Peter's POV

Who are you?" I asked and several laughs followed.

"We be the ones who do the askin'," the tallest of them answered.

I tried to see his face, but a dark scarf covered the majority of it. "Ask away," I replied warily.

The man walked around me, as if he was observing someone's cattle to see how much it was worth. Now I wished I hadn't kept my only nice suit. It was the only nice thing I still owned. And it definitely didn't make me look like a common peasant.

"What be ye doin' out here in the woods?"

"Actually, I'm only on the road, I'm not in the woods."

He chuckled then turned to his companions. "We have ourselves a quick-witted one, here lads."
They all laughed and I glared at them.

"Ye know," the strange man said. "I be startin' to like ye."

I wanted to spit in his face, but it would probably only anger him.

"That is why I will be generous and let ye go on yer way with only given me the money ye have on yer person."

I had to choke down a laugh. He thought I had money? I only had a few coins and they were safely tucked away at the piece of wood I now called home.
"I... I don't-"

"Empty yer pockets, lad."

I looked at him to see if he was serious; he was now so close that I could see his bright green eyes and they looked serious. I reached into my pockets and turned them out, revealing a small cake wrapped in a crumpled napkin I had saved for Julie and some pocket lint.

"That ain't nothin! Judging by these here clothes, I would assume ye had a lot more to offer," the green-eyed man said and thought for a moment. "Take off yer boots."

I looked at him confused, but he didn't look like a man to be questioned, so I did as he asked. "Alright." I sighed then slowly sat on the cold, hard ground and started pulling off my only pair of boots, to which the green-eyed man grabbed and started shaking them upside down; only dirt fell out.

"Curses!" He hissed then turned back to me. "Now what ye be doin, dressed like that," he threw my boots at me. "If ye have no money?"

"I used to have money, but I lost it all. These are the only nice clothes I managed to keep," I said, not wanting to reveal too much to him.

"How does one go 'bout losin all his money? Ye a bettin man?"

I shrugged, pulling on my worn boots. "I didn't do it on purpose, of that you can assure yourself."

He chuckled. "What be yer name, lad?"

I stood up and looked at him wearily before answering. "Peter."

"Yer family name, boy," a man behind me said laughing.

"Fairborne," I mumbled, hoping I wouldn't regret being honest.

"Yer father be Edmund Fairborne?" Green-eyes asked and I nodded.

"He be a noble man, if ever I knew one. Now how did his son lose all of his hard earin's?"

I sighed, I didn't have time for this. "It's a long story-"

"Best hurry than, I got me all night, but these here lads don't like to be kept long."

I thought a moment. "Can we walk down this path as I tell it?"

"I suppose we could," green-eyes replied, but he didn't look overly pleased about it. "But don't go gettin any ideas."

"I won't," I promised, not wanting to know what would happen to me or my family if I did try something. They had already suffered enough by my hand.

We all started walking down the road towards my house. "It was a little over a month ago, and I was at the market getting some food for our family outing later that day because our servant had a bout of shingles and was in no condition to leave the house."

I looked at Green Eyes who nodded for me to continue. I didn't understand this man.

"I was on my way home when all of a sudden some guards grabbed my arms, making me drop all the food I'd bought, and dragged me to the town hall. When we got there one of the guards, who had picked up my bags, started searching through it. I wasn't worried he would find anything except food, because that's all I had bought. But then he pulled out an expensive-looking necklace and I just stared at it in surprise and told them that I'd never seen it before. Then they brought the owner of the store I had bought my food from and he told us that it was his wife's necklace and that he had noticed it had gone missing shortly after I had left. No matter what I or my father said, they didn't believe that it wasn't me. And even though the man got his necklace back, they still thought there should be a punishment- either jail for 20 years or my title and land gets taken away."

I sighed and looked at the men following me, who had grown silent. "My father hadn't been doing the best lately and I don't think he alone could have kept providing the necessities for my sister and mother for the next 20 years, despite all of our money and land."

"Did ye really steal it? The necklace I mean."
I shook my head. "Of course not."

"That would have been a better story," he mumbled.
I smiled, maybe this guy wasn't so bad.

"I think I can fix that wee little problem of yers though," he said grinning.

"Problem?"

"I can teach ye how to steal, but the right way."

I shook my head, had he even listened to my story. That was the very reason that got me into this mess in the first place. "I don't want to become a criminal."

