The sun was shining from high above the sky. Another beautiful day in the kingdom of Altea. The marketplace was bustling, vendors trying to sell their items to people passing by. All in all, it seemed like a calm day in Altea.

Well, almost.

"Thief!" one of the palace guards yelled as they chased a thief up onto a rooftop. The thief was a boy named Lance, a notorious thief in Altea. Lance sent a smirk the guard's way but stopped, almost falling over the edge. He held onto the loaf of bread he had in his hands as it almost slipped out of his hands. The head guard Kolivan glared at the boy.

"You won't get away! I'll have your hands as a trophy!" one of the guards yelled. Lance glanced at the loaf then back at the approaching guards.

"All this for a single loaf of bread?" Lance asked with a roll of his eyes. "Just how low has Altea gone?"

With no other options, Lance jumped onto the clothes lines below and skied down, collecting clothing as he slid down. As he neared the end, he noticed an open window and hoped to go through the window. He didn't expect that the woman in the window would yell at him and close the window. He ended up slamming into the shutters and fell to the street below, hitting multiple awnings and eventually landing on the ground. The clothes softening his landing.

He sat up a towel on his head and was about to bite into his prize when the guards interrupted him from above.

"There he is!" one shouted.

"You won't get away!" another shouted as they backed up to get off the roof. Lance rolled his eyes with a scoff.

"They just never give up," Laughing caught his eye and his gaze landed on three women nearby who were laughing.

"Two of you head that way, you three that way," Kolivan said to two of the guards with him. He turned to the other on his right. "You're with me," Kolivan and the other guards walked his way. Lance quickly pulled one of the thin blankets over him to disguise himself. He walked up to the three ladies with a smile.

"Good morning ladies," the oldest of the three chuckled.

"A little early in the morning to be causing trouble Lance?" she asked with a smile. "I think this is a new record for you." Lance chuckled.

"Too early? No such thing," Lance said with a smile. "Besides, I'm only in trouble if I'm caught," as irony would have it Kolivan pulled him around and yanked off his disguise.

"Here you are!" Kolivan said glaring at the boy.

"Yep, now I'm in trouble," Kolivan growled at the street rat.

"And this time you won't-" before he could finish his sentence a blue lion cub jumped down from above and landed on Kolivan's head pulling his hood down covering his eyes getting stuck. Lance chuckled as the lion cub jumped off the guard.

"Blue! Perfect timing girl," Blue gave a smile and jumped onto Lance's shoulder. "Let's get out of here, shall we?" he asked as he took off in a run but ran into a guard.

"Gotta keep

One jump ahead of the breadline"

The guard tried swinging his sword at Lance but the thief jumped off the barrels he was on. The guards' sword instead hitting the barrel and fish spilled out.

"One swing ahead of the sword"

Blue stuck her tongue out and blue raspberries at the guard who swung his sword again and missed the cub by mere inches.

"I steal only what I can't afford

And that's everything!"

Lance pulled the guards' belt off, which let his pants fall to reveal the pink and white hearted underwear underneath. Lance ran away with Blue, the guard glaring at the boy as he went to fix his pants before chasing after him.

"One jump ahead of the lawmen

That's all, and that's no joke"

Lance ran into another guard who raised his arm to swing, Lance hid behind a pole at the last minute. When the guard swung his sword ended up getting lodged in the pole. Lance and Blue quickly climbed up a pile of barrels the guards following.

"These guys don't appreciate I'm broke"

Lance kicked down one of the barrels, as it fell it hit one of the guards and exploded as they hit the ground. Covering the ground and the guards in a yellow substance known as quintessence

"Riffraff!

Street rat!"

Lance and Blue climbed up the rest of the way to the top of a high platform.

"Scoundrel!

Take that!"

The guards threw food and various other items at Lance hoping they would hit him and he would fall into their clutches. Lance, however, had no intention of that happening and stepped out of the way.

"Just a little snack, guys"

The guards shook the bottom of the platform with intention of Lance and Blue falling down.

"Rip him open, take it back, guys

I can take a hint, gotta face the facts

You're my only friend, Blue!"

Lance jumped off the platform and grabbed a pole sticking out on top of an open window and jumped in. He ended up landing in the house which belonged to a harem. The girls turning and smiling seeing their favourite street rat they had watched from afar. Three girls he recognized. Nyma, Shay, and Florona.

"Who?

Oh it's sad Lance has hit the bottom

He's become a one-man rise in crime"

Florona twirled him around and he landed into someone who hated him very much. Luxia took care of the girls and didn't appreciate the boy being in the room and swung her broom at him a scowl on her face.

"I'd blame parents except he hasn't got 'em"

Lance glared at the woman as he ducked, his blue hat spinning in the air before Lance stood back up and grabbed it placing it back on his head.

"Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat

Tell you all about it when I got the time!"

Lance headed back to the window and was pushed out by Nyma who blew a kiss his way as he fell out. Once again being chased by the guards.

Lance hid behind a muscle man that was performing to a crowd. The guards running past, until the man switched poses and Lance had done a different one than the man. Shocking the crowd and getting the guards' attention.

