*insert much celebration here*
I am a happy girl. I can now write with happiness and abandon. I'm hoping to get a job over the summer, but seeing that I have had no success as of late, I hope to be writing. A lot.
But first, here's a cookie for either 1- finishing the school year already or 2- being super duper close. You rock! :D
Alright, so--the real reason I'm back. I finally finally finished Part 3 of Stealing Violets. Hallelujiah. So far it's going nowhere, but hopefully since I have time, I'll also get some inspiration. So yeah! Fun stuff.
You might wanna go back and read Part 2 because you've probably forgotten everything that has happened in this miniseries (lel I basically have too so don't feel guilty).
Go refresh, and come back and read this. It'll wait for you.
*insert you refreshing yourself on what has happened*
Okay.
The moments with Princess Jessica tear at the inside of my heart for several days. I can’t help but worry about her. I know I literally just met her, but she’s growing on me even though I haven’t seen her in a while.
What if she really has eloped?
Oh, I hope not.
It’s nighttime, and I’m still wide awake. My mind is too busy to fall asleep. I sit up. Blue snorts and looks at me with sleepy eyes. “Sorry, buddy,” I apologize. He knows something is wrong, I can tell. He rests his head on my leg. I gently pet him, then push it off. “I’ve gotta go for a walk or something. I’ll be back.”
I wander around the city. Most of it is quiet. The only people awake are those rich enough to waste some candlelight on a weeknight and the men still in taverns.
The night watch is out, though. I’d better watch out for them. I slink around corners, making sure I don’t run into any drunk strangers. Let me tell you, it can cause a scene.
I don’t even know where I’m going. The sky is clear and bright and the moon is full. I spot my favorite constellations, then get an idea. I’ve got to get somewhere high, like a hill--but I can’t leave the city at night, of course. That leaves one place: a roof.
It’s not hard for me to climb up a few windowsills and jump in between walls. I find the perfect roof. It’s tile, but it’s not as slanted as most roofs. Hopefully I won’t roll off.
I situate myself in the most comfortable position possible on a tile roof and tent my fingers behind my head. The stars are beautiful tonight.
What? Did I just think that? I shake my head. What’s wrong with me? I’ve always enjoyed a good flirt with a pretty girl, but this? I’m practically romantic!
Even so, the stars are so gorgeously silver…like Jessica’s eyes…
***************
Bump.
Bump.
Bump.
I lift my head groggily, trying to make sense of things. What is that incessant bumping?
Then I realize I’m falling off the roof. How in the world did I fall asleep on a roof?
But there’s no time to think about it. My neck whips to the side and my hands flail out, trying to grab onto something.
“Ow! Ugh! Hey! Umph!”
I can’t find a handhold! I’m going to die!
“AAAHHH!!”
At the last minute, my hand catches on the edge of the roof. My fingernails scrape down the side of a tile. I wince in twenty seven different ways, but at least I’m still alive.
Alive and kicking. Literally. My feet slam into the side of the house with a jolting thump. I hope no one heard that.
I swing my other hand up to the roof and grab it. Time to get down. This was far too rude of an awakening. I’m ready for breakfast, for goodness’ sake.
Scrambling down is a bit of a hassle, but I manage it. I mean, this is me we’re talking about. I can do anything.
Except, perhaps, keep my mind off of Jessica.
Alright, this is the last straw. I dust off my hands and stomp off to find Blue. I need a distraction. Something big. Maybe I should rob the palace.
Blue licks me all over when I find him. “Dumb dog,” I mutter affectionately as I rub his ears. He wags his tail rapidly. “What should I do to keep my mind off of Jessica, boy?” I ask. Blue pants at me.
“Good plan,” I nod. “I could always make a ruckus, knock over some fruit stands, et cetera. I don’t know, though--I want to do something more impressive.”
That’s a great way to show Jessica you’re the model of a gentleman, a voice inside my head prods. Shut up, I tell it.
“Yeah, I think I’ll sneak into the palace tonight. Maybe I can make off with some of the king’s silver, make a living for myself.” I absentmindedly stroke Blue. “At this point, anything will do.”
I begin to plan. Finding a bit of charcoal isn’t hard, and I scratch out what I know on the wall of the building next to me.
The kingdom of Aertha is…well, I’m not sure if it’s big or small. I don’t really have any perspective. We’re big enough to keep away enemies but we also don’t want to dominate everything. We’re pretty content. Now that I think about it, our army is pretty small, actually. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is the amount of guards around the palace. Thankfully, the palace is at the center of the city, so it’s hard to miss. The only problem is that if I need to make a quick getaway, I can’t jump from one of the palace roofs to the city wall and then climb over. Oh well, you can’t have everything.
I mark the places I know the guards patrol. I’ve taken peeks over the palace walls before. The only problem is, I have no idea what room I’ll end up in. Hopefully I won’t get caught. What should I steal, though?
Honestly, anything will do. I just need something.
I decide to wait till the cover of night to sneak inside. Which means I have to wait another 12 hours for it to get dark. Great.
***************
The day passes painstakingly slowly. I find myself getting antsy and stir crazy as nervous butterflies build up in my stomach. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I want to jump off a building. Not that I want to commit suicide, I just have all this energy and nothing to do with it. It annoys me.
Finally, night comes. I’ve been ready for hours. My plan is anything but detailed--I’m just going to get in, steal something, maybe make a scene, and get out of there. I don’t stop to ponder the risks.
The darkness falls like a warm blanket. It’s cloudy out, and the moon is hidden. It’s not ideal weather conditions, but when has that ever bothered me?
I slink around the corners, looking out for the guards and the night watch. Or shall I say, the knight watch. I snicker at my own pun, then nearly choke as a group of guards step right in front of me.
