A/N: OK, Shane's been discovered by Shannon, the captain of the guards and Wolf is getting suspicious of Shane in disguise. Things aren't looking too good and its up to Krystal to save Shane now. As for Fox and Mia, they're still stuck down in the dungeon!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Starfox Nintendo and/or Rare do. Any relation to my original characters in anyway is entirely coincidental. If you'd like to use any of my characters feel free to ask.

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Chapter 8: A Thieves Bargain

Shane had grabbed his tail in all his pain. Shannon had one hell of a foot!

"What is HE doing here?" Shannon demanded.

"He doesn't mean any harm…" Krystal tried to explain but didn't get to finish.

"This thief is wanted for… thievery! You know that and yet you housed him anyway?"

Krystal looked to the ground and then she hopped between Shane and Shannon. "He's harmless. Weren't you the one who said that a thief always has a reason to steal?"

"That doesn't mean I can let them run around. I still have a job, Princess. What would your father say?"

"Father hasn't even seen Shane before. Please, Shannon, he won't harm anyone. He was only looking to get off the streets for a while." Krystal begged. "Don't take him to the dungeon! Let him stay here. I'll watch over him!"

Shannon took a moment to think. Who WAS Shane going to hurt anyway? "How did you get in here?" He addressed Shane.

"I knocked a guard out and took his uniform." He then deepened his voice. "My mask was on for a reason."

Shannon raised a brow. "I knew it was you." He said. "I knew I'd have to save your ass. If Wolf had discovered who you were, you'd have been beheaded."

"Not a very nice guy huh?" Shane amused himself.

"Shannon… why not let Shane be a servant of the palace?"

Shannon looked at Krystal and thought she was crazy. "Does the name: 'James McCloud' mean anything to you? The King won't hire anymore fugitives as servants ever again."

Shane smiled, "I'm not a fugitive. The King has never seen my face before, what makes you think I CAN'T get away with being a servant?"

"Wolf." Shannon said. "Nothing seems to get by him. I wouldn't be surprised if he was listening to us right now." Just as Shannon spoke the door flung open and the three immediately jumped as none other than Jade walked into the room.

"Are you alright Prin--" she didn't finish as she saw Shannon… and Shane in the same room. "What's going on?"

Shane darted his eyes from side to side and then looked to Krystal. "Are we going to talk to your father or not?"

***

"I tell you, King, there's something about that guard that isn't right. I intend to find out what it is." Wolf said as the two sat down for breakfast in the dining hall. "You never wear your mask when royalty is around. I just felt a little insulted he wouldn't show his face to me."

"My apologies Prince. I assure you it won't happen again." He poured some red wine. It was tradition in Cerina. Red Wine with breakfast kept the peasants and royalty in tip-top shape. For some reason having Red Wine every morning made them stay thin.

King and Queen Cerina seated themselves at the table and advised Wolf to let the misunderstanding of the guard pass over. "How do you like Cerina so far?"

Wolf sat up in his chair. "Well, I haven't been out and about in the market place yet but the town is beautiful. Your servants and minions in the palace are quite respectful. Your palace is luxurious. You've got a swell kingdom, King."

As usual, King Cerina advised Wolf to call him father. Wolf always had to be reminded.

"One day this kingdom shall be yours." The King told Wolf.

The Queen leaned into her husband and whispered low enough so Wolf couldn't hear, "Where's Krystal? I sent Jade to go get her but she hasn't come down yet."

"Patience, my dear." The King said and at that moment Krystal walked in with Shannon and a black fox by her side.

"Good morning to you all." Krystal smiled. "Mother, father I'd like you to meet Shane." Krystal introduced him.

Shane stepped forward, looking more nervous than ever. Do they know? He asked himself several times. He was actually scared of what her parents would think of him. He felt like he was her fiancé being taken in to meet the parents. Shane could then see it in the eyes of the King and Queen. They were asking themselves questions that they wouldn't dare repeat out loud. Questions like, Where did you find this fox? Why did you bring him here? Have you any sense of royalty? Immediately Shane knew they disapproved of him. Still, he didn't care.

