Prompts below

Description: An Aladdin!AU with my own twists and turns.

~Draw your own conclusions for the missing points~

In the end, it didn't really matter.

He knew he was way out of her league. She was a princess, and he was a street rat. She lived a life of riches and luxury, while he was forced to steal, for he was penniless.

But it didn't stop him from being captivated by her. She was flawless, perfect, impeccable, an angel sent straight from heaven. Her skin glowed with youth, her red hair lustrous and vivid, and her eyes twin emeralds. She was outgoing and sweet and angelic, as if she had been plucked from a story book. She captured the eyes of everyone, and men groveled at her feet to win her heart of gold.

He didn't even know her name, but that didn't matter when it came to love.

And him? He was dull and blended into the crowd, like an average Joe. He always seemed to find trouble around every corner. His only companion was a scruffy dog named Padfoot. Overall, there wasn't much too him except skin and bone.

There was no way the princess would notice someone like that. But didn't mean he couldn't hope.

Often times, when he was not getting into trouble or nicking bread from stalls, he would gaze longingly at the palace, which was conveniently the only view he had from his rooftop home. It looked so majestic and grand, and he wondered what it would be like to live there.

(It was probably paradise. Food whenever he wanted, clean clothes and unlimited baths, all the money in the world. He would be pampered to no end, he would never be laughed at, nor chased by any guards. He would be free.)

But he could only dream.

She would give up her comfortable life for a taste of freedom. She would lift mountains to achieve her dreams.

Lily Evans was not a woman to be reckoned with.

The adventurous girl inside of her was caged and banging her fists on steel bars, shouting to be let out. But Lily stubbornly refused to let her have the key, because if she did, recklessness would take over.

Until one thing pushed her over the edge.

"If you cannot find an eligible husband by Sunday next, your twenty-first birthday," her messenger declared with an authoritative voice, "your parents have decided that you will be wedded to the lord of Slytherin, Lord Severus Snape, as per a pact."

Lily was on her feet in an instant and protesting vehemently, but her objections went unheard.

"I'm sorry, Princess Lily," said the messenger gently; after all, he wasn't very fond of Severus Snape himself. "The deal is set in stone. Your parents signed it when you were christened, and laws are laws. They must uphold their end of the bargain."

Seeing that she could not reason with the messenger, Lily excused herself and went straight to her parents, who told her the same thing. She threw a fit and ran out into the garden and collapsed on the edge of the fountain.

"Why am I not allowed to make my own decisions, Remus?" she sobbed to her pet dog, who laid his head on her lap. "Blasted laws! I wish they didn't exist."

Remus nuzzled her wet cheek as if he understood her. Lily patted his head absently as she stared into the rippling water, thinking.

"What if...what if I broke the law?" she said aloud, her mind spinning as it formulated an idea. "What if I broke my parents' rule and escaped?"

Remus looked at her with big eyes, urging her against the notion.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," she snapped. "You very well know I'll do it regardless of what you try to tell me."

Remus seemed to wither under her stern gaze and retreated a few steps. She softened immediately.

"I'm sorry," she said gently, "but I have to do this. Otherwise, I'll be trapped here forever with Severus Snape."

Remus's ears perked up and he pulled a disgusted face, which Lily laughed at.

"I knew you'd come around," she said, brushing her fingertips through his fur.

He danced around the angry guards, laughing manically.

"Is that the best you can do?" he taunted (cleverly or stupidly; he had forgotten the difference a while ago).

The head guard growled and lunged forward, his gleaming scythe raised high, but James merely rolled out of the way as the weapon hit dirt.

James grinned. These guards were so incompetent it was hilarious. They couldn't catch a simple crook like him; all they managed to do was create more chaos.

"Come back here, you delinquent!" the head guard roared.

"Not likely." And with that, James made his grand escape, sprinting through the bustling streets.

(Despite being poor, there was some upsides to being a thief, like the thrill of being chased. There was nothing else like it on Earth.)

