A Thief and A Prince

CAPTER 1

Piper looked around, there was a clear path, and she ran out of hiding and followed silently by the man in the brown coat. He looked like a wealthy nobleman. She thought that there probably would be a good return if she broke into his room. Alone, she was a better thief, than most others, she knew, she was silent and quick. Piper of seventeen was not proud of the way she lived, but she had to go get food and clothing on the body in some way, not because the clothes she could afford was especially good. Piper had always only afford the most tattered and lousy clothes people had. As for example, the bumpy old dress she had on now, Piper had no shoes on and her dirty but rich brown hair hung down her back. Her attention caught a movement from the side and she turned quickly on. She crept silently toward the boxes are stacked up the walls of buildings. She pushed a box to the side and was prepared for an enemy. She let out a shocked sound and cursing softly, it was not an enemy, but just a cat, a paltry dirty little kitten. Piper turned on the heel and bathers again. The man was gone, she ran forward and prayed that she would see him again, as soon as she rounded the corner, again she was disappointed. He was gone and with him disappeared her dinner too, she turned angrily around and ran off to find a place to spend the night.

The boy was sitting in his chamber, and was bored. His whole day was spent in listening to his father's Councils. He had been forced to participate, as a prince and future king of the coastal country Rome, it is expected of him that he looked on with interest while everyone else made the decisions, even though he only just turned nineteen, he had to learn to control a kingdom although he hoped for would have to do it when he turned twenty-one. A waiter came urgent and knocked on the door, the prince stood up and opened.

"His Majesty wishes to speak with you, sir," said the waiter. The prince smiled kindly to the waiter,

"tell my father that I meet him in the library," he said kindly.

"Yes." the waiter bowed and disappeared down the hallway towards the king's apartments

The prince came even after and headed for the library.

"You wanted to see me," said the award, as he entered the room.

"Jason, my boy, good to see you," the old king's voice was kind and good-natured, but there was an undertone that told that he was not a man to come across.

"What is Dad?" Jason knew that the king had something important to say since he would not say it in front of the council members.

"What is it, Dad?"

The king smiled cheerfully. "Well you see my boy, I know that you have learned about the kingdom of Duke Octavian, but I think that you have to experience it up close. Therefore, I agreed with Knight Dakota to two aprons I like pawns in the morning on market day and seeing how the town. What do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea Dad, I am looking forward to tomorrow ', with the word travelled Prince Jason of Rome and went back to his room.

She awoke at the sound of people who set up booths and decided that now where the day had started, she could just as well stand up. Piper sat up on the roof where she had spent the night, an untidy nest of hay and branches were all she had managed to make before she went cold fatigue. Piper had looked forward to this day, there was always plenty of food and inattentive sellers on market day, and on such a day could she get satisfied in bed. Piper strokes away and her eyes saw it all, everything that she would never be able to afford to buy. Her eyes searched for new photos, new things to study. She walked for a long time just staring. Piper saw a greengrocer who stood with the juiciest, red apples, it comes I never near, she thought, but maybe she could grab a carrot, they were close to the edge, and she took the chance. She grabbed a bunch of carrots at the moment the man did not look, she took them and had only run a few steps when a voice behind her shouted,

"Stop thief, stop the thief'. She could hear him try to squeeze through the crowd, but it was hard, she on the other hand slipped effortlessly in and out among the people and it was only when she ventured to look back, she bumped into someone. She turned around and stared up into the face of a young man with blond hair who was smudged, as it looked brownish out.

"Hey mama's boy you stand in my way," she said angrily, and the man next to put his hand on his sword, the first man laughed and gestured with his hand as the other man calmed down.

"Now I move me Miss," said he moved a step to the side, Piper gave him a wry smile. The moment she could again hear shouting, 'stop her', 'thief' and so on, she smiled and said,

"Well I must move on, it may be that we meet again, mama's boy", so she ran on with fruit man behind him, while the men standing back.

The aforementioned men went down to the marketplace, the way Piper had come when the fruit man came,

"Has seen the girl with long brown hair?" he asked breathlessly,

"Why" asked the first man, who was actually Prince Jason in disguise.

"She stole a bunch of carrots from me and must be caught and punished, as the law says."

"No, we has not seen her," the prince said,

"I wish she was soon caught, she steals day and night from us honest citizens, it is not the first time she has taken from me, but hopefully this is the last time," he scowled and ran after her.

The other man, Knight Dakota asked, "why did you not give the girl to him, Your Highness",

"It seemed shameful to surrender a girl to such an unpleasant man," the knight murmured in unison, and then they went down to the marketplace.

Piper cursed herself and everyone else far away, as she sat in the cell. Think being taken, she had never before been taken, not even when she was a little girl and began to steal, it was embarrassing, but also there was her own fault. Piper had run and looked backward at the same time, and it had done that she had run into the arms of the guards with the mad fruit man in heels, and now she sat here and waited for a few stupid noble men had to decide if she should die or prison. They would probably ask her out first, but she was not going to divulge any of its peers, it could well be that she worked alone, but extends it, she was certainly not. She stood defiantly and stood erect with neck when the guards came to fetch her, no question that she would appear weak and pitiful, they brought her in and out of complicated times with a hard grip on her arms. Normally, the guards do not stick to a prisoner, but they had heard rumours of Piper who reportedly was cunning as a fox, and supple as a cat, she was their biggest catch for a long time and was not going to let her escape. Finally, they stood outside the front door when it was opened and Piper led into glared 10 faces at her, 8 old noble men, who are truly sycophants, the king and prince.

