Throne Out

            Zineth was born the first daughter of a wealthy family. She was thrown into the streets at age eight because of the shame that she accidently brought to her family. In truth, she covered for her younger twin sister, taking all the blame. Her sister broke an expensive vase and even drew over a famous picture. To Zineth, her sister was everything. Her family was never there for them. They never wanted to seek out the truth. Facing the harsh world with no one to depend on, she ate what was generously given and fought for what she needed. After three weeks of fending for herself, she was picked up by a man. Going through training, she became a thief-in-training and made her world a game. She reminded herself that all she had to do to survive the new world was to train hard and beat all that stood in her way. She had a better family now: thieves, followers, fans, teammates, rivals, a teacher, and the streets.

            At the same time, her twin sister was raised to be more proper, like a princess. She fell in love with a prince that took no interest for petty, frilly girlies like her. She didn’t give in and continued to bother him. She knew her parents already approved of it and nothing else stood in her way.

            The prince took a chance at his dreams and travelled for a few years to train while taking note of the hardships in the world. He came back, only to find his kingdom falling apart and his older brother sick in bed. He stepped in and needed help with reinforcements. He decided to hold a tournament to find the strongest people to help bring back the glory of the kingdom.

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            Zineth grinned, rubbing her hands together in excitement. “A tournament, eh? For the strongest people only? I’m definitely in.” She ran out of town and into the damp cave in the forest. She sat down and pulled out a poster, showing her teammates. “Well? Anyone interested other than me? They said that they’re going to give out an unimaginable prize.”

            Neph shook his head. “You’re crazy, Zineth. Read the poster. It says that only guys can enter. You look too much like a girl to enter.”

            Zineth shrugged. “Gender never stopped me from being a thief and the leader of this group at that. Besides, I can wear a cloak on top. They can’t possibly be stupid enough to search me down when I’m entering a competition like that. And when I win, we’ll be able to survive for a while with a full three-meal dinner every day since people will be afraid of us. So, is anyone in?” She paused and groaned when no answer was received. “Fine… But you all better watch me. I’m going to enter now so see you in a few minutes.” She ran into town and straight to the gate of the palace, waiting in line with a cloak over her body and hood over her head. She wrote down her name in the listing and walking in with the other contestants, finding a seat. She smiled, looking at the men she could fight against. Excitement ran through her blood as she daydreamed about the breathtaking fights. Once the tournament began, she made it through the first round without breaking a sweat and with a smile on her face the entire time. Of course, everyone was shocked to find that someone twice as large as her was beaten so easily. She became the underdog: cheered for sincerely.

            The second round had a better opponent for her. She jumped around and above him, doing her best to dodge his attacks. Her teeth clenched together as she swiftly pressed her knuckles into the man’s stomach, blowing him off of his feet. The third round came and went. She ended it with a kick in the air and down onto the ground. Right when they were checking to see if the man was down for good, her stomach grumbled. Embarrassed, she ran back to her seat drinking water to fill up the need for food instead. She passed several rounds afterwards, making it into the semi-finals. She walked into the battlegrounds and smiled when she heard her teammates actually encouraging her. She cracked her knuckles and looked up at the man who was about two feet taller and more muscled than her. She stood her ground and ran towards him, jumping in the air. She kicked the back of his head with her heel towards the floor and brushed her hands together when she landed. She smiled and made a peace sign to her teammates. She walked back in to take a quick break before making it into the finals. She stood her place and was handed a sword. She gripped the handle tightly and raised an eyebrow, holding up the sword. “Um, I don’t know how to use weapons…”

            Her rival snorted at her comment. “Stupid. All guys know how to use swords. You’ll get the hang of it soon.” He smiled and ran towards her, ripping the cloak into shreds. “I knew it. You were a girl after all.”

            Zineth raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “So what if I’m a girl? I can do everything a man can do twice as well. That’s why I’m in the semi-finals, right?” She smiled and held up her sword in front of her. “Let the best win.”

            Her rival placed the sword on the floor, his fist on his hip. “You won. Shall I introduce myself? I’m the prince of this kingdom, Prince Anix. And your real name is…?”

            Zineth smiled, dropping the sword. She held out her hand. “Zineth, queen of thieves. Nice to meet you, princey.”

            Anix rolled his eyes and shook her head. “As to you, Zineth. I’m quite surprised a girl like you can actually fight so well. Who trained you?”

            Zineth pulled her hand forcively away from him and narrowed her eyes. “That is none of your business. Never ask again or I swear that you will regret meeting me. You’ll see me a lot in town so if you find me later, tell me what I win.” She jumped up to the crowd and walked away with her teammates praising her.

            Anix smiled. “I found my rival.”