𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 | 𝐆𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐒𝐎𝐍

1 ⋆✶⋆ The Beginning

With my best deep grey dress and cleanest undershirt I pranced over the market place, an innocent flower basket on my arm as I went to get the stands to sell them. Getting into the village unseen was easy, as no one would suspect a darling girl and her flowers. I flashed one smile at the guards walking around and their hearts had melted, but their eyes had been deceived.

It wasn't the first time I'd done this and it wouldn't be my last. My family had to eat, that's what kept me going. It continued to give me the strength to walk past those men in armors, their swords ready to slash my throat the second I was caught. Whereas I was only armed with my smile and bare hands. Oh, and not to forget: my bouquets. 

They had sold quickly, but hadn't brought enough to even get a loaf of bread. So I made my way to the place I was sure to get the money. 

I pulled my charcoal cloak tighter around my shoulders as I turned into an alley that led to the forest. But not before glancing back one last time and checking the rooftops. The forest already came into sight. Near the edge was a large clearing, filled with beautiful wildflowers, all white as snow. However, the low setting sun turned them into a sea of orange lights. It was the war horn that would sent me into battle. 

There was a tree which was surrounded by soft moss and I made myself comfortable there, until the moon would rise with a book in my lap that I couldn't read. My eyes were strictly tied to the one house inside my view: the Goldsmith. When I was younger I had asked him if he could weave straw into gold and oh how disappointed I had been when the man had laughed and shook his head no. 

Back then it had only been me and my parents. A dark cloud settled over my heart, thinking about the past. The sky lit up with the familiar cold shine, signaling the start of my routine. 

I reached inside the hollow trunk of the tree and got out a simple black tunic, pants and a black shawl to cover the lower part of my face. My boots I exchanged for a pair I had dyed dark with black tea. It fitted a bit big, because they were my dad's. 

In the forest there were a lot of shadows in which I could move, just like in the big enclosed cities. Houses stood very closely to one another there and it made it easier for me to get by unseen. In the daylight I could hide behind my appearance, but at night I had to become a phantom. 

The building I had my eye on had two stories. The lower part was the shop where the elderly man would sell his necklaces, rings and other accessories. He spent most of his day in there, because that was also where his forge was. His hammering filled the quiet forests and had become my background music when I gathered the flowers to sell the next day. 

In the evenings he went upstairs where he and his wife would dine. Once a week they went to a big city and that was tomorrow. He always changed the hiding place of the key to his vault down in his workshop. And I was going to find it. I stalked closer to the house and looked up the cobblestone walls. A small light already glowed in the window facing the forest. 

Normally the town was under the protection of one of the King's mythical Rangers. Ours had vanished the past few weeks and left me to roam freely. Some thought they were wizards, but in truth they were mortal, like any of us. I had seen one when he was still young and he had been mortified to look me in the eye. That was when the illusion had shattered for me. 

After one last look to scan the area I placed my foot in one of the cavities that was just big enough for me to have grip on. I went up this way until I could see inside the small apartment. It was a cozy room with a small kitchen to the left, hidden in a notch in the wall. The dinner table was on the other end of the room, so I did not have to worry that they would admire the view and suddenly see my face instead.