The Prince

The kings' castle was full of laughter and light. It bounced off the walls and spread the joy of the night. The happiness of the night was contradicting the natural gloomy and goth look of the castle. Hundreds of people dancing, eating, and drinking till their life's content.

A beautiful young women stepped out of a carriage with the help of her brother. She wore a dress layered dress, each a descending shade of green. The neckline being heartshaped and a dark green corset looking bodice. Her dark brown hair was twisted into braids that connected in the back and left half of her down. 

"Are you ready, brother?" she asked quietly as to not draw to much attention to them. They didn't need it yet. They had planned this night for to long for it to go bad before it even started.

"Ready as I'll ever be. Are you ready, Naomi?" he replied back to her with a cheeky smirk on his face. He wore a white shirt, a dark green waistcoat, and a black jacket and pants. His brown hair that was more of a light caramel color then her deep brown. He also had shaper features on his face then hers. You could only really tell that they were related by their eyes. 

They both had stormy gray eyes that looked like a hurricane swirling. They were gifted these eyes from their mother's side of family. Naomi didn't reply to her brother, just rolled her eyes in a joking manner and kept walking towards the steps of the castle. Her brother-Roland- laughed and followed her. 

They both stepped into the ball, the birthday of the prince to be exact. The room was swelled with people dancing, laughing, and drinking. Piles of food and drinks on tables and decorations  galore. Half the kingdom is starving, and the prince get a lavish party go figures Naomi thought with distain. Why care about your people?

A tap on her shoulder brought her out of her thought. She looked over to see Roland mouthing to her to fix her face. Her face must have shown the distaste for the place. She did need to fix it or they would be caught. Noami looks at her brother nodding her head. " So, we can't start till everyone is drunk enough so let's have fun for a bit, yeah?" whispered Roland. 

Before she could even blink let alone give him an answer Roland was lost in the sea of happy people. Rolling her eyes at her brother letting a chuckle escape at him. She turned her head to the side to get a read of the room when she made eye contact with someone sounded by people. A blond man with shaggy hair, that surprisingly didn't make him look like a dog, icy blue eyes that remined Noami of the icicles that would grow in the kingdom during the winters. Prince James Crown. His name was a bit on the nose if you asked Noami. 

Should she start step 1 this early? Would that mess up the plan? A little flirting to start wouldn't hurt right? Smiling at the prince, she winked at him before looking away. Moving to the food table to see what they had before dancing. She found her favorite treat. Crackers with cheese and pomegranate seeds. Eating was a big part of their kingdom culture before when the villages could afford food like this.

It seems from the arrangement of foods and drinks that the nobles and royalty could. Trying not to scoff at that thought she ate a few of the treats not knowing when she would be able to have one again. These treats always remined her of when she and Roland where young and before food and water got scarce in the lower villages. It remined her of home and her mom humming a soft tune while cleaning the mess made from making the food. 

Snapping out of her trance before she got to lost Naomi moved towards the dance floor. A sea of bodies pressing up to each other and dancing. Many different colors flashing from the dresses and suits. She would start step one now as the sun was far pass setting and you could hear the drunken laughs of the men. 

Noami was but a flash on the dance floor. Dancing with whoever she could acting as if she was just her to have fun. While dancing she kept subtly making eye contact with the prince as if to draw him to her. After a while of dancing, she got lost in the sea of people and laughs. For moment she forgot what she was here for and let genuine happiness show on her face. Throwing her head back in laughter, she moved to her next dance partner. 

Coming face-to-face with the blonde prince from earlier. " Hello, my prince." muttered Noami with a smile to the prince. This is her chance. Her only chance, she need to find her brother to signal him to start his part of the plan. Thanking whatever god was on her side that the heels she wore let her see over the prince's shoulder.  

Looking back at the prince after failing to find her brother, she found that he was looking expecting at her. Oh! he must have asked her a question or something like that she thought. "I'm sorry my prince. Could you please repeat what you said?" Noami asked the prince. 

