I watched a bird overhead as I sat on top of a building. Its wings were pure white like a cloud and I wanted to join it in flight. Shaking my black haired head I jumped down to the ground below. The people of this town call me a Prince of Thieves for I can steal anything, but never keep for myself.

With a sigh I walked into the market place and grabbed an apple then tossed it to a kid begging for money. He caught it and smiled as I kept walking onward. "Hey, Kadar, learn to ask!" I turned to the Kiosk owner and laughed. "What will you do? The same thing as the first time and say no?"

He stared at me in surprise. With that I walked on and then jumped on a peg high on the wall above when the guards tried to capture me. "I think not. You would rather have the future die then protect them." With a tsk I jumped onto a new peg then knelt down on one knee and watched my people.

They were playing with eachother. "If you want me to go then help those I watch over." My voice was soft as I caught sight of a knife out of the corner of my eye and dodged it quickly. "Kadar!" I heard one of the kids call out to me as they saw what was happening. The kids stopped and stared at me as I looked at the man who threw the dagger. "Kasai, are we really going to do this today?"

The kids took cover as I did a leap of faith into a hay pile below me. My landing was soft and with ease I got up and looked at Kasai the lead palace guard. "So, are we going to play that game again?" His eyes seemed to become a little darker as though he actually wanted to play our annual fight.

Looking up at the sky, I sighed. "No, it's almost time to go to Thunder. He'll be worried." I could feel them coming closer from behind so they could try to catch me. "Who's Thunder?" Kasai was trying to distract me but it wasn't working that well as I danced away from someone's arms "A wild stallion." With a loud shrill whistle I heard him coming. His hooves pounded on the sand covered ground until he was by my side. "How do you care for him" A small smile came to my face. "I don't." My voice was sly as I looked at the black Arabian horse as its blue shined.

"Come on, Thunder." I spoke softly as I got onto his back and grabbed hold of some of his hair. With a snort and a toss of his head the horse ran forward and I carefully lowered myself closer to his back. "Well this will be fun to come back in." Up ahead the gates began to close and Thunder rammed himself into them and forced them apart causing them to break from his power.

With a bang they landed and he ran on into the sand beyond the village. "Thunder, are you okay?" He nodded and ran deeper into the desert to our dwelling. After a while we were home in a building far away from all life with an oasis around it. All that follow from the palace would never last without Thunder or my aids or by our tracks that we never clean up.

Here is where my subjects gather every day. Ten buildings long and two stories high is our little shelter from the sun and the moon. That is our home. Around it and in the basement is an oasis. We stopped outside and I jumped down before giving Thunder a pat on his shoulder. "Thanks, I wouldn't have escaped without you." He snorted and began to eat as I walked into the building while everyone began to gather. "Nice distraction. Never thought I would see a guard pee themselves like they did!" The boys laughed as I rolled my eyes.

"We have Thunder to thank this time." They nodded and went to their mats. Forty kids lived with us all with their own mats that I had found in abandoned houses in the village or in kiosks. In the basement were some goats, chickens, and a dog for those that are blind. Mostly, they survive off of us though.

With a sigh I climbed up the side of the house to the roof and sat down while keeping watch over our area for raiders that come at times. The moon began to rise and a hand lightly touched my shoulder. Kota. "You should rest." My friends black hair was short and well-kept as his green eyes watched me. Only he knows that I'm a girl and he loves me as well for my bravery and for my skills.

"I'm fine." Four years older and a foot taller than my four foot eight inches; I can use him as a leaning post. "Happy eighteenth birthday." I looked up at him in surprise then relaxed against him as he sat down. "You should eat as well." I berated him with a sigh then a small smile. Gently, he put his arm around my shoulders as I yawned. "Sleep, we can keep eachother warm."

I woke to the sound of a grunt and quickly opened my eyes and sat up in confusion. Behind me lay Kota; unconscious on the ground as a man in complete black clothing watched me while standing over him. The fear quickly vanished and anger began to rise in its place. Thunder was snorting down below to attack the stranger for hurting Kota. "Hush, less you want to wake the young ones."

He became silent as the man relaxed slightly and looked as though he wasn't going to hurt me. "So, you are the so called 'Prince' of thieves." With a yawn I stood up and turned to him completely. "Yes, I am and you hurt my friend." I walked up to Kota and made sure he was alive and well. Carefully, I picked him up before jumping down from the roof and walking into the house.

