Growing up alone and not knowing who or where you came from can lead to a pretty tricky life—like now staring into the dimly lit window, softly glowing back the candle burning just past the glass. Living this life was not my choice, but I had to adapt and do my best to endure. I slipped the thin piece of metal between the lip of the window and its window sill, fiddling it against the latch that was keeping me from my spoils of the night. To keep a roof over my head and food in my belly, thieving is the only option for an orphaned girl in Oculyan. Draped in the cloak of night, I slip past the easily opened window to a fur-lined study.
The homeowners appeared to have left earlier in the day, with only a few of their staff keeping a watchful eye on the home. Contrary to anyone’s expectations, one of the best thieves was going to score on them while everyone slumbered. Light like a feather on my feet, I glided past the gold-leafed book covers and trinkets that adorned every available surface around the small, cluttered room. My fingers etched the gleaming trinkets scattered about, but experience taught me that a light touch was necessary and that I should not pocket them. I needed items that could be sold discreetly without alerting the guards or the household. As I drifted along the wall to the door, I heard someone's faint breathing. I held my breath and listened. There was the harmonized inhale and exhale of someone deeply slumbering beside the study where I stood. With a relieved sigh, I dropped my shoulders and continued to look around the house.
While exploring the different rooms in the expansive and sparsely occupied home, I noticed that most of the staff were sleeping in the servant quarters. This left the rest of the area mostly free from curious onlookers. I was in for one of my best hauls this month; I could feel it as I quietly crept around. Usually, homes like this have watchdogs or even guards, but this one had what seemed to be a handful of workers guarding the place. The house was overfilled with things, so I took my time and looked everything over. Creeping through the lavishly decorated and pleasantly warm home, I marveled at the contrast between this lush life and the squalor I had known.
I moved through the quiet home like a mouse, slipping into rooms with simple ease. In one bedroom, I discovered a jewellery box with a thick layer of dust. Opening the box, I found several delicate rings, necklaces, and roughly cut gemstones. I selected a few of the most valuable-looking gems and jewellery pieces, slipping them into the small leather holster at my hip. With these items, an overwhelming feeling of comfort and relief rushed over me. I knew that if I could only find that big-priced splendour, I could slip out of this place unscathed and with enough to last me maybe even a few months of peace.
Thieving is not something I like to do, even though I am good at it. It is a necessary thing I learned for survival. Oculyan is one of the poorest regions in the area and is also home to one of the wealthiest noble families, the Vaelin. One of their housemaids, Mayria, raised me. She was the kindest person, but that kindness is what led to her death. When Lord Canlin heard that one of his housemaids was keeping an unknown bastard child under his roof, he had her executed. I was five when he killed her publicly in the square. Ever since then, I have learned to stay hidden and stay quiet because if I am out of sight, that means I am out of mind.
As I ventured deeper into the house, I found myself in a brilliant study, this one more organized and robust than the first. The walls were lined with bookshelves that spanned from floor to ceiling, with a grand piano standing in the far corner. The room spoke of exceptional wealth and the deep desire for enlightenment, things I had been denied from the moment I was labeled a bastard. Under the window, there was a small wooden table nestled between two of the bookshelves. It held a single burning candle, illuminating other objects on the table. From what I could tell, the ornately carved candelabra was worth a large sum. I reached for it but stopped when I caught a faint glimmer from beneath the illuminated, open book.
Curiosity was piqued as I shifted the book aside, disturbing the pages the book was originally opened on, to find a key. It was old and heavy, with elaborate carvings like the candelabra. I pocketed the key, and a sense of excitement started to bubble up within me. If there is a key, then that means something valuable is locked away nearby, either in a room or maybe a chest. I quickly left the study after a glance. Nothing in the room seemed to fit or require the missing key.
My search led me to the primary bedroom. Behind the door, there was a low, burning fire with no other sound of life. It was even more luxurious than the rest of the house. With deep red velvet tapestries covering the walls. There was a dark hardwood four-post canopy bed that was covered in feather pillows and burgundy silk sheets, inviting one to sink into their dreams. I scanned the room, which was larger than any other room in the house. My eyes settled on a large antique armoire that adorned the same markings as the key burning in my pocket. As I strolled towards the wardrobe, every nerve in my body felt like a hot rod against my skin. It was locked, and the key I had found slipped perfectly. With a soft click of the locking mechanism, the door swung wide open, and papers scattered across the floor.
