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"I don't have to ride in the cart again, do I?" Ryan asked, allowing Haru to pull him up. He was only half-serious; he wouldn't really mind, but walking would be easier. "I am physically capable of walking, you know."

Ryan chuckled. "Sounds good to me!" He looked the pile of cushions over for a minute, then shrugged his shoulders and curled up on top, much like a small child would.
"Why don't they have these instead of mattresses at the palace?" He murmured to himself, finding it oddly comfortable.

Ryan watched as Haru drifted off to sleep, excitement fluttering in his mind. He might not have to go home. He could leave that life behind. Maybe write his sisters a letter saying good-bye.
He could stay with Haru.
"Bloody hell..." Ryan muttered to himself. He liked Haru. Denial wasn't working. He sighed. Well, he'd rather deal with a stupid crush than his family. The thought comforted him, and he sunk into a deep sleep, one void of bad dreams and restless twitching.

Ryan jumped awake, startled. He noticed Haru fighting some other man, then the smoke. He stumbled to his feet, still muddled from sleep. The smoke made him feel almost sick- he wasn't used to such strong scents. Taking Haru's words in somewhere in the back of his mind, he shoved out of the tent, running in whatever direction his feet were taking him- away from the commotion.
Someone yelled after him, spurring him out of the camp and into the woods. Whoever was chasing him was getting closer, and Ryan's lungs were heaving, his legs burning from exertion. He mentally cursed his weak physique, searching for somewhere to try and hide, or maybe throw his pursuers off his trail. Ryan hurtled over a tree root, taking a sharp right and weaving through trees. He wasn't going to last much longer, he could already tell. His pursuers were too close, yelling to each other when they saw Ryan running.
Then Ryan tripped face first into a muddy creek bed, hitting his head a little to hard. There was some attempt to keep going, but his legs weren't responding. Please don't see me, just look straight past the creek and the muddy prince, don't see me... Ryan couldn't tell if he was still being chased as water lapped against his arms, and a cool darkness wormed its was into his head. He must've hit it harder than he thought. The darkness overtook everything, and Ryan's last thought was I hope Haru's okay.

Ryan was rolled over, barely conscious. He could feel pain, that was sure. Other than that... He had no idea.

Kyle smirked. He was going to get so rewarded for this. He'd found the prince. He, Kyle the Good-For-Nothing Theif, had found Prince Ryan. Who was, in fact, laying in the mud, unconscious.
"Lame." Kyle muttered, rolling the prince over. Pulling on the skinny boy's wrist, Kyle slung the prince into a carry over his shoulders, heading for the camp.
The raid itself was easy enough. A few spies, one prince, and the theives had attacked. From the look of it when Kyle got back, the fight had been hard. But his team had won overall.
"One prince, fresh from a muddy creek bed!" Kyle yelled, attracting the attention of his companions.

Kyle set Ryan down next to Haru, the supposed 'Prince of Thieves'. "Here, prince, sit with your equals." A few of Kyle's friends laughed at this. "Wake up, prince." Kyle lightly smacked Ryan across the face.

"Hnng..." Ryan groaned, feeling someone hit his face. He blinked away some dried-on mud, seeing a thief smirking at him.
"And who might you be?" Ryan asked blearily.