"Fox" they whispered all in awe, the more she was notorious even in high society. Piper did not even bother bucks for the nobles; she stared defiantly at the King until one of the guards forced her knees.

The prince looked at her, she was the girl he had met on the market, and she was the fox, the person his father had always said he should be wary, she did not look like a fox, she was not as Jason had expected that Fox would be, she was beautiful, with kaleidoscope eyes and long brown hair, braided with feathers. When he had heard that the fox was caught, he had expected to see a man, not a woman. Women profitable for nothing other than to be fine nobles or look after the house and children for their men, this girl did not look like someone who would be happy to get such a task, she looked like a tough knight. She stared defiantly at the king. King finally got his voice back and began his interrogation.

"Is this the fox?" Was his first question, the King looked hopefully at the noblemen as to get them to say that the whole thing was a joke when they answered his gaze; he turned his attention to the prisoner.

"Are you the fox?" He asked again, she replied,

"The fox is the name of my comrades have given me, it's just one of my many names," she smiled bravely, she did not look like someone who was in a sharp interrogation with the king, rather the one who sat on the inn and knew something others did not.

"We have received many complaints about your thefts, you steal? Do not deny it," King said,

"I have really not going to deny it, I'm proud of it," came her reply,

"You are proud to steal, to break the law for personal gain, you are proud to take from others to yourself."

"no lord king, I am proud to take for those who have much and give it to those who have suffered, I learned my craft many years ago and without it I would not have survived, now I use my craft to find food, money and clothes for me and children like me, it is wrong to take from those who can do without it and then give it to them without my help would be dead, my lord king."

The king said, "tell where your companions live and who they are!"

She smiled again and said," that will I do with pleasure, my lord, my companions are honourable people and they live anywhere, you would have to arrest all of the city citizens and yet you would never get caught them all. "The king looked confused around and Piper smiled wryly, Jason put his hand on his father and asked for permission to speak, his father nodded to him.

"So you are the fox," said the prince and his voice was high and authoritative,

"you do not look like the fox I imagined when we heard about you, for you are just a woman, a girl, you pigeons certainly not something" Jason's intention was to get a fight with the girl so he could see how clever she was, his plan worked.

"Fight against me in a knife fight my lord, and we will see what you think about my skills afterwards," Jason nodded to her,

"I would then like."

"Wait,' she said, 'let's make a bet, if I win, I have my freedom, and if you win you can do what you want. What do you say to bet, sir?"

'"It sounds reasonable, I'm in. " the noblemen began to whisper among themselves, it was not the first time that the prince would challenge a prisoner, but he had never agreed to release the prisoner if it won, it brought some unrest in the hall, no one would lose their new splendour prisoner but you could not go against the prince's wishes.

Piper was again brought down the aisles with a hard grip on her arm, as if she would flee now, she had both the chance to knock prince and win her freedom, and such a possibility she could not help go away. They stopped in a single floor, which undoubtedly was the fencing hall; she was led toward the weapons cabinet, but shook her head and pulled two knives out of the sleeve.

"You should learn to strip-search something better boys," she said shaking her head.

Piper still had additional four knives stored on in the dress invisible pockets. She stretched and braided fast her hair in a sloppy braid as she tied in place with a leather string. Piper looked at the prince, and he nodded to her, he began to warm up and while she studied him, he seemed to be smooth, fast and strong but perhaps he could also be something else, she had at an early age learned never to underestimate the enemy. Prince went toward training circle; the rules were that the person who surrendered had lost.

Piper faced prince,

"do not worry mama's boy; you can still get daddy's people to fight your battle," she said sweetly.

He smiled at her, the king gave orders and the battle began. They circled each other; no one would be the first to attack. Piper had fought this way before, she had much patience and it also ended up prince attacks with a quick jerk off in her chest, she ducked fast and crept into under belly on him. She grazed his stomach and he looked very amazed out as she rolled through his legs and hit him in the head with the side of the dagger. He fell forward and she sat astride him and held her knife at his throat, so if he lifted his head would be cut off. He knocked three times on the floor, which was a sign of surrender, she got up, but just with one, she was handcuffed and held by two receptionist's men. She resisted while one of the noblemen came over to her.

"You have proven your worth, but thought you really in that we would give Rome worst thief freedom again, no, you're staying here as a warning to all other thieves," Piper saw him straight in the eye and spit in his face

"You are some liars and cheaters all together and says that thieves no honour have, look at yourselves it's pathetic." Jason stood up, he was dizzy after the battle, but Fox had not harmed him seriously,

"Tell me Duke Octavian, why is it you break the agreement fox and I have made?" Jason did not hear the Duke's response because the king had put hand on his son's shoulder and said.

"My boy, I'm sorry you made the bet but we can't under any circumstances let the fox have her freedom," Jason was about to reply when he heard a passionate voice,

"Impostors, that's what you are, here I come, an honest and hardworking thief, and make a decent agreement with you and then you break the agreement as soon as you have seen that I was better than the goby you are calling prince," it was the fox who was in the process of scold Duke skin full and hurled curses of them as missiles.

"An honest thief," the king said to her, "the suit does not completely together."

"Of course it does, I am perhaps thief, but I keeps my words and never break an agreement, you can trust me, but the same I can't say about you, your grace!"

"Now I've got ENOUGH," shouted the King, "put this criminal down in the safest and best-guarded cell, she is our main catch!"

"I'm so flattered," muttered Piper but there was certainly none other than Jason who heard it.