Forgiven Crimes
Prologue
Travis had only one person in his family, and that was his brother, Connor. Their parents had abandoned them at a young age, and they could barely even remember them, but it doesn't matter. The Stolls were happy enough without their parents.
Sure, life wasn't exactly easy on the streets. There will forever be the fear of dying of hunger, cold, or disease, but so far, they've managed. In fact, they have risen to the top.
Travis and Connor Stoll had been known as 'the magic thieves', and it was obvious how they got that name: They were master stealers.
They were so skilled in their 'career', in fact, that they were able to take a ring off your finger, or an earring off your ear.
They could steal anything.
And so, they became the most wanted thieves in the kingdom, or maybe even the world.
What the brothers didn't realize was how dangerous the hunters could be. Before, it had seemed like a simple and amusing feat to just simply outrun them; but now, it's not like that.
The Stolls were fast, so naturally, you would ask why?
Well, the hunters had horses, idiot, but the Stolls didn't. And for your information, stealing horses aren't exactly easy, since horses are sensitive creatures and could bolt if they don't recognize you. You have to learn to tell what horses are gentle and quiet and are less likely to kick you in the face then take off running and what not, but obviously, the Stolls hadn't bothered to learn such thing.
Travis was beginning to panic. The hunters are drawing considerably closer very quickly, and their swords look pretty sharp. But even though he's getting tired, he didn't slow down. Being impaled or getting captured isn't part of Travis's To-do List.
Connor was running next to him, but was tiring quicker, since he was younger but Travis continued to pull at him, urging him to go faster.
It was all in vain.
The hunters were in attacking distance now, and they began swinging their swords around. Travis vaguely wondered if they actually knew how to use the thing and how it's a waste of perfectly good metal to make a sword for such failures of swordsmen, but he forced himself not to get distracted by the thought. It wasn't worth it.
It was then, did everything begin.
Travis ducked a sword that had nearly decapitated him, stumbled, and continued running. But behind him, there was a sickening crunch as the sword found another target.
Travis turned around for a second to see his brother, his only family, falling to the ground, a shocked expression on his face. Blood was spraying out of the wound on his neck.
When Travis had seen Connor fall he did the only thing he could at the moment. He ran.
He continued to run, pushing himself faster, trying to shake away the numbness that was slowing him down. He prayed to all the gods and deities he knew. He prayed for strength, for endurance, for what that happened to be just a dream.
The gods answered, but only half of his wish.
The sound of the horses' hooves was lost in the distance behind him, but the whole situation wasn't a dream.
Finally, the numbness and pain of loss caught up with him, and he stumbled, falling face-first into a stream.
The cold water awakened his senses, stinging his small injuries. Slowly, he climbed to his feet and trudged out of the water, into the sunlight. For a while, he just simply stared into space, silently mourning for his brother. Then, when his head had completely cleared, he looked around, finding himself in a large clearing. Some distance in front of him was a flowerbed and resting in the flowerbed, with butterflies fluttering around her and the sun turning her skin light gold, was the most beautiful thing Travis had ever seen in his life.
It was a girl.