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*SMACK*The sound echoed in Vi’s ears as a stinging pain burned in her cheek. She lifted her hand up to rub the red mark on her face, looking up at her father, Vander. Her gaze was met by narrowed eyes and a frustrated expression.“What in Janna’s name were you thinking!? Stealing from the Kirammans… You’re lucky all you’re getting is a slap on the cheek. If they caught you, they would have cut your hand clean off!”Although she hated to admit it, Vi knew Vander was right. If the Queen, King, or even a guard or servant had caught her in the act, she probably wouldn’t have left the royal courtyard with both her hands attached to her body. It wasn’t that stealing itself was that big of a crime. If she had stolen from a Lowercity butcher or farmer, then the worst that would happen would be spending a few days in a dungeon or working to pay off what she had taken. It was stealing from the Uppercity that got you in trouble. If you were daring enough to snag some jewels from one of the nobles that lived on the other side of the gate, then you better start praying you don’t get caught, because if you do, it’ll be pretty hard plowing fields with one hand.“I only took what I needed to. We’re hungry, Vander. I figured they wouldn’t even notice if I only grabbed one bird.”Vi let her hand fall back down to her side as the stinging in her cheek slowly started to disappear. Her eyes looked down at the sack that rested on the big piece of wood her family called a table. Inside said sack was… well, Vi didn’t really know. It was some type of exotic bird that Lord Swain, a foreign ruler, had brought as a gift to celebrate the friendship between Piltover and Noxus. Piltover’s royal family, the Kirammans, threw a festival every year to celebrate the alliance they had with their neighbors to the north.At this point, Vander had also turned his attention to the sack containing the freshly decorated bird. He let out a small huff as he took it out and put it on the table.“A turkey.”A sigh left Vander’s lips as he examined the bird. The turkey was already cooked and seasoned, presented on a platter in such a way that made it look even more expensive than it already was. Vander had to admit they were all starving. He couldn’t remember the last time he and the kids got to have a proper meal. Deep down he was proud of Vi for managing to snag such a grand bird, but he was still angry that she wouldn’t risk her own safety by doing something so foolish.“Your heart is in the right place, Vi. But you can’t keep doing dangerous stuff like this. Just go to your room until the others get back from the fields.”Vander rubbed his temple as he spoke. He didn’t want to punish Vi, but at the same time, she needed to learn that her actions did have consequences, even if she was doing what she thought was right. Unfortunately for Vander, and for herself, that was a lesson that Vi would never learn.Instead of listening to her father, Vi snuck out through her window to go back to the festival. But she would have to stay hidden, of course. People from the Lowercity weren’t allowed to join in on all the fun festival activities, since it would reflect on how Piltover is perceived by their neighboring kingdoms. The last thing the Kirammans wanted was for their allies to think their streets were full of dirty, poor freaks. Even though the population of the Lowercity outnumbered that of the Upper. And they had the gall to say they were the “Kingdom of Progress”.Vi squeezed through a large crack in the brick wall that separated the upper and lower cities. The crack had served her well for many years, her small body easily being able to slip through it. But unfortunately, Vi was starting to get older, which meant soon enough she wouldn’t be able to fit. She could always try going through the main gate, but it was heavily guarded, and she’d surely get caught.Once she got to the other side, Vi took a second to take in the scenery. Everything was so different in the Uppercity. So clean. So fresh. So lively. So unlike the dirty slums that she lived in. It wasn’t fair. All the people that lived here probably had more money in their pocket than Vi would ever see in her whole lifetime. They all had so much of everything, yet they were unwilling to share or even try and help the Lowercity. All the kids her age got to get tucked into their nice warm beds at night after eating their fancy exotic animals, while Vi had to worry about losing a hand just to make sure her siblings didn’t have to go to bed hungry.Vi shook her head, trying to get rid of the negative thoughts. Her gaze turned towards the huge castle that seemed to touch the sky. Castle Gratte-Ciel. The home of the Kirammans. Its area was probably the size of the entire Lowercity, and its height is in the name. The thing looked like it was literally scraping against the sky.