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

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow shook his head when Penelope said she wouldn’t have been surprised if Elizabeth was still waiting for him in the Great Hall. As much as he wanted to disagree with her, he knew she was probably right. Liz had come to the castle with the sole purpose of persuading him to court her, so she had every reason to loiter around until he showed up. He couldn’t wait until he and the knight could start courting openly, if only to prove to the stubborn noblewoman that he was never going to take her back. With the way things had been going so far, he doubted anything less would be enough to convince her to go back to her home in Colchester.

In the next moment, the viceroy smirked as Penelope seemed to echo his thoughts. “Well I think I’m quite a prize, if I do say so, myself. You have every reason to be proud to be with me,” he quipped cockily, giving her a playful nudge as they got up from the bed. All joking aside, he didn’t blame her for wanting to flaunt their relationship in front of the other woman though. Elizabeth had been terrible to her since the day they’d met, and she didn’t seem intent on easing up anytime soon. Honestly, he was impressed the knight had managed to stay so level headed around her thus far. If their positions had been reversed and another man had been trying to get in his way, he was certain he would have started behaving far pettier than she had yet to be.

Deciding to put the unpleasant thought aside for now, Crow waited for Penelope to make sure she was ready before he followed her over to the door. He trailed slightly behind her while she checked the hallway, ensuring that they could leave without being spotted by a passing guard. With rumors already flying around the castle about him “sleeping” with Elizabeth, the last thing he wanted was for another knight to add that he’d been seen with a different woman just one day later. He was hoping to salvage what he could of his name before he and Penelope started courting. That couldn’t happen if everyone thought he was just using noblewomen for his own gain.

Fortunately, it seemed like they had gotten lucky as the knight announced that the corridor was quiet and they began the short walk to the Great Hall.

As they traveled, Crow trotted up to fall in step beside her, enjoying their rekindled closeness after the conversation they’d had in the early morning. He was glad that everything had been settled between them so smoothly. If she hadn’t believed that the gossip had been false, or if they hadn’t come to a compromise about how to handle similar situations in the future, he didn’t know where they would be now. The thought of drifting away from her over such a ridiculous misunderstanding made him shudder, and he quickened his pace slightly, eager to put it behind him in favor of focusing on breakfast.

When they reached the Great Hall, the viceroy glanced over the room to see if Liz was still there. To his disappointment, he saw the noblewoman sitting alone at a table off to the side, already watching him with a hawk like gaze. He grimaced and quickly turned away from her. “Maybe she’ll leave us alone if I pretend I didn’t notice her…” he muttered to Penelope.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope was glad that they had an easy time slipping out of the room and smiled a little as he eventually fell in step besides her. Though the morning had had a much more rocky beginning, she was eager to put it behind them and focus on the more appealing thought of what the rest of their day was going to be looking like. As they stepped into the Great Hall, she began to glanced around for an empty table and caught sight of Liz who was sitting alone. It seemed her prediction of the noblewoman still being around had been right after all.

She glanced at Crow as he muttered about acting like he didn't notice her in hopes of the noble leaving them alone. The knight gave a half hearted smile at him, knowing fully well that wouldn't work. If Elizabeth had waited for him for this long, she was going to approach them no matter what. However, she didn't bother to say any of that to Crow. She figured the viceroy was already aware of it and was just trying to be hopeful. So instead, she just let out a sigh and gestured to an empty table. "Let's go sit over there." she said.

Even though Liz joining them was inevitable, Penelope wasn't going to just willingly sit with her. In fact, she made sure to choose a table far from the other noblewoman. While the knight doubted it would dissuade her from coming over, it at least made it more clear that neither of the two wanted her around. Penelope sat down across from Crow and flickered her gaze past him towards Elizabeth. As expected, the noblewoman was already getting up to make her way over to the table. The knight rolled her eyes subtly and shifted her gaze back to Crow to act as if she hadn't noticed the other woman approaching.

"Well breakfast probably won't be pleasant." she mused to him, lowering her voice slightly. "We barely sat down but she's already making her way over here."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow nodded and followed Penelope over to an empty table she had spotted on the other side of the Great Hall, far from where Elizabeth was seated. Despite what he’d said to her, he knew Liz was going to join them as soon as they settled down. She’d already caught sight of him when he’d entered the room and was now watching him move through the crowd like a wild animal stalking its prey. Her unwavering gaze sent a chill up his spine. He wished she would give up on winning him over already. Though there had never been any chance of him returning to her to start with, she had done quite a poor job of seducing him. After her harsh words to the knight and her unwarranted appearance in his bedchamber, any attraction he might have felt to her before was thoroughly extinguished.

Crow slid onto the bench across from Penelope when they reached the table. He would have liked to sit directly next to her to make it clear to Elizabeth whose side he was on, but knowing the gesture would look strange to anyone else in the room, he contented himself with merely letting his leg brush against hers beneath the table.

As the knight announced that Liz was already making her way over to join them, the viceroy groaned. He really didn’t want to deal with the noblewoman so early in the morning, but it was starting to look like he wouldn’t have a choice. At least he would have the rest of the day to spend with Penelope after breakfast. Looking forward to that, eating one meal with Liz would be just a little more tolerable.

