Albin leaned back in his chair and studied his son with an unreadable expression. Though he said nothing at first, Crow could tell the king was hesitant to keep proffering favors when he had already compromised so much lately. He fidgeted anxiously in his seat as the silence dragged on between them. He would have brought up his desired courtship with Penelope first if there had been an easier way to do it, but it had been a more natural transition to pique his father’s interest with the mention of the guards on his trip. Now, he just hoped the king’s generosity hadn’t been fully spent.

“I’ve catered this journey to your liking as much as I reasonably can, Collin,” Albin pinched the bridge of his nose as he ended the stillness. “I’m sorry, but to do this job, you’re going to have to put up with some things you don’t like.”

“No, no,” Crow shook his head. “It has nothing to do with the trip.”

“Then what is it?” Albin frowned bemusedly.

The viceroy took a steeling breath. “There’s a woman—” He didn’t get any farther before his father let out a low chuckle.

“Oh, I knew this day would come,” the king said sagely. “You really do take after me in more ways than one.”

Not exactly, Crow thought dryly, though he held his tongue. “Yes, well,” he coughed. “There’s a woman at the castle with whom I’ve been captivated for a long time, and her father recently gave me his blessing to court her.” He spoke carefully, keeping his eyes fixed on Albin’s face to gauge his reaction. “I know you said you want me to put off marriage, but I’ve been working hard on my studies, and I give you my word that I won’t let it affect anything regarding the negotiation with Younis if you allow me to pursue her. I’ll keep my work and my personal life separate, so… can I tell her father that I have your approval?”

“Who is this woman that’s made you so smitten?” Albin asked.

The viceroy swallowed, “Penelope Vermillion.”

The king’s jaw tightened briefly, “John’s daughter?”

Crow nodded, “To be completely honest, I’ve been taken with her since she was my guard the first time I went to Younis.” He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully as he made the confession. “She’s also the reason why I accepted your offer to be viceroy… I was hoping that now that I’m a nobleman and now that her father approves of me, we could start courting.”

Albin said nothing at first, taken aback by the news that his estranged son had been interested in his friend’s daughter for so long. After a thoughtful pause, though, his lip curved upward in an incredulous smile. “I have to admit, I’m surprised,” he rolled his shoulders in a stretch. “But, you have been improving at an impressive rate, and I suppose your hard work should be rewarded. So, yes, you may tell John that you have my approval.”

Crow stared at him in astonishment. That was it. No argument. He’d gotten what he wanted without even a semblance of a fight. He grinned at the king excitedly, “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.” Pushing back his chair, he stood up from the table. “And that was all I wanted to ask you. I’ll see you tomorrow, father.” He dipped his head respectfully and hurried out the door to find Penelope and tell her the good news. In his elation, he didn’t even notice Albin’s cold eyes on his back as he left the room.

--

On his way to meet with the knight, Crow only made one stop to fetch his cloak from his bedchamber. He walked at a swift pace through the halls of the castle until he reached the snow-covered courtyard. Following the path by memory, he crossed the open area to the garden and then beyond it to the door that opened at the base of the southern tower. Hoping that she was already there—or that she wouldn’t take long if she wasn’t—he began the climb up to the top, hardly noticing the burn in his legs and lungs as he ascended the spiraling staircase.

Naturally, Penelope was the first to arrive. She wasn't surprised considering that she had finished up her tasks for the day rather early and had been too anxious about finding out what Albin had said to get started on anything else. As she reached the top, she took a moment to catch her breath. The tower's tall climb still managed to make the knight's breath uneven and the cold air only added to the sting of her uneven breathing. Once she caught her breath, her gaze flickered over the scenery of the tower, eying the snow covered stone before moving to lean against one of the wall openings.

Her gaze traveled out towards Bellmare as she took in the sight of the snow covered kingdom. Now that it was approaching sunset, the sky grew more colorful and tints of pink and orange seemed to reflect off onto the white snow below. It was a beautiful sight as always but it did little to ease the nervousness she felt. The knight's emerald eyes shifted onto the small patch of snow that had gathered on the stone surface she was currently leaning on. Absentmindedly, she began to trace meaningless lines and patterns into it as she got lost in her thoughts, making plans for what to do if Albin denied Crow's request to court her.

Eventually the sting of the cold made her draw her hand back. She shivered and rubbed her hands together to warm them up but quickly got distracted by the sound of footsteps ascending the staircase. Her heart skipped an anxious beat as she whirled around to face whoever was coming.

As Crow emerged from the stairs, Penelope took a couple steps towards him. She paused, unsure what to do since she didn't know whether the news was good or bad yet. So instead of greeting him, the knight met his gaze with an uncertain look. "How did it go?" she finally asked, unable to focus on anything else.

When Crow reached the top of the stairs, he pushed open the door above his head and was pleased to see that Penelope had arrived first. He would have been too excited to sit still if he’d had to wait for her on the tower, and he didn’t know how much longer he could go without telling her how his conversation had gone with Albin. It almost felt like a dream. After over two years of hamstrung attempts to be together, first in the outer villages and then in the inner kingdom, they had finally checked all the boxes they needed to take a step toward getting married. He couldn’t wait to move forward from all the people who had both intentionally and inadvertently tried to keep them apart.

