The heated air that touched his skin when he stepped back inside the tavern was relieving to Crow. He paused in the doorway, taking a moment to warm up as he searched the room for the cloak he’d left behind. The mistake had been minor, but he still chided himself for being careless. When he had been living on his own, he had been much more aware of the whereabouts of his possessions. Everything was valuable when one worked hard to procure it. Now, having been given anything he could need by his father, he noticed that he’d started to take some of the belongings for granted. Not wanting to become like the other spoiled noblemen and women in the inner kingdom, he planned to pay more attention in the future.

Luckily, the abandoned clothing was still on the bench where he’d left it. Expecting to make quick work of picking it up, he took a step toward the empty table but didn’t get any further before the tavern keeper spotted him from across the room.

“Hey!” he barked, marching over to the viceroy with a glare. “I told ye and yer friends to get out of my tavern, so beat it!”

Crow held up his hands in an innocent posture. “We’re leaving,” he assured the short man. “I just left something behind.” In the back of his mind, he found the tavern keeper’s hostility amusing. He was much bigger than him, so he could have easily pushed him aside to get to the table if he’d wanted to. However, he already felt a little guilty for causing a scene earlier, so he opted for a friendlier approach.

“I don’t care,” the tavern keeper shooed him again. “Ye can come back and get it when ye’ve sobered up enough to stop picking fights with my patrons.”

“I am sober,” Crow frowned, unsure if pointing out this fact was helping or hurting his case. “It’s snowing outside, and I forgot to put on my cloak before we left. If you just let me pass, I’ll get it and be on my way.”

The man eyed him for a moment longer before letting out a loud sigh. “Fine,” he relented. “But I’m watching ye, viceroy. If ye take even one step away from that table, I’ll pummel ye.”

“Thanks,” Crow nodded with an amused smirk. With the short guard out of the way, he trotted over to the bench and threw his cloak over his shoulders. The thick fabric felt cozy against his cooled torso, and the cold air outside didn’t bother him nearly as much when he stepped out of the building again. He drew the hood as he rejoined Penelope and Naida, covering his head against the still-falling snowflakes.

“Sorry about that,” he casted the female knights a lopsided smile. “I’m ready to go back to the castle now.”

Penelope smiled faintly as Crow stepped back outside. "Good, I think it's about time we left." she mused, shifting to hold her cloak tighter around herself. Now that things were calming down, the knight began to feel the cold weather more than before. As another chilly breeze went by, she gave a small shiver and moved to begin the walk back to the castle. Though she was of a clearer mind, she still found herself a little off balance as she stepped through the snow.

"Well a'least it was fun." Naida said cheerfully as she moved to follow.

"I think I've had enough fun for a few months then." Penelope groaned. "I still feel queasy."

"Well I'm sure you enjoyed some parts of tonight." Naida said raising her eyebrows suggestively.

The knight snorted, quickly understanding what her friend was referring to. While she couldn't admit it to Naida, her friend wasn't completely wrong. With as much space as they had been keeping from each other, Penelope only wished the kiss could have lasted a bit longer. The longing only added to her wish that they'd soon be able to court. Nights like the one they went through wouldn't happen if they were able to be open about their relationship. Kane wouldn't have assumed such things if he had known that the two were together. Not to mention that he would have likely stayed away from her if he had known she was already spoken for. Just a little longer... Penelope reminded herself, trying not to let the growing feeling of impatience bring her down. Still, she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, watching the visible puff of air escape her.

Penelope subtly moved to fall into step besides Crow, walking close enough that their arms occasionally brushed with her uneven walking. "Sorry I was a bit of mess tonight." she mumbled to him with a small, apologetic smile. "But at least all the chaos kinda helped sober me up."

Crow walked a pace ahead of Penelope and Naida as they began the walk back to the castle, letting his gaze roam absently over the citadel while the two knight talked. He had been adapting to noble life since the day he’d accepted the title of viceroy by his father, but sometimes it struck him just how different things really were. Usually, when he left a tavern, he was surrounded by forested land and small, peasant houses. In the inner kingdom, massive manors and other impressive feats of architecture lined the cobbled streets. Everywhere he looked, he was surrounded by wealth. It was a stark change from the villages in which he’d grown up.

However, tonight the view didn’t make him as uneasy as it often did. The falling snow made the kingdom look tranquil, no matter which part of it he walked through. He enjoyed seeing the orange glow of lanterns through the fog as well as listening to the quietest silence that only winter could bring. It always amazed him just how much the world changed with a layer of snow and ice on top. He wondered if his companions in the outer villages were watching it right now too.

Catching the sound of quickened footsteps behind him, Crow turned to Penelope as she appeared at his side. She was soberer than she had been earlier, but he could see that she still had a slightly unsteady gait when she moved. “I’m sorry too,” he sighed visibly against the frigid air. “We were supposed to be celebrating your success at the party, and I completely lost sight of that.” Everyone else seemed to have done the same thing, but he could only apologize for his own actions, so he didn’t bring them up.

“You definitely look like you’re feeling better,” he nodded in agreement when she said the chaos had helped her recover from the cider she’d been drinking. His gaze swept over her face, taking in her green eyes and fair skin that had turned rosy in the cold. He wanted to tell her that she still looked beautiful even though she’d been ‘a bit of a mess,’ but unfortunately, they weren’t alone long enough for the compliment to leave his lips.

“Don’ leave me behind,” Naida whined, trotting clumsily up to the viceroy’s other side. “I know you two wanna kiss again, but save it fer later. ‘m still drunk!”

Penelope gave a confused look as Crow went on to apologize as well. She frowned slightly at his words and gave a small shrug. Personally, the knight didn't believe he had anything to be sorry for. The viceroy hadn't really caused any trouble. Most trouble involving him had simply been others dragging him into it. The knight was about to tell him just that until she noticed him gazing at her. She wondered what was going through his head but didn't get the chance to ask as Naida hurried to catch up. She rolled her eyes at her friend's words.

"I just want to get out of this cold." Penelope said with a shiver.

"Yah it's too cold out here." Naida agreed with a frown.

