Piper
"Hey! Get back here street rat!" Called a man. I just pulled one of my biggest heists, I stole a cart from some poor shmuck.
"See ya later!" I called, still running away.
"Where do you think you're going little girl?" Said one of the palace guards, pointing his sword at me.
"This way!" I said, running in the other direction.
"Go get her!" Cried the man I stole from.
I ran as fast as I could until I sat down. The palace guards gave up chasing me. My dog, Pepper, ran up to me. "Here's some bread Pepper."
I broke off a piece of bread and gave some to Pepper. Just before she started eating it, a little boy and a little girl, who I recognized as Nico and Bianca di Angelo, walked up to us. I picked up Pepper's bread and gave it to the children.
"We weren't that hungry anyway." I said as they both took the bread.
"Thank you." Bianca mumbled and Nico followed her lead in suit, the they both walked away.
"Come on Pepper. This is just a normal Tuesday." I said, grabbing a cloth purse, making it into a makeshift pillow, and falling asleep, Pepper on my stomach.
Jason
I jumped the wall with my horse, Tempest, naying in protest. "I'm sorry Tempest, but I have to go. I can't live in a place that expects me to be something I'm not. You understand, right?"
Tempest shook his head and reared back and forth. He hated to see me go.
"I'm sorry Tempest. I really am." And with that, I hopped off of the wall, expecting to see a glittering city where no one was poor. Boy, was I wrong.
First, I saw two children, a boy and a girl, carrying two pieces of bread.
"Hey, are you two okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. We're fine. A girl gave me and my brother Nico here some bread when she saw us. She wasn't being very selfish." The girl explained. The boy, who must've been her brother Nico, was nodding in agreement.
"What are your names?" I asked.
"Simple." Nico said. "I'm Nico, and this is my older sister Bianca."
"Nice to meet you two." Note to self: start a program to get children food and a proper education.
"Same here Mr..." Bianca asked.
"Grace. My parents always wanted a girl." I explained, lying slightly.
"Oh. Don't worry. We won't tell anyone. Bye Grace!" Nico said as Bianca pulled him along.
"Bye Nico. Bye Bianca." I kept walking until I tripped over something. Or more like, someone.
Piper
"Hey! What's the big-" I said, then stopped because I noticed who tripped over me. He had close cropped blonde hair and electric blue eyes.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! Let me help you up." The boy said, helping me off of the ground.
"Um, thanks, I guess?"
"What's your name?"
"Why would I tell you that?"
"Because I tripped over you? Besides, I'll tell you my name."
"Which is?"
"Grace."
I laughed, falling on the ground. "You have to be joking."
"I'm not. My parents always wanted a girl, especially after my sister Thalia ran away from home."
"Wait," I said, a connection donning on me. "Thalia. Grace. Thalia Grace. That makes you-"
"You aren't allowed to tell anyone." Prince Jason ordered. "I forbid it."
"You can't order me around." I said. "No one knows that you're the prince, and out here, you have to fend for yourself. Good luck Prince Jason. Come on Pepper."
"Is this Pepper?" Jason asked, holding up Pepper.
I reached out to get her as Prince Jason pulled back.
"I'll only give you Pepper if you promise to not tell anyone about me being the prince. Deal?"
I growled. "I hate you. Now hand me Pepper."
"I didn't hear you promise."
I sighed with exasperation. "Fine! I, Piper McLean, promise to not tell anyone that you're Prince Jason Grace. There. Happy now?"
"Very. But please, call me Jason. And here's your dog." Jason said, handing me Pepper.
"So, what brings you out here?" I asked.
"I wanted to see what my kingdom's like."
"Well, congratulations. You saw the kingdom."
"I can't believe that my kingdom is this bad."
"Yeah, well, this isn't a story book. This is real life."
"Well, I know that now!"
"What did you expect, that your kingdom would be a sparkling, glittering city where no one is poor and no one is sick?"
"Actually, yes. I did."
"Idiot." I mumbled.
"What did you say?"
"I called you and idiot!"
"Well, that's the first anyone's ever called me an idiot."
"I'm special. Besides, if you ever really cared about your kingdom, you would know that Nico and Bianca di Angelo's little half sister got kidnapped two years ago. Their father died one year ago. They've been homeless ever since. And has the royal family done anything about it, no!"
"I didn't know."
"Not like I knew the girl anyway. I'll give bread to them every now and then, but their just little kids!"
"And I should've known!" Jason yelled. I just realized that we were a couple centimeters apart. "My parents don't tell me a thing. And now, they're forcing me to marry this girl I hate!"
"And this is?"
"Princess Reyna! I hate her!"
"She was going to trample over Pepper, but I stopped her, and she whipped me!"
Jason patted my back. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's okay. Not like you could've done anything about it."
"You said your last name is McLean? As in King Tristan McLean of the kingdom a couple day's travel away?"
"Yes."
"Why aren't you with him, in a nice, warm castle?"
"I got kidnapped a couple years ago. My father probably forgot I exist."
"I'm sure he didn't." Jason said, patting me on the back.
"What makes you say that?"
"Because he's at our castle right now, and he was asking if we've heard anything on his missing daughter."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. How about I come and try to find you tomorrow, and go introduce you to him. Would that help?"
"If it'll make you feel better." I said, rolling my eyes.
"Okay. Then I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!"
"Bye!" I said as Jason ran away.
I picked up Pepper. "Come on Pepper. We have to get out of here."
To be continued.....
