Chapter 1
They’re chasing me.
I don’t remember how long I’ve been running, but my chest was ablaze. The town was a blur, while I look for an escape route, away from the crowd.
“Stop right there! Thief!” A group of guards was hot on my trail, and I’m on the brink of capture if it weren’t for the cart I pulled down to block their path.
I hear the merchant’s cry seeing his wares ruined but I threw him a piece of the jewel I stole and winked at him. Consider that my payment for the help he did, or rather, for his cart getting destroyed to smithereens when the guards collided against it.
I turn around to watch them fumble at trying to stand up. With their heavy armor, I doubt they’d be able to get me. “Hah!” I let out an amused laugh to mock them, it’s funny seeing their fuming faces, especially when they realized they got beaten by a woman.
Now it’s time to really leave this place – “Ack!” The moment I turn around, I saw a fist was about to hit my face so I immediately dodged.
“You’re fast,” There was another guard, bigger and angrier than the rest.
“And you’re slow,” I quipped, heart fluttering as I saw him take out a blade and aim it at me. I scoffed, unbothered, and prepared myself to dodge a flurry of attacks while the crowd avoided us as if this was daily occurrence.
The next few seconds of our exchange was fruitless for the both of us, I am too nimble to catch and he is too strong to defeat. Not to mention that the other guards were beginning to catch up to us and it would be a problem if they all ganged up on me, so I have to end this quick – with a tactic that only the greatest thieves use to escape any predicament.
I pause and breathe in, holding his stare intently. With a swift motion, I pointed at the space behind him and spoke in the most thunderous voice, “OH MY GOD! WHAT IS THAT?!”
He turned his head, his eyes searching... then realization dawned on his face and immediately turned back and I’m gone.
I hear his infuriated scream knowing I slipped through their fingers.
I stifled a laugh and made sure I made a good amount of distance between me and those ‘elite’ guards.
Scaling the walls of an abandoned watch tower isn’t exactly what I imagined doing this evening, but being up here is better than anywhere. When my head finally peeks over the top, I let out a breathy yell and climbed over, eager to see the starry night.
I take in a deep breath and looked out over the city, buildings and houses cast in shadows by the bright lamps dotting the street. Farther into the city, homes turns into mansions, leading up to the most extravagant building of all, the royal palace.
“Alone at last,” I peeked inside my bag to see the brilliant shimmer of the gems I worked so hard to get.
“Not really,” Hearing a voice from behind me, I immediately rolled my eyes and slumped my shoulders. I thought I already got rid of him back at the last city I visited, but hearing his voice now, I am quite certain he managed to wriggle his way through prison and followed me here.
“You won’t believe what I have for you, Eli.” He invited himself and sat down beside me by the edge, feet dangling.
I look at him with the most disinterested face, “You got something for me? I’m so happy, Kyren.” My voice drowning with sarcasm but his brain seemed to be too dense that he didn’t pick up my distaste towards him.
Kyren is ten years younger than me, just a sixteen year old boy who decided that he could live the life I have by following my footsteps but has been failing miserably. I almost got tangled with his mess last time, ruining my perfect record of not getting caught, so I decided to ditch him yet here he is, pulling out a crumpled paper from his pocket.
“Oh gosh, I never had a paper as a gift before.” I snatched it from his hand and unfolded it, I read it out loud. “Hiring, maid, 100 gold coins a week...” I didn’t finish reading and threw the paper, letting it float in the air downwards. “I can earn 100 gold coins in a second, Kyren.”
He helplessly watched the paper until it landed on the ground below, then he turns to face me, I can feel his stare burning the side of my face.
“But Eli, what I was saying is that you can infiltrate the palace by posing as a maid,” Kyren clarified, earning my attention the moment he said ‘palace’.
My eyes flick back at him, “Go on, I’m listening.”
Kyren smiled, pulling out another copy of the same paper I just discarded. “I knew you were going to throw that so I got another copy,”
“Hah!” An amused laugh escaped my lips, “I raised you well, boy.”
Unlike me, Kyren was born in a decent household, with loving parents, stability, and a crazy amount of inheritance maybe that is why I was so pissed every time I see him. He has all that yet chose a life of danger.
“It seems that the princess is set to be married next week, so they are hiring tons of new people to prepare for the royal wedding.” His voice pierced through my thoughts, and I shift my attention to what he was saying.
“This place has a princess?” I remember seeing a tapestry of the royal family back at the noble house I infiltrated and saw that the king only had sons.
“Yes, no one really knows what she looks like since her presence was never publicly announced. Either way, you can go there tomorrow –“ I swiftly covered Kyren’s mouth to shush him after hearing a thump from beneath us.
I strain my ear to hear better, I can just make out a muffled voice that gradually became clearer, a deep voice that belongs to the guard I fooled today, remembering his dumbfounded face almost made me snicker.
“—she’s a slimy little prick! The next thing I know, she’s already vanished!”
Another very irritated voice echoes up, it seems that this watchtower isn’t totally abandoned after all.
“Did you at least get a good look at her face? Those gems she took are worth thousands!”
“She was wearing a hood and a mask, so all I remember was her eyes.” The guard mumbles, “Green, very green.”
The other voice huffs in disbelief, “Great! Very helpful, let me just stop every green-eyed woman I see and interrogate them.”
A creak of floorboards echoed, followed by a chorus of footsteps, they were climbing the stairs to reach the rooftop... two more guards have joined the hunt for me and that is my cue to leave.
“I’ll get going now,” I looked to Kyren before hopping off the edge as if I was not four floors above ground.
I successfully grabbed onto the raised ledge and swung my feet back and forth before leaping to another ledge. I breathe out and let gravity take me down, landing as if I weighed nothing, no sounds to alert the guards.
I began walking without looking back, I know Kyren just watched me maneuver my way down without breaking a sweat, and I know he is about to get caught by the guards for trespassing. The prison is better for a boy like him than the dangerous streets, this is for his own good.
Passing the time by walking around the city, weaving through the merchant carts, picking up fabrics and accessories. I casually put them on me without letting anyone notice – I discarded my brown pants and blouse, now that I have a decent dress to wear, long enough to cover my high boots where my dagger was safely tucked.
Keeping my steps swift and my gaze sweep back and forth across the streets and alleys, never letting my guard down.
“Excuse me...” I felt a small tug on my sleeves so I stopped, it was a child, who seemed to have been chasing after me. I internally curse at myself for not noticing sooner.
“What?” I growled.
“I’m hungry,” He said, keeping his stare at me.
I sighed, looking over the stall next to me that sells apple. I waited for the merchant to get distracted by a customer and I quietly took one apple and walked away.
The child followed behind, hopeful that I would give the apple to him but all I did was stare down at him and take a huge bite of the apple. “Stop following me, and go get your own apple, it’s easy.”I take another bite, and walked away.
They say give a man a fish and he’d be full for the day, teach the man how to steal a fish and he’d be full for a lifetime. I just taught that young boy how to fend for himself in this place. He should thank me someday.
“Now I have other things to focus on,” I mumble to myself, finally arriving in front of the huge gates of the royal palace. My eyes glazed with ambition as I look up at the palace. “Time to get filthy rich,”
