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

[Rogue Sloth]

“Thanks,” Crow smiled when Penelope wished him luck in writing his letter. Even though he was a relatively fast learner, he knew he would need it. He hadn’t started learning how to write very long ago, so there were still quite a few words he didn’t know how to spell, and according to Udolf, his punctuation was still a disaster. He just hoped it would be legible enough for Hazel to understand. If he needed to, he could include a note to warn her that he’d written the next letter without help, so she could be prepared to try harder if it wasn’t as easy to follow as the first one had been.

Following the knight with his eyes, he waited for her to leave before he took a step away from the table to head back to his own room. However, he didn’t get any farther before a voice got his attention: “Don’t go anywhere, Lockton.”

Turning around, the viceroy quirked a brow as his gaze landed on John Vermillion, who was approaching him from the other side of the room. The knight was stoic as always, so it was difficult for Crow to guess what he wanted. Was it another lesson or had he come to talk about everything that had been going on with Liz? Penelope’s father had seemed furious with him when he’d heard the rumors, so he wouldn’t have been surprised if he wanted to readdress it. He braced himself for an uncomfortable conversation, only to feel his shoulders fall with relief when the older man said something different.

“You’re with me this time,” John announced, stopping just in front of him. He sounded calm enough, but his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. It was a subtle warning, but the viceroy got the hint: Don’t mess with me today.

His eyes flicked back up to meet the knight’s. “More sword fighting?” he asked, assuming they would be continuing from where they had left off the last time he had trained with the older man. Already, he could feel the ache of the bruises he knew he was going to get from their sparring match. He wasn’t looking forward to getting beaten up again.

“No,” John said, bringing further relief to his student. “The king wishes for me to begin your lessons in riding horseback today.”

“Horses?” he wrinkled his nose. Having fallen off the back of one of the monstrous animals in the past, he almost would have preferred the fighting lesson. “He just loves to give you all the skills I’m worst at, doesn’t he?”

“I’m just teaching you all the physical skills you’ll need to be a proper viceroy,” the knight said simply, turning to lead the way out of the Great Hall. “Perhaps you should reflect on what that means for you.”

Crow clicked his tongue. Penelope’s father was definitely still upset with him about the Elizabeth incident. He was certain of that now. “I’m perfectly fit,” he muttered to no one in particular as he followed the knight into the hall. “I just didn’t learn the same skills as you nobles did…” He hoped the lesson would go by quickly. The last thing he wanted to do was give the knight another reason to be mad at him. He sighed, glancing wistfully down the corridor that led to the stairs. At least he would get a break from studying about grammar and Gorman culture. That was a good thing, right?

[BuzzingBee]

"So, right now we're just writing out invitations. Oliver's busy adding the location and time to the ones I made the other day so it'll be up to you and me to finish off the new ones. Especially since now we have a decent idea for how many people we're inviting thanks to you, your highness." Dimia explained with a gracious dip of her head to Naida that nearly made Penelope snort.

Like most nobles, Dimia was sucking up to the princess as much as she possibly could now that they were in each other's companies. It hadn't taken but a few seconds for Penelope to figure that out. The only amusing part about it was how it seemed to be having the opposite effect. Penelope met Naida's gaze as her friend glanced over at her with a wrinkled nose, clearly not impressed by the display Dimia was putting on. The knight bit back a smirk and instead focused her gaze back onto Dimia. "Well that's great. Hopefully we can get all of these sent out by tomorrow morning." she mused then glanced over at her friend. "Are you helping out today too, Naida?"

"Yep!" Naida perked up as she was addressed. "Tybalt gave me the day off and I figured I might as well lend you a hand. Especially with the deadline coming up quick."

"Only a few days now.." Oliver murmured in agreement from his spot, not bothering to pause as he continued to write.

Penelope shifted a bit uneasily at the reminder of the short time left before the party. Though she would have the following days open to focus solely on it—she really owed her father for that—the knight couldn't help but worry about everything there was to do. She let out a breath and tried to focus on what was in front of her for now before she could spiral into the worry she felt. "Thanks, Naida. I really appreciate it." she told her friend with a small smile. Looking back to Dimia, she gave her shoulders a small shrug. "Let's get to work then."

The knight moved to take up a small corner of the desk, picking up one of the quills that had been laid out and dipping it into the ink. Naida moved up to take a spot besides her while Dimia left the two alone for now to write near Oliver. She caught the noblewoman supervising his work while she slowly did her own. Penelope shook her head and looked down at the blank paper in front of her. Dimia had set up one invitation for reference. The noblewoman wanted each one to be as identical to each other as possible. It would be a tedious task to try to match the writing style but not wanting to cause any arguments about it, Penelope got to work. She already had a feeling her hand would be cramping by the end of it though.

[Rogue Sloth]

Heading out of the castle, Crow wondered where John planned to teach him how to ride a horse and where he was even going to find a horse for him to ride in the first place. He’d thought all nobles had their own horses, and since he had come from the outer villages, he didn’t own one. It wasn’t like he could buy one either. He still had no money aside from the small pouch of gold coins his father had given him weeks ago, and he doubted that was enough to pay for an animal. If jewelry was already more expensive than all the money he had put together, there was no way he could cover the expense of a steed. Of course, he could always steal one, but that wouldn’t solve anything, since he wasn’t supposed to keep acting like a criminal now that he was the king’s viceroy. He’d already pushed his luck enough at the market in Bellmare.

He glanced at John, who was walking by his side at a half-step ahead. It was hard to tell if it was safe to ask him any questions, since he’d seemed to be in a tense mood that morning. However, he also didn’t want to leave things unsettled between them. He’d already tried to explain himself yesterday, but he still wasn’t sure if the knight had believed him or not. The thought that Penelope’s father still believed he had been unfaithful to her was off putting to him.

“So, where are we going?” he asked, breaking the silence between them. He was usually good at reading people, so he decided a little conversation might help him determine where the older man’s head was at.

“The stables,” John said without looking at him.

Crow blinked. That was a more obvious answer than he’d expected. “Okay,” he said slowly. “But I don’t have my own horse.”

“The king said you could take one of his,” the knight replied, this time gracing him with a brief sideways glance.

“Oh,” Crow realized he should have guessed that too. Almost everything he owned was a hand-me-down from his father. Of course he would be getting a horse from him too. He kept his mouth shut for the rest of the walk, deciding he’d already tested Penelope’s father with enough dumb questions for one day.

When they got to the stables, John opened the door for them to step inside, and the viceroy took a moment to look around. The walls on either side of him were lined with horses in narrow stalls. He’d seen stables before, but looking at so many animals crammed into one building now, he was suddenly reminded of prison. The horses didn’t seem to mind it though. They all stood tamely in various positions of rest, not even acknowledging the two men who had just entered their space.

“So, which ones belong to my father?” he asked, turning curiously to John.

“All of them.”

“Really?” Crow raised a brow, looking over the animals with bewilderment. “Why does he need so many?”

“It’s a show of power,” John answered disinterestedly. “Go on. Choose whichever one you want except for the white mare on the end. She’s his prized horse.”

“Okay,” the viceroy nodded, walking slowly down the aisle. It felt strange to be looking over a group of living creatures with the intent to choose one as his own. Even when he had helped the knights steal the horses in Younis, they hadn’t been planning to keep them, and he had picked one for Penelope, not himself. Knowing whichever horse he selected would be his for a long time, he studied each one more carefully.

