A/N: so yeah, sorry this took so long guys, i got swamped with programs at school, and things just cropped up left and right. i really didn't mean to take this long with the second chapter.

so please, don't be angry and don't kill me, i enjoy living. a lot, i might add.

holy crap though, i did not expect such a positive response for my first chapter. i was incredibly surprised, and i can't thank all of you who reviewed enough, i'm glad you guys enjoy the story

but, here we are, so enjoy...

Is it Legal if it's Yours?

Lenalee pulled at the bottom of the shirt she had on. She was slightly uncomfortable in the over-sized article of clothing. She was still dressed in Allen's clothes, having not had time to grab her still soaking clothes before they left. She glanced up at the white-haired thief, leading the way confidently through the streets, occasionally glancing back and giving her a wide smile. She wondered where his "job" was going to be taking place, and whether or not she'd actually be able to help him.

Allen hadn't said anything about it yet, so Lenalee had followed his lead and not brought it up. Instead, she turned her thoughts inward, wondering what exactly she was doing. She was accompanying a thief, fully intending to assist him steal somebody's property. Wasn't that…illegal? And she was the head of the country! If she was caught it would be a huge scandal, and would just make her goals all the harder to reach. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to stop. She was enjoying herself, more than she had in years. Ever since her parents, the previous King and Queen, had died in a plague, she had been shouldered with the responsibility of a nation. She had endured this long shearly because she had her brother, and later Lavi, Kanda, Miranda, and Krory. But that didn't mean that she was fine. She was far from it.

The stress of running the country, of fighting with men with Rouvelier, of watching the people she loved suffer, had worn her down. The sense of responsibility she always felt weighing on her seemed to have run her into the ground. It felt as though heavy shackles had been attached to her ankles, to keep her from leaving. But here was the only opportunity she had ever come across to escape from this horrid reality, even if only for a short while. Here was a boy who had unintentionally given her that opportunity, who hadn't questioned her motives, but merely invited her along for the ride. It was a first for her. Normally she would have to explain her every action in the smallest detail or someone somewhere would take it as a declaration of war. No, she wasn't going to pass up this opportunity, this one chance she had to live like a normal girl for a while, to take risks and just be reckless. Consequences be damned.

I wonder what Lavi and Kanda are up to? Lenalee gave a little start. She had completely forgotten about her friends! They must have been pulling out their hair at this point, combing the city desperately for her. Sorry, guys. I'm sure you can forgive me, just this once. She was going to get quite the lecture when this was all done. From Komui as well as Kanda. Though it was probably going to be just a lot a bawling and wailing on the former's part. Allen suddenly stopped, and Lenalee walked into him.

"Oof!" She took a step back as Allen turned around, concern on his face.

"I'm sorry, I should've warned you before I stopped. Are you ok?" He sounded ridiculously worried over something so small.

"Allen, calm down. I just bumped into you, it's not like you punched me or anything."

"Right, right. Sorry."

"Allen…"

"Sorry."

Lenalee sighed. "Why did we stop, anyway?"

"I needed to get my bearings real quick. We're getting close to the goal, so we need to start playing it safe." Lenalee looked around, and suddenly realized that she was very familiar with this part of the city. She often frequented it whenever she left the castle. She turned, and sure enough, there, rising above the roofscape was the imposing figure of the Royal Castle. She barely held in a groan. If they were this close to home, she might very well just be spotted by a guard or somebody else. She hoped that Allen's clothes were enough to fool people. She supposed having her hair down would help too; it was normally held up in some sort of elegant style she didn't give a piss about. She liked it the way it was now, loose and free. "C'mon," Allen said before setting off again, cutting to the right, into a back alley.

They continued to walk in silence, threading their way through unseen paths and dark alleyways only, keeping to the shadows. Lenalee had to admit, Allen was very good at not being seen. But with each glimpse she caught of the streets, the feeling of dread settling in her stomach increased. They were getting closer to the castle. Eventually, they emerged onto a street, and there, standing majestically on the other side of stretch of bare earth, stood the outer wall of the castle. She stared at it while Allen looked around, as if searching for something.

"Allen," she breathed, her gaze staying glued to the parapets of the castle, especially the tower that housed her room, way in the back. The young thief either didn't hear her or ignored her, for he continued glancing all over. "Allen," she said again, with a bit more force this time.

"Hmm?" he glanced up at her.

"What exactly is your mark?"

He followed her gaze before smirking. "You've guessed correctly, Lenalee. I'm going to rip off the castle." Lenalee's mouth worked, trying to squeeze out words, but nothing came. "Someone's offered me a hefty reward if I steal something of the princess'."

"You're stealing from the princess?!" Lenalee hissed, the irony of her situation not lost on her. She had been looking for an escape, and here she was, right back where she started, about to assist in theft…from herself.

