The Prince and the Thief

Chapter One

"Kellin. Sweetheart!" I ran to the balcony where my mother was standing in her beautiful white gown. Her flowing black curly hair cloaked her back. We were in our palace and for six year old me, it was like a giant playground. She lifted me in her arms. "See down there." She point towards where a group of people were. But unlike everyone else these people were dancing and wearing bright clothing.

"Who are they?" I looked in amazement.

"They're gypsies." She turned to me with a childlike sparkle in her eyes. "Want to get a closer look?" I nodded eagerly. We ran through the castle and down the steps where the people we dancing without a care in the world. They stopped when my mother and I approached. They bowed.

"Oh please don't stop. I love your music."

"Your highness, we really must move to a different area. If your husband found out we would be sentenced to death." She was a small woman in her thirties. A young child was attached to her dress while the other, maybe a year older, was looking at me oddly.

"What are you looking at?" I said sassily. He rolled his eyes.

"Well obviously you." The woman hit him on the shoulder lightly. I got the feeling that was his mother.

"Vic!" The woman scolded him. My mom giggled.

"Can you please dance some more? I want my son to learn." The woman nodded and the music started up again. I watched the dancers fluid movements as they shaped the air. My gaze soon traveled to the boy. The one who's name was Vic. He was standing with his eyes closed, playing a small flute. After the song ended, I realized I was smiling. I clapped and they bowed dramatically.

"That was wonderful." I whispered. They all gave me a warm smile except Vic. He just kept giving me that weird look. I search his body. He was like the rest of them. Tan skin, bright clothing, brown hair, and deep brown eyes. He was different though. The others were nervous to be around us. He was just curious.

"How far along are you?" Vic asked. I looked at my mom. Her eyes were wide.

"What ever do you mean?"

"You are with child yes?" I looked at my mom's stomach. She didn't look that fat. Not like when Helga, my nanny, when she was pregnant. My mom put a hand on her stomach.

"How did you know?"

"Your face is practically glowing but you have bags under your eyes because you always feel tired. You're leaning forward slightly, taking pressure off your spine where no doubt you're having lower back pains." Vic explained. I felt out smarted. He only had to be a couple years older than me. "That's what happened when my mom was pregnant with my brothers and sisters." He smiled, placing his flute in his little side bag.

"Can you teach me?" His face scrunched in confusion.

"Teach you what?"

"To dance. To play that thing." I pointed towards were he just put away his little wooden flute.

"Maybe one day." I watched the little coins around his waist bounce up and down as he started packing up his stuff. That's when we heard it. The guards horn blew loud as they descended on top of the group. My mom scooped me back into her arms. Through all the chaos I lost the two little boys. The only people that were left were two women and three men being hauled away by the guards. Hoods were over their eyes and their hands and feet were shackled with rusty silver cuffs with long chains.

"Your highness." One of the guards bowed at my mother and I.

"You have to let them go. They did nothing wrong." I shouted. The guard laughed at me and I hid in my mom's neck.

"They are thieves, murderers, prostitutes. They are cunning and not to be trust. They'll steal right from under your nose." I put a hand under my nose as my mom lead me back into the castle, into my room. There was nothing under my nose worth stealing. I wonder what will happen to them. I wonder where those two boys went.

"Mom?" She looked at me sadly. She had seemed so happy today and then poof. With the gypsies the happiness went. She tucked me under my covers. "What is going to happen to them?" She closed her eyes.

"They're going to die sweetheart."

"What? Why?" I shot forward. There was children in the group. "They didn't do anything wrong?"

"I'm afraid they did." My father appeared in the doorway. He was wearing his lazy clothing but his buzz cut hair always gave him the look of a professional.

"On what charges?"

"Street performers are forbidden." I remembered the little old man that played music near the market. He would be what is considered a street performer. But his skin was the color of the moon. White. Not the creamy caramel color that Vic's was. My mother stood up from the edge of my bed.

"No. Gypsies are forbidden and you know it. How could you be so bias James?! They are people trying to make a living."

"They are tyrants. Threats to our home. I'll be damned if I'm going to let a threat in the city." My father glanced at me. "Vasilissa, do you think here is the best place to talk?" My mom shook her head and leaned over, kissing me on the forehead.

"Goodnight my little baby. Dream of that gypsy boy tonight." She smiled warmly before leaving. My mom was the only person I could talk to at this castle and I was the only one she truly loved. She was forced into marrying my father who is thirty years older than her. She's in her twenties. And I'm the only child in this castle that is hers besides my sibling in her stomach. Which I still didn't understand. Why did she eat him? Ah, today was too much for six year old me. I need to get some rest.

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The next morning I was startled awake by the sounds of the horns blaring and a crowd cheering. I hid my face in my pillow. I sighed, jumping out of bed. I forgot to change out of my clothes from yesterday. I threw on a new pair of clothes and went to my bedroom window. There was people by the noose. People with tan skin. I felt sick to my stomach. I ran to the balcony where my father and his children were watching the executioner put the noose around one of their necks. It was Vic's mother.

"You can't do this!" I screamed desperately. My father laughed.

"I can do as I please. I am king." I looked at the thrown where my mother would be sitting.

"Where is my mother?!" He point towards the execution and I turned just in time for Vic's mother having the floor taken from beneath her feet, snapping her neck. The people cheered. I spotted a different skin tone out of all the hooded people on the ledge. I saw my mother's long black hair and her wonderful white dress. They yanked her forward, pulling the hood off her face. She had a bandage covering her eyes.

"This once was your queen. A whore queen!" The executioner shouted. The people booed. "She sided with the gypsy people and let them into our home. She is a traitor and traitors deserve death!" The crowd roared. I felt sick to my stomach. I turned to look back at my father. I had to think of something.

"You can't hurt her."

"And why not?" I racked my brain, looking for anything.

"She's with child!"

"What's your point? That's one less abomination like you that I have to worry about." I turned back to the noose being slipped over my mom's head. That's when I noticed it. People in the crowd wearing long cloaks and not clapping with everyone else. They were spread out in some formation allowing one to walk freely up to the execution ledge. He jumped up of the rock, earning a gasp from the crowd. He was shorter, probably a young boy. My suspicions were confirmed when he let the cloak drop around his feet. It was Vic. He had a hand raised in a fist. A group of guards were waiting under the ledge for him to leap and another was right behind him. The other cloaked people raised their fist copying his movements.

"Larga vida a los muertos!" (Long live the dead!) They all struck down at the same time. It released a smoke into the air that blanketed everything from sight. I could hear the screams of the people down below. After a few minutes, the smoke started resting. When everything came back in sight, the prisoners were gone and so were the people I think were gypsies. More importantly, my mother was gone.