Nothing Left to Lose

Neylon

My calves burned from running. The patter of my boots clunking against the ground was terrifyingly loud in the dark forest surrounding me, making me scared that the guards would come after me, taking me to the city square, and hanging me in front of everyone who cared to watch.

I could almost hear the cheering of the crowd as I would drop to my death, finally signalling the end of the world's most wanted criminal. No more stealing, or fear of Fox visiting in the night. But mostly, no more helping the homeless eat their next meal.

All because a wimpy little prince caught me. He would surely tell, wouldn't he? Tell them the direction I escaped and I would die a terrible death, taking after my mother once again.

But I wouldn't burn to death, at least.

My heart only slowed when I reached my little shack hidden by the trees of the green forest. With a hand shaking from lack of breath, I reached up and removed the porcelain mask from the bridge of my nose before opening the door.

To be completely honest, I expected Syria's guards to be hiding in my abode, ready to pounce. But to my surprise, everything was completely normal.

The breath flowed from my lungs in a quick whoosh of relief. If everything went well in the village tonight, I would live another day.

Speaking of the village, it was past the time I was supposed to head off. The moon was illuminating the trees, making shadows cake the grass in darkness. Storing my mask under my bed, I headed out once again, only this time, I was headed out towards the village.

When I arrived, hardly anyone littered the streets, but it didn't matter. I knew who I was visiting tonight.

I knocked on their door quietly, standing confidently while I waited.

Within seconds, the door swung open to reveal a woman with sunken cheeks and ragged brown hair. Two children clung to her skirts, staring at me with large eyes. "Neylon," The woman breathed, taking me into a large hug as the children squealed and fought over who would embrace me first.

"Hi, Autumn," I murmured into her boney shoulder. She smelled like a nice mixture of lavender and oranges.

When we pulled apart, she looked around to make sure no one had seen our encounter, and then bustled me into her tiny house. Once safely inside, I picked up the kids at the same time, smiling at the mess of chestnut hair above their heads.

Asher and Sophia were identical twins, both four years old with big brown eyes and curly hair. The only difference was their genders.

"Hey guys," I laughed, kissing both of them on the nose.

"Hi, Neylon!" They chimed, jumping from my arms before running after each other.

Upon their leave, I turned to Autumn. "How are you guys doing?" I asked softly.

She looked sad, which was understandable. "Not well. I am working in the soup shop, but it is barely getting me by." Looking at her bare feet, she went on. "I can barely afford food for the three of us."

I nodded, knowing the hard conditions in which they were living. With hardly another sound, I pulled my sack off of my shoulders, reaching in to grab the diamonds and pearls embroidered into gold jewelry. "You're a very good woman, Autumn," I murmured. "That's why I'm giving you these tonight." I reached forward and grasped her hand, setting the jewels in her palm. "Use them for what you need. You deserve it."

I could see her tearing up as she breathed in heavily before wrapping frail arms around my waist. "Thank you, Neylon," She whispered.

I uttered my welcome quickly, gathering myself to step back out to the other side of the front door. What greeted me when the door swung open made my stomach tie into knots: Two castle guards, swords by their sides and white and red robes blowing in the slight gust.

One stepped forward, face hidden by a red hood. "Are you Neylon Trey?"

I resisted the urge to say no, instead nodding my head. "Why?" I asked in my most innocent voice. "Did I do something wrong?"

The other man cleared his throat. I could see that his skin was the color of ebony. "We need you to come with us for an interrogation." The fact that he ignored my question almost proved that the wimpy little prince went to his guards about my visit. But if he had, then how did they know my name?

I had been wearing my mask, hiding my identity from everyone who happened to see. So I willed myself to relax, walking between the two men whilst trying to make friendly conversation.

"So what are you two doing with an interrogation?" I asked in my friendliest tone. "The kingdom has been pretty crime-free and quiet, hasn't it?"

"Recently people have been claiming that they've seen a figure climbing up one of the castle towers. We've been ordered to simply question the townsmen and see if we could find more evidence. A face would be nice."

I could feel my body relax further as his explanation went on, the castle growing closer with every step we took. "Have any of the Royals noticed anything?"

A quick glance between the men happened before my eyes. I acted like I hadn't seen it. "The queen said that the family portrait was missing from Prince Jalen's room as of tonight," Said the pale man, "but the prince just told her that he had misplaced it."

Admittedly, that statement made me rather confused. Why would he hide my existence from his mother? But then I remembered how I had threatened to kiss him. It was surely the only reason.

The two men at my flank grabbed hold of the gold door handles, pulling them open in perfect sync.

"The royal family will meet you inside the dining hall over their evening dessert." Our footsteps echoed the halls, extraordinarily loud. "There, they will question you about anything you know." Finally, after what seemed like days, we reached two large doors engraved with different types of Godly figures. I recognized this as the dining hall.

The two men opened the doors for me, making me feel small in comparison to the large room before me. A large wooden table that could probably seat around twenty people held the whole royal family, all which had turned their attention to me as soon as the doors creaked open.

I could hear my heart echo in my ears.

The king is the one that spoke first, in a booming voice that made my ears almost bleed. His warm, silver eyes continuously stared into my own. "Welcome," He told me. "Have a seat and tell us your name, boy."

I took the seat that he gestured to, the one strategically placed across from Jalen. Avoiding eye contact, I answered him, "My name is Neylon Trey, sir."

Everyone murmured their hellos. Everyone except the boy sitting right in front of me. I could feel his violet eyes boring into mine without even looking at him.

"Neylon, my dear," The queen continued after everyone went silent. "We've called you in here today to ask a few questions." A pause. "I'm sure you have heard the talk of someone sneaking into the castle. Have you noticed anything of that sort?"

I shook my head, trying to conceal my nerves while still keeping an innocent face. "No, ma'am," I lied smoothly. "I've only been near the castle a few times and I don't live very close, so it would be hard for me to notice much."

"You don't work, do you, Neylon?"

"No."

Her eyes looked straight into my soul, more intense than before. "Then how do you survive?"

I coughed to hide the fact that I just choked on my spit. My insides were shaking uncontrollably. "I go to the soup kitchen and find easy work for money, ma'am."

The royal family glanced around at each other like they knew something that I wasn't a part of. It made my palms sweat, forcing me to rub them on my jeans.

Jalen spoke up suddenly. His voice was filled with knowing, making me certain that he knew exactly who I was. "Do you know the thief by the name of Fox?"

I laughed nervously, my finger twitching as I stared back at him, into those violet eyes of his. "I'm sure everyone has heard about him," I answered, "But isn't he in a different kingdom? There haven't been any public sightings of him in Syria?"

A silence fell upon the table, one that I could feel perched on my shoulders like it was crushing me. Jalen then spoke to his father. "Father, am I able to talk to Neylon alone? Perhaps he would be more comfortable with a boy around his age."

The king nodded. "Yes, my boy. I could see the sweat on his face from a mile away." Looking around at the rest of his family, he stood up and gestured for everyone to do the same. "Guards will be posted outside the room so you may have some privacy. Come now, my children and wife. Off to our bedchambers. We will speak with the boy after some time." He turned to me with a gracious smile. "It was nice to meet you, Neylon Trey."

And they were gone, leaving only Jalen and I.