CHAPTER TWO -THE PRINCESS AND THE PAUPER

WE trudged through the forest all night and just as dawn was breaking we reached the village Innsbrook. It was medium sized and filled with inns and taverns. It was on the main road to Rubia and was the last stopping point.
Beren and I hesitated at the edge of the forest and stared over the farmland.
"Maybe we shouldn't go in here. Wobbles might be looking for us."
"Who?"
"The man you threw through the window? Not gonna ask how you did it, but he is the Baron of Mellyn."
"Oh gods, not Lord Wolverton?"
"Yep."
I scanned my memory for the last time I had met him. Last year, it must have been. Unless he had been at the wedding. Oh gods. Lets hope he didn't remember. I cleared my throat nervously. "Maybe he thinks we blew up with the band."
"Maybe." Beren was doubtful. Then he groaned. "I'm starving. I can smell bacon!"
My stomach growled in agreement.
"Do you have any money?" he asked hopefully.
I reached into the fold of my skirt and drew out the Barons purse with a flourish.
Beren gasped in mixed delight and horror.
"How much is in it?"
I tipped it out onto the forest floor. Out fell twenty bronze shillings, an ivory comb and a small dagger with a jewelled blade.
Beren grinned with glee. "Were rich!"
"Hmm." I had seen a lot more gold than that in my time.
He noticed my expression. "Wobbles paid 8 pennys for me. And theres twelve pennys in every shilling. Don't say it aint worth much to you!"
I grimaced. "I'm sorry. It is a lot, I'm just-"
"Yeah yeah. Let me guess, your a barons daughter? Right?"
I didn't argue with him. "We have no slaves," I protested.
"So, a baron is a baron. He's supposed to have slaves. Its the way it works. He probobly only pays enough for your servants to eat, right?"
"I don't know," I muttered. "Its all behind me now anyway. I don't have anything to do with it."
"Why'd you leave?"
I shrugged noncommitally.
"Well, lets go and eat like a king. If they catch us, they catch us. At least we can die happy."

We dined in the Bridge Inn. Altogether not the finest establishment I had been in but it was the best food I could remember eating.
We started off with steaming bowls of pottage, followed by lamb stew, which drove Beren into ecstacies of delight and finished it off with bread and butter pudding.
"This is the happiest day of my life!" Beren announced leaning back stuffed.
I looked at his thin face and mop of black hair. He actually meant it. His brown eyes were glowing, his pale face already had a healthier sheen. He reminded me so much of Corbin at that age that it hurt. Well, everything was reminding me of him at that stage. I kept thinking I saw him in the corner of my eye, but it turned out to be boys, or someone smiling, and once a tree.
But Beren had the same grin, the cheeky 'I know better than you' grin. Beren had his freckles but he was shorter with a more round face.
I peered around the tavern to get my mind off Corbin. It was nearly empty. A few men sat at a distant table telling bawdy jokes. Beren and I were ensconed around the roaring hearth.
"Why do you look so sad?" Beren spoke out of the blue. "Is it because you ran away?"
"I didn't run away."
"Really. Then why do you only have the clothes your wearin', no luggage, no servants, no nothin'. Why don't you just go home."
"I don't want to talk about it." I stared moodilly into the flames. Why did I have to deal with a child at a time like this?
"You know," Beren continued obliviously," If I was rich, no way would I leave all that - food and money."
"Shh." I hissed.
"If you don't tell me I'll shout it!"
I didn't speak. He opened his mouth to yell and I clapped my hand across it.
"Allright! I'll tell you!"
"MMMmmm Mmmm." I think he said hurry up.
I sat back and sighed. How to tell it?
"Is this going to take long?"
"Just shut up and listen!"
"Yer highness." he mocked.
How did I find them?
"First thing first. Your not to tell anyone what I tell you. Swear it."
He grinned. "I swear on everything I've got."
It would have to do.
"I left because the- Baron wanted- because-"
"Take your time."
