Danny walked down streets where shops spilled out with vendors selling their wares, trying to get everyone's attention to buy their stock. The streets were full in a way he'd never really seen for himself before, except from a distance. Anytime he'd been out the paths had been cleared to let him through.

He debated visiting the healers or the orphanage to check that everything was okay, but he worried that they would recognize him, having seen more of him than others, and he needed to stay hidden. He was here to look and to feel the city, nothing more.

He stopped when he saw a fruit seller kick a small boy out of the way. The child had only asked him for charity and yet the seller saw him as nothing more than a menace.

If Danny had an issue close to his heart, it was children. He saw Grace in every child he came across, whether in the orphanage, or happily playing in a park, and he could not excuse abuse, intolerance and rudeness. And he hated seeing children in such a vulnerable position.

He made his way over to the cart, picked up a juicy red apple and handed it to the boy. "Here, you need this more than he does," he gestured to the seller who was trying to make a sale at the other end of his cart.

The boy smiled a toothy grin at Danny and ran off happily. Danny turned and got a few steps before he was stopped by a large hand on his arm. "Hey, I hope you plan on paying for that."

"Pay?" Aw, crap, he'd forgotten to bring any money.

"No one steals from me. No child, no adult. I will call the guards," he warned.

"No, that's unnecessary. I'm sorry. I work at the palace, I can get money there if you'll let me go," Danny reasoned. He stayed polite, calm, but it didn't seem to be working.

"A likely story. Do you know what the penalty is for stealing from me?" He grabbed Danny's wrist tight enough to leave red marks and held it over the end of his cart. He brandished a sharp blade from behind his back and raised it, ready to strike down and take Danny's hand off.

Danny knew the law; he knew this wasn't a part of it. He knew all thieves were due a fair hearing before any punishment was dealt out and here this seller thought it right to bring his own brand of justice to the streets. How dare he?

Danny fought back, he kicked out, but the seller was a large man, heavy and not budging.

As the blade began to descend Danny screwed his eyes shut, bracing for the pain, but then nothing happened.

He opened his eyes again to see the blade a few inches above his wrist, hovering in the air. He followed the line with his eyes to find a hand underneath the seller's elbow, blocking it from going lower. That hand led to a tattooed arm and to the face of someone in a guard's uniform.

Thank God, the guard would take him to the palace or guard house and he'd be able to explain his actions and who he was, if necessary. This was how justice in his city was supposed to work.

"Oh, thank God," Danny mumbled, the guard's face twitched, his eyes darting to Danny then back to the seller.

"This is not how the law works around here, sir." The guard forced the seller to lower his arm. "I will take this man to the palace and fetch you your money."

"And if he's lying, which I suspect he is?"

"Then he will be punished," The guard concluded. "Come on," he took Danny's arm and pulled him away, beginning to walk down the street.

"Hey!" the call came from the seller. "The palace is the other direction!"

The guard stopped, tensed and looked down at Danny. He turned back and reached into his pocket carefully. He held something in his hand, but Danny couldn't tell what it was. He certainly hadn't seen something like it before. There was a spark and the guard threw it to the ground. In a matter of seconds it let out a great amount of smoke, shielding them from view of the attention around them.

"Run," the guard said and he took off, his longer legs faster than Danny's, making him struggle to keep up as he kept his long coat held up and the hood covering his head.

They darted down side streets, around what should be dead ends of stacked barrels and clambered over them, until the guard was sure they weren't being followed.

They finally stopped to catch their breath. "What was that?"

"An invention of mine. It helps confuse the enemy so you can escape, but it has other uses. I'm still working on it."

"Why are you helping me?" Danny asked of him.

"You helped that child. You only meant to do something good. I respect that, so now, I'm helping you."

"But I was telling the truth," Danny said. "I have money at the palace, and now you've just made me into a criminal. Thanks. Thanks a lot."

"Yeah, right," The guard snorted. "If you worked at the palace you would know the city better. You would know not to take fruit from a stall on the bad side of town and you would know where to run to. You bounced into my back three times on our way here. You had no idea where we were going."

"So I'm new," Danny argued.

"It doesn't matter," The guard waved off. "I could tell a mile off that you weren't used to the marketplace."

"I didn't think I was that obvious."

