Each year the Kingdom of Khearia throws a festival in remembrance of one of their most beloved kings who had tragically perished along with his wife and second son. His first son, Prince Fabian, was the only one to survive. Witnesses claimed his cro...
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James huddled into the stone wall at the mouth of an alley, trembling with cold on the floor. No matter how much he blew warm air onto his numbed hands, they remained stiff and useless. His arm burned, despite it being scabbed over. Whenever he moved it, the hardened blood would crack and ooze. He'd long since ran out of bandages to wrap it in, still wearing the same filthy ones from days ago. If he was in a better position he would've had the energy to worry about infection.
ㅤHe'd already lost all of his mangled golden buttons. Three had been spent getting this far away from the capital, to this small town by some woodland. The other buttons had been stolen as he slept, cutting his journey short.
ㅤHe had really lived a privileged life in the past, if this was what the average homeless child had to experience. Life was cruel out here.
ㅤSeeds of hopelessness had been planted by this point, with James starting to believe it would have been better if he'd perished with everyone else after all. All those people had fought so that he, at least, could live; and for what? For James to live like this? He would have rather died. It was a waste. They should've saved themselves.
ㅤYet, somehow, James still smouldered with the desire to live. His stomach demanded food, whilst his lungs demanded oxygen. Even if his brain was done, his body had other ideas.
ㅤHe hugged Eris tight to his chest. He had her, at least.
ㅤAllowing himself to peek out from the tight alley, he kept a keen eye on the people that walked past, selecting his target.
ㅤThe market was too lacking to steal from, with winter taking a toll on food supplies. People didn't have enough food to eat, let alone sell. Only a few sellers remained, animal pelts and jewellery being all that was left. Money was his target instead.
ㅤJames understood his position; to nobles, he was dirt. He knew because he used to think in the same way. Begging for money would land him into trouble, he'd seen other kids get beaten up for doing so. He wouldn't make the same mistake.
ㅤThere, he saw an underdressed man in cheap thin clothing, his skin a pale brown like his hair. James immediately recognised him to be a slave. Whilst slaves weren't common, they were certainly seen enough that it wasn't a surprise. They were all from the same defeated nation and shared the same olive skin. It was unlike the mostly pale complexion of the kingdom's citizens, so they stuck out like a sore thumb.
ㅤThe slave silently followed a man of much higher status, with expensive wear. James watched them for a moment and then casually left the alley to calmly walk past them. He was good with his hands, the rich man wouldn't even notice. He knew he was taking a risk and the slave may see him do it, but he was too desperate to wait longer.
ㅤWithout any suspicion, James snuck up behind them, pocketed the man's purse, and kept walking. He let himself look back, and saw the slave staring right at him. James' heart froze in fear, knowing he'd been caught. He waited for the slave to tell his master, unable to muster the strength to run away. Yet, that never happened, and the slave looked away as if he'd never seen James steal in the first place.
