Yudil's Hidden Stories

Chapter 1: The Boy and Prince - Meeting (No.01)

The chaotic hum of people.

The annoying buzz of insect wings.

The sun hanging high above the harbor.

The scent of sweat and seafood wafting through the air.

I dig through a pile of garbage on the side of the street
and soon emerge with the leftover bones of a fried fish.
And even though it smells of trash and wet and rot,
it tastes like a meal fit for royalty to me.

I feel shame for my scavenging, of course, but it's
a far more human existence than the life of slavery
I led several months earlier.

And more human than the subhuman treatment
I experienced back on that ship.

A few bones aren't enough to keep me alive—a fact to which
my growling stomach can testify. But without a cent to my
name, I've no choice but to steal the leavings of others or
hope someone throws a few charitable coins at a starving
ten-year-old child.

But such coins are few and far between. If nothing changes,
I'll starve to death by the side of the road. I know this.

And only my own strength and skill can change it.

The strength to live.

The skill to survive.

If I don't find some kind of work—any kind—I'm going to die.
I understand this logically, but it doesn't make the way
forward any clearer.

A few days later, I look up from the gutter where I spent
the night and see a boy my age, or perhaps a bit younger.
He's running through the streets in finely tailored,
expensive clothes, showing he's of a birth vastly different
to mine, and even to the comparatively wealthy
merchants of the harbor.

At first, I think the boy is frantically searching for
something, but when a pack of ruffians appears at the
other end of the street, I realize he's running. It's clearly
a kidnapping attempt; the ruffians are dressed too fine
to bother with a mere mugging.

All of it is a mess that has nothing to do with me, and
I have no desire to get caught up in it. But when I go to
hide, my eyes meet the boy's. His expression widens,
as though an idea has suddenly come to him, and he
races towards me with an almost inhuman speed.

I can tell right away that nothing about this is good,
but before I can even act, he seizes my hand and begins
pulling me down the street.

"Let's get out of here," he whispers.

So he runs, and I am dragged along behind.

I don't understand—and the men in pursuit appear equally
bewildered by the development. But the boy does not care;
he keeps a firm grasp on my hand and runs, like a knight
pulling his princess far away from the enemy.

We dart to and fro throughout the labyrinthine city,
and though I trip over myself countless times,
he always manages to drag me along.

We tear freshly washed linens down from lines and stretch
them into makeshift barricades. We grab handfuls of fish
from seafood stalls and throw them to the ground, making
it slippery beneath the ruffians' feet. The boy is filled
with all kinds of inane tactics to avoid capture, and all
I can do is follow along as best I can.

Finally, we emerge at the edge of town. The men have lost
our trail, and we are safe. But after putting on such a
show, there is no way we can return to the city.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I wheeze, at last asking
the question I should have posited at the beginning.
My breath is short and my stomach empty, but exhaustion
keeps my anger at a dull roar. In response, however,
the boy only maintains his grip on my hand.

"Apologies," he says. "I'm sorry I had to do that.
But I am the prince of a distant land."

His expression seems...invigorated, somehow. And as I
look at him and see a face that somehow remains beautiful
despite being covered in sweat and dust, I understand he is
not lying.

And on the heels of that, I understand I have gotten myself
into a mess far greater than I ever could have imagined.

Chapter 2: The Boy and Prince - Theft (No.02)

A boy who called himself a prince was being chased by rough-
looking men. For some reason, he reached out to grab me—
a beggar and stranger—as he made his escape from the city.

"If you're really a prince," I ask once we reach the
outskirts of the city, "then why are you being chased
all by yourself? Where are your royal guards?"

The boy begins to explain his circumstances. He was
traveling with his father when a band of outlaws kidnapped
him. Their plan was to hold him for ransom, but he
eventually managed to slip free of their grasp. He knew,
however, that he would need help to evade his captors
for any length of time, and that was when he found me.

"All well and good," I say. "But why me?"

The supposed prince looks at me with sharp eyes,
"I picked someone who seemed kind—someone who looked
like they would listen to my story and agree to help."

I feel stunned. Sure, I used to be a slave, so I probably
look pretty easy to order around. That part makes sense.
But when he found me, I was digging through a filthy trash
heap—and what about that told him I would be kind?

I may not have an especially high opinion of myself,
but this prince is clearly delusional. I mean, I have
absolutely nothing to offer.

Sensing my lack of motivation, the prince quickly informs
me that an official notice had been issued in his home
country. His worried father—the king—has proclaimed that
any who bring his son back will be rewarded handsomely.

I stop to think about that. A bit of coin would be appreciated;
at the very least, I could bid farewell to my days of
digging for scraps in the trash. But I also don't want
things to change too much. Yes, I want money,
but not if it comes at the cost of my freedom.

