Luana Wu (9) | STAFF REPORTER
It was one of those days. By “those days,” I meant the days when the prince would come gallivanting down the streets, with a whole parade of horses and men behind him. The soldiers were waving banners of the country’s flag on them, while the prince was throwing coins into the crowd. Much to my annoyance, people pushed and shoved to get them. There was nothing better than free money, but maybe if the crown took better care of its citizens, then maybe everyone wouldn’t be so desperate for some coins.
Meanwhile, the girls beside me were fawning over the prince. That wasn’t unusual, since practically every girl was doing the same thing. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at them.
Then the chanting began. “Long live the prince! Long live the prince!” everyone shouted. I had no desire to participate in any of these events, and all the noise outside was really distracting me.
However, it was a good day for a thief like me to take advantage of the distracted people. All the rich nobles would be out and of course, they would be dressed as fancy as they could. At that thought, I snorted. No doubt doing it to look good in front of the prince, and also to stand out among those who were dressed in nothing but rags.
I spied a wealthy-looking man to my left. He had rings on every finger and a thick, gaudy gold necklace around his neck. His robes were clean, and the fabric was shiny and glimmering in the afternoon sun. Those rings around his fingers would fetch a good price, but too bad he was busy waving them in the air. Although, he had something much more valuable. His wallet. I saw the lump in his pocket and instantly knew that it was a wallet or a coin pouch of some sort. Only nobles like him would so daringly carry so much money with them; low-born people like me knew that there were always thieves lurking around.
I began making my way to him. Good thing he was preoccupied with the parade. The prince was waving his arms and blowing kisses to everyone, making all the girls swoon and give him longing looks. Behind the entire parade, I saw a wagon full of gold. Spoils of war, I realized. We had been at war with our neighbours for decades, and the war showed no sign of stopping any time soon. That meant more tax we had to pay, and more struggle to maintain our lives in the city. Every day the city was falling apart. People were becoming more vicious and dangerous. The king was doing a poor job of handling his own country.
Sighing, I pushed my way towards the noble. Good, he was alone. I pretended to trip on my own feet and slam into him. Meanwhile, my hand slipped into his pocket and pulled out a leather pouch, heavy with coins. The man whipped his head in my direction and frowned. His eyes flashed with anger as he said, “Watch it, girl. I don’t want your filthy clothes getting all over me.” I gave him a small smile and slipped back into the crowd.
He would realize only later that he was missing his pouch. I curled it into my hand and finished watching the prince and his parade make its way through the city. Everyone was beginning to press closer, and I could practically feel the energy in the air. I was dying to get back to my home, but first, I needed one more target.
Scanning the crowd, I spotted a lady. She was dressed similarly to the noble. There was a gold bracelet around her wrist, adorned with diamonds and sapphires. I noted that there was a clasp which held the bracelet in place. Luckily, she didn’t seem all that excited about the prince, so her hands were by her side. I tucked the man’s pouch into my bag just as I collided with the lady. She let out a small gasp as I hit her. I easily slipped the bracelet from her wrist and tucked it into my pocket.
“How dare you!” she said, recoiling. Her face was full of disgust. I’d seen that look so many times, but somehow, it made me want to curl in on myself.
“Sorry,” I apologized, dipping into a small bow.
“I don’t care,” she told me. “Just get out of my sight.”
I gave her a small smile before I backed away. Then I melted into the crowd, my heart pounding against my chest.
