"Come on! Come on!" Eugene turned, briefly scowling at them, before turning to start running again, "You two are too slow!"

Miguel and Tulio smiled fondly at the 4-year-old.

"Come on!"

"Have you ever thought that maybe you're too fast?!" Tulio called out to the child, laughing as Eugene just turned and glared at him.

"Too slow! Too slow!"

With both of them keeping their eyes on him, Eugene didn't dare go too far ahead… not with the threat of being dragged back home, away from the day's special trip.

"What is it about the docks?" Tulio mused, rubbing his hands in anticipation at the number of sailors he'd be able to con, "I don't remember feeling so excited to see boats when I was a kid."

"Really…" Miguel smiled softly, "… I used to run away from my Mum to go and see the ships as much as possible back in England. It wasn't until I actually went on one that I realised they were over-rated."

"Oh?"

"I can't remember how often I threw up. It was disgusting."

Tulio grimaced at the thought, watching as Eugene suddenly stopped, before running back to them, a beaming grin on his face. "Big boats! Big boats!"

"You're not going on one, remember?"

"I know! I know!" Eugene grabbed their hands, tugging and pulling on them, "Come on! Let's go!"

As they practically raced towards the docks, the adults couldn't help but beam at the sheer excitement in Eugene's voice. As soon as they arrived, Tulio chose a spot relatively near the local watering hole, where all the sailors hung out when they weren't working.

"Eugene, pay attention." He gently ordered, "I'm going to be playing dice, and Miguel's going to be playing his lute. Do you remember what you have to do?"

"Anything that's loose, gets stolen." Eugene reported solemnly, "Don't be too obvious with the guards and if you do get caught, hide your face and run."

"Good boy." Ruffling Eugene's hair, Tulio fondly sent him off, knowing that the boy was more likely to watch the ships, instead of doing his job.

If it meant less trouble for them, then Tulio was all for it.

"Shall we?" he asked, turning to Miguel, who started to pluck out a quick tune, drawing the crowds in.

"Let's."

….

When he grew up, he was going to be a sailor.

Eugene watched as one of the large boats slowly set off, heading further and further out to the sea. Sailors bustled around the area, none of them paying attention to the small child sitting on the wooden box.

In the distance, Eugene could just about see the royal palace, where the King and Queen lived.

His Dads had told him that the Queen was going to have a baby soon, and that they would be the next in line for the throne.

It was a nice palace…. But the sea looked nicer. More fun out there.

Suddenly, his attention was grabbed by a woman striding past him. She looked frantic, her dark hair almost totally grey.

"Are you alright?" he asked nervously. There was something off with this woman, but his Dads' always told him to be polite to girls…. Even if most of them were icky.

The woman looked stunned by the question, her eyes scanning Eugene from head to toe, before she sneered. "I've had something stolen from me… so no, I'm not alright."

Almost immediately, Eugene held up his hands, a nervous smile on his face, "Wasn't me!"

"No…" the woman turned her head, to the point where she seemed to be looking at the royal palace, "… I'm afraid the thieves are of a much higher class than you."

Those words didn't sound very nice, but before Eugene could question her further, the woman was gone with a swirl of her cloak.

With the usual attention span of a four-year-old, Eugene turned his attention away from her and turned back to see where his parents were. Whilst he couldn't see them over the heads of the crowd, he could hear his Dad's lute and singing over the hustle and bustle of the passing people.

It was clearly a romantic song, and Eugene knew that whilst his Dad would have been singing it to the women who were gathered around, he would be glancing at Papa every so often.

He did at home after all.

Humming along to the vaguely familiar song, Eugene decided to have a bit more of a wander around the docks…. And maybe actually do what he was supposed to.

The birth of the princess was the first bit of good news the Kingdom had had in a long time, with the royal family even sending up a gorgeous lantern in order to celebrate the event.

The fact that she was kidnapped not long after her birth was the worst news they'd ever had.

It everyone hard.

"Daddy…" Eugene cautiously spoke up, "… are they going to find the princess?"

Miguel and Tulio both turned to each other, having a silent conversation between them, before Miguel slowly moved to sit next to him, wrapping an arm around him in comfort.

"Someday they will…" he whispered, ignoring how Tulio winced, "… They have all the guards looking, remember?"

"Do you think she's scared?"

A brief pause, before "I think… I think she knows someone's looking for her."

Eugene thought to himself for a few moments, before shrugging. "I'd be scared… I'd be really scared if I was taken."

"Well…" Tulio then moved to sit by Eugene's side, "… you wouldn't be scared for long. Because if you were ever taken, you can bet me and your Dad will move the Earth to find you."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Tulio then lifted the child into his arms, "Come on, it's bedtime for little thieves."

"Yes Papa."

When he was tucked up and the candle snuffed out, Eugene twisted around to the window, his thoughts turning to the princess as he slowly fell asleep.

He hoped she wasn't scared.