Quest for Adventure

The Thieves

The sound of galloping horses filled the cool forest air. A young black stallion weaved threw the trees, followed quickly by a brown and white mare. The lead rider laughed like a child as he rode, occasionally looking back at his partner who clung tightly to her mount. He rounded a corner before bringing his horse to a slow stop. Panting, he looked threw the trees and vines as his partner caught up.

After a moment, a large smirk appeared on the rider's face. "We lost 'em" he said, turning to his companion, his face beaming with pride, "That couldn't have gone better!"

"Yeah..." She said between breaths, "but next time... Can we not steal... Horses?" The male nimbly dismounted his horse, still holding the reins "It'll be worth it! Look at these guys, they'll go for at LEAST two hundred gold if not more."

"Yeah, I hope so" she replied as she clumsily slid off her own horse, landing awkwardly on the ground "I can walk, I swear!"

The male snickered, "Sure you can, Hestia, did you grab the jewels? We might have horses, but doesn't hurt to have a back up." Hestia nodded and reached into her bag. After a moment, she pulled out a handful of glistening gems of all different colors and sizes.

"See? I'm useful, Apollo." She said, brushing one of her many braids out of her face. Apollo smirked as he pulled back his black and gold hood, letting his short, fluffy, brown hair go free. "Yeah yeah, let's go get these babies sold!"

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"I can not believe we didn't get these babies sold..." Apollo huffed as they trudged out of the market place with the stolen horses in tow. Hestia shrugged, eating an apple she had discretely stolen from a fruit stand. "I mean you did call that guy a dirty pig." She said very matter of factly, earning a small scoff from Apollo, "And I'd do it again, too."

After they were a decent way away from the market, Apollo looked at the horses. "I guess having a pair of horses isn't that bad, maybe it'll actually be helpful!" He said, petting the stallions head. Hestia glanced at him, "For someone who knows how to ride." Apollo snickered and looked at her, "Aw come on, Hestia you only fell off once!"

"And it hurt..." She muttered, rubbing the shoulder that she had landed on when she fell off on the way to the market, "Anyway, what now? We could go find an inn or tavern for the night, or maybe go steal something?"

A devious smirk started to crawl onto Apollo's face. Before he even uttered a word, Hestia sighed, "What are we stealing this time?" She asked in a somewhat monotone manner.

Apollo laughed mischievously and wrapped an arm around Hestia's shoulders, looking around and whispering as if someone could possibly be spying on them. "Have you ever heard of the 'Princess's Charm'?" He asked in a hushed tone. Hestia raised an eyebrow, "you mean that tiara thing that the princesses of Vasileía have to wear? What about it?"

With a quick movement, Apollo stood on a large tree stump, looking at the tree tops wistfully. The lighting of the lazy afternoon sun making his brown hair and eyes glow gold. The dramatic lighting mixed with his equally dramatic pose made him seem like a living painting.

God why is he always so dramatic when the lighting is good?

After a moments pause, he spoke, "They say, a long time ago, Vasileía came under attack by giants. Massive and bloodthirsty, they nearly destroyed the entire kingdom! That was until, the young and fair princess at the time, disobeyed her fathers request to flee and hide. Disguised by an old cloak, she found the leader of the giants and spoke with him, not only stoping the war, but earning an ally. As a peace offering and apology, the giants gave the young maiden a crown of pure gold. Not only is the tiara elegant and beautiful, it poses a magic charm that could only be matched by the princess who earned it in the beginning. It has been passed down the royal family tree for centuries now..." He glanced at Hestia and smirked, "...and it's worth a fortune!"

Hestia's eyes widened, "Are you serious, Apollo? You want to steal THE Princess's Charm? Don't you know that Vasileía has a princess at the moment? She could be keeping it on her person at all times!"

"I already thought about that..." Apollo said, reaching into his boot and yanking out a flyer. He presented it to Hestia with a grin, "The royal family is hosting a masquerade, and I might not be one to like parties but we can use this to get close to her and snatch it!"

Apollo rolled up the flyer and put it back in his boot. Without hesitation he walked over to the stallion and mounted him, looking at Hestia. "This could be huge, you know what we could do with the money that tiara gives us?"

"You know how high the chances are we get caught?" Hestia argued.

There was a long moment of silence before Apollo sighed, "I won't force you to-" before he could finish his thought, Hestia pulled herself onto her own horse and grinned, "Did you ever hear me say I didn't want to?"

Apollo smirked, "Let's go steal the princess's crown, my friend." He said before giving his horse a kick and riding into the trees, Hestia close behind.