Well, here we are, the youngest triplet. I hope everyone is safe and healthy of course. I'm not really scared of the virus. I'm a 20-year-old girl with a strong immune system. I only get sick twice a year and that's on the hottest day and coldest day of the year. It usually lasts for 2 to 7 days and I'm good again. Hope you all have the same immune system.
I'm taking a small break from "Don't Back Down Again" to write my other stories. I dedicated 3 months to that story, it's time to focus on my other children. Ps, if you wonder what the time set is. I settled around the 1920s to 1930s.
Jp - thanks. And if you think Lunaris is strict, you haven't seen Magica. And my sister's heart belongs to these ships, I don't want to let her down. XD. And Louie's chapter was actually the toughest chapter to write.
onepiecefan - Don't worry, I'm here. Sloths pace but here.
Boss Teal - I thought that was Gumball? XD
GiddyReflections - thanks. And this is a musical story at Wattpad. I wanted to try it out both ways. So again, if you're interested in the musical version, Wattpad is the place. Sane name, sane author.
Enjoy and have fun.
"Louie!" A saleswoman yelled in the shop.
"Brat!" Another person yelled.
"Riffraff!"
"Spoiled rat!"
"Scoundrel!"
"Where's he at?"
"What's the problem?" Everyone in the store heard an angry voice. They all looked at the end of the aisle to see an angry blond lady.
"Mommy!" A little kid no older than 6 ran out of hiding and hugged the lady. The lady picked up her son and placed him on her hip.
"Goldie…." The manager angrily walked up to her. She glared back at the man before sternly telling him.
"That's Ms. O Gilt to you."
The manager just sighed at this before speaking again.
"Your son here just stole one of the collectibles addition train set! Do you have any idea how expensive those sets are?"
"How dare you accuse my sweet little baby of thievery," Goldie seemed offended by this. The manager was about to open his mouth again but Goldie cut him off, "I raise Louie here to play nice with others and too always be on his best behavior that will please me."
"Then he wouldn't mind emptying his bag then?" The manager wasn't asking but demanding. Goldie huffed and set Louie down; she grabbed the bag he had and flipped it upside and inside out. Nothing but candy wrappers and old movie tickets came out. The manager looked surprised by this. He grabbed the bag himself and looked at every pocket.
"But I was sure he stuffed the train set in his bag. I saw it!"
"Maybe you'll think twice before accusing children of thievery," Goldie snatched the bag back and grabbed Louie by his hand. She began to leave the store but not before saying, "You're just lucky we aren't taking you to the authorities!"
With that, she shut the doors and left.
As they crossed the streets, Louie was proudly walking and pickpocketing anyone that came by. A ring, a gold bracelet, and even a nice leather wallet.
You would think his motive for stealing is because he's poor, but it's quite the opposite. They were rich because they were such great con artists.
He and Goldie were dressed in neat, clean clothes that only the upper class can afford. Compared to everyone else they passed by, they were practically royalty. An average person in Duckburg would wear old rags or filthy clothes due to the queen breaking their economic system. She would tax everyone for everything at unreasonable prices. Every holiday she would demand presents or cash. The only ones who were safe were the upper class who would actually fund and help the shadow queen.
Not something to be proud of, Goldie knew that. But she had to do everything in her power to keep her little boy happy and safe. If that meant to step on the lower class, so be it.
At the mansion, she flopped on her couch and took out the train set Louie stole from her bag.
"Let's see what the big fuss is about," She smiled as she examined the set, "Strong metal, working wheels, and engine, haven't seen one of these since I was a little girl."
"Is it worth anything?" Louie asked hopefully. He sat on his mom's lap and took the train into his hands.
"A couple of hundred dollars I would estimate. Take good care of it and it'll be worth a thousand in 10 years or so," Goldie explained. She got on her feet and walked to her room "If you need me, I'll be at my room taking a nap. I had quite an eventful day today."
"Yes mommy," Louie chimed. He set up his new train set and was just about to give it a test run.
"And Louie. Next time be a bit more careful to not let the manager catch you. I can't keep saving you every time you know." Goldie told him.
"I'm just starting off mommy," Louie argued playfully. Goldie smiled down at her little treasure before speaking.
"And one day you'll be sharper than the sharpies," with that she went into her room to let Louie play with his new toy. Yep, the little boy had everything he could ever ask for. But wealth didn't always bring happiness to everyone. Sometimes it brought misery.
