Gavin the Thief

The streets were empty, and Gavin was like a shadow moving amidst the darkness. Swiftly he ran, yet quiet as could be, hoping to find his mark for the night. Like any good thief, he had learned to move with a certain grace and silence that bordered on the preternatural. He was highly sought after in many circles. Everyone wanted to hire him, it seemed. From poor men looking to reclaim property from a less skilled thief, or to very wealthy noblemen looking to steal the deeds to land, there seemed to be an endless variety of employers, all very different, but with similar agendas.

To call Gavin a Bandit or Highwayman would be wrong because he never actually revealed himself to his victims, he moved in like the wind, and blew away just as quickly. He was, though, a very skilled Burglar. His breaking and entering talents were great and vast, there was no lock he could not defeat, save of course those enchanted by a mage. As he stepped out into the moonlight, he became somewhat visible. He wore his long, light brown hair to his back, his aquiline face was hidden by a make-shift mask of black cloth. His clothes were of similar make, fashioned more for freedom of movement and stealth rather than protection. On each side of his belt were two daggers.

After the trip from his house in the village, he arrived finally to the designated point in the fancier part of the city Herobeth. He took a quick look around, noting possible escape routes and hiding places, just in case things decided to take a turn for the worse. The street he was the only one that lead to the Residential Quarter, a long straight road lined with mansions that T-ed at the end, leading either to the town entrance, or to the Industrial Quarter. Hearing the telltale sounds of a carriage, he leapt effortlessly to the top of a balcony of one of the larger homes, which coincidentally gave him a rather nice view of the street below. After just a few moments, a horse-drawn carriage came into view. It was exactly as his employer had described it, a black carriage, drawn by four horses with an old, bearded man at the reigns.

A sword, not like the sabers of the black-guards, but a great weapon of beauty and power. A legendary artifact of the ancient world. He recalled the description in his mind. His deep gray eyes were accustomed to the dark, so he could see everything that was going on as he searched for the weapon‘s carrier. The sword was to be delivered from the house of a late noble to the princess herself, who would then lock the artifact away. It was Gavin’s job to steal this weapon and deliver it to his employer, a rather mysterious man by the name of Victor. I hope Mr. Victor makes good on his promised payment. Gavin had been promised a rather large sum of money for his services, and it was the only thing that could have ever gotten him involved with such a risky job. The Royal Family of Herobeth gave no quarter to thieves or murderers, he would surely lose his head if he was caught.

The carriage door opened, and out came a rather beautiful young woman. She resembled an angel, with silvery blonde hair and skin of a similar color. She was dressed as though she wanted not to be recognized, her shapely figure shrouded by a heavy black cloak. After her came a rather large man with a powerful chin and feathery red hair. Gavin knew the man, he was called Xander, he was the first knight of the royal guard, and the finest Paladin ever to walk. His armor shone against the moonlight, a pale blue aura seemed to emanate from the cold steel. The two people stood facing one of the larger homes, the manor of the former Lord Lionel Grayson, who was akin to the Royal Family.

The large, wooden door of the manor creaked opened, and out came an awkward, round little man dressed in bright green clothes. Gavin knew there were all types of people in the city, but he had to admit that it was the first time that he’d ever seen a man wear bright green gowns. It was of no consequence though, for what was important was the cloth wrapped package he handed to the young lady. He could hear them exchanging words, her voice was light and playful.

“We thank you for allowing us to do this.” She said as she gracefully took the package.

“Father would have wanted it this way. He was too old to make the trip himself, it is only right that our kin fulfill the mission. Remember, you must protect the weapon at all costs, and not let anyone with an impure heart perform the ritual.”

“Indeed. We will take all the necessary precautions. I have here the finest Paladin in the world to aid me." The strange little man looked at Xander with a piercing eye, then smiled and nodded. "It is very good to see you again Godrig. We have much to discuss. Let us go inside. Sir Xander. Guard the weapon with your life.” She extended the package to him with long, white arms that peeked out from underneath the cloak.

“Yes, my lady.” He took the wrapped weapon from her and placed in the carriage, then drew his broadsword, which seemed to emenate an eerie blue glow. Gavin knew getting the sword would be difficult, for most Paladins were gifted with a ‘sixth sense’ of sorts that allowed them to know when something was amiss. The thought troubled him, what would one as famous as he be capable of? He didn’t have time to think about that, he needed a plan. Of course! The idea was elementary, but it worked every time.