Almost as if on cue, her familiar, sing-song voice sounded unpleasantly behind him.

“Morning, Collin,” Elizabeth cooed, sitting close enough to him that her shoulder was pressed against his. “Sleep well?”

“Better, since you weren’t there,” Crow said coldly. With everything she had done to both him and Penelope, he’d given up on being civil with the stubborn woman. Hopefully now that he was being more upfront about his dislike of her, she would get the hint that he wanted her to leave him alone.

Liz frowned but made no move to go anywhere. “Oh, come now,” she leaned into him a little more. “I’m sure you slept great after my visit two nights ago.” A devious smirk crossed her lips, and her blue eyes flickered toward Penelope. “I mean, I was thoroughly exhausted after that game we played. If you weren’t tired, you really must have quite the stamina.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave Crow a look of sympathy as he groaned, feeling a similar frustration about the woman's arrival. She watched as Liz sat down closely besides Crow, feeling her annoyance with the woman beginning to flare. Of course she wasn't the only one. The knight glanced over at Crow as he responded coldly to the noblewoman. She just wished that would have been enough for the noblewoman to give up. Unfortunately, it would take much more than that to drive the woman away.

At her next words, Penelope bit back a snort. Having cleared the air between her and Crow, Liz's taunts about sleeping with him didn't quite have the same effect on her as they had the night prior. Instead of feeling hurt, she just felt frustrated and a bit embarrassed for once buying into it. It made her wonder just how long Liz intended to try and milk the rumors going around. Maybe I can get her to back off from them a bit... she wondered. The thought caused her to stifle a smirk as her green eyes danced over to Crow.

"I've got to agree with her there." she spoke up with a firm nod, seeming to catch Liz off guard as she noticed her look back over to her. "You've certainly must have been tired after having to toss her out of your room. I imagine that took quite a bit of effort."

"What?" Liz questioned pursing her lips into a thin line.

Penelope's lips twitched upward into a smirk, unable to hold it back any longer. "That's the game you were referring to, right? I'm just agreeing with you. Surely Crow here was tired after having to deal with you and get you out of his room when he was trying to go to bed. It only makes sense." she shrugged innocently. The knight had to bite back a laugh as she noticed Liz's once confident attitude seemed to flounder for a moment, clearly caught off guard by her knowledge of the truth. It probably wasn't the most honorable move Penelope could have pulled, but she had to admit it was a bit satisfying.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow shot Elizabeth a glare as she tried to convince Penelope that they had slept together again. Even though they had already talked through it in private, it was still recent enough to be a sore subject. He didn’t want to keep listening to the noblewoman poke at the knight’s insecurities too. Whether she was doing it on purpose or not, he felt a surge of protectiveness now that he knew how Penelope felt, and it frustrated him to watch someone as vengeful as Liz use that to her advantage.

He was just about to tell the noblewoman to eat her breakfast somewhere else, but Penelope spoke first. The viceroy glanced at her, confused at first when she seemed to side with Liz. However, in the next moment, he bit back a laugh as she revealed that she knew what had actually happened in his bedchamber on the night Elizabeth had been referring to. Her newfound knowledge seemed to throw the other woman off too. He guessed that Liz either hadn’t expected him to tell her what had occurred—other noblemen might have chosen to save face rather than admit to forcing a woman to leave in nothing but a sheet—or thought the knight wouldn’t have believed the truth, even if he tried to convince her.

Amused by the situation, Crow propped his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand, covering his smirk by pressing his mouth against his palm. His eyes flicked to Elizabeth, who was now looking quite shocked by the sudden turn of events. She sat silently for a moment before letting out a scoff. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand,” she chuckled, though the viceroy could hear a hint of nervousness in her laughter. “Collin, dear, why would you tell her that you were trying to get rid of me? I thought our night together was quite special.”

“Oh, it was,” Crow agreed with an airy shrug, casting her a smile that was laced with warning. “Trust me, I won’t forget about what you did for a long time… I might even tell everyone I know.”

Liz pursed her lips together again, seeming to realize there was no way for her to win against both of them. After a pause, she shook her head, continuing to feign innocence as she stood up from the table, “I don’t know why you’re being so horrible to me today, but I don’t like it. I’ll be back when you get over this mood of yours. Good day.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Crow muttered as she walked away. Once Elizabeth was out of earshot, he turned to Penelope with an exaggerated sigh, “Thank the gods that’s over.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope felt a bit pleased that her words seemed to strike a cord with Elizabeth, at least enough to force her into a short silence. After the woman had caused so much trouble for them, it felt like decent enough payback. As she tried to recover from the knight's words, Penelope gave a small roll of her eyes as she still tried to sell the story of them having slept together. If Crow's words hadn't already been enough to reassure her, the way Elizabeth reacted to her words certainly was. As Crow spoke up, Penelope looked over at him with a hint of amusement as he subtly gave the noblewoman a warning that didn't slip past the knight.

It seemed that was enough to finally drive Liz away too. The knight watched as she parted from the table, still keeping up her innocent act, and let out a small breath of relief. Penelope hadn't thought driving her away was even possible and was glad to find out that she was wrong. Her gaze flickered back over to Crow and she gave a small laugh. "No kidding. Maybe we can get through one meal without being bothered now." she said with sigh as she rested her arms against the table.

