Crow shrugged halfheartedly when Penelope pointed out that they would have more time together after his return from Younis. She was right, but it didn’t do much to lessen his disappointment that they were going to have to keep waiting to establish themselves as a couple among the other nobles in the castle. One day wouldn’t be enough to prove to persistent men like Cedric that they were serious about their plans to get married in the future. He wrinkled his nose at the thought of other men trying to woo her while he was away, because they thought that the relationship was too new to persist or that she could be enticed while he was away in the northern kingdom.

When Penelope spoke up again, the viceroy lifted his head from his hands to meet her gaze with a frown. At first, he wasn’t sure what she was trying to do by bringing up the fact that she needed to return to the warfront now that Albin had been convinced. It certainly didn’t make him feel any better to be reminded that if the treaty with Younis failed, they would be separated even longer when she went back to her duties as a lieutenant. However, as she explained that she could depart from the castle at the same time as he did, he sat up slightly straighter.

It was a surprisingly perfect idea. While leaving the inner kingdom at the same time wouldn’t solve the dilemma of their time apart while he was in Younis, it would certainly earn them a few extra days together while they traveled. Even more encouraging was the fact that she would be far away from the manipulative men in the palace who would likely try to flirt with her in his absence. He liked the thought of knowing she would be with her comrades in the outer villages while he was gone instead.

“That would be great,” an affectionate smile brightened his features. “We probably won’t have much time alone, but I can’t complain about getting to see your face for a few more days before I leave Brerra.” If they were openly courting, they wouldn’t have to worry about hiding their casual touches from the other nobles either. As fun as keeping everything a secret could be at times, he was looking forward to being able to admit to the whole kingdom that he was in love with her.

“Hey, you two,” Naida’s sing-song voice cut in as the princess slid onto the bench next to Crow. She had a mischievous expression on her face as she leaned into his side. “So… I thought I’d check up on you two to see if you’ve had a chance to talk about what happened last night. You can’t let these things go ignored!”

Penelope mirrored his smile as voiced his support of her idea. She was glad to see it cheered him up slightly despite the minor setback in their plans. "Any time we can get is good with me. Especially since we've been mainly relying on meals to spend time with each other as of late." she said amusedly. Regardless if they were courting or not, she would enjoy having the extra time with him before they had to split for the rest of his trip. She was about to add onto her comment when Naida came trotting up.

The knight let out a sigh, knowing exactly what was going to come from the princess' arrival. And ofcourse, Naida jumped right into it. She rolled her eyes subtly as Naida brought up the previous night immediately. However, this time the knight decided to tease her friend instead of denying her out right so before Crow could reply, Penelope jumped in. "Well actually we were just discussing when we could begin courting before you popped up." she mused with an air of casualness. She casted a quick glance at Crow, winking at him.

Naida's eyes widened with excitement. "Wait, whaaaaaat!! Really?"

"No, of course not." Penelope snorted, despite the fact that her words had actually held quite an amount of truth. "We were actually just talking about the council meeting Crow went to today."

Naida pouted. "Well you should be!" she insisted but then gave a curious look as Penelope brought up the council meeting. "Oh right! How'd that go?" she asked, turning to look up at Crow.

Crow’s eyes widened just as much as Naida’s when Penelope answered his sister’s question truthfully. He turned to her in surprise, wondering if she had given up on keeping their relationship a secret from the princess or if she had simply decided there was no reason to keep doing it when he would be speaking to his father about their courtship within the next two days. Her wink was enough to tell him what she was really doing though, and he relaxed slightly, realizing that she was messing with her friend.

As the subject was changed to the results of the council meeting, he turned back to his sister with a grin. Now that he knew he would be able to have more time with Penelope than he’d thought, it was easier to speak about the topic from an optimistic perspective. “It went great, actually,” he told her honestly. “Preparations are already underway for my trip to Younis to petition the king for peace. I’ll be leaving the castle in just three days. With any luck, this war will be over in a month.”

“Really?” Naida mirrored his expression. “I can’t believe that actually worked! Father is usually too stubborn to take anyone else’s advice besides his old advisor, Gerard—and Gerard is a kiss ass anyway.”

“Well, I guess three hundred and forty-seven voices were enough this time,” Crow laughed.

“Going to Younis sounds exciting too…” the princess fidgeted nervously. “Do you… Do you still think you can convince father to let me come with you?”

“I can’t promise anything,” the viceroy admitted. “But I’ll do what I can.”

“Thanks,” she perked up slightly, looked across the table at Penelope and then frowned again. “Oh… I guess this means you couldn’t court anyway, huh? Not when Collin is leaving so soon. What are you going to do now that the war might be ending?”

Penelope smiled as she listened to the two talk, glad that she was able to get Naida focused on a different subject other than their relationship. Her gaze flickered briefly away from the two as a servant arrived with her dinner. The knight said a small word of thanks before looking back over at Naida as the princess fidgeted. She gave her friend a sympathetic look. It must have been difficult being a knight and being stuck to only certain duties. Having trained with Naida before, Penelope knew she was quite capable in her skills and hoped that she'd be able to take the journey to Younis with Crow.

