I am Not a Thief (Open)

[neav]

Neav wandered through Camelot's market square, weaving his way between busy people and their stalls. It was not often that the stable-boy gained an afternoon off. It was even rarer when he decided to spend it away from the horses he loved.

As he walked past a wagon loaded with farm-goods (with his eyes on the workhorse that pulled it rather than the fruit), Neav heard some kind of commotion ahead. He looked up. Shouts of Thief! and Cut-purse! danced on the breeze. As Neav watched, a dark-haired boy about his own age came racing towards him, stolen purse caught tight in his hand. Behind him moved a scrambled of people.
Neav stepped back to the edge of the street, not wanting to get caught up in that wild race. But the boy seemed to be heading right for him. As he passed he knocked heavily into Neav, pushing something into his hand. Instinctively, Neav grasped it. The boy ran off without a backwards glance.
Neav looked down. The boy had given him the stolen money. He frowned, puzzled. Why would anyone go to the trouble and danger of stealing something, only to give it to a stranger? Surely the thief had not mistaken him for some accomplice.
Then it dawned on him. The thief-boy had not passed the prize, but had passed the guilt. One small, dark-haired boy looked much the same as another.
Neav paled. The ones who had chased the thief were close now. Sometimes thieves had a hand cut off, he knew! He began to run, thinking only that he did not want such a dreadful punishment, not thinking at all that the best thing to do would be to go towards the justice-seekers and give them the thing back. To run was to show a person's guilt, after all.
Neav was fast, but they were too close. Before he had gone three steps he felt a hand close on the back of his tunic.

Timeline: sometime after the Curse of Cornelius
Place: Camelot market Square
Tags: Open - you can be the one who has caught Neav, someone watching, whoever

[templier90]

"Camelot.... I'm home..." Brandeles pulls down his ranger's cowl as he went passes through the gates of the city. The Camelot guards saw him and greets him by states "Lord Brandeles." and in return he says nothing but smiles. In this city, Brandeles lived his life as a noble and in the woods, he lived his life as a ranger, two lives in an individual but it is no challenge for Brandeles.

Someone was shouting about thief not far away from him, a boy with a money purse in his hands run towards him but the man caught him in the collar with his hand. The young ranger shakes his head as he approaches to the both. "What is this all about?" Brandeles asked, the man saw Brandeles and stares the boy with his eyes after caught him. "My lord! This urchin stole my money! I'll cut the nasty fingers of yours!" Brandeles look at the boy in the eyes, he doesn't look like thief-like urchin.

"This boy is under my custody, you have your money back and leave." Brandeles grabs the money purse from the boy and gives it to the man. The man receives it and brisks off, away from the ranger and the boy. He places both of his hands on the boy's shoulders and crouches down, look at him, "Tell me, did you steal his purse? I want a honest answer."

[neav]

Neav staggered as the gasping hand bough him to a sudden halt. He twisted to stare at his captor, flinching as the man raised a hand to strike him....
When they were suddenly interrupted. A quiet, commanding voice asked to know what was going on. Neav stared up at the newcomer, eyes wide with fear. He was so tall! He looked as though he never smiled, never laughed. And Neav's captor called him 'my lord', as he cried out for Neav to have his fingers cut off.

Neav felt sick with horror. If he had no fingers, he could not work with the horses! He needed his hands for grooming, for saddle and bridle buckles, for checking the horses for injuries or sores... if he lost his fingers he would loose his whole life. His mind a whirlwind of fear, Neav did not resist as the lord took the purse from his hands. What did he mean, in his custody? What he mean to do?

Neav began to tremble as the lord placed heavy hands on his shoulders, knelt to meet his eyes. But the words he spoke did not sound condemning. He asked as though he might actually listen to the answer.
Neav felt a faint glimmer of hope. Maybe it would be believed that he were not guilty.
"No, my lord," his whispered, copying the other man's way of addressing him and hoping it were correct. "I swear I didn't."

[Guinevère]

^{ஜ ஜ ஜ ஜ}

Gwen was walking home when she had heard the shouts of a thief. Before long she came witness to a young boy running for his life. The lowertowns people were often poor and thieves were common in times such as these. It was not in Gwen to ignore such a situation, but before she could even think of what to do the young boy gave the money to another lad and ran off. Gwen would have thought that the lad was his aid in this had the young boy not looked so shocked.

When the man who had been stolen from came up to him, Gwen started forward to admit to what she saw but it seemed a noble got to him first. She paused not far from him, letting Lord Brandeles handle it. When Lord Brandeles spoke to the boy, asking him if he had done it and the lad replied Gwen took a few steps closer. She gave a small bow of her head and then spoke up, in a soft tone. "No, he did not. The real thief has gotten away."

