Retribution (Garrett / Reader)

The Knight and Rook

10,000 was a lot, more than anyone in the city would likely see. And it was unlikely that the Thief-Taker General would hand me that much money and let me live. I was the one who gave him that limp in the first place anyway. Still, something was strange, he said that this so called princess was kidnapped when obviously she had no intention of going back home. And what I could tell, she would be able to get out of that kind of situation, especially with that sword of hers.

She was slightly smaller than me, but a lot lighter. Once I had her hands tied behind her back, I was able to pull her body over my shoulder with ease. She was knocked out cold, and was as limp as a ragdoll.

"Oh god Garrett, again?" Basso said with exhaustion as I met him in the alleyway.

"She tried to get away, but I took care of it." I said, readjusting her weight on my shoulder.

"Shit, what are we doing? You realize we look like the kidnappers now, right? You're carrying an unconscious princess in a dark alley. You should've just let her go." He said, rubbing his temples.

"I couldn't." I said abruptly.

"What? Why?! Are you growing soft on me Master Thief?" Basso said, a small smirk on his face.

"Something's off, Basso. I don't know what but...I need to find out." I said, disregarding his accusation.

"Fine, but don't let yourself be seen. This looks really bad right now." He said, waving his finger at us.

"You're not coming?"

"No way. I don't need to be there if you're caught with the princess. Meet me back at the Burrick when you're done." He said, walking in the opposite direction.

I took a deep breath, as I made my way down the street, hiding in the shadows as much as possible. Although she didn't weigh much, it was still difficult to carry a body and remain hidden. At one point there was an area being patrolled by three guards, with limited shadows. So I placed (y/n) in a dark alley, propped against a wall. Her pulse was still slow and steady, she would be out cold for at least a little while longer. As quickly as I could, I hid the unconscious bodies of the guardsmen in a hidden alleyway to the left, out of sight. I hurried back to (y/n) and threw her over my shoulder again, quickly ducking in and out of streets. Then I made it to the gates to the Stonemarket Graveyard, where the dead spoke and beggars rested. I opened the gates and crept inside.

"Ah, Garrett. It's been a moment, has it not?" The Queen of Beggars said, not looking up from her chessboard.

"It has. But the city has been silent lately since...Erin." I said, hesitating to say her name, almost as if it were sacred.

"The city has been anything but silent my dear..." She said, placing a chess piece on the opposite end of the board.

I felt my shoulder grow sore, carrying this dead weight around began to take its toll, again. I looked around until I spotted a bench over to the left of the Queen, and walked towards it. Slowly, I layed (y/n) on the creaking wood, making sure she didn't wake. I didn't need her yelling at me while I was trying to have a conversation.

"Ah, it is about your new accomplice...the one you found in the outer edge of the city." She said, sipping from a small teacup.

Sometimes I forgot how much the blind woman could actually see. She gathered information from her beggars sure, but she always knew more. Was that a good or a bad thing, I was never sure. With her shaking fingers he handed me two warm teacups.

"She's out cold. And I doubt she'll want to sit and sip tea with us." I said, placing both cups on the table.

"You underestimate her Garrett. She's a lot more than a princess who's lost her way. And you saw that." she said, making a move on her side of the board.

"My eye, when I focused on her she was white...Usually people show up in blue or red...but white?" I asked, sitting across from her, making a move on the chessboard.

She studied the board for a moment before making her move. With her knight, she knocked over one of my rooks.

"Things aren't as simple as they might seem, Garrett. But it is a lot like chess. You see yourself as a pawn, someone expendable, forced to take the first step. And so does she. But you both look through tainted eyes, and see what you want. Both of you are remarkably similar..." She said, taking another sip of her tea.

"In what way? I'm a thief and she's a princess. There isn't a single similarity that I can see." I said bitterly.

"She's a princess as much as I am a Queen. Titles mean nothing to you in this city, why should they now?" she asked.

I was silent, not wanting to answer her cryptic question. I just ran my finger over the rim of my tea.

"You, Master Thief, watch from the shadows, overlooking the city. So does the rook, watching over the board, waiting for it's next move. And she, the princess, watches as well, but through eyes full of regret and hope for change. The knight, although educated and privileged, sees damage that the King and Queen do not. She was born and raised to nobles, but does not see the same way they do. She sees all that her parents do not see, the pain, the suffering of their people, the ones they are supposed to protect."

"But why did she glow white?" I asked, impatiently.

"Because, she is to bring great change to this city. And you are to help her. It is fate. She has become the white knight that you had become when the city needed it most...and that time has come again. The city has chosen her, and the rook is to assist the knight." She said, scoring a winning move on the old chess board.

"How? What am I to do." I asked.

"Although she has strong intentions, she is unfamiliar to the ways that things are down in our district. You need to be her guide. Lead her until the end."

We both looked over to the bench as we heard grunting come from (y/n). She was starting to wake up.

"Now, go give her this tea. She's freezing after sleeping out in this weather." The Queen of Beggars said, handing me a warm tea cup.