[IC] Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

[Rogue Sloth]

“Oh sorry, I must have misunderstood,” Crow rolled his eyes at Penelope’s jibe. “You should be more clear with your instructions, love.” Even though he teased her, he was relieved to see that the knight had escaped from the nobles without any more injuries. The feeling surprised him. He never expected to care this much about any of his forced companions’ wellbeing. Sure, he and Penelope had come to a mutual understanding about the terms of their mission, but he didn’t think the bond ran any deeper than that. The unprompted concern he felt for her safety led him to wonder just how close they had become over the last few days. Did she care about what happened to him, too? He eyed her curiously as they walked. It was difficult to tell. She was always so reserved and hard to read, but perhaps he could try to test her somehow.

As they continued to navigate their way back to the village, Crow slowly built a limp into his gait, favoring his left leg like it was injured. He trailed slightly behind Penelope and took on a focused expression as if walking pained him. After about a minute of this, he stopped and leaned against a tree—he angled his body carefully so as not to rub his real burn wounds against the bark—and spoke up to get the knight’s attention, “Hold on; I need a break.”

It wasn’t that challenging to look exhausted. Crow really was tired after his grand escape from the nobles, but he could have made the trip back to the village if he pushed himself. He just wanted to find out for sure whether or not his comradery with Penelope was one-sided. After all, he didn’t want to reveal his own concern for her if she still looked at him like a common criminal. He was guarded about his thoughts just like she was.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope walked on towards the village though she quickly began to notice that Crow was lagging behind. It wasn't exactly like him so she glanced back at him. She noticed that he seemed to be favoring one leg but she found it a bit strange. She swore he had seemed fine earlier, besides the burns that is. Once he finally spoke up, Penelope stopped and turned to him. "Alright." She said.

She would have rather gotten to the village as quickly as possible. Staying out where the nobles might find them wasn't exactly something she wanted. But if he was hurt, Penelope wasn't going to push him past his limit. "Are you going to be able to make it back on your own?" She asked him as she walked up besides him. "I can help you if you can't. What happened to your leg anyways?" She didn't realize he was trying to test her. If anything, she figured that his leg was sprained and he might have been pushing through the pain in order to escape.

Penelope paused and began to think for a moment. "On the topic of wounds... I wonder if we have anything for your burns..." She mumbled. They had brought medical supplies in case of attacks but she had to wonder if any of it was incase of burns. There likely wasn't any so perhaps she could buy some at the village. Or she could always make a quick ointment. Her medical skills were limited but she could make a basic ointment to help him heal.

[Rogue Sloth]

“I’m fine,” Crow shook his head when Penelope asked if he could walk on his own. “Don’t worry about it.” The knight stepped closer to him, examining his condition. He tensed and looked away, uncomfortably aware of her proximity. She seemed to have that effect on him quite often as of late. It really was annoying. Yet the concern in her eyes also left the thief with an unfamiliar, fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach that wasn’t so unpleasant. It was almost like he wanted to run away from her but also move a bit closer to her at the same time. He closed his eyes, feeling overwhelmed by the tangle of foreign emotions. What’s wrong with me?

“On the topic of wounds,” Penelope said, seemingly oblivious of his discomfort—or perhaps she merely thought he was in pain. “I wonder if we have anything for your burns...”

Crow stared at her with intrigue. The knight really did care about his injuries. Honestly, he had only expected her to worry about his falsely wounded leg because it would slow them down on their way back to the village, but instead she was pondering how to heal his burns as well. The thought left him with a warm feeling, but it quickly disappeared as the untrusting part of his conscience began to whisper: She only cares because your injuries will hinder your mission. It was a disappointing thought, though it was a valid one, too. Was Penelope helping him out of genuine companionship, or was she simply repairing a tool for later use? Given his past experiences with knights, the latter seemed more likely.

But, then again, Penelope wasn’t like the other knights.

