The Knight's Saviour

Chapter Eleven

River sits in the flat waiting for Layla to get back with their brother, while they do they work on their most recent project. Sighing they slam their sketch book shut and throw it at their bed, the door opening second later "Hey Stevie." they greet. "Hey River." Steven responds, letting Layla in. "Hey Nahr." Layla smiles. "Hey alakht alkubraa." River responds. "Wait...you two know each other?" Steven asks. "Of course we know each other." Layla tells him. River bites their lip as Steven looks at them confused "I got you a donut." Layla tells them, holding out a paper bag. "Thanks Layla." Ricer grins, taking it and beginning to munch on it. "I just want my life back." Steven randomly says, River realising that he's talking to Marc. "Yeah, I'm getting that." Layla tells him. "No. Sorry, I wasn't talking to you, just talking to myself. Sort of." Steven tells her. "Uh, this is your flat, Marc?" Layla asks looking round. "Um, I'm Steven." Steven tells her. "Are you living here with someone else, other than Rivs?" Layla questions. "No, no, no. No, this is my mum's flat." Steven explains. River looks down "Okay, so you guys are talking again?" Layla asks. "Mmm-hmm." Steven hums in confusion. Layla looks at River with a small frown before looking at the desk "Marceline Desbordes-Valmore?" she asks. "Yep." Steven responds beginning to recite the poem, Layla joining in. "Oui, oui. She's my favorite poet." Steven smiles. "Um, no, she's my favorite." Layla tells him.

River sits down on their bed, opening their sketch book and trying to focus on their project again "That's mental." Steven remarks. "So, you're learning French and hieroglyphics?" Layla asks, looking at Steven's desk again. "Yeah, well... That's not that impressive, really. It's not like hieroglyphs are a whole language. It's more like a..." Steven trails off. "Like an alphabet." Layla finishes. "Yeah, and... Well, you still have to know ancient Egyptian to read it." Steven nods. "Sure." Layla responds. "For example, like this one here, right?" Steven tells her, motioning to a set of hieroglyphs. "Funeral rites." Layla responds. River smiles slightly as she sketches. "Well, someone knows their unilaterals. You." Steven tells Layla, River struggling not to laugh. "That's amazing." Layla says. "Yeah. Sorry, I don't mean that in a creepy way." Steven tells her. "No, I'm sorry. I'm not buying this, Marc. Use whatever accent you want. Yeah. Let's just get this over with. You sent these papers but you never signed them." Layla says, pulling out some papers. "Did I?" Steven asks, taking them. "Uh... This is what you wanted. Have a look here. After everything, you told me that we needed to move on." Layla tells Steven. "All right. Divo... Divorce?" Steven asks, reading the papers. "I'm sorry, what?!" River asks, getting up and walking over. Taking the papers, River looks at them "He didn't tell you?" Layla asks. "No, he didn't." River responds, shaking slightly. Layla puts her arms round River as they pass Steven the papers back "Yeah, we doing this or not?" she asks Steven. "I would never divorce you." Steven tells her.

River mumbles to themselves, Layla gently playing with their hair to try and calm, them "What are you doing?" Layla asks as Steven heads over to the bag. "Look, you seem absolutely lovely. This Marc, on the other hand, is a right twit. Yeah? I don't know how to explain what's been happening." Steven explains. "Steven." River tries. "I don't expect you to believe me. I honestly don't really believe myself. All I can do is try to show you what I found. I found this bag in the storage locker. Inside of it is all sorts of things. Most interestingly..." Steven continues, suddenly stopping. River realises that Marc is talking to him "Most interestingly is what?" Layla asks. "Nothing." River tells her. "Nothing?" Layla asks the siblings. "Nothing. Never mind." Steven responds. "What's in there?" Layla asks. "Nothing... Wait, wait... Bloody hell." Steven says as Layla rummages through the bag, pulling out the scarab. "The scarab pointing to Ammit's ushabti? What we fought side by side for." Layla asks. "No..." Steven tries. "This whole one-man show is just what? So that you can keep it for yourself?" Layla continues. "No. I swear..." Steven tries. "After all we've been... Just stop! I'm supposed to believe anything you say with this shoved in.. what, a gym bag?" Layla asks. "Take it. Take it, you can have it. Take it. I don't want it. I don't want it. I swear. Have it. I am not Marc Spector. I'm Steven Grant. I work in a gift shop. Well, I used to work in a gift shop. And I think I'm in real danger, and I think maybe that you might be the only person that can help me. Please." Steven tells her, giving her the Scarab.

"You really don't remember why we've been looking for this? Our adventures. Or our life together?" Layla asks him. River bites their thumb, looking at the Scarab. "Oh, God, I wish I could." Steven tells Layla. River jumps as theirs a sudden knocking on the door "Steven Grant, can we have a word?" a woman asks from the other side of the door. "See? Oh, God, they've come for me." Steven says. "Why?" Layla and River ask him at the same time, River confused why they're after Steven. "I vandalized the toilet. Yeah, just a minute." Steven tells her, going to the door. River grabs their bag and climbs out the window, Layla following "Nahr, what the hell is going on?" Layla asks quietly. "It's hard to explain but Steven isn't Marc and Marc isn't Steven." River rambles just as quietly. "Not helping Nahr. Deep breath and calm down. Come on we'll follow your brother on my bike." Layla cuts them off, climbing back inside as the police detectives take Steven out.