Before I can argue or resist further, however, the prince
firmly grips my hand.

"It'll be more than worth your while," he says. "Let's go."

Having made up my mind for me, the prince begins pulling
me along. I realize I can slip free and run if I want,
but I don't. Instead, I just follow behind him in a daze.
Maybe my dulled mind is thinking only of survival.
Or maybe I just don't have the balls to turn him down.

Either way, the two of us will be alone until we reach the
castle. It's a precarious situation, and hunger is quickly
going to become a concern. So imagine my surprise when
he leads me to a market and says these words:

"Let's steal something from here."

Is that a joke? It sure doesn't sound like a joke,
so maybe this prince has a stronger will to survive that
I do. Yet at the same time, I feel a wave of excitement
wash over me when I hear the word "steal." Even at my
lowest point, when I was searching through the garbage
for food, I never imagined I might lower myself to this.

"We're going to steal food first," says the prince.
"You stay here."

He turns away from my flustering self and wanders over
to a nearby stall. I stand behind the corner of a building,
watching him elude the stallkeeper's gaze as he boldly
snatches up two fruits and hides them in his clothes.
He then returns to me with a nonchalant expression
plastered on his face.

"See? Easy."

He beams as he hands me my share. He seems to feel no guilt
at all—if anything, the air around him seems even more noble.
I don't understand any of it, and I sure as hell don't
comprehend what he's thinking. All I know is that this whole
"stealing" thing seems far easier than I'd first assumed,
and that I can likely pull it off if I just follow his lead.

"Okay," I say. "I'll give it a shot."

I wander back to the stall, waiting for the stallkeeper's
attention to waiver. The moment it does, I mimic the speed
and smoothness of the prince's movement and grab an
especially juicy piece of fruit.

It looks good. ...Maybe too good.

The moment my fingers brush the skin of the fruit, saliva
fills my mouth and my stomach lets out a loud rumble.
Hearing the sound, the stallkeeper whips around to find
me staring up at him with wide eyes.

"What are you doing!?" he screams as he raises a
cooking knife above his head.

Panicked, I race back to where the prince is hiding.
He understands instantly what is happening, grabbing my
hand and sending us racing off across the city again as
fast as our feet can carry us.

I'm like a helpless princess, aren't I?

It's an amusing thought, especially since it arrives as
a crazed man with a knife is chasing me through the city.

Chapter 3: Boy and Prince - Last Night (No.03)

I'm traveling aimlessly with a self-styled prince. It's
been some time since I first sullied my hands with theft.

Our best clothes are torn and reduced to tatters—
we're practically half-naked at this point.

And yet, we can't stop laughing and smiling. His noble blood
drives his optimism, and his brilliance is almost blinding.

Our journey felt like an eternity, but according to him, we
were quickly approaching the borders of his home country.

It certainly helped that our teamwork grew tighter by
the day.

Our teamwork in what, exactly? Stealing, of course.

Even in towns we happen upon on the road, our strategy
has rarely failed us.

He would first stand in the city square and declare in a
loud, clear voice: "Come one, come all! I am a traveling
dancer. Behold my dance from a city far to the west."

He would then raise his arms, roll his belly, and begin
his dance. He'd use his rags as a veil over his face.

He told me he was mimicking a dancer he once saw
perform before the throne.

Even those who were familiar with the style found it unique.
Attention would be drawn, and people would soon crowd
around.

Before long, a mass was gathered around him.

So, of course, nobody would pay any mind to someone brushing
up against them—they were focused entirely on the prince.

Could a thief ask for a better hunting ground?

I swam my way through the crowd. Eventually, I came to
know at a simple glance where someone kept their wallet.

A wallet here, a coin purse there, I quickly lightened
their loads. The price of admission for a quick moment
of entertainment: whatever was on their person.

"Nothing in life is free" was likely to become a common
adage anywhere we went.

After making a king's ransom, the prince stopped his dance,
taking in the thunderous applause and then leaving with
a wave.

We'd hurry off before the people realized how light their
pockets suddenly felt. We left town and walked until the
town was little more than a speck on the horizon.

Easy money.

That first time we tried to steal and failed so miserably
felt like a lifetime ago.

We cheated people out of their money wherever we went, and
eventually, we spotted the prince's castle in the distance.

This marked the last night of our journey. We found a storage
shed alongside the road and decided to rest there.

It was so small that we lay flush with one another.

I couldn't move from the exhaustion and drowsiness, but he
couldn't contain his excitement. He was more optimistic than
ever, and he wore a bright smile on his face.

"Are you that happy to return to the castle?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "I just remembered a story my aunt
read to me once."

It was the tale of a famous thief.

