Chapter 3

A Chapter by Miren Kaisen

Aris is back! And with a plan

Chapter 3

Barbarians of the East

It was only 3 years latter since the last time I saw her highness Ari at the lake when I escaped. I had just turned 22 just last weeks and was already close to death. I never did make it to the duke paradise I told the queen Id make, nor did I erase myself from existence either. In fact, I was far from a humble life of the high class. I was back in a rat filled cell with many other criminal thieves. As for how I had been caught, well just ask her majesty of the East. Apparently Ari has a lot more allies than I had counted for. There was no country anywhere where no one knew my name or face. I couldn’t even buy a drink without having to run from a guard. She was making my life a living hell and she knew it. Or maybe she continued to do so because of all the spotting of me, regardless you think she would give up on me.

“We were caught again” Reno said huddled up her corner.

“Yeah, but we weren’t caught by the guards. Who was it that knocked me out?” I asked; she turned over to look at me.

“They weren’t guards, maybe thieves just like you” she offered. I didn’t want to stay here any longer than I had to, and the cell was started to make me claustrophobic. The smell of decaying bodies was one smell that stained my memory, not to mention the sweat and stick from myself.

“You're that thief the queens after, aren’t yeh?” the man asked, he held in his hand a whip. I was sure where this was going and didn’t want any part of it.

“What do you want from me?” I asked.

“Come with us quietly and we’ll sell you to the queen. You're at a fair price” he said.

“How much?” I asked, I had lost all those gold coins in a cross path with another thief. The man smiled.

“Why do you need to know, I really did wonder what the queen needed with you? So, what are you hiding?” he smashed the iron rod against the cell door to intimidate me. I had been caught and tortured many times and knew the best tactics to not only deal with the pain but keep important information to myself. Not to mention, once the information is given my life would be worthless at that point.

“Why the queen needs me? I'm a skilled thief; I usually go for a price though. Looks like you don't really have much money” I said, almost like I was playing with it. In reality I was waiting for Reno to get his key and my cuff keys. I was making an escape.

“A Skilled thief eh. What can ya steal?”

“Anything.” I skipped the formalities since he was far lower than a servant boy.

“Anything ya say. What about the amethyst from the queen’s castle in Koiun” he asked.

“Koiun?” that didn’t seem right; Arnold only gave the gem to Arikzes treasury. “Is that the one that was stolen from the queen’s treasury in Arikzes” I asked.

“Arikzes?” he seemed confused. “Ah, yes tha’ol place. The queen sent some thief to get it for her and Koiun now has it”

“So three years ago when the gem vanished the thief from Koiun took it?”

“Ya” the man seemed to be back into his own thoughts and Reno let the cuffs off.

“Do you think it’s a good idea to go there?” she asked, I nodded a grin and kicked the cell door open. Pushing the door back and inserting the metal rod between the door and the bars there was no escape. I rushed out of the gates and we were home free.

“To Koiun!” I said to Reno, she scowled at me and turned away.

“You're only getting back involved into the mystery”

“It’s not like my previous plan worked anyway. If I bring the gem back to her and the location or at least a clue of the mines maybe she’ll let me back into Arikzes without getting killed.” it was wishful thinking on my part, whether she would actually allow me to live was a given. Or perhaps she wanted to know where all the gold that Karil told in his letter was.

We reached the end of the rode; a horse would take me to Koiun in one day. Only, I needed money before I actually did so. I rummaged through my bag, I could barter anything.

“What about this?” Reno asked; she handed me a silver coin. This should at least get me a saddle, but silver wasnt worth much. I looked more and found a tiny statue I found on an island off the coast of where ever I am now. “Why not that?”

“Didn’t the islander say that it was cursed or something?”

“Then get rid of it!” she begged. I picked it up and went to the man selling horses.

“How can I help you today sir?” he asked me politely, that is, until after seeing my clothing. I was a poor man with no job or skills other than pickpocketing and stealing.

“Will you take this for a fully equipped horse?” I asked. The man carefully inspected and began to question himself. I wasnt sure how much that little statue was worth, but it was heavy and painted gold.

“Help yourself to as many as you need” he finally said happily. I suppose he thought it was worth something and who knows, maybe it was. Soon, my journey to steal a gem was on.

By morning I was in Koiun and feeling the warm air from the East. Reno was bored; I traded the horse at the gates for entry and some bread. The food here was stale, but the town lively. We walked through the town; a wanted poster had my face plastered to the front. ‘Royal thief wanted’ it read. “Still calling me the royal thief, huh?” I took it off and stuffed it into my pocket. Nothing like a free souvenir, we walked through town until we got to the castle, and without any hesitation I walked in. Reno fallowed close behind me.

“What are you doing? Shouldn’t we wait until later?” she asked. I shook my head no; I’m willing to bet the thief in this kingdom has some secret hideouts too. A thief will be a thief, no matter how loyal they seem. I looked around, for pistons maybe, anything that didn’t match something that would give a clue, nothing like stealing in plain daylight.

Not very many thieves steal at night, mainly because they claim its stupid and a sure way of getting caught. In reality I can steal anything I want easily with Reno as help, so stealing in broad daylight isn't a problem for me. Don't get me wrong, I will eventually figure out how to get Reno to heaven, it’s just she’s a great help around anyway.

“So, you plan on making me steal it?” Reno asked depressed.

“Weren’t you the one that was so eager to find the mine?” I asked.

“Of course, but stealing is wrong” I stopped dead in my tracks and lend over her.

