Sorry for the late-ish update. I was waiting until I had finished something else, but that something else is going to take a bit longer, so telling you about my surprise will have to wait until the next update.
Jaden had taught me a lot. How to pick someone's pocket, how to open a locked door, even how to keep my mouth shut. But mostly, he'd taught me that being a thief is about more than all those simple lessons. What do you do if, after sneaking into the house and past the guards and into the room where the jewelry is kept, the lady of the house is still awake? No amount of time spent learning how to climb noiselessly down from the roof is going to get you past her when she's pacing back and forth in front of the jewel chest.
Being a thief is about knowing the skills.
Being a good thief is about knowing how to improvise.
And being the Thief is about knowing when to do which.
So which one of those applied here?
I knew what I was supposed to do. Write to the Sage and tell him that I had been approached by a group of rebels who were planning to overthrow the king. Give him the details of where they were, their names, everything I had learned. Be the good little Thief and turn them over.
I'm sure it surprises no one that by the time Caer came for my morning lesson, the only conclusion I had arrived at was that that was the last thing I would do.
"Good morning, Morane. Should we pick up where we left off?" He dropped his books on the table and turned to face me eagerly.
I shrugged and leaned out the window until I was half hanging out. Frankly, I wasn't in the mood for Caer just then. He was entirely too cheerful and I was trying to order my thoughts into some semblance of a plan regarding the rebels.
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm bored," I muttered to the ground a hundred feet below. It was hardly the truth but I couldn't tell Caer everything that was going on.
"Well, you know what's not boring? The Dragon Wars in the reign of King Moronal the second!"
"Everyone knows dragons are extinct."
"Nearly extinct, actually. And back then they were pretty common. In fact, the first war began because in the third summer of Moronal the second's reign, the dragon population had--"
"I don't care."
"Someone's grouchy today."
"Shut up."
"You know who else has been in a bad mood?"
"Can you not take a hint?"
"The princess."
"So?"
"You're exasperating." He ran a hand through his hair and sat down. "Do you guys ever talk to each other? Did you ever consider-- why are you laughing at me?"
I was laughing, doubled over the window sill and giggling madly. "The princess-- talk to me? Are you stupid?"
"Maybe," He said coldly, "The reason she never talked to you is because you never talked to her."
"Maybe," I echoed, "The reason she never talked to me is because she's a princess."
"Sit down." There was a screech of wood being pulled over stone and I glanced over my shoulder, surprised, to see that he was standing with crossed arms behind my chair. "Now." I raised an eyebrow and he grimaced. "Please?"
Slowly, I walked over to where he was standing and clasped my hands behind my back. I liked the fact that standing so close, it was obvious that I was taller than him. Looking down on people has always given me a sort of enjoyment. "What's your problem today?"
"My problem?" He stared up at me, green eyes flashing. "You're the one with a problem. And the worst part is, you don't even realize it."
"Oh, great. I've got another problem in my life, and no one told me!" I said sarcastically.
"Sit down," He repeated, softer, and did so himself, pushing his books aside. "I think today we will talk about more recent history." He waited until I had seated myself with my legs over one arm of the chair before continuing. "Almost eighteen years ago, a messenger arrived from the sky temple to inform the king that his daughter and Heir would be born that night. Of course there were all the usual parties thrown and gifts given and the hubbub of finding her two Guardians among the new-born children of the city. They named her Magali, after the warrior queen two hundred years before who succeeded Queen Juno. That's a heavy legacy, you know. Queen Magali conquered most of what is today southern Solongia, and extended the Golden Age of Queen Juno another fifty years."
"You're talking to me about legacies? I'm the Thief."
"And she's the princess. That's my point."
"This, whatever you're trying to do, is none of your business."
"Yes, it is! It's my business because she's too shy and you're too-- scary. That wasn't a compliment. Don't take that as a compliment. Look, what I'm trying to say is, you're not as different as you think."
I swung my legs around and stood up. "I don't know why you had to do this today."
"What?"
"I don't know why you had to choose today to try and convince me that the princess and me should be best friends, or whatever."
Caer flinched. "It would be the princess and I, but never mind. Morane, I meant what I said before, you've got a problem. Both of you. I've been looking through the books, and there's never before been a case where the Heir and the Guardians have so little contact. It's not good. Honestly, I'm worried. I don't think you care about her at all."
"I don't."
"That's what I mean! If you keep saying stuff like that, you never will."
"And I'm supposed to?"
"Yes!" He rubbed his face with his hands. "How did this suddenly become my problem? Morane, yes, you're supposed to. Like it or not, Guardians guard the Heir."
"You said before that no one knows if the Guardians actually have any connection to the royal family."
"I meant originally! Originally, they might not have been linked to the royal family. There is no question, however, that over time the Guardians have linked themselves to the blood line of Solangia, advising and protecting the Heir."
Biting my lip, I wrapped my arms around myself. "I don't want to talk about this."
"Fine." He started gathering his books. "Fine, you don't have to talk to me about this. But promise that you'll try and talk to her."
"She never tried to talk to me!"
He shook his head and left, leaving me to remember that that wasn't quite true. A few weeks ago, before the ban from the training yards and nighttime trips to the city, the princess had asked for combat lessons. In the training yards. With us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A simple note left with Kemp would let Nali know I wasn't going back to the small room in the Black Horse that night. Instead, I saddled Pitch, still borrowing him nightly instead of using Saffron, and met Jaden at the match house. Dumping Caer and his lecture unceremoniously out of my mind, I stepped inside with new purpose. I was tired of watching. Tonight, I decided, I was fighting in my first match.