The Soldier and The Thief

Audrey blushed and lowered her head. "I-I wasn't paying attention, so I don't know." She huffed, turning her head so he wouldn't see the blush that was prominent on her face. He chuckled, his chest rumbling. Audrey swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and crossed her arms over her chest, embarrassed. She looked up through her eyelashes at his face, which bore a goofy grin. Layton giggled lightly but covered her mouth, hating the sound of it. It sounded like she was a little kid, and that's the last thing she wanted to be at the moment.

"What?" Tyrel question, cocking his eyebrow.

"Nothing," she mumbled.

He laughed softly again and then stopped when she told him to.

"You can put me down now." She said wiggling a little.

"I could." He replied. "Or I don't have to."

Audrey glared up at him and squirmed weakly. "Put me down!" She shouted, the blush darkening even further across her face. She had to get away. Quickly before she did anything she'd regret.

*sobs*

He laughed and set her down, but held her up for a second kissing her firmly and then turning, setting her down, then turning and walking away.

Audrey touched her lips with a small, fading smile. She didn't need any feelings getting in her way. No, she had a huge family to support and didn't need anyone getting in her way.

After a while Morgan came to get water and helped Audrey back to the hideout, complaining about her even getting involved in a fight to begin with.

-skip i guess-

Audrey lept up out of bed, all her wounds healed, and twirled in a circle, soon getting dressed and running into town. Today she was supposed to evaluate Addison's money collecting. She woke Addison up and sat her near a small ally. "Cry and beg for money, okay? And if any soldiers ask about me tell them you've never heard of me?" Addison smiled and nodded quickly. Audrey smiled widely from her place high above on one of the roofs as Addison began to fake cry and beg old women and men for money. It was all going good... until the soldiers came by.

Tyrel looked at the small girl who was sitting in front of him.

"Hi, honey, what are you doing?" He asked squatting down in front of her.

"I need money." The girl cried. "Can you give me some?"

"YOu knwo it's against the law to do that?" He asked.

"No!' She said shaking her head.

"It is. Where are your parents?" He asked.

"Gone." She replied.

"Come on, let's get to the orphanage." Hesaid reaching to pick her up. She wiggled away and took off at a run.

"Probably one of Red's kids." His dad said.

"No, cause she'd've come helped the kid." he replied tuning to take off after the girl.

Audrey growled angrily and took off across the roof, jumping to the next and so on. Addison ran into one of the allies, like they usually planned, and Audrey jumped down on the roof of the bordering houses, landing right in front of Addison, but staying in the shadows. She lifted Addison off the ground and slid through a smaller ally, coming out on the other side. "Good job!" She smiled, giving Addison a kiss on the cheek. Addison giggled and handed Audrey the bag of money. "Thata girl!" She praised, sitting down with Addison in her lap.

"Hey, hey, can we get some candy?" Addison pleaded, latching onto Audrey's neck.

"Ah, I'll have to see. If Morgan, Hanna, and I make a good gathering tonight then I'll buy you some candy tomorrow. Deal?" Addison smiled widely, her eyes dancing with joy.

"Deal! Yay! I get candy! Thank you Momma!" She shouted, twirling in a circle. Audrey laughed lightly and shook her head, standing up and tucking the money safely in her pocket.

"Red! I knew she was one of your's!" Grayson and his men began running towards them.

"Dammit. Hand on tight Addy," Audrey wrapped one arm around the small girl and ran towards the men. She jumped in the air, landing on Grayson's head once again, and flipped off, landing perfectly. Addison clapped her hands with a joyful laugh and Audrey bowed, smiling coyly.

Tyrel cleared his throat from behind hte bowing girl. She jumped spinning around.

"Hello." He said stepping towards her and grabbing her arm. The little girl stopped clapping and frowned at him.

"Good job, son." His dad said. The little girl jumped off Red's shoulder and kicked his shin. He jumped growlingpulling Red with him.

"LET HER GO!" Red's little girl hissed. He scooped her up and pulled her up on his shoulders.

He was... he was handling Addison in such a harsh way. With her blood boiling, Audrey kicked his legs out from under him and grabbed Addison just in time. She grabbed the collar of his shirt, standing over him, and looked him right in the eye, her lips curving upwards in anger. "If y-you ever touch my daughter again I'll...I'll.... I'll,"

"You'll what Red? Kiss me again? Huh? What harm could you do?" He was taunting her.

"I'll kill you and your entire family..." she spat coldly and dug her foot into his gut before running off, Addison latched on her back. Audrey felt tears prick at the back of her eyes and fall down her cheeks. She was stupid to even consider that man a friend. Stupid. It was unheard of for a thief to trust a son of a commander... Unheard of and foolish. Addison touched Audry's cheek with her small hand and cocked her head to the side.

"What's wrong Momma?" She questioned.

"Nothing, don't worry about it okay?" Addison nodded and tightened her grip on Audrey as she jumped on top of one of the many buildings.

Tyrel felt like he had been kicked over and over. He took a deep breath and sat up. For some reason he felt like he had been kicked in the gut, and not phisically, and he couldn't figure it out.

"Nice try son." His dad said helping him up. He growled crossing his arms,

"I'll get her." He watched her disappear. She didn't have to kick him.

Later that night, when all of the younger children were asleep Audrey made her way back into town, Morgan, a fourteen year old that had been with Audrey since her brother died, and Hannah, his twin sister, at her side. "Okay, listen. I'm goin' to the bakery. Morgan hit the butchers, and Hannah... I need you to go with Morgan." They both nodded. "Meet back right at the town gates okay?"

"Okay," both twins said in usion. Audrey nodded and took off towards the bakery, silently slipping through an unlocked window and into the main room. She smiled lightly and ran her hand across the tables, grabbing one of the many baskets that sat around the room and filling it with bread.

Tyrel tapped his foot. "Always stealing aren't you?" He asked.

"What's it to you?" She demanded grabbing more bread.

"So, why don't you make your own bread? He asked.

"I don't have time or the supplies." She hissed. "NOw leave me alone!"

"You kicked me when you didn't need to." He replied.

"You were hurting her." She hissed.

"I was not! I couldn't cradle her like a baby!"

"And why couldn't you?! Huh?! She a freaking three year old and there you were throwing her over your shoulder like she's a freaking bag of potatoes. Newsflash buddy, she's a fragile kid not some produce you can toss around acting like it won't get bruised." Audrey grabbed one last roll and shoved passed him. "I don't have time to talk to you. I've wasted to much time to begin with on you. I shouldn't have even associated with you in the first place. Feelings get in the way and it's just to much to handle when I've got a group of starving kids sitting inside an underground hideout in a tree, wishing they could live in a real home and not have to worry about getting cold, or starving... or... or dying. I'm leaving. Bye." She hurried over to the door and swung it open.

"Hey!" Audrey stopped in her tracks at the feeling of his hold on her wrist.

"Let. Go. Of. Me." She growled through her teeth.

"You know what, I've helped you when i didn't need to. If I showed that little girl an mercy then they might think I was on your side!" He hissed. "I've had plenty of time to take you to the orphanage. Or even jail."

"Then why didn't you?" Audrey spat, tears pricking the back up her eyes. "You had plenty of time and quite a reasonable amount of chances. I don't see why you don't do it!" She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "What's stoppin' you from having them sentence me to death? Is it the kids? Cause if it is why should you care about 'em? You wanted so badly to put them in an orphanage. If it's not the kids, and it's obviously not the town because everyone in town hates me, then what is it? What is stopping you?!"