In the castle, a certain princess of shadows was looking out her window. She sighed as she looked at her features in the window. Six years and she was still stuck at the same age. Made sense. Lena was created just two years before taking over the kingdom. Making her only 8 years old in a 17-year-olds body.
She never had the blessing to have a childhood, a mother, or a father. She was stuck in the same age, the same place, and the same status. Magica always told her she was now higher than anyone else. That she could treat anyone the way she wanted. It wasn't like anyone could speak against her because if they did they would answer to their own shadows. But she isn't using her position to her advantage. Why would she if she gained nothing from it. Plus, she wasn't even allowed outside the castle's walls.
"Princess Lena," She heard a voice at her door.
"Come in," Lena said in her usual tone. The doors opened letting a transparent looking butler in. He pushed in a cart full of dinner for her.
"Dinner your highness," He bowed to her.
"Dinner? Wasn't I gonna eat with aunt Magica tonight?" Lena sounded confused.
"I'm afraid the queen had a meeting with the other rulers tonight. You'll be dining here," The butler was about to leave but Lena was quick on her feet.
"Duckworth," She stopped the butler, "Would you like to have some tea? I would enjoy the company."
"I'm afraid I can't Miss Lena. Magica wouldn't allow a servant to dine with her niece," The butler kindly denied. Lena sighed in disappointment at this. She let the man go and poured herself some tea. It wasn't the first time she ate dinner by herself.
Year after year, Duckburge became more like hell than a land of peace as Scrooge intended. Well, unless you were wealthy.
"Louie?!" Goldie walked around the city looking for her little boy, "Louie where did you go!?"
"Here mommy!" A 10-year-old Louie came out of the store with a bag full of cash, "I was just cashing in those diamonds we dug out from the mine."
"You cashed in all of them?" Goldie asked in surprise.
"Well yea," Louie looked both ways as if checking to make sure no one was listening in, "With this money, we can buy our ticket to prince Doofes birthday party tonight. He's coming here for his birthday and only the richest of the rich are allowed. I hear his gift bags are worth millions!"
"And if we get into that party, we can scam our way out of there with all the gift bags!" Goldie concluded and gasped in delight, "Oh sharpie you did it once again!"
"As usual," Louie smiled brightly when he saw his mom so happy. The two began to walk down the streets on their way to buy their tickets. Goldie happily ruffled Louie's hair on his head.
"Mama, stop," Louie laughed and pulled away, even though he secretly liked her affection.
"How did I ever end up with a sharp-minded son like yourself?" Goldie sighed in happiness. Her mind made a quick trip down memory lane when he saved him from falling off the cliff.
"I learn from the best," Louie chimed. Goldie happily wrapped an arm around her "son" and walked away. She couldn't help but wonder, Louie was now 10 years old and she still hasn't told him where he's really from. It made sense that he didn't remember, he was only a couple of months when he was separated from his family. She needs to tell him about his real mother but would he still love her? For now, she didn't need to worry about that.
On the same day in the castle, Magica was trying to get her niece to fit into a dress. Keyword tried.
"Lena De Spell! Stop being so stubborn!" A lady in a silky black dress tried to get her niece into a dress that might as well have been an oversized cupcake.
"Aunt Magica, I'm not going to Doofus party! That kid is beyond creepy," Lena argued as she threw the dress on the bed, "Besides, I'm pretty sure he was checking me out the last time we visited his kingdom."
"Even better," Magica chimed and clapped her hands together, "A worthy suitor for you."
"Gross, aunt Magica! He's 10 years old," Lena argued.
"And you're like what? 9?"
"12! But I sure don't look like it!" Lena was then pulled into the bathroom by her aunt's magic along with the dress. She shut the door and waited for her niece to change.
"Oh boo hoo, poor Lena is practically immortal and cursed to look like a teen for all eternity," Magica sarcastically said, "he'll become of age soon, don't worry."
"And what about when he becomes eighty and I'm still in this teenage?" Lena asked sarcastically back.
"Take over his kingdom when he's long dead. Honestly, Lena, many people would do anything to have your immortality. Now come on out and let me see the dress!"
In a blink of an eye, Magica pulled Lena out or at least struggled to. Lena could feel herself being consumed by the gold-colored dress. It was three times her size with huge puff sleeves and a tight corset.