"The bad part is I still don't think she's giving up any time soon." Penelope mused, with a small shake of her head. Despite how coldly Crow was acting to her and how quick he was to join Penelope in driving her off, the knight still doubted she was done with her attempts. However, it did make her wonder what exactly the noblewoman would try next. As their food arrived, she said a word of thanks to the servant and poked at her food as she thought it over. Surely Liz would have to change up her tactics somehow. Most of what she had been doing currently was just in an attempt to scare Penelope off. Though it may have almost worked to come extent, it had done much more damage than good when considering her ultimate goal was to get Crow to court her.

"I'm curious if she's going to keep trying the same stunts still." Penelope finally mused out loud, glancing up from her food and over at Crow. "She didn't seem to be giving up yet and with how things are going, surely she'll try a different approach right? She seems stubborn enough to."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow shook his head when Penelope said they might be able to have one meal without being bothered. It was frustrating to know that she was probably right in the statement. Before, it had been difficult enough with his sister lingering around and preventing them from having any privacy. At least then, they had managed to steal a few meals alone here and there. But now, with Elizabeth so determined to win him over, he doubted they would have any time to themselves at all until the noblewoman either gave up or he and the knight started courting openly. Knowing that, he was even more grateful that they were going to have a whole day to be together, since it was starting to look like it would be the last time for quite a while.

As Penelope brought up her concern that Elizabeth probably wasn’t going to quit her antics anytime soon, Crow grimaced. He was sure she was right about that too. The thought of dealing with any more surprises from the noblewoman made him taste bile, but there was nothing he could do to stop her since she wasn’t even put off by his open hostility toward her. It seemed that she wasn’t going to give up unless there was a barrier between them that she would be forced to admit she couldn’t get past.

Noticing that their food had arrived, Crow glanced up to watch the servants set down their plates. He frowned when he saw that the boy who had brought his breakfast was unfamiliar to him, wondering once again what had happened to Preston. It was out of character for the attendant to vanish without a word like this. However, he didn’t get the chance to ponder over it for long before Penelope drew his attention with another comment about Liz.

“I have no idea what she’s going to do,” he admitted, lifting a bite of food to his mouth. “I did make it quite clear to her that if she comes to my bedchamber again, I’m not going to tolerate it though. Hopefully she’ll learn that I’m not ever going to be interested in her soon enough.” He chased his food with a sip of water and then froze when another thought came to him.

“Um, speaking of what happened,” he turned back to her with a sheepish look. “I’d appreciate it if you’d tell your father that the rumors about me aren’t true. I don’t know if he still believes them, but when I went to his room this morning to find out where you were, he was pretty mad.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small nod of agreement as Crow spoke about hoping she'd learn he would be interested in her. She took another bite from her food and lifted her gaze over to him as she noticed him freeze for a moment. Confused by what had crossed his mind that caused him to freeze up, she raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. As he went onto ask her to speak with her father, she her eyes widened slightly. She hadn't even thought about how her father must have reacted to the gossip of Crow sleeping with some other noblewoman. The knight cringed slightly. She was willing to listen to Crow's side of the story first but her father was likely a different story.

Although, perhaps the situation wasn't as bad as she thought. She was surprise to learn that her father had been the one to tell Crow where her room was. "Well it doesn't sound too worrying though. Whatever you said to him must have worked to some degree otherwise I doubt he would have told you where my room was knowing how he is." she mused with a small smile. "I'll still talk to him though.. Hopefully I can clear up any doubt he has." With the deadline of the war's end not far away, she was hoping for her father to give Crow his approval soon. She definitely didn't want to risk having her father resent Crow or hold anything against him, especially something that he hadn't even done.

The knight fell quiet for a brief moment as she finished off her food. With the stress of having to deal with Elizabeth gone and able to enjoy the rest of their breakfast in peace, it allowed the knight to rekindle her excitement about what was to come. She glanced across the table at Crow and gave a small smile. "So, I was thinking, I'll probably leave first. I'm sure you've got a couple things to do before we head to Bellmare so I'll just meet you at the clearing." she mused.

[Rogue Sloth]

When Penelope said that whatever he’d told her father must have worked, Crow frowned, not as quick to share in her optimism. It was true that John had told him where to find her room, but the older knight always seemed to bear at least a little displeasure towards him ever since he’d discovered that he and Penelope were together. Since her father already didn’t like him, he was probably inclined to believe the castle gossips who said he had chosen to sleep with another woman. The thought was frustrating, but he didn’t know how to change the other man’s mind—or if he even could—so there was nothing he could about it.

“Thanks,” the viceroy sighed when Penelope said she would talk to her father for him anyway. He was glad she would still do it even if she didn’t think she had to. Now that he was joining the world of nobility, he needed John to at least tolerate him if he wanted to be able to court her for marriage. If the protective knight thought he was merely toying with his daughter’s heart, there was no way he would ever give him his blessing. He had to get this mess straightened out for the sake of holding onto the future they wanted.

