~ Amber ~

“Wait, you’re a prince?” Amber blurted out.

Her mind was going a mile a minute. Here she was, helping out a boy she met on the street, even befriending him to some extent, and then he came along and dropped a bombshell on her. Had he been offended by the way she was treating him? She hadn’t exactly been reverent with him; if anything, she had simply treated him like she would have treated any of the orphans she had known before.

Seemingly unaffected by her outburst, Mint smiled and raised his hand.

“Yes, I am,” he confirmed, “But there’s no need to get too worked up over it.”

“But, but,” Amber protested, “I haven’t shown you the proper respect, Your Highness!”

One of the soldiers gave her an irritated glance, and Amber did not miss the implication. She immediately fell to her knees in a bow of subordination, attempting to limit the societal damage she had doubtlessly already caused. However, Mint seemed to have other ideas.

“Please stand, Amber,” he requested, “There’s no need to stand on ceremony out here.”

He turned to his entourage.

“You know there’s a reason I left you behind, right?” he snapped, “It’s hard to blend in when I have three fully armed Guardsmen following me around like lost puppies.”

“Apologies, Your Highness,” the leader bowed his head, “But these are the standing orders from His Majesty.”

Mint crossed his arms and looked away. If it weren’t for his posture being rigidly straight, Amber would have seen it almost like a child pouting when they didn’t get what they wanted. She couldn’t help herself and giggled at the sight.

“Excuse me?” the lead guard prompted.

“Oh, give it a rest, Arund,” Mint rolled his eyes, “She’s a commoner, she’s not trained in high-class etiquette.”

He turned to face Arund fully.

“And frankly, she’s been more help than any of you.”

“What even happened, anyway?” one of Arund’s men asked.

At that, Mint took the time to fill his escorts in on what had happened earlier that day. All the while, Amber looked on in confused fascination. Here was this boy, who had seemed almost uncomfortably polite earlier, suddenly taking charge and commanding around subordinates as if he had done it his entire life. He seemed infinitely more at ease speaking to these three than he had around her, though she couldn’t fault him for it.

Suddenly remembering the odd one out of the group, Mint turned to Amber sheepishly.

“Apologies, Amber,” he offered, “I probably should have told you sooner, but I typically like to remain inconspicuous when I go into town. I’m not the most comfortable when others stand on ceremony for me. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t treat me any differently than you have.”

“Your Highness,” Arund warned, before Mint turned back to him.

“That’s final, Arund,” he declared, “Amber has offered to help me find the missing pendant and has been nothing but pleasant this entire time. I think even you would agree that she’s earned the right to be frank with me for at least today.”

Arund kept the unpleasant look on his face, but eventually conceded.

“Very well. But only because we’re in public and you’re trying not to stand out.”

Mint put his hand to his head, clearly annoyed. Amber got the impression that this level of stubbornness was the rule for Arund rather than the exception.

“Amber?” Mint prodded, “You all right?”

Amber blinked and nodded, realizing she had been spacing out ever since the argument had started.

“Sorry,” she stated, “It’s just a bit of a shock.”

Mint gave a bitter smile in reply.

“I suppose it would be,” he acknowledged, looking away shamefully.

Amber’s eyes widened, and she immediately began to worry. Had her daze and response somehow offended him? She wasn’t meaning to alienate him in this moment, especially after she had called him her friend.

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that,” she blurted out, waving her hands in earnest, “It’s just kind of surreal to find out that a random boy I befriended on the street turned out to be a prince. It’s like something out of a fairy tale.”

“A fairy tale?” Mint exclaimed.

Amber ignored Arund’s growl behind him and continued.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, or if you think it changed my opinion of you,” she added, “In case you were wondering, you being a prince doesn’t really change my opinion of you at all.”

Mint’s shocked expression remained for a moment before it faded into amusement.

“You’re probably the first person I’ve met who has thought that,” he chuckled.

“Where I come from, the upper class is generally respected but not idolized.”

