"Waiiiittttt," Kalinier says, holding up a fist. "Waaaaiiiiiittttttt."

"I'm waiting, you idiot." I scowl, readjusting my stolen uniform and backing up farther behind the giant pile of crates as Kalinier peeks around the corner.

"Wai--"

"I kno--!"

"Now!" He suddenly cries, and pushes me into the clearing, right in front of the man observing the scene. I stumble to the ground and fall face-first into the puddle at my feet. I quickly give Kalinier a gesture before peering up and staring at the finely dressed hooded figure. I yelp and spring to my feet.

"Sorry, sir." I quickly mumble, although this is all part of our plan... Well, Kalinier's actually. If something went wrong, I knew who to blame.

The man walks over confidently and offers me his hand. I grasp it and he hauls me up, "Are you alright, lady?" he softly asks.

I let go and brush my uniform, catching Kalinier dart towards the open crates and disappearing behind.

"Yes, thank you."

The man chuckles and removes his hood. I stare up into his light brown eyes and smile, hiding the real reason of why I'm here. Why did they look so capturizing? I couldn't take my eyes off of his as the sun reflected off them and made them appear a stunning bronze.

"How's the shipment going?" I casually ask, trying not to blush.

The man laughs, "Oh, I'm not here to watch them. I'm here to watch the scenery." So casually phrased.

"Oh. What's your name?"

The man stares down at me and his face turns confused, like I should know who he is. "You don't know?" I shake my head sheepishly, things were slipping from my control fast, "I'm Prince Xylin Seriphyn of Arien."

I mouthed a silent 'O' and went into a shallow bow, even though I just wanted to spit at his feet and walk away. "Your Highness, I didn't know. Please forgive me."

"For a woman who just bravely conquered a puddle, I'm surprised you're not sulking in your shame." I bit my lip in anger and rose. How dare he talk to me like another servant.

"I'm not your typical court lady." I smiled dangerously and he laughed. By the moons, what was wrong with him?

"Well then, what's your name, my lady?"

Oh shucks, think of something Raila! My mind pleaded. Mind as well tell the truth incase he went looking for me again and found out I lied to the prince. "Raila Felynis, your Highness."

"A lovely and unique name, but shouldn't you be resuming your post?" Oh...right.

"Ah yes, I completely forgot. Until next time, your Highness." He smiled charmingly and I was pretty sure I could feel Kalinier rolling his eyes behind my back in the shadows. Prince Xylin gently took my hand despite the dirt and kissed it softly. I couldn't help the blush that escaped me as he walked away and I ran over to Kalinier's bored form.

"About ti--"

"Don't you start. I was just playing my role." He smirked and handed me some money to put in my bag. I quickly looked over at the prince's turned back and ran off back to town.

"What did you do to the artifacts?" I panted and quickened my pace.

"Oh, the usual, smashed and dumped into the ocean." I didn't want to see the aftermath when he said things like that.

"So, it was a success?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of the docks behind us. He silently nodded.

"At least there's no palace guards after us."

"Not this time, Kalinier." I angrily said. Anger directed at the Royal Family. Screw them for not caring about us.

Kalinier stopped and grabbed my arm, forcing me to look at him, our faces centimetres apart, "Hey, I hate this as much as you, but we do this everyday to survive; to make sure our family survives. The royals ain't helping us anytime soon."

"Yeah," I started into a jog, "yeah, you're right. I know." I tried not to sound too childish. I wish there was another option, but those who didn't fight back against poverty were left behind in the dirt these days.

My house was located near the outskirts of the city and was a simple rectangular brick box, a replica to the others lining the street. Not many people passed by these days because the palace had built a new road running along the more populated streets and had risen our taxes so they could afford to build it.

When we finally reached my block, Kalinier slowed to a walking pace and gave me a quick hug. "Happy birthday, Raila." He said, more sincere than I thought possible. I squeezed him back before he gave me a quick smirk and ran back the way we had came, disappearing into the foggy air at the end of the street.

I smiled at the place he had been and turned around to face my family. I reached my hands behind my head and undid my braid in one swift motion, tying it up into a simple bun like most women did while working. I took off my disguise from the docks and threw it into the nearest hedge, smoothing my other uniform as I pinned on the bakery logo and turned the rusty knob to be hit by the smells of my home.