As the table fell quiet, Crow worked on finishing off the rest of his food. It didn’t take long, and he looked up again when Penelope told him the rest of her plan for the morning. “Alright,” he nodded, downing the last of his water and standing up. “I’ll go back to my room now then to get ready. I don’t imagine it’s going to take very long, so I’ll try not to keep you waiting.”

Stretching his legs a bit, he casted her an playful smile, “I’ll see you soon, love. Don’t miss me too much.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope nodded her head as he got up to leave. At his playful words, she rolled her eyes and casted him an amused smile. "Oh I suppose I'll try not to." she joked in return. "See you soon." The knight watched him leave for a moment before getting up from her seat. She didn't really have anything to get for the day trip. They were just going to Bellmare and she saw no reason to change out of what she was currently wearing. Unlike him, showing up there likely wouldn't draw much attention to her. The most she would have to worry was if they made a stop at her family home.

With nothing else to do, she made her way out of the Great Hall and towards the entrance of the castle. There was an ever so slight bounce in her step, still feeling cheerful about the day off that she was now going to make the most of. The knight was lost in thought that she almost didn't notice someone call out her name. "Hey Penelope!" She blinked and came to a halt, glancing over her shoulder to see Cedric wave to her from his guard post. Penelope gave him a small smile and waved back, hoping that male knight wasn't looking to spend time with her at the moment. Unfortunately, it seemed he planned to hold her up as he walked over to her side.

"I didn't see you at breakfast, have a late night with those letters?" he asked curiously.

Penelope paused, momentarily confused what letters he was referring to until she remember that she had used that excuse to dip out of supper the night before. "Oh, uh kinda." she responded with a shrug. "I just woke up a bit ago."

"Hopefully you've got enough rest then." Cedric smiled. "Where are you headed off to anyways? Tybalt schedule you for a shift right now too?"

"No, I'm actually heading off to Bellmare for the day. Decided to see how things are going back home." Penelope explained with a shrug.

"Oh, well have a good trip then. Wish I could join you but unfortunately I'm afraid Tybalt would have my head if I just abandon my post." Cedric laughed.

Penelope nodded her head, feeling a bit relieved that Cedric was on guard duty. She might not have minded his company on a usual day but she didn't want him around when she was supposed to be meeting up with Crow in secret. "I'm sure he would. I'll see you around, Cedric. Have a good shift!" she told him with a small smile before turning and continuing on her way. With no more interruptions, the knight headed out of the castle, dipping her heads to her fellow guards at the gate as they watched her head out for the day.

Recalling the clearing she had told him about, she headed off to the river and began her walk up stream to wait for him there.

[Rogue Sloth]

In his eagerness to meet back up with Penelope, Crow made good time going back to his bedchamber. Along the way, he noticed that the guards in the halls were eyeing him with more disgust than usual—they probably looked down on him for “sleeping” with Elizabeth when they weren’t even courting—but he ignored them. It wasn’t like he ever expected the knights to show him any respect that they weren’t already mandated to express because of his rank. If they wanted to believe the gossip about him, he couldn’t care less. The only ones he was concerned about were the high ranking nobles who could use their power to hurt Penelope’s name when they began courting officially.

Whether she cared or not, he didn’t want to become a stumbling block in her efforts to gain more influence in the castle. After hearing about her plans to help the people of the outer villages after the war’s end, he knew she was going to have to hold onto the power she had as a lieutenant, if not gain more to persuade more people to join her in bettering the peasants’ lives. It was already going to be difficult to come back from the fact that they didn’t have the most acceptable start to their relationship two years ago. If the other nobles thought he was just using her for her body or some other superficial reason, it would be even harder for him not to ruin her reputation when everyone else found out about them.

Deciding it was a problem for later, Crow pushed the thought aside and stepped into his room to look for a change of clothes. However, when he was inside, he found that he wasn’t alone. He blinked in surprise as his gaze landed on Preston, who was rifling through his wardrobe as if searching for something.

“Where have you been?” he asked, slightly surprised to see the attendant turn up out of nowhere after disappearing for a whole day.

Preston flinched at the sound of his voice and turned away from the open wardrobe, dropping down in a low bow. “I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly. “A personal matter came up that I had to attend to. I’ll be able to keep serving you soon.”

Crow studied him with a bemused frown before his eyes flicked to the wardrobe, “What were you looking for in there?”

The servant shuffled his feet, “Just one of the spare blankets… I promise I’ll return it.”

“I see,” the viceroy turned back to the boy as he realized he might know why he’d been acting so strange lately. Taking a shot, he asked: “So, how’s your sister doing?”

Preston visibly stiffened and lowered his gaze to the floor. “She’s not doing well,” he admitted in a soft voice. “The cold weather is starting to make her illness worse… It happens every winter. I was hoping that if I give her an extra blanket, her condition might improve, at least enough that she can get by without my help again.”

Crow fell quiet, feeling a pang of sympathy for the attendant. He’d never been upset with the boy’s disappearance, since he didn’t care if someone tended to him or not, but he had been concerned that something like this had happened. It seemed his hunch had been right. Without another word, he walked over to the wardrobe and began looking through it.