Wolf pointed a breadcrumb on Shane's mouth and he quickly wiped it away. "A charming vulpine, I'm sure." Wolf said and turned his attention to Shannon and gave a look that said: you know this boy, don't you?

"Yes, quite charming." Queen Cerina stated and offered them a seat. Since Shannon was captain of the guards he was allowed to eat breakfast with them. Shannon wasn't allowed to eat dinner with the royalty though.

Shane sat down and a servant poured him a glass of Red Wine.

"So what brings you to this palace?" King Cerina quickly asked Shane. To avoid answering right away, Shane brought his class of Red Wine to his muzzle, which was preceded as rude.

"I invited him here." Shannon spoke up before Krystal could speak up. "He has an interest in joining the guards."

At the mention of that Shane choked on his wine. He gagged and coughed for a moment and then decided it was best to play along. The black fox nodded his head.

"Is that so?" Wolf asked.

Oh, great! Here comes the attack! Shannon thought.

"Well, let me tell you something; don't go running around with your mask down when speaking to royalty. It's rude and uncouth. You'll insult royalty when doing so." It was obvious Wolf knew who he was. But did he know Shane was a thief?

Shannon pretended not to hear Wolf as he went on in his statement, "His agility and speed would be a great help to us. I have no doubt in my mind he would wield a sword."

"You know our prerequisite, you have to work your way from the bottom up." King Cerina stated. "He's not even a sharp claw!" He laughed. "How could he amount to any strength?"

"With all do respect, father, speed and agility are good for the guards." Wolf spoke up and not only shocked Shane, but Shannon as well. "I think he'd make a fine addition."

"He'll still have to work from the bottom up." The King insisted. He looked to his wife and then to Krystal. Finally he lay his eyes upon Shane and nodded. "Yes, a little speed and agility is needed for the guards. But I still must enforce the rules. You shall be a guard. From the ground up, meaning you'll have dungeon duty before anything else. You must train to use combat weapons and before I let you out on the streets."

Shannon smiled while Shane had to force one. What the hell have I gotten myself into? Shane asked himself.

"Good. Then you'll be the first actual fur admitted into the guards. Why, this calls for celebration." King Cerina suggested. He lifted up his Wing glass and the others did the same. "To Shane, the first fur admitted into the guards." They all raised their glasses repeating, 'To Shane.'

Somehow, the black fox knew he was going to regret this.

***

The three returned to Krystal's room later. Breakfast had gone pretty well, at least.

When the three were settled in, Shane looked to Shannon with a fixed expression on his face. "The guards?"

"If I'd have suggested a servant they'd have grown suspicious." Shannon explained. "You obviously haven't heard the story of James McCloud. The thief who was captured and then proposed a deal to become a servant. When he was supposed to be bringing the King a meal… he fled instead. Since then the King has always been suspicious of those wanting to be servants."

Shane lie back on Krystal's bed and sighed. "I have to be on dungeon duty first? Why couldn't I be on something better than that?"

"Would you rather be IN the dungeon?" Shannon asked. Shane slowly shook his head. "Then quit complaining."

There was a knock on Krystal's door and Jade called out to know who was knocking. "It's Wolf." came the reply.

"Well, Shane and I should be going. We've got training to do." Shannon said and opened the door letting Wolf in. He bowed to Wolf and advised Shane to do the same. "If you'll excuse us, Princess." The two were then out the door.

Wolf looked to Jade and nodded. Jade knew when she got the nod from Wolf it simply meant, "Get out." At least the lupine didn't demand of it with his voice. Jade found Wolf's voice to be creepy.

After Jade left Krystal turned away from Wolf. "How am I doing so far?"

Krystal wanted to give him a strike, but he hadn't done anything wrong. She tried giving him a strike one but she couldn't. Since with that strike Wolf was only doing what was best to protect his so-called "future wife."

"I know you're not happy about my presence being here. I don't pretend not to notice." Wolf sighed. "Perhaps I should give you a gift."

