Steal and Return

Chapter 2

“Unhand me you, you devil!” She shrieked, kicking and and screaming. I moved my face away from her shaking behind. “I am a princess! I am royalty! Now get your dirty commoner hands off of me!”

Her voice pierced into my ear drum like shards of glass and I grimaced. “Miss, don't make me hurt you.”

“Hurt me?! Hurt me! And you shall see the havoc that my father--” I reached up and pressed a palm into her waist pressure point. She yelped, but her voice ceased it's ringing in my ears. Good thing she realized how serious this situation was.

I straightened my cloak and pulled on my hood, getting ready to go outside in the chilly darkness. Smoothly, I pulled one of her blankets from her bed and draped it over her to protect her from the snow and cold. I started to maneuver my way out of the window when the door behind us opened. I turned around to see who it was, and what a stupid mistake that was. I was met with the sight of a guard, a now very awake and not sleeping guard too. “H-Hey!” He shouted, reaching for his sword. “S-Stop in the name of the King!”

“L-Lexen!” The Princess shrieked.

“Tell your King I said to kiss my firm behind!” I retorted, a smile blooming across my face. With no caution, I leaped out. I heard a thunk of her head.

“Be careful of me!” She screamed defiantly, wiggling around.

“Sorry, Princess.” I murmured, hefting her weight again. I stood on the slanted roof for a moment or two, letting the snow fall upon me.

I tapped my boots twice on the roof for good luck, and started off. It was quite a run, and harder now with a Princess on my back. But none the less, my strong legs took me across the rooftops of Prince Pierce's castle.

It was surprisingly easy to kidnap this Princess. After all, she was the Princess one of the biggest kingdoms of the world. She had guards surrounding her the way starving dogs would surround a piece of scrap meat. She's been sheltered the moment she came out of her mothers womb. The security must have been lessened since she was at another one's kingdom.

Abruptly, and arrow came flying out of no where. I jumped back just in time for it to whiz past my eyes. I turned my head to the direction of the archer, and suddenly ten more popped up.

“Well then.” I murmured, quite irked.

Who is shooting arrows at me?!” The princess demanded. “I shall have your head! I will cut off your arms! I will make you hope that you have never been born!, you useless idiotic little mongrels!” I started to run full speed, afraid the princess would get hurt with an arrow. She was my ticket to Momma's medicine, and there was no way I was going to let her slip out of my hands.

Suddenly in front of me was a burly man with a sword in his hands. I halted to a stop as he took it out of his sheath. “Stop in the name of the King.” He said gravely. A wind blew and his long hair whipped around his face, showing the scar on his cheek.

“Are we in a play or something?” I asked him, chuckling a bit. “Sir, I have your Princess on my back.” I slapped her behind to prove it. “What's to say that I won't slit her throat right now unless you back off?”

“Excuse me!?” Her voice rose up to crescendo. From beneath and behind us, I could hear the march of soldiers and their weapons. I decided to hurry things up before we both got hurt.

“Put her down.” He told me. He made a fancy show of his sword, doing a few tricks to make it gleam in the moonlight.

“What if I say no?” I asked him.

“I will be forced to harm you.” I couldn't help but snort.

“Harm me. Uh huh.” I set the Princess down, and she was about to bolt off before I grabbed her arm.

“Let go of me!” She yelled, pulling away and trying to wretch her arm away.

“Not so fast, princess.” I said, grabbing a needle from one of my pockets. It was coated in sleeping liquid, and was sure to knock the princess out. I pulled the frantic girl toward me and she yelped, looking away. I pricked the side of her neck with the needle, and she went limp in my arms.

“What did you do?!” The man started to scream.

Quickly and smoothly I put the blanket down on the roof, and set the princess down on it. I placed my cape over her and turned to the man running toward me. I pulled out my sword that I had gotten from my father and held it ready.

I ducked at his first clumsy attack and pushed him back. He stumbled, his weight causing snow to fall from the rooftop. “Sir, you're going to cause the roof to collapse. You know weight losing would be good for you.” I informed him.

“Aw come on, big fella!” I said smiling. “Crack a smile! It's almost Yule Day!” He said nothing at my playful jabs and just came at me again. He bore his sword in the air, giving a battle cry. I brought my own sword up to defend myself and the clang rang in the night air. I kneed up to catch him in the stomach but could only plunge my knee into pure fat.

I ducked down and swooped my leg under his. He fell like a tree trunk in a empty forest. While he was still down, I grabbed the Princess, threw her as gently as possibly over my shoulder and ran. I took the liberty to hop on the fat mans stomach to make him barf up a little bit of his dinner. Just for fun.