“What are you doing?” Preston asked nervously.

“Here,” the viceroy said, retrieving the thickest feather-filled blanket he could find and handing it off to the boy with a smile. “Take this one to your sister. I’m sure it’ll do her more good than it will sitting in a dark closet all day.”

Preston’s eyes widened, and he fumbled with the bedding in his haste to accept it. “T-Thank you,” he stammered, leaning forward in another bow. “I’ll bring it back as soon as I can.”

“Don’t worry about it, kid,” Crow waved his hand dismissively. “In fact, let her keep it. I spent most of my life with nothing more than a couple wool sheets and the clothes on my back to get through the winter season. The blankets that are already on my bed are more than enough to keep me warm.”

“Are you sure?” Preston frowned. “Most men of your rank like the extra blanket when it starts to snow.”

“The other men here are too soft for their own good,” he snorted. “A little discomfort every now and then would do them wonders. Please, take it. I insist.”

“If you’re sure…” Preston dipped his head again. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Crow said, turning back to the wardrobe to search for a change of clothes now that his attendant’s need had been taken care of.

Preston glanced at the door as if he was considering leaving, but then looked back at the viceroy, “Do you need something else while I’m here?”

“No,” Crow mused absently, shuffling through the clothing until he found a plain-looking, white undershirt. “You can go now.” He pulled the shirt down from its hanger and draped it over his shoulder as he continued to look for a cloak. For a moment, he wondered if his father had even given him one, since the king hadn’t planned to send him out of the castle for quite a while. However, his concern was quickly laid to rest when he spotted a hooded cloak in the back of the closet. It was dark in color—nearly black with a hint of maroon—and felt like it was made with a rather thick material that would keep him comfortably warm in a chill wind. Compared to the cloaks he’d worn in the outer villages, this one was quite a bit higher in quality. It might stand out if anyone looked at him closely enough, but he supposed there was nothing he could do about it since he didn’t have any other options.

“Are you going somewhere?” Preston, who was still lingering by the center of the room, asked curiously when he saw the cloak.

“Just for today,” Crow glanced at him. “I don’t have any lessons, so I’m going on a short trip with Penelope.”

“Oh,” the attendant watched him for a moment longer. “I take it you’re still on good terms with her after what happened then?”

“Of course,” the viceroy grinned at him, setting the clothes he’d selected down on his bed so he could change into them more easily. “She knows I wouldn’t sleep with someone else, so we’re just fine.”

“That’s good,” Preston nodded, tilting his head slightly. “I like you two together.”

“You’re one of the few then,” Crow rolled his eyes. He slipped off the tunic he had been wearing and replaced it with the plain shirt, throwing the cloak over top once he’d straightened it out.

“Yes, but I know she’s good for you,” the attendant said confidently. He bowed once more, “Have a good trip, wherever you’re going.”

“Thanks,” Crow smiled, appreciative of the servant’s support. Having been surrounded almost constantly by people who didn’t want them to be together, it was nice to have a voice on their side. He waited for the boy to leave the room before he finished getting ready, stowing one of his daggers in his boot just to be safe. With so many nobles around who would have liked to see him dead, he couldn’t be too careful after all.

Once he was done preparing, the viceroy headed out, a faint smile tugging at his lip as his excitement to meet up with Penelope grew.

Fortunately, the guards in the castle didn’t trouble him at all. Crow guessed that his father had already told them well in advance that he had permission to come and go as he pleased. Though they didn’t hold back from casting him the occasional glare, he made it to the front gates without interruption, walking with haste as he made his way through the citadel to get to the designated meeting place along the river.

[BuzzingBee]

It didn't take long for the knight to reach the clearing by the river's edge. It was a quaint spot, marked by two large boulders that loomed out into the water and a large oak tree with big roots that winded around the ground. The tree was now but a shell of it's summer self, having lost already a great deal of its leaves. A few still clung on, providing a bit of shade to the area. Over all, there was nothing particularly special or different about the area. The view was plain and so were the things that made up the clearing.

Penelope, however, found it to be quite peaceful. During her days as a castle guard prior to meeting Crow, she had spent quite a bit of time there, usually during the summer months since the shade of the oak made the area cool. It had been quite some time since she had visited this particular clearing. Thinking back on it now, the last time she had visited it was when her and Gavin had just begun courting. After giving up hope of getting out of the courtship, she had taken him there in an attempt to spend some time to get to know him. It hadn't gone well though. Back then it had felt like he was no different than talking to one of the boulders, giving her formal and stiff answers.

Gods so much changed since then... She thought, smiling faintly to herself, more than pleased with the changes. Penelope moved to hop up onto one of the boulders, taking a seat. She leaned back on the palms of her hands and closed her eyes for a moment as she waited for Crow. Hearing the soft noises of the river nearby and having had poor sleep the night before, she was nearly tempted to take a nap there. The knight began to sink back on her palms more, a bit enticed by the idea.

The sound of soft footsteps snapped her awake though, forcing whatever weariness she had down to be replace with excitement. Penelope blinked and looked towards the source of the sound, grinning as she spotted the approaching, cloaked figure of Crow. Hopping down from the boulder, she moved to meet him halfway. "Oh good, you didn't get lost." she joked.