Inside, I discovered an antique chest that was so overfilled that the lid was left ajar. I opened it to find stacks of documents with the signatures of various noblemen, along with a small, black, leather-bound journal. The documents looked official—property deeds for neighbouring lands, letters with seals anyone could recognize, and contracts regarding finding the missing ‘token’, whatever that was. These were worth more than gold in the right hands, and I just might know the right hands. Shoving the stack of official documents into my bag that hung snuggly across my back, my eyes peered down toward the journal. It should not have taken my attention from my task; however, it kept drawing my interest due to the leather bearing the crest of the Vaelin family.
I walked over to the plush bed and sank in, getting prepared to open the journal, my heart pounding into my ribs. The first entry was dated twenty years ago, written in neat penmanship:
Today, I found the maid, Mayria, harbouring a child. My blood is boiling from the insolence. I cannot let this secret out, for it would ruin my reign. The child must be concealed, and Mayria... must be ended for her frivolous disregard for the stability of the realm.
My breath caught in my throat as a stream of tears started to streak my face. It was a confession, detailing Lord Canlin’s actions against Mayria and me, all in the name of the realm. The journal described his indiscretions against a child, and as I turned the pages, I learned of the dangers that Lord Canlin feared. Possessing this journal may have given me more information about myself, but it also made me a target. As I continued to read, I found that I may have been more than just an orphaned child, like I had been made to believe. I had been in the room for so long that the fire had burned to an ember, and the noises of life started to stir throughout the house.
Closing the journal and slipping it into my bag, crushing the papers more, I carefully prepared myself. I knew my time was running out and that I could not stay here any longer. As I was about to start my journey back to the window I had slipped in through, I noticed a glimmering iridescent pearl-like jewel at the bottom of the chest. Not to push my already-pushed luck, I grabbed the jewel. In the hopes of not being detected, I swiftly closed the chest and quietly slipped out of the room. With the jewels, documents, and some of the contents from the chest securely in my bags, I retraced my steps through the house that was now alive with servants.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Slipping back out the window and into the early morning hours, I felt a strange sense of newness and relief. For the first time since Mayria’s death, I had something more to live for than just the means of survival. I had the power to change my story and confront the people who had stolen everything from me.
As I continued my way to the hideout tucked neatly in the heart of the city, I felt a burning heat on my back, as if someone had caught me. The look was not of hatred or even disguise, but maybe curiosity, or something I cannot quite put my finger on. My steps quickened, my heart pounding behind my ears, causing a whirlwind of emotions. The early morning mist drifted along the top of the cobblestone streets, adding to the atmosphere of uncertainty. I glanced back over my shoulder repeatedly, hoping to spot my lurker, but the streets appeared empty. Still, the heat on my back remained, a silent reminder of unknown eyes and the unknown person they belonged to. To evade the onlooker that had now locked onto me, I dipped in and out of alleyways, navigating through the labyrinthine of Oculyan.
The weaving in and out of alleys was enough to shake the eyes off of me, but the heat was still burning into my back. I finally reached the decrepit and crumbling building I called home. It was an old, abandoned building, its façade showcasing the chipping paint from the long-forgotten family that no longer lived there. It might not be like the mansion that I had just scored from, but it provided shelter and, most importantly, a haven for my stolen goods until I could get them into the right hands. I slipped through the broken backdoor, making my way to the small room I had claimed as my own.
Inside, I adorned the room to hide the sagging walls and old stained furnishings. Pushing the old mattress into the far corner on the layers of hide and carpet that I gathered over the years. The only other piece of furniture was an unstable table. On top were a few stolen pieces of silver; I hadn’t yet found someone to buy them, along with a small snub of a candle. I set my bags down and emptied their contents onto the top of my bedsheets. The black leather-bound journal overshadowed the strewn jewels, jewelry, and crumpled documents.
I lay down with my arms over my eyes, thinking about the events of the night that were swirling around in my mind. The journal entries haunted me. Each word was a painful reminder of Lord Canlin’s cruelty but also the dangers of if anyone knew who I was. The pain I had buried since her death had now made a full appearance, but besides the pain, there was a spark of something else—hope. I hope that I can use this information to face those who have ruined my life from the start.
The iridescent pearl-like jewel lay at the bottom of the scattered pile. It radiated a pulsing heat. The surface shimmers in the dim light, almost drawing one into a trance-like state. I picked it up, turning it over in my hands, admiring my find. It was unlike anything I had seen before, its surface shifting colours like the lights playing on the surface of the lakes around Oskar. There was something almost otherworldly about it, and I wondered if I held something more significant beyond its obvious value.