With a small smile I set him down on my mat then left the house and looked at Thunder. With a snort my brave stallion came up to me and nuzzled my black shirt. My pants were a little loose and warm in the cool night air. "Shh, I'm alright. Never provoke a cobra or it will striked." There was a light laugh and a large hand touched my shoulder and roughly spun me around.

Thunder snorted and moved to stand in front of me as though he was my shield for battle. "What is with this horse?" A small smile came to my face as I realized the advantage I had over him. An over protective horse. "I've raised him since he was a foal. That is why he protects me. Thunder, behave." He snorted then backed off enough to graze and watch to make sure the stranger didn't hurt me.

"What is it that you want?" My eyes watched the strangers every movement so that I wouldn't be caught off guard if he attacked me. "We wish to know who your father is." I stared into the green eyes with a frown upon my face as I thought back to the last time I saw my father. "I was two when I was left behind so I would not know eight years later." Kota came out of the house moaning while rubbing his head where he must have been hit. "Uh, he hits pretty hard." Kota looked up at us and stared in surprise then began to advance as though he was going to attack the visitor.

"Kota, be nice, he is my guest." Kota frowned and sighed in annoyance. "I know the rules fairly well for guests." He walked up to Thunder only to get scolded by him with a snort. "Yeah, easy does it boy." Thunder knocked Kota down with his head and I sighed while putting my fingers to my temple and began to message my headache from the two of them. "Kota, go to bed, you are a bear after being unconscious, and, Thunder, go to your pasture."

Thunder and Kota walked off and I sighed then looked at my post. "Those two fight like tom cats." Shaking my head I waked up to the house then scaled the wall and climbed onto the roof with ease once more since I wasn't needed on the ground. "Why are you up here?"

I looked over at the stranger and then looked out over the desert. "I look over my own. All we are doing is trying to survive. I help them with that even thought is wrong to steal. Here we only have the basement for shelter if things go wrong. We survive the best we can from what we grab the day before. I have even blind kids that have a dog to look after them." With a sigh I looked at the sky. "Not even my father can help me in this. Days after he left I was thrown out of the city and found a man hurting Thunder. I rescued him and for hours we wandered about till we found this place a heaven for us to survive. We stayed in the village and saved another kid, Kota, then more and we became a family in a way. Those that find work leave but help us when they can. We are but children in an adults world."

The man watched me then removed his head gear so I could see his face once more. "Come we'll talk to the sultan together." I bit my lower lip then stopped before I shook my head. "I know enough history to know that that is a bad idea. Unless all the kids go I don't go." He smiled and nodded then came a little closer to me. "Alright, I shall tell him that then. I shall see you in the market tomorrow."

I quickly memorized his face so I could avoid him and nodded a goodnight before he put on his head gear then left. Once I saw that he was completely gone I closed my eyes and lied down while relaxing on the roof.

Arms held me to a warm chest and I yawned then opened my eyes to see Kota was holding me into him. Looking around I found we were on the ground and everyone was watching from the house as he stopped walking. "Morning." Another yawn escaped me as I got out of his arms and stood up before I began to stretch. "Uh, I'm too tired to go to town. Keep everyone here and be on guard. I'll explain later on." He looked uncertain then nodded and I turned to Thunder and held up my hand. "Let's go."

He came up to me and with a single bound, and a little help of his hair, I was on his back. Within seconds he was off and running out of the oasis and into the sandy desert beyond. I let him figure out where we were going since he had the way memorized already and I still can't find my way to the village. After a bit of looking at just desert we approached the village and I jumped as I high as I could off his back and onto a building before he went to hide himself in the stables.

Carefully, I began to run and jump from roof to roof until I was by the kiosks except on a roof hiding from sight. Children were playing below and the parents watched them closely in case my kids would steal something from them. With a leap of faith I was in a pile of hay and I stood up then shook myself to get rid of the straw that was in my hair and on my tank top. I looked about closely before jumping onto a peg on the wall above me then surveying the area with ease from practice. "What are you doing up there? Are you watching your people or are you going to kill someone?"

"I'm watching everyone not just my people." My voice was soft as the stranger from the night before tossed his knife at me with good aim. With a single leap I was on the roof and was looking down at him in confusion. "Call your horse!" I laughed at the idea of involving Thunder. "No, he's running in the desert at the minute." I could see the man's frustration as ropes suddenly appeared around me and I fell over the edge of the roof and ropes tightened around my waist and my hands. "Thunder! Run!" I felt something hit me in the shoulder after they pulled me up and I passed out from the pain.