“Tell me something,” Crow spoke up. His vague tactics of manipulation weren’t getting him anywhere, so, for once, he decided to try being straightforward. The thief met her gaze evenly as he went on. “Why are you being so nice to me? All I’ve done so far is lie, cheat, and steal from you. Sure, I’ve helped out a couple times, but only because I’m now bound to this job by my word. I don’t get it.” He shook his head again. “Why am I getting fair treatment all of the sudden?”

[BuzzingBee]

She was busy planning out how to go about treating his wounds when he finally spoke up. It broke her train of thought and she turned look over at him, slightly surprised. At his questions, she smiled faintly and rolled her eyes. "I thought that your leg was ok..." She muttered before crossing her arms. Her gaze wasn't serious or stern. If anything, it was soft.

For a small moment, she couldn't help but feel a bit of empathy towards him. She may have put a lot of trust and faith in him, but she still had her doubts as well. However, Crow seemed much less willing to trust her and that was only with things such as emotions. It made her realize that his trust issues must be worse than those of her own. She couldn't help but think of the reasons for it.

"Those are weird questions. Hard to answer too..." The knight let out a sigh and gave a small shrug. "I guess, it's because I understand you. I mean, I get why you lie, cheat, and even steal. It's hard to hold hatred or grudges once you begin to hold sympathy instead." Penelope looked off to the side as she continued speaking. "Anyways, I don't hate you... I don't think I ever hated you. Pride and mere stereotyping may have blinded my judgement of you when we first met but, I'd like to think things have changed."

Penelope cleared her throat and eyed with a teasing gaze. She smirked. "Besides that, aren't you one to talk? You talk about only helping me because of the deal we made but that's a lie. Before you tried to escape, you comforted me when I was having issues with my father and brother. Heck, you even got those dumb nobles to bandage my shoulder when you didn't even have to. Don't act like it's just me." Penelope snickered.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow felt warmth creep up his neck and flush his cheeks at Penelope’s words. She actually understood him? Was that even possible? As much as he racked his brain, he couldn’t remember a single time when someone ever sympathized with him before. Everyone always wrote him off as a heartless criminal or a twisted man with no moral compass. Sure, there were some people who took the time to get to know him at least a little bit, such as Evelyn, but he could tell they had all kept an emotional distance from him. It was only natural. He was infamous for lying and betraying, so they had every reason to believe he would do the same to them. After all, who would be crazy enough to trust a thief?

Apparently this knight was. Crow smiled melancholically as she listed the times when he had helped her without seeking personal gain. She was right; there had been a few moments when he put his own needs aside for her. He wondered why that was. As long as he had been on his own, he had always put his own interests before anyone else’s, even causing them trouble if it meant he could attain his goals. But now, it seemed that something inside him had changed. It had taken him until this moment to realize it, but he actually cared about when Penelope was unhappy or in trouble.

Is this what it’s like to have a friend?

“Looks like you caught me,” Crow laughed and held up his hands in a shrug. “I do have a heart.” He dropped his gaze to the ground for a moment before continuing somewhat bashfully. “Also… thanks. No one has ever tried to understand me before. It’s… nice. Nice to know that not everyone thinks I’m a thoughtless criminal, I mean.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope watched him as he lowered his gaze. She smiled at him as he thanked her. The words made her happy and in that short time, it became clear to her. She couldn't think of him as an enemy or a criminal anymore. If she did, it'd be forced. However, he wasn't just an ally and she was being to come to terms to that as well. He was a friend. And she realized part of that had nothing to do with trust. She trusted William and Abraxas plenty but they were only comrades. Penelope hated to admit but now she wasn't as guarded, both physically and emotionally. She knew she wasn't as stern or as strict as she had been when they had first began their journey. The knight had relaxed a great deal around him and her true colors were becoming much easier to read.

It was a little annoying but she welcomed the break from all the high walls and emotionless faces. "Well, you sure don't make it easy, that's for sure." She mused. Penelope smirked and suddenly leaned forward to ruffle his hair in a playful manner. "Come on. We better get back before William starts wondering what's taking us." She told him before turning and beginning to walk once more. Since she knew his leg was ok, she didn't bother offering her help. "I'm sure you must be dying to rub this whole thing in his face after all." She commented, glancing over at Crow.

