The Tales Of Esmeralda

Chapter 1: The Story Of Esmeralda The...Thief

"Hey!" a guard yelled. "Stop that, you wench!"

The girl with reddish brown hair blowing behind her laughed. "I am no wench! I'm just a simple little thief!" She laughed some more before she ran (literally) into another guard. "Oh shit."

"Give it here, young lady, and we won't kill you, okay?" the second guard said.

She panicked. She scanned her surroundings with her forest green eyes. She breathed heavily, but her breaths were steady.

"Give it here?" she asked. "Why this?" She held up the sword she was holding. Which she didn't steal. She stole food. But they seemed to have thought she stole the sword. "No no no. See, I didn't steal this. This was my dad's before he died -"

"A likely story," the second guard grumbled. "Like your dad would've given a blade like that to a woman who can't even use it. Come on. Give it here."

The girl sighed. "Okay. If you insist." With her long silver sword, she stabbed the guy in the shoulder. He howled out in pain. "Look, you're the one who asked for it. You weren't specific how you wanted it!" She pulled it out of his bleeding shoulder. "Well, uh, gotta run!" She used to hilt of her sword, and she pushed the guy down. She then jumped over him, and continued running.

"Honestly!" she said to herself breathlessly. "People these days! Gods, you steal one thing to survive and you're sentenced to go to Hades. What, am I not allowed to worship Hermes now?"

"Hold it!" the first guard yelled. The girl turned around. He had a sword aimed right at her chest. If he dug the sword in he'd kill her. "You can't be...you're Esmeralda Xanthis!"

"Ummmmm, yeah," she nodded her pale head with a straight face. "Yeah, that's been my name for...how many years now? Oh, right. Sixteen. Sixteen years now. I mean...I hope it has been. I've been responding to it!"

"Why would the General's daughter steal a sword?"

Esmeralda stared at the guy. "She didn't."

"Then what did you steal?"

"Food. And I'll give it back. I'm just hungry, but I couldn't pay for it." She took out her bag of food and gave it to the guy. "There ya go."

"How much money do you have?"

"Ummm..." She looked into her small pouch with money in it. She sighed. "Three Hemitartemorions. Which...isn't a lot. But it's something, right?"

"Here." The guard gave Esmeralda five Drachmas. "You can pay for food now. Since your father was a brave man, and your mother was so kind I will help you."

Esmeralda took the money and held it against her chest. She had tears in her eyes. "Thank you. I-I owe you."

"It's on me." He smiled, then walked away.

Esmeralda was almost tempted to cry. Her father had died trying to protect their village from a warlord who came to attack. And her mother, who was a healer, drowned weeks afterwards. Esmeralda was all alone. But she couldn't go anywhere because of her lack of money and supplies. So...she stole a lot.

"Hey, Es!" she heard a female voice behind her. She turned around to see a woman with short light blonde hair and nut brown eyes. "Remember me?"

Esmeralda tried to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she shook her head. She did, however, walk closer to the store where the woman was.

"Oh, of course not. We haven't spoken in years." The woman sighed. "Oh, well. I'll introduce myself. Kyra Lekkas. And I know you're Esmeralda Xanthis."

"Yes, I am."

"You know how to fight, do you not?"

"Yes. My father taught me at a young age because he didn't care what gender I was. I should still be able to protect myself, right?"

"Makes sense. You like helping people, right?"

"Y-yes."

"Well, then, do that!"

"H-how?"

"Adventure Greece! Save people! Be the warrior that Athena sent from Olympus for us."

"I-I-I don't know. That-that's...that must be hard. I don't want...I don't want my life to be any harder."

"Okay. But I just think that you'd be fabulous at it."

"Okay, Kyra. Thanks for the suggestion." And with that Esmeralda headed home.