Climbing up the last few steps, he dropped the hatch behind him and stepped over to the knight. As eager as he was to share the news, he couldn’t help but notice how stunning she looked in the low light of the sunset. Her skin had a warm glow, and the shadows casted across her face contoured her already beautiful features. He marveled that this woman wanted to be with just as much as he wanted to be with her. It was amazing that he’d gotten so lucky.

“He said yes,” he breathed, winded from the long flight of stairs and the excitement that had built up inside of him. A grin took over his lips, and he swept Penelope into his arms in an affectionate embrace, unable to contain his delight any longer. “He didn’t even protest; he just said yes! We don’t have to hide anymore.”

Without waiting for a response, he pressed a kiss to the knight’s lips, holding her tightly. No longer would they have to pretend like they weren’t interested in each other or sit back and bite their tongues when someone else tried to woo the other. They wouldn’t even have to look over their shoulders just to steal a peck on the cheek. At long last, they could announce to everyone that they were in love with each other, and he couldn’t have been happier.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Penelope's eyes widened in surprise. The moment felt surreal as he swept her into his arms. Even though it was what they had been working towards, it was still an exciting step forward. After all they had gone through—all the setbacks, the people in their way, and plans gone wrong—they were finally going to move forward with their relationship and the knight couldn't have been more thrilled. She let out a gleeful laugh of disbelief and threw her arms around him in return. She would have replied to the news but didn't get the chance to as Crow suddenly pressed his lips against hers.

Though she was slightly caught off guard, she was quick to return the kiss, pressing into him as her eyes fluttered close. Her heart raced as she kissed him—her once forbidden love turned formal suitor. Eventually she pulled back from the kiss, panting as she caught her breath from the exhilaration. Her face was flushed as she met his gaze with a breathless smile. Having gone so long with having to keep a distance and steal a kiss or two when they could, she found their renewed closeness electrifying and it especially felt thrilling to know that it wouldn't be completely over once they returned into the public eye.

"Thank gods." she said with a happy chuckle. Penelope leaned in to press another kiss to his cheek before moving to rest her head against his. "I love you, Collin... I can't believe I finally get to say that you're my suitor." There was a time when she never thought they'd be where they were now, so it made the progress all the more exciting.

She stayed pressed against him for a moment longer before finally taking a small step back. A mischievous glint entered gaze as she looked up at him. "Of course, now we've got to figure out how we're going to break the news to everyone." she added with an amused smirk. "I'm sure some are going to notice the change rather quickly."

When Penelope pulled back from the kiss, Crow met her gaze with a grin, panting as he caught his breath. Hearing her call him her suitor sent a thrill of excitement up his spine. Until recently, he had never believed any woman would choose to let him court her. When he’d been living in the outer villages, the most interest anyone had shown in him had been purely physical. He had thought that the best he would ever get were the one night stands he got away with when he met girls at the taverns. After he and the knight had gotten back together, he still didn’t have much hope for a traditional relationship, since her father had seemed like he would refuse to give them his blessing. Apparently, he had been very wrong.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it,” he admitted with a laugh, resting his cheek against her head while she stayed in his arms for a minute longer. As they embraced, his gaze drifted over the edge of the crenellation to look at the snow-covered citadel. Alone with her on top of the tower, he found himself hoping that this was a portrait of what their future together would be like. If it was, he had more to live for than he ever had in the two decades he’d been alive so far. He made a silent vow to himself to be the best suitor he could be to her, and the best husband following the eventual wedding.

When she stepped back from him, Crow let his arms drop back to his sides. Absently, he was glad that he’d thought to stop by his bedchamber to get his cloak before he’d joined her at the tower. The winter wind that blew by was even more frigid when they were so high off the ground. Without her close-up heat to keep him warm, a shiver ran through his body.

“That won’t be hard,” he smirked, reaching to take her hand and giving it a gentle tug as he headed back toward the hatch. “All it will take are a few public displays of affection, and the rumormongers in this castle will take care of the rest. Now, come on. As your suitor, I’d like to accompany you for a meal in the Great Hall… and maybe a kiss to put all those noblemen who’ve been after you in their place.” He casted her a wry wink.

Penelope smirked at his words and laced her fingers with his as he took her hand. She nodded her head as he mentioned that it wouldn't take long for the rumors to spread. She knew that to be true enough since it was why they had acted so carefully in the first place. As he referred to himself as her suitor, her smirk widened into a grin and she gave a small laugh at his words. "Certainly. I wouldn't want leave them with any doubt about me being taken after all... Speaking of unwanted advances, for once I hope we see Elizabeth there." she mused playfully as they began their descent from the tower.

Most of the other women vying for Crow's attention hadn't bother the knight as much as Liz had. While she'd be glad to give them a reason to stop chasing after the viceroy, Elizabeth was the only one that she felt enough petty towards to want to flaunt it. Penelope would be glad to finally be able to make it clear to the stubborn noblewoman that the viceroy was very much taken, despite whatever history they had. Focusing ahead, she stepped carefully down the steps, unable to keep a smile off her lips. Regardless of anyone or anything else, the knight was simply elated that they were finally courting.

As the two made their way down the long staircase and out of the tower, she gave Crow's hand a small squeeze as they made their way out into the courtyard. The strain of having to go down the long flight of stairs hardly registered with the knight, whom still had a bounce in her step thanks to the good news. Additionally, she found that there was a strange feeling that came with knowingly stepping into the public eye while displaying their closeness. She supposed it was only natural considering most of their relationship had been spent hiding from people.