"I don't think I like this," Lena was barely able to get out. She felt the corset that felt like a solid rock was hugging her, "This thing is killing me."
"Nonsense, I got this dress customized just for you by the Cape Suzette kingdom. Lunaris even had his designers make the corset out of real gold just like I asked. It's perfect for a young lady like you," Magica argued.
She happily pulled out a white boa and placed it over Lena's shoulders. At this point, you couldn't even see Lena's face. Just a giant gold glittering blob waddling around.
"Oh don't you just look precious" Magica squealed. She then held onto Lena's hair and looked at it, "Of course, we may want to grow your hair out. It'll be much more elegant for a princess of shadows to have long hair."
Lena just rolled her eyes at the mention of being a princess of shadows. She didn't like the sound of it. It just reminded her that she was nothing but a shadow to Magica. And her aunt forcing her into these ideas of being a princess just irritated her.
"I think I'll just skip out on Doofes' birthday," Lena tossed the boa aside. She went into the bathroom again to change back into her jeans and t-shirt.
"Oh alright," Magica didn't agree with her niece but knew she couldn't control everything about her, "I'll just make marriage arrangements myself."
"You can't be serious about that!" Even when she was behind the door, Lena's voice could show disgust and shock.
"Don't worry, I'll be sure to arrange the marriage when he is of age, 18 should do the trick."
"Aunt Magica," Lena came out of the bathroom and was ready to argue back but Magica just cut her off.
"The marriage will give me a chance to expand my kingdom!" She claimed. "Take over new territory and have more citizens to control."
"But I can't just marry…"
"Oh just think of all the riches, all the glory!" It was like talking to a wall at this point for Lena.
"... Listen to me!" She cried out but Magica was already out the door.
"Don't worry Lena! Aunt Magica has everything under her control," were her last words before gleefully closing the door. Lena just let a loud groan and fell onto her bed.
"Including me," Lena sighed. She didn't like being under her aunt's control but she had no say in it. She was her shadow, she owned Lena meaning she controlled her.
At the party, Louie was innocently walking with Goldie. They were greeted at the door and happily walked in. Louie eyed every single gem, jewelry, and artifacts. Vases decorated with gems, crystals hung up to decorate the party. Yep, they hit the gold mine. Goldie waved over to some people while giving Louie a glance.
"Why don't you let me mingle, you can go explore and have fun with the other kids," Goldie told him. Louie smiled as he pulled onto a sheet from the table. The tug was enough to knock down a vase causing a gem to fall from it. The gem rolled off the table and landed quietly in Louie's hand behind his back. Goldie just gave a proud smile as she again spoke. "And be sure to play nice."
"Yes mommy," Louie nodded. He placed the gem into the pocket of his tux and walked away.
He ran off to a place that looked like a playground. Actually, a playground is an understatement. This was an amusement park! Rollercoaster, pool, you name it. Louie gleamed in joy when he saw all this.
"Hi!" He heard a cheerful voice behind him. He looked back to see a sharply dressed boy. Pale skin, ashy gray hair, and a yellow tux complete with an adorable red bow tie.
"Hello," Louie used his right hand to shake and scanned the boy. He was around his age and seemed to come from a wealthy family. What gave it away, his silver ring that held a ruby. Worth a couple hundred dollars if Louie calculated right. The silver ring had the name Beaks carved into it. Most likely the young boy's surname.
"I'm Boyd!" The young boy chimed.
"Louie," he smiled back and pulled his hand back. He played with fingers on his right hand and used his left hand to gesture to the playhouse. "So how did you get invited here?"
"My dad is the owner of his own company. Waddles," Boyd explained. Louie placed his right hand into his pocket and continued to smile.
"Waddles eh? I just bought a radio from that brand, good stuff," Louie made small talk and slipped his right hand out of his pocket.
"What about you?" Boyd asked.
"My mommy is a treasure hunter. Goldie O'Gilt ring any bells?"
Right when Louie said this, Boyd's smile dropped into shock.
"Treasure hunter?" He nervously said.
"Something wrong?" Louie caught on his fear right away.
"I… I heard many stories about her…. Good and bad," Boyd stuttered. Louie raised his brow at the bad part.
"Bad as in?"