"You stood out," the guard looked at him appraisingly, yet his eyes didn't leave Danny's. "And it can be dangerous on the streets if you don't know what you're doing."

Danny scowled at the man. "I can take care of myself. I'm an adult, and well trained in defensive techniques."

"You've fought?"

"No," Danny blushed, unsure why. He'd wanted to fight, to defend his kingdom. He just never had been allowed. Now it made him sound like a coward, and he hated that thought.

The other man appraised him again, then sniffed. "If I hadn't been there today, you'd have lost your hand. So… you're welcome."

Danny humphed in frustration, hoping his crossed arms radiated his mood. The guard, looking happy to have won the argument, ignored anything Danny might want and instead took him by the hand and led him off. After a few more turns, he took him inside a building and up the flights of stairs to the top.

"Where are we?" Danny asked.

"This is where I live. My sister is around somewhere. It's just the two of us."

"You live here? It's small," Danny commented.

"We get by. It does have a great view," the guard pointed to the window and Danny moved to it, looking up at the palace. They had run further from it than he realized. The guard approached from behind, hovering at Danny's back and he could feel the man's warmth and it was somehow comforting. "You feel like telling me your name?"

"Da-" He cut himself off, he couldn't use his name, but now he'd started… "Danno. My name is Danno."

"Danno? That's interesting, I've never heard it before."

"It's a nickname," Danny explained, turning back around to face the man head on, belatedly realizing how close they were but refusing to be the first to back away.

"Is there a story behind it?"

"That's private," Danny answered, and it was the truth. Grace was the only one who had ever called him that name and they'd both insisted it was just a thing between them. Now here he was giving the name away to a stranger.

"I'm Steve," the guard introduced himself. He reached up towards Danny's hood and his fingers touched against hair that had fallen out from underneath it. "You have golden hair," he said in a voice that seemed awed.

"Yes," Danny answered, moving the hood on his head, but Steve reached higher and pulled it down. To Danny's relief, he didn't startle with recognition, so it seemed his identity was still safe.

"You know, if you need money, you could sell it."

"Why would I sell my hair?" Danny asked, smoothing a hand over it to fix where the cover had been. He liked his hair.

"It's a rare color in this kingdom, and our royal family has golden hair. There are many in the kingdom who would like a wig made of it in honor of them. To be fashionable, you know? I'm just saying, it might be an option."

"I don't need the money," Danny insisted. "I'm fine."

"I'm just trying to help," Steve placated and Danny softened to him. This was a good man standing in front of him. He didn't know Danny, whether he was poor or rich and yet here he was, bringing him to his home to keep him from trouble.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to snap," It was unusual. Danny hadn't felt anger towards the man. He'd actually been having a strange kind of fun since they'd met, despite the voice in his head that wanted to be argumentative.

Steve shrugged it off, a hand on Danny's shoulder.

Danny glanced down at the hand but made no move to dislodge it, and Steve barely seemed to acknowledge it was there. "So that invention of yours. What's it called?"

"It's a type of grenade, a stun grenade, but it has no real name yet."

"How does it work though?" Danny asked curiously. "Do you have others?"

Steve dug in his pocket and brought another one out. "See, it's packed with dust and a little gunpowder to explode it open. It's designed to light from the spark between these two pieces of metal and having the small wick means you can throw it away from yourself before it goes off. It doesn't explode like an ordinary grenade. It's not designed to be lethal. Instead, you can stun the enemy while you retreat if outnumbered, or attack to give you more of an advantage."

"It certainly stunned me," Danny looked away from the grenade he'd been examining and up into Steve's eyes that softened and looked quite goofy now that he thought about it. "I don't think I want any in my house, but I can see the merit of having them in battle."

There was a noise from behind, breaking them apart with a start. "Hey brother, you back yet?" the voice rang out and then there was a young woman in the doorway. "Oh, company. Hey," she said.

"Danno, this is Mary, my sister. Mary, this is Danno. We met while I was out."

"Hi," Mary smiled and waved over at him, then her mouth dropped open. "Oh, am I interrupting… something…?"