As she addressed her again, Penelope shrugged, choosing to ignore the mention of courting again. "Well for now, I was actually thinking about returning to my battalion. The war isn't quite over yet and I've done all I can for now here." she mused. She gave a small pause and then added, "I was actually thinking of accompanying Collin when he leaves since we'll be heading close to the same direction."

"Oh?" Naida's lips curled upwards into a mischievous smile and she nudged Crow's side. "What made you decide to leave so soon? Perhaps want to prolong a goodbye?"

"No." Penelope stated despite Naida being incredibly accurate. Having expected such a reaction from Naida, the knight had been prepared to lie. "I've been thinking about when I should leave since the party ended and now that I know your father is willing to try for peace first, I should go report back to my baroness. I just figured traveling a friend, or a couple if you're able to go, would be more enjoyable than traveling alone."

"Suuureee." Naida said with an unconvinced snicker.

Penelope rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze over to Crow. "So how are you feeling about going to Younis again?" she asked him then smirked slightly. "Provided you don't have to stealing a staff that was rumored to kill people as soon as they touched it."

While Penelope and Naida spoke, Crow dug into the supper Preston had left for him on the table. He pondered how he would go about bringing up his interest in courting the knight when his father seemed to be focused solely on the preparations they needed to make for his trip to Younis. Interrupting the king when he was working seemed like an unproductive way to go about it, but he couldn’t think of any other option when he and Albin rarely talked about anything other than his job as the new viceroy. Forcing a casual conversation just to slip in what he actually wanted to talk about wouldn’t work either. His father was just as sensitive to foul play as he was, so he would know right away that his son was trying to get something from him. He didn’t want to come across like he was trying to be manipulative.

Caught up in his planning, he didn’t realize right away that Penelope had roped him back into the conversation with Naida. His sister waved a hand in front of his face when he didn’t reply. “Hello? Anyone in there?” she called mockingly.

“Sorry,” he startled and casted her a sheepish look. “I was thinking about something. It’s not important though.” Turning to Penelope, he wracked his brain to remember what she had said until he managed to pull the words from his echoic memory. “I don’t know yet,” he admitted with a shrug. “It’s all happening so fast, I haven’t had time to process the fact that I’m leaving Brerra again.” He returned her smirk. “But it’s definitely a plus that I’m not risking my life for a damn walking stick this time.”

“Technically, you didn’t last time either though,” Naida pointed out. “Since you did steal it without dying.”

That’s debatable, the viceroy thought, thinking back to his encounter with Aeklora. He still wasn’t entirely sure if he’d died for half a second back then or if it had all just been a vision. He probably wouldn’t ever know. However, he couldn’t tell his sister the truth about what had happened at the Younisian castle that night without sounding like a raving lunatic, so he said instead: “I guess you’re right.”

“Anyway,” Naida stood up from the bench. “I just wanted to come over and say hi. Braden’s mad that he was left out of father’s council meeting again, so Willow and I are trying to cheer him up.” She casted them an impish grin. “I’m going to get my brother plastered. See you both later!”

Penelope raised an eyebrow as Crow didn't reply right away. She wondered what he seemed to be so lost in thought about and nearly went to question him about it but didn't get the chance to as Naida spoke up instead. The knight smiled amusedly and took a few bites from her food as they spoke. She nodded her head in agreement with Naida as the princess pointed out that he did manage to steal it without dying. While she believed her friend's claim to be true, there was a new unsettling realization that he very well could have died if not for Aeklora sparing him. She hadn't believed him at the time but after her meeting with Toreus, she couldn't deny his meeting with the Younisian goddess.

"At least it should make getting into the castle easier too." she mused with a smirk, pushing away thoughts about their interactions with the gods. Her gaze flickered over to Naida as she stood up to leave and she shook her head a little as she explained that she was off to get her brother drunk. "Bye Naida." she chuckled as she watched her friend walk off.

Her focus momentarily shifted onto her food as she took a few more bites before looking back across the table at Crow. "Well... you've sure got a lot to ask the king for." she mused with a small sigh. Despite feeling a bit uncertain about Crow being able to get permission for them to court as well as getting Naida on the trip to Younis, she managed a smile at the viceroy. "Hopefully he's in a good mood in the coming days.. Or at least not too upset over the change of plans."

She gave a stretch and set down her utensils. "In the meantime, I think I better head off too. Now that I've got a trip I need to start preparing for as well." she mused.

Crow watched his sister walk off with an amused smile. He was learning quickly that the nobles in the inner kingdom had a weakness for fine wine, and the royal family seemed to fall prey to the tart drink even more than the others. When he eventually began taking on more duties as a viceroy, he wondered if he would start developing a fondness for drinking as well. He liked to think his decision to stay sober wouldn’t ever change, but there had also been a time in his life when he would have said the same thing about being a thief. Everything had been changing so much, he found it difficult to predict where he would be even a year from now.

“That’s putting it lightly,” he sighed, turning back to Penelope once they were alone again. “I can tell my father isn’t happy about altering his plans, but I’m hoping he’ll be reasonable when I speak with him.” He was doing the king a big favor by traveling to and from Younis to negotiate on his behalf, after all. Even though it was part of the job description, he hoped Albin would see that he had been working hard and deserved to start having some things go his way. Namely, having a woman by his side whom he cherished.

