Chapter 1: First Meeting

"STOP THIEF!" the angry voice with a heavy southern drawl yelled.

Aerrow swerved furiously around the corner, dashing over the cobblestone streets. As he ran, only one thought was going in his head:

'How did I get myself into this mess?!'

Aerrow was a young orphan, living on the streets of the vast Terra Krystal. He had no idea who his parents were, for they had been killed in a war shortly after he'd been born. At least, he thought it was a war. He couldn't quite remember.

Perhaps a physical description would help, for those readers that are not familiar with this character already. Aerrow was 7 years old, but he was tall for his age. His hair was ruby red, spikey, and completely untameable. His eyes were, in contrast, emerald green.

Being a "street rat" as many would call him, he was skinnier than most boys of his age should be. And, because he could not work (or, more accurately, no one would hire him), his only way to get food was by stealing, even though he hated it. And today, he'd made the big mistake of stealing 2 loaves of bread and 3 apples from Mr. Moss, a ferociously tempered inn-keeper/bartender who'd taken a disliking to Aerrow since he'd first stepped into the man's pub.

As the youngster quickly turned around another corner, a very fat, very fuming and very angry Mr. Moss swerved around. However, because he hadn't been as prepared for the sharp turn as Aerrow was, he slipped and crashed right into a pile of tomato crates. Aerrow dearly wanted to stop and laugh at the sight, but he couldn't risk it. Mr. Moss might be on the fat side of fat, but he was surprisingly fast. So the boy just ran on. Mr. Moss must've been rendered pretty dizzy by the collision, because when Aerrow looked over his shoulder, he didn't see-

BONK!

Aerrow had been so distracted that he had run right into somebody, sending himself and the stranger tumbling and falling onto the pavement. He rubbed his aching behind and looked at who he'd crashed into.

She was a girl, about his own age, if he had to guess, maybe a couple of months younger. Her skin was dark, and she wore a long brown dress, ripped at the hem and smudged with dirt, and a pair of brown shoes. She had on a hood, and a lock of dark blue hair fell in front of her face.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, "just had a rough landing."

Aerrow stood and helped the girl to her feet. She adjusted her hood, making sure it hid her face in shadow, but Aerrow could still make out her eyes. They were bright orange, like two mini-sunsets.

Suddenly, Aerrow heard the sound of people approaching. There was the clatter of armour, and shouts of:
"She can't be far!"

It was most likely the royal guards, so it might be best if he left. The kingdom of Krystal wasn't very kind with unemployed people who had to steal to not die of hunger. Then he noticed the look on the girl's face. While he was slightly worried at the thought of the royal guards, she looked terrified.

"Oh no!" she said, her voice filled with panic.

She turned to him.

"Please," she said. "I can't let them catch me!"

Aerrow needed no further explanation, not even any other reason to deny helping this girl. It was in his nature. He grabbed her hand.

"Follow me!" he said, and he took off, pulling her along.

They ran through another street, but the royal guard caught sight of them. There were three of them, and they each held a staff with a crystal at the end.

"There!" said one, pointing at them.

Aerrow looked frantically around, and saw the obese shape of Mr. Moss running at them as well! The girl gasped in fright, but Aerrow spotted a small, dark alleyway.

"This way!" he said, starting to run again.

The children ducked into the alley, their pursuers following right behind.

"We," the girl panted, "can't…outrun them! They're…gaining…on us!"

"Don't worry!" Aerrow said. "They won't be running for long!"

He knew this alley well, for it was a common escape route for him and his fellow street urchins. And they had booby-trapped this alley, since nobody other than them used it! As the 3 guards and angry Moss sprinted after them, Aerrow spotted with delight the trip-wire he had his friends had set. The trick was that the adults would be so concentrated on catching them that they wouldn't notice the wire until it was too late. It helped that the alley was almost entirely covered in awnings and protruding roofs, which meant it was always in shadow, which concealed the trip wire.

"When say 3, get ready to jump!" he told the girl, who now ran beside him instead of being almost dragged by his hand.

She looked in front of them and spotted the trip wire. She nodded. Aerrow glanced behind them: the guards and Mr. Moss were right on their tail.

"Get ready: 1!"

The trip wire was swiftly approaching.

"2!"

They were nearly there!

"3!"

As he said it, he and the girl jumped, just clearing the wire. The adults weren't prepared, and they fell flat on their faces in a pile of flailing limbs and angry curses. Aerrow and his companion laughed triumphantly at the sight, before turning a corner out of the alley.

Once they were back in the sunshine, Aerrow clambered over a wall, then pulled the girl up with him. They jumped over the edge, landing safely on the other side. They were both still laughing from their escape.

"That was great!" Aerrow said in between gasps. "Did you see their faces?"

"Did you hear the insults they were shouting at us?" the girl giggled.