Penelope finally came out of her thoughts as another person crossed her mind. An amused gleam entered the knight's gaze and she gave Crow's side a playful nudge. "You know... I was too busy thinking about everyone who'll be upset about this that I almost forgot the one person who might be just as thrilled as us." she pointed out with a smirk. "Naida's going to be in for a shock when we see her... Although, I kinda think she deserves it after how difficult she made things."

Crow casted Penelope a smirk when she said that she hoped Elizabeth would be at the Great Hall. Usually, he was the petty one between the two of them, so it amused him to hear her say something so blatantly hostile about the other noblewoman. However, he had to agree that it would be satisfying if Liz was around when they made it clear to everyone that they were together. As the reigning champion of the title for the pettiest one in their relationship, he liked the thought of getting back at her after all the trouble she had caused for both of them. It would feel great to kiss the woman whose appearance the witch had criticized as ugly because of her scars.

When they eventually reached the bottom of the lengthy stairs, the viceroy squeezed Penelope’s hand in return, finding it slightly unnerving to leave their fingers intertwined in a place where anyone could see them. They had kept their taboo romance a secret for months, and it was difficult for him to get used to the fact that there were no more repercussions if someone else at the castle caught them touching. Presently, there were few people outside, since it was cold and supper was being served inside the palace, but there were still some guards posted at various watch points throughout the courtyard. One knight near the doors seemed to notice their sudden closeness and leaned over to say something to his comrade, his eyes fixed on their clasped hands.

Crow watched the pair discreetly, fighting off the habitual tenseness that rose up inside of him, when Penelope’s voice and nudge drew his attention back to her. “She was a pest,” he nodded in agreement, his mood lifting again as he thought of his nosy sister. “But It’ll be nice to know we have one person on our side when everyone else is judging us for our past.” If William was dining in the Great Hall when they arrived, the older knight would be sure to spread word about their whirlwind romance in Younis years ago. He didn’t care what anyone thought of him, but he disliked the thought of other nobles slandering Penelope’s name just because she had been his guard on that assignment.

As they headed into the castle and down the halls that carried them toward the aroma of freshly cooked food, his concerns were replaced with another wave of excitement. Whatever issues they might face from here on out were nothing compared to what they had gone through to get to this point. He couldn’t wait to let it be known that both of them had already made their choice when it came to choosing who to court. With that thought in mind, he stood tall as they stepped, hand-in-hand, into the Great Hall.

Right away, a few heads turned among the crowd—among them, Elizabeth and Kane, Crow noticed—and people began whispering amongst themselves. The viceroy pointedly avoided their gazes, leading the knight over to an empty table near the center of the room. However, instead of sitting down right away, he turned to her with a mischievous smile. “Ready, love?” he said quietly just before he wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her to his chest for a deep kiss.

Penelope nodded her head in agreement as Crow pointed out it would be nice to at least have one person on their side. She agreed. Despite how Naida's attempts to push them were slightly annoying considering they had been keeping their relationship a secret, her friend had been one of the very few who hadn't disapproved of them being together right from the beginning. While part of her was just glad they wouldn't have to skirt around the princess' attempts to push them together, a larger part was merely just excited to tell her friend the truth of the matter.

As they neared the Great Hall, she felt her heartbeat race with anticipation. There had been a few guards that had looked their way on the walk there but the real crowd laid beyond the doors ahead of them. She shifted to walk a little closer to him as they walked into the dining hall. It seemed they had eyes on them from the moment they entered the room. It made the knight smirk a little but she focused her gaze ahead as she followed him over to the empty table. People could think and say what they wished about her but it didn't matter to the knight who was merely happy to be with the man she loved.

The knight didn't get the chance to take a seat at the table as Crow turned to her. She blinked, mildly surprised at how little time he wasted, but a smirk crossed her lips nonetheless. As he pulled her into him, the knight didn't skip a beat as she met his lips. Penelope reached her free hand up to briefly caress his cheek as she sunk into the kiss. Though she wasn't one to put on such a show, she didn't want to leave any room to question their newly founded courtship since they had such little time to establish themselves as a couple.

Eventually the knight pulled back and grinned at the viceroy. Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell the kiss had certainly attracted quite a bit of attention. They had gone from a few eyes on them to nearly half, if not more, of the Great Hall's occupants staring in their direction. As she did a quick glance, she noticed most seemed bewildered but there were a few looks of frustration or anger that she caught among the crowd. A few were women that had been after Crow and a couple noblemen that had been eying her at the party. The most recognizable sour expression though had to be that of William's though.

The older knight's face was contorted with rage. She could see him glancing around, looking for someone, and then quickly standing up as he spotted them. When she followed his gaze, the knight stifled a laugh to see that he was marching over to where her father was sitting with a group of other knights, seeming nonchalant about the 'new' couple. She guessed that William thought he could use her father as a way of breaking them apart since he likely didn't suspect that she had shared her history with the viceroy with him.

"Well, I think we've gotten our point across." she said with a small laugh as her gaze flickered back to Crow. She smiled at him and moved to take a seat on the bench. "Now hopefully we can get through dinner without having to fight anyone off."

