It was always a bit of light relief when they got to go to Euttica. Their tutors wouldn’t always make the trip from Vasiliadon, the orchards were great for hide and seek and their parents seemed somehow happier too. Less busy.



Achilleas knew too that one day Euttica would be his. When he was old enough, he would become baron and it was enough to make his chest puff up a little where he stood on the wooden fence that overlooked the orchards.



“When it’s mine” he proclaimed to Emilios “ I shall make sure its all peach trees. And we can sit here all day and eat as many as we like.”



Climbing up onto the next rung of the fence, Achilleas stretched up his arms and caught a hold of the branch and pulled it down so he could pluck of one of the ripe fruit. He held it between his teeth and made a show of letting the branch spring back up, waiting for his brother’s inevitable cry of dismay before he relented and pulled down a peach for him too.



“Don’t say i never do anything for you” he said, as he threw it at his younger brother and then scrambled down off the fence and sat with his back to it, peach juice dribbling down his chin as he devoured the whole thing. The stone was tossed at Emilios’ head, as was the only just thing to do in the situation. “ When I am baron, I’ll get to choose whatever room I want. And I can do sword practice as long as I want and not Coptic lessons ever.” He hated Coptic lessons. The words made his tongue feel funny and, worse, he wasn’t very good at it. Even when he tried. It was frustrating.He didnt want to go to Egypt anyway when they wore silly wigs and didn’t even believe in the Gods.



Shuffling around, Achilleas stretched out on the grass beneath the fruit tree, peered up at the sky so brilliant blue between the branches. He screwed up his nose and swatted at a fly that was buzzing around his face, wiped his arm across his mouth sticky with fruit juice. A thought occurred to him



“Will you come and visit me?”



Because Emilios would still have to stay with Mama and Achilleas would have to come here on his own. The idea was less appealing all of a sudden and he turned his head to look at his younger brother. Emilios could be an annoying little twerp but Achilleas didn’t know it sounded so fun getting to do what he wanted if he had to do it all alone.