He dodged an old lady and climbed a pipe to the roof. The guards, being as dumb as they were, tried to climb after him. What happened after was simply too much for James to handle. Even the bystanders were in hysterics, watching as one by one, the guards fell on top of each other in a massive pileup.

"Well, my job is done here," James said, saluting, "but now, I gotta skedaddle!"

He took off on his usual route home, leaving the guards in a heap tangled and discombobulated.

(All in a day's work.)

Lily's smile was not genuine as she said goodnight to the maid or her parents, for she was immersed in developing a plan for her escape.

She lay awake until the moon rose, just until the guard outside her door feel asleep in the middle of patrol. When she heard the light snores, she knew that was her cue.

She tiptoed to the balcony and covertly looked around for any stray guards patrolling the premises. When she was sure, she climbed over the edge and landed on Remus's back. Her loyal dog was waiting at the base of palace, ready to cushion her fall.

Giving a short smile to her dog, she belly-crawled to the wall surrounding the palace. Vines were hanging from the top from a tree nearby, which would be handy in her escape.

Remus nudged her forward as she stared uncertainly at the barrier, having doubts for the first time. Would this really work? Or was she just too desperate?

She really, really wanted this though. She was cooped up too much at home, with no idea what the world was like. Now was her chance.

Her mind was made up, there was no going back.

She smiled bittersweetly at Remus. He had been her only friend, her only support. She felt bad leaving him behind, but he could not come along with her. It was physically impossible.

Lily set her teeth and grabbed a vine.

It was now or never.

James whistled as he walked, deliberately drawing attention away from him, trying to look a normal commoner just on his way to work. But what no one knew that he had a new target in mind.

The bread stall.

He was going to steal a loaf of bread and no one was going to stop him.

There was a woman at the next stall, alone. She was inspecting the fruit with interest, but paused as a little boy ran up to her.

He had a hungry look about him, a look James was all too familiar with. He looked like he hadn't eaten in months, if his pitifully skinny body was any indication.

(His feet were itching to move towards the bread stall, but something compelled him to watch the woman instead.)

The woman smiled kindly at the boy and unthinkingly grabbed an apple from the stall and gave it to the poor boy, who smiled toothily and ran off.

James let his jaw fall to the ground. Who did this woman think she was, stealing in broad daylight?

The woman, however, seemed to realize her mistake as a burly man, presumably the shopkeeper, marched up to her and demanded something in a harsh tone. The woman replied timidly, and then, the shopkeeper brandished a knife and there was piercing scream.

James's feet were moving before he could control himself. He threw himself in front of the woman and raised an arm to block the knife.

He bit back a hiss as the knife sliced through his skin and pain shot through his arm. This was going to take days to heal, maybe weeks if he couldn't find a proper dressing. His left arm was going to be out of commission for a long time.

This woman owed him big time.

The shopkeeper recoiled at the sight of blood dripping out of his arm, staining the dirt-covered ground. He seemed repulsed by him, at least, so that was an upside.

Now, to worm his way out of this sticky situation.

"Excuse me for the confusion, sir," he said politely. "My sister-in-law here is a little-" here, he made a cuckoo noise and the shopkeeper's eyes narrowed. "She's terribly confused, because, you see, this is her first time in a market, and the poor thing got overwhelmed and wandered off."

The woman, understandably, was insulted. She tugged him down to her lips and whispered, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Getting us out of this mess," he retorted out of the corner of his mouth, smiling charmingly at the shopkeeper.

The woman, thankfully, caught onto his charade and pretended to look bewildered, glancing left and right, and cowering behind him.

"So, if you could please let us go, this won't ever happen again," James lied.

The shopkeeper looked miffed. "She still hasn't paid for the apple she stole," he rumbled.

"Here." James took out his lone coin and gave it to the shopkeeper, his eyes tracking the movement as it disappeared into the shopkeeper's pocket.

His last and only coin, gone.

"Have a good day, now," he said jovially, trying to mask his disappointment.