As he strode toward the end of the stable, he paused by a particular beast that caught his eye. At a glance, there was nothing particularly special about it—its coat was an uneven brown and its black mane was slightly tangled—but there was something about its eyes that drew him to it. He stepped closer to the horse and brought a hand up to rest on its long face. Between its eyes, it had a single white streak, the only stark variation in its coarse fur.

“This one,” he said decidedly, turning back to John. “It looks smart.”

The knight stepped over to his side and looked the horse over with a nod. “I’m sure the king won’t have any trouble parting with him. He’s always been fonder of his more impressive looking steeds.”

“Well, he impressed me,” Crow rolled his eyes, patting the horse’s nose. The animal bobbed its head in response to the touch, and he smirked. “I think he likes me too.”

“Perhaps,” the knight said noncommittally. “I believe his name is Baine.”

“Baine, huh?” the viceroy mused, turning back to the stallion with a grin. “I like it. He’s definitely the one I want.”

John nodded, “Do you know how to put on a bridle?”

“I think it’s safe for you to assume I know absolutely nothing about horses.”

“Then I’ll teach you,” the knight announced, taking a step away from the stall. “Come with me, and I’ll show you how to prepare him to ride.”

“Alright,” Crow trotted after him, more eager to learn than he had been before.

[BuzzingBee]

At first the group worked in silence. There seemed to be a tenseness between the Lenz's, though Penelope couldn't tell if it stemmed from personal matters or simply because they were in the presence of one of the royal family members. Besides that, the knight was just simply focused on her work, her mind wandering to the preparations that needed to be done. Once the invitations were delivered, she have to start focusing on what she would be saying to the party attendees. As a lieutenant, she had spoken in front of big groups before but usually it was just to give out instructions or orders that usually came from higher ranking nobles. Addressing a big crowd with the intention of persuading them to back her cause would be much different.

"Sooo, how's Olivia? What did her and Gavin say about the battlefront? Any changes?" Naida asked curiously, pulling Penelope out of her thoughts.

The knight glanced over at her friend and gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "Not much. Just that there were two battles since I last heard from them. Gavin said they were pretty harsh ones too, even though we did win one." she explained. "Aside from that, he also mentioned that my brother has been causing him a bit of trouble."

"Really?" Naida asked with an amused look.

Penelope nodded her head. "Layth's been trying to get rid of one of the rules I convinced the barons to enforce out there to help protect the outer villagers." The knight paused for a moment, unsure if she wanted to add the part about him also questioning him about Crow. While normally she would avoid risking Naida finding out anymore about their history at the moment, the party was only a few days away and it wouldn't be much longer after that that they would be courting. At least, so long as her father gave his blessing, which she was hopeful that he would. Perhaps she could afford to tell her friend a little bit more about her working with him. She casted a glance at the Lenz's, making sure the two weren't listening. Luckily it seemed they had struck up a conversation of their own so Penelope relaxed and whispered, "Plus he was trying to find out about Collin. He's not exactly a fan of your brother and he thinks I have something to do with him getting the position."

Naida blinked in confusion. "I don't understand. Why would he think that?"

"Well, back when we were on the battlefront, I actually worked with Collin to bring down a group of thieves that had killed our night guards and taken nearly half of our supplies.. Word got out that I had done that and well, a lot of my battalion wasn't approving of what I had done. Especially my brother." Penelope explained with a shrug. "As for why he doesn't like Collin, well that's more due to their past run ins being less than friendly since he used to be a thief and all."

Naida's eyes grew big with excitement and Penelope could already tell her story had only given the princess further encouragement to push the two together. "Well your brother has always been quite the pain in the ass anyways!" she said waving her hand dismissively. "That aside, why didn't you tell me about that before!" The princess grinned and nudged her friend's side suggestively. "Sounds like you two work well together."

Penelope rolled her eyes. "That's the exact reason why I didn't tell you sooner. I knew you'd just see it as another reason to keep trying to get us to court." she said with a small smirk. "I only worked with him at the time because who better to hunt down thieves than a thief? Luckily he was just willing to help due to our trip to Younis and then it just happened to turn out that the king was looking for him. No more, no less."

"Okay suuuree." Naida drawled disbelievingly. She casted her friend a mischievous look. "I still think you two would be perfect together... And more so than that, I think you're already smitten."

The knight blinked, a bit caught off guard by Naida's words. Recovering, she scoffed and focused her gaze back on the invitation she was working on. "I am not. You're just hoping that I am." she said shaking her head.

"Uh huh.. Is that why you were cuddling in my room the other night?" Naida teased.

A blush crossed over her cheeks as Naida brought up their slip up. She had been exhausted from all the running around that night and taking a break after showing Crow a bit of how to dance had been a poor decision on her part. "That only happened because you're the troublemaker that didn't wake us up." she said poking her friend's side. In an attempt to recover from her mild embarrassment, she shot Naida a smirk. "Shouldn't you be focusing on making invitations? You're starting to remind me too much of Olivia."

"Alright, fine. Personally I don't think I quite match up to her but I'll stop for now." Naida snickered as she turned her focus back onto the paper in front of her. Pleased that Naida wasn't pestering her about Crow, Penelope relaxed once more and instead struck up a more casual conversation with her friend as they continued to work.

[Rogue Sloth]

It took a lot of time and explaining from John before Crow managed to get his horse ready to ride. He struggled quite a bit with the bridle, disliking how close he had to put his hand to Baine’s teeth to get the bit into place. Even though the stallion had been tame so far, he didn’t trust him enough not to bite. The saddle wasn’t any easier to prepare either. John noticed quickly that Baine had a habit of puffing up his chest to prevent the two men from tightening the strap down all the way. It took some coaxing with food to trick him into relaxing enough for the viceroy to fit him properly. However, he found the horse’s quirk more amusing than frustrating. It only confirmed his hunch that he’d picked a smart one, and he thought it was funny that the animal was food-motivated like he was.

John wasn’t nearly as entertained by the situation. By the time Crow finally got the saddle on the stubborn stallion, he overheard him muttering under his breath about a “waste of time.” Of course, the knight didn’t openly voice his irritation—he was always patient with his student—but the former thief could tell he’d been hoping that part of the lesson would have gone more smoothly.

Once they were finished dealing with Baine, John had Crow help him get a second horse ready, a dappled gray mare who was far more compliant than the stallion he had chosen. According to the knight, he had a steed of his own, but since they were already in the king’s stables, he found it easier to borrow another one of Albin’s horses rather than walk all the way to the place where the castle guards kept theirs. They were just going to practice the basics of riding, so he was sure the king wouldn’t mind.

“So, how do I get on?” Crow asked when both of the horses were ready to go. He looked over the tall beast curiously. It had been over two years since the last time he had even touched a horse, so he couldn’t remember what Penelope had taught him about riding before. If he recalled correctly, she had helped him up on the stallion they had ridden together most of the time too. He wasn’t sure how to mount the animal as gracefully as the knights did on his own.

“You won’t be doing that in here,” John said, stroking the mare’s nose as he slid the reins down from her neck. “First, we’re going to the field.” Clicking his tongue, the knight gave his horse’s reins a tug to guide her out of the stables.

“Great, so everyone will get to watch me look like a fool,” the viceroy muttered to himself, turning to Baine with a warning look. “You’d better not make this harder than it needs to be.”

Naturally, the horse said nothing.

