Hexes and Heists

By kingtchalla

Chapter 1: Sour Deal

(AN: Credit to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems for creating these characters and the Fire Emblem series. I do not own the copyright to these characters.)

The nobleman strode proudly across the streets of Ylisse, heading towards his lavish estate. Along his way, the poor scattered. They knew of his importance as an adviser to the Exalt, and of his proud stature. What did he care about them? The noble continued on his way, stopping only to give some beggars a haughty glance.

He was completely unaware that he was being followed.

Gaius tightened his headband around his orange hair and crept further down the alley he was hiding in. He'd been trailing this man for several minutes, and so far nobody had noticed him. Gaius had long ago learned that a good thief stays as inconspicuous as possible, so he used his average height and dark clothing to his advantage. This fancy noble clearly hadn't learned that. Tall and thin, with close-cropped white hair and a ruffled cravat, he had a striking figure that was impossible not to track in a crowd.

The thief had been planning this heist for weeks. He had heard the stories about how this man had tried to oppress the poor, slapping them with ridiculous taxes and generally treating them like trash. Gaius had tried to convince some old buddies to assist him, but they had all refused, afraid of the power he had in court. Still, important or not, Gaius felt like someone had to take him down a peg, and he might as well be the one to do it.

He had never liked nobles. Who did they think they were, flaunting their fancy birthright like it made them something special? It was nothing but a insignificant title in front of their name, and they thought it made them superior. They'd never been forced to break into houses and pickpocket market stalls just to make sure they had a meal on the table.

Only two nobles had ever earned Gaius's respect. Chrom, leader of the Shepherds, had at first seemed as stuck-up as all the rest of them. But his leadership skills were admirable. And after a few nights on the town, Gaius had gotten to know his awkward human side.

And then there was Maribelle.

Gaius shook his head. No time to get distracted, he thought. The noble had already turned the corner out of sight.

Cursing his carelessness, Gaius stuck a lollipop in his mouth before pursuing. Sweets were one of his few pleasures in life. They gave him a necessary burst of energy to keep alert on long stakeouts or battles. They were also quite tasty. Gaius's mouth started to salivate just thinking about all the sweets he could buy with the money he stole from this noble. Honey tarts for life! He could live like a king after the war was over.

The noble had finally made it to his mansion. It was a sight, Gaius had to admit. Three stories tall, with an ornate fence surrounding it and well-groomed gardens all around. Just the kind of place a stuck-up jerk would enjoy.

Gaius had studied the noble's schedule, so he knew he was only here to check the mail. Once he had left, Gaius surveyed for entry points. A tall oak stretched over the fence, leaving a clear path onto the grounds. He had a lot of experience climbing trees to mine beehives, so it was almost childishly easy to hop the fence and make it to the heavy mahogany door.

He paused for a moment, psyching himself up. He knew Chrom wouldn't approve, of course. It was generally frowned upon for the leader of an army to let his soldiers rob random government officials. That was why he hadn't told anyone in the army. Still, he was sure he was doing what was right to avenge the poor the noble oppressed.

Reaching into the folds of his cloak, Gaius procured a set of lock picks. Inserting a simple feeler into the lock, he was surprised to discover how simple it was. Three tumblers, perfectly aligned to be cracked with the most basic of picks. It took roughly ten seconds before the door swing wide open. He triumphantly crept into the threshold.

Suddenly, there was a burst of light, and he was thrown back by some invisible force.

Once he got over his dazed shock, he registered what had just happened. The light had been made up of runes like those he saw whenever one of the mages cast a spell. Evidently, the mansion was protected by some enchantment.

No wonder the lock was so easy, he thought grimly. With that enchantment up, there's no need to bother with other security.

Still, Gaius was nothing if not persistent. If he wanted to break into this house, he would , come hell or high water. All he needed was a strong mage to break the enchantment- preferably one who wouldn't mind a little illegal activity. At that moment, a thin smirk crosses his face.

He had just the guy in mind.

AN: Thank you for reading this chapter! To know that you've made it this far means a lot to me. This is my first fanfic, so any critique is welcome.

Here are some shout-outs! I'd like to thank Mr-Watch, whose wonderful story Be Careful What You Say inspired me to begin writing Awakening fanfiction in the first place. I'd also like to thank my beta readers and all the lovely people in the Discord chat. And once again, thanks to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems for creating this awesome series.

I've always liked Awakening's characters, especially Gaius and Henry. They're two of the most morally complex characters in the game, so I thought that it would be interesting to see how they would interact. I can't wait until you see Henry! He's going to be a blast to write.

Next chapter should be up in a few days! In the meantime, please leave a review to express your thoughts, or to give any praise or criticism you might have.