Crow leaned into the kiss as Penelope brought her hand to his cheek, equally ecstatic and relieved that they could finally be together without fear of repercussions. It was the first time he’d ever felt so at peace about their relationship. Even though there were some who would wag their tongues in disapproval, no one could do or say anything to pull them apart. It was freeing to know that their fathers’ consent could offer so much protection. Even if the rest of the kingdom casted them disgusted scowls, all they needed was the approval of John and Albin to court in the open.

When Penelope pulled back, he mirrored her grin. Most of the people whom he’d wanted to witness their first major display of affection were present in the Great Hall. He could see them gawping and glaring with the realization that their opportunities to grab for power had disappeared with the passionate kiss. Particularly, he noticed Elizabeth swear and avert her gaze. She had said that she’d given up on pursuing him, but he could tell she was upset about “losing” to a woman she considered beneath her. He also caught sight of Kane and a few other noblemen take on disappointed looks. Their frustration gave him a smug sense of satisfaction, knowing that they couldn’t try to use the knight for her rising stardom in the inner kingdom anymore.

Most amusing of all was William, who looked completely enraged by the scene they had caused. Crow watched as the older knight stormed over to John, probably with the intent to convince him to break off their courtship. He rolled his eyes. Even though their relationship didn’t affect the other man in the slightest, it seemed he couldn’t bear to let them be together. He found it petty that William would continue to try to keep them apart more than two years after their mission in Younis, when their lives had diverged so far from his that they rarely even spoke to one another.

“Think so?” he turned back to Penelope with a playful smirk, sitting down beside her on the bench. As he did, he slipped his arm around her middle and squeezed her against his side in a half embrace before letting go again. Almost as soon as his hand was back in his own lap, he started at the sound of a gleeful voice.

“Oh my gods, oh my gods!” Naida squealed, rushing over to their table from where she had been sitting with a group of her fellow knights. “It took you two long enough! Are you finally courting?”

Crow laughed. “Calm down,” he chided her with a wave of his hand, though truthfully he found her excitement bolstering in a room full of people who weren’t nearly as happy as the princess. “But yes,” he confirmed with a nod and a fond smile at Penelope. “Her father gave us his blessing a few days ago, and the king approved it this morning.”

“What?” Naida gaped at them. “Wait, you’ve been planning this for days? Why did you keep telling me you weren’t interested in each other?”

“Because you don’t know how to keep your mouth shut,” Crow smiled at her slyly and leaned across the table to lower his voice. “Want to know a secret? We’ve actually been together for almost half a year.”

“You’re lying,” his sister’s eyes widened as round as disks.

“Nope,” he shook his head and pressed a kiss to Penelope’s cheek. “She’s the reason why I accepted the title of viceroy and left behind my life as a thief.”

“You know, I always knew there was something going on between you two,” the princess asserted and then turned to the lieutenant with a frown. “But if you were together the whole time, why did you pretend like you were just friends until now?”

"I at least hope so." Penelope said, mirroring his smirk. She smiled as he squeezed her to his side and was just beginning to lean her elbows onto the table as Naida's squeal startled the knight. Turning her head to look towards the source of the sound, she watched as her friend rushed towards them. Her excitement over their newly and informally announced courtship was already refreshing. After all the stares and glares they were already receiving, it was nice to have someone reacting so positively. As Crow confirmed their courtship to the princess, she met his gaze with an affectionate look of her own.

She gave a soft chuckle as Crow also went on to tell Naida just how long they had really been together. The knight moved to place her hand over his, enjoying the lack of space between them. The days of sneaking small touches under the table were gone. Her gaze flickered over to Naida as she addressed her and gave a small sigh. "There were a lot of reasons. He still needed to get my father's blessing and then dealing with the king but the main reason was because I was heading the petition to end the war peacefully." she explained with a small shrug.

As Naida gave her a confused looked, Penelope went on, "If we had started courting before I got the support I needed, there was a large chance that many nobles wouldn't listen to me due to the fact that we already had a history together." she explained. "At least if they try to slander my name about it now there's not anything to risk."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense then." Naida mused with a thoughtful nod. She paused and gave Penelope a curious look. "Why do you think they'd slander your name though? You have a pretty decent reputation, especially now, and it was just one mission."

The knight paused and gave a sheepish smile. "Well...mainly because one knight might have figured out we were romantically involved on said mission.." She looked over at Crow and gave her shoulders a small shrug. Now that they were courting and seeing William's reaction, she saw no reason in hiding their history together. It was likely William would spread the story around the castle, likely twisting it in a way that would make it seem much worse than what actually occurred.

Crow casted Penelope an affectionate smile when she placed her hand on top of his, listening to her explain the reasons why they had kept their relationship under wraps for so long. Each point she listed felt like shackles being shed. All the reasons why they had decided not to tell anyone were valid, but now they didn’t have a hold on them anyone. After more than two years of waiting, he and the knight were finally on the right track to get married and have a life together.

As Penelope went on to tell Naida about their history in Younis, he smirked at his sister’s reaction. “Wait, what?” Naida squawked incredulously, eyes darting between them as she processed the information. “You’ve been together that long? And when he was your prisoner? I have so many questions.”

“Such as?” Crow prompted her amusedly and glanced at Penelope. “We don’t have anything to hide anymore, so go ahead and ask.”