With a sigh, Crow copied John, clicking his tongue and tugging on the stallion’s reins to follow the knight out to the field. Fortunately, it seemed like Baine was compliant when he wasn’t being forced into a saddle, because he came along without complaint.

After a while of walking, they came to a wide open, grassy area surrounded by a fence. Crow peered past John and made a face when he saw that they weren’t alone. Two other knights were already there with young boys whom he guessed were their squires. All four strangers looked up from what they were doing as he and Penelope’s father entered the space, and he averted his gaze. It had been uncomfortable enough knowing that he was at the same level of education as a child, but to actually be taught alongside two boys who couldn’t have been older than twelve years old was humiliating.

“They’re staring,” he muttered, turning to John with a pleading look. “Do we have to work here? I’m sure we could find a clearing in the forest that’s much more private.”

“Ignore them,” John instructed firmly, shutting the gate behind them. “You don’t have enough experience to practice riding outside the fence yet. You don’t want to lose your horse during your first lesson, do you?”

“I pocketed a carrot earlier,” the viceroy said flippantly. “He’s not going anywhere.”

“We’re staying here,” John dictated, ending the debate with an unwavering edge to his voice. Stepping away from the barrier, he stood by Baine’s side next to his student. “To mount, you’re going to put one foot in the stirrup to hoist yourself up. If you’re starting from your horse’s left side, you’ll use your left foot. If you’re starting from his right, you’ll use your right. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand,” Crow fought the urge to roll his eyes at the simplified directions. It looked like the knight wanted to get straight to business, so there was no point in pestering him any further about relocating somewhere else. He just hoped he wouldn’t make too big a fool of himself in front of kids who could probably outride him if he tried to compete with them today.

Following John’s instructions, he turned toward the stallion and put his left foot in the stirrup. He took a steeling breath and threw his weight up and over the animal’s back, gripping the saddle to steady himself, so he wouldn’t overshoot and fall off. Once he was on Baine’s back, he blinked, looking over the field with new interest. It had been so long since the last time he’d ridden a horse that he’d forgotten how powerful it made him feel. Maybe this lesson wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“That wasn’t too hard,” he smirked, looking down at the knight haughtily. “What’s next?”

“Don’t get cocky,” John advised, seeming indifferent to his quick success. “You’re taller than most beginners, so I didn’t expect you to have any trouble with it.”

That’s because I’m not a twelve-year-old, he thought dryly, glancing at the other boys who were practicing trotting around the other side of the field. “Okay,” he said aloud, returning his attention to the knight. “Either way, I’m ready to move on.”

Penelope’s father nodded wordlessly and mounted his mare with ease.

“So, what now, horse sage?” the viceroy asked, leaning forward in his saddle.

“We’ll begin with proper posture.”

Crow groaned.

[BuzzingBee]

The rest of their time went by rather smoothly and between their combined efforts, they were able to get the invitations done before supper. Penelope let out a breath of relief and cracked her knuckles, trying to rid her right hand of the ache in it from spending her whole day with a quill in her hand. Naida, who had stopped earlier, leaned heavily against the desk and swept her gaze over the mountain of invitations that had been written.

"Gods I hope that's all of them." she whistled, shaking her head. "We'll all be losing feeling in our hands if we have to write anymore!"

Oliver leaned back in his chair, eying the letters before giving a nod of approval. "It should be plenty."

"Plenty if not extra!" Dimia exclaimed. The noblewoman sent Naida a fake beaming smile. "We wouldn't have been able to get through all of those without your highness, thank you for your assistance today."

Penelope turned her head away as she rolled her eyes at the way Dimia acted towards Naida. However, not wanting to comment on it, she instead rolled her shoulders and rose up to her feet. "I'm just glad we got them all done. This has reminded me greatly of why I picked up a sword rather than a pen." she mused with a shake of her head.

"Here, here." Naida snickered.

The knight smiled a bit amusedly then focused her gaze onto Oliver and Dimia. "I'm assuming the next step is to get them sent out sometime soon, but aside from that, what is going to be next in the coming days?" she asked curiously. The setup for the party had been pretty much as she had expected but the knight wasn't sure what other details there were to work on now that the location, food, music, and guest list had been pretty much completed. She had never fully planned a party before, especially one of such size, but she assumed that the days before it occurred would not be days of rest.

"I'll handle getting the invitations sent off. As for the coming days, it'll mainly be working on making sure you have a good idea of what you'll say to convince people to support you." Oliver explained with a small shrug. "After that, it'll only be small details and making sure everything is coming together as planned."

"But that'll mainly be handle by me so you won't have much to do there." Dimia interjected.

Penelope gave a small nod. Though it seemed like the coming days would be rather relaxed ones before the party, the knight felt a bubble of anxiousness as she thought about how close it was getting. It made her wish that there was more to do to keep herself feeling busy without focusing on the countdown to the day of the party. Not realizing she had fallen quiet in her thoughts, Penelope jumped slightly as Naida suddenly patted her friend on the back.

"Sounds like you'll be prepped and ready to go once the day comes!" Naida said with a grin. "If you're done here, let's go get some supper. I'm starving!"

Penelope blinked coming back to herself and nodded her head as she returned her friend's smile. "That sounds good. Let's go." She turned to the Lenz's and dipped her head. "Thank you for the help. I'll stop by tomorrow to go over what I should say, if that's alright."

"Of course." Oliver nodded.

Penelope casted him an appreciative smile before turning to follow Naida, who had already began to make her way to the door. She picked up her pace slightly and fell in step besides her friend, striking up another casual conversation as the two made their way to the Great Hall for supper.

[Rogue Sloth]

Apparently, there was a lot more to horseback riding than Crow had expected going into his first lesson. From the way he held his reins to the pressure he applied with his heels, almost every move he made was an indicator to his horse about what to do. Baine responded to each twitch and tug with obedient precision, even if the motion had been made accidentally by the novice on his back; and occasionally, he pawed at the ground in frustration when the viceroy inadvertently sent him mixed signals. The learning curve was steep, and it became clear that it was going to take much more time and effort before he would feel comfortable enough to manage the stallion without oversight.

Above all, John stressed the importance of proper posture, explaining that a rider could easily lose his balance or fall off his mount if he wasn’t stable. At first, Crow hadn’t taken him very seriously, but as soon as he began to practice transitioning from a walk to a trot, he realized quickly that he would have to follow the knight’s directions if he didn’t want to give himself a headache from being jostled about by the horse’s bumpy gait. From then on, he focused more intently on matching Baine’s movement when they increased speed. Rather than just sitting in his saddle and being bounced by the animal, he raised and lowered his rear the way the older man described to make the ride more comfortable for both him and his steed.

By the end of the lesson, he was able to command the stallion to walk, stop, change directions, and even trot in a straight line. John seemed impressed with his progress, though it was hard to tell for sure since his facial expression rarely changed. The biggest clue he offered was a comment he made when they were back in the king’s stable preparing their horses to be returned to their stalls.

“Your father has instructed me to make sure you’re ready to handle the trip to Gorm before the end of three weeks,” the knight announced as they disassembled their individual saddles. “However, I think you’ll be ready well before then.”

Crow casted him a sidelong glance, slightly surprised to hear any praise come out of the stoic man’s mouth. It was flattering, but for once, the egotistical former thief couldn’t bring himself to accept the compliment. “I don’t know about that,” he said apprehensively, sliding Baine’s saddle down from his tall back to return to storage. “I almost ran him into the fence at least five times. Isn’t the border between Brerra and Gorm mountainous?”