A sudden noise of shuffling feet outside my door snapped me back to the moment. My heart was pounding in my ears again as I grabbed the small dagger I kept under the mattress. Maintaining a vigilant stance, I stealthily moved in the direction of the door. I heard footsteps softly approaching, then a timid tapping and some sort of inaudible murmuring.
“Name yourself?” I demanded with a low, threatening growl. My silvery eyes darkened to a stormy grey, and the hairs across my body stood on end. I was prepared to take down whoever was on the other side of the door the moment a wrong answer was given.
“It’s me, Äezli,” came the murmuring voice again. Äezli is a street reject like me. His family left him in the middle of the city when he was eight. We became quick friends because of our close age; he is three years older than me. He is like my older brother, even if I share more of the responsibilities between us. I have lived on the streets far longer than he has. I have more practice in the art of thieving.
I opened the door slowly, allowing only enough room for him to slip inside before shutting the door swiftly with the clicking of locks. Even before turning towards him, I could hear how out-winded he was. He was gathering his breath, leaning over, with his hands on his knees and his hair covering his panting, red face. He wore a face of worry as he finally looked at me.
“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” I asked, sheathing my dagger and looking over the man who came in so quietly but now was making enough noise to alarm the guards.
“You were being trailed,” he said breathlessly. “A tall, cloaked man, he was dressed in black. He almost seemed to melt with the shadows,” Äezli took in a deep breath before exclaiming, “But yeah, he was trailing you for a while.”
Fear started to sink into my blood, as I knew my instincts this morning felt something. I was right! The burning sensation of on-looking eyes was someone following me. “Did he see that I returned here?” I said this as the panic started to pour into my blood.
“I am pretty sure that he did not find his way back here,” Äezli replied with a soft smile to show reassurance. “I managed to get his attention and distract him enough to lead him away from the general area. However, I know he’s still out there, looking for you. I can feel him lurking around.”
I nodded, feeling shaken up about this news and trying to think. “Thank you, Äezli. You were helpful. It is possible that what I found last night is related to why he is hunting me.” His eyes danced over the pile of items scattered about on the mattress. His eyes widened at the sight of the journal and the jewels. “What did you find that contains the Vaelin seal?” was all he managed before also being drawn into the leather-bound journal like I was.
“Change,” I said with a shy smile. “But also something that might bring trouble for everything we’re trying to build.” Dropping back down amongst the things on my mattress, the loose gems roll towards me. I quickly recited some of the key things I read from the journal, watching as Äezli eyes grew wide with shock and admiration.
“Yes,” I nodded. “I now know things; I don’t think anyone is supposed to. It puts a target on my back.” I paused. “You now have a target on your back because I told you... I’m so sorry, Äezli. We need to be careful from here on out. If we get caught, there is no telling what will happen to us.”
Äezli nodded. His expression was stern and unwavering. “Where do we start? What do you need me to do?” Äezli has never been this devoted to me or this protective. Since his family left, he has struggled. He may not have been at the wealth of the Vaelin, but his family was well off. Adjusting to the life of begging was hard on him, and it made him withdraw into himself.
“I need to find someone who can help me get into some of these places,” I said, gesturing to the documents. “Someone who knows the nobles and their secrets, and someone who knows this information, would be to our advantage.” Looking up at him, “ I know this is hard but do you know anyone who could get us connected to the higher nobles?”
“I think I know of someone,” Äezli said after a moment of pondering to himself, contemplation dancing behind his eyes. “A merchant named Elrik. He deals in anything that has to do with the black market. I’ve heard that he is the dealer for the more elite who want contraband goods.” Äezli pauses before saying, “If anyone can help, I think it’s him.”
“Then we’ll see him,” I declared as I quickly gathered all the skewed things across the sheets and table. “We need to be careful and keep a close lookout. There is now more than one danger out there. If this man in black is still looking for me, we can’t afford to be caught.” I weakly smiled at Äezli, hoping to show some more recurrence.
Äezli nodded, and together we gathered ourselves as we prepared to leave. I took one last look at the room that had been my refuge and the room we would not be returning to. The road ahead was filled with uncertainty and dangers, but for the first time, I felt a flicker of hope, even if there was someone close to catching me. With Äezli by my side and the truth in my hands, I had a chance to fight back and reclaim my life from the shadows and squalor I had only ever known.