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The Prince of Thieves is a Robin Hood-inspired tale of two brothers, Will and Jamie Wardrew, and the people they care about most: Geoff, Colette, and Bree.
The goal of Iustitia aecum, the notorious thieving gang, is to steal from the rich and give to the poor. For a few years, that's exactly what Jamie, Will, Colette, and Geoff (as the gang's inner circle) do; they slip through the fingers of the law time and time again.
One day, everything goes wrong.
Will, by a stroke of fateful misfortune, falls into a trap meant for Jamie, the real leader of IA, and ends up in prison—in the custody of Constable Baden Hatchett, an officer who is willing to do whatever it takes to get Will to crack so he can bust IA and bring all its members to justice.
With execution—his brother's and his own—hanging over his head, Will resolves to take his secrets to the grave, swearing not to betray the only family he has left.
Bree Cooper is one of IA's runners, privy to no secrets save for one she learned by chance...that she was never supposed to know. When she, too, falls into the hands of the constabulary, she is forced to reckon with her past—a complicated history with Constable Hatchett himself, and her future—the gallows.
Will and Bree's lives were already intertwined, and when they find each other again behind bars, they will rewrite the stories fate has planned for them—together.
Click here to see some incredible art by @keeper-of-all-the-random-things of the Iustitia aecum tree sigil!!
Cast of Characters
Will Wardrew: Foolhardy, reckless, and immature, his fiery temper and smart mouth get him into trouble constantly—inside and outside the prison walls. Incredibly loving and loyal, he will go to great lengths to protect the people he loves.
Bree Cooper: A girl who suffered enough in childhood to make her tough and wary as an adult, Bree thinks with her heart. Stubborn to a fault, she clings to hope above all other things.
Baden Hatchett: Cold-hearted, prideful, and cruel, Baden Hatchett wants nothing more than to take IA down. Will and Bree's constant defiance and refusal to comply with his investigation spur him to more brutal methods so he can claim his victory.
Jamie Wardrew: A strong sense of justice and an unwillingness to witness people’s suffering prompted him to become a Robin Hood figure so he could help others, but now that it is his younger brother paying the price, his world is starting to unravel.
Colette Haris: A rich girl who walked away from her family and her home, Colette is self-assured and strong. She is the other half of the 'brains' of IA (while Geoff makes up the 'brawn').
Geoffrey Marks: The epitome of 'strong and silent,' Geoff has spent much of his life on his own and scrounging for survival, which makes him good at an unnerving number of suspicious and useful skills. Observant and deceptively gentle, he would do anything for Jamie, and by extension, Will. He is also the tallest person you have ever seen.
What You'll Find Inside
angst
lots of fun whump: flogging, stabbing, burning, psychological and emotional torment, fun insults, tons of defiance (especially early on), so many chains and shackles - warnings always provided
found family
lovable dummies for characters
badass gals and guys
dungeon vibes
tragic backstories / rough childhoods
problematic authority figures
old-timey historic vibes
sloooooooooow burn romantic feelings
"I'd do anything for you"
"why did you save me?"
"I won't give in, so you'll just have to kill me"
hard choices
complicated pasts
secrets, betrayal, forgiveness
silly easter eggs/references to: Robin Hood, Les Miserables, Aladdin
From Chapter 13, "When I Look in Your Eyes, There's a Darkness I Don't Want to Know"
[ID: A square image featuring a dark background with a rusted chain. There are subtle white speckles and scratches over the background. Mostly white all-caps text reads, You will learn to obey. Or face the consequences. The words obey and consequences are coloured beige. End ID.]
I was tagged by @starlit-hopes-and-dreams! Thanks for the tag. <3
I have 7 lines from Chapter 30 of The Prince of Thieves — it’s a revival of a Whumptober22 entry. It reads pretty rough despite technically being a rewrite. I promise it will be in a prettier state when the chapter gets posted. :) <3 It's uh, well, it's, you see, uh
“And you, Breanna? Do you wish to go on as we have been?” He tugs the rag from her mouth.
Don’t touch her, I want to say, but I can’t find the words.
“You’re a fucking madman,” she gasps. “Do what you want to me. You’re an evil snake of a man and I wish I had killed you in your sleep instead of running away that night.”
Tagging: @i-can-even-burn-salad when/if you want <3, open tag if you want to play
[Image ID: a square with a dark background of a stone wall. It is overlaid with text that reads: I am learn rather quickly that Breanna Cooper is capable of churning up mayhem wherever she goes. Isolating her from the boy will do little to change that. End ID.]
From Chapter 21, "How Tedious It Is to Be Surrounded by Fools"
From this generator! I may have giggled very loudly while generating these. Sorry in advance to Will who got to be the brunt of most of the jokes.
Thank you @i-can-even-burn-salad for the link and the idea. :)
The Fabulous Wardrew Brothers
Jamie: Did you win? Or just not die?
Jamie: Either way, hooray.
Will: …Is "no" a valid answer?
Jamie: The hooray is redacted and you frighten me.
Will: I’m 80% awesome 20% water and 100% handsome.
Jamie: ...That’s 200%.
Will: Met a dumbass today. Awful.
Jamie: ...You looked in a mirror?
Will: Someday you will have to answer for your actions and god may not be so merciful.
Colette & Bree / Colette & Will
Colette: You have an impressive pain tolerance.
Bree: Thanks, it's the trauma.
Colette: Sleep is the body’s best safety mechanism.
Will: How so?
Colette: It keeps you from screwing up for 8 hours.
Will: I’m totally useless.
Colette: You’re not totally useless.
Colette: You can be used as a bad example.
Baden Hatch-fucking-ett
Will: I've met a lot of pricks in my time, but you, Hatchett, are a fucking cactus.
Hatchett: Thanks for opening my message and not responding.
Bree: All good bro, any time.
Hatchett: Fuck you.
Modern AU (I couldn't resist lol)
WILL and BREE are in Paris.
Will: I'm…moved. I…I don't know what it is I'm feeling right now. I feel…destiny?
Bree: But…
Will: I don't know what it is. I feel like… I just never thought I'd see it with my own two eyes. And here it is. It's just there. It's right in front of me, and…
Bree: This is what you wanted to see? The bridge from Inception?
Will: Yeah.
Bree: But the Eiffel Tower is behind us, babe.
Will: Yeah, but this is the bridge FROM INCEPTION.
Bree: Okay, alright.
I'm so sorry I left this sitting for a few days. I didn't even need the time to think of an answer, I'm just forgetful! 🙃
OK so the obvious answer here is. uh. tying-up / tied-up scenes. There's no denying it. 😅
BUT as I'm writing TPOT and Book 1 (in all its non-whumpy glory), I've also realized I enjoy:
really fkn awkward attempts at flirting, or just general conversation, between awkward characters (waves at 2 particular OCs from Book 1)
snarky banter (hilarious bc I'm NOT known for this IRL)
oh and not really a type of scene, but coming up with Hatchett's mean insults for the people around him also brings me great joy.
snow scenes. this one is mostly a joke....but I keep writing them. *stares gloomily out the window at the concrete metropolitan wasteland beyond, no snow in sight😭*