Of course she was referring to the incident with the nobles. William's pride was sure to take a hard blow after having been saved by a thief. While he was her comrade, Penelope couldn't help but look forward to how he would react. Perhaps the incident would even make holding up her end of the deal just a little easier.

[Rogue Sloth]

A friend. Yes, that was what Penelope had become to Crow over the course of their travels together. But what did that mean for their relationship? From what he knew, friends were people who relied on each other in tough times, who confided in each other their deepest secrets, who put each other’s needs before their own. Was he—a thief who relied on no one but himself for the majority of his life—really ready to follow through with such weighty commitments? It was true that he had helped the knight a few times before, but the thought of putting so much trust in her was unnerving. He had never put that much faith in anyone else before, so he wasn’t even sure how to start or if he even wanted to try. For now, he decided to continue with things as they were. If Penelope was worthy of his trust, she would be able to prove it to him eventually. Until then, he would only rely on her when he needed to, and he would keep his secrets to himself.

Crow was startled from his thoughts when Penelope leaned forward and playfully tousled his hair. He froze, surprised at her forwardness. Since when did she get so friendly with him? While they bantered often, she had never gone so far as to be physically rowdy. He was always the one who instigated those kinds of joking interactions. He smiled. Somehow, it pleased him to see her this comfortable around him. Well, if she wants to mess around, we can mess around.

When Penelope turned around to walk back to the village, Crow snuck up behind her and slipped his arm around her neck, pinning the knight in a playful headlock as he tousled her hair like she had done to him earlier. “Who cares what William thinks?” he grinned. “That old grump is always mad about something. I’ve given up trying to please him.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope hadn't been expecting him to that. In fact, he was lucky that she quickly realized it was him and what he was doing. He would have ended up getting a dagger in his side if she hadn't. "Hey!" she yelped as he began to ruffle her hair. The knight swatted his hands away and slipped out of his hold. She grinned a bit and rolled her eyes at Crow.

"Given up?" Penelope echoed with a small laugh. "Exactly when did you start trying to please him?" She questioned as she glanced over at Crow with a raised eyebrow. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. William is a good knight but he certainly relies too much on the law and not enough on his own feelings." Penelope admitted with a small shrug.

The knight had to admit that being able to talk and act like this was something she had missed. Most knights that she worked with often weren't too different from William and one was more than enough for her to deal with. In her training days as a knight, she was able to act similarly to how she was now. Penelope had made friends and they had gotten along rather well but that was over. They had all been assigned to different parts of the kingdom and Penelope rarely saw them.

[Rogue Sloth]

“That’s beside the point,” Crow rolled his eyes when Penelope accused him of never trying to appease William. “He’s never done anything to deserve my respect anyway. When he starts letting me eat when I want to, I’ll start being nice to him.” He walked beside her as they continued the trek back to the village once more. The edge of it was now within sight, so it wouldn’t be long before they were reunited with the other two knights. The thought was somehow depressing to him. He and Penelope were finally getting along so well, but what if she was just delirious from exhaustion and turned cold towards him after getting some rest? He eyed her guardedly. She claimed to have sympathy for him, but how deeply did that really impact the way she viewed him? Even though he wanted to believe her, it was hard to do after so many years of being misunderstood and hated by people of her status. He found himself swinging from trust back to skepticism until she spoke up again.

“William is a good knight, but he certainly relies too much on the law and not enough on his own feelings.”

Crow stared at Penelope in mild surprise. He had never heard of a knight who believed in emotions over the law. It was strangely relaxing to know that she didn’t hold on to the king’s rules as religiously as her comrades did. Maybe he could trust her after all. He certainly wanted to, and at that moment she was giving him every reason to stop suspecting her of ulterior motives. Maybe he could let her get just a little bit closer to him.