The knight nodded and let a small silence fall over the group as they walked. It was getting to be rather late out and with the alcohol in her system, the knight was beginning to feel rather tired. She had had a hectic two days and could only hope that the next one would allow her a bit of rest since she had a feeling that she would be sleeping in later than usual that day. Penelope lifted a hand to cover her mouth as a long yawn escaped her lips. Feeling too tired to keep up a conversation, she remained quiet on the rest of the walk, only speaking up again once they got closer to the castle gates.

"Gods I can't wait to get to bed." she mused eagerly as she rolled her shoulders.

With nothing left to add to the conversation, Crow lapsed into silence for the rest of the walk back, his thoughts wandering to how he would deal with his father over the next few days. Albin had been set on his plan to negotiate with Gorm, so he probably wouldn’t be in a good mood now that he had to start over from scratch. There was going to be at least one meeting to discuss the changes, if not more if a solution couldn’t be agreed upon quickly by the council members. The viceroy knitted his brows, perplexed as he pondered when he would be able to bring up his intentions to court Penelope without being shut down on the spot. Until things settled down again, discussing that subject with the king was going to be tricky.

Eventually, they reached the large, iron gates that curtained off the palace courtyard, and Crow yawned, worn down from the long day. He looked forward to curling up on his soft mattress to sleep that night. With any luck, all the exercise he’d gotten earlier would stave off his nightmares as well. He needed as much rest as he could get before he faced his father about the war and his love interest.

“Me too,” he mumbled as they passed through the opening in the barrier. “I can’t stop thinking about my pillow.”

Trudging through the steadily accumulating snow, the viceroy pulled ahead of the knights again when they approached the entrance to the castle. He climbed the steps and waited for the night guards to open the oversized doors, silently marveling at the men’s fortitude to stand outside in such brutal weather. As soon as the path was clear, he led the way inside the foyer.

“Warmth at last,” he sighed in relief, lowering his frosted hood from his head. As peaceful as the winter night had been, he was glad to have escaped the cold that came with it. He kicked the toe of his boots against the stone floor and shook the snow from his clothing. “I should take Naida back to her bedchamber, since our rooms are close together,” he said decidedly, looking up at Penelope once his cloak was free of ice. “I’ll see you tomorrow, love. Get plenty of sleep.”

Penelope relished in the warm air that filtered out of the castle. She eagerly stepped inside, dusting off the snow that had gathered onto her clothing from the walk. As Crow turned to announce he'd take Naida back to her room, the knight gave a small nod. While she was faring better, the princess was still quite intoxicated. "Probably a good idea. I'm not sure she'd be able to make it up all those stairs by herself." she mused with a teasing smirk at her friend.

"Hey!" Naida protested.

The knight smiled amusedly before focusing her gaze back onto Crow. "See you tomorrow." she said offering him a soft smile. She turned to leave and gave a small wave to the siblings. "Goodnight you two." she called over her shoulder before beginning to make her own way back to her room, splitting off from the group. Luckily it wasn't too far of a walk since her room was on one of the lower floors with the rest of the knights rooms. Though she did move a bit slowly due to not being completely balanced, she made it there in no time and eagerly hurried into the room.

Once inside, she slipped her cloak off and her boots as well before flopping down onto her bed. Though the night had been chaotic, she found that over all she was still glad that she had gotten to spend the extra time with Crow and Naida. Not lingering on that thought for long, she wrapped herself up in her blankets to keep the chilly air at bay and settled in for the night. In no time at all, Penelope had drifted off into a sound slumber.

---

As expected, the knight didn't wake up until much later in the morning. The sunlight was already harshly shining into her room when she began to stir. Penelope groaned and clutched her pillow, reluctant to get up as the alcohol from the night before made her feel rather groggy that morning. She was at least grateful that her head wasn't pounding though. After a moment longer of laying in bed, she decided it was best to get up and catch the tail end of breakfast. Getting something in her system would likely help her recuperate from the night prior.

Satisfied with that thought, she rose from her bed and straightened out her appearance. Once she felt like she was at least presentable, she headed out of her room and made her way to the Great Hall.

“Goodnight,” Crow returned the farewell as Penelope split off from him and his sister. With another yawn, he turned to Naida. “Ready?”

“’m not that drunk anymore…” the princess protested grumpily, though the viceroy could see that she was swaying on her feet.

“Right,” he rolled his eyes, stepping over to her side to wrap an arm around her middle so that she could brace herself against his side. “Come on, tipsy. Let’s get you to bed.”

“Fine,” she caved, stumbling alongside him as they headed up the stairs.

Crow walked at a slow pace on his way to Naida’s bedchamber, careful to make sure she would be able to keep up with him without falling. The knights they passed casted him tense looks, no doubt sharing in the suspicion that Kane had accused him of at the tavern. It frustrated him that the other nobles in the castle seemed to have labeled him as a scoundrel who took advantage of women, but, too tired to argue about it with men whom he knew didn’t value his word, he pointedly avoided their leery gazes in the corridors.

When he reached the princess’s room, one of the guards held the door for them to pass through and kept it open cautiously as the viceroy helped his intoxicated sister into bed. He murmured a brief goodbye to her and exited the bedchamber without dawdling, concerned that the watchful man would take any delay as a threat to the royal and preemptively jump to her defense.

Only when he returned to his own room alone did the tension on the third floor finally dissipate. He changed into the linen nightclothes that Preston had left on his bed and crawled tiredly underneath the warm blankets. The end of the night had been hectic, but the rest of it had been one of the best he’d had in a long time. John had given him permission to court Penelope, Albin had been impressed with his studies, and he’d had a chance to practice his archery for the first time in months. Overall, he felt like he was finally coming into his own in the inner kingdom, and he hoped the next day would only be better.

--

The following morning, Crow was awoken by the sound of his door opening and closing followed by the sound of his attendant’s voice speaking his name. “Collin,” Preston stepped over to the bedside with a frown. “You need to get up. The king is calling his council this morning, and you have to be there.”

The viceroy groaned and buried his head underneath his pillow. “Already?” he groused. “I haven’t even had breakfast.”

“Breakfast will be served during the meeting,” the servant explained simply. “I’ve let you sleep as long as I can, but the other men are already gathering. If you don’t join them right away, His Majesty will be displeased.”