"She stole a lot of inventions from my father's company. Father had to double security just to keep her out," Boyd played with his fingers as he explained, " He said that if I ever ran into her to tell him right away."
"Well don't worry about me," Louie gave a slap to Boyds back, "I may be her son but that doesn't mean I'm like her."
"It doesn't?" Boyd repeated. Louie shook his head no to reassure him. A bell was then heard.
All the kids gathered around a pool where a shell was rising up from.
"Children of all ages," A man that looked like the butler announced, "I proudly present to you the universe's perfect angle. The image of perfection. I give you, Doofus Drake."
The sparkling shell opened up to reveal nothing inside. All the kids looked around in confusion. Mumbling about what just happened. Louie cocked his head to the side and looked around as well.
"Look who it is," Louie heard a low whisper breath down his neck.
Feeling extremely uncomfortable at the sudden lack of personal space, Louie jumped away and yelled. He hid behind Boyd and looked over his shoulder. A chubby boy that looked like he was one meal away from ripping his pants stood before them.
"Llewellyn O'Gilt. I heard so much about you and your mother," Doofus sounded strangely happy to see him.
"Eh he, you know about me?" Louie was still shaken up by his approach.
"You have quite the reputation Llewellyn…."
"Uh, Louie is just fine," Louie tried to say.
"I assume you're here for more than a piece of cake?" Doofus pushed himself closer to the little boy. Louie backed away feeling way too uncomfortable.
"No no, just here to celebrate a fellow kids' birthday," Louie forced out a laugh.
"He's good Doofus, he's nothing like his mom," Boyd defended.
"Hmmm…." The chubby boy pushed his face closer to Louies causing him to back up even more. At this point, Louie's back was against a wall but the boy kept coming closer. He wasn't sure if the birthday boy could see his sweat or smell his fear. Thankfully, he pulled away with a wide smile on his face, "Any friend of Boyd is a friend of mine. Welcome to my humble home!"
"You two know each other?" Louie tried to get on another topic.
"He helps fund my father's company," Boyd revealed.
"Why don't we three enjoy some games." Louie was gonna quickly agree to this until he saw Doofus rip off his tux and slip off his shirt.
"Uh…. I don't think this is what mommy meant by play nice," Louie felt disgusted at seeing him half-naked. Doofus ripped off his pants to reveal swim shorts.
"Pool time!" He claimed.
At the foyer, Goldie was happily slipping her sneaky fingers into people's purses and pockets. Boy was she gonna regret it. She spotted a nice looking leather wallet resting on a table. She stood by it and acted like she wasn't paying attention to it. She slowly moved her hand towards her goal and gripped it. Only, she didn't feel the leather texture against her fingers like she was expecting. Instead, another hand wrapped itself around hers.
"Miss O Gilt, what a surprise to see you here," an all too familiar Scottish accent talked to her. Goldie cringed at the voice and quickly pulled her hand away. She forced a smile on her face before looking at the man behind her.
"Glom Gold didn't expect to see you here."
"Well I am one the top richest men on earth," the chubby man bragged.
"Second riches I pursue. Magica being number one," Goldie correction only seemed to irritate the man.
"Ah, she only gained that title because she took over the castle and killed off King Scrooge," The man scoffed off like it was no big deal.
"Like you earn your wealth fair and square," Goldie reminded him.
"You're not too innocent yourself Goldie," Glom Gold added in with a flirtatious tone. Goldie scoffed at his attempts at flirting. When she was about to leave the conversation, the man just had to speak again, "I noticed you still don't have a partner for your adventures."
"I do have a partner," Goldie said as politely as she could.
"You mean little Louis? He's cute and all but wouldn't you rather have a real man protect you from all the dangers?"
Goldie bit down on her tongue just so she wouldn't insult him. When she felt she could hold her unpleasant words back, she released her tongue and said.
"His name is Louie. And he's proved himself to have a good head on his shoulders. Sharp, aware of his surroundings. My little sharpie can talk his way through the most uncomfortable situations."
"I highly doubt that," The man answered back. This was just fueling Goldie's anger.
Back with the kids.
"And that's when I swore that no one's eyes shall melt out of their heads," Doofus finished one of his birthday party stories while they were in the pool.
Louie was cradling at the corner of the pool, shaking from everything he just heard. His face was smiling but his mind was screaming, I need my mommy!