"Please, someone as beautiful as you can call me James. I said how are you enjoying my party?" the prince or should I say James replied.  

A blush coats Noami cheeks at the complement. No! No! You will not blush at him. You are only here to distract, so your brother steal. This is not happing. " Oh! Thank you my pri- James. And I'm having a wonderful time tonight." said Noami with a smile. Continuing to look for her brother without looking suspicious. Finally finding him she bounced he eyes between the prince and him while giving a shooing motion. Seeing her with the prince and making sure the guards were watching the royals, her brother snuck off. 

Looking back at the prince with a smile to not make how nervous for her brother obvious. " I'm glad you are having a wonderful night. Now may I ask, how I have never seen you before cause surely, I would remember a face as beautiful as you. " The prince askes with a smirk. 

Truely looking at the prince for the first time tonight close up, she releases that he was fairly attractive with his blond hair that seemed to be a dirty blonde up close, a godly jaw line, and lest not forget those icy eyes. She would probably like him if it wasn't for him and his family being royals. If it wasn't for the fact that he was here eating, drinking, and partying till he's had his fill, while many villages were starving.   

How should answer? Should i say I'm from a village? Or say I'm not from this kingdom? She didn't know what to say so she said the fist thing that came to mind." Well James I've never been up to the castle before or around any nobility." answered Noami. Shit! Why the fuck you say that? He'll know you're from a village now. Noami couldn't believe what she said. She could also feel his hand tighten around her waist while she answered. What for she also didn't know. 

"Oh? So where are you from then if not nobility?" questioned the prince. Well, she was already too deep to go back so might as well answer truthfully.

" I'm from one of the kingdoms villages, James." responded Noami cringing inside. Wondering how much longer her brother would be because she just keeps digging herself in a deeper hole.

The prince thought out loud " The villages? We haven't had people from the villages to any of our parties in a while. Maybe you can answer why?" 

Before she could answer, she was spun around for the current dance she was in, spotting her brother while being spun. He had a bag with him, and he was making his way out of the ballroom. Okay. She needs get away from this conversation so she could meet her brother and leave. 

"Well, sire the villages barely have enough money for food, water, or shelter let alone money for dresses and suits" Noami mumbled her answer back to the prince.

The prince looks puzzled, like he had never heard of anyone struggling. "No. You must be mistaken because all of our kingdom is plentiful and happy." grumbled the prince. 

This causes a laugh out of Naomi followed by a scoff, thinking he was joking. When he looks at her confused on why she was laughing, she realizes he wasn't joking. " You're not joking" Noami says shocked. James shakes his head. " Oh, you naive prince. You truly don't know what happening in your own kingdom?" Noami scoffed. As the music for the dance came to an end, she backed up from the prince and told him " I would check on your villages truly." 

As she turned to leave the prince grabbed her arm and asked, " What is your name?".

She smiled at him and said "Noami". This caused the grip on her wrist to loosen enough for her to walk away. The prince lost Noami in the crowds of people. 

Noami when outside to see if she could find Roland. While looking for him she couldn't help but think about how clueless the prince looked about how the villages where struggling. This didn't sit right with Naomi as the royal family was supposed to help and protect the people. If your clueless, how can you do anything?

She had found Roland at the bottom of the steps. He was calling a carriage looking around. Roland spotted her an called her name out telling her to hurry up. Walking as fast as she could down the steps, with her heels on. She made it to the bottom of the steps just in time for a carriage to get there. Roland helped her into the carriage, and they set off. 

Turning to Roland, she asked "Well did you get it?". He grinned at her unzipping his bag, he pulled out a long but thin brown box and opened it to show a necklace, which was worth more than both of their lives combined. Maybe even more then everyone in the village. 

The whole reason they came tonight was to steal the necklace to sell to help the village out. They did it! Noami couldn't believe it. She screamed and hugged her brother. With the money from the necklace, they could feed everyone in the village for the rest of their lives. She could already taste the crackers with cheese and pomegranate seeds.