“It’s too early for this,” Crow complained into his pillow. He laid still for a moment longer before he reluctantly sat up and rubbed his eyes. Through the window, he could see that it wasn’t actually as early as he’d thought, but he still hadn’t gotten to doze as long as he’d wanted to. He hoped the meeting would be concluded quickly, so he could fit in a nap later in the day.

Preston selected a set of clothes for him to wear and attempted to help the viceroy clean up his bedhead, though he didn’t get very far before Crow snatched the comb from his hand to do the work himself. As soon as he was deemed presentable enough for the other high-ranking noblemen, he headed tiredly down the hall to join everyone else in the king’s council chamber.

Penelope stepped into the Great Hall and swept her gaze over the room, looking for a familiar and friendly face to sit with. However, it seemed she had either missed them or they had yet to arrive so instead the knight took her seat at an empty table and waited for her breakfast. A yawn escaped her lips and she leaned her elbows on the table as she thought about what she would do that day. She had done as much as she could as far as convincing the king and Tybalt had yet to put her back on schedule for guard duty. Her green gaze drifted towards a nearby window and she drummed her fingers against the table. I suppose I could do a bit of training today... I don't want to get rusty.. she thought.

"Hi," came a soft voice that interrupted the knight's thoughts. "may I join you, Penelope?"

The knight blinked and turned her head to see that Beatrix had approached her. She had nearly forgotten about running into her childhood friend since their meeting at the party had been so brief. However now that Bee had popped back up, Penelope couldn't help but cast her a friendly smile. It wasn't often that Penelope was reunited with her childhood friends, largely because there were very few of them. "Of course, go ahead." she said with a nod to the empty seat across from her. It had been many years since the last time she had properly spoken to Beatrix and was eager to hear how her old friend had been doing.

"So how have you been? I don't think we've crossed paths in quite a few years." Penelope said with a small chuckle as she looked across the table at the other noblewoman.

"It has been a while." Beatrix agreed with a polite smile. "I've been well.. How about you? You're a lieutenant now, huh? That's impressive."

"I guess so." Penelope gave a sheepish shrug. "I just got the title a couple years back but honestly I'm still figuring it all out."

"Well I never would have guess that after the way you spoke the other night." Beatrix mused. "Seems like you carved out quite the life for yourself, Penelope."

The knight gave another shrug as she shifted a bit in her seat. "Well what about you? You're married now, right?" she said switching the focus onto her friend, who had yet to say much about her own life.

Beatrix shifted her gaze away for a moment before nodding her head. "I am.. He's the man my father picked out for me a couple years ago."

"Oh." Penelope mumbled. Her friend's words made her recall the past and how Beatrix had been looking for a more adventurous life. Finding out that her father had still pushed her into an arranged marriage and noting how polite and subdued her childhood friend had become, the knight didn't doubt that Beatrix hadn't been able to break out of her parents strict grasp. It made the knight feel sympathetic to her friend. Her father had tried something similar later in life but Penelope couldn't imagine having to grow up with such restraints.

Beatrix blinked as she noticed the change of tone in Penelope's voice. "Oh it's not bad." she said waving her hand dismissively. "He's... He's a good man. I know I used to be quite the mess back when I was a little girl—"

"We both were." Penelope corrected with a grin.

The noblewoman gave a small laugh and nodded her head. "—but I grew out of that phase. Although it looks like you didn't."

"That's rude." Penelope smirked amusedly. "I think you'll find that I'm quite different actually." As the servants brought over her food, the knight continued to catch up with her old friend, trading stories as they enjoyed their breakfast together for the first time in years.

The council room was already buzzing with voices by the time Crow arrived. The same noblemen he had seen the last time he’d been invited to one of his father’s meetings were seated around the long table, speaking amongst one another while the king reviewed a set of documents with his advisor at the head. Caught up in their conversations, no one seemed to pay the viceroy any mind as he slipped past them to take the open chair at Albin’s left side. Except for Adam Fischbach, that was. The blonde man narrowed his eyes ever so slightly at the former thief, likely still bitter about the fact that a peasant had taken the position he’d been grooming his son to fill.

Crow avoided his gaze as he took his place at the table, more interested in the food that had been laid out for them to eat than the irritable baron’s cold looks. He plucked a roll of bread from the feast and tore off a piece that he stuck into his mouth. There was no one in the room that he really wanted to talk to, so he kept to himself, deciding to pass the time by filling his empty stomach.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Albin, who had taken notice of his arrival, casted his son a nod of acknowledgment.

Crow glanced at him and swallowed the food in his mouth. The usual warm glow had fled from his father’s face, replaced with a look of seriousness that made his presence feel heavy in the room. The king was definitely unhappy about the interruption to his plans.

“If that’s everyone, we can begin,” Albin rose from his chair. Immediately, the chatter of the other noblemen died like a strangled rat, and they turned toward their monarch expectantly. Meanwhile, Crow’s eyes swept discreetly over their faces. He had felt out of place at the last meeting, but this was on a completely different level. All around him were men who had far more knowledge and experience in handling the complexities of warfare, and who all probably had an opinion about the steps the king should take next. It was hard not to feel intimidated by the grave air that hung in the chamber.

“I’m sure you all know why you’re here,” his father’s imposing voice drew the viceroy from his thoughts. He looked up with the others as the king went on, “It appears that the rest of the kingdom is not as enthusiastic about our treaty with the Kingdom of Gorm as I had thought they were. This,” he dropped the stack of signed papers that Penelope had given to him onto the stone surface, “is a petition entreating me to consider an alternative solution. Three hundred and forty-seven voices as high ranking as some of you in this very room have spoken in favor of peace with our neighbor, Younis. I was unaware how unpopular my decision had been among you.”

A deathly quiet fell over the council as Albin paused. Crow felt a chill creep up his spine, suddenly anxious that his father would react in anger to the people who had risen against him. However, the tension was broken as a smile graced the king’s features. “I am your ruler, but I am a fair man,” he assured them firmly. “If my people are so distraught by this war that they would go to lengths such as this to cry for peace, then I will hear them out.

