Son of a Thief

As most fairy tales start with once upon a time, this story starts with once upon a man. A man who’s past made his future questionable. Can a son of a known thief be capable of more than stealing? Many around the land believe not. He will always be the son of Felix Richardson, the man who stole the queen’s jewels while working as the castle knight that protected her. 

Now his son, Victor Richardson who had always dreamed of being a loyal knight will always be on the outside looking in unless he can prove himself a different man from his father. His father paid for his crime with his life, but the crime didn’t die with him instead it lived on with Victor. As luck would have it the opportunity for Victor to prove himself, came on his eighteenth birthday by simply being at the right place at the right time.

“Woah, Betsy.” Victor pulled the reins on his chocolate brown horse as the dried autumn leaves crushed below her hooves. He had heard a woman cry out from inside the woods, a cry that made his blood boil at the thought of what has harmed her. Victor kicked his heel against his horse as he slowly rode inside the woods. Torn pieces of green fabric laid out a path. A path that led down a creek. 

Victor tied his horse to a tree then he quietly inched his way down the creek. With his hand on his sword he mentally prepared for the fight that would most likely take place. 

“Unhand me this instant!” The woman cried out as a bald man held her wrist from behind her back.

“You smell of money. I bet someone would pay handsomely to get you back.” The bald man whispered into her ear as tears spilled down her flushed cheeks.

“And you sir, smell like a hog.” Victor said into the bald man's ear as he held a blade up to his throat. “Now if you want to keep your neck, let go of the woman.”

The bald man released the woman’s hands as the woman ran to the nearest tree. “You should really keep yourself out of other people’s affairs.” The bald man said as he reached towards his belt.

“You should really keep your eye on your knife, because someone might point it at your throat.” Victor smiled playfully.

The bald man patted his belt to come up empty handed. “You little thief.”

Victor pushed the man’s back away from him. “Now go before I make use of your knife.”

The bald man sneered. “I need my knife.”

Victor shrugged. “It’s not your knife anymore.”

Suddenly the bald man charged into Victor, only for Victor to punch him square in the face causing him to faint onto the ground.

Victor nodded at the woman as he placed the knife into his belt. “Have a good rest of your day.” 

The woman looked confused. “Who are you?”

“I’m Victor, the man who saved you. You’re welcome.”

“Yes, of course thank you, but how were you able to sneak up on him like that?”

Victor smiled proudly. “It’s just something I picked up along the way. Who may I ask are you?”

“I’m prin….I’m Vivian.” The woman hesitated as she played with her cape.

“Hmm. Let me guess you’re a princess?” Victor smiled as he inched closer. “Princess Vivian”?

“Please don’t treat me differently, I just want to be like everyone else.”

“But, you’re not like everyone else. You’re royal.” Victor circled Vivian as he cleaned off the man’s knife. “What are you running away from, princess?”

“That’s not your concern.” Vivian’s mouth drew in a line.

“You’re right. It isn’t, but I might be of some assistance for a price?” Victor looked at the ruby necklace around Vivian’s neck.

Vivian looked down. “My mother’s necklace? Absolutely not! It's the only thing I have left of her.”

Victor raised his eyebrows. “I see. Best wishes on staying alive tonight, princess.” Victor walked away placing his new knife in his belt.

“Wait!” Vivian gripped her necklace. “If you can help me get to Polark safely, I will give you my necklace.”

“That’s a three day journey.”

“The price of the necklace will be worth it.”

Victor eyed the necklace and nodded. “Let’s make haste before the sun sets.”

…

“The sun is about to sit, we have to make camp.” Victor said as he helped Vivian off his horse.

“Will we be safe in the woods tonight?” Vivian looked at the tall trees around her as a chill went up her spine.

“We shall see.” Victor smiled as he started picking up sticks off the ground.

“That’s not comforting.” Vivian brows went together feeling annoyed.

“If you wanted to feel comfortable you should have stayed in your castle.” Victor dropped the pile of sticks in front of him.

Vivian stayed silent as she watched Victor prepare to start a fire. She wanted to strangle Victor for the way he made her feel. In the seventeen years she has been alive she has never had someone talk to her the way Victor has. He made her feel normal and she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not.

Vivian sat down on an old tree log as she pulled her cape close to her body, she watched as smoke began to travel up the stick that Victor rubbed between his hands. “That must be quite painful.”

Victor blew on the smoke as a flicker of fire appeared. “My hands have come accustomed to it. Where as your hands would be bleeding about now.”

Vivian looked at her pale hands and wondered about the trials Victor went through to gain such tough hands. “Have you always been on your own?”

Victor’s mouth drew in a line as he threw sticks on the fire. “No, I have my mum and since I’m the only man in the house I have to provide for her. So I sat off here and there bringing back whatever I can to her.”

“That must be very difficult.” Vivian watched as the fire shined on Victor’s face.

“Many people have it worse. Not everyone has the luxury of being royalty.”

Vivian bit her bottom lip. “Being a royal doesn’t give you everything.”

