The country of Fre'liar was in mourning, everyone cloaked in black attire. The daughter of one of the high officials lay inside a coffin, lined in red velvet and surrounded by a bed of white roses. It was a beautiful sight, as if she were asleep and would awaken at any time.

She had been murdered by a figure described as tall and thin, and it was unclear whether the witness had seen a man or woman. When the girl's body had been discovered by three young children, the officials had immediately called in a mage to determine the cause of death and magically dust for any residue left by the killer. They had found that the woman had not been ually assaulted, but had been strangled before had been slashed. It had been a vicious, cold-blooded crime, one that her killer had obviously taken much sickening joy in.

Once they performed the autopsy, the mage had declared that they could find no residue on her, but had found a small, white handkerchief with gold etching on the edges, draped over her face after her death. This handkerchief was distinctly from the family of Lee Sungdeul, where the only male relative that still lived in the country was Sungjong. The authorities wasted no time in arresting the young man, accusing him of the murder, and locking him away to await his trial. He would pay for this, as the evidence didn't lie.

*

Jongin crouched behind the bushes, his legs and back burning with the effort to conceal his presence. Hiding in this way was difficult for a tall man, but that would be better than getting caught by the Cidadel guards. He knew that a lowly peasant like himself wasn't nearly important enough for their attention, but being a thief had caused him to become paranoid. He had nothing to lose, and he knew it. He still wanted to be viewed as an actual person, instead of the street rat that he knew he was. It was a delicate balance.

Peering through the bushes, he noticed that the guards had turned around to walk into a building, so he took his chance and stood to his feet, hissing in pain as his back cracked. Tucking his bag of stolen food by his side, he tried to walk as naturally as he possibly could. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he got recognized by someone, given he had unusually dark skin and very distinct features. Wincing, he knew he had no choice but to chance it.

Making his way through the crowd carefully, the young thief slipped past the people until he reached the side road. This was his escape route, one he had taken several times in his life. Fighting the urge to run, he continued walking at the brisk gate he had begun at, walking steadily and trying to be unassuming.

About a third of the way to his destination, he sensed someone behind him, so he risked a quick backward glance. When the woman yelled and pointed at him, he knew he had been spotted. The short, burly young man with the old woman yelled out to Jongin, breaking into a run. The thief knew he had no choice but to flee, so broke into a full on run, darting to the left at the last moment and scaling the three foot wall with ease. Crouching in the bushes just beyond the wall, he felt confident that his pursuer had lost him. Standing to his feet, he tried to calm his heart rate, feeling as if it would burst out of his chest. Taking a deep, ragged breath, he continued walking to his home.

Once inside his humble hut, he thought about his situation. He really didn't want to make his living stealing from others, and he knew that the shop keepers worked hard to make the food he took from them.

Sighing as he set the bag down on his small table, he pulled out a neatly formed bread loaf with designs on it. He was tired of this life, and hoped that there was something more substantial for him out there.

Fumbling one of the apples he had taken out of his bag, he cursed as if hit the ground and got bruised. Bending down to pick it up, he noticed an announcement paper on his floor. Smiling, he picked it up and settled back with the a