Peter's POV

I had not had a chance to see Ariadne since I found out she was about to get engaged. But despite the small chance of hope, I was still trying to earn my title back.

There has not been an engagement announcement yet and the king was off at war so perhaps I had a chance. I was doing lots of extra jobs to earn more money, and if this kept up I could buy my title back before the year ended. If Princess Ariadne did not want my hand in marriage, at least I would be able to provide adequately for Julie again.

            I found must of the jobs with some of my father's old friends; some let me fix their stove, feed and ride their horses, and I even patched up Lord Grunewald's roof. I had a good sum of money, but it wasn't even close to half of what I needed.

Maybe I could pay for a part of my title, and earn the rest. I thought hopefully as I fed Sir Eccles hunting dogs their lunch - you would have thought they were never fed by the way they attacked their meal.

            "You're welcome Beast and Buck," I told the black-coated dogs and I petted their sleek coats.

            "Peter?" A sweet voice called.

            Ariadne? I quickly turned around and saw Sir Eccles daughter, Mary, and my heart sunk. "Yes?"

            "Sir Eccles would like to see you. I can take you there if you'd like?"

            "That's very kind of you," I said as I followed her out of the stables and into the Eccles Manor.

            "Ah, Peter. Have a seat," Sir Eccles said patting the couch he was on.

            "I'm fine," I insisted.

            "Nonsense. You have been working all day, you must be tired."

            Not wanting to offend the kind sir, I went over and sat next to him. "Maybe a little."

            "That's better. Now, you have done my family a great deal of kindness, doing all those tasks that my age prevents me from doing-"

            "I'm not the one doing kindness, you're letting me earn a few extra coins to help my family and I get along, I should be the one thanking you," I interrupted, not wanting Sir Eccles to feel as if I was ungrateful.

            He smiled. "Thank me? I'm just an old man with a few extra coins in his pocket and a lovely daughter to keep me company."

            "You've done well in raising her," I told him.

            "I was hoping you would agree, I have a proposal you cannot possibly refuse."

            I looked at the old man in surprise, what more could he offer me?

            "You see, Mary is already thirteen, and as far as I know, you have not yet found a suitable companion. You two could start a life together-"

            "I couldn't possibly drag your daughter into my situation. It would be disgraceful for her to marry someone who was not of your class or higher."

It was a little ironic though, seeing as how I wanted to marry the crown princess.

            "I don't care squat about class. And as far as 'dragging her into your situation', why you would live here. And your sister and parents could live here as well, we have plenty of room."

            I tried to take this all in. "I... I'll need to think about it," I said. What about Ariadne? I couldn't just marry someone who I didn't love. Was I that selfish? This could help my family, and my sister could get the right medicine she needed for her cough.

            Sir Eccles sighed and I could tell he was disappointed. "I'll need your answer before the week's out."

            I nodded and walked out after he paid me for doing that day's chores. Way to go, if you don't marry her then you can be sure Sir Eccles won't let you earn any more extra coins.

            I walked through the woods on a small dirt path, the only way to get to the shack I called home.

            "What be troublin ye today?" I heard a voice say to my right. I turned to see the green-eyed man leaning against a tree.

            "Nothing that should concern you," I said and kept walking, knowing that he would follow.

            "But ye forget. Yer part of me band now. And that makes us friends of sorts," he said, easily matching my stride.

            "I haven't seen you for more than a week. What makes you think I still want to help you?" I snapped.

            He shook his head. "Someone must'a banged yer head good. I don't care if ye want to help me, you owe me," he said and I thought I heard his voice change a little on that last phrase.

            "What is your name, friend?" I asked.

            His scarf rose a little, and I could tell he was grinning again. "Me name? Ye haven't even helped me yet, what makes ye think ye get the privilege of knowing me name?"

            "I didn't know it was a privilege to know a friend's name," I retorted, trying to lighten the mood.

            He laughed. "If ye do good today, then I be tellin ya my name."

            "Fine," I said and held out my hand. He took it in his gloved one, and we shook.

            "What do you want me to do?" I asked.

            His scarf raised more in a huge grin. "First, ye have to look like one of us."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

            "Is this really necessary?" I asked looking at my grubby reflection in a broken mirror.

            "Don't ye worry yer head," he told me laughing. "Half of the dirt ye see is from that there mirror."

            "I don't care about the dirt. It's these clothes, they don't fit."

            I looked at the huge pants that could have been mistaken for a skirt, and the overly-sized shirt that made me look like a little kid wearing his father's clothes.

            "Put this 'round yer waist," he said handing me a rope.

            I did so, and it did little to help my situation. Then he held out a long cloak, similar to his and I tied it around my neck. It helped everything except the pants, which I told green-eyes.

            "Hmm... We don't want ye to look like a girl when yer with us," he said trying to hold back his laughter. "I'll be back."

            And with that he slipped away, leaving me alone in a wooden shack with only the clothes trunk and mirror to keep me company. When he returned he had a long boot in each hand.

