Copyright: these characters are all mine. The plot is all mine. No copying! Thanks... Sentences in " " are speech, and those in ' ' are thoughts. Words in / / are supposed to be italicized.



The Inn was a loud place, hazy with smoke and filled with thieves. The beer there was best amongst the rest of the inns, and so was the food. Then again, the King and Prince (the second-in-command) of the Thieves lived there, so the stuff that the inn sold had to be good, or the King and Prince wouldn't be there.

Normal, lawful people - called Outsiders by the thieves - went to The Inn, of course, and they didn't need to worry about their belongings inside. In fact, they didn't need to worry about their stuff when they were in any inn. Inns were neutral ground, where there would be no theft. Fights with Outsiders, and stealing during those fights were okay, because it was the Outsider's fault for leaving his own things unguarded. But otherwise, no theft. No poisoning, either, come to think of it. But murder could be allowed, depending on the circumstances.

That night, like the previous nights, the inn was not as loud as it was a few days ago, though the number of people there was roughly the same. And as it had been every few nights for the past two months, a hooded figure sat in a dark corner booth, which had a perfect view of the entire inn.

The person's hood had a strip of cloth attached to the inside, which went across the person's forehead, keeping the hood firmly on. The person's face was hidden under the hood, and the cloak was pinned at the neck by an emerald clasp. The robe seemed black, but under the light, one could, by looking closely, see that the colour was actually a very dark green.

Large, brilliant emerald green eyes quickly scanned the room, then looked down a perfectly arched nose at the empty dish and glass of water on the table in front of them. A slim, clean hand reached from the folds of the cloak and took the glass, raising it up to mauve lips, and the person drank it all down, before replacing the glass.

A young boy - the waiter - hurried over, after a curt word from the barman. "Have ya finished yer meal, Miss?"

Soft laughter came from the hood. "Does it look like I've finished?" a melodious, lilting voice asked in reply.

The boy grinned nervously. He didn't know whether to laugh along or leave immediately. All the customers were different, and as he was a new waiter, he didn't know how to tell the difference between a good-tempered and a bad- tempered one. Seeing that the place he worked in was filled with rough thieves who lived hard lives and didn't care about anybody besides themselves, one wrong move could earn him a broken arm, or maybe added to that a broken rib or two.

This particular customer noticed his discomfort. 'So, he's new,' the girl thought, 'and obviously no one taught him about the different customers - which ones are dangerous and which ones aren't.' She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing the boy to jump. "You should ask Joseph over there to teach you the tell-tale signs," she informed him quietly, inclining her head toward the barman.

The boy ducked his head, as the girl removed her hand. "He tries, but he's busy. An' I learn slow." He picked up the dishes, bowed once, then ran off.

The girl sighed inaudibly. She saw through the boy's words, and knew that not only the other man had not even tried to help, but that the boy was too shy and polite to ask another person. 'I'll have to talk to someone about this...' she thought, casting a disgusted look at the other end of the room. 'But Ralph is busy serving his highness the Prince and his fawning gang...'

She watched the Prince of the Thieves, with many flirting girls surrounding him, rolling her eyes. "I guess I have to go over there and quickly borrow Ralph for a minute, then leave, or else his highness will glare at me for taking away his unworthy servant's precious time," she muttered unhappily to herself. Standing, she brushed a strand of her long, shiny midnight black hair, which reached halfway down her back, into its place, made sure the cloak covered her face, short sleeved cloth shirt, armguards that reached from her wrists to just below her elbow, and her breeches, before standing and walking towards the rowdy group, her supple leather boots not making a sound on the rough floor.

She caught Ralph just as he was about to make his way to the group, to her relief. "Ralph, you know that new waiter?" she asked in a low voice. Ralph knew her as he had served her many times before, when she visited previously, and they had become friends - sort of.

When Ralph nodded in answer, she said to him softly, "Teach him about the customers. He's too shy to ask. Do me this favour, please."

Ralph smiled. "Sure. Glad t' help a fellow wait'r. Been keepin' an eye on 'im, m'self."