“There’s no way someone needs that much house.”Vi mumbled to herself as she wandered around, finding herself in the back of the Kirammans’ garden. This was a place Vi liked to visit a lot whenever she snuck out; it was so big and beautiful, and she was pretty sure no one ever came to visit besides the gardener, but the place was so big she would never run into him. It calmed her down from whatever stress she was facing. Vi just took a moment to look at all the new flowers that had just been freshly planted, the different trees that were lined up by which region the Kirammans bought them from, the bushes that had been neatly trimmed into different shapes, and the dog that was running towards her in the grass. Wait…Vi looked down at a fluffy white and orange dog that was running towards her. It was small and clearly domesticated. The little fluffball jumped up against Vi’s legs and barked. Vi’s first instinct was to run away. The little dog was alerting people she was there. She quickly scanned her area, seeing if anyone was around, and that’s when she saw her.“Heimerdinger!”A girl’s voice called out as she ran up to Vi and the dog. Long blue hair, pale skin, bright blue eyes, and clothes worth a king's ransom. This was the royal family’s daughter. Vi couldn’t even speak as the girl picked up her dog. All she could do was silently pray that this girl didn’t call her parents on her.“Hey! You aren’t supposed to be here, you know. This is my garden, not a public one.”The girl spoke to Vi as she pouted, crossing her arms as she held her dog close. Well, that wasn’t the worst thing she could have said.“I-I was just leaving. No need to be so grandiloquent about it.”Vi’s words made the girl let out a small scoff and giggle.“Do you even know what that word means?”To tell the truth, Vi had no clue what ‘grandiloquent’ meant. She had just heard someone say it when she was stealing the bird from the festival and wanted to use it to try and make herself look like a fancy Uppercity kid. But now she was just embarrassed.“It’s okay. That was funny. But seriously, you aren’t supposed to be here.”The girl said, giving Vi a slight smile. Her smile was super cute. Or at least Vi thought so. She found herself blushing a little, rubbing the back of her neck.“Right. I’m going now. But don’t you get lonely here all by yourself?”Vi was honestly a little curious. She never saw anyone in the garden before. Was this girl seriously the only person allowed to go into it?“Oh please. I have Himerdinger to keep me company.”The little dog in the girl’s arms let out a small bark as he heard his name, making the girl giggle. Her giggle was even cuter than her smile. Oh, Janna. Vi had to get her head back in the right place. This was the daughter of the damn King and Queen!“Right. Well… I’ll leave you to your garden stuff.”Vi said as she tried to hide the slight blush growing on her face. As she turned and started walking away, she heard the girl call out to her.“Wait! Don’t leave yet. I’m sorry. I don’t have any friends my own age… I don’t really know how to talk to people.”The girl said as she frowned at the ground. To tell the truth, she had been hoping Vi would have put up more of a fight to stay instead of just walking away and leaving her. After hearing the girl, Vi just stood there for a second, not sure about what to say back to it.“It’s alright. I don’t have a lot of friends either. My name’s Violet, by the way. Like the flower. But people just call me Vi. Are you sure you don’t want me to go? I mean, I’m not really supposed to be here…”Vi’s voice trailed off as she saw the girl’s face light up when she said she wouldn’t leave.“My parents never come back here. And besides, they’re busy with the festival today. My name’s Caitlyn. Caitlyn Kiramman. Or Princess Kiramman, if you want to be formal.”A slight chuckle left Vi’s lips as she heard the girl talk. Caitlyn, a cute name. Fitting for such a cute girl. Vi wanted to say that out loud to her so bad, but she just met this girl. Plus, Caitlyn was literally a princess. Definitely not the type Vi should be flirting with.“Well, Princess. Care to show me around your lovely garden?”Caitlyn rolled her eyes at Vi and beckoned her to follow. The two spent the rest of the evening wandering around the garden and playing with Heimerdinger. It was the happiest Vi had been in a long time. Caitlyn as well. Once it started getting a little dark, they said their goodbyes to each other, promising to meet again the next day.Pretty soon it became a routine thing. Vi would sneak off in the evening to meet with Caitlyn in the garden, where the two would spend their hours chatting, playing, and lying in the grass. For the first time in a long time, Vi felt like she had a real friend. It was… nice. In her heart, Vi knew the peace was only temporary. But for now, she wouldn’t pretend like it would last forever.