~Chapter 2~

The Rogue

I always wanted a family. Abandoned at an orphanage as a baby, I grew up with kids around my age. Though if you weren't adopted, by age fifteen, you were sent out on the street to fend for yourself to negate overcrowding. Two of my roommates bonded with me and while we had no blood relation, I considered them my brothers. They were twins and only a year older than I was. Leeland and Logan. As boys, the headmistress, Mrs. Mabry gifted us a storybook that we devoured every night for a month. The Tales of Flynnigan Rider. A witty, swashbuckling rogue who went on many adventures on the high seas. How I dreamed to be like this man from this book. I wanted to belong somewhere and not be forever tied to an orphanage. Year after year, couples would come and go from the orphanage with other kids in tow. While I was happy for those kids, me and the twins were left behind without a second thought. When they turned fifteen, I didn't want to be left behind, so I left the orphanage early dropping my birth name and called myself Flynn Rider from that moment forward. After changing my name and persona, I changed as life on the streets hardened me. Instead of looking for jobs like Mrs. Mabry urged us to, we first looked for shelter and somewhere to live. With no other option, we quickly learned to master thieving skills just to survive. It started with food, but then it became jewelry after lockpicking homes around the village in Corona. I took no pleasure in stealing, but it's what we had to do to survive. There was one day a year where pickpocketing and intruding into homes was easiest. It was the night of the Great Lantern Festival the kingdom put on in honor of the Lost Princess. I doubt a princess could be as lost as my brothers and I were. The years on the streets hardened the twins as well. They grew cold, cruel, and selfish always after making a quick coin. I stuck by them because of loyalty and frankly, I had nobody else. Family sticks together after all. We never landed in a brick-and-mortar house with four walls. Camping out was cheapest and only splurging for an inn when the weather demanded we do so. With a decade of thieving under my belt, we were constantly on the run from the captain and his guardsmen of Corona. Wanted flyers hung everywhere forcing us to be even more cautious.

Ten years of life on the road and on the move and I had to admit, I was weary of it. Though my brothers had my back through the thick and thin of it all. Tonight was the Lantern Festival and the three of us were plotting how we would raid tonight. It was raining hard today, but we weren't going to let that stop us on the best day of the year. We set up camp about a mile out of town hidden in the thick of the forest surrounding Corona. Our notoriety kept us from being near the main paths. Logan threw thick logs of wood into our fire as we wore our hooded cloaks to shield us from the rain.

"This weather has been rotten for days." Leeland grumbled.

"Raiding will be that more difficult with our footprints being captured in the mud." Logan added.

"Do you think they'll cancel the lanterns?" I muttered, stoking the fire with a large stick.

"They better not," Leeland replied, "We made a quarter of last year's income off the lantern heists."

"Whatever the case, we'll figure it out. We always do." I nodded.

I often was more optimistic than my brothers. I wished they could see my side of things sometimes. Though there wasn't much to recognize. We were thieves living in the woods surviving by only what we stole. I never reveled in those thoughts, but they were the reality. The sun would be down in about an hour, my brothers and I started gathering our satchels and knapsacks for the raids when we all looked up as a stranger approached our camp. They were alone from what I could tell and wore no uniform. This wasn't a guard or soldier. As they yanked their hood back, I took note of the black hair, wavy tresses that fell past her shoulders. Leeland and Logan instinctually went for their knives turning immediately aggressive.

"Please, I sought you lot out. There is no need for that." The woman said.

She threw down a bag of coin as Leeland grabbed it and opened it raising a curious brow.

"What do you want?"

"I need you to put on a little act for my daughter. She's a bit rebellious and I'm trying to prove a point to her. So would you three attack us?"

"A lot of trouble just to prove a point." I said.

"Is there not enough coin?" She asked.

"It's fine." Logan added, "What exactly do you want us to do?"

The woman cleared her throat explaining more thoroughly. She had to be mad to elicit such theatrics just to get her way with her daughter. It was cruel to my mind, but money talks. Logan and Leeland were on board.

"When do you want us?"

"Give me a fifteen-minute head start. Head southeast following my tracks there is a hidden cave behind an outcrop of trees."

Leeland stood up approaching the woman who didn't look at all intimidated by his stature who towered over her by comparison.

"If fear is what you're after with your kid then let me help make it believable."

Leeland launched his knife at the exposed part of her arm underneath the cloak. She stepped back in surprise grumbling under her breath-holding her bleeding arm.

"I paid you well. I'll see you there."

As soon as she came, she was gone disappearing into the trees. My brothers and I all exchanged curious looks a little surprised by the strange woman. Logan and Leeland didn't seem to mind, but I was left feeling somewhat unsettled. This wasn't exactly a heist request for looting.

"There's something you don't get asked to do every day," I muttered.

"So what, she gave us good coin. We get to put on a show."

Leeland kicked some dirt on the fire as Logan started pulling out some things from our stash of equipment.

"Neither of you find it a bit strange?" I asked.

"Come on Flynn, you're not getting cold feet on us, are you?" Logan grumbled.

