Part I: The Lord and the Rose
Chapter I: Thief
April 4, 2001 9:37 AM Vale Standard Time (VST)
The sound of the policeman's whistle sent a fearful shudder down her small spine as she ran as hard as she could through the streets and alley ways of Vale. She paid little attention to the curious gazes she was being given by the adults around her, choosing instead to hold tightly onto the bundle of apples that she carried in her arms. She was naturally fast, which normally would have made her confident that she could outrun and out maneuver the law enforcement. She hadn't eaten in over three weeks, however, and the sluggishness of her movements grew more apparent with each step her tiny, dirty bare feet made. The loose stones and shards of broken glass had caused her some trouble as well, seeing as how she wasn't wearing shoes. She began to stumble along mid stride, barely able to steady herself before continuing her flight from the law. "Stop that girl!" one of the policemen shouted, and her legs found new fervor.
"Excuse me!" she shouted frantically, ducking under a man's arm as he was conversing with another gentleman. Shocked as he was, he didn't have time to grab her as she bolted past him, inadvertently becoming a blockade between the girl and the police. "Thank you!" she yelled back at him before she darted down an alley out of sight of the cop. To be on the safe side, she went down three more alleys before stopping for a rest.
She leaned up against the brick wall of a building, sliding with her back before her bottom gently landed on the concrete floor as she gasped for breath; she was exhausted and starving. Refusing to wait even a moment longer, she practically shoved an apple into her mouth. She felt like crying tears of joy in that moment. It was the single most delicious thing she could imagine in this instant. Admittedly she was eating it so fast that she barely tasted it, but she knew from the feeling of the sticky, fruity juice that dripped down her chin that it must have been the sweetest of apples. Her fear was almost completely gone, replaced by blissful happiness as she gave a content sigh before throwing away a spent apple core, reaching for a second one as she swallowed the remains of the first.
"Hey!" cried the familiar voice of a cop. Her heart skipped a beat. "Don't move, thief!" Without hesitating she grabbed the bundle of apples that she still had and bolted out of the dark alley. "Stop!"
Into the sunlight she leapt, desperate to escape her pursuer. His whistle blew behind her, sending her into a momentary panic. But then she heard a second noise that scared her even more.
Screeching tires.
Looking to her left she saw a brand new, solid black luxury car speed towards her, smoke billowing from its rear wheels as it desperately tried to stop. In her fear she found that her legs refused to move. Just a child, yet this is how she was to die.
The car's momentum had slowed just enough to spare her injury, but still the hood hit her and knocked her to the pavement. The cop stepped out of the alley, his eyes wide in shock as he rushed to the girl's side. He gave her a quick inspection, thankful that she was unhurt before he defaulted to his angry demeanor. "You're in a world of trouble, young lady!" he shouted at her. "First you steal, now you run out in traffic? You could have died!" He grabbed her by the arm and began to hoist her up. "Come now, let's return these fruits to their proper owners, shall we?"
She tried to resist, but the body of a starving child is weak and vulnerable. She heard the driver side door of the car open; out of it came an elderly gentleman in a black suit, his grey hair combed neatly and his bushy eyebrows well kempt. "Good God, is the child okay?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," the officer stated apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry for the scare. This girl stole some apples from a vender a few streets over. Thankfully she is unhurt, and I'll be escorting her to return the goods before I call her parents."
"Parents?" asked another man who'd stepped out of the back seat of the same car. He too was older, but he was closer to middle aged than elderly, likely in his late thirties or early forties. His hair was a bright blonde, his eyes a piercing blue, and he wore black dress pants, black dress coat, a bright blue dress shirt, and a solid white tie with a yellow crest embroidered upon it that looks like a pair of crescent moons. "Officer, look at this child. Do you think a girl in her state would be stealing fruit if she had parents?"
The officer stopped and stared at her curiously as realization hit. "All the same sir, I still need to take her in. If she is indeed a homeless orphan then she must be put into foster custody. Surely you understand mister..." He paused as she changed his gaze to the blonde haired man. His eyes went wide, and he immediately gave a respectful bow to him. "I-I'm so sorry, Lord Arc. I didn't realize this was your vehicle. I'm so terribly sorry, you must be busy! I'll take the girl and get out of your way."
"Not at all," the man, Lord Arc, said with a smile. "I'll take care of her, if you don't mind."
"My lord, I couldn't possibly ask you to do that!"
"You didn't," he replied flatly. No more, no less.
The elderly driver laughed, and the officer blushed as he couldn't argue with the lord. "I'm terribly sorry, my lord. The girl is yours."
"As you were, officer. You did nothing wrong." The lord approached the girl. "Let's go pay for those apples, shall we?" he asked, motioning to the car.
The girl looked around nervously, unsure of what to do. Her gaze met that of the driver, who simply smiled. "It's okay, lass. We're not going to hurt you. Hop on in." She turned to Lord Arc, who simply smiled. She gulped audibly, but steeled herself and climbed into the back of the car, with Lord Arc seating himself beside her and closing the door.
"Alchemy, let's pull around to the produce market. I believe we have a vendor who needs to be paid."
"Yes sir," the driver said as he closed his own door. Shifting the car into gear, he resumed driving. The girl looked out of the car's tinted window and saw the police man give her a sincere smile. Maybe he wasn't so scary, she found herself thinking.
"So," Lord Arc said, breaking her from her thoughts. "What am I to call you, young lady?"
She turned and stared into his piercing blue eyes. Those eyes, to her, were commanding and meant to be feared, whilst also being gentle and loving. She couldn't explain it, but she instinctively knew to trust this man, but to also respect him. "Ruby," she said. "My name is Ruby Rose."
"And how old are you, Ruby?"
"Seven."
He sighed. "Stealing food at the age of seven." He shook his head. "Let's fix that, shall we? My name is Vincent Arc. I'm the lord of Vale. Have you heard of me?"
"No," she answered innocently.
"No, I suspect a child living alone on the streets wouldn't know the world of politics. But, that's okay," he said with a smile. "All that matters is that you're never going to go hungry again."
