"Stop Thief!" He was beginning to think it was all over. He ran from place to place, frantically seeking shelter where he could. "The guards may have the power to ruin your life," he worried. "But that was only if they caught you." a second cocky voice answered inside his head.
The young boy rested in a crevasse in the palace walls, catching his breath as two more guards rushed past his hideaway. He peeked outside to the gardens, looking for his next plan of action. There seemed to him, no good way of getting out of the palace walls to safety, perhaps just a run for it? His mind was racing with ideas until a glint distracted him, whizzing past his vision and falling into the soft brush beside him.
He reached for the shimmering object, handing it from his fingers. He had never seen something so exquisite before, a teardrop shaped green gem set in patterned gold glimmered in the sunlight from his fingers. He looked upwards following the direction of the objects mysterious origin. Peering out from the window above him, was a shimmering cascade of mahogany waves, pale ivory skin and rose petal lips. The petals called to him in a loud whisper.
"Climb up with haste!"
He looked around cautiously. The guards were coming around again. It was a possible a trap to climb straight into the very palace itself but with the look of the situation, it seemed he had no choice. Making his way up the rough-hewn stonewalls in a nervous panic; he reached her balcony quicker than he anticipated and fell inwards on to it in an awkward thump. Straightening himself upwards and dusting off his embarrassment, his eyes rose up to something quite unexpected.
Staring back at him, a pair of emerald green eyes looked at him with avid curiosity. He could not lower his eyes from her, although he felt exposed by her stare, analyzing him. He was entranced by this strange woman, unlike anything he had ever seen in the village below her, with her delicate face and soft features, untouched by the labours of the outside. He came back to his senses when she girl in front of him spoke, no longer able contain her curiosity.
"What happened down there?"
He hesitated for a moment. How could she understand what he had done? To need to steal for the hunger and poverty living amongst him? She, who had anything she ever wanted?
"You couldn't possibly understand. To you, I am just a thief."
"Oh really?" she said growing taller in her frustration. "I decide to save your life, and you can't even explain to my why? I believe I deserve an explanation."
"I suppose, if you insist. In honesty, I was taking back what was ours from the village in the first place. You live in luxury from our efforts, while the village suffers."
"That can not be possible. We have so much here! There must be than enough for everyone."
He almost scoffed at her answer, "Are you that naïve? Have you never looked outside your window from your carriage riding by?"
Her proud face fell quiet as he said it. She took a minute before answering, "Actually, I have never left the palace. My father says it is not safe for some one like me to be out there."
"Of course it is safe! What do you think we are? Barbarians? The only people I would tell to worry out there would be the royal family for letting this happen."
Lita flushed a little, but hid it quickly behind a trained face. "Everyone has to live under the King, even the royal family. If not the queen standing in his way, we would all by punished to slavery or worse!"
"So they are not wicked like him? I would like to see that someday for I could not believe it. He needs to be controlled or stopped. Is everyone too afraid to stand up to him?"
"Well perhaps someday you may meet with them and tell them your ideas, even though your comment was sarcastic."
"I doubt that. Royalty does not meet with peasants."
Lita did not respond. Instead she thought for a moment. An idea flickered in her head, one that give her a bit of escape.
"Could you do something for me?"
"Such as?" He replied in wary caution.
"Could you show me the village? I would give anything to see it. And I could pay you, since you said you stole for the needy, it would would work out well for both of us."
"Is this actually curiosity, or just a chance to rebel against your father?"
She thought before answering. "Well after an entire lifetime living in these walls, I can't help but say yes to both. But I've always wondered what it would be like to be you, to be free."
"We are hardly free. But until you see for yourself, I suppose you'll never understand."
"Alright. Then it is done. Come back tomorrow, after breakfast. I will be waiting for you here."
"And if I get caught on my way in?"
"Take this token, and enter through the servants quarters. They will think you work here."
"If you know all of this, why haven't you snuck out already?"
"It would be quite obvious what was happening if I walked into the servants quarters, dressed as I am. But if you were able to bring something back from there, a plain dress. I could change into it and no one would know it was me."
"As you wish. One thing before I go lady? May I ask of your name?"
"Lily." She lied. She could not tell him her true name, not after his thoughts on the royal family. She hid her thoughts behind the mask she was trained to use and smiled softly. "And yourself sir?"
"My name, my lady, is Kenneth. (A/N: shorten the name… … … it may look familiar!) Until tomorrow."
And then he was gone.
Lita tried to contain her excitement. But could not. As she heard the maid coming down the hall chatting happily, she drew a deep breath and resumed her calm exterior. They dressed her in the finest gown she had and laced it uncomfortably tight. They tugged and pulled her hair in different directions pulling it into a mass of cascading curls. After adding the make-up and jewelry, she did not recognize herself, as usual, but instead her alto ego that she was forced to take, a fine Jupiterian princess.
The door rapped softly and she knew her escort had arrived. The maid opened the door to the visitor, and Lita shivered in disgust.
"You look lovely as always Lita. As beautiful as your mother."
"Don't bother with the niceties Cobalt. You know it's not going to get you anywhere. Once I'm queen, I'm sending you to the farthest galaxy possible."