For several moments, they couldn't stop laughing. When they finally caught their breath, Aerrow extended his hand.

"I'm Aerrow, by the way."

The girl shook his hand.

"I'm Piper." she said. "And thanks for helping me, Aerrow."

"No problem." said the boy, checking the bag attached to his belt to see if the food he had stolen was still in good order. "I'm always happy to help out another kid on the streets."

Aerrow pulled an apple out of his bag and handed it to Piper. She accepted it as Aerrow pulled a second fruit out for himself. He bit into it greedily.

"Why were those guards after you?" he asked, his cheek full of apple.

The girl looked up from her snack.

"Huh?"

"Those guards. Why were they chasing you?"

The girl looked away, her golden eyes downcast.

"It's a long story." she said. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Aerrow figured it was something really personal, so he shrugged and let it go.

"Why were they after you?" Piper asked the boy.

"Because I stole from Mr. Moss."

Piper almost spat out her bite of apple.

"You mean Mr. Moss the innkeeper?"

Aerrow nodded. Piper stared at him. You needed guts to steal from Mr. Moss, who would beat those he had caught stealing from him.

"So, you don't have a job?" Piper asked.

"Nope." Aerrow said, shaking his head. "I wish I did though. Then my friends wouldn't have to steal."

"You have friends?" she asked.

"Yeah." Aerrow smiled, crunching into his apple. "Finn, Junko and Radarr. They're my best buddies. What about you? You have any friends?"

Piper suddenly looked away.

"Not really," she mumbled.

"What?"

Piper didn't answer for a few moments. Then she said:

"I ran away from my parents. My mom is okay, but my dad..."

She stopped and sighed.

"He's nice too, I guess. But he doesn't listen to me. He tries to pick my friends for me; I don't have any real friends. So, I ran away and that's why the guards were after me."

"That sounds awful." Aerrow said. "I'd run away if my parents tried picking who I could or couldn't be friends with."

Piper smiled at him then.

"Thanks." she said.

Then she abruptly stood and grabbed his hand.

"Come on!" she called, pulling him.

"W-Where are we going?"

"You said you needed a job, right?" Piper asked. "Well, I just remembered there's a bard living in town who needs some assistants. You and your friends would be perfect!"

Aerrow struggled to keep up with the excited girl.

"Are you helping me get a job?" he asked. "Why?"

Piper laughed, and for some reason, Aerrow's heart fluttered. It was the first time he'd ever heard her laugh. He liked it.

"You helped me get away from the guards!" she said. "I owe you! So now, I'm going to help you get away from Mr. Moss! Permanently!"

Aerrow grinned and ran alongside her.

"So where does this bard live?" he asked joyfully as they turned a corner.

Several minutes later, Aerrow and Piper walked out of a small house on the edge of the city. The bard who lived there was a green-skinned merb named Stork. He was a really great writer of poetry and songs, even greater than any others Aerrow had ever heard. Stork had said that the only reason that he wasn't regularly sought after was because he lacked inspiration, not to mention the fact that many nobles wouldn't know a good poem if it bit them on the behind.

So, after asking Aerrow many strange questions about his health and whether or not he was "contaminated", he had employed the boy as an "inspiration seeker". He'd said that Aerrow and his friends could sleep in his guest rooms and that he would provide them with food and pay in exchange for their work.

"He's a little strange." Aerrow said to Piper as they climbed over a wall. "But he seems like a nice guy."

"I told you." said Piper. "Besides, I'm sure you'll get used to him."

"I've gotten used to Junko." Aerrow said. "And that wallop is always so hungry, he could eat us out of house and home. If we had a home that is. I swear we would have to steal a buffet to keep his appetite in check."

Piper laughed again, and Aerrow laughed too. It was a nice feeling, to be able to make this girl laugh. It filled him with a warm, slightly tickling feeling. Her giggles peeted out when they'd reached the top of the wall. From there, they got an excellent view of the sunset. Past the darkening shape of the edge of the terra, the sky glowed golden orange, yellow, pink and red.

"Wow!" Piper breathed, sitting on the wall.

Aerrow sat beside her, grinning.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" she said.

Aerrow beamed. The two sat in silence, marvelling over the wondrous glory of the sunset. Even though these children hardly knew each other, even though they had just met, they held hands as they watched day become night, and couldn't help but feel content in each other's presence. The quiet moment wrapped around them like a warm blanket.

And then it was jerked out of their grasp when the heard the harsh sounds of roaring engines and angry shouts. Aerrow recognized the southern curses of Mr. Moss, and Piper quivered in fear of an accented voice Aerrow had never heard before.

"Let's get out of here!" Aerrow said, pulling Piper from the wall.

But it was too late to run, too late to hide, even too late to draw breath. Three guards zoomed around them on skimmers, stopping in front of the children, cornering them. The very obese Mr. Moss sat on his own ride: a gleaming, rust red monster of a machine with spikes decorating the wheels. He grinned triumphantly at Aerrow as he climbed off. Aerrow glared defiantly back.

