If you asked around on the streets of Alexandria, the city of knowledge, there were rumors of a great thief. Supposedly one of the largest doom tears ever found was stolen, as was the first clock, the bust of the goddess, even the primordial gem of the mage tower.
For a great thief stealing was but child's play. After all, as the famous night terror of Alexandria(self-proclaimed), feared throughout the lands, said to be able to steal anything. Merchants cowered, nobles were terrified, and the ladies could not get enough of the A-man. It was preferred as my moniker, since I was by birth a common Louis.
I had entered the city and filched a few nobles, to show credibility to local thief's guild chapter. My name alone should have been enough, but I didn't wish to advertise I had yet arrived. Once all was aware that I had arrived, it would be that much harder to make off with the city's treasures.
That had been the plan at least, until a mousy boy with sandy hair burst in, with the fourth princess Harmony in tow. He stuttered for a moment before the girl stepped forward shoving him aside.
"I need someone to arrange my kidnapping!" Most of the room laughed, what kind of women wanted to arrange their own kidnapping. That was until she flashed the royal seal and took her hood off.
I had never seen such a perfect woman before. Brilliant, gilded eyes, tall and well portioned. Stunning lilac hair, her ankles looked daintily and perfect. What more could a man ever want?
"If you don't the Gray Rose Reaper is going to follow me, and who knows what he will do to find me." I don't think I had heard a quitter room. Xavier was a name I wouldn't forget, given what he had done to me. I knew him personally, however even Alexandria had rumors heard of the man.
"Welp, I got things I need to go steal."
"I hear my mother calling me for dinner."
"I have to go met a mistress, that I don't actually have."
"Husband?! Ima come beat you for cheating on me!"
Exodus? Was that the word when near entirety of tavern front disappeared? All sorts of excuse were offered, yet in short order there was three people left in the room. Dust settled and an awkward silence hovered in the bar room.
"I'm sorry your highness but the guild does not have any affaires that potentially involve Sir Xavier." The bartender behind the counter who wanted nothing more than to run away spoke bowing slightly.
"He is that bad isn't he." Puffing as she put away her seal, the princess strode forward and took a seat at the bar.
"As I was saying your highness, He is that terrible, I'm afraid even the guild master ran away rather than deal with this."
"But someone has to kidnap, or the worst thing ever will happen." The bartender was an older gentleman who had obviously been a front for thieves for some time. I was certain he had never had such a request. This did afford an opportunity, what better babble to swipe than the princess of the nation. It was daunting to start but with her aid…
"Well than if the guild would not, I suppose I can." I approached from the side along a less noticeable path, to allude the impression as if I simply appeared next to them. "A drink good sir, for the lady."
"The thieves guild does not recognize this man as an official member, he recently appeared in town. We have no connection beyond this moment today"
The barkeep spoke before making a soft fruit cocktail that his own daughters loved to drink.
"Well, if the guild thinks you suck than why should I let you help me." This princess had a sharp tongue; I felt the arrow to my heart. She smiled at the old man as a cocktail was set in front of her.
"Perhaps you have heard of me the night terror of Alexandrea."
"Not even once." That one had twice the force as the last arrow. I swallowed my pride and took a sip of the stiff drink the bartender placed in front of me. Oh, that's ideal. The princess had a look of sparkling suprise at the drink, how ideal was this woman going to be.
"If he can prove his skills, I can at least inform you if they are in fact genuine." This barkeep was going to hook me up, I could feel it.
"My skills are beyond reproach, but if one must glance with his own eyes. Besides anything I showed you would pale to the jewel that sits here with me. I hope this would suffice, and not disappoint the lady." I reach under my coat, into a hidden pocket and placed a gem on the bar top.
Doom of the Sea, it was the first big jewel that was stolen out of Alexandria. The gem was faceted in a hoop of gold, a startling azure blue, small ribbons of black and the work thing gleamed under the light.
There were two ways to make a doom tear, one was magical manufacturing, the other was to get them out of doom whale shark. Given that they almost never were found in waters above 600 feet, finding one relied purely on luck. A natural doom tear of this size was a priceless treasure. Gently picking the gem up mindful of the chain that it was attached to the thief; the barkeep inspected the gem with a small monocle.
"This is…genuine." Setting the gem down carefully I tucked it back into my coat.
"Well than, now that the unpleasant part is over shall we discuss the kidnapping her highness is after."
Breaking into a castle itself wasn't hard, getting somewhere were stuff that was valuable was another story. With the intel of the princess and a gate pass for a servant, I entered a different book. In this story I had no trouble or effort stealing the princess, we run off, she falls for my dashing good looks, and we live happily ever after, with twelve kids.
The key piece here was how to deal with that monster Xavier, but with the princess's help I would know when she would be down for count.
There was a lot to do, even with all her help I couldn't take a chance. I knew that there were two guards posted at the door and I had a tin can for that. Glass cutters weren't common, but I still had my own, the rigging tools I would need were also uncommon. There were a few odds and ends and a small piece of magic that I would need, and only one place for that. I spent most of the day moving across town, looking for just the right pieces.
At the end of the day I was exhausted, tonight would be a lot of work so I caught what little sleep I could. It could of also been read as in a daze fantasizing about the princess. I had a night pass as a servant, for the ones that worked a swing shift rather than during the day, so showing up just before midnight didn't cause any alarms.
Part of moving around a large place was looking like you expected to be here. While most everybody was familiar, no one knew of everyone who worked in the palace personally. It would have been tough to bypass the royal guards at the residential palaces, as they held strict entry control. Instead, I used the cover and the map to make my way to the outer side in the gardens. Princesses' room was patrolled so after waiting for them to leave, I snuck up to the wall. Ideally, I would have just walked up and started climbing. In a very un-gentlemanly manner, I had to scramble over the thick hedges that were against the walls. My heavy cloak prevented most of the scratches, but I still winced as the leaves and edges bit into my skin.
Stick'em gloves, predominately used in ball sports, made it simple to scale the palace walls. Reaching the window, I suddenly had an odd sensation of falling, as the princess had opened her window. For the record I did not shrike like a small child and let go of the windowsill.
"There that should make it easier for him to get in." From the ground dazed and taking sharp breaths It seemed the princes neither heard my manly cry nor the impact sound when I hit the soft grass. I'm not sure how long that I was on the ground or how long, and it was hazy on when I managed to reclimb the window. One look at the stunning girl, in dark clothes and a hood was enough to bring the earth back to focus.
"Why are you so late?" She asked me, and I motion her to be silent. I took out a small tin and a small can with that I had prepared ahead of time. A bit of alchemy and a light mix and a small cloud of dust slowly wafted under the door. It wasn't long before the rattle and clack could be heard as the two guards by the door fell.
"Now princess we don't have much time so we should hurry. " I smiled what should have been a devastating smile, it was now time for the night terror of Alexandria to get to work.