"I left because my Father wanted me to marry a lizard."
"What?!"
"Another baron. A lord Edward."
"Aw. Poor thing. He wanted you to marry a baron and live in a castle and be really rich!"
"I didn't love him. I wanted someone else!"
"Ooohhh." He leaned forward interested. "This is like the tales the minstrels tell. Go on!"
I glanced around to make sure no one was listening.
"My Father never liked me. I was the worst pr- noble you ever heard of. My best friend was a kitchen-boy."
"Cor! The likes of me friends with a lady!" Light dawned in his eyes. " You were in love with him! No wonder you were in trouble!"
I nodded, biting the inside of my mouth to keep from crying.
"Well, one night I snuck out with Corbin to a tavern, and we kissed for the first time."
"Ew, skip the mushy stuff!" He still looked interested despite himself.
I had to be careful. Gods knew the news would be well on the way by now.
"Anyway I got caught by the guards on the way home and my Father found out about it. I got to his chamber and he told me I had to marry the baron."
"The lizard. And you wanted to marry this Corbin?"
I nodded slowly. Clearing my throat I continued. "That was when he said he wasn't my Father."
"What!" he was astounded.
"Shh! Your not to tell anyone. Only you, me and the baron know."
"And you Father."
"What?"
"And your actual Pa. Who is he?"
"Em, I'm not sure. The Baron said he was a criminal or an outlaw or something." I kept his name to myself. I was afraid he'd heard of him.
"So thats why you ran away." He sat back. " So you're going to go marry the kitchen boy."
"No. He's dead."
Beren sat up.
"The baron's enemies killed him to get to me. They wanted me to work against my Father. He didn't care. He was just glad Corbin was out of the way for me to marry the baron." The tears were flowing freely now. I hadn't noticed.
Beren was uncharactoristically silent. After a while he seemed to make a decision.
"Kanna, I'll tell you what. Stick with me, I'll show you the ropes. Theres a lot ladies don't know about real life."
I forced a smile. "Thanks Beren."

LESSONS took place in the village market.
"Lesson one," Beren said, his mouth full of toffee apple, "Is what line of work you want to go in to."
He plonked down on the edge of the fountain. I sat heavily beside him. Work! I hadn't done a days work in my life.
He noticed my expression. "Lesson two will be; jobs equal money , money equals food, food equals life. Back to lesson one."
I sighed. I wanted to smack him.
"Women don't get much job choice. They all have to be good with their hands, if ye know what I mean. But I had a few jobs before I was caught and I know talent when I see it."
"What?"
He pointed to the nobles belt pouch with the remains of the apple.
"He never saw you take it. Come ta think of it, neither did I."
Thieving. An interesting choice. It wasn't a hard decision to make.

We practiced in the market. "The key to being a nobbler is not letting them see you when you nick it. You 've to be quick, and look like butter wouldn't melt in yer mouth."
Beren loitered nearby watching critically while I would try to pick pockets.
I decided then and there just to "Nobb" off the rich, it would be too cruel to steal from the poor.
Beren scoffed at my idea. "Of course you steal from the bleedin' rich, the poor aint got nothin' to steal!"
The boy had sense. All the same, I picked potential victims carefully. I went after one noble who kicked a dog. I wasn't very successful. At first I was too nervous to try. I looked guilty, my face was red and my palms were sweaty. In the end the man turned just as I attempted to take his belt pouch. I skipped away looking deranged while Beren doubled over with laughter.
Next was a woman who smacked a child. Allright, I was using pathetic excuses, but it was just practice.
It is unbelievably hard to steal purses tied to belts. First you have to slit the silk ties with a knife and catch it as it falls, all without anyone seeing you. I gave up quickly and stomped back to Beren.
"Watch the master at work." He cracked his knuckles and sauntered into a crowd watching a juggler. He came back moments later with a belt pouch and a cocky swagger.
"Wha! How did you do that!"