"You too," the other man grunted. "Keep an eye on that relative of yours."

The woman bristled, but James quickly steered her away, away from the curious eyes of their audience. He guided her into a nearby alley, which was just off of the main street.

"What the hell were you thinking?" James snapped, rounding on the woman.

The woman looked up at him defiantly. Her eyes were a startling green, he noticed.

"I was just giving a starving boy an apple," she replied defensively. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Yes!" he said. "Now I'm going to starve tonight. That was my only coin!"

He didn't mean to make her feel guilty, but it was her fault.

The woman's eyes dimmed and she lowered her head, pulling her hood further over her head. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "If you want, I can go back and explain-"

"No," James interrupted tightly. "That man thinks you're insane. You'll be arrested and it'll be my head on the chopping block for lying. Just come with me and I'll figure something out."

He grabbed her wrist and the woman did not protest, instead allowed herself to be pulled, making no noise. He suspected it was out of guilt, but he didn't question her silence.

Lily was quiet the entire journey. Guilt was brewing inside of her; she didn't mean for the man to use his last coin because of her naivety. She had been just doing what she thought was right, but apparently, she had committed a crime.

Life really was different out here. Here, survival was struggle. Al this fuss over a single apple had altered her perspective significantly; she now knew what it was like outside the walls.

She still had yet to thank this unnamed man for saving her life. He had thrown himself in a knife's path in order to save her, and she hadn't thanked him. If this had been in the palace, she would've been chastised for it.

What a thankless woman you are!

The man halted and Lily looked around, jarred from her thoughts. They were in another alley, but this time, a ladder leaned against the stone wall in front of her.

"Climb it," the man ordered crisply.

Lily, who was not accustomed to being ordered around, obeyed him anyway, seeing that she had no other option.

Her foot slipped on the first rung and she bowled over backwards, only for the man to catch. Despite being thin, he had strong arms, and they didn't tremble under her weight.

"Careful," he said, and Lily noticed that his eyes were hazel and very, very amused.

"Sorry," she said, flushing and righting herself. She grabbed the rung again, determined to hang on this time.

She could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head as she ascended, and she almost fell again. He was mostly definitely assessing her, and she welcomed, determined to show she was not weak.

Wait, why do I care so much what he thinks of me? Isn't he a fibbing street rat?

However, while her mind said this, her gut told her to trust this man. Lily's mother had always told her not to judge anyone based on their appearance, and she was going to abide by that. There was also the added bonus that he had rescued her from an awkward situation.

She hoisted herself over the edge of the roof and gazed around at her new surroundings.

"It's not much," said a muffled voice, and the man climbed in after her, "but it's better than most."

Lily couldn't say anything; she was too speechless. This was certainly...different from living in a palace. This was rather unsavory living conditions.

"Wait," she said as her mind caught up to what he had said, "there's worse?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah. Bloke who lives a couple roofs over has no cover whatsoever. He camps out here every once in a while." He studied her curiously. "Are you new here?"

Lily kept a cool demeanor. "What makes you think so?"

"Your actions back there. Your lack of knowledge of how people live around here."

Lily blushed. "You got me. Yes, I'm new here."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly a truth.

"Well, it's nice to see a new face around here," he said, holding out his hand. "I'm James."

Lily considered giving him a fake name, but decided not to. After all, she had already inconvenienced this man once. "Lily," she said, accepting his hand. The royal in her sent alarms ringing through her head about sanitation, but she ignored them. After all, she was here not to worry about restrictions.

James smiled warmly at her. "Welcome, Lily, to the heart of Gryffindor."

Oh man. His heart wasn't supposed to be beating like this. His heart belonged to the unnamed princess, but now, it was switching allegiance to this new girl. Lily had a beautiful smile and beguiling green eyes, almost like the princess's.

Maybe that's why he was so enamored. Anything that reminded him of her triggered his feelings for the princess.

To distract himself, he relied on something he had always cherished: the view from his home.