“It is, but there’s a wide trade route that the king outlined for your trip to decrease the risk of any accidents,” John explained.

“What about ice?” Crow objected. “It hasn’t been cold enough to snow here yet, but it’s still almost winter. I thought the mountains were supposed to be dangerous at this time of year.”

“You’ll be fine as long as you stay alert,” Penelope’s father asserted. He pursed his lips and stopped what he was doing to turn toward his student, lowering his voice as he added: “Besides, it’s entirely possible that you won’t have to go at all.”

“I hope not,” the viceroy sighed. He glanced at John briefly before they both finished putting their riding gear away and returned the horses to their stalls.

Walking back to the castle, Crow kicked a small rock down the dirt path as his mind wandered to the upcoming party and his father’s decision. He wished he could do more to help Penelope convince Albin to seek a peaceful end with Younis, but at the moment, all he could do was wait and hope everything she was doing would be enough. It was impossible to tell if the king could be persuaded when they were so close to his scheduled departure for Gorm. If the support she rallied wasn’t enough, there would be nothing else they could do. It was frustrating to feel so helpless.

John seemed to notice the dip in his mood. “Everything will fall into place,” he said suddenly, interrupting the silence that had fallen over them. “There’s no point in worrying.”

Crow jerked his gaze up at him, startled by the knight’s accurate reading of his thoughts. In the next moment, a curt scoff escaped his mouth, and he looked away again. “Was I really that obvious?” a half smile tugged at his lip as he shook his head. “I want to believe that, I really do, but nothing ever seems to go according to my plans. If I’d had it my way, Penelope and I would have moved to Farhill two years ago, and this whole damn war never would have happened.” He shrugged, unsure why he was suddenly being honest with a man he barely knew but unable to stop the words from tumbling out now that they had started.

“I still wish everything could go back to the way it was before,” he confessed dully. “It’s all so much more complicated now. I miss the times when it was just the two of us—when I didn’t have to make sure we were alone just so I could touch her hand. Now, I don’t know what to expect anymore. Every time I look at her face, there’s a part of me that remembers the first time I lost her. The thought of that happening again…” He trailed off, taking a slow breath. “It scares me. And the worst part is that until something changes in this war, I know it could still happen again.”

Avoiding John’s gaze, the viceroy stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets uncomfortably. He hadn’t meant to spill everything on his mind, especially to a knight who had professed to dislike him before, but the fears had been stewing inside of him for so long that they refused to be contained anymore. Now that it was all out on the table, he could tell by the lingering silence that it had been a mistake to share them at all. He parted his lips to tell the other man to forget what he’d just said, but before he could speak, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

“First of all,” John’s deep voice seemed to resonate more than usual as it cut through the quiet. “I’m glad she didn’t run away with you two years ago. You say there was a time when it was ‘just the two of you,’ but that’s not true. Penelope has always had people in her life who care about her, including myself, and I would have hunted you to the ends of the earth to get her back.” Crow could have sworn he saw a glimmer of amusement in the older man’s stern visage.

“Even if it wasn’t by your own choice, I think it was wise for you both to be patient,” the knight continued. “Just look at where you are now. You’ve gone from criminal to noble, and my daughter became a lieutenant. Neither of those things would have happened if you had been impulsive and pushed for something before its time.” He met the viceroy’s solemn gaze earnestly. “Just because your life looks different than you had imagined doesn’t mean it’s worse. Keep being patient. There’s a saying that good things come to those who wait, and I think you’ll find that there’s more truth to it than you ever thought possible if you just give it a chance.”

Crow stared at him, taken aback by the sudden, heartfelt advice. He’d never had a figure in his life who had spoken to him this way before. Even his own mother’s kind words hadn’t stirred the same feelings in him that John’s did. It was strangely comforting to hear the older man willingly step into his mess and help him find his way out of it. The situation wasn’t resolved by any means, but at least now he knew there was someone more knowledgeable than himself that he could fall back on when he needed to. For the first time, he wondered if this was what it would have been like if his father had been involved in his life.

“Thanks,” he murmured bashfully, ruddy color tinting his cheeks. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop worrying when it comes to Penelope, but I’ll try to learn to be okay with it when things don’t go my way.”

John nodded, giving the viceroy’s shoulder an approving squeeze before dropping his hand back down to his side. They walked the rest of the way back to the castle in silence, though Crow was more noticeably more content than he had been before.

[BuzzingBee]

The two friends had a rather calm walk to the Great Hall. While most of the topics had been rather idle, Naida had been sure to squeeze in asking Penelope to participate in Crow's dance lessons again. It had been far from a shocker of course. With the party only a few days away, the viceroy still had quite a bit to learn in a short time and naturally, Naida wanted to get her involved. Though her friend's antics did cause for some annoyance, she was a bit glad for the opportunity the princess gave her to be the one to teach him how to dance. The only issue was that particular night she already planned to spend it replying to her friends on the warfront.

"I would Naida but I want to write to Gavin and Olivia before I head to bed tonight." Penelope explained with an apologetic smile.

Naida pouted. "Are you suuureee? Can't you just write them back tomorrow sometime?"

"I'd rather just get it done than put it off." Penelope said with a shrug. She paused and then gave her friend a small nudge. "My days will be slowing down though so I'll be free to help out until the party though so maybe tomorrow night."

"Alright! I'm going to hold you to that!" Naida grinned.

Stepping into the Great Hall, Penelope began to look around for an open table. However just as she spotted one, she also spotted Cedric, who was waving her over to his own table where he sat with a couple other knights. Normally she wouldn't mind joining him, but she was hesitant to since Naida was already with her. Her friend had expressed her dislike of the other knight due to his history. Penelope certainly didn't blame her even though she had chosen to forgive. Letting out a small sigh, she turned to Naida and casted her a small apologetic look.

"I guess I'm going to go sit over there." Penelope announced with a nod towards Cedric. She watched as the princess followed her gesture and frown slightly.

"Oh." Naida mumbled with a small bit of disapproval that she was clearly trying to hide. Looking back to Penelope, she shrugged her shoulders and gave her friend a smile. "Well, I'll go with you then!"

Penelope blinked, mildly surprised that Naida had decided to still sit with her. Happy to have her friend joining her, she smiled and nodded her head before turning to lead the way over to the table of knights. As they approached, Cedric shifted over to make a spot for her to sit besides him. Just as Penelope was about to walk over to it, Naida picked up her pace slightly and slid in besides him instead. It left both knights blinking in mild confusion but things quickly cleared up to Penelope as Naida shot her a small smirk. Penelope realized she had taken the spot to put some distance between her and Cedric, as well as likely hoping to get Crow to sit next to her instead since there was quite a bit more room on the other side. More amused than annoyed, Penelope subtly shook her head and moved to sit down across from her friends instead.

[Rogue Sloth]

By the time Crow and John got back to the castle, the former was starting to feel his exhaustion catch up to him. Spending most of the day on horseback was a tiresome activity, especially since he wasn’t used to it, and he had a feeling he was going to wake up sore in all the muscles he wasn’t used to pushing for that long. On the contrary, Penelope’s father seemed to be doing fine. The viceroy wasn’t surprised though. John had been a knight long enough that he’d probably ridden horses far longer than just the middle of the afternoon. It would have been more shocking to see him worn down after just one training session in the field.