“What I would like from you now, men of the court, is your input. I am aware that some of you are in support of seeking a treaty with the Younisians, but not all of your names are on this list. If you have any reason why you believe we should hold fast to the plan to send Collin to Gorm, this is your last chance to speak. I will make my decision at the end of this meeting, and we will move forward with whatever that decision may be.”

Crow shifted his weight in his seat. He couldn’t tell if his father was actually trying to be fair or if he was just searching for an excuse to cling to the plan he’d already made. Either way, it felt like everything was coming to a point, and he had no say over the outcome. He just hoped the debate between the other council members and the signatures on the petition would be compelling enough to keep the monarch from changing his mind about seeking a peace agreement with Younis.

Throughout their conversation, Penelope learned a great deal about what her friend had been up to over their long time apart. As Beatrix seemed to slowly relax into the conversation, she spoke about how she had eventually stopped challenging her parents and instead focused her energy into learning the things they wanted her to. It surprised Penelope to find out that Beatrix was actually extremely well read because of it. It seemed her parents had given her quite an extensive education, likely in hopes of attracting a scholar. Beatrix explained how she had a brief period of freedom from both education and duties as a wife. The noblewoman didn't elaborate much on them though, merely brushing over that time as an enjoyable one before moving onto explain how her father had eventually picked out Francis to be her husband.

Of course, Penelope shared stories of her own in return. She spoke about her training as a knight, her trip to Younis, her rise to lieutenant and ended on speaking about how things were on the war front. The knight mentioned the story of Gavin to Beatrix, trying to relate to her old friend in someway as she knew about what it was like to have a father force a suitor onto her. Naturally she kept talk about Crow to a minimum, briefly mentioning him whenever certain questions about either trip or her familiarness with him arised. And Beatrix didn't hesitate to ask questions. Despite claiming to have left that thrill for adventure in the past, she seemed completely enraptured by Penelope's stories. It left the knight wondering if she was really satisfied with her life or if she had merely settled for the path laid out by her parents.

"Gods sounds like you've had quite a time." Beatrix laughed. "You've done so much!"

"I feel like I didn't even start doing anything until a few years ago though." Penelope mused with a small smirk. Polishing off the rest of her breakfast, she leaned away from the table and shifted her gaze toward the nearby window, glancing out of it with a thoughtful look.

"Still more than most." Beatrix pointed out with a smirk. The noblewoman had finished her breakfast prior but was simply too wrapped up in the conversation to excuse herself quite yet.

Penelope nodded absently before an idea struck her. With grin, she turned back to Bee. "Say, I was going to go spar a bit today but I think I have a better idea. How about you come with me and I can teach you a bit about swordsmanship? I'll show you a few moves." she offered.

Beatrix blinked and a hint of excitement entered her gaze before quickly disappearing to be replaced with uncertainty. "Ah.. I don't know.. I'm free but well, I don't exactly have the gear for it.. Not to mention, I doubt I'll be any good." she said frowning.

"No one's born an expert." Penelope said with a dismissive wave. "As for the gear, don't worry about it. Barracks are well stocked with the supplies we need. I wouldn't expect you to have that anyways. So what do you say? Up for it?"

Beatrix hesitated again and the knight began to think she would likely decline the offer, however, in the next moment the noblewoman smiled at her and nodded her head. "Alright. I'm in." she confirmed.

"Great!" Penelope smiled, glad that they'd be able to spend some more time together and eager to teach her friend how to wield a sword. As she rose to her feet, she motioned for Beatrix to follow her as she lead the way out of the Great Hall. "First let's get you out of that dress and into something more appropriate for sword fighting." she said as she began to lead the way towards her room.

As soon as the noblemen on the king’s court began to discuss the situation, Crow became certain that he was ill-equipped to take part in the conversation. They raised questions about the financial tradeoffs of letting the war drag out, the political pros and cons of forming a peace treaty, and the long term benefits of negotiating with both Younis and Gorm. The majority of the information made the viceroy’s head spin, but it was also a learning experience. Listening to the older men speak, he was passively informed about the flow of supplies to the warfront as well as the costs involved in operating an army. War was an expensive endeavor, but if the nobles were right about what they would gain if they won, the profits and resources brought in from Younis would be well worth the money lost.

In fact, the more compelling argument for the side of ending the fighting seemed to lay in the politics. While Brerra would be made a richer kingdom if they enlisted Gorm to help them overpower Younis, they would risk playing with the fire that their enemies would use the same strategy. To Crow’s surprise, it sounded like Younis was on good terms with many other kingdoms through a number of long lasting trade agreements, so it was probable that they would have no trouble seeking aid from other countries that wouldn’t like to see them annexed. It was particularly troubling to the council members that they had strong ties with Waithen, since the eastern nation flanked quite a bit of Brerra’s territory.

Protesters of the peace treaty argued that Brerra was strong enough to come out on top if they kept fighting; supporters of the treaty argued that there was more to be gained by making Younis an ally; and Crow didn’t know what to think, since every man who spoke was able to conjure up persuasive reasons to side with either Gorm or Younis, and he wasn’t knowledgeable enough to form his own opinion outside of what he heard from each of them.

“We’ve come too far to give up now,” Adam, one of the most avid warmongers, pounded his fist on the table. “If we stop fighting, other kingdoms will see us as weak. This is an opportunity to show everyone that Brerra is a force to be wary of.”

“And do what, launch an attack on everyone who disagrees?” another noble scoffed. “We should be focusing on forming positive relations with our neighbors, and we don’t have to take them over to do that.”

“Exactly,” another peace supporter agreed. “Even if we don’t annex Younis, we can trade for their resources if they’re willing to discuss other options.”

“But if we defeat them, we can have all of their resources!”

“If we don’t, they could be an invaluable ally in future conflicts!”

“Men, settle down, please,” Albin lifted his hand.

Crow, who had grown weary of the constant bickering and rested his head on his folded arms, looked up at his father. It was the first time in a while that the king had said anything. He seemed to have been sitting back, considering everyone’s words on his own while his council debated. The viceroy studied his face, wondering if he had come to a decision yet.