"Yep."

"Allen, you can't. Her room is impenetrable, and the place is crawling with guards."

"So they say," he replied, sounding distracted. "Where the hell is he?" he mumbled to himself. "Must've forgot the meeting time again." Allen sighed before whistling sharply and clearly, two short, high notes that pierced through the air, and then pulled back into the alley, Lenalee following. "I hate having to whistle, he knows that. It looks suspicious."

"Allen?" Lenalee was beginning to worry about the mental wellbeing of her companion. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Perfectly fine, why do you ask?"

"You're talking to yourself."

"Doesn't everyone?"

"I...well…"

He waved off her concern. "Doesn't matter, here he comes now."

"He?"

And suddenly she could here a small whistling sound, one that was getting progressively louder. She glanced toward the castle again, and saw the light glint off of something sailing through the air. The guards patrolling the walls didn't notice the…whatever it was when it flew over them. It arced in a graceful loop before coming to rest, hovering in front of Allen's face.

"Tim! What were you doing? You were supposed to be here before me!" Lenalee blinked in surprise. It looked like a golden ball, with wings, and a tail…and a mouth. The creature made a sound, something that was like a mixture between a growl and a tinkle of bells. "What do you mean I'm early? You forgot again, didn't you?"

"Is…is that a golem?" Lenalee asked hesitantly. The golems were a brand new creation of her brothers. Mechanical, mobile communication devices that could transmit over large distances. They would be invaluable during times of war, allowing orders to be passed instantaneously. They even showed a slight degree of sentience. What could she say, her brother was a scientific genius. A mad scientific genius with a horrible sister complex, but a genius nonetheless.

"Ah, you know about golems?" Lenalee nodded. "Well, Timcampi here's homemade."

Her eyes widened. "You built him?"

"No, I didn't. He's a gift from someone who used to take care of me. He built Tim." The golem spoke up again, and despite the fact that it just sounded like noise to Lenalee, apparently Allen could understand exactly what he was saying. "She's a friend, and don't change the subject." The golem latched his teeth onto Allen's left hand. "Alright, alright," the white-haired teenager didn't seem hurt at all by the sharp teeth. "Just show me what you got." The golem seem to agree, for the next second it released Allen, turned it mouth's upward, and opened wide. A small projection began floating in the air. It looked like…building layouts.

"Allen, are those…"

He nodded, staring intently at the plans. "Yes, these are the blueprints of the castle. Timcampi is a special golem, built specifically for thieves. He scouts out a building, and reproduces what he finds like this, in the form of blueprints. And here," Allen pointed to bright white dots moving around, "he shows the movements of guards or others who could pose a risk of detection. These," he moved his finger to a list of times in the upper corner, "are a set of relevant times. Most likely shift changes and meal times and what not." His brow furrowed. "That's funny," he motioned toward the flurry of white dots moving through the castle, "they seem to be in quite an uproar about something." Lenalee quickly looked down at her feet. She knew exactly what it was about. Her disappearance. Nobody had even known had left, not even Komui. Her brother was probably digging a ditch with all the pacing he was sure to have done in his worrying.

"Here." Allen's voice brought Lenalee back into the situation at hand. He was pointing at a section of wall in between the main entrance and Lenalee's tower, in the back. "I'll enter through here."

"And how will you make it into the princess' tower then?"

"Well, getting across the grounds won't be a problem. And those flying buttresses that circle the main structure will make climbing onto the first level a cinch."

He continued to study the plans. The Royal castle was essentially built into three separate levels. Each circular and smaller in circumference than the one underneath it, the remaining space taken up by gently sloping roofs. A tower adorned the top, dominating the skyline. Flying buttresses encircled the bottom layer. Connected to the second level were six large towers, spaced evenly around the base of the castle. One of the towers, however, was not connected to the castle aboveground. The princess' tower, the one furthest from the main entrance, had two entrances. There was a simple door in the tower, constantly under guard. The other entrance was hidden within the Royal Library, and was an underground tunnel that came out in the basement of the tower. The princess' tower was the most secure place within the royal walls, meant to be the final safe hold for Lenalee, should the worst come to pass. Her personal room was located at the very top.

All in all, the castle looked like a spiky, gothic birthday cake.

"Ok, and how will getting onto the first level help you at all? According to your blueprints, there are only two ways into that tower. Neither of which is accessible from the roof."

"This, Lenalee, is why I'm the thief, and you're the helper. You're not thinking like a crook." Allen gestured at the image again. "I see at least ten possible points of entry aside from the two normal entrances, though only one practical one."

Lenalee looked at the plans again. What was he…? "Ah! The windows!" Allen smiled and nodded. "But, the building's entirely smooth, there's no way you can scale it."

"But you see, the castle is easy to climb."

Lenalee stared at him while his words settled in. "You're going to jump?"

