by C S Patra
Where do I start looking for him? I don’t know much except that he has green eyes. That could be anyone out here. She thought. He was a young thief but that didn’t narrow her choices down. No, she needed to confront him again and find out his identity. He had come here once, and she knew he want to return. There were plenty of jewels left for him to steal. He would return, and the guards would try to capture him. She just had to get to him before they arrested him.
Lying down, she looked up at her ceiling and noticed that something was off with the light. It was flickering and bouncing around, which didn’t make sense. Squinting her eyes, she watched the light move from one end to another. This had nothing to do with the air blowing around in her room. The light was bouncing around. It was doing it on its own.
“Incredible!” She whispered, putting her hands to her mouth. She stood up and followed the light around as it danced in her room. “What are you?”
It seemed to hear her because it stopped in place and she got a better look. The light was in the form of a small person, yet it didn’t have eyes, nose, or mouth. It was basically a being made out of light and it seemed to look back at her. Lavinia took a deep breath and tried her hardest not to panic. She knew strange creatures like this existed but never ventured far enough to find them. Now one of them was in her room and she didn’t know what to ask it.
“I am sorry if I alarmed you. I never saw you before,” she began, looking as the light bowed down before her. It seemed to realize she was royalty. “What is your name?”
The light stood back up but said nothing. It just swayed back and forth, showing that it had no way of communicating. She had to figure out a way to understand it was trying to do. “Okay, I’m not sure why you’re here. Did someone let you in?”
The light being shook its head and she sighed. At least it could make some movements that she would be able to understand. “Is there something you want from me? Can I help you, Light?” She stopped when she realized she didn’t know its name. “Can I call you Light?” It nodded. “Okay, Light, what is it that you need?”
Light looked toward the window and she followed its gaze. It was difficult to see a thing because everything was dark outside. The wind was starting to pick so she closed the windows and tried to look below. A few guards were walking around and keeping eye out for any thieves or unwanted strangers. She wasn’t sure what it wanted her to look for because everything was very quiet and peaceful. It had gotten dark quickly and a storm was on the way but that was all.
“I’m not sure I see it,” she admitted. “All I see is the guards walking around. Did you notice something that they didn’t?”
Light nodded toward another direction below. She squinted and saw a shadow moving through the darkness. It was trying to scale the castle wall and the night sky was masking this person from being seen. Before she could call out, one of the guards noticed the thief that was climbing.
“Thief! Thief!” He began yelling. “Sound the alarm! We have an intruder! Stop! Thief!”
The thief almost fell over from the sound but scurried his way up that wall. Lavinia realized another opportunity had fallen into her lap. The thief had climbed up to a room where they kept a lot of priceless art and jewels. This room could not be opened so easily from the outside, so he was being clever and entering through the window. Turning to Light, she nodded at it.
“Can you help me catch him?” She asked. Light nodded and they both left the room together. Lavinia had grabbed her gloves but didn’t put them on. She needed to use her power as leverage. “If you see him, stall him! Don’t hurt him but don’t let him escape either! I need him for something!”
Light understood and moved quickly through the stairwell. Lavinia ran as fast as she could and prayed no one else got to the thief first. She had no doubt that her old friend had returned and he wanted more. He wasn’t done with the castle and that was good for her. She could persuade him into helping her if she gave him what he wanted.
“Light, can you unlock doors if you don’t have a key?” She asked. They had made their way to the room and she could hear someone shuffling around. The thief hadn’t left yet. From the distance, she could hear the guards running and raising the alarm. “I need to get in and stop him before anyone else does!”
She didn’t need to say anything twice. Light slipped through the door like it was walking through it and unlocked it. Lavinia stepped inside, expecting to find the thief rummaging through the jewels. She wanted to be able to stop him alone. When the door opened, she saw the thief in the corner, but he was not alone. He was facing a dark figure that wasn’t exactly human and it was looming over him. Despite the fear in those green eyes, he was trying to ward it back with his knife.
“What is this?!” She demanded, pulling the thief’s attention away from the dark creature. “What did you bring in here?”
“I didn’t bring anything! I think you left this in here!” The thief shot back, brandishing the knife and trying to push the dark being back. His eyes widened even more when saw the light being. “There are two of them?”
“Two of them?” Lavinia repeated, watching Light dancing around with the dark being. “Light and Dark, huh? Where did they come from?”
“How would I know? I only found the dark one in here.” The thief looked at her, lowering his arm and guard. She sensed that she knew those green eyes from somewhere but couldn’t pinpoint it. “Are you telling me you didn’t send it after me?”