[Rogue Sloth]

When he made it past the front gate of the castle, Crow slowed his pace ever so slightly so he could look around the citadel. He’d seen quite a bit of the area through the windows in the palace, but since he hadn’t been able to leave in two weeks, this was the first real chance he’d had to explore it. Already, he could tell it was an energetic place. The streets were filled with wealthy vendors and nobles browsing their wares. The surrounding buildings were impressive too. Compared to the small homes in the outer villages, the large manors towered overhead as if their builders had been trying to reach into the sky. Overall, the whole place screamed of riches in a way the viceroy found both captivating and disturbing.

In addition to that first impression, Crow also noticed that the citadel was remarkably untouched by the ongoing war with Younis. It was a stark contrast with the bordering villages, which were growing more and more worn down as the fighting raged on. If he didn’t know better, he might have guessed that the nobles here didn’t even know there were battles happening at all. He sighed. If the enemy kingdom conquered them tomorrow, no one in the inner cities would be prepared for the consequences.

As he meandered through the crowd, Crow was drawn from his thoughts when he noticed a group of women gesture in his direction and mutter amongst themselves. He grimaced and drew the hood of his cloak over his head. Since he was on his way to meet up with Penelope in secret, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself before he reached her. The less people recognized him, the easier it would be for him to get to and from the castle without being asked too many questions.

Luckily, once he started being more mindful of his surroundings, the viceroy managed to make it to the edge of the river without letting anyone else see his face. By the waterside, he was able to relax. There weren’t any other people close enough to see him this far from the nearest city. Still, he kept his hood drawn, just in case he happened to pass by any castle servants bathing or washing their masters’ clothes in the stream.

Eventually, Crow came across a clearing, and he smiled to himself as he recognized Penelope’s familiar figure on a large boulder by the water. As she came over to greet him, he reached up to lower his hood. “Of course not,” he smirked at her jokingly, wrapping his arms around her in a loose embrace. “Your directions were flawless, love.”

Leaning down, the viceroy touched a playful kiss to her lips and then pulled back with a grin, “Are you ready to go to Bellmare?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope grinned at him as wrapped his arms around her. She returned the gesture and gave a small laugh at his words. "Good to know. I'd hate to have been too vague." she mused with a smirk. As he leaned down, she leaned in to meet his lips as he pressed a kiss to her lips. She pulled back and looked up at him with an eager gleam in her green eyes. "Been ready." she confirmed, leaning in to press an affectionate kiss to his cheek.

The knight pulled back from him and moved to take his hand in hers. Not wanting to cross at the river, both because she'd prefer to stay dry and due to Crow's lack of knowledge on how to swim, she began to head further upstream. There was a bridge there that they could use to cross over into the city. Plus she wanted a bit more time out of the public eye. Even though he'd be keeping a low profile, there was a chance that someone might recognize her and the last thing she wanted was to attract their attention by being close with some hooded man.

"So while I was waiting for you, I was trying to think of places to go but Bellmare's pretty similar to practically every city in the inner kingdom. There's the marketplace of course. The in Bellmare is pretty standard as far as marketplaces go though. There's a few unique stalls there though because a few vendors only ever sell in Bellmare. Aside from that it's mainly noble manors and since Bellmare's relatively close to the castle, they're all relatively powerful families there." Penelope explained and shrugged her shoulders. "We can just walk around the city."

The knight paused and looked over at Crow with a small smile. "There's also my home... Although I'm not sure you'll want to risk going all the way inside. I have a house separate from the main but there's still a chance of us running into some.. unpleasant Vermillions." Penelope smirked at Crow. "Namely my uncle's wife and daughter."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow smiled when Penelope kissed him on the cheek and reached to lace his fingers with hers as she took his hand. Already, couldn’t wait to spend the day with her. After being forced to keep their distance and sneak around the castle for so long, it was nice to be able to share casual touches so freely again. Of course, they still had to be careful to keep from being spotted, but there weren’t very many people by the river that he could see. It seemed safe enough to relax at least a little bit. He still drew his hood over his head again to keep from being recognized as they walked though.

When Penelope spoke up again, Crow turned to her with interest. Though she seemed to think there wasn’t anything too special about Bellmare, he was sure they could find plenty to keep them occupied. After all, he’d never really explored the inner kingdom before. Even when he’d lived on the outskirts of Colchester while he’d been living with Jaxon’s group, he hadn’t been interested enough to do more than learn the layout of the city for the purpose of escaping from the local knights. Anything she decided to show him now would probably be new.

He returned her smile, finding her enthusiasm infectious as she went on to mention that they could stop by her family’s manor. Knowing she was likely eager to show him the place where she had grown up, he gave her hand a fond squeeze. “I’m sure we can avoid them if we remember to keep a lookout,” he assured her when she brought up her “unpleasant” family, leaning over to press a kiss to her temple. “It can’t be that hard.”