A hand lightly touched my forehead and I pulled away before opening my eyes to see a doctor as he turned and walked away from me. "You went… far! He's… kid! …Doesn't deserve..!" My eyes looked about the room to find it was just a back porch to a garden at the palace. "Uh, my shoulder." I slowly sat up and winced as I used the bad shoulder and tried not to cry out from the pain. The stranger from the kiosks turned to me in surprise then looked at the guards with anger pure in his face. "Be gone!"

They left as I grit my teeth and got off the bed so that I could try and get the feeling into my shoulder. I was happy to find that I was still wearing my clothes from the day before as I stretched my body out. "That was low even for you, Ah!" I had stretched out my arm only to have nothing but searing pain go through me at the feeling of it moving. "I told them to stay in the palace not to go to the market." His eyes followed me as I walked out to the garden and jumped into a tree. Carefully, I grabbed a branch with my guard arm and swung myself onto the branch so I was sitting down on it.

"Father, wait till he calms down. The guards don't listen to me very well." There was a chuckle then a fat old guy was under the tree watching me closely as I stood up and looked about for a new place to be. Quickly, I jumped to a new tree only to fall to the ground landing roughly on my knees and scrapping them up. With quick moves I was on my feet and moving into a new tree top hiding once more amongst its branches.

"He is amazing. I've never seen such a fast person." I held my breath as I listened closely. "Yes, he is. I wish you would help his children though." I winced against the pain in my should as I lightly rubbed it hoping to get feeling back into it while I had the chance. "He'll act like he should if we help the…"

I hadn't realized I had passed out from the pain till I fell out of the tree and landed hard on the ground. Pain went through my whole body as I slowly sat up then looked about in confusion for a second. "You okay?" With a sigh I nodded and stood up and began to look at the Sultan and the prince in fear of my own. "I need to go home. The kids must be worried. I'm the only one to watch them."

"Then go." I didn't need another word as I took off running then climbed a wall and jumped down on the other side and ran to the oasis. Thunder was the first to greet me down knocking me down onto my back and I caught myself with my arms. A yelp of pain escaped me as I landed mostly on my bad arm.

Pain shot through me and I curled into a ball as Kota came to my side then moved me onto my back. "Kadar's been hurt!" The kids came running with my mat and put me on it before carrying me inside once more then stood over me with worry clear on their faces as I was set down. "Kadar, what happened?" I winced as Kota jostled my arm slightly while trying to get a look at it.

"Ask him." The prince, stranger, walked into the room then gulped as I glared at him with pure hatred for following me and for causing all the pain I was in even if it wasn't directly. "I didn't know there were this many. Oy! We need another wagon so they can be moved to the palace!"

Water splashed my face and I came to slightly. I winced from the pain in my shoulder as someone moved it against my best of wishes. "Don't touch it!" Kota screamed at the prince as I whimpered in pain again and tried not to pass out again. "It needs to be reset or he'll never use it again." "I'm a girl, not a boy!" There was pain as someone reset my shoulder then I passed out once again.

Something soft was under me and something even softer under my head. I could feel something around my shoulder as I tried to move it only to find I couldn't. "Shh, rest. I'm surprised you told me that secret of yours." I could hear the prince shift slightly next to me. "No one ever asked me when they gave me that name, so Kota helped me fit the part." A horse snorted then stomped their hoof. "Behave, Thunder." He became silent and I opened my eyes then looked about the area before sighing as I looked up above me.

The prince stood over me with black hair and green eyes. He had a slight smile on his face as someone led Thunder away from us. "Come on, I'm betting you wish to see the others." I nodded and he helped me up so I was pressed against his chest. With a conscious laugh he pulled away. "I'm sorry, I should be more careful with a princess of thieves. You may steal my heart away next." Rolling my eyes I walked passed him shoving him slightly and then walked into a glass wall that I had never noticed was there.

"Are you sure you watch your people?" I turned and glared at the prince then looked at the captain. "There you are! Will you control your brats for children?" With a sigh I walked through a doorway and walked up to the captain. A frown was on my face as I looked him in the eyes. There came a gulp from him as I felt myself turning a little red with rage. "Why don't you since you did so well trying to keep me at bay." Anger seethed into my voice as I spoke.