“Both courses of action seem viable,” Albin went on thoughtfully, lacing his bejeweled fingers together on the table. “However, from what I have heard here today, there is no outstanding benefit of recruiting the knights of Gorm that can justify disregarding the voices of hundreds of my people. Here is what I propose,” he raised his hand again as Fischbach opened his mouth to protest. “We will attempt to seek peace with Younis. If they are unwilling to reach a reasonable agreement, then we will move forward with the plan to bring Gorm into this war and annex our enemies by force. I believe this is a fair compromise. Is there anyone who disagrees?”

The room was quiet, and Crow felt his heartbeat quicken with excitement. “Very well then,” his father turned to him with a nod. “Collin, it looks like you’ll be going to Younis.”

Once Penelope had Beatrix in proper attire for the occasion, she lead the way outside to the training area. The knight grabbed two wooden swords and handed off one to Beatrix. The noblewoman held it awkwardly in her hands, clearly unsure how she was suppose to hold it and waiting for further directions. Penelope went on to fix her friend's form, correcting her gently on what she needed to do. Once she felt that Beatrix had that down, she went on to go over a few basic moves, demonstrating them before making her practice them. Luckily, Beatrix was a rather quick learner. She seemed to follow along and after trying out the moves and stances a few times, she seemed to grow a bit more comfortable with them.

"You're doing good so far." Penelope smiled and raised her wooden sword up at her friend. "I think it's time we put those moves to action though."

"Alright... I hope you're planning on going easy on me." Beatrix said with an timid laugh.

"Of course." Penelope laughed. "It wouldn't be very fair of me if I didn't."

Beatrix nodded and shifted into the defensive stance they had gone over. "Then I'm ready." she said with a firm nod. Penelope eyed her friend with mild surprise. For someone who had been rather reluctant to learn earlier, she suddenly seemed quite a bit more enthusiastic over what they were doing. She was glad that Beatrix had warmed up so fast and was eager to see how she'd handle someone actually throwing swings at her. Penelope was just about to lunge forward to find out but didn't get the chance to as a voice cut in.

"Beatrix?" Penelope turned around to see the man that had accompanied Beatrix at the party, the one she recalled to be Francis. The man knight glanced between the two women bemusedly before focusing his gaze onto his wife. "What's going on here?"

"Oh uh.." Beatrix shifted nervously. "N-Nothing, dear. I was just catching up with Penelope, you remember her from the party don't you?"

Penelope glanced between them before extending her hand to Francis with a polite smile. "Hello again. I was just teaching your wife here a bit about using a sword. Sorry if I was keeping her from something."

"You weren't..." Francis said slowly as he shook her hand. "but I'm worried this isn't an appropriate activity for a noblewoman."

Penelope lowered her hand and narrowed her gaze slightly, immediately disliking his words. "What does that mean?" she questioned him, folding her arms over her chest.

Francis blinked and raised his hands. "I didn't mean any offense. You're impressive lieutenant but it's simply not something I want my wife to have a part in. She has no use for such skills and there's no reason for her to waste time with it."

"Oh dear gods you're one of those.." Penelope grumbled. She was all too familiar with the type. Noblemen like Francis were the reason female knights often had more difficulty being married off. Most wanted wives who knew how to run a home rather than how to fight with a sword and it was clear to her that Francis was one of them. For whatever reason, he clearly thought Beatrix picking up a sword would somehow hurt his image. "Listen, there's always use in learning a bit of self defense and if she wants to learn I don't see any good reason why you should even be able to get in the way of that."

Francis' polite expression wavered slightly as he pursed his lips together. "What reason would she need to learn self defense for?" he questioned with a glance at his wife. "I'm a knight myself, miss Vermillion, and I am plenty capable of protecting her."

"So? I'm sure you're capable but you're certainly not invincible and you won't be around her every second of the day." Penelope snorted. She was about to continue when Beatrix finally spoke up.

"I-it's ok Penelope. Francis is right I really don't need to learn." she said softly, setting down the wooden sword much to Francis' pleasure.

Penelope clenched her jaw. It might not have been her place to intervene but she couldn't handle this arrogant nobleman overseeing what was and wasn't proper for her friend to do. They may have just stepped back into each other's lives but she couldn't just stand aside. Ignoring Beatrix's words she met Francis' gaze challengingly. "Well if you're so confident about your skills how about we have a sparring match? We can even have raised stakes. If I win, Beatrix can continue to learn from me if and when she wishes. If you win, I won't bug her about it again."

Francis hesitated before shaking his head. "If I win, you won't bug her and you'll owe me a favor."

The knight narrowed her eyes. "What kind of favor?"

"You're close with some rather high ranking nobles." Francis mused and shrugged his shoulder. "I don't have anything particular in mind but I'm sure something will come up."

"Penelope you really don't ha—" Beatrix started but didn't finish as Francis shot her a subtle look of warning that went undetected by the female knight.

This bastard... Penelope clenched her jaw. He had practically jumped at the opportunity to get something out of her. "Alright you're on. Grab your weapon and let's go." she declared reaching out to shake his hand. Unfortunately him for him, she had no intent of losing.

“I’ll do whatever I can to get the king to reason with us,” Crow nodded eagerly, pleased with the sudden turn of events. It looked like Albin really had been considering his council’s opinions. Well, either that or he’d been hoping someone else would come up with a reason for him to disregard the signatures on the petition, and they hadn’t met his expectations. Whatever the case, they were finally on track to make peace with Younis and stop the destruction that the gods had been warning them about. He just hoped he would be able to negotiate well enough to convince the foreign monarch to come to an agreement that his father would be willing to take.

“Now that that’s settled, we just need to lay out the terms of the treaty,” the king announced, turning back to the rest of the noblemen. “Gerard, Malgerius and Collin, stay. The rest of you may return to your other duties.”

Crow plucked a grape from what was left of the banquet and chewed idly while the other nobles compliantly filed out of the chamber. Fischbach shot him one more spiteful look on his way out, but the viceroy just turned away from him, purposefully shrugging off the older man’s attempt to get under his skin. He would have liked to leave with the rest, since he was still clinging to the hope that he would be able to take a nap before supper, but if his father wanted him to stay, there was nothing he could do about it.