Mint tilted his head in confusion, and Amber immediately realized her mistake.

“Anyway,” she quickly glossed over her previous remark, “We still need to find that pendant, right?”

“You still want to help?” Mint asked, though he didn’t seem particularly worried.

“I told you I would,” she declared, ending the line of inquiry.

Mint nodded definitively, before turning to his guards.

“I want you three to ask around about a pickpocket. He took something valuable from me and probably others as well so any information would be helpful.”

“Are you sure that’s going to work?” Amber asked, “It’s been quite some time since the theft happened, and I’m not sure if anyone who saw it is still around.”

“Any information on pickpockets will be good information,” Mint explained, “Even if we don’t find our guy, we can use this as an excuse to bust a few others.”

“Your Highness,” Arund objected, “We cannot just leave you again.”

“No one knows who I am, Arund,” Mint denied, “Plus, I’ll have Amber with me to help if anything happens.”

“With all due respect, what can this commoner girl do that we cannot?” Arund fired back.

“Um, not stand out, for one?” Mint retorted, “You three would instantly blow my cover. At least with Amber I can lie and say she’s just my girlfriend or something.”

“Your Highness, would that not be somewhat unwise, considering the ceremony is coming up?”

“So what?” Mint asked, his arms crossed, “It’s not as if the ceremony is closed to commoners.”

At this, Amber remembered the upcoming Consort Selection Ceremony that Vulga had told her about. Between what she had been told before and the conversation now, she was able to see the writing on the wall.

Right, Amber thought to herself, Mint’s going to be the one selecting at the ceremony.

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She didn’t have long to dwell on this thought, however.

“Fine, I will acquiesce just this once, Your Highness,” Arund conceded, “But do promise not to get yourself into any trouble.”

Mint nodded, and turned to Amber.

“We should ask around too,” Mint stated, “I think the Common District is most likely where our pickpocket is hiding out, so let’s ask around there.”

“Are you sure?” Amber questioned, “Maybe the Noble District would have some of the people he’s stolen from.”

“That’s possible,” Mint acknowledged, “But if he’s largely indiscriminate in his targets, which I believe he is, then finding out information closer to where he lives is more prudent.”

“Why do you believe that?” Amber inquired.

“He was attacking people on the Central. Everyone uses the Central, and thus his targets could have been anyone. If he was only after nobles, he’d have been attacking in the Noble District.”

Amber nodded, unable to refute that logic.

Thus, the two made their way back toward the Common District in order to begin their search. However, on the way, Amber had a startling realization.

“I still have to take these home,” she murmured, looking at the bags of groceries in her hand.

Mint stifled a chuckle.

“Are you telling me you forgot you were holding those?” he snorted.

Amber let out an annoyed sigh.

“Yeah, I did, so what?” she complained.

For the first time since they had met, Mint started laughing.

“It’s not funny!” she exclaimed.

“It’s just…” Mint cracked up, “You spent all that time talking to me, and meeting the guards, and you had the bags the whole time, and…”

Mint’s logic began to fall apart as he continued laughing, while Amber pouted and looked away petulantly. After another minute or so, he finally calmed down.

“Thank you,” he offered, “It’s been a long time since I laughed that hard at anything.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Amber replied, still not meeting his gaze.

“So, are we making a stop, then?” Mint asked.

Amber nodded.

“If you don’t mind…it would be easier to not have to carry them around all day, and I did promise Vulga…”

“Vulga?”

“Oh, she’s the woman that took us in,” Amber explained, “Do you want me to introduce you?”

Mint didn’t respond for a while. Instead, he seemed to be thinking quite hard about the idea, clearly tempted to accept the opportunity to meet the person who was kind enough to take his friend in.

“I think it would be best if I refrained,” Mint decided, “I don’t want to intimidate her or anything.”

“You sure?”

Mint nodded, and the two continued in relative silence until reaching the Agriculture District.