As Penelope announced that she needed to go, Crow rose from the table as well. “If you’re leaving, I won’t have any more protection from those women who’ve been eyeing this table since I got here,” he sighed, tilting his head toward a group of noblewomen he had spotted not long ago. Tilla and Palatina were sitting among them. “I guess I’ll head back to my bedchamber as well, so I won’t be bothered.”

Picking up his goblet from the table, he downed the rest of the wine he hadn’t finished yet and then set the empty cup back down. “I’ll see you tomorrow, love,” he casted he a warm smile. “Maybe even as your suitor.”

Penelope gave a confused expression and followed his gesture to the table of women with her eyes. The group reminded the knight of vultures, waiting to swoop in once the kill had been abandoned. It made her look forward to the day when she could finally assert that the viceroy was already very taken. However, unbothered by them otherwise, she turned back to Crow with an amused look in her gaze. "Probably a good decision. They look ready to swarm." she joked as she moved to take a step away from their table.

"I'll hope that you do." Penelope nodded and returned his smile with a soft one of her own. "See you tomorrow, Crow." Having said her parting words, the knight turned and headed out of the Great Hall, making her way towards the knight's quarters. Though there wasn't a ton she could do that night to prepare for the trip, there was one overdue visit she needed to make before starting.

Rounding the corner, she stepped up to her father's room and knocked on the door. She had seen him exit the Great Hall a short time before herself and hoped to catch him before he went to bed that night. Luckily it seemed she had as John opened the door still in his armor. As his gaze landed on Penelope, he blinked, seeming mildly surprised by her sudden visit and opened the door further. "Penelope? What are you doing here?" he paused as a thought seemed to cross his mind. "Did the king approve of the call for peace?"

"That's part of the reason I'm here. Crow just finished the council meeting today and the king had formally decided to try and end the war with Younis peacefully." Penelope explained to her father.

John nodded his head, taking in the information for a moment. "That's good. Your hard work paid off."

"But, Crow has to leave in three days to go to Younis." She added, shifting slightly as she prepared to add that she planned to join him.

However she didn't get the chance as John heaved a soft sigh and rest his hand on her shoulder. "I see. Well you must have patience with these things. Perhaps some time apart before you begin courting will be good." he mused.

"Actually... Crow's still going to try and convince the king before he leaves but more so than that, I plan to leave with him." Penelope explained with a sheepish smile. "I'm not going with him to Younis of course but I should be returning to my battalion now that I've done what I said I would here. I'm sure Mia is expecting me back at some point before the war's end after all."

John crossed his arms over his chest as he listened to his daughter. "Penelope.." he paused and then ran a hand over his face. "Alright. But don't either of you forget about what I said about your courting. I have eyes and ears everywhere, girl."

Penelope blushed a little and rolled her eyes. "It's not like we'll be traveling alone anyways. And besides that we both gave you our word, you have nothing to worry about." she assured with an embarrassed huff.

John grunted, making the knight believe he still didn't fully trust either of them. However, he didn't add any protest and that was enough for her. "You better go get some sleep then. You only have a short time to get prepared after all." he advised.

Penelope nodded her head in agreement. She exchanged parting words with her father and then headed off to retire to her own room for the night. Stepping inside, the knight settled in and got into bed, wrapping the blankets around herself to fend of the cold night air. Sleep didn't come easy as she felt a bit of nervousness churn in her stomach as she worried over Crow speaking to Albin about their courtship. The nagging thoughts didn't go away easily but eventually she managed to drift off into a restless sleep.

Heading back to his own room, Crow yawned tiredly, his exhaustion finally catching up with him. He hadn’t done much all day aside from sit through his father’s council meeting, but being sedentary had been more draining than working on horseback riding with John for an entire afternoon. It also didn’t help that his thoughts were weighed down by the conversation he had yet to have with Albin. He looked forward to forgetting about asking the king for permission to court Penelope during the hours he would be asleep. Nothing would change before tomorrow no matter how much he dwelled on it, so there was no point in continuing to fret anyway. He just had one more thing left to do before he climbed into bed.

When he reached his bedchamber, the viceroy went through with his usual routine of exercising to stave off his nightmares. The trick had been working well since he’d started it, so he was careful to remember to wear himself out every day that he wasn’t able to go outside. His time, he used the tall, four-post bedframe to do pull-ups until his arms trembled too much to continue. Although it wasn’t his main purpose, he had also noticed that his new habits had helped him recover what musculature had atrophied during the time he had been bedridden in the battalion’s camp. He felt just as strong as he had been at his peak.

Satisfied that he had done enough to lessen the intensity of his nightmares if they appeared, he changed into his nightclothes and settled down beneath the warm sheets on his mattress, drifting off almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.

--

The next morning, Crow woke up slightly disoriented. His sleep hadn’t been as dreamless as he would have liked, but this time, the nightmare that plagued him had only been part of a series of dreams that flitted through his subconscious while he’d slumbered. He had also dreamt of his old companions in the outer villages, courting Penelope—though in his imagination, he had pictured them in Farhill—and his looming trip to Younis. With so many different images in his head, it took him a moment to remember where he actually was.

As always, Preston had arrived just before he’d risen. “Good morning,” the attendant greeted him, putting away the viceroy’s clean laundry in the wardrobe.

“Morning,” Crow yawned broadly and rolled his shoulders. The left side had an annoying knot, and he assumed he must have slept on it at an odd angle.