Danny looked at Steve confused, and Steve blushed, looking awkward and shooting daggers at his sister. That's when it dawned on Danny what she was implying. "Oh, oh, no. No we're not, I mean… Steve helped me out and now we're here, talking," he stammered, cursing himself for sounding like an idiot when he'd had speech training since the age of six and knew how to write a perfect treaty or proclamation.

"I like him, he's cute," Mary pointed at Danny and smiled at her brother, making him blush further, his arms crossing over his chest defensively.

"McGarrett!" came a bellowing voice from the staircase.

"Oh no," Steve dropped his arms, recognizing the voice. "Someone must have recognized me earlier and called it in." He took Danny by the arm. "We need to hide you."

"Wait, no," Danny stopped him, shaking his arm off. "I won't let you get in any more trouble because of me, I can fix this."

"Danno, that's all well and good, but you don't know this guy like I do, I'll sort it out. You don't know what you're doing..."

"I know perfectly well what I'm doing, I'm not a damsel in distress!" he argued back, grabbing his hood and pulling it over his head determinedly.

The door swung open again, Mary backed further into the wall and now it was too late for Danny to hide. Steve dropped his hand from Danny's back where it had been trying to shove him away and turned, standing straight. "Sergeant Delano, Sir!" he said, crisply.

"McGarrett, we got a report saying you grabbed a man on the street and ran off without paying for food."

"I can explain, sir."

"By all means," Delano gestured to him, barely even acknowledging Danny's presence. Steve tried to start but cut himself off, not sure what to say. Delano tapped his foot waiting. "I don't have all day, McGarrett. The Prince is missing."

"The Prince is missing?" Steve turned worried eyes on Delano, and Danny could see his dedication to his job coming through. He was a soldier, and though Danny didn't know how well the man could fight, the fact that he didn't even know what his Prince looked like yet he showed this level of concern? It showed his commitment and loyalty. It showed he'd spent a lot of time away from his home and survived thus far, so maybe he was good.

"He disappeared from the palace an hour ago. Just come with me, you can explain what happened to the judge. Maybe the punishment won't be too severe, but I warn you, he's in a bad mood lately."

One of the guards with Delano moved forward and took hold of Steve's arm.

"Wait," Danny said. "I'm the one who took the food, not Steve. His only crime was to try and help a stranger."

"Aiding and abetting is still a crime. You'll need to come with us, too," Delano looked at Danny but seemed to still look through him like he was nobody. No matter how he was dressed, Danny was still a person. He respected everyone who worked for him and everyone who lived in his city or outlying lands. He would not be talked to like this and he wouldn't allow one of his officers to act in this manner.

"Listen, you need to stop. This is insane, I demand that Steve be pardoned," he stood straighter.

"You demand?" Delano laughed at him. "You are a thief and a street-rat, you cannot demand anything," Delano came forward himself and grabbed Danny's arm to cart him off. Steve tried to intervene, but the guard holding him didn't let go.

"Let him go," Danny continued, not worried about himself, but for Steve and his sister, who was also being corralled by guards. "By order of the Prince." He pulled his hood off with a flourish and ripped open his jacket to reveal the tailored, expensive clothing beneath.

There was a collective gasp. Though not all citizens and guards knew what Danny looked like, they could tell by his posture and tone and yes, the blond hair, that he was their prince. They stooped low, forcing Steve and Mary to do the same in reverence.

"I'm sorry, your Highness. I did not know it was you," Delano practically groveled. "Rest assured, they will be punished."

"What are you talking about?" Danny loomed over Delano. He may not be thrilled over having people bow to him, but sometimes it could be used to his advantage.

"Our standing orders were to find you, and bring back anyone found in your presence to explain their actions," Delano answered.

"They were unaware of who I was and have shown me nothing but kindness. I misled them; they had no part in this."

"That is a matter you'll need to take up with the judge," Delano said as he turned his head to his guards and ordered them to take Steve and Mary away.

Danny radiated with annoyance. Bureaucracy meant that even in his position, he still had to abide by law and procedure, even when he didn't like it or considered it a nuisance. He gave Steve what he hoped was an apologetic and hopeful look. "I'll fix this, okay? I promise," he assured him.

"Come, Your Highness. We must get you home," Delano looked at him, his shamed face now glanced at him with respect and possibly fear. The former, something he no longer wanted from this man unless he could show it to everyone. Maybe he could be taught that lesson, too.