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2023-01-19 09:10:00My breath is coming in short bursts. I cannot keep up this pace much longer but I can hear my pursuers close by. They are running after me and if they can overtake me then I know that they will be able to beat me. They will drag me back to the King's dungeon to slowly rot.
I am dodging in and out of large white ash trees. This forest is relatively untouched due to it being so close to the King's castle. Nobody dares to come this close to the castle for fear of being caught by the King or his men. The only ones that would dare come this close are the most desperate.
Finally, I can hear the sounds of pursuit falling a little more behind. They are no longer close enough that I fear they will catch me along the next turn. I know that I am fast but I never expected to be able to outrun all of the King's guards.
Now that I am finally in the clear, I slow down just a little to try to catch my breath. I could keep running but if I try to keep up this pace then I know that I will only get caught in the end. I will collapse and be unable to get away once they catch up to me. I have to be smarter than that. Instead, I will slow down just enough to catch my breath and find somewhere safe to hide.
Looking around, I spot a fallen tree that offers a little bit of coverage for me to be able to catch my breath. Just as I rush over to the spot I hear a crackle in the branches above me. Before I can even make out what is happening, a body falls from the trees above me. It crushes me to the ground. Luckily, most of the ground is covered in a soft moss so although my body feels bruised, I do not think that anything is broken.
I let out a groan as I try to push the body off of me. Slowly, it begins to move and I hear an echoing groan of pain coming from the figure on top of me. As I shove him off I realize that I recognize that voice. It is the voice of my best friend, Hunt.
"Hunt, what are you doing? Are you trying to get the both of us killed?" I hiss to him as I struggle to sit up.
"I am trying to save you if you will let me. I can't believe that you would do something as stupid as stealing from the King. Especially the day before the Coronation of his son. You are smarter than that." He says.
"Apparently not." I say shoving to my feet.
I know that he is only trying to help me but I cannot stop for long. If I am going to get out of here then I have to do it fast. I have to hide before anybody can find me. That is the only way that I might be able to get away with my most recent theft. Nobody in the castle saw me so if I can only get away I have a fairly good chance of survival.
"Why are you doing this?" He hisses back to me.
"Why? It is a job. Same as any other we are given by the Guild Master. I am only doing what I was told." I tell him.
"Is that what you believe? Our Guild Master says that you went rogue. Nobody has heard of this mission so it is your word against his. He has a lot more sway than you do. If you are telling the truth then this changes everything." He says.
"Have I ever lied to you? You have known me since we were small orphans together." I tell him.
"What about the time that you put snakes in my bunk mate's bed and swore that it was not you? Or the time that you hid the Head mistress's favorite cake and swore that you had nothing to do with it? Or the time that..." He trails off with his brows raised.
"Okay, maybe I do not have the best track record but I have never lied to you unless it was necessary to keep you safe. This time, I promise that he is the one that gave me the job. There is no other reason I would do something as stupid as breaking into the castle and stealing this. I say.
Slowly, I begin to make my way out of the forest towards the hidden tunnels leading outside of the city. Only a few others know of the tunnels so I should be able to sneak through them to safety fairly easily. As far as I know, none of the guards know of this set of tunnels. The ones leading out of the castle are heavily guarded but these ones out here are not a threat so the guards do not know about them.
"Fine, let's say I believe you. What now?" He asks worriedly.
"Now, I am going to sneak out of the forest and find a place to hide out for a few days until this blows over a bit. Then, I will bring myself to the Guild Master so that he can explain everything. I have to make sure that I am safe first." I tell him as I finally spot the entrance to the tunnels.
The entrance is hidden underneath a large brush pile. It is a smooth stone door that leads to a set of stairs going underground. I take the torch out of my pack as I enter the doorway to the tunnels. Hunt follows close by as I enter the door.
If he is going to make it out he will have to come with me for now. Since they did not get a good look at me there is no way that they would just let him go and assume that he is innocent. I do not think he would last long in interrogation either. It would not take long and he would end up spilling all of my secrets.
Not to brag or anything, but I have a lot of secrets that I would not want to get out. I have been saving up secrets and using them as leverage for years now. Each person's secrets are empowering and have kept me alive for this long. If I did not deal in secrets then I would have been killed by now. Getting caught by the King's guards would not be the scariest things ever at this point.