“I just met both of them. I’m not even sure what they are.” Lavinia looked at the dark one and tried to approach it. It seemed shy at first, but Light seemed to move around and convince it that this was fine. Lavinia meant no harm. “Okay, Dark... can I call you Dark?” Dark nodded. “Okay, Dark. I want to know why you’re here. Is there something you and Light need from me?”
“How can you understand them?” The thief wanted to know, watching as Light and Dark danced around. “What are they and why were they following me?”
“I don’t know. But since I have you…”
The thief knew exactly what she meant and began to back away. “Don’t touch me! I know what you want to do!”
“I haven’t even told you a thing.” She watched as he dropped one of the jewels on the ground. He was trying to defend himself with that knife, but she could tell he was scared. No matter how hard he fought, it wouldn’t matter. One brush of her bare skin against his would snuff his life out. “I don’t want to hurt you. I want something from you.”
“And why should I believe you?” He demanded, barely able to hold onto his knife. She could see the fear settling in his eyes. He was trying hard to be brave, but he wanted to escape. He wanted to get out with his jewels in one piece. “I’m stealing from your family. They probably sent you to kill me! If that’s the case, I’m not going down without a fight!”
“I don’t want to fight you, thief. I don’t want to hurt you at all. I need your help with getting rid of this curse,” she explained, holding up her hands. He was hyperventilating now, and the sweat was pouring down his face but she kept her distance. “I know you are very smart, and I think you can get me anything I ask for. You’ve been able to sneak in and steal from other nobles without anyone finding you. I think you can find what I’m looking for.”
“Do you know exactly what you need?”
“No. I was hoping you could help me with that.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I don’t think you’re in a position to refuse. You know that if my guards catch you, that is it. You will be imprisoned and eventually put to death for your crimes. They won’t care who you are. However, if you were to help me, I might find a way to pardon you and you will be rewarded. I will let you have anything you want. All I need is to remove this curse. I cannot live like this.” She looked over at Light and Dark who were listening in. “And... maybe I could use their help too.”
“You really trust me to do this?” The thief lowered his kni
fe when he heard the prospects of getting a reward. She could tell she had gotten to him and his gaze had softened up. “How do I know you aren’t planning to trap me?”
“If I was, would I have locked the door behind me?” She pointed to it. “Wouldn’t I have come in with guards or called them by now? As for Light and Dark, I’m not sure where they came from, but I don’t think they can hurt you. They’re real but not human like you and I are. However, I have a feeling they have more powers than they are showing us right now. So this is what I’m proposing to you; help me and I will make sure you are richly rewarded. You will never have to steal again.”
“What makes you think I’m stealing because I’m poor? Maybe I steal things because I want to. Maybe I don’t think you deserve all this.” He pointed to the jewels and artwork in the room. “Just because you were born into royalty doesn’t mean you are worthy of all this. In fact, until today, no one knew who you were. No one knew until you saved an innocent man from death.”
She was shocked to hear this. “You saw me in the town square?”
“Just about everyone saw you. They know you are the princess of this kingdom and they’re talking about you. They want to know who you are and why they’ve never seen you before,” he murmured. Lavinia felt sick to her stomach. If this thief had found out, that meant Alice probably knew the truth too. Alice must have heard it from someone else so that was going to make asking the favor a little awkward.
“I don’t see any other motive for you. In any case, if you agree, I will keep the guards away from you. I will reward you and you will be safe. If you disagree... well, I don’t think you can disagree.” She held up her hand and he sunk into the shadows. “What do you say, thief? Will you help me?”
“You don’t leave me a choice, Your Highness. Tell me what you want me to retrieve and I will try my best to get it.”
Before Lavinia had a chance to reply, someone began banging on the door. The thief realized that he had no time to wait for her and grabbed his things. Lavinia tried to stop him by holding out her hand. “Wait! I don’t know who you are!”
“I can’t stay, Your Highness! If you want to tell me, go to the bakery, and leave a message for me! I will find it!”
“But where and how? What if someone else finds it?” Outside of the door, the guards were pounding down on it and ready to break it down. They were yelling for the thief to come out peacefully or they were going to use force. “I can’t just leave that note anywhere!”
“No one will find out. Hide it safely under a basket if you must! I will search the bakery until I find it! As for me, I have to bid you adieu. Your secret is safe with me.”
“But…”
“Shh! Sleep now!” He flung something into her direction and she suddenly felt her eyelids growing heavy. The room was getting darker and everything was melding together. She could hear footsteps but everything else was fading out. Within seconds, she fell down. The last thing she could remember was Light and Dark trying to get close to her.
The only thing she could think of was that thief’s eyes. Those bright, wide green eyes belonged to one person. She had seen them before and she knew how scared he was. No wonder he couldn’t say a thing to her earlier. He knew. He had seen what she could do. He wouldn’t tell her to go to the bakery unless he had reason to be there as well. That big reason would be because he worked there. He worked and helped out the one person Lavinia had a great deal of interest in. He was the one making the rosettes for her cakes.
