Disclaimer: I don't own the following characters, but I do take liberties with them. (Which sounds dirty..) Later on, I will have my own characters, but not in this chap. This chappie is all Tamora Pierce.

Summary: How George Cooper became the King of the Thieves. The first part in a very long planned series.

The worn wooden door slammed against the side of the house with a bang, but the boy didn't even slow down to look. Leaping over the small flowerbeds, he continued to flee. A moment later, his cause was apparent. After throwing open the door, much like the boy had done, a tall woman stood illuminated in the doorway. Raising her hand and her voice, she called into the dusky twilight, "George Cooper! You come back here right now!" When her call received no answer, she shook her head. "The boy moves fast, I'll give him that." Instead of anger, there was almost a detectable note of pride in the woman's voice. A small grin playing on her lips, the woman turned back into the house, closing the door behind her much more delicately than she had opened it.

Making her way through the darkened house, Eleni Cooper sighed when she reached the small kitchen. Lighting a branch of candles, she looked at the newly illuminated disaster. Broken plates littered the floors, fallen fruits oozed onto the wood, and pottery shards threatened every footstep. Lying on the middle of the floor was the remains of their kitchen table, broken in half by her over exuberant son. Stooping to move the table out of the way, she absently wondered how he had managed to break it. The wood was sturdy, the table strong. Shrugging her maroon covered shoulders, she decides that she'll never know.

As she began to clean up, she thought about the maker of the mess. George was eleven years old and no stranger to trouble. He's not a bad child, he's just at that restless age she reassured herself as she scrubbed fruit remains off the floor. I'm hardly home and he hasn't got a father figure. George's father had died when he was only two; it was doubtful that he even remembered that his father had existed.Sweeping the floor with a critical eye to make sure she didn't miss anything, Eleni silently wished that George would soon make friends to keep him out of mischief.

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George Cooper ran through the streets of the Lower City, already crowded with nighttime visitors. Not for the first time that day, he thanked the gods for the Sight. His magical ability had helped him sense his ma's arrival, giving him enough time to escape. It wasn't his ma's anger he feared, after a few hours Eleni would forget that George had even broken the kitchen table. She would probably force him to work on fixin' the table, a chore he wouldn't mind doing tomorrow. Tonight, however, he wanted to run. The great city of Corus often cured his appetite for adventure.

Especially lately, since he had discovered a new game. The commoners of Corus had been unruly as of late, prompting King Roald to issue more and more guards to patrol the city at nighttime. George could entertain himself for hours running down the streets trying to avoid them. Getting closer, watching them, but slipping into the shadows when they turned his way. It was a way of testing out the Sight; seeing how strong his gift really was. Besides that, it helped him get better at sneaking around. He could now walk down an entire street without making a noise. As soon as he thought it, George's foot kicked an old barrel, sending it rolling down the alleyway. Cursing silently, he fought down a rising blush. Almost no noise, he corrected himself guiltily.

The young boy stopped under the window of a closed dressmaker's shop to adjust his boot; kicking the barrel had pulled his footwear halfway off. A torch placed above the window shone light on the small boy. At a few inches over 5 feet, George was tall for his age and growing. As of yet, he hadn't filled in his new height; he was still all limbs- his ma compared him to a newborn colt on numerous occasions.

Suddenly George straightened. He felt the prickling sensation in his mind that meant someone was near him. He closed his eyes and strained to focus his Sight. As he focused, sweat rolled down his forehead. He really needed to practice more- out of all the abilities the Sight gave him, sensing people was what troubled him the most. He would ask his ma for help, she was a mage, but she was never home. Eleni was always busy healin' and being a midwife for the people of the Lower City. Straining, he continued to search around him for the source of the feeling. There! A glimmer of something to his right. Reaching out with his mind, he followed with his feet as the pull grew stronger.

Hefting himself over a short fence, George jumped into an alley that mirrored the street he was just walking. A hunched figure was bent over the door to a successful jeweler's shop. He could hear the click click of metal- probably lock picks. What a great opportunity! This figure wasn't one of the King's guard, and because of that, he was perfect for testing his skills. He began to sneak closer to the figure, resting his weight on the balls of his feet. His boots didn't even scuffle, a fact that made George beam with pride- he was getting better.

Concentrating on moving silently, George didn't notice the puddle of questionable liquid in front of him until it was too late. Halfway across the distance, his feet slid out from under him and he crashed to the flagstones. The figure jumped up, dropping his lock picks and brandishing a dagger. Only when his eyes rested on George and he started towards him, did the boy realize how potentially dangerous it could be to sneak up on a thief.

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A/N: Hey I have a trademark! (The 'GGGG' section dividers. :-P) Well, thats the end of part one. Lots of reviews! Go, now! Hurry! heh heh.