When they reached the Great Hall, the two parted ways without a word as the older man immediately headed toward a table of knights. Meanwhile, Crow lingered near the door as he sought Penelope’s face amongst the crowd. It took a moment before he spotted her, but then he stiffened when he caught sight of her company. He was careful not to let the full extent of his displeasure cross his face, but he still narrowed his eyes as he watched Cedric from across the room. Knowing that the other man was a former suitor of the woman he loved—and that he’d hurt her in the past—he detested seeing them together. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything he could do to separate the two without raising any brows, so he silently set his jaw and made his way over to join them.

Naida was the first to notice him approaching. “Hey, Collin!” she grinned broadly and gestured with one hand at the open seat beside Penelope. It was then that the viceroy realized she must have pulled her usual trick to make sure he sat beside the knight.

Normally, he would have rolled his eyes at his half-sister’s antics, but since she had kept Penelope away from Cedric, he was grateful enough for the intervention that he didn’t express any annoyance. Instead, he took the spot compliantly and leaned in to rest his forearms on the table. “Hey,” he yawned, not bothering to hide his weariness from the others. “What have you been up to all day?”

“Party planning!” the princess sat up straighter and shot a glance at Penelope. “We finished all the invitations before supper.”

“Is that so?” Crow raised a brow, mildly impressed that they had written so many letters. Just one always took a toll on him. Sitting for a whole day writing one after another after another sounded torturous to him. It also reminded him that he still had to talk to the few noblemen and women that he had enough influence over to invite. He wasn’t fond of conversing with people who just wanted to use him—especially with the women who would flirt and bat their eyes—so he had been putting it off, but he’d promised Penelope he would do it, so he had to get it over with at some point.

“How is that going anyway?” he asked, turning to the knight beside him and lifting one hand to prop his cheek against in a lazy manner. The fact that he was avoiding eye contact with Cedric wasn’t completely discreet, but he used the excuse of talking to his sister and secret lover so his cold behavior wasn’t too out of place.

[BuzzingBee]

Cedric was quick to strike up a casual conversation with her once she had settled in at the table. The topics weren't anything exciting and mainly just about their guard duty. Naida didn't seemed very entertained with the discussion but did jump in on occasion. However, the princess didn't stay bored for long as a broad grin spread over her lips. Penelope noticed, trailing off slightly as she followed her friend's gaze over to Crow. A small smile crossed her lips as he moved over to join them at the table and she gave him a small word of greeting along with Cedric.

As Naida went on to answer Crow, Penelope nodded her head in agreement. "We had four people working on them.. Plus Dimia had already some made." she explained with a small shrug. The knight noticed Crow avoiding Cedric's gaze, especially since it seemed that the male knight's gaze lingered on Crow for a moment before shifting onto her as the viceroy turned to her. Penelope felt a bit of tension but assumed it was mainly coming from Crow due to his dislike of her former suitor.

"I was wondering that myself." Cedric piped in, casting Penelope a warm smile. "You said it was coming up soon right?"

"In a few more days." Penelope nodded before looking back over to Crow. "It's going as well as it can be I suppose. Oliver and Dimia seem confident enough in everything we've gotten done so far at least. I have a feeling that the next couple of days are just going to be a waiting game at this point." The knight let out a quiet sigh at the thought. Perhaps it would be nice to have less on her plate in the coming days before the party but she wanted to be busy to keep her mind off of her worries about the party failing.

Pushing that thought aside, she gave Crow a half smile and glanced him over. "Anyways, what were you up to today? You sure seem tired." she mused. The knight found it especially odd since he had managed to get a full night's rest for the first time the night before so she figured it must have had something to do with his lesson.

[Rogue Sloth]

As Cedric joined in the conversation, Crow felt a twinge of annoyance. He wished the knight would keep his distance, but it seemed like he was determined to stay nearby. Despite Penelope’s claim that her former suitor was just trying to rekindle a friendship between them, the viceroy wasn’t so quick to trust the word of a man he didn’t know. Until he saw hard proof that Cedric wasn’t vying for her affection, he intended to keep a close eye on him to make sure he didn’t pull anything funny.

Trying not to let his hostility toward the other man completely steal his attention away from the conversation, he nodded along as Penelope explained how her plans had been progressing. It sounded like there were still a lot of details up in the air but, remembering the advice John had given him earlier, he tried not to worry about the parts that weren’t within his control. Right now, the best he could do was invite the few nobles he knew in the castle and hope the rest would fall into place, as the knight had said it would.

When Penelope changed the subject, Crow casted her a lopsided smile, “I had another lesson with your father today. I think he’s made it his mission to wear me out.”

“Aw, I’m sure it’ll get easier when you get better with a sword,” Naida smirked at him from across the table.

The former thief shook his head. “He’s starting me on horseback riding now,” he explained. “I think my—the king,” he hastily corrected himself with a subtle glance at Cedric. “—wants me to focus on that first, since it would be a lot harder for me to travel all the way outside of the kingdom on foot.”

“Ugh,” his sister wrinkled her nose. “Just thinking about that is exhausting. I’m surprised you’ve gone all these years wandering around without a horse or a wagon to ride on.”

“If it’s your only option, you get used to it,” Crow chuckled amusedly. The princess was kind, but she was still a product of her upbringing. He guessed she was as oblivious to the struggles of the villagers as the rest of the nobles in the inner kingdom.

Suddenly, another thought crossed his mind, and his eyes flitted discreetly to Cedric’s face once more before finding Penelope’s gaze beside him. “You know, it’s funny,” he said in an airy tone. “The king gave me one of his horses since I didn’t have one of my own. Now that I do, I almost feel guilty for the time we stole that stallion in Younis.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope raised an eyebrow at Crow as he answered her question by saying that he had had another lesson with her father. The knight casted him a sympathetic smile. Knowing her father, she was rather sure that John must have worn Crow out with his training again. Especially since he wasn't exactly pleased to hear about the situation when it came to Elizabeth. Penelope hoped she had cleared the air enough with him but there was still a chance he had taken some of his frustration with that situation out on the viceroy. She was about to respond to him but Naida jumped in first.

Sitting back, the female knight blinked as Crow explained that his training that day had focused on horseback riding rather than swordsmanship. At the mention of traveling out of the kingdom, Penelope shifted a bit uneasily as she was reminded of all that relied on the party going well. After the party, there wouldn't be much time left to stop the king from sending Crow off to Gorm. It seemed he was pushing his training forward as fast as he could to make that happen which only made the knight feel more pressure to make sure things went well.

She took a small sip of her drink, barely registering that she had lost herself in her thoughts until Crow turned back to her. Penelope blinked, snapping her attention back onto the conversation. As Crow brought up the time they had stolen the horses in Younis, a bit of amusement entered her gaze as she recalled it. "Well hopefully we didn't happen to take their favorite one. They certainly had quite a few." she mused.

"You let him steal a horse in Younis?" Cedric blinked, looking rather caught off guard.

"Well.. Sort of. It was my idea and really it was me stealing it rather than him since he didn't know how to deal with horses at the time." Penelope explained with a small chuckle.

Cedric raised an eyebrow at her, processing the information for a moment before letting out a small laugh. "Gods I didn't think you of all people would ever be capable of something like that." He shot her a smile. "The Penelope I remember would never have done something like that. You used to scold me for just taking some time from my guard shift to speak with you whenever you passed by."