“Hunter told me about the meeting yesterday,” Preston went on without looking at him. “It sounds like we’ll be leaving for Younis soon.”

“We?” Crow repeated with a quizzical frown.

“Of course,” the boy nodded, turning away from the open furniture to meet his gaze. “I’m your personal attendant, so I’ll be coming with you even if you leave the kingdom.”

“Oh,” the viceroy said, realizing that he should have guessed that on his own. “Will your sister be all right while you’re away?”

“She’s been doing better,” Preston nodded again. “I told her this morning, and she said she’s excited for me. Neither of us have ever left Brerra before.”

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of stories to tell her when we return,” Crow mused, thinking back to the first time he had visited Younis as he slid down from his bed.

“I hope so,” Preston agreed.

The former thief dressed himself, and they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. With the request to his father still looming in the back of his mind, Crow wanted to fill his stomach before he went to the king’s private chambers to find out if he would be willing to allow him to start courting Penelope for marriage.

Due to the low quality of her sleep, Penelope woke up the next morning earlier than normal. She rubbed her eyes, feeling groggy from the restless sleep. Though she hadn't had any dreams, it felt like her mind had been going even while she was unconscious. For a moment, the knight was tempted to just lay back and try to get in a couple more hours of sleep. However, she doubted she'd be able to fall back asleep so instead she swung her legs over the side of her bed to get up.

After getting herself ready for the day, she headed off to the Great Hall for breakfast. The knight was still quite nervous about how Crow's meeting with Albin would go but there was nothing she could do to help so the next best thing was to just try and focus on other matters of the day. Of course, the proper way to do so was by grabbing a bite to eat first before she went on to prepare for the upcoming trip back out to the warfront. Pulling the door open,she stepped into the Great Hall and looked around for familiar faces. Unfortunately, it seemed she had arrived just a bit too early for anyone she usually sat with so instead she made her way over to an empty table and sat down.

She sat there for a short time alone before one familiar face did enter the Great Hall. Only, it wasn't one that she wanted to see. Cedric stepped inside and almost immediately spotted the knight, briefly locking gazes with her. Penelope clenched her jaw and quickly turned her gaze away from him, in an attempt to give the male knight the hint to leave her alone. Of course, that hint went unacknowledged as Cedric made his way over to the knight ,who was finally dining alone for once. He hesitantly slid in across from her and offered a small smile.

"What do you want, Cedric?" Penelope grumbled. After the stunt he had pulled at the party, her patience with the male knight was wearing thin.

"Just to apologize." he claimed, raising his hands up defensively. He frowned, "I meant what I said at the party but that gave me no right—"

"No it didn't." Penelope shot a glare at him.

Cedric shrunk slightly under her gaze. "—and I'm sorry for the way I behaved. I was just hoping I could get you to see me the way I see you." he let out a soft sigh and rested his elbows against the table. "I hope you can forgive me."

Penelope fell silent as a servant brought their food over. While she was still quite upset with the male knight for his actions, she supposed most of the anger stemmed from the fact that she was already taken. But Cedric had no way of knowing that since her and Crow had yet to go public with their relationship. Though reluctant to voice it out, a bit of her fire died down as she poked at her food, considering the male knight's words.

Crow chewed on the inside of his lip as he walked with Preston through the castle corridors. Now that he was leaving for Younis so soon, he didn’t have time to wait for his father to wind down from planning his trip. If he wanted to start courting Penelope, he needed to speak with the king about it today. He supposed there was also the option of waiting until he returned from the northern kingdom, but he didn’t want to risk putting it off any longer. There was a chance that the negotiation would go poorly or that Albin would become even busier than he was now by making arrangements for the treaty he and the Younisian king agreed upon. He was tired of leaving everything up to chance. Today was his opportunity to take fate into his own hands and get what he had wanted since the day he’d accepted the viceroy title.

Planning to eat a quick breakfast and leave right away to seek out his father, he didn’t bother looking around the Great Hall for anyone he knew when he arrived. Instead, he headed for the closest open table to the door, so that he could make a quick getaway if anyone tried to approach him to chat. He had almost made it when Preston’s voice made him stop in his tracks.

“Um,” the attendant started nervously. “Isn’t that the same man who kissed Penelope at the party?”

“What?” the viceroy turned around, caught off guard by the question. He searched the room until he saw the man Preston was talking about. It seemed like Cedric had decided to share a meal with the knight that morning. He narrowed his eyes untrustingly. It wasn’t likely that the nobleman would try to corner her again in broad daylight, but he still didn’t like the idea of leaving them alone after what he’d done to her at the party.

“You’re not going to do anything rash, are you?” his attendant eyed him cautiously.

“No,” Crow replied, straightening his posture. “I’m just going to make sure he doesn’t have the opportunity to force himself on her again.” Foregoing his original plan to just stay long enough to finish his food, he strode over to the table where Penelope and Cedric were seated and slid onto the bench beside the lieutenant. He didn’t particularly like the thought of spending the morning in Cedric’s company, especially when he needed to be in a good frame of mind when he spoke with his father after the meal, but he hated the thought of pretending like he hadn’t seen them even more. So, putting on a false smile, he turned to the knight at his side.