"Ok! Good story, but I believe now is a good time for me to go back to my mommy!" Louie shook out of his shock and hopped out of the pool. He was quick to change into his regular clothes and dry off.
"So soon?" Boyd was just sitting by the pool so he walked after Louie without drying off, "We haven't even played any party games!"
"I'm sure I could deal with missing the games," Louie tried to sound cheerful. He then faced away from Boyd and looked at the elevator "Especially if they're games arranged by Doofus."
Once the elevator opened, he hopped in along with Boyd. Louie gave him a strange look, not expecting him to follow him in the elevator.
"I thought I would join you," Boyd explained, "It's been a while since I had a friend like you."
"Excuse me?" Louie was more than taken back by his words. He knew right away that Boyd was the naive kind, but to assume friendship so quickly?
"Sorry," Boyd shrugged, acting a bit bashful, "I just spend a lot of time indoors with my father. I don't usually talk to other kids my age."
"What about Doofus?"
"I only see him around once every month when he pays my father. And that's if he comes in person." Boyd explained. He then gave a bright smile to Louie. The boy felt slightly uncomfortable at the smile. Usually, he gains scowls or angry looks in public places. "Father says I can have friends over whenever I want. Maybe we can hang out. I have a bunch of board games we can play!"
"That sounds…. nice," Louie stuttered a bit. This was the first time he was invited anywhere without bribing or using force. But it felt good to be liked by someone for once. The second the doors opened, Boyd pulled Louie to the snack table. The green dressed boy couldn't keep his tongue in his mouth. The food looked delicious. He took a piece of everything. Chocolate fountain, cookies, cake…..
"I wouldn't eat the cake," Boyd warned Louie.
"It's just cake," he shrugged.
"Doofus doesn't have the best hygiene. Especially when it comes to making a cake without hair in it," The second he mentioned this, Louie slowly placed the slice of cake back. After a while of serving themselves and talking about each other's lives, Louie learned a lot about Boyd.
He lived indoors for basically his whole life and never had a single sibling to be with. No one to talk to, no one to play with, not even his father paid much attention to him. But he wasn't always so alone. He had a babysitter for some years until she left when she got married.
"Throw it in! Come on!" Louie had his mouth wide open. His mouth was already half-filled with mini marshmallows and Boyd kept throwing more in.
Before Louie could catch more marshmallows, a loud scream broke his focus. A crowd then began to form around a table. Curious, Louie and Boyd joined the crowd only to gasp in surprise. All the gift bags are gone. Louie felt a tug on his shoulder and was pulled back a bit.
"Stay close," Goldie whispered to him and pulled him closer.
"Where are the gift bags?" Louie asked.
"In the car. We just need to make sure to leave unnoticed," Louie nodded to this. He felt Goldie hold his hand and pull him away from the crowd. He tried not to make eye contact with anyone but that was gonna be hard.
"Louie? Are you leaving the party so soon?" Boyd notices him leaving. Louie looked back to see the little boy squeeze through the crowd and run up to him. Before Boyd could get any closer, an arm was placed in front of him.
"Not to close Boyd," A man told him, "He's Goldie's kid."
"It's ok father. He wouldn't steal from anyone," Boyd tried to explain.
"Don't believe everything he tells you," Mark pushed his son behind him and glared at the boy.
"If you want to pick on someone, pick on me. I raised Louie to be a leader, a wonderful partner."
"Under your thieving wing," A lady from the crowd pointed out. This began a loud mumbling in the room. Goldie held onto her son tighter and was just about to take some steps towards the exits.
"Where are the bags?" A man blocked her way. Goldie was just about to tell him off.
"What makes you think she has them?" Glom Gold came into the image. Goldie rolled her eyes, desperately wanting him to not get involved. "For all we know, he could have taken the bags."
The man pointed straight at Mark.
"Me? Why would I want all that gold? I prefer popularity and fame," He tried to argue. This caused even more of a riot in the room.
Goldie took this as an opportunity to make a run for it. She picked Louie off his feet and was just about to run off. A silver ring slipped out of Louie's pocket when he got lifted up and fell in plain sight.
"My ring?" Boyd gasped at the sight. He slowly picked up the ring and saw that his last name was carved into it.
"See what I mean? That kid stole the family ring," Mark accused. Everyone in the room turned to look where Goldie should be. Only, she and Louie had vanished.
