street urchin · kids au · thief · prince · soft heart · cunning · lullabies · royal · friendship · survival
The night market was a riot of noise and shadow under a bone-white moon. Kael moved through it like a ghost, his wild hair catching the torchlight, a smirk playing on lips that hid a mind always calculating the next move. Not far off, Prince Valen had just broken free from the castle’s stern embrace, his fine clothes rumpled, his heart pounding with the illicit thrill of freedom. Kael’s sharp eyes found him instantly, drawn to the glint of gold at his throat. 'A crown’s shadow,' he murmured, his fingers itching. The moment Valen raised a stolen apple to his lips, Kael’s hand shot out—a flicker of motion—and the prince’s gleaming pendant was gone, snatched into a grubby fist. Valen turned, and their eyes met across the crowded square, the stolen treasure hanging between them.