"Something like that. Can't go giving away all of my secrets now, can I?"

She was silent a moment. "So, you don't need me after all."

Allen shook his head gently while Timcampi ceased his projection and flapped over to settle on Allen's head. "I never said that. Those two guards at the top of the wall will be extremely difficult to get by. I could do it, but I'd rather not run the risk of discovery. You're job will be to cause some sort of distraction that draws them away from their posts. All I need is twenty seconds."

"I think I can manage it."

"Good," Allen swung the sack from his back, thumping is down on the ground. "Now go get ready, I'll send Tim your way whenever I'm set."

Lenalee nodded and began to move away, but stopped and turned back. "Allen?"

"Yes?" He looked at her.

She paused, her hand idly resting against the wall of the alley. She bit her lip nervously before saying quietly, "Be careful, ok?"

Allen smiled at her, once again surprising her with how incredibly gentle it was. "I will. Promise. Meet you back here when it's all done."

Lenalee nodded again and left.

Allen waited a few seconds to make sure she was actually gone before leaning down and opening up the bag.

He reached in and fished out a cloak. Large, white, with a fur-lined hood and an unevenly cut base. The hood was topped by four large spikes of fabric, giving the appearance of a giant crown sitting upon his head. Metal cuffs, shaped like crowns themselves, encircled the wrists. He threw it about his shoulders, slipped his arms through the sleeves, and clasped it about his neck.

Next he drew a glove from the bag, though it looked more like a clawed hand. The fingers had been replaced with long, sturdy, razor-sharp blades. When slipped onto his left hand, it would prove an invaluable tool for climbing, or for a weapon, if it really came down to it. As Allen pulled the glove off of his left hand, he winced at the color of the flesh beneath it. It was black, almost as if the life had been drained from his arm, leaving it a dry husk of what it once was. He had purposefully kept it from Lenalee; he knew only too well how people reacted to his arm. Besides, it wasn't like it was the only thing he had kept from her. He put those thoughts from his head as he pulled on clawed tool; he had more important things he needed to be focusing on.

Allen pulled one last item from the bag. The very thing that gave him his thief name.

It was a mask. A half mask of silver. The nose and eyes were gilded in gold, along with the suns rays radiating out from the bottom of the right eye and the three small studs set over the right eyebrow. Under the left eye the mask was trimmed with black stripes of alternating thickness. Above it and below to the left of it was all black.

The mask was the greatest part of his outfit. Perhaps not the most useful, no, that title belonged to his cloak, but certainly the most significant. He had paid the best blacksmith he knew, an old man known as Zhu, a significant amount of money to craft it, and it, along with his cloak, had managed to earn him quite the name.

As he slipped the mask on his face and pulled the hood on the cloak up, he smirked to himself. He was no longer Allen Walker.

He was now the greatest thief to have ever lived. He was now a legend.

He was the Crowned Clown.

Lenalee didn't look back as she moved from her and Allen's hiding spot. There was no reason to. She didn't need to get one last glance at him. It wouldn't matter if she did. This was going to be the last time she saw him, so having his face committed to memory would make little difference for either of them. Besides, she found that she had already stored his features away in her mind.

She stuck to the shadows of the buildings as she moved, not wishing to reveal herself just yet to the guards patrolling the outer wall. Allen didn't know just how great of a distraction he was going to be getting. He needed twenty seconds? Hell, she could probably give him a solid twenty minutes, at the minimum. If she really wanted to, probably an hour, or more; she was the princess for God's sake! Lenalee reached the square directly in front of the castle gates and stopped. She leaned casually against a wall, as if she belonged there.

She took a deep breath, getting herself ready to plunge back into the constant war that was her life. Her thoughts turned to the young thief now preparing several streets away. How would he fair, she wondered. Would he survive infiltrating the grounds? Would he succeed in getting whatever it was he wanted from her room? She hoped so, for the most part. While having one of her possessions stolen wasn't exactly on her top ten list of awesome things to happen, she could always replace whatever it was he got. And besides, she wanted to see Allen happy, for whatever reason. And he needed to get out unscathed in order to contact the Crowned Clown for her.

Lenalee heard a faint tinkling sound, and suddenly Timcampi was hovering in front of her, the wind stirred up from his flapping gently playing with her hair. She smiled at the small golem. "Ne, Tim, I suppose it's time for me to do my job then." She pushed herself off the wall and glanced at the flying golden ball. "Hey, Tim, tell Allen not to bother waiting for me. I won't be coming back. Tell him thank you, and good-bye."

With that, Lenalee strode out into the sunlight, heading directly across the square. She made it to the halfway point before she got the reaction she was waiting for. A loud voice suddenly called out, followed quickly by another, and another, and suddenly it turned into a great roar from within the walls. The portcullis opened at an alarming velocity and out burst a river of people, all calling her name worriedly.