Penelope rolled her eyes as Cedric brought up a bit of their past. Of course she remembered those moments. Though she had scolded him for abandoning his post, she had been far from annoyed with him for doing so to speak with her. At least at that time. "Yes, well desperate times, called for desperate measures." she mused quietly with a small shrug. She shifted out of the way as the servants returned with their food, falling momentarily silent and hoping Cedric wouldn't say anymore on the topic. Not only did she not wish to discuss their past but she really didn't want to do so in front of Crow.

[Rogue Sloth]

A sly smile crossed Crow’s lips when Cedric interjected the conversation in astonishment. He knew it was petty—the knight didn’t even know he had any romantic interest in Penelope—but he enjoyed reminding her former suitor that he had a history with her too. He didn’t have any particular agenda to go along with the comment. It wasn’t like he could follow it up with any hints about their whirlwind relationship in Younis either, since Naida would hound them to the ends of the earth to find out more. The expression on his face was satisfying enough though, and it felt like he’d gotten his point across without giving anything detrimental away.

When Penelope corrected her former suitor by explaining that stealing the horse had been her idea, the viceroy watched him subtly across the table. Cedric’s stunned silence was too good. Maybe he would decide to stop grasping at the straws of a second chance with her—as that was what the thief was convinced he was trying to do—if he thought she had been corrupted by a criminal. That certainly would have made things easier for him. However, in the next moment, his smug look was replaced with a baffled frown when the knight barked out a laugh. He hadn’t thought anything she had said was funny.

Apparently Cedric had decided that her lawless deed was amusing. Crow averted his gaze, pretending to look for the servants who would bring their food as the knight went on to talk about how he had taken time out of his shifts to meet with her. He wasn’t jealous of the short story, since Penelope had told him that she and the knight had been together long before they had ever met, but still irritated him because it sounded like her former suitor was trying to remind her of the things he had done for her in the past. Another move to try and win a little more of her trust.

He bit the inside of his cheek, wishing again that he could just put an arm around her or take her hand or do something to make it clear to the other man that they were together. Unfortunately, he had to sit still, keeping his hands to himself, until their relationship wouldn’t have a negative impact on her efforts to end the war. Being patient was a grueling task.

When the attendants arrived with their plates, Crow turned his attention to his food. There wasn’t much else he could contribute to the conversation without delving into the parts of their history that would raise red flags in Cedric and Naida’s minds. It was better to let the subject drop.

His sister seemed to have different plans though.

“Well, I think you’ve gotten a lot more fun since you came back from Younis,” she chirped, looking between the two nobles sitting across from her. “It may have been desperate times, but the measures stuck around.” Her bright smile turned puckish. “And from what I just heard, it sounds like we’ve got Collin to thank for that. What else did you two get away with on that mission?”

[BuzzingBee]

As the plates were put down, Penelope was hopeful that the topic would be dropped. She really didn't want to delve into her past with Cedric. It wasn't a pleasant one after all. Of course, she didn't want to go into detail about her past with Crow either. It would still be a short while before she could even hope for them to start courting and until then, they needed to keep their relationship a secret. She had given a couple details to Naida about their more recent past earlier and certainly didn't want to push her luck.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the subject hadn't been dropped so easily.

As Naida spoke up this time, Penelope glanced over at her and rolled her eyes at the mischief in her smile. She should have known better than to think Naida would jump at the chance to try and find even more reasons to push her and Crow together. However, the princess had struck a topic that was a bit difficult for her to deny. Meeting Crow had changed her quite a bit and she knew she certainly hadn't been the same person she was at the beginning of their trip. Still, she didn't intend to give Naida anymore information that would suggest their closeness.

"Our lives, barely." Penelope responded with a small smirk. "I don't think I could properly count up all the times we were attacked."

"Must have been dangerous." Cedric commented, looking over at her curiously. "I'm guessing that's when you got the scar huh?"

Penelope nodded her head. "A little while after we were attacked by mercenaries on the way back to the castle, William and I got into a fight with some other ones in the process of trying to recover the staff."

"Well thank gods you were able to survive all of that." Cedric whistled. His gaze briefly flickered towards Naida before focusing back on Penelope, flashing her a fond smile. "I suppose on the bright side of things, you're looking as tough on the outside as you are on the inside." He pointed out with a playful wink.

The female knight did feel a bit strange receiving such a compliment from him. She was still a bit wary of him due to their past and though he hadn't said anything particularly flirtatious, she felt awkward receiving his otherwise playful comment in front of Crow. Perhaps it was just because of Crow's strong dislike of him. Chalking it up to that, she quickly relaxed. Penelope gave Cedric an amused smile in response and rolled her eyes at the male knight before focusing back down onto her food.

[Rogue Sloth]

As Naida attempted to redirect the conversation back to Crow’s past with Penelope, the viceroy shifted tensely in his seat. He had been fine with dangling one detail in front of Cedric’s nose, just to make the other man somewhat aware of their closeness, but delving further into their mission in Younis would make it increasingly obvious that there had been more going on between them than they were letting on.

Thinking back on the journey, there had been a number of times when he and the knight had both risked their lives for each other in ways that went beyond the efforts a criminal and his handler would normally put forth. When he’d done the same again at Jaxon’s camp, many of the people who knew the details surrounding his near-fatal injury had been suspicious or even asked questions to find out why he’d sacrificed himself for a noblewoman who was supposed to be his enemy. Luckily, they seemed to have quelled everyone’s speculations with the excuse that they had been secretly working together to hunt down the murderous thief. However, telling Cedric and Naida that the incident in the outer villages wasn’t the first time one of them had put the other’s safety before their own would certainly bring the theories back to light.

He glanced at Penelope as she glossed over the question, thankful that she’d also had the sense to keep their history a secret from the two sitting across from them. His sister was too nosy for her own good, so he was sure she would have taken any hint of a romance between them and run it into the ground if either of them had given her a real answer.

He was just about to turn his attention back to his plate when the sound of Cedric’s voice caught him by surprise. Apparently the conversation about the past still wasn’t over. He kept his gaze lowered as the knight as he asked about Penelope’s scar. This part of the story always left him with an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. Though he couldn’t have returned to the inner kingdom with her and William without facing the rest of his sentence in prison, he still felt a little guilty that he hadn’t been there when she’d been attacked by the mercenaries in their own kingdom. A part of him wished he had been there to help. Maybe if he had, they wouldn’t have lost the staff and the war wouldn’t have started. Aeklora had said that all three of them needed to work together if they were to succeed. Instead, he’d run off and left the knights to complete the job alone.

Of course, there was no way to undo the past nor any way to find out if his presence would have changed the what had happened. He just wished he had been there for Penelope when she had gone through that dark time.

Uninterested in Cedric’s thoughts about what had happened two years ago, Crow bit into a mouthful of his supper only to nearly choke when the knight made a blatantly flirtatious comment to Penelope. He quickly chased the food with a gulp of water, attempting to compose himself before he snapped at the other man for flattering her while he was sitting right there. The wink Cedric added at the end of his compliment made him certain he was trying to get on her good side, and he had to remind himself that the knight didn’t know he was trying to woo a taken woman.

Chafed by the other man’s boldness and his own inability to put a stop to it, Crow discreetly pressed his leg against Penelope’s beneath in the table. He didn’t trust himself to keep the discussion civil when all he wanted to do was tell Cedric off, so he continued to eat without speaking, leaving the knights to chat amongst themselves if they chose while he cleaned his plate.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope chose to ignore the way Naida had pressed her lips into a thin line, clearly a bit frustrated that her plan to get more information about their trip to Younis hadn't worked. She was intend on letting the conversation go but before she could say another word, she felt Crow press his leg against hers underneath the table. Knowing it was no accident, the knight subtly glanced in his direction. She was confused by his reaction, wondering why he had gotten upset with Cedric's words. Sure Cedric had complimented her but Penelope hardly thought they were flirtatious.