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When we enter the tunnels, I am extra careful to make sure that there is no way that anybody would be able to find the entrance behind us. There is too much at stake for them to follow us. If we are to get caught then everything will be over. I will end up imprisoned and then possibly killed for the theft and Hunt could end up there along with me since I know that he will not let me go on my own. Instead, I make sure that we are not being followed as we take off down the tunnels. There is very little light down here and plenty of moisture so we cannot move too quickly or stealthily without getting hurt. Still, we make our way along the tunnel at a decent pace and keep moving until we reach the end of the tunnel on the outskirts of a small town. The town, I believe, is called Leonas. Named after our esteemed King, or so they say. It is a small town that often caters to the King's knights and sometimes even the royal family as they head off to just about anywhere. It is the last place
Last Updated : 2023-01-20The Royal Thieves 3
The town of Leonas is rather small overall but has a large impact on the kingdom. It is located centrally on the way out of the Kingdom so that almost everybody stops in at some point. It is kept small so that the King can more easily keep an eye on the town and not worry as much about things that are happening right under his nose. The tavern also serves as the town meeting place in a town this small. It is the perfect place for me to find a job and keep track of the rumors going in and out of the castle. It will be the perfect place for me to bide my time until I can go back to the Thieve's Guild and confront Raoul. I just have to make sure that they want to hire me first.When I walk in, nobody takes a second look at me at first. Not until I pull down the hood of my cloak and they see my long brown hair flowing down my back. Nobody but nobility normally grows their hair long as it just gets in the way of the commoner's lives. I have always been a thief so as long as I pull my hair
Last Updated : 2023-01-24The Royal Thieves 4
"What exactly is your plan here Sloan?" Hunt asks me after the boy leaves."Gather information. After that I will see about going back. I have to make sure that Raoul does not think that he managed to run me off already. He seems to think rather highly of himself as it is." I tell him.Raoul might think that he got rid of me with the last mission that he gave me but if he thinks he can run me off that easily then he is going to have to think again. I am not that easy to get rid of. Not by any means. I will always make my way back stronger than ever."You want to go back? After what the Guild did to you? Why not get away. We can leave and find a better life. We can learn how to do something else and be happy. Together like we always are." Hunt says.I know that we could easily learn a trade and do something else but why would he want to give up everything we have worked for already? Why would he think that I would be happy leaving with him? I have spent my entire life trying to learn w
Last Updated : 2023-01-26The Royal Thieves 5
My chance to head out to the front of the building comes at an unexpectedly perfect time. Here I am, just washing dishes like a good girl, when all of a sudden there is a commotion at the front of the Tavern. I know that I am not supposed to go out there unless called but I cannot help but peek my head around the corner to see what is going on. In walks four of the Royal Guardians with Prince Francis in the middle of them. He looks around the room quickly before finding a table that is free. As soon as he walks over to the table with his guards the surrounding tables all clear out to give them some privacy. Not that they are not all still straining their ears to listen or anything.Mary walks in just as I get back to washing dishes and gives me a click once over. I am not sure what she is looking for but she seems satisfied with whatever it is. She walks over and stops right next to me and just waits for me to set down my dishes. I do so and turn to her with a polite smile that makes
Last Updated : 2023-01-31The Royal Thieves 6
While the prince and his guardians drink and talk, I find myself hovering just a few tables back to give them their privacy. Even though they do not want me too close to them if I try getting much further away then I earn myself a dirty look from Prince Francis. Apparently even though I am not to get any closer I cannot get too far either. Good to know."More ale." One of the guardians says slamming their tankard down.I rush over with a pitcher of ale and begin refilling it. I make my way around the table and fill everybody else's drinks as well. The entire time, I can feel the Prince's eyes on me. Studying me. I am not sure what he wishes to find but I feel extremely uncomfortable with his assessment.Once I reach his chair I lean over slightly to pour his ale. He reaches a hand back and begins rubbing it up the back of my leg causing me to jump and spill a few drops of it. Everybody at the table begins laughing as I mutter quick apologies before scampering off to grab a rag to clea
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I find myself blushing as I stand back up and brush off my skirt. Looking around I find that all of the other patrons are pointedly not looking in our direction. I am grateful for the fact that they are not all watching but still upset that they all know exactly what is going on. I grab all of the rags and quickly walk back to the kitchen area. Mary has her head close to the cook whispering but stop abruptly as soon as I walk into the room. Like that is not obvious at all. Mary shoots me a dirty look as I drop off the rags and turn to head back out to the dining area. "I see that you are willing to throw away your man for a prince. Typical nobility." Mary says snidely. I pivot on my heel and walk back towards her. Even if I really was with Hunt she has no right to talk to me like that. I did not ask for his attention and with him being the Prince I cannot exactly tell him off. Not that I want to if it gets me more information. "I did not ask for his attention. In fact, I would pre
