• Chapter Three


    Lia had many friends in court. She had many different groups of friends; servants, teachers, associates, ladies, lords, a Prince, and a thief. All of these friends, even though some of them weren't all that friendly - the ladies in particular - knew that she was stubborn, determined and unafraid to speak her mind.
    But since her quest for a suitable weapon had started, Lia had been more quiet in public. Only her good friends the Prince and the thief knew that it was because she was focusing on something.

    The Prince and the thief were good friends, oddly enough. They both knew what loyalty truly meant. And they were both more than happy to assist Lia in her search.
    "If you want it, I'll find it." Said the thief to Lia, referring to his complex and extremely thorough network that stretched citywide.
    "If you find it, I'll pay for it." Said the Prince to the thief, referring to his always-bulging wallet. He could easily help and never miss the money.
    The thief would send a report to Lia, disguised as a letter from a cousin. If anyone found out she was dealing with a thief, she would be ruined. Even more so if they knew she was trying to find a weapon that could be taken everywhere.
    Lia would take the thief's report to the library, where she would meet the Prince and they would discuss the suggestions that the thief had found. All were rejected, until the thief found something so perfect that he drew a diagram of it and sent it in with a bribe so it would reach the destination faster.
    Lia hurried to the Prince's rooms. She couldn't wait until tonight to go to the library; she would show it to him now.
    "It's perfect!" He announced, upon inspecting it.
    "I know!" Lia was positively glowing.
    The Prince went over the drawing again, then glanced at Lia. "It'll be expensive, though." He pointed out.
    "Oh." Lia hadn't thought of money. She didn't have enough coin to use on the making on something as complex as this. "Well, I'll find a way."
    "I could pay." The Prince offered.
    Lia rounded on him. "Don't you dare!" She threatened. "I don't take charity!"
    He held up his hands in defence. "Okay! Okay!"

    But he knew that he had to find a way to buy this for Lia without offending her. It was obvious that she wanted it more than anything. And so a plan formed in the Prince's head...