"Anyways, I'm looking forward to this party of yours. I've mentioned it to a few of the higher ranking knights of the castle guard. They seemed more than willing to go." Cedric mused, switching the subject casually.

Figuring Crow was just being over protective, she lowered one hand down into her lap, pretending to focus her attention on Cedric's words as he spoke about the party. Subtly, she slipped her hand onto his leg, trying to offer what comfort she could while they were in front of the others. "That's great. Anything will help." she mused to Cedric with a small smile. Penelope gave his leg an affectionate squeeze before shifting her hand back into her own lap.

She chatted casually with Cedric a bit longer about the party as he asked about getting invitations for the nobles he had spoken with as well as other smaller details. Penelope answered what she knew and suggested he'd speak to Dimia if he needed anything clarified since the noblewoman had more of a say in the matter of the party than she did. Eventually the conversation died down and Penelope instead focused on her food, finishing up the bit that was left. Once her stomach was full, she leaned away from the table and let out a content sign.

"I better get going." Penelope announced, stretching slightly to fight off the weariness that was seeping over her. "I still have a couple letters I need to write before the night's over."

"Good luck with those. I should leave too, actually." Cedric sighed, standing up. "I've got a morning shift tomorrow so I've got to be up early."

Penelope nodded her head and slowly rose up to her feet as well, glancing between Naida and Crow as she prepared to depart. " Guess I'll see you guys tomorrow." she said with a small smile.

[Rogue Sloth]

Tainted by his bitter mood over Cedric’s flirting, the food on Crow’s plate had grown bland. He ate with less enthusiasm than usual, more interested in keeping an eye on the knight in front of him than tasting the red meat and bread he’d been served that evening. He wished he could pull Penelope aside to express his dislike of her former suitor, but he knew that wouldn’t accomplish anything. For one thing, it would draw glaring attention to their closeness, and for another, he knew her well enough to know that she would just dismiss his concerns as overprotectiveness. She was far more trusting of other people than he was and oblivious to the way other men leered at her when she wasn’t looking. The only thing he could do for now was take solace in the fact that Cedric’s interest in her couldn’t develop into anything more than distant admiration, since she was already with him in private.

Feeling a gentle hand on his leg, Crow’s green eyes flicked toward Penelope. Even though she was directing her smile at her former suitor, he felt like the warm expression was meant for him. Either way, her familiar touch drained some of the animosity he felt toward the other man, and he bit the inside of his lip to keep his features from softening involuntarily as she squeezed his thigh.

As always, the viceroy finished his plate long before everyone else, but he stayed at the table while the knights continued to eat. He had no interest in participating in their conversation, but after the remark Cedric had made earlier, he wasn’t about to leave the other man alone with Penelope, even if his sister was around to curb any obvious flirting. While they talked amongst themselves about the party, he sipped slowly at his wine, taking his time so he had an excuse to linger without standing out, until Penelope announced that she needed to leave. Her mention of letters reminded him that he needed to write one back to Hazel. After the busyness of the day, he’d almost forgotten about it. If she was finishing hers tonight, then he supposed he should get his done as well, so she could send them all off at the same time.

“See you tomorrow,” he nodded, returning her smile. He offered Cedric a curt dip of his head out of obligation, but the other man received no cordial look.

When the two knights were out of earshot, Naida turned on her brother with a bemused expression. “So, what happened between you and Cedric?”

Crow blinked, surprised that the oblivious princess had caught on to his hostility so quickly. “Nothing,” he admitted, absently swirling the thin glaze of wine that was still left at the bottom of his glass. “I just don’t trust him. That’s all.”

“Really? Why?” Naida leaned forward with an intrigued smirk.

“I just know a snake when I see one,” the viceroy answered vaguely, tilting his head back as he downed the rest of his drink. As soon as the goblet was empty, he set it down and stood up from the table. “I have something I need to do tonight, so I should go too.”

“Fine,” his sister sighed exaggeratedly. “But you still have to finish learning how to dance before the party, so you’d better make time for another lesson tomorrow!”

“I will,” Crow rolled his eyes.

“You’d better,” she repeated with a teasing smile. “Goodnight, Collin.”

“’Night,” he yawned, turning to head back to his room where he could write to Hazel in peace.

[BuzzingBee]

After Cedric dipped his head in a formal fashion to both Crow and Naida, the two knights began to make their way out of the Great Hall together. Since it was a rather short walk, the two didn't converse much and instead simply parted ways once they were out the door, both wishing the other luck with the tasks at hand. Now alone, Penelope let out a quiet yawn she had been suppressing and made her way down the corridor to her room. Though she was determined to get the letters to Gavin and Olivia done before she retired for the night, the thought of pick up a quill again after spending the whole day righting invitations nearly made her stomach turn with dread. She could almost swear that she felt the dull crap in her right hand returning just at the thought.

Stepping into her room, she trotted over to her bedside table and reluctantly plopped down in her chair as she reached into her pocket for the letters. As she pulled them out, she unfolded them, letting her green gaze briefly skim over the words. The knight grabbed the writing supplies and began to work on her letters to her friends.

Dear Olivia,

Thank you for delivering the letter for Collin. He was really grateful to hear from his companions and since it sounds like things are going well between you and Alistair, has even offered to officiate your wedding if you'd like. I'm teasing of course but if you ever decide to, it's certainly an option.

An amused smirk crossed Penelope's lips. It was nearly a bit of payback to tease Olivia about her involvement with Alistair after all the trouble she had tried to stir.

—Anyways, I'm sorry to hear about the battles. It sounds like nothing has changed aside from the passing of days out there. Hopefully that will change soon. As I write this, I'm planning to throw a grand party with the help of the Lenz's. I've gathered quite a bit of support so far through letters but it's not enough on it's own. Gavin's sister and her husband came with an idea of throwing a huge party and convincing nobles there. If we pull it off, I think I'll have enough to convince the king. I'll have to do so fast though since he has another plan to send Collin off to Gorm in less than a month now to negotiate for an alliance.

As for things with Naida, we've been able to keep her out of the blue. Although she certainly does keep testing us. Honestly it'll be so much easier once we can come clean about our relationship. I really do hope that'll happen soon as well.

I hope you're faring well, Olivia, and I look forward to hearing from you again. Be safe out there.

Best Regards,
Penelope

Finishing off her first letter, Penelope put her quill down and stretched her hand, trying to rid the dull ache that she had accidentally stirred by writing again. She let out a breath and leaned back on her bed for a moment, deciding to take a small break. The longer she sat there, the more difficult it became to keep her eyes open. Realizing she was beginning to sink backwards into the mattress, she quickly sat up and gave her head a good shake, trying to jog herself awake enough to finish one more letter. Deciding it best not to waste anymore time, she picked up her quill again and began to write to Gavin.

Dear Gavin,

I'm sorry to hear my brother has been giving you such a tough time. Thank you so much for keeping Collin and I's relationship hidden from him still. And I hope you were able to keep him from dismantling the rule the barons passed. My brother can be quite the pain in the ass and I'm sorry you're the one who has to be dealing with him right now.