Silently dropping from the balcony space to the darkness below, he was crouched not thirty paces from the un-knowing Paladin. Gavin then reached down and took a stone from the ground and tossed it far to the right, the rock colliding with a nearby window. The sound of shattering glass erupted throughout the previously silent neighborhood, and Xander took the bait. He turned his body fully to the direction of the sound, and that was all the time Gavin needed.

Gavin leapt from his crouch, investing all of his stealth and speed toward the carriage, he reached in and grabbed the package then leapt high into the air going between the two large houses, kicking against the walls and using his momentum to propel himself upward and onto the rooftop of Grayson Manor. In the blink of an eye, he had stolen from the most renowned White Knight in all of Herobeth, who was still at the ready facing the opposite street.

"Not too bright, I suppose I should be thankful that he didn’t get hold of me." Xander was probably not the cleverest of the lot, but in battle he had no equal.

"But…what does Mr. Victor want with this?"

He examined the long package, then shook off the thought. It really didn’t matter, there was no need to ask questions, he just thought about the gold and that made it easy. He was getting tired…he thought of just blowing town and heading for the Southern Islands…a nice little retirement like he and Aya had always talked about. Of course though, half of the money was going to Father Barnabus, if anything else.

He wasted no more time thinking, he disappeared quietly into the shadows, to meet Mr. Victor and get his payment. He was tired of the risk, he was tired of stealing and most of all, he was tired of hurting people, which was what it all boiled down to. Gavin sighed as the shadows enveloped him, the darkness of Herobeth his only comfort as he made his way into the long, lonely night. He heard angry shouts behind him. They knew the sword was gone.

Gavin wondered what Aya would think of him. The quiet little woman at the orphanage, the woman who died for taking him in. He recalled that night, the shouting below was almost identical to the guards of that fateful summer night.


It was a job like any other, the concept sounded so simple, he thought that nothing could go wrong. He was less experienced in those days, but skilled none the less. He was fast, very fast, and was beginning to develop the finesse for which he would eventually become famous.

The package consisted of nothing but a few papers, probably deeds or something, but Gavin knew to never ask questions. The problem though, he'd picked up some heat on the way to the meeting point, rather large men armed with rather nasty looking axes. The bodyguards of noblemen were sometimes better trained and more heavily armed than the Royal Guard themselves.

He was wounded too, one of the guards had managed to make a nasty little cut on Gavin's chest as he was escaping the Nobles home, the blade of the axe sliced neatly through the leather armor and left a deep cut. As he ran along the tops of the buildings, he could hear them below, chasing after him and following his every sound. He had to get away, he had to find refuge.

Gavin stumbled out of his run, he began to sweat, and became weak. He was losing too much blood. But he was so close, so very close to the end of the building, it was right there, the end. He could feel the warmth of his little cottage, the smell of rice cooking in the cauldron, and then he was falling.

He'd jumped too late, his head was spinning, he felt breaking glass, then he felt nothing. Broken images flashed before his weary eyes, the image of a woman rushing to his side, and several others joining, and then he slept.

Gavin awoke three days later, his head was still a mess. He was not quite sure, but as his vision cleared, he saw a woman tending to a very nasty cut on his chest.

"Where..." He'd never been in such pain before, every breath he took, he felt like his ribs were about to collapse.

"Relax, you're still in pretty bad shape." Said a deep, but soothing feminine voice. The woman was not very pretty, but not astoundingly ugly. To Gavin, though, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. It didn't matter that her nose was a bit big for her face, that instead of shimmering white robes, she wore a simple green and brown gown. He could see that her hair was a sandy blonde and very long, but tied back into a large bun.

"Who..." Still more pain.

"Sshh. You need rest. You had a nasty fall." She sprinkled some liquid on the wound, which made it sting. He cringed and squirmed around but it only seemed to make it worse. "My name is Aya. You are in the orphanage. It is a miracle you lived."

"I'm not so sure." His wound had stopped hurting, the strange liquid ceased to burn and now began to numb the pain. "Im just lucky..."

"Luck or miracle, either way, here you are." She said playfully. She started to bandage the wound, thankfully he was numb to it at the moment, but he could tell that it would hurt later. "So what's you're name?" She asked to take his mind off things.

"Gavin..." He gasped, he found himself quite dehydrated.

"The thief?"

"You know my name?" That was the first time that Gavin had ever been recognized, in a way he was flattered, but at the same time frightened. People knowing his name meant that Assassins