Kings and Thieves

Chapter 10

**I don't think I have anything particularly important to say, so... just enjoy!**

Chapter 10

As far as bedrooms went, Lyla thought, theirs was not the worst.

As she tentatively perched onto her bed- it was smaller than the one at home, but it was soft and heaped with colorful quilts- Lyla decided that if she ever figured out this mess and returned home, she wanted to travel.

Preferably not in this creepy inn, though. It gave her the jeebies.

Aveline and Ari had taken to pacing the room and bickering with each other while Lyla unpacked and began placing each of her dresses neatly into drawers.

"You can't possibly have that many gowns. How can you run?" Ari wondered aloud, grimacing.

"They're proper," Lyla told him, not knowing what another answer to give.

"And they're pretty," Aveline added. "You know, Captain, now that I think about it, we should be fancying up our wardrobe a bit now that we're living among the high and snobby."

"But I like my clothes," Ari whined.

"If we're going to find any information here, we need to blend in," his first mate instructed, joining Lyla to pull out her own dressing gowns.

Lyla quickly learned that Ari was very particular about his own wardrobe, as she discovered while he spent nearly ten minutes explaining each of his different shoes to her.

He finally settled on an embroidered cravat that he had stolen from some Lord, apparently, and a somewhat finer pair of shirtsleeves. Lyla quickly remembered as her companions dressed that they knew how to disguise themselves as dignified. Until they opened their mouths, of course...

"Oops, this one has blood on it," Aveline said cheerily, tossing another gown to the side. For the past hour she'd been pacing the room in her undergarments, but neither her or Ari seemed to notice or care.

Lyla fought a grin as she stooped to pick up the dresses that Aveline had thrown on the floor.

"What is the plan, exactly?" She wondered, neatly folding one of the skirts into a neat square.

Ari leaned against the dresser, a pensive expression settling across his face. "We'll have to talk to the princess. The little one. What's her name?"

"Princess Leilani," Lyla supplied. She approached Aveline to help her tie the laces of a sophisticated pink gown she had chosen. "I highly doubt we'll be able to find her, even if she is staying here. I imagine they have tight security on all the princes and princesses right now."

"Still, someone here will know something. This was the last place anyone saw your prince. That has to be significant," Aveline piped up.

"I look like a pretentious clod," Ari complained, grimacing at his reflection in the table mirror.

"Perfect. You'll fit right in," said Aveline pointedly, winking at her friend as she straightened his collar. "Are you ready?"

-

Lyla scurried down the stairs, straining to keep up with Ari and Aveline, only to bump into Ari as he stopped abruptly at the bottom of the steps.

"Oof!" She absently rubbed her head and peered around his shoulder. Eli from the marketplace was waiting at the end of the stairwell, contemplatively examining his cuticles as he stood.

"Well well well," Ari gloated as he jumped down the last step. "Look who it is."

Eli crossed his arms and ankles at the same time, almost obstinately slanting himself against the wall.