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I make my way quickly to the stables where Hunt is busy cleaning out stalls while another helper is taking care of the Prince's horses. Apparently Hunt is not considered trustworthy enough to actually take care of a horse. All he can do is clean up after them. Considering how often he has cleaned up my messes I cannot help but admit that he is rather good at it. When we walk in he looks up at us and gives me a quick smile before noticing my new friend. I give him a reassuring smile as his falters and wave him over to us. After leaning the pitchfork carefully against the wall, he makes his way over to us carefully. I can tell that me being followed in here by a knight has him extremely nervous. "What's going on?" He asks as he approaches us. "This knight here would like to escort you to the gates that we arrived through earlier." I say. I planned on explaining why but the Knight promptly gives me a sharp jab in the back that he does not even try to hide from Hunt. There is no denyin
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"They were telling the truth Your Highness. With the direction that they entered the town from I cannot see how they could have been involved. It was just bad luck for them that they showed up today of all days." The knight says to the Prince.Hunt is very carefully holding his tongue. Very likely biting it to keep from saying what he wants to say. He knows as well as I do that if he were to say what he was thinking to the Prince then there is a good chance that he would be killed for speaking to him that way. I will just have to explain all of this to him a little later."Thank you. You may go back to the stables." The Prince says waving Hunt away with a hand.Hunt walks away while looking back at me. His face is bright red and furious but there is really nothing to be done about it. It is not like we are together anways. He will just have to deal with what is going on. When I glance towards the kitchen, Mary is watching Hunt walk away with a worried expression as well."Well, I see
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The Royal Thieves 40
After we finally leave the dining room we head back up to his room to begin packing our things to leave first thing in the morning. He explains to me that there are a few items I am able to leave behind as the door is kept locked when he is not here. He pays Mary quite a fee to keep the room open for him since he has had to leave in a hurry a few times while leaving items behind. She has given him his own key to lock the door with when he leaves keeping others out.As he explains this I am surprised to remember that the last time that he left he kept the bedroom open for me to use. He did not bother taking all of his personal effects out but rather left them behind and kept the door unlocked for me to have use of his room while he was away. This shows far more trust than I would ever expect a Prince to give a thief like myself."Are we making any other stops on our way into the city tomorrow?" I ask to stop my mind from spinning around all of the things he has been telling me today."
The Royal Thieves 40
For the rest of the day I zone out most of what is going on around me as I try to find a way out of this meeting with the King. There is no way that I can bring myself to meet him. I value my life far too much to put it in danger like that. As we finish packing up and preparing to leave the following morning I find myself with little to share as I spend all of my time focusing on trying to find a way out. "Sloan? Have you heard anything that I have said lately? I am used to women being quiet around me but not having them zoning out while I speak." He says finally capturing my attention. I flick my eyes back to him and note the slight concern written on his face. He might be joking towards me but something about the way that I am acting is quite definitely concerning him. Maybe I should have made more of an effort to pay attention to him. "I'm sorry. I have a lot on my mind. Much more than the other women that happily hang on your every word." I say with a bit more venom than intende
The Royal Thieves 39
The shock over what had just happened is hard to shake. My face is as bright of a red color as it has ever been. Probably more so if I remember correctly. I never would have expected him to kiss me on the cheek in front of all of these people. The fact that he did it directly after I had slapped him made it all the more shocking.When I do not respond for a while he seems to get more worried. At first he was smirking as he watched me blundering for something to snarky to say back to him. When I was unable to think of anything, I just sat there for a while and stared at him. I wanted to lower my eyes but I would be damned if I let him or any of the other patrons think of me as demure."Are you okay? I did not offend you at all did I? That was not my intention I just wanted to demonstrate how to distract those around you when you are in my position." He stammers when I make no move to reply. "It is a little interesting watching you flounder for a comeback though. If I had known that it
The Royal Thieves 38