            "Try these, me friend," he said throwing them at me.

            I caught them and slid them over the huge pants.

            "Ye need to tuck that in there," he said. "There, now ye see."

            I stood up and look at the mirror again. "What about my face?" I asked.

            He laughed. "Yer face will be covered with this." He tossed me a handkerchief.

            I rolled my eyes and tied the opposite corners at the back of my head.

            Then green-eyes put more dirt on my face and gave me a hat that looked almost exactly like his.

            "Now yer one of us," he said patting my back roughly.

            "Do your men know who you are?" I asked breaking the silence.

            "Most of 'em," he said after a thoughtful moment.

            "And they still follow you?"

            His eyes flickered with anger and he pulled off his scarf, revealing a square jaw covered in whiskers. "In times like these, yes. When they're starving and living on the streets because they couldn't pay their taxes, yes. When all their family is dead and no one else will help them, yes."

            "Not even the King?" I asked thinking about Ariadne. Did she know about all of this? No. She would help if she could...  Wouldn't she?

"The King's men have refused me multiple times," he grumbled.

"I'm sure if we talked to Princess Ariadne-"

"No," he huffed then took in a deep breath. "What I mean is what could she do? She ain't Queen yet, and I'm sure her father wouldn't just let her take over the 12th Realm's affairs. I know fer a fact, that his counselors wouldn't."

I sighed. That's true, his councilors didn't care for us, 'low life'.  They are the ones who came up with the idea for me to be Prince Wilson's personal guard. I grumbled something inaudible and looked back at green-eyes. "You're right."

He smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. "Now," he said after another moment of silence. "We need to disguise that there voice of yers."

I looked at him in surprise. "My voice?"

"'Course, don't tell me ye want to get caught 'cause someone here knows yer voice?"

I shook my head slowly.

"Good. Now in a sense, yer becomin' another person. So, who does ye want to become."

A prince or someone of high birth; someone worthy to marry a princess. I thought but didn't dare say it out loud. "I don't know..."

"Well, there be a few I can show ya. There's mine, though ye can't sound exactly like me."

I nodded.

He continued. "Zer also be zis von, ver you talk like zis," I looked at him; surprised at how quickly his voice changed. "Or der be dis one," he said sounding like a sailor. "Or ye can just make yer voice high or low, or come up with yer own."

I thought through his different accents. "Can I try them?" He nodded and sat down on the chest containing the clothes I had tried on. "There be yars," I said but even I didn't believe my accent was real.

"Ye have to put feelin' in it. Become someone else."

I nodded and cleared my throat. "Ye there," I yelled. "Come over here and take off them boots."

Green-eyes laughed and fell off the chest.  But his laugh sounded strange; it must be a real laugh, I thought. I wonder what his voice really sounds like?

After a few minutes he stood up, resting his hands on his knees, and breathing in deeply. "That be... the worst voice I ever heard," he said chuckling in the deep voice he used to cover up his identity. "Try another."

I sighed and decided I better choose another one and just get the humiliation over with. "Zis is my-"

He cut me off with his hand and I started another accent. "Der once was a time, where I stood in me boat. We was sailing off to Lidia, we was," I glanced at green-eyes, who looked enthralled, and continued. "Den outta da blue, a giant fish, bigger den a man he was, jumped over us and swallowed me buddy whole. We tried to kill the flopper with a spear but it just stuck in him, and I've sworn me revenge on that flopper. Won't stop 'till the day me clock stops tickin'."

"Ye... were less terrible," he said sounding surprised. "We'll have to work on yer story a bit, make sure it's believable for them country folk; but ye done good."

"Thank you," I said.

"Yer welcome, and ye be needin' a beard, or yer gonna have to stop soundin' like an old man," he said with a grin.

I grinned back. "Whatever you say."

The rest of our time in the shack was spent with green-eyes telling me all the rules to being part of his "band of robbers". Then, after a lot of convincing on my part, he decided to take me on my first assignment.

"Now, normally I would show ya the ropes, then see how good ye do robbin' a carriage. But since no carriages are due fer a few days, I'll be teachin' ya the basics, startin' with what I call, people watchin'."

I looked at green-eyes doubtfully, I bet you tell all the new guys that. "Okay."

He sat down on a bench in front of the town hall and I sat next to him. "Out of all them townsfolk, who do ye say is the richest, and most unkind?" He whispered to me.

I looked around at all the people in the town, oblivious that they were being watched. The shoe maker was hanging up a new sign above his door. A mother was trailed by five little kids who were trying to pull her into the candy shop, where a plump woman stood with little treats sticking out of her apron, and goodies in her hands. Then I saw the constable ride by on his horse, looking for anyone who might be causing trouble. Other than the drunk men across from us, in front of the pub, the only other person in sight was the mayor, who strode by trying to look official and mighty in his new coat and hat.

"I would say the mayor," I whispered back after glancing at everyone.

"Think again lad," he slumped back frustrated. "Look at 'em, don't just see 'em, look."

