|"You're a strange prince" Eddmatt/Mattedd|

Chapter II: A new friend

"There you are! Stop right there!"

The boy tried to run again but was stopped by the guard that reached out to him, he squirmed, trying to set himself free from the guard's grip.

Matt was now able to study the boy, he had brown hair and brown eyes, he was a bit chubby, his clothes were very worn, he was clearly not clean and he looked really angry, or really scared in Matt's view.

"May I ask what did this boy do, guard?" The guard that chased the poor boy, that was clearly about the friends age, turned around to face the duo that looked at him from under their hoods. "Well sir, this one right here hasn't paid what the king asks in months and now he even started to steal." The guard looked at the boy with disgust in his eyes that was responded by a glare from the young man. "I wouldn't steal if I didn't had to! I live alone with a cat, no one wants to hire me so I can't provide myself anything! How can I live without food and money?!"

The boy's brown eyes kept glaring at the guard that kept him still, probably he would have kicked him where the sun doesn't shine if he wasn't immobilized. "No wonder why no one hires you, a little thief with probably zero experience in anything and.. well you can perfectly see. Who would?" The guard chuckled, the boy's eyes went wide for a moment and then back to glare at the guard.

"What will happen to him now?" The guard looked at Matt in confusion, how does this guy not know what happens when you steal? "He'll be of course took to the palace, he'll find something to do there, and if he tries to steal or can't do anything without messing up, he will be thrown in prison.. and I can see that happening." A grin appeared on the guard's face looking down at the young man that he was blocking meanwhile this one was still glaring at him.

"He'll be obligated to work in the palace because he took some food that he needed since he had no money to pay that or some taxes?" Tom raised an eyebrow even if no one could see that, like he thought when they saw the town, his friend's father probably established high taxes taking advantage of the people and that led to the misery of the city. "That's why they're took to the palace, they won't have that problem anymore, they'll do something useful, but if they don't, they get throw in prison. The king doesn't see them as someone who is worth keeping around so he just let them rot in there." The look of the boy softened a little, probably scared at the thought of spending the rest of his days in a small room with bars in front of it.

At the same moment Matt had the confirmation that his father wasn't cruel only with him, Tom, his mother and the people in the castle, but even with the people of his territories, at the point that even boys of his age had to steal to live. He had to do something , he just felt like he needed to. "And there's nothing he can do to be freed?" The boy's eyes stopped glaring at the guard and were now staring at Matt, confused. 'What is this guy planning' he thought.

"The only thing that he can do is pay a deposit, but if he didn't had the money to pay taxes and food I doubt he can pay that." The guard chuckled again, to Matt and Tom he was starting to get annoying, how can you laugh at someone's misery? Matt took out of his coat the little bag of money that Tom suggested him to bring, but at the end those money weren't going to be used to buy objects for the prince's happiness. "I'll pay that, and if it isn't enough I can take him with me so he won't be a weight for your work anymore" The boy's eyes widened and the guard's too. Tom pulled his friend farther from them, "Matt what are you doing?!" Matt didn't seem to understand why his friend was upset so he tried to explain his intents.

"I just feel like I need to help this boy Tom! He lives alone with just a cat and he's obviously scared of ending in prison! Look at him!" Tom turned around but the only obvious thing about that boy was that he was imagining the guard's death. "Matt what will you tell your father once he comes back and finds another boy at the palace? We don't even know if we can find a work that he can do." Matt opened his mouth but after some seconds closed it again, "I.. I'll find an excuse!" Tom sighed, it was useless trying to stop his friend so he just let him go to the guard to give him the money.