“Morning, love,” he greeted her. “How did you sleep?”

As a silence dragged on, Cedric frowned and opened his mouth to say something else but didn't get the chance to as a new voice cut in. Penelope lifted her head as Crow stepped over to the table and gave the viceroy a smile as he slid in besides her. "Good morning. I slept well, how about you?" she asked him, welcoming his sudden appearance. She still wasn't a bit sure how to handle Cedric and having Crow around put her slightly at ease. Cedric, on the other hand, wasn't as thrilled to have the viceroy join them. The male knight had visibly stiffened and shifted his gaze away from the two for a moment. All he could manage right away was a polite dip of his head to the higher ranking noble.

Of course, Cedric's silence didn't last for long. "We were just discussing the events of the party." he mused suddenly, casting a small smile at Penelope before his gaze flickered back onto Crow. "It was quite the night.. Although I'm sure I don't need to tell you that." he said with a small chuckle.

Penelope raised an eyebrow at the knight, confused by what he was trying to hint at. "What do you mean?" she questioned.

"Just that he seemed to be quite entertained by the eligible noblewomen there that night." Cedric responded with a casual shrug. His gaze drifted over to another table where a couple of noblewomen had moved to sit down and were casting occasional glances in their direction. "And that he seems to still be quite popular with them. Good luck making a choice if you ever decide to court." He added with a glance at Crow.

Reminded that Cedric had tried to talk her out of going after Crow at the party, the meaning behind his words quickly clicked it in. It was a pity she couldn't explain to the knight that not only did Crow already 'make a choice' but she had made hers as well. However, since she couldn't deny the claims outright, she gave a small snort instead and took a bite of her breakfast to keep quiet. Although, underneath the table, she moved to press her leg against Crow's.

“Better than usual,” Crow answered Penelope’s question congenially. As they spoke, he pointedly ignored the nobleman sitting across from them, making it clear who he had really showed up for. They might have been keeping their relationship quiet until after he brought up the subject with his father, but now that her part in ending the war had been completed, he was less inclined to keep feigning total disinterest around her ex suitor. If that made Cedric unhappy, then it was all the better.

He glanced impassively at the other man as he inserted himself back into the conversation. At first, his hint and chuckle confused the viceroy, but he realized what Cedric was trying to say when he tracked his gaze to the table of noblewomen. It was hard to tell if the nobleman truly thought he was as disreputable as everyone else seemed to believe or if he was just trying to make him come off like a miscreant, but either way, the comment made him roll his eyes. He hoped the ridiculous accusations would end when he and Penelope began courting publicly. He was getting tired of fighting off all the heroes who treated him like some villain taking advantage of a damsel in distress.

“They weren’t really my kind of ‘entertaining,’” he shrugged, deciding not to humor Cedric’s insinuation. “Most of them didn’t have anything interesting to say. I suppose I got along alright with one of them. Fye,” he glanced at Penelope with a thoughtful smile. “But even she turned out to be just as shallow as the rest. I prefer women who are true to themselves and who don’t act like aristocratic ragdolls.” Or, more specifically, one woman who had stolen his heart years ago.

Turning back to Cedric, Crow studied his face for a moment before he broke out in a smirk. He couldn’t say outright that he was planning to be with Penelope, but he couldn’t pass up the chance to ruffle his feathers a little. “Besides that, I’ve already made my choice,” he went on airily, pressing his leg against the knight’s when he felt her touch him beneath the table. “There’s one woman in this castle who I’ve had my eye on for a while. If all goes well, we’ll be courting by tomorrow.” He shot the nobleman a sly wink. “But I’m going to keep her name to myself.”

Penelope glanced over at Crow as he went on to answer Cedric. A smile crossed her lips at his words as he danced around the topic of women that interested him. Naturally, the knight hadn't been worried about the women Crow had to entertain at the party, but she still found herself a little warmed by his words. However, as he suddenly went on to tell Cedric that he had already made his choice. The knight's eyes widened slightly. Even though they would hopefully be able to officially court by the end of the day, she was caught off guard by the rather bold move. For a moment, she thought the viceroy was coming clean about their intentions only to relax as he slyly denied Cedric a name.

A small smirk crossed her lips and she turned to Crow with a smile. "Well, hopefully things go well for you today then." she mused in a friendly manner despite her gaze softening slightly.

Cedric glanced between the two, looking caught off guard by Crow's words and unsure what to make of Penelope's own reaction. Penelope wasn't sure if he caught on fully that Crow was referring to her but not wanting to encourage him to figure it out quite yet, she turned her attention back to her food. "Yes..good luck to you then." Cedric said slowly, seeming a bit thrown off by the information. Still, the nobleman offered a polite, but clearly forced, smile. "There'll be a lot of disappointed women tomorrow if it works out."

After a brief moment of silence, Cedric drummed his fingers against the table and then slowly moved to stand up. "I should probably head off. Got guard duty to get to." he said with a sigh. He casted Penelope a small smile. "I'll see you around Penelope... Collin." he added, with a stiff dip of his head to Crow. Having said his goodbyes, the male knight moved to leave the two alone.

Penelope merely nodded her head to her comrade as he left before relaxing now that she was left alone with Crow. "Well at least that seemed to get rid of him." she mused with an exasperated sigh. "Hopefully that'll be the last time I have to hold my tongue about already being taken."

