Of Knights and Thieves
Chapter I: Eye Contact
The golden sun's rays outstretched themselves, casting warmth and brightening the sky. One of its rays passed through a glass-stained window and caressed its comforting light onto a pink sleeping beauty. Her eyelids twitched a bit from the touch, and she rolled onto her back, attempting to find the source of heat. She let out a sleep-filled moan and mustered up the strength to lift her eyelids to reveal her deep blue, though drowsy, eyes. Slowly, she arose with a yawn, stretched her arms, and swung her feet onto the soft, ruby carpet, vacantly staring at her door. The girl staggered across the room and opened it only to be faced with a long corridor leading to the dining hall; she swore under her breath knowing what a walk it would be. She trudged through the countless windows that reached the ceiling and tiredly passed rooms that belonged to her servants until she had finally arrived.
"That cursed path always wears me out even before the day starts," she griped.
She gripped her hand around the doorknob and pulled it opened. There sat a table long enough to hold thirty people underneath a chandelier with her mother and father sitting across from each other quietly eating their breakfast. The man was first to glance up from his meal with his eager eyes fixated on his daughter. Hastily, he grabbed a napkin to wipe stray crumbs stuck to his white beard and quickly stood up to greet her.
"Ah, well, look who's awake, dear!" he beamed as he walked around the table.
His wife turned her head to find her daughter standing behind her chair smiled.
"Oh, what joy it is to wake up on such an exciting day! The day when you're no long a little girl!" she exclaimed while clasping her hands together.
No longer a little girl? Oh, that's right... I turn sixteen today...the age in which I must marry the prince of Arkland, she thought gloomily.
"Ha! Haah! Can't believe the day has finally come!" her father sang.
Throwing his arms around her, the girl felt a weight of uneasiness sitting in her stomach. Of course, she had no desire in marrying the prince, for the young man had a pompous ambience about him. She despised how he would treat his servants with such severity as though they had committed a great sin. She also knew that his parents were no different and displayed an identical act of cruelty to any who dared to serve them. It's quite ridiculous how anyone with power could have the right to strip anyone of his or her humanity.
"Oh, heavens! What am I doing still standing here? We must make haste for the ceremony today! Sebastian! Helena! Do take care of our leftovers! There's just simply so much to do today!" he extolled, releasing his daughter.
The two sharply dressed servants opened the door from the kitchen and collected their plates.
"Your father and I have been discussing about this day for years now. 'Tis astonishing to see that our little girl is blossoming into a woman like a flower," she said.
The pinkette gave her an uncertain smile.
"Anywho," she pressed on, "he's right. We must hurry if we want to commence the ceremony. Wouldn't want to disappoint the townspeople, yes? Now, do get dressed, dear. We'll be waiting at the front entrance."
The woman walked past her, following her husband. Once they were out of her presence, she exhaled with discontent.
"Don't I get a say in this?" she asked herself.
—
A row of trumpets blared their glorious voices with brazen, and drums pounded with cymbals clashing their mighty sounds as the crowd cheered for the royal family gradually riding in a white chariot pulled by two white stallions.
"Hear ye! Hear ye! Townspeople of Sunland! We welcome you all to this day to honor their majesties's daughter, Luka Megurine's, coming of age!" the knight announced.
The crowd's deafening roar scratched the princess's ears as her parents relished and drank in their cheers proudly.
"What's with all the commotion today?" a blonde boy asked.
"Oh, you twit! Didn't you hear? It's the princess's birthday! Meaning she'll get married!" a blonde girl snapped.
"Don't call me a twat! I just wasn't paying attention, ya hear?"
"I called you a twit, you twat! Do you hear?!"
"Will you both stop fighting for one day? You've been arguing since the walk here!" a teal girl scolded.
"But he/she started it!" they said in unison.
The taller girl sighed in annoyance. She never understood why the two twins constantly bickered.
"Anyways, Miku," the younger girl said, "mind telling us why on Earth you dragged us here?"
"So that we could finally get something to eat. I heard that afterwards, there's to be a banquet for the rich."
The twins looked at each other quizzically then looked back at the girl.
"Umm, did you eat spoiled mushrooms this morning? In case you've forgotten, we're lower class. Poor people. I mean, we're wearing rags sewn by our mums, for pete's sake!"
"I know that, Rin. I'm saying that if we can sneak past the guards somehow, we'd be able to get in the castle and eat like fat rats."
Rin gawked at her.
"That's mad...I like it. Have you got a plan?"
"Rin!" her twin cried.
"What? Len, we haven't eaten a decent meal in two weeks. We're sneaking in that bloody castle!" Rin declared.
"We may have stolen food before, but from a royal family? That's just suicide! They'll have us hanged for sure!"
"Look," Miku said, "we've never been caught stealing food before, and we won't get caught now. So, which will it be? Stealing bread and fruits, or stealing a feast?"
Len took a second to think before giving an answer. Biting his lower lip, he huddled close to them.
"What have I got to lose besides my life?" he reluctantly asked.
"That's the spirit, dear brother!" his sister beamed.
"All right! Now that we're all on board, here's the plan. See that guard near the back entrance? If we can distract him somehow, we might just be able to get in," Miku devised.
"But how?" Len asked.
"We run to that wall and duck down between that barrels over there. I'll pretend to call out like a damsel in distress, tricking the guard into hunting down the 'perpetrator'. We go in, slide past guards, get food, and get out."
"Sounds like it could work," Rin agreed.
Len only hummed worriedly in response.
"Oh, relax, would'ja? It'll be like taking candy from a baby!"
"Yeah, a royal baby..."
"Wait. How will we carry the food?" Rin questioned.
A sly smile crept onto the teal girl's face as she pulled a burlap sack from under her brown shirt, making the other girl smile back.
"Clever. How'd ya get it?"
"Snuck it while my mum wasn't looking. Well, c'mon, then. Follow me."
With that, the three pushed their way through the crowd. Mike glanced back to ensure that no one eavesdropped but instead met the eyes of the princess staring straight into her teal ones. Both blushed for reasons unknown and felt their heart beats quicken.
"Oi! Miku! You comin'?" Rin called.
"Oh, uhm, right! she said and broke her gaze, leaving the princess tilting her head in puzzlement.
Hey, my guys! Sorry for not updating ANYTHING at all! Actually, I turned 18 a few months ago and am still crying about it! Y A Y! (Also, I have a job at fast food and it SUCKS.) But I will try to update Liar's Tongue and this story as well, so stay turned! There's more to come!