[[OOC: Does anyone need maid service yet? xD]]

Dengi's little shack provided anything, but space. As she rolled her body over from facing the dirt encrusted wall on the left side of her bed, she heard a couple of frail bones crack under the pressure. The hay mattress pushed in all the right points in her back to make her cry out in pain. Slowly, Dengi rose out of her bed and stretched.

Her arms were not what they use to be, covered in age spots, protruding veins and wrinkles. Her stiff joints cracked a bit more as she finally managed to stand up on her own two feet without the aid of her walking cane. She pulled back some of her long, white hair into a bun and then groped for her cane. Once she found the wooden stick, she straightened out her gray robes before slowly making her way outside.

The bright sun burned her all seeing eyes and slowly, a free hand was lifted up to sheild her eyes. Though she was short in stature, experience taught her to hear what her eyes missed. Beyond the trees, she could see the top of the castle, but nothing more. Her ears, however, heard the gentle sounds of the bustle of the town.

"Busy, busy, busy.." Dengi murmured to herself as she hobbled towards the pond.

Dernik walks out of his cabin in the bright moon light and breaths in the crisp night air,"Ahh what a night." He turns and bars his cabin door. Although he was part of the guild of thieves, he is still a new recruit and has not developed a trust with these new forund "Friends".

As Dernik turns and walk down the steps into the forest he begins to stretch out his body to ready for his nightly jog through the forest.

Finishing his stretches, Dernik sets off into the forest. Mindfull of the dangers that may lerk around the trees and such, he gently pulls his Giant's Hammer out of its holster on his back and carrys it like a yolk across his sholders as he jogs.

{Sorry that I haven't been posting...I'm still waiting on another person. >.< But...I think I'll try to move it along a little...}

After recovering from her collision with the cart, Verin could not help but overhear some people chattering nearby. Apparently, there was to be some sort of announcement from the king later that afternoon. 'Huh...wonder what it's about..' The young thief wondered silently a moment, before grasping her friend's arm and dragging him along behind her as she headed off to quench her curiosity.

Seeing that many people were gathered, he stepped up to the podium. Silence fell. "MY GOOD PEOPLE!" the king shouted. "Not long ago, I stood at the steps of my palace with a baby girl in my arms. She was found, and I have raised her as my own!" The audience stirred slightly. "However! When I found her, there was an amulet around her neck! That amulet is the only thing I care for in this kingdom!" The king's face contorted with rage. "But now! Thieves have broken into my palace! Not only did they steal, but they stole the amulet! The relic that shows my care for my daughter!" The audience seemed to be confused. "As many kings have a crown..." he said, taking his own off of his head, throwing it into the crowd. It was fine, he had many more. "That one means nothing! The only thing here I care for is the amulet! And I am going to raise an army to get it back! I can promise you, no one will be forced to come! But those who do, I promise you peace, land, prosperity, and enough gold to last you three lifetimes!" The crowd stirred for a moment, and their greed seemed to overtake them. There was cheering, applause, and shouts of "HAIL THE GOOD KING!"

Bingo.

Verin, being one among the crowd, could not help a note of worry from sounding in her mind. So as not to raise suspicion, however, she too was giving cheers. In the back of her mind, however, she was uneasy. Now that it had been mentioned, she could remember hearing her father bragging about something he'd swiped from the king himself. Now, she knew all too well what it had been. She was drawn abruptly from her thoughts when something clanked against the ground nearby--the crown the king had thrown. She bent down and lifted it, as though to claim it. This seemed to grab the attention of many nearby, who were soon whispering among themselves. Of course, the girl had no idea what it would be about, except that they had wanted the trinket for themselves. She ignored them, however, her gaze going up towards where the king still stood, wondering what would be so important about an amulet, to raise an entire army to go after it.

"Sign ups will be at that table," he said, pointing to a large table in front of the palace. "By these two gentlemen," he said, motioning to the knights beside him. "Form an organized line behind the table." He handed the two a long, empty scroll and went inside the palace.

Verin stood a bit longer, managing to hear small bits of conversation. Apparently, the people nearby were quite fond of the princess, to notice that this girl bore a striking resemblance to her. She'd heard such claims in the past, but not from so many people at once. It was a bit...unnerving. She tried to ignore it, fumbling with the crown in her fingers. Perhaps if she dropped it and simply let other people fight over the trinket, they would forget about her. However, she could not bring herself to let go of it.