“It’s not too far from the edge of the Common District,” Amber informed him, “If you want, you can get started with the search and we can meet up later.”

Mint shook his head.

“We don’t really have a good place to meet up. It’s okay, I can wait a bit.”

Amber gave him a brief look, then sped up.

While she was a little worried that Mint wouldn’t be able to keep up with her, she really didn’t want to keep him waiting very long. In her mind, it wouldn’t be particularly polite to keep royalty waiting on anything, and he was already doing her a big favor letting her take the food home. The sooner she could get this over with the better.

When she reached Vulga’s door, she noticed Mint hang back away from the door, trying to remain inconspicuous. Amber moved to open the door, but the door opened before she could grab the handle.

Ruby stepped out, and her face betrayed a level of surprise.

“Oh, there you are,” Ruby stated, “I was just about to come looking for you.”

“Sorry about that,” Amber replied sheepishly, “I got a bit caught up in something on the way.”

Wasting no time, Amber held the bags out to Ruby.

“Can you get these to Vulga?” Amber requested, “I promised someone I would help with something, and I don’t want to keep him waiting.”

“Sure, but…what’s going on, Amber?”

“I’ll tell you all about it later. Hopefully we have this wrapped up pretty quickly, but I might not be back until late. We’re sort of looking for a needle in a haystack here.”

Ruby looked pensive at this, and was unable to look Amber in the eye.

“Is it something dangerous?” she reluctantly inquired.

Amber shook her head vehemently.

“No, it’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be safe, I promise.”

Looking back at Amber, Ruby sighed and nodded.

“Okay, I trust you,” Ruby conceded, “But I want to hear all about it tonight, okay?”

Amber smiled and opened her arms for a hug. Ruby immediately reciprocated before taking the bags inside.

Turning around, Amber walked back toward Mint, who had something of a faraway expression on his face.

“You all right?” Amber asked.

“Huh?” Mint jumped, his face immediately turning red.

“Gee, Mint. You’re looking as spacey as I was earlier.”

The prince blushed more and looked down.

“Sorry…”

Amber giggled a bit at his reaction.

“No worries,” she reassured.

The two began walking back toward the Common District rather slowly, neither saying a word for a while. Amber couldn’t help but notice that Mint seemed more embarrassed than he was earlier.

Was it that embarrassing to zone out the way he did? She thought, I mean, I know he’s a prince, and there’s all that proper etiquette mumbo-jumbo that they have, but it’s not like people know who he is. If anything, this just strengthens his cover.

“Hey, Amber…”

Amber blinked at Mint’s sudden address.

“That girl back there,” he started, “Was that your sister?”

“You mean at the door?” Amber replied, “Yeah, that was her.”

Mint nodded, deep in thought. Amber looked at his face, a smirk coming into place.

“You interested?”

Mint jumped again, his face remaining as red as it was.

“Oh, um, no, I was just wondering.”

Amber kept her eyes on him for an extra moment, before putting her hands behind her head and looking forward wistfully.

“She seemed worried about what I was doing,” Amber described, “She probably thought I’d gotten caught up in something illegal or illicit. Well, that’s Ruby for you; she’s always worrying about something. But it comes from the right place, you know? She just doesn’t want to see anyone get hurt, especially if it’s someone she loves.”

“That’s nice,” Mint replied distractedly.

The pair reached the center of the Common District and took a seat on a nearby bench.

“So what’s the plan?” Amber asked.

Mint sighed in response.

“I don’t really have one yet,” he admitted, “I thought at first we could just ask around, but what are the odds someone here actually knows the person we’re looking for, let alone where he lives?”

“I mean, we have to try, right?” Amber rebutted, “Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

Unfortunately, this didn’t turn out to be the case. The pair started asking around shortly after this conversation, but nobody seemed to know anything about any pickpockets in the area, and when the two were unable to give a physical description of the thief, most people just gave up trying to guess and moved on with their day.