"Ye said that yer papa wasn't in the best health, and ye ain't in no way to pay for him. I imagine ye ain't barely in a state to get bread on the table."

"But it's wrong-"

"It be wrong to steal? Every livin' being does it. Whether they be stealin' money, love, glory, or air from the trees!"

He thought in deep silence for what felt like a lifetime. "I'm sorry fer yer loss. 'Ow about instead of robbin ya, ye work fer us until I say yer debt is paid?"
"My debt?" I asked.

"Unless ye rather I take yer sister instead?"
I glared at him. "Alright, I'll work for you, but stay away from my sister," I warned as we started walking down the dirt road.

"She be a fair lass?" He asked, and this time I knew he was grinning. It made my skin boil.

"You won't ever know," I said as we neared my small house.

"I'll try me best," he said with an exaggerated bow.

Then I realized something was off. "Where'd your men go?"

"They don't like towns much," he replied with a shrug. "Now, which one of these be yers?"

I pointed to the only cottage with a light still on and he nodded and we walked up the path to it.

"Thank you," I started saying but was interrupted by a door swinging open and arms were thrown over my shoulders.

"What took you so long?" Julie asked pulling out of the hug and looking up at me.

I smiled. "Sorry, Julie, I was stopped on the road-"
"I'm afraid that be my doing," Green Eyes interjected. "I apologize for keeping ya waitin," he said taking her hand and kissing it.

I scowled, but neither of them seemed to notice.
"It's quite alright," Julie said blushing. "I'm sure it wasn't all your fault."

"It was," I said and turned Julie around then led her towards the house. "Let's go inside now, you need to get some rest."

"But-"

"Come on Julie," I said.

"Goodnight, fair maiden," Green Eyes called and I wasn't so sure about working for him now.

"Goodnight!" Julie called back before I could shut the door behind me.

"What was that?" I asked once we were safely inside.

"What? Talking to your friend?" Julie said then started in a bot of coughs.

"He is not my friend," I growled.

"Then what were you doing with him?" She asked with hands on her hips.

"He... I... It's complicated." I said and sat down on our small couch then began taking my boots off.

"Well, I don't see why I can't talk to him. He seemed nice enough."

I looked up at her. "You don't even know him, how do you know what he's like?"

She shrugged and I narrowed my eyes. "He's a thief."

Her eyes widened then narrowed playfully. "And, apparently, so are you," she said and started coughing again, but it quickly subsided. "Does that make you a bad man?"

"That's different, I didn't even steal that necklace-"

"Maybe not, but if I didn't know you, just the things everyone said about you, then I would probably assume you were a bad man, but you're not."

I shook my head. "He's different. He actually steals stuff. That's how we met, he was going to rob me," I said and hoped she would look surprised, but she didn't.

"He was going to rob you? So are you saying that he didn't rob you?"

I glared and her smile widened. "Because he couldn't; I had no money on me."

"What's gotten you in this horrible mood? Was it the ball or the fact that this outlaw kissed my hand," she said and waved her hand in my face before sitting down.

"Never mind what I think of him, you need to go to bed!" I said then walked over and picked her up when she didn't move.

"Stop! Put me down! I don't want to go to bed yet!" She yelled and knocked my hat off, but I didn't let go.

I carried her to her room and sat her down on her bed. "It's time to sleep."

"But you still haven't told me about the ball," she said pleadingly.

"Then it'll have to wait until the morning," I answered. "Now go to sleep."

She sighed then got under her blankets. "You know I am not a child anymore."

"I love you, Julie," I whispered. "Sleep tight."

I heard her sigh and repeat back the phrase.

I blew out her candle and quietly shut the door, then tiptoed back to the living room, where I usually slept since I insisted my parents take my room. I sat down on the couch and then took off my coat and hung it on a peg by the wall, then I picked up my fallen hat and placed it on top of my coat. I blew out the last burning candle that sat on our window seal, and I almost thought I saw a dark shadow move out of sight as I did so, but I looked again and everything was still. I must be tired if I'm seeing things! I thought and went to lay down on the couch.

I lay there for what felt like hours thinking about the mysterious man I had just met, my sister's reaction to him and what I would do when I saw him next. But, like most nights, the one who occupied most of my thoughts was Princess Ariadne and I decided that I would do whatever it took to get my title back. I was not going to sit idly by and watch the prince take her away from me.

I love writing in Peter's perspective. It's really fun to imagine!
And I love Green Eyes! What do you guys think of him?? Do you agree with Peter or Julie???