The thief had committed a great crime and was cast away to
a distant island. But there, he met a beautiful woman.

The thief and the woman worked together to return to his
country, and there he atoned for his sins, and the two lived
happily ever after.

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" he says bashfully.

I give a little snort.

We certainly qualify as thieves, yes, but he's hardly
committed any grave crimes. The similarities were
superficial at best.

Besides, it's hard to imagine myself playing the part of
the beautiful woman.

Then again, I do remember him taking my hand and running.

"I'm not that pretty," I say.

"But you have such a beautiful face," he says with an
earnest look.

I can't find the will to argue. I simply let sleep take me.

In my dream, I become something so shameful that I can
never tell another soul about it.

Chapter 4: Boy and Prince - Diff Paths (No.04)

I decide to see the wayward prince returned to his castle.
At long last, this aimless journey will come to an end.
Having committed countless acts of thievery so that I might
survive the trip, all I will have to show for the time I spent
with the prince is the technique of a practiced burglar.

He, on the other hand, manages to maintain a regal air
despite it all—he is made of the right stuff to rule over
others, I'll give him that much.

Clad in tattered garments, he strolls up to the castle gates
and announces his presence. The news quickly spreads
from the soldiers posted at the gates to the king himself,
who comes dashing from within his citadel in short order.

His face beaming, the king scoops up the prince in a tight
embrace, and the prince happily returns the kindness.
The touching reunion of a long-separated father and son...
It doesn't do much for me, but if this were some cradle tale
I imagine this would be one of its most thrilling moments.

After a time, the prince peels himself away from his sire
and points a finger in my direction. "I wouldn't have survived
my journey without them. I'd see them rewarded somehow,"
the prince smiles as he makes this wish of his father.

I watch this exchange while uttering not a single word,
and as the king stares in my direction I notice the expression
on his face take a turn for the ominous. Next thing I know,
the king violently seizes me by my collar and starts yelling.

"You filthy imp! I bet you're the troublemaker who abducted
my boy in the first place!" Shouting this, the king pushes me
with such force that I fall onto my rear.

Thinking the prince must be aghast to see someone to whom
he owes such a debt mistreated so, I cast a glance in his
direction and... Hm? He watches the exchange between
his father and myself with a look of remarkable dispassion.
This look on the prince's face goes unnoticed by his father
the king as well.

"Come on inside, my son. Have yourself a long bath and then
let's get you changed." The king embraces the prince yet again
before moving to lead him into the castle.

It happens in that moment. Looking over his father's shoulder,
he flashes me a wry smile, for we both know that in my hand
rests a golden bracelet adorned with gorgeous gemstones.

As the king turned to shout at me the prince seized the
opportunity to avail the king of the bracelet, and then tossed
it my way just as the king was turning to face him again.
A brilliant bit of work, really.

I'm no slouch myself, of course—I managed to snag a ring
as I was being pushed back—but I take a moment to think
on the incredible skills we've learned throughout our long
journey together. Having come this far, I can't help but feel
the whole thing had been preordained—that our meeting that
day was fate, and there could have been no other path for me.

Skills to live... Skills to survive. Everything that has happened
since meeting him in that port town and shaped me into the
person I am now. Back then I was but a trapped princess
waiting for the sweet release of death... But now? Now, I've
acquired the strength I need to survive on this earth.

...My mind is made up. I'm going to make my way as a thief.
I mean, think of that brilliant play the prince made taking that
bracelet from the king. I've done all sorts of things like that
during my time at his side. A confidence that tells me I have
what it takes to make my way in this world has taken root
in my chest.

This journey has given me a much greater reward than
anything some king could give me. Hiding my new treasures
beneath my garments, I turn on my heel and quickly leave
the castle, not even stopping to take a look at the prince's
face one last time.

He and I share a secret now, and we will walk our own paths.
From here on out, I am alone...but the skills that now inhabit
every fiber of my being come from experiences we shared,
and those will live on forever.

Chapter 5: A Style of Thievery (No.05)

"He was originally born to a real good family, I hear.
But he was kidnapped by traffickers when he was young and
basically lived as a slave. Heard that was 'cause he was
bought by an awful master, but he managed to escape and
then lived his life as a thief. All alone in a land he was dragged
to... He did what he had to do to survive, y'know. But I bet he
was a good kid, deep down. He only stole what he had to.
And only from the filthy rich. I guess that's the style he settled
on. That's what I think, anyway."

"Uh... I'm sorry, who are you?"

"What? It's me. You know me!
...Wait a second, where'd my mustache go?"

Chapter 6: The Sailor's Tales 1 (No.06)

People speak of a mountain that lies far north of here—
one that's said to house precious gems and jewels of all
different colors and sizes. Rumor, you say? Legend?
Ah, but I know it's true, for I once went to the mountain
to dig up some of the gems for myself.