Once the room had been all but cleared, Albin leaned back in his chair. “Pay close attention,” he said to his viceroy. “Everything we discuss here will be recorded in a scroll written by Malgerius, but it is vital that you remember as much as you are able to make negotiations with the Younisian king run more smoothly. He won’t take you seriously if you fumble through your meeting with him. Do you understand?”

Crow nodded. He was still unsure how much he could trust his father in general, but when it came to the advice the monarch gave about being an ambassador, he took the man’s word as seriously as a religious text. Albin had been the youngest and arguably one of the most successful viceroys in Brerra’s history, so the insight he offered was invaluable to the former peasant who knew next to nothing about international affairs. He didn’t want to spoil the peace treaty by coming off as insecure or unprepared.

“Good,” Albin smiled at him. “Now then, I would like to arrange multiple offers for you to propose to king, three in all. The first will be intentionally unreasonable, but not so much so that Younis will be offended and unwilling to hear out the others.”

“It’s just like bartering,” Crow noticed, thinking aloud.

“It is,” his father agreed amusedly. “The first offer’s purpose is to make the second more appealing, while the third will be a last resort that you will only bring up if the king of Younis is absolutely unwilling to take the second. It is your job, Collin, to persuade him as if there is no third offer at all. Make the middle ground sound like the best deal that king will ever see in his lifetime. Do you think that’s something you can do?”

“I think so,” the viceroy shifted his weight tentatively. It was just like bartering… except the stakes were far higher.

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” Albin rested a firm hand on his shoulder.

On the king’s other side, the elderly man, Gerard, cleared his throat. “The most ideal agreement in this case would be a trade of resources, my liege. We have an overabundance of lumber and farmland, and a shortage of ores and fineries that are in high demand among the upper class. Negotiating for these things would bring exotic riches to the kingdom, while we would lose nothing, because we do not utilize all of our land to begin with.”

“I agree,” Albin nodded, turning to the other man at Gerard’s side. “Write this down. The first offer will be for an immediate payment in gold amounting one thousand ducats with the addition of regular sums following annually. In return, we will give the Younisians lumber from our oak and maple trees.”

Crow wrinkled his nose. Even as an uneducated criminal, he could tell that the deal was weighted absurdly in favor of Brerra.

The king went on, “For the second deal, we will propose a regular trade of goods. Lumber from our forests, produce from our farms and animal products from the pastures. In exchange we will accept ores and silk textiles from Younis.”

“We will need something more binding than a contract to make this last,” Gerard mused.

Albin drummed his fingers on the table. “A marriage,” he indicated to Malgerius to write it down. “There is nothing more binding than matrimony. We will seal our sisterhood with Younis by giving one of our own to a noble of the Younisian king’s choosing.”

“Who will you give?” Crow asked, casting his father a curious look. “Braden?”

“No,” the king shook his head. “Braden is the heir to the throne, so his hand will be reserved for a union that will benefit our kingdom far more than this. Besides, there are plenty of other eligible young men and women in the citadel, sons and daughters of high ranking nobles who would all make excellent candidates. But we can decide whom will be chosen after the Younisian king agrees.”

“And for the third offer?” Malgerius queried.

“The same as the second, with the inclusion of some of our less disposable resources,” Albin answered, rising from the table. “I’ll refine the details at a later point, but for now, we’ve made enough headway to justify making the preparations for Collin’s departure.”

“Already?” Crow blinked and looked up, surprised at how quickly his father was sending him off.

“All this planning has gone on long enough,” the king sighed. “The palace staff has already begun gathering the supplies you would have needed to make the trip to Gorm. I’ll send my attendant to notify them of the changes we’ve made today, but there’s no reason to delay this anymore.”

“So… when will I be leaving?” the viceroy asked hesitantly.

“In three days,” Albin replied.

The two knights stood opposite to each other, each preparing for their match to begin. Penelope drew her sword with a determined gleam in her gaze. This nobleman had pissed her off in a matter of a few minutes of talking to him and she had every intention to knock his pride down a few bars. "May the best man—or person I suppose, win." Francis said with a respectful nod to her. The gesture nearly made her snort since his words sounded more belittling than respectful in her opinion. She didn't know how Beatrix could put up with such a man.

Beatrix frowned, casting Penelope a concerned look. The female knight wanted to assure her friend she had faced far worse foes than her husband but knew better than to say anything in front of her opponent's face. Instead she just ignored the look and kept her green eyes trained on her enemy. "We're ready, Beatrix. Give the signal whenever you want to." she instructed her friend who would be acting as a officiator over their match. Bee nodded her head and stepped forward, raising her hand up and then swiftly lowering it to signal that the match had officially begun.

The match didn't last long.

Penelope charged squarely for Francis, their wooden swords meeting rather heatedly. A few blows were traded between the two knights before she saw an opening and whacked his hand with her sword. The sharp pain made him loosen his grip enough for her to knock the practice weapon from his grasp, sending it flying off to the side of them. She didn't give him a chance to recover and raised her wooden sword to rest at his neck before he could make a move to retrieve his weapon. The nobleman froze, looking bewildered and damn near confused on how he had lost the match so suddenly. His expression left the female knight feeling plenty satisfied with her victory.

"Well looks like I win." Penelope mused with an air of mock casualness. She turned her head to look over at Beatrix, who stood there staring rather amazedly at her friend, and gave her a warm smile. "Next time you feel like learning more, be sure to find me." Her gaze drifted onto Francis and a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "And feel free to join her, Francis. It might do you some good to brush up on the basics."

Penelope usually wasn't the type to rub in a victory but she couldn't help it after how arrogant the man had been. Knowing she had likely overstayed her welcome, she tossed her wooden sword to the ground and dipped her head to her opponent in a formal manner. "I better be off, supper will be starting soon after all. I'll see you around, Beatrix." she said before turning to walk off. She heard Beatrix offer quiet parting words and felt the glare from Francis burning on her back. However, it hardly bother the knight who was pretty sure she had made her point very clear to the nobleman. With that in mind, she began her walk back into the castle, planning to relax a moment before heading to supper.