“What do you think I am?” the sarcasm in my voice shook even my body. She ignored me and we walked down the corridors until we reached the heavily guarded and locked down treasury. “Ok, so just walk in and take the amethyst”

“But I don't want to steal” she pled.

“Don't think of it as stealing. Think of it as... repossession of stolen property, we are giving it back to its owner aren’t we?” Reno nodded and floated into the treasury. At this point I wasnt even stealing and just taking credit for Reno’s ghostly abilities. But that didn’t sting me with guilt to badly. Within a few minutes Reno was back and the gem hidden in her pocket. We left then with some time to kill, getting to Arikzes from here would take at least 3 days even by horseback. And we were tight for money.

“Why not just steal some bread? You said yourself, ‘I can steal anything’” Reno laughed.

“I only say that to please a person, that’s what they want to hear after all. All anyone wants to hear is that there is a skilled thief willing to steal anything for you and will do it without question. They all want one thing or another” I said, we past a fruit stand. I was going to steal a horse.

We bought the apples, however; I stole the horse from the barn. I suppose the queen’s treasury was worth more than horses. It was the easiest thing I had stolen in a long time, we rode the whole length. Reno rode the majority of the way so we never stopped, by the end the horse was practically dead with exhaustion. We traded horses at each town for a fresh horse and continued the ride. By the time the queen would notice her gem missing, I would be back in Arikzes facing the queen once more. The whole idea was actually pretty foolish, going back and giving her the gem. Although, I could get the money for my ransom; we arrived in Arikzes by dawn.

“What now?” she asked.

“You willing to bet they cleared out the abandoned town by now?” I asked. Reno nodded, just as I thought. I grabbed the blanket from under the horse’s saddle and gave the horse to the store keeper for some money. I went into the abandoned town and rested a while. In a few hours I planned to face the queen and give her the gem. By the time I woke up again, the whole kingdom was in a stir.

I walked out to the flooded streets of people and sat down to watch. The queen was giving a speech. “As you all may have heard” she announced “The treasury at Koiun was broken into and the amethyst gem stolen. If anyone has any information they are to address me as soon as possible, that is all” her speech was short, but long enough.

“Isn't that the queen’s treasure?” one man asked

“Yeah, she had been trying to get it form the Koiun for a few years now. It’s gone again, back to square one” the conversations led after were of where the gem may be now. I walked up to the castle; this news drew away all attention from me as people rebelled in the streets. I made it up to the courts and listened in.

“It wasnt broken into?” my sister asked, she had gotten older. My father stepped forward and announced.

“We are clearly dealing with a skilled thief” he said.

Zane was resting his feet on the table, to which the queen had to remind him of proper manners. They called me skilled, how sweet.

“But the only way in is through the guarded doors. Obviously it was someone within Koiums courts” Zane said. My father agreed with him immediately. The queen was anxious.

“We were so close to getting it back too” she said, she had matured. The little girl I knew three years ago had changed some. And while I was enjoying the show I had to return this gem, and do one other thing.

I walked down the halls to my room; I opened the trap door which had become bare and cleaned. Ari clearly blabbed about my hiding spot. I began to place notes all over the place, one in my room on the trap door: ‘Secret Room’. I put one on my door: ‘Aris’s room’. One on the queens door: ‘The thief has returned’ and on the bed next to the amethyst gems’ thought of you, Ari’

Once I had finished I went to go sleep in the secret room and wait for the scene to make a deal of it. I loved dramatic entrances, only I had missed my chance to listen in on all the excitement when I fell asleep. Reno woke me up; I listened to all the scampering feet. I walked along the hall of the secret room and found something else; a small note under the floorboards floorboard. It read ‘To my beloved Karil, may our bond be 1 and our faith be 4’ a code?

“Aris?” my father’s voice echoed in the empty room that remained empty. I looked up to see my father and the guards looking down at me. I stood up and faced him head on. I wonder if I would be ordered to die. Instead, my father gave me a hug and said I had grown up. I quickly put the note in my pocket. When I walked out I met with the queen who was very happy to see me. They all were which gave me a bit of a shock.

“It was you that took the gem?” Ari asked. I nodded; something about that note was familiar. I walked with Ari though the whole castle and to the dining room. I was the royal thief again. I hadn’t said anything, deep in thought some would call it. I didn’t respond, one duke said it was probably the shock of being accepted. Was that true, I began to think about other things, but no. I had defiantly heard of that before. That note to Karil was not just a note, then again. What was it doing there just sitting there?

I sat in the court for a while, I hadn’t spoken once nor was I enjoying it all. The whole kingdom was celebrating over the incredible miracle. Questions began to swarm soon after.

“How did you steal that without going inside?” Zane asked, my sister next to him arm in arm. I looked up at them, without a word I was uninterested. Tamillia came from behind me.

“I see you still haven’t given us our wishes” she said, staring at Reno. I didn’t respond for a while and gave her a gesture to go elsewhere. Everyone stopped soon to notice my behavior was a bit more than strange. Ari ordered me to give a speech about my journey, to tell a tale of the adventure given to me as I was stealing from other places. I stood up, the memory of that note was coming clear. I had heard it before, it was a story. What was it called?

“Come on thief. Tell us how you did it” the all shouted like children. The brainstorming became much more of a challenge but soon the words flowed and the whole memory came into picture. A story about a bond of 1 and a faith of 4; “Hey, why are you motionless?” they asked. My father went to my side and shook me. I finally reached back with reality and without thinking said the first thing that came to mind.

“Barbarians of the East” I said. It echoed around the room like a plague. No one knew of this story, in fact it wasnt a story I was expecting to hear again. I was told this story 4 years ago by a girl named Alys.

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