“The law,” Crow shook his head. “The law is what causes the people in these villages so much pain. It’s what gives the king the right to tax them of all their earnings, what gives him the power to abuse them the way he does. I can’t stand it.” Now at the outskirts of the village, the thief absently kicked a small rock in front of him as they walked. “The law drove my mother to death, and the law is what keeps so many in poverty. I think that’s partly why I decided to rebel against it.” He held Penelope’s gaze. “Thievery is my way of trying to right the king’s wrong and restore some sort of balance to this kingdom. I know it’s foolish—I can’t really change anything since I’m just one man—but I can still make a difference in my little sphere of influence, you know?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope listened to Crow as he spoke about the law. She surveyed the area once to make sure it was no one but the two of them before she decided to reply. "Don't confuse the law for one person's greed." She told him in a hushed tone. While she didn't say much, it was clear that she didn't want to be deemed as a traitor if someone should over hear them. It was ok for someone like Crow to talk about the law and the king as such but for a knight, Penelope knew that her job meant she was suppose to hold her tongue and remain loyal.

She turned her head to look over at Crow and she smiled a little in amusement as he talked about how stealing was his way of making a difference, even if it was a small one. "This is going to sound strange but you sound like my father when you say that." She told him with a small laugh. She focused her gaze back ahead as they walked, her mind drifting to her family. "He won't say it or even acknowledge it in a conversation but I know he's not pleased with the state of the outer villages. He's a skilled knight, yet he chooses to work out here rather than in the castle." She explained.

A proud look gleamed in her eyes. "He told me once when I was little that he did it for the people. He was able to take a commanding role with the guard down in that village and while he might not have been able to do much, my father lessens the abuse of the villagers. He tries to remind his comrades that they are still loyal citizens and often tries to buy them a day or two more when taxing comes around." Penelope said.

The knight gave a soft sigh and looked over at Crow. "As knights, our loyalties lie with whomever holds the throne. It's just something you have to accept as part of the job. But, that doesn't mean we can't make our own choices. Even if they're just small ones." She told him. It was clear by the look in her gaze that it was something she believed passionately in. In fact, the words weren't even her own. They were her father's words when she had first decided to become a knight.

[Rogue Sloth]

“I don’t know what the law was intended to be,” Crow mused, continuing to kick his rock down the path back through the village. “But I know it was warped by the king. The man is corrupt; he’s become a tyrant, and that’s what the law reflects. It’s all about taxes and money, taking from the poor and benefitting the rich. The law might have originally been intended to help the people of this kingdom long ago, but now it’s the force that keeps us all in shackles.” The thief rubbed his wrists, pining at the ghost of the chains that once bound them. He met Penelope’s gaze wistfully. “That’s why I have no respect for the law.”

Crow lapsed into silence as he listened to the knight speak about how he reminded her of her father. It was interesting to hear that they had such similar ideals despite the fact that they came from such different backgrounds and had such different personalities. If Penelope hadn’t testified to it, he would never have believed that John really cared about the people in the outer villages. The man was so curt and uptight. From their one meeting, the thief had pegged him as the type of mindless soldier that obeyed the king without question. Apparently his first impression had been quite wrong.

“Loyalty to a man with no heart is something I’ll never understand,” Crow said when Penelope had finished speaking. “But I suppose I can respect your tenacity.” He smirked at her cheekily. “It seems like we have a lot more in common than I thought, love. A knight and a thief, trying to make a difference in the world one small deed at a time.”

“There you two are!” A voice hissed from the shadow of a nearby hovel. William and Abraxas stepped cautiously into the open road that Crow and Penelope had been travelling on. The older knight shot the thief a glare: “We don’t have time for you to meander along. Those rebels could be on our tail as we speak! Hurry up and get in the wagon. We need to cross the border before they catch up with us.”

“Relax,” Crow held up his hands in a manner resembling the way one might calm a nervous horse. “They won’t be following us anytime soon. I set their whole camp on fire. They’ll be recovering from that for at least the rest of the night. We have time to rest and recuperate as well.”