"Them's the ones, Grand Duke sir." the innkeeper said, pointing to them.

Aerrow and Piper looked around as another man dismounted from one of the skyrides from behind a guard. He had grey hair tied in a ponytail, poo-brown eyes (at least, Aerrow thought they looked about that shade of brown), and a fancy brown jacket with an enormous blue bow on the front. He stared down his nose at Aerrow.

"You say he's unemployed, Mr. Moss?" he asked, not turning his gaze.

Mr. Moss grunted a yes.

"And that he's been stealing from you regularly?"

Aerrow winced.

"Yes, sir."

"Very well." said the Grand Duke, before turning around. "Take him away. Perhaps a few days in the mines will teach him a lesson."

Two guards grabbed Aerrow by the arms. He was too stunned and terrified to fight. The mines were a street boy's worst nightmare. There, they would whip the workers who had to wear chains and work from dawn until dusk, given only an hour or two of rest and the most meager of meals. And the unstable crystals, when handled wrong, had caused the death of many miners. A youngster like him wouldn't last a week. He'd never see his friends again. He struggled, trying to wriggle himself free of the guards, but they had a tight grip.

"No!" Piper said, pushing toward him, but stopped by the arm of the Grand Duke. "You can't do this!"

The grey-haired man turned his condescending gaze to her.

"Oh? And why can't I?"

Piper bit her lip, then threw herself at Aerrow, managing to free him from the guards. She pulled off her hood.

"You can't arrest him or place him in the mines because, as princess of Terra Krystal, I am placing this boy under my protection!"

Everyone gasped.

"The princess!" the guards said simultaneously, dropping their arms and kneeling.

"Your highness!" the Grand Duke gapped at the girl.

"The princess?!" Aerrow said, looking at Piper.

Now that he thought about it, he thought that maybe he recognized her face from a parade or something. And it would make sense that her father would be rich or powerful enough to pick his daughter's own friends and be able to send guards after her. But to have that father be the king? And her, the princess?

"But, your highness," the Grand Duke said. "This boy is a thieving little street rat. He is unemployed and-"

"Not anymore." Piper interrupted him. "He's just been hired by Stork, the bard who lives on the edge of the town. Weren't you, Aerrow?" she asked, turning to look at him.

He stared at her, still unable to get his head wrapped around the facts. But he nodded dumbly. Piper looked to Mr. Moss.

"How much did Aerrow steal from you today?" she asked.

"T-Two loaves of bread and three apples, your highness." the innkeeper said. "But-"

Piper dug into a pocket and drew out a few gold coins. She put them in Mr. Moss's hand.

"I believe that should cover it and more." she said.

Dubious, Mr. Moss weighed the coins, then shot a steely glare at Aerrow.

"This ain't over yet, boy." he said, before returning to his skyride and roaring away.

"Well, now," the Grand Duke said, taking Piper's arm. "Let's get you back to the palace, young highness."

As he pulled her away, Piper turned her face to catch Aerrow's eye. She looked crestfallen. It was clear: going back to the palace was the last thing she wanted to do. Aerrow couldn't bear to see her that sad. True, she didn't tell him that she was the princess, but how could he blame her for that? She'd tried to run away, didn't she? And she'd just helped him get a job and a place to stay, right?

"Wait a minute!" he said, jerking out of his thoughtful daze just as Piper, the Grand Duke and the guards were mounting their skyrides.

They looked at him, Piper's face hopeful, the Grand Duke's disapproving. Aerrow bowed awkwardly.

"May I see you again..." he hesitated before adding: "...your highness?"

Piper's face lit up with delight. She nodded and waved before the skyride carrying her zoomed away.

"Where were you?!" Stork said as Aerrow entered his home. "What were you doing out there? And what was all that noise about?"

Aerrow just sat, apologizing for being late, and then standing back up to get his friends. But before he did, Stork stopped him.

"Out of curiosity, did you find me any inspiration for a new poem, inspiration seeker?" the merb asked.

Aerrow thought about it, then said:
"Did you ever see the princess?"

"Mmmm...yes, once or twice. Why?"

"Are there a lot of poems about her?"

"I don't think so." the bard said. "Your point?" he added, sounding impatient.

"You should write something about her." Aerrow said.

Stork's brow lifted.

"That's a good idea." he said. "I think I'll do just that. Might take me forever," he added gloomily, "but I think I'll manage. Have you seen the princess? If so, is she pretty? Pretty enough for poetry?"

Aerrow considered it. Yes, Piper was pretty. Very pretty, now that he thought about it. She had bright eyes, a cute little nose, a dark, exotic-looking complexion and a beautiful smile. All in all, she was...

"Radiant." Aerrow said. "I saw her, and she's radiant."