The two quickly returned to the bench they were sitting on, frustrated and disappointed with their lack of results.

“I know we shouldn’t give up now,” Amber dejectedly admitted, “But we have no leads, and no direction.”

Mint nodded, putting his face in his hands. Even without seeing his face, Amber knew exactly what emotions it reflected, and despite never knowing the former queen she felt an urge to share in the sorrow.

“Say,” Amber murmured, “Could you tell me a bit about your mother?”

Mint looked up at Amber.

“Why do you ask?” he monotonously replied.

Amber’s eyes widened slightly.

“Sorry if it was out of line,” she apologized, “It’s just that we’re sitting here doing nothing, and I figured if you talked about her it might help with our motivation, that’s all.”

Mint looked out into the crowd in front of them, which was slowly dwindling as evening set in.

“I suppose that makes sense,” Mint agreed, “I do have one story in mind.”

A six-year-old Mint was sitting on his bed, and a knock came at his door.

“Minty? May I come in?”

The young boy groaned loudly, making sure the woman outside could hear it.

“Mother! Please stop calling me that, I hate it and it’s very crude.”

A giggle sounded from outside the door.

“May I come in?”

Mint sighed.

“Very well.”

The door opened to reveal a smiling woman, her blond hair cascading down her back in waves. She waved at him.

“Hey there,” she greeted.

Despite being annoyed, Mint broke out into smiles at his mother’s appearance.

“Good afternoon, Mother,” he greeted formally, moving into an upright position.

“Come on, now,” she chastised, “What have I told you about speaking to me like that in private?”

The boy pouted.

“That I’m supposed to talk normally with you,” he reluctantly answered.

“That’s right,” she declared triumphantly, “You’re my little baby boy, and I will not be treated like some nameless servant!”

Mint looked down, embarrassed at his mother’s statement. The woman in question took this as a cue to sit down.

Silence followed for some time, as neither felt the need to say anything. Eventually, the elder of the two spoke up.

“Minty?”

The boy looked up, startled out of his reverie.

“Yes, Mother?”

She sent a sharp look of disapproval, before continuing.

“I want you to have this,” she offered.

In her hand was a small locket, no bigger than a thumb. She clicked it open to show a small painting, with a mother and her son displayed in the centerpiece.

“Mommy’s not going to be around forever, Minty,” she explained, “So she wants you to have this. Whenever I’m not here, and you miss me, just open this up and think of me, okay? That way, I’m always with you.”

The boy took the locket in his hands, looking at it as if it were a sacred artifact. Then he clutched it close to his chest.

“I’ll take good care of it.”

“She sounds like an angel,” Amber complimented, “Nothing like my mother.”

Mint nodded, a mournful smile on his face.

“To me, she was one,” he admitted, “I think I was mommy’s boy in the family, even though the rest of my siblings were favored by my father. She was a commoner, albeit a relatively wealthy one, and I think that while she loved all of us, she cared about me the most, being the youngest and last in line to the throne. She was able to dote on me in ways that she never could with my brothers.”

Amber saw Mint continuing to ponder the story.

“I think she already knew at that point,” Mint continued, “She knew she didn’t have much longer. It’s probably why she gave me the pendant when she did, and why she said what she did.”

“Is that why you’re so determined to get it back?” Amber inquired, knowing the answer already.

Mint nodded, determination returning to his features.

“Of course,” he declared, “It is my most previous possession, and I won’t let it remain in the hands of some thief!”

At this, Mint stood up, and turned to Amber with his hand outstretched.

“Let’s go,” he expressed, “We have work to do.”

Amber smiled at the success of her tactic, and took his hand with equal determination. She stood up, ready to continue the hunt. Before either of them could say anything more, however, a voice interrupted them.

“Your Highness.”

The two teenagers turned around to see Arund and the other guards, accompanied by an unknown woman.

“Arund,” Mint greeted with a bow.

Arund smirked, his eyes darting to Amber for just a moment.

“We have a lead.”