Celestina, the daughter of Baron Aron in the northern reaches of the kingdom, was distraught to find that her room had been ransacked in her absence. The culprits had made off with a precious family heirloom, a necklace made of blue pearls that had been passed down through generations. Despite their best efforts, the thieves had left no traces behind and nothing else of value had been taken from the room. The Baron and his wife were outraged and vowed to find the thief at any cost.
Many people came forward to offer their assistance in finding the thief, including knights, baronets, and other members of the nobility. Their motives were varied, with some seeking fame, some fortune, and others seeking to win the hand of the young Celestina, who was the only heir to the Baron's wealth and lands. However, one volunteer stood out from the rest: a peasant named Wally.
Wally was a curious choice, given that he was from the lower classes and lacked the prestige and training of the other volunteers. However, he had a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of the lives and customs of the common people. Wally argued that this made him uniquely qualified to track down the thief and retrieve the stolen necklace.
The Baron and his wife were outraged by the suggestion that a peasant could be of any use in their investigation. They viewed Wally's offer as an insult to their family and an affront to their status. They wanted him imprisoned for his impertinence. However, Celestina had other ideas. She had always been an independent thinker and had a cool head in times of crisis. She saw the potential in Wally's offer and knew that he could be the key to solving the mystery of the stolen necklace.
Despite her parents' objections, Celestina put forward a proposal of her own. She suggested that Wally be allowed to search for the necklace and the thief, with the promise that he would be given a fair chance to court her if he succeeded. Her parents were hesitant to agree, but Celestina was firm in her belief that Wally was the best candidate for the job. She knew that he had a deep understanding of the lives and customs of the common people, which would prove invaluable in his search.
In the end, the Baron and his wife reluctantly agreed to Celestina's proposal, with the caveat that Wally be watched closely and not given free rein of the estate. They assigned several of the house’s knights to keep an eye on him and ensure that he did not overstep his bounds. Wally, for his part, was undaunted by the hostility he faced from the other volunteers and the scrutiny of the nobility. He set forth on his mission with a determined spirit and a deep belief in his abilities.
Celestina anxiously awaited Wally's return, wondering if he would be able to retrieve her precious blue pearl necklace. She couldn't help but feel guilty for putting Wally in danger, but she knew that he was the best chance they had of finding the thief and recovering the necklace. Meanwhile, the Baron and his wife were still furious with Celestina's decision to allow a peasant to court her, but Celestina was determined to prove them wrong.
As Wally and the two knights made their way to the information guild, he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. He had been in the same position as the thief before, stealing from the rich to survive, but he had turned his life around and now worked to help others. He knew that his past could come back to haunt him, but he was willing to risk it all to help Celestina.
The knights questioned Wally's knowledge of the information guild, but he managed to convince them that he had worked for a guild before. Using his skills as a negotiator, Wally was able to obtain the necessary information about the thief's whereabouts. They traveled to the city where the thief was last seen and met with the local information guilds.
Through their efforts, they were able to discover that the thief, Inu, was working for a gang boss named Xop, who had the necklace in his possession. Xop's heavily guarded manor was located in the middle districts of the city, and it was clear that a direct assault was out of the question. Wally knew that he would need to assemble a team if they were to stand any chance of recovering the necklace.
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Wally set about recruiting the best thieves and fighters he could find. He approached a group of skilled thieves who were known to work together. the only group he could find in such short notice was a four man group with a small record composed of Alut a prodigious teen lockpicker, Narat who was wicked with a crossbow, Arma who drove a carriage like a devil and Ollid who was skilled at digging sturdy tunnels without being noticed
He proposed to them a plan to steal the necklace from Xop's manor. They were initially skeptical of Wally's plan, but he managed to convince them that the reward was worth the risk. as they would be rewarded by baron Aron when they got back, he had checked this with the knights before meeting the group
The team spent weeks planning and preparing for the heist. Wally had gained valuable information about the manor's defenses, so Ollid dug a tunnel that bypassed the more problematic parts of the manor and led them straight to the basement cellar
they knew exactly when Xop would be away from the manor. On the night of the heist, they had an observer see if Xop was wearing the necklace when he left, and since he hadn't taken it with him, they approached the manor under the cover of darkness to take the guards by surprise.
The team split into three once they got to the basement, Alut Narat and one of the knights would go to Xop’s private chambers to retrieve the necklace, while Wally and the other knight would ambush Inu at his chambers to take him with them. and lastly but not least, Ollid and Arma would wait outside of the tunnel with a carriage ready, in the lookout for any movement from the guards and in case of need they would sound a horn to alert the members inside the manor.
The heist went without a hitch, the Necklace team had to kill two guards to cover their presence and the Capture team killed four guards, but no alarm was sound and they could escape unimpeded with both the necklace and the thief.
Wally and his team returned to the Baron's castle, where they were greeted as heroes. and Inu was imprisoned by the Baron, most probably to use him as leverage to get Xop’s gang in the neighboring barony without getting into a dispute with the other noble.
Celestina was overjoyed to be reunited with her necklace, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Wally. The Baron and his wife were forced to admit that they had misjudged Wally, and they agreed to allow him to court Celestina.
The advances of Wally over the following months showed no result, as despite having a favorable image of him, Celestina didn't want to marry him and had just used the promise of courting her as a carrot to have him do the search.
Surprisingly for Wally, he found the love he had wanted with one of Celestina’s maids, Mera.
as they had many interactions during his attempts to court the baron’s daughter.
She had seen his honesty in attempting to court Celestina but realized that Wally didn't love Celestina as his advances lacked emotion but that he also respected the social boundaries and never had stepped out of line.
She found that honesty endearing so she met him on her own, telling him that she was the second daughter of a baronet under the baron, so she worked in the baron’s state for the prestige it entailed. and that she was willing to set a talk with her parents for him if he was willing to change his courting target from Celestina to her.
Wally was baffled at first but accepted as the noble title wasn't what he was after, and unknowingly to him he actually liked Mera’s personality more.
the meeting took place and the baronet was very reasonable as Wally was a prestigious figure in the barony and also Mera was willing to marry him.
As for Wally, he knew that his past would always be a part of him, but he had found a new purpose in life. He continued to work for the Baron and his family, using his skills to help others and protect those in need. He had proven himself to be more than just a thief, and he knew that he had found a home at the Baron's castle.