Castle Thief {A Momojiro Tale}

Chapter 9

My jaw dropped, I stared at her like she was crazy, seven libraries? In one castle? "Come along now,"
     "Seven libraries?" I asked, "I didn't know there were even so many books."
     She strode across the old oak floor, I followed closely behind her, feeling that if I strayed to far away I would get lost in between shelves. "I could show you the others if you'd like."
"Yes!" I blurted, a man shushed me from the chair he was sitting in. I blushed and whispered, "You'd do that?"
She laughed, "Of course, you'll need to know where I'll be getting all of my books after all," loading the stack of books in her arms onto a table, I followed suit with my load. "plus, it'll be fun."

—

On our second trip down the library we carried more than before, it would take forever if we hadn't. As we walked she talked about her mother who'd been sick for as long as she could remember, I told her about everywhere I'd traveled; the orphanages, people who took me in and people who chased me away from their stores.
     She was very interested in the places I'd been, "I've never really been allowed out of castle grounds," she admitted,
     "Never?" I asked, "in all of your life?"
     "Father is always worrying about me." she sighed, "I wish he would leave it be sometimes."

I opened my mouth to respond but before I could a slammed into something; someone. I fell back, the books spilling onto the floor.
"Watch where you're going!" he snapped,
"I'm sorry Missure," I dropped into a bow and murmured, "I didn't see you there."
His ego seemed to grow with my embarrassment, "And what are you doing making the princess carry these dusty old books?"
Before I could apologize again Momo stepped in front of me, "Do you not believe me capable of carrying these dusty old books?" she asked,
"Your highness!" he spluttered, "you shouldn't have to do the servants work!"
"And you are the one to tell me that?" her voice was level but the noble was clearly intimidated.
"Of course not your highness!" he insisted, "I'm only telling the servant girl!"
"I'm telling you you needn't do that." she blinked at him and he shifted anxiously,
"Of course your highness." he squirmed,
"You are dismissed," she sniffed, "And remember you are a guest of this castle Missure." He hurried away, tail between his legs.

The princess bent to help me pick up the books, "I hate people like that. They bully anyone below their stature."
"You didn't have to do that your highness," I picked up another book, "I'm used to people like him."
"That's the thing Kyouka," she huffed, "you shouldn't have to be used to that. It's not right."

The rest of the trips were awkward and silent. When we were done carrying all of the books down to the library, each section was larger than any orphanage I'd stayed in and could house ten times as many children.

The princess knew exactly where each book should go, it was clear she spent most of her free time here. I felt so out of place among the old and beautiful art. Paintings on the wall so old they had to have coverings over them, life sized sculptures taller than me; people who were clearly important frozen in time until the clay crumbled and their features fell away into disrepair.

The thief in me estimated how much I could get by just taking one piece, it was remarkable what people would pay to decorate their house instead of feeding themselves. But I could understand, all I had wanted was a little lute. That lute had ruined my life and I didn't even know where it was now. If I was lucky someone would have found it and taken it for themselves, though the thought that someone else was playing it hurt me it was better than knowing it was probably still in the tailor shop collecting dust and water from the roof I could never stop from leaking.

Just thinking of what had become of the one thing I loved made me want to run away with as much coins in my pockets to get me as far as that town with my lute, I'd never be seen again in the country. I wouldn't risk staying here with familiar things. I'd just be proving them right, a thief is all I'll ever be, never staying anywhere too long without robbing them blind. Surely they wouldn't miss a few coins, I'm sure my absence wouldn't even be noticed.

Back in the princess's room I tried to expel the thoughts from my mind, with very little success; they'd been haunting me ever since Momo pleaded for my freedom.

If you could even call it freedom.