тЭЫ a golden cage is still just a cage┬атЭЬ
The thieving do-gooders had a rather standard tradgic backstory. Their mother had died due to birthing complications, their father left them early as well. They couldn't live without getting a job, and no one would hire them because they were too young. Sarai started stealing to feed her little sister.
As they grew up, they got better. Better at stealing, better at escaping, better at fighting and better at...seducing. They'd gotten to a point where they could be choosy about who they stole from, making sure to only steal from those who could afford it and probably deserved it anyway. They grew to be masters at the art of theft. They also grew to be beautiful. Sometimes they barely had to cause an uproar at all. While one sister would seduce the local governor's teenaged sons and daughters, the other would steal a few mid-level valuables. Little things that would hardly make a splash; the Lady/Lordship would hardly miss them. And even if they did, what would their kids do, say 'We were robbed because I gave the key to a beautiful girl who let her sister in when I wasn't looking'? No, they almost always kept their mouths clamped. Between these scams and a few odd jobs, they were doing well enough to give some back, and take in the kids that fell through the cracks like them.
By their early twenties, the business grew. They'd built up a following of kind like-minded citizen allies, as well as a vast network of spies, smugglers, petty thieves, con artists and tradesmen to outsmart the rich to help the less fortunate. The upper class was finally starting to figure out that if they didn't want to be robbed or conned, all they need to do is see that the people under their protection were well-cared for. It would be cheaper than losing everything to them.
It was going good until King Harrow gave away too much of the kingdom's food, then failed save them through that 'secret mission' to Xadia. A projected fifty-thousand people would starve that winter. Sarai and Amaya had always been daring, and since Xadia was the land of riches, they took a little team and snuck across the boarder to steal as much as they could.
There they found plants so warm they grew despite the cold and they stole an entire crop in one night; some of their finest work, if the sisters did say so themselves. They sent it off to Katolis to be distributed to the poor who couldn't afford the already astronomical price of food. Then they found rubies that radiated heat, they swiped those and sent them to trusted allies who would use them to warm soil and start community gardens. There were so many things in Xadia that could solve Katolis' hunger issue if used with intelligence and compassion.
But they'd caught the attention of the elves. No problem, they were underestimated and slipped through the elvish fingers. Until the fiery redhead came along. Their motives of stealing to feed starving people moved their captor, but not her big sister, the queen. She went on and on about the disgusting humans and did not take kindly to Sarai's question 'So what would you do if the tables were turned, watch people starve because elves are too 'good' to steal?'.
They escaped, but circumstances forced Sarai and Amaya to hide...and apparently they chose the queen's chambers to do so. They tied her up and waited, surprising the queen by only stealing the rubies in her lamps before leaving her unharmed.
The stealing still continued, they were caught several times throughout the winter, the queen seemed more and more aggravated with them; with Sarai specifically. While Amaya was a funny smartass who made the princess snort more than once (of course Amaya didn't have a crush on her...of course not), Sarai challenged the queen; made her think. She also may have seduced her during a private interrogation. A new step was added to the cycle; steal, get captured, indulge in the queen's guilty pleasure, escape. Repeat.
Sarai had snuck through a hidden door to Khessa's chambers, one thing led to another, as usual. As usual the queen got what she wanted, then threatened to execute the human as she redressed. The thief could only laugh at her, calling her bluff.
"You like having a taste of freedom too much for that, Sunshine." She said as she toyed with a strand of hair. Khessa huffed, maneuvering her golden locks out of Sarai's fingers.
"I am free, you are my prisoner."
"Dear Queen," Sarai kissed a bare shoulder, "I am freer now than you will ever be. Your surroundings may be nicer than my camp, but a golden cage is still just a cage."┬а
"Get. Out." Khessa ordered with venom. A pretty standard way for Sarai to get dismissed.
"Until next time, Queen Khessa." She bowed and took her leave, but not before taking a ruby from the lamp on the way out.
