Chapter Two

Seungcheol glared at the thieving ninja who was lounging comfortably in the tree. 

“You didn’t have to knock her out, Wonwoo,” he reprimanded, disapproval in his tone.

The black haired sloth shrugged carelessly, chewing on a reed. 

“She stared,” he replied in monotone.  “I didn’t like.”

Seungcheol rolled his eyes.  Wonwoo did whatever he wanted, and most times did nothing except hide in the trees doing who knows what.  However, Seungcheol trusted the seemingly untrustworthy ninja.  He was like a younger brother to him; a younger brother who sometimes listened to him.

He recalled two years ago when he had found Wonwoo, who was nothing more than a young street urchin picking pockets.  At the time, Seungcheol secretly traveled through the villages to gather any news, rumor, gossip, or hushed whisper, whether by eavesdropping or by coin. 

Illness and famine were spreading.  Everywhere Seungcheol went, he noticed the toll it took on the people—from the hopeless look in their eyes, to the increased number of the homeless, the murders, the evil deeds—and it stirred a fire in his resolve.

Here, the village of Sidus, a well-known congregation for commercial trade, wasn’t yet fully tainted by the touch of sickness and hunger.  As a disguised Seungcheol, clad in a hooded cloak, walked amongst the marketplace, he took note of rich merchants showcasing their exotic goods and the struggling lower-middle class with their own intricately-crafted wares.  The aroma of colorful spices and savory assortments of baked pastries and treats elated his senses, and that was when he noticed a shadow in the corner of his eyes. 

A black haired teen, pale and frail from hunger, slipped through the bustling crowd.  No one glanced at him.  No one normal would be able to detect him.  His bare, sooty feet were nimble, his movements silent and careful, and his dusty fingers, as they swiped a steaming hot bun from a booth, quick and imperceptible.  Seungcheol observed with intrigue as the shadow of the boy escaped down an alley.  There, to his surprise, the young thief divided the stolen treat to smaller children, leaving none for himself.

Day after day, Seungcheol kept watch on this boy, who would steal during daylight to feed starving youngsters, and then slink outside of the village to nod off within the cradling boughs of a tree.  It was one morning during the start of his chivalrous deed when his luck ran out.

The fox-eyed youth was at it again.  His mouth was watering, his eyes lit with mischievousness as he lifted a light hand for a freshly seasoned and cooked fowl.  Then a loud and clear voice rang out through the marketplace.

“Thiiiieeeef!”

For a second, a flicker of surprise flitted across his dust-layered, determined face.  It was the first time he had been spotted, and the thief turned to escape.  Rough hands immediately seized him.  He kicked, he elbowed, and he thrashed in the strong resistance.  Then the signature royal insignia sparkled under the sun and black anger clouded his dark eyes.

A rusty, old knife slipped out of his long sleeve from a stained off-white shirt three times too big for him.  He grasped it and slashed at the hand that restrained him.

“You little !” the soldier cursed, pulling his bloody hand back.

The thief took advantage of the slack in his captor’s hold to attack again.  He twisted his body around and jabbed into the man’s stomach.  The shocked expression in the man’s eyes was all he needed.

A powerful fist struck him in the cheek, knocking him onto his back.  A big black boot hovered and stomped on his chest, expelling all the air out of his already frail body.  The sky was blurry and spinning.  When two yellow cat eyes hovered over him, the boy smiled.  The metallic taste of blood coated his teeth and spilled out of lips.

“Hang him.”

.

“Hansol,” Seungcheol murmured softly from a high window. 

The brown haired man looked at him with a raised eyebrow.  “Don’t tell me you intend to rescue the boy,” came his response.  “It’s too dangerous, especially with Cat Eyes around.”

Seungcheol nodded, expecting such a response from his rational-minded friend.  However, the moment Lord Jihoon’s men entered the village and his surveying eyes landed on the blonde-haired, cat-eyed General Soonyoung, his fists clenched and body shook.

“What do