“It’s that carefree that got you arrested in the first place, thief,” William growled. “I, for one, will not risk sleeping just because my enemies might be preoccupied with other things. Now get in the wagon so we can head out.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope looked over at him and gave a hushed laugh as the thief remarked their similarities. It was strange to think that they would have anything in common. After all, a knight and a thief were suppose to live in two very different worlds. The only time they ever seemed to cross was if the knight was looking to place the thief behind bars. The situation with Crow was much different from that though. She smiled a bit to herself.

Her smile quickly disappeared at the sound of William's voice. She jumped slightly, having been caught off guard, something that she inwardly scolded herself for. Realizing it was merely William and Abraxas, the knight quickly relaxed once more though her gaze became a tad more serious. She glanced between Crow and William as they argued about leaving. "William's right. It's best if we put some distance between us and them as quickly as possible. I'd be looking over my shoulder all night if we didn't anyways." Penelope commented crossing her arms as she nodded to the older knight.

"Yes. So hurry up. Let's go." William grumbled before he turned and began walking over to the front of the wagon. Abraxas trailed behind him while Penelope went to her usual spot in the back of the wagon. She eyed the supplies. It seemed that they were lucky. The nobles had only been interested in capturing them and their supplies had remained untouched. Although, she was still missing her sword. Penelope sighed and shuffled over to the spare weapons that they had. She knew she wasn't able to dress like a knight in the foreign country but for now, she preferred to keep a sword at her side. There was a small bit of comfort for her in having it within reach. Feeling more secure, she went on to rummage through the medical supplies.

The knight glanced over her shoulder at Crow. "We probably won't be able to stop for actual medicine for a while.. But we do have this ointment that will help a little bit." She informed him as she pulled out a small bottle of the white cream. It was usually used to relieve pain and help with skin issues. It wasn't overly useful for things like burns but Penelope figured it was better than nothing.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow shook his head at William’s persistence to get them all on the road right away. There was no need to rush. Their enemies were smart, so they wouldn’t jump at the chance to attack them again so soon, especially since they had to deal with the damage to their camp first. In their current state, it would have been a foolish undertaking. But there was no convincing William—there never was—so the thief kept his mouth shut and climbed into the back of the wagon, finding his usual spot next to the blankets. If the knight wanted to keep going without a break, Crow wasn’t going to stop him. He could still nap either way.

Crow stretched and leaned into the blankets, closing his eyes tiredly. Now that the adrenaline of the fight was wearing off, he was beginning to feel the toll it had taken on his body. His burns stung, his bruises ached, and, ironically, it seemed like he actually had injured his leg at the rebels’ camp. His knee pained him slightly when he bent it. I probably deserved that one, he thought with melancholic smile. All humor aside, however, he hoped that whatever he did to his leg would heal quickly, since he would need to be in top shape for the king’s mission.

The thief was just about to doze off when he heard the sound of someone rummaging about in the wagon. He opened one eye to see Penelope searching through the medical supplies. After a moment, she turned to him, “We probably won’t be able to stop for actual medicine for a while… but we do have this ointment that will help a little bit.” The knight held out a small bottle of white cream.

“Thanks,” Crow said after a brief hesitation. He eyed Penelope curiously and he accepted the ointment. Even though the other knights were focused on escaping, her first thought was to help him. Friendship is so selfless, he mused as he applied the cream to his burns. It’s so different… but it’s not bad. After having to watch his own back for so many years, it was nice to know there was someone else watching it for him too. There was something satisfying about helping someone without an ulterior motive, too. They were just two people setting their own needs aside for each other’s benefit because they were friends.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope moved off to the side and sat down quietly. She sighed tiredly and leaned back against the side of the wagon. The dull pain in her shoulder began to act up now that things were settled. She had been ignoring it earlier but since she didn’t have anything else to focus on, it was hard to dismiss. The knight groaned and checked out the bandage that the enemy had given her. To her surprise, he had actually done a decent job. She supposed there was nothing more she could do for the wound at the moment.