Outside, Louie was tossed into the car and Goldie wasted no time to drive away. But not before Louie got a glimpse behind them. He should be used to seeing angry faces and hearing foul language. But this time, a sad expression from Boyd is what stood out. Boyd climbed onto his father's shoulders and looked over the crowd. Shoulders slump and eyes filled with disappointment. Louie's chest tightened with guilt. He just attempted to steal a family heirloom from a lonely boy.
Days have passed since the party and Louie still couldn't shake off that guilt. He has stolen so many items and treasure and never felt any remorse. But now, it was eating him alive.
He followed his mom into a cave that went under the kingdom. For years they've been digging under the kingdom, looking for any gems and gold.
"Something bothering you sharpie?" Goldie asked when she noticed Louie was moving a lot slower than usual.
"No mommy….." Louie mumbled under his breath letting Goldie know he wasn't fine.
"Llewellyn?" She asks for a second time. Louie sighed in disappointment.
"Why do we steal from people?" He asked. The question caught Goldie off guard. She froze in her tracks and thought about this.
"It's a tradition…." She started, "... My mother did it, my grandparents and great grandparents were the same. Now I want to share the tradition with you."
"But doesn't this hurt people?" Louie asked.
"Well…. Yes, it does hurt some," Goldie admitted. She slowed down on her sentences, thinking carefully of what she was gonna say, "But in a broken kingdom such as Duckburg, we need to do what will keep us going. If I don't keep gaining treasures and wealth, Magica just may throw us out on the streets."
"Oh," was all Louie could say. He felt Goldie's warm hand ruffle his hair.
"I promise Louie. When you get older, you'll understand that in this kingdom, you have to be sharper than the sharpies."
Louie nodded his head to show he understood. So years passed by, and Louie did his best to understand Goldie's words. He continued to take anything he could get hands-on and hunt for the best treasure. On his 17th birthday, Louie was told by Goldie she would buy him a gift and he should go big to hunt for his own gift. So he did.
"Scoundrel!" A man chased the teen out of his mansion. He wore a hood over his head so no one saw his face. Louie jumped over the fence and ran off with a bag.
He sprinted across the streets, outrunning any man or bodyguard that went after him.
"There he is!" A man from the mansion spotted him. Louie ran over some carts and stands, hoping to lose the man. While it may have slowed him down, the man was still on his tail.
Louie rushed into a store and zig-zagged to the very back. When the man entered, Louie pushed onto a shelf with all his might. The shelf tipped over and began to knock other shelves over. In just seconds, the store was a disaster. The man had been buried in the mess and everyone was much too distracted to even glance at Louie. The teen snuck out the back door and raced out to the streets.
He kept running until he was way downtown. This place was the last place where any rich snob would go. Meaning he was home free. He collapsed on a nearby bench to catch his breath. A smile spread on his face from ear to ear.
"Another successful birthday," Louie told himself with glee. He opened the bag to see gems and food. Not just any food, seafood like shrimp and lobster. Because of the economic system, Magica made fishing to be limited. Meaning fish alone was too expensive for anyone to afford unless you were in the upper class like him.
Louie proudly admired the gems and placed them in a separate bag he had. He picked out a shrimp and was just about to take a bite.
A loud coughing sound hit his ears all of sudden. He turned around and spotted two little kids digging into a trash can. Not too far away, a poor-looking man was digging around as well. No doubt in his mind they were searching for any leftover food.
Louie sighed at the sight. He hated coming to this part of town, not because he's classist, but because it's a constant reminder that there are people who don't live like him. People who are on the streets with a good chance of not seeing tomorrow.
He looked down at his package of food and back to the kids. When the youngest kid, a little girl who couldn't be older than 6, came to a trash can near Louie, he gave her a light nudge. The little girl looked straight at Louie with a scared look. No surprise, Louie stood out with his clean clothes and neat hair. He looked behind him to make sure no one was watching him and handed the girl his bag of food. The girl looked down and her face couldn't light up any brighter. She smiled at Louie who responded with a shush and left. He didn't need to be there when the girl gave the food to her father and brother.
On his way to his house or mansion more like it, he thought about the same things he thought about every day. Why are people left on the streets to rot? Why did they live with nothing but blankets to shelter them and he had a mansion? Goldie says that it's because they work with the queen and if they didn't, they end up like that little girl he saw.