“Well…” the princess started thoughtfully. She went on to inquire about their relationship, and Crow answered each question honestly, letting Penelope fill in details as well if she wished. He told her about how they had first gotten together while they were still prisoner and guard in Younis, why they had lost touch after they returned to Brerra, how they had reconnected when the knight’s battalion had joined the warfront, how they had gotten back together when she had ended things with her last suitor, Gavin, and more. It felt good to finally open up to someone about the true story when everyone always seemed to make so many assumptions when they found out about their unorthodox history.

His sister made a great listener too. She hung on every word, enraptured by the tale he told. When she finally ran out of questions, she shook her head, “When I saw you two kiss today, I thought I was going to take credit for this courtship, but it sounds like you didn’t need me at all.”

“Not a bit,” Crow grinned in agreement and took a bite of his food. The servants had arrived with their plates during the time he had been telling the princess about their past.

“Either way, I’m happy,” Naida professed, beaming at them joyfully. “My best friend and my brother are going to get married!” She reached out to clasp Penelope’s hand across the table. “Is it too soon to welcome you to the family?”

Penelope chuckled at Naida's reaction. She glanced over at Crow as he began to answer the questions that the princess had about their relationship. The knight let the viceroy answer most of the questions, only chiming in with additional details that she felt like adding in between bites. She enjoyed the recounting of their history to Naida, mainly due to how eagerly she listened. It was nice to simply retell it without having to use it as an explanation or defense as to why they were together. After so much judgment and so many trying to tear them apart, it was refreshing to finally explain everything to the person who had been rooting for them to end up together.

As Naida grabbed her hand, Penelope smiled amusedly. "It might be a bit early that's for sure—" she laughed and her gaze flickered briefly over to Crow. Her smiled softened and she focused back on her friend. "—but our intentions are pretty set in stone so I don't see why not, I guess."

"Then welcome!" Naida declared, still beaming. She let go of Penelope's hand and clapped her hands together excitedly. "I can't wait for you to officially go from being my best friend to my sister!"

"Just don't forget that's not public knowledge." Penelope reminded her with a smirk.

"Of course, of course." Naida waved her hand dismissively. She took a bite of her food, chewing a bit quickly as something else seemed to cross her mind as a spark entered her gaze. "Have you thought about what the ceremony will look like? I want to make sure I'm already on the list of guests!"

"I'll put your name at the top of the list." Penelope snorted. She shifted a bit and shrugged her shoulders. "To answer your question though, no. We just barely got the ok to start courting, we still have a ways to go before we can actually get married."

Naida raised an eyebrow and then smirked teasingly at her friend. "I asked if you had thought about it, not if you planned it!" she pointed out. As a faint blush crossed over Penelope's cheeks, Naida's smirk grew. "Come on, surely you must have pictured something in your head."

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Well... yeah." she admitted, getting a bit flustered at the subject of their future together as she usually did. "For a long time I figured it would just be an affair between the two of us in the outer villages but with the changed plans.... I suppose I see it being held at my family's manor in Bellmare." She glanced at Crow and then quickly looked down at her food, shifting it around on her plate. "Having it at the castle would likely attract unwanted guests and I figure it should be a small affair..I'm sure my father will make it as traditional as he can so obviously there'd be a big feast afterwards. But as far as the other details go, I don't picture anything in specific." The knight shrugged her shoulders and lifted her gaze to smile bashfully at Crow. "I mean, as long as we're getting married, I don't really care about the rest."

Crow watched his sister amusedly as she prematurely welcomed Penelope into their family. They had only been courting for less than the span of a whole evening, but the princess was already too ecstatic to wait any longer. He decided not to tease her this time though. Considering the fact that Naida was among a group of nobles he could count on one hand who supported them, he appreciated her avid response to the news. It was going to be encouraging if or when they started hearing more from the people who weren’t as excited about their newly public relationship.

His eyes shifted to William’s irate figure on the other side of the room, protesting the courtship with John. Right now, the only ones who were actively upset about their passionate announcement were the men and women who had been trying to use them to rise up in the social hierarchy. However, he had a feeling even more people in the castle would side against them as the petty old knight spread the word that they had been intimately involved when Penelope had been his guard two years ago. Nobles were shallow, so he knew they would judge the lieutenant for falling in love with a criminal. It was only a matter of time before someone’s tongue would slip, and their true thoughts would start to show through.

When Naida asked Penelope about the ceremony, Crow turned back to her with a bemused smile. The princess really didn’t waste any time. Her question gave him pause though. He hadn’t thought much about what a wedding ceremony would look like now that he was a nobleman. Having grown up with the traditions of peasants, he only knew about the handfasting ceremonies the villagers would throw together to get married. It didn’t take much planning, since all a couple needed was an officiator and at least one witness, but it sounded like members of the upper echelon of society planned much more elaborate events.

He glanced at Penelope, noticing that she had gotten visibly flustered by the subject. Her awkwardness surrounding their future was cute to him. When they had first started talking about it near Farhill, he’d been just as uncomfortable as she was, but the more he thought about it, the more his excitement replaced his nervousness. He knew what he wanted, and he knew she was on the same page as he was. Now, the prospect of marrying her was more thrilling than anything else. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her.

“Me too,” he agreed, leaning in to press another affectionate kiss to the knight’s cheek. “I don’t care if we get married in a manor or the middle of the woods. I just want to be with you.”

“And have a banquet full of good food, right?” Naida teased him with a grin. “Since you like hors d’oeuvres better than women.”