I saw the end of the castle grounds and sped up my pace. I heard her people running after me, and quick look behind me confirmed my worries. They were slow though, slower then I was at least. I thanked those few extra weeks of training my speed in the back of my mind.

I reached the borders, and jumped on the stone wall. The drop down was far too long, especially with a body on me. Instead, I leaped to one of the shadowed trees and grabbed a branch. Our combined weight was too much as my hand slid down the bark of that branch, causing burns and cuts. Luckily though, the large branch reached down far enough till there was only about 6 to 7 feet off the ground.

I let go of the branch and fell onto the ground. My feet landed on the ground, shatteringly painful. It pulsated in the same rhythm of my hand. The jolt woke the princess up and she yawned in an unsightly way. I ignored it and just started to run into the forest, hoping to find a stream of some sort to wash off our scent and my blood in case they sent dogs. I knew there should be one since I had passed it on my way here.

Though I was already ahead of my pursuers, I could hear their clumsy moves in the forest due to the darkness. I once again thanked those extra weeks of training so my eyes could get used to the darkness. From behind me I heard the princess scream and I slapped her leg with my gloved hand to make her shut up. She just yelped and whimpered. I almost couldn't believe a single slap on the thigh could make her so quiet. Probably never disciplined, the spoiled brat.

I squinted to see through tree's behind me and saw the shadows of hundreds of men in the distance. I estimated that they were quite a far way off by the way I had run. Even so, I grimaced and sped up my pace even more, my heart pounding in my chest. Ahead I saw the river ahead and I sprinted to it. It was just a small river, maybe wading up to my waist. I jumped in it, the cold water soaking my breeches and leaking into my brand new boots. The Princess on me yelled in surprise at the splash of water and jumped, causing me to lose grip on her.

I swore slightly as she fell into the river, flailing her arms. I grabbed her nightgown and pulled her up towards me. She was gasping and coughing and crying all at the same time. “I-I can't swim!” She informed me sobbing. Her hair was wet and a mess, and her white nightgown was very see through. I ignored it though, I did not take her for her body.

“Yes, yes, princess.” I murmured. “Now let's go before your dogs come and rip up parts of me I would prefer be whole.”

“I have no shoes!” I sighed and swooped the girl up as she shivered. I waded through the river as fast as I could to emerge on the land soaking wet.

I knew by now that the guards behind us were closer then ever, but I couldn't risk pushing this pampered princess to the edge. A temper tantrum was the least of what we needed currently. If I was caught, good god. What would happen to me? Skinned alive and boiled for her next dinner, most likely.

“Princess,” I started, walking toward a willow tree. “We are going to hide there.”

“In a tree?!”

“Yes, a tree, and if you make one more sound I will make sure the next sounds you make are sounds of pain.” I threatened menacingly. I didn't mean it of course. I just needed her to shut up.

I let the princess down in front of the tree and motioned her to go on up. She looked at me with a completely clueless look. “What am I supposed to do?” She mouthed. I looked at her in shock.

“Climb. The tree.” I said slowly.

“How!?”

This woman has never climbed a tree.

My head went to my hand I shook my head. I grabbed her waist and just threw her over a low branch. I climbed up and yanked her as I climbed up further. She whimpered and trembled, and was extremely uncooperative, not wanting to move. But in a good five minutes or so I got her as high as she would go and sat her down near the trunk so she wouldn't snap the branch. I looked to her in the darkness and put a finger to my lips, hoping she would understand the motion.

I looked down below us, waiting to see if there was any movement. After a few minutes, horses came to view. There were about three men on horses and all the other men were on foot.

“She must be around here.” A voice said. I recognized it as the Prince.

“I know, Pierre. But where? Not to mention that she has that skilled assassin with her.” said another, who could only be his father. I allowed myself a smile. I'm skilled, huh? Nice to know I was feared among the nobles.

“My darling girl. Where could they have gone.” The last man said. The Princess gasped, and I lunged forward before she could say anything.

I felt her tears on my palm before she pushed me away and screamed, “Daddy!!”

“Goddamn, woman!” I said, breaking all rules of kidnapping a woman.

“Down, kidnapper!!” Pierre yelled.

“One second, you brat!” I snapped. I heard a few of the soldier almost laugh at my audacity.

I grabbed the Princess' hand and brought her down the tree branches. My plan was ruined. My beautiful, so thought out plan I had spent countless nights on ruined! All because of one little girl!

Woman. So god awfully difficult.

Now I'll have to improvise.
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My chapter! :D I hope you guys enjoyed :) I am your second author for this story.

Good gosh this is so long. o_o Sorry for that >.<

Hoped you enjoyed none the less!

-Penny