“I hope so too,” Crow nodded, biting his lip to stifle the grin that threatened to take over his lips. If they had been sitting with anyone other than Cedric, he wouldn’t have ventured so far as to bring up their courtship, even vaguely. However, he knew the nobleman was a safe enough audience to push the boundaries a little. Since he was interested in pursuing Penelope as well, it would have been in his best interest to keep the information to himself, especially if he had figured out the viceroy was talking about the knight. Even if Cedric was loose lipped, he was far enough removed from the king that it was highly unlikely for news to reach Albin before Crow found him promptly after breakfast. As far as he was concerned, there was no risk.

“Thanks,” he said to the nobleman, reining his smugness back to a minimum. “And disappointed men. She’s a catch.” He knew he was testing his limits with Cedric, but he couldn’t help himself. The other man deserved it after everything he’d done at the party. Careful not to cross the narrow line he was walking, he turned away from the others as Preston approached with his food, pretending to lose interest in the conversation. The attendant performed his usual test for poison and then stepped back with a bow, leaving them alone again.

To Crow’s relief, Cedric seemed to have been put off by his presence and didn’t stay long. He nodded wordlessly as the other man when he said his goodbyes, using a mouthful of rye bread as an excuse not to return any polite words in response. He also needed to eat quickly, so he could catch his father before he grew too busy to have a talk. As much as he enjoyed spending time with Penelope, he was more focused on that at the moment, so he would have to meet up with her later.

“Mhm,” he mumbled his agreement through another bite of food, which he chased with his water. “I’m glad he didn’t try to stay, because I need to get going.” He turned to Penelope with a smile, though there was a flicker of unease in his eyes. “I want to speak with my father this morning. He’s coordinating the preparations for my departure, so I’m hoping that I can get to him before he’s caught up in whatever else it is he needs to do today.”

Turning back to the table, he devoured the rest of his breakfast as fast as he could without upsetting his stomach and pushed the empty plate away with a labored exhale. “Meet me at the southern tower before supper,” he decided, remembering the building she had claimed was a favorite spot of hers before he’d become a nobleman. “Whatever happens, I want to tell you someplace where we won’t be bothered.”

Penelope raised an eyebrow as she looked over at Crow, noticing how hurriedly he ate his food. However as he quickly explained that he needed to get going as well she felt a churn of nervousness return to her stomach. She returned his smile with an uneasy one of her own. "Right, that's probably the best time to catch him." she mused in agreement. As he added to meet him at the southern tower, a little bit more genuineness appeared in her smile as he decided upon one of her favorite spots as their meeting place that evening.

"Alright, I'll met you there then." she agreed with a small nod. The knight paused and slipped her hand into his lap, giving his leg an affectionate squeeze. "Good luck with your father...Regardless of the out come, we'll figure it all out. We always do." she assured him with an affectionate gaze. Her words were to reassure both of them and she felt her nervousness over what was to come growing. The worst part was that she had a good deal of time to kill before she'd know the results. Despite her words she was also worried that the king might resent her over her campaign that changed his plans. She just hoped that he wouldn't completely deny Crow from courting her because of it.

With that in mind, she decided it was time for her to leave as well, feeling unable to fully finish her breakfast now that her stomach was turning with anxiousness over what was to come. Penelope felt a bit restless and suddenly wanted to get to work on preparing for her trip coming up in order to not dwell on what was happening between Crow and his father.

"I better get going too. I'll see you later, Crow." she said as she rose to her feet to leave. Having said her parting words to the viceroy, she headed off on her first task of the day, which involved tracking down Tybalt to alert the guard captain that she'd be ending her stay at the castle.

Crow smiled at Penelope fondly as she assured him that they would figure it out. Hearing her say so put him at ease. She was right. They had never been traditional about the way they approached their relationship, by either noble or peasant standards. Even if Albin caused another bump in the road, they would find a way to make it work. They hadn’t come all this way just to give up, after all. One way or another, they would manage to be together, no matter who disapproved of their actions.

“Thanks,” he said appreciatively, rising to his feet from the table. “I’ll see you before supper.” Not wanting to lose any more time that morning, he took his leave from the Great Hall to search for his father. The most likely place for the king to be was in his private chamber, so he headed for the stairs that would take him up to the highest level of the castle, ruminating on the words he would say and the arguments he could use to convince Albin to let him court the knight. Even if he and Penelope could figure it out if he was denied permission, he didn’t want to fall back to doing that unless he had to. So, he did his best to plan out a compelling approach until he knocked on the heavy oak door that marked the king’s room.

A pause followed, and then the panel opened to reveal his father’s personal attendant, Hunter. The servant barely glanced at him before turning his head back into the room, “Your Highness, Lockton is here to see you.”

“Perfect, send him in,” Albin’s voice responded from just beyond the viceroy’s line of sight.

“Of course,” Hunter nodded politely and stepped aside to allow their visitor to enter the chamber.

Crow ambled past him to find his father standing by the table with a stack of papers in his hands. He seemed to have been reviewing the contents before being interrupted, but his features were relaxed, so the viceroy guessed it wasn’t anything pressing. “Ready to go early, I see,” Albin mused with a smile as he looked up from the papers to his son’s face. “I was just about to send Hunter to fetch you, but this is much better. Come over here. I have a few details I’d like to go over with you regarding your journey.”

