"Your Majesty?" Lord Kerwyn tentatively knocked on the door, preparing his apology for the other night. He didn't want to give the impression that he had backed down from his position, but he didn't want to be stuck as ignored forever either. "Please, I would like to talk."

The door opened to reveal a very tired looking Imogen. Her hair was disheveled and tucked back in a failed attempt at a servant's braid, something that had always comforted her. "Lord Kerwyn. I'm sorry but Jaron's er… indisposed of right now."

"Ah," Kerwyn's face fell. "Out late causing trouble again, huh?"

Imogen's looked down at her bare feet, and Kerwyn could tell he had come at a bad time. "That's one way to put it. Can I help you?"

"Well…"

The queen nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry he's not ready for this."

"My lady, may I ask a question?" Kerwyn played with the folds of his robe, trying to appear strong. It was his job to seem proud and understanding all at once, and Kerwyn never failed at it. Until now. She nodded her assent. "Do you agree with your husband?"

Imogen sighed. "I don't know, Kerwyn. I just don't know. Sometimes you think you understand life, until it throws something completely insane at you. This keeps happening to me, and I keep thinking 'alright this is it, everything else will make sense', and then it doesn't."

"I see. Goodnight, my queen." Giving a solemn bow, Lord Kerwyn trod off down the hall, leaving the queen once more alone.

It's hard to tell when someone is real or not.

Payton of the Yellow Cuts knew this better than anyone. She'd spent most of her young life believing her father was real, until he explained that he was only her foster father and would be giving her up to the workhouses once she reached 10. After running away at 7 she believed that her friend Lily was her friend and would protect her from the law.

Until her friend Lily told her that she could never be friends with a street rat.

When she joined the Yellow Cuts at 8, she trusted everyone, including a joking swordsman called Cregan. She loved him more than anything and believed he would always stand by her side.

Until one day he left her side to work for an evil nobleman. So, whether she could trust the new boy, Sage, she had no idea.

"Pass the grape's, will you?" Rollo asked the next morning, leaning over the table and nearly tipping it.

Payton made a grab for the grapes but was surprised to find Sage rolling one of them over his knuckles. "What are you doing?"

He let his messy hair create a canopy over his face, as though he was trying to hide something. "Massaging my knuckles, what does it look like?"

"Huh," Toss murmured, glancing at Payton. He was suspicious and was clearly creating something in his mind to test Sage. "Sage, I'm told you were surprised at us breaking into Lord Kerwyn's home."

Sage's leaf green eyes turned dangerous for a split second, and Payton saw something in them she couldn't trust. "I just think it's a little above your level. What if your caught?"

"What if we're not?"

Sage rolled his eyes. "You pretend it'll all be alright if guards catch you, but you should see some of the punishments they've got lined up for thieves these days."

"Oh, and you claim to have seen these?" Toss sat up in his old chair, a stroke of proud reckless illuminating his face. "My friend, you said you were a runaway and recently came to the city."

Something crossed Sage's face (worry perhaps?) before he burst out laughing, to the surprise of the whole gang. "Just because I came here recently doesn't mean I haven't been here before. Thank you for allowing me to stay the night, but I really must be on my way."

"Where do you plan to go?" Payton asked, furrowing her brow. "I don't mean to offend you, but you don't seem the type who's able to survive the streets."

A strike of anger shot across Sages face. "Never underestimate a man you've just met." And with that, he turned on his heel and left. Or so he thought. But no one just left the Yellow Cuts. Eventually, it'd come back to bite him.