(( For those of you who have read my other story, this falls in the world of A Fairy Tale's Princess. Elsa's story is just a little bit different from what I outlined there, but I'm going to edit that chapter to be a bit more consistent with this story.

This'll only be a short story, probably around 4-6 chapters. Still got a sequel to write after all. :) ))

1.

"What do you mean we have to leave!"

The man paused when he felt her grab his cloak, half-way into his carriage. He sighed, turning to look down at her, his small black eyes glittering dangerously. Reaching out, he gripped his cloak right above her hand, then jerked it from her grasp. She snatched her hand back, staring up at him with wide brown eyes, half-angry, half-scared, strands of fire-red hair wisping about her face.

"You heard me, child," he sneered. "Your father is three months behind on his dues. If you don't pay up by the end of this week, I will have you both evicted. Now, touch me again and I will have you arrested and thrown in jail, understand?"

"But... where are we supposed to go? This has been our home for.. for as long as I can remember!" She stepped forward again, wringing her hands together anxiously. "Please... can't you just.. give us an extension or something? There's no way we can get that much money in four days. Please, Lord Krayve."

Krayve stood, one foot in his carriage, as if considering the young woman's pleading, one fine eyebrow arched as he regarded her carefully. A slow smile slid over his lips and he stepped down again, reaching over to take her chin between his long fingers. He tilted her head up, then to each side, as if inspecting her.

"Well. I suppose I could.. forgive the debt," he said, slowly.

Hope sprang into her pretty brown eyes. "R-Really?"

"Yes. I do, after all, need a new maid, and even though you are a bit on the plain side, if you were to come work at my mansion, I would consider the debt paid."

Revulsion crept into her face; she knew what other duties said maids performed. She jerked back out of his grasp, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. "Never!" she shot back, before her mind could catch up with what was happening.

Krayve's face darkened like storm clouds rolling across the horizon. He straightened slowly. "Well then. I will expect to have my entire payment in four days' time, or you and your pathetic excuse of a father can find a new home." He turned with a swirl of his cloak, stepping up and disappearing into the darkness of his carriage. He slammed the door shut, and a moment later the carriage creaked into motion, rolling down the road and out of sight.

The young woman stared after it, then sank to her knees in the dirt. "What are we going to do now...?"

After a few long moments of staring down the road desolately, she pushed herself to her feet. Brushing her long skirts off, she turned and pushed the worn wooden fence open, stepping through. The house in front of her was small and old, but well-cared for. The roof, woven rushes, was neatly thatched and tended, and didn't even leak in the heaviest of rains. The white-painted walls creaked in the hardest of wind storms but never let even a finger of a breeze through. And the windows with their old, distorted glass still showed the beautiful vista of the land that surrounded the house, trimmed by faded white curtains.

It was nothing much, but it was home, and she had no idea where else they would go. Her father's father had lived on this little scrap of land, and his father before him. As for her mother... Well, she hadn't ever spoken about her family, not after the incident with the dragon that had caused her to end up in the small town where she'd met her future husband. At least, that's what her father told her. She'd never known her mother; she'd passed away when her daughter was but a child, not old enough to remember anything more than half-memories or impressions.

Pushing the door open, she inhaled and put a smile on her face. Inside was as small as the outside led to believe, but it was homey and warm, her father resting on the bed. He had once been a large, strong man, but illness had wasted his muscles away, leaving him thin and wrinkled. His face was still noble, determined, but his deep brown eyes were sunken in and lately lines had began to accent where wrinkles had not been before.

"Who was that?" he asked, his voice cracking.

She smiled and hurried to the stove, spooning out some soup and bringing it to him. "No one important," she replied. "Don't you worry, I'll handle everything. You just focus on getting better, all right?"

"Oh, my little Elsa," he sighed, cradling the bowl in his thin hands. "I wish you didn't have to bear all of this by yourself..."

Elsa smiled warmly at her father, reaching out and covering one of his hands with her own. "Hey," she said, her voice gentle. "Don't worry about it. If there's one thing you taught me, it's to be strong. I'm strong enough to handle this... promise."