Instead, it crossed her mind to bring it to the king. Return it to him. That was, after all, the right thing to do. Despite being a thief, she did not have the courage to simply take it. Besides, there had been no challenge in it, no reason for her to savor the accomplishment.

So, she could soon be seen entering the castle, ignoring the guards that sought to stop her. She avoided them with ease, as she always had. Soon, she found a maid, and requested she locate the king for her, so she may return his crown to him. Also, something made her curious to meet him. To see him up close.

The king heard news that someone had his crown, and was looking to return it. He found the girl in the palace and strolled over to her. "You may keep the crown if you wish. It is no big hassle."

The blond half-elf nodded, unable to find her voice for a moment or so as she heard his words. She found it as quickly as she was able, however, and replied to him. "I had thought to...however, I would not feel right doing so." She said as she stepped forward, holding forth the trinket in question. In the meantime, her eyes darted to a portrait on the wall not far from where she stood. It just happened to be one of the princess. How that she saw this, she realized the resemblance mentioned previously. She kept quiet about it however, figuring it was merely a coincidence.

Smiling and taking the crown back, he said, "Thank you very much for this," in a rather soft tone. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Verin's thoughts were pulled away upon hearing his question. She shook her head in response, until a thought occurred to her. "Actually...I know this may seem odd, but..." She trailed off as her eyes went to the portrait once more. "...I am told I resemble your daughter...may I ask if these claims are correct?" She asked, a bit nervously, finding her curiosity getting the better of her.

The king sighed. "Though I would not mistake you for my daughter, I do agree that you resemble her remarkably."

"I see..." The young woman murmured, giving her head a soft nod. "Thank you, Your Majesty." And with that, she bent over in a respectful bow. After straightening herself, she turned, intending to leave. However, her footfalls came at a leisurely pace, giving ample time if he wished to say anything further.

"Although," he said, more interested now. "The resemblance is absolutely striking." Graqox looked at her. "What do you know of the amulet, child?"

Verin stopped as the question was asked, her head turning to look back towards the king. "The amulet? I know nothing of it." She replied, which was true enough. She turned about to face him once more, curious. "I only know what you told everyone a few moments ago, I'm afraid."

Graqox stared at the girl. He looked back at the portrait of his daughter. "You..." he said, shocked. "You have the same eyes as her." The king stood stunned. "I've never seen more beautiful eyes."

Verin listened, a little taken aback by his stunned expression. She had no idea what she could say to that, so she simply gave her shoulders a light shrug. "R-really?" Was all she could manage. She hadn't planned on staying to talk, however, this was beginning to spark her curiosity once more.

"You..." he said, still in shock. "You're not my daughter, but... could you... be her sister?"

Her eyes went to the portrait once more, considering. It was a possibility, that much she had to admit. "I-I don't know... perhaps it is possible, but..." She shook her head after a moment, finding herself once more at a loss for what to say.

"It would seem that you are," the king said, wiping his brow. "The resemblance is extraordinary, and I assume people have called you 'Your Majesty' before?"

Verin shook her head, unable to recall such a time. "No...that hasn't happened. I've overheard it mentioned a few times, but never to my face." She explained with a shrug of her shoulders. "I never thought much of it...at least, until I actually heard it from someone that would truly know."

Knowing there was only one solution to this whole problem, he called down his daughter. Down the stairs she came. Although their stature was different, one girl seeming more of a peasant, and his daughter royalty, there was no mistake. They shared the same face, body, eyes, almost everything. It seemed the only difference were the clothes and hair. "Surely the gods have smiled upon me this day," Graqox said, on the verge of tears of joy.

Verin's eyes widened as she looked upon the other girl. It was almost like looking into a mirror. She shook her head in disbelief, despite the obvious truth in front of her. Her gaze shifted back to the king, curious at his words. "I..I never would have guessed..." She murmured softly, uncertain how else to react to the whole affair. She could see the king on the verge of tears, but said nothing of it. As for herself, she was simply debating what good would come of this discovery.