“Better than every woman except this one,” Crow corrected her with a wink, wrapping his arm around Penelope’s side. He knew nobles usually weren’t as openly affectionate as he was being now, but he was enjoying the ability to be so close to her without hiding it anymore. And he wanted to make it clear to every man in the Great Hall that she was off the market. “But yes, if there’s going to be a banquet on our wedding day, I’m going to be eating venison. That’s non-negotiable, love.” He shot Penelope a playful smirk.

Penelope smiled as he pressed another kiss to her cheek. The knight had figured he'd have a similar view as her own when it came to their eventual marriage but it was still nice to hear him confirm it outloud. Though they had barely gotten permission to court, she already couldn't wait for the day they'd finally be able to achieve that dream of marriage. It finally felt like their end goal of creating a life together was in reach rather than waiting for them on the horizon like it had been. As he wrapped an arm around her side, she pressed slightly into him.

"Of course." Penelope returned his playful smirk. "I'm plenty aware of who I'm marrying so I wouldn't imagine it any other way." The knight gave his side a teasing nudge before her focus shifted onto her food. With only a small portion left, she fell quiet for a moment to let the other two talk if they so wished as she finished off her plate. Once she was done, she let out a content sigh and leaned her elbows on the table.

Though she had finished her supper, the knight was reluctant to retire to her room. She was still relishing in the fact that they were now publicly courting and it made her hesitant to part from him. However, she reminded herself that they still had more days to come. She looked forward to their days traveling even more now that they wouldn't have to hide their relationship anymore. "Well, I better head off. I've got to take a trip out to Bellmare tomorrow to move some of the stuff I'm not taking with me to the warfront out of my room. And that means I've got to be up early." she announced.

She gave a small stretch, sitting up a bit straighter, and then leaned over to press a kiss to her suitor's cheek. "So be sure to save me a seat at supper since I might miss you for breakfast." she instructed with a small smirk.

“Just making sure,” Crow laughed when he felt Penelope nudge him. All joking aside, he was just happy that they could even talk about a wedding like this. It had taken years, but after everything, things finally felt like they were falling into place. His gaze softened as he looked at her, the knight who had captured his heart so long ago and the woman who would soon be his wife. He’d never felt so strongly about anyone else before, and he couldn’t wait to find out just how much more his affection for her could grow in the years to come.

Across the table, Naida smiled broadly at them both. “I knew you were perfect for each other. You can’t hide chemistry like this.”

“We did our best, alright?” Crow rolled his eyes at her.

He and the princess bantered a little while longer as they ate, until Penelope announced that she needed to leave. The viceroy turned to her with a frown. He’d been hoping that they could spend more time together now that they were officially courting, but he knew he couldn’t ask her to stay. They didn’t have long to get ready to leave the castle, and he was going to be spending most of the following day with Albin in preparation for the trip as well. He should have expected that she would be busy too.

“I will,” he smiled when she kissed his cheek. “Have a good night, love.”

Slowed by his conversation with Naida, he had a few more bites of food to eat before he got up from the table as well, bidding his sister goodbye. Albin wanted him to leave bright and early on the day of the trip, so they would be spending most of tomorrow revising plans and inventory to make sure that the journey would go smoothly. He didn’t have to wake up sooner than he did on any other day, but he wanted to be well rested so that he could pay full attention to everything that was going on. With that thought in mind, he retired to his bedchamber to do his routine exercise and go to sleep.

--

The following day went by so quickly that it felt like a blur to Crow. He spent breakfast with Wayne, Robyn, and Percival, using the time to tell the knight that he would be accompanying him as one of four guards because of the last minute switch. After that, he tracked down Naida at a guard post on the second floor, having realized that he had completely forgotten to tell her that she would be coming on the trip too. Naturally, his sister was thrilled by the news and nearly abandoned her post to start preparing right away. It took some convincing on his part to get her to stay put until her shift ended.

From there, he made his way to his father’s quarters to review the plans for the negotiation. Albin quizzed him twice to make sure he didn’t forget any of the details, and once he seemed satisfied that his ambassador was prepared, they went down to the stables to brush up on horseback riding. The king had heard from John that Crow had excelled at commanding Baine once he’d gotten over his initial hesitation about riding, but he had yet to see proof of the former thief’s improvement for himself. So, they rode together from the castle to the woods that bordered the edge of the citadel.

During the ride, they conversed casually. Albin asked Crow about how he had been settling in at the palace, if the other noblemen and women had been treating him fairly—with underlying threats that he would get involved if they still showed prejudice because of his criminal past—and how prepared he felt to speak with the Younisian king. The viceroy noticed that his father seemed to be avoiding the subject of his new courtship, but he didn’t think too much of it. Penelope had been the spearhead in the campaign against the monarch’s plan to ally with Gorm, so Albin was probably still bitter about that.

When they got back to the castle, Albin took Crow with him to see the supplies he would be taking to the northern kingdom. Since all six members of the group would be on horseback, they didn’t have a wagon this time. Instead, all the tools and the food stock had been packed into saddlebags to make the ride faster. The viceroy sifted through each one, familiarizing himself with the locations of objects he would use most often on the trip, until he felt confident that he knew where most of the items he deemed important had been stowed away.