Her gaze shifted over to Crow. A comforting thought came over her as she realized there really wouldn’t been a need for guard duty. Of course, William wouldn’t ease up on the thief so Penelope would still be stuck by his side. At least she didn’t have to be wary of him. With everything that they went through, she was more concerned with outside threats more so than him running away.

The thought of sleep was very tempting but Penelope had to refuse. Her comrades would be staying up so it was only right that she did the same. Penelope stretched and looked around, trying to figure out how to keep herself awake. Her gaze ended up on the night sky. She watched it quietly for a moment. Something about the stars was always relaxing.

“Crow, do you know any constellations? I only know a few.... I think that one right there is Orion’s belt..” Penelope said in a soft voice. Her gaze only left the sky briefly to look over at the thief. She looked back to the sky and smiled faintly. “Stars are quite amazing. My aunt once told me that they were the silent guardians of the earth. We can’t always see them but they’re always watching over us.” Her voice was dreamy, likely due to her own tiredness as well as recalling memories.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow traced his fingers lightly over his body, feeling for the sting of burn wounds. As he came across them, he applied the ointment. The cool relief it brought him was quite welcome after the exhausting escape from the rebels’ camp. He yawned wearily and leaned back into the blanket pile when he finished the procedure. Now for a good, long nap. He deserved it for saving the knights, after all. The rebels weren’t very well trained, but he liked to think it had been his efforts that lead them all to get away.

“Crow, do you know any constellations?” Penelope’s soft voice interrupted the thief’s thoughts. He lazily opened one eye to look at the female knight and saw her staring deeply at the night sky. She met his gaze briefly before going on: “I only know a few… I think that one right there is Orion’s belt…” He watched as a smile formed on her lips. “Stars are quite amazing. My aunt once told me that they were the silent guardians of the earth. We can’t always see them but they’re always watching over us.”

“Constellations, eh?” Crow echoed with a yawn. He raised his arms over his head in a long stretch, groaning sleepily as he did so. The thief sat up and moved over to where Penelope was reclining by the open side of the wagon. He looked out at the stars overhead. “I don’t think I know any of your constellations. Just the ones we learned about in the outer villages.” He paused, meeting the knight’s dreamy gaze. He had already opened up to her a bit, so he might as well share some of his beliefs with her.

“I think my religion is a bit different than yours, love,” Crow said. He propped his arms up on the ledge of the wagon and rested his chin on them, staring up at the glittering, black sky. “You see; I believe stars are visible manifestations of those who’ve passed away. They don’t necessarily ‘watch over us’ in the sense that they can interact with our world—they have better things to do in the heavens—but they can still see what’s going on.

“I believe only the gods can come to the Earth. They use sacred land—such as the Looking-Glass Pond, that place we went near the beginning of our journey—to see what’s going on here. They can also travel through sacred land, kind of like a bridge, if they feel the need to. Generally speaking, they seem to watch us more than they interact with us though. I don’t know many people who claim to have seen gods, and I certainly never have, myself. But it would be pretty amazing to be blessed like that. Honestly, I still kind of hope I will be so fortunate at least once in my lifetime.

“Anyway, I’m getting off topic. I believe that constellations are groupings of select individuals who belong to a hierarchy of elites. They’re the men and women who become famous for great deeds in their lives, or who are chosen by the gods for their humility, selflessness, generosity, blah, blah, blah… Point is: a thief like myself will never be part of a constellation when I die. I’ll just join the countless number of other, unimportant people.” He shrugged, looking back at Penelope. “I don’t really care though. All stars are pretty, and I don’t have to be part of something big to be happy. I’m just fine with who I am.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope turned her head to focus her gaze on Crow. She listened to him talk about his beliefs with interest. It was something new to her. She had been brought up on the belief that those who had passed moved on to a new place entirely. Somewhere that their souls could rest for eternity. It was interesting to think that the stars were those who had passed.

