PROLOGUE
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<p data-mce-mark="1">B
<p data-mce-mark="1">orn to the Very Noble Lady Melanie Foxrun and Lord Hugon Falconsflight over twenty-three years ago in Denerroy, a small township in the realm of Norre’Say, Brestine was always well cared for, with as many nannies and play dates she could wish for. She never got to see her parents though, and soon she grew tired of the well protected life of a noble-born child with expensive teachers. She knew how to write, read and speak several languages and dialects, but struggled constantly with numbers and calculations. History, art and geography always held a special fascination with her though.
<p data-mce-mark="1">The noble upbringing gave her an aura of importance when needed, and Brestine, or Bres for her friends and fellow thieves, used it whenever it gave her an advantage. It made dealings with irritated courtiers and bullying merchants so much easier.
<p data-mce-mark="1">She never used her real family name for her thieving business. While she did not care too much for the affairs of her family and the courtly Lords and Ladies, she decided that there was no need to pull her family into her less than legal activities.
<p data-mce-mark="1">But despite her noble birth and aura, she was not quite considered a beauty. She was not at all upset about it though: nothing would have been worse for her then catching someone's attention: her figure was slender and lean like whipcord, her non-calloused hands were fine and long, and with no visible scars. Her long and muscular legs, their lean form not at all hidden in tight trousers, were made for fast and long running and, if needed, high jumping. Overall, she was rather … plain.
<p data-mce-mark="1">Her natural eye color was hazel, but she learned to conceal the true color by applying different eye makeup; everything about her was shady, hazy, foggy. Her hair color, though blond by nature, was changing ever so often. Over shoulder length, she usually wore it in a braid, or hidden under a hood or cap. Being above average height for a female human had been the only outstanding factor for her, and it suited her just fine.
<p data-mce-mark="1">If a group of people would have been asked to describe her, there would have been as many different answers as there were people in the group. With the right means and equipment she got away with nearly everything. Naturally, she possessed the right means.
<p data-mce-mark="1">Bres’ reputation within the noble ranks was that of a recluse. She did not trust people per se, nor could she be trusted. She would smile in someone's face while reaching for their coin purse, and they would not notice it until they were ready to pay their tap.
<p data-mce-mark="1">For her, there was no real need for luxuries: It was the thrill of getting caught that made her sell her skills as a thief or messenger to the highest bidder, and at times she would work against two parties rivaling each other at the same time, just because she could.
<p data-mce-mark="1">In the long run ... well she never thought that far ahead. With her lifestyle, every day could have been her very last: her goal was to never get caught, and though she did not care too much for other people, the weak and poor always had a soft spot in her heart.
<p data-mce-mark="1">Whenever possible, she gave her accumulated wealth to the less fortune, thereby opening the secret tunnels and ways of the local thieves and thugs. She was one of them, and she felt very proud of it.
<p data-mce-mark="1">One thing that she was definitely not thriving for was to settle down and have servants and peasants to see to her daily needs, as her parents were used to: as a very young girl, she sneaked out of her parent’s gated manor and walked to the nearby town in disguise, intrigued by the thrills of the slums. She would often compete with the local thugs and thieves, and when she was asked to join them she did not hesitate a second. She was ten, and had learned the life of thieves for five years by then.