At the end of the long day, he parted ways with his father and headed to the Great Hall, eager to fill his stomach after all the activity. He was also looking forward to seeing Penelope again. Just the thought of her brought a smile to his lips as he stepped into the dining chamber and scanned the crowd. However, it seemed like he was the first one to arrive, so he picked the first empty table he saw and sat down to wait for her to join him, making small talk with Preston when the attendant brought him his food.

The next day was rather busy for the knight. Getting an early start, she had planned to have her breakfast alone since she knew her usual companions would likely still be asleep. Unfortunately, it hadn't quite worked out that way. Instead, she was joined by Cedric who had just gotten off of his night guard duty. By then, the news about her and Crow's relationship had reached his ear. He clearly wasn't thrilled about the situation but he seemed to finally accept the outcome after questioning her about it further. While Penelope had no intention of sharing their history with the male knight, she did make it clear that she wouldn't be changing her mind about having him as her suitor.

Once she managed to get through her meal with less than perfect company, she packed up her belongings and headed off to Bellmare on her horse. It was a short ride to the inner city and the knight didn't waste any time making her way to her family's manor. Once she had reached the estate, she snuck in and out with ease, leaving behind the unnecessary items she had been stowing away in her room at the castle. Penelope luckily didn't have any run ins with her family but was slightly disappointed that she hadn't happened across Letitia. Now that she and Crow were officially courting, she would have liked to relay the good news to the servant but it seemed she have to save it for another time.

After leaving the manor, her day in Bellmare didn't stop there. Penelope took a detour into the marketplace. With her departure coming up, she needed to grab a few supplies for the trip. After all, she would eventually be splitting off from the group and wanted to make sure she had her own supplies ready for the last leg of her journey back to her battalion. The time in the marketplace went by rather fast as she only needed a few different items. Once she was done, she began her journey back to the castle.

By the time the knight reached the castle it was nearing supper time. Not wanting to miss Crow for supper, she tried to speed through returning her horse to the stable and dropping off the small amount of supplies. With all her belongings—aside from her armor, sword, and supplies—the room seemed much more empty and felt much less like her own. However, with only one more night there, she didn't dwell on it and instead quickly made her way to Great Hall for supper. Having missed Crow for breakfast, she hoped to make up for a bit of lost time, especially when they had just begun courting.

As she stepped into the Great Hall, her deep green eyes flickered over the faces in the room until they landed on the one she had been searching for. A fond smile graced her lips and she eagerly moved to join her suitor at the table. She nodded her head to Preston and offered a quick greeting as she passed him on her way to sit down next to the viceroy. While she normally would have opted to sit across from him, the knight was still basking in the fact that they were no longer keeping any distance between each other. After going so long with sneaking small touches and acting formally in the public eye, she jumped at the chance to keep the distance between them to a minimum for now, even if it was only a table.

"Sorry I'm a little late. I had some things to put away when I returned." she explained with a shrug as she sat down. Penelope flashed him a smirk. "I assume saving my seat wasn't too difficult after what went on yesterday, right?"

“I was wondering,” Preston mused as he swallowed the last bite of food that he had tested on the viceroy’s plate. “The king gave you the choice to choose some of your guards, and Penelope is a knight. Why didn’t you ask for her to come with you to Younis tomorrow?”

“It would have been pointless,” Crow shrugged, digging into his food as soon as the attendant was done. “He wouldn’t have permitted her to join, because he would have seen her as a distraction to me. One of the conditions he made to allow me to court her was that I wouldn’t let it affect my work. I also didn’t want to ask him for too much up front and risk getting denied everything I wanted.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Preston frowned thoughtfully. “Being the king’s ward comes with quite a few tethers, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” Crow nodded. Being the king’s son came with more, but he kept that detail to himself. Although he trusted Preston to keep quiet about the information, he didn’t want to let it change the way the servant looked at him. At the moment, they had developed a close camaraderie over their shared past in Myrefall and the fact that they’d had similar upbringings as peasants. He didn’t know much about how the taciturn boy viewed the members of nobility, but if he was as spiteful as most other villagers, he might resent him for his lineage.

The former thief was drawn from his thoughts when he heard Penelope’s voice beside him, offering Preston a greeting. He turned to her with a smile, glad to see that she hadn’t missed supper. After spending the whole day apart, he was eager to catch up with her. “I’ll forgive you this time,” he teased, pressing a playful kiss to her temple when she sat down beside him. He was still reveling in the fact that they could get away with such casual touches in front of the other people in the castle.

At her following question, he shook his head. “I think we scared everyone away,” he grinned. “Today was the first time in a long time that I’ve been able to sit down at an empty table without being approached by anyone. It was heavenly.” He picked up his drink and took a sip before going on, “Apart from making me wait, how was your trip to Bellmare?”

Penelope gave a small chuckle as he admitted that he had been able to sit alone without interruption. She was glad that the viceroy had found more success than she had. After breakfast that morning, it seemed she still had to make it clear to a couple people—namely Cedric—about how certain she was with her choice of suitor. It was encouraging to hear that at least most people had accepted that the two were together. "That's good." she replied as she leaned her head against her hand. As he went on to ask about her day in Bellmare, she gave a small shrug.

"It was fine. A tad boring but I got what I needed to done." she explained. She casted him a smile. "At least I can say I'm ready to leave now. I'm still trying to decide if I should split off from your group at Wellspring or Silverpool though." While Wellspring was the more obvious answer, traveling to Silverpool to see him off near the border wouldn't be that much of a set back. Not to mention that she was already far ahead of her scheduled return to the warfront. Perhaps taking the extra day wouldn't be such a terrible idea.