Krystal turned around and forced a smile that looked so fake a third-grader could've seen through it. Wolf only laughed at the sight.

"Please give me a chance." He held out his paw and revealed a ring with three small gems engraved on it. A Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire. "I promise, I can make you happy. Give me the chance to bring you joy."

Krystal hadn't heard him, as she was too busy being distracted by the ring. "This is… beautiful." She said.

"It's made for royalty." Wolf told her. "We are royalty, you know. Wear this ring as a symbol of the feelings I have for you. Let everyone know that we are to wed some day."

He slipped the ring onto Krystal. It actually fit perfectly around her ring finger. Wolf smiled. "I'd like to take you out tonight. I know a lake that is close by. Perhaps we can take it as a chance to get to know each other."

He's still playing a game! Krystal figured out. He was completely different when it was just the two of them. But he seemed mean and self-centered when she wasn't there. Even at breakfast he was kinder than before. Krystal wanted once more to confront him about his little game. However, she didn't feel the need. The anger she held towards him had faded a little bit. At least he was trying.

His words repeated slowly in her mind, Give me a chance.

Wolf was definitely up to something, and Krystal was going to figure it all out. The only way she could do it was to play along with his little game. "I'll give you a chance." She said. "But remember, three strikes and you're out."

***Later that night…

Shane was being sent down into the dungeon for the first time. When he went into the dungeon and walked to the cell he saw a sharp claw standing outside the cell. "You must be Larc." Shane asked.

"And you must be the new guard. Shane, right?" He extended his claw and Shane grasped it. "Pleased to meet you. Listen, the prisoners in there, they're good prisoners, so treat them good. Did Shannon tell you MY number one rule?" Shane shook his head. "You only treat the prisoners like shit if they give you shit. They're not monsters, they have a life just like you or me."

Shane nodded in understanding of Larc's words. "Well, I'll take over now, I suppose."

Larc began to walk off when he turned to face Shane again, "Oh, and the fox likes to talk a lot so expect him to come up and speak with you." After that Larc left and made Shane stand there for a while.

Soon Shane felt a paw on his shoulder and turned around to see Fox. "What the hell?"

"You were expected Larc?"

"I wasn't expecting you!" Fox said excitedly. "How did you get away with it?"

"I made a deal with Shannon and the King. I'm part of the guards now. Shannon caught me with Krystal."

Fox's eyes bulged. "Caught you with Krystal?"

"Not what you're thinking. I was in hiding but Shannon discovered me. He saved me, actually. He's quite nice."

Fox leaned on the bars and laughed. "So did you get the chance to meet Wolf? He's Krystal's fiancé."

Shane nodded. "He's rather odd… VERY odd. Krystal describes him as someone out to corrupt the palace… but he helped me get a job as one of the guards. He's DEFINITELY royalty, though. He's very 'first class.'"

"A snotty rich bastard?"

"Worse. I'm supposed to bow to him whenever he walks in, I can't chew with my mouth open and he doesn't like me wearing the color black!" Shane complained. "He seems alright, but he's pretty scary looking."

"What's he look like?" Fox asked.

"He has gray fur and wears white with gold rings around the base of his sleeves. But the scariest part is he has a patch over his eye! Fox, that patch gives me so much fear." Shane cringed.

Fox laughed once more. It was great to be talking to Shane again. They'd only been separated by a day but the two always traveled together. Fox and Shane were a team and Fox wasn't going to forget it.

"So tell me," Fox began and took a serious tone, "about Krystal."

Shane began to sweat. "She's amazing."

Fox raised a brow like a confused child. "I don't get it…"

"But right now she's out with Wolf." Shane said, not hearing anything Fox had said.

Then out of the blue they both sighed, "Krystal…" they both said and then looked up at one another. They stared at each other for a few seconds and the both rolled their heads back and laughed.

"She's gorgeous isn't she?" Fox started talking again.