"One jump ahead of the slowpokes

One skip ahead of my doom

Next time gonna use a nom de plume"

"There he is!" a guard shouted as Lance and Blue took off once more.

"One jump ahead of the hitmen

One hit ahead of the flock

I think I'll take a stroll around the block"

Lance hopped on the backs of the sheep as if they were stepping stones. The sheep not minding since Lance was light. The guards made their way through the flock throwing the sheep out of their way. Lance and Blue made their quick escape jumping over a man lying on a bed of nails. The other guards got over him fine, but one landed on the man both wincing as they hit nails.

"Stop, thief!

Vandal!

Outrage!

Scandal!"

Like her master, Blue had an eye for treasure. And was always getting herself into trouble because of it. Blue was in a vendor's stand covered in blue pearls a hat on her head.

"Blue!" Lance scolded grabbing Blue as the angry vendor yanked the pearls away.

"Let's not be too hasty"

Lance was back into a doorway by the guards. The door opened and an overweight woman who Lance had seen eyeing him up lately grabbed him in her arms and rocked back and forth. Making Lance quite uncomfortable.

"Still I think he's rather tasty"

Lance rolled out of her arms and leaned onto a guard's shoulder.

"Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat

Otherwise we'd get along

Wrong!"

The guards jumped to grab him but ended up jumping into each other as Lance and Blue escaped once more. Kolivan noticed and growled as Lance Blue hid under pots and were moving away.

"Get him!" Kolivan followed by two other guards chased Lance as he and Blue ran over a flaming pit. The guards yelping at the heat, despite having shoes on.

Lance and Blue ran past a man swallowing a sword next. Blue jumped on the man and pulled the sword out of his throat holding it in her mouth. The guards stopped and Blue growled.

"The cats got a sword!" Kolivan growled.

"Are you all dense? We all have swords," they pulled out their swords and Blue whimpered letting go of the sword and running after Lance.

Lance stopped in front of a man playing an instrument and a rope above him. With guards coming on both sides Blue climbed onto his shoulder and Lance climbed quickly up the rope. The guards crashing into each other.

"One jump ahead of the hoofbeats

(Vandal!)

One hop ahead of the hump

(Street rat!)

One trick ahead of disaster

(Scoundrel!)

They're quick, but I'm much faster

(Take that!)"

Lance was chased up the stairs beside a building and in through a window. He grabbed a rug and mentally crossed his fingers hopping onto the window sill.

"Here goes, better throw my hand in

Wish me happy landin'

All I gotta do is jump!"

Lance jumped out the window the rug staying in the air. He and Blue watched as the guards fell out the window holding onto each other as they fell into a cart full of fertilizer.

Blue hopped onto Lance's shoulder as Lance formed the rug into a parachute and they landed softly on the ground. Blue jumped on the ground beside him. Lance held out his hand and Blue slapped her paw down on his palm in a high five motion.

"And now my four-pawed cub, we dig in," Lance split the bread in half and placed Blue's half on the ground for her to eat, she dug right into the bread.

Before he took a bite Lance glanced up and noticed two children. An older sister and a younger brother. The girl caught Lance's gaze and shrunk back her brother following her gaze. Lance glanced at his bread and back at the siblings. With a glance to Blue who rolled her eyes and took a huge bite of her bread.

Lance sighed and stood up heading over to the two. Blue watching in surprise. Lance held out the bread to the sister who held her brother in a protective embrace.

"Here you go," the girl looked unsure and stared back at Lance in question, Lance smiled in response "go on, you need it more than I do," the sister smiled and grabbed the bread both her and her brother giggled as Lance ruffled their hairs.

"Thank you," the sister said in a soft voice.

"Of course," Lance replied as he watched the pair dive into the bread. "Take of your brother now, okay?" Lance asked to which the girl nodded.

Blue sighed in lion talk and swallowed her bit and pulled the bread into her mouth heading over to the children. The brother noticed and bent down as Blue approached pulling the bread out of her mouth. The sister smiled and pet Blue gently on her head. Blue let out a playful growl and rubbed against the girls' hand before turning and following Lance who headed towards the street where everyone was watching something.

Peeking from in between two men Lance noticed a girl sitting on a horse with a female guard beside her on another horse. The girl had dark tanned skin, teal eyes, dark pink eyeshadow on her eyelids, and long teal hair tied in a braid down her back her bangs lose. She was dressed in a dress of light teal and dark teal with pink lining. A gold choker with a dark blue gem sat around her neck. Dark teal teardrop earrings in her ears, on top of her head, sat a gold headpiece with a dark teal gem.

"Another Princess going to the palace," one man stated, the man beside him nodded.

"Another suitor for the Crown Prince, Princess Ezor is what I heard her name is."

"And the guard beside her?"

"I heard her name was Acxa," Lance jumped as the two children from before ran past him the boy leading as they ran into the street in front of the princess's horse making her horse rear up. The girl yanked her brother back as he almost got trampled as Ezor's horse calmed down.