[Hope is ok! If not I can delete!]

[templier90]

[OOC: All are welcomed here, no? ]

xx

A lady comes to him and tries to protect the innocent child, the ranger understands her and the boy. "I do believe in you, my boy." Brandeles stands up and pats on his hair with his hardened glove, while smiling. He knows the difference between street urchin and innocent children, indeed this era are dark times. "And also, you are a stable boy, I could tell that smell of haystacks and horses from you clothing. Impossible that a stable boy will steal something from others, no?" Brandeles could smell the boy's clothing near him, he knows the smell very well because, he is a veteran ranger.

Brandeles clears his throat for a moment as he look at the other crowd, it was been a while that he didn't see the market square, quite lively as ever. "Camelot's town square is still busy as before, don't you think?" Brandeles look back at the two civilians with his smile, "You must be Lady Guinevère, I heard about you from Prince Arthur." the ranger smiles to Guinevère, Prince Arthur talks a lot about her, including she advices the prince when he was stubborn or other else.

[cole]

{hope you don't mind if I join in }

Cole had decided that today he would stay away from the castle. Even a knight needed a break every now and then. He saw some of the people talking and heard something about a ranger catching the 'thief' who wasn't a thief at all. He also heard that Gwen had stood up for the boy. That was not uncommon. Gwen had a good heart and she was a very kind woman.

He smiled in greetings to people who spoke to him but a wide teasing smile slid easily onto his young face as he saw the three standing there. Walking up he easily slid an arm around Gwen, those who knew him knew that he was just doing this to get a rise from people and it usually worked.
"Why hello there Gwen. Fancy meeting a beautiful lady like you here" He stated easily and looking at her with a smile, anyone who knew him knew that he liked to flirt and that he liked to tease people.Arthur knew this and often said that he would meet the wrong end of the sword one of these days when he flirted with the wrong woman so he stuck to those he had know for a while and since he practically grew up with the Prince in the castle, it was pretty much any woman within the castle walls (with the exception of the Lady Morgana...the King would kill him). He saw the ranger and quirked a brow in curiosity before asking his question; As a knight of Camelot he vowed to help keep the peace and make sure the people were fairing well enough. "So ranger whats this I hear about a thief?" He looked around he didn't see a thief or a street urchin the only ones he saw was Gwen, the stable boy Neav and the ranger; of course he had arrived just after the whole debacle and had no idea that everything was just a misunderstanding. Cole peered at the boy with a smile. He removed his arm from around Gwen and ruffled the boys hair in a teasing and disarming manner. The boy looked absolutely terrified.
"Why hello there Neav." He stated softly. He always did have a soft spot for kids, and Neav was no exception though the boy seemed very timid and afraid he adored the horses and his own horse, Copa (a gray Appaloosa) was always well taken care of when he could not get the time to go to the stables himself. He looked at the ranger and peered at him. He knew him or at least he recognized the face. Maybe Arthur knew him? Maybe he had met him on his travels?
"Do I know you; you seem familiar?" Cole asked not really hearing anything the ranger had said about the market he had been to lost within his own thoughts.

[neav]

((It is fine for everyone to join, of course! ))


Neav twisted in the ranger's hold, turning to see who had spoken up for him. A lady he did not know... though Neav had a bad memory for the faces of people, he half-thought he had seen her before. Maybe she worked in the Castle, somewhere. But his terrified mind would not let him think on such things for long. Would the ranger really believe he had done no wrong, even if this lady spoke for him?

That question was soon answered. The ranger gave him a rough pat on the head, saying he believed him. Neav felt weak with relief. He could hardly grasp that he was going to keep his fingers, after all.
Neav felt his cheeks grow hot as the ranger commented on the smell of his clothes and placing him correctly as stable-boy. He bit his lip. He knew he smelled of horses, but no one had ever commented on it before.
"Yes," Neav whispered, still not over his fear. "I work in the stables."

Then the lord-ranger spoke to the lady who had vouched for him, naming her as Lady Guinevère. His icy eyes flicked up to her. Was she a Lady? She did not look like one. Though, if she knew the Prince, maybe.... and who was he to say who was a Lady and who was not?

Suddenly another man joined them. Neav looked up, startled again. The boy was always skittish and having come to close to loosing a hand did not make things better. Though Neav did not remember this Knight's name, he knew the horse he rode. Copa.
Neav finched intintivly as the knight moved to mess his hair. It was not often he received such affectionative gestures. Nor was he used to being with such a crowd of people, all talking to each other! He did not know what to do or say.