And, of course, leading the human landslide was her brother, Supervisor Komui Lee. And, of course, there were tears streaming down his face. Honestly, her brother cried more than anyone she had ever known, besides maybe Miranda.

"LENAAALEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" He reached her and swept her up in his arms, holding her so tightly to his chest she found it hard to breathe.

"B-Brother, I'm fine." He continued to bawl, burying his face in her hair. "Brother! Stop crying! I'm back now, and I'm completely fine."

"Then what's this on your arm?!" he practically screamed as his inspected the bandaged wound; she had pushed up her sleeves due to the heat.

"I'm fine!"

"Nonsense, you need to see the doctor!"

"Brother!" No further arguments found their way out of her mouth, for at that moment the remainder of the crowd reached them and surrounded her.

"Your highness-"

"Thank goodness-"

"-so worried-"

She waved her hands, trying to get everyone to settle down, but she knew it'd be no use. After all, she had just vanished on them. So after another ten minutes of being jumbled from person to well-wishing and relieved person, she finally found herself within the castle walls, being hurried toward the grand entrance by her over enthusiastic brother.

"Brother, slow down!"

"But, Lenalee..." Whatever else her brother said went unheard, as Lenalee's attention had suddenly focused on the small white figure scaling the second level of the castle. It was Allen, there was no doubt in her mind. It looked like he had donned some sort of cloak, but she couldn't be sure. As she watched he leaped upward, grabbing a protruding gargoyle head and swinging himself under, up, and onto it. She had to admit, the boy had skills. She felt something settle on her head, causing her to stop staring at the boy thief, which was probably for the better, she realized. Something long and golden fell in front of her face and swayed from side to side. What? She glanced up at her head, catching a glimpse of a small round object and the tip of a wing.

"Tim?" she said in surprise. What was Allen's golem doing here?

"Lenalee?" Komui suddenly asked, waterworks magically ceasing. "Is that a golem on your head?"

"Er, yes."

"Why is there a golem on your head?"

"I kinda…met him out in town?"

Komui gave her a look that spoke volumes of disbelief, but seemed to let it slide for the time being. "He seems rather attached to you, does he not have a master?"

"I-I'm not sure. I just found him around, and he followed me around." She was beginning to sweat a little, lying to her brother had never been easy. She thanked whatever passed for a god that in all the excitement he had yet to notice that she was wearing somebody else's clothes. She was fairly certain that the resulting fit would destroy the city. They entered the Entrance Hall, footsteps and voices echoing loudly off the high, gilded ceiling.

Komui nodded before switching back into obsessive brother mode and crooning, "Let's get you to your room, my sweet little Lenalee. I'm sure you need to rest after all you've been through."

Lenalee didn't even have it in her to point out that she hadn't really "been" through anything, but decided to humor her brother. Besides, she wanted to know why Tim had come back to her instead of returning to Allen, and for that, she needed to the privacy of the Royal Library. "I'll go to the library instead, Brother. Just tell everyone I'm going to my room, so they'll leave me alone, alright?"

Komui's face twisted for a second before he assented to her wish, loudly calling out about how he was taking "his adorable sister" to her room to rest. He pranced away down the hallway while Lenalee slipped through a side door. She was beginning to get scarily good at sneaking off unnoticed. She turned, finding herself in another hallway, one she knew quite well. It took her less than five minutes for her to get to the library.

Bookshelves stretched from the floor to the ceiling high above, crammed with tomes, volumes, scrolls, books, everything. She had spent hours in here as a child, reading whatever she could lay her hands on, playing on the wheeled ladders that allowed access to the upper shelves. Lenalee had always come here when she wanted to think or just get away from her duties, locking the door behind her, as she did now, to be sure she wasn't disturbed. She pulled the boots from her feet and strode across the hardwood floor, inhaling the scent of the pages deeply. When her bare feet hit the thick, shaggy rug at the center of the room, she smiled widely.

Lenalee reached up and gingerly plucked the golem from the top of her head. "Now, Tim," she slid into one of the luxuriously upholstered chairs. "Do you have something to tell me?" She released the golden ball, and Timcampi flew in a circle a few times before settling on the floor in front of her, once again opening his mouth to project an image upward. This time it was Allen, standing before her in a white cloak, with some sort of mask on. Her eyes widened. Wait…

And then Allen began speaking.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty…"

A/N: there you go guys, hope you enjoyed it. updates may be getting a tad slower, i've got three fics to juggle around now. btw, for those of you who enjoy either zelda and/or percy jackson and the olypmians, check out my other fics. oh, and i changed the story title, i think i like the new one better, let me know what you guys think.

please review! for every review i get, i will not slaughter a small child, so...review! (or if you don't like children, review anyway and just tell me to knock one off for you XD)