The girl nodded. "I'll let you get back to his Highness then."

"How 'boutcha let me escape his Highness? Them gals're drivin' me nuts. They glare at me like I'm stealin' th' prince or somethin', when I just do m'job. I'm a guy too, ya know!"

The girl shrugged, clapping her hand on his shoulder. "Tough luck. Wish you well, all the same. Be seeing you."

They parted, Ralph toward his customer and the girl toward the exit. Suddenly, in her path, a patch of black appeared, and with a screeching sound, something that looked like a mummified, rotting corpse started to rise out of the ground. The girl jumped, startled. Immediately there were screams all around, and terrified yells of 'what is that thing!'.

Calmly, over her initial shock, the girl walked up to the half-risen monster, and said clearly and softly - she did not like to raise her voice - "The King is cursed."

The monster gave another screech before disappearing... leaving behind silence and a mess of black, stinking goo on the ground.

The girl looked at the stinking mess, and said to it, "The king might be cursed... but you are the curse. And not only his curse... but ours. I hope whoever created you rots in hell." Then she turned to the barman. "You'll have a hard time cleaning this once it hardens, and believe me it hardens pretty fast, so I suggest you start on it now." Then she moved swiftly to the door and was gone.

***

The Prince of Thieves finally managed to push off the fawning, flirting girls literarily clinging onto him. It was easier than before, seeing that they were all in shock over that thing that had come out of the ground just now. 'That seems to be the only good thing that came out of that incident,' Nick thought wryly. The girls, once they had left Nick alone, had hurried out of the door of the inn, for the black mess on the ground gave off a horrible smell.

"Better the smell than those idiots," muttered Nick to himself. As the Prince of the Thieves, he had to put up with all those girls. Sure, he knew he was cute, what with his spiky silvery hair and classic blue eyes, but he didn't want this sort of attention. It made him feel like pulling out his hidden daggers and stabbing something.

Nick mused over what had just happened. The girl intrigued him. She was so calm when faced with that monster. He didn't know who she was, and he had been sure that he had known everyone in the Thief trade who lived in the city. He didn't like mysteries or puzzles, and he planned on solving this one.

"Hey! You there, yes, you, can you come here please?" Nick called across the room to the waiter who had been serving him - Ralph was his name, if Nick remembered correctly. He chuckled to himself as he watched Ralph's jaw drop at Nick's polite - if loud - tone and his use of 'please'. 'I guess everyone stereotypes me as the rude playboy type,' Nick thought ruefully. 'And those bimbo girls that always surround me are no help either.'

"You wanted me, highness?" Ralph's voice broke into his thoughts. Nick smiled, and stood. He held his hands out, palm up, in the traditional Thieves' greeting. Ralph stared, disbelieving, then placed his own palms in Nick's. They pulled their palms towards their own selves, away from each other, hooking their fingers together, completing the greeting, before letting go. Nick sat again, and indicated that Ralph should sit too, though Ralph declined.

"Call me Nick," the Prince informed Ralph. "Highness sounds weird." Ralph nodded warily, his suspicious thieves' nature showing. "There anythin' ya want?" Ralph asked.

"Just some information. It'll take up a bit of your time. You don't mind?" when Ralph shook his head, Nick grinned. "Good. Okay, you know that girl just now? You were talking to her, weren't you. I'm curious as to who she is, so can you tell me all that you can about her?"

Ralph looked relieved. "Oh, tha's Green Eyes - Ice, we call 'er. She's new here, so ya might not know 'er. Always quiet-like, hardly speakin'. I served 'er before, an' we're sorta friends. She's kind, always lookin' out for others. Why, only jus' now, she asked me t' help tha' new wait'r we have."

"Wait, did you say Green Eyes? Not the Green Eyes?"