"My battalion isn't expecting me back so soon anyways so I suppose seeing you off all the way to Silverpool wouldn't be such a terrible delay." Penelope added with a shrug. The knight was about to ask him about how his day had gone but didn't get the chance to as a very unwelcomed voice interrupted.

"I hope you two are aware this isn't going to last." growled an all too familiar voice.

Turning her head, she looked over to see that William had approached their table. The male knight was scowling at them as he stopped at their table. It seemed that since his efforts with John likely hadn't gone over well, his next tactic was to go straight to them. Penelope rolled her eyes. She had been hoping they'd be leaving before the older knight could bother them anymore than he already was from a distance but it seemed they'd have to put up with him at least this one. "Dear gods William can't you move on already?" she grumbled, no longer holding her tongue with the older knight. He may have held some power over them before but with Crow now a viceroy and their approved courtship, there was nothing he could do or say to separate them.

Crow nodded as Penelope told him about her day, taking another bite of his supper. When it came to parting ways on the trip, he hadn’t thought much about location or time, but he supposed he preferred to wait until the last possible moment. After all, they would be spending at least two weeks away from each other once they split off at the border. He wanted to see her as much as he could, before he wouldn’t be able to see her at all in Younis.

Thinking about the border, he wondered if he would be able to slip away from the group at all to visit his old companions. Their hideout wasn’t anywhere near Wellspring or Silverpool, but he had promised them that he would stop by whenever he returned to the outer villages. If his father hadn’t already outlined the route he wanted them to take, he would have redirected his entourage to travel further north before making the journey westward toward their neighbor’s citadel. He drummed his fingers contemplatively against the table, trying to come up with a way to stop by without drawing attention to himself when William’s voice jarred him from his planning.

The viceroy groaned and turned around to see that the older knight had come to harass them one more time. He didn’t understand why William cared so much. It wasn’t like he was still a wanted thief. He and Penelope had taken every measure to ensure that they could be together the “right way,” or so the nobles in the inner kingdom would have said. It was ridiculous that their long-ago comrade was still going out of his way to try to keep them apart.

“Not as long as you continue to bring disgrace to the knights of this kingdom who work hard to uphold our values,” William snapped. “A guard should never be romantically involved with her convict. It’s shameful.”

“I’m not a convict anymore, so that point is moot,” Crow shot the knight a glare, disliking the words he used to describe the woman he loved. “In fact, she and I are both higher ranking than you, so I don’t think you have a right to stand there and act like you have any authority over either of us.” Usually, he wouldn’t drag the status card into an argument, but having gotten to know William in the past, he was well aware that nothing else would make the stubborn man bite his tongue.

“You may have convinced the king somehow, but I’m not so easily fooled,” William growled under his breath. “Once a criminal, always a criminal. It’s only a matter of time before you slip up, and the whole kingdom will see your true colors, thief.”

“Careful,” Crow narrowed his eyes. “That almost sounds like treason.” He glanced past the knight to make sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. It surprised him that the knight would go so far as to say that he was smarter than their ruler, but even more than that, he was concerned about what would happen if Albin found out that William had called him ‘thief.’ He disliked the older man, but he didn’t want to see him sentenced to death over words spoken in anger.

Penelope snorted as William tried to belittle her for being with the former criminal. The stubborn old knight seemed to refuse to let go of their beginnings together and to say it was frustrating was an understatement. Although, she was beginning to suspect his pride had taken a hit from when they were sneaking around behind his back and the fact that they were courting now likely only confirmed to him that they had been sneaking around again. The thought made her smirk a bit tauntingly at William as Crow went on to point out the flaws in his argument.

"The only treason here a knight betraying her kingdom." William scowled. His gaze shifted over to glare accusingly at Penelope. "You really didn't learn a damn thing from when he escaped at the border did you? You're still that same naive girl who's going to get her reputation ruined because of a criminal. A disgrace yet again."

"The only disgrace here is the annoying knight who thinks he knows everything." Penelope countered, rolling her eyes at him. She crossed her arms over her chest and met William's gaze with a glare. "I'm plenty aware of who I'm with and what people like you are going to say. Believe it or not William but there are somethings more important than your stuck up values. Maybe if you realized this you could find something more productive to do rather than badgering us."

William's jaw clenched furiously at her words. "Don't expect pity from me when something goes wrong again this time, Vermillion. I kept my mouth shut for two years because I thought you learned better but that's over. This time I won't stop you or him from tearing you down." he spat as he turned to leave.

"As long as it means you'll leave us alone, I could care less." Penelope grunted, reaching to rest her hand on top of Crow's arm defiantly. She shot a glare at the older knight's back as he finally moved to leave them alone. Once there was some distance between them, she let out a small snort and moved to press a little closer to Crow as she relaxed now that the older knight was out of their hair. As suspected, it seemed the days of William keeping their whirlwind romance in Younis to himself were over but that hardly mattered to the knight. People were likely already making that assumption for themselves so all it did was confirm it. "Gods what a bastard..." she grumbled as she quelled her frustration with the older knight. Glancing up at Crow, she offered a joking smirk. "Think I should have left him in the dungeon?"