The only thing that amazed her more was the fact that they were able to talk like this. They had been enemies up until a few days ago and she would likely mocked him if he spoke of such beliefs during the earlier part of their journey. But she would never do that now. Penelope took him and his words seriously when he spoke like he was now. Perhaps it was foolish of the knight to trust the word of a man who has only been known to lie and cheat but Penelope disregarded such thoughts.

“The night sky would not nearly be as bright if it only had the constellations.” Penelope said as she met his gaze. “So in that way...there is no such thing as someone being unimportant... Even a thief that’s not as selfish as he thinks.” She added the last part with a soft smile. It had been something she had noticed within the days they had traveled together, but the thief was rather generous and kind to the peasants they came across. His small deeds of handing some of his food to the young servers had not gone unnoticed by the knight, along with the help he had given her at times.

She turned her head and looked out at the sky. Penelope let out a quiet sigh as her smile slowly faded and her gaze became somber. Someone whom she hadn’t thought about in years suddenly crossed her mind. It was her mother. Her green gaze searched the sky as she wondered if her mother was a star somewhere. “I wonder if she watches me.....” She mumbled aloud. The knight blinked realizing she had spoke her thoughts out loud. Her trance like gaze at the sky quickly broke as she turned to look back at Crow. “Ah, sorry.... I got a bit lost in thought there...” She said with an embarrassed expression.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow met Penelope’s gaze with interest as she spoke of the sky being dull if there were only constellations. It was comforting to hear her talk about how every star important. He already believed it, himself, but still, he liked hearing it come from someone else’s mouth. He looked up at the glittering black of night once more and watched as a shooting star streaked from right to left, lighting up the sky as it passed. He sighed. The peasants of the outer village had a belief about those, too, but he didn’t feel like sharing it with the knight. He didn’t want to depress her when they were having such a good conversation.

However, it that seemed Penelope’s demeanor was already turning melancholic. Crow eyed her curiously as her expression became somber and she spoke in a hushed voice, “I wonder if she watches me…” The thief wondered who she was talking about. One of the star guardians, perhaps? He was just about to ask when the knight snapped out of her trance: “Ah, sorry… I got a bit lost in thought there…” She seemed embarrassed, but that only piqued his interest even more.

Crow turned away from the open side of the cart, leaning against the ledge to better face Penelope. “Who’s watching you?” he asked slowly. He knew he might be treading dangerous ground. After all, they had only recently become friendly with each other, and she might not want to share such personal information just yet. He was holding onto some deep dark secrets that he wasn’t about to share with a woman he just met within the last week. He could only guess the knight was doing the same.

“You don’t have to share if you don’t want to,” he added. “I understand secrets better than anybody. It’s yours to keep if you wish.”

[BuzzingBee]

She hesitated as Crow asked who was watching her. Penelope lowered her gaze, debating if she wanted to tell him anything. The information was rather sensitive when it came to her family but then again, Crow had given the story of his own past to her before. Perhaps it was time for her to do the same. Part of her even wished to talk about it now that she had someone who was willing to listen. The topic of her mother was rather forbidden in her family so Penelope didn’t get to dwell much on the past. She sighed softly and looked back over at him.

“No. It’s fine..” Penelope assured. She fell silent for a moment. The knight wanted to share her story with him but worry of what he could do with that story made her hesitant. “Crow... Just as you asked me to keep quiet about your past... I must ask you to do the same.” She said with a hint of warning in her voice. She relaxed slightly and looked back up at the sky as she crossed her arms.

“I was thinking about my mother. I-I don’t get to talk about her much so sorry if I ramble a bit...” Penelope frowned and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back into the side of the wagon. She avoided looking over at Crow as she spoke. “She was a peasant. Not a noble. My father was already married to some noblewoman and they already had a son, my brother Layth. However, my father loved the servant and not his wife.