"No, no," I said quickly, "It's just unusual."

"What we do for a living is unusual," Leeland added, "But you haven't complained about our raiding before."

"Look, it's just another job. Let's do it and go spend this coin." Logan said, patting my shoulder.

"We have fifteen minutes," I said.

"Eh, I'd like to see where she's located first in case she ever wants to hire us again." Leeland said.

We packed up our camp as the embers of our campfire singed out. Logan led the way forward as Leeland brought up the rear. The forest was vast and I didn't know what business a woman like the one we met would be doing out here. We followed her directions though it was tricky to get a sense of direction with the dimming light of the day. Logan followed the freshest tracks, through the rain and quickly forming mud at our feet made tracking a bit harder. Though I spotted a faint glow of a campfire and pointed it out to my brothers.

"Nice work, Rider." Leeland said, slapping me hard on the back.

As we moved closer, we heard voices and saw the woman who hired us, but she wasn't alone. She was sitting beside her daughter who held her arm wrapping her long blonde hair where Leeland had sliced her before.

"What's with the hair?" Logan whispered.

"A fashion statement, maybe. She must be of noble birth. No wonder that woman paid us well."

The woman who hired us looked far different from her blonde-haired daughter to my eye. The daughter had this golden hair and kept it long, one could only wonder why. It must be heavy and a burden to maintain.

"I tried to locate a good location to view those lights, but three men attacked me. Please, we must return to the tower."

"Let me heal you mother and all will be well." The daughter said.

"They hurt me and you're not even giving up on this venture?"

"I'm safe so long as I'm with you. Here, hold still."

Then to our surprise, the daughter closed her eyes and began to sing a song. It was hard to make out the words.

"Heal what has been hurt…" Some muffled words, "Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine, what once was mine."

The daughter unwrapped her mother's arm from her hair and the wound on her arm not only stopped bleeding, there was no injury. Leeland rubbed his eyes and Logan's jaw practically hit the ground. I just stared wide-eyed. What a power! Was this daughter some kind of sorceress?

"I wouldn't have believed that if I hadn't just seen it," I commented.

Logan and Leeland exchanged looks.

"This changes everything," Leeland muttered.

"Huh," I stammered, "What's changed?"

Without answering me, my brothers stepped out from our hiding spot. They marched forward toward the cave pulling out their daggers. I stayed further behind. Something in my gut twisted, I didn't like this job. Leeland came at the mother with his knife and she attempted to fight him off, but put up a weak fight taking a knee prematurely. Turning toward her daughter.

"Run home, now!" She cried, "I'll meet you there."

All Logan had to do was approach the daughter and she ran leaving her mother behind. The mother stood up brushing off her dress.

"Thanks gentlemen, you've served your purpose for my little game."

Logan seized the women from behind quickly.

"Nothing about this is a game, lady," Leeland sneered in her face,

"What are you doing?" She growled, "I paid you fairly."

"You were holding out on us," Leeland grinned, "How much would someone pay us for a woman who heals?"

The mother's eyes grew wide as Logan knocked her out in a chokehold in moments. As she fell, Leeland took some rope reaching for her wrists.

"What are you doing?" I asked, "This isn't us."

"Rider, after the girl. You're faster and put on the charm. Convince her to accompany you to our usual spot in the village. Meet us there as soon as possible."

I obeyed my brother running deeper into the woods though with much trepidation. We were thieves, my moral compass didn't exactly point north, but this was wrong. Sure I had stolen things, but nobody ever got hurt. She was maybe a minute or two ahead of me and chances were high that I was faster. How a woman in bare feet ran through these woods at full speed, I'll never know. As I came through a thicket, I couldn't see any footsteps, but as I looked near the roots of a thick shrubbery, I saw a tuft of blonde hair sticking out of the bottom. Clearly trying to give me the slip.

"Hey Blondie," I called out nonchalantly, "I saw everything that happened, let me help."

A body shot up from the bush and she looked at me though her gaze was veiled by her hood. She had an intense green-eyed stare the likes of which I had never seen.

"Please," I muttered.

Her mouth quivered almost like she wanted to, but couldn't speak, but I knew the truth. I heard her song when she healed her mother. It was beautiful and haunting at the same time. Without answering me, she sped off further into the trees and I took a single step after her when she was yanked back and fell on her back.

"Ow!" She cried.

I looked down at my boot and saw what had stopped her. Apparently, I stepped on her hair. Accidental, but effective. I narrowed the gap between us though talking to her with every step not wanting to alarm her.

"Look here, Blondie," I said, as I stepped toward her, "I'm only trying to help you and your mother from those thieves."

I offered her my hand and she looked at me nervously ignoring the gesture. She got back on her feet brushing off her cloak. Again not making a sound, she turned to try and run again, but I grabbed her by the arm.

"Will you stop it already?" I grumbled, trying to remain friendly, but knowing my brothers were counting on me to accompany this woman and I wasn't sure what they planned, but it would entail making a big profit. She pulled and yanked against my grasp, but pathetic attempts all the same.