Crown of Chains

Chapter One

The Beginning
Sylveon | James

My heart seemed to be rapidly pushing its way out of my chest, each rhythmic thump seeming to remind me of what was on the line, as my paws desperately grasped for traction as I skidded around another corner. If my quickening heart was not enough to keep me sprinting through the kingdom streets, the angry yells and shouts of the Umbreon were plenty to keep me going.

"Thief! Scoundrel! Someone stop that Sylveon!" The shouts of the baker reached my ears just as I swiftly dived into an old cardboard box, the scent of mold filling my nostrils and the slightly damp bottom of the box wetting my paws.

I still had the bread firmly clamped in my jaws as I squeezed my eyes shut, blocking out the fear that they might find me. I sucked in a breath as a stampede of angry pawsteps trampled past me and only long after the voices faded did I dare stick my head out of the beaten up box, quickly scanning the area for any sign of danger.

"Thank goodness..." I murmured, climbing out of the cardboard box and dropping the loaf of bread on the ground. I laid down beside it, a small sigh of relief escaped me before I took a bite of the bread. It was stale, maybe a bit moldy as the box was, but to someone who hadn't eaten in days, it might as well have been freshly baked. Though that was luxury that I could never afford.

I ate in peace for a few moments, even the little bit of food seemed to send newfound energy through me. I looked around, checking for any dangers, before standing up and beginning to go on my way. Everything would have been fine had the Leafeon not decided to stand directly outside the alley. As I walked out with an effort to appear normal and reasonable I stumbled into him, knocking him to the ground with a loud grunt of displeasure from him along with a moment of shock from me.

"Sorry, sorry," I muttered to him quickly, watching as he stood. He shook his head as he regained his bearings before looking over the stranger who had interrupted his afternoon. I shifted my weight from one paw to the other as I watched him warily. It would be fine, there was nothing to fear. I would create an incident by acting so suspicious. So I just needed to breathe and quickly dismiss the matter.

"It's not an issue..." He replied with ease, his voice smooth and calming. While it did soothe my nerves, something still seemed to be off about the Leafeon in front of me. "Though I suppose, it could pose an issue for you." He tilted his head to the left as if waiting for me to stutter through a response. Which, of course, I did.

"Well, uh, it was just an accident. I'll just... be on my way now?" I stepped to my right, beginning to walk past him with hurried pawsteps. He did not choose to stop me instead deciding to keep pace by my side. My fur bristled as I tucked my ribbons in, refusing to even brush fur with the odd pokemon.

"If you must go so quickly, I suppose I'll walk with you." He paused for a moment, continuing to stare at me, which I chose to strategically ignore. After I took a quick turn which he almost missed, he spoke again, realizing I had no plans to do so. "Honestly, I would have waited longer before leaving the alley, one of these guards will point you out. Sylveons are rare occurrences these days."

My ears quickly fell to the back of my head, as I barely managed to keep the disdain out of my voice. "What are you trying to imply? I simply took a shortcut, alleys are almost always empty." I gave a small snort, shaking my head at his lack of knowledge of the quickest routes around town.

"Only one with a lack of intelligence would go through an alley, they are the quickest way to get mugged, or worse." He paused again, for what I assumed was dramatic effect, which only irritated me more. "Unless you are prepared to defend yourself, though most average citizens don't know how to do that..." He trailed off, leaving me with no proper response to get out of this situation.

I quietly cursed myself for never having practiced any sort of verbal arguments or charm, this Leafeon would not leave me be, and I had no way to deter him. Besides, I was just leading him through random streets, I had no idea where I was going. So even if I could stop his barrage of questions, he would soon realize there would be no end to our walking. "Listen, why don't you just leave me alone. If I do have these skills you are implying, then you should probably stay away before I turn on you. Just go on your way, and we can both pretend this never happened."

He gave a quiet laugh and I wished I had never stolen that bread if only to keep him from having ever started talking to me. "I never would have followed you if I didn't have my own set of skills to defend myself. Besides, you're just the pokemon I'm looking for. I'm Jake, by the way. I suppose we'll be getting to know each other much better after this." He smiled slightly, though I had a feeling it was for other reasons than just a simple introduction.

"Listen, I don't talk to people I accidentally meet on the street. Much less give them my name. I'd be really grateful if you would just leave me alone..." Maybe this Jake was crazy, he sure seemed like it. No one ever talked to strangers here, not when it would end with a knife in someone's throat. Personally, I enjoyed being alive.

"Yes, well, considering we were just down this street, I don't think you have anything better to be spending your time doing." He stared at me, watching for a reaction once I noticed that I had been distracted enough to take us down the same street twice. "Oh, and you'll be rewarded for your troubles." He added, seeming to hope to seal the deal with a promise of money.

I would never admit to him that I was desperate for any sort of gold, but it did convince me to give him a chance. "Fine, fine. What do you need me to do?" This seemed insane, but it had been months since I had actually paid for a meal. It couldn't be that bad anyways, I could always back out if it was too risky.

"Well, I need you to steal something very valuable." He muttered, lowering his voice a few notches. He paused again and I wondered if it was just a habit of his. "And very, very, powerful."

I nodded slowly, I had gotten requests from a few pokemon before, though most of the time it was something simple, mainly some sort of precious jewelry. I wasn't known around here, so it was a rare occurrence. There were thieves with better reputations than mine, they had never been caught. I, on the other hand, have seen the kingdom's prisons one too many times. "Alright... and who does this item belong to?"

"I promise you it will be worth it, it really will. It's mainly planned out already too, we just need a thief willing to go inside and get it. So please don't tell me I'm crazy. Trust me." His voice seemed to sound rather desperate, which was a sudden change from earlier.

"Alright..." I already had identified him as crazy, so whatever this was couldn't make my opinion worse, not that it was good in the first place. "Just tell me who it is, I'll probably take the job."

"Well, James," he began, pausing once more. I could barely make out what he was saying, so it was unlikely any passing pokemon could decipher it either. "I need you to steal from the queen." Only then did I realize what I volunteered for, and the fact that this had been planned. I had never given him my name, yet, he knew it. They had been looking for me, and I suddenly got the feeling this was not a request at all.

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Thank you for reading the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed, please comment and vote, stay tuned for the next chapter!