Lily, however, didn't seem at all spellbound as he always was. She seemed rather sad, and he couldn't place his finger on why. Maybe she longed for the same things he did, with the exception of the princess?

He took it upon himself to investigate.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, cocking his head.

She jumped, her head turning so that her brilliant green eyes met his. "Nothing's wrong."

He didn't stop probing. "You look sad," he pressed.

"I'm fine," she said, a little irritation creeping into her voice.

James had so many questions just then, but he chose not to ask them. He stayed silent, gazing at her face.

"Fine," he said, shifting a little closer to her so that the space between them decreased. "I believe you."

A light breeze entered the makeshift home and for a second, Lily's hood slipped off.

Maybe it was his imagination, or maybe it was a trick of the light, but for a moment, he could've sworn Lily looked like a carbon copy of the unnamed princess. He caught a flash of red, and then it was gone as Lily yanked the hood over her face, obscuring her hair, and turned back to the palace.

James decided to change the subject to lessen the awkwardness in the air. He angled his head so that he was half-looking at her, half at the palace, and queried, "What do you dream of?"

His question caught her off guard. "I'm sorry?"

"Your dreams," he prompted, "what are they?"

"What are yours?" she countered swiftly, her head swiveling back to meet his eyes again. James was once again dazzled by the intensity of her eyes, shimmering in the morning sun.

"I asked you first," he said childishly.

"Fine, we'll settle this like children." Her eyes took on a shade of mirth. "We'll both say it on the count of three."

"Fine by me."

She counted down for them and then, a single word spilled out of their mouths, "Freedom."

Lily clapped a hand over her mouth, looking astonished. James, meanwhile, struggled against a bout of overwhelming surprise.

They wanted the same thing?

James grinned crookedly. He liked this woman.

"Why do you want freedom?" Her words rang in his ears, resonating in his heart.

He raised an eyebrow, gesturing to his "home" if it could be called that, as a wordless explanation.

She looked around and nodded, blushing.

(She looked rather cute when she blushed.)

"Why do you want freedom?" he asked, once more to dispel the awkwardness.

But before she could answer, there was a banging below, followed by heavy footsteps and yelling.

"He's here, I tell you!" someone shouted. "That thief is here!"

James tensed. "Oh no," he whispered. Beside him, Lily stiffened as well.

Guards burst through the opening of his tent and crowded into his home. Too many to count, let alone fight.

He had only one choice: run.

"Seize him!" the head of the guards said.

The mass of burly men swarmed towards him, but Lily leaped in front of him and blocked their path.

"Don't you dare!" she commanded firmly.

James's first instinct was to shove her out of the way, but he resisted. Something was telling him that he had to wait.

The guards halted, and the head guard started laughing in her face. "Move out of the way, young lady," he said. "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"Really?" she said disbelievingly. "Well, maybe you should take a closer look."

The guard just continued laughing and soon, the entire mass was in an uproar. Lily looked beside herself.

"Fine," she said angrily. "If you're so ignorant, then fine."

She ripped her hood off, revealing dark red hair, which tumbled down her back and swayed in the breeze, and James suddenly felt queasy.

Apparently, the guard felt the same way, because his face turned ashen. "Princess Lily!" he gasped, sinking into a bow.

Behind, rows and rows of guards, who were all fighting for space in the crammed room, bent over as well.

(James, meanwhile, had gone into something akin to shock. He knew that face very well even while she was turned around, more than he cared to admit.

"I'm so sorry, princess," the guard apologized profusely.

Lily was tall and dignified as she answered, "It's okay. I couldn't recognize myself in that garb either."

"I'm sorry, princess, but he is a high-profile criminal," the guard said. "We have orders to arrest him and put him on trial."

"And who gave these orders?" Lily drew herself up gracefully and imposingly.

And a name James knew well slipped out of his mouth, "Severus Snape."

3321 words

Auction - First Words: In the end

Assignment 8 - Charms Task 2: Write about a thief.

Talk Like Shakespeare - Macbeth - write about being misguided