A Thief and...a Prince? (editing)

Chapter 1

I ran across the cobblestone streets, my soft soled boots making tiny pats on the hard stone. The few people out at this time were never up to anything good, and they all obeyed an unspoken rule.

Never rat someone out.

I didn't have to worry. Nearing the castle, I went over my plan again. I smirked.

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I stood near the servants' entrance. This would be my entrance and exit if things go according to plan. There were two guards standing beside each other. Slurred words and laughter drifted through the air.

They were drunk. That just makes it easier for me.

I kept to the castle wall, creeping behind them, my dark clothes providing simple camouflage. I easily made it through the archway they guarded.

There was a courtyard connected to the servants' entrance. The tangling, shadowy masses of plants would provide cover. Beyond the courtyard, there was an entrance for important people. Then there was a well and the entrance to the kitchens.

I checked my pendant. It was about 1:00, so no one should be in the kitchens. I passed the well, crept through the kitchens, being careful not to knock anything over, then stepped out into a corridor. The torches had been put out for the night. I could proceed without being noticed.

According to the map I had borrowed from one of the unsuspecting guards (he must have been new), I had to walk about 100 meters, turn left, walk 250 meters, turn right, go down some stairs, walk down the hallway, take two left turns, one right, then go into a small room where there's a door to get to the keep.

I reached the small room without any problems. I peeked into the room. There was a higher ranking guard standing there, watching for people...like me, but he won't see me. I pulled out a slim needle. I had seven in total, three normal ones, three dipped in a highly potent sleeping draught, and one coated with poison. I pulled out a sleep-needle, estimated where to throw, then blew it through a thin tube from behind the doorway.

There was a sharp intake of air from the sergeant, followed by a thump as he hit the floor. It hit him right where I wanted it to, in his left shoulder.

Ha, this is almost too easy. I walked over to the door to the keep and tapped on it. Solid metal. Looks like I can't break it. The guard lying face down on the floor probably has the keys. I flipped him over, his scarlet hair dragging on the floor, then flinched back. His deep green eyes were clouded, but they were open.

Is he a monster or something? That concoction was strong enough to knock out a horse! How could he keep his eyes open? And based on his face, he looked about my age too. Why would a teenager be guarding the kingdom's treasures, much less as a sergeant?

It doesn't matter. In his state, he can probably only see my silhouette. Unfortunately, I have a completely flat chest, but that just meant that it would be harder to judge my gender by my silhouette. I could be a slender boy for all the kid lying on the floor knows.

I located the keys easily. They were hanging on the kid's belt. I picked up the keys and went over to the door of the keep. I took the key that matched the door's keyhole design, fitted it into the lock, then turned it. It swung open after a satisfying click.

Gleaming heaps of gems and gold coins were in that one room, almost as if they were waiting to be snagged. For a palace, the security here is really lax. I piled gold and silver coins into my belt pouches. Gems are too suspicious, so I never take them.

When my pouches were filled, I dropped my trademark object, a black ribbon with a cracked glass bead and a slip of paper on it.

There was a message on the ribbon, "Cat was here." Cat is my pseudonym because obviously I'm not gonna use my real name.
Wonder why I leave these behind when I can just go through undetected?

Because it's more fun this way

I turned around and strolled out of the keep humming a tune. The boy was gone.

He shouldn't have even been able to move, much less get up to warn others. The music I was humming grew louder. Now, how should I deal with this?

I sighed. I was careless today. I padded through the hallways underground and took the stairs up to ground level. Then I heard the shouting.

It was coming from the kitchen area. Lovely. I'm going to have to find a different exit now. There were two hallways I could take, one going deeper into the castle and one that branched off into a smaller corridor.

Noises came from the smaller corridor. I took the larger hallway, venturing deeper into the castle.

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