He smiled at her, fatigue heavy where his face had once been light with life and vigor. It pained her to see him this way, so tired and exhausted. She was more determined than ever that he would not have to bear this, not even just the knowledge of it. He'd struggled for so long -- sixteen years -- to raise a daughter on his own on land that could barely produce enough for themselves. She wouldn't let him down now.

She just didn't know how.

"Widow Gray visited while you were in the fields," her father said, jolting her from her reverie. She rose to spoon herself some of the watery soup, returning to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Oh? What gossip did the wrinkled old woman bring?"

Her father chuckled softly. "Apparently Prince Casphus is in town."

Elsa's eyebrows arched. "Prince Casphus? The Prince Casphus?"

"The one and the same." Her father shifted, causing his hip to pop. He winced, then settled down, looking up at her with a sparkle in his eyes. "Apparently he's on his way to visit the lovely Lady Joy Something about a talk of marriage or the like. Krayve's ego will burst right out of his pretentious head if that happens. Can you imagine? His eldest daughter married to one of the most prestigious Princes in the world!"

Elsa laughed. "Ah, of course. I bet he's got all of his servants and all of their expensive trinkets, all decked out in gold and silver."

"Oh, Widow Gray went on and on about it. Apparently he brought a dozen maids with him, each and every one of them dressed in an array of pearls and jewels. Word is that he's going to present them to Joy and allow her to pick her choice of them. I don't know how he hopes to distract her, however. You know Joy."

"Ah, yes. Good luck getting her to look up from her books even for a second. The only one who can do that is that Brownie -- Zigzag." Elsa laughed. "If she's really smart, she'll take her pick then pawn them to get money for more.. books..."

Elsa trailed off, a sudden idea hitting her. Her back straightened. No, no that was too audacious. But inspiration was banging on her skull, the sheer nerve of it making it at once all too impossible and yet completely possible at the same time. No one would suspect. No one would suspect, she of all people, the poor daughter of a sick farmer... No one would ever suspect her to have such nerve, such a grand, grand idea...

"Els?"

She blinked, staring at her father. "... where did Widow Gray say Casphus was staying, again?"

Her father scratched his head in thought, not seeming to thing the question too odd. "I don't think she did... but if I had half a guess, I would think Lord Krayve himself would be hosting them. He has that entire side mansion next to his main building just for important guests. I'd bet, if anything, Casphus was staying there. Why do you ask?"

Elsa smiled. "Oh, you know Magnolia. She's ... she's practically convinced herself she and Casphus are long lost lovers. I'm sure she'll be tickled to know he's so near. She'll probably stake out the main doorway just to get a sneak peek at him!"

The sharp glint in her father's eye eased and Elsa breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Ah yes, yes... That Magnolia... Flighty creature, her... Reminds me... a bit of..."

But Elsa never found out who Magnolia reminded him of, because by the time his words trailed off he was asleep, his eyes closed and the spoon sliding from his grasp. Smiling softly, Elsa reached over and deftly rescued the bowl and utensil from his grasp. She rose, placing them in the basin to be washed later.

Then she stood, staring out over the hills at the very distant spires of the mansion, visible only barely through the reaching arch of trees.

She had never considered herself a bad person, but at the same time, desperate times called for a questioning of morals and the value of right and wrong. It was wrong of Krayve to increase taxes as he had, hiking them higher and higher when he knew they wouldn't be able to pay. This wasn't stealing. This was just.. reclaiming funds that were unjustly taken from them. True, they were Casphus's jewels, but Krayve would certainly have to replace them.

No harm done.

Elsa drew in a slow breath, realizing that her hands were shaking. She raised them, looking down at her long fingers, already misshapen with callouses from working the fields all day. "I'm.. I'm really going to do it," she whispered to herself. "I'm going to steal them." Hearing herself say it out loud made her head reel and she gripped the sink to steady herself. Shaking herself, she turned to bank the fire again, ignoring the cinders that marred her pale hands. The climate was warm, too warm to merit anything more than the outdoor cooking pit that they kept under an overhang behind the house, but they kept the fire going all year round now, to ease the chill that had set onto her father's bones.

Elsa the thief, she thought as she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, leaving a smudge along her cheekbone. It had a certain ring to it.