Ronan's Tale

Chapter 1:

Delicately, I opened my eyes.

The bright sun shone heavily upon the alleyway that I woke up in; the damp, hard ground provided little comfort as I slept. I looked around, checking my surroundings. Max was sitting on a barrel in the corner, throwing and catching a tiny sheepskin ball in his hand.

"Finally awake?" his gruff voice asked.

I raised a hand to my shoulder and rubbed it. "Yeah," I told him. "I think I might have a crick in my neck."

Max looked over, a twinge of concern in his eyes. "How bad is it?"

"Not too bad," I played it off.

Max smiled and resumed playing his game of catch. "You know what day it is, don't you?"

"Market trip day. Ugh," I frowned.

"You'll be fine. Since when have the city's guards ever caught you?"

I brought a finger to my chin. "Never."

Max replied, "So how do you know you'll be caught this time?"

I smiled at Max knowing that he believed in me, then hopped onto my feet and walked over to a corner between two buildings near where I was laying earlier. I lifted a stormy gray tarp off a hole and pulled out a small chest that stored my belongings, including a hooded cloak, dual knives, a small satchel, and the itchiest pair of shoes you could find. I donned the cloak and sizable hood, strapped the knife scabbards to my waist, slung the satchel over my shoulder, and slipped into my shoes, then headed off to the tarp that hid the alleyway from the street.

"What's going on?" a little girl's voice said behind me.

I turned around to see Amy, Max's younger sister, staring me dead in the eyes.

Max looked up again to see that Amy was awake now, turning his head to look at the elevated platform that she slept on, then looking back at us. "Wha- how did you-"

I let out a slight chuckle. "I taught her to move on the balls of her feet last week," I told him. I knelt to get eye-level with Amy and said to her, "Max has good ears. If you fooled him, you'll be a master thief in no time."

Amy smiled. "I'd like that."

Max jumped off the barrel and steadied it before it fell, then came over to us. "Ronan, what did I tell you about teaching Amy how to be sneaky? I don't want her to be caught and taken to prison."

"She won't when I'm out in the field with her. You know I wouldn't let her out of my sight."

"How can you guarantee that? She's too young to know what prison is like. I'm her older brother, so I know what's best for her."

My gaze shifted to Max, thoughts running through my mind. "Listen, we're good friends. I steal food for us collectively, we share an alleyway, and we need to get along. I don't have siblings, so I don't know what it's like to have just a sister left. But I know what it's like to lose my parents. You'll eventually have to let her make her own decisions. If she wants to help us get food, it'd make everything just a little easier for us. If she helped, we could steal more food for other orphans. It'd help me tremendously."

Max looked down at the cobblestone ground for a split second, then responded, "Okay. If she wants to learn how to steal, that's her choice. But she's only seven. Take it slow."

I nodded. I turned away from them with Max calling out, "Good luck!"

— — — — —

Strolling through the cobblestone streets, I couldn't help but take note of the gorgeous cottages inside the high stone wall that surrounded the city. I glanced at them from the corner of my eye, looking to see what was happening with each family on the inside. Most were having a tranquil day and not going out, spending time with the family in the living room. The fathers or husbands were sharpening their axes, for most were lumberjacks, and the wives would be mending their clothes. Their children, if they had any, would be running about the streets, playing tag or some other game.