Maximus had never been so humiliated in all his life. For the first time since he could remember he was dreading making his rounds to the outposts around the kingdom. He rode with a straight look on his face, not wanting to engage in the conversations with his men as he usually did. His thoughts were on something else. No, someone else. His eye twitched slightly.

"Flynnigan Rider," he growled to himself, tightening his hands on the reins under his fingers.

"What was that, sir?" his second in command asked, coming up beside him.

Maximus was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, looking over at the man by his side. "Um… Nothing. I just said we're almost done riding."

A small grin spread over the other's lips. "That we are, sir. I'm honestly rather pleased, we've been riding for days now," he stated with a small nod. "Plus, this village is usually nice and quiet. So we just need to go in, do our jobs, and get out."

"Exactly," Maximus replied, turning his eyes back to the road before him. Yes, that was true; this village never had any major problems. It was going to be a bit of a relaxing stop on their journey back to the Royal City.

At least, that's what Maximus had hoped.

They soon approached the entrance to the city, and were greeted very welcomingly by the townspeople. For some reason, Maximus seemed to be quite popular with the townspeople, especially those of the female persuasion. He never had much time for relationships or the like, but a few people had pointed out that he was quite handsome. He had bright yellow eyes, and platinum blond hair which was rare in these parts. He'd grown it out to his waist, and always kept it tied in a segmented ponytail. While he was flattered that anyone would find a lowly guard handsome, he didn't take any of these words to heart. He didn't have time to play the love game.

Maximus quickly dismounted and scanned the crowd. There was a little boy who lived here that he always wanted to visit. His name was Pascal, he believed, and last time he promised to bring him a surprise from the Royal City.

He didn't see the boy, though. It wasn't a surprise, Pascal tended to avoid crowds. For some reason the police in this town seemed to see him as some kind of threat. They called him a thief and a looter, but Max didn't believe it for a second. How could a boy so sweet be a thief?

Maximus had to do his job first and foremost, though. Smiling and offering handshakes to the people as he walked past, he led his men through the village to the outpost in the center of town. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant," he greeted, tying up the reins of his horse to the post just outside. He gave its muzzle a good pat before stepping over to the man waiting for him.

A stiff salute was offered to Maximus and he quickly waved it off. "At ease," he stated, waiting for the man's report.

"All is well, Captain," the Lieutenant replied, lowering his arm to his side.

"Excellent," Maximus answered with a nod. He turned back to the village and looked about, watching the people crowd around his men to hear news from different places they'd visited along the way. "No disturbances, then?" His expression suddenly darkened and he looked back over at the other man. "… You haven't seen this man, have you?" he added, taking a wanted poster from his bag and handing it over.

Carefully, the Lieutenant studied the page. "Flynnigan Rider?" he read, frowning. "No, I can't say I've seen him around here. Why, has something happened?" he added in a hushed voice.

Maximus glanced back at the people for a moment before motioning for the other man to step inside. Once they were both in and the door was securely shut, he began nervously pacing around the room. "Our security was breeched about four months ago." He ignored the shocked look on the Lieutenant's face and continued. "The Crowns were stolen. I know it was him, one of my men saw him clear as day. He probably hasn't made it out to hear because it's such a long journey, but Flynnigan Rider causes much trouble in the Royal City," Maximus explained, rubbing the back of his neck with a frown. "I had hoped I could chase him somewhere where I could capture him. We saw him in a few other towns on the way here, so I was hoping…" He trailed off then shook his head, looking back over at the Lieutenant.

"If I see him," the other man stated, saluting. "Sir. I'll be sure to send word right away and attempt a capture."

"No, capture is almost impossible with as little troops as you have here," Maximus answered, exasperated. "He managed to evade a whole platoon back in the Royal City."

He didn't like the way his inferior's eyes widened slightly at the news. "An entire platoon, sir?" the Lieutenant repeated, looking slightly nervous.