I wanted to sell them, of course, but no matter how much
I dug, I found nothing. I dug and dug from sunup to sundown⁠,
but still nothing. Was it a scam? Or had all the jewels been
mined already? Finally, I gave up and looked to the sky—
which was absolutely filled with stars. It was so beautiful,
all my weariness just melted away.

Suddenly, I heard a whistle and a thud. A star had fallen!
And when I picked it up, I realized it was a gem shining
brightly in my hand! At that signal, all the stars⁠—all the
gems—began falling one after the other, and all I could
think of was collecting them. I was going to be rich!

I laughed and laughed...and then I heard a loud rumble.
I looked up, and would you believe it? The entire moon was
threatening to fall on me! It was way too big for me to
take, so I ran out of there as fast as I could. And in my
panic... Oops! I dropped all the jewels I'd collected.

――――The princess did not smile.

Chapter 7: The Sailor's Tales 40 (No.07)

I was on an island full of ferocious beasts because I'd
heard tell of a very rich man who wanted nothing more in
life than the pelt of one of those unique creatures.

My friends were already gone, swallowed by monsters whose
teeth were impossibly huge, whose claws were impossibly
sharp. I was the only one left; I'd escaped into a cave by
the skin of my teeth. The only light I had was the flicker
of a candle stub I'd thought to bring, but I proceeded
deeper inside all the same.

It was warm. Humid. Sour. The ground was spongy, and the
more I quickened my steps, the more my instincts screamed
that something was terribly wrong.

Oh, and they were right, for it turned out the cave was the
inside of an enormous serpent! Now, the fact I stand before
you today clearly means I managed to make my escape.
But because I slipped my grisly fate and exited the living
cave, none of the other beasts would come near me.

And do you know why?

――――The princess did not smile.

Chapter 8: The Sailor's Hearsay 79 (No.08)

Let me recall for you a tale I heard on a voyage.
In the mansion a distinguished, wealthy man, there
was a bizarre instrument that'd play music all by itself.
That's right—despite there being no one there playing it,
it would make noise all the same. And that wasn't the
only odd thing about it, either. Anyone who heard
the music it made...would fall asleep on the spot!
Catching wind of such rumors, there was a thief who
knew he had an opportunity on his hands that was
too good to pass up—after all, if a thief were to make
good use of such an unusual item, there would be
nothing standing between them and their wildest
dreams of thievery.

And so the thief crammed plugs into his ears to make
sure he wouldn't be able to hear the instrument,
and then snuck into the mansion. Then before long,
there he was in the room with the instrument in it.

And then...

Wham!

He takes a wicked blow to the head and passes out
instantaneously. You see, since his ears were plugged up
nice and tight, he could not hear the mansion's owner
sneaking up behind him. And that was in fact his plan
all along—the instrument that played itself was
a fabrication from the very beginning! And so the
greedy thief was bound with rope and stripped
of all his earthly possessions.

――――The princess did not smile.

Chapter 9: The Sailor's Tales 166 (No.09)

At the far end of the desert blooms a flower. It's far from
water, yet it never withers, and the petals stretching from
its stem are beautiful indeed. People wander the desert
endlessly for but a glimpse. Do you know why it never wilts?

Because it enchants its onlookers. The very sight of its beauty
inspires wishes that it thrives, and visitors grant it every drop
of water they carry. Around it lay the withered husks of bodies
that are seldom noticed among the flower's majesty.

You know, I thought the flower might fetch a high price, so
I went to pluck it and grew many more. After all, they're strong
enough to live in the desert—cultivation wasn't exactly difficult.
I've got so many of them now, but for whatever reason,
they don't sell very well.

―――――――――The princess still won't smile, huh?

Chapter 10: The Sailor's Hearsay 8 (No.10)

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who had been
captured by a terrible monster. The princess was then locked
away on a desert island, and there was never a moment the
monster did not have her under its watchful eye.

The princess sends out missives asking for help, but none are
brave enough to stand against the most terrifying monster.
It was then, when all hope seemed lost, that a lone prince rose
in opposition, crossing a raging sea in order to reach the island
where the princess was held captive.

The legendary sword that is his family heirloom in hand,
the prince bested the monster in glorious combat.
The monster died, and the prince and princess lived
happily ever after. The end.

...That was the story he told me time and again.
Thinking back on it, I don't understand what on earth
he thought was so interesting about it.

But I was always on the edge of my seat whenever he told it,
and I did always look up to the prince in the story, so...

That's why, on that fateful day, I vowed that I would take up
any legendary sword—and defeat any monster—if it meant
I could one day reclaim her smile.

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