I sighed. See? Look? Aren't those the same thing? I asked myself, but didn't dare say it out loud for fear of being mocked. I looked at everyone again and tried to tell a difference, but I came up with the same conclusion. I groaned. "It has to be the mayor."

Green-eyes shook his head looking very disappointed. "Ye ain't lookin, lad." He sat up and pointed at the mayor. "See how tightly fitted his coat is? Any mayor with enough money would get it adjusted as soon as he be able. Also, with a coat as tight as that one be, ye would be able to see if he had any money on him, which he don't," he said. "And he ain't unkind, 'cause he himself helped me mum when she was sick." He sat back again and looked at me. "Now, I ask ye again; who do ye say is the richest and most unkind?"

I looked at everyone again, and this time tried to observe their behaviors. "Well the mother isn't letting her kids go the the candy shop, but that doesn't mean she isn't kind, probably means she doesn't have the money," I said and he nodded for me to continue. "You might think the candy woman is rich because she sells candy, but by the looks of her shop, she could use some extra change." Green-eyes sat up and I kept going. "The shoe keeper might have enough change in his pocket to buy a little paint and a board, but it's also possible that he got those things for himself in his free time, and I know for myself that he's a good man," I sat back feeling relaxed. "The only other people to rule out is the drunk men, and though they may not be kind, they most certainly aren't rich. That leaves the constable," I said and green-eyes eyes lit up in amusement. "You might not think he's rich by the look of him, but if you look closer, his clothes fit perfectly, though they're a little old," I paused for a moment, hardly long enough to be noticed, and finished my sentence with a hint of spite entering my words, "And he's riding a horse around town, and horses are hard to come by unless you have quite a bit of money, or something valuable to trade. You can also hear coins hitting other coins as he rides by. I also personally know, that he is not kind."

"He the one who took yer title?" Green-eyes asked after I had finished.

I nodded and felt sorry for the brown mare that had to carry the constable around all day. I wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but the horse looked tired and thirsty.

"Can we steal his horse?" I whispered without taking my eyes off the constable.

Green-eyes laughed, but stopped when he realized how serious I was. "Uh... I don't think that-"

"The farmers best cow just went missin'!" A man cried, running up to us, breathing heavily.

Green-eyes jumped up. "How long ago?"

"10 minutes-"

He cursed under his breath. "That's not enough time to assemble help."

I stared at the men in confusion as green-eyes and the short, out-of-breath man ran down the road. I took one last look at the brown mare before jumping to my feet and following the crazed men I was now associated with.

When I finally caught up to them, they were hidden in the undergrowth of the trail that led to the castle. "What's going on?" I asked.

They both shushed me then green-eyes leaned towards me and whispered, "That talk back there was code. We can't say we're gonna rob a carriage, especially not when the constable himself be right there."

"Who's carriage is it?" I asked hesitantly.

"It's a royal carriage," the man whispered to us.

"No," I said. "I won't."

I saw green-eye's face tighten. "Them royals have done nothin' good fer anyone. And ye have no choice."

The royals are a good family! What right do you have to be mad at them? "I can't do it."

I refused to steal from Princess Ariadne. It might be for a good cause, but it didn't feel right. I wouldn't be able to look her in eyes again.

Green eyes glared at me. "Why in the blazes not?"

I shook my head. I was determined.

"Come over here."

Green eyes took me to the side, near the road. "We don't need ya. Ye need us. And if ye don't help us, then there will be consequences."

"I'm sorry. Not this time." I said.

Green eyes looked down, almost as if he was sad. And then, out of nowhere, his hands came up and pushed me into the road.

Right in front of the carriage.

I covered my head as horses neighs loudly sounded to my right, waiting for their hooves to pound me into the ground.

"What are you doing? Get out of the road!" The driver yelled in my direction and I realized that the carriage was stopped.

That dirty-

"Papa!" A little boy yelled and ran up to me. "You almost hurt my papa!"

The old man at the reigns grumbled as he got down and came over to where I laid, still in shock over everything that had just happened. And who was this kid?

"Get up," the old man grumbled as he yanked me up to my feet.

My shoulder throbbed from hitting the dirt so hard. I may have landed on a rock as well because there was a little blood.

"Papa! You're bleeding!"

The old man huffed. "I didn't do that to ya. Now get going! I have somewhere to be!"

Then I noticed movement in the carriage. Green eyes hopped out with a dark blue bag in each hand. He winked at me before disappearing in the forest.

Why that little-

"Your papa's alright. Now get!"

"I'm sorry," I said to the old man as "my son" pulled my hand so we would move out of his way.

Green eyes was going to pay for that.

Hey guys! Thanks for reading!

Sorry this chapter got posted later than I had hoped. I have been packing and fixing my car because I'm leaving for college!

Which means that my posting schedule might change. It might change to Friday's instead. But I will also see if I can't do it so that I post 2 chapters a week.

Have a great day!

Let me know what you think of Peter and Green Eyes!