"Prince Shiro, allow me to-." The prince gave the guard no time to finish what he was going to say. "No, she has a point, you should have been helping her and her people long ago." I walked past him and out a door to find the kids running rampant as though they were monkeys and a herd of stampeding elephants. Shaking my head I put two fingers into my mouth and let out a sheer whistle to get their attention. Within seconds every child with the aid of the others stood in front of me watching or listening to what I was about to say.

"The sultan was nice enough to bring you here so don't abuse your privileges or I'll have you washing the floor with your tongues." They laughed as Kota came to my side and lightly touched my shoulder. Upon his face was a small smile as he watched me closely. "Well, at least we know you're back to your old self." I rolled my eyes then looked at each one of the kids as I spoke. "Alright, who is the jerk who ordered this mockery of our little family?"

Everyone looked at me then lowered their heads in shame. "I thought I taught you better than that. If someone let's you into their home then don't be rude or mean." With that I walked out to the stables and found Thunder chained up in a stall so that he couldn't escape it. "I wouldn't miss, he's a nasty one."

"Oh, Thunder, what have they done to you?" I unchained him and gave him a hug as he snorted then lightly nuzzled my back. "So you must be his owner." Turning to the man I frowned then nodded once. "Yes." He nodded and went back to his work as I lightly petted Thunder's nose. "You stay and listen to them. I have to get going. The prince will take care of you for me."

With a sigh I turned and walked into the town then through the market place and out of the city. Not once did I look back out of fear that I would lose control of my emotions and run back to a place that I wasn't needed any longer. Once I was out I started to run so that no one would be able to keep up after a while. I didn't care where I was as long as I got away from the palace and the village so that no one could find me. After a day and night's worth of travel I reached an oasis with a cave and I drank some water before walking inside of the cave and sitting down. My eyes slowly closed as I lied down and fell asleep inside of it.

"The tracks end at the cave." A furry head butted my shoulder and I cried out in pain. "She's here and she's asleep." Arms carefully picked me up then I was on Thunder's back as he pranced a little bit. "She needs to eat more." There was a still silence. "She waits till we have eaten before she does. If we went hungry then so did she and she gave her food to the youngest so they could survive." A hand touched my back and I spoke of being cold as there came a sigh. "Come on, before she catches her death."

I woke to a cold towel on my head. No cold and wet towel. With a whimper as I moved my shoulder; I opened my eyes and blinked against the blurriness. "Well, it is about time-." I looked over at Kota and frowned. "Enough, Kota, I have my reasons just as you-. Ow!" He had smacked me hard across the face to keep me from saying anything else. Anger coursed through my veins as I jumped off the bed and knocked him down with a hard shove.

"You guys need to move on! I'm not needed here anymore!" He stared up at me in shock as my shoulders sagged and a tear fell from my eye. They didn't understand just yet. I'm banned from the city still by order of the last king. Once he was alive I was ordered by him to be thrown out of the city. That is why my name had changed to Kadar when I left. I had given myself that name and the kiosks managed to come up with that name as well. "Thunder and you guys belong in the city while I never have."

"Well, I guess I will have to leave with you then to keep you out of trouble." Turning to the prince I growled in anger. "Not happening." My voice was hard and my eyes were the same as I looked at the prince and he squirmed under my gaze. "Then you don't-." I punched him hard in the stomach sending him to his butt. "You may be a prince, but you need to respect others wishes."

Kota looked at me in shock then at the prince as he gasped in surprise at the attack. "Don't worry, she's done worse. Never killed but does injure." The prince stood up slowly as I began to sway then fell and hit my head on something hard and sharp.

"Is she… okay?" Silence that was thick and heavy fell over the room. "We don't know." A hand lightly stroked my cheek as I tried to go back to sleep. "To think… I admired a girl for her courage and-. What's this? Dad? What did you say that princess's birthmark looked like?" There was silence as footsteps came over to me. "A flower." "Mom…" My voice sounded weak as someone sighed and everyone else gasped in surprise. "She calls out to her parents a lot."

My eyes snapped open and I focused on the ceiling in confusion so I could recall where I was at. Just as quickly the dream vanished from my immediate memory and was replaced with a headache. "What was-?" Kota glared at the prince and shook his head to get him to be silent. "She won't remember. She never does. I bet her memory is locked away." I stared into space then closed my eyes and yawned. A towel was shoved into my mouth and I drank the liquid from it and ate the fruit within it before passing out once more.

"Her real name is Kida, not Kadar." "Kida?" "That's her royal name. We never found out what happened to her parents though."