With a nod, Maximus moved to the window. "That's what I said. You'll do well to stay out of his way. Hopefully you can chase him out of town if you do see him, better that than him hiding out here because he thinks he's safe."

"Yes, sir," the Lieutenant answered, looking determined.

They talked for a little while longer about what the weather was like, any new births and deaths since Maximus' last visit, a few minor infractions which had been committed, and the preparations for the Lanterns Celebration which would be held in a month's time. By the time Maximus left the outpost it was well into the afternoon.

He stepped outside and moved to where his horse had been tied up, only to find it was missing. He stared at the empty spot in disbelief for a few long moments, wondering if perhaps one of his men had taken it to the inn for him, but then he heard something that convinced him otherwise.

"Seems a shame, that horse was really gorgeous," a teasing voice called out from above him.

Growling, Maximus wrenched his sword from its spot at his hip and moved to the middle of the street, looking around. "Show yourself!" he snapped.

"Well you're no fun at all," the voice sighed. "I quite like this game of cat and mouse we have going on. Come on. Why don't you play nice kitty-cat and come and find me?" A laugh echoed across the street.

Maximus' eyes scanned the roof tops until he found what he was looking for. A flash of blue, ducking behind a chimney. "I'm not really a cat person," he answered back, glaring at the building in question. "Show yourself," he repeated. "Flynnigan Rider!"

Slowly, a figure rose from behind the chimney Maximus was eyeing; a tall young man with brown hair and eyes. But more importantly, a satchel at his hip. "Well you're no fun," he huffed, leaning against the bricks in front of him. "I thought you'd at least take two guesses to figure it out. But it seems you still remember me quite well."

"By order of the Kingdom of Corona I order you to hand over that satchel!" Maximus cried, holding out a hand to Flynnigan. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way!"

A smirk flitted across Flynnigan's face. "I get a choice then?" He slid down the roof and landed on the ground in a crouch, slowly bringing himself into a standing position. "You know I'm always game for the hard way," he added with a grin.

Gritting his teeth, Maximus growled, "Just hand it over. It doesn't have to be like this."

"No, it doesn't," Flynnigan noted, pulling a dagger from a pouch at his side. "It's just much more fun."

Maximus almost didn't see the dagger until it was too late. With a small cry, he tossed himself out of the way, turning to glare back at Flynnigan. "Oh, I'm sorry, were you not ready?" Flynnigan laughed, pulling another two daggers out. "I thought you army guys were trained to be on your toes at all times!"

Humiliation. One thing that Maximus couldn't stand. It was his Achilles heel; people tended to get a rise out of him through mocking and taunting because he could not stand the thought of letting it go. "Flynnigan!" he snarled, rushing at the other man.

After months of following him and periodically fighting him, Maximus knew well that Flynnigan was weak in close-range fighting. The trick was getting close enough to him to be able to fight, as Flynnigan usually had a better grasp of the terrain and was much quicker on his feet than Maximus. But for some reason it didn't take much for Maximus to get close on that day. He brought his sword down, hoping to cut into Flynnigan's shoulder, but he was halted by the two small blades Flynnigan had pulled out. He held them crossed over one another, holding Maximus' blade back easily.

"You know, it gets old when you call me Flynnigan all the time," the brunet sighed. "You can just call me Flynn. I mean, we're friends, right Max?"

"Hardly!" Maximus snapped, pushing down harder. He could feel Flynn's strength beginning to leave him, he was starting to give.

But Flynn was only letting up a little so that he had enough leeway to bring his leg up and kick Maximus hard in the stomach. With a groan of pain, Maximus stumbled forward, and Flynnigan dropped his daggers and ducked around him as he tripped. "Ch-cheater," Maximus coughed out, rubbing his abdomen.

"All's fair in love and war," Flynnigan replied, flourishing into a bow before he turned tail and dashed off.