“Why are you running, princess?” Victor lowered his brow.

“My father is forcing me to marry to build an alley. To a man that is old enough to be my grandfather. All I am to him is a pawn in his game.” Vivian grabbed a stick to throw in the fire.

“What’s in Polark waiting on you?”

“The woman who raised me, my governess. My parents didn’t have time for me so she was the only constant in my life. Of course my father let her go when I turned sixteen so she moved to Polark to be with her family. I know she will not turn me away.” Vivian let out a yawn in the palm of her hand.

Victor rose up and laid a blanket on the ground next to the fire. “Here you go, princess. You should sleep and we will set off at sunrise.”

Vivian laid on the blanket. “What about you? Where are you going to sleep?”

Victor smiled. “I’m going to sleep against this tree. That way I’ll be ready to fight if needed.”

Vivian nodded feeling nervousness inside her stomach thinking of what could happen. She pushed aside her fear and let sleep find her next to the warm fire.

…

The sun beamed down on Victor’s head as he rode behind Vivian on his horse. It had been a long day and the ache in his stomach began to take hold. Spotting a pond nearby Victor pulled the reins on his horse. “Time to fish.” Victor eased down off his horse, reaching for Vivian to help her down.

“How does one fish?” Vivian asked as she walked alongside Victor towards the pond.

“Hopefully successfully.” Victor took off his boots and walked into the pond knee deep and held his arms out as if he was about to fight the water beneath him.

“You are mad.” Vivian smiled as she took off her cape.

“You’ll be saying otherwise when you have fish in your stomach. Ahhh!” Victor reached in and pulled out a catfish that wiggled in his hands. “Who's mad now?” The fish then slapped Victor in the face and jumped back into the water.

“Still you!” Vivian laughed bigger than she ever has.

“The next one will be better.” Victor said, taking position.

…

“This is actually delicious.” Vivian said as she put another bite of fish in her mouth in front of the fire.

“I’m glad the princess approves of my cooking.” Victor smiled playfully.

Vivian smiled. “You can stop calling me princess. I’m not a princess anymore.”

“You’ll always be a princess. It’s in your blood.” Victor said as he leaned against a stone. “Just like how I’ll always be an outsider.”

“Why do you think that?” Vivian put her cape over her shoulders feeling a chill in the air.

“My father made sure of that. A son of a thief, means the son is a thief as well. Everyone reminded me of that constantly.”

“You don’t have to be like your father.” Vivian eyes grew wide.

“It doesn’t matter if I am or not like him. I don’t get the choice.”

“Seems like we are cut from the same cloth you and I. We both have people telling us what we are and how to live.”

“It’s an honor to be compared to a royal.” Victor flashed a big smile as he met eyes with Vivian as she smiled back at him.

“Stay where you are!” A voice called out at them in the distance.

“The guards are here!” Vivian panicked as she rose to her feet. 

“Come on we got to run!” Victor grabbed Vivian’s hand as he pulled her ahead.

As the horse hooves grew louder behind them, Victor changed directions hoping they could hide to buy them some time.

“Noooo.” Vivian tripped on her dress causing her to fall on the ground.

Victor reached down to pull Vivian up by the waist. “Hurry, let’s go.”

Victor and Vivian went inside the creek and put their backs against the creek wall trying not to make a sound as they heard the horse hooves grow silent in the distance.

“Are you hurt?” Victor asked as he looked at a flushed Vivian.

“I’m fine.” Vivian said trying to catch her breath.

“Got you.” A guard said as he jumped inside the creek.

…

“Victor Richardson the son of Felix Richardson. Well the apple doesn’t fall from the tree.” The king said from his throne.

“With all due respect, your majesty. I am not my father.”

“Your father was one of my best knights. It’s a shame he went down the wrong path that cost him his life.

“Yes, it’s a shame that he missed out on watching his son grow into a man as well.”

“Hmm. Do you know it’s a crime to help a princess escape?”

“Yes, but I was simply following orders from the princess.”

The king nodded. “My daughter tells me that you kept her safe over the past two days, and even saved her from a thug.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“What you did is punishable by hanging, however the princess would be dead without you. So please step forward.”

Victor stepped forward preparing for the worst. The king was handed a sword and stood up. “Please, kneel Victor.”

Victor kneeled as his heart started beating in his throat as the king tapped his shoulders with the sword. “I knight thee, Sir Victor Richardson. You may stand Victor.”

Victor stood up feeling for the first time he was no longer an outsider. “Thank you, your majesty.”

“Since my daughter’s suitor has chosen another wife. I will need someone to watch after the princess and make sure she doesn’t get killed on her wild adventures.”

“It will be my honor, your majesty.”

From that day forward Victor was no longer the son of a thief, but a hero who was turned into a knight. A knight who spent his days along a princess who would eventually grow to love him more with each passing day and him the same with her. Victor was the man he always wanted to be and was no longer the man everyone thought he was. 

Written by:

CJ Kennedy