"Easy!" He explained that in crowds people are being jostled anyway, they're less likely to notice anyone trying to rob them.
I tried again. Unfortunatly Beren was four foot five while I was a whole foot higher than him. People tended to notice when I crouched down in front of them.
"Well, you could always be a proffessional begger," Beren suggested with a grin.
I glanced at a legless one nearby. Beren offered to cut off my legs for a small fee. I declined.
For nearly an hour Beren pranced around with the pouch tied to his belt.
Everytime I tried to rob it he'd say in an annoying singsong voice, "See you", "Try harder", "Your as fast as a snail".
I tried to remember how the magic worked. I focused on the pouch. I thought loudly, "Pouch come here!" to no avail. After ten minutes of trying magic, Beren got bored and sat down. "Lets just get some-" He stared at me.
I held the pouch triumphantly in my hand.
"You did it!" he yelled delightedly. "But you were nowhere near me!"
"All I did was"- how to explain it? I barely knew myself.
"I just focused on the magic from the eye and felt it running through me, and then I concentrated on the pouch. I thought about it coming to me and it did!"
Beren's mouth was hanging open. He blinked twice then spoke in low careful tones. " What is the 'eye' you're goin' on about?"
Oooops!
I rolled up my sleeve reluctantly and bared the eye. It was fairly innocuous looking, just the outline of an eye in black lenghtways across my forearm. The pupil was different though, to my eyes it glowed all the time and changed colours. To Berens eyes it should look like an ordinary tattoo with a dark blue pupil.
But Beren's eyes and mouth were forming wide O's. He stepped back, his face pale. Hurriedly, I pulled my sleeve back down.
"Beren, its just a tattoo."
He shook his head emphatically and pulled me into an alley. He stepped against the opposit wall and stared at me.
Feeling decidedly uncomfortable, I ruffled my hair and snapped at him. "I don't have the plague you know!"
"You shouldn't have shown me that! Anyone could have seen it! Don't ever show it again!"
We stood in silence for a moment. Eventually Beren exhaled slowly.
"I've never seen anyone cursed with the eye before. I've heard about them, but never seen one."
The ground was proving to be very interesting to him. He was making me feel like an outcast. A freak.
"What- what do they say about them?"
He met my stare squarely. " They say they're driven mad. They loose their minds. They say its a punishment from the gods."
'Someone would have to teach him the meaning of tact', I thought lightheadedly. "'They' seem to know an awful lot." My mouth felt dry.
He continued mercilessly. "They say they die within a year- gone stark raving mad. They hear voices and foam at the mouth."
"I'm not crazy." My voice sounded cold to my ears." Do you see any foam?"
"How long have you had it?"
I sighed deeply. "About a week."
"Have you heard any voices? Seen anything strange? Feel like ripping your hair out?"
"NO! But I'm beginning to want to rip yours out."
"This aint funny. Does anyone else know about it?"
"Corbin."
"Anyone alive?"
"Lord Johnathan Steevens, a wizard named Pibbons and probably every one else in their band of minstrels."
"You shouldn't have told them!"
I couldn't believe I was being scolded by a ten year old.
"They were there when I got it. In fact, it was the wizards fault!"
"What?"
"He looked at me strangely. And I fainted. When I woke up the mark was on my arm. Its not my fault! I didn't want this. I didn't want any of it! If I had my wish everything would be back the way it used to be; I would be safe in my bed, my nurse would be nearby in case I needed anything, Corbin would be downstairs plotting ways to get me in trouble. I would be mad at my sister, teasing my brother and in the morning I would complain about having porridge for the fourth day in a row!"
I choked back a sob and slid down the wall till I sat on the ground. My legs felt weak, my head was pounding. All I wanted was to wake up from this nightmare.
Beren's hand on my shoulder startled me. I looked up at his small serious face.
"We'll stick together for the moment. And at the first sign of madness I'm gone. But till then-" He held out his hand.
"Partners?"
We shook on it solemnly.
"Partners."