Turning away from her briefly, he let his gaze wander over the buildings on the other side of the river. Since he didn’t know the area well enough to identify which city he was looking at, he wasn’t sure if it was Bellmare or not, but he felt sure they were at least close to the knight’s hometown. He glanced back at her with a playful smirk, “You can take me wherever you’d like, darling. I’m just along for the ride.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled at him as she felt him squeeze her hand. She gave a small nod of agreement as he assured her. Krea and Lucy were really the only two they had to be concerned about anyways. Most of her other family either had their own small, separate homes they had married off to or were busy with duties either at the warfront or elsewhere. Besides that, Krea and Lucy weren't exactly the most vigilant of her family. As long as they stayed away from the main house, it was likely they could sneak into her home with ease.

"Alright, just know I'm going to hold you to that." Penelope grinned as he told her that he was just along for the ride. She continued to lead them alongside the river, occasionally glancing over to the other side as the familiar structures of Bellmare came into view. As the already thin forest alongside the river began to give away, she knew they were drawing close to the bridge. Figuring it was best to play it safe and not draw attention to themselves, she reluctantly let go of his hand and lead the way to the stone bride that would take them into the city.

Penelope glanced at a couple passing traveling nobles as they headed towards the citadel, subtly making sure that Crow wasn't being recognized. However, the nobles barely even glanced in their direction so it made the knight feel a bit more relaxed that they wouldn't have any trouble. Looking back over to Crow she shot him a smile. "Well, welcome to Bellmare." she said with a sweeping gesture to the city ahead of them. Tall buildings, stables, and finely dressed men and women were some of the most noticeable things about the city at first glance. That and it appeared to be quite busy. Most nobles were already out and about for the day which meant so were their servants, who could be seen carrying baskets and other goods their lords had likely told them to fetch.

She felt a fresh burst of excitement as they reached the other side of the bridge. It nearly felt a bit surreal to be there with him, especially since for the longest time she had believed that it would be impossible and that they'd be living in the outer villages as peasants rather than at the castle as nobles. It made her all the more eager to share the rest of her home with him. "So.. the market place I want to take you to is more towards the center of the city. We can stop by there last but for now, I think we should stop by my home. It's closer to where we are than anything else." she explained to him as she began to make a right off the main street. Since her family was fairly high in rank, they lived on the side of the city that was closer to the castle so it only made sense to her that it should be their first stop.

[Rogue Sloth]

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Crow shrugged, casting Penelope a lopsided smile. Walking beside her to the city where she had grown up, he let a comfortable silence fall between them as his gaze wandered back to the buildings across the river. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed being able to spend time with her like this, but now that they were alone, he was happier than he had been in weeks. The elation reminded him of the future they were going to share that was growing so close. With any luck, it wouldn’t be much longer before they would be able to spend every day together. He couldn’t wait for that.

When they eventually arrived at a bridge, Crow felt Penelope slip her small hand out of his. The gesture was slightly disappointing to him, but he didn’t complain since he knew they were going to have to be more careful now that they were approaching a busy town. It was better for them to put a little distance between each other now than risk being caught and making the gossip in the inner kingdom worse than it already was. Besides, the knight was familiar with this city. He was sure it wouldn’t be difficult for her to find a secluded place for them to get close again later on if she wanted to.

Fortunately, none of the other people they passed on their way across the bridge seemed to pay much attention to them, and he ducked his head slightly whenever anyone got too close, just to make sure they wouldn’t recognize him. They managed to make it to Bellmare without any trouble, and he lifted his gaze to look over the bustling city as the knight welcomed him to it.

His first impression was that her hometown was energetic. Like the citadel, there were dozens of people in the streets, peasant and noble alike, who were out performing various errands. He couldn’t help but marvel at the intention in their movements. Everyone in the inner kingdom always seemed to be doing something for some particular reason. No one was ever just out for the sake of enjoying the weather—though, there wasn’t much to enjoy anymore now that the cold season was coming upon them—or to simply relax. It was quite a different atmosphere compared with the villages where he had grown up.

“All of that sounds great to me,” Crow turned back to Penelope with a grin when she finished explaining her plan for the rest of the day. All things considered, he was genuinely excited to see her home. He wanted to be able to share in that part of her life, just as he had taken her to Myrefall to be part of his.

“Lead the way, captain,” he said, nudging her playfully with his shoulder.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope rolled her eyes amusedly as he nudged her with his shoulders. "This way then." she chuckled as she took them down the road to her home. It was a relatively short walk and eager to get there, she let a comfortable silence fall between them as she lead the way. Before long, the familiar buildings came into view and a smile crossed her lips. It really hadn't been that long since she had last seen it, after all she had traveled there with Naida, but being there with him made it special. Of course, over the short time she had been away, it hadn't changed a bit. The four buildings that made up her family's manor still stood strong and seemed quiet from a distance.

Slowing her pace since she knew they had to be careful, she turned to Crow with a smile. "That's my home." she told him, nodding to the large estate. "Although, the big house isn't really where I lived. That's mainly for the rest of my family. You see, when my uncle took my father and Layth and I back in, he wouldn't allow us back into the main house. A lot of my family was still upset about what had occurred with my parents and that I was even brought in instead of being left behind or given to the servants, so the compromise was that we would have to live separate from the others." The knight shrugged her shoulders. Even now it didn't make much sense to her. They had still shared the same property as the rest of her family so why go so far to keep them out of the house? She supposed it was just a matter of their pride and resentment over what had happened with her parents.. If John had only returned with Layth, he likely would have been fully accepted back in rather than still looked down upon for keeping the daughter he had had with his mistress.