Kian.
It was the last thought on her mind before she passed out.
Chapter 7
Lavinia was certain that Kian was that thief she had run into. They both had those frightened green eyes when she approached them. They were both scared of everything she could do. It explained why he went so quiet when she looked at him. He knew right away that he was dealing with the princess of this kingdom. He recognized her and was trying his best to hide his identity.
There is no reason for him to tell me to go to the bakery and find a note unless he knows the place well. He works there. She realized as she lay in bed. When the thief disappeared, the guards broke down the door and found her sleeping on the ground. Carefully, they were able to pick her up and take her back to her bedroom so she could rest. According to their apothecary, the dust he threw at her would not affect her at all. All it did was make her fall asleep. It would not hurt her body or mind. He said that within hours, she would be fine.
“I don’t think he meant to harm you,” he explained as Lavinia rested in bed. “That was very close though. That thief is dangerous, Your Highness. You must take caution if you approach him.”
He’s not that dangerous. If I threatened him, he will crumble. He doesn’t want to die so he would listen to me. Lavinia thought. Out loud, she asked. “Do I need to take any medicine for this?”
“I highly doubt so. I have a feeling you will be fine in the morning. Do be careful where you go, Your Highness. This concoction that he made came from flowers and seeds around the kingdom. He’s clearly very bright and knows what to use against people. I would watch where I step.”
“All right,” Lavinia nodded. “I will keep my eye out on anything suspicious. If that thief runs into me, I will not try to fight him. I’ll sound the alarm.”
“Very good. I will check up on you tomorrow to see if anything has changed.”
The apothecary left and Lavinia now had to deal with her parents. The king and queen were happy to see she was all right, but they were also angry. They were angry that she confronted the thief when she knew she could get hurt. They expected her to be smarter and to sit back while the guards took care of him. It was their job to protect her, not her job to stop criminals.
“You could have been killed!” Her father exclaimed. “We’re very lucky he didn’t hurt you!”
“He’s not that kind of thief, Father. I can stop him!”
“No, that would be dangerous. If he found out the truth about you, that would ruin all of us. I’m just glad you are all right and that we didn’t have to clean up extra ashes. Now you see why I want you to stay inside?” The queen asked. “I know it’s not what you desire but we must be cautious. Until this curse is released, we can’t let you run around everywhere. We don’t want to draw suspicion.”
Lavinia swallowed. She understood what her parents were trying to say but she couldn’t agree with them. They wanted to wait for the curse to be lifted. The problem was that they didn’t know how long that wait was going to be. What if it didn’t get lifted until she died? No, she couldn’t allow that. She had to take hold of her destiny and save her own life. Her family was not going to do it for her. They wanted to hide. She needed to go on an adventure.
Once they had left her, she thought about the people she wanted on her journey. Her mind was on Alice and her sunny disposition. Alice would not be scared of anything. She had that demeanor that told Lavinia she didn’t fear anything. All Lavinia had to do was go to that bakery and convince her to come along. Then she had the thief who most likely was Kian. Since she had his fate in her hands, he would have to come. He didn’t have a choice at this moment and he wanted to stay alive.
In the corner of the eye, she could see Light and Dark looming over her. Whatever these two were, they could be of help as well. “What do you think? Do you want to come on an adventure with me?” They both nodded and she sighed. “I didn’t think you’d say no. The only thing I know about you two is that you can slip and out easily. I can definitely use that kind of help.”
Her group was slowly coming together. The main person she needed to convince was Alice. She needed to get Alice away from the bakery for a while. She had to trust Alice with this secret and hope she didn’t run away. She didn’t know why but just thinking about Alice was making her heart beat fast. It was fluttering inside of her and she didn’t want that fluttering to stop. It was the first time anyone made her feel alive. She felt special when she spoke t
o Alice. She didn’t feel like royalty and it didn’t bother her. Alice saw her just another person. Alice treated her like a friend and not someone who needed to be shunned.
But how long will she treat me that way? What if she changes when she learns the truth? Lavinia rolled onto her side and thought about her curse. It was annoying, but it was allowing her to step beyond her kingdom’s walls. It allowed her to go against her family and learn to live on her own. She knew that the journey would not be completed in a day, so she would have to be careful where she stepped. She needed to find the source of her curse and break it.
As much as it was going to hurt her mother and father, she had to do it. If she wanted her own life, she had to leave this one behind. Over and over in her head, she kept repeating the same mantra. It was the one thing she needed to say to convince herself that things would be all right. They were going to make it out of this alive. She would come home after the curse was broken and she would be reunited with the kingdom that she knew.