“Hey!” one barks. “What are you doing out?”
I quickly adopt a jaunty air. “Oh, y’know, just making my nightly rounds.” I wink, my mind racing. “Always wanted to join the night watch, you know. Pap wouldn’t let me, though. He died.” I cackle. “Now I make rounds on my own and pretend I’m part of it.” Staggering a little, I salute. “Always wanted to be part of the night watch.”
The men look at each other with raised eyebrows. I’ve almost convinced them. I could be an actor, for all the show I put on for them. I blink several times, my eyes misting over. “You’re good men,” I say shakily, a fake sob escaping my throat. I clap the nearest man on the shoulder and rock back and forth on my feet. “You’re all good men servicing our good kingdom of Aertha, you are. One day I’ll join the night watch like I’ve always wanted to…”
Now for the final touch. I dreamily gaze at the wall next to me. My eyes are half closed and my mouth half open. That hooks them. They’re sure I’m insane.
The man removes my hand from his shoulder. “Well, make sure and come to us if you ever…feel urged to join the night watch.” He shoots a look at his companions that I catch from the corner of my eye. “For now, show us where you sleep. You need to get back to wherever you escaped from.”
Shoot! What now? Think fast, think fast--
“I just sleep here,” I announce, and sweep my eyes over the company, finally locking them onto the man. My knees buckle and I collapse to the ground. The man quickly tries to catch me, but misses. I close my eyes and steady my breathing as if I’ve suddenly fallen asleep. He bends over me, checking to be sure, then turns back to the rest of the night watch. “Bloody crazy,” he mutters. “Come on, he won’t disturb anyone here. We’ve got other things to do.”
“Who died and made you in charge?” I hear a rougher voice. “Last I checked, I’m the captain here.” The sound of a slap echoes off the sides of the buildings. I try not to wince. “Remember your station!” the voice snaps. “Let’s go.”
The night watch marches off and leaves me by myself. As soon as I’m sure they’re gone, I hop to my feet. I’ve lost valuable time and I need to get going.
The palace rears its beautiful head as I arrive. There’s guards marching around the wall. I decide to go the easy way. As soon as one comes my way, I dart out of the shadows and smash the back of his head with a stray cobblestone I picked up. He crumples to the ground like I did a few minutes ago. The irony is not lost.
I slip silently up to the wall and climb it, catlike. An ordinary person would have trouble getting over it, but years of living on the streets have helped me to easily find handholds in stone walls. As soon as I reach the top, I drop over. I can’t risk surveying the courtyard from there--someone might see me.
Retreating to the shadow of the wall, I take a look around. There’s not many guards in here, which surprises me. This has got to be a trick.
The flickering glow of a fire catches my eye. Several guards are huddled around it, joking loudly. Odd. It’s not even that chilly.
Not stopping to wonder the reason for the lack of guards, I dash across the courtyard to the main part of the palace. Safe once more.
Here there’s another small wall, which I scale quickly. This one is also stone, but with more chunky stones. It’s easier to climb.
I stay in the shadow of the wall and check out this part of the castle. I’ve never seen this before. There’s a large square building here, with other little buildings scattered around the mini courtyard. Two towers rest on opposite corners of the square building.
I weigh my options. The small buildings around the courtyard are probably storehouses for food. The barracks and stables are in the outer courtyard. The large square building most likely contain the kitchens, throne room, ballrooms, servants’ quarters, and whatever else is in a castle. The towers seem like a good idea to me. They probably hold bedrooms--and expensive items like tapestries and furnishings. I rub my hands together eagerly. Kray, get ready for a big one!
I choose to climb the left tower. There’s nothing different about it, I just picked it randomly. I run over to the shadow of the tower and gaze up at it. It’s very tall.
Perfect.
I spit on my hands and begin to climb.
It’s challenging to climb something this steep. The stones are smoother and have less handholds. I slip several times, and barely regain my footing. Beads of sweat begin to pop up on my forehead and upper lip. About halfway up the insanity of this situation hits me. What do I think I’m doing?
I look down the sheer stone wall and immediately regret it. It’s a very long way down.
Shakily, I take a deep breath and pray my clammy hands don’t cause me to fall.
Slowly, steadily, I make my way up the rest of the tower.
I reach up to a small ledge--a windowsill!--and grab it. Suddenly, one of my feet slips from the stone. I gasp as I dangle from the tower, one hand on the windowsill. My heart is beating a mile a minute and I can feel my hand losing its grip. Trying my best not to scream, I swing my other arm up to the ledge and grab it. I scramble up the windowsill and tumble into the room, pushing myself away from the window.
My chest rises and falls rapidly as I pant. I try not to think about what would have happened if I had fallen--not to mention what would have happened if I was noticed by the guards. A person climbing a wall is a prime target for arrows.
I take a moment to rejuvenate and investigate my surroundings. I appear to be in a bedroom, and by the looks of it, it’s a girl’s bedroom. The drapes and hangings are rich and beautiful, full of deep colors and gold and silver thread. The bed alone must have cost a fortune. To the side I see a dressing shade and a wardrobe full of elaborate dresses.
There’s a vanity over to one side. Amidst the immense amount of what I assume is makeup, I notice something of interest.
A crown.
I’m in Princess Jessica’s room.
I rub my hands eagerly. This is perfect.
---------This is probably trash, but eh. I'm not too concerned. I'm ready to revamp it with all this free time I now have.
And by the way, I AM OPEN TO CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM SO COMMENT AWAY PLS
Whatcha think? What's it need?
I'm glad to be back, by the way :)
And thanks to all you guys who actually take time out of your day to read my trash--it means a lot :3
~~zoë wingfeather
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