"Anyways, I spent most my life growing up in that house over there with my father and Layth." she explained to him gesturing to the smaller home on the side. It was small in noble standards but more than decent in peasant. Simple in design but spacious enough and sturdy with very little signs of wear or tear despite the years. "Although, once I had finished my training as a knight and Layth got a job as guard with my father, it became more of my house than anything else. My father rarely visits here and Layth has practically moved into the main house since my uncle favors him."

Penelope looked up at Crow and gave him a fond smile. "I figure I might as well use it since no one else is going to. Although I barely get the chance to visit nowadays."

[Rogue Sloth]

As Penelope continued to lead the way through the city, Crow fell in step beside her. He tried to look around the area as much as he could, curious to see the places that would have been familiar to her, but it was a bit difficult with so many other people around. He found that he frequently had to duck his head just enough that his hood covered his eyes whenever they got too close to anyone else. It was hard to say whether any of the nobles here would recognize him, since he hadn’t left the castle after taking on the title of viceroy, but he didn’t want to take any chances. At the very least, someone might remember his face from his old wanted posters and put two and two together when they remembered that the once-infamous thief of Brerra had been made the king’s ambassador.

So, focused on keeping his head down for most of the walk, he was relieved that it didn’t take very long to reach her family manor. When the knight announced that they had arrived at her home, he looked up to see that they had come to a large estate made up of four separate buildings. He raised a brow in surprise. Though she had told him plenty of times that her family was wealthy, he hadn’t expected this. The Vermillions really must have been a powerful family to own so much land. After all, from the little he knew of the noble hierarchy, land was supposed to be one of the most important assets. He casted her a sideways glance, wondering just how luxurious of a background she had come from.

As Penelope went on to explain that she hadn’t lived in the largest house, Crow turned back to look over the estate again. He supposed it made sense, considering what she had told him about her rocky relationship with the rest of her family. Offhandedly, he wondered if it had ever bothered her to live in one of the smaller houses, knowing she had been ostracized from the main manor because of something her parents had done. Unsure if it was a sore subject for her, he decided not to ask though. He didn’t want to bring down the mood when it was their first full day alone in weeks.

When the knight pointed out the building she had actually lived in, Crow followed her gaze. All things considered, she was still quite fortunate in his opinion. Though it was practically a hovel compared with the huge manor her family members had inhabited, the small house was still much bigger than anything the peasants in the outer villages could ever dream to own. He wondered what it looked like on the inside.

“I think it’s nice,” he said, returning her smile. It made him happy to see her face light up when she talked about her past. He gave her hand a tug. “You’re here now. Why don’t we go in?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope was glad to hear his approval of her home. Though she hadn't been looking for it—her home would be her home regardless of what anyone else thought—she was pleased that he seemed to like it, even if it was just because it was where she had come from. As he gave her hand a tug, she blinked in mild surprise as he suggested going in. She wanted to but she was worried they be making to risky of a move. Right now, they were just barely outside of where the property began. Even though they still had to be careful from being spot, they were at least a far enough distance away to find a way of avoiding anyone coming from the home. If they got closer, it'd be much more difficult to not be spot.

But it's not like we're going into the main house.. She wavered at the thought. Most people on the manor would be inside the main house, whether they were working servants or her family. No one had any reason to visit her small home that was currently not in use by anyone in her immediate family. Perhaps they could sneak inside. After all, they had been able to sneak past much more alert guards than just a few possible servants.

"Alright, let's go. Looks like no one's out here right now anyways so we can probably slip inside without any issue." Penelope agreed with a grin. She turned and began to lead the way over to the smaller home, keeping an eye out for anyone else nearby. She spotted a couple servants near the stable but they seem too engaged in whatever conversation they were having to even notice the two moving towards the home. Satisfied that they would be able to slip inside, she picked up her pace and stepped up to the front door. "So long as we don't cause some huge noise, I doubt anyone will be coming by. Since no one's really living here right now, we don't ask anyone to take care of it." she explained with a small shrug.

Swinging the door open, Penelope lead the way inside. It immediately lead them into the den of the home which wasn't quite as lavishly furnished as most noble's had their rooms in the castle. Rather it was a bit lacking. The furniture was of high quality but the room lacked much decor. There were two poorly crafted wooden figurines that rested on a small shelf on the back wall and a couple books laid on a table. Additionally, the room didn't seem nearly as dusty as the knight was expecting. "Well, welcome to my house." she told him with a shrug. "It's certainly no room at the castle but it has its charms."

"...Penelope?"

The knight froze as a new voice piped up from nearby and she turned her head to see Letitia's head poke out of the room to her right. Penelope's gaze widened as she found out that they hadn't been as alone as she had once thought. The servant, seeming obvious to the horror Penelope had from being discovered in the home with Crow, smiled excitedly and hurried into the room. "Oh it is you! What's with the sudden visit?" Letitia paused as her gaze finally seemed to fall onto Crow. "And who's this?"