“They were eventually caught and his wife demanded that my mother be sent far away. My father wouldn’t have it, especially since she was pregnant at the time. His wife left and our family turn their backs on him so my father was forced to stay with my mother and her family in one of the outer villages. She had me during a harsh winter and died shortly after giving birth to me.” Penelope said finally casting a glance over at Crow. “I’ve just always wondered if she ever saw me or looked my way from wherever she is now... Or what she was even like or her name... My father refuses to speak about her."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow listened in silence as Penelope told her story. He hung on the detail about her mother being a peasant. Strange how similar their backgrounds were, except for how she ended up with her nobleman father, and he ended up with his peasant mother. He wondered what his life would look like now if things had been different. Would he be a knight too? Would he serve the king with his whole being? Would he be blind to the struggles of the outer villages? Of his own mother, had she been still alive? He shuddered at the thought. As harsh as his life had been, he was glad he endured it, if only for the sake of understanding the truth about the kingdom.

He lowered his gaze to the floor of the wagon, wincing slightly when she explained how she didn’t even know her mother’s name. While he didn’t want anything to do with his own father, he at least knew that much: Albin Mannering. He swallowed, forcing down rage when he thought of the name. The man had abandoned them. It was the reason why he had taken his mother’s last name: Lockton. He had been terrible and faithless… but Crow still knew who he was. To not know a parent, to not have that knowledge, especially when one desired to know it, seemed cruel.

On the subject of names…

Crow glanced up at Penelope. They had gotten quite a bit closer over the course of their journey, but she still didn’t know who he was. She just knew his nickname, his title as a thief. He fidgeted uncomfortably. Could he really tell her his true name? No one who was still alive knew it; his name had become a part of him so deep and so secretive that he didn’t know if he could even voice it anymore. He couldn’t even remember what it sounded like spoken aloud by another person.

Not yet, he thought. I’m not ready to tell anyone yet. He could almost feel the memory being locked up in his heart. But it was better this way. No one knew who he was, and his real name would be lost to time. He was Crow, and it was better this way. That’s what he would continue to tell himself.

The thief realized Penelope had stopped talking. He had been so caught up in his own mind that he had forgotten to respond. “I’m truly sorry to hear that about your mother,” he said honestly. “I’m sure she’s up there, looking down on you right now.” His somber expression was broken with a smile. “She’s probably right proud of you, too. I don’t know many women who choose to take on the adventurous life of a knight. And, I know I’m biased, but I think you’re the best knight in the kingdom, darling.”

[BuzzingBee]

Crow seemed to be in his own thoughts when Penelope turned to look at him. She wondered what ran through his mind and was nearly curious enough to ask. However, his bleak expression made her decide otherwise. At his words, she gave an appreciative smile. His words strangely made her heartbeat quicken and her cheeks turned a light pink. “Thanks... Although, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing coming from a thief.” She joked, in a small attempt to lighten the mood.

-----

It didn’t take very long for them to cross the border into Younis and to be honest, Penelope slept for most of it. The knight was struggling to stay awake after speaking with Crow and eventually passed out. Luckily, she didn’t really miss anything as the two male knights were forced to stay awake as they traveled. As night turned to day and they were further into the other kingdom’s territory, William directed them off the road and further into the surrounding woods to plan for the next phase of the king’s plan.

“We’ll make camp here.” He declared as they came to a stop in a small clearing. The surrounding trees and bushes would likely provide enough coverage to keep them hidden from anyone passing by, if any. Penelope stretched her legs and climbed out of the wagon. She was glad they finally stopped and she had a chance to stretch her legs once more.

“Alright. Abraxas, see if you can locate any water nearby. It would be good to refill if we can. Penelope, go ahead and start collecting some wood for a fire, that way we won’t have to worry about it later. I’m going to look over the map and start figuring out our next move.” William said. His gaze eventually fell on Crow. He glared at the thief and snorted. “Also Penelope, keep track of that one.” he grumbled, figuring the thief would go with her anyways.

William still didn’t treat Crow much different despite the fact that he helped them escape from the rebels. He did,however, give him slightly more freedom. At least, in the form of leaving him completely in the care and surveillance of the female knight. Penelope merely nodded at William’s words and moved over to Crow. “Well... Least we didn’t get the water one... Right?” She whispered to him with a small smirk.