As for what's going on here, well it's quite a lot actually. Firstly, I also need to thank you for enlisting Dimia and her husband to help me. I honestly think I wouldn't have a chance of convincing the king without them. We're putting together a large party in hopes of using it to persuade higher nobles to our side. As I write this, it's only a few days away. I have quite a bit of support in letters but I don't think I could convince the king unless the party goes well. I pray that it does and that the war's peaceful end is on the horizon. If it doesn't, the king will likely send Collin to Gorm in less than a month to try and negotiate for an alliance, which would just mean more battles are to come.

I hope you and everyone else has recovered well from the last battle you mentioned. Hopefully the next you hear from me it will be nothing but good news about the events that are going to take place. Stay safe Gavin and I hope to hear back from you soon.

Best Regards,
Penelope

Her handwriting had slowly gotten a bit more messy as she wrote the last bit of the letter out of her eagerness to finish it. As she signed off her name, there was a sense of relief to finally be done with writing for the day. Hopefully for a few days actually. Penelope placed her quill down and rolled into her bed, not bothering to organize her letters at the moment. That could easily be done before breakfast. Right now, all the knight wanted to do was curl up in her bed and sleep. So she did.

Wrapping herself up in her blankets to fend off the small nip of cold air in her room, she settled down in her bed for the night, quickly drifting off into a comfortable sleep.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow languidly stretched out his legs as he sat down at the table in his bedchamber to write his letter to Hazel. The page she had written to him—it was a bit of a wrinkled mess after riding in his trouser pocket all day—had been laid out alongside the quill and stationary from Penelope and Naida. Just looking at the set brought a swell of affection to the former thief. Sometimes he felt lonely in the world of the upper class, but seeing all the gifts his friends had given to him reminded him just how much support he really had. He was eager to communicate back to his peasant companions and find out how things had progressed since their last correspondence.

Cracking his knuckles in anticipation, the viceroy picked up the feather quill and dipped it in the inkpot. It was the first time he had ever attempted to write something without supervision, so he hoped the letter would turn out alright. He liked to think he had progressed enough that the herbalist would at least be able to understand it, even if he misspelled a few words and forgot some punctuation marks. Deciding there was no point in overthinking it, he put his utensil to the paper:

Dear friends:

No news is good news. I’m relieved to hear that not much has changed since I left and that the knights have been leaving you alone. I hope everything has continued to be uneventfull. I’m also thrilled to hear that you have made head way on a cure for the people of Myrefall. If you have started using it: Has it been effective?

He paused, drumming his fingers on the table before he scribbled:

When I arrived at the castle a healer saw me to treat my coff. He had a cure that got rid of it completely. I might be able to steal a vile of it if you think it could help you refine your medisin. Just say the word and I’ll send it with my next letter.

Not much has changed here since I wrote to you last. I still have lessons every day. The biggest difference is that I have more teachers now and my father is one of them. He wants me to go to Gorm to negociate an aliance with their king so he’s been teaching me to read and write in their language. I also just started horse back riding today. The skills have been interesting but I hope he doesn’t actually send me. Penelope and I want to convinse him to end the war with Younis peacefully insted.

Going along with that there’s going to be a party in the castle within the next week. Penelope wants to use it as a platform to gain suport from the other nobles. If it works it might just be enough to make my father listen and negociate with Younis rather than Gorm. I’ll tell you what happens when it’s over.

I enjoyed hearing back from you and I look forward to getting your next letter. Stay safe in the war and the upcoming winter. Also I’m sorry if this letter was harder to read than my last one. I didn’t have Penelope here to help me with my spelling. I hope there weren’t to many mistakes.

-Collin

Setting the quill down, the viceroy let out his breath and rolled his wrist. He had noticed lately that the temperature had been dropping more substantially, especially at night. His room was colder than it had been even the week before. He glanced toward the window, though it was too dark to see through the glass. It was hard to get a sense of what the weather was doing from inside the thick walls of the palace, but he had a suspicion that it wouldn’t be much longer before they saw the first snowfall.

He brought a hand to his mouth as another broad yawn stretched his jaw. With his final task of the day completed, he was ready to get some much needed sleep. He got up from his seat and changed into the linen nightclothes Preston had set out on his bed sometime during the day. The fabric of this set was slightly thicker than the ones he had worn previously, and he guessed noblemen had outfits to keep them comfortable in every season of the year.

Too tired to ponder over the detail any further, he put out the candle that had been flickering steadily on the table and climbed into bed, pulling the smooth sheets all the way up to his chin to keep out the cold air. It was easy to settle comfortably into the plush mattress, and in no time, he drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

[BuzzingBee]

The next five days went by almost too fast for the knight.

The first was mainly spent in the company of Oliver. Though usually silent, Penelope learned he was actually capable of talking a great deal when it came to matters he took seriously. Dimia's presence was also missing that day so it was the first time the knight truly had a moment alone with the nobleman. He pointed out weak points in her initial arguments and showed her where to place information about the war, claiming it'd be more convincing if it was in a certain order. Along with that he also advised her to keep the first half of the party carefree and to save talk of the war for later into the night when most of their guests would have already had a few drinks.

All in all, Oliver did help the knight feel a bit more confident in what she was going to say at the party and even wrote out notes for her to keep until the day finally came. Penelope found herself studying them a great deal in her free time, of which had a ton of in the days to follow.

After her day with Oliver, Penelope was left with little to nothing to do. Unable to do anything more for the party and having no guard shifts, she tried to keep herself as occupied as she possibly could. On a couple days she managed to snag Cedric for sparing. The exercise helped get her mind off of her growing anxiousness about the approaching party as well as relieve a bit of tension that it had built up in her. Although about two days prior to the party, it had snowed, so force to stay inside, Penelope instead spent the time with Naida. The two snuck a glass of wine before supper and talked casually with each other, wrapped up in blankets to fend off the cold day.

Luckily the knight still had plenty to wear her out. Aside from sparing with Cedric, she also upheld her promise to Naida and was present in the evenings for Crow's dance lessons. They easily became the most enjoyable parts of the days prior to the party. Even though it was really just something else to prepare for the party, she enjoyed the time spent with Crow and found that it usually helped her relax before bed. Not to mention it was really the only way for her to get close to him without raising any suspicion. The knight felt he had progressed a great deal in his dancing though and was fairly confident he'd be alright once it came time for the party.

It was now the morning of the party and Penelope had been up since the first bit of morning light had filtered into her room. Sleep had not come easier to her the night before. She had tossed and turned for quite a while before she had finally managed to fall into a light sleep. The knight was feeling a wide mix of emotions. Mainly nervous and anxious about how the night would go but there was also a bit of excitement in her. If all went well that night, she would likely be able to convince the king and it likely wouldn't be much longer before her and Crow could finally start courting.

Regardless the mixing emotions—both good and bad—made her stomach churn.

Letting out a long sigh, she stared up at the ceiling, still procrastinating to get out of bed. She knew that she should get moving soon to get breakfast and start the long day ahead of her though. Penelope closed her eyes tightly. "Oh Toreus please let this night go well..." she prayed quietly under her breath. Pushing back the anxiety she had, the knight got out of bed and straightened her appearance out before heading off to the Great Hall for breakfast. She doubted she'd be able to eat much with the current way her stomach was feeling but figured it was best to try and at least get a small bite in before she figured out what she'd be doing the rest of her day from the Lenz's.