"I dunno, but prob'bly. She's been here in an' out the past coupla months. Ice is what we call 'er - no one knows 'er real name. Sweet voice, quite young, I'd say." Ralph considered, then added, "She's about my height, I guess. Smart gal. Quite a hot temper. Once this poor drunk'n guy tried t' hit on 'er - she beat 'im up bad. Darned fast, an' deadly." He snorted. "Th' guy couldn't even fight back. Made a name for 'erself after tha', I reckon."

Nick's eyes glittered. "Then she is Green Eyes! She's famous because of that incident! You didn't know?"

Ralph shrugged. "I dun keep up with th' gossip, mind ya."

Nick laughed. "That's all right, I'm not accusing you of anything," he assured Ralph. "One more thing. Does she know who I am?"

Ralph grinned. "How can she not know? Th' gal's disgusted with th' way you flirt. I know, I know, it's them gals who flirt with ya," he added hastily, seeing the look on Nick's face, "but to others it looks like th' other way round."

Nick sighed. "Well, just what I need, a playboy reputation. I can't help it if the girls flock to me. I try to push them away, but they're like glue! Oh well. The next time Green - no, Ice comes here while I'm here, can you tell me? I'd like to meet her."

Ralph nodded. "Sure."

"Well, that's all I need. Thanks, Ralph, you can go back to whatever you were doing," Nick grinned at the older man. Ralph grinned back, his opinion of the young Prince completely changed for the better, then hurried away, swerving around the barkeeper who was scrubbing the floor. "You know, your speech's like Ice's, proper an' noble-like," he called back to Nick, before disappearing into the kitchen.

Nick pondered the new information, propping his feet on the low table in front of him. So the girl was Green Eyes, or Ice - she was new to the town, but had already made a big name for herself. She had defeated one of the best fighters in the Thief trade, Juan, without even getting hurt. The best fighters were, of course, the King of Thieves - Ace, and Nick. There were a few second bests, which included Juan. The fact that Ice beat him made her, in theory, equal to Nick and Ace.

'I'd like to fight her, she looks like a hard opponent to beat. And she speaks like a noble, which might mean she has associated with them before, or that she is one. Nah, she can't be a noble, what would one be doing here? Though her clothes aren't the usual poor, slipshod work you'd expect to see on a thief, excepting me and Ace,' Nick mused. 'Maybe she stole them. Or else she's got so much money stolen that she can afford such nice clothing.'

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching. "Nick! Why are ya looking so glum?" a voice asked cheerfully. Nick looked up to see Ace, a seasoned fighter and quick thinker. He was the one who liked action, and didn't hesitate to punish anybody physically, while Nick was the one who thought more and fought less. The two made a great team, and were as close as brothers.

"This look isn't glum, it's called thoughtful," retorted Nick, grinning as Ace plopped down on the sofa as well. "But seeing as it's you , it's no surprise you can't tell the difference."

Ace shoved him, laughing. "Hey, don't insult your king, you lowly subject," he joked. "Anyway, what were you thinking about?"

"Nothing, just that I'd like to fight Green Eyes."

"Don't we all? She's infamous! Juan was a nervous wreck when he came to see me, you know? All bloodied up. Gave me a shock to see him. And all he knew was that she had green eyes. I mean, come on!" Ace sighed. "Not a scratch on her, either, I heard."

"She was in here just now. They call her Ice. Keeps to herself. Has a kind personality, too. That's what one of the waiters told me," Nick informed Ace.

"So little info? No birthdate? No country of origin? No surname? Not even a true name? Gosh, she must be a pro at keeping her identity secret. No one knows what she looks like either. And even you can't find much."

"Hey, give me some credit - if I want to, I can find out anything. It's just that I didn't try that hard. Heck, what I've done so far isn't even /considered/ trying!"

"Yeah, whatever. You and your excuses." Ace grinned to show he was teasing, then stood and yawned. "Well, be seeing you, I'm off to bed."

"It's still quite early," Nick pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I tired myself out today. Had to do a lot of hiding and running from over-desperate girls." He winked at Nick, grinning. "You're not the only one who attracts brainless flirts, you know. Well, talk to you later." Ace waved and left.