Crow shifted his weight. Even though he’d gotten to his father as quickly as he could, it seemed like Albin had still managed to outpace him. The king was already working on the preparations for his trip to Younis. “Alright,” he agreed slowly, his heart beginning to race with nervousness as he stepped over to join him by the table. “But I actually came here to discuss something else with you…”

“Is it important?” Albin asked without looking away from the papers he had begun to examine again.

“Well, sort of,” Crow said sheepishly. “I was—”

The king held up his hand, “If it isn’t more important than your assignment, then it can wait until after we’ve finished here. Time is of the essence, boy.”

Crow bit the tip of his tongue. He wanted to have the conversation about courting Penelope as soon as possible, but he could tell that distracting Albin from his work would only irritate him. He sighed. If he wanted to get a ‘yes,’ he would have to play by the king’s rules. “Fine. What do you need to go over with me?”

"Vermillion, did you need something?" Tybalt grunted as Penelope approached him.

The knight hadn't wasted any time in tracking down the guard captain after she left the Great Hall. After a bit of time asking a few comrades, she managed to find him out near the barracks. Tybalt had been directing a few guards in helping with unloading a new supply of weaponry that had finally come in. Apparently it was long overdue since most supplies headed straight to the warfront rather than the castle. It certainly made the guards eager to unload the wagon despite the cold weather.

"Yes I just came to speak with you about my departure back to the warfront." Penelope said with a respectful dip of her head.

"Alright." Tybalt nodded his head. He crossed his arms over his chest. "When will you be leaving?"

"In a couple days." she explained.

"That soon, huh? I suppose I won't be scheduling you back on guard duty then." Tybalt mused. He paused and gave her a curious look. "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"I'm not sure. It depends on how negotiations with Younis goes I suppose. I'd at least say a little less than a month at the least." Penelope replied with a shrug. "Why do you ask?"

"If you're gone for a long period, it'd probably be wise for you to empty out your room before you leave. I may need to use it to accommodate other knights that visit the castle." Tybalt instructed.

"I see. I'll be sure to move my belongings out then before I leave." the knight agreed with a small nod.

"Thank you...May your time on the warfront be short." Tybalt said with a dip of his head to the lieutenant.

Penelope returned the respectful gesture. "Thank you, sir." she said before turning to head off. With some time to kill, she decided to make on last visit that was also quite overdue. Wrapping her cloak tightly against herself as a chilly breeze ruffled it, she began to trek back to the castle's entrance through the snow.

Apparently, Albin had quite a bit that he had wanted to cover in regard to the trip. Crow did his best to pay attention and give input on his preferences about the size of travel rations, what kind of accommodations he would need—and how much to pay for inns versus sleeping in the woods—along with various other details he found incredibly unimportant. It was difficult to stay focused when his thoughts kept drifting back to the subject he really wanted to go over with his father. However, to his increasing impatience, a good time to mention Penelope didn’t come up. The king was too single mindedly concentrated on the items they were refining for the upcoming journey to tolerate any distractions.

The viceroy sank down tiredly in his chair, watching Albin write the three offers he and his advisors had come up with on six separate parchments. According to his instructions, Crow was to present the scrolls containing the accepted offer to the Younisian king to procure a signature. Each pair of scrolls contained identical treaties, one for his father’s archive and another for the foreign monarch’s. When he returned from the northern kingdom, he would then pass off the signed parchments to Albin, who would add his own signature. The copy for the other king would be delivered again to Younis by courier, and the deal would be complete. It was a tedious process.

“You don’t have to stay, you know,” Albin said without looking up. He had only started composing the second of the six scrolls, a replica of the first. “Your time would be better spent practicing your riding skills or your swordsmanship.”

At the mention of swordsmanship, Crow blinked, suddenly reminded of the promise he had made to Naida. He’d gotten so caught up in his plan to talk about Penelope that he’d completely forgotten about his sister’s request. His eyes flicked up from the papers to his father’s face. Perhaps there was a way for him to slip in both of the things he needed to ask.

“I still need to talk to you,” he reminded the king, sitting up straighter in his chair and stretching his back.

Albin sighed and set down his quill. “We’ve made plenty of progress today, I suppose,” he decided. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well,” Crow shuffled his feet. “Firstly, I was wondering if you’ve already made up your mind about who will be accompanying me to Younis.” The king had mentioned before that he wouldn’t let him leave the kingdom without protection, since they were still in the middle of a heated war.

“I’ve assigned four of my best men to act as your guards,” Albin frowned. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that I would feel more comfortable traveling with people I know,” Crow explained. “I used to be hated by your knights, and there are still many who would be happy to let me die if we’re attacked. I don’t want to go to Younis without the company of guards who’ve earned my trust.”

Albin tapped his quill against the table in thought. “I suppose that request isn’t unreasonable,” he admitted. “However, I must insist that you bring at least two of the men I’ve selected for you. I cannot justify send you off with four guards who have never been tested. Who did you have in mind?”

It was Crow’s turn to think about the question. He didn’t know very many knights, and he hated most of the ones he’d had the displeasure of meeting. However, there was one man whom he felt was trustworthy enough to fill the spot next to Naida. “Percival Granger,” he recommended decidedly. “…And Naida.”