Maximus wasn't going to let him get away that easily. He'd been chasing this man for months, all over the kingdom, and now he finally had him. Pushing through the throbbing pain in his gut, he set off at a sprint after him, sheathing his sword as he ran. "Rider!" he cried, watching as Flynnigan tried to duck around a corner.

But when Maximus turned the corner right after him, he found that there was no sign of the thief. He kept a sharp eye out, gritting his teeth slightly in frustration. He had to be around there somewhere, he couldn't just disappear.

Flynn's boot slipped on the cobble stones in the street. He had ducked into a small alleyway two buildings. "Damn," he swore as Max turned into the space as well and was immediately hot tail again.

They both broke into a run once again, and the moment they got onto the street Flynn tried to lose Maximus in the crowd of people doing their last minute shopping. There was a sea of faces, talking and laughing together, completely unaware of what was going on between the captain and his prey.

"Excuse me," Maximus murmured as he caught sight of Flynn walking casually in the opposite direction. He pushed through the throngs of people, trying desperately to get at the thief. When he'd finally been released from the large group, Flynnigan was already halfway up the street. Again, Maximus made chase, and soon he caught up to him, grabbing his arm. "You're under arrest!" he snapped.

The man that Maximus had in hand looked up at the blond in confusion. He definitely was not Flynnigan Rider. "My apologies," Maximus quickly said, letting him go.

"Looking for me, Maxi!"

Max turned. There was Flynn, standing right behind him with his hands placed cockily on his hips. "Well, this has been fun," he chuckled, inspecting his nails. "But I think our game is over for now, my friend. Have fun with your travels, alright?" He began to turn away, but Max would have none of it.

"Oh no you don't!" Maximus cried, lunging at him. Flynnigan let out a surprised cry and attempted to jump out of the way, but was just a bit too slow. Max's fist collided with his chest, and suddenly the wind was knocked out of him. He stumbled back, coughing, trying to take in a breath, but Maximus wasn't through yet. He grabbed Flynn by the collar, slamming him against the nearest building.

Flynn weakly struggled against him, and as he finally drew in a breath he realized his feet weren't touching the ground. "H-hey hey! Come on now, no need for the violence!" he laughed, nervously. "We can work this out, can't we?"

Eye twitching in irritation, Maximus leaned in a little and hissed, "You're under arrest. We're going back to the Royal City and you'll be executed, if you're lucky."

"Sounds a bit harsh for stealing two crowns," Flynn grumbled, picking at some dirt on Max's shoulder.

"Oh, you're being punished for a lot more than that," Maximus snapped back, tightening his grip on the other man.

Flynn let out a long, bored-sounding sigh. "Well, if you insist. But, do I get a final request at least?" he asked, giving Maximus a pleading, pouty-lipped look.

A deep frown creased Max's face and he answered, curtly, "Yes, I suppose you would."

"Excellent!" Flynnigan chirped. That smile was far too pleasant for Max's liking. He realized a second too late that it was a trap, but what kind he didn't know. As he began to move away, Flynnigan suddenly tossed his arms around his neck.

And planted his lips on Max's.

Max was so shocked he let go of Flynnigan's collar. Which was exactly the reaction Flynn was hoping for. He wasted no time in ducking under Maximus and dashing off, not even taking the time to toss a last glance over his shoulder at the captain before he ran away and out of the entrance to the city.

It took Maximus a very long moment to recover. He blinked once. Twice. And then he felt rage bubbling inside of him. How dare he?! "RIDER!" he screamed again, rushing after him and out into the forest.

A flash of blue in the trees immediately told Maximus where he was. He tried to stay quiet, but his anger was too much to keep in. Flynnigan heard him coming from several yards away and began to run again. But just as Flynn was passing by a veil of vines, Maximus let out a cry and tackled him.

Neither was expecting to fall through the vines.

Their rivalry momentarily forgotten, Maximus and Flynnigan looked at each other before slowly making their way through the small opening, coming out into a grotto. Their eyes scanned up the tower resting in the middle in unison.

"… Shall we?" Flynn asked with a mischievous grin.