Nick sighed and stood as well. It was about time he got going on his business that night. He returned to his room, turning off the lights and throwing the room into pitch blackness. A few minutes later, a black shadow slipped out of the open window, balancing precariously on the sill, and closed the window behind it.

The black shadow that was Nick wearing entirely black, tight- fitting clothes but no cloak (a cloak would only hinder his progress, for all that it looked grand and added to the dramatics) jumped lightly from his third-story window to a second story one, then from there jumped to the ground. He made his way in the shadows to the barn, where he kept his black stallion, Shadow. Moments later, the magnificent black horse, with hooves muffled by cloth, trotted out, then broke into a fast gallop.

Soon the rider and his horse reached the district around the palace. There, the houses were more elaborate, and the inns more upper- class. Nick left Shadow in one of the barns - the boy in charge of the horses at that barn was indebted to him, and whenever Nick had to leave his horse in the palace district, he always used this barn - and then, keeping to the shadows, made his way to the palace.

He passed by people, mostly couples, meeting secretly in the shadows, but he was so skilled that not one of them noticed him. He stole some coins, an intricately carved wooden luck-charm (hah, he'd like to see the day when a luck charm actually worked, but some people actually believed this stuff, so it should fetch a decent price), a dagger - not bad quality, either - and even managed to pick up a ring, which he put back in its owner's pocket - after all, the ring might be a wedding ring, and he didn't want to ruin a couple's bliss. He might be a thief, but he had a heart.

Nick arrived at the tall and thick palace wall. There were sentry posts along the broad top of the stone wall. Nick positioned himself under a sentry post and took out a bundled-up cloth ball from the pouch around his waist, then threw it straight into the air, humming a tune as he did so. The ball floated up, borne by a sudden wind. Nick continued to hum, and the ball flew to the top of the wall and above the open-air sentry post. Then, as Nick stopped humming, the wind slowed and stopped, sending the ball right onto the sentry's head, where the soft cloth burst open.

Nick waited for a few seconds before throwing another a grapple, which also came from his pouch, over the wall. The hook caught onto the wall, and Nick gave it a few experimental tugs before using it to clamber lightly up the wall. At the top, he paused to look down at the sleeping guard, whom he had just knocked out using sleeping powder which had been contained inside the cloth ball. Nick allowed himself a smirk before returning to the task at hand.

Below, there were guards with guard dogs patrolling the grounds, passing by every few seconds. Nick timed the rounds and then leaped down lightly, without sound. He landed expertly in the shadows, with a few seconds to spare before the next guard team came. He quickly shifted his position, from the shadows at the bottom of the wall to the shadows in the garden that surrounded the palace itself.

From his crouch behind some bushes and under the shelter of a tree, Nick watched the next patrol walk by. 'Hah, I got in so easily, his majesty Jousen really needs to tighten security,' Nick thought, pleased. 'But then again, that might be because I know all the security plans, and even came up with some of them.'

He used his magic to create a movable sound proof barrier around himself, as well a movable illusion spell. He then hummed a tune as he climbed up the tree and moved from branch to branch, going higher. He leaped from tree to tree, getting closer to the palace, humming all the while; as his barriers prevented others from seeing and hearing his presence in the rustling greenery.

Finally, he was as near to the palace as he could get. He judged the distance between the tree and the nearest balcony, which was on the second story, and then gathered his strength and leaped, throwing up an invisibility spell around himself and letting go of the other two spells and stopping his humming, all with perfect timing. His toned body flew through the air, his hands caught the railing, and he effortlessly hauled himself up onto the balcony, all without a sound.

'Piece of cake,' he thought, as he balanced on the rail and jumped again, this time to a third-floor balcony. Then he confidently made his way to a particular third-floor balcony, which had a glass screen - closed at the moment - and elaborate curtains blocking the view of the inside room. He smirked as he landed gracefully after jumping from yet another balcony and strode toward the glass screen, his invisibility spell still going strong.

And then an ear-splitting alarm tore through the air.



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