Crow’s mind was reeling as he walked through the corridor that led to the Great Hall. It was great news that his father had decided to seek peace with Younis, but he didn’t want to leave in just three days. There was still so much left that he needed to do. He hadn’t had the chance to talk to Albin about courting Penelope, and he had been hoping that they could establish their relationship before he left the kingdom for no less than two weeks to meet with the foreign king. The thought of other noblemen flirting with the knight in his absence made his blood boil. If he was going to be gone, he wanted her to be able to tell them that she was already being courted by someone else, so she wouldn’t have to put up with bold men like Cedric who would try to win her over using whatever method they could think of, even if it meant pushing her boundaries.

He shook his head to himself as he stepped into the dining hall and took a look around for any familiar faces. Surprisingly, there were quite a few that evening. Naida was sitting with their other siblings near the back of the room, John was having a discussion with a group of older knights, and Wayne and Robyn were laughing at a table full of noblemen. The viceroy lingered by the door as he took in the sight, debating whether or not he had the energy to join his male acquaintances—he didn’t want to go near Braden or the knights in John’s company—when the sound of the last voice he wanted to hear jarred him from his thoughts.

“Hi, Crow,” Elizabeth greeted. He turned around to see that she had entered the Great Hall behind him. The noblewoman stood in an unexpectedly sheepish posture, gripping her arm with her hand and looking up at him with a half-smile. “Or would you prefer I call you Collin?”

“What do you want?” the former thief narrowed his eyes untrustingly.

“To apologize,” Liz winced. She paused for a moment before asking tentatively, “Can we sit?”

“I’d rather not.”

“Please?” she frowned. “I just want to talk… No games this time.”

Crow studied her warily, already certain that she was just playing an angle despite what she said. However, there weren’t any other groups that he felt like sitting with for supper, and he knew she would just follow him if he planted himself at an empty table, so he sighed. “Fine, but make it quick,” he shot her a warning glare. “And don’t touch me, or I will leave.”

“Fair enough,” her bashful smile returned.

They walked over to an open table and sat down across from each other. Crow folded his arms on the surface and met Liz’s gaze impassively, waiting for her to speak first since she was the one who had invited him to join her.

She shuffled her feet, seeming abashed by his stare, and took a deep breath, “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. I… assumed, wrongly, that you were the same man I knew before.”

“Seven years is a long time,” Crow pointed out blandly.

“I know that now,” Elizabeth grimaced. “The Crow I remember would have been thrilled to find a woman warming his bed when he retired for the night, but I can see now that you’ve changed. I swear, I never meant to offend you. I was just trying to appeal to your taste.”

“Then why did you allow that rumor to spread about me?” Crow curled his lip accusatively. “Everyone in the castle thinks I’m out to trick women into sleeping with me now, and it isn’t helping that you haven’t denied that I was the one who instigated what happened.”

“I know, and I’m sorry about that too,” Liz lowered her gaze. “I really thought you were the same man I knew seven years ago, the one who would have been proud to boast that he had convinced a noblewoman to sleep with him. And…” she shifted her weight. “I-I was embarrassed. If I had denied the rumors, everyone would know that I had put myself on the line and been turned away. I don’t want to be known as the woman who was rejected by the viceroy… It seemed easier to give you the credit for what happened, because I thought you would have been happy to accept it.”

Crow dragged his hand over his face, unsure where to even begin. “First of all, how did you not get a hint that I might have changed when I kicked you out of my bedchamber?” he asked incredulously. “As I said before, seven years is a long time. I know I used to get around, but I’m not like that anymore. I’ve—” he wavered, nearly slipping up with the ending of: found someone who means more to me than meaningless flings. Catching himself, he finished instead with: “—come to realize I want something more than meaningless flings, and I can’t find that if I’m still messing around with women with whom I have no future.”

He exhaled, frustration seeping into his voice, “And secondly, you can’t just pass blame because you’re embarrassed. The thing you don’t want anyone else to think about you is exactly what happened. If anything, you should have thought about that before you took off your dress in my bedchamber. I have no sympathy for you when you were the one who put yourself in this position.”

Elizabeth bit her lip, her chin quivering slightly, “Are you saying we have no future?”

“We don’t,” Crow confirmed without hesitation.

“But why?” she shook her head, toying nervously with a strand of her long hair. “I know I was wrong for the way I behaved, and I’m sincerely sorry, but I promise you, that’s not who I am… I just saw all the other women who want to be with you too, and thought I would be able to stand out from them by reminding you of our past. I you give me a chance, I can show you—”

“I think you showed me your true colors the moment you tried to coerce me into bed with you,” the viceroy interrupted coldly. “And honestly, I don’t believe you’re really sorry for anything you’ve done so far. I know people, love, and there’s something in your eyes that tells me you’re not here for anyone but yourself right now. If you had demonstrated even the slightest hint of remorse while you were speaking, you might have had me, but all I see is a snake who missed with her first strike and is terrified of watching her prey get away.” He turned away from her as Preston approached with his food. “Do yourself a favor and slither off before you embarrass yourself anymore.”

Penelope stepped into the Great Hall and began to look around for friendly faces. She spotted Naida with her siblings but the knight preferred not to interrupt the time with her family. Not to mention she also was quick to grab onto an excuse to avoid hearing the princess badger her about what had gone on between her and Crow the night before. The knight had a feeling that, even though Naida had been drunk, their closeness hadn't been disregarded by her stubborn friend. On the topic of stubborn, her gaze finally landed on the table with Elizabeth and Crow, making the knight's nose involuntarily wrinkle.

She had thought the noblewoman had finally given up on pursuing the viceroy after their last encounter but it seemed she had been sorely mistaken. The knight shifted a bit before eventually moving to take a step towards the table. Though Liz's presence made her reluctant to join them, it didn't outweigh her desire to sit with Crow. Luckily for her though, it seemed Elizabeth was going to make things easy. Just as Penelope had reached the table, Elizabeth rose to get up. The noblewoman wore a hurt expression that changed slightly as her gaze caught sight of Penelope. Her eyes narrowed at the knight but she remained silent, instead push past Penelope to make her exit.