"Such harsh words for a princess. Unfortunately for you princess, your father is still King so you have no power over me. And don't you worry, we have plenty of time for the two of us to spend together, since I am the only one your father trusts to escort you to these functions. Some one has to make sure you behave."
"Snake." She growled. Cobalt just smiled.
By the time the pair entered the ballroom, both were very argumentative and angry. Everyone turned to look at her as her name was announced to the crowd, and she put on an instinctive welcoming smile to meet everyone else's. Making her way to her parents, she curtsied low, her mother smiled her secret smile to her, something she had taught her daughter early. Her father on the other hand, looked at her in a way she had never seen before and couldn't recognize, and it sent a shiver deep into her.
Retreating, she went to look for her friends to escape. Serena, the most instinctive of her friends was the first to find her. Soft and gentle as a flower, she glided towards her. Lita smiled to herself. If only they really knew her, she had a mask she wore thicker than even her own.
"Your father is really up to something this time isn't he?"
"Seems so. I've never seen him so… … … excited before."
"Hopefully it's nothing we can't handle. But you don't seem too concerned, something distracting you?"
"Perhaps so. But it is not anything you need to indulge in."
"A young suitor comes to call?"
"You should know better than that, Serena. I would have sent them running as usual." she said with a laugh. She leaned in with a sly smile. "Besides, what would you know about being distracted by a young gentleman?"
"That is my secret."
"Then we perhaps have something in common. Arrange for us to have a night together. I assume you want to know everything, and so do I."
"My curiosity is peaked, so I will oblige you. In a few days then."
Lita's father stood then, and everyone fell silent. "Everyone please, I would like to thank everyone for coming. I am sure you are wondering the reason for this gathering and let me explain. Tonight is a very joyous occasion. For tonight I have the pleasure of announcing the engagement of my daughter and heiress to Jupiter to my head councilman, Cobalt.
Many things happened after he made his announcement. The crowd gasped in shock knowing full well the purpose of this engagement, Lita's mother fainted dead away, and Cobalt snickered. Lita, unable to process what had just happened, simply fled leaving everyone watching behind her.
She stopped in the center of the gardens. She wasn't sure whether she stopped to catch her breath or if her knees gave out on her. She sat in a heap in the grass, gasping and sobbing until a gentle hand rested upon her shoulder.
"Lets go home." Whispered her mother.
Lita followed obediently, but held no emotion outwardly. Arriving home, she went straight up to her quarters to lay down, and stared at the ceiling listlessly until sleep took her.
No one came to bade her for breakfast. Everyone knew better. The maids came in to dress her, but their usual chatter had quieted to only necessary whispers. Lita, with no tears left, moved silently, like a posable doll with lifeless eyes.
The maid left as quietly as they came, and Lita didn't even notice them go. Lita paced back and forth, thinking of what to do and seeing no way out. She was thinking so furiously that she nearly jumped out of her shoes when she heard a soft rapping on the door.
"You may enter." She breathed, willing her heart to slow.
The door opened slowly. Lita leaned slightly to see her guest at the door. Peeking in nervously was the peasant boy she had met yesterday, Kenneth.
"I had forgotten you were coming. My apologies."
"I almost didn't come. I'll admit, I was worried of a trap. But there is something so unusual about you Lady, that I could not hold my curiosity."
"It is true, I am not your ordinary noble."
"I hope you have not made other plans, since you had forgotten."
"None that I can not get out of. Now we have to sneak down to the servants quarters for some thing I can wear,"
"If you'll excuse me, but I had already taken that liberty. Hopefully it is the right size." He held up a plain undyed dress made of wool.
"Well you have taken care of everything then," she said coyly. "I'll move into my bathing chambers to change. If any one comes in… … … um, clean."
Lita turned into the other room and it was only a few minutes before, "Kenneth? Can you come here?"
"What is it?" He said as he cam to meet her.
"Um… … …" She said blushing. "The laces on my dress, I don't know how to untie them."
Kenneth's face turned bright crimson. "You don't know how to dress yourself?" Are you joking?"
"I am afraid not."
"My little sister learned to dress herself by the time she was eight, but then again, her dresses were never as complicated as yours are." His fingers worked steadily, and it came loose with little trouble. "There, you should be able to manage from there." Kenneth dropped the loosened laces and turned to leave. "If there is anything else Lady, I am at your service."
"There is only one thing I will require." She said muffled in fabric.
"Anything you wish." Came the answer from around the corner.
"Please, you don't have to use the formalities. You won't be able to use them outside, so please don't use them when you don't have to."
"Lily it is then."
Lita slipped into the plain peasants dress. She shifted slightly in the itchy texture of the fabric but enjoyed loosing the confines as stays and girdles. She twisted around in the dress the loose flowing fit of it. She let down her hair and removed her jewelry. The only thing she left was a simple blue hairpiece to tie her hair back.
"How do I look?" she asked coming back into the room.
"I don't even recognize you." He said, admiring her. It seemed to him that changing from her fancy garb into the simple dress brought forth her natural beauty. It was almost like it was more… … … her.
"I'm so nervous! What if some one sees me?"
"Trust me, no one will notice. I don't even recognize you and I was standing right around the corner talking to you when you did it."
Lita smiled a confident smile, warmed by the compliment. "Come on then, lets go."