse's voice. Before Styxx could explain that he'd invited Acheron in to play with him, the nurse snatched his brother away.
Acheron cried out as the nurse's grip bit into his small arm. "How many times have you been told to stay in your own room?"
Styxx panicked as he realized Acheron still held one of the soldiers in his hand. Even though he'd given them to his brother, he knew what would happen if anyone saw it in Acheron's possession.
His brother would be punished. Again.
Wanting only to protect Acheron, Styxx launched himself from the floor and grabbed it out of Acheron's hand.
Acheron offered him a small smile of gratitude before he was taken away.
"You!" Ryssa sneered as she glared at the toy he held. "You're so selfish. You never think of anyone but yourself. What would it have hurt to let him keep one toy? Huh?" She gestured to the others scattered on the ground. "Nothing's ever enough for you, is it? You always want more and you don't care who you take it from."
She jerked the toy from his hand, cutting his palm in the process, and stormed from his room.
Heartbroken, Styxx stood alone. He hated being by himself with a passion that made no sense. Ofttimes, he wondered if it came from being born a twin. Surely the gods wouldn't have given him a brother if they meant for him to be forever by himself.
And yet, he spent very much of his life alone.
Sighing wistfully, Styxx glanced around the room that was littered with toys. He would gladly give them all away if he could only have one person to play with. Ryssa refused because she didn't like him and he was a smelly boy, and, according to her, he was too stupid to follow the games she played with Acheron. The other children ran away from him because their parents were afraid they might hurt him, either by accident or on purpose, and incur his father's wrath.
Acheron was the only one who welcomed him as a playmate. But their father demanded they stay separated.
Styxx looked down at his brother's toy and wished with everything he had that it was different for them both. Rather they'd been born poor farmers than have to endure the burden of this wretched family and its meanness.
He set the toy aside. Later, after everyone was asleep, he'd return it to his brother.
* * *
"Acheron?" Styxx whispered, nudging his sleeping brother awake.
Slowly, Acheron blinked his eyes open. Rubbing them with his fist, Acheron sat up in bed. Styxx shoved the loaf of sweet bread in his face, making Acheron smile the moment he saw it.
"I didn't bring the honey, sorry. But..." Styxx opened his small cloth bag to show the sugared figs he'd taken. "I managed to pilfer your favorite."
Acheron's silver eyes lit up. "Thank you! But you shouldn't have. You could have been caught."