"You dare get in my way!?" she shouted pulling a whip from her horse's saddle. Before she could whip the children and her guard could stop her, Lance ran forwards and the whip wrapped around his arm.

"You would think for a Princess, you would have better manners," Ezor scoffed.

"Just drop it Ezor," Acxa said moving to stop the Princess but Ezor ignored her and continued.

"I have manners, I think it's you who should learn some manners!" she snapped yanking her whip to the right pulling Lance and Blue into a mud puddle. The crowd laughed. Ezor continued her way rolling her whip up again and putting it back where it came from. Lance smirked.

"What a sight to see Blue," Lance said turning to Blue who was shaking the mud off of her fur. "A horse with two rear ends," Ezor and her guard froze. Acxa knew there was no stopping her now and continued on into the palace while Ezor turned back to Lance with a smirk.

"Whatever you say doesn't matter," Ezor said before continuing on. "You were born a street rat and therefore will die a street rat," with each word spoke Lance grew angrier as the princess headed into the palace gates. "No one will mourn you and you'll be forgotten to the winds as an unknown nobody."

Lance charged but the door closed before he could get to the Princess. Lance glanced up and glared back at the door.

"Spoiled brat," Lance hissed and tuned to Blue as the sun began to set. "Come on Blue," Lance said with a sigh, heading off through the crowd which went back to what they were doing. Blue stared at Lance with a sad expression before trotting after him.

"Riffraff, street rat.

I don't buy that"

Lance climbed the ladder up to his and Blue's home with a sigh. He entered their small home and glanced around, seeing how poor they really were. Blue jumped off his shoulder and jumped onto her bed.

"If only they'd look closer

Would they see a poor boy?

No siree"

Lance pulled the blanket over Blue who yawned and fell asleep within minutes. Lance pulled back the curtain giving a perfect view of the palace.

"They'd find out, there's so much more to me"

"One day Blue, he smiled softly. "Things will get better one day," Lance said as he stared out at the palace which stood tall above the other buildings. "Who knows, maybe we'll live in a palace one day."

As Lance stared out at the palace, his thoughts started to race. Thoughts of his life but more specifically his mother.

Life for Lance was fine when it was him and his mother. Even though Lance's father was never in the picture, Lance still had his mother. They weren't rich but they weren't poor either, they made it work.

That was, until his mother got sick and ended up dying when he was five. After that, Lance turned to stealing and hiding from the guards just to get to tomorrow.

He found Blue when he was seven, he found her in an alleyway malnourished and sick. He took her in and nursed her back to health. Since then, Blue had stayed by his side and the pair worked together.

Lance's thoughts kept returning to his mother. Wondering what she would think about Lance stealing and lying his way out of situations. Surely his mother had raised him better? But with how things were in Altea, most people were doing the same.

Especially the orphans on the street.

Lance wanted more than this life. He didn't like having to steal and lie but that's just how life was. He wanted something more than this life, to become somebody else.

"Proud of your boy

I'll make you proud of your boy

Believe me, bad as I've been, Ma

You're in for a pleasant surprise

I've wasted time

I've wasted me

So say I'm slow for my age

A late bloomer

Okay, I agree"

Lance turned away from the palace and a soft smile graced his face seeing the drawing of his mother by the bed. It was one of the only things from his father he had, the drawing was done by his father when his mother was pregnant with Lance.

"That I've been one rotten kid

Some son, some pride and some joy

But I'll get over these lousin' up

Messin' up, screwin' up times"

Lance could imagine what his mother would tell him if she were still here. She was a kind woman but she could scold your ear off. Her favourite was telling him what a rotten kid he was but Lance knew she was saying it as a joke. Her heart was too kind for that, she could never stay mad at anyone.

(Unless it was her husband who left and never came back home)

"You'll see, Ma, now comes the better part

Someone's gonna make good

Cross his stupid heart

Make good and finally make you

Proud of your boy"

Blue had woken up and jumped Lance out of his thoughts when she crawled into his lap. Lance smiled and started petting her fur, Blue purring in response.

Lance was sure if his mother was still here, she would have loved Blue.

"Tell me that I've been a louse and loafer

You won't get a fight here, no ma'am

Say I'm a goldbrick, a goof-off, no good

But that couldn't be all that I am"

Ever since he was a boy, Lance knew better than to fight against his mother. It was a fight he would never win. He would just let her say her piece and never gave up a fight about what she said.

"Water flows under the bridge

Let it pass, let it go

There's no good reason that you should believe me

Not yet, I know, but"

Lance wanted to change his life. But would his mother believe him right now?

Probably not.

"Someday and soon

I'll make you proud of your boy

Though I can't make myself taller

Or smarter or handsome or wise"

He was going to change that though.

At least, he wanted to.

Blue yawned and crawled back out of his lap, curling back up into her bed. Lance followed, laying Blue's blanket over her before pulling his own raggedy blanket over himself.

"I'll do my best, what else can I do?

Since I wasn't born perfect like Dad or you

Mom, I will try to

Try hard to make you

Proud of your boy"