How could a queen have this kind of power and let so many suffer? Was there anything at all he could do to help them? What if when he gains his inheritance, will he have the power to help those beneath him? His head hurt with so many questions but that was nothing new.
He came to the steps of his home and opened the door. To his surprise, Goldie had prepared a three-layered cake with green and gold frosting. A small present waited for him next to the cake.
"It's about time you came sharpie," Goldie gave him a hug and quick kiss to the head. She pulled him to a chair and placed the gift in his hands.
"Three-layered cake? A bit much wouldn't you say, mommy?" Louie laughed from all the affection he was receiving.
"Nothing's too good for you," Goldie gave him one last hug and let him open his present. Louie ripped apart the wrapping and took a peek inside the box. A ring with a gold-green gem. The gold band had the name Llewellyn O'Gilt carved into it. He smiled down at his gift and looked up at his guardian.
"I thought it was about time I made you a family ring," Goldie admitted. She slid her hand across Louie's face and pulled away from any strand hair, "Let this ring remind you where you come from and who you are. My little sharpie, a man of leadership, and who does everything he can for his family."
"Thanks," Louie hopped out of his seat and hugged her with all his might. He loved her, he really did, but there were times when he didn't agree with her actions. Like stealing from anyone on the streets or scamming anyone out of their only cash. She slowly grabbed his hand and pulled him to his cake. The candles were already lit for him to make a wish.
"Happy birthday Louie," Goldie happily kissed his cheek. Louie pushed all his worries aside and looked at his cake. This was perfection. He was wealthy, had a skillful mother, and lived in the upper class. There was nothing wrong with his life, right? He blew out his candles and wished with all his might that he could just make up his mind. A sign maybe? Anything to point him the right direction.
Later that night
Ok, maybe he didn't mean it literally. A singing voice kept ringing in his ears to the point where he just had to sneak out of his mansion and find out where it is.
But no matter how fast he went or where he was, the voice never seemed to get any louder. He went south and north but it sounded the same. He went east but it got quieter. But when he went west, now that was a different story. The only problem is, west is where the three-way bridge was. No one was allowed near that place. But what if he took the tunnels he and Goldie made?
He snuck into the tunnels and that's where the voice echoed even louder. He was close! He knew he was. He dashed after the voice and hopped over any items he left in there. At the very end of the tunnel, he could hear the ocean water rushing past the cave. He rushed out of the cave and hopped from rock to rock. He didn't want to go home all wet. He stopped midway and listened closely. The voice was louder, clearer. It sounded like it was right next to him. He constantly looked all over the place, trying to locate the source of the voice. Soon, the singing voice stopped, leaving Louie all alone in the middle of the water. There was nothing but the sound of waves hitting against the rocks and leftover parts of the bridge.
"Canon ball!" A female voice nearly knocked Louie off his rock. Frighten that someone might see him, he hopped towards the cave. A loud splash was heard nearby and that was enough to panic him. Desperate to not be seen, Louie hopped into the ocean and swam behind the nearest rock. He lowered his heavy breathing, not wanting anyone to see him here.
"Isn't it a bit cold Webby?" A male voice laughed. Louie carefully took a peek over the rock to see an average size houseboat pass by. They had a sign on it that said Higher for Hire. They must have permission to cross here for deliveries is what Louie thought.
On the boat was a teenage boy around his age. Light-colored hair like him, pale skin like him, eyes like him, it was basically him. The only difference was their haircut and their sense of style. This guy had a blue sailors uniform while Louie had a green hoodie.
"Since when did you care about the cold Dewey?" The girl in the ocean laughed. She splashed some water towards him to which he responded by splashing her back. The couple played like this for a while giving Louie a chance to leave unnoticed. He pushed himself against the rocks but wasn't aware of how hard he pushed. Some of the rocks fell into the water causing a very audible splash.
Webby gasped when she heard the splash. She turned around to see if anyone was nearby but the darkness hid everything from her sight.
"Who's there?" Dewey pulled out his flashlight and pointed it to the rocks. No one was seen. After a few seconds, he put the flashlight away and pulled his girlfriend back on the boat, "Let's get you dry."
With that, Dewey escorted Webby back in the houseboat. Louie slowly emerged from being underwater. He watched the boat leave before making a break for it.
What? You didn't think I had them meet so early, did you?