Chapter Text
Kris looked over the crenelated ramparts and took a moment to admire the picturesque kingdom situated beneath them. The streets were nowhere near full, and everyone who was out and about seemed to be too preoccupied to look up at the castle and notice that someone was staring back at them. This was ideal, as Kris was definitely not supposed to be there.
"Hurry up, Kris, it's not like we have all day!" their partner in crime squawked, breaking the silence.
Berdly was annoying, to say the least, and often expected more than his fair share of whatever he and Kris managed to get their hands on. But if things went their way, this was the last crime they'd ever have to commit together. The expected payout was enough for the both of them to retire, even if the split wasn't exactly 50/50.
Kris adjusted the rope around their waist and walked a few feet over to Berdly, who was tapping his foot impatiently. They looked down through a hatch in the ground, perfectly positioned over a stone pedestal in the middle of a small, circular room. What looked like a small golden ring from above was sitting on a cushion. When they tilted their head slightly, Kris could see a the shiny helmet of a guard, who was leaning casually up against a wall several feet away, their back to the pedestal.
"Ready?" Berdly whispered, somewhat unnecessarily because they were a good 50 feet up. Kris nodded. They stepped towards the hole in the ceiling and allowed themself to fall slowly through it.
After a few seconds of being gradually lowered, Kris was close enough that they were able to see that the guard was no longer alone. They began to panic slightly, before they saw that the newcomer was also facing away, and seemed to be too engaged in their conversation with the guard to notice the intruder being lowered from the ceiling.
"Rouxls said I wasn't allowed to dig holes in my room anymore," said the newcomer, pouting, "because apparently Dad said it's 'not safe' and 'The maids have fallen in twice this week' or something..."
"That sucks man," said the guard.
"Where else am I going to put my things?"
It took Kris a moment to recognize the kid. Most members of the royal families only made public appearances on important days, but the Spade King's strange son Lancer was frequently spotted in the marketplace zooming around on his bicycle, usually followed by some harried people he was clearly trying to ditch.
"He only said you can't dig them in your room..." said the guard. Lancer's face lit up. "Don't tell anyone I said that," she added quickly, grinning wickedly all the same.
This guard couldn't be any older than they were, Kris thought. She was much taller though, with long dark hair and purple skin. Kris wondered how she had managed to become friends with the prince.
The royal families were enigmas, to say the least. Most people think, especially those originally from the kingdom across the lake, that having four kings was impractical. But they got by. And what did the other kingdom have to say on the matter, because as far as anyone knew, they had no ruler. At least, no ruler who anyone had ever seen. Not since what happened to the prince.
Kris wasn't even born when the baby prince, the only heir to the Dark Kingdom, vanished mysteriously in the night. It was assumed to be kidnapping, although some of the more eccentric folks in town told stories of the royal family getting a little bit too involved in dark magic, and... well...
Kris now held the golden crown in their hands. They took a moment to admire the way the light danced on its surface, then pulled gently on the rope to have Berdly begin reeling them in.
"I mean, I guess I already have enough holes, but it's not really the amount of holes, it's the - SUSIE LOOK!" The prince was now looking directly at Kris.
"What the hell... HEY YOU!"
Kris began pulling on the rope more urgently and looked up at Berdly, terror in their eyes. The guard, yelling with rage, ran over and tried to jump up and pull Kris down, but they were just out of arms' reach. In order to speed up the process, Kris pushed the crown up their arm and began climbing the rope. They scrambled up onto the battlements by themself, as Berdly was now too frozen with fear to help.
"Run," said Kris hoarsely and leaped over the ramparts onto the roof of a nearby building. Berdly wasted time shouting a few choice expletives before scrambling after them.
The two of them ran from rooftop to rooftop as a small group of soldiers followed as best as they could on the ground. They shot arrows up at them, which made Berdly even more audibly distressed. A couple arrows got stuck in the tiles below them, and Kris instinctively scooped them up and stuffed them into the satchel on their hip, along with the crown.
They finally reached a rooftop that afforded them easy access to the ground, then headed for the outskirts of town. Their detour had afforded them some time, but they still heard the distant noise of shouting from several blocks away. They also heard the tell-tale clopping of horses' hooves. It seemed as though they would make it safely into the cover of the woods, until they came to a stone wall, 10 feet high, that stretched in both directions for as far as they could see.
"Help me," Kris gasped, "Give me a boost."
"On one condition," said Berdly. Kris' head whipped around to stare at him. This was not the time for ultimatums, but it was so like Berdly to be making them. "Give me the crown."
Kris' mouth opened, then closed. Then they reluctantly handed him their satchel. Berdly laced his fingers together and held them down for Kris to step on. They placed their boot there and gracelessly scrambled up the wall, bumping into Berdly enough to make him protest. When they were safely standing up on the wall's edge, Berdly called up to them.
"Now help me!" he cried, bobbing up and down on his toes anxiously. The commotion of the guards was drawing nearer.
Kris turned to show off the satchel that was somehow hanging at their hip again, blew Berdly a kiss, and jumped into the brush on the other side of the wall. Berdly howled in despair. Kris took off running through the thick trees.
The wall would stop the pursuit for a minute or two, but Kris needed a more permanent place to hide. As they ran, they spotted a small curtain of overgrown weeds. As a strong breeze blew, the grass flutter to reveal a cave behind it. Kris instantly changed course and ducked through the opening.
Kris paused for a moment, out of breath, waiting for their eyes to adjust before moving forwards, but strangely everything around them remained pitch black. They took a few hesitant steps forward, arms outstretched to feel for any kind of wall. They stumbled over some loose rocks on the ground, the sound echoing unnaturally in their ears, but they found no other indication of being in a physical place at all, just an all-encompassing blackness.
Kris started to walk faster, desperate to find... anything... when suddenly it was as if the floor had fallen out from underneath them. Kris didn't even have a moment to think before they tumbled down through the darkness.