As soon as we finish our food some of his Knights sit down to join us. They are all staring at me curiously as we are sitting rather close together. After the way he kept me on his lap the other day I am a little surprised by their antics. Maybe, they are more surprised at the fact that I am still around than the fact that I am getting closer to the Prince."Your Highness, we made sure to follow him out of town. I have one other person tailing him to make sure that he does not circle back." One of the Knights says addressing the Prince."Good, I do not want to have to have him killed before I am able to save Hunt. That would really put a damper in my plans." He says turning to look at me.I warm a little inside as I realize that he really is planning to help me rescue Hunt. So far, I would not have been surprised if he had just used that to get closer to me. Knowing that he actually intends to help has me feeling things that I did not expect. There might be a bit more to him after all
The Royal Thieves 37
Did he really just ask me to marry him? Hypothetically, of course, but still. He did just mention that word. I am not ready to even come close to thinking about something like this. There is no way that he would ever accept me either. It takes me a few moments to realize that I am staring at him with my mouth hanging slightly open. I have not replied to his 'proposal' at all. I guess that in the least I could just agree to think about it. Even if I have no real intention of entertaining the idea of marrying him by any means. Still, if it is going to keep me on his good side for now then I could at least pretend to think about it."Are you okay? I understand if this is rather sudden but I really expected that you would have expected it a little more after everything I have told you." He says sounding worried."It is rather sudden. I know that you have brought up the idea of us being meant for each other and all, but I just never really considered that you would ask something like this
The Royal Thieves 36
When we arrive back at the Inn I am amazed to see that the clothing from the first store is already being delivered. It was lucky that she had that much stock that fit me or else we would not have seen any of it for weeks. Still, the fact that it is already here shows just how much he had to spend to get them to move it this fast. Most likely cost him what I would consider to be a small fortune.He immediately makes his way to his usual table while everyone stares at the fact that we both walked in together. Some of the ladies are giving me dirty looks as he places his hand on my back to steer me towards his table. I give them back an answering glare as they all give me looks that could maim.As soon as we sit down, Mary brings us out some water for us to drink before rushing back to grab us some lunch. As opposed to all of the dirty looks that the other ladies have given me, she gives me a hesitant smile as if she is judging my mood and reaction to all of the attention. I give her a
The Royal Thieves 35
"What are the rest of your plans for today then?" I ask him after we leave the store."I thought that maybe we could just go and get some lunch at the Inn and talk for a while. All I plan on doing for the rest of the day is trying to convince you to leave with me in the morning." He admits."Considering what is going on with Hunt I do not think that you could make me stay at this point." I tell him honestly."That is not exactly the way that I wanted you to agree to leave with me but I guess that I will take it. I guess we could just make sure that you have everything ready to leave with me tomorrow then. After we eat a decent meal of course. You need to put a little more meat on you." He says.I look down at myself and have to admit that I could use a little more. I have spent my entire life half starved. I cannot imagine myself looking any other way. The fact that there is any meat on me at all is quite an accomplishment. The time spent washing dishes has helped since I have receive
The Royal Thieves 34
The next store that he leads me to is still not quite the quality of cloth that I am looking for. As I do not want to hurt his feelings after already insisting that we go to another store, I decide to keep this one to myself. To be completely fair, it is not like I normally buy clothes anyways. Actually, I had never been in a clothing store as a customer before so this is all kind of a novel experience.To his credit though, this store does have more wool in it than the last one. Even though the winters are really cold and the wool is nice on those days, the summers are extremely hot and that is what we are witnessing right now. The wool is going to have me feeling like I am dying. Maybe I should have just gotten a few more at the first store?"Do you want me to leave you here again?" He asks me after telling the seamstress what all I still need."Just for a short period. This should not take as long as the first store. Besides, I will not k now if he is watching me or plans to come b
The Royal Thieves 33
"I am sorry that it took me so long to get back. I was trying to give you your space while you shopped for dresses. As soon as I heard the whispers that the Guild Master was in town I rushed back over here." He says to me."Why would you do that? I have been dealing with him for years." I say."I watched outside for a bit but it did not seem as if he had any plans to just allow you to walk out of here." He tells me.As much as I appreciate his help I can only hope that this does not come back to bite me. Sure, I was struggling but I always find a way to talk my way out of things. This time, I was a little caught off guard and struggling but I definitely could have found a different way out of that. One that would still allow me to go back to the Guild in the future."I would have figured something out." I say indignantly.In truth, I am not completely sure that I would have talked my way out of it but I am still hopeful. I have always managed to talk my way out in the past. This time,