Albin stiffened at the suggestion of his daughter, “I’ll give you Percival, but Naida must remain in the citadel.”

“Why?” Crow pressed. “Out of all the people I’ve met in the castle, I trust her more than anyone. She’s a skilled knight, and I think she would make an excellent guard.”

“She’s second in line for the throne,” Albin answered curtly. “I can’t risk allowing anything to happen to her.”

The viceroy pursed his lips. His father sounded like he wasn’t going to budge on the issue, but he couldn’t leave without trying his best. His half-sister deserved that much. “She thinks you don’t have faith in her, you know,” he exhaled quietly. “She told me that in all the time she’s been a knight, you’ve never let her leave the inner kingdom. She’s been hoping for a chance to prove her mettle for years, and it’s starting to hurt her that you still coddle her like a child.” He met the king’s identical green eyes with a helpless shrug. “I think this trip would be a good opportunity for you to show her that you do think she’s a good knight. I mean, do you really think the Younisians would attack a negotiator right now? I paid attention during the council meeting, and I know they’ve been suffering in this war just as much as we have. It’s far more likely that the king will hear us out.”

Albin fell silent, and Crow held his breath as the monarch considered his words. “I didn’t know she felt that way,” he shook his head. “Alright. She may accompany you, but I will inform the other three that in the unlikely event of an attack, they are to protect both of you.”

“I’m sure she’ll be ecstatic when you tell her,” Crow smiled.

“Mmh,” Albin nodded noncommittally. “If that’s all, you may go.”

The viceroy’s smile faded, “Actually, there’s one more thing…”

The knight let out a small breath and knocked softly on the wooden door before taking a step back as she waited for it to be answered. She listened as approaching footsteps told her someone was inside and soon the door creaked open as Oliver Lenz poked his head out to see who his visitor was. As his gaze fell on Penelope, a hint of surprise crossed his eyes. "Oh Penelope, hello." he greeted her then paused as he seemed to realize her reason for visiting them. "Ah do you have news about the king's decision? We haven't heard anything yet."

Before she could open her mouth to respond another voice cut in. "Penelope's here?" Fast pace footsteps sounds across the floor as Dimia hurried over to the door. "It's about time! We've been waiting forever! Well out with it! Did he change his mind?"

"I'm sorry I was caught up with other matters." Penelope said sheepishly. It was more so that it simply slipped her mind to update the Lenzs on the king's decision but naturally, she didn't want them knowing about that. Plus it wasn't the only thing she wanted to talk about anyways. "Do you mind if I come in to talk?"

The couple exchange a glance before Oliver nodded his head and stepped out of the way to allow her entrance. The three moved into the room and sat down on the available spaces. The couple sat on the edge of their bed while Penelope moved to take the chair at the desk. The two looked expectantly at the night as they waited for her to tell them about what had gone on. "Well first off, the king did agree." she told them, offering a smile. "His council even officially approved it yesterday and they're moving forward with plans to negotiate peace with Younis."

"That's great." Oliver nodded his head approvingly.

"Yes and honestly, it couldn't have been done without your help." Penelope said sincerely. For all the times that Dimia had tested the knight, she remained grateful for what the noblewoman and her husband had done for her efforts to end the war peacefully. At the end of their time working together, she even found that she had developed a genuine respect and perhaps even a bit of fondness, for the woman she used to constantly butt heads with. Whether their improved relationship would remain or deteriorate was hard to say though now that they no longer had a common goal. Regardless, the knight bowed her head to them. "I can't express my gratitude enough. If either of you ever need something, know that I'll return the favor to the best of my abilities."

The two were silent for a moment before Dimia spoke up. "Just keep us posted next time you decide to do something as grand." she said, smirking amusedly. "You're making quite the name for yourself, Vermillion, and I won't want to miss the chance to further our own." Her expression softened ever so slightly. "Now I know what my brother saw when he decided to court you." She shook her head and let out an exasperated breath. "Of course, he messed that up."

Penelope blinked, a bit surprised by Dimia's words and how Oliver nodded in agreement. She cracked a smile and gave a small chuckle. "Well, if that's what you wish then I'll be sure to keep in touch next time I need assistance." she mused. The knight paused and then added, "Speaking of what comes next, I'll be taking my leave back to the warfront in a couple days now that I've done what I could here."

"I see, well safe travels to you then." Oliver mused with a nod.

Dimia pursed her lips together for a moment. "When you return....would you mind telling Gavin to return my last letter? He hasn't gotten back to me since we started helping you."

Penelope gave a mildly surprised look before nodding her head. "Yes, of course." she agreed, setting the noblewoman at ease.

"Thank you." Dimia nodded.

Penelope gave a small smile and rose from her seat. "Well, that was all I wanted to say. I'll be heading off now. Thank you two, again." she said with a dip of her head.

"Until next time, Penelope." Oliver returned the gesture.

The knight smiled and turned to head out of the room. It was nearing time to meet up with Crow and with nothing left to do that day, she began her trip to the southern tower. Her hands fiddled nervously with the fabric of her cloak as she wondered what the outcome of his meeting with the king would be. As she exited the castle and crossed the courtyard, she took a deep breath as she entered the tower and began the long trek up the winding stairs.