"She's even prettier when she isn't incognito like in the market place." Shane answered. Shane looked down to the ground and then lifted his attention back to Fox. "I need to get you out of here." He suddenly changed the subject.

"How are you going to do that?"

"The same way I got off the hook. I'll make a deal."

Fox shook his head. "That won't work. You were lucky Wolf hadn't seen your face and neither had the King and Queen. Leave me here and I'll work out some sort of escape."

Shane frowned. "Fox, for ONCE let me get you out of a mess. I have the advantage to do it this time." Regardless of their teamwork, Fox had usually been the one getting Shane out of trouble. Shane had helped Fox out once or twice but it was always Fox who came up with the great ideas.

"No," Fox shook his head swiftly. "I can conjure up my own escape."

"How's that?"

"I know a vixen." Fox said and before he could go on Shane snapped his fingers.

"A vixen!" Shane exclaimed. "Krystal can get you out!"

"You're not listening to me!" Fox snagged at Shane's uniform and pulled him into the bars. "I know this platinum vixen. She's incredible! You won't believe it, but her name is Mia!"

Shane didn't believe it. "Stop fooling around," he shook Fox off, "I'm trying to help you and you're fooling around about a ruler that should be dead."

"Mia is eternal." Fox said. "She can get me out of here, I know it."

"If Mia is really in there and she can really get you out, why didn't she first get herself out?"

Fox hadn't really asked that to Mia but he knew she'd have some good excuse. "Listen, she knows things beyond your wildest dreams! Talk to her someday and she can tell you things YOU never knew about yourself."

Shane shook his head in disappointment. It was like talking to a fur in an animal shelter. "Let me try and help you just this once. I can do it Fox if you trust me."

Fox sighed. This was a battle he wasn't going to win. "What's your plan?"

"Krystal and Shannon." Shane answered. "Krystal can get you out of the cell and Shannon can come up with a job for you to do."

"As long as it isn't a servant." Fox said.

"Of course not! The King won't want another thief servant after what happened between him and James. Much less he'd probably expect his son to do the same thing."

"Does he know my last name?" Fox asked and Shane shook his head. "Good. There's got to be some hope."

"Leave it to Krystal, Shannon and Me. We'll get you out Fox. Then we'll leave and go on the lam. We'll leave Cerina and make a new life somewhere else and--"

"We can't do that!" Fox interrupted. "We have to stay."

"Why?"

"Shane, you know as well as I do that we CAN'T let Krystal marry Wolf. Larc has told me that Wolf is a rude, arrogant lupine. From some of the things you told me, he's dead on."

Shane sighed. "We might as well leave. We have no chance against Wolf. Look at us Fox! We're poor! We've got nothing to offer her. Wolf is rich, and of royalty. We're thieves now caught in the middle of a royal tradition. The King won't approve of us. You think we can love Krystal with those kind of odds?"

As much as Fox hated to admit it, Shane was right. They had nothing to offer Krystal and Wolf could give her anything she wanted. The whole royalty bit was disturbing as well. Wolf was a PRINCE! Fox and Shane were… two peasants who would be lucky to even get a bite to eat.

"Wolf was the one we saw the other day coming into town?" Fox asked. Shane nodded. "If we expose Wolf for what he really is, then Krystal won't go through with it." Fox added.

"I don't think Krystal wants to marry Wolf." Shane suddenly spoke up remembering what Krystal told him. "She's only set to marry him because her father wants her too."

Fox held down his head. "Then we have to change tradition."

"There's just one problem…" Shane said.

"What's that?"

"There's two of us and one of her."

Fox had thought of that but it didn't much matter now. "Shane, has anything EVER come between us?" Shane shook his head. "And are we going to let Krystal come between us?" Shane shook his head. "That's right, not even Krystal will tear us apart. But even so, I promise you can be the best fur at the wedding." Fox added on and smiled.

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A/N: I decided to end it here. The real glory of the fic is starting to come out but I've only just begun! Shane is going to try and get Fox out pretty soon and then things will get hectic. But I've got one hell of a plan up my sleeve! Anyway, please R+R!