The Den of Thieves

The Snuggly Duckling looked harmless enough from the outside, a quaint cottage nestled in the roots of a giant tree. But the moment I kicked the door open, the smell hit us: stale ale, unwashed bodies, and blood.

The room went silent. Fifty hardened criminals, thugs, murderers, and thieves, stopped their brawling and drinking to stare at the entrance. Rapunzel gasped, clutching my arm so tightly her knuckles turned white. She saw a man with a hook for a hand. She saw a massive thug with a helmet made of a horned skull. She saw scars, missing teeth, and malice.

"A lot of pointy teeth," she whimpered, shrinking behind me.

I didn't shrink. I walked in, dragging her with me. "Table," I announced. "Front and center."

A large, nose-less thug stood up, blocking our path. "We don't like strangers here. especially pretty ones." He leered at Rapunzel, licking his lips. "Why don't you leave the girl and get lost?"

Rapunzel squeaked, pressing her face into my shoulder. " Ray...?"

"I don't think you understand," I said calmly.

I didn't draw the Keyblade. I didn't need it for trash like this. I grabbed the thug's face with my free hand. I squeezed. CRUNCH. I lifted him one-handed off the ground and slammed him onto the nearest table. The wood splintered. The thug groaned, **** before he hit the floor.

The room erupted. Blades were drawn. Chairs were kicked aside. I looked at the crowd. I let my aura flare, a dark, suffocating pressure that filled the room, dropping the temperature by ten degrees. My eyes glowed with a faint, predatory light.

"Sit," I commanded.

It wasn't a request. It was an Alpha command reinforced by magic. The thugs froze. Their instincts screamed at them that the man in the teal vest wasn't a fop; he was a monster. Weapons were lowered. Men sat back down, averting their eyes.

I walked through the parted crowd to the best table by the fire. I sat down on the heavy wooden bench. Rapunzel stood there, looking around at the terrified room, then at me.

"You... you made them stop just by looking at them," she whispered, awestruck.

"Power recognizes power, Rapunzel," I said. "Now, come here."

She moved to sit on the bench opposite me.

"No," I corrected, patting my thigh. "Here."

Rapunzel blinked, blushing furiously. "On... on your lap? In front of everyone?"

"Look around you," I whispered, leaning forward, my eyes scanning the sawdust, spilt ale, and mud on the floorboards. "This place is thick with danger. The floor is filthy with malice."

I glanced down at her naked, delicate toes curling nervously on the wood. "Besides," I added, my voice dropping an octave. "I don't want those pretty bare feet getting dirty. They look very soft. I’d hate to see them ruined by this filth. The safest place is off the ground. On the anchor."

She looked at the dirty floor, realizing just how grimy it was, then at the menacing patrons. She looked at my lap, the place where the "Hero" sat. "Okay," she murmured.

She walked around the table. She gathered her skirt and climbed onto my lap. She sat sideways, her legs draped over my thigh, keeping her feet elevated, safe, and pristine, just for me. She put her arm around my neck for balance. She was light, soft, and smelled of wildflowers in a room that smelled of sweat.

I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her flush against my chest. I rested my hand heavily on her hip, my fingers splaying out over the purple fabric. Every thug in the room watched. They saw the ownership. They saw the way the terrifying stranger held the golden-haired girl like a trophy.

"Comfortable?" I asked into her ear.

"I... I feel safe," she admitted, burying her face in my neck to hide from the room. "You're very warm, Ray."

"Good."

A trembling barmaid brought us two tankards of ale and a plate of bread. I took a drink. Rapunzel watched me, mesmerized by the adam's apple moving in my throat.

"Is this... normal?" she asked softly. "Do all partners sit like this?"

"Only the ones who trust each other completely," I lied. "It's a bond. It tells the world: 'Do not touch. She is taken.'"

"She is taken," Rapunzel repeated. She looked at the Hook-Hand thug who was glaring at us from the corner. She lifted her chin slightly, mimicking my confidence. "I'm taken."

I smirked. The corruption was subtle, but it was working. She was deriving confidence not from her own strength, but from her proximity to mine.

I slid my hand from her hip to her thigh. I squeezed, just enough to make her jump slightly. "Relax, Rapunzel. Drink your ale."

She took a sip, coughing as the bitter liquid hit her throat, but she drank it. I kept my hand there, stroking her leg through the dress, right in the middle of a tavern full of cutthroats. I was teaching her that my touch was constant, public, and non-negotiable.

Suddenly, the door burst open again. Guards. Royal Guards, led by a Captain on a white horse who somehow fit through the door.

"Search the place!" the Captain bellowed. "I want the thief! And the girl!"

Rapunzel stiffened in my arms. "It's the Palace Guards! Mother said they would take me back!"

"They won't take you anywhere," I whispered, tightening my grip.

"Hey! You there!" The Captain pointed his sword at our table. "Identify yourself! And the girl!"

The room went quiet again. The thugs watched, eager to see the "Hero" fall. I didn't stand up. I didn't let go of Rapunzel. I stared at the Captain. "I am a traveler," I said coolly. "And this is my companion. We are eating. Leave us."

"Insolence!" The Captain spurred his horse forward. "That hair... it matches the description of the Lost Princess! Seize them!"

Rapunzel screamed as a guard reached for her. That was a mistake.

I stood up, dumping Rapunzel gently onto the bench behind me. I summoned The Solar Zenith. FLASH. The room was blinded by the golden light. I swung. I didn't aim to kill; I aimed to humiliate. I severed the Captain's belt. His trousers fell down. I swept the legs of the horse with the flat of the blade. The beast buckled, sending the Captain tumbling into a pile of slop.

"Run!" I shouted to Rapunzel. "To the back!"

She didn't hesitate. She grabbed her hair and bolted for the back exit. I followed, casting a Blizzard spell behind me to block the door with a wall of ice.

We burst out into the back alley. "There's a passage!" Hook-Hand called out from a window, surprisingly helpful now that I had humiliated the guards. "Under the bar! Go!"

I grabbed Rapunzel’s hand. We dove into a hidden tunnel just as the ice wall shattered. We were in the dark. Alone. Breathing hard.

"That..." Rapunzel panted, squeezing my hand in the pitch black. "That was thrilling!"

"Keep moving," I ordered, pulling her deeper into the dark.