Penelope watched her leave with a raised eyebrow before moving to sit down across from Crow. Once Elizabeth was out of earshot, she turned to Crow with a sigh. "It's amazing how some people refuse to take a hint." she mused shaking her head. She didn't bother to ask what had gone on. Having been around Elizabeth more than she personally wished to be, she saw no reason to ask him about it. She was much more interested to see how his day had gone, especially since she suspected that he had been present for the king's council meeting.

"Soo..How was your day? Did the king call his meeting?" she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

Liz stared at Crow, taken aback by his harsh words. A number of emotions flickered across her face, ranging from shock to hurt to anger, until she finally settled on the latter. “Forget it,” she huffed, tossing her hair. Any semblance of injury had fled from her features, replaced only by the coldness the viceroy had seen beneath her fake smiles from the start. “For the record, my father is the one who wanted this, not me. He thought that since you had slept with me once when we were younger, you would want me again when you saw the kind of woman I’ve become.” She rose from the table, smoothing down the dress that hugged her hourglass curves.

“But if you’re going to be this pigheaded, you’re not worth my time,” she went on arrogantly. “I will not sit here and be insulted when there are dozens of wealthier, more handsome men than you who would fight to have a wife like me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to spend my supper with them.”

“You do that,” Crow said in a deadpan tone, rolling his eyes as he watched her take on another hurt expression. It was obvious that she was trying to look like a victim as she walked away from him, so that some gullible fool would swoop in to save the wounded damsel in distress. He didn’t care though. As long as she was done pestering him, she could wrap as many other men around her witch finger as she pleased.

“That seemed unnecessary,” Preston, who had overheard everything while he’d been taste testing the viceroy’s food, mumbled incredulously.

“She’s too dramatic for her own good,” Crow scoffed. In the next moment, he caught sight of Penelope on her way to join him at the table and smiled, happy to see a friendlier face than the one that had just left. At her comment, he shrugged, “Actually, this time I think she got the message. She shouldn’t bother us again.” He hoped not, at least. Even if Liz had given up on winning him over, the noblewoman had a propensity for stirring up trouble. He would just have to keep an eye on her for the next few days while she was still fuming over the fact that he wasn’t as easily bought as she’d wanted.

At Penelope’s following question, the viceroy bit the inside of his lip, reminded of the mixed results of the council meeting that he still needed to share with her. “He did…” he answered slowly. “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

Penelope raised an eyebrow at Crow as he mentioned thinking it'd likely be the last time Elizabeth bothered them. She wasn't sure what made the viceroy seem confident about the change but the knight wasn't as quickly to believe in the change. The woman had been more stubborn and persistent than any of the other women that had tried to appeal to Crow during their time at the castle. Not to mention she was the only one that truly rubbed the knight the wrong way. She'd just have to wait and see if Liz had accepted reality.

However the noblewoman became the least of her concerns as Crow went on to reply to her words about the meeting. His hesitant tone only made the knight's stomach churn with worry. Perhaps she hadn't been as successful as she thought. Penelope had believed that even if the king wasn't thrilled about the change of plans that the number of signatures would at least back him into a corner. The knight shifted uneasily, unsure how to answer him at first. She pursed her lips together and gave her shoulders a small shrug.

"I guess tell me the good news first." she replied, hoping it would involve a way to fix whatever the bad news was.

“Well, the good news is that my father has formally decided to try negotiating with Younis before he makes a pact with Gorm,” Crow started, finding this half of the meeting easier to deliver than the next. It was exciting that the petition Penelope had worked so hard on had been enough to persuade Albin to cooperate with them, and he was happy to be the one to tell her that her efforts had paid off. But as he prepared to deliver the second half, he sighed. “The bad news is that he’s gotten impatient and has decided to send me to Younis in three days.”

Beneath the table, he stretched out his leg to rest against hers and met her gaze solemnly. They had come so close to being able to court that it discouraged him to know that even if he managed to convince his father to give them the go-ahead before he left, they wouldn’t be able to really start courting for at least another two weeks. It felt like he had reached for the handle and pushed open the door just to have it slammed in his face after he’d gotten a glimpse inside. Unfortunately, they had already pushed the king as far as they could. Albin wouldn’t be making any more compromises regarding the negotiation.

“I hate this,” he groaned, dropping his head into his hands in frustration. “I know it’s just one trip, but I was hoping we would be able to start courting in the next few days. At this rate, we’ll be lucky to get even one full day together before I have to leave.”

Penelope waited a bit anxiously to hear what Crow had to say. As he explained that the king had actually decided to negotiate with Younis, the knight's eyes widened in surprise before a grin spread over her lips. So she had been successful after all. While she was ecstatic to know that all her work had paid off, she was now confused as to what the bad news was. She was just about to question it when he went on to explain that he'd be departing in only three days.

Her grin faded as she realized that it would likely mean they'd have to put their courtship on hold, yet again. As glad as she was that they were a step in the right direction of ending the war, the news was incredibly disheartening. She had been hoping that they would get some time together before he had to ship off to Younis to strike a deal with their king. She met his gaze with a small frown, unsure what to say at first.

As Crow spoke up first, she let out a small sigh. "It's certainly not... ideal." she mumbled in disheartened agreement. She leaned her elbows onto the table and gave Crow a half hearted smile. "We might just get one day but at least we'll have plenty more after your trip is over." It wasn't the best outcome but if they could at least start courting before he left would be enough for the knight. Having so many things go different than they expected and having to wait due to her own agenda, the knight wasn't sure she how much of her patience was left when it came to putting their relationship on hold. She wanted them to at least be able to take that one step forward. Even if she only really got to enjoy it for a day.

At the thought of limited time, she blinked in realization. Now that the king was officially looking to end the war peacefully and she had done all she had came to do at the castle, it wouldn't be long before Mia likely requested her back to the battlefront once word reached the battalion. They may only be lucky to get a day at the castle but if she left at the same time as him, they could at least have a couple more days before they ultimately split. It would make her return to the war front sooner than expected but she didn't mind that aspect too much.

"Well... We might not get a ton of time together but I'll probably need to